essays of the strange subtilty great efficacy determinate nature of effluviums. to which are annext new experiments to make fire and flame ponderable. : together with a discovery of the perviousness of glass. : also an essay, about the origine and virtue of gems. / by the honourable robert boyle ... ; to which is added the prodromus to a dissertation concerning solids naturally contained within solids giving an account of the earth, and its productions. by nicholas steno. ; englished by h.o. essays of the strange subtilty, determinate nature, great efficacy of effluviums boyle, robert, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing b estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : or : ) essays of the strange subtilty great efficacy determinate nature of effluviums. to which are annext new experiments to make fire and flame ponderable. : together with a discovery of the perviousness of glass. : also an essay, about the origine and virtue of gems. / by the honourable robert boyle ... ; to which is added the prodromus to a dissertation concerning solids naturally contained within solids giving an account of the earth, and its productions. by nicholas steno. ; englished by h.o. essays of the strange subtilty, determinate nature, great efficacy of effluviums boyle, robert, - . [ ], , [ ], , [ ], , [ ], , [ ], - , [ ], [i.e. ] + p. printed by w.g. for m. pitt, at the angel near the little north door of st paul's church., london, : . numerous pagination errors (p. - and p. ). imperfect: lacks the prodromus to a dissertation concerning solids naturally contained within solids. reproduction of originals in the bodleian library and the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng chemistry -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - derek lee sampled and proofread - derek lee text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion essays of the strange subtilty great efficacy determinate nature of effluviums . to which are annext new experiments to make fire and flame ponderable : together with a discovery of the perviousness of glass . by the honorable robert boyle , fellow of the royal society . — consilium est , universum opus instaurationis ( philosophiae ) potius promovere in multis , quàm perficere in paucis . verulamius . london : printed by w. g. for m. pitt , near the little north door of st paul's church . . an advertisement to the reader . ' t is hop'd , the reader will not think it strange , not to meet with in the following papers a more close and uniform contexture of the passages that make them up , if he be seasonably inform'd of the rise and occasion of penning them , which was this . the author having many years ago written an essay about an experiment he made of nitre , by whose phaenomena he endeavour'd to exemplifie some parts of the corpuscular philosophy , especially the production of qualities ; he afterwards threw together divers occurring thoughts and experiments , which he suppos'd might be imployed by way of notes , to prove or illustrate those doctrines , and especially those that concern'd the qualities of bodies ; and among these observing those that are call'd occult , to be subjects uncultivated enough , ( at least in the way that seem'd to him proper , ) he propos'd to handle them more largely than most of the rest ; and in order to that design he judg'd it almost necessary , to premise some considerations and experimental collections about the nature and power of effluviums , about the pores of bodies and figures of corpuscles , and about the efficacy of such local-motions as are wont either to be judged very faint , or to be pass'd by unheeded . for he had often look'd upon these three doctrines , of effluvia , of pores and figures , and of unheeded motions , as the three principal keys to the philosophy of occult qualities . but having hereupon made such collections , as upon review appear'd too large to pass for notes on so short a text , he was induc'd to draw them into the form ( they now appear in ) of essays ; but he would not put himself to the trouble of doing it , with care to keep them from retaiaing much of their first want of exact method and connexion . nor was the author solicitous to finish them up , in regard that his other studies and occasions made him perceive , that in what he had design'd about occult qualities , he had cut himself out more work than probably he should during many years have opportunity to set upon in earnest , and complete . and in this condition these papers lay for divers years , ( as is well known to several that saw them , or even transcrib'd some of them , ) and might have continued to do so , if the author had not been induc'd to let them come abroad , partly by considering , that though the subjects , ( however he handled them ) were as well important as curious , yet he did not find himself prevented by others in what he had to publish about them ; and partly by the references he had made to them in some other papers , that he had promised his friends , wherein several things here deliver'd are vouched , and others suppos'd . and because the notes concerning the porosity of greater bodies and the figurations of minute particles , together with the paper about unregarded motions , having been long laid aside among other neglected papers , were some of them missing , and others so mis-us'd , that they could not easily be made ready to accompany those that now come abroad ; the author , that he might keep this book from having its dimensions too disproportionate , was content to add to the thickness of it , by subjoyning one of those little tracts , that lay by him , concerning flame , because of the affinity betwixt the preceding doctrine about effluviums in general , and experiments that shew in particular the subtilty and the efficacy of those of fire and flame . and though , to that tract it self , there belong another , design'd to examine , whether the matter of what we call the sun-beams , may be brought to be ponderable ; yet supposing this , hitherto cold and wet summer , to be like to be as unfriendly to the tryals to be made with burning-glasses as of late years some other summers have prov'd , he was easily prevail'd with , not to make those experiments that were ready , wait any longer for those , that probably will not in a short time be so ; especially since those that now come abroad have no dependency upon the others . of the strange subtilty of effluviums . by the honorable robert boyle . london : printed by w. g. for m. pitt at the sign of the white hart , over-against the little north door of st paul's church . . of the strange subtilty of efflvvivms . chap. i. whether we suppose with the antient and modern atomists , that all sensible bodies are made up of corpuscles , not only insensible , but indivisible ; or whether we think with the cartesians , and ( as many of that party teach us ) with aristotle , that matter , like quantity , is indefinitely , if not infinitely divisible : it will be consonant enough to either doctrine , that the effluvia of bodies may consist of particles extremely small . for if we embrace the opinion of aristotle or des-cartes , there is no stop to be put to the sub-division of matter , into fragments , still lesser and lesser . and though the epicurean hypothesis admit not of such an interminate division of matter , but will have it stop at certain solid corpuscles , which for their not being further divisible are called atoms ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ) yet the assertors of these do justly think themselves injured , when they are charged with taking the motes or small dust , that fly up and down in the sun-beams , for their atoms ; since , according to these philosophers , one of those little grains of dust , that is visible only when it plays in the sun-beams , may be composed of a multitude of atoms , and exceed many thousands of them in bulk . this the learned gassendus in his notes on diogenes laertius makes probable by the instance of a small mite , which , though scarce distinctly discernable by the naked eye , unless when 't is in motion , does yet in a good microscope appear to be a compleat animal , furnished with all necessary parts ; which i can easily allow , having often in cheese-mites very distinctly seen the hair growing upon their legs . and to the former instance i might add , what i have elsewhere told you of a sort of animals far lesser than cheese-mites themselves , namely those that may be often-times seen in vinegar . but what has been already said may suffice for my present purpose , which is only to shew , that the wonderful minuteness i shall hereafter ascribe to effluvia , is not inconsistent with the most received theories of naturalists . for otherwise in this essay the proofs i mean to employ , must be taken , not à priori , but à posteriori . and the experiments and observations i shall employ on this occasion will be chiefly those , that are referrible to one of the following heads . i. the strange extensibility of some bodies whilst their parts yet remain tangible . ii. the multitude of visible corpuscles , that may be afforded by a small portion of matter . iii. the smallness of the pores at which the effluvia of some bodies will get in . iv. the small decrement of bulk or weight , that a body may suffer by parting with great store of effluvia . v. the great quantity of space that may be fill'd , as to sense , by a small quantity of matter when rarified or dispers'd . but though to these distinct heads i shall design distinct chapters , yet you must not expect to find the instances solicitously marshall'd , but set down in the order they occurr'd to me ; such a liberty being allowable in a paper , where i pretend not to write treatises , but notes chap. ii. among many things that are gross enough to be the objects of our touch , and to be managed with our hands , there are some that may help us to conceive a wonderful minuteness in the small parts they consist of . i do not remember what cardan , and since him another writer have deliver'd about the thinness and slenderness to which gold may be brought . and therefore without positively assenting to , or absolutely rejecting what may have been said about it by others , i shall only borrow on this occasion , what i have mention'd on another upon my own observation ; namely , that silver , whose ductility and tractility are very much inferiour to those of gold , was , by my procuring , drawn out to so slender a wire , that , when we measur'd it , which was somewhat troublesom to do , with a long and accurate measure , we found , that eight yards of it did not yet fully counterpoise one grain : so that we might add a grain more without making the scale , wherein 't was put , manifestly preponderate , notwithstanding the tenderness of the ballance . whence we concluded , that a single grain of this wire amounted to foot , that is , inches . and since experience informs us , that half an english inch can by diagonal lines be divided into parts great enough to be easily distinguish'd , even for mechanical uses , it follows , that a grain of this wire-drawn silver may be divided into parts , and yet each of these will be a true metalline , though but slender and short , cylinder , which we may very well conceive to consist yet of a multitude of minuter parts . for though i could procure no gilt wire near so slender as our newly mention'd silver-wire ; yet i tryed that some which i had by me was small enough to make one grain of it fourteen foot long : at which rate an ounce did amount to a full mile , consisting of geometrical paces , ( of foot a-piece , ) and foot over and above . and if now it be permitted to suppose the wire to have been , as in probability it might have been , further drawn out to the same slenderness with the above-mention'd silver-wire , the instance will still be far more considerable ; for in this case , each of those little cylinders , of which go to the making of one grain , will have a superficial area , which , except at the basis , will be cover'd with a case of gold ; which is not only separable from it by a mental operation , but perhaps also by a chymical one . for i remember , that from very slender gilt wire , though i could get none so slender as this of meer silver , i did more than once , for curiosities sake , so get out the silver , that the golden films , whilst they were in a liquor that plumpt them up , seem'd to be solid wires of gold : but when the liquor was withdrawn , they appear'd , ( as indeed they were ) to be oblong and extremely thin and double membranes of that metal , which , with an instrument that had been delicate enough , might have been ripp'd open , and displayed , and been made capable of further . divisions and subdivisions . to this i shall add , that each of the little silver cylinders i lately spake of , must not only have its little area , but its solidity ; and yet i saw no reason to doubt , but that it might be very possible , if the artificer had been so skilful and willing as i wish'd , to have drawn the same quantity of metal to a much greater length , since even an animal substance is capable of being brought to a slenderness much surpassing that of our wire , supposing the truth of an observation of very credible persons critical enough in making experiments , which , for a confirmation and an improvement of our present argument , i shall now subjoyn . an ingenious gentlewoman of my acquaintance , wife to a learned physician , taking much pleasure to keep silk-worms , had once the curiosity to draw out one of the oval cases , ( which the silk-worm spins , not , as 't is commonly thought , out of its belly , but out of the mouth , whence i have taken pleasure to draw it out with my fingers , ) into all the silken-wire it was made up of , which , to the great wonder as well of her husband , as her self , who both inform'd me of it , appeared to be by measure a great deal above yards , and yet weigh'd but two grains and a half : so that each cylindrically shap'd grain of silk may well be reckon'd to be at least yards long . another way , i remember , i also employed to help men by the extensibility of gold the better to conceive the minuteness of the parts of solid bodies . we took six beaten leaves of gold , which we measured one by one with a ruler purposely made for nice experiments , and found them to have a greater equality in dimensions , and to be nearer true squares , than could be well expected : the side of the square was in each of them exactly enough three inches and / , ( or / , ) which number being reduc'd to a decimal fraction , viz. / , and multiplied by it self , affords / for the area , or superficial content of each square leaf : and this multiplied by , the number of the leaves , amounts to / square inches , for the area of the six leaves . these being carefully weigh'd in a pair of tender scales , amounted all of them to one grain and a quarter : and so one grain of this foliated gold was extended to somewhat above fifty inches ; which differ'd but about a fifth part from an experiment of the like nature , that i remember i made many years ago in a pair of exact scales ; and so small a difference may very well be imputed to that of the pains and diligence of the gold-beaters , who do not always work with equal strength and skill , nor upon equally fine and ductile gold. now if we recal to mind what i was lately saying of the actual divisibility of an inch into an hundred sensible parts , and suppose an inch so divided to be applied to each side of a square inch of the leaf-gold newly mention'd , 't is manifest that by subtle parallel lines , drawn between all the opposite points , a grain of gold must be divisible into five hundred thousand little squares , very minute indeed , but yet discernible by a sufficiently sharp-sighted eye . and if we suppose an inch to be divided into two hundred parts , as i lately told you it was in a ruler i employ , then , according to the newly recited way , the number of the squares , into which a single grain is capable of being divided , will amount to no less than two millions . there is yet another way that i took to shew , that the extensibility , and consequently the divisibleness of gold is probably far more wonderful , than by the lately mention'd tryal it appears . for this purpose i went to a great refiner , whom i used to deal with for purify'd gold and silver , and inquir'd of him , how many grains of leaf-gold he was wont to allow to an ounce of silver , when it was to be drawn into gilt wire as slender as an hair ? to this he answer'd me , that eight grains was the proportion he allowed to an ounce when the wire was to be well gilt ; but if it were to be more slightly gilt , six grains would serve the turn . and to the same purpose i was answer'd by a skilful wire-drawer . and i remember , that desiring the refiner to shew me an ingot of silver , as he did at first gild it ; he shew'd me a good fair cylindrical bar , whereon the leaf-gold , that overlaid the surface , did not appear to be by odds so thick as fine venetian paper ; and yet comparing this with gilt wire , which i also desired to see , the wire appeared to be the better gilt of the two ; possibly because the gold in passing through the various holes , was by the sides of them not only extended but polished , which made it look more vividly than the unpolish'd leaves that gilded the ingot . so that , if we suppose an ounce of the gilt wire formerly mention'd to have been gilt with six grains of leaf-gold , it will appear by an easie calculation , that at this rate one ounce of gold , employ'd on gilding wire of that slenderness , would reach between ninety and an hundred miles . but if now we further suppose , as we lately did , that the slender silver-wire , mention'd at the beginning of this chapter , were gilt ; though we should allow it to have ( because of its exceeding slenderness , ) not , ( as the former ) grains , but grains of leaf-gold to an ounce of siver , it must be acknowledged , that an hollow cylinder or sheath of gold weighing but eight grains , may be so stretch'd , that 't will reach to no less than times as much ( in weight ) of silver-wire as it covers : [ i said times , for so often is contain'd in , the number of grains in an ounce ; ] and consequently ( a grain of that wire having been found to be foot long , ) the ounce of gold would reach to seven hundred seventy seven thousand six hundred foot , that is , an hundred fifty five miles and above a half . and if we yet further suppose this superficial or hollow cylinder of gold to be slit all along , and cut into as slender lists or thongs as may be , we must not deny that gold may be made to reach to a stupendious length . but we need not this last supposition to make what preceded it an amazing thing : which yet though it be indeed stupendious and seem incredible , ought not at all to be judg'd impossible , being no more than what upon the suppositions and observations above laid down , does evidently follow . chap. iii. after what has been said of the minuteness of tangible objects , 't will be proper to subjoyn some instances of the smallness of such as yet continue visible . but in regard these corpuscles are singly too little to have any common measure apply'd to any of them , we must make an estimate of their minuteness by the number of those into which a small portion or fragment of matter may be actually divided , the multitude of these being afforded by so inconsiderable a quantity of matter , sufficiently declaring , that each of them , in particular , must be marvelously little . among the instances , where the smallness of bodies may be deduc'd from what is immediately the object of sight , it may not be unfit to take notice of the evaporation of water , which though it be granted to consist of gross particles in comparison of the spirituous and odoriferous ones of divers other liquors , as of pure spirit of wine , essential oyls of spices , &c. yet to shew that a small quantity of it may be dispers'd into a multitude of manifestly visible corpuscles , i thought upon , and more than once try'd , the rarefaction of it into vapors by help of an aeolipile , wherein , when i made the experiment the last time , i took the pains to register the event as follows . we put an ounce of common water into an aeolipile , and having put it upon a chasing-dish of coals , we observ'd the time when the streams of vapors began to be manifest . this stream was for a good while impetuous enough , as appear'd by the noise it made , which would be much increased , if we applied to it at a convenient distance a kindled brand , in which it would blow up the fire very vehemently . the stream continued about a quarter of an hour ( sixteen minutes or better , ) but afterwards the wind had pauses and gusts for two or three minutes before it quite ceased . and by reason of the shape of the aeolipile , ( which being fram'd chiefly for other purposes , was not so convenient for this ) a great portion of the vapors condens'd in the upper part of it , and fell down in drops ; so that supposing that they also had come out in the form of wind , and the blast had not been intermitted toward the latter end , i guess'd it might have continued uninterruptedly or minutes . note , that applying a measure to the smoak , that came out very visible in a form almost conical , where it seem'd to have an inch or more in diameter , 't was distant from the hole of the aeolipile about twenty inches ; and five or six inches beyond that , though it were spread so much , as to have four or five inches in diameter , yet the not uniform but still-cohering clouds ( which was the form wherein the vapors appear'd ) were manifest and conspicuous . after the rarefaction of water when 't is turn'd into vapors , we may consider that of fewel when 't is turn'd into flame ; to which purpose i might here propose several tryals as well of our own as others , about the prodigious expansion of some inflammable bodies upon their being actually turn'd into flame . but in this place to mention all these , would perhaps too much intrench upon another paper ; and therefore i shall here propose to your consideration but one instance , and that very easie to be tryed ; of which i find this account among my adversaria . having oftentimes burnt spirit of wine , and also oyl in glass-lamps , that for certain uses were so made , that the surface of the liquor was still circular , 't was obvious to observe , how little the liquor would subside by the wast that was made of it , in about half a quarter of an hour . and yet if we consider , that the naked eye after some exercise , may , as i have often tryed , discern the motions of a pendulum that swings fast enough to divide a single minute of an hour into parts , and consequently half a quarter of an hour into parts ; if we also consider into how many parts of the time imployed by a pendulum , the vibrations , slow enough to be discernible by the eye , may be mentally subdivided ; and if we further consider , that without intermission , the oyl is preyed upon by an actual flame , and the particles of it do continually furnish a considerable stream of shining matter , that with a strange celerity is always flying away ; we may very well conceive , that those parts of flame into which the oyl is turned , are stupendiously minute , since , though the wasting of the oyl is in its progress too slow to be perceived by the eye , yet 't is undoubted that there is a continual decrement of the depth of the oyl , the physical surfaces whereof are continually and successively attenuated and turn'd into flame ; and the strange subtilty of the corpuscles of flame would be much the stronglier argued , if we should suppose , that instead of common oyl the flame were nourish'd by a fewel so much more compact and durable , as is that inflammable substance made of a metalline body , of whose lastingness i have elsewhere made particular mention , after having taught the way of preparing it . having in a pair of tender scales carefully weigh'd out half a grain of good gunpowder , we laid it on a piece of tile , and whelm'd over it a vessel of glass ( elsewhere describ'd , and often mention'd ) with a brass-plate to cover the upper orifice of it . then having fir'd the gunpowder , we observ'd that the smoak of it did opacate , and as to sense so fill the whole cavity of the glass , though its basis were eight inches , its perpendicular height above twenty inches , and its figure far more capacious than if it were conical , and this smoak , not containing it self within the vessel , issued out at two or three little intervals , that were purposely left between the orifice of the vessel and the plate that lay upon it . this cover we then remov'd , that we might observe how long the smoak would continue to ascend ; which we found it would do for about half a quarter of an hour , and during near half that time , ( viz. the three first minutes ) the continually ascending smoak seem'd to be , at its going out , of the same diameter with the orifice at which it issu'd ; and it would ascend sometimes a foot , sometimes half a yard , sometimes two foot or more into the air , before it would disperse and vanish into it . now if we consider , that the cavity of this round orifice was two inches in diameter , how many myriads of visible corpuscles may we easily conceive throng'd out at so large an out-let in the time above-mention'd , since they were continually thrusting one another forwards ? and into so many visible particles of smoak must we admit , that the half grain of powder was shatter'd , beside those multitudes , which , having been turn'd into actual flame , may probably be suppos'd to have suffer'd a comminution , that made them become invisible . and though i shall not attempt so hopeless a work , as to compute the number of these small particles , yet to make an estimate whereby it would appear to be exceeding great , i thought fit to consider , how great the proportion was between the spaces , that to the eye appear'd all full of smoak , and the dimensions of the powder that was resolv'd into that smoak . causing then the glass to be fill'd with common water , we found it to contain above two and twenty pints of that liquor , and causing one of those measures to be weigh'd , it was found to weigh so near a pound ( of sixteen ounces , ) that the computation of the whole water amounted to at least grains , and consequently half grains . to which if we add , that this gunpowder would readily sink to the bottom of water , as being ( by reason of the saltpeter and brimstone , that make up at least six parts of seven of it ) in specie heavier than it , and in likelyhood twice as heavy , ( for 't is not easie to determine it exactly , ) we may probably guess the space to which the smoak reach'd to exceed times that , which contain'd the unfir'd powder ; and this , though the smoak , being confin'd in the vessel , was thereby kept from diffusing it self so far as by its streaming out it seem'd likely that it would have done . to these instances from inanimate bodies i shall subjoyn one more taken from animals . whereas then men have with reason wonder'd , that so small a body as a cheese-mite , which by the naked eye is oftentimes not to be taken notice of , unless it move , ( if even then it be so , ) should by the microscope appear to be an animal furnish'd with all necessary parts ; whereas this , i say , has given just occasion to conclude , that the corpuscles that make up the parts of so small an animal , must themselves be extremely small ; i think the argument may be much improved by the following consideration . those that have had the curiosity to open from time to time eggs that are sat upon by a hatching hen cannot but have observed , how small a proportion in reference to the bulk of the whole egg the chick bears ; when that , which the excellent harvey calls punctum saliens , discloses the motion of the heart , and the colour of the blood ; and that even about the seventh or eighth day the whole chick now visibly form'd , bears no great proportion to the whole egg , which is to supply it with aliment , not only for its nourishment , but speedy growth for many days after . to apply this now to the matter in hand , having several times observed and shewn to others , that cheese-mites themselves are generated of eggs , if we conceive , that in these eggs , as in ordinary one , the animal at its first formation bears but a small proportion to the bulk of the whole egg , the remaining part being to suffice for the food and growth of the embryo probably for a pretty while ; since , if an ingenious person , that i desired to watch them , did not mis-inform me , they used to be about ten or twelve days in hatching ; this whole egg it self will be allowed to be but little in reference to the mite it came from , how extremely and unimaginably minute may we suppose those parts to be , that make up the alimental liquors , and even the spirits , that passing through the nerves or analogous parts , serve to move the limbs and sensories of but , as it were , the model of such an animal , as , when it rests , would not ( perhaps ) it self to the naked eye be so much as visible ; and in which we may presume the nobler sort of stabler parts to be of an amazing slenderness , if we consider , that , though in other hairy animals , the optick or some other of the larger nerves do , i know not how many times , in thickness and circuit surpass a hair of the same animal ; yet in a cheese-mite , though none of the largest of those creatures , we have divers times manifestly seen , as is before intimated , single hairs that grow upon the legs . another way there is , that i imployed to give men cause to think , that the invisible effluvia of bodies that wander through the air may be strangely minute ; and this was , by shewing how small a fragment of matter may be resolved into particles minute enough to associate themselves in such numbers with a fluid so much more dense than air , as water is , as to impart a determinate colour to the whole liquor . what i did with cocheneel in prosecution of this design , my experiments about colours may inform you ; but i shall now relate the success of an attempt made another way , for which perhaps some of your friends the chymists will thank me ; though i was not solicitous to carry on the experiment very far with gold , not because i judged that less divisible into a number of colour'd particles , but because i found , as i expected , that the paleness of the native colour of the gold may make it in the end less conspicuous , though , if i had then had by me a menstruum , as i sometimes had , that would dissolve gold blood-red , perhaps the experiment with gold would have surpass'd that , which 't is now time i should begin to relate , as soon as i have hinted to you by the way , that , for varieties sake , i made a tryal with copper calcin'd per se , that i might not be accused of having omitted to employ a metal whose body chymists suppose to be much opened by calcination . and though the event were notable even in comparison of that of the experiment made with cocheneel , yet my conjectures inclin'd me much to preferr the way describ'd in the following account . we carefully weigh'd out in a pair of tender scales one grain of copper not-calcin'd , but barely fil'd ; and because , as we made choice of this metal for its yielding in most menstruums a blew , which is a deep and conspicuous colour ; we also chose to make a solution , not in aqua fortis or aqua regis , but the spirit of sal armoniack ( as that is an urinous spirit , ) having found by former tryals , that this menstruum would give a far deeper solution than either of the others . this lovely liquor , of which we us'd a good proportion , that all the copper might be throughly dissolved , we put into a tall cylindrical glass of about four inches in diameter , and by degrees pour'd to it of distill'd water , which is more proper in this case than common water , which has oftentimes an inconvenient saltishness , 'till we had almost fill'd the glass , and saw the colour grow somewhat pale , without being too dilute to be manifest ; and then we warily pour'd this liquor into a conical glass , that it might be the more easie to fill the vessel several times to the same height . this conical glass we filled to a certain mark four times consecutively , weighing it , and the liquor too , as often in a pair of excellent scales purposely made for statical experiments , and which , though strong enough to weigh some pounds in each scale , would , when not too much loaden , turn with about one grain . these several weights of the glass , together with the contained liquor , we added together , and then carefully weighing the empty glass again , we deducted four times its weight from the above-mentioned summ , and thereby found the weight of the liquor alone , to be that , which reduc'd to grains amounted to ; so that a grain of copper , which is not full half so heavy in specie as fine gold , communicated a tincture to times its weight . but now if you please to take notice , that the scope of my experiment was to shew , into what a number of parts one grain of copper might be divided , you will allow me to consider , as i did , that this multitude of parts must be estimated by the proportion , not so much in weight as in bulk , of the tinging metal to the tinged liquor , and consequently , since that divers hydrostatical tryals have inform'd me , that the weight of copper to the weight of water of the same bulk is proximè as to , a grain-weight of copper is in bigness but the ninth part of as much water as weighs a grain ; and so the formerly mention'd number of the grains of water must be multiplied by , to give us the proportion between the tinging and tinged bodies , that is , that a single grain of copper gave a blewness to above parts of limpid water , each of them as big as it . which , though it may seem stupendious , and scarce credible ; yet i thought fit to prosecute the experiment somewhat farther , by pouring all the liquor out of the tall cylindrical glass into another clean vessel , whence filling the conical glass twice , and emptying it as often into the same cylindrical glass , the third time i fill'd the conical glass with colourless distill'd water , and pouring that also into the cylindrical glass , we found the mixt liquor to have yet a manifest , though but a pale , blewness . and , lastly , throwing away what was in the cylindrical glass , we poured into it , out of the same conical glass , equal parts of distill'd colourless water , and of the tincted liquor we had formerly set apart in the clean vessel , and found , that , though the colour were very faint and dilute , yet an attentive eye could easily discern it to be blewish ; and so it was judg'd by an intelligent stranger that was brought in to look upon it , and was desir'd to discover of what colour he thought it to be . whereby it appears , that one grain of copper was able to impart a colour to above double the quantity of water above mentioned . this experiment i have allow'd my self to be the longer and more particular in relating , both because i know not , that any such has been hitherto either made or attempted , and because it will probably gratifie your chymists , that love to have the tinctures of metals believ'd very diffusive ; and because , if circumstances were not added , it would seem to you as well incredible , as perhaps it does seem stupendious , that a portion of matter should be able to impart a conspicuous colour to above times its bulk of water , and a manifest tincture to above , ( for so it did , when the proportion of the ting'd part to the whole mixture , made of it and the unting'd part , was as to , ) and a faint , but yet discernible and distinguishable colour to above five hundred and thirteen thousand six hundred and twenty times its bulk of water . chap. iv. it were easie for me ( pyroph . ) to give you several instances , to shew , that the effluvia of liquors may get in at the pores of bodies that are reputed of a close texture , but i shall at present forbear to mention such examples , not only because they belong to another place * , where i take notice of them , but because many such would not seem so remarkable , nor be so considerable to our present purpose , as a few taken from bodies that are not fluid . and first , it is deliver'd by writers of good credit , that several persons , ( for the experiment does not hold in all ) by barely holding for some time dryed cantharides in their hands , have been put to much pain at the neck of the bladder , and have had some other parts ministring to the secretion of urine sensibly injured . that this is true , i am induced to believe , by what i have elsewhere related to you of the unwelcome experiment i had of the effect of cantharides applied but outwardly to my neck , and that unknown to me , upon the urinary passages ; and that these operations are due to material effluxes , which , to get into the mass of blood , must pass through the pores of the skin , you will not , i presume , put me to prove . scaliger exercit. . relates , that in gascony , his countrey , there are spiders of that virulency , that , if a man treads upon them to crush them , their poyson will pass through the very soles of his shooes . which story , notwithstanding the reputation of the author , i should perhaps have left unmention'd , because of a much stranger about spiders , which he relates in the same section , but that i met with one that is analogous in the diligent piso's late history of brasile ; where , having spoken of another venemous fish of that country , and the antidotes he had successfully used to cure the hurts it inflicts , he proceeds to that fish the natives call amoreatim , of one kind whereof , call'd by the portugals peize sola , his words are these ; quae mira sanè efficacia non solum manum vel levissimo attactu , sed & pedem , licet optimè calceatum , piscatoris incautè pisciculum conterentis , paralysi & stupore afficit , instar torpedinis europaeae , sed minus durabili . lib. . cap. . what i shall ere long have occasion to tell you of the power of the torpedo , and some other animals , to affect the hand and arm of him that strikes them , seems applicable to the matter under consideration : for , though their affecting the striker at a distance , may very well be ascrib'd to the stupefactive or other venemous exhalations that expire ( and perhaps are as it were darted ) from the animal irritated by the stroke , and are breath'd in together with the air they infect ; yet their benumming , or otherwise affecting the arm that struck them , rather than any other part , seems to argue , that the poysonous steams get in at the pores of the skin of the limb , and so stupifie , or otherwise injure , the nervous and musculous parts of it . other examples belonging to this section may be referr'd hither from divers other places in these papers about occult qualities , and therefore i shall only add here that most remarkable proof , that some emanations , even of solid bodies , may be subtil enough to get through the pores , even of the closest bodies ; which is afforded us by the effluvia of the loadstone , which are by magnetical writers said to penetrate without resistance all kind of bodies . and though i have not tryed this in all sorts , yet having tryed it in metals themselves , i am apt to think , the general rule admits of very few exceptions , especially , if that can be fully made out , which is affirm'd about the perviousness of glass to the effluxions of the loadstone . for , not only glass is generally reputed to be as close a body as any is , but ( which weighs more with me ) i have by tryals purposely made , had occasion to admire the closeness of very thin pieces of glass . but the reason why i just now express'd my self with an if , was , because i was not entirely satisfied with the proof wont to be acquiesc'd in , of the perviousness of glass ; namely , that in dials and sea-compasses that are cover'd with plates of glass , the needle may be readily moved to and fro by a loadstone held over it . for these plates being commonly but fasten'd on with wax , or at best with cement , a sceptick may pretend , that the magnetical effluvia pass not through the glass , but through that much more pervious matter , that is imployed to secure the commissures , only from the access of the air. to put then the matter past doubt , i caused some needles to be hermetically seal'd up in glass-pipes , which being laid upon the surface of water ( whereon by reason of the bigness of the cavities they would lightly float , ) the included needles did not only readily feel the virtue of an externally applied loadstone , ( though but a weak one ) but complied with it so well , that i could easily , by the help of the needle , lead , without touching it , the whole pipe , this was shut up in , to what part of the surface of the water i pleased . and i also found , that by applying a better loadstone to the upper part of a sealed pipe , and a needle in it , i could make the needle leap up from the lower part as near to the loadstone as the interposed glass would give it leave . but i thought it would be more considerable , to manifest that the magnetical effluvia , even of such a dull body , as the globe of the earth , would also penetrate glass . and though this seem difficult to be tryed , because no ordinary loadstone , nor any iron touch'd by it , was to be imployed to work on the included iron ; yet i thought fit to attempt it after this manner : i took a cylindrical piece of iron of about the bigness of ones little finger , and between half a foot and foot long , ( for i had formerly observed , that the quantity of unexcited iron furthers its operation upon excited needles , ) and having hermetically seal'd it up in a glass-pipe but very little longer than it ; i supposed , that if i held it in a perpendicular posture ; the magnetical effluvia of the earth , penetrating the glass , would make the lower extreme of the iron answerable to the north pole ; and therefore having applied this to the point of the needle in a dial , or sea-compass , that look'd toward the north , ( for authors mean not all the same thing by the northern pole of a needle or loadstone , ) i presum'd it would , according to the laws magnetical ( elsewhere mention'd ) drive it away , which accordingly it did . and having for farther tryal inverted the included iron , ( so that the end which was formerly the lowermost , was now the uppermost ) and held it in a perpendicular posture just under the same point of the needle , that extreme of the iron-rod , which before had driven away this point , being by this inversion become ( in a manner ) a south-pole , did ( according to the same laws ) attract it : by which sudden change of poles , meerly upon the change of situation , it also appear'd , that the iron ow'd its virtue only to the magnetism of the earth , not that of another loadstone , which would not have been thus easily alterable . and this experiment i the more particularly relate , because this is not the only place , where i have occasion to make use of it . chap. v. another proof of the great subtilty of effluviums , may be taken from the small decrement of weight or bulk that a body may suffer by parting with great store of such emanations . that bodies , which infus'd in liquors impregnate them with new qualities suitable to those of the immers'd bodies , do so by imparting to them somewhat of their own substance , will , i presume , be readily granted by those that conceive not , how one body should communicate to another a solitary and naked quality , unaccompanied by any thing corporeal to support and convey it . but i would not have you think , pyrophilus , that the only matter of fact i have to countenance this notion , is that experiment , which has convinc'd divers chymists and physicians , otherwise not friends to the corpuscular philosophy , that medicines may operate without any consumption of themselves . for , though divers of these , some of them learned men , have confidently written , that glass of antimony and crocus metallorum , being either of them infus'd in a great proportion of wine , will make it vomitive ; and if that liquor be poured off , and new be poured on , every new portion of such liquor will be impregnated with the same virtue , and this though the liquor be chang'd a thousand times , and yet the antimonial glass or crocus will continue the same as well in weight as virtue ; and though thence some of them , especially chymists , argue , that some metals without imparting any thing substantial , but only , as helmont speaks of some of his arcana , by irradiation : yet , i confess , i have some doubts , whether the experiment have been competently tryed , and shall not fully acquiesce in what has been said , till some skilful experimenter deliver it upon his own tryal , and acquaint us too , with what instruments and what circumspection he made it . for , besides that the ingeniousest physicians i have question'd about it , acknowledg'd the tast , and sometimes the colour of the wine to be alter'd by the infus'd mineral , i could not acquiesce in the affirmation of an ordinary chymist or apothecary , or even physician , if he should barely averr , that he had weigh'd an antimonial medicine before 't was put to infuse , and after the infusion ended , and observ'd no decrement of weight . for i have had too much experience ( as i elsewhere mention ) of the difficulty of making exact statical tryals ; not to know , that such scales , as are wont to be imployed by chymists and apothecaries in weighing drugs , are by no means fit to make tryals with the nicety which that i am speaking of requires : it being easie , even with the better sort of such unaccurate scales , especially if they be not suspended from some fixt thing , but held with the hand , to mistake half a grain or a grain ; and perhaps a greater quantity , and at least more than by divers of the experiments of this essay appears necessary to be spent upon the impregnating of a considerable proportion of liquor with corporeal effluxions . besides , that if , when the beaten crocus or glass be taken out of the wine to be weigh'd again , the experimenter be not cautious enough to make allowance for the liquor that will adhere to the medicament , 't is plain that he may take notice of no decrement of weight , though there may be really effluviums of the mineral amounting to several grains , imbib'd by the liquor . and though he be aware of this , and dry the powder , yet 't is not so easie , even for a skilful man , to be sure that none of the more viscous particles of the liquor stick to the mineral , and being sensible upon the ballance , though not to the eye or hand , repair the recess of those emetick corpuscles that diffus'd themselves into the menstruum . and the sense of these difficulties put me upon the attempting to make so noble an experiment with excellent scales , and the care that it deserves : but after a long tryal , an unlucky accident frustrated at last my endeavours . but though , till competent relators give us an account of this matter upon their own tryal , and repeat the infusion very much oftener , than , for ought i find , any man has yet done , i must not acquiesce in all that is said of the impregnation of wine or other liquors by antimonial glass and crocus metallorum ; yet that after divers repeated infusions the mineral substance should not be sensibly diminish'd in bulk or virtue , may well suffice to make this instance , though not the only or chief that may be brought for our purpose , yet a pertinent one to it . for that there is a powerful emetick quality imparted to the liquor , is manifest by experience ; and that the mineral does not impart this virtue as 't were by irradiation , but by substantial effluxion , seems to me very probable ; not only because i conceive not , how this can be done otherwise , but because , as 't is noted above , the wine does oftentimes change colour by being kept a competent time upon the mineral , as if it drew thence a tincture ; and even when it is not discolour'd , i think it unsafe to conclude , that the menstruum has not wrought upon it . for i have kept good spirit of vinegar for a considerable time upon finely powder'd glass of antimony made per se , without finding the spirit to be at all ting'd , though 't is known , that antimonial glass is soluble in spirit of vinegar , as mine afterwards appear'd to be , by a longer digestion in the same liquor . but there may be a great number of minute particles dissolved in the menstruum before they be numerous enough to change the colour of it . and with this agrees very well what is observ'd , that though too great a quantity of the prepar'd antimony be put into the liquor , yet it will not be thereby made too strongly emetick . for the wine , being a menstruum , will , like other menstruums , be impregnated but to a certain measure , without dissolving the overplus of the matter that is put into it . and mars , which is a harder and heavier body than glass of antimony , is it self in part soluble in good rhenish or other white wine , ( and that in no long time , ) and sometimes even in water . i do not therefore reject the emetick infusion , as unfit to have a place in this chapter , but till the experiment have been a little more accurately made , i think it inferiour , as to our purpose , to some of the instances to be met with in the next chapter , and perhaps also to that mention'd by helmont , and tryed by more than one of my acquaintance , concerning the virtue of killing worms , that mercury imparts to the water or wine wherein it has been long enough infus'd , or else for a while decocted . though quicksilver given in substance is commended as an effectual medicine against worms , not only by many profest * spagyrists , but by divers ** methodists of good note . and though , some other things , chymical and philosophical , keep me from being of their opinion , who think that in this case the mercury impregnates the liquor as it were by irradiation , rather than in a corporeal manner , yet the eye does not perceive , that even limpid water takes any thing from clean and well purg'd mercury , which we know that divers corrosive liquors themselves will not work upon . to this instance i must add one that is yet freer from exceptions , which is , that having for curiosity sake suspended in a pair of exact scales , that would turn with a very small part of a grain , a piece of amber-greece bigger than a walnut , and weighing betwixt an hundred and six-score grains , i could not in three days and a half that i had opportunity to make the tryal , discover , even upon that ballance , any decrement of weight in the amber-greece ; though so rich a perfume , lying in the open air , was like in that time to have parted with good store of odoriferous steams . and a while after suspending a lump of assa foetida five days and a half , i found it not to have sustain'd any discernible loss of weight , though , in spite of the unfavourable cold weather , it had about it a neighbouring atmosphere replenish'd with foetid exhalations . and when twelve or fourteen hours after , perhaps upon some change of weather , i came to look upon it , though i found that in that time the aequilibrium was somewhat alter'd , yet the whole lump had not lost half a quarter of a grain ; which induc'd me to think , that there may perhaps be steams discernible even by our nostrils , that are far more subtil than the odorous exhalations of spices themselves . for , having in very good scales suspended in the month of march an ounce of nutmegs , it lost in about six days five grains and a half . and an ounce of cloves in the same time lost seven grains and five eigths . you will perhaps wonder , why i do not preferr to the instances i make mention of in this chapter , that which may be afforded by the loadstone , that is acknowledg'd continually to emit multitudes of magnetical steams without decrement of weight . but though i have not thought fit to pass this wholly under silence ; yet i forbear to lay so much stress on it , not only because my ballances have not yet satisfied me about the effluvia of loadstones , ( for i take them not all to be equally diffusive of their particles ; ) but because i foresee it may be doubted , whether loadstones , like odorous bodies , do furnish afresh of their own , all the corpuscles ▪ that from time to time issue from them ? or , whether they be not continually repaired , partly by the return of the magnetical particles to one pole that sallied out of the other ; and partly by the continued passage of magnetical matter ( supplied by the earth or other mundane bodies ) it make the pores or channels of the loadstone their constant thorow-fares . i doubt not but it will make it more probable , that a small quantity of matter being scatter'd into invisible effluvia may be exceedingly rarified and expanded , if it can be made appear , that this little portion of matter shall , for a considerable time , emit multitudes of visible parts , and that in so close an order among themselves , as to seem in their aggregate but one intire liquor , endow'd with a stream-like motion , and a distinct superficies , wherein no interruption is to be seen , even by an eye plac'd near it . to devise this experiment , i was induc'd , by considering , that hitherto all the ( total ) dissolutions that have been made of pigments , have been in liquors naturally cold , and consisting probably of much less subtile , and certainly of much less agitated parts , than that fluid aggregate of shining matter that we call flame ; whereas i argued , that if one could totally dissolve a body compos'd of parts so minute as those of a metal into actual flame , and husband its flame so , as that it should not immoderatly waste , i should thereby dissolve the metal in a far more subtil menstruum than our common water , or aqua fortis , or aqua regis , or any other known menstruum i have yet imployed . and consequently the attenuation and expansion of the metal in this truly igneous menstruum would much surpass not only what happens in ordinary metalline solutions , but possibly also what i have noted in the third chapter of this essay , about the strange diffusion of copper dissolv'd in spirit of urine and water . in prosecution of this design , i so prepar'd one single grain of that metal , by a way that i elsewhere teach , that it was dissolv'd in about a spoonful of an appropriated menstruum . and then having caus'd a small glass-lamp to be purposely blown to contain this liquor , and fitted it with a socket and wieck , we lighted the lamp , which , without consuming the wieck , burnt with a flame large enough and very hot , and seem'd to be all the while of a greenish blew , as if it were a but finer and shining solution of copper . and yet this one grain of prepar'd metal ting'd the flame that was from moment to moment produc'd , during no less than half an hour and six minutes . and now if we consider , that in this flame there was an uninterrupted succession of multitudes of colour'd particles newly extricated , and flying off in every of those many parts wherein a minute of time may either actually or mentally be divided ; and , if we consider flame as a light and very agitated body , passing with a stream upwards through the air , and if we also consider the quantity of liquor that would ( as i shall by and by tell you ) run through a pipe of a much lesser diameter than that flame , within the compass of the forementioned time : what a quantity of the streaming fluid we call flame , if it could have been preserv'd and collected into one body , may we suppose would appear to have issued out of one grain of copper in the space of thirty-six minutes ; and what a multitude of metalline corpuscles may we suppose to have been supplied for the tinging of that flame during so long a time ? since a cylindrical stream of water falling but through a very short pipe of glass , constantly supplied with liquors , did pass at such a rate , that , though the aqueous cylinder seem'd more slender by half , ( or perhaps by two thirds or better ) than the flame , yet we estimated , by the help of a minute-watch and a good pair of scales , that , if i had had conveniencies to let it run long enough , the water efflux'd in thirty-six minutes ( the time of the flames duration ) would have amounted to above nine gallons , or , ( reckoning a pint of water to contain a pound of sixteen ounces ) seventy-two pounds . chap. vi. the last sort of instances i shall propose to shew the strange subtilty of effluvia , is of such , as discover the great quantity of space that may by a small quantity of matter , when rarified or dispers'd , be either fill'd as to sense , or , at least , made ( as they speak ) the sphear of its activity . to manifest this truth , and thereby as well confirm the foregoing chapter , as make out what is design'd in this , i shall endeavour to shew , and help your imagination to conceive , how great a space may be impregnated with the effluxions of a body , oftentimes without any sensible , and oftener without any considerable decrement in bulk or weight of the body that affords them . and in order to this , though i shall not pretend to determine precisely how little the substances , i am to instance in , would waste upon the ballance , because you will very easily see they are not that way to be examin'd ; yet i presume , you will as easily grant , that the decrement of weight would be but inconsiderable , since of such light substances the loss even of bulk is so ; which last clause i shall now attempt to make good , by setting down some observations , partly borrow'd from the writings of approv'd physicians , and partly that my friends and i have made about the durable evaporation of such small particles of the effluxions of animals , as are actually not to be discern'd by the eye to have any of those things sticking to them , which are so very long in flying successively away . 't is wont to be somewhat surprizing to men of letters , when they first go a hawking with good spaniels , to observe , with how great sagacity those dogs will take notice of , and distinguish by the scent , the places where partridges , quails , &c. have lately been . but i have much more wonder'd at the quick scent of an excellent setting-dog , who by his way of ranging the fields , and his other motions , especially of his head , would not only intimate to us the kinds of game , whose scent he chanc'd to light on , but would discover to us where partridges had been ( though perhaps without staying in that place ) several hours before , and assist us to guess how long they had been gone before we came . i have had strange answers given me in ireland , by those who make a gain if not an intire livelihood by killing of wolves in that countrey , ( where they are paid so much for every head they bring in ) about the sagacity of that peculiar race of dogs they imploy in hunting them ; but not trusting much to those relators , i shall add , that a very sober and discreet gentleman of my acquaintance , who has often occasion to imploy blood-hounds , assures me , that if a man have but pass'd over a field , the scent will lye ( as they speak ) so as to be perceptible enough to a good dog of that sort for several hours after . and an ingenious hunter assures me , that he has observ'd , that the scent of a flying and heated deer will sometimes continue upon the ground from one day to the next following . and now we may consider these three things ; first , that the substance left upon the grass or ground by the transient tread of a partridge , hare , or other animal , that does but pass along his way , does probably communicate to the grass or ground but some of those effluxions , that transpire out of his feet , which being small enough to escape the discernment of the eye , may probably not amount to one grain in weight , or perhaps not to the tenth part of it . next , that the parts of fluid bodies , as such , are perpetually in motion , and so are the invisible particles that swim in them , as may appear by the dissolution of salt or sugar in water , and the wandering of aqueous vapours through the air , even when the eye perceives them not . and thirdly , that though the atmosphere of one of these small parcels of the exhaling matter we are speaking of , may oftentimes be exceeding vast in comparison of the emittent body , as may be guess'd by the distance , at which some setters , or blood-hounds , will find the scent of a partridge , or deer ; yet in places expos'd to the free air or wind , 't is very likely that these steams are assiduously carried away from their fountain , to maintain the fore-mention'd atmosphere for six , eight , or more hours , that is , as long as the scent has been observ'd to lye , there will be requisite a continual recruit of steams succeeding one another and that so very small a portion of matter as that which we were saying the fomes of these steams may be judg'd to be , being sensibly to impregnate an atmosphere incomparably greater than it self , and supply it with almost continual recruits , we cannot but think , that the steams it parts with , must be of an extreme and scarce conceivable minuteness . and we may further consider , that the substances , which emit these steams , being such as newly belong'd to animals , and were , for the most part , transpir'd through the pores of their feet , must be in likelihood a far more evaporable and dissipable kind of bodies than minerals or adust vegetables , such as gunpowder is made of ; so that if the grains of gunpowder emit effluviums capable of being by some animals perceiv'd at a distance by their smell , one may probably suppose , that the small grains of this powder may hold out very many times longer to supply an atmosphere with odorable steams , than the corpuscles left on the ground by transient animals . now though it be generally agree'd on , that very few birds have any thing near so quick a sense of smelling as setting-dogs or blood-hounds , yet that the odour of gunpowder , especially when assisted by the steams of the caput mortuum of powder formerly fir'd in the same gun , may be fowls be smelt at a notable distance , particularly when the wind blew from me towards them , i often perswaded my self i observ'd , especially as to crows , when i went a shooting ; and was confirm'd in that opinion , both by the common tradition , and by sober and ingenious persons much exercis'd in the killing of wild-fowl , and of some fourfooted beasts . i had forgotten to take notice of one observation of the experienc'd julius palmarius : whence we may learn , that beasts may leave upon the vegetables , that have touch'd their bodies for any time , such corpuscles , as , though unheeded by other animals , may , when eaten by them , produce in them such diseases as the infected animals had . for this author writes in his useful tract de morbis contagiosis , that he observ'd horses , beeves , sheep and other animals , to run mad upon the eating of some of the straw on which some mad swine had layn . and now to resume and prosecute our former discourse , you may take notice , that the effluvia , mention'd to have been smelt by animals , are , though invisible , yet big enough to be the objects of sense ; so that 't is not improbable , that , among the steams that no sense can immediately perceive , there should be some far more subtil than these , and consequently capable of furnishing an atmosphere much longer , without quite exhausting the effluviating matter that afforded them . * forestus , an useful author , recites an example of pestilential contagion long preserv'd in a cobweb . alexander benedictus writes also , that at venice a flock-bed did for many years harbour a pestiferous malignity to that degree , that when afterwards it came to be beaten , it presently infected the by-standers with the plague . and the learned * sennertus himself relates , that in the year . there did in the city of uratislavia ( vulgarly breslaw , ) where he afterwards practised physick , dye of the plague , in less than six months , little less than six thousand men , and that from that time the pestilential contagion was kept folded up in a linnen cloth about fourteen years , and at the end of that time being display'd in another city , it began a plague there , which infected also the neighbouring towns and other places . * trincavella makes mention of a yet lastinger contagion , ( which occasion'd the death of ten thousand persons ) that lay lurking in certain ropes , with which at justinopolis those that dy'd of the plague had been let down into their graves . but , though none of these relations should to some criticks appear scarce credible , it may be objected , that all these things , wherein this contagion resided , were kept close shut up , or at least were not expos'd to the air. wherefore having only intimated , that the exception , which i think is not irrational , would , though never so true , but lessen the wonder of these strange relations , without rendering them unfit for our present purpose , i shall add , that though 't is the opinion of divers learned physicians , that the matter harboring contagion cannot last above twenty or a few more days , if the body it adheres to be expos'd to the free air and the wind , and though i am not forward to deny , that their judgement may hold in ordinary cases ; yet i must not deny neither , that a contagion may sometimes happen to be much more tenacious and obstinate : of which i shall give but that one , almost recent instance observ'd by the learned * dimmerbrook in his own apothecary , who having but remov'd with his foot , from one side to the other of a little arbour ( in his garden ) some straw , that had layn under the pallet , on which near eight months before a bed had layn , wherein a servant of the apothecaries , that recover'd , had been sick of the plague ; the infectious steams presently invaded the lower part of his leg , and produc'd a pungent pain and blister , which turn'd to a pestilential carbuncle , that could scarce be cur'd in a fortnight after , though during that time the patient were neither feaverish , nor , as to the rest of his body , ill at ease . this memorable instance , together with some others of the like kind , that our author observed in the same city ( of nimmegen ) obtain'd , not to say , extorted , even from him , this confession ; which i add , because it contains some considerable , and not yet mentioned circumstances of the recited case : hoc exemplo medicorum doctrina de contagio in fomite latente satis confirmatur . mirum tamen est , hoc contagium tanto tempore in praedicto stramine potuisse subsistere , utpote quod tota hyeme ventis & pluviis , ( he adds in another place ) nivibus & frigori , expositum fuisset . and now i will shut up this chapter with an instance , that some will think , perhaps , no less strange than any of the rest , which is , that though they that are skilful in the perfuming of gloves , are wont to imbue them with but an inconsiderable quantity of odoriferous matter , yet i have by me a pair of spanish gloves , which i had by the favour of your fair and virtuous sister ( f. ) that were so skilfully perfum'd , that partly by her , partly by those , that presented them her as a rarity , and partly by me , who have kept them several years , they have been kept about eight or nine and twenty years , if not thirty , and they are so well scented , that they may , for ought i know , continue fragrant divers years longer . which instance , if you please to reflect upon , and consider , that such gloves cannot have been carried from one place to another , or so much as uncover'd ( as they must often have been ) in the free air , without diffusing from themselves a fragrant atmosphere , we cannot but conclude those odorous steams to be unimaginably subtile , that could for so long a time issue out in such swarms , from a little perfum'd matter lodged in the pores of a glove , and yet leave it richly stock'd with particles of the same nature ; though , ( especially by reason of some removes , in which i took not the gloves along with me , ) i forgot ever since i had them , to keep them so much as shut up in a box. of the great efficacy of effluviums : by the honorable robert boyle . of the great efficacy of efflvvivms . chap. i. they that are wont in the estimates they make of natural things , to trust too much to the negative informations of their senses , without sufficiently consulting their reason , have commonly but a very little and slight opinion of the power and efficacy of effluviums ; and imagine that such minute corpuscles ( if they grant that there are such , ) as are not , for the most part of them , capable to work upon the tenderest and quickest of senses , the sight , cannot have any considerable operation upon other bodies . but i take this to be an error , which , as it very little becomes philosophers , so it has done no little prejudice to philosophy it self , and perhaps to physick too . and therefore though the nature of my design at present did not require it , yet the importance of the subject would invite me to shew , that this is as ill-gounded as prejudicial a supposition . and indeed if we consider the subject attentively , we may observe , that though it be true , that , caeteris paribus , the greatness of bodies doth , in most cases , contribute to that of their operation upon others , yet matter or body being in its own precise nature an unactive or moveless subject , one part of the mass acts upon another but upon the account of its local motion , whose operations are facilitated and otherwise diversified by the shape , size , situation and texture both of the agent and of the patient . and therefore if corpuseles , though very minute , be numerous enough , and have a competent degree of motion , even these small particles , especially if fitly shap'd , when they chance to meet with a body , which the congruity of its texture disposes to admit them at its pores , and receive their either friendly or hostile impressions , may perform such things in the patient , as visible and much grosser bodies , but less conveniently shap'd and mov'd , would be utterly unable ( on the same body ) to effect . and that you may with the less difficulty allow me to say , that the effluviums of bodies , as minute as they are , may perform considerable things , give me leave to observe to you , that there are at least six ways , by which the effluviums of a body may notably operate upon another ; namely , . by the great number of emitted corpuscles . . by their penetrating and pervading nature . . by their celerity , and other modifications of their motion . . by the congruity and incongruity of their bulk and shape to the pores of the bodies they are to act upon . . by the motions of one part upon another , that they excite or occasion in the body they work upon according to its structure . and ly , by the fitness and power they have to make themselves be assisted , in their working , by the more catholick agents of the universe . and though it may perhaps be sufficiently proved , that there are several cases wherein a body that emits particles , may act notably upon another body by this or that single way of those i have been naming ; yet usually the great matters are performed by the association of two , three or more of them , concurring to produce the same effect . upon which score when i shall in the following paper referr an instance or a phenomenon to any one of the forementioned heads , i desire to be understood as looking upon that but as the head , to which it chiefly relates , without excluding the rest . chap. ii. taking those things for granted , that have , i hope , been sufficiently proved in the former tract about the subtlety of effluviums , i suppose it will readily be allowed , that the emanations of a body may be extremely minute ; whence it may be rightly inferr'd , that a small portion of matter may emit great multitudes of them . now that the great number of agents may in many cases compensate their littleness , especially where they act or resist per modum unius , ( as they speak , ) men would perhaps the more easily grant , if they took notice to this purpose of some familiar instances . we see that not only lesser land-floods that overflow the neighbouring fields , but those terrible inundations that sometimes drown whole countreys , are made by bodies singly so so small and inconsiderable as drops of rain when they continue to fall in those multitudes we call showers . so the aggregates of such minute bodies as grains of sand being heaped together in sufficient numbers , make banks wherewith greatest ships are sometimes split , nay and serve in most places for bounds to the sea it self . and though a single corn of gunpowder , or two or three together , are not of force to do much mischief , yet two or three barrels of those corns taking fire all together are able to blow up ships and houses , and perform prodigious things . but instead of multiplying such instances , afforded by bodies of small indeed but yet visible bulk , i shall ( as soon as i have intimated , that the above-mentioned drops of rain themselves consist of convening multitudes of vapors most commonly invisible in their ascent , ) endeavour to make out what was proposed , by two or three instances drawn from the operations of invisible particles . and first , we see , that though aqueous vapours be look'd upon as the faintest and least active effluviums that we know of , yet when multitudes of them are in rainy weather dispersed thorow the air , and are thereby qualified to work on the bodies exposed to it , their operations are very considerable , not only in the dissolution of salts , as sea-salt , salt of tartar , &c. and in the putrefactive changes they produce in many bodies , but in the intumescence they cause in oak and other solid woods ; as appears by the difficulty we often find in and before rainy weather , to shut and open doors , boxes , and other wooden pieces of work , that were before fit enough for the cavities they had been adjusted to . i might here urge , that though the strings of viols and other musical instruments are sometimes strong enough to sustain considerable weights , yet if they be left screwed to their full tension , ( as it frequently happens ) they are oftentimes by the supervening of moist weather made to break , not without impetuosity and noise . but it may sute better with my present aim , if i mention on this occasion , ( what i elsewhere more fully take notice of : ) being desirous to try what a multitude even of aqueous steams may do , i caused a rope that was long , but not thick , and was in part sustained by a pully , to have a weight of lead so fastned to the end of it , as not to touch the ground , and after the weight had leisure allowed it to stretch the cord as far as it could , i observed that in the moist weather the waterish particles , that did invisibly abound in the air , did so much work upon and shorten the rope , as to make it lift up the hanging weight , which was , if i mis-remember not , about an hundred pounds . the invisible steams , issuing out of the walls of a newly plaster'd or whited room , are not sensibly prejudicial to those that do but transiently visit it , or make but a very short stay in it , though there be a charcoal-fire in the chimney ; but we have many instances of persons , that by lying for a night in such rooms , have been the next morning or sooner found dead in their beds , being suffocated by the multitude of the noxious vapours emitted during all that time . and here i think it proper to observe , that it may much assist us to take notice of the multitude of effluvia , and make us expect great matters from them , to consider , that they are not emitted from the body that affords them all at once , as hail-shot out of a gun , but issue from it as the vaporous winds do out of an aeolipil well heated , or waters out of a spring-head in continued streams , wherein fresh parts still succeed one another ; so that though as many effluxions of a body as can be sent out at one time were numerous enough to act but upon its superficial parts , yet the emanation of the next minute may get in a little farther , and each smallest portion of time supplying fresh recruits , and perhaps urging on the steams already entred , the particles may at length get into a multitude of the pores of the invaded body , and penetrate it to the very innermost parts . chap. iii. i come now to shew in the second place , that the subtile and penetrating nature of effluviums , may in many cases cooperate with their multitude in producing notable effects ; and that there are effluviums of a very piercing nature , though we shall not now enquire upon what account they are so , we may evince by several examples . for not only the invisible steams of good aqua fortis and spirit of nitre do usually in a short time , and in the cold , so penetrate the corks wherewith the glasses that contained them were stop'd , as to reduce them into a yellow pap ; but also the emanations of mercury have been sometimes found in the form of coagulated , or even of running mercury in the heads or very bones of those gilders , or venereal patients , that have too long or too unadvisedly been exposed to the fumes of it , though they never took quicksilver in its gross substance . chymists too often find in their laboratories , that the steams of sulphur , antimony , arsnick , and divers other minerals , are able to make those stagger , or perhaps strike them down , that without a competent wariness unlute the vessels wherein they had been distilled or sublimed ; of which i have known divers sad examples . and of the penetrancy even of animal steams we may easily be perswaded , if we consider , how soon in many plagues the contagious , though invisible , exhalations are able to reach the heart , or infect other internal parts ; though in divers of these cases the blood helps to convey the infection , yet still the morbifick particles must get into the body before they can infect the mass of blood. and in those stupefactions that are caused at a distance by the terpedo , the parts mainly affected seem to be the nervous ones of the hand and arm , which are of the most retired and best fenced parts of those members . and there is a spirit of sal armoniack , that i make to smell to , whose invisible steams , unexcited by heat , are of so piercing a nature , that not only they will powerfully affect the eyes and nostrils , and throats , and sometimes the stomachs too ( yet without proving vomitive , ) of the patients they invade , but also when a great cold has so clog'd the organs of smelling , that neither sweet nor stinking odours would at all affect them , these piercing steams have not only in a few minutes both made themselves a way , and which is more , so open'd the passages , that soon after the patient has been able to smell other things also . and by the same penetrating spirit , a person of quality was , some time since , restored to a power of smelling , which he had lost for divers years , ( if he ever had it equally with other men . ) i could easily subjoyn examples of this kind , but they belong to other places . and here i shall only add , that the steams of water it self assisted by warmth , are capable of dissolving the texture of even hard and solid bodies , that are not suspected to be saline ; as appears by the philosophical calcination ( as chymists call it ) wherein solid pieces of harts-horn are brought to be easily friable into pouder , by being hung over waters , whil'st their steams rise in distillation and without the help of furnaces . the exhalations , that usually swim every night in the air , and almost every night fall to the ground in the form of dews ( which makes them be judged aqueous , ) are in many places of the torrid zone of so penetrating a nature , that , as eye-witnesses have informed me , they would in a very short time make knives rust in their sheaths , and swords in their scabbards , nay and watches in their cases , if they did not constantly carry them in their pockets . and i have known even in england divers hard bodies , into which the vapours swimming in the air have insinuated themselves , so far as to make them friable throughout . but of the penetration of effluviums , i have given , in several places , so many instances , that 't is not necessary to add any here . and therefore to shew , that , as i intimated at the beginning of this chapter , the penetrancy and the multitude of effluviums may much assist each other , i shall now subjoyn ; that we must not for the most part look upon effluviums as swarms of corpuscles , that only beat against the outsides of the bodies they invade , but as corpuscles , which by reason of their great and frequently recruited numbers , and by the extreme smallness of their parts , insinuate themselves in multitudes into the minute pores of the bodies they invade , and often penetrate to the innermost of them ; so that , though each single corpuscle , and its distinct action , be inconsiderable , in respect of the multitude of parts that compose the body to be wrought on ; yet a vast multitude of these little agents working together upon a correspondent number of the small parts of the body they pervade , they may well be able to have powerful effects upon the body , that those parts constitute ; as , in the case mentioned in the former chapter , the rope would not probably have been enabled to raise so great a weight , though a vehement wind had blown against it , to make it lose its perpendicular straightness , but a vast multitude of watery particles , getting by degrees into the pores of the rope , might , like an innumerable company of little wedges , so widen the pores as to make the thrids or splinters of hemp , the rope was made up of , swell , and that so forcibly , that the depending weight could not hinder the shortning of the rope , and therefore must of necessity be rais'd thereby . and i have more than once known solid and even heavy mineral bodies , burst in pieces by the moisture of the air , though we kept them within-doors carefully shelter'd from the rain . chap. iv. that the celerity of the motion of very minute bodies , especially conjoyned to their multitudes , may perform very notable things , may be argued from the wonderful effects of fired gunpowder , aurum fulminans , of flames that invisibly touch the bodies they work on , and also whirlwinds , and those streams of invisible exhalations and other aerial particles we call winds . but because instances of this sort suit not so well with the main scope of this tract , i shall not insist on them , but subjoyn some others , which , though less notable in themselves , will be more congruous to my present design . that the corpuscles whereof odours consist , swim to and fro in the air , as in a fluid vehicle , will by most , i presume , be granted , and may be easily prov'd . but i have elsewhere shewn , that the motion of the effluviums of some sufficiently odorous bodies , has too little celerity to make a sensible impression on the organs of smelling , unless those steams be assisted to beat more forcibly upon the nostrils by the air , which hurries them along with it , when it enters the nostrils in the form of a stream , in the act of inspiration . and i have by familiar observation of hunters , fowlers , and partly of my own made manifest , that setting-dogs , hounds , crows and some other animals , will be much more affected with sents , or the odorous effluvia of partridges , hares , gunpowder , &c. when the wind blows from the object towards the sensory , than when it sits the contrary way , which way soever the nostrils of the animal be obverted , so the air be imbued with the odorous steams : and consequently the difference seems to proceed from this , that when the nostrils are obverted to the wind , the current of the air drives the steams forcibly upon the sensory , which otherwise it does not . that there is a briskness of motion requisite , and more than ordinarily conducive to electrical attractions , may be argued from the necessity that we usually find by rubbing amber , jett , and other electrical bodies , to make them emit those steams , by which 't is highly probable their action is performed : and though i have elsewhere shewn , that this precedent rubbing is not alwayes necessary to excite all electrical bodies ; yet in those that i made to attract without it , it would operate much more vigorously after attrition ; which i conconceive makes a reciprocal motion amongst the more stable parts , and does thereby as 't were discharge and shoot out the attracting corpuscles ; whose real emission , though it may be probably argued from what has been already said , seems more strongly proveable by an observation that i made many years ago , and which i have been lately inform'd to have been long since made by the very learned fabri . the observation was this ; that if , when we took a vigorously excited electrick , we did at a certain nick of time ( which circumstances may much vary , but was usually almost as soon as the body was well rubbed ) place it at a just distance from a suspended hair or other light body , or perhaps from some light powder ; the hair , &c. would not be attracted to the electrick , but driven away from it , as it seem'd , by the briskly moving steams that issue out of the amber or other light body . this argument i could confirm by another phaenomenon or two of affinity with this , if i should not borrow too much of what i have elsewhere noted about the history of electricity . i know a certain substance , which though made by distillation , does in the cold emit but a very mild and inoffensive smell , but when the vessel that holds it is heated , though no separation of constituent principles appear to be thereby made , ( the body being in all usual tryals homogeneous , ) the effluviums will be so altered , that i remember a virtuoso , that , to satisfie his curiosity ▪ would needs be smelling to it , when 't was heated , complain'd to me , that he thought the steams would have killed him , and that the effluviums of spirit of sal armoniack it self were nothing near so strong and piercing as those . and even among solid bodies , i know some , which , though abounding much in a substance wherein some rank smells principally reside , yet ( if they were not chafed ) were scarce at all sensibly odorous ; but upon the rubbing of them a little one against the other , the attrition making them , as it were , dart out their emissions , would in a minute or two make them stink egregiously . and as the celerity of motion may thus give a vigor to the emanations of bodies , so there may be other modifications of motion , that may contribute to the same thing , and are not to be wholly neglected in this place . for as we see , that greater bodies do operate differingly according to such and such modifications ; as there is a great difference between the effects of a dart or javelin , so thrown as that its point be alwayes forwards , and the same weapon if it be so thrown , that during its progressive motion the extremes turn about the center of gravity or some inward parts , as it happens when boyes throw sticks to beat down fruit from the tops of trees ; so there is little doubt to be made , but that in corpuscles themselves 't is not all one , as to their effects , whether they move with or without rotation , and whether in such or such a line , and whether with or without undulation , trembling or such a kind of consecution ; and in short , whether the motion have or have not this or that particular modification ; which how much it may diversifie the effects of the bodies moved , may appear by the motion , that the aerial particles are put into by musical instruments . for , though the effects of harmony , discord and peculiar sounds be sometimes very great , not only in human bodies , but , as we shall shew in the following tract , in organical ones too ; the whole efficacy of musick and of sounds that are not extraordinarily loud and different , seems , as far as 't is ascribable to sonorous bodies , to depend upon the different manners of motion whereinto that air is put , that makes the immediate impression on our organs of hearing . chap. v. i should now proceed to shew , how the celerity and other modes , that diversifie the motion of effluviums , may be assisted to make them operative by their determinate sizes and figures , and the congruity or incongruity which they may have upon that score with the pores of the grosser bodies they are to work on : but i think it not fit to entrench upon the subject of another * tract , where the relation between the figures of corpuscles and the pores of grosser bodies is amply enough treated of . and therefore i shall only in this place take notice of those effects of lightning , which seem referable , partly to the celerity and manner of appulse , and partly to the distinct sizes and shapes of the corpuscles that compose the destructive matter , and to the peculiar relation between the particles of that matter and the structure of the bodies they invade . i know that many strange things that are delivered about the effects of what the latins call fulmen ( which our english word lightning does not adaequately render ) are but fabulous ; but there are but too many that are not so ; some of which i have been an eye-witness of , within less than a quarter of an hour after that the things happened . and though it be very difficult to explicate particularly many of these true phenomena , yet it seems warrantable enough to argue from them , that there may be agents so qualified , and so swiftly moved , that notwithstanding their being so exceedingly minute , as they must be , to make up a flame , which is a fluid body , they must in an imperceptible time pervade solid bodies , and traversing some of them without violating their texture , burn , break , melt , and produce other very great changes in other bodies that are fitted to be wrought on by them . and of this i must not forget to mention this remarkable instance ; that a person curious enough to collect many rarities , bringing me one day into the study where he kept the choicest of them , i saw there among other things a fine pair of drinking-glasses that were somewhat slender , but extraordinarily tall ; they seem'd to have been designed to resemble one another , and made for some drinking entertainment . but before i saw them , that resemblance was much lessen'd by the lightning , that fell between them in so strange a manner , that , without breaking either of them , that i could perceive , it alter'd a little the figure of one of them , near the lower part of the cavity ; but the other was so bent near the same place as to make it stand quite awry , and give it a posture , that i beheld not without some amazement . and i cannot yet but look upon it as a very strange thing , and no less considerable to our present purpose , that nature should in the free air make of exhalations , and that such as probably when they ascended were invisible , such an aggregate of corpuscles , as should without breaking such frail bodies as glasses , be able in its passage thorow them , that is , in the twinkling of an eye , to melt them ; which to do is wont even in our reverberatory furnaces to cost that active flames a pretty deal of time . and this calls into my memory , that upon a time , hearing not far off from me such a clap of thunder as made me judge and say , that questionless some of the neighbouring places were thunder-strook , i sent presently to make inquiry ; which having justified my conjecture , i forthwith repaired to the house , where the mischief was done , by something , which those , that pretended to have seen it coming thither , affirm'd to be like a flame moved very obliquely . to omit the hurt , that seemed to have been done by a wind that accompanied it , or was perhaps produced by it , to divers persons and cattel ; that which makes me here mention it , was , that observing narrowly what had happen'd in an upper room , where it first fell , i saw , that it had in more than one place melted the lead in its passage , ( though that possibly outlasted not the twinkling of an eye , ) without breaking to pieces the glass-casements , or burning ( that i took notice of ) either the bed or hangings or any other combustible houshold-stuff ; though near the window it had thrown down a good quantity of the solid substance of the wall , through which it seem'd to have made its passage in or out . and that , which made me the less scruple to mention this accident , is , that having curiously pry'd into the effects of the fulmen , not only in that little upper room , but in other parts of the house , beneath whose lowermost parts it seem'd to have ended its extravagant course , i could not but conclude , that if so be it were the same fulmen , it must have more than once gone in and out of the house , and that the line of its motion was neither straight , nor yet reducible to any curve or mixed line , that i had met with among mathematicians ; but that , as i then told some of my friends , it moved to and fro in an extravagant manner , not unlike the irregular and wrigling motion of those fired squibs that boys are wont to make by ramming gunpowder into quills . but about thunder more perhaps elsewhere . i shall here only add , that whereas 't is a known tradition , which my own observations heedfully made seem now and then to confirm , that vehement thunder , if beer be not very strong , will usually ( for i do not say alwayes ) sowre it in a day or two ; if this degeneration be not one of the consequences of the great and peculiar kinds of the concussions of the air that happens in lowd thunder ( in which case the phenomenon will belong to the next discourse , ) the effect may probably be imputed to some subtile exhalations diffused thorow the air , which , penetrating the pores of the wooden vessels , whose contexture is not very close , imbue the liquor with a kind of acetous ferment ; which conjecture i should think much confirmed by a tryal , it suggested to me , if i had made it often enough to rely upon it . for considering that the pores of glass are straight enough to be impervious ( for ought i have yet observed ) to the steams or spirituous parts of sulphur as well as to other odorous exhalations , i thought it worth trying , whether there be any sulphureous steams or other corpuscles diffused thorow the air in time of thunder , that would not be too gross to get in at such minute pores as those of glass . and accordingly having hermetically sealed up both beer and ale apart , i kept them in summer time till there happen'd a great thunder , a day or two , after which the beer which we drank , that was good before , being generally complained of as sowred by the thunder , i suffer'd my liquors to continue at least a day or two longer , that the sowring steams , if any such there were , might have time enough to operate upon them , and then breaking the glasses , i found not that the liquors had been sowred , though we had purposely forborn to fill the glasses , to facilitate the degeneration of the liquors . perhaps it will be pardonable on this occasion to mention a practice , which is usual in some places where i have been , and particularly employ'd by a great lady , that is a great house-keeper , and is very curious and expert in divers physical observations ; for , talking with her about the remedies of the sowring of beer and other drinks by thunder , which is sometimes no small prejudice to her , she affirm'd to me , that she usually found the practice , i was mentioning , succeed : and that before the then last great thunder , of which i had observed the effects upon beer , she preserved hers by putting , at a convenient distance , under the barrels , chaffing-dishes of coals , when she perceiv'd that the thunder was like to begin , which practice , if it constantly succeed , may put one a considering , whether the fire do not by rarifying the air and discussing the sulphureous or other steams , by altering them , or by uniting with them the exhalations of the coals , or by some such kind of way , render ineffectual these sowring corpuscles , which perhaps require a determinate bulk and shape , besides their being crowded very many of them together , to have their full operation on barrell'd liquors . but these things are but meer conjectures , and therefore i proceed . chap. vi. the fifth way whereby effluviums may perform notable things , is the motion of one part upon another , that they may excite or occasion in the body they work on according to its structure . i shall in the following tract have occasion to say something of the motions into which the internal parts of inanimate bodies may put one another ; but the examples now produced are designed to manifest the efficacy , that effluviums may , on the newly mentioned accounts , have on organical and living bodies . to which instances it would yet be proper to premise , that even inanimate and solid bodies may be of such a structure as to be very much alterable by the appropriated effluviums of other bodies , as may be instanc'd in the power , that i have known some vigorous loadstones to have , of taking away in a trice the attractive virtue of an excited needle , or giving a verticity directly contrary to the former without so much as touching it . and we may pertinently take notice of the attractive virtue of the loadstone , as that , which may afford us an eminent example of the great power of a multitude of invisible effluviums , even from bodies that are not great , upon bodies that are inorganical or liveless : for taking it for granted , what both the epicureans , cartesians , and almost all other corpuscularian philosophers agree in , that magnetism is performed by corporeal emissions , we may consider , that these passing unresistedly thorow the pores of all solid bodies , and even glass it self , which neither the subtilest odours nor electrical exhalations are observ'd to do , seem to be almost incredibly minute , and much smaller than any other effluviums , though themselves too small to be visible ; and yet these so incomparably little magnetical effluxions proceeding from vigorous loadstones , will be able to take up considerable quantities of so ponderous a body as iron ; in so much that i have seen a loadstone not very great , that would keep suspended a weight of iron , that i could hardly lift up to it with one arm ; and i have seen a little one , with which i could take up above eighty times its weight . and these effluvia do not only for a moment fasten the iron to the stone , but keep the metal suspended as long as one pleases . this being premised , i come now to observe , that the chief effects of effluvia belonging to the fifth head are wrought upon animals , which by virtue of their curious and elaborate structure , have their parts so connected and otherwise contrived , that the motions or changes that are produced in one , may have by the consent of parts a manifest operation upon others , although perhaps very distant from it , and so fram'd as to declare their being affected by actions that seem to have no affinity at all with the agents that work upon the part first affected . i have shewn at large in another * treatise , that a humane body ought not to be look'd upon meerly as an aggregate of bones , flesh , and other consistent parts , but as a most curious and a living engin , some of whose parts , though so nicely fram'd as to be very easily affected by external agents , are yet capable of having great operations upon the other parts of the body , they help to compose . wherefore without now repeating what is there already deliver'd , i shall proceed to deliver such effects as are wrought on human bodies by these effluviums without any immediate contact of the bodies that emit them . and first , not to mention light , because its being or not being a corporeal thing is much disputed even among the moderns ; 't is plain , that our organs of smelling are sensibly affected by such minute particles of matter as the finest odours consist of . nor do they alwayes affect us precisely as odours , since we see , that many persons , both men and women , are by smells , either sweet or stinking , put into troublesom headaches . if it were not almost ordinary , it would be more than almost incredible , that the smell of a pleasing perfume should presently produce in a human body , that immediately before was well and strong , such faintnesses , swoons , loss of sensible respiration , intumescence of the abdomen , seeming epilepsies , and really convulsive motions of the limbs , and i know not how many other frightfull symptoms , that by the unskilful are often taken for the effects of witchcraft , and would impose upon physicians themselves , if their own or their predecessors experience did not furnish them with examples of the like phaenomena produc'd by natural means . those symptoms manifest , what the consent of parts may do in a humane body ; since even morbifick odours , if i may so call them , by immediately affecting the organs of smelling , affect so many other parts of the genus nervosum , as oftentimes to produce convulsive motions , even in the extreme parts of the hands and feet . nor is the efficacy of effluviums confined to produce hysterical fits , since these invisible particles may be able ( and sometimes as suddenly as perfumes are wont to excite them ) to appease them , as i have very frequently , though not with never-failing success , tryed , by holding a spirit , i usually make of sal armoniack , under the nostrils of hysterical persons . my remedy did not only often recover , in a trice , those whose fits were but ordinary , but did more than once , somewhat to the wonder of the by-standers , relieve , within a minute or two , persons of differing ages and constitutions , that were suddenly fallen down by fits , that the by-standers judg'd epileptical , ( but i , hysterical . ) i attribute the good and evil operations of the fore-mentioned steams , rather in general to the consent of the parts that make up the genus nervosum , than to any hidden sympathy or antipathy betwixt them and the womb , not only for other reasons , not proper to be insisted on here , but because i have known odours have notable effects even upon men. i know a very eminent person , a traveller , and a man of a strong constitution , but considerably sanguine , who is put into violent head-aches by the smell of musk. and i remember , that one day being with him and a great many other men of note about a publick affair , a man that had a parcel of musk about him , having an occasion to make an application to us , this person was so disordered by the smell , which to most of us was delightful , that in spight of his civility he was reduc'd to make us an apology , and send the perfumed man out of the room , notwithstanding whose recess this person complained to me , a good while after , of a violent pain in his head , which i perceived had somewhat unfitted him for the transaction of the affair whereof he was to be the chief manager . i know another person , whose happy muse hath justly made him many admirers , that is subject to the head-ach upon so mild a smell as that of damask-roses , and sometimes even of red-roses , in so much that walking one day with him in a garden , whose alleys were very large , so that he might easily keep himself at a distance from the bushes , which bore many of them red-roses ; he abruptly broke off the discourse we were engag'd in , to complain of the harm the perfume did his head , and desired me to pass into a walk , that had no roses growing near it . if it were not for the sex of this person , i could relate an instance that would be much more considerable of the operation of roses . for i know a discreet lady to whom their smell is not unpleasing , ( for she answer'd me that 't was not so at all , ) but so hurtful , that it presently makes her sick , and would make her swoon if not seasonably prevented : and she told me that being once at a court in which she was a maid of honour , though she her-self did not know whence it came , she found her self extremely ill on a sudden , and ready to sink down for faintness ; but being then in discourse with a person , whose high quality she payd her profound respect to , her civility , that kept her from complaining or withdrawing , might have been dangerous if not fatal to her , had not the princess who was speaking with her , and who knew her antipathy to roses , taken notice that her face grew strangely pale , and was covered with a cold sweat . for thereby presently guessing what might be the cause , which the sick lady her self did not , she asked aloud whether some body had not brought roses ( which were then in season ) into the bed-chamber , which question occasioned a speedy withdrawing of a lady , that stood at a distance off , and had about her roses , which were not seen by the patient , who was by this means preserved from falling into a swoon , though not from being for a while very much discomposed . but this you may tell me was the case of a woman , who complain'd her malady affected her heart , not her head. wherefore returning to what i was speaking of before i mention'd her , i shall proceed to tell you , that as odours may thus give men the head-ach , so i have often found the smell of rectified-spirit of sal armoniack to free men as well as women from the fits of that distemper ; and that sometimes in so few minutes , that the person reliev'd could scarcely imagine , they could so quickly be so . to which i shall not add the tryals that i have successfully made upon my self , because being , thanks be to god , very seldom troubled with that distemper , the occasions i have had of making them have not been many . and though i have not alwayes found so slight a remedy to work the desired cure , yet that it does it often , even in men , is sufficient to shew the efficacy of sanative effluviums . now , to manifest , that steams do not operate only upon hysterical women , or persons subject to the head-ach , i will add some instances of the effects they may produce upon other persons , and parts . 't is but too well known an observation , that women with child have been often made to miscarry by the stink of an ill-extinguisht candle , though perhaps the smoak ascending from the snuff were dissipated into the invisible corpuscles , a good while before it arriv'd at the nostrils of the unhappy woman ; and what violent and straining motions abortions are frequently accompanied with , is sufficiently known already . i think i have elsewhere mentioned , that a gentleman of my acquaintance , a proper and lusty man , will be put into the fits of vomiting by the smell of coffee , boyl'd in water ; i shall therefore rather mention , that i know a physician , who having been , for a long time when he was young , frequently compelled to take electuarium lenitivum , one of the gentlest and least unpleasant laxatives of the shops , conceived such a dislike of it , that still , as himself has complained to me , if he smell to it , as he sometimes happens to do in apothecaries shops , it will work ( now and then for several times ) upwards and downwards with him . i know another very ingenious persons of the same faculty , that has been a traveller by sea and land , who has complain'd to me , that the smell of the grease of the wheels of a hackney-coach , though it do but pass by him , is wont to make him sick and ready to vomit . every body knows , that smoak is apt to make mens eyes water , and excite in the organs of respiration that troublesom and vehement commotion we call coughing . but we need not have recourse at all to visible fumes , for the production of the like effects ; since we have often observed them , and repeated sneezings to boot , to proceed from the invisible steams of spirit of sal armoniack , when vials containing that liquor , though they were perhaps but very small , were approached too hastily , or perhaps too near to the nostrils . and because in most of the foregoing instances , the chief effects seem to be wrought , by the consent of parts , on the genus nervosum and the action of one of them upon the other , and thereby upon several other parts of the body , i will subjoyn a remarkable instance of the operation of a mild and grateful odour upon the humors themselves , and that in a man. a famous apothecary , who is a very tall and big man , several times told me , that though he was once a great lover of roses , yet having had occasion to employ great quantities of them at a time , he was so altered by their steams , that now , if he come among the rose-bushes , the smell does much discompose him . and the odour of roses , ( i mean incarnate-roses , which we commonly call damask-roses , though they be not the true ones , ) makes such a colliquation of humors in his head , that it sets him a coughing , and makes him run at the nose , and gives him a sore throat ; and by an affluence of humors makes his eyes sore , in so much that during the season of roses , when quantities of them are brought into his house , he is oblig'd for the most part to absent himself from home . chap. vii . one may shew on this occasion , that as there might be considerable things performed by effluviums , as they make one part of a living engine work upon another by virtue of its structure , so the action of such invisible agents may in divers cases be much promoted by the fabrick and laws of the universe it self , upon this account , that , by the operation of effluvia upon particular bodies , they may dispose and qualifie those bodies to be wrought upon , which before they were not fit to be , by light , magnetisms , the atmosphere , gravity or some other of the more catholick agents of nature , as the world is now constituted . but not to injure another tract , i shall conclude this , when i shall have taken notice , that in the instances hitherto produced , there has been a visible local distance between the body that emits steams , and that on which they work . but if i thought it necessary , it were not difficult to shew , that one might woll enough referr to the title of this tract divers effects of bodies that are applied immediately to ours ; such as are blood-stones , cornelions , nephritick-stones , lapis malacensis , and some amulets , and other solid substances applied by physicians outwardly to our bodies . for in these applications the gross body touches but the skin , and the great effects , which i elsewhere relate my self to have sometimes ( though not often , much less alwayes ) observed to have followed upon this external contact or near application , may reasonably be derived from the subtle emanations , that pass thorow the pores of the skin to the inward parts of the body : as is evident in those , who by holding cantharides in their hands , or having them apply'd to some remote external part , have grievous pains produc'd in their urinary parts , as it has happen'd to me as well as to many others . and to the insinuation of these minute corpuscles , that get in at the pores of the skin , seems to be due the efficacy of some medicines , that purge , vomit , resolve the humors , or otherwise notably alter the body being but externally applied ; of which i could here give several instances , but that they belong more properly to another place , and are not necessary in this , where it may suffice to name the notorious power , that mercurial oyntments or fumes , either together or apart , have of producing copious salvations , to shew in general , that both the steams and the emanations of outwardly applied medicinal bodies may have some great effects on human ones . of the determinate nature of effluviums . of the determinate nature of efflvvivms . chap. i. the effluviums of bodies , pyrophilus , being for the most part invisible , have been wont to be so little consider'd by vulgar philosophers , that scarce vouchsafing to take notice of their existence , 't is no wonder that men have not been solicitous to discover their distinct natures and differences . only * aristotle , and ( upon his account ) the schools , have been pleased to think , that the two grand parts of our globe do sometimes emit two kinds of exhalations or steams ; the earthy part affording those that are hot and dry , which they name fumes , and very often , simply , exhalations ; and the aqueous part , others that are ( not as many of his disciples mistake him to have taught , cold and moist , but ) hot and moist * , which they usually call vapours , to discriminate them from the fumes ( or exhalations , ) though otherwise , in common acceptation , those appellations are very frequently confounded . but , though the aristotelians have thus perfunctorily handled this subject , it would not become corpuscularian philosophers , who attribute so much as they do to the insensible particles of matter , to acquiesce in so slight and jejune an account of the emanations of bodies . and since we have already shewn , that besides the greater and more simple masses of terrestrial and aqueous matter newly mention'd , there are very many mixt bodies , that emit effluviums , which make , as it were , little atmospheres about divers of them , it will be congruous to our doctrine and design , to add in this place , that besides the slight and obvious differences , taken notice of by aristotle , the steams of bodies may be almost as various as the bodies themselves that emit them ; and that therefore we ought not to look upon them barely under the general and confused notion of smoak or vapours , but may probably conceive them to have their distinct and determinate natures , oftentimes ( though not always ) suitable to that of the bodies from whence they proceed . and indeed the newly mentioned division of the schools gives us so slight an account of the emanations of bodies , that , methinks , it looks like such another , as if one should divide animals into those that are horned , and those that have two feet : for , besides that the distinction is taken from a difference that is not the considerablest , there are divers animals ( as many four-footed beasts and fishes ) that are not comprised in it ; and each member of the division comprehends i know not how many distinct sorts of animals , whose differences from one another are many times more considerable , than those that constitute the two supreme genus's , the one having bulls and goats , and rhinoceros's , and deer , and elks , and certain sea-monsters whose horns i have seen ; and the other genus comprising also a greater variety , namely , a great part of four-footed beasts , and , besides men , all the birds ( for ought we know ) whether of land or water . and as it would give us but a very slender information of the nature of an elk or an unicorn , to know that 't is an horned beast ; or of the nature of a man , an eagle , or a nightingale , to be told , that 't is an horn-less beast ; so it will but very little instruct a man in the nature of the steams of quicksilver or of opium , to be told , that they are vapours hot ( or rather cold ) and moist ; or of the steams of amber or cantharides , or cinnamon , or tobacco , to be told , that they are hot and dry. for , besides that there may be effluviums , which , even by their elementary qualities , are not of either of these two supreme genus's , ( for they may be cold and dry , or cold and moist , ) these qualities are often far from being the noblest , and consequently those that deserve to be most consider'd in the effluviums of this , or that , body ; as we shall by and by have occasion to manifest . chap. ii. and here it may not be improper to mention an experiment , that , i remember , i divers years since employed to illustrate the subject of our present discourse . i consider'd then , that fluid bodies may be of very unequal density and gravity , as is evident in quicksilver , water and pure spirit of wine ; which , notwithstanding their great difference in specifick gravity , may yet agree in the conditions requisite to fluid bodies . therefore presuming , that by what i could make appear visible in one , what happens analogically in the other , may be ocularly illustrated , i took some ounces of roch-allom , and as much of fine salt-peter . i took some ounces of each , because , if the quantity of the ingredients be too small , the concoagulated grains will be so too , and the success will not be so conspicuous . these being dissolved together in fair water , the filtrated solution was set to evaporate in an open-mouthed glass , and being then left to shoot in a cool place , there were fastned to the sides and other parts of the glass several small crystals , some octoedrical , which is the figure proper to roch-allom , and others of the prismatical shape of pure salt-peter ; besides some other saline concretions , whose being distinctly of neither of these two shapes , argued them to be concoagulations of both the salts . and this we did by using such a degree of celerity in evaporating the liquor , as was proper for such an effect . for , by another degree , which is to be employ'd when one would recover the salts more distinctly and manifestly , the matter may ( as i found by tryal ) be so ordered , that the aluminous salt may , for the most part , be first coagulated by it self , and then from the remaining liquor curiously shap'd crystals of nitre may be copiously obtained . tryals like this we also made with other salts , and particularly with sea-salt , and with allom and vitriol ; the phaenomena of which you may meet with in their due places . for the recited experiment may , i hope , alone serve to assist the imagination to conceive , how the particles of bodies may swim to and fro in a fluid , ( which the air is , ) and though they be little enough to be invisible , may many of them retain their distinct and determinate natures , and their aptness to cohere upon occasion ; and others may , by their various occursions and coalitions , unite into lesser corpuscles or greater bodies differing from the more simple particles , that composed them , and yet not of indeterminate though compounded figures . chap. iii. these things being premis'd , we may now proceed to the particular instances of the determinate nature of effluviums ; and these we may not inconveniently reduce to the three following heads , to each of which we shall assign a distinct chapter ; the first of these i shall briefly treat of in this third chapter , and treat somewhat more largely of the others in the two following . in the first place then , that the effluviums of many bodies retain a determinate nature oftentimes in an invisible smallness , and oftener in such a size as makes them little enough to fly or swim in the air ; may appear by this , that these effluvia being by condensation or otherwise reunited , they appear to be of the same nature with the body that emitted them . thus in moist weather , the vapours of water , that wander invisibly through the air , meeting with marble-walls or pavements , or other bodies , by their coldness and other qualifications , fit to condense and retain them , appear again in the form of drops of water ; and the same vapours return to the visible form of water , when they fall out of the air in dews , or rains. quicksilver it self , if it be made to ascend in distillation with a convenient degree of fire , will almost all be found again in the receiver in the form of running mercury . which strange and piercing fluid , is in some cases so disposed to be strip'd of its disguises , and re-appear in its own form , that divers artificers , and especially gilders , have found , to their cost , that the fumes of it need not be , as in distillation , included in close vessels to return to their pristine nature , mercury having been several times found in the heads and other parts of such people , who have in tract of time been killed by it , and sometimes made to discover it self during the lives of those that dealt so much in it ; of which i elsewhere give some instances . wherefore i shall only observe at present , that 't is a common practice , both among gilders , and some chymists , that , when they have occasion to make an amalgam , or force away the mercury from one by the fire , they keep gold in their mouthes , which by the mercurial fumes , that wander through the air , will now and then , by that time 't is taken out of their mouths , be turned white almost , as if it had been silver'd over . a mass of purified brimstone being sublimed , the ascending fumes will condense into what the chymists call flores sulphuris , which is true sulphur of the same nature with that , formerly exposed to sublimation ; and may readily by melting be reduced into such another mass . and to give you another like example of dry bodies ; i tryed , that by subliming good camphire in close vessels , it would all , as to sense , be raised into the upper vessel , or part of the subliming-glass in the form of dry camphire as it was before . nay though a body be not by nature , but art compounded of such differing bodies as a metal and another mineral , and two or three salts ; yet , if upon purification of the mixture from its grosser parts , the remaining and finer parts be minute enough and fitly shap'd , the whole liquor will ascend , and yet in the receiver altogether recover its pristine form of a transparent fluid , composed of differing saline and mineral parts . this is evident in the distillation of what chymists call butter , or oyl of antimony , very well rectified . for , this liquor will pass into the receiver diaphanous and fluid , though , besides the particles of the sublimate , ( which is it self a factitious compounded body ) it abounds with antimonial corpuscles , carried over and kept invisible by the corroding salts ; whatever angelus sala , and those chymists that follow him , have affirm'd to the contrary ; as might be easily here proved , if this were a fit place to do it in . i found by inquiring of an ingenious person , that had an interest in a tin-mine , that i was not deceived in guessing , that tin it self , though a metal whose ore is of a very difficult fusion , and which i have by it self kept long upon the cupel without finding it to fly away , would yet retain its metalline nature in the form of fumes or flowers . for this experienc'd gentleman answer'd me , that divers times they would take great store of a whitish sublimate from the upper part of the furnaces or chimnies , where they brought their ore to fusion , or wrought further upon it ; and that this sublimate , though perhaps elevated to the height of an ordinary man , would , when melted down , afford at once many pounds of very good tin. on which occasion i shall add , that i have my self more than once raised this metal in the form of white corpuscles by the help of an additament , that did scarce weigh half so much as it . chap. iv. the second way , by which we may discover the determinate nature of effluviums , is , by the difference that may sometimes be observ'd in their sensible qualities . for , these effluviums that are endow'd with them , proceed from the same sort of bodies , and yet those afforded by one kind of bodies being in many cases manifestly differing from those that fly off from another , this evident disparity in their exhalations argues their retaining distinct natures , according to those of the respective bodies whence they proceed . i will not now stay to examine , whether in the steams , that are made visibly to ascend from the terrestrial globe by those grand agents and usual raisers of them , the sun , and the agitation of the air , the eye can manifestly distinguish the diversity of colours : but in some productions of art such different colours may be discovered in the exhalations , even without the application of any external heat to raise them . for , when spirit of nitre , for example , has been well rectified , i have often observ'd , that even in the cold the fumes would play in the unfill'd part of the stop'd vials it was kept in , and appear in it of a reddish colour , and , if those vessels were open'd , the same fumes would copiously ascend into the air , in the form of a reddish or orange-tawny smoak . spirit or oyl of salt also , if it be very well dephlegm'd , though it will scarce in the cold visibly ascend in the empty part of a vial , whilst it is kept well stop'd ; yet , if the free air be allow'd access to it , it will , in case it be sufficiently rectified , fly up in the form of a whitish fume . but this is inconsiderable in comparison of what happens in a volatile tincture of sulphur , i have elsewhere taught you to make with quick-lime . for , not only upon a slight occasion the vacant part of the vial will be fill'd with white fumes , though the glass be well stop'd ; but upon the opening the vial these fumes will copiously pass out at the neck , and ascend into the air in the form of a smoak , more white than perhaps you ever saw any . and both this and that of the spirit of salt-peter do by their operation , as well as smell , disclose what they are ; the latter being of a nitrous nature , ( as is confess'd ) and the former , of a sulphureous : in so much that having for curiosities sake in a fitly shap'd glass caught a competent quantity of the ascending white fumes , i found them to have conven'd into bodies transparent and geometrically figur'd , wherein 't was easie to discover by their sensible qualities , that there were store of sulphureous particles mixt with the saline ones . that the liquors of vegetables , distill'd in balneo or in water , are not wont to retain any thing of the colour of the bodies that afforded them , is a thing easie to be observ'd in distillations made without retorts or the violence of the fire . but it may be worth while to make tryal , whether the essential oyl of wormwood ascend colour'd like the plant , whence 't is first drawn over with water in the limbec , or rectified in balneo . for , i forgot to take notice of it , when upon some particularities , i observ'd in that plant , my curiosity led me to find , that not only in the first distillation in a copper limbec , tinn'd on the inside , the oyl came over green , but by a rectification purposely made in a glass-vessel , the purified liquor was not depriv'd of that colour . the mention of these essential oyls , as chymists call those that are drawn in limbecs , leads me to tell you , that , though these liquors be but effluvia of the vegetables they are distill'd from , condens'd again in the receiver into liquors ; yet , as subtile as they are , many of them retain the genuine taste of the bodies , whence the heat elevated them ; as you will easily find , if you will tast a few drops of the essential oyl of cinamon , for example , or of wormwood dissolv'd by the intervention of sugar or spirit of wine in a convenient quantity of water , wine , or beer . for , by this means you have the natural taste of this spice or herb. and wormwood is a plant , whose effluvia do so retain the nature of the body that parts with them , that i must not forbear to alledge here an observation of mine , that may shew you , that 't is possible , though not usual , that even without the help of the fire the expirations of a body may communicate its tast . for , among other things , that i had occasion to observe about some quantity of wormwood laid up together , i remember , i took notice , and made others do the like , that coming into a room , where 't was kept , not only the organs of smelling were powerfully wrought upon by the corpuscles that swarm'd in the air , but also the mouth was sensibly affected with a bitter tast . perhaps you will scarce think it worth while , that after this instance i should add , that i found the expirations of amber , kept a while in pure spirit of wine , tast upon the tongue like amber it self , when i chew'd it between my teeth . but i choose to mention this instance , because it will connect those lately mention'd with another sort , very pertinent to our present purpose . for , the expirations that i have obtain'd from amber , both with pure spirit of wine , and a more piercing menstruum , did manifestly retain in both those liquors a peculiar smell , with which i found it to affect the nostrils , when , for tryals sake , i excited the electrical faculty of amber by rubbing . and as for odours , 't is plain , that the essential oyls of chymists , well drawn , do many of them retain the peculiar and genuine sent of the spices or herbs that afforded them . and that these odours do really consist of , or reside in certain invisible corpuscles that fly off from the visible bodies , that are said to be endow'd with such smells , i have elsewhere prov'd at large ; and it may sufficiently appear from their sticking to divers of the bodies they meet with , and their lasting adhesion to them . other examples may be given of the setled difference of effluviums directly perceivable by humane organs of sense , as dull as they are ; which last expression i add , because i scarce doubt , but that , if our sensories were sufficiently subtile and tender , they might immediately perceive in the size , shape , motion , and perhaps colour too of some now invisible effluviums , as distinguishable differences , as our naked eyes in their present constitution see , between the differing sorts of birds , by their appearances , and their manner of flying in the air , as hawks , and partridges , and sparrows , and swallows . to make this probable i will not urge , that in fine white sand , whose grains by the unassisted eye are not wont to be distinguished by any sensible quality , i have often observ'd in an excellent microscope , a notable disparity as to bulk , figure , and sometimes as to colour : and that in small cheese-mites , which the naked eye can very scarcely discern , so far is it from discovering any difference between them , one may ( as was noted in the last essay ) plainly see , besides an obvious difference in point of bigness , many particular parts , on whose accounts the structure of those moving points may difference them from each other . and i have sometimes seen a very evident disparity even in point of shape between the very eggs of these living atoms , ( as a poet would perhaps stile them . ) but these kinds of proofs ( as i was saying ) i shall forbear to insist on , that i may proceed to countenance my conjecture by the effects of the effluviums , that are properly so call'd , upon animals . and first , though the touch be reckon'd one of the most dull of the five senses , and be reputed to be far less quick in men than in divers other animals ; yet the gross organs of that , may , in men themselves , even by accident , be so dispos'd , as to be susceptible of impressions from effluvia : of this in another paper i give some instances . and i know not whether divers of the presages of weather to be observ'd in some animals , and the aches and other pains , that , in many crazy and wounded men , are wont to fore-run great changes of weather , do not often ( for i do not say alwayes ) proceed ( at least in part ) from invisible and yet incongruous effluxions , which , either from the subterraneal parts , or from some bodies above ground , do copiously impregnate the air. and on this occasion it will not be impertinent to mention here what an experienc'd physician being ( if i much misremember not ) the learned dimmerbrook , relates concerning himself , who having been infected with the plague by a patient that lay very ill of it , though by gods blessing , which he particularly acknowledges , upon a slight but seasonable remedy , he was very quickly cured , and that without the breaking of any tumor ; yet it left such a change in some parts of his body , that he subjoyns this memorable passage ; ab illo periculo ad contagiosos mihi appropinquanti in emunctoriis successit dolor , vix fallax pestis indicium . two or three other observations of the like nature you meet with in another of my papers * . and i shall now add , that i know an ingenious gentlewoman ( wife to a famous physician ) who was of a very curious and delicate complexion , that has several times assur'd me , that she can very readily discover , whether a person , that comes to visit her in winter , came from some place where there is any considerable quantity of snow ; and this she does , ( as she tells me ) not by feeling any unusual cold ( for if the ground be frozen but not cover'd with snow , the effect succeeds not , ) but from some peculiar impression , which she thinks , she receives by the organs of smelling . i might add , that i know also ( as i may have formerly told you ) a very ingenious physician , who falling into an odd kind of feaver , had his sense of hearing thereby made so very nice and tender , that he very plainly heard soft whispers , that were made at a considerable distance off , and which were not in the least perceiv'd by the healthy by-standers , nor would have been by him before his sickness . which ( sickness ) i mention as the thing , that gave his organs of hearing this preternatural quickness , because when the feaver had quite left him , he was able to hear but at the rate of other men . and i might tell you too , that i know a gentleman of eminent parts and note , who , during a distemper he had in his eyes , had his organs of sight brought to be so tender , that both his friends and himself also have assur'd me , that when he wak'd in the night he could for a while plainly see and distinguish colours , as well as other objects , discernable by the eye , as was more than once try'd , by pinning ribbands or the like bodies of several colours , to the inside of his curtains in the dark . for if he were awaken'd in the night , he would be able to tell his bed-fellow , where those bodies were plac'd , and what colour each of them was of . i have mention'd these instances only to shew you , that if our sensories were more delicate and quick , they would be sufficiently affected by objects , that , as they are generally constituted , make no impressions at all upon them . for otherwise i know , that the species ( as they call them ) both of sounds and colours , are not held by many of the moderns , ( from whom in that i dissent not , ) to be so much corporeal effluxions , trajected through the medium , as peculiar kinds of local motion convey'd by it . therefore i shall now confirm the conjecture i would countenance by the discrimination made by the organs of other animals of such effluvia as to us men are not only invisible but insensible . and therefore partly to strengthen what i deliver'd , and partly to confirm what i am now discoursing of , it will not be impertinent to subjoyn two or three relations , that i had from persons of very good credit , whom i thought likely to make me no unsatisfactory returns to my questions about things they were very well vers'd in . a person of quality , to whom i am near allied , related to me , that to make a tryal , whether a young blood-hound was well instructed , ( or as the huntsmen call it , made ) he caus'd one of his servants , who had not kill'd , or so much as touch'd any of his deer , to walk to a countrey-town , four mile off , and then to a market-town three miles distant from thence ; which done , this nobleman did , a competent while after , put the blood-hound upon the scent of the man , and caus'd him to be follow'd by a servant or two , the master himself thinking it also fit to go after them to see the event ; which was , that the dog , without ever seeing the man he was to pursue , follow'd him by the scent to the above-mentioned places , notwithstanding the multitude of market-people that went along in the same way , and of travellers that had occasion to cross it . and when the blood-hound came to the chief market-town , he pass'd through the streets , without taking notice of any of the people there , and left not till he had gone to the house , where the man , he sought , rested himself , and found him in an upper room to the wonder of those that follow'd him . the particulars of this narrative the nobleman's wife , a person of great veracity , that happen'd to be with him when the tryal was made , confirm'd to me . enquiring of a studious person , that was keeper of a red-dear-park and vers'd in making blood-hounds , in how long time , after a man or deer had pass'd by a grassy place , one of those dogs would be able to follow him by the scent ? he told me , that it would be six or seven hours : whereupon an ingenious gentleman , that chanc'd to be present , and liv'd near that park , assur'd us both , that he had old dogs of so good a scent , that if a buck had the day before pass'd in a wood , they will , when they come where the scent lies , though at such a distance of time after , presently find the scent and run directly to that part of the wood where the buck is . he also told me , that though an old blood-hound will not so easily fix on the scent of a single deer , that presently hides himself in a whole herd ; yet if the deer be chas'd a little till he be heated , the dog will go nigh to single him out , though the whole herd also be chas'd . the above-nam'd gentleman also affirm'd , that he could easily distinguish whether his hounds were in chase of a hare or a fox by their way of running , and their holding up their nose higher than ordinary when they pursue a fox , whose scent is more strong . these relations will not be judg'd incredible by him that reflects on some of the instances that have already ( in the foregoing essay ) been given of the strange subtilty of effluvia : to which i shall now add , that i remember , that to try whether i could in some measure make art imitate nature , i prepared a body of a vegetable substance , which , though it were actually cold , and both to the eye and touch dry , did for a while emit such determinate and piercing , though invisible , exhalations , that having for tryals sake applied to it a clear metalline plate ( and that of none of the very softest kind neither ) for about one minute of an hour , i found , that , though there had ▪ been no immediate contact between them , i having pursposely interposed a piece of paper to hinder it ; yet there was imprinted on the surface of the plate a conspicuous stain of that peculiar colour , that the body , with whose steams i had imbued the vegetable substance , was fitted to give a plate of that mix'd metal . and though it be true , that in some circumstances , the lately mention'd instances about blood-hounds have a considerable advantage of this i have now recited ; yet that advantage is much lessen'd , not to say countervail'd , by some circumstances of our experiment . for , not to repeat , that the emittent body was firm and cold , the effect produced by the effluvium that guided the setting-dog , was wrought upon the sensory of a living and warm animal ; and such an one , whose organs of smelling are of an extraordinary tender constitution above those of men and other animals , and probably the impression was but transient ; whereas in our case the invisible steams of the vegetable substance wrought upon a body which was of so strong and inorganical a texture as a ( compounded ) metal , though it were fenc'd by being lapt up in paper , notwithstanding which these steams invaded it in such numbers , and so notably , as to make their operation on it manifest to the eye , and considerably permanent too ; since coming to look upon the plate after the third day , i found the induced colour yet conspicuous , and not like suddenly to vanish . hitherto in this chapter i have argued from the constant and setled difference of the sensible qualities of effluviums , that they do not always lose their distinct natures , when they seem to have lost themselves by vanishing into air. but before i dismiss this subject , i must consider an objection , which i know may be made against the opinion we have been countenancing . for it may be alledg'd , that there may be many cases , wherein the effluviums of bodies are , in their passage through the air , sensibly alter'd , or do affect the organs of sense otherwise than each kind of them apart would do : nor is this difficulty altogether irrational . for it seems consonant enough to experience , that some such cases should be admitted , and therefore in the foregoing discourse i have , where i thought it necessary , forborn to express my self in such general and absolute terms , as otherwise i might have done . but , as for such cases as i have insisted upon , and many more , i shall now represent , that the objected alterations need not hinder , but that effluviums at their first parting from the bodies , whence they take wing ( if i may so speak , ) may retain as much of the nature of those bodies , as we have ascribed to them , since the subsequent change may very probably be deduc'd from the combinations or coalitions of divers steams associating themselves in the air , and acting upon the sensory , either altogether and conjointly , or at least so near it , that the sense cannot perceive their operations as distinct . this i shall elucidate , but not pretend to prove , by what happens in sounds and tasts . for if , by way of instance , in a musical instrument , two strings tun'd to an eight , be touch'd together , they will strike the ear with a sound , that will be judg'd one , as well as pleasing , though each of the trembling strings make a distinct noise , and the one vibrates as fast again as the other . and if , into oyl of tartar per deliquium , you drop a due proportion of spirit of nitre , and exhale the superfluous moisture , the acid and alcalizate corpuscles , that were so small as to swim invisibly in those liquors , will convene into nitrous concretions , whose tast will be compounded of , but very differing from , both the tasts of the acid and tartareous particles ; which particles may yet , for the most part , by a skilful distillation , be divorc'd again . and so , if to a strong solution of pot-ashes or salt of tartar you put as much in weight of sal armoniack , as there is of either of those fixt salts contain'd in the liquor ; you may , besides a subtil urinous spirit that will easily come over in the distillation , obtain a dry caput mortuum , which is almost totally a compounded salt , differing enough from either of the ingredients , especially the alcalizate , as well in tast as in some other qualities : this salt ( free'd from its faeces ) being that diuretick salt , i several years ago gave quantities of , to some chymists and physicians , from the most of whom i received great thanks , accompanied with the ( more acceptable ) accounts of the very happy success they had employed it with , though usually but in a small dose , as from six , eight or ten grains to a scruple . but this being mentioned only upon the by , i shall proceed to tell you , that , since i intimated to you already , that i would mention examples of sounds and tasts only to illustrate what i had been delivering ; i shall now add some instances by way of proof , of the coalition and resulting change of steams in the air. 't is easily observable in some nose-gays , where the differing flowers happen to be conveniently mix'd , that in the smell afforded by it , at a due distance , the odours of the particular flowers are not perceiv'd , but the organ is affected by their joynt-action , which makes on it a confused but delightful impression . and so , when in a ball of pomander , or a perfum'd skin , musk , and amber , and civet , and other sweets are skilfully mix'd , the coalition of the distinct effluvia of the ingredients , that associate themselves in their passage through the air , produce in the sensory one grateful perfume , resulting from all those odours . but if you take spirit of fermented urine and spirit of wine , both of them phelgmatick , and mix them together , they will incorporate like wine and water , or any other such liquors , without affording any dry concretions . but if you expose them in a convenient vessel but to the mild heat of a bath or lamp , the ascending particles will associate themselves , and adhere to the upper part of the glass in the form of a white but tender sublimate , consisting both of urinous and vinous spirits , associated into a mixture , which differs from either of the liquors , not only in consistence , tast and smell , but in some considerable operations performable by this odd mixture ; which , this is not the place , to take further notice of . and if spirit of salt and spirit of nitre be , by distillation , elevated in the form of fumes , so order'd as to convene into one liquor in the receiver , this liquor will readily dissolve crude gold , though neither the spirit of nitre alone , nor that of salt would do so . and that you may have an ocular proof of the possibility of the distinctness and subsequent commixture of steams in the air ; i shall now add an experiment , which i long since devis'd for that purpose , and which i soon after shew'd to many curious persons , most of whom appear'd somewhat surpriz'd at it . the experiment was ; that i took two small vials , the one fill'd with spirit of salt , but not very strong , the other with spirit of fermented urine or of sal armoniack very well rectified : these vials being plac'd at some distance , and not being stop'd , each liquor afforded its own smell , at a pretty distance , by the steams it emitted into the air , but yet these steams were invisible . but when these vials , ( which should be of the same size ) came to be approach'd very near to each other , though not so , as to touch ; as when the two liquors are put together in the form of liquors , they will notably act upon one another ; so their respective effluviums meeting in the air , would , answerably to the littleness of their bulk , do the like , and , by their mutual occursions , become manifestly visible , and appear moving in the air like a little portion of smoak or of a mist , which would quickly cease , if either of the vials were remov'd half a foot or a foot from the other . and i remember , that , to add to the oddness of the phaenomenon , i sometimes made a drop of the spirit of salt hang at the bottom of a little stick of glass or some other convenient body , and held this drop thus suspended in the orifice of a vial that had spirit of sal armoniack in it , and was furnish'd with a somewhat long neck ; for by this means it happen'd , as i expected , that the ascending urinous particles , though invisible before , invading plentifully the acid ones of the drop , produced a notable smoak , which , if the drop were held a little above the neck of the glass , would most commonly fly upwards to the height of a foot or half a yard : but if the drop were held somewhat deep within the cavity of the neck , a good part of the produced smoak would oftentimes fall into the cavity of the vial , which was left in great part empty , sometimes in the form of drops , but usually in the form of a slender and somewhat winding stream of a white colour , that seem'd to flow down just like a liquor from the depending drop , till it had reach'd the spirit of sal armoniack ; upon whose surface it would spread it self like a mist . but this only upon the by . as for the main experiment it self , it may be , as i have found , successfully try'd with other liquors than these ; but 't is not necessary in this place to give an account of such tryals ; though perhaps , if i had leisure , it might be worth while to consider , whether these coalitions of differing sorts of steams in the air , and the changes resulting thence of their particular precedent quantities , may not assist us to investigate the causes of divers sudden clouds and mists , and some other meteorological phaenomena , and also of divers changes that happen in the air in reference to the coming in and ceasing of several either epidemical or contagious diseases , and particularly the plague , that seem to depend upon some occult temperature and alterations of the air , which may be copiously impregnated by the differing subterraneal ( not to add here , sidereal ) effluviums , that not unfrequently ascend into it ( or otherwise invade it , ) with pestiferous or other morbifick corpuscles , and sometimes with others of a contrary nature , and sometimes too perhaps , neither the one sort of steams , which may be suppos'd to have imbued the air , is in it self deleterious ; nor the other salutary , but becomes so upon their casual coalition in the air. you will perhaps think this conjecture of the resultancy of pestilential steams , the less improbable , if i here add that odd observation , which was frequently made in the formerly mentioned plague at nimmegen by a physician so judicious as * dimmerbrook , whose words are these ; illud notatu dignum saepissime observavimus , nempa in illis aedibus in quibus nulla adhuc pestis erat , si linteamina sordida aquâ & sapone nostrate ( ut in belgio moris est ) illio lavarentur , eo ipso die , vel interdum postridie , duos tres-ve simul peste correptos fuisse , ipsique aegri test abantur faetorem aquae saponatae illis primam & maximam alterationem intulisse . hoc ipsum quoque in meo ipsius hospitio infelix experientia docuit , in quo post lota linteamina statim gravem alterationem perceperunt plaerique domestici , & proximè sequenti nocte tres peste correptae , ac brevi post mortuae fuere . i omit the instances he further sets down to confirm this odd phaenomenon , of which , though perhaps some other cause may be devised , yet that i lately assign'd seems at least a probable one , if not the most probable ; since , as 't is manifest by daily experience , that the smell occasion'd by the washing of foul linnen with the soap commonly used in the netherlands , produces not the plague ; so by our learned author's observation it appears , either that there were not yet any pestilential effluxions in the air of those places , which on the occasions of those washings became infected , or at least that by the addition of the fetid effluvia of the soapy water , those morbifick particles , that were dispers'd through the air before , had not the power to introduce a malignant constitution into the air , and to act as truly pestilential , till they were enabled to do so by being associated with the ill-scented effluvia of the soap . whether also salutary , and , if i may so call them , alexipharmacal corpuscles may not be produc'd in the air by coalition , might be very well worth our enquiry : especially if we had a competent historical account of the yearly ceasing of the plague at grand cayro . for , as i have elsewhere noted out of the learned prosper alpinus , who practis'd physick there ; and as i have also been inform'd by some of my acquaintance who visited that vast city , that almost in the midst of summer as soon as the river begins to rise * , the plague has its malignity suddenly check'd , even as to those that are already infected , and soon after ceases ; so if other circumstances contradict not , one might guess , that this strange phaenomenon may be chiefly occasion'd by some nitrous or other corpuscles that accompany the overflowing nile , and by associating themselves with what hippocrates somewhere calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , disable them to produce their wonted pernicious effects . to which hypothesis suits well what is deliver'd by more than one traveller into egypt , and more particularly by our ingenious countreyman mr. george sandys , who not only takes notice , that about the time of the overflowing of nilus , whose abounding with nitre has been observed even by the antients , there is a certain moistening emanation diffus'd thorow the air. to prove , sayes he * , speaking of the overflowing of nilus , that it proceedeth from a natural cause , this one , though strange , yet true experiment will suffice . take of the earth of egypt adjoining to the river , and preserve it carefully , that it neither come to be wet nor wasted , weight it daily , and you shall find it neither more nor less heavy until the seventeenth of june , at which day it beginneth to grow more ponderous , and augmenteth with the augmentation of the river , whereby they have an infallible knowledge of the state of the deluge , proceeding without doubt from the humidity of the air , which having a recourse through all passible places , and mixing therewith increaseth the same , as it increaseth in moisture . that these sanative steams perform their effects meerly because they are moist , i presume naturalists will scarce pretend ; but that they may be of such a nature as by their coalition with the morbifick corpuscles to increase their bulk and alter their figure , or precipitate them out of the air , or clog their agility , or pervert their motions , and in a word destroy all or some tat least of those mechanical ▪ affections which made those corpuscles pestilential : that , i say , these antidotal vapours ( if i may so call them ) may have these effects upon those that formerly were morbifick , and that so there may result from the association of two sorts of particles , whereof one was of a highly noxious nature , a harmless mixture , might here be made probable by several things ; but that i hope what i have lately recited about the coalitions of the effluvia of spirit of salt and of urine ( liquors known to be highly contrary to each other ) is not already forgotten by you . and the experiment with which i am to conclude this essay will perhaps make you think it possible , that the pestiferous steams that have already pass'd out of the air , and invaded , but not too much vitiated , the bodies of men , may have their malignity much debilitated by the supervening of these antidotal particles . for in that experiment you will find , that the steams emitted into the air from the liquor there described , though that were actually cold , were able to reach , and manifestly to operate , ( and that probably by way of praecipitation , ) upon corpuscles that were fenc'd from them by the interposition of other bodies ; not more porous than those of living men. whether the fume of sulphur , which by many is extoll'd to prevent the infection of the air , do by its acid or other particles disarm , if i may so speak , the pestilential ones , i have not now time to inquire : no more than whether in ireland and some few other countries , that breed or brook no poysonous animals , that hostility may proceed , at least in great part , from the peculiar nature of the soyl , which both from its superficial and deeper parts , constantly supplies the air with corpuscles destructive to venemous animals . and some other particulars , that may be pertinently enough consider'd here , you may find treated on in other papers . and therefore at present i shall only intimate in a word , that having purposely made a visible and lasting stain on a solid body barely by cold effluvia , i did by the invisible and cold steams of another body make in two or three minutes a visible change in the colour of that stain . and as for the other part of the conjecture , ( viz. ) that meteors may sometimes be produc'd by the occursions of subterraneal effluvia , some of them of one determinate nature , and some of another , i think i could , to countenance it , give you divers instances of the plentiful impregnation ) of the air at some times , and in some places , with steams of very differing natures , and such as are not so likely to be attracted by the heat of the sun , as to be sent up from the subterraneal regions , and sometimes from minerals themselves . but for instances of this kind , i shall , for brevities sake , refer you to another paper * , where i have purposely treated of this subject , and particularly shewn , that though usually the effluxions that come from under ground are ill-scented , yet they are not alwayes so ; and also that sulphureous exhalations even from cold , and , for the most part , aqueous liquors may retain their determinate nature in the air , and act accordingly upon solid bodies themselves , to whose constitution those effluvia chance to be proportionate . but one memorable story not mention'd 〈…〉 that discourse is too much to our present purpose to be here omitted , especially having met with it in so approved an author as the experienc'd agricola , who having mention'd out of antient historians the raining of white and red liquors , which they took ( erroneously i doubt not ) for milk and blood , subjoyns , * ut autem majorèm fidem habe amus annalium monumentis facit res illa decantata , quae patrum memoriâ ( in another place he specifies the year of our lord ) in suevia accidit ; aer enim ille stillavit guttas , quae lineas vestes crucibus rubris quasi sanguineis imbuebant . which i the rather mention , because it does not only prove what i alledge it for ; but may keep , what is lately and very credibly reported to have happen'd in divers places of the kingdom of naples soon after the fiery eruption of vesuvius , from being judg'd a phaenomenon either altogether fabulous , ( as doubtless many have thought it , ) or a prodigie without all example , as is presum'd even by those that think it not miraculous . and to this i add , that 't will be the less improbable , that the more agile corpuscles of subterraneal salts , sulphurs and bitumens , may be rais'd into the air , and keep distinct natures there , if so fixt a body as common earth it self can be brought to swim in the air. and yet of this the worthy writer newly quoted gives us , besides what annals relate , this testimony upon his own knowledge : * certè hîc kempnicii undecimum abhinc annum mense septembri effluxerunt imbres , sic cum terra lutea commisti , ut eâ passim plateas scilicet stratas viderem conspersas . and to shew you that in some cases the particles even of vegetable bodies may not so soon perish in the air as they vanish there , but may retain distinct natures at a greater distance , than one would think , from the bodies that copiously emit them ; i shall add , that having desir'd an ingenious gentleman , that went on a considerable employment to the east-indies , to make some observations for me in his voyage ; he sent me among other things this remarque : that having sayl'd along the coast of ceylon , ( famous for cinnamon-trees and well-scented gums , ) though they coasted it almost a whole day , the wind , that then chanc'd to blow from the shoar , brought them a manifestly odoriferous air from the island , though they kept off many miles ( perhaps twenty or twenty-five ) from the shoar . nor should this be thought incredible , because the diffusion seems so disproportionate to that of other bodies dissolved by fluids ; as , for instance , though salt be an active body and resoluble into abundance of minute particles , yet one part of salt will scarce be tastable in an hundred parts of water . for sensibly to affect so gross an organ as that of our tast , there is usually required in sapid particles a bigness far exceeding that which is necessary to the making bodies fit objects for the sense of smelling , and , which is here mainly to be considered , there is a great difference between the power a body has to impregnate so thin and fine a fluid as air , whose parts are so rare and lax , and that which it has to impregnate liquors , such as water or wine , whose parts are so constipated as to make it not only visible and tangible , but ponderous . on which occasion i remember that having had a curiosity to try how far a sapid body could be diluted without ceasing to be so , i found by tryal , that one drop of good chymical , and , as artists call it , essential oyl of cinnamon being duly mix'd by the help of sugar with wine , retain'd the determinate tast of cinnamon , though it were diffus'd into near a quart of wine . so that making a moderate estimate , i concluded , that upon the common supposition , according to which a drop is reckon'd for a grain , one part of oyl had given the specifick tast of the spice , it was drawn from , to near fourteen thousand parts of wine . by comparing which experiment with what i noted about the proportion of salt requisite to make water tast of it , you will easily perceive ; that there may be a very great difference in point of diffusiveness between the little particles that make bodies sapid : which may serve to confirm both some part of the first chapter of the foregoing essay of the subtilty of effluvia ▪ and what i was lately saying to shew it possible , that antimonial glass might impart store of steams to the emetick wine , without appearing upon common scales to have lost of its weight ; since we see , that one drop of so light a body as oyl may communicate not insensible effluvia , but tastable corpuscles to near a quart of liquor . but this is not all for which i mention our experiment : for i must now add , that besides the almost innumerable sapid parts of a spicy drop communicated to the wine , it thence diffused a vast number of odorous particles into the air , which both i , and others perceived to be imbued with the distinct scent of cinnamon , and which perhaps the liquor would have been found able to have aromatized for i know not how long a time , if i had had leisure to prosecute the observation . chap. v. the third and last way i shall mention of shewing the determinate nature of effluviums , is to be taken from the consideration of their effects upon other bodies than the organs of our senses ; ( for of their operations upon these we have already spoken in the foregoing chapter ▪ ) for the effects , that certain bodies produce on others by their effluviums , being constant and determinate , and oftentimes very different from those , which other agents by their emissions work upon the same and other subjects , the distinct nature of the corpuscles emitted may be thence sufficiently gather'd . we may from the foregoing tract of the subtilty of effluvia , borrow some instances very pertinent to this place . for the temporary benumbedness or stupefaction , for example , produc'd in the fisherman's foot by the effluvia * of the fish ( amoreatim ) mention'd by the ingenious piso , manifests , that those stupifying emanations retain'd a peculiar and venemous nature during their whole passage through the shoe , stocking and skin , interpos'd betwixt the fish and the nervous part of the foot benumb'd by it . and though there are very few other bodies in the world , that are minute enough to pass through the pores of glass , 't is apparent , by the experiment there recited of the oblong iron hermetically seal'd up in a glass-pipe , that the magnetical effluvia of the earth may retain their peculiar and wonderful nature in a smallness that qualifies them to pass freely through the pores of glass it self . but that i may neither repeat what you have already met with in the foregoing tract , nor anticipate what i have to say in the next ; i will employ in this chapter some instances that may be spar'd from both . that divers bodies of a venemous nature may exercise some such operations upon others by their effluviums transmitted through the air , as they are wont to do in their gross substance , is a truth , whereof though i have not met with many , yet i have met with some examples among physicians . the learned * sennertus observes as a known thing , that the apprentices of apothecaries have been cast into profound sleeps , when in distilling opiat and hypnotick liquors they have received in at their nostrils the vapours exhaling from those bodies . 