Appendix II
Equipment and Materials Required for the First Operation of Alchemy

1. The most important piece of equipment is the hot-plate. In times past the alchemists only had primitive fires or ovens that were kept going with all kinds of fuels that needed constant watching to prevent them going cold, for periods of time often measured in months. Any diminution in heat could result in failure of the experiment, thus wasting months of work. Now, thermostatically controlled hot-plates, with adjustable temperatures which will keep going for weeks, months, or years without supervision, are available to the researcher. A hot-plate of approximately 18 by 10 in. will allow several experiments to be run at the same temperature at the same time.
 

2. At least four Pyrex flasks of 150 ml and two of 250 ml to act as receiving flasks for the condensed vapour rising from the retort containing the metals. This is the philosopher’s mercury which is extracted from the powdered metals with a heat which must not exceed 150-170F.
 

3. Two retorts of 100 ml and one of 250 ml, with long necks, made of Pyrex to withstand the constant heat. These must be flat-bottomed to stand firmly on the hot-plate.
 

4. A home-made surround of thick asbestos, with cardboard or asbestos cover, to conserve the heat generated by the hot-plate. This should have fairly tight apertures for the necks of the retorts to protrude through.
 

5. The ground-glass bungs with which the retorts are fitted should be replaced by rubber bungs, as these will merely blow out if too much pressure is generated in the retort rather than causing the apparatus to explode, with the consequent loss of equipment, time and metals. There should be a number of replacement bungs, as the rubber tends to harden in the heat. However be very careful not to allow vapour to be lost, and therefore do not open the retorts too often; after all, the farmer does not pull up his seeds every now and then to see how they are getting along. Make sure that all closures are absolutely airtight.
 

6. A range of Kilner jars to store various materials and products of the work under airtight conditions, able to withstand heat.
 

7. Accurate scales graduated in sixteenths of an ounce, up to a pound.
 

8. Pestle and mortar for crushing compounds hardened under heat.
 

9. A small strong magnet, for iron filings.
 

10. A few plastic funnels with spouts capable of entering the retorts.
 

11. Stirrers and spoons, to remove matter from the flasks.
 

12. Various grade mesh sieves.
 

13. Brushes for manipulating fine powders.
 

14. A small torch to inspect the retorts during the heating.
 

15. Evaporating dishes to dry metals.
 

16. Most importantly, a notebook to record dates, results and quantities.

The metals to be used: All metals used in alchemy should be in powder form, so as to obtain the most intimate mixtures without the necessity of fusion. These may be obtained from manufacturers, but it is important that they be as chemically pure (99 per cent) and as finely ground as possible, as this will save much time.

a. Sol or Gold or Luna or Silver 1 part (Never to be used together at any stage)
added to:
b. Antimony with Mars or Iron in a regulus 1 part
and
c. Venus or Copper (if it is decided to use it) 1 part (Venus is a blind, and is often referred to with contempt by the alchemists, but see Chapter 6 for details of this difficulty.)

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Appendix III

Signs and Symbols Used in Alchemical Literature

Note: As the symbols will not translate into ASCII, this portion of the text has been omitted.

