Art of Distillation

The Epistle Dedicatory.

To my much honoured friend Tobias Garbrand, Doctor of Physick, and Principal of Glocester Hall in Oxford.

Sir!

IT is my ambition to let the world know upon what core it is that I do epecially honour men. It is not Sir! as they are high born Heirs of the great potentates, for which mot honour them (and upon which account I alo hal not deny them their due) but as they excell in honety, and are friends to Art. That poor Philoophers hould take no delight in riches, and rich men hould take great delight in philoophy, is to me an argument, that there is more delight honour, and atisfaction in the one then in the enjoyment of the other. I once read of a noble mans porter that let in all that were rich apparelled, but excluded a poor Philoopher:but I hould, if I had been in his place, have rather let in the Philoopher, without the gay clothes then the gay clothes without the philoopher. As long as I have ene or reaon I hall improve them to the honour of Art, epecially that of Alchymie. In the perfection thereof there are riches, honour, health, & length of dayes:by it Artefius lived 1000. yeares, Flammell built 28. Hopitals with large reveneues to them, beides Churches and Chappells; for it, both they and divers more were accounted Philoophers, and wie men, which ounds more honourably in my eares then all the ratling and empty titles of honour whatoever beides. In the perfection of this Art, I mean the accomplihing of the Elixir, is the Sulphur of philoophers et at liberty, which gratifies the releaers thereof with three kingdomes, viz. Vegetable, Animal, and Mineral, and what cannot they do, and how honourble are they, that have the command of thee? They may command Lead into Gold, dying plants into fruitfulnee, the ick into health, old age into youth, darknes into light, and what not? A month would faile to give you an account of their power and dominations. Now for the effecting of this I hall beides what I have advied in the Epitle to the Reader, ay onely this; Court the mother, and you winne the daughter, prevail with Nature, and the fair Diana of the Philolophersis at your ervice.

Now if you cannot prevaile with Nature for the fairet of her daughters, viz. the Mercury of Philoophers, yet hee hath other daughters of wonderful beauty alo, as are the eences, & magiteries of Philoophers, which alo are endowed With riches, honour, and health, & any of thee you may more eaily prevail with their mother nature for. This Art of Alchymie is that Solary art, which is more noble then all the other ix arts, & iences, and if it did once throughly hine forth out of the clouds whereby it is ecliped, would darken all the ret, (as the un doth the other fix planets) or at leat wallow up their light. This is that true naturall philoophy Which mot ac anatomizeth nature and natural things, and ocularly demontrates the principles and operations of them. That empty naturall philoophy which is read in the Vniverities, is carce the meanet hand-maid to this Queene of arts. It is pity there is uch great encouragement for many empty, and unprofitable arts, and none for this, & uch like ingenuities, which if promoted would render a Vniverity farre more flourihing, then the former. I once read or heard of a famous Vniverity beyond ea, that was faln into decay, through what caue I know not: but there was a generall counell held by the learned, how to retore it to its primitive glory. The Medium at lat agreed upon, was the promotong of Alchymie, & encouraging the artists themelves. But I never expect to ee uch rationall actings in this nati till hadows vanih, ubtances flourih and truth prevail: which time I hope is at hand & deired by all true artits, & to my knowledge, epecially by your elf, upon which account I truly honour you. Now to your elf therefore I crave leave to adumbrate omething of that art which I know you will be willing for the publick good to promote. I dedicate this treatie to you, not that it is worthy of your acceptance, but that it may receive worth by your accepting of it. I preent it to you (as men bring lead to Philoophers to be tinged into gold) to receive the tamp of your favour, and approbation, that it may pae currant, with acceptance amongt the onnes of Art whereby you will continue to oblige him who is

London, Novemb. 25. 1650.

SIR, Your mot obliged Servant, JOHN FRENCH

To the Reader.

To the Reader.

