alchemy-msg

alchemy-msg - 1/27/06

Alchemy philosophy, medieval chemistry.

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Stefan at florilegium.org

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From: tip at lead.tmc.edu (Tom Perigrin)

Date: 5 Dec 91 00:56:26 GMT

Organization: A.I. Chem Lab, University of Arizona

Unto the dearest and most adventurous Winifred de Schyppewallebotham,

doth Thomas Ignatius Perigrinus send his amused greetings;

I humbly salute thy adventerousness in attempting to dye with indigo and

urine! Thy peradventures should'st stand as a beacon to light our way,

although mayhaps the nose shall lead rather than our eyes?

I am minded of the time I made saltpeter at the Northern California

Rennaisance Faire. If thou wouldst permit, may I relate my

tale, which I promise thee, has good humour therein.

I followed the scrip of Birringucchio, 1540.

I took a large barrel, and did bore therein a hole near unto the bottom.

Into this small hole did I affix a bung, so as to draw off the liquors

when they were ripe. Then I did find me some goodly horse manure which

had dried but not been rained upon. I specifically searched for that

which was rimed with white.

Of this manure I took and cast a full four fingers depth into my pot,

and then two fingers of ash, and a final finger of lime. This I did

repeat until the earthly matter did come nye unto the top of my barrell.

Then I did invite twenty men all stout and true to add their waters

into my barrel, which, they being full of goodly ale, they proceeded

to accomplish with alacrity.

I then stirred this goodly brew with a stout stick. But, as I did stir it,

I did see that many of the larger turds did not dissolve, so casting

aside my shirt, I did plunge my arms into the vile soup and did break up

the clumps with my hands. It was at this time that one of the Blue Boys,

Her Majesties own guard, did come unto me , and knowing that I was a man

of martial disposition as to himself, he did ask at what was I adventuring?

So I took out a goodly turd, which being covered by wet ashes and lime, did

seem more like unto a rock than the outfall of a horse, and I did press

it into his hand and say thusly unto him; "In faith, I am assaying to

make saltpeter... but as you can see, my turds have not broken!" Stout

fellow he was, he did blanch for but a moment, and then proceeded to

answer me in like manner, discussing how the dissolution was proceeding.

But mind you, under his breath he swore to me that I would die afore the day

was through!

Then, once I had accomplisht my goal, and the whole been reduced to the

consistency of some diabolical gruel, I left it to stand in the hot sun

for four and twenty hours.

Upon the next day, the mass had achieved an excellence of odor which was

surpassing ripe! And so, preparing to follow the dictates of learned

Birringucchio, I prepared myself to draw forth the waters. I once again

cast off my shirt, and plunged my hands into the mass to affix a wad

of straw over the hole to act as a filter. And as I stood near this

vile vat, two comely but cupshotten women come up unto me, and

insensate to the evidence of their noses, enquired of me as to the contents

of this evil cauldron.

Now, I must admit that these fair women must have been deep into their

cups many times and more that day, for not only did they fail to smell the

effluvience of this morass, they also gave evidence of finding me attractive

unto them (remember, I am lame, bald, and exceedingly ugly!) So before

I could answer them, one began to run her fingers up and down my arm

in what could have been a most seductive fashion, had not the arm in question

been lubricated with the combined and fermented waste of horse, man, and fire.

It was but my duty to inform her what she was rubbing her comely fingers

through, whereupon her collegue did let forth a most amazed laugh, and did

call sport upon the unfortunate one. This was, mayhaps, unwise, for the

offended party did turn and assay to clean her fingers upon the shirt of

she who did laugh.

This succeeded in quelling the laughter, but transmutated mirth to umbrage,

and quickly into a missile of mire which caught the flirtatious one square

upon her shirt. And thus by degrees did they proceed from shirt to hair, and

unto a rolling catfight interrupted only by the need to refresh their

armamentaria with new handfuls of deadly dung.

Needless to say, this sight amused me greatly, and caused such mirth among

my fellows that we all lay helpless upon the ground, clutching our sides

and rolling with laughter.

Eventually the two, by now slime encrusted combatants left, and I proceeded

to drain my broth, and rinsed it twice with water, and boiled it down to

receive 1 handful of pale brown crystals of saltpeter. But I must swear,

the making was more rewarding than the salt.

I hope that my tale may have given thee some amusement, and I

remain, thy dutious and obedient (but, alas, not blue) servant

Thomas Ignatius Perigrinus

From: harald at matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Harold Kraus Jr)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: A "Medieval" look at napalm

Date: 2 Nov 1993 13:10:16 -0600

Organization: Kansas State University

Ahoy, the Bridge!

