3<Jo COMBINATION OF MERCURY 



believe. But it was tolittle purpofeto haveobfer- 

 ved foobilinate a lilence; for in the fame year in 

 which Croll wrote this,J. Heguinpublilhedawork 

 at Paris, entited Tirocinium Chcmicum, where the 

 \vholecompolltionof this medicine (Draco mifiga- 

 ///.r) is dcfcribcd in plain terms. Soon afterwards 

 its fame encrcafed more and more, and it was call- 

 ed at that time by the name of Pancbymugogus 

 Qyercetanus*. Neumann condemns the nameof 

 mcrcurius Jitblimatus dulcis as liable to occafion 

 dangerous errors, and prefers the appellation of 

 mercuriusdulcisbmply. At London, however, the 

 name of mcrcurius dulcis Jublimutus Hill obtains. 



XXI 1 1. Methods of preparing it. 



THE ancient chemifts, in all the pomp and 

 metaphor of language in which they fo much 

 delighted, boafled, " that 'they had tamed the 

 44 fierce ferpcnt and reduced the dragon to fuch 

 " fubjeclion as to oblige him to devour his own 

 " tail ;" while they were doing that only, which 

 \ve, in lefs aflecled terms, call foft cuing and a- 

 bating the acrimony of con-olive mercury. All 

 however, arc agreed that this change is produc- 

 ed by the further mixture of crude with corro- 

 iive mercury ; but different fentiments arc held 

 \virh refpcft to the method of doing it. Some 

 tritunite us much crude mercury as the corrofivc 



mercury 



* In honour of Juf. du Chtfnc, n celebrated chcmift. 



