And then this will bear all the violence fury and force of the spirits of the Aqua-fortis and to this end fit exactly a very large receiver to every glass body And when they are well dryed make a fire in the furnace onely with coal at first and that a very temperate one for three hours for in that time the windy moisture distilleth off which endangers the breaking of the glasses and continue for six hours a moderate fire afterwards encrease it gently adding billets of dry oaken wood to the coals and so proceed by little and little augmenting it for six hours more and then the head will be tinged with Yellow a sign that the spirits begin to rise continue this degree of fire untill the spirits beginning to condensate colour Red the receiver and head which will always grow deeper colour'd like a Rubie Then encrease the fire for many hours till the head and receiver become Red which sometimes lasteth two whole days Continue the fire by all means till all the spirits of Aqua fortis be distill'd off which is known when the head receivers by little and little begin to grow clear and become white as at first and wholly cold yet notwithstanding continue the fire one hour more Then let the furnace cool of it's self Observe that when the head and receivers are Red and the fire strong you admit no wind nor cold air into them nor touch them with any cold thing for then they will easily crack and your pains cost and time will be lost wherefore when they are in this state let them be kept hot in the fire Now when all is cold put upon the head and receiver linnen cloaths wetted and well soaked in cold water that the spirits which are about the head and receiver may the better sink into the Aqua-fortis leave them thus for 12 hours then bath the joynts and lutings with warm water till they being moistned you may take off the bandage and the head from the receiver which usually are safe The bodies may be broke and thrown away for they will serve no more powder the dregs and residences of the Aqua-fortis to wit about their third part and to every pound of them add four ounces of Salt-peter refined and put them into another body luted and pour on them the said Aqua-fortis lute and distil them as before in every thing Keep the Aqua-fortis in earthen jugs well stopt that the better spirits may not evaporate This parting water is good for the following uses Some there are that instead of Roch Alume take as much more of the best Vitriol such as the Roman or the like is The sign that Vitriol is good for this use is that being rub'd upon polished Iron it colours it with a Copper colour This Vitriol purified after the following manner will make a stronger Aqua-fortis than Alume To purifie Vitriol to make the strongest Aqua-fortis CHAP. XXXIX DIssolve the best Vitriol the better the stronger the Aqua-fortis in common warm water let the solution stand three days being impregnated with salt then filtre and evaporate in glass bodies two thirds of the water and put the remainder into earthen pans glased which set in a cold place in 12 hours the Vitriol will shoot into pointed pieces appearing like natural Crystall of a fair Emerald colour Dissolve this same Vitriol again and do as before and repeat it thrice at each solution there will remain at the bottom of the glass a Yellow substance which is it's unprofitable Sulphur and is to be cast away At the third time the Vitriol will be purified and fit to make a good and strong Aqua-fortis much stronger than the ordinary especially if the Nitre be well refined How to make Aqua Regis CHAP. XL. TO every pound of the said Aqua-fortis put two ounces of sal Armoniack powdered into a glass body which set in a pan full of warm water and let the Aqua-fortis be often stirred which will soon dissolve the sal Armoniack with it's heat which will be tinged with a Yellow colour put in more sal Armoniack as long as the Aqua-fortis will dissolve any when it dissolves no more let it settle a little when it is clear decant it leasurely off and in the bottom there remains the unprofitable terrestriety of the sal Armoniack Now this Aqua Regis is strong and fit to dissolve Gold and other metalls but silver it toucheth not at all To burn Tartar CHAP. XLI PUt Tartar of Red-wine which is in great pieces and appears full of spots lay by that which is in powder for it is not good into new earthen pots and let it burn in kindled coals until it smoaks no more and when it is calcin'd and in lumps of a black purplish sustance then it is burned and prepared How to make a Calcidony in Glass very fair CHAP. XLII PUt of Aqua-fortis two pound into a glass body not very great but with a long neck four ounces of fine silver in small and thin pieces and set them near the fire or in warm water which as soon as the Aqua-fortis begins to be hot 't will work and dissolve the silver very quickly and continue so until it hath dissolved and taken it up then take a pound and a half of Aqua-fortis and in it dissolve as you have before done with silver six ounces of Quick-silver when all is dissolved let these two waters be well mixed in a greater body and powr upon them six ounces of sal Armoniack and dissolve it at a gentle heat when it is dissolved put into the glass one ounce of Zaffer and half an ounce of Manganese each prepared and half an ounce of Ferretto of Spain a quarter of an ounce of Crocus Martis calcin'd with Brimstone thrice calcin'd Copper Blew smalts of the Painters and Red-lead of each half an ounce powder all these well and put one after another into the body which then stir gently that the Aqua-fortis may be incorporated well with the said powder keep the body close stoped for ten days every day stirring it well several times and when they are well opened then put it into a furnace on sand and make a most temperate heat so that in 24 hours all the Aqua-fortis may be evaporated Observe that at last you give not a strong but a gentle heat that the spirits of the Aqua-fortis may not evaporate and in the bottome there will remain a Lion colour which being well powdered keep in a glass vessel When you would make a Calcidony put into a pot very clear metall and made of broken pieces of Crystall vessels and Crystalline and white glass which hath been used For with the Virgin Fritt which hath never been wrought the Calcidony can never be made and the colours stick not to it but are consumed by the Fritt To every pot of about 20 pound of glass put two ounces or two ounces and a half or three ounces of this powder or medicine
CHAP. CXIV TAke a Ball or other sort of glass that is white fair Isinglass which must be infused two days in common water then put this infusion into a white pan with fair water and boil it till all be well tempered observing that the Isinglass will be very tender with much water then take it from the fire and when it is warm put it into a Ball of glass turn the glass round that the Isinglass may fasten and wet every where the glass within this being done let the moisture drain and run out then have in order these colours powdered to wit Red-lead and casting it into the glass it will make the said colour stick which will run in waves cast it into many places through a tube then throw in blew smalts making it stick in waves within the Ball. Then do the same with Verdigreas then with Orpiment next with Lake all well ground always casting the colours in many places in waves which by means of the Isinglass which hath moistned the glass within those powders will every where stick to the glass and so shall you do with all colours Then take Gesso well powdered and put enough thereof into the Ball and suddainly turn it about that it may stick every where to the glass within Do this work nimbly whilst the moisture of the Isinglass glass lasteth that the powder may stick well then empty by the hole of the glass the Gesso which is within the Ball which shall then appear of divers colours with a most fair appearance like the natural Toies of hard stones and at last these colours when the Isinglass is well dryed stick so that afterwards they will not fall off and alwayes their colour is most fair without Fit to these Balls a foot of wood or of other stuff painted and they are held for beauty before Cabinets and for Merchants counting houses very fair Ultra-marine CHAP. CXV TAke fragments of Lapis Lazuli found plentiful at Venice at a low price let these fragments be well coloured with a fair Skie colour lay aside those that are not coloured calcine them well in a Chrysible and so heated cast them into cold water repeat this twice then grind them upon a Porphyrie to an impalpable powder as fine as wheaten flour sifted Take then three ounces of the Rosin of the Pine Black Pitch Mastick new Wax Turpentine of each three ounces Linseed Oyl Frankincense of each an ounce dissolve them in a new earthen Pipkin at a gentle heat stir and incorporate them with a Spatula then cast them into cold water that they may cleave in a lump for your need Take for every pound of Lapis Lazuli ground as before ten ounces of the aforesaid past of gums which dissolve in a Pipkin at a gentle fire and when it is well dissolved cast in by little and little the said powder of Lapis Lazuli and incorporate it with the gum with a Spatula I cast all the materials thus hot being incorporated suddenly into cold water and bathing my hands with Linseed Oyl made a round pastill hereof long and proportionally thick Of these pastils you may make one or more according to the quantities of the materials keep these pastils fifteen days in a great vessel full of cold water changing the water every two days then shall you boil in a Kettle common clean water the pastils in clean and well glased earthen pans and cast upon them warm water and so leave them till the water is cold the said water being emptied out cast upon them new warm water and when it is cold empty it out putting in again warm water and when it is cold empty it out putting in again warm water repeat this so many times till the pastils be dissolved by the warmth of the water then put in new warm water and you shall see the water will be coloured of a Sky colour decant the water into a pan well glâ—sed and cleansed This casting on of warm water upon the pastils must be repeated till it be no more coloured but observe that the water be not over hot but luke warm onely for too much heat makes the ultramarine grow black All these coloured waters strained into pans have in them the unctuosity of the gums therefore they must be left to settle 24 hours that all the colour may sink to the bottom then the water with it's unctuosity must be leasurely decanted off put upon the pastils clear water and then strain the cold water thorow a fine strainer stirring the colour that it also may pass the strainer and by this means a great part of the foulness and unctuosity will remain in the strainer wash the strainer always with fair water And with new water pass the ultramarine thrice thorow the serce washed every time and then usually all it's filthiness will remain in the strainer Put the ultramarine into clean pans decant the water softly off which dry of it's self and you shall have a most beautiful ultramarine as I have often made it at Antwerp The quantity from a pound of Lâ—pis Lazuli shall be more or less according as the stone is of a fuller and fairer colour Then grind it to an impalpable powder on a Porphyrie as is abovesaid and 't will arise most beautiful If you take common Blew smalts ground on a Porphyrie to an impalpable powder and incorporate it with the gumm pastils with the foresaid quantities keeping them indigestion in cold water 15 days with Lapis Lazuli and work thorowout as in Lapis Lazuli you shall have a very fair and sightly Blew Bice which will seem to be an ultramarine These Blews not onely serve for Painters but to colour glass excellently A Lake from Cochineel for Painters CHAP. CXVI INsuse one pound of the shearings of the finest Woollen Cloath in cold water a day then press them well to take away the unctuosity the Wooll hath from the Skin then Alum these shearings after this manner Take four ounces of Roch-alum two ounces of crude Tartar powdered put them into a small pipkin with about three flagons of water when it begins to boil put in the Flox and let them boil half an hour at a gentle fire then take them off to cool for six hours after take out the Flox and wash them with fair water let them stand two hours then press the water well from them and let them dry A Magistery to extract the colour from Cochineel CHAP. CXVII COld water four gallons wheaten bran four pound Saline of the Levant Fenugreck of each a quarter of an ounce put them into a pipkin over the fire till the water become so hot one may hold his hand in it take them from the fire cover the pipkin with a cloath for twenty four hours to preserve well the colour then decant the Magistrie for use Put into a clean pipkin three gallons of cold water and one of the said Magistery when it boils of Cochineel
