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Rogerii Bacoi/I: Tract On Ttie Tincture and Oil of Aiytimomi

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ROGERII BACOI\I

Angli

TRACT ON TTIE TINCTURE

AND OIL OF AIYTIMOMI

t29
On the True and Right preparation

of

STIBIUM

to

Heal HumanWeaknessesand illnesses

Therewithand improveimperfectmetats.

Nurnb€fg,A.C. 1Tg1

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PREFACE

Dear reader,at uta end of his Tracton Vitriol,RogerBacon mentionsthat


becauseof the multiplicationof the Tincturethat is made from Vitriol, the lover
of Art shouldacquaint himselfwith the TractDe Oleo Stibii.ThereforeI
consideredthat it would be good and usefulthat the TractDe Oleo Stibiifollows
neld..And if one thoroughlypondersand comparesthese tinctureswith one
another,then I hhveno doubt that one will not finishwithoutexceptionalprofit.
Yet,everylover of Art, shouldmind alwaysto keepone eye on Natureand the
other on Art and manuallabour.For, when thesetwo do not standtogether,
then it is a lame work, as when someonethinkshe can walk a long path on one
leg only,which is easilyseenfo be impossible,

VALE

JoachimTarrckius

13r
DE
OLEO AIYTIMOI\I TRACTATUS

w
ROGERII BACOMS ANGLI
summi philosophic & chemici

Stibium, as the Philosopherssay, is composedfrom the noble mineral


Sulphur,andthey havepraisedit as the black leadof the Wise. The Arabs
in their language,havecalledit Asinatvel Azinat, thealchemistsretainthe
name Antimonium. It will however lead to the considerationof high
Secrets,if we seekandrecognizethe naturein which the Sunis exalted,as
the Magi found that this mineralwas attributedby God to the Constellation
Aries, which is the first heavenlysign in which the Suntakesits exaltation
or elevationto itself.

Althoughsuchthingsarethrownto thewindsby commonpeople,intelligent


peopleoughtto know andpay moreattentionto the fact that exactlyat this

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point the infinitude of secretsmay be partly contemplatedwith great profit
andin part alsoexplored.Many,but theseareignorantandunintelligent,are
of the opinion that if they only had Stibium, they would get to it by
Calcination,othersby Sublimation,severalby ReverberationandExtraction,
and obtainits greatSecret,Oil, andPerfectumMedicinam.

But I tell you,thatherein this placenothingwill help, whetherCalcination,


Sublimation,Reverberation a perfect
nor Extraction,so that subsequently
theinferiorinto the superior,may
Extractionof metallicvirtuethattransrates
profitablycometo passor be accomplished.
For suchshallbe impossiblefor
you.

be confusedby severalof thephilo osopherswho have


Do not let yourselves
written of such things, i.e., Geber,AlbertusMagnus, Rhasis,Rupecilla,
Aristotelesand many more of that kind. And this you shouldnote. Yes,
manysay, that whenonepreparesStibiumto a glass,then the evil volatile
sul-phurwill be gone,andthe Oil, which may be preparedfrom the glass,
would be a very fixed oil, and would then truly give an ingress and
Medicineof imperfectmetalsto perfection.

Thesewordsandopinionsareperhapsgoodandright, but that it shouldbe


thusin fact andproveitself, this will not be. For I sayto you truly, without
anyhiddenspeech;if you wereto losesomeof theabovementionedSulphur
by the preparationandtheburning,8s a smallfire may easilydamageit, so
thatyou havelost the right penetrating
spirit, which shouldmakeour whole
Antimonii corpusinto a perfectred oil, so that it also can ascendover the

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helmwith a sweetsmellandvery beautifulcolorsandthe wholebodyof this
mineral with all its members,without loss of any weight, exceptfor the
foecum,shallbe an oil andgo over the helm.

