Section 39

Brafs Jhould refembU ft her,
and this by Arfnick Orpine, which is an eff:&ual means to accomplifli this matter i and whereas in craft of time the metal will fomewhat recover it felf to its own former palencfs and dim colour, we will feek to remedy it and prevent it. Take the belt Arfni:k Orpine that may be gotten, fuch as yawns and gapes as though it had icales upon it ; it muft be of a very orient golden colour j you muft meddle this Orpine witn the duft of brafi that hath been filed from it, and put into them ibme Lees of wine* but they muft be each of them of an equal weight and quantity when you drench them together within the liquor, andfo fhall it bear a con inual orient colour, and glifter very brightly without ever any fading at all. After thby take you fome filver, and diffolve with that kind of water which is called Jqua-for- tU but it muft be fuch as hath in it very little ftore of moifture ; for the moll wa- terifh humour thatis in it, muft be evaporated in fome fcalding pot or other iuch veffrl, which you muft 611 up to the brim fix or fevenfeveral times, with the fame water, after the vapours of it have been extracted by the heat of the fire that is un- der the veflel : when you have thus done, you muft mingle your filver that is fo diff lved, with the brafs filing', and the Arfnick Orpine which we fpake of before ; and then you muft plain it and fmooth it all over with the red marble-ftone, that the clefts or icales before ipoken of, may be clofed up ; and withal, you muft water it by little and little, as it were drop after drop, with the oyle that hath been expreft or extracted out of the Lees of wine, or elle out of the firmed Salt-ammoniack that may be had. And when the Sun is gotten up to any ftrength, that it fhews forth it felf in very hot gleams , you muft bringforth this confection, and let the force of the heat work upon it, even till it be thorough dry : afterward you muft fupple it with more of the fame oyle again, and then let it be dryed up again fo long, till that which is remaining do weigh juft fo much as the filver weighed before it was diflblved. Then clofr it up in a veflel of glafs, and lay it under fome dunghil till k be diflblved again^nd after the diffolution be gathered together into aGcllyjthen
68 Natural Magick. cBookj.
caft into ic ten or eight pieces of brafs, and ic will colour them all, that they (hall moll lively counterfeit filver. But if you defire
To make brafs {hew it felf of a filver colour, by rubbing it betwixt jour bands, as boyes and cozening companions arc oftentimes went to do, that if they do but handle any veflels of brafs, they will make them ftraightways to glitter like Silver, you may ufethis devife. Take Ammoniack-falt,and Alome,and Salt-peeter, of each of them aD equal weight , and mingle them together, and put unto them a fmall quantity of Silver-duff, that hath been filed off ; thenfet them alltothc fire, that they may be thoroughly hot t and when the fume or vapour is exhaled from ihem, that they have left reaking, make a powder of them; and whatfoever brafs you caft that powder upon, if you do withal, either wet it with your own fpittle, or elfe by little and little rub ic over with your fingers, you fhall find that they will feem to be of a filver colour. But if you would vvhicen'fuch brafs more handfomely and neatly, you muft take another courfe : You mull diffolve a little filver with Aqua fortis , and put unto it fo much Lees of wine , and as much Ammoniack-falt ; let them fd lie together till they be about the thicknefs of the filth that is rubbed off from a mans bo- dy after his fvyeating: then roul it up in fome fmall round balls, and fo let them wax dry : when they are dry, if you rub them with your fingers upon any brafs or other like metal, and ftill as you rub them moiflen them with a little fpittle, you fhall make that which you rub upon to be very like unto filver. The very like experiment may be wrought by Quick-filvcr ; for this hath a wonderful force in making any metal to become white. Now , whereas we promifed before , to teach you, not onely how to endue brafe or fuch other metal with a filver colour , but alfo how to preferve and keep the bodies fo coloured from returning to their former hiew again, you muft beware that thefe bodies which are endued with fuch a filver colour, do not take hurt by any fharp-©r fowre liquor ; for either the urine, or vineger, or the juice of limons, or any fuch tart and fowre liquor, will caufe this colour foon to fade away, and fo difcrcdit your work, and declare the colour of thofe metals to be falfe and coun- terfeit.
Chap. IV.
Of Iron, and bow to transform it into a more worthy metal.