powdered after this manner in a Brass Mortar powder and serce one ounce of Cochineel so many times till all pass the serce at last take 2 little crude Tartar pound it in the mortar and t will take up all the tincture sticking to the bottom of the Mortar and to the Pestle mix this Tartar with the Cochineel serced and as soon as the water in the pipkin boils put in the Cochineel and let it colour the water whil'st you can say a Miserere Then take the Flox Alumed as before which must first stand in a pan of cold water for half an hour and when the water is well coloured press well the water from the Flox put it into a pipkin and stir it about very often with a little stick that the Flox may be well tinged let it stand half an hour over the fire that it may boil gently then take the pipkin from the fire and take out the Flox mixing it with a clean stick put it into pans full of cold water and in half an hour let all the water drain off and put more cold water let that drain and press it well and set it to dry in a place where no dust falls spread it abroad that it may not become musty and heat again Take heed that the fire be always very gentle for with two strong a fire the colour becomes Black Then shall you make a Lee in this manner to wit Take ashes of Vine branches or of Willows or of other soft wood put them upon doubled Canvas and pour gently on them cold water let the water run into a pan pour twice this strained liquour upon the ashes and let the Lee settle 24 hours that the ashes may sink to the bottom and when 't is pure and clear decant it off into other pans putting by the terrestriety which is not good Put the said coloured Flox into a clean and cold pipkin with the Lee boil them at a most gentle fire for so the Lee will be tinged with a Red colour and will draw the tincture from the Flox and at first take a little Flox and press it well and if the colour be discharged take the pipkin from the fire and this is a sign that the Lee hath drawn the tincture of the Cochineel from the Flox Hang an Hyprocras bag of Linnen over a great and capacious pan strain thorow this bag all the tincture from the pipkin and let the Flox also go into the bag when the Lee is drayned press the bag where the Flox are that you may have all the tincture Then wash the bag from the hairs of the Flox turning them inside outwards that they may come forth pure and clean Then take 12 ounces of Roch-alum powdered put it into a great glass of cold water let them stand till all the Alum is dissolved then fitly place the said bag well washed from the hairs of the Flox betwixt two sticks in the air The bag must be large at the mouth and narrow at the bottom sowed in the manner of a round pyramid and under the bag set a clean pan then cast all the Alum water into the pan where the tincture of Cochineel is and you shall see the Alum water suddenly separate the tincture from the Cochineel like as a Coagulum doth Then with a clean dish cast into the bag all the said tincture and Lee which will run clear out of the bag but the tincture will stick to the bag And when all the water is well neer out if happily any strain through somewhat coloured pour it again into the bag and then this second time 't will leave all the tincture in the bag and the Lee will then run white and discharged of tincture Then take clean sticks and therewith mix the tincture which sticks on the bag in gross pieces and have in readiness new baked bricks whereon spread little pieces of linnen and on the linnen small pieces of Lake which you shall take out of the bag let them dry well spread them not too thick that they may soon dry for when the Lake stands long wet it grows musty and makes a foul colour Wherefore you may when the brick hath sucked out much moisture take another new brick and so you shall soon dry it When 't is dry take it from the linnen and this is a good Lake for painters which I have oftentimes made at Pisa Observe that if the colour be too deep you must give it more Rock-alum but if too light less Roch-alum for so the colours are made according to you gust and will Lake of Brasil and Madder very fair CHAP. CXVIII IF you would make a Lake of these materials each of them by themselves you shall do in every thing as is before said of Cochineel colouring the water with one of these materials but you shall not use so much Alum by an ounce as you did in Cochineel for Cochineel hath it's tincture deeper than Brasil Madder have Wherfore you shall give them their proportion which you shall find by practice And also to one pound of Flox you shall use more Brasil or Madder for they have not so great a tincture weight to weight as Cochineel hath And in this manner you shall have a very fair Lake for Painters and with less charge than that from Cochineel and that from Madder in particular will arise most fair and very sightly Lake from Cochineel after another and more easie manner CHAP. CXIX IN this way invented by me at Pisa you meet not with Flox nor Magisterie nor Lee nor dying the Wooll nor so many things as go the former which indeed is a very laborious way though most true But this way is most easie and worketh the same effect and 't is this which followeth In a pottle of Aqua vitae of the first running put one pound of Roch Alum well powdered when it is all dissolved put in an ounce of Cochineel powdered and sisted in every thing as before put all this in a glass body with a long neck and shake it well and the Aqua vitae will be wonderfully coloured let them stand four days then empty this stuff into a clean earthen glased pan then dissolve four ounces of Roch-alum in common water cast this into the pan of Aqua vitae coloured with Cochineel and put this into the Hyppocras bag and so proceed throughout as in the 117 Chap. This is a most noble Lake from Cochineel made with small pains and in much greater quantity All this was tryed at Pisa A transparent Red in Glass CHAP. CXX TAke Manganese ground to an impalpable powder mix it with as much more refined Salt-peter set it to the fire in an earthen pan to reverberate and calcine 24 hours then take and wash it with common warm water from it's saltness the salt being separated dry it and it will be of a Red colour hereto add it's weight of sal Armoniack and grind them together on a Porphyrie
35. and in the Emerald colour of Glass of Lead chap. 65. and for the same colour in pasts 't is used indifferently with Verdigreas chap. 77 78 79. and in Blacks chap. 101. but for a fair Red Crocus Martis made with Sulphur chap. 128. but for more fair colours Crocus Martis made with Aqua-fortis chap. 43. But so as the best colour from Brass is of Vitriol of Venus the primest and lightest colour from Iron or Steel is that which is made with Aqua-regis which proceeds partly from the mixture of sal Armoniac and partly from a finer solution of it And thus having past over the prime materials and preparations for colours in Glass the rest of the work consisting principally in the due mixture of the said colours with the circumstances which our Author hath fully done we shall be very brief in what follows and shall onely deliver here one prâ—â—aration come to my knowledge whilst a secret of great value but now commonly enough known to the furnaces and 't is this Take of Antimony and Salt-peter well ground and mixed of each twelve pound together with 200 weight of the common materials for glass wherewith this mixture of Antionomy and Peter must be also well united and then calcin'd in the calcar and made into a Frit or which is all one make Regulus of Antimony with Crude Antimony and Peter the manner every Chymist knows which being mixed with the metall afford a very white Enamel and serves with other mixtures for various colours Chap. 29. POrt l. 6. c. 5. To colour the Blew Gemm which the common people call Aqua-marina and our Jewellers Egmarine a kind of Saphire Beat burnt Brass into a most fine and impalpable powder otherwise a courser gemm will be made thereof and let it be mixed with Glass The quantity cannot be determined for they are made deeper or lighter for one pound of metall one drachm of burnt Brass will suffice Chap. 32. FOr the Emerald colour Porta l. 6. c. 5. thus When you have coloured that Egmarine you shall easily turn it to an Emerald by adding half Crocus Martis to the calcin'd Brass to wit if at first we put in a fourth part of Brass we now add an eighth part of Crocus and as much calcin'd Brass Observe that they boil together six hours after the colours are put in the stuff that the jewels may grow clear which became cloudy by putting in the colours Brass is heavy and when 't is mixed with the metall every moment 't will sink to the bottom of the pot and make the gemm more dilute wherefore you must very often stir it Let the fire decrease by little and little till the furnace grow cold let the pots be taken out of the furnace and being broken they afford you counterfeit jewels Observations on the Author ROsichiero whereof thus Port lib. 6. cap. 9. But the more skilful and modern Glass-men in colouring Enamels of a clear Rose-colour the common people call it Rosachiero take not a little pains seeing our Ancestors made it Artificially and beautifully Chap. 37. OUr Author adviseth you to make your Aqua-fortis c. your self and good reason for it for one pound of common Aqua-fortis upon my reiterated experience shall yield but four ounces of good Spirit the other 12 ounces will be phlegm of Vitriol This addition of white Arsnick in the making of Aqua-fortis I find in the Lady Isabella Cortese printed at Venice in Italian 18 years before the publication of this work Many are the compositions of this water but Nitre is the principal operative ingredient in them all Most make it of Vitriol some of English Copperas which serves for common uses and for Bow-dies though made of Dantzick Copperas would be better for that use for this the refiners use finding a dirtiness from our English some add alum instead of Vitriol but that yields at best but a weak phlegm Others have made essays with Sal gemm but they found that this Salt affords no Spirit but sticking to the neck of the retort hinders the passage of the Spirits and breaks the vessels When the red fumes are past all the Spirits of Nitre are raised and then the fire is to be extinguished for after followeth onely the Spirit of Vitriol which hindereth the operation of the Spirit of Nitre towards the solution of metals I have often seen singular good parting water drawn by the refiners twice in 24 hours in which time with their fire not much of the Spirit of Vitriol could arise which requireth commonly three days with the strongest fire can be made for the two last days to draw off both the Spirit and ponderous oyl from it though the volatility of the Nitre in Aqua-fortis may help to raise them One thing our Author omitteth though very necessary to be done before the Aqua-fortis be used practised constantly by the refiners else their waters will be foul the manner is thus as you have it in Beg. Tyrocin Chym. c. 3. Take of the distil'd water and put into it a peny weight of refined silver and dissolve it upon coals then pour this silver water into three parts more of the unfined Aqua-fortis which will become of a milky colour then they let it settle and decant off the clear this setling the refiners call the fixes and cast it into a tub of water of 20 gallons all which it will in a moment turn to a milk colour I know a refiner who destilleth his Aqua-fortis out of an Iron pot which he finds to make a stronger water besides the great charge in pots and fire saved you may see the way in the commentator on Beguin Chap. 40. YOu need not charge your Aqua-Regis with so much Sal Armoniac as it will dissolve one ounce and a half to a pint is sufficient I wonder at Beguins way of making this water who distills the Salt-peter and Sal Armoniac together but experience hath taught me that half the quantity of Aqua-Regis wherein Sal Armoniac hath been dissolved will do as much as neer double the quantity of that wherein it hath been distill'd Aqua-Regis onely blacks silver but 't will slowly dissolve very thin plates of Copper and Tin as Aqua-fortis will corrode Leaf-Gold But if you draw off the water when it hath dissolved Gold then 't will fall upon Silver or other metalls Chap. 42. THe ways of making Calcidonies Jaspers and Agats seems to be the same with making marbled paper described exactly by Kirch l. 10. de luce umbra par 2. c. 4. and transcribed by Schott par 1. l. 5. Chrom 9. the way whereof is that several colours are dissolved in several liquours proper to dissolve them and are such as will not readily or not all mix one with another when put into water before they are cast upon the Paper to receive this variety of colours And so in like manner variety of materials being mixed together and such as will not incorporate each with other
1. c. 4. Musaei Metall relates Some make it of a pound of Tin a third of Brass melted and then add an ounce of Tartar and half an ounce of white Orpimont all boild so long as they smoak Then they fashion the Molten Metall into the figure of a Looking-Glass on plain tables heated and dryed with the smoak of Rosin and smoothed with vâ—ne ashes then they afterwards smooth it glewed to Wood with water and sand next with Emery or a smooth Pumice thirdly with Putty thus Cardan and from him Kircher and Schwenterus Harstoffer tom 1. par 6. q. 13. deliciar Math. from Fliorovant takes three quarters of Tin and a quarter of refined Copper and melts them then four ounces of calcin'd Tartar Crystalline Antimony six ounces Antimony sublim'd two ounces common oyl four ounces Marcasite three ounces Mix all these and to every pound of the said metalls take thereof two ounces let them evaporate and refine adding a little Burgundie-pitch when these are consumed pour the stuff in the molds Scal. exerc 82. Sect. 3. thus of this mixture melt nine ounces of Tin three of Brass and then add dryed Tartar one ounce white Arsnick half an ounce let them stand on the fire as long as they smoak and in the casting and polishing proceeds as the other Authors Cornaeus communicated to Schottus this way Take ten parts of Copper when 't is melted add four parts of Tin then sprinkle a little Antimony and Sal Armoniack and stir and mix them till all the dangerous smoak from which keep your mouth and nose vanish then cast it into a mold I have found saith he this mixture by much use to be very good Some of these mixtures and many others like with divers other materials for polishing you may find in Birelli l. 9. c. 47. to the 55. to whom for brevities sake I refer you Chap. 114. THis way of colouring Glass Balls on the inside is now changed into another of Pasting Pictures on the outside of Balls they are very pleasant commonly hung up in houses Gesso Whereof thus Caesalp l. 1. c. 9. the onely Latin Author I find mention it est alia terra pallida glebis lapidosis qua utuntur ad Aurichalcum tergendum vulgo vocant gessum There 's another pale earth with stony clots which they use to scoure Brass they call it Gessum But it seems he knew not what it was 'T is a sort of Lime burnt into a pretty hard and very white stony substance glittering with spots as Spar doth in Lead and Tin Ore and pretty ponderous To the eye it much resembles Alablaster and is brittle as it for so is a large piece I have by me 'T is made in Spain and carried thence to the Canary Islands and put into the wine transported thence and gives it a whitish colour and fermentation and so preserves that wine which would not otherwise keep but would grow vapid being transported into other countries Chap. 115. ULtramarine so call'd as Caesalp quod forte Egyptum significat aliis praelatum this most beautiful colour and of value equal if not surpassing Gold all Authors that treat of stones or colours deliver the ways of preparing it 'T is a very nice colour to make and unless all the Lapis Lazuli you use be singularly good all your labour is lost 'T is sufficient for me to point at the Authors who have written of it omitting their processes because very long and tedious Boeth de Boodt de gem Lap. l. 2. c. 123 124. to Chap. 142. Where he teacheth in a long series of words to chose the stones for some of them will bear the fire which Aldrovand cals fixed others will lose their colour in the fire then the way to calcine it to make vessels Lees strong and weaker Plaisters wherewith the colours may be more easily drawn forth and how it must be washed to serve for Pictures And in the last Chapter he teacheth a shorter and less expensive way to extract this colour Next him followeth Birelli who somewhat shorter delivers all these Processes l. 9. from Chap. 80. to Chap. 109. Some painters onely grind the Lapis Lazuli into a fine powder and so use it Chap. 116. LAke from Cochineel No doubt this word comes