And note also this: How would it be possiblefor the body to go into an oil,
or give off its sweetoil, if it is put into the last essenceand degree?For
glassis in all thingstheoutermostandleastessence.
For you shallknow that
all creaturesat the end of the world, or on the last and comingjudgement
of the last day, shallbecomeglassor a lovely amethystand this according
to the familiesof the twelvePatriarchs,as in the familiesof jewels which
Hermesthe Greatdescribesin his book: As we haveelaboratelyreported
and taughtin our book "de Cabala".

You shall alsoknow thatyou shallreceivethe perfectnoblered oil, which


servesfor the translationof metalsin vain, if you pour acetumcorrectum
over the Antimoniumand extractthe redness.

Yes not evenby Reverberation,


and evenif its manifoldBeautifulcolors
this will not makeanydifferenceandis not the right way.
showthemselves,
You may indeedobtainandmakean oil out of it, but it hasno perfectforce
and virtue for transmutationor translationof the imperfect metals into
perfectionitself. This you mustcertainlyknow.

AI\D NOW WE PROCEED TO THE MANUAL LABOR

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AI{D THUS TIIE PRACTIC FOLIOWS

Take in the Nameof God andthe Holy Trinity, fine and well
cleansedAntimoniiore, which looksnice, white, pure and
internallyfull of yellow rivuletsor veins.It may alsobe full of red andblue
colorsand veins,which will be the best.Poundandgrind to a fine powder
anddissolvein a wateror AquaRegis,whichwill be describedbelow,finely
so that the water may conquerit.

And notethatyou shouldtakeit out quitesoonafter the solutionso that the


water will have no time to damageit, since it quickly dissolvesthe
AntimoniiTinctur. For in its natureour wateris like the ostrich,which by
its heat digestsand consumesall iron; for given time, the water would
consumeit and burn it to naught,so that it would only remainas an idle
yellow earth, and then it would be quite spoilt. Considerby comparison
Luna,beautifulcleanandpure,dissolvedin this our water.And let it remain
thereinfor no morethana singlenightwhenthe wateris still strongandfull
of Spirit, And I tell you, that your goodLuna hasthenbeenfundamentally
consumedanddestroyedandbroughtto noughtin this our water.

And if you want to reduceit to a pure corpusagain, then you will not
succeed,but it will remainfor you as a paleyellow earth,andoccasionally
it may run togetherin the shapeof a horn or white horseshoe,which may
not be broughtto a corpusby any art.

Thereforeyou must rememberto take the Antimonium out as soon as

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possibleafterthe Solution,andprecipitateit andwashit afterthe customof
the alchemists,so that the matterwith its perfectoil is not corrodedand
consumedby the water.

THE WATER IN WHICH WE DISSOLVE OI]R ATflIMONIT'M


IS MADE IHUS;

Take Vitriol one and a half (alii2.lb.) Sal armoniacone pound, Arinat (alii
Alun) one half pound, Sal niter one and a half pound, Sal gemmae(alir Sal
commune)one pound, Alumen crudum (alii Entali) one half pound. These
are the speciesthat belong to and shouldbe taken for the Water to dissolve
the Antimonium. Take theseSpeciesand mix them well among each other,
and distill from this a water, at first rather slowly. For the Spiritus go with
great force, more than in other strong waters. And beware of its spirits, for
they are subtleand harmful in their penetration.(wear a face mask! -IIWI$

When you now havethe dissolvedAntimony, cleanand well sweetened,and


its sharp waters washedout, so that you do not notice any sharpnessany
more, then put into a clean vial and overpour it with a good distilled
vinegar. Then put the vial in Fimum Equinum, or Balneum Mariae, to
putrefy forty (alii four) days and nights, and it will dissolveand be extracted
red as blood. Then take it out and examine how much remains to be
dissolved,and decantthe clear and pure very cautiously, which will have a
red colour, into a glassflask. Then pour fresh vinegar onto it, and put it into
Digestionas before, so that that which may haveremainedwith the faecibus,
it shouldthus have ample time to becomedissolved.Then the faecesmay be

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discarded,for theyareno longeruseful,exceptfor beingscatteredover the
earth and thrown away.

