I N D E X

Of the medicines of Mars in the first order. Chapter 5. In the alchemical tradition, Mars refers to iron. The "orders" of medicines refer to the potency of the elixir: the first order only changed the surface or specific qualities of a metal.
Of the medicines of the Moon in the first order. Chapter 6. The Moon refers to silver.
Of the medicines of the second order. Chapter 7. Second order medicines were thought to change the substance of a metal more deeply, though still imperfectly.
Of the administration of the medicines of the second order.

Of the correction of defects after the administration of
medicines of the second order. Chapter 9.
Of the medicines of Quicksilver, and their entry

Quicksilver refers to mercury. "Entry" refers to the elixir's ability to penetrate and merge with the metal being transformed. *Of the administration of the third order. Chapter 11.* The third order is the most perfect medicine, capable of total and permanent transmutation into gold or silver. *Of the administration of the Solar and Lunar medicines.* The Sun (Sol) refers to gold, and the Moon (Luna) to silver. *Of the examinations by which it is known whether the* *mastery is in perfection. Chapter 13.* Magisterium (mastery) refers to the completed alchemical process or the "Great Work." *Of the examination by cupel. Chapter 14.* Cineritium refers to cupellation, a refining process where metals are heated in a "cupel" of bone ash to separate precious metals from base ones. *Of the examination by cement. Chapter 15.* Cementation was a method of purifying gold by heating it while packed in a mixture of salts or "cements." *Of the examination by ignition. Chapter 16.* A test of a metal's purity based on how it reacts to intense heat and whether it loses weight or changes color. *Of the examination by fusion. Chapter 17.* A test focused on the melting point and fluidity of the metal. *Of the examination by the exposure of bodies to sharp* *vapors. Chapter 18.* original: "uapores acutos". This involves testing a metal's resistance to corrosion by exposing it to acidic fumes, such as those from vinegar. *Of the examination by extinction. Chapter 19.* Extinction is the process of quenching a red-hot metal in a liquid to observe its reaction and resulting hardness. *Of the examination in the mixture of Sulfur. Chapter 20.* *Of the examination of Calcination and the Reduction of bodies.* Calcination involves burning a metal to a powder, while Reduction is the process of returning that powder back to its metallic form. *Of the examination in the easy and difficult mixing of Quicksilver*