with the best Gunpowder onely but the pipe with that mixture that burns more gently that when fire is put to it you may hold it so long in your hand until that slow composition may come to the centre and then throw it amongst the enemies for it will break in a thousand pieces and the iron wires and pieces of iron and parts of the Ball will fly far and strike so violently that they will go into planks or a wall a hand depth These are cast in by Souldiers when Cities are besiged for one may wound two hundred men and then it is worse to wound then to kill them as experience in wars shews But when you will fill the pipes hold one in your hand without a Ball full of the composition and try it how long it will burn that you may learn to know the time to cast them lest you kill your self and your friends I shall teach you how with the same Balls Troops of Horsemen may be put into confusion There are made some of these sorts of Balls that are greater about a foot in bigness bound with the same wire but fuller of iron piles namely with a thousand of them These are cast amongst Troops of Horsemen or into Cities besieged or into ships with slings or iron guns which they call Petrels and divers ways for if they be armed with iron pieces when they break they are cast forth so with the violence of the fire that they will strike through armed men and horses and so fright the horses with a huge noise that they cannot be ruled by bridle nor spurs but will break their ranks They have four holes made through them and they are filled with this said mixture that being fired they may be cast amongst Troops of Horsemen and they will cast their flames so far with a noise and cracking that the flames will seem like to thunder and lightning CHAP. VIII How in plain ground and under waters mines may be presently digged TO dig Mines to overthrow Cities and Forts there is required great cost time and pains and they can hardly be made but the enemy will discover it I shall shew how to make them in that champion ground where both armies are to meet with little labour and in short time To make Mines in plain grounds where the Armies are to meet If you would do this in sight of the enemy for they know not what you do I shall first teach how A little before night or in the twilight where the meeting shall be or passage or standing there may pits be made of three foot depth and the one pit may be distant from the other about ten foot There fit your Balls about a foot in bigness that you may fill the whole plain with them then dig trenches from one to the other that through them cotton matches may pass well through earthen pipes or hollow caâ—es but fire the Balls at three or four places then bury them and make the ground even leaving a space to give fire to them all at once Then at the time of war when the enemy stands upon the ground then remove at your pleasure or counterfeit that you fly from them and cast in fire at the open place and the whole ground will presently burn with fire and make a cruel and terrible slaughter amongst them for you shall see their limbs fly into the air and others fall dead pierced through burnt with the horrible flames thereof that scarce one man shall scape You shall make your Match thus In a new Test let the best Aqua vitae boyl with gunpowder till it grow thick and be like pap put your matches into it and role them in the mixture take the Test from the fire and strew on as much gunpowder as they will receive and set them to dry in the Sun put this into a hollow cane and fill it full of gunpowder or take one part refined salt-peter brimstone half as much and let it boyl in a new earthen pot with oyl of linseed put in your Match and wet them well all over with that liquor take them away and dry them in the Sun But if you will make Mines under the Water use this rare invention You shall make your Mines where the enemies Galleys or Ships come to ride you shall upon a plain place fit many beams or pieces of timber fastned cross-wise and thrust through or like nets according to the quantity in the divisions you shall make fit circles of wood and fasten them and fill them with gunpowder the beams must be made hollow and be filled with match and powder that you may set fire to the round circles with great diligence and cunning smeer over the circles and the beams with pitch and cover them well with it that the water may not enter and the powder take wet for so your labour will be lost and you must leave a place to put fire in then sink your engine with weights to the bottom of the water and cover it with stones mud and weeds a little before the enemy come Let a Scout keep watch that when their Ships or Galleys ride over the place that the snare is laid for fire being put to it the sea will part and be cast up into the air and drown'd the Ships or will tear them in a thousand pieces that there is nothing more wonderful to be seen or done I have tried this in waters and ponds and it performed more then I imagined it would CHAP. IX What things are good to extinguish the fire I Have spoken of kindling fires but now I shall shew how to quench them and by the way what things obnoxious to the fire will endure it and remain But first I will relate what our Ancestours have left concerning this business Vitruvious saith That the Larch-tree-wood will not burn or kindle by it self but like a stone in the furnace will make no coles but burn very slowly He saith the reason is That there is in it very little air or fire but much water and earth and that it is very solid and hath no pores that the fire can enter at He relates how this is known When Caesar commanded the Citizens about the Alps to bring him in provision those that were secure in a Castle of wood refused to obey his commands Caesar bade make bundles of wood and to light torches and lay these to the Castle when the matter took fire the flame flew exceeding high and he supposed the Castle would have fallen down but when all was burnt the Castle was not touched Whence Pliny writes The Larch-tree will neither burn to coles nor is otherwise consumed by fire then stones are But this is most false For seeing it is rosiny and oyly it presently takes fire and burns and being one fired is hard to put out Wherefore I admire that this error should spread so far and that the Town Larignum so called from the abundance of
haste But let us see How Toad-stools may be generated Dioscorides and others have written That the bark of a white Poplar-Tree and of a black being cut into small pieces and sowed in dunged lands or furrows will at all times of the year bring forth mushromes or toad-stools that are good to be eaten And in another place he saith that they are more particularly generated in those places where there lies some old rusty iron or some rotten cloth but such as grow neer to a Serpents hole or any noisome Plants are very hurtful But Tarentinus speaks of this matter more precisely If saith he you cut the stock of a black Poplar peece-meal into the earth and pour upon it some leaven that hath been steeped in water there will soon grow up some Poplar toad-stools He addeth further If an up-land or hilly field that hath in it much stubble and many stalks of corn be set on fire at such time as there is rain brewing in the clouds then the rain falling will cause many toad-stools there to spring up of their own accord but if after the field is thus set on fire happily the rain which the clouds before threatned doth not fall then if you take a thin linnen cloth and let the water drop through by little and little like rain upon some part of the field where the fire hath been there will grow up toad-stools but not so good as otherwise they would be if they had been nourished with a showre of rain Next we will shew How Sperage may be generated Dydimus writes That if any man would have good store of Sperage to grow he must take the horns of wilde Rams and beat them into very small powder and sow them in eared ground and water it and he shall have his intent There is one that reports a more strange matter that if you take whole Rams horns not powned into small pieces but only cut a little and make a hole in them and so set them they will bring forth Sperage Pliny is of Didymus opinion that if the horns be powned and â—igged into the earth they will yield Sperage though Dioscorides thinks it to be impossible And though I have made often trial hereof but could not find it so to be yet my friends have told me of their own experience that the same tender seed that is contained within the Rams horn hath produced Sperage The same my friends also have reported That Ivy doth grow out of the Harts horn and Aristotle writes of an Husband-man that found such an experiment though for my own part I never tried it But Theophrastus writes that there was Ivy found growing in the Harts horn whereas it is impossible to think how any Ivy seed could get in there and whereas some alledge that the Hart might have rubbed his horn against some Ivy roots and so some part of the horn being soft and ready to putrifie did receive into it some part of the root and by this means it might there grow this supposal carries no shew of probability or credit with it But if these things be true as I can say or see nothing to the contrary then surely no man will deny but that divers kinds of plants may be generated of divers kinds of living Creatures horns In like manner may plants be generated of the putrified barks and boughs of old Trees for so is Polypody and the herb Hyphear generated for both these and divers other plants also do grow up in Firre-trees and Pine-trees and such other for in many Trees neer to the bark there is a certain flegmatick or moist humour that is wont to putrifie which when it abounds too much within breaks forth into the outward shew of the boughs and the stock of the Tree and there it meets with the putrified humour of the bark and the heat of the Sun working upon it there quickly turns it into such kinds of herbs CHAP. II. How Plants are changed one of them degenerating into the form of the other TO work Miracles is nothing else as I suppose but to turn one thing into another or to effect those things which are contrary to the ordinary course of Nature It may be done by negligence or by cunning handling and dressing them that plants may forsake their own natural kind and be quite turned into another kind wholly degenerating both in taste and colour and bignesse and fashion and this I say may easily be done either if you neglect to dresse or handle them according to their kind or else dresse them more carefully and artificially then their own kind requires Furthermore every plant hath his proper manner and peculiar kind of sowing or planting for some must be sowed by seed others planted by the whole stem others set by some root others graffed by some sprig or branch so that if that which should be sowed by seed be planted by the root or set by the whole stock or graffed by some branch or if any that should be thus planted be sowed by seed that which cometh up will be of a divers kinde from that which grows usually if it be planted according to its own nature as Theophrastus writes Likewise if you shall change their place their air their ground such like you pervert their kind and you shall find that the young growing plant will resemble another kind both in colour and fashion all which are clear cases by the books of Husbandry Some examples we will here rehearse If you would change A white Vine into a black or a black into a white sow the seed of a white Garden-Vine and that which cometh of it will be a black Wilde-vine and so the seed of a black Garden-vine will bring forth a white Wilde-vine as Theophrastus teacheth The reason is because a Vine is not sowed by seed but the natural planting of it is by sprigs and roots Wherefore if you deal with it otherwise then the kind requires that which cometh of it must needs be unkindly By the like means A white Fig-tree may degenerate into a black for the stone of a Fig if it be set never brings forth any other but a wilde or a wood Fig-tree and such as most commonly is of a quite contrary colour so that of a white figtree it degenerates into a black and contrariwise a black fig-tree degenerates into a white Sometimes also of a right and noble Vine is generated a bastard Vine and that so different in kind oftentimes that it hath nothing of the right garden-vine but all meerly wilde In like manner also are changed The red Myrtle and the red Bay-tree into black and cannot chuse but lose their colour for these likewise degenerate as the same Theophrastus reports to have been seen in Antandrus for the Myrtle is not sowed by seed but planted by graffing and the Bay-tree is planted by setting a little sprig thereof that hath in it some part of the root as we have shewed in our
How the defects of wine may be managed and restored OUr forefathers found out many remedies to preserve wine and in our dayes we have taken no less pains For wine is easily corrupted and takes to it self many strange qualities Paxamus saith wine either grows sowre or dead about the Solstices and when the seven stars set or when the dog star causeth heat and when it is extream cold or hot or rainy or windy or when it thunders We shall shew remedies for all these First we shall lay down out of Africanus the signs to know wines that will last or will corrupt When you have put your wine into a vessel after some time change the vessel and look well on the Lees for thence shall you know what the wine is proving it by smelling to it whether it corrupt or weevils breed in it these are signs it putrifies Others take wine out of the middle of the vessel they heat it and when it is cold they taste of it and they judge of the wine by the favour some by the smell of the cover a strong taste is the best sign a watry the worst sharpness of duration weakness of corrupting The signs must be taken at the times to be feared we mentioned But to come to the remedies we shall shew how To mend weak wine The wine will be weak when it begins to breath forth that force of heat fot when the soul of it is breathed forth the wine grows immediately sowre vineger is the carcasse of wine Then we may presently prevent it by adding aqua vitae to it for by that it may put on a new soul the measure will be the fourth part of a pound for a vessel Another remedy will be That wine may not grow hot In the Summer Solstice wine grows hot by the hot weather and is spoiled then put quick-silver into a glass-viol well stopt and hang it in the middle of the vessel and the coldness of it will keep the wine from heating The quantity is two pound for great vessels for when the air is hot the external heat draws forth the inward heat and when that is gone it is spoiled We That wine may not exhale use this remedy The vessel being full we pour oyle upon it and cover it for oyle keeps the spirits from evaporating which I see is now used for all liquors that they may not be perverted Wines sometimes are troubled But To clear wines Fronto bids us do thus Cast three whites of egges into a large earthen dish and beat them that they may froth put some white salt to them that they may be exceeding white and pour them into a vessel full of wine for salt and the white of an egge will make all thick liquors clear but as many Dolia or such measures as there are in the vessel so many whites of egges must you have to be mingled again with so many ounces of salt but you must stir the mixture with a stick and in four dayes it will grow clear Also it is done That wines may not corrupt I said that salt keeps all things from corrupting wherefore for every Dolium powder one ounce of Allome and put it into the wine vessel with the wine for it will keep it from corrupting The same is done if you put in one ounce of common salt or half one half the other Also brimstone hinders putrefaction Wherefore if you shall adde to eight ounces of Allome or of Salt four ounces of brimstone you shall do well The Antients were wont to peserve wine by adding Salt or sea-water to it and it would continue along time Columella teacheth thus when the winds are quiet you must take water out of the deep sea when it is very calm and boyl it to thirds adding to it if you please some spices There are many ordinary things but we let them pass CHAP. XXIV How Oyl may be made of divers things IT is an excellent thing to shew the diversity of ways to make Oyl That if Olives should ever be scarce yet we might know how to draw Oyl from many kinds of fruits and seeds And some of these ways that came from the Antients yet onely the best and such as are our inventions Wherefore to begin We say that Oyl may be made of Ricinus call'd Cicinum Dioscorides makes it thus Let ripe Ricini as many as you please wither in the hot Sun and be laid upon hurdles let them be so long in the Sun till the outward shell break and fall off Take the flesh of them and bruise it in a morter diligently then put it into a Caldron glazed with Tin that is full of water put fire under and boil them and when they have yielded their inbred juyce take the vessel from the fire and with a shell skim off the Oyl on the top and keep it But in Egypt where the custom of it is more common for they cleanse the Ricini and put them into a Mill and being well grownd they press them in a press through a basket Pliny saith They must be boiled in water and the Oyl that swims on the top must be taken off But in Egypt where there is plenty of it without fire and water sprinkled with Salt it is ill for to eat but good for Candles But we collected them in September for then is the time to gather them with it parts from a prickly cover and a coat that holds the seed in it it is easily cleansed in a hot Caldron The weight of Oyl is half as much as the seed but it must be twice knocked and twice pressed Palladius shews how Oyl of Mastick is made gather many Grains of the Mastick-tree and let them lye in a heap for a day and a night Then put a basket full of those Berries into any vessel and pouring hot water thereto tread them and press them forth Then from that humour that runs forth of them the Oyl of Mastick that swims on the top is poured off But remember lest the cold might hold it there to pour hot water often on For thus we see it made with us and all the Country of Surrentum also so is made Oyl of Turpentine as Damageron teacheth The fruit of Turpentine is grownd in a Mill as the Olives are and is pressed out and so it sends forth Oyl The kernels serve to feed hogs and to burn Likewise Oyl of Bays Boil Bay-berries in water the shels yield a certain fat it is forced out by crushing them in the hands then gather the Oyl into horns Palladius almost as Dioscorides in January boil many Bay-berries that are ripe and full in hot water and when they have boy'ld long the watry oyl that swims on the top that comes from them you shall gently pour off into vessels driving it easily with feathers The Indians make as it is said Oyl of Sesamon It is made as we said before it sends forth excellent Oyl abundantly There is made Oyl of
