Of Natural and Supernatural Things by Basilius Valentinus (classic literature books .TXT) 📖

Oil, or yield its pleasant Oil, if it be brought to the last being of its degree, for Glass is in all things the utmost and last.

You shall likewise know that you shall not obtain that perfect noble Oil in the least, if it be extracted with corrected Vinegar poured upon the Antimony, nor yet by Reverberation; and although its various colours may appear, yet is it not the right way; you may indeed get an Oil, but you must know that it hath no part of the Tincture, or power of transmutation in it.

Now we come to the Manual Operation.

Take in the Name of God, and of the Eternal Trinity, fine and very pure Mineral Antimony, which is fair, white, massie, and inwardly full of yellow Streaks or Veins, and likewise of red and blew Colours, and small Veins, this is the best; pound it to fine Powder, dissolve it by little and little in Aqua Regis, that the Water may conquer it. After Solution take it out immediately that the Aqua Regis may do it no prejudice; for it will quickly dissolve the Tincture of the Antimony; for our Water in its nature is like to the Ostrich, which by his heat can digest Iron, and consume it to nothing; for the Water will consume it, and turn it to a Mud, that it shall remain only as a yellow Earth, and then is it quite spoiled.

Take an Example hereof from Silver, which is dissolved, fair, pure and fine in these our Waters, but if it stand a night therein while the Water is strong and full of Spirits, I tell you, your good Silver will be corroded to nothing in these our Waters; and though you would reduce it into a Massie Body, you cannot; for it will remain as a pale yellow Earth, and sometimes it will run together in the form of Horn, or of a white Horse Hoof, which you can by no Art reduce into a Body.

Wherefore you must remember to take the Antimony out presently after the Solution, precipitate and adulterate it according to the custom of Alchymists, that it may not be corroded with its perfect Oil by the Water, and burnt up to nothing.

The Water wherein we dissolve is thus made.

R. Vitriol, a pound and a half, Salt-Armoniac one pound, Azinat one pound, Salt-nitre a pound and a half, Salt-gemme one pound, Allom half a pound; these are the Ingredients which belong unto the making of the Water for the Solution of Antimony.

Take and mix them well together; at first distil very slowly, for the Spirits ascend with greater violence than those of any other common Aqua fortis; beware of its Spirits; for their Fumes are very subtile and hurtful in their penetration.

When you have adulterated the Antimony well and purely from the corrosive Water, then put it into a clean Vial, poure good distilled Vinegar upon it, set it forty dayes and nights to putrefie in Horse-dung, or in Balneum Mariæ, it will be bloud-red. Take it out, and see how much is yet to be dissolved, decant off gently the pure and clear, which is red into a Glass-Gourd, poure other Vinegar upon the Fæces as before, that if any thing should yet remain therein, it might be dissolved; this must be done four times in fourty days and nights; for if any good be in the Fæces, it will be dissolved in that time, then cast the Dregs away as unprofitable, being but Dirt, and to be cast to the Dunghill.

Put all the Solutions in a glass-Gourd into Balneum Mariæ, distil all the tart Vinegar from it, pour it on again, or else pour fresh, if this be too weak, it will quickly dissolve in the Vinegar; distil it again from it, that the Matter be quite dry; then take common distilled water, wash all tartness from it with the Vinegar imparted to the Matter, then dry the Matter in the Sun, which is of a very deep red, or else dry it very well at a gentle fire.

When the Philosophers find our Antimony thus secretly prepared, they say then that its external nature and virtue is inverted internally, and the internal cast forth externally, henceforth becoming an Oil, which is concealed in its innermost and profoundest part, till it be well prepared, and cannot any more be brought into its first Essence, untill the last Judgment; and it is true, for so soon as it feels the force of the fire, it flies away in a Vapour with all its parts, because it is volatile.

Some of the common Laborators, having thus prepared Antimony, they take one part out because of its consumption, that they may the better operate it, they mix with it one part of Salt-Armoniac, one part of the Vitrum (with others Titrum) one part of the Rebooth (with others Cadoli) wherewith the Bodies are cleansed; this mixture they cast upon a pure Luna, and if there were eight Ounces of the Luna, they found ten Drams of good Gold in the separation, and sometimes more; and by this work they gained wherewithal to bear their Charges, the better to attend upon, and attain unto the great Work. The ignorant called this an induction into the Silver, but that is false; for this Gold is not brought into it by the Spirits, but every kind of Silver hath one Ounce of Gold more or less in the Mark (or 8 Ounces) for Gold is so united with the Nature of Silver, that it cannot be separated from it, either by Aqua fort, or common Antimony, as the Gold-smiths know.