Afterwards pour all the solutionstogether into a glass retort, put into
BalneumMariae,anddistill the sharpvinegaroffand pour it backon again.
Or, rathera freshone, sincethe formerwouldbe too weak, andthe matter
will very quickly becomedissolvedby the vinegar.Distill it off again,so
that the matter remainsquite dry. Then take commondistilled water and
wash away all sharpness,which has remainedwith the matter from the
vinegar,andthendry the matterin the sun,or otherwiseby a gentlefire, so
that it becomeswell dried. It will thenbe fair to behold,and havea bright
red color.

whentheyhavethuspreparedour Antimoniumin secret,


The Philosophers,
have remarkedhow its outermostnatureand power has collapsedinto its
interior, and its interior thrown out and has now becomean oil that lies
hiddenin its innermostanddepth,well preparedandready.And henceforth
it cannot,unto the lastjudgement,be broughtbackto its first essence.
And
this is true, for it hasbecomeso subtleandvolatile,thatas soonas it senses
the power of fire, it flies awayas a smokewith all its partsbecauseof its
volatility.

Several poor and common Laborers, when they have prepared the
Antimoniumthus, havetakenonepart out, to take care of their expenses,
so that they may moreeasilydo the rest of the work and completeit, They
thenmixedit with onepart Salmiac,onepart Vitro (alii. Nitro, alii. Titro),

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onepart Rebohat,to cleansethe Corpera,andthenproceeded
to projectthis
mixture onto a pure Lunam.And if the Luna was oneMark, they found two
anda half Loth goodgold after separation;sometimesevenmore. And there
with they hadaccomplished
a work providingfor their expenses,so thatthey
might evenbetterexpectto attainto the GreatWork. And the foolish called
this a bringing into the Lunam, but they are mistaken.For suchgold is not
broughtin by the Spiritibus(alii. Speciebus),
but any Luna containstwo
Mark gold to the Loth, someevenmore.But this gold is unitedto theLunar
natureto such a degreethat it may not be separatedfrom it, neitherby
Aquafort, nor by commonAntimonium,as the goldsmithsknow. when
howeverthejust mentionedmixtureis thrownontothe Lunamin flux, then
such a separationtakesplacethat the Luna quite readily gives away her
implantedgold eitherin Aquafortor in AquaRegis,andletsherselfseparate
from it, strikesit to the groundandprecipitatesit, which would or might
otherwisenot happen.Thereforeit is not a bringinginto the Lunam,but a
bringingout of the Luna.

But we are comingbackto our Propositoandpurposeof our work, for we


wish to havethe Oil, which hasonly beenknownandbeenacquainted
with
this magistry,andnot by the foolish.Whenyou thenhavethe Antimonium
well rubifiedaccordingto the abovegiven teaching,then you shall take a
well rectifiedSpiritumvini, andpour it over the red powderof Antimony,
put it in a gentleBalneumMariaeto dissolvefor four days and nights,so
thateverythingbecomes
well dissolved.If howeversomethingshouldremain
behind,you overpourthe samewith fresh Spiritu vini, and put it into the
BalneumMariaeagain,as saidbefore,andeverythingshouldbecomewell

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dissolved.And in casethereare somemore faecesthere,but there should
be very little, do themaway,for they are not usefulfor anything.

The Solutionesput into a glassretort, lute on a helm and connectit to a


receiver,alsowell luted,to receivetheSpiritus.hrt it into BalneumMariae.
Thereafteryou begin, in the Name of God, to distill very leisurelyat a
gentleheat, until all the SpiritusVini has comeover. You then pour the
sameSpiritumthat you havedrawnoff, backonto the dry matter,anddistill
it over againas before.

And this pouringon anddistillingoff again,you continueso oftenuntil you


seethe Spiritumvini ascendand go over the helm in all kinds of colours.
Thenit is time to follow up with a strongfire, anda nobleblood red Oleum
will ascend,go throughthe tube of the helm and drip into the recipient.
Truly, this is the most secretway of the Wise to distill the very highly
praisedoil of Antimonii, and it is a noble,powerful, fragrantoil of great
virtue, as you will hearbelow in the following.

