book in an idle moment, may at once become a master of our

noble Magistery.
142 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
Take equal parts of best Hungarian Antimony and crude tartar, and half the quantity of saltpetre ; pound together, melt over wind fire, pour into copper dish, allow to cool, and you will find the Regulus.* The Regulus is thrice, or oftener, purified with tartar and saltpetre till it becomes of a brilliant silvery white. Pulverise finely, place in vessel, add oil of juniper, or spirit of terebinth, which must have been previously distilled and must be pure as spring water ; digest in closed vessel in S. Mary's Bath ; the oil of juniper, or spirit of terebinth, will become red, like blood ; pour it out, and rectify with spirit of wine. The virtues of this balm of Antimony are the same as those of spirit of sulphur, which I will describe hereafter.
* As in the preparation of liver of Antimony, so here, you should take salt of tartar instead of crude tartar. The sal nitri is useless in this operation. Do not throw away the glassy substance ; for from it an useful cordial (dose 30 to 50 drops twice or thrice a day, in a suitable liquid) may be prepared by pounding it in a hot mortar, protecting it well from the moisture of the air ; place it in a vial, extract its tincture with alcohol of wine : it will be of a beautiful red colour.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 143
Three drops of this balm, taken thrice a week in warm wine, cure pul- monary complaints, coughs, colds, and asthma.
Many other oils are prepared from Antimony, some simple and some com- pound. But the effects of all are differ- ent according to the difference in the method of their preparation. This fact may be illustrated in the following way. There are many living beings which dwell in and on the earth ; many have their abode in the air, many in the water, and some in the fire, like the salamander. Moreover, there are in tropical climes other animals of which we know nothing, except that they can live only in the warmth of the sun. In the same way, Antimony assumes a different nature according as it is prepared with water or with fire, only fire is in all cases indis- pensable. Again, the addition of earth produces a totally different compound to that produced by the addition of water ; and the result is quite different, again, when Antimony is sublimed in the fire.
144 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
The way of preparing simple uncom- pounded oil of Antimony, and true sulphur, is as follows : Place pulverised Hungarian Antimony in a glass cucur- bit ; add true vinegar of the Sages, rendered more acid by means of its salt. Close the cucurbit, plunge it in horse dung, or S. Mary's Bath, for forty days, till the matter putrefies and the vinegar turns a deep red. Decant this vinegar, and keep adding more till no more red colour can be extracted. Strain off all the vinegar, pour into a clean vessel, plunge in horse dung, and allow to putrefy for forty days. Then the body is again dissolved, and the substance becomes as black as ink. This is the sign that the true solution has taken place, which will ultimately effect the separation of the elements.
Place this black substance into another cucurbit, and on an alembic ; distil the vinegar over a moderate fire, and it will rise as a clear fluid, while there remains at the bottom a dirty sub- stance. Pulverise this, sweeten with
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 145
distilled rain water, dry gently, and place in a long-necked circulatory vessel. The circulatory vessel should resemble three hollow balls placed one on the other, and communicating by means of tubes with a long neck at the top. Add highly rectified spirit of wine, so that it covers the substance to a height of two or three inches ; close the vessel well, and expose to gentle heat for two months, when the spirit of wine will become of a bright red ; pour out the extract, filter, place in a cucurbit, and remove the black sedi- ment, which is of no further use to us.
Place the alembic on the cucurbit, and distil gently ; the spirit of wine will carry the tincture of Antimony upward, the elements are separated, and the alembic and receiver present the aspect of bright gold. Finally, some few dregs remain, but the gold colour in the glass utterly perishes. Place the red sub- stance, which by distillation has passed into the receiver, in a circulatory vessel for ten days. By means of this circula- tion separation takes place ; for the oil
L
146 Tke Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
has thereby acquired gravity, and sinks to the bottom, while the spirit of wine is limpid, as at first, and floats above the oil. Then separate the oil from the spirit in a separatory vessel.* This oil is of remarkable sweetness, most pleasant to use, and free from all corrosiveness.
No one can understand or compre- hend the incredible virtue and potency of this Royal Oil. I call it the Balm of Life, because it can help, by the grace of God, those whom all physicians have given up. It renews a man's system just as if he were born again, purifies the blood, and, in conjunction with tinc- ture of corals, casts out leprosy, drives away melancholy and sadness, braces up
* This is the substance of which all the Sages and Alchemists have written. This is the goal of all Alchemists, the oil of Antimony, which is soon to be converted into the Fire Stone. It is a Proteus which appears to us under different forms, and yet is ever the same. If you put together all the different operations which have been des cribed, and regard them in the light of my commentary, you will have all the parts of the process by which our Stone is evolved ; you will make the volatile fixed, and the fixed volatile, and then you have the great treasure coveted by the multitude. If you do not understand me, three shiploads of hellebore will not cure your folly.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 147
the joints and the heart, improves the memory, and is our great sheet-anchor in consumption.
But why should I continue to enu- merate the blessed virtues of this Oil ? Few indeed of our doctors and medical magnificoes will credit a tittle of what I say. Those, on the other hand, who have experienced the magical potency of our Medicine, and do listen to my teaching, will believe me without much praise and recommendation, nay, will bless my memory when I am moulder- ing in the grave. Another way in which this Oil may be prepared, is as follows :
Place Regulus of Antimony, well pulverised, in a great round glass vessel, over a gentle fire in the sand. Brush off all that is sublimed, so that it falls down again to the bottom, and continue to do this till no further sublimation takes place, but the whole substance remains at the bottom. Then the Regulus of Antimony has been fixed without any addition. But, in order to bring about this result, you need patience. Pulverize
148 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
the red precipitate, place on a smooth, clean stone in a humid cave ; leave it there six months, till the precipitate resolves itself into a pure red liquid, and a sediment is separated from it, i.e., the salt of Antimony only is dissolved. Fil- ter the liquid, place in cucurbit, extract phlegm, place again in the cave, and it will crystallize beautifully ; separate from the phlegm ; the crystals are pellucid, mixed with red colour. When they are again purified, they become white.* Dry this Salt of Antimony, mix with it three parts of Venetian earth (called tripel), and distil over strong fire. There will be sublimed first a white and then a red spirit, which also becomes white. Rectify gently in a dry bath, and you have another white oil distilled from Anti- mony, but it is by no means so good as the former salt made of the red Tincture. This spirit, or salt, distilled after a spiritual manner, is useful in quartan
* '' Like to like" is a Greek proverb, and certainly this salt is more effectual in making extracts from Antimony than even from other metals.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 149
fever, and in the breaking up of vesical stones, as also in gout ; it purifies wounds inflicted with iron, and the blood gener- ally. Yet it is not as perfect in its operation as the red oil of Antimony, the sulphur of which is highly and per- fectly digested.
I have spoken of the salt and sul- phur of Antimony, and have described their medicinal uses ; I now proceed to discuss the medicine, which is profoundly hidden in its Mercury.
