Nature is compos'd and nourish'd is it self not free from Impurity for in making its Circulations from Heaven to Earth and from thence again to Heaven where it is impregnated with all the Virtues of the Constellations and Planets it returns again and descends even to the Center of the Earth there to be impregnated with a Body and Salt and acquire the utmost Elementary Perfection whence the Central Fire forcing it to repass to the Surface and thence into the Globe of Water and Air after having produced in its passage in all the Elements anâ— infinite Number of Mixtures it ascends again into the Heavens whence it penetrates and animates the whole Universe It is by all these Circulations thaâ— this Seed or Soul of the World becomes invested with Impurities whereof the general or universal Spirit is tainted so that the Pure and Impure ascend and descend together in Confusion insomuch that only the Industry of Man can separate them by ejecting the unprofitable excrementitious Parts and separating and purifying its Principles and then reuniting them to make a Compound of a greater Virtue so that of that Compound you may make a Species capable of producing its like For the Nature of one Mixt or Compound cannot produce or be chang'd into a Mixt of a different Nature We must always sow Wheat to have a Crop of Wheat Hence it is that so many great Philosophers have told us That Man by the means of Art might begin where Nature left off by purifying its Matters and reducing them to their first Principles and thence raising them to the utmost degree of Perfection whether the End be to prolong Man's Life or curing his greatest and most inveterate Diseases as also of other Animals or for Metals Minerals Pretious Stones Plants and other Vegetables Now such Separation and Purification of Substances is not impossible as long as you destroy not entirely the Subjects But it must be perform'd by something that specifically agrees with their own respective Natures then by it you may make a perfect Reduction of their Substances wherewith by means of Art Man may perform all those things I have now mention'd as to cure the most inveterate Diseases convert what is imperfect into the most perfect and it is hereby that you have display'd that absolute Dominion which God has given him over all the Creatures It is not my present Design to enter into the depth of the Mysteries of this sublime Science which I leave to those true Philosophers who are the only Creatures to whom God has reveal'd them and whereof all other Men like my self are unworthy but only to shew by sensible Demonstration That Man in many things is capable of imitating Nature by the Assistance of Art and of performing several things by his Industry and the Work of his hands which look more like Miracles than the Effects of Art Those which make the Subject of the following Discourse would be no less surprizing if they were less common but from the time our Eyes become accustom'd by constant use to any Object the Esteem of it begins to be lessen'd and fall Witness Nature her self whose Annual Renovation tho' we are accustom'd to it ought to be a perpetual Subject of Admiration Of all the Works of Art that of Glass is not the least considerable whether it be Natural or Artificial it melts in the Fire without consuming and is therein perfected or made fine like Gold which is a perfect Metal and there leaves behind it its Dross becoming purified and whitened which renders it more proper for making Dishes Glasses and other Vessels for Man's use than any other Metal or Matter whatsoever Nay I may yet go farther and say That Glass not only purifies it self in the Fire but also assists to purifie and melt all other Metals and render them more plyable and malleable and so more easie to work upon to the ends they are design'd for In the Spagyrick Art in Physick in Chymistry it is impossible to be without Vessels of Glass whether for Sublimations Distillations or Putrefactions Digestions Circulations or other Operations to which they are necessary for several Reasons one whereof is That all the gradual Alterations of the Matter therein contain'd and what is done in it on the Fire are visible to the eye and another That those Matters can neither be imbib'd by the Vessel nor transpire thro' its Pores nor it communicate any ill Scent or Taste which might be noxious to the Health if the Matter be prepar'd for Medicine Moreover the Philosophers make use of no other Vessels for their curious Operations whether it be to extract the Philosophick Mercury or purifie it or for the Decoction of their Grand Elixir and Panacaea's which they cannot perform without Glass for otherwise they would labour in the dark and could never well regulate their Operations Besides the Volatility of their Spirits which they must preserve is of so subtile and quick Penetration that no other Vessels could hold them Churches Palaces Castles and Particular Houses owe their chiefest Ornaments as well as Conveniencies to Glass for that transparent Substance guards them within from too great Heat and Cold without hindring the Intromission of the Light Looking-Glasses and other great Plates of Glasses are as so many surprizing Objects to our Eyes representing so distinctly and naturally all even from the least to the greatest Actions of the Objects before them whereby also one may always keep himself in a neat and agreeable dress Notwithstanding not one in a Thousand of those who have them ever reflect on the Admirableness of the Work which is beyond doubt one of the chiefest and most perfect Pieces of Art and than which Man can make nothing more wonderful Moreover China-Ware for adorning Capboards and Tables Dishes divers sorts of Glasses and Figures and a thousand other Curiosities of all sort of Colours which serve both for Pleasure and Use and employ the Poor all over the World are they not well worthy of Admiration But if we consider the Painting and Representations in the Glasses of Churches we must at the same time admire that the Colours which we extract from Metals for that End can be so very lively as to resemble so many pretious Stones If any of this Glass be cast into a Furnace you may see what a vast number of Colours it is susceptible of even beyond Comparison Glass is called by that Name because it is a transparent Metal while other Metals are opaque there being only Glass that can shew what it contains within The Name of Glass which the French Germans and English have given it seems to be taken from its resembling or approaching somewhat in its Colour to Azure or Sky-colour The Word Glass also seems to be deriv'd from its Resemblance to Ice from Glacies while the Fire does much the same thing in Glass as the Frost in the Water Thus all Glass looks like Frozen Water which
shut the Registers the vessel containing the Materials being exposed to the naked flame 3. For a Balneum Mariae if you put into the hole a Copper Vessel of the same Diameter in shape of a Copper the bottom whereof must be strong and flat and fill it with hot water wherein you may put the Vessel that contains your matter Which if it be a Matrass or Bolt-head you may let the Neck out at the hole at the middle of the Cover which covers the Balneum or vessel full of water 4. For a Balneum Vaporosum by putting in the same hole a vessel full of water that shall rise in vapours And in that vessel another which shall contain the materials two Inches above the water shutting this vessel with a fit cover least the vapours Exhale 5. For a Balneum Aereum or dry bath by putting in the same hole a vessel filled with hot Air shut close and therein also another vessel with the Materials 6. For a Sand or Ash Furnace and with filings of Iron if the vessel put in the hole and which is exposed to the naked Fire be filled with Sand Ashes or Filings of Steel and that you pu◠in the one or the other the vessel that contains the matter you are to work on 7. For a Lamp Furnace if in place of the Bars below you put a Porringer full of Ashes to contain the Vessel wherein your matter is provided you put also a Glass Bell on that Vessel to cover it that must stand on the Brim or Ledges of the Porringer well sitted to it to preserve the heat that arises and then put under that Porringer the Lamp on a little Trevet In short this Furnace may serve for almost all Chymical Operations whatsoever which would be too long here to mention CHAP. LIII The way of purifying Vitriol to make Aqua-Fortis stronger and more penetrative WE have promised in the preceding Chapter to shew the way of purifying Vitriol which consists in taking away its Yellowness which alone hinders the good effects it is capable of producing Take Roman Vitriol the best you can get dissolve it in common warm Water then let it stand three days then filter it and fling away the yellow Faeces then evaporate in Glass Bodies two thirds of the Water and put the Remainder into Earthen glaz'd Pans and set it in a cool place for the Crystals of it to shoot which in 12 hours time they will do about the Brims of the Pans in little transparent pieces like natural Crystal of an Emerald-Colour and at bottom there will remain a sulphureous Sediment which must be carefully separated and cast away Then you must take all those little green Crystals and dissolve them again in warm Water as before and then filter and evaporate them in the same Glass Bodies And set them again to crystallize as before in a cool place taking care to separate all the yellow Faeces you find Reiterate this Process of disolving and filtering evaporating and crystallizing the third time then you will have a well purified and refined Vitriol We will here add for the sake of the curious that those who make use of Vitriol instead of Roach-Allum to make Aqua-Fortis the Preparation whereof we have shewn in the precedent Chap. ought to take a special care in the Distillation that assoon as the Red Fumes are passed all the Spirits of Nitre are raised and that then the Fire must be extinguished for that which follows after is only Spirit of Vitriol which hinders the Operation of the Spirit of Nitre in the Solution of Metals You may also draw a parting Water in 12 hours time as some Refiners do during which time but little Spirit of Vitriol can arise with their fires CHAP. LIV. The way to make Aqua Regalis for the solution of Gold and other Metals except Silver AQua Regalis is nothing but a common Aqua-Fortis wherein you dissolve ¼ of its weight of Sal-Armoniac But to have a good and strong Aqua-Regalis you must take one pound of Aqua-Fortis prepared as in Chap. 52. put it in a Glass Matrass and add to it only 2 Ounces of Sal Armoniac then put the Matrass into a warm Bath or Pan of warm Water and stir it often that the Sal armoniac may be well dissolved in the Aqua-Fortis which will be tinged of a yellow Colour Then you must add as much Sal-Armoniac to it as the Aqua-Fortis can dissolve then let it settle a little and the Sal-Armoniac will leave at the bottom all its Terrestreity After that decant it gently off into another Vessel so that you don't trouble the settling at bottom or rather filter it through whited-brown Paper This Water will dissolve Gold and other Metals far better than the common Aqua Regalis except Silver which it toucheth not at all for reasons which Chymists are acquainted with CHAP. LV. Another way of making Aqua-Regalis far stronger than the former OUr Design being not only to shew Operations and Processes proper for Glass but also for the sake of Gentlemen chymically inclin'd whose Curiosities are not contented with what 's common or with ordinary Preparations those which we here give of Aqua-Regalis are among the number of those whose Virtues are far above the common Preparations they more intimately penetrating and dissolving Gold and other Metals than others rendring them more volatile and consequently more proper to be drawn over in Distillations The first is that which some Philosophers call the Water of the two Champions which is made with two parts of purified Sulphur two parts of purified Sal-Armoniac and one part of calcin'd Flints all reduced to powder and mixed well together Then take an earthen Retort which must have a little hole on the back or Curvature on the upper side through which you may put in the Ingredients For the more safety sake you may lute the Body of the Retort over well and let it dry then put it in the Furnace we have describ'd chap. LII and fit to it a great Glass Recipient by reason of the violence of the Spirits wherein you may put a little common Water to attract them lute the Joints of them as you do for Aqua-Fortis and let them be well dry'd before you kindle the fire for Reasons we have elsewhere assigned The Lute being dry and all in right Order you must begin by a gentle fire that the Retort may grow warm by degrees and afterwards gradually encrease it till it grow red-hot Then put in at the Hole of the Retort four Ounces at a time of the Ingredients you have prepared and stop it again presently Doing thus you will see in a little time great quantities of cloudy Vapours arise and pass into the Receiver and fill it which will dissolve little by little mixing themselves with the common Water and the Receiver will grow clear Assoon as you perceive this you must put four Ounces more of your Ingredients into the Retort and give time for
Keep them so three days stirring them every day well during which you may add fresh filings little by little wherein you must be very Cautious for it riseth so much by Fermentation in the Aqu. Reg. that it will endanger breaking the Glass or running over After three days set your Cucurbite on a gentle Fire that all the Water may Evaporate till it leaves the Crocus behind dry which is admirable for Tinging Glass which keep for use CHAP. XXVIII Another way to make Crocus Martis THis way tho' it be easy makes a Crocus of no less Virtue and Beauty than the precedent To make it take fine filings of Iron or Steel without any rust let them stand in a Reverberatory Furnace with a very strong Fire the heat being at least to the fourth degree till it becomes of the Colour of Purple Then take it out of the Fire and when it is Cool put it into a Vessel full of Water and stir it briskly about and then presently pour off the Water into another Vessel which you may reiterate Thus there will remain in the first Vessel the Iron that is not yet Calcined which if you please you may put again into a Reverberatory Furnace In the second Vessel there will be the Crocus which set over a gentle Fire to evaporate the Water But you must not decant off the Water tho' it appears clear after it has settl'd for tho' the Crocus may seem to be precipitated to the bottom yet the Water Contains the most subtile parts of it imperceptibly suspended in it Having well Evaporated the Water you will have a very red Powder very fine and Extraordinary which keep for use CHAP. XXIX The last way of making Crocus Martis THis last way will be of some use to those who shall desire to have the Iron or Steel Granulated or in little drops the Metal whereof is difficult to Melt Take a bar of one or the other Metal of the weight of five or six pounds which heat as hot as you can in a Smith's Forge so that it may Sparkle when it comes out of the Fire At the same time another Person must have ready a long stick of Brimstone and large which is the best for this Operation and the Metal coming out of the Fire in the condition we have shewn you must thrust them one against another over a great Earthen Pan full of warm Water into which the Metal will drop in little drops or granuli melting like Wax when touch'd by the Sulphur then you must take those little grains and Stratifie them in a Crucible with Powder'd Brimstone and afterwards sett them in a Reverberatory-Fire where they will be reduc'd to a red Powder which grind and searce and keep for your use CHAP. XXX The way to Calcine little Plates of Copper to tinge Glass of a blue Colour WE have shewn the way to make Crocus Martis for Colouring Glass and now we will shew that of Copper which is very near in nature to the other as we have remarked And which dissolves in the same Acids and Corrosives Venus as well as Mars or Copper as well as Iron gives us different Colours which proceed from different ways of preparing them as we shall see in the following Chapters Merret pretends that Brass gives us a finer blue than Copper by reason of the Lapis Calaminaris which is mixt with it and partly causes the Colour Of all Metals Copper is only used as Allay to give malleability to Gold and Silver in Coin It melts easily in an indifferent heat but it is calcin'd into powder with difficulty There are several ways of Calcining Copper here follow five of them by help of fire The first is of Copper alone without any addition the second by the addition of Sulphur the third by Vitriol the fourth of Brass alone divers ways the fifth by a preparation of the Vitriol of Venus These preparations are the best and of more value than those prepared by Spirits and Corrosives All these different ways of Calcinations and Preparations of Venus shall be explained in several Chapters of this Treatise whither the curious Reader may have recourse The little Plates or Leaves whereof we are now to shew the preparation are a sort of Copper or Brass exceeding thin approaching the Colour of Gold called Festoons These Plates are made of this Colour by Lapis Calaminaris which does not only Colour the Copper but augments its weight this Brass being well calcined tinges Glass of a Blue and Sea-Green The way to calcine it is this To avoid the expence of buying new you may make use of those leaves that have been already used and worked they being good and cut them with Scissers into little pieces and put them into a Crucible covered and luted in the mouth of a Furnace to Calcine and let them stand there for four days at a Coal fire so that the leaves may not melt For then they would be unfit for this use The four days being expired the whole will be calcined beat them on a Porphury Stone and Searce them thro' a fine Sieve and you will have a blackish powder which you must spread on Tiles and put it into the same Furnace for four days longer then take it out and blow off the ashes that may be fallen on it then reduce it again into Powder searceing it thro' a fine Sieve as before and keep it for use You may know when it is well Calcined if the Glass rises and swells when you put it upon it if it does not you must calcine other leaves those being not Serviceable by reason they are burnt in the Calcination CHAP. XXXI Another way of Calcining these leaves of Copper to make a very transparent Red Yellow and Chalcedony TAke the same leaves as in the precedent Chap. Cut them into small pieces and Stratifie them with Sulphur pulveriz'd in a Crucible covered and luted Then set them on burning coals at the Mouth of the Oven to Calcine for Twenty Four hours then take it out and grind it small then put it in an Earthen Vessel in a Reverberatory Furnace where leaving it 10 hours take it out and powder it then keep it for use CHAP. XXXII To calcine Copper to a Red Powder which serves in several Processes for colouring Glass ALtho' Copper be of the same nature as Brass which serves to Colour Glass blue yet there is some difference between them for the latter will tinge it of several Colours which proceeds from the Lapis Calaminaris and some other mixtures in the preparation To make this powder Take what quantity you please of Copper in thin plates put it into a great Crucible into the Furnace till it be calcined without melting then being cooled reduce it into powder which will be very red and searce it whereof you may make divers uses as we shall shew hereafter CHAP. XXXIII To make Copper thrice calcin'd for colouring Glass THE same red Powder in the preceding Chapter
