But strong waters, which dissipate and ruine all, are this strange fire, and so Alchymists call them, and fire against nature externall fire, and other the like exterminatives. Certes if the effects of Cannon Powder be so admirable, consisting of so few species, and ingredients, which may be well called the true infernall fire, the devourer of mankind. The action of strong waters is no lesse which burne all, being compounded onely of two or three substances, that which wee commonly call the _Separator_, _Salt-peter_, _Vitriol_, or Allum Ice, and this dissolves Silver, Copper, Quicksilver, and Iron in part. _La Regalle_ which is no other thing then the preceding rectified upon _Salarmoniac_, or common Salt, dissolved partly with Iron, Lead, Tinne, and intameable Gold, with all sorts of fire. It is true, that strong waters doe not destroy metals, that they returne not to their first forme and nature, but drawes them to water, and a melting liquor. This was certainly a good Artificiall industry in mans spirit, to excogitate so short a way to separate Gold and Silver melted together, and so uniformedly mixed, that an ounce of Gold melted with an hundred markes of Silver, each part thereof will equally attract his portion, as wee may see by the refiners practise, which to prove that which it holds of Gold & of Silver, a confused masse of divers metals will take but 30. grains to make their essay in the Coupelle, and from thence will judge that the same proportion that you shall finde in this small volume, shall bee also in the whole masse; all that which may bee therein of impure imperfect metall goes away partly in smoake, and is partly consumed by fire, and partly sticks like Birdlime within the Coupelle, nothing remaining above it but what is fine, namely Silver and Gold, which is there inclosed, with which they separate strong waters called on the occasion the _divider_, which dissolves Silver into water, and Gold falls to the bottome as sand; the water afterwards evaporated, the Silver retires it selfe. But here it would be too much to speake of the effects of strong waters, one of the principall and short instruments of Alchymie, and the Art of fire and Salt, with infinite fine allegories, which thereby may be appropriated upon Holy Writ.