Of Distillation. 269
remaining Bones are so bereft ok Flesh, sent, or any other quality, that a Dog willnot so much as smell to them . which is an assured Argument that their goodness isboyled out. Pour the strained Liquor into a Glass-bottle, and dissolve it into va-por in a gentle Bath; the Essence will remain in the bottom, either hard, or soft, likean Oyntment, as you please, of a most admirable vertue, and never sufficiently to becommended.
Te extraB Essences out of Salts.
Take Salt and calcine it according to Art; if it be volatile , burn it, and grinde itvery small: lay the Powder upon a Marble in a moy st Cellar, and set a Pan underit to receive it as it dissolveth : let it ferment in that pan for a month ; then let itin Balneo, and with a gentle fire let it distil: cast away the sweet Water, that comesfrom it, and set that which remains in the bottom, to ferment another month, thendistil out the sweet Water, as before : and do this, while any sweet Water will runfrom it: keep it over the fire until the moysture be all consumed ; and then what re-mains settled in the bottom,is the Quintessence of Salt; which will scarcely arise totwo ounces oat of a pound.
To ex trail Sffences out of Herbs.
Beat the Herbs, and set them to ferment in dung for a month, in a convenient Glass-Bottle : then distil them in Balneo. Again, set them in dung for a week, and distilthem in Balneo again ; and thus macerate them so long as they will yield any Li-quor: then pour the distilled Water upon the Herbs again, and distil them in this Cir-culation for six dayes,which will make it of a more lively colour: draw of the Waterby Balneum and the Essence must then be expressed out in a press: ferment it in dungfor five days, and it will yield you the sent, colour and venues of the Herbs in per-fection. A way to extract
The Essence of Aqua Vicar.
It is a thing bragged of by thousands ; but not effected by any. I will not emitthe description of it, which 1 have found out, together with a Friend of mine veryknowing in Experiments, by the assistance of Lulm. Provide some rich, generous,old VVine, bury it in dung for two months, in large Bottles close stopc and luted,that they may not have the least vent. The whole business dependeth on this: forif this be not carefully look to, you will lose both your cost, and your labour:the month being past, distil it in an ordinary Stillatory, reserve the Spirits by them-selves. The Dregs and Farces of the Wine must be buried again, and theSpirits be distilled out as before, and reserved by themselves. Distil the Fr-ees until they settle like Honey ©r Pitch : then pour on the phlegm upon them,wash them,and lay them to dry: then put them into a Porters, or Glass* makers,Fur-nace, and with a vehement fire burn them into white Assies : wet them with a littleWater, and set them in the mouth of the Furnace, that they may be converted
into Salt. There is no better mark to know the:perfection of your work, then by casting someof it on a red hot Plate of Iron : if it melt andevaporate,it is wcll.done j otherwise,you mustrectihe it. Mix the Salt with water, and put itinto a Glass bottle with a long neckjstopic withCork and Parchment : then sec on the Head*and kindle the fire j the force of which , willcarry it up thorow all the stoppage into theHead, and there it stick* to the sides like dun;the Water will remain quiet in the bottom*in which you must again mingle the Salt jand so by a continual Circulation , draw it outof it self, until it be divested of allitsGrol-ncss, and obtain a more tbin and subtile Es-sence.