Given the wanderings of the napalm thread, thought I'd dig out

one of my great-grandson's "term" papers -- Harald Isenross

Aristotlan (After A Fashion) Atomic Theory

According to Karl Isenross, Nuremburg scholar (with apologies)

Caveat: I'm just a physimatitioneer. I'd be a physemist-

matitioneer if I hadn't quizzed out of Alchemy. :)

Just as the stone seeks its place below the serpent which seeks

its place below the beast which seeks its place below man; just

as the body of man seeks the earth and the soul of man seeks the

heavens; so too do the atoms seek their place in creation.

Metals and Airs:

Just as man and animal were created male and female, each to seek

out the other and join so two may become one; so were atoms

created metals and airs, each to seek out the other and join so

two may become one. Metals and airs are opposites: metals,

sequestered and purified from airs, are enduring, strong, and

heavy; airs, sequestered from metals, are ephemeral, weak, and

light. As with men who are cloistered from women to serve God,

so too are metals cloistered from airs to serve men to the glory

of God.

As there are virtuous and base men and women, there are also

virtuous and base metals and airs. Virtuous metals, like

virtuous men, are more able to resist corruption. Gold (Au) is

incorruptible and is to be found free, pure, and untarnished in

the earth. Aluminum (Al) is so base and corruptible as to be

little more than common dirt in its natural state.

The baser the air, the greater the power to corrupt metals. So

virtuous are the airs of the first degree (C, P, S) that they can

take on enduring forms similar to metals. But in the enduring

form, airs of the first degree lack strength and their true

nature as airs can be revealed by heating. So base are the airs

of the third degree (O, Cl, F) that they not only corrupt metals

as is their predilection; but, in the absence of metals, will

corrupt airs of the first degree and even airs of the second

degree (N, H [and H will even corrupt N]).

Metals Airs

Au Virtuous C

Ag P

Hg S

Cu N

Sn H

Pb O

Fe Cl

Al Base F

Corruption of Fe by O via H: H + O -> HO

HO + Fe -> FeO + H

Thus, given a drop of water (HO) on a piece of iron (Fe) all in

air (containing O), the O corrupting the H abandons the H for the

Fe given the baser air's preference for metal. The abandoned H

is then available to be corrupted again by any O in the air.

With impetus (heating), a corrupting air atom may be driven from

a metal atom. Baser metals require more impetus to drive off an

air than more virtuous metals. Being fickle, an air atom that

has been driven off a metal atom by impetus will retain that

impetus. If a baser metal atom is nearby, the air atom with

impetus will corrupt the baser metal atom. In so corrupting the

baser metal atom, the air atom will give up its impetus. This

surrendered impetus can be sufficient to be collected and used by

another nearby corrupted but relatively virtuous metal to drive

off a corrupting air atom.

Consider the compound of *thermite*: Sequestered Al atoms are

mixed with corrupted Fe atoms. With sufficient impetus, some of

the corrupting air atoms can be driven off of the Fe atoms. With

the baser Al atoms in sufficient proximity, the exiled air atoms

readily corrupt the Al atoms releasing considerable impetus given

the exceptional baseness of Al atoms. This released impetus is

greater than the impetus needed to drive the air atom off of a

nearby corrupted Fe atom. Thus, this process is canonical,

canonical in the sense that when an atom is purified, one or more

other corrupted atoms may follow and imitate the purification of

the first atom.

Hence, impetus + FeO -> Fe + O(+impetus)

O(+impetus) + Al -> AlO + greater impetus

(Combining) impetus + FeO + Al -> Fe + AlO + greater impetus

Thus, just as the purification of one corrupted soul can lead to

the purification by that soul of another soul, the purification

of one corrupted metal atom can lead to the purification by that

atom of another atom.

Base Metals and Noble Airs:

Just as there are men so base that it be their nature to corrupt

themselves without influence, there are metals other than those

listed above that are so base as they quite readily corrupt

themselves with airs under their own impetus. These metals are

so base as to be called "earths".

Just as the noble heirs hold themselves separate from the baser

men and women and thus maintain their higher place in creation,

so too do the noble airs hold themselves separate from the baser

metals and earths and thus ascend to the heavens.

So, as in the kingdom of man, in the kingdom of atoms are be to

found the incorruptible, corruptible, and ultimately corruptible,

the non-corrupting, corrupting, and ultimately corrupting.

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

From: hwt at bcarh11a.bnr.ca (Henry Troup)

Subject: Re: Dinner we got, but how about breakfast and lunch?

Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd., Ottawa, Canada

Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1993 15:01:19 GMT

Water glass is sodium or potassium silicate. Source: Concise Oxford

Beware of some lists of common versus chemical names. These things changed

over the years. And some lists are wrong - "The Edge of the Anvil", an other

wise good book, defines water glass as sodium cyanide!!!