NOw the order of my proceedings requires , that I (hould fpeak fomewhat al- fo concerning Iron ; for this is a metal which the Wizards of India did highly eftecm, as having in ic felf much goodnefs, and being of fuch a temperature, that it may eafily be transformed into a more worthy and excellent metal then it felf is. Notwithstanding, fome there are , which reject this metal as altogether unprofi- table, becaufe ic is fo full of grofs earthly fubftance, and can hardly be melted in the fire, byreafonof that firm and fetled brimtione which is found in it. But if any man would
Change Iron into "Brafs , fo that no part of the grofle and earthly fubftance fhall remain in it, he may eafily obtain his purpofe by Copprcfle or Vitriol. It is reported that in the mountain Carparu s an Hill of Pannonia , at a certain Town called Smolinitium , there is a Like, in which there are three channels full of water; and whatfoever Iron rs put into thrfe channel*, it ji converted into brafs : and if the Iron which you cart in- to thembe in fmall pieces or little clamps , prefently they are converted into mud or dirt ; bur if that mud be baked and hardened in the fire, it will be turned into perfect good brafs But there is an artificial means whereby this alfo may be affect- ed; and it is to hc,do**eon this wife. Take Iron, and put into a catling veff 1 ; a.»d when it is red hot with the vehement heat of the fire, and that it beginneth to melr,you mull caft upon it by little and little fome fprinkling of quick brimftone: then
you
Of changing Metals. i gp
ycu muft pour it forth , and caft into imall rod«, and beat it wirh hammers i it is very brittle, and will eafily be broken : then d flolve it with Aqua-frits, luch as is compounded of vitriol and Aicme tempered together : let it upon hot cinders till it boil, and be diffblved into vapours, and fo quite varifh away* and the fubfi- dence thereof, or the rubbifli that remains behind, it it be reduced into one folid body again, will become good brafs. If you would
CMake Iron to become white, you may effect it by divers and lundry Heights ; yet let this cnely device content you in this matter. Firft,ycu mull cleanle and purge ycur Iron of that drofs and re- tuie that is in it, and of that poyfoned corruption of iuft that it is generally infe- cted withal: for it hath mere earthly iubftance and parts in it then any other me- tal hath, infomuch that if you boil it and purge it never fo often,it will ftill of it ielf yield feme new excrements. To deanfe and purge it this is thebeft way: Take feme fmail thin plates of Iron, and make them red hot , and then quench them in ftrong lye and vineger which have been boiled with ordinary Salt and Alome ; and ihh ycu rr.uft ufe 10 do wiih them oftentimes, till they be feme what whitened: the fragments or fcrapings alfo of Iron, you muft pewn in a mcner, after they have been fteeped in fait ; and y ou muft bray them together till the fait be quite changed, fo that there be no blacknefs left in the lienor dfcit, and till the Iron be cleanfed and purged frcm the drofs that is in it. When you have thus prepared your Iron, you muft whiten it cn this manner : Make a plain1 cr as it were, of quick- filvcrand lead tempered together; then pewn them into powder, and put that powder into an earthen veffelamongft your plates of Iron that ycu have prepared robe whitened: clofeupthe vcffclfaft, and plaifter it all over with mercer, fo that there may be ro breathing place for any air either to get in or out: then put ic into the fire, and there let it li ay for one whole day together, and at length en- creale y cur fire, that it may be io vehement hot as to melt the Iron ; for the plai- fter or cmfe&ion which was made of lead acd Quick filver, will work in the Iron twetfrt^s ; for fiift, it will diipofeitto melting, that it fliall {©on be diflolved; and leccrdly, it will difpofe it to whitening , that it fliall the fooner receive a glit- teiing coleur. After all this, draw forth your Iron into rmall thin plates again, and ptccceo the fecond time in the fame courfe as before, till you findthat it hath ta- ken (c much whiter r fie as ycur purpoft was to endue it withal. In like manner, if yet melt it inavtfftl that hath holes in the bottcm of ir, and melt with itlead,and the Matthafite cr fire ftcce, and Arfnick, andfuch other things as we fpake of be- fore ir cur experiments of brafs, ycu may make Ircn to become white. If you put amongft it leme filver , thcu^h ir be not much, it will foon reff table the colour of filver : for Iron doth eafily ftffer it fclf to be raedled with gold or filver; and they may be fo thoroughly incorporated into each other, that by all the rules of reparation that canbeufed, you cannot without great labour, and very much ado feparate the one of them from the other.
Chap. V.
Of Quick; fiver, and of the tffetts and operations thereof.
IN the next place it is meet that we fpeak femething concerning Quick-filver.and the manifold operations thereof: wherein we will firft fet down certain vulgar and common congelations that it makes with other things, becaufe many men do defiie to know t hem ; and fecondly, we will fliew,hcw it may be diffolved intc wa- ter,that they which arc defircus of luch experiments, may be fatisfied herein. Firft therefore wewillfhew
Hew Q*tick;f liter nta) he corgtahdard curdled as it Were with Ir*n9
r '