made of most fine beards of corn and it will fill the whole vessel that the eye can behold nothing more pleasant The same is made of gold with aqua regia 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 muâ—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 thiâ— 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 â—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
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 hurâ— 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 â—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
labour much more refulgent bright and livelier Gems whose superficies and lustre the salt shall not deface in a much longer time Although those old counterfeits which are found at Puteoli in the mortar of ruined houses and on the shores are yet very bright and of a perfect clearness so that they seem beyond the imitation of our age Yet I will endeavour by this way not onely to equal them but to make much better Wherefore give ear and believe the materials are thus made Take the comb of a Cock and cutting his gullet in two keep the head and the neck Put it into a pot and set it in a hard fire stop iâ— close that no coles or ashes arising with the smoke or soote fall in and spoil the lustre of it When the fire is kindled you will hear it hiss when it is red hot take it up with an iron tongs and quench it in clear water and dry it Do this three times changing the water lest there should be any filth then grinde it on a marble till it be so fine that you may blow it about and reserve it for use Thence have you the Philosophers Stone most fragrant in fire and chief in the triplicity If thou art ignorant of the Philosophers Stone learn it from these verses which I found in an old Manuscript Arctus est hominis qui constat sex elementis Cui p si addideris s. in m. mutare si bene scis Hoc erit os nostrum constans lapis Philosophorum Now we have advertis'd you of the materials let us advise also about the colour And first of all I will shew you How to counterfeit a Topaze Put your material into a pot and cover it with a lid full of holes over which there must be laid another that it may exhale and yet receive no hurt from the smoke let it stand in its fornace to the middle the space of a whole day and it will be a Topaze Now To counterfeit a Chrysolite cram the Cock and for every ounce give him to eat two grains of the beloved flower of Venus stroak him and in due time thou shalt see To make an Emarald Feed the Cock again and for every ounce give him four grains of wheat and he will shine with a most bright lustre But To make a Jacinth give the Cock graines of the bloody Stone instead of wheat and he will easily lay hold of them CHAP. VII Of Several Tinctures of Crystal I Have declared divers tinctures of glass and those no vulgar and common ones but such as are rarely known and gained and tried with a great deal of labour Now I will relate some ways of staining Crystal and especially those that are choice and known to very few if not onely to my self To stain Crystal with the colour of a Jacinth or a Ruby without breaking or wearing it Take six parts of Stibium four of Orpin three of Arsenick as much of Sulphur two of Tutty beat them all asunder and sift them through a fine seirce put them into a pot hang your Crystal by wires or cover it over with the powders and so set it on the fire that it may be hot four or five hours but use no bellows lest it break in pieces or melt It is a certain sign of being perfectly coloured if you take out a piece and that be of a bright and shining colour otherwise deliver it to the fire again and after some time try it again But you must have a great care lest it cool too suddenly when you take it off the fire for it will crumble and fall to pieces If a violet-colour pleaseth you take it soon from the fire if you would have a deep purple let it stand longer we can make a violet with Orpin onely To turn a Saphire into a Diamond This stone as all others being put in the fire loseth his colour For the force of the fire maketh the colour fade Many do it several ways for some melt gold and put the Saphire in the middle of it others put it on a plate of iron and set it in the middle of the fornace of reverberation others burn it in the middle of a heap of iron dust I am wâ—nt to do it a safer way thus I fill an earthen pot with unkill'd lime in the middle of which I place my Saphire and cover it over with coals which being kindled I stop the bellows from blowing for they will make it flie in pieces When I think it changed I take a care that the fire may go out it self and then taking out the stone I see whether it hath contracted a sufficient whiteness if it have I put it again in its former place and let it cool with the fire if not I cover it again often looking on it until the force of the fire have consumed all the colour which it will do in five or six hours if you find that the colour be not quite vanished do again as before until it be perfect white You must be very diligent that the fire do heat by degrees and also cool for it often happeneth that sudden cold doth either make it congeal or flie in pieces All other stones lose their colour like the Saphire some sooner some later according to their hardness For the Amethist you must use but a soft and gentle fire for a vehement one will over-harden it and turn it to dust This is the art we use to turn other precious stones into Diamonds which being cut in the middle and coloured maketh another kind of adulterating Gems which by this experiment we will make known And it is How to make a stone white on one side and red or blew on the other I have seen precious stones thus made and in great esteem with great persons being of two colours on one side a Saphire and on the other a Diamond and so of divers colours Which may be done after this manner For example we would have a Saphire should be white on one side and below on the other or should be white on one side and red on the other thus it may be done Plaister up that side which you would have red or blew with chalk and let it be dryed then commit it to the fire those ways we spoke of before and the naked side will lose the colour and turn wâ—ite that it will seem a miracle of Nature to those that know not by how slight an art it may be done How to stain glass of divers colours I will not pass by a thing worth the relation which happened by chance while we were making these experiments The flower of Tinne taketh away the perspicuity of Crystal glass and maketh it of divers colours for being sprinkled upon Crystal glasses that are polished with a wheele and set to the fire it doth variously colour them and maketh them cloudy so that one part will look like a stone and another like an Opale of divers colours But
a wonderful Oyl which helpeth concoction and taketh away the inclinations to vomit it is thus made Pour half a Pint of the best Oyl into a brass Pot tinned within and of a wide mouth then take fifteen pound of Romane-Mint and beat it in a Marble-Morter with a VVooden-Pestle until it come to the form of an Oyntment add as much more Mint and VVormwood and put them into the Oâ—l mingle them and stir them well but cover the Pot lest any durt should fall in and let them stand three dayes and infuse then set them on a gentle fire and boyl them five hours for fifteen dayes together until the Oyl have extracted all the vertue of the infused Herbs then strain them through a Linen-cloth in a press or with your hands till the Oyl be run cleer out then take new Herbs beat them and put them into the strained Oyl boyl it again and strain it again do the same the third time and as often as you renew it observe the same course until the Oyl have contracted a green colour but you must separate the juice from the Oyl very carefully for if the least drop do remain in it the Oyl will have but small operation and the whole intent is lost A certain sign of perfect decoction and of the juice being consumed will be if a drop of it being cast upon a plate of iron red-hot do not hiss At last Take a pound of Cinnamon half a pound of Nutmegs as much Mastick and Spikenard and a third part of Cloves poun them severally and being well seirced put them into the Oyl and mix them with a VVooden-stick Then pour it all into an Earthen Vessel glazed within with a long Neck that it may easily be shut and stoot close but let it be of so great a capacity that the third part of it may remain empty Let it stand fifteen days in the Sun alwayes moving and shaking it three or four times in a day So set it up for your use CHAP. VII That a Woman may conceive THere are many Medicines to cause Conception spread abroad because they are much desired by Great Persons The Ancients did applaud Sage very much for this purpose And in Coptus after great Plagues the Egyptians that survived forced the Women to drink the juice of it to make them conceive and bring forth often Salt also helpeth Generation for it doth not only heighten the Pleasures of Venus but also causeth Fruitfulness The Egyptians when their Dogs are backward in Copulation make them more eager by giving them Salt-meats It is an Argument also of it That Ships in the Sea as Plutarch witnesseth are alwayes full of an innumerable company of Mice And some affirm That Female-Mice will conceive without a Male onely by licking Salt And Fish-wives are insatiably leacherous and alwayes full of Children Hence the Poets feigned venus to be born of Salt or the Sea The Egyptian Priests saith the same Author did most Religiously abstain from Salt and Salt-meats because they did excite to lust and cause erection A remedy to procure conception This I have tryed and found the best when a womans courses are just past let her take a new-laid egge boil it and mix a grain of musk with it and sup it up when she goes to bed Next morning take some old beans at least five years old and boil them for a good space in a new pipkin and let the woman when she ariseth out of her bed receive the fume into her privities as it were through a tunnel for the space of an hour then let her sup up two eggs and go to bed again and wipe off the moisture with warm clothes then let her enjoy her husband and rest a while afterwards take the whites of two eggs and mix them with Bole-armenick and Sanguisâ—draconis and dip some flax into it and apply it to the reins but because it will hardly stick on swathe it on from falling a while after let her arise and at night renew the plaister But when she goeth to sleep let her hold ginger in her mouth This she must do nine days CHAP. VIII Remedies against the Pox. SInce this disease hath raged so cruelly amongst men there have been invented a multitude of most excellent remedies to oppose it And although many have set out several of them yet I will be contented with this one only which we may use not onely in this disease but almost in all other and I have seen many experiences of it It is easily made and as easily taken Take a pound of lingnum Guaiacum half a pound of Sarsaperilla beaten small five ounces of the stalks and leaves of Sena one handful of Agrimony and Horse-tail a drachm of Cinnamon and as much cloves and one nutmeg Poun them all and put them into a vessel which containeth twenty gallons of Greek wine let it stand a day and then let the patient drink it at meals and at his pleasure for it purgeth away by degrees all maladies beside the French-pox If the patient groweth weak with purging let him intermit some days In the summer time leave out the cinnamon and the nutmeg I have used it against continual head-aches deafness hoarsness and many other diseases A preservation against the Pox which a man may use after unclean women Take a drachm of hartwort and gentian two scruples of sanders and lignum-aloes half a drachm of powder of coral spodium and harts horn burnt a handful of sowthistle scordium betony scabious and tormentil as much of roses two pieces of Guaiacum two scales of copper a drachm and a half of Mercury precipitate a pint of malmesey a quart of the waters of sowthistle and scabious mix the wine and waters and lay the Guaiacum in it a day and then the rest then boil them till half be consumed strain them and lay a linnen-cloth soaking in the expression a whole night then dry it in the shade do this thrice and after copulation wash your yard in it and lay some of the linnen on and keep it close CHAP. IX Antidotes against Poyson IT is the common opinion of all Physitians that those herbs stones or any other thing which being put into a Serpents mouth doth kill him is an Antidote against his poyson We read in Dioscorides of the herb Alkanet which is very efficacious against the poyson of Serpents and being chewed and spit out upon a Serpent killeth him Upon this I thrust half a drachm of treacle or mithridate mixt with Aqua vitae into a vipers mouth and she died within half an hour I made a water-serpent swallow the same but she received no hurt by it onely lay a small time â—â—upified wherefore I pressed some oyl out of the seeds of citron and orange or lemons and dropt it into the serpents mouth and she died presently Moreover a drachm of the juice of Angelica-roots will kill a serpent The Balsame as they call it which is brought from
