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Aurum vitæ
Metals minerals and metallic preparations · A Chymical Dictionary
At a Glance
The word. A gold preparation identified through precipitation, heating and intense redness.
In the book. Azoth and Aquila Philosophorum are helpful comparisons for the idea of Mercury associated with a particular body or metal.
A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 9; facsimile PDF page 337.
Historical Definition
Aurum vitæ is gold precipitated and reverberated to the highest degree of redness, like ground cinnabar. The best is made and precipitated with its own proper Mercury.
Meaning
The definition presents preparation and appearance together. Precipitation and reverberation are the actions; extreme redness and ground cinnabar provide the visual characterization. The comparison does not say the product is cinnabar. Preserving “like” prevents a resemblance from becoming an identification.
The final sentence ranks a form of the product as best when made with its own proper Mercury. That qualification is part of a historical account in which a substance can be related to a Mercury proper to it. The entry offers neither a complete procedure nor evidence for a unique modern compound.
Use in the Book
Azoth and Aquila Philosophorum are helpful comparisons for the idea of Mercury associated with a particular body or metal. Their related vocabulary can clarify the claim without converting all prepared gold names into synonyms.
Places to Read
Azoth. A body’s extracted Mercury, with a further universal-medicine sense.
Aquila Philosophorum. The philosophers’ eagle explained as metallic first matter.
Reverberatorium. A furnace defined by flame calcination.
Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 9; facsimile PDF page 337 — Facsimile
See also. Azoth; Aquila Philosophorum; Reverberatorium; Aurum potabile