The Twelfth Book of Natural Magick

John Baptista Porta

(Giambattista della Porta) (1537-1615

"Artificial Fires"
"The Proeme" Chapter I - "How diverse ways to proc re Fire may be prepared!" Chapter II - ""f the Compositio#s for Fire$ that o r A#cestors sed!" Chapter III - ""f the diverse Compositio#s of G #powder!" Chapter I% - "How Pipes may be made to cast o t Fire!" Chapter % - "How Fireballs are made that are shot off i# &rass G #s!" Chapter %I - ""f Compositio#s with b r#i#' (aters!" Chapter %II - "How &alls are made of )etals that will cast forth fire a#d Iro# wed'es!"

Chapter %III - "How i# plai# 'ro #d$ a#d #der waters$ mi#es may be prese#tly d '!" Chapter I* - "(hat thi#'s are 'ood to e+ti#' ish the fire!" Chapter * - ""f diverse compositio#s for fire!" Chapter *I - "Fire-compositio#s for Festival days!" Chapter *II - ""f ,ome -+perime#ts of Fires!" Chapter *III - "How it may be$ that a ca#dle shall b r# co#ti# ally!"

The Proe

Before I leave off to write of fire$ I shall treat of that

da#'ero s fire that wor.s wo#derf l thi#'s$ which the v l'ar call Artificial Fire$ which the comma#ders of armies a#d 'e#erals$ se lame#tably i# diverse artifices a#d mo#stro s desi'#s$ to brea. ope# walls a#d cities$ a#d totally s bvert them! A#d i# sea fi'hts$ to the i#fi#ite r i# of mortal me#$ a#d whereby they ofte# fr strate the malicio s e#terprises of their e#emies! The matter is very sef l a#d wo#derf l$ a#d there is #othi#' i# the world that more fri'hte#s a#d terrifies the mi#ds of me#! God is comi#' to / d'e the world by fire! I shall describe the mi'hty hot fires of o r a#cestors$ which they sed to besie'e places with$ a#d I shall add those that are of later i#ve#tio#$ that far e+ceed them! A#d lastly$ I shall spea. of those of o r days! 0o have here the compositio#s of terrible G #powder that ma.es a #oise$ a#d the# of that which ma.es #o #oise! "f pipes that vomit forth deadly fires$ a#d of fires that ca##ot be 1 e#ched$ a#d that will ra'e #der water at the very bottom of it$ whereby the seas re#d as #der$ as if they

were #dermi#ed by the 'reat viole#ce of the flames strivi#' a'ai#st them$ a#d are lifted p i#to the air$ that ships are draw# by the mo#stro s ' lfs! "f fire balls that fly with 'litteri#' fire$ a#d terrify troops of horseme#$ a#d overthrow them! ,o that we are come almost to eter#al fires!

!hapter "
""f diverse compositio#s for fire!"

shall speak of diverse compositions for fire to be used for

diverse uses. But men say )! Gracch s was the author of this invention.

"To ma.e a fiery compositio#$ that the , # may .i#dle!"

It consists of these things. "il of rosinous T rpe#ti#e, of 2 ic.silver (otherwise then I showed in 3istilli#') of 4 #iper, of 5aphtha, 6i#seed, Colopho#ia, Camphire. Let there be Pitch, ,altpeter, and 3 c.7s 'rease, double to them all. A1 a %ita refined from all flegm. Pound them all, and mingle them. Put them up in a gla ed vessel, and let them ferment two months in horse dung, always renewing the dung, and mingling them together. !fter the set time, put it into a 8etort, and 3istil it. "hicken the 6i1 or either with Pi'eo#7s 3 #', finely sifted, or with G #powder, that it may be like Pap. #ood that

is smeared over with this mi$ture, and set in the summer sun, will fire of itself. Pi'eo#7s 3 #' easily takes fire by the , # beams. Gale# reports, that in %ysia, a part of !sia, a house was so set on fire. Pi'eo#7s 3 #' was cast forth, and touched a window that was near. !s it came to touch the wood that was newly smeared with 8osi#, when it was corrupted, and grew hot, and vapored in the the midsummer, by heat of the , #, it fired the 8osi#, and the window, then other places smeared with 8osi#, took fire, and by degrees part of the house began to take hold, and when once the covering of house began to flame, it soon laid hold of the whole house, because it has a mighty force to inflame all. 3 c.7s 'rease is very prevalent in fireworks, and physicians praise it e$tremely, that it is most subtle, penetrating and hot, it makes other things penetrate, and as it is most subtle and hot, so it takes fire vehemently, and burns. I shall show how to 3istil,

"A most scaldi#' "il!"