from the Gum call'd Lacca the colour and tincture whereof have both the same colour with this of the Painters Math. in l. 1. Diosc c. 23. asserts there are many kinds of Artificial Lake which are made of the Sediment of several tinctures One is made of the Berry head of Burnet which they commonly call Cremese and Cremesino Crimson another of Chermes Berries a third of true Gum-lacc and lastly a fourth of Brasil the worst of all but he sheweth not the way of making either of them Concerning this place and the mistakes of Math. herein hereafter in a Treatise designed for colours Birell l. 11. c. 39. teacheth a way to make a Lake of this Gum. Take saith he about twenty pound of mens urine which boil and scum well put a pound of Gum-lacc and five ounces of Alum into it set them over the fire Boil them till the colour be extracted make proof with a little of it then add of Alumen Saccharinum what quantity you judge fit then strein it as the other Lakes are I find in several writers receits for making Lakes differing onely either in the materials from which or in respect of the Menstruum wherewith they are extracted Some use Chermes-berries or Grains a sirup whereof the Apothecaries have of a noble tincture and they are gathered from the Ilex thence call'd Coccigera a tree whereof you may see in a garden in Old-street London neer the Pest-house but it never bore fruit in England another grew in his Majesties Privy-garden at VVhite-hall but 't was lately cut down by the ignorant usurpers Some use the Cochineel which is a Maggot or fly bred on the Ficus Indica whereof see at large Joan de Laet descript Ind. l. 5. c. 3. as also Herrera Zimenes Others use dyed Flox the most common which our Author here teacheth how to die and this is the best way Others take the Scowrings of Cloath dyed in Stammel or Scarlet Hernandez in his Hist l. 3. chap. 45. thus of making Lake in the Indies Of Nocheztli that is Cochineel sometimes a Purple sometimes a Scarlet colour is made according to the various ways of preparing it The most exquisite is made by beating it with the water of the dicoction of the tree call'd Totzuatl adding Alum and the setling is form'd into Cakes As for the Menstruums they are Lees made by our Author of Vine or VVillow or of other soft VVood. Others make it of Oaken or other strong ashes yet the Lee must be no stronger than being put upon the tongue 't will prick or bite it a little onely Surely Aqua-fortis might do very well since we see it so far advanceth the colour of Cochineel in our
the water it makes a little hissing noise the body of it continues red a pretty while and and there proceed from it many eruptions like sparkles that crack and make it leap up and move and many bubbles do arise from it in the water every where about it till it cool but if the water be ten or twelve Inches deep these bubles diminish so in the ascending that they vanish before they attain the superficies of the water where nothing is to be observed but a little thin steam The outside of the Glass drop is close and smooth like other Glass but within it is spungious and full of Cavities or Blebs The figure of it is roundish at the bottom for the most part not unlike a pear pearl it terminates in a long neck so that never any of them are straight and most of them are Crooked and bowed into small folds and wreaths from the beginning of the neck till it end in a small point Almost all those that are made in water have a little proturberance or knob a little above the largest part of the body and most commonly placed on the side towards which the neck ends although sometimes it be upon that side that lies uppermost in the vessel where it is made If a Glass drop be let fall into water scalding hot it will be sure to crack and break in the water either before the red heat be over or soon after In Sallet Oyl they do not miscarry so sâ—equently as in cold water In oyl they produce a greater number of bubbles and larger ones and they bubble in oyl longer than in water Those that are made in oyl have not so many nor so large blebs in them as those made in water and divers of them are smooth all over and want those little knobs that the others have Some part of the neck of those that are made in oyl that part of the small thread that is quenched in it cool'd breaks like common Glass But if the neck be broken neer the body and the body held close in ones hand it will crack and break all over but flies not into so small parts nor with so smart a force and noise as those made in water and the pieces will hold together till they be parted and then there appears long streaks or rays upon them pointing towards the center or middle of the body and thwarting the little blebs or cavities of it wherof the number is not so great not the size so large as in those made in water if the Glass drops be dropt into vineger they frost and crack so as they are sure to fall to pieces before they be cold the noise of falling in is more hissing than in water but the bubbles not so remarkable In milk they make no noise nor any bubbles that can be perceived and never miss to frost and crack and fall in pieces before they be cold In spirit of wine they bubble more than in any of the other liquors and while they remain entire tumble too and fro and are more agitated than in other liquors and never fail to crack and fall in pieces By that time five or six are dropt into the spirit of wine it will be set on flame but receive no particular taste from them In water wherein Nitre or Sal Armoniack hath been dissolved they succeed no better than in vineger In oyl of Turpentine one of them broke as in the spirit of wine but the second set it on fire so as it could no more be used In Quick-silver being forced to sink with a stick it grew flat and rough on the upper side but the experiment could not be perfected because it could not be kept under till it cool'd In an experiment made in a Cylindrical Glass like a beaker filled with cold water of seven or eight onely one succeeded the rest all cracking and breaking into pieces onely some of the company who taking the Glass in their hand assoon as the drop was let fall into it observed that at the first falling in and for some time after whilst the red heat lasted red sparks were shot forth from the drops into the water and that at the instant of the cruption of those particles and of the bubbles which manifestly break out of it into the water it not only cracks and sometimes with considerable noise but the body moves and leaps as well of those that remain whole in the water as those that break A blow with a small hammer or other hard tool will not break one of the Glass Drops made in water if it be touched no where but on the body Break of the tip of it and it will fly immediately into very minute parts with a smart force and noise and these parts will easily crumble into a coarse dust If it be broken so that the sparks of it may have liberty to fly every way they will disperse themselves in an orb with violence like a little Granado Some being rubed upon a dry tyle fly into pieces by that time the bottom is a little flatted others not till half be rub'd off One being rub'd till about half was ground away and then layed aside did a little while after fly in pieces without being touched Another rub'd almost to the very neck on a stone with water and Emery did not fly at all If one of them be broken in ones hand under water it strikes the hand more smartly and with a more brisk noise than in the air yea though it be held near the superficies none of the small parts will fly out of it but all fall down without disperfing as they do in the Air. One of them broken in Master Boyles Engine when the Receiver is well Evacuated will fly in pieces as in the open air Anneal one of them in the fire and it will become like ordinary Glass onely the spring of it is so weakned that it will not bend so much without breaking as before A Glass drop being fastned into a cement all but a part of the neck and then the tip of it broken off it made a pretty smart noise but not so great as those use to do that are broken in the hand and though it clearly appears to be all shiver'd within and the colours turned grayish the outside remained smooth though cracked and being taken in pieces the parts of it rise in flakes some Conical in shape and so crack all over that it easily crumbled to dust One fastned in a ball of cement some half an Inch in thickness upon the breaking off the tip of it it broke the ball in pieces like a Granado Two or three of them sent to a Lapidary to peirce them thorow as they do Pearls no sooner had the tool entred into them but they flew in pieces as they use to do when the tip of them is broken off FINIS An Appendix In the Chapter of the Furnaces I gave an account of the Instruments used about Crystalline Metall but having omitted there those which are used in making Green Glasses take them here as they follow TWo Bars to lift their pots into the Furnaces each neer four yards long A Padle to stir and move the Ashes and Sand in the Calcar Rakes to rake the Ashes and Sand too and fro in the Calcar Procers are Irons hooked at the extremity to settle the Pots in their places whether set too far or near or on either side from the working hole Ladles to empty out the Metall from one Pot into another whether the Pots break or to any other purpose Small Ladles for each Master workman to scum the Sandever and dross from the pot wherein he worketh Strocals a long Iron instrument like a Fire-shovel to carry the Metall out of a broken into a whole Pot. Forks to prick betwixt the bars of the Fire-place to help the descent of the ashes that the fire may burn clear and bright Sleepers are the great Iron bars crossing smaller ones which hinder the passing of the coals hut give passage to the descent of the ashes Ferrets are the Irons wherewith they try whether the Metall be fit to work as also those Irons which make the Ring at the mouth of Glass Bottles Fascets are Irons thrust into the bottle to carry them to anneal The Pipes are the hollow Irons to blow the Glass Ponte is the Iron to stick the Glass at the bottom for the more convenient fashioning the neck of it Pontee stake is the Iron whereon the Servitors place the Irons from the Masters when they have knock't off the bhoken pieces of Glass Cassia stake is that Iron whereon lyeth a piece of wood on which wood they lay the Glass when they have taken it off the pipes whereon they turn the Glass to fasten the Pontee to it Shears are the Instruments to form and fashion the Glass Scissers cut the Glass and even it Cranny is a round Iron whereon they roul the Glass to make the neck of it small Tower is the Iron on which they rest their Pontee when they scald the Glass Several sorts of Iron Molds wherein they make their works of several figures protuberances c. according as they are cut in them FINIS Errata Corrigenda EPist Ded. read pour on you p. 12. line 2. r. from although to the end at the latter end of Chapt. 3. p. 16. l. 13. c. r. refine the Glass ib. l. 16. r. is made p. 24. l. 14. r. 10. p. 106. l. 15. r. lead again p. 159. l. 11. for Cochin r. Blew p. 205. l. 8. r. Boâ—int p. 208. l. 16. r. I sod p. 209. l. 13. r. Belluac p. 267. l. 17. r. that make p. 320. l. 4. r. cast the water on
till you see it thicken and shoot its salt which is wont to be about the beginning of 24 hours for then in the superficies of the copper you will begin to see white salt appearing like a spiders web or white threed then hold a scummer full of holes at the bottom of the copper and the salt will fall upon it and now and then take it out suffering the lees to run out well off it into the copper then put the salt into tubs or earthen pans that the lee may be better drained the liquor that drains must be saved and put into the copper then dry the salt Continue this work till all the salt be gotten out of the copper but you must observe when the salt begins to shoot to make a gentle and easie fire for a great fire makes the salt stick to the copper and then the salt becoming strong alwaies breaks the copper which thing hath sometimes hapned to me wherefore observe this chiefly using great patience and diligence The salt in the pans or tubs being well drained must be taken and put into wooden tubs or vats the better to dry out all the moysture which happens in more or fewer daies according to the season in which it is made The secret then of making much and good salt consists in the Tartar as is before demonstrated From every three hundred pound of ashes I usually get from 80 to 90 pound of salt When the salt is well dryed beat it grossly and put it into the Calcar to dry with a most gentle heat and with an iron rake it must be broken and mixed as the Fritt is when it is well dryed from all its moisture observing alwaies that the Calcar be not very hot but temperate take it out of the Calcar and pound it well and sift it so that the greatest pieces which pass thorow exceed not the bigness of a grain of wheat This salt thus pounded sifted and dryed must be kept by it self in a place free from dust for to make Fritt of Crystall the way to make this Fritt is this which follows The way to make Fritt for Crystall otherwise called Bollito CHAP. II. WHen you would make fair and fully perfect Crystal see you have the whitest Tarso which hath not black veins nor yellowish like rust in it At Moran they use the pebles from Tesino a stone abounding in that River Tarso then is a kind of hard and most white marble found in Tuscany at the foot of the Verucola of Pisa at Seraveza and at the Massa of Carara and in the River Arnus above and below Florence and it is also well known in other places Note that those stones which strike fire with a steel are fit to vitrifie and to make glass and Crystall and those which strike not fire with a steel will never vitrifie which serves for advice to know the stones that may be transmuted from those that will not be transmuted into glass Take then of the best Tarso pounded small and serced as fine as flower 200 pound of salt of Polverine pounded and fifted also about 130 pound mix them well together then put them into the Calcar which at first must be well heated for if they be put into the Calcar when it is cold Fritt will never be made of them At first for an hour make a temperate fire and alwaies mix the Fritt with the rake that it may be well incorporated and calcined then the fire must be increased alwaies mixing well the Fritt with the rake for this is a thing of great importance and you must alwaies do thus for 5 hours still continuing a strong fire The Calcar is a kind of calcining furnace the rake is a very long instrument of iron wherewith the Fritt is continually stirred both these are very well known and used in all glass furnaces At the end of 5 hours take the Fritt out of the Calcar which in that time having had sufficient fire and being well stirred