Henry Troup - H.Troup at BNR.CA (Canada) -

From: corliss at hal.PHysics.wayne.EDU (David J. Corliss)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Tin

Date: 12 May 1994 10:56:33 -0400

Mistress Gwennis asks about tin.

[Comments are in persona; comments out of persona/period are in brackets]

There are seven metals: lead, iron, tin, mercury, copper, silver, and gold.

None dissolve in vinegar and hartshorn [ammonia] may be used to clean them.

The base metals, lead, iron, and tin, may be dissolved in cold aqua fortis or

strong water [nitric acid]. Aqua fortis is made by distilling oil of vitriol

[sulfuric acid] with saltpeter [potassium nitrate]. Hot aqua fortis will act

on the noble metals mercury, copper, and silver, but not gold. It will also act

more quickly on base metals than cold aqua fortis. A person wishing to use tin as a mordant is then advised to obtain some aqua fortis, warm it, and place the

tin therein. Do not make it too hot, for the fumes are very dangerous. When the

tin is consumed, lye [sodium hydroxide] or wood ashes [which combine with water to form potassium hydroxide] must be added to the brew until it will no longer

turn orchil red [litmus test. yes: they knew about this.] This water of tin may then be added to the dyebath to help the dye bite.

Beorthwine of Grafham Wood

From: jeffs at math.bu.EDU (Jeff Suzuki)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: platinum

Date: 12 May 1994 15:56:56 -0400

Michael Fenwick writes:

>If I recall aright, platinum was known in period; seems to me

>that the Germans called it "Kupfernickel" ("copper-devil").

>"Kupfer" because it often showed up in association with copper,

>and "Nickel" because it was the very devil on the water-driven

>hammermills used to work the copper: it broke them, being _much_

>harder than copper, and harder than the hardened steel

>hammer-faces. But that very difficulty in working it makes it

>less likely, IMHO, that this is what Pliny was talking about.

"Kupfernickel" is "Devil's Copper". It's where we get the word nickel

from (Old Nick and all...sayyyy, do ya think there's a relationship

between that and Jack Nicholson...) The name comes from the fact that

certain ores of nickel resemble copper ores, yet no matter how they

were worked, they produced no copper. (qv "Fool's Gold")

The practice of adding nickel to iron is fairly recent; any artifact

with a nickel-iron alloy is most likely derived from meteoric iron.

Read the section in the Iliad about the funerary games if you want a

Bronze Age person's view of iron.

Platinum was certainly known in period; it was first described by a

Spaniard who called it "Pinto Silver". (Silver in Spanish is

Platina). It was discovered in the new world. It's not improbable

that other elements of the platinum group were around, since, like

gold, they're very inert and nuggets of them can be found. However,

the metals are very rare.

Antimony was "discovered" during the Middle Ages, although there is an

Egyptian vase around that is nearly pure antimony. One of its ores

(stibinite, I believe it's called) was used as a mascara; the word

"styptic" hails from the same root (as does its symbol, Sb, for

"stibium"). The name "antimony" itself seems to mean "against

solitude", probably due to some obscure alchemical notions.

Oh, and Al2O3 + CO --> Al + CO2 ("How do you spell stoichiometry?

B-O-R-I-N-G!") is _never_ spontaneous at any temperature. It's

endothermic and entropy decreasing (i.e., Del G > 0 for all T)

William the Alchymist

From: jeffs at math.bu.EDU (Jeff Suzuki)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: alchymy

Date: 14 Jan 1995 17:57:15 -0500

Genevieve de Renard asks:

>Greetings to one and all! After finishing a loverly novel titled "In

>Search of the Green Lion," I was wondering if, in fact, the green

>lion *in the book it was rearing, and swallowing a sun* was actually

>an alchemist's symbol, or if it was made up to spice up the author's

>story. Did alchemist's use animal personifications to represent

>elements or substances? Just curious!

It was fairly common. From memory (check out Sherwood Taylor's _The

Alchemists_, or, um, Carrington's _Historical Studies in the Language

of Chemistry_), the "spirit" of a metal was usually depicted as some

sort of animal: dove, lion, etc., not in any standardized way. Now,

recall the Gospels also are associated with animals (bull, rooster,

etc.) Thus came the belief that certain of the Gospels were worthy of

study for their alchemical content.

For example, a metal might be burnt to release its spirit (sometimes

depicted as a dove), which could be coaxed to enter another metal to

change its quality.