THere is a glut of Chymicall books, but a carcity of chymicall truthes: Nature & Art affords variety of Spagyrical preparations, but they are as yet partly undicovered, partly dipered in many bookes and thoe of divers Languages, and partly reerved in private mens hands. When therefore I conidered what need there is of, and how acceptable a generall treatie of Ditillations might bee, epecially to our Englih Nation (and the rather ince Baker upon Ditillations is by reaon of the decription of a few furnaces, and'veels therein, beides which there is mall variety either of preparations, or curioities, old at uch a high rate) I thought I could doe them no better ervice then to preent them with uch a treatie of that ubject, which hould contain in it the choiet preparations of the electet Authors both ancient, and which I have attained by my own long, and manuall experience, together with uch as I have by way of exchange purchaed out of the hands of private men, which they had monopolized as great ecrets. But on the other hand when I conidered what a multitude of Artits there are in this Nation, from many of which more and better things might be expected then from my elf, I was at a nonplus in my reolutions, fearing it might be accounted an unpardonable preumption in me to undertake that which might be better performed by others. But for the avoiding of this aperion, be pleaed to undertand that I preent not this to the world under any other notion then of a rough draught (which indeed is the worke of the more unskillfull, and therefore of my elfe, without exception) to be polihed by the more expert Artit. I rejoice as at the break of the day after a long tedious night, to ee how this o ary art of Alchymie begins for to hine forth out of the clouds of reproach, which it hath a long time undeervedly layen under. There are two things which have a long time ecliped it, viz. the mits of ignorance, and the pecious lunary body of deceit. Arie O Sunne of truth, and dipell thee interpoed fogs, that the Queen of Arts may triumph in plendour! If men did believe what this Art could effect, and what variety there is in it, they would bee no longer traightened by, nor bound up to or lurare in verba Galeni, vel Aritotelis, but would now ubcribe a new engagement to be true and faithfdll to the principles of Hermes, and Paracelus, as they tand etablihed without Aritotle their prince and Galen, and Hippocrates, their lords and maters. They would no longer tand dreaming forth, Sic dicit Galenus, but Ipe dixit Hermes. I deire not to be mitaken as if I did deny Galen his due, or Hippocrates what is his right, for indeed they wrot excellently in many things and de- erved well thereby; That which I cannot allow of in them is their trict obervation of the quudraplicity of humours (which in the choole of Paracelus, and writings of Helmont, where the anatomy of humours hath been mot rationally and fully dicued, hath been ufficiently confuted) and their confining themelves to uch crude medicines, which are more fit to be put into Spagyricall veels for a further digetion, then into mens bodies to be fermented therein. Certainly if men were lee ignorant they would preferre cordiall eences before crude juices, balamicail Elixirs before legmatick waters, the Mercury of philoophers before common quickilver. But many men have o little inight in this Art, that they carce believe any thing in it beyond the Ditilling of Waters,and Oils, and extracting of Salts; nay many that pretend to Philoophy, and would be accounted Philoophers, are o unbeleeving, that, as faith Sandivogius, although he would have intimated the true Art to them word by word, yet they would by no meanes undertand or beleeve that there was any wa- ter in the Philoophers