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Glossary

AIR: Vapour, not the atmosphere. The vapour arising from metals.
ALKAHEST: Secret fire.
AMALGAM: Mixture of metals by fusion.
ARGENT VIVE: Philosopher’s mercury or “living silver”.
ATHANOR: Oven used by the alchemists, now superseded.
AURUM ALBUM: White gold.
AZOTH: First mixture of metals.
BALNEUM MARIAE: A warm water bath kept at a temperature bearable by a human being.
CALCINATION: To reduce by heat but not by burning.
CIBATION: The wetting of the dried matter.
COLOUR SEQUENCE: Jet black, white, citrine, blood red.
CONGEALATION: Solidification from liquid.
CONJUNCTlON: Amalgamation of several elements. CUPELLATION: The metallurgical test for assaying gold, first mentioned by Gerber.
DIGESTION: Concoction for the purpose of extracting the essence from a substance.
DISSOLUTION: The slow separation of a body into its components in a liquid.
EARTH: Metals are often referred to as “earth”.
EXALTATION: Raising the power or virtue of the philosophers’ stone to enable it to transmute.
FERMENTATION: Adding the required precious metal as a “yeast” to the philosophers’ stone enabling it to transmute base metals into this particular precious metal.
JUPITER: Planetary name for tin.
LAPIS PHILOSOPHORUM: The philosophers’ stone, which is of course a powder and not a stone.
LUNA: The planetary name for silver, often referring to the regulus of antimony and iron.
MAGNESIA: Sometimes used for loadstone or talc, but by many alchemists merely applied to mixtures of metals.
MARS: Planetary name for iron.
MENSTRUUM: Any fluid that dissolves a solid, sometimes a catalyst.
MERCURIAL SUBLIMATE: Vapour of metals, not used by the alchemists in its modern chemical meaning.MERCURY, philosophical: Sophic fire, a brilliant clear liquid, not ordinary mercury.
MERCURY, vulgar: Common quicksilver.
MULTIPLICATION: Increasing the quality and quantity of the Philosophers’ Stone.
OUR FIRE: Secret fire.
PEACOCK’S TAIL: The varied colours that arise during the course of the work which resemble the colours seen when petrol is spilt on a wet surface. PHILOSOPHERS’ STONE: The powder with which the transmutation is finally effected.
PHILOSOPHICAL VITRIOL: Not aqua regis, associated with copper or the vapour extracted from copper.
PROJECTION: The final work of transmutation into gold or silver.
PUTREFACTION: The first change to be seen, the appearance of blackness.
REBIS: Two metals joined like a regulus with the aid of a catalyst.
RED MAN: Iron, or occasionally gold, or copper.
REGULUS: Two metals mixed in a natural manner, but not by the application of ordinary fire but by a natural heat bearable by man. SALT: Not ordinary salt, but part of the nature of metals. SATURN: Planetary name for lead, but to the alchemists this quite often referred to a black stage rather than the metal lead.
SECRET FIRE: See philosophical mercury.
SEPARATION: To break up into light and heavy parts.
SOL: Gold.
SOPHIC FIRE: See philosophical mercury.
SOPHIC MERCURY: See philosophical mercury.
SUBLIMATION: Extraction by volatilisation or distillation. SULPHUR, philosophers’: That which is extracted from metals which the alchemists claim was present in all metals in varying quantities, not chemical sulphur.
TRANSMUTATION: The changing of one metal into another.
UNIVERSAL MENSTRUM: See philosophical mercury.
VENUS: Planetary name for copper.
WATER: Refers to philosophers’ mercury.
WHITE WIFE: A white metal sometimes antimony.

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Bibliography

In this book, complete treatises, extracts and quotations are taken from the following books written by masters of the art of alchemy, mainly from the Middle Ages. Fitted together, these produce a picture that will clarify much that has never been generally known about alchemy. Nevertheless, a warning is here given that the serious student should be on guard when reading any of the undermentioned books and not accept everything he finds as true. Most of these books may be found by readers in the library of the British Museum. Though there are many thousands of alchemical treatises spread around the world, the following are recommended as the most practical.

Ali-Puli, Epistles, 1951.
Anonymous German Alchemist, Hermetic Triumpth, 1723. Artephius, Secret Book, 1624.
Bacon, Roger, Root of the World (Radix Mundi), 1692.
Hamilton-Jones, J. W., Bacstrom’s Alchemical Anthology, 1960.
Hermes Trismegistus, The Golden Treatise, 1692.
Kelley, Edward, “Book of St. Dunstans” (in Alchemical Writings, 1893).
Maier, Michael, Atalanta Fugiens, 1617.
Paracelsus, “Theory of Alchemy” (in Works, 1894).
Philalethes, Eirenaeus, Marrow of Alchemy, 1654.
Ripley Revived, 1678.
Pontanus, John, Sophic Fire, 1624.
Ripley, George, “Twelve Gates” (in Opera Omnia Chemica, 1649). Sendivogius, Michael, A New Light of Alchemy, 1650.
Synesius, “The True Book” (in Basil Valentine’s Triumphant Chariot of Antimony, 1678).
Urbigerus, Baro, One Hundred A phorisms, 1690.
Vaughan, Thomas (Eugenius Philalethes), Magical and Alchemical Writings (ed. A. E. Waite, 1888).

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Index
Note: This index has been stripped of page numbers, as they have little meaning given the format of this document.

Adfar
Adrop
Alchemical Writings of Edward Kelley
Ali-Puli
Alkahest
Amalgami
Amalgamation
Animu
Antimonial water
Antimony
Antimony oil of
Aquafortis
Aqua regis
Aqua vitae
Archelaus
Argent vive
Argent vive antimonial
Argent vive, unclean
Argentum vivum, see Argent vive
Argentum vivum album fixcum
Arnoldous
Arsenic
Artephius
Art of Alchemy
Assation
Astanus
Athanor
Athenor, see Athanor
Atalanta Fugiens
Augmentation
Aurum album
Aurum alchymiae
Avis Hermetis
Azoth

Bacon, Roger
Bacstrom
Bacstrom’s Alchemical Anthology
Basiliske
Behmen, Jacob
Boerhaave, Hermann
Book of St Dunstans
Brief Guide To The Celestial Ruby, A
British Museum

