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.