ea. And as he in this cae, o I in another know divers that will not beleeve that common quickilver can of it elfe be turned wholly into a tranparent water, or that glae can be reduced into and and alt of which it was made, aying that fuio vitrificatoria et ultima fuio, or that an hearb may be made to grow in two hours, and the Idea of a plant to appear in a glae, as if the very plant it elfe were there, and this from the eence thereof, and uch like preparations as thee: the two former whereof may be done in half an hour, but the latter requires a longer time, but yet poible. And for the poibility of the Elixir, you hal a oon perwade them to beleeve they know nothing (which is very hard, nay an impoible thing to doe) then to beleeve the poibility thereof. If there be any uch thing (ay they) why are not the poeors thereof infinately rich, famous, doe many miracles and cures, and live long? Thee Objections, epecially ome of them, carce deerve an anwer; yet I hal to hew the vanity of them make ome reply thereunto. Did not Ar- tefius by the help of this medicine live 1000 yeares? Did not Flammell build fourteene Hopitals in Paris beides as many in Boleigne, beides Churches, and Chappels with large revenewes to them all? Did not Bacon doe many miracles? and Paracelus many miraculous cures? Beides what faith Sandivogius? I have faith he incurred more dangers, and difficulties by dicovering my elfe to have this ecret, then ever I had profit by it, and whenoever I would dicover my elfe to the great Ones, it alwayes redounded to my prejudice,and danger. Can a man that carrieth alwaies about him 10000 pounds worth of Jewels and gold, travel every where up and downe, afe, and not be robbed? Have not many rich money-mongers been tortured into confeion where their money was concealed? Did you never heare of a vapouring fellow in London, that pretending to the knowledge of this Mytery was on a uddaine caught aide by money-thirters, and by them tormented with tortures little lee then thoe of hell, being forced thereby (if he had knowne it) into a dicovery of it? To ay nothing of being in danger of being ubjected, and enlaved to the pleaure of Princes, and of becoming intrumental to their luxury, and tyranny, as alo being deprived of all liberty, as once Raimundus Lullius. The truth is, the greatet matter that Philoophers aime at, is the enjoyment of themelves, for which caue they have equetred themelves from the world, and become Hermites: Well therefore and like a philoopher pake Sandivogius, when he aid, Beleeve me, if I were not a man of that tate and condition that I am of nothing would be more pleant to me, then a olitary life or with Diogenes to live hid under a tub; for I ee all things in this world to be but vaniry, and that deceit, and covetounee prevaile much, that all things are vendible, and that vice doth excel vertue. I ee the better things of the life to come before mine eyes, I rejoice in thee: Now I doe not wonder, as before I did, why Philoophers when they have attained thus medicine, have not cared to have their daies hortned (although by the vertue of their medicine they could have prolonged them) for every Philo- opher hath the life to come o cleerly et before his eyes, as thy face is een in a glae. Thus much by way of reply to the frivolous objections of thoe that beleeve not the verity of this Art, and not onely o, but wil not beleeve it. If you hould dicover to them the procee of the philoophers tone, they would laugh at your implicity, and I wil warrant you never make ue of it. Nay if you hould make projection before them, they would think that even in that there were a fallacy, o unbeleeving are they: o I finde them, and o I leave them, and hal for ever finde them the ame.

