Manly P. Hall Collection, Box 3

and as much saltpeter, and to this, a pound of sal ammoniac. Mix this all together, grind it well, and pour it into a glass which is called a cucurbit. Place the alembic on top and place a receiver underneath so that it may flow into it. Seal it well so that no vapor can escape by any path. Place it on the furnace and use a slow fire. When you see that water flows, increase the fire, and thus let it be distilled until you see that it will no longer distill. Afterward, give it a very vehement fire until you see that the spirits go [off], and let it stand until you see that the alembic turns white. Then stop, and take down the glass of the receiver with water. Take a small particle of gold and throw it in there, close it, and heat the glass over coals; your water will cast off its impurity and will be pure. Afterward, take salt that is well burned and purified to the highest degree, and hammer it into thin sheets and cut it minutely. Afterward, take the glass and pour this water into it, as much as seems necessary, and place the gold into it. Seal the glass well and place it over hot ashes so that it dissolves. Afterward, take this water with the gold to a small cauldron, pour water into it, and place it over coals to boil. When it boils, pour that water out of the glass and stir with a small wooden stick so that it does not stick to the cauldron. When you see that the gold goes to the bottom, take it down, pour out that water bit by bit, pour more over it, and cook it again. Do this five times. Afterward, pour it into a tripod and dry the water over coals so that only a powder remains. Collect this powder cleanly into a crucible, place it on the fire, and always stir with an iron rod until you see that no humidity comes out of it—the gold—for as soon as any humidity remains, your stone would never note this well join itself. Thus you will have gold prepared for this noble and venerable path.