the 2. former wayes, viz. by extracting it out of the waters of the bath, and making it with his virgin earth which did attract, and condenſe the nitrouſneſſe of the aire, but withall by making it ſo acid that it might cauſe an ebullition when it came to be joyned with a ſulphur Mine. Now then how to give this Nitre a ſufficient acidity is the great queſtion. For the better effecting of this we muſt conſider whence that nitrous water (above mentioned) in the earth had the greateſt part of its acidity. As to that, it muſt be remembred that the virgin earth through which the acid nitrous water did run, did condenſe the nitrous aire or vapours into a nitrous ſalt, and withall it is to be conſidered that before this nitrous aire or vapour, before it be condenſed, even when it is neer unto condenſation is acid, and part of it before condenſation is mixed with the water, and ſo renders it acid. Now that waters have great part of their acidity from the acid vapours of acid Mineralls both Henricus ab Heers, and Jordan upon Minerall waters affirme: and that ſalts unbodied, are ſarre more acid then when they have aſſumed a body, is clearly manifeſt in this, viz. that ſpirits of ſalts, which I call ſalts unbodied because they have loſt their body, are become very acid becauſe unbodied; if ſo in Spirits that have loſt their bodies, why not after ſome proportion in thoſe that have not yet aſſumed a body, as vapours of Nitre, or nitrous aire being neer to congelation, and bodying, and impregnant with Spirits of Nitre.
Now I ſay that nitrous vapours, or nitrous air being a ſalt unbodied are not ſo acid as Spirits of Nitre, because they are more phlegmatick and crude, which flegme they leſe by being congealed into a ſalt: yet for all this, they are ſarre more acid then the body of ſalt: and this is that which Helmont underſtands, when he ſaith that the eſurine ſalt being incorporificated is ſarre more active, in giving taſt and odour then when it hath received its body by becoming a ſpecificated ſalt. Furthermore how Nitre ſhall become ſufficiently acid for the aforeſaid operation is the great matter to be enquired into. We muſt therefore conſider which way we may unbody Nitre (ſeeing it is ſcarſe poſſible to get it before