it yet a quarter of an hour over the same Fire then decant off that Lee to the former thus continue to water it with fresh Lee and decant it off to the former as long as it will extract any Tincture from the matter Then take all these tinctured Lees and filter them thro' whited brown paper then Evaporate three quarters over a gentle Fire And put the remainder into an Alembick with the Helm or head on and the Receiver and distil it till it be dry Then you will find at bottom of the Alembick a Crocus Veneris of a very wonderfull Virtue for colouring Glass and other Chymical Operations and some Medicinal Uses CHAP. XXXVIII Another way more easie to make Crocus Veneris AS those who apply themselves to this Art are not all equally curious in their Work and good husbandry being in fashion in this Age we will shew some more easie ways and more ready to make Crocus Veneris whereof this is one Take very thin Plates of Copper put them into an earthen Pot with common Salt S. S. S. and put this pot on the Furnace where let it stand till the matter be very red Then put the Plates with the Salt into cold Water and wash them well to take away all Blackness Reiterate the stratification of these plates with common Salt calcining them at the fire and washing them as before as often as you please After the last time pour warm water on that where the Plates have been extinguished and then let it stand still some time then empty it and you will find at the bottom of the vessel a Crocus Veneris red as blood You must wash it well several times to cleanse it then dry it well with a linen cloth and keep it for use to colour Glass There are some who content themselves to take Aes ustum prepared with Sulphur and common Salt as we have shewn heretofore and to heat it red-hot in the Fire nine times and quench it as often in Linseed Oil then dry it and powder it CHAP. XXXIX Another easy way of making Crocus Veneris WE now give another easie way of making Crocus Veneris Take of Copper simply calcin'd one part of Sulphur vivum eight parts well powdered mix them together in a large Crucible which then set on a coal-Coal-fire in a little Furnace stirring the Matter continually with an Iron Rod till the Sulphur be consumed and reiterate this Process five or six times then cast it thus refin'd into an Earthen Pan of boiling Water stir it often with a Stick while the Calx descends to the bottom then the Water being settled and clear evaporate ¾ to extract the Crystals or rather evaporate the whole and you 'll find at bottom of the Vessel a Crocus Veneris very fine and red CHAP. XL. The first Colour of Sea-Green for a Tincture of Glass THE Colour of Sea-Green is given by the Italians to Beryl which is a Precious Stone found at the Foot of Mount Taurus by the River Euphrates which has the Green-blue of the Sea It is found in the Indies of a Colour somewhat paler which makes it be called by different Names and when the Colour is deeper they commonly pass for other Precious Stones It is therefore the Water expresses its Colour We will treat more largely of it in our fifth Book wherein we shall shew the way of imitating Precious Stones This Colour which is one of the finest Sky-Colours ought to be made in fine and well purifi'd Crystal which the Italians call Bollito for if you make it in common Glass it is not so fair You must likewise put no Manganese in this Colour To make it therefore very fine and beautiful Take Crystal-Fritt put it in a Pot in the Furnace where being well melted and clear you must skim off the Salt which will swim on the top like Oil with an iron Ladle for if you should not take it off the Colour would be foul and oily The Matter being well purified you must add to it to every 20 pounds or thereabouts 6 Ounces of the Powder of Copper calcin'd as we have taught in Chaptâ—â— XXX with a fourth part of Zaffer prepar'd also in Powder and well mixed both together in pâ—â—ting both these Powders into the Pot on the Crâ—stalline Metal you must do it little by little for fear the Crystal rising and swelling should run over whereof care must be taken stirring it well all the while This being done let the Metal stand still and settle for the space of three hours that the Colour may incorporate then stir it again then the Workman may make a proof of the Colour Twenty four hours after the mixing of the Powders it may be wrought for by that time it will be well coloured but the Workman must first well mix the whole for fear the Colour should not be precipitated to the Bottom Which must always be well observed in all Vessels wherein there are Colours and the Doses of the Tinctures rightly proportioned to the Crystalline Metal in the Pots according to the quantities we have set done CHAP. XLI Another Sky-Colour or Sea-Green YOU must use for this Colour which is a little close the same Crystal-Frit as in the precedent made with Rochetta or Polverine of the Levant and having fill'd a Pot of it let it be well purified and take off the Salt that swims on the top then put to it 20 Pound of Metal six Ounces of the Powder of calcin'd Copper little by little stirring it well observing the same Rules we gave for Sea-Green before Then you will have a very admirable Colour which you may make lighter or deeper as you please Two hours after stir it again well and you will see if the Colour pleases you in which case let it stand still 24 hours without any stirring and then it may be wrought as before CHAP. XLII Another Sea-green colour in Artificial Crystal which the Italians call Bollito THese colours are not to be made without a great deal of Precaution which this needs as much as any To succeed well you must have in the Furnace a Pot filled with 40 pound of good Crystallâ—Fritt carefully skimm'd boil'd and purifi'd without any Manganese having arrived thus far you must take 12 Ounces of the Powder of Small leaves of Copper thrice calcin'd as we have shewn chap. XXX And half an ounce of Zaffer in Powder prepared as in chap. XVII Mix these Powders together then put them at four times into the Pot that they may the better mix with the Glass stirring them at each time well as you put them in for fear it should swell too much and run over Two hours after the whole is incorporated well mixed and pretty well settled try if your colour is deep enough then let it rest tho' the Sea-green or sky colour seems at first Greenish you need not be concerned at that For the Salt in the Glass will consume all that Greenness and change it into
of this Chapter But before you put the Cucurbite or Body on you must lay Sand four Inches deep and thick Iron-Bars to bear the weight then fit a head and lute the joints well with a lute made of fine Flour and Lime powdered and mixt with whites of Eggs then put on the Joints roulers of fineLinen then lute it again and then put on Linen roulers again three or four times each time letting it dry before you put on the next rouler And then this will bear the Violence of the Fire and the penetrating force of the Spirits of the Aqua-Fortis After that you must put this Body of the Alembick in a deep Earthen-Pan made of the same Earth as Crucibles filled with Sand so that it be buried in the Sand to within two Inches of the joints then set it in a Wind Furnace fit and capable to maintain an equal Fire We here give you the figure of it this Furnace may serve for several uses as we will hereafter Explain Your Alembic being thus fitted you must put to the head a Glass Receiver very capacious the better to resist the force of the Spirits otherwise all may break Lute it well to the Mouth of the Alembic as you did the joints before and with the same precaution of letting it dry each time in the Air taking care not to kindle the Fire in the Furnace till the lute of all the joints be dry for that is very necessary The whole being thus in right order kindle a small coal Fire for the space of three hours during which time the windy humour that is in the Materials and which would break them will be drawn of into the Receiver So continue a moderate Fire for six hours then encrease it little by little putting on at last billets of dry Oaken-Wood to the coals for six hours more till the Alembic or head begin to be tinged yellow and the Spirits begin to rise Observe to continue this Regimen or degree of Fire till the head and receiver begin to grow red then augment it till the Alembic become of a deep red continue this degree of the Fire as long as that Colour lasts till all the Spirits are drawn of and the Head and Receiver begin by degrees to grow clear and reassume their common Colour in cooling which sometimes will be two days first Notwithstanding you must continue the Fire some time afterward then let the Furnace cool of its self taking care that whilst the Alembic and Receiver are still red and the Fire in force that you admit no cool Air into the place and that nothing cold touch them which would break them When all is cold cover the head and receiver with wet Linen cloaths that the Spirits which are about the Head and Receiver may the better sink to the bottom of the Receiver and let it stand so twelve hours Then bath the joints and the luting with warm Water that you may the better loosen the bandage and so take off the head from the Receiver otherwise it would be difficult to do it then you may break the body which will be good for nothing and take out the Faeces which reduce again into Powder add to each Pound of that Powder four Ounces of refin'd Nitre and put the whole into a Cucurbit or Body whereon pour all the Aqua-Fortis before distill'd then put on the Head and Receiver and lute it and dry it well as you did before having put it on the same Sand Furnace during the first four hours make a gentle Fire which afterwards may be encreased little by little till the Head and Receiver begin to grow clear and all the Spirit is drawn over After which let all cool covering the Head and Receiver with wet Cloaths then let it stand twelve hours as before Then unlute the joints again with warm Water and put the Aqua-Fortis into Glass Vessels well stopt that the Spirits may not exhale and keep it so for uses hereafter to be mentioned This is the Aqua-Fortis which is commonly called Water of separation and the best that can be made There are some that instead of Roch-allom take the best Roman Vitriol or the like You may know whether the Vitriol be proper for this use or not by rubbing it on a piece of well polished Iron if it be it will leave a Copper Colour on it Then this Vitriol the purification whereof we will give in the next Chapter will make an Aqua-Fortis far more penetrating than the former Now we come to shew how to make the lute which we promised which tho' common is very usefull in this Case You must take one Part of Lome a fat Earth which is found in Rivers 3 Parts of Sand of common Wood Ashes well sifted and of the Shearings of woollen Cloath each one half mix the whole well together and putting water to them make a soft past to which add one third part of common Salt Powder'd and work them all well together then use them in luting your vessels Here follows the description of a usefull Furnace which may serve instead of several others the Number whereof would be troublesome it being proper for several Operations To render this Furnace more Intelligible to those who are not acquainted with it we have here given a Cut of it whereon we have marked A. B. C. the places made use of with their Names that they may by the same Letters here set down again be the better understood A. is the Ash-hole into which all the Ashes on the Iron Grates which go cross it fall down and which are taken out with a little Iron shovel or a sort of Iron Peel B. is the space or whole room of the Ash-hole C. Is the Fire-Grate which ought to be of square Iron Bars lying with the Edges upwards that the Ashes may not lie thereon which they would do if the flats were upwards D. is the place where the Fire is made of Coal or Wood. E. is the Door of it F. is several holes wherein are put Iron Bars which go cross from one side to the other to keep up the vessels wherein the matters to be worked are contained stopping up the other holes that are not used with Lute G. is the Work hole or little Laboratory of the Furnace H. is a semicircular opening with the like hole in the Cover to put the neck of the Retort through when you distil in a Reverberatory or otherwise I. is the inner part of the Work-hole of the Furnace K. is two Registers L. is the Cover of the Furnace for 8 Registers M. is a round hole which serves for a Register to Reverberate and to pass the neck of the Matrasses through which are in Balneo whether in digestion or otherwise N. is the Registers which are to be opened or shut to augment or diminish the heat of the Fire of the Reverberatory 2. For a Reverberatory Furnace if you cover the work-hole with its cover or door and
the Vapours arising again to dissolve as before then reiterate this Process till all your Ingredients are distill'd off Then unlute your Receiver and pour the Liquor into an Alembick and draw off the Phlegm in Balneo Mariae and rectifie it in an ash-Ash-Fire Then your Water will be made and fit to dissolve any Metal but Silver CHAP. LVI Another way of making Aq. Reg. more easie and with less precaution THIS second way of making Aq. Reg. will be more easie than the former and the Water of as much force Take 1 pound of good Salt-Petre powder it and mix it with 3 Pound of Potters Clay or Flints calcined to Powder put the whole into a Glass Retort well luted and sit to it a great Receiver lute the Joints well then put it in a reverberatory Furnace and distil it according to Art in a gradual Fire When all the red Spirits are passed over as we have explained in speaking of Aq. fortis in the 52 Chapter Then draw off the Phlegm in Balneo Mariae which the Chymists and we hereafter will note by the two Letters B. M. then rectifie it in an Ash Furnace and keep it for use Then take a Pound of Sal Armoniac well powder'd and mix it with four Pound of Wood-Ashes out of which you have before extracted all the Salt with warm Water then put the whole into a Retort sit a Receiver to it and distil it in a Sand-Furnace and the Spirit of the Sal Armoniac will pass over into the Receiver Then unlute your Receiver and take off that Phlegm of the Spirit in B. M. and rectifie it in Ashes This done take equal parts of each of these Spirits then mix them together and distil them in an Ash-Furnace Then you 'll have a strong Menstruum for dissolving Gold I can't here omit that the Spirit of Sea-water Salt distill'd as Salt-petre has the same effects as the Water of the 2 Champions whereof we have given the Preparation in the preced Chap. and as that we have just now treated of and in the mean while is not so sharp nor corrosive You must to make it succesfully take 3 parts of Spirits of Sea-water Salt and add to it one part of Salt-petre then distil it together in an Ash-Furnace the better to unite them Then you 'll have an Aqua Regalis which will dissolve Gold sooner than the Spirit of Sal-Armoniac and which will make it rise and pass over in the Receiver thus you may this easie way make it more fit for the use you design it for But notwithstanding this you must not imagine that this Solution of Gold is a radical and total one because it will pass over in an Alembic and that so it is reduc'd into a Species of Aurum potabile For there is nothing but the one Sovereign Menstruum of the Philosophers which has that virtue as being homogeneous to it and formed of it That is the only Liquor in which it can putrisie and be totally resolved and regenerated again after the manner of the Phoenix to become a Spiritual and Glorious Body capable of performing all those wonderful Effects ascrib'd to it CHAP. LVII The way to Calcine Tartar WE have already given one Preparation of Tartar in Chap. 15. both for the Calcination of it and to extract the Salt and we have largely shewn in Chap. 5. of what importance it is to dry it throughly For that reason we will not repeat it here but