B b P*
170 Natural Magick. *Bookj>.
Put the quick-filver into a cafting vcffel , and put together with ic thar wa- ter , which the Blacktmith hath ufed to quench his hoclronin; and put in alio among them Ammoniack Salt, and Vitriol, and Verdegreafe , twice lb much of every one of thefe , as there was quick-filver: lec all theie boil together in an exceeding great fire 9 and ftill turn them up and down with an Iron flice or ladle; and if at anytime the water boil away , you muft be lure that you have in a readinefs feme of the fame water through hot to call into it , that it may fup- ply the wafie which the fire hath made , and yet not hinder the boiling; thus will they be congealed all together within the fpace of fix hours. After this,you muft cake the congealed ftnff when it is cold , and binde it up hard with your hands in leather thongs, or linnen cloth , or oficrj, that all the juice and moifture that is in it, may be fqueefed out of it ; then let that which is fqueefed and drained out , fettle it feif, and be concealed once again , till the whole confection be made : then put it into an earthen veffel well wafhed,and amoogft it fomc fpring-water,and take off as ncer as you can, all the filth and fcum that is upon ic and is gone to wafte ; and in that veffel you muft temper and diligently mix together your congealed matter with fprihg-water, till the whole matter be pure and clear: then lay it abroad in the open air three days and three nights , and the fubjeft which you have wrought upon will wax thick and hard like a rtiell or a tile-fheard. There is alio another congela- tion to be made with cjlick-filver,
Congealing of Quickzjilver with halls of Brafs,
thus : make two Brafs half circles , that they may faften one within the other, that nothing may exhale: put into them quick filvcr, with an equal part of white Arfe- r.ick and Tartar well powdred and learced; lute the joynts well witnout,thit nothing may breathe forth , fo let them dry, and cover them with coles all over for fix hours: then make all red hot , then take it one and open it, and you fhall fee it all coagu- lated and to ftick in the hollow of the Brafs ball j ftrike it with a hammer, and ic will fall off ; melt it, and project it, and it will give an excellent colour like to Sil- ver, and it is hard to difcern it from Silver. If you will, you may mingle it with three parts of melted Brafs , and without Silver ; it will be exceeding white, (oft and malleable. It is alfo made another way: Make a great Cup of Silver, red Arfenkk and Latin, with a cover thac fits clofe, that nothing may exhale : fill this with quick- filver, and lute the joynts with the white of an Egg, or fome Pine-tree-rofin^ as it is commonly done : hang this into a p- 1 full of Linleed Oyl , and let it boil twelve hours ; take it out, and ftrain it through a skin or tfraw ; and if any part be not co- agulated , do the work again, and make i: coagulate. If the veffel do coagulate ic flowly, fo much as you find ic hath loft of its weight of the filver , Arfenick and Al- chymy make that good again , for we cannot know by the weight : ure it , it is wonderful that the quick-filver will draw to it fclf out of the veffel , and quick- fil- ver will enter in. Now I fhall (hew what may be fometimes ufeful,
■r I BJfflJ 6 ■ ' 91 9itll v
To draw water out of Quicks f\ Iver, Make a veffel of potters earth, that will endure the fire, of which crucibles are made fix foot long, and of a foot Diameter , glafted within with glafs , about a foot broad at the bottom, a finger thick, narrower at the top, bigger at bottom. About the neck let there be a hole as big as ones finger , and a little pipe coming forth , by which you may fitly put in the quick-filver ; on the top of the mpuih \tt there bea. glafs cap , fitted with the pipe, and let it be fmeered with clammy day [ and oiddfit above that ic breathe not forth. For this work make a furnace fpt.ll he fa large at the top, thac it may be fit to receive the bottom of the veff-1 > a foot broad and deep. You muft make the grate the fire is made, upon, with that ajt , that when need i" you may draw it back on one fide, and the fire may f.ill,b?r for - the empty veffel into the furnace , and by degrees kindle Yhe fire : I.anly,ntake the bottom red hot ; when you lee it to be fo, which you may know the^top, you molt look through the glafs cap; prefently by the hole prepared pour hV fen or fif- teen pounds of quLk-filver , and prefently with clay caft upon it flop that hole, «d
take
Of changing Metals* 1 7 i
take away the grare that the fire may fall to the lower pans , and forthwith quench it with water. Then you fhall fee that the water of quick-filver will run forth at the nofe of the cap, into the receiver under it, about an ounce in quantity : take the veffel from the fire , and pour forth the quick-filver, and do as before , and always one ounce of water will diflil forth: keep this for Chymical operation^. I found this the heft for to fmug up women with. This artifice Was found to purifie quick- filver. I (hall not pafs over another art , no lels wonderful than profitable for Ule,
To make quick-filver grow to be a Tree: Diffolve filver in aquafortis , what is diffolved evaporate into thin air at the fire, that there may remain at the bottom a thick un&ious fubftance; Then diitil fountain- water twice or thrice, and pour it on that thick mitter , fhaking it well; then let it ftanda little , and pour into another glafs veffel the moft pure water , in which the filvet is : adde to the water a pound of quick-filver , in a molt iranfparent cryltalline glafs that will attract to it that fil ver , and in the fpace of a day will there fpring up a moft beautiful tree from the bottom, and hairy, as made of rmft fine beards of corn, and it will fill the whole veffel, that the eye can behold nothing more pleafant * The fame is made of gold with aqnarcgi