BOOK X 461 



Gold is also parted from silver on gilt articles by means of quicksilver. 

 This is poured into an earthen crucible, and so warmed by the fire that the 

 finger can bear the heat when dipped into it ; the silver-gilt objects are 

 placed in it, and when the quicksilver adheres to them they are taken out 

 and placed on a dish, into which, when cooled, the gold falls, together with the 

 quicksilver. Again and frequently the same silver-gilt object is placed in 

 heated quicksilver, and the same process is continued until at last no 

 more gold is visible on the object ; then the object is placed in the fire, and 

 the quicksilver which adheres to it is exhaled. Then the artificer takes a hare's 

 foot, and brushes up into a dish the quicksilver and the gold which have 



would not be surprising to find all the Alchemists subsequent to Geber mentioning 

 acids. It will thus be seen that even the approximate time at which the mineral 

 acids were first made cannot be determined, but it was sometime previous to the 15th 

 Century, probably not earlier than the I2th Century. Beckmann (Hist, of Inventions 

 II, p. 508) states that it appears to have been an old tradition that acid for separating 

 the precious metals was first used at Venice by some Germans ; that they chiefly separated the 

 gold irom Spanish silver and by this means acquired great riches. Beckmann considers 

 that the first specific description of the process seems to be in the work of William Budaeus 

 (De Asse, 1516, in, p. 101), who speaks of it as new at this time. He describes the operation 

 of one, Le Conte, at Paris, who also acquired a fortune through the method. Beckmann 

 and others have, however, entirely overlooked the early Probierbuchlein. If our conclusions 

 are correct that the first of these began to appear at about 1510, then they give the first 

 description of inquartation. This book (see appendix) is made up of recipes, like a cook-book, 

 and four or five different recipes are given for this purpose ; of these we give one, which suffi- 

 ciently indicates a knowledge of the art (p. 39) : "If you would part them do it this way : 

 " Beat the silver which you suppose to contain gold, as thin as possible ; cut it in small 

 " pieces and place it in ' strong ' water (starkwasser). Put it on a mild fire till it becomes 

 " warm and throws up blisters or bubbles. Then take it and pour off the water into a copper- 

 " bowl ; let it stand and cool. Then the silver settles itself round the copper bowl ; let the 

 " silver dry in the copper bowl, then pour the water off and melt the silver in a crucible. 

 " Then take the gold also out of the glass kolken and melt it together." Biringuccio (1540, 

 Book VI.) describes the method, but with much less detail than Agricola. He made his 

 acid from alum and saltpetre and calls it lacque forti 



PARTING WITH SULPHUR. This process first appears in Theophilus (1150-1200), and 

 in form is somewhat different from that mentioned by Agricola. We quote from Hendrie's 

 Translation, p. 317, " How gold is separated from silver. When you have scraped the gold 

 " from silver, place this scraping in a small cup in which gold or silver is accustomed to be 

 " melted, and press a small linen cloth upon it, that nothing may by chance be abstracted 

 " from it by the wind of the bellows, and placing it before the furnace, melt it ; and directly 

 " lay fragments of sulphur in it, according to the quantity of the scraping, and carefully 

 " stir it with a thin piece of charcoal until its fumes cease ; and immediately pour it into 

 " an iron mould. Then gently beat it upon the anvil lest by chance some of that black may 

 " fly from it which the sulphur has burnt, because it is itseli silver. For the sulphur con- 

 " sumes nothing of the gold, but the silver only, which it thus separates from the gold, and 

 " which you will carefully keep. Again melt this gold in the same small cup as before, and 

 " add sulphur. This being stirred and poured out, break what has become black and keep 

 " it, and do thus until the gold appear pure. Then gather together all that black, which you 

 " have carefully kept, upon the cup made from the bone and ash, and add lead, and so burn it 

 " that you may recover the silver. But if you wish to keep it for the service of niello, before 

 " you burn it add to it copper and lead, according to the measure mentioned above, and 

 " mix with sulphur." This process appears in the Probierbuchlein in many forms, different 

 recipes containing other ingredients besides sulphur, such as salt, saltpetre, sal-ammoniac, 

 and other things more or less effective. In fact, a series of hybrid methods between absolute 

 melting with sulphur and cementation with salt, were in use, much like those mentioned 

 by Agricola on p. 458. 



PARTING WITH ANTIMONY SULPHIDE. The first mention of this process lies either in 

 Basil Valentine's " Triumphant Chariot of Antimony " or in the first Probierbuchlein. The 

 date to be assigned to the lormer is a matter of great doubt. It was probably written about 

 the end of the I5th Century, but apparently published considerably later. The date of the 

 Probierbuchlein we have referred to above. The statement in the " Triumphal Chariot " 

 is as follows (\Vaite's Translation, p. 117-118) : " The elixir prepared in this way has the 

 " same power of penetrating and pervading the body with its purifying properties that 

 " antimony has of penetrating and purifying gold. . . . This much, however, I have 

 " proved beyond a possibility of doubt, that antimony not only purifies gold and frees it 