refer the Reader thither To make this Calcination which is easie Take Tartar in great lumps the thickest and most shining you can get blow away all the Powder then put it in new Earthen Pots upon live Coals or in a little Furnace where you must leave it till it smoaks no more and all its humidity be exhaled and it be reduc'd into Lumps of a black purplish colour then it is calcin'd and well prepared Tartar may also be calcin'd by wrapping it in pieces of brown Paper then lay a Bed of live Coals and lay a bundle of it upon them then another Layer or Bed of Coals and on them another parcel of Tartar continue thus to do S. S. S. till all your parcels of Tartar are laid on observing that the upper Layer be always of Coals and leave the whole in that State till the Tartar be well calcined and leaves off smoaking then take it off and blow away the Ashes CHAP. LVIII A way to make a fair Chalcedony in Glass ALtho Chalcedony is not so dear as it has been heretofore since it is found in Europe yet People have not left off counterfeiting it by help of Art to make several Works of it no less beautiful than the true and much cheaper We will shew three different ways to prepare this Chalcedony which will make three different Species of it all of them very fair but whose Beauty may be also augmented by the number of Ingredients we compose them of and which cause those Diversities of Colours which that Stone ought to have Among the rest of the Ingredients we employ in this Subject there are some that give no colour to Glass as Tartar Soot Sal-Armoniac and Mercury Those that are of an unctuous Nature as Lead Soot Tartar the Azure-stone often hinder the Union of the Ingredients by reason of the Separation which may happen by the cooling the Metal which does not happen to those who know how to observe the degree of heat wherein the principal knowledge of this Art consists To make the first sort of Chalcedony Put two Pound of Aqua fortis whereof we have given the Preparation in Chap. 52. into a Glass Body with a long Neck four Ounces of fine Silver in small and thin Plates or granulated put the Body in an Ash Furnace over a soft Fire or in warm Water and the Silver will be presently dissolv'd At the same time take another Body and dissolve in it 6 Ounces of Quick-silver in a Pound and half of the same Aqua fortis After that pour both the Solutions together into a greater Body which put in the same Bath or warm Water or Ash-Furnace then add to it six Ounces of Sal-Armoniac which dissolve over a gentle Fire then put to it one Ounce of Zaffer and half an Ounce of Manganese prepared little by little with as much Ferretto of Spain also little by little for fear the Matter coming to swell too much should break the Vessel Add to all these Ingredients one Ounce of Crocus Martis calcined with Sulphur as much Scales of Copper thrice calcined which ought to boil like Manganese as much blue Lake that the Painters use and the same quantity of Red Lead the whole reduc'd into Powder In putting in these Powders you must gently stir the Glass Body that they may the better incorporate with the Aqua fortis nevertheless take care there be not too much heat then you must well stop the Matras or Glass Body stirring it well every Day for ten Days
fortis of Chap. 52. putting one Pound in a Glass Matrass with four Ounces of Leaf-Silver to dissolve and stop the Matras Take another Matras wherein put a Pound of the same Aqua fortis with five Ounces of Mercury purified with Salt and Vinegar after this manner Take common Salt sprinkle it with Vinegar in a Wooden-dish where add to it a little common fair Water to make it dissolve put in your Mercury and stir it well with a Wooden-Pestle to draw out the Blackness repeat washing them often with fresh Salt and Vinegar till there be no more Blackness then dry them with warm Linen or Cotton and pass it thro' the Glove then it will be purified and fit to put in your Aqua fortis When it is dissolved stop the Matras and keep it Take another Glass Body wherein put a Pound of Aqua fortis with three Ounces of fine Silver calcined Amalgamate the Silver with the Mercury as the Goldsmiths usually do and put it into a Crucible with its weight of common Salt purified as we have heretofore shewn Then put the Crucible on hot Coals that the Mercury may evaporate and that only the Silver remain at bottom which will be purified and calcined Then add to that calcined Silver an equal weight of common Salt purified as before mix them well together and put them over the Fire in a Crucible to calcine them afresh then wash them well with warm Water to take out the Salt then put this Silver into a Glass Vial fill'd with common Water which boil till one fourth part be consumed then let it cool and settle to the bottom then decant off the Water and put more upon it Reiterate this Process with fresh Water three times and at the fourth dry the Silver and put it into your Aqua fortis and stir it well and stop the Matras We have promised to give the way of purifying common Salt which is this Take what quantity you will of Sea-Salt dissolve it in a convenient quantity of common Water boiling it for the space of two Hours then let the Water rest that the earthy part of the Salt may settle to the bottom Then filter the Water and evaporate it in an Earthen Vessel or rather in a Glass Cucurbit till the Salt remain dry at the bottom Dissolve this Salt again making the Water boil then let it stand for the Dregs to settle after which filter it and evaporate it as before which you must continue to do till it leave no more Faeces or Dregs and it will be well purified and prepared To continue our Preparation of the Materials you must put into a Glass Matras a Pound of Aqua fortis with three Ounces of purified Sal-Armoniac that is to say filter'd and whitened till it leave no Faeces or Dregs as we have shewn in common Salt Then dissolve in that Water a quarter of an Ounce of Silver and stop the Vessel well Take another Glass Matras and put into it also a Pound of Aqua fortis with two Ounces of Sal-Armoniac being dissolv'd put into that Water of Cinnabar of Crocus Martis calcined with Sulphur as above of Vltramarine and of Ferretto of Spain prepared as in Chap. 22. of each half an Ounce the whole well pounded into Powder you must do this little by little as we have heretofore hinted for fear of breaking the Vessel by the fermentation which they make with the Aqua fortis then stop the Matras Put into another Matras a Pound of Aqua fortis and dissolve in it two Ounces of Sal-Armoniac as before add to it of Crocus Martis calcined as in Chap. 25 with calcined Tin known among the Glass-Men of Zaffer described in Chap. 17. and of Cinnabar of each half an Ounce the whole well powder'd and cast little by little into your Matras for the Reasons before assigned which require that great precaution then stop the Matras Take another Glass Body wherein put one Pound of Aqua fortis and dissolve in it two Ounces of Sal-Armoniac then add one Ounce of small Leaves of Copper calcined as in Chap. 31 half an Ounce of Scales of Copper thrice calcined as describ'd in Chap. 34 half an Ounce of Manganese of Piedmont prepared as in Chap. 18 and half an Ounce of Scales of Iron which fall from the Smiths Anvil the whole well pounded which cast little by little into your Matras for fear of breaking it then stop it well Put into another Glass Body one Pound of Aqua fortis and two Ounces of Sal-Armoniac The dissolution being made put to it little by little half an Ounce of red Lead one Ounce of Scales of Copper of Chap. 34 half an Ounce of crude Antimony and as much Caput Mortuum of Vitriol purified the whole well pulveriz'd then stop the Matras Take another Glass Matras put into it one Pound of Aqua fortis with two Ounces of Sal-Armoniac add to that Water of Orpiment of white Arsnick of Painters Lake half an Ounce of each the whole being well powder'd and put into a Matras with the same precaution as before stop it well We have not repeated at each Operation that you must put your Matras on an Ash Furnace over a gentle heat or in a warm Bath to hasten the Solution of the Materials because we have told you it must be always done in Chap. 58 in speaking of the Preparation of those things which serve to tinge the first Species of Chalcedony which may suffice for the instruction of those who employ themselves in this Art We will add that all the nine Matrasses mentioned in this Chapter must remain fifteen Days in the same heat stirring them often every Day that the Water may the better operate on the Materials subtilizing them and well opening their Tinctures Then put all these Materials with the Aqua fortis into a great Glass Body little by little that they may unite well together Close the Body and set it in the same heat stirring it well for six Days After that take a great Glass Cucurbit well luted half way up the Body of it put it on an Ash Furnace put into it all the Materials out of your Body fit to it a Head and Receiver lute well all the Joints then distil it during the space of twenty four Hours over a very gentle Fire for fear the Colours should be spoil'd that the Water pass gently over and the Spirits remain in the Powder which of green will become yellow Thus putting that Powder in the requisite Dose as we have taught in the first Species of Chalcedony into purified Glass Metal made of broken pieces of Crystal and not of Fritt and adding to it in its due time calcined Tartar Soot of Chimney Crocus Martis made with Vinegar observing all we have on this Subject remarked these Materials will give an opacity to Glass which may be worked twenty four Hours afterwards managing it well with proper Tools and often heating it and you 'll have
you have well dried your Crystals thus calcined grind them to an impalpable Powder on a Marble or Porphyry Stone by putting a little on at a time and fearce it well through a fine Silken Sieve And since we use this Powder of Crystal for all Artificial Gems whereof we are going to treat your best way will be to keep a good quantity by you which you may always have recourse to in Working If you design to succeed in this Art very well you must not use ordinary Fritt of Crystal how good and fair soever it be nor Chalcedony nor Tarso nor any other Stones for the Glass made of them is far less fà ir and resplendent than that made of Natural Crystal which has the most lustre and approaches nearest precious Stones as we have already remarked in the preceding Chapter CHAP. XCIII The Way of making a very sine and pure Salt of Tartar NERI makes use of no Salt of Tartar in all his Preparations of Artificial Gems notwithstanding this Salt being prepared after a certain manner we shall here relate for the sake of the Curious It serves in a great measure to work the Crystal being a true Vehicle for the better introducing the Colours that are to be given and which is of use for the Tinctures several ways Those who in their Operations of Artificial Gems have made no use of Salt of Tartar have without doubt been ignorant of this fine Preparation of it for if you use ordinary Salt of Tartar there is a Sulphur and Foulness in it which renders Crystal obscure and consequently would be hurtful in these Operations To make this Salt you must first calcine your Tartar till it become Grey and not to perfect Whiteness and then dissolve it in warm Water to extract the Salt filter that Water and then evaporate it over the Fire then you 'll have remaining at the bottom of the Vessel a White Salt To take away all Foulness from this Salt dissolve it again in warm Water then evaporate it again over a gentle Fire take it off the Fire and cast it into cold Water and you 'll find it will leave on the surface of the Water a thick Froth which you must skim off with a Skimmer that has little Holes no bigger than a small Pins Head Put the Vessel again on the Fire and evaporate the Water as before then take it off the Fire and cast upon it fresh cold Water and skim it well as before Reiterate this Process till you find no more Froth then Evaporate the whole over a gentle Fire till it be dry and you will have a Salt of Tartar well purified which is not so fusil as the other because it is free from all that Unctuosity which causes the Fusion Keep this Salt of Tartar in a Vessel well stopped and use of it in Crystal with your Colours when you set them to melt Altho' this Salt of Tartar be very fine and pure yet it is not that of the Philosophers which has far more Virtue and opens more powerfully the Metals and Minerals where it is employ'd tho' it be of the same Nature as this and extracted from the same Principle The Philosophers have moreover another Salt of Tartar extracted from Metalline Matters and this last is far more Excellent than any others We will treat thereof at large in the Treatise we have promised where we will explain the Virtues both of the one and the other as well in Medicine as in the Business of Metals and shew several very Curious Effects performed by their means CHAP. XCIV To make a Past for Oriental Emerald WE have already shewn the way of tinging Crystal and Glass of Lead of a very fair Emerald-colour but not to make a Stone that shall imitate a true Natural Gem which may be used in Rings or otherwise which now we come to do There are divers sorts of Emeralds but at present they are all distinguished into either oriental or Occidental the Orientals are more hard and the others less We will shew several ways of Imitating tâ—e Emerald more or less full which will be all Beautyful This is the first Take two Ounces of natural Crystal prepared as we have shewn in Chap. 92. and 4 Ounces of common Minium or Read-Lead powder'd and Searced add 48 Grains of Verdigrease well pounded and of a good Colour with 8 Grains of Crocus Martis prepared with Vinegar as we have shewn Chap. 25. Mix the whole well together and put it into a good Crucible that will resist the fire in it you must leave an Inch empty Then cover the the Crucible with an Earthen Cover lute it well and dry it then put it in the hottest place of a Potters Furnace where they make their Earthen Vessels and let it stand as long as their Pots Being cold break the Crucible and you 'll find within a matter of the Colour of a very fine Emerald If you afterwards set it in Gold it will surpass in Beauty the true Oriental Emerald If it happens that your Matter is not enough resin'd and purified you must put it in again a second time in the same Furnace where it will be purified as much as needs be which you may know by lifting up the Cover if the Matter appears shining If it is not so lute the Cover on again and put the whole in the Furnace You may take notice once for all that you must not break the Crucible before the Matter be throughly baked and purified for if you do and so are obliged to put the Matter into another Crucible the Past will be painted and full of Blisters If you cannot easily come to a Potter's Furnace you may make one your self with little Charge wherein you may put twenty Crucibles at once each of different Colours so one Baking may serve for a great deal of Matter You must make use of dry and hard Wood to heat the Furnace as we have said before in baking Glass and continue the Fire twenty four Hours in which time your Matters ought to be baked and purified enough but for more Surety you may continue the Fire six Hours longer and they will be certainly baked enough Your Matter being thus rigâ—tly baked you may polish it at the Wheel as we have said and set it with a Foil in Gold as is done with true Gems and you 'll have a brighter Emerald than the Oriental CHAP. XCV Another deeper Emerald-Colour THAT which makes Emerald deeper than the precedent proceeds from the smaller quantity of Crystal employ'd in it with more of the other Materials which make it more fair but also more brittle You must Bake it at least six Hours longer than the precedent to take away that Imperfection which Lead usually gives The Dose of this Past is one Ounce of Natural Crystal prepared as we have shewn six Ounces and an half of Red-Lead seventy five Grains of Verdigrease ten Grains of Crocus Martis made with Vinegar the whole pulverized and
