Sigismund Bacstrom
1797
Take the flowers or Sulphur extracted with distilled white wine vinegar from the red mass (or chaos) as is before taught, and afterwards extracted and brought to the greatest purity with s.v. This Sulphur easily dissolves in the s.v. with a siight shaking; but there will stick fast to the sides of the vessel or Retort a salt in the last extracted which with s.v. digest and wash out and add to the former Sulphur in dry powder. - (this last is a very firey hot salt which will easily dissoive in the air into a blood red Oil, and the powder before dissolution is about a fourth part of the former Sulphur:) These Sulphurs and salt being mixed in dry powder will be impalpable for fineness.
Take what quantity of it you please and mix it with twice its weight of Mercury Sublimate: put it in a coated retort, as you did in making the white Oil, set low in sand and in all points proceed with as in making the white Oil you will obtain a deep coloured firey red Oil, which is for the multiplication of the Red Elixir.
Take the red Sulphur as before mentioned, being the true Sulphur of the philosophers one part, and of the white Oil or sophic Mercury simplex, two parts: mix them well, and in a Retort first digest 7 days and in an easy heat draw off the white Oil: Lastly increase the Fire by degrees and a most red Oil will ascend and pass over into the receiver. Continue the Fire in the highest degree till all become over. Let the Fire go out of itself and the furnace being cold take off the receiver and put the mixed Oils into a small Retort and by a sand heat draw off the white Oil and a most blood red Oil will remain in the bottom of the Retort.
Here ended the m.s. whether the author had written any more, or whether any part of it had been lost I know not; for it was only loosely stitched up in a piece of old news-paper, of which that which served to cover the last page was gone.
S.Bacstrom
This process which requires great precautions I have a great many times elaborated, as follows:
I ground my Mercury Sublimate curros: first by itself in a glass mortar, tying a handkerchief over my mouth and nose: and a pair of watch glasses over my eyes, to avoid receiving the invisible highly corrosive and poisonous rising dust. I then reduced my Stellate Regulus, also by itself into an impalpable powder.
Then I mixed quickly, using the same precautions, both Powder, Regulus 1 part, Mercury Sublimate 2 Parts in a glass mortar; as soon as they become mixed and rubbed together,the poisonous vapours rise, which, if received in the lungs, are mortal, as Professor Boerhaave wams us by an example, in his second pan of his ,,Elements of Chymistry', transl: By Dr. Shaw, which process of Boerhaave deserves to be read, as he was a very honest and learned man.
This mixture I put into a small tubulated Retort, which I bury in the Sand, so that only a little of the back or upper part of the Retort appears above the Sand, by this means I get the nose as well as the body equally heated, and nothing sticla in the nose, but the butyrum drops all clear into the receiver which ought to be ground to the nose of tbe Retort, and is better than luting, because the Spirit of Sea SaIt in the Mercury Sublimate corrodes the luting.
I give first a gentle Fire, as the author observes, to heat my glasses gradually, afterwards increase the heat gradually, until the mixture boils in the Retort, and look like a solution of Gold in Aqua Regia; then, and not before, the icy butyrum comes over, and nothing hangs in the necks of the Retort, because it is small and gets intensely hot as well as the body.
There remains a dark grey or slate coloured Caput Mortuum in the bottom of the Retort, which is the dead Doves of Diana if you use fine Silver, in the room of Antimony or Verdigrease, as Irenaeus Philaltha, Claveus and Van Suchfen have done./ See Stahl's Philosophi "Principles of Chemistry" by Dr. Shaw./ Amongst this Caput Mortuum remains intermixed all the Mercury contained in the Mercury Sublimate, revived and dispersed in small and large globules, and not a grain of it comes over into the receiver, by my nice method of proceeding.
In obtaining this butyrum, the highly concentrated Spirit of sea Salt in the Mercury Sublimate, being here highly subtilised without the least drop of phlegma lays hold of the Mercury of Antimony and Iron/: called Mercurius Vita/ which good reason: and carries it over in form of a butyrum or unctuous Salt, which is Mercury Philosophorum Duplex in forma humida, salina, viscosa, of Monte Snyders, of Urbigerus of Miphius, Flamel, and whilst the animated Mercury duplex of Urbigerus, Flamel and Artephius is blood red.
