A compendious body of chymistry, which will serve as a guide and introduction both for understanding the authors which have treated of the theory of this science in general: and for making the way plain and easie to perform, according to art and method, all operations, which teach the practise of this art, upon animals, vegetables, and minerals, without losing any of the essential vertues contained in them. By N. le Fèbure apothecary in ordinary, and chymical distiller to the King of France, and at present to his Majesty of Great-Britain.

Of Vitriol and its Chymical Preparation.

WEE have demonstrated in the beginning of the Chapter Metals the first and immediate principles of Vitriol; wherefore we refer thereunto our Artist, to speak only here of Vitriol reduced into a body either by Art or by Nature; for some Vitriol is found ready prepared and chrystalliz'd in the Earth of Mines where Metals do abound; as some is to be seen which cu∣rious searchers of Nature have brought from the Indies, Hungary, Germany, Italy, and several other parts of Europe: But there is also an artificial Vitriol, which is extracted from vitriolick Mar∣cassites, commonly found in fat Grounds, alwayes about the places abounding & with pregnant metallick seeds, and enclined naturally to the generation of Sulphur. They that shall be led by a Philo∣sophical curiosity to instruct themselves further in this matter, must seek in places where the fat Clay for making of Tyles and Bricks is extracted, and there may finde some of these vitriolick Marcassites, which are nothing else but what the Greeks call 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and we a Fire locks, Flint, Thunderbolt, Fire-flint, and the Tile-Bakers Machefer—Having got of these stones, let them

examine them by fire, which shall discover to them nothing but a sulphureous substance, by the vapours striking their Nostrils and seizing upon the Brest as burning Brimstone: but having expo∣sed the remainder in the ayre, it will dissolve it self into a gray and blackish powder, which will sublimate upon its superficies, small, white and sharp excrescences melting in the mouth, and yielding at first a sweetnesse, which ends in a vitriolick harsh∣nesse and austerity; then dissolve this powder in Rain-water in a slow heat, filtrate and evaporate it to a Pellicule or skin, and let it chrystallize and you shall have an excellent greenish Vitriol. With this short and superfi••ial Antimony, the Artist may satisfie himself, and know in part by the seve••ing of this stone the way by which Nature did proceed in b••inging the parts the••eof toge∣ther, and coagulating of it.

The most learned Writers which have treated of Vitriol, and best known and apprehended the nature thereof, do all unanimous∣ly confesse and acknowledge it to be a Mixt of so extensive a ver∣tue as to be sufficient to supply with Remedies the third part of all Physical Practice, and even capable to make up a compleat and well furnished Shop. Basilius, Valentinus, Bedro, Paracelsus, Sala, and many others cannot be large and diffusive enough in its praise and commendation; and those Hermetical Philosophers, which have bestowed upon it that excellent name of Vitriolum, have done it as they say, because the putting toge••her of those Let∣ters contains (allowing a word to each of them) the mysteries which this mineral Salt conceals in its Center. Visitabis Interiora terrae, Rectificando invenies optimum Lapidem, veram Medicinam. These words do insinuate where Vitriol is to be sought, how pre∣pared, and extol the Remedy which is to be ••ound in it. But Vi∣triol being so well known, we think it needlesse to b••stow more time in speaking of its various names and appellations; it will suffice to declare the choyce, and the general vertues of it, before we come to the preparations which Chymistry hath found upon this noble and excellent Compound; which properly is nothing else but a mineral Salt near kin to metallick nature, and chiefly to Copper and Iron, or ♀ and ♂. Venus and Mars. There is three several kinds of it, which contain many other species under them. For first of all there is the blew Vitriol as blew as a Sa∣phire,

in hard, clear, solid and dry Chrystals, called commonly Cypruss Vitriol, or Hungarian. There is a second kind, greenish, of grass colour, lesse compact and in lesse Chrystals, broken in∣to corns almost as common salt, something unctuous and sticking to the hand when it is toucht, though it hath but little of moisture; such is that which is extracted in the Countrey of Liege, made about Spa, where are acid, sulphureous and vitriolick springs; but great care must be had not to be surprized and de∣ceived by that which is of a blewish white, and very small corns and wetting the hands of those that touch it, because this is the very worst of all. The last and third kind of Vitriol is that which is white, and is found in small cakes at the D••ugsters shops, compact∣ed, hard and dry, which we call in France white Copporis, commonly made use of for Vomits and Eye-wa••ers. Our Artist must take for the subject of his work of the second kind of Vitriol, if he will ex∣tract such Remedies from it, as his hopes do lead him to: for the first kind which holds of Silver or Copper, hath too much of me∣tallick earth, and very little of acid spirit. The second which is blewish, is aluminous and terrestrial, and hath scarce any good a∣cidity in it, but only a course and excrementitious earth, which has little or none of metallick Tincture: wherefore let him still gene∣rally chuse of the second for his operations, unlesse he hath some peculiar intention of his own, or that the Author which he follows doth tye him to it, and prescribe positively so.

After the choyce of Vitriol we must come to the proprieties and general Vertues thereof, which are to heat, desiccate, astringe or bind, and excite violent vomiting, constipate, open, and kill wormes. As for external applications it provokes sneezing, if put in the nostrils, and applyed to the orifice of the Vessels open, or to wounds, doth stop the blood. We have also spoken more particularly of the vertues of Vitriol in the Chapter of Metals, when we treated of Copper, whereunto for more satisfaction we send back our Artist.

The general preparations which Chymistry teaches upon Vitriol are, purification, calcination, distillation, sublimation, precipi••ation, salification, extraction, whereof we will give examples that the Ar∣tist may afterwards be capable to seek by himself in this noble Mi∣neral, those Vertues and Wonders which God and Nature for the help and ease of mankind have concentrated in it.