Book V, chapters 6–10: Alchemy and the transformation of metals

CHAP. VI.

Of Silver.

I Shall teach how to give silver a tincture that it may shew like to pure gold; and after that, how it may be turned to true gold.

To give Silver a Gold-colour,

Burn burnt brass with stibium, and melted with half silver, it will have the perfect colour of gold; and mingle it with gold, it will be the better colour. We boil brass thus: I know not any one that hath taught it: you shall do it after this manner: melt brass in a crucible, with as much stibium: when they are both melted, put in as mu[…]h stibium as before, and pour it out on a plain Marble-stone, that it may cool there, and be fit to beat into plates. Then shall you make two bricks hollow, that the plates may be fitly laid in there: when you have fitted them, let them be closed fast together, and bound with iron bands, and well luted: when they are dried put them in a glass fornace, and let them stand therein a week, to burn exactly, take them out and use them. And

To tincture Silver into gold,

you must do thus: Make first such a tart lye, put quick lime into a pot, whose bottom is full of many small holes, put a piece of wood or tilesheard upon it, then by degrees pour in the powder and hot water, and by the narrow holes at the bottom, let it drain into a clean earthen vessel under it: do this again, to make it exceeding tart. Powder stibium and put into this, that it may evaporate into the thin air; let it boil at an easie fire: for when it boils, the water will be of a purple colour: then strain it into a clean vessel through a linnen cloth; again, pour on the lye on the powders that remain, and let it boil so long at the fire, till the water seems of a bloody colour no more: Then boil the lye that is colour'd, putting fire under, till the water be all exhaled; but the powder that remains being dry, with the oyl of Tartar dried and dissolved, must be cast again upon plates made of equal parts of gold and silver, within an earthen crucible; cover it so long with coles, and renew your work, till it be perfectly like to gold. Also I can make the same

Otherwise.

If I mingle the congealed quick-silver that I speak of with a cap, with a third part of silver, you shall find the silver to be of a golden colour: you shall melt this with the same quantity of gold, and put it into a pot: pour on it very sharp vinegar, and let it boil a quarter of a day, and the colour will be augmented. Put this to the utmost trial of gold, that is, with common salt, and powder of bricks, yet adding Vitriol, and so shall you have refined gold. We can also extract

Gold out of Silver,

And not so little but it will pay your cost, and afford you much gain. The way is thi[…]: Put the fine filings of Iron into a Crucible that will endure fire, till it grow red hot, and melt: then take artificial Chrysocolla, such as Goldsmiths use to soder with, and red Arsenick, and by degrees strew them in: when you have done this, cast in an equal part of Silver, and let it be exquisitely purged by a strong vessel made of Ashes: all the dregs of the Gold being now removed, cast it into water of separation, and the Gold will fall to the bottom of the vessel, take it: there is nothing of many things that I have found more true, more gainful or, more hard: spare no labour, and do it as you should, lest you lose your labour: or otherwise, let the thin filings of Iron oak for a day in sea-water, let it dry, and let it be red hot in the fire so long in a […]rucible, till it run, then cast in an equal quantity of silver, with half brass, let it be projected into a hollow place: then purge it exactly in an ash vessel: for the Iron being excluded and its dregs, put it into water of separation, and gather what falls to the bottom, and it will be excellent Gold. May be it will be profitable to

Fix Cinnaber.