eight parts of Salt-Peter but excellent well refined and mingled For four parts of Salt-Peter well refined and mingled will do more then ten parts of that which is faeculent and ill mingled From the Salt-Peter comes the force the noise of the flame for Brimstone it takes fire and the sooner for the coal But if one would have Gun-powder that will shoot a Bullet without noise he must make weak the Salt-Peter but with some fat substance which is done by the Glew and Butter of Gold by mingling them according to a certain and due proportion and so it will shoot a Ball with very little or no noise for you shall scarce hear it and though the force be not so strong yet it is but little less I will not teach the way lest wicked men should take occasion to do mischief by it CHAP. IV. How Pipes may be made to cast out Fire THe same Heron bids the Souldiers when they scale the VValls that they should set against the faces of their enemies that defend the Cities such hand-Guns that they can turn and that will throw fire a great way for so they shall so terrifie those that defend the VValls by these monstrous Engines that cast Fire-Balls at such great distance and with such furious flames that they will never endure to behold them nor yet the Souldiers that mount up the VValls but will quickly run away Moreover in fights at Sea and amongst Horse-men men of this later age make great use of them for Horses are terrified with Fire as Elephants were and will easily run away and break the ranks VVhen Antipater besieged the Megarenses and the Macedonians did fiercely lie upon them the Megarenses first anoynted their Hogs with pitch and set them on Fire and so sent them out amongst their Enemies The Hogs were mad at it and ran furiously among the Troops of Elephants and cried as they burned with the Fire and as so many Furies they extreamly disordered the Elephants But I shall describe Rockets that cast Fire a great way Make a stick of three foot long round on the outside and with a Turners Instrument make it hollow within let the hole in the middle be four fingers diameter and the VVood a finger thick but within let it be fenced with a thin Iron plate and without with Iron hoops at the mouth in the middle and on the end and let the Spaces between be fastned and joyned together with Iron-wires lest by the violence of the flames striving within the Engine should break in pieces and hurt our Friends Fill the hollow hole with this composition Gun-powder three parts Colophonia Tutia Brimstone half a part but you must bruise your Brimstone and Colophonia very well and sprinkle them with Linseed Oyl and work them in your hands Then try if your mixture will burn gently or fiercely fill the space between the joynts in a Reed with powder put Fire to it if it burn vehemently that it break the Cane add to it Colophonia and Brimstone but if mildly then put more Powder into your Rocket pressing it again with a sharp stick then stop the mouth of it being full with a Linen-clout wax and pitch and cover it that the Powder fall not out and making a hole in the clout fasten a Cotton-match to the mixture that when necessity is it may take fire You shall learn shortly after to make the Match This is called a simple Rocket How to make a Rocket armed This by a continual sending forth of Fire-balls and Leaden Bullets and by the shooting off of Iron-guns will strike thorow the faces of those that stand by It is made of Turpentine-Rosin liquid Pitch Vernish Frankincense and Camphire equal parts quick Brimstone a third part and half two parts of Salt-Peter refined three parts of Aqua Fortis as much of Oyl of Peter and Gun-powder pown them together and make Fire-balls put them into the hollow of the Pipe that is broad enough to receive them Put into the hollow part the first mixture three fingers deep and press it down then put in the little Ball of Gun-powder onely weighing one ounce ready made then put in again the first Powder and do this by course one after another till it be full and stop the mouth as I said Some do not thrust down a Ball but Hards wrap'd up in square pieces of Iron and that is so pliable that the first mixture can kindle the Gun-powder Some put in with the Tow Glass grosly powdered Others Salt and powder of Lead for if the Lumps stick to Armour or Garments you cannot put them out with water or any thing else till they be consumed Some there are also that compass in the Rocket with Brass or Iron-Guns and at the open passage of the Rocket they put in Gun-powder when fire comes at it with terrible and frequent noises they cast Leaden Bullets forth upon the standers by I saw a Rocket of extraordinary largeness it was ten foot long and as wide as a mans head might go in it was full of Fire-balls Stones and other matters and put into a Gun and bound to the lower part of the Cross-yard of a Ship which was transported every way with cords as the Souldiers would have it and in Sea-fights was levelled against the Enemies Gallies and destroyed them all almost Yet I will not omit to relate how A Brass-Gun once fired may discharge ten times It is a new Invention that a great Brass-Gun or a hand-Gun may discharge ten or more Bullets one after another without intermission Make a dark Powder such as I used in the precedent part and fill it thus First put in a certain measure of Gun-powder that being put in may discharge the Ball then put in the Ball but a small one that it may go in loosely and that the powder put in upon it may come to touch the Gun-powder then pour in this dark powder two or three fingers depth then put in your Gun-powder and your Bullet and thus in order one after the other until the Gun seems to be full to the very mouth Lastly pour in some of your dark clammy powder and when you have levelled your Gun to the place appointed put Fire to the mouth of it for it will cast out the Bullets and then Fire for so long time as a man may discharge a hand-Gun at divers shoots And thus with one Brass-Gun you may discharge many times CHAP. V. How Fire-Balls are made that are shot off in Brass-Guns NOw I will shew how to make some Pot-compositions of Fire-balls that are shot out of Brass-Guns for divers uses either to burn ships or to give light to some men in the night or at Solemnities to cast up into the Air that they may seem to stream along like falling Stars Fire-balls flying in the Air that are made at Festival times Grind one pound of Gun-powder one third part of Salt-Peter two ounces of Brimstone and as much
it be CB let it be doubled CA shall be the semidiamiter of the Sphaere whose Centre B must be extended to D and the Diameter will be AD. Divide CA into four points but the more the parts are the more precise will be the description of the line and set the numbers to the divisions so setting the foot of the compass fast in I and the moveable foot in B make the semicircle EF and mark it BI and setting it in the 2. Centre at the same wideness and the other moveable foot in the line BD describe another semicircle and mark it 3. and so to the fourth and mark it 4. Then setting the foot firm in B at the distance of BC or B4 make a circle and the immoveable foot standing on the Centre B upon the distance B3 describe another so there is the third B and the fourth BA as BI Then from the point A draw a line and another from the point B and let them meet in a point where the circled meets with the semicircle 1. for let them be cut in G then draw the second line from circle 2. and another from the same A the Centre and let them meet where the second circle cuts with the second semicircle in H then from the third circle and from B the Centre and where they meet in I by the meeting of the semicircle so from the fourth where the fourth begins in K and from KIHG draw a line which shall be the Section to be described The same may be done on the other part of the circle the reason is this The beam of the Sun LI falling upon the point I of the Glass is reflected to B because B3 and BI are equal from the same circle therefore the Angle B3I is equal to BI3 But B3â— is equal to 3IL because it is subalternate for the ray of the Sun LI is equidistant to the diameter of the circle wherefore the Angles LI3 and 3IB are equal therefore it is reflected upon B. The same is to be said of the beam MH and NG and this Glass is contrary to a Sphaeral Glass From divers points of the circumference the rays are reflected upon different parts of the diameter and all the diameters are from the Centre but in this the reflected beams unite not in one point and the diameter are various from the fourth of the diameter But of this more largely in my Opticks Lastly I will not omit that the Cane doth kindle fire circularly when that as far as this circle it kindles in a point Divide the Parabolical line by sinus versus and let them meet upon contrary parts For example let the Parabolical Section be CEF the sinus versus DE cut this circumference in E and let CF meet together in the manner they stood before that it may be EGFE and about the axis GH turn it round there will be made a round Cane make it of Steel or other Metal and polish it and it will kindle fire round about CHAP. XIX Fire is kindled more forcible by refraction I Have spoken of Burning-glasses by reflection Now I shall speak of those which burn by refraction for these kindle fire more violently I shall shew my reason in the Opticks Wherefore By a Cylindre of Crystal to kindle fire We may do it by setting it against the Sun but very slowly and by leasure for all the beams do not meet in one point but in a line The same way almost are we wont To burn with a Pyramidal Crystal Glass But this burns about a line yet both burn more strongly than a pillar Glass of a Pyramidal in the place of this we may use a Vial full of water But the most violent of them all is with A Crystal Sphaere or portion of it And if a Sphaere be wanting we may supply it with a Vial full of water that is round and of Glass set against the Sun if you set behind it any combustible matter that is friendly to the fire so soon as the rays unite about the superficies it forthwith kindleth fire to the wonder of the Spectators when they see fire raised from water that is extreme cold so will the portions of Sphaeres as spectacles lenticulars and such like which we speak of already A Crystal parabolick-Glass will kindle fire most vehemently of all we shall see it because the beams all meeting it kindles more than a Glass We may also as I said of a Glass By refraction kindle fire afar off And almost to infinite distance as is demonstrated by Obtick reasons and the more by how much as refractions work more forcibly than reflections and I shall perform this many ways as I said before not onely by reason but by experience Almeon said That he made the same way parallel lines cut a cross I have said also that if they be opposed in place Crystal Sphaeres are so perfectly opposite by coition as are Sphaeral and Cylindrical portions Nor do they cast forth fire so far that it is hard to believe it and more than imagination can comprehend Behold I shall shew you a more forcible way to kindle fire It sends forth also unequal and combust parallels Let a uniform Section fall in and it will carry forth oblique beams you shall see the fire by a hidden and open beam falling upon a right superficies and it will come forcibly and uniformly into that place where the beams unite most in a fit combustible matter for if that combustible matter that is opposite be not dry it is in vain to set a Glass against it either a Convex Cylindrical or Concave Sphaerical for the matter will be found almost pierced through with strong fire and if it be not truly opposite it will burn whether it be small or great But it is considerable the portion of which it is It will do also the same thing if the thing be opposite and be small or great if need be CHAP. XX. In a hollowed Glass how the Image may hang without BEfore I depart from a plain Glass it is performed by the later Artists industry that in the same Glass many faces may be seen or likenesses of the same Image without any hindrance to the first for behind it they make the Glass hollow and make a little Concave whence a foil being laid on as I shall shew and fitted well it will hold another forth without Hence comes it to pass by this excellent invention that a man looking in a Glass may see the upright Image of some other thing and wonders at it for catching at it he can catch nothing but Air. I remember that I have often seen it and the matter is thus A Glass being made of Crystal they make a hollow place on the backside like an Image as curiously as they can then they foil it over and set it in its place now as deep as the hollow is with in so much will it shew it self without the superficies and you
experiments prove false because that which we work by happily hath lost his vertue being kept too long But there are certain peculiar times to gather them in which the vulgar sort observeth not wherein the heavenly constellations bestow upon them some singular vertue proceeding from the most excellent nature and quality of the stars in which times if they be gathered they are exceedingly operative But there can be no set and just time assigned by reason of the divers situations of divers places in respect of the Sun for as the Sun-beams come neerer or further off so the earth fructifies sooner or later yet we will give some general observations Roots are to be gathered betwixt the old Moon and the new for then the moisture is fallen into the lower parts and that in the Evening for then the Sun hath driven in the moisture and by the stalk it is conveyed down into the root The time serves well to gather them when their wrinkles be filled out with moisture and they chap because they have so much juice as if they were about to break in pieces Leaves are then to be gathered as soon as they have opened themselves out of the sprigs and that in the morning about Sun-rising for then they are moister then in the evening the Suns heat having drunk up their moisture all day long Flowers are then to be gathered when they begin to seed while their juice is in them and before they wax limber Stalks are then to be gathered when the flower is withered for then especially are they profitable And seeds must be then gatherâ—d when they are so ripe that they are ready to fall There are some more peculiar observations Hot and slender herbs should be gathered when Mars and the Sun are Lords of the celestial houses moist herbs when the Moon is Lord but you must take heed that you gather them not in the falling houses thereof These things well observed in gathering plants will make them very profitable for Physical uses CHAP. XVI That the Countries and places where Simples grow are chiefly to be considered MAny are deceived in plants and metals and such like because they use them that come next hand never heeding the situation of the place where they grow But he that will work soundly must well consider both the aspect of the heavens and the proper nature and situation of the place for the place works diversly in the plants according to his own divers temperatures and sometimes causeth such an alteration in the vertues of them that many not onely young Magicians but good Physitians and Philosophers too have been deceived in searching them out Plato makes mention hereof God saith he hath furnished the places of the earth with divers vertues that they might have divers operations into plants and other things according to their kind And so Porphyry saith that the place is a principle of a generation as a father is Theophrastus would have Hemlock gathered and fetch'd from Susa because Thrasias was of opinion that there it might safely be taken and in other very cold places for whereas in Athens the juice of it is poison odious amongst the Athenians because it is given to kill men in common executions and Socrates there taking it died presently yet here it is taken without danger and beasts feed upon it The herb called Bears-foot that which grows on the Hill Oeta and Parnassus is very excellent but elsewhere of small force therefore Hippocrates when he would cure Democritus he caused it to be fetch'd from the Hills And in Achaia especially about Cabynia there is a kind of Vine as Theophrastus saith the wine whereof causeth untimely births and if the dogs eat the grapes they will bring forth abortives and yet in the taste neither the wine nor the grape differ from other wines and grapes He saith also that those Physicall drugs which grow in Euboea neer unto Aege are good but neer to Telethrium which is a shadowed and waterish place they are much worse and drier In Persia there grows a deadly tree whose apples are poison and present death therefore there it is used for a punishment but being brought over to the Kings into Egypt they become wholesome apples to eat and lose their harmfulnesse as Columella writes Dioscorides saith That the drugs which grow in steep places cold and dry and open to the winde are most forcible but they that grow in dark and waterish and calm places are lesse operative Wherefore if we find any difference in such things by reason of the places where they grow that they have not their right force we must seek them out there where the place gives them their due vertue CHAP. XVII Certain properties of Places and Fountains which are commodious for this work DIfference of places works much in the different effects of things For the place of the waters and also of the earth hath many miraculous vertues which a Magician must needs be well acquainted with for oft-times we see that some things are strangely operative onely by reason of the situation of the place the disposition of the Air and the force of the Sun as it cometh nearer or further off If one ground did not differ from another then we should have odoriferous reeds rushes grasse frankincense peper and myrth not only in Syria and Arabia but in all other Countries also Likewise many properties are derived out of Waters and Fountains which otherwise could not be made but that the waterish humor in the earth conveys his scent and such like properties into the root of that which there groweth and so nourisheth up that matter which springs out and causeth such fruit as savours of the place according to his own kind Zama is a City in Africa and Ismuc is a Town twenty miles from it and whereas all Africk besides is a great breeder of beasts especially of serpents about that Town there breed none at all nay if any be brought thither it dies and the earth of that place also killeth beasts whithersoever it is carried In the great Tarquine Lake of Italy are seen Trees some round some triangle as the wind moves them but none four-square In the Country beyond the River Po that part which is called Monsterax there is a kind of Corn called Siligo which being thrice sown makes good bread-corn Neer to Harpasum a Town of Asia there is a huge Rock which if you touch with one finger will move if with your whole body it will not move There are some places of the earth that are full of great fires as Aetna in Sicily the Hill Chimaera in Phaselis the fire whereof Ctesias writes will be kindled with water and quencht with earth And in the Country of Megalopolis and the fields about Arcia a coal falling on the earth sets it on fire So in Lycia the Hills Ephesti being touched with a Torch flame out insomuch that the stones and sands there do burn in the waters