Calcination
Calx
Cambar
Celestial Ruby
Chalibs
Chaos
Christ
Cibation
Cineritium
Cinnabar
Coagulation
Concentrated Centre of Nature, The,
Congealation
Conjunction
Contrition
Copellation, see also Cupellation
Copper
Corjufle
Corrosive
Corruption
Cupellation

Dealbation
Decoction
Desponsation
Diana of the Wise
Digestion
Dissolution
Distillation
Dragon
Duenech

Elixir of Life
Ens
Epistles of Ali-Puli
Ethelia
Euclid
Exaltation,
Excrement, see also Faeces,
Experience and Philosophy
Extraction

Faeces
Fermentation
Fire! see ‘Our Fire’, Secret Fire, Sophic Fire
First matter
Flamel, Nicholas
Flores auri
Frederick the Great
Fumus albus
Furnaces

Geber
Generation
Gold
Golden Fleece
Golden Treatise (Tract), The
Green Lion
Guido

Hamilton-Jones, J. W.,
Hermaphrodite
Hermes bird/vulture
Hermes tree
Hermes Trismegistus
Hermeic Museum
Hermetic Triumph
Humectation

Igneous water
Ignis-Aqua, see Igneous water
Ignis cinerum
Imbibation
Incas
Iron

Jupiter
Kelley, Edward
Kilner jars

Lamp fire
Lapis Philosophorum, see also Philosopers’ Stone
Laton
Latten
Laznioro
Lead
Ligation
Lion, see also Green Lion
Liquefication
Loadsont
Lully, Raymond
Luna, see also Moon
Luna alba philosphorum

Magical and Alchemical Writings of Thomas Vaughan
Magnesia
Maier, Michael
Marrrow of Alchemy, The
Mars
Menstrue, see also Menstruum
Menstruum
Menstruum, vegetable
Mercurial sublimate
Mercurial water
Mercunus extractus
Mercury, see also Philosophers’ Mercury and ‘Our Mercury’
Mercury, universal
Mercury, Universal Lunar
Mercury vive
Moon, see also Luna
Morien 113
Mundification
Muriate
Multiplication

New Light of Alchemy, A
Nitrate
Nitre
Noah
Norton

One Hundred Aphorisms
Opera Omnia Chemica
‘Our Fire’, see also Secret Fire and Sophic Fire
‘Our Mercury’ see also Mercury and Philosophers Mercury
‘Our Stone’, see Philosophers’ Stone
Oxymuriate

Palmary essence
Paracelsus
Peacock’s tail
Philalethes, Eirenaeus
Philalethes, Eugenius, see Vaughan Thomas
Philosophers’ Mercury, see also Mercury and ‘Our Mercury’
Philosophers’ Stone
Philosophical Vitriol, see also Vitriol,
Pontanus, John
Primal Matter or First Principles, 72-5,
Prilna Materia, see also First matter
Projection
Pulvis discontinuatus
Putrefaction

Quicksilver
Radix Mundi
Raven’s Head
Rebis
Red Lion
Red man
Red oil
Red powder
Red servant
Regulus
Reincrudation
Rhasis
Ripley Revived
Ripley, Sir George
Root of the World

Saffron
Sal alebrot philosophorum
Sal ammoniac
Salt
Salt Peter
Saturn
Saturnus plumbum philosophorum
Scoria
Secret Book; The
Secret Fire, see also Sophic Fire and’Our Fire’,
Sendivogius, Michael
Separation
Silver
Six Keys of Eudoxus, The
Sol, see also Sun
Solomon
Sophic Fire, see also Secret Fire and ‘Our Fire’
Sophic Fire, The
Sophic Mercury, see also Philosophers’ Stone
Sound of the Trumpet, The
Sperm
Sperm of metals
Spiritus abus
St. Germain, Count De
Stibnite
Stone, see Philosophers’ Stone Sublimation
Subtilizatilon
Sulphur
Summary of Philosophy
Sun, see also Sol
Synesius

Talc
Temperatures
Terra damnata
Theatrum chemicum
Theory of Alchemy, The
Tin
Tincture of Luna, see Luna
Tincture of Sol, see Sol
Toad Transmutation
Trevisan, Bernard, Marquise of
Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, The
True Book, The
Turba Philosophorum
Twelve Gates of Alchemy, The

Urbigerus, Baro
Vade Mecum
Valentine, Basil
Vase naturae
Vaughan, Thomas
Venus
Vermillion
Vinegar
Vinegar, antimonial
Vinegre
Vitriol, see also Philosophical vitriol,
Volatilisation
Vulcan

Waite, A. E.
White oil
White powder
White stone
White wife

Zandarith

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