There is another ort of men by whom this Art hath been much candalized, and they indeed have brought a great Odium upon it by carrying about, and vending their whites, and reds, their ophiticated oils, & alts, their dangerous and ill prepared Turbithes and Aurum vitæ's. And indeed it were worth while, and I might doe good ervice for the Nation, to dicover their cheats, as their ophiticating of Chymical oils with pirit of Turpentine, and alts with alt extracted out of any wood ahes and uch like, but here is not place for o large a dicoure as this would amount to. I hal only at this time relate to you how Penotus was cheated with a ophiticated Oil of gold, for aith he I gave 24 duckets for the proce of an Aurum potable which was much cryed up and magnified at Prague, but at lat it proved to be nothing but a mixture of oil of Camphire, Cloves, Fennel-eed and of Vitrial tinged with the leaves of Gold. I know I hall incurre the dipleaure of ome, but they are ophiticating, cheating mountebanks, who indeed deerve to be bound to the peace, becaue many men, I dare wear, through their means go in danger of their lives. Better it is that their knavery hould be detected, then a noble Art through their villany be clouded, and apered.

Now we mut conider that there are degrees in this Art; for there is the accomplihing of the Elixir it elf, & there is the dicovering of many excellent eences magiteries, and pirits, & c. which abundantly recompence the dicoverers thereof with profit, health, and delight. Is not Paracelus, his Ludus that diolves the tone, and all tartarous matter in the body into a liquor, worth finding out? Is not his Tinea Scatura a mot noble medicine, that extinguiheth all preternatural heat in the body in a moment? Is not his Altahet a famous diolvent, that can in an intant diolve all things into their firt Principles, and withall is a pecificum againt all ditempers of the liver? who would not take paines to make the quinteence of honey and the philoophicall pirit of wine, which are cordial and balamical even to admiration? A whole day would fail to reckon up all the excellent, admirable rarities that by this pagyrical Art might be brought to light, in the earching out of which, why may not the Elixir it elfe at lat be attained unto? Is it not poible for them that pae through many philoophical preparations to unfold at lat the riddles, and Hieroglyphicks of the Philoophers? or were they all meer Phantames? Is there no fundamentum in re for this ecret? Is there no perme in gold? is it not poible to exalt it for multiplication? Is there no univeral pirit in the world? Is it not poible to finde that collected in one thing, which is dipered in all things? What is that which makes gold incorruptible? What induced the Philoophers to examine gold for the matter of their medicine? Was not all gold once living? Is there none of this living gold, the matter of Philoophers, to be had? Did Sandivogius the lat of knowne Philoophers pend it all? Surely there is matter enough for Philoophers, and alo ome Philoophers at this day for the matter, although they are unknowne to us. There are, aith Sandivogius, without doubt many men of a good concience both of high and low degree (I peak knowingly) that have this medicine and keep it ecretly. If o; let no man be dicouraged in the proecution of it, epecially if he take along with him the five Keyes which Nollius ets down, which indeed all Philoophers with one conent enjoyne the ue and obervation of.

Seeing it is a thing divine, and celetial, it mut be ought for from above, and that not without a ful reolution for a pious, and charitable improvement of it.

Before thou betaket thy elfe to the

work, propound to thy elfe what thou eeket for, and enter not upon the practicke til thou art firt wel vered in the theory, for it is much better to learn with thy braines, and imagination, then with thy hands, and cots, and epecially tudy nature wel, and ee if thy propolals be agreeable to the poibility thereof.

Diligently read the ayings of true philoophers, read them over again and againe, and meditate on them, and take heed thou doet not read the writings of impoters intead of the Books of the true Philoophers. Compare their ayings with the pobility of Nature, and obcure places with cleare, and where Philoophers ay they have erred doe thou beware, and conider wel the general axioms of Philoophers, and read o long til thou eet a weet Harmony, and conent in the ayings of them.

Imagine not high things, but in all things imitate nature, viz. in matter; in removing what is Heterogeneous; in weight, in colour; in fire; in working; in lownee of working; and let not thy operations be vulgar, neither

thy veels; work diligently and contantly.

If it be poible, acquaint thy elf throughly with ome true Philoophers. Although they wil not directly dicover themelves that they have this ecret, yet by one circumtance or another it may be concluded how neer they are to it. Would not any rational man that had been converant with Bacon, and eeing him doe uch miraculous things, or with Sandivogius who did intimate the Art to ome word by word, have concluded that they were not ignorant of it? There have been Philoophers and perhaps til are, that although they wil not dicover how it is made, yet may Certifie you, to the aving of a great deal of cot, pains, and time, how it is not made: and to be convinced of an errour is a great tep to the truth. If Ripley had been by any Tutor convinced of thoe many errours before he had bought his knowledge at o deare a rate, he had long before, with lee charges attained to his bleed deire.

