^ HlS Natural Magick.

things. The business consi led in these difficulties. If’tbe temper es the Graver wastoo strong and stubborn,with the vehement Wow os the Hammer it stew in picces.-butif it was soft, it bowed, and would not touch the hone : wherefore it wa? to W- moststrong and tough, that it might neither yield to the stroke, nor flie asunder. More-over, the juice or water the Iron muss be tem.cred in, mult be deer and pure: for ifit be troubled , the colours coming from heat could noc be discerned : and so thetime to plunge the Tools in would not be known, on which the whole Art depends.Sothen,deer and purified juices will (hew the time of the temper. The colours mustbe chiefly regarded: for they (hew the time to plunge it in and take it out ; and be-cause that the Iron must be made most hard and tough, therefore the colour must bea middle colour between silver and gold : and when this colour is come, plunge thewhole edges of the Tool into the liquor, and after a little time, take it out ; andwhen it appears a Violet-coiour, dip it into the liquor again , lest the heat, yet re-maining in the Tool, may again spoil the temper : yer this we must chiefly regard,that the liquors into which the Iron is plunged, be extream cold • for if they be hot,they will work the less: and you must never dip an Iron into water, that other Ironhath been dipt in before; for when it is grown hot, it will do pothing : hut dip itinto some other that is fresh and cold ; and let this in the mean time, swim in someglazed Vessel of cold water, that it may soon grow cold, and you shall have it mostcold for your work. Yet these arc

The hardest tempers »f hen.

If you quench red-hot Iron in distilled Vinegar, it wili grow hard. Thesamewillhappen, if you do it into distilled Urine,by reason of the Salt it contains in it. It youtemper it with dew, that in the month of May is found on Vetches Heaves, it willgrow most hard For what is collected above them, is salt ; as I taught elsewhereour os Tbeophrastta, Vinegar, in which Salt Ammoniac is dissolved , will make amost strong temper: bac if you temper Iron with Salt of Urine and-alt-Peter dis-solved in water, it will be very hard ; or if you powder Salt-Pecer and Salt Ammo-niac , and shut them up in a Glass Vessel with a long Beck, in dung, or moist places,till they resolve into water, and quench the red-hot Iron in the water, you shall dobetter. Also, Iron dipped into a liquor of quick Lime, and the Salt of Soda purifiedwith a Spunge,will become extream hard. All these are excellent things, and willdo the work: yet I shTl shew you some that tfffefar better.

7 o temper Iron to cm Porphyr Marble,

Take the fugitive servant, once received , and then exalted again , and shut it in aglazed Vessel, till it consume in'Fire or water j so the Iron Tool will grow hard,thatyou may easily have your desire : but if it be too hard , that it be too brittle, addmore liquor,or else more Metal : yet take care of this alone,whilst you have foundthe tneaiure of your work : for the Iron will grow strong and tough. The same alsowill be happily performed by the foul moysture of the Serpent Python., and by thewasting thereof: for the fair gives force,and the fat toughness. And these are the bestand choicest that 1 have tried in this kinde.

CfcAP. VII.

How to grave a Porphyr Marble without an Iron tool.

S Ome have attempted to do this without any Graver, but with strong and forciblewater; and this Argument moved them to it: When they saw Vinegar and sharpjuices to swell into bubble?, being cast upon Marble,and to corrode it,they supposedthat if 1 they should draw very strong sharp liquor from sharp and corroding things,they might do the same work without labour. At last, thus they did it: Take a little-Mercury sublimate,and a little Salt Ammoniac,distil these as I strewed in Glass Stills:then take a little Verdigrease, Tin calcined, and of the sire-stone, powder all theseWith Sell (jemma, and common Sak, and Salt Ammoniac, and distil them, and pE