of brass you may make Iron to become white If you put amongst it some silver though it be not much it will soon resemble the colour of silver for Iron doth easily suffer it self to be medled with gold or silver and they may be so thoroughly incorporated into each other that by all the rules of separation that can be used you cannot without great labour and very much ado separate the one of them from the other CHAP. V. Of Quick-silver and of the effects and operations thereof IN the next place it is meet that we speak something concerning Quick-silver and the manifold operations thereof wherein we will first set down certain vulgar and common congelations that it makes with other things because many men do desire to know them and secondly we will shew how it may be dissolved into water that they which are desirous of such experiments may be satisfied herein First therefore we will shew How Quick-silver may be congealed and curdled as it were with Iron Put the quick-silver into a casting vessel and put together with it that water which the Blacksmith hath used to quench his hot Iron in and put in also among them Ammoniack Salt and Vitriol and Verdegrease twice so much of every one of these as there was quick-silver let all these boil together in an exceeding great fire and still turn them up and down with an Iron slice or ladle and if at any time the water boil away you must be sure that you have in a readiness some of the same water through hot to cast into it that it may supply the waste which the fire hath made and yet not hinder the boiling thus will they be congealed all together within the space of six hours After this you must take the congealed stuff when it is cold and binde it up hard with your hands in leather thongs or linnen cloth or osiers that all the juice and moisture that is in it may be squeesed out of it then let that which is squeesed and drained out settle it self and be congealed once again till the whole confection be made then put it into an earthen vessel well washed and amongst it some spring-water and take off as neer as you can all the filth and scum that is upon it and is gone to waste and in that vessel you must temper and diligently mix together your congealed matter with spring-water till the whole matter be pure and clear then lay it abroad in the open air three days and three nights and the subject which you have wrought upon will wax thick and hard like a shell or a tile-sheard There is also another congelation to be made with quick-silver Congeailng of Quick-silver with balls of Brass thus make two Brass half circles that that may fasten one within the other that nothing may exhale put into them quick-silver with an equal part of white Arsenick and Tartar well powdred and searced lute the joynts well without that nothing may breathe forth so let them dry and cover them with coles all over for six hours then make all red hot then take it out and open it and you shall see it all coagulated and to stick in the hollow of the Brass ball strike it with a hammer and it will fall off melt it and project it and it will give an excellent colour like to Silver and it is hard to discern it from Silver If you will you may mingle it with three parts of melted Brass and without Silver it will be exceeding white soft and malleable It is also made another way Make a great Cup of Silver red Arsenick and Latin with a cover that sits close that nothing may exhale fill this with quick-silver and lute the joynts with the white of an Egg or some Pine-tree-rosin as it is commonly done hang this into a pot full of Linseed Oyl and let it boil twelve hours take it out and strain it through a skin or straw and if any part be not coagulated do the work again and make it coagulate If the vessel do coagulate it slowly so much as you find it hath lost of its weight of the silver Arsenick and Alchymy make that good again for we cannot know by the weight use it it is wonderful that the quick-silver will draw to it self out of the vessel and quick-silver will enter in Now I shall shew what may be sometimes useful To draw water out of Quick-silver Make a vessel of potters earth that will endure the fire of which crucibles are made six foot long and of a foot Diameter glassed within with glass about a foot broad at the bottom a finger thick narrower at the top bigger at bottom About the neck let there be a hole as big as ones finger and a little pipe coming forth by which you may fitly put in the quick-silver on the top of the mouth let there be a glass cap fitted with the pipe and let it be smeered with clammy clay and bind it above that it breathe not forth For this work make a furnace let it be so large at the top that it may be fit to receive the bottom of the vessel a foot broad and deep You must make the grate the fire is made upon with that art that when need is you may draw it back on one side and the fire may fall beneath Set therefore the empty vessel into the furnace and by degrees kindle the fire Lastly make the bottom red hot when you see it to be so which you may know by the top you must look through the glass cap presently by the hole prepared pour in ten or fifteen pounds of quick-silver and presently with clay cast upon it stop that hole and take away the grate that the fire may fall to the lower parts and forthwith quench it with water Then you shall see that the water of quick-silver will run forth at the nose of the cap into the receiver under it about an ounce in quantity take the vessel from the fire and pour forth the quick-silver and do as before and always one ounce of water will distil forth keep this for Chymical operation I found this the best for to smug up women with This artifice was found to purifie quick-silver I shall not pass over another art no less wonderful than profitable for use To make quick-silver grow to be a Tree Dissolve silver in aqua fortis what is dissolved evaporate into thin air at the fire that there may remain at the bottom a thick unctious substance Then distil fountain-water twice or thrice and pour it on that thick matter shaking it well then let it stand a little and pour into another glass vessel the most pure water in which the silver is adde to the water a pound of quick-silver in a most transparent crystalline glass that will attract to it that silver and in the space of a day will there spring up a most beautiful tree from the bottom and hairy as
let it heat and melt then remove it with iron tongs into the hottest flames of the glass-makers fornace for three or four days Afterwards the pot being taken out and cold break it and in the top you will find glass of a saffron colour not clear but the longer it standeth in the fire the perfecter it will grow neither have I known better in this kind of those many that I have tryed It must be reduced into fine powder for the which not onely a morter and mills will be requite but also a Porphyrian stone If it be too florid you may make it of a more faint colour by adding glass to it Another way to make it This is onely for friends Take nine parts of burnt Tinne seven of Lead two of Cinnabaris of Spanish-soder and Tartar one part and a half of the Blood-stone one part of Painters red a fourth part And do with it as in the former CHAP. X. Of leaves of Metal to be put under Gems THere are certain leaves of Metal laid under Gems which being perspicuous are thereby made paler or deeper as you will for if you would have them of a fainter colour you must put under them leaves of a more clear brightness if of a deeper leaves of a darker hue Moreover Gems being transparent are seen quite through and discover the bottom of the ring which taketh much of their beauty off This is an invention of later times who by terminating the transparency of stones with leaves of a most bright and pleasant colour do fit and make up and mend the colour of the stones I have been very much delighted in this kind of work and therefore will deliver it particularly The leaves are to be made either of Copper alone or of Copper Gold and Silver mixt together I will speak of those which are made of Copper alone You must buy at the Brasiers-shops some thin plates of Copper of the thickness of strong paper that they may be the easier made thinner which you must cut into pieces of three fingers in length and two in breadth so that a sheet of two pound will be divided into a hundred and thirty parts these we must divide again into two parts that they may be hammered more easily Take fourty and heat them as Artificers do gold when they beat it out into thinne rays Let the anvile and hammer be smooth and polished lest the heavy stroaks should make dents in the Copper and break it Discontinue your work by turns so that you may hammer the Copper while it is hot and prepared by the fire and put it into the fire when it is cold for if you do otherwise it will break in pieces which you must presently remove from the rest for those that are broken will break others But that they may be the more easier prepared when they begin to be exâ—eruated I make use of this invention There must be prepared two plates of iron of a hand square and the thickness of paper Double one of them that it may receive the other within the folds of it so that they may receive the plates of Copper in the middle and enclose them on all sides that they can neither slip out nor any dust or ashes fall in so stick to them When you have thus enclosed the Copper plates put them into the fire and heat them then take them out with iron tongs and shaking off the ashes beat them with your hammer till they are cold and so they will become thin and fine rays But while you are beating one set others to heat and do this eight times over until you have hammer'd them very thin and made them fit for your purpose It will be worth your labor to look often upon them to see if any be broken in the working for they will break their fellows But because they are wont to grow black in the working and foul so that they oftentimes deceive the eye therefore it is fit that you have a pot of water ready with an equal quantity of Tartar and salt in it and let it boil over the fire Put into it your rays and stirre them about continually till they be boiled white Then take them out and wash them in a pot of clear water till they be very clean then dry them with a linnen cloth and then heat them and beat them on the anvile again as before until they spread into rays as thin as leaf-gold When this work is to be done the hammer and anvile must be as smooth and polished and bright as a looking-glass which you may effect in this manner First of all hold them to the grinde-stone wherewith they grinde knives until they be smoothed and planed then rub them with fine sand and Pumice-stone afterwards glaze them with a wheele and polish them with a plate of lead and powder of emerald if you use any other art you will but lose your labour Thus in two days your work will be finished that is by heating your plates eight or ten times and preparing them and by whiting them four times at least Finally examine them all whether they be whole and of a sufficient thinness so that if any remain too thick they may again be brought to the hammer and perfected But I must advertise you that the thinner they grow the less time they must lye in the fire because they will presently melt and so also in the water because the salt will eat into them At last cut them with sheares into square pieces that they may be more convenient for use CHAP. XI How leaves of Metals are to be polished THe plates being thus thinned and finished we will fall to polishing of them But first we must provide tools wherewith to perform it Take a plate of Copper of a foot in length and a hand in breadth most exquisitely burnished that it may be as smooth as a looking-glass bow it either with your hand or a hammer by little and little into the form of a semicylinder Then turn a piece of wood so that it may be equal and fit for it in every part and be received into the convexity of it where being fastned with four nails at the corners of the plate it may remain stedfast Fix this wood upon a little frame with two bars of a foot height fastned to the ends of it Now we will begin to burnish the plates which must be thus done provide chalk made into fine powder after this sort take some beaten clay wrap it in a clean and indifferently fine cloth and put it into a washing-bowl full of water stirre it about here and there in the water that the finest part may be washed through and the courser remain in the cloth then put the new chalk into the cloth again stirre it and strain it till it all pass through the cloth and then suffer the water to settle and seirce it through a strainer onely changing the water until no gross settlement
the Wine for the life and tenuous part is taken out Then distil the same again an the third time alwayes drawing off but a third part Then prepare a Vessel with a longer and straighter neck of three cubits and distil it again in this at last put it into the mouth of the Vessel cover it with Parchment and set on the Cap of the Stillatory and kindle the fire the thin spirits of the Wine will pass through all and fall down into the Receiver and the phlegm which cannot get passage will settle to the bottom The note of perfect deputation from phlegm will be if a rag being dipt in it and set on fire do burn quite away or if some of it being dropt on a plain boaâ—â— be kindled into flame doth leave no moysture or mark of it But all the work dependeth on this that the mouth of the Vessel be exactly stopped and closed so that the least Spirit may not finde vent and flie into Air. The fittest thing to stop them with is an Ox's Bladder or some other Beasts for being cut into broad fiâ—â—ets and while they be wet rolled and tied about where the mouths of the Vessels meet it will alone keep in the expiring vapors You may observe this in the Distillation of it The Coals being hot the Vessel boyleth and a most burning Spirit of the Wine ascendeth through the neck of the Vessel it is hot below and cold on the top till it getteth up into the Cap then encountring with cold it turneth into water and runneth down by the nose into the Receiver and what was a long time ascending then in a small interval of time flows down again to the under-placed Glass Then the Cap being cold sendeth down that quality through the neck into the very belly of the Stillatory until the Spirit being separated from the phlegm worketh the same effâ—ct again I use to suffer the Wine to ascend so long as the Spirit runneth invisible into the Receiver for when the phlegm ascendeth there will appear bubbles in the Cap and streams which will run into the water through the nose Then I take away that dead carcase of the Wine and pour in fresh VVine and extract the Spirit out of the same way To do the same a more compendious way Those who desire to do this in a shorter time must make a Brass Vessel of the bigness of an ordinary Barrel in the form of a Gourd but the nose of the Cap must be made of Glass or Brass of fifteen or twenty foot winding about with circling Revolutions or mutual crossings or as it were with the circling of Snakes which they must set in wooden Vessels full of cold water that passing through it may be received into the Receiver For when it hath distilled the third part of the VVine in three hours they must cast out the residue and put that which is distilled into the Stillatory again and the second time diâ—â—ill out a third part so also the third time in the same day At length they put it into a Stillatory with a longer neck and separate the phlegm from it Some make the Cap with three or four heads setting one upon another all being pervious but the uppermost and every one having