SPIRIT  OF  NITROUS  ETHER  AND  NITRITE  OP  SODA.  355 
ting  to  it  a  large  receiver  ;  give  a  gentle  fire  for  four  or  five 
hours,  till  all  the  flegm  is  come  forth,  which  will  be  drop  by 
drop.  §  3.  When  it  will  drop  no  more,  cast  away  the  flegm  in 
the  receiver,  and  refit  it,  luting  the  juncture,  increase  the  fire 
gradatim  to  the  second  degree,  so  will  the  spirit  come  forth,  fill- 
#  ing  the  receiver  with  white  clouds,  continue  the  fire  in  that 
equality  for  two  hours,  and  then  increase  it  to  the  greatest  vio- 
lence, and  the  vapors  will  be  red,  which  continue  till  all  is  come 
over,  which  will  be  in  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  hours.  §  5.  This 
spirit  is  the  best  aqua  fortis  that  can  be  made.  §  9.  You  must 
not  fill  the  retort  above  two-thirds  full,  and  the  recipient  must 
be  very  large,  for  that  the  spirits  being  strong  and  the  vapors 
plentiful,  and  withal  coming  hastily  forth,  they  would  break  all 
to  pieces,  if  they  had  not  room  to  expatiate  in.  §  10.  This  spirit, 
from  its  coming  forth  in  red  vapors,  is  by  some  authors  called 
the  Salamander  s  Blood,  and  being  thus  at  first  freed  from  its 
flegm,  will  act  with  so  much  the  more  force.  §  11.  This  spirit 
will  dissolve  or  rather  corrode  all  metals,  except  gold,  into  which 
it  cannot  enter  alone  by  reason  of  the  smallness  of  the  pores  of 
that  metal ;  but  if  you  add  to  it  a  fourth  part  of  its  weight  of 
sal  ammoniack,  or  of  sea  salt,  or  of  sal  gem,  it  will  give  a  new 
form  to  its  particles,  shaping  them  into  more  subtil  points  capa- 
ble of  entering  into  the  pores  of  the  gold,  and  to  penetrate  and 
dissolve  its  substance." 
At  p.  54,  we  have  "  Spiritus  nitri  dulcis,  dulcified  spirit  of 
nitre.  (Bates).  R  Spirit  of  nitre  p.  j,  alcohole  of  spirit  of  wine 
p.  ij.  Digest  till  they  are  joined,  and  distil  in  sand,  cohobating 
twice,  S.  A.  (Salmon).  §  1.  This  proportion  of  1  to  2  is  that 
which  is  observed  by  Le  Mort,  Maets,  and  Margrave  ;  but  Rol- 
fin/jius,  Chirras,  and  Lemery  make  the  mixture  in  equal  parts  of 
each.  §  2.  In  mixing  them  you  must  be  very  cautious,  and  do 
it  leisurely  and  by  degrees ;  you  must  not  put  the  spirit  of  wine 
to  the  spirit  of  nitre,  for  then  you  will  set  it  all  on  a  flame.  §  3. 
But  you  must  put  in  the  spirit  of  nitre  gradatim  into  the  spirit 
of  wine,  so  you  will  prevent  the  flaming,  but  the  mixture  will 
grow  so  hot,  that  you  will  scarcely  be  able  to  hold  your  hand  on 
the  outside  of  the  vessel.  §  4.  Being  mixed  together,  digest  for 
seven  days,  then  put  the  mixture  into  a  glass  retort,  and  distil 