reason of their smallness but give a very fine Colour The same may be done with Rubies Sapphire and other precious Stones as Chymists well know If I should treat of all those Colours in this Tract it would make it half as big again as I design it and would be too prolix for our present Purpose what we have shewn already is sufficient to make very fine Works CHAP. CX To make Sulphur Saturni to be used in Pasts for all Artificial Gems ISAAC HOLLANDVS has so well shewn us the way to imitate the Colour of all Precious Stones that I cannot pass by in silence this following Method of his extracted from his Works As it is not common nor his Book seen by every one and that there may be some that cannot understand him we thought the Reader might be glad to have it since it is the most curious way that can be made use of for this Work The way to make his Sulphur for it is this Take Ceruss or White-Lead ground very small put it into a great Glass Body and pour thereon as much distill'd Vinegar as will rise a Palm above it and as the Vinegar will rise and swell very much at first pouring on you must take care to pour it on gently till all the fury and noise be gone Then set this Body on a hot Furnace in Sand there to evaporate the eighth part of it away Then let it cool and decant off the remainder of the Vinegar which will be well coloured and full of Salt which keep in another Glass Vessel Then pour fresh distill'd Vinegar on the remainder of the Ceruss set it again on the Furnace to evaporate as before and decant off that Vinegar as the former Reiterate this Process of putting fresh Vinegar on your Matter and evaporating it and decanting it off till it have no further Colour nor Sweetness which commonly happens about the sixth time Take all your coloured Vinegars and carefully filter them off then take one or more Glass Cucurbits and evaporate all the Vinegars over a gentle Fire and you 'll find remaining at bottom a Salt of Saturn of Lead very White Then take a Glass Matras lute it well down to the middle of the Body and put your Salt of Lead in it and put it on a Sand Furnace over a gentle Fire for the Space of twenty four Hours covering it with Sand up to the Neck Then take out your Salt which ought to be as red as Cinnabar and grind it fine on a Marble if it be Yellow you must put it on the Fire again for twenty four Hours longer and take care it don't melt for then all is spoil'd When your Salt of Lead is perfect as we have shewn you must put it again into a Glass Cucurbit and pour distill'd Vinegar on it as before and decant it off when it is enough coloured and put fresh Vinegar on the remaining Salt and continue this process till all the Salt be dissolved and the Faeces or Dregs all separated After that put all these coloured Vinegars into Glass Vessels and let them stand six Days to settle then filter them carefully and separate all the Faeces Then put all these filter'd Vinegars into a great Glass Body to evaporate as before and you 'll find at the bottom a very white Salt of Lead sweet as Sugar This Salt being well dried dissolve it afresh in common Water and let it stand six Days that all the Faeces may precipitate to the bottom Then filter that Water and evaporate it in a Glass Cucurbite over a gentle Fire as we have said and you 'll have at bottom a Salt more white than Snow and as sweet as Sugar Reiterate this Method of dissolving in fair Water â—iltering and evaporating till three times then take your Saccharum Saturni and put it in a Glass Body in a Sand Furnace over a temperate heat where leave it for several Days without augmenting the Fire then it will become redder than Cinnabar and give a Calx finer than Wheaten Flour It is this Calx thus purified from all its Terrestreity which is called Sulphur of Saturn Now in making Pasts for Emerald Sapphire Granat Topaz Chrysolite Blue and other Colours you must employ it instead of Minium in the same Doses we have shewn in the precedent Chapter of this fifth Book Observing all we have noted in the Subject of Baking and proceeding as in Chap. 94. Then you 'll have Stones of different Colours far fairer than the Natural ones and which can scarcely be distinguished from them The Pasts made with this Sulphur will not have that Grease and Yellowness which others have and will not be so apt to spot by the Breath Upon this account the Curious will have no cause to repent of the trouble of making this Sulphur tho' the Work be very laborious They also know that all fine Works require very pure Matters and that they cannot have that purity without the great time and care of those who undertake them I may also here say that this Work well carried on is more precious than it seems to be except to those who are acquainted with it For the sweetness this Lead has acquired by the Preparation we have shewn is a true sign of its Purity that it is fit to make a Medicine very homogeneous to Nature I don't say that this Preparation alone we have here shewn is sufficient for so elevated a Mystery as that whereof we speak but I cannot also conceal that it is the chief part of the Work especially if you observe some little Circumstances which Isaac Hollandus has omitted to mention whether he was ignorant of them or thought them not necessary to his Preparation I can't tell The Learned will easily penetrate into this Mystery and others that have a true desire to know it will find Subject to exercise their Wits on in embracing so serious a Study to penetrate into the depths of it CHAP. CXI The Way to make very hard Pasts with Sulphur of Saturn and to give them all the Colours of Precious Stones THIS Paste is a Consequent of the precedent Operation because we employ therein the same Sulphur of Saturn we just now mentioned and that which chiefly causes its Beauty is that all the Ingredients we use in it are perfectly purified To do this take ten Pound of Natural Crystal prepared with six Pound of Salt extracted from Polverine of Rochetta purified pounded and well searced as we have shewn in Chap. 7 whereunto add two Pound of Sulphur of Saturn chymically prepared as in the preceding Chapter then mix these three Powders well together and put them into an Earthen glazed Pan and cast on them a little common fair Water to reduce these Powders into a Lump something hard Afterwards divide them into several Parcels of about three Ounces each making a hole in the middle the better to dry them at the Sun being well dry'd put them into an Earthen Pot well
we have shewn in the preceding Chapter whereunto add half an Ounce of Crocus Martis in fine Powder prepared as in Chaâ— 27. After having well mixed these Powders together put them into a good Crucible which cover and lute well then put it into a Glass-house Fire for three Days by putting it nearer and nearer the strength of the Fire by degrees Then take out your Crucible and put the Matter into a Marble Mortar then pound and grind it very small with its weight of Saâ— Gemmae and put it into another Crucible which cover and lute as before Being dry put it into the same Glass-house Furnace approaching it to the Fire little by little and letting it stand twenty Hours in good Fusion Then take it out and put it again into the Furnace to bake again as you do Glass where leave it twelve Hours that it may cool gently Your Crucible being cold take it out of the Furnace to bake again then break it and you 'll find in it the Matter tinged of a very fine Carbuncle Colour which you may cut of what Form and Greatness you please and then cut and polish them at the Wheel and they will be perfect There is a certain Slight which I shall not mention here which several Artists may know whereby these Carbuncles may be made to undergo all Trials It is a Point which will deserve the Study of all those who are ignorant of it to discover it to every one would be a Profanation of the Secrets of Art and would make the Ignorant as knowing in one Moment as those who have employed all their Lives in Searches after the profoundest Knowledge CHAP. CXV Another Carbuncle more noble and fairer called Carbunculus nocte illuminans THERE is a second way of making a Carbuncle called Carbunculus nocte illuminans which is far more resplendent and fairer than the former Those who have written that it shone in the Night and made the Possessors of it always very lucky only spoke by way of allusion to the Philosophers Stone to which alone that vertue can be attributed that is the Stone and Carbuncle which is not to be found that is except in the Hands of the Adepti who alone can make and possess it We may here boldly say That the Carbunculus nocte illuminans is not a Stone any where formed by Nature but made by Art for Nature cannot purifie the Matters she furnishes us with and this Stone cannot be made of them except when they are purified in the utmost perfection which Art alone can do Thus this Master-piece of Work this Carbuncle this Phoenix or this Stone so famous among the Philosophers is far more precious than any Nature can form since by means of it you may in two Hours time make simple Crystals as valuable as any Stones Nature spends so many Ages in bringing to perfection If there are any Carbuncles in the World or Precious Stones that have their Beauty we are perswaded that they must be the products of Art rather than Nature and that they are only made by that pure and incomparable Matter of the Philosophers exalted in colour and virtue to the highest degree We are perswaded by all the Authors we have read that there is no such Natural Stone so that there is only the precious Elixir of the Adepti whereof a Stone of the Qualities given to the Carbuncle can be formed which far surpasses in Beauty Rubies Granats Jacynths c. But now we come to the way of imitating this second Carbuncle or rather the Beauty which Authors attribute to it not with the Elixir of the Adepti whereof we know nothing but the vertues but with the ordinary Matters known to all the Students in this Art Take ten Ounces of Matter prepared with Natural Crystal and Saturnus Glorificatus and reduced to an impalpable Powder add to it an Ounce of Gold calcined as we shall shew hereafter then mix the whole well together and put it in a good Crucible which must not be above half full cover it and lute it well let it dry then put it into a Glass-house Furnace for three Days by bringing it little by little nearer to the strongest Fire as we have said before After three Days take out your Crucible and put the Matter into a Marble Mortar which pound to an impalpable Powder to which add its weight of Sal Gem also in fine Powder which mix well together and searce through a fine Sieve the better to incorporate Put this Powder into a new Crucible which also fill but half way which cover lute and dry as before Then put it in the same Glass-house Furnace bringing it nearer little by little where let it stand ten Hours After which take your Crucible out of the Furnace and put it into that where they set their Glasses to anneal whence take it out ten or twelve Hours after and having broken it you 'll find the Matter tinged of a Carbuncle-colour the most lively and resplendent that can be made by this Art whereof you may make what Stones or Works you please We have promised the Calcination of Gold which may be performed several ways but as fine Works cannot be made without the most pure Matters we will pretermit the more common ones to shew you the following which is very fine and proper for this Art Dissolve an Ounce of Gold in three Ounces of Aqua Regalis then add to it four Ounces of common Mercury purified and pass'd through Wash-Leather which will precipitate your Gold to the bottom of the Matras joyning it self to it Then your Aqua Regalis will grow clear which when it is and seems to have no more Gold in it decant it off then wash your Matter with warm Water to dulcifie it and take off all the Saltness Add to this Matter being dry'd its weight of Flour of Brimstone then pound the whole well together put them in a Crucible to which fit another on the top which must be bored on the bottom with a hole big enough to put a Quill through which lute well together and dry them Then put them in a round Fire which you must give them by degrees for four Hours the Crucible being the last Hour wholly covered over with Coals which let kindle and cool again Then open the Crucible and you 'll find your Gold calcined which amalgamate with four Ounces of fresh Mercury to which add five Ounces more of Flour of Brimstone pounding them well together as before then put the whole in your Crucibles which lute and give them the same round Fire as before which reiterate a third time the better to calcine and open your Gold then put it into a glazed Earthen Pan pretty deep and pour on it good Spirit of Wine that may swim two Inches above then put Fire to it and when it is burnt you 'll have a very fine Gold in an impalpable Calx well opened which edulcorate with warm Water distill'd and dry
of a very fine Diamond Colour hard shining and sparkling like the true ones which you may polish and work up as the Goldsmiths This Sulphurous Trepoly which enters into the Composition of this Paste being not commonly known we will shew the way of making it that we may leave nothing imperfect which might be any Obstruction to the Proceedings of the Curious Take equal parts of Trepoly of crude Antimony and common Sulphur and grind them to a fine Powder on a Porphyry Stone and make them into a Paste with Vinegar which being dry will easily crumble This is the Sulphurous Trepoly which we make use of Some Persons in making the same Process of taking away the colour from Jargons and giving them the hardness and whiteness of Diamonds have made use of Barly-meol wherewith they make a Paste with distill'd Vinegar impregnated with Lead wherewith they stratifie their Stones or Jargons in a Crucible covered with another and well luted which they afterwards put in a gradual round or Wheel Fire for six Hours But this way they could not give them the true Diamond-colour Wherefore I advise those who would try this Experiment to follow our first Process which has several times succeeded There are moreover some who stratifie their Stones with pounded Coal which they put in a Crucible covered and luted which they set on the Fire six Hours so that the Crucible be always red hot I don't approve of this way because the Coals may dry the Humour of the Stone and calcine it CHAP. CXXXIX The Way to make Diamonds THE Quality and Colour of the Diamond being so well known we shall not enlarge upon them in this Chapter but only shew the way to counterfeit them make them endure the Fire and harden them Take of good Natural Crystal calcined and reduced to subtile Powder what Quantity you please fill a Pot with it and set it in a Glass-house Furnace twelve Hours to be melted and purified Then drop the melted Matter into cold Water then dry it and reduce it again to Powder add to that Powder its weight of our fine Salt of Tartar of Chap. 93. Mix these two Powders well and make little Pills of them with common Water Then wipe these Pills and put them into an Earthen Pot on a strong Fire there to grow red hot for twelve Hours space without melting Then put them into a Pot in a Glass-house Furnace where leave them two Days to be well melted and purified then put the Matter twelve Hours in the Annealing Furnace to cool little by little Then break the Crucible and you 'll have a fine Material for Diamonds which cut and polish at the Wheel CHAP. CXL Another Way of making the Diamond of Alanson HERE follows a way of making Diamonds of Alanson which is not quite so fine as the precedent but has notwithstanding several Advantages which attend it besides it is more easie since there only needs an ordinary Fire to succeed in it Take an Earthen glazed Pot set it on a little Furnace put in it Filings of Steel with some Vine-Ashes at discretion wherein place by one another Crystals cut and polished then pour common Water gently on it which warm and boil during the space of twelve Hours taking care to add boiling Water fresh into the Vessel as the Water in it consumes by boiling and take care it boil continually Then see if your Crystals have acquired the colour and hardness you expected If not continue the Fire some Hours longer and they will be like the true Diamonds of Alanson taking care to repolish them again at the Wheel to give them colour and brightness CHAP. CXLI The Way to give the true Colour and Hardness of a Diamond to Crystals and Diamonds of Alanson THERE is nothing in Nature which Art cannot imitate and oftentimes those things which seem most difficult prove to be most easie when managed with Judgment or when he that undertakes to do them has experimented any thing of the like Nature before and knows the Nature and Properties and Powers of his Subject Although the Imperfect Metals be immature or unripe they contain notwithstanding a great deal of fixed and volatile Gold which may be easily separated or attracted out by means of Art Imperfect Metals may be very much meliorated by Fire by a proportionable and agreeable coction There are also Crystals and Precious Stones which have no Natural hardness which may be given them by Art having all the Natural Dispositions thereunto required since they have the same Principle as the most fine and that they only want a little Sulphur which hinder'd their thorough coction Thus this Defect may be obviated in Precious Stones as well as Metals by giving them a due coction and so changing them for the better We will begin to give the most simple way of attaining it before we shew those that are more exalted You may give the colour and hardness of Diamonds to Crystals and Diamonds of Alanson by taking good Dutch Trepoly and making a Paste of it with Water out of the Smiths Forge wherein you must wrap up the quantity you design of Crystals or Diamonds of Alanson cut and polished then set it in a Crucible covered and luted on a gradual Fire where let it stand till the Crucible become red hot A little time after take it out and take out the Stones then polish them again at the Wheel to give them their colour To set them in Works take Indian Paper with Leaves of Tin like those you put behind Looking-glasses then let them be set by some good Goldsmith and they can scarce be distinguished from fine oneâ— except by very nice Discerners CHAP. CXLII Another Way to harden Crystals and Diamonds of Alanson CRYSTALS also acquire hardness in the Paste we are now going to describe because their Humidity exhales and they become more fixt Take Barly-Meal well sifted with Petroleum or Rock-Oyl then cut that Paste in the middle and put all your Stones in order so that they may not touch one another Then cover your Stones with the other half of the Paste then put it in a Crucible covered with another and luted well together and let it dry Then set this Crucible in a gradual Wheel-Fire from five to six Hours a small Fire the two first Hours which enâ—rease from two to two Hours till the end of the six then let the whole cool of it self Then break your Crucibles and you 'll find your Stones very fine shining and sparkling like fine Diamonds which repolish at the Wheel and set by a skilful Workman CHAP. CXLIII A Way to harden Crystals and Diamonds of Alanson and to make them sparkle as much as Natural Oriental Diamonds ALTHOUGH this be an important Secret and ill People may commit Cheats by it yet I will here give it for the sake of the Curious who only seek for their own Satisfaction Take one Pound of Load-stone a Pound of Quick-Lime and half a