But here I wish to teachand instructyou who are poor and without means
to expectthe GreatWork in anothermanner;not the way the ancientsdid
the gold from the Luna. Thereforetakethis oil, one lot, (a
it by separating
primarily usedin weighinggold and
LOT is an ancientunit of measurment
is about1/30of a pound)eightlot of Safurn
silver.The modernequivalency
calcinedaccordingto art, andcarefullyimbibethe oil, drop by drop, while
continuouslystirringthe calx Saturni.Thenput it ten daysandnightsin the
heat, in the furnaceof secrets,and let the fire that this furnacecontains,

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increaseeveryotherday by onedegree.The first two daysyou give it the
first degreeof fire, the secondtwo daysyou give it the seconddegree,and
after four days and nights you put it into the third degreeof fire and let it
remaintherefor threedaysandnights.After thesethreedaysyou openthe
window of the fourth degree, for which likewise three days and nights
shouldbe sufficient.Then take it out, and the top of the Saturnusbecomes
very beautifuland of a reddishyellow colour. This shouldbe meltedwith
VenetianBoreas.Whenthis hasbeendone,you will find that the power of
our oil haschangedit to goodgold. Thus you will againhavesubsistence,
so that you may betterexpectthe GreatWork.

We now comeback to our purposewhere we left it earlier. Above you have


heard, and have been told to distill the Spiritum vini with the Oleum
Antimonii over the helm into the recipient as well as the work of changing
the Saturnuminto gold. But now we wish to make hasteand report about the
secondtinctural work. Here it will be necessaryto separatethe Spiritum vini
from the oil again, and you shall know that it is done thus:
Take the mixture of oil and wine spirit put it into a retort, put on a helm,
connecta receiver and place it all togetherinto the Balneum Mariae. Then
distill all the Spiritum vini from the oil, at a very gentle heat, until you are
certain that no more Spiritusvini is to be found within this very preciousoil.
And this will be easy to check; for when you see several drops of Spiritu
vini ascendover the helm and fall into the recipient, this is the sign that the
Spiritus vini has becomeseparatedfrom the oil. Then remove the fire from
the Balneo, though it was very small, so that it may cool all the sooner.

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Now removethe recipientcontainingthe Spirituvini, and keepit in a safe
place, for it is full of Spirituswhich it has extractedfrom the oil and
retained.It also containsadmirablevirtues,as you will hear hereafter.

But in the Balneoyou will find the blessedbloodredOleumAntimonii in the


retort, which shouldbe taken out very carefully. The helm must be very
slowly removed,takingcareto softenandwashoff the Lute, so that no dirt
falls down into the beautifulred oil andmakesit turbid. This oil you must
storewith all possibleprecautionso thatit receivesno damage.For you now
havea HeavenlyOil that shineson a dark night and emitslight as from a
glowing coal. And the reasonfor this is that its innermostpower and soul
has becomethrown out unto the outermost,and the hidden soul is now
revealedandshinesthroughthe purebodyas a light througha lantern:Just
as on Judgement Day our presentinvisibleand internalsoulswill manifest
throughour clarifiedbodies,that in this life are impureand dark, but the
soulwill thenbe revealedandseenuntothe outermostof the body, andwill
shineas the bright sun.

Thusyou now havetwo separate


things:BoththeSpirit of Wine full of force
andwonderin the artsof the humanbody: And thenthe blessedred, noble,
heavenlyOleumAntimonii,to translateall diseases
of the imperfectmetals
to the Perfectionof gold. And the powerof the SiritualWine reachesvery
far andto greatheights.For whenit is rightly usedaccordingto the Art of
Medicine:I tell you, you havea heavenlymedicineto preventand to cure
all kindsof diseases
andailmentsof the humanbody. And its usesare thus,
as follows:

