But haply there will be some, whom this my narration may offend denying that gold is the Son of the sun, or a metallick body fixed and perfect, proceeding from the rayes of the sun; asking how the solary immaterial rayes can be made material and corporeal? But they are very ignorant of the generation of metals, and minerals. And although I am not now resolved to write of the generation, and original of metals, yet endeavouring to demonstrate that there is a vivifying power of the sun to be found in gold (destroyed and volatilized) and to be prepared into a most wholesome medicine for man, I will not omit for the sake of the ignorant and incredulous, to demonstrate the truth by one or two examples, which although I could demonstrate by most certain and firm reasons, yet for brevities sake I am now resolved to omit them, recommending to the searcher of the Nature, and propriety of metals, my treatise _De Generatione Metallorum_, which without doubt will take away all scruple from him; objecting only against him that oppposeth the truth, two questions and reasons which are to be confuted: and the first is, whence comes that increase of both the quantity and quality of any viscous, mineral liquor, that hath been exposed long to the Sun in an open glass vessel? Whether from the Sun, or elsewhere? But thou sayest, that that encrease comes from the air, the vehicle of all things. I answer, if from the air, whether was not that air impregnated by the Sun? and whether there be any thing in the air, which it received not from the stars? But place this liquor in a cold Cellar, in a moist air, and thou shalt by experience know that no weight is added thereto, even as in the Sun, or (in his stead) fire: that Liquor will draw some phlegmatick moisture which will be easily separated by heat, the weight of the former liquor being left. This may be shewed by this Example: dissolve some sulphurous metal, as Iron, Copper, or Zinck, with any acid spirit, and at length take away the spirit, make the remainder red hot; yet not too much, but as much as sufficeth to take away the spirits, which afterward (its weight being observed) put in a crucible on the fire, but take heed lest the metal run over, but at length let it darkly glow with the crucible, for the space of three or four weeks, which done, take it away again, and weigh again the metal, and thou shalt find the evident encrease of the metal, which thou shalt perceive more evidently by this way, as follows: Put copper, or some sulphurous metal, with 16 or 18 parts of lead in a well-burnt cupel; made of the ashes of wood or bones, in a tryed furnace, (the weight of the cupel, copper, and lead first exactly observed) and cause the copper to evaporate by fire with the lead, which done, take the cupel when it shall be cold, and again weigh it, and thou shalt find it far more weighty, so that its weight (though much of the lead goes into air in the cupellating) not only exceeds its former weight, but also