Pound of common Sulphur the whole reduced to powder and well mixed With this powder cement your Crystals and Diamonds of Alanson well cut in a Crucible covered and luted well Being dry set it in a Glass-house Furnace three Days in a place where the Matters may be continually red hot without Fusion if you have not a Furnace ready at hand for that purpose and take care not to take out the Crucible all at once but let it cool gently otherwise the Stones might break Having broken the Crucible you 'll find your Stones very fine and shining and which will resemble Diamonds of the Old Rock which repolish at the Wheel to give it colour then work it and they can scarce be distinguished from fine ones CHAP. CXLIV The Way to turn White Sapphire into true Diamond THE White Sapphire being fine and fixed is only imperfect by reason of its wanting colour and hardness which may be remedied by means of Art and be made to surpass Nature because she onâ—y would have made it a perfect Sapphire but Art can â—urn it into a true Diamond Only Fire can cause this Effect in changing its Natural colour and giving it that of a Diamond Thus take very fine Sand wash it in several Waters â—o clean it till the Water become clear and then dry it Of this Sand fill a Crucible half full then â—ut in your Sapphire and fill it up with the same Sand. Then cover your Crucible with a cover of the same Earth or with another Crucible lute the whole with a good lute as we have heretofore shewn lay it on an Inch thick and let it dry in the shade Being dry set it in a Glass-house Furnace approaching it nearer the Fire by degrees and leaving it twelve Hours in the same degree of heat Then withdraw it little by little for the space of six Hours and let it cool gently The Crucible being cold break it and you 'll find your Sapphire within which will have all the Qualities of a fine Diamond that is its shining and hardness Repolish it at the Wheel and work it CHAP. CXLV Another Way of turning the White Sapphire into a true Diamond HERE follows another noble Method of converting the Sapphire into a Diamond which will be easier to those who have not the opportunity of a Glass-house Furnace for it may be done with a Wind Furnace in twelve Hours time The Materials we are going to shew which are used in this Operation will at first seem very expensive but if you consider it diminishes not but you find it all again you 'll easily see that the only Expence is in the Fire You must therefore begin by well wrapping your White Sapphire in a thin Iron Plate that it may be easily managed Then take fine Gold purified by Antimony to the highest put it in a Crucible in a Wind-Furnace melt it and when it has a good fine Gloss put the Sapphire covered with the Iron-Plate into the Bath so that it may float on the Gold on every side then give it a strong Fire for twelve Hours so that the Gold may be all the while in Fusion Take out your Sapphire with a little pair of Tongues shaking out the Gold that may chance to stick in the Leaf-Iron then let it cool by the Fire gently for fear it should break Being cold take away the Plate or Leaf of Iron and you 'll have your Sapphire of an admirable Beauty it having acquired by that coction all the Qualities and Perfections of the Natural Diamond Polish it at the Wheel and Work it CHAP. CXLVI Another way to turn the White Sapphire into a true Diamond THIS Way will be found by several to be more easie and better because it does not oblige to such an Expence in Gold so that People cannot purchase it This is the Reason we shew it here tho' others have spoke of it and among the rest Ioh. Bapt. de Porta who has writ of this Art Take Filings of Iron or Steel put them in a Crucible then put in your White Sapphire so that it may be wholly covered with the Filings Set the Crucible in the Furnace and give it a good Fire that the Filings may be red hot without melting After it has been some time in this Fire take it out with a little pair of Iron-Tongues to see if it be of the colour of Diamond if not put it into the Filings again and reiterate this till it be perfect You may do the same thing with that filing of Steel and an equal part of White Enamel in Powder Having well mixed them together put them in a Crucible and put your Sapphire in the middle of them after having first pasted them with your Powder of Enamel wetted with Spittle and well dried it at the Fire When your Matter is red and it has remained some time in that condition take out the Sapphire with your Tongs to see if it have taken the colour of the Diamond If it has not put it in again as before and continue to do this till it be perfect Then polish it and work it This is all we design'd to say concerning the Make and Perfections of Gems tho' there are other ways of doing them and several other curious things might be said on this Subject but that would require a large Volume which perhaps we may do in the next Edition if we find the Curious take any Satisfaction in this The End of the Fifth BOOK OF THE ART OF GLASS BOOK VI. CHAP. CXLVII Wherein proper Rules and Matter for all sorts of Enamel are prescribed with Directions for qualifying the Fire in order to succeed well How to make Goldsmiths Enamel of several Colours for Gold A neat Preparation of the Magnese A Spirit of Saturn a fixt Sulphur and a mild Vitriol of Venus of most sovereign Vertue and Vse THIS most agreeable way of enriching Gold by Enamel which proceeds from the beauful Variety of Colours which may be apply'd being an Art no less painful than necessary for Ornament We proceed to lay down such Methods in this Book as shall equally answer the Benefits of the Publick and satisfaction of the more Curious For should we omit this our Intention the Work would be deficient and this Art of Glass deprived of one of its most excellent and principal Beauties therefore we propose in the first place to give direction for the Choice of Matter to be used and thence shew the Preparations for all sorts and how to make and suit the Colours most convenient on Enamel The Method not only used by the Goldsmiths but by such as form Pourtraitures with it of all sorts as Man Beasts Fowl and other Curiosities very naturally by a just disposure of the Colours is most admirable to effect which no more is required than a lighted Taper and a hollow Pipe of Metal for that purpose to blow the Blaze to the Matter and make it malleable and soft and thence the several
Figures are drawn or impressed thereon And this may be so far improv'd and heightned as to admit of Performances rather to be thought the Essay of a Divine than Human Artist Witness that notable Piece of Chariot drawn by two Oxen of which Cardan takes notice in the fifty second Chapter of his tenth Book which was so completely done in Little that the whole might be covered with the Wing of a Fly The Ship rigg'd and Man arm'd which Howel says he saw Those little Statues of Men with several other Curiosities of Figure Vormicus also assures of Not to omit the Church of St. Mark at Venice where the Mosaick-Work is plentifully interlaced with History of all Sorts distinguishable by the Variety of Colours and Gildings and all consisting of several different Subjects In short what Account Agricola has left us of these Matters in his twelfth Book gives us no less cause to admire this Art than he had when he saw such notable Pieces of which he makes mention and which he assures us was deservedly very great The use of Enamel is very ancient however that of working on Metal is more modern and for the great Perfection to which it is arrived we are obliged to this present Age as we shall further shew in the Seventh Book where we will also endeavour to discover further and make greater Improvements therein CHAP. CXLVIII To prepare the Matter for Enamel NOW we proceed to shew the Ingredients by which the principal Matter for Enamel is prepared before the Colours can be applied of which we shall give Directions in the following Chapters Take Lead in Piggs thirty pound Plate-Tin of Cornwall thirty three pounds mix and calcine them as directed for Lead in Chap. LXXXI precisely observing the Directions there laid down This done fearce the Calx and put it all into a glazed Earthen Pot fill'd with Water put it over a fire and let it boil a little then take it off and pour the Water gently into another Vessel which will carry along with it the more subtile Calx Repeat this until no more of the Calx can be subtiliz'd which you may discover by the Pureness of the Water in pouring it out of one Vessel into the other After this calcine the Remains of what is in the first Pot as before and thus continue to calcine and subtilizetill you can get no more of the subtile Calx Lastly put the Waters out of all your Receivers into larger and set it on a slow Fire to evaporate The Fire must be very gentle for this Reason that the Calx do not founder or fall to the bottom but continue more fine and subtile than when it was first calcin'd Your Calx being thus prepared take thereof about fifty pound and as much Fritt of white Tarso beaten and searced as directed Chap. VI. To these add eight Ounces of Salt of Tartar finely searced and prepared as in Chap. XV. Mix all these Powders very well together in a Pot and let it stand in the Glass-house Furnace or Oven about ten hours to digest and purifie Then take them out and reducing them to an impalpable Powder keep it in a close dry place for use Thus must your Matter for Enamel be prepared to receive the Colours but of that more hereafter CHAP. CXLIX To make Enamel of a Milk-white Colour THIS Colour of all others is the purest 't is used for the Ornaments of Virginity the Emblem of Innocence as also the Symbol of Candour and Chastity Nay more we may even from it form a pretty and impressive Idea of the Brightness and Excellency of Faith and 't is what has ever been esteemed and revered by all Nations We have already shew'd how to tinge Glass of this Colour in Chap. LXX of the Third Book and now we will shew how to perform the like on Enamel with no less Beauty and very easily thus Take six pound of our prepared Powder in the former Chapter and forty eight Grains of Magnese of Piedmont prepared as in Chap. XVIII put them will together into one of your Furnace-Pots to melt and purifie over a very swift Fire which will be done in a little time The Matter being thus melted take it out of the Pot and throw it into very fair Water and being afterwards dryed put it again into the Pot to melt do thus with it thrice changing the Water When you have thus purified it if you find it justly white 't is good but if it be greenish add a little more Magnese and 't will become white as Milk and fit Enamel for Gold or other Metal Take it off the Fire and make it up into Cakes and keep them for use CHAP. CL. A Turcoise-blue Enamel THIS Colour of the Turcois or Turkey-stone is very fine for Enamel but withal very difficult to make well and requires a great deal of Experience Now 't is sufficiently known that Practice will at length make the most uneasie Beginners Masters of their Trade therefore we must not be discouraged if we fail in our first Tryals because by continuing to repeat them we shall at length be sure to perform well 'T is always supposed you understand your Undertaking and are sufficiently qualified to distinguish when you are in the right or wrong or you can never hope to succeed For this cause we ought not to stand dozing on every Unsuccess for Nature which never fails will still be ready to inform us provided we have Judgment enough to determine her Precepts Though we have taken occasion from the Turcois to make this Digression here it may nevertheless be a convenient enough Consideration in Cases of a sublimer Nature even in all the Undertakings of Man Since we are so naturally apt to be impatient and disturbed if we can't effect those Matters in as it were a moment of Time which Nature it self takes a whole Age to perform And this is what mostly arrests the Accomplishments of our greatest Designs and imposes on us a seeming Impossibility in the most easie things Thus Obscurity interposes in the brightest Essays of the Sun and we can't enjoy one day though never so serene and fair that is not more or less over-shadowed with Clouds Thus far I have made my Attempt on this Thought which I hope the Learned will freely pardon because I have discoursed nothing but Truth and what they already are much more familiar with and satisfied of But now for our Enamel which to make of this Turcois 〈◊〉 you must put of our prepared Powder Chap. CXLâ—â—â—â— six pound into a white glazed Pot to melt and purifie it then cast it into Water and when dry put it again into the Pot and being melted over again add to it at four times this Composition Scales of Copper thrice calcin'd as in Chap. XXXIV three Ounces of prepared Zaffer eighty six Grains of 〈◊〉 prepared as in Book I. forty eight Grains all these mixt and reduced into a very fine Powder stir the Matter
finely and you 'll have a blackish Powder reiterate this Calcination thrice with the like proportion of Sulphur as before and the third time let it remain until the Copper become Red and Yellow then take it off and pound it in a Brass-Mortar and searce it finely pounding what remains over again untill all be searced and you 'll have a very well coloured Calx of Copper most effectual and proper for extracting this fair Vitriol of Copper whereof we will give the Preparation in the next Chapter CHAP. CLXXVII To make Vitriol of Venus without Corrosive THOSE who make Vitriol of Venus have not all one and the same method most of them dissolve the Copper in distilled Vinegar Spirit of Nitre or some other Corrosive for our part Water alone is the Dissolvent or rather Agent to extract the Tincture as we shall shew Take Glass Cucurbits as many as will serve your turn to contain all your Calx of Copper and put six Pound of fair running Water to a Pound of Calx into each Cucurbite place them on a moderate Sand-Furnace for four Hours to evaporate until one third of the Water go off let the Furnace cool and afterwards decant the remainder of the Water into other Glass Vessels and dry the Sediment in a Crucible on the Furnace let this Water settle for two Days and then you 'll find in the bottom of the Vessel small Grains of Copper of a blackish Colour you must filtrate or strain the Water and preserve all the Grains together to add to the former Sediment having first well dried them and keep the Water Take all these Sediments and to each Pound add six Ounces of Powder of Sulphur as before putting it into your flat-bottom'd Earthen Pot to calcine as in the former Chapter take care to stir it well as long as the Sulphur fumes and it stands over the Fire else it will stick to the Pot and not calcine take it off and powder it immediately in a Brass-Mortar searce the Powder and you 'll find it black mix this again with Sulphur proportionably six Ounces to a Pound and put it to calcine anew stirring it very well as before directed let it stand a while on the Fire to alter the Matter from a Russet to a Yellow then take it off and pound it instantly in a Brass-Mortar before it cool and then searce it all finely over Put a Pound of this Powder with six Pound of Water into each Cucurbit and these Cucurbits on a slow Sand-Furnace where let it stand four Hours to the consumption of one third of your Water which decant into other Vessels let it settle two Days then filtrate these Waters and pour them among the former gathering the Sediments that remain in the bottom and mix them with these in the Cucurbits Dry the remaining Sediments as before and repeat the calcination anew with the same proportionable quantity of Sulphur then extract the Tincture filtrate and mix the filtrated and tinged Waters with the former exactly observing the Order already taught and continue to do thus six times so will the Copper remaining in the bottom of your Vessels become as it were a soft impure Earth deprived of all its blueness which throw away as fit for nothing for all the Vertue of the Copper is contained in the Waters put these all carefully together to extract from them this precious Vitriol of Venus as hereafter directed CHAP. CLXXVIII The Way to extract a fair Vitriol of Venus from our our Coloured Waters OF all the Preparations to be taught for this rare Work this is the most easie and vulgar there being no more required than to evaporate and crystalize the Matter but as we are to leave nothing in the Dark we resolve to explain every circumstance thereof for the benefit of our Readers and such as wou'd know it We have said you must mix together all your coloured Waters now we will tell you what must be done with them you must have a low Glass-Cucurbit that will hold two Paris Pints or more which put into a moderate Ash or Sand-Furnace put therein three Pound of the Tincture to evaporate gently and put the rest into Glass-Bottles set round your Furnace so that they may be heated and ready to fill the Cucurbit as fast as the Exhalation consumes its Tincture which may be done with a Glass Ladle or the Bottles themselves lest the Waters being cold might cause the Cucurbit to burst and so all would be lost Reduce ten Pound of this by evaporation to two and half or three at most which will be a very high Tincture pour it into two or three glazed Earthen Vessels and place them all Night in a moist cold place and you 'll find the Vitriol at bottom and sticking to the sides of the Vessels like little long Icicles which will have the true colour of Oriental Emeralds pour all the remaining Waters into the Cucurbit and dry the Vitriol that it may not stick preserving it in a close Vessel Place your Cucurbit again on the Furnace to evaporate anew at the consumption of half the Waters and crystalize the strong Tincture as before Thus whilst any Water remains evaporate and crystalize until all be consumed to the end that none of this may be lost whose Vertues are infinitely useful not only in the Art of Glass and the Metallick but in Physick too for the curing of many Chronick Distempers which we pass over in silence as foreign to our Subject and continue to prescribe the rest of this rare Work to conceal nothing from the Curious but give them entire satisfaction CHAP. CLXXIX The Method of drawing the Spirit of the Vitriol of Venus which has a wonderful Blue and how to separate the Caput Mortuum for tinging of Glass THE Caput Mortuum of Vitriol of Venus which we prescribe to tinge Glass of a Sea-green and whereof we discoursed in Chap. 45. has ingaged us to give this most excellent and hidden Secret of Nature which the Philosophers have never explained but by ambiguous Riddles and veiled Parables to conceal the Knowledge thereof from the Vulgar We confess 't is not without some regret we condescend to it in this Ungrateful Age wherein very few deserve to be instructed or truly admire and so perfectly love the Mysteries of Sage Philosophy as to imitate the Vertue and Charity of its devoted Professors 't is however in consideration and for the sake of this small number of Votaries that we have explained and delivered many excellent things in this Book which we might but out of regard to such have laid aside as foreign to the Art of Glass but our desire to please them has promoted the opening these intricate Paths and leaving them in a condition to be enlarged by our small Discovery under the serious Speculations and smart issues of their own Wit Now to finish our precious Essay you must take a Pound of this Vitriol into a Glass Retort strongly