#hen I would prepare the most e$cellent compositions of burning "il, I 3istilled common "il in a 8etort, but with great labor. &et what was 3istilled was thin, combustible, and ready to fire, that once kindled, it was not to be put out, and it would draw the flame at a great distance, and hardly let it go. But "il of 6i#seed is stronger than it. 'or if you 3istill it often, it will have such a wonderful force to take fire, that it can hardly be shut up in a vessel, but it will draw the fire to it. !nd the glass being opened, it is so thin, that it will fly into the air, and if the light of a candle, or of fire touch it, the air takes fire, and the "il fired by it, will cast the flame afar off, so vehemently, that it is almost impossible to (uench it. It must be distilled with great cunning, let the vessel overheat, it should take fire within. %oreover,

"Fire that is 1 e#ched with "il$ is .i#dled with water!"

It is thus made. I said that 5aphtha will burn in water, and that Camphire is a kind of it. #herefore, if you mingle &rimsto#e with it, or other things, that will retain fire. If you cast in "il or mud, it will (uench it. But it revives and flames more, if you cast in water. 6ivy relates, that some old women in their plays, lighting torches made of these things, passed over "yber, that it seemed a miracle to the beholders. I said it was the property of &it me# to take fire from water, and to be (uenched with "il.

3ioscorides says, that the Thracia# ,to#e is bred in a certain river of )cythia, the name of it is Po#t s. It has the force of 4et, they say it is inflamed by water, and (uenched with "il, like as &it me#. 5ica#der speaks of this stone thus, If that the Thracia# ,to#e be b r#t i# fire$ A#d wet with water$ the flame will aspire$ & t oil will 1 e#ch it! Thracia# ,hepherds bri#' This sto#e from the 8iver Po#t s$ Poets si#'!

"Torches that will #ot be p t o t by the wi#ds!"

"hey are made with &rimsto#e, for that is hardly put out, if once kindled. #herefore torches made with (a+ and &rimsto#e, may be carried safely through winds and tempests. "hese are good for armies to march by, or for other necessary things. *thers use such+ they boil the wick of the torches in ,altpeter and water. #hen it is dried, they wet them with &rimsto#e and A1 a %ita. *f this mi$ture then they make their candles, with &rimsto#e, and then with half Camphire, and T rpe#ti#e, two parts Colopho#ia, three of (a+, of this they make four candles, and put them together. In the middle that is empty, they cast in (uick &rimsto#e, and they will forcibly resist all things. *r thus. Boil wicks of Hemp or Cotto# in water, with ,altpeter . "ake them out and dry them. "hen melt in a &rass pot e(ual parts of &rimsto#e, G #powder, and (a+. #hen they are melted, put in your wicks to drink up part of the mi$ture. "ake them out, and to what is left in the kettle, add G #powder, &rimsto#e, and T rpe#ti#e, of each a like (uantity, of which mi$ture make our torches, and ,oin them together. !lso there is made,

"A cord that set o# fire$ shall #either smo.e #or smell!"
#hen soldiers or hunters go secretly by day or night, they use sometimes to make a )atch, that being lighted, will neither smell near hand, nor far off, nor make any smoke. 'or wild beasts, if the )atch smell, will scent it, and run to the tops of the mountains. "ake a new earthen pot, and put into it a new cord so handsomely, that the whole pot may be filled, so laid in rounds, that no more can go in, cover it, and lute it well three or

four times, that it may have no vent, for the whole business depends on this. "hen make a fire round about it, by degrees, that first it may grow hot, then very hot, and lastly red hot. !nd if sometimes the smoke come forth, stop the chinks with Clay still. "hen heaped up under the coals, let it grow cold of itself, and opening the pot, you shall find the cord black, like coal. Light this cord, and it will neither smoke nor smell.