't is recorded by the * writers about poysons , that the root and juyce of mandragora casts those , that take it , into a deep sopor not unlike a lethargy . and though the apples of the same plant be thought to be much less malignant ; yet levinus lemnius relates that it happen'd to him more than once , that having laid some mandrake-apples in his study , he was by their steams made so sleepy , that he could hardly recover himself ; but the apples being taken away he regain'd alacrity , and threw off all drowsiness . among all poysons there is scarce any whose phaenomena are in my opinion more strange than those that proceed from a mad dog ; and yet even this poyson , which seems to require corpuscles of so odd and determinate a nature , is recorded by physicians to have been conveyed by exhalations . aretaeus writes ( as a learned modern quotes him , ) quòd à rabido cane , qui in faciem , dum spiritus adducitur , tantummodò inspiraverit , & nullo modo momorderit , in rabiem homo agatur . and as there are relations , among physicians , of animals , that have become rabiosi by having eaten of the parts or excrements of rabid animals ; so * caelius aurelianus , who writes , that some have been made to run mad , not by being bitten , but wounded only with the claws of a mad dog , tells us also of a man , that fell into a hydrophobia ( which is wont to be a high degree of the rabies , and by some of the antienter writers was employ'd to signifie that disease ) without being bitten by a mad dog , but infected solo odore ex rabido cane attracto . by which odours in this and other narratives of poysons i understand not a bare scholastick species , but a swarm of effluvia , which most commonly are all or at least some of them odorous . and though it may justly seem strange to many , that the venom of a mad dog should be communicated otherwise than by biting , which is suppos'd to be the only way he can infect by , it may appear less improbable , because matthaeus de gradibus names a person , who , he says , prov'd infected after many days , by only having put his hand into the mouth of a mad dog , who did not bite him . and the formerly mentioned matthiolus relates , that he saw two , that were made rabid without any would by the slabber of a mad dog , with which they had the misfortune to be besmear'd . * sennertus himself affirms of a painter of his acquainance , that , when he had open'd a box , in which he had long kept included realgar , a noxious mineral , sometimes used by painters and not unknown to chymists , and had unfortunately snuff'd in the steams of it , he was seis'd with a giddiness in his head and fainting fits , his whole face also swelling , though by taking of antidotes he escap'd the danger . divers other examples we have met with in the writings of physicians , which i forbear to add to these , because , i confess , i very much doubt the truth of them , though the deliverers of some of them be men of note . but the probability of most of the things already cited out of credible authors may be strengthned by what i shall now subjoyn , as a further proof of the distinct nature of effluvia ; of which it will be a very considerable proof , if medicines , which are of a milder and more familiar nature and operation than poysons , shall yet be able in some cases to retain , in their invisible particles swimming in the air , the same , ( though not so great ) power of purging , which is known to belong to them when their gross body is taken in at the mouth . of this i have elsewhere , on another occasion , given some examples . to which i shall now add , that i know a doctor of physick , that is usually purg'd by the odours or exhalations of a certain electuary , whose cathartick operation , when it is taken in substance , is wont to be but languid . and another doctor of my acquaintance , causing good store of the root of black hellebore to be long pounded in a mortar , most of those , that were in the room , and especially the party that pounded it , were thereby purg'd , and some of them strongly enough . and the learned sennertus somewhere affirms , that some will be purg'd by the very odour of colocynthis . and 't is not to be pass'd by unregarded ; that in the cases i have alledg'd , exhalations , that are endow'd with occult qualities , ( for those of cathartick medicines are reckon'd among such ) ascend into the air without being forc'd from the bodies they belong'd to by an external heat . and if i would in this place alledge examples of the operations of such effluvia , as do not pass into the air , but yet operate only by the contact of the external parts of the body , i could give instances , not only of the purgative , but the emetick qualities of some medicines exerted without their being taken in at the mouth , or injected with instruments . there are also other sorts of examples than those hitherto mentioned , that argue a determinate nature in the effluxions of some bodies emitted into the air. approv'd writers tell us , that the shadow of a walnut-tree with the leaves on it is very hurtful to the head ; and some instances they give us of great mischief it has sometimes done . and though the shadow , as such , is not likely to be guilty of such bad effects ; yet the effluvia of the neighbouring plant may be noxious enough to the head. for i , that was not at all prepossess'd with an opinion that it was so , and therefore without scruple resorted to the shade of walnut trees in a hot countrey , was by experience forc'd to think it might give others the head-ach , since it did to me , who , thanks be to god , both was , and am still very little subject to that distemper . and this brings into my mind an observation that i have met with among some ingenious travellers into the west-indies , who observe in general , and of late a country-man of our own affirms it in particular , of the poysonous manchinello-tree , that birds will not only forbear to eat of the fruit of venemous plants , but , as to some of them , will not so much as light on the trees : which i therefore mention , because probably nature instructs them to avoid such trees by some noxious smell , or other emanation , that offends the approaching birds . and i remember , that some of our navigators give it for a rule to those that happen to land in unknown islands or coasts , that they may venture to eat of those parts of fruits which they can perceive , the birds , like kind tasters , to have been pecking at before . nicolaus florentinus ( cited by sennertus ) tells us of a certain lombard , that having in a house , that he nam'd , at florence , burn'd a great black spider at the flame of a candle , so unwarily , that he drew in the steams of it at his nostrils , presently began to be much disorder'd and fell into a fainting fit , and for the whole night had his heart much disaffected , his pulse being so weak , that one could scarce perceive he had any ; though afterwards he was cured by treacle , diamose , and the powder of zedoary mixt together . and i remember , that being some years ago in ireland , i gather'd a certain plant ( peculiar to some parts of that countrey ) which the natives call maccu-buy , because of strange traditions that go about it ; the chief of which i found by tryal not to be true : but yet being satisfied , that its operations were odd and violent enough , i was willing to gratifie the chief physician of the countrey , who was desirous i should propose to him some wayes of correcting it ; and whilst i was speaking of one that required the pounding of it , he told me on that occasion , that intending to make an extract of it with vinegar , he caus'd his man to beat it well in a mortar , which the man soon repented he had begun to do : and the doctor himself , though at a pretty distance off , was so wrought upon by the corpuscles that issued out into the air , that his head , and particularly his face , swell'd to an enormous and disfiguring bulk , and continued tumid for no inconsiderable time after . i have not leisure to subjoyn many more instances to shew the determinate nature of effluviums , small enough to wander through the air ; nor perhaps will it be necessary , if you please but to consider these two things . the first , that many odoriferous bodies , as amber , musk , civet , &c. as they will , by the adhesion of their whole substance , perfume skins , linnen , &c. so they will in time perfume some bodies disposed to admit their action , though kept at a distance from them . and the other is , that in pestilential feavers and divers other contagious sicknesses , as the plague , small-pox , or measels , the same determinate disease is communicable to found persons , not only by the immediate contact of the infected party ; but without it , by the contagious steams that exhale from his body into the air. and having said this and desir'd you to reflect upon it , i shall conclude this chapter with an experiment , that possibly will not a little confirm a great part of it . considering then with my self , how i might best devise a way of shewing to the very eye , that effluvia elevated without the help of heat , and wandering in the air , may both retain their own nature , and upon determinate bodies produce effects , that a vulgar philosopher would ascribe to occult qualities : i remember'd , that i had found by tryals ( made to other purposes ) that volatile and sulphureous salts would so work upon some acid ones sublim'd with mercury , as to produce an odd diversity of colours , but chiefly an inky one ; on which account i judg'd it likely that my aim would by answer'd by the following experiment . i took an ounce , or better , of such a volatile tincture of sulphur , as i have elsewhere * taught you to make of quick-lime , sulphur and sal armoniack , and stop'd it up in a vial capable of containing at least twice as much ; then taking a paper whereon something had been written with invisible ink , i laid it down six inches off of the vial , which , being unstop'd , began , upon the access of the fire , to emit white fumes into it ; and by these , what was written upon the paper , notwithstanding its distance from the liquor , quickly became very legible , though not quite so suddenly , as if a paper , written with the same clear liquor , were held at the like distance directly over the orifice of the vial. and having caus'd several pieces of clean paper to be written on , with a new pen dip'd in the clear solution of sublimate made in water , 't was pleasant to see , how divers of the letters of several of these papers , being plac'd within some convenient distance of the vial , would be made plainly legible , and some of them more , some less blackish , according to their distances from the smoaking liquor , and other circumstances . but 't was more surprizing to see , that when i held or laid some of these papers , though with the written side upwards , just upon or over the orifice of the vial , though the contained liquor did not by some inches reach so high , yet the latent letters would become not only legible but conspicuous in about a quarter of a minute of an hour ( measur'd by a good watch fit for the purpose , as more than one tryal assur'd me . ) and as it may be observ'd , that in some circumstances the smoaking liquor and the solution of sublimate will make an odd precipitate almost of a silverish colour , so in one or two of our tryals we found a like colour produc'd , by the steams of that liquor , in some of the colourless ink. nor is it so necessary to employ a visibly smoaking liquor for the denigrating of invisible ink at a distance . for i have , to that purpose , with good success , though not equal to that i have recited , employ'd a couple of liquors , wherein there was neither sulphur , nor sal armoniack , nor sublimate . what other tryals i made with our volatile tincture of sulphur , 't is not necessary here to relate , only one experiment , which you will possibly think odd enough , i shall not omit ; because it will not only confirm the precedent tryals , but also much of the foregoing essay , by shewing the great subtilty and penetrating power of effluviums that seem rather to issue out very faintly , than to be darted out with any briskness . causing then something to be written with dissolv'd sublimate upon a piece of paper , we folded the paper with the written side inwards , and then inclos'd this in the midst of six sheets of paper , laid one upon another , not plac'd one within another , and folded up in the form of an ordinary letter or packet to be seal'd , that , the edges of the enclosing paper being inserted one within the other , the fumes might not get into this written paper but by penetrating through the leaves themselves : this done , that side of the packet , on which there was no commissure , and on which , were it to be sent away , the superscription should be written , was laid upon the orifice of the vial , which ( as was before intimated ) was some inches higher than the surface of the liquor , and left there about ten minutes ; after which taking off the folded papers , and opening them , we found , that the steams had pervaded all the leaves , in which the written paper had been enclos'd . for , though the leaves did not appear stain'd or alter'd , yet the formerly latent characters appear'd conspicuous . i have not time to discourse , whether and how far this experiment may assist us to explain some odd effects of thunder , or of that strange phaenomenon , ( glanc'd at in the foregoing chapter , ) which is said to have happen'd lately in the kingdom of naples after the great eruption of vesuvitus , which is said to have been follow'd by the appearing of the crosses formerly mention'd , some of which have been found on the innermost parts of linnen , that had been carefully folded up . but of these and the like things , i say , i have now no time to discourse , whether any thing derivable from our experiment may be pertinently apply'd to their explication . for which reason i shall add no more than that afterwards for further tryal we took a printed book , that chanc'd to be at hand , and which we judg'd the fittest for our purpose , because the leaves being broad they might the better preserve a small paper to be plac'd in the mid'st of them from being accessible to the exhalations sidewise , and having put the design'd paper into this book , and held it to the orifice of the vial , though there were no less than twelve leaves between them ; yet those letters , that happen'd to be the most rightly plac'd , were made inky in the short space of three minutes at the utmost ; though this liquor had been so long kept and so often unstop'd to try conclusions with it , that it had probably lost a good part of the most spirituous and piercing particles . new experiments , to make the parts of fire and flame stable & ponderable . by the honorable robert boyle . london : printed by william godbid , for moses pitt , at the sign of the white hart in little britain . . a preface ; shewing the motive , design , and parts of the ensuing tract . the inducements which put me upon the attempt , express'd in the title of this essay , were chiefly these : first , i consider'd , that the interstellar part of the universe , consisting of air and aether , or fluids analogous to one of them , is diaphanous ; and that the aether is , as it were , a vast ocean , wherein the luminous globes , that here and there like fishes swim by their own motion , or like bodies in whirlpools are carried about by the ambient , are but very thinly dispers'd , and consequently that the proportion , that the fixt stars and planetary bodies bear to the diaphanous part of the world , is exceeding small and scarce considerable ; though we should admit the sun and fixt stars to be opacous bodies upon the account of their terminating our sight : which diffident expression i employ , because i have elsewhere shewn by two or three experiments , purposely devised , that a body may appear opacous to our eyes , and yet allow free passage to the beams of light. i further consider'd , that there being so vast a disproportion between the diaphanous part of the world and the globes , about which 't is every way diffused , and with which it is sometimes in great portions mingled , as in the water , which together with the earth makes up the globe we inhabit ; and the nature of diaphanous bodies being such , that , when the sun or any other luminous body illustrates them , that which we call light does so penetrate and mix it self per minima with them , that there is no sensible part of the transparent body uninlightned ; i thought it worth the enquiry , whether a thing , so vastly diffused as light is were some thing corporeal or not ? and whether , in case it be , it may be subjected to some other of our senses besides our sight , whereby we may examine ; whether it hath any affinity with other corporeal beings , that we are acquainted with here below ? i did not all this while forget , that the peripateticks make light a meer quality , and that cartesius ingeniously endeavours to explicate it by a modification of motion in an aetherial matter : but i remember'd too , that the atomists of old , and of late the learned gaffendus , and many other philosophers assert light to be corporeal ; and that some tears since , though i declined to pass my judgement about the question , yet i had employ'd arguments , that appear'd plausible enough to shew , that 't was not absurd to suppose , that the sun , which is the fixt star most known to us , might be a fiery body . and therefore doubting , whether the corporeity of light would be in haste determined by meer ratiocinations , i thought it very well worth the endeavouring to try whether i could do any thing towards clearing the dispute of it by experiments ; especially being perswaded , that , though such an attempt should be ineffectual , it would but leave the controversie in its former state , without prejudicing either of the contending hypotheses ; and yet , if it should prove successful , the consequences of it would be very great and useful towards the explicating of divers phaenomena in divers parts of natural philosophy , as in chymistry , botanicks , and ( if there be any such ) the allowable part of astrologie . ( nor perhaps would it be impossible by the help of slight theorical alterations ; to reconcile the experiments , i design'd , to either of the above-mention'd hypotheses , and so as to the explication of light , to one another . ) to compass then , what i aim'd at , i thought , 't was fit in the first place to try , what i could do by the union of the sun-beams , they being on all hands confess'd to be portions ( as i may so speak ) of true and celestial light : and then , i thought fit to try , what could be obtain'd from flame ; not only because that is acknowledg'd to be a luminary but because i hoped , the difficulties , i foresaw in the other tryals , might be in some measure avoided in those made with flame ; and if both sorts of them should succeed , the later and former would serve to confirm each other . according to the method i proposed of handling these two subjects , i should begin with some account of what i attempted to perform in the sun-beams : but the truth is , that when i chanc'd to fall upon the enquiry that occasion'd this paper , besides that the time of the year it self was not over-favourable , the weather proved so extraordinary dark and unseasonable that it was wonder'd at ; so that , though i was furnish'd with good burning-glasses , and did several times begin to make tryals upon divers bodies , as lead , quicksilver , antimony , &c. yet the frequent interposition of clouds and mists did so disfavour my attempts , that , however they were not all alike defeated , yet i could not prosecute the greatest part of them to my own satisfaction . and therefore being unwilling to build on them as yet ; i shall reserve an account of them for another opportunity ; and now proceed to the mention of that sort of experiments which depending less on casualities , 't was more in my power to bring to an issue . i know i might have saved both you and my self some time and pains by omitting several of these tryals , and by a more compendious way of delivering the rest . but i rather chose the course i have taken ; partly because the novelty and improbabilities of the truth i deliver seems to require , that it be made out by a good number of tryals ; partly because i thought it might not be altogether useless to you and your friends , to see upon what inducements the several steps were made in this inquiry ; partly because i was willing to contribute something towards the history that now perhaps will be thought fit to be made of the increment or decrement that particular bodies may receive by being exposed to the fire ; and partly ( in fine ) because the incongruity of the doctrine here asserted to the opinions of the schools , and the general prepossessions of mankind , made me think it fit by a considerable variety , as well as number , of experiments to obviate , as far as may be , the differing objections and evasions wherewith a truth so paradoxical may expect to be encountred . new experiments , to make fire and flame ponderable . though there be among the following tryals a diversity that invites me , as to rank them into four or five differing sorts , so to assign them as many distinct sections ; yet for the conveniency of making the references , there will be occasion to make betwixt them , i shall wave the distinction , and set them down in one continued series . and because i am willing to comply with my hast , as well as to deal frankly and without ceremony with you , i shall venture to subjoyn the naked transcripts of my experiments , as i had in an artless manner set them down with many others for my own remembrance among my adversaria , without so much as retrenching some circumstances that relate less to my present argument , than to some other purposes . i shall then begin with the mention of a couple of experiments , which though they might conveniently enough be referr'd to another paper ; yet i shall here set them down , because it seems very proper to endeavour to shew in the first place , that flame it-self may be as 't were incorporated with close and solid bodies so as to increase their bulk and weight . tryals of the first sort . experiment i. [ a piece of copper-plate not near so thick as a half-crown , and weighing two drachmes and twenty-five grains , was so plac'd with its broad part horizontal , in a crucible , whose bottom had a little hole in it , for fumes to get out at , that it could not be removed from its position , nor be easily made to drop down or lose its level to the horizon , though the crucible were turned upside down : then about an ounce and half of common sulphur being put into a taller and broader crucible , that , wherein the copper stuck , was inverted into the orifice of it , that the sulphur being kindled , the flame , but not the melted brimstone in substance , might reach the plate , and have some vent beyond it at the above-mentioned hole . this brimstone burn'd about two hours , in which time it seem'd all to have been resolved into flame , no flowers of sulphur appearing to have sublimed into the inside of the upper crucible ; and though the copper-plate were at a considerable distance from the ignited sulphur , yet the flame seem'd to have really penetrated it , and to have made it visibly swell or grow thicker ; which appear'd to be done by a real accession of substance : since , after we had wip'd off some little adhering sordes , and with them divers particles of copper that stuck close to them , the plate was found to weigh near two and thirty grains more than at first , and consequently to have increased its former weight by above a fifth part . ] exper. ii. [ having , by refining one ounce of sterling silver with salt-peter , according to our way reduc'd it to seven drachms or somewhat less ; we took a piece of the thus purified silver , that weighed one drachm wanting two grains , and having order'd it as the copper-plate had been in the former experiment , after the flame of above one ounce and a quarter of sulphur , ( that quantity chancing to be suitable to the capacity of the crucible ) had for about an hour and a half beat upon it , the silver-plate seem'd to the eye somewhat swell'd , and the lower surface of it , that was next the flame , was brought to a great smoothness , the weight being increas'd to one drachm five grains and three quarters ; which increase of weight falling so short of that which was gain'd by the copper , i leave it to you to consider , whether the difference may be attributed to the closeness and compactness of the silver , argued by its being heavier in specie than copper ; or to the greater congruity of the pores of copper to be wrought on by the fiery menstruum ; or to some other cause . ] if you should here ask me , by what rational inducements i could be led to entertain so extravagant an expectation , as that such a light and subtile body as flame should be able to give an augmentation of weight to such ponderous bodies as minerals and metals ; i shall now , to avoid making anticipations here , or needless repetitions hereafter , return you only this answer : that the expectation you wonder at may justly be entertained upon the same or such like inducements , as you may easily discover in another paper , entitled corollarium paradoxum . for , supposing upon the grounds there laid , that flame may act upon some bodies as a menstruum , it seems no way incredible , that , as almost all other menstruums , so flame should have some of its own particles united with those of the bodies expos'd to its action : and the generality of those particles being , ( as 't is shewn in the paradox about the fewel of flames , ) either saline , or of some such piercing and terrestrial nature , 't is no wonder , that being wedg'd into the pores , or being brought to adhere very fast to the little parts of the bodies expos'd to their action , the accession of so many little bodies , that want not gravity , should , because of their multitude , be considerable upon a ballance , whereon one or two , or but few of these corpuscles would have no visible effect . i could here , if it were expedient , mention some odd scruples about the preceding experiments , and some also of the subsequent ; but , lest you should , with some other of my friends , upbraid me with being too jealous and sceptical , i will not trouble you with them ; but proceed to the next sort of tryals , wherein , though the matter were not always manifestly beaten on by a shining flame ; yet it was wrought on by that , which would be called flame by those who take not that word strictly , but in a latitude , and which this igneous substance may more properly be stiled , than it can be call'd common fire , this being visibly harbour'd in burning coals or other gross materials , from which our metals were fenc'd . and i have elsewhere shewn by experiment , that visibility is not in all cases necessary to actual flame , particularly when the eye receives a predominant impression from another light. tryals of the second sort . exper. iii. into a crucible , whose sides had been purposely taken down to make it very shallow , was put one ounce of copper-plates ; and this being put into our cupelling-furnace , and kept there two hours , and then being taken out we weighed the copper ( which had not been melted ) having first blown off all the ashes , and we found it to weigh one ounce and thirty grains . exper. iv. [ supposing that copper , being reduc'd to filings , and thereby gaining more of superficies in proportion to its bulk , would be more expos'd to the action of the fire , than when 't is in places as it was formerly ; we took one ounce of that metal in filings , and putting them upon a very shallow crucible , and under a muffler , we kept them there about three hours , ( whilst other things that required so long a time were cupelling ; ) and afterwards taking them off , we found them of a very dark colour , not melted but caked together in one lump , and increas'd in weight ( the ashes and dust being blown off ) no less than about forty-nine grains . part of which increment , above that obtained by the copper-plates in the former experiment , may not improbably be due to the longer time that in this experiment the fil'd copper was kept in the fire . ] exper. v. [ being willing to see , whether calcin'd harts-horn , that i did not find easie to be wrought on by corrosive menstruums , would retain any thing of the flame or fire to which it should be expos'd ; we weigh'd out one ounce of small lumps of harts-horn , that had been burnt till they appear'd white , and having put them into a crucible , and kept them in a cupelling-furnace for two hours , whilst some metals were driving off there by the violence of the fire ; we found , that when they were taken out , they had lost six or seven grains of their former weight ; perhaps either because , notwithstanding the external whiteness of the lumps , the internal parts of some of them might not be so exquisitely calcin'd , but retain some oleaginous or other volatile substance ▪ or , because , having omitted to ignite them well before they were weigh'd , they may have since their first calcination imbib'd some moist particles of the air. which conjecture seem'd the likelier , because , having kept them a while in the scales they were weigh'd in , they did within two or three hours make it somewhat preponderate . on which occasion i shall add , that , at the same time , with the harts-horn we put in one ounce of well-heated brick , and kept that likewise in the furnace for above two hours ; at the end of which weighing it whilst it continued hot , we did not find it to have either sensibly got or lost ; but , some time after , it seem'd upon the ballance to have imbib'd some , though but very little , moisture from the air. ] exper. vi. [ upon a good cupel we put one ounce of english tin of the better sort , and having plac'd it in the furnace under a muffler , though it presently melted , yet it did not forsake its place , but remain'd upon the concave surface of the cupel , till at the end of about two hours it appear'd to have been well calcin'd ; and then being taken out and weighed by it self , the ounce of metal was found to have gained no less than a drachm . ] exper. vii . [ an ounce of lead was put upon the cupel , made of calcin'd harts-horn , and placed under the muffler after that the cupel was first made hot and then weighed . this lead did not enter into the cupel , but was turn'd into a pretty kind of litharge on the top of it , and broke the cupel , whereby some part of the cupel was lost in the furnace , and yet the rest , together with the litharge , weigh'd seven grains more than the ounce of lead and the heated cupel did when they were put in . ] but because , though this tryal shew'd that some weight was gain'd either by the metal or cupel , or both ; yet it did not by this appear , what either of them acquir'd ; it seem'd fit to subjoyn a further tryal . exper. viii . [ we took a cupel about two ounces in weight , made of about ten parts of bone-ashes , and one of charcoal-ashes , made up together with ale. this was by it self put in a cupelling-furnace , under a muffler ; and the laborant , well vers'd in weighing , was order'd to take it out , when 't was throughly and highly heated , and to weigh it whilst 't was in that condition ( i being then present : ) this being done , 't was forthwith plac'd again under the muffler , where some metalline bodies were cupelling , and kept there for about two hours ; at the end of which time 't was taken out red-hot , and presently put into the same ballance , as before , which was already fastned to a gibbet ; where having caus'd the adhering ashes to be blown off , i found , that whereas , when 't was first taken from under the muffler , we had but two ounces and two grains , now the same weight being put into the opposite scale , it had gain'd very near one and twenty grains . and here note , that 't was not without some cause , that i was careful to have the cupel weighed red-hot . for i had a suspition , that , notwithstanding the dryness of the bone , it might receive some little alteration of weight by imbibing some little particles wandering in the air ; which suspition the event justified . for leaving the cupel counterpois'd to cool in the ballance , in a short time it began sensibly to preponderate ; and suffering it to continue there nine or ten hours , till we had occasion to use the ballance , i found it at the end of that time to be about three grains heavier than before . ] this was not the only tryal we made about the augmenting the weight of cupels ; but this being the fairest , and exempt from those mischances , from which the other were not altogether free ; i shall content my self to have set down this : in the mention of which i thought fit to take notice of the increase of the weight of the cupel after it had layn in the scales , and also that we weighed it at first whilst it was throughly hot , because those circumstnces , as not being suspected , may easily be left unthought on , even by skilful experimenters ; and yet the weighing of the cupel , when it had been well neal'd , and the not weighing it soon enough after 't is taken from the fire , may keep those , that shall reiterate this experiment , from making it cautiously and accurately enough . for if the former circumstance be omitted , that which the cupel may seem to have lost of its substance , was nothing but the adventitious moisture of the air ; and if the later circumstance be neglected , the weight , it may seem to have gain'd from the fire , was indeed due to the waterish particles of the air. i could wish also , that tryal were made , whether the success would be the same in cupels made in differing sorts of bone-ashes , and other materials , wont to be employed for that purpose . for that i had not opportunity to do . exper. ix . iron being a metal , that experience had inform'd me will more easily be wrought on by fluids that have particles of a saline nature in them , than is commonly believed ; 't was not unreasonable to expect , that flame would have a greater operation on it , ( especially if it were before-hand reduc'd to small parts ) than on any of the bodies hitherto describ'd . which supposition will be confirm'd by the short ensuing note . [ four drachms of filings of steel being kept two hours on a cupel under a muffler , acquir'd one drachm six grains and a quarter increase of weight . ] exper. x. [ a piece of silver , refin'd in our own laboratory , being put upon a cupel under a muffler , and kept there for an hour and half , whilst other things were refining , was taken out and weigh'd again , and , whereas before it weighed three drachms , thirty-two grains and a quarter , it now weighed in the same scales three drachms , thirty-four grains and a half , or but little less . ] finding this memorial among divers others about the weight of bodies , expos'd to the fire , i thought it not amiss to annex it in this place ; though finding it to be but single , i would not have it to be rely'd on till further tryal have been made to discover , whether it was more than a casual and anomalous experiment ; and if the silver had not been refin'd , i should have suspected , that the copper , that was blended with it , as 't is usually blended with common silver , might have occasioned the increased of weight . ( postcript . ) since the foregoing experiment was first set down , meeting with an opportunity to reiterate the tryal once more , we did it with half an ounce of filings of silver , well refin'd with lead in our own laboratory , and kept it about three hours upon the cupel ; after the end of which time taking it out , we found it to be of a less pleasant colour than it was of before , and melted ( though not so perfectly ) into a lump , which weigh'd four drachms and six grains ; and yet , the success being so odd , and , if it prove constant , of such moment , i could wish the tryal were further repeated in differing quantities of the metal . exper. xi . [ we took a drachm of filings of zink or spelter , and having put it upon a cupel under a muffler , we kept it there in a cupelling-fire about three hours , ( having occasion to continue the cupellation so long for other tryals ; ) then taking it off the cupel , we found it to be caked into a brittle and dark-colour'd lump , which look'd as if the filings had been calcin'd . this being weigh'd in the same scales gain'd full six grains , and so a tenth part of its first weight . ] exper. xii . among our various tryals upon common metals , we thought fit to make one or two upon a metal brought us from the east-indies , and there call'd tutenâg , which name being unknown to our european chymists , i have elsewhere endeavoured to give some account of the metal it self ; whence i shall borrow the ensuing note , as directly belonging to our present purpose . [ two drachms of filings of tutenâg being put upon a cupel , and kept under the muffler for about two hours , the filings were not melted into a lump of metal , but look'd as if ceruss and minium being pouder'd had been mingled together ; some of the parts appearing distinctly white ; and others red : the calx being put into the ballance appear'd to have gained twenty-eight grains and a quarter . another time the experiment being reiterated with the like circumstances , we found , that two drachms of the filed tutenâg gained the like increase of weight , abating less than one grain . ] so that this indian metal seems to have gain'd more in the fire , in proportion to its weight , than any we have hitherto made tryal of . exper. xiii . [ being desirous to confirm by a clear experiment , what i elsewhere deliver contrary to the vulgar opinion of those that believe , that in all cupellations almost all the lead that is employ'd about them , does , together with the baser metals that are to be purg'd off from the silver or gold , fly away in smoak , as indeed in some sort of cupellations a good proportion may be blown off that way : we took two ounces of good lead and one drachm of filings of copper , and having caus'd a cupel to be ignited , and nimbly taken out of the furnace , and weighed , whilst 't was very hot , 't was presently put back , together with the two metals laid on it , into the cupelling-furnace , where having been kept for about two hours , it was taken out again , and 't was found , according to what ( as i elsewhere * note ) uses to happen in such circumstances , to have nothing on the surface of it worth weighing distinctly in the scales , in which the cupel with what was sunk into it amounted to four ounces three drachms and eleven grains , which wanted but nine grains of the whole weight of the cupel and the two metals , when they were all three together committed to the fire . ] so that , though we make a liberal allowance for the increment of weight that may with any probability be supposed to have been attained by the cupel and what was put upon it , yet it will easily be granted , that very much the greater part of the metals was not driven off in fumes , but enter'd into the substance of the cupel . tryals of the third sort . after having shewn that either flame or the analogous effluxions of the fire will be , what chymists would call , corporified with metals and minerals exposed naked to its action ; i thought it would be a desirable thing to discover , whether this flame or igneous fluid were subtile enough to exercise any such operation upon the light bodies shelter'd from its immediate contact by being included in close vessels ; but it being very difficult to expose bodies in glasses to such vehement fires without breaking or melting the glass , and thereby losing the experiment ; i thought fit , first to employ crucibles carefully luted together , that nothing might visibly get in or out , and of that attempt i find among my notes the following account . exper. xiv . [ we took an ounce of steel freshly filed from a lump of that metal , that the filings might not be rusty , and having included them betwixt two crucibles , as formerly , kept them for two hours in a strong fire , and suffer'd them to continue there till the fire went out ; the crucibles being unluted , the filings appear'd hard caked together , and had acquir'd a dark colour somewhat between black and blew , and were increas'd five grains in weight . ] the foregoing experiment being the first i mention of this kind , 't will not be amiss to confirm it by annexing the following memorial . [ an ounce of filings of steel being put between the crucibles luted together , after they had been kept about an hour and half in the fire , were taken out , and being weigh'd , were found to have gained six grains . ] exper. xv. [ two ounces of copper-plate were put into a new crucible , over which a lesser was whelmed , and the commissures were closed with lute , that nothing might fall in . after the same manner two ounces of tin were included betwixt crucibles , and also two ounces of lead ; these being put into the cupelling-furnace were kept in a strong fire about an hour and a half , while something else was trying there . and then being taken out , the event was , that the copper-plates , though they stuck together , were not quite melted , and seem'd some of them to have acquir'd scales like copper put into a naked fire , and the two ounces had gain'd eight grains in weight . the lead had broke through the bottom of the crucible , and thereby hinder'd the design'd observation . the tin acquir'd six grains in weight , and was in part brought to a pure white calx , but much more of it was melted into a lump of a fine yellow colour , almost like gold , but deeper . ] the prosecution of this tryal as to the copper-plates you will meet with in experim . xxi . to which i therefore referr you . n. b. because lead in cupellation enters the cupel , we were willing to try , if we could so far hinder it from doing so , as to make some estimate what change of weight the operation of the fire would make in it : and therefore being able already to make a near guess , how much a quantity of tin may gain by being calcined on a cupel , and remembring also from some of my former tryals the indisposition which tin gives lead to cupellation , we mixed a drachm of tin with two ounces of lead , and exposing the mixture ( in a cupel ) to the fire under a muffler , we first brought it to fusion , and then it seem'd at the top dry and swell'd and discolour'd ; notwithstanding which , having continued the operation a good while , because of other things that were to be done with the same fire , we were not lucky enough to bring the experiment to an issue worth the relating here , in reference to the scope above-propos'd , though in relation to another the success was welcome enough . ] exper. xvi . [ supposing that if copper were beaten into thinner plates than those we lately us'd , and kept longer in the fire , this would have a more considerable operation upon them , we took one ounce of very thinly hammer'd pieces of copper , and putting them betwixt two crucibles ( one whelm'd over another ) as in experim . xv. with some lute at the corners of the juncture , to keep the fire from coming immediately at the metal , we kept them in the cupelling-furnace about three hours , and then disjoyning the vessels , we found the metal covered with a dark and brittle substance , like that describ'd in the above recited experiment . which substance , when scal'd off , disclos'd a finely colour'd metal , which , together with these burnt scales , amounted to one and twenty grains above the weight that was first put in . ] if , when these things were doing , i had been furnished with a very good lute , which is no such easie thing to procure , as chymists , that have not frequently employed vulgar lutes , are wont to think ; i would have made a tryal of the ensuing experiment for a good while in the naked fire , notwithstanding that divers metalline minerals will scarce be brought to fusion in glasses , especially without such a fire , whose violence makes them break the vessels . for i thought , that by making a fit choice of the metals to be employed , i could prevent that inconvenience : but wanting the accommodations i desir'd , and yet presuming , that in a sand-furnace i might by degrees administer heat enough to melt so fusible a metal as fine tin , and keep it in fusion ; i resolved to make some tryals , first upon that , and then upon another metal . for though i was not sure of being then able to prosecute the experiment far enough ; yet i hoped , i might at least see some effects of my first tryal , which would enable me to guess , what i was to expect from a complete one . exper. xvii . [ we took then a piece of fine block-tin , and in a pair of good scales weighed out carefully half a pound of it ; this we put into a choice glass-retort , and kept it for two days or thereabouts in a sand-furnace , which gave heat enough to keep the metal in fusion without cracking the glass . then taking out the mixture , we carefully weigh'd it in the same scales , and found the superficies a little alter'd ( as if it were dispos'd to calcination ) and the weight to be increased about two grains or somewhat better . ] exper. xviii . [ the other experiment , i tryed in glasses , was with mercury , hoping , that , if i could make a precipitate per se in a hermetically seal'd glass , i should by comparing the weight of the precipitate , and the quick-silver that afforded it , have a clear experiment to my purpose ; and i should have no bad one , if i could but make it succeed with a glass , though not seal'd , yet well stop'd ; instead of those infernal-glasses ( as they call them ) which are commonly us'd and wont to be left open ( though some slightly stop them with a little paper or cotton : ) but though , partly that i might a little diversifie the experiment , and make it the more likely to succeed in one or other of the glasses , i divided the mercury and distributed it amongst several of them , and but a little to each , the success did not answer expectation , the hermetically seal'd glasses being unluckily broken ; and the precipitation in the others proceeding so slowly , that i was by a remove oblig'd to leave the tryal imperfect ; only i was encouraged , ( in case of a future opportunity ) to renew it another time , by finding that most of the glasses , though tall , and stop'd with fit corks , afforded some very fair precipitate , but not enough to answer my design . ] tryals of the fourth sort . most of the experiments hitherto recited , having been made as it were upon the by with others , whose exigencies 't was fit these should comply with ; very few of the expos'd bodies were kept in the cupelling-fire above two hours or thereabouts . upon which account i thought fit to try , how much some bodies , that had been already expos'd to the fire , would gain in weight by being again expos'd to it ; especially considering , that most calcinable bodies , ( for i affirm it not of all ) which yield rather calces than ashes by being without additament reduc'd in the fire to fine powder , seem'd to be by that operation open'd , or ( as a chymist would speak ) unlock'd , and therefore probably capable of being further wrought upon and increas'd in weight by such a menstruum as i suppos'd flame and igneous exhalations to be . and about this conjecture i shall subjoyn the ensuing tryals . exper. xix . [ one ounce of calx of tin , that had been made per se for an experiment in our own laboratory , being put in a new cupel and kept under the muffler for about two hours , was taken out hot and put into the scales , where the powder appear'd to have gain'd in weight one drachm and thirty-five grains by the operation of the fire , which made it also look much whiter than it did before , as appeared by comparing it with some of the calx that had not been exposed to the second fire : no part of the puttie was , as we could perceive , melted by the vehemence of the fire , much less reduc'd into metal . ] exper. xx. [ out of a parcel of filings of steel , that had been before expos'd to the fire and had its weight thereby increas'd some grains , not scruples ; we took an ounce , and having expos'd it at the same time with the calx of tin , and , for the same time , kept it in the fire , we took it out at the two hours end ; and found the weight to be increas'd two drachms and two and twenty grains . the filings were very hard bak'd together , and , the lump being broken , looked almost like iron . ] exper. xxi . the following experiment , though it may seem in one regard but a continuation of the xv th ; yet it has in this something peculiar from all the foregoing , that not only it affords an instance of the increase of weight obtain'd by a metal at the second time of its being expos'd to the fire , but shews also , that such an increment may be had , though this second ignition be made in close vessels . ] [ some of the copper mention'd in experim . xv. being accidentally lost , one ounce and four drachms of what remain'd was included betwixt two crucibles and expos'd to a strong fire for two hours , and suffer'd to continue there till the fire went out : when it was taken out , it appear'd to have gain'd ten grains in weight , and to have upon the superficial parts of the plates ( as we observ'd ) divers dark colour'd flakes , some of which stuck to the metal , but more , upon handling it , fell off . ] and here i shall conclude one of the two parts of our designed treatise : for , though i remember , that these were not all the tryals that were made and set down upon the subject hitherto treated of ; yet these are the chief , that having escaped the mischances , which befel some others , i can meet with among my promiscuous memorials ; whose number , when i drew them together , i could scarce increase , having by all these and other tryals of differing kinds wasted my cupels and commodious glasses , where i could not well repair my loss . whether i should have been able by reduction , specifick gravity , or any other of the ways , which i had in my thoughts , to make any discovery of the nature of the substance that made the increment of weight in our ignited bodies ; the want as well of leisure , as of accommodations requisite to go through with so difficult a task , keeps me from pretending to know . but these three things , i hope , i may have gained by what has been deliver'd . the first , that we shall henceforth see cause to proceed more warily in the experiments we make with metals in the fire , especially by cupellation . the next , that it will justifie and perhaps procure an easier assent to some passages in my other writings , that have relation to the substance , what-ever it be , that we are speaking of . and the third , ( which is the principal , ) that it will probably excite you , and your inquisitive friends , to exercise their sagacious curiosity , in discovering what kind of substance that is , which , though hitherto overseen by philosophers themselves , and , being a fluid , far more subtile than visible liquors , and able to pierce into the compact and solid bodies of metals , can yet add something to them , that has no despicable weight upon the ballance , and is able for a considerable time to continue fixt in the fire . additional experiments , about arresting and weighing of igneous corpuscles . experiments to discover the increase in weight of bodies , though inclos'd in glasses , being those that i considered as likeliest to answer what i design'd in the hitherto prosecuted attempt , and finding the seventeenth experiment as well as the next ( try'd upon mercury ) to be very slow , and its performance not to be very great , i began to call to mind , what , many years ago , experience had shewn me possible to be perform'd , as to the managing glass-vessels , even without coating them , in a naked fire , provided a wary person were constantly employ'd to watch them . and supposing hereupon , that , in no longer time than a laborant might , without being tir'd , hold out to attend a glass , a metal expos'd in it to a naked fire might afford us a much more prosperous tryal than that lately referr'd to , i afterwards resolv'd , when i should be able to procure some glasses conveniently shap'd , to prosecute my design ; in pursuance of which though i had not any furnaces fitted for my purpose , i directed a laborant to make the following tryals . exper. i. [ we took eight ounces ( troy weight ) of block-tin , which being cut into bits was put into a good round vial with a long neck , and then warily held over quick coals without touching them till it was melted ; after which it was kept almost continually shaken , to promote the calcination , near an hour , the metal being all the while in fusion , and the glass kept at some distance from the throughly kindled coals . the most part of this time the orifice of the vial was cover'd with a cap of paper ( which sometimes fell off by moving the glass ) to keep the air and steams of the coals from getting into the neck . and at the end of this time , he that held the glass being tir'd , and having his hand almost scorch'd , the vial being remov'd from the fire was broken , that we might take out the metalline lump , which had a little darkish calx here and there upon the upper surface , but much more beneath , where it had been contiguous to the bottom of the glass ; then putting all this carefully freed from little fragments of broken glass into the same ballance with the self-same counterpoise i had us'd before , i found , according to my expectation , an increase of weight , which amounted to eighteen grains , that the tin had acquir'd by this operation . ] exper. ii. [ this done we separated the calx for fear of losing it , and having melted the metal in a crucible , that by pouring it out it might be reduc'd to thin plates capable of being cut in pieces , and put into such another vial as the last ; we weigh'd it again together with the ●●tely reserv'd calx , but found , that , notwithstanding all our oare , we had lost three grains of the eighteen we had gain'd . this done we put the metal into another vial. but in regard the neck was shorter than that of the former , and could not like it be long held in ones hand ; and because also i was willing to see what interest the shaking of melted tin has in the quickness of the calcination , the glass , which had a stopple of paper put to it to keep out smoak and air , was held at some distance from the coals , only whilst the tin was melting ; and then was warily laid upon them and kept there for two hours , at the end of which 't was again taken off , and the metal weigh'd with the same counterpoise and ballance as formerly ; and then it appear'd to amount to eight ounces twenty-four grains , and to have much more separable calx than at the first time . nor did i much wonder , that the weight should be increas'd in this last operation but nine grains in two hours , and in the former twice so many in half the time ; since , during the two hours , the glass was kept in one posture , whereas in the first operation , it was almost perpetually shaken all the while 't was kept in fusion . and 't is observ'd , that the agitation of melted minerals will much promote the effect of the fire upon them , and conduce to their calcination . ] exper. iii. though these tryals might well satisfie a person not very scrupulous , yet to convince even those that are so , i undertook , in spite of the difficulties of the attempt , to make the experiment in glasses hermetically seal'd , to prevent all suspition of any accession of weight accruing to the metal from any smoak or saline particles getting in at the mouth of the vessel . and in prosecution of this design i thought upon a way of so hermetically sealing a retort , that it might be expos'd to a naked fire without being either crackt or burst ; an account of which tryal was thus set down . [ eight ounces of good tin carefully weigh'd out was hermetically seal'd up in a new small retort with a long neck , by which 't was held in ones hand , and warily approach'd to a kindled charcoal-fire , near which the metal was kept in fusion , being also ever now and then shaken for almost half an hour , in which time it seem'd to have acquir'd on the surface such a dark colour as argued a beginning of calcination , and it both emitted fumes that play'd up and down , and also afforded two or three drops of liquor in the neck of the retort . the laborant being not able to hold the glass any longer , 't was laid on quick coals , where the metal continued above a quarter of an hour longer in fusion ; but before the time was come that i intended to suffer it to cool in order to the removing it , it suddenly broke in a great multitude of pieces , and with a noise like the report of a gun ; but ( thanks be to god ) it did no harm neither to me nor others that were very near it . in the neck we found some drops of a yellowish liquor , which a virtuoso that tasted it affirm'd to be of an odious but peculiar sapor ; and as for the smell , i found it to be very stinking , and not unlike that of the distill'd oyl of fish . ] but , though our first attempt of this kind had thus miscarried , we were not thereby discourag'd , but in prosecution of the same design made the ensuing tryal . exper. iv. [ the tin which had been before ( in the first or some such experiment ) partly calcin'd in a glass , being melted again in a crucible , that it might be reduc'd to pieces small enough to be put into another glass , was put again into the scales , and the surplusage being laid aside , that there might remain just eight ounces ; these were put into a bolt-head of white glass with a neck of about twenty inches long , which being hermetically seal'd ( after the glass had been a while kept over the fire , lest that should break by the rarefaction of the air , ) the metal was kept in fusion for an hour and a quarter , as ( being hinder'd by a company of strangers from being there my self ) the laborant affirm'd . being unwilling to venture the glass any longer , it was taken from the fire , and when 't was grown cold , the seal'd end was broken off ; but before i would have the bottom cut out , i observ'd , that the upper surface of the metal was very darkly colour'd , and not at all smooth , but much and very odly asperated ; and the lower part had between the bottom and the lower part of the lump a pretty deal of loose dark-colour'd calx , though the neighbouring surface and some places of the lump it self look'd by candle-light ( it being then night ) of a golden colour . the lump and calx together were weigh'd in the same scales carefully , and we found the weight to have increas'd twenty-three grains and better , though all the calx , we could easily separate , being weigh'd by it self amounted not to four scruples or eighty grains . ] for confirmation of this experiment i shall subjoyn another , wherein but a quarter of so much metal was employed with such success as the annexed memorial declares . exper. v. [ two ounces of filings of tin were carefully weigh'd and put into a little retort , whose neck was afterwards drawn slenderly out into a very small apex ; then the glass was plac'd on kindled coals , which drove out fumes at the small orifice of the neck for a pretty while . afterwards the glass ; being seal'd up at the apex , was kept in the fire above two hours ; and then being taken off was broken at the same apex ; whereupon i heard the outward fire rush in , because when the retort was seal'd the air within it was highly rarified . then the body of the glass being broken , the tin was taken out , consisting of a lump , about which there appear'd some gray calx and some very small globuls , which seem'd to have been filings melted into that form . the whole weigh'd two ounces twelve grains , the later part of which weight appear'd to have been gain'd by the operation of the fire on the metal . in the neck of the retort , where it was joyn'd to the body , there appear'd a yellowish and clammy substance thinly spread , which smelt almost like the foetid oyl of tartar. ] exper. vi. to vary the foregoing experiments by making tryals on a mineral that is held to be of a very metalline nature , but is not a true metal , nor will be brought to fusion by so moderate a heat as will suffice to melt tin , and yet has parts less fixt than tin , as being far more easily sublimable , we thought fit to make the following experiment . [ we took an ounce of filings of zinke carefully weigh'd , and having as carefully put them into a round bolt-glass , we caus'd the neck to be drawn out very slender , and then order'd the laborant to keep it upon quick coals for the appointed time . afterwards returning home , i call'd for the glass , which he said he had kept four hours upon the coals ; answering me also , that there did for a great part of the time smoak appear to ascend from the zink and get out at the unstopt apex . and in effect i observ'd , that the upper part of the glass was lin'd with flores or sublimate of a darkish gray . the glass being dextrously cut asunder , we took out not only the filings of zinke , some of which were melted into little globuls , but the flores too , and yet weighing all these in the same scales , we had us'd before , we found five grains and somewhat better wanting of an ounce . which we the less wonder'd at , because of the continuance of the lately mention'd exhalations emitted by the filed mineral . ] exper. vii . for more ample confirmation of the truth discover'd by what i have been reciting about tin , i thought fit to try the like experiment upon another metal , which though of somewhat more difficult fusion than tin , i had reason to think might , if employed in a moderate quantity , and warily managed , be kept melted in glass without breaking it . and accordingly having carefully weigh'd out four ounces of good lead cut before-hand into pieces little enough for the orifice of the glass , i caused them to be put into a small retort with a long neck , wherein was afterwards left but an orifice not much bigger than a pins head : then leaving directions with the laborant what to do , because i was my self call'd abroad , at my return he brought me together with the glass , this account : that he had kept it over and upon the coals two hours , or better , and then supposing the danger of breaking the glass was over , he had sealed it up at the little orifice newly mention'd , and kept it on the coals two hours longer . before the glass ( which i found to be well seal'd ) was broken , i perceived the pieces of lead to have been melted into a lump , whose surface was dark and rugged , and part of the metal to have been turn'd into a dark-colour'd powder or calx : all this being taken out of the retort , was weigh'd in the same ballance , whereon the lead appear'd to have gain'd by the operation somewhat above thirteen grains . exper. viii . to shew that metals are not the only bodies that are capable of receiving an increase of weight from the fire , i thought fit to make upon coral a tryal , whereof my memorial gives me this account . [ little bits of good red coral being hermetically seal'd up in a thin bubble of glass , after two drachms of them had been weigh'd out in a pair of nice scales , were warily kept at several times over and upon kindled coals , and at length being taken out for good and all , were found of a very dark colour , and to have gain'd in weight three grains and about a half . ] exper. ix . one experiment there is , which , though it might have come in more properly at another place , is not to be omitted in this because it may invite us to consider , whether in the foregoing experiments , excepting those made on lead and tin in seal'd vessels , there may not be more of the fire adherent to or incorporated with the body expos'd to it , than one would conclude barely from the recited increments of their weight . for having taken very strong fresh quick-lime provided on purpose for choice experiments , and expos'd it , before the air had time to slake it , upon the cupel , to a strong fire where it was kept for two hours ; i found that it had increas'd in weight even somewhat beyond my expectation : for being seasonably put into the ballance , the lumps that weigh'd , when expos'd , but two drachms , amounted to two drachms and twenty-nine grains ; which makes this experiment a pregnant one to our purpose . for by this it appears , that notwithstanding a body may for many hours , or even for some days , be expos'd to a very violent fire , yet it may be still capable of admitting and retaining fresh corpuscles ; so that , though well made lime be usually observ'd to be much lighter than the stones whereof 't is made ; yet this lightness does not necessarily prove , that , because a burnt lime-stone has lost much of its matter by the fire , it has therefore acquir'd no matter from the fire ; but only inferrs , that it has lost far more than it has got . and this may give ground to suspect , that in most of the foregoing tryals the accession of the fiery particles was greater ( though in some more , in others less so , ) than the ballance discover'd ; since , for ought we know , divers of the less fixt particles of the expos'd body might be driven away by the vehemence of the heat ; and consequently the igneous corpuscles that fastned themselves to the remaining matter might be numerous enough , not only to bring the accession of weight that was found by the scales , but to make amends for all the fugitive particles , that had been expell'd by the violence of the fire . and since so fixt a body as quick-lime is capable of being wrought upon by the igneous effluvia , so as that they come to be as 't were incorporated with it , it may perchance be worth considering , whether in other calcin'd or incinerated bodies the remaining calces or ashes may not retain more than the bare impression ( unless that be stretch'd to mean some participation of a substance , ) of the fire . whether these particles that adhere to or are mingled with the stony ones of the lime may have any thing to do in the heat and tumult that is produc'd upon the slaking of lime , this is not a fit place to examine . and though by this experiment and those made in seal'd retorts , which shew that what is afforded by fire may in a corporeal way invade , adhere and add weight to even fixt and ponderous bodies , there is a large field open'd for the speculative to apply this discovery to divers phaenomena of nature and chymistry ; yet i shall leave this subject unmedled with in this place . a discovery of the perviousness of glass to ponderable parts of flame . with some reflexions on it by way of corollary . subjoyned as an appendix to his experiments about arresting and weighing of igneous corpuscles , by. the honorable robert boyle . london : printed by w. g. for m. pitt at the sign of the white hart , over-against the little north door of st paul's church . . a discovery of the perviousness of glass to ponderable parts of flame . that i might obviate some needless scruples that may be entertain'd by suspitious wits upon this circumstance of our additional experiments , that the glasses employ'd about them were not exposed to the action of mere flame , but were held upon charcoals , ( which to some may seem to contain but a grosser kind of fire : ) and that also i might , by diversifying the way of tryal , render such experiments both more fit to afford corollaries , and more serviceable to my other purposes , i attempted to make it succeed with a body so thin and disingaged from gross matter as mere flame is allowed to be , knowing , that by going cautiously with it to work , one might handle a retort without breaking it , in spite of a violent agitation of kindled matter . exper. i. supposing then that good common sulphur by reason of its great inflammability and the vehemency and penetrancy of its flame , would be a very fit fuel for my purpose , i provided a small double vessel so contrived , that the one should contain as many coals as was necessary to keep the sulphur melted , and that the other , which was much smaller , and shap'd like a pan , should contain the brimstone requisite for our tryal ; and ( lastly , ) that these two should be with a convenient lute so joyned to one another , that all being clos'd at the top , save the orifice of the little pan , ( the fire and smoak of the coals having their vent another way , ) no fire should come at the retort to be employed , but the flame of the burning brimstone . then two ounces of filings of tin being heedfully weigh'd out , and put into a glass-retort provided for such tryals , and made fit to be easily seal'd up at the neck , when the time should be convenient , the sulphur ( which ought to be of the purer sort ) was kindled , and the glass by degrees exposed to it ; where it continued , as the laborant inform'd me , ( the smell of brimstone , peculiarly offensive to me , forbidding me to be present , ) near two hours before the metal melted ; after which he kept the retort near an hour and half more with the metal melted in it . then bringing it me to look upon , i perceived a pretty deal of darkish calx at the bottom , and partly too upon the surface of the far greater part of the metal , which now lay in one lump . the part of the retort that had been seal'd being broken off , we first took out the calx , and then the lump , and putting them into the scales , they had been formerly weigh'd in , found them to have made a very manifest acquist of weight , which , if both the laborant and i be not mistaken , ( for the paper , which should inform us , is now missing ) amounted to four grains and a half , gained by the recited operation . afterwards , we being grown more expert in making such tryals , the experiment was repeated with the same quantity of filings of the same metal : at the end of the operation , ( which in all lasted somewhat above three hours ) having broken off the seal'd neck of the retort , we found , that a good proportion of dark-colour'd calx had been produc'd . this being weighed with the uncalcin'd part of the metal , the two ounces we first put in appear'd to have acquir'd no less than eleven grains and a half ( and somewhat better . ) such superstructures , both for number and weight , may possibly in time be built on this and the like experiments , that i shall venture to obviate even such a scruple as is like to be judg'd too sceptical . but i remember , that , considering upon occasion of some of the experiments formerly recited , that though it were very improbable , yet it did not appear impossible , that the increment of weight , acquir'd by bodies expos'd in glass-vessels to the fire , might proceed , not from the corpuscles of fire , but from the particles of the glass it self , loosened by the power of so intense a heat , and forcibly driven into the inclos'd body ; i was content to take a couple of glasses , whereof one was shap'd into a little retort , and having weigh'd them , and then having kept them for a considerable time upon kindled coals , and then weigh'd them again , i could gather little of certainty from the experiment , ( the retort at one time seeming to have acquir'd above half a grain in the fire , ) save that there was no likelihood at all , that so considerable an increase of weight , as we divers times obtain'd in close vessels , should proceed from the glass it self , and not from the fire . exper. ii. because it seems evident enough , that , whatever chymists tell us of their hypostatical sulphur , common brimstone is a body heterogeneous enough , having in it some parts of an oyly or inflammable nature , and others acid ; and very near of kin to the spirits of vitriol ; i thought fit to vary our experiment , by making it with a liquor that is generally reputed to be as homogeneous as chymists themselves are wont to render any , i mean with a spirit of wine , or some such liquor as will totally flame away without affording soot , or leaving any drop of phlegm behind it . in prosecution of this design , we carefully weighed out an ounce of filings of block-tin , and put them into a glass-retort , fit for the purpose , whose neck was afterwards drawn out to a great slenderness ; and we also provided a conveniently shap'd metalline lamp , such as that the flame of this ardent spirit might commodiously burn in it , and yet not melt nor crack it ; which lamp , though furnished with a cotton wick , afforded no soot , because as long as it was supplied with liquor enough , it remained unburnt . these things being in readiness , the retort was warily approach'd to the flame , and the metal was thereby in a short time melted . after which the glass being kept expos'd to the same flame for near two hours in all , the seal'd apex of the retort was broken off , and there appear'd to have been produc'd a not inconsiderable quantity of calx , that lay loose about the remaining part of the tin , which , upon its growing cold , was harden'd into a lump . this , and the calx , being taken out of the retort with care , that no little fragment of glass should at all impose upon us , was weigh'd in the same scales as formerly , and found to have gain'd four grains and a half , besides the dust that stuck in the inside of the retort , of which we reckon'd enough to make about half a grain more ; so that of so fine and pure a flame as of this totally ardent spirit , enough to amount to five grains was arrested , and in good measure fixt by its operation on the tin it had wrought upon . exper. iii. for confirmation of the former tryal , wherein we had imployed the spiritus ardens of sugar , we made the like experiment with highly rectified spirit of wine , only substituting an ounce of lead instead of one of tin. the event , in short , was this ; that after the metal had been for two hours or better kept in the flame , the seal'd neck of the retort being broken off , the external air rush'd in with a noise , ( which shew'd the vessel to have been very tight , ) and we found pretty store of the lead ; for 't was above seven scruples , turn'd into a grayish calx , which together with the rest of the metal being weigh'd again , there was very near , if not full , six grains of increase of weight acquir'd by the operation . . n. b. the lump of lead , that remain'd after the newly recited operation , being separated from the calx , was weighed and cut in pieces , that it might be put into a fresh retort , wherein it was again expos'd to the flame of spirit of wine , that i might satisfie my self , whether probably the whole body of the lead might not , by repeated operations , or ( perhaps by one continued long enough ) be reduc'd to calx . and though , after the retort ( whose neck had been drawn out ) had been kept in the flame for about two hours , it was , by the negligence of a foot-boy , unluckily broken , and some of the calx lost ; yet we made a shift to save about five grains of it , ( whose colour was yellowish ; ) which was enough to make it likely , that , if we had had conveniency to pursue the operation to the utmost , the whole metal might have been calcin'd by the action of the flaming spirit . . n. b. and lest you should be induc'd by some chymical conceits to imagine , that the particles that once belong'd to flame , did make more than a coalition with those of the lead , and by a perfect union were really transmuted into the metal whose weight they increas'd ; i shall add , that ( according to a method elsewhere deliver'd ) i examin'd the seven scruples of calx , mention'd to have been made in the third experiment , by weighing them in air and water , and thereby found , as i expected , that though the absolute gravity of the metal had been increas'd by the particles of flame that stuck fast to it , yet this aggregate of lead and extinguish'd flame had lost much of its specifick gravity . for , whereas lead is wont to be to water of the same bulk , as about eleven and a half to one , this subtil calx of lead was to water of the same bulk little , if at all , more than as nine to one . these are not the only experiments i made of the operation of meer flame upon bodies inclos'd in glasses ; but these , i suppose , are sufficient to allow me to comply with my present haste , and yet make good the title prefixt to this paper . for , whence can this increase of absolute weight ( for i speak not of specifick gravity , ) observ'd by us in the metals expos'd to the mere flame , be deduc'd , but from some ponderable parts of that flame ? and how could those parts invade those of the metal inclos'd in a glass , otherwise than by passing through the pores of that glass ? but , because i judge it unphilosophical , either to more careful that what one writes should appear strange , than be true ; or to be forward to advance the repute of strangeness , to the prejudice of the interest of truth , though it be perhaps but a remote one , or a collateral one ; i shall deal so impartially , as to subjoyn on this occasion two or three short intimations , that may prove both seasonable for caution , in reference to the porousness of glass , and give a hint or two in relation to other things . i do not then by the foregoing experiments pretend to make out the porosity of glass any farther , than is exprest in the title of this paper ; namely , in reference to some of the ponderable parts of flame . for otherwise i am not at all of their mind , that think glass is easily penetrable , either , as many do , by chymical liquors ; or , as some , by quicksilver ; or , as others , at least by our air : those opinions not agreeing with the experiments i made purposely to examine them , as you may find in another paper . again , if we compare the increase we observe to be made in the weight of the bodies that we expose to the naked fire , and those of the same or the like kinds that we included in glasses , or so much as in crucibles ; it may be worth considering , whether this difference in acquir'd weight may not give cause to suspect , that the corpuscles , whereof fire and flame consists , are not all of the same size , and equally agitated , but that the interpos'd vessel keeps out the grosser particles like a kind of strainer , though it gives passage to the minutest and most active ? i offer it also to consideration , whether this perviousness of glass , even to the minute particles that pervade it , and their adhesion to the metal they work on , does necessarily imply pores constantly great enough to transmit such corpuscles ? or , whether it may not be said , that glass is generally of a closer texture , than when in our experiments the pores are open'd by the vehement heat of the flame that beats upon it , and in that state may let pass corpuscles too big to permeate glass in its ordinary state ; and that this penetration is much assisted by the vehement agitation of the igneous parts , which by the rapidness of their motion both force themselves a passage through the narrow pores of the glass , and pierce deep enough into those of the included body to stick fast there ; ( as hail-shot thrown with ones hand against a board , will pass off from it , but being shot out of a gun will pierce it , and lodge themselves in it ? ) and i know a menstruum that does not work upon a certain metal whilst the liquor is cold , or but faintly heated , and yet by intending the heat would be made to turn it into a powder or calx , ( for it does not properly dissolve it . ) perhaps it may not be amiss to add on this occasion , that though glass be generally acknowledged to have far smaller pores , than any other matter wont to be implyed to make vessels , that are to be expos'd to the fire ; yet till i be farther satisfy'd , i shall forbear both to determine , whether the rectitude , that some philosophers suppose in the pores of glass , as 't is a transparent body , or rather in their ranks or rows , may facilitate the perviousness we above observ'd in glass , and to conclude from the foregoing experiments , that ponderable parts of flame will be able as well to pass through the pores of metalline vessels as those of glass . for though , with a silver vessel , made merely of plate without soder , i made two or three tryals ( of which you may command an account ) in order to the resolving of these doubts ; yet by an accident , which , though it were not a surprizing one , was unlucky enough to defeat my endeavours , i was kept , for want of fit accommodations , from bringing my intended tryals to an issue . and now having endeavour'd by the foregoing advertisements to prevent the having unsafe consequences drawn from our experiments ; it remains that i briefly point at three our four corollaries that may more warily be deduc'd from them . to which , if i get time , i may subjoyn a hint or two about further inquiries . corollary i. confirming this paradox , that flame may act as a menstruum , and make coalitions with the bodies it works on . the experiments , we have made and recited of the premeating of flame ( as to some of its parts ) through glass-vessels , and of its working on included metals , may much confirm the paradox i have elsewhere propos'd , that flame may be a menstruum , and work on some bodies at the rate of being so ; i mean not only by making a notable comminution and dissipation of the parts , but by a coalition of its own particles with those of the fretted body , and thereby permanently adding substance and weight to them . nor is it repugnant to flames , being a menstruum , that in our experiment the lead and tin , expos'd to it , were but reduc'd to powder , and not dissolv'd in the form of a liquor , and kept in that state . for , besides that the interpos'd glass hinder'd the igneous particles from getting through in plenty enough ; i consider , that 't is not necessary , that all menstruums should be such solvents , as the objection supposes . for whether it be ( as i have sometimes suspected , ) that menstruums , that we think simple , may be compounded of very differing parts , whereof one may precipitate what is dissolved by the other ; or for some other cause , i have not now time to discuss . certain it is , that some menstruums corrode metals and other bodies without keeping dissolved all , or perhaps any considerable part ; as may be seen , if you put tin in a certain quantity of aqua fortis , which will in a very short time reduce it almost totally to a very white substance , which , when dry , is a kind of calx . and so by a due proportion of oyl of vitriol , abstracted from quicksilver by a strong fire , we have divers times reduc'd the main body of the mercury into a white powder , whereof but an inconsiderable part would be dissoluble in water . and such a white calx i have had by the action of another fretting liquor on a body not metalline . and having thus clear'd our paradox of the oppos'd difficulty , my haste would immediately carry me on to the next corollary , were it not , that there is one phaenomenon belonging to this place that deserves to be taken notice of . for , whether it be , as seems probable , from the vehement agitation of the permeating particles of flame , that violently tear asunder the metalline corpuscles , or from the nature of the igneous menstruum , ( which being as 't were percolated through glass it self , must be strangely minute , ) 't is worth observing , how small a proportion , in point of weight , of the additional adhering body may serve to corrode a metal , in comparison of the quantity of vulgar menstruums that is requisite for that purpose . for , whereas we are oblig'd to imploy , to the making the solution of crude lead , several times its weight of spirit of vinegar , and ( though not so many times ) even of aqua fortis , 't was observ'd in our experiment , that , though the lead was increas'd but six grains in weight , yet above six score of it were fretted into powder , so that the corrosive body appear'd to be but about the twentieth part of the corroded . coroll . ii. proposing a paradox about calcination and calces . another consequence , deducible from our discovery of the perviousness of glass to flame , may be this ; that there is cause to question the truth of what is generally taken for granted about calcination , and particularly of the notion , that not only others , but chymists themselves , have entertain'd about the calces of metals and minerals . for , whereas 't is commonly suppos'd , that in calcination the greater part of the body is driven away , and only the earth , to which chymists add the fixt salt , remains behind ; and whereas even mechanical philosophers , ( for two or three of them have taken notice of calcination , ) are of opinion , that much is driven away by the violence of the fire ; and the remaining parts by being depriv'd of their more radical and fixt moisture are turn'd into dry and brittle particles : whereas these notions , i say , are entertain'd about calcination , it seems , that they are not well fram'd , and do not universally hold ; since , at least they are not applicable to the metals , our experiments were made on . for , it does not appear by our tryals , that any proportion , worth regarding , of moist and fugitive parts was expell'd in the calcination ; but it does appear very plainly , that by this operation the metals gain'd more weight than they lost ; so that the main body of the metal remain'd intire , and was far from being , either as a peripatetick would think , elementary earth , or a compound of earth and fixt salt , as chymists commonly suppose the calx of lead to be . from which very erroneous hypothesis they are wont to inferr the sweet vitriol of lead , which they call saccharum saturni , to be but the sweet salt of it extracted only by the spirit of vinegar , which does indeed plentifully enough concurr to compose it . whence i conclude , that the calx of a metal even made ( as they speak ) per se , that is , by fire without additament , may be , at least in some cases , not the caput mortuum , or terra damnata , but a magistery of it . for , in the sense of the most intelligible of the chymical writers , that is properly a magistery wherein the principles are not separated , but the bulk of the body being preserved , it acquires a new and convenient form by the addition of the menstruum or solvent imployed about the preparation . and , not here to borrow any argument from my notes about particular qualities , you may guess , how true it is , that the greatest part of the body , or all the radical moisture is expell'd in calcination , which therefore turns the metal into an arid unfusible powder ; by this , that i have several times from calx of lead reduc'd corporal lead . and i remember , that having taken what i guess'd to be but about a third or fourth part of the calx of lead , produc'd by the third experiment ; i found by a tryal purposely devis'd , that without any flux-powder or any additament , but meerly by the application of the flame of highly rectified spirit of wine , there could in a short time be obtain'd a considerable proportion of malleable lead ; whereof the part i had the curiosity to examine , was true malleable lead ; so little was the arid powder , whence this was reduc'd , depriv'd by the foregoing calcination of the suppo'sd radical moisture requisite to a metal . the consideration of what may be drawn from this reduction in reference to the doctrine of qualities belongs not to this place . coroll . iii. one use , among the rest , we may make , by way of corollary , of the foregoing discovery , which is in reference to a controversie warmly agitated among the corpuscular philosophers themselves . for , some of them , that follow the epicurean or atomical hypothesis , think , that when bodies are expos'd in close vessels to the fire , though the igneous corpuscles do not stay with the bodies they invade , yet they really get through the pores of the interpos'd vessels , and permeate the included bodies in their passage upwards ; whereas others , especially favourers of the cartesian doctrine , will not allow the atomists igneous corpuscles , which they take to be but vehemently agitated particles of terrestrial matter , to penetrate such minute pores as those of glass ; but do suppose the operation of the fire to be perform'd by the vehement agitation made of the small parts of the glass , and by them propagated to the included bodies , whose particles by this violent commotion are notably alter'd , and receive new textures , or other modifications . but our experiments inform us , that , though neither of the two opinions seems fit to be despised , yet neither seems to have hit the very mark ; though the epicurean hypothesis comprize somewhat more of the truth than the other . for , though it be not improbable , that the brisk agitation communicated by the small parts of the glass to those of the body contain'd in it , may contribute much to the effect of the fire ; and though , by the small increment of weight , we found in our expos'd metal , 't is very likely , that far the greater part of the flame was excluded by the close texture of the glass ; yet on the other side 't is plain , that igneous particles were trajected through the glass , which agrees with the epicureans ; and they , on the other side , mistook , in thinking that they did but pass through , and divide and agitate the included bodies ; to which nevertheless our experiments shew , that enough of them , to be manifestly ponderable , did permanently adhere . whether these igneous corpuscles do stick after the like manner to the parts of meat , drest by the help of the fire , and especially roast-meat , which is more immediately expos'd to the action of the fire , may be a question , which i shall now leave undiscuss'd , because i think it difficult to be determin'd , though otherwise it seems worthy to be consider'd , in regard it may concern mens health , to know , whether the coction of meat be made by the fire , only as 't is a very hot body , or whether it permanently communicates any thing of its substance to the meat expos'd to it : in which ( last ) case it may be suspected , that not only the degree and manner of application of a fire , but the nature of its fuel may be fit to be consider'd . coroll . iv. the experiments above recited give us this further information , that bodies very spirituous , fugitive , and minute , may , by being associated with congruous particles , though of quite another nature , so change their former qualities , as to be arrested , by a solid and ponderous body , to that degree , as not to be driven away from it by a fire intense enough to melt and calcine metals . for , the foregoing tryals ( taking in what i * lately deliver'd of the lessen'd specifick gravity of calcin'd lead ) seems plainly enough to discover , that even the agitated parts of flame , minute enough to pass through the pores of glass it self , were as 't were entangled among the metalline particles of tin and lead , and thereby brought to be fixt enough to endure the heat that kept those metals in fusion , and little by little reduc'd them into calces : which is a phaenomenon that one would not easily look for , especially considering how simple a texture that of lead or tin may be suppos'd to be in comparison of the more elaborate structures of very many other bodies . and this phaenomenon , which shews us , what light and fugitive particles of matter may permanently concurr to the composition of bodies ponderous and fixt enough , may perchance afford useful hints to the speculative ; especially if this strict combination of spirituous and fugitive substance with such , as being gross or unwieldy , are less fit than organiz'd matter to entangle or detain them , be applied , ( as it may be with advantage ) to those aggregates of spirituous corpuscles , and organical parts , that make up the bodies of plants and animals . and this hint may suggest a main inference to be drawn from the operations of the sun-beams on appropriated subjects , supposing it to prove like that of flame on tin and lead . and now having dispatch'd our corollaries , we might here inquire , whether all the particles of fire and flame , that are subtile and agitated enough to penetrate glass , and fasten themselves to included bodies , be reduc'd by ignition to the same nature , or else retain somewhat of their proper qualities ? which inquiry i have some cause not to think so undeterminable , as at first blush it may appear . for , one of the ways , that may be propos'd for this examen , is already intimated at the close of the third experiment , which shews , that we may compare the specifick gravity of the calces of the same metal , made in glasses by the operation of flames ; whose fuels are of very differing natures . and i said , one of the ways , because 't is not the only way i could name , and have partly tryed . but though i might say more concerning expedients of this kind , and could perhaps propound other inquiries that may reasonably enough be grounded upon the hitherto recited phaenomena ( and those of some other like tryals , ) yet i must not unseasonably forget , that the pursuit of such disquisitions would lead me much farther than i have now the leisure to follow it . errata . pag. . l. . r. some metals work ; pag. . in the discourse about the determinate nature of effluviums , add the name of the author , viz. by the honorable robert boyle . finis . the printer to the reader . it hath been thought , it might be the interest of the reader , especially foreiners , to be advertised , that these essays are already translating into latin , and beginning also to be printed in that language ; which that it may duly be done , both as to this and the author 's other writings , to be publisht for the future , the greater care will be taken here , because it hath been several times found both at home and elsewhere , that the versions made of them abroad , and not in the place , where in case of any difficulty the author may be consulted with by the latin interpreters , are often very defective , and not seldom injurious to the sense he hath deliver'd them in . which being consider'd by those that desire to know the genuine sense of the author , 't is presumed , they will rather choose those versions , which are made by persons that have that advantage of comsulting him in any case of doubt , than such as shall mis-inform them ; notwithstanding the pretence of a cheaper rate of the book . which being thus advertised , the printer taketh this opportunity of farther acquainting the reader from the latin interpreter , that these essays , to his knowledge , were ready and in the press several months before dr. bartholin's acta philosophica & medica appear'd in england , in which there are two or three passages that may seem of affinity with some to be met with in the latter part of the papers about experiments of arresting the parts of flame , and of making them ponderable . a catalogue of the writings publisht by the honorable robert boyle . . seraphick love. london , for henry herringman , . in o. . new experiments physico-mechanical , touching the spring of the air , and its effects . oxford , for thomas robinson , . in o. in latin : oxford ; for the same , . in o. . certain physiological essays ; to which is added , the physico-chymical essay about the differing parts , and redintegration of salt-peter ; as also , the history of fluidity and firmness . london , for henry herringman , . in o. in latin ; london , by the same , . in o. . some considerations touching the style of the h. scriptures . london , for h. herringman , . in o. . the sceptical chymist . london , for john crook , . in o. in latin ; london , for the same , in o. . . a defence of the doctrine touching the spring and weight of the air , against the objections of franciscus linus . london , for tho. robinson , . in o. . an examen of mr. hobbes his dialologus physicus de natura aeris ; with an appendix touching mr. hobbes his doctrine of fluidity and firmness . london , for tho. robinson , . in o. . vsefulness of experimental philosophy . oxford , for rich. davies , . in o. . experimental history of colours . london , for h. herringman , . in o. in latin : london , for the same , . in o. . history of cold. to which is added , an examen of antiperistasis , and of mr. hobbes his doctrine of cold. london , for john crook , . in o. . hydrostatical paradoxes . oxford , for rich. davies , . in o. in latin ; oxford , for the same , . in o. . origine of forms and qualities . oxford , for rich. davies , . in o. in latin ; oxford , for the same , . in o. . free considerations about subordinate forms . oxford , for rich. davies , . in o. in latin ; oxford , . . continuation of new experiments physico-mechanical touching the spring and weight of the air , and the atmosphere of consistent bodies . oxford , for rich. davies , . in o. . of the absolute rest of solid bodies . london , for h. herringman , . in o. in latin ; london , for the same , . in o. . several tracts ; viz. an introduction to the history of particular qualities : of cosmical qualities and suspitions : of the temperature of the subterraneal and submarine regions : of the bottom of the sea. oxford , for rich. davies , . in o. in latin ; london , for the same , . in o. . small tracts ; viz. of a discovery of the admirable rarefaction of the air , even without heat : new observations about the duration of the spring of the air : new experiments touching the condensation of the air by meer cold , and its compression without mechanical engins : the admirably differing extension of the same quantity of air rarified and compressed . london , for h. herringman , . in o. in latin ; london , for the same , . in o. . of the vsefulness of natural philosophy , tom. . oxford , for rich. davies , . in o. . an essay about the origine and virtue of gems . london , for moses pitt , . in o. in latin ; london , for the same , . in o. . several tracts , containing new experiments touching the relation betwixt flame and air , and about explosions : an hydrostatical discourse answering some objections of dr. henry more : an hydrostatical letter , dilucidating an experiment about a way of weighing water in water : new experiments of the positive or relative levity of bodies under water : of the air 's spring on bodies under water : about the differing pressure of heavy solids and fluids . london , for rich. davies , . in o. . essays , of the strange subtilty , the great efficacy , and the determinate nature of effluviums . to which are annext , new experiments to make fire and flame ponderable ; together with a discovery of the perviousness of glass . london , for moses pitt , . in o. . a dialogue concerning the positive or privative nature of cold ; by a member of the r. society : and a discourse about the saltness of the sea ; and another of a statical hygroscope ; together with some phaenomena of the force of the air 's moisture . to which is added a paradox about the natural and praeternatural state of bodies , especially the air. london , for rich. davies , . in o. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e and some that were publish'd an. . under the title of the atmospheres of consistent bodies . notes for div a -e this essay was designed to be but a part of the author's notes upon his essay about salt-peter . in a paper about improbable truths . in some papers about flame . * a discourse of pores of bodies , and figures of corpuscles . * as quercetanus , libavius , zabata , burggravius . ** as vidius , paraeus , caesalpinus , &c. * lib. . observ . . * lib. . de eeb. cap. . * libr. . con. . * lib. . de peste . notes for div a -e * of the pores of bodies , and figures of corpuscles . * the vsefulness of experimental philosophy . notes for div a -e * lib. . meteor . cap. , & . * cap. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . * about cosmical suspitions . * tract . de peste , lib. . cap. . * the plague which here miserably rageth upon the first of the flood doth instantly cease ; in so much as when five hundred dye at cayro the day before , which is nothing rare , ( for the sound keep company with the sick , holding death fatal , and , to avoid them , irreligion , ) not one doth dye the day following ; says mr. sandys in his travels , lib. . * mr. sandys in the book above-cited . * an essay of subterraneal exhalations . * agric. de nat. eorum quae effluunt è terra , lib. . pag. . * agric. de nat. eorum quae è terra effluunt , lib. . pag. . * see the essay of the subtilty of effluviums , chap. . * lib. . parte . cap. . * in explicatione herbarum biblicarum , cap. . * libro . acutor . morbor . * sennert . libr. . part . . cap. . * the liquor here mention'd is , for the main , the same with that describ'd by the author in his book of colours , experiment the 〈…〉 notes for div a -e * essay the sixth of the useful . of nat. philos . notes for div a -e * exp. iii. n. b. . the philosophical epitaph of w.c. esquire for a memento mori on his tomb-stone, vvith three hieroglyphical scutcheons and their philosophical motto's and explanation : with the philosophical mercury, nature of seed and life, and growth of metalls, and a discovery of the immortal liquor alchahest : the salt of tartar volatized and other elixirs with their differences. also, a brief of the golden calf, the worlds idol : discovering the rarest miracle in nature, ... / by jo. fr. helvetius. and, the golden ass well managed and midas restor'd to reason, or, a new chymical light : demonstrating to the blind world that good gold may be found as well in cold as hot regions, and be profitably extracted out of sand, stones, gravel and flints &c. .../ written by jo. rod. glauber. with jehior, aurora sapientiae, or, the day dawning or light of wisdom : containing the three principles or original of all things whereby are discovered the great and many mysteries of god, nature and the elements, hitherto hid, now revealed / all published by w.c. esquire. : with a catalogue of chymical books. approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the philosophical epitaph of w.c. esquire for a memento mori on his tomb-stone, vvith three hieroglyphical scutcheons and their philosophical motto's and explanation : with the philosophical mercury, nature of seed and life, and growth of metalls, and a discovery of the immortal liquor alchahest : the salt of tartar volatized and other elixirs with their differences. also, a brief of the golden calf, the worlds idol : discovering the rarest miracle in nature, ... / by jo. fr. helvetius. and, the golden ass well managed and midas restor'd to reason, or, a new chymical light : demonstrating to the blind world that good gold may be found as well in cold as hot regions, and be profitably extracted out of sand, stones, gravel and flints &c. .../ written by jo. rod. glauber. with jehior, aurora sapientiae, or, the day dawning or light of wisdom : containing the three principles or original of all things whereby are discovered the great and many mysteries of god, nature and the elements, hitherto hid, now revealed / all published by w.c. esquire. : with a catalogue of chymical books. cooper, william, fl. - . helvetius, johann friedrich, d. . vitulus aureus, quem mundus adorat & orat. english. glauber, johann rudolf, - . novum lumen chimicum. english. [ ], , [ ], , [ ], - , [ ], , [ ] p., [ ] leaves of plates : ill. printed by t.r. and n.t. for william cooper ..., london : . added t.p. engraved. each work has special t.p. and separate paging. "a briefe of the golden calf or the world's idol ... / written in latin by dr. frederick helvetius and printed at the hague, ; and now englished and abbreviated for the ease of the readers by w.c. esquire." "the golden ass well managed and mydas restored to reason ... / written at amsterdam, , by john rodolph glauber ... ; and translated out of latin into english in briefer notes, , by w.c. esq." "jehior or the day dawning, or, morning light of wisdom : contaning the three principles or originals of all things whatsoever." w.c. are the initials of william cooper. cf. bm. reproduction of original in cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng alchemy -- early works to . chemistry -- bibliography. alchemy -- bibliography. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - jonathan blaney sampled and proofread - jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion signaculum mundi pythagoricum diagram of the pythagorean cosmos iehova fecit omnia ex nihilo 〈…〉 secvla secvlorvm amen amen bonum infinitum i · mvndvs · archetypvs · devs iehova bonum finitum · ii · angelicvs · iii · etherevs · iiii elementaris diagram of man amidst the four elements, represented as four triangles contained within a single triangle, but extending beyond the bonum finitum into the realms of bonum infinitum and malum. homo coelvm mercurius stellae angeli aqva sal metalla pisces terra sulphur lapides bestia aer meteores aues plantae malum v · ignis · infernalis satan ignis : procellae inane : tenebrae abijss chaos a philosophicall epitaph in hierogliphicall figures with explanation a briefe of the golden calfe the worlds idoll glaubers golden ass well managed jehior the three principles or originall of all things published by wc e●●… with a catalogue of chymicall bookes ☉ ardens , et anima ☽ ▪ medio spiritus aut quam ☿ . sapientia múndi circa . versatúr , animam , corpus et spiritúm . qúod adúersus 🜂 pugnat , est 🜍 qúod ipsúm sústinet , est ☿ . natúra et anima é coelo deúm dedúcúnt . ratio et experientia fúndamentúm operis firm● stabile●●●upaedifi ●at . vltima ꝯiunctio elimentorum haec dicitur ph●●…a drupla ac spiritualis . haec scientia non enisi de occultis sapientum praeceptorū acp●●…orum . qualis est medicina tale 〈…〉 . corpora praeparate purgate . sol●ite 〈…〉 . magisterium ex úna radicepcedit in plures 〈…〉 london printed for william cooper att the pellican in litle britam the philosophical epitaph of w. c. esquire ▪ for a memento mori on his tomb-stone . vvith three hieroglyphical scutcheons , and their philosophical motto's , and explanation ; with the philosophical mercury , nature of seed , and life , and growth of metalls ; and a discovery of the immortal liquor alchahest . the salt of tartar volatized , and other elixirs , with their differences . also , a brief of the golden calf ( the worlds idol . ) discovering the rarest miracle in nature , how by the smallest proportion of the philosophers-stone a great piece of common lead was totally transmuted into the purest transplendent gold at the hague . by jo. fr. helvetius and , the golden ass well managed , and midas restor'd to reason ; or , a new chymical light , demonstrating to the blind world that good gold may be found as well in cold as hot regions , and be profitably extracted out of sand , stones , gravel , and flints , &c. to be wrought by all sorts of people . written by jo. rod. glauber . with jehior . [ aurora sapientiae , ] or , the day-dawning or light of wisdom , containing the three principles or original of all things ; whereby are discovered the great and many mysteries in god , nature , and the elements , hitherto hid , now revealed . all published by w. c. esquire . with a catalogue of chymical books . london , printed by t. r. and n. t. for william cooper , at the pellican in little britain , anno dom. . the authors epistle to the courteous and well minded reader . reader , i thought not of publishing this my epitaph , or hyeroglyphical figur'd scutcheons , further then my grave stone , being in a living grave , and in despair of life , when i made them ; but since almighty god hath gratiously extended the thread of my life , and providentially put these adjoyned treatises for my task before i dyed ; and being earnestly entreated by a friend to publish and explain them , i thought good to offer my mean mite to the world , so that thou mayest not only see and read an aenygma in these my scutcheons and epitaph , but have me thy aedypus to unfold them . where als● i have set forth the philosophers stone , and shewed the causes and manner of multiplication of life and seed , and given thee as an overplus , a clear relish of the alchahest , and salt of tartar volatized , with other elixirs , and philosophick medicines , &c. in small succinct chapters , to put thee one step forward in this knowledge , if thou wantst my help , or if beyond me to shame thy backwardness of imploying thy talent to vsury , and profit of thy neighbour . and i wish all men would rather study substance and matter with laconick-brevity and plainness in their writings , then prolix puff-pasted eloquence , and ostentation ; that so our life might be improved in sound knowledge and virtue ; and god receive all praise and honour , to whom it is eternally due . now to this my short epitaph with explanation , i have added pythagoras his metapaysical philosophick figure , and have adjoyned abbreviated notes of helvetius his golden calf , and glaubers new chymical light , treating of the rarest transmutations and miracles of nature ; and likewise of unheard of extractions of gold and silver ( and something better ) out of all sands , and out of the very stones of the streets , for the relief of all men . proceeding from a true desire to be thy christian friend and servant , w. c. for twice five hundred . jan. , . l' aurum amice eligis rus. to the honourable robert boyl , esq eminently noble & accomplisht . honourable sir , the translation of helvetius his golden calf here annext , being licenced and entered in order to the prin●ing thereof , in sept. . another ●ince took advantage to print and publish ●he same , little different ; that without ●rejudice to the translator we might say ●ith virgil , — hos ego versiculos , &c , we beat the bush , but others caught the hare , so lambs do bear their fleece , which others share . so bees make honey , and birds build their nests , and lands yeilds others profit plough'd with beasts . nevertheless it hath brought advantage to the reader , for i have since exceedingly abbreviated my former translation with the epistles , &c. not diminishing sense o● matter , and have adjoyned my own philosophical figured epitaph , with alchahest , elixis , samech , and their explanations , then also to be printed , which i dedicated to my worthy friend elias ashmole , esq but i have now further adde● pythagoras metaphysical figure , with●● most excellent , brief , and rare piece of a● unknown author , called , the dawnin● of wisdom , as also the new chymic● light of glauber , wherein i have man●ged mydas his golden ass , so as to ma●● him serviceable to all this nation , to bear their burthens , bringing him with these new lights and treasures here before your judicious view , as to a great mecaenas and strict examiner of learning ; hoping by the dawning or clear light of wisdom , you will judge both this ass and calf to be without all ignomy and scandal , having a faculty to speak as well for themselves , and their innocency , as ba-lambs . nay , to be phylosophically learned , and as richly laden , as those formerly sent with rich presents , to patriarchs or princes , being plentifully stored with gold , and other richer , miraculous , and inexhaustible treasures . my presumption for these names i hope will be pardoned , being philosophical terms ; and though such their lading may be sufficiently stored in your treasuries , and might seem boldness to be sent from so mean an artist , yet suffer me to present them to the world , ( though but as an ec●ho or vibrating glass ) to re-double ●he sound , and reflect the beams of your virtues and learning abroad , famous already by your own works and worth . i confess honourable sir , this my dedication , as a stranger , is especially grounded on the fame of your goodness , and communicative charity , the truest and noblest badges of honour , which if so , will now pardon me . but i stop here , taking off the imputation of base self ends , or flattery , by my concealment , with diogenes his recess of privacy , but remain your honours well wishing and humble servant , w. c. or twice five hundred . april . . l'aurum amice eligis rus. to his worthy , and much honoured friend , elias ashmole esq one of the kings majesties heraulds at arms , and comptroller of the excises through all england . honoured sir , having but barely , though faithfully translated this helvetius , treating of the most rare and experimental transmutation of metals ; i thought it not fit to make any dedication , but seeing i have adjoyned my own epitaph , with several scutcheons , mottos , and explanations , with pythagoras his general figure , blazoning philosophical herauldry , and also the alchahest , samech ' with other elixirs , &c. i consulted it was very proper to present the same to your judicious view , whose abilities might challenge the same , especially since i received some civilities from you , of a little like nature , in the small intermission of my long troubles , . likewise being an englishman , whose patronage in general you seem to avouch by those worthy collections of english philosophick chymical authors , formerly published by you . i know you have another coat of arms for my paternal family , in your heraulds office , which would suit with the said epitaph , if it were only as it is also intended for a plain sculpture to be upon my grave stone : yet such scutcheons had not been so proper for this place , these being chiefly here intended for the philosophers stone , agreeing with my said epitaph , in the elements , principles , and whole perfection thereof , excellently manifested by our late english phaenix , or elias artisto anonymon , in his book of the open entrance to the shut pallace of the king. now some perchance may think it incongruous for any man to publish his own epitaph , or annex any such novel scutcheons . yet since they and their explanations are philosophick ( and the philosophers patrons are truth and reason , which should govern all sorts of men ) i was the more confident of allowance and approbation . and indeed sir , i may affirm , they were made in a living grave , . from whence i never thought to come forth no more , then probably jonas might in the whales belly , daniel in the lyons den , or the three children in the fiery furnace , being grievously oppressed and clowded in my long troubles , and since as little regarded . wherefore i hope these may be better excused , especially , if it may tend to gods glory , as i hope it will by a continual warning , or ( memento mori ) to the reader for his souls health , though he want the philosophick spectacles to understand the sense more perfectly . however sir , give me leave to tender you these small reliques of my obsequious obsequy , as burnt offerings , reviving and describing aarons calf ground to dust by moses , with helvetius his golden calf , burnt to a stone or pouder , by the teutonic elias artista , and i wish you might prove another elias ( as your name imports ) in this fiery chariot , or transfiguration for the benefit of this our english nation , and of the whole world , to glorifie him who is the giver of all good things . and although ( as if dead ) i should remain unknown in the whales belly , on jobs dunghil , or diogenes his tub , yet entertain these ( as your own worth deserves and requires ) with a noble mind not regarding the weakness or misfortunes of the giver , which will the more illustrate your virtues , and oblige , worthy sir , your faithful friend , and humble servant , w. c. or twice five hundred . july . . laurum amice eligis rus. the philosophical epitaph of vv. c. esquire ▪ for a memento mori on the philosophers ( tomb ) stone . with three hierogliphical scutcheons displaying minervas , and hermes birds , and apollos birds of paradice in philosophical mottoes and sentences , with their explication . with a perfect discovery of the immortal liquor alchahest , or macchabean fire , and of the volatized salt of tartar , or samech , and of other elixirs , with their differences and properties . london , printed by t. r. and n. t. for will. cooper , at the pellican in little britain . epitaphium factum per w. c. minante periculo grande . scutisque affixis patefaciens avem minervae , hermetis , & apollinis avem paradici . in his hyeroglyphycis nvmerandi figvris . bubo minervae inter ramos haederae . creatio , chaos , corrupti● . ♈ mercurius sal ▪ anser h●rmogenis sive pullus in sole assatus . generatio . mortificatio . vivificatio . mundo lassatus tandem iveni ▪ hunc nidum ad me in terra reficiendu● nudus sum n●c tamen sentio srigus alo hoc pridem quod me nutrivit , quieteque hoc fruor loc● , cum amicis meis , consanguineis , ne plores igitu● , fugalo timorem , aut pulvis lachrymas hic ficce tu●s , est anima in caelis , in requie , cum sanctis ubi laudes angeli sine fine cantant olida sed mortalitatis haec parum hic fermentant dum perfecte putrescant , netideque purgentur , & tan ▪ dem , cum spiritu & anima rediviva resurgant . clangore buccinae quoe juncta lucebunt , eruntque divina , spiritualia , & fixa uti ch●istus , semp●rque manebunt unum quae t●ia sic facta unum bis v. c. restat . apollinis avis paradisi , phaeni● , icarus , vel ●quila excelsa sulphur . w. c. regeneratio . redemptio , glorificatio nemo ante obitum faelix . est in mercurio quicquid quaerunt sapientes , si ●ixum solvas faciasque volare solutum , et volucrem figas , facient te vivere tutum solve coagula , fige . dum fixum figit , tinctum fusibile tingit . si pariat ventum , valet auri pondera centum , ventus ubi vult spirat . capiat qui capere potest . l'aurum amice eligis , rus. an epitaph made by w. c. clowded by threatning disasters . with scutcheons annexed displaying minerva's and hermes birds , and apollo's bird of paradice , in hierogliphick nvmbers and in figvres . minerva's owl in an ivie bush . creation , chaos , corruption . ♈ mercury salt. h●rmog●n●s , goose or pullet roasted in the sun. generation , mortifications , vivifica●ion tyr'd of the world , at last found this nest to rest me in the ground ; i 'm naked , yet i feel no cold , feed that , that had fed me of old , and quietly enjoy this place , with friends about of my own race weep not then here , but banish fears , or let this dust dry up your tears my soul 's in heaven with saints in peace where angels sing and never cease . these grounds of mans mortality , rests here a while , till perfectly putrify'd , purg'd , cleans'd , and at last reviv'd with soul and spirit by bl●ft of trumpet w●ich being join'd shall and be spiritual fixt , divine , like christ ; and one for ever ●e shine , v. c. which being thus , is double you see . apollo's bird of paradice . phoenix , icarus or lofty eagle . sulphur . w. c. regeneration , redemption , glorification . no man's happy before his death . mercvry's birth 's best after 's death , mercvri's life vvas pvrg'd by strife . all 's in mercury that the wise men seek . if thou dissolv'st the fixt , and mak'st it fly , and mak'st the flying fixt , live safe thereby . dissolve , congeal , and fix , which being fixt will fix , and so being fusibly ting'd , will tinge , and mix. if wind be made of gold , 't is worth a hundred fold . the wi●d blow th where it list th receiv't they that can . laurum amice eligis , rus. signaculum mundi pythagoricum diagram of the pythagorean cosmos iehova fecit omnia ex nihilo 〈…〉 secvla secvlorvm amen amen bonum infinitum i · mvndvs · archetypvs · devs iehova bonum finitum · ii · angelicvs · iii · etherevs · iiii elementaris diagram of man amidst the four elements, represented as four triangles contained within a single triangle, but extending beyond the bonum finitum into the realms of bonum infinitum and malum. homo coelvm mercurius stellae angeli aqva sal metalla pisces terra sulphur lapides bestia aer meteores aues plantae malum v · ignis · infernalis satan ignis : procellae inane : tenebrae abijss chaos chap. i. a plain and full explanation of the aforesaid epitaph , scutcheons and motto's of w. c. as well for the philosophers stone as his own tomb-stone . this epitaph is literally the work of philosophers , and yet may revive the old useful adigy and motto upon this authors tomb-stone , to remember thy end . for as this flourishing signifies this author w c. being a mercurialist , tired of all worldly inquinaments ▪ so it illustrates all the ●lanets and their mercury , and the universal spirit and mercury of the world , and the specificks of nature ; and no less , the true mercury of philosophers for this work : free from all filthy corruptions well fitted , and put naked without garb , or any strange thing into its glass , and private philosophical nest or vessel , ( as into a grave and coffin ) with constant vapourous heat for putrifaction , and its true preparation , rectification , and perfection , orderly through its progression of colours , till it come to the true sulphur of philosophers , which in the interim , makes good that philosophick saying , ●st iter ad coelum , sed me gravis impedit aer , et me perfudit , qui me cito deserit humor . huic mihi sunt lachrymae , sed non est causa doloris , &c. englished thus , it tends to heaven , but the gross air hinders , and moisture falne quickly turns to cinders . hence comes these tears , though there 's no cause of grief , for they but nourish , th' earth gave them relief . and though worms feed upon my carkass here , my soul 's in heaven with my saviour dear . thus it may appear double you see ▪ or one in two , male and female , superiour and inferiour , gross and subtil , coelestial and terrestrial , sulphur and mercury , water and earth corruptible and incorruptible , or spiritual . and so the parts also are three , body , soul , and spirit ; sal , sulphur , and mercury ; ☉ . ☽ . & ☿ calx , ferment and tincture ; and the very mercury may be termed threefold , preparing , prepared , and essential , and according to ripley , and raimund , calcining , reviving , and essential . so likewise it may be termed four ; for the water , and earth which are two visible elements , comprehend fire and air , which are the four elements , which are turned inside outward , whereby they shew their effects and properties . thus terra ; stat. unda lavat , pyr purgat , spiritus intrat . the earth fastens , moist washeth , fire purgeth , and spirit enters . in and for which , also there are four fires used , natural , against nature , innatural ▪ and elemental ; all which , at the last will make a fifth essence ; and so by a perfect ternary quadrate , and quintessential process , from one , two , three , four , and five . it returns again into one most perfect spiritual sub ●ance , and so is reunited , and raised to a perfect circular centre , a fixt fusible and incorruptible medicine ▪ to make the true elixir of philosophers ; opening and shutting ●t pleasure , giving the ●eys of happiness to all that shall enjoy it , to enter to a kingdom of health , wealth , and honour , and shutting out all ignorant dark bodies , and spirits . thus then at last this medicine may obtain the name and number , intimated by w. c. which as it is this authors name , who is but one in person , and in figures , twice five hundred ; so is the medicine but one in substance , and in virtue twice five hundred , or a thousand for this cause the jews thought christ to be john baptist , risen from the dead , and therefore did such mighty works . and this we know ( saith st. paul ) that such as he is , such like shall we be at the resurrection , if we have his spirit , and follow him in pious obedience , patience , and humility . so that in this epitaph , as well as by the said scutcheons and motto's , is plainly set forth the divine and natural stone of the wise-men , with their sulphur and mercury ; though to be understood with a gr●in of salt ; and likewise the moral , natural , and mortal fate of man. the whole art therefore of this philosophy , is to begin where nature ends , and to take what you find most ready and perfect in nature ▪ and that which is nearest of kin ; and intirely separate the heterogeneal gross parts , and congregate the homogeneal , make them essential , and separate the elements , kill the quick , and quicken the dead , and circulate , fix and ferment all to the highest degree of exal●ation , and philosophical sublimation and perfection . as ripley saith , kill the quick , and to the dead give life ; make trinity one without any strife . thus opening and shutting by ixions wheel , in heavenly mansion , both in a natural and artificial vessel , till it come to the greatest perfection and number , if not infinite . and now note , though most philosophers in their writings , have concealed their true privy mercury , fire ▪ vessel , time and bath . yet here thou maist easily find all the secret ; if god have ordained thee to be helpful towards the redemption of his poor creatures , groaning under their burdens of oppressions and mortality . now as this epitaph doth thus set forth the true elixir of philosophers , and mans mortality ; so likewise these scutcheons or hyeroglifical figures you see do the same in the honourable pedegree of the philosophick true medicine , or golden ▪ fleece , as well for the life and health of mans body as metalls , both in the elements and principles of the said elixir , and in its coelestial and terrestrial parts , proceeding from their saline chaos , or first mercurial matter , and their glorified sulphur to their coelestial sphears of multiplication , fermentation , and projection ; and so they and their motto's agree sincerely , with all the philosophick sayings and intentions ; namely thus , some philosophers would have it one thing , and affirm , that the salt of metals is the philosophers stone ; others say , all 's in mercury that the wise-men seek ; and again , others do teach , that the whole art depends in and upon the true preparation of their sulphur , as being the most perfect of the three principles , whose orbs must be thrice turned about , as in my three figures and coelestial wheels : and some would have it one thing , comprising the nature of two , as a hermophradite or embrio ; moreover , some would have it absolutely two things , as male and female , fire and water , or water and earth , sulphur and mercury , or heaven and earth . some likewise would have it consist of three , salt sulphur , and mercu y ☉ . ☽ . & ☿ . body , soul , and spirit ; others would have it the four elements , and say , the conversion of them is the whole work . and some again would have it a fifth essence and quintessential spiritual body ; and say their mastery and mistery consists in these five numbers , , , , , & . as in my said epitaph and circular scutcheons appear , thus comprehended , in and by the chaos and products . the chaos in th' excentrick centre still , hath death's heads ternary , crows or owly bill . whose square face , under times confused glass , of fire and water , six days angles pass , within the spiny bush , expansion till , a sabatean rest makes all stand still . after each colour fram'd to th' owners praise , then all things multiply to the end of days . the two in number , are but one in kind , and four in nature , three in one do bind . and then the quintessence wheels thrice in'ts sphear , to conquer all the mortals every where ; which waters thus takes name from icarus , the lofty eagl●s son , and dedalus philosophers true sulphur and mercury their u●ctuous tincture ; and their water dry. the owl appears in darkness , yellowish red , and white are seen upon the gooses head. the bird of paradise , and phoenix fly , which starry brightness in th' adeptists skye ; through milkie paths up to the moon and sun , to multiply till the adept have done . then each that 's worthy , come and feast you here , with apollo , hermes , and ●inervah s chear : for here is nectar , and ambrosia still , vnder these hyerogliphicks take your fill . all which nevertheles , i acknowledge is really but one onely thing , or essence in the root , viz. the philosophers ☿ , although out of two or three particulars , or more in kind ; and one operation of several parts , as in my said epitaph , and circular figures comprised : nay indeed may be but one onely particular thing , and one continued simple and single operation , when duely prepared , and superfluities removed . but if one onely thing be taken , then it is divided into several parts ; or if several things be taken , they are brought to one ; and so may it be said of the operation , which all being but one , the philosophers nevertheless are pleased to distinguish it by its several progressions , colours , and properties , intimated by , and within the said three figured circles and their titles ; all agreeing with this old aenygma of vitriol , which being in many of the metallick kind , is and hath but one thing or substance ; and although but one , yet may be opened , divided , and have several parts ; and being done , be brought to one again , in one single and simple operation of nature ; thus , v. i. t. r. i. o. l. v. m. visitabis interiora terrae , rectificando invenies , occultum lapidem , veram medicinam . visit the interiours of earth , rectifying , and you shall find the hid stone , and true medicine . and like it , agreeing with this work of palyugenius , which hath two . hunc juvinem arcadium , insidum nimiúmque fugacem , prendite , & immersum stygiis occidite lymphis ; post hiales gremio impositum deus excipiat , quem ●emnia terra colit sublatumque in cruce figat . tunc sepelite utero in calido & dissolvite putrem , cujus stillantes artus de corpore nostro spiritus egrediens penetrabit , & ordine miro , paulatim extinctum nig●is revocabit ab umbris . aurata indutum clamyd●n argentoque nitentem , projicite hunc demum in prunas renovabiter alter , vt phoenix , & quae tangit perfecta relinquit , corpora , naturae leges & faedera vincens , mutabit species , paupertatemque fugabit . englished thus , take this arcadian slippery ●ad , who 's apt to fly , and in the glittering stygian lake , drown'd let him dye ; when hi●ls juices in his breast , god saves him from loss , whom lemnian earth doth nourish , lift up fix t' a cross , then in a warm cave buried , dissolve what 's rotten , from whose synews , drops of this our body 's gotten . spirits will pi●rce , and orderly from shades bring out , this offspring cloth'd with gold and silver round about . at length project this on live coals , and you 'l soon see , another ( phoenix like ) thereby renew d to be ; which with its onely touch , perfects all bodies here , past the strict bond , and laws of natures sphear ; and will change the species to a higher degree , whereby all grief may cease , and poverty shall flee . and yet understand me rightly concerning the said work , and matter of philosophers ; that gold for certain is the principle of gold-making powder , ( be it in what subject or appearance it will ) even as fire is the principle of firing : for nothing can give what it hath not . in auro , semina sunt auri. as augurellus and others testifie . in gold , is the seed of gold. and even the same may be said of lune , when 't is a masculine . and their mercury is the ground of both , and contains all three ; and is the earth , in which it is sown , and from whence it takes its original , and is of their own nature . but this must be living gold or silver , and not the common gold or silver , which are dead ; or the common fowl quick silver . and indeed these are more universal , cheap , common , and easie to be had , then most men , even some philosophers do think : which caused ingenious , and learned taulodanus to write against the subject of that worthy old philosopher bracescus , though both true philosophers , and their several subjects true ; and this made claveus in his chrysopeia , and argyropeia to doubt of some of lullie's processes ; for these principles are to be found in one subject , and in divers having a golden nature , as dunstan , arnold , guido , ripley , raimund , glauber , and others do testi●e ; and more ways are to the wood then one : for out of every or any particular metallick or mineral species , may by due philosophick preparation , be extracted the subject for the philosophers stone ; and every chymical work called particular may by purification , good preparation & sutable fixation , volatisation , and exaltation , be made a universal work for multiplication : nay out of every element , and principle of and in nature ; and almost every abject thing whatsoever , may be extracted a sulphurous , sol , lune , or mercury , enlivened for the philosophers work . and st. devogius affirms , that the said first matter of philosophers , is easier to be touched with the hand , then discerned or found by subtilty of wit or sophistick imaginations , and saith , he told it & the process literally to some , who nevertheless had not confidence therein , for the meanness of the same , and therefore left it without trial and certainly the antecedent and primordial ens auri , is in every element and principle ; the which are never so simple , but out of each the other may be extracted ; and we may observe a kind of demonstration hereof by our mother earth , who brings forth all things : for take any good and fit earth , extract all the stones , roots , salt peter , and whatsoever else is included , and being then left open to the air for some time in a convenient place , it will not onely of its self be impregnated again with new salt peter , vegetables , stones , mettals and minerals , but also with animals , and those very stones , &c. shall hold a sulphurous gold and mercury , fit for a philosopher to work upon , and to make a fit medicine for any of the three kingdoms of nature , and this being after specificated with a fit metallick , shall perfect the impure mettals , to sol , and lune ; and 't is strange that salt peter , a mineral in the earth , should have its root and quarry in the air. and verily every thing brought to such likeness in perfection of elements , and the three principles , as to be quintessential and fixt , are in community of substance with the principles of mettals , and are in a manner universal , and may help to make the stone for transmutation of mettals , as well as for the health of men , &c. for the community of matter of all things , is in sal , sulphur , and mercury , and the purity of the four elements is in pure water , and pure earth , brought to a quintessential essence , and so are in community of substance with mettals , and will be of equal nature with their principles , namely , in sal , sulphur , and mercury ; for the matters and principles of generation , are in sal , sulphur , and mercury , and these may as well be had by art , above the earth , as by nature in the mines , and so may be brought to a fixt sulphur of nature , which is as good an earth for the work as may be ; for guido saith of the earth , it is no matter so it be fixed . and raimund saith , nought is required in this art for transmutation , but pure earth , and pure water ; and ripley saith , hair and blood cannot be the stone for transmutation , but elements separated from them may ; and of ☿ separated from them , is little good , but if brought to sulphur of nature , it is as good earth for it as may be ; yet still mark , that it be brought to a community of nature , and must be fermented with pure real gold : yet you are not tied to go to so great a distance ; for things neerer of kin are easier transmuted , and the neerest the best . wherefore the artists may begin where nature ▪ left off in her simple and single operation . and ( like a good husband-man with corn ) sow the pure grain of gold ( not common gold ) in its pure mercurial virgin mother earth ( not common earth ) but a white crude , golden water or essence , brought to them by the help of eagles , or else by the mediation of the doves ; and the man in his glittering golden robes , may drink of his nectar in a pure silver cup , three to the graces , or nine to the muses ( as ripley intimates ) and according to the old mystical law. ter bibe aut toties ternos sic mystica lex est . drink three , or thrice three , which is a mystery ; and so the masculine and feminine , or ☉ . ☽ . & ☿ . being in perfect health , and in their prime and sperme , as one thing , willingly embrace , and joyn to spiritualize themselves into a sprout , or living seed , to grow up to the highest degree of the power , energy , and virtue of ☽ . and gold , and of the spiritual stone of philosophers , and to do whatsoever else the philosophers have need of . nam lapis philosophorum nihil alind est quam aurum in gradibus suis multiplicatum stante proportione quâ fuit in auro primo . for the philosophers stone is no other thing , then gold multiplied in its de-degrees , standing in the same temperature or proportion in which it was at the first : which must be nourisht with the mothers pure milk , till it can feed upon stronger meats , and so gets vigour to multiply . and then the glorified king ( triply crown'd ) shall vanquish his enemies , and redeem his brethren and kindred , in all or any nations from their vile corruptions : if they can but touch the hem of his garment ; or entertain him at his approach , as they ought ; for 't is alike to him , to raise their essences , as to separate their maladies . yet you must , first , learn the eagles that foster up the doves , and makes diana taste of venus's loves , where cupid conquers mars his furious ire , and makes the magnet draw the calib's fire ; which seems a riddle , and 's the gordian knot , and herculean , labour for the artists lot. without the perfect knowledge of which , thou canst never attain thy end . chap. ii. of the causes and manner of multiplication of life and seed ; and one way of preparing mercury for the philosophers stone , and others for making of vniversal medicines , &c. in the beginning god gave his blessing to increase and multiply ; and commanded that each thing from its like , should draw its form ; and so created in nature a certain chain , or subordinate propinquity of complexions , between visibles and invisibles ; by which the superiour spiritual essences descend , and converse here below with the matter . yet nature hath , nor had but one onely agent ( hidden in the universe ) which is anima mundi , working by its universal spirit , through innumerable distinct , concreates according to their specificque forms and seeds , which god the father , at first creation by his word and idea ( or son and holy spirit ) did glance at once into the first matter , and so set laws and bounds in nature : of , in , and over all , which he is still president , upholding , strengthening , and ordering all the said powers , as his instruments in every particular as well as in the general ; so that a sparrow falls not without his providence and power ; and so kind by kind , produceth kind in all natures , three kingdoms ( animal , v●gitable , and mineral ) by means of the said seed ; for as fernelius saith , nihil est in ulla naturae parte , quod non in se generis sui semen contineat . there is no part of nature which doth not contain within it self the seed of its own kind . god and nature still use the same , and as a mean to unite the form to its own matter , and to raise strength and appetite in the patient , and to invite the active virtue of form and life to work freely . yet still its motions to tend to its own specifick end as god had ordained ; except it be misplaced or abused ( as sendivogius expresseth , or joyned to some unfit matter ; which end being attained , the life then seems dead , or at a stand ; and so chained , hedged , and imprisoned with corporal ●ences , that it can work no further upon that subject to its promotion ; but onely doth organizare molem , and sets its prison or house into the best order it can ; branching into several members , that it may have the more room to employ its faculties , evidently seen in animals and vegitals with various motions : but in minerals ( more opprest with matter ) less apparent , and seeming slain by congelation , especially taken out of their mines , and mechanically used ; and so onely preserves its bodily being , till revived with new ferment , and matter , whereby the body is opened again to manifest its living , essential moisture hid in the centre , wherein the seed and spirit of life is placed as fire , and then revives and restores new operations , in the new adjoined nourishment or matter . and thus nature by help of art may transcend , ( and as it were ) go beyond its self ; and so the seed will still extend its power and life , as long and often as it be thus opened and fitted with new matter and ferments . for form is light , the source of central heat , which cloth'd with matter , doth a seed beget ; wherein life , like fire seeks it self t' increase , and e●ernize , if fuel ne're do cease . helmont in butler , and sendivogius in his new light , partly testifie the same . now this seed is no sooner produc'd , but it assaies to change the matter , and stamps its character therein , and so presently the matter lives , and the matter then coworks together with the form , to attain that end , to which the seed implanted doth intend . for all things live according to their kind , their life is light , as therein you may find . quantum quidque habet luminis , tantum habet & numinis , ( saith one ) and thus much for form and seed in general . know further now , that metals in the mineral kingdom are thus produced . their sulphur unctuous , coagulates , and fixeth a fluent moisture mineral called mercury , the which is a dry humidity that flows , yet wets not hands , its parts are so homogeneal , that the very fire its self doth not easily separate them . it is of waters progeny , yet far exceeds it in weight , and firm composure , which properties come not by chance , but by gods decree ; providence and power , from its specificque seed , and its hidden inward agent , form , and life , from anima mundi , which the water before had not ; neither yet hath it parts dissimular ( hand or foot ▪ head or eye ) as animals , or otherwise as vegitables : but is all homogeneal , and of most firm parts and root . now mercury hath most affinity with gold , known by their equal weight , purity , firm composure , and easie mixture ; next with silver , then jove , saturn , venus , and last and least with mars , which is a secret to understand and though mercury may be mixt and made amalgame , with all or any , yet it will not enter into any in the root without fit preparation and great art ; but drive away one from the other , in the fire , which is another secret , now the reason is , for that it and they are dead , or their life hid , imprisoned , and dormant within their bodies ( as is said ) and the sulphur fixt , and sealed in the perfect metals , and earthly fowl or crude in the impersect , which mercury abhors and rejects , or cannot cope with , being its self also in fetters , bound to his good behaviour ; and if you separate the f●ces of the latter , which are imperfect , yet you have but a fluid mercury from them like the common ; and a crude sulphur , too remote to join with gold , for gold having passed its enchantments and c●udities , scorns to be defiled therewith any more ; wherefore common crude sulphur , will easier join with other imperfect mettals , then with gold : but pure and fixt sulphur , sooner and better with gold then with the rest ; and therefore if you would make use of the sulphurs or mercuries of the imperfect metals , or the common . they must be each prepared and fitted with a living power , and so acuate as to become a fiery quickning agent , before it can reincrudate , open and enter the body of sol , whereby it s own water may appear , and its fiery seed and spirit of life issue forth , and be made active to work upon , and in the said female living mercury , it being sols own essence , flesh and bone , and its proper matter , earth and matrix ( as is said ) wherein seed will then quickly fructifie and increase : for sol though pure , perfect , and full of virtue in its self bodily ) must be reincrudate , crucified , and die to nature , that its virtue and tincture lockt up , and onely single in its self bodily , might become exalted with its body and , spiritually living , and fixt together in heavenly mansions , and so extend and communicate more largely its powerful virtues , and tincture to imperfect bodies , and spirits to redeem them from thraldom , corruption , and fire by imbracing one grain of his bounteous pure spirit , and so be raised at last to him for eternity . for so death and destruction of outward form , will be but as a back-door to the soul and spirits true birth , and its bodies eternal life and union , till it come at last to the highest perfection , by its fulness of tincture . thus is the philosophical corner-stone , made a true medicine , though rejected and scoffed at by many . and these are the effects hid from the voluptuous , covetous , and worldly-wise-philosophers , and revealed to solitary , meek , humble spirits , who forsake outward pomp and vanities , to embrace the fruits of piety and wisdom . now observe further , that every thing that is convertible into gold , hath its mercury and sulphur , which either is , or may be acuate , and made fiery and living for a philosophical preparation of and with sol , and so both the common and metallick mercury may be thus fitted and prepared to wed with sol. all which mercuries ( as is said ) beforehand in themselves are dead ; for mercuries preparation is thus , viz. by a mineral with sable silver veins , which is the dragon born in saturns den , devouring cadmus with his earthly men. first then this dragon double strengh ' to mars , must be yet pierc't by him being god of wars . then both will perish and become a star , where the young king is born , who is solar . then wash equal venus in 's blood , and let them joyn , till vulcan take them in a net , which mercury gently on his wings must bear , till he steals their wealth , and sols body tare ; wherein then sol will freely shed his seed , and this is all whereof we stand in need . which ordered right you cannot choose but speed . if you can prepare your mercury better , do 't freely , and care not for this letter . for all sulphurs and mercuries may serve your turn , if pure and living join'd t' earths will not burn . chap. iii. of the subject and marks of the immortal liquor alchahest . here reader make a little pause , and take this short hint for thy true instruction of the alchahest and macchabean fire , burning in water , and as a serpent ( or latex ) lying hid in the cavernes of the earth , and in other things and places ; being nevertheless but one anomolous balsammick salt , passing through the world , which almost every man knows and needs , though he observes not the marks to be that thing . i say , it is the primum ens salium , and hath a mark or cross affixt on it from the almighty , which ( as helmont saith ) the adept do know , and every curious philosophick searcher , may find to be a sure and certain token of its true alchahestical virtue , beyond any demonstration : and indeed we must not seek , or think to ●nd that in a thing which god and nature hath not implanted in it . for nothing can give , what it hath not . but the vertue , operation , and power thereof , may be cleared and exalted by art . this mark then i say is not the mark of cain , or any bestial curse , but clean contrary , and can preserve life ; so that none can kill it , though they would devour it ; which mark till you find , you shoot at rovers ; and though the ass have such an outward mark with ignomy , yet christ was pleased to ride upon it , and to grace the cross after by his mighty power of sufferings on it , he having a balsamick constant virtue of patience therein over it . some light is given of this mark and token upon it , both by paracelsus , the glory of chymists , and by brave helmont his great interpreter , but coucht close up from the rustick observation in convenient places ; yet their preparations are plainly set down to be only simple dissolution and coagulation , with easie heat , till it come to it s transmuted form , without any commiscible ferment heterogeneous to it self ; but this serpent biting his own tail , by digestion and putrefaction becomes invenomed , and so by solution mortified into the smallest attoms possibly in nature ; and then is raised , circulated , and revived for eternity to some higher orb or elixir , and so not possible to mix with any elementary impurity , or ferment to be transmuted , but seperates and preserves all and every essential concrete whereto it is joyned from corruption , and the causes of death without any diminution of its or their intire created virtue . chap. iv. of the salt of tartar volatized , or samec , and other elixirs . i may tell thee here nevertheless , that though the proper subject of this foregoing liquor , called the alchahest be but one anomalous salt , or first beginning of salts , with such a noted mark , and john baptist like , doth such great or mighty works , yet nevertheless the least elixirated subject in the philosophers kingdom ( though the lowest perfected salt ) will doe such alchahestical effects , and some beyond , especially being rapt up ( like paul ) from the quaternary elements , into the christalline third heavens above the fixt stars and planetary orbs : for paracelsus his high prepared samech , and every alcalisate incinerated wine of vegetables being brought to their full preparation and perfection , are alchahestical , at least succedaneous , as a circulatum minus ; and also all other balsamick quintessential things , and concretes in the three universal kingdoms of nature . but more especially the true mercurial saline , and sulphurous elixirs of philosophers wrought up and exalted to the bright christalline or angelical orbs , influences in spiritual fusible liquid forms , and appearencies are so universally alchahestical , that i say they may do the same things , if not greater , and make better exalted balsamick separations and preparations , then the ordinary saline alchahest . but the manner of preparation ( & modus dispositionis ) must be thought on to bring this to effect : for the degrees of hierarchy are much conducing to and for the glory of angelical powers and influences : and yet the said alchahest ( as a good forerunner ) may prepare the way or foundation to this grand elixir . 't is true , the alchalizate parts of samech , and other alcalyes , after their sufficient resolutions and pure soft apparelling for their first addresses to win their beautiful caelestial bride , and her beloved and delightful influences must have a hot and most pure affection ( chac'd from adultery , yet fusibly melting with heat ; ) and then each of them with a strong clutch ( like a domestick thief , nevertheless gently and at leisure ) will take away his beloved out ▪ of her chariot at such a time when he ●nds her in her greatest beauty , and most glorious pure attire , and with a cleanly conveyance , in the cool of the evening , will carry her away with all her wealth and jewels from her outward weak , and inward close attending strong guardians , who will then by her milder advice pacifie his heat for the present , but being once fully marryed and in his possession , her love will be so true and intire , that her tender affection will snatch and carry him on her winged embraces in her mantle , up to the highest mountains , from hers and his boisterous , pedantical , malicious enemies where afterwards they will live in peace upon heavenly manna in paradice , and dress the garden of eden with new plants , and may delight in all the fruits of life , having an angelical guardian and gardener with a flaming sword , to prevent and keep out all rustick and malevolent followers and pursuers . and reader , this greater secret may be here revealed ; that some affirm , all the concreats and things in natures , ●hree kingdoms , ( animals , vegetables , and minerals ) may be reduced to such a quintessential perfection of the four elements , and three principles as to have a community of nature , and will make the matter for the philosophers stone in any kind ; but then they must be fermented with gold and silver for metals and minerals , and so may easily transmute course metals into gold or silver , and perfect baser minerals and stones as well as they may exalt their own specifick kinds . i might further enlarge with some rare philosophick particular preparations in every kind or thing , and of the universal spirit , and general phlegmatick menstruum or dissolvent , and of some sweet oyls and spirits of balsamick , salts , sulphurs , and mercuries , &c. both for menstruums and medicines ; and to set forth butlers magnetick , mystical , physical , anodyne stone , with other sympatheticks , magneticks , &c. but it were against my intention of brevity , and i have sufficiently done in the general , for the philosophers stone and elixirs , ( instar omnium ) comprehends all . chap. v. an apologitical peroration of mans mortality , resurrection , and state for eternity . perhaps here some may say , it is not easie to find or understand all written in this short volume , by solitary experiments , or publick print , which i confess to be true ; nor could i , till i had the blessing to converse with some philosophick authors , and had living words to demonstrate it ; whereby likewise i felt and found out paracelsus and helmont , in their concealments , which i have here given thee a key to open ; and if it may be any help unto thee , acknowledge it from god ; if thou dislike it , thy time and charge will not be much prejudiced by these few lines , and might he spent worse , but take it for good intentions ▪ or how else thou pleasest , so thou forfeit not thy christian name by envy , or speaking evil of what thou knowest not . and thus i hope in this short discourse i have sufficiently explained my philosophical anygmatical scutcheons , and epitaph , with the alchahest , samech , and other elixirs , as also my adjoyning words and figures , the rest i leave , ( if thou be more curious ) to be explained by the aforesaid authors , and multitude of others better experienced in this art ; and if thou yet shalt blame me for thy want of apprehension hereof by these writings , or of my figures and epitaph , i am resolved to be dumb and silent like a dead man still ; for if i deserve blame i ought to bear it quietly ; if otherwise , i have been used to scandals and reproaches from pharaohs court , to jobs dunghil , and can take it for a glory to suffer patiently ; for i have set down what the philosophers and adeptists have said and confessed , viva voce , and in print ; nor could i or they give this knowledge in the plainest words , without the peculiar inspiration of god : wherefore if thou desirest this great blessing , ask it of him who giveth liberally and upbraideth not when it may tend to his glory . but be sure thou prepare thy self by purity and holiness , with true mortification , as thou desirest thy work should prosper and thrive . and therefore pray affectionately , that god , in and through christs spirit , may enliven thee from dead works , and separate light from thy dark body and chaos of sin , that so being truly baptized into him and his righteousness , by an essential and living seed of faith , thou maiest improve thy talent , and mount through and above the quaternary defiling world into the trivne power , and at last come to the quintessential , or super celestial central circle of peace , and heavenly beatitude . wherefore now , candid reader , if thou beest not satisfied with this work or these expressions ▪ leave them for the author , for the said epitaph and figured scutcheons will serve me well enough for a grave stone ( which was so chiefly intended at the first ) where i may lye at rest , with or without any other herauldry , or applause ; and wherein thou maiest plainly nevertheless read thy mortality , as on other tombs , to prepare thy self for thy long home of eternity , for thy body , soul , and spirit , must be seperate , and the four elements thus corrupted from the sal , sulphur , and mercury , generate worms , &c. which after a full and perfect separation , are again to be re united at the day of doom , for a quintessential , super celestial , and everlasting being : the good in joy and peace of the holy ghost , which had fermented the same by righteousness in this life into christs body as members , and was in all the saints and true catholick church , the hope of glory . but the other that were bad , left to their bestial , sensual , and divelish fermented affections , to be tormented eternally , with and by their bad spirits , and grosser essences , for their idolatry of fleshly , divelish , and worldly vanities , with horror and everlasting anguish of mind and body , wherewith nevertheless they will be nourisht and enabled to endure for ever and ever . all which i have declared , and cannot be easily hid from thee , though thou shouldst want lynceus eyes , or the philosophick eagles eye , to behold the light of nature exalted to the highest degree of the sun by art ; which nevertheless i wish thou maiest find out by this or some other means ; so it may tend to the praise and honour of god , and thine and thy neighbours eternal wellfare , who am thy friend and true lover of art and nature , and care not what thou saiest or thinkest of w. c. or twice five hundred . laurum amice eligis rus , a briefe of the golden calf . or the worlds idol . discovering the rarest miracle of nature . how in less then a quarter of an hour by the smallest proportion of the philosophers stone , a great piece of common lead was totally transmuted into the purest transplendent gold. with other most rare experiments and transmutations . written in latin by dr. frederick helvetius , and printed at the hague , . and now englished and abbreviated for the ease of the readers . by w. c. esquire . laurum amice eligis rus. the epistle of vv. c. to the reader . reader , i have taught helvetius with his golden calf , our english tongue , to perswade thee ( by these experiments from a true adeptist ) of the reality of the philosophers stone , & universal medicine , and consequently to esteem the noble art of chymistry by which it is wrought ; and i heartily wish the laws were not so strict , nor the snares so many , against the honest practisers of this art , but to punish the others more severely that abuse the same , then i question not the further demonstration hereof . but the golden calf and fleece are sufficiently divulged almost in every language , and many rare english philosophers collected by our worthy countryman elias ashmole esq in his theatrum britannicum . there is also published a manuscript of a most rare anonymon ( probably yet living ) who like a miracle of nature , attained the elixir at years of age , . and as a true elias ( or fore-runner ) hath taught the same , in his book entituled , secrets revealed , or an open entrance to the shut pallace of the king. we have likewise the bright sun of our age , and lover of mankind , john rodolph glauber , basilius valentinus , and cosmopolite sendivogius , brave helmont , paracelsus , with several other translations in english , wherein many rare secrets are revealed for the honour of this art , improvement of our english nation , and to establish a belief of the said stone . this worthy helvetius it seems , had formerly a misprision of this art , but by these demonstrations mentioned in his book , he was convinced , and as worthily recanted to prefer the truth , and gods honour before his own repute , by which he hath gained more repute amongst all vertuous learned men . now if these experiments shall gain the like credit with you ( as i doubt not but they may ) you will not any ways detract or scandalize this almost divine art. nevertheless i do not perswade thee ( with the murmuring idolatrous jews to adore this ass or golden calf ( the workmanship of mens hands ) though termed the god of this world ) nor with jason or hercules to hazard thy self , or any limb , for the fleece , or branch of the golden tree ; but diligently to read and consider these and other learned authors to find a true coherence amongst them , and how with moses , or these elias artista's to wash the laeton , and burn the golden calf , and not thy books ; but beware thou fling not away thy mony before thou understandest the roots of nature , and the full art to proceed . if thou intendest the thing herein mentioned , least thou come off with loss and blaspheme the truth ; neither slight these reliques of the fleece as common dirt or dust , but rather magnifie the great creator , who hath not only given us this pretious stone for our health and wealth , but withal a most glorious white stone , clothed in scarlet , viz. his son christ jesus for the example , redemption , and eternal salvation of all men of that spirit , in and with whom are all blessings for male and female , poor and rich. but methinks these bright stars thus eminently appearing , with other manifest tokens would perswade us that the time is come , or not far off , when the true elias is or will be revealing this and all other arts and mysteries more plainly and publickly then before , though not perchance in or by any single person , but in some publick administration of spirit ( like a second john baptist in a fiery chariot ) to prepare the way for a higher design , by which men may forsake their vain lusts and pleasures , to follow this and other laudable arts. and exercise more justice , honesty , and love to their neighbours , ( hitherto very cool and remiss ) till they come to be transformed into the perfect image of christ , in , by , and with whom he will reign spiritually ; or else may find the smart of their vices by their violent fiery furies , and the stone out of the rock or mountain , dan. . . cut out without hands , to fall upon them in judgment , till they and their idols , gold and vanities be turned to dirt , or of no esteem , and afterwards the truth of religion in righteousness to flourish and cover the earth , as the waters do the seas , and then god will even delight to dwell in and amongst the sons and daughters of men , as the members of his beloved son , christs body , the true catholick church and christs kingdom ; though in some small differing outward forms , and that this his kingdom may come and hasten , is the prayer of your well wishing friend , w. c. or twice five hundred . laurum amice elegis rus. the epistle dedicatory of doctor john frederick helvetius . to the most excellent and learned , doctors , dr. theodosius retius , at amsterdam , doctor john casper fausius , at heidlebergh , and doctor christianus mentzelius , at brandenburgh , my honoured friends and patrons . most noble and acute searchers into the vulcanick anatomy : i would not be wanting to manifest the glory and riches of this ancient spagyrick art , which i have seen and done , by projecting a very little of the transmuting powder on a piece of impure lead , which in a moment ) was thereby changed into the most fixt pure gold , enduring the sharpest examination of fire , so that none need doubt , but certainly know the first material mercury of philosophers is to be found , and is as a fountain overflowing with admirable effects . yet it is not in my thoughts to teach any man this art , of which i my self am yet ignorant , but only to rehearse the proceedings i have seen . for it is only the part of bruits to spend their life in silence ▪ and not to declare that which might propagate the honour of the most wise , omnipotent god our creator : it being ungrateful for men , ( who ought to participate of the divine nature ) not to glorifie their maker . i shall therefore without flourishing , faithfully relate whatever i saw and heard from elias artista , touching this miracle . for truly i was not so intimate , that he would teach me to prepare the vniversal medicine throughout the artificial , chymical , physical method , yet he vouchsafed such a rational foundation in the method of physick , that i shall never sufficiently extoll his praise . receive therefore this small present which i officiously dedicate to you for admiration . farewell . n. e. e. d. v. your most humble servant . john frederick helvetius ▪ chap. i. before i describe the philosophical pigmy conquering gyants in this theatre of secrets , suffer me to transcribe some of helmonts words , out of his book of the tree of life , fol. . i am constrained ( saith he ) to believe there is a stone to make gold and silver , though i know many exquisite chymists have consumed their own and other mens goods in search of this mystery ; and to this day ( alas ) we see these unwary and simple laborants cunningly deluded by a diabolical crew of gold and silver , sucking hyes or leeches . but i know many stupid men will contradict this truth . this man will have it to be a work of the devils , another a hodge-podge , another to be the soul of gold ; so that with one ounce of this gold may again be tinged only one ounce of lead , and no more ; but this is repugnant to kifflers attestation , and others as i shall shew you : another perhaps believes it possible , but says , the sawce is dearer then the meat ; yet i wonder not at all , for according to the proverb , things that we understand not , we admire ; but things that please our fancy , we desire . now what will man do in natural things , who is fallen from the fountain of light into the bottomless pit of darkness , especially in this philosophick natural study . nay , i● they understand a thing , they despise it , not knowing that more is to be sought then is possessed . wherefore seneca said right , in his book of manners , thou art not yet happy if the ruder sort deride thee not . but whether men believe deride or contradict , there is a certainty of the transmutation of metals ; for mine eyes have seen it , my hands done it , and handled this spark of gods everlasting wisdom , or the true catholick , saturnine , magnesia of philosophers ( a very fire sufficient to pierce rocks ) a treasure equivalent to tun of gold. what seekest thou more ? i believed it with the eyes of thomas in my fingers , i have seen i say in nature , that most secret supernatural magical saturn known to none but a cabalist christian : and we judge him the happiest of all physicians , to whom this soveraign potion of our medicinal mercury is known ; or of the medicine of the sun of our aesculapius , against the violence of death , for which else grows no better panacea in all the gardens . but the great god reveals not promiscuously these his solomonical gifts ; for it seems to most men a wonder , when they see the creature , by an occult implanted magnetical virtue of it's like , to be brought into a real activity , as for example . the ingenerated magnetical , potential vertue , in iron from the loadstone ; in gold from mercury ; in silver from copper ; and so consequently in all the metals , minerals , stones , hearbs and plants , &c. but here i may deservedly ask , which of the wisest philosophers is so acute , to perceive by what means or obumbration the imagination in any woman with child doth tinge venomous or monstrous things ▪ and dispatcheth its work within a very moment , if it be brought to activity by any external object , i believe many will say , it is a morto ▪ magical divelish work ; but such bablers are afraid of the resplendency of the essential light of truth , wherewith their owl-like eyes are lamentably afflicted . but as i may 〈…〉 are a cause of this matter , though thou or i perhaps cannot comprehend their heavenly influences ; neither are the plants which the earth affords to be slighted herein , although i or thou cannot rightly judge from their external signatures , the effects of their ingenerated virtues , which they eminently shew according to their degrees of power , in the healing and preserving of mens bodies . but are all men defective in their light of understanding , because i or thou are wanting in knowledge , how the powers created to one and the same end may be brought into activity . thousands of such things might be instanced ; although thou dost not know the splendor in the angels , the candid brightness in the heavens , the perspicuity in the air , the clear limpidity in the waters , the variety of colours in the flowers , the hardness in stones and metals , the proportion in living creatures , the image of god in regenerated men , faith in true believers , and reason in the soul : yet is there in them such a beauty , which very few mortals have throughly perceived , or plainly known . now why should there not be such an admirable virtue in the true philosophers stone , which truly i have seen and known to be so . yet hereby i endeavour not to perswade the worthy and unworthy alike , to labour in this work . i rather dehort busie searchers , from this most perillous secret , like as from some holy of holies ; yea , let every discreet student be exceeding cautious in reading and keeping company with sophisticate false philosophers . nevertheless to satisfie curious naturalists , i shall communicate faithfully whatsoever was acted between elias the artist , and me , concerning the nature of the philosophers stone . it is a thing much brighter then aurora , or a carbuncle , more splendid then the sun or gold , and more beautiful then the moon or silver ; insomuch that this most recreating light , can never be blotted out of my mind , though it should not be believed by learned fools , or illiterate asses , bubling nothing but the gloss of haughty proud eloquence . for in this exulcerated old malignant age , nothing can be secured from slanderous carpers ; but all such batts and bratts do err from truth , and in progress of time vanish , miserably ensnared in their own errors , yet our assertion shall stand till the very end of all generations , being built upon the eternal foundation of triumphant truth . and although this art be not yet known to all , the adept do assert according to experience , that this natural mistery is only to be found with the great jehovah , saturninely placed in the center of the world. in the interim , we account them happy , who by the help of art , are careful how they may wash this philosophical queen , and circulate the catholick virgin earth , within a magick , physicall christalline artifice ; nay , as khunrade saith , they aone shall see the philosophers king crowned with all the colours of the world , and coming forth of his bedchamber , and glassy sepulchre , more then perfect in his external glorified fiery body , shining like a bright carbuncle , or a compact , and ponderous transparent christal ; these shall see the salamander casting out waters , and washing therewith , the leprouse metals in the fire , as i my self have seen . what shall i say ? these shall see the ●byss of the spagyrick art , where this kingly art did rest and lye hid so many years in the mineral kingdom , as in their safest bosom . assuredly the true sons of this art shall not only manifest such a river of numitius ; in which long since aeneas being washt , and absolved from his mortality , by the command of venus , was presently transformed like to an immortàl god , but also the whole lydian river ( called pactolus ) transmuted into gold , as soon as mygdonian mydas hath washed himself in the some . also in a long series they shall partly see the bath of naked diana , and the fountain of narcissus ; yea , scylla walking in the sea without her clothes , by reason of the fervent rayes of the sun ; and shall gather the blood of pyramis and thysbe , by whose help the white mulberries were tinged into red . partly also the blood of adonis , transformed by the descending goddess venus , into the anemone rose : partly also the blood of ajax , out of which did spring the fairest flower of hyacinth or violet : partly also the blood of the gyants , struck by jupiters thunderbolt : partly also the tears of althea , shed when she had divested her self of her golden robes , and laid them down : partly also the drops from medea's decocted water , out of which green things did presently sprowt out of the earth : partly also medeas potion boyled out of many hearbs , gathered three days before the full moon , for the healing of her good old father jason : partly also the medicine of aesculapius ; partly also the leaves by whose taste glaucus was transformed into neptune : partly also the expressed juice of jason , by whose benefit he got the golden fleece , in the land of colchos , after he had fought generously in the field of mars , not without great danger of his life : partly also the garden of hesperides , , from whose trees might be gathered apples of gold : partly also , hippomines running a race with atalanta , delaying and conquering her , by throwing down three golden apples , given him by venus : partly also the aurora of cephalus ; partly also as it were , romulus transformed by jupiter into a god : partly also the soul of julius caesar , transfigured by venus into a comes , and placed amongst the stars : partly also pytho the serpent of juno , springing up after deucalions deluge out of the putrified earth , heated by the rayes of the sun : partly also the fire , whereby medea lighted seven candles : partly also the moon inflamed by the great burning of phaeton ; partly also the dryed shrub or branch of the olive tree , new greening with berries as a new and tender tree : partly also arcadia , wherein jupiter was used to walk : partly also the dwelling place of pluto , at whose entrance the three headed cerberus did watch : partly also that mountain where hercules burnt all his members he had from his mother upon a pile of wood , when the fathers parts did remain fi●t and incombustible in the fire , yet was he not one jot impaired in his life , but at length was changed into the likeness of a god. further , these true children of the philosophers , shall at last enter into the temple of the transformed rustick house , whose roof was built out of fine gold . indeed i cannot do less then once more proclaim aloud with the adeptists . o happy , and thrice happy is this artist ▪ who by the most gracious blessing of the most high jehovah obtains this art to prepare and make this almost divine salt , by whose efficacious operation , the metallick body or mineral is broke open , destroyed and killed , yet its soul is revived to the glorious resurrection of the philosophick body : most happy therefore is he who obtains this art of arts , to the glory of god , by earnest constant prayers : for certainly the knowledge of this mystery cannot be obtained , unless drawn and suckt out of the fountain of fountains , which is god. therefore every serious lover of this inestimable art should believe the chief of his business is , that with uncessant desires and prayers in a living faith , he implore , and adore the most soveraign grace of gods holy spirit in all his works : for it is the solemn custom of god to communicate his gifts candidly and liberally , only to candid and liberal men , mediately or immediately : for by this only holy way of the practice of piety , all students of difficult arts find what they desire . but they must exercise solitary philosophical and religious pleadings with jehovah , , with a pure mouth and heart : for the heavenly wisdom sophia embraceth our friendship , offering us her rivers of gratious goodness and bounty , never to be drawn dry . and most happy is he to whom the true kingly way shall be shewed by an adept possessor of this great secret. but i foresee this small preface will not satisfie my readers alike ; some perchance taxing me for presuming as it were to teach them an art unknown to my self , when this hath been my only purpose to relate a history : yet i doubt not but this study of divine wisdom , will be sweeter to some then any nectar , or ambrosia . i say no more , but conclude with that of julius caesar scaliger , that the end of truly wise men is the communicating of wisdom : according to that of gregory nysse● he that is good , communicates willingly his goods to others , for the property of good men is to be profitable to others . chap. ii. the testimony of divers illustrious authors of this arcanum . first , paracelsus in the signature of natural things , fol. this is a true sign of the tincture of philosophers . that by its transmuting force , all imperfect metals are changed , viz. ( the white ) into silver , and ( the red ) into the best gold , if but the smallest part of it be cast into a crusible upon melted metal , &c. item , for the invincible astrum of metalls conquereth all things and changeth them into a nature like to its self , &c. and this gold and silver is nobler and better then that brought out of the metallick mines ; and out of it may be prepared better medicinal arcana's . item , therefore ever alchymist who hath the astrum of the sun , can transmute all red metals into gold , &c. item , cur tincture of gold hath astral stars within it : it is a most fixt substance and immutable in the multiplication . it is a powder having the reddest colour , almost like saffron , yet the whole corporeal substance is liquid like rosin , transparent like christal , frangible like glass . it is of a ruby colour and of the greatest weight , &c. read more of this in paracelsus heaven of philosophers . item , paracelsus in his seventh book of transmutation of natural things saith , the transmutation of metals is a great natural mistery , not against natures course , nor against gods order , as many falsely judge . for the imperfect metals are transmuted into gold , nor into silver , without the philosophers stone . item , paracelsus in his manual of the medicinal stone of philosophers saith , our stone is a heavenly medicine , and more then perfect , because it cleanseth all filth from the metals , &c. secondly , henry khunrade , in his amphitheater of the eternal wisdom . i have travelled much and visited those esteemed to know somewhat by experience , and not in vain , &c. ( amongst whom , i call god to witness ) i got of one the universal green lyon , and the blood of the lyon : that is gold , not vulgar but of the philosophers . i have seen it , touched it , tasted it , and smelt it : o how wonderful is god in his works ▪ i say they gave me the prepared medicine , which i most fruicfully used towards my poor neighbour in most desperate cases , and they did sincerely reveal to me the true manner of preparing their medicine . item , this is the wonderful method which god only hath given me immediately & mediately , yet subordinately through nature , fire , art and masters help ( as well living as silent ) corporal and spiritua● watching and sleeping . item , fol. . i write not fables , with thine own hands shalt thou handle , and with thine eyes see the azoth , viz. the universal mercury of the philosophers , which alone , with its internal and external fire , is sufficient for thee to get our stone ; nevertheless with a sympathetick harmony , being magick-physically united with the olympick fire , by an inevitable necessity , &c. item , thou shalt see the stone of the philosophers ( our king ) go forth of the bed-chamber of his glassie sepulchre , in his glorified body , like a lord of lords , from his throne into this theater of the world : that is to say , regenerated and more then perfect ; a shining carbuncle ; a most temperate splendour , whose most subtile and depurated parts are inseperably united into one , with a concordial mixture exceedingly equal , transparent like a chrystal , compact and most ponderous , easily fusible in fire , like rosin , or wax ▪ before the flight of quick silver : yet flowing without smoak , entring into solid bodies , and penetrating them like oyle through paper , dissoluble in every liquor , and comiscible with it , fryable like glass , in a powder like saffron : but in the whole mass shining red like a rubie ( which redness is a sign of a perfect fixation and fixed perfection ) permanently colouring or tinging ; fixt in all temptations and tryals , yea in the examination of the burning sulphur its self , and the devouring waters , and in the most vehement persecution of the fire , always incombustible , and permanent as a salamander , &c. item , the philosophers stone being fermented in its parts in the great world , transforms it self into whatsoever it will by the fire ; hence a son of art may perceive , why the philosophers have given their azoth the name of mercury , which adheres to bodies , &c. and further , in the same place it is fermented with metals , viz. the stone being in its highest whiteness , ●s fermented with pure silver to the white . but the sanguine stone , with pure gold to the red . and this is the work of three days , &c. thirdly , helmont in the book of eternal life , fol. . i have oft seen the stone and handled it , and have projected the fourth part of one grain wrapped in paper , upon eight ounces of quink silver boyling in a crusible , and the quicksilver with a small noise presently stood still from its flux , and was congealed like to yellow wax , and after a flux by blast , we found eight ounces wanting , eleven grains of the purest gold ; therefore one grain of this powder would transmute nineteen thousand , one hundred and eighty six parts ●f quicksilver into the best gold : so that this powder is found to be of similary parts amongst terrestrials , and doth transmute infinite plenty of impure metal into the best gold , uniting with it , and so defends it from canker , rust , rottenness , and death ; and makes it in a manner immortal against all tortures of fire and art , and transfers it to a virginean purity of gold , requiring only a fervent heat , item , in his tree of life , fol. . i am constrained to believe there is a gold and silver making stone or powder ; for that i have divers times made projection of one grain thereof , upon some thousand grains of boyling quicksilver , to a tickling admiration of a great multitude . and further as before is rehearsed in the first chapter . he also saith , he who gave me that powder had so much at least as would transmute two hundred thousand pounds worth of gold. item , he gave me about half a grain and thence were transmuted nine ounces and three quarters of quicksilver into gold ▪ and he who gave it me was but of one evenings acquaintance , &c. besides , the most noble expert man in the art of fire , doctor theodor. retius of amsterdam , gave me john helvetius a large medal with this inscription , theo-divine metamorphosis , &c. it was of count russ his making of styria , and carynthia in germany , of which one grain transmuted three pound of quicksilver into pure gold at all assayes . item , it is written that sixty years since alexander scotus made such a projection at hanaw in high germany , &c. i cannot here pass by dr. kufler in an extract of his epistle . first ● found ( in my laboratory ) an aqua fortis , and another in the laboratory of charles de roy ; i poured that aqua fortis , upon the calx of gold prepared after the vulgar manner , and after its third cohobation , the tincture of that gold did rise and sublimed into the neck of the retort , which i mixed with two ounces of silver precipitated in a common way , and i found that ounce in an ordinary flux transmuted an ounce and half of the said silver into the best gold , and a third of the remainder into white gold , and the rest was the purest silver fixt in all examinations of the fire ; but after that time i could never find more of that aqua-fortis . and i helvetius saw this white gold . item , another rare experiment done at the hague . there lived at the hague . a silver smith , named grill , well exercised in alkymy , but poor according to the custome of chymists . this grill got some spirit of salt , not of a vulgar preparation , from one caspar knotner a cloth dyer , to use as he said for metals . the which afterwards he poured upon one pound of common lead in an open glass , dish or platter , usual for confections or conditures ; and after two weeks there appeared a most curious star of silver , swimming upon it , as if it had been delineated with a pensel and pair of compasses by some ingenious artist . whereupon the said grill told us with joy he had seen the signat star of the philosophers , whereof by chance he had read in basilius : i with many others saw the same to our great admiration . the lead in the interim remaining in the bottom of an ashy colour . after seven or nine days in july , the spirit of salt being exhaled by the heat of the air , the star setled on the lead or feces in the bottome , and spread it self upon it , which many people saw . at last the said grill took a part thereof , and out of that pound of lead , he found by computation twelve ounces of cupelled silver ; and out of that twelve ounces , two ounces of the best gold ; and i helvetius can shew some part of that spongeous lead with part of ●he star upon it , and also some of the said silver and gold. now whilst this envious silly grill , conceal●ng the use , endeavoured to get more of that spirit of salt from knotner , the said knotner having forgot what sort it was or else not finding it sudden●y ; was shortly after drowned , and grill with his family dyed of the plague ; so that none could make further benefit or tryal of the said progress afterwar● indeed it would move admiration , that the leads i● ward nature should appear in such a noble outwar● form by the simple maturation of the said spir● of salt ; neither is it less wonderful , that the phil●sophers stone should so suddenly transmute all m●tals to gold or silver , having its vertue potenti●ly implanted within its self , and raised into an ●ctive power ; as is manifest in iron toucht with th● load stone . but enough of this . chap. iii. the sooner a thing promised is performed , the more grateful . wherefor● i return to my predestinated history . the twenty seventh of december , . in th● afternoon , came a stranger to my house at th● hague , in a plebeick habit , honest gravity , an● serious authority ; of a mean stature , a little lon● face , with a few small pock holes , and most blac● hair , not at all curled , a beardless chin , abo● three or four and forty years of age ( as i guessed and born in north holland . after salutation h● beseeched me with a great reverence to pardon hi● rude accesses , being a great lover of the pyrot●chnyan art ; adding , he formerly endeavoured t● visit me with a friend of his , and told me he had read some of my small treatises ; and particularly , that against the sympathetick powder of sir kenelm digby , and observed my doubtfulness of the philosophical mystery , which caused him to take this opportunity , and asked me if i could not believe such a medicine was in nature , which could cure all diseases , unless the principal parts ( as lungs , liver , &c. ) were perisht , or the predestinated time of death were come . to which i replyed , i never met with an adept , or saw such a medicine , though i read much of it , and have wished for it . then i asked if he were a physitian , but he preventing my question , said , he was a founder of brass , yet from his youth learnt many rare things in chymistry , of a friend particularly , the manner to extract out of metals many medicinal arcana's by force of fire , and was still a lover of it . after other large discourse of experiments in metals , this elias asked me if i could know the philosophers stone when i see it , i answered not at all , though i had read much of it in paracelsus , helmont , basilius , and others ; yet dare i not say i could know the philosophers matter . in the interim he took out of his bosome pouch or pocket , a neat ivory box , and out of it took three ponderous pieces or small lumps of the stone , each about the bigness of a small wallnut