WITH THE MARINE ACID. 359 



not, the matter remaining will be a digeftivc fait 

 folublc in water ; and fhould no part of the rc- 

 fuimiin admit of folution, the adulteration is 

 made with white clay. White precipitate is a- 

 dulteratcd with (larch alfo. The marks of this 

 kind of fophiftication conflft in the levity of the 

 fubftance remaining, and the carbonaceous mafs 

 left after ignition. 



xxn. Sweet Mercury. 



MERCURY prcfcnts itfelf under another form 

 of combination, with the muriatic acid, to 

 which the name of mercurius dulcis has been 

 generally applied. This fait wasformerly in pof- 

 fefllon of various appellations, wfublimatumdul- 

 cc, aquila alba, aquila mitigata % manna mctal- 

 hrum* Pancbymogogum mincrale, and fcverul 

 others. The art of preparing it was, fo late as 

 the beginningof the fevcnteenth century reckon- 

 ed a myilery, Ofwald Croli fccms fuHiciently 

 cautious whcnfpeakingon this fubjeft. He lays 

 " Sunt duo fecrctifllmi modi tradandi mcrcuri- 

 " um pro mcdicina corporis. In fccundo 

 11 mortiticantur corrofivi fpiritus vitrioli et falis 

 ** in mercurio fublimato, e quo miro et fimplici 

 * artificio homogencofit pulviscryilallinus plane 

 u infipidus *." That mercurius dulcis is meant 

 in this paflage I have not the ieaft difficulty to 



Z 4 believe. 



4 Bafilica Chcro. 1608. 



