well incorporated with the Saline ones. And the like conjecture I have
also made concerning Spirit of Vinager, which, though the Chymists
think one of the Principles of that Body, and though being an Acid
Spirit it seems to be much less of kin then Volatile Salts to
sulphurs; yet, not to mention its piercing smell; which I know not
with what congruity the Chymist will deduce from Salt, I wonder they
have not taken notice of what their own _Tyrocinium Chymicum_ teach us
concerning the Destillation of _Saccharum Saturni_; out of which
_Beguinus_[16] assures Us, that he distill'd, besides a very fine
spirit, no lesse then two Oyles, the one blood-red and ponderous, but
the other swimming upon the top of the Spirit, and of a yellow colour;
of which he sayes that he kept then some by him, to verify what he
delivers. And though I remember not that I have had two distinct Oyles
from Sugar of Lead, yet that it will though distill'd without addition
yield some Oyle, disagrees not with my Experience. I know the Chymists
will be apt to pretend, that these Oyls are but the volatiliz'd
sulphur of the lead; and will perhaps argue it from what _Beguinus_
relates, that when the Distillation is ended, you'l find a _Caput
Mortuum_ extreamly black, and (as he speaks) _nullius momenti_, as if
the Body, or at least the chief part of the Metal it self were by the
distillation carried over the Helme. But since you know as well as I
that _Saccharum Saturni_ is a kind of Magistery, made only by
calcining of Lead _per se_, dissolving it in distill'd Vinager, and
crystalizing the solution; if I had leasure to tell You how Differing
a thing I did upon examination find the _Caput Mortuum_, so sleighted
by _Beguinus_, to be from what he represents it, I believe you would
think the conjecture propos'd less probable then one or other of these
three; either that this Oyle did formerly concur to constitute the
Spirit of Vinager, and so that what passes for a Chymical Principle
may yet be further resoluble into distinct substances; or that some
parts of the Spirit together with some parts of the Lead may
constitute a Chymical Oyle, which therefore though it pass for
Homogeneous, may be a very compounded Body: or at least that by the
action of the Distill'd Vinager and the Saturnine Calx one upon
another, part of the Liquor may be so alter'd as to be transmuted from
an Acid Spirit into an Oyle. And though the truth of either of the two
former conjectures would make the example I have reflected on more
pertinent to my present argument; yet you'l easily discern, the Third
and last Conjecture cannot be unserviceable to confirm some other
passages of my discourse.
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