[ «54 } 
ter of antimony. But however light and pure the 
antimonial fulphur may be defired, if it doth not in 
fome degree participate of the regulus, it can have 
no more effedt than common fulphur. 
The kermes mineral, once altogether as much ce- 
lebrated (and with as good reafon), as any antimo- 
nial noftrum now-a-days, is alfo a kind of liver of 
antimony, and of the fame nature with fulphur au- 
ratum, though the procefs in preparation feems very 
different. It is made by boiling crude antimony, 
powder'd, in a ftrong lixivium of fixed or alkaliz’d 
nitre (fait of tartar or pot-afh will do full as well). 
Here the alcalious falts fix on the fulphur, and unite 
with it; whence a liquid kind of hepar fulphuris, 
which diffolves, or perhaps more properly takes up, 
and incorporates with, many of the reguline parts : 
and thus in reality it becomes a mild fort of crocus 
antimonii, as is evident from its having fome emetic 
power, and yielding a regulus by a proper flux. 
There is another way of making a fort of kermes 
mineral, or fulphur auratum, feldom or ever prac- 
tifed, though I think really the beft j and that is, by 
boiling crude antimony, finely powdered, in a very 
ftrong lime-water, for about an hour, and then pre- 
cipitating the ftrained decodtion with a folution of 
crude tartar, or its cryftals, in boiling water. This 
decodtion of crude antimony is as limpid as foun- 
tain-water, but gathers, by ftanding, a thin film, 
moft beautifully variegated with all the colours of 
rainbow. However, this perfectly limpid liquor, on 
the affufion of a vegetable or mineral acid, imme- 
diately becomes turbid, and of a deep faffron-colour, 
and a great deal of an orange-coloured antimonial 
fulphur 