I4l
AGNNST FODAGRA OR GOI]T

In the caseof gout one shouldlet threedropsof this Spiritu vini, that has
receivedthe power of the Antimony,fall into a smallglassof wine. This has
to be takenby the patienton an emptystomachat the very momentin time
when he sensesthe beginningor arrival of his trouble, bodily ailment and
pain. On the nextday andafterwardson the third day it shouldalsobe taken
andusedin the sameway. On the first day it takesaway all pain, however
greatit maybe, andpreventsswelling.On the secondday it causesa sweat
that is very inconstant,viscousand thick, that smellsand tastesquite sour
andoffensive,andoccursmostlywherethejoints andlimbsareattached.On
the third day, regardless
of whetherany medicinehasbeentaken,a purging
takesplaceof the veinsinto thebowels,withoutany inconvenience,
pain or
grief. And this demonstrates
a greatpower of Nature.

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AGAINST LEPROSY

To begin with the patient is given six drops on an empty stomach.And


arrangeit so that the uncleanpersonis alonewithout the companyof any
healthypeople,in a separate place.For his wholebody will
andconvenient
soonbegin to smokeand steamwith a stinking mist or vapor. And on the
secondday his skin will start to flake and much uncleanlinesswill detach
itself from his body. He shouldthenhavethreemoredropsof the medicine
ready,which he shouldtakeandusein solitudeon the fourth day. Then on
the eighthor ninthday, by meansof this medicineandthroughthe bestowal
of Divine mercyandblessing,he will be completelycleansedandhis health
restored.

AGNNST AFOPLEXIA OR STROKE

In the caseof stroke, let a drop of the unadmixedtincture fall onto the
tongueof the personin need.At onceit will raiseitself anddistributeitself
like a mist or smoke,and rectify and dissolvethe struck part. But if the
strokehashit the bodyor othermembers,he shouldbe giventhreedropsat
the sametime in a glassof goodwine, aspre- viouslytaughtin the caseof
Podagra.

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AGNNST HYDROPEOR DROPSY

In the caseof dropsygive onedrop eachday for six daysin a row, in Aqua
Melissaeor Valerianae.On the seventhday give threedropsin goodwine.
Then it is enough.

AGNNST EPILEPSIA, CATALEPSIA and AII{ALEPSIA

In caseof the falling sickness,give him two dropsat the


beginningof the Paroxismiin AquaSalviae,andafterthreehoursagaintwo
drops. This will suffice.But if further symptomsshouldoccur, then give
him two more dropsas above.

AGAINST HECTIC

In case of consumptionand dehydration,give him two drops in Aqua


Violarumthefirst day. On thesecondday,givehim two moredropsin good
wine.
AGAINST TEVER

In casesof all kinds of hot fevers,give him threedrops in a well distilled


St. Johnswortwateror Cichorii at the beginningof the Paroxismi.Early in
the morningon the followingday, againgive him threedropsin goodwine
on an emptystomach.

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AGAINST PEST

In the caseof pestilence


give thepatientsevendropsin a goodwine, andsee
to it that the infectedpersonis all by himself,andcausedto sweat.Then this
poisonwill, with Divine assistance,
do him no harm.

rOR THE PROLONGATION AND ffiE OF A


IIEALTIIY LIFE

Take and give at the beginning and entry of spring, when the sun has
enteredthe sign of Aries, two drops; and at the beginning with God's help,
be safeandprotectedagainstbad healthand poisonedair, unlessthe incurred
diseasewas predestinedand fatally imposedupon man by the Almighty God.

But we now wish to proceedto the OleumAntimonii and its Power, and
showhow this oil may alsohelpthe diseased
andimperfectmetallicbodies.

Takein the Nameof God, very pure refinedgold, as muchas you want and
think will suffice. Dissolveit in a rectifiedWine, preparedthe way one
usuallymakesAquamVitae. And after the gold hasbecomedissolved,let
it digestfor a month.Thenput it into a Balneum,anddistill off the spiritum
vini very slowly andgently.Repeatthis severaltimes,as long and as often
until you seethat your gold remainsbehindin fundoas a sap. And suchis
the mannerand opinionof severalof the ancientson how to preparethe
gold.

