Part 19

Annotation II.

So that as by the present (XLVIII.) Experiment it appears, that divers Minerals will impart to fusible Masses, Colours differing from their own; so by the making and compounding of Amels, it may appear, that divers Bodies will both retain their Colour in the fire, and impart the same to some others wherewith they were vitrifi'd, and in such Tryals as that mention'd in the 17. Experiment, where I told you, that ev'n in Amels a Blew and Yellow will compound a Green. 'Tis pretty to behold, not only that some Colours are of so fix'd a Nature, as to be capable of mixture without receiving any detriment by the fire, that do's so easily destroy or spoyl those of other Bodies; but Mineral Pigments may be mingled by fire little less regularly and successfully, than in ordinary Dyeing Fatts, the vulgar Colours are wont to be mingled by the help of Water.

Annotation III.

'Tis not only Metalline, but other Mineral Bodies, that may be imploy'd, to give Tinctures unto Glass (and 'tis worth noting how small a quantity of some Mineral substances, will Tinge a Comparatively vast proportion of Glass, and we have sometimes attempted to Colour Glass, ev'n with Pretious Stones, and had cause to think the Experiment not cast away. And 'tis known by them that have look'd into the Art of Glass, that the Artificers use to tinge their Glass Blew, with that Dark Mineral Zaffora, (some of my Tryals on which I elsewhere acquaint you) which some would have to be a Mineral Earth, others a Stone, and others neither the one, nor the other, but which is confessedly of a Dark, but not a Blew Colour, though it be not agreed of what particular Colour it is. 'Tis likewise though a familiar yet a remarkable practise among those that Deal in the making of Glass, to imploy (as some of themselves have inform'd me) what they call Manganess, and some Authors call Magnesia (of which I make particular mention in another Treatise) to exhibit in Glass not only other Colours than its own, (which is so like in Darkness or blackishness to the Load stone, that 'tis given by Mineralists, for one of the Reasons of its Latine Name) but Colours differing from one another. For though they use it, (which is somewhat strange) to Clarifye their Glass, and free it from that Blewish Greenish Colour, which else it would too often be subject to, yet they also imploy it in certain proportions, to tinge their Glass both with a Red colour, and with a Purplish or Murry, and putting in a greater Quantity, they also make with it that deep obscure Glass which is wont to pass for Black, which agrees very well with, and may serve to confirm what we noted near the beginning of the 44th Experiment, of the seeming Blackness of those Bodies that are overcharg'd with the Corpuscles of such Colours, as Red, or Blew, or Green, &c. And as by several Metals and other Minerals we can give various Colours to Glass, so on the other side, by the differing Colours that Mineral Oars, or other Mineral Powders being melted with Glass disclose in it, a good Conjecture may be oftentimes made of the Metall or known Mineral, that the Oar propos'd, either holds, or is most of kin to. And this easie way of examining Oars, may be in some cases of good use, and is not ill deliver'd by Glauber, to whom I shall at present refer you, for a more particular account of it: unless your Curiosity command also what I have observ'd about these matters; only I must here advertise you, that great circumspection is requisite to keep this way from proving fallacious, upon the account of the variations of Colour that may be produc'd by the differing proportions that may be us'd betwixt the Oar and the Glass, by the Richness or Poorness of the Oar it self, by the Degree of Fire, and (especially) by the Length of Time, during which the matter is kept in fusion; as you will easily gather from what you will quickly meet with in the following Annotation upon this present 48th Experiment.

Annotation IV.

There is another way and differing enough from those already mention'd, by which Metalls may be brought to exhibit adventitious Colours: For by This, the Metall do's not so much impart a Colour to another Body, as receive a Colour from it, or rather both Bodies do by the new Texture resulting from their mistion produce a new Colour. I will not insist to this purpose upon the Examples afforded us by yellow Orpiment, and common Sea Salt, from which, sublim'd together, Chymists unanimously affirm their White or Crystalline Arsenick to be made: But 'tis not unworthy our noting, That though Yellow Orpiment be acknowledg'd to be the Copiousest by far of the two Ingredients of Arsenick, yet this last nam'd Body being duely added to the highest Colour'd Metall Copper, when 'tis in fusion, gives it a whiteness both within and without. Thus Lapis Calaminaris changes and improves the Colour of Copper by turning it into Brass. And I have sometimes by the help of Zinck duely mix'd after a certain manner, given Copper one of the Richest Golden Colours that ever I have seen the Best true Gold Ennobled with. But pray have a care that such Hints fall not into any hands that may mis-imploy them.

Annotation V.

Upon the Knowledge of the differing wayes of making Minerals and Metalls produce their adventitious Colours in Bodies capable of Vitrification, depends the pretty Art of making what Chymists by a Barbarous Word are pleas'd to call Amanses, that is counterfeit, or factitious Gemms, as Emeralds, Rubies, Saphires, Topazes, and the like. For in the making of these, though pure Sand or Calcin'd Crystal give the Body, yet 'tis for the most part some Metalline or Mineral Calx, mingled in a small proportion that gives the Colour. But though I have many years since taken delight, to divert my self with this pleasing Art, and have seen very pretty Productions of it, yet besides that I fear I have now forgot most of the little Skill I had in it, this is no place to entertain you with what would rather take up an intire Discourse, than be comprehended in an Annotation; wherefore the few things which I shall here take notice of to you, are only what belong to the present Argument, Namely,

First, That I have often observ'd that Calcin'd Lead Colliquated with fine White Sand or Crystal, reduc'd by ignitions and subsequent extinctions in Water to a subtile Powder, will of it self be brought by a due Decoction to give a cleer Mass Colour'd like a German Amethyst. For though this glass of Lead, is look'd upon by them that know no better way of making Amanses, as the grand Work of them all, yet which is an inconvenience that much blemishes this way, the Calcin'd Lead it self does not only afford matter to the Amanses, but has also as well as other Metals a Colour of its own, which as I was saying, I have often found to be like that of German (as many call them) not Eastern Amethysts.

Secondly, That nevertheless this Colour may be easily over-powr'd by those of divers other Mineral Pigments (if I may so call them) so that with a glass of Lead, you may Emulate (for Instance) the fresh and lovely Greenness of an Emerald, though in divers cases the Colour which the Lead it self upon Vitrification tends to, may vitiate that of the Pigment, which you would introduce into the Mass.

Thirdly, That so much ev'n these Colours depend upon Texture, that in the Glass of Lead it self made of about three parts of Lytharge or Minium Colliquated with one of very finely Powder'd Crystal or Sand, we have taken pleasure to make the mixture pass through differing Colours, as we kept it more or less in the Fusion. For it was not usually till after a pretty long Decoction that the Mass attain'd to the Amethystin Colour.

Fourthly and lastly, That the degrees of Coction and other Circumstances may so vary the Colour produc'd in the same mass, that in a Crucible that was not great I have had fragments of the same Mass, in some of which perhaps not so big as a Hazel-Nut, you may discern four distinct Colours.

Annotation VI.

You may remember (Pyrophilus) that when I mention'd the three sorts of adventitious Colours of Metals, I mention'd them but as the chief, not the only. For there may be other wayes, which though they do not in so strict a sense belong to the adventitious Colours of Metals, may not inconveniently be reduc'd to them. And of these I shall name now a couple, without denying that there may be more.

The first may be drawn from the practise of those that Dye Scarlet. For the famousest Master in that Art, either in England or Holland, has confess'd to me, that neither others, nor he can strike that lovely Colour which is now wont to be call'd the Bow-Dye, without their Materials be Boyl'd in Vessels, either made of, or lin'd with a particular Metall. But of what I have known attempted in this kind, I must not as yet for fear of prejudicing or displeasing others give you any particular Account.

The other way (Pyrophilus) of making Metals afford unobvious Colours, is by imbuing divers Bodies with Solutions of them made in their proper Menstruum's, As (for Instance) though Copper plentifully dissolv'd in Aqua fortis, will imbue several Bodies with the Colour of the Solution; Yet Some other Metalls will not (as I elsewhere tell you) and have often try'd. Gold dissolv'd in Aqua Regia, will, (which is not commonly known) Dye the Nails and Skin, and Hafts of Knives, and other things made of Ivory, not with a Golden, but a Purple Colour, which though it manifest it self but slowly, is very durable, and scarce ever to be wash'd out. And if I misremember not, I have already told you in this Treatise, that the purer Crystals of fine Silver made with Aqua fortis, though they appear White, will presently Dye the Skin and Nails, with a Black, or at least a very Dark Colour, which Water will not wash off, as it will ordinary Ink from the same parts. And divers other Bodies may the Same way be Dy'd, some of a Black, and others of a Blackish Colour.

See the latter end of the fiftieth Experiment.

And as Metalline, so likewise Mineral Solutions may produce Colours differing enough from those of the Liquors themselves. I shall not fetch an Example of this, from what we daily see happen in the powdring of Beef, which by the Brine imploy'd about it (especially if the flesh be over salted) do's oftentimes appear at our Tables of a Green, and sometimes of a Reddish Colour, (deep enough) nor shall I insist on the practise of some that deal in Salt Petre, who, (as I suspected, and as themselves acknowledg'd to me) do, with the mixture of a certain proportion of that; and common Salt, give a fine Redness, not only to Neats Tongues, but which is more pretty as well as difficult, to such flesh, as would otherwise be purely White; These Examples, I say, I shall decline insisting on, as chusing rather to tell you, that I have several times try'd, that a Solution of the Sulphur of Vitriol, or ev'n of common Sulphur, though the Liquor appear'd clear enough, would immediately tinge a piece of new Coin, or other clean Silver, sometimes with a Golden, sometimes with a deeper, and more Reddish colour, according to the strength of the Solution, and the quantity of it, that chanc'd to adhere to the Metall; which may take off your wonder that the water of the hot Spring at Bath, abounding with dissolv'd Substances of a very Sulphureous Nature, should for a while, as it were gild, the new or clean pieces of Silver coyn, that are for a due time immers'd in it. And to these may be added those formerly mention'd Examples of the adventitious Colours of Mineral Bodies; which brings into my mind, that, ev'n Vegetable Liquors, whether by degeneration, or by altering the Texture of the Body that imbibes them, may stain other Bodies with Colours differing enough, from their own, of which very good Herbarists have afforded us a notable Example, by affirming that the Juice of Alcanna being green (in which state I could never here procure it) do's yet Dye the Skin and Nails of a Lasting Red. But I see this Treatise is like to prove too bulky without the addition of further Instances of this Nature.

EXPERIMENT XLIX.

Meeting the other day, Pyrophilus, in an Italian book, that treats of other matters, with a way of preparing what the Author calls a Lacca of Vegetables, by which the Italians mean a kind of Extract fit for Painting, like that rich Lacca in English commonly call'd Lake, which is imploy'd by Painters as a glorious Red. And finding the Experiment not to be inconsiderable, and very defectively set down, it will not be amiss to acquaint you with what some Tryals have inform'd us, in reference to this Experiment, which both by our Italian Author, and by divers of his Countrymen, is look'd upon as no trifling Secret.

Take then the root call'd in Latin Curcuma, and in English Turmerick, (which I made use of, because it was then at hand, and is among Vegetables fit for that purpose one of the most easiest to be had) and when it is beaten, put what Quantity of it you please into fair Water, adding to every pound of Water about a spoonfull or better of as strong a Lixivium or Solution of Potashes as you can well make, clarifying it by Filtration before you put it to the Decocting water. Let these things boyl, or rather simper over a soft Fire in a clean glaz'd Earthen Vessel, till you find by the Immersion of a sheet of White Paper (or by some other way of Tryal) that the Liquor is sufficiently impregnated with the Golden Tincture of the Turmerick, then take the Decoction off the Fire, and Filter or Strain it that it may be clean, and leisurely dropping into it a strong Solution of Roch Allum, you shall find the Decoction as it were curdl'd, and the tincted part of it either to emerge, to subside, or to swim up and down, like little Yellow flakes; and if you pour this mixture into a Tunnel lin'd with Cap Paper, the Liquor that Filtred formerly so Yellow, will now pass clean thorow the Filtre, leaving its tincted, and as it were curdled parts in the Filtre, upon which fair Water must be so often pour'd, till you have Dulcifi'd the matter therein contain'd, the sign of which Dulcification is (you know) when the Water that has pass'd through it, comes from it as tasteless as it was pour'd on it. And if without Filtration you would gather together the flakes of this Vegetable Lake, you must pour a great Quantity of fair Water upon the Decoction after the affusion of the Alluminous Solution, and you shall find the Liquor to grow clearer, and the Lake to settle together at the bottom, or emerge to the top of the Water, though sometimes having not pour'd out a sufficient Quantity of fair Water, we have observ'd the Lake partly to subside, and partly to emerge, leaving all the middle of the Liquor clear. But to make this Lake fit for use, it must by repeated affusions of fresh Water, be Dulcifi'd from the adhering Salts, as well as that separated by Filtration, and be spread and suffer'd to dry leisurely upon pieces of Cloth, with Brown Paper, or Chalk, or Bricks under them to imbibe the Moisture.

Whereas it is presum'd that the Magistery of Vegetables obtain'd this way consists but of the more Soluble and Coloured parts of the Plants that afford it, I must take the liberty to Question the supposition. And for my so doing, I shall give you this account.

According to the Notions (such as they were) that I had concerning Salts; Allom, though to sense a Homogeneous Body, ought not to be reckon'd among true Salts, but to be it self look'd upon as a kind of Magistery, in regard that as Native Vitriol (for such I have had) contains both a Saline substance and a Metall, whether Copper, or Iron, corroded by it, and associated with it; so Allom which may be of so near a kin to Vitriol, that in some places of England (as we are assur'd by good Authority the same stone will sometimes afford both) seems manifestly to contain a peculiar kind of Acid Spirit, generated in the Bowels of the Earth, and some kind of stony matter dissolv'd by it. And though in making our ordinary Allom, the Workmen use the Ashes of a Sea Weed (vulgarly call'd Kelp) and Urine: yet those that should know, inform us, that, here in England, there is besides the factitious Allom, Allom made by Nature Without the help of those Additaments. Now (Pyrophilus) when I consider'd this composition of Allom, and that Alcalizate Salts are wont to Præcipitate what acid Salts have dissolv'd, I could not but be prone to suspect that the Curdled Matter, which is call'd the Magistery of Vegetables, may have in it no inconsiderable proportion of a stony substance Præcipitated out of the Allom by the Lixivium, wherein the Vegetable had been decocted, and to shew you, that there is no necessity, that all the curdl'd substance must belong to the Vegetable, I shall add, that I took a strong Solution of Allom, and having Filtred it, by pouring in a convenient Quantity of a strong Solution of Potashes, I presently, as I expected, turn'd the mixture into a kind of white Curds, which being put to Filtre, the Paper retain'd a stony Calx, copious enough, very White, and which seem'd to be of a Mineral Nature, both by some other signes, and this, that little Bits of it being put upon a live Coal, which was Gently Blown whilst they were on it, they did neither melt nor fly away, and you may keep a Quantity of this White substance for a good while, (nay for ought I can guess for a very long one) in a red hot Crucible without losing or spoiling it; nor did hot Water wherein I purposely kept another parcel of such Calx, seem to do any more than wash away the looser adhering Salts from the stony substance, which therefore seem'd unlikely to be separable by ablutions (though reiterated) from the Præcipitated parts of the Vegetable, whose Lake is intended. And to shew you, that there is likewise in Allom a Body, with which the fix'd Salt of the Alcalizate Solution will concoagulate into a Saline Substance differing from either of them, I shall add, that I have taken pleasure to recover out of the slowly exhal'd Liquor, that pass'd through the filtre, and left the foremention'd Calx behind, a Body that at least seem'd a Salt very pretty to look on, as being very White, and consisting of an innumerable company of exceeding slender, and shining Particles, which would in part easily melt at the flame of a Candle, and in part flye away with some little noise. But of this substance, and its odd Qualities more perhaps elsewhere; for now I shall only take notice to you, that I have likewise with Urinous Salts, such as the Spirit of Sal Armoniack, as well as with the Spirit of Urine it self, Nay, (if I much mistake not) ev'n with Stale Urine undistil'd, easily Precipitated such a White Calx as I was formerly speaking of, out of a Limpid Solution of Allom, so that there is need of Circumspection in judging of the Natures of Liquors by Precipitations wherein Allom intervenes, else we may sometimes mistakingly imagine that to be Precipitated out of a Liquor by Allom, which is rather Precipitated out of Allom by the Liquor: And this puts me in mind to tell you, that 'tis not unpleasant to behold how quickly the Solution of Allom (or injected lumps of Allom) do's occasion the severing of the colour'd parts of the Decoction from the Liquor that seem'd to have so perfectly imbib'd them.

The Curious Reader that desires further Information concerning Lakes, may Resort to the 7th Book of Neri's Art of Glass, Englished (6 or 7 years since the Writing of this 49th Experiment) and Illustrated with Learned Observations, by the Inquisitive and experienc'd Dr. Charles Merret.

Annot. II.

The above mention'd way of making Lakes we have tryed not only with Turmerick, but also with Madder, which yielded us a Red Lake; and with Rue, which afforded us an extract, of (almost if not altogether) the same Colour with that of the leaves.

But in regard that 'tis Principally the Alcalizate Salt of the Pot-ashes, which enables the water to Extract so powerfully the Tincture of the Decocted Vegetables, I fear that our Author may be mistaken by supposing that the Decoction will alwayes be of the very same Colour with the Vegetable it is made off. For Lixiviate Salts, to which Pot-ashes eminently belong, though by peircing and opening the Bodies of Vegetables, they prepare and dispose them to part readily with their Tincture, yet some Tinctures they do not only draw out, but likewise alter them, as may be easily made appear by many of the Experiments already set down in this Treatise, and though Allom being of an Acid Nature, its Solutions may in some Cases destroy the Adventitious Colours produc'd by the Alcaly, and restore the former: yet besides that Allom is not, as I have lately shown, a meer Acid Salt, but a mixt Body, and besides, that its operations are languid in comparison of the activity of Salts freed by Distillation, or by Incineration and Dissolution, from the most of their Earthy parts, we have seen already Examples, that in divers Cases an Acid Salt will not restore a Vegetable substance to the Colour of which an Alcalizate one had depriv'd it, but makes it assume a third very differing from both, as we formerly told you, that if Syrrup of Violets were by an Alcaly turn'd Green, (which Colour, as I have try'd, may be the same way produc'd in the Violet-leaves themselves without any Relation to a Syrrup) an Acid Salt would not make it Blew again, but Red. And though I have by this way of making Lakes, made Magisteries (for such they seem to be) of Brazil, and as I remember of Cochinele it self, and of other things, Red, Yellow or Green which Lakes were enobled with a Rich Colour, and others had no bad one; yet in some the colour of the Lake seem'd rather inferiour than otherwise to that of the Plant, and in others it seem'd both very differing, and much worse; but Writing this in a time and place where I cannot provide my self of Flowres and other Vegetables to prosecute such Tryals in a competent variety of Subjects, I am content not to be positive in delivering a judgment of this way of Lakes, till Experience, or You, Pyrophilus, shall have afforded me a fuller and more particular Information.

Annotation III.