is made and perfected Then put this Fritt in a dry place on a floor and cover it well with a cloath that no dust nor filth may fall upon it for herein must be used great diligence if you will have good Crystall The Fritt thus made becomes as white as snow from Heaven When the Tarso is lean you must add somewhat more than ten pound of the salt to the quantity aforesaid Wherefore let the experienced Conciators alwaies make tryal of the first Fritt by putting it into a chrysible which being put into the furnace if it grow clear and suddenly they know whether the Fritt be well prepared and whether it be soft or hard and whether the quantity of salt is to be increased or diminished This Crystall Fritt must be kept in a dry place where no moisture is for from moist places the Fritt suffers much the salt will grow moist and run to water and the Tarso will remain alone which of it self will never vitrifie neither is this Fritt to be wetted as others are And when it is made let it stand 3 or 4 months and it will be much better to put into the pots and sooner waxes clear This is the way to make Crystall Fritt with the dose and circumstances which I have oft times used Another way to extract the salt of Polverine which makes a Crystall as fair and clear as natural Crystall This was my invention CHAP. III. TAke Polverine of the Levant well serced and put it into great glass bodies luted at the bottom with ashes or sand into the furnaces filling them at first with common water give them a temperate fire for some hours in the furnace and let them stand till half the water be evaporated the furnace being cold gently decant off the water into earthen pans glased putting new water upon the remainder of the Polverine and let it boil as before this is to be repeated till the water hath extracted all the salt which is known when the water appears to the tast not at all saltish and to the eye when it is void of colour Take of these Lees what quantity you will let them be filtred and stand in glased pans four or six days to settle which by this means will leave a great part of their terrestriety then put them to filtre anew thus will they be purified and separated from a great part of their terrestriety then let these Lees be set to evaporate in great glass bodies luted at the bottom in furnaces in ashes or sand at a gentle fire and at last when the stuff is dryed observe that ye fire be very gentle that the salt be not burned nor wasted When the salt is dried take out the glass bodies and see if they be broke at the bottom which is wont to happen often in which case put the said salt into other good glasses well luted at the bottom and fill them at the top with common pure and clean water which set in
manner have I often made it at Pisa and always with good success A marvellous Sea-green above all Sea-greens of my invention CHAP. XXXI LEt the Caput mortuum of the spirit of Vitriol of Venus Chymically made without corrosives stand in the air some few days draw from it of it self without any artifice a green pale colour this material being pulverised with the addition of Zaffer prepared and with the same porportion as is said in the other prepared Brass the metall being added as in the other Sea-green it will make a Sea-green so fair and marvellous that 't will seem a very strange thing I have often made it at Antwerp to the wonder of all the spectators that saw it The manner of making Vitriol of Venus without corrosives Spagirically is to take little thin pieces of Brass of the bigness of half a Florentine and to have one or more pots as it is needful and in the bottom of them to put a layer of common Brimstone powdr'd and above it little pieces of the Brass aforesaid and than a layer of Brimstone and after that pieces of Brass work in this manner till all the Brass that you have be set to work this being done let the Brass be baked as followeth in the 140 Chap. then prove it and to your content you may see a thing of astonishment I know not whether any have tried this way which I have found wonderful wherefore I say 't is my own invention A green Emerald colour in glass CHAP. XXXII IN making Green you must observe that the metall have not much salt with metall that hath much salt as Crystall and Rochetta have you cannot make a fair Green but onely a Sea-green for the salt consumes the Green and always inclines the colour to a Blew Wherefore when you would make a fair Green put common metall made with Polverine into small or great pots and in no wise have any Manganese When it is melted and well purified add to this metall a little Crocus Martis calcin'd with vineger about three ounces thereof to a hundred weight let the metall be well mixed and remain so an hour until the metall incorporate the same tincture of the Crocus which will make the glass come out Yellowish and takes away the foulness and Blewness which the metall always hath This process will give the metall a fair Green Put of thrice calcin'd Brass made with scales as before two pound to every hundred pound of metall and this must be added at six times mixing well the powder with the metall then let them settle two hours and the metall incorporate with it then mix again the metall and take a proof and if the Green enclines to a Blew add a little more Crocus Martis so you shall have a very fair Sea-green called Leek green which at the end of twenty four hours may be wrought This Green I have many times made at Pisa which came forth sufficiently fair And so it will to every one that shall observe punctually what is abovesaid A Green fairer than the former CHAP. XXXIII BUt if you would have a Green much fairer and shining than the former put into a pot of Crystalline which hath not had any Manganese and which hath passed thorow water once or twice till all the saltness be gotten out and to this Crystalline let half of common white metall made of Polverine be put in at several times as soon as this metall is well mixed and purified take to every hundred pound two pound and a half of thrice Calcin'd brass made with plates of Brass in the arches of the furnace and with this mix two ounces of Crocus Martis Calcin'd with Brimstone and reverberated put these two powders well mixed together to the abovesaid metall using the rules as before in the said Green if the metall hath any Blewness give it a little of the said Crocus Martis which takes it away and then work it as the other Greens and there shall be made the wonderfull Green of the Burnet I have thus made it many times at Pisa with very good success for works more exact than ordinary If you will have a fair colour see that the Brass be well prepared A marvellous Green CHAP. XXXIV TAke Brass thrice calcin'd as before then in stead of Crocus Martis take the scales of iron which fall from the Smiths anvils powder them finely sift them clean from the coals and ashes and with the quantity aforesaid mix them well with the Brass and put them to the common glass metall of Polverine without any Manganese with the rules aforesaid in the Green and with this Crocus Martis or scales you shall doubtless have a more marvellous Emerald Green-colour which will have wholly lost it's Azure and Sea-colour and will be a Yellowish green after the Emerald and will have a shining and fairer lustre than the aforesaid Greens The putting in of scales of iron was my own invention In the rest of the work let the rules and doses as in other Greens be observed and you shall have a strange thing as experience hath often shown me Another Green which carries the Palm from all other Greens made by me CHAP. XXXV TO a pot of 10 pound of metall to wit half of Crystalline passed thorow water several times and half of common white metall of Polverine take four pound of the common Frit of Polverine wherewith mix three pound of red Lead unite them well together and put them into the same pot and in few hours all of them will be well purified then cast all this metall into water and take out the Lead then return the metall which hath passed thorow the water into the pot let the metall purifie for a day then if you put in the colour made Chymically with the powder of the Caput mortuum of the Spirit of Vitriolum Veneris adding a very little Crocus Martis there will arise a marvellous Green fairer than ever I made any which will seem to be a very Emerald of the ancient Oriental rock A Blew or Turcois a principal colour in this art CHAP. XXXVI PUt sea salt which is called black or gross salt for the ordinary white salt which is made at Volterra is not good into the Calcar or Fornello till all the moisture be evaporated and it becomes white then pound it well to a small white powder This salt so calcin'd keep to make a Blew or Turcois colour Put into a small or great pot of Crystal metall died with the colour of Sea-green made as hath been said many ways But let the colour be fair and full for this is of great importance to make a fair Skie colour according as you would have the Sea-green fair and excellent To this metall so coloured put of the said salt calcin'd into the pots mixing it well with the metall and this is to be put in by little and little until the Sea-green lose it's transparencie and diaphanietie and takes
opacity for the salt being vitrified makes the metall lose it's transparencie and gives it a little paleness and so by little and little makes the said Skie colour which is the colour of a Turcois-stone when the colour is enough it must be wrought speedily for the salt will be lost and evaporated and the metall returns again to be transparent and foul-coloured But when the colour is lost in working add new burnt salt as before that the colour may be reduced and so you shall have your desired colour Let the Conciators well observe that this salt always crakcles when it is not well calcined therefore let him have a care of his eyes and sight for it endangers them The quantity of salt must be put in by little and little leaving some distance between each time till he see the desired colour But in this I used neither dose nor weight but my eye onely I have often made this colour for it is very necessary in counting houses and the most prised and esteemed colour that is in the art Wherefore to make a Blew for counting houses take the Green of Crystal metall and half Sea-green made of half Rochetta which will become a fair colour although it be not all Crystall metall The second Book wherein are shown the true ways of making Calcidony of the colour of Agats oriental Jaspers with the way to prepare all colours for this purpose and also to make Aqua-fortis and Aqua Regis necessary in this business And the Manner of calcining Tartar and uniting it with Rosichiero made Chap. 128. which produceth pleasant toyes of many colours with undulations in them and gives it an opacity such as the Natural and Oriental stones have CHAP. XXXVII SInce I am to shew the manner how to make Calcidonies Jaspers and Oriental Agats it is necessary first to teach the preparation of some mineral things for such compositions and although some of them may be publiquely bought yet notwithstanding I being desirous that the work should be perfect judged it pertinent to my purpose to shew the most exquisite Chymical way that the skilful may make every thing of themselves both more perfect and with lesser charge For there is no doubt that when the materials are well prepared and the colour of the metalls is well opened and separated from their impurity and terrestriety which usually hinder the ingress of their tincture into glass and their union in their smallest parts that then they colour the glass with lively shining and fair colours which very far surpass those that are vulgarly and usually made in the furnace And because the colour of Calcidony or rather it's compound which is nothing else but as it were a reuniting of all the colours and toyes that may be made in glass a thing not common nor known to all if they be not well prepared and subtilised as is necessary they give not the beauty and splendor to glass as is required Wherefore it is necessary that the metalls be well calcined subtilised and opened with the best Aqua-fortis Sulphurs Vitriols sal Armoniak and the like materials which in length of time and at a gentle heat are opened and well prepared but a violent fire herein hurteth much Tartar and Rosichiero besides their being very perfect and well calcined must be also put in proportion and in fit and due time and you must also observe that the metall be well boiled purified and perfected and in working of it some such care is to be used as the diligent masters are wont to use and by thus doing the true Jasper and Agat and Oriental Calcidonies with the fairest and beautifullest spots of wavings and toyes with divers lively and bright colours Hence it truly appears that nature cannot arrive so high in great pieces and although it is said and may be made to appear true that Art cannot attain to Nature yet experience in many things shews and in particular in this art of the colours in glass that art doth not onely attain to and equal nature but very fair surpasses and excells it If this were not seen hardly would you believe the beauty the toyes and wavings of divers colours variously disjoyned one from the other with a pleasing distinction which is seen in this particular of the Calcidony When the medicine is well prepared and the glass wrought at a due time the effect that cometh thence passeth all imagination and conceit of man In the three ways to make it which I teach I believe you may see how far the art of glass ariseth in this particular where I demonstrate every particular so distinctly that any practitioner and skilful person may understand and work without errour and he that works well may find out more than I set down How to make Aqua-fortis call'd parting water which dissolves silver and quick-silver with a secret way CHAP. XXXVIII TAke of Salt-peter refined one part of Roch-alum three parts but first exhale in pans all the humidity from it to every pound of this stuff add an ounce of Crystalline Arsnick this is a secret and no ordinary thing which besides it's giving more strength to the water helps to extract better the spirits from the materials which are the true nerves and strength of the Aqua-fortis without which the water perhaps would be no better than well-water Powder and mix them well together adding thereunto the tenth part in the whole of Lime well powdred mix them well and put so much of this stuff into glass bodies that about three quarters of them may be full let them be luted with strong lute which I remit to the Artist as a common thing but one not vulgar I will declare Take some lome for example of the river Arnus which is a fat earth known to all one part of sand 3 parts of common wood-ashes well sifted of shearings of woollen cloath of each one half mix them well together and incorporate them into a past with common water work them well together for the more 't is wrought the better 't is therefore see that your past be a little hard to all these add a third of common salt which incorporate well with the lute 't is a business of importance then lute the glasses with this perfect lute and set them in wind furnaces fitting to their bottoms baked earth which will bear the fire Under the bottom of these bodies let there be four fingers of sand thick Iron bars to bear the weight fill'd round about with sand put receivers of glass to them large and capacious within lute the joynts well with lute made of fine flowre and lime of each a like quantity powdred mixed tempered and impasted with the whites of Eggs well beaten with this lute binde and lute the joynts with roulers of fine linnen which when well dryed and rould about three or four times make a very strong lute rouling but once at a time and letting it dry a little before the second rouling