And as a friendly Tutor in this, o in all pagyrical preparations whatoever, is of all things moft neceary. A faithful wel experi- enced mater wil teach thee more in the myteries of Alchymie in a quarter of a year, then by thine owne tudies and chargeable operations thou halt learn in even years. In the firt place therefore, and above all things apply thy elfe to an expert, faithful, and communicative Artit, and account it a great gain, if thou cant purchae his favour, though with a good gratuity, to lead thee through the manual practice of the chiefet, and choiet preparations. I aid apply thy elf to an Artit, for there is carce any procee in all Chymitry o eaie that he that neer aw it done wil be to eek, and commit ome errours in the doing of it. I aid expert, that he may be able to intruct thee aright, faithful; that as he is able, o may faithfully performe what he promieth; and communicative, that he may be free in dicovering himelfe and his Art to thee. The truth is, mot Artits reerve that to themelves, which they know, either out of a deire to be admired the more for their undicovered ecrets or out of envie to others knowledge. But how far this humour is approvable in them, I leave it others to judge; and as for my part I have here communicated upon the account of a bare acceptance onely what I have with many years paines, much reading, and great cots known. There is but one thing which I deire to be ilent in as touching the procee thereof; as for the thing it elfe to be prepared, what it is I have ele where in this Treatie expreed; and the preparing of that is indeed a thing worth of any ones knowing, and which perhaps hereafter I may make knowne to ome. I am of the ame mind with Sandivogius, that that fourth Monarchy which is Northerne, is dawning, in which (as the ancient Philoophers did divine) all Arts and iences hal flourih, and greater and more things hal be dicovered then in the three former. Thee Monarchies the Philoophers reckon not according to the more potent, but according to the corners of the world, whereof the Northerne is the lat, and indeed is no other then the golden age, in which all tyranny, oppreion, envie, and covetounee hal ceae, when there hal be one prince and one people abounding with love and mercy, & flourihing in peace: which day I earnetly expect.

In the mean time if what I know may adde to thy experience, thou hat it freely. And if I hal ee that this Treatie of Ditillation pae with acceptance amongt the Artits of this Nation, I hal hereafter gratifie them for their good wil with two other parts of Chymitrie, viz. Sublimation, and Calcination; and I hope this wil be an occaion to et the more expert Artits on work, for the communicating their experiences to the world. One thing (courteous Reader) let me deire thee to take notice of, viz. whereas every procee is et down plain, yet all of them mut be proceeded in ecundum Artem Alchymitæ, (which Art indeed is obtained by experience) and therefore many that work according to the bare procee effect not what they intend; & the reaon is, becaue there was ome art of the Alchymit wanting. To conclude, if thou knowet more or better things then thee be candid, and impart them; (confidering that I wrote thee for them that know them not) if not, accept of the endeavours of thy Friend

John French.

Book 1

THE CONTENTS of the firt Book.

I Shall not tand here to hew whence the Art of Distillation had its originall, and if known, yet little conducing to our enuing Dicoure. But let us undertand what Ditillation is, of which there are three principall, and chief definitions, or decriptions.

Ditillation is a certain Art of extracting the Liquor, or the humid part of things by vertue of heat (as the matter hall require) being firt reolved into a vapour, and then condened again by cold.

Ditillation is the art of extracting the pirituall, and eential humidity from the flegmatick, or of the flegmatick, from the pirituall.

Ditillation is the changing of gros thick bodies into a thinner, and liquid ubtance, or eparation of the pure liquor from the impure feces.

I hall treat of Ditillation according to all thee three acceptions, and no otherwie, hence I hall exclude Sublimation, and Calcination, which are of dry ubtances, unles I hall by the way make ue of either in relation to the perfecting of any kind of Ditillation.

Now becaue all, or mol of thee Ditillations are to bee performed by heat, it will be neceary to undertand how many degrees of heat there are, and which are convenient for every operation, and they are principally four.

The firt is only a warmth, as is that of Hore dung of the Sun, of warm water, and the vapour thereof, which kind of heat erves for putrefaction, and digetion.

The econd is of eething water, and the vapour thereof, as alo of ahes, and erves to ditill thoe things which are ubtile, and moit, as alo for the rectifying of any Spirit or Oil.

The third is of and and filings of Iron, which erves to ditill things ubtle, and dry, or gros and moit.

The fourth is of a naked fire, cloe, open, or with a blat which erves to ditill Metals and Minerals, and hard gummie things, as Amber; &c. I doe not ay erves only to ditill thee, for many of the former Ditillations are performed by this heat, as the ditilling of Spirits and Oils, &c. in a Copper till over a naked fire; but thee may be ditilled by the two former degrees of heat; but Minerals and uch like cannot but by this fourth degree alone.

