sed from all its impurity, and
made as white as Snow, fusible as Wax, but is it not fix'd yet; we will
make it fix the _Mercury_ and Sulphur with its Earth.

Take a Glass-Vial, put half of your purified _Saturn_ into it, reserve
the other half till you have occasion to use it; lay a polish'd Glass
upon the mouth of the Glass, set it in a Cuple with sifted Ashes upon a
Furnace; or set it on the _Tripos_ of Secrets, or in the Furnace wherein
you calcine Spirits; give it Fire so hot as the heat of the Sun at
_Midsummer_, and no hotter, either a very little hotter, or a very
little cooler, as you can best hit it. But if you give it a greater
heat, such as you may keep Lead in flux, then your Matter would melt as
if it were Oil; and having stood so, ten or twelve days, its Sulphur
would fly away, and your Matter would all be spoiled, for the Sulphur
which is in your Matter is not yet fix'd, but is in the external.
Wherefore the Matter melts presently, and though it be clean, yet it is
not fix'd; wherefore give so gentle a fire to it, that it may not flux;
so keep it six weeks, then take out a little of it, lay it on a glowing
hot Plate, if it immediately melts and fumes, it is not yet fixed, but
if the Matter remain unmelted, the Sulphur is then fix'd which is
therein; then strengthen the Fire notably, till the Matter in the Glass
begins to look yellow, and continually more and more yellow, like to
powdered Saffron, then augment the fire yet stronger, till the Matter
begin to be red, then prosecute your Fire from one degree to another,
even as the Powder becomes redder and redder by degrees, so hold on your
Fire, till the Matter be red as a Ruby, then augment the Fire yet more,
that the Matter may be glowing hot, then is it fixt, and ready to pour
the curious Water of Paradise upon it.

My Child must know, that there are two ways of pouring on the Water of
Paradise; I will teach you to make and prepare both, then may you take
which you will; for the one is half as good again as the other.

My Child, you may remember, that I ordered you to reserve the one half
of the purified _Saturn_, which take and put into a Stone-pot, pour upon
it a bottle or more of distilled Wine-Vinegar, set a head on, distil the
Vinegar again from it in a Bath, the head must have a hole at the top
to pour fresh Vinegar upon the Matter, and abstract the Vinegar again
from it, pour fresh Vinegar again on, and again abstract it, this
pouring on, and ab