his nose and his particular Receiver They fit them to the Vessel with a long neck set them on binde them and lute them that they have no vent the water which distilleth out of the uppermost head is cleerest and most perfect that out of the lowest more imperfect and must be reserved asunder for they will be of different estimation the highest will be cleere from all phlegm the lower full of it the middle in a mean between both How to make Aqua Vitae of new Wine It may be done without the charge of Coals and VVood for it may worthily be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither doth it require the attendance of a learned Artist but of an ignorant Clown or a woman for this Spirit is drawn out meerly by the vehement working of Nature to free her self without any other help whatever When the VVine is run out of the press into the Ho shead and other Vessels and beginneth to purge place an earthen neck or one of wood being two cubits in length upon the bung-hole of the Vessel set the Cap upon the neck and lute the joynts very close that there may be no vent set the Receiver under the nose to take the Water which floweth down Thus thine exhaltations being elevated by the working Spirits of the Wine are converted into Water meerly for the work of Nature without the help of fire which therefore hath his particular vertues which we will pass over now and mention them in another place CHAP IV. How to distil with the heat of the Sun WE may distil not onely with fire but with the Sun and Dung But the last tainteth the distilled Waters with a scurvy sent The Sun extracteth the best Water and very useful for many Medicines The heat of the fire changeth the Nature of things and causeth hot and fiery qualities in them Wherefore in all Medicines for the eyes we must use Waters extracted from the Sun for others do fret and corrode the eye these are more gentle and soft The Sun extracteth more Water then the fire because the vapours do presently condense and drop down which they do not over the fire because they are driven up with a force and stick to the sides of the Stillatory and fall down again into the bottom There are other advantages which shall be explicated in their proper places Besides it is good Husbandry for the work is done without wood or coals or labour It is but filling the Vessels with the Ingredients and setting them in the Sun and all the pains is past Therefore to explain the manner in a few words Prepare a Form of three foot in height two in breadth and of a length proportionable to the number of the Vessels you intend to set to Work if many make it longer if a few let it be shorter Board up that side of the Form next the Sun lest the heat do warm the Receivers and make the Water ascend again In the middle of the upper plank of the Form make several holes for the necks of the Glasses to pass down through When the Sun hath passed Gemini for this must be performed in the heat of Summer only set your form abroad in the Sun Gather your Herbs before Sun-rise pick them and cleanse them from dust and durt of mens feet from the urine and ordure of Worms and other Creatures and such kind of fiâ—th and pollutions Then lest they should foul and soil the Water shake them and wipe them with clothes and lastly wash your hands and then them and dry them in the shade when they are dried put them into the Glasses take some wire-Cittern strings and winde them into round clues so that being let go they may
and set them to macerate ten days in dung being close stopt up then accomodate them to the Furnace and kindle fire an Oyl mixt with water distils out of a most pleasant sent The same may be done with Orange and Lemmon-peal In places where Flowers and Fruits are not to be had they cut off the tops of the Branches and Tindrils and slice them into four-inch-pieces and so distil them Oyl of Roses and Citron-Flowers is drawn after the same sort a most excellent Oyl and of an admirable savour But because the Oyl is very hardly distinguished from the Water pour the Water into a long Glass with a narrow neck and expose it to the Sun being close stopt the Oyl will by little and little ascend to the top which you must gather off with a Feather or pour out by inclining the Glass Sweet Oyl of Berjamin is to be made by putting Benjamin into a Glass-Retort and fitting it to the Furnace then encrease the fire without any fear of combustion and you will obtain a fragrant Oyl to be used in precious Oyntments So Oyl of Storax Calamite and Labdanum and other Gums So also Oyl of Musk Amber and Civet cannot be extracted more comodiously by any Instrument Art or Labour then by the aforesaid for they are of so thin a substance that they can hardly endure any the least heat without contracting a scurvy base stink of burning yet by this Artifice it may be drawn out very safely I see nothing to the contrary but that we may extract Oyl out of Spices also very securely by the same Artifice CHAP. X. How to extract Oyl out of Gums THere is a peculiar Extraction of Oyl out of Gums which although they require the same means almost as the former that is the mixing them with Waterâ— and macerating them for many days then putting them into a Brass pot and by a vehement fire forcing out the Oyl with the Water yet doth it come out but in a small quantity of an excellent odor and free from the stink of the fire as thus they usually deal with Opoponax Gaâ—â—anum Storax and others But they are distilled also another way by Ashes which doth require the diligent attendance of the Work-man and a singular judgement and provident dexterity in him for it is rather an ingenious then painful Operation I will set down an example How to extract Oyl out of Benjamin Macerate the Benjamin in Rose-water or omitting that put it into a Retort set the Retort into a Pot full of Sand so that it may fill up the space between the side of the Pot and bottom of the Retort put the neck of it into a Receiâ—er with a wide belly kindle the fire by little and little and without any haste or violence of heat let the Water distil by and by increase the fire that the Oyl may flow out yet not too intensely for fear of burning but moderately between both the oyly vapors will straight fill all the Receiver then will they be condensed and turn into flakes like Wool and sticking to the sides and middle of the Glass present you with a pleasant spectacle by and by they are turned into little bubbles so into Oyl and fall down to the bottom keep the fire in the same temper until all the Feces are dried then remove it or fear of ustion Oyl of Storax is drawn in the same manner but if the Storax be liquified it will run with a gentle fire it is of a strong and quick odâ—r Calamites requires a more lively fire such as was used in Benjamin and a diligent attendance for too much fire will cause adustion in it Oyl of Ladanum Beat the Ladanum and macerate it fifteen days in Aqua Vitae or Greek-Wine at least ten for the lonâ—er it infuseth the sooner it will run into Oyl draw it with a gentle fire it will distil out by drops after the Water Oyl of Turpentine is extracted easily for it floweth with a gentle fire but beware in the operation that no smoak do evaporate out of it for it presently will take fire and with a magnetick vertue attract the flame and carry it into the Retort where it will hardly be extinguished again which will happen in the extraction of Oyl of Olives and Linseed Oyl If you distil common Oyl it will hardly run yet en reasing the fire it will come out in six hours you must be very careful that the Ashes and Pot do not wax too hot for if the Oyl within take fire it will break the Vessels and flie up that it can hardly be quenched and reach the very cieling so that it is best to operate upon Oyls in arched Rooms From herce Artificers of Fire-works learned to put Oyl in their Compositions because it quickly taketh fire and is hardly extinguished CHAP. XI Several Arts how to draw Oyl out of other things THe Nature of things being diverse do require divers ways of distilling Oyl out of them for some being urged by fire are sublimed and will not dissolve into Liquor others cannot endure the fire but are presently burned From which variety of tempers there must arise also a variety in the manner of Extraction I will set down some examples of these that ingenious Artists may not despair to draw Oyls out of any thing whatever Oyl out of Honey is hard enough to be extracted for it swells up with the least heat and riseth in bubbles so that it will climbe up thorow the neck of the Retort though it be never so long into the Head and fall down into the Receiver before it can be dissolved into Liquor or Oyl There are divers remedies found out to help this Take a Glass with a short wide neck put your Honey into it and stop it in with Flax quite over-laid two fingers thick This will repress the Honey when it swelleth and froaths and make it sink down again Clear Water will drop out at first but when it beginneth to be coloured take away the Receiver and set another in the place so keep the Waters severally Or put Honey into any Vessel so that it may fill it up four large fingers above the bottom and cover it close as the manner is then dig a hole in the ground and set the Vessel in as far as the Honey ariseth then lute it and plaister it about four fingers above the Ground and drie it well kindle your Coals round about it then will the Honey grow hot and by degrees stick to the Pot but because the heat is above it it cannot swell up but very easily distilleth Water and Oyl first yellow next reddish until the Honey be turned into a very Coal There is another way which may be performed by any Woman Pour the Honey into a new Pipkin and cover it dig a hole and bury it abroad about a cubit under Ground there let it putrifie for ten days then take it up and there will swim on the top of the
either white or black or brown The white is made of Crude Parâ—er washed in Rose-water or other sweet Water and adding Musk Amber Civet and such-like it will smell at a good distance CHAP. VII How to make sweet Compounds THere may be made divers kindes of sweet Compounds of which are made Beads which some use to reckon their Prayers by and others to trim their clothes with also wash-Balls to cleanse and sweeten the hands And first How to make sweet Balls with small charge which yet shall seem to be very costly and sweet Take one ounce of Cyprian Powder and Benjamin of the best mixture which is brought out of Turky half an ounce of Cloves a sufficient quantity of Illyrian Iris. First melt some Gum Tragacantha in Rose-water then with the former powder make it into a Mass and rowl it up in little Balls bore them thorow and fix every one on a several tent upon the Table then take four Grains of Musk dissolve it in Rose-water and wash the outside of the Balls with it then let them dry afterwards wet them again for three or four times so will they cast forth a most pleasant sent round about which they will not quickly lose But if you would bestow more cost and have a greater sent I will shew How to make them another way Take one ounce of Storax of Amber half one a fourth part of Labdanum cleansed one drachm of Lignum aloes and Cinnamon an eighth part of Musk. Beat the Gum Storax and Amber in a Brass Morter with an Iron Pestle being both hot when these are well mixed cast in the other powders and mix them all together at last add the Musk and before they grow cold from what you please of them I will add also Another Compound very necessary in a time of Plague which will not onely refresh the Brains with its sweet odour but will preserve it against infection Take three ounces of Labdanum as much Storax one of Bejamin an ounce and a half of Cloves an ounce of Sanders three of Champhire one of Lignum Aloes Calamus Aromaticus and juice of Valerian a drachm of Amber mix all these in the juice of Balm Rose-water and Storax dissolved But to wash the Face and Hands I will set down a most Noble Composition Of washing Balls or Musk-Balls Take the fat of a Goat and purifie it in this manner Boyl a Lye with the Pills of Citron in a Brass Kettle let the fat remain in it for an hour then strain it thorow a Linen-cloth into cold water and it will be purified Make the Lye of two parts of the Ashes of the Ceruss-Tree one of Lime and half a Porringer of Alom mingle them and put them in a wooden Bowl with two holes in the bottom stopt with Straw then pour in water that it may cover them three fingers over and strain it out thorow the holes when the first is run out add another quantity of water and so the third time whilst the water doth receive any saltness Keep these several runnings asunder and add some of the second third unto the first while a new Egg will swim in it for if it sink and go to the bottom it will be too weak therefore add some of the first running If it swim on the top and lie upon the surface of the Water put in some of the second and third running until it descend so that scarce any part of it be seen above the Water Heat twenty pound of this Water in a Brass Kettle and put into it two of the fat then strain it out into broad Platters and expose it to the hot Sun mixing it often every day When it is grown hard make Pomanders of it and reserve them You may thus perfume them Put two pound of the Pomanders into a Bowl and with a VVooden Spoon mix it with Rose-water till it be very soft when it hath stood still a while and is grown hard add more water and set it in the Sun do this for ten days Then take half a drachm of Musk somewhat less Civet and as much of Cinnamon well beaten mix them and if you add a little Rose-powder it will smell much sweeter then judge of it by your nose If the sent be too weak add more of the Perfumes if too strong more of the Soap How to make Soap and multiply it Since we are fallen upon the discourse of Soap we will not pass it over this Take Soap Geta and reduce it into a small Powder set it on the fire in a Brass Kettle full of Lye of a moderate strength so that in three hundred pound of Lye you may put fourscore of Soap When the Water beginneth to boyl up in bubbles stir it with a wooden Ladle and if the Lye do fail in the boyling add new When the Water is evaporated take the Kettle from the fire and cast in six pound of ordinary Salt well beaten and with an Iron Ladle empty it out and let it cool all night In the mean time prepare a brine so sharp that it will bear an Egg. In the morning cut the Soap into slices and put it into a broad Vessel and pour the brine on it there let it stand one quarter of a day and it will become very hard If you put some Sal Alchali into the brine it will make it much harder CHAP. VIII How to make sweet Perfumes IT remaineth that we speak of Perfumes for they are very necessary for the senting of Skins Clothes and Powders and to enrich Noble mens Chambers with sweet odors in Winter they are made either of Waters or Powders How to make Perfumes of Waters Take four parts of Storax three of Benjamin of Labdanum Lignum Aloes and Cinnamon one an eighth part of Cloves a little Musk and Amber Beat them all grossly and put them in a Brass Pot with an ounce and a half of Rose-water Set the Pot over the fire or hot Ashes that it may be hot but not boyl it will cast forth a pleasant odor when the Water is consumed put in more You may also add what you have reserved in the making Aqua Nanfa for it will send out a very sweet fume Another way Take three parts of Cloves two of Benjamin one of Lignum Aloes as much Cinnamon Orange-Pill and Sanders an eight part of Nutmeg Beat them and put them into a pot and pour into them some Orange-flower-water Lavender and Myrtle-water and so heat it Another way Express and strain the juice of Lemmon into which put Storax Camphire Lignum Aloes and empty Musk-Cods macerate them all in Balneo for a week in a Glass-Bottle close stopt When you would perfume your Chamber cast a drop of this Liquor into a Brass Pot full of Rose-water and let it heat over warm Ashes it will smell most pleasantly Excellent Pomanders for perfuming Take out of the Decoction for Aqua Nanfa Lignum Aloes Sanders Cinnamon and Cloves and of the