He that desires it, I think he must do thus, break the Cinnaber into pieces as big as Wall-nuts, and put them into a glass vessel that is of the same bigness, and the pieces must be mingled with thrice the weight of silver, and laid by courses, and the vessel must be luted, and suffer it to dry, or set it in the Sun; then cover it with ashes, and let it boil so long on a gentle fire, till it become of a lead colour and break not, which will not be unless you tend it constantly till you come so far. Then purge it with a double quantity of lead; and when it is purged, if it be put to all tryals, it will stand the stronger, and be more heavy and of more vertue: the more easie fire you use, the better will the business be effected: but so shall we try to repair silver, and revive it when it is spoil'd. Let sublimate quick-silver boil in distil'd vinegar, then mingle quick-silver, and in a glass retort, let the quick-silver evaporate in a hot fire, and fall into the receiver: keep it: If you be skilful, you shall find but little of the weight lost. Others do it with the Regulus of Antimony. But otherwise you shall do it sooner and more gainfully thus: Put the broken pieces of Cinnaber as big as dice, into a long linnen bag, hanging equally from the pot sides; then pour on the sharpest venegar, with alom and tartar, double as much, quick lime four parts, and as much of oaken ashes, as it is usual to be made; or you must make some. Let it boil a whole day, take it out and boil it in oyl, be diligent about it, and let it stay there twenty four hours: take the pieces of Cinnaber out of the oyl, and meer them with the white of an egge beaten, and role it with a third part of the filings of silver: put it into the bottom of a convenient vessel, and lute it well with the best earth, as I said: set it to the fire three days, and at last increase the fire, that it may almost melt and run: take it off, and wash it from its faeces that are left, at the last proof of silver, and bring it to be true and natural. Also it will be pleasant

From fixt Cinnaber to draw out a silver beard.

If you put it into the same vessel, and make a gentle fire under, silver that is pure, not mixed with lead, will become hairy like a wood, that there is nothing more pleasant to behold.

CHAP. VII.

Of Operations necessary for use.

I Thought fit to set down some Operations which are generally thought fit for our works: and if you know them not, you will not easily obtain your de[…]re. I have set them down here, that you might not be put to seek them elswhere: First,

To draw forth the life of Tinne.

The filings of Tinne must be put into a pot of earth, with equal part of salt-peter, you shall set on the top of this seven, as many other earthen pots with holes bored in them, and stop these holes well with clay: set above this a glass vessel with the mouth downwards, or with an open pipe, with a vessel under it: put fire to it, and you shall hear it make a noise when it is hot: the life flies away in the f[…]me, and you shall find it in the hollow pots, and in the bottom of the glased vessel compacted together. If you bore an earthen vessel on the side, you may do it something more easily by degrees, and you shall stop it. So also

From Stibium

we may extract it. Stibium that Druggists call Antimony, is grownd small in handmills, then let a new crucible of earth be made red hot in a cole fire; cast into it presently by degrees, Stibium, twice as mu[…]h Tartar, four parts of salt-peter, finely powdred: when the fume riseth, cover it with a cover, lest the fume rising evaporate: then take it off, and cast in more, till all the powder be burnt: then let it stand a little at the fire, take it off and let it cool, and skim off the dregs on the top, and you shall find at the bottom what the Chymists call the Regulus; it is like Lead, and easily changed into it. For saith Dioscorides, should it burn a little more, it turns to Lead. Now I will shew how one may draw a more noble Metal

To the out-side,

As foolish Chymists say, for they think that by their impostures they do draw forth the parts lying in the middle, and that the internal parts are the basest of all; but they erre exceedingly: For they eat onely the outward parts in the superficies, that are the weakest, and a little quick-silver is drawn forth, which I approve not. For they corrode all things that their Medicament enters, the harder parts are left, and are polished and whitened: may be they are perswaded of this by the medals of the Antients, that were within all brass, but outwardly seemed like pure silver; but those were sodered together, and beaten with hammers, and then stamp'd. Yet it is very must to do it as they did, and I think it cannot be done. But the things that polish are these, common Salt, Alom, Vitriol, quick Brimstone, Tartar; and for Gold, onely Verdigrease, and Salt Ammoniack. When you would go about it, you must powder part of them, and put them into a vessel with the metal. The crucible must be luted with clay, and covered: there must be left but a very small hole for perspiration: then set it in a gentle fire, and let it burn, and blow not, lest the metal melt: when the powders are burnt they will sink down, which you shall know by the smoke, then take off the cover and look into them. But men make the Metal red hot, and then when it is hot they drench it in: or otherwise; they put it in vinegar till it become well cleansed, and when you have wrapt the work in linnenrags, that was well luted, cast it into an earthen vessel of vinegar, and boil it long, take it out and cast it into urine, let it boil in salt and vinegar, till no filth almost rise, and the foul spots of the ingredients be gone; and if you find it not exceeding white, do the same again till you come to perfection: Or else proceed otherwise by order: Let your work boil in an earthen pot of water, with salt, alom, and tartar: when the whole superficies is grown white, let it alone a while; then let them boil three hours with equal parts of brimstone, salt-peter, and salt, that it may hang in the middle of them, and not touch the sides of the vessel; take it out, and rub it with sand, till the fume of the sulphur be removed again: let it boil again as at first, and so it will wax white, that it will endure the fire, and not be rejected for counterfeit; you shall find it profitable if you do it well; and you will rejoyce, if you do not abuse it to your own ruine.

