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The Sceptical Chymist

Page 194 of 205, printed 194

height; this Spirit abounds in the Salt I told you of, part of which may easily enough be separated by the way I use in such cases, which is, to put the Liquor into a glass Egg, or bolthead with a long and narrow Neck. For if this be plac'd a little inclining in hot sand, there will sublime up a fine Salt, which, as I told you, I find to be much of kin to the Volatile Salts of Animals: For like them it has a Saltish, not an Acid Salt; it hisses upon the Affusion of Spirit of Nitre, or Oyle of Vitriol; it precipitates Corals Dissolv'd in Spirit of Vinager; it turnes the blew Syrup of Violets immediately green; it presently turnes the Solution of Sublimate into a Milkie whiteness; and in summ, has divers Operations like those that I have observ'd in that sort of Salts to which I have resembled it: and is so Volatile, that for Distinction sake, I call it _Tartari Fugitivus_ [Errata: Sal Tartari Fugitivus]. What virtues it may have in Physick I have not yet had the opportunity to Try; but I am apt to think they will not be despicable. And besides that a very Ingenious Friend of mine tells me he hath done great matters against the stone, with a Preparation not very much Differing from ours, a very Experienc'd Germane Chymist finding that I was unacquainted with the wayes of making this salt, told me that in a great City in his Country, a noted Chymist prizes it so highly, that he had a while since procur'd a Priviledge from the Magistrates, that none but He, or by his Licence, should vent a Spirit made almost after the same Way with mine, save that he leaves out one of the Ingredients, namely the Quick-lime. But, continues _Carneades_, to resume my Former Discourse where your Curiosity interrupted it; Tis also a common practice in _France_ to bury thin Plates of Copper in the Marc (as the French call it) or Husks of Grapes, whence the Juice has been squeez'd out in the Wine-press, and by this means the more saline parts of those Husks working by little and little upon the Copper, Coagulate Themselves with it into that Blewish Green Substance we in English call Verdigrease. Of which I therefore take Notice, because having Distill'd it in a Naked Fire, I found as I expected, that by the Association of the Saline with the Metalline parts, the former were so alter'd, that the Distill'd Liquor, even without Rectification, seem'd by smell and Tast, strong almost like _Aqua Fortis_, and very much surpassed the purest and most Rectifi'd Spirit of Vinager that ever I made. And this Spirit I therefore ascribe to the salt of the Husks alter'd by their Co-Mixture with the copper (though the Fire afterwards Divorce and Transmute them) because I 194
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