transparent , of a paile brimstone colour , whereunto did stick the internal scales of the crucible , wherein it appeared this most noble substance was melted ; the value of them might be judged worth about twenty tuns of gold , which when i had greedily seen and handled almost a quarter of an hour , and drawn from the owner many rare secrets of its admirable effects in humane and metallick bodies , and other magical properties , i returned him this treasure of treasures ; truly with a most sorrowful mind , after the custom of those who conquer themselves , yet ( as was but just ) very thankfully and humbly , i further desired to know why the colour was yellow , and not red , ruby colour , or purple , as philosophers write ; he answered , that was nothing , for the matter was mature and ripe enough . then i humbly requested him to bestow a little piece of the medicine on me , in perpetual memory of him , though but the quantity of a coriander or hemp seed , he presently answered , oh no , no , this is not lawful though thou wouldst give me as many duckets in gold as would fill this room , not for the value of the matter , but for some particular consequences , nay , if it were possible ( said he ) that fire could be burnt of fire , i would rather at this instant cast all this substance into the fiercest flames . but after he demanding ▪ if i had another private chamber , whose prospect was from the publick street , i presently conducted him in to the best furnished room backwards , where he entred without wiping his shooes ( full of snow and dirt ) according to the custom in holland , then not doubting but he would bestow part thereof , or some great secret treasure on me , but in vain ; for he asked for a little piece of gold and pulling off his cloak or pastoral habit , opened his doublet , under which he wore five pieces of gold hanging in green silk ribons , as large as the inward round of a small pewter trencher : and this gold so far excelled mine , that there was no comparison , for flexibility and colour ; and these figures with the inscriptions ingraven , were the resemblance of them , which he granted me to write out . d. . pag. ▪ amen holy holy holy is the lord our god and all things are full of his hononr leo. libra . — the maruelous wisdome of the wonderfull iehovah in the vniuersall booke of nature i am made the . th of august . ☉ ☿ ☽ the wonderfull god ; nature and the spagyricall art make nothing in vain . to the honour of the euerlasting . inuisible ●ivne only wise most high & omnipotent , god of gods , holy . holy . holy gouernor and praiseworthy preseruer of all holy art thou o holy spirit , halloluiah , ffye vpon the diuell and neuer speake of god without light amen . i being herewith affected with great admiration , desired to know where and how he came by them . who answered , an outlandish friend who dwelt some days in my house ( giving out he was a lover of this art , and came to reveal this art to me ) taught me various arts ; first , how out of ordinary stones and christalls , to make rubies , chrysolites and sapphires , &c. much fairer then the ordinary . and how in a quarter of an hour to make crocus martis , of which one dose would infallibly cure the pestilential dissentary ( or bloody flux ) and how to make a metallick liquor most certainly to cure all kinds of dropsies in four days : as also a limpid clear water sweeter then hony , by which in two hours of it self , in hot sand , it would extract the tincture of granats , corals , glasses , and such like more , which i helvetius did not observe . my mind being drawn beyond those bounds , to understand how such a noble juice might be drawn out of the metals , to transmute metals ; but the shade in the water deceived the dog of the morsel of flesh in his mouth . moreover he told me his said master caused him to bring a glass full of rain water , and fetch some refined silver laminated in thin plates , which therein was dissolved within a quarter of an hour , like ice when heated : and presently he drank to me the half , and i pledged him the other half , which had not so much taste as sweet milk ; whereby me thought i became very light hearted . i thereupon asked if this were a philosophical drink , and wherefore we drank this potion ? he replied i ought not to be so curious . and after he told me that by the said masters directions , he took a piece of a leaden pipe , gutter or sistern , and being melted put a little such sulphurious powder out of his pocket , & once again put a little more on the point of a knife , and after a great blast of bellows in short time poured it on the red stones of the kitchin chimney , which proved most excellent pure gold ; which he said brought him into such a trembling amazement , that he could hardly speak : but his master thereupon again incouraged him , saying , cut for thy self the sixteenth part of this for a memorial , and the rest give away amongst the poor , which he did . and he distributed so great an alms as he affirmed ( if my memory fail not ) to the church of sparrenda : but whether he gave it at several times or once , or in the golden masse , or in silver coyn , i did not ask . at last said he ▪ going on with the story of his master , he taught me throughly this almost divine art. as soon as this his history was finisht , i most humbly beg'd he would shew me the effect of transmutation to confirm my faith therein , but he dismissed me for that time in such a discreet manner , that i had a denial . but withall promising to come again at three weeks end , and shew me some curious arts in the fire , and the manner of projection , provided it were then lawful without prohibition . and at the three weeks end he came , and invited me abroad for an hour or two , and in our walks having discourses of divers of natures secrets in the fire ; but he was very sparing of the great elixir , gravely asserting , that was only to magnifie the most sweet fame , and name of the most glorious god ; and that few men indeavored to sacrifice to him in good works , and this he expressed as a pastor or minister of a church ; but now and then i kept his ears open , intreating to shew me the metallick transmutation ; desiring also he would think me so worthy to eat and drink and lodge at my house , which i did prosecute so eagerly , that scarce any suiter could plead more to obtain his mistress from his corrival ; but he was of so fixt and stedfast a spirit , that all my endeavors were frustrate : yet i could not forbear to tell him further i had a fit laboratory , and things ready and fit for an experiment . and that a promised favour was a kind of debt ; yea , true said he , but i promised to teach thee at my return with this proviso , if it were not forbidden . when i perceived all this in vain , i earnestly craved but a most small crum or parcel of his pouder or stone , to transmute four grains of lead to gold ; and at last out of his philosophical commiseration , he gave me a crum as big as a rape or turnip seed ; saying , receive this small parcel of the greatest treasure of the world , which truly few kings or princes have ever known or seen : but i said , this perhaps will not transmit four grains of lead , whereupon he bid me deliver it him back , which in hopes of a greater parcel i did ; but he cutting halfe off with his nail , flung ●t into the fire , and gave me the rest wraped neatly up ●n blew paper ; saying , it is yet sufficient for thee . i answered him ( indeed with a most dejected coun●enance ) sir , what n eans this ; the other being too ●ittle , you give me now less . he told me , if thou ●anst not mannage this ; yet for its great proportion ●or so small a quantity of lead , then put into the cru●ible two drams , or halfe an ounce , or a little more ●f the lead ; for there ought no more lead be put in ●he crucible then the medicine can work upon , and ●ransmute : so i gave him great thanks for my dimi●ished treasure , concentrated truly in the superlative ●egree , and put the same charily up into my little box ; ●ying , i meant to try it the next day ; nor would i ●eveal it to any . not so , not so ; ( said he ) for ●e ought to divulge all things to the children of art ; which may tend to the singular honour of god , that so they may live in the theosophical truth , and not at all die sophistically . after i made my confession to him , that whilst this masse of his medicine was in my hands , i indeavoured to scrape a little of it away with my nail , and could not forbear ; but scratcht off nothing , or so very little , that it was but as an indivisible atome , which being purged from my nail , and wrapt in a paper ; i projected on lead , but found no transmutation ; but almost the whole masse of lead flew away , and the remainder turned into a meer glassy earth ; at which unexpected passage , he smiling , said , thou art more dextrous to commit theft , then to apply thy medicine ; for if thou hadst only wraped up thy stollen prey in yellow wax , to preserve it from the arising fumes of lead , it would have penitrated to the bottom of the lead , and transmuted it to gold ; but having cast it into the fumes , partly by vi lence of the vaprous fumes , and partly by the sympathetick alliance , it carryed thy medicine quite away : for gold , silver , quick-silver , and the like metals , are corrupted and turn brittle like to glass , by the vapours of lead . whereupon i brought him my crusible wherein it was done , and instantly b● perceived a most beautiful saffron like tincture stic● on the sides ; and promised to come next morning , by nine in the morning , and then would shew me my error , and that the said medicine should transmut● the lead into gold. nevertheless i earnestly praye● him in the interim to be pleased to declare only for m● present instruction , if the philosophick work co● much , or required long time . my friend , my frien● ( said he ) thou art too curious to know all things i● an instant , yet will i discover so much ; that neithe● the great charge , or length of time ▪ can discourag● any ; for as for the matter , out of which our magistery is made , i would have thee know there is only two metals and minerals , out of which it is prepared ; but in regard the sulphur of philosophers is much more plentiful and abundant in the minerals ; therefore it is made out of the minerals . then i asked again , what was the menstrum , and whether the operation or working were done in glasses , or crusibles ? he answered , the menstrum was a heavenly salt , or of a heavenly virtue , by whose benefit only the wise men dissolve the earthly metallick body , and by such a solution is easily and instantly brought forth the most noble elixir of philosophers . but in a crusible is all the operation done and performed , from the beginning to the very end , in an open fire , and all the whole work is no longer from the very first to the last then four days , and the whole work no more charge then three florens ; and further , neither the mineral , out of which , nor the salt , by which it was performed , was of any great price . and when i replyed , the philosophers affirm in their writings , that seven or nine months at the least , are required for this work . he answered , their writings are only to be understood ●y the true adeptists ; wherefore concerning time ●hey would write nothing certain : nay , without the ●ommunication of a true adept philosopher , not one ●tudent can find the way to prepare this great magi●tery , for which cause i warn and charge thee ( as a ●riend ) not to fling away thy money and goods to ●unt out this art ; for thou shalt never find it to which i replied thy master , ( though unknown ) snew●d it thee ; so mayst thou perchance discover some●hing to me , that having overcome the rudiments , 〈◊〉 may find the rest with little difficulty , according to ●he old saying . it is easier to adde to a foundation , then begin a new . he answered , in this art 't is quite otherwise ; for unless thou knowest the thing from the head to the heel , from the eggs to the apples ; that is , from the very beginning to the very end thou knowest nothing , and though i have told thee enough ; yet thou knowest not how the philosophers do make , and break open the glassy seal of hermes , in which the sun sends forth a great splendour with his marvelous coloured metallick rayes , and in which looking glass the eyes of narcissus behold the transmutable metals ▪ for out of those rays the true adept philosophers gather their fire ; by whose help the volatil metals may be fixed into the most permanent metals , either gold or silver . but enough at present ; for 〈◊〉 intend ( god willing ) once more to morrow at the ninth hour ( as i said ) to meet , and discourse further on this philosophical subject , and shall shew you the manner of projection . and having taken his leave , he left me sorrowfully expecting him ; but the next day he came not , nor ever since : only he sent an excuse at halfe an hour past nine that morning , by reason of his great business , and promised to come at three in the afternoon , but never came , nor have i heard of him since ; whereupon i began to doubt of the whole matter . nevertheless late that night my wife ( who was a most curious student and enquir●● after the art , whereof that worthy man had discours● ▪ came solliciting and vexing me to make experiment of that little spark of his bounty in that art , whereby to be the more assured of the truth ; saying to me , unless this be done , i shall have no rest nor sleep all th●● night ; but i wisht her to have patience till next morning to expect this elias ; saying , perhaps he will return again to shew us the right manner . in the mea● time ( she being so earnest ) i commanded a fire to be made ( thinking alas ) now is this man ( though so divine in discourse ) found guilty of falsehood . and secondly attributing the error of my projecting the grand theft of his powder in the dirt of my nail to his charge , because it transmuted not the lead that time ; and lastly , because he gave me too small a proportion of his said medicine ( as i thought ) to work upon so great a quantity of lead ▪ as he pretended and appointed for it , saying further to my self , i fear , i fear indeed this man hath deluded me ; nevertheless my wife wrapped the said matter in wax , and i cut halfe an ounce , or six drams of old lead , and put into a crusible in the fire , which being melted , my wife put in the said medicine made up into a small pill or button , which presently made such a hissing and bubling in its perfect operation , that within a quarter of an hour all the masse of lead was totally transmuted into the best and finest gold , which made us all amazed as planets struck . and indeed ( had i lived in ovids age ) there could not have been a rarer metamorphosis then this , by the art of alkemy . yea , could i have enjoyed argus's eyes , with a hundred more , i could not sufficiently gaze upon this so admirable and almost miraculous a work of nature ; for this melted lead ( after projection ) shewed us on the fire the rarest and most beautiful colours imaginable ; yea , and the greenest colour , which as soon as i poured forth into ●n ingot , it got the lively fresh colour of blood ; and being cold shined as the purest and most refined transplendent gold. truly i , and all standing about me , were exceedingly startled , and did run with this aurified lead ( being yet hot ) unto the goldsmith , who wondred at the fineness , and after a short trial of touch , the judged it most excellent gold in the whole world , and offered to give most willingly fifty florens for every ounce of it . the next day a rumor went about the hague , and spread abroad ; so that many illustrious persons and students gave me their friendly visits for its sake : amongst the rest the general say-master , or examiner of the coynes of this province of holland , mr. porelius , who with others earnestly beseeched me to pass some part of it through all their customary trials , which i did , the rather to gratifie my own curiosity . thereupon we went to mr. brectel a silver-smith , who first tried it per quartam , viz. he mixt three or four parts of silver with one part of the said gold , and laminated , filed , or gramilated it , and put a sufficient quantity of aqua fort thereto , which presently dissolved the silver , and suffered the said gold to precipitate to the bottom ; which being decauted off , and the calx or powder of gold dulcified with water , and then reduced and melted into a body , became excellent gold : and whereas we feared loss , we found that each dram of the said first gold was yet increased , and had transmuted a scruple of the said silver into gold , by reason of its great and excellent abounding tincture . but now doubting further whether the silver was sufficiently separated from the said gold , we instantly mingled it with seven parts of antimony , which we melted & poured into a cone , & blowed off the regulus on a test , where we missed eight grains of our gold ; but after we blowed away the rest of the antimony , or superfluous scoria , we found nine grains of gold more for our eight grains missing , yet this was somewhat pale and silver-like , which easily recovered its full colour afterwards ; so that in the best proof of fire we lost nothing at all of this gold ; but gained as aforesaid . the which proof again i repeated thrice , and found it still alike , and the said remaining silver out of the aqua fortis , was of the very best flexible silver that could be ; so that in the total , the said medicine ( or elixir ) had transmuted six drams and two scruples of the lead and silver , into most pure gold. behold i have now related the full history , from the philosophical eggs to the golden apples , ( as the proverb goes ) and though i have the gold , yet where the philosopher and elias is i know not ; but wheresoever he is the almighty god ( protector of all creatures ) shelter him from all danger under hiswings ; and bring him to eternal bliss and happiness in his heavenly kingdom , after the end of his full pilgrimage in this life , for the succour and relief of christendome . and the whole world , amen . chap. iv. i betake me now to the dialogue between elias the artist , and the phisician , to express what is past , and all other passages . elias god save you helvetius ? i have heard of your curious search after natural things , and read thy books , particularly against kenelme digbys sympathetical pouder , where he glories to to heal all wounds at a distance . truly i delight incredibly in all such things , which we see in this look-glass naturally implanted in the creatures , whether sympathetick or antipathetick : for the inexhaustible treasures of the divine light and deity ( abundantly granted us ) may be perfectly known out of the creatures under the sky , or in the womb of the earth , or in the seas brought forth . that with all their gifts and powers ( protentially in them ) they might be be beneficial to restore health and help to mortal man. physician . sir , you are the the welcomest guest ; for a philosophical discourse of nature is the only refreshing of my spirit , and salutiferous nourishment ; come i pray into this chamber . elias . sir , it seems you have here a whole shop of the fiery art of vulcan , and perhaps all spagyrical medicines , most exactly drawn out of the mineral kingdom . but sir ? for what end so many medicaments ? when by a most few we may much sooner and safelyer restore the health of man , if the distemper be not deadly , either out of defect of nature , or putrifaction of any noble part , or the whole consumption of the radical humidity ; for in such desperate cases neither galenical cures , nor paracelsical tinctures can be helpful ; but it is not thus in ordinary diseases , where nevertheless often men are constrained before their fatal term , to travail out of this most sweet light amongst the dead , for want of speedy and potent remedies . phisician . sir , i apprehend by your discourse you are either a physician , or an expert student in chymistry ▪ verily i believe there are more excellent medicaments , and an universal medicine , which might prolong life ▪ until the determinate end , and also cure and heal all distempers in mans body , but who can shew the way to such a fountain , whence such a medicinal juice may be obtained , perhaps none amonst men . elias . truly i am only a founder of brass , yet almost from my cradle my genius prompted me to search curiosities in the fiery art , and i have diligently searched through the internal nature of metals , and though now i forbear assidual labour and accurate scrutiny , yet such labours and lovers are delightful to me ; and i believe the most high , great and good god , will in this our age afford his spagyrick sons the metallick mysteries gratis yet , by praying , and labouring to attain them . physician . i grant god affords his commendable good things gratis , yet he hath seldom given or doth easily sell to his sons this medicinal nectar for nothing . for we know certainly that infinite numbers of chymists have and do still draw water through a sieve , whilst they presume to prepare the universal stone of philosophers , and out of the books of triumphing adeptists , none can learn the manner of preparing it , or know their first matter . and whilst one searcheth on the lowest root and foot of the mountain , he never ascends to the highest top , where only he can eat and drink the ambrosia and nectar of the macro-sophists or philosophers . in the interim it is the part of a good physician , for want of that universal elixir , to keep a pure and safe conscience , and apply to diseases such restoring remedies in which he certainly finds the effect and virtue of curing them . therefore in all desprate diseases i use such most simple medicaments , that the patients either speedily recover , or are brought into some way of their former better health . for there are various kinds of salts generated in the glandules and lymphatick vessels , after the putrefaction of this or that received nourishment , which afterwards flourish out in various humours , and cause either internal or external distempers ▪ for experience teacheth us , that as many constitutions or complexions , so many diversities of diseases , although it be the very same disease in general . as we have experience in them who drink wine , where divers operations presently manifest themselves . for peter having drunk wine , presently begins to be angry and furious on the contrary : paul seems to have a lamblike timidity ; but matthew sings , and luke weeps . item . from the contagious scorbutical poison , the radical juice of peter in his lymphatick vessels and kernels is turned into acidity , which abstructs the passages and organs of all the whole body . from whence springs up under the skin discolourd azure or skie-colour spots ; but in the time of the plague they bud forth in the likeness of cornes of pepper . but the juice of the same parts in paul is changed into an opening bitterness from whence in the skin grow red spots under the arms and legs ▪ like unto flea-bites ; but in the plague time carbuncles . but the juice or humidity of the same parts in mathew is turned somewhat sweet and easie to be putrified , whence bud forth under the skin watry tumors on his arms and legs , the like almost you may see in hydropical patients ; but in the pestilence riseth pestilential tumors . but of the same parts in luke , the juice is changed into a sharpe salty driness , whence come forth under the skin of his arms and legs , precipitations of the ordinary ferment of the flesh , and such exsiccations as commonly fall out in the consumtive atrophia ; yea ; most often into the true atrophia : but in the plague , come forth most ardent swellings , with distractedness until death . behold my friend ! no physician , by one universal medicine can cure this only disease of the scorbutickpestilential or febrile-poyson , but indeed by means of a particular vegetable or mineral granted in nature from god , we may ; for i can succour and handle all scorbutical patients , with one scorbutical herb , as scurvy-grass , or sorrel , or fumitary , or baccabungia , called brooklime or red coleworts ; yea , much less can we succour them with one remedy compounded of all these divers species ; for as much as there is such an antipathy between scurvy-grass and sorrel , as there is between fire and water , and the same antipathy is also observed between the herb fumitary , and baccabungy : therefore the corrector of peters scorbutical , colouring salty , and sower poyson , is made with the bitter volatile salt of the herb scurvy-grass . the corrector of pauls scorbutick , tinging , salty and bitter poyson , is made with the fixt sowr salt of the herb sorel . and the corrector of mathew's scorbutick salty tinging sweet and moistening poyson , is made with the help of the fixt bitter and drying sulphur of the herb fumitary . but the corrector of luke's scorbutical tingent , salty , sharp and drying poyson , is made by the help of the sweet moistening mercury of the herb baccabungy , brooklime or red coleworts : as out of the external signature of those herbs is very easie to judge the specifick internal remedy , against these divers scorbutical diseases . verily my feiend ; if this be well observed , a prudent physician will doubt of the universal medicine . elias . i shall easily grant all which thou hast argued , yet the fewest of physicians observe this method . in the interim it is not at all impossible that there is also in the kingdom of minerals ( being the highest ) an universal medicine , by whose only benifit we may effect and afford all which are recounted by thee of many remedies out of the lowermost kingdom of vegetables . but our most great and good god for some weighty reasons , hath not given this kind of magnificent charismal gift or supereminent science promiscuously to all philosophers ; but hath revealed the same to a few , though all the adeptists agree that this science is true ▪ and that none ought to doubt of the truth thereof in the least . physician , sir besides the mentioned things , there are yet other observations strenuously opposing the operation of an universal medicine ; partly in respect unto mens age and strength ; partly by reason of the sex , and other circumstances , whilst there is a plain difference between the tender and strong : either by nature or education , and between the male and the female ; young man and maid ; and between the beginning , middle , or end of the disease ; and it must be known if the disease be inveterate , or but lately have invaded the party ; and lastly , if the ferment in this disease be promoted , or in another be precipitated : for the effervency of the ferment is made in the stomack , or intestines , and indeed many contradictions are against the universal medicine , and few phisitians have thomas a didymus spectacles at their fingers ends . elias , you have argued very philosophically ; for so many men , so many minds . and as sweet musick pleaseth not every mydas ears , or the same meats and drinks please every pallate : so the judgments of unskilful persons are very different concerning this universal medicine , both for humane and metallick bodies : and certainly the operation of this differs much from particular medicines ; some whereof nevertheless are in a manner universal , or so esteemed , as the herb scurvygrass , curing all sorts of the scurvy , marked with azure spots ; sorrel , every scurvy with red spots ; beccabungia ( red coleworts or brooklime ) atrophia , or the consumptive kind : and fumitary tumors of another kind : especially with such phisicians to whom the abovesaid observations are in high esteem . besides there is a vast difference between the universal medicine of true philosophers , which revives all the vital spirits , and the particular medicament of a slight cure ; where only the venome of humours boyling against nature ( in this man sowre ; in another bitter , &c. and in one saline ▪ in another sharp ) is corrected : and if these corruptions be not presently removed by the usual emunctories of mouth , nostrils , stool , urine , or sweat ; then certainly the corruption of one , begets another disease ; for every spark of fire having food , and not quencht , will arise to the greatest conflagration but if there be a defect in the motions of the vital spirits , then this is impossible to be effected by particulars ; wherefore it concerns every conscientious phisitian to learn how he may promote the motion of the vital spirits , to a natural digestible heat , which is most securely and best performed by our universal medicine ▪ by which the sick are notably recreated ; for as soon as this more then perfect medicine removes the mortifying seeds , nature is restored , and so lost health recovered ; and that only by a harmonious sympathy between it and the vital spirits ; wherefore the adept do call it the myster , of nature , defence of old age , and against all sicknesses , yea , of the very plague and pestilence ; for this being a kind of salamander , communicates its virtue and ( as a salamander ) makes a man live till his last appointed time against all the fiery epidemical darts of the angry heavens or their malevolent influences . physitian , sir ! i understand by your discourse , that this medicine doth nothing to the correcting of depraved or corrupt humours , but only by strengthning the vital spirits , and our balsamick nature ; but other practical chymists teach how to seperate he impure from the pure , and ripen the unripe ▪ o make the bitter become a little sower or acid ▪ and the sower sweet , and so to turn sharp into mild ▪ mild into sharp , sower into sweet , and sweet into sower . also i understand you say this universal medicine cannot prolong life beyond its prefixed time , but only preserves it from all venome and deadly sickness , which agrees with the vulgar belief , that the life depends only upon the will of god. but passing by these things , my question is still , whether a mans former nature may be converted into another new nature ? so that a slothful man , may be changed into a diligent nimble man and a melancholy man by nature be made a merry man ; or the like . elias , not at all sir , for no medicine hath power to transform the nature of man in such a manner , no more then wine drunk by divers men changeth the persons nature , but only provokes or deduceth what is in man potentially into act ; for the universal medicine works by recreating the vital spirits , and so restoreth that health which was suppressed for a time . in the same manner the heat of the sun never transmutes the hearbs and flowers , but stirs up their potential powers to become active . for a man of melancholly temper is again raised up to his natural melancholy disposition , and a merry man to become merry . and so in all desperate diseases , it is a present and most excellent preservative . nay if there could be any prolonging of life . then hermes , paracelsus , trevisan , and many others having had the said medicine would never have undergone the tyranny of death , but have prolonged their lives perhaps to this very day : it were therefore the part of a mad lunatick to believe that any medicine in the world could prolong life longer then god limits . physitian , worthy sir , i agree now cheerfully to all you have said touching the universal medicine , being no less regular then fundamental ; yet till i can prepare the same my self , it profits me not : indeed some illustrious men have written of it so cautiously in dark aenygma s , that very few can understand their progress to the end ; and if one could purchase all these authors , this short life might be therein consumed , and not attain the thing . it remains therefore only to pray and labour , ora ▪ & labora , deus dat omni horae , work and pray , god gives every day . elias , seldom indeed can this art of arts be pickt out of books without demonstration from some true adeptist . but waving this , let us come to transmutation of metals , by the most noble tincture of which many have written , but 't is true , few disciples attain this arcanum . physitian , your convincing arguments , and my fore going experiments , i believe all you say ; for dr. kuffler with the tincture of one ounce of gold , projected on two ounces of silver , transmuted as is said ▪ an ounce and half into the purest gold , and a third of the remainder into white gold , and the rest was still the purest silver imaginable . and van helmonts experiment proves the same , but especially alexander scotus , and count russes experiment , well known at prague , and as here you may see the inscriptiors done before the roman emperour caesar ferdinando the third ; where with one grain of tincture were transmuted three pound of mercury into the noblest pure gold . yet i confess i never saw a true adeptist , or projection made , and therefore cannot so absolutely conclude these things to be true . elias , my friend , the art will remain true , whether f. . pag. . like as rare men have this art : soe cometh it very rarely to light praise be to god for ever ; who doeth commvnicate a part of his infinite power to vs his most abiect creatvres the divine metamorphosis ex hibited at pragve xv ian a c mdcxlviii in the presence of his sacred caesarean m ty . ferdinand the third the thickness of that piece of gould ●ount rusz , uppermost hill master in steyer ●nd carinthiae ( two prouinces of high germany ) ●ath with one only graine of tincture transmuted ●●ree pounds of quicksiluer into pure gold fixt ●all assayes & proofes out of which was cast ●his piece of gould f. . pag. . amen holy holy holy is the lord our god and all things are full of his hononr leo. libra . — the maruelous wisdome of the wonderfull iehovah in the vniuersall booke of nature i am made the th . of august . ☉ ☿ ☽ the wonderfull god ; nature and the spagyricall art make nothing in vain . to the honour of the euerlasting , inuisible trivne only wise most high & omnipotent , god of gods , holy . holy . holy gouernor and praiseworthy preferuer of all holy art thou o holy spirit , halleluiah , ffye vpon the diuell and neuer speake of god without light amen . you believe or not : for example . in the singular exalted sulphurous virtue in the loadstone ( by its only touch derives a sympathetick vertue into the sulphurous iron to become another magnet or loadstone by its touch . so doth it happen in the philosophers stone , in the which is all that the wisemen seek . now in regard their writings are so numerous and dark : it is to be wished one laconick short epitomy were extracted out of all for the said art to be clearly manifested in a short time , with little labour and expence ; and so a most easie transite made to the best authors . but look here , i will now shew you the true matter of philosophers to confirm your belief . phisitian , is this glassy yellow masse it indeed ? i fear you do but jest or dally with me . elias , yea truly , thou hast now in thy hands the most pretious thing in the world , the true philosophers stone , none ever more real or can be better . neither shall any have another , and i my self have wrought it from the very beginning , to the very end . then stepping into a more private room he shewed me these five pieces of pure gold , made out of lead by the philosophical tincture , which saith he , i wear in memory of my master : now by thy great reading canst thou judge of what matter or substance it is made and composed . physitian , sir i cannot judge , but it seems you learnt it not of your self , but had a master instructed you to make it . now i beseech you sir , bestow a little crum of the same upon me , if it be but as much as a coriander or hemp seed , only to transmute four grains of lead into gold . elias , i confess an honest good man first shewed me the possibility , and then the art and manner to prepare the medicine , but to give thee any of this medicine is not lawful , though i had for it as many duckets as would fill this room ; not for my esteem of the matter , which is of no price at all , but for other private considerations , and to make it so appear , i would now through all into the fire to be consumed , if it were possible for the fire to destroy fire . be not therefore covetous , for thou hast seen more then many kings or princes that have sought for it . but i must now depart , and purpose to come again at three weeks end , and then if not hindred or forbid , i will abundantly satisfie thy curiosity to see transmutation ; in the interim , i warn you not to tamper with this dangerous art , least you lose your fame and substance in the ashes . physitian , sir , what shall i do , if it be not lawful for you to bestow so small a part of your tincture , because of your philosophical oath , taken at your drinking the dissolved silver in the rain water . yet know i do eagerly desire to learn this , and i believe adam ( thrown out of paradice for eating an apple ) would again desire this golden fruit out of atlantas garden , though to hazard the destruction you premonish . and though i have not yet seen transmutation from you , i thank you for your great friendship in forewarning me of the dangers , and shewing me what i have seen , and till your return , i shall delight my self with what is discovered both of your medicine and person . but i fear sir , if any king , prince , or potentate should know the same ( which god forbid ) they would perchance imprison and torture you , till you should reveal all the art to them . elias , i never shewed the stone to any in the world , but to you , except one aged man , and henceforth shall not to any ▪ but if any king , or other , ( which i hope god will not permit ) should rack me to pieces , or burn me alive , i would not reveal it to them , neither directly nor indirectly , as many circumferanious physitians , mountebanks , vagabonds , and others pretend to do . phisitian , good sir tell me in the interim , who are the best authors , in regard by experience you are best able to judge . elias , indeed doctor i have not read many books , but amongst those i have read , none more curious then cosmopolite sendivogius , the dutch borger derwerel , and brother basilins keys , i can lend thee sendivogius at my return , in whose obscure words the truth lyes hidd , even as our tincture lyes inclosed in the minerals and metallick bodies . phisitian , sir , i give you most hearty thanks for your exceeding kindness and love , believing that marvellous and efficacious essences and tinctures , lies hid in metals and minerals under the external rinds and shells of their bodies ; though i find few so expert in the fire , to know how to pick out their kernel philosophically , for ( as isaac holland writes ) the outward body of every animal , vegetable , and mineral , is like to a terrestrial province , within which excellent spiritual essences do retire and dwell , wherefore it is needful that the sons of art should know how , by some saline , fit , sutable ferment ( pleasant and agreeable to the metallick nature ) to tame and subdue , dissolve , separate , and concentrate , not only the metallick , magnetick virtue , wherewith to tinge ; but also philosophically to multiply the same , in their golden or silvery homogenity . for we see that the bodies of all creatures are not only easily destroyed , but as soon as they cease to live , they hurry to their graves in putrefaction , viz. to their old chaos and darkness of orcus ▪ wherein they were before they were brought to light by creation in this world. but alas who or what man can or will shew us this art in the metallick kingdom . elias ▪ sir i confess you judge right of the natural destruction of things , and if it be gods pleasure , he can ( as to me ) send one ( sooner then thou hopest ) to shew thee the manner to destroy metals and minerals , in a true philosophical manner , and to gather their inward souls . in the mean time implore the blessing of this great god , who doth all things as he pleaseth . to whom i recommend thee , whose watchful eyes are always open , over all his regenerated sons , in and through christ jesus so be sure i am your friend . and once more farewell . thus my friend elias taking leave , left me three weeks , and to this very day ; nevertheless , ( as a spur ) he impressed all these things deep in my mind , and paracelsus confirmed them , saying , that in , with , of , and by metals spiritualized and cleansed , are perfect metals made , and also the living gold and silver of philosophers , as well for humane as metallick bodies . wherefore if this guest my friend , had taught me the manner of preparing this spiritual and celestial salt he spake of , by and with which i might ( as it were ) within their own matrix , gather the spiritual rays of sun or moon , out of the corporal metallick substances , then truly from his own light he had so enlightened me , that i should have known how magnetically ( by a sympathetick power ) in other imperfect corporeal metals , their internal souls might be clarified and tinged , so that their own similary bodies being of like kind , might be transmuted into gold or silver , according to the nature of red seed , into a red body ; or of the white seed into a white and pure body ; for elias told me that sendivogius his calybs was the true mercurial metallick humidity , by help of which ( without any corrosive ) an artist might seperate the fixt rayes of the sun or moon , out from their own bodies , in a naked fire , in open crusible , and so make them volatile and mercurial , fit for a dry philosophick tincture ( as he partly communicated and shewed me before he went ) to transmute the metals for all learned chymists must consent , that pyrotechny is the mother and nurse of many noble sciences and arts , and they can easily judge from the colours of the chaos of metals in the fire , what metallick body is therein . and truly , every day , metals and transparent stones ▪ are yet so procreated in the bowels of the earth , from their proper , noble , vapourons seed , with a spiritual tingent sulphurous seed , in their divers salty matrixes ; for the common sulphur , ( or the sulphur of any pure or impure metal , whilst yet conjoyned with its own body ) being mingled only with salt-peter in the burning heat of fire , will be easily changed into the hardest and most fixed earth . and this earth is afterwards easily changed by the air into most clear water , and this water after by a stronger fire , according to the nature of either pure or impure metallick sulphur admixed ) is turned into glass , coloured with various and very beautiful colours . almost so likewise is a chicken generated and hatcht out of the white of an egg , by a gentle natural heat ; and thus also from the seminal bond of life of any metal , is made a new and much more noble metal , by a heat convenient to a salty fires nature , though few chymists know perfectly how the internal virtues of metals ( always magnetically moving according to their harmony or disconsonancy ) are distinguished ; and why one metal hath such a singular sympathy or antipathy with the other metal , as is seen in the magnet with iron , in mercury with gold , in silver with copper , very remarkably . and so in some are notably found an antipathy , as lead against tin , iron against gold , antimony against silver : and again , lead against mercury . there are such sympathetical and antipathetical annotations in the animal● and vegetable kingdom , as authors have written thus candid reader have i here printed what i have seen and done , for with seneca i desire to know only that i may teach others : nay if wisdom were given conditionally to be kept secret , i would reject it . if any shall yet remain doubtful , let him with a living faith believe in his christ crucifyed , and in him become a new creature , through the most strict way of regeneration , and be fixed therein in hope , and use true love and charity to his neighbour , till his life be justly , chastly , and holily sinisht , thereby safely to sail through the wicked and impudent sea of this world , to the peaceable haven of heaven , where is an everlasting sabbath with true christians and philosophers , in the true jerusalem . john frederick helvetius , count russ in syria , and carynthia in germany , with one grain of tincture , transmuted three pound of ☿ into pure ☉ at all assayes . the golden ass well managed , and mydas restored to reason . or a new chymical light appearing as a day star of comfort to all under oppression or calamities , as well illiterate , as learned , male as female ; to ease their burdens and provide for their families . wherein the golden fleece is demonstrated to the blind world , and that good gold may be found as well in cold as hot regions ( though better in hot ) within and without through the universal globe of the earth , and be profitably extracted : so that in all places where any sand , stones , gravel , or flints are , you cannot so much as place your footing , but you may find both gold , and the true matter of the philosophers stone . and is a work of women and play of children . written at amsterdam , . by john rodolph glauber , the bright sun of our age , and lover of mankind , like a true elias riding on this golden ass , in a fiery chariot . and translated out of latin into english , in briefer notes , . by w. c. esq . true lover of art and nature , and well wisher to all men , especially to the poor distressed houshold of faith ; the true catholick church , and body of christ , dispersed through many forms of religions , through the whole world , as the perfect israelites . the thickness of that piece of gould like as rare men have this art soe cometh it very rarely to light praise be to god for ever ; who doeth commvnicate a part of his infinite power to vs his most abiect creatvres the divine metamorphosis exhibited at pragve xv ian ac. mdcxlviii in the presence of his sacred caesarean m ty . ferdinand the third count rusz uppermost hill master in steyer and carinthioe ( two prouinces of high germany ) hath with one only graine of tincture transmuted three pounds of quicksiluer into pure gold fixt in all assayes & proofes out of which was cast this piece of gould the epistle of vv. c. to the christian and courteous reader . job . . & esdras . . reader , god who made man out of earth or clay , and out of stones could raise up seed to abraham , hath here sent thee manna , and commanded these very stones to yield thee bread , in these calamitous times , or rather that which may satisfie thy honest and moderate wishes more for food and all necessaries ( as was intended in the fiction of mydas ) for every thing thou touchest by this art may turn to gold , and purchase whatsoever thou needest for thy self , friends and family , without borrowing , extortion , or fear of want , or wearing longer ears then will become a rational man and a good christian ; and so thou maiest prove a true fortunatus , or providential mydas , & procure thee a lighter heart then many that have a heavier purse , which ▪ may be exhausted , lost or spent on their lusts , and yet not satisfie their fears or covetous desires , though in present plenty of corn and wine . yea , if thou hast grace and wisdom , out of the very stones in the streets , or jobs dunghill , thou maiest raise the golden fleece , though in extract and jobs small quantity , and mayest gain the philosophers stone , and withal make gold more plentiful then in solomons days , and ride in triumph over the world on this golden ass , by glaubers new chymical light , without old balams property . quid non mortalia pectora cogis auri , sacra fames . let this art therefore breed in thee a holy hunger of god , rather then gold , and improve this talent to gods honour that sent it , and to thy honest neighbours good ; and fear not to be the poorer , though thou light thy neighbours candle , by communicating somthing of this art , or the fruicts thereof liberally , as thou wouldst be done unto ; that so all may glorifie the almighty giver for his great treasures and bounty , and live together in peace and love , without griping , grudging , or anxiety ; whence may spring the true golden age , so long expected and desired , with halcion days ; neither needest thou be sollicitous for thine or their posterity , least they want bread , if thou givest them but these stones with the use thereof for a legacy . i have no other message at present , but to wish thee herewith to be content , and provide thee treasures for eternity , without taking notice of this mean messenger that brought it hither to thee , who though invisible or unknown , shall remain thy well wishing friend and servant , w. c. or twice five hundred . l'aurum amice elegis rus. postscript . to help thee here a little forwarder . take four ounces ( or what quantity of powder of emery you please , such as cutlers use , and is bought at the ironmongers , or else good yellow , red , or purple talcum , or other good stones or minerals , dissolve it in spirit of salt , of glaubers cheapest making , distill or evaporate the menstruum gently , or precipitate the tincture by lixiviat salt , with ☽ or ☿ or the properest loadstone ☉ , and reduce all by ♀ , but be sure not to be too hasty for a regulus ; but when you think it sufficiently washt and digested , cast it into a cone for the first regulus , then with glaubers martial discipline , mortifie the remaining sulphurious matter , and you have a courser sol , and after a lunary body . then begin again , and add the last to the first , and turn ixions wheel in the fire as oft as you please , till you find good profit . john rodolph glavber's epistle to the reader , reader , satan with his followers seeks nothing more , then the destruction of mankind , and to hinder him from the gifts and favour of god. wherefore i desire thee not to slight or judge of these things rashly , which thou knowst not ; but first prove and try them throughly , and although you should fail ( as it may easily happen to the inexpert ) yet blame not my writings or good intentions ▪ but your own unfit capacity , or inexperience ; for i write nothing here , but what i have often effected , and can perform and prove true every hour . consult therefore first with other more experienced searchers , whom i may hope have not all erred and lost their labour in so easie a work , that even a boy of ten years old may understand it possible and fecible . nevertheless believe not that i should set down here the manner of extracting gold in lumps or great quantities for profuse usage , but i shall rather take heed and beware of that . n. b. now as i said throughout all parts of the world , and in every sort of sand , pebbles , and stones , is held good gold , excepting lime-stones , which alone seldom or never have any gold , else in all rocks of greety sand , flints of whatever colour ; also in gravel , scurfe , or ballast on mountains , valleys , in the bowels of the earth , the sea , ponds , pits , rivers , and floods , ( none at all excepted ) there is gold to be found but sand and stones , hold most in hot countries ; and although they be white , clear , and shining , without the least colour , yet there is some gold ; yea , even sometimes in clay grounds , and in artificial baked tyles and bricks . the first kind of proof take white sand or flints , wherein you think there is not the least gold , to which joyn three parts of minium , or any other pouder or calx of lead flux this mixture in a crusible covered in a wind furnace , or by blast of bellowes , and so let them flow well together for one hour , and it will turn to yellow glass , then pour it forth least by delay it pierce the crusible , and run among the ashes . powder this glass , and mix therewith half its weight of sal alcali , or soap , or pot ashes : then put this mixture into an iron pot or crusible , where you may first put nails or other bitts of iron , then flux this in the fire , and the 〈…〉 lead will be reduced into a body again by the said iron ; pour out this into an ingot or cone , and the regulus of lead will sink to the bottom , and the flints or sand ( like scurffe and dross ) will swim on the top , but the lead will contract such a black roughness , that it will not easily flow . for the which take this remedy . place this regulus in a wind furnace , and upon one ounce of the melted regulus cast a dram , or something more of salt peter , and let them flow together ; then the sal nitre will draw the black roughness from the lead into a scurffe , which being poured forth and melted again , becomes tractable and white , and will easily flow upon a test , but if you have not the skill to effect this work ; put your black rough regulus of lead into such a crusible or test , as the vulgar call treibscerbe ( which is like a large hard crusible bottom ) cover it , and let it purge it self in the fire for half an hour , or at least for a quarter , and it will be white and tractable . but the washing or cleansing by salt peter is far better ▪ weigh a peny weight , dram or scruple of this , and a like quantity of lead ; test them in a hard fixt cupel apart , and this regulus will hold a grain of gold , and the common lead only a grain of silver . the second kind of proof . take one part of white flints or sand , mix thrice the quantity of salt of tartar , or any other alcaly , and therewith fill a third part of a crusible ( but not more least it run over ) let it stand half an hour to be glowing red , and it will turn to a white pellucid glass , pour it into fair water , or rather into a lee ; and the sand or flints will be dissolved into a thick oyl or water . ☞ in this water digest for an hour or two , half an ounce of filed , rasped , or rather scraped lead , and the lead will extract a spiritual gold from the said water or flints , and will thereby become yellowish ; which take forth day , and test on a copel , and you shall find a grain of gold , but out of so much common lead will be only a grain of silver , which is the proportion to be found in any lead ; whence you may certainly conclude that white flints and sand contain in them spiritual gold , the which being joyned with metals become corporal . the third kind or manner of proof . dissolve ♄ or lead in aqua fortis ▪ and pour it forth into salt water , and all the lead will precipitate and fall to the bottome , in a white calx or powder , mix three parts of this calx with one part of powder of flints or sand , and add half so much salt out of lees or other alcali , mix them and put them into an iron crusible , where old nailes or bits of iron be put in , fill it to the top and cover it close for half an hour to melt and flow , till all the sharp corrosive spirits in the lead be mortified by the iron , and then the lead will be reduced to a body as before , which cast into a taper pointed ingot or cone , and the regulus of lead will sink to the bottome , the which must be washt and cleansed by salt peter , or in a fixt copel under a tyle , till it purge out the dross or faeces , then test it , and as much of the same lead severally apart , and the one yeilds a grain of gold , and t'other only a grain of silver , as before is sufficiently expressed . the true manner of proving all flints , rocky stones , pibbles , and sands , &c. legitimately and infallibly ; whether they contain much gold or little ; with a plain reason for all . take four ounces of sand or flints , or other stones , neal them red hot in a crusible , and quench them in cold water , and so they become tractable to be beaten or ground to powder . put these four ounces of powder into a glass cucurbit or retort , and pour thereon two ounces of aqua regis , to moisten the said powders very well and thoroughly , and let it stand so in warm sand for half an hour , and the said aqua regis will extract all the gold out of the flints or sand ; to which pour on two ounces of warm water , and stir it very well about , then strain or filter it through cap paper , and the water will pass through the paper with the tincture , and leave the sand alone in the paper ; then pour on more warm water into the paper , and let it run through the sand again , and so it will wash away all the remaining gold and tincture out of the sand , and carry it into the receiver , which is likewise to be added to the rest ; then pour upon this impregnated water or liquor , some ordinary lees or rather some spirit of urine , and it will so mortifie the aqua regis , that the gold will presently precipitate in a yellow powder to the bottom ; cant off the water and wash the said gold with more fresh water till the powder of gold be sweet and perfectly clean ; after dry it very warily , else the said gold will fulminate with that force as to break the glass in pieces , and whatsoever else is about it . but if you mix a little powder of vulgar brimstone to the said calx or powder of gold , and let it glow in a glased crusible , then it will not fulminate at all . after this mix therewith some borax and reduce it in a crusible . and thus you may know what quantity of gold is contained in the rest of the sand or flints of that nature . n. b. unless perchance the said sand or flints have iron mixt , whereby then the gold will become pale and brittle . now in such a case you need not presently mix the said calx of gold with borax , because both the gold and iron would be reduced together , and so would be adulterate , and disappoint you of your expectation in that trial ; but such mixt gold must be separated from the iron on the test with lead , and so your proof will be good and without error . there is another sort of trial and proof of sand , flints , and stones , &c. but since this way is easie and sufficient , we shall rest herein . n. b. yet my councel is , instead of aqua regis , to make use of spirit of salt , which will be cheaper , with ☽ and ♂ for a loadstone , and antimony for the flux . now learn the difference of natural , corporal , solid gold , and that which is volatil and spiritual , which is the primum ens auri , or first beginning of g ld . ☞ consider therefore that corporal gold by corrosive waters or salts , is easily extracted and reduced , but the spiritual is not so . but now the reason that corporal gold , by the aforesaid proofs and experiments , is always ▪ extracted and drawn forth , and happens upon this account , for although in the said white sand there may be no corporal gold at all , yet by the aforesaid proofs , some is extracted , though truly not much , nor more then the silver was which the lead contained which was used in the said trials . note therefore that the said silver in the melting , drew the said spiritual gold out of the said flints , stones , or sand ; so that thereby it became ting'd and transmuted into corporal gold ; the which was very apparent hereby , for that no more gold was found then the quantity of silver contained within the said lead ; and as it was in the other parcel of common lead , used in that trial ; for if more corporal gold had been in the sand or lead , it must necessarily have exceeded the quantity of silver in the said lead , for the silver contained in the said lead , mixt with the said flints , could not fly away in the air , to leave room only for so much corporal gold , and therefore the cause that the silver remained not silver ( as in the common lead was ) that it was transmuted and turned to gold ▪ by the tincture , and spiritual gold drawn out of the first ens of sand , stones , and flints ; and must be ascribed to the said first ens or spiritual gold contained in the said sand , stones or flints . now i have written this book only for the extraction of corporal gold out of sand , stones , and flints , &c but we leave the spiritual gold for the philosophers , that they may make their stone out of it . wherefore , n. b. whoever seeks to draw gold out of sand , stones , and flints , &c. let them chuse such stones , sand , &c. out of which they may draw corporal gold , with good profit which the womb of common , white sand , and flints cannot bear or bring forth . the reason nevertheless , i wisht you to take white sand or flints , &c. to make experiments and trals , was because every one might see , that in all kind of sand , good gold is contained , though out of all it cannot be profitably extracted , by reason the white sand and flints , &c. are often without corporal gold , but never without spiritual gold , by the which nevertheless silver may be tinged , and transmuted into good gold , as may plainly appear by and in the aforesaid practice and tryals . but now the philosophers seek not corporal gold but spiritual , and they will know where , and in what subjects the spiritual or first essence of gold is most plentifully contained , and how to get the same with ease . therefore although the said first essence of gold be in white sand , and white flints , &c. yet the said philosophers will not meddle with that so willingly , nor will any expert true philosophers , tye themselves so to one subject , as not to use any other thing to get their tincture ; to whom it is well known that the first essence of gold is found in every thing throughout the whole earth ; for where-ever there is any sulphur , there may be had the first essence of gold to have their tincture . but now in all vegetables , animals , and minerals , there is a sulphur certainly known and found , therefore in all parts of the world , the matter of the philosophers stone may be had every where : so that the poor may have the same without charge , no less then the rich , according to what the philosophers doe proclaim , saying their matter is every were , and you may have the same in any parts of the world without money , and it meets you , and is trod on under feet , and cast out on the dunghils ; for so the true philosophers do say , and write . also a true philosopher will not require or need much gold for his medicine ; for if he have but halfe an ounce which he brings to perfection , it will suffice for his whole life , and be in in his power to multiply , and bring it to perfection as often as he please ; and necessity shall require . so that it may easily be demonstrated , that not only gold , but somewhat more rare ( viz : ) the true tincture is in stones , which the ancients did intimate in these words . auro quid melius jaspis , &c what is better then gold , a jasper stone , &c. so paracelsus exceedingly commends red-talc , granats , antimony , and lapis lazuli ; expressing further , that the tincture or first essence of gold may be gotten out by sublimation , &c. take notice also further , that the first essence of gold may be found in any other small or meaner stones , and amongst the first and chief of these , viz. the blood stone , sythydis , magnesia , pedemontana , emery , and such like . in the which also it is so fixt , that to possess it there needs no other art , but the manner of extracting it , and giving it ingress by gold. on the other side , the first ens of gold , in the vegitable , animal , and mineral sulphurs , marcasites and antimony are had in plenty ; but are so volatil , that those little stones are to be preferred . but now in brief i shall shew , that in stones ( of which hot countries hath most gold ) there is not only fixt gold , but also volatil ; whence the true tincture may be perfected : for whoever can make the first essence of gold that is in stones volatil , and gather it by distillation , doth get a graduating water by which our quick fluid mercury or quick-silver may be coagulated to good gold. and whoever can joyn , and marry this volatil first essence of gold to corporal gold , and this with that to be made one , and procure ingression , he may hope for far more good , and may expect undoubtedly to enjoy the same to a better use and profit : for that the first essence of gold is more useful and needful to prepare the tinctures then corporal gold it self , as not a few philosophers have signified by the following words ▪ who say , gold and silver are not made by them , unless this first essence do effect it . the first ens also of gold , which lies hid in all vegitables and animals , doth coagulate mercury , even to yallowness , but not constant and fixt ; but if it be made fixt , it also fixeth and coagulateth with constancy , but doth not so before . it remains therefore most assured true , that where ever sulphur is found , there is also the first essence of gold , and where the first essence of gold is , there is also the tincture ; wherefore , being sulphur is found in every thing of the world , to the least herb , stone , and bone. it follows that also out of any little herb , piece of wood , little stone and bone &c. the true tincture may be prepared . ●ow this our new light doth not profit him that is blind , and will presume and resolve to be so still , more of this you may find in my third century and also make first part of my spagyrick pharmacopeia how sand. flints , and the like impregnated stones may be known , whether they contain little or much gold. flints , sand , stones , &c. that are white of all sorts , contain the least quantity of gold , and yet are never without some volatil , though not to be extracted with profit ; but most commonly the yellow and red have most gold , yet not always to answer the charge in dissolving and extracting . yellow , duskish , and black commonly hold much , and where through white , also yellow sand and stones , where lines are found ( like veins through them ) especially if they shine clear and glister with many little sparks of ☉ close together . likewise that sand is rich with gold , which appears like talc , wherein are found some stones , in which red or duskish talc appears , even as in all talc gold is found but yet in some more some less . all flints and stones in brooks , called bartenston , which though appearing white externally , yet after they are made red hot in the fire , and broken in water , appear yellow like gold , are sufficiently rich . green , yellow , or skie coloured stones , translucid like horn ( vulgarly called horne-stone , are also for the most part rich . also all reddish , black , and dark , dusky flints , have always gold , but for the most part mixt with iron , which therefore frustrate the vulgar labourants menstruum , and so makes it useless . all quarze quarries , the coverings of mines , and also saphir stones , or other in the earth in veins like metals , or open to the air or water , being coloured , hold gold. the blood-stone , and that which is of kin to it , emery , granats , and lapis lazuli , do all hold gold. the granats hold corporal gold , and the first essence of gold , some much and more then others , and others but a little : but these aforesaid stones are so hard , that strong waters ( as aqua fort ) cannot work upon them ; yet some remedy may be found to extract them . in all transparent amphitams , sapphirs , rubies , amathists and asinths , is the first essence of gold , but hard to be extracted . all ( fluores , oars and flowers ) used in the mines of ☉ and ☽ to reduce them to a flux , whether violet or purple coloured ▪ yellow , red or green , are endowed with unripe volatil gold , which of you heat red hot ▪ will vapour a king of green , yellow , or red fumes , and a snow-white colour will remain on the stones . now if any can tell how to save those flying fumes , he may with it coagulate mercury into gold. in like manner by means of distillation , a green water may be drawn out of all such like stones , in the which mercury will coagulate it self into gold ▪ this green water also the ancients have called their green lyon , which devours the ☉ or gold , and prepares a tincture for ☽ or ☿ . i would say more of this matter , but shall refrain for the covetousness , and wicked men , who seek nothing but the ruine of their neighbour , and to live in pomp and pleasures , who as unworthy , god will have wander in darkness , without this knowledge . wherefore let all that by gods grace have any illumination , beware the communicate nothing to wicked men , though they seem angels of light : nusquam tuta fides , there is no faith to be found on earth . soli deo tu confidas , promissis hominum diffidas , deus s●lus fidem servat , a mundo fides exulat ; which is , in god shalt thou put thy trust , mans promises distrust as dust ; god only keeps his promised plight ; but from the world all faith takes flight . wherefore i say , let all well-minded men beware of luxurious , proud , vain , and covetous persons ; for these vices proceed from the devil , and return again to him , and one can hardly find an honest man , though sought with diogenes his lanthorn , amongst many : for which cause i shall e're long publish a short tractate of evil and wicked men , viz. how and whereby to know them by their outward signatures and form , for virtue and vice ? and had i known this skill before , it had been a great advantage to have made me beware of such dissembling impostures . if any shall hereby reap any benefit , let them give god the praise , and be mindful of the poor : if otherwise , let them believe they are yet unworthy to have such things communicated to them ; for truly i have written here so plainly and truly , as no philosopher ever did before me . but now nevertheless i confess i have a more easy way for these things , viz. for extracting gold out of sand , &c. and such as never was known before to the world. . my first method is with a water of small charge or price , which may be had in plenty without distillation . . my second is a singular metal , of which chauldrons may be made , in which these stones and sand , with this small prised water are boiled , and yet not corroded or consumed thereby , and after the water shall dissolve any gold out of the sand or stones , then you may draw forth the sand and water with a scoop or bowl proper for this use , with holes in the bottom , and a wooden basket strainer thereupon , and so the impregnated ▪ water or menstruum , with the gold , may pass through , and leave the sand or stones behind in the scoop or bowl with the strainer , then pour on more warm water on the said sand , to wash out the remaining gold and tincture , and after all is washt out , throw the said sand or stones quite away , as useless . . my third compendium is , to pour upon the said clear menstrum , which hath the gold or tincture , another singular sort of water of small price , whereby all the said gold and tincture ( at such a height and quantity . ) in the solvent , will be precipitated to the bottom ; and so the clear solvent being freed from the tincture , must be canted off to serve again for the like use , as preserving still its own strength and virtue , without any abatement or diminution whatsoever , either by the said water precipitating , or by any other ways whatsoever ; and if any be lost or spilt by the usage , it may be easily repaired , by getting more of the same , without much trouble or charge . now if any should mix any precipitating lixiviat liquor or lees with the said solvent , contrary to its nature , and thereby mortifie the solvent by precipitating the gold ( which is done in other processes , and is used in and by my former experiments and trials in this books about the white sand and stones , &c. ) what dammage and loss would come thereby ; for every time there is occasion to use it , our dissolvent should be destroyed , and the extraction thereby become very troublesome and chargeable ; especially being done in glass or earthen cucurbits or bodies ; but this way all things cost almost nothing , and may be done in greater vessels , and cheaper , and the said waters be without loss . and this kind of extraction may be compared like the making of salt-peter , where the workman having extracted the salt-peter , throws away all the ashes and dirt , and puts more matter into the ( cupam ) tubs or bowls , for ●he like common water to extract more . . our fourth compendium is that precipitated calx of gold , after the filtration in a bag , is taken ●ut , dried , and by a good , cheap , and singular good matter flux it , is reduced to a body ; and so ●o part of the said gold will be lost or diminish●d . in these four compendiums for the extraction of gold , will come profit , but not so much other ●ays ▪ now let none marvel why i reveal not here any of ●●ese four compendiums ; i have been enough bitten ●y the envy of other men : for where they could not ●nderstand my writings by their own dulness , though ●ad plainly enough expressed the matter ; and so could ●ot perform the same ; they then publickly brought scandal on me , and reported , that whatever i writ were lyes ; nay , some others have seen the thing performed , and yet afterwards for hatred and envy , have slighted it and me . but however whilst i live , ( by gods grace and providence ) i shall be helpful to my neighbour , by using my talent to serve them , and like a most bright shining light will shew the wonderful great mystery of god , to the ignorant and simple people , against the will of all the enemies of truth , though they fret and vex never so much at it , i have resolved so to do ; yea , behold though my adversaries should all conspire and wholly devour me alive , they should swallow but a mean or lean morsel of earth ; for glauber should be and remain glauber still , till the consummation of the world or ages ; now if these men were of the ancient stamp and frame of faith and virtue , they would not detract and scandalize their innocent neighbour , without deserving ill at their hands . let these things be sufficient at this time concerning the extraction of gold out of sand , stones , and flints . now further i say ; although every one should use this extraction of gold for their imployment or trade , yet the one would not be a hindrance to the benefit of the other , by reason stones and sand are obvious to every body in all countries , as also the salts that are useful to extract the same are plentiful , so that nothing is wanting but a lover of the work to set his hand unto it . paracelsus in his book of vexation of alchymists saith , that more gold and silver is found upon the earth ▪ then in the bowels thereof , and that often times a countrey clown throws a stone at a cow ▪ which is worth more then the price of the cow , and it is most certain true , and will remain true ; for a lye cannot degenerate or exalt it self to a truth ; but in its time hereafter shall be punisht in eternal darkness with the devil ( as the father and original of all liers ) without doubt democritus his laughter , and heraclitus his weeping came from the contemplation of mortal mans eager pursuit after gold and silver through great anxities , labours , and troubles with loss of health and hazard of soul and body sailing many times through the vast ocean for it , and tearing open the earth to rush and sink down therein to fetch out gold and silver , which is so plentifully and easy to be had upon the superficies of the earth in every region and countrey , as that its ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) abundance may be had . solomon writ not from the purpose saying that great virtue was in herbs , woods and stones : for that which is fixt in stones is volatil in herbs . as in my little treatise printed . demonstrated ; although the first ens of gold ( whence gold may be made ) be in both . we read also in esdras there is much earth to vessels or pots ; but a little pouder or dust to make gold. and all sorts of earth are not so rich to gain by extraction of gold , nor it is to be thought that all stones and sand and every one are so rich in corporal gold as to yield any profit ; yet they still contain the first ens of gold , or yield such a calx , by which ( or the help thereof ) good gold ▪ may be made ; the which calx or pouder , if we knew how to extract and order , we would make greater accompt , and esteem it more then of gold it self . now since such an aurifying , or goldmaking pouder is so largely extended and diffused in stones and sand , &c. yet it is not easy to beat it or force it out with a hammer , but only by a peculiar art , is to be extracted , and perfected ; thereupon the blind multitude of covetus gold hunters will not believe it no more then ignorants , who knows nothing of the art ; and yet this art hath been always esteemed amongst philosophers as their greatest secret of secrets , and so hath been preserved amongst them . also where paracelsus writes of the first ens or essence of gold , he tells us it may be drawn forth by sublimation ; and basilius valentinus also tells us , that the preparation of the universal tincture , may be compared to the distillation or extraction of the burning spirit of wine from the lees , and may so be obtained ; oh friends , this is truly a sufficient clear comparison ; for as in a great quantity of lees of wine or beer , a little of the good spirit is hidden and the residue is a useless mud ; and yet that little quantity of spirit is drawn out with profit by means of distillation out of that great quantity of mud or faeces , and is thereby concentrated into a little room , and withall is so virtuous and piercing a spirit that one spoonful thereof is more worth , then the whole runlet or vessel full of faeces . now by such ways or means would the philosophers have us draw forth and extract the primum ens or form of gold by art , out of stones and sand , though dispersed and diffused far abroad in them , and so to concentrate their virtue and tincture into a small compass , of the which a very small quantity ( if but as big as a pea ) is of more worth and value , then a great mountain of useless and unprofitable dead earth . further , i would not conceal this from thee , that throughout all germany by , and in the rivers are found stones , the which abound with gold and silver , and are sufficiently rich ; and if you beat or break them to pieces , you will find within some of them some little holes , pits , or concavities , with a yellow or fusky dark powder , which being melted with borax will yield a silvery gold , i must avouch and affirm i never saw or knew any mortal man , that understood or observed those stones before , much less the golden powder hid in them ; which without doubt is by reason of mens carelesness to find out the physical great mysteries of god. here now i must admonish all men , that it were of great consequence and concernment for parents to place their children to be trained up in their youth , with some honest artist , or workman to teach them that , which in case of necessity might gain them an honest and commendable livelihood . but the rich having a plentiful estate , think they shall leave enough for their children , never to want ; yet if one misfortune or another happens upon them , or upon their children , as burning of houses , or ships , or goods lost by pyrats or thieves , or creditors fail , or ships miscarry , then whither to turn or what course to take they know not , but only to fly away , or live like vagabonds , or fill a gaol ; and all this for want of some laudable art learnt in their youth . and thus they become desperate , the one forsakes wife and children to travel to the indies , where not a few are devoured by beasts or canibals , some drowned or starved , others sell themselves or become souldiers , and like mad dogs at last are slain ; others after they have spent their means cannot subsist or provide for their family , and so become vicious livers , and have a miserable doleful life , till they perish and go to hell . all which might have been avoided by learning some good mechanick arts in their youth , or flourishing conditions . but when difficult and raging times approach , or that too many be of a trade in a city , the one beggers the other , and so there is no remedy but physick which may likewise fail . but a physitian might learn something else that would get a livelyhood , besides his practice , then he need not make so many visits to gape for his fees of his poor distressed patients : and so the lawyer need not for base profit sell the law or their clients cause to prepare himself a seat in hell , where afterwards to dwell for ever . nor the divine be afraid of his patrons , or benefactors , and so sooth them up in their sins , but preach the truth to all without flattery , and so prefer gods honour , and the peoples real good , with a true zeal before his private profit , to the hazard of his soul . so also of all the rest . now having declared or toucht this matter , i am passing and go away sighing and mourning , that the genuine hermetick philosophy and medicine , is so little practiced or esteemed , as also the natural true alchymy ( and not adulterate ) which genuine art is the queen of all arts , and shall remain so to the worlds end . when as therefore this art of extracting sand and stones , is so great a treasure and useful as we have heard , and carelesly kickt by men at their feet every where ; why do we not rather extract them to nourish our selves and families , and defend us from the injuries of the times , handsomly and honestly . why do we not i say leave the indies to their own inhabitants , and mannage our own countries or earth in europe where we dwell , where is abundantly sufficient to sustaine us , for whatever we want ; i cannot but again and again ingeniously confess , that if it were possible to renew my youth , or call back but ten years , i would not neglect publickly to profess and teach the true philosophy ▪ medicine , and alchymy , and so make it to be known demonstratively . but the sand of my glass is almost run , and my day far spent , so that i cannot undertake these so laborious practices , but must leave and resign the same to other more in their prime of youth and strength , whilst i am fading and vanishing hence . but all the good i can do whilst i live by faithful writing , i shall not neglect for my neighbours profit and advantage , and ( god favouring my purpose ) i shall shortly publish unheard of secrets ; here now it only rests to set an end to this tractate . an amonition to the courteous reader . whatsoever i have written in this little book of extracting gold out of sand , stones , and flints , is so true and certain that there needs be no question thereof . yet i may tell thee , as soon as this treatice came under the press , another way of extracting gold out of stones came into my mind far better then the former . by which gold may be drawn out and extracted much sooner and better : because to this my new way , there is no need at all of kettles of copper or brass , &c. but great quantities may be extracted without boyling in or with such vessels , but in others that are every where to be had ; so that one man in this new way in one day may easily extract the gold out of a thousand ( m ) pounds of sand or stones , &c. so that i cannot chuse but communicate this also ( which is far beyond th eformer ) if i shall understand , this may be generally profitable , and gratefully accepted in these bad times and fear of worse . whereby to be publickly serviceable to my country , and future generations . and so i commit all to the guidance and protection of the almighty . dated at amsterdam / july , anno dom. . jehior 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the day dawning ; or morning light of wisdom : containing the three principles , or originals of all things whatsoever . whereby are discovered the great and many mysteries in god , nature , and the elements , hitherto hid , now made manifest and revealed . to the honour of god , the love of our neighbour , and to the comfort and joy of the children of wisdom . in the . book of esdras . v. . the books will be opened before the heaven ; insomuch that they all shall see . zachariah . . at the time of the evening it shall be light. the epistle to the honest , sober reader . curteous reader , this spring or dawning of wisdom , was published some years since ; but being out of print , and something better improved by the author , and sutable to pythagoras his metaphysical and physical figure , with my smaller philosophical epitaph and figures , i thought good to make them with the rest into one small volume , where much light of divinity and philosophy will appear , concentrated and multiplied to any ingenious spirits . it is gods greatest bounty to give light and eyes to see , not only the corporal , and temporal ; but the spiritual and eternal light of wisdom . quantum quidque habet luminis , tantum & numinis . the more light the more of god who dwelleth in light , and in his children , who are children of light and life : for this is the condemnation and death , that light is come into the world , and men love darkness rather then light ; because their deeds are evil. this therefore as a trumpet , these latter days may awaken , and teach men what god , the world , and devils are , that so their souls and spirits hereby quickened and inspired , may the better know themselves , and arise from dead works of sin and sensual vanities ( the first resurrection of grace ) to be sure to rise again with christ in the kingdom of heaven in glory : for many talk of heaven , and being in its glory with christ ; which have it not within them , or desire to be there with such mortified pure and peaceable company as go thither ; who rather have hell , and feed on it , and delight in it , and such company ; which the better to distinguish and reflect upon the the way and company for heaven , take these four observations . to do evil for good , is devilish ; evil for evil , natural , sensual and bestial ; good for good , humane ; and good for evil , divine . the wisdom therefore from above is still pure , holy , and good ; gotten by mortification on the cross of christ , and brings joy and peace in the holy ghost for the kingdom of heaven ; but horror , amazement , and misery attend the rest , who live not after the gospel of the cross of christ ( which is the power of god to salvation ) but after the flesh , and do evil to serve the devil . to know and fear god therefore is perfect righteousness , wisdom , and eternal life ; so that the patriarchs and many termed heathen , not having the outward name of christ , may have his spirit and essential name , and be better members of him then we who live not thereafter : for ( as the scripture saith ) he was the rock of ages , was slain from the beginning , and hath enlightned every one that cometh into the world , and was before adam . but most men do not know nor fear god ; but superficially believe there is a god , and therefore talk of him as parrots , and sometimes worse by lyes , oaths and curses , &c. and therefore have no true faith in him or his son : for did they truly know and consider him still in his property and works , to be infinite , wise , omnipotent and omniscient ( just as well as merciful ) and that he is able to destroy them in a moment , in the very act of sin ) then would they fear him , ( the first degree of wisdom ) and so after christs example avoid all occasions and appearance of sin , as they can and will do in some acts for a very childs being present : and so would believe that he who made and created the eye and ear , and gives it life and sense in the instant of its exercise , can both see and hear as well as any eye and ear , which can see or hear nothing at any time without his help ; and likewise that he is as really present ( though invisible to the outward sense ) as any creature can be which he hath made ; yea , and that he knows our very secretest thoughts too , in whom we live , move , and have our being . but i am not in a sermon , but an epistle ; nor would i hinder thee in the porch from entring into this glorious building of light , where thou mayst find an heavenly manna ▪ and sumptuous mansion or eternal tabernacle for thy self , not made with hands and so i take leave to be thy christian friend and servant , w. c. july . ● , the preface to the lovers of wisdom . loving readers , we remember and know that all understanding and wisdom cometh from god , and all good things we receive from the father of lights : and that wisdom is nothing else , but the breathing of god ; who sends his spirit , and teacheth men what wisdom is , the truth and true knowledge . syrach . . jam. . wisd . . . job . . wisd . . . john . . acts . psal . . . syrach . . . exod. . . . this knowledge consists chiefly in three things . . to know god. . our selves ▪ . that which god hath created ▪ after wisdom and knowledge , followeth judgment ; namely , to discern good from evil ; light from darkness ; truth from falshood : upon judgement and understanding followeth election and will , to doe the one , and to shun the other . the knowledge or understanding of all things is threefold ; namely , . of men , . of angels , . of god. the understanding ( or knowledge ) of men is but in part . the knowledge of angels is in fear and trembling ; but gods knowledge alone is perfect . wisdom , knowledge , and the examining thereof , cometh from the spirit alone , which is in men , angels , and god. for the spirit searcheth into all , even into the depth of god. cor. . . the wisdom , knowledge , and understanding of men is three-fold , after the spirit of the same . namely , the spirit of men generally in this world is foolishness in gods eyes , for let men be never so learned and vvise , yet the perfect and true wisdom is hidden from them , because they do not know themselves , cor. . . mat. . . some of these wise men are called philosophers , according to the spirit of sects boasting of the holy scripture , of god , and of christ : but they have no knowledge of them , because their spirit is not of god , but they are only mens opinions of god , and of christ ; and are carnally and earthly minded , full of errours and confusion . lastly , the spirit of gods holy ones , who being godly and spiritually minded , are taught of god. the vvisdom and knowledge of the first is full of folly , darkness and ignorance . the wisdom of the second is full of misleading philosophy ▪ and continual contentions . the wisdom of the third sort of men who are godly , is but in part , although true and good . rom. . . ephes . . . colos . . . tim. . . cor. . . . truly wise men dive into the best gifts and perfection , which are of three sorts , charity , prophecy and examination . love and charity are the center , and contain the circle of all godly virtues and have faith and hope , but prophesying hath all knowledge , wisdom , and doctrine . lastly , examination containeth all understanding , judgment and discretion . in these three things all is contained that belongeth to wisdom , the center whereof is the word of god. this is that which all men ought to study , and should communicate to others according as they have received a gift of the spirit of grace● ; that god the author of all good , may be glorified : and that none do boast of gifts and extol himself above others ; but rather be humble : and then none ought to quench the spirit , neither in himself nor others ; but rather to stir it up . and lastly , let no man despise prophecy , that he may not offend god , his neighbour , nor scandalize himself . love forbeareth all : the wisdom of the spirit searcheth all , and examination tryeth all . since we have undertaken , through the admonition of the spirit , to speak of wisdom ( as much as our knowledge in part may afford ) therefore we intreat the reader in love , that those whom we displease ( or who are offended ) would tolerate us in love , as knowing that wisemen also must bear with fools ; and things spoken of in this book may not presently be rejected , but rather be suffered to stand , remembring that god also is patient unto sinners . but if any one do think himself wise , let him shew the spirit of judgment , and let him discern thus , least he judge himself also . for we hold that we also have received a gift of the spirit of grade , which we will not suffer to dye ; but to the praise of the lord we will put it out to use , out of love to the children of wisdom ; although not as an instruction , but as a good testimony to our selves ▪ that we have received a gift of the spirit not in vain . the reason that induced us to the writing of this book is , because we hope to be beneficial to the children of wisdom . it may be we have publisht the like twelve years ago , the title of it being aurora sapientiae : yet since it hath been desired by some again , i have not altered the title , hoping that it is not a little mended and corrected . i have set it out briefly , that it may neither be tedious to the reader , nor chargeable to the buyer , nor yet painful to the printer . benevolous reader , take all in good part , and thus we commend the well wishers to gods gracious ptotection . the contents of the several chapters of this book . of the books of wisdom , in which the same may be learned ; how , and in what manner ? chap. . of the principles and beginnings of all things , as also of god himself ; and of all whatsoever . of the first principle of all things which is god. of the second principle , which is nature . of the third general principle , namely the elements . of the three special principles , spirit , wind , and water . of the particular principles ; body , soul and spirit . of the elements and contrary elements in the creation . of the principle or original of that evil one , and of the angels . of the difference of the light and darkness , as also of the light and fire . of the principle of the fire , and its mystery . out of what , wherein , and whereby all things good or bad do subsist , pass away ; and yet how they last for ever . of the creation of the world. of the particular creation . of the mystery of the word . of the mystery of the created lower visible things . of the creation of man ▪ and of his anatomy . of the image of god , after which man is created of the mystical image ; that is of the mystery of god. chap. of the truth and spirit , by which all wisdom is justified of the mystery of time and to understand ▪ 〈◊〉 aright . the conclusion . avrora sapientiae ▪ morning light , or dawning of wisdom . we take the liberty according to the gift of the spirit , to speak briefly of wisdom , in this little treatise , without any prolixity . and because we made mention in the preface of a three-fold knowledge , as of men , of angels , and of god ; now we will speak here that wisdom also is threefold ; as . the natural of all created things . . the wisdom of faith unto salvation . and . the secret and mystical wisdom , which gener●lly is unknown : and that we call , vera philosophia , theologia , and theosophia of these three we will speak as briefly as may be possible . the spirit of the lord be upon both the writer and the reader . amen . jehior , or the morning light of vvisdom . chap. i. of the books of wisdom , in which the same may be learned ; how and in what manner ? there are chiefly but three books in which all wisdom is contained . namely , . the whole nature and creation , 〈…〉 great book of heaven and 〈…〉 . the book of the holy writ in the letter of the holy word of god. . man himself . the only center or principle of these three is the word of god , which is the book out of which these three books have their original . the first book of nature contains seven other books which are the seven elements , of which in particular here●fter . these seven books have three other books opposite , which are the three contrary elements , of which also hereafter . the second book , the holy writ is divided into three other books , as into the law of the old : into the gospel of the new : and into the eternal gospel of the everlasting testament and covenant , which comprehends the book of the revelation of jesus christ . the third book of man is only one book , and is sealed to the blind , but opened to the seeing . in this book is hidden , sealed ; and also manifest and opened all wisdom : and man is called the image or honour of god : ( o● which below ) and man cannot be called by any other name , cor. . . out of the first book we learn philosophia the natural wisdom in and about the knowledge of created natural things which are of the elements : and we learn this wisdom out of the three principles and seven elements ; and discern the same from the three contrary elements , else we cannot find the truth of the natural wisdom . out of the second book we learn theologia or divinity , the wisdom unto salvation ; and that in the three foresaid books through the seven spirits , isaiah . and we di●●●nguish it from all humane glosses , and books of prophane ones . for the book expounds it self , and needs no humane interpretation , but only hath need of faith , which apprehends all things . out of the third book , which is gods image , we learn the true knowledge of god ; as also his being and essence , and his whole mystery : in so much as he that desires to know god , must learn to know him in his image , and that perfectly ; which perfect knowledge is this , that god is man , and that he is true man , who is of god ; and god is in him . this is the wisdom , that is mystical hitherto , and yet is manifest but only to the wise : and is called theosophia ; because god doth no where so clearly manifest himself as in man , who is his image , or honour , or glory , cor. . . therefore man needs not to go far , but only into himself , to learn the true knowledge of god , and to seek after god in himself ; and himself in god. if he do not thus , all is vain , and no where else any wisdom to be found . acts . . luke . . seeing the three other books proceed only from the one book , as the world of god , therefore all three do testifie unanimously of this book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , namely each in its letter , wisdom and testimony , but none so clearly as man doth . this is that great , whole and perfect library of wisemen , wherewith in justice and equity they may be contented . all wisdom and knowledg , with their mysteries in these books , we may not learn any where else , but only through the same spirit , who himself hath penned these books , made , and testified . he therefore who is desirous to study these books , must from the bottom of his heart acknowledge and confess his own blindness , folly and ignorance ; and must pray unto the father of lights , for illumination , wisdom and understanding , that he would send his holy spirit which may lead us into all truth , and take us away from all foolishness . and falshood , and may bring us to the light of gods glory . which may not be done by any other means , then through a love to god , and to mans own salvation , and through a holy life without all hypocrisie , and through the light that commeth from above , and not from beneath , from man and his wisdom , which all those must learn to deny , that desire to learn the wisdom of the holy ones . we will speak thus ; that hitherto all these books were sealed up , but are now opened in the end of the world according to the prophecy , esd . . . dan . . zach. . . and if wise worldly men are offended at this , they betray themselves , that the wisdom of the holy one is not in them the books of wisdom testifie unanimously of the word by which all things are created , and in which only all wisdom doth rest , and which is the beginning of all beginnings , in which is all , and without which nothing is , which is all in all , god blessed for ever ; amen . chap. ii. of those principles and beginnings of all things , as also of god himself , and of all whatsoever it be . the principle of all principles , and beginning of all beginnings , as also of god himself , is only the word , according to the testimony of the divine truth and word it self , john . now the word may not be defined otherwise , then that it is a spirit , breath or voice of god , yea god himself in such a subsistence , essence and being , as namely , how the image of god doth represent us according to the similitude which is man , as that he is a quic●ning spirit , a spiritual adam , and heavenly man , which is god the lord glorined and magnified for ever , amen . now we hold altogether that this is the proper definition of god , and no other , which the holy writ clearly signifieth . cor. . , , . who according to his image and similitude . hath created a spiritual adam , and terrestrial man ; when god said , let us make adam or man after our image , after our similitude , gen. . , . now the word being the beginning of all beginnings , there is contained in the same the light , life , and love. the light affords the revelation of god , for god is light , and dwelleth in light , and is the father of lights . life is the virtue and power of god , and a quickning spirit , who hath , createth , and preserveth all . love is a testimony of god , in which is the father , the son , and the holy ghost ; in one word which is called jesus christ , the spiritual adam , and heavenly man , messias , who is essential , alpha and omega . all in all , the beginning and the end , the first and the last , blessed and praised for ever . amen . rev. . . now the word being the true principle in god himself , then consequently all proceedeth from the word , out of which do chiefly manifest themselves three general principles , in which principles , with and through which , all things are contained , and are these , namely , god , nature , element . now these three general principles afford also a threefold world , namely a divine uncreated from godflowing world from eternity , then an angelical world , which proceedeth or lighteth forth , or shineth forth out of the light in which god dwelleth ; and lastly an elementary world , whose original came out of the water . after these three general principles , proceed also three special principles , namely ghost , wind and water . now every world hath its proper ghost , wind and water in their kind and nature . all things created out of the divine world from above are created out of water and spirit from above , through the wind and breath of the omnipotent god ; for to the divine world is properly competent the spirit ; to the angelical is properly competent the wind , and to the elementary world is water proper . after these special principles , follow lastly particular principles , each of which hath its proper being , out of which , in which , and from which it consists : but these three principles proceed from the former , and are spirit , soul , and life , and body : all bodies are out of the water : all life and soul out of the wind : and all spirit out of the spirit . but concerning the angels , their body is out of the wind of the angelical world , their soul and life a fire-flame , and their soul a ●ight of which elsewhere : these are our principles in the wisdom , out of which all things have their original : whether other principles may be shewed unto us , we do much doubt . the primum mobile , first mover of all things is the word , for in it is the life . the secundum mobile , second mover of all things , is the spirit , through which all things are created . the tertium mobile , third mover is the wind , and these three moving principles are the perpetnum mobile , everlasting mover of all things , by which all things move , live , and have their being . but these three do rest upon the water bodily ; out of which the world is and all things are : and in the air ; according to the life , wherein all things are : and in heaven , from which all things come from above after the spirit ; but the spirit from god , from which he cometh and returneth thither . john. . . psal . . . acts . . eccles . . . but all these come together on and in the earth , as in the heart of the world . wisd . . . in these principles , out , with , and through the same , subsist all things : and without these nothing can subsist , that is , or hath a being , and are light , life and love ; god , nature , and element ; spirit , wind , and water ; body , soul , and spirit , and that in the word . chap. iii. of the first principle of all things which is god. god , being the beginning of all beginnings ; as from which all things proceed , then his beginning is from no other : he is without a beginning , because he is not from another ; yet though he hath his beginning from no other , he representeth in himself his beginning to all . this beginning of god is not a beginning to god himself , but to us ; for he himself is all in all . now that he might shew himself to us men , to testifie and instruct us of him , therefore god sheweth himself in his beginning , which is the word , which is god himself . now through this vvord is shewed to us , testified and taught that , and what god is , and who he is : but without word or speaking may be neither doctrine nor testimony , nor a presentation ; as reason doth make it manifest . therefore the vvord is the beginning of god to us , out of which all testimonies , names and relation of god do proceed ; as out of the depths of god , which consist in their own proper spirit , wind and water . the name of god is but one , according to the essence , which no man knoweth , but only he upon whom he is written , with the living letters of the spirit of god , and his vvord essentially , which is christ , and those that are of his being . these are they in whom the vvord dwelleth essentially , and that see his glory in a light and eye that no body else can see . all the names of god come together only in this one name : for the whole fulness of the godhead dwe leth in him bodily , who is called alpha and omega . zach. . . col . . he that seeth him seeth also god , and the father , and the living word , and the quickning spirit . john . . john . cor. . . even so he that seeth man , seeth also with the body , the soul , and the spirit , which are in their nature invisible . the testimony of god consisteth in three : namely in three witnesses , which are the father , the vvord , and the holy spirit . now as the name proceeds from the word , so doth every testimony of god , and resteth only upon the dear and true witness that is called amen ; which is the beginning of gods creatures . rev. . . and the testimony of god stands thus . god father , word , holy ghost , amen , which is christ . now because no body can testifie of god , but he himself alone ; and all testimonies of truth must be justified by three : therefore god also testifieth of himself by three ; but they are not three persons , but one onely person , and one only god ; even as in one earthly mans body , soul and spirit cannot be three distinct persons , so in god are not three persons . but this is the testimony of god to us in the name ( non in nominibus , sed in nomine ) of the father , son , and holy ghost which consist in the word , which three are one thing and one : but this testimony none acknowledgeth save he that hath it within himself essentially , that is , that hath the spirit out of god , and is annointed and sealed with it . this is the testimony of god with one word , through which we are sons and heirs of god. rom. . lastly , the revelation of god consists in seven powers , which are the seven spirits of god. rev. . . chap. . . chap. . . zech. . , . and rest upon him who is called , and is jesse ; who is of no other ; but out , through , in and of himself , is is self subsisting , in whom is all , who hath all ; also the fulness of the godhead . rev. . . isa . . col. . . for through him all things are created in heaven and in earth , and by him all things are preserved , by him also all is redeemed and reconciled ; he reigneth over all , and hath all under his power , through him all lost things are restored at his glorious coming ; he also holdeth judgment over all flesh , over quick and dead ; and lastly he will make old things new , and will abandon and put away all old things everlastingly . therefore the mystery of god consists in one , three and seven ; and according to this mystery all other things are created and consist in one , out of three , through seven ; and are therein testified , learned , manifested , or justified ; nothing at all excepted whatsoever it be ; and that for this reason that god in his mystery may be learned and glorified in and on all his creatures . herein consists now the mystery of the vvisdom in its measure , number and weight , as in one , three , and seven , whereby all things are numbred , measured , and weighed , so perfectly , that nothing can be added to it , or diminished from it . for all the works of god are perfect , and testifie of the creator , according to the mystery of the wisdom ; namely , that by the works may be known him , that made them , that what and who he is in his mystery . chap. iv. of the second principle , viz. nature . nature is the second principle and beginning of all things , and stands betwixt god and the elements , through which god worketh into the elements , at , through , and by means , and is in its consideration even as angelical , whose beginning is out of god a forth-blown breath , vvind and air of the almighty , in which consists the soul and life of all created things , and every living soul , and is concentred and fastened together essentially , bodily , and self-subsisting in the tree of life , even as god in christ , and the whole elementary world in man. this second principle is not everlasting according to the beginning ▪ yet eternal according to the end , even as the angels are . it is not created out of nothing , as this world ; but proceedeth from god , even as the life from the spirit , as a breath , vvind , or air doth proceed ; and is also the breath of gods vvord ▪ in which is life thus , that the speaking of the word is a living eternal breath , and is distinct from god , as a living breath or soul from the quickening spirit . the living breath , soul or life of all things i● according to its original out of the nature , but the spirit out of god , namely after his measure , and the body out of the elements . the spirit as the soul , or the life are distinct thus : as god , who is eternal life , and the quickening spirit himself , and hath life from no other , because himself is the spirit : and as the living soul , having her life not out , from , and by , or through it self , but out of the spirit , which maketh things alive , whose breath is the life . now that is soulish which hath its life not from it self , but from the spirit , and which is not a spirit , but only a breath . all things whatsoever are in their being , have the food of thir souls and life out of nature , and that from heaven through the wind and air , from which all that hath breath doth live und feed , as through the forth-going breath of the vvord contained in the second principle ; for the word of god feeds every spirit , life and body with its breath or blowing upon ; because life is in the word , which beareth all things by his power , even as it hath created all things . now as all things consist of body , soul and spirit , so they have three sorts of food to their ilfe & substance , the bodily food to the body , out of the elements , as from that which cometh out of the waters , and out of the earth , whence also the body doth come , is taken and is made . the soulish food to the soul & life in every thing out of nature , through both the elements of vvind and air , from whence also the life and soul doth bome . the spiritual food to the spirit , and that from god , at from whom the spirit is , namely each spirit according to its measure , and to the spirit in every way this food cometh from heaven , through the spirit and light , as from the three spiritual elements , from whence also the spirit did come . nature doth assemble it self in her spirits life , and body to the wind , air and water . the angelical world in its body is no earth , as the elementary is , but it is the right body of the water , out of which it subsisteth , and that body is here beneath with us ice , but above it is an angelical earth like unto a christal . and in a word , it is a most noble salt of life , fertile , or constant , or firm over all , and is the paradise in it self . it is an angelical air , which doth not fetch breath there as the living soul , for the life of nature is eternal in regard of the end ; but it liveth and moveth in the virtue of gods word eternally , sine respiratione , or without breathing . therefore death cannot reign in the angelical world over the nature , and over the tree of life , but is rather overcome by it ( how much more by god ) for the tree of life stands unmoveable : therefore by the breaking of the fruit of this tree , at the glorious coming of christ , all shall come from death to life , and shall be freed and redeemed from death , devil and curse . lastly , in its spirit also it is of an angelical spirit ▪ by the power of the word and testimony of god. thus namely , that the dragon hath no power over it , but is conquered by the spirit of the same , is cast out , and quite extruded and cast away ; how much more th●n by god. therefore seeing the nature in her spirit is the wind of the almighty , and a going forth of the light in which god dwelleth , and cannot come to that evil one , or may not fall into an evil , neither may it be blasted or poisoned by the breath of the old serpent . the divine world in its being is compared to the most noble body of the water and earth , as it were to a heavenly body which is and are an essential spiritual salt , as the most noble and pure gems , precious stones , and glistering gold. in its life it is the breath of the almighty , a soul and life proceeding out of the mouth of god in and to an eternal life ; and in its spirit , the spirit of the lord it self , who is god praised for ever . god is the spirit ▪ the nature is the soul or the life , and the elements are the body : but be it known , that each world hath its proper nature and element , and that the one world is never changed into the other , neither can it be altered , nor one principle general into another . now each principle hath its proper spirit , life and body . chap. v. of the third general principle , namely of the element . god himself is all in all , out of him are all things according to the spirit , by him are all things according to the word , and to him are all things according to the providence or confidence . rom. . . wisd . . . chap. . . gen. . john . psal . . , . . . . , . the nature is all , but not in all ; because she is not in god , who hath his own nature , and the elements also are not all , but something only ; which is a salt. this something is from god after the spirit , from nature after the life and soul , and from the spiritual water after the body . and again , the water out of the salt ; each world is , and doth flow out of the other , the nature stands to the angelical world , and is a flowing out of the divine world ; and the elementary world is an overflowing of the nature and angelical world . lastly , man cometh forth out of the three worlds , and is the concentred or conjoyned centrum of all the worlds . there are seven elements or powers of the world , as spirit wind , air and water ; light , heaven and earth , and are such , by which , in , and through which this world consists and subsists , and without which it cannot subsist . these seven elements are created out of such a one , which in the elementary world are all in all , and are incorruptible ; namely salt , which is an excretion of nature , execrementum quasi sobriè sumptum , whereby in this world all things bodily subsist , and are preserved . now there is a threefold salt , namely , a spiritual , soulish , and a bodily and palpable . the bodily is fixt and permanent , both in water and fire : whence we know out of what , wherein , and whereby all things stand firm and constant , both in the water and the fire , that they may not be drowned , and wherewith they are closed up . the soulish salt is flying ; because life and soul is in it , and the growth of all whereby all things receive both body and life : but when it cometh down again , and turneth to the fixed salt again , then they receive life . but the spiritual salt is a right true essence , and in this world the most noble being of all being ( spiritus universi ) the spirits of the elements , and their light , and heaven in its essence . the spiritual salt dwelleth in the spirit , light and heaven , and giveth to the body of the resurrection , as spiritual from the spirit , light and heaven . the volans or flying salt dwelleth in the wind , air , rain , and dew , this giveth out of wind and air to the body after death , the fixed corporeal salt dwelleth in water and earth , out of which this our body doth subsist : but salt is the right fixed salt , and the right water of life , which is a dry water , and together water and earth , in which the air and wind is secretly hid , and also the heavens , light and spirit in its depths , which are then the seven powers of the element and world ; and all seven may easily , undeniably , and manifestly to the eye be demonstrated , if the same be anatomized . this only element of all elements , is a power of all powers in this world : the salt is an excrement of nature by the word of god , and is bodily a seed of the water , and all elements from whence the water did spring , or proceed , or flow , by the breathing of the spirit of the lord for a seed to all the world , and abundantly increased by the moving of the spirit of the lord ; so that the whole earth is formed out of it . the fixed salt is threefold , as in the earth , in the water , and in heaven . the flying salt also , as in rain , water and dew , air and wind. the essential also is threefold , as in the light spirit , and upper water . the waters supplie three places or degrees , for out of them them the world did subsist , which is remarkeable , always the one is hid in the other . the flying salt is the key , and openeth with it , descending in the spring , that every thing raiseth from the dead , greeneth and groweth , and with its ascending in the harvest shutteth them again . the elements are threefold , namely , spiritual soulish and bodily . there are three of the spiritual elements , as bodily , the heaven ; soulish the light , and spiritual the spirit . the soulish are twofold , as wind and air. the bodily also , as water and earth : always the one is hid in the other , and the one always comprehends the other six in it ; and always the one of them is bodily manifest , visible , and knowing , or palpable , but the other six are hid in it . each element also in it self is threefold , as spiritual , soulish and bodily . the spiritual earth is , and are the precious stones or jewels , and that is the body of the spirit . the soulish earth is the gold , the spiritual water bodily are the pearls , the soulish is the amber , afterwards the corals bodily . in all these dwell many powers , especially if out of water and spirit by means of the fire , they are made new and spiritual . all elements are in the one with all their powers , which is a spiritual rock , out of which the water of life doth spring to all creatures , and ebbeth and floweth in the whole world , and filleth up elementarily all in all . and when in the end of the world , this one is taken away from them , then all the elements are consumed in and by the fire . chap. vi. of the three special principles , spirit ▪ wind , and water . the three special principles , as far as they are principles , come according to their original , as the spirit from god , the wind from the nature , and the water from the rocks and wells of the element . every body in the elementary world is out of the water , even also heaven and earth . all living , soul and breath is from the wind , in all bodies , and all spirits are from the spirit : the spirit hath by it the light and heaven , the wind , the air , the water , the earth . now as every thing hath its original ; so it is of the same fed , nourished , and thither it returneth again . now the water is a gathered , concentred , and bodily palpable air . the air is a soft sensible bodily gathered wind . and the wind is a living gathered spirit . but the spirit is such an out-spoken word , which createth and maketh some living thing ; so that it stands there essentially , where it was before . psal . . , . in the beginning of the creation , the spirit moved on the water ; by which moving is understood the wind , by which the spirit hath breathed on the waters , and made them fertile for the creation of the world . all things that are , move and have a being , have their original from the one , infini eternal father , eheve , jehovah and jesse , which is the essential , self-subsisting , living word , which is and was in the beginning , and remaineth everlastingly ▪ to which word all other things are just nothing . through it all things are created , are preserved , nourished and fed in their spirit and life , as through the breath of the almighty . esd . . . heb. . . mat. . . now by the three special principles , as spirit , wind , and water , which are elements also , all creation is finished , not only because they are the means by which the general principles do work ; but also because they contain in them the right seed of all things , and the same in the only true element of which we made mention afore . for these three bear in their body all salt and feed , fixed ; and flying , and essential ; as also heaven and earth , with all that is therein , and bring forth into the world , each to its proper self-subsisting , or substance . now as all is produced out of the special principles , according to the creation and nativity : but the sin with the curse and corruption hath made all evil ; so must all that is born anew return to water , wind , spirit , and out of the spirit and spiritual water , must by the wind be born anew to the image of the coelestials ; yet so , that in their glory they be no other then angelical and divine , and bear the image of the coelestials . this new birth goeth out of the upper waters , and out of a coelestial earth to speak elementarily , and are nothing else but salt . there is another birth also that goeth out of the fire , and is done in pain and torment . the new birth out of the water , and through the water is done in drowning by water to death , that out and in the earth is done through death and corruption : the birth out of the fire , as a contrary element , is done in and through the fire in hell. every new birth and regeneration is done through the spirit , as also every creation and alteration . the new birth out of the water is done , when water is to be poured upon that which shall be new born : which the bad contrary elementary doth drown , kill , and reduceth to nothing : and on the contrary stirreth up the good , draweth it out and maketh it glorious , and distinguisheth the good from the bad , rejecteth the bad , and chooseth the good , and keeps it . the new birth out of earth is done , when a thing is reduced to its proper ▪ earth ▪ dyeth and putrifieth therein , then afterward cometh forth again , and riseth out of the earth with a new and spiritual body , and parteth with the naughty and corrupted . the new birth in the fire is done , when all is cast into the fire , and that which doth not hold fire is consumed by degrees : and only that which is spiritual remaineth and is saved : and then afterward the new birth with a spiritual body cometh forth : cor. , , . pet. . although we speak here physically and elementarily ; yet understanding men will judge theologically , and the wise may search physically , how every thing hath its true earth , water , and fire , and so mark and observe this mystery . now is the spirit , wind , and water , by which all things in the world are effected . these the word sendeth forth to all creations , births , and alterations . these are never quiet , for they are by and with the word , the perpetuum mobile , as above was mentioned , and co-operate continually into the light , heaven , air , and earth : which four elements stand still unmoveable into which the three special principles do overflow with their body , soul , and spirit , as to the water , wind and spirit ; and work out all , and finish the same . the water is as it were the element , the wind is like as angelical , and the nature , and the spirit is divine . chap. vii . of the particular principles , body , soul , and spirit . w●th those are the principles inclosed and consists in a threefold trinity ; and always one produceth ▪ another and stand always orderly in their subordinates , and agree together , that they make up a true and whole harmony , and are enclosed at last in the light , life , and love. the body of all them is , and consists out of the water , also the earth , the water out of the wind ; the wind ▪ out of the spirit ; and the spirit o●t of god there is a threefold body , namely , a sensible or palpable out of water and earth : a soulish out of wind and air ▪ and a spiritual , out of heaven ▪ light and spirit . so is an elementary hody , an angelical , and a divine , very well to be distinguished on man. further the soul is corporeal out of the air from whence it is fed also : and soulish out of the wind : and spiritual out of the light. the spirit is corporeal out 〈◊〉 from the heaven : soulish out of the light : and spiritual out of the spirit of the elements , out of the nature , and of god , according as the creature is . out of these three general principles , man hath also a threefold spirit according to his measure , and is the perfectest creature : always one body dwelleth in the other : and as soon as one body is dissolved and broken ; in the same moment another and more noble body is manifest , and that in all things . if now the body becometh nobler , needs must the spirit be more noble , high and glorious . but this is the body , after which the wise do seek ; namely , the salt which containeth all in it self . this body they drown in a water , which floweth out of the centrum of the vegetables ; and draw out all vertues , which afterward come together in a celestial spiritual body , and afford that precious jewel . all things that are killd and dye naturally , are drownd in a cold saturnine water , for all natural death is done by coldness ; but what is kill'd in the fire without a saturnine water , is not fit to nature for a better state . only the salt we seek in the fire , and then through the water , and afterwards cleanse and purifie it with the baptism of fire and of water . we should therefore six our thoughts on the water , and use the fire very carefully , because it is a contrary element , before which nothing can subsist , but only the salt. this is the true body of all elements , and of all things in the whole world , if that be taken away , th●● all perisheth quickly , and the gold it self also in the fire . this is the right heaven , wherein dwell all powers , and is in all things in the whole world their heaven , and is compared to the tree of life in paradise . now the soul according to the highest degree , is out of the nature : according to the second degree , from the light ; and according to the third degree , out of the wind. these are the principles of the living soul : soul and spirit are distinct , as god and nature , spirit and wind ; as angel and living soul , yea as spirit and breath . the middle principle among the three principles , is always instead of the mother , as the nature , wind , and soul. the body is the child ; which the spirit , ●s a father begets through the soul . out of the spirit cometh the soul , he lets it out as his breath and from both these the body : the firm soul and spirit , as the true life and spirit which is like unto the angelical world , is always in the right body of all things that is , in the salt , when it is opened , then they come forth in a great clearness , as in an angelical glory . at last the spirit of all things is out of the three general principles , in each according to their portion and measure . now the spirit affords the right inward essence , the forma essentialis , differentia specifica abstractum essentiae , and nothing else . from the same the body and soul also receive their essence , whereby the one from the other essentially and properly , are distinguished ; as man from beasts ; a beast , foul , fish , vermin , &c from others : and so one thing from another . all creatures are distinguished chiefly into three : as into animalia , all living souls : into vegetabilia , all that grow and spring out of the earth : and into mineralia , things that grow under the earth , and are digged out , and so in the water also . these are distinct as the three principles , and in our wisdom always a fair harmony doth represent it self . all living souls consist out of water and bloud , in their seeds through a moist warmth , and a warm moistness each in its mother . all growing things consist in their seed , out of a slimy water , through the salt , which is fixed in the root , flying in the herb , leaf and grass , and essential in the flower ; and all three concentre at last in the seed . all minerals , metals , and what belongeth to it grow out of a fat earth , which the salt of the earth doth hatch : and do coagulate through a cold fire , which is a saturnine water , that is , a fiery water , and a waterish fire that doth not burn . even as upon earth all things grow by rain and dew , as also in the earth it raineth , thaweth , and is misty , thereby grow the minerals , metals , and the like ; and all this from the salt fixed , flying and essential the flying salt begets sulphur , the essential begets mercury . among the vermin the chiefest is the viper , with her brood and kind , and is mercurial . among the vegetables is the vine , a channel , out of which come three sorts of water , and also a noble mineral , and is the centre of the vegetables . among the mineral is the gold , yea the salt. of all these three the concentred center is man , above all that is created . chap. viii . of the elements , and contrary elements in the creation . the seven elements or powers of the world do rest only upon one , which is a right well of all elements in our thoughts , because it containeth all . an element is such a thing , out of which , and in which the world and all doth consist ; without which , nothing can subsist again , a contrary element is such whereby the world and elements are altered and corrupt and at last must quite perish thereby . now all things are created out of three principles materialiter , namely out of the word , as out of a spiritual ; out of nature , as a soulish ▪ and out of the elements and contrary elements , as an incorporeal-corporeal , and corporeal-incorporeal ; that is , out of the elements after something , and out of the contrary elements according to nothing . the word is the all , the elements are the something ; and the contrary elements are the nothing the nothing is become something by the word of god ; and the something will become nothing again , when at last the word is taken away . although the contrary elements were once nothing , yet in the creation they are a principle along , because they were made , which were not afore , and are of god counted not evil , but good ; because god did look upon them , and hath covered and hid their principle , which was nothing , yet concentred and fastened together , corporeal in and on the tree of knowledge of good and evil , which must have stood there as a witness ; namely , that the world was created out of nothing ; yet this should be undiscovered and not ashamed , that is , it should not be broken , namely , that the shame of the whole world might not not stand ashamed before the face of all the world , and for a confusion be quite dead and perish . now as long as the contrary elements remained unknown , and in their concentrated center were not broken , they are very good : but so soon as they are known in their depths , they are such a thing as puts the world to a shame , and at last altogether doth consume it , and reduceth it to nothing . these contrary elements are three , darkness as corporeal , fire as soulish , and corruption as spiritual ; yet corruption before the fall was no corruption , but only an alteration , not unto evil , but unto good , and a change and exchange of all created things . the fire before the fall was not consuming , but in its knowledge was good and useful : in like manner darkness was very good , and for a rest and refreshing to all creatures ; but now it is an habitation to ill spirits , and as far as darkness in the air reacheth and goeth , so far and high also in the air hath satan his dominion and reign . ephes . . chap. . and so are the contrary elements become hereditary to satan through sin , who is the prince of darkness , and potentate of the fire , and the fire over him , and a principle and beginner of perdition , out of darkness , hell is harched , which is threefold . . corporeal , according to its place , under the earth in the nethermost places . ephes . . . luke . . pet. . . . soulish in the reign of the devil , and prince of darkness in high places . , spiritual in the devil himself and his children . this hell will be cast at last into the fiery lake . out of the fire is produced an unquenchable ever burning sulphur , and such a consuming fiery flame , which killeth life , and yet always maketh death alive . the hellish fire is three fold ; in the hell , in the devil and his children , and in the fiery pool : out of this alteration , or rather perdition , is at last death gotten ; which in its bodyliness is a cold fire , and a fiery coldness : according to the soulishness , a gnawing worm that continueth , devoureth , and never eateth , yet always consumeth and still begetteth again : according to the spirit , death is the devil himself essentially , who hath begotten sin , and sin hath begotten him , the devil . now darkness was good before the fall ; for light was hid therein , which god commanded to come forth out of the darkness : the fire also was good before the fall ; for life rested therein , because no flame was burning in the fire , nor was manifest . the change and alteration was good also before the fall ; because love did shew it self therein , by the increase of the creatures . now since light , life and love include all , therefore they were comprehended also in the contrary elements ; but they were separated from the same , and thrust out and parted through sin ; and so that ▪ which was very good became exceeding bad , and turned good and evil to a contrary and adverse thing . after the fall hell and death were begotten , and the fire was made manifest , visible and corporeal ; so that it went up into the height by reason of sin ; so that by gods permission and command it may fall down from heaven upon the wicked world , especially it doth lye in and on the fiery cherub before the door of paradise , and guardeth the way to the tree of life ; but in the glorious and joyful coming of the great god jesus christ ▪ this fiery cherub must be gone and come down , and all contrary elements must reduce to nothing , that is , they must no more reign ; and also the devil himself must from above be cast down , taken captive , and in prison must be bound a thousand years , to the glorious liberty and redemtion of the creature , from the vanity , curse and death , where all things as they were created , will be renewed . chap. ix . of the principle or original of that evil one , and of the angels . before this elementary world was created of god , the angels , and the angelical world , and paradise , which were above the upper waters , were first , and that so certain , as the nature was first before the elements , and god before all things . therefore always out of the upper things , things beneath were gotten , and the upper is always before that which is below , even as the spirit is first before the soul and body , now the angels god hath called through his word out of the same light , wherein god dwelleth after their spirit , for that end , that they should serve him , and hath presented them in the fiery flame , after the soul , and as a wind , after their body . now the angels being out of the light , wherein god dwelleth , therefore they can know on , in , and out of the same , what gods command is , and this light is the face of god in heaven , a spiritual food of the angels , which light the angel of the children may behold , whereas on the contrary the angels of sinful men may not behold it , until the sinner doth true repentance , then his angel may appear again before that light , and before the face of the lord , of which there is great joy among the other angels : but as long as the sinner doth not repent ; so long appeareth the devil before god , and accuseth the sinner day and night before him . now amongst god ' angels ▪ ●ucifer was the chief ; for he carryed the 〈…〉 clear morning star , which was and is the son of 〈◊〉 but he was not content with that great honour and dignity ; but would fain have been lord and god himself , and no more a servant . this coveting was in lucifer gotten by an ill look and eye toward god , inflamed within himself , in the same fiery flame , out of which the angels , after their soul are , and that so much and heavy , that the light did depart in his spirit from lucifer , and instead thereof an unspeakable great darkness came out of the fire , which lucifer himself had kindled ; and so instead of heaven , a hell it self . so the fiery flame unknown to lucifer , undiscovered and hid , was blown up by himself out of envy and grudgings , so that it turned to an essential anger , yea to a consuming fire , wherein at first did rest the life ▪ but was afterwards turned into a living death , which never dyeth , and a deadly eternal life made manifest , as a soul to satan . at last through lucifers pride a strange wind was gotten in lucifer , as a body unto him , and satan hath quite lost the angelical principle , and self-subsistance , and became a strange bird , and a wild fly. lucifer did try whether he could not be a god , or like unto god , which yet he was in his portion and measure , therefore he is called a tempter and satan ▪ and he was become such an one , namely , both a god and a creator , and a creature of his own , and lost all all gods testimony wholly , as also the testimony of good angels . he is a knave or lyer from the beginning through sin , which hath begotten him , and he hath begotten sin , he is sins father , and sin is his mother ; that hath begotten him , and he her through covetousness in the leering eye of self-love and imagination . now as sin is that evil , and found out in its principle by lucifer , so it hath turn'd him into an evil one , and one is the principle of the other ; and so he can be excused by no means . so lucifer hath murdered himself , and hath lost the angelical printiple , and is , and remaineth a forlorn child , and son of perdition the right antichrist for ever . thus is sin gotten through coveting , and coveting through looking upon , and looking upon through imagination , and that through self-love , and that through an arrogant liberty , this through security , and that through wantonness , where there is no fear ; for as fear is the beginning of wisdom , so is wantonness the beginning of folly and sin . he that is fearful will not easily hazard upon sinning . lucifer was created of god a good angel ; and that so , that he might easily have been kept from sining : so also might man if he would himself ; but self-will brought him to that sin , yea his own wantonness ; but now he could not be so perfect created , that he could not fall into sin at all . the reason is , because his weight , measure and number could not endure it ; because he was not born of god , but had his principles besides god , although through god ; but what is born of god and of his seed , that cannot sin , because it is born of god , to whom it is impossible to commit sin . thus is made clear and manifest the mighty abundant difference in the creation , which was very good at the renovation , which was done in and on the old creature , by means and help of the spirit of god , and among the new births from above of god , which is it alone to make children and heirs of god , and co-heirs of christ , unknown to the world , and their wise children . now the angels consisting out of wind , fire and light , and the fall of lucifer standing before them as a warning ; therefore they cover their feet and faces before god with fear and trembling , and are rather ashamed of themselves , that they may find grace before the lord god. now they are a fiery flame for a protection of the godly , and a perdition and death to the wicked : god also is a consuming fire in his angels , not on , or in himself , and will come also with his angels , and his power , and with fiery flames to judgment . cuap . x. of the difference of the light and darkness , as also of the light and fire . hitherto the light was not reckoned under the elements by the wise of the world , though it be the first of them in the creation , for in all creatures the bloud and eyes are first ▪ and not the heart . now the light is a going forth of gods glory ▪ and it never goeth down or decayeth in its spirit , an● is a dwelling of the seven spirits of god , as the darkness is an habitation of evil spirits . in the light dwelleth the spirit of the lord , the spirit of wisdom and understanding , the spirit of counsel and of strength , the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the lord. all wisdom understanding and knowledge , all judgment and examination , and every truth and righteousness cometh from , and out of the light , and through the same . and as the light doth illuminate the whole world , and maketh day , and is the day it self : so it illuminates also every spirit in all living souls ; and as there is no day without light , neither can be ; so no wisdom , nor knowledge nor understanding can be without light . but the light in its body , in our opinion , is a pure essential spiritual salt from which all gemms and precious stones get their colour ; as also all flowers and beauties their fairness . all which the spirit of light doth work , and adorneth all things with beauties ; for in the light all colours are hid , and are gotten by the same , the soul of the light is nothing else , but a joyful life out of nature , as an angelical life , and his spirit and eternal love proceeding from the spirit of the lord. out of this light god hath made the lights of heaven , which are coagulated , living and comprehensible lights , and are nothing else in their essence , but a spiritual essential and exceeding pure christalline salt , so high tempered , as ever any thing may be without any quality or property of heat ; coldness , warmth , moistness , drought , and have their proper motion in and on themselves ; especially the sun ●unneth always with the light and day , but the moon with the darkness and night , and the other stars in and on their places and order . those lights of heaven do shew always and every where clearly the power of the elements and contrary elements , what their operations be , through which powers all things in the whole world are finished and wrought upon , but through the lights of heaven no less then a looking glass sheweth such and such you see . now the powers of the elements and contrary elements change and revolve daily , weekly , monthly , and yearly . now because out of the light cometh knowledge , which searcheth out all the depths in every spirit , soul and body , and presents them in the lights of heaven , prophesie , tell , and give to understand to the beholders , who are the children of the light . the spirit of light searcheth all in all things , and sheweth by the lights of heaven every ascendent or spirit in all things , and also in man , namely what spirit , soul and body he hath received at his nativity ▪ out and according to the elements and opposite elements , as also what spirits do incentre in him : all which if bad or evil man may decline ▪ or resist by the holy and good spirit , as a beast can shake off the dust or flyes . now the lights of heaven rule the whole world , namely acording to their time , and shew things present , past , and future : now because every element hath its spirits , as the earth , the water , and the air , and their eyes are more spiritual then our bodily ▪ they can therefore spy something in the lights of heaven , and reveal it to man : but the children of light do not use the communion of such spirits at all , neither should it be ; because it is the next degree to witch-craft ▪ the natural magick can do much ; of which the wise men of the east made use profitably , who clime to christ : but the angelical may do more yet , and much more the divine . but we must strive always after the best , and man hath within him a threefold magnet or 〈◊〉 whereby he can draw to him all spirits in the world , and can do wonders . but what saith the lord to it mat. . luke ▪ . for by the natural magick , devils may be cast out , and great wonders done by it . the prince of darkness can turn to the shape of of an angel of light , and will have every where his hand in the work . now is a very dangerous time ; because all spirits are stirring ; because their end is so nigh , that it is hardly believed . the air is fuit of spirits , and the he earth also is full of them , and every man hath his proper angel , and his bad angel also : by the good angels all good things man doth , are set down truly , and the bad angels observe all evil that man doth , and when once the books are to be opened , men will be judged according to their works and words . well be it with him , who hath blotted out his black register with repenting tears . the spirit we cannot see , unless our eyes be opened . lastly , between light and darkness , light and fire is such a great difference , as between life and death ; blessedness and perdition ; yea as between god and the devil . the light is and will be an eternal dwelling of god : but darkness and fire is an everlasting habitation of devils and the damned . chap xi . of the principle of the fire , and its mystery . there is a threefold fire , namely , the fire of the contrary element , the fire of the angels , and the fire of the devils . the fire of the contrary element is threefold . first before the fall , a still resting and unmanifested fire , without a burning flame . secondly , after the fall , a kindled , manifested , burning , flaming fire . thirdly , a cold waterish fire , which doth not burn , yet smoketh , & worketh into the earth upon minerals , and metals . with this cold waterish fire all things are forced , and the metals also ; for it doth calcinate them , and turneth them as it were into ashes , destroyeth and openeth them . this fire is chiefly threefold , as . vegitable , which is as it were tempered , and is a well rectified vineger , which is extreamly useful . of which not many words , sat sapienti dictum . secondly , it is a mineral fire , which chiefly is the true spirit of nitre , a spiritual water out of salt-peter , which hath both heat and cold , and is infernal and coelestial . thirdly , mercurial or saturnine , a strong salt that hath not its fellow . without this no metal is engendred , nor broken , or groweth , in which is a great mystery hid , more then can be imagined . but the true spirit of nitre must not be prepared without a cold fire ; for the raging , horrible , and furious hell , which is in saltpeter , must in its devouring and consuming fire be over whelmed , drowned and devoured , and be reduced to a blessed heaven . now when a heavenly water is at hand , then a new birth from above out of water and spirit can follow . here lyeth hid a great medicine in time of the raging plague , head-aches , leavers , stone , gout , and many more diseases , to be used . and truly the time is come , when all things must be made manifest ; and although we have not yet with our hands prepared it ; yet the spirit of wisdom can teach us all what is secret and mystical , who searcheth into all deepnesses ▪ and can shew , testifie ▪ and make known to us that which no eye hath seen , no● ear hath heard , and which hath never entred into mans heart . thirdly , there is also a metalline cold fire , which reduceth all metals , yea gold it self to nothing ; only that noble grain in the gold hidden , stayeth and remaineth , which cannot be forced , and that fire is lead , saturn , which devoureth all metals , and consumeth also it self in the fire at last : even as the common fire doth consume and devour all wood , and at last it self is consumed , and goeth out : but in the cinders that remain , there lyeth the treasure hidden , which must be drawn out of it with hot water . the metals have two sorts of waters , a cold and a hot , and both are fire . the cold is saturn , lead , the hot is mercury . now as the one is an extream hellish cold ; so is the other extream hot of a hellish heat ; so that by reason of heat it stands in a continual flowing , although it feels outwardly cold. now in this fire water , the metals , especially gold , after their death , are born anew , namely , in the metalline world , and reign ; and yet are anew clarified , christalline , spiritual , heavenly body ; which is so glorious , that it can make inferiour and less precious , yet to his nature not unlike metals to his own substance . so much is it worth to know the nature of fire , and its mystery , without which no good or profitable use of it may be had , for our good ; for all must be killed first in the cold fire , even as it were through its winter , according to the proceeding of nature , must dye and putrifie , if it shall be produced again in a new body ▪ now the fire according to its principle , is begotten out of darkness , from thence it is produced , and returneth into it again : but darkness was begotten out of the nothing , and that nothing stood there in the beginning of the creation to the something , as a testimony of that which was created : for all that is made and created , that was before nothing , and before it be fashioned , then it was not fashioned without a frame , and was as it were a dark ens or being , out of which afterward is born the light , that is a fashionable being that is out of the invisible , a visible thing is made . therefore the darkness and fire , in a good sense , and before the fall , are an excrement of the light , yet are good and useful , even as that which a workmaster heweth or cutteth away from that matter , which he intends to make some fashionable thing : even as chips from wood are of the same substance with that which is framed out of it ; yet an excrement of it , and when these chips are flung into the fire , they return to nothing . so the contrary elements when they are known ▪ they are no more good , but an opposition , adverse and stark nought . further be it known , that in the divine world are no contrary elements , nay there can be none in it , although their power hath pressed into it yea in the depths of god , in which it grew dark , when the lord of glory dyed on the cross , and the fire of the raging wrath of god consumed the same , and death and perdition killed him , who can speak it out , or who knows what this saying doth mean ! also in the angelical world there is no darkness ▪ but yet there is fire . this angelical fire is an excretion of the light , out of which the spirit of the ●ngels is ; and this fire also in the beginning , and before the fall hath been a quiet and unknown fire , and very good ; because it was and is the soul of the light in the angels : but after the fall it was manifest , known and turn'd to a flame , and such a one wherein the raging anger of god doth rest , in which all gods judgments do consist , and come out of the same . this fire now in the angels with its rage , anger , and consuming flame is not evil at all ; but a just fire of gods justice to punish the wicked . all anger , rage and judgment proceed out of the angelical world , as also the law , which was promulgated with fire . exod. . acts . , . gal. . . heb. . . of the devils fire was spoken above : more things could be said of the fire , which for brevity sake we omit . chap. xii . out of what , wherein , and wher by all things good and bad do subsist , pass away , and yet how they last for ever . although our knowing and prophesying be but part ; yet we will not quench the spirit , and we are not to despise prophesying : and the reader in the lord may know , that we have our wisdom , be it about natural things , or spiritual , learned out of the holy scripture , and not out of pro hane writings ; for the bible is sufficient to us to all wisdom , and we used in years no other book to find out wisdom , but the bible : out of this book the spirit of wisdom through the anointing , can teach us all things , and needs no other spirit or man to teach us . every thing in a word subsists only by salt , they perish without it , and in the same , and it lasteth for ever in them both good and bad . there is a threefold salt , namely a divine , angelical and elementary . all must be seasoned with salt , if it shall last good , and salt is the most noble and wholsomest balm , the best preservative and conservative , the highest strengthening . the salt of the divine world is a true light , a spirit and vvater from above , whereby we are illuminated , breathed on , and baptized , yea seasoned and salted , that the hellish may have no power over us . for every one must be seasoned with fire , and must be tried with fire , who and what doth subsist in it , that is blessed , else it is nothing at all . mark . , . cor. . . the salt of the angelical world is a quick life , in its glory concentred of god into the tree of life ; which when it shall be broken at the glorious coming of jesus christ , then all created things in heaven and earth , in this elementary world , he will so gloriously and powerfully season with salt , that they shall be freed and redeemed from sin , curse , death , devil , vanity , pain and misery , and that will be a noble food at that great supper , of which as of an angelical , and coelestial manna , all flesh , that is , all created things and whole creatures , shall eat , and drink , and feed , and then also shall be put away the sharp , bitter , sowre , consuming , devouring , perishing , and ●o nothing , reducing salt of the contrary element , it shall dye , and to its place be separated . of the elementary salt we have spoken already above . there is another salt also of the contrary element , which is threefold ; namely in the earth , sea and air , the salt of the contrary element , is a sharp devouring , consuming salt , and reigneth in all creatures , and is always mixed with the good salt which in the consuming sharp salt is held captive , and can no sooner be set at liberty , till that which holds it captive be drowned and killed by a cold fire , which is a water above mentioned . this salt now is predominant chiefly in the minerals of the earth , in the mineral salts , as common salt , vitriol , saltpeter , alume , salmoniak , &c. and is as it were fixed in this . in all sulphur , especially in the common sulphur the salt of the contrary elements is flying : but he that can make it fixed with a cold fire hath a more precious thing then gold is . but what is more abused then saturn , saltpeter and sulphur ? they shoot it into the air , being so precious . o malice and wickedness of men ! is it not so that god hath made choice of things , which the world holds to be ignoble , foolish , and rejected , and base . lastly in all arsenicks is the salt of the contrary elements , essential and spiritual . true it is a right poison , but having an essence , why should not some thing be hidden in it . it must be carefully and purely killed with a cold fire , and be reduced to a new noble birth . it is to be observed by the by , that every lee , especially that of quicklime is a cold fire , and that same in the unmature metals , that have yet their sulphur , mercury and arsenick , may doubtless be of good use , especially in some iron or copper mines , in which the sulphur of sol , the glory of gold sufficiently appeareth ; for the flying must through a fixed , be made firm and glorious . and truly herein is more hid then the world believes . now in the salt is both life and death : and as good things have their salt ; so have bad , and both are firm , the good therefore ; because the life is in it ; and the bad also therefore ; because there is both life and death in it . for what death killeth with extream coldness , that life reviveth again by fire : therefore the fire is the life in the devil and his children , and the cold is death : but it is such a life which is not of god ; nor out of the light and love but out of the devil himself , out of darkness and anger , which is with unspeakable torment , anguish ▪ pain , misery . the salt in the sea is a soulish salt , raging and furious , of which something may be said , because a mystery is hid in it ; it shineth also in its fire , and is a sulphurious light so that it may be seen . lastly , the salt in the air is essential , and arsenical , and poisoneth things on earth , man , beasts and fruits , &c. these three sorts of salt of the contrary element , are made known after the fall , therefore we must separate salt from salt , that is good from bad , to reject bad , and embrace that which is good in the end all bad things fall to the devils share , especially the contrary elements with their salt , which maketh up the fiery pools ▪ devouring and gnawning , and yet not consuming , living for ever ; yet not alive , but dead , dyeth for ever , and yet never liveth : and thus it hath rightly the name of a contrary element . chap. xiii . of the creation of the world. now having known the principles in their subordinates , and the center concentrated both in and on the elements , as also in the contrary elements ; thence we may observe how all things are created by the word , and then to know also what scha ma jm is , of which is written in the book of the creation ▪ that god elohim in the beginning have created scha ma jm which the interpreters have rendred heaven and earth , which runnneth contrary to the text , and against the order of the creation . who can tell us what scha ma jm properly is ? true we cannot speak with tongues ; for we are more taken up with prophesying , according to the grace bestowed upon us . therefore we will give the interpretation of it to others , to let them search , to learn what scha ma jm meaneth . so much is known , that out of scha ma jm all other things are come , as also the water , out of which heaven and earth in the beginning of the creation were created ; for it is not enough that we know , how that the world was created out of the water ; but we ask also from whence came that water then , out of which the world was made ? for the wise go after wisdom , even to her depths , and give not over , till they find the bottom , and all principles . the book of wisdom saith , chap. . v. . the whole world is before thee , god , as a moment of the little tongue in the weights and scales , and as a drop of the dew that falleth in the mornings upon the earth . it is manifest , that all water and dew , before it is a bodily water , is first a vapour . but how ▪ and out of what , and from whence , and whereby that vapour ariseth , must be searched into : and in our opinion it is nothing else , but such a bodily spirit , who in himself incloseth all in all , and yieldeth and giveth all to all , and at last gathereth all to himself . out of which now the world is created , that same is also in all things , and without it there is nothing no where , and when that is taken away from it again , then it can be no more of a being . that we may set out the depths of the creation , out of which it was produced , these are threefold . first the word of god in which is light , through which all things were made , and that which is in all things , is instead of the spirit , according to the highest degree in the creation of the world ; and this is the true spiritual seed of all things , without which nothing is , neither can be . afterwards is the soul of all the world , and is distinguished from god , as the breath from the spirit , and is the breath of the speaking word of god and instead of the soul is the true life of all things , according to the highest degree , and is the soulish seed of all things in the world . lastly , the salt is the body and bodily seed of all things , and of the whole world , in which dwelleth and resteth the word , and the spirit of god. these three hatch from themselves a water , which is a scha ma jm , out of which the whole world hath its original , according to the middle degree , but the lower degrees are the elements . these three give and set down the three general principles for the creation , as god , the nature , and the elements : and again these three , the spirit , wind , and water ; and at last in these three every creature , and all is inclosed totally in the light life and love. the word is god , and god is the word , the spirit is the nature , and an out-breathed breath of god , and the nature is the spirit and soul of the world. the salt is an element of all elements , and the elements in their glory are nothing else but a salt , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . out of these three consists scha ma jm , and the whole creation of the world , in each and all their true principles . in all creations the word is the beginning , the spirit the middle , and the salt is the end . in the beginning of the creation scha ma jm was unfashioned and unframed ; there were also darknesses over the face of the depths , and there was a chaos or confused being : but the spirit of the lord moved upon the water , thereby it became seedy , and the first thing that was created in it was light , but was comprehended of the darknesses so long , till god said lehior , come forth thou light , and come before the day , and make a day , that it may be light : and presently light parte● from the darkness ▪ and is according to its body and being ▪ an essential most refined spiritual salt , which not otherwise , but by the eye may be brought to the sense . the darkness containeth in it fire , and the light was parted from darkness , and the fire lay secretly hid therein ▪ which afterward by reason of sin broke forth to be visible ; and is called not or , light , but vr , fire . after the the light was created the heaven , a firmament out of the water , as ice and chrystal : in which the flying soulish salt of life became fixed an firm , and heaven it self is such a salt , in which dwe● all the powers of life , and of the soul , and from thenc● from above are poured forth into the nether world through the spirit , wind , and air , whose body i● the water , into which the flying salt is carryed . after the heaven was created , the earth , the bodily centre of the world , a gross body which containeth in it self the fixed salt into which earth all the elements do incenter . the light is compared to the divine world , the heaven to the english , and the earth to the elementary . above the heaven and the firmament are the spiritual , above the waters , into which nature doth pour forth it self , which above the upper waters have their world , and the true paradise , where there is meer light and no darkness . which world in these last times is made manifest , in which the nuptial of the lamb and his bride , and the great true supper will be kept : those that in the first resurrection and change at the coming of jesus christ have part , shall meet the lord , and taken up into the air to go with him into paradise , and shall thus be with the lord always . the whole sphere of the world of earth and water are carryed and held up by the air , even as a body is kept and held up by the spirit and breath , that it may not fall . chap. xiv . of the particular creation . the creation in its order is threefold . first general in the scha ma jm , which was the first materia , and is yet , out of which corporally all things are created , into which all principles come together , and are concentred : afterward special , on and in the element , as lights , heaven , earth , and water , spirit , wind , and air , are contained in scha ma jm. lastly particular , as in all these things , which out , on , in , and by the elements were created , produced and made . the first that was made in the particular creation , were the vegitables , all growing things on earth , as grass , herbs , trees , amongst which the vine tree is the chiefest . now every thing hath its proper seed in it self : therefore here ceaseth creation ; and conception and birth begins , out , in , and by his own seed ; but at first all things were brought forth out of the earth , on grass , trees and herbs , through the word , spirit and salt. the salt hath given to the grass , herbs and trees their bodies , which they all have in them . the spirit hath given them power and virtue , especially for physick ; but the word giveth the blessing to it . the true physick . virtue and blessing may be sought , and gathered out of the salt of the earth , and of every herb , and be made corporeal ; and at the time when it doth greeny , that the essence may be extracted , and reduced to a spiritual and coelestial body , which cometh forth green , and yieldeth power to physick . christ saith unto his disciples , mat. . ye are the salt of the earth the reason , because thereby the whole world was seasoned , and made fertile , that it did grow up to everlasting life and happiness . but now all salt is become unsavoury ; the reason , because there is no spiret nor word of life in it . therefore it is cast upon the dunghill , and trampled upon : and behold the lord will create a new one amen . halelujah . the particular creati●n hath begun from , and on the lower , and went upwards . as now the earth is adorned with grass , herbs and trees ; so had god on the fourth day adorned the heaven and firmament with lights , sun , moon and stars , which came forth and grew out of fixed flying and flying-fixed salt of the heaven , and are even as the precious stones of the earth . they are fixed in their heavenly body , and at the highest temper , but they are flying in their course , although some of them do stand still . the chief lights of heaven are the seven planets . saturn is the highest , and belongeth to the earth , and standeth to the earth ; who knoweth whether he were the highest at the beginning , or whether he came to be the highest after the fall , and that mercury was to give place to him . many things are to us hid , and much of mystical secrecy is in them . for saturn eateth all , and is death , and domineers over all . but mercury maketh alive and growing . of all much were to be said , but sapienti satis . therefore we must take good heed to the contrary elements , which over the fall ruled over all : but we must be careful and witty to rule over them , that death may be drowned and swallowed up in victory . on the fifth day god created out of the waters all things that live therein , and also the birds out of the flying salt in the water : hence it is that they are so flying ▪ and these have their particular consideration by reason of the flying salt , and in their feathers they are physical in flying mercurial diseases , as in the falling ▪ sickness , madness , giddiness ; for these diseases have their original from the spirits , through gods permission , and must be cured with a flying salt , which is reduced to the highest degree . be it known also , that there is great virtue in precious stones , as in pearls , amber , coral , namely , when they are first baptized with a coelestial water , which be altogether spirit . the load-stone also hath its mystery : and who can tell all ? we may well say , great are the works of the lord : he that observeth them taketh delight therein , and to them they are propounded . on the sixth day god created all the beast of the earth , and the worms , and at last man , with him he closed up the creation . among the ●ermius or beasts , the serpent is the center ; in the beginning she did not creep upon her belly , and did not feed upon earth , but that was laid on her as a curse from god. whether she had wings we will not deny : there is great subtilty in her , and a mystery hidden therein : at the beginning she was not venomous ; and among all the beasts she was the next by and about man , as she will also be the next about him in the new world , when that enmity is at an end . isa . . . no creature is so bodily fair and subtil as the serpent . now because she was at first always about man , therefore the devil did perswade her to perswade man , that he should break of the tree of knowledge , and eat of the fruit thereof . because the serpent is mercurial and flying , and is the center of all beasts , therefore needs must there be a great mystery in her for physick , if rightly prepared for the mercurial diseases , especially being full of bones . therefore god hath finished the work of creation on the sixth day , with and on men ; of whose creation hereafter ; and on the seventh day the lord did rest , and blessed that same day . the six days bear a curse by reason of sin ; but the seventh day that now truly cometh , that bringeth blessing and rest , joy , honour and glory ; which joyful day of our redemption , we through the spirit of prophesying do annunciate to all creatures under heaven in an everlasting gospel , and a very joyous message , which to annunciate is given to us from the spirit of prophesying . chap. xv. of the mystery of the word . ii is known out of the holy scriptures , that all things are made and created by the word , and that yet all things are made by the word , and are preserved through the word . but here we will not speak theologically , but only naturally according to the creation ; neither do we speak theosophically of the depths of god , both which we save till another time and place . the word of creation is the general power of god , out of which , in which , and by which all things are , subsist , and will be . this general power of almighty god every creature makes use of for its best good : but only man abuseth it , as also do the devils and spirits by gods permission : hence it cometh , that men must give an account of every idle word ; because they have abused the breath of the almighty , and use it to sin . oh , that i could lay a lock to my mouth , that i might not transgress with my tongue . because now all mysteries are hid in the word , therefore the same also performs all things in the world : therefore we will say , that hence ariseth a three fold magick through faith , that is a power to know something to bring it to an effect . first there is a natural magick , which cometh out of natural faith , wherein there is such a magnet or load stone , that it can draw all things to it . this faith is gotten in man , either of nature in his spirit , which is the true and right ascendent , namely the spirit of man , and by no means this or that astre or constellation , as the ignorant do imagine , which is only in signam ascendentis , &c ▪ or this faith through the art and instruction of the natural magick , is wrought in man , so that his spirit receiveth the ascendent , and rejoyceth in the same . as the ascendents in an may very well be transmuted , transplanted , and altered by the spirits . of his natural magick , without witchcraft , the wise men of the east made lawful use , who knew the star , and proceeded so far therein , that they go not only great knowledge , but have also done wonders . this natural magick is learned out of the true and perfect degree from the spirit of god , and goeth before and beyond the ascendent , because commonly other spirits do mingle themselves into it . this magick art daniel and his fellows had studied , as also moses the prophets , and went beyond the wise m●n & magicians of egypt far with th ir skill . from this natural magick art the false magicians took theirs , and because the true ascendent was not in them , namely the spirit of god , but had only their elementary , or their masters ascendent , therefore also lucifer made shew of an angel of light , and became ascendent in them , and made sorcerers of them . now as true magicians know and perform all by the word of god , which speaketh in them , operates out of them , and by them ; so the sorcerers abuse the word in its power , and perform wonders thereby , till moses his staff and serpent devoureth theirs , and daniels wisdom exceleth all the others wisdom . balaam was a right natural magician ; but the covetous spirit was ascendent in him , that he went to the sorcerers , that is to the spirit of sorcery , and the spirit of avarice had blinded his eyes , that he could not see the angel that resisted him ▪ but the ass saw him and was shye , therefore balaam must be kill'd by the sword , as others that deserved it . num. c . v. . out of this false magick art come all s rcerers and witchcrafts with their bewitching spel● , tokens , words and works , and all those that have familiarity with spirits : let every one take heed of spirits , and let them not rejoyce when spirits draw near unto them ; but rather fly from them , and pray to the father of lights for the holy ghost , that he may come to them . secondly , there is a prophetical and apostolical magical art , which cometh out of faith of gods spirit in his children , in which the word with glory dwelleth ; the same speaks to them , in them , as in the prophets we read , the lord hath spoken to me ; namely , not always outwardly with a loud voice , but rather inwardly . thus old simeon had an answer from the lord ; thus the lord also spake through the ephod , &c. by this magical art the prophets and apostles have done so many miracles , raised the dead , and only by the word . this magical art the devil presumeth to imitate , namely that the word should speak out of chrystals , by looking into it , out of rings , wherein perhaps dwelleth a spirit , and speaketh out of it , &c. but this is not the word , but only a spirit bewitched into it . lastly , there is yet a higher magick of gods children ▪ which worketh over and beyond nature , and that through faith , as when moses divided the waters with his red , and jos●uah bid the sun and moon to stand still , and the like ; which things are beyond the course of nature , but all is done by and through faith : so also when elias shut up the heavens that it should not rain , and all these things are performed in , out , and by the power of the word of god , which when it calleth and commandeth , then it must stand there . the sorcerers also think to make use of this magick , but theirs is meer witchcraft by gods permission ; and yet things are performed really by them , even as the egyptian sorcerers brought up frogs , &c. but not by the finger of god , but by the spirit of the devil , by which shortly the three unclean spirits and frogs will do wonders , to seduce the kings of the earth , as also other false prophets . rev. . . mat. . . lastly the word speaketh out , in and by all things , because it is in all things , and that by the signature and mark of every thing in the external viewing , and sheweth clearly what is hidden within of power and virtue , if only the speech and voice of the word could be heard and understood : but in the renewed future world , all these things will be clear and manifest to the praise of god. chap. xvi . of the mystery of the created lower visible things . god hath brought forth all created visible sublunary things out of the invisible that were so at the beginning , he made them to something and visible , and gave to every of them a body , soul and spirit after their kind , and in them he hath hid his invisible glory , that is the invisible in the visible . and the coelestial in the terrestrial . this is the mystery after which we must diligently seek , that is after the hidden wisdom , which no eye hath seen , nor can see , neither ear hath heard , nor hath it entred into mans heart . all these sublunary created things visible , have a terrestrial body , and is visible : but they have also a coelestial body hid within them inwardly : the same is so long invisible , till the visible body is dissolved and broke ; and afterward the invisible body is set forth to appear visibly , which is heavenly and spiritual , consisting out of water and spirit , and is nothing else but a christalline , yea new born salt of life , which cannot be overcome by the contrary element . further , every thing hath a soulish life , that is such a one which must fetch breath out of the common air , and this is nourished by the same , a life , which in a moment is and must be mortal , so that nothing is lasting of it . now to this soulish life is a quickening spirit , which doth not fetch breath , as soulish life ; but it hath life , and is in it self a spirit of life , and not a breath , and hath eternal life in him , and is nothing else but the spirit of god , and the breath of the almighty that quickneth all . lastly , all things have a spirit , that returneth thither from whence it came , and doth not stay in the dead ; because it is not the spirit of the dead , but of the living , and is the spirit of god , which in and by the old creation and creature doth not stay for ever , but only in and by the new , which is from above . thus nothing is lasting in this world , but vanity and corruption , but it sheweth to us clearly , how that all these created sublunary visible things are an image of the things above . this mystery god hath discovered to his children and to the wise , that namely this lower created visible elementary world is an image of the upper visible spiritual , coelestial , yea divine world . therefore when the visible elementary world doth vanish , then the spiritual world yet invisible , will be made m nifest and visible : therefore there is no creature , which doth not shew the mystery of the superiour spiritual world ; of which mystery and wonders in the future renewed world in zion will be preached . now the apostle siath clearly , we do not look upon the visible , but upon the invisible , cor. . . seek the things that are above , and not the things on earth . col. . . in my fathers house are many dwellings that last for ever , saith christ . john . why should we regard the visible things which are fading away . the apostle saith , if there be a soulish body , then there is a spiritual body also . cor. . . and when this house of our earthly tabernacle is broken , then we have an house from above of god , which is not made with hands . cor. . there are terrestrial bodies , there are also coelestial . cor. . . yet always the spiritual , coelestial , and yet invisible , are hid within the soulish , terrestrial , and visible . now as god his invisible glory continually poureth down into this sublunary world , so he gathereth it to him again , and then when all is ended in the end , he will set them before him in a new creation , as it is written rev. . . behold i make or create all things new . but before this new creation cometh , the renewing of the old creation and creature goeth before . namely , in the joyful coming of the lord , which will be with great power and glory , because all shall be set free that is called creature . rom. . . from the devil , curse , death , then will be the joyful jubile . now we must know , that there will be great difference between the renewing , and the new being it self . the old creature is made new in its old being ; but the new creature hath a new essence , and that not from below , as the old , but from above , for above is the right essence , below is o ly the type and image ; this is the mystery we are to observe . above are the right principles and elements ; these below are only a shadow : below are meerly terrestrial bodies ; but above are the coelestial , although they are hid in those below . the terrestrial bodies are meer ashes , but the coelestial are a noble salt of life . the terrestrial life is only soulish and a mouth full of breath : if that be gone , then down falls all . but the coelestial life is an eternal life and cannot dye . the terrestrial spirit is but a wind , if that be gone it flyeth into the air and vanisheth : but the spirit of god is a quickening spirit ' even as god himself is . now as all things are an image of the heavenly , so in truth the soulish adam , and terrestrial man , is an image also of the spiritual adam , and heavenly man , which is christ in god , and god in christ . this is the great and miraculous mystery which thou o man , o adam , o thou image of god chiefly above all things shouldst observe , that thou maist know thy self in god , and god in thee , and maist know and learn what man is , what adam is , what the image of god is , that is , what thou thy self art ( of which in our book adam ) which is the greatest wisdom ; namely for one to know himself , after a perfect and true knowledge , which is spirit and truth : he that doth not regard this , but despiseth it , which yet is gods image , rebuketh himself , and will be rebuked of god also . chap. xvii . of the creation of man and his anatomy . man hath nothing so much to care for , as himself that he may know his own best , and salvation , now he that knoweth himself aright in spirit and in truth , knoweth god also , and all things . therefore mans knowing himself availeth most to himself . now to speak briefly , all things , and man also consist in one , three and seven . the one is individual , a self-subsisting in it self . the three are body , soul and spirit . and the seven are chiefly the seven powers , after the seven powers of the seven elements , and after the seven spirits of god , which seven powers every creature hath in it self in its glory . even so man is an only man in himself personally , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 individualiter , in his self ▪ subsistance : but is put together of three , as of body , soul and spirit , and is testified by seven powers , as . by moving , . by hearing , . by seeing , by smelling , . by tasting , . by thinking and reasoning , . by sounding or voice . moving containeth the life , to feel , see , go , &c. are reckoned all to one . in this part now man is soulish , like unto the living souls and beasts , which have all these but in their portion and measure , number and weight , namely as much as belongeth to them . according to this , man hath no more then they , and hath with them a living soul , out and after the elements , of equal beginning out of the earth , and of like going down to the earth again . sal. in eccles . . after , man hath more then the beasts which is out of another world , namely out of the angelical ; which is the mind , which in its spirit is a preacher of the law , in all men from nature , and hath the knowledge , will and conscience to good , directs man to all good , and accuseth man in evil things , in his conscience . num. . , . lastly , man hath also a higher and more glorious thing in him , which is the breath of the almighty a heavenly soul and life from god , which god breathed into the first mans nostrils and face , wherewith he hath marked and testified his divine inward love to his image , in and on a piece and part of the eternal light and life . gen. . . job . . c. . . according to this part , man is immortal , because he hath such a treasure within him , namely the breath of the almighty , and thus herein he is very much distinct from the beasts , yea ▪ he is above the angels in this heavenly soul is hidden the kingdom of god , and in this breath of the almighty consists the true manhood , by which he becometh a true immortal man : but in the other elementary part , he is like unto the beasts , terrestrial , corruptible , mortal , dust and ashes , now man having received at the creation such a part out of god , from thence he can be made partaker of the new birth , creation and creature from god , of his nature and essential seed , which is the most holy flesh and bloud of the word , which is christ , and thus the new man is the new creature out of gods , and his quickening words seed , that is of christ , and of this spiritual adam and heavenly man , of his flesh and bone ▪ john . . c. . . john . . pet. . . pet. . . cor. . . cor. . , , . eph. . . this seed of god man receiveth into his heavenly soul , through the holy spirit to a new life of gods inheritance : and this body together with this heavenly soul , and the holy ghost from god in its full self-subsistance , doth not personally appear , till after the angelical glory and laying down of the same body . lastly , in the end it entreth into the divine world : hence it is said not to be manifest yet , what the children of god are , john . only in a riddle and obscure word is it spoken of . after the part of the first resurrection of the changing , at the coming of christ , and according to the jewel of the heavenly calling , all these that are partakers of it , receive an an elical body , life and spirit , therewith they enter into paradise , and the angelical world , and will be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , like to the angels . mat. . . mark . . luke . . each body of man ; also the soul and spirit are nourished and preserved from that , from which they come and are taken as the elementary body out of water and earth , the soul out of wind and air , and the spirit out of heaven , and go again into the same , when they are dissolved . according to the elementariness there is a threefold body in man , whilst he liveth out of water and earth , when he is dead , out of wind & earth till the resurrection , & when he riseth out of spirit , light and heaven , and know that every element hath its proper body , life and spirit . further gods holy ones rest after they depart in the elementary part in the earth , grave , or where they are deceased . so samuel was heard out of that place of his grave where he deceased , to pronounce a ruine to the rejected king saul . according to the angelical part they rest in abrahams bosom , which are the chambers of the just in the high heaven : but according to the divine part , they are in paradise ; of all three the scripture testifieth clearly . lastly , infidels come to hell and prison with all , except the dead body : but those that have sinned against the holy ghost , and have no pardon for it , neither in this nor in the other world , are buried in the death , because they have committed a deadly sin . all the dead rise incorruptible , that is in a spiritual and coelestial body . but what glory or shame every body shall receive , shall be known after the general judgment is past chap. xviii . of the image of god , after which man is created ▪ that man is created after gods image , is manifest out of scripture . gen. . , . jam. . . but only this is the question , what this image is , after which man is created . every creature or beast are made after their own kind and image , but man only after gods image . this image is christ , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , essentially , bodily the image of the invisible god. col. . , for god is a spirit , and and may not be felt nor seen , unless it be in his essential substance , and substantial essence . even as man in his true manhood , after which he is distinguished from all other living souls , a spirit or spiritual in and on his spiritual soul , and mans spirit cannot be seen , felt or known , otherwise then in his body , in which he dwelleth with all his fulness . so the invisible god , who is a spirit , cannot be seen or known but in christ , and his substantial body , as in which god the father , the word and the holy ghost , together with the whole fulness of the godhead dwelleth bodily . john . john . col. . . and this is the spiritual adam , a quickening spirit , the heavenly man , the lord out of heaven cor. . , . the image of god is threefold ; namely . the image of the essence essentially , after man is , his own image in his own proper essence and body : so christ also is the essential and bodily image in god , even as mans body in man , and so is god in christ , as man is in his body , his own essential self-subsisting bodily , and personal image . . the image of that form , on the outward appearance of that form , face and members , . the image of the living properties , power , or what name soever it may be called . here is manifest the mystery of the image of god , and that god in christ , and christ in god was much sooner a man then we ; for we are in all things fashioned after him , and so his counterfeit . christ the image of god , and man who is out of gods image and honour are thus distinguished ; namely , . as the image and essence . . as essence and essence . . as spiritual , heavenly and divine , and as soulish , terrestrial and from beneath , that is as adam and adam , man and man , and as above and beneath . the soulish adam is not an image of god after the essence , as christ , reason , because his essence is terrestrial , and from beneath ; but in and on that terrestrial body only that image in that manner , as a counterfeit , and that in a terrestrial soulish essence from beneath out of the earth : so is the soulish adam and terrestrial man , an image of the spiritual adam and heavenly man , as a stony wooden or image of wax of a living mans image , is not in humane essence , on the flesh and bloud , but in another being . now as essence and essence are one distinct from another ; so is frame and frame . , the inward form of god , is the most holy godhead , which with all fulness dwelleth bodily in christ . of this form man hath received the breath of the almighty in a heavenly soul to his inward essential form and true manhood . . the bodily visible , palpabl and personal form of god , essentially in which god personally appeared , and personally was made manifest , is the flesh of the word the body of christ after this man hath a body of flesh , bloud and bones , but not divine , spiritual and heavenly , but soulish , terrestrial , and from beneath . . the manifest face . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and looks , and presence on the head , body and all members , and their powers and strength . after this also is man framed , and thus to be looked on ; in which consideration many mysteries may be observed , although the spirit of errour saith , as if god had no head , eyes , ears , face , nose , mouth , no hands nor feet , because he is a spirit ▪ which rather befalls those spirits of errour , he hath eyes and seeth not , neither acknowledgeth the image of god in christ and in man , hath ears and heareth not , and a heart , and understandeth nothing , further man is made after gods similitude , and is like unto god ; namely . on the heavenly soul , eternal and immortal ▪ and thence he is of god. . like in power , that he can do much , namely after his part , measure and weight . . like in glory , as a god , over all other creatures a lord and ruler , good reader here you must know and observe , that this great mystery doth manifest here , and bringeth along the right jehior let it be light , the day of the revelation of the son of man , of which christ saith ▪ expresly , luke . . &c. on which the the son of man is revealed , and that this is the revelation and appearance of jesus christ , of whom the holy apostles have prophesied . pet. . . & . tim. . . . ● joh. . . tit. . . tim . . & thes . . . thus the revelation or appearance of the coming is clearly distinguished . mal. . mat. . . and chiefly rev. . he that hath eyes let him see , and he that hath ears let him hear , and an understanding heart hearken unto it . but this is the revelation and appearance of christ , the day of the revelation of the son of man , namely , that god in christ , and christ in god , a spiritual , divine , heavenly adam , and man from eternity is , and hath been in a divine , spiritual , heavenly essence , flesh and bloud , and after this his essential image he hath in the creation created and framed a soulish adam , and terrestrial man. chap. xix . of the mystical image , that is of the mystery of god. this is the mystery of god , as was said already , which is clear and manifest on the soulish adam and terrestrial man from beneath , that namely above is the true adam and man , but beneath is only his image . wonderful is gods counsel , and who hath known the lords mind , who was so pleased , that the last should be the first , and should receive the money or peny , and the blessed glory at first . well may these last say , this is the day which the lord hath made , let us rejoyce in it ▪ it is marvelous in our eyes . ●sal . , to day is fulfilled the word which is written , the stone which the builders rejected , is become the corner stone , and it is marvellous in our eyes ; for the spiritual rock , of which all the fathers have eaten and drunk from the beginning of the world , and upon which the church of god is founded and builded , remained unknown , till to the seventh trumpet , where the mystery of god must be manifested , and is also made manifest ; for the spiritual adam , and heavenly man in his divine flesh and bloud , through which we are so dearly bought , is thrust away from the holy place ; and on the contrary another flesh and bloud from beneath out of sinners is brought into the holyest for an abomination of the desolation . but now the new creation is come , in which the word saith , and the lord himself speaketh , as he hath promised . isa . . c. . . saying , jehior , or let it be light for the day is come , which is known to the lord , & to them to whom he will reveal his mystery . zech. . concerning the mystery of god in the creation of man , it is thus that god hath created man , a man and woman . gen. . . and took the woman out of the man , chap. . , . to shew the great mystery of christ , and of his church , which is his wife and spouse , out of his flesh and bones . ephes . . , , . but the divine , spiritual and heavenly eve is threefold . . the most holy godhead it self . . the church of christ . the heavenly soul in man. this is the body of christ his church , whose saviour he was made , for which he gave himself . the divine eve as the most holy godhead is the mother of us all , and the right jerusalem which is from above . the spiritual eve as the church of christ is the mother , the spouse of the lamb. the virgin and daughter of jerusalem . the heavenly soul is the heavenly eve , a maid of the lord , a daughter of jerusalem , who was married to a terrestrial man , who brought her to great misery and death ; but the lord was made a servant for her , and hath made her free again through his death , and hath married unto her a new adam man , out of his flesh and bone , of which she hath a divine inheritance . now if we ask after the mystery of god , how that may be made known , answer is , on man it may be known : there is but one man in one person , but in it three witnesses of his substance , as body , soul and spirit , and in seven powers : the spirit is always in stead of the father , and is the father himself also , and begetteth by the soul , as by the true mother , to himself a body , which is the child and the son , in which dwelleth all fulness . so there is but one god , in one only person , but in three witnesses , father , word and holy ghost , and in seven spirits or powers of god : god is a spirit and a father , and begets through the word , and in the same to himself a body , a child , a son , in which he with all his fulness dwelleth bodily , in this manner , that he that seeth the father , seeth the son also , the word it self , the quickening spirit , and the quickening adam himself . afterward god begets a son , not after the person , or a personal distinction , as one man another man , else there would be two gods , although there is but one only god : but after the testimony for our sakes he begets a son , that we namely by that witness , as of the father and son in god , might be made gods children , heirs and co ▪ heirs out of his seed , flesh and bones ; for god in and for himself needs neither father nor son , because there is never no more in him but one in number , but even himself is jesse , and all in all , neither are there two or three , but one only , and none else . lastly god begets also a son , and is a father after the testimony , and that to all creatures , and what ever he hath created , namely , that all might have a trust and confidence in him as also the young ravens , when they are forsaken by the old ones . this testimony is done by the spirit , which from god is in all things , and fills up all . wisd . . . chap. . . who it is that cryeth to god out of the young ravens , who is a god of the spirits of all flesh . num. . . and remembreth to god , that he is a father of all creatures , and cannot , neither ought to forsake them . now the spirit is it , that calleth upon god in all creatures , and praiseth and glorifieth , him where is is said in the psalm . all that hath breath praise the lord ; every spirit laud and praise the lord ; the earth , the sea , and the trees in the forest praise the lord. o man there is much in the spirit , the knowledge of him availeth much ; for if you do not know him , you are but a beast without a spirit , as ecclesiastes and others more have it . chap. xx. of the truth and spirit , by which all wisdom is justified . when we intend to speak of the wisdom , it must be done in the spirit and truth . now nothing is truth but only the spirit , and the same can lead us into all truth , can teach us all , and can tell us of things to come ; for all spirits are in subjection to him , he penetrates through them all , even as fire doth to gold and silver seven times , and the good that remaineth in it , it doth not undoe , but rather thinks that there is a blessing in it , and bloweth into the smoking ●lax , a fire of life , light and fire , and in●useth it self into the same , that it may be fitted for a new creation , for a multiplication into many thousands . but nothing may attain unto wisdom , unless it be first gone to the fire for a tryal , even as the gold cannot come to its glory , unless it be gone in the crusible through the consuming fire seven times , that afterward it may be baptized with water and spirit to a new birth , and become a new gold , and become out of the same spirit and water increased into many thousands , and as a heavenly gold , spirit and metal , whereby other inferiour metals may be turned into the substance of the best gold. so it fareth with man that shall get wisdom , first he must be baptized with fire , then with water , and then with the spirit , and all this is done in the crusible of the terrestrial man. but all wisdom is sufficient through the spirit , and in truth , through principia subordinata , & concordantia , which do concenter afterward in a harmony . the principia contain the true beginning of every thing from whence it came , thither it doth return also , and from thence it is preserv'd also . the subordinata contain the order , straitness and perfection of every thing , as they do hang one in another , stand and subsist one by another , even as a ladder or stairs , there must not be one step amiss or wanting , else the subordinata are not true . commonly there are seven subordinata , and follow one upon another orderly , and things that follow one after another are subordinata , and thus it is perfect , lastly this is a concordance , that all things may agree one with another , and a contrariety be no where found , seen or heard . even as in sweet musick all things are harmonious , let the voices be as many as they will , and change one in another , going out of one into another , and an everlasting ternarius remaineth therein , and so the principles and concordance consist in ternarius and vnity , where one floweth out of another till to the number of seven of the subordinata , which reach after the greater number till to twelve . at last the harmony concentreth , and encloseth all , which taketh altogether in one , three and seven , and presents one as the other , namely the upper as the lower , and the lower as the upper ; so that none be against the other , although they be so far distinct as god and creature , spirit and soul , heaven and earth , yet one is in the other , the one is known by the other , and the one is justified by the other , and that in spirit and truth . search now and see , try and learn , hear , observe , and judge what wisdom this is , and what truth and spirit is presented in this book . the fool knoweth nothing of the wisdom , and doth not understand her way . lyers do not understand the truth , nor do they know her principles ; and the soulish , bruitish , and profane know nothing of the spirit , although they hear his wind blow , yet they know not from whence it cometh , nor whither it goeth . therefore do not look upon men , do not inquire after men that is nothing , and do not stare upon the image to the intent to adore it , as all those do that dwell on earth . rev. . but only inquire after the spirit and fear him ; for he will direct all in the word of truth and righteousness : him you are to honour , and against him do not think , speak , or do , that you may not be condemned out of your own mouth . now all spirit , truth and wisdom reveal themselve ; in these three , and are thereby known and justified , namely in a divine light , in a divine life , and in a divine love , where these three are in , on , and about man , there is really spirit , truth and wisdom . the divine light containeth all wisdom , understanding , and knowledge . the divine life containeth all truth , holiness and righteousness : and the divine love containeth the whole spirit , and poureth him out into our hearts , and thereby we know , that god hath loved us , because he hath given us of his spirit , which cryeth in us abba , and giveth testimony to our spirit , that we are the children of god ; he poureth forth our tears and prayers before god , that we might find grace before the lord , and teacheth us to pray aright before the lord about things that are above , & maketh intercession for us with unspeakable sighs . thereby we know in the spirit and in truth , where the right wisdom , the divine truth , and the holy ghost is , for these three light , life and love proceed from god , and god himself is light , and there is neither darkness nor fire , in or about him . god is eternal life , there is neither death nor perdition out of him , in or about him . god is love it self , and there is neither vvrath , nor pain , hell nor ●amnation , out or of him . he that stayeth by , in , and on these three , namely by the divine light , in a divine life , and in a divine love , he stayeth and abideth in god , and god in him , in the spirit and truth , according to the wisdom and true knowledge of god , and knoweth what is truth , spirit and wisdom , and tells their true principles , subordinates and concordances in a divine harmony , proved to the elect angels and men in spirit and in truth . chap. xxi . of the mystery of time , to understand it aright . nothing so secret at night , but the day may reveal it , when the light cometh to its day , and the day to its light , and the clear sun doth shine over all that is under heaven . the night is past , and behold the day breaks on with its fair morning light , which is a light fire , and a fire-light , who can now subsist ; for the lord cometh , yea the lord cometh coming , amen , halelujah ! he is like unto the fire of a founder , and like unto the sharp lee of sope boylers , he will melt , prove try , &c. he will wash , purifie and cleanse , and who can stand before him . mal ▪ . this he doth therefore , that all filth may be done away before the sun riseth , and may not put the whole earth and world to banishment or destruction . chap. . now that day being come with its light in this time , then the mystery of the time of the whole world will be revealed : but always is included and closed in and with the number of seven . for in the seventh day god finished the creation , and so in seven always included : but the number standeth thus , , . . the number seven after our time , standeth chiefly upon the seventh trumpet , in and with it the mystery of god is finished , yea revealed . rev. , , . chap. as also with the seventh vial of gods wrath : but as much as we know in part , we are and live betwixt the fifth and sixth vial. the number . sheweth expresly that fair mystery of the time of the refreshing and restitution of all that is lost . levit. . and the number is the end of the little seventh day , and a beginning of the great seventh day , and sabbath of god. lastly the number seeth upon the weeks in the prophet daniel , as also upon the expiration of the days . chap. . . & . . when these are about , then the transgression will be reconciled , every prophecy fulfilled , and the most holy , holy with his saints will take the kingdom , and jerusalem rebuilded , and the eternal righteousness , and all what hath been lost by the fall shall be restored . of this great glory and unspeakable joy , the spirit prophesieth in all creatures , yea in all lights of heaven , and in all the elements . but where are the seers , where are the hearers , and where are the observers . further concerning the time of the world , it is divided in . . and . the one time generally containeth the whole great day of the world hours . mat. . which shall be . years , and so there were . years to an hour ▪ but the days shall be shortned , so that they shall not be full . years and the days or years of that shortning are clear in the book of genesis , at the first judgment over the world , &c. the three times of the world now are , that they shall be divided ▪ namely , the . years into three times : as the first time from adam till noah at the deluge , and containeth . years : from the deluge till to the messiah , born of the virgin mary is the second time divided into parts , each containeth . years , or . ½ year , which added together make . years from the deluge till to the messias . esd . . . now if . are summed up with the other , then the messias is born into the world of the virgin mary , in the year of the world . the third time of the world is from christs nativity , till to his glorious coming ; the mystery of which year is mystically signified in esd . . , ▪ & chap. . calculation . concerning the abovesaid threefold number , . . . therein is the mystery clearly signified without any diminution or addition , if only you will open your eyes , ears and hearts to see , hear and observe , clearer it cannot possibly be told , these numbers in themselves calculated , namely , to know certainly how many years every hour of the twelve do contain , because the . years are not compleat , but those days must be shortned but now as in the former times and judgments over the world , always seven days went before the judgment came upon the world : so it is now in and with the time of the judgment over this world . gen. . . josh . . levit. . now when the judgment is proclaimed , seven days goeth before the proclamation . now if you have the spirit of daniel , then number and reckon how many days are past , and how many are behind to the judgment . none believeth what alterations there are at hand , the whole world lyeth in wickedness , and it will perish in it . but that we may keep nothing from the reader , and wellwisher to wisdom , and that he may fully conceive the time of the end , namely in the sure token of it , then there are three signs of it ; the first is , that presently after the great horrible bloudy battel , that is at hand , he do come , whom we expect . mal. . & . and the gospel of the kingdom be preached in the whole world for a testimony over all nations , that one shepherd and one flock may be . mat. . . ▪ rev. . . zeph. . . the second time is , when the ten lost tribes of israel are found out again over the water into the land , and upon the mount israel do come from the orient after the sixth vial is poured out , rev. , . . esd . . . isa . . . chap. . . jer. . . deut. . . mica . . . . rom. . . yea whole israel and whole juda will come again into their countrey , and will turn to the lord their god. hos . , lastly , the last sign of the coming of the lord is when the beast , and all kings of the earth , together with gog and magog , by the seduction of the three unclean spirits into the land of israel , and to the valley of jehosaphat , and upon the hill of israel come together to a battel , &c. and are destroyed with fire from heaven . rev. , , , . ezek. . . joel . isa . . , . this is the end , then beginneth the kingdom and priesthood of melchisedech , halelujah , come lord jesus , and deliver us from the evil one. amen . conclusion . courteous reader , we conclude this our jehior or morning light , and salute you in the lord , from the lord in the spirit of grace and supplication , which the lord will pour out over us all , through the power from above , that we might find grace before him at his coming , and may not be put to shame when he judgeth . reader , if you are a wellwisher to wisdom , then take of us the crumbs which we have gathered from the lords table , and accept of them till melchisedech cometh , and distributeth the holy shew-bread , and to drink of the new wine of his distributing at the great supper of the nuptials of the lamb in paradise , the fruits whereof himself will set up . you are to give thanks with us to him , from whom all good gifts come from above the father of lights , praying ▪ that he would inlighten us all , turn us to him , and make us happy for ever . this is according to the love of god , whose dedesire is , that all men may be saved , and that all may come to the knowledge of the truth : therefore let us be merciful , loving and perfect , even as our heavenly father is merciful , loving and perfect , that it may be known and revealed , that we are his children . but curteous reader , if you affect folly , and art a despiser of wisdom , go to , and despise , but be sure that you do not despise men herein , but god himself , who hath given us his spirit , and from whom all wisdom cometh , and think that the spirit of judgment will require an account of you in that day . but reader , if you are a pharisee and hypocrite , and seekest rather honour from men , then from god ; we 'll consider then , what the lord saith , sam. . . he that honoureth me , him i will honour also , and he that despiseth me , shall be despised again . and christ saith , mat. . ● . he that confesseth me before men , him will i also confess before my heavenly father that is in heaven . he that denieth me before men , him will i also deny before my heavenly father . but reader , if you are a simple heart , and art not fit for wisdom , then abide on , in , and by the fear of the lord , in a godly life ; which fear is not only the beginning of wisdom , but also the end of wisdom , and it is no help to man , though he be able to speak with an angelical tongue , and had all knowledge , and understood all mysteries , and had such a faith , whereby he could remove mountains , and withall had not the love of god , which endured everlastingly , all will profit you nothing . therefore blessed are the babes and sucklings which know not these outward things , for theirs is the kingdom of god , because the spirit of god is declared in them . therefore let no man be puffed up with knowledge : and for our part we are not extol'd therewith , for satan also doth buffet us with fists , and doth upbraid us with our shame . therefore we humble our selves that the lord may accept of us in mercy , who giveth grace to the humble , and beholdeth low things , and him that is of a contrite heart , and trembleth at his word . lastly , this is the conclusion , that every one examine himself , and that according to the spirit , truth and wisdom , and no otherwise , whether god , christ , and the holy ghost be in him , which every one may know by his thoughts , words and works , in his affection , will , and pleasure , and in his knowledge and conscience . every good thing is from god , and of god , and not of men. all sin is from the devil , who seduceth man , and leadeth him to perdition and destruction . well be to him , who separates bad from good , rejects bad things , and maketh choice of good , and beareth fruit thereby . the lord zeboah will at last take away the evil eternally , and restore the good again , and return bad things to that evil one , and recompence it upon his head , amen . the lord our god be gracious unto us , and help forward the works of his hands , yea , the works of his hands he will help forward , amen . praised be the lord that cometh , and blessed be his glorious name . all the world be full of his honour , amen ▪ hallelujah . finis . a catalogue of chymical books which have been written originally , or translated into english . elias ashmole esq his theatrum chymicum britanicum ; or , a collection of our famous english hermetical and poetical philosophers , ( viz. ) th. norton , geo. ripley , geofr . chaucer , jo. dastin , pearce the black monk , rich. carpenter , abrah . andrews , th. carn●ck , will. bloomfield , ed kelley , jo. d ee , th. robinson , the magistery of w. b. jo. gower , mystery of alchymists , jo lydgate , will. redman , with divers anonymi , and certain fragments with annotations upon the same . lond. . . — his fassiculus chymicus ; or , chymical collections of the ●ngress , progress , and egress of the secret hermetick science , collected out of the choicest & most famous authors , lond. . o. — the way to bliss . lond. . º don alexis of piemont , his collection of secrets , with the manner of making distillations , &c. lond. . º fr. antonies apology for his medicine called aurum potabile , lond ▪ . . aula lucis , or , the house of light ▪ by s. n. lond. ● . , artefius his key of the greater wisdom , . vide flammell . abr. andrews his hunting of the green lyon , vide theatrum chymicum britanicum . alphonsus king of portugal his treatises of the philosophers stone , vide treatises . albertus magnus , his secrets of the virtues of herbs , stones , beasts , &c. lond. , . anonymi quidem . a discourse of magical gold , vide discourse . a true order to distil oyls , &c. aide true and perfect order . a profitable discourse against bad garbling of spices , vide profitable . secrets revealed concerning the philosophers stone , vide secrets . secrets and wonders of the world , vide secrets . physical dictionary , vide physical . hermetick banquet , vide hermetick . enchiridion physic● restitutae , vide enchiridion . liber patris sapientiae , vide theatrum brit. hermes bird , vide th. brit. experience and philosophy , th. brit. the hermets tale , vide th. brit. description of the stone , vide th. brit. the standing of the glass for the time of putrifaction and congelation of the medicine , vide th. brit. the distillation of all manner of spices , seeds , roots , and gums , vide distillation . the method of chymical philosophy and physick , vide method . th. brown's natures cabinet vnlockt ; or the natural causes of metals , stones , precious earth , juyces , humours and spirits ; the natures of plants in general ; the affections , parts , and kinds in particular , &c. lond. , . jo. beguines tyrocinium chymicum ; or chymical essays from the fountain of nature , and manual experience , lond. . . hier. bruynswayke's virtuous book of distillation of the waters of all manner of herbs , with the figures of the stillatories , translated by lawr. andrew . lond. . fol. geo. baker's new jewel of health ; containing the most excellent secrets of physick and philosophy ; and of all distillations of vvaters , oyles , balmes , quintescences ; with the extraction of artificial salts , the use and preparation of antimony , and potable gold , with the vessels and furnaces , and other instruments thereunto belonging ; being the second part of the treasury of euonymus . lond. . . andr. bertholdus , of the wonderful effects , virtues , and strange use of the new terra sigillata , found in germany . lond. , & . . r. bostock esq of the difference of the ancie●t physick first taught by godly fathers ; and the latter from idolaters and heathens , as galen , and such others , lond. . ed. boldnest's aurora chymica ; or a rational way to prepare animals , vegetables , and minerals for physical use , and preservation of the life of man , . . — his medicina instaurata ; or the grounds and principles of the art of physick made by chymical operation ; and the insufficiency of the vulgar way of preparing medicines . lond. . . r. bacon's art of chymistry . — his mirror of alchimy . . — his admirable force of nature and art. º — his tincture of antimony , vide b. valentine . fr. bacon lord of verulam , his natural history , with articles of enquiry touching metals and minerals , &c. lond. , fol ld. blaise of viginere , his discourse of fire and salt , lond. . . will. bloomfield's blossoms , vide th. brit. b. g. penotus à portu aquitano , his excellent works , vide firovant . sam. boultons magical but natural physick ; with a description of the most excellent cordial of gold , lond. . . rob. boyle esq sceptical chymist . lon. . . — his essay about the origine and virtues of gems ▪ lond. . . — his considerations touching the usefulness of experimental natural philosophy , parts , oxford , , & , . — his new experiments physico mechanical , touching the spring and weight of the air , and their effects , oxford . . ibid. with additions , and continuation , oxf. , & , . — his phisiological essayes , and other tracts ; with some specimens to make chimical experiments useful to illustrate the notions of the corpuscular philosophy , &c. lond. . . — his experiments and considerations touching colours , begining the experimental history of colours , lond. , . — his origine of forms and qualities according to corpuscular philosophy ; illustrated by considerations and experiments , written by way of notes upon an essay about nitre , oxon. , & , . — his tra●●s of cosmical qualities , things and suspitions of the temperature of subterraneal and submarine regions , and of the bottom of the sea ; as also . an introduction to the history of particular qualities , oxf. , . — his experimental history and observations of cold , london , — his hydrostatical paradoxes made out by new experiments , lond. . . dan. coxe's discourse of the interest of the patient in reference to physick and physicians ; with a detection of the abuses of the apothecaries , and their unfitness for practice discovered , lond. . . osw . crollius & j. hartmans basilica chymica ; or royal and practical chymistry : or a discovery of those excellent medicines & chymical preparations of our modern chymists , lond , fol. — his philosophy reform'd and improv'd ; discovering the great and deep mysteries of nature . to which is added , the wonderful mysteries of the creation , by th. paracelsus , lond. . . th. chaloner's virtue of nitre , and the effects thereof , &c. lond. . . will. clark's natural history of nitre ; or , a philosophical discourse of the nature , generation , place , and artificial extraction of nitre , with its virtues and use , lond. . . will. clever's flower of physick , with three books of philosophy for the due temperature of mans life , lond. . . nic. culpeper's treatise of aurum potabile ; being a description of the three-fold world , elementary , caelestial , and intellectual ▪ containing the knowledge necessary to the study of hermetick philosophy , lond. . . — his new method of physick ; or a short view of paracelsus and galen's practice of the nature of physick and alchimy , &c. lond. . . lancel . colson , vide philosophia maturata . geof . chaucer's channons ● eomans tale . vide th. brit. a chymical dictionary , lond. . vide sendivogius . th. charnock's breviary of natural philosophy , and aenigma's , vide th. brit. lud. combachius , sal , lumen , & spiritus mundi philosophici ; being a treatise of the true salt , and secret of the philosophers . lond. . . rich. carpenter's works , vide th. brit. dr. croon's letter concerning the present state of physick , and the regulation of the prastice of it in england ▪ lond. . . dud. dudley s metallum martis , lond. . . jo. dees testament ▪ vide th. brit. st. dunstan of the philosophers stone , vide philos . maturata . a description of the philosophers stone , vide th. brit. the distillation of all manner of spices , seeds , roots , and gums , lond. . dictionary , vide physical and chymical . a discourse of magical gold. — against bad garbling of spices , vide profitable jo. dastin's dream , vide th. brit. euonymus his treasure of the secrets of nature , and apt times to prepare and distill medicines , as quintessence , aurum potabile , aromatick , wines , balms , oyls , perfumes , garnishing waters , &c. lond. ● . . — his treasury , the second part , vide baker's distillations . enchiridion physica restitutae , lond. . experience and philosophy , vide th. brit. nicas . le febure , his compleat body of chimistry for the knowledge of that art and its practice , london . . . — his discourse on sir walter raleighs great cordial , lond. . leon. firovants compendium of the rational secrets of physick , &c. with the hidden virtues of sundry vegetables , animals , and minerals ; whereunto is an nexed paracelsus his experiments ; with certain excellent works of b. g. penotus à portu aquitano ; also is . holland's secrets concerning his vegetal and animal works ; with queritan's spagyrick antidotary , lond. . . ed. fentons secrets & wonders of nature , lond. . jo. french's art of distillation of the choicest spagyrical preparations , experiments and curiosities ; with the description of the furnaces and vessels used by ancient and modern chymists , and the anatomy of gold and silver , with their preparations , curiosities , and virtues ; with two books of sublimation and calcination . also , the london distiller , exactly shewing the way to draw all sorts of spirits and srong-waters ; together with their virtues , , ▪ . — his london distiller in . with a clavis to un lock the deepest secrets in that mysterious art ▪ lon. . — his yorkshire spaw ; or , a treatise of four medicinal waters , ( viz ) the spaw , or vitrioline , the sting , or sulphur ; the dropping , or putrifying ; and s. magnus wells in york-shire , their cause , virtue , and use , lond. , . nic. flammel's hyerogliphical figures of the philosophers stone ; with artefius his key of the greater wisdom , lond. . . fragments of the philosophers ▪ vide th. brit. jo. rod. glaubers description of the new philosophical furnaces ; or , the art of distilling of the tincture of gold , or the true aurum potabile , with the first part of the mineral work . lond. , . — his golden ass well managed , and mydas restored to reason . a new chymical light , shewing that gold may be found in cold as well as in hot regions , or be extracted out of sand , stones , gravel , or flints , &c. vide philisophical epitaph . neh. grews anatomy of vegetables ; with a general account of vegetation , lond. . . jo. goddard's discourse of the unhappy condition of the practice of physick in lond. ● . . jo. gower of the philosophers stone , vide th. brit ▪ will. gratarolle of the philosophers stone , vide treatises ▪ jam. hasolle , alias elias ashmole . jo. bapt. van helmont's works of physick & chimistry , lond. . fol. — his ternary paradoxes of the magnetical cure of wounds , the nativity of tartar in wine , and the image of god in man , translated by dr. walter charleton , lond. . . helmont disguised , or the vulgar errors of emperical and unskilful practisers of phisick confuted , lond. . . — his vindication , vide starkie . isaac holland's secrets concerning his vegetal and animal work vide firovant . — his work of saturn , vide b. valentine . jo. hesther's secrets , vide quercitan . the hermetical banquet drest by a spagyrical cook for the better preservation of the microcosme , lond. . . io. fred. helvetius his golden calf which the world adores and desires ; or , the incomparable wonder of nature in transmuting lead into gold , done at the hague lond. . . — ibid. epitomized , vide philosophical epitaph . the hermits tale , vide theat . brit. jo. hartman's royal chimistry , vide crollius . jo. heydon's exhavaranna ; or , english physicians tutor , in the astrobolisms of mettals , rosie crucian , miraculous saphiric medicines of the sun and moon ; the astrolasmes of saturn , jupiter , mars , venus , mercury , &c. all harmoniously united , with his psonthonphanchia , &c. lond. , . jo. jones his discourse of the natural begining of all growing and living things , lond. . . — his bathe of bathes ayde , the antiquitie , commoditie , propertie , use and knowledge thereof , in diet and medicines ; with the benefit of the ancient bathes of buckston , lond. , . jehior , the day dawning or the morning light of wisdom , containing the three principles or originals of all things , vide philosophical epitaph . edw. iordans discourse of natural baths and mineral waters , and original of fountains , lond. . o , sir edward kelley's work of the philosophers stone vide th. brit. rob. lovel's compleat historie of animals and minerals ; being the sum of ancient and modern galenical & chymical authors concerning beasts , birds fishes , serpents , insects , and man ; and of earths metals , semi-metals , salts , sulphurs , and stones , both natural and artificial ; with their place , matter , names , kinds , temperature , virtues , use , choise , &c. oxford , — his compleat herbal , or the sum of galenical and chymical authors , touching , trees , shrubs plants , fruits , flowers , &c. lond. . º reym . lullys philosophical and chymical experiments , with the right and due preparation of both elixers , and the perfect way of making the great stone of philosophers , as it was truly taught in paris , and some time practiced in england by r. lully , in the time of king edward the third , vide paracelsus . jo. levens path-way to health , for distilling of divers waters , and making of oyls , &c. lond. . º & . . lathams spaw in yorkshire , with some remarkable cases and cures effected by it , lond. . . — a further account of latham's spaw in yorkshire , as it may conduce to publick advantage , lond. . . a letter sent by a learned physitian to his friend , wherein are detected the manifeld errors used hitherto of the apothecaries , in preparing their compositions , as syrups , condites , conserves , pills , potions , electuaries , lozenges , &c. with a far better manner to preserve and correct the same , lond. . . a little book of secrets for liquifying and using of gold and silver , lond. . jo. bapt. lambye his revelation of the secret spirit , declaring the most concealed secret of alchimy , lond. . jo. lydgate's secreta secretorum , or letter of alexander the great to aristotle , vide theatrum brit. liber patris sapientiae , vide th. brit. the london distiller , vide french. lev. lemnius his secret miracles of nature , with philosophical and prudential rules for the health of body and mind of man , fit for those that search into the hidden secrets of nature , lond. . fol , magnetical philosophy , º nicol. monardus of the vertues of divers herbs , trees , oyls , plants , and stones , with their use in physick , and a discourse of the bezoar stone , of iron , and the vertues of snow , lond. . o. jo. maplets green forest of sovereign vertues , in all the whole kind of stones and metals , plants , herbs , trees , and shrubs ; of beasts , fowls , fishes , creeping worms , and serpents , lond. . . chr. merret's view of the frauds and abuses committed by apothecaries , in relation to patients and physitians , lond. . o. mich. majerus his themis aurea , or laws of the rosie cross , lond. . o , — his lusus serius , or serious pastime . lond. . o. the magistery of w. b. vide th. brit. the mystery of alchimists , vide th. brit. the marrow of chymical physick , or the practice of making chymical medicines , shewing the order to draw forth from vegitables , minerals and metals , their spirits , oyls , vinegars , salts , extracts or tinctures , essences and magisteries , flowers and salts , &c. lond. , o. hen. nollius his chymists key , or doctrine of corruption and generation , lond . o. & o. — his hermetical physick , or the right way to preserve and restore health , lond. o. ant. neri his art of glass , shewing the ways to make and colour glass , pastes , enamels , lekes , and other curiosities by fire , lond. . to which is added an account of the glass-drops made by the royal society , . o. th. nortons ordinal of alchimy , vide . th. brit. hen. oldenbourg esq his collection of the philosophical transactions , for several years , . the method of chymical philosophy and phisick , lond. . . edw. mainwaring's compleat physitian , wherein are the characters of the chymical emperick , and chimical physitian , with the excellency of chymical preparations , lond. . . march. needham his medela medicinae , or plea for the free profession and a renovation of the art of physick , lond. . . philosophia maturata , or the practick and operative part of the philosophers stone , with the way how to make the mineral stone , and the calcination of of metals with the work of st. dunstan concerning the philosophers stone , and the experiments of rumelius , and the preparation of angel. sala , published by lancelet colson , lond. . º the philosophical epitaph of w. c. esq for a memento mori on the philosophers ( tomb ) stone , with three hieroglyphical scutcheons , displaying minerva's and hermes birds , and apollo's bird of paradise in philosophical mottos and sentences with their explication , and a discovery of the liquor alchahest , of salt of tartar volatized , and other elixirs , with their differences and proprieties ; also a brief of the golden calfe , discovering the rarest miracle in nature , of a strange transmutation of lead into gold , made by dr. jo. fred. helvetius with figures ▪ likewise jo. rod. glauber his golden ass well managed , and midas restored to reason , a new chymical light for comfort of the oppressed , demonstrating gold to be easily extracted in all places out of sand , stones , gravel or flints , and the true matter of the philosophers stone , to which is added . jehior the day dawning , or the morning light of wisdom , containing the three principles or originals of all things whatsoever , discovering the great and many mysteries in god , nature , and the elements , all published by w. c. esq lond. , . — his secrets of alchimy ▪ lond. , aur. theo. paracelsus his treatise of the cure of french pox , with all other diseases arising and growing thereof , lond. . . — his . experiments , vide firovant . — his key of philosophy , or the most excellent secrets of physick and philosophy , with the order of distillation of oyls , gums , spices , seeds , roots , and herbs , with their perfect taste , smell , and virtues , and how to calcine , sublime , and dissolve all manner of minerals , and how to draw forth their oyl and salts , lond. , & . . — his dispensatory . — his archidoxes , ▪ — his chymical transmutation , genealogy and generation of metals and minerals , with the vertues , and use of dr. trigs water , with the mumial treatise of tentzelius . the philosophical and chymical experiments of rym . lully , with the right and due preparation of both elixirs , and the perfect way of making the great stone of philosophers , as it was truly taught in paris . and some time practiced in england by r. rully , in the time of king edward the third , lond. . . paracelsus his wonderful mysteries of the creation , vide crollius . — his philosophical and chymical treatise of fire and salt , . — of the nature of things , books , . o ▪ vide sendivogius . — of the supream mysteries of nature , of the spirits of the planets , occult philosophy , the magical , sympathetical and antipathetical cure of wounds and diseases , the mysteries of the twelve signs of the zodiack , lond. . . eug. philalethes anthroposophia theomagica , lond. . — his magia adamica , lond. . . — his anima magica abscondi●a , or a discourse of the universal spirit of nature , lond. , : — his euphrates or waters of the east , or a discourse of the secret fountain , whose water flows from the fire , lond ▪ . . eir. phil. philalethes , alias geo. starkies marrow of alchimy , being an experimental treatise of the secret and most hidden mystery of the philosophers elixir , lond. . . hugh plats jewel house of art and nature , with divers chymical conclusions of the art of distillation , &c. lond. . o. — his subterraneal treasure , lond ▪ . jo. partridges treasury of hidden secrets , lond ▪ . : nic. prepositas practice of approved medicines , precious waters , &c. lond. ▪ o. sim. partlisius his new method of physick , or a short view of paracelsus , and galens practice of the nature of physick and alchemy , lond . hen , power 's experimental philosophy ; or new microscopical , mercurial , magnetical , and subterraneal experiments , lond. . º bern. g. penotus a portu aquitano his ex●ellent works , vide firovant . a profitable discourse composed by divers grocers against the bad garbelling of spices used in these days , and against the combination of the workmen of that office , lond. º a physical dictionary , or an interpretation of such crabbed words and terms of art , as are derived from greek and latine , used in physick , anatomy , chyrurg●ry and chymistry , . eug. philalethes lumen de lu●ine , lond. . . — his forms and confessions of the fraternity of the rosie cross , lond. . . ioach poleman novam lumen medicum , lond. . pearce the black monck upon the elixir , vide theat . brit. geo. phaedro's physical & chymical works to cure most difficile diseases , with the secrets of coelestial physick , lond. . . io. quercitan his true and perfect spagyrick preparation of minerals , animals and vegitables , with their use , whereunto is added divers secrets of io. hesther , lond. . . — his answer to iacob aubertus , concerning the original causes of metals , set forth by aubertus against the chymists , lond. . . — his spagyrick antidotary . vide firovant . — his practice of chymical and hermetical physick , for the preservation of health , lond. . º th. raynoldes declaration of the vertues , use and excellency of the oyl imperial , lond. . . io. rhenodeus his dispensatory of the natures , properties and vertues of vegitables , minerals and animals , of galenical and chymical materials , with an absolute pharmacop●ia , lond. fol. lud. rowzet of the queens wells , or a tteatise of the natures and vertues of tunbridge-water , lond. . & . . th. robinson of the philosophers stone , vide th. brit. will. redmans aenigma philosophicum , vide th. brit , geo. ripley's compound of alchimy , his vision , his verses , on the emblematical scrowl , his mystery of the alchymists . preface to medulla , and his short work , vide th. brit. ian. cunr. rhumelius his experiments , vide philos . maturata . florianus randorff of the philosophers stone , vide treatises . mich. sendivogius his new light of alchimy , taken out of the fountain of nature ▪ and manuel experience , together with a treatise of sulphur ; also paracelsus his nine books of the nature of things , with a chymical dictionary explaining hard words in paracelsus , and others , lond . º alex. van uchtens secrets of antimony , in treatises with basill , valentines salt of antimony , and its use , lond. . . io , schroders compleat chymical dispensatory treating of metals , precious stones , minerals , vegitables and animals . and how rightly to know and use them , lond. . fol. — his history of animals and their use , lond. . . tho. shirleys philosophical essay , declaring the probable causes whence stones are produced in the greater world , with a search into the origin of all bodies , lond. . dan. sennertus his institutions , wherein are the grounds , of chymistry . lond. fol. & . geo ▪ starkies natures explication , and helmonts vindication , or a full apology for chymical medicaments with a vindication of their excellencies , against the gallenists , lond. . . — his marrow of chymical physick , or a treaetise of making chymical medicines , lond. . º will. salmons synopsis medicinae , or a compendium of astrological , galenical and chymical physick and philosophy , deducted from the principles of hermes and hippocrates , lond. . ▪ will. sympsons hydrologia chymica , or the chymi al anatomy of the scarbrough and other spaws in yorkshire , with some observations upon dr. witties treatise of scarbroughs spaw , with a description of the spaws at malton and knarsbrough ▪ with the original of springs , fountains , &c. lond. , . — his hydrological essays , or a vindication of hydrologia chymica , being a further discovery of the scarbrough spaw , and of the right use thereof , with an account of the alom-works at whitby , &c. lond. . . rob. sharrock of the propagation and improvement of vegitables , by the concurrance of art and nature , &c. lond , . . simon sturtevant's treatise of metalica . secrets for liquifying and using of gold and silver , lo. . secrets revealed , or an open entrance to the shut pallace of the king , containing the greatest treasure in chymistry , never so plainly discovered concerning the philosophers stone , lond. . . secrets and wonders of the world , lond. . º the store-house of physical and pholosoprical secrets , teaching to distil all manner of oyls , from gums , spices , seeds , roots , herbs , minerals , &c , lond. . º patr. scots tillage of light , or a true discovery of the philosophical elixir , lond. . . angel. sala's preparation , vide philosoph . maturata . io. sawtre of the philosophers stone , vide treatises , geor. thomsons galeno pale , or a chymical trial of the gallenists , lond. . — his gag for iohnsons animadversions upon galenopale , or a scourge for galen . lond. . . — his vindication of my lord bacon , and an assertion of experimental philosophy , with some observations of true chymical science , lond. . . — his letter to dr. stubs , wherein the galenical method of medicaments are proved ineffectual , by experimental demonstrations , lond. , . — his apology against the calumnies of the gallenists , vide his book of the pest anatomized , lond. . . dr. trigs water , with its vertues and use , vide paracelus . p. thybaults art of chymistry , as it is now practiced , lond. . . geo. tonstal of the scorbroughs spaw spagyrically anatomized , . . and. tentzelius his mumial treatise , vide paracelsus . will. turners treasury of english baths , and of the baths of other countries , lond. . º the true and perfest order to distill oyls out of all manner of spices , seeds , roots and gums , lond. . . five treatises of the philosophers stone , two of alphonsus king of portugal , one of iohn sawtre the monk , one of florianus randorff a german philosopher , and one by will. gratarole , by h p. lond. . º th. tymmes philosophical dialogue , wherein natures secret closet is opened , lond . º geo. thor. his cheiragogia heliana , an easie introduction to the philosophers magical gold , to which is added , zoroasters cave , and jo. pontanus's epistle upon the mineral fire , lond. , & . . basil . valentine his last will and testament , with two treatises , one of manual operation , the other of things natural and supernatural , lond. . . — his triumphant charriot , of antimony , lond. . — of natural and supernatural things , of the first tincture , root and spirit of metals and minerals , how the same are conceived , generated , brought forth , changed and augmented with rog. bacons , tincture of antimony , and is . hollands work of saturn . lond. . . — his salt of antimony and its use , vide suchten . io. websters metallographia or history of metals , with signs of ores , and minerals , before and after diging , the causes and manner , of their generations , their kinds , sorts , and differenc s , with a description of new metals , and semi metals , and other things pertaining to mineral knowledge , also of vegitability , of mystical chymistry , of the philosophers gold and mercury , of the liquor alkahest , aurum potabile , and such like , lond. , . dan. widdows his natural philosophy , or description of the world and several creatures therein , ( viz. ) of angels , mankind , heavens , stars , planets , the elements with their order , nature and goverment , as also of minerals , metals , plants , and pretious stones , with their colours , forms and vertues , lon. º tim. willis his search of causes of a theophysical investigation of the possibility of transmntatory alchymy , lond. . . rob. witties pyrologia mimica , or an answer to mr. sympsons hydrologia chymica , lond. . , — his scarbroughs spaw , or a description of the nature and vertnes of the spaw at scarbrough in yorkshire , and of the nature and use , of sea , rain , snow , pond , lake , spring and river-waters , with a discourse concerning mineral-water , lond. . . will. williams his occult physick , or three principles in nature anatomized , by a philosophical operation from experience in three books of beasts , trees , herbs , and their magical and physical vertues , lon. . . weckers secrets , lond. fol. the yorkshire spaw , vide french. zoroastres cave , vide thor. the bookseller to the reader . courteous reader , be pleased to understand , that some ( small number ) of these books in this catalogue cannot absolutely be called chymical , but have a very near affinity thereunto , the knowledge of natural philosophy being an introduction to supernatural things ; nor do i pretend to publish this as an absolute collection of english chymical authors ; ( distrusting i may have forgotten some of common note ) but rather as an essay to provoke others ( better able ) to perfect it . several of these books i have drawn out of the catalogues of and : maunsel , william london , and the mercurius librarius ; others i have more largely transcribed from the books themselves , with the date when printed , and in what volume , as near as the shortness of my time would permit , having but a few days to collect it ; and therefore i crave excuse for my mistakes , and leave the perfecting thereof to time , and other mens ingenuity , who shall please to take the pains to add what shall come within the verge of their knowledge , or be presented to their view . vale. magnalia naturæ, or, the philosophers-stone lately exposed to public sight and scale being a true and exact account of the manner how wenceslaus seilerus, the late famous projection-maker at the emperours court at vienna, came by and made away with a very great quantity of pouder of projection by projecting with it before the emperour and a great many witnesses, selling it &c. for some years past / by john joachim becher : published at the request, and for the satisfaction of several curious, especially of mr. boyl &c. becher, johann joachim, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing b estc r ocm 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) magnalia naturæ, or, the philosophers-stone lately exposed to public sight and scale being a true and exact account of the manner how wenceslaus seilerus, the late famous projection-maker at the emperours court at vienna, came by and made away with a very great quantity of pouder of projection by projecting with it before the emperour and a great many witnesses, selling it &c. for some years past / by john joachim becher : published at the request, and for the satisfaction of several curious, especially of mr. boyl &c. becher, johann joachim, - . [ ], p. printed by tho. dawks, sold also by la. curtis, london : . reproduction of original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng seilerus, wenceslaus. alchemy. chemistry -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - judith siefring sampled and proofread - judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion magnalia naturae : or , the philosophers-stone lately expos'd to publick sight and sale. being a true and exact account of the manner how wenceslaus seilerus the late famous projection-maker , at the emperours court , at vienna , came by , and made away with a very great quantity of pouder of projection , by projecting with it before the emperor , and a great many vvitnesses , selling it , &c. for some years past . published at the request , and for the satisfaction of several curious , especially of mr. boyl , &c. by john joachim becher , one of the council of the emperor , and a commissioner for the examen of this affair . minut. felix . quid igitur ingrati sumus ? cur invidemus : si veritas divinitatis ( quae per ea quae fiunt sat intelligi potest , rom. . . ) nostri temporis aetate maturuit . london , printed by tho. dawks , his majesties british printer , living in black-fryers . sold also by la. curtiss , in goat court on ludgate hill . . advertisement . books and single sheets printed and sold by tho. dawks , in black fryers , and by la. curtiss in goat court on ludgate-hill , where may alwayes be had , . godfreys murder made visible , and the papists cruelty therein . . a chronology of popery , shewing when , and who brought in their idle , foolish foperys . . the only historical plot cards , with a book , illustrating the plot , by greatly satisfying the protestant reader . . the beggars petition to h. s. shewing reasons enough why he threw popery off , and we not now befoold into it . . the prime discoverers , their pictures , with verses shewing their reasons why they discovered this hellish popish plot. . romes hunting-match for kingdoms . . england 's calamity foreshewn , from the growth of popery , in gemanys misery . . a seasonable caution to apostatizing protestants ; or gods eminent judgment upon protestants that turn'd papists to save their lives , but perished . . the resurrection proved in a relation of what hapned to mris ann atherton , who lay dayes in a trance , declared in an astonishing speech when she came to life . . a great truth , the jesuit a down-right compleat atheist , proved such , and condemn'd for such , by the famous faculty of sorbonne , well known to be the best divines of all the catholick party , and by the french bishops , & pope alexander . shewing how they make a mock at sin , deny god , and overthrow all religion . their design being to debauch mankind , wherein they , as a judgment from god upon us , have succeeded pretty well , but speedy judgment attends its promoters . famous master rich's absence supply'd by a key to his short-hand table , entituled the pens dexterity , allowed and approved by both vniversities . fully discovering the whole art to the meanest capacity , in that method he taught his scholars , with the reserved rules in their proper places , by t. dawks , a quandam scholar of his ; the like never publickly discovered before ; all books and sheets relating to this hand has been abuses to the publick , & the buyers of them much deceiv'd , for the table alone was ne'er design'd by mr. rich to teach the whole a r t , but to bring scholars to him : and for the truth of what i say , as well in relation to this key , as to other spurious books , i refer my self to mr. rich's scholars , as fittest judges , knowing not where else to appeal . also , i have added since it came to my hand , beside the key to distinguish this from all false tables , directions concerning the place of vowels , which he gave me in writing among the private rules ; wherefore , all old tables without the key are false ones , beware of them . these true ones are sold by . t. basset , at the george by s. dunstans church in fleetstreet : by fr. smith at the elephant by the exchange in cornhil , . also dr. salmons new london dispensatory , end his soul of astrology , are always to be had at the places abovesaid . as for his synopsis or praxis medicinae , the vast labour it hath taken up , is the cause of its not coming forth ; expect it spedily , the compleatness of the work make it exceed in thickness his dispensatory , besides the plates . there is in the press a packet of popish delusions , false miracles and lying wonders : together with many grand divisions among papists , notwithstanding their seeming vnity . the translator to the reader . there is no ingenious man that is not unacquainted with the curiosities to be met with in the world , who hath not either seen som transmutation of metals , or at least heard so many witness that they have seen it ; as to be perswaded that there is such thing as the philosophers-stone , or powder of projection . only there he some great men ( as his highness prince rupert , who hath seen the projection at frankfort , in germany ) who seem to question whether such pouder or tincture is prepared with profit . but this doubt is hereby now fully cleared and resolv'd , from the great quantity of this tincture left buried by the abbot founder of the church it was found in : ( as this relation informs you ) for it is not credible that the abbot was master , before he had done the work , of such an immense treasure , as he must needs have had to draw so much tincture from : which could not be extracted ( if the preparation thereof is without profit , ) from a lesser quantity of gold than it gives or yield again in the projection : so that the same quantity of gold as it yields again must have bin spoiled to make it ; which it is not credible an abbot of germany was master of , as is said . and , for the truth of this relation , besides that , it is attested by many men of great quality , good parts , probity , and modesty , by the emperor himself ; by count wallestein who was resident here a year ago ; and by dr. becher at present in this city . it is so publickly known through all parts of germany , chiefly about vienna where this was transacted , that to doubt , or deny it , were as absurd , as if one denyed that the west-indies have bin found out of late years , or that there be ships at sea , because he hath seen neither . but among the many remarkable passages in this relation , one thing is most worthy of observation , viz. the honesty of f. fra. preyhausen , who deserves to be chronicled for his faithfulness & truth to f. wenceslaus the finder of this pouder : for he wanted neither frequent opportunities nor specious pretences to effect what som princes could not forbear to attempt ( i. to rob wenceslaus of his powder ) tho without a certainty of success , & tho he was himself sure of success , for he was thrice , for a good while each time , entrusted with the box , & might find excuses enough for it ; yet he not only did not succomb to the temptation of getting all , as they did ; but did not so much as deny , purloin , or withhold the least part of the pouder from f. wenceslaus , even when ( seeing how he squandred it away ) he had a good pretence to keep back some for his use : and might justly have claimed and reserv'd some for his own use also , not only for his services , but for the great dangers he had exposed himself to for his sake ; thus keeping true to the end , even against his own right & so great a temptation . a faithful man who can find ? pro. . . but here such one is found , and that among the fryers ! whence i am glad to observe , that all the fryers are not quite so black as some make them ; and to see that among them , as well as among other sects some good men are to be found who make conscience of an oath , and keep it tho to their loss . thanks be to f. francis 's honesty for so much as we know of this whole concern . i am sure that if he had what his honesty deserv's , what the emperor hath done for wenceslaus had bin bestowed upon him ; and that wenceslaus himself , whilst in the dungeon , would have said with all his heart , that if he would do for him what he hath done , he would deserve what he hath not had , i mean the whole pouder : but honesty meets seldom with what it deserves . errata . pag. . l. . for after , r. as for p. . l. . r. imprudent . magnalia naturae : or , the truth of the philosophers-stone asserted : being exposed to publick sight and sale in our daies . the place where wenceslaus seilerus ( who is the main subject of this following discourse ) was born , i am not certain whether it was at vienna , yea or no ; but sure i am he was of the austrian country : and his brother did wait upon the count of weissenwolf , the younger . after , seilerus himself , when he was about the th year of his age , he was cast into a monastery of the augustine fryers at bruna in moravia : where , after his year of probation , he took the habit upon him , and was admitted into the number of fryers , though it were against his will , as he afterwards confessed , and as the event did make appear : for having once made profession of the order , he did continually strive and study how he might free himself from the monastery , and seeing that could not be done without money , and money , in his circumstances , could not lawfully be obtained : he began to study an indirect way for the obtaining thereof , for his fellow fryers having often muttered to him of some great treasure hid in their monastery , he had a great desire to find it out . and in order thereunto , he did not scruple to learn the magick art , if any one had been ready to inform him therein : wherein fortune seemed to favour his desires , for there was an old woman , a cow-keepers wife , living before the gate of the town , and fortress , who was skilful therein , and he came to be acquainted with her upon this occasion . the yonger monks and students , as they were called , are allowed some set daies , every week , to walk out of the gates of the city , to enjoy the open air and to refresh their minds , supposed to be wearied with study ; in these relaxations one company dispersed it self here , another there , as they think fit for their divertisment . but fryer wenceslaus ( for so i shall hereafter call him ) made use of this occasion , alwayes to visit the said old woman , and upon the pretence of drinking new milk , to interogate her concerning her art. and in a short time he got so much into her favour as to obtain from her a small wax-ball marked with certain figures or characters , which was of that virtue , that , if it was laid upon the ground , it would presently run to the place where any treasure was hid : ( this ball i afterwards saw often in his custody , and handled it with my hands . ) it happened afterwards , that , as the custom is for the old fathers when they grow weak , to have some young fryers to assist them ; so , fryer wenceslaus was assigned to attend an ancient father , who was a cabalist , and a lover of magick , in which studies , at any vacancies , he spent his time . he often told fryer wenceslaus , that there was a vast treasure hid in the church of their monastery ; to whom wenceslaus replyed . that he had got a ball which , he was assured , had the virtue to discover hidden treasures : and , thereupon he shewed him the ball , and the characters impressed thereon , which the old father did seriously consider , and much valued them . a while after , as they two were walking alone in the church , afore day , after mattens , they tryed the ball , by laying it down in several places , but found no effect ; at last , placing it near a certain pillar old and ruinous , it began to shew its efficacy and virtue by its often running thereto : this they interpreted for a certain indication , that the treasure was there hid ; but how to come at it was the question . they had neither leave , means nor opportunity to break down this stony structure , neither did they certainly know at what height or deph thereof the treasure was laid in it . so that upon these discouragements they were forced to let it alone . but it happened afterwards , that , a great tempest arising , the whole church , and especially this decayed pillar , was so shaken and spoiled , that to prevent its falling down the abbot was necessitated to order it to be demolished . and in regard the old father , whom fryer wenceslaus attended , had skill in architecture , and by reason of his infirmities could not be otherwise serviceable to the monastery , he was therefore appointeed to oversee the masons ; which office he and his assistant fryer wenceslaus did willingly undertake , and were very sedulous in theit attendance , and discharge thereof . when the pillar was almost all pulled own , they found therein a copper-box , of a reasonable bigness , which the old father presently snatch'd up and carryed it into his cloyster , and immediately opened it : where , at the top , he found a piece of parchment , on which there was some inscription and writing : i once had a copy of it , but i lost it amongst my other letters ; but this i remember , it contained the number of the years wherein the church was built , and the name of the abbot the founder thereof , who had been an envoye at ratisbone ; i do also remember , that amongst other writings , there was this motto , amice , tibi soli , which i english thus , friend , to thy self alone . under this parchment there were other letters laid , marked with characters , which contained directions how to multiply the powder , as the inscription shewed : and under them there were four boxes full of a red powder . when the boxes were opened , fryer wenceslaus was quite out of heart , having lost his preconceived hope of some great treasure therein : for he verily believed that , if there were not old ●ieces of gold yet some diamonds , or other precious stones must have been lodged there . and finding no such thing , but four boxes of darkish colored powder , he was so impatient at the disappointment , that , if he had been the sole manager of the business , he had thrown away boxes , powder and all : for at that time he was so little acquainted with chymistry , that so much as the name was not known to him , and he had scarce heard of the word tincture . but the old father was not so transported , but told him , that perhaps some medicinal virtue was contained in the powder , and that the characters in the annexed papers might possibly discover its use , and therefore he was resolved to study some books , to find out what those characters meant : in the mean time he would carefully keep the box. not long after , the old father sent fryer wenceslaus into the kitchin of the monastery , to see if he could find an old peuter dish or plate , which was no longer fit for use , and if he could , to bring it to him ; which he accordingly did , who thereupon caused a coal-fire to be made , and put a crucible into fryer wenceslaus hand , to place therein ; this was the first chymical operation that ever fryer wenceslaus performed in all his life , and for which he was so unfit , that he plac'd the crucible upside down , so that the old father himself was forced to set it in its right posture . they put the pewter plate broken and folded together into the crucible , which being presently melted , the father took out some of the pouder ( so much as would lay upon the point of a knife ) which was in one of the four boxes , and wrapping it in a little wax , he cast it into the crucible upon the pewter , and commanded his assistant fryer wenceslaus to blow up the fire , adding these words , now i shall see whether i have well decyph●red the characters , and whether i have found out the use of this pouder . as soon as ever the powder was cast in , the pewter stood still , came to a suddain congelation . then the fire was suffered to go out , and the crucible to wax cold , which being broken , there was found a ponderous mass of metals , very yellow and variegated with red lines : upon which the father made fryer wenceslaus to go out into the town , upon pretence of getting a book to be bound , and wished him to go to some gold-smith , and shew him this mass of metal , alleadging to him , that he had some ancient roman coins of gold , which he had melted down , but for want of a sufficient fire and other defects , he had not done it exactly ; and therefore he desired the gold-smith to melt it over again , and cast it in an ingot ; the gold-smith gratified him therein , and fryer wenceslaus , at the command of the father took off a small piece , which he preserved , and then asked the gold-smith , what the rest was worth ? who , after he had weighed and tryed on the touchstone , did value it at twenty ducats ( which are worth two crowns a piece ) at which rate fryer wenceslaus sold it to him , and receiving the money , returned joyfully home . the old father did only desire the remaining portion of the gold , which he had reserved , but suffered fryer wenceslaus to injoy the ducats , yet with this advice , that he should discover it to none in the monastery . but fryer werceslaus , though he had not been master of so much money a long time , was not satisfied therewith , but entertained various thoughts in his mind , whether he should by flight free himself from that bondage and slavery he was in , whilest he had the advantage of so much cash ? or else , whether he should stay so long there , till either by flattery or craft , he had got the copper boxes from the old father . to the first of these cogitations he was edg'd on , by the eagerness of that desire he had to leave the monastery : but then , the great heap of gold which he might make with the powder , as he well conjectured , if he could get it into his hands , did somewhat abate his fervor , and perswade him to stay . for , though he was yet altogether ignorant of chymistry , yet the precedent tryals had given him so much light , that he was fully perswaded , the box contained and was worth a vast treasure ; and , though at that time , the rareness of the powder , and the multiplication of it had very small influence upon his thoughts : yet , because he had a share in finding of it out , by means of his ball , he therefore thought that half of it at least did belong to him . but there was another thing which more perplexed his mind , and that was the fear , that the old father , either out of a principle of devotion , or of vain-glory , should discover the whole story of the business to the abbot , and by that means should make away all the pouder : and he was rather inclined to these cogitations , because he had observed , that the father , who before had been more remiss in hiding the box , now of late was so solicitous to preserve it , that he kept it continually in his desk , and scarce ever stirred from it , except when he was to go to church with fryer wenceslaus . being moved with these considerations , he was induced to demand boldly some quantity of this powder of the old man ? the answer he received , was , that he was yet too young to know how to dispose of , and to keep well this powder : besides , he wanted no money whilst he was in the monastery ; and , if he should procure a summ by means of this powder , in his present condition , it would be very prejudicial both to his soul and body , and he might become thereby of all men most miserable : moreover ( proceeds the father ) this powder may have many other virtues and operations which are yet unknown both to you and me , and therefore i will farther study the writings annexed to it , and hereafter i will be mindful of you , but at present i will not part with any of the powder , only you shall have every week two crowns allowed for your divertisements : thus the father ; but this fair story sounded not well in the fryers ears , who had a private design ( unknown to the oldfather ) to leave the monastery in the interim it happen'd , that as they two were returning from mattens , early in the morning , the old father complain'd of a cold he had got , & a great rheum in his head , and desired fryer wenceslaus to go to the cellar and fetch him a cup of sack , he did so , and upon his return he found the father taken with a fit of an apoplexy , and speechless : whereupon , the first thing he did was to find out the key of his desk , and taking from thence the copper box , he carryed it to his own cell , and hid it there . this being done , he rang the bell in the fathers cell to call up the monks , who came flying with all diligence to bring him some remedies , but they were all too late the father being quite dead : hereupon his desk was presently sealed up , and solemn ceremonyes according to the occasion were performed over his dead body . but who more inwardly joyful than fryer wenceslans , from whom death had removed his rival , and made him to be master of all the whole treasure . hereupon he began to deliberate with himself how he might make his escape out of the monastery with most safety and least suspicion . but herein many difficuties did accrew : he was grown a little deboist and prodigal by the opportunity of the ducats abovementioned , which he had to spend ; and by that means he had incurred the emulation of his fellow fryers , who did urge the pryor and superiour , that , the old father being now dead , and so fryer wenceslaus discharged from his attendance on him , he should for the future be bound to a stricter discipline , both in reference to his studies , as also to his frequenting the church . moreover his ducats were all spent , and no opportunity offerd to make another tryal , or if he had , he could not have sold the product of it . in this anxiety he resolved to open his mind to another monk , a comrade of his , one fryer francis preyhausen , that so they might mutually consult together what was best to be done : for you must know this fryer was intimate with fryer wenceslaus , as having entred into the colledge at the same time ; and , being also a young man , was weary of a monastical life , as well as he . whilest these things were in consult , there happened a solemn disputation in the school of the monastery ; where among other theses , fryer francis , under a moderator , was obliged to maintain , that mettals can not be transmuted : and it chanced to be the turn of fryer wenceslaus to be the then opponent : but , as he had made no great proficiency in his studies , so fryer francis easily bafled him , and exposed him to the laughter of the auditory ; so that in a great passion he broke out into these words , vvhy do you laugh ? i can practically demonstrate the thing to be true ? to whom the moderator with great indignation , answer'd ; hold thy peace , thou ass , wilt thou also be an alchymist ? i shall sooner be able to turn thee into an ox , than thou to transmute the metals . herewith fryer wenceslaus's mouth was stop'd . when the disputation was over , fryer wenceslaus took occasion to confer with fryer francis ; when they two were alone together in the garden belonging to the monastery , fr. francis thus accosted him , you have this day publickly affirmed in the disputation , that you were able to transmute metals ; 't was unadvisedly spoken of you , whether it be true or false ; if it be true , and it come to the abbot's ear , you will not enjoy your liberty very long : besides , there is a great muttering in the monastery , that the old father and your self , found a treasure in the church , and , that the masons saw a copper box , and that a monk of the augustine order sold some gold to a goldsmith , and that you did take from the kitchin a pewter plate ; moreover , the suddain death of the old father is not without some suspicion ; and altho you may alledg , that the money was sent you by your friends , and it were true , that they did send you some , yet it being probable that some came another way , for which and other reflections , you would never scape scot-free out of the monastery , 't was well the moderator took you for a buffle-head . but , if what you have affirmed be false , you do ill again that way , by asserting that which you are not able to demonstrate . i do therefore earnestly desire you to declare unto me , as to your intimate friend , the whole truth of this matter . whereupon fr. wenceslaus fell down at his feet , humbly beseeching him to swear not to discover what he should reveal to him , but to afford him his help and assistance , and then he would disclose that to him , which , upon their stealing away from the monastery , would procure great wealth to them both , and advance them to high dignities ; and that they would equally share the happiness between them , and run alike hazard in all things . in a word , the bargain was soon made , and they without loss of time , went into f. francis's cell , where they took their mutual oaths one to another . and then f. wenceslaus declared the whole intregue and the procedure thereof to f. frarcis , withal desiring him upon the first occasion to go into the city to buy there a pound of lead , which being brought to him , he chang'd it into gold , observing the method the old father had observed before : the transmuted gold was carryed back by f. francis into the city , and there sold to a jew , for an ducats , though it were worth more , his pretence was as the former , that it was melted down out of ancient coin and meddals . having receiv'd this money , and thus made a strict league and friendship with f. francis , and the art being now found true for the second time , they were more intent upon their design of escaping out of the monastery . but that which retarded their resolution , was the season of the year , it being then winter ; and a very hard one too , for they well understood , that they could not then safely take so long a journey as they were to undergo , if they would by their flight elude the search , ( which would be made without doubt with all diligence possible after them ) and avoid the punishment usually inflicted upon such an occasion . hereupon they thought it more convenient to deferr their intended flight till the spring following , and they were the rather induced thereunto because they had found means to pass that time merrily , by getting now and then a cup of wine , and a couple of roased pullets , which f. francis ( who was well verst in that trade ) knew well how to get , and to convey into their chamber . but because f. wencelaus had as great a mind to taste of womens flesh as of that of poultry : and had lighted on a certain austrian drab fit for his purpose , he caused therefore some mans apparel , with a periwig , and sutable accoutrements to be made ready for her . having thus disguised her sex , they gave her the name of seignior anastasio , & she came often to the monastery , on pretence , that she came from vienna , to visit her cosin f. wenceslaus , pretending he was her kinsman ; this lasted a while , but the visits of this seignior anastasio was so frequent , that at last , he was observed to come into the monastery sometimes , and not to go out again , by reason of his staying all night in the cell of f. wenceslaus , who did thus live for some weeks in dishonest love with him : and , when he went either to the school or to the church , he alwayes carefully carryed his key with him . but a matter of that nature could be kept close no longer ; some rumour of it came to the ear of the abbot or prior , so that one morning as f. wenceslaus was at mattens before day , the abbot demanded of him the key of his cell , which he was forc'd to deliver , ( but how willingly , any one may guess . ) the abbot immediately , with the pryor , and some other monks went to his cell and there found seignior anastasio naked in the bed. at this sight there was a general consternation on all sides , none knew what course to take , f. wenceslaus his mind was more in his chamber than in the chappel canring out his mattens ; as for seignior anastasio , she was doubtless as much at a loss ; for , to run without her cloaths out of the bed before such venerable company , was no wayes thought convenient , and , as for the good prelates , they were also uncertain how to steer ; some advised to declare the matter to the magistrate , that so anastasio might be thrust out of the house by the secular power ; others feared , that if they took that course , they should derogate from their rights and priviledges ; and , if seignior anastasio should chance to be whipt , and to be put into the stocks for dissembling her sex , the noise of such a thing would affix an indelable character of infamy upon their monastery . after some deliberation , they concluded , that presently anastasio should put on her clothes , and , after a severe reprehension , should be ejected out of the house , in the morning before day . and , as for fryer wenceslaus he was called from mattens , and shut up in his cell , the doors being well bolted and barr'd on the outside , until four walls were prepared to enclose him , which were already built , only something was defective in the door , which was supplyed the next day . whilst this was a doing , fr. wenceslaus found opportunity to secure his copper box , and to gather together the pouder , and by means of a rope to let them both down at a window to fr. francis , who staid there on purpose to receive them ; and withal he conveyed down a letter to him , the contents whereof was , to desire the said fryer francis not to forsake him in his distress , but to use his utmost endeavour to contrive a way for his deliverance , withal minding him not to violate his oath about the powder , but to keep it safe , for as yet , to his great comfort , it was intire . the next day , fr. wenceslaus was kept fasting , and in the evening his back was scourg'd with many cruel lashes , and afterwards he was shut up close within four walls , and for a month fed with nothing but bread and water ; during which time , the severity of the stripes he underwent , the disaster of seignior anastasio , and the hazard of the loss of his powder did so afflict him , that he was even ready to despair ; but this did somewhat relieve him , that he carried a string with him into the dungeon , and casting it out at the hole , received sometimes both letters and victuals from his comrade f. francis : and indeed the desperate condition of fr. wencenslaus did so affect his heart , that he bent all his endeavour to excogitate ways how to free him ; at last an happy opportunity offered it self upon this occasion . prince charles of lichtenstein was a great favourer of chymistry , and he had a steward of his house at bruna , to whose friendship f. francis had insinuated himself , and by him sent a letter and some of the foresaid pouder to the prince , in which he related the lamentable condition of fr. wenceslaus , and implored his aid for his deliverance . the steward having sent the letter , and going to felisbourg the princes seat , was scarce arrived but that the prince bestovved upon him a more profitable office than that which he had before , and this message concerning fr. vvenceslaus was so favorably receiv'd , that he strictly injoyned him to return speedily to bruna , and to assist fr. francis to the utmost in order to the deliverance of fryer wenceslaus . and to that purpose he committed his own seal to his custody , to be made use of for that end , if there were occasion . thus the steward returning home , did presently consult with f. francis to deliver f. wenceslaus ; and being delivered from his prison and cloyster , to hide and shelter him a while in the house of his master the said prince of lichtenstein : untill some convenient opportunity could be found for his passage out of the town , and for his conveyance to the prince of felisburge . in order whereto fr. francis took care to provide a false key , fit to open the dungeon , which he more easily did , because the padlock was on the outside of the door : and on a certain day , when mattens were ended , he brought his project to its desired effect , for he opened the door , and took out fr. vvenceslaus , locking the door again ; and disguising him with a cloak , coat , and periwig which he had prepared for that purpose , he conveyed him through a bygate in the garden of the monastery , to lichtestein's house , where he shut him up in a chamber , locked the door , and sealed it up in two places with the princes own seal and a labell appendant . the next day when the monasterys porter , according to his custom , was carrying his bread and water , about noon , to f. vvenceslaus , lo , he was not to be found ! whereupon a great tumult was raised in the monastery , and from thence the news flew to the count de collebrat , governour of that precinct , who presently commanded the gates to be shut , and search to be made in all houses , not excepting litchtenstein's house it self . when they had diligently searched every corner of this latter house , at last they came to the chamber that was sealed up : here the steward of the house interposed , and told them , that that room was the closet of the prince , which he had sealed up himself with his own seal , and therefore , it could not be opened without great danger and hazard of incurring his high displeasure . whereupon they desisted ; and f. vvenceslaus remained hid there for some weeks , untill at length he found means , in a disguise to escape out of the town in the morning early , at the very first opening of the gates , and so was conveyed , with other officers , in the princes own coach , to felisburgh . being arrived there , he was courteously received and well treated by the prince , before whom he made a notable demonstration of his art. but the prince soon found , that a man in his circumstances and of his abilities , could not be long concealed in his court , because the abbot of bruna having sent spies after him , would certainly find him out , and would also obtain a mandate from the supream consistory at vienna concerning him . whereupon ( though , as some think , the princes intent was to gain the whole tincture from him ) he advised him to go to rome , and there obtain a full discharge from his monastical life , and to secure himself from the abbot , which favour he profered to obtain for him by means of his agent there : and to accommodate him for his journey , he gave him a bill of exchange for ducats , and withal provided an italian , his chamberlain , to bear him company on his way . but you must know fr. vvenceslaus had sent away his comrade fr. francis ( who privately had made an escape ) to vienna with the tincture enjoyning him to get him a private loding there , to abscond himself for a while , till he could commodiously contrive his journey to rome . soon after the italian chamberlain and he began their journey , and when they were about half a daies journey from vienna , the chamberlain on a suddain pick'd a quarrel with him , and holding a pistol to his breast , threatned to kill him , unless he would deliver him the tincture . f. vvenceslaus being thus unexpectedly assaulted , was much abashed , and calling god to witness , protested , that the tincture was not , for the present , in his hands , but that he had sent it before by his companion f. francis to vienna whom the said chamberlain had himself seen to undertake that journey a few daies before . the chamberlain was the rather induced to believe his asseveration , because upon search both of him and his portmantle , he found nothing at all of the tincture therein . hereupon , they came to terms between them , f. vvenceslaus was to give the chamberlain ducats , and an amnesty to be for their suddain falling out , and so they agreed and bid one another , farewell . the chamberlain , being a covetous italian , was glad of the money , and f. vvenceslaus was glad to be rid of him , having escaped such an hazard , and being now likely to attain vienna , where he arrived in the evening of the same day , and told his companion f. francis what had hapned to him in every circumstance , upon the way . he being a subtle man , did easily perceive by his relation , what vvas the mystery of his designed journey to rome , and that his bill of exchange was but a meer collusion , whereupon they both resolved to take another course for their safety , in order whereto , by means of a saxon whose name was gorits , a crafty fellow , and a clerk in the chancery of bohemia , they came acquainted with one count schlick , a person of great sagacity , then living at vienna , a great favourer of chymistry , but had lately received some affronts from the court , he was very glad of their acquantance , and presently took f. vvenceslaus into his protection , and brought him to his house , where he made some tryalls , and withal gave him some of the tincture , that he himself might make one . but as for f. francis , he always lodged abroad . after some weeks , count schlick told f. vvenceslaus , that he could no longer secure him after that rate at vienna , for both the clergy and also the prince of lichtenstein , had an ill eye upon him , for his sake ; and being already disfavoured at court , he should run a further hazard , by concealing of him nevertheless he would shew him what courtesy he could , and if he pleased , he would send him to one of his own country-houses and castles in bohemia , where he might remain in greater security , and accordingly he prepared all things for the journey . f. vvenceslaus did easily perceive the intention of the count , for before he had observed , that the counts footmen did observe him as narrowly as the monks had done in the monastery , and therefore perceiving what was to be done with him , he made his escape through an arch in the wine cellar , built after the italian fashion , the day before he was to go to bohemia ( a place designed for his perpetual imprisonment ) and retired to the lodging of his friend f. francis , to whom having related what had hapn'd to him again , upon deliberation they both agreed to extricate themselves out of all these hazards , and to acquaint the emperour with the whole matter . and to introduce them into his presence , they knew none more fit than a spanish count called de paar ( whose brother named peter , was hereditary post master , in the emperours hereditary country ) he was a great alchymist , a factious and seditious man , and one much troubled with the gout , yet he had found means to creep into the emperours favour : therefore this gain unlookt for was no less acceptable to him , than to the others before , for he had heard a great while before of f. vvenceslaus , and had an extream passion to be acquainted with him , and fancied that he should see strange things in him , as king herod did of christ , whose first , he acted the part cunningly enough , as you shall presently hear . they agreed together , that f. vvenceslaus should abide incognito at his house , where he was as much observed as at the house of count schtick . here he made another small tryal , whereupon count paar went to the emperour , and discovered to him the whole business . but his imperial majesty who ( by reason of the great & weighty concerns of the empire , doth not only not much regard or value learning , as his father did , except what contributes to his recreation , as plays , musick and the like , but also had a particular aversness from alchymy , holding that for a meer imposter , which did cost his royal father and his uncle the arch-duke leopold , so much expence , both of mony and time ) gave no great heed to the proposition made by count paar , especially it having been related to him , that this f. vvenceslaus was a fugitive monk , and had led a dissolute life ; and moreover by report was accused of magick . the spanish count paar having heard this repartee of the emperour , being a subtil man , and easily foreseeing those objections would be made , had armed himself against them : upon which he thus replyed to his imperial majesty ; that he did confess , that there was a great weight in all the objections made by his majesty , yet without presuming , being so means a person , to impose upon his imperial majesty , it seemed to him , that though the case were extraordinary , yet nevertheless the dictates of common reason were to be obeyed , which doth advise sometimes to consider of things , abstracted from the persons they concern , it being evident , that some men though ill in themselves yet have been the authors of useful inventions , of which truth , instances might be given near at hand , in regard his imperial majesty had many notable inventions in his archieves , which owed their originals to bad men , yea , some of them accused of the same miscarriages as f. wenceslaus , and since it is true , that some good things are done by some bad men ; it being no less true , that all men are sinners , must we therefore reject all their laudable inventions and all the good works they do . a notable example whereof ( proceeded he ) lyes as yet fresh before your majesty , joseph burrhi was accused of heresy , and being taken at vienna , was sent to rome , but after pennance , he was pardoned upon the score of his knowledge , rather than of his person , and the germans his accusers were by this means deceived ; of which i my self ( says he ) at that time being burrhus his commissary at vienna , did forewarn them , but in vain . your majesty ( said he farther ) is a person , with whom god seems to deal after a peculiar manner , having wonderfully delivered you from many imminent dangers , and now in these necessitous and indigent times , cruel warrs being also in prospect , your hereditary countries being also exhausted , the divine bounty seems to offer you a mean and way how you may most pitty and spare your subjects : it is the devils policy to cast suspition upon all extraordinary assistances , that so he may make them useless ; but ( says he ) it is as great a sin not to accept of things when offered , as to abuse them when they are accepted . as for my self ( saith he ) i have no great reason to be a friend to chymistry , having suffered so much less by it , as your imperial majesty well knows , neither did i ever find any truth in the art , save only in this pouder of f. wenceslaus , and the transmutation made thereby . but as in referrence to that tryal , he dared pawn his credit it would succeed ; and if his majesty would not believe his word , yet he might depute some persons to see a trial made ; for his part , he thought he was bound in conscience to discover the whole business to his majesty , referring it wholy to him , whether he would graciously accept the proposal and protect the person that made it , or else discard them both ; still hoping nevertheless , that his majesty would not take his good intention in ill part , nor exclude him from his favour ; wishing for a conclusion , that he would cause one trial to be made under the inspection of some persons ; unprejudiced , that so his impertal majesty might be satisfied , at least in this one thing , that he had not made the proposition to him without sufficient reason : thus he concluded his harangue . the emperor , as he is gratious to all suitors , so he gave favourable attention to the counts discourse , and commended him for it ; only ( saies he to the count ) alchymy is a subtil imposture , and though you your self may mean honestly , yet perhaps you also may be deceived thereby , otherwise i do not ( adds he ) at all despise the wonderful works of god , but do highly value them , and accept of his gift with all hearty thankfulness , and i do well know how long my father took very great pains in that art ; and how highly he prized that little which was shewed him by the baron chaos , and rewarded him for it ; besides , i know full well how to make a distinction between the art , and the life of its professors . only least he should expose himself , and shew himself too easy , he gave the count order to make another tryal , and to procure the presence of other skilful persons both of the clergy and laity : that so he might make him a more exact relation of the matter with all the circumstan e , and receive further order of his majesty concerning it . count paar being return'd home from his audience : the very same day he sent to father spies and dr. becher to invite them to dine with him the next day , adding these words in his message , that he had a business to communicate to them from the emperour . the next day , they all accordingly met . f. vvenceslaus being present , where after dinner count paar made known his commission , and forthwith caused an ounce of schlachenwald tin , and a new crucible to be bought , which materials being prepared and tried , and for fear of inchantment , ex abundanti cantesa : sprinkled with holy water : the trial began and was finished within a quarter of an hour , one part tinged , ten thousand parts into gold , which was so graduated by the tincture , that it was almost friable , and was striated and distinguished with red veines interspersed , of which , as likewise of the tin before it was tinged , both the count de paar , and also father spies , and dr. becher , each of them took a little piece for a perpetual memorial of the thing . the rest was sealed up with their three seals , and the same quantity of the powder as this projection was made with was enclosed with it , and the thing was by all three suscribed to . the next day , count paar went to his imperial majesty , and delivered it to him , making also a full relation of all the particular circumstances in the trial. hereupon the emperour enjoyned him to treat fr. wenceslaus kindly , and to assure him of his favour , moreover advising him to refrain his ill and scandalous life , and to satisfy the clergy , that he would reassume the monastical habit , and for the rest he would take care ; and till he had enquired further into the the thing , he would for his security send him into some private place the count returned home very joyful with this commission and the very same evening he caused f. vvenceslaus to be re-vested with his monks habit by two english fathers of the augustine order , father dun●ll and father vostaller : a letter was also writ to his abbot at bruna , informing him , that he might set his mind at rest concerning him , because he had laid aside his monks habit , and cloathed himself with other apparel , for no other reason , but because he would free himself from the hardship of a prison , and make a journey to vienna , to discover a great secret , which he had , to his imperial majesty , which being now done , he had again resumed his monks habit . all this was done to perswade him , that they meant him nothing but good , to make him call again for all the tincture from his comrade , and to keep him from conversing any longer with those which before were his most intimate aquaintance , as counting himself sufficiently secured against all violence , by the emperors protection , and his monks habit : so that count paar was as a father to him , and he , on the other side , as his adopted son. these two new friends , undertook a voyage together , to a country-house of the count's ( adjoyning to a certain lake ) which he had in hungary , distant about a dayes journey from vienna . being come thither , the very same night they two being alone in a chamber , the count pluck'd out a decree of the emperor's ( as he pretended ) which was sealed up , adding these words , my son , into what gulf of misery art thou cast ? here i have a command in writing from the emperor , to demand the tincture of thee , and if thou refusest to deliver it , then to my great grief , i must execute upon thee the sentence contained in this sealed decree . fryer wenceslaus desired to read the decree ; but , the count replyed , if it be opened , it must be immediately executed ! and , withal plucking a pistol out of his pocket , he directed it to his breast , sighing , and breaking forth in these words , into what miserys are we both cast ! yet notwitstanding if thou wilt harken to my counsel , ( from whence thou maist gather my love and fatherly care , and free both of us from this great misfortune , and make our condition very happy ) i will give it to thee . nothing was more grateful to fr. vvenceslaus than to hear this condition , and having given him his hand that he would follow it : the count began thus , 't is certain ( said he ) that you and i do both stand in need of the emperours protection , and 't is as certain , that we shall be forc'd to deliver the tincture to him . my advice then is , ( which i refer to you for your approbation and consent . ) i will pretend , that being injoyn'd to make a stricter examination of this tinging powder , that i have employed it all , in order to its multiplication , to try whether it might be augmented for the greater benefit and advantage of his majesty . however , we may both be sheltred under the continuance of the emperors protection , and yet we may keep the tincture ; and after the time designed for its augmentation is elapsed , we will easily devise some colorable excuse , to evade it ; as , that the glass was broken , or some error committed in the operation . for , the truth is , ( said he ) the emperours court is not worthy so great a treasure ; it will be prostituted there and made common . but to ingage they self to me in a greater degree of faithfulness , thou must not refuse to give me half the tincture , and we will take a mutual oath to be faithful one to the other , as long as we live , and for what now hath passed between us , it shall be buried in perpetual oblivion . the emperor shall never know any thing of it , neither shall he ever have any of the tincture . fr. wenceslaus was fain to make an agreement on those terms which vvere dravvn up in writing , subscribed with both their hands , and confirmed by their mutual oaths ; and so the tincture vvas divided betvvixt them . the count made a tryal by himself alone the next day , vvith some of his proportion thereof , to try vvhether he had not been deceived therein : but he found it right and good . having staid a vvhile at this country house , he vvas about to return to vienna ; but he vvas taken so grievously sick of a fit of the gout , that out of the intollerable torment vvhich he felt , he drank some aurum potabile , vvhich burrhy had given him heretofore ; but vvith this caution , that it vvas not yet perfect . having tasted a fevv drops thereof , he presently felt a most grievous and vehement pain in his joynts , so that he could hardly perform his journey vvith fr. wenceslaus to vienna . but the first night after his coming , he vvas so afflicted vvith heat , that all his entralls seemed to be on a flame ; as he complained himself . the day follovving his physician , the son of dr. sorbat , vvhose name vvas kreisset , vvho vvas also physician to the emperors army vvas sent for , vvho considering his present condition , applyed the properest remedies he could , which availed him nothing , but bad symptoms did so grow upon him , that the third day his case was judged desperate . the count himself also being sensible of his death approaching , caused his brother the master of the post-office to the emperor , count peter de paar , his only heir , ( for the sick brother was a batchelour ) to be sent for about night : to whom he spoke in these words ; it was foretold to me heretofore in italy , that i should obtain the tincture , and , that soon after i should dye ! the first part of the prophecy is fulfilled , and the latter is near at hand to be accomplished ; i know , that you have bestowed as much time and expence in this art as my self ; i have nothing more valuable to leave you , and which , nothing can be more acceptable to you , than a notable portion of tincture , which i have sealed up in this desk , and shall entrust it in the hand of my confessor , who upon my decease , shall deliver it to you . after which words , he delivered the desk to his confessor , who was present and heard him speak them . count peter not imagining his brother was so near his end , took his leave of him for that night , and rode home , because it was very late . and his brother soon after departing this life , his confessor also took coach , and went home to the monastery of st. francis , not far distant from the emperial post office at vienna . the death of the deceased count being signified to his brother , by his footmen who had accompanied the confessor home . the count immediately rose out of his bed , being but newly entred thereinto , and clothing himself , gallopped at two of the clock in the morning , to the monastery of the franciscans , and , after he had knock'd fiercely at the gate for admittance , the drowsy porter arose and let him in ; the count desired to be admitted to the speech of the confessor of his newly deceased brother , but it was reply'd , it was an unseasonable time for such a visit , in regard the old man was weak , and weary , and being newly returned home , was laid down to rest . the count was not satisfi'd with this answer , but was very earnest with the porter to accompany him and some of his attendants to the old fathers cell : he making excuses , the count rushed in presently himself , and awak'd him , demanding the desk which his brother had deposited in his hands , as now rightfully belonging unto him . the father was much surprized at his fuddain irruption and demand : which he did the more suspect , because it was made at such an unseasonable time of the night : whereupon he desir'd the count to hold himself contented till the morning , and then he should have the desk delivered unto him without fail , only he desired to deliver it in before the father guardian , and that he would then give him his acquittance for the recept thereof . the count , not content with this answer , by the help of his attendants and servants , endeavored to get it from him by force : whereupon a tumult arose ; the watch was sent for , the monks were also gathered together , and a spanish bp. of the same order , the confessor of the empress margaret , then lodging in the monastery , was also roused out of his sleep , who hearing such a tumultuous noise in the monastery , a priviledged place , was so much concernd thereat , that he enquired into the occasion , whilst the count was yet present , and understanding that it arose upon the score of a sealed desk : he demanded it of the father who had it in keeping : which having received from him , the next morning he carried it with him to the emperor , and complained grievously against the count , as being the occasion of that nights uproar : in the mean time , as soon as it was day , the noise hereof was spread all over the city : and among the rest it reached the ears of f. wenceslaus , who presently hastned to court , and by means of the empress's confessor obtaining audience , he related to the emperor the whole story how the count had used him in hungary , how he had extorted from him half the tincture , how he was necessitated , by a forced agreement , not to discover any thing hereof whilst he was living , but was now free from the obligation of his oath by the counts death , that he was very glad that the tincture was at length come into the hands of the right owner his imperial majesty , for whom he had long before designed it ; he did therefore now implore nothing more of his imperial majesty , but that he would afford him his protection , against the violence of count peter paar , his postmaster , and his adherents . the emperor perceiving the wonderful series of this affair , presently entertained f. wenceslaus at his court , and committed him to the care and inspection of count wallestein , the imperial governor of hatschirr . about this time , the post-master above-mentioned dyed also . f. wenceslaus being thus received into the emperours protection , had his lodgings assigned him by the imperial bowling-green , where he made some tryals before the emperour and count austin of wallestein his guardian , and in the pallace of the johannites in the carinthian-street , he made one of marks , as they say , out of which transmutations the count wallestein made him a gold chain , to keep in perpetual memory of the thing . moreover he did deposite some of his tincture in the court , for augmentation , and , as farr as i can judge , by the process dlivered to me , he had a great desire to get the mercury of silver , how far he proceeded in it , i do not certainly know , but some affirm , that he made some progress therein . in the mean time he both desired to be acquainted with some noted chymists and eminent artists , and several imposters and sophisters intruded themselves into his acquaintance , so that from thence resulted very frequent junketings , drinkings and merry meetings , and many foolish trifling processes wrought by him ; from whence f. wenceslaus learned rather several cunning and subtil impostures , than any real augmentation of his pouder : but the noise & multitude of so many importunate visitants , being cumbersom at court , where f. wenceslaus had his diet , under the severe inspection of count wallestein , he thereupon pretended , that he had occasion to make some sorts of aqua forts and other menstruums , which would be dangerous to the whole court , and cause such noysom fumes and odious smells , that they could not safely be prepared in that place ; therefore a laboratory was built for him , in the carinthian fort , where the emperors chief engineer did dwell , his name was fischer , a great lover of alchymy , and who shewed himself very officious to him , assisting him to build strange and most nonsensical furnaces which can ever be seen ; and besides being not a little pleased with his good fortune of the neighbourhood and acquaintance of the owner of so rich a tincture ; but this intimacy lasted not long , as the event soon made appear : for when f. wenceslaus had scarcely well fixed his habitation , and setled his things in order , the engineer was forced to leave the splendid dwelling there assigned him by the emperour , and to go to javarin in hungary , to dwell there , his wife also , as some give out , being vitiated into the bargain ; f. wenceslaus also fell very sick , and he that waited upon him in his chamber dyed suddenly , not without some suspicion of poyson , and he himself also lay without any hopes of recovery , in this case j. a. c. p. c. l. de s. who before had bought some of the tincture of him , and had paid him for it a thousand ducats , designing to take this opportunity of his illness , and decease so apparent , and so to get and enjoy his tincture without money , sent to him one biliot , a french physician , to steal from him , under pretence of a visit , both the said thousand ducats , and the rest of the tincture : fortune did favour him as to the first part of his design , but in the latter she did fail and dissappoint him , for f. vvenceslaus had hid his tincture more carefully than his thousand ducats : at last , the sick man , contrary to all mens exspectation began to recover , and f. francis who was sent to rome to obtain a dispensation for him , to absolve him from his vow , having obtained the same returned home ; whereupon presently f. vvenceslaus laying aside his monks habit , took a wife and was married publickly to one named angerlee , who had ministred to him in his sickness , and had otherwise been very assistant to him when he wanted her ; she was a very subtil and crafty woman , yet accounted at vienna but little better than a common harlot , and she was the worse thought on , because her sister had been naught with b. d. l. and by his advice and assistance had caused her husband to be made away , for which fact , he the said b. d. l. was sentenced to death : but , though afterwards pardoned by the emperour , yet was deprived of all his dignities , degraded of his nobility , and cast into perpetual prison in the citadel of gratz , where he dyed miserably ; and his whore , f. vvenceslaus's wives sister , was the same day to be beheaded in open court , before the judgement hall , the scaffold and all the rest being already prepared , but by the intercession of the wife of castell rodrigo , the spanish embassador she was set free , yet afterward , upon the account of her leud life , and dishonest practises , she was kil'd with a pistol-shot . fr. vvenceslaus being linked by marriage into such a family , did then fancy for a time , that all the elements did conspire together to make him happy : for why ? he was visited by persons of the highest rank , and withal was mightily respected by the most eminent ladies , countesses and princesses : as for me , as spectator of this scene , i considered him in this fools paradise : whilst it put me in mind of cornelius agrippa , who , in his book of the vanity of sciences , under the title of alchymy , sayes , that if ever he should be master of the tincture , he would spend it all in nothing but in vvhoring ; for women being naturally covetous , he could thereby easily make them to prostitute themselves , and to yield unto his lust . and it seems that not only f. vvenceslaus was so mighty a proficient and so stout a souldier in the school of venus , that he was brought very low by the french disease , but also that his wife angerlee dyed of it . after whose decease fr. vvenceslaus exceeded all bounds of honest modesty , and dayly let loose the reins to all sinful and voluptuous excesses : for from that time he had obtained the tincture , he spent in two or three years time more than ten myriads of crowns , in all manner of luxury : and he foresaw well enough , that it could not last and subsist long at that rate : for the tincture would not maintain him . and to turn it into gold , or sell it for a small price would turn to no account , as he had alwaies hoped it would by augmentation , and thereby to gain an inexhaustible treasure . but on the one hand , his want and necessity was such , and on the other hand , the solicitings of those who would buy of his powder , were so importunate that he could not resist so great temptations : and therefore between both , he resolved upon a dishonest shift , which was to sell for great rates , poudred cinnabar , red lead , and the caput mortuum of aqua fortis boyled , and such other ingredients in stead of the true pouder , mixing also therewith some few filings of copper , that foolish ignorant people might mistake the same for a gold-making pouder : to some he sold it without any such cozening addition as coppar : and if they were not able to tinge with it , he would lay the blame on their impatience and unskilfulness in making the projection . to others , he pawned some of his counterfeit tincture for a great summ of money , which he pretended , he had a present use for : but he was loath to spend his tincture in projecting , because he hoped to augment it with a thousand-fold advantage : and that they might see the tincture was genuine and true , he took some of it and wrapt it up in a little wax , with which he mingled a little of his right tincture , which he called his crocus , or pouder of reduction , and so tinged therewith . by this means he got very many 's of crowns , and over and above he got p. c. de l. and c. l. to be his assistants and partners in these mysteries . but the impudent sort , among which a. c. p. and his cosen c. b. are to be reckoned , he gave them whole ingots which he had cast , consisting of equal parts of gold and silver ; then filing some of them , and dissolving it into common aqua forts , which he brought with him , he affirmed that now his tincture was exalted into a menstruum , which would presently change silver into gold : and that as soon as ever the price or value which was to be paid for its purchase should be put thereto , it would be converted into gold : it hath been also further related to me , that he grew to that degree of impudence , as to tinge some sort of coins after this manner into gold , before the empress dowager and the emperour himself . yea , this fellow was so arrogant , as to cause his own effigies to be drawn on some of those false coins which he did attempt deceitfully to put off . yet this matter could not be kept so secret , but the more prudent began to smell the cheat , and to mutter something about it ; which was very ill taken in the emperours court. for he was in such credit there , that it was not safe to impeach him , as being received into the emperors protection , both against the clergy and the secular power , and even against the skilful in the same art. for great men are loth to acknowledge their error ; but think themselves , tho under a mistake , to be as infallible as the pope himself . those who were not much concern'd in the matter , suffered it so to pass , as taking little notice of it ; but some true philosophers were very much aggriev'd , that so in famous an impostor , after so many vows and protestations made by him to the contrary , and after such evident proofs of his former debauch'd life , after so many villanous crimes committed , and his base prostitution openly of so noble an art of chymistry , should yet notwithstanding that he ranted it up and down in his coach in masquarades , before the emperours court , be maintain'd and protected by him . but others , who had been cozened by him of great summs of money , even to many thousand ducats , with his adulterate tincture , could not so rest satisfied , but brought in their action against him at common law : where , after some time and much expence , they obtained judgment against him , but it never was put in execution , though all other means were try'd . now the emperour , unless he would have left his favorite vvenceslaus to the jurisdiction and power of his judges , and rigor of the law , must needs interpose : for the complaints made against him for his insolent and abusive practises were so many , and the fame of them was spread so far abroad in the world , that his imp●●ial majesty thought it more convenient to have the noise of it altogether supprest . to be short , the emperour paid all his debts , and that he might prevent his farther opportunity of cosenage , he got from him the rest of his tincture , and then advanc'd him to the most ancient order of barrony in bohemia , by the title of baron seyler of seylerburgh , and afterwards made him hereditary master of the mint of bohemia : and having thus preferred him , he sent him away from his court to prague , where he now lives very gallantly ; and hath made fryer francis the steward of his house : having married a second wise , called vvaldes kircheriana , a handsome woman , and of a noble family . in the mean time , a rumor was spread all over germany , that the devil had carried him away soul and body . which report , though it might have some good grounds , yet , for this time it was not true : but he hath very great reason to-fear that it may prove true , at last , if he doth not amend his life : and the event thereof we must expect . i have described the series of this story both to vindicate the truth , and also to satisfy so many curious , who have despicable thoughts of chymistry . if i have mistaken in any passage , fr. vvenceslaus is yet alive , and i earnestly desire him to amend and rectify my mistakes , and to vindicate himself , by giving the world a more exact account thereof , that he may no longer lye under any unjust reflection . for a conclusion , i heartily wish , that if god should bless any lover of this noble art , with some such like treasure , he would use it better than vvenceslaus hath done : for the glory of god , the benefit and advantage of his neighbour and the furtherance of his own everlasting salvation . finis . a discourse made before the royal society, decemb. , concerning the nature, causes, and power of mixture / by nehemiah grew. grew, nehemiah, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a discourse made before the royal society, decemb. , concerning the nature, causes, and power of mixture / by nehemiah grew. grew, nehemiah, - . [ ], p. printed for john martyn, london : . reproduction of original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng chemistry -- early works to . chemistry, inorganic -- early works to . chemistry, organic -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - jonathan blaney sampled and proofread - jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion at a meeting of the council of the r. society . january . / . order'd , that a discourse made before the r. society , decemb. . . by dr. nehemiah grew , concerning the nature , causes , and power of mixture , &c. be printed by the printer of the r. society . brouncker . p.r.s. a discourse made before the royal society , decemb. . . concerning the nature , causes , and power of mixture . by nehemiah grew , m. d. and fellow of the r. society . london , printed for john martyn printer to the royal society , and are to be sold at the bell in st. pauls church-yard , . to the right honourable william lord viscount brovncker , president of the royal society . my lord , one reason why i dedicate the following discourse to your lordship , is because by your great and undeserved respects , you have obliged me to do no less . how much more i cannot say , unless i were able to compute the value of your obligation . another reason , my lord , is because i could not but publickly return your lordship thanks , for minding the royal society of so good a way , as they are lately resolved upon , for the management of a great part of their business . wherein , my lord , i do more then presume , that i also speak the sense of the whole society ; i think , not any one excepted . i may with the same confidence intimate , my lord , how happy they account themselves , in having a person so fit to preside their affairs , as your lordship . the largeness of your knowledge , the exactness of your judgment , the evenness of your comport ; being some of those necessary qualifications , which his majesty had in his eye , ( as right well understanding what he did ) when he fixed his choice upon your lordship . i know , my lord , that there are some men , who have just so much understanding , as only to teach them how to be ambitious : the flattering of whom , is somewhat like the tickling of children , till they fall a dancing . but i also know , that your lordship unconcerneth your self as much , in what i even now spake ; as caesar did himself , when his souldiers began to style him king. for as he said , non rex , sed caesar : so let your lordship be but once nam'd , and all that follows , is but a tautology to what you are already known to be . your being president of the royal society , your being the first that was chosen , and chosen by so wise a king ; amounteth to so high and real a panegyrick to your lordship , as maketh verbal ones to be superfluous , and leaves them without any sound . whence , my lord , i have a third reason most naturally emergent ; which is , that i dare to submit my self , as to what i have hereafter said , to your lordships censure . you being so able , and just an arbiter , betwixt the same and all those persons therein concern'd ; that you can neither be deceived , nor corrupted , to make a judgment in any point , to the injury of either . and truly , my lord , were it only from a principle of self-interest , yet i could not desire it should be otherwise . for the world , if it lives , will certainly grow as much wiser then it is ; as it is now wiser then it was heretofore . so that we have as little reason , to despise antiquity ; as we can have willingness , that we our selves should be despised by posterity . yet some difference there is to be made ; viz. betwixt those of all ages , who have been modestly ignorant ; and those who have thought , or pretended , that they were omniscient . or if knowing and acknowledging that they were ignorant ; have yet not been contented to be so ; unless , with as good manners , as sense , they did conjure all mankind , not to offer at the knowing any more then themselves . vpon the whole , my lord , i desire not you should be a patron , any further then you are a judge . for if this small essay hath deserved the least acceptance , i am sure , that in being one , you will be both . whereby , my lord , you will not a little nourish and inspire my future endeavours of the like nature : being very sollicitous to approve my self , my lord , your lordships most faithful and obedient servant , nehemiah grew . a discourse made before the royal society . having the honour to perform the task of this day ; i shall endeavour to conform to the philosophy , which this society doth profess ; which is , ratiocination , grounded upon experiment , and the common notions of sense . the former being , without the latter , too subtle and intangible ; the latter , without the former , too gross and unmanageable : but both together , bearing a true analogy to our selves ; who are neither angels , nor meer animals , but men. the subject i have chosen to speak of , is mixture . whereof , that our discourse may be the more consistent , and the better intelligible ; all i have to say , shall be ranged into this method ; viz. . first , i shall give a brief account of the received doctrine of mixture . : next , lay down some propositions of the principles whereof all mixed bodies consist . . then , open the true nature of mixture ; or say , what it is . . and then enumerate the causes of mixture ; or say , how it is made . . lastly , i shall shew the power of mixture ; or , what it can do . sect . i. first , as to the received doctrine of mixture ; not to trouble you with tedious quotations of what aristotle , galen , fernelius , scaliger , sennertus , riverius , and others say hereof ; we may suppose the whole summed up in that definition which aristotle himself hath given of it , and which the greater number of his followers , have almost religiously adhered to ; viz. that 't is , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. . de gener. & corrupt . cap. ult . that 't is , miscibilium alteratorum unio . which definition , as it is usually explicated , is both vnintelligible , and vnuseful . two things are unintelligible ; what they mean by alteration ; and what by vnion . in this alteration , they say , that the very forms of the elements are alter'd . and therefore lay it down for an axiom , quòd in mixto , formae elementares tantum sint in potentia . but let us see the consequence . for if in a mixed body , the forms of the elements are but in potentia ; then the elements themselves are but in potentia : for we all say , forma dat esse . and if the compounding elements , are only in potentia ; then the compound ; body it self can be only in potentia : yet to say it is no more , is most absurd . as for the vnion of elements in a mixed body ; they make it such , as brings them at last to assert , the penetration of bodies , and that the vnion of mixed bodies is nothing else . for they say , it is made in such sort , that every particle of the mixed body , partaketh of the nature of the whole . which nature , ariseth from the contemperated qualities of the four elements . whence they conclude , that every particle of the mixed body , containeth in it self all the four elements . which is plainly to assert a penetration of bodies . for every element is , at least , one particle ; if therefore every particle of the mixed body , containeth four elements ; then four particles , are but one . i conclude then , that the received doctrine of mixture , is vnintelligible . whence it follows , that it is also barren and vnuseful . for who can make any use of that which he understandeth not ? and the experience of so many years , wherein it hath been ventilated by the disputes of men , proveth as much : scarce any of them , except the learned sennertus , daring to venture upon experiment , for fear they should come to understand themselves . it is confessed , that many gallant things have been found out by artificial mixture . but no thanks to this definition of it . for as an ignorant person may make bad work , and a good rule be never the worse ; so an ingenious person may make good work , and a bad rule be never the better . the question is not , what have men done ? but what have they done upon this foundation , quòd mixtio sit miscibilium alteratorum unio . had this ever taught them to do any thing , even so much as to make the ink wherewith they have wrote all their disputes ; i confess , they would have had something to shew for it . but the truth is , their notions of mixture , have been so far from doing us any good , that they have done us much harm : being , through their seeming subtlety , but real absurdity , as so many phantastick spectrums , serving only to affright men from coming near them , or the subject whereof they treat . i shall therefore endeavour to open the true nature of mixture . and i shall build my doctrine upon the common notions of sense : which none can deny ; and every one may conceive of . in order to which , i shall take leave to lay down some propositions , of the principles of all mixed bodies . sect . ii. . and first , by principles , i mean atomes , or certain sorts of atomes , or of the simplest of bodies . for otherwise they would not be principles ; for a compounded principle , in strict speaking , is a contradiction . even as fives , threes , or twos , are not the principles of number , but vnites . . whence , secondly , it follows , that they are also indivisible . not mathematically ; for the atomes of every principle have their dimensions . but physically ; and so , what is but one , cannot be made two . if it be asked , whether a stick cut with a knife , be not of one , made two ? i say , that a stick , is not one body , but many millions of bodies ; that is , of atomes ; not any one whereof is divided within it self , but only they are separated each from other , where the knife forceth its way . as in the drawing of a mans finger through an heap of corn ; there is no division made in any one grain , but only a separation of them one from another , all remaining still in themselves entire . i say therefore , that what is physically one , is also most firm , and indivisible ; that is , impenetrable : for penetration is but the separation , not the division of atomes . . hence , thirdly , they are also immutable . for that which cannot be divided , cannot be chang'd . so that of the whole world of atomes , not any one hath ever suffer'd , or can suffer the least mutation . hereupon is grounded the constancy of causes and effects . so that , in all generations , it is not less certain , that the self same principle is still propagated from the same ; than , that man is from man. wherefore , compounded bodies are generated ; but principles are not , but only propagated ; that is , in every generation , they pass , in themselves unaltered , from one body , into another . . if principles , or atomes are all immutable ; it again follows , that they are of divers kinds . for one and the same principle , or kind of atomes , will still make the same thing , and have the same effect : so that all generations would then be the same . wherefore , since they are immutable , they must be divers . . this diversity , for the same reason , is not small , but very numerous . for as the world , taken together , is natures shop ; so the principles of things , are her tools , and her materials . wherefore , as it speaks the goodness of a shop ; so the perfection of the vniverse , that it is furnished with many tools wherewith , and many materials whereupon to work . and consequently , that philosophy beareth best it s own name ; which doth not strain all to two or three principles , like two or three bells in a steeple , making a pittiful chime : but tryeth to rise up to natures own number , and so to ring all the changes in the world . . yet doth not this vast diversity , take away the regiment and subordination , of principles . there being a certain lesser number of them , which either by their greater quantity , or other ways , have rule and dominion , in their several orders , over all the rest . for where-ever the subject is multitude , order is part of its perfection . for order is proportion . and how can nature be imagin'd to hold proportion in all things else , and not here ? wherefore , as certainly , as order and government are in all the parts of the rational ; so certainly , of the material world. whence it is , that although the species of principles be very numerous ; yet the principles called galenical , chymical , or any others , which do any way fall under the notice of sense , are notwithstanding reduceable to a smaller number : viz. according to the number of predominant principles in nature ; or , at least , in this part of the vniverse which is near and round about us . to the power and empire whereof , all other principles do submit . which submission , is not the quitting of their own nature ; but only their appearance under the external face or habit of the said predominant principles . . as there can be no order of principles , without diversity ; so no diversity , but what is originally made by these two ways ; sc. by size and figure . by these they may be exceeding different : and all other properties besides , whereby they differ , must be dependent upon these two . . nor therefore , can they be of any other figures , than what are regular . for regularity , is a similitude continu'd . since therefore all kinds of atomes are divers only by their size and figure ; if the self same size and figure were not common to a certain number of atomes , they could not be said to be of any one kind : and consequently , if there were no similitude of atomes , there could be no distinction of principles . . hence also , these two modes of atomes , viz. their size and figure , are the true , and only original qualities of atomes . that is , an atome is such or such , because it is of such a certain size and figure . . lastly , as these two modes , taken severally , are the qualities of an atome : so consider'd together , they are its form. a substantial form of a body , being an unintelligible thing . i say of a body ; for although the rational soul be a substantial form , yet is it the form of a man , and not of a body . for the form of a body , we can conceive of no otherwise , then as of the modification of a body , or a complexion of all the modes of a body . which also agrees with that definition of a form , which amongst the peripatetick philosophers is well enough accepted , viz. quod sit , ratio ejus essentiae , quae cuique rei competit . which ratio , if it be referred to a body , what is it but the modification of that body ? having thus proposed a summary of my thoughts about principles ; i shall next proceed to shew what their mixture is . sect . iii. and first of all , from the premisses , we arrive at this conclusion ; sc. that the formation and transformation of all bodies , can be nothing else , but the mixture of bodies . for all principles are immutable ; as we have above proved : and therefore not generable , formable , or transformable . and the forms of principles , being but their modes , are also immutable . so that the whole business of the material world , is nothing else , but mixture . again , as nature worketh every where only by mixture ; so is this mixture every where but one thing , and can be but one . for whether it be the mixture of great bodies , or of small ; of compounds , or of atomes ; it is every where mixture , and the mixture of bodies . wherefore , mixture is either an intelligible affection of all bodies , or of none ; which latter , no man will say . as many wayes , therefore , as we can see , or conceive the mixture of any gross bodies , which we hold in our hand ; so many ways , we may , of the subtilest mixtures which nature maketh , or of atomes themselves ; and no other wayes . now all the wayes we can distinguish mixture by , are in general these two ; either in respect of the bodies mixed , or else of the modes of the mixture it self . in respect of the bodies mixed , mixture is distinguished also two ways ; viz. by conjugation , and by proportion . by conjugation , i mean , a certain mixture of some such principles , and not of others . which is threefold . first , as to number : as when one body may be compounded of two principles , another of three , a third of four , a fourth of five , and so on . secondly , as to kind : where , though there be a conjunction of the same number , yet not of the same kind . thirdly , when they differ from one another both in number and kind . so many ways the principles of bodies may be conceived to be conjugated ; and therefore are : for here , that which may be , is . the consequence is clear . for first , nature hath various materials wherewith to make these mixtures ; as we have shew'd . secondly , by these mixtures she may , and without the concurrence of any imaginary forms , must produce all the varieties in the material world ; as likewise hath been said . wherefore , since all imaginable mixtures may be made , and that to some purpose ; if they should not be so , nature would be imperfect : because we our selves can think , how she might put her materials to further use , then so she would do . to think , therefore , that all kinds of principles , or all elements go to make up every compounded body ; is a conceit , no more to be credited , then one that should tell us , all kind of wheels and other parts of a watch , were put into a clock ; or that there were no other materials wherewith to build an house , then for a tent or a ship. for why should nature , the great artificer by which all perfect works are made , be feigned to cram and ram all things into one , which we our selves look upon as absurd ? secondly , the mixture of principles is diversifi'd , as by conjugation , so also by proportion . that is , by the divers quantities , of the several principles or parts mixed together . as if the quantity of one , were as five to ten ; of a second , as five to fifteen ; of a third , as five to twenty , &c. or if that of one , be as five to six ; of a second , as six to seven ; of a third , as seven to eight . by which , and by other proportions , mixture may be varied innumerable ways . again , as mixture is varied with respect to the bodies mixed ; so likewise in respect of the mixture it self , which i call the location of principles , or the modes of their conjunction . which may be various , as well as their conjugation and proportion . yet are they all reduceable unto two general modes : all bodies , and therefore all principles , being mixed , either by mediation , or by contact . now all contact , whether of compounds , or of atomes , can be no other way , then such as is answerable to their figures . whereof , therefore , we can conceive but three general ways , viz. first , by contact in a point , or some smaller part : as when two atomes meet , which are globular or otherwise gibbose . secondly , by contact in a plain : as in the conjunction of the sides of triangular or quadrangular atomes , or otherwise flat . thirdly , by contact in a concave : as when one atome is admitted into the concave or hole of another ; as a spigot is into a fosset . the first may be called , apposition ; the second , application ; the third , reception or intrusion . in the two last wayes , atomes may be joyned by mediation ; but best of all the last . as when the two extreams of one atome are received into the concaves or the holes of two others . and these are all the general ways , whereby we can conceive bodies to be mixed together ; sc. by their various conjugation , proportion , and location . so that the composition of atomes , in bodies ; is like that of letters , in words . what a thunder-clap would such a word be , as wherein all the four and twenty letters were pack'd up ? one therefore is compounded of more , another of fewer ; this of some , and that of others : and both the conjugation , proportion , and location of letters is varied in every word : whereby , we have many thousands of differing words , without any alteration at all , in the letters themselves ; and might have ten times as many more . in like manner , therefore , or in the self same analogous way , as the letters of the alphabet , are the principles of words ; so principles , are the alphabet of things . what we have said of principles ; and of mixture as consequent thereupon ; may be a foundation for an intelligible account , of the nature and cause of most of the intrinsick properties , and qualities of bodies : as of gravity , levity , fixity , fluidity , angularity , roundness , heat , cold , blackness , whiteness , sowerness , sweetness , fragrancy , fetidness , and very many more . i say an intelligible account ; sc. such as is grounded upon the notions of sense , and made out mechanically . but the exemplification hereof , being too large a field for this , or any one lecture , i shall , before i come to the causes of mixture , only deduce from the premisses , these following corollaries . . first , that there is no alteration of principles or of elements , in the most perfect mixture of bodies . it cannot be ; for principles are immutable , as we have said . and if it could be , yet it needeth not to be : for they are also many , and compoundable infinite ways ; as hath been shewed . so that we have no need to perplex our selves with any of those difficulties , that arise from the doctrine of the alteration of elements . the ground of which conceit , is that , of there being but four elements , and that all the elements must needs be in every body . and so men being puzled , how from thence to make out the infinite variety of bodies , they feigned them to be alterable , and alter'd , upon every perfect mixture . not considering , that if their four elements be alterable ; as few as they are , no fewer then three of them may be spared : for one element , if alterable , may be made any . . hence , secondly , may be solved that great dispute , whether such as we call lixivial salts , are made by the fire ? for first , no principle is made by the fire : all principles being unalterable ; and therefore unmakeable . secondly , we must therefore distinguish betwixt the principle , and the modification of a principle ; or its various mixture with other principles , whence it may receive a various denomination . wherefore , a lixivial salt , qua lixivial , is certainly made by the fire . but quatenus salt , it is not : that principle being extractable out of most bodies ; and by divers other ways , then by the fire . for whether you calcine a body , or ferment it , ( after the manner shew'd by the diligent and curious improver of chymical knowledg , dr. daniel coxe ) or else putrifie it under ground , or drown it in the sea ; it still yieldeth some kind of salt. all which salts are made , not by making the saline principle ; but only by its being variously mixed , upon those various ways of the solution of bodies , with other principles : from which its various mixture , it receives the various denominations , of marine , nitrous , volatile , or lixivial . . hence , thirdly , the most perfect mixture of bodies , can go no higher then contact . for all principles are unalterable ; and all matter is impenetrable ; as hath been said . in the most visible and laxe mixture , there is contact ; and in the most subtile and perfect , as in generation it self , there is nothing more . . hence , fourthly , we easily understand , how divers of the same principles , belonging both to vegetables and many other bodies , are also actually existent in the body of man. because even in generation , or transmutation , the principles which are translated from one body to another , as from a vegetable to an animal , are not in the least alter'd in themselves ; but only their mixture , that is , their conjugation , proportion , and location , is varied . . hence also the difference of mixture , arising from the difference of contact , is intelligible ; sc. as to those three degrees , congregation , vnion , and concentration . congregation , and inconsistent mixture , is when the several atomes touch but in a point , or smaller part . in which manner , i have divers arguments , inducing me to believe the atomes of all fluid bodies , qua fluid , do touch ; and in no other . vnion , is when they touch in a plain . as in the crystals and shootings of all salts , and other like bodies . for if we pursue their divided , and subdivided parts , with our eye , as far as we can ; they still terminate , on every side , in plains . wherefore , 't is intelligible . that their very atomes do also terminate , and therefore touch , in plain . concentration , is when two , or more atomes touch by reception and intrusion of one into another : which is the closest , and firmest mixture of all ; as in any fixed , unodorable , or untastable body : the atomes of such bodies , being not able to make any smell or tast , unless they were first dissolved ; that is to say , unpin'd one from another . . hence , sixthly , we understand , how in some cases , there seemeth to be a penetration of bodies ; and in what sense it may be admitted : viz. if we will mean no more by penetration , but intrusion . for the intrusion of one atome into the concave or hole of another , is a kind of penetration ; whereby they take up less room in the mixed body , then they would do by any other way of contact . as a naked knife and its sheath , take up almost double room , to what they do , when the knife is sheathed . whence we may assign the reason , why many liquors being mixed ; take up less room or space , then they did apart ; as the very ingenious m. hook maketh it to appear by experiment that they do . i say the plain reason hereof , or at least one reason , is the intrusion of many of their atomes one into another . which yet is not a penetration of bodies strictly so called . . if all that nature maketh , be but mixture ; and all this mixture be but contact : 't is then evident , that natural and artificial mixture , are the same . and all those seeming subtilties whereby philosophers have gone about to distinguish them ; have been but so many scar-crows , to affright men from the imitation of nature . . lastly , hence it follows , that art it self may go far in doing what nature doth . and who can say , how far ? for we have nothing to make ; but only to mix those materials , which are already made to our hands . even nature her self , as hath been said , maketh nothing new ; but only mixeth all things . so far , therefore , as we can govern mixture , we may do what nature doth . which , that we may still the better understand ; let us before , and in the next place , see the causes of mixture . for since natural and artificial mixture are the same ; the immediate causes of both , are and must be the same . sect . iv. now all the causes of mixture we can conceive of , must , i think , be reduced to these six in general ; viz. congruity , weight , compression , solution , digestion , and agitation . . congruity , or aptitude and respondence betwixt the sizes and figures of parts to be mixed : whereby bodies may be truly called the instrumental causes of their own mixture , as when a plain answers to a plain , a square to a square , a convex to a concave , or a less to a greater or an equal , &c. according to which respondencies in the parts of bodies , they are more or less easily mingleable . . weight ; by means whereof , all fluid bodies , upon supposition of the congruity of their parts , must unavoidably mingle . compression ; which either by the air , or any other body , added to weight , must , in some degree , further mixture . because , that weight it self is but pression . for further proof of all the said causes , i made this experiment ▪ let oyl of anise-seeds , and oyl of vitriol be put apart into the receiver of an air-pump . and , having exhausted it of the air , let the two said oyls be then affused one upon the other . whereupon first , it is visible , that they here mix and coagulate together ; that is , their parts are wedged and intruded one into another , without the usual compression of the air ; for that is exhausted : and therefore only , by the congruity of their receiving and intruding parts ; and by their weight ; by which alone they are so compressed , as to make that intrusion . secondly , it is also evident , that although they do coagulate ; yet not altogether so much , as when powred together in the same manner , and quantity , in the open air. wherefore , compression , whether made by the air , or any thing else , doth somewhat further the mixture of bodies , and the greater the compression , the more . . solution ; for all bodies mix best , in forma fluida . and that for two reasons . first , because the parts of a body are not then in a state of vnion , but of separation ; and therefore , in a more capable state , for their mixture and vnion with the parts of another body . secondly , because then they are also in a state of motion , more or less ; and therefore , in a continual tendency towards mixture ; all mixture being made by motion . wherefore , all generations , and most perfect mixtures in nature , are made by fluids ; whether animal , vegetable , or mineral . which is also agreeable to the doctrine of the honourable mr. boyle , in his excellent treatise of the nature and vertues of gems . and 't is well known , that bodies are ordinarily - petrified , or stones made , out of water . that is , out of petrifying parts dissolved per minima in water , as both their menstruum and their vehicle . wherefore , if we will talk of making gold ; it must not be by the philosophers stone , but by the philosophers liquor . . digestion . for which there is the same reason , as for mixture , by solution . for first , all heat doth attenuate , that is , still further separate the parts of a body ; and so render them more mingleable with the parts of another . and therefore secondly , doth also add more motion to them , in order to their mixture . . agitation . which i am induced to believe a great and effectual means of mixture , upon divers considerations . as first , that the making of blood in the bodies of animals , and the mixing of the chyle therewith , is very much promoted by the same means ; sc. by the agitation of the parts of the blood and chyle , in their continual circulation . again , from the making of butter out of milk , by the same means : whereby alone is made a separation of the oleous parts from the whey , and a mixture of them together . moreover , from the great effects of digestion ; well known to all that are conversant in chymical preparations . which digestion it self , is but a kind of insensible agitation of the parts of digested bodies . 