Marengus — Secrets of Chemical Pallas Revealed, ca. 1700

...metallic, there also comes the whole metal itself dissolved philosophically; for then it is said to be reduced to its first matter; for the first matter of a metal is a mercurial matter. It is also called the Living Silver of the Philosophers when one mercury, or one mercurial nature and substance, is made from the mercury of medium substances and from the mercury of a perfect metal.

What the Sulfur of metals is.

In this art, the Philosophers' Sulfur is when the other mercurial elements are united to the element of earth of the sun or moon: or only the element of water itself, and they are together sublimated into a salt, or into a dry and permanent water, or into foliated earth and precious sulfur: Many times, however, gold itself dissolved philosophically, or reduced into an oil, is taken for sulfur. Sometimes it is also taken for the cooked stone itself, but not yet waxed. There are found, however, sulfurs of diverse species, such as vegetable, animal, and mineral, all of which will be treated in their place; they are all made, however, by observing the same method.

What Virgin's Milk is.

Lac Virginis Virgin's Milk among chemical Philosophers signifies the mercurial elements themselves, earth excepted, separated from the solar or lunar body; either separately, or all together, and purified and thinned through various and reiterated distillations. Sometimes it is also taken for the first element, which is called the element of water, and which first comes out in the distillation of the perfect body together with the medium substance, or with the vegetable or animal solvent after putrefaction, and it has no tincture of the sun, or very little. It is also common for the medium substance itself, converted into water or oil, to be understood by the name of virgin's milk.

What the Soul of metals is.

The soul of metals is their tincture, or mercurial part: whatever, therefore, is separated from a metal by distillation or extraction, so that only its element of earth remains, is called the soul of the metal.

What the medicine of metals is.

By the name of medicine is understood that which is complete, either for protecting and recovering the health of men, or for making the transmutation of metals.

What and how fourfold the solvent is.

A menstruum solvent is nothing else than a certain most subtle Spûs Spirit separated from its own element of earth, which when it is well and rightly prepared, and joined to its own salt or sulfur, has the power of philosophically dissolving metals from their corporeality with the preservation of their substantial form: indeed, even with the germinating increase of their power. In this art, three species of solvent are found, namely, animal, vegetable, and mineral. The animal solvent is twofold: the first is extracted from an irrational animal, such as saltpeter, but this is of no value by itself and without the help of a vegetable Spirit: the second, however, is drawn from a rational animal, that is, from human urine, and this is the best. The vegetable solvent is also twofold: the first is distilled vinegar, and in this are included all things sharp, pungent, and vinegary, which can also be fortified either with the Spirit of common salt, or with the Spirit of quicklime: the second, however, is made from spirit of wine together with its own salt, or with its own sulfur; and this solvent, if it is circulated, will turn out more perfect, and will make a greater vegetative impression. It must be noted, however, that if the spirit of wine is sharpened, fortified, and animated by the salt or sulfur of human urine, it will dissolve metals philosophically and reduce them to their first matter more quickly than if it were fortified by a vegetable salt or sulfur: Note Well nevertheless, for making potable gold that may serve the health of human bodies, we ought to use only a vegetable solvent fortified by a vegetable salt or sulfur.

Likewise, the mineral solvent is twofold: the first is made from...