I put afterwards the receiver in a Sand heat to melt the butrum, and pour it into another clean tubulated Retort in order to rectify and purify it, which I do 3 times. Each time it leaves less feces, and lastly none at all Whilst the buytrum comes over at first, as well as in every rectification, the back and necks of the Retort shows all the colours of the rainbow, most beautifully to behold, and so does sometimes the receiver, if it gets hot enough, the subject being full of light and life.
When the butrum cools in the receiver/: I speak here before attraction and liquefaction by the Air:/ it shoots gradually into tables or crystals, wonderfully beautiful, which I have contemplated with great pleasure, sometimes like oblong extremely regular square tables, at other times like bastions and horn works of a fort, at other instances resembling a cypress forest, as I alwavs saw different crvstals.
I have seen them whilst they shot, pass suddenly through all the colours of the rainbow, most beautiful to behold. It is a most wonderful subiect. The receiver must be close shut, before the crystals shoot.
When all is cold, it is a beautiful transparent, colourful, crystalline Salt. I attract afterwards and liqufy on the Air(could be 'fire' instead of air-HWN) /: Sun in Aries. Taurus or Gemini, see Digby :/ in the same receiver, placing a small glass funnel in its opening, towards the window. (to let the air in) After attraction I rectify again, with a small heat, to separate the phlegma. See Digby. Whilst the butrum is hot, it keeps constantly evaporating, until cold.
These vapours are invisible and if received in the lungs, prove mortal on the spot; because the subtil, highly concentrated Spirit of Sea Salt is here united to the Mercury of Antimony and Iron /:and Copper according to our author:/ in the form of a dry Mercury whicb is Arsenic, highly subtilised.
Therefore, be careful, that you do not destroy yourself in a moment. Thus far my own experienge, which I thought it my duty to communicate to my worthy friend.
J: B:
The butrum Antimony 2 Ounces bought at the Cymists is entirely unfit for our works, not being made of. the right Regulus Antimony Mars and Copper, but of bad crude Antimony and Mercury Sublimate. Note this Mercurial Vita is a highly subtilised Regulus, see Stahl.
S. B.
The Sophic Mercury of Iren. Philaletha, Claveus and Von Suchten is a running sophic Mercury ./:Mercury Vivus:/ The Sophic Mercury of Artephius, Flamel, Dyonis: Zacharia, Urbigerus, Count Bernhardus Trevisanus, Ripley, Monte Snyders, Van Outer and most among the latest is a Butyrum animated either with its own Sulphur, or with Gold, or: with Gold and Silver.
See Digby "Chemical Secrets published by Hartman and, Glauber's " Proserpina the Hellish Goddess" at the end of his Folio Work.
By: Baron de Welling
Extracted from his excellent book:
Hamburg, 1735
S. Bacstrom, M.D., translator
"Because you passess that which you are so desirous to obtain, I will declare to you the true matter and manipulation.
"You must have a sufficient quantity of it. Place it in a clean fit vessel, in a dark, clean, and airy place. Take care that nothing impure or any metal touch it. It must be placed in such a manner that neither the Sun. the Moon, nor the stars can shine upon it: nor must it be shaken.
"After 10 Days and Nights you may look at it, but not move it, and you will perceive how the substance gets gradually covered over with a film; which film at least, or in progress of time will exhibit various colours, much more beautiful than those of the rainbow. These colours, however, will not prove permanent but disappear again and the subject will become green and of a dirty, loamy colour, with a horrid stench, as if all kinds of filthy matter were swimming upon it.
Gradually, and in process of time, that stench will cease.
"When the bad smell is quite gone, and when, on the contrary it gets a pleasant smell, and becomes pure and clear; and when you perceive now the Dust of the Earth (Aphar min Ha adamah) reposing on the bottom of your vessel, rejoice and thank God!. (my guess is that this is GUR - HWN)
"Take care that your Earth Aphar does not become transparent!
"Take away, with great care and prudence, the firey, pure, and clear liquor from above the Earth: but the Earth must not be moved in this operation. When it now remains on the bottom of your vessel, you have obtained the true and genuine virgin Earth of Ha adamah.
