Marengus — Chemical Pallas, ca. 1675 Multilingual MS

it is poured into the mold. However, the said quicksilver squeezed through the leather must be kept, as it will always be useful for this kind of work. This is the method used by the miners in the Indies.

Regarding other works so that perfect metals may be attracted from minerals by mercury, they take 100 pounds of the aforementioned washed and dried powders in a large iron vessel. Or they put enough of the said powders in a vessel so that it is half full and no more. With these they mix 2 pounds of well-pulverized Litargirij litharge, a lead mineral of mercury. Others add 2 pounds of mercury and pour over it the water described below, but in such a way that the vessel remains empty for four fingers' depth, so that it does not overflow when the water is agitated. Then they light a fire under the vessel and keep the water constantly heated, continually mixing the said matter with an iron spatula. After two hours have passed, they decant the water and add more, cooking, mixing, and decanting as above. They repeat these operations until a certain dead sand remains in the bottom of the vessel. Then they wash the matter with common water, and a magnes magnet, here referring to the mercury amalgam remains at the bottom of the vessel which contains gold or silver, or both.

They very easily separate the gold or silver from the "magnet" through a leather bag, as said above. The imperfect metals which were extracted by the said water are recovered as follows: they place the said water in such a quantity of common water that the said water is weakened, and thus the imperfect metals are precipitated. They wash the precipitated matter, dry it, and melt it. The said water or lye for extracting the imperfect metals must be made according to the following instruction.

or vinegar, and put into it 2 pounds of fetid and volatile sulfur and 4 pounds of common salt, which should be well dissolved in the said water. For sulfur does not touch Gold, but the salt reaches silver; hence the said water dissolves and draws with it only the imperfect metals, leaving the Gold and silver undissolved. One must be careful, however, that the said water is not too sharp or acidic, lest it dissolve the mercury. If it were to dissolve the mercury, it could not embrace the gold symbol: ☉ and silver symbol: ☽ nor draw them to itself. Because it is the "magnet" or mercury that draws the gold or silver to itself, it must be added to the vessel upon the mineral powders