DURING THE MIDDLE AGE. r$; 



Gcbcrus. Hclikcwifc gives an account of facti- 

 tious Cinnabar; and B. Valcntinus makes men- 

 tion of the Cinnabar of Antimony. Under the 

 name of Pitlvis albus Antimonii, and Vitrunt 

 /Intiinonii, Valcntinus dcfcribes the detonation 

 of Antimony with Nitre. The calcination, 

 fublimation, fufion, digcllion, folution, precipi- 

 tation, and amalgam of metallic fubftances, af- 

 forded a great variety of preparations, chiefly 

 calculated for medical ufc. Bcfuies thofc al- 

 ready defcribed, fuch arc the Pur pur a miner alit, 

 durum fulminant, Fhrcs So/is, slurum fotabilt, 

 Luna potdbilis, Turpetbum mincralc, Mcrcunut 

 prtrcipitatus albus, lutcus, incarnatus, Coralttnus 

 corallatus, liridis, Arcunum CoruUinum, minium, 

 Litbargyrium, Colcvibar, Crocus Martis, Lilium 

 Paracclji, Crocus Metalhrum, slntimonium dia~ 

 pboreticum, Ceniffa slntirnonii, and many others, 

 as magiftcrics, flowers, oily, and tinctures, though 

 not equally of all metals. 



With regard to waters and aeriform fubftan- 

 ccs, their peculiar properties and different cha- 

 radcrs, very little, if any thing, feems to have 

 been determined during thi's period. It was 

 not, however pofliblc to avoid obfcrving the fub- 

 tlc claftic air produced by cffcn ? efcence, fermen- 

 tation, and combuftion. They gave it the name 

 ofSpiritufJytvc/lrif,aT\d it was confidercd byPa- 

 Eaccirusandhiscotcmporaricstobccxadlylimilar 

 to rcfpirablc air. Helmontius probably was the 

 firft, who thought this fubftancc worthy of more 



minute 