remaining Powders make a mass which you may form into cakes which being burnt on hot Ashes smell very sweetly I take out the Cinnamon and the Woods because in burning they cast forth a stink of smoak Another way Take one pound and a half of the Coals of Willow ground into dust and seirced four ounces of Labdanum three drachms of Storax two of Benjamin one of Lignum Aloes mix the Storax Benjamin and Labdanum in a Brass Morter with an Iron Pestle heated and put to them the Coal and Lignum Aloes powdered Add to these half an ounce of liquid Storax then dissolve Gum Tragacantha in Rose-water and drop it by degrees into the Morter When the powders are mixed into the form of an Unguent you may make it up into the shape of Birds or any other things and dry them in the shade You may wash them over with a little Musk and Amber upon a Pencil and when you burn them you will receive a most sweet fume from them Another Perfume Anoynt the Pill of Citron or Lemmon with a little Civet stick it with Cloves and Races of Cinnamon boyl it in Rose-water and it will fill your chamber with an odorifeous fume CHAP. IX How to adulterate Musk. THese Perfumes are often counterfeited by Impostors wherefore I will declare how you may discern and beware of these Cheats for you must not trust whole Musk-Cods of it there being cunning Impostors who fill them with other things and onely mix Musk enough to give its sent to them Black Musk inclining to a dark red is counterfeited with Goats blood a little rosted or toasted bread so that three or four parts of them beaten with one of Musk will hardly be discovered The Imposture may be discerned onely thus The Bread is easie to be crumb'd and the Goats blood looketh clear and bright within when it is broken It is counterfeited by others in this manner Beat Nutmegs Mace Cinnamon Cloves Spikenard of each one handful and seirce them carefully then mix them with the warm blood of Pigeons and dry them in the Sun Afterward beat them again and wet them with Musk-water and Rose-water dry them beat them and moysten them very many times at length add a fourth part of pure Musk and mix them well and wet them again with Rose-water and Musk-water divide the Mass into several parts and rowl them in the hair of a Goat which groweth under his Tail Others do it Another way and mingle Storax Labdanum and Powder of Lignum Aloes add to the Composition Musk and Civet and mingle all together with Rose-water The Imposture is discovered by the easie dissolving of it in water and it differeth in colour and sent Others augment Musk by adding Roots of Angelica which doth in some sort imitate the sent of Musk. So also they endeavour To adulterate Civet with the Gall of an Ox and Storax liquified and washed or Cretan Honey But if your Musk or Amber have lost their sent thus you must do To make Musk recover its sent hang it in a Jakes and among stinks for by striving against those ill savours it exciteth its own vertue reviveth and recovereth its lost sent THE TWELFTH BOOK OF Natural Magick Of Artificial Fires THE PROEME BEfore I leave off to write of Fire I shall treat of that dangerous Fire that works wonderful things which the vulgar call Artificial Fire which the Commanders of Armies and Generals use lamentably in divers Artifices and monstrous Designs to break open Walls and Cities and totally to subvert them and in Sea-fights to the infinite ruine of mâ—rtal men and whereby they oft-times frustrate the malicious enterprizes of their Enemies The matter is very useful and wonderful and there is nothing in the world that more frights and terrifies the mindes of men God is coming to judge the world by Fire I shall describe the mighty hot Fires of our Ancestors which they used to besiege places with and I shall add those that are of later Invention that far exceed them and lastly I shall speak of those of our days You have here the Compositions of terrible Gun-powder that makes a noise and then of that which makes no noise of Pipes that vomit forth deadly Fires and of Fires that cannot be quenched and that will rage under Water at the very bottom of it Whereby the Seas rend asunder as if they were undermined by the great violence of the flames striving against them and are lifted up into the Air that Ships are drawn by the monstrous Gulphs Of Fireâ—Balls that flie with glittering Fire and terrifie Troops of Horse-men and overthrow them So that we are come almost to eternal Fires CHAP. I. How divers ways to procure Fire may be prepared VItruvius saith That it fell out by accident that sundry Trees frequently moved with Windes and Tempests the Bows of them rubbing one against another and the parts smiting each other and so being ratified caused heat and took fire and flamed exceedingly Wilde people that saw this ran away When the Fire was out and they durst come neerer and found it to be a great commodity for the Body of man they preserved the Fire and so they perceived that it afforded causes of civility of conversing and talking together Pliny saith It was found out by Souldiers and Shepherds In the Camp those that keep watch found this out for necessity and so did Shepherds because there is not always a Flint ready Theophrastus teacheth what kindes of Wood are good for this purpose and though the Anger and the handle are sometimes both made of one sort of Wood yet it is so that one part acts and the other suffers so that he thinks the one part should be of hard Wood and the other of soft Example Wood that by rubbing together will take Fire They are such as are very hot as the Bay-Tree the Buck-thorn the Holm the Piel-Tree But Mâ—estor adds the Mulberry-Tree and men conjecture so because they will presently blunt the Ax. Oâ— all these they make the Auger that by rubbing they may resist the more and do the business more firmly but the handle to receive them is to be made of soft Wood as the Ivy the wilde Vine and the like being dried and all moisture taken from them The Olive is not fit because it is full of fat matter and too much moysture But those are worst of all to make Fires that grow in shady places Pliny from him One Wood is rub'd against another and by rubbing takes Fire some dry fuel as Mushroomes or Leaves easily receiving the Fire from them But there is nothing better then the Ivy that may be rubbed with the Bay-Tree or this with that Also the wilde Vine is good which is another kinde of wilde Vine and runs upon Trees as the Ivy doth But I do it more conveniently thus Rub one Bay-Tree against another and rub lustily for it will presently smoak adding a little Brimstone put your fuel
neerer or dry matter made of dry Toad-stools or Leaves that are very fine found about the Roots of Colts-foot for they will soon take fire and retain it I have done the same with Ivy-wood cleansed from the Bark and dried and by rubbing one Reed against another or which is better drawing a cord swiftly upon it The West-Indians binde two dry sticks together and they put a stick between them which they turn about with their hands moved from them and so they kindle fire But since the minde of Man seldom rests in the thing once invented but seeks for new Inventions by mans industry there is found out A stone that will raise Fire with any moysture The way to make it is thus Take quick Brimstone Salt-Peter refined of each a like weight Camphire the double weight to quick Lime and beat them all in a Morter till they be so fine that they will flie into the Air binde them all fast together wrapt in a Linen-clout and put them into an earthen pot let it be well stopt lute it well with clay and straw and let it dry in the Sun then put them into a Potters Oven and when the earthen Vessel is perfectly baked they will grow together and be hard as a Stone take them out and lay them up in a dry place for use I went to try this in haste and my experience failed me I know certainly that some of my Friends have done it but the pot must not have any vent for it will all burn away Yet I have seen water cast upon quick Lime and by putting Brimstone to it it took Fire and fired Gun-powder This I can maintain CHAP. II. Of the Compositions for Fire that our Ancestors used BEfore I come to our Compositions for Fire-works I shall set down those that our fore-Fathers used in Sea-fights and in taking or defending of Cities Thucidides saith That those that besieged Plataenenses when Engines would do no good they fell to Fire-works for casting about the Walls bundles of stuff and throwing in Fire Brimstone and Pitch they burnt the wall whence arose such a flame that until that time no man ever saw the like Heron teacheth That in burning of Walls after you have made a hole thorow you must put wood of the Pine-Tree under and anoynt them with dry pitch and powdered Brimstone together with Tar or Oyl and set this on fire And elsewhere he teacheth to burn with a pot Take an earthen Pitcher and binde it about with plates of Iron on the outside and let it be full of small coal let there be a hole about the bottom to put in the Bellows for when the coals take fire by sprinkling on of vinegar piss or any other sharp matter the Walls are broken Vegetius teacheth what combustible matter must be used and he useth burning Oyl Hards Brimstone Bitumen Burning Arrows are shot in Cross-bows into the Enemies Ships and these being smeered over with Wax Pitch and Rosin they quickly fire the Decks with so many things that afford fuell to the Fire I shall add The Fire-Darts the Ancients used Aâ—â—ianus Marcellinus described Fire-Darts a kinde of Weapon made after such a fashion It is an Arrow of Cane joyned with many Irons between the Shaft and the Head and they are made hollow after the fashion of a womans Distaff wherewith Linen-threed is spun in the midst of it it hath many small holes and in the very hollow of it is put fire with some combustible matter and so is it easily shot forth of a weak Bow for a Bow that is strong puts out the Fire and there is no means to put it out but by casting on Dust or Lees of Oyl Livy Some came with burning Torches others carrying Tow Pitch and Fire-Darts and the whole Army shined as if it were all in flames but in the concave part of this Dart there was Glue and Fuel for Fire not to be extinguished of Colophonia Brimstone Salt-Peter all mingled with Oyl of Bays Others say with Oyl of Peter Ducks-grease the Pith of the Reed of Ferula Brimstone and as others think with Oyl Tallow Colophonia Camphire Rosin Tow. The old Warriors called this an incendiary composition Lucan speaks of burning of Ships This plague to water is not consonant For burning Torches Oyl and Brimstone joyn'd Are cast abroad and fuel was not scant The Ships do burn with Pitch or Wax combin'd And elsewhere He bids them shoot their Shafts into the Sails Besmeer'd with Pitch and so he soon prevails The Fire straight doth burn what 's made of Flax And so their Decks were fir'd by melting Wax And tops of Masts were burâ—â— and Sea-mens packs But in compositions for Arrows and Darts that they might burn the more vehemently they put melted Vernish Printers Oyl Petroleum Turpentine made up with the sharpest Vinegar pressed close and dried at the Sun and wrap'd over with Tow and with sharp Irons to defend it wrought together like to a bottom of yarn all which at last only passing over one hole are smeered over with Colophonia and Brimstone after the manner that follows But by the subtilty of the Greeks there was invented A Fire called the Greek Fire To overcome the Ship presently they boyl'd Willow-coals Salt Spirit of VVine Brimstone Pitch with the yarn of the soft VVooll of Ethiopia and Camphire which it is wonderful to speak will burn alone in the water consuming all matter Callimachus the Architect flying from Heliopolis taught the Romans that thing first and many of their Emperors did use that against their Enemies afterwards Leo the Emperor burnt with this kinde of Fire those of the East that sail'd against Constantinople with 1800 Carvels The same Emperor shortly after burnt with the same Fire 4000 Ships of the Enemy and 350 in like manner Prometheus found out that Fire would keep a yeer in the Cane Ferula wherefore Martial speaks of them thus Canes that the Masters love but Boys do hate Are by Prâ—metheus gift held at great rate CHAP. III. Of the divers Compositions of Gun-powder WE should be ill spoken of if that treating of fiery Compositions we should not first say something of that wonderful Gun-powder that is the Author of so many wonderful things for it is an ingredient in all mixtures and all depends upon it not that I have any minde to speak of it because it is so common but of such things that have some new or hidden secret in them It is made of four parts of Salt-Peter Brimstone and VVillow-coals of each one part But the Salt-Peter must be refined from common Salt the fat and earthly parts for that is the Foundation and Basis of the rest All of these must be well powdered and finely seirced and perfectly mingled together Therefore if you would have Gun-powder that shall make a great noise and do much service Put in more parts of Salt-Peter namely to one part of Brimstone and one of Willow-coal put in six or
Larch-wood compassed about with fire should suffer no hurt Moreover I read that liquid Alom as the Ancients report will stand out against fire For wood smeered with Alom and Verdignease whether they be posts or beams so they have a crust made about them will not burn with fire Aâ—â—â—â—laus the General for Mithridates made trial of it in a wooden Tower against 〈◊〉 which he attempted in vain to set on fire which I find observed by 〈◊〉 in his Annals But this liquid Alom is yet unknown to many learned men our Alum wants this property But many say that vinegar prevails against fire Plutarch saith That nothing will sooner quench fire them vinegar for of all things it most puts out the flame by its extreamity of cold Poliâ—â—â—â— reports 〈◊〉 when he was besieged by his enemies poured out of brazen vessels melted lead upon the engines that were set to scale the place and by this were the engines dissolved but the enemies poured vinegar upon it and by that they quenched the lead and all things else that fell from the walls and so they found vinegar to be the fittest to quench fire and an excellent experiment if things be wet with it Pliny prayseth the white of an egge to quench it saying that the white of an egge is so strong that if wood be wet with it it will not burn nor yet any garment Hieron to cover scaling engines used the raw hides of beasts new killed as having force to resist fire and the joynts of wood they fenced with chalk or with ashes tempered with blood or clay molded with hair or straw and with sea-weeds wet in vinegar for so they were safe from fire Carchedonius was the first that taught men to cover engins and rams with green hides I have heard by men of credit that when houses were on fire by a peculiar property the menstruons clothes of a woman that had her courses the first time cast over the planks would presently put out the fire Thick and muscilaginous juyces are good against fire as of Marsh-mallows Therefore Albertus writ not very absurdly that if a man anoint his hands with juyce of Marsh-mallows the white of an egge and vinegar with alom He may handle fire without hurt And it is a thing that hath much truth in it But I think that quick-silver killed in vinegar and the white of an egge and smeered on can preserve any thing from fire CHAP. X. Of divers compositions for fire I Shall speak of divers compositions for fire to be used for divers uses But men say M. Gracchus was Author of this invention To make a fiery composition that the Sun may kindle It consists of these things Oyl of Rosinous Turpentine of Quick-silver otherwise then I shewed in distilling of Juniper of Naphtha Linseed Colophonia Camphire let there be Pitch Salt-peter and Ducks-grease double to them all Aqua vitae refined from all flegm Pound them all and mingle them put them up in a glazed vessel and let them ferment two moneths in horse-dung always renewing the dung and mingling them together After the set time put it into a retort and distil it thicken the liquor either with Pigeons-dung finely sifted or with gunpowder that it may be like pap Wood that is smeered over with this mixture and set in the summer Sun will fire of it self Pigeons-dung easily takes fire by the Sun beams Galen reports That in Mysia a part of Asia a house was so set on fire Pigeons-dung was cast forth and touched a window that was neer as it came to touch the wood that was newly smeered with rosin when it was corrupted and grew hot and vapoured at Midsummer by heat of the Sun it fired the rosin and the window then other places smeered with Rosin took fire and by degrees part of the house began to take hold and when once the covering of the house began to flame it soon laid hold of the whole house because it hath a mighty force to inflame all Ducks-grease is very prevalent in fire-works and Physitians praise it extremely that it is most subtile penetrating and hot it makes other things penetrate and as it is most subtile and hot so it takes fire vehemently and burns I shall shew how to distil A most scalding Oyl When I would prepare the most excellent compositions of burning oyl I distilled common oyl in a retort but with great labour yet what was distilled was thin combustible and ready to fire that once kindled it was not to be put out and it would draw the flame at a great distance and hardly let it go But oyl of Linseed is stronger than it for if you distil it often it will have such a wonderful force to take fire that it can hardly be shut up in a vessel but it will draw the fire to it and the glass being opened it is so thin that it will fly into the Air and if the light of a candle or of fire touch it the Air takes fire and the oyl fired by it will cast the flame afar off so vehemently that it is almost impossible to quench it It must be distilled with great cunning lest the vessel over-heat it should take fire within Moreover Fire that is quenched with oyl is kindled with water It is thus made I said that Naphtha will burn in water and that Camphire is a kind of it Wherefore if you mingle brimstone with it or other things that will retain fire if you cast in oyl or mud it will quench it but it revives and flames more if you cast in water Livy relates That some old women in their plays lighting Torches made of these things passed over Tyber that it seemed a miracle to the beholders I said it was the property of Bitumen to take fire from water and to be quenched with oyl Dioscorides saith That the Thracian stone is bred in a certain River of Scythia the name of it is Pontus it hath the Force of Jet they say it is enflamed by water and quenched with oyl like as Bitumen Nicander speaks of this stone thus If that the Thracian stone be burnt in fire And wet with water the flame will aspire But oyl will quench it Thracian shepherds bring This stone from th' River Pontus Poets sing Torches that will not be put out by the winds They are made with brimstone for that is hardly put out if once kindled Wherefore Torches made with wax and brimstone may be carried safely through winds and tempests These are good for Armies to march by or for other necessary things Others use such They boil the wick of the Torches in Salt-peter and water when it is dried they wet them with brimstone and Aqua vitae of this mixture then they make their Candles with brimstone and then with half Camphire and Turpentine two parts Colophonia three of Wax of this they make four Candles and put them together in the middle that is empty they cast in quick-brimstone
and they will forcibly resist all things Or thus Boil wicks of Hemp or Cotton in water with Salt-peter take them out and dry them then melt in a brass pot equal parts of brimstone gunpowder and wax when they are melted put in your wicks to drink up part of the mixture take them out and to what is left in the kettle add Gunpowder Brimstone and Turpentine of each a like quantity of which mixture make your Torches and joyn them together Also there is made A cord that set on fire shall neither smoke nor smell When Souldiers or Hunters go secretly by day or night they use sometimes to make a Match that being lighted will neither smell near hand nor far off nor make any smoke for wild Beasts if the Match smell will sent it and run to the tops of the Mountains Take a new earthen pot and put into it a new cord so handsomely that the whole pot may be filled so laid in rounds that no more can go in cover it and lute it well three or four times that it may have no vent for the whole business depends on this Then make a fire round about it by degrees that first it may grow hot then very hot and lastly red hot and if sometimes the smoke come forth stop the chinks with clay still then heaped up under the coles let it grew cold of it self and opening the Pot you shall finde the Cord black like a cole Light this Cord and it will neither smoke nor smell CHAP. XI Fire-compositions for Festival days I Have shewed you Terrible and Monstrous fire-works it is fit to shew you some to use at Solemn Times not so much for use as to give you occasion to find out higher matters I shall shew then how to make one That when a man comes into his Chamber the whole Air way take fire Take a great quantity of the best refined Aqua vitae and put Camphire into it cut small for it will soon dissolve in it when it is dissolved shut the Windows and Chamber-doors that the vapour that exhales may not get forth when the vessel is full with water let it boil with coles put under without any flame that all the water may resolve into smoke and fill the Chamber and it will be so thin that you can scarce perceive it Let some man enter into the Chamber with a lighted Candle in his hand and the Air by the Candle light will take fire all about and the whole Chamber will be in a flame like an Oven and will much terrifie one that goes in If you dissolve in the water a little Musk or Amber-greese after the flame you shall smell a curious sent Also there is made Exceeding burning water Thus Take old strong black Wine put into it quick Lime Tartar Salt and quick-Brimstone draw out the water of them with a glass retort This will burn exceedingly and never cease till it be all consumed If you put it into a vessel with a very large mouth and put flame neer it it will presently take fire if when it is on fire you cast it against a wall or by night out at the window you shall see the Air full of sparks and kindled with fires It will burn held in your hands and yet will not scald you Distil it once again and it will burn the less But if you take equal parts of quick Lime and Salt and shall mingle them with common Oyl and make little Balls and cast them into the belly of the retort at the neck and then shall draw forth the Oyl by a vehement fire and mingling this Oyl again with Salt and quick Lime shall distill them again and shall do the same four times an Oyl will come forth that will burn wonderfully that some deservedly call it infernal Oyl A Solemn Pleasant fire is made for the Theater If Camphire be dissolved in Aqua vitae and with that Fillets Papers or Parchments be smeered and being dried again be lighted and shall fall from a loft as they fall lighted through the Air you shall see Serpents with great delight But if you dessire To cast flame a great way Do thus Beat Colophonia Frankincense or Amber finely and hold them in the palm of your hand and put a lighted Candle between your fingers and as you throw the Powder into the Air let it pass through the flame of the Candle for the flame will fly up high If you will have that Many Candles shall be lighted presently on Festival Days as I hear they are wont to do amongst the Turks You shall boil Brimstone and Orpiment with Oyl and in them let thred boil when it is dry bind it to the wicks of Candles and let them pass through for when one head is lighted the flame will run to them all and set them on fire Some call it Hermes his Oyntment Any man may Eating in the dark cast sparkles out of his mouth It is pleasant for the Spectators and it is thus Let a man eat Sugar-candy for as he breaks it with his teeth sparkles will seem to fly out of his mouth as if one should rub a fire-brand CHAP. XII Of some Experiments of Fires I Will set down some Experiments that are without the ranks of the rest I held it better to conceal them but they may give you occasion to think on greater matters by them If you will That Bullets from Brass Guns may enter deeper you may easily try this against a wall or plank set up Let the Ball rather go into the hollow of it streight then wide but wet it in Oyl before you put it in and so cast it in this Bullet shot off by force of fire will go in twice as far as otherwise The reason is easie for the Oyl takes away the occasion of the Airs breathing forth for all vents being stopt the flames striving within cast forth the Bullet with more violence as we shall shew more at large So also will the Bullets of Brass Guns penetrate with more force and if you lard the Bullets they will penetrate through Arms of proof I can also by a cunning Artifice Shoot a man through with a Bullet and no place shall be seen where it went in or came forth The minde of man is so cunning that it hath invented a way to shoot a man quite through with a Bullet and yet no mark of the Bullet shall appear though all the inward parts be bruised and beaten through Consider that what things are heavy are solid and so subtile that they will penetrate and leave no marks where they entred or came out and they will do the same though they be united as if they were disjoynted and every part will act by it self alone as it would do being united I have said thus to take away all occasions from ignorant and wicked people to do mischief I saw A Gun discharge often and yet no more powder was put in Famous Souldiers use
and draw your lines upon the lines of the letters you see through We may Open letters and shut them without suspition We use to seal letters putting paper upon them which goes through the letter on one side and wax is put on the other side where it comes forth and there it is sealed You shall open the letter thus Break away that part of the paper that is put upon the place where it passeth through the letter and the hole is the letter opens presently read it and shut it again and put the paper torn off in its proper place first anoynting the crack with gum-traganth dissolved in water for the paper will be so glewed that it will be stronger there then elsewhere press it with a small weight till it grow dry the fraud cannot be discovered because the glew is white and is not known from the colour of the paper CHAP. XII How you may spâ—ak at a great distance THere are many way how we may speak at a very great distance with our friends that are absent or when they are in prison or shut up in Cities and this is done with safety and without any suspition as I shall shew Two things are declared here either to do it by open voice reâ—uplicated or else by a Trunk We may With open voyce shew some things to those that are confederate with us It is wonderful that as the Light so the Voyce is reverberated with equal Angles I shall shew how this may be done by a glass It is almost grown common how to speak through right or circular walls The voice passing from the mouth goes through the Air if it goes about a wall that is uniform it passeth uncorrupted but if it be at liberty it is beaten back by the wall it meets with in the way and is heard as we see in an Eccho I through a circular building that was very long and smooth spake words to my friend that heard them round the wall and the words came entire to his ears but one standing in the middle heard not any noise and yet I heard again what my friend answered to me In the morning whenas I walked by the sea shore I heard above a mile what my friends talked in a Boat the sea was very calm and scarce moved and the words came clearly to me carried on the plain superficies of the water I hear that at Mantua and other places a great Gallery is built wherein one speaking in the corner is heard by another that knows the business standing in another corner but those that stand in the middle perceive nothing of it But more exactly and clearly To signifie to friends all things by a Trunk Let the pipe be of Earth but lead is better or of any matter well closed that the voice may not get forth in the long passage for whatever you speak at one end the voice without any difference as it came forth of the speakers mouth comes so to the ears of him that hearkneth and I doubt not but this may be done some miles off The voyce not divided or scattered goes whole a long way I have tried it for above two hundred paces when I had no other convenience and the words were heard so clear and open as the speaker uttered them Upon this it came into my mind to intercept words spoken by the way with leaden pipes and to hold them so long as I pleased close in that when I opened the hole the words should break forth I perceive that the sound goes by degrees and that being carried through a pipe it may be shut up in the middle and if a very long Trunk should take away the convenience of it that many winding pipes might shut it up in a close place I read that Albertus made an Artificial head that spake at a set time I might hope to do the same by this invention yet I never tried this farther then I have said yet I have heard by my friends that lovers have spoke a long time through a leaden pipe from their Houses that stood far asunder CHAP. XIII By night we may make signs by fire and with dust by day IT remains to shew whether we can make signs in the night by fire and in the day by dust to declare our business That may fall out two ways For by fire of a sudden we shew to our confederate friends or when we please by certain numbers of Torches we represent letters fit to demonstrate what our purpose is that those that are far off seeing and observing the motions may perceive our intent The first way we read that Medea promised to the Argonauts that if she killed Pelias she would signifie so much unto them by night with fire from a watch-Tower and by day with smoke When therefore the business was effected as she would have it she counterfeited that she must pay her vows to the Moon by making a fire by lighting Torches in the open Air from the top of the place as she had promised and when the Argonauts understood it this way they invaded the Kings palace and killing the guard they made her to enjoy her wishes We read also that Maga having possession of Paretonium agreed with the watch that at night in the evening and again in the morning beâ—imes they should set up the light that was for confederacy and by that means signs were made that the messenger came as far as Clius Also to friends that live out of the City by fire we may signifie our revenew and the quality of provision It is apparent that Annibal as Polybius writes when the people of Agrigentum were besieged by the Romans by many and frequent fires by night did shew forth the intolerable famine of his Army and for that cause many of his Souldiers for want of victuals fell off to the enemy Also the Grecians compacted with Sinon that by night when the Trojans were asleep those that came to Troy should have a token when he should open the Trojan Horse to let forth the Souldiers that were within Whence Virgil When the Kings fleet lift up the flames just then Did Sinon let forth all the Grecian men Also by Torches letters may be signified as we find it in the Manuscript of Polybius Tops of buildings or Towers are very fit to set up the Torches on Let the letters be divided into two or three parts if there may be eleven or seven parts of each If they be seven the first letters are shew'd by single Torches the second by double ones the third by three Torches The number may be also divided into four parts but in representing them we must observe the variety of motion For one Torch once lifted up shall signifie A the same lifted up twice B thrice C so seven times the last of the first order G after that two once H so many twice I thrice signifies L and so of the rest of the same order Then Q by the