"Dry this Earth in a convenient glass vessel, without any Fire. but yet so that it may remain a little moist.
"Now you may touch it without danger (to IT); and with clean hands, you may form this Earth into small pills of the size of pease. Dry them in a cool shady place, but prevent the Sun or any dust from approaching them.
"Then preserve these little globules or pills in a temperate place, free from humidiry.
"Now you have separated, by putrefaction, that secret essence of all wonders, and have brought it to Salt. Sulphur and Mercury - that is, to a heavenly Mercurial Water or Sophic Mercury - the red and white Sulphur of nature - a red Earth Aphar which is Salt and Sulphur.
'These must be reunited by coagulation and fixation.
The author means that the firey, pure and clear liquor, taken from above the Earth Aphar, must be gradually and in small portions, coagulated and fixed upon the Earth Aphar.
The firey pure and clean Water is the heavenly Mercurial or sophic Mercury, the volatile principle, the red and white Sulphur of nature, while we find the Salt as the basis of fixation and the Radical humidity of all nature remaining in the dust Aphar. Consequently, here begins the second work that of conjunction, which certainly must be accomplished by the aid of an external heat, properly applied.
We see also, that there is no Caput Mortuum, nor Terra Dammata here; for the whole subject seems to be regenerated by separation and conjunction. The process is plain enough to us who understand these things, however obscure it may appear to the ignorant and unbelievers.
the Alchemist, written to Alexander Magnus, concerning the Stone of the philosophers, a very ancient treatise preserved and translated from the Greek into Latin, by a Christian philosopher now translated into english, for the use of my worthy friend.
by S.B.
The following treatise hints very plainly and distinctly at our work with Ha Adamah, but as it contains a great many unnecessary repetitions, I shall only select and translate faithfully what is necessary and pertinent to the subject and the process.
Our stone is of animal nature, proceeding from the corruption of perfect human nature, carefully let out between two hills, inclosed in its cavern and governed witn moderate heat.
This dragon puts on a strange appearance, and as a black toad becomes thick, but liquifies totally and grows black with an abominable smell, and wishes to be delivered of his melancholy state, he is in.
The serpent consists of Earth and Water.
The Earth must be moistened with its water, and must be fed with two third parts, until perfect whiteness, which is not only dry but also fixed. We are to look in the beginning for no other elements but Earth and water. Air and Fire do not appear but remain occult.
We want no more than one thing, and one only vessel, because it is but one medicine and one regimen. But every degree of warmth is to be agreeable to nature, if you surpass that, you will labour in vain.
The first work consists in a natural solution, distillation, conjunction and calcination as also a composition with its WATER in a round vessel close shut.
The next work with our dragon is, that he be moistened after having attained the degree of The White, with 2/3 parts of its own sweat and milk because it is necessary that the Earth should become Water and if it is well governed it can be accomplished in a short space of time.
Humect the dragon on the 7th day in order that he may appear on the superficies like a shiny looking glass, and you will see that the dragon's body becomes Water.
The sign of the first perfection is tie solution of the body into Water, as many colours as there are during the first putrefaction, so many powers has our stone.
If an error should have been committed and the dragon should retain too much moisture, he may be delivered of a part thereof by distillation, but that same moisture must be afterwards returned to him.
The colour of the heavenly Water, is like the colour of the firmament./: This is to me perfectly unintelligible, as we see it always of a ruby red colour, until it is dried up: /
The power of our medicinal stone is so great as to preserve nafure in health during 150 years.
FINIS
Quote of the Day
“The first preparation and foundation of this Art, is the solution [i.e., reduction] of the body into water, i.e., into quicksilver, and this they call the solution, when they say: Let the gold be dissolved, which is hid in the body of magnesia, that it may be reduced to its First Matter, that thence it may become sulphur and quicksilver, and not be again liquefied into water. The object of our solution is to make it liquid, and resolve it into the substance of quicksilver that the saltness of its sulphur may be diminished, which divine sulphur is prepared by extraction from two sulphurs, when the spirit meets the body.”
Anonymous
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