CHAP. VIII.

How to make a Metal more weighty.

IT is a question amongst Chymists, and such as are addicted to those studies, how it might be that silver might equal gold in weight, and every metal might exceed its own weight. That may be also made gold, without any detriment to the stamp or engraving, and silver may increase and decreas[…] in its weight, if so be it be made into some vessel. I have undertaken here to teach how to do that easily, that others do with great difficulty. Take this rule to do it by, that

The weight of a Golden vessel may increase,

without hurting the mark, if the magnitude do not equal the weight. You shall rub gold with thin silver, with your hands or fingers, until it may d[…]ink it in, and make up the weight you would have it, sticking on the superficies. Then prepare a strong lixivium of brimstone and quick lime, and cast it with the gold into an earthen pot with a wide mouth: put a small fire u[…]der, and let them boil so long, till you see that they have gain'd their colour; then take it out, and you shall have it: Or else draw forth of the velks of eggs and the litharge of gold, water with a strong fire, and quench red hot gold in it, and you have it.

Another that is excellent.

You shall bring silver to powder, either with aqua fortis, or calx; the calx is afterwards washt with water, to wash away the salt, wet a golden vessel or plate with water or spittle, that the quantity of the powder you need may stick on the outward superficies: yet put it not on the edges, for the fraud will be easily discovered by rubbing it on the touch stone. Then powder finely salt one third part, brick as much, vitriol made red two parts: take a brick and make a hole in it as big as the vessel is, in the bottom whereof strew al[…]m de plume: then again pour on the powder with your work till you have filled the hole, then cover the hole with another brick, and fasten it with an Iron pin, and lute the joynts well with clay: let this dry, and let it stand in a reverberating fire about a quarter of a day; and when it is cold, open it, and you shall find the gold all of a silver colour, and more weighty, without any hurt to the stamp. Now to bring it to its former colour, do thus: Take Verdi rease four parts, Salammoniack two parts, salt-peter a half part, as much brick, alom a fourth part; mingle these with the waters, and wash the vessel with it: then with iron tongs put it upon burning coles, that it may be red hot: take it off, and plunge it in urine, and it will regain the colour. If it shine too much, and you would have it of a lower colour, the remedy is to wet it in urine, and let it stand on a plate red hot to cool. But thus you shall make vitriol very red; put it into a vessel covered with coles, and boil it till it change to a most bright red: take it out and lay it aside, and do not use it for an ill purpose. We may with the fragments of brass

Do this business otherwise:

That shall supply the place of silver, and it shall become too weighty: Or otherwise, melt two parts of brass with silver, then make it into small thin plates; in the mean while make a powder of the dregs of aqua fortis, namely of salt-peter and vitriol, and in a strong melting vessel, put the plate and the powder to augment gold, fill the vessel in a preposterous order. Then lure the mouth of it, and set it in a gentle fire half a day: take it off, always renewing the same till it come to the desired weight. We have taught how to increase the weight, and not hurt the fashion or stamp. Now I shall shew how without loss in weight, nor yet the stamp being hur[…],