!hapter "#
"Fire-compositio#s for festival days!"

have shown you terrible and monstrous Firewor.s. It is fit to

show you some to use a solemn times. -ot so much for use, as to give you occasion to find out higher matters. I shall show then how to make one,

"That whe# a ma# comes i#to his chamber$the whole air may ta.e fire!"
"ake a great (uantity of the best refined A1 a vita, and put Camphire into it, cut small, for it will soon dissolve in it. #hen it is dissolved, shut the windows and the chamber doors, that the vapor that e$hales, may not get forth. #hen the vessel is full with water, let it boil with coals, put under, without any flame, that all the water may resolve into smoke, and fill the chamber. !nd it will be so thin, that you scarce perceive it. Let some man enter into the chamber with a lighted candle in his hand, and the air by the candle light, will take fire all about. !nd the whole chamber will be in a flame, like an oven, and will much terrify one that goes in. If you dissolve in the water a little ) s., or Amber-'reese, after the flame you shall smell a curious scent. !lso there is made,

"-+ceedi#' b r#i#' water!"

"hus. "ake old strong black (i#e. Put into it 2 ic.lime, Tartar, ,alt, and (uick &rimsto#e. /raw out the water of them with a glass 8etort. "his will burn e$ceedingly and never cease till it is all consumed. If you put it into a vessel with a very large mouth, and put flame near it, it will presently take fire. If when it is on fire, you cast it against a wall, or by night out tat the window, you shall see the air full of sparks, and kindled with fires. It will burn, held in your hands, and yet will not scald you. /istil it once again, and it will burn the less. But if you take e(ual parts of 2 ic.lime, and ,alt, and shall mingle them with common "il. !nd make little balls, and cast them into the belly of the 0etort by the neck. !nd then shall draw forth the "il by a vehement fire. !nd mingling this "il again with ,alt and 2 ic.lime. )hall /istil them again. !nd shall do the same four times. !n "il will will come forth that will burn wonderfully, that some deservedly call it I#fer#al "il. ! solemn pleasant fire, is made for the theater. If Camphire be dissolved in A1 a vita, and with that 'illets, paper, or parchments, be smeared. !nd being dried again, be lighted. !nd fall from a loft, as they fall lighted through the air, you shall see )erpents with great delight. But if you desire,

"To cast flame a 'reat way$"

/o thus. Beat Colopho#ia, Fra#.i#ce#se, or Amber finely. !nd hold them in the palm of your hand, and put a lighted candle between your fingers. !nd as you throw the powder into the air, let it pass through the flame of the candle. 'or the same will fly up high. If you will have that,

")a#y ca#dles shall be li'hted prese#tly!"

*n festival days, as I hear they are wont to do among the "urks. &ou shall boil &rimsto#e and "rpime#t with "il, and in them let thread boil. #hen it is dry, bind it to the wicks of candles, and let them pass through. 'or when one head is lighted, the flame will run to them all, and set them on fire. )ome call it Hermes, his ointment. !ny man may,

"-ati#' i# the dar.$ a#d spar.les o t of his mo th!"

It is pleasant for the spectators. !nd it is thus. Let a man eat , 'ar Ca#dy, for as he breaks it with his teeth, sparkles will seem to fly out of his mouth, as if one should rub a Firebra#d.

!hapter "##
""f ,ome -+perime#ts of Fires!"

will set down some e$periments, that are without the ranks

of the rest. I held it better to conceal them. But they may give you occasion to think on greater matters by them. If you will,

"That & llets from &rass G #s$ may e#ter deeper!"

