From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe “soul of Saturn” identified with lead’s sweetness.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 4; facsimile PDF page 332.
Historical definition
Anima Saturni is the sweetness of lead.
Meaning
The second word supplies the key material identification: the entry belongs to the lead family, not to an account of the planet considered in isolation. “Sweetness” describes the feature through which the dictionary identifies this preparation. It does not establish one precise modern lead compound or invite a sensory test. A historical recipe must provide the missing preparation details.
Compare Altey plumbi and Butyrum Saturni, which connect the same material with sweet matter and butter vocabulary. Together, the entries show how a preparation can be described through attributed quality, bodily image and philosophical name. Those associations help decode a text while leaving differences among actual recipes open.
Places to read
- Anima SaturniRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Altey plumbiA lead preparation characterized as sweet.
- Butyrum SaturniA “butter of Saturn” name referring back to the sweet matter of lead.
- Dulcedo SaturniA Saturnian sweetness linked with Altey and ceruse.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 4; facsimile PDF page 332 — Facsimile