Gold and Silver may be diminished:

Some use to do it with aqua fortis, but it makes the work rough with knots and holes; you shall do it therefore thus: Strew powder of brimstone upon the work, and put a candle to it round about, or burn it under your work, by degrees it will consume by burning; strike it with a hammer on the contrary side, and the superficies will fall off, as much in quantity as you please, as you use the brimstone. Now shall I shew how

To separate gold from silver Cups that are gilded:

For it is oft-times a custome for Goldsmiths, to melt the vessels and cast them away, and to make new ones again; not knowing how without great trouble, to part the gold from the silver, and therefore melt both together. To part them, do thus: Take salt Ammoniack, brimstone half a part: powder them […]ne, and anoint the gilded part of the vessel with oyl: then strew on the powder, and take the vessel in a pair of tongs, and put it into the fire: when it is very hot, strike it with an iron, and the powder shaken will fall into the water, in a platter under it, and the vessel will remain unaltered. Also it is done

Another way

with quick-silver: Put quick-silver into an earthen vessel with a very wide mouth, and let it heat so long at the fire, that you can endure the heat of it with your finger, put into it: put the gilt plate of silver into it, and when the quick-silver sticks to the gold, take it out and put it into a Charger, into which the gold, when it is cold, will fall with the quick-silver. Going over this work again, until no more gold appears in the vessel. Then put the gold with the quick-silver that was shaken into the Charger, into a linnen clout, and press it out with your hands, and let the quick-silver fall into some other receiver, the gold will stay behind in the rag; take it and put it into a cole made with a hole in it, blow till it melt, make it into a lump, and boil it in an earthen vessel with a little Stibium, and pour it forth into another vessel, that the gold may fall to the bottom, and the Stibium stay atop. But if you will

Part Gold from a vessel of Brass,

wet the vessel in cold water, and set it in the fire: when it is red hot, quench it in cold water; then scrape off the gold with latin wire bound together.

CHAP. IX.

To part Metals without aqua fortis.

BEcause waters are drawn from salts with difficulty, with loss of time and great charges; I shall shew you how to part gold from silver and brass, and silver from brass, without aqua fortis; but by some easie operations, with little cost or loss of time: And first I shall shew how

To part Gold from Silver.

Cast a lump of gold mixt with silver into an earthen vessel, that will hold fire, with the same weight of Antimony, thus: when the vessel is red hot, and the lump is melted, and turned about with the force of the fire; cast a little Stibium in, and in a little time it will melt also; and when you see it, cast in the rest of the Stibium, and cover the vessel with a cover: let the mixture boil, as long as one may repeat the Lords-prayer: take away the vessel with a pair of tongs, and cast it into another iron Pyramidal vessel red hot, called a Crucible, that hath in the bottom of it rams fat; shaking it gently, that the heavier part of gold separated from the silver, may fall to the bottom: when the vessel is cold it is shaken off, and the part next the bottom will be gold, the upper part silver; and if it be not well parted, refuse not to go over the same work again, but take a less quantity of Stibium. Let therefore the gold be purged again, and let the Stibium be boiled, and there will be always at the bottom a little piece of gold. And as the dregs remain, after the same manner purge them again in the copple, and you shall have your silver, without any loss of the weight, because they are both perfect bodies; but the silver onely will lose a little. But would you have your silver to lose less, do thus: adde to two pound and half of Stibium, wine-lees two pounds, and boil them together in an earthen vessel, and the mass will remain in the bottom, which must be also boil'd in a copple; then adding pieces of lead to it, purge it in a copple, wherein the other things being consumed by the fire, the silver onely will remain: but if you do not boil your Stibium in wine-lees, as I said, part of the silver will be lost, and the copple will draw the silver to it. The same may be done

Another way.