The metals were _also_ symbolized as planets, in a more standardized

way: the sun is gold, the Moon silver, Mars iron, Saturn lead, Venus

copper, Jupiter tin, and Mercury mercury. This astronomical

connection lent itself easily to an astrological connection: the

positions of these planets determined the efficacy of a procedure.

This last could tie together (via the zodiac) the two systems;

however, I don't recall ever seeing the two systems mixed. Still, one

might hazard a guess at the "green lion swallowing the sun":

Lion, as King of the beasts, would correspond to gold, king of the

metals. But a green lion is not truly a lion, just something that

looks like it: probably copper (which turns green if acted upon by oil

of vitriol). Swallowing the sun clearly means imbibing upon the

essence of gold, and, hopefully, turning the green lion into a true

one, as a bit of leaven may raise a whole batch of dough (also a

standard alchemical belief, ergo the search for the Philosopher's

Stone).

William the Alchymist

From: bjm10 at cornell.edu (Bryan Maloney)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Alchemy and Magic in

Date: Wed, 21 Jun 1995 15:13:09 UNDEFINED

Organization: Organization is a means of destroying humanity.

> Ahem, hmmm, QUESTION TIME: Isn't the modern conception of

>alchemy and similar stuff OUT OF PERIOD by about 200 years?

>DESPITE the claims of would be mages, I have never run into

>documentary evidence of the practice of the `science' until

>a point very very close to our cutoff point of our society.

Answer time: I've translated a work called "Dhe book of Quinte Essencia"

[sic--I'm recalling the title to memory], part of the EETS (Early English Text

Series) to modern English. According to the foreword of the EETS edition, the

MS. it comes from dates somewhere around the mid fifteenth century. Last time

I checked, 1450 was within SCA period.

I have already promised email of an ASCII copy of both the translation and the

transliterated early modern English text to one person. I intend to put both

onto a WWW page once I can remember the furshlugginer HTML2 codes for "thorn"

and "yogh".

> If we are to take Crowley - that's John, not Alek. at his

>word (that he has done research into the origins of the

>modern tradition of "magick" it all occurs during the end of

>the Renaisance with the "discoveries" of many an allegedly

>ancient book ranging from the pseudo Keys of Solomon to the

However, this still does not mean that no magic nor alchemy at all was

practiced in the Medieval period. To wit:

TITLE: Zauberer und Hexen in der Kultur des Mittelalters : III.

Jahrestagung der Reineke-Gesellschaft e.V., San Malo, 5.-9.

Juni 1992.

AUTHOR: Jahrestagung der Reineke-Gesellschaft. 3rd, 1992, San Malo.

PUBLISHED: Greifswald : Reineke-Verlag, 1994.

TITLE: The rise of magic in early medieval Europe

AUTHOR: Flint, Valerie I. J. (Valerie Irene Jean), 1936-

PUBLISHED: Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c1991.

TITLE: Magic in the Middle Ages

AUTHOR: Kieckhefer, Richard.

PUBLISHED: Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1989,

c1990.

TITLE: Zur Geschichte der Schmerz-, Schlaf- und Betueaubungsmittel in

Mittelalter und frueuher Neuzeit

AUTHOR: Kuhlen, Franz-Josef.

PUBLISHED: Stuttgart : In Kommission, Deutscher Apotheker Verlag, 1983.

TITLE: The feather of Simurgh : the "licit magic" of the arts in

medieval Islam

AUTHOR: B?urgel, J. Christoph.

PUBLISHED: New York : New York University Press, c1988.

TITLE: The book of secrets of Albertus Magnus of the virtues of

herbs, stones and certain beasts, also A book of the marvels

of the world.

AUTHOR: Albertus, Magnus, Saint, 1193?-1280. Spurious and doubtful

works.

PUBLISHED: Oxford [Eng.] Clarendon Press, 1973.

TITLE: Die Alchemie im Mittelalter. 8Reprografischer Nachdruck der

Ausg. Paderborn 1938)

AUTHOR: Ganzenm?uller, Wilhelm, 1882-

PUBLISHED: Paderborn, Verlag der Bonifacius-druckerei [c1938]

TITLE: De occulta philosophia libri tres

AUTHOR: Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius, 1486?-1535.

PUBLISHED: Leiden ; New York : E.J. Brill, 1992.

TITLE: Criptologia

AUTHOR: Porta, Giambattista della, 1535?-1615.

PUBLISHED: Roma : Centro internazionale di studi umanistici, 1982.

TITLE: Disqvisitionvm magicarvm libri sex, : quibus continetur

accurata curiosarum artium, & vanarum superstitionum

confutatio; apprime utilis, & pernecessaria theologis,

iurisconsultis, medicis, philosophis, ac prÃsertim verbi Dei