THe matter of Furnaces is various, for they may be made either of brick and clay, or clay alone with whites of Eggs, hair, and filings of Iron, (and of thee if the clay be fat are made the bet, and mot durable Furnaces) or of Iron, or Copper cat or forged. The forms alo of Furnaces are various. The fittet form for Ditillation is round; for o the heat of the fire being carryed up equally diffueth it elf every way, which happens not in a Furnace of another figure, as four quare or triangular, for the corners dipere and eparate the force of the fire. Their magnitude mut be uch as hall be fit for the receiving of the veel; their thicknes o great as neceity hall eem to require; only thus much oberve, that if they be made of forged Iron or Copper, they mut be coated within ide, epecially if you intend to ue them for a trong fire. They mut be made with two bottomes ditinguiht as it were into two forges, the one below which may receive the ahes, the other above to contain the fire. The bottom of this upper mut either be an Iron grate, or ele an Iron plate perforated with many holes, that o the ahes may the more eaily fall down into the bottom, which otherwie would put out the fire. Yet ome Furnaces have three partitions, as the Furnace for Reverberation, and the Regiter Furnace. In the firt and lowet the ahes are received. In the econd the fire is put, and in the third of the Furnace for Reverberation the matter which is to be reverberated. This third ought to have a emicircular Cover, that o the heat may be reflected upon the contained matter. The bottom of the third and uppermot partition of the Regiter Furnace mut be either a plate of Iron, or a mooth tone perforated with hole, having topples of tones fitted thereunto, which you may take out or put in, as you would have the heat increaed or decreaed. In the top or upper part of all thee Furnaces where it hall eem mot fit, there mut be two or three holes made, that by them the moak may more freely pas out, & the air let in to make the fire burn the tronger if need require, or ele which are to be hut with topples made fit to them. The mouths of the forementioned partitions mut have hutter, jut like an Ovens-mouth, with which you may hut them cloe, or leave them open if you would have the fire burn tronger. But in defect of a Furnace, or fit matter to make one, we may ue a Kettle or a Pot et upon a Trefoot, as we hall how when we come to give you a decription of the Furnace and Veels. The truth is, a good Artit will make any hift, yea and in half a dayes time make a Furnace or omething equivalent to it for any operations.

VEels for Ditillation are of various matter, and form. For they may be either of lead, which I altogether diapprove of, for that they turn the Liquors into a white and milky ubtance, beide the malignity they give to them; or they may be of Copper, Iron, or Tin, which are better then the former; or of Jug-metall, or Potters-metall glazed, or Glas, which are the bet of all, where they may be ued without fear of breaking or melting. Some make them of ilver, but they are very chargeable. They that are able and willing may have the benefit of them.

THe bet Lute is made thus, viz. Take of Loame and and tempered with alt water (which keeps it from cleaving) to thee adde the Caput Mortuum of Vitriall, or Aqua fortis, and caling of Iron, and temper them well together, and this erveth to coat Retorts or any Glas veels that mut endure a mot trong fire, and will never fail if well made. Some add Flax, beaten Glas, and Pots and flint, &c.

Take unlaked Lime, and Lineed Oil, mix them well together and make thereof a Lute which will be o hard that no pirit will peirce it, and this erves for the cloure of Glaes.

Or,

Take Loam and the white of an Egge, mixe them into a Pat, and pread it on a cloth. This alo is a good cloure.

Or,

Moiten an Oxe Bladder in the white of an Egge beaten to water, or in defect of a Bladder, ue Paper, and bind them round where the Veels are joined together, one over another two or three times.

Or,

If the pirits in the Glas be exeecding corroive, then ue the Caput mortuum of Aqua fortis, Lineed Oil, and chalk mixed together.

If a Glas be cracked, then wet a linnen cloth in the white of an Egge beaten to water, and lay upon it, an upon that preently whilet it is wet ift ome unlaked Lime, and pres it cloe with your hand, when that is dry lay on another cloth thus wet as before, and on it ift more Lime.