from the point of Inversion but on the right hand about the superficies of the Glass and his face will come forth far from the Glass and will seem very great about the face of his friend Whatsoever he shall speak with a low voyce against the Glass he shall hear the same words and motions of his mouth and all motion from the mouth of the reflected Image and they that stand in the middle between them shall perceive nothing at all But he that would send his own Image to his friend must observe till his head shall come to the Glass It is profitable also By a Concave-Glass to see in the night what is done afar off By this very Glass we may in a tempestuous night in the middle of the streets cast the light a great way even into other mens Chambers Take the Glass in your hand and set a Candle to the point of Inversion for the parallel beams will be reflected to the place desired and the place will be enlightned above sixty paces and whatsoever falls between the parallels will be clearly seen the reason is because the beams from the Centre to the circumference are reflected parallel when the parallels come to a point and in the place thus illuminared letters may be read and all things done conveniently that require great light By the same Art we may With a few small lights give light to a great Hall In Temples Watches and nightly Feasts any man may thus with a few lights make a great light At two or more places of the Chamber set Concave-glasses above and let them be so ordered that the place of concurrent parallels may be coincident in the place required and in the point of Inversion of them the light will be so multiplied that it will be as light as noon-day Lamps are best for this purpose because the light varies not from the place Candles are naught because they alter the places of reflection More commodiously then by a plain Glass to signifie by a Concave-glass secretly some notes to your friend Thus do as I said make the marks upon your Glass superficies with wax or some dark substance and setting it against the light it will cast the light upon the walls of the Chamber and there it will be dark where the letters are made one that knows the craft may easily read them But this is more admirable for one that knows not the cause To read letters in a dark night A Concave-Glass is of great use for this and it may be this may be good in time of necessity Set your Concave-Glass against the Stars of the first magnitude or against Venus or Mercury or against a fire or light that is afar off for the light reflected will meet in the point of burning and reflects a most bright light whereby you may easily read the smallest letters for putting the point of reflection to every word you shall see all clearly But this is more necessary and profitable At any hour of the day with a Concave-Glass to set a House or Fort on fire You may so burn the enemies Ships Gates Bridges and the like without danger or suspicion at a set hour of the day appointed the day before Set your Glass against the Sun and order it so that the coincidence of the beams may fall upon the point lay fuel there and things that will take fire as I shewed you and if you would blow up Towers make heaps of Gun-powder at night set your Glass and hide it that it be not seen for the next day the Sun will fall upon the same point where you set fuel for the fire CHAP. V. Of the mixt operations of the plain Concave-Glasses I Shall set down the mixt operations and benefits of both these Glasses that what one cannot do alone it may do by the help of another If we would Kindle fire afar off with a plain and a Concave-Glass It falls out sometimes that one shut up in prison needs fire and the Sun beams shine not in or else I will shew how we may kindle Gun-powder without fire or make mines and fill them with Gun-powder to blow up Castles or Rocks afar off without danger setting them on fire by a plain Glass A plain Glass as it receives the parallel beams of the Sun it so reflects them and therefore will cast the beams that are equidistant a great way but if a Concave-Glass receive them it so unites them that it sets things on fire Wherefore first proving where the Concave-Glass must be placed that it may fire the fuel cast in the next day at the hour appointed let the plain Glass cast in the beams upon the Concave-glass that will unite them so without danger or any suspicion of the enemy we may kindle fire for our use Nor is it useless That by a plain and Concave-Glass the smallest letter shall appear very great when letters are so small that they can onely be seen For I have seen St. Johns Gospel In the beginning c. writ so small in so little place that it was no bigger than a small pimple or the sight in a Cocks eye By this Artifice we may make them seem greater and read them with ease Put a Concave-glass with the back of it to your brest over against it in the point of burning set the writing behind set a plain Glass that you may see it Then in the plain Glass will the Images of the Characters be reflected that are in the Concave-glass which the Concave-Glass hath made greater that you may read them without difficulty You may With a plain and Concave-Glass make an Image be seen hanging altogether in the Air. Do thus I said that by help of a Concave-Glass an Image may be sent forth and this is seen by none but those that stand over against it Set the Concave-Glass to your brest without the Centre place a Poniard against it and going farther off set a plain Glass against it and looking in that you shall see the Image reflected from the Concave-glass hanging in the Air and that exactly But if an ingenious man observe it he may wonderfully see an Image hanging in the Air that is received in a plain Glass and sent far out as I shewed without the help of a Concave-glass and a visible spectacle by the means of a plain Glass onely You may also By a plain Glass see your face turned the wrong way When you have set the Glass to your brest as I said set a plain Glass against it and look upon it will cast it upon the Concave-glass and that will beat it backwards on the plain Glass so have you your purpose CHAP. VI. Other operations of a Concave-Glass BEfore I part from the operations of this Glass I will tell you some use of it that is very pleasant and admirable whence great secrets of Nature may appear unto us As To see all things in the dark that are outwardly done in the Sun with
more pleasant to behold CHAP. XIV Of Burning-Glasses I Proceed to Burning-Glasses which being opposed against the Sun beams will kindle fire upon matter laid under them In these also are the greatest secrets of Nature known I shall describe what is found out by Eâ—clide Ptolomy and Archimedes and I shall add our own inventions that the Readers may judge how far new inventions exceed the old Fire is kindled by reflection retraction and by a simple and a compound Glass I shall begin from a simple reflection and from A Concave-Glass that shall kindle fire behind it which few have observed Know that a Concave-glass will burn from its middle point unto the hexagonal-side above the Glass as far as a fourth part of its diameter from the hexagonal-side as far as the tetragonal without the Glass on the lower part of it Wherefore cut off that part of the semicircle which is situate from a pentagon as far as a tetragon as it were the band of the circle and this being polished and opposed against the Sun will cast fire far from it behinde it I will say no more because I said more at large in my Opticks concerning this So also we may With a Concave Pillar or Pyramidal kindle fire but very slowly with delay onely and in the Summer-Sun it kindles in the whole line and not in a point but being extended by the point of accension of its circle The same will fall out by a Pyramidal Concave CHAP. XV. Of a Parabolical Section that is of all Glasses the most burning THat is called a Parabolical Section that more forcibly farther off and in shorter time will set matter on fire that is opposite to it it will melt Lead and Tin My friends related to me that Gold and Silver also but I have made them red hot By which invention of Archimedes as appears by the testimony of Galen and many more We read that he set the Roman Navy on fire when Marcellus besieged Syracuse his Country Plutarch in the life of Pompilius saith The fire that burnt in Diana's Temple was lighted by this Glass that is by instruments that are made of the side of right triangle whose feet are equal These made hollow do from the circumference respect one Centre When therefore they are held against the Sun so that the beams kindled may be gathered from all parts and be united in the Centre and that they do fever the Air rarified it soon sets on fire all fuel that is combustible opposed against it by kindling first the lightest and driest parts the beams being as so many fiery darts falling upon the Object In a Concave spherical Glass the beams meeting together kindle fire in a fourth part of the diameter under the Centre which are directed within the side of a Hexagon from the superficies of the circle But a Parabolical Section is wherein all the beams meet in one point from all the parts of its superficies Cardanus teacheth how such a Glass should be made If we would kindle fire at a mile distance we must describe a circle whose diameter must be two miles long and of this we must take such a part that the roundness of it may not lye hid namely a sixtieth part to which we must add a dimetient according to the altitude in one point and upon the fixt diameter must we bring about part of the circle which shall describe the portion of a Sphere which when we have polished if we hold it against the Sun it will kindle a most violent fire a mile off 'T is strange how many follies he betrays himself guilty of in these words First he promiseth a Glass should burn a mile off which I think is impossible to burn thirty foot off for it would be of a wonderful vastness for the superficies of the Cane is so plain to receive any crookedness it can hardly be made so great Moreover to describe a circle whose diameter should be two miles long what compasses must we use and what plate shall we make it on or who shall draw it about And if it be true that Archimedes by a Parabolical Glass did burn ships from the wall the distance could not be above ten paces as appears by the words of the Authors themselves for in the same place he raised ships and threw them against the Rocks and his engines were Iron bars the greatest part whereof lay backward and by reason of those iron crows it is manifest it could be done no other ways There are other fooleries but I pass them for brevity sake that I might not seem tedious the cause of his error was that he never had made any such Glasses for had he tried it he would have spoke otherwise But I will now shew how To make a Glass out of a Parabolical Section The way to describe it is this Let the distance be known how far we would have the Glass to burn namely AB ten foot for were it more it could hardly be done double the line AB and make ABC the whole line will be AC from the point A draw a right line DA and let DA and AE be equal one to the other and cut at right Angles by AC but both of them must be joined to the quantity AC as DCE which in C make a right Angle DCE Therefore the Triangle DCE is a right angled Triangle and equal sides and were this turned about the Axis CD until it come to its own place whence it parted there would be made a right angled Cane EDNC whose Parabolical Section will be ABC the right line DC will be the Axis of the Cane and CE shall be the semidiameter of the basis of the Cane Through the point C you must draw a line parallel to DE and that is HI of the length of CE and CD and by the point B draw another parallel to the said line ED which is FBG and let BG and BF be both of them equal to AC so FG shall be the upright side and HI the basis of the Parabolical Section If therefore a line be drawn through the points HEAGI that shall be a Parabolical Section the Diagram whereof is this that follows But if you will burn any thing you must not make your Parabolical Glass to the bigness of the whole line HFAGI but onely take a part thereof as if we would take the top part of it LAM that the line LM may cut AC in K or greater or lesser if you will make one greater cut off AK beneath it for the bigger it is the more quickly and vehemently wil it burn if you will have it less take it above AK But thus you must do that the crooked line LAM may be more exactly described that you may not commit the least error Wherefore on a plain Table I protract the line ABC and let AB be double the distance that we intend to burn any thing that is the length of the line ABC
divide one part into ten and that one into ten parts more and those are tens of tens Let A be nul that is a cyfer and there place sixty the second part sixty one the line joyned to right Angles will be two the third part sixty two the line joyned to it will be five so the twentieth part will be eighty and the line joyned to the Angle fifty six to the extremities of these lines I fasten a pin and I put a brass Cithern-wire upon them and upon it I draw a line and the Parabolical line is exactly described by it for should we draw it without the help of this cord it will be wavering and not perfect Then take a brass Table of convenient thickness and draw the line now found upon it filing away all that that shall be above the line CA. These things being done take an iron rod of an exact length namely twelve foot as the line DC and at the end fasten a plate which shall be for the circumvolution of the axis at the other end fasten a spike that it may be fastned somewhere and be handsomely turned about So being well fixed we turn it about by adding clay mingled with straw that it may excellent well make a hollow place like to the form of a Parabolical Section which being dried we must make another solid one that it may contain the liquid Metal as the maner is CHAP. XVII A Parabolical Section that may burn to infinite distance ZOnaras the Greek writes in the third Tome of his Histories That Anastasius moved sedition against Vitalianus a Thracian and he got those of Mysia and the Scythians to stand with him and in the Country by Constantinople he plundered the people and besieged the City with a Fleet. Marianus the Deputy opposed him and there being a fight at sea by an engine made by Proclus a most excellent man for he then was famous for Philosophy and Mathematicks for he not onely knew all the secrets of the most eminent Artificer Archimedes but he found out some new inventions himself the enemies Navy was vanquished For Proclus is reported to have made Burning-Glasses of brass and to have hanged them on the wall against the enemies Ships and when the Sun beams fell upon them that fire brake forth of them like to lightning and so burnt their Ships and men at sea as Dion reports that Archimedes did formerly to the Romans besieging Syracuse But I will shew you a far more excellent way than the rest and that no man as ever I knew writ of and it exceeds the invention of all the Antients and of our Age also and I think the wit of man cannot go beyond it This Glass doth not burn for ten twenty a hundred or a thousand paces or to a set distance but at infinite distance nor doth it kindle in the Cane where the rays meet but the burning line proceeds from the Centre of the Glass of any Longitude and it burns all it meets with in the way Moreover it burns behind before and of all sides Yet I think it an unworthy act to divulge it to the ignorant common people yet let it go into the light that the immense goodness of our great God may be praised and adored Because a proportional Radius doth proceed from the greater Section from the less is made the greater to avoid this make it of a Cylindrical Section for it is the mean and let it be set for the axis of the small and of the greater dissection which may pass through the middle parallels this held against the Sun doth make refraction of the beams sent into it very far and perpendicularly from the Centre of a Cylindrical Section and in this Art the reason cannot be found that the beams uniting should part again Wherefore it receives them directly which it sends back again obliquely into beams far from the superficies of it For the beams passing through the narrow hole of a window are forthwith dilated nor is their proportion kept by being far removed therefore it may reverberate and burn where the Cane seems clearest which will be neer the Centre nor is it far distant from the point where the rays meet but neer the ray coming forth from that point from the superficies of the Glass called Parabolicall which must remain firm in that place which I said before Let experiment be made of its vertue by threds passing from its Centre or iron wire or hair and it is no matter whether it be Parabolical or Sphaerical or any Section of the same order then let it be excellent well fitted upon the Centre of the said Section If the rays go forth above or a little beneath it is no matter if not much money or much money be laid out to make it The making of it depends meerly on the Artificers hand the quantity is nothing be it small or great The Latitude of the hollow is not necessary onely let it be sent forth from the middle that the rays may meet excellent well in the Centre Let the window be made open aslaunt that it may receive a Parabolical Glass and thus shall you have a Glass if that be well done I spake of He that hath ears to hear let him hear I have not spoken barbarously nor could I speak more briefly or more plainly But if a small one do not answer a great one in proportion know that you will operate nothing let it be large about the basis small at the top equidistant to the first Let it not be a steel Glass because it cannot sustain the heat of the burning and by burning it loseth its brightness Let it be therefore of Glass a finger thick Let the Tin foil be of purged Antimony and Lead such as they make in Germany let the form be of clay put the Glass upon it and melt it in a Glass furnace that it may take its form This is a wonder that that which causeth so much burning in the work is cold or at most but luke-warm If you would have it burn before of the Section which is about the basis make a circle in the middle point whereof fit the Artifice that the ray returning may come forth to the fore part This I have said and I have observed that we may use this Artifice in great and wonderful things and chiefly by inscribing letters in a full Moon For whatsoever we have written by this Glass as I said of a plain Glass we may send letters of it to a very great distance and because I said it sends forth to infinite distance it is sent as far as the Moon especially being helped by its light CHAP. XVIII To make a Burning-Glass of many Sphaerical Sections VItellio describes a certain composition of a Burning-glass made of divers Sphaeral Sections but what he writes he proves not nor doth he understand what he says whilst I was searching for that I found this Propound the distance of combustion let