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But I will showandteachyou a muchshorter,betterand moreusefulway.
Viz. that you insteadof suchpreparedgold takeonepart Mercurii Solis, the
preparationof which I have alreadytaught in anotherplace by its proper
process.Draw off its airy water so that it becomesa subtledust and calx.
Then take two partsof our blessedoil, andpour the oil very slowly, drop
by drop onto the dust of the Mercurii Solis, until everythinghas become
absorbed.

Put it in a vial, well sealed,into a heatof the first degreeof the oven of
secrets,and let it remaintherefor ten daysand nights.You will then see
your powderandoil quitedry, suchthatit hasbecomea singlepieceof dust
of a blackishgrey colour.

After ten days give it the seconddegreeof heat, and the grey and black
colour will slowly changeinto a whitenessso that it becomesmore or less
white. And at the end of theseten days,the matterwill take on a beautiful
rose white. But this may be ignored.For this colour is only due to the
MercurioSolis,that hasswallowedup our blessedoil, and now coversit
with the innermostpart of its body.But by thepowerof the fire, our oil witl
againsubduesuchMercuriumSolis,andthrow it into its innermost.And the
oil with its very bright red colour will rule over it and remain on the
outside.

Thereforeit is time, whentwentyyears(sic)havepassed,that you openthe


windowof thethird degree(Thealchemicalovenhadopeningsor 'registers'
by which the heatcouldbe controlled.)The externalwhite colour andforce

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will thencompletelyrecedeinwardly,andtheinternalred colourwill, by the
force of the fire, becomeexternal.Keep also this degreeof fire for ten
days,withoutincreaseor decrease.
You will thenseeyour Powder,thatwas
previouslywhite, now becomevery red. But for the time beingthis redness
may be ignored(is of no consequence),
for it is still unfixed and volatile;
and at the end of theseten days, when the thirtieth day has passed,you
shouldopenthe last window of the fourth degreeof fire, Let it stay in this
degreefor anotherten days,andthis very bright red powderwill beginto
melt. Let it stay in flux for theseten days.And when you take it out you
will find on the bottom a very bright red and transparentstone, ruby
colored, melted into the shapeof the vial. This stonemay be used for
Projection,as hasbeentaughtin the tracton Vitriol. PraiseGod in Eternity
for this His high revelation,andthankHim in Eternity. Amen.

ON THE MT]LTIPLICATION - LAPIDIS STIBtr

The ancient sages,after they had discoveredthis stone and


preparedit to perfect power and translationof the imperfect metalsto gold,
long sought to discover a way to increasethe power and efficiency of this
stone.And they found two ways to multiply it: One is a multiplication of its
power, such that the stone may be brought much further in its power of
Transmutation. And this multiplication is very subtle, the description of
which may be found in the Tract on Gold.

The secondmultiplication is an Augmentumquantitatisof the stonewith its


former power, in sucha way that it neither losesany of its power, nor gains

147
any, but in sucha mannerthat its weight increasesand keepson increasing
ever more, so that a singleouncegrowsand increasesto many ounces.

To achieve this increaseor Multiplication one has to proceed in the


following manner:Take in the Nameof God, your stone,and grind it to a
subtlepowder, and add as much Mercurii Solisaswas taughtbefore. Put
thesetogetherinto a roundvial, sealwith sigillo Hermetis,and put it into
the former ovenexactlyas taught,exceptthat the time hasto be shorterand
lessnow. For whereyou previouslyusedten (alii thirty) days,you may now
not usemorethanfour (alii ten)days.In otherrespectsthe work is exactly
the sameas before.

Praiseand thankGod the Almighty for His high revelation,and diligently


continueyour prayersfor His AlmightyMercy andDivine blessingsof this
Work and Art as well as His grantingyou a good health and fortuitous
welfare.And moreover,takecarealwaysto help and counselthe poor.

LAUS DEO OMIVPOTENTA

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NOTA. He who wishesto know more aboutAntimonio may consultFr.
Basilii Valentini, "TriumphalChnriot of Antimony" with commentsby
TheodorKerckringius.

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