Workdiary 16 (diplomatic transcript)

Link to Editorial Headnote for Workdiary 16

[BP 25, fol. 161 (original pagination p. 1)]
My Private
Philosophicall Diary
Begun this First of Jan. 1656/7
[Integral marginalia:]
Jan. 1

1.) Take Linseed Oyle {pound}i frankinsence {pound} {half} comon Amber {ounce} ii Gummi Lacca {ounce} i{half} Aloes {ounce} ii Beat the Amber by it selfe & melt it by it selfe Beat the Gumme into fine powder Boyle all these with a gentle fire 2 houres (keeping the Liquor constantly stirring with a Stick least it Burne) till the Materialls be perfectly dissolv'd in the Oyle And then have you made your vernish to guild Leather with

2) Reduce with the Animall Calx your white Elixir into Cristalls, from which with a very strong fire draw a Sp: which will leave a light & altogether insipid Calx behind, put 2 parts of this Sp: upon one of the Salt to be wrought upon & Cohobate them till they all come over together

[Integral marginalia:]
Jan 2d

3) Take Aquila['i' altered from 'a'] Cælestis & dissolve it in as much water as will barely suffice for the solution of it, In this Liquor dissolve as much Sal Infernalis as you can in a gentle heat Then let it stand in the open aire, (stirring it often) till the humidity be evaporated & the bodies united this masse you may if need be once more moisten [BP 25, fol. 163 (original pagination p. 2)] with the Solution of the Infernall Salt & to make it dry the sooner you may Incorporate it with sifted bone=ashes & when it is perfectly dry draw it over with a strong fire & if need be severall Cohobations, In like maner you may imbibe the fixt Salt of the Homogeneous Menstruum with as much of the dissolvd volatile Salt or Sp: of the same as the fixt salt will retaine & Conjunction being made in the open aire the united Salts may be drawne over with Due Cohobation as formerly

[Integral marginalia:]
Jan 3d

4) Take of Nitre & Allum ana & (without terra figulina or any such thing) draw over an Aqua fortis which rectifye[altered from 'rectify'd'] first per se to separate the Flegme & then the remaineing Liquor from halfe its weight of Decrepitated Sea-salt. Then in this thus doubly rectify'd Aqua fortis dissolve as much Antimonie as you can And on the Solution poure store of warm water which will precipitate a greenish Substance

5) Take Sulphur & melt it with as great a heat as you can without fireing it & immediatly poure it into water out of which takeing it againe melt it as before & poure it againe into fresh water this operation repeat till the Sulphur (haveing lost its Salt in the water) become soft almost like Butter then with Sp: of wine draw it over in a Retort that it may ascend in the forme of an oyle

6) Take sope & dissolve it in faire water & let it dry againe in the open aire then moisten it againe & let it dry as before & soe proceed by alternate Imbibitions & Exucations till the whole masse receive['c' inserted] a new ferment.

[BP 25, fol. 162 (original pagination p. 3)]

7) Take aqua Calcis vivæ (a pound of Quick=lime to a Gallon of water) & in this Liquor dissolve any Rob & when it has in a very gentle Decocting heat cast up much of the Scum which must be taken of steame away the Liquor till the Rob returne to its former Consistencie

[Integral marginalia:]
Jan: 8th:,

8) Take cælestiall Sublimate & put to it half its weight of pure salt of Tartar dissolv'd in a litle faire water distill it gradually in a naked fire which must at length be a reverberating one poure backe the foetid Sp: upon its Caput mortuum & imbibe it well therewith after which (frequently stirring it let it dry of it selfe in the Aire, lastly['l' altered from 't'] keepe it a while in <a> good Crucible in the fire to drive away what Sp: is not well fixt upon the matter the Dose is from 5 grains to a {scruple} i & it works Bezoardically

9) Take Miluus & salt of Tartar of each equall parts distill them over together in a strong fire then returne the extorted Liquor, (the Flegme being first separated) upon the Fæces and digest them in a moveing furnace till they be [ 'd' deleted] somewhat dry then redistill them as before & returne the Liquor upon the Fæces & digest them together as formerly, this doe the third & 4th time also at the last of which a strong Reverberium must be us'd

10) Take of the white Elixir 2 parts of the white sweet & blacke Concretes of each of these 3 1 part Incorporate these perfectly together & digest the masse without furnaces for 3 months at least & if you keepe it 6 months in [ 'month' deleted] Digestion it would be but soe much the better <M.M. as I think>[insertion in line in Boyle hand]

[BP 25, fol. 164 (original pagination p. 4)]

11) Take of good Regulus of Antimonie & silver equall parts & with Sublimate make after the comon manner a Butyrum Antimonii & of that well rectify'd make {mercury} vitæ make also a Butyrum of Stella Martis

12) Take Aurum fulminans 1 part Flowers of {sulphur} 3 parts mingle them first lightly & very warily with your finger or any convenient Instrument then mingle them by degrees more exquisitly and this mixture cast by litle & litle into a red hot Crucible & soe the Brimstone after a litle Conflict will destroy <the> Inflamability of the Aurum fulminans

13) Hartmans way of drawing of Tinctures of {silver} has bin tryed & that of extracting the tinctur of {gold} will probably succeed

14) put faire water to the unituous Salt till the whole masse become of the consistence of such Batter as pancakes are wont to be made of & soe continue to ferment it for 12 or 14 days & then irrorate it every 4 or 5 days with the Salino-Sulphureous Menstruum & let it each time grow pretty dry of it selfe

15) Take hard (or in want of that) soft sope, and Minium of each equall weight distill them together & cohobate them often & to obtaine the white part put to the Minium before Distillation some salt of Lime made with Sp: of vinager