CHAP. XLV THis third Book teacheth various wayes and one better than another to make all the abovesaid colours As also a particular way to make Fritt of natural Crystal which will melt as ordinary Crystal metall and will make vessels very white beautiful and sightly There is no doubt but some of those colours are known to Artists though not to all persons For few they are that know how to make well Gold Yellow and a Deep Red being hard and nice colours in this Art Since in making them 't is necessary you be punctual in the dose time circumstances and materials for if you err but a very little in any of them whatsoever all the whole labour and business is lost and comes to nothing I describe these two colours and all other in so clear and intelligible a stile that every body may understand and make them to their gust and satisfaction You must be exact in the time quantity circumstances purifying powdering sercing fire materials if you err but a little in any of them whatsoever all the labour is lost and the colours come to nothing 2. Tartar must be of Red-wine well vitrified in the vessel in gross pieces not in powder Vitrified naâ—urally of themselves That of white wine is not good 3. To Manganese our author still subjoyns of Piâ—mont 4. The colour must be made fuller or lighter according to the works you employ them for and to heighten them put in more of the colour but to make them lighter put into the pot more Fritt Take some metall out of the pot and you shall see whether you have your desired colour put in your colours by little and little lest they overdo 5. Put your colour to the Fritt and not to the metall when melted for then it neither takes the colour so well nor so good a colour 6. Mix the colours well with the metall in the pots when 't is melted that both may be well incorporated and this is to be done as often as you work the metall To make a Gold Yellow in glass CHAP. XLVI TAke Crystal Fritt two parts Rochetta Fritt one part both made with Tarso which is much better than sand mix and remix well these two Frits and to every hundred pound of this composition take of Tartar in lumps well beaten and serced fine of Manganese prepared of each one pound mix these two powders well first together and then with the Frits Then put them into the furnace and let them stand four days at an ordinary fire because they rise much When the metall is purified and well coloured which usually is at the end of four days work it into vessels and works This quantity of the materials makes a most fair colour which you may make deeper or lighter by adding or diminishing the powders or Frits You must put the powder in at several times and not into the metall for then it colours not With these rules and observations you shall make a very fair Gold Yellow But if you would have it fairer and a more graceful Yellow take all Crystall Fritt And thus I have frequently made this colour and alwayes very fair Garnat colour CHAP. XLVII TAke of Crystall and Rochetta Fritt of each a like quantity mix them well and to every 100 weight add of Manganese one pound Zaffer prepared an ounce mix well these two powders together first then with the Frits then put this powder into the pot by little and little Mix well the Manganese with the Zaffer for this quickens the colour making it shining beautiful and fair At the end of 24 hours when 't is pure and well coloured work it Amethist colour CHAP. XLVIII TAke onely Crystal Fritt made with the most perfect Tarso Manganese prepared one pound Zaffer prepared one ounce and a half mix these two powders well together and then with the Fritt and not with the metall in the pots The proportion is one ounce of the mixed powder to one pound of the Fritt When the metall is pure and well coloured work it into vessels c. Saphyre colour CHAP. XLIX TO every hundred weight of Rochetta Fritt add one pound of Zaffer prepared to every pound of Zaffer one ounce of Manganese mix these two well together first and then with the Fritt put them all mixed into the surnace to melt and purifie and when 't is pure and well coloured work it c. This small quantity of Manganese makes a most fair colour of a double violet which I have often made at Pisa and always well A fairer Saphyre colour CHAP. L. INstead of Rochetta Fritt take Crystal Fritt whereto add the same quantity of the foresaid powder with the same rules and you shall have a fair and shining Saphyre colour A Black colour CHAP. LI. TAke pieces of broken glasses of many colours grind them small and put to them Manganese Zaffer to wit not more than half of Manganese to the Zaffer This glass purified will be of a most fair Black shining like velvet and will serve for tubes and all kindes of works A much fairer Black CHAP. LII TAke of the Frits of Crystal and Polveverine of each 20 pound Calx of Lead and Tin four pound mix all together set them in a pot in the furnace well heated and when the metall is pure take steel well calcined and powdered scales of Iron which fall from the Smiths anvil of each a like quantity powder and mix them well put six ounces of this powder to the said metall that they may both strongly boil let them settle 12 hours and sometimes mix the metall and then work it This will be a most fair Velvet Black and pleasant to make all sorts of works Another fairer Black CHAP. LIII TO a hundred weight of Rochetta Fritt give two pound of Tartar and of Manganese six pound both pulverised mix them and put them in the furnace leasurely let the metall purifie which will be about the end of four dayes then mix and wash the said metall which will make a more marvellous black than all the former A fair milk White called Lattimo CHAP. LIV. TAke of Crystal Fritt twelve pound of calcined Lead and Tin two pound mix them well of Manganese prepared half an ounce unite them all together and put them into a pot heated let them stand twelve hours that the materials may be melted and at the end of eight hours you may work it This will be a fair White which I have often made A fair White much whiter than the former CHAP. LV. TAke 400 weight of Crystal Fritt and 60 pound of calcined Tin and two pound and a half of Manganese prepared powder and mix them all with the Fritt and set them in a furnace in a pot let them refine and at the end of 18 hours this stuff will be purified which cast into water purifie it again in the furnace and make a proof and if it be too clear add 15 pound of the aforesaid
wet them with distill'd vinegar let them dry then put them in a Retort which hath a large body and a long neck give them a subliming fire in sand for 12 hours then break the glass and take all that is sublim'd to the neck and body of the Retort mix it with the bottom remaining residence weigh them and add as much sal Armoniack as shall be wanting in this first sublimation grind them all together on a Porphyrie imbibing them with distilled Vinegar then sublime them in a retort as before and this sublimation is to be repeated after the same manner so long till the Manganese remain all at the bottom fusible This is the medicine that colours Crystal and past into a Red Diaphanous colour and into a Rubie colour there are used of this medicine 20 ounces to one of Crystall or glass but more or less may be used thereof according as the colour requires The Manganese must be of the best from Piemont to colour glass of a fair and very sightly colour A Red as red as Blood CHAP. CXXI PUt six pound of glass of Lead common glass ten pound into a pot glased with white glass when the glass is boiled and refined give it Copper calcined to redness according to discretion let them incorporate mixing well the glass then give it so much Tartar powdered that the glass may become as Red as blood if it be not so much coloured add Copper calcin'd to Redness and Tartar till it come to this colour The colour of a Balass CHAP. CXXII PUt Crystall Fritt in a pot into a furnace cast it thrice into water then tinge it with Manganese prepared into a clean purple then take Alumen Catinum fifted fine put in thereof so much as will make the glass become purple and this you shall do eight times and know that Alum makes the glass grow Yellow and a little Reddish but not blakish and it always makes the Manganese flie away and the last time that you add Manganese give not the glass more Alum except the colour be too full and so you shall have a most fair Ballas colour To extract the Anima Saturni which serves for many things in Enamels and glass CHAP. CXXIII PUt Litharge well ground into an earthen pan well glased pour upon it distilled Vinegar which must be higher than it four fingers let them stand till the Vinegar is coloured into a milkie colour which it will suddenly be decant off this coloured Vinegar and put new upon the Litharge repeat this work till the Vinegar becomes no more coloured Then let these coloured Vinegars stand in earthen pans glased that the milkie substance of the Lead may sink to the bottom decanting off the clear Vinegar this milkie material is the Anima Saturni to wit the most noble part which serves for enamells and glass in many things and if this white stuff precipitate not well cast upon it cold water which is wont to make it fall to the bottom and when it doth not precipitate evaporate the Vinegars and waters and the more subtile part remains at the bottom good for many things in this Art A fair Red to Enamel Gold CHAP. CXXIV TAke Crystall Fritt made in this manner to wit salt of Polverine ten pound white Tarso finely ground eight pound make a solid past with this stuff and water and make thereof as it were small and thin wafers Put these on earthen pans in a little furnace made in the fashion of a calcar that they may be calcin'd with a good fire ten hours and in defect thereof put them in the furnace near the Occhio for three or four days till they be well calcin'd Take calcined Lead and Tin prepared as in Chap. 93. Tartar of white wine calcin'd of each two pound mix them well together and put them into a pot glased with white glass let them melt and refine well then cast them into water do this twice then put them in the furnace and when well refin'd in the pot give them of Copper calcin'd to Redness ten ounces Let the colour purifie well then give it Crocus Martis made with Aqua-fortis putting it in by little and little as you do with Manganese then let it settle six hours and see whether the colour be good if not give it Crocus by little and little till you have the desired colour A fair Red for Gold after another Manner CHAP. CXXV TAke Crystall Fritt made as in Chap. 124. four pound melt it in a clean pot glased cast it when refined into water and refine it again in the furnace cast it into water a second time and refine it again then put in by little and little of calcin'd Lead and Tin purified half an ounce at a time let the Calces incorporate and when the glass becomes of an ash colour put in no more Calces For too much of them makes the colour white and not good Let the glass refine with the calces then put into the glass fine Red Lead two ounces and when incorporated and refin'd well cast them into the water and set them in the furnace eight hours then take of the Copper calcin'd to Redness and of white crude Tartar of each half an ounce put them and mix them well in the pot then add of Lapis Haematites wherewith the Cutlers burnish and of fixed Sulphur of each one Drachm mix and incorporate these powders and see if the colour be too deep give it a little Manganese which makes it lighter and if it be too light a colour give it fixed Sulphur and Lapis Haematites and a little of Copper calcin'd to Redness and a little Tartar of white wine with discretion and do this till it come to the desired colour To fix Sulphur for the work abovesaid CHAP. CXXVI BOil Flowers of Brimstone in common oil an hour take them from the fire and cast upon them the strongest Vinegar and the Sulphur will suddainly sink to the bottom and the oyl will swim upon the Vinegar empty the oyl and Vinegar and put new oyl upon the Sulphur repeat this thrice and then you shall have a fixed Sulphure for the work abovesaid Glass as Red as blood which may serve for the abovesaid fair Red. CHAP. CXXVII MElt in a pot of glass of Lead six pound Crystall Fritt ten pound cast them when refined into water put them again into the pot when they are well refin'd give this glass four or six ounces of Copper calcin'd to Redness let them boil and refine well then give them Red Tartar powdered which incorporate with the glass let them refine and see if the colour please you and if it be not heightned with the Copper and Tartar put it again to anneal till it come to be sufficiently Red this is done to heighten the colour An approved way to make a fair Red Enamel for Gold CHAP. CXXVIII TAke of Crystall Fritt boil it as in Chap. 124. six pound refine it well in a