't is also a known experiment , that the readiest way to dissolve sugar in wine or other liquor ; is to give the vessel a hasty turn , together with a smart knock , against any hard and steady body : whereby all the parts of the sugar and liquor , are put into a vehement agitation , and so immediately mixed together . and i remember , that having ( with intent to make mr. mathews's pill ) put some oyl of turpentine and salt of tartar together in a bottle , and sent it up hither out of the country ; i found , that the continual agitation upon the road , for three or four days , had done more towards their mixture ; then a far greater time of digestion alone had done before . and it is certain , that a vehement agitation , especially if continu'd , or joyned with digestion ; will accelerate the mixture of some bodies , ten times more , then any bare digestion alone ; as may be proved by many experiments . i will instance in this one . let some oyl of turpentine and good spirit of nitre be stop'd up together in a bottle , and the bottle held to the fire , till the liquors be a little heated , and begin to bubble . then having removed it , and the bubbles by degrees increasing more and more ; the two liquors will of themselves , at last fall into so impetuous an ebullition , as to make a kind of explosion ; sending forth a smoak for the space of almost two yards high . whereupon , the parts of both the liquors , being violently agitated , they are , in a great portion , incorporated into a thick balsam in a moment : and that without any intense heat , as may be felt by the bottle . and thus much for the causes of mixture . sect . v. having enumerated the general causes , we shall , lastly , enquire into the power and vse of mixture ; or , into what it can do and teach . and i shall instance in six particulars . first , to render all bodies sociable , whatsoever they be . secondly , to make artificial bodies in imitation of those of natures own production . thirdly , to make or imitate the sensible qualities of bod●es ; as smells , and tasts . fourthly , to make or imitate their faculties . fifthly , it is a key , to discover the nature of bodies . sixthly , to discover their vse , and the manner of their medicinal operation . instance i. first , to render all bodies sociable or m●ngleable : as water with oyl , salt with spirit , and the like . for natural and artificial mixture , are the same ; as we have before proved . if therefore nature can do it , as we see in the generation of bodies she doth ; 't is likewise in the power of art to do it . and for the doing of it , two general rules result from the premisses , sc. the application of causes , and the choice of materials . as for the causes , they are such as i have now instanc'd in . and for the application of them , i shall give these two rules . first , that we tread in natures steps as near as we can ; not only in the application of such a cause , as may be most proper for such a mixture ; but also in allowing it sufficient time for its effect . for so we see nature her self , for her more perfect mixtures , usually doth . she maketh not a flower , or an apple , a horse , or a man , as it were in a moment ; but all things by degrees ; and for her more perfect and elaborate mixtures , for the most part , she requireth more time . because all such mixtures are made and carri'd on per minima ; and therefore require a greater time for the compleating of them . a second rule is , not only to make a due application of the causes ; but sometimes to accumulate them . by which means , we may not only imitate nature , but in some cases go beyond her . for as by adding a graft or bud to the stock , we may produce fruit sooner , and sometimes better , then nature by the stock alone would do : so here , by accumulating the causes of mixture ; that is , by joyning three , or four , or more together ; or by applying more in some cases , where nature applyeth fewer ; we may be able to make , if not a more perfect , yet a far more speedy mixture , than nature doth . as by joyning compression , heat , and violent agitation , and so continuing them all together , by some means contrived for the purpose , for the space of a week , or moneth , or longer , without cessation . which may probably produce , not only strange , but useful effects , in the solution of some , and the mixture of other bodies . and may serve to mix such bodies , as through the small number of their congruous parts , are hardly mingleable any other way . agitation being , as carrying the key to and fro , till it hit the lock ; or within the lock , till it hit the wards . secondly , for the choice of materials , if they are not immediately , that is , of themselves , mingleable ; we are then to turn one species of mixture into a rule ; which is , to mix them by mediation of some third , whether more simple or compounded body , which may be congruous in part to them both : as sulphurious salts are to water and oyl ; and are for that reason mingleable with either of them . or , by any two congruous bodies , which are also , in part , congruous to two others : and other like ways . whereby the parts of bodies , though never so heterogeneous , may yet be all bound and lock'd up together . even as twenty keys may be united , only by uniting the two rings whereon they hang. the consideration of these things , have put me upon making several experiments , for the mingling of heterogeneous bodies . i shall give two examples of tryal ; the one upon fluid , the other upon consistent , bodies . for the first , i took oyl of anise-seeds , and powring it upon another body ; i so order'd it , that it was thereby turned into a perfect milk-white balsam , or butter . by which means the said oyl became mingleable with any other liquor , oyl , wine , or water ; easily , and instantaneously dissolving therein , in the form of a milk. and note , that this is done , without the least alteration of the smell , tast , nature or operation of the said oyl . by somewhat the like means , not only oyl of anise-seeds , but any other stillatitious oyl , may be transformed into a perfect milk white butter ; and in like manner be mingled with water or any other liquor . which is of various use in medicine ; and what i find oftentimes very convenient and advantageous to be done . again , not only fluid but consistent bodies , which of themselvs will mix only with oyl ; by due mixture with other bodies , maybe render'd easily dissoluble in water ; as may rosin , and all resinous and friable gums . as also wax : and this without changing much of their colour , tast or smell . whereof likewise , whatsoever others may do , the physician may make a manifold vse . instance ii. by mixture also , we may be taught to imitate the productions of nature . as to which , from what we have before said of mixture , we may conclude ; that there is no generation of bodies unorganical , but what is in the power of mixture to imitate . as of animals , to imitate blood , fat , chyle , spittle , flegm , bile , &c. of vegetables , to imitate a milk , mucilage , rosin , gum , or salt. of minerals , to imitate vitriol , allom , and other salts ; as also metals , and the like . i do not say , i can do all this : but if upon good premisses we may conclude this may be done ; it is one step to the doing of it . but i will also give an instance of somewhat that may be done in every kind . and . first , for the imitation of an animal body , i will instance in fat. which may be made thus ; take oyl olive , and powr it upon high spirit of nitre . then digest them for some days . by degrees , the oyl becomes of the colour of marrow ; and at last , is congealed , or hardned into a white fat or butter , which dissolveth only by the fire , as that of animals . in converting oyl thus into fat , it is to be noted , that it hardens most upon the exhalation of some of the more sulphureous parts of the spirit of nitre . which i effected , well enough for my purpose , by unstopping the glass after some time of digestion ; and so suffering the oyl to dissolve and thicken divers times by successive heat and cold . hence , the true congealing principle , is a spirit of nitre separated from its sulphur . for the better doing whereof , the air is a most commodious menstruum to the said spirit of nitre . whence also , if we could procure such a spirit of nitre , we might congele water in the midst of summer . we might also refrigerate rooms herewith artificially . and might imitate all frosty meteors . for the making of fat , is but the durable congelation of oyl ▪ which may be done without frost , as i have shew'd how . hence also it appears , that animal fat it self , is but the curdling of the oily parts of the blood ; either by some of its own saline parts ; or by the nitrous parts of the air mingled therewith . hence likewise it is , that some animals , as conies , and fieldfares , grow fatter in frosty weather : the oily parts of the blood , being then more than ordinarily coagulated with a greater abundance of nitrous parts received from the air into their bodies . for the same reason it is , that the fat of land-animals is hard ; whereas that of fish is very soft , and in a great part runs to oyl , sc. because the water , wherein they live , and which they have instead of breath , hath but very few nitrous parts in it , in comparison of what the air hath . . for the imitation of a vegetable body , i will give three instances ; in rosin , gum , and a lixivial salt. the first may be made thus ; take good oyl of vitriol , and drop it upon oyl of anise-seeds ; and they will forthwith incorporate together ; and by degrees , will harden into a perfect rosin ; with the general and defining properties of a truly natural resinous gum. being not in the least dissoluble in water ; or at least , not any more , then any natural rosin or gum : yet very easily by fire : as also highly inflammable : and exceeding friable . although this artificial rosin , be the result of two liquors , both which very strongly affect the sense : yet being well washed from the unincorporated parts , ( which is to be done with some care ) it hath scarce any tast or smell . the concentration of these two liquors , is likewise so universal ; that the rosin is not made by precipitation , but almost a total combination of the said liquors ; and that with scarce so much , as any visible fumes . again , having taken a certain powder and a saline liquor , and mixed them together in a bottle , and so digested them for some time ; the powder was at last transmuted to a perfect oily gum ; which will also dissolve either in oyl , or in water ; in the self same manner , as galbanum , ammoniac , and the like will do . and lastly , a lixivial salt may be imitated thus ; take nitre , oyl of vitriol and high spirit of wine , of each a like quantity . of these three bodies , not any two being put together ; that is to say , neither the nitre with the oyl , nor the oyl with the spirit , nor the nitre with the spirit ; will make the least ebullition : yet all three mingled together , make a very conspicuous one . the spirit of wine being as the sulphur ; and so that , and the nitre together , standing , as it were , in the stead of an alkalizate , that is , a sulphurious salt , against the oyl of vitriol . divers other experiments i can shew of the like nature . . in the last place , for the imitation of a mineral body , i will instance in two , sc. nitre and marine salt ; if i may have leave to reckon them amongst mineral bodies . as for nitre , by mixing of four liquors together , and then setting them to shoot ; i have obtained crystals of true and perfect salt ; which have had much of a nitrous tast ; and would be melted with a gentle heat , as nitre is ; and even as easily as butter it self : i mean , not by the addition of any sort of liquor , or any other body , to dissolve it ; but only by the fire . and as for a sea-salt , that i might imitate nature for the making hereof , i consider'd , that the salt so called , was nothing else but animal and vegetable salt , freed from its true spirit and sulphur , and some saline particles , specifically animal or vegetable , together with them . for both animal and vegetable bodies being continually carried by all rivers into the sea ; and many likewise by shipwrack , and divers other ways , immersed therein : they are at last corrupted , that is , their compounding parts are opened and resolved . yet the resolution being in the water , is not made precipitately , as it is in the air ; but by degrees , and very gently . whence the sulphurious , and other more volatile parts , in their avolation , make not so much hast , as to carry the more fixed saline parts along with them ; but leaveth them behind in the water , which imbibeth them , as their proper menstruum . and the imitation of nature herein , may be performed thus ; put as much of a lixivial salt as you please , into a wide mouth'd bottle , and with fair water make a strong solution of it ; so as some part thereof may remain unresolved at the bottom of the bottle . let the bottle stand thus for the space of about half or three quarters of a year , all the time unstopped . in which time , many of the sulphurious and other more volatile parts gradually flying away ; the top of the unresolved salt will be incrustate , or as it were frosted over , with many small and hard concretions , which for their nature , are become a true sea-salt . whereof there is a double proof ; first , in that most of the said concretions are of a cubical , or very like figure . especially on their upper parts ; because having a fixed body for their basis , their under parts , therefore , contiguous thereto , are less regular . whereas the parts of salt in the sea , being environed on all sides with a fluid ; their figure is therefore on all sides regular . secondly , in that a strong acid spirit or oyl being powred upon a full body'd solution hereof ; yet it maketh herewith no ebullition ; which is also the property of sea-salt . and thus much for the more general imitation of bodies . instance iii. from the aforesaid premisses , and by the aforesaid means , there is no doubt to be made , but that also the other sensible qualities of bodies may be imitated , as their odours and tasts . and that not only the general ones , as fragrant , or astringent : but also those which are specifical and proper to such a species of bodies . thus , for example , by mixing several bodies together , in a due proportion , i have imitated the smells of divers vegetables ; as of tansy , of lignum rhodium , and others . and i conclude it feasable , to imitate the tast or smell of musk , or amber-greece , or any other body in the world . instance iv. hence also we may be taught , how to imitate the faculties , as well as other qualities of bodies . the reason is , because even these have no dependance upon any substantial form ; as in the first part of my last book of the anatomy of vegetables , i think , i have , in a few lines , clearly made out : but are the meer result of mixture ; effected by the same causes , whether in nature or art ; as also in the premisses of this discourse hath been shew'd . instance v. from whence , again , it is likewise a key to discover the nature of bodies . for how far soever we can attain to mingle , or to make them , we may also know what they are . for bodies are mingleable , either of themselves , or by some third . as to those which mingle of themselves , we may certainly conclude , that there is a congruity betwixt them , in some respect or other . so upon various tryals i find , that essential oyls do more easily imbibe an acid , then an alkaly . whence it is evident , that there is some congruity and similitude betwixt essential oyls , and an acid , which there is not betwixt the said oyls and an alkaly . as to those that mingle only by some third ; we may also certainly conclude , that though the two extreams are unlike ; yet that they have both of them a similitude to or congruity with that third , by which they are united . moreover , we may make a judgment from the manner or degree of mixture . thus the acid spirit of nitre , as is said , will coagulate oyl-olive , and render it consistent . whence it might be thought , that any other strong acid will do the like ; and that therefore , there is no great difference in the nature of the said acid liquors . but the contrary hereunto , is proved by experiment . for having digested the same oyl , in the same manner , and for a much longer time , with strong oyl of sulphur ; although it thence acquired some change of colour , yet not any consistence . again , because the said spirit of nitre coagulates oyl-olive ; it might be expected , it should have the same effect , upon oyl of anise-seeds ; or , at least , that if other acids will coagulate oyl of anise-seeds , that this should do it best . but experiment proveth the contrary . for of all i have tryed , oyl of vitriol is the only acid that doth it instantaneously . oyl of sulphur , if very strong , will do it ; but not so soon , nor so much . aqua fortis , and spirit of salt , for the present , do not at all touch it . and spirit of nitre it self will not coagulate it , under eight or ten hours at least . instance vi. lastly , and consequently , it is a key , to discover the medicinal vse and operation of bodies . thus , for example , by the imitation of rosins and resinous gums , we certainly know what all of them are , and when , and wherefore to be used . for what are mastick , frankincense , olibanum , benzoin , and other like rosins , or resinous gums , for their principal and predominant parts , that is , qua rosins ; but bodies resulting from natural , in like manner , as i have shewed , they may be made to result , from artificial mixture ? that is to say , the oleous , and acid parts of vegetables , being both affused and mingled together , per minima , in some one vessel of a plant , they thus incorporate into one consistent and friable body , which we call rosin . now from hence it is , that the said rosins , and resinous gums ; as also amber and sulphur for the same reasons ; are of so great and effectual vse against most thin and salt rheums ; sc. as they are acido-oleous bodies . for by their acid parts , which in all these bodies are exceeding copious , they mortifie and refract those salt ones which feed the rheum . and by their oleous parts , the same salt ones are also imbibed . whence , they are all , in some degree , incorporated together ; that is , the rheum is thickned : which is the desired effect . whereas , on the contrary , if the cough proceed not from a thin and especially a salt rheum , but from a viscous flegm ; the use of many other bodies , which are also more oleous , and abound not so much with an acid as these do , especially some of them , is more proper : such as these , in this case , proving sometimes not only ineffectual , but prejudicial . since the very cause of the said viscousness of phlegm , is chiefly some great acidity in the blood , or in some other part ; as may be proved by divers arguments . many more instances might be hereunto subjoyned : and may hereafter be offered to the acceptance of such , who are inquisitive into matters of this nature . if i shall not herein anticipate , or reiterate the thoughts and observations , of those two accurate and learned persons dr. willis , and dr. walter needham , as to what the one hath already published , and both have put us in expectation of . but the instances already given , are sufficient to evidence what i have said . and , i hope , this present discourse to prove , in some measure , thus much ; that experiment , and the common notions of sense are prolifick ; and that nothing is barren , but phancy and imagination . finis . advertisements about the experiments and notes relating to chymical qualities boyle, robert, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing b estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) advertisements about the experiments and notes relating to chymical qualities boyle, robert, - . p. s.n., [london? : ?] caption title. attributed to boyle by wing. place and date of publication suggested by wing. reproduction of original in christ church library, oxford university. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng chemistry -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - derek lee sampled and proofread - derek lee text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion advertisements about the experiments and notes relating to chymical qualities . when , after i had gone through the common operations of chymistry , i began to make some serious reflections on them , i thought 't was pity , that instruments that might prove so serviceable to the advancement of natural philosophy , should not be more studiously and skilfully made use of to so good a purpose . i saw indeed , that divers of the chymists had by a diligent and laudable employment of their pains and industry , obtain'd divers productions , and lighted on several phaenomena considerable in thier kind , and indeed more numerous , than , the narrowness and sterility of their principles consider'd , could well be expected . but i observed too , that the generality of those that busie themselves about chymical operations ; some because they practise physick ; and others because they either much wanted , or greedily coveted money , aimed in their trials but at the preparation of good medicines for the humane body , or to discover the ways of curing the diseases or imperfections of metals , without referring their trials to the advancement of natural philosophy in general ; of which most of the alchymists seem to have been so incurious , that not onely they did not institute experiments for that purpose , but overlookt and despis'd those undesign'd ones that occurr'd to them whilst they were prosecuting a preparation of a medicine , or a transmutation of metals . the sense i had of this too general omission of the chymists , tempted me sometimes to try , whether i could do any thing towards the repairing of it by handling chymistry , not as a physician or an alchymist , but as a meer naturalist , and so by applying chymical operations to philosophical purposes . and in pursuance of these thoughts , i remember i drew up a scheme of what i ventur'd to call a chymia philosophica , not out of any affectation of a splendid title , but to intimate , that the chymical operations , there treated of , were not directed to the usual scopes of physicians , or transmuters of metals , but partly to illustrate or confirm some philosophical theories by such operations ; and partly to explicate those operations by the help of such theories . but before i had made any great progress in the pursuit of this design , the fatal pestilence that raged in london , and in many other parts of england , in the years and , obliging me among the rest to make several removes ; which put me upon taking new measures , and engaging me in other employments of my time , made me so long neglect the papers i had drawn up , that at last i knew not where to finde them , ( though i hope they are not yet mislaid beyond recovery , ) which i was the less troubled at , because the great difficulties , to be met with in such an undertaking , did not a little discourage me , such a task requiring as well as deserving a person better furnished , than i had reason to think my self , with abilities , leisure , chymical experiments , and conveniences , to try as many more as should appear needful . but yet to break the ice for any that may hereafter think fit to set upon such a work , or to shorten my own labour , if i should see cause to resume it my self , i was content to throw in among my notes about other particular qualities , some experiments and observations about some of those , that i have elsewhere call'd chymical qualities , because 't is chiefly by the operations of chymists , that men have been induced to take special notice of them . of these notes i have assigned to some qualities more , and to some fewer , as either the nature or importance of the subject seemed to require , or my leisure and other circumstances would permit . and though i have not here handled the subjects they belonged to , as if i intended such a chymia philosophica as i lately mentioned , because my design did not make it necessary , but did perhaps make it impertinent for me to do so , yet in some of the larger notes about volatility and fixtness , and especially about precipitation , i have given some little specimens of the theorical part of a philosophical account of those qualities or operations , that i hope will not be wholly useless . i know , it may be objected , that i should have employed for instances some more considerable experiments , if not arcana ; but though possibly i am not altogether unfurnished with such , yet aiming rather to promote philosophy , than appear a possessor of elaborate processes , i declined several experiments that required either more skill , or more time , or more expence than could be well expected from most readers , and chose rather to employ such experiments as may be more easily or cheaply tried , and , which is mainly to be consider'd , being more simple , are more clearly intelligible , and more fit to have notions and theories built upon them ; especially considering , that the doctrine of qualities being it self conversant about some of the rudimental parts , if i may so call them , of natural philosophy , it seemed unfit to employ intricate experiments , and whose causes were liable to many disputes , to settle a theory of them . in short , my design being to hold a taper not so much to chymists as to the naturalists , 't was fit i should be less solicitous to gratifie the former than to inform the later . finis . a vindication of chymistry, and chymical medicines courteous and candid reader, chymistry, is an art that doth both teach and inable us (for our exceeding good and benefit) to seperate purity from impurity; ... fletcher, r. (richard), fl. - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing f a estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a vindication of chymistry, and chymical medicines courteous and candid reader, chymistry, is an art that doth both teach and inable us (for our exceeding good and benefit) to seperate purity from impurity; ... fletcher, r. (richard), fl. - . , [ ] p. s.n., [london : ] title from caption title and first lines of text. by richard fletcher. imprint from wing. reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng chemistry -- early works to . medicine, popular -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - andrew kuster sampled and proofread - andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a vindication of chymistry , and chymical medicines . courteous and candid reader , chymistry , is an art that doth both teach and inable us ( for our exceeding good and benefit ) to seperate purity from impurity ; exalt and advance what god and nature hath given us , to a farther and higher perfection than we receive it indewed with . for all bodyes , more or less , partake of the grossness and terrestriety of their matrixes : but after their essential purities are seperated from that terrestriety adhering , which they drew from their matrixes , they make it plain enough by their powerful effects , that it is to this state they ought to be reduced , before they work with efficacy ; and yet they still retain their character and internal idea . now if we shall well and truly consider it ; what have we in this curious nice age , either for back or belly , pleasure or necessity , that hath not in some kind or other been oblidged to chymistry , and its beneficial operations , for that perfection we receive it in ? what calling may be said to have attained to the perfection and hight it now glories in , without its help in some one or other of its ( more sublime or trivial operation . consider our bread our beer , wine , meat , &c. or whatever can render our lives happy or satisfactory : and you will find it in one degree or other to pass under the hand of chymistry , and its various operations , or preparations . and can we then be thus insensibly led to admit its dayly help and assistance in things of smallest value ; and can we be so stupid , dull , ignorant and blind , as to neglect its assistance in things of greater moment and concern ? and not only neglect its friendly advice , but deny its profitable hand in those things , which above all others we most need its help in ? nay , we do not only deny it makes us happy ; but we seek by all means possible to disgrace , slander , and make it ( and its professors ) contemptible and odious to the whole world . doubtless these are great follies , and we declare our selves either very ignorant , or else very malitious and self-ended . can we with ease and content , admit and allow its favours , ( and greedily seek after them ) to improve and maintain our purses and pleasure , and cannot we admit and embrace its help for the preservation of our health ; without which the other will be of little benefit , and less pleasure ? consider , if nature be weakned and oppressed , that she cannot accept of her usual and accostomed food ; so as she would , and ought to dispose of it for the supply of her spirits , and maintaining of her habitation ; and if she cannot in her ordinary course , so play the chymist , as usual : doubtless , she is less able to do it , in that which the very name , as well as the nature of it , makes her utterly to abhor , and reject ; and if she be not strong enough to seperate the essenses of her dayly and accustomed food , how shall she extract any thing from her physick ( if given gross ) that may give her that rerelief , which her present condition requires and calls for ? she [ viz. nature ] hath a double work to perform : first , to extract the essential part ( and to make use of it ) and secondly to cast off the gross as an enemy . it would doubtless , therefore ( in this ease ) be far better to save her the labour of seperation in this her weakned condition : for although nature her self when in health , can digest her food ( when dressed ) and seperate the alimental parts to her self , ( and make use of it for sustentation ) and cast off the gross as useless : yet her medicines must be pure , digested and seperated , and fited for her use : for if she cannot digest her food , then not gross medicines ; her food when in health may be gross , because she can dispose of it to advantage ; but when diseased , her physick must be pure , seperated and fit for her use , viz. to joyn with the spirit , or natural life in man. and in this the physician is rightly stiled , natures handmaid ; but not for loading her with more impurities , but in assistng and helping her to cast off impurities , by that which is pure . for of necessity , either the physician or nature must officiate , or act as chymist , before she can have , or receive what she calls for , and requires for her help and assistance . who therefore not drowned in ignorance and envy , would so strongly oppose so great a good as chymistry is author of ? for this is the only art ( which by supplying us out of the light of nature , with convenient means and particular natures to seperate the pure from the impure ) will teach us : first , to heal all diseases of the macrocosmical substances , and afterwards by examples and experiments deduced from those exteriour cures , will shew us the right and infallible cure of diseases in our own bodies . he that knows not how to purge and heal metals , how can he restore the decay'd , or weakned radical balsom in man , and repair it by comfortable and concordant medicines , to perform perfectly all its appointed functions ; which must necessarily be put into action , before any disease can be expelled : he that knew not what that is in ♁ , which purges gold , how can be come by an effectual and wholsome medicine that will purge and cast out those extrarious peccant causes that afflict and destroy the body of man ? he that knows not how to fix arsenick , or to take away the corrosive nature of a sublimate , or to coagulate sulphureons spirits ; and by a convenient specifical medium to break and dissolve stones in the greater world , will never in the body of man allay and tame the arsenical spirits of the microcosmic salt , nor take away the venimous indispositions of sulphur , nor dissolve the stone in the bladder , and drive it out being dissolved . now as the antient phylosophers ; who knew nature indeed , obtained their noble medicines by the strict and exact observation of nature in her own path ; how that kind was multiplied by kind , and without putrifaction there could be no generation : and as they found excellent medicines , by doing all things in the metallick kingdom according to the possibility of nature : so if you would have a medicine indeed , although inferiour to theirs , whether of the mineral , animal , or vegetable kingdom , you must proceed in the same method ; for as kind is multiplyed by kind , and not without putrefaction ; so if you will exalt any concrete to make it a friendly medicine , it must be in natures path ; kind with kind , and that by putrifaction . for the absolute things requisite to one that would conscionably undertake the sick ; are first to know how to unlock those medicinal bodies which the almighty hath created , and how to prepare them , and when , and to whom to apply them ; and also how to order and dispose the patient , so as that he may reap that good from them , which by carefull administration of them is expected . and thus will a little quantity of such a well prepared medicine , manifest it self in the powerful operating and friendly assisting of nature , to cast off her enemies ( viz. diseases ) with speed and safety . but on the contrary , how loathsome is the very name of ( gross and ill prepared physick unto debilitated nature ! and what 's the reason ? doubtless , the hard task she hath had put upon her by it , and even when she is least able to perform it , and hath more need of succour , than of a farther trouble . alas , how shall she receive so great a portion of loathsom medicines , being weak when even in the greatest of her strength she would ( not only ) be troubled to take ( but also at the sight of ) it ! and this from a secret sense and antipathy , her natural life or spirit hath against its nausceating , and dull quality , as well as the greatness of its quantity . then certainly nature hath no greater help , nor better remedy , then that true and friendly spagerick art or seperater of the impure , from the pure and medicinal part , that so renders it apt , and fit , for her more easie and friendly reception . why then should any so obstinately oppose so clear a truth , and so great a good as this excellent art of chymistry , in the preparation of medicines ( if compared with the other gross , sluggish and ineffectual foundation of physick ) or why do the galenists cry out against others in things they understand not ? or why do they envy us , and speak against our art , ( by which we prepare pure and harmless medicines ) and yet make use of those unnatural chymical medicines , prepared by the power of violent corrosive fires , destructive to nature . our way of preparing vegetable specificks , is by friendly dissolvents as are in themselves agreeable to the nature of the thing acted upon , so that in seperation the whole essence of the concrete is preserved both volatile and fixed , in odour , taste and collour , and the drossy gross part cast away . i say why do they make use of oyl of vitrial salt brimstone , and that dangerous vomit ♀ vitae prepared of that high exalted poyson , viz. oyle , or butter of ♁ also why do they use , crocus metallorum , prepared steel , crocus martis , flos sulph . lapis infernalis , ☿ dulcis ( falsly so called ) sacharum ♄ , tarbith minerals ( that hellish fluxing preparation of mercury ) with many other of those churlish unnatural ℞ in the london dispensatory : also why do they use chymical oyls , and salts of herbs , seeds , berries , spices , barke , woods , wax , rozins , minerals and stones ▪ with their compound and simple distilled waters , all unnaturally seperated from their other parts , or principles , as their late learned unlearned w. calls them . doth nature use these fires in producting these natural subjects they thus work upon ? ( no ) neither must her children in their art of melioration . she uses fire 't is true , but 't is her own , and it is she that furnishes the true son of art with his fire , which is gentle. does she seperate the salt sulphur and mercury , ( in her acts of generation ) and afterwards joyn them again . no , she ferments , putrifies , digests , vivifies and performs all her work and acts of generation , with one only fire which varies the species according to the matrix , &c. what can you gentlemen say for your selves , that have followed the subtile doctrine of the athenians , rather then the plain path of nature , but do you glory in the art of your masters . we will rejoyce in the works of our tutress nature , whose excellency will appear as well by reason , as dayly experience . consider , what is it that gives eminency and perfection , to any one thing we esteem as excellent ; we shall find that it is the purity of it , and that either in the animal , vegetable , or mineral nature : if we consider then what we are speaking of , viz. medicines prepared chymically ; we must also conclude its efficacy and excellency to proceed from its purity , or purified nature . let us ( i say ) consider what it is for , it is to help and restore decayed nature and her languishing spirit . now this spirit is the most subtile part of man ( i mean not the rational soul ) therefore no way to be assisted , but by that which is of purity and likeness with it ( viz. medicines of a subtile penetrating nature . ) the consideration of nature will tell you , what her medicines ought to be , and a true consideration of such medicines , will teach and tell you , what nature is , so that the quality of the one will inform you what the nature and essence of the other ought to be ; for the physician must ( if he will cure a disease ) administer his medicines to the spirit , because the spirit is the sole dispencer of guifts to all the parts and faculties of the body ; now as to the quality of the midicines you ought to use for natures relief , and assistance , is , that they ought to be of most subtile and thin parts . therein lyes the excellency of chymical medicines , above others , this art being able to exalt the most dull and inactive medicines , to the greatest of subtility , and far beyond what nature presents them to us in . nor doth it thus exalt their purity and efficacy , as to cure all diseases both inward and outward only , but renders the medicine it self incorruptible also : whilst the best of galenical ( mixtures ) will hardly keep a year . how then should these poor dirty , drossy medlies , answer those great ends they administer them for ? and how shall they root out inveterate , fixed and chronick diseases ? how shall they purifie the impure , or help the infirm , who are not cured of their own crude , corrupt and infirm condition ? if any shall here object , that the galenick medicines are safe and the chymical quickly cure , or quickly kill : let such objecters know , that they grant , and add more to the praise of chymistry and chymical medicines then they are aware of ; for nothing can quickly cure but what is efficacious , and fitted for so great a good , which nothing can be , that is not in some measure pure and like unto the nature it shall so assist . herein do they unawares affirm the excellency of such medicines : and then to those that suggest , they as suddainly kill , i must thus answer them , that they cannot kill , if administred by skilful operators ( as those must be that know their true preparation ) for as fire will warm at a fit distance ; yet if any man shall ( to warm another ) apply a red hot iron to his flesh , it will burn him ▪ so water will wash a man clean , ( if dirtied ) and he therefore unadvisedly leap into a deep well , he may be drowned . wine will cheer the heart , if moderately taken , yet many by excess have killed themselves ; but this cannot be attributed to the dangerous , or killing quality of the wine , as wine . so these medicines we know , use and extoll , if administred , or taken by pints , may destroy life : but if taken by drops , drams , or spoonfulls , in their vehicles , they enliven and help nature to conquer her enemies , viz. diseases . when other gross , sluggish and ill prepared nauseating mixtures , serve only to stuff up the body ( already too much obstructed ) with such quantities , which rather hinder then further her own operation , and also to rob nature of that praise due to her ( and the author ofher ) when she hath overcome , both the evil of the disease , and such medicines . now having briefly ( and i hope to the satisfaction of every unbyased and candid reader ) vindicated chymistry , and true chymical medicines ; i shall also with the like brevity , give the reader an account of some excellent useful chymical medicines prepared by me ; which may be of great benefit to all honest physicians , chyrurgions , apothecaries , midwives , and others who design good , and desire to be serviceable to their generation . a catalogue of chymical medicines prepared by richard fletcher , living at the sun in gutter-lane near cheap-side london . essence of southernwood , resists poyson , kills worms , provokes urine , strengthens the stomack , and cures surfets . essence of wormwood doth the same . essence of agrimony , helps infirmities of the liver , pissing of blood , and inward wounds . essence of m. mallows , easeth pains of the store . essence of marjoram , cures diseases of the brain . essence of angelica , resists poyson , cheers the heart . essence of dill and fenel , breeds milk , stays vomiting . essence of magwort , appropriated to women ; as also , is essence of arrach , germander , and peneroyal . essence of betony , dissolves the stone . essence of briony , cures dropsies , and falling-sickness : so doth dwarf elder . essence of centaury , cures the yellow jaundice ; the same doth succory and endive . essence of comfry , and clery , strengthens weak backs . essence of couslip-flowers , cures palsies . essence of arsmart , is wonderful in the stone . essence of of hysop , cures coughs and soar-throats . essence of st. johns wort , cures all cureable wounds , both inward and outward to admiration . essence of lavender , cures falling-sickness , and easeth all pains in the head , cures deafness . essence of laurel and bay-berries , cures diseases of the womb and bladder , expels wind , cures plurisies . essence of featherfew , is a singular womb remedy . essence of melilot , a wonderful friendly dissolver of the stone , and cleanser of the reins and bladder . essence of bame , mints , and rosemary , are wonderful renovating medicines . essence of tobacco , is excellent to cure old soars . essence of rue and savin , kills worms , cures pleurisies , expels birth , and after-birth . essence of sage , is an excellent medicine for women to help them to go out their full time . also essence of tansie is the same . essence of colts-foot , cures coughs , shortness of breath . essence of scurvy-grass , horse-redish , water-cresses , and broom , cures the scurvy and dropsie . essence of chamomel , cures pleurisies and stone . essence of saffron , powerfully corrects and expels poyson , cures feavers , consumptions , and drives out all offensive matter by sweat and urine ; and is excellent in the small-pox , measles , and all pestilential diseases , and is a very great cordial . the same is essence of clove-gilliflowers . essence of elder-flowers , cures dropsies , the stone , and opens obstructions of the liver , spleen and womb. essence of walnuts , kills worms , resists the pestilence , cures convulsions . essence of nutmegs , cloves , mace , and cinamon , strengthens the brain . essence of barberries , quench thirst. essence of corriander , gramwell , cardamom-seeds , kills worms , expels wind , provokes urine . essence of benjamin , and stirax , helps coughs , hoarseness and want of voice , and clears the skin . essence of pearl , coral , amber , and amber-grees , are wonderful restoratives ; and cures all diseases incident in women . antiscorbutick powder and essence . antivenerial powder and essence . stone dissolving powder and essence . a powder which causes speedy delivery in vvomen , a vvomb essence . these excellent specificks , are all prepared by proper dissolvents , by which the volatile and fixed parts are presverved with their odour , tincture and colour , so that what nature is best pleased with , is here fitted for her reception , that she may dispose of them , for those great uses and ends they were designed , &c. reader , i have not given you a full relation of the uses and vertues of those before mentioned essences . therefore i add this ; whatever is , or may be attributed to any vegetable , the same and more may be attributed to the essence of that vegetable , for by how much it is exalted in purity ; by so much it ecceeds in vertue and excellency . and as these noble remedies are purer , ( then the other common gross mixtures , which are usually given in great quantities ) so must their dose , viz. . . . or drops in vvine , beer , ale , sider . tee , coffee , or broth , or times a day , that the active penetrating subtile parts of the medicine , may expel the evil , obnoxious diseasy matter , and so restore decayed strength , and bring nature again into her true path , by which she may preserve the whole man in health . thus having hinted unto you the excellencies of true prepared vegetable essences , and their safety above others : i shall also speak a little to mineral preparation , and so conclude the first part . mineral medicines have a more universal tendency then vegetables , they being higher graduated in nature , and more fixed , and more locked up , and harder to come at , for prudent nature hath put bolts and bars upon her best jewels , and hath made strong fences about them lest strangers should espay them , and steal them away , and make an ill use of them , and cry they are ours , and nature shall obey us , she is our servant , and we will do what we please with her . therefore she keeps the keys of her treasuries her self , but she will vouchsafe to lend them to such of her children as are willing to be instructed by her , and will promise alwayes to walk in her path , and perform whatever she commands ; i say , such a one , and no other , will she fet into her chambers of beauty and riches , but he that hath her keys , which are friendly adjuncts , may open mineral bodyes , and extract that solar tincture , which she hath planted in them ; for it is this solar tincture , which is so amicable to nature ; and cures the most radicated diseases , by enlightning and enlivening the natural spirit , by which nature comes both to see her errours , and amend her wayes ; being thus enabled , not only to cast off all offending matter formed in the body , but also changing those venoms , the cause of such matter● , and wiping off the character of the same . and such a medicine as this , is my well known and often tryed powder , called the eagle of metals : as also my little powder viz. the solar dove , with which medicines i have cured many diseases , accounted by the proud persecuting colledge incurable , as hundreds can witness ( for me ) in this city that i have cured for nothing ; when they had spent all they had to satisfie the unreasonable demands of those physitians they then had made use of ( by whom they were rendered more miserable then before ) a further account of which i shall give you in my bock of cures , which god willing will speedily be printed . now having attained to the knowledge and preparation of such medicines ; is it not good reason i should have the liberty to use them ( without molestation ) for the good of the poor , and the glory of god , the giver of every good and perfect guift , to whom be glory , amen . vvhatever i administer to another , i dare be oblidged to take the same dose every day for a year , to prove the safety of my medicines , and let every physician do the like , if he dare trust to the safety of his , &c. postscript to the reader . courteous reader , such is the envy , ignorance and clandestine art , and subtile practice of many of the professors of physick , apothecaries , chyrurgions and others of their friends and fond lovers of the blind galenical tribe , to instill into the minds of men a more then ordinary prejudice against chymistry , and the professors thereof : exclaiming against the art ( because they understand it not ) and branding the artists with such marks of infamy , ( as if right took place ) they themselves ought to bear ; and only because they are painfull , studious and industrious men , who labour in the field of medicine with admirable success : hence it is , that they persecute us , and consulting with demetrius , find cause thus to reason . if this sect prevail , our craft by which we get our vvealth , will come to nothing ; here lyes the stress of the matter : vvealth is that which they seek ; and the health of the sick is sought by chymical physicians . thus friendly reader have i in brief stated the difference between a mercenary doctor , and a true son of art ; that people may no longer mistake shadows for substances , and through that errour may no longer be rendered willing to be deceived . i was willing to sustain this labour and charge ; not in the least doubting , but that these lines ( if read without prejudice ) may be of good effect to clear the understandings of most men : so , as henceforth they will be able better to judge of the common practice of galenical physicians , and consequently for the future be less prejudiced against chymical practicioners , then heretofore they have been , &c. i intend ( god willing ) hereafter to publish more small peices of the same subject . from my house at the sun in gutter-lane near cheap-side london , octob. . . finis . a letter to a gentleman concerning alkali and acid being an answer to a late piece, intituled, a letter to a physician concerning acid and alkali : to which is added a specimen of a new hypothesis for the sake of the lovers of medicine / by thomas emes ... emes, thomas, d. . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a letter to a gentleman concerning alkali and acid being an answer to a late piece, intituled, a letter to a physician concerning acid and alkali : to which is added a specimen of a new hypothesis for the sake of the lovers of medicine / by thomas emes ... emes, thomas, d. . p. printed for tho. speed ... london : [ ] reproduction of original in cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng chemistry -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - elspeth healey sampled and proofread - elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a letter to a gentleman concerning alkali and acid. being an answer to a late piece , intituled , a letter to a physician concerning acid and alkali . to which is added a specimen of a new hypothesis , for the sake of the lovers of medicine . by thomas emes , author of the dialogue between alkali and acid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . bonis nocet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 malis . london ▪ printed for tho. speed , over ●●●…inst jonath●●'s coffee-house in exchange-ally in cornhill , price d. at which place the dialogue is told , vo . price s. a letter to a gentleman concerning alkali and acid . sir , we have a small champion lately come forth for the acid cause ; he conceals his name , but he saith he is a gentleman , hoping , i suppose , to find the better quarter : but he professeth his aversion to such an undertaking , but that he is at length , and at last overcome by zeal for the service of his acid physician . and he saith that at his first reading my dialogue , he discover'd so much unbecoming language , that had not requests , as forcible as commands , chang'd his resolution , he had never been condemn'd to a second reading , much less to the task of writing remarks upon it . well , the gentleman is to be excus'd , because he did it unwillingly ; and i readily confess , there is indeed much unbecoming language even within in the first eighteen pages ; and truly had it not been too nauseous , the reader might have had a great deal more on 't ; but what he has , was but just enough to shew a specimen of the immodest self-applause , shameful contempt , and abuse of all physicians , wherewith the pretender to a new acid hypothesis abounds , and what sort of answer such language deserveth . at which the gentleman was so uneasie , that he leap'd over two pages more where there is none ; but the ground of mr. acid's hypothesis examin'd . he tells us , pag. . that undecent personal reflections are no marks of probity and virtue , but are below the cognizance of a generous mind ; and tells us in greek too , that it is blasphemy . i answer , if it be blasphemy to reflect upon the follies and confidence of a raw empirick , boasting himself the only doctor in the world ; i think it is but just to be such a blasphemer . and since there is nothing so foolishly said by such men , but catches patients now-a-days , when so few understand nature or good sense , and they are so often caught to the damage of their lives and healths ; i think it is not only the part of a good and generous mind , and a virtue , but a duty to expose them , and that sometimes in the way solomon advises , pro. . . but i think no body hath expos'd mr. colebatch so much as he has expos'd himself , to the thinking part of those that read him . the gent. is amaz'd , he says , to see the ingenious author of the hypothesis of acids treated with the utmost contempt and scorn . but i am as much amaz'd to see any gentleman admire the wit in his writings , or physician take him for the author of any thing but the abuse of acids ; and that his friend should say , that not one author has examin'd his hypothesis by reason and experience , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 th read my dialogue more than once , and confesses it becomes men of letters , gentlemen and philosophers , ( as physicians are ) to weigh and consider the force of every man 's reasoning . i think it will be confess'd by those that are judges , i have weigh'd mr. colebatch's reasoning , and found it very light ; and i am now resolv'd to put that of the gentleman , his champion , also into the scale , and see how much it comes to . i am glad the gent. acknowledges physicians to be gentlemen and philosophers ; but i begin to doubt whether he be a philosopher and a physician ; because he altogether blames jesting , when it is well known to such men , that some diseases are cured thereby , and that satyr is often prescrib'd against some maladies endangering the life and health of men , that have their root in the mind ; such as pride , ignorance , confidence , covetousness , &c. in a practioner , which the dialogue was compos'd as a medicine to cure mr. acid of , if not incurable . the gent. says farther , that poetry is a very pretty thing ; but agrees with his doctor , that the character of a satyrist and a physician are vastly different . i am of the same mind ; but i find the gent. does not love a satyr , the panegyrick to the unknown doctor colebatch would relish well enough with him ; but he is not a thorough proselyte to acids yet ; for a sarcastical couplet is too sharp for his stomach , and he thinks it should not be press'd against its will to affront a professor of physick . and i think it was not , in the case he means , but came only against a professor and abuser of acids . but sarcasms i 'le maintain are acids , or they are not sarcasms ; and acid with acid methinks should well agree : but perhaps these are acids out of his practice . but i 'll say one thing more for them , they need not be press'd , but are apt enough to come volunteers , and muster freely upon any proper occasion . but the gentlemen that value themselves upon their wit , he esteems the more genteel mountebanks . 't is well they are the more genteel sort ; and i should chuse , i confess , if we must all be mountebanks , to be of that number . he allows they shew more wit and fine language , in their sarcastical bills distributed by the booksellers , than what breaks forth from beneath merry andrew ' s charcoal whiskers , or wraps up john saffold's pills and powder ; but the nature , design , and effect of the farce is the same . he 's a conjurer ! he can tell they all aim at money with common success , and so does mr. colebatch . but he that is bubbled on 't , i think , had as good be bubbled by a witty conceit as a foolish one ; and if he has nothing else , have some wit for his money . but the gent , says , he will never trust his life in the hands of a physician , who takes so much pains to convince the world he is a rare poet. i confess a man may be a rare poet and not a physician , and a physician and not a poet : but i think a man that has wit enough to be a poet , may have enough to be a physician , if he apply himself to that study : but he that has not enough , i think is never the rather to be trusted with ones life , till by a demonstration he proves , that tho' a correct canto will not cure a disease , as the gent. says , yet a dull assertion that he can do more , than all the doctors that have gone before , will do the business . but for my part , i 'll never trust my life in a man's hands that hath nothing sharp but medicines . but what has poetry to do with the pretended new hypothesis of acids , or the dialogue between alkali and acid ? what unlucky wag has thrown a distich at mr. colebatch , and hit a gentleman also ? and why must i answer for it ? but the gent. comes to talk of experiments , pag. . he follows mr. acid's method , first he plays a little , and then he comes to work . and he says , i have not given one experiment , or laid down the process of any one medicine i would recommend to the world for the good of mankind , or that might overthrow the hypothesis of acids . i answer , as for experiments to overthrow the hypothesis of acids , i leave it to the judgment of the intelligent reader , whether there are not enough to do it in my dialogue ; tho' some of them i find the hypothetick knows not how to make , which is a shame , whilst he professes himself a philosopher and a chymist : but he may have more before we have done . but as for commending my medicines or self to the world , in the manner some do , i count it but quacking , and like it not , nor have any necessity so to do . the people are fond of recipe's , and the doctor knows 't is not against his interest to let them have some , his books will sell the better ; and if he does not tell them they are to be had at reasonable rates of the author , and prescribe the making them a more chargeable way than he himself makes them , the indiscreet administration some dablers make of them , does but breed business for the doctor ; but the rich and cautious will have advice , and who so sit to advise with , as that honest gentleman who is so kind as to let them know with what instruments he does their business . i do not esteem it impolitick in physicians to publish some medicines to the world , or to permit horse-doctors , or licence other ignorant fellows , since they so frequently make work for one another . and i believe mr colebatch did not offer his unreasonable method of pr●●● 〈◊〉 point of honour , that the learned might 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 observe it , with any hopes they would do so , but that he might get money ( of the ignorant , ) which he has profess'd is the only thing he cares for . neither do i think the learned will spend their time in his trivial books ; nor should i , had not philanthropy , and my duty to mankind ( not commanding requests ) engag'd me to oppose what i saw was likely to be dangerous to those who should have so little judgment as to admire it . the gent. says , pag. . he hath confirm'd his arguments for mr. colebatch ' s doctrine with variety of experiments , but he reserves a far greater number for his service , if i , or any for me , think fit to answer . 't is well he has a reserve , for his variety is small , and not much to his purpose , as we shall see by and by . but let us have them that are ready , and i 'll promise him i 'll never request any gentleman to answer for me , being old enough to speak for my self . well , but the gent. comes first , pag. . to consider my arguments , whereby , he says , i endeavour to defend alkali as not being the cause of diseases , for th●… other causes that are not alkalies may be assign'd . but i must tell the gent. there is no such argument in my dialogue ; and had there been such , i should have been asham'd of it , as he ought to be of saying so . it would be but a poor argument , that alkali cannot be the cause of diseases , because other causes may be assign'd : but that alkali cannot be the cause of all diseases , when other causes must be assign'd , is that which i think i have demonstrated . the gent. says , my definition of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , tho' granted , no way militates against the hypothesis of acids . for when we speak of the cause of a disease , which physicians are said to discover and remove , we always suppose the proximate cause , which the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can never be . but the gent. almost perswades me here that he is more like to be a gentleman than a physician , because he says , we always suppose the proximate cause ; that is , we gentlemen , when as physicians know well that the proximate cause is not the only cause to be discover'd and remov'd : of which i need not give many instances . the various aporrhea of the body , of themselves innoxious by undue retention , are often alter'd and become hostile , which ill qualities are the proximate causes of divers diseases ; the alterations of which ill qualities are far from being the only things to be done , nor is it enough for a physician to endeavour even the ejection of the peccant matter , but the faults of the instruments of secretion are to be amended , as the prime causes of the diseases ; so that if alkali it self unduly retain'd or abounding , were suppos'd the proximate cause of some disease , yet there would be the cause of that retention or abounding , as the chief cause to be known and taken away by the physician . but i fancy the gent. if not a physician , is so much a friend to the practice , he would willingly have the proximate causes only meddled with ; have the pump plyed , rather than the leak stop'd , lest the crew should want employment . the gent. lets the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rest here , so that if we will see what he has farther to say that it can't be the proximate cause of a disease , and so dispatch the subject all together , we must go to the th . page , where he falls on him again for contending to have a share with alkali in the cause of diseases . he says , i should have told them what these exorbitant desires of the will of man were , whether desire of money , women , revenge , or popular applause : if i mean these , tyburn gives proofs that by them the blood comes to be retarded , as well as the subtile liquors disorder'd . and i am of the opinion , that if the desire of these would produce or retain such malign particles , as he believes alkalies to be , mr. acid had been mortally sick of them e're now ▪ and if simple man-slaying were death by the law , some acid practitioners might e're now have been unable to secrete their own mortal alkali , by reason of the astringency of their collars , notwithstanding the sourness of the crab-tree . but the gent. says , pag. . he will not affirm the production of alkali by the operation of the mind ; but a disappointment of the mind he knows will of a sudden cause a relaxation of the whole systema nervosum , whereby perspiration and all secretions are obstructed , &c. which often happens to women : and by such relaxation of the nerves , and constipation of the pores , there are frequently induced convulsions , &c. and the disappointment is but an antecedent cause , which medicine meddles not with ; but the materia ex qua is alkali's malign particles , whose secretion is thereby prevented , which retain'd is sufficient to produce the most dismal symptoms . here the gent. is profound ! but i would know of him , whether a relaxation of the whole systema nervosum , which he says is caus'd by a sudden passion , be not a disease . but that a relaxation of the nerves should cause such universal obstructions , yea constipations and convulsions , must be found out by some new light in philosophy , that can demonstrate , that loosing is binding and plucking together : but if he had consider'd that some sudden passions of the mind have not only let go into the breeches that which should have been deposited in some more convenient receptacle , but produced universal sweats , he would hardly have been of that opinion . but the gent. defies me to prove that nature ever secretes any thing in a state of health , that will come under the denomination of an acid. a morbid body , says he , when the nerves are relax'd , will sometimes eject the most benign juices , &c. as in scrophulous , cancerous , venereal , and cachectical bodies . here the gent. has caught himself , as i will prove by argumentum ad hominem . nature secretes common salt in the urine plentifully , and saliva in a state of health , both which he has asserted to be acids ever since he has been a proselyte to the doctrine ; therefore nature in a state of health , according to his own opinion , secretes things that will come under the denomination of acids . what 's become of his defiance ? but if he recants , and says these things are not acids , then he loses as much another way , and i 'll ask him what he thinks of the succus pancreaticus , which is secreted into the same place the wicked bile is unloaden . but he stumbles as bad in what follows . the relaxation of the nerves before caus'd obstructions , and retain'd the malign alkali ; but now it ejects the most benign juices , and that in scrophulous , cancerous , venereal , and cachectical bodies , whose recrements , according to the gentleman , are the most benign juices : but i believe these patients , and such as have been too familiar with some of them , sometimes have not found them so friendly . but the gent. takes no notice that the too rapid motion of the blood was assign'd as another morbous effect of sudden passion of the mind . now we must go back to the th . page , where the gent. gives his opinion , that the undue conformation of the solid parts is no disease ; but to make his opinion good , he will suppose that they retain their due texture , and duly perform their offices ; he 's a cunning man ! he instances the organs of hearing , seeing , smelling , and tasting , being disproportionate as to size and shape , are not call'd diseases . but if he had consider'd a little , or askt some physician , methinks he might have understood , or been inform'd , that an eye , for instance , being unduely form'd , too flat or too protuberant , the humours too much or too little , too thick or too thin , are the causes of divers defects of sight , a great tongue a hindrance to the speech , &c. he enquires whether a cartilaginous aorta , which , he says , is what physitians call the bone of a stag's heart , did ever cause a distemper ? he might as well have askt physicians , whether ever they heard the stag complain of it . but he is ill inform'd by those that tell him that a gristly artery is a bone in the heart . and now i am speaking of the great artery , it brings into my mind an observation i have read , of divers persons that died with very odd symptoms , whose disease could not be found out or remedied , 'till by dissecting one , there was sound a large worm in the great artery near the heart ; which i think was very unlikely to be produc'd by alkali or acid either . this case was very uncommon , but worms in some parts of the body are very frequent , producing bad effects , and very unlikely to be caus'd by acid or alkali , both of which given are very effectual to destroy them . he says , i cannot assert that ever any man was diseased , or died , because of narrow veins or small lungs . i answer , narrow veins must needs contain less blood , and if disproportionate to the body , ( otherwise i don't call them narrow ) little blood must needs give little heat and vigour , and small lungs must needs receive but little air , and drive on the circulation of the blood more slowly , which enclines to divers diseases . the gent. says farther , he hath often observed in dissecting bodies who have had one kidney obstructed by stones , gravels , &c. that the sound kidney hath been enlarg'd considerably , and hath perform'd the office peculiar to both ; and to prove the distemper'd kidney caus'd by an alkali in such cases , he would have the stones , gravel , &c. examin'd , which will give the phoenomena of the most fixt alkali . here the gent. asserts himself an anatomist , and to have often made dissections , where one of the kidneys hath been useless ; whereby he would seem something besides a gentleman . 't is no very common thing to find one kidney useless : not one dissection perhaps in a hundred gives such a case , yet he has often observ'd it : i confess i never dissected such a body but once , and the other kidney was no larger than ordinary , but that affected was nothing but a bag of stones , and matter , of which stones would have been generated , which was white and soft like a pap or thin mortar , full of stones and grit , not alkali salt. but how one kidney should perform the office peculiar to both , i don't understand ; or how an alkali should be the cause of a kidney : i rather guess it peculiar to the gentleman to talk so . i am sure the examination of the stones will no more prove an alkali the efficient either of the kidney , or stones in it , than the pyrotechnical analysis of bones will demonstrate that any one of the products made them . the calculus will not give the phoenomena of the most sixt alkalies , as he says , but yielding a volatile salt and oyl , leaves a caput mort. insipid , having no signs of a fix'd saline body in it . nor have we such a thing as a sixt alkali in animal or vegetable substances , but it is produced by burning those things that contain the materials of it , nor are alkalies coagulable into stones , without meeting with larger quantities of other matter , which with more reason may be said to be the cause of the unhappy concrete . our gent. tells us , pag. . that a large liver is no more a disease than a large nose , but of excellent use to secrete the bile , that most pernicious excrement of the body ; and the larger the liver , the more bile it will secrete , and so much the more we are benefitted . but a large morbid liver he would have granted to be caus'd by a superabundance of gall. the gent. is resolved the gall shall be an excrement , and the most pernicious one , forgetting alkali it self , while the gall is but a compound . but methinks , whoever considers the place into which it is discharged , must be of another opinion , or believe the animal oeconomy very ill contriv'd . if this liquor had no use , but were to be rejected as a mere and pernicious excrement , one would have thought it in vain separated out of the blood , to be poured into the nutritious juice before it enters the lacteal veins ; and the more on 't the better would be very strange . one would have thought a gentleman's nose might have been large enough to smell out some use for the bile , better than to make a large liver ; and for a large liver , better than to make a great deal of bile . but pag. . he shews admirable sense , for he tells us , it is from particles of matter admitted into the blood , that is both the cause of the disease , and of the thickness or thinness of the blood ; and the reason he gives is , if there were not a retention of some particles which ought to be carried off , or admission of others that should be prevented , the blood would be neither too thick nor too thin , but always the same . the thickness and thinness of the blood then are both from particles admitted into it , because it would be neither too thick nor too thin , were there not a retention of some that should be carried off , or an admission of some that should be prevented . but what 's this to prove alkali the cause of all diseases , any more than to good sense ? but what comes after is profound , that in physick it may pass for a demonstration , that if you find the blood of one that has the rheumatism , scurvey , or gout , to abound with alkali , and be viscous , and when he is cur'd by the use of acids , you find it yield less alkali , and be florid , and of a good consistence , it is to him a demonstration , the diseases came not from acids but from alkalies . that is , if the blood have indeed too much alkali , and thence be viscous , and the person be cured by acids driving out and diminishing the alkali , and reducing the blood to its due consistence , the disease was caus'd by alkali , and cur'd by acids . that is , if the disease was caus'd by alkalies and cur'd by acids , it was caus'd by alkalies and cur'd by acids ; a wit ! but there 's an if in the case , which makes the argument worth nothing : for if this cannot be found ( as i am sure it has not yet by any certain experiments the acidists have given us ) we are never the better for the supposition . but he says , it will appear that this is matter of fact to any that will make the experiments . and he dares affirm , that i can't produce one instance of a person cured of those distempers by alkalies . but i say he should not be so confident that it will appear so to any man , unless it had appear'd to some one that hath try'd it . and as for his daring affirmation , i dare affirm the contrary . the gent. says again , pag. . that i suppose there should be or parts of alkali to one of acid , and from either of these exceeding their proportion , the acid or the alkali may be said to abound , but while they keep to that standard , neither can be suppos'd the cause of a disease . i say still , that whatever the proportions are , either may exceed and cause a disease , the one as well as the other , if there be any such thing as their exceeding ; but when in due proportion , neither can be thought so to do while duely mix'd , but if separated and lodged apart in some place , tho' there is no more than there was in the whole body , yet the part where the separated acid or alkali is lodged , may soon suffer their bad effects . but if there may be suppos'd parts of alkali to one of acid in a man in a state of health , ( tho' i believe there is a greater difference ) yet it may well be thought that the proportion differs in divers persons , though all in health , yea in the same person at divers times , though he be well ; wherefore his inferences that these proportions are constantly to be found is not natural , nor does he imagine how hard it will prove to find them , if he should attempt it . but he says , he has been in health for some years , and so his blood must , on this supposition , have abounded with such like proportions of acid and alkali . that is , suppose in a state of health a man's blood should have parts of alkali to one of acid , the gentleman being in a state of health must have his blood abound with acid and alkali ; he abounds in acid discourse ! and supposes they are in due proportion , yet he says it follows they abound , yea and both at the same time . he ought , he says , therefore to have a care that what he eats and drinks should have but one part of acid , to or of alkali , but he has taken other measures , for he has drank within this year one quart of crab verjuice in hours , which was sufficient to impregnate his blood with six times the quantity . he 's a crabbed gentleman , i believe ; but i suppose he would not be thought to drink a quart every day for this twelve months , but in some one day within the time ; however we don't know , but that he may have a very large liver , from whence he may abound with the pernicious alkalous excrement gall , and that must meet with his verjuice before it get into the blood , unless it has discover'd a way through the undiscover'd passages at the bottom of the stomach ; or his blood may abound with alkali , and so he may bear more sharp doses than some folks can . besides , if he will believe what dr. john his master hath taught him , viz. that the blood can't ever abound with acids , either in a morbid or healthy state ; for the stomach will reject whatever is too much , but is often defective in conveying in enough , and that there is never any acid in the blood but in a state of perfect health . i say , if he believes this as he ought to do , all the store at the verjuice coffee-house will neither hurt him , nor help him . but on the contrary to what he asserts , i my self , and many others are as healthy as he , as vegete and sprightly , and yet eat mostly things abounding with alkalies , as fresh meat , fowls , fish , milk , &c. and neither love nor want sour sauces to help the appetite , and find nothing so hurtful as acids . but the gentleman i am perswaded commends acids rather for the wealth they bring the doctor , than the health they bring the patient ; for the doctor seldom takes physick . but he says , he could give a multitude of instances , where gentlemen have complain'd of their diseases being exasperated by taking medicines , phisicians call alkalies , but soon wonderfully reliev'd by acids , the truth of which a multitude of apothecaries in this city will inform you . the gentleman i find is a fellow citizen with his physician , and needs not much epistolary conversation with him . and we cannot but think he would now be thought some man of great practice , though he was shy at first , and call'd himself a gentleman , when a multitude of gentlemen make their complaints to him . but he would , i suppose , have gentlemen-patients , to whom there is little odds whether he speak sense or no ; if he be but confident , and so professes himself a gentleman . but those medicines , he says , they complain of , tho' physicians call them alkalies , possibly gentlemen may call acids , and sometimes do cures with them , and relieve the patients : for i believe , i shall find the gentleman but an ill judge before i have done . but we are to be inform'd of the truth of the gentleman's assertion , by a multitude of apothecaries . i confess , i never thought it worth while to enquire , but i never heard any one such story related by an apothecary , or his boy , tho' i have been in town ever since the wonders of acids have been talk'd of ; but i have been told of divers mortal cures soon done by the acid method , even in diseases that seldom use to kill , and in such patients as have often been recover'd by alkalies . the gent. says , pag. . that i assert there may be acid enough in the blood to cause a disease , tho' it will not turn the syrup of violets green , but have not proved it . no truly , i have not proved it , nor ever was such a fool as to assert that acid would turn the syrup of violets green . but if he will try , i 'll warrant him he may inject acid enough into the blood to cause a disease , and kill , and yet he shall not find the serum of the diseased blood turn syrup of violets red . the gent. saith , pag. . that from the page of my dialogue to the , there 's nothing but scurrility , and quotations out of etmuller , hossman , helmont and hypocrates , so that the strength of my arguments depend altogether upon an ipse dixit . as for what he calls scurrility , i shall not excuse it , the recitation of john's panegyrical abuse of the college , and dull praise of his own admired self , must needs bring some ill language into the pages ; nor did i , without the advise of the wisest man , answer a fool according to his folly , lest he be wise in his own eyes . but the gent. seeing something he did not like , or care any more to stir in , makes too much hast over the pages , or else he might have seen some notable quotations out of colbatch de assheadis , viz. that the blood has never any acid in it , but in a state of perfect health . that all persons have some degree of sickness . that overmuch fatness , if it may be call'd a disease , is caus'd by acids . yet that acids ( tho' never in the blood , but in perfect health ) mortifie and expel the luxuriant alkalous particles , make the thick blood thin , and the thin blood thick : but that he that can shew how this is done , must be as wise as the wisest man that ever was , or shall be ; but yet he tells us how acids do these things , by being differently specified with other things . therefore the gentleman has not done genteely by me , in saying , there was nothing in the pages but scurrility , and quotations out of helmont , hoffman , hypocrates , and etmuller , whose ipse dixit's i hope are yet as good arguments with the physical world , as colbatch's , or any small author 's of greater confidence , and little time , and practice . he says also that i have falaciously taught a wrong way of experimenting , whether acids will thicken and coagulate the blood ; for he understands that i made my experiments on blood that had stood , when the grumous part was coagulated , which is a very irrational way . i answer , his understanding is too short , i did not make a few experiments on blood , or a few ways ; i have not only tryed blood when cold , or in a porringer , but let it run out of the vein unto acid , and other liquors , and that diluted , and with warm water . if the acid be much it will make a great alteration ; if little , proportionally ; but tho' it be so little as to make no alteration sensible to the eye , yet the acid particles may pin together some of the globules of the blood , so as to make a figure , and size , that will not pass some small vessel or other , and that stop more , and that stagnated blood may corrupt , and get a peregrine ferment , and either produce some topical maladie , or excite some disorderly fermentation in the blood that presses upon it . but as to the gentleman's question , whether acids diluted and taken inwardly will coagulate the blood when its warm , fluid , and perpetually circulating through it's channels , and a due commixture made of all its parts with whatever is ingested ? i answer , this question amounts to this , whether the blood will be coagulated by acids while it retains its due motion and consistence ; that is , in short , whether the blood will be coagulated while it is uncoagulated ? a wise question ! but he tells us , to convince us , that acids will not coagulate the blood when judiciously used , ( judiciously , that is i suppose by the prescription of an acid , dr. or else they may . ) we may take or drops of oyl of vitriol , or sp. of niter in or spoonfuls of water ; &c. such a proportion of acid is as much , or more than can be admitted into the blood at any time , when taken inwardly . but how does the gentleman know that no more can be admitted ? why he says so , and he 'd have us believe him . well we will for once ; but then say i , i doubt acids will do no wonders in casting out the devil alkali : for suppose a man should have ounces of alkali in him ( which is a small quantity to what may well be supposed , ) but by some error in diet , or by some other means he has or ounces ; or drops of oyl of vitriol , or sp. of niter will do very little towards expelling , or mortifying an ounce or of alkali , as any one may see by mixing such quantities ; nor can the gentleman ensure that small cargo of acid to arrive safe into the designed port , but ten to one some part of it may be lost by the way , splitting on some alkalous rock in the stomach , or be pyrated by the gall , and so carried another way out of the body . but tho' there is great doubt what may become of it if given inwardly , yet it is certain it may be mixt in what quantity one pleases in a porringer ; but then whether the porringer would not borrow a little of it , or lend it some matter to make sacch . saturni of , i suppose the gent. never enquired , or whether the goose quill he stirs it with , and the water does not do more to hinder its coagulation , than the acids did to hinder or promote it . but we come to the gentleman's experiments . he tells us , the way to make experiments on blood is , having open'd a vein , begin to drop your acid mixture into the porringer , and agitate it with a goose quill till the blood is cold . and by this method , be says , he has with oyl of vitriol , and sp. of niter , &c. preserved blood fluid , and also free from putrefaction , the last of which , is what neither volatil , nor sixt alkalies will do , as may be seen by the following experiments . experiment . he mix'd with or ounces of blood , drops of 🝆 of 🜖 diluted in ounces of water , and it preserved the blood fluid , gave it a better colour and consistency than some of the same he mix'd nothing with , he kept it in a viol days , and it was equally free from any smell , or signs of putrefaction , as when it stream'd from the vein . in answer to which i say , he is not sure that the ounces of water would not do more towards keeping the blood fluid , thin , and of a bright colour , than the drops of 🝆 of 🜖 could do one way or other . but to do the gent. all right , and to answer fairly to his experiments , i try'd them more nicely than he did : for i took the same proportion of 🝆 of 🜖 and water that he did , and having made it just blood-warm in the viol , i let the blood of a healthy young man run from the vein into it , till i had that just quantity by weight in proportion to the 🝆 of 🜖 and water , and shaking them well together , and stoping the viol with a cork , i set it by : it soon look'd of a muddy black colour , and being open'd at days it began to stink . experiment . the like proportion of blood , he says , he mix'd with drops of oyl of tartar , in ounces of water , it seem'd to remain fluid in the porringer ; but having let it stand close stop'd in a viol or days , the grumous part was precipitated , and it stunk most intollerably , and the smell was like that proceeding from a dead body , whose lungs or other vicera have been vlcerated . the gentleman has 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this experiment , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blood was like that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have been exulce●●●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doubtless , that can dis●●●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parts from that of all 〈◊〉 flesh corrup●●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wonder if he don't conclude the exulceration of the lungs proceeds from oyl of tartar ! but i try'd this experiment also , after the same manner i did the former ; i open'd it at days , and it had no more ill smell than when it came from the vein ; at days i open'd it again , it was likewise free from any ill smell ; so again at days , at , and at , and at , and at days , it look'd well , and had no ill smell , when some blood that had nothing but the proportion of water stunk in half the time . experiment . he mix'd , he says , with the like quantity of blood , drops of sp. of 🜖 , dulc . in ounces of water , and it preserv'd the blood fluid , gave it a better colour , hindering its parts from subsiding , nor did it stink in the least while he kept it , which was or days . in this experiment the drops of sp. of 🜖 dulc . must have at least of sp. of wine , which we know will preserve blood. but i tryed this also as i did the foregoing , and having kept it days it stunk much , and look'd no better than that in which was nothing but water . but in his experiment he says he mixed drops of sp of 🜖 , with ounces of blood , and it preserv'd it fluid ; but after or days he open'd the viol , and it sent forth a very offensive stink . i also try'd this experiment , as i did the others , and open'd the viol at days , at days , at days , and at days , and it had no ill smell at all , lastly at days was thin , and of better colour and consistence than the blood in any of the other experiments , and had no ill smell ; but that with the 🝆 of 🜖 look'd worst of all . the gent. adds , if these four experiments are not enough to convince the dr. of the falsehood of my assertion , he has variety of others at his service . i answer , he whose commanding requests oblig'd the gentleman to write , needs no more to convince him . but i think if they will serve him no better than these have done , he will do better to keep his service to himself . the gent. says , pag. . that whereas i argue a juvantibus & ledentibus , and say that acids are seen often to hurt in hypochondriack , hysterick and scor●utical cases , and in vlcers , issues , &c. which on the contrary are relieved by alkalies , but he has 〈◊〉 my bare word for it . i say my word is as good as anothers ; but i could give observations not only of my own , but of divers famous physicians : but no authorities , but those of acid doctors , are any thing to the acid gentleman ; who farther says , should he undertake effectually to prove that acids are the only medicines which cure those diseases i have named , it must be by enumerating observations of cures perform'd by them , which would make his epistle too long . here the gentleman speaks well ; for if he should prove that acids , are the only medicines that cure these diseases , he must not only enumerate all the acid doctors cures , ( who i am well inform'd often cure sine recidiva ) but he must enumerate all the cures that have been done in the world of these diseases , and ascertain us that all of them were done by acids , which would indeed be too long for a letter to a man of business . but i believe he would in his own practice hardly be able to give us many instances of ulcers cur'd with nothing but acids , or be willing to be dress'd with nothing else himself . but to save the vast labour , he gives us a catalogue of some of the most celebrated medicines used in curing those distempers , as steel in its best preparations , all the acid spirits and elixirs , crem . tart. tart. vitriolat . sal. succini , &c. and refers to dr. colbatch his authority . but i must tell the gentleman , dr. colbatch his authority , and his reasoning , are no better one than the other . steel , acid spirits , &c. he says are the most celebrated medicines in use , in the cure of the foremention'd diseases . ergo , those diseases are cur'd by nothing else : and would that be good logick , yet the medicines enumerated are not all acids , or cure as such , as we may have occasion to shew before we have done . but our gent. says , pag. . he won't believe me that an acid can be got from blood or vrine , of either healthy , or diseased persons , because i have not told him the process . answer , i thought i had told it plain enough to any one that understands a little chymistry : and i can make him believe it very easily , but that i don't write to teach gentlemen chymistry , but to shew them the ignorance , and groundless confidence and danger of acid quacks . but he complains farther , that i will not teach him the legerdemain of mixing alk. and acid , so that no acid , but an alka●ous liquor shall be distill'd from it . an alk. and acid ; so that neither alk. nor acid , shall be obtain'd , but a salsum . again an alk. and acid , so that neither alk. acid , nor salsum shall be obtain'd , but an oleum . i must confess , these tricks are legerdemain , and till he understands a little chymical legerdemain , he will never comprehend them , and i beg his excuse for not teaching them , there is something more than ordinary in them , and they must not be profaned . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . but i will demonstrate the truth of any of these operations , when ever i shall have a sufficient reason for so doing . the gentleman also says , the natural or artificial conjunction of an acid and an alkali , which i say will make a salsum , he calls an acid , because the acid is most predominant , and does operate as such ; for tartar vitriolat . which i call a salsum , dissolved in water , will work upon steel as manifestly as sp. of 🜖 , which is allow'd to be an acid. i answer , he may call it an ass-head , if he will ; but i say , where the ass-head is predominant , there is not the true salt savour ; and tartar vitriolat . if it be a salsum as it should , be has neither the ac. nor al. predominate ; nor does its working on steel prove it to be an acid , or to operate as such ; as the gentleman himself , being better inform'd , and forgetting what he had said , asserts , pag. . iron , says he , will be dissolv'd by acid , alkali , or sal nutrum , and instances in sp. of vrin , sp of 🜖 , crem . tartar , tartar vitriolat . and com. salt. the gent. asserts farther , pag. . that common salt , by often dissolving and crystalizing , will be so deprived of its bittern , as to act as an acid by dissolving steel , &c. but if you would do it at once , you must put an ounce of sp of 🜖 into quarts of solution of salt , and then evaporate , &c. and you will have the salt much more wholesome , and useful in all cases ; and pag. . having thus proved sea salt to be an acid , he cannot imagine how it should be the cause of the scurvy , when there 's scarce a better medicine known for its cure than sp. of 🜖 . i answer , the gentleman having quitted his opinion , ( as before said ) pag. . that the solution of steel is an argument of the dissolvents being an acid , i hope he will alter his opinion in other things where he is mistaken , or at least see he hath contradicted himself , as his master acid used to do . but if he adds sp. of 🜖 to his com. 🜖 , i confess that may work as an acid in it , and do what the salt would not do , but it will not be more wholesome or better in all cases ; for bittern it self is good for something , tho' the gentleman's master colbatch hath damn'd it . so if sp. of salt were a medicine , good for the scurvy , it does not follow that common salt too much eaten may not cause it . and as to the gentleman's assertion , that there 's scarce a better medicine known for the scurvy than sp. of salt , i say he talks as old wives use to do ; whatever they have heard commended , they will say is the best thing in the world. but let it be good ; yet , if i thought he would not be angry , because i don't tell what , i would affirm , i know or better medicines for the scurvy . but he adds , the scurvy being the symptom of a putrefaction of the juices of our bodies , it will still look more like a paradox , that salt which is the known preservative of dead flesh , should be the cause of putrefaction in that which is alive . i answer , a putrefaction in the juices of living bodies , except in sores and ulcers , has not i think been shewn : but it is certain , that which will preserve dead bodies , would kill living ones ; as drying ▪ for instance : and i believe even an acid doctor , if he were sous'd , or hang'd up in a chimney a little while with bacon , ( tho' he were very well salted first ) would soon be of this opinion . so sp. of wine , tho' it preserves flesh , being drunk in too large a quantity will make corrupt work , in the vital oeconomy ; yea , i don't question but 🝆 of 🜖 crab verjuice , or lemons , and oranges themselves , may be taken in quantities large enough to kill a man , as i believe some persons have experimented . nor is the gentleman 's reasoning more sharp , in saying , nor will the want of the spiritual parts of flesh , and fish , appear to be the cause of any disease , when physicians prescribe to venerial patients , flesh roasted or boyled to driness , and such other food as yields the least of spirituous , and volatile alkalous parts ; as water-gruel , bisket , &c. physicians ( whether they do wisely or no 't is no matter ) prescribe things that yield the least volatile alkalous , and spiritual parts in the pox , ergo the want of spirituous and volatile parts in our meat , can't be the cause of any disease . but i believe the gentleman's physician never prescrib'd him flesh boyl'd to dryness . but he rejoyns as sharply , that if he did not design brevity , he could bring instances to prove that acids are not the cause of the scurvy , but the only salubrious medicines in use against that distemper . i answer , it is good to be brief ; but i don't know that i ever said acids are the cause of the scurvy , and therefore he says nothing against me . but to prove they are the only salubrious medicines in use for this disease , he must know all the medicines that are in use , and their success . but instead of this , he gives us only a story that another worthy gentleman told him , that having been long troubl'd with the scurvy , by reading doctor colbatch ' s tracts , he was prevail'd upon to eat lemons stoutly , by which method he recover'd , after the ineffectual use of the prescripts of the physicians of the best repute . this is what the gent. has to say , to perswade us that acids are not the cause , but the only medicines in the cure of the scurvy . one gentleman told another ; but were gentlemen infallible in connecting causes , and effects ( as physicians are not ) yet the single matter of fact comes to us but upon the word of an unknown gentleman , who 't is said was so lucky as to meet with mr. colbatch his tracts , whereby ( not to omit the best of the story ) he became such a prodigious lemon eater , as that he soon arriv'd to the perfection of eating in a day , this was a perfection the quaker never attain'd , 't is pity he conceals his name , i believe he might make himself as famous as will. joy , or the great cock-eater . the gent. shews , pag. . that he has misapprehended me , for i never said as he would make me ; that we lose more in weight , sitting still in a frosty morning , than if we were in the bagnio , or that the coldness and moisture of the air opens the pores to promote perspiration . but i say still , there is certainly more matter carried off by insensible perspiration , than by sweating , taking one time with another ; and that a fresh air promotes perspiration , is not only proved by seamens eating more , and voiding less other excrements than those at land , but is reasonably concluded from the consideration of the dissolving power of the air , whereby any tenacious matter in the surface of the body stopping the pores is removed ; and perhaps this is a chief reason that a clear air is so beneficial to divers sick persons ; and tho' the air at sea may be suppos'd more moist than the air at land , yet the sea certainly sends up fewer clammy effluvia than the land , that abounds with so many sulphurous matters . again he says , pag. . that i confess i can't see how an acid can be separated from sea salt when in the blood , and yet i affirm in the next page , that acids are found separated in farther recesses than the stomach and guts . i answer , i did not then only confess , but do profess still , i don't see how an acid can be distill'd from sea salt in the blood , &c. yet i affirm that acids have been found in farther recesses than the stomach and guts ; as the gent. also does , pag. . instancing the pancreatick juice . but i did not say from sea salt ; for there are divers other things eaten and drank , that are indeed acid , or capable of being made so , without the help of a strong fire . and i affirm ( as all physicians that consider will acknowledge ) contrary to the inconsiderate assertion of the gentleman , that there are other separations to be made of our food , ( tho' not of sea salt , which is ejected as it went in ) requisite besides a dissolution of their texture , or else the various juices of our bodies could not be maintained and repaired . the gentleman , pag. . talks of the relation i gave of mr. smith's death , by tasting an acid liquor in a cistus of a cancerous breast , more like a gentleman than a physician . for he saith , a man that is poisoned is commonly delirious on his death-bed , and 't is not unusual to hear such accuse the most proper medicine as the cause of their death . if he had been a little inform'd of the nature of poison , he would have learnt that poison is a general name common to many different and opposite things , that kill in small quantity with various and opposite symptoms , and does not always make men delirious , neither can he suppose this cancerous liquor was given mr. smith as a medicine . but supposing mr. smith was poison'd , ( adds he ) it will follow according to my assertion , it was not done by an acid , because i could not see how an acid spirit can be separated from any thing while in the blood. i answer , i don't know where i said an acid could not be separated from any thing in the blood , but that sp. of salt could not be distill'd there ; but had i said so , it will not follow that mr. smith was not poison'd by that liquor , or that it was not an acid ; for that liquor doubtless was produced in the part by a preternatural fermentation , after whatever was the matter of it was separated from the blood. but he adds , granting it a strong acid , how will you account for its not making way throw the breast before amputation ? i answer , very easily ; no dissolvent tho' ever so strong acts in an instant , but must have time ; that had not time enough to do it . i will hold aq. fortis , or a stronger liquor in my hand without dissolving it . but he says farther , if it had been an acid it could not fail of raising an escar on mr. smith ' s tongue , and that would have fill'd his mouth with a stink , far surpassing that of any acid liquor . here the gent. forgets himself , and contradicts what he endeavour'd before to prove , viz. that acids preserve from corruption and stink ; but he shews himself but a small surgeon , and little acquainted with chymical liquors . for an escar does not stink so soon , tho' made with acids , nor do the strongest acids make them so hastily : i will taste aq. fortis , or any common acid at any time without hurting my tongue , but i can shew him an acid liquor that stinks , worse than any mortified flesh he ever saw . but he presumes that the physician who told me this story had the care of mr. smith , and fail'd not in giving the most celebrated alkalies , which , it appears did him no service , wherefore he believes the liquor be tasted did not kill him , without other help . but to shew that all this is indeed presumption , i will bring the gentleman to the physician , if he pleases , before whom i am perswaded he will not so presume . but the gent. says , pag. . that my supposition , that if the blood in the small pox , scurvy , and gout , yields more alkali , it is hence that the acid is precipitated and fix'd in the extremities by meeting alkalies , is overthrown by analyzing the chalkey substance in the gout , which exhibits the phenomena of alkalies . i rejoyn , i hope the gent. will not any more urge that the chalkey substance in the gout , yielding the phenomena of alkalies , overthrows what i said in the small pox , and scurvy ; nor does it , say i , necessarily disprove my assertion even in the gout ; for i have told him that an acid and an alkali joyn'd , will sometimes yield no acid in distillation , but an alkali , as i can demonstrate at any time , tho' i have not yet thought sit to teach proud empyricks , or all sorts of gentlemen the art of chymical legerdemain , whereby i can demonstrate that all the experiments the gentleman builds upon are fallacious . he says also that he knows 't is difficult to give judgment to a grain in the distillation of blood , yet the difference is so manifest between morbid and sound blood , that or more grains may be allow'd for perspiration , deficiency of fire , or waste in large glasses , &c. but i tell him , neither he nor his doctor have made experiments enough , or nice enough , to find a certain difference . but if we should suppose that the blood does in some diseases yield by distillation more alkali than in health , it will not follow that the disease was caus'd by alkali , but the alkali may rather be suppos'd the effect of the disease ; for it is well known , that even bodies that will yield large quantities of acid in distillation and no alkali , will by a fermentative heat be so alter'd , as to yield a great deal of alkali and no acid ; and in like manner the preternatural ferment in some diseases may so alter the liquors of our bodies , as that they may yield more alkali , and less or no acid. but the gentleman says , pap . . my experiment of the saliva's turning the syrup of violets green , does not prove that it is not impregnated with a manifest acid , which is what dr. colebatch asserts ; for there are a multitude of other bodies which will turn the syrup green , yet have in them a manifest acid , as oyls and vinous spirits , which tho' they have a manifest acid , yet it s so sheath'd in the other parts of the fluid , that it cannot be unlock'd or set at liberty , to exert it self by so dammy a body as syr. of violets , yet they operate on other bodies by vertue of their acid , as oyl of turpentine will dissolve copper , the acid in sulphur , turpentine , spittle makes quicksilver easily embody with them ; and because i say , it s from the turpentine's consisting of ramous and flexible parts , he thinks it is the same with saying , they consist of nothing at all ; for 'till i shew him those ramous and flexible parts , he must belive it is from the acid that they embody with mercury . what the gentleman says now is much to the purpose , i hope he will help to bring the acidists to sense . for if the saliva's turning the syrup green , does not prove that it is not impregnated with , and does not act as a manifest acid , then the serum of blood 's turning syrup of violets green , does not prove that to abound with an alkali , and not to be an acid ; and so what mr. colebatch asserts is a mistake , and his criterion fallible , and so the ground of his hypothesis is gone , and the gentleman must take his doctrine merely upon his word . and if there are a multitude of other bodies which turn syr. of violets green , that are to be denominated acids from their quality , of which if they were divested , they would fail of their intension which they perform with it , as he says , pag. . then gentlemen can be no more judges of his master colebatch's hypothesis . but how the gentleman should assert that vinous spirits and oyl of turpentine , &c. have manifest acids , i can't tell , unless the constant use of crab verjuce makes all things relish so with him , for i am sure he never made it manifest to any that was not an acidist ; and that oyl of turpentine's acid can't be unlockt by the clammy body of syr. of violets , and yet that it works upon the much more tough body of copper , is very strange if true ; but it 's stranger that things consisting of ramous parts should be consisting of nothing , or that whatever is not done by particles a gentleman can see must be done by acid ; but the gentleman must believe it , and who can help it ? but he professes he will not believe me , that insipid calxes will kill quicsiklver , till i tell him more of it , for he knows none that will hold it so long as saline or acid bodies . well , because he is now a gentleman , i will tell him more of it than i did before . i did not say that calxes indifferently will hold quicksilver so long as any saline or acid bodies , what the calxes of gold and silver may do , i will leave to them that have made all the enquiry into the nature of metals human industry is capable of . i know it will amalgam with metals that destroy acids , but if you take almost any calx , or earth not too dry , you may rub mercury in it so as to lose sight of it , and so as you shall not be able to separate it but by fire : yea mercury is so ready to be concern'd with things that are no acids , that it will become invisibly embodied with common water , and the parts and humours of a man's body , notwithstanding all his alkalies in sickness and in health . the gentleman says , the trials i made on saliva being of that taken from sound persons often eating and drinking acids , he understands acids did not impair their health . i answer , he does understand no such thing , for acid did often so much towards impairing , that had they not used alkalous things to over balance them , they would not have been sound long . and tho' in the distillation , as he minds me , i found a salsum in the cap. mort. from which an acid might be got , yet that salsum i take to be nothing but sea salt , which would not be turned into an acid otherwise than by a strong fire . our gentleman remarks also , that i say , saliva when evaporated yielded a grateful smell : but his dr. knows that nutmegs , cinnamon , &c. and all odoriferous vegetables abound with acid and sulphur , from whence proceed their grateful smells ; it is not then reasonable to conclude , that that pleasant smell in the saliva came from acid and sulphur ? i reply , the dr. knows no such thing , he never saw sulphur in , or got from aromatick or odoriferous plants , nor does their smell proceed from sulphur and acid , but from pure oyls ; the smell of sulphur every body knows is not pleasant , but mixed with oyls both become abominable stinkers . but he gives a reason , such as it is , for all animal substances when tending to corruption , emitting a noxious smell , and from them in that state he cannot find a salsum as i did from saliva . but i say , that from animal substances in a state of corruption i can find a salsum , as from blood , urine , &c. tho' he can't . the gentleman in answer to what i said of the stomach , that there 's no need of an acid there , and that my stomach is best when there 's not so much as to curdle milk ; replies , that there may be an acid in the stomach , tho' not so much as to curdle milk ; for a small quantity of wine , nay vinegar diluted in water , pour'd slowly into milk will not curdle it , and wines have in them a manifest acid ; and vegetables , in whom acid abounds , decocted in milk will not coagulate it . i answer , a small quantity of acid , tho' not enough to coagulate milk pour'd into it slowly , will yet do it if digested in a heat like that of the stomach ; but wines are not manifestly acid , unless they taste four ; and the vegetables he talks of are nameless . he says farther , pag. . to convince me that the saliva acts as an acid , he will enquire what juices are brought into the stomach to cause hunger , and he can find none but the saliva ; therefore he concludes hunger is caus'd by the juice strain'd from the salival glands , and in fevers , when that moisture is deficient , there is no desire of food ; and also that lemons and oranges cause hunger ; and if hunger is caus'd only by acids , he would have me prove what juice is brought into the stomach from any other part that yields more acid. the gentleman is so profound at reasoning , one must sometimes have a long line to fish for his arguments . come on then , let us try to catch this . the saliva acts as an acid ; and why ? because he can find no other juice brought into the stomach to cause hunger ; and if hunger is caus'd only by acids , i must prove some other juice brought in from some other part that yields more . well , but if hunger is not caus●d by acids , or by juices , and he has prov'd neither , then the argument is gone . yes , but lemons and oranges cause hunger ; then , i say , the saliva may be excus'd from that office , since acid doctors are so ready to convey them in . i wish they don't breed a famine . but in fevers , when the saliva is wanting , there 's no appetite . but 't is no matter , since lemons and oranges are more sharp than the saliva it self , for the very thoughts of them , will put a man's mouth in disorder . but if one may speak freely to a gentle man , i must tell him , a clown would have given a better reason of hunger , that it is caus'd most commonly by want of victuals , and not by swallowing ones spittle , or eating lemons and oranges ; for if one do neither , yet fasting will bring that sense ; and if one can get neither lemons nor oranges , the want of a breakfast or two , will make one have a stomach to ones dinner . but the gentleman comes to prove mr. colebatch's opinion , that there are some vessels passing from the bottom of the stomach to the kidneys ; and he confesses he could never find them in all the bodies he hath dissected . i believe so . gentlemen don't use to dissect bodies very oft ; but yet to prove these undiscover'd canula's , he gives us the authority of several stories ; one of a man that voided by urine great quantities of herbs , and two pills . of another that voided a leaden bullet the same way . and of a third , that pissed the stones of raisins . of others that piss'd needles , alkekengi , and melon-seeds , &c. besides he has observed the urine has been perfum'd in or minutes , by eating asparagus , or taking oyl of turpentine . now , say i , if we admit these stories to be true as to matter of fact , it does not prove these undiscover'd passages , unless the gentleman could prove that these things could pass no other way ; but as for those things that may be suppos'd to pass through very small passages , there are such discover'd , thro' which they are more like to pass , than thro' these that are so very small , if any , that no body could ever see them . but perhaps there is some law in nature , that those passengers that are permitted to go the short way to the kidneys , must shut the door after them . the gent. is not pleas'd , pag , and . that i assign a considerable use to the gall ; but he has either not considerately read , or mis-represented what i said of it . he says , that the dung affording a fixt salt ( as i told him ) like that obtain'd from the bile , and the chyle not appearing ting'd with greenness , nor milk yielding any such fixt salt , are indications that the gall is carried down with the rest of the excrements , but not mix'd with the chyle ; neither , thinks he , will the narrowness of the venae lacteae admit so thick a liquor as the gall. i answer , i did not say that the gall was carried into the venae lecteae , and mix'd with the chyle there , tho' it must be thought to receive its supply that way ; as all the rest of juices of the body do . but any one will confess ( except he that thinks himself bound to say any thing to defend a senseless error ) that the gall cannot issue forth into the duodenum , without being mixed with the chyle , where it may very profitably seize the inimical acid , and carry it out at the back-door of the body . but the gent. goes on to defame this notable part in the vital machine , and if what he says of it were true , one might think the body might have been contriv'd better , than that such an enemy should be placed in so inward a recess , at liberty to disgorge its venom into the nutritious juice . and he possitively affirms , that the gall●s presence in the guts can be of no use , but to be in a way of being ejected by stool . if it can be of no use we can●t help it . but the gent. hath not proved it usless . but he says , if it be detain'd in the guts , the consequences are dismal , yet if any quantities pass downwards , a ▪ diarrhea ensues , &c. 't is dismal indeed , that whether it stay or go its morbous effects are inevitable . i thought he said 't was all to be ejected by stool , yet if it go that way we must have a flux . when the bile is brought into the stomach , i agree with the gentleman , it causes disorders ; but viscera , as he calls it , i think is a new name for the stomach . but he says , it may be known that the colick , iliaca passio , diarrhea , are symptoms produced from that juice by the excrements being ting'd therewith . but i say that is not a sufficient argument , but these symptoms may be caus'd by too much acid , wherewith it is loaded , and he should have used another sense beside seeing , to know whether the gall were too much in the mixture ; i believe he would hardly taste it bitter . but the gentleman goes on to accuse the wickedness of the gall , pag. . in two instances , one of a gentleman he help'd to dissect , having many defects in him , but particularly that the gall-bladder was empty . another of a child , who had the same defects . but there is nothing in the relations , if true , that will prove that those defects found in the bodies were caus'd by too much gall , rather than that they were occasion'd by too little ; so i shall pass it , only taking notice of two things remarkable . . that gentlemen may dissect one another . . that if it be true as he says , that those bodies stink soonest , in whom the gall bladder is found empty , then the gall must needs be allow'd to be at least a preservative against corruption . but he comes to arguments , to convince us that acids are admitted into the blood ; and that he does , by putting us in mind of the pancreatick juice , which , he says , is manifestly acid to the tast . and the chyle taken from the venae lactae of a dog he tasted manifestly acid , when it has been kept some time ; and from milk's turning sour . but he had no need to prove that against me , for i never said the gall kept out all the acid , but only hindred that so much , as otherwise would , goes not in . but as for discerning the acidity of the pancreatick juice , or of the dog 's chyle , that , as he says , had stood , ( and turned sour ) by his taste ; it is no good evidence , because he takes so many acid draughts in a day , that his mouth , i doubt , can hardly ever be free from a sour relish ; and if we had not better reason than his evidence , we should doubt of the pancreatick juices acidity . the gent. has a farther attempt , pag. . to take off what i said , as to acids coagulating and corrupting blood , flesh , skin , tendons , &c. and he tells us again , my experiments were tryed a fallacious way , for the oyl of vitriol alone will coagulate blood when it 's cold , and a separation made of its grumous parts from the serum , yet if it be diluted in a proper quantity of an aqueous vehicle , which is the method of giving such acids , it will preserve the blood fluid , and free from putrefaction . i answer , the oyl of vitriol will coagulate the blood , and alter its due texture , before there is a separation made of the serum , yea , while in the veins , if injected ; and in all reason that which will coagulate much in such or such a quantity , will do it a little in a small quantity . but water will certainly dilute and make thin the blood ; and perhaps two ounces of water will do more to thin the blood , than two or three drops of oyl of vitriol to thicken it , if they always accompany one another ; and i do not think it possible to give so much oyl of vitriol in at the mouth as is enough to coagulate the mass of blood in the veins , without killing by something it will do before it comes there ; but oyl of vitriol , and such like things , being not subject to the ferments of our bodies , and not so easily carried off by our heat as water , if they come into the blood , must have their being some where or other , and if they six and adhere to any particular part , may cause a small coagulation there , or by thickning the blood retard its motion , or by retarding its motion thicken it , and so give occasion to some stoppage in some small veins ; and wherever the blood stagnates it will be coagulated and corrupted , tho' the thing that caus'd the stagnation were not the immediate cause of the coagulation and corruption . but if oyl of vitriol and such acids be so excellent to thin the blood , and consequently accellerate its motions , i would know what gentlemen give it for in feavers , and such like distempers , rather than sp. of sal. armon . which will do so ; if it cools , i should think it is by retarding the rapid motion of the blood , and if the blood run slow it is more apt to coagulate . but perhaps gentlemen acidists give it not , because it retards , or accelerates the blood , thickens it , or thins it , cools it or heats it , but merely because it is an acid , and will do every thing , and that because mr. colebatch says , acids are the only medicines that cure all diseases , he is sure of it , ( tho' he does no more cures , except deadly ones , than others ) and his little satelites must say so , tho' neither he nor they can tell how it operates , or why they give it . but the gent. urges farther , that ounces of sp. of niter in a convenient quantity of water , ( what that is he wont tell us ) preserved an embrio . and 't is the acid of salt preserves flesh and fish from putrefaction : for if you divest the salt of its acid , what remains will never do the business . vinegar and salt preserve cucumbers , capers , &c. i answer , ounces of sp. of sal. armon or of a ●ixivium , yea or bittern , that wicked thing , in a convenient quantity of water , will do as much , or more ; but why ? not because they are call'd acid or alkali , but because they are saline bodies , which in such quantities hinder fermentation . so sea salt , not because it is call'd an acid , or an alkali , or a s●●sum , but because it hinders that inward motion of the particles of flesh , &c. that would bring it to corruption . but whether what remains , will do the like , when sea salt is divested of its acid , mr. acid , nor his gentleman ever tryed : for i must tell them what i find they are ignorant of , that sea salt will be distill'd all into spirit , and be reduced all into sea salt again , it is so homogeneous a body . but perhaps he means the earth , with which it is distill'd , will not do . it is from the same reason that salt and vinegar preserve cucumbers , &c. but yet i believe , if the gentleman or his physician either , were kept a little while in such pickle , he would find it not very friendly to the vital frame , tho' it might keep them from stinking . our gentleman , pag. . tells us , that i said , that animals that yield half their weight of acid liquor , will putrefie sooner than others , that abound with more alkali . but he can't conceive what animals these should be . no wonder a gentlemen is unacquainted with the materia medica , that can't recite what i said : for i did not say sooner than others , but as soon , or sooner than some others ; not that abound with more alkali , but that abound with alkali ; for those animals don't abound with alkali , but with acid. but tho' he grants what i said , it won't follow says he , that their putrefaction is caus'd by the great quantity of acids ; true , i never argued so , for acid is their proper nature ; but notwithstanding they are such sour fellows , they will corrupt , contrary to mr. colebatch his assertion , that it were impossible that bodies full of acid shuld putrifie . but he thinks the animals putrified , because of the deprivation of their acid , it going off in effluvia . but he is mistaken , for they were crose stopp'd in a glass , and perspire much more when alive . the gentleman goes on to make the same mistakes , asserting that i said vegetabl●s that yield most acid , and oyl , will rot sooner than others ; when i said as soon , or sooner than some others ; and that crabs , oranges and lemons will rot sooner than apples , that are not so sour ; when i said sooner than some apples that are not sour ▪ but he says , experience informs us how false this assertion is ; for lemons are preserved longer than apples , and will not putrifie but when bruised ; and lemon-pill will be preserved many years by drying . i answer , lemons are preserved longer than some apples , but not than others ; and thanks to their peel , which according to the acid doctors should rot first , being less acid. he adds , that he hath kept a vegetable years in water , acidulated with sp. of salt , sound and entire . i believe it may be true , if try'd on some sort of vegetables . but he concludes , with a defiance to shew him an alkali , volatile or fixt , that will preserve animals , or vegetables from putrefaction , tho' i gave him or in the same leaf , and i would give him another , if i thought he would still believe bittern , that wicked thing , to be an alkali . but he comes , pag. . at length to alum , and he is not contented , that i said alum is not an acid , nor has the effects of an acid , because it turns syr. of violets green , and that alum is us'd in making leather , on the account of its astringency . but the gentleman is of another opinion , for he finds 't is the chalky substance in alum turns the syr. green : but his reason is no better than this , that the acid sp. will turn the syr. red ; very good ; but i spake of the whole compound , that it was not an acid , because it turns the syr. green , and the gentleman says it is , because one part of the product turns it red . but i have master colebatch on my side , who says , those things that turn the syr. green are manifest alkalies , or abound with alkalies . but as for the leather-dressing , he says , ' t is the acid part in alum , makes the skins compact , because if the acid be separated , the remaining part will be of no such use . i answer , if these parts be separated , neither will be of use , the caput mort. will do nothing , and the acid will spoil the skins . i 'll appeal to our country-man , mr. yardly , the philosophical glover whether ever he dress'd leather with spirit of alum . he says , he can easily answer for the rotting of coffins , when the bones that abound with alkali remain firm ; the rottenness is produced by the alkalous flesh , and juices of the cadaver , entring the pores of the wood , but the hardness of the cortex of the bones , having smaller pores than wood , will not so readily admit the alkalous essluvia . but i answer , if bones had any thing call'd a cortex , and that were so compact , and there were not very large and numerous pores in the bones , yet one would think the alkali already in their most intmate recesses , and wherein they are digested from without , should rot them sooner than the coffins that have it on one side only , and are guarded within and without , with the mighty preserver acid. the gentleman replies to what i asserted , that acids are not the only things that will quench thirst in diseases , for niter will sooner do it . that he knows by experience if you take from niter what is acid , the remaining substance will not quench thirst . i answer , 't is true , the earth with which niter is distill●d will not quench thirst . if you take from niter , what will by distillation be made an acid , you take all away ; for it will all come over in spirit , but niter given in a proper vehicle will quench thirst much better than the spirit . pag. . the gentleman has done ungenteelly by me , as well as in several other places , for he says , that i say , oyl of vitriol is a noble medicine in feavers , and he agrees with me ; when as i said to mr. colebatch , that i would grant that oyl of vitriol might be , the best medicine in continual feavers he knew ; but i knew a better , and that an alkali . he makes me agree with him , and then says he agrees with me , oyl of vitriol is far from a noble medicine , so is com. oyl of vitriol , from what may be made of vitriol . but he will believe that the medicine , i say i have that is better , is an acid ; unless i will produce it . but truly i can't help it if he will believe so ; for i suppose good medicine , and acid are synonymous with him : and whatever is proved to be good , is to him sufficiently proved to be an acid. but my medicine is already produced , and if he or any other civil gentleman will come to me , he shall taste it . the gentleman says , in the same page , that the use of acids in the small pox is now so generally believed and practis'd , that he need-not trouble us with arguments from that topick . i answer , that it is a very poor topick to prove the goodness of a thing , that it is generally used , ( but i suppose he means by the acid doctors ) and he might have told us whores are now generally used for the great pox , and have added , that it is seldom cured without them . his story which he subjoyns of the success of acids in the small pox , i shall believe to be as he calls it , a storys not questioning the veracity of his author , or his skill , who never imagin'd that acids would cure a disease . in answer to my assertion , that alkalies , when in solution , are not coagulated alone , but by meeting with acids ; and so that the chalky matter in the gout will not prove the disease caus'd by alkali , rather than acid ; he replys , pag. . that alkalous salts , when insolution are coagulated with what i call alkalies ; for volatile alkalies will embody with copper , and make what is call'd salt of vitriol , if suffered to stand in the cold for a month. i answer , this instance is not a thing whereof he informs us , only i was used to think copper dissolved was not salt of vitriol , but if he has found copper enough in gouty persons to coagulate the alkali in their blood ; we will acknowledge he hath discover'd a mine ; but i am apt to think he can find nothing in the body of man that is an alkali , that will coagulate the spirit of his blood. but he says farther , that sp. of sal. armon . being an alkali in solution , will in distillation so unite it self with lime a fixt alkali , that he shall never be able to separate any volatile alkali salt from it again . indeed it may have the smell of a volatile alkali , but no salt is to be got from it , as may be seen ; for if it be or times distill'd from lime , it shall be so far from what we call an alkali , that it shall make no ebullition with a manifest acid. i answer the gentleman , that the volatile alkali does not unite it self with lime ; if it did , it would either become a fixt , or the lime a volatile ; neither of which is done , but the vol. alkali is so alter'd by the lime , that it is better united with its phlegm that holds it , so that both rise together . but i will teach the gentleman how to separate a dry salt from them again , when ever he is willing to practise chymistry , and thinks it will do him a kindness . but he gives an odd reason of this his opinion , that if or . times distill'd from lime , it shall be so far from what we call an alkali , as not to make an ebullition with acids . but i say , tho' it be so far from what acid gentlemen , who don't believe their senses call alkali , yet others will call it alkali , who know that ebullition with acids is not the only thing that shews an alkali , for that very sp. will destroy his acids , and be destroy'd so far as to make a nuter , but will not be irrecoverably lost . he says , pag. . that i grosly mistake what offa alba is , because i said it is a precipitation of the urinous salt , not a coagulation of the urinous spirit , whereas it is as much in a coagulum at the top , as at the bottom . i answer , the gentleman , i believe , takes the notion of precipitation only from the sound of the word . but a thing is said to be insolution when the particles are invisible in the dissolvent , but precipitated when they coalesce so as to be seen , tho' being light they may not presently fall to the bottom . but a coagulum of a vinous sp. and urinous salt into one body he never saw , or any such union but what is separable . but however , this offa alba can't be made in the veins , to coagulate into chalk in gouty persons , as his master teaches him . he asks what i 'll think of some he has seen drink high rectified sp. of wine ? i 'll tell him , they are no strange fellows , nor more gouty than others ; i have often done it , and never had the gout . the blood is not an alkalous spirit to coagulate it , nor can it be carried in through the stomach , without being weakned too much to do the feat , if there were such a spirit within . but he tells us a great secret in chymistry , viz. that if the alkalous sp. be distill'd from testaceous pouders , it will be destroy'd . but i tell him he is mistaken , he never saw the alkalous salt destroy'd in his life . but then he tells us , it will fix it self ; but i tell him , if it be fixt it is not destroy'd ; if destroy'd , it is not fix'd ; but i tell him he is mistaken in both , and never saw a volatil alkali fixt , any more than a fixt one volatilized . but the gentleman comes , pag. . to something more weighty , a very grand point , and that is to do what his master colebatch could never do , and yet it must be done , or the acidists must knock under board , viz. to prove iron an acid. iron they professedly use , and nothing can be a good medicine but an acid they say , therefore they are cast by their own verdict , unless iron can be made an acid ; help neighbours ! a gentleman had need of commanding requests to put him on this difficulty . well let 's see what efforts he makes . iron , says he , making an effervescence with an acid , is no more an argument that it is an alkali , than that butter of antimony ( which is allow'd to be a strong acid ) is an alkali , because it makes an effervescence with sp. of nitre or vitriol , which are acids . i fancy the gentleman has learnt logick of mr. colebatch , ( altho' he would be thought to converse with him only in an epistolary way ) he argues so like him . let us feel the strength of this argument . butter of antimony an allow'd acid , making an effervescence with sp. of niter an acid , don't prove it an alkali , therefore iron making an effervescence with an acid , don't prove it an alkali . but i say it don't follow , but the gentleman is to prove iron an acid , and it s not being an alkali , if it were not , don't prove it an acid , unless there were nothing but alkali and acid ; and if its effervescence don't prove it an alkali , much less does it prove it an acid ; but i tell him butter of antimony does not effervesce with an acid , because of its acidity , but because of the antimony in it not wholly dissolved ; the butter is nothing but sp. of salt , and the body of the more metalline part of antimony , mixed by an imperfect dissolution ; but when the sp. of nitre comes and dissolves it wholy , it makes an effervescence in dissolving it , but with sp. of salt alone it will not do so . . iron , says he , is not properly an absorber of acids , but of salts in general , for it will be dissolved by acid , alkali , or sal nutrum . but i answer , this don't prove it an acid , if it be so . but he says , if you put upon filings of iron a volatil alkali , there will a gentle ebullition ensue . i say , it must be very gentle certainly , for i could never see it , tho' i try'd it on purpose ; but perhaps 't was an ebullition caus'd by the fire , upon which acid , alkali , vinous , oleous , or watery liquors , yea or metalline , will boyl . but to go a little farther , in the matter , says he , and do something towards proving that steel abounds with acid and sulphureous particles , which , he says , i deny , and not with alkalous , and so consequently ought to be call'd an acid. the gentleman here confesses he hath done nothing to it yet , but now he is resolved to prove iron abounds with acid , and sulphureous particles ; but , i say , the consequence will not be that it is an acid if it do , unless those acid particles are more than the rest . well , but first he will shew that iron is very much impregnated with sulphur ; and then prove , contrary to my assertion , that there is a burning brimstome to be obtain'd from it . well this is a secret in chymistry , i long to be at it ; how is it done ? why filings of steel flung through the flame of a candle will take fire sooner than gunpowder , and as soon as common sulphur , and the violent motion of a flint and steel will do the same . i answer , the gentleman has shewn his ignorance sufficiently here ; these phaenomena are not the firing of any thing combustible in the steel , but only the heating small particles of the mettal red hot ; the first by the flame of the candle , the second by the rapid stroke of the flint , striking off a particle of the metal red hot , and sometimes melted , as it may be seen , if caught on a piece of white paper , and viewed in a microscope ; but the metal will be found unaltered ; which , if it were burnt , would be otherwise . but if the steel be softned it will not do , the blow not meeting with so much resistance , the flint will strike off too much to take the heat . but again he is pleas'd to say , that when the filings of iron are in dissolution in sp. of salt , the fumes that arise will take fire ; and if done in a convenient glass , and a lighted paper held to the fumes , it will fulminate as loud as a musquet ; and he hopes i am satisfied by this time , that there is such a thing as common brimstone in iron . truly sir , i am not yet satisfied ; i could never see the fumes of sp. of salt take fire , and if they did , it could be nothing of the iron , which won't rise in fumes , as any one may see by distilling the matter . an explosion , i know , may be , if the mouth of the glass be too small , or stopt ; and so there may be of any rarifiable liquor . but if this won't do , he is so kind as to give us a process to make brimstone out of ron . now he comes to something like a tansie , and i must write it down ▪ recip . sal martis , dissolve it in common water , add oyl of tartar more than will precipitate the iron , evaporate all to dryness , flux it with carcoal , and you will have a sulphureous salt , dissolve in water , and filter , and with distill'd vinegar , or sp. of salt , you may precipitate a sulphur that will burn and stink like common sulphur . i thank the gentleman , but i must tell him , this sulphur comes not at all from the iron . for first , if his sal martis be that made with spirit of wine and oyl of vitriol , they will yield sulphur enough without the iron ; the oyl of vitriol will coagulate the inflamable part of the sp. of wine into brimstone . if it comes not hence , the oyl of tartar has a sulphur in it , as all fixt alkalies have more or less . if this won't do , the charchoal has enough ; and if he uses vinegar to precipitate it , that can spare a little . but let him take iron , and work on it how he will without any thing that can supply a combustible body , i defy him , or a horse with a bigger head , to get me a grain of sulphur . so in his process of tartar vitriolat . and filings of iron , if true , the sulphur comes from the other things , not the iron . but he says , he has not mentioned the proportions of his ingredients , because he is talking to a chymist . it seems he takes the physician he writes to for a chymist , but he talks not like one ; for proportions of things necessary in order to divers resulting products in chymistry , that a man has not tried and observed , are not hit easily by any rules in chymistry , and in many operations much depends on proportion . but if these experiments won't prove a sulphur in iron , he says , he may chance to produce more , but these , he supposes , will satisfie the reasonable . i answer , i suppose these were not his worst , and if he produces no better , won't do to satisfie the skilful , whatever the reasonable may think . but he says , he must conclude steel to be rather an acid than an alkali . that 's his misery , that he must conclude it an acid , tho' none ever got an acid from it . but if he can get a sulphur from it , he hopes none will doubt but he may also get an acid in quantity . i answer , to conclude this mighty point , if the sulphur he supposes he gets from it , were indeed from it , t is so little , that it would not denominate steel a sulphur , and that acid in the sulphur is much less , and would much less give iron the title of an acid. but let an honest country man ( mr. yardly if you please ) taste filings of steel , not knowing what it is , or any thing indeed produced from it , and if he says it tastes sour , i 'll be an assheadist . i thought i had done with steel for this bout , because something else comes next , but i find there 's another touch upon steel afterwards , so i 'll go to that , that we may dispatch all the martial man's business together . the gentleman tells us , pag. . i say the doctor 's preparation of steel with sal armon ▪ is not made with an acid , and he thinks it is ; and to prove it , says he , if you make it in a retort and a strong fire , nothing but an alkali will rise , and the acid will remain with the steel ; for if you take the cap. mort. and distill , you shall have nothing come over but a pure acid , of great use in physick . i am at a little loss to know who he means by the doctor , it must be some body sure that is a doctor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as aristotle was known formerly by the name of the philosopher ; but the gentleman being one that loves verjuice well , i guess he means mr. colebatch ; but i 'd faign know what made him a doctor , whether ignorance , confidence , or a licence to kill , or all together . but now i think on 't , doctor is a teacher , and he teaches the abuse of crabs , oranges , and lemons , therefore he is a doctor . but the doctor 's preparation of steel must be with an acid. if it be , i say , 't is because the doctor is an acid ; for sal armon is not , being a compound of com . salt and vol salt of urin , neither of which is an acid ; and tho com . salt may be distill'd into an acid , yet 't is not an acid before distillat on , any more than lead , for instance , is glass , because it may be turn'd into glass . but when salt is turn'd into an acid liquor , it then ceases to be a salsum , tho' it may be brought back again very easily into its old and natural form ; as the glass of lead may likewise soon be reduced into lead again . and the doctor 's preparation is made with it before distill'd . but the gentleman adds , if we dissolve filings of steel in sp. of salt , and distill as before , we shall find the cap. mort. the same as that made with sal armon . and farther , says he , ' t is not the com . salt , but the acid spirit of it , that is one part of the compound of sal armon . and vol. alkali the other ; for a mixture of sp. of salt and vol. alkali will produce good sal armon . right , but these alkalous bodies change the acidity of the sp. of salt into a body not acid , but a salsum , its natural old form ; and in that form it works , not in that it has not when so changed . but not to let go what the gentleman says , pag. . without a remark ; he there tells us , he is sure a disease caus'd by acids may be cured by acids . but here he unwittingly gives away the cause , by confessing a disease may be caus'd by acids , which is the very thing i would prove ; and there are divers kinds of acids having different effects , therefore acids may cause divers diseases . but still he holds fast to one part of the doctrine , that all diseases , even those caus'd by acids , may be cured ( he should have said must ) by acids . and how proves he this ? why acids operate upon , or alter the texture of one another ; and if the texture be alter'd its qualities must be alter'd ; and it must act differently from what it did . i answer , whatever change acids make on one another , they do not change one another from being acids ; and the disease being caus'd by the acid , as acid , the change of the acid will but change the disease , not cure it ; that must be done , by taking away its acidity , or expelling the acid ; and if acid could be supposed to expel acid , 't would be but one devil entring to cast out the other , this being as troublesome a guest as that disposs'd ; and the experiment the gentleman brings to confirm his opinion , is nothing pertaining to medicine or man's body : for sp. of nitre , or aq. fort . says he , dissolves silver , but sp. of salt mixed with them , makes it it shall never dissolve silver as it did . but our bowels are not silver , to be dissolved in sp. of nitre , that sp. of salt should be a medicine to render ineffectual . the gentleman ▪ says , pag . that i am very angry with doctor colebath for saying cinnabar is an acid , but have not proved , or said it is an alkali . to which i tell him , i was never angry with doctor colebatch in my life , nor with his gentleman , but i think i said enough to prove that cinnabar is not an acid , much less running mercury sixteenths of it . but the gentleman refers to all the world , whether running mercury will act as cinnabar does ; if not , then cinnabar does all by vertue of the sulphur embodied with it . but i 'll refer it even to the acidists , by the same argument , whether common sulphur will act as cinnabar does ; if not , then cinnabar does all by vertue of the mercury embodied with it ; and if the argument be good , it is to on my side . but i tell the gentleman , to leave these logical depths for experience , cinnabar acts as cinnabar , and not as mercury , or as sulphur , otherwise we need not be at the trouble to compound them . and the gentleman goes on with his argument , sulphur is an acid ; why ? because i allow it to be compounded of an acid and an oyl , but not of an acid and an alkali . the argument runs thus in the whole latitude of it . sulpur is an acid , because it is compounded of a little acid and an oyl ; and cinnabar is an acid , because it has a little of that that has a little acid in it . by the same logick i may prove the gentleman is a calf , because he dined upon veal , and has a little of a calf in him . but the gentleman talks on , shewing more ignorance , saying , he believes mercury an absorber of all kind of salts , alkalies or acids , rather than of acids . but i must tell him , it is not an absorber of alkalies , for they revive it , and disengage it from acids which it hath absorb'd . but he says , it will dissolve mettals , which is an argument i often use to prove the acidity of a body . i answer , it will not truly dissolve metals , it only pulverises them . but he continues to abuse me , so as a gentleman can't be thought to do ; for i never , that i know of , much less often , made it an argument to prove the acidity of a body , that it will dissolve a mettal ; tho' he would be contented it should be took for one . i suppose , that if he should be convinc'd that sp. of sal armon . is a good medicine , he would prove it an acid by its dissolving copper . but he says , mercury will ferment with gold if well managed , and make a heat not to be endured by the hand . but this is no argument that mercury is an acid ; and tho this story he has heard be true , he knows not what the well managing of the mercury is , or the cause of the heat . he says , he has often met with two acids that will ferment with one another ; but he has given no instance , but what he is mistaken in . but the gentleman , pag . wishes i had told them how to make the quintessence of wine an alkali , ( which i said i would oppose to all the acids in the world ) that it might be us'd , and judged whether it be so noble an alkali or not . i answer , this alkali has been us'd , and is us'd , and judg'd , and found to be a noble alkali ; and i have cured considerable diseases with one small dose of it ; and have had a patient sick in bed , and fear of death one day , and up , and pretty well on the morrow , by the use of this alkali . but i did not say , i would oppose it to all the acids in the world , but to mr. colebatch's acids ; for there are better acids than he is aware of , useful in some , tho not in all cases . but if the gentleman has a mind to see the effects of this medicine , i say still , let there be a number of patients , sick of such diseases wherein i think it useful , divided between mr. colebath and i , or any other acidist , and i will use the quintescence , and he shall use what acid he pleases , and if i don't recover more than he , i 'll be an acidist . but the gentleman can guess what this quintescence of wine is ; and he supposes it is the finest rectified sp. of wine , talk●d of by some , that is so subtile a drop will not fall to the ground . such an essence of wine he has seen , and can make at any time ; but he affirms it will come under the denomination of an acid. i answer , i confess such an essence of wine will come under the denomination of an acid , if mr. colebatch says 't is an acid , ( as he must do if he should use it ) or if it be found in the ingenious mr. stringer's catalogue of acids ; but there is no better argement for its acidity . but to satisfie the gentleman , i tell him this alkali is as much an alkali , as any thing he ever saw ; and 't is not his supposed essence of wine , or any other essence , but a quintessence , if he knows what that means . but yet to satisfie him sufficiently , ( if he be a philosopher as well as a gentleman , as , he says , physicians are ) i 'll tell him why this is call'd a quintescence , and what it is . the quintessence is the fifth state or being of wine . the first is in the must or juice of grapes . the second , in the wine when fermented and brought to its perfection , as an inflamable spirit ; ( and in this state the gentleman's essence is found . ) the third , when this second inflamable spirit is turn'd into an incombustible salt the fourth , when this salt is mortified and seemingly destroy'd . the fifth is its change and resurrection into a noble alkalous and green spirit . the gent says , pag. . sp. of salt diluted in a convenient quantity of an aqueous vehicle , is better to preserve flesh than com salt ; and com salt , by an addition of a proper quantity of sp. of salt , will be more useful in all respects . i answer , if he had told us his convenient and proper quantities , the tryal of the matter might soon have been made . but if you take a piece of meat season'd as the gentleman prescribes , and another after the ordinary way , i 'll engage , on tryal , the last shall eat best ; and mr. colebatch himself would say so , if he knew nothing of their seasoning . the gentleman adds , that in opposition to mr. colebatch , i affirm that bittern is not an alkali but an acid , because sp. of salt is to be obtain'd from it in distillation ; but i have not told in what quantity , for i knew the proportion is inconsiderale to what remains after distillation , there being at least four parts of alkali in bittern to one of acid , which turns syr. viol. green , and answers the intentions of a strong alkali ; and he has known soap made of it , which is not done without a great quantity of alkali : and tho' sp. of salt may be obtain'd from bittern , yet this will not prove it an acid , or that the sp. is any part of the bittern , for it is but some remains of the acid part of the salt ; for the bittern , after distillation , will cause thirst more than it did before , and the spirit will allay thirst if judiciously used . i answer , the gentleman has so often , unbecoming a gentleman , made me say what i never said , that i now can hardly believe he is indeed a gentleman , but rather some little medicaster , or very small surgeon . i never said bittern was an acid , because spirit of salt may be distill'd from it , but i said bittern in its natural form is but a salsum ; and by skill in chymistry mr. colbatch his damn'd ●ixt alkali ( as he call'd it ) becomes a blessed volatil acid. but the gentleman cannot conceive the chymical metamorphosis of bodies , his pyrotechny is only separatory . i told the gentleman's physician also , that bittern would rise in the fire , and come over ( i did not say yeild ) good spirit of salt. and the gent. is much mistaken in supposing the spirit is inconsiderable to what remains , or that bittern has parts of alkali to one of acid. for , as i said , it leaves nothing behind but an insipid white earth , and that is inconsiderable to what comes over , if it be skilfully distill'd ; nor will that earth cause thirst so much , as sa it in which there is no bittern . i do not believe he ever saw soap made of bittern , as he says , but i know soap may be made with a very little alkali . but the gent. concludes , he is of the opinion that i cannot produce a catalogue of medicines equaly efficacious in the cure of diseases with mercur. dule . turpeth . min. red precip . cinnabar . sal succini . sal martis en. veneris . oyl of vitriol , sp. of nitre , oyl of sulphur , and dr. colebatch ' s elixir vitrioli ; all which operate by vertue of their acids : for if they be divested of their acid particles they will never produce those effects . and if the use of alkalies cannot be thus demonstrated , he shall remain a proselyte to the doctrine of acids . and thus , says he , he has given his thoughts in answer to those objections that seem most material in the dialogue , but has omitted to take notice of what has not a relation to acids and alkalies , being the cause or cure of diseases , and in so doing , hopes he has answer'd the doctor 's request . i answer , i can produce the same catalogue , and a better . but the medicines named are not the invention of any acid doctor , but were common to all physicians , before any such sharp fancy had turn'd the brains of any pretenders to physick ; nor are they all acids , nor do any of them , except the spirits , operate by vertue of their acids . but i might say , if i could allow my self to reason as the gentleman does , by vertue of their alkalies ; for if you take away ☿ , ♀ , and ♂ , the acids now joined with them , will never produce the effects alone . but i know better , they operate by vertue of their texture resulting from their conjuction ; even as gun-powder does not operate by vertue of sulphur , or either of its ingredients , but by nitre , sulphur , and charcoal all together . and if the use of acids ( or alkalies either ) cannot be better demonstrated than the gentleman , or his master colebatch , have demonstrated their pretended hypothesis of acids , i shall not be a proselyte to either , the gentleman has at last answer'd his doctors request , and pick'd out here , and there an expression in my dialogue , which he thought he could say some thing to , but how well he has answered what was indeed material , and how much he has omitted , i must yet leave to the judicious reader of my dialogue , wherein i think stands unanswer'd enough to shew the groundlessness and danger of the pretended new hypothesis of acid and alkali ; as well as the immodest self applause , shameful contempt , and abuse of all physicians , gross mistakes , and great ignorance of the pretender : which want of learning and vertue the gentleman in his letter , has not so much as excus'd ; wherefore i hope his master is also conscious thereof , and will amend . and the gentleman perhaps in a little time may see , that he is a proselyte to so very sensless , and mean a sect , he may be asham'd on 't , or he may be blown with some less biting or dangerous maggot , or become fond of some newer fancy ; since gentlemen are inclinable it seems , to be as well pleas'd with their physicians for imposing new fashion'd sufferings upon them , as with their taylors for putting them into new fashion'd cloaths : and for such gentlemens sakes i have a good mind , before i conclude , to start a yet newer hypothesis that may serve them , when that of acids is out of fashion , which when it shall be strongly asserted by some man of confidence , i don't question but it will take , please as well , be more effectual , and le●s dangerous than the practice of acids . i have been inform'd by a person of credit , that a certain doctor in france , who was fam●d for his cures , gave nothing to his patients but brick-dust . and i have heard of another of considerable repute in another place , who , as a panacea , gave all that came to him convenient quantities of common water . these doctors wanting a more generous principle , both disguised their medicines ; they seem to have acted contrary , but which appear'd to have the better success , i was not well inform'd ; but some of the patients of both no doubt recover'd , and some of them died , those that lived would swear the doctor heald them , but those that pack'd off were left out of the catalogue of his cures . but let it be how it will , the hint gives me ground enough to build a new hypothesis upon , now that of acids grows old . brick-dust and water then shall be two principals , into which bodies may be resolved . distillation and transmutation reduces all into them . whatever is liquid comes over either in the form of water , the one principle required , or in the form of oyl , or of a saline spirit . the oyl 's unctuosity and inflamableness may soon be changed , and the sapor of the salts be destroyed ; the vita media of both may be soon took away , and the liquor reduced into common insipid water . but whatever is solid may be by the fire reduced either to a liquid , to be wrought on as before said , or by burning will be reduced to a caput mort. which expos'd to the action of the air , will be rotted and turn'd into common earth , which then by art may be made into brick , and then easily pulverised ( if you will follow the french man ) fine enough for the stoma●h of a lady . how these two principles are concern'd in the life and death of all things in the macrocosm , i could readily teach , if an exact physiology were thought necessary to a doctor . now let these two principles be taken , instead of acid and alkali , for the life and death of things , and for the cause and cure of diseases , ( it shall be all one to me , which is the killer , and which is the curer ) and i will make out the aitiologie of all deseases , and their cures from them . but forasmuch as gentlemen now-a-days are generally great lovers of the bottle , and will rather cause a dose from the glass , than from the trowel , and a physicians business is to humour them , brick-dust shall be the cause , and water the cure of all diseases . but because we will recommend our selves by talking learnedly as physicians ought , that is so as our grand-mothers may not readily understand us , we will call them arid , and humid , and say arid is the cause , and humid the cure of all diseases . let us begin at the mouth , as physicians commonly do , at which death is so often let in , in this our luxurious and pharmacutick age. it is apparent that no food , if it abound with arid , can agree well with us ; therefore nature has placed certain cataracts under the tongue pouring out their humid saliva , which tempers the arid and carries it along ; without which even deglutition cannot be performed , without soon terminating our life by choaking . this humid accompanying our food down into the stomach , there digests our food , and that not by its acid , or alkali , bitterness or sweetness , or any other affected relish , but by vertue of its self , as humid . the truth of which any man may be satisfied with , if he but considers how water is necessary for the macerating of all things fermentable , in order to a separation of their parts , the humid from the arid , the profitable from the unprofitable . now when a due quantity of humid is administer'd by the salivia , which carries our food down , mixes and ferments it , and drink being added in a convenient quantity , ( the more watry the better ) farther to dilute it , and to supply matter for more saliva , the mixture passes the pylorus , and in the small guts is farther altered ; whence the humid chyle , with a little fine arid to increase or supply the defects of the solid parts , is separaby the lacteals ; but most of the arid inviscated by the gall and pancreatick juice , ( which make a tough slimy matter , ) is carried down as noxious through the guts , and turn'd out at the back door . now if for want of a sufficient quantity of humid in the stomach , there is not a due natural fermentation , so as that the particles in the compound have not liberty to move without breaking their figures against one another , or that they ad-here and combine , and remain not enough separated , they are not only unfit to supply the defect of the vital juices , but lying heavy in the ventricle they don't work up , and pass out of the pylorus as they ought ; whence proceed lothings , pains in the stomach , and spontaneous vomitings , &c. to remedy which , some large draughts of humid being given , the indigested matter is easily ejected , the stomach washed clean , and render'd fit for its office again , till it be again over-charg'd with arid , or defrauded of its due quantity of humid . but if the abounding arid , be not so much as totally to hinder the fermentation in the stomach , but yet the humid be not such as is sufficient for the due performance thereof , then a gross chyle , wherein arid does abound , is retain'd , inseparable from it in the duodenum : the grosser part of which being not able to enter the lacteals , is carried downwards ; which being too tough and clammy adheres to the sides of the colon , and lies too long in its cells , causing the cholick , dry gripes , and divers mischiefs of that nature , till by the irritation and excoriation of the latera of the guts , nature pours forth the lymphatick juice , and so there are produced fluxes , more or less , according to the greater or less disorder and irritation of the rough arid particles . but that part , which being not so gross , is carried into the lacteal veins , sometimes adheres there , in the small ramifications of those vessels , causing obstructions ; whence the nutricious juice being not plentifully carried into the blood , a tabes or aridura must needs follow . but by the due and timely administration of humid , these arid particles are washed out into the blood , and separated thence by urine , and the chyle again freely distributed to the recovery and health of the body . but if these arid particles are too abundant in the blood , and not duely separated by urine , they do not only render the blood too thick , and so retar'd its due motion , but after sticking in the capillary arteries and veins , hinder its motion in divers particular places , whence the blood stagnating there , a preternatual ferment is excited , and the blood put into an intestine motion , and thence come feavers of all sorts , differing according to the different circumstances of places obstructed , and of more or less arid matter . but by a proper adhibition of the friendly humid , these rough arid particles are made flow , and carried off by urine or sweat , and the heat alay'd , and so the patient recovers . but sometimes when those abounding arid particles , are not carried off by a sufficient quantity of the humid , either by urine or insensible perspiration , then they fix in the limbs and outward parts from whence there follow gouts , rhumatisms , &c. which by a large administration of humid , ( if the disease be not too stubbornly fixt ) are carried off , or their rough acrimony attemper'd , and so the patient enjoys ease and health . and i challenge all the acid doctors in england , even alkins himself , could we have him again from the lower world , with all the lemons and oranges in spain , or oyl of vitriol , in europe , to cure half the patients i will cure of the gout , by a regular course of pure humid . but if i should go from the blood to the succus nervosus , i could abundantly shew what dismal effects the abounding pernicious arid does , in thickning and in stoping the animal spirits , and so causing apoplexies , palseys , megrims , deliriums , &c. yea i could shew you how these rough arid particles fixing in the membranes , and other parts that are tense , cause pains ; but that this specimen would swell into a large book : and i could give so rational an account of the matter that most gentleman that love new discoveries might readily believe it the very truth , and be fond on 't , unless some one or other that should chance to have a dropsie , should object against my new doctrine , and say , what , will this fellow pretend his aridum is the cause of that , where it is water which apparently abounds ? i answer , let the gent. have a little patience , if i make out this point , i hope he will believe i am able to account for all the rest that may be explain'd on the same hypothesis , and i need not proceed any farther in this specimen . the dropsie it self , say i , is caus'd by the pernicious abounding arid , and cured by the due administration of the friendly humid . for the demonstration of which let it be consider'd , that even the humid's unequal and undue distribution and stagnation is a disease ; even as in the body politick the setling or stagnation of the vital-blood-mony in any of the members , and chiefly in the head , is not without very many bad effects . so when the humid stagnates in the legs , head , cods , abdomen , or habit of the body , it gives names to divers sorts of dropsies ; for i will not say of the blessedest humid , as mr. colebatch does of his acid , there can never be to much of it . but nevertheless arid , with his rough and harsh particles , i affirm is the cause of the humids abounding , wherever it is unduely distributed ; for if a man perspire well , and piss well , he will never have a dropsie . but when the arid particles abound , and obstruct the natural course of the humid , which is ordain'd to dilute , separate , and waft them off , the humid it self by its pressure breaks some vessels , or passes through outlets corroded by the arid , and so falls into the cavity of the abdomen , or is extravasated into some other part of the body , which effect we call a dropsy . but now for the cure of it , by humid you 'll say it is impossible , this is not adding oyl to the fire , but as bad , water to a deluge . have a little patience gent. and i 'll warrant you i 'll demonstrate it , better than mr. colebatch did the cure of four stomachs by oyl of vitriol . let it therefore be consider'd . that the extravasated humid cannot be discharg'd the way it came , not only because the passages it should have went are stop't for want of its due course in the vessels , but because it has lost its motion , and so lying long soaking the more fleshy parts , dissolves somewhat of them , and so becomes clammy : now the obstructing arid must be carried off , which cannot be done but by a humid , thinning the blood which is in motion , and tho the stagnated humid may be somewhat increas'd by the addition of more humid , yet it will be render'd more thin , and apt to flow when the obstructing and corroding , arid is washed away , and there will be nothing to hinder nature : but by the motion of the parts , the humid is press'd out into the vessels , and carried off again and now i think i have sufficiently shewn how the hardest part of this new doctrine may be accounted for ; but yet i must needs , as a friend to the faculty , insinuate something of the necessity , or at least , conveniency of the direction of a physician to order proper times , quantities , diet , wine , exercise , &c. in this easie course of physick ; for tho' i don't question , but by a little discretion a man may cure or prevent most diseases by this new method , chiefly by washing the pot , viz the stomach clean when ever it is foul ; yet i must warn my readers ( which let be a caution to drunkards , who may think they can't hurt themselves at all with humid ) that some humids , as sophisticated wines , and unripe mault drinks , have a gross and noxious arid swimming in them , which is very apt to precipitate , and cause divers ill effects in the body : and that any man may do himself a mischief , even by the most wholsome and innocent things indiscreetly used , as well as the physician by slighting his advice , which he is always ready to give on advantagious conditions . i could also confirm this hypothesis by a large account of cases in practice , but i shall forbear at present , only offering one consideration , viz. that all the real benefit received by drinking the waters , comes merely by the large quantities of water taken , washing the bowels and diluting the blood and other humours of the body , and not by the nasty minerals they are impregnated with , which nature abhorring rejects with disturbance ; and i would advise persons hereafter to repair to some pure spring , and there drink as at the usually frequented places , and if they don't receive more than usual benefit , i will recant and turn an aridist , and be as ready to assist john , or any other hypothetick in the doctine of arid , as i am now farther to demonstrate that of humid , as that which i think will be the most safe , and likely to do my friends a kindness , now the dangerous doctrine of acids begins to go out of fashion . finis . the aerial noctiluca, or, some new phœnomena, and a process of a factitious self-shining substance imparted in a letter to a friend living in the country / by the honourable robert boyle ... boyle, robert, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing b estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the aerial noctiluca, or, some new phœnomena, and a process of a factitious self-shining substance imparted in a letter to a friend living in the country / by the honourable robert boyle ... boyle, robert, - . [ ], p. printed by tho. snowden, and are to be sold by nath. ranew ..., london : . attributed to robert boyle. cf. bm. advertisement: p. [ ]-[ ] reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng phosphorus -- early works to . chemistry -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - jason colman sampled and proofread - jason colman text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the aerial noctiluca : or some new phoenomena , and a proces of a factitious self-shining substance . imparted in a letter to a friend , living in the country . by the honourable robert boyle , fellow of the royal society . london . printed by tho. snowden , and are to be sold by nath. ranew . bookseller in st. paul's church-yard . . an advertisement of the publisher to the reader . the honourable author of the following papers , thinking it probable that the processes deliver'd in them , having hitherto been publish'd by no man , will , as well for that reason , as for the nobleness of the subject , prove not unwelcome to the curious , in divers countries , where english is not understood : he was very willing , for their sakes , that this tract should be turn'd into latin. and now , to prevent the needless pains of any , that may have a mind to make such a version , without having the opportunity to consult the author , upon any doubt os his meaning , i think fit to give notice , that the translation is , by the author's consent , made already , and , god permitting , will quickly appear in publick . perhaps 't will not be improper to add , that the reason , why the following english tract is printed in octavo , ( as they speak ) is , that it may be conveniently bound up , either with the notes , already publish'd in the same form about divers particular qualities , or with those other notes that yet remain to be publish'd about other qualities ; to whose number light and inflammability may be referr'd . the ensuing discourse having been written to a virtuoso , living in the countrey , who has been for many years absent from london , it was thought fit in the beginning of these papers to give him some informations about phosphorus's , and their several kinds in general , but it was not thought fit to publish at the beginning of the letter any thing of complement ; since in that , neither the main subject , nor the reader , was concern'd . to my very learned friend dr. j. b. sir , to gratifie your curiosity about phosphorus's , as much as i can without indiscretion at present do , i must , in the first place , take notice to you , that though phosphorus's may well be distinguish'd into two sorts ; those that may be stil'd natural , as glow-worms , some sorts of rotten wood and fishes , and a few others , and those that are properly artificial : yet waving , at present , further mention of the former sort of bodies , that without manifest heat shine in the dark , ( which absence of sensible heat distinguishes phosphorus's from common fire and flame ; ) i shall now confine my discourse to the latter sort , and tell you , that as far as i have hitherto observ'd , those factitious shining bodies that do or may pass under the name of phosphorus's , may be reduc'd to two principal kinds , one of which may be subdivided into two or three , so that in all they will amount to three or four . the first of these consists of such bodies as shine only by the help of external illustration , or ( if you please ) such bodies , as being expos'd to the beams of the sun , or those of a vigorous flame , will retain a lucidness , and continue to shine some time in the dark . of this kind is the bolonian stone , skilfully prepar'd ; and of this sort also is the phosphorus hermeticus of balduinus , of whose phoenomena , but not the way of making it , the author has given the learned world an account . this phosphorus was therefore very welcome to divers of the curious , because the bolonian stone was for some years before grown very rare , even in its own countrey , italy , which scarceness , an ingenious traveller , then lately come out of those parts , told me he imputed to the death of the person that us'd to prepare the stone at bologna , without having left a sufficient account of his way of making it lucid . and the phosphorus of balduinus , which , or the like , may be made ( as i have tryed ) both of chaulk , and another substance , seem'd to me , when the preparation succeeded best , to catch the external light ( if i may so speak ) far more readily than the bolonian stone : for i remember i have had one , that being freshly made , would within about half a minute of an hour be manifestly excited , and as it were kindled ; so that being presently remov'd into a dark place , it would retain a very sensible light , for so many times as long as it had been expos'd to the beams of the external light ; and this ( if i much misremember not ) was even when that external light was but the flame of a candle . but , on the other side , whereas i have more than once or twice observ'd , with trouble , that these phosphorus's could very hardly be preserv'd for any long time , ( which i was apt to impute to the action of the insinuating air ) so that some of them in not many months , and others even in a few weeks ( or perhaps days ) would appear crack'd , and lose their vertue of being excited by the beams of light ; the bolonian stone , skilfully prepar'd , would retain its vertue of being excited for a much longer time : for i remember ( whatever learned men have deliver'd to the contrary ▪ ) i had a small piece of it , which , though i kept it negligently enough in an ordinary little wooden box , retain'd its vertue for several years after i had it , which was not till a great while after it was first prepar'd . what i have further observ'd concerning the phosphorus hermeticus , i have not now the leisure to acquaint you with . but besides this first kind of phosphorus's , that , to be able to shine , must have their faculty excited by the beams of the sun , or those of some other actually shining body : there is another sort , which needs not be previously illustrated by any external lucid , and yet continues to shine far longer than the bolonian stone , or the phosphorus of balduinus . this , by some learned men has been call'd , to discriminate it from the former , a noctiluca , which , though in strictness i cannot think it as proper a name as could be wish'd , since the other phosphorus will shine in the night as well as the day , if it be excited with the flame of a culinary fire , or of a large candle ; yet since the name has been received by several , and since 't is not easie in our language , to express the thing clearly in one word , i shall ( though for brevity , as much as distinction-sake ) admit the use of this name ▪ yet without forbearing sometimes to substitute for it that of a self-shining substance , which is more expressive of its nature : of this substance , mr. daniel krafft , a german chymist ▪ shew'd his majesty two sorts or degrees . to the first of which , i took the liberty to give the name of consistent ( or gummous ) noctiluca , not in that sense , wherein the word is oppos'd to soft , for this substance was at least as yielding as bees-wax in summer ; but as the word consistent is employ'd as equivalent to firm , and oppos'd to liquid and fluid . by reason also of its somewhat viscous texture , not very unlike that of gum of cherries , and some others newly taken from the tree , it may be call'd , the gummous noctiluca : and , i am inform'd , that on the score of its uninterrupted action , 't is call'd by some in germany , the constant noctiluca ; which title it does not ill deserve , since this phosphorus is much the noblest we have yet seen . for though there were not much of it , and though it were kept by it self in a little vial , well stop'd , it would , without being externally excited , incessantly shine , as he affirmed , both day and night . yet the light it afforded seem'd but little , if at all , more vivid , than i have sometimes observed in the liquor of glow-worms , and some other phosphorus's of nature's producing : nor had the possessor enough of this substance to invite his consent to any trial to improve it , the quantity he had at london , scarce exceeding in bulk the kernel of an almond . besides this gummous noctiluca , mr. krafft had a liquid one , that , perhaps , was made only by dissolution of the former in water , or some convenient liquor ; but the lucidness of this , was not permanent like that of the other , as i have noted in another paper : but within no very long time , especially when 't was divided into smaller portions , and left expos'd to the air , would expire or vanish . but besides the gummous and the liquid noctiluca hitherto mentioned ▪ i know not whether we may not add a third kind , that we our selves lately prepared , which seems to be of a somewhat differing nature , both from the consistent , and the liquid noctiluca newly describ'd , at least as far as i observ'd their phoenomena . for this of ours would not shine of it self , like the constant noctiluca , nor yet in that manner that the liquid noctiluca did ; but the bare contact of the air , without any external illustration or heat , would immediately produce a light , ( which might easily be made to last a good while in a well stop'd vessel : ) and , which is considerable , the substance that shin'd , was not the body of the liquor included in the vial , but an exhalation or effluvium mingled with the admitted air : for both which reasons , i gave it the name of aerial noctiluca . these are the several phosphorus's , that i have yet had opportunity to see , but , for ought i know , their variety may extend somewhat further , because i have heard of a paper printed in germany by an ingenious man , whose name ( if i mistake not ) is elsholez , wherein particular mention is made , in an historical way , of the german noctiluca : but this paper i cannot yet procure , and therefore you would do well to consult it , if you can get it ; and i am not averse from thinking , that future industry may discover some new kinds or variations of self-shining substances , that will deserve new names , and among them , perhaps , that of solid noctiluca's . having said thus much of the several sorts of artificial phosphorus's , i shall be very brief in speaking of their inventers , whereof i have but an imperfect information . for though i find it generally agreed , that the phosphorus hermeticus was first found and published to the world , by the learned and ingenious balduinus , a german lawyer ; yet as to the gummous and liquid noctiluca's , i find the first invention is by some ascrib'd to the abovemention'd mr. krafft , ( though i remember not , that when he was here , he plainly asserted it to himself ; ) by others , attributed to an ancient chymist , dwelling at hamburgh , whose name ( if i mistake not ) is mr. branc , and by others again , with great confidence , asserted to a famous german chymist in the court of saxony , call'd kunckelius . but to which of these so noble an invention , as that of the two german noctiluca's , is justly due , i neither am qualified nor desirous to judge ; and therefore , without prejudicing any man's right , i will proceed to that , which , i presume , is the chief thing you would know of me , namely , an account of the occasion and steps of my own attempt to make a noctiluca . concerning this i shall give you the following narrative , wherein , though my urgent avocations will not ( i fear ) permit me to be other than immethodical , yet i shall not decline to mention some circumstances that i know may be omitted , because they will not , perhaps , be found so barely historical , but that they may prove of some use to a less sagacity then yours , in an enquiry into a subject , wherein i cannot yet plainly tell you all you could wish to know , and which is both new and abstruse , as well as noble . after the experienced chymist mr. daniel krafft had , in a visit that he purposely made me , shewn me and some of my friends , both his liquid and consistent phosphorus , being by the phoenomena i then observ'd , ( and whereof the curious have since had publick notice * ) made certain , that there is really such a factitious body to be made , as would shine in the dark , without having been before illustrated by any lucid substance , and without being hot as to sense : after this , i say , i took into consideration by what ways it might be most probable , to produce , by art , such a shining substance . to seek for which i was both inclin'd , and hopeful to be somewhat assisted , because i had lying by me , among my yet unpublish'd notes of the mechanical origine of divers qualities , a collection of some observations & thoughts concerning light . light. and i was ( also ) the more encourag'd to attempt somewhat this way , because having , at mr. kraffts's desire , imparted to him somewhat that i discover'd about uncommon mercuries , ( which i had then communicated but to one person in the world ) he , in requital , confest to me at parting , that at least the principal matter of his phosphorus's , was somewhat that belong'd to the body of man. this intimation , though but very general , was therefore very welcome to me , because , though i have often thought it probable , that a shining substance may , by spagyrical art , be obtain'd from more kinds of bodies than one : yet designing , in the first place , to try if i could hit upon such a phosphorus as i saw was preparable , the advertisement sav'd me ( for some time ) the labor of ranging among various bodies , and directed me to exercise my industry in a narrower compass . but there being divers parts of the humane body , that have been taken to task by chymists ; and , perhaps , by me as carefully , as by some others , my choice might have been distracted between the blood , the solid excrements , the bones , the urine , and the hair , of the humane body ; if various former tryals and speculations upon more than one of those subjects , had not directed me to pitch upon that , which was fittest to be chosen , and of which , as i had formerly set down divers experiments and observations , so i had made provision of a quantity of it , and so far prepar'd it , that it wanted but little of being fit for my present purpose . but before i had made any great progress in my design , i was by divers removes , indispositions of body , law-suits , and other avocations , so distracted , or at least diverted , that i laid aside the prosecution of the phosphorus for a long time . and when afterwards i resum'd it , though i wrought upon the right matter , yet i was diverted from the right way , by a process that i received from beyond sea , as a great arcanum , that would certainly produce the noctiluca aspired to , for partly upon this account , but more , because i saw that the chief ingredient in this process , was that which i , with reason , took to be the best matter , i was induc'd to pursue the prescrib'd method for some months , but without success ; the true matter being , as i concluded , too much either alter'd or clog'd by the additional ingredients that were design'd to improve it ; besides , that the degree of fire , though a circumstance of the greatest moment , was overlook'd , or not rightly prescrib'd . however , adhering to the first choice i had made of a fit matter , i did not desist to work upon it by the ways i judg'd the most hopeful ▪ when a learned and ingenious stranger , ( a. g. m. d. countreyman , if i mistake not , to mr. krafft ) who had newly made an excursion into england , to see the countrey , having , in a visit he was pleas'd to make me , occasionally discoursed , among other things , about the german noctiluca , whereof he soon perceiv'd i knew the true matter , and had wrought much upon it . he said something about the degree of fire , that made me