Take eight parts of Regulus of r^Antimony, one part of salt clarified and
; sublimed from human urine, one part of
I A
( sal ammoniac, and one of salt of tartar ; mix well in vessel, add strong vinegar, and close up with the clay of the Sages ; digest the salts with vinegar a whole month over a suitable fire. Put all into a cucurbit and distil vinegar in ashes. Mix to salts, thus dried, three parts of Venetian earth ; distil with strong fire through the retort, and you have a marvellous spirit, which add to the pulverized Regulus of Antimony ; let
150 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
them putrefy two months, then distil vinegar gently, and mix with that which remains a fourfold weight of steel filings ; distil over a strong fire through the retort ; the spirit of salt will then carry the Mercury with it in form of smoke ; let it be driven into a large glass receiver full of water : the spirit of salt then mingles with the water, but the Mercury is precipitated to the bottom, as true Mercury.* This is the way in which running Mercury is prepared from Anti- mony : we must now go on to describe its uses.
Take, in the name of the Lord, one part of this Mercury, and strain it through leather ; take four parts of highly rectified oil of red vitriol ; extract
* Certain secrets which were deeply concealed in the days of Basilius are now included among the common pro- cesses of chemists No person could now be regarded as a true chemist who is ignorant of the method by which Mer- cury is composed out of Antimony, whether that which Basilius teaches, or anolher method, for various artists have excogitated various ways, and that which has been success- fully proved by one is by him favoured in proportion. How many Alchemists in those times could elicit the Mercury of Antimony ? Yet they looked down on Basilius, forsooth, and upon his whole system.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 151
the oil, when there will remain its spirit, with the Mercury ; sublime over a strong fire, and place all that is sublimed again at the bottom of the vessel. Pour to it as much of the oil of vitriol as before, and repeat the process three times. At the fourth time place all that is sublimed with the sediment ; pound, and it will be pure and bright as crystal ; place in cir- culatory vessel, add the same quantity of oil of vitriol, and three times as much spirit of wine ; circulate till separation takes place, and the Mercury is resolved into oil, floating over the rest like olive oil. Separate this oil from the re- mainder, place in circulatory vessel, pour to it strong distilled vinegar, and leave for twenty days ; hereby the oil recovers its gravity, and drops to the bottom, while all that was poisonous in it remains in the vinegar.*
* No candle is needed at midday, nor need the com- mentator speak when the author is so clear and lucid. Only go forward bravely, planting your feet firmly at every step, and you will at last obtain the golden branch. For this oil itself possesses marvellous efficacy in the improvement of metals, and yields only to the King of Kings himself.
152 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
This is that great wonder, by which the oil first floats, and then becomes heavy and sinks to the bottom. Observe that the oil of vitriol is also heavy, but at first the Mercury is rendered lighter by the impurities which still adhere to it ; subsequently those impurities remain in the vinegar ; the Mercury recovers its proper gravity, and is precipitated to the bottom. This oil of Mercury is the fourth pillar of Medicine. It stimulates the vital action of the brain, makes men active, and cures both leprosy and paralysis. If any one who has been suffering from chronic disease uses this oil daily for some time, his nails and hair drop off and grow again, his whole frame is rapidly renovated, his blood purified, and all morbid matter expelled. The French disease is easily and radi- cally cured by this remedy.
Let us, then, thank God from the bottom of our hearts for this Medicine which He has so graciously bestowed upon us ! And you, Doctors and Sur- geons, you I exhort to come to me, a
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 153
monk, and servant of God, and I will shew you what your eyes have never seen ; I will point out to you the way of health, along which you have never led your patients. If any one should under- stand this Art better than myself, let him not be silent, nor attach a padlock to his lips. I shall not be ashamed to learn of him. I have often said that our life is too short for one man to investi- gate all the mysteries of knowledge. On the other hand, let those be silent who know less than I, who also do not even understand my books ; let them refrain from hasty reprehension, and from teach- ing their schoolmaster the alphabet.
My terminology has a different sound and a different meaning from that of my opponents, who are too lazy and indolent to plant and graft trees, and, therefore, never get beyond their wilding plants or withered branches carelessly stuck in the ground.
Be not over hasty in judging and condemning that of which you know absolutely nothing. You may be one of
154 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
those who suppose, with the multitude, that in winter fishes are frozen to death in the water. But that is a notion in support of which not a tittle of evidence has ever been produced.
The reason that fishes sometimes die in the winter is to be sought in the fact that no animal can live without air, and when the ice is frozen over the fish are frequently suffocated. Now, if Anti- mony is to bear its own proper fruit, it must not be suffocated in the bowels of the earth ; but it must be dug out, and prepared by the auxiliary media of water, air, and fire, lest its fruitfulness be strangled in the earth. It must be made manifest by many laborious preparations of the artist, in order that it may be effectual for the healing of diseases and for the perfecting of metals.
What, then, can you say, or what argument can you bring forward that is of the slightest weight ? Since you are so densely ignorant as to have not even the slightest idea of the composition of Antimony, you do well to keep your own
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 155
counsel, and to suffer this tempest of rebuke and censure to sweep over your bowed head, lest you suffer shipwreck of reputation as well as of knowledge.
In order that you may escape this danger, call at once upon your sleeping Master, as the disciples of Jesus called upon their Lord while He slept ; invoke Him with an unfeigned heart, and you will be helped, and will see the wind and waves obedient to His Word, while your undertaking will be brought to its desired close. If men would only be more earnest in their endeavour to know the truth, God would then give them grace and wisdom, and they would in due time find the precious corner-stone on which the whole structure rests. Then the ears of students in the schools, and the heads of patients in sick-rooms, would no longer be tormented with the absurdities of the old system of medicine. The stone-built citadel of our Art cannot be so quickly destroyed by fire as a dovecote or a stork's nest made of rotten wood, and dried day after day by the sun.
156 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
But you who are true disciples of this Art, strive to penetrate to its centre ; be not content to linger on the surface. Pursue your object as the hunter pursues the quarry, and take care that you do not catch a hind for a buck, or a fox for a hare. Cast your nets well, and you will enclose a great multitude of fishes ; lay your traps discreetly, and the birds will not escape. Let the fowler place his snares with due regard to the wind ; let the mariner, who is driven hither and thither by the tempestuous heavings of the vast ocean, look well to his compass, and then his ship will surely return with a rich cargo of merchandise.
But why do I waste my time, like those empty-headed boasters, in treading out straw ? Nay, but I am not threshing empty straw, for there is not a single word in my books that is without its significance and utility.
Now I will fall back one step, like the gladiators, and introduce a new sub- ject, viz., the way in which Antimony should be prepared for the treatment of
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 157
external wounds. I have already briefly described the preparations which are most useful from a medical point of view; I will next mention some other preparations which will one day revolu- tionize the Art of the surgeon.
Young man, you who desire to know the secret things of Nature, and to bring to light her hidden mysteries, listen to me, that you may be able to distinguish day from night, and the clear from the obscure. Take one part of Hungarian Antimony, half a part of common salt, six parts of unburned clay ; pound to- gether and distil vehemently, without intermission, till the oil passes upward ; then remove its thickness by distillation, so that a red dry powder remains at the bottom of the cucurbit ; pulverize, dis- solve on a slab of marble, and you have a red, brilliant balm for wounds, which far excels all other similar remedies. Its utility is great in the case of wounds which have been open for a long time.*
* A prudent general so arrays his forces as to place the good soldiers in the front ranks, the best in the rear, and
158 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
The open wounds, in the treatment of which this balm produces striking results, are especially those on which the medical profession have brought their plasters, ligaments, and ointments to bear in vain.