glased pot and give it fine Calx of Lead and Tin prepared as in Chap. 113. four ounces at four times when well refin'd and incorporated cast them into water and then melt and refine them well again in the furnace and give this glass at three times one ounce and a half of Copper calcin'd to redness which makes the deep Red mixing the glass well and let this powder incorporate and refine well in the glass and within two hours give it Crocus Martis made as in Chap. 16. one ounce a half at three times let it mix and incorporate well in the glass three hours then add six ounces of Tartar burn'd with one ounce of the soot of the Chimny well vitrified and with these powders mix half an ounce of the said Crocus Martis put these powders well ground into the glass at four times mixing them well and interpose a little space between each time for they make the glass swell and boil exceedingly when all the powder is put in let the glass refine three hours then remix them and take a proof to wit a little Bowl of glass and scall'd it well if it take a transparent Red as blood it 's well if not give it new Tartar burnt with soot and Crocus Martis by little and little till it come to the desired colour let the glass stand to settle and an hour after you put in the powder take another proof as before This is good to Enamel and proved often times at Pisa A transparent Red. CHAP. CXXIX CAlcine Gold with Aqua-regis many times pouring the water upon it five or six times then put this powder of Gold in earthen pans to calcine in the furnace till it become a red powder which will be in many days then this powder added in sufficient quantity and by little and little to fine Crystall glass which hath been often cast into water will make the transparent red of a Rubie as by experience is found The way to fix Sulphur for a Rose-Red to Enamel on Gold CHAP. CXXX MAke a strong Lee of Lime and Oaken ashes boil sufficiently Sulphur in this Lee which takes away a certain unctuous and combustible colour which Sulphur hath in it by changing the Lee the Sulphur becomes white and incombustible and fixed good to make this Rose-red for the Gold-smiths to Enamel upon Gold Vitriolum Veneris which was began at the end of 31 Chap. CHAP. CXXXI SEt Chrysibles luted and covered in an open wind furnace with burning 〈◊〉 over them let them stand two hours and then at last let the furnace cool of it self then take out the Chrysibles and you shall find the Copper calcin'd to a blackish colour having an obscure purple which powder and serce well then take a round vessel of baked earth plain at the bottom which will bear the fire set these pans in an open wind furnace on iron bars set across fill the pans with kindled coals and put in the aforesaid calcin'd Brass wherewith you have first mixed to every pound weight there of six ounces of common Brimstone powdred when the fire begins to heat the pans and the Brimstone to flame and burn continually stir the Copper with a long Iron having a hoock at the top that it may not stick nor cleave to the pans continue this till all the Sulphur be burnt and smoak no more then take the pans from the fire thus hot and all the Copper with an Iron ladle or like thing powder it well in a Brass morter and serce it which will then be a black powder proceed thrice with the same quantity of Copper and Brimstone in every thing as before Observe that at the third calcination you let the pans stand over the fire so long that the Copper acquires a red Lion colour then take it from the fire and powder it in a Bâ—â—ss mortar and you shall have the said colour to make the said Vitriol as we are about to say Vitriolum Veneris without Corrosives from which is extracted the true and lively Blew a thing marvellous CHAP. CXXXII TO make then the Vitriolum Veneris abovesaid take one or more very capacious Glass bodies according to the quantity of the Copper calcin'd and prepared to wit to a pound of Copper take a body which will hold six pints of water put this common clean water into the body with calcin'd Copper into a sand furnace give them a temperate fire for four hours until of the six pints of water there be evaporated about two which is seen by the eye let the furnace cool and gently decant off the water into earthen pans glased and the Copper which remains at the bottom put into pans in a furnace to evaporate all the moisture and the water which is decanted into the pans will be coloured with a full and wonderous fair blew let them stand thus in the pans two days to settle and part of the Copper will sink to the bottome in a Red substance then Filtre the said water with usual linguets into glass vessels and evaporate from the said Copper all the moisture and with six ounces of Sulphur calcined powder and serce it to a black powder as in Chap. 131. and then as in the beginning of this pour in water and extract the Blew colour Consider that in this work many pots will be broken wherefore as often as the pots are broken or cleft take a new one lest they break in the furnace and all your labour be lost when the humidity is evaporated put the same quantity of Sulphur powdered and serced and do as before The reason why the Copper is to be taken out whil'st it is hot is because then it is better separated from the pots it is impossible to separate it if you suffer it to be cold although you break the pots Repeat this process not onely four but five or six times in every thing as before Then the Copper will remain as a soft earth and the better and most noble tincture of it will be in the Filtred waters all which mixed together must be Filtred with the usual linquets and the setlings and dregs may be cast away as unprofitable then you shall have a most limpid water and coloured with a most marvellous blew colour The way to extract Vitriol from the said colour'd waters CHAP. CXXXIII SEt then a great glass body that will hold three Flasques of liquour in ashes or sand in the furnace and with a temperate fire evaporate the said colour'd waters and neer to the furnace keep other glass bodies full of these colour'd waters that they may be warm and now and then fill the great body which is in the sand with glass ladles do this that the colour'd waters may be put in warm for being put in cold they will make the great glass body break evaporate the colour'd liquour from ten Flasques to two and a half or three then these waters will be deep and full of tincture which put
into earthen glased pans in a cold and moist place for a night and you shall finde the Vitriol shot into points like Crystals which will appear like true Orientall Emeralds decant oft all the water that is in the pans dry the Vitriol and let it not stick to them then evaporate half this water which will yield you new Vitriol as before Repeat this till you have gotten all the Vitriol Put this Vitriol in a Retort well luted with a strong lute see you put no more than one pound of Vitriol in a Retort which must not be very large and have a large and capacious receiver make for 4 hours together a most temperate fire for if it be too strong the moist and windy Spirits which first arise from this Vitriol are so powerful and arise with so great force that no receiver is able to hold them let the joynts also be very well luted At last make a strong fire when the dry Spirits begin to rise in a white form continue the fire till the Receiver begins to wax clear and to be quite cold then make no more fire and in twenty four hours let the joynts be unluted and the liquor which is in the Receiver must be kept in glass very well sealed This is the true lively Azure with which marvellous things are done as you may well perceive by it's smell which is as powerful and sharp as any this day known in nature Many things might be said which are passed over as being not pertinent to the Art of glass which happily you may judge upon better occasion the feces then which remain at the bottom of the Retort will be black which left some days in the air of themselves will take a pale blew powder and mix this with Zaffer and put it to Crystall metall as before and with the said quantity will be made a marvellous Sea-green Wherefore I have here set down the way to make this powder with much clearness presupposing that I have not published an ordinary way to make it but a true treasure of nature and that to the content of noble and curious Spirits FINIS AN INDEX LEad to calcine 62. To prepare Crystall 70 76. Manganese 13. Sulphur to fix 126 130. Vitriol to make Aqua-fortis 39. Tartar to calcine 37. to burn 41. to extract the salt 11. Zaffer to prepare 12. To make Aqua-fortis 38. Aqua Regis 40. Crocus Martis with Sulphur 16. with Vineger 17. with Aqua-fortis 18. with Aqua Regis 19. Crystal and Crystalline Metall 9 10. Frit 3 8. Frits of Crystall 59. Brass to calcine 20 21. for Ferretto of Spain 14 15. to redness 24. thrice 25 28. Vitriolum Veneris 31 131 132 133. Glass of Lead 63. Saccharum Saturni 123. Salt from Polverine Rochetta and Barillia 1. a better way 3. from Fern and other herbs 5 6 7. Lakes 108 109 110 118. from Cochineel 116 117 119 Sphears 113. Turcoises that have lost their colour 112. Ultramarine 115. Blew 111. Colours to make Amethist in glass 48. Balass in glass 122. in Crystall 74. Black in glass 51 52 53. in Enamels 100 101 102. Calcidony 42 43 44. Chrysolite in Past 82. Emerald in glass 32 33. in glass of Lead 65 66. in Pasts 77 78 79 80. Green in glass 33 34 35. in Enamels 97 98 99. Girasole in Past 74. Granat in glass 47. in glass of Lead 69. in Past 87 88 89. Lapis Lazuli in glass of Lead 72. Marble colour in glass 56. Opal in Past 74. Peach in glass 57. Paste observations on them 90 91 92. Pearl colour in glass 60. Purple Enamel 104. Red deep in glass 58. as blood 121 127. in Enamels 103. Transparent in glass 120. Rose red in glass 120 124 125 128. Ruby in Past 74. Sea-green in glass 22 23 26 29 30 31 131. Saphyre in glass 49 50. in glass of Lead 70. in Pasts 85 86. Sky colour in glass 23. in glass of Lead 68. in Pasts 83 84. In Enamels 106. Topaz in glass of Lead 67. in Past 74 81. Turcois in glass 36. in Enamels 95 96. Viper colour in Crystall 73. Violet Enamel 107. White Enamel 94. white call'd Lattimo in Glass 54 55. Yellow in glass 46. in Enamels 105. Gold Yellow in glass of Lead 71. Observations of Yellow in glass 4. Observations on the Epistle to the Reader COncerning our Authour and this work I find no other mention of him than a bare naming him by Garso in his Book della dottrina universalâ— and by Borneâ—â—us de sufficientia Pag. 141. Neither could I ever find by strict inquiry that the other piece promised in the Epistle Dedicatory and the Preface concerning Chymical matters was ever published neither have I read in any Spagyrical writers quotations drawn thence Wherefore I may easily conclude that it never came to light and it is no wonder he found no incouragement by this Book to put forth that since this kinde of learning 〈◊〉 useful to mankind was accounted sordid 〈◊〉 below the speculation of men living in tâ—â—se times Who wholly busied their subtile â—its either in contemplations useless or inâ—eterminable most of whose notions were â—are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But our most learned â—acon man of a most sublime and piercing intellect in his incomparable Novum organum hath fully confuted shewed the vanity in efficacy of that other way and hath more wisely substituted another more effective and operative for the more solid promotion of Arts and Sciences This way of useful learning hath been more experimently followed by some particular persons but not universally throughout But now 't is like to make a considerable progress being designed by that most noble and honourable company of the Kings society at Gresham-College which by the indulgence of His â—â—â—red Majesty restored to his people for the promotion of all virtuous undertakings weekly convenâ— to this very end and purpose and daily bring in materials for this fair Edisice One part of this design this present Book contains wherein is set forth truly and plainly the whole business of making and colouring glass which from his youth our Author had learned of able and diligent persons or what experience oâ— the fire had taught him and in many he tells you the time and places of his tryal and invention with all the circumstances thereunto belonging Art of Glass Our English word Glass is the same with the Dutch and is deriv'd from the Latine Glastum which by removing the last syllable is plainly Glass now it appears that Glastum was called Vitrum by Caesar in his Commentaries lib. 5. Where he saith omnes Britanni se vitro inficiunt all the Britans colour themselves with Glass Mela lib. 3. cap. 6. Britanni virro corpora infecti and Vitruvius Wooll died with Glass for so the learned Turnebus restores these places where 't was anciently read Ultrum for Vitrum but that Vitrum is Isatis appears by these words of Vitruvius they colour for want of
valley round in shew sending forth Sand for Glass which when many ships comming together have exhausted the same place is presently filled again For the winds as it were on purpose bring from the circumjacent sides of the mountains this Sand. And the place where the metall is presently changeth into Glass what it hath received And this seems more strange to me that the Sands converted into Glass whatsoever part thereof is thrown into the skirts of that place is again changed into common sand And Tacit. l. 5. Hist Belus runs into the Jewish Sea about whose mouth Sands are gathered Lipsius reads it Collectae not Conjectae which having Nitre mixed with them are boild into Glass That shore is small but unexhaustible by them that fetch it The same thing witness Strabo l. 12. Plin. l. 6. Agric. de foss All Authors that write of Glass mention those places whence the Sand is fetched Our Glass houses in London have a very fine white Sand the very same that 's used for Sand-boxes and scouring from Maid-stone in Kent and for Green-glasses a coarser from Woolwich The former will not mix with ordinary green metall Both these cost but little besides their bringing by water Cardan l. 5. de variet adds Manganese call'd by him Syderea as a third ingredient into Glass Constat saith he Vitrum ex tribus to wit of stones or sand of the salt of Cali and Sydereâ but the small quantity of Manganese added to the metall can contribute little to a pot of metall Besides 't is not used in all sorts of Glass Chap. 3. SHews but the common way of Chymists by solution filtration and coagulation to make fixed Salts Chap. 5. MUst be cut c. All plants have their time to be cut or gathered that is when they are in their full growth and strength The best time is a little before they are in full flour and that to all purposes to which the leaves or stalks are used and also in Chymistry to extract the oyls of Vegetables and Spirits which then are produced almost in double quantity more than at other times but for Salts when the herbs are in seed as Fern is at this time 'T is a Vulgar error that Fern and other cappillary herbs have no seed which they have in great quantity on the back-sides of their leaves in form of dust of a brown colour Nay Mosses also abound in seed as 't is most evident in an undescribed kind of Chamapeuce I keep in my horto sicco all whose branches and betwixt each leaf thereof are multitudes of round and brownish seeds How much also the seasons of the year difference Vegetables the Button-mold-makers can inform you in those woods they make molds of who find that Pear-tree cut in Summer works toughest but Holly in the Winter Box works hardest about Easter but mellow in the Summer Hawthorn works mellow about October and Service tough in the Summer Chap. 6. GIves an account of other plants which yield a Salt fit for Glass In one word whatsoever Vegetables afford quantity of Alcalazite salts for so the Chymists call such as will persist in and bear a strong fire without flying away and vanishing in the air and are so denominated from Alkali that is Salt drawn from Kali are good to make