afterwards think , when i reflected on it , that that was the only thing i wanted to succeed in my endeavors . and there was the more reason to think so , because for want of a due management of the fire , we had divers times fail'd , of making the phosphorus of balduinus , not only after we had more than once wrought upon the right matter , but after we had actually made the phosphorus . wherefore when he left london , having yet some quantity of the matter in such readiness , that it needed but the fire to let me see what i ought to think of the hint the ingenious traveller had given me , i caus'd the tryal to be renew'd , which , proving unsuccessful , diminish'd much of my stock of prepar'd matter , but it did not so discourage me , as to hinder me from reiterating the attempt ( without much varying it ) with a good part of what remain'd . and though at this time also , all the care and diligence that could be employ'd , did not hinder an unlucky miscarriage , that kept the tryal from being fully satisfactory ; yet being confident upon the nature of the thing , i would not believe the skilful laborant , when he told me with trouble , that what i expected , was not at all produc'd : but going my self to the laboratory , i quickly found , that by the help of the air , or some agitation of what had pass'd into the receiver , i could , in a dark place ( though it was then day ) perceive some glimmerings of light , which , you will easily believe , i was not ill pleas'd to see . and now you have the history of my pursuit of the liquid phosphorus , that has made some noise among the curious : but i freely confess , that the success , though welcome , was not so full as i aim'd at , for i obtain'd no such consistent phosphorus as that whereof mr. krafft shew'd me , as i formerly told you , a small parcel . but as i was willing to think that this defect may be imputed to the cracking of the retort , before the operatien was quite finish'd , so i hope another distillation in a more luckily chosen vessel , may make me amends for the newly mentioned miscarriage , and thereby enable me to discover other , and perhaps nobler phoenomena of our shining substance , than hitherto i have been able to observe . especially considering , that the same misfortune , that i hope was the principal cause of my missing the noblest thing i aim'd at , the constant noctiluca , 〈◊〉 me so little even of liquid matter , ●●r my purpose , that i have not dared ▪ for fear of wasting it , to try several things with it , that i presume may be of good use in an enquiry into the nature of this light , and perhaps also of light in general . and because i fear by what i have observ'd , that , though the vessel had not crackt , yet the matter distill'd would have afforded but a small proportion of lucid substance , i am the more unwilling to fall upon this troublesom work again , till , besides other requisites , i be provided of a competent quantity of a matter which i fear contains but very little of the desired substance . however , i have endeavoured to make that use of our experiment , such as it was , that though the noctiluca it produc'd , be not perhaps so lucid as that of mr. kraffts , yet it may prove as luciferous as his hath hitherto been , since ( as you will see hereafter ) i have found a substance that needs the air , and nothing but the air to kindle it , and that in a moment . in this narrative i have been the more particular , that it may shew you , ( what i hope may make you amends for the length of it ) that an inquisitive man should not always be deter'd by the difficulties , or even disappointments he may meet with , in prosecuting a noble experiment , as long as he judges himself to proceed upon good and rational grounds . the vses that may be made of noctiluca's , especially of the consistent , are not , in probability , all of them to be easily foreseen and declar'd ; especially by me , who have not yet had time and ability to make those improvements of self-shining substances , that , by the assistance of the father of lights , i hope will , in process of time , be attained . if the lucid vertue of the constant noctiluca could be ( as i see not , why it may not be ) considerably invigorated , it may prevent a great deal of danger , to which men of war , and other ships are expos'd , by the necessity men often have to come into the gun-room with common flames or fire , to take out powder , which has occasion'd the blowing up of many a brave ship. our light may , perhaps , be of use to those that dive in deep waters ; and also may very safely and conveniently be let down into the sea , to what depth one pleases , and kept there a long time , to draw together the fishes that are wont to resort to the light of a fire or candle ; as in divers parts of scotland and ireland is well known to the fishermen , who get much profit by this resort . the same self-shining substance which in our aerial noctiluca affords a light , that , as faint as it yet is , was able , when i wak'd in the night , to shew me distinctly enough the bigness and shape of some joints of my fingers , and to discover itself in the shape of a capital letter ( of the alphabet ) that was cut out of a piece of black'd paper pasted upon the vial ; this light , i say , may probably , ( at least when somewhat invigorated ) suffice to shew the hour of the night when one wakes , ( with eyes unaccustomed to light ) if it be plac'd , instead of a lamp or candle , behind an index , where the figures employ'd to mark the hours are cut out . it may also serve to make a guide knowable at a good distance off , in spite of tempestuous winds and great showers , and this in the darkest night . divers ludicrous experiments , very pleasant and surprizing , may be made with the noctiluca , by him that has enough of it . but these trifles , though very pretty in their kind , i purposely pass over : as also an use that may be of great , but i fear of mischievous , consequence ; reserving what i have further to say of the usefulness of these self-shining substances , till time shall give me more information , and leisure . in the mean while i shall only intimate , that probably the utilities that so subtle and noble a substance may be brought to afford in medicine , may be more considerable than any of its other particular uses ; and that though our noctiluca had none of these , yet it may be highly valuable , if it shall ( as in all likelihood it will ) be found conducive to discover the nature of so noble a subject , as light , whose encomiums would require more time than i can allow this writing . and perhaps they will seem needless , when i shall have observ'd , that light was the first corporeal thing the great creator of the universe was pleased to make ; and that ( as our excellent bacon has well noted , to another purpose ) he was pleas'd to alot the whole first day to the creation of light alone , without associating with it in that honour , any other corporeal thing . these things being premis'd , i shall proceed to what i chiefly intended in this paper , viz. the mention of the observations themselves ; as soon as , to facilitate the understanding of them , i shall have advertised you , that though i fear 't will always be difficult to get out without loss , the self-shining substance rais'd by distillation , yet in our experiment , because the vessels would not hold out intire to the last , we had more difficulty , than even we expected , to get out the luciferous matter , and were fain to save , as much as we could of it , by small parcels , in distinct vials . whereof that which was first employ'd , though it was judg'd to have receiv'd the vigorousest portion of the shining liquor ; yet for a reason i elsewhere intimated , ( and because it was not at hand , when i had first the opportunity to use it ) i thought fit to make my tryals with the noctiluca , i had sav'd in the second vial ; setting aside some more faint and aqueous liquor , that was afterwards sav'd in a third vial ; and a thicker stuff that remain'd upon the paper , when some of the liquor had been put into it to be filtrated . which paper was kept in a fourth glass , which , though ( that it might admit the paper and adhering luciferous stuff ) it was wide-mouth'd , yet was it kept carefully stopt . of the phoenomena i observ'd in the second of these four glasses , i shall , god permitting , at this time , give you a short account ; designing , if my haste will give me leave , to add some particulars , that i may afterwards observe in those portions of our noctiluca , that were received in the three other glasses . observations made by mr. boyle , about the aerial noctiluca contained in his second vial. [ note , that this vial was capable of holding , by our guess , about two ounces of water , but there was not in it above one small spoonful of our liquor . observation i. the liquor that afforded the aerial noctiluca , ( for which reason , and for brevity , i often call it the shining liquor ) by day-light was not near diaphanous , and appear'd muddy , and of a greyish colour ; somewhat like common water , rendered opacous , by having a quantity of wood-ashes well mingled with it . observ . ii. when no light appear'd in the glass , we observ'd all the cavity of the vial , that reach'd from the liquor to the neck , to be transparent , as if there were nothing in the glass , save a spoonful of dirty water at the bottom . observ . iii. but when the liquor was made to shine vividly , then all the cavity of the glass , untaken up by the liquor , appear'd in an external light to be full of fumes . and this seeming smoke , being , in the vial that contain'd it , remov'd into a dark place , appear'd lucid , and sometimes look'd like a flame that seem'd to be reverberated , and to be made , as it were to circulate by the close stop'd neck and the sides of the vial. and the appearance of whitish fumes , when the glass was look'd upon in an external light , was so usual a concomitant of its fitness to shine in the dark , that by looking upon the vial by day-light , i could readily tell , by the presence or absence of the whitish mist abovementioned , whether the matter would , in a dark place , appear luminous or not . observ . iv. when this liquor had been kept for a competent time ( as an hour or two , and sometimes much less ) in some dark and quiet place , or even in my pocket ; if in a darkned room my eyes were cast toward the place where the vial was held , i could not perceive it to afford any light at all . and though i shak'd the liquor strongly enough , to give it at least a moderate agitation , yet i could not discern , that this motion alone , was able to bring the included liquor , or the vapors it may be suppos'd to have sent up , to be manifestly lucid . observ . v. but as soon as i unstopt the vial in the dark , there began to appear , as i expected , a light or flame in the cavity of it . i call it light or flame , because i dare not yet speak dogmatically of it ; though it agrees with flame in divers particulars , and though ( also ) i am not sure that all flames must agree in all points with common flames , experience having taught me the contrary ; and particularly , that some flames will burn , and be propagated in close-stopt vessels . i shall therefore on this account , and for brevity's sake , allow the aggregate of our shining fumes the name of flame , ( which aristotle himself somewhere stiles fumus accensus ) but without positively asserting that it deserves it , unless further phoenomena shall be found to intitle it thereunto . but whatever be the nature and subject of this light , the light itself appear'd to have , in great part , a dependance on the fresh air , as i judg'd probable by the following phoenomena . observ . vi. first , i never observ'd the light to disclose itself first , either in the liquor , or upon the surface of it ; but still the shining began at the upper part , which was first touch'd by the outward air , and made a progress , quick indeed , but not so instantaneous , as that the eye could not follow it , from the top to the bottom of the vial. observ . vii . secondly , the contact of the air seem'd necessary to the propagation as well as production of this flame or light : for if , having shaken the vial , that the liquor might either wet the stopple , or communicate something to it , i warily bended the cork this way and that way , so that only a few particles of the outward air could insinuate themselves between the stopple and the neck of the glass ; there would appear on the sides , and ( perhaps ) beneath the cork , little flames as it were ; which yet , though very vivid , were not able to propagate themselves downwards : whereas when the cork was quite remov'd , and access was thereby allow'd to a greater quantity of air , the flame or light ( as was lately noted ) presently diffus'd itself through the whole cavity of the vial , and reach'd as low as the surface of the liquor . observ . viii . thirdly , though oftentimes the light seem'd more vivid near the surface of the liquor , then elsewhere ; ( whether because the lucid matter was there more dense , i now examine not ) yet when by stopping the vial again , presently after i had opened it , i endeavoured to destroy the flame or light ; i generally observ'd , that when it was ready to vanish , ( which in that case it usually did in no long time ) it began to disappear first in the bottom of the vial , and seem'd to shrink as it were more and more upwards , till it expired at the neck of the vial , ( where it was nearest to the air. ) observ . ix . fourthly , but on the other side , when i kept it unstopt for some time , as for two or three minutes of an hour , though i afterwards stopt the vial very close , the air , that had more leisure than ordinary to insinuate itself , would so cherish the flame , that the light would continue sometimes an hour or two , and lasted once or twice no less than three hours . observ . x. fifthly and lastly , it seem'd that some elastical particles of the included air , or some substance that concur'd to the maintenance of the flame , was wasted , or depraved and weakned , by being pen't up in the vial with the emanations of the liquor ; since , when the vial had been kept stopt a competent time , and its cavity appear'd transparent in the outward light ; if i cautiously took out the stopple , the external air seem'd manifestly to rush in , as if the springyness of the internal had been notably debilitated by the operation of the flame , upon the matter with which it was kept imprisoned . some of these phoenomena easily brought into my mind some of those of an odd experiment , that i formerly imparted to the curious . in which experiment i observ'd ( among other things ) that the spirit of vrine , impregnated with copper , after the manner there prescrib'd , would continue limpid and colourless , as long as the vial , that contained it , was kept close stopt . but when once the air came to touch the surface of it , it would ( sometimes in less than a minute of an hour ) be so affected thereby , that in a very short time ( for 't was often within some minutes ) the liquor would become of a transparent sky-colour ; and afterwards , the vial being well stopt , and kept in a quiet place , would by degrees grow diaphanous , and the air included with it was wont to have its spring weakned . and as the change of colour was first produced at the surface , where the liquor and air touched one another , and was afterwards thence propagated downwards ; so when this coeruleous colour began to disappear , the liquor manifestly became limpid first at and near the bottom , that is , the part which is remotest from the superior air. but to return to our noctiluca , the five phoenomena last recited , and some others , seem to favor the conjecture or suspicion i lately propos'd , about the interest of the air in our unburning flame . and to examine that suspicion , i thought it less proper to make the foregoing tryals with a more vigorous noctiluca , then in a substance , wherein , as in that we have hitherto employ'd , the disposition to be kindled , or excited to shine , was but faint ; so that being , as long as it remain'd , unexcited , opacous and dark , the absolute , or almost absolute , necessity of the concurrence of air to the actual shining ( that constantly ensu'd upon its contact ) of the dispos'd matter , seem'd manifest enough . an occasional digression . but to what , this concurrence or efficacy of the air ought to be ascrib'd , is a problem that seem'd to me so difficult , that my thoughts were put upon several conjectures for so much as a tolerable solution of it ; for a taste of which , i shall venture to offer to you one or two of those that least displease me . i thought it not improbable that the admitted air , either by some subtle salt that it contain'd , or upon some such account , excited in the fumes , it mingled with , a kind of fermentation , or ( if you please ) a commotion , by which means the matter acquired so brisk an agitation , as to propagate the motion to the eye , and there make an impression , the sense whereof we call light : though it seem'd also not unlikely , that some of the particles of the superveneing air may so associate themselves with those congruous ones , they met with in the cavity of the vial , that , by that coalition , corpuscles were produc'd , fitted to be , by the subtle aetherial matter , that abounds in the pores of the air , so pervaded and briskly agitated , as to produce light . and it was not new to me , that the air should associate itself with invisible exhalations , and concur with them to make new concretions : since i have several times prepar'd a volatile sulphureous liquor , red as a ruby , which , when the vial has been kept close for some time , suffers the empty cavity of the vessel to be transparent ; but upon the unstopping it , and giving access to the outward air , it appears presently full of white fumes , more opacous than a mist ▪ and something like this , though in an inferior degree , may be observ'd when we unstop glasses that are but partly full of spirit of salt , or aqua fortis , provided those liquors be rectified as much , and no more , then is fit . for the contact of the air will presently make the former manifestly afford white fumes , and the latter sometimes red ones , and sometimes otherways coloured . but if i durst mention , what my love to mankind has oblig'd me to conceal , even from my nearest friends , i could give an instance of a strange power of the air to excite a vehement motion in fitly dispos'd matter , though it be of a consistence far more unlikely to be thus agitated , than the fluid substances of our phosphorus : since i experimentally know a body , dry , and solid enough to be pulverable , that barely by the contact of the common air , will , even when it is actually cold , in very few minutes have its parts brought to such a degree of agitation , that its heat is little less intense than that of some actually ignited bodies , and may , if i please , by the further action of the air , be brought to afford some light also . but against this conjecture about the cause of the air 's concurrence to the shining of our noctiluca , there came into my mind , among other things , a strong objection , that may be drawn from the constant noctiluca formerly mention'd to have been shewn by mr. krafft , in which the lucidness was constant , though the vial that contain'd it , was kept stopt . in answer to this , i thought it might be said , that the particles of the lucid substance , being in great numbers crowded together into a little room , these concentrated particles may be supposd to have been brought to such a state , that they needed not the renewed assistance of the outward air , to continue shining ; either because their intestine motions were brisk enough to discuss the minute parts of the matter , wherewith they were associated , and so from time to time to generate or extricate , & supply themselves with as many small aerial particles , as were necessary to keep the mass they belong'd to , luminous . which conjecture may be illustrated by observing , that though our common culinary flames are presently extinguish'd , unless they be cherish'd with fresh air , yet i elsewhere recite an experiment , of a composition , which is so fitted to generate as much air , as it needs , that i have several times found , that it may be kindled , and made to flame away , even in vacuo boyleano , ( as they call that made by our air-pump . ) other things may be alledg'd both for and against the propos'd conjecture , about the account on which the air concurs to the light of our liquid noctiluca ; but , i hope , it will not be impertinent to add , that perhaps the concurrence of the air may be considerable to both the phosphorus's , the fluid and the consistent , but the external air be necessary only to the former : because in the latter , the luciferous particles may have acquired such a texture , as that of rotten wood , or rather of whitings , or the liquor of glow-worms , taken out after they are dead . for in that state ( whatever others have written ) i have kept that juice luminous for very many hours , ( not to say some dayes ; ) and 't is conceivable enough , that in the consistent noctiluca , by reason of the great numerousness and extreme minuteness of the parts , and the unctuousness or viscosity , or in a word , tenacity of them , the mass they make up , is much less dissipable than that , wherein the shining vertue of rotten wood , or the juice of dead glow-worms resides . this conjecture may be confirm'd , by observing as a thing very analogous to our phoenomena , that i have found some lights in putrid bodies to be so faint , that they would , like that of our fluid noctiluca , ( but far more quickly ) disappear , when they were totally depriv'd of air , as i several times found in parcels of rotten wood . and on the contrary , others had so vigorous or tenacious a light or flame , that , like the splendor of the constant noctiluca , it would continue ( though perhaps not in its full lustre ) when the outward air was in our pneumatick engine , diligently drawn off from it . and on this occasion i call to mind another experiment , which seems yet more analogous , than any hitherto alledg'd , to our present production of flame or light . for having purposely kept certain fish in a glass , freed from air , till i concluded it had lay'n longer than was necessary to bring it to that degree of putrefaction , which was wont to make such fish , at that time of the year , to shine , i could not perceive in the cavity of the glass the least glimpse of light : and presently after i had let in the outward air , it did ( according to my expectation ) as it were , kindle a flame , in the proximately dispos'd matter , or at least produce in it a manifest light . and it may much conduce to shew , that the lately mentioned difference of shining bodies may be but gradual , if i here observe , that i found by tryal , that in bodies of the self same kind , as for instance glow worms , or the same species of rotten-fishes ; if the light were but faint , the withdrawing of the air would after a while make it quite disappear ; and the readmission of the air would presently make it reappear , as it happens in our aerial noctiluca . but in those individuals , wherein the luciferous matter was more copious and vigorous , and probably more tenacious , the absence of the external air did somewhat lessen or impair , but not quite destroy the light , and so possibly it might happen in mr. krafft's consistent noctiluca : for though it shone without the renew'd accession of external air , yet , that it would have been more brisk and active , if it had been assisted by such air , i was induc'd to think , because ( if i much misremember not ) when once , to gratifie my curiosity , he took it out of the vial , he usually kept it in , it did manifestly smoke and waste by the action of the air , and produc'd considerable effects of actual heat ; for this being done in the day-time , in a room we could not darken , it could not indeed be expected , that we should discern any augmentation of light , but yet that there was one , may probably be argued from the newly mentioned things , that us'd to be its concomitants . such observations and reflections incline me to think , that , to speak in a general way , the light of our noctiluca's depends upon a peculiar and very brisk agitation of some minute particles of the shining matter , in point of bulk , shape , and contexture , peculiarly fitted to impel the contiguous aether to the bottom of our eyes , and made me think it not improbable , that the contact of fresh external air , might contribute to this peculiar kind of agitation in the gummous noctiluca , as an helpful thing , and in the aerial noctiluca as an almost necessary concurrent . but whether the air concur to this effect , as it does itself excite a brisk commotion in the fumid matter , it invades , or whether it makes a peculiar kind of dissipation of it , or whether the air , or some fine substance contain'd in it , operates on this occasion as a kind of vital spirit , such as is found necessary , not only to common flame , but to that which is suppos'd to keep animals alive ; or whether the corpuscles of the admitted air so combine with those , that exhale from the grosser liquor , as to become fit to be vehemently agitated by some aetherial pervading substance ? whether or no , i say , the agency of the air in our phoenomena , be to be refer'd to one or more of the newly mentioned things , or to some other cause of a peculiar and very brisk agitation , which , to speak in general , seems to have the main stroak in the production of light , is left to further inquiry . but i forget , that my intention was to set down observations , not hypothesis's . and indeed the historical part , of what i had to say of phosphorus's , is far more useful and certain , than the conjectures i can yet make upon it . because , though i am content to let them pass , in regard they may afford you some hints of further speculations ; yet the true solution of the problem , that has occasioned this excursion , may depend so much upon further experiments and observations , that though , it is not impossible , that future phoenomena may favor the propos'd conjectures , yet , it is not very unlikely , that i shall hereafter see cause to change them for some hypothesis's , exceedingly different from them . to return therefore now to our historical observations . observ . xi . although , in the moderately shaken vial , when the light was quite vanisht , i could not make the liquor begin to shine , yet when by unstopping it a little , the flame was kindled in the cavity of the glass , then , by shaking it again , though it were done more faintly than before , the light seem'd to be manifestly increas'd by this agitation . observ . xii . if i took a little of our liquor , when 't was in its dark state , and laid it upon my hand , or on the stopple of the vial , it would oftentimes lie there without disclosing any glimpse of light ; but if i rub'd it with my finger , or some other fit body , it would then not only shine , but shine more vividly , than at best it us'd to do in the vial , when the neck of it was stopt ; and this vivid light , whil'st i continued to rub the matter , it resided in , seem'd from time to time to flame and flash , and did not only invade the nostrils with a strong and offensive smell , but visibly sent up store of smoke , as if it had been some common culinary flame ; and when , upon my ceasing to rub the extravasated liquor , it ceas'd to shine for a pretty while , yet when i return'd to rub it again , it would again appear luminous : but by little & little the lucid vertue decay'd , till 't was to no purpose to rub any more . observ . xiii . the light of our liquor , when excited , seem'd for degree much like that , that i observ'd in some species of rotten wood , that were not of the most vivid sort , and when surrounded with bodies of black colour , the reflection of its light from them was little or none . but very white bodies , that were held contiguous to it , were manifestly illustrated by it , especially , if the eye , having been long kept in the dark ( whereby the pupil uses to be much opened , and consequently capable of admitting more numerous beams ) was made more susceptible of the fainter impressions of light . ) insomuch , that , when having plac'd the vial by me , when i went to bed , and was awake some time before break of day , i enclos'd both the glass and my head between the sheets , the light seem'd to me to be very considerable , and to enlighten the compass of a foot or more in diameter , and probably would have diffus'd itself further , if it had not been bounded by the sheets , whose whiteness made the reflection of the light from them appear very prettily . and by the help of this light , i could easily perceive my fingers , and a ring i wore upon one of them , though i could not distinguish the colours of a reddish diamond , and a couple of emeralds , that were set in it . observ . xiv . in reference to the light within , the included flame in our vial was opacous ; for both at some other times , and even when i made the last recited observation , i could not at all perceive my finger , when the shining substance was interpos'd betwixt it and my eye . but in reference to the external light , the flame or shining matter was diaphanous , for even in a very faint light , by which , i think , i could scarce have read an ordinary print , if i held our luminous vial between the window and my eye , i could very plainly see my finger on the further side of the glass , though , if my eye were plac'd between that and the light , the transparency would appear somewhat lessened , because the cavity seem'd , as was formerly noted , fill'd with a kind of whitish mist . and the like transparency and whitish fumes , observable in the same luminous steams or flame , when the vial was look'd on , against , and from , the light , i found , if instead of the day-light , i employ'd the light of the candle . observ . xv. having the opportunity of a convenient place , and a fair day , i set the vial about noon in a window , opened towards the south , and left it there expos'd to the sun-beams for a considerable time , to try , whether they would , upon the account of their agitation , or some imaginable affinity of nature , kindle or excite the luciferous liquor , or its effluvia . but i could not perceive that the sun-beams had such an operation , which i chiefly concluded from my not being able to perceive any whitish or mist-like fumes in the cavity of the glass , for i durst not rely upon my not perceiving any light , in the darkest corner of the room , because i suspected , that might proceed from my eyes having been accustomed to the great light of the then fair day , which made it less susceptible of impressions from a faint light . observ . xvi . acid and alcalisate spirits being reckoned by chymists amongst the most subtle and operative substances , obtainable from mixt bodies by distillation , i thought it very well worth while to try , by taste , whether our shining liquor did notably abound with particles of either of those kinds ? i did not find , that the liquor i put upon my tongue was in the least acid ; nor that it was sensibly alcalisate , as divers modern chymists call such volatile salts and spirits , as are afforded by harts-horn , blood , and such like subjects of the animal kingdom : but it seem'd to me to have an odd empyreumatical taste , almost like that of the spirit of crude tartar ; its smell being also like that , of some empyreumatical oil , compounded with a stink , somewhat like that of stale urine . i likewise , for further tryal , let fall upon a piece of white paper some drops of blue syrup of violets , to which i put a little of our liquor , stirring them together with the tip of my finger ; but the mixture was not thereby turn'd green , which it would have been by a quarter so much of spirit of harts-horn , of blood , or of some other spirit , abounding with salt of an urinous nature , or ( as some love to speak ) with a volatile alcaly . some other tryals i made , though but with very small quantities of our liquor , ( because i had but very little of it to spare ) and these tryals did , no more than the former , evince the liquor to belong manifestly , to the tribe of acids , or that of alcalies ; though perhaps , this may not be the case of all the portions of liquor , whether more dense , or more aqueous and dilute , that may be obtain'd by several degrees of fire , and some other varying circumstances , from the matter , that affords noctiluca's . observ . xvii . sometimes , when for curiosity's sake , i shook the vial , so that the whole body , even to the bottom , of the liquor , was spread all over the inside of the glass , i could observe , with pleasure , that in many places divers little grains or corpuscles , belonging to the opacous matter , that concur'd to compose the liquor , stuck here and there to the inside of the vial , and that these , being of a consistent , not fluid nature , and therefore probably more dense than the thinner parts of the phosphorus , did shine very prettily and distinctly , and look'd almost like extreamly little stars , or rather radiant sparks of fire , whose light was brisk enough to be distinctly notable , notwithstanding that of the flame , that was contiguoas to them , and fill'd the cavity of the vial. and these shining corpuscles usually continued their peculiar vividness , as long as i thought fit to look on them . which great vigor of theirs , together with their duration , gave me hopes , that the further prosecution of what had been brought thus far , may afford us some , not altogether despicable , quantity of the consistent noctituca , which , by reason of its density , tenacity , or other peculiar disposition of parts , may shine like the constant noctiluca of mr. krafft formerly mentioned . observ . xviii . being desirous to try , not so much what the air and agitation would do , towards the kindling or exciting ( not the imprisoned exhalation , but ) the liquor itself of our noctiluca , ( that having been partly done already ) as what water would do to quench it ; i thought fit to make the experiment , when time and many trials had much impair'd its vigor . and accordingly having , in a dark place , unstopt the vial , and wetted the tip of my finger with the included liquor , i could not perceive that then ( as when it was freshly made ) it gave any sensible light . wherefore , having rub'd the moistned finger against my other hand somewhat briskly , for a few moments , both the rub'd part of my hand and my finger appear'd adorn'd , each of them , with a flame , and though upon my dipping my finger in water ( that stood by , ready for the purpose ) the flame was , as it were , extinguisht , since the light presently vanish'd ; yet , having taken out my wet finger again , and rub'd , without having previously dry'd it upon the other hand , as i had done before , the light , as i expected it would , did quickly re-appear . besides the foregoing phoenomena of our luciferous matter , that occur'd more regularly , there was one that hapned unexpected , and may perchance , ( for till i have further observ'd , i dare not speak it confidently ) prove referrable to the paper , elsewhere publish'd , about some latent qualities of the air. observ . xix . the phoenomenon was this : having one night opened the vial so often mentioned , to shew the production of light to a virtuoso , i quickly stopt it again , and put it in my pocket , till i went to sleep , and then laying it by me in the bed ( as i often did ) when the candles were carried out of the room , i perceived the light , whose lasting , i did not expect , should exceed one hour , to continue still vivid enough ; and then shaking it a little , before i compos'd my self to sleep , i laid it by , till i wak'd in the morning , and then looking upon it again , it appear'd to my eyes ( that then for several hours had been unaccustomed to the light ) to shine more vigorously , than it had done at first . and from the time i open'd it over night , till the last time i had occasion to look upon it the next morning , it had continued shining for twelve hours ; to which , whether the extraordinary warmth , that was observ'd that particular night had contributed any thing , i dare not determine , but shall rather add , that though this phoenomenon happen'd very rarely , yet this was not the onely time that i observ'd it : for once more it occur'd to me , and that time the light continued about hours , that i took notice of , and how much longer it might have lasted , i was hindered from observing . but this circumstance seem'd considerable , that the long duration of our unburning flame , hapned , after the rest of the tryals and observations had been made ; when by them , the vigor of the luciferous matter might reasonably be expected to have been very much impair'd . observ . xx. when i had set down the last mentioned phoenomenon , i thought i had concluded the observations , peculiarly belonging to the aerial noctiluca , contain'd in our second vial , and hitherto treated of . but now i find my self , by philosophical sincerity , obliged to add another phoenomenon , which did somewhat trouble , as well as surprize me , and it was this . after the foregoing observations had been made with our second vial , one night that i came to open it , to shew one of my best friends the production of light , i found ( little to my contept ) that none at all appear'd , though i shook the contained liquor , and kept the vial a pretty while unstopt ; so that , if he had not known me well , he might have entertain'd sinister thoughts of me , till , having taken out some drops of the liquor , and rub'd it upon my hand , it afforded so vivid a light or flame , as satisfied him of the possibility of a true noctiluca . and since that time , i have not found the vial to afford any light , barely upon its being unstopt , so that either ( in spight of my care ) some bodies unskilful curiosity has , unknown to me , spoil'd the liquor ; or , ( which is more likely ) so little a quantity , as i had at first , by the many and various tryals i made with it , is dispirited and become , as it were , effoet ; which , 't was lucky it did not do , till the forecited observations had been made with it . but , as in one of those , it has been conjectured , that one of the chief accounts , on which the air itself may concur to the shining of our noctiluca , is , as it excited a certain kind of brisk motion in the parts of it , i thought fit to try , whether , though i had found the bare shaking of the vial to be ineffectual , yet an actual heat , whereby the parts must be more vehemently and variously agitated , might not inable the air to do , what otherways it could not perform ; i therefore held our vial near the fire , till it grew considerably warm , and then by shaking it a little , and unstopping it in a dark place , i perceived the exhalations , that possess'd the cavity of the vial , to shine , as formerly ; but their light was so momentany , that it scarce sooner appear'd , than vanish'd ; and though afterwards it sometimes appear'd , it was not vivid , nor lasted a minute of an hour , nor perhaps half so long ; though it seem'd , that when fresh air was then allow'd access to it , its duration was thereby somewhat lengthned . but how long our matter will retain a disposition to be excited , even by these means , to shine , experience alone can determine . additional observations about the aerial noctiluca . you may remember ( sir ) that , to clear the way to the twenty foregoing observations , i formerly told you , that we received the luciferous matter , obtain'd by our distillation , in several small glasses , as we were able to save it . the parcel , that was received in the second vial , afforded us the phoenomena hitherto recited ; and now it will be fit to add to those , such as more lately occur'd , upon our considering the portions of luciferous matter , preserv'd in the other glasses , and some also of the like lucid substance , prepared another way . and though these observations be not so numerous , as the former , and be , a few of them , near of kin to some of the others ; yet i shall not scruple here to subjoin them , both because most of them are new , and those that are not , will serve to confirm and elucidate some of the foregoing observations . besides that , 't is not easie to know , what phoenomena may ▪ and what cannot , be useful , to frame or verifie an hypothesis of a subject new and singular , about which we have not as yet ( that i know of ) any good hypothesis setled . a small portion of liquor , ( not much exceeding a spoonful ) that was the first , and was judg'd the best , i sav'd , being put into a long , and somewhat slender cylindrical vial , made of white or chrystalline glass , afforded us the ensuing phoenomena . observ . i. soon after the muddy liquor ( for such it appear'd to the eye ) was poured into the vial , it was so vigorously luminous , ( probably , in great part , from the contact and insinuation of so much air , as it met with in its transfusion , ) that not only it shone vividly , but continued to shine ten hours , that i took notice of , before my occasions made me desist from observing it . this experiment minds me of an objection , which i should have proposed and answered at the beginning of the foregoing paper ▪ if i had then remembred to do it . for , whereas it may by some be thought improper for me , to call our luciferous matter a self-shining substance , in regard that it is not lucid , without the concurrence or help of the air : i answer , that i do , ( and justly may ) employ the word self-shining , to signifie , that the light our matter affords , is not a light borrowed from any external lucid , as is done by the bolonian stone , and the phosphorus balduini , but proceeds , as it were , from an inward principle of light . and men scruple not , upon such an account , to reckon the flame of a candle , and a glowing coal , to be self-shining bodies , though neither of these will be kindled , or continue to shine , without the assistance of renewed air , no not for a few minutes : whereas , the newly recited phoenomenon of our noctiluca , shews , that , our prepar'd matter , being for a very short time , ( perhaps but few minutes ) impregnated by the air , 't will continue to shine many hours in a well stop'd glass , that hinders it from being reliev'd by any supply of fresh air. observ . ii. when i set down the fifth , and some other of the foregoing observations , i was not at leisure to discourse the reasons that induced me to try for an aerial noctiluca ; and now also to save time , i shall forbear launching into speculations upon that subject , and only tell you historically , that , presuming the matter , that would shine in our cylindrical glass , would not be so much the liquor itself , as an aggregate of such effluviums of it , as , affected and excited by the air , would become lucid ; i thought fit to take particular notice , how the air would work upon the exhalations of this more vigorous liquor . and accordingly , having heedfully open'd the vial , though i very soon after stop'd it again , i observ'd a great commotion to be made in the cavity of the glass , unpossess'd by the liquor : for the now lucid exhalations seem'd to have a nimble and almost circular motion , along the sides of the glass , and to make , as it were , a little whirlwind , that impetuously carried it round ; and this renew'd rotation was not only manifest , but lasted much longer than one would have expected : so great a commotion did the air seem to have produced in the effluviums of the liquor , and perhaps in the neighbouring parts of the liquor itself . upon the ceasing of this unusual motion , the light did not cease , but persevered , though i had not occasion to observe ▪ how long 't would have lasted . observ . iii. i will not determine , whether the vertiginous motion , mentioned in the newly recited observation , was in part produced by what happen'd in the ensuing phoenomenon , which was , that having heedfully taken out the stopple of our vial in a dark place , after it had for a long time ceased from shining , i observ'd the external air to rush into the cavity of the glass with noise , and so swiftly , as did , i confess , surprize me : as if the preceding flame , though not sensibly hot , had , after the manner of culinary flames , considerably weakned the spring of the included air , and so disabled it to resist the whole pressure of the external air , when , by the removal of the stopple , it was expos'd thereunto . but i will not , as i was saying , determine , whether this irruption of the air , may not have contributed to the circular motion of the lucid steams mention'd in the foregoing observation ? because , though the affirmative seem a probable cause , yet i was kept from concluding it a necessary or onely cause of the turbinous motion , by my having some times , when no such irruption of the air had in a long time preceded , observed rotations of lucid matter in the cavity of the vial : which motion therefore seem'd to proceed from some other cause , though ( to add that by the by ) this cause , whatever it was , produc'd but such a rotation , as was less general , less nimble , and less lasting . observ . iv. i forgot to tell you in its due place , ( which was before the precedent observations ) that , whil'st our liquor was yet fresh and vigorous , i dipt my finger in it , and moistned with it several places of my hands , and those of some ladies , that were desirous to be present at the spectacle . which done , we observ'd , that the places that were touched , especially if they were a little rub'd , shone very vividly , as if actual flames , but not of a blue colour , like that of common sulphur , or of spirit of wine , were burning on them . and these flames were not at all uniform in their manner of burning , for they often seem'd to tremble much , and sometimes , as it were , to blaze out with sudden flashes , that were not lasting ( which put me in mind of some of the faculae solares . ) and though it might seem strange , that so small a quantity of matter , that stuck to this or that part of the hand , should afford so durable a flame ; yet if that part itself were rub'd against the same persons other hand , or the skin or linnen of a by-stander , the part new touched would shine , as the other continued to do : and though these flames were remarkable for their vividness , yet they continued for a good while to afford the company a very pleasing spectacle ; and , ( which was remarkable ) notwithstanding the darkness of the room , it was manifest , that they emitted great store of whitish smoke , which , or some other effluviums from the same matter , imbued the neighbouring air with a ranck and offensive smell . the colour of these seeming flames , was not like the phosphorus of balduinus , when 't is very well prepar'd , and has been expos'd to a vigorous light , red , almost like a well-kindled charcoal ; but yellow , like that of the middle part of the flame of a candle . and notwithstanding the blazes and smoke , that accompanied these flames , we could not perceive in them any sensible heat , ( that is , any confused agitation of parts , exceeding that of the parts of our organs of touch ) nor did they at all singe the fine linnen of the ladies , whereon some of them seem'd to burn ; so that if we admit , with many learned moderns , a flamma vitalis in the heart , this unburning and innoxious flame may supply us with a far better specimen or illustration thereof , than the flame of spirit of wine that is still commonly employ'd , for an example ; though i have many years ago endeavor'd to rectifie the error , by proving experimentally , that the flame of spirit of wine is very hot and devouring , insomuch that i have melted glass and gold itself with it . observ . v. when , with my finger dipt in the forementioned liquor , i drew short lines upon linnen , there was left a shining track upon that part , over which my finger had newly passed , so that 't is not to be denied , that one may write lucid characters upon white paper ; and yet , when , having found our liquor too thick , or too faintly lucid , to be employ'd , like ink in an ordinary pen ; i thought fit to try , whether i could draw lucid letters with a ( middle-siz'd ) pencil , instead of a pen , and had , for that purpose , dipt it in our liquor ; i was somewhat surpriz'd to find , that the characters i had newly drawn , did not at all shine in the dark : but suspecting , that the pencil might have retained , among the hairs it consisted of , the more tenacious and vigorous parts of the matter it had imbib'd , and had left only the more aqueous and strengthless parts upon the paper ; i took the pencil in one hand , and with the other , comprest and wreath'd a little the brushy part of it , to excite the matter , that probably was lodged there . by which means , that part of the pencil was brought to look as if it were all of a light fire , and seem'd to burn like a small wax taper ; but with a more blazing and pleasant flame , which some times shooting downwards , and playing about the hairs , that compos'd that part of the pencil , brought into my mind those verses of virgil. ecce levis summo de vertice visus juli fundere lumen apex , tactuque innoxia molli lambere flamma comas , &c. aeneid . but this delightful flame lasted not very long in its first vigor , but decay'd by degrees , till no more light at all was seen ; after which , nevertheless , the flame would of itself break out , as if it came from the internal parts of the pencil , and would shine a pretty while , and then seem quite to expire ; after which , our light would on a sudden disclose itself again , and , when it had continued awhile in a tremulous motion , dye again in all appearance . and 't is to be noted , that though this artificial ignis lambens , if i may so call it , did not , that i perceived , burn , or singe the slender hairs , among which it seem'd to flame , yet , as often as it appear'd , it did manifestly emit , perhaps as much , if not more smoke , than another burning taper of that bigness would have done . and this vicissitude of extinction and reappearance of light , lasted , till i was weary of observing it , and then , having again with my fingers compress'd , and somewhat strongly twisted the hairs of the pencil , i made them , as formerly , afford a considerable light , which i thought was , whil'st i was in the very act of wreathing the hairs , accompanied with a very sensible , but momentany heat . observ . vi. but notwithstanding the newly recited heat , 't was in vain that i tryed , by compressing the pencil first , and then rubbing it upon gunpowder , well dryed , and somewhat heated , to fire the powder . this i fail'd to do likewise , when i made the tryal with circumstances somewhat more likely to make it succeed . which i the less wondered at , because i remember mr. krafft , when he kindled gunpowder in my lodging , was fain to make use of his consistent and constant noctiluca ; and besides , to have the gunpowder prepar'd , by being made so hot , that 't was almost ready to take fire of itself . which circumstance , i confess , i was glad of , as i also was of my own disappointments , and some also of his , because it gave me occasion to think , that this , otherwise innocent , fire would not easily be perverted to the prejudice of mankind , which , i have supprest more dangerous inventions than this , to avoid contributing to . but upon this occasion i must not pretermit what happen'd to my laborant , when the distillation of our luciferous matter had been freshly made ; namely , that , having taken up some of the thicker substance with a knife to put it into a vial , and having found that some of it afterwards stuck to the blade , he , being in some haste to wipe off the adhering matter , did with his apron take strong hold of the blade on both sides , and then with his right hand drawing out the blade nimbly , so that 't was strongly compressed in its passage between the thumb and fingers of his left hand , he was much surprized to feel a smart heat , and presently looking upon that part of the apron , where it had been produced , perceiv'd that it had in it two holes of some bigness , which he concluded must have been produced there by burning , both because of the intense heat he had felt before , and because 't was a ●ew apron ; which , when i had called for , and heedfully inspected , i did , with him , impute those holes to the action of the fire . whence i judged it very probable , that the thicker and almost unguentous part ( if i may so call it ) of our luciferous matter had a great disposition or propensity to admit a very brisk agitation , since by an almost momentany , and not very vehement , motion , it was put into an agitation , that made it capable of burning new callico ( for of that the apron was made . ) observ . vii . since i usually set down the nocturnal observations about our noctiluca from time to time , as i make them , whil'st they are fresh in my memory , and also have sent away to a friend many of the precedent , before i wrote , ( or mad● ) the subsequent , you will not , i hope , think it strange , either , that , not having most of my materials at once together before me , i have not methodiz'd them , or , that having been able to make but gradual discoveries of the subject , i inquire into , the things , i write of it , should now and then chance to be coincident , and my expressions about it should sometimes not be altogether uniform , but the latter parts should agree more or less with the former , as new or varying phoenomena happen'd to require . upon this account , i shall not scruple to subjoin , what has since occur'd to me , about the phoenomenon , formerly mentioned in the sixteenth observation ; where i told you , that i could not then clearly find , either an acid or an alcalisate salt , to be predominant in the luciferous matter , i then made use of . but , having since employed some of the water , that was taken out of a receiver , after it had there been somewhat impregnated with that matter , i thought fit to try , whether this water , wherein probably the saline particles of our subject might be more copiously dissolved , or more active , would not discover itself to contain somewhat of volatile alcaly . and to satisfie my self of this , i dropt a little of the liquor upon some syrup of violets , that i had put upon a piece of clean paper , and found , i was not mistaken , in thinking it would change the colour of the syrup from blue to green ; which yet it did more faintly , than the volatile alcalies , ( as they call them ) even when they are phlegmatick , are wont to do . this liquor likewise , as i remember , made some conflict with spirit of salt , when i first put them together , as i inferred from the commotion of the mixture , and the bubbles thereby produced . nor were these the only ways , by which i was induced to think , that a volatile alcaly , not an acid salt or spirit , was the predominant , if not the only salt , contained in the faintly impregnated liquor . observ . viii . before i had set down many of the observations contained in the first paper , i was desirous to try , what would happen to our luciferous matter in such a vacuum , or , if you please , in such highly rarified air , as is wont to be produced by our air-pump . but , in regard a glass was to be opened in the exhausted receiver , which is a difficult work to do , i was fain , for want of conveniences , to desist from my endeavors , and prosecute some other experiments , ( most of them already recited ) till at length being furnished , though not with accurate , yet with tolerable means of making a tryal , and thinking an imperfect one , better than none at all , i took a vial , that had some luciferous matter in it , though but such , as was not apt to shine long at a time ; and , this vial being well stopt , i kept till the flame or light within it expir'd ; then , having plac'd the vial in a receiver on our pneumatick engine , we pumpt out the air , and then ( not without some difficulty ) pull'd out the cork in a dark place , whereupon there presently appeared some light in the cavity of the vial , which i the less wondered at , because we found by certain signs , that by reason of some disadvantageous circumstances , we could not so well pump out the air , and hinder the ingress of new , as not to leave , ( though but very little , yet ) enough to excite a flame , that by former experience we found to need but an inconsiderable quantity of fresh air : but we observ'd , that by the commotion of the air , occasioned by the pumping , the flame would be as it were ventilated , and blown up , or made to shine more vividly . observ . ix . but , not being satisfied by the foregoing experiment , i thought fit to vary it , after the following manner . there was taken a pretty large piece of paper , which , being well moistned , and partly besmear'd with our luciferous matter , was thrust into a somewhat wide-mouth'd glass , which , being put unstopt into a receiver fastned to our pneumatick pump , and with it kept in a dark place , did there shine , as i expected it would , by reason of the contact of the air , yet contain'd in the receiver . presently after this , the pump was set a work , and we observ'd , as formerly , that the commotion made of the air about the vial , did manifestly enough increase the light for a while ; and that the light seem'd to be lessened , during the pauses intercepted between these commotions , both by reason of the rest , as of the absence of the air. and i likewise took notice , that the flame that seemed to pass from one part of the wrinkled paper to the other , did sometimes appear to have , as it were , a palpitation , and to afford a very unequal light ; and though , when the external air was let in through the pump into the exhausted receiver , the flame seem'd to be quenched , yet i judge that to be only a temporary effect of the waterish vapors , that the air had taken along with it in its way through the pump ; and therefore i caus'd the receiver to be taken off the engine , and then , the spectators were quickly of my opinion , observing , that upon the free contact of the fresh outward air , which was not like that last mentioned , depraved by moist vapors , the matter adhering to the paper was quickly seen to shine again , and that more vividly , than it had done in the receiver . but because i suspected , that this vessel could not at that time , for want of some conveniences , be so well exhausted , as on other occasions it has often been , though , by the phoenomena , hitherto recited , it seemed to the spectators that the flame was manifestly befriended , and the light increas'd by the air , yet , i think , the experiment deserves to be repeated , when i shall be able to do it with more exactness . observ . x. besides the liquors , that afforded us the foregoing experiments , we saved a little , ( though but very little ) of a substance , that was not liquid , but yet almost as soft , as mud . this we obtained , by pouring some of our liquor , taken out of the vessels , when the distillation was ended , into a glass funnel , lin'd with cap paper , to try , whether 't would filter . but finding , that , that , which pass'd thorow , was too thin and aqueous , the filter was hastily , and ( for that reason ) not very orderly wrapt up , and put into a glass , not capacious , but yet of a moderate wideness at the mouth ; that , both the filter might be easily thrust in , and the glass might be exactly enough stopt with a strong cork . after other experiments ( formerly recited ) had been made , i took this glass , and carried it into a dark place ; and though i could not perceive the least glimpse of light , yet presuming , that it contain'd some of the true matter of the aerial phosphorus , or noctiluca , and consequently exhalations , that , having been hindered by the stopple to flie away , might be kindled or excited by the appulse of the air , i opened the glass , and saw , ( as i expected ) an immediate apparition of light . which light did disclose itself , sometimes upon a lesser , and sometimes upon a much greater part of the very uneven surface of the included paper , and seem'd to pass for a great while ( as long as i thought fit to stay to observe it ) from one part of the filter , and one side of the glass , to another : i say , seem'd , because perhaps the phoenomenon was produc'd by a train of eruptions of flames newly excited in several places , rather than a bare propagation of the same . but whatever it was , the motion , ( which was pleasant enough to behold ) was so odd and irregular , that it did not ill resemble the motion of fire kindled by sparks , strook into a good quantity of tinder . and this vertue of shining upon the ingress of the air , lasted many days in the abovementioned paper . observ . xi . but there was another filter , that afforded us a pleasing variation of this phoenomenon ; the matter wrapt up in the inside of this paper , being somewhat more copious , or better conditioned , than that which adhered to the other lately spoken of . we took then this paper , and having unfolded it , and kept it display'd in a dark place , we had the pleasure to see a considerable number of flames of differing sizes and figures , disclose themselves at the same time ; and though most of them were vivid , yet few of them continued ▪ long in the self-same place , but they seemed frequently to change their scituations among themselves , as well as their figures , and extent ; or else new flames , did incessantly break forth in new places , according as the exhalations , that did copiously and irregularly mingle with the contiguous air , did in several places happen to be in part , as it were kindled by it ; i say , in part , because , from the flames themselves , as well as the unshining parts of the filter , there did manifestly ascend good store of smoke , visible by the light afforded by the shining matter : and these flames did not keep a constant tenour in their way of blazing , but had their tremblings , and emications , and these being usually accompanied with changes of figure , and eruptions of light in several places at the same time , 't was a very pleasant sight to see the whole area or surface of the display'd filter , look as the sky sometimes does , especially in hot countries , when the eye may perceive flashes of lightning break forth in several places at once : but our coruscations , being as well more numerous , as innocent , made the filter appear almost as variegated as marble paper : but with this advantage , that , besides that the appearance was almost perpetually changing , the yellow parts were not only coloured , but lucid , and afforded those , that look'd on them with me , a delightful spectacle , that lasted as long , as we thought fit to gaze at it . observ . xii . having strongly suspected , that the agitation , duely modified , of a disposed matter , was at least one of the chief agents in the production of light ; i was not discouraged , by finding that shaking of the vial , or making the contain'd liquor more than lukewarm , would not produce any apparition of light : i was not , i say , thereby discouraged from trying , whether a more intense heat , which would communicate a brisk and various motion to a multitude of the corpuscles of the luciferous matter , dispersed through the liquor , would not do , what a fainter agitation was not able to perform . i thought also , it deserved to be tried , whether a considerable variation of phoenomena , would not be consequent to our changing the figure and capacity of the glass ? especially , if all immediate commerce between the cavity of the vessel , and the outward air , were carefully prevented . in order to both these tryals , i took some spoonfuls of aqueous liquor , impregnated with some , of the more soluble portion of the luciferous matter ; which liquor , when it was setled , was transparent , as having but an inconsiderable quantity ( which could not easily be separated from it , ) of that muddy substance , formerly more than once mentioned . and this clear liquor , which , ( perhaps because of the absence of that thicker substance ) was , as it ought to be , for my purpose , so faintly impregnated , that it would not , with shaking , or a mild heat , afford any light , was put into a round bolt-glass , whose globous part was capable of holding three or four times as much , and whose stem ( or pipe ) was proportionable in wideness to it , and above a foot in length . having carefully stopt this vessel with a cork and sealing wax , 't was in the night-time set in such a posture , that , by the intervention of sand , it might be heated without breaking , ( as otherwise it would have been in danger of doing , ) and when the ball was made so hot , that i could not well endure it in my naked hand , i speedily removed the vessel into a dark place , and having shaken the liquor , i perceived a light to break forth in the ball , which presently diffused itself thorow the whole cavity of it , but as quickly disappeored and some time after , especially upon shaking the glass , the light would break forth again , and soon after vanish ; and these fulguratious or flashings of light , continued for a while to appear now and then ; but were unequal , both as to their extent , vividness , and duration , and when the liquor grew cold , they ceased quite . observ . xiii . but whil'st it was yet considerably hot , i thought fit to try , whether by breaking the liquor by a strong concussion , some lucid substance would not be made to pass out of the globous into the cylindrical part , & so vary the phoenomena . and to this purpose , having violently shaken the liquor at several times , with pauses interposed , i perceived some considerable portions of the lucid matter to ascend into the pipe ; and particularly once i had the pleasure to see a portion of shining substance , about the bigness of a filbert , or a small almond , mount directly upwards like a flame , but not very swiftly , from the globous part of the glass , all along the pipe , till it reached the upper part of it . and at other times , such flames ascended into the pipe , but not so high ; whence many would have confidently infer'd a positive levity in flame ; which yet i forbear to conclude , because i once ( at least ) observ'd , one of these portions of shining matter , to descend from the higher to the lower part of the stem , still retaining its lucidness all the way . i cannot now stay to debate , whether , the phoenomena , appearing in this glass , may illustrate , or facilitate the explication of what happens in the production and motions of some of those meteors , that are called fiery ; such as the ignis lambens , falling stars , frequent lightnings without thunder , in hot summer nights , and that wandering flame , called ignis fatuus ? and whether or no , it may be said , that when such bodies are generated , there happens to be a convention of particles so associated , that they mutually agitate each other , or are fitted to be agitated by a pervading aethereal substance , and put into a motion , like that , which in the lately mentioned portions of our shining matter , was able to produce light ? observ . xiv . but , instead of pursuing this enquiry , i shall relate to you a phoenomenon , that to me , as well as those i shew'd it to , was not a little delightful . for having , by a concussion , fit for that purpose , as it were spread the liquor at once all over the inside of the globe , and of part of the stem , 't was pleasant to behold , how the luciferous matter , dividing itself variously in its passage downwards , adorned the whole cavity of the glass with a company of small lucid bodies , that both shin'd and twinkled , like so many little stars , adorning the celestial globe ; and the pleasantness of the spectacle was increased , by their having manifest motions , as well as true light . the slowness of their descent , in lines , many of them very oblique , made this pleasant sight last the longer ; and having more than once reiterated the experiment , ( though not still with equal success , ) it afforded me some varied phoenomena ; which i shall now forbear to mention , both because i want time to write , and am weary of writing , as i fear you may be of reading . and therefore i shall here conclude your trouble and my own , as soon as i shall have added the two following particulars ▪ observ . xv. the first whereof is this , that having in such a bolt-glass , as has been lately described , given purposely and heedfully a certain kind of strong shake to the included liquor , when 't was at a due degree of heat , ( which was not intense ) i observed , that on one side of the globous part of the glass , and above the body of the liquor , there was generated , as it were , a great spark of lucid matter , about the bigness of a pins head ; and yet hence , ( as i expected ) there quickly was a flame or light diffused through the capacity of the globe , where it soon after vanished . from which phoenomenon , and some others of affinity to it , whether , it may be argued , that this was a true flame , which from a very small beginning , was increased by propagation , and kindled the disposed exhalations , that it found dispersed throughout the cavity of the glass ; or , that the motion of all light is not necessarily instantaneous , since the progress of it , even in so small a space as , our glass comprized , was discernable , i have not now the leisure to debate , but must hasten to the last of the two promised particulars , which is , observ . xvi . that , ( not here to mention how i have preserv'd a distill'd luciferous matter both with and without additaments in a consistent form ) to try , how long i could preserve our liquor , in a capacity to exhibit such pleasing phoenomena , without giving it new air from time to time , but only by keeping in the spirituous parts : i caus'd the stem to be hermetically seal'd ; presuming , that , notwithstanding this , i could , by a certain cautious way of holding the vessel , safely bring the included liquor to an heat , sufficiently intense , to afford us the phoenomena of light . in which supposition i was not mistaken , since the last recited phoenomenon , besides some others , were made in this hermetically seal'd vessel , in which the contain'd liquor does , as i this night try'd , continue fit for that purpose . of the way of preparing the aerial noctiluca . the several phoenomena of our aerial phosphorus or noctiluca , wherewith , you have hitherto been entertain'd , have , i doubt not , raised in you a pressing curiosity to know , of what matter this self-shining substance was made , and how that matter was prepar'd , to be capable of affording it . though two or three years are now past , since i caus'd to be made , more than once , in my furnaces , a phosphorus , not unlike that of the learned balduinus , ( i speak thus cautiously , because i am not sure , what particular matter he employs , and i have brought more than one sort of mineral bodies , to shine ; ) yet i forbore to divulge , what i knew , because ( as i declar'd to some curious men , that press'd me to do it , ) i was willing to leave him the liberty of publishing his invention . but finding he has not yet thought fit to impart it to the world , there appear'd the less cause to expect that the secret of the noctiluca , which is a much more valuable thing , would be suddenly made publick : and therefore , without long waiting any man's leisure , i resolv'd to impart to the curious , ( and particularly , sir , to your self , ) the knowledge of the matter , i wrought upon , and some directions how to manage it . and in pursuit of that resolution , i am willing to gratifie the virtuosi with that very process ( for substance ) which i set down , for my own remembrance , after i had the first time actually made the aerial noctiluca ; and which i afterwards deposited , seal'd up , in the hands of the very ingenious secretary of the royal society , in the presence of divers members of that illustrious company . and though since that time , some other tryals have enabled me to observe some circumstances , pertinent to that purpose ; yet i thought fit to leave it it as it was , that others finding themselves , in some sort , oblig'd to employ their own industry , their trials may , as mine have done , produce an instructive diversification of effects , in an attempt , where experience invites me to think , that various degrees of fire and other circumstances , ( and perhaps casualties too ) may diversifie the phoenomena , and thereby both inrich the yet wanted , and designed history of light , and assist the speculative , to accommodate a good hypothesis to them . reserving then for another time my latter remarks upon the observations and process , delivered in this paper , i shall now only give you a few short advertisements about it . first , i will not positively affirm , that the matter , i employ'd , is the very same , that was made use of ▪ by the ingenious german chymists in their noctiluca ; for some inquisitive men have very lately told me , that the germans mingle two or more distillable materials ; whereas i employ'd but one matter , capable of distillation . secondly , though all the twenty foregoing observations , and most of the ten additional ones adnexed to them , were made with that substance , which i guess to be at least the chief , that is employ'd by the germans , ( which was done for a particular reason , not needful to be here express'd , ) yet i first thought , and upon my very first tryal , found , that 't is possible to make a noctiluca of a dry and pulverable substance , that ▪ for ought i can guess , was never employ'd by mr. krafft , or those he had his secret from . and besides this second sort of phosphorus's , we made a third , that was obtain'd from a body , that never had been either a part , or an excrement , of a humane body , nor was mingled with any thing , that had been so . but though i found these self-shining substances somewhat differing from those made of the liquor , hereafter to be nam'd ; yet , i cannot stay at present to say any thing more of them , being content to have intimated , that self-shining phosphorus's have been actually obtain'd from more single subjects , than one . thirdly , to name the matter , though never so explicitely , would not , in my opinion , have sufficed to inform those that would work upon it . for chymists themselves would , in all probability , work , ( as hitherto , on other occasions , they have wrought ) upon the volatile and saline , which they presume to be the only spirituous and noble parts of the concrete , throwing away the rest , as useless and abominable . and on this occasion , let me add , that i was the rather induc'd to set down this process , that we may both observe , and thankfully acknowledge the wisdom and bounty of the great author of nature , who , for our encouragement to study even his meanest works , has been pleased , in a body , that is commonly thought one of the despicablest of the universe , to lodge so glorious and excellent a thing , as a self-shining substance . fourthly , and i scarce doubt , but this , though it will be admired now , will be much more priz'd hereafter , when it shall be brought to greater perfection ; and when men shall have discover'd more of its uses , which probably will be great in physick , and , perhaps i might add , to some purposes , that few chymists themselves do yet dream of . fifthly , one thing remains , that , to save ingenious men some labour and charge , i think fit to give early notice of ; namely , that having , for tryal sake , employ'd the liquor , hereafter to be named , without previous fermentation or putrefaction ; though , 't was proceeded with after the same manner , with that whereby we obtain'd our noctiluca ; and though , it afforded a substance for colour and consistence , not unlike our luciferous matter ; yet i could not find , that , that substance would at all shine . and indeed , there are so many circumstances , whose mistake may make the experiment miscarry , ( as i have found to my trouble , even since the phosphorus , whose phoenomena are first set down , was made ) that , though , i were not now in haste , i should be content to take time to learn better from experience , how to instruct others , before i venture to do it circumstantially ; and he that shall , at the first attempt , succeed in preparing this liquor , shall be thought by me , either a very skilful , or a lucky operator . sixthly and lastly , that it may appear , as well by the very different preparations , as by the differing phoenomena of the phosphorus hermeticus , and of the aerial noctiluca , that there is a great disparity between those lucid bodies , i shall here briefly add the way we employ'd to make either the phosphorus balduini , or some other like it , ( for i am not certain , what is the very way of that learned man ) as it was practised in my furnaces ; which , in short , is this . a dissolution being made of fine white chaulk in good spirit of nitre , or clean aqua fortis , it is to be filtrated thorow cap-paper , and the clear solution is to be evaporated , till there remain a dry substance : with this white calx , you are to overlay the inside of some vessel , made of good earth , that will endure the fire , and that of a round figure , which is more convenient , than that of ordinary crucibles ; and to the matter , contain'd in this vessel , you are to give , for about half an hour or an hour , ( according to the largeness of it , and other circumstances ) a due degree of fire , which ▪ 't is not easie to hit , and which ordinarily requires a conveniently shap'd vessel , whereby the flame or heat may be reverberated , till you perceive the matter to have acquired a disposition , to retain the light ; and then the earthen vessel , which usually ought to be somewhat shallow , and not to exceed many inches in diameter , is to have a cover of fine glass or chrystal carefully cemented on to it , to preserve it from , its great enemy , the air. what we have observ'd , in prosecuting this preparation , is not so proper to be delivered at this time , when my haste , as well as some other things , make it more fit , that we should forthwith return to our aerial noctiluca , of which , after the foregoing things have been premis'd , 't is time that now there should follow the process . the process . there was taken a considerable quantity of humane vrine , [ because the liquor yields but a small proportion of luciferous matter , ] that had been , ( a good part of it at least ) for a competent while , digested or putrified , before it was us'd . this liquor was distill'd , with a moderate heat , till the spirituous parts were drawn off ; after which , the superfluous moisture also was abstracted , ( or evaporated away ) till the remaining substance was brought to the consistence of a somewhat thick syrup , or a thin extract . this was well incorporated with about thrice its weight of fine white sand , and the mixture was put into a strong retort ; to which was join'd a large receiver , in good part fill'd with water . then , the two vessels being carefully luted together , a naked fire was gradually administred , for five or six hours , that all , that was either phlegmatick , or otherwise volatile , might come over first . when this was done , the fire was increas'd , and at length , for five or six hours made ( nb ) which it should be in this operation ) as strong and intense , as the furnace ( which was not bad ) was capable of giving . by this means , there came over good store of white fumes , almost like those , that appear in the distillation of oil of vitriol ; and when those fumes were past , and the receiver grew clear , they were after a while succeeded by another sort , that seem'd in the receiver to give a faint blewish light , almost like that of little burning matches , dipt in sulphur . and last of all , the fire being very vehement , there pass'd over another substance , that was judg'd more ponderous than the former , because ( nb ) much of it fell through the water to the bottom of the receiver : whence being taken out , ( and partly even whil'st it staid there ) it appear'd by several effects , and other phoenomena , to be ( as we expected ) of a luciferous nature . the ways i employ'd to make a self-shining substance , out of other matters then that express'd in this process , i must , for certain reasons , forbear to acquaint you with , at this time . i might from the foregoing process , take occasion to inquire , whether the matter , wherein the shining faculty chiefly resides , do not consist , not ( as one would expect ) of the volatile and spirituous parts of our animal liquor , but of its ( not absolutely , but ) more fixt salt , and ponderous foetid oil , associated in a peculiar manner and proportion . and from thence i might take a rise , to propose my conjectures of the cause of the lucidness of our luciferous matter ; and also , both to add somewhat to what , ( two or three years ago ) i wrote about the despised sapa of urine , in reference to some uncommon menstruums , and to make inquiry into other things relating to the nature of light and flame , especially as found in our noctiluca : these things , i say , i might hence take occasion to propose my thoughts of ; but want of time , together with hopes of further discoveries , make me willing to defer the doing it , till i shall have more leisure to frame conjectures , and perhaps more phoenomena to ground them upon . in the mean while , that , i may no further lengthen a letter too prolix already , by apologies for my self , or complements to you ; i shall at present only beg the favor of your candid animadversions upon what i have written , and of those singular observations i hear you have made , about the light of stinking fishes ; both which , you need not doubt , will be as welcom , as i doubt not , they will prove instructive to , sir , your most affectionate , and most humble servant , r. b. pag. . line . dele light. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e * this clause refers to one of the philosophical collections publish'd by the ingenious ▪ mr. hook , who hath therein inserted verbatim the paper he received ! from mr. boyle . notes for div a -e see above , observ . . a course of chemistry containing an easie method of preparing those chymical medicins which are used in physick : with curious remarks and useful discourses upon each preparation, for the benefit of such who desire to be instructed in the knowledge of this art / by nicholas lemery, m.d. lémery, nicolas, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a course of chemistry containing an easie method of preparing those chymical medicins which are used in physick : with curious remarks and useful discourses upon each preparation, for the benefit of such who desire to be instructed in the knowledge of this art / by nicholas lemery, m.d. lémery, nicolas, - . harris, walter, - . the second edition very much inlarged / [ ], , [ ] p., [ ] leaves of plates : ill. printed by r.n. for walter kettilby ..., london : . includes index. reproduction of original in harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of 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strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng chemistry -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - megan marion sampled and proofread - megan marion text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion imprimatur . rob. midgley . aug. . . a course of chymistry . containing an easie method of preparing those chymical medicins which are used in physick . with curious remarks and useful discourses upon each preparation , for the benefit of such who desire to be instructed in the knowledge of this art . by nicholas lemery , m. d. the second edition very much inlarged . translated from the fifth edition in the french , by walter harris , m. d. fellow of the college of physicians . london , printed by r. n. for walter kettilby , at the bishop's-head in s. paul's church-yard , . to the most honourable the lord marquiss of worcester . my lord , it may seem very improper to address a translation out of french to your lordship , who have spent so many years to the greatest advantage in france , and who is not only a great master of that gentile language , but of all the more eminent modern languages of europe . but those who have the honour to know any thing of your lordship must needs allow , that no dedication of what is vseful to the world , or learned in any kind , can be more properly tendered than to a person who being born in the highest rank of our nobility , has power to patronize whatsoever he takes into his protection , and who being fully replenished with all the admirable accomplishments , which a mighty genius , a penetrating and vigorous vnderstanding , an early and exemplary virtue and piety , and all sorts of foreign and domestick improvements could bestow ; in order to render your lordship either a great minister in affairs of state , a compleat courtier , an eminent patriot in the time of peace , a valiant and judicious commander in the time of war , or an excellent judge both of men and books . my lord , the treatise i now offer you , is not writ after the usual way of ordinary chymists ; it has none of the bombastick expressions , nor ridiculous pretences , none of the melancholick dreams , and wretched enthusiasms , none of the palpable falsities , and even impossibilities wherewith the common rate of chymical books has been stuff'd heretofore . the author is no believer in that great and unhappy stumbling-block , the mystery of projection , nor at all addicted to the transmutation , or rather adulteration of metals . he is an excellent operator , his reasonings are close and pertinent to the matter in hand , and all deduced from matter of fact ; insomuch that i think he may be said to have purified and refined chymistry from the many dregs and feculencies , which by other mens over-refining , and over-curious diligence it had been tainted with before . i shall not trouble your lordship too much with things so unsuitable as these are , considering that your noble soul , and publick spirit is hourly engaged in serving , and becoming highly useful to your countrey upon the greatest occasions . your lordship had a considerable share in the happy conclusion of this summers campaign , with your most illustrious father , his grace my lord duke of beaufort , who did maintain , by his presence , and wise conduct , that great post of the utmost importance , the city of bristol , against the power of the rebels , who confidently gave out that they were sure of bristol , and doubtless might have been so , unless prevented by the wisdom and courage of his grace , and your lordship . these things , my lord , are but the beginning of what the world is to expect from you , and may now very reasonably promise it self , under the auspicious government of our most potent , and most invincible monarch . what great thing may not reasonably be presumed , when the head and body are so admirably fitted for the conquest of the world ! and the rather , now the body is so well purged from the sowre leaven of intestine rebellion . may your lordship long continue to partake of his majestie 's royal favour , and to ennoble the most illustrious house of the somersets , with thousands of gallant actions , worthy your self , and worthy your high descent from some of the greatest men in the world , for many generations past . i am , my lord , your lordship 's most humble , and most obedient servant , walter harris . the preface . i shall easily acknowledge that the world is in no want of chymical books ; germany alone can sufficiently furnish those who are much inquisitive after them , with as great variety as their heart can wish . and yet in this great plenty , or rather superfluity of books of chymistry , when we have weighed things a little maturely , we shall find that something very material is still wanting , in order to render chymistry of good use to the world ; and that is , to give a just and impartial judgment of the benefits and the mischiefs , the safety and the danger of many great and common , but those very active chymical medicins , according to the proper use , or irregular application of them , and according to the innocence , or destructiveness of their composition . in order to this end , i do conceive that this author 's plain and natural way of examining every operation by reason and experience together , his singular perspicuity in his discourses and remarks , and his universally avoiding all imaginary notions in the explication of the accidents and circumstances which do attend the operation , may be a good foundation upon which some judicious practisers may hereafter raise cautions & instructions of excellent use to mankind . this author is one of the first through-pac'd chymists who has had the ingenuity and sagacity to suspect the influence of fire on the chief preparations made with it . for though chymistry has by some been called pyrotechnia , or the art of fire , and fire has seemed to be as much deified by most chymists , as scaliger tells us , exercit. . it was by the barbarous lybians , who did worship it as a god ; yet this worthy man has in many places of his book abundantly acknowledged , or at least sufficiently hinted at the hurt , as well as the good , which medecins may receive from its violent nature . he says , p. . if we consider impartially how fire does act , we shall be forced to acknowledge , that it rather destroyes , and confounds the greatest part of the bodies it opens , and does not leave them in the natural state they were in before , and especially when it is driven with that force which is necessary to draw them . he proves all alkali salts , whether volatile or fixt to be changed from their natural state , by the means of fire , and also to have received , and to retain the very particles and substance of fire in its full activity ; and shews how the great ebullition which happens upon the mixture of acid and alkali is or may be presumed to be wholly or in great part owing to the fire contained in them . the heat , and fume , and ebullition , the noise and detonation , which do attend the making spirit of niter dulcified , do shew what a fire is drawn into the body of that corrosive spirit that can make so remarkable a conflict and bustle , that it is even ready to take flame of it self , though the operation or dulcification be made without coming near the fire , and though there is no appearance of alkali contending with acid , to cause the aforesaid tumult , see the remarks on spirit of niter dulcified , p. , . the same thing happens upon mixing oil of vitriol , ( another corrosive acid ) with oil of turpentine , which is no alkali ; the mixture grows so hot , through the fire contained in the acid , that it sometimes breaks the viol , and often produces a considerable ebullition , see p. . he observes , that water thrown upon tartar newly calcined , does heat and cause ebullition , after the manner as it does with quicklime , the fire that was entred into it making a violent eruption . he is the first perhaps who has taken such particular notice , what an augmentation of weight is added to many preparations by the concurrence and incorporation of the substance of fire into their composition , as you may see in the calcination of lead , p. . in the distillation of spirit of saturn from the salt of saturn , p. . in the calcination of regulus of antimony , p. . and even in the calcination of antimony by the heat of the sun with a burning-glass , p. . which few instances may possibly lead the way to inquisitive persons to discover the same augmentation in divers other preparations . his addiction to chymistry has not heated his head with fond and groundless hopes of attaining projection , nor led him to abuse the world with counterfeiting the nobler metals , but he has candidly exposed the impostures of alchymists at large , in the chapter of gold , p. , &c. i shall say nothing of his description of the phosphorus , and divers other new matters delivered in this edition . i dare presume the judicious reader will not dislike many things in the book , when he has a little considered them . therefore although we may possibly be overstockt with books that pretend to chymistry , yet i hope the discerning reader will think it no dis-service , that i become an instrument of adding one more good book of this kind to the number of our bad ones : the kind reception which the former edition met with , when comparatively short and imperfect , has already in some measure bespoke the welcom , which this may reasonably hope for , being revised , and very much inlarged by the ingenious author , and when compared with the former edition will be found to bear the proportion of a man in his full strength and vigor , to that of a growing hopeful youth . i will not detain you from the work it self , only would advise young students , for whose instruction it is principally designed , not to be too bold in the use of such medicins as have undergone great fires , nor to be over-credulous in believing the strange wonders , and most mighty cures which too many other chymists have extravagantly boasted , and most solemnly , but groundlesly assured us . the wise hippocrates will acquaint them , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and galen frequently teaches , that nature is abundantly wiser in her works than art can be ; and that the works of nature are far above our greatest praises , and deserve our highest admiration , as may be seen more at large in his . and . books of that excellent tract , de usu partium . a good physician must have studied art and nature too . and a chymist of the first rank will find himself never the worse an artist , by his being likewise a skilful naturalist . a table of the chapters . of chymistry in general . page of the principles of chymistry . remarks upon the principles . of chymical vessels and furnaces . the figures , or cutts . of lutes . of the degrees of fire . explication of many terms that are used in chymistry . first part . of minerals . chap. i. of gold. purification of gold. amalgamation of gold with mercury , and its reduction into an impalpable powder . aurum fulminans , called the saffron of gold. chap. ii. of silver . purification of silver . crystals of silver , called vitriol of the moon . infernal stone , or perpetual caustick . tincture of the moon . diana's tree . chap. iii. of tinn . pulverisation of tinn . ib. calcination of tinn . salt of jupiter , or tinn . sublimation of tinn . magistery of jupiter , or tinn . flowers of jupiter , or tinn . chap. iv. of bismuth , called tinn-glass . flowers of bismuth . magistery of bismuth . ib. chap. v. of lead . calcination of lead . salt of saturn . magistery of saturn . balsom , or oil of saturn . burning spirit of saturn . chap. vi. of copper . calcination of copper . purification of copper . vitriol of venus , or copper . other crystals of venus . spirit of venus . chap. vii . of iron . opening saffron of mars . another opening saffron of mars . another opening saffron of mars . binding saffron of mars . salt , or vitriol of mars . another vitriol of mars . tincture of mars with tartar. opening extract of mars . binding extract of mars . mars diaphoretick . chap. viii . of mercury . artificial cinnabar . reviving of cinnabar into quick-silver . sublimate corrosive , sweet sublimate , or mercurius dulcis . white precipitate . red precipitate . turbith mineral , or yellow precipitate . oil , or liquor of mercury . another oil of mercury . other precipitates of mercury . chap. ix . of antimony . common regulus of antimony . golden sulphur of antimony . regulus of antimony with mars . glass of antimony . crocus metallorum , or liver of antimony . antimonium diaphoreticum . another antimonium diaphoreticum . flowers of antimony . red flowers of antimony . butter , or icy oil of antimony . butter of antimony , together with its cinnabar . the emetick powder of algarot , or mercurius vitae . bezoar mineral . caustick oil of antimony . another oil of antimony . chap. x. of arsenick . regulus of arsenick . sublimate of arsenick . caustick arsenick . corrosive oil of arsenick . chap. xi . of quick-lime . phagedenick water . caustick stones , or cauteries . sympathetical inks. chap. xii . of flints . calcination of flints . tincture of flints . liquor of flints . chap. xiii . oil of bricks . chap. xiv . of coral . dissolution of coral . magistery of coral . salt of coral . chap. xv. of common salt. calcination of common salt. spirit of salt. chap. xvi . of niter , or salt-peter . purification of salt-peter . crystal mineral , called sal prunellae . sal polycrestum . spirit of niter . spirit of niter dulcified . aqua fortis . fixation of salt-peter into an alkali salt. chap. xvii . of sal armoniack . flowers of sal armoniack . aqua regalis . volatile spirit of sal armoniack . another preparation of the volatile spirit of sal armoniack , together with its flowers , and fixt salt against fevers . acid spirit of sal armoniack . chap. xviii . of vitriol . gilla vitrioli , or vomitive vitriol . calcination of vitriol . distillation of vitriol . styptick water . lapis medicamentosus . salt of vitriol . chap. xix . of roche-alom , and its purification . distillation of alom . ibid. chap. xx. of sulphur . flower of sulphur . ib. magistery of sulphur . balsom of sulphur . spirit of sulphur . salt of sulphur . chap. xxi . of succinum , or ambar . tincture of ambar . distillation of ambar , and the rectification of its oil and spirit . volatile salt of ambar . chap. xxii . of ambar-grease . essence of ambar-grease . second part . of vegetables . chap. i. of jalap . rosin , or magistery of jalap . ib. chap. ii. of rhubarb . extract of rhubarb . chap. iii. of the wood guaiacum . distillation of guaiacum . ib. chap. iv. of paper . oil and spirit of paper . chap. v. of cinnamon . oil , or essence of cinnamon , and its celestial water . tincture of cinnamon . chap. vi. of the bark of peru. tincture of the peruvian bark . extract of peruvian bark . chap. vii . of cloves . oil of cloves per descensum . ib. chap. viii . of nutmegs . oil of nutmegs . chap. ix . distillation of an odoriferous plant , such as balm , its extract and fixt salt. chap. x. distillation of a plant that is not odoriferous , such as carduus benedictus and its essential salt. chap. xi . of sugar . spirit of sugar . chap. xii . of wine . distillation of wine into brandy . spirit of wine . spirit of wine tartarised . queen of hungary's water . chap. xiii . of vinegar . distillation of vinegar . chap. xiv . of tartar. crystals of tartar. ib. soluble tartar. chalybeated crystals of tartar. chalybeated soluble tartar , soluble emetick tartar , another soluble emetick tartar , distillation of tartar , fixt salt of tartar , and its liquor , called oil of tartar per deliquium , tincture of salt of tartar , magistery of tartar , or tartarum vitriolatum , volatile salt of tartar , chap. xv. of opium , extract of opium , called laudanum , chap. xvi . of aloes , extract of aloes , chap. xvii . elixir proprietatis , chap. xviii . of tabaco , distillation of tabaco , chap. xix . extractum panchymagogum , chap. xx. of turpentine , distillation of turpentine , chap. xxi . of benjamin , flowers of benjamin , and its oil , tincture of benjamin , chap. xxii . of camphire , oil of camphire , chap. xxiii . of gumm ammoniack , distillation of gumm ammoniack , chap. xxiv . of myrrhe , tincture of myrrhe , oil of myrrhe per deliquium , third part . of animals . chap. i. of the viper , distillation of vipers , chap. ii. distillation of vrine , and its volatile salt , the phosphorus , the hermetick phosphorus of baldwinus , chap. iii. of honey , distillation of honey , chap. iv. distillation of wax , a course of chymistry . of chymistry in general . the word chymistry is derived from the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a juyce , or from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to melt ; because it teaches us to separate the purer substances of mixt bodies , which are sometimes called juices ; and because it shews us how to melt things that are of the most solid nature . the chymists have added the arabian particle al , in the word alchymy , intending to give it a sublime signification , as particularly when the transmutation of metals is understood by it , though otherwise alchymy signifies no more than chymistry . it is called the spagirick art , from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to separate , and to gather together , because it teaches how to separate the useful parts of a body from the unuseful , and how to joyn them together again . 't is called the hermetick art , from hermes , one of the first inventors of it . lastly , it has been called pyrotechnia , from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , signifying the art of fire ; for in effect it is by fire that we bring all chymical operations to pass . other names have been given to this art , but because the knowledge of them is to no great purpose , we will be contented with having related some of the chief . chymistry is an art that teaches how to separate the different substances which are found in mixt bodies : i mean by a mixt body those things that naturally grow and increase , such as minerals , vegetables , and animals . under the name of minerals , i comprehend the seven metals , minerals , stones , and earths ; under vegetables , i understand plants , gumms , rosins , fruits , the several sorts of fungus , seeds , juyces , flowers , mosses , and whatsoever else comes from them . among these also i reckon manna , honey , and those that are called imperfect mixts . and under animals i contain both the animals themselves , and whatsoever belongs to them , as their parts and excrements . but before i begin to speak particularly of all these things , i believe it will be convenient to say something of the principles of chymistry , and give a general idea of furnaces , lutes , the degrees of fire , and terms that may occasion any obscurity . of the principles of chymistry . the first principle that can be admitted for the composition of mixts , is an vniversal spirit , which being diffused through all the world , produces different things according to the different matrixes , or pores of the earth in which it settles . but because this principle is a little metaphysical , and falls not under our senses , it will be fit to establish some sensible ones ; wherefore i shall relate those that are commonly held . whereas the chymists in making the analysis of mixt bodies have met with five sorts of substances , they therefore concluded that there were five principles of natural things , water , spirit , oil , salt , and earth . of these five , three of them are active , the spirit , oil , and salt ; and two passive , water and earth . they called them active , by reason they do cause all manner of action ; and the others passive , because being in repose themselves , they only serve to stop and hinder the quick motion of the actives . the spirit which is called mercury is the first of the active principles , that appears to us , when we make the anatomy of a mixt body . 't is a subtile , piercing , light substance , that is more in motion than any of the others . it is this which causes all bodies to grow in more or less time , according as it abounds in them more or less . but it happens that the bodies wherein it abounds are more liable to corruption , by reason of its too great motion , and this is observ'd in animals and vegetables . on the contrary the greatest part of minerals , as containing but a very small quantity of it , do seem to be incorruptible . it cannot be drawn pure , no more than the others i am going to speak of . but either it is involv'd in a little oil , that it carries along with it , and then may be called a volatile spirit , such as the spirit of wine , of roses , of rosemary , of juniper ; or else is detained by some salts , which check its volatility , and then may be called a fixt spirit , as the acid spirits of vitriol , alum , salt , &c. the oil which is called sulphur by reason of its inflammability , is a sweet , subtile , unctuous substance , that rises after the spirit . this is said to cause the diversity of colours and smells , according to its disposition in bodies : this gives them their beauty , and deformity , uniting together the other principles : this also sweetens the acrimony of salts , and by shutting up the pores of a mixt , hinders it from corrupting , either through too much moisture or cold . wherefore many trees and plants that have a great deal of oil , are wont to last green much longer than others , and can resist the extremity of ill weathers . it is always drawn impure . for either it is mixt with spirits , as the oils of rosemary , of lavender , which swim above the water ; or else it is fill'd with salts , that it draws along with it in the distillation , as the oil of box , guaiacum , cloves , which do precipitate to the bottom of the water by reason of their weight . salt is the last of the active principles , which remains disguised in the earth , after the other principles are extracted . it is drawn by pouring water upon the earth to imbibe its salt ; then filtring the dissolution , and evaporating all the moisture , a salt is found at the bottom of the vessel . it is a fixt , incombustible substance , that gives bodies their consistence , and preserves them from corruption . this causes the diversity of tasts , according as it is diversly mixed . there are three different salts , as the fixt , volatile , and essential . the fixt salt is that which remains after calcination : the volatile is that which easily riseth , as the salt of animals : and essential salt is that which is obtained from the juyce of plants by crystallization . this last is between the fixt and volatile . water , which is called phlegm , is the first of the passive principles : it comes in distillation before the spirits when they are fixt , or after them when they are volatile . it is never drawn pure , but always receives some impression from the active principles . and this causes it to have a more detersive virtue in it than common water . it serves to separate the active principles , and to bridle their motion . the earth , which is called caput mortuum , or terra damnata , is the last of the passive principles , and can no more be separated pure than the rest , but will still retain some spirits in it ; and if after you have depriv'd it of them as much as you are able , you leave it a good while exposed to the air , it will recover new spirits again . remarks upon the principles . the word principle in chymistry must not be understood in too nice a sense : for the substances which are so called , are only principles in respect of us , and as we can advance no farther in the division of bodies ; but we well know that they may be still divided into abundance of other parts , which may more justly claim , in propriety of speech , the name of principles : wherefore such substances are to be understood by chymical principles , as are separated and divided , so far as we are capable of doing it by our weak imperfect powers . and because chymistry is an art that demonstrates what it does , it receives for fundamental only such things as are palpable and demonstrable . it is in truth a great advantage to us , that we have principles so sensible as they are , and whereof we can have so reasonable an assurance . the fond conceits of other philosophers , concerning natural principles , do only puff up the mind with grand idea's , but they prove or demonstrate nothing . and this is the reason that going to discover their principles , we find some of them do frame one systeme , and others another . but if we would come as near as may be to the true principles of nature , we cannot take a more certain course than that of chymistry , which will serve us as a ladder to them ; and this division of substances , though it may seem a little gross , will give us a very great idea of nature , and the figure of the first small particles which have entred into the composition of mixt bodies . some modern philosophers would perswade us , that it is altogether uncertain , whether the substances which are separated from bodies , and are called chymical principles , do effectually exist and are naturally residing in the body before : these do tell us that the fire by rarifying the matter in time of distillation is capable of bestowing upon it such an alteration as is quite different from what it had before , and so of forming the salt , oil , and other things which are drawn from it . this objection does at first seem to have much weight and reason in it , because it is certain ( as hereafter shall be shewn ) that the fire does give a very considerable impression to the preparations , and that very often it does put such a new face upon things , that they are very hardly to be known when compar'd with what they were before . but it is easie to shew , that though the fire does so diversifie and alter substances , yet it does not make those principles ; for we see them and smell them in many bodies , before ever we bring them to undergo the fire . for example , it cannot be denied , but that there was existent oyl in olives , in almonds , in nuts , and in many other fruits and seeds , because it is drawn , only by beating and pressing them . turpentine , which is a thickned oyl , and many other fat , or unctuous liquors , are drawn by meer incision into the trunk , or root of trees ; and what else i pray is the fat of animals but an oyl , or sulphur coagulated ? nor can it be denied , but that there is salt actually in mixt bodies , since that by bruising a plant , and making expression to draw out its juyce , and then leaving the juyce to settle in some cool place for a few daies , a salt will be found fixt about the vessel in form of little crystals . i know that some doubting scepticks ( who make it their business to doubt of every thing ) will still say that by beating the almonds , and then pressing them , and by making incision into trees , the parts which compose the plant are agitated and put in motion after such a manner as they are by fire , and that this agitation of parts is capable of ranging them so , as to make the oyl and salt. but such reasonings as these do destroy themselves by too much niceness , and there is no sober understanding man but easily perceives the falshood ; for can a man well perceive that meer trituration or incision are able to make salt , oyl , earth ? it is abundantly more probable , nay , and it may be sufficiently demonstrated , that those substances did exist in the bodies before , and that by incision and trituration the gate has only been opened to let them come freely out . others again do attack the principles of chymistry after another manner a little differing from this , these do acknowledge that the foresaid substances are naturally in the mixts , much as we draw them by art , but they assert that we have no proof that the mixts are compounded of these same substances , called principles , and that they are not drawn from the juyce of the earth in such a form ; that salt , sulphur , &c. may indeed have been formed in the natural fermentations , and other elaborations , which happen in the mixt during its growth , and therefore they conclude that those substances cannot properly be called principles , because we do not know sufficiently whether the mixt was composed of them at first . but since we are satisfied that the earths which serve for a matrix to mixt bodies , are impregnated with salt , sulphur , and other substances of the nature of those which we do find in the bodies , and since we can perceive nothing else which can contribute to their composition , it remains beyond all doubt that they are even compounded of them . it must be granted that the fermentations , or other elaborations which come to pass in mixt bodies , have given the principles a certain order of parts , or some dispositions they had not before , but they do by no means form , or compose them . the five principles are easily found in animals and vegetables , but not so easily in minerals . nay there are some minerals , out of which you cannot possibly draw so much as two , nor make any separation at all ( as gold and silver ) whatsoever they talk , who search with so much pains for the salts , sulphurs and mercuries of these metals . i can believe , that all the principles do indeed enter into the composition of these bodies , but it does not follow that they must remain in their former condition , or can be drawn as they were before ; for it may be these substances which are called principles are so strictly involved one within another , as to suffer no separation any other way than by breaking their figure . now it is by reason of their figure that they are called salts , sulphurs , and spirits : for example , if you mix an acid spirit with the salt of tartar or some other alkali , the edges of the acid will so insinuate into the pores of the salt , that if by distillation you would separate the acid spirit again from the salt , you 'l never be able to effect it , the acid will have lost almost all its strength , because the edges of these spirits are so far destroyed or changed , that they no longer preserve their former figure . every body knows that glass is made of salt , but because the fire hath wrought so great a change upon its texture , or figure , it can do nothing at all that salt is used to do ; nay , and it is in a manner impossible to draw any true salt from it by chymistry . there are three sorts of liquors that are qualified with the name of spirit in chymistry ; the spirit of animals , the burning spirit of vegetables , and the acid spirit . the first of them , as the spirit of harts-horn , is nothing but a volatile salt dissolved by a little phlegm , as i shall shew when i treat of animals . the second , as the spirit of wine , the spirit of juniper , and the spirit of rosemary , is an exalted oyl , as i shall shew speaking of wines . and the last , as the spirit of vinegar , tartar , and vitriol , is an acid essential salt , dissolved and put in fusion by the fire , as i shall prove , when i speak of vinegar , and the distillation of tartar : this last is called a fluid salt . these three sorts of liquors comprehending all that can any way be called spirit , this may pass for one principle very well ; for seeing that the spirit which is drawn from animals is nothing but a salt dissolved by a little phlegm ; that spirit of wine is only an oyl exalted , and that the acid spirit is a salt become fluid , we can observe nothing in these liquors but an oyl , salts of a different nature , and water . wherefore it must be concluded , that the spirit or mercury which chymists have talk'd of is a meer chimaera , that serves only to confound mens minds , and render chymistry unintelligible ; for men might if they would , have called these liquors by more proper names : thus what hindred them from calling the spirit of animals , by the name of a volatile salt dissolv'd ? the liquors which come from oyls might have been called an exalted oyl ; and the acid spirits a fluid salt ; and hereby we should not have been troubled about an imaginary principle , and chymistry would have been better understood . but it is impossible to change a name that has been so long fixt and appropriated to these liquors . all that i can do is to explicate , as i have done , what is meant by the word spirit , in order to avoid equivocations . nothing but the oyl , can properly be said to be inflammable , and the oyl is so much the more so , as the salts , with which it is closely united , have been more or less spiritualized . for that which i call spirit in the oyl , is nothing but an essential or volatile salt ; this salt is not of it self inflammable , but serves to rarifie and exalt the parts of the oyl to render them the more susceptible of motion , and consequently of flagration ; after the same manner as when salt-peter is put to mix with some oily substance , this oily matter fires much more easily than when it is alone ; though salt-peter of it self is not at all inflammable , as i shall prove hereafter . we have examples of the truth of what i say in spirit of wine , oyl of turpentine , and all other inflammable liquors ; for they are only oyls subtilized and refined by the volatile salts they contain . vegetables have a great deal of salt much like to salt-peter ; this salt being straitly united with their oyl makes them the more apt to flame , than if they had been deprived of it . the fat of animals as well as their other parts , is full of a volatile acid salt ; wax , rosine , and all other matters that are inflammable , are impregnated with an acid salt , essential or volatile . i say the salt which causes the flagration of oyls , must be either volatile or essential , for if it were a fixt salt , 't would have a contrary effect , it would allay in some measure the quick motion of the parts of an inflammable body ; and this we see happens when sea-salt is flung into the fire , it serves to put it out . common sulphur yields us another instance of the same kind : consisting of one part sulphureous or oily , and another saline or acid fixt , which plainly appears in the opening of it , the oily part fires , and would soon rise like other oils into a great white flame , but that the acid part being a load to its activity hinders it from rising , and so forces it to cast but only a small blue flame ; and a proof of what i affirm may be had from mixing salt-peter with sulphur ; for the volatile salt of salt-peter does volatilize the salts of sulphur , and causes a white flame to burn violently , as i shall shew hereafter in the operation of salt polychrest . many things are called oils very improperly , as the oyl of tartar made per deliquium , the oyl of vitriol , and the oyl of antimony . the first is nothing else but a salt dissolved , the second is the strongest , and most caustick part of the spirit of vitriol , and the last is a mixture of acid spirit , and antimony . as for salt , i am apt to think , that there is one chief , of which all the rest are compounded , and do conceive it to be made of an acid liquor sliding through the veins of the earth , which doth insensibly insinuate and incorporate in the pores of stones , which it does dilate and attenuate : afterwards by a long fermentation and concoction of several years , a salt comes to be formed , that is called fossile ; and this opinion is the more likely to be true , because from the mixture of acids with some alkali matter we always draw a substance very like unto salt. now stones are an alkali . i add , that the long fermentation , and concoction which is made in the stone , serves to digest , and perfectly unite the acid with the stony parts , for the making of salt. this fossile salt , which is called gemma , by reason of its transparency , is found in many high mountains of europe , such as those in poland , catalonia , and persia , and in the indies ; it is altogether like that we use for nourishment , which is called sea salt , insomuch that the waters of the sea may be said to receive their saltishness from nothing else but this salt dissolved in them . is it not likely enough that the bottom of the sea , or its shores , may be much like the surface of the earth we inhabit , and that there may be mountains , rocks , different sorts of earth , and consequently inexhaustible mountains of salt in a million of places at the bottom of the sea , whence it receives its brackishness ? and it may be there are waters , which after taking salt from several earths , do at last discharge themselves into the sea through an infinite number of subterranean channels , which do much contribute likewise to making sea-water salt . that which confirms me in this opinion is , because there are lakes in italy , germany , egypt , the indies , and many other places , which are as salt as the sea , and can have no other cause but that their waters have hapned to run through mines of salt. i doubt not but many will be apt to object against my opinion , that the sea being of so prodigious boundless an extent , all the salt i have spoken of , would not be able to salt it as it is ; but if they please to consider , that this great extent of the ocean may meet with mines of salt in abundance of places , and that what is once dissolv'd can never be separated from it , i am perswaded their doubt will soon vanish . add to what is said , that sea water does not contain so great a quantity of salt as is commonly imagined : and this is easily prov'd , if you take the pains to evaporate some of it over the fire , or dissolve salt in that water ; for it will receive a considerable quantity into it , which is a certain sign , that the water was not so salt before , as it might have been , for if it had been impregnated with as much as it could , it would have dissolv'd no more . therefore we have good reason to believe , that the sea , which may be called a large lake , becomes salt through the mines that are therein , and the salt currents that in several places empty into it . some fountains are also seen to yield a salt like this ; because their waters having passed through places fill'd with this salt , have dissolved and carried along with them some of it . salt-peter differs from these salts i speak of , in that it contains more spirit ; so that when you take the pains to exalt a part of it , what remains is like unto sal gemme . it may be objected that salt peter is found in places where no acid liquor can be thought to come ; but no body can doubt but that there is an acid in the air , which though a very insensible body , is able enough to enter into stones and earths , the truth whereof is seen every day in earths that have lost their salt as much as could be drawn by art , which upon being exposed some time to the open air get new additions of salt , and encrease their weight considerably . now the liquor that i speak of , which runs in some places of the earth , receives its acidity from this acid spirit of the air , which condenses in some places better than in others , by reason of the coolness , or some other disposition it finds there . i conceive therefore that salt peter is form'd in stones and earths by the acid spirit of the air , after the same manner as sal gemme in mines by an acid liquor , and that this aerial acid entring insensibly into the body of stones produces a salt at first much like sal gemme ; but afterwards new acid spirits still coming and mixing with it makes it of a middle nature between volatile and fixt . and it is for this reason that a great deal of salt peter is taken from old ruined buildings , for the stones there continuing a long time exposed to the air , receive greater quantity of spirits than other stones ; it is likewise to be found in cellers and other places where the sun casts no heat , because the spirit of the air does there easily condense by reason of the coolness and moisture . but i shall discourse more amply of that , when i come to treat of the preparations that are made upon salt peter . vitriols , alums , and all other salts , that are naturally found in the earth , may be explicated upon the same principle ; for according as acid liquors do meet with different earths , they produce different salts . all earths being impregnated with an acid salt , as i have said , it is not hard to conceive how that the salt of vegetables is communicated to them from the earth wherein they grew . their growth must needs have proceeded from a saline juice of the earth they grew in , which having opened the seed through the fermentation it caused , insinuates and filtrates into the fibres that constitute the plant ; and the leaving grounds fallow some years , is in order to preserve and retain the salt that is continually encreased in them by the acid spirit of the air . likewise dung , and other matters , which are said to fatten and fructifie lands , do so by nothing else but their salt. neither need we wonder at the barrenness of sandy and stony soils , for that the acid spirit of the air cannot unite and fix with them in sufficient quantity to render them fertile . nevertheless it is worth observation , that there are lands which remain barren , through too great an abundance of salt they contain , and for this reason in egypt they are forced to temper their grounds with sand after the ebbing of the river nile , to make them fertile ; because the earth , till that is done , is so full of salt , that its pores are quite choaked up with it . so that instead of causing any fermentation in the seed , the salt fixes and depresses it , so that it can't have its motion free enough to rarifie , and raise a stalk ; but now when sand is mingled with it , it is able to divide and separate the salt , which not having then such power of fixing the seed , it ferments and rises into a plant. whence it may be seen , that too much salt is at least as offensive to the earths fertility , as too little , and that it is the same thing with other fermentable matters as it is with earths , they come to ferment by means of a moderate quantity of salt mixed with them ; for if you add too much , the fermentation will be spoil'd . again , every kind of salt is not fit to fertilize lands , it must be a volatile salt , or approaching to the nature of salt-peter , to serve for vegetation ; a salt too fixt would rather spoil it , and it has been observ'd that places which should fructifie , have brought forth nothing , when sea-salt has been sprinkled upon them ; the reason of which is for that this fixt salt hinders the fermentation that was necessary to fertilize . nevertheless it sometimes happens , that the ashes of vegetables , though full of a fixt salt , do serve to fertilize ; and this countrey-men are well acquainted with , who in some places where they find their lands too poor and barren to yield any thing without assistance of art , do use at certain seasons of the year to burn fern and turfs upon them , and spread about the ashes . now it is by reason of a lixivious salt in the ashes , that the lands are hereby improv'd . but this happens for the same reason as i said before , for the fixt salt of vegetables that lies in the ashes is very porous , as i shall prove hereafter ; and so does very well mix with the spirits or acid salts of the air , and turns easily into salt-peter , as when spirit of salt-peter is mixt with an alkali salt , it makes a good salt-peter . as for sea-salt , possibly it might happen , that if it were left in the earth for some considerable time , it would impregnate with the spirit of the air , and so being at length volatilized would render a place fertile . but because it is a very compact body , and its parts closely united , the volatilizing of it would be a tedious business , and so the present requisite fermentation failing , the place would remain barren too long to gratifie our expectations . it is very likely that the volatile or nitrous salt meets in the earth with some sulphureous or fat matter , that is continually raised by the subterranean heat toward the surface of the earth , and unites with it . this mixture of a volatile salt and sulphur together may much contribute towards explicating the manner of vegetation ; for just as the mixture of sulphur and salt-peter does excellently dispose to an exaltation by heat , which will not happen while they are separated ; so the bituminous or fat part of the earth mixing with salt-peter , which all earths have , the subterranean heat exalts them much more easily , than if the salt were alone . and now let us see what happens from this exaltation to the production of plants . some part of this sulphureous salt , meeting with seed in the earth proper to grow , does enter into the seed , and cause a fermentation , that is to say , suppling the parts of the seed , disposes it to open it self . now 't is very certain , ( and what has been sensibly demonstrated by microscopes ) that each grain of seed contains in little the whole plant with all its parts . wherefore this opening the body of the seed is by reason that the sulphureous salts entring at the pores of the root of this small plant , and by their volatile quality insinuating along the fibres which constitute the plant , do orderly display before us what was before but very confused in respect of us . these salts do never enter at the head of the plant , and so descend to the root , though often the root of the seed lies uppermost , and the head or stalk downwards , because the pores of the stalk are not of such a figure as is proper to receive them , whereas those of the root have a proper contexture . the volatility of these salts does also cause the stalk , though seated downwards , to rise upwards , and follow their tendency , which is always up ; and this is that which by extending and enlarging the fibres of the plant , makes it grow to that height which their nature requires . 't is probable that this fat part of earth insinuating with the salt , as i have said , does make the oyl of a mixt body ; for we find that those matters which help best to fertilize , are full of volatile salt and oyl , as dung , vrine , and plants corrupted . 't is fit to observe here , that the salt does act after another-guise manner than the oyl in hindring the fermentation or corruption of the matter it is mixed with ; for it does not only stop the pores , and hinder the air from entring , but fixes it likewise by its hooked parts , that it can neither have motion nor rarefaction , for which reason it is that meat is salted in order to keep it sweet , and does thereby remain firm and compact for some time . three kinds of salt are drawn from vegetables , an acid salt called essential , a volatile , and a fixt salt . the first is sometimes like salt-peter , and sometimes like tartar , according as it contains more or less earth ; this salt is drawn from the juice of the plant , as i said before ; for after expression and purifying this juice , it is set in a vessel in some cool place a few daies without stirring , and the salt shoots into crystals every way . this acid salt may be said to be the true salt that was in the plant , because the means that are used in drawing it are natural , and such as cannot change its nature ; but this can't be said of those others , because the violent fires that are used about them make impressions of another nature , and their effects are very different , so that the fire seems to alter and disguise them , as i shall shew in the following discourse . the second salt , or the volatile salt of plants is usually drawn from seeds or fruits fermented . while it remains in the vegetable , it differs from the essential salt only in this , that being driven up higher by spirits , it becomes more volatile . the fermentation that is caused in fruits by beating and bruising them , does very much assist us in volatilizing the salt ; for it sets the particles at work , and disposes them for an easier separation ; but it happens that in the great circulation , or continual motion this salt is in , it unites so strongly with the oyl , which fruits and seeds are full of , that they can't be separated by crystallizing the juice , as they can in drawing them from other parts of the plant. we must therefore have recourse to the help of fire . the fruit or seed which contains the volatile salt , as i shall prove in its proper place , is distilled by a retort , and water comes forth in the first place , then an oyl , and lastly a most keen ill scented salt ( that easily flies away ) upon encreasing the fire to purpose , is driven into the receiver . now it is plain that fire has chang'd , or else added something to this salt ; for when it was in the plant , it had no manner of smell like that it gets by distillation . but to shew there 's a strange alteration in this salt , as soon as it is mixed with an acid , there presently appears an ebullition , or effervescency , which remains until the acid has throughly entred into the salt . which circumstance does not happen to it in its natural state , it is this ebullition that gave it the name of a volatile alkali , to distinguish it from a fixt alkali , of which i shall speak hereafter . the chymists will needs have this volatile alkali to be in the plant , just the same as when it is drawn ; that is to say , they make this a different species of salt , lying hid under the acid , until it is laid open by the force of fire . but this opinion is founded on no credible experience , for anatomize the plant how you think fit , without using fire , and you shall never find any other but an acid salt . doubtless it will be said , that all other ways of dissecting plants even into their salts , prove too weak without the assistance of this grand dissolvent fire . but if we consider impartially how fire does act , we shall be forced to acknowledge that it rather destroys , and confounds the greatest part of the bodies it opens , and does not leave them in the natural state they were in before , and especially when it is driven with that force which is necessary to draw this salt . so that i see no reason why the species of things should be multiplied without necessity , by admitting many kinds of salts in plants , and i conceive with much more probability , that the volatile alkali salt is a part of the acid essential salt i spoke of , which having been first disposed to a volatile nature , and afterwards driven by the force of fire , draws along with it a portion of empyreumatical oil , that gives it such a disagreeable smell , and some terrestrious calcined matter , with which it is so strongly united , and which changes its nature , by breaking the saline points , and rendring them porous , so that any acid liquor being cast upon it , enters into the pores , and violently divides the parts , whence follows the effervescency . perchance likewise this calx or calcined earth may have retained igneous particles , and so the edges of the acid beginning to open the pores of salt , these little igneous bodies being in a violent motion do strike about , and break open all their small prisons , and from thence it may be , the violent ebullition happens . such as are prejudiced with the sentiments of ancient chymists , will rellish very hardly this new opinion of mine ; but i am perswaded if any one will take the pains to examine the matter near at hand , and make some experiments on the salts of plants , he will find my discourse come near enough to truth . the last salt or the fixt salt of plants remains mixed with the earthy part after distillation of the other substances ; the matter is taken out of the retort , and calcined in an open fire , for to free it from the soot that blackens it ; afterwards the salt is drawn by a lixivium as i have shewn before . this salt is called fixt , in comparison with others , because this cannot sublime . it is observable , that because a great quantity of this kind of salt is drawn from a plant called kali , the name alkali has been given to the fixt salt of all plants ; and that because an effervescency does rise upon mixing an acid liquor with this salt , all volatile or fixt salts , and all terrestrious matters which ferment with acids , have come to be called alkali's . the chymists do assure us , but with little foundation for it , that in terrestrious bodies , in metalls , coral , pearl , and generally in all bodies that ferment with acids , there is an hidden alkali in them , which is one of the principles of fermentation , wherefore they give them the names of alkali's ; but because no manner of salt can be drawn from them , to prove their opinion , and they have no other rational argument to perswade me , they must give me leave to think otherwise than they have done , and i conceive that the contrary to what they have established will serve me better to explicate the truth . following therefore the principle i have laid , i believe that those terrestrious bodies are themselves alkali's , rather than that the ebullition of acid and alkali proceeds from a salt supposed to be contained in them ; and further that the salts are never alkali's until they have undergone the force of fire , and been reduced into a calx . i have proved , speaking of the nature of volatile salt , that the fire did very much change the substances of things ; and as i have shewn there is good reason to think there is but only one species of salt in plants , and the volatile salt is but a change wrought by fire ; i shall proceed upon the same principle , and affirm that there is no fixt alkali salt in plants , but that by calcination the fire has fixt a part of the acid essential salt with the earthy part that has serv'd to break the keenest of its points , and rendred them porous , like a calx . it is by reason of these pores that this kind of salt grows humid , and melts so easily when exposed to the air ; and the terrestrious parts do turn it into an alkali , for if they were not mixed with it , it would continue still an acid salt , and opposed to alkali . but to clear up this point the better , we must consider as nicely as may be the nature of an acid and an alkali . whereas the nature of a thing so obscure as that of salt , cannot better be explicated , than by admitting to its parts such figures as are answerable to the effects it produces ; i shall affirm , that the acidity of any liquor does consist in keen particles of salts , put in motion ; and i hope no body will offer to dispute whether an acid has points or no , seeing every ones experience does demonstrate it , they need but taste an acid to be satisfied of it , for it pricks the tongue like any thing keen , and finely cut ; but a demonstrative and convincing proof that an acid does consist of pointed parts is , that not only all acid salts do crystallize into edges , but all dissolutions of different things , caused by acid liquours , do assume this figure in their crystallization ; these crystalls consist of points differing both in length and bigness one from another , and this diversity must be attributed to the keener or blunter edges of the different sorts of acids ; and so likewise this difference of the points in subtilty is the cause that one acid can penetrate and dissolve well one sort of mixt , that another can't rarifie at all : thus vinegar dissolves lead , which aqua fortis can't : aqua fortis dissolves quick-silver , which vinegar will not touch : aqua regalis dissolves gold , whenas aqua fortis cannot meddle with it ; on the contrary aqua fortis dissolves silver , but can do nothing with gold , and so of the rest . as for alkali's , they are soon known by pouring an acid upon them , for presently or soon after , there rises a violent ebullition , which remains until the acid finds no more bodies to rarifie . this effect may make us reasonably conjecture that an alkali is a terrestrious and solid matter , whose pores are figured after such a manner that the acid points entring into them do strike and divide whatsoever opposes their motion ; and according as the parts of which the alkali is compounded , are more or less solid , the acids finding more or less resistance , do cause a stronger or weaker ebullition . so we see the effervescency that happens in the dissolution of coral is very much milder than that in the dissolution of silver . there are as many different alkali's , as there are bodies that have different pores , and this is the reason why an acid will ferment with one strongly , and with another not at all ; for there must be a due proportion between the acid points , and the pores of the alkali . the nature of alkali's being thus established , there will be no need of flying to an imaginary salt in plants for explication of the effervescency ; and 't will be easily conceived that if an alkali salt is full of a terrestrious matter that renders it porous like other alkali's , it must cause an ebullition . that which i said , speaking of volatile salts , may here be added , that the igneous particles breaking in through the pores of the alkali salt , wherein they became imprisoned by the calcination , do much contribute to the raising this effervescency . and really when the acid spirit of vitriol , or aqua fortis is cast upon an alkali salt , there happens as strong an ebullition , as when this liquor is flung into the fire it self . acid salts do rarely cause any effervescency with acid liquors , because their pores being very small , the common acids are not able to pierce into them ; but we do sometimes meet with acids whose points are so fine and so proportioned to the pores of the salts , that they will find an entrance even into the exceeding little pores of these acid salts , and thereby cause a commotion . and then these salts , although they be acid , yet may be called alkali's in respect of such keen acids . this does happen to sea-salt , which is an acid , for though it will make no ebullition , neither with spirit of salt , nor with spirit of niter , nor with spirit of alom , nor with spirit of vitriol ; yet if you mix it with the strongest oil of vitriol , there will rise an effervescency . wherefore it may be said that one acid salt is an alkali in respect of another , because there being few bodies without some pores , few of them will prove to be impenetrable , when they meet with acids of an extraordinary subtlety . the fermentation that happens to dow , to new wine , and such like things , differs from that i now spoke of , in that it is more gentle , and slow ; this is caused by the natural acid salt contained in them , which expanding and exalting it self by its motion , does rarifie and raise up the grosser and sulphureous part which endeavours to allay its motion , from whence it comes that the matter swells up . the reason why an acid does not make sulphureous things ferment , with so much noise and suddenness as alkali's , is , because that oyls consist of pliant parts that yield and make no resistance to the points of acids , as a piece of wool or cotton will yield and give way to needles that are thrust into it . thus methinks two sorts of fermentations may be admitted of , the one of an acid with an alkali , which may be called ebullition , and the other , when an acid does by little and little rarifie some softish matter , as dow , or clear and sulphureous , as muste , syder , and all other juices of plants . this last sort may rather be called fermentation . it is further remarkable that the acid and alkali do so destroy one another in their conflict , that when as much acid has been by degrees poured as is necessary to penetrate the alkali in all its parts , it is then no more an alkali , nor can it be so again , though you wash it to carry off the acid , because it has no longer that disposition of pores which is requisite in an alkali ; and the acid breaks and loses its points in the contest , especially when the alkali is pretty compact and solid ; so that if you would recover your acid again , you 'l find it has in a manner lost all its acidity , and retains only a sharpness . but the sulphur or oyl consisting of supple yielding parts does only receive some acid impression , and no such close union , so that it can be drawn from sulphureous bodies much the same as when it was mixt . animals do yield us two sorts of salt , the one volatile , and the other fixt ; of the first sort they yield greater quantity than of the second , because they do abound much in spirits , which by their continual circulation do volatilize it . this salt differs but little from the volatile salt of seeds and fruits , both which are drawn in a retort ; they have the same kind of smell , taste , and other virtues . the volatile salt of animals keeps dry a longer time than the others , because it carries away with it more fixt salt than those others . as for fixt salt , animals do yield but a very little of it , and in some animals you shall find none at all ; it is drawn as the fixt salt of plants ; they are both alkali's . there is no salt that can be called alkali , to be found in the parts , or humors of animals , until they have passed the fire ; a saline serosity may be observed in them , but that salt is acid ; and it proceeds doubtless from the aliments that are taken for nourishment . now as i have shewn that there is only an acid salt in earths and vegetables , so i may say the same of animals , and the rather because no other kind of salt can be found in them in their natural state ; the alkali salts that are drawn from them , are only several mutations of an acid salt , made by fire , which mingles with them earthy particles after the manner i have spoken of treating of the alkali's of plants . but it is observable , that whereas there is a greater proportion of spirits in animals than seeds , these spirits do serve to exalt all the salt ; which is the reason that less fixt salt is to be found in animals than plants . as for what many do say that choler causes an effervescency like an alkali , when an acid is cast upon it , 't is a mistake through want of right observation , for no ebullition at all happens for some time . nevertheless i will not say , that an acid produces no fermentation in choler , bloud , and other parts of the body , for it does very often really do that ; but that is no more than uses to be done in new wine , beer , and other liquors of the like nature . i have already explicated this sort of fermentation . we ought not to omit speaking of the coagulation that 's made in milk after a fermentation caused either by heat , or some acid put into it . methinks here is no need at all of supposing an alkali salt , that ferments with the acid of this liquor , as many suppose for explicating this effect , since if we consider but the natural composition of milk , we shall find it to be nothing but a creamy substance swimming on the serum , and mixed only superficially with it , by the intermixture of some salt ; so that it is in a fitting state of separation , as soon as the salt gains a little more motion than it had , whether it be by fermentation , or by encreasing its activity by an acid of its own nature . thus when the heat of the summer , or fire has stirred up the acid that is in the milk , or else some acid is poured into it , the edges of the acid do cut and divide the creamy part , to gain a free motion in the serum , and separate into curd all the butter and cheese . now there 's nothing strange in the precipitation of the curd , especially when an acid has been poured upon the milk , for besides the weight it gains by thickning , some part of the acids do mix with it , and encrease its weight ; for according as the acid that was mingled is stronger or weaker , the curd does precipitate more or less . perhaps some will say , for as much as acid is always the cause of coagulation in milk , there 's no great likelihood that a salt of the same nature should be the instrument of uniting the several parts of milk. but it must be considered , that although there is an acid in milk ( as no body can doubt , seeing it sowres of it self , when stale ) this acid is as it were imbodied in the ramous parts of the oyl , so that there is loses all its motion and cannot come to action but by rarifying the oyl , and making it fit to mix with the serous part ; it is the due proportion of this salt , oyl , and serum , that makes the butter and cheesy part of milk. now i hope i have said enough to establish what i have affirmed , that there 's no salt in nature besides the acid , out of which all other salts are made , and that the alkali salt has no natural existence in mixt bodies . my discourse will be the better relished when i speak of the operations of chymistry , and you 'l find that by this principle , which i may call the most natural and impartial of all that have been laid till now , i shall be able to give account of many phaenomena's that have never been explicated by common principles . of chymical furnaces and vessels . it is not my design to relate here exactly all the kinds of vessels and furnaces that artists have invented to use in chymistry . i shall describe only those with which you will be able to perform all operations , and send curious persons , who would be more particularly instructed in them , into the laboratories , where they may learn more on this subject than ever they will be able to do by consulting all the books in the world . these then are the principal . the furnace which is most in use among chymists is that which is called the reverberatory ; it must be large enough to hold a great retort , for the distillation of acid spirits , and other things . this furnace must be fixt , and made of brick , joyned together with a lute compounded of one part of potters earth , so much horse-dung , and twice as much sand , the whole kneaded together in water ; let it be two bricks breadth , that the furnace being the thicker , the heat may be retained the longer : let the ash-hole be a foot high , and the door contrived , if possible , on the side that the air comes , that when you have a mind to open it , the fire may be lighted or encreased the more easily ; the fire room need not be quite so high ; you must lay a-cross it two iron-bars of the bigness of your thumb , which will serve you to set your retort upon ; and the furnace must be still raised near about a foot higher , to cover the retort ; fit to it a dome , or cover , that may have a hole in the middle with its stopple , and a small chimny a foot high , for to place upon this hole , when the stopple is taken out , and when you would raise a great heat ; for the flame preserving its self by means of this little chimney , it reverberates the more strongly upon the retort . this cover may be made of the same paste , that i shall presently describe , speaking of portable furnaces . it will be necessary to have several furnaces of this same fashion ; but they must be of different sizes , to work conveniently according to the bigness of the vessel you would place in it . for that the fire may act more vehemently upon the retort , there must be left but only the space of a fingers breadth all round between the furnace and the retort . these furnaces may also serve for distilling by the refrigeratory , in the sea-bath , the vaporous and the sand-bath ; for you may place the copper body upon the iron bars , when you would distil by the refrigeratory . it is easie to do the same with the balneum mariae . as for the sand-bath , lay an iron or earthen pan on the bars , and put sand enough into it for to cover the bottom and sides of the vessel you desire to heat . as for fusions , you must build a furnace of the same matter and form as those spoken of before ; only you must forbear laying the two iron bars in it , that you did in the others , for support of the vessel . moveable furnaces are made of a paste that consists of three parts of broken pots in powder , and two parts of clay temper'd together with water . their structure is just like that of the an explication of the figures of the first table . a great reverberatory furnace . a the ash-hole . b the fire-room . c a retort supported on two iron bars . d the dome , or cover . e the receiver . f a little chimny . g the dome taken off the furnace . h a retort . i a small reverberatory furnace ready to work with . k a fixed little furnace for fusions . l an iron pot to hold the sand . m the fire-place . n the ash-room . o a furnace in which is placed a great copper body . p the copper body tinn'd o' th' inside , supported on two iron bars . q the head. r a copper pipe tinn'd , passing through a vessel filled with water . s a glass receiver . t a small iron furnace . u an iron pot . x the cover to the iron pot . y a cock to let the water out of the vessel , when it grows too hot . z a matrass , or bolt-head . the first table . the second table . a a a moveable furnace for fusions . b registers , or holes to let the air into the fire . c a dome divided in two . d a little chimny , and the flame passing through it . e an iron trevet to support the furnace . f a glass mortar , with its pestle . g h a pot with a coffin of paper over it , for receiving the flowers of benjamin . i k l a matrass , or bolt-head , and its blind-head , for sublimations . m n a great earthen pan , with a little cup turned upside downwards . a crucible containing the lighted sulphur . a great glass tunnel , to draw spirit of sulphur . o a mould . p a copper body . q its refrigeratory . r the receiver . s a circulating vessel . t a pot with a hole in the middle of its height , and the stopple of the hole lying by . u three aludels , or pots upon one another . x the glass head . y a mould to make the balls of regulus of antimony , which are called perpetual pills . z the mould wherewith to form the lapis infernalis . a a a little furnace , and its pan with sand in it , and an earthen pan filled with liquor to be evaporated . b b a coppel . c c a little coppel to make trials with . the second table the third table . a moveable furnace to distil in sand. a the ash-hole , and its door . b the fire-place , and its door . c the cucurbite , or body . d the sand , wherein the body is placed . e the head. f the receiver . g the same furnace empty . h a body . i a head. k a glass in which oil of cloves is made . l a copper balneum to contain , and distil with four alembicks . m n a pipe through which the hot water is poured into the balneum , according as it evaporates . o the receiver . p a balneum to distil with one alembick . q a mold to make cups of regulus of antimony . r a french crucible . s a german crucible . the third table . reverberatory furnace . you may also leave holes through which the iron-bars may pass , which support the retort that they may be easily taken out , when you have a mind to use this furnace for fusions . a furnace of this form may be called polychrest ( or general ) because such a one may be used for all sorts of operations . it is likewise convenient for fusions , to have a moveable furnace of the same matter as the others ; it must be round , and may be set upon a stool : it is to have only one grate , and six registers , or holes on the sides , to let in the air to the fire . the dome may be made of the same matter , for to cover it , and a small earthen chimney for to place upon the hole of the dome , that the fire may keep the stronger . see the figure of it in the second table . you must be sure to put sand , or broken pots , or such like things into the paste that you use for the building furnaces , either fixt , or moveable , to hinder them from cracks , when they come to dry ; for these matters rendring the clay more porous , the wet breaths out much the more easily . again , lime and sand tempered together , might serve for the building your fixt furnaces , and stones might be used instead of bricks ; but because it is necessary to increase and lessen the furnaces , to proportion their size to the vessels you would place in them , the description which i gave before is the more convenient , for that a man may very easily break them , and build them again , without the help of a brick-layer . a small iron furnace with its iron pot , and a cover to it , is convenient for performing many operations ; this pot may serve for a balneum mariae , and for a vaporous bath , when there is no other . it may be likewise used to distil by an alembick , in a bath of sand , ashes , or of filings of iron . see the description of it in the first table . a great iron furnace should likewise be had , whereon to place a copper balneum mariae , for to distil with four bodies at once . in the middle of this bath there should be a pipe raised , the top of which must be made like a funnel , into which you are to pour hot water , in place of that which consumes away in vapour . see its figure in the third table . as for vessels chuse them as much as may be of earth or glass ; for it is to be feared that those which are made of metal will communicate some particular impression to the liquors you put into them : but because sometimes you may have occasion to distil a great many things in a little time , you may use the copper-cucurbit , or body tinn'd , because that tinn is not so soluble as copper , and besides hath no such pernicious quality : upon this cucurbit place a fit head , round about which must be made a kind of bason to hold the water that cools and condenses the vapours which rise from the matter contained in the vesica so soon as it is heated . see its description in the second table . you may likewise provide a copper pipe tinn'd o' th' inside , which may pass sloping downwards through a vessel fill'd with water ; and when you would distil essences with it , you must fit the upper end of it to the nose of the head , and the lower end of it to the mouth of the receiver ; but you must remember to empty the water out of the vessel , according as it grows hot , for to cool the liquor that is distilling ; and to this end there must be a hole made at the bottom of the vessel , to be stopt with a wooden stopple , which may be taken out , and put in again , as often as you would let out the water . the moor's head is a copper cap tinn'd on the inside , made like to a head . see the figure of it in the first table . many retorts of different sizes are necessary in a laboratory ; those which are of earth are convenient for the distillation of acid spirits , because they are able to endure the utmost degree of fire , and will not melt as glass do . the vessels made of earth have their pores as close as glass it self , and preserve the spirits as well . they who want earthen vessels may coat their glass retorts with the lute that i shall describe hereafter , that if the glass should melt , when they are distilling acid spirits , the lute may preserve the matter safe . earthen , and glass cucurbits , with their heads , do serve for a great many operations . matrasses both great and small , when they are fitted to the nose of a limbeck , are called receivers ; at other times we put things into them to digest : and they are also fit for sublimations . when the neck of one matrass is put into the neck of another , they are called a double vessel , and this is done when we desire to circulate spirits , but then the junctures must be very well luted . you must also provide many large capacious recipients for the distillation of acid spirits by a retort . they must be so very large , that the spirits may have room to circulate the better . lingots are iron molds of divers shapes , into which melted metals are wont to be poured , in order to harden in the form that we would have them . that which is used for the making lapis infernalis must consist of two pieces joined together with two little iron rings , and the melted matter is poured into the upper part of it . see its figure in the second table . coppels are porous vessels made in form of a cup , to be used for the trying and purifying of gold and silver . they are made of ashes well washt , or of bones calcined . see their figure in the second table . ashes deprived of their salts are rather used than others , for the composition of this sort of vessels , that they may be made the more porous , by such deprivation . see the chapter concerning purification of silver by the coppel , and the remarks upon it . many glass funnels great and small , viols of glass , crucibles , pans , mortars of glass or stone , or marble or iron , must not be forgotten . aludels must also have a place there ; they are pots without a bottom , joyned together , and are placed over another pot with a whole in the middle , to serve for sublimations . of lutes . the fire is often raised to so high a degree as will melt glass retorts in a reverberatory furnace , wherefore it will be convenient to coat them over with such a lute , as when dry is able to preserve and contain the matter that is put into them to be distill'd . this lute may be made after the manner which follows . take sand , the dross of iron , potters earth in powder , of each five pounds , horse-dung cut small a pound , glass beaten into powder , and sea-salt , of each four ounces , mix them all , and with a sufficient quantity of water make a paste or lute , with which you must coat the retort all round , to half its neck , and so set it a drying . this same lute will serve to stop close the junctures of the neck of the retort with the recipient ; but because when it dries , it grows exceeding hard , and it proves difficult to unlute it , it is needful to wet it with wet clothes , when you would take the retort asunder from the receiver . the lute that i commonly use my self for such occasions , is compounded only of two parts of sand , and one of clay tempered together with water . as for the conjunction of limbecks , ordinary glue upon paper will serve turn : but when something very spirituous is distilled , such as the spirit of wine , use a wet bladder , which carries a glue along with it , that sticks very well . but if the bladder happens to be eaten or corroded by the spirits , have recourse to the following glue . take flower , and lime slackt , of each an ounce , potters-earth in powder half an ounce , mix them , and make a moist paste with a sufficient quantity of the whites of eggs well beaten before hand with a little water . this paste may likewise serve to stop the cracks that happen in glass vessels , there must be three lays of the paste bound on with paper . to seal hermetically , is to stop the mouth or neck of a glass-vessel with a pair of pincers heated red hot . to do this , the neck is heated by little and little with burning coals , and the fire is encreased and continued , until the glass is ready to melt . this way of sealing a vessel is used , when you have put some matter within it that is easie to be exalted , and you have a mind to make it circulate . of the degrees of fire . to make a fire of the first degree , two or three coals lighted will suffice to raise a most gentle heat . for the fire of the second degree , three or four coals will serve , to give such a heat as is able sensibly to warm the vessel , but so as a hand may be able to endure it for some time . for the fire of the third degree , you must cause heat enough to make a pot boil , that is fill'd with five or six quarts of water . for the fourth degree , you must use coals and wood together , enough to give the most extream heat of all . the fire of sand , of the filings of iron , and of ashes , is made , when the vessel that contains the matter that is to be heated is covered underneath and on all sides with sand , or the filings of iron , or with ashes ; this is done to heat the vessel the more gently . all these fires have their degrees , but the ash-fire is the mildest , because the ashes cannot contain so great a heat as the others . the reverberatory fire is made in a close furnace , that the heat or flame which always tends upwards , may reverberate or return upon the vessel which is placed on two iron bars . this fire hath its degrees , but may be raised to a greater violence than the rest . the wheel fire , for fusion , is made when with lighted coals you encompass all round a crucible , that holds the matter you desire to melt . the balneum mariae is , when an alembick containing the matter that is to be heated , is placed in a vessel filled with water , under which the fire is made ; thus the water growing hot , heats the matter contained in the alembick . the vaporous bath is , when a glass vessel containing some matter is heated by the vapour of hot water . explication of many terms that are used in chymistry . to alcoholize , or reduce into alcohol , signifies to subtilize , as when a mixt is beaten into an impalpable powder . this word is also used to express a very pure spirit ; thus the spirit of wine well rectified is called the alcohol of wine . amalgamate is to mix mercury with some melted metal ; this operation serves to render the metal fit to be extended on some works , as gold , or else to reduce it into a very subtile powder , which is done by putting the amalgame into a crucible over the fire : for the mercury subliming into the air leaves the metal in an impalpable powder ; neither iron nor copper can by any means be amalgamated . cement is a manner of purifying gold. 't is done by stratification with a hard paste made of one part of salt armoniack , two of common salt , and four of potters earth , or bricks powdered , the whole having been moistned with a sufficient quantity of urine : this composition is called royal cement . circulation is a motion given to liquors contained in a double vessel , excited by fire , and causing the vapours to ascend and descend to and fro . this operation tends either to subtilize the liquors , or to open some hard body that is mixed with them . coagulate , is to give a consistence to liquids , by evaporating some part of them over the fire , or else by mixing liquors together that are of a different nature . cohobate signifies to repeat the distillation of the same liquor , having poured it again upon the matter that remains in the vessel . this operation is used to open bodies , or to volatilize the spirits . congele , is to let some matter that is melted fix , or grow into a consistence , as when we let a metal cool , after it has been melted in a crucible ; or else it is when wax , fat , butter , or the like , are taken from the fire and set to cool . detonation is a noise that is made when the volatile parts of any mixture do rush forth with impetuosity ; it is also called fulmination . digestion is , when some body is put to steep or infuse in a convenient menstruum , over a very gentle heat . dissolve , is to turn some hard matter out of a hard into a liquid form , by means of a certain liquor . to distil per ascensum , is , when fire is put under the vessel that contains the matter which is to be heated . to distil per descensum , is , when fire is placed over the matter that is to be heated ; for then the moist parts being rarified , and the vapour which rises from them not being able to arise away upwards as it would do if not hindred , it precipitates and distils at the bottom of the vessel . edulcorate , is to sweeten some matter , that is impregnated with salts , by means of common water . extract , is to separate the purer part from the grosser . fermentation is an ebullition raised by the spirits that endeavour to get out of a body ; for meeting with gross earthy parts that oppose their passage , they swell and rarifie the liquour until they find their way out ; now in this separation of parts , the spirits do divide , subtilize and separate the principles so , as to make the matter be of another nature than it was before . filtrate is to purifie a liquor by passing it through a coffin of brown paper . fumigate is to make one body receive the fume of another . granulate is to pour a melted metal drop by drop into cold water , that it may congeal into grains . levigate is to reduce a hard body into an impalpable powder upon a marble . mortifie is to change the outward form of a mixt , as is done in mercury . also spirits are said to be mortified , when they are mixed with others that hinder or destroy their strength . precipitate is to separate a matter that is dissolved , so as to make it fall or settle at the bottom . rectifie is to distil spirits , for the separation of what heterogeneous parts might have been drawn along with them . reverberate is to cause the flame of the wood or coals that 's lighted in the furnace , to beat back upon the vessel , by means of a dome placed over it . revive is to restore a mixt to its former condition that lies disguised by salts or sulphurs . thus cinnabar , and the other preparations of mercury are revived into quick-silver . stratifie is to lay different matters bed upon bed . this operation is performed when we would calcine a mineral or metal with a salt , or some other matter . sublime is to raise by fire any volatile matter to the top of the cucurbit , or into its head. the first part . of minerals . whatsoever is found petrified in the earth , or upon the earth is called mineral . petrification is made by a coagulation of acid or salt waters , that are found in the pores of the earth . this petrification differs according to the divers dispositions , or different nature of the earth , and according to the time that nature uses in its perfection . the growth of minerals proceeds from an accumulation , or from several veins of congeled waters , that do as it were glue together , and these veins are the cause that all the adjacent parts have their sinus , and meetings a travers one another , and not running directly downwards . these sinus , like so many joints , are of great help to labourers to cut in the quarries ; for by those cavities the stones are in great measure separated before hand , whereas 't would be extream hard working them out , if nature had not so concurred . the growth of minerals is very different from that of vegetables , and animals ; for whereas the former does happen through an agglutination of congeled waters , as i have said ; the latter is performed by means of juices that insinuate and spread in the vessels and fibres , that animals and plants do consist of . metals do differ from other minerals in being malleable , which the others are not . they are counted seven , gold , silver , iron , tinn , copper , lead , and quicksilver , this last is not malleable of it self , but is so mingled with the others ; and because this is thought to be the seed of metals , it is numbred with the rest . astrologers have conceited that there was so great an affinity and correspondence between the seven metals before named , and the seven planets , that nothing hapned to the one , but the others shared in it ; they made this correspondence to happen through an infinite number of little bodies that pass to and from each of them ; and they suppose these corpuscles to be so figured that they can easily pass through the pores of the planet and metal they represent , but cannot enter into other bodies because their pores are not figured properly to receive them ; or else if they do chance to get admittance into other bodies , they can't fix and stay there to contribute any nourishment ; for they do imagine that the metal is nourished and perfected by the influence that comes from its planet , and so the planet again the same from the metal . for these reasons they have given these seven metals the name of the seven planets , each accordingly as they are governed : and so have called gold the sun , silver the moon , iron mars , quicksilver mercury , tinn jupiter , copper venus , and lead saturn . they have likewise fancied that each of these planets has his day apart to distribute liberally his influence on our hemisphere ; and so they tell us that if we work upon silver on munday , iron on tuesday , and so of the rest , we shall attain our end much better than on other days . again they have taught us that the seven planets do every one govern some particular principal part of our bodies ; and because the metals do represent the planets , they must needs be mighty specifick in curing the distempers of those parts , and keeping them in good plight . thus they have assigned the heart to gold , the head to silver , the liver to iron , the lungs to tinn , the reins to copper , and the spleen to lead . thus you see in short what some of the most sober astrologers do fancy concerning metals , and they draw consequences from hence , which 't would be too long here to relate . i have told you what the soberest among them say ; for nothing can be so absurd as what some of them would have us believe . 