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In his Proserpina, Rudolph Glauber (1604-1670), the German-Dutch alchemist and early chemist, explores the transmutation of metals. He uses the image of the goddess of the underworld to describe the oil or butter of Antimony, now known chemically as Antimony Trichloride, a corrosive, highly reactive and pungent substance. It attacks many metals and can deposit Antimony compounds on their surface. Thus to Glauber and other early chemists it appeared to transmute metals. One can see from ths text that Glauber must have undertaken many experiments with this butter of Antimony, especially in conjunction with compounds of iron and powerful acids. He writes in a straightforward and open way about these substances. He compains about his poor health which may have been affected by many years of handling toxic and corrosive substances such as his Proserpina. The 17th-Century English has here been modernised by Adam McLean.