Glass Some whereof this Chapter enumerates Kelp so named from Kali and pot ashes are used for Crystalline metall Kelp is principally made of that Sea-plant we call Sea-thongs or Laces and from it's use by Joan. Bauh lib. 39. c. 2. de Hist plant Alga angustifolia vitraâ—â—orum which being kept moist a little after gathering will shew afterwards though long kept it 's white salt on the surface of it's leaves Math. in Drosc calls it Algam vulgarem Venetorum the common Sea-Wrack of the Venetians not onely for the reason before but also because the Venetians wrapt up their Glasses therein which they sent to forein parts This wrack when the Sea is tempestuous scopulis illisa refunditur Alga as Virg. is thrown and scattered upon the Rocks in great abundance and also on the shoar which the country people in the summer rake together and dry it as they do hay by exposing it to the Sun and Wind and so turning it as occasion serves till 't is fit to burn and make these ashes call'd Kelp used as well to make Alume as Glass Nor is this particular wrack alone used though very much abounding in all our Seas but also all other Algas fucus quercus marina and other Sea-plants all which abound in Salt Pot-ashes come from Poland and Russia and New-England and are the ashes for the most parts of Firs and Pines For Green-glasses in England they buy all sorts of ashes confused one with another of persons who go up and down the Countrey to most parts of England to buy them But the best and strongest of all English ashes are made of the common way Thistle though all thistles serve well to this purpose Next to Thistles are Hop-strings that is the stem and branches of Hops cut after the flours are gathered these two are of late invention Bramble-bush yields the best Salt among trees and Genista Spinosa and Hawthorn next that and Kali Spinosum amongst the Sea-plants So that it seems that those plants which are thorny and prickly afford in their kind the best and most Salt Next to the forementioned are all bitter herbs as Hops Worm-wood Carduus benedictus Centauries Gentians Southernwood Tansey Woad c. could store of their ashes be procured at small charges add to these Tobacco which affords abundance of Salt the stems being gathered and burnt and might turn to great profit though some damage to the soil A Merchant told me he offered to King Charles the first that he would erect and maintain at his own charges Churches and endow each thereof with 100 per annum onely for the stalks of all the Tobacco which grew in Virginia and did demonstrate to me the great profit would arise to him by this Patent In the next place follow all Leguminous plants such as bear Peas Beans c. which have some affiaity with the other tribe especially Lupins Fetches Cicers and Lentils the last whereof being lately sown plentifully in Oxford-shire for their catel have been found by experience good to this effect Add amongst the milky plants all the sorts of Tithymals or Spurges and Fig-tree which have a Blistering faculty in them and the Vine-branches and Sow-thistles which are somewhat prickly and downy flower'd wherein they agree with thistles and have a milky juice as Tithymals have Now concerning these fixed Salts observe that those are best which are freest from earth sticks and all other Heteregeneous bodies and are in the hardest and whitest lumps and to the tast most sharp Secondly the best ashes being most full of pure and unmixt Salt soonest run in the Calcar Thirdly That ashes made with Vegetables when in their full growth and of
call'd the shells of fishes or Lapis Lyncis and whiting wherewith the water from the Copper-plates Verditer is made likewise do And hence it proceeded too that the water made with these Plates acquired the most singular Sky-colour the said Refiner had ever seen And to this purpose I remember that from Brass dissolved in common Aqua-fortis with an addition of Crabs-eyes a most fair Sky colour proceeded thence Of all metalls Copper is the most plyable to the Hammer drawing into wire gives malleability to silver and gold in coins and is of no hard solution in the fire is soon corroded with any acid Spirits or Salts and without great difficulty is resolved into a powder with the fire Five preparations or reduction to powder our Author gives First a calcination of Copper c. 14. of Brass c. 21. with Sulphur then with Vitriol c. 15. Thirdly a simple calcination of Brass by fire c. 20. of scales of Brass c. 24. Fourthly scales thrice calcin'd c. 25 28. Fifthly the making of Vitriol of Venus c. 31 132 133. All which are so well known to the meanest Chymists I shall need to say little of them especially having given so large an account how the two prime colours Blew and Green are thence â—educed But above all these preparations that of Vitriol of Copper carries the preheminence and next to that being prepared the same way with it the calcination with Sulphur and especially with Sulphur vivum in a clear and strong fire makes a better colour than any of the other calcinations mentioned by our Author For though Originally Brimstone and Copperas are made of the same Marcasite and produce Spirits undistinguishable each from other yet Sulphur sooner and better penetrateth into the body of the metall being more vehemently driven in by the most acute and sharp points of the flame and so consequently divide more subtilly the smallest particles thereof Besides the flame dissipateth and carries off the Spirit of the Sulphur which of it's own nature is apt to blacken and make all colours more dirty For as 't is well known Copperas with gals or any other astringent vegetable make Ink and the Black for dyers But if you list to try Vitriol you must not use English Copperas made with Iron but that which is made with Copper Because experience teacheth the Refiners that Aqua-fortis made with it will carry ' its foulness through all their mediate solutions even to the Verditer ' its self which 't will make infallibly of a dirty Green colour Wherefore they make their Aqua-fortis of Danâ—zick Copperas onely Whosoever then would extract a good colour with Aqua-fortis which way our Author useth not though he doth in making Crocus Martis should make it with Salt-peter and Alume instead of Vitriol as 't is hereafter made for Calcidonies chap. 38. or with Hungarian or Roman Vitriol especially the last which makes the strongest water being most impregnated with Copper and coming neerest to Vitriol of Venus for with these waters rise some small atoms of Copper as 't is manifest by holding a knife over the fumes of such Aqua-fortis boyling which will colour it of a perfect Copper colour And if you dissolve in this Aqua-fortis the best Copper and then precipitate it with speltar which I have sometimes done with the refiners double water impregnated with Copper you shall have a most excellent Blew which may be of good use for the colouring of Glass for I doubt not but the strong fire of the furnaces will wholly dissipate the speltar being of a Sulphurious nature or convert it tr Glass for upon the dissolution thereof with Aqua-fortis it shooteth into Green Crystalls however the Copper will remain to give it's tincture to the Glass and that this way of precipitation is much better then by drawing of the Spirit with heat 't is apparent by this that the finer and purer parts of the Copper rise with the water as in the experiment of the Knife and by many others to be met with in the writings of the Chymists One experiment more I shall add to extract the tincture from Copper I took Copper calcin'd and Verdigreas of each an ounce and fill'd two Glass bottles with the juyce and leaves of garden Scurvigrass which abounds in volatile Salt and closed these Glasses well and first for a month set them in a Sellar and afterwards upon Leads in the Sun during the Summer moneths then I strained the liquor per chartam emporeti eam and had from the former a fair Skie from the latter a pure Sea Green And this I the rather relate because I have not met with any experiment in this nature with volatile Salts and 't is very probable that other plants full of the same Salt especially having some clammy juyce in them such as Onions Garlick Leeks and Molyes have might shew some rare effect upon Copper for their leaves have either a deep Green or else a Green mixt with Blew The whole tribe of Acids also are dissolvents of Copper and all sorts of fixed salts all which have acidity in them And no doubt great variety might be met withall in diversity of menstruums and processes of extracting these tinctures Our Author c. 20. tells you Brass is made of Copper and Lapis Calaminaris I shall here deliver the process since I find it no where fully delivered Lapis Calaminaris is found in Sommersetshire and the North of Wales and though some of it hath been brought from Dantzick yet 't is not of the same goodness with ours of England This stone before used must have the following preparation It must be first calcin'd in a furnace like the Calcar with a small hole on one side to put fire in which may be either of Coal or Wood but Wood is hest because it maketh the greatest flame and consequently the best reverberation The time of Calcination is about five hours in which space they often rake it about with a great Iron rake It requireth good judgement to calcine it well for when 't is not sufficiently calcin'd 't will not mix with the Copper and when too much 't will make it too brittle and in both cases gives not the true tincture to Copper The sign of it s just calcination is when 't is in a white and very fine powder Almost half of the Calamie as the workmen call it is wasted and flies away in flour which sticks to the mouth of the Furnace of divers colours of little use with them though I could easily prove these flours to be the true pompholix of the ancients and to be used in the ointment that hath it's denomination thence 'T is an excellent dryer and applyed to Gleeting Nerves and Tendons without pain it soon exiccateth them This powder I communicated to the eternal glory of our nation and Anatomy an excellent Chirurgian and never to be by me forgotten the incomparable Dr. Harvey a man most curious in all natural things who confessed he
coples by melting them down But in this case some minute parts of Silver onely get into the tests and coples by the mediation of the Lead alone since Lead is used in both refining and Essays But Silver alone nor other metall will at all sink into the test Another reason of this Accident may be that the Lead insinuating it's self into the pores of the pots and continued there in fusion will by getting farther and father by it's weight into the bottom of the pot at last run out and then leave holes for the metall to follow Our Author mentions not a Jacinth from Glass of Lead nor Glass of Tin nor of Copper Bapt. Port. supplies you with the first l. 6. c. 7. in these words To make a very Jacinth and not much differing from the true one Put Lead in earthen pots that are very hard in a Glass Furnace and there let it stand some days and thus your Lead is turned into Glass and imitates the colour of the Jacinth and of the second Ib. c. 9. Melt a pound of Tin in an earthen pot that will bear the fire let it stand in the Glass furnace three or four days then take out it and break the vessel and on the surface you shall find a Glass of a muddy Saffron colour and if it stand longer in the fire 't will become more perfect Neither know we any more perfect in this kind of many we have tryed But you must put it into the pot well powdered wherein you must use not onely Mortars and Mills but the Porphyrie-stone if you would have it lighter dilute it by adding Glass Another way reserved for his friends is this let there be nine parts of calcined Tin seven of Lead two of Cinnaber of Ferretto of Spain and of Tartar one part and a half of Lap. Haematitis or Blood-stone one part Red-ochre a quarter do as thou knowest His Glass from Copper l. 6. c. 7. is this Dissolve Silver in a strong Aqua-fortis then cast it into the water Copper-plates to which the Silver will stick which gather and dry then set it in the Glass furnace and 't will be turn'd into an Emerald in few days I commit to you the tryal of other metals 't is enough for me to have searched out and shewed the way Chap. 72. BLew Smalts for Painters I cannot find the composition hereof in any writer but I have been informed by an honest workman in Glass that 't is made of Zaffer and Pot-ashes calcinâ—d together in a furnace made like that for Glass and that he wrought it in Germany But of this and all other natural and artificial colour in a treatise designed on this subject Gold hinders the rising of the Metall And so doth a little Oyl or Tallow thrown into a Copper of boyling Sugar hinder it's running over into the fire though it rise with the greatest fury Chap. 74. THis way of colouring Crystall teacheth the true and natural way whereby Opals Agats Jaspers Chrysolites Cats-eyes Marble c. Receive their variety of colours they have in themselves to wit from exhalations of Minerals supervening to the praeexistent substance of the stone as here the colours of Orpiment c. raised and driven by the heat penetrate the body of the Crystall and give it this variety of colour Now if the matter of the stone being first in liquid form and therefore capable to receive a tincture have for it's matrix or womb such a place whence simple exhations proceed the colour is single and unmixt but if manifold then the tincture of the stones becomes correspondent to the diversity of the colours arising therefrom And this appears to be true by what is frequently observed in larger transparent stones part whereof will be coloured with their natural colour and part void of all colour but simply transparent like Ice So that the whole stone may well be resembled to frozen water to that part whereof which was first frozen an accession of colour was made and none to the other part Which may be seen more frequently in Amethists than in other gems though many other Jewels afford the like some having in some part a colour and some others wholy without any or else the several parts tinged with diversity of colours Chap. 75. THe knowledge to imitate Emeralds c. There 's nothing of value but some way hath been found to Sophisticate it And since the counterfeiting of Jewels with exactness would bring more profit to the inventer than any other adulteration whatsoever and perhaps with no real loss to mankind but great advance as some Chymists affirm and therefore not punishable by any law I know of unless in the Gold smith who will warrant the counterfeit for true 't is no wonder that many means have been to this end and purpose used by pasts doublets and foils or colouring the bottom of them and various other compositions and artifices whereof this of our Author seems the most genuine and natural Of the fraud in Doublets Ferant Imper. l. 20. c. 14. gives this relation A jeweller of Milan sold an Emerald doublet for 9000 Duckats and the fraud was a long time conceald The Chymists have invented a peculiar though barbarous name for these pasts and no where extant but amongst themselves They call them Amausa so Libav Joan Isaac but Clauber Amausae which whether derived from Musaicum not Mosaicum as Vossius in his Glossary proves at large I determine not though this Etymon be very probable For Mosaick work was made in this manner as Hermol Barbarus describes it Musivum opus quod vulgo Museacum vocant tessulatum lapillis variorum colorum ex queis arte compositis coagmentatis omne genus imaginum redditur Mosaick work they call that which was checquer'd with stones of divers colours with which composed and joyn'd by art all kinds of resemblances are made These works were anciently made with small pieces of various Marbles of several colours form'd in the shapes of Animals and sometimes enchac'd with Gold as appears by Plin. l. 36. c. 1. Senec. Epist 86. Plilander in l. 7. c. 1. Vitruvii mentions the reliques of some pavements seen by him wherein Checquer'd Marbles no bigger than small Beans did accurately and expresly imitate in various colours the effigies of Fishes and other things But the use of coloured Glass succeeded the use of Marbles and other stones Libav in his Syntagm saith the Saracenical Authors call them terra Saracenica but he confounds these Enamels and Pasts one with the other 'T is true these two are very neer of kin but are distinguishable by this that Pasts are made of Crystall prepared and mixed with some Glass and so wrought into a transparencie but Enamels have the basis from calcin'd lead and tin which gives them opacity corpâ—reity and solidity by reason of the great quantity thereof mixt with the ingredients Glauber thinks Furn. Philosop l. 4. Pasts were found out by chance by