&ou may easily try this against a wall, or plank set up. Let the ball rather go into the hollow of it, slight, then wide. But wet it with "il before you put it in. !nd so cast it in. "his & llet shot off by force of fire, will go in twice as far as otherwise. "he reason is easy. 'or the "il takes away the occasion of the airs breathing forth. 'or all bents being stopped, the flames striving within, cast forth the & llet with more violence, as we shall show more at large. )o also will the & llets of &rass G #s penetrate with more force. !nd if you 6ard the & llets, they will penetrate through arms of proof. I can also by a cunning artifice,

",hoot a ma# thro 'h with a & llet$ a#d #o place shall be se#t where it we#t i#$ or came forth!"
"he mind of a man is so cunning, that it has invented a way to shoot a man (uite through with a & llet, and yet no mark of the & llet shall appear, though all the inward parts be bruised and beaten through. 1onsider, that what things are heavy, are solid, and so subtle, that they will penetrated and leave no marks where they entered or came out. !nd they will do the same, though they be united, as if they were dis,ointed. !nd every part

will act by itself alone, as it would do being united. I have said thus, to take away all occasions from ignorant and wicked people, to do mischief. I saw,

"A G # dischar'e ofte#$ a#d yet #o more powder was p t i#!"

'amous soldiers use this, not only for &rass Ca##o#, but for small handguns. It is thus. #rap a paper three or four times about the 8ammer that is put into the hollow mouth of the G #, and drawing out the G #stic.. 'ill that hollow place with powder and & llet. 2ere and there let the & llets be stopped in, and glued fast, that no sicissure or vent may appear in the paper. 'irst, let it be put into the G #, but loosely, that the powder put in above, may come to the vent hole beneath. "hen put your measure of powder in atop, and stamp in your & llet. Putting G #powder to the To ch-hole. !nd putting fire to it, the upper ball shall be shot off with its powder. Presently thrust in a sharp instrument at the vent hole, and make a hole in the Cartrid'e, and feed it with powder, and put fire to it again. !nd in a short time it will discharge twice. I can,

"&li#d yo r eyes with the smo.e!"

"his may much profit, when enemies come to storm the city. But first we must consider the wind, that it may be at the backs of our men, and may carry the smoke into the faces of our enemies. Let there be measure made like 6a#thor#s, so that they may go in at the mouths of the &rass G #s. 'ill them with powder of - phorbi m, Pepper, 2 ic.lime, %i#e ashes, and Ars#ic. , blimate. !nd put them into the hollow of it, after the G #powder. 'or by force of fire, will these paper frames break. !nd the smoke of the powder, if it comes at the eyes of the enemy, will so trouble them, that casting away their weapons, they can hardly save their eyes.

!hapter "###

"How it may be$ that a ca#dle shall b r# co#ti# ally!"

efore we end this book, I shall discover, whether it ma be

that a candle once lighted, should never be put out. #hich seems very contrary to the reason of the corruptible things of this world, and to be past belief. But let us see first whether the A#cie#ts ever attempted it, or did it. #e read in the roman histories, that there was at 0ome, in the temple of the goddess %esta, and of )i#erva, at !thens, and of Apollo, at /elphi, a perpetual fire kindled. But this seems to be false. 'or I remember that I have read in many authors, that this Perpet al Fire was always kept so by the %estal 5 #s, that it should never go out. !s we find it in Pl tarch, in the 6ife of 5 ma. !nd then in the time of the civil war, and of )ithridates, it went out. !t /elphi it was watched by widows, who took care, by always pouring in of "il, that it should never go forth. But this failed, when the %edes burnt that temple. *f the same sort was that fire, God appointed by )oses in the scriptures. "he fire shall always burn upon mine alter, which the priest shall always keep lighted, putting under wood day by day. #herefore, the fire was not perpetual in the temples of the gods of the Ge#tiles. &et I read about the town !teste near Padua, there was found an earthen pitcher, in which there was another little pitcher, and in that there was found a little light still burning. #hich by the hands of some ignorant fellows, pouring it rudely forth, was broken. !nd so the flame was put out. !nd in our time, about the year 344, in the island -esis, that stands in -aples, there was a )arble ,ep lchre of some 0oman found, and that being opened, a %ial was found with it, in which there was a candle. #hen this was broken, and it came to the light, it went out. It was shut in before the coming of our )avior. )ome others I have heard of, by report of my friends, there were found and seen with their eyes. #hence I collect this may be done, and was done by our ancestors. Let us see if we can do the same. )ome say that "il of metals may last long, and almost perpetually. But this is false. 'or "il of metals will not burn. *ther say, "il of 4 #iper from the wood will last long, because the coals of that wood may be kept a whole year alive under ashes. But this is most false, because I kept a coal under ashes, and it would not last two, nor yet one day. !nd the "il of the wood burns most vehemently, and is sooner wasted away then

common "il. )ome boast they have drawn "il from the incombustible stone, thinking that flame cannot consume that. 'or a wick made thereof, will never be burnt. !nd yet burns always, if you put "il always to it. But if that be true, that the wick is not consumed by fire, yet that follows not that "il e$tracted from it, should burn always and never waste. !nd no man yet was ever seen to draw "il from the stone Amia#ts that would burn. *thers think that "il drawn from common ,alt, will last always. 'or if you cast ,alt into "il, it makes the "il in the lamp last twice as long, and not be consumed, which I affirm to be true. "herefore if "il be 3istilled from it, it will burn always and never waste. &et this follows not that "il drawn from ,alt will bun continually. !nd "il 3istilled from it will burn no more than a stone of A1 a fortis, that parts Gold and ,ilver, of which kind it is. But it is an ignorant thing to imagine, that an "il may be made that shall burn always, and never consume. #herefore some other thing must be thought on. )ome say (and they do not think foolishly) that fire in a %ial does not always burn. But in the %ial there is some composition laid up, that so soon as it comes to air, presently takes fire, and seems to burn only at that time, yet it never burned before. "his may be true. 'or as I often have labored in chemical matters, a glass well stopped, and forgot by me after the things were burned in it. !nd being left so for many months, I may say, many years. !t last, being opened, has been seen to flame, and burn, and smoke. #hat I had burnt, I forgot, but they might be the same things, that I heard of by my friend, that had the same chance. 'or when he had boiled 6ithar'e, Tartar, 2 ic.lime, and Ci##aber in %i#e'ar, until it was all evaporated. !nd then covering and 6 ti#' the vessel well, he set it into a vehement fire. !nd when it was enough, he set it by till it was cold. !fter some months, when he went to open it to see his work, a flame suddenly flew out of the vessel, and set on fire some things, when as he thought of no such matter. !nd the the same has happened to many more. %oreover, when I boiled 6i#seed "il for the press, when the flames took within, I covered the pot with clothes to put it out. !fter some time I opened the vessel, the "il at the air coming to it flamed again, and took fire. But e$perience is against this opinion. 'or who saw a candle shut up close in a glass %ial, and to keep its flaming (uality, and to give light5 'or the A#cie#ts thought that the souls of the dead did always rest in the grave, as the ashes do. !nd that they might not lie in the dark, they endeavored all they could to send out this light. "hat their souls might en,oy light continually. "herefore we must think on another e$periment, and make trial

of it. But this must be held for a rare and firm principle in 5at re7s shop, that the cause of wonders is because there can be no %ac m. !nd the frame of the work will sooner break asunder, and all things run to nothing, then there can be any such thing. #herefore if a flame were shut up in a glass, and all the vent holes stopped close, if it could las one moment, it would last continually. !nd it were not possible for it to be put out. "here are many wonders declared in this book, and many more shall be set down, that have no other cause. But how the flame should be lighted within side. "his is worth the while to know. It must be a Li(uor or some subtle substance, and that will evaporate but little. !nd if then it can be shut up in the glass, when the glass is shut it will last always. #hich may easily be performed by burning6glasses, fire, industry, and cunning. It cannot be e$tinguished, because the air can come in nowhere to fill up the emptiness of the 7ial. "he "il is always turned into smoke, and this, being it cannot be dissolved into air. It turns to "il and kindles again. !nd so it will always by course afford fuel for the light. &ou have heard the beginnings. -ow search, labor and make trial.

The $n%