Take three ounces of brimstone, powder them, and mingle them with one ounce of common oyl, and set them to the fire in a glazed dish of earth: let the fire be first gentle, then augment it, till it run, and seem to run over: take it from the fire, and let it cool, then cast it into sharp vinegar, so the oyl will swim above the vinegar, the brimstone will fall down to the bottom; cast away the vinegar, and let the brimstone boil in strong vinegar, and you shall see the vinegar coloured: you shall strain the vinegar through a wisp into a glased vessel, to which adde more brimstone, boil it again, and again strain out the lye into the vessel: doing this so oft, till the Lixivium comes forth muddy, or of a black colour. Let the Lixivium settle one night: again strain it through a wisp, and you shall find the brimstone almost white at the bottom of the vessel: adde that to what you had before, and set it again to boil with three parts as much distilled vinegar, till the vinegar all evaporate and dry the brimstone: take heed it burn not: when it is dry, put it again into distilled vinegar, working the same way so often, until putting a little of it upon a red hot plate of iron, it will melt without flame or smoke. Then cast it on a lump of gold and silver, and the gold will sink to the bottom presently, but the silver will remain on the top. For if brimstone be boil'd in a Lixivium so strong, that it will bear an egg, until it will not smoke, and will melt on a fire-cole: if it be projected on a mass of gold and silver mingled, when they are melted, it will part the gold from the silver. Also there is an ingenious and admirable way

To part silver from brass

with certain powders. The best are those are made of powdred lead, half so much quick brimstone, and arsenick, and common salt double as much, salt-peter one half; powder those fine each by themselves, then mingle them. Take the mixt metal, with half so much more of the powder, and in a vessel that will endure fire, strew it in by turns, and set the vessel fil'd at a strong fire, till all melt; take it out and cast it into another vessel, that is broad atop, narrow at bottom, and hot, as we said, and smeered with ram or sowes grease clarified: let it cool, for you shall find the silver at the bottom, and the brass on the top: part one from the other with an iron rasp, or file: if you will, you may purge your silver again in a copple. But the silver must be made into thin plates, that when it is strewed interchangeably with the powders, they may come at it on all sides: then cover the vessel with its cover, and lute it well. But the salt must be decrepitated that it leap not out, and the brimstone prepared and fixed. But we may thus

Part gold from brass:

Make salt of these things that follow, namely, Vitriol, Alom, Salt-peter, quick Brimstone, of each a pound, Salt-ammoniack half a pound. Powder them all, and boil them in a lye made of ashes, one part, as much quick lime, four parts of beech-ashes: melt them at the fire, and decant them, and boil them till the Lixivium be gone; then dry it, and keep it in a place not moist, lest it melt; and mingle with it one pound of powder of lead, and strew on of this powder six ounces for every pound of brass made not in a melting vessel, and let them be shaken, and stirred vehemently with an iron thing to stir it with: when the vessel is cold, break it, you shall find a lump of gold in the bottom. Do the rest as I said.

CHAP. X.

A compendious way to part gold or silver from other Metals with aqua fortis.

WE shall teach thus compendiously to part gold from silver, and silver from other metals; and it is no small gain to be got by it, if a man well understood what I write: for I have known some by this art that have got great wealth. For example, take a mixture of brass and silver, dissolve it in common aqua fortis: when it is consumed, cast fountain-water into it, to remove the sharpness of the water, and that it can no more corrode the metal. Put the water into a great mouthed earthen vessel, and plunge plates of brass therein; for the silver will stick to them like a cloud, the brass is best in the water: put the water into a glass retort with a large belly, and make a soft fire under, and the fountain-water will distil forth by degrees. When you know that the whole quantity of fountain-water is distilled out, or the belly of the retort looks of a yellow colour, and the sent of the salts pierceth your nostrils: take away the receiver, and put another that is empty to it, and lure it well that nothing break forth. Augment the fire, and you shall draw off your aqua fortis as strong as before, and the brass will be at the bottom of the retort: The aqua fortis will be as good as it was, and you may use it oft-times.