eminent person of the same profession had extracted the fullest promised Yellow tincture from it But the condition was not accepted of Sure I am that Gold dissolved in Aqua-regis and dropt upon the skin will colour it with a deep purple colour lasting some days and this solution poured on a great quantity of water will give it the very same tincture Glauber gives it a fair Saphyre colour being precipitated with a liquour from Flints The tincture of silver is not a skie colour but white and for it you have also the undeniable Authority of Master Boyle in his Physiological Essays pag. 60. and therefore as I have said before the blew must proceed from some Copper mixt with it Granats of Bohemia Boeth de Boodt affirms that these Granats from Bohemia keep their colour in the fire but almost all others not and therefore seem the best for this use but yet the heat of the Glass furnace consumes it though it may persist in an ordinary fire Chap. 91. TAke Ceruss Our Author delivers two ways of making Saccharum Saturni the one here of Ceruss the other of Lytharge Chap. 123. onely in this he calcines the Saccharum and out of it calcin'd remakes a new Saccharum The Chymists commonly take Minium some onely calcin'd Lead all returns to the same purpose but 't is observed that Minium yields a greater quantity of Salt and good reason for that hath had more calcination than any of the other All make use of distil'd vineger alone but Beguin he substitutes in it's place Phlegm of distil'd vineger but the commentator well passeth a deleatur upon it Two things I shall here set down the one that 't is much better and less chargeable by far to pour distil'd Vineger on new Minium at each time and not on that you have used before for the cheapness of the Minium and the goodness and quantity of the Saccharum drawn the first time from the Minium besides the saving a great deal of Vineger this way will advantage the operator much in point of profit A second thing here to be inserted is a new way I have not met with in any Chymical writer but invented for my own use which doth readily and in a moment make it and I am sure 't is rather better than worse than the ordinary for Chirurgical uses in which I employ it The manner of making it is this Take very thin plates of lead or rather that which hath been long in Glass Windows and dissolve it in Aqua-fortis good water neer dissolves as much as it 's own weight and the dissolved Lead will soon become a Saccharum in the bottom of the Glass I have in half an hour made a considerable quantity this way in a small glass set in sand and at no great heat or in a fire shovel over the fire or in ashes And certainly this process as more speedy so less expensive but what this medicine will effect in glass I cannot say Chap. 93. THis sixth Book treats of Enamels which séem to be so named because 't is used in annulis in rings or from the Duch word Emailleren or the French Esmailler which comes à maille macula a spot as Minsheu for so 't is laid on In Latin Encauston that is burnt in a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to burn for so the Lexicographers render Eucauston Enamel Encaustice the art of Enamelling Encaustes an Enameler But the Encaustum of the Ancients whereof Vitruv. l. 7. c. 9. Plin. l. 35. c. XI Mart. l. 1. c. make mention was a thing quite different from our Enamelling Concerning which and the three kinds thereof see at large Salmas in Solin who truly concludes his discourse that all this Art is lost Porta makes a Latin word of the Italian Smalto calling them Smalti and Libav Smalta Chap. 94. WHite Enamel a new way with Regulus Antimonii you had before Libav Porta make it of Calcin'd Lead one part of calcin'd Tin two parts and Glass the double Chap. 95. A Turcois by Porta with Zaffar alone Chap. 97. FOr a Green Porta takes aeâ— ustum which the common people saith he call raminella and by our Author raminâ— Chap. 24. for a deeper colòur and for a lighter the Scales which fall from the hammers when the Brass is hammer'd Red hot Chap. 100. BLack made by Libav Porta with the Purple and Blew colours meaning thereby Manganese â—nd Zaffer and is the same with our Authors the doses in all of them the same Chap. 103. A Red by Libav with Crocus Martis Chap. 108. A Lee of Barillia and Lime Much care is to be had of the Menstruum this of Lime and Barillia are the best though pot ashes with Alum do very well also I know an Ingenuâ—as gentleman who this way hath made all his colours for plants which he hath drawn to the life in a large volumne of the most beautiful flours of all sorts in their proper and genuine colour The vertue of pot ashes which the dyers call ware is seen in their working of Indico and Woad neither of which without these ashes will yield their tincture for the lightest colours use onely a solution of Alum for stronger Salts destroy their colours as in dying Soap ashes mars the Yellow of Weed or Fustick and in Chap. 4. Tartar will not make Yellow in Glass Chap. 110. WHatsoever herb or flower The tryal of our Author is good but stayning of linnen is a better sign The rule given by the Merchant to the Mariners in their instructions for forein voyages is to chaw the plant and if that colour tinge the spittle deep 't is good otherwise not and so with linnen or fine white paper I shall here give you a catalogue of many plants c. which give a colour and consequently are fit to make Lakes of and first those of the dyers as Log-wood three sorts of Fusticks for Yellows Green old and young Campegiana and Sylvester which are two sorts of grains or small berries brought from the West-Indies they make a grain colour though not so good as Cochineâ—l yet they are used instead thereof Red-wood Symach Brasiletto or Sweet-wood Turmerick Safflower that is Saffron-flower but not that of the Crocus but of the Carthamus brought from Italy Anotto made of the Fucus Marinus Tinctorius stale and grease which yields a fair Scarlet Weed that is Genista Tinctoria for a Yellow colour Others not used in dying are Saffron Phalangium Tradescanti a very deep and fair Blew Cyanus an excellent Skie for Dyers Alga marina Tinctoria distinct from the former Fucus both mentioned by Joan. Bauhin Harebels our Purple Colchicum A triplex Baccifera a deep Red Heliotropium in whose juice rags insuccated make Turnsole Blattaria with a Blew and also with a Yellow flower and the Convolvulus narrow leafed of America some plants have a coloured juyce as the Spurges Sow-thistles Dandelion Tragopogon Periplocas Rampions Lettices c. most whereof dryed in the Sun turn
incomparable Bow-dyes The only inconvenience in Lakes hence made would be that they would soon Tarnish and lose their colour in the air or with wet by reason of the Salts relenting but perhaps this might be remedied by extracting and washing of these Salts without any damage to the colour Now all writers proceed the same way in discharging the colour precipitating streyning and drying the Lake made As to the last I shall add this that Chalk-stones sooner dry by imbibing the moisture than Bricks do as the constant practice of Painters in making Pastils and of the Refiners in drying their Verditers confirmeth Before the Lake be fully dry they form it into Balls or cut it with a Wooden Knife not with an Iron one into what shapes and figures they please or they may do as Painters for their Pastils cast them in furrows made in the stone Chap. 117. SAline of the Levant with my Author Pilatro di Levante this word Pilatro I cannot find in any Italian writer this exposition of the word I had from an ancient person who wrought at Moran he added 't was a Salt extracted from the froath of the Sea coagulated through the extreme heat of the countrey The name of Saline and this way of generation thereof I have had from other workmen but the exposition from him alone Chap. 118. BIrelli makes his Lake from Brasil thus He first extracts a tincture from Flox and then takes a pound of Brasil cut ground is better and boils the Lee to the consumption of a fingers thickness then streins it and adds to the streyned liquor one ounce of Gum Arabick in powder and reboils it and boils away half as much as before then mixeth both the liquours with a stick then proceeds with the Hippocras-bag c. as before Chap. 124. AFair rose Red Rosichiero which Porta l. 6. c. 9. calls Rosaclerum teacheth this way of making it Put 10 pound of Crystall into a pot when 't is well melted put in a pound of the best Minium by halfs at a time stir them speedily then with Iron ladles cast them into water and that thrice then mix five ounces of calcin'd Brass and Cinnaber of the deepest colour and having stirr'd them well let them settle three hours When you have so done superadd of Glass of Tin three ounces mix them without intermission and you shall see in the Glass the most Florid colour of the Rose which you may use to Enamel upon Gold Chap. 126. To fix Sulphur he teacheth another way Chap. 129. Another Process to the same purpose but much larger Birel delivers l. 1. c. 50. But Sulphur thus prepared will easily rise sublim'd with Sal Armoniack None that I have met with affirms such a fixation of Sulphur as Helmont doth for in his mixture of Elements he saith he knew ways whereby whatsoever Sulphur was once dissolved might be fixed into a Terrestrial powder Our Author no where mentions any use of this powder in the Art of Glass Chap. 129. A Transparent Red. Libav l. 2. Tract 1. c. 35. By conjecture hits right on this colour from Gold in these words I judge that from a red tincture of Gold dissolved into a liquour or oyl and especially with Crystal a Rubie may not unfitly be made Of which conjecture he assigns this reason because Rubies are frequent where Gold is found and therefore 't is consentaneous that gold there doth degenerate into this jewel Chap. 131. TO make vitriolum Veneris Glaub l. 2. Furn. Philosop proposeth this short way Spirit of Sal Armoniac powred on calcin'd Copper made by frequent ignition and extinction in an hours space extracts a Blew colour which when dissolved decant off and set in a cold place and 't will yield a most elegant Blew Vitriol Croll in his Basil Chym. describes well the making of this Medicine Beguin c. 17. sets down this way Powder calcin'd Copper or it's scales very fine which digest 24 hours in distil'd vineger Pour out the Tinctured Vineger by inclination and pour on more till 't will be no more coloured Filtre the decanted liquours Evaporate or distil off a third part set the remainder in a cold place and you shall have Green and obscure Vitriolum Veneris FINIS AN ACCOUNT OF THE GLASS DROPS THese Drops were first brought into England by His Highness Prince Rupert out of Germany and shewed to his Majesty who communicated them to His Society at Gresham College A Committee was appointed forth with by the Society who gave this following Account of them as 't is Registred in their Book appointed for that purpose and thence transcribed by their permission and here published The which I the rather desired that this might be a pattern for experiments to be made in any kinde whatsoever as being done with exceeding exactness This account was given to the Society by Sir Robert Moray MDCLXI A B the thread B C the body B the neck A the point or end of the thread They are made of Green-glass well refined till the Metall as they call it be well refined they do not at all succeed but crack and break soon after they are drop't into the water The best way of making them is to take up some of the Metall out of the pot upon the end of an Iron rod and immediately let it drop into cold water and there lye till it cool If the Metall be too hot when it drops into the water the Glass drop certainly frosts and cracks all over and falls to pieces in the water Every one that Cracks not in the water and lies in it till it be quite cold is sure to be good The most expert Workmen know not the just temper of heat that is requisite and therefore cannot promise before hand to make one that shall prove good and many of them miscarry in the making sometimes two or three or more for one that hits Some of them frost but the body falls not into pieces others break into pieces before the red heat be quite over and with a small noise other soon after the red heat is over and with a great noise some neither break nor crack till they seem to be quite cold others keep whole whilest they are in the water and fly to pieces of themselves with a smart noise as soon as they are taken out of the water some an hour after others keep whole some days or weeks and then break without being touched If one of them be snatched out of the water whilst it is red hot the small part of the neck and so much of the thred or string it hangs by as has been in the water will upon breaking fall into small parts but not the Body although it have as large cavities in it as those that fly in pieces If one of them be cooled in the air hanging at a thread or on the ground it becomes like other Glass in all respects as solidity c. When a Glass drop falls into