't is no hard matter to disprove these conceits , and shew how groundless they are ; for no body ever yet got near enough to the planets , to satisfie himself whether they are really of the same nature with metals , or whither any effluviums of bodies do fall from them to us . nevertheless if we could be satisfied that experience did confirm what these persons have offered to maintain , we might then have some reason to think there were some likelihood in their doctrine , although their principles were found to be altogether false ; but in truth there 's nothing to confirm their opinion , and we find it every day plain enough , that the faculties and virtues are utterly false , which they do attribute to the planets and metals ; the metals indeed are of good use in physick , and excellent remedies may be drawn from them ; but their effects may better be explicated by causes nearer at hand than the stars . chap. i. of gold. gold is most esteemed among the seven metals , because it is more perfect , more weighty , and is thought to receive the influence of the most glorious body among the stars , which is the sun. it is also called the king of metals , for the same reason ; it is a matter the most compact of any , malleable , unequal in its parts ; insomuch that pores of different figures are observed in it , when it is viewed with a good microscope . gold is found in mines in several places , both in europe , and other parts of the world ; it is usually attended with water and very hard stones , such as are extream hard to dig ; there are likewise with several stones that contain particles of gold , such as are called golden marcassites , the lapis lazuli , and lapis armenus . gold will spread under the hammer more than any other metall ; it is beaten into leaves exceeding fine , for the use of gilders , and to be used occasionally in physick ; they will easily mix in compositions , and with powders . covetousness that has always prevailed on the minds of mankind has not left the chymists without continual hopes of making gold by their art , they have conceited that the production of gold was the end that nature always aims at in all her mines , and that she 's hindred in her design , as oft as she produces other metals which are called imperfect . and upon this fancy they have spared no time , nor pains , nor cost , in exalting and perfecting these other metals , and turning them into gold ; this is that which they call the grand operation of all , or the search after the philosophers stone . some of them to compass their end do make a mixture of these metals with such other matters as serve to purifie them from their grosser parts , and work their preparations with great fires , others do put them a digesting in spirituous liquors , in imitation of nature that always uses a gentle heat in her operations , and so do reduce them into a state of corruption , to draw thereby their mercury , which they think to have the aptest disposition to make gold. others again do search after the seed of gold , in gold it self , and these make no doubt to find it there , as the seed of a vegetable is more likely to be found in the vegetable it self than otherwhere ; in order to this they open the body of gold by proper dissolvents , then set it a digesting either by a lamp-fire , or the heat of the sun , or that of dung , or some other degree of fire , to be kept all along at an equal height , and such as is nearest to a natural heat , and this to draw out the mercury of gold ; for they are perswaded that if they could once obtain this same mercury , sowing it in the earth , it would bring forth gold , as certainly as a seed does a plant. another sort of these men do take wonderful pains to find out the seed of gold in minerals , as in antimony for example , thinking there 's a sulphur and mercury in it as like to those in gold as can be . others hope to find it out in vegetables , and things that come from them , as in honey , manna , sugar , wine , rosa solis , rosemary , spleenwort . and others pursue after it in animals , and in their gums , bloud , urin. but the most curious and delicate of all , who think all the rest but fools in comparison with them , do hunt after the seed of gold in the sun , and in the dew ; for the wisdom of astrologers has found out that the sun is a body all of gold melted in the center of the world , and coppel'd by the fire of the stars that environ it about ; nay they dare affirm that this same gold when it was a purifying did sparkle as gold does in the coppel . i should never make an end of this subject , if i should speak of the labours , and pains , watchings , vexations and frettings , and especially the cost these unfortunate men do plunge themselves into , in following their several fancies ; they are so extremely prepossessed with the conceit of becoming rich all of a sudden , that they are altogether uncapable of any sober admonition , and they shut their ears to any thing that can be said to disabuse them ; so that all other philosophers , that are not besotted with their fantastical opinions , are by them thought and called prophane , reserving to themselves the name of the only true philosophers , or philosophers paramount . but the saddest consideration of all is , to see a great many of them , who have spent all the flower of their years , in this desperate concern , in which nevertheless they pertinaciously run on , and consume all they have , at last instead of recompence for their miserable fatigues , reduced to the lowest degree of poverty . penotus will serve us for an instance of this nature , among thousands of others , he died a hundred years old wanting but two , in the hospital of yverdon in switzerland , and he used to say before he died , having spent his whole life in vainly searching after the philosophers stone , that if he had a mortal enemy he did not dare to encounter openly , he would advise him above all things to give up himself to the study and practice of alchymy . this man did indeed at last perceive his error and folly , and did acknowledge that he had spent his time most unfortunately and idly ; but there are few men who prove so ingenuous as to do so ; for they think that their honour is concerned in maintaining whatever error they have once openly defended , and they are quite ashamed to have it believed , that they had laboured in vain , so long , and spent their substance in an enterprize that had not good probability of success . many of them to avoid such reproaches , and to make the world believe that they have found out some realities , and especially to engage some particular person , they have designs upon , to joyn with them in the pursuit of their projects , have contrived a great many cheating legerdemain tricks , some with the pretended powder of projection , others with their aurum potabile , some by fixing mercury with copper , or verdegreese , lastly others with cinnaber , which they turn into silver . they say for themselves that their powder of projection is the seed of gold it self , which seed has the faculty of multiplying or encreasing the gold , when some small quantity of it is used . and to give a proof of their skill , they put some melted gold over the fire , then they cast a little of their powder into it , they stir about the matter with a rod of iron , or some other metal , then they cast their gold into an iron mold , and it proves to have received a considerable augmentation . at first this experiment surprizes strangely the spectators , and they are ready to cry out , a miracle , a miracle . then some are greedy to buy this powder of projection , but the artist will not part with it , unless he is paid dearly for it . the purchaser thinks he has now got the bird sure in the nest , he runs in haste home to make multiplication of his gold , he melts it , flings in the powder , stirs the matter about , lastly , he observes the same circumstances he had seen observed before , but at last finds that his gold has made no increase of its weight . then he thinks he failed in some thing that was to have been done , and so begins the operation again , once , or twice , but all in vain , he poor man can make no augmentation , and finds too late that he has been wretchedly imposed upon . now the mystery of this egregious knavery was thus : he that stirs the matter , is privately provided with several small pieces of gold , to convey dextrously into the crucible , or coppel , at different times , so cunningly that none of the assistants does at all perceive it ; but when he finds that he is too narrowly observed , and foresees that it will be too hard for him to slip in any more gold to that which is melted , without being discovered , he then takes a rod of iron or copper , in the end of which he has inlaid gold so as it may not be discovered , and then stirs about the melted gold with this artificial rod. the copper or iron melts , and with it the other gold mixes with the rest , and so makes an augmentation . now if any body demands what is become of the end of the rod , he answers as plainly enough appears , that it is separated into dross , for copper cannot mix with the body of gold. and if we should examine further into the powder of projection , we should find that it is only quick-silver in powder , or some such matter , that consumes away by the heat of the fire , or else turns into dross . their aurum potabile which they crack with so loud , and which they sell at so dear a price , is commonly nothing else but a tincture of some vegetable or mineral , whose colour comes near to that of gold , and because this tincture is prepared with some spirituous menstruum , it sometimes causes a breathing sweat . now this diaphoretick effect they never fail to attribute unto gold , which yet generally is no occasion of it . this same cheat of theirs is none of the least that they use to get by , for in point of medicins , abundance of people prove extreme credulous , and especially when an vniversal medicine is talk'd of , such as they pretend their aurum potabile to be . now i shall shew in the sequel , that the business of aurum potabile is in reality a mere chimaera . they prepare their mercury by fixing its body with verdegreese , and thus they prepare a matter that comes very near to the colour of gold ; for the verdegreese , which is a kind of copper does give the mercury a yellow colour , and for fear it should not be coloured high enough to their purpose , they colour it with turmerick , or some such thing of the like quality : and now they will needs perswade the world that they have performed the feat , even of making gold ; but if a man will never so little examine this pretended gold by the coppel , the whole flies away in fumes , as quicksilver does commonly use to do . now if after such trial a man tells them , that their gold is all gone into the air , they answer for themselves , that indeed this gold had not received its last fixation , but that the main business of it being thus atchieved , they make no doubt by working a little longer upon it they shall soon find out the way of fixing it wholly , and bringing it to its last perfection . but again , if they could fix their matter so as to make it resist and undergo the coppel ( which is a thing in a manner impossible ) still they would not be able to maintain their assertion that they had made gold ; for there are several other trials that their matter must be able to pass , such as the dissolution by aqua regalis , the depart , the being malleable , the weight of its substance , without all which qualifications it can never be properly called gold. moreover they have a way of turning cinnaber into silver , and this contrivance is full of curiosity . and thus they use to do it : they stratifie cinnaber grosly bruised in a crucible , with silver in grains : they set the crucible in a great fire , and after some time for its calcination they take it off , and pour the matter into a bason , and then they shew the cinnaber , pretending it to be turn'd into true silver , although the forefaid grains do remain in the form they had before . hence they conclude the possibility of transmutation of metals , because the mercury of the cinnaber is turned into silver , whereas the silver did remain as it was before . this experiment amazes people much , and it is hard to see those same pieces of cinnaber , which were put into the crucible before them , chang'd from mercury into pure silver , without inclining to believe an augmentation of this last metal ; nay , many conclude that there remains no longer doubt of it . and men continue possest with this error , until some body has the curiosity of examining the granulated silver , and then the abuse begins to be discovered , for it is found to be exceeding light , and if it be prest between the hands , it crushes in pieces as easily as membranes . the augmentation comes to be no longer believ'd , when the grained pellicles are weighed with the pieces of cinnaber , for the whole weighs no more than the silver in grain did before it was put into the crucible . lastly , it must of necessity happen ( which appears very strange ) that the mercury does first amalgamate with the silver , that it conveighs this silver into the pieces of cinnaber , and then being evaporated over the fire , it leaves the silver all alone . i could here relate divers other subtle inventions of alchymists , by which they too often impose on such as have plenty of mony , to make them become fellow-partners with them in their operations ; but i should prove too tedious on this subject , i have only toucht upon them by the by , in order to disabuse such men as are prepossest with an opinion of the transmutation of metals . although i cannot absolutely deny , but that some certain artist , by a particular method , might have got the way of making gold heretofore , nor that some body may be as lucky in time to come ; yet there is more appearance of impossibility than possibility in the case , because of the small knowledge that any of us have of the natural composition of this mixt ; for seeing that gold as well as silver is drawn from mines environed with waters , it is very probable that these waters do bring along with them some saline principles that congele and incorporate in earths of a particular composition , and whose pores are disposed in such a manner as 't is impossible for art to imitate . nevertheless in order to make gold , a perfect knowledge of the salts that the waters of the mines do convey , is very requisite as well as the disposition of the matrixes or earths in which they do congele . wherefore a man must be soundly prejudiced , before he can believe that by the help of artificial fires , he can concoct metals so as to turn them into gold. as for the mercury which men pretend to draw out of minerals and metals , and which they believe to be the seminal principle of gold , it is a thing meerly imaginary ; for first of all , it is a great question and may be doubted , whether there be any mercury in those metallick matters wherein it is sought after , but if we should suppose it in them , what reason shall we have to make it be the seed of gold ? we can no ways find that mercury is able to produce gold , nay further , as i said before , the growth of metals and minerals is quite of another nature than that of vegetables . now say they , the seed of gold is communicated unto all bodies , and that it does abound in the universal spirit . and because manna , dew , hony , are impregnated with this spirit , that gold may by art be drawn out of those substances . we grant unto them , that the universal spirit does contain an acid which serves towards the production of gold , because the acid waters or salts which do enter into the composition of this metal , do proceed from the universal spirit ; but if you go to call this acid a seed , it will prove to be the seed of all other mixt bodies as well as that of gold , and there 's no more reason for thinking that the universal spirit does abound in the seed of gold , than in the seed of the grossest metal , or the most unuseful plant , or the most contemptible of animals ; so that we may conclude , that to spend ones time in making of gold , seems properly to lose it by working in the dark , and i find that alchymy has been very well defined to be , ars fine arte , cujus principium mentiri , medium laborare , & finis mendicare , an art without any art , whose beginning is lying , whose middle is nothing but labour , and whose end is beggery . gold is a good remedy for those who have taken too much mercury ; for these two metals do easily unite together , and by this union or amalgamation the mercury fixes , and its motion is interrupted . this is plainly enough perceived in such as have received the frictions with mercury ; for if they do but hold a piece of gold in their mouth a little , it will grow white by the vapour of the quicksilver . gold taken inwardly is thought to be a most potent cordial , because astrologers tell us it receives its influence from the sun , which is as it were the heart of the world , and by the communication of those influences to the heart , it serves to fortifie and cleanse it from all impurities ; upon which ground a great many operations have been invented in order to open this metal , and separate its sulphur from its salt . moreover this operation by way of bravery is called aurum potabile , because this salt or this sulphur dissolving in a liquor , can be taken by way of potion : and because this aurum potabile can be thought to be distributed into all parts of the body , they fancy it can drive out every thing that interrupts the functions of nature , that it can free him that takes it from all fear of any diseases for a long time , and can prolong life . but this opinion is built upon a weak foundation , and experience does not confirm any of these glorious effects ; for what assurance can we have , or what evidence is there , that the sun is such a great friend of gold , or that it bestows more influence on it , than on other mixt bodies ; it is a thing that can never be prov'd , and we fee that the sun casts its light and heat in general upon all bodies , without making any difference . who can understand , that the pores of gold are so disposed , as to have a greater facility of retaining the suns influences , than other metals or things ? this will be full as hard to prove as the other . but though we should grant astrologers this supposition concerning the suns influence on gold , the consequence they draw from it , that therefore it fortifies the heart , would be ne're a-whit the truer ; for all that we are able to apprehend in gold is , that it is a most compact and weighty body , the union of whose principles is extraordinary close ; which is proved from hence , that no art can instruct us to dissolve it radically , so as to separate its salt , and its sulphur . this gold being beaten into the thinnest leaves that can be imagined , and taken inwardly receives not the least change in our bodies , and is voided the very same it was before , excepting when quicksilver has been taken beforehand , for it unites with that , as i have said . wherefore we must conclude , that if gold has received more influence from the sun than other metals , yet it is never the fitter to dissolve in our bodies , nor to produce those rare effects that are talkt of . i know that stories are told to prove , that gold does communicate virtue to the bodies of those who have taken it , and that it loses in the body some of its quantity ; and among other stories 't is said , that several persons , who had fed upon capons , nourished with a paste made of a mixture of vipers flesh and gold together , have been cured that way of several diseases ; but there 's a great deal more reason to attribute this effect rather to the vipers than gold ; for we know by experience that vipers taken inwardly without any thing else , do use to produce divers sensible effects , whereas we observe none at all in gold , when 't is given alone . as for the diminution they imagine of gold in bodies , they prove it by their gathering together all the excrements of those capons , and calcining them , for they could obtain again but the fourth part of the gold that was used in the paste the capons had fed upon . but this proof is as weak as the former ; for the excrements of the capons being full of a volatile salt , that salt may have volatiliz'd and carried away the greatest part of the gold during the calcination , after the same manner as we see several volatile liquors to sublime gold. i know well enough by my own experience , that there are such volatiles as are able to sublime gold ; for having one day mixed three ounces of gold with about three pounds of matter consisting of divers volatile ingredients , i put the mixture about a month afterwards into the coppel , and the gold appeared very resplendent in the middle of the mixture ; but blowing , as we use to do , in its purification , i was astonished to see it exalt away by little and little into the air , until there was not a grain of it left . thus no body can be assured that gold did nourish those capons ; but besides , though some of it should be dissolved in the body , as it does in aqua regalis , which is very hard to conceive ; though some of it should exalt , nay though some should plainly glitter in the chyle , here 's no proof nevertheless that it produces such wonderful effects . now although i have asserted that gold taken alone does not receive any change as for health , yet i value very much several preparations of gold made with spirits ; for 't is these spirits that give certain determinations to gold according to their nature , and make it operate as it does . when i speak of aurum fulminans , i shall give an instance of what i now say . purification of gold. to purifie gold is to separate from it the other metals which are mixed with it . put as much gold as you please into a crucible , make it red hot , and when it begins to melt , cast into it four times as much antimony in powder , the gold will presently melt ; continue a strong fire , until you perceive the matter to sparkle . then take your crucible out of the fire and knock it , that the regule may fall to the bottom . break it when it is cold , and separate the regule from the dross that remains a top of it . if you have a mind to save your crucible , pour out the matter that lies in fusion into an iron mortar made like a founders mould , which you shall have heated a little and greased before-hand , then strike about the mortar with pincers , till the matter settles in a mass . let this mass cool a little , then flinging it out , separate the golden regule from the dross . weigh this regule , melt it again in a crucible over a strong fire , and when it shall come to melt , throw into it by little and little three times as much salt-peter : continue a good strong fire , that the matter may remain in fusion , and when the fumes are all gone , and it appears clear and clean , cast it into your iron mortar warm'd and greas'd as i said but now , or else leave it in the crucible that you shall beat while it is cooling , for the separation of the regule from the dross that remains a top , and your golden regule will prove perfectly pure . remarks . the ordinary way of purifying gold is the coppel , in which the same method is used that i shall speak of in the purification of silver . but the coppel not being able to separate silver from gold , recourse is had to another operation , that is called the depart . melt three parts of silver with one part of gold , in a crucible over a good fire , and when this mixture is in fusion , cast it into cold water , and it condenses into grains , which being dried , a separation of the silver from the gold is made by the means of aqua fortis ; for this menstruum dissolves silver very well , but the gold remains in powder at the bottom of the vessel , for the reason that i shall relate in the chapter of aqua regalis . the dissolution of silver is poured off by inclination , then the powder of gold is washed to be made sweet . but it often happens that some particles of the silver do still remain united with the gold , so that this purification cannot be said to be altogether perfect . there is another method of purifying gold , to wit , cementation , which is thus performed . stratifie in a crucible thin plates of gold , with a dry paste , that is called cement , in which the salts gemma and armoniack do enter ; cover the crucible , and having made a fire round about it , calcine the matter for ten or twelve hours with a violent heat , that the salts may eat and consume the impurities of the gold : but nevertheless they often leave it still impregnated with other metals . the purification at gold by the means of antimony is better than any other ; for there is nothing but gold that is able to make resistance against this devourer ; it often eats some portion of it , but never leaves it in any other metal . you must remember to lay a tile under the crucible , for fear that the air which comes by the ash-hole , should happen to cool the bottom of the crucible . gold presently melts as soon as antimony is cast into the crucible , by reason that antimony contains some saline sulphurs , which do encrease the force of the fire , and do separate the parts of this metal ; it is then that the more porous and volatile part uniting with the antimony , one part evaporates away in smoke , and the other remains fixt in the dross . the sparkles which toward the end do fly out of the matter do proceed from some particles of antimony , which finding themselves intangled in the gold do use violence to get out . then take your matter off the fire that it may lose none of its substance , and pour it into an iron mortar as i said before . after this the regule is melted once more , and salt-peter cast into it to absorb or receive all the antimony that may yet remain , and so by this means you have a regule as well purified as may be , and even that of four and twenty caratts , if there be any such gold. a carat of gold is properly the weight of one scruple , or four and twenty grains , and four and twenty caratts make an ounce . if you take an ounce of gold , and find that it loses not a jot in the purifications that may be made of it , this is called gold of four and twenty caratts ; if it be found to have diminished but one caratt , then it is said to be gold of three and twenty caratts ; if it loses two caratts , then it is gold of two and twenty caratts , and so of the rest . but it is commonly held that there is no such thing to be found as gold of four and twenty caratts , because there is none but contains some small proportion of silver , or copper , purifie it as much as you will. red gold is the less valuable , because it contains the more copper , which gives it this colour ; the yellow is the better , and it ought to remain yellow , even whilst it is in the fire . a caratt of pearls , diamonds , and other precious stones , is but four grains . amalgamation of gold with mercury , and its reduction into an impalpable powder . to amalgamate gold is to mix it with quicksilver . take a drachm of the regule of gold , beat it into very thin little plates , which you must heat in a crucible red hot in a large fire ; then pour upon it an ounce of quicksilver revived from cinnaber , as i shall shew hereafter ; stir the matter with a little iron-rod , and when you find it begin to raise a fume which quickly happens , cast your mixture into an earthen pan fill'd with water , it will coagulate , and become tractable ; wash it several times to take away its blackness ; thus you have an amalgame , from which you must separate the mercury that you find not united , by pressing it a little between your fingers in a linnen cloth . the gold retains about thrice its weight in mercury . now to reduce this gold into powder , you must put this amalgame into a crucible over a gentle fire , the mercury will evaporate into the air , and leave the gold at bottom in an impalpable powder . remarks . mercury doth easily penetrate gold , and insinuating into its pores makes a soft matter that is called amalgame ; it doth the same with other metals too , except iron and copper , which are too ill digested to receive its impression . the amalgamation of gold is useful to gilders , for so it is easily extended upon their works . aurum fulminans , called saffron of gold. this operation is a gold impregnated with some spirits , which cause it to give a loud crack , when it is set over the fire . take what quantity you please of gold beaten into thin plates , put it into a viol , or matrass , and pour upon it by little and little three or four times as much aqua regalis compounded after the manner i shall shew in its proper place . set the matrass upon sand a little heated , until the aqua regalis has dissolved as much of the gold as it is able to contain , which you will know by the ceasing of the ebullitions , pour your solution into a glass-vessel of five or six times as much common water . afterwards drop into this mixture by degrees the volatile spirit of salt armoniack , or the oyl of tartar made by deliquium or solution , you 'l find the gold precipitate to the bottom of the glass . let it alone a good while to settle , that all the gold may fall down , then pouring off the water by inclination wash your powder with warm water , till it grows insipid , and so dry it in paper at a gentle fire , because it is apt to fire , and the powder would fly away with a terrible noise . if you use one drachm of gold , you will obtain four scruples of aurum fulminans well dried . aurum fulminans causes sweat , and drives out ill humors by transpiration . it may be given in the small pox from two to six grains in a lozenge , or electuary . it stops vomiting , and is also good to moderate the activity of mercury . remarks . the plates of gold are made use of in this operation , that its dissolution may be more easily performed . you must pour the aqua regalis by little and little , to avoid the great effervescency that might be able to drive it out of the matrass . the effervescency proceeds from the violent division of the particles of gold by the aqua regalis ; for when it finds no more bodies to act upon , having divided the gold into as many parts as 't is possible , the ebullition ceases , and though the gold doth all remain in the aqua regalis , it becomes so imperceptible to us , as it seems the water hath not changed from what it was before , it appears so very clear and transparent . indeed the solution has received a golden colour , and becomes yellow . the dissolution of gold is a suspension of this metal in phlegm , made by the edges of aqua regalis . for it is not enough that the aqua regalis does divide the gold into subtle parts , but it is further requisite that its edges do hold up the gold , as if it were like so many finns , otherwise it would always fall to the bottom in a powder , though it were never so subtle . now 't is objected that the particles of gold should fall to the bottom of the liquor , because they being joined to the points of the aqua regalis they are become more heavy than they were before ; for the union or adhaesion of two bodies does cause a greater weight , than when the two bodies were separated one from the other . i answer , that we ought to conceive the particles of gold being suspended or held up in the phlegm by the acid points , much after the manner as we do conceive very well , that a small piece of metal fixed to a staff or a plank , will swim with the wood in the water ; for although the small piece of metal sinks to the bottom when it is alone , yet it swims when it is affixed to the wood ; the acid edges are bodies exceeding light in comparison with the particles of gold , and they have likewise their superficies , more extended , and consequently do take up more room in the phlegm ; this is that which holds them up , and causes them to swim . the oyl of tartar , or the spirit of salt armoniack is used for the precipitation of gold , because both those liquors do contain an alkali salt , which being mixed with acids must cause a fermentation . now in this fermentation the parts of aqua regalis that held up the particles of gold do grow weak , and having no more force to retain them longer , they must needs precipitate by their own weight . perhaps some may find a difficulty in comprehending how the volatile spirit of salt armoniack should come to weaken the aqua regalis , that is it self compounded of salt armoniack ; but there will be no difficulty at all , when they shall consider that the force of the aqua regalis doth not so much depend on the volatile part of the salt armoniack , as on the sea-salt , that is in good store in it united with the aqua fortis ; for sea-salt , or sal gemma , may be substituted very well in the place of salt armoniack for making aqua regalis , as i shall observe hereafter , speaking of the composition of this water . it may be also enquired here , why the dissolvents do quit the bodies they held before in dissolution , to betake themselves to some other : for example , why the aqua regalis leaves the gold it was impregnated with , to give way to the alkali salt. this question is one of the most difficult to resolve well , of any in natural philosophy . nevertheless , i 'le give you my opinion of what can be said most sensibly on this subject . i do suppose that when the aqua regalis hath acted upon the gold , so as to dissolve it , the points or edges that enabled it to do so , are fixed in the particles of gold. but seeing that these little bodies are very hard , and consequently hard to penetrate , these points do enter but very superficially , yet far enough to suspend the particles of gold , and hinder them from precipitating . wherefore if you would add never so much gold , more , when these points have seized upon as much as they are able to joyn with , they cannot possibly dissolve one grain more ; and it is this suspension that renders the particles of gold imperceptible . but now if you add some body that by its motion and figure is able to engage the acids enough to break them , the particles of gold being left at liberty will precipitate by their own weight . and this is what i conceive the oyl of tartar , and volatile alkali spirits are able to do . they are impregnated with very active salts , which finding bodies at rest do presently move them , and by the quickness of their motion do shake them so violently , as to break the points by which they were suspended ; these fragments of little points being thus disengaged from the gold , are still keen enough to act , and they have action enough remaining to pierce and divide violently the parts of alkali salts , which are much more soluble in their nature than gold , and this occasions the ebullition which presently happens when these spirits are poured upon the dissolution . these edges then being thus broken , two things must follow thereupon . the first is that the remaining aqua regalis is rendred uncapable of dissolving any more gold , because it hath no more power left of making a penetration . the second is , that the precipitated powder of gold is impregnated with some part of the dissolvent , by reason that the sharpest part of these edges remains within it . experience teaches us both the one and the other : to wit , the force of the aqua regalis is quite destroyed for dissolving any more gold , and the precipitated powder hath drawn along with it some spirits that are so closely lockt up , that though it be several times washt in warm water , they cannot possibly be disengaged from their hold . and this is evident , when it is put upon the fire ; for the great detonation , or noise that it makes , cannot proceed from any thing else , but the inclosed spirits which violently divide the most compact body of gold to get out quickly , when they are forced to it by the action of fire . i can here explicate by the by , after the same manner , the action of a certain powder , consisting of three parts of niter , two parts of salt of tartar , and one part of sulphur . this powder being heated in a spoon to the weight of a drachm , gives as thundering a noise as a cannon it self . now the fixt salt of tartar causes in this powder what the gold did in the other ; that is to say , it retains the spirits of niter and sulphur so lockt up , that they cannot be separated without violently breaking their prison ; and this is that which makes such a noise . aurum fulminans taken inwardly causes sweat , because the heat of the body volatilises it , and drives it through the pores . now if the pores are very open , it will only cause an insensible transpiration : but if they are closed up by the coldness of the weather , so that it must remain some time before it passes ; the vaporous humidity which bears it company , dissolves upon the skin into what we call sweat . some think the gold contributes nothing at all to these transpirations , and that the spirit of niter alone being forced by the heat of the body to pass through its pores causes all the action . but i conceive it is more likely that these spirits do carry along with them some parts of the gold , with which they are so intimately mixed . and by this explication may be better comprehended , how so small a quantity of spirits is able to produce sweat ; for suppose there passes through the pores one grain of gold , and two grains of spirits , these spirits being as i may so say , armed with the grosser parts of gold , will be better able to conquer the resistance that shall oppose their passage , than if they were separate ; after the same manner as a good piece of timber that is driven along by the stream of a river will strike with much more violence against the arch of a bridge , and endanger it much more , than a single wave would be able to do , though never so swift . there are two sorts of insensible transpirations , one hapening at all times , as well in health as sickness , and the other in a burning feaver , or else sometimes upon the taking a sudorifick . the first transpiration is insensible , because the vapour which passes continually through the pores is yet in so small a quantity , that though it does dissolve in a moisture upon the skin , it is not perceived at all . the other is caused by a great motion of the spirits which drive the humours through the pores of the body after a rapid manner , and whereas at that time the pores become very open , and the skin is heated more than ordinarily , the vapour passes away through the skin without condensing upon it . but if once the rapid motion of humours begins to slacken , then the sweat appears , and begins to be felt ; and this does happen in agues , for during the great heat of the ague , men do not sweat at all , but only in the declination of the fit ; because then the skin somewhat cools , the vapour condenses into a moisture , which we call sweat ; wherefore sweat may be said to issue from a middle degree of heat , between the first insensible transpiration , and the second . most men think that there goes out more moisture in the time of the sweat , than by the insensible transpiration which is made during the height of the hot fit ; but they seem to be mistaken very likely , for it may easily be conceived , that there should be a greater disposition in the vigour of the fit , than afterwards in the declination , by reason that at that time the heat is greater , and so more able to impel forth effluviums . distillation in a retort will confirm what is here maintained . for if you make only a moderate fire under the retort , the moisture which rises out of the matter will distil drop by drop , because the vapours cooling and condensing in the neck of the retort do resolve into a liquor ; but if you make a great fire in the furnace , so that the neck of the retort comes to be heated too much , all the moisture is driven in a meer vapour , and there appears not the least humidity in the neck of the retort . i have already said , that gold doth repress the violence of mercury , because it doth amalgamate with it ; but aurum fulminans doth it much better , for being volatile it is more easily carried through all the body , and fails not to find out the mercury , wheresoever it lies . we need not fear lest aurum fulminans taken inwardly , and heated by the stomach , should cause such a detonation there , as it does when set over the fire in a spoon ; for so much the more moisture as comes to it , so much the less noise does it make . now it can't be question'd , but there is liquidity enough in the stomach , besides the liquid vehicle 't is usually given in . there is no need then of calling in the acids of the stomach , as some do , to unite with the salts of aurum fulminans , and drive them out of the body of this metal : for besides that the most clear and disinterested explications and such as fall most under our sense , ought always to be preferr'd , 't would be too hard a matter to maintain that ; 't is true if you wet aurum fulminans with the spirit of vitriol , or salt , or sulphur , the fulmination is thereby hindred , but this happens from the acids fixing by their weight the volatility of those salts that remain in the pores of the gold. in the chapter of gold i could reckon up several other preparations that have been invented , but because they are out of use , i shall not swell this book with an account of them . chap. ii. of silver . silver hath the second place among metals , it is a very compact body , more smooth and polished by nature than gold , and its pores are more even upon the surface . it is malleable like gold , but will not so easily yield or extend under the hammer , and is not so weighty . it is called the moon , as well from its colour , as from the influences our forefathers thought it received from the moon . many properties are attributed to it against diseases of the head ; but these pretended virtues seem to have no other foundation than the imagination of astrologers and chymists , who were of the opinion that the moon had a great deal of correspondence with the head. there is no need i should enlarge in confutation of this opinion , experience every day teaches us that it is a pure abuse . silver may be also given like gold for diseases caused by too much mercury ; for they suffer an amalgation very well together . whereas there is no certainty , that ever there was drawn out of gold or silver any thing that deserves to be called either a salt , or sulphur , or mercury , i have not at all followed the method of authors , who will needs explicate the differences which are to be found in these metals , by more or less , of one or two of these principles . i am contented to relate only that which may be known in gold and silver , and i think it better to say little of a thing , and be able to prove my assertion , than form grand ideas of things that are very doubtful . purification of silver . to purifie silver is to separate from it the other metals with which it is mixed . this operation is done by the coppel after the manner following : take a coppel made of the ashes of bones or horns , cover it and heat it gently in the coals , until it grows red-hot , then cast it into four or five times as much lead as you intend to purifie silver : let the lead melt , and fill the sides of the coppel , which is soon done ; then cast your silver into the middle , and it will presently melt . lay wood round about the coppel , and blow it that the flame may reverberate on the matter , the impurities will mix with the lead , and the silver remain pure and clean in the middle of the coppel , while the lead being fill'd with the drossie parts of silver lies on the sides like a scumm , that you may gather up with a spoon , and this is that which is called litharge , which according to the degree of calcination it hath endured , becomes of divers colours , and sometimes is called litharge of gold , and sometimes litharge of silver . if you leave it in the coppel , it will pass through its pores . for you must observe that the coppel being expresly made of ashes deprived of salt , is very porous ; you must continue the fire till there rise no more fumes . this preparation cleanses silver from all other metals , except gold , which resists the power of the coppel . you must therefore have recourse to the operation i described , when i spoke of the purification of gold ; for aqua fortis dissolves silver , but not being able to penetrate gold , leaves it in a powder at the bottom . pour off then by inclination the dissolution of silver into an earthen pan , wherein you shall have laid before-hand a plate of copper , and ten or twelve times as much common water . let this mixture lie still for some hours , and when you find the copper covered all about with the powder or precipitate of silver , and the water becomes blue , filtrate it , and you have that which is called aqua secunda : it is good to make the eschar fall in chancres , and to consume proud flesh . dry the powder of silver , and if you desire to keep it in an ingot , melt it in a crucible with a little salt-peter . if you steep a plate of iron some hours in the aqua secunda , the copper which made it look blue will precipitate according as the iron dissolves . if you filtrate this dissolution , and put a piece of the lapis calaminaris into it , the dissolv'd iron will fall to the bottom in powder , and the stone will dissolve it . if you filtrate this water , and pour upon the filtration drop by drop the water of fixt niter , the lapis calaminaris will precipitate . lastly , if you filtrate this water too , and having evaporated a part of it , set the rest a crystallizing , you 'l meet with a salt-peter that burns like the ordinary sort . remarks . the coppel is an earthen vessel that resists the fire , made like a dish : it is fill'd with a paste made of ashes that have lost all their salt , such as those of bones ; which lose all their salt while they are a burning , because it is so volatile : a hole is made in the middle to let in the matter that is to be coppel'd , and so the vessel is set a drying . you must put lead into the coppel , in proportion to the impurities that are in the silver ; commonly they put four times as much . that which is here called impurity is nothing else but some parts of other metals , that superficially adhered to the silver , when it was taken out of the mine . these metals do mix much better with lead than silver , because the lead is full of sulphureous porous parts which readily engage and receive other bodies . on the contrary silver hath pores exceeding close and strait , and can neither be penetrated nor unite with these matters but only superficially ; so that in the fusion they do separate and only slide over this solid body . it is also remarkable that the hardness of silver , and strait contexture of its parts do hinder the fire from melting it after the same manner as other metals , that are more porous ; and this is the reason it remains unmixt among them . silver melts much sooner by being put into melted lead , than if you had endeavour'd to melt it alone in the crucible , because lead contains many sulphureous parts that are very serviceable for the fusion of metals . the flame is made to reverberate on the silver , to drive all heterogeneous substances towards the sides . that which is called a caratt in gold , is a denier , or penny weight in silver , and thus an ounce of silver well purified is of four and twenty penny weight , which make times grains . now this ounce of silver must lose nothing at all upon trial ; but if it should lose one penny weight in the coppel , the silver then is said to be that of penny weight , and if it loses two scruples , or penny weight , it is but of deniers , and so of the rest . there is no silver to be had of deniers , no more than gold of caratts , because there is always some mixture with it , use what diligence and application you please in its purification . plate-silver contains one part of copper to parts of silver , and the coppel-silver contains but a quarter of a part of copper to four and twenty parts of silver . the depart , or parting of metals , is when a dissolvent quits the metal it had dissolved , to betake it self unto another . thus when copper is put into the dissolution of silver , the aqua fortis leaves the silver , to fall upon dissolving the copper ; and the reason of this is , because the copper-particles do so stir and shake the edges of the dissolvent , as to make them let go their hold . iron precipitates copper , lapis calaminaris precipitates iron , and the liquor of fixt niter doth so to the lapis calaminaris for the same reason ; but you must observe , that iron does not precipitate all the copper , nor the calaminaris all the iron , no more than the copper did precipitate all the silver : and the reason of this is , that the points of the aqua fortis having entred more deeply into the great pores of copper and iron , are much the harder to be broken by bodies of this nature ; but because the liquor of fixt niter does contain an alkali much more active than the others , it precipitates all the lapis calaminaris , and all the iron and copper which did remain dissolved . i shall in the sequel of this book describe the manner of preparing the liquor of fixt niter : the salt that it contains reunites with the volatile spirits of salt-peter that were in the aqua fortis , insomuch that the salt-peter revives again . crystals of silver , called vitriol of the moon . this operation is a silver opened , and reduced into the form of salt by the acid points of spirit of niter . dissolve one or two ounces of coppel-silver in three times as much spirit of niter ; pour forth your dissolution into a glass-cucurbite , set in a gentle sand-fire ; evaporate about the fourth part of the moisture , and so let the rest cool without stirring it , it will turn into crystals , which you must separate from the liquor , and after you have dried them , keep them in a viol well stopt . you may again fall to evaporating half the remaining liquor , and set it a crystallizing as before . you may repeat these evaporations and crystallizations till all your silver has turned into crystals . this vitriol of the moon is used to make an eschar by touching the part with it . it is also given inwardly for dropsies , and for diseases of the head , from two unto six grains , in some specifick water : it purges gently . these crystals might be prepared with oyl of vitriol , instead of spirit of niter , for inward use . remarks . you must put your silver purified by the coppel into a viol or matrass large enough , and pour upon it only as much spirit of niter as will serve to dissolve it ; now that comes to about three times its weight . indeed you may use aqua fortis instead of spirit of niter , if you please , in this operation ; but i rather chuse spirit of niter , because it is found to act with more celerity than aqua fortis . you may read in their proper places the description i have given you of them both , and the remarks i have made upon them . place your vessel in ashes or sand , a little warm for to hasten the dissolution . when the acid spirits begin to work upon the silver , an ebullition presently rises accompanied with a very considerable heat , because these sharp edges do break those obstacles that hindred their entrance , and violently force their passage . it is this great motion , and impetuous dispersion of parts , that produces the heat and ebullition , and by rarefaction of the spirit of niter sends forth through the neck of the vessel a red fume or vapour , that you must be very careful to avoid , as a thing very unwholsom , and prejudicial to the breast . the smoke and ebullition do remain until the silver is all of it dissolved , after which the liquor becomes clear and transparent but a little bluish . if the silver which is dissolved , were perfectly purified from copper , the solution would no more be tinged than spirit of niter , but because there is none to be found so perfectly pure , it always tinges a little . the solution of plate-silver is much bluer than that of silver purified by the coppel , because the plate-silver contains more copper than the other , as i said before . so that the purer the silver is , the less blue is the solution . a little of it is evaporated , that the rest may crystallize the easier , for that which evaporates is little better than a kind of insipid water , the silver still retaining the acid fixt spirits . now you must observe in all crystallizations not to leave too much moisture , for fear of weakning too much the salts , and so hindring their coagulation . nor must you leave too little moisture ; for the crystals not finding room enough to extend themselves in , would confusedly fall one upon another . these crystals can be dissolved in water like salt , their strength depends on the spirits of niter that are incorporated with them : wherefore they weigh more than the silver did that was employed ; and it is these spirits which pierce and gnaw the flesh on which these crystals are applied , when an eschar is to be made . it is likewise they which cause that fermentation of humours by which they purge , when these crystals are given inwardly . the liquor in which they are dissolved to be taken , and the moisture of the stomach do serve to correct their acrimony . if you have a mind to revive these crystals into silver again , you must only put them into hot water , and lay therein a plate of copper . they will then dissolve , and the silver precipitate to the bottom in a white powder , that is to be washed and dried ; afterwards melting it in a crucible with a little salt-peter , it will return into ingots of the same weight as before . infernal stone , or perpetual caustick . the infernal stone is a silver rendred caustick by the salts of spirit of niter . dissolve in a viol what quantity of silver you please , with three times as much spirit of niter ; set your viol in a sand fire , and evaporate about two thirds of the moisture ; pour the rest as it is hot into a good german crucible , that must be large enough by reason of the ebullitions that are made in it . place it over a gentle fire , and let it alone till the boiling matter sinks quietly to the bottom of the crucible . then encrease your fire a little , and it will come to be like oyl : pour it out into an iron mould a little oil'd and heated , it will presently coagulate or harden ; after which you may keep it in a viol well stopt . it is a caustick that will remain for ever , provided you don 't let it be expos'd to the air. this stone may be made of copper instead of silver , but will not keep so well ; because the copper being very porous doth suffer the air to enter easily and dissolve it . if you use an ounce of silver , you 'l obtain an ounce and five drachms of the infernal stone . remarks . the effect of this stone proceeds from the corrosive spirits of niter , which do remain incorporated with the silver . it is more caustick than the crystals i now spoke of , though compounded of the same ingredients . the reason of it is , that in the evaporation of the spirit of niter , the sharpest part remains at last ; and it is that which gives this strength to the infernal stone . but in the crystal there 's a much weaker spirit , as being impregnated with watry parts . when you boil the solution of silver , you must take care to keep but a gentle fire , for the matter easily rarifies , and rises over into the fire ; or else it spirts some drops upon the hand of the artist , which make it smart grievously , and fetches off the skin , because this liquor is not only very corrosive in it self , but has the assistance of fire to make it the more burning . you must likewise often cast your eye into the crucible , especially towards the end , that so soon as the matter is observed to cease boiling , and gets the form of an oyl , you be ready to cast it into the mould , for if you should then leave it longer in the fire , the strongest spirits would evaporate , and the stone would not be so corrosive . if you would melt the crystals of the moon in a crucible , and boil the liquor till it come into the consistence of oyl , and afterwards cast it into the iron mould , you would have an infernal stone like this i have described . when plate silver is used to the making the infernal stone , an ounce of silver gains but three drachms in augmentation , but using fine coppel-silver , you 'l get five drachms . this augmentation of weight does proceed from the sharp acids of spirit of niter , adhering to the body of silver , but the difference of the increase lies in this , that the coppel-silver having narrower pores than the other does retain the acids better , and the stone is thereby the stronger , as i have found by experience . tincture of the moon . the tincture of the moon is a dissolution of some of the more rarified parts of silver made in spirit of wine whetted by alkali salts . dissolve in a matrass upon sand a little warm two ounces of silver with six ounces of spirit of niter . pour the dissolution into a cucurbit , or other glass-vessel , wherein you shall have put a quart of salt-water well filter'd , the silver will presently precipitate in a very white powder . let it lye a while that all the powder may fall , and then pour off the water by inclination . wash your powder several times with fountain-water to take away the acrimony of the salts : dry it upon paper , and put it into a matrass . pour upon it an ounce of the volatile salt of urine , and four and twenty ounces of the spirit of wine rectified with the salt of tartar , after the manner i shall shew hereafter . stop this matrass with another : that is to say , let the mouth of the one enter into the neck of the other , and this is that which is called a double-vessel . lute well the junctures with a wet bladder , and digest the matter in horse-dung , or some such gentle heat , for a fortnight , during which time the spirit of wine will have got a bright sky-colour . unlute your matrass , and filtrate the liquor through a coffin of brown paper , and so keep it in a viol well stopt . you may use this tincture for the epilepsie , palsie , apoplexy , and other diseases of the head. it is also used in malignant feavers , and all other diseases wherein it is requisite to drive out the humours by perspiration . the dose is from six to sixteen drops in a convenient vehicle . there will remain at the bottom of the matrass a calx of silver that may again be revived by means of the following salts . take eight ounces of niter , two ounces of crystal powdered according as i shall shew hereafter , so much tartar , and half an ounce of coals ; powder them all , and put it by little and little into a crucible heated red-hot , a great detonation will happen , after which you 'l find the matter melted , pour it into a warm mortar , and let it cool , you 'l have a mass that you must powder , and mix an equal weight of it with so much calx of silver . melt this mixture in a crucible over a strong fire , and the calx will revive into silver : take your crucible out of the fire , and break it when it is cold , then separate your silver from the salts . remarks . this operation seems at first to favour the opinion of those who hold there can be a separation of the principles of silver : for , say they , what is it can give this blue colour , after that the silver hath been a long time digested with the volatile salt of urine , and the spirit of wine alcoholized , but an inward sulphur of the silver that separates from it by the means of this sulphureous liquor , and mixes with it , much after the same manner as we find these sorts of menstruums usually dissolve the sulphur of vegetables , animals , and minerals , and let alone their terrestrious and saline parts ? but when we consider this tincture a little nearer , we shall find it to be nothing but a dissolution of some part of the silver it self , that hath been volatilized by the salt of urine , and afterwards united with the spirit of wine ; so that if you draw off , or revive this dissolved silver , there will remain no longer a tincture , and this is the way for you to do it . pour your tincture of the moon into a glass body , cover it with its head , and fit a receiver to it , lute the junctures close , and distil in a vaporous bath , about half the moisture , and you 'l have a liquor as clear as spirit of wine . put your cucurbit into a cool place , and leave it there two days without stirring it , you 'l find little crystals on the sides , pour off the liquor gently , which hath now lost much of its sky-colour . gather your crystals , and continue to distil and crystalize the rest of the liquor , till you have recovered all that is in it . mix all your crystals , dry them , and weigh them ; and if you have half an ounce of them , powder them , and mix them with six drachms of the matter i described for reviving the calx of silver remaining in the matrass : put this mixture into a crucible , and covering it with a tile , light a strong fire about it , to put the matter into fusion ; then taking it off the fire , and letting it cool , break the crucible , you 'l find the silver at the bottom , which will be fit for the same operation again , when you please . note that all the liquor which was drawn by distillation , is as clear as common water : wherefore i conclude that the colour did consist in the dissolution of silver it self , and not of its sulphurs , as some have thought . you must cut the silver into little pieces or plates , that it may dissolve the more easily . the salt-water must be made of an ounce and a half of salt dissolved in a quart of water : this salt precipitates the silver , because it engages the points of the dissolvent , and shaking them violently about makes them let go the hold they had with other bodies . i shall speak more at large concerning these kinds of precipitations in the remarks which i shall make upon white precipitate , and shall then explicate the reason why sea-salt , which is an acid does precipitate that which another acid had dissolved . i shall likewise answer the objections which have been raised on this subject . silver may be also precipitated by means of a copper-plate , as i have said already . it is very indifferent which way you please to precipitate it , for it is done for no other end , but to reduce the silver into a very fine powder , for an easier dissolution . the precipitate of silver made with salt , or copper , waxes brown in the drying , and though dried in the shade , which doubtless is by reason of some small proportion of copper that it contains . if you have dissolved an ounce of coppel-silver , and precipitate it with salt or copper , you 'l draw an ounce and three drachms of precipitate well washt and dried ; this augmentation does proceed from a remainder of the points which were broken in pieces , and yet do still remain in the pores of the metal ; for these pores being very small , they do but hardly let go what they have received into them . there is no need of distilling a part of the liquor , that the tincture may be the stronger , as some have presumed to write : for on the contrary , it causes a crystallization , which diminishes both its colour and strength , for the reason i have given before . the effect of this tincture for diseases must rather be attributed to the salt of urine , and spirit of wine , than to the silver ; for they are not only able to fly into the head , and open obstructions there , but assisted with the natural heat do open the pores of all the body , and drive out ill humours by transpiration . the portion of silver which remains at the bottom of the matrass being impregnated with volatile parts would fly into the air , if it were melted alone without the addition of something else ; wherefore the abovementioned matter is added to it , that being of a very fixt nature may weigh it down , and hinder it from flying away . diana's tree . take an ounce of silver , and dissolve it in three ounces of spirit of niter , pour your dissolution into a matrass , wherein you shall have put eighteen or twenty ounces of water , and two ounces of quick-silver . your matrass must be fill'd up to the neck ; let it lye still upon a little round of straw in some convenient place for forty days together , during which time you 'l find a tree spread forth its branches , and little balls at the end , which represent their fruit . this operation is of no use at all in physick , i have here described it only to please the curious . remarks . these branches do proceed from the spirit of niter , which being incorporated with the silver and mercury do form divers figures , according to the room and moisture it hath to expatiate it self in . for if you should put to it but ten or twelve ounces of water , nothing but a kind of crystals in great confusion would be able to appear . on the contrary , if you should use too much water , nothing would then be seen besides a little precipitated powder . you must let the mixture lye still for forty days together , because the spirit of niter being very much weakned by common water is able to work but very slowly . if the matter should happen to be removed , the figure would quickly fall into confusion , but would recover it self again , if you let it lye still long enough . this preparation is best performed in a cool place , being properly a crystallization . this operation may be fitly compared with the manner of generation and nourishment of plants in the earth ; for if the seed abounds with too much moisture , the spirits which serve to ferment and dilate its parts , will be rendred so weak , as not to be able to act , and so nothing can be produced ; if on the contrary there should prove too little moisture , the spirits not finding room enough to expatiate in , would either continue imprisoned or evaporate into air , and so be ineffectual . but when there happens to be a fit proportion of water in the earth , then the spirits gently moving about do insensibly expatiate themselves , and do rarifie and sublime along with them the substance of the seed , from whence vegetation doth proceed . but to return unto our operation . if you should desire to separate the silver from the mercury , shake the whole together , and having poured it out into an earthen vessel , make it boil for half a quarter of an hour , then let it cool a little , till it becomes little more than luke-warm ; pour upon it a quart of water by little and little , in which you have dissolved two ounces of sea-salt , and a white precipitate will fall down ; pour off the water by inclination , and dry the powder . then put it in a retort placed in a sand-furnace , and having fitted to it a receiver fill'd with water , give a small fire at first , then encrease it by degrees till the retort grows red-hot , and your quick-silver will distil drop by drop into the water ; continue the fire till nothing more will distil ; let the vessels cool ; pour the water out of the receiver , and having washt the mercury , dry it with linnen , or the crum of bread , and keep it for use . you 'l find your silver in the retort , which you may reduce into an ingot , by melting it in a crucible with a little salt-peter in a great circular fire . chap. iii. of tinn . tinn is a metal that comes near unto silver in colour , but differs very much , in the figure of its pores , and in the solidity and weight . the name of the planet jupiter is given unto it , and it is thought to receive its particular influence from it . it is a malleable substance , and very easie to put into fusion . it will not all of it quite dissolve in aqua fortis , as some have affirmed , but some part will remain undissolved , which shews it is compounded of different parts , and that its pores are of a different figure . a virtue hath been attributed to it against the diseases of the liver and matrix , but this quality is only imaginary , experience in no wise evincing the truth of it . pulverization of tinn . tinn being of a malleable nature , cannot be reduced into a powder after the usual ways of powdring . therefore i 'le give you a method how to do it easily enough . melt in a crucible what quantity of tinn you think fit , and cast it into a round wooden box , that has been rubb'd within on all sides with a piece of chalk , enough to whiten it , cover this box , and presently shake it about , until your tinn is become cold , and so you 'l find it converted into a gray powder . lead may be pulverized after the same manner . remarks . the wooden box must be round , because that figure is the most proper to shake a thing in ; and the clefts of the box must be joyned together as close as may be ; and but little of the tinn must be put into the box at a time , that the parts may be the better able to separate and fall into a powder , by means of the motion or agitation . indeed the thing may be done without rubbing the box with chalk , but by this means the melted tinn is hindred from burning the box , as it otherwise would . now though this operation may seem to be of no great use , nevertheless it will be found to be of very good use , in order to prepare several operations upon tinn . for by this means it will easily mix with salts , and other matters . calcination of tinn . to calcine tinn is to reduce it into the form of a calx , by the means of fire . put tinn into a large earthen pan unglazed , place it in a circular fire , the tinn will melt . stir it with a spatule , until it is reduced into powder ; continue a great fire to it hours , and stir it from time to time , then take it off the fire and let it cool , and you 'l have a calx of tinn . remarks . i use an unglazed earthen vessel , because the lead which makes the varnish might mix with the tinn , and so hinder the purity of it ; a pan is the figure that 's proper for this calcination , for being able hereby to spread the matter about with a spatule , it s sulphurs fly away the more easily ; insomuch that tinn may be as well calcined in such a vessel in six and thirty hours , as in four days time in a crucible ; the stirring it does likewise serve to drive out the sulphur . salt of jupiter of tinn . this operation is a tinn penetrated by acids , and reduced into the form of salt. take two pounds of calcined tinn , put it into a matrass , and pouring upon it distilled vinegar to the height of four fingers , set it a digesting in sand , for two or three days , shaking the vessel from time to time ; afterwards pour off the liquor by inclination , and adding more distilled vinegar to the matter remaining , digest it as before , decant the liquor , and repeat the adding new distilled vinegar , and digesting it , three or four times more : then filtrate all these impregnations and evaporate them in a glass body in sand to the consumption of three quarters of the liquor , let the remainder cool , and then remove the body , without shaking it , into a celler , or such like cold place , to lye still three or four days , and you 'l find crystals formed on the sides of the body ; separate them from the liquor , and evaporate some more of it , put that which remains into a celler as before , and you 'l find new crystals ; continue these evaporations and crystallizations ; until you have drawn all your salt of tinn , which you must dry in the sun , and keep in a viol. this salt is desiccative , when mixed in pomatums ; it may also serve for tettars . those who do not concern themselves to have this salt in crystals may evaporate all the moisture of this dissolution , over a small fire , and they will have a salt remain to them as good as the first . remarks . this salt is only compounded of the acid part of the vinegar , incorporated into the tinn after the resemblance of salt , but if you should destroy these acids , the tinn would resume its former shape . i shall shew the way of this revivification , when i shall treat of salt of saturn , both being performed after the same manner . if the calx of tinn had not been well calcined , and dispossest of some quantity of sulphur , the acidity of the vinegar would never have been able to dissolve it , because it would have been presently shockt in the supple yielding parts of the sulphur without a capacity of acting ; for that an acid may be capable of dissolving a body , it is requisite that the pores be fitly disposed , so that it may preserve its motion some time in which it may make its jostles . you may separate one part of the impregnation of the calx of tinn , and pour upon it the oil of tartar per deliquium , and you 'l have a magistery of tinn , because the oil of tartar which is an alkali destroys the acid which kept up the tinn dissolved , and forces it to let go its hold ; you must wash this magistery , and dry it , it serves for the same uses as that which i shall describe hereafter , but there is but little magistery got by this preparation . if a man would persist to calcine the calx remaining in the bolt-head , and put more vinegar to it , it would at last all dissolve , but the operation would be too tedious . sublimation of tinn . to sublime tinn is to raise and volatilize it by means of a volatile salt. take one part of tinn , and two parts of sal armoniack in powder : mix them well together , and put your mixture into a strong earthen cucurbite , that is able to endure the fire , and whose two thirds at least do remain empty ; fit unto it a blind head , lute the conjunctions exactly well , and place your vessel on the grate in a small furnace with an open fire , but only open so as that the fire can pass through the registers , and for ●hat end you must stop up the top of the furnace with bricks and lute , leaving some little holes on the sides that are called registers . the cucurbite must likewise enter the furnace a third part of its height or thereabouts . give a small fire at first , then encrease it by degrees , till the bottom of the cucurbite is grown red-hot , and continue such a fire till nothing more will sublime , which you 'l know by the heads growing cool , and then the sublimation is at an end . let the vessels cool , and so unlute them , you 'l find flowers stuck to the head , and to the top of the body , that are nothing else but some parts of tinn raised up by the sal armoniack , and at the bottom of the body you 'l find some tinn revived . magistery of jupiter , or tinn . this operation is only a tinn dissolved by an acid , and precipitated by an alkali salt . dissolve the flowers of tinn , in a sufficient quantity of water . filtrate the dissolution , and pour upon it drop by drop the spirit of sal armoniack , or the oil of tartar made per deliquium , there will precipitate a very white powder . you must edulcorate it by washing it several times with warm water , and afterwards dry it . it serves for paint ; for being mixed with pomatum , it makes a very curious white . remarks . it is to be considered in both these preparations , that the dissolution of tinn is performed only by an acid salt , which the sal armoniack is impregnated with ; and this is the reason why the volatile spirit of sal armoniack doth serve to precipitate it ; for being an alkali as well as the oil of tartar , it breaks the force of the acid , which therefore le ts go what it held dissolved . that being granted , there will be no longer difficulty in conceiving how the volatile spirit of sal armoniack doth often precipitate what sal armoniack had dissolved . flowers of jupiter , or tinn . this operation is a tinn volatilized , and raised in form of meal , by the means of a volatile salt. take an unglazed earthen pot , with a hole in the middle of its height , and a stopple to it , place the pot in a furnace of a just proportion wherein the pot may enter only as high as the hole , and with bricks and lute , take care that the fire may not transpire ; fit upon this pot three aludels , or open pots of the same earth without any bottoms , and fit a head to the uppermost with a receiver to the head , lute well all the junctures , and light a good fire in the furnace to make red-hot that part of the pot which lies within it , then mix a pound of tinn and two pounds of purified salt-peter , throw a spoonful of this mixture through the hole of the pot , and stop it ; a detonation soon follows , which when it is over , throw in another spoonful , and so continue to do , until all the mixture be spent ; let the vessels cool , and unlute them , and you 'l find in the receiver a little spirit of niter , and in and round about the aludels very white flowers of tinn , gather them together with a feather , then wash them divers times with fountain water , and when you have dried them on paper in the shade , keep them in a viol ; they serve for paint , and they make a curious white when mixed in pomatums , or in some liquor . you 'l find in the bottom of the pot a calx of tinn mixed with the fixt part of salt-peter , boil it in water , wash and dry it , and it may be used in desiccative unguents . remarks . it is a plain sign that tinn does contain a sulphur , because being mixed with salt-peter , and put into the pot that 's heated red-hot , it will flame ; for you must not imagine that the detonation can proceed from the salt-peter alone , this salt being never able to flame without the mixture of some sulphureous matter , as i shall prove in its own place . but because the sulphur of tinn is lockt up in other substances , it remains quiet for some time to unite with the salt-peter , before it raises a detonation . nevertheless if you be in haste to dispatch , the detonation may be expedited by introducing a small cole lighted into the hole of the pot to fire the matter . these flowers do proceed from the part of tinn which is easiest to rarifie , and which the volatile salt of salt-peter , and the sulphur of tinn had raised . you must take care , when you would make detonations , to proportion the salt-peter with the sulphur , for otherwise they will not endure so long as they should ; either there being too much sulphur it will not meet with enough volatile parts of salt-peter to raise it all up , or else the salt-peter being in too great a quantity for the sulphur , it causes but a sublimation in part , because the great quantity of this salt which remains at bottom , without firing , does fix some part of the sulphur . wherefore there was but little reason to believe that three parts of salt-peter to one of tinn , would raise more flowers , than when there are but two , according to my description . for then there being too much salt-peter for the quantity of tinn , the detonation will prove imperfect , and almost all the salt-peter will remain at bottom , and will only serve to check some part of the sulphurs of tinn , hindring them from subliming into so many flowers as would otherwise rise . three aludels and one head , are used in this operation , that the vapours which rise in the time of detonation may have room enough ; for otherwise they would burst the vessels , notwithstanding the casting in of the matter but little at a time . the flowers of tinn are washt in order to deprive them of a volatile salt derived from the salt-peter which was mixed with it , and the salt dissolves in the water , leaving the flowers in their purity . you must dry them in the shade , for both the sun and fire do render them black , and this because they do re-unite the particles of tinn , which owe all their whiteness to the fineness of pulverization , which gives them another superficies than they had to reflect the light with . chap. iv. of bismuth , called tinn-glass . bismuth is a sulphureous marcassite that is found in the tinn mines ; many do think it is an imperfect tinn which partakes of good store of arsenick ; its pores are disposed in another manner than those of tinn , which is evident enough because the menstruum which dissolves bismuth cannot intirely dissolve tinn . there is another sort of marcassite , called zinch , that much resembles bismuth , and on which the same preparations may be made that i am going to describe . marcassite is nothing else but the excrement of a metal , or an earth impregnated with metallick parts . the pewterers do mix bismuth and zinch in their tinn to make it sound the better . flowers of bismuth . this operation is nothing but a portion of tinn-glass raised up in form of meal by volatile salts . calcine bismuth as you do lead , then mixing it with an equal part of sal armoniack , proceed to its sublimation as you did in that of tinn . thus you have flowers , which you may dissolve in water , and precipitate with the spirit of sal armoniack , or oil of tartar. this magistery or precipitate serves for the same use as that which follows . magistery of bismuth . magistery of bismuth is a tinn-glass dissolved , and precipitated in a very white powder . dissolve in a matrass an ounce of bismuth , grosly powdered with three ounces of spirit of niter . pour the dissolution into a clean white-ware vessel , and pour upon it five or six pints of fountain-water , in which you shall have dissolved before-hand an ounce of sea-salt , you 'l see a white powder precipitate to the bottom . pour off the water by inclination , and wash this magistery several times , then dry it in the shade . it is an excellent cosmetick , called spanish white , that serves to whiten the complexion . it is either mixed in pomatum , or lilie-water . remarks . you must use a large bolt-head to dissolve the bismuth in , because the great ebullition that happens , as soon as spirit of niter is cast upon it , requires room to move in . you must likewise have a care as much as you can , of receiving the vapours at your nose or mouth , for they are very offensive to the breast . this quick and violent ebullition proceeds from the acids immediate penetration of the large pores of bismuth so soon as thrown upon it , and the acid violently divides all that opposes its motion . it happens also that the bolt-head grows so hot , that a man can't endure his hand upon it , because the points of the menstruum do chafe against the solid body of bismuth with such force , that you may observe from thence much the same heat , as when two solid bodies are rub'd against one another . add to this , that the great store of igneous particles contained in spirit of niter , may much increase this heat . if the dissolution becomes turbid through some impurities in the bismuth , you must pour into it about twice as much water and filter it ; for if you should go to filter it without water , it would coagulate like salt in the filter , and not pass through . this coagulation proceeds from the acid spirits of niter that are included in the particles of bismuth , which finding too little liquor to swim in and disperse , do gather together into crystals when the dissolution is cold . the impurity which commonly swims upon the solution of bismuth , is a fat or bituminous matter which will not dissolve in the spirit of niter . this magistery may be made by pouring in great quantity of fountain water without any salt , into the dissolution , but it is made the quicker , when you use salt , and the precipitation is the better because salt does encounter and break some of the acids that water alone was not able to weaken sufficiently . now some difficulty appears in conceiving how plain water alone comes to precipitate bismuth , lead , & antimony , which the acid had dissolved , and yet can do nothing at all to the precipitating gold , silver , or mercury , without the assistance of some salt or other body ; i do imagine that the former having large pores , the acids cannot stick so close in them but that water is able to force them out ; but gold , silver , and mercury , having finer pores in comparison than the other , do retain the acids so very closely that the weak impulses of water alone can make no separation ; some more active body is requisite to do it . the augmentation which happens to bismuth when made into a magistery , does proceed from some part of the spirit of niter that remains still in it , notwithstanding the precipitation and lotion . commonly one drachm of this magistery or precipitate is mixed with four ounces of water , or in an ounce of pomatum . it softens the skin very much , and is also good against the itch , because it feeds upon those acids or salts which cherish this disease . chap. v. of lead . lead is a metal fill'd with sulphur , or a bituminous earth , that renders it very supple and pliant . it is probable that it contains some mercury . it hath pores very like those of tinn ; it is called saturn by reason of the influence it is thought to receive from the planet of that name . those who work upon lead are subject to colicks , and to become paralytick , whether it be that there rises out of it a mercury which obstructs the nerves , or else that the very substance of lead does act upon them after the manner of mercury . lead is extremely cold , and for that reason is proper to asswage the heats of venus , being applied to the perinaeum ; and it may be the heat of the skin causes it to lose some particles , which insinuating through the pores do some way fix the spirits , and qualifie their motion , from whence the part waxes cold : it is also applied on many tumours caused by too great an ebullition of the bloud . lead serves to purifie gold and silver , and may be said to act in the coppel , much after the same manner as the white of an egg does in clarifying a syrop that 's boil'd in a bason ; for as the gross and terrestrious impurities of a syrop do stick to the white of an egg by reason of its glutinous nature , and are driven to the sides of the bason in the stirring , so do the heterogeneous parts that were mixt with gold and silver , stick unto the lead , and by the fire are driven to the sides of the coppel like unto a scum. calcination of lead . melt lead in an earthen pan unglazed , and stir it over the fire with a spatule 'till it is reduced to a powder . if you increase the fire , and still calcine the matter for an hour or two , it will be more open and fit to be penetrated by acids . if you put this powder to calcine in a reverberatory fire for three or four hours , it will be of a red colour , and is that which is called minium . lead is also prepared into cerusse or white-lead by the means of vinegar , whose vapour it is made to imbibe ; for it turns into a white rust , that is gather'd up , and little cakes made of it . two parts of lead may be melted in a pot or crucible , and one part of sulphur added to it ; when the sulphur is burnt out , you 'l find the matter turned into a black powder , which is called plumbum ustum . all these preparations of lead are of a drying nature ; they may be mixed with unguents and plaisters , they unite with oils or fat substances in the boiling , and they do give them a solid consistence , and the greatest part of our plaisters do derive their hardness from it . i spoke of the way of reducing lead into litharge , when i treated of the purification of silver by the coppel , and it is thither i desire my reader to return . remarks . there happens an observation in the calcination of lead , as well as several other things , which very well deserves some reflection . 't is that although the sulphureous or volatile parts of lead do fly away in the calcination , which loss should indeed make it weigh the less , nevertheless after a long calcining 't is found , that instead of losing it increases in weight . some trying to explicate this phaenomenon do say , that as long as the violence of the flame does open and divide the parts of the calx of lead , the acid of the wood or other matter that burns , does insinuate into tha pores of this calx , where 't is stopt or fixt by the alkali ; but this reason will not hold , when 't is considered that this augmentation comes to pass as well when lead is calcin'd with coals as wood , for coals contain only a fixt salt that rises not at all . 't is better therefore to refer this effect to the disposition of the pores of lead in such a manner , that part of the fire insinuating into them does there remain imbodied , and can't get forth again , whence the weight comes to be encreased . if you would revive this calx of lead by way of fusion , its parts do squeez and express the igneous particles that were inclosed , and the lead does thereby weigh less than it did when reduced into a calx , for by this means the sulphureous parts are separated and lost . salt of saturn . this operation is a lead penetrated , and reduced into the form of salt by the acidity of vinegar . take three or four pounds of one of these preparations or calcinations of lead , for example the cerusse : powder it , and put it in a large glass or earthen vessel ; pour upon it distill'd vinegar four fingers high , an ebullition will follow without any sensible heat . put it in digestion in hot sand for two or three days , stirring about the matter ever now and then ; then let it settle , and separate the liquor by inclination . pour new distill'd vinegar upon the cerusse that remains in the vessel , and proceed as before , continuing to pour on distill'd vinegar , and to separate it by inclination , until you have dissolved about half the matter . mix all your impregnations together , in an earthen or glass vessel . evaporate in a sand-fire with a gentle heat , about two thirds of the moisture , or 'till there rises a little skin over it . then transfer your vessel into a celler or some such cool place , without jogging it ; there will appear white crystals , which you must separate , and evaporate the liquor as before , and set it again in the cellar . continue your evaporations and crystallizations , 'till you have gotten all your salt. dry it in the sun , and keep it in a glass . if you would make it exceeding white , you must dissolve it in equal quantities of distill'd vinegar , and common water , then filter it , and crystallize it , as i said before . this purification may be repeated three or four times . it is commonly used in pomatums , for tettars and inflammations ; the impregnation of saturn is also used chiefly for diseases of the skin ; when it is mixed with a great deal of water , it makes a milk that is called virgins milk. the salt of saturn taken inwardly is esteemed very good for the quinsie , to stop the flowing of the menses and hemorrhoids , and for the bloudy flux . the dose is from two grains to four in knot-grass , or plantain water , or mixt in garg●es . remarks . i do commonly use cerusse for preparing the salt of saturn , because i find it to be more open , and easier to dissolve , than the other preparations of lead , by reason of the vinegar it is already impregnated with . the ebullition , that is observed , doth proceed from the violent entrance of the acids , which do forcibly separate the parts of the matter . but it is remarkable that the effervescency which happens upon pouring a like quantity of acids on any other preparation of lead , is a great deal stronger ; because when the acid meets with a body not so open as cerusse , it must use greater endeavour to enter into it , and consequently raises up the matter higher . in these effervescences as well as many others , you cannot perceive the least degree of heat , nay some presume to assert that cold is increased in them . vinegar loses all its force in the penetration of lead , and acquires a kind of sweet or sugar'd taste . you must not imagine that a true salt of lead can be drawn . it is nothing but a dissolution of its substance by acids , which do very closely unite with it , to form a kind of salt. for if by distillation you should draw off the humidity of the dissolution , you 'd find it to be nothing but an insipid water , and consequently deprived of all its acids . i shall prove that better hereafter , when we come to revive our salt into lead . this salt called sugar by reason of its sweetness is good for many diseases that are caused by acid or sharp humors , because it asswages them , and mitigates their keenness . this is particularly observed in quinzies , whose cause doth ordinarily proceed from a saline or acid serosity , which falling too abundantly on the muscles of the larynx raises a fermentation that dilates their fibers , and causes the inflammation we see . thus whatsoever is able to dull the edge of acids is good for the cure of this disease . menstrual purgations , flux of the hemorrhoids and dysenteries are usually caused by sharp corrosive salts which fall into the vessels . wherefore the salt of saturn , as all other matters that absorb acids , do serve to cure these distempers ; for take away the cause of a disease , and the effect will soon cease . the sweetness of salt of saturn cannot be better explicated than by the sulphureous or softish substanee of the particles of lead , which being actuated by the salt of vinegar , do delightfully tickle the nerve of the tongue , when it is tasted . vinegar impregnated with some preparation of lead , is called vinegar of saturn . if it be well tempered with oil of roses , or some other oil , beating them together in a mortar , it makes an unguent that is called nutritum , or otherwise butter of saturn ; it is good for tettars , and other disfigurations of the skin . magistery of saturn . this operation is a lead dissolved and precipitated . dissolve two or three ounces of the salt of saturn well purified , as i said before , in a sufficient quantity of water , and distill'd vinegar , filter the dissolution , and pour upon it drop by drop the oil of tartar made per deliquium , it will first turn into a milk , then a kind of coagulum that will precipitate to the bottom of the vessel in a white powder . boil it a little , and pour it into a tunnel lined with a coffin of brown paper , the liquor will pass through as clear as water , and the powder remain in it : wash it several times with water to carry off all the impression of vinegar . then dry it , and you 'l have a very white magistery , that is used for a fucus like the bismuth . it is likewise mixed in pomatums for tettars , &c. remarks . when good store of water is poured upon the impregnation of saturn , it turns white like milk , and is commonly called , virgins milk ; it is used in inflammations , and to pimples in the face : if you let this milk settle , it becomes as clear as water , and a white powder sinks down to the bottom ; this powder does proceed from the particles of lead which were held up by the acidity of the vinegar , and were made let go their hold , by the access of water diluting the acid . this magistery being well washt may serve like the other that i now described ; but because water alone has not strength enough to destroy the acid so , as to make it quit every particle that it held dissolved , some part of the lead still remains indiscernable in the liquor , and does not precipitate . wherefore it is better to follow my description , in the making magistery of saturn . you must use an equal quantity of water and vinegar to dissolve the salt of saturn , for if you should use water alone , it would rather cause a precipitation than dissolution . the oil of tartar , or rather the salt of tartar dissolved being an alkali destroys the edges of the vinegar that suspended the lead , whence it comes to precipitate ; for finding nothing in the liquor that is able to hold it up , it falls down by its own weight . now in this operation there happens no effervescency at all , because the edges of the vinegar being broken , the fragments of them which remain have not activity , and are not keen enough to enter into the pores of salt of tartar with a sufficient penetration . and it is the same thing with all other precipitations of matters which have been dissolved by vinegar : but when the solution has been performed with stronger acids , the precipitations are made with ebullition , for the reason that i gave in my remarks upon aurum fulminans . this powder being washt and dried is nothing but a cerusse rendred exceeding fine . it is used for paint , but this cosmetick as well as all others that are made of metallick substances , such as tinn and bismuth , do often black the skin after having whitened it , because the heat of the flesh doth gather together these metallick particles , which owed all their whiteness to an exact alkoholisation , and losing that , do often revive . balsam or oil of saturn . the balsam of saturn is a solution of salt of saturn made in oil of turpentine . put eight ounces of salt of saturn powdered into a matrass , and pour upon it spirit of turpentine , four fingers above it , place the matrass in a small sand heat digesting for a day , you 'l have a red tincture ; decant the liquor and pour more spirit of turpentine on the matter that remains in the bottom of the matrass , leave it in digestion as before , then separate again the liquor which remains still a little coloured , and there will remain at the bottom nothing but a little matter , that you may revive into lead in a crucible . pour your dissolutions into a glass-retort , place it in sand , and fitting to it a receiver , distil over a gentle fire about two thirds of the liquor , which will be spirit of turpentine : quench the fire , and when the retort is cold pour that which is in it into a viol , and keep it for use . this is the balsam of saturn , excellent for cleansing and cicatrizing of ulcers . you may touch chancres with it , though they be never so bad , for it mightily resists putrefaction . remarks . the spirit of turpentine , to speak properly , is an exalted oil. it dissolves lead , and easily unites with it , because it is very sulphureous . if you should still persist in putting new spirit of turpentine on the remaining matter , all the salt of saturn would at last dissolve . some do use to distil away all the liquor , and keep that for oil which comes forth last . but it is a great deal better to follow my description ; for when all the liquor is distilled , there will hardly have risen any particle of saturn , and therefore it cannot be so good . burning spirit of saturn . spirit of saturn is an inflammable liquor which is drawn from salt of saturn . fill two thirds of an earthen retort , or a glass one luted , with salt of saturn ; place it in a furnace over a very gentle fire , both for gently heating the retort , and driving out a phlegmatick water ; continue this degree of fire , until the drops begin to have some taste , then fit to the retort a large recipient , lute well the junctures , and encrease the fire by degrees , a spirit will come forth that will fill the recipient with clouds . when nothing more will come , let the vessels cool , and having unluted them , pour what you find in the recipient into a glass-cucurbite , and rectifie in a very gentle sand-fire about half the liquor , which will be the inflammable spirit of saturn , burning like spirit of wine , and of a sowr taste . this spirit is very good to resist putrefaction of humours : it is also given in the hypochondriack melancholy from eight unto sixteen drops in broth , or some liquor peculiar to the disease , and the use of it is continued every morning for a fortnight . the other moyety of the liquor that remains in the alembick , is called improperly oil of saturn ; it is good to cleanse the eyes of horses . if you take out the blackish matter that remains in the retort , and put it in a crucible upon burning coals , it will reassume the form of lead . remarks . you must remember not to fill above two thirds of the retort with the salt , and to joyn a receiver large enough , because these volatile spirits flying out with violence might be apt to break the vessels , if they had not room to play in . if you use six ounces of salt of saturn in your distillation , you 'l draw an ounce and six drachms of liquor , and there will remain in the retort six ounces and six drachms of a blackish and yellow matter ; and if you put this matter into a crucible , setting it in the fire , 't will melt , and you 'l regain four ounces of lead , and half an ounce , or it may be six drachms of a yellow earth coloured like litharge of gold. it is evident from this operation that an ounce and six drachms of the more acid parts of vinegar are sufficient to impregnate four ounces and two drachms of lead , to reduce it into salt ; but the strangest thing that happens to it , is the great change that acids do give it , insomuch that it is not to be known again in the least . the augmentation that the lead in the retort does here receive , is as evident as may be ; for six drachms are taken out of it at last , more than were put in of salt of saturn , besides an ounce and six drachms of liquor that were drawn out . so that we must necessarily conclude , that the four ounces and two drachms of lead are encreased two ounces and an half . it is probable enough that the more rarified the lead becomes , the more capable it will be of igneous particles ; for although the salt of saturn is not suffer'd to remain long in the fire , yet the lead encreases apace . possibly it may be , that as fast as the acids go out of it , igneous bodies enter in their place , and open likewise the pores of lead by their nimble motion ; but these pores must needs be so disposed as to shut again like valvules , and hinder the return back of those fiery parts . when this calx is calcined in an open fire in a crucible , without stirring it , the parts of lead close together and expel the fiery particles , so that the lead revives as it was before , and recovers its natural gravity . the matter when shut up in the retort would never be able to revive , let the fire be made never so strong , because the igneous particles would have no liberty to get out . the yellow earth that 's found in the crucible seems to be of a golden colour , it is a terrestrious and bituminous impurity that the lead is purified from . there should be indeed but two drachms of it , because four ounces of lead are recovered , wherefore the augmentation must needs be from the fiery parts that remained in it as in a calx . spirit of saturn becomes inflammable from its containing in it some spirit of wine , that remains still involved in the vinegar , and was carried away with the acids into the pores of lead , when the salt of saturn was made ; for if you quicken the fire to distil this salt , the acids break in pieces , and leave the spirit of wine at liberty , insomuch that the spirit of saturn hath no acid taste . the matter that remains in the retort after the operation may be easily revived into lead , as being deprived of the acids which gave it the form of salt. the salt of saturn may be likewise revived into lead by mixing it with an alkali salt melted in a crucible with a good fire , because this last salt destroys the acids that kept the lead thus disguised ; but you must observe that it will flame before it revives , by reason of the spirit of wine that i said was included in the dissolution of cerusse made by vinegar . chap. vi. of copper . copper is a metal that abounds in vitriol and sulphur : it is called venus , because this planet was thought to govern it particularly , and bestow its influences upon it : and for this reason there hath been attributed unto it the virtue of encreasing seed , and curing the diseases of those parts that serve for generation . but because copper contains in it a corrosive quality , i would advise no body to use it inwardly . copper takes rust very easily , for if you leave but a drop of water some hours upon a piece of it , it makes a verdegreese . have a care of drinking water , that has lain in copper vessels , for it always dissolves some portion of it , which appears easily from the taste it leaves in it . it will not be altogether amiss to make mention here of an effect that is no less strange than usual . 't is that water or any other liquor that 's heated or boil'd in a copper vessel for a whole day together , savours not at all , or not so much of the copper , provided that it be not removed off the fire all that time , as other water warm'd in a like vessel , and put from the fire but an hour ; for whereas water alone can dissolve something of the copper , it would seem that being aided with the heat of fire , it should partake of its nature the more . now in my opinion this is the most rational explication that can be given of this matter . every body may perceive that when the water begins to heat in a copper vessel , that 's set over the fire , little atoms do rise at bottom like the stirring of a powder , and these atoms do encrease according as the water receives more heat , so that at length they make it boil on high ; these little atoms can have no other cause than the fiery particles , which passing through the vessel , do drive the water upwards apace , and rarifie its parts ; for this reason it is that the water is not able to dissolve any of the copper , for being continually raised upwards , it can make no impression upon the bottom of the vessel . perhaps some will tell me , that the liquor might take the impression of the copper , at the sides of the bason ; but it is easie to imagine that though there don't pass through the sides so many fiery particles as do at the bottom , there do pass nevertheless enough to hinder the liquor from sticking to or dissolving any particles of the vessel . but now on the contrary the vessel being remov'd from off the fire , and the motion of the igneous particles being quite ceased , the liquor partakes easily of the copper , and so much the more easily as the fire has rarified the metal , and rendred it more proper for dissolution . every thing seems to confirm this opinion , for if any liquor is put to boil over a strong fire in a copper vessel , it will not impregnate in the least , but if you place it upon a small fire , and leave it so for some time , then because there will not pass enough fiery particles , to cover all the surface of the vessel , and raise up the liquor , it will take some taste of the copper ; but this taste will not be so strong as if you had left it the same length of time in such a vessel off the fire , after it had been warm'd . liquors that are full of salts do take the impression of copper much more easily than those that are not . thus confectioners do observe what i have mentioned ; for though they boil their confections in vessels of copper for a considerable time , they find them taste nothing of the copper , but they know that if they should leave them but half an hour in the vessel taken off the fire , they would be tainted with a most loathsom copper taste . we may learn from this discourse , not to use a copper vessel , when we have a mind to boil or heat a liquor gently , and when we do think fit to use it , to be sure to keep a good brisk fire underneath , and not to let what we have boil'd , cool afterwards in a vessel of this nature . another difficulty does here offer it self on this subject , and it is to know why a kettle that has been taken off the fire , is not so hot at bottom as at the sides , so that as soon as it is removed from off the fire , one may touch it at bottom without burning ones finger , which can't be done at the sides without present scalding . the reason of which is , that the fiery particles tending upwards through the bottom of the kettle , which is flat , in a direct line , don't make any stop in passing through , having but a little distance to conquer before they come into the liquor ; but those that rise on the sides , finding a longer space to make upon the kettle , do many of them stop in the pores of the copper . it is not the same thing in vessels that are made in another form , whose bottom is globular , because the fiery particles rising up in an indirect line , do find more to do to pass through it , than in a flat bottom , and so by conference more of them do stop . but it is objected , that if igneous bodies do pass through the bottom of the kettle without any stop , they would not be able to heat it any more when it is empty than when it is filled with water ; nevertheless it is plain , that when an empty vessel is set over the fire , the bottom does heat and grow red-hot , especially if left so a good while . i answer to this , that when the kettle which was set in a great fire is full of liquor , the fiery parts having passed through the bottom in a strait line , as i said , are in a manner absorbed by the liquor , and have no more strength or action left to reflect again upon the bottom of the vessel , and so to beat it ; but now when it is empty , the fiery parts which pass through the bottom , finding nothing to drown them and check their motion , many of them do return back upon the bottom , and that way heat it so much as they do . and the same reason holds , why an empty tinn or leaden vessel being set in the fire does quickly melt , but when filled with liquor they will not melt , make what fire under them you please ; for the fiery parts finding nothing that is able to hinder their activity in an empty vessel , do pass to and fro through its pores often enough to melt it . but these same fiery parts finding moisture to engage them in a full vessel , they cannot return upon the bottom so as to melt it . copper does not melt so easily as many other matters , because it contains more terrestrious parts than those others . brass , or yellow copper is a mixture of lapis calaminaris and copper , and vessels that are made of it give less impression to liquors than the others . calcination of copper . to calcine copper , is to purifie it from its more volatile parts , by the means of common sulphur and fire , in order to render it the more compact . stratifie plates of copper with powder'd sulphur in a large crucible , cover the crucible with a cover that hath a hole in the middle , to give the vapours vent . place your crucible in a wind-furnace , and light a very strong fire about it , until there rise no more vapours ; then draw off your plates as they are hot , and separate them , this is the aes ustum that is used in outward remedies to deterge . remarks . in the making of this stratification we begin with a bed of sulphur , and lay over it a bed of copper-plates , then another bed of sulphur , and another of plates . we continue to do so till the crucible is quite full ; but you must be sure to let the first and last bed be of sulphur . this calcination is thus performed , that the common sulphur by its burning may cleanse the copper of its superficial sulphur ; but it will be much better purified by the following operation . purification of copper . this second purification of copper is to render it fair to the eye , and of a high colour . take what quantity you please of calcined copper , heat it red-hot in a crucible placed among burning coals , and cast it red-hot into a pot , wherein you shall have put enough oil of linseed to swim above it four fingers ; cover the pot presently , for otherwise the oil would take fire , let the copper steep , till the oil is grown pretty cool , separate it , and put it to heat again in the crucible , then cast it into oil of linseed ; continue to made it red-hot , and quench it in the oil nine several times , you must change your oil every third time ; and you 'l have a copper well purified , and of its former colour . if you calcine it once again , to consume the oil , and powder it , you 'l have a crocus of copper , that is detersive and good to eat the proud flesh of wounds and ulcers . vitriol of copper or venus . this operation is a copper opened , and transformed into a vitriol by spirit of niter . dissolve two ounces of copper cut into little pieces in five or six ounces of spirit of niter , pour the dissolution into a glass-cucurbite , and evaporate in sand about the fourth part of the liquor ; put that which remains into a cellar , or some other cool place , and let it lye there five or six hours , you 'l find blue crystals , separate them , and continue to evaporate and crystallize , till you have drawn them all ; dry these crystals , and keep them in a viol well stopt . they are caustick , and are used to consume superfluous or proud flesh . if you leave these crystals in a pan uncover'd , they will turn into liquor , that may serve for the same use . remarks . you must put the copper into a large body , placed within the chimney , and pour to it by little and little the spirit of niter , there does presently rise a great effervescency , and a red cloud from it , which would be very mischievous to the breast , if it were not avoided . then the vessel grows so hot that a man cannot keep his hand upon it , and the heat continues until the solution be finished , for then the liquor clears up , and becomes of a fair blue colour . the great effervescency that happens , does proceed from the sutable pores of copper to the edges of spirit of niter , so that they can make their entrance and jostles with a good force ; for when these edges , which did before swim with all liberty in a liquid , do find their motion checkt in the body of the metal , they do strive to disengage themselves , and do thereby separate the parts of the copper . it is this violent separation which causes the ebullition and heat ; for the acid edges striking strongly against the solid parts of copper , do cause a great agitation in the liquor , and by that means do excite a heat , much after the manner as when two solid bodies are beaten against one another violently , they grow so hot as even to strike fire . the red cloud is derived from the spirit of niter , which upon rarefaction does always acquire that same colour . when the copper is but half dissolved , it is green , but when it is all dissolved , it assumes a blue colour ; if you will separate the acids again from the copper dissolved , and reunite the parts by the help of fire , it recovers its red colour . after that the acids have divided the parts of copper as much as they are able , they stick fast to them , and suspend them in the liquor . some part of the liquor is evaporated , that the rest may crystallize the more easily . that which flies away in time of the solution , is the more phlegmatick part . vitriol of copper is nothing but the acids of spirit of niter incorporated in the copper ; and it is these spirits that cause all the corrosion ; for they are like so many little knives fastned to the body of the copper , which do tear and gnaw the flesh on which they are applied . this vitriol dissolves into liquor , because the copper having large pores , the moisture doth easily insinuate into them . other crystals of venus . these crystals of venus are the acid part of the vinegar incorporated into copper . take what quantity you please of verdegrease in powder , put it into a large matrass , and pour upon it distilled vinegar four fingers above it . place the matrass in digestion in hot sand , and let it lye so three days stirring it ever now and then , the vinegar will acquire a blue colour ; separate by inclination the liquor that swims upon the copper , and pour new distilled vinegar upon the matter , leave it in digestion for three days as before , decant the liquor , and continue to put other distilled vinegar on the matter , until three fourths of the verdegrease or thereabouts be dissolved , and there remains nothing but a terrestrious matter . then filtrate all these impregnations , and evaporate two thirds of the moisture in a olass body in sand ; put the vessel into a celler , and leave it there without stirring it four or five days : little crystals will appear , separate by inclination the liquor , and gather them up ; consume again about the third part of the moisture , and put it a crystallizing as before ; continue these evaporations and crystallizations , till you have got all your crystals , dry them , and keep them for the following operation . remarks . you had better use verdegrease than crude copper in this operation , because it is more open , and disposed for solution by the acids of vinegar ; for verdegrease is nothing but a copper opened , and reduced to a rust by the fermenting spirits of tartar . for the making of verdegrease , plates of copper are stratified with the husks of grapes pressed . they are left so for some time , and part of these plates is turned into verdegrease , which is scraped off with a knife ; then these same plates are stratified again with pressed grapes , and are penetrated as before , and more verdegrease made . this stratification is continued until the whole is turned into verdegrease . you must observe that verdegrease is better made in languedock and provence than other places , because in those countries the grapes do yield more tartar , and consequently do abound in these fermenting spirits , which do penetrate the copper . the crystals of venus are nothing but copper dissolved , and afterwards coagulated with the acids of vinegar , that incorporate with it , and form a kind of vitriol . spirit of venus . put what quantity you please of the crystals of venus prepared with distill'd vinegar , as i shewed before , into a glass retort , whose third part remains empty . place your retort in sand , and fitting to it a large receiver , and luting well the junctures , give a small fire at first , to drive out a little insipid phlegm ; this phlegm will be followed by a volatile spirit . then augment the fire by degrees , and the receiver will fill with white clouds . towards the latter end kindle coals round about the retort , that the last spirits may come forth , for they are the strongest . when you see the clouds disappear , and the recipient grow cool , put out the fire : unlute the junctures , and pour all that which is in the recipient into a glass body to distil it in sand until it is dry . this is the rectified spirit of venus . this remedy is used against the epilepsie , the palsie , the apoplexie , and other diseases of the head. seven or eight drops of it are given in a convenient vehicle : many do use it to dissolve pearl , coral , and such like substances . the black mass that remains in the retort may be revived into copper , if put in a crucible in a fire of fusion , with a little salt-peter , or tartar . remarks . the acid is drawn from the copper by fire without breaking its points ; for spirit of venus is considerably sharp , which happens not in other metals . the reason that may be given of it is , that copper , which is very full of sulphur , doth but barely touch upon the acids by its ramous parts . so that when these points are stirred by the violence of fire , they come forth whole , because they do not meet with resistance of a body hard enough to break them in pieces . they do also draw along with them , some of the most volatile parts of copper , with which they are inseparably united . it hath been thought that this spirit being poured upon coral and pearl , was able to dissolve them without losing any thing of its force ; so that when you would use the same spirit , it would corrode the matters as before . but experience doth not confirm it ; it is true the dissolvent comes from the coral with a great deal of sharpness , but it hath lost the acidity which was the principal menstruum ; and if there remains any sharpness , it proceeds from the copper . if you use a pound of crystals of venus in this distillation , you 'l draw half a pound of liquor , and the matter which remains in the retort will be just the same quantity . chap. vii . of iron . iron is called mars from the planet of that name , whose influence it is thought to receive ; it is a very porous metal compounded of a vitriolick salt , sulphur , and earth , ill digested together ; wherefore the dissolution of its parts is very easily performed . iron is found in many mines in europe , in form of a stone or marcassite , which much resembles the loadstone , but this last is more heavy and brittle than iron . the loadstone is also found in mines of iron , and may be reduced into iron by a strong fire . iron for its part does easily acquire the virtue of the loadstone , as every body knows , so that these bodies do seem to differ only in the figure of their pores , as has been very well observed by our modern philosophers . iron in the stone is melted in large furnaces made on purpose , both to purifie it from some earth , and to bring it into the form we desire . having continued some time in fusion , it vitrifies as it were , and much resembles an enamel of several colours ; and it enters indeed into the composition of ordinary enamels , with lead , tinn , antimony , sand , the saphire , the stone of perigord , ( a province in france ) gravelled ashes , and the ashes of a plant called kali . it is turned into steel by means of horns or nails of animals , with which it is stratified , and so calcined . these matters containing a great deal of volatile salt which is an alkali , do kill or destroy the acids of the iron , that kept its pores open , and do render it more compact . besides the fire carries off many of the more volatile and soluble parts of iron , whence it comes to pass , that steel will remain longer without rusting than iron . steel is to be preferred before iron for the making of vtensils ; but for remedies , iron is the better beyond comparison . i shall give you the reasons for what i say in the following operations . although mars does contain an acid vitriolick salt , yet it ceases not the being an alkali , for it ferments with acids , and no body needs wonder at this effect , when they consider there is more earth than salt in this metal , and this earth containing this salt within it , retains pores sufficient to receive the points of acids when thrown upon it , and so does the office of an alkali ; for as i have said speaking of the principles , it is sufficient for a body to be called an alkali , if it has its pores so disposed as that the acids may be able through their motion violently to separate whatsoever stands in their way . mars is almost always astringent by stool , by reason of its terrestrious parts , and aperitive by vrine , not only by reason of its piercing salt , but also because when the body is bound , the humidities do more easily filter by way of vrine . opening saffron of mars . this preparation is only a rust of iron contracted in the dew . wash well several iron plates , and expose them to the dew for a good while , they will rust , and you must gather up this rust . set the same plates again to receive the dew , and gather the rust as before . continue to do so till you have gotten enough . this rust is really better than all the preparations of iron that are called crocus . it is excellent for obstructions of the liver , pancreas , spleen , and mesentery . it is used very successfully for the green-sickness , stopping of the terms , dropsies , and other diseases that proceed from oppilations . the dose is from two grains unto two scruples in lozenges or pills . many do give mars with purgatives , which is a good practice . remarks . the chymists have called calcin'd steel crocus , by reason of its red colour ; and they have given this name to many other preparations for the same reason . though steel hath been always used in the chymical preparations that are used in physick , and is preferred before iron for the cure of diseases ; it is certain nevertheless that iron is fitter for that intent than steel , because it is more soluble ; for if the action of iron proceeds from nothing but its salt , ( as there is no reason to doubt , ) the salt of iron must be much more easily separated in the stomach than that of steel , because as i have shewn before , the pores of steel are more close than those of iron , and therefore this must have quicker effects ; besides that steel being harder to be dissolved doth sometimes pass away with the excrements , without bestowing any impression on the chyle . the reason that hath induced people to believe that steel is better for use than iron , was its being thought to be deprived of many impurities by calcination , but that which is called impurity is the more open part of the iron , and consequently the more wholesome . this preparation of the saffron of mars is out of the common road , and longer a doing than the others ; but it is the best of all that ever were invented . the dew is impregnated with a dissolvent that opens very much the pores of iron , and incorporating with it renders it more active and soluble than it was before . iron doth open obstructions by its salt , which being assisted with the solid parts of the metal , penetrates further than other salts . but you must always purge and moisten the person you give it to with broths before you presume to give it , because if it should find the passages of the small vessels filled and obstructed with gross matters , it stops and sometimes causes inflammations that create pains like to those of the colick . many do use the filings of steel without any preparation at all . iron doth frequently open obstructions by absorbing , as an alkali , the acid that fomented them . seeing that some persons have indeavoured to contradict the remarks i have made upon the effects of mars , and particularly concerning the preference i have given iron to steel for physical uses , i have thought it not convenient to end this chapter , before i have laid down and answered their objections . first then they say , that because the different substances of mars cannot be separated , as those of animals and vegetables can , it is in vain that an aperitive virtue is attributed to its salt. answer , i grant , all the substances of mars can't be separated so easily as those of animals and vegetables ; but because we find salts to be aperitive , and commonly remedies that are so , are full of salts , and that water in which rust of iron has steeped for some time , is proper to open by way of vrine , it seems to me rational enough to attribute this effect of mars principally to its salt ; for if the water has carried off any taste or penetrating quality from iron , there 's nothing at all in mars that is able to contribute such a virtue to it , besides the salt therein dissolved . secondly , they say , the earth and salt of mars being united and in a manner become inseparable , cannot act but by consent of both , and receive together joyntly the good or bad impressions , that may happen to them . i answer , there 's no reason to think the salt of mars absolutely inseparable from the earth , for the water in which this metal has steeped or boiled , after filtration does contain a vitriolick taste , and aperitive quality . now it is the effect of salt to dissolve imperceptibly in water and drive by vrine , as i have said ; but if any body would take the pains to steep and boil gently the rust of iron a good while in water , then filter it , and evaporate the liquor over a small fire to a pellicle , he 'l by crystallization or by an entire evaporation of the humidity , gain a small quantity of salt ; and it is probable enough that there was much more in the water , as may be collected from the strong taste it had of mars , but it being something of a volatile nature , it fum'd away in the evaporation . i do not say nevertheless , that the close connexion of earth with the salt of mars is altogether unuseful for this effect ; on the contrary , i do conceive that this earth rendring the salt more heavy than otherwise it would be , does help to drive it forwards , and causes the mars sometimes to penetrate as much by its gravity as by its salt ; but we must attribute the principal virtue to the vehicle which is salt , since without that , the earth would be a dead matter , and would have no more action than other earths bereaved of their salts . thirdly , they say that in all probability mars does act only according to the preparations which the different juices it meets with in the stomach do make ; for these acid juices not failing to encounter with , and to dissolve it , there results from this dissolution a liberty to the parts of the body on which these juices did act , and consequently their restauration a-new . i am willing to believe that sometimes mars may act in the body like an alkali , by absorbing and sweetning the acid humour which it meets with , as it does absorb and sweeten the acid liquors which are poured upon it ; but it must not be concluded from hence , that its aperitive faculty does always consist in this effect , because as i before hinted , the water in which mars has been put to boil , is aperitive , and yet there is no alkali in it to sweeten the acids of the body , when it is drunk . fourthly , they object , that we must not think the hardness of the parts of steel above iron , whose pores are more open , does render it less proper for all sorts of preparations , seeing spirit of vitriol , and many other acids are found to dissolve with the same ease both iron and steel . i answer , that if corrosive spirits do dissolve steel , they can dissolve iron more easily ; and whereas a smaller quantity of them can operate upon iron than steel , a better effect does thence follow . fifthly , 't is objected that the solidity of steel may be an advantageous circumstance to it , for the better fixing the dissolving juices that are in the stomach , and that for metals the pure are to be chosen before those that are not so . i answer , that instead of the solidity of steels being helpful to the stomach , it is certainly of great prejudice to it , as well as to those other parts it is distributed into ; for the juices that are found in the stomach being but weak dissolvents , are not able to penetrate nor rarifie this metal , if it be too hard ; so that they leave it crude and indigest , heavy and troublesome to this part : wherefore it passes away by stool , without any good effect , as it often happens . but now if a little of this steel does happen to pass along with the chyle , it rather causes than takes away obstructions , for by insinuating into small vessels , it stops in the narrow passages , and causes grievous pains . for what is said concerning the purity of metals , it is of great use to tradesmen , for they by purifying metals from their more rarified and volatile parts , do make them the less porous , and so the less liable to suffer prejudice from air or time . thus steel is much fitter for utensils than iron , because its pores are closer laid together , and it takes not rust so soon as iron ; but in remedies it is not the same thing , for those metals that are more rarified , and are more easily dissolved in the body , are such as we find best effects from , for the reason i have given . so that what workmen call purity , is often but an impurity in remedies . sixthly , they say , that if one would hope to find a distinct salt in mars , it would be more likely to find it in that which is purified , than in the faeces which are separated from it , and which are indeed but the impurities of iron , that steel is made of . i answer , there would be some reason to think that salt might be more easily found in steel than iron , if in the making of steel , iron were simply calcined , without adding nails and horns of animals in the calcination ; for then it might be said that the sulphur of iron being in part evaporated , its salt would be the more soluble : but we must consider that the volatile salts which come from these parts of animals , being piercing alkali's , do destroy the acid salts of iron , and do thereby render the steel more compact , and unfit to take rust , because the salts which by their motion did rarifie the metal , are fixed , and as it were mortified , and have not the capacity of acting as they did . this is the reason why a plate of steel that has infused in water will not give so great impression to it , as a plate of iron calcined , of the same weight , infusing the same time , will do . another thing remarkable in the calcination of iron to turn it into steel , is , that it is thereby deprived of its more volatile salt , which should have most effect with it , in hopes to free it from impurities , and that which is called the scories , is the better part of iron that has been rarified by its salt . thus for the same reason that some are pleased to call the rust of iron its dross , the whole metal may deserve the same appellation , all of it being capable of rusting , if it be but laid in the open air . another aperitive saffron of mars . this preparation is the filings of iron turned into rust in the rain . put the filings of iron into an earthen pot unglazed , and expose it to the rain until it turns into a paste . then set it a drying in the shade , and it will rust ; powder it , and expose it to the rain again as before , and so let it rust ; continue to rehumectate , and rust this matter for twelve several times . then powdering it very fine keep it for use . you may wet it with the water of honey instead of rain . this crocus hath the same virtues as the other , and is given in the same dose . i cannot but prefer that which i described before , because i conceive it to be more open than this . another opening saffron of mars . this preparation is only the filings of iron calcined with sulphur . take equal quantities of the filings of steel , and sulphur powdered . mix them together , and make them into a paste with water ; put this paste into an earthen pan , and leave it a fermenting four or five hours , after which put the pan over a good fire , and stir the matter with an iron spatula , it will flame , and when the sulphur is burnt , it will appear black ; but continuing a good strong fire , and stirring it about two hours , it will be of a very red colour , which declares to you the operation is ended . let it cool , and this crocus may serve in the same diseases as the former ; the dose is from fifteen grains to a drachm . remarks . i have thought good to deliver this preparation for the convenience of such who need a great quantity of saffron of mars , and who have not leasure enough to make it according to the other descriptions , for it is sooner calcined , and is of a redder colour than any that are made with fire . a paste is made of the mixture , to the end that the acidity of the sulphur being diluted by water may insensibly penetrate the iron , and open it the better ; and it is very easie to observe this penetration , seeing that the matter does grow so hot of it self , that a man can hardly endure his hand upon it . it is the same thing whether you make a smaller quantity , or make five and twenty or thirty pounds of this preparation at a time , it flames , and half calcines before it is put upon the fire , which cannot be explicated but by the violent action and frication of the acid part of the sulphur against the solid body of this metal . this operation may very well help us to explicate after what manner the sulphurs do ferment in the earth when it happens to tremble , and fires do burst forth , as does too often happen in many countries , and among others at mount vesuvius , and mount aetna ; for these sulphurs mixing in iron mines may penetrate the metal , produce a heat , and at last take flame after the same manner as they do in the present operation . and it will be in vain to object , that there is no air in the earth to help to fire the sulphurs ; for there are clefts sufficient in the earth to give entrance unto air. but if there were not enough , the fermentation which happens at the meeting of iron and brimstone may be able to raise the earth in some places and to burst it a-sunder . the great heat of many mineral waters may likewise easily be explicated by the means of these subterranean fires , and how they came to receive those sulphurs which we see are wont to be separated on the sides of the bath , when the water is not disturbed . it is because those waters do pass immediately over , or else through the midst of some of these burning earths , wherein they are heated as they pass , and do imbibe the sulphur . but when they are arrived to the place of the baths , and have there a-while setled , this sulphur being a fatt body cannot so intimately mix with the water , but that it will separate to the sides of the bath . it may be also , that some mineral waters do owe their heat to a natural quick-lime they may meet withal in their passage through the bowels of the earth ; but this quick-lime is only a stone calcined by the subterranean fires , of which i have spoken . and now to return to our operation . you must observe to make this calcination rather in an earthen pan , than pot or crucible , and to stir it continually with a spatula , that the sulphur may exhale the more easily . i have sometimes tried to do it in a crucible , but the matter still remained black , though i persisted in calcining and stirring it for above twelve hours together . if you have used a pound of mars , you 'l get at least a pound and four ounces of crocus , which proves , the acids of sulphur , or some igneous bodies to incorporate in the pores of the iron , and augment its weight , the red colour proceeds from vitriol that mars is full off , which being calcined grows red like colcothar . many other preparations of opening saffron of mars have been invented , but these three are sufficient as being the best . binding saffron of mars . this preparation is the filings of iron deprived of their more saline part . take what quantity you please of the last aperitive saffron of mars ; wash it five or six times with strong vinegar , leaving it to steep an hour at a time , then calcine it in a pot , or upon a tile in a great fire five or six hours ; after that let it cool and keep it for use . it stops the diarrhoea , the immoderate flowing of the hemorrhoids and terms ; the dose is from fifteen grains to a drachm in lozenges , or else in pills . remarks . because mars is an impure vitriol , the more it is calcined , the more astringent it is . but seeing that which renders it aperitive is its salt , or more soluble part , i intend by washing it several times with vinegar to deprive it of much of its salt. afterwards i calcine the matter to carry off by fire what aperitive parts might remain . not that i expect by this means to separate intirely all that is aperitive in mars from that which is astringent ; that is a thing in a manner impossible , by reason of the strict union of its salt and earth in the mine ; but i do believe it very probable to say , that if there be any thing astringent in this metal , as it cannot be denied , it must needs be the more terrestrious part , i may likewise say , that if the astringent mars has sometimes the effect of opening , it is by the remaining salt that it opens ; but when this salt has done acting , the terrestrious part never fails to bind . lastly , i further say , that i do not believe any preparation of mars to be absolutely astringent , and that all we can do is to render it less incisive , and less penetrating than before , by depriving it of some part of its salts . several other preparations for making the astringent saffron of mars are taught , but this one may suffice . salt , or vitriol of mars . this preparation is an iron opened , and reduced into the form of salt by an acid liquor . take a clean frying-pan , and pour into it an equal weight of spirit of wine , and oil of vitriol ; set it for some time in the sun , and then in the shade without stirring it ; you 'l find all the liquor incorporated with the mars , and turned into a salt that you must dry , and then separate from the pan , and keep in a viol well stopt . it is an admirable remedy for all diseases that proceed from obstructions : the dose is from four to twelve grains , in broth , or some appropriate liquor . remarks . the spirit of wine serves here to moderate the too great force of the oil of vitriol , which if alone would indeed in a little time penetrate all the parts of the iron , and cause a very impure salt ; but the spirit of wine hinders its so quick dissolution ; so that nothing but the more soluble part incorporates with the oil , to make a salt or vitriol . a frying-pan is more proper for this operation than another vessel less flat , because the liquor spreads it self about , and incorporates the better ; you must use a pan that is new . if you use two ounces of spirit of wine , and the same quantity of oil of vitriol , in a small frying-pan , you 'l obtain five ounces of mars . you may put your liquor a thumbs height in the pan , and leave it there a day and a half , or two days without stirring it . the oil of vitriol is improperly called oil , being nothing but the more caustick spirit , as i shall prove in its proper place . riverius in his practice gives a way of preparing the salt of mars like unto this ; excepting that he puts more spirit of wine than oil of vitriol , but it is better to put equal parts as i have done . it s virtue is greater than that of the crocus , because it is whetted by the oil of vitriol , and therefore is given in a less dose ; you must observe that sometimes it causes a nauseousness as all vitriols do . if you put this salt , or vitriol of mars to dissolve in a cold place , you 'l have a liquor that is called improperly , oil of mars . another vitriol of mars . this vitriol of mars is an iron dissolved , and reduced into the form of salt by spirit of vitriol . put eight ounces of clean filings of iron into a large matrass , and pour upon it two pounds of common water heated a little ; add unto it a pound of good spirit of vitriol , stir it , and set your matrass in hot sand , leave it in digestion four and twenty hours , during which time the purest part of the iron will dissolve ; separate the liquor by inclination , and fling away the earthy part that remains in a small quantity at the bottom . filtrate this liquor , and evaporate it in a glass-cucurbite unto a skin in a sand-fire , then set your vessel in a cool place , and you 'l find green crystals , which you may take out after having gently poured off the liquor . then evaporate again this liquor unto a skin , and crystallize it as before , repeat these evaporations and crystallizations until you have got all your crystals ; then dry them , and keep them in a glass bottle well stopt . this vitriol of mars hath the same virtues as the former , and must be given in the same dose . remarks . the spirit of vitriol is weakned by the water , to the end that it may be incapable of dissolving but only the purer part of mars . moreover if it were used alone , it would incorporate with the very substance of mars , but would not be able to dissolve any of it , because there would be wanting sufficient moisture to separate its parts . during the dissolution the liquor heats and boils considerably , because the acidity of spirit of vitriol doth violently enter the body of this metal , and makes a separation of its parts . to evaporate unto a pellicle , doth signifie to consume the liquor until a kind of thin skin is perceived to swim upon it , which always happens when some part of the moisture being evaporated , there remains but little more than is necessary to hold the salt in fusion . an acid spirit may be drawn from this vitriol of mars by distilling it in a retort in a reverberatory fire , like common vitriol ; this spirit hath been thought to have the same virtues as ordinary spirit of vitriol , but it can't be near so good , because it hath much blunted or broken some part of its edges against the body of mars , in the dissolution and distillation . that which remains in the retort after distillation , is that part of mars which the spirit of vitriol had dissolved . it may be used like an aperitive crocus martis . those who do attribute the aperitive effect of mars only to its sweetning ( as an alkali ) the acid juices which do too plentifully abound in mens bodies , will find it hard to explicate how these two last preparations do come to be esteemed the best aperitives which are made upon mars , for the acid does so far predominate in their composition , that the alkali is able to do little or nothing . tincture of mars with tartar. this preparation is a dissolution of iron performed by the acid of tartar. take twelve ounces of the rust of iron , and two pounds of white tartar of montpelier , powder and mix them together ; then boil them in a great iron pot or cauldron with twelve or fifteen pints of rain-water for twelve hours time , stir the matter with an iron slice from time to time , and take care to put more boiling water into the cauldron , according as it consumes ; afterwards leave it a while to settle , and you 'l have a black liquor , filtrate and evaporate it in an earthen pan over a sand-fire , to the consistence of a syrup , or till there rises a pellicle upon it . it is a very great aperitive , it opens the most inveterate obstructions , and is given in cachexies , dropsies , obstruction of the terms , and other diseases that proceed from oppilations ; the dose is from a drachm to half an ounce in broth , or some appropriate liquor . remarks . water alone would not be able enough to penetrate the iron , for to make a tincture , though you should boil it a month together . but when it is impregnated with tartar , it dissolves it very easily . nevertheless you must not think that this tincture is a perfect solution of mars ; for if there were an intire solution of it , there would appear no more tincture than there does in the solution of it with spirit of vitriol and water ; but because the soluble part of tartar which is the agent in this operation , is only an impure acid salt , it can but grosly rarify the mars , and after mixing with it keep it suspended in the water . after the tincture is drawn , there remains a whitish matter , that you must fling away as good for nothing , it is a mixture of the grosser parts of tartar and mars . this tincture is called syrup of mars , by reason of a certain sweetness that is perceived in its taste . it is reduced into the consistence of a syrup , to keep the better . as for its virtues , it is a very great aperitive , because the force of mars is assisted by the tartar , that serves to be its vehicle . opening extract of mars . this preparation is a solution of the more open parts of iron , by aperitive juices , and reduced into a solid consistence by fire . take eight ounces of the rust of iron prepared in the morning dew , put it in an iron pot , and pour upon it three pounds of the water of honey , and four pounds of must , or the juice of white grapes perfectly ripe . add to it four ounces of juice of lemons ; cover it with an iron cover , and set it in a furnace over a little fire ; leave the matter in digestion three days , then boil the matter gently three or four hours , uncovering the pot ever now and then , to stir up the bottom with an iron slice , then cover it again , that the moisture may not evaporate too fast . when you perceive the liquor to be black , you must take away the fire , and leave it a while to settle , pass warm through a cloth that which is clear , and evaporate the liquor in a sand fire , in an earthen pan , or glass vessel to the consistence of an extract . 't is a very good aperitive ; it hath the same virtues as the tincture for obstructions of the liver , spleen , and mesentery ; it delivers the lymphatick vessels admirably well of what may hinder the current of serum . the dose is from ten grains to two scruples , in pills , or else dissolved in some proper liquor . that which remains in the bottom of the iron pot is the more earthy part of mars , that is good for nothing . remarks . this extract doth not receive its consistence only from the iron , but from the tartareous juices of the grapes and lemons , with which it is mixed ; its virtue is augmented by the essential salts , and the spirit of honey that leaves in it a very good impression . the mixture is left in digestion , for the better dissolution of the mars ; but seeing the menstruum is not very sharp or corrosive , it dissolves only the more saline and soluble parts . this description is not common , but may be preferred before many others . every body grants that mars is as excellent a remedy as any in all physick , for opening obstructions , and restoring a good complexion to those that want it by reason of obstructions ; but you must not be contented with giving it once or twice , but for a fortnight together ; some intervals may be observed , that nature may not be troubled too much . in hot climes , such as languedoc and provence , where are more oppilations than in other countries , they make no difficulty to take it sometimes every day for a month together , after a due preparation , and it is the best remedy that hath been known for that distemper . binding extract of mars . this preparation is a solution of iron made with an astringent wine , and reduced into a thick consistence , by fire . take eight ounces of the rust of iron powdered very fine , put it into an iron pot , and pour upon it four pints of a strong red wine ; set the pot over the fire , and having covered it , make the matter boil , stir it from time to time with an iron slice , till two thirds of it be consumed ; pass the liquor warm through a cloth , and evaporate it to the consistence of an extract . it stops the looseness , bloody flux , the flux of the hemorrhoids and terms ; the dose is from ten grains unto two scruples in pills , or dissolved in some astringent liquor . remarks . the strongest red-wine is of so high a colour , that it appears to be black ; with this vintners do colour their white wines , they do make them to be either pale or red , according to the quantity of it they mix . and the dyers do likewise use it . this wine becomes impregnated only with some part of the mars , because the tartar which it contains is capable but of dissolving the more rarified part of this metal , the rest remaining in the bottom of the pot . the astringent virtue of the wine does much increase that of the iron , and renders it very proper for the distempers before-mentioned . but you must not think that its aperitive salt is wholly destroyed , for it still opens obstructions , and passes by way of urine : indeed it does not act this way so powerfully as the aperitive extract of mars , but effects of that kind are observ'd from it . the same remedy may be both astringent by stool , and aperitive by urine , because that when the body is bound , the serosities , which were wont to pass by siege , do become diverted into the urinary passages . on the contrary , in a diarrhoea , the moist humours which would otherwise have taken their course by way of urine , do here turn it by siege . mars diaphoretick . mars diaphoretick is only the particles of iron impregnated with volatile salts . powder and mix together equal quantities of the rust of iron , and sal armoniack , put this mixture into an earthen cucurbite , set it in a small furnace , and stop up the bottom with lute and bricks , that the fire may not be able to pass upwards , but only through certain holes or registers ; fit to your cucurbite a blind head , and give a gentle fire at first ; augment it by degrees to heat the cucurbite red-hot , and continue this degree of heat , until there arise no more vapours ; then let the vessels cool , and taking off the head gather the sublimed flowers , dissolve them in water sufficient only to dissolve them , filtrate this dissolution through a coffin of brown paper , and pour upon it drop by drop the oil of tartar made per deliquium , or else the spirit of sal armoniack , a powder will precipitate to the bottom of the vessel , decant the liquor , and dry this precipitate ; it causes sweat , and is good against all diseases that proceed from a corruption of humors ; it sometimes also drives by way of urine , according as bodies are disposed : it is excellent against the hypochondriack melancholy , and in quartan agues : the dose is from ten to twenty grains in pills , or some proper liquor . remarks . this preparation is sudorifick by reason of some particles of sal armoniack that remain in the precipitated mars ; for when these saline parts are actuated by the heat of the body , being of a very volatile nature , they do insensibly distribute themselves rather into the pores of all the body , than follow the course of sixt salts by way of urine ; whence a sweat does come to follow , or sometimes an insensible transpiration , because it rarifies and gives vent to abundance of humors that were not able to pass , by reason of their viscosity . sometimes also finding the pores too much obstructed , it is forced to become fixt , and follow the ordinary course by way of urine , and then it opens the lymphatick vessels , and evacuates several matters that were contained in them . people often find greater benefit from much urine than sweat , because the way of urine is more natural and weakens less . chap. viii . of mercury . qvick-silver is a prodigy among metals ; for it is fluid like water , and though a very heavy body , yet it easily flies away when set over the fire . it is probable , that the parts of this metal are all of a round figure , for divide it how you will without adding to it , and it always keeps a globular form to every part ; and if you look a little near it , when it dissolves in aqua fortis , you 'l observe an infinite number of little round bodies , which rise up in the liquor , like smoke . now the parts of mercury being supposed round , it may be explicated how this metal does remain fluid , and why it volatilizes so easily by fire , although it be so exceeding heavy , for the round figure being no ways proper for the connexion or union of parts , the little bodies which do compose the quicksilver , cannot adhere together , and consequently they must roul one upon another , as we see happens to all round bodies ; and this is that which causes the fluidity of this metal . as for its volatility , it proceeds from this , that the round parts being only contiguous , and having no proper union together , nothing hinders its parts from rising by the force of fire ; for that which makes the other metals to be more fixt than mercury , and to remain in the fire without consuming wholly , is because their parts are continued , and so fastned together that fire has no power to disunite them in order to volatilize them . it may be objected that the parts of quicksilver being granted round , they should for the same reason be light , because the round bodies which approach one another , do leave many empty spaces between them . but though there are such vacuities , the little balls are massive and compact , and this causes their gravity . there 's another objection , that is , the parts of mercury are heavy , how come they to be volatilized by fire ? i answer , that when these parts are said to be heavy , it is in comparison with other little bodies that are lighter : but you must not imagine that every part of mercury should be heavy enough to resist the rapid nature of fire . but besides , these little mercurial bodies , which we suppose to be compact , may have their pores of such a texture , that the igneous parts being once gotten within them , may not be able to find a way out again , and so they and their small prisons may fly up together . it is called quicksilver from its fluidity , and mercury because it changes into different shapes , like the celestial mercury , from whom it is thought to receive its influence . it is to be found in many places in europe , as poland , hungary , and even in france ; for a few years since there was discovered near st. lo in normandy , a mine abounding in cinnabar , from whence good store of mercury is drawn . some of it is also found running in the mines , and this is passed through a shammey skin to purifie it from some earth that it may be joyned with ; but because it doth sometimes prove very difficult to separate it from the earths with which it is in a manner incorporated , they are forced to distil it through iron retorts into receivers filled with water . natural cinnabar , called mineral , is a mixture of mercury and sulphur that sublime together by the means of a subterraneous heat , and this is done near after the same manner as artificial cinnabar is made , of which i shall speak anon . quicksilver by reason of its fluidity is hard to transport , wherefore a great quantity of it is reduced into cinnabar , ( in the places whence it is taken ) after the manner following . artificial cinnabar . cinnabar is a mixture of sulphur and quicksilver sublimed together . take a quantity of sulphur , and melt it in a great earthen pan , then mix by little and little thrice as much quick-silver ; you must stir about and preserve the matter in fusion , till all the mercury disappears . then powder your mixture , and sublime it in pots in an open fire well governed , you 'l have a hard mass , and of a very red colour . if any heterogeneous metal should have been mixt with the mercury , it would remain at the bottom of the pots . besides the convenience of easily transporting mercury by this means , it is very useful in painting . it is also used in pomatums for the itch , and to make fumes withal to raise a salivation . remarks . a pound of sulphur is able to incorporate three pounds of mercury , and to make a mass together . the cause of this mutation of mercury into cinnabar does proceed from the penetration which the more acid part of sulphur does make into the mercury , and the intangling its parts whose motion is now checkt . and being raised by the fire it volatilizes as it does , but the saline or acid spirits of sulphur do fix it , so as that it is constrained to stop its volatility , and settle in the upper part of the pot , which is called subliming ; whereas when it is all alone , or else joyned with some matter that cannot fix it , it evaporates quite away . cinnabar is shaped like needles , by reason of the acid spirits of sulphur , which have entred into its body , and have impressed such a figure ; its red colour may proceed likewise from the sulphur , which is of this colour when it is well rarified . this red appears brown while the cinnabar is in the mass , but if you powder it very fine , beating it a good while , it becomes of a shining , and that so high a colour , that it has been called vermillion . some women do rub their cheeks with it , when they have mixt it in pomatum , but they don't consider that so dangerous an accident may happen from it , as a salivation . the fumigation with it , is made by causing a patient to receive the fume of the cinnabar thrown into the fire . reviving of cinnabar into quick-silver . this operation is performed in order to separate the sulphur which is in the cinnabar . take a pound of artificial cinnabar , powder it , and mix it exactly with three pounds of quick-lime also powdered ; put the mixture into an earthen or glass retort , whose third part at least remains empty . place it in a reverberatory furnace , and after having fitted to it a receiver filled with water , give your fire by degrees , and at last encrease it to the height , the mercury will run drop by drop into the receiver ; continue the fire until no more will come ; the operation is commonly at an end in six or seven hours . pour the water out of the receiver , and having washed the mercury to cleanse it from some little portion of earth it might carry along with it , dry it with linnen , or the crum of bread , and keep it for use . you must draw thirteen ounces and a half of flowing mercury out of each pound of artificial cinnabar . you may again revive the cinnabar , by mixing it with equal parts of filings of iron , and by proceeding in the operation , as i have taught . remarks . when mercury is thus revived , you may be sure of its purity , because if any metal should have mixed with it in the mine , it would remain , as i have said , at the bottom of the pot you sublime it in : and if the cinnabar were adulterated , that which had been used in the adulteration , either would not rise with the mercury , or else would separate from it in the receiver . cinnabar being nothing but a mixture of acid spirits and mercury together , if you mix it with some alkali , and drive it upwards by fire , the acids , for the reason i have already spoken of concerning the depart of silver , must leave the bodies they were joyned to before , for to enter into the alkali , and this is what happens here , for the acids finding the quick-lime very porous , do leave the mercury , and adhere to the quick-lime ; so that this mercury being disengaged from what held it fixt before , and forced by the fire , comes forth of the retort in form of spirit , but the coolness of the water that is in the recipient , condenses it , and resolves it into quick-silver . a third part of the retort is left empty , because the rarified mercury comes forth with such violence as would otherwise be apt to break the retort . you must leave the mixture to settle a day or two , before you put the fire under it , to the end that the quick-lime may slake the while , for if you should not observe this circumstance , the retort would burst . you might also use such a quick-lime as has been already slak't in the air , and then you might begin your distillation immediately after the mixture , but i do think that the revivification will be the more exact , when unslak't lime is used , because the alkali will act more strongly upon the sulphureous acids . when the distillation begins , abundance of sulphureous fume is seen to come out of the retort ; the juncture of the receiver with the retort must not be luted , because it is better to let this sulphur fly away ; for if it had no vent , we might have reason to fear lest some part of the quick-silver would joyn and unite with it in the receiver , and so we might be obliged to make a second revivification of it . if by way of curiosity you weigh the lime which remains in the retort after distillation , you 'l find three pounds and half an ounce of it , this little augmentation of weight proceeds from a remainder of the sulphur of cinnabar , and the matter does smell of sulphur . quick-silver is one of the greatest remedies we have in physick , when it is used as it should be , but is full as dangerous , when it happens into the hands of quacks , who use it upon all occasions for all sorts of diseases , and give it indifferently to all sorts of persons without any respect to the temperament they are of . those who draw it out of mines , or work much with it , do often fall into the palsie , by reason of sulphurs that continually steam from it ; for these sulphurs consisting of gross parts do enter through the pores of the body , and fixing themselves rather in the nerves by reason of their coldness , than in the other vessels , do stop the passage of the spirits , and hinder their course . mercury is given in the disease called miserere , unto two or three pounds , and is voided again by siege to the same weight ; it is better to take a great deal of it than a little , because a small quantity might be apt to stop in the circumvolutions of the guts , and if some acid humours should happen to joyn with it , a sublimate corrosive would be there made ; but when a large quantity of it is taken , there 's no need of fearing this accident , because it passes quickly through by its own weight . mercury mixes so well with rosinous and fat bodies , as to remain imperceptible ; all vnguents , pomatums , and plaisters in which it enters , are good against the itch , and tetters , and do dissolve cold tumours , because it opens the pores , and drives by perspiration . furthermore , seeing these distempers are fomented by acid humours , it breaks their edge , and hinders them from causing any further fermentation . hitherto there is no remedy found out to be so soveraign for the cure of venereal maladies , as mercury ; wherefore its greatest enemies have been forced to fly to it , after they had tried a long time to no purpose to drive out the poison by other remedies . and in truth if we knew any milder ones that were able to terminate the accidents of the pox as well as this does , 't would argue much rashness to make use of mercury , because it is not always conducted according to our desires , and sometimes very scurvey consequences do happen upon it ; but we know no other that can be esteemed to approach it in virtue for all venereal diseases , and especially the universal pox. it is killed in turpentine , then with suet an ointment is made of it , that serves to rub the parts of the body , and particularly the joints with , several days together , after the patient hath been prepared by baths , broths , and purges . the friction is continued until the salivation rises , which is caused by a great many shancres in the mouth ; for these shancres by an exceeding great acrimony do open exceedingly the salivating vessels , and give way to a tickling phlegm , that runs down abundantly . a flux is also raised by applying mercurial plaisters upon all the body , and also by fumigations by making one receive the fume of mercury . again it is raised by taking inwardly white precipitate , or some other mercurial preparation , without using it outwardly . let us now come to reason a little upon it . the effect of mercury hath puzled almost all chymical philosophers ; and those moderns who have explicated with much probability and likelihood many other natural things that lay hid to our forefathers , have declared those of mercury to be some of the most difficult . i know very well that several persons governed by false principles , have not forborn to give us their explications ; but when their discourses come to be examined by chymistry , which alone is able to give us demonstrations on this matter , they presently come to nothing . i shall here present you with a thought of mine , that seems more probable than any thing i ever met with , and is maintained by chymical experiments . you must first take notice , and it is a thing indisputable among all physicians , that the nodes , tumors , and other effects of the venereal poison are fomented by saline or acid humours which make a certain ferment , and that this disease can never be cured , until this poison is quite destroyed . this being supposed , we must examine the nature of mercury , and see what will become of it , if we mix it with salts or acids . i have said that mercury is a volatile , and we shall find hereafter that in the making of sublimate corrosive , mercury is mixed with salt and vitriol , which are acids ; that upon the encreasing the fire , the spirits adhering unto mercury , which is an alkali , do sublime along with it to the top of the vessel , and make together that which is called sublimate corrosive ; let us now see in the cure of the pox , how mercury is used . it is mixed , as i have said , with suet , and with this unguent the parts of the body are rubbed a long time , that the mercury may pierce and enter through the pores ; which it does , as every body must grant ; and this hapning , there 's no contradiction at all in thinking that some part of it mixes with the saline or acid ferment of the venereal matter , after the same manner , as it doth with salt and vitriol . the acid salts of the venereal poison fixing in the pores of mercury , which is , as i have said , a volatile alkali , do sublime together , being driven by the heat of the body , up to the head , which is the top of the vessel , and the coolest place , and so most proper to condense them . at the same time it is that the head swells , and the inside of the mouth is full of shancres , which cause a pain much like unto that a man would receive , if sublimate corrosive were applied some time upon an excoriated part . moreover the salivating vessels being prickt and corroded with this sharp humour , do open , and let fall abundance of phlegm , and this causes the involuntary salivation , that uses to accompany these shancres , and remains sometimes a longer , sometimes a less time , according as the shancres are more or less acrimonious ; for the phlegm trickling down continually , cleanses them from their keen salts , and mitigates the pain , whence it comes to pass that they are often cured of themselves , and then the salivating vessels closing up again , the flux doth cease . it sometimes happens , when a man is not well prepared to receive a flux , or that it is raised too soon ; that the sublimation being too violent , some part of the sublimate sticks to some one or more of the vessels , and coroding their membrane , causes grievous hemorrhagies , as i have seen to happen several times , and among others to a man in languedock , who voided in half an hours time twelve pints of blood by mouth , without dying of it notwithstanding , because he was a very stout lusty man. as for what may still remain of the venereal poison , after the salts are driven out , its dissolution is then a very easie business , because nothing but those salts was able to hold it coagulated ; so that it is easie to conceive , that the subtiler part of it may pass through the pores , and the more terrestrious precipitate , and be evacuated by way of urine . perhaps you 'l object , that mercury will raise a flux in persons who never had such a disease as the pox , and who never had any of those tumours that contain acid salts ; but it is an easie matter to answer , that there is no man whatsoever , let him be never so sound , but hath store of saline or acid humours in his body ; the serum which runs into every part is full of salt , and all the ferments that preserve the oeconomy of nature , do it by nothing else but salts or acids ; now there is no more difficulty in comprehending that mercury may joyn with the acids of a sound person , than those of an impure tumour : for i don't think that mercury goes immediately and seeks out the acids in the tumours of impure persons , it must have an understanding to do that ; but being rarified and moved by the heat of the body , it circulates every where , until it comes to find a salt that is able to fix it in some measure , and hinder its motion . sometimes this mercury not meeting with salts enough to detain it , passes off by transpiration , and carries along those that were united to it ; whence it comes to pass that many have been cured of the pox without a flux . at other times it meets with alkali salts which force it to quit its hold of these acids , and then it precipitates downwards , and purges by way of stool , whence it comes to pass that those who have a looseness in the time of their taking mercury , are exceeding hard to receive a flux . upon the same principle may be given the reason of many other accidents which follow the use of mercury . but let us see whether any thing of use may be drawn from this discourse for the cure of venereal maladies . although the poulains , phymosis , shancres , gonorrhoea's , and other precursors of the pox , may be cured without a flux , yet nevertheless you must not neglect the use of mercury ; for these diseases do contain in them a poison that is not at all different from that of the pox , but only in that it hath not fermented enough to be rarified and carried by the circulation into the habit of the body ; so that there will remain some salts which cannot be carried away clear by any thing but mercury , which when given in a small quantity on these occasions , drives only by perspiration or by stool , without a flux . sweet sublimate , of which i shall shortly speak , is very much used in these distempers , among other general remedies . when you undertake the cure of one in the pox , you must bathe him a good while , purge , and bleed him for preparation of the humours , to the end that mercury finding them more fluid , may be able to unite with them the more easily , and so carry them off . this mercury must be administred by little and little at first , afterwards the dose is augmented according to the strength of the patient , and when the jaws begin once to ake , you must give no more , unless it be now and then for continuation of the flux . they spit commonly three weeks together , but if it doth not by that time stop of its own accord , you must endeavour to stop it with detersive gargarisms . it happens sometimes that the salivating vessels dilate and open so extreamly by the corrosive salts which caused the salivation , that they cannot be closed again by any kind of gargarism , and then the brain dries up by little and little , and death is the consequent of all ; wherefore you must have a great care of not letting the flux run too long . i could attribute the invention of this discourse to my self , being the first who have thus treated of this matter in france , and maintained it in publick meetings ; but i am not possessed with that vanity of authors , i leave it to those who love it : i had no affectation to make a book on purpose concerning it , but have only mentioned it as a thing incident to the subject i treated of . i shall only say by the by , that those who make pretence of first finding it out , have hapned to make their complaints a little too late , having printed their book a year after mine , and three years after i held a publick discourse of it at monsieur de launay's , not to speak of what i taught a long time before in the first courses of chymistry that i shewed . some thinking to invalidate what i have hereupon established , do say that mercury cannot be absolutely called an alkali , because the alkali that is in mercury is but one part of its composition , and is not to be separated from its other parts . to answer this difficulty , you need but only read in the remarks that i have made upon the principles , how it is that i do explicate the nature of an alkali , and you 'l find that although the name alkali comes from the salt of a plant called kali , that is , soapwort , yet all bodies that cause a sudden effervescency with acids are called alkali's , without any need of their containing any alkali salt within them . so that i have no need to enlarge this book without reason , by answering all the little objections that have been made to me upon the supposition of mercury's being a pure alkali . it is likely enough that those who have rais'd them , have not read with attention what i have said in my remarks upon mercury . for there they might find solutions enough . i shall speak neverless to some of the principal ones . first , it is objected that if mercury be an alkali , and the venereal venom an acid , this same acid should certainly fix it , whereas the dissolutions of it that are made by the juices , do only serve to encrease its volatility , and render it corrosive , instead of being at all sweetned by it . i answer , it is as false to say , that mercury is volatilized by the acid juices of the venereal venom , as it is that mercury mixed with acid spirits to render it corrosive , should be volatilized by the same spirits . on the contrary , mercury alone does easily volatilize by the heat of the body , and nothing but acids are able to fix it at all . i thought i had sufficiently explicated my self as to this , when i said that sometimes mercury , finding not in the body enough acid spirits to fix it , does pass by transpiration , &c. as for the corrosive nature that the mercury assumes , we must attribute it to the disposition of its pores , and the abundance of acid points it is impregnated with ; and seeing it will not sweeten the acidity of salt and vitriol , with which it is mixed to make sublimate corrosive , why should we expect it to sweeten the acid juices of the body ? i do not pretend nevertheless that it never dulcifies at all ; for i do conceive it may destroy much of their force by dividing and breaking their points , when the acids are but few , as does happen in mercurius dulcis . secondly , it is objected that if the venom of the pox were an acid , it might then be cured by the use of alkali salts , either fixt or volatile , as by crabs-eyes , pearl , or coral , and such like bodies as are wont to kill and sweeten acid humours . i answer , we often find that volatile salts do give some ease to those that are troubled with the venereal distemper , whether it be by opening the pores , and so making the subtiler part of it perspire away , or that by being alkali's , they do absorb some part of it . for this reason some do use to give their patients the volatile salt of vipers several mornings together , but these alkali's are in truth of too weak a nature to carry off such an acidity , after they are impregnated with it , as mercury is able to do without losing its nature . they are nets of too fine a make , to catch such keen and active bodies ; if these salts do destroy some part of the acidity , they destroy themselves likewise in the conflict , so that they can have no further operation , wherefore there 's need of a more powerful volatile alkali than these salts are , to eradicate the acidity of the venereal poison . as for fixt salts , and alkali bodies , as pearl , coral , crabs-eyes , whereas they have no volatile quality in them , and their tendency is wholly downwards , it is very uncertain whether ever they reach to venereal tumours ( which commonly rise in the joints , ) by reason of the long way they have to pass thither , and the juices they have to encounter with in their passage , which may in all likelihood change their nature ; but suppose they were carried to those tumors with the same qualifications with which they were taken , they would only serve to weaken a little this acidity , without being able to carry it off , and so they would only give a little ease , without removing radically the ferment of the distemper , as mercury is able to do . it may be further asked why sublimate does not fill the substance of the brain with vlcers , as well as it does the mouth . i answer that this sublimate being in the brain , finds it self so clog'd with a mucilaginous moisture , that it is fain to lose there some part of its acidity ; so that it can do nothing else but cause a fermentation , which makes the phlegm purge away through the salivating vessels , and this it is that causes the spittle of those who have a flux , to be so sharp and stinking . this sharp phlegm may also , as it passes in the mouth , encrease the number of vlcers , for the mouth is as it were the sink of the whole body upon this occasion . sublimate corrosive . sublimate corrosive is a mercury impregnated with acids , and raised by fire to the top of the vessel . put a pound of mercury revived from cinnabar into a matrass , pour upon it eighteen ounces of spirit of niter : set your matrass in sand a little warm , and leave it there till it be all dissolved ; pour your dissolution , which will be clear as water , into a glass vessel or earthen pan , and evaporate the liquor gently in sand , until there remains a white mass , which you must powder in a glass mortar , and mix with a pound of vitriol calcined white , and so much salt decrepitated : put this mixture into a matrass , whose two thirds at least remain empty ; place your matrass in sand , and begin with giving a small fire , which you must continue so for three hours , then encrease it with coals to a pretty good strength , there will arise a sublimate to the top of the matrass ; the operation must be ended in six or seven hours , let the matrass cool , then break it , avoiding a kind of farine or light powder that flies into the air when the matter is stirred ; you 'l have a pound of very good sublimate corrosive , keep it for use . the red scories that are found at the bottom , must be flung away as useless . this sublimate is a powerful escharotick , it eats proud flesh , and cleanses old ulcers very well . if half a drachm of it be dissolved in a pound of lime-water , it turns yellow , and makes that which is called phagedenick water . remarks . there needs not half the spirit of niter for dissolving a pound of mercury , as there does for the same weight of bismuth , although the pores of this last be much the larger , and the parts more disposed for separation ; the reason of which is , that the mercury being volatile , and very disunited in its parts , it will divide almost of it self , and is held up more easily by acid spirits , than another body can be whose parts are more united , and whose tendency is downwards , such as bismuth is . when the dissolution of mercury is a making , there appears a great ebullition in the matrass accompanied with red vapours ; also the heat is so very strong , that a man cannot endure his hand upon it : all this great stir proceeds from the acids , which meet with resistance in their penetration of this body ; for jostling one against another , they heat the liquor , and cause some part of the spirit of niter to evaporate away in red clouds , as it uses always to do when it rarifies . when the mercury is all dissolved , the dissolution clears up and cools , because the edges of the spirits are all sheathed in the mercury , whence their motion comes to be interrupted and cease ; and this is a thing so true , that if you should by way of curiosity distil this dissolution , you would draw off only a weak acid , for the greatest part of the edges do remain involved with the mercury in a white mass . that which proves this remark is this , that the white mass which is drawn from the solution of sixteen ounces of quicksilver in eighten ounces of spirit of niter does weigh at least two and twenty ounces , that is to say , six ounces more than the weight of the quicksilver . now this augmentation cannot proceed from any thing else but the acid spirits . this mass is exceeding corrosive , by means of the same acid spirits , which become very active whereever they are met with . if instead of spirit of niter we should use aqua , fortis to dissolve the mercury , the solution would become clear like the other , but there would be this difference between them , that when we have evaporated about a fourth part of the liquor in a glass-body in sand , the remainder would be as red as claret wine , and if we should let the liquor cool , there would appear in it white crystals in form of long needles , and the liquor would still retain its red colour . i conceive that the solution acquires this colour from the sulphurs which remain in the aqua fortis , for the sulphureous parts being in great motion may often turn and whirl about the insensible parts of mercury round their center . now it is easie to remark by abundance of experiments , that the red colour is a consequence of the great attenuation , or disposition to circulary motion , which the matter has received . but the solution which is made with spirit of niter does not become red , because there is no sulphur in this spirit , or else there is not enough to do it . you might perform this operation by only mixing crude mercury with salt and vitriol , without taking the pains to dissolve it with spirit of niter , but you would be an intolerable while incorporating them together , so as to make the quicksilver imperceptible . moreover there rises up a dust to the nose that is very unwholsom : that which we aim at therefore by dissolving it , and reducing it into a white mass , is only to prepare it for an easier mixture . in the sublimation i have described , the mercury loads it self with as many acid spirits as it is able to contain ; these spirits are a kind of load to it , and restrain its great volatility , so that it doth not evaporate quite away , as it would do if there were nothing to withhold it , but it only sublimes to the upper part of the vessel in fair white crystals that are called sublimate corrosive ; the mass that remains at the bottom of the matrass is nothing but a mixture of the terrestrious parts of salt and vitriol ; it weighs eight and twenty ounces . some will needs blame this preparation of sublimate corrosive , by saying , that when it is used to the making mercurius dulcis , the spirit of niter ought to be suspected by reason of its acrimony , and particularly its saline sulphureous parts . but by performing this operation , the way that i have described , there will be no need of retaining any scruple upon this account , because the sublimate can't be made , without an evaporation of many red vapours through the entrance of the matrass , for three hours time at the least , and these vapours can be nothing else but the spirits of niter , for so small a fire is not able to separate and raise so high the spirits of salt and vitriol . thus there is no need of fearing these saline sulphureous spirits , with which spirit of niter is thought to be well stored , because they being of a volatile nature must necessarily come before the others . but supposing that spirit of niter did still remain in the sublimate corrosive of which we make our mercurius dulcis , i see no reason why we should apprehend more hurt from their acrimony than from the other corrosive spirits , because few men scruple to give this spirit itself inwardly , in potions for the colick and other diseases , and they give divers preparations made with this dissolvent , such as white precipitate , and many precipitates of gold and silver , without any visible harm . but that which is most remarkable , is , that even those who cry out upon this preparation for being made with spirit of niter , do nevertheless themselves recommend and use much a mercurius dulcis , which they make by subliming white precipitate , that is prepared with spirit of niter . the corrosion of sublimate does proceed from the edged acids which do fix in the body of mercury , and it may be said with great probability , that this metal always retaining a round figure , ( let it be divided never so subtily ) does rarifie by the heat of fire into an abundance of little balls which the acid spirits do fix into on all sides , and so interlace themselves in it , that they hinder its rising higher , and do together make one body that is called sublimate . but when this sublimate is applied to flesh , the heat and moisture of it do set in motion the mercurial parts , and the motion of the little balls being once raised , they rowl about with great fury , and tear the flesh with the edges they contain , which are like so many little knives cutting whereever they touch ; from whence it comes to pass , that if the sublimate should be taken inwardly , it kills in a very little time ; the humidity which does always accompany and soften our flesh , gives it a greater hold than otherwise it would have , which is the reason why sublimate does act with that celerity it does upon a soft moist part rather than a dry : nay it is often wetted with a little water , to make it work the more quickly . by this remark may be explicated , why the lapis infernalis , which is a silver filled with the edges of spirit of niter , has not so violent an effect as sublimate corrosive ; because the parts of silver have no such aptitude to rowl to and fro , and to rise , as those of mercury have ; for which reason it is likewise , that it does not make so great an eschar as the sublimate , although it does contain at least as much spirit of niter , as the other . and thus a reason may be given , why even six grains of crystals of silver may be given by mouth without any danger , whenas not two grains of sublimate can be given without a manifest danger , because the crystals of the moon have not that circulary motion in their parts , as sublimate has , all their tendency is only downwards , and all that they can do is to purge by their acidity . when sublimate corrosive is dissolved in lime-water , the water presently turns yellow , as is seen in the phagedenick water , and it loses so much of its corrosive quality , that it may be given inwardly after that , without fear of poisoning ; and the reason of this is , that the greatest part of the acid points strike off from the sublimate to enter into the alkali of lime which is a more porous body ; so that the mercury losing some of its most keen acids , becomes the less corrosive . it will not be amiss to acquaint you here , that you 'l often meet in the shops of druggists with a sublimate corrosive made of arsenick . now to know the truth of it , you must only rub it with a little salt of tartar , and if it turns black , there is arsenick infallibly in it ; on the contrary if it turns yellow , it is good . those who have thought fit to criticize upon what i have said about the effects of mercury , would methinks have spoken more to the purpose than they have done , if they had objected to me one difficulty that i have made my self since the first edition of my book , and which has seemed to me to be the greatest that can be made on this subject . it is this : if the mercury that is given in order to raise a flux , does joyn with the acid salt of our humors , and so does make a sublimate corrosive , after the same manner as it does in the matrass , when it is mixt with salt and vitriol ; this sublimate of the body cannot be well made , so long as there is any watry humor in the part , wherein the mercury is mixt with the acids ; just as none of it can be made in a matrass , until all the phlegm that 's in it , is evaporated away . now it is not to be conceived , that there should ever happen such a desiccation of humours to the body , for it would be corroded by the mercury so loaded with acids , before it could sublime . to answer this objection i say , that although i have made a comparison between the sublimation of mercury that 's made in the body , and that which is done in a matrass ; nevertheless there is this difference between them , that the first is not only made with salts extremely volatile , but is likewise assisted or carried on by the motion of the humours with all their humidity up to the head , whereas this other is made with fixt salts , whose acidity is so strongly rooted in the earthy part , that it cannot be separated from it , without a very considerable fire . nor must we think that the mercury in the body is loaded with as many and as strong acids , as that in the matrass ; for if it were so , it would carry destruction , and cause a gangrene , wheresoever it came ; but it is enough , that its pores are in part impregnated with them , sufficient to diminish a little of its volatility , and cause those prickings and pains which do happen during the salivation . if you dissolve sublimate corrosive in water , then filtrate , and separate the filtred liquor into two viols , and cast into one of them some drops of the oil of tartar made per deliquium , you 'l presently have a red precipitate , that you may dry and use . then if you drop into the other viol the volatile spirit of sal armoniack , you 'l have a fine white precipitate , of the same virtues with that i shall describe anon . because sublimate corrosive is so great a poison , i have thought it not amiss to speak here of the counterpoisons that may be given to such persons who by misfortune have taken it . but lest some may imagine that one and the same antidote can serve for all sorts of poisons , as the mountebanks , and sellers of orvietan do pretend , and indeavour to perswade ; i shall say something of poisons , and their differences . whatsoever is able to break and destroy the oeconomy of the body , and the orderly connexion or derivation of humours , or else to hinder the natural course of the spirits , is really a poison . it may be taken , or received two ways ; the one outward , as when the pestilence and many other malignant diseases ( which do proceed from an infected air ) do seize upon a man ; or when one is bit or stung by venemous beasts . the other inward , as when a man takes arsenick , sublimate , hemlock , woolfsbane , &c. the same poison does not kill all sorts of animals ; as for example , the nux vomica is a poison to dogs , and yet does many other beasts no hurt at all . the smoke of tabaco does kill vipers in a very little time , although there is hardly a creature that has more life than the viper , and that this smoke will only give a little purging to other creatures . the water in which quicksilver has been infused will kill worms , and yet does good to other animals . arsenick soon kills a man , and many other creatures ; and it will only purge a wolf , and render him more lively than he was before . all these different effects can only proceed from a diversity of natures , and a difference of humors ; for that which is able to tear and destroy one sort , will cause only a light fermentation in others . we must consider two sorts of effects in poisons ; the one does coagulate the bloud by degrees , as that of the viper , the tarantula , hemlock , wolfs-bane , &c. and whereas these do hinder the motion of the spirits by this coagulation , the animal falls into convulsions , and dies soon after : much after the same manner as it happens when some acid liquor is syringed into a vein , or artery . the others , such as sublimate , and arsenick , do tear and excoriate the viscera by their pungent salts , until they come to gangrene , and then they dye . the medicines which are very properly given to obviate the accidents caused by the first poisons i now mentioned , are volatile salts , treacle , mithridate , orvietan , and an infinite number of other remedies of this kind . vipers flesh , and the flesh of scorpions do cure the poison themselves do give , as i shall shew hereafter , when i come to speak of the viper . and hereupon the reader will not take it amiss , if i give him a short story that is very pertinent to this subject . one day i put two living scorpions into a glass-bottle , and then added a little mouse to their company . which mouse runing over the scorpions provoked them to bite her till she cried out . half a quarter of an hour after , i saw her dye of convulsions . some hours after this , i threw in another mouse ( a little bigger and more active than the first ) to the same scorpions . she leapt upon the scorpions as the other had done before , and was bit by them in like manner , she cried aloud , and was so provoked to revenge her self , that she eat up both the scorpions , leaving only the head and the tail . i would needs observe the end of this tragedy ; i left the mouse in the bottle , four and twenty hours , and during all that time she had not the least appearance of being hurt , and was only concerned at the being imprisoned . i intended to have dissected her , in order to see whether there were no change in the parts , or in the blood : but a stander by hapning to take up the bottle too carelesly let it fall , and broke it , so the mouse escaped . now the volatile salts which were in the scorpions flesh , might be said by their active power to hinder the coagulation of the blood , which would soon have ●een in the veins of the mouse , after she was bit ; but let every body explicate this experiment according to his own principles , i shall resume the thread of my discourse . the remedies which ought to be given to obviate the effects of arsenick , sublimate , and other corrosive poisons are of a contrary nature to those i now mentioned ; for instead of agitating the mass of blood , and adding new heat to all the body , as those do , these must calm and quiet the violent agitation of humors , and sweeten the acrimony of its salts . therefore you must , so soon as you can , make the patient take a porringer of old oil of olives , in order to make him vomit ; fresh butter , fat , and all unctuous things will very properly be given , because they do not only purge away the poison both upwards and downwards , but likewise ( which is a thing very considerable ) they consisting of unctuous slimy parts do blunt and dull the edge of those salts which remain of them in the body . you must afterwards make him drink warm milk , and continue the use of it several days , after which you must purge him . the effect of sublimate corrosive is much quicker than that of arsenick , because its acids being presently set to work by the heat of the body , and by the volatility of mercury , do tear and cut in pieces all that is in their way . wherefore if remedies be not immediately given , after the poison is taken , the person is in a most deplorably dangerous condition . what has been here said does shew , that it is exceeding necessary for a man to understand the nature of the poisons which are taken , before he presume to give a counter-poison , or antidote , and that a box of orvietan must not be esteemed a sure antidote in all cases . and hence it is plain , that if the quacks and mountebanks , who shew upon stages , should offer to take sublimate , or arsenick by mouth , in order to try the virtue of their remedies , as they pretend to do , all the mithridate they have would never be able to save them . and supposing they did not understand their legerdemain tricks well enough , but should be constrained to swallow such poisons as these , you must not think them such fools as to keep to the remedy they recommend , which would be sure to do nothing else but increase their misery by its acrimonious heat . they would have recourse to the oil , and other fat substances , to avoid death , which otherwise would certainly follow . sweet sublimate , or mercurius dulcis . sweet sublimate , is a mercury reduced to a white mass by some broken edges of acids . powder sixteen ounces of sublimate corrosive in a marble or glass mortar ; mix with it by little and little twelve ounces of mercury revived from cinnabar : stir this mixture with a wooden pestle , until all the quicksilver becomes imperceptible ; then put this gray powder into several viols , or into a matrass whose two thirds do remain empty ; place your vessel in sand , and give but a little fire at first , then augment it unto the third degree : continue it in this condition until your sublimate is made , which usually happens in four or five hours . break your viols , and fling away a little light earth that 's found at bottom : separate also that which sticks to the neck of the viols , or the matrass , and keep it for unguents against the itch , but gather up carefully all that is in the middle , which is very white ; and having powdered it , resublime it in viols or a matrass as before ; separate once more the matter in the middle , and resublime it in other viols , as before , this third time ; lastly , separate the terrestrious matter at the bottom , and the fuliginous that lies in the neck of the viols , and keep the sublimate that is in the middle , for it is sufficiently dulcified . it s use is for all sorts of venereal diseases , it opens obstructions , and kills the worms , the dose is from six unto thirty grains in pills ; it purges gently by stool . remarks . you must observe never to powder sublimate corrosive in a mortar made of metal , because it would corrode it , and carry off some part , which would spoil the operation ; glass , marble and stone mortars are more convenient , because they can communicate no ill impression to the matter . many have written that we should use equal parts of sublimate and mercury , but they did not consider that so great a quantity of mercury could not be here used , and that when the sublimate hath received near about the quantity i have appointed , the rest will remain unmixed . when a matrass is used for this operation , half its neck must be cut off before-hand ; for when it is performed in common matrasses , a great part of the fuliginous matter not being able to rise high enough falls down again on the sublimate , and hinders it from becoming sweet , because this fuliginosity contains the more acrimonious part , whereas it will easily fly out of viols , or matrasses with a short neck . two thirds of each vessel must remain empty , otherwise the mercury , which rarefies like a spirit , would be apt to break them . that which sticks to the neck of the viols being too acrimonious to be used inwardly may serve for ointments against the itch and tettars . sweet sublimate rises more easily than the corrosive , because it is less loaded with acids . the sublimate that is made in a matrass , loses half an ounce each sublimation ; so that an ounce and a half is lost in three times , when the operation is done . six drachms of scories and light earth are found at bottom , and consequently there is but two drachms of matter carried off each sublimation . but if you try this operation in viols , the sublimate loses half an ounce more , as having a larger aperture to fly out at , than in a matrass , or long neck . it seems a little strange at first that so strong a poyson as sublimate corrosive should be reduced into so mild a remedy , by the addition of nothing but mercury . but you ought to wonder no longer , when you consider that those spirits which caused . the corrosion were then shut up in a strait room , but being now divided and enlarging their quarters , cannot in reason act with such force ; besides that by the repeated action of fire the subtler part of their points is blunted against the body of mercury . the purgative quality of sweet sublimate does consist in the acids that remain ; wherefore if you should sublime it twice or thrice more , the sublimate would not be at all purgative , but only sudorifick . and it is then more proper to raise a flux with than it was before ; for having lost those salts which by irritating the stomach and guts did render it purgative , it is the more disposed for rarefaction in the body , and so to joyn with the ferment of venereal tumors . mercury prepared any way whatsoever ought to be taken inwardly no other way than in pills , but by no means in potion , for fear it should stick in the gums , and so spoil and loosen the teeth . white precipitate . white precipitate is a mercury dissolved by spirit of niter , and precipitated by salt , into a white powder . dissolve in a glass-cucurbite sixteen ounces of mercury revived from cinnabar with eighteen or twenty ounces of spirit of niter : when the dissolution is made , pour upon it salt-water filtrated , made of ten ounces of sea-salt in two quarts of water ; add unto this about half an ounce of the volatile spirit of sal armoniack , there will precipitate a very white powder , that you must leave for a sufficient time to settle ; then having poured off the water by inclination , wash it several times with fountain water , and dry it in the shade . it is used to raise a flux with , the dose is from four to fifteen grains in pills . it is also used in pomatums for tettars and the itch , from half a drachm to two drachms , for an ounce of pomatum . remarks . although i do recommend eighteen or twenty ounces of spirit of niter for the solution of sixteen ounces of mercury , yet you must know that it is not very necessary to keep too strictly to this same quantity . you may use either a little more , or a little less , according to the strength of the spirit , or according as it is more or less dephlegmated . i my self do commonly use but an equal weight of it with the quick-silver , because the spirit of niter i do use is exactly dephlegmated . you might likewise use aqua fortis instead of spirit of niter . the dose of white precipitate must be less than that of sweet sublimate , because it retains more acid spirits ; but if you would sublime this precipitate alone in a matrass , in a gradual fire , you 'd obtain a sublimate as sweet as the other ; because the fire having acted upon it , breaks most of its points , and then it may be given in as great a dose as ordinary mercurius dulcis . if you desire to make this precipitate exceeding white , you must dissolve the mercury in a vessel whose mouth is very large , that so the red vapour of the spirit of niter may sly out the more easily . when the dissolution is made without the help of fire , the precipitate is the whiter . the precipitation of mercury may be made with the spirit of salt , as well as the salt in substance . this is not so easily made , as that of bismuth , because the pores of mercury being smaller than those of bismuth , do retain with more force the acids which are fixt into it . moreover quick-silver being of a volatile nature does remain suspended in the liquor more easily than bismuth , which is a body altogether fixt . it may well seem strange that an acid salt , such as sea-salt , should be able to precipitate that which the acidity of spirit of niter had dissolved . to resolve this difficulty , you must know that , though our senses tell us that acids do all perform the same effect , which is to prick and to pierce , yet nevertheless they all do differ in the figure of their points ; for according as they have received more or less fermentation , they have also consequently their points more subtile , sharp , and light ; and this is attested not only by taste , but the sight also ; for if you should crystallize the same body , by dissolving several parts of it in several vessels by spirit of salt , spirit of niter , spirit of vitriol , spirit of alom , and by vinegar , you 'l observe so many kinds of crystals different in figure , as there were different dissolutions . the crystals made by vinegar will be more sharp than those prepared by spirit of niter ; those made by spirit of niter will be sharper than those by the spirit of vitriol ; those made by spirit of vitriol will be sharper than those by the spirit of alom ; but of all these crystals none will be found to have grosser parts than those prepared by the spirit of salt ; for these crystals do all retain the figure of their constituent parts . this now being supposed , it will be an easie matter to explicate our precipitation , for the salt or its spirit containing points more gross or less delicate than those of spirit of niter , and falling on this dissolution , do move , jostle , and easily break the points impregnated with the body of mercury , and so do make them let go their hold , whence it comes that mercury precipitates by its own weight . the same principle may serve to explicate , why lead dissolved in vinegar precipitates by means of the spirit of vitriol , or salt. you must observe not to make the water too salt , for then the great quantity of salt would hinder the mercury from precipitating . the volatile spirit of sal armoniack containing an alkali salt , does much help the precipitation , for its agility carries it into every recess of the liquor , where the sea-salt , whose parts are not of so active a nature , was not able to go : which is proved from hence , that if you use only sea-salt dissolved in water to make this precipitation with , it will then happen that if after pouring off the clear liquor , which swims upon the precipitate , into another vessel , you drop the spirit of sal armoniack into the liquor , there falls a considerable quantity of mercurial precipitate , which may serve like the other . if instead of the volatile spirit of sal armoniack you 'd use the oil of tartar made per deliquium , the pricipitate would then be reddish . two objections have been made against my manner of explicating the precipitation , of such matters as spirit of niter had dissolved , made by sea-salt . first they say , it is not proper to make the jostles and encounter of salt-water with spirit of niter loaded with bodies which it had dissolved , to be the cause of its precipitation ; whenas the most violent jogs that can be given to the solution , either from an arm , or with matters much more heavy and solid than sea-salt , are not able to cause the precipitation . this objection will raise no difficulty to any that are a little skill'd in natural philosophy : for although i have said , that by reason the edges of sea-salt are grosser than those of spirit of niter , the sea-salt does precipitate what spirit of niter had dissolved and suspended ; i never meant that if these edges were as big as a mans arm , they would do it the better . it is sufficiently known that there must be a proportionable subtilty of parts between the dissolvent and that which does precipitate , and that the edges of an acid must be otherwise treated than with a cuff of the fist , in order to make them let go their hold . but i intended to make it appear that if sea-salt does jog and shake the edges of spirit of niter , it does it by dividing into very minute parts , and thereby entring into the pores of the phlegm , which in would not be able to do if these parts were as big as a mans arm , or were like the solid heavy matters now spoken of . secondly , if the grossness of the edges of sea-salt , or the shock they give , did make the precipitation of substances dissolved by spirit of niter , we should expect afterwards to find the first , with its gross edges separated from those of spirit of niter ; whereas upon evaporating and crystallizing the liquor , their edges are indeed reciprocally confounded the one with the other , making together a new body . i answer , that the shock and jostle which the edges of sea-salt do give to spirit of niter , when loaded with some bodies , does not hinder the edges of spirit of niter remaining after the precipitation , from uniting with the sea-salt , by which union the crystals do become confused . i shall here add one preparation more , that is very proper to raise a salivation with . take an ounce of the solution of mercury made in spirit of niter , put it into a glass-vessel , and pour upon it three or four and twenty ounces of water , all the liquor will turn white , let it settle until it becomes clear , filtrate the liquor , and keep it for use . this water may be given from half an ounce to an ounce , in a glass of ptisan , or broth . it vomits gently , and provokes a salivation ; some do drink half an ounce of it to cure the itch , but they ought to be purged and bled before-hand . red precipitate . this preparation is a mercury impregnated with spirit of niter , and calcined by fire . take eight ounces of mercury revived from cinnabar , dissolve it in a sufficient quantity of spirit of niter , which is eight or nine ounces ; pour the dissolution into a viol , or matrass with a short neck , set it in sand , and evaporate all the moisture with a gentle heat , until there remains a white mass ; then quicken the fire by little and little to the third degree , and keep it in this condition till all your matter is turned red , then take it off the fire , let the viol cool , and break it to obtain your precipitate , which weighs nine ounces . it is a good escharotick , it eats proud flesh ; it is used for the laying open of chancres , mixt with burnt alom , aegyptiacum , and the common suppurative . some do give it inwardly to four grains for to raise a flux with , but this is dangerous , unless rectified spirit of wine be burnt two or three times upon it . remarks . this preparation is improperly called precipitate , here being no precipitation at all . many authors have thought they could much encrease the redness of this precipitate , by cohobating it , or distilling spirit of niter three times upon the white mass ; but i have found by experience both ways , that these circumstances are of no use . the white mass which remains after evaporation of the humidity is a mixture of mercury with a great many acid spirits , for it weighs three ounces more than the mercury did which was dissolved ; it is extreme corrosive , and fiery , if applied to the flesh , but according as it is calcined in order to make it red , the edges of the spirit of niter which caused the corrosion do strike off , and fly into the air ; whence it comes to pass , that the more we desire to encrease its redness by calcination , the less it weighs , and the less it corrodes . some chirurgeons observing this effect do choose the precipitate that is not so red as usual , when they would make an eschar quickly . if you still continue the fire some hours under the red mass , it will sublime , and still retain its colour ; this sublimate is not so corrosive as the other ; which makes me think that the points of spirit of salt are necessary to make a sublimate very corrosive . the reason why it sublimes , is because the mercury being delivered from a great many acid spirits , which did fix it , has power to rise with those that remain . but because these remaining spirits do moderate a little its volatility , it makes a stop in the middle of the viol. some do put red precipitate into an earthen pot , and pour upon it spirit of wine well rectified , then fire it , and when the spirit is consumed , they add more , and burn it as before ; they repeat the adding spirit of wine , and burning it six times , and then call this preparation arcanum corallinum . the spirit of wine by burning does carry off some edges of the precipitate , and joyns it self to the rest , so that this precipitate is sweetned and rendred fit to be taken inwardly . if by way of curiosity you pour spirit of vitriol upon common red precipitate , such as i have described , a dissolution will soon follow , because spirit of vitriol joyning with the spirit of niter that remained in the precipitate , an aqua fortis must happen from their union , which is able to dissolve imperceptibly the parts of mercury ; but this dissolution will happen without any ebullition , because the mercury has been already rarified by an acid , so that the spirit of vitriol does only dissolve them without making any commotion . the solution is clear like other solutions of mercury , without any appearance of redness , and the same preparations may be made with it , as are used to be by the solution of quicksilver in aqua fortis . if instead of spirit of vitriol you pour spirit of salt upon the red precipitate , it turns presently into a curious white , because the spirit of salt does break the force of the spirit of niter that was in the red precipitate ; and the same thing must happen here as does when spirit of salt is poured upon the solution of quicksilver ; for although red precipitate be a dry body , yet it is nothing else but a mixture of quicksilver , and spirit of niter . i have given the reason why spirit of salt comes to weaken spirit of niter , in my remarks upon white precipitate . as for the sudden change of colour , it is indeed somewhat strange , that a matter which is grown red by calcination , should in a minutes time turn so exceeding white . this effect can be attributed only to the dislocation which the acid spirit of salt does cause in the parts of red precipitate , and to the disposition it puts them anew into , so that their superficies is put into a capacity of reflecting the light in a right line to our eyes , to give the appearance of a white colour ; for if by means of another sort of liquor , or else by fire and some alkali body , the disposition of the parts of your precipitate is again changed , it will obtain some other colour , or else it will return and revive into quicksilver . if you pour the volatile spirit of sal armoniack upon red precipitate , it turns into a grey powder , but if you throw a great deal of water upon it , it becomes a milk , though none of the whitest . the same thing happens , when you drop spirit of sal armoniack into the solution of quicksilver made with spirit of niter ; for soon after the effervescency is over , a grey powder is seen to precipitate , and if you add to it water , it becomes a milk of the same whiteness as the other . common red precipitate then is subject to the same alterations as the solution of mercury , the red colour giving no particular impression to it ; which truly is a good proof that colour is no real thing , but wholly depends upon the modification of parts . turbith mineral , or yellow precipitate . this preparation is a mercury impregnated with the acidity of oil of vitriol . put four ounces of quick-silver revived from cinnabar into a glass retort , and pour upon it sixteen ounces of oil of vitriol ; set your retort in sand , and when the mercury is dissolved put fire underneath , and distil the humidity ; make the fire strong enough toward the end , for to drive out some of the last spirits of all ; afterwards break your retort , and powder in a glass mortar a white mass you find within it , which weighs five ounces and a half ; pour warm water upon it , and the matter will presently change into a yellow powder , which you must dulcifie by a great many repeated lotions , then dry it in the shade , you 'l have three ounces and two drachms of it . it purges strongly , both by vomit and stool , it is given in venereal maladies , the dose is from two grains unto six in pills . remarks . though that which is improperly called oil of vitriol , be the strongest and most caustick acid of this mineral salt , it is nevertheless much weaker than spirit of niter , and so requires a greater quantity of it , and longer time to dissolve the mercury in , for there 's much a-do to dispatch the solution in ten hours . that which is distilled is exceeding weak , because the mercury retains the greatest part of the acid spirits , and they are the things that purge so strongly although many of them be carried off by the lotions . all these preparations are nothing but so many different shapes of mercury made by acid spirits which according to their different adhesions , do cause such different effects . all these precipitates and sublimates may be revived again into flowing mercury , by mixing them with lime , and distilling them , as i have said i● the reviving of cinnabar into quick-silver , because the alkali of lime destroys those acids tha● disguised the quick-silver . oil or liquor of mercury . this preparation is an acid liquor loaded with mercury . put the lotions of the white mass , that turbi●● mineral was made of , into an earthen pan , o● glass vessel , evaporate in sand all the liquor , until there remains at bottom a matter in form o● salt , which weighs two ounces and a drachm , pu● the pan in a cellar , or other cool place , and then leave it until this matter be almost all dissolve● into liquor . it is used for the laying open venereal shancres , and eating the flesh , pledgets being dipt into it . remarks . this liquor is nothing but mercury so penetrated and divided by the acid spirits of vitriol , that it can dissolve like a salt : now for that it contains these corrosive spirits , it eats and corrodes where-ever it touches , like unto a sublimate corrosive . this liquor may be made with spirit of niter , and then it will be more violent in its operation , but because it would then pierce too much , and cause dangerous accidents , i would rather choose to prepare it with oil of vitriol . if you drop a few drops of the oil of tartar made per deliquium into this liquor , there will fall immediately a mercurial precipitate , because the alkali of tartar will break the edges that held up the mercury dissolved . another oil of mercury . this preparation is a sublimate corrosive dissolved in spirit of wine . powder well an ounce of sublimate corrosive , and put it into a bolthead , pour upon it four ounces of spirit of wine well rectified upon salt of tartar , stop well your bolthead , and let it infuse cold , six or seven hours , the sublimate will dissolve ; but if any sediment remains at bottom , decant the liquor from it , and pouring upon the sediment a little more spirit of wine , infuse it as before , to finish the solution , mix your solutions , and keep them in a viol well stopt . this is an oil of mercury milder than the former , it is good in venereal shancres , especially when there is any fear of a gangrene , you may use it with pledgets like the former . remarks . spirit of wine well rectified can dissolve sublimate corrosive , but it is not able to dissolve quick-silver , nor even mercurius dulcis ; the reason of which is , that the sublimate being a mercury extremely rarified , and already as it were suspended by acids , the spirit of wine insinuates into it by little and little , and dissolves its parts ; but quick-silver and mercurius dulcis , consisting of parts too close and compact , the spirit of wine which is a rarified sulphur , cannot give shakes strong enough to disjoyn or separate them . this liquor is milder than the former , because spirit of wine , which is a sulphur , does so blunt the acid edges of sublimate corrosive , that they cannot act with that strength they did when they were at liberty . other precipitates of mercury . these preparations are only sublimate corrosive dissolved and precipitated into powders of different colours . mix or ounces of sublimate corrosive powdered , in a glass or marble mortar with or ounces of warm water , stir them about for half an hour , then let the liquor settle , and pour it off by inclination , filter it , and divide it into three parts to be put into so many viols . pour into one of these viols some drops of the oil of tartar made per deliquium , there falls immediately a red precipitate . drop into another of these viols some volatile spirit of sal armoniack , and you have a white precipitate . pour into the last of these viols about a spoonful of lime-water , you have a yellow water that is called phagaedenick-water , or a water for ulcers , because it is good to cleanse and heal ulcers , the chirurgeons do frequently use it , especially in hospitals ; if you let the liquor settle , it will let fall a yellow precipitate . to obtain these three precipitates , you have only to pour off the clear water by inclination , wash them , and dry them apart . red precipitate may be used like that i described before , but it is not so strong ; it is the truest red precipitate of any . the white precipitate has the same virtues as the other . yellow precipitate may be used in pomatums for the itch , half a drachm or a drachm of it is to be mixed with an ounce of pomatum . the sublimate which remains at the bottom of the mortar , being dried may be used in pomatums for the itch , like yellow precipitate . remarks . sublimate being a mercury loaded with acids , common water is able to dissolve some of it , because these acids do rarefie it , and make a kind of salt of it ; but because there are not acids enough in it to dissolve all the mercury , the most compact part of it remains at bottom , the liquor is filtrated to clear and purifie it the more , it is as clear and transparent as fountain water . if by way of curiosity , you should drop into the viol of red precipitate , that i now described , some spirit of sal armoniack , and would shake the liquor a little , it would presently turn white , and your precipitate would be white ; but if instead of spirit of sal armoniack you would use spirit of vitriol , an ebullition would rise in it , and the red liquor would become clear and transparent as common water . because the oil of tartar is an alkali salt dissolved , it breaks the edges of the acid which held up the mercury imperceptible , and serv'd as finns to make it swim in the water , so that this mercury having nothing left to bear it up , must needs precipitate by its own weight . the same thing happens when spirit of sal armoniack is thrown upon the other part of the solution of sublimate corrosive . for this spirit being in like manner an alkali , produces the same effect as the oil of tartar. but although alkali's do all agree in this , that they break and destroy acids , nevertheless there is always some difference in their action . and this evidently appears in those differently coloured precipitates , for this diversity can be attributed only to this , that they having in several manners wrought upon acids , do dispose and modifie the parts of the precipitated body , so as they may be capable of making different refractions of light. these precipitates are no longer poisons , though they come from sublimate corrosive , and there 's the same reason for it , as there is for the precipitations ; for seeing that which gave the corrosion was an acid , when this acid is destroyed by such powerful alkali's as are spirit of sal armoniack , and oil of tartar , that which remains must become sweet . when spirit of vitriol is thrown upon the liquor of red precipitate , there rises an ebullition , because the acid does penetrate the alkali salt of the oil of tartar , and this alkali being destroyed , the acid dissolves what was precipitated before , whence it comes that the liquor clears up , and turns into poison as it was before . if you would again pour oil of tartar , then spirit of sal armoniack upon it , there would happen new red and white precipitates , which might again be dissolved , and the liquor made clear again , by adding to it more spirit of vitriol , but only a greater quantity of this spirit must be used than was before . chap. ix . of antimony . antimony is a mineral consisting of a sulphur like unto common sulphur , and of a substance near approaching to metallick : it is called stibium in latin. it is found in many places in transylvania , hungaria , france , germany . sometimes you may meet with some of the mineral antimony at the druggists , that is to say , just as it is taken out of the mines , but that which is commonly brought among us hath been melted , and moulded into cakes of a pyramidal form . you must chuse that which is in long shining needles , and not expect to find it of a reddish colour , as many authors do advise ; for in a hundred weight of this mineral , you 'l hardly find one piece of this kind . the occasion of this error came from the alchymists , who thought that antimony did contain a sulphur like unto that of gold , and that the reddish sort had more of it than the black ; but this pretended sulphur is as imaginary as that of gold . this reddish colour does doubtless proceed either from the heat of the sun coming to it , or from a participation of the subterranean heat , bestowed more on such pieces , than the rest ; for when the sulphur of antimony is rarefied , it assumes a red colour , as may be seen in the operation , called golden sulphur of antimony . antimony will not dissolve , but with aqua regalis , which has made a great many alchymists think , that this mineral was an imperfect gold. although nothing but a metallick substance mixt with sulphur can be perceived in the analyzing of antimony ; nevertheless considering its figure , somewhat like that of salt-peter , and its emetick quality , which can proceed from nothing but a punction made in the stomach , there is reason to think that it contains an acid salt ; but because the edges of this salt are sheathed in a great deal of sulphur , it cannot exert its activity , without opening a way for it , either by salts which divide the sulphur , or by calcination which carries off its grosser part . notwithstanding it is not to be understood that the emetick faculty of antimony does consist in this salt alone ; for if it were alone , it would no more produce this effect than other acid salts do , but it is assisted by the sulphur , which serves for a vehicle to exalt it towards the upper orifice of the stomach . thus antimony may be said to vomit , by reason of the saline sulphur it contains . crude antimony is used in sudorifick decoctions , when we would dissipate a tumor by transpiration ; but great care must be had that no acid may enter into the decoction , for then it would open its body , and render it emetick . it is dangerous also to take it in substance , because it may be apt to meet with an acid in the stomach that would open its body , and thereby cause a great vomiting to follow . the reason that crude antimony causes sweat , is because of some sulphureous particles that separate from the antimony , which not being strong enough to make one vomit , do therefore work by transpiration . common regulus of antimony . this preparation is an antimony rendred more heavy , and more metallick by the separation that is made of its grosser sulphurs . take sixteen ounces of antimony , twelve ounces of crude tartar , and six ounces of salt-peter purified ; powder them and mix them well together , then heat a large crucible red-hot , throw into it a spoonful of your mixture , and cover it with a tile until the detonation is over , continue to throw into the crucible spoonfuls of this mixture one after another , until all of it is spent ; then light a great fire about it , and when the matter hath been some time in fusion , pour it into a mortar , or an iron mould greased with suet and heated , then strike the sides of the said mould or mortar with tongs to make the regulus precipitate to the bottom ; when it is cold , separate it from the dross that remains on the top of it with a hammer , and after you have powdered it , melt it in another crucible , then throw into it a little salt-peter , there will rise some little flame from it , then pour out the matter into the iron mortar well cleansed and greased , let it cool , and you have four ounces and a half of regulus . if you melt it over again , and form it into balls of the bigness of a pill , you have a perpetual pill , that is to say , such as being taken and voided fifty times will purge every time , and yet there 's hardly any sensible diminution . this regulus is melted in a crucible , and then cast into moulds to make cups and gobelets . but it is somewhat hard to do it , by reason of a sharpness in the regulus that hinders its parts from uniting so as to spread well . if you put white-wine into these cups or gobelets , it becomes vomitive , like the vinum emeticum i shall speak of anon . remarks . the name regulus signifies royal , and is given to the most fixt and hardest matters of many minerals and metals . this preparation is made in order to open the antimony , and purifie it from a great deal of gross sulphur that it is impregnated with , and to this end it is calcined with tartar and salt-peter , which do easily flame , and carry off with them good store of this sulphur , the rest remains in the faeces , as i shall shew in the following operation . the mixture is cast into the crucible by little and little , for fear least if it should be put in all at a time , the detonation growing too violent , and the matter rarefying too much , it might rise over the crucible . you must not grease the iron mortar with oil , by reason of a little humidity that it contains , which would make the matter rise and tumble out . it is greased , to the end that the matter not sticking to the mortar may separate from it the more easily . the regulus is melted again , and salt-peter thrown into it , to the end , that some little superficial sulphur , which remained of the dross , may fly away , and the regulus may remain the purer . fifteen ounces of dross will be found to four ounces and a half of regulus , and there was used four and thirty ounces of mixture in this operation , so that there loses fourteen ounces and a half during the time it is on the fire . although good store of the antimonial sulphurs do exhale , the regulus is notwithstanding still loaded with them , and it is they which chiefly give it its vomitive virtue ; for the vomiting doth proceed from a very quick motion that these sulphurs do give to the stomach , by pricking its fibres with some salts that they carry along with them . if you mix this emetick with an infusion of senna , or some such purgative , it works as much by stool as by vomit , because these remedies do precipitate with them some part of the sulphurs . when a man swallows the perpetual pill , it passes by its own weight , and purges downwards : it is washt and given again as before , and so on perpetually . almost all chymists have written that this pill loses nothing at all of its weight , though taken several times . 't is true indeed the diminution is but very small , yet nevertheless it would not be hard to remark it in some measure . it may be said also that in place of the sulphureous parts which do exhale to cause the vomiting , some extraneous bodies do succeed in their place , as it happens when antimony is calcined in the sun. when this pill hath been taken and voided twenty or thirty times , it purges not so much as it did at first , as well because the more soluble parts of the sulphur are gone , as that what remains doth pass without any great effect . the same doth happen to cups or gobelets , which can't make the wine so emetick as before , after they have been filled twenty or thirty times . some do prescribe the perpetual pill , in the disease called miserere , but this practice is not without danger , because the ball stopping sometime in the intestines , which are knotted or twisted together in this disease , may cause an inflammation , and so exulcerate the part . it is given in the colick , and then it does well . wine draws out the emetick virtue of the regulus much better than water or spirit of wine , or vinegar can do ; the reason of which is , that this virtue does consist in a saline sulphur which water could not penetrate ; spirit of wine indeed does dissolve some of the more sulphureous part of it , but does not take enough of the salt ; the vinegar by its acidity does fix too much what it has dissolved ; but wine contains a sulphureous spirit , and a saline tartar , which do make a most convenient menstruum to dissolve and to preserve the saline and sulphureous part of the prepared antimony . upon considering the different ways of evacuation caused by antimony , and many other medicins , i do find it very probable , that emeticks do work as they do , because their operation being quick is exerted in the stomach , before the medicin had time to descend more downwards , and then this viscus is very sensible when irritated , and undergoes commotions sufficiently violent to make rise what is within it . but if the medicin proves slow in its operation , and descends into the gutts before it raises a purgative fermentation , it then forces downwards , whence it comes to pass that those who do not vomit upon taking emeticks , are commonly purged by stool . thus vomits and purges do differ only in this , that the first do work in the stomach , the others in the gutts . oil , and lukewarm water do vomit , by relaxing the fibres of the stomach , and changing the motion of the spirits which do then act only by shaking , or turning the stomach to a discharge upwards . if by way of curiosity you would calcine four ounces of the regulus of antimony powdered , in an earthen cup unglazed , set in a small fire , stirring it all the while with a spatule , there will rise up a vapour for an hour and a halfs time , or there-abouts , and when the matter fumes no longer , it turns into a grey powder , that weighs two drachms and a half more than the regulus did at first . this augmentation of quantity is the stranger , for that the fume which ascended from it during the calcination , should seem rather to have diminished its weight . it must be therefore granted , that a great many fiery particles have entred into it , in the room of that which fum'd away . this fume proceeds from some grosser sulphur , that remained in the regulus , and indeed it smells strong of the sulphur . golden sulphur of antimony . this preparation is the sulphureous part of antimony dissolved by alkali salts , and precipitated by an acid . take the dross of the regulus of antimony , powder and boil them with common water in an earthen pot half an hour ; strain the liquor , and pour vinegar into the expression , there will precipitate a red powder ; filtrate and separate your precipitate , dry it and keep it , you will obtain twelve ounces , and two drachms of it , it is called the golden sulphur of antimony , and is an emetick : the dose is from two grains unto six in broth or in pills . remarks . you must put about sixteen pints of water to boil with the fifteen ounces of the dross of regulus of antimony , though the liquor does coagulate like a jelly when it is cold , by reason of the salts and sulphurs joyning together ; for the dross of the regulus is nothing but a mixture of the fixt parts of salt-peter , and tartar , that have retained with them some of the more impure sulphur of antimony . now seeing that these salts do become alkali by means of calcination , the acid which is poured upon them , does break or destroy their strength , and makes them quit the sulphur which they held dissolved , from whence the precipitation of the golden sulphur of antimony does proceed . so soon as vinegar is poured on the dissolution of the dross , volatile sulphurs do arise which are very disagreeable to the smell ; the precipitate which is afterwards made , is like to a coagulum or curd , in great quantity . this sulphur does operate much like to the crocus metallorum , of which i shall soon speak . the chymists have called it golden sulphur , by reason of its colour , which is near like unto that of gold ; but it is probable that the antients did understand by the golden sulphur of antimony , some other sulphur than this , because almost all of them have writ , that there was a gross superficial sulphur in antimony , like unto common sulphur , which is this of which our present preparation is made , and another more fixt , and like unto that of gold , which they held to be sudorifick . you must not imagine that our golden vomitive sulphur is altogether pure , it is still loaded with a great deal of earth and salt , which it has still retained in the precipitation , and it is this salt which by rarefying its parts does give it this colour . regulus of antimony with mars . this preparation is a mixture of the more fixed parts of antimony , and some portion of iron . put eight ounces of small nails into a great crucible , cover it , and set it on a grate in a furnace ; surround it above and below with a good fire , and when the nails are red hot , throw into them a pound of antimony in powder ; cover again the crucible , and continue a great fire ; when the antimony shall be in perfect fusion , cast into it by little and little three ounces of salt-peter , a detonation will happen , and the nails will melt ; and when there do rise no more sparkles , pour out your matter into a cornet or iron mortar , that you shall have greas'd with a little suet , and heated before-hand : then strike the sides of the mortar with pincers , to make the regulus fall to the bottom ; when it is cold , separate it from the dross with a hammer : melt it in another crucible , and cast into it two ounces of antimony in powder ; when it is melted , add to it by little and little three ounces of salt-peter , which being burnt , and the matter casting forth no more sparkles , pour it into the iron cornet greased and heated as before , then strike it with pincers , that the regulus may fall down , and when it is cool , separate it from the dross as i have said ; repeat melting the regulus twice more , and each time cast salt-peter into it , but the last especially ; you must observe to melt it well , before you cast the salt-peter into it , that the star may appear . there is no need of adding any more crude antimony to the two last fusions this regulus is used as the other , and hath the same effects . remarks . the iron in the first fusion mixing with the antimony turns almost all of it into dross , because it joyns with the more impure sulphur , so that the reguline part being more weighty falls down to the bottom . salt-peter is used in order to open the antimony , and cause a more perfect fusion , that a separation of the grosser parts may be made the better . moreover it carries off some sulphurs by its volatile parts . the dross then does consist of iron , sulphur , and sixt salt-peter . the fusion is repeated three times over , because some portion of iron doth always precipitate with the regulus ; and a little crude antimony is added to the first of all , to the end the mars , which easily joyns with antimony by reason of a gross sulphur it contains , may leave the regulus and stick to it . the two last fusions do make a gray or white dross , and this is a mark , that the salt-peter can receive no more . after the first purification , ten ounces of regulus , and thirteen ounces of scories do remain ; after the second purification , nine ounces and a half of regulus do remain ; after the third , eight ounces and two drachms of regulus ; and after the fourth you 'l have seven ounces , and six drachms . the star which appears upon the martial regulus of antimony when it is well purified , has given occasion to the chymists to reason upon the matter ; and the greatest part of these men being strongly perswaded of the planetary influences , and a supposed correspondence between each of the planets , and the metal that bears its name , they have not wanted to assert , that this same star proceeded from the impression which certain little bodies flowing from the planet mars do bestow upon antimony for sake of the remaining iron that was mixed with it ; and for this reason , they wonderfully recommend the making this preparation upon tuesday rather than another day , between and a clock in the morning , or else between and in the afternoon , provided the weather be clear and fair , thinking that day which is denominated from mars to be the time that it lets fall its influences most plentiful of any . they have likewise conceited a thousand things of the like nature , which it would be too much trouble to relate here . but all opinions of this kind have no manner of probability , for no bodies experience did ever evince , that the metals have any such correspondence with the planets , as i have maintained otherwhere ; much less can they prove that the influences of the planets do imprint such and such figures to metals , as these men do determine . it would be no hard matter for me here to shew how little reason or foundation there is in discourses of that nature , and how very weak and uncertain are the principles of judicial astrology ; but this would be too long a digression for this place , and serve only to swell this book with things that may be found treated of at large elsewhere , and particularly in the epitome of gassendus made by monsieur bernier . my thoughts therefore shall not soar so high as these mens do ; and though i may seem dull and mean in their eyes , i shall not search in the coelestial bodies for an explication of the star we now contend about ; seeing i can find it out in causes near at hand . there have been who gazing too earnestly upon the stars above , have not perceived the stone at their feet , that caused them to stumble . i say then that the star which appears upon the martial regulus of antimony , does proceed from the antimony it self ; for this mineral runs all into needles ; but because before it is purified , it is loaded with sulphureous and impure parts , which do make it softish , these needles do not appear but confusedly . now when it is purified with mars , not only a great many of the more sulphureous parts of antimony , and such as are fittest to hinder its crystallization , are carried away , but also there remains the hardest and the most compact part of iron , which makes the antimony firmer than it was . so that the purification does serve to lay open the natural crystals of antimony in form of a star , and the iron by its hardness does expatiate these crystals , from whence it comes that the martial regulus of antimony is harder than the other regulus . the crystals then do appear in form of a star in the martial regulus of antimony , because they were so naturally in the antimony before . this star does not appear exactly the same in the common regulus of antimony , let it be purified never so much , because its parts have not the same tension as those of the other . glass of antimony . this preparation is a regulus of antimony become vitrified by a long fusion . calcine in a small fire a pound of antimony in powder , in an earthen pot unglazed , stir the matter continually with an iron spatule , until vapours arise no longer ; but if notwithstanding your stirring , the powder should chance to run into lumps , as it often happens to do , put it into a mortar and powder it ; then calcine it again , as i have said , and when it will fume no more , and is of a gray colour , put it into a good crucible , cover it with a tyle , and set it in a wind-furnace , in which you shall make a very violent coal-fire round about the crucible , to the end the matter may melt . about an hour afterwards uncover the crucible , and putting the end of an iron rod into it , see whether the matter that sticks to it is become diaphanous ; and if it be , pour it upon a marble well warmed , it will congeal , and you 'l have the glass of antimony , which you must let cool , and so keep for use . it is a strong vomitive , and one of the most violent that is made of antimony . the emetick wine is made of it , by setting it to steep in white-wine . it is given also in substance from two grains unto six . an emetick syrup is prepared with the glass of antimony infused in the juice of quinces , or lemons , and sugar . if instead of these acid juices , one should use wine , the syrup would be the more vomitive . the dose of the one and the other syrup , is from two drachms to an ounce and a half , and is given especially to nice persons , and to infants . remarks . the antimony must be calcined within the chimny , and the vapours that fly from it must be avoided as being very injurious to the breast . this calcination is performed to devest it of some gross sulphurs that might hinder its vitrification . some do add to this gray powder borax , others crude antimony , and others sulphur , that it may vitrifie the more easily . the vitrification happens not , until the parts of antimony have been rendred more firm and stiff than they were before , to the end the fiery particles passing and repassing through the matter may form the pores into a strait line , so that they can remain in this condition , when the antimony is grown cold ; and it is the figure of these pores , which causes the transparency , because they suffer the light to pass through them directly . the sulphur and antimony do help it to melt , wherefore some do add them to the matter , though in a small quantity , and their volatile part flies away before the vitrification . the borax does not only help the fusion , but likewise serves to harden the matter when cold , that the pores may the longer be preserved strait ; for , although a great part of the sulphurs of antimony flies away , yet there remains enough still in the very substance of the glass , which yet do not very long continue in their first position , but shutting the pores of the matter do render it opake . this accident does not happen to such glasses as contain no sulphur , because their parts being always preserved stiff and firm , their pores do never become obstructed . glass of antimony receiving more calcination than the other preparations , should consequently be less vomitive , by reason of the dispersion and loss of much sulphur , wherein its vomitive virtue doth consist : nevertheless experience shews us the contrary , for it works with more force , as i have said ; and the reason of it is , because no salt is used in the making of this glass , whereas in the other preparations salt-peter is used , which by its fixt parts hinders the activity of some part of the sulphurs ; thus although there doth remain but a small quantity of sulphur in the glass of antimony , yet as little as there is being in great motion , it causes a greater disposition to vomit . the glass of antimony may be corrected by calcining it in a crucible with a third part of salt-peter , then washing it divers times with hot water , it is to be dried . this powder is not so strong in its operation as the glass of antimony , because the salt-peter has fixed some part of the sulphurs of antimony . it works much like the crocus metallorum , of which i am to treat . liver of antimony , or crocus metallorum . this preparation is an antimony opened by salt-peter , and by fire , which have made it half glass , and which have given it a liver-colour . take a pound of antimony , and so much salt-peter , powder them , and mix them well together , put this mixture into an iron mortar , and cover it with a tyle ; leave an open place nevertheless through which you may convey a coal of fire , and take it out again , the matter will flame , and cause a great detonation , which being over , and the mortar grown cold , strike against the bottom that the matter may fall down ; then separate the dross with a hammer , from the shining part , which is called liver of antimony from its colour . to make the emetick wine you must infuse an ounce of this liver of antimony in powder in a quart of white-wine four and twenty hours , and so let it settle ; the dose of this wine is from half an ounce to three ounces . that which is called crocus metallorum is nothing but the liver of antimony washt several times with warm water , and afterwards dried . it is used as the liver of antimony to make the emetick wine , and it is given likewise in substance to vomit strongly : the dose is from two to eight grains . remarks . this preparation is a more impure glass of antimony than that i described , and consequently it is more opaque ; it works not so violently as the glass . the liver of antimony hath a different strength according to the proportion of niter that enters into it ; when there 's more niter than antimony , it is the less vomitive , not only because great store of the sulphurs of antimony are lost in the strong detonation that it raises , but also because there remains more fixt parts of the salt-peter , which do joyn and unite with the sulphurs that remain in the matter . thus if instead of a pound of salt-peter you should use twenty ounces , as many do , you 'd have a liver of antimony less vomitive than that i described . now on the contrary when less salt-peter than antimony is used , the liver that proceeds from this mixture is not so vomitive as that i now described ; the reason of it is that the sulphurs of antimony have not been sufficiently stirred by the salt-peter in so little a quantity : for antimony becomes not vomitive , but only when it hath been sufficiently opened , either by fire , or some salts . the most convenient proportion then that can be observed to render the liver of antimony as vomitive as may be , is to take equal parts according to my description . the strong detonation that happens when fire is put to the matter , is not caused through the flagration of salt-peter , as almost every body hath thought , through want of sufficient reflexion ; i shall prove in its proper place that it can never take flame , and that its volatile parts do serve for a kind of bellows , or vehicle to rarifie and exalt the sulphurs of antimony . a liver of antimony is prepared with equal quantities of antimony , niter , and sea-salt decrepitated ; and because these salts do give it a red colour like unto the opale , this preparation has been called magnesia opalina ; it is less emetick than the other , by reason of the addition of sea-salt , which fixes the saline sulphur of antimony . several other ways of preparing the liver of antimony have been invented ; but i am contented with having given you the best of all , and the easiest to prepare . if you use ordinary salt-peter in this operation , you 'l obtain eight ounces and two drachms of liver of antimony ; but if you use purified salt-peter , you 'l get but six ounces and a half . this difference of quantity proceeds from the nature of salt-peter , for the more volatile parts this mineral salt contains , the more apt it is to carry off some parts of the antimony . now purified salt-peter is much more volatile than the common sort , wherefore the liver of antimony , where it is used , is in lesser quantity . the liver of antimony that 's made with common salt-peter is the redder , and comes nearer to the colour of an animals liver , than that which is made with purified salt-peter ; this happens through the fixt salt which is in this preparation more than in the other ; for common salt-peter contains much fixt salt , as i shall shew in its proper place ; this salt does likewise make the matter the heavier . as for the virtues of these livers of antimony , the difference is not very great , but only that which is made with purified salt-peter is a little more emetick than the other . i cannot pass by here the false imagination of some men who think that preparation of the liver of antimony , of which half a drachm , or two scruples may be given , is much better than that whereof or grains perform the same effect ; for there is no doubt but the taking so great a quantity of antimony will give an impression to the stomach , that a lesser quantity is not able to do . furthermore , whereas these kind of preparations do commonly open the antimony but little , or but half-fix the saline sulphurs , it is to be feared lest some salt they may meet with in the stomach , should open them too much , or volatilize them , and so cause most unhappy accidents . when the liver of antimony is washed with warm water , some part of the fixt niter that remained in it is separated . many have believed that the more violent part of the emetick was carried off by this lotion : but on the contrary , this fixt part is more capable of mitigating than augmenting its violence for the reasons i have spoke already . you must observe that if you should put four ounces of prepared antimony into a quart of wine , the wine will not be more vomitive than if you should put but an ounce ; because being loaded with as much of the substance of it as it is able to contain , the rest remains at bottom , and cannot be dissolved unless more wine be added . now an ounce of crocus metallorum , or liver of antimony is , according to experience , capable of impregnating not only one quart of wine , but after having poured off the liquor by inclination , if you put as much more wine to the matter that remains , and leave it in digestion two or three days together , you 'l have an infusion as emetick as the first . you may if you please renew the wine that is poured upon it to be infused , nine several times , and it will always prove emetick ; after which , if you calcine your matter a quarter of an hour in an earthen pot unglazed over a small fire , stirring the matter continually with an iron spatule , you may infuse it again as before , and it will render the wine emetick . that emetick wine which is made with the crocus metallorum is most in use ; it is likewise prepared with the regulus and glass , as i have said speaking of them . you might likewise make another sort of it , by infusing warm some days crude antimony in white-wine ; for the tartarous salts of the wine do open the antimony , but it would not prove so vomitive as the other . the emetick wine is given alone , or mixed with purgatives , that convey it partly by stool . when you find an inclination to vomit , you must be provided of broth a little fat , and take some spoonfuls to facilitate the vomiting , and hinder the great efforts which sometimes break vessels , and cause mortal hemorrhagies to follow . you must also consider that those who have their breasts strait , and bodies thin , are much harder to vomit than others . but let us leave those particulars to the wisdom of physicians . antimonium diaphoreticum . this preparation is an antimony , whose sulphurs are fixed by salt-peter , and are thereby hindred from working otherwise than by sweat . powder and mix well together one part of antimony with three parts of purified salt-peter ; and having heated a crucible red-hot in the coals , cast into it a spoonful of your mixture , you 'l hear a noise or detonation ; after that 's over , cast in another spoonful , and continue to do so 'till all your powder is in the crucible . leave a great fire about it two hours , then throw your matter which will be white , into an earthen pan almost filled with fountain-water , and leave it a steeping warm ten or twelve hours , that the fixt salt-peter may dissolve in it ; separate the liquor by inclination , wash the white powder that remains at bottom five or six times with warm water , and dry it . this is called antimonium diaphoreticum , or mineral diaphoretick , or the calx of antimony . this preparation is esteemed good to procure sweat , and to resist poison , and consequently is good in malignant feavers , the small pox , the plague and other contagious diseases . the dose is from six grains to thirty , in some appropriate liquor . all the lotions may be evaporated , and a fixt salt-peter will be found at the bottom of the vessel , which works much like the sal polychrestum . remarks . in this preparation three pounds of salt-peter are used for one pound of antimony , that after sublimation of the volatile parts there may remain store of fixt niter , which unites with the antimony , and hinders it from being vomitive . it is observable , that three parts of niter with one of antimony do not cause so strong a detonation , nor so great a diminution of the parts of antimony , as when there are but equal quantities . and the reason of it is , that there 's too little sulphur of antimony for the quantity of niter , and that some part of the sulphur does remain unactive in the fixt niter , which admits not of flagration , for the volatile part of salt-peter does not burn , but according to the proportion of sulphur with which it is mixed . and this is a proof of my assertion in this matter , that if you throw upon lighted coals , a little of that salt-peter which you shall have drawn from the lotions of antimonium diaphoreticum , it will still cause a flame to arise , by reason of new sulphur which it meets with in the coals , which sulphur does joyn together with the volatile part of salt-peter that remained . i shall speak more at large of the flagration of salt-peter , in the chapter of this salt. you must put the mixture into the crucible spoonful after spoonful , that the calcination may be done the better . when it is ended , the matter is washed , for to separate the salt-peter that is unuseful . but let there be never so many lotions , they can never wash away a certain inveloping or cover that is given to the antimony by the fixt salt-peter ; for each particle of antimony is so closely united , that it cannot any way be separated without recourse to some reductive salt ; and this is it that makes this preparation of antimony to be not at all vomitive . many do say it is sudorifick , but i could never observe any such effect sensibly . nevertheless i would submit to think so , both because many authors have written so , and because the heat of the body may possibly separate some of its sulphurs , which not being strong enough to make one vomit , may only drive by transpiration sensible or insensible , according as the pores are more or less open . others do think antimonium diaphoreticum is meerly an alkali , that is good for nothing but to destroy acids , and on this principle do give it for the same ends as coral , perle , calcined harts-horn , and such like things as do absorb sharp or acid humours , which abounding too much in the body do cause divers diseases ; but without doubt they that follow these principles have not built them on experience ; for pour any kind of acid on antimonium diaphoreticum , it will never dissolve at all , and take away the acid after a very long infusion , it will be as strong as ever ; which proves it to be no alkali , and therefore not to produce the effects that are pretended . the cornachine powder is made of equal parts of antimonium diaphoreticum , diagryde , and cream of tartar. the dose is from to grains . another antimonium diaphoreticum . this preparation is a calcination of antimony , by which it is fixed , and rendred sudorifick , without losing the volatile part which sublimes from it . take a good earthen pot unglazed , able to resist the fire , with a hole in the middle of its height , and a stopple to it ; set it in a furnace of an equal proportion , and fit to it three pots more of the same earth , all three open at the bottom , and fit a glass head to the uppermost pot , with a little viol for a receiver . lute the junctures well , and by the means of some bricks and lute together , let the fire transpire only through some little holes , and be but strong enough to warm the bottom of the lowermost pot ; then give your fire by degrees , to heat this pot by little and little red-hot . in the mean time mix three parts of salt-peter , with one of antimony in powder ; cast a spoonful of it into the red-hot pot through the hole , and stop it again quickly , you 'l perceive a great detonation , and after it is over , cast in another spoonful , and continue to do so until all your matter is spent . then encrease the fire to the utmost for half an hours time , and so let it go out . unlute the vessels as soon as they are coid , you 'l find a little spirit of niter in the receiver ; white flowers in the three upper pots , and a white mass in the lowermost , which may be washed as the other antimonium diaphoreticum , and so dried . this mineral diaphoretick is as good as the former ; you must wash the flowers several times with warm water , and then dry them . they are not so emetick as those i shall describe hereafter ; the dose is from two to six grains . remarks . in this preparation the volatile or sulphureous parts of antimony do stick to the sides of the pots like flower ; if you don't wash them , they will not be so vomitive , because the salt-peter that rises with them , hinders their activity . the acid spirit which is found in the recipient may be used in the colick ; the dose is from four to eight drops in broth , or some appropriate liquor . if you use in this operation five ounces of antimony , and fifteen ounces of salt-peter , you will draw half an ounce of spirit of niter , two drachms of flowers of antimony washt , and dried , and five ounces of very white antimonium diaphoreticum , after that it is well washt and dried ; and if you evaporate and crystallize the lotions , you will find ten ounces of salt , which will be a salt-peter half fixed , and which will flame being thrown upon the coals ; insomuch that there will be lost in the whole of the mixture , four ounces and two drachms . this diminution comes from what loses through the hole of the pot , during the detonation , for stop it as well as you can , there will always vent out a great deal of fume , which will incommode the artist , unless he takes care to turn away his head from the steam . the purified salt-peter loses no more than the other , because the sulphur of antimony can take of the volatile parts of salt-peter but such a proportion as it requires to raise it . so that in fifteen ounces of salt-peter , ( whether it be the purified sort or the common ) there are much more volatile parts than are necessary , in order to joyn with the sulphur of five ounces of antimony . although there do rise a great many parts of antimony with the volatile portion of salt-peter in the detonation , yet we find that the antimonium diaphoreticum which remains , does weigh as much as the antimony which was imployed in the operation ; the reason of which is that in place of the part of antimony that exhales , a great deal of salt-peter does as it were inseparably join with the remainder , and this is that which fixes it , and hinders it from being vomitive , as i have said . again , although antimony is naturally black , it becomes altogether white , when it has been well rarefied ; for all that we see in this operation , is a pure white , as well the volatile as the fixt , which shews very well that colours have no real being . an antimonium diaphoreticum may be prepared , and at the same time likewise a sulphur of antimony , after the following manner . dissolve within the chimney , what quantity you please of crude antimony with three times as much aqua regalis , in a glass body , there will appear a strong ebullition with red vapours , which must be avoided as being very injurious to the breast ; when the dissolution is over , pour upon it a great quantity of water , in order to weaken the aqua regalis , upon which the whole turns into a milk , and then a precipitate in a white powder falls to the bottom of the vessel . you will likewise see a kind of gray scum swim upon the liquor , which you must gather up with a spatule , or with a wooden spoon , and dry it in the shade ; it is a sulphur which fires like common sulphur , and is good for nothing else . you must decant the water from the body , and washing the precipitated powder divers times , and drying it , you will have an antimonium diaphoreticum that may be used as the former ; this preparation indeed is not much in use , but many do prefer it before all the others . when antimony is calcined by the heat of the sun , as through a burning-glass ; instead of losing its weight , as one would think it should by reason of the evaporation of sulphureous parts , it does increase in weight : which shews that some more ponderous bodies have succeeded in the place of those that are gone . flowers of antimony . this preparation is the more volatile part of antimony raised by fire . fit the same pots i spoke of in the last operation , one upon another ; set them in the same furnace , and observe the same circumstances for their situation , and for heating the lowermost . when its bottom is red-hot , cast into it a small spoonful of antimony in powder through the hole , and stir the matter at the bottom of the pot with an iron spatule crooked a little on purpose to do it the better ; draw out your spatule , and stop the hole , the flowers will rise and stick in the upper pots . continue a great fire , that the pot may still remain red-hot , and when you see nothing more sublime , cast in so much more antimony , observing to do what i have said . repeat the casting it in through the hole , till you have flowers enough . then let the fire go out , and when the vessels are cold , unlute them , you 'l find flowers all about the three upper pots , and the head , gather them together with a feather , and keep them in a viol. it is a powerful emetick ; it is given in quartan agues , and other intermittent feavers , and also in the epilepsie ; the dose is from two grains to six in lozenges , or broth. remarks . in this preparation , as in the former , you must leave room enough ; otherwise the flowers of antimony being driven fiercely by the fire , would be apt to break the vessel for want of room to move in . and this is the reason why many pots are here placed one upon another . there 's no need of any receiver , because there is no liquor to fall into it , so that a blind head may serve . at the bottom of the pot which contained the matter , there remains a mass of the more terrestrious part of antimony , that must be flung away as being good for nothing . if the flowers of antimony do happen to be of different colours , it is because the fire was not managed equally strong ; these flowers are more vomitive than the former , because they have no salt-peter in them . red flowers of antimony . these flowers are the more sulphureous part of antimony rarefied and exalted by fire . powder and mix well together four pounds of common glass with one pound of antimony , put this mixture into an earthen , or glass retort luted , whose half is empty ; set it in a reverberatory furnace , and fit to it a large receiver , lute the junctures lightly , and give a little fire at first to warm the retort , then augment it by degrees , and you 'l see red flowers come forth into the receiver : continue the fire until no more can come , which you 'l know as you unlute the junctures ; and taking off the receiver gather your flowers , and keep them for use . they are more vomitive than the former , and are given to the same intents : the dose is from two grains to four in a lozenge , or some appropriate liquor . remarks . that which makes these flowers more vomitive than the former , is the more terrestrious or fixt part of antimony's being kept from rising by the glass , so that what is exalted by the fire is more sulphureous , and consequently more emetick . the red colour of these flowers doth proceed from the abundance of sulphurs they are impregnated with , and it may be said that glass , which is an alkali , acting on this sulphur gives it this colour after the same manner as quick-lime , or the alkali salt of tartar makes common sulphur turn red , when they are boiled together in water . the time that you take these flowers of antimony , you must often drink broth , both to facilitate the vomiting , and dull the great activity of this remedy ; for it is one of the strongest vomits that is in physick . but because it sometimes happens that this powder sticking in the membranes of the stomach , or some of its folds , doth cause a continual vomiting , notwithstanding the frequent use of broths , you must then add the cream of tartar , and dissolve it in the broth , and so take some spoonful every quarter of an hour . this cream of tartar stops the vomiting , because it joyns with the sulphurs of antimony , and fixes them , so that they precipitate by stool . butter , or icy oil of antimony . this preparation is an antimony rendred caustick by acids . powder , and mix six ounces of the regulus of antimony , with a pound of sublimate corrosive ; put this mixture into a glass retort , whose half remains empty ; set your retort in sand , and after having fitted to it a receiver , and luted the conjunctions , you must first make a small fire under it , and there will distil a clear oil ; after that , augment the fire a little , and there will come forth a white thick liquor like butter , which would stop the neck of the retort , and break it , if you did not take care to set live coals near it , that it may melt and run into the receiver . continue the fire , until you see a red vapour come forth . then take away the receiver , and put another in its place filled with water . encrease the fire by degrees , to make the retort red-hot , and the mercury will run into the water , dry it , and keep it for use as other mercury . the butter of antimony is a caustick , it eats proud flesh , and cleanses ulcers ; the powder of algarot is made of it , as i shall shew hereafter . remarks . this butter of antimony is nothing but a mixture of the acid spirits of sublimate corrosive with the regulus of antimony , and those spirits are they that render it caustick . the spirits of salt and vitriol in this operation do leave the mercury to adhere unto the antimony which is more porous ; insomuch that the mercury being divested of that which kept it in a crystalline form , and being driven by a strong fire , rarefies into vapours , which pass through the neck of the retort into the receiver filled with water , wherein it condenses into quick-silver by means of the coolness . i doubt not but some will find difficulty in conceiving how the acids that adhered to the solid body of mercury should strike off to joyn with the antimony ; but it may be said to that , that the acids being so many edges fastned at one end in the body of mercury , may by t'other end be separated and drawn off by the soft and ramous parts of the antimony , that are in greater motion than the mercury . instead of regulus , the liver , or glass of antimony might serve if you please . butter of antimony , together with its cinnabar . the first of these preparations is an antimony opened , and rendred caustick , by the acids of sublimate corrosive ; and the second is a mixture of the mercury that was in the sublimate , and of the sulphurs of antimony sublimed together . fill a retort half full with sublimate corrosive , and antimony powdered and mixed well together . set your retort in sand in a small furnace , and fitting a receiver to it , and luting the junctures , proceed in the distillation the way i shewed in the preceding operation with regulus , observing the same circumstances . when the red vapours begin to appear , take away the receiver , and put another in its place without luting the junctures ; encrease the fire by little and little till you make the retort red-hot : continue it so three or four hours , then let the retort cool , and break it , you 'l find a cinnabar sublimed , and adhering to the neck , separate it and keep it : it is a good remedy for the pox , and the epilepsie , it purges by sweat , the dose is from six to fifteen grains in pills , or bolus , with some proper conserve . this butter of antimony is caustick like the other i now spoke of . it may be rectified by distilling it anew in a glass retort . remarks . in the receiver are found little crystals sticking to its sides , which do curiously represent the branches of trees ; these figures do proceed from the acid spirits of sublimate mixed with antimony . if you have used five ounces of sublimate corrosive , and the same of antimony , you 'l draw two ounces and a half of very good butter of antimony , three ounces and six drachms of cinnabar of antimony , and half an ounce of quick-silver . the mass which remains in the retort , does weigh two ounces and a half . thus the matter has lost six drachms , which loss happened , whilst the cinnabar was rising . the quick-silver is found in the neck of the retort with the cinnabar , and in the last receiver . sometimes a kind of mossey substance is found at the end of the neck of the retort , which does represent many little figures ; it is the more rarefied cinnabar . the mass which is found at bottom of the retort is the more terrestrious part of the antimony , and is to be flung away . in the preceding operation the mercury did not find sulphurs enough to adhere to , whence it hapned that it came forth flowing ; but in this operation wherein crude antimony is used , which hath all its sulphur , whilst the corrosive spirits sticking to the antimony come forth in butter , the mercury joyns with the sulphur , and by the action of fire sublimes afterwards into cinnabar in the neck of the retort ; for to make cinnabar , sulphur and mercury must be sublimed together . now if you have the curiosity to anatomise cinnabar , you must powder it , and mix it with a double quantity of salt of tartar ; then putting it into a retort , distil with a great fire the mercury into a receiver filled with water , the sulphur will remain in the retort with the salt of tartar , but may be separated from it by boiling it in water . filtrate the decoction , and then pour upon it distilled vinegar ; a gray powder will precipitate , which may be washed with water and dried , thus you have the sulphur of antimony , which is much esteemed for diseases of the breast , six or eight grains of it are given for a dose in some liquor appropriate to the disease . if you mix butter of antimony with double its weight of oil or spirit of sulphur prepared according to my description , you will have a liquor that is good for foul bones , and for venereal ulcers and chancres ; it is applied on pledgets , and works much like the oil or liquor of mercury that i have described . the emetick powder of algarot , or , mercurius vitae . it is a precipitate of antimony , or butter of antimony washed . melt in hot sand the first butter of antimony i described with regulus , and pour it into as earthen pan wherein are two or three quarts of warm water , a white powder will precipitate , that must be sweetned with many lotions , and so kept ; it is improperly called mercurius vitae . it purges upwards and downwards ; it is given in quartans and intermitting feavours , and all the maladies wherein it is required to purge strongly ; the dose is from two grains to eight in broth , or some other convenient liquor . if you joyn all the lotions together , and evaporate about two thirds , or until the liquor becomes very acid , you 'l have a philosophick spirit of vitriol , that may be used like common spirit of vitriol in juleps , to give them an agreeable acidity . remarks . i have said before that the butter or icy oil of antimony was nothing but a mixture of the spirits of salt and vitriol with the regulus of antimony . this last operation confirms this opinion , because when this butter is cast into warm water , these spirits render the liquor very acid , letting the regulus of antimony fall down to the bottom , so that the powder of algarot is an antimony transmuted much like the white flowers i spoke of before . the water does separate or take off very well the acid spirits from the butter of antimony , because they cannot have a good hold in the pores of this softish and sulphureous mineral , but it was not able to separate those same acids from the sublimate corrosive , because the pores of mercury being of a closer fabrick than those of antimony , they do retain what they once receive into them , with greater strength . the powder of algarot may be made after the same manner as the butter that may be drawn from crude antimony , or else with the liver , or glass , but that which is made with crude antimony is not so white as the rest . if you do use four ounces of butter of antimony , you will draw an ounce and six drachms of mercurius vitae , after it is well washed and dried , insomuch that four ounces of this butter do contain two ounces and two drachms of acid spirit , in which its corrosion does consist . the acid liquor , called philosophick spirit of vitriol , does grow in a manner insipid in length of time , because its acidity has been volatilized by the mercury , and afterwards by the antimony . bezoar mineral . this preparation is an antimony fixed by spirit of niter , and rendred sudorifick . melt in hot ashes two ounces of the butter of antimony , and pour it into a viol or a bolthead , drop into it good spirit of niter until the matter is perfectly dissolved , commonly so much spirit of niter is requisite as there is butter of antimony ; during the dissolution there will rise up vapours that you must have a care of , and therefore will do well to place the vessel in the chimney . pour your solution into a glass body , or an earthen dish , and evaporate it in a gentle sand-fire until it is dry ; there will remain a white mass , which you must let cool , and then pour upon it two ounces of spirit of niter ; set the vessel again in sand , and evaporate the liquor as before ; once more pour two ounces of spirit of niter on the white mass , and having evaporated the humidity , encrease the fire a little , and calcine the matter for half an hours time , then take it off the fire , and you have a white powder , which you must keep in a viol well stopt . it is sudorifick , and serves for the same uses as antimonium diaphoreticum : the dose is from six to twenty grains , in broth , or some appropriate liquor . remarks . the spirits of vitriol and salt were not strong enough , nor in quantity enough to make an entire dissolution of the antimony , they only made a light adhesion to it , but when they are joyned with spirit of niter , they act with much more force ; for they penetrate and divide every particle , and do render them imperceptible , and uncapable of receiving a more exact dissolution . now in this penetration , as in the solution of mercury , there happens a great effervescency , for which reason i advise to pour the spirit of niter by little and little , for fear the matter should rise above the vessel . this effervescency doth proceed from the resistance , that the edges of the spirits do meet with , when they enter into the pores of the antimony : for so soon as the dissolution is ended , there is no further ebullition . afterwards the humidity is evaporated , and new spirit of niter poured twice more on the fixt mass , as i have said ; after which the butter of antimony that was so great a caustick , and emetick , becomes one of the mildest medicins we have , and near approaching the preparation of antimony that is called diaphoretick . this great change may well make us wonder at it , and it is hard to conceive how an acid corrosive spirit , such as spirit of niter , should be able to to sweeten a matter that became caustick only for being impregnated with acid spirits . to give this difficulty some solution , it may be said , that the butter of antimony became caustick , for that the acids which it contained did but superficially adhere , and were so adapted that the motion of the antimonial parts did serve them for a vehicle to distribute their keenness as they did ; but that after the solution , the acids being in great quantity , do fix the antimony , and not only destroy its aptitude to motion , but do so sheath or lock themselves in the pliant sulphureous parts of this mixt , that they lose thereby all their corrosion . in the evaporation , abundance of the sulphurs , which were in the butter of antimony , are lost . this powder is called bezoar mineral , because it causes sweat , like the bezoar stone . you must know that these preparations are nothing but so many transformations of the regulus of antimony , made by acid spirits or by fire ; so that by fusion , or by the means of some reductive salt , they may be recovered into regulus again , by destroying those salts which kept them under this form . caustick oil of antimony . this preparation is a portion of antimony dissolved in the acid spirits of salt and vitriol . put into a glass retort six ounces of antimony finely powdered , pour upon it four ounces of good spirit of salt , and the same quantity of the caustick oil of vitriol , shake and mingle them all together , and stopping the retort , set it in sand , with the nose upwards , give it a small digesting fire for four and twenty hours , then turn the nose downward , and when you have unstopt it , fit to it a glass receiver , lute the junctures with a wet bladder ; make a little fire gradually to the second degree , and there will distil a whitish liquor ; increase it a little at last , and continue it until nothing more comes forth into the receiver . let the vessels cool , and unlute them , keep what you find in the receiver well stopt in a bottle . it is an escharotick liquor , and will serve to open venereal shancres , to eat proud flesh , to cleanse old ulcers , to use in carious bones , and in the gangrene . remarks . the retort must be big enough for at least half to remain empty , that the vapours may find room enough for their rarefactio 〈…〉 i put the whole in digestion four and twenty hours , that the acids may have time to open the antimony . if i should add unto this mixture eight or ten ounces of spirit of niter , the antimony would dissolve with a great ebullition , because those three sorts of acid spirits would together make an aqua regalis , with which antimony is easily dissolved , but there is no need of making so exact a dissolution for this operation . this liquor is improperly called oil , for it is nothing but a solution of antimony by acid spirits . it differs from the icy oil of antimony only in this , that it contains more phlegm , for the acids of sublimate corrosive have no aqueous moisture to dilute them , as there is in the acids we do here use . with this oil may be made the powder of algarot , after the same manner as with the butter , but only then it would not be so white . this liquor might be likewise used for the making bezoar mineral . spirit of niter being poured upon it , there rises an ebullition , as when it is poured on butter of antimony . this oil of antimony is not so escharotick as the butter , because it contains more phlegm . it is also more easie to use by reason of its liquidity . another oil of antimony . this preparation is a solution of some parts of antimony , by the acid spirit , and oil of sugar . take equal parts of antimtny and sugar candy , powder them and mix them , put this mixture into a glass retort large ●●●ugh for the matter to fill but a third part or it ; set your retort in sand , and fit a receiver to it , give a gentle fire for the first hours to distil off a phlegmatick water ; and when red drops begin to come forth , fling away that which is fall'n into the receiver ; then refitting it , lute the conjunctions , and make the fire a little stronger , but manage it prudently ; for otherwise the matter will rarefie and run into the receiver in substance , so that you 'l be forced to begin the operation anew ; continue the fire until nothing more comes forth ; and when the vessels are cold , take and keep what you find in the receiver . this liquor is oil of antimony it is proper to cleanse ulcers with , and for tettars and itchings which infect the skin . if it proves too sharp , you may temper and qualifie it with the water of honey . remarks . the sugar contains an essential acid salt , and an oil , which being mixed with a portion of the sulphurs of antimony , do make an oily liquor . the sweet taste of sugar does proceed from a natural mixture of this acid with the oil , for if you separate these two substances one from the other , neither of the two will prove at all sweet . the oil all alone is insipid upon the tongue , because it makes little or no impression on the nerve that serves for tasting , but when the acid is intirely mixed with it , the edges of this acid do serve for a vehicle to the oil to make it penetrate , and tickle superficially the nerve , whereby the sense of tasting is produced . the acids therefore being alone , do become incisive , and prick the tongue by their edges , but when they are dulled and blunted by the ramous parts of the oil , then they have another sort of determination , and can no longer pierce the nerve of tasting but with a great deal of tenderness , and gentleness . chap. x. of arsenick . arsenick is a mineral body consisting of much sulphur , and some caustick salts , there are three sorts of it , the white that keeps the name of arsenick , the yellow called auripigmentum , or yellow orpin , and the red called realgal , or sandaracha ; the white is the strongest of all , and is sometimes transparent like crystal . some do add to these for a fourth kind of arsenick , a yellow arsenick , which is an orpin differing from the other only in this , that it is not so transparent , nor of so high a colour . none of these arsenicks may be given inwardly , although several persons that have ventur'd to use the white , do pretend to have cured with it divers diseases , and among others the quartan-ague . they venture to give of it as far as four grains , in a great deal of water , and after that manner it will vomit , like antimony . but i can by no means allow of this febrifuge , and would never advise any body to use so dangerous a remedy . nature doth furnish us with medicins enough of conscience to provoke vomiting without recourse to arsenick . it is used outwardly with sufficient success , because it eats proud flesh . people sometimes cover the corns of their feet with arsenick in powder , and it eats them to the root without any pain , but they must be sure to cover the adjacent flesh with a plaister of diapalma , after the same manner as when causticks are applied . regulus of arsenick . this preparation is the more fixt and compact part of arsenick . powder and mix together a pound of arsenick with six ounces of gravelled ashes , incorporate this powder in a pound of soft soap , and make a paste of it , put it in a great crucible , and cover it with an earthen cover , that hath a hole in the middle ; set your crucible in a wind-furnace , and give a little fire at first , then augment it gradually , that the matter may be in a clear fusion : throw it into a mortar greas'd at the bottom , or into a culot , strike it round about a little with pincers , and let the matter cool , then knock it out , you 'l find in the bottom of the mortar a regulus of arsenick , separate it from the dross . it is not so corrosive as arsenick it self , and its effect is milder . remarks . the soap being full of an alkali salt , and the gravelled ashes do correct or fix the great activity of the sulphurs of arsenick . a hole is made in the cover that the more volatile part may sublime with the oil and humidity that are in the soap , the alkali salts do remain in the dross with some part of the more gross sulphurs of arsenick . if by way of curiosity you should boil the dross in water , filtrate the decoction , and pour vinegar upon it , or some other acid , to break the force of the alkali's , a sulphur of arsenick will precipitate , that is stronger than arsenick it self . arsenick being compounded of abundance of sulphurs , is not so quick in its operation as sublimate corrosive , because these sulphurs do not knaw so fast as the acid salts . if arsenick should happen to be taken inwardly through any mistake , the person may still be saved half an hour afterwards , by swallowing good store of warm oil , to vomit and purge ; after that he must be purged with cassia , and salt of tartar , and he must often drink salt of tartar in broths , that if any sulphur should chance to remain , it might be fixed by this salt ; for when arsenick is in the body , the heat of the body raises and rarefies the sulphurs on every side . sublimate of arsenick . this operation is an arsenick corrected from its more malignant sulphurs , and raised by the means of fire to the top of a matrass . put what quantity you please of arsenick grosly powdered into a crucible , set it in a small fire under the chimney to calcine and evaporate about the third part of the matter . avoid as much as may be this malignous vapour , pour into a mortar that which remains , and when you have powdered it , weigh it , and mix it with an equal quantity of salt decrepitated : put this mixture into a matrass , whose two thirds remain empty ; set your matrass in sand in a small furnace , and making a little fire at first , encrease it by little and little to the third degree , in order to sublime the arsenick : continue it in this condition until there rises no more , the operation is ended in five or six hours , let the vessel cool , and break it , gather that which sticks to the top of the matrass , and keep it , fling away that which remains at bottom . if you should repeat the sublimation four or five times , adding salt each time , a sweet sublimate of arsenick would be made , that is to say , abundantly less corrosive than common arsenick . some authors tell us that this sweet arsenick is a counterpoison , but i shall never think it convenient to trust to such an antidote , seeing we don't want those that are safer . the sublimate of arsenick eats proud flesh , and cleanses old ulcers , being mixed with the common suppurative , and aegyptiacum . the same operation may be performed with orpin . remarks . the arsenick is calcined , to the end the more volatile part may fly away in fumes ; if you should continue the fire , and encrease it toward the end , every jot of the arsenick would fly away . some do sublime it without addition of any thing else , after it is calcined , but it is better joyn some body that may fix it a little , such as salt. seeing the sublimate of arsenick doth resemble sublimate corrosive in colour , some cheats do falsifie sublimate corrosive by mixing with it that of arsenick . i have shewn the way to discover this imposture in the chapter of sublimate corrosive . the salt decrepitated does six the great volatility of arsenick , and the fire carries off some of its more active sulphurs , insomuch that the oftner it is sublimed , the more it does dulcify , and becomes proper to apply to flesh , where we would gently corrode . if you sublime arsenick alone in a bolthead , with a great fire , without having calcined it at all before , the sublimate will be converted into a glass , much resembling common glass both in colour and transparency . caustick arsenick . this operation is an arsenick rendred more fixt , and more burning than it was before , and in form of a calx , by the means of fixt salts . powder and mix together a pound of arsenick , so much salt-peter , and half a pound of sulphur ; put this mixture into an iron mortar , cover it with a cover that hath a hole in 't ; thrust a red-hot iron , or a lighted coal , through the hole , the powder will take fire with a great noise called detonation ; this noise being over , and the matter cold , powder it grosly , and calcine it in a covered crucible for two hours time over a great fire , then let it cool , and you 'l have a caustick matter that you must break into little pieces , and stop close in a bottle to use as common causticks . if you set it in a cellar , or other moist place it dissolves into a liquor , like the salt of tartar. remarks . this great detonation proceeds from the flagration of common sulphur , and that of arsenick , which being violently driven about by the volatile part of salt-peter finds a little hole to fly out at . the more fixt part of arsenick remains at bottom with the fixt salt-peter . the matter is calcined again , that being the more open , it may be the more caustick ; but this must be done in a covered crucible ; for otherwise the arsenick , which is almost all of it sulphur , would fly quite away by the great fire . corrosive oil of arsenick . this liquor is an arsenick opened , and become of the consistence of butter , by the acids of sublimate corrosive . take equal parts of arsenick , and sublimate corrosive , powder and mix them , put this mixture into a glass-retort , and set it in sand ; fit to it a receiver , and luting the junctures , distil with a gentle fire a butter-like liquor , resembling the butter of antimony ; and when no more will distil , take away the receiver , and put another in its place filled with water . encrease the fire , and you 'l see the mercury fall into the water drop by drop ; continue the distillation till there comes no more . you may use this mercury on all occasions , like to another , after you have washed and dried it . the butter of arsenick is a very strong caustick , it makes an eschar more quickly than that of antimony . remarks . the same thing happens in this operation , that i spoke of in the butter of antimony : that is , the spirits of sublimate corrosive do leave the mercury to joyn with the arsenick , which they draw along with them in a gummous liquor : the mercury being afterwards disengaged , and finding no sulphurs to fix it , comes forth in a vapour , and condenses into water . chap. xi . of quick-lime . qvick-lime is a stone , whose moisture the fire hath quite dried up , and brought into its place a great many igneous bodies . it is these little bodies that cause the ebullition , when water hath opened the matter that kept them inclosed : and this ebullition lasts until all the parts of the lime are dilated , and the fiery particles set at liberty , so that there is no need of further trouble to get out . these little igneous bodies do likewise render the lime corrosive , for the stone is not at all so of it self . when the stone , that quick-lime is made of , is grown red hot in the furnaces , the workmen have a special care to keep up the fire at an equal height , until the stone is quite calcin'd ; for if the flame which has begun to burn among the stones , should be suffered to lessen for a while , and so the heat be checkt before the end of the work , they would never afterwards be able to make quick-lime with those stones any more , though they should be at the charge of burning fifty times as much wood as is commonly required ; and this , because in that interval of heat , the pores of the stone , which were begun to be opened , do close and shut , and the matter sinks down in a lump to the destruction of the whole . and then again the flame can't rise in it any more , for it finds none of those interstices , or spaces between , which were frequent before , for it to pass through . the matter therefore is rendred uncapable of receiving the fire any more , because all the small cells that were useful for its reception , are shut up and destroyed in this confusion . it is objected , that if igneous bodies were they that caused the corrosion of quick-lime , tiles , bricks , and all stones that are not of the nature of lime-stone , and iron , copper , silver , gold , and many other bodies should be as caustick as quick-lime , after having endured the fire as long if not longer than it . but this does not follow , for tiles , and other calcined stones have not the pores disposed like those of quick-lime , to retain fiery particles ; and if some metals are found impregnated with them during their calcination , they are known to retain them so well by the solidity of their parts , that neither the heat nor moisture of the flesh are able to draw them out of the places they are fixt in , to cause a corrosion upon the part . it is easie here to give you an example ; for if you take the calx of lead that encreased its weight in the calcination , as i have said before , and steep it in water , the water will not act at all upon it , and the calx may be taken from the water in the same weight it was put in ; you must melt it by fire , if you would separate the igneous bodies : but now as for common quick-lime , a small matter of moisture is able to separate the tender parts of the stone , and drive out the fiery particles in abundance . it is said likewise that the ebullition of water which happens when flung upon quick-lime , must not be imputed to fiery bodies , seeing neither spirit of wine , nor oil , when thrown upon it , do at all cause heat , although they are both of them inflammable bodies , nay on the contrary they are observed to quench the heat that uses to happen to quick-lime when water is joyned with it . i answer , that these effects do proceed from , this , that oil , spirit of wine , and other sulphureous liquors of the same nature , instead of separating the parts of quick-lime , as water does , do rather hinder any separation from being made by stopping up the pores . that which withdrew me from the sentiment of those who will have all the effects of quick-lime derived from its salt , was , that i could never find any in it , though i have sought after it with care enough ; for some through mistake do take a certain bituminous scum , which often swims upon the lime-water , for a salt . neither can i be of the opinion of those who will needs have an acid to be in quick-lime , which being drawn out by the water , and meeting an alkali , does cause the effervescency which is observed , when water is poured upon quick-lime ; for although according to appearance an acid may enter into the natural composition of the stone that quick-lime is made of , this acid has lost its nature , not only by breaking its points in its strict union with earth at the petrification , but also in the violent calcination that is given to this stone to reduce it to a calx . so that we may here say , the same thing happens to the acid which enters into the composition of the stone , as i have said did happen to the salt of vegetables and other mixt bodies , which though naturally an acid salt , changes into an alkali by means of its union with earth , and the fiery particles in time of the calcination ; there is only this difference between them both , the acid of the stone is mixed with more earth than the salt of vegetables . when lime is once slackt , it neither causes any more ebullition , nor heat , with water ; but if you add to it an acid , it makes both a considerable ebullition , and heat , because the acid edges will penetrate into the particles of the lime , where the water was not able to go . there is not made any ebullition , or precipitation , by the mixing acids with lime-water . phagedenick water . this water is a mixture of sublimate and lime-water . put a pound of quick-lime into a large earthen pan , and quench it with seven or eight pints of hot water ; after the lime hath infused five or six hours , and is sunk to the bottom , pour off the water by inclination , and filtrate it , this is called lime-water . to each pint of this water are added fifteen or twenty grains of sublimate corrosive in powder , and the water presently turns yellow ; they are stirred together a good while in a glass or marble mortar , and this water is used for cleansing old ulcers : it eats proud flesh , and is likewise used in the gangreen , by adding spirit of wine to it , and sometimes spirit of vitriol . remarks . lime-water changes the colour of sublimate corrosive , because being an alkali , it destroys some part of the acids , which , according as they are diversly mixed with the mercury , do give it different colours . the precipitate of the phagedenick water being washed and dried , is esteemed by some to be a good purgative in venereal cases : it is given in pills , for fear of blacking the teeth : the dose is from one grain to three ; it purges upward and downward , and works much like turbith mineral . caustick stones , or cauteries . this operation is the salt of gravelled ashes , or the lees of wine calcined , rendred more corrosive than it was before , by the igneous parts of quick-lime . put into a great earthen pan , one part of quick-lime , and two parts of gravelled ashes , or calcined tartar , powder and mix them ; pour good store of hot water upon your matter , and leaving it in infusion five or six hours , boil it a little ; afterwards pass that which is clear , through brown paper , and evaporate it in a copper basin or earthen pan , there will remain at bottom a salt , which you must put over the fire in a crucible , it will dissolve and boil untill all the remaining humidity is evaporated . when you find it at the bottom like to an oil , cast it into a basin , and cut it into pieces while it is warm ; put these cauteries quickly into a strong glass bottle , stop it with wax , and a bladder , for the air would easily dissolve it into a liquor : you must also take care to keep it in a dry place . these cauteries are the strongest of all that are made ; and they are but half an hour in making . remarks . gravelled ashes are only a calcined tartar , for they are made by burning the lees of wine ; but because these lees , by reason of their liquidity have fermented more than common tartar , the salt which is drawn from them is of a more penetrating nature than other tartar , and consequently is fitter to make causticks with . the quick-lime does also help to make them much the stronger , for the igneous parts which it contains do mix with this salt , and make it the more active , and corrosive . you must not powder the quick-lime , for the little fiery bodies would then fly away , before they could be received into the water . when you filtrate the solution , you must put a cloth under the brown paper to support it , otherwise it would be presently corroded . ten or twelve ounces of salt would be drawn from the gravelled ashes alone , but the slakt lime retains a great deal of it . if you have used in this operation sixteen ounces of gravelled ashes , and eight ounces of quick-lime , you will have eight ounces of your causticks . if you would have the causticks in edges , you must put a hot iron spatule into the crucible , whilst the matter is in fusion , and form the edges in a flat bason . this caustick salt is very easily dissolved , and in the making of it you must not stay till it appears dry at the bottom of the vessel , as you do for other salts ; for it remains still fluid , though all the humidity of it be gone ; therefore you must put a little of it to cool , that you may see whether it be in its due consistence . the reason why it thus remains in fusion is , because it is full of little fiery bodies which it has taken from the quick-lime , and which have so disposed its parts to penetration ; for all solid bodies which are put in fusion by fire do receive this liquid form for no other reason , but because the little fiery bodies are become mixed with their parts , and have set them into a great agitation . if you should use lime that is slakt , the causticks would not so easily melt ; and if you draw the salt from gravelled ashes alone , it will coagulate in drying , much as other salts do ; wherefore this fusion of the causticks must needs proceed from the fiery bodies which were contained in the quick-lime . causticks may likewise be made divers other ways , but this description will deserve a preference before others , when you would have them be of a quick operation . inks called sympathetical . these operations are liquors of a different nature , which do destroy one another ; the first is an infusion of quick-lime and orpin ; the second a water turned black by means of burned cork ; and the third is a vinegar impregnated with saturn . take an ounce of quick-lime , and half an ounce of orpin , powder and mix them , put your mixture into a matrass , and pour upon it five or six ounces of water , that the water may be three fingers breadth above the powder , stop your matrass with cork , wax , and a bladder ; set it in digestion in a mild sand-heat ten or twelve hours , shaking the matrass from time to time , then let it settle , the liquor becomes clear like common water . burn cork , and quench it in aqua vitae , then dissolve it in a sufficient quantity of water , wherein you shall have melted a little gumm arabick , in order to make an ink as black as common ink. you must separate the cork that can't dissolve , and if the ink be not black enough , add more cork as before . get the impregnation of saturn made with vinegar , distil'd as i have shewn before , or else dissolve so much salt of saturn as a quantity of water is able to receive : write on paper with a new pen dipt in this liquor , take notice of the place where you writ , and let it dry , nothing at all will appear . write upon the invisible writing with the ink made of burnt cork , and let it dry , that which you had writ will appear as if it had been done with common ink. dip a little cotton in the first liquor made of lime and orpin , but the liquor must be first setled and clear ; rub the place you writ upon with this cotton , and that which appeared will presently disappear , and that which was not seen will appear . another experiment . take a book four fingers breadth in bigness , or bigger if you will : write on the first leaf with your impregnation of saturn , or else put a paper that you have writ upon between the leaves ; turn to t'other side of the book , and having observed as near as may be the opposite place to your writing , rub the last leaf of the book with cotton dipt in the liquor made of quick-lime and orpin , nay and leave the cotton on the place , clap a folded paper presently upon it , and shutting the book quickly , strike upon it with your hand four or five good strokes , then turn the book and clap it into a press for half a quarter of an hour ; take it out and open it , you 'l find the place appear black , where you had writ with the invisible ink. the same thing might be done through a wall , if you could provide something to lay on both sides , that might hinder the evaporation of the spirits . remarks . these operations are indeed of no use , but because they are somewhat surprizing , i hope the curious will not take it ill , that i make this small digression . it is a hard matter to explicate well the effects i have now related , nevertheless i shall endeavour to illustrate them a little , without having recourse to sympathy and antipathy , which are general terms , and do explicate nothing at all , but before i begin , we must remark several things . the first is , that it is an essential point to quench the coal of cork in aqua vitae , that the visible ink may become black with it . secondly , that the blackness of this ink does proceed from the fuliginosity or sooty part of the coal of the cork , which is exceeding porous and light , and that this fuliginosity is nothing but an oil very much rarefied . thirdly , that the impregnation of saturn , which makes the invisible ink , is only a lead dissolved , and held up imperceptibly in an acid liquor , as i have said , when i spoke of this metal . fourthly , that the first of these liquors is a mixture of the alkali and igneous parts of quick-lime with the sulphureous substance of arsenick ; for the orpin is a sort of arsenick , as i said before . all this being granted , as no body can reasonably think otherwise , i now affirm , that the reason why the visible ink does disappear , when the defacing liquor is rubbed upon it , is that this liquor consisting of an alkali salt , and parts that are oily and penetrating , this mixture does make a kind of soap , which is able to dissolve any fuliginous substance , such as burnt cork , especially when it has been already rarefied and disposed for dissolution by aqua vitae , after the same manner as common soap , which is compounded of oil , and an alkali salt , is able to take away or make disappear spots made by grease . but it may be demanded , why after the dissolution the blackness does disappear . i answer , that the fuliginous parts have been so divided , and lockt up in the sulphureous alkali of the liquor , that they are become invisible , and we see every day that very exact solutions do render the thing dissolved imperceptible , and without colour . the little alkali salt which is in the burnt cork may also the better serve to joyn with the alkali of the quick-lime , and to help the dissolution . as for the invisible ink , it is easie to apprehend how that appears black , when the same liquor , which serves to deface the other , is used upon it . for whereas the impregnation of saturn is only a lead suspended by the edges of the acid liquor , this lead must needs revive , and resume its black colour , when that which held it rarefied is intirely destroyed ; so the alkali of quick-lime being filled with the sulphurs of arsenick becomes very proper to break and destroy the acids , and to agglutinate together the particles of lead . it happens then that the visible ink does disappear by reason that the parts which did render it black , have been dissolved , and the invisible ink does also appear , because the dissolved parts have been revived . quick-lime and orpiment being mixed and digested together in water , do yield a smell much like that which happens when common sulphur is boiled in a lixivium of tartar. this here is the stronger , because the sulphur of arsenick is loaded with certain salts that make a stronger impression on the smell . quick-lime is an alkali that operates in this much like the salt of tartar in the other operation ; you must not leave the matrass open , because the force of this water doth consist in a volatile . the lime retains the more fixt part of the arsenick , and the sulphurs that come forth are so much the more subtile , as they are separated from what did fix them before , and this appears to be so , because the sulphurs must of necessity pass through all the book to make a writing of a clear and invisible liquor appear black and visible : and to facilitate this penetration the book is strook , and then turned about , because the spirits or volatile sulphurs do always tend upwards : you must likewise clap it into a press , that these sulphurs may not be dispersed in the air . i have found , that if these circumstances are not observed , the business fails . furthermore that which perswades me that the sulphurs do pass through the book , and not take a circuit to slip in by the sides , as many do imagine , is that after the book is taken out of the press , all the inside is found to be scented with the smell of this liquor . there is one thing more to be observed , which is , that the infusion of quick-lime and orpin be newly made , because otherwise it will not have force enough to penetrate . the three liquors should be made in different places too ; for if they should approach near one another , they would be spoiled . this last effect does likewise proceed from the defacing liquor ; for because upon the digestion of quick-lime and orpin , it is a thing impossible but some of the particles will exalt , stop the vessel as close as you will ; the air impregnated with these little bodies does mix with , and alter the inks , insomuch that the visible ink does thereby become the less black , and the invisible ink does also acquire a little blackness . chap. xii . of flints . flints , as all other stones , are made by different salts , or by acid liquors , which do penetrate and incorporate with earth , which is an alkali , so that from their mixture there does result a coagulum , which by little and little does harden by means of the subterranean heat , or else do petrifie by the cold . now you must observe , that according to the quantity of earth which incounters with this acid liquor , there are made such different sorts of stones . thus precious stones and crystals do obtain their hardness and transparency , from a just proportion , such as is needful to make an exact penetration , and a strict union of the acid with the earth . there are found some waters in several places , which falling upon stones do soon petrifie , as particularly in a grot at arsi in burgundy . the reason that may be given of this petrification , is that these waters do contain an acid , which in passing through earths do dissolve some part of them , which is capable to make them petrifie , but the great agitation they are in whilst they run with rapidity down mountains , does hinder their coagulation ; for that can never happen until these waters have fallen into some place fit for them to repose and lye still in . calcination of flints . this operation shews the way to open the bodies of flints and crystal , so that thereby they may be easily reduced into a powder . heat red-hot some flints in the fire , and quench them in water ; repeat heating and quenching them three or four times , or until they are friable , and can be finely powdered ; you must chuse river-flints , that are full of veins of several colours . crystal is calcined after the same manner , but it is more easily made friable than flints . a liquor and tincture may be likewise drawn from it , the same way i am going to shew for flints ; their virtues likewise are both alike . tincture of flints . this operation is an exaltation of some parts of flints , and salt of tartar in spirit of wine . mix well four ounces of calcined flints finely powdered , with four and twenty ounces of calcined tartar : put this mixture into a large crucible , cover it and place it in a wind-furnace , light a fire about it by little and little , to warm it gently , and then encrease it to the last degree . continue it in this condition for five hours , that the matter may all the while remain in fusion . thrust a spatule into it , and see if your matter begins to grow diaphanous like glass . if it doth so , pour it into a warm iron mortar , and it will presently congeal into a hard mass , which you must powder while it is hot , and put into a matrass very dry and hot : pour upon it spirit of wine alcoholized , four fingers above the matter ; stop your matrass close with another , whose neck may be received into that which contains the matter . lute the conjunctions well with a wet bladder , and set it in sand , give a fire under it that is strong enough to make the spirit of wine simper for two days together , it will turn of a red colour ; unlute your matrasses , and separating them a-sunder , decant the tincture into a bottle : put new spirit of wine to that which remains , and digest it as before , separate the liquor that is turned red , and mingling it with the former , pour it all together into a glass body , and cover it with a head , fit to it a receiver , and lute the junctures , distil in a vaporous bath two thirds of the spirit of wine , that may serve for use as before , then take your vessel off the fire , and keep that which remains in the bottom of the body , in a viol well stopt . this tincture is said to be a good remedy to open obstructions ; they use it for the scurvy , and in hypochondriacal cases : the dose is from ten to thirty drops in some proper liquor . remarks . the calx of flints doth so strictly incorporate with the salt of tartar by the calcination , that they may be said to be converted into a salt ; and this i shall shew in the following operation . you must use the spirit of wine highly alcoholized , otherwise you will not gain the tincture ; you must likewise observe to infuse the powdered matter while it is as hot as may be ; two thirds of the spirit of wine are distilled off , that what remains may be the redder and stronger . almost all chymists will needs make this red colour to proceed from the sulphur of flints extracted by the spirit of wine , but it is more probable that this colour proceeds from an exaltation of the alkali salt in spirit of wine , because a like tincture is made on salt of tartar. liquor of flints . this operation is a solution of flints into a liquor , by the means of salt of tartar. take the other part of your flints calcined with tartar , and set it in a cellar in a glass-pan , it will dissolve into as clear a liquor as water . filtrate and so keep it . this liquor is said to be diuretick , it is given from six to five and twenty drops in some convenient liquor . if you mix an equal part of this liquor with some acid corrosive spirit , you 'l presently turn it into a stone . remarks . the salt of tartar , or the gravell'd ashes , have so attenuated the flint , that it becomes as soluble as they ; and we see the truth of this in the operation , for the moisture of the cellar entring into the pores of our calcined matter dissolves it imperceptibly , and if this dissolution should be evaporated , an alkali salt is found at bottom . when this liquor is mixed with an acid spirit , an ebullition presently happens , from the acid spirits piercing the alkali , and afterwards a stronger coagulation is made , then when an acid spirit is poured on the oil of tartar , because this same alkali contains more earth than does the salt of tartar. this liquor may dissolve some sulphureous obstructions that now and then happen , and then it provokes urine ; but if it meets with an acid humour , it causes a coagulation , that may turn into a stone : wherefore i would not advise any body to use this remedy , no more than the former tincture , which works only by its salt that is mixed with the spirit of wine . from the coagulation of these liquors may be sensibly explicated , how stones come to be formed in several parts of our bodies , seeing acid liquors and alkalis do so aften meet within us . the tincture of flints is used to extract the sulphur of many minerals ; alchymists have given it no less than the name of alkahest . chap. xiii . oil of bricks . this preparation is bricks impregnated with oil of olives , and afterwards distilled . heat red-hot among burning coals pieces of brick , and quench them in a pan filled half full with oil of olives , but take care to cover it immediately , for the oil will else take fire . leave them in infusion ten or twelve hours , or until the oil hath sufficiently penetrated the bricks , after that separate them , and when you have grosly powdered the bricks imbibed with the oil , put it into an earthen retort , or glass one luted , large enough for a third part to remain empty ; place it in a reverberatory furnace , and fit to it a large capacious receiver , lute well the conjunctions , and give a little fire at first to warm the retort , then encrease it by degrees , until you see vapours come forth ; then continue it in this condition till there comes no more : unlute the conjunctions , and take away the receiver , there remains in the retort all the brick , which you must fling away as useless . mix the oil that remains in the receiver with a sufficient quantity of other brick dried and powdered , and make a paste of it , form several little pellets , and put them into a glass retort ; set the retort in sand , and fitting to it a large receiver , and luting them together , give a fire by degrees to rectifie all the oil , pour it into a viol , and keep it for use ; it is called the oil of philosophers . it is a good remedy applyed outwardly to discuss the tumours of the spleen , for the palsie , phthisick , and suffocations of the mother . it may be given inwardly from two to four drops , in wine , or some appropriate liquor . some drops of it are instilled into the ear to dissipate the flatulent humours that are there inclosed . remarks . this operation serves only to exalt the oil of olives , that being more opened by the fire , it may rarefie and dissolve humours more easily ; for you must not imagine that the brick doth communicate any great virtue , it is a dry body , and wanting all active principles . you must make a very moderate fire in this distillation , that the oil may come forth in vapours ; for if it should come out drop by drop , it would not be so open , nor would it produce so good effects . some do rectifie the oil of bricks with colcothar instead of bricks , or else with the mass that remains after the distillation of aqua fortis . antient chymists have given the epithete philosophick to all preparations wherein they have used brick . the reason that can be given for it is , that because they call themselves the only true philosophers , or philosophers by way of excellence , they thought they were obliged to confer some influences of this mighty name upon bricks , because they are the materials wherewith they build their furnaces , to work at the high and mighty operation , or the philosophers stone ; for they pretend it is by this operation alone that true philosophy can be obtained . chap. xiv . of coral . coral is a petrified plant , that grows under deep hollow rocks , in many places of the mediterranean sea , where the sea is deep ; or rather it is a certain shoot from a rock , that hath received the form of a plant. it is not true , that it is taken out of the sea soft , as some have said . there are of them of several colours , as the white , the red , and the black ; now and then there are found some of two colours , as red , and black. the red is the most common , and most in use ; it is chosen of a deep colour ; the white is more rare than the red. a certain white stone very spungy , that is like unto coral , is brought among us , which is mistaken for true white coral by those that don't know it , but the true is not at all spungy ; it is rather very compact , and as white as ivory ; black coral is the greatest rarity of them all . if you put the branches of red coral to infuse a day or two in melted white wax , upon hot embers , the coral will lose its former colour , and become white , and the wax will assume a yellow colour . the wax must be a fingers breadth above the coral . if you should put other red coral to steep in the same wax , it would turn brown . if again the third time you should put red coral to steep in the same wax , the wax would then become red . the wax dissolves a little of the bituminous matter that is upon the coral , and which did render it red : this operation is done only for curiosity . many persons do hang red coral about the neck , in order to stop haemorrhagies , to purifie the bloud , and to fortifie the heart . i believe that which gave occasion to think it has such excellent virtues , was its red colour , which is like to that of the bloud , and the heart ; but experience does no way confirm , that outwardly applied , it has any such effects . coral is prepared by beating it on a marble into a most fine powder , that it may the more easily be dissolved ; and this prepared coral is given to stop dysenteries , diarrheas , flux of the haemorrhoids , and terms , haemorrhagies , and all other distempers that are caused by an acrimony of humours , this being an alkali that destroys them ; the dose is from ten grains to a drachm in knot-grass water , or some other appropriate liquor . dissolution of coral . take what quantity you please of coral finely powdered on a marble ; put it into a large matrafs , and pour upon it distilled vinegar enough to cover the matter four fingers high , there will happen a great effervescency , which being over , set your matter in digestion in warm sand for two days , stirring the matrass from time to time . leave the coral to settle at bottom , and decant the clear liquor into a bottle . pour again so much distilled vinegar on the remainder , as before , and leave it two days in digestion ; separate the clear liquor , and continue to add more distilled vinegar , and to draw off the impregnation , until all the coral is in a manner dissolved . then mix your dissolutions , and pour them into a glass cucurbite , or else into an earthen one , evaporate in sand two thirds of the liquor , or until there appears upon it a very fine skin : filtrate this impregnation , and keep it in order to make the salt , and magistery , as i shall shew hereafter . it may be given for the same purposes as the salt , the dose is from ten to twenty drops in some appropriate liquor . remarks . red coral is generally used , because it is thought to have more virtue than the rest , by reason of its tincture . the effervescency which happens , when vinegar doth penetrate coral , is reckoned among cold effervescencies , if there be any such ; for my part , i cannot say that i ever perceived any coldness in it . in truth it is very strange , that so great an ebullition , or motion of the parts , should not produce any sensible heat , but you must consider , that coral , having large pores , may be easily dissolved , and so the acids need not jostle it very much , which would be requisite to produce any considerable heat . some do use in this operation the acid lotion of butter of antimony , or pure spirit of vitriol , instead of vinegar ; but because these spirits do leave too great an acidity in the preparations of coral , i conceive it better to use distilled vinegar . coral being an alkali , the acid points do stick in it , and suspending its parts , do render them imperceptible ; and this is the reason that the vinegar doth lose all its acidity , because the acidity did only consist in the activity of its points , which do now sheath themselves in the alkali . if you would , by way of curiosity , distil this dissolution , instead of evaporating it , as i have said , you 'd gain nothing but an insipid water , because the acid is fixt with the coral . this water is evaporated away , because it would serve for nothing , and would only weaken the impregnation . the dissolution of perle , crabs-eyes , burnt harts-horn , and all other alkali matters , is performed after the same manner ; their salts and magisteries may be likewise made as those of coral , which i am going to describe . it is here remarkable , that the solution of this sort of alkalies in distilled vinegar , smells much like spirit of wine , and that some quantity of it may be drawn , with a very gentle fire ; the reason of it is , that in the making of vinegar , the acids had in a manner fixed this sulphureous spirit , but when they do enter into the pores of coral , they are forced to quit it , and so let it recover its volatility . magistery of coral . take what quantity you please of the impregnation of coral , either red , or white , made with distilled vinegar , as i have said before ; pour it it into a viol or matrass , and drop into it the liquor of the salt of tartar , made per deliquium , a curd will appear which will precipitate to the bottom in a very white powder ; decant the clear liquor , and washing your powder five or six times with water , dry it , it is that which is called the magistery of coral . great virtues are attributed to it , such as , to revive and fortifie the heart , resist poison , stop the bloody flux , and all other haemorrhagies . the dose is from ten to thirty grains in some liquor appropriate to the disease . remarks . the name of magistery is given only to precipitates ; and they are so called to express something more exquisite than ordinary . the liquor of tartar , which is an alkali salt dissolved , encountring the acid , makes it let go the particles of coral that it held suspended , and so they precipitate by their own weight ; this precipitate is nothing else but a coral finely powdered by means of acids , which do easily divide into abundance of parts things that otherwise would seem indivisible . but you must observe here , that these preparations , instead of rendring coral more effectual as is pretended , do indeed render it almost good for nothing ; which is a thing easie enough to prove , if we consider that coral works in our bodies by nothing else but by absorbing acids , or sharp and salt humours which do continually occasion divers diseases ; for example , it stops haemorrhagies only by sweetning the keen salts which corroded the membranes of the veins , or else raised great effervescencies in the bloud , so as to make it extravasate ; it stops diarrheas , by destroying the acrimony of the choler , or other humors ; lastly , if it cures the falling down of the vvula , and does remedy many other accidents , it is done by nothing else , but by breaking the force of the ferments which do cause them , after the same manner as it destroys the acidity of vinegar , or some other liquor ; this being so , as there is great reason to believe it , it were far better to take coral without any other preparation than that which is made on the marble , then to dissolve it by an acid , and precipitate it into a magistery ; for the acid or sharp humors that this magistery is to encounter in our bodies , finding nothing in the medicine that is able to blunt their edges , will continue their former activity , and so no effect at all will follow . in this precipitation there does not appear any effervescency , because the edges of the vinegar being broken , it has neither strength nor motion enough left to penetrate and to separate the parts of salt of tartar ; but if the dissolution of coral had been made with some stronger dissolvent than vinegar , such as spirit of vitriol , there would be an ebullition in the time of the precipitation , because there would remain still action enough to the broken edges of that spirit , for to enter into the pores of the alkali salt , and to rarefie it . salt of coral . this operation is a coral rarefied , and opened by the spirit of vinegar . take what quantity you please of the dissolution of coral made by distilled vinegar , as i said before , pour it into a glass cucurbite , or earthen pan , and evaporate in sand all the moisture , there will remain at bottom a salt of coral ; keep it in a viol well stopt ; it is given for the same reasons as the magistery , the dose of it is less , being from five to fifteen grains . remarks . in this evaporation there come forth only the watry parts , and the acids adhering to the coral do form a kind of salt. if you should put this salt of coral into a retort , and distil it in sand , you would obtain a liquor that is only styptick , without any considerable acidity , which shews that the acids are destroyed , and do not come forth of the alkali , as they entred in . chap. xv. of common salt. there are three sorts of common salt , the fossile salt , the fountain salt , and the sea salt ; the first is called sal gemme , by reason of its transparency and smoothness , like to a precious stone ; it is that of which whole mountains are found full in poland , and other places ; the second is drawn by evaporation of the waters of some fountains , and the last from sea-water by crystallization or evaporation : these three salts are of the same nature , and have almost the same effect ; they are used , not only in aliments , but sometimes in remedies too , such as clysters , when they should be made very carminative . it is here observable , that sal gemme is a little more penetrating than sea salt , that is drawn by crystallization , and that the sea salt which is drawn by crystallization is more penetrating than that which is made by evaporation of the waters . the reason that may be given for the piercing quality of sal gemme is this , that having never been dissolved in water , it never lost any of its keenness , whereas the others do lose their more subtle edges in the waters , and this chiefly when those waters are in strong agitation , as are those of the sea. it is very probable , that the violent vomiting which does so much annoy those who take a voyage to sea , does proceed from these same subtile parts of salt , which being volatilized do fill the sea-air ; for this vomiting does happen only to such who have not been used to breath a salt air , and who besides are sufficiently shook by the motion of the sea. the sea salt which is made in normandy by evaporation of sea-water over the fire , is not so strong as that which is made at rochell by crystallization , because in the evaporation many of the subtler parts of the salt are lost , and a mark of that is , that if sea-water is distilled over a fire ●ever so small , it will not fail to carry with it some volatilized salt , which will alter its virtue , as experience hath testified several times . but it doth not happen thus to sea-salt crystallized , for it fixes of it self , when the salt-waters have setled for some time in places fit for their reception . i have delivered my thoughts sufficiently touching the origine of these three sorts of salt , in the remarks i made on the principles , wherefore there 's no need of repeating what i then said . sea-salt is made at rochell in salt marshes , which are places that must be of a lower situation than the sea , and the ground must be clayie , for otherwise they would not be able to retain the salt-water that has been let into them . thus all places near the sea are not alike proper to make salt marshes . when the season of the year begins to grow hot , which commonly happens in may , all the water is emptied that was let into the marshes for the better preserving them during the winter , then the sluces are opened to let in as much salt-water as they think fit , it is made to pass through a great many different channels , wherein it purifies and heats , and then is let into places that are made flat , smooth and fit to crystallize the salt . the salt is made only during the great heats of summer , the sun does first evaporate some part of the water , and because after the great heat , a small wind does use to blow ( as is usual near the sea ) the coolness of this wind does condense and crystallize the salt . but if it happens to rain but two hours during the hot weather , there can no salt be made for a fortnight afterwards , because the marshes must be again emptied of all the water , to let in more in its place , so that if it chances to rain but once again in the next fortnight , they can make no salt . salt is purified , by dissolving it in water , then filtrating the solution through brown paper , and afterwards evaporating the water in an earthen pan , until a very white salt does remain . but besides the purification of salt by evaporation , it may be further purified , if instead of evaporation of the humidity , you set some of it a crystallizing in a cool place , for very pure salt is found at bottom of the vessel , which salt may be separated from the water , and dried , and you may then evaporate again some part of the salt liquor , and set it in a celler a crystallizing , and so continue your evaporations and crystallizations ; but at last you must be fain to evaporate all the liquor , because at last it will crystallize no longer , the reason whereof is , that the remaining salt is full of a fat bituminous matter , which is in a manner inseparable from it , and this it is that hinders the crystallizing at last . it is probable that this fat matter may come from the earth of those marshes that were spoken of . the first crystallized salt being put into oil of tartar , or some other alkali salt dissolved , does mix with it without making any ebullition , because although sea salt is acid , yet its points are too gross , and have too little motion , to separate the parts of the alkali . the last salt being dried over the fire , and mixed with some alkali salt rendred liquid , such as oil of tartar , makes a coagulation and precipitation of a substance that appears saline and oily ; this coagulation does proceed from the mixture and adhesion of some bituminous earth with the sea-salt and the tartar ; for the salts do easily unite with oily substances , and in them lose their activity . many acid bituminous salts which are drawn by the evaporation of certain mineral waters , such as those of baleruc in languedoc , and digne in provence , do perform the same effects , when they are mixed with oil of tartar. this coagulum does not dissolve in water , as well by reason of the different nature of the salts it is compounded of , as the oily earth that holds them together ; but it will dissolve in distilled vinegar , and several other acid liquors , and then happens an effervescency , because the acid does penetrate the salt of tartar , whose parts the sea-salt had no power to separate . calcination of common salt. heat a pot , that 's unglazed , red-hot ; throw into it about an ounce of sea-salt , then cover it , and it will crackle , and so fall into powder : this noise is called decrepitation : when it is over , put so much more salt into the pot , and continue to do so , till you have enough . the pot must be sure to be red-hot all the while : when the crackling is over , take the pot out of the fire , and when it is cold , put the salt into a bottle , and stop it well , to hinder the air from entring in to moisten it anew . bags full of it are applied behind the neck warm , ( to consume too great a a moisture of the brain ) by opening of the pores . it is used likewise in several chymical operations . remarks . that which makes the salt crackle , when it is in the fire , is an inwardly contained moisture , which upon its being rarefied doth force its way out with impetuosity , and finding the pores too closely shut to suffer an easie escape , doth break through the parts and open a passage . now every thing else that hath close compact pores , will make such a noise too in the calcination , as do glass and shells . if you have occasion to use salt decrepitated , it is convenient to have it newly calcined , because the moisture of the air does return again what the fire had driven away . but if you would keep it any time , let it be in a glass bottle well stopt . for as much as this salt is deprived of all humidity by its calcination , it will absorb serosities much better than common salt . it is laid hot behind the neck , to the end that opening the pores it may facilitate transpiration . a little salt of tartar may be mixed with it , to render it the more active . spirit of salt. this spirit is a very acid liquor , drawn from salt by distillation . dry salt over a little fire , or else in the sun , then powder finely two pounds of it , mix it well with six pounds of potters earth powdered , make up a hard paste of this mixture with as much rain-water as is needful , form out of it little pellets of the bigness of a nut , and set them in the sun a good while a drying ; when they are perfectly dry , put them into a large earthen retort , or glass one luted , whereof a third part remains empty ; place this retort in a reverberatory furnace , and fit to it a large capacious receiver , without luting the junctures , give a very moderate heat at first to warm the retort , and make an insipid water come forth drop by drop ; when you perceive some white clouds succeed these drops , pour out that which is in the receiver , and having refitted it , lute the junctures close ; encrease the fire by degrees to the last degree of all , and continue it in this condition twelve or fifteen hours ; all this while the receiver will be hot , and full of white clouds , but when it grows cold , and the clouds do disappear , the operation is at an end ; unlute the junctures , and you 'l find the spirit of salt in the receiver , pour it into an earthen , or glass bottle , and stop it well with wax : it is an aperitive , and is used in juleps to an agreeable acidity for such as are subject to the gravel . it is likewise used for cleansing the teeth , being temper'd with a little water , and to consume the rottenness of bones . to make the dulcified spirit of salt of basilius valentinus , you must mix equal parts of spirit of salt and wine , and set them in digestion two or three days in a double vessel , in a gentle sand-heat . it is esteemed better than t'other to be taken inwardly , because it is less corrosive , being corrected by the spirit of wine ; the dose is from four to twelve drops in some liquor appropriate to the disease . remarks . the potters earth , is mixed with the salt , to divide it into particles , that the fire may the more easily be able to rarefie it ; for the parts which salt consists of are so strictly united , that the utmost force of fire is not able to disengage them , until they are separated by some intermedium . the preparation that i give unto salt , before it is put into the retort , is longer than the common sort ; but i have observed , that the spirit comes forth with less difficulty , when the matter is prepared according to this form . you must leave a vacuity in the retort , and fit to it a large receiver , for giving liberty to the spirit to circulate before it dissolves , otherwise it would break them both . likewise the fire must be encreased by little and little , because the first spirits do break out with a mighty violence , when they are driven too hard . some ways of drawing the spirit of salt without addition have been much sought after , but that is not yet well discovered . it is true indeed , monsieur seignette , an apothecary of rochell , among other excellent discoveries that he hath made on salts , to the knowledge of which he hath particularly applied himself , brought me hither a sea-salt in the year , that we distilled without addition of any thing else , by a very moderate fire , and in two hours time we drew three ounces and a half of very good spirit , out of six ounces of salt , that we put into the retort . after this we broke the retort , and having powdered the salt that remained in it to the weight of two ounces and a half , we exposed it to the air in a pan for a fortnight , and we found it reimpregnated with spirits ; we distilled it once more , and with the same ease as before , we drew half its weight in spirit , of the same force as the former . the matter remaining in the retort being again exposed to the air recovered new spirits . monsieur seignette did assure me , that he had thus drawn spirit from the same matter nine several times ; which is a thing worth our admiration , and shews us very well that the air contains a spirit which forms divers things according to the different disposition of the subjects that it enters into . this salt is particular to him that shewed it me , and he prepares it himself some way that he is unwilling to discover . since i writ of monsieur seignette's particular way of drawing spirit of salt , some have printed , that if common salt well decrepitated , and kept a good while over the fire , were exposed to the air for some dayes , and distilled without addition of any thing to it , it would yield a spirit much like that i have spoken of , and in full as great a quantity . but if we examine the sharp liquor which is drawn this way , we shall find it of so weak a nature , that it may more reasonably be called phlegm , than spirit , and the salt remains entire in the retort ; whereas m. seignette's spirit of salt is full as strong as common spirit of salt , and has the very same qualities , nay i conceive it somewhat better , as not having so great an impression from fire as the other . again some say , it does not deserve the name of spirit of sea-salt , nor ought this preparation to be look't upon as any great mystery , because the same incorporation and augmentation happens to divers other salts exposed to the air , after drawing off their spirit . i grant this augmentation proceeds from the spirit of the air , and i conceive it is the same spirit which produces all manner of things according to the matrixes , or different pores of the earth it uses to meet with , as i have explicated in my remarks upon the principles . but because this spirit of the air has met with pores in our matter , ready disposed to make a salt much like unto common salt , and a spirit is drawn from it much like unto that which is drawn from common salt , i see no reason to doubt why this spirit should not be a true spirit of salt ; all the difference is this , the salt i now speak of is not so throughly united to its earthy part , as common salt is , and therefore its spirits do separate with more ease ; for they are drawn without addition of any thing else , and with a gentle fire , whereas those of common salt are so fixt , that they can't be driven out , without mixing a great deal of earth in order to separate all its parts , and without a very great fire . as for the augmentation which happens to many other bodies exposed to the air , after their spirits are drawn off , i don't question the matter of fact , nor that these same substances do return into what they were before , by impregnating again with spirits of the air in some considerable time ; but it is rarely found that any of them do yield so strong spirits , and so easily as our salt , and herein lies the mystery . it is observable that the acids which are drawn by so violent a fire do very much differ from those that are made naturally , such as the vinegars of beer , wine , cider , the acid of citron , &c. the spirit of salt among others hath some particular difference from the rest , because it will precipitate that which aqua fortis hath dissolved . this acid , according as may be judged by its effects , is compounded of stronger , and more weighty points than the rest , but they are not so sharp and piercing . and this is the reason that it jogs so effectually those of aqua fortis loaded with some bodies they have dissolved , and that shaking them about it makes them let go their hold . some have writ , that this precipitation must not be imputed either to the weight , or the strength , no more than to the agitation , which spirit of salt may have given to the aqua fortis , or to matters dissolved , but rather to the conjunction of the acidity of this spirit with the volatile and sulphureous alkali of aqua fortis , or spirit of niter , which does by that means constrain this last to abandon the metal which it had dissolved . but this is the way to explicate , as they say , one obscure thing by another that is much more obscure ; for what likelihood is there that the volatile spirit of aqua fortis is an alkali ? and pray how comes it to remain in so great a motion with the fixed acid spirit of this same water without destroying or losing its nature , this is a thing that can never be conceived very easily . but furthermore supposing this spirit were an alkali , it would be still necessary to explicate mechanically , for what reason this alkali does quit the body of the metal to betake itself to the spirit of salt ; for to say meerly that by the conjunction of these two spirits the aqua fortis is compelled to abandon the metal that it had dissolved , is nothing at all to the clearing of the question , unless a man will needs give an intelligence to these spirits . wherefore we must still have recourse to the agitation and jostles , for the true reason . it is also remarkable , that the effervescency which happens when spirit of salt is cast into the solution of some bodies by aqua fortis , is different from that which happens when some alkali is cast into it , the former being much more gentle than the latter . the spirit of salt dissolves leaf gold , which aqua fortis is not able to do . when this spirit is dulcified , it is mixed with spirit of wine , which being a sulphur doth take off the edges of the acid , and in part hinders their motion ; whence it comes to pass that this spirit is milder by this addition , than if water had been used instead of spirit of wine . the spirit of salt may be made with salt decrepitated , after the same manner . chap. xvi . of niter or salt-peter . it is probable that the niter of the antients was either the aegyptian natron , or a salt that is found in the earth in a gray compact mass , or else the natural borax , or the salt which is drawn from the water of the river nilus , and many other rivers . and it may be , that all these salts are divers kinds of their niter , but the niter of the moderns is nothing else but salt-peter , and this is that of which i intend to speak . niter is a salt impregnated with abundance of spirits out of the air which do render it volatile ; it is taken from among the stones and earths of old ruined buildings . some of it is likewise to be found in cellars , and several other moist places , because the air doth condense it in those places , and easily unites with the stones . salt-peter is also sometimes made by the urine of animals , falling upon stones and earths . nay some have thought that all salt-peter comes from that cause , whereas we see every day that some of it is taken out of places , where there never came any urine at all . this salt is half volatile , and half like unto sal gemme as i shall prove hereafter . the great and violent flame which happens so soon as salt-peter is flung upon the coals , and the red vapours which it uses to yield when reduced into a spirit , have induced the chymists generally to believe that this salt is inflammable , and consequently fully loaded with sulphur , because sulphur is the only principle that flames ; but if they had suspended their judgments herein , until they had got more experience on this subject , they would not only have known that salt-peter is not at all inflammable in its nature , but they would e'en have doubted whether or no any sulphur does enter into the natural composition of this salt ; for if salt-peter were inflammable of it self like sulphur , it would burn where there is no sulphur , for example in a crucible heated red-hot in the fire ; but it will never flame therein , use what quantity of it you please , and let the fire be never so great . it is true indeeed , if you throw salt-peter upon kindled coals , it makes a great flame , but this is only through the sulphureous fuliginosities of the coals , which are violently raised and rarefied by the volatile nature of niter , as i shall prove in the operation upon fixt niter . as for any sulphur that is thought to be contained in salt-peter , it can't be demonstrated by any operation whatever , for the red vapours that come from it are no more inflammable than the niter , when they are not mixt with some sulphureous matter ; and it is far more probable , that this salt contains no sulphur , if we consider its cleanness , transparency , acidity , and cooling quality , which have no manner of affinity with the effects of sulphur , which are commonly to make a body opake , to take off acidity , and to heat . purification of salt-peter . to purifie salt-peter is to deprive it of part of its fixt salt , and of a little bituminous earth , which it contains . dissolve ten or twelve pounds of salt-peter in a sufficient quantity of water , let the dissolution settle , and filtrate it , then evaporate it in a glass or earthen vessel , to the diminution of half , or until there begins to appear a little skin upon it ; then remove your vessel into a cool place , stirring it as little as may be , and leave it there till the morrow , you 'l find crystals which you must separate from the liquor ; evaporate this liquor again to a skin , and set the vessel in a cool place , to get new crystals ; repeat the evaporations , and crystallizations , until you have drawn all your salt-peter . note that in the last crystallizations , you 'l have a salt altogether like unto sea-salt , or sal gemme , keep it apart , it may serve to season meat with . the first crystals are the pure salt-peter . you may , if you please , dissolve and purifie salt-peter several other times in water , observing every time what i said before , for to render it more white , and purifie it from its sea-salt . salt-peter purified is a great aperitive , it cools the body by fixing the humours that are in too much motion , and drives them by urine . it is given in feavers , in gonorrheas , and many other diseases ; the dose is from ten grains to a drachm in broth , or some appropriate liquor . remarks . the first purification that is given to salt-peter is this : the stones and earths that contain it are grosly powdered ; they are boiled in a great deal of water , to dissolve the salt-peter : the dissolution is filtred , and then poured upon ashes , to make a lixivium ; after it hath been poured upon the ashes several times , it is evaporated and crystallized . the salt of the ashes which does mix with the salt-peter , increases its fixt part ; but that which is made without ashes is the better to make aqua fortis with . the earth from whence salt-peter hath been drawn , being set in the open air , and stirred about from time to time , doth re-impregnate with a kind of salt. the long crystals that we see salt-peter shoot into , do proceed from its volatile part , for that which is crystallized last , is fixt like sea-salt , and looks just like it . salt-peter can never be purified so well , but it will still contain a salt like unto sal gemme , or sea-salt , but in less quantity than before . when salt-peter is boiled a long time in water , and over a great fire , some part of the spirits do fly away , and there remains at last nothing but a salt like unto sea-salt , or sal gemme , which serves to prove that salt-peter is only a sal gemme fuller of spirits than the other , as i said speaking of the principles . when you would crystallize a salt , you must dissolve it in a convenient proportion of water ; for if there should be too much , the salt would be weakned too much , and not able to coagulate ; and if on the contrary there should be too little , the crystals would be confused . therefore to make them fair , you must take your vessel off the fire , when you perceive a little skin upon the liquor , which is a mark to shew that there remains a little less liquor than is convenient to keep all the salt dissolved , and thus when it comes to be set in a cool place , it will not fail to fix . acid salts , and among them the volatile , do crystallize in much less time than others . salt-peter cools the body , by reason that being an acid it depresses the humours , which by their too great motion did heat the body , and so precipitates them by urine ; for the volatile salts and sulphurs , that all bodies are full of , are easily fixed and quieted by acids . crystal mineral , called sal prunellae . this operation is a salt-peter , from which some of the volatile part hath been separated , by the means of sulphur and fire . bruise two and thirty ounces of purified salt-peter , and put it into a crucible , which you must set in a furnace among burning coals . when the salt-peter is melted , throw into it an ounce of flower of sulphur , a spoonful at a time , the matter will presently flame , and the more volatile spirits of salt-peter fly away : when the flame is over , the matter will remain in a very clear fusion . take the crucible out with a pair of tongs , and turn it upside down into a brass bason , very clean , and a little warmed before-hand , to dry up the moisture that might be upon it ; shake about the bason to spread the matter while it is cooling , and this is called sal prunellae . if you desire to have it very pure , you must dissolve it in a sufficient quantity of water , filtrate the dissolution , and crystallize it , as i have said in the purification of salt-peter . it is accounted better than purified salt-peter for physical uses , because the sulphur is thought to have corrected it . it is given to cool , and to work by urine , in burning feavers , in quinseys , gonorrheas , and other diseases , that proