To the Curious
Reader.
Here is no doubt that Glass is one of the true fruits of the Art of fire, since that it is very much like to all sorts of minerals and midle minerals although it be a compound and made by Art. It hath fusion in the fire, and permanencie in it; likewise as the perfect and shining Metall of Gold, it is refi¬ned, and burnished, and made beautiful in the fire. It is manifest that it's use in drinking vessels, and other things profitable for mans ser- uice, is much more gentile, graceful, and noble then any Met all or whatsoever stone fit to make such works, and which besides the easiness and little charge wherewith it is made, may be wrought in all places ; it is more delightful polite and sightly, than any other material at this day known to the world. It is a thing pro¬fitable, in the service of the Art of distilling, and Spagyrical, not to say necessary to pre¬pare Medicines for man, which would be im¬A possible
To the Curious Reader.
possible to be made without the means of Glass, so that herewith are made so many sorts of
Instruments, and Vessels, as Bodies, Heads,
Receivers, Pelicans, Lutes, Retorts, Athe- nors, Serpentines, Vials, Cruces, square and
round Vessels, Philosophical Eggs, Globes, and infinite other sorts of VesseIs, which eve¬ry day are invented to compose and make Elixars, Arcana, Quintessences, Salts, Sul¬
phurs, Vitriols, Mercuries, Tinctures, sepa¬ration of Elements, all Metalline things, and many others, which every day are found out;
and besides there are made others for Aqua¬fortis, and Aqua-regia, so necessary for Re¬
finers, and Masters of Princes Mints, to Refine Gold and Silver, and to bring them to their perfection; indeed so many things profitable for mans use are made, that seem impossible to be made without the use of it: and the great Providence of God, is as well known, by this, as in every other thing, who hath made the matter of which Glass is compounded (a thing so needful and profitable to man) so a¬
bounding in every place and Region, which with much ease may be every where made. Glass is also a great ornament to the Churches of God, for herewith (besides many a her things)
are made so many beautiful Glass vessels adorn'd
To the Curious Reader. adorn'd with fair Pictures, wherein the Me
talline colours are in such sort advanced, and so lively, that they seem to be so many Oriental Gems, and in the Glass Furnaces, the Glass is coloured with so many colours, with so much beauty and perfection, that it
seems no material on the earth can be found like it. The invention of Glass (if it may be credited) is most antient, for the holy Scri¬
pture in the Book of Job, Chap. 28. saith, Gold and Glass shall nor be equal to it, &c.
which gives clear testimony that Glass was an- tiently invented, for Saint Hierom saith, that Job descended from Abraham, and was the
son of Zanech, who descended from Esau, and so was the fifth from Abraham himself;
some will, and perhaps with some reason, that the invention of Glass was found out by the Alchymists; for they desiring to Imitate Jewels, found out Glass; a thing perhaps not
far from truth; for as I shew clearly in the fifth Book of the present work, the manner of
imitating all Jewels, in which way is seen the vitrification of stones which of themselves will never be melted nor vitrified. Pliny saith, that Glass was found by chance in Syria, at the mouth of the river Bellus, by certain Mer¬chants driven thither by the fortune of the
A 2 Sea,
To the Curious Reader.
Sea, and constrained to abide there, and to dress
where was great store of this sort of herb which many call Kali, the ashes whereof make Barillia, and Rochetta; This herb burned with fire, and therewith the ashes & Salt being united with sand or stones fit to be vitrified is made Glass: A thing that inlightens mans un¬derstanding, with the means, and manner of waking not onely Glass, but Crystall and Cry - stalline, and so many other beautiful things which are made thereof. Many assert that in the time of Tiberius the Emperour was in- thing afterwards lost, and to this day wholy unknown, for if such a thing were now known without doubt it would be more esteemed for it's beauty, and incorruptibility, than Silver and Gold; since from Glass there ariseth nei¬ther rust, nor tast, nor smell, nor any other quality; Moreover it brings to man great pro¬fit, In the use of prospective Glasses and
res.
And although one of them may be made of natural Crystall, called, that of the mountain, and the other with the mixture, called Steel, a composition made of Brass and Tin, notwith¬standing, in both, Glass is more profitable and
To the Curious Reader. of less charge, and more beautiful and of greater efficiency: especially in Sphears, w hich
besides the difficulty, and expences in making them, they present not to the life as Glass doth, and which is worse, in a short time they grow pale, not representing any thing, Wherefore for these and many other reasons, you may well
conclude, that Glass is one of the most Noble things which man hath at this da, for his use
upon the earth. I having laboured a long time in the Art of Glass, and therein seen many
things, I was moved to make known to the world a part of that which I had seen and wrought therein. And although the manner of making Salt, Lees, and Frittaes, is known to
many, yet notwithstanding it seemed to me, that this matter requires to be handled as I do) clearly and distinctly, with some Observations and diligence, which if well considered will not
be judged altogether unprofitable but perhaps necessary and known to few: besides in my
particular way of extracting Salts, to make a most noble Crystall, that if the workman shall be diligent in making it, as I do publish and teach it, with clear demonstrations he shall do
a thing as beautiful, and noble, as happily is
mwaayd;e iann tdh eisne tdhaisy s,t hionrg ,c an anbde dionn ee vaenryy ootthheerr way; and in this thing, and in every other
A 3 matter
To the Curious Reader. matter that I treat of in this present work, the diligent and curious operator shall find, that I have wrote and shown truth, not told me, or
perswaded me by any person what soever, hut wrought and experimented many times with my
own hands, I having always had this aim to write and speak the truth. And if any one try¬
ing my receits, and manner of making colours, Paste, and Tinctures, doth not speed to do so much as I write thereof let him not he amazed
thereat, nor believe that I have writ untruths, but let him think that he hath erred in some - thing, and especially they which have never
handled such things; For it is impossible that they at the first time should be masters: there¬
fore let them repeat the work, which they shall always make better, and at the last perfect as I describe it. I warn them in particular to have consideration in colours whose certain and de¬
terminate dose cannot be given: but with ex¬perience and practice one must learn, and with eye and judgment know when Glass is sufficient¬
ly coloured, conformable to the work, for which it ought to serve, and in Paste made in imita¬tion of Jewels conformable to the size, where of they will make them, Observing that those which are to be set in Gold, with Foyls, as in
Rings, or other where, must always be clear, and of
of a lighter colour. But those that are set in
Gold to stand hanging in the air, as Pendants, and the like , must be of a deeper colour, all which things it is impossible to teach, but all is left to the judgement of the Curious operator. Observe likewise, and with diligence that the
materials and colours be well prepared, and well ground, and that he who will make an ex¬quisite work, may be the securer , let him pre¬
pare, & make all the colours himself as I teach, for so he shall be sure that his work must hap¬
pily succeed. The fire in this Art is of nota¬ble importance, as that which makes every thing
perfect, and without which nothing can be done : Wherefore consideration is to be had in maki
it in proportion, and particularly with hard, and dry-wood, taking heed of it's smoak, which always hurteth, and endamageth it, especially in furnaces , where the vessels and pots stand open, and the Glass will then receive imper¬
fection, and notable foulness. More over, I say that if the operator shall be diligent, and shall do like a diligent and practised person, and shall work punctually as I have set down, he shall find truth in the present work, and that I have onely
published, and set out to the world as much as I have tried and experimented. And if I find my
pains acceptable to the world, as I hope J shablel
A 4
/x» iuc our aged perhaps to piddijb my other la- tors wrought for many years in divers parts of the world in the Chymieal and Spagyrical .Arts, than which I think there is no greater thing in nature for wans [entice , known and per fed in ancient times ; which made men ex¬pert in it to le held for Gods, which then were held and reputed for fuch. I will not enlarge my. felf any farther , iecaufe I haze in the work fet down every particular, fo clear, and di find. I refi [ecure, that'he which re til not err wilfully, it is impetfikle he [honld do [o having thereof once made experience and pra¬ctice. Therefore let all le taken of me in good part, as 1 have candidly made thisprefent work, firfi, to the glory of Godi arid then to the jut lenefit and profit of all.
To