Alchemy and Remedies — Chemical Recipes

that they are converted into redness. It is changed with the tincture, but not in itself, but on account of the auxiliary.

Jupiter, however, is calcined for 7 days, and then with alkali salt, and egg white, and salt ammoniac armoniaco, and soft soap, and rock borax, it will be reduced and converted into true silver; but it is cooked for a short time, whence without other medicine only tantum this is sought: that it stands black, because it is found converted into true silver.

Concerning this, do not reduce the calx to be converted into gold with egg yolks, as with their oil and red tartar, because tartar is of much value in the reductions and infusions of bodies; however, alum and white tartar ought to be placed in reductions to white.

Note that the perfect medicine also contains these two virtues because it penetrates all things: it softens and truly tints; likewise, it fixes and purges, and ℞ contains these virtues with the salt fixed by the aforementioned tincture.

Likewise, all omnes salts, as well of animals as quam of metals, have the same efficacy, especially when joined with Mercury.

Likewise, it was said that every single quodque metal, when

it has been well calcined, acts just as ashes and stones and calces do; and because with that salt ℞ is perfectly perfecte tinted, and because it is useful that ℞ transmutes all omnia bodies into that which it is itself transmuted, which is the greatest secret, as was said above; and it appears that the calcination of bodies is the shorter way to the perfection of the art.

Concerning Sol, it must be noted that all omnia things are lacking to it, not because it will perceive percipiet the life of sulphureity, [but] the non-fixed humidity which it contracts from Mercury Mercurio. Likewise, one thing in calcination requires time tempore for its perfection perfectionem; decoction makes the humidity thicken, and by thickening consumes it; and let this decoction be made with the sawdust of wood, and it ought to be placed under the earth, and from above desuper the medicine of ash, and afterwards fire is applied from above; and keep this secret.

The same concerning Saturn: if you wish to "silver" it, it is otherwise if you wish to "gold" it ipsum, because quia not except by a small fire and it is reddened and transmuted to the greatest degree.

Mars, however, because it has a fixed substance among the other bodies, is better both on account of the time of long labor and on account of its minimal dryness.