is always best however even of them there is choice some lose colour in the Fire some are more or less lively and sparkling but if you employ constantly such as we have prescribed in our Sixth Book you 'll never be exposed to those Inconveniencies for the Ingredients being perfectly cleansed will endure all degrees of Fire any change of Colour or Quality not ensuing CHAP. CLXXXI Of the Furnace for Enameling and Pourtraying THE Enameling of Metals as well as the colouring of the Stuff cannot be effected without Fire and is wholly different in this point from Painting with the usual Colours in Oyl which may be dried in the Air only without other help It would be very hard to believe the Fire would not spoil the mixture of the Colours if our daily experience which we made did not vouch the contrary however care must be taken not to let the Work have too much time but draw it out as soon as you find it polisht The Fire must be Reverberatory or rather of Suppression and never to be under the Stuff 't is the same as is used for cleansing of Metals whether in Mints or Goldsmiths Shops which is very familiar to all the World You must have a Furnace round or square either of Iron or Earth it 's no great matter how or whether of these it is which must be hollow in the middle to contain the Work with a good Charcoal-Fire all about and over it to make it melt the better and you must have it so as to be able to take your Stuff out and put it in again as occasion requires You may for better conveniency make use of a Goldsmith's Muffle 't is a small Arch made of Crucible Earth in the shape of half a Crucible cut length-wise and they place it on the Area or Floor of the Furnace the Opening of it lying just against the Mouth of the Furnace to put in and draw out the Work easily and for more conveniency they place a small Grate over it which must not touch it for fear of breaking it and on this Grate make a good Fire and so round about the Muffle to heat the hollow very well under which they put the Work to be Enamel'd and Painted and the Essays or Trials they have a mind to make on a little IronShovel to draw the easier out but for making Essays of Ingredients for Enamel it must be a little Blade of White Enamel which ought to be provided purposely for that use CHAP. CLXXXII The Way to Enamel Gold WE have already said that Gold Silver and Red Copper may be Enamel'd now to make true Work you must use only pure Gold because Silver makes White Enamel appear Yellow and Copper rises in Scales and makes Vapours for tho all Enamel sticks to it yet it is but very imperfectly and may be easily divided and peeled off again besides the Colours are so wretched on it and lose much of their Charm and Lustre by the Impurity of that Metal Therefore if you would have good Work let Gold only be your Subject and of the purest if you employ clear Enamel because on impure Gold they grow dull and become imperfect that is to say there appears with this a certain obscure and Cloudy Vapour in the Enamel which deadens and takes away the Life of its Colour The Gold Plate ought to be rising and when it is forged very even the Goldsmiths apply white Enamel over and under it tho it is to be wrought but on one side but this is necessary for two Reasons First Because the Work is neater and fairer for it And again Because if it were only Enamel'd on one side the Fire would swell it and so make it rise and that in Bubbles because it is always as it were tormented especially when the Pieces are great and the Enamel carelesly laid on this makes it produce Blisterings which disfigure the Work the French Chymists call such Vegoter but their Goldsmiths Petits Ocuillets This disfiguring of the Work you may avoid by laying Enamel on both sides of the Plate of Gold and thicker over than under this will keep it equal and even on both sides the first lay of White Enamel remaining smooth in this condition serves for a Field to place all your other Colours on as we will further discourse of in the Art of Pourtraying Oyl of Spike is used for dissolving thick and opaque Enamel before it can be applied for the Transparent you need use nothing but fair Water as we shall shew in Chap. 185. and then 't is couched flat and bordered with the Metal and sometimes we don't border at all the Field being all Enamel but this is troublesome because the Limpid Enamels as they melt often mix and so confound the Colours which constantly happens when the Pieces 〈◊〉 small Red Enamels are not so unless by chance and come generally Yellowish out of the Fire assoon as 't is applied to the Gold it alters the Colour one may soon bring it to a perfect Red Enamel by turning it at the Mouth of your Furnace when you are taking it out from the Fire and then it is that the Workmen say they make it Red and give it its compleat Colour Gold as we have already said admits of all sorts of Enamel clear or opaque bright Purple excepted which is altered by the Yellow-colour of the Gold and does not take so good effect there as on Silver on which it ought still to be used The Way of working every sort of Enamel is alike not to make any useless Repetitions we will satisfie our selves only to advise you to employ all those Enamels prescribed in the Sixth Book which have every illustrating and convenient Property to be wished for in this Work CHAP. CLXXXIII To Enamel on Silver WE have already taken notice in our former Chapter that Silver agrees not with all sorts of Enamel as Gold We repeat it here again to prevent the use of any but such as serve to produce perfect and agreeable Effects You are to make least use of White Enamel on Silver because there it becomes Yellowish and unpleasing but nothing can suit better with it than bright Purple Green Blue and Egmarine because the Whiteness of the Silver is then clearly eminent and gives its just splendour The Work and manner of Enameling on Silver is no way different from that of Gold in forging the Plates evenly to prepare 'em for the Enamel you may make use of White on the under side since the Enamel there serves only to qualifie the Risings and Disturbings of the Metal in the Furnace which would cause unevenness or disagreements in the surface and prevent its becoming just and handsome We need not repeat again that way of placing the Enamel on your Plates of Gold or Silver and so to put them into your little reverberatory Furnace spoken of in Chap. 181. to melt and as soon as polished to be taken from the Fire CHAP.
the Sun-shine for five or six Days shaking the Bottle well three or four times a Day that the purer Enamel may dissolve and the grosser fall to the bottom take the Enamel out of your Bottle and steep the Faces letting them precipitate as useless then evaporate your Aqua-Vitae and dry your Azure which will be a very fine well cleansed Matter for all sorts of this Work grind it after on your Marble This Enamel so prepared is most proper for Painting and far beyond the Vltra Marine so much made use of We shall in the Tenth Book prescribe some other excellent Methods to make Blues very fine with a Receipt for Vltra Marine and several other Colours in favour of those who affect that Noble Art of Limning CHAP. CXCI. A Red Paint for Enamel THere can nothing exceed the Perfection of our Enamels of this Colour taught in eight several Chapters of the Sixth Book the like may be said of our Blood-colour Rubies Rose and Carbuncle which is the most exalted Ingredient for Enameling Metal or making Paint on Enamel and those who practise this fine Art use no other than that of the Glass-house or such as they make accordingly Now this Red Enamel is prepared as the other Colours with Aqua-fortis to purifie it wash'd dry'd and ground with Oyl of Spike for your use There is yet another tolerable Red which they Paint with on Enamel in which is employed calcined Gold but this would be much more improved if instead of their Rocaille they made use of our Matter made of Crystal and Saturnus Glorificatus in Chap. 113. or of our principal prepared Powder prescribed all along the Sixth Book for these are exceeding well purified whereas the Rocaille has too great a Surcharge of Lead the Impurity whereof always renders the Work defective See here their way of calcining Gold which is not near so fine as that we have given Chap. 115. and as there are an hundred several ways so every Man makes use of his own as most excellent and thinks it better than another's One takes an Ounce of fine Gold in very thin Plates these dissolved in eight Ounces of Aqua-fortis and regulated with Sal-Armoniack or old strong Salt in a small Glass Matrass this is put into a Glass-Cucurbit wherein was already pour'd eight Paris Pints of Spring-Water and six Ounces of Mercury the Cucurbit is placed on a still Fire and after four and twenty Hours the Gold descends to the bottom in a light Land-red Powder then the Water is poured off leisurely into an earthen glazed Receiver or Pan and the Powder gathered and dryed by a moderate heat and with a Shamois Skin they separate the Mercury from the Gold and grind this Powder with twice its weight of Flowers of Sulphur together and then put all into a Crucible over a small Fire where the Sulphur will communicate it self with the rest and then evaporating they find the Powder somewhat ruddy which ground with Rocaille is what they make use of on the Enamel We own this Calcination to be tolerable as to the Gold but as for mixing the Calx with the Rocaille without melting them together to incorporate is disputable We believe that in grinding them together with Oyl of Spike they may in some sort incorporate as other Colours but can never so perfectly unite besides the Crystal Matter does not so well receive the Colour of the Gold this way as if it were done by fusion Others make Red inclining to Vermilion which they use in Painting after this manner Take Vitriol calcined in two Crucibles well luted together and set for an Hour over a flow Fire then purge it with Aqua-fortis wash it in fair Water and grind it with Oyl of Spike as before and so make use of it for Enamel All Red Enamel which is good ought to be hard and not easily consumed in the Fire for that which is otherwise contains much Lead and soon becomes dull and sullied and is not of so lasting a substance which the Workmen ought to be cautious of To finish the Preparation of Enamel and before the manner of painting 'em is prescribed take notice that all the Colours before mentioned which are not pure Enamel ought to be incorporated with a Crystalline Matter such as we prescribed in Chap. 148. to the end they may vitrifie the better which else they 'll not easily do the most Workmen make use of their Rocaille whether to avoid the trouble of making or that they are ignorant how to prepare a better Matter and this has obliged us to give several ways very good and true for their purpose to make fine and perfect Work by CHAP. CXCII The Way to Paint on Enamel THIS Art is revered by all Nations 't is so fine and so excellent that the first and Noblest Persons of the World practise in it as we have said elsewhere It is certain that the Art of painting on Enamel is modern but no less estimable for that since its effects are so wonderfully beautiful so infinitely lasting of so Natural a Gloss and their Splendour never to be defaced If it were possible to make large Works of Enamel as is done in Picture they would be inestimable because of their Lustre and so far surpass what Antiquity has had such great respect for and which these latter Ages still caress with extraordinary esteem This way of painting on Enamel seems much more difficult than Limning Practice however convinces us that they are equally easie and we can with as little trouble represent any History on Enamel as in Limning the difference lies only in preparing the Colours which is not done the same way for we dry and varnish our Enamel-paint by Fire whereas that in Limning is done by the Air. To paint on Enamel you must have a Plate of Gold enamel'd with White on which delineate and pourtray your Design This done draw it over again in dark Red The Piece being perfectly done off and the Lines compleat to the Subject set the Tablet or Piece in the Muffle on a reverberatory Fire to settle as before directed Your Tablet being taken out apply the Colours in a just order as in Limning with this difference only that here you make your White Ground serve for filling where that Colour is required to set off the heightnings and lustre of the Lights as is done in Miniature and because it mightily contributes to the heightening thereof in the other Colours as to improving their Lights we have given a most excellent Receipt in Chap. 187. which very excellently serves upon this occasion When the Piece is thus finished put it again into the Furnace to fix the Colours and as soon as you perceive it varnish or polish draw it out least the Colours mix and spoil each other You may take out the Work again and revise it as often as you please only putting it still into the Furnace until it receives its just Gloss c. This way of
renewing and revising the Tables is done in Limning with Oyl and the Painters observe that the Pieces must not be handled until they are well dry'd in the Air so those in Enamel must be let alone until they receive their perfection from the Fire This is all to be observed in Painting on Enamel it remains only for us to shew how to prepare your dark Red for tracing the Design you may have it thus Take the Caput Mortuum which remains in the Retort after the Aqua-fortis is made of your Vitriol and Nitre grind it with Oyl of Spike and so you have the dark Red ready for your use or you may make it with Crocus Martis ground with Oyl of Spike The End of the Seventh BOOK OF THE ART OF GLASS BOOK VIII Containing the Way to make China or fine Earthen Ware how to Enamel Paint and Gild them CHAP. CXCIII POrcelaine Fayence China or fine Earthen-Ware is enamel'd with our White Stuff which we have already prescribed for Metals and its Painting the same and of such Colours as we have proposed for Enamels in the foregoing Book and this obliges us to discourse thereof in this our eight Book The Custom of enameling on Ware is of greater Antiquity than that on Metals for in the time of Porcenna who generously undertook the Restauration of Tarquin to the Roman Government in the Consulate of Valer. Publicola and Horat. Pulvilius Ann. Mund. 3444 five hundred and four Years before the coming of Jesus Christ or thereabouts the practice of enameling on Were was used in the Estates of that Prince and what gives us very good reason to believe this is the Name Porcelaine which has an Affinity to Porcenna tho altered by the corruption of Time so it is also called fayence from Fayence in the Dutchy of Vrbin where in the Time of Michael Ange and Raphael Vrbain this Art was practised And as the Secrets of Nature are daily more and more discovered so has time employed the Invention of Man to improve this and make it more excellent not only condescending to enameling but proceeding also to Painting and pourtraying thereon several Curiosities to which at length is added the Ornaments of Gilding These Pieces of Ware are of a very general use over all the World as for Ornaments over Chimney-pieces on Cabinets and Tables or Boards The choicest come in us from China and next to those are done at St. Clowd and Rouen but there are very good made in Holland at 〈◊〉 in Italy and several other places in France The painting and enameling on these is what we are properly obliged to take notice of in our Art however we shall slightly touch upon the Composition and Molding the Ware and for this we will prescribe fine and delicate Methods sufficient enough to answer the Satisfaction of such as employ themselves in this Art and of those Persons whose Curiosity leads them to enquire after things whereof they are not already informed CHAP. CXCIV The Furnace for making of China MUST be large with an Opening proportioned to the Vessel you are to place therein of these there are several sorts but the most commodious must be made as follows You may shape this Furnace round or square but the square is best because of the Opening it must be made of good Brick and such Stuff as can mostly endure the Fire of what bigness you please with three Divisions the lowest for the Ashes must be a Foot high that the Air may be communicated through its Opening to the Fire the middle Story is for the Fire and must be underlaid with a very good Grate to