You see that I speak out with great simplicity, for I am a monk, and know not the ways of the world. Yet I can- not always discourse so plainly and lucidly as the nature of the subject would seem to require.
This oil is very helpful in serious cases of accident, and more especially in old wounds, so that few medicines can sur- pass it. That oil which is prepared with the common sublimate of the apothecaries has equal efficacy, and, frequently, as ex- perience has taught, is superior in cancer, lupus, and similar complaints. But in ordinary cases of fistula, and in bruises and ruptures, this balm has great efficacy. I do not mention all its marvellous effects,
those that are less good and brave in the middle. The orator arranges his arguments on the same principle, and Basilius follows their precedent.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 159
which only experience can prove, lest I should be thought to be excited by am- bition, or by desire for fame. I declare I have sought or desired neither. I deny that either can be sought with righteous- ness. The other oil is prepared in the following manner :
Take mortified Mercury, sublimed into a state of great brilliancy (this may be bought at the apothecary's), and Anti- mony in equal parts ; pulverize together, distil thrice out of a retort which retains the spirits, rectify the oil with spirit of wine, and your oil will be of a blood-red colour. At first, however, it is white like ice, or coagulated butter. This oil exhibits its efficacy in all desperate cases, and especially in the perfect emendation of the evil into good.
By means of an addition, you may also prepare another oil for external wounds, which will be of palmary utility. It is composed in the following manner :
Take one part of Antimony, one of sulphur, half a part of salt ammoniac, or purified salt of urine, and two parts of
160 T/ie Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
quicklime. Expel the oil strongly, pound all that is sublimed with the dead body, pour to it oil a second time, distil thrice, and the oil is prepared.
In cases where old wounds resist all other remedies, you may use this oil. For it is strong, potent, and penetrative, and lays a good foundation for other medicines.
An admirable balm for old wounds is prepared with various ingredients in the following manner :
Digest four ounces of sulphur and half a pound of Mercury over a moderate fire, stirring with a wooden spoon ; pound fine till they form one solid mass (for it is made as cinnabar is usually prepared), and with it four ounces of Antimony, four ounces of red arsenic, and two ounces of ''crocus of iron." Place in glass cucurbit, and sublime. As the result of this operation you will have pyropus stones the colour of which is fully equal to those of the East, except that they are not fixed, and vanish in
* Sulphate of iron.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 161
the fire. In order that the artist may separate the pyropus stones from the cinnabar, which during sublimation as- cends, pulverize, and make an extract with strong distilled vinegar. Distil vinegar gradually in S. Mary's Bath, and there remains a powder ; further pulver- ize, place in another glass vessel, extract tincture with spirit of wine, and throw away the sediment. Digest the extract in a well-closed bath for a month, remove spirit of wine by distillation, place the remaining powder on a flat glass dish in a tub full of water, so that the plate floats on it like a boat ; in a few days the powder will resolve itself into a clear liquid.
This tincture is useful in the treat- ment of old open wounds, and is sure to be highly efficacious in cases where all other remedies have failed. Open ulcers which have their origin in internal con- ditions, must be treated internally, and thus radically extirpated. But ulcers caused by inflammation may be success- fully cured with this Tincture.
M
1 62 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
If men would consider the mass of suffering which the sin of our first parents has brought upon our race, and the sor- row, disease, misery, and pain which have followed in the train of that first fall, they would be more industrious in seeking the salvation of their neighbour, proffered at so great a price by the Chief Ruler of Heaven. But alas, great numbers of men live on from day to day without thus redeeming the time for the glory of God and the good of their neighbours ! They are afraid, forsooth, of soiling the very tips of their fingers, just as if they grudged the grocer the profits which he derives from the sale of soap. But do we not all live in this world as the vas- sals of God, and are not all our goods His feudal possessions, granted to us during life only? Let us, therefore, make a good and kindly use of them in order that we may be able to render a joyful account in the presence of the Great Master, instead of being, by reason of our ingratitude, cast into outer dark- ness, where there is weeping and gnash-
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 163
ing of teeth. If all were inspired and actuated by this solemn thought, there would be less sin and more persevering- effort for the good of the whole race. But for these things worldly men do not care. Their one desire and aim is gold, and only gold ; the powerful seek to obtain it by violence, and the poor by crying servility — that they, too, may be partakers of the Mammon of iniquity.
But beware lest you be choked by the bone in your greedy throats, and lest the fish bones pierce your hearts ! And you who will not listen to exhortation, hear a parable. When I was, in pursu- ance of a vow, performing a pilgrimage to San Jago, I prayed that God might grant me a safe return to our monastery. God answered my prayer, and I believed that my return would give great and sincere joy to all ; for I brought back a large number of relics for the honour of our monastery, and the relief of the sick and poor. Yet I am afraid that few men derived wonderful benefit from these
164 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
relics, or were grateful to God, but per- sisted in their mockery and scorn.
The following preparation of Anti- mony is useful against fevers and the plague itself, as I have myself experi- enced : Pulverize Antimony, place in a glass retort, distil over a strong fire three or four times ; let it be kept in a large vase till it becomes a red powder ; ex- tract with vinegar, circulate, extract ten days over a gentle fire, remove vinegar by distillation, and transfuse what re- mains by a skilful process into an oil.*
Four grains of this oil, taken with St. Benedict's cordial, cures quotidian, tertian, and quartan fevers, if the patient be well covered and perspire freely. The same dose is an efficacious remedy against the plague, being mingled with spirit of wine or distilled vinegar, accord- ing as the disease first makes itself felt in an excess of heat or cold. Three friars in our monastery, who had already
* This extract must be made volatile with spirit of wine, as above. Let the humidity of the oil be removed by cir- culation, so that it becomes a dry powder.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 165
made their wills, were thus restored, and ever since that time their gratitude in- duced them to take a great interest in our Art, and to assist me as much as they could during their spare time. For all the help so kindly rendered to me, I would have allotted to them a prominent place in my last will, but they have now gone to their rest before me, and I commit them to the Great Physician who is in heaven. May He give them a good recompense of joy which was denied them here on earth !
Another oil, which is good for the cure of wounds, is prepared from Anti- mony in the following manner : Take of Antimony, sulphur, and saltpetre, equal parts ; detonate under a bell, like the oil of sulphur. This method of preparation was early known to the Ancients. It is better still to take an alembic instead of the bell, and place near it a receiver ; thus you obtain more oil, and of the same colour as that extracted from vulgar sulphur, but highly superior as to
1 66 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
its strength and efficacy.* We use three drops of this oil with the spirit of wine internally against pulmonary consump- tion ; used outwardly as a liniment, covered with a stiptic plaster, it is most efficacious in the treatment of foul or festering wounds and sores.
Another oil of Antimony for the cure of cancerous and corrosive wounds is prepared as follows : Pound together one pound of Antimony, half a pound of common salt, and five pounds of broken latera ; place in retort and distil a yellow oil, when all the spirits will pass away. Pour into fresh vessel, and remove its oiliness ; there remains a powder, which, spread on a stone, in a humid place, and you will have a humid balm which is of great efficacy against foul wounds, and cancer in the face, or when it attacks the breasts of women.
* If you use the vessel roughly sketched on page 167, you will get as much oil of sulphur from one ounce, as from a pound by the ordinary method, i.e., from sixteen ounces of sulphur you will get half-an-ounce of oil, for which you would otherwise require sixteen pounds.
1 68 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
I would dilate still further on the virtues of this oil, only I am afraid that some foolish member of the profession may charge me with saying more than I know, and com- mitting to paper mere wild specula- tions.
Another oil is prepared as follows : Let one part of Antimony be sublimed with a fourth part of salt armoniac. The salt raises the sulphur of Antimony to a bright red. Pound the sublimed substance, and if at the first you have taken one pound of Antimony, pound with it again five ounces of Antimony ; sublime as before ; and dissolve the sublimed substance in a moist place. Sweeten by removing the salt added to it ; dry gently, and you have a sulphur which burns like that of the apothecary. Extract its tincture with distilled vinegar. Remove vinegar gently in S. Mary's Bath, transtil the remaining powder very gradually, and — if you have made no mistake — you have an excellent oil, sweet, pleasant, and grateful in its use,
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 169
without any corrosivity or danger.* There are other effects which this Medicine has in common with other preparations of Antimony, and, there- fore, I do not enumerate them, in order to give no occasion to the adversary, and to avoid wearying the reader by repe- tition. The liquid, which is dissolved in a moist place, is an external medicine, and very useful in skin diseases. Mixed with oil of tartar, and applied to a whit- low, it produces marvellous effects ; it is also of great utility in the treatment of scrofula.
Sulphur of Antimony may also be prepared in the following manner : Pul- verize the Antimony, and digest for two
* This is another way of preparing the balm or quint- essence of Antimony — for by that latter name Basilius describes it in his other writings. There is, of course, a difference, e.g., here the separation is made with salt of ammonia, and there it was made with vinegar. But even these slight divergencies afford scope for the ingenuity of the operator. This oil cures consumption and all pulmonary complaints ; it relieves asthma and difficulty of breathing. Take two grains in spirit of wine in the morning, and in the evening, before retiring, in elixir or spirit of wine. It will enlarge the chest, and purge out all phlegm and every obstruction.
170 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
hours, or longer, in a strong lye made of the ashes of beechwood. Strain, add vinegar, and the sulphur will be of a red colour, and sink to the bottom ; pour off the liquid, and dry the powder gently. Distil this powder with grape vinegar, extract the tincture, and treat the sulphur as in the last operation, i.e., convert it into oil by distillation. The sulphur mentioned above has indeed greater potency, because it was sublimated and better dissolved at the beginning with salt armoniac.
The other preparations of Antimony which the Spagyrist should be able to make, are the Vinegar of Antimony, the Philosophical Signed Star, and the Lead of the Sages, concerning which there has been much vain speculation, it being said, for instance, that genuine Mercury could be prepared from it. But Mercury, as the first substance or first water of the metals, and the seed thereof, whence the Stone of the Ancient Sages is evolved, is not found in Antimony, but in another mineral which has a more potent metallic
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 171
action than Antimony ; yet Antimony supplies a particular and most useful operation. The Alchemist should know exactly the uses of Antimony, both as an external and internal medicine, and also the distinctive aspects of Antimony as compared with metals, for not until then will he have a perfect judgment on these points.
I will now proceed to satisfy my disciples, and give them proper instruc- tion how they are to separate the good from the evil in the preparation of vinegar from Antimony.
Pulverize ore of Antimony, place in round glass vessel, with an oblong neck, pour on it distilled rain water, so as to half-fill the cucurbit ; close well, and plunge in horse dung for putrefaction, till the ore begins to effervesce and deposit a foam on the surface. Then it is time to take it out, as it is a sign that the body has opened. Place in another cucur- bit, close well, and extract water, which will have an acid taste. When all the water is distilled, increase the heat, and
172 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
the substance will be sublimed. Pound again with the sediment and add the same water, and again extract, when it will already be much more acid. Repeat the operation till the water is as sour as ordin- ary vinegar. The oftener the process is repeated, the less there is of the sublimed substance. Pour this vinegar over some more of the raw ore to the height of about three inches. Digest in a pelican for twelve days, till the vinegar becomes red, and more acid than before. Decant and distil in S. Mary's Bath, without addition of anything ; the clear vinegar will then rise, while the red powder remains at the bottom, and if an extract be made with spirit of wine, it is an excellent medicine. Rectify the vinegar once more in S. Mary's Bath, to free it from its phelgm. Dissolve in its own salt, i.e., one ounce in four ounces ; sub- lime in ashes, and the vinegar will be more acid, and acquire greater strength and efficacy.* This vinegar has a wonderful
* This vinegar is one of the principal preparations from Antimony, and therefore I subjoin the following par-
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 173
cooling effect, being far more potent in this respect than is ordinary vinegar ; it stops gangrene and heals cancerous wounds by outward application, if it be made into an ointment with Soul of Saturn. It also soothes and relieves inflammation, when mixed with endive water to which sal prunella has been added. The activity of inflamed blood is also soothed thereby. At the time of plague the vinegar (one spoonful) is a wonderful preventive, and extracts the poison from the boils, if applied as an ointment. For this purpose it should be
ticulars, which will enable you to carry out the directions of Basilius more perfectly. To six pounds of Antimony you require fourteen pounds of distilled water ; the success of the next distillation is ensured by placing the alembic so that its spout is immersed in water (see p. 174), else more than one- half of the spirit of Antimony will be lost. When, after the distillation of the water, the fire is quickened, you should keep it up for three days and three nights ; then let it cool, and mix that which is sublimed with fresh Antimony ; resume the process again for three days and three nights, and so a third time. If you convert the vinegar into a tincture with some more ore of Antimony, you will have the tincture which Basilius calls the balmof_life. Did men only know the mysteries which lie concealed therein, I know not whether any other operation upon Antimony would be attempted. Verily, this contains them all.
(pf
;' ; (•••,-,' " ;'
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 175
mixed with a third part of water distilled from -frog's spawn.
Many have esteemed the Signed Star of Antimony very highly, and spared neither labour nor expense to bring about its preparation. But very few have ever succeeded in realizing their wishes. Some have thought that this Star is the true substance of the Philosopher's Stone. But this is a mis- taken notion, and those who entertain it stray far afield from the straight and royal road, and torment themselves with breaking rocks on which the eagles and the wild goats have fixed their abode. This Star is not so precious as to contain the Great Stone ; but yet there is hidden in it a wonderful medicine, which also may be prepared from it. The Star is compounded in the following way :
Take two parts of Hungarian Anti- mony, and one part of steel ; melt with four parts of burnt tartar in an iron basin, such as those in which goldsmiths refine gold. Cool, take out the Regulus, re- move all impurities and scoriae, pulverize
176 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
finely, add to it, after ascertaining its weight, three times as much burnt tartar ; melt, and pour into basin as before. Re- peat a third time, and the Regulus becomes highly refined and brilliant. If you have performed the fusion properly — which is the point of greatest impor- tance— you will have a beautiful star of a a brilliant white.1* The Star is as distinct as if a draughtsman had traced it with a pair of compasses.
This star with salt armoniac is re- duced to a red sublimate, for the tincture of iron ascends. This sublimate may be dissolved into a liquid of highly surgical utility, f
This Regulus, or Star, may be very often carried through the fire with a stone serpent, till at length it consumes itself, and is completely joined to the
* In the third fusion of the Regulus the fire should be most intense, so as to remove any remaining impurity.
t The said sublimate, before being placed in a cave for dissolution, should be purged of its salt armoniac with distilled water. For want of such trifling hints much labour and expense may often be vainly incurred.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 177
serpent.* The Alchemist has then a hot and ignitable substance, in which won- derful possibilities are latent. It is dis- solved into an oil, which should be purified and clarified by transfusion and distillation. Three drops of this oil in two ounces of wine may be administered internally, but with great caution, and not oftener than twice a week. The proportion should be determined by the peculiar circumstances of the disease, which should, therefore, be known to the physician.
This is a remarkable acrid sub- stance, comprehending within itself many arcana, but there is no need to reveal everything at once to the ignorant. Some Arts must be kept secret, in order to stimulate the spirit of enquiry, f Who- ever would follow in my footsteps should
* The serpent is that which mingles with the King, and he calls it a serpent of stone, because it is a salt.
t Whoever understands the immense importance of extracting essences from metals will value this acrid oil, which is really the great metallic solvent, and without which the entrance to the Great Arcanum, and to the throne of the kingdom of chemistry, would be closed.
N
1/8 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
never grow weary in the search, but do in all things as I have done, and he will attain to the same result.
This is a book which sets forth the rudiments of the Art. Many spend their whole life in trying to master the elements, and never attain to the real ob- jects of their search. In order to prevent the recurrence of such fruitless lives, I have here set down a full account of all that is necessary for the beginner to know.
In this oil wonderful effects lay hidden. For if circulated a long time, it finally forms into crystals, and after three days and three nights calcination there is elicited from them a salt ; and then this oil is again distilled through the retort. In this way is prepared a medi- cine which dissolves vesical stones, and is of great efficacy in many other complaints.
As to the Lead of the Sages, let me tell the student that there exists a great affinity between common lead and Antimony. As some trees separate through their bark a certain resin or gum, like that of the cherry tree, for
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 179
instance, which gum bears no manner of resemblance to the tree itself, or to its natural fruit, differing as it does from them in taste and in its other properties - so the earth brings forth certain abor- tions which are separated and purged off from the pure metals.
Though lead has a close affinity to Antimony, yet Antimony has been cast out by lead on account of its excess of sulphur, so that it could not bring its viscous body to perfection, and takes its place among the minerals. Its abund- ance of sulphur has hindered the coagu- lation of its Mercury, and thus prevented it from becoming a malleable body. There is no lead in Antimony but its Regulus, though this Regulus has not yet attained to its brilliancy, and though the Philosopher's Stone cannot be evolved from it. The reason why lead is called tke Regulus, or King, is as follows : If the King which Antimony gives out in the preparation of glass be taken and placed in a fire-resisting and well-closed crucible, with salt of Saturn, and melted
i8o The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
in a wind furnace till the Regulus is extracted, it is rendered more viscous and ponderous than before ; for it has received ponderosity from the spirit of salt, and consistency as well, its body having become compact and heavy. * Hence I say that there is no very great difference between the Signed Star and the Lead of Antimony ; for both are prepared from glass of Antimony, and their medicinal effects are the same. But now I will break off, and, after setting* forth my appendix, I will explain the meaning and the nature of the Fire Stone. Bestow upon us Thy blessing, O God, and open the hearts of my readers that they may see, know, and acknow- ledge Thy omnipotence and wonderful working in Nature, for Thy glory, and the healing of the sick ! Amen.
* Let this Regulus, which is rendered malleable with salt of Saturn, be mixed with equal parts of Mercury, con- densed with Saturn ; let them be lused and well combined in a hot furnace, and you have a substance which in its out- ward appearance resembles silver, but in its properties is far more precious than silver. Hammer into thin plates, and apply to any inveterate wound, fistula, or ulcer, which has resisted all the plasters and ointments of the profession.
APPENDIX.
IN conclusion, you should know that Antimony is used for a good many purposes besides those of the typographer. Under a certain favourable stellar conjunction there are cast from it certain characters and amulets of great virtue and potency. In the same way metal mirrors may be prepared which possess all but magical properties. There are also founded from it bells of great sweetness of sound, images of men, and many other things besides.* But as these matters
* Without yielding to the temptation of taking up the lamentation of Basilius over the folly and carelessness of men, who are so engrossed with the greed of gold that they do not bestow much attention on the wonderful virtues which God has implanted in created things, let me at least make the following remark : Antimony is a mineral in which so won- derful a spirit is hidden, that its virtues are inexhaustible, and its powers transcend human knowledge. Nor do I
1 82 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
have nothing to do with my vocation and calling in life, I leave them to those who can do them more justice than myself.
believe that in other things Antimony would possess less re- markable capabilities than in Alchemy and Medicine I will not tell you what I think of the characters and amulets which Basilius mentions ; but it is a fact that Antimony exhibits far more sympathetic affinity to the stars than any other metal or mineral.
ON THE TRIUMPHAL CHARIOT OF
ANTIMONY, AND THE NATURE
OF THE FIRE STONE.
BEING removed from all worldly care by the fervour of prayer and heaveniy thoughts, I deter- mined to yield up my soul to those spiritual inspirations without which it is impossible to have a right knowledge of created things. I proposed to furnish myself with wings wherewith I might ascend to the stars and inspect the heavens, as Icarus had done before me, if we may believe the old writers.*
But, when I approached the sun too closely, my feathers were consumed by
* We cannot wonder if here, where he has reached the climax of his work, and is about to explain the secret of secrets, Basilius hides his meaning from the foolish and the scornful under the guise of a parable. The true disciple of our Art will be all the more encouraged to press onward, and to remove the veil which hides the secret.
1 84 The Triumphal Chariot of A ntimony.
his burning heat, and I fell headlong into the sea ; then, in answer to my prayer, God sent an angel to help me, who bade the waves be still, and caused a great mountain to arise in the midst of the water. I ascended it to see whether there really existed that correspondence between things below and things above of which so much has been said, and whether the stars possess the power of producing things resembling them on earth.* As the result of my investiga- tion I found that what the ancient Doc- tors have delivered to their disciples was God's own truth. Therefore I rendered profound thanks to the Lord of Heaven and earth for His wonderful works.
To put the matter briefly, I find that all that is dug up from the bowels of the mountains is infused by the stars and celestial bodies, and derives its origin from a certain aqueous vapour, which, after being nourished by the stars for a long time, is reduced to a
* This correspondence exists, and no one who has the Jeast Alchemistic experience can be disposed to deny it.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 185
tangible shape by the elements. Further- more, as the fire, with the aid of air, gains the ascendency, that aqueous sub- stance becomes dry ; out of water is produced fire, and out of fire and air we obtain earth ; all these elements are still found in all bodies before their separa- tion. Water, formed into earth by fire and air, is thus the first substance of all things.*
The Fire Stone which is prepared from Antimony, which also I have promised to describe, does not only cure the diseases of men, but it removes the imperfections of metals. I must proceed to tell you what the Fire Stone is ; what is its ore ; whether it can be prepared without a proper substance ; wherein consists the difference of the stones ; how many kinds of them there are ; and, finally, what are their uses. May God
* This, as all Sages agree in telling us, is the substance from which is prepared the lesser Fire Stone, and the Great Stone of the Philosophers. It is the Water of Anaxagoras, the Fire of Empedocles, the First Substance of Aristotle. It is that by which trees grow, men are nourished, and metals generated.
1 86 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
illumine my mind by His Holy Spirit that I may perform this task aright, and be able to appear before Him with a clear conscience on the day of judgment, when sentence will be pronounced upon the lives of all men !
Above everything you should know that the true tincture of Antimony, which is the Medicine of men and metals, is not prepared from crude, melted Antimony, which is bought in shops, but from the ore of Antimony, as it is dug up from the mine, and is first formed into glass. The great and im-' portant question is : How is this tincture extracted ? Know also that the prepared, fixed, and solid tincture of Antimony, or Fire Stone, as I prefer to name it, is a pure essence of penetrative, spiritual, and igneous quality, and is reduced into a coagulated substance, which, like the salamander, rejoices in the fire as in its own proper element.
But the Fire Stone is not an universal Tincture, like the Philoso- pher's Stone, which is prepared from the
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 187
essence of gold* Our Fire Stone tinges silver into gold, and also perfects tin and lead, but does not transmute iron and copper, nor does it impart to them more than can be obtained from them by separation. One part of this tincture has no power to transmute more than five parts of any imperfect metal. The great Philosopher's Stone, on the other hand, has infinite power of transmuta- tion. Yet the precious metal produced by the Fire Stone is pure and solid gold.
The ore from which this tincture is ^ prepared, is, as I have already stated, the earth of Antimony. In the mean- time, let the reader observe that there are many kinds of stones, which tinge in a particular way. All fixed powders that have the power of tinging, I call Stones. The first and foremost of all Stones is the Philosopher's Stone ; then comes the Tincture of the Sun and Moon in the white ; then the
* As far as the heaven is from the earth, so far is the true Philosopher's Stone from this Fire Stone. I confess that though I have found the Fire Stone, I have yet much to learn concerning the more potent tincture.
1 88 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
Tincture of Vitriol or Venus ; and also the Tincture of Mars. The two latter include the Tincture of the Sun. Then come the Tinctures of Jupiter and Saturn, for the coagulation of Mercury, and, finally, the Tincture of Mercury itself. All these different Tinctures are generated from one_original mother, to which the great Universal Tincture also mito&u^i owes its birth ; but apart from these there are no other tinctures. It is not, however, my business, in this place, to describe these tinctures or stones, be- cause they have no medicinal value. The animal and vegetable Stones, in- deed, have certain curative properties ; but all these are contained and summed up in the great Philosopher's Stone.
The salts have no power of tinging, but are only keys in the preparation of the tinctures which we have named. *
* The salts open the chest in which the treasure is pre- served, but are not themselves the treasure. You should, of course, distinguish between those salts which have a dissolv- ing action, and those which coagulate and enter into the composition of the Stone — a distinction that is implied in the text.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 189
Metallic salts should by no means be de- spised nor rejected in the preparation of the tincture, since they form an indis- pensable element in their composition ; for they contain the precious substance which is the cause of all fixation.
Next, the question arises whether the Stone can be prepared without a sub- stance. The answer is in the negative, for everything must have its substance. Animals, vegetables, and minerals, have each their own particular first substance. But no substance can be of any use in the generation of our Stone without fer- mentation. From the tangible and for- mal body we must elicit the spiritual and celestial entity (I hardly know what expression to use in describing it). This entity, or essence, has first been infused into the body by stellar influences, and perfected and digested by the elements. By the digestion and regimen of the lesser fire, the spiritual entity must become a tangible, fixed, and solid substance.
But to what purpose do I speak,
igo The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
and what do I say ? I speak as one who has temporarily lost control over his organs of speech. If an atom of judg- ment still remained to me, I should not have opened my mouth so wide, and I should have stayed my hand, even at the last moment*
All tinctures should be so prepared as to have an irresistible attraction to- wards the metals, and an irresistible inclination to mingle with them, and per- fect them by removing their infirmities. It is the same as with human beings who are inflamed with mutual love, and can- not rest by day or night till they are brought together in loving union, and satisfy their desire ; after that they rest, and multiplication takes place according to the order of Nature.
Man is subject to many grievous
* Are you in your right mind, Basilius, so to prostitute the Stone, which has hitherto been so carefully kept a secret by all the Sages ? You have here let out the whole secret, and now we see how the pure and the impure are separated, how the fixed become volatile, and the volatile fixed. Now, you, my reader, attend carefully ! There is here for you a precious pearl ; do not resemble the fowl in the fable.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 191
diseases, some of which so weaken and impair his vitality that he cannot be re- restored to perfect health by any means. But love is a disease to wrhich no other disease can be compared, which can be cured only by the production of its counterpart ; nor is either of the two natures satisfied until the desire of both parts has met with fruition. Love assails the young as well as the old, the poor as well as the rich, the woman as well as the man, and will take no denial. Those whom it attacks it pervades, body, soul, and spirit. In the heart it kindles a torch, whose fire is diffused through the veins, the arteries, and all the limbs of the body. Where love once has struck root it enslaves the whole man, and he forgets God, heaven, hell, honour, the present life and the life to come, in the frenzied pursuit of his desire. Such a person tramples underfoot the wise and sober counsel of parents, and breaks loose from all restraint. Love renders a man blind, deaf, and dulls all other feelings and thoughts ; it robs him of his sleep,
192 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
his appetite for food and drink, and ren- ders him incapable of exercising prudent forethought with regard to the future ; it makes him forget his calling, vocation, study, prayer. If the lover does not ob- tain what he desires, or if his wishes are not immediately fulfilled, by what melan- choly, sorrow, and anguish is he tor- mented ! How soon he wastes away to a mere shadow ! How often does he not die of a broken heart! In short, such persons think very slightly either of this life or of the life to come, until they have been satisfied with the enjoyment of the loved object.
But I, as a monk, must not dilate any further upon the symptoms of this unholy and consuming passion. I have kept myself pure from it all my life, and pray God that He may preserve me faithful to my holy spouse, the Church, even to the end. Even what I have said was only mentioned for the purpose of shewing by what passionate love the tinctures should be violently attracted towards their metals, in order that they
T/ie Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 193
may penetrate them wholly, and thus bring them to perfection.
Our Stone is digested and matured by fire, like all things else that are found in this world. Nevertheless, different substances require different fires for their development.
The first fire is that of heaven, and quickens in our hearts love towards God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. The faith enkindled by this love can never forsake us in any trouble or distress.
Another fire is the elementary heat of the Sun, which brings everything in the great world to perfection.
The third fire is that corporal fire with which we cook our food and medi- cines— without which we could not maintain our health, or even our life. The fourth fire is that mentioned pre- viously, which will one day consume the visible world. The fifth fire is the instrument of everlasting punishment, in which the devils and wicked men will be
tormented for ever and ever. I exhort
o
194 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
all men to seek God, and to listen to His gracious voice while it may be heard, in order that they may escape from the terrible fire of hell.
Our Fire Stone should be pre- pared and matured, like our food and all other medicines, by the corporal fire which reigns in the little world. Where the solar fire of the great world leaves off, there our corporal fire begins a new generation. Corn grows and ripens by the heat of the great Fire ; but a new process of cooking and maturing is brought about by the action of the little fire, in order that men may be able to use it for their bodily sustenance.
The oiljrf Antimony, from which our Fire Stone is prepared, is exceed- ingly sweet. It is rendered so brilliant by the removal of its earth, and of all impurities, that it may be compared to a bit of crystal on which the meridian rays of the sunshine fall. The method of its preparation is as follows :
Take, in the name of God, equal parts of the ore of Antimony^ obtained
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 195
after sunrise, and of saltpetre ; pulverize finely, mix well, place over a gentle fire, bake dexterously (and the method of this baking is the key of the whole work). There will remain a blackish substance. Out of this prepare glass, which pound, extract its red Tincture with strong distilled vinegar (made of the same ore), and remove the vinegar by distillation in the bath. There remains a powder from which you should make a second extract with highly rectified spirit of wine. ' Let the faeces settle. You have then a beautiful, sweet, red extract of great medicinal value. This is the pure Sulphur pf^Antimony. If you have two pounds of this extract, take four ounces of salt of Antimony (of which I have given the receipt). Pour over these the extract, circulate for at least a month in a well-closed vessel, when the salt will unite with the extract of sul- phur ; remove sediment, if any, extract
* Take care at this point not to scorch the pinions of your bird, which is already winging its flight above the hills.
1 96 The Triumphal Chariot of A ntimony.
spirit of wine in S. Mary's Bath, sublime the powder which remains, and it will be distilled in the form of a many- coloured, sweet, pellucid, reddish oil. Rectify this oil in S. Mary's Bath, so that the fourth part remains, and it is then prepared.
Then take living Mercury of Anti- mony, which I have taught you how to compose."5'" Pour to it red oil of vitriol, made over iron, and highly rectified ; remove by distillation in sand the vis- cidity of the Mercury, and you will have a precious precipitate of a glorious colour, which is of the greatest medicinal value in chronic diseases and open wounds. For it quickly dries up their symptomatic humours, which represent the radical moisture of the disease.
Take equal parts of this precipitate and of our sweet oil of Antimony ; put into a well-closed phial ; if exposed to
* That is, the Mercury of the Sages so often alluded to. Whoever tells you the secret of this Mercury will be your Pylades, and you will be his Orestes. I, for my part, shall be glad to make a third in such a company.
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 197
gentle heat, the precipitate will gradually be dissolved and fixed in the oil : for the fire consumes its viscidity, and it becomes a red, dry, fixed, and fluid powder, which does not give out the slightest smoke. *
When you have reached this point, my friend, you have the Medicine of men and of metals ; it is pleasant, sweet, and penetrating, and may be used with- out any risk. Without being a purga- tive, it expels all impure and morbid matter from the body. It will restore to you health, and relieve you of want in this life ; nor can you ever discharge to God your obligation of gratitude for it. I fear that as a monk and religious man I have transcended the proper bounds of reticence and secrecy, and spoken out too freely, t At any rate, I have told
* Keep reverent silence : for now the King enters his bridal chamber, where he will delight himself many months with his spouse : and they will only leave the chamber when they have grown together, and produced a son who, if not the King of Kings, is at least a King, and delivers his subjects from disease and want.
t Our Author fears that he has said too much. If you share this opinion, his anxiety will be joy to you. It is marvellous that when a Sage has thrown ever so little light on this subject, he immediately regrets having done so.
198 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.
you enough ; and if after all that has been said you do not discover the secret, it will not be my fault.
I have spoken as lucidly and openly, nay, I fear, more openly, than the rules of our brotherhood permit. For it is not lawful for every one to eat of the Tree of Knowledge which stands in the midst of Paradise. I will now proceed to describe the uses of this Elixir.
With reference to its medicinal application to the human body, the dose ought to be regulated and determined by careful observation of individual peculiarities of constitution. Neverthe- less, an excessive quantity is not really dangerous, as there is no poison in our Elixir. Three or four grains at a time, given in spirit of wine, are sufficient for the cure of every disease ; for this Medicine penetrates every part of the body, and contains within itself the potency of many arcana. It removes dizziness and all pulmonary complaints, as well as coughs and all difficulty of breathing. It is a wonderful remedy for
The Triumphal Chariot of A ntimony. 1 99
leprosy and the French (venereal) disease. It cures the plague, dropsy, and all kinds of fevers, and constitutes a powerful antidote to poison. It in- vigorates the brain and the whole nervous system, the stomach, the liver, and the kidneys, breaks up the calculus and expels it, restores the vital spirits, pro- motes the menstrual discharge, removes barrenness both in men and women. Taken internally, and aided by suitable external plasters, it cures cancer, fistula, caries of the bones, and all corroding ulcers. In short, it relieves and finally removes all symptoms which indicate disease in the human body, as you will soon discover, if God has called you to be a physician.*
I have now told you all that I know about Antimony ; it is my prayer that
* You see Basilius speaks only of the medicinal virtues of this Fire Stone. For he assumes that you are chiefly inspired by the wish to help your suffering neighbour, and that you despise all sordid thoughts of filthy lucre. Fare- well, gentle Reader, and if this Book has revealed to you the Grand Secret, shew your gratitude to God by kindly help rendered to your suffering brethren.
2OO The Triumphal Chariot of A ntimony.
you may discover the rest, so that the fulness of God's wonderful gifts to men may be made known before the end of the world. I return to my Monastery, where I mean to devote myself to further study, and, if possible, to elucidate the secrets of vitriol, common sulphur, and the magnet, their origin, preparation, and virtues.
May the God and Lord of Heaven and Earth vouchsafe unto us health in time here, and hereafter salvation, with eternal rest to our souls, on thrones of joy and gladness, world without end ! Amen.
Thus I conclude this Treatise on Antimony. Pay particular attention to what has been said of the red oil of Antimony, which is prepared from highly purified sulphur, and of the spirit which is prepared from its salt ; compare these operations with what I have written con- cerning the Fire Stone, and then put the two together. For in this way you will run down the deer which you have been pursuing for so long.
INDEX.
Aerial Spirits, 31.
Antidotes, 53.
Antimony, Spirit in, 30 ; two kinds of, 34. ; anatomy of, 35> 39; mysteries of, 36; qualities of, ib. ; riches of, 38 ; solution of, 40 ; dangers of its unprepared state, 41 ; vinegar of, 43 ; key of, ib. ; hidden virtue of, 47 ; colours of, 48, 89, 90, 91 ; names of, 57 ; toxology of, 59, 80-82; Mercury , of, 65, 142, 198; medicine of, 68 ; stone of, ib. ; quintessence of, ib., 105, 169; root of, 73, 74 ; components of, 74 ; Antimony and Mer- cury, 74, 75 ; what Antimony is, 78 ; star of, 79 ; miracles of, 80 ; crude Antimony, 87 ; Antimony and precious stones, 90 ; oils from Antimony, 91 ; purgative nature of crude Antimony, 92 ; mineral pre- paration of, 93 ; calcination °f> 93» 94 j vitrification of, 95, 96 ; a method with borax, 97 ; transparent white glass of Antimony, 98 ; other methods of vitrification, ib. ; red tincture of, 100 ; yellow tinctuie of, 103 ; balm of,
id., 141 ; reduction of glass of, 104 ; distilled oil of, 106 ; common glass of, 108 ; oil of the common glass, 109 ; Ar- canum of Antimony, 113; elixir of, 115 ; Antimony and purgatives, 1 16 ; Antimony and gold, 117, 118; prepa- ration and fixation of Anti- mony, 119, 120; flowers of, 121-125 ; various extracts of, 127, et seq. ; friable Anti- mony, 129 ; liver of, 132 ; regulus of, 141, 142, 147, 179 ; various oils of, 142, &c. ; royal oil of, 144 ; salt of, 148 ; sulphur of, 149, 168, l69> r95 J medicine hidden in the Mercury of, 149 ; Anti- mony for external wounds, 156; other Antimonial oils, 159 ; balm for old wounds, 1 60 ; Antimony against fevers, 164 ; another oil for wounds, 165 ; vinegar of Antimony, 170, 171 ; signed star of, I7°> !75» 1 80; Antimonial lead of the Sages, 170; vari- ous uses of Antimony, 181 ; fire stone of, 185, et seq,. ; ore of, 195 ; red oil of, 200. Apollo, inventor of Alchemy, 3.
2O2
Index.
Aquafortis, 70, 71, 138, Archseus, 79. Arsenic, 160.
Astrum Solis, 63, 77, 78, 84, 107.
Bacchus, 105.
Basil, the Prince of Chemists, 8.
Blessed Isles, 4.
Calcination, 19, 43, 93. 115,
130.
Cathartics, 87. Caustic Water, 135. Christ the True Medicine, 53. Circulation, 19, 145. Clarification, 45. Clay of the Sages, 149. Coagulation, 44, 79, 106. Cohobation, 19. Contemplation of Nature, 12,
16-20. Crocus of Mars, 137, 160; of
metals, 139.
Deficiencies of Medical Art, 24- 26, 50, 54-56, 69, 71-73, 83.
Desire of the Nations, 7.
Detonation, 165.
Digestion, 19, 28, 44, 100, 106, 119.
Diseases of Minerals, 51.
Dissolution, 40.
Distillation, 19, 44, 104, 132, i6r.
Earth-Men, 31. Edulcoration, 115.
Exaltation, 46. Excrement, 27, 28.
Fermentation, in.
Fire, regulation of, 40 ; various kinds of, 193.
Fire Stone, 68, 92, 104, 106, 146, 185, 194.
First Key of Art, 42.
Fixation, 19, 106, 119, 120.
Fixed Medicines, 87.
Foundations of Hermetic Prac- tice, 12.
French Disease, 43, 102, 121, 130, 140, 152, 199.
Gold, 64, 75, 187 ; calx of, no; tincture of, ib. ; potable gold, in.
Grape Vinegar, 70, 71.
Great Arcanum, 177.
Honey, toxology of, 66, 67.
Invocation of God, 12, 13-16. Isles of the Blest, 105.
Juniper, oil of, 142. Juno, 105.
Key of Hercules, 107. King of Kings, 5, 6.
Latera, 166.
Lead of the Sages, 170, 178.
Liquefaction, 105.
Macrocosmos, 76. Magisterium, 112.
Index.
203
Medicine of Men and Metals, 197.
Mercury, 4, 6, 74-76, 87, 89, 91, 105, 150, 152, 159, 160, 170, 179 ; Water of Mercury,
137, 138.
Metallic Salts, 188. Mineral Vapour, 77. Mother of Saturn, 75,
Oil of Tartar, 70. Omphacium, 109. Operative and Vital Spirits, 30.
Planetary Influences, 184.
Pluto, 6, 43, 65.
Poison, origin of, 85, 86 ;
poison as medicine, 49. Preparation, 12, 20, 21. Profit and Use. 12. Proportions of Weight, 21. Proserpine, 6. Purgatives, 117. Putrefaction, 19, 28, 44, 119. Pyropus Stones, 160.
Quicklime, 160.
Quintessence of all things, 129.
Reverberation, 19, 43, 44, 115,
1 16.
Rhubarb, 116. Root of Metals and Minerals,
76.
Saint Benedict's Cordial, 164.
Saint Mary's Bath, 100, 116, 120, 121, 130, 132, 134, 142, 144, 161, 168, 172, 196.
Sal Prunelloe, 173.
Salt, 89, 91, 99, 135, 138, 149,
157, 166 ; spirit of salt, no. Salt of Ammonia, 97, 113, 115,
123, 159, 168, 176. Salt of Saturn, 1 79. Saltpetre, 137, 138, 139, 142,
165.
Soul of Gold, 64. Soul of Saturn, 173. Spagyric Art, n, 12. Spawn of Frogs, 63. Spirit of Wine, 41, 42, 103,
104, 108, 115, 116, 119, 127,
128, 132, 133, 134, 145, 146,
164, 1 66.
Spirit of Wine of the Sages, 97. Spirits, various kinds of, 30. Star of Mercury, 64, 107. Stone of the Sages, 75, 170,
175, 179, 187, 190. Sublimation, 19, 43, 46, 123,
126. Sulphur, 79, 89, 91, 137, 159,
165, 179; separation of sul- phur, 99.
Tartar, 130, 132, 142, 169. 176. Terebinth, spirit of, 142. Terrestrial Spirits, 31. Tincture of Corals, 116. Tincture of Sun and Moon, 187. Tree of Life, 85. Tripel, 148.
Unicorn, 59, 60. Universal Medicine, 106. Universal Spirit of Nature, 102.
204 Index.
Urine, 159. Vinegar, 41, 42, 100, 104, 108, Uses of a Medicine, 22. 119, 128, 129, 132, 138, 149,
151, 161, 164, 170. }a^
Vegetable Fixation, 119. Vinegar of the Sages, 144.
Vegetable Sublmation, 46, 120. Vitriol, 115, 124, 135, 150, 152, Venetian Borax, 97, 98, 109. 188.
Venetian Earth, 148, 149. Vulcan, 65, 83, 88, 105. Venom of the Viper, 82.
Venus, Tincture of, 188. Watery Spirits, 31.
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The Fount of Chemical Truth.
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The Secret of the Immortal Liquor called Alkahest.
Aurum Potabile.
The Admirable Efficacy of the True Oil of Sulphur Vive.
The Stone of the Philosophers.
The Bosom Book of Sir George Ripley.
The Preparation of the Sophie Mercury.
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A NEW TREATISE CONCERNING THE TREASURE AND MOST PRECIOUS PHILOSOPHER'S STONE ;
Or the Method and Procedure of this Divine Art ; being observations drawn from the works of Arnold, Raymond, Rhasis, Albertus, and Michael Scotus. Now first published by James Lacinius the Calabrian, with a copious Index.
Translated into English from the much-prized edition of Aldus, which appeared, with the privilege of Pope Paul