Mirror of Lights.

...things. Regarding the "bad conditions" In this context, "bad" or "evil" likely refers to common, impure, or preliminary states of matter rather than moral evil. from which the alchemical work is made, this intended purpose is sufficient to be noted. And not yet, since many things pertaining to alchemy are from these "bad" sources, namely: Saltpeter, Rock Salt, Salt of Vetch, Borax, Calamine stone, torpet stone original: "lapis torpet." This may refer to a "numbing" stone or a specific mineral like a variety of magnetite or even a corrupted spelling of topaz., Tutty stone Zinc oxide collected from furnace flues., Hematite stone, Cadmia, Marcasite, Magnesia, Litharge Lead oxide., Saffron of Iron Iron oxide., Orpiment Arsenic trisulfide., and many other things which are not held as necessary in the works of this book; and therefore, concerning these No strong conditions things, they shall not be treated in this "mirror."

¶ The Strong Conditions are the operations directed toward the end of our present intent, which are: Preparations, Sublimations, Fixations, Calcinations, Solutions, Fermentations, Distillations, preparation Coagulations, and so forth.

¶ Preparation of medicinal things is, namely, their due arrangement. Prepared are: Salt ammoniac Sal armoniacum; ammonium chloride used as a flux, Common salt, Alkali salt, "flowers," water of flowers, oil and water of tartar, and the stones of the philosophers.

¶ Sublimation Sublimation is the elevation of a dry thing by fire, together with its adherence to the vessel The process of turning a solid into vapor and back into a solid on the upper parts of a flask.. Sublimation is indeed diversified by the diversity of the "spirits" to be calcined; for some sublimation is done with a moderate fire and some with a strong fire. If it is the sublimation of mercury, orpiment, or arsenic, some sublimation is done at a low fire. If it is the sublimation of Sulfur, it must be so because it will not whiten meaning it may burn or discolor if the heat is too high. Mercury is sublimated so that its "earthiness" may be set aside and its "wateriness" removed. Whence, in sublimations, the earthiness of mercury is cleansed by the lime of white marble,

Mirror of Lights.

...from the powder of the finest glass, in a threefold way: through prepared Salt ammoniac and through prepared Common salt. The method for the removal of its wateriness is this: when it is mixed with those things with which it ought to be sublimated, let it be ground and mixed until it no longer appears meaning the mercury is "killed" or thoroughly incorporated into the base, and let it be agitated over a gentle fire until the receding water is removed; and let it be agitated fixation until the mercury recedes a second time.

¶ Fixation is the adaptation of a melting substance to withstand the fire. The reason why fixation is performed is so that every "tincture" the coloring principle or essence and every alteration may persevere in the other substance and not be changed. For the "mystic bodies" likely referring to the metals or the nascent philosopher's stone are fixed through their calcination, since they are dissolved from their volatile "Sulfur-nature."

Species are fixed in this work in six ways:
1. By frequent reiterations of Sublimation until they remain in the vessel; if one speaks of Sulfur and Arsenic, they can then be sublimated so that they will remain and be "fixed."
2. In the second way, species are fixed with oil of tartar.
3. In the third way, with metallic waters.
4. In the fourth way, by themselves.
5. In the fifth way, with the waters of the philosopher's stone.
6. In the sixth way, with their own oils.

Calcination ¶ Calcination is the reduction of a thing to powder through the deprivation of the moisture of its consolidating parts Reducing a substance to ash or oxide by heat.. Bodies are calcined from their diminished perfection; diverse species are also calcined. Bodies are calcined so that the "Sulfur-nature" existing in them and corrupting them may be destroyed. For it burns away all "Sulfur-nature" and whatever is a scorched thing, since without calcination it could not be destroyed. Soft bodies are calcined so that they may be hardened by the calcination; for they can be hardened from a manifest force and are hardened more quickly. Species are calcined so that they may be more...