From the book
Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum
Heinrich Khunrath · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordAqua regia is paired with aqua fortis in the page 126 comparison of metallic solutions and coloured stains.
- In KhunrathThe passage questions what a preparation’s colouring action proves.
- In this editionRetain the historical name without expanding the editorial modern identification into a preparation formula.
- A reading distinctionThe point of the pair is the inadequacy of colouring as proof, not a comparison of which corrosive is stronger or more appropriate for a modern task.
Meaning
Aqua regia is paired with aqua fortis in the page 126 comparison of metallic solutions and coloured stains. The pair comprises separately named corrosive waters, not two spellings of one word.
Use in the book
The passage questions what a preparation’s colouring action proves. A brown or red-spotted mark does not establish the tinctorial salt that would change a lower metal into silver or gold. The source supplies no composition or proportions here.
Places to read
- 1599 p. 126Aqua regia occurs beside aqua fortis in the comparison of staining solutions.
Translation in this edition
Retain the historical name without expanding the editorial modern identification into a preparation formula.
Source note
The point of the pair is the inadequacy of colouring as proof, not a comparison of which corrosive is stronger or more appropriate for a modern task.