Point X

Every imperfect Metal, without the mixture of other Metals, may be ripened by this Secret alone in the fire, in an hours space, so that it will yield Gold and Silver, but without profit; an indication that the viler Metals, may by Art be promoted into the Nature of the perfect, to the great profit of Metallurgists.

This is done only by the power and virtue of Salt Nitre, whereby the Metal is penetrated, depurated, and fixed into a more perfect, or exalted in maturity, but cannot be performed with much profit in a great quantity, but it proveth that Nitre hath a virtue of transmuting every imperfect Metal into perfect, which is done in this manner. Let the Metal be laminated into very thin Plates, whether it be ♀, ♄, or ♃, ♂ is indeed corrected by this way, but melteth not in any Crucible, and ☿ also is transmuted into other forms, but not into ☉ or ☽. Make in a Crucible stratum super stratum with Saw-dust, Sulphur, and Nitre, as also with the laminated Metal, of which mention is made in the second part of Furnaces; kindle the mixture at the top, then a great and suddain flaming fire will arise, by which the laminated metal is penetrated, partly fixed, and amended, so that if it be wrought on a Cupel with Lead, it leaveth some ☽ or ☉, which nevertheless before, would have yielded neither, whence it is manifest, that the flame excited by the Nitre hath corrected the Metal. NB. That ☿ is first to be coagulated, and Chalcitis to be pulverized, before they be commixed with the sudden fire of Nitre, and enkindled. In these Labours, although they may be esteemed of small moment, a great Mistery is hidden, which nevertheless will be valued by no man, although it should be discovered in plain and open words, because the process is mean, costeth little, and may be performed in the space of a quarter of an hour.