But when the aforesaid Composition is cast upon the Luna in the flux, then happens such a separation, that the Luna doth freely let go the Gold implanted therein into the Aqua fort, and is separated from it, letting it precipitate and sink to the bottom, which otherwise could not be done at all. Therefore it is not an induction into the Luna, but a bringing out of it.

But we return again to our proposed Work; for we would have only the Oil, which was only known to the Wise, and not to the Ignorant.

When you have rubified the Antimony very well according to the former Directions, you must have in readiness a Spirit of wine well rectified, pour it over the red Powder of Antimony, set it four daies and nights in a gentle Balneum Mariæ, that it may dissolve very well. And if then any of it remain undissolved, pour fresh Spirit of Wine upon it, set it again into the Bath as aforesaid, all will be well dissolved; and if perhaps any more Fæces remain, they will be very few, cast them away, for they are good for nothing. Put the Solution into a glass-Gourd, with a Head luted upon it, set it into Balneum Mariæ, with its receiver to take the Spirits, distil slowly with a slack heat, till all the Spirit of Wine be come over, pour it in again upon the dry matter, draw it off again as before; this pouring in & abstracting continue so often, till you see the Spirit of Wine ascend over the helm in various colours, then it is time that you follow it with a strong fire, then with the Spirit of Wine ascend red into the helm, and drop into the Receiver like a bloody Oil, and the tender Body ascends like a red Oil, dropping into the Receiver; truly this is the most secret way of the Wise, the so much applauded Oil of Antimony; it is a noble, well sented, virtuous, and powerful Oil, as you shall hear afterwards.

But here I will teach and instruct you poor Operators another way, because you have not the Means to attend the great work, not as the Ancients did, with the separation of Gold out of Silver.

Wherefore take one part of the Oil, or half an Ounce of Saturn, four Ounces calcined according to Art, pour the Oil upon the Calx of Saturn, mixing it, set it ten daies and nights in the heat, into the secret Furnace; every two days augment the fire one degree, according to the capacity of the Furnace; after four days and nights set it into the third degree of Fire, therein let it rest three days and nights, then open the Door or Vent of the fourth degree, which must likewise continue three days and nights; afterwards take it out, the Saturn will be above black, like unto Charcole dust, but under this black dust you will find other Colours, throughout pure, red, yellow, which flux with Venetian Borax, you will find it converted into good Gold by the power of our Oil, so have you means again to set forward the great work.

We return again to our purpose, where we left off before. You have heard, and have been instructed how to abstract the Spirit of Wine with the Oil over the helm into the Receiver, and to use it for the work to convert Saturn into Gold. But we will now hasten to the other work of the Tincture, and give advice concerning it. It will therefore be necessary to separate the Spirit of Wine again from the Oil, which do as followeth;

Take the mixture of the Spirit of Wine, and of the Oil, set it into Balneum Mariæ; distil the Spirit of Wine only from the Oil with a very slack heat, so that you may be assured that there is no more of the Spirit to be found in this most precious Oil, which you may easily try; when you see some of the drops ascend over with the Spirit of Wine, it is a sign that the Spirit of Wine is separated from the Oil, then remove all the fire from under the Bath, how little soever it be, that it may cool the sooner. Take away the Receiver with the Spirit of Wine, stop it very close, for it is full of Spirits which it hath retained from the Oil, as you will hear afterwards: But in Balneum Mariæ you will find that blessed Oil of Antimony red as Bloud; take it out, wash the Lute off by gentle mollification, that nothing impure may fall into that curious red Oil, when you take the head off; reserve it carefully, that by no means it may receive prejudice, for you have a Celestial Oil, which in a dark night shines like a glowing Cole, and this is the reason, because its internal power and soul is cast forth externally, the hidden Soul being now revealed, shining through the pure Body as a Candle through a Lanthorn, even so at the last day, these our invisible internal Souls shall be revealed, and seen out of the Body, shining as the clear Sun: So keep each apart, as well the Spirit of wine full of power, and wonderful in curing humane Distempers, as also the blessed, red, noble, celestial Oil, which transmutes all the Diseases of the imperfect Metals into the perfection of Gold; and the power of the spiritual Wine extends very far being rightly used.

I tell you, you have obtained a Celestial Medicine, to cure all the Diseases and Distempers of Mans Body; its use is, as followeth;

In the Gout.

Give three drops in a Cup of Wine fasting to the Party, just at the time when he feels the beginning of his misery, anguish and pain to come upon him, the second and third, use it in