And drive up the Flower, stirring it with a Hare's Foot.

 

Chemical Preparations More Usual.

Steel prepared by the Sun.

It is just so prepared as shall be hereafter showed, only here they appoint it only to be set in the sun, there in the shadow. A parlous difference.

Steel prepared by the Fire.

Take of steel cleansed from the filth; heat it red hot and quench it a dozen times in sharp White Vinegar, and as often in Canary or Malaga Wine. Then, dry it, and grind it upon a stone with Oil of Cinnamon, and keep it for your use. 

Cremor Tartar.

Take of Tartar made of White or Rhenish Wine, as much as you will. Beat it into fine powder and sift it, then wash it in cold water three or four times, till the filth be washed off from it. Then, boil it in clear water in a large pan or earthen vessel gently; take off the scum, but the crust which is on the top, after it has covered the whole top, take off with a wooden scummer. Spread it upon a brown paper, wash it again in cold water and dry it well, then grind it into fine powder and keep it in a glass close stopped that it may touch no metal.

Crocus Martis.

Take a bar of Iron or Steel, which being very hot, thrust it into a great heap of Brimstone; a basin being placed underneath with cold water in it, the Iron will run out like wax, which being separated from the Brimstone, grind it to powder in an iron mortar; put the powder in square earthen dishes which are not above a finger's breadth in deepness, place them at the hot fire of a reverberatory for three or four days. So will the substance be reddish and like a sponge; let the top be taken away with an iron instrument, and the rest driven up by the fire till it may be brought into a very fine powder. 

Also, you may prepare it by the fire of a reverberatory without Brimstone. 

Crocus Metalorum. 

Take of Antimony shining with long veins, Saltpeter, of each equal parts. Beat them into powder severally, then mix them together, and put them into a brass or iron mortar, then set fire to them by putting a coal, in which will burn with great noise. On the top, place a tile or an iron plate, at least three fingers' breadth distant from the matter burning; when the noise is ceased, let the metal, which will look of a deep red colour, be separated from that whitish crust at top, and kept for your use, being sweetened with clean distilled water.

Flos Sulphuris.

Take of Yellow Brimstone, which when you have rubbed it, if you hold it to your ear will make a noise; grind it with its equal part of Colcolthar of Vitriol (a strange name for Terra Dannata), viz. the residue of the distillation of the oil; put it in a long erathen pot, putting to it a glass head large enough, give fire to it in sand by degrees, and drive up the Flower, stirring it with a Hare's Foot. 

It will be the better if you sublime it again with fresh Colcolthar.

Lapis Infernalis Septicus.

Take of Lye in which Black Soap is boiled; burn it in a pan to a stone, but yet take heed all the moisture be not consumed, and it wax dry. When it is cold, cut it in the form of a dice, and keep it close stopped. 

Otherwise.

Take of Vitriol calcined to redness, two ounces; Sal Armenick, Tartar calcined to whiteness, Quicklime, of each three ounces. Put to them, being bruised, Lye made of Fig Tree or Spurge, or Soap; dissplve them in it, strain it, and in a brass vessel boil it to the consumption of the moisture. Keep the residence in a vessel close stopped. 

Lapis Prunella, or Niter purged with Brimstone.

Take of pure Saltpeter, a pound. Put it in a crucible with coals round about it; let it not burn, but run like metal, that being melted put in two ounces of Flower of Brimstone in little bits as big as hazelnuts which, when it is consumed, pour out the Niter into a brass basin; and when it is cold, keep it in a glass close stopped, that the air come not to it to dissolve it. 

Magisterium Perlarum et Coralorum in quo etiam Sales eorum continentur. 

Take of Pearls or Corals, as much as you will. Grind them into exceeding fine powder, then pour upon them so much Radical Vinegar that it may overtop them three or four fingers' breadth. Digest them in ashes till they are dissolved, pouring off the old liquor and pouring in fresh, till all of them be dissolved; filter the liquor through a brown paper, and putting a little Oil of Tartar into it, the Pearls which were dissolved will fall down to the bottom in white powder, which is to be separated from the liquor and washed with Cordial Waters.

Radical Vinegar is that which is distilled in sand with Bay Salt. 

Mercurius Dulcis Sublimatus.

Take of Sublimatum prepared with Salt and Vitriol, two ounces; Crude Mercury (Quciksilver) purified with Salt and Vinegar, and ground upon a marble, an ounce and a half. 

Let the Sunlimatum be exactly mixed with the Crude Mercury upon the same marble, then put the powder into a phial of a foot in length; place the phial (being stopped well with cotton or bumbast) up to the middle in sand; at first let the fire be gentle, then increased by degrees for six hours. That which arises up to the middle of the glass, let it be taken, for that which ascends up to the top is of an exceeding poisonous nature fit for nothing but ulcers (in horses then, not in men); that which remains in the bottom is of no use, if that which is in the middle be sweet without any Acrimony, it is well made; if not, you must sublime it again the second time, that so you may deparate again what is at the top. And the oftener you do it, the more perfect will your medicine be. 

Mercurius Dulcis Precipitated.

Take of Crude Mercury distilled in a retort with Bay Salt, or revived with Common Cinnabarum (I take that to be the native Vermilion), one part; Aqua Fortis (of two parts Vitriol calcined and one part of Saltpeter), two parts. Dissolve them in a phial over warm ashes. Make brine of Rain Water and Bay Salt, as much as the Water will dissolve; filter it through a brown paper into this brine (which must be strong enough to bear an egg). Put the former solution of the Mercury, and forth with a white powder will fall down to the bottom, which is to be washed in clear water, till it have no taste. Then, in Cordial Water, so dried and kept in a glass. 

Mercurius Vitae.

Take of Oil of Antimony before mentioned, whilst it is in fat. put it into clear water, and forth with it will appear like milk, and a white powder will fall down to the bottom, which must be made sweet with much washing, and kept for use.

Sacharum Saturni.

Take of Red Lead, as much as you will, which being put into a phial, put so much distilled Vinegar to it, that it may overtop it the breadth of four fingers. Separate the Sweet Vinegar, and put in fresh so long till no more sweetness can be drawn from it; mix all the liquors together in a stone vessel which will endure the fire. With a gentle fire, exhale it so long away till there appear a skin at the top, then set the vessel in a cellar, and take away the crystalline coagulation, then exhale it again till another skin be on the top, and do as before till there grows no more there. At last, dissolve the Sugar in distilled water, filter it and coagulate it to a sweet crystalline sugar. 

Salt of Vitriol of a Fleshy Colour. 

Take of Vitriol, so much as you will. Put it in a wide crucible, and place the fire round about it till it come into a powder like the colour of Violets. Let this be put into a large glass vial, into common water distilled, continually stirring it with a stick till the water which before was hot, be cold. So let it stand twenty-four hours; filter the liquor and exhale it away till it be dry and of a fleshy colour.

Salt of Vitriol White.

Let White Vitriol be dissolved in distilled water, filtered and coagulated as the Sacharum Saturni was.

Turbith Minerale.

Take of Crude Mercury, Oil of Vitriol separated from the phlegm, of each equal parts. Put them into a phial, which being placed first of all in hit ashes, then fire being added by degrees lest all the Oil of Vitriol fly away, a white mass remaining at the bottom, which being separated from that portion of Crude Mercury, let it be put into rainwater, or else distilled water, and forth with it will come yellow. Let it be often washed in warm water till it be sweet, then in Cordial Waters, then dried and kept. 

Oleum Antimonii.

Take of bright Antimony, as much as you will. Let it be beaten into very fine powder, and out into a large earthen vessel, stirring it over the fire with an iron instrument till it grow into clots, then beat it again. Set it over the fire as before; repeat this till all the splendour of it be gone and it smoke no more, and the Stibium be like white ashes. Let this powder be put upon a red hot place; take a pound and a half of it; Borax, half an ounce; or take three ounces of it, and half a dram of Sal Gem; put it into a crucible, which being covered with a tile. Set it in a very hot fire, till there flow a matter like water. Put that in a basin and keep it. 

Tartarum Vitriolatum.

Take of Liquor Tartar prepared, four ounces; Oil of Vitriol well rectified, two ounces. Drop it by drop upon the Liquor of Tartar, so will there a white powder fall down to the bottom. Let the moisture swimming above be taken away by a gentle heat, and the Salt reserved for use. 

Nepenthes Opiatum

Take a tincture of Opium made with distilled Vinegar; then, with Spirit of Wine, extraction of Saffron made with Spirit of Wine, of each an ounce; Salt of Pearls and Coral, of each half an ounce; Tincture of the Species of Diambra, of each seven drachms; Amberfris, one drachm. Mix them together, and with the heat of a bath make them into the form of pills.