THE CHEMICAL BASILICA

...for this reason it remains so pure and clear. For if it were all poured out at once with a strong fire, then it would turn out a dark red color, or even almost entirely black. Dosage: 6 grains.

Common Glass of Antimony.

Common Glass of Antimony original: "Vitrum Antimonii," an emetic substance made by roasting and melting antimony ore is made thus: if crude Antimony, melted in a crucible a heat-resistant ceramic container, is touched with cold iron rods, the material sticks to them. In this way, the whole mass is extracted by the iron rods. Let it be melted again and extracted by the rods; let this be done several times, and it will depart into a black glass.

Artificially prepared Glass of Antimony.

The best way of preparing glass of Antimony is this: if the Antimony is first calcined roasted in air to remove impurities like sulfur by itself, and then also melted by itself with an intense fire. It is calcined for three or four hours until it reaches the highest state of fixity stability under heat and a significant whiteness. If it is placed in an earthenware pan over the fire and continuously stirred with an iron rod, do not worry if the Antimony flows or grows into lumps (however, the calcination will be completed better and more quickly if this is prevented by regulating the fire and diligent turning with the iron rod; this is more easily done if not too much Antimony is taken at one time), until at last it is reduced to a whitish powder, which, when thrown upon coals, emits no more smoke. From 1 pound of Antimony, you will have half a pound or 3/4 pound of this calx the powdery oxide residue left after roasting, depending on how good the Antimony was.

Salt of Antimony.

If this calx is boiled in water, a Salt of Antimony of remarkable strength is extracted (if it is heated to redness and boiled again, and then boiled in water, more salt will be drawn out). But one pound of calx hardly provides more than one drachm a small unit of apothecary weight, approx. 3.9 grams of this salt. Nevertheless, glass can still be melted from the remaining calx; the extraction of the salt does not hinder it.

Bezoardic Infusion of Antimony.

Pour spirit of wine distilled alcohol or ethanol over this calx (from which the salt has not yet been extracted) and allow it to extract for some time (in the first few days, let it be mixed occasionally with a rod, otherwise the calx of Antimony will be packed very tightly at the bottom). Then the spirit of wine should be poured off and reserved for use (having added some bezoardic sudorific a medicine that induces sweating to expel "poisons," named after the legendary bezoar stone if you like), and you will have an excellent bezoardic sudorific of proven power against the plague.

Dosage.

The dosage of this infused spirit of wine is 1 or 2 spoonfuls. (From the remaining calx, the glass of Antimony may be melted). Glass of Antimony can be entirely dissolved by Malmsey wine original: "vino Maluatico," a sweet Mediterranean wine, which purges only downwards meaning it acts as a laxative rather than an emetic, which would induce vomiting.

Glass of Antimony with Gold.

Glass of Antimony with Gold: Take 1 part Gold and 16 parts of the best Antimony or its regulus the metallic form of the element (even less [antimony may be used]). Melt them together into a mass, taking care that the Gold does not separate from the Antimony and settle...