separate it from the under Story with an Opening for the Fuel and be vaulted above about a Foot in heighth According to the Size of your Furnace this Vault must be made like that of an Oven and have an Hole in the middle of the same shape as the Furnace round or square and proportioned to its bigness through which the Flame may transmit it self to the uppermost Story where the Vessels are put to bake in this last Story is to be at least two Foot high and its Opening fourteen or fifteen Inches to put and draw the Vessels easily in and out the top must be vaulted too with such a round or square hole and over that a Funnel for the conveniency of the Flame and Smoak which it draws out All the Opening especially the two uppermost must be of strong Brick or Crucible Earth or rather of Iron well luted within side which must shut and open easily and be very exact and sit that the Fire may not suck in any cold Air which might break the Vessels This Furnace will serve also for many other uses as to Melt Reverberate Calcine Cement and several sorts of Works in the Laboratory of Chimistry because in it all the degrees of Fire may be found by the help of the lower Opening and the Funnel of the Chimney You may else for Baking your China make use of the Furnace hereafter described in Chap. 202. where we discourse of Painting on Glass putting thereinto your Vessel of Crucible-Earth for Baking the Ware in and then cover'd over with a vaulted Coverlid with a hole at top to let out the Flame and Smoak of the Reverberatory Fire for this reason there will be no occasion in this sort of Furnace for any other Opening because the Baking Vessels with your Ware are put in a top before the Coverlid is laid on and so the Fire circulates about it and it becomes very Red whereby the China-Ware is Baked as is done in Baking of Pipes CHAP. CXCV. To make your Stuff for China-Ware THE Composition for this must be very fine because of the Ware and not such as is used for ordinary Vessels we will therefore prescribe the Manner of making it to prevent the unsuccessful Attempts of such as may be ignorant For this you must take of Shells of every sort which are White and Transparent grind them well on a Marble then searce and reduce them to an impalpable Powder To make your Paste of this Powder first dissolve an Ounce of very white Gum-Arabick in a Pail of Water when 't is well dissolved and mixt with the Water dissolve therein about a quarter as much Quick-lime as your Powder weighs then stir and mix it very well and afterwards put in the Powder and stir all together and knead it as they do Mortar of this Stuff form your Vessels according to the different sorts you desire let them half dry or more in the Air before you polish them with your smooth Instrument of Copper or Iron for that purpose and so leave 'em until they dry throughly Being very well smoothed and dried glaze them over with your White Enamel prepared as we 'll direct in the next Chapter and so set them in the Furnace to Bake and finish where having kept them a convenient time let the Fire go out of its self When the Furnace is
in Painting Glass for before we proceed to prescribe the Rules how to work the Materials must first be considered The White is compounded of several Ingredients The first are small White River Peble-Stones heated red over a Fire in an Iron-Ladle and thrown afterwards into an Earthen-Dish full of cold Water to calcine them and this must be repeated several times until they be prepared afterwards being dried pound them with a Stone or Glass-Pestle in a Stone-Morter and so grind them upon a Marble to an impalpable Powder then mix a fourth part of Nitre with it and calcine them in a Crucible then pound and grind them again and calcine them a third time over a smaller Fire than your former and so take them off for Use. This done when you would Paint with it add equal parts in weight of Gip a sort of Talc found among Plaster-mold baked on the Coals to a Whiteness and reducible to Powder and Rocaille whereof we have already spoken grind them all three very well together in a hollow Plate of Copper with Gum-Arabick Water thus have you your White in good condition to Paint withal CHAP. CCIV. To prepare Black for painting on Glass AS this Colour cannot be omitted in any sort of Painting so in this the manner of using it is much the same and the Preparation easie You must grind Scales of Iron from the Smith's Anvil-Block for three Hours on the shallow Copper-Bason or Plate add to this one third of the same weight of Rocaille with a little Calx of Copper to hinder the Iron from turning Red in the Fire grind it to as impalpable a Powder as you can bring it to and so keep it in a close Vessel for use CHAP. CCV To prepare a Yellow Paint for Glass THIS Colour requires a more costly Preparation than the precedent because it cannot be well done without a tenth part of prepared Silver as we shall shew hereafter Take fine Silver in Plates from the Copple stratifie 'em in a Crucible with Powder of Sulphur or Nitre the first and last Lay being of the Powder and so calcine them in a Furnace this done cast it out as soon as all the Sulphur is consumed into an Earthen-Bason of Water and afterwards pound it in your Stone-Mortar until 't is fit for the Marble and so grind it with some of its Water wherein it was cooled for six Hours then add nine times its weight of Red-Oaker and grind them together for a full Hour and 't is done and fit for Painting on Glass CHAP. CCVI. To make a Blue for painting Glass THE whole Secret of this Preparation depends on the calcining the Ingredients and goodness of the Crucible Take two Ounces of Zaffer two Ounces of Minium and eight Ounces of very fine White Sand put all these into a Bell-metal Mortar and pound them very well and so into a Crucible covered and luted over a quick Fire for an Hour then draw off the Crucible and pound them again as before This done add a fourth of its weight in Salt-peter powdered and having mixed all very well together return them into a Crucible covered and luted which place again in the Furnace for two Hours at least continuing such another Fire as the former The Crucible being off and cool'd a second time grind the Mass as before and so put it into a Crucible again with a sixth part of Salt-petre and let it remain on the Fire for three Hours then take off the Crucible and immediately with an Iron-Spatula red hot take out the Matter lest it should stick being very clammy and hard to be emptied 'T is convenient to have strong Crucibles for this Calcination because it remains so considerable a while in the Fire and they must be luted with an extraordinary lute you may use that we have given directions for in Chap. 109. adding Powder of Borax to the Powder of Glass vitrified which helps the Fusion of the Glass which we have omitted there but the greatest stress lies in Baking the Crucible afterwards in a small Fire to cement the Pores and make the Earth compact as Glass which would be very much furthered if you threw on it a considerable quantity of Salt as it comes out of the Fire this would glaze it and capacitate it for retaining the Spirits in the Fire CHAP. CCVII. To make Red Colour for Glass Paint THIS requires as much caution as the Blue You must take Scales of Iron and Litharge of Silver of each a Dram Feretto of Spain half a Dram Rocaille three Drams and half grind all these for half an Hour on a shallow Copper-Plate in the mean time pound three Drams of Blood-Stone in an Iron-Mortar and add it to the rest then pound a Dram of Gum-Arabick in that Mortar to an impalpable Powder to take off the remains of your Blood-stone and so add it to the rest grinding them still continually lest the Blood-stone be spoiled The best manner of grinding these is to pour Water by little and little on the Ingredients as you grind them neither wetting them too much nor too little but just as much as will keep a good Temper as for Painting Afterwards put all into a foot Glass and so drop on it through a small hollow Cane of Wood or with your Finger as much Water as will bring it to the consistence of an Eggs-Yolk buttered or a little more then cover the Glass to preserve it from Dust and so let it stand three Days to settle After this decant the clearest and purest of the Colours that rise at top into another Glass without disturbing the Sediment and two Days after it has settled anew pour off again the purest of the Colours as before This done set it in the Body of a broken Matrass or Bolt-head over a gentle flow Fire to dry easily and so keep it for use When you have occasion for it take a little fair Water in a Glass and with it moisten as much Colour as you think convenient that will be excellent for Carnation as for the Faeces which are very thick dry 'em too and you may moisten these in like manner with Water for Drapery Timber-colour and such other as you think convenient CHAP. CCVIII To make a Purple-colour for painting of Glass THE Preparation of this Purple-colour is exactly like that of the Blue for this Reason we need not use any tedious Repetitions You must take an Ounce of Zaffer and an Ounce of very pure and clean Perigeux two Ounces of Minium eight Ounces of very fine white Sand pound all these in a Bell-metal Mortar and reduce it to an impalpable Powder put it afterwards into a good Crucible well covered and luted in the Furnace keep a very good Fire to it for an Hour then draw it out and as soon as it is cold pound the Mass over again in the same Mortar to this add a fourth part of its weight of Nitre mix them together and put them into
necessary Properties and those which seem the most abject and venomous even the greatest Poisons have admirable Effects in Medicines when duly prepared and this the Professors of Physick are not unacquainted withal tho' very many pretend to those Studies whose Endeavours are far short of handing them through the secret Excellencies thereof CHAP. CCXIX. How to Extract Lake from Broom-Flowers WE will give several ways of making Lakes of several Colours The first with a Lixivium or Lee made of Soda of the Glass-house and fresh Quick-lime which must be pretty strong in which put your Broom-Flowers over a small Fire until all the Tincture be drawn from them the Flowers become White and the Lee receive the Yellow Colour Then take out the Flowers and put the Lixivium into a glazed Earthen Vessel to boil adding thereto as much Roch-Allom as it can well dissolve then take it off and put it into a large Vessel mixing it with fair Water so the Yellow will separate and descend to the bottom let it rest there a little and afterwards decant the Water off gently and so put in more fresh to it again and again until the Water has drawn off all the Salt and Allom from the Lixivium and it become clear Thus the Colour will be very well cleansed of the Salt and Allom and remain exceeding fine and bright spread it on pieces of White Linen and let it dry in the Shade on new-baked Tiles and you 'll have a most admirable Yellow-Lake for Painting CHAP. CCXX To Extract the Tincture of Poppies Iris or Flower-de-luce Red-Roses Violets and all sorts of GreenHerbs for making Lake of their Colour TO avoid unnecessary Repetitions we have thought fit to bring all these under one Chapter because the Method for extracting their Colours is the same in one as in t'other and done with the former Lixivium of Soda and Quick-Lime You must steep and boil each sort of Flowers or Herbs by themselves in the Lixivium giving it time to draw off the Colour entirely which you 'll soon perceive when the Faeces or Flowers grow white and the Lixivium deepened with the Tincture then pour off the Lixivium gently into your Earthen glazed Vessels and set them over a Fire putting in as soon as they begin to boil as much Roch-Allom as they can well dissolve and so take them off After this pour all together into a large Earthen Vessel glazed and pour into it fair Water to make the Colour precipitate let it stand and settle then pour off the Water and put in fresh and thus continue to change the Water until it pour off as clear as you put it in and taste flat or insipid so as you may conclude all the Soda Salt of Alom and Lime are drawn off Thus you 'll have at the bottom a very fine Tincture to make a pure and delicate Lake withal of the same Colour as your Flowers or Herbs that were used spread it on pieces of Linen dry them in the Shade on new-baked Tiles as before After the same manner you may draw any other Lake from whatsoever colour'd Herb or Flower you please CHAP. CCXXI Another Way to Extract the Tincture of Yellow Flowers of Field-Poppies Irises ordinary and deep coloured Violets Carnation and Red-Rose BorrageFlowers Red-Coleworts Flags c. Together with the Verditers of Mallows Burnet and other Herbs WE shall not give the same in this as in the foregoing Chapter that Preparation is common to all those in the Title thereof and so is this to these To avoid Prolixity and Repetitions You must have the Flowers or Herbs newly gathered fresh enough to stain a Card with their Juice pressed thereon else they 'll not serve your turn put these into a Glass Cucurbit with a pretty large Mouth pour in among them good Strong-Waters to drown them by four Inches joyn a Recipient to it and lute the Joints very well letting them dry this done place the Alembick on a Sand Furnace keeping a very gentle Fire under it giving the Matter time to digest increasing it by very little and little and so the strong-Strong-waters will rise on the Leaves and draw off the Colour then improve your Fire to distil your tinged strong-Strong-waters into the Recipient out of which you must take and put them into another Alembick luting well the Jointures and let it distil in Balneo or over a very slow ash-Ash-Fire and the strong-Strong-water will distil off in their own Colour without any Tincture and may be kept for the like occasion again The Essence you 'll have at the bottom of the Cucurbit let it dry gently Thus you may have Lakes from all manner of Herbs and Flowers whatsoever CHAP. CCXXII To make a Scarlet-colour'd Lake THE Design of this Chapter is only to order the first Preparation for obtaining our Scarlet-colour whereof we will make a very delicate Lake Take Shearings of White Woollen-Drapery let them be fine as possible steep them a whole Day in cold Water press them afterwards very well to take off all the Greasiness and Allume it thus Put four Ounces of Roch-Allom and two Ounces of Crude Tartar in Powders into a small Kettle pouring thereon two Quarts of Water when this begins to boil put to them one pound of the Shearings and so let it boil a full Half-hour afterwards take it off and cool it for six Hours take out the Shearings and wash them in clean Water leave 'em to steep about two Hours press them after this and dry them keeping them for the use we shall prescribe in the next Chapter CHAP. CCXXIII. To Extract Scarlet-colour from Kerm-Berries for making a Fine Lake THE Name of Kermes is purely Arabick for in that Country these Berries grow on a small Tree or Shrub and from that their Native Soil were transplanted into Spain Portugal Provence and Languedoc where they now are plentiful several would perswade us that 't is a sort of Oak called in Latin Coccigera but the Leaves which are prickled like those on Holly only smaller shews us the contrary These Grains or Berries have several other uses than in Painting being of excellent Vertue in Physick Of them the Apothecaries make their Syrop called Alkermes and from the remainder of them which is left behind in the Strainer they draw a substance for the Dyers which is used in colouring of Stuffs Several ways may be given to extract the Tincture of these Grains for making Lake we 'll only insist on two the first is indifferent long but very excellent and produces a Tincture whereby iâ— made a most admirable fine Lake The way of making the Lake in France is very modern and 't is but of late they have had this Secret in Paris which was brought from Venice now since few are familiar with it we are willing to publish this that many may know how to Worâ— therein Take four Quarts of clear Water and four Pound of Wheaten-Bran two Drams of Oriental Piraster and as much Foenugrec
set all in a Kettle over a Fire till the Water be Milk-warm keep your Hand in it until you can bear the heat no longer then take it off cover it with a Cloath that the heat may continue the longer let it repose for twenty four Hours then run off the Lixivium and keep it for the following purpose Get a clean Earthen-Pot and put therein three Quarts of fair Water to half the Lixivium order a Fire and let this boil thereon which when it begins to do put in an Ounce of the Grains pounded impalpably in a Brass-Mortar and searced then pound a little crude Tartar to take off the remaining parts of the Grains on the bottom and sides of your Mortar and so put it in with the Grains when the Water begins to boil again take it off in an instant and set it to cool This done and the Water cold take the Shearings prepared in the former Chapter and let them stain therein about half an Hour Afterwards squeeze it into another Pot by expression and after you have thus drawn off all the Tincture put the Shearings into the last Pot stirring them about very well with a small Stick that they may stain the sooner boil all for about half an Hour over a small Fire else the Tincture will become black then take the Shearings out and put them well tinged into a Vessel of cold Water about half an Hour after pour off the Water gently and so put fresh on again then press and spread them to dry in a clean place where no Dust can come at them This done make the following Lixivium Put on a Hempen-cloath doubled Vine-stalk-Ashes or Ashe of Willow or some other lighter Wood pour thereon by degrees cold Water letting it strain through into a Vessel set underneath pour it again on the Ashes and when it is all run through set it to settle for twenty four Hours that the Ashes which it carried off may fall to the bottom this done pour the Lixivium by degrees into another Vessel rejecting the Sediment put your Shearings into this having warmed it When it begins to be cold let it boil over a gentle Fire and it will become red take a little of the Shearings press them well and if it remains without colour take off the Kettle immediately for the Lixivium has extracted it entirely spread a Linen-cloath o'er a Free-stone Bowl set the Shearings therein and pour on the Lixivium by little and little to strain and yield the Tincture then squeeze the Cloath and the Shearings therein to press out all the Colour that remained in them throw away the Cloath wash the Shearings clean and keep them for the like use another time Then put twelve Ounces of Roch-Allom well powdered into a Glass Body full of cold Water letting it dissolve quite when this is perfectly done spread a Linen-cloath over two Staves and set underneath a large Free-stone Vessel put all the Allom-Water into the Bottle of Tincture and strain it afterwards through this Cloath the Lixivium will go through it clear and leave the Colour behind but if it shou'd not be coloured 't is only straining it through again and you 'll have done Now to get the Tincture you must mix all that remains on the Cloath and gather it together spreading it afterwards over new-made Tiles which have not yet been allowed time to moisten on the pieces of Linen then mold them into Troches to dry suddenly without moulding which wou'd spoil them therefore you must take great care that the Tiles be not at all moist and if so to change them that it may dry the sooner and thus you 'll have a Lake of admirable colour for Painting you must lessen or improve the Colour as you find by a greater or lesser quantity of Roch-Allom CHAP. CCXXIV. A readier way to Extract the Tincture of Kerm-Berries THO the Menstruum given in the last Chapter made with Shearings of Cloath be a very good one for this purpose yet the following is a more easie and as effectual Take Strong-waters of the first Run or Distilling and put it into a long-neckt Glass Body dissolve therein a Pound of Roch-Allom adding an Ounce of Kerm-Berries finely powder'd and searced let it digest well shaking the Matrass from time to time and the Strong-waters will draw to them all the Tincture of the Kermes and be very sinely coloured then let all settle four Days and afterwards pour it gently into a glazed Earthen-Vessel Dissolve four Ounces of Roch-Allom in running Water and pour this into the Strong-Waters or Tincture of Kermes to cause a separation filter it through a Linen-cloath and the Strong-Waters will fall through White leaving the Tincture behind if they be any thing coloured strain them again and again until they be clear Take up the Lake or Colour with a clean Wooden-Spoon and make it into Troches drying them as directed in the former Chapter Thus you may have a quantity of this Colour or Lake as fine and good as the former CHAP. CCXXV. To make Lake or Tincture of Brazile THE Brazile which Dyers make use of is meant here take of the finest which comes from Fernambouck that being the best The way of extracting this Tincture is the same as the former from Kermes and may be effected two ways either with the first prescribed Menstruum or the Strong-Waters observe only not to put as much Allom to each Ounce of Brazile as to the Berries for that Tincture is deeper than this from Brazile and consequently requires more Stuff use therefore as much here as you find reasonable for Experience will give you the best instruction Take notice too that when you do it by the first Menstruum there is a greater quantity required of Brazile than was prescribed of Kermes-Berries to each Pound of Shearings in every thing else follow the former Directions and you 'll have a fine Colour or Lake less chargeable and altogether as good as the Tincture of Kermes for Painting CHAP. CCXXVI To Extract Tincture of Madder for Lake MAdder is the Root of a Plant common enough but generally comes from Holland and Zealand and used by Dyers if good 't is red 't is finer than Brazile and before you use it must be finely powdered to give the better colour You may use either of the former Menstruums of Shearings or Strong-Waters ordering your Quantities as directed for the Brazile if you follow the Preparation given in Chap. 223. you 'll have a fine colour from this Root which make into Troches drying them as before this will be a perfect Lake and very fine for use CHAP. CCXXVII How to make Ultra-marine of Lapis-Lazuli THIS Rich and Noble Blue drawn from an Azure-Stone commonly called Lapis-Lazuli 't is 〈◊〉 Opaque-Stone of a fine Sky-colour or Turkish-â—lue or like the Blue-Flowers which grow in Cornâ—â—lds 't is embellished with small Streaks and Sparâ—es of Gold-colour the best is that which is fixt â—â—at is can endure Fire without
Leather-Bags tie these close rubbing and pressing them with your Hands this will make them very subtile and when the Bags are opened they 'll shew much fairer than before CHAP. CCXXXVIII To Correct the Colours just before prepared FEW Persons unless such as are very curious of their Work make any use hereof because of the time it takes up tho it would turn very much to their account for one Ounce of this Colour corrected will go farther than three that are not If you would make your Colours just before prepared much finer and effectual than they are mix them again with a strong Cement and let them remain therein for three Days afterwards proceed according to the last directions to separate them again reiterate this over again and you 'll have them exceeding good and tho they diminish somewhat in weight yet that Loss will be repayed considerably in the Beauty and Value CHAP. CCXXXIX Another Way to make Ultra-marine and draw off the Colours with more Expedition THIS Method of making Vltra-marine is much more ready than the former and Experience will shew whether the Colour be a gainer or loser thereby Take a Pound of Lapis Lazuli calcine it in a Crucible and quench it afterwards in Vinegar so let it dry and then reduce it to a very fine Powder grind it on a Porphyry with fair Water and so set it in a glazed Earthen Vessel in the Shade until it be dry if you find it coagulated all in a Mass you must Powder it again This done make a Cement of three Ounces of Grecian-Pitch four Ounces of Rosin of the Pine three Ounces of Mastick three Ounces of Frankincense two Ounces of Oyl-Olive set these over a slow Fire in a small Earthen Pot into which pour first the Oyl and when that 's hot put in the Rosin then the Pitch then the Incense and last of all the Mastick stirring them continually with the Wooden Spatula and let them boil a little Having made the Cement get another Earthen Vessel and put thereinto the Lapis Lazuli and pour on it the Cement hot stirring the whole together with the Spatula very leisurely until they perfectly incorporate let this stand a whole Day and when you would draw off the Colours pour thereon boiling Water stirring it very smartly When it begins to cool pour it out and so put in more hot Water do thus till the Water begins to draw off the Colour and so continue until it be quite extracted you may distinguish the Waters and so set them apart and obtain the Variety of Colour as in the former way If your Colour seems to be clammy or nasty you may correct it thus Add thereto Tartar dissolved in Water as much as will drown it and let it repose for one Day at least so wash it in warm Water and you will by that means have it very correct and well purified CHAP. CCXL Another Way to make Ultra-marine GRANTING the two former ways to be sufficient we will however here give a third which we believe may as well be pleasing to those who are not satisfied with the other as to such Persons as have a Curiosity for these sorts of Work and thus we propose to proceed Not to discourse of the Ways to try the goodness of the Lapis Lazuli which we have mentioned sufficiently already you must break it into gross pieces as small as Nuts then set these in a Crucible into the Furnace till they redden with heat and so cast them into cold Water do thus six or seven times and so reduce them to impalpable Powder in a Porphyry-Mortar well covered over lest the Powder which is very subtile should disperse away into the Air and then searce it with a fine Searce also covered After this take of Rosin of Pines ordinary black Pitch Mastick fresh Wax and Turpentine of each three Ounces of Incense and Linseed-Oyl each one Ounce melt all together in an Earthen Vessel stirring them very well that they may mix this Stuff being well incorporated cast it into Water and keep it for use To each Pound of Lapis Lazuli add ten Ounces thereof and set them to dissolve in a Pot over a small Fire first melting the Cement and then casting on the Lapis Lazuli by little and little observing such an order in this and continually stirring the Mass with a Stick that they may mix insensibly together afterwards cast the Mass into an Earthen Vessel of cold Water and anointing your Hands with Linseed-Oyl mould it up into a number of Cakes or Rolls which leave in cold Water for five Days shifting the Water every other Day This done put them into a large and very clean glazed Earthen Vessel pouring on them some clean hot Water when that cools pour in more hot and do thus till the Pastils soften with the heat of the Water This done put them into hot Water and let them be until it receive a Bluish colour strain this Water to reserve the grosser pieces and so put it into another glazed Earthen Vessel very clean adding more to the Pastils which strain through a fine Searce afterwards among the former continue this until all the Colour be extracted and no more remain behind Your Water must be only warm otherwise it will occasion a Blackness in the Colour which is to be taken care of and imports very much All your coloured Waters being in the Vessel you may cleanse them of any Unctuosity by reposing them for twenty four Hours in which time the Coâ—our will stick to the bottom then you may pour off â—he Water gently into another Vessel and it will carry off the Grease along with it strain it afterwards into the Vessel where the Colour is again through a fine Searce and all the Grease and Nastiâ—ess will be left behind do thus thrice stirring the Colour very well every time you return the Water â—o it that the Filth and Grease may ascend from it â—nd it will always stay in straining on the Searce beâ—ind the Water This done let the Colour precipitate entirely â—nd so pour off all the Water very leisurely for fear â—f disturbing it dry this Colour and you 'll have â—elicate Vltra-marine If you would imitate this Colour at little charge make use of our Blue-Enamel after the same manner and instead of the Lapis Lazuli observing without exception the like Regimen and Prescription just now delivered in every respect and by this means you 'll have a very pretty agreeable Colour to Paint with and for tinging of Glass Many other Ways might be given here for making Vltra-marine besides these we have already laid down but because the principal part of the Preparation is in every one the same we look upon these as sufficient and that it would be but needless to repeat any more That the Lapis Lazuli may be made by Art as fine and good as the Natural which is gotten from the Mines we allow and should freely
Baptista Porta Kircher and many other Authors If you would make the Mirrour a Convex Glass you must have the Moulds Concave and these you may do two ways thus Take the two Concave Sides of the Mould and closing them together equally as the Founders do their Frames pour in through the Mouth of the Mould your Crystal Metal letting it fill the Mould and afterwards cool Another way is to take two Concave Mirrours and joyning their Faces solder them well all about only leaving a small Orifice through which you may fill it with some Aqua Vitae and so stop the Hole and frame them with Wood or Metal This sort of Mirrour has a more ready Influence on the Sun Beams then any other we 'll say something of the Effect thereof when we come to speak of the Metal Mirrours but upon the whole Matter you must have these Glasses all very well polished These Burning Glasses may be made Parabolick or Spheroidal and such have still a better Effect than the Spherick You must proceed in Moulding them as with the former you must observe a just proportion in doing them for when they are too much raised they are hindered by their Deepness from having a good Effect and upon this depends the Whole Nicity of the Art CHAP. CCLV. How to make Metal Mirrours Concave Sphericks or Parabolicks usually called Steel Burning Mirrours THE Authors cited in the former Chapter are very useful to be consulted on this occasion to demonstrate the Method Use and Excellency of these Mirrours for which reason we shall say but little on that Subject The Moulds for them are prepared as in the former Chapter whether Concave or Convex and for such as are flat they may be cast on Sand. The Metal of these Mirrours is called Steel because it is of a very hard and bright Composure and Temper and the harder the Metal the better the Mirrour and the easier to polish the Whiteness of it is very convenient for giving the Quality of Burning and not only for that but several other Uses if it be too Red or Black it alters the true Distance and Colour of its opposite Objects you must therefore make them of this following Composition Take three Pounds of Copper one Pound of fine Tin half an Ounce of White Arsenick an Ounce of Tartar First melt the Copper then put the Tin in immerged in the Copper else it will fume away in the Melting and leave the Copper behind these two being well melted together cast in the Arsenick and Tartar After this let all melt for two or three Hours and so Mould it Some Persons dose with the former weight of Copper and Tin half a Pound of White Arsenick â—thers instead of Arsenick put in a quarter of a Pound of Antimony Here is another way to compound this Stuff of the following Ingredients and after that another Composition much more excellent than either Take a Pound of well refined Copper melt it then add three Pounds of fine Tin as soon as these are well melted add six Ounces of Red Tartar calcined one Ounce of Salt-petre two Drams of Allom and two Ounces of Arsenick let these melt for three or four Hours that the Salts may evaporate and the Stuff will be fit for moulding this Stuff is more solid and hard than the former and much better to make the flat Mirrours for Looking You shall be shewn how to polish them in the next Chapter We having promised to assign a much more excellent Stuff for Concaves than the former ones will give it here because of the hardness and compactness thereof it is more capable of polishing and consequently much better than the rest Take Plates of Copper one Pound mince 'em that they may be put into a Crucible imbibing them with Oyl of Tartar then powder a quarter of â— Pound of White Arsenick and put these S. S. S. as we have shewn the Method elsewhere until you fill the Crucible pour on them afterwards Linseed-Oyl to cover the Arsenick and the Copper head and lute youâ— Crucible and when the lute is dry set it on a Sand-Furnace letting the Sand arise no higher than the Head heat the Furnace very gently till it arrive aâ— a just degree and the Oyl begins to evaporate 〈◊〉 this time the Oyl will prepare the Copper for retaining the Arsenick which must enter the Copper as easily as Oyl does Leather set it again on fresh Sand and increase the heat of the Furnace giving iâ— the same degree as before until the Oyl evaporateâ— and boyl up then take off the Crucible let it cool and break it you 'll find your Copper of several Colours and would be much better if instead of Arsenick you made use of Orpiment Take of this Copper one part of Latten two parts melt the Latten on a smart Fire and so put in the Copper when they are well melted cast the Metal Drop by Drop into a glazed Earthen Vessel full of Water over which lay a Bush or Broom for the Stuff to go through thus you 'll have a Metal not to be touched with a File nor Brittle as good as any Steel for all uses whatsoever Take of this hard Metal three parts and best Tin of Cornwall which has no Lead in 't one part melt the Metal before you put in the Tin after these are well incorporated you may fill your Moulds c. This is the best of all our Compositions for making of all sorts of these Metal Mirrours 't is white hard not Brittle and very easily polished exceeding fine CHAP. CCLVI. To Polish the Steel Mirrours WHATSOEVER Exactness you use in Moulding these they do never receive their true Shape and Perfection until they are Polished and Burnished in doing which least you should spoil or endamage them you must Work away the Outside at the Wheel with the Sand-stone which the Pewterers and Brasiers make use of and then apply the Handle and Polish them sufficiently by rubbing with Water This done take it off this Wheel and put it on the Second where rub it with Emery prepared that it may be finely polished so as the Scars may be scarce perceptible Do this in an Oblique Line Then take it off this and set it on such another rub it with Blood-stone prepared and afterwards use Calx of Tin working it for a long time until it have its due Burnish and Perfection still doing it in the same Obliquity You must keep these Mirrours from the Moistness of the Air and Steams or if they should happen to be endamaged by any such you may restore them by rubbing on them a piece of Deer or Goats Skin humouring the Oblique Line you must not use any Woollen or Linen Stuff for they spoil these Mirrours These Mirrours may be also polished with Lead Artificially melted with Emery and Water for the First Process and very fine Emery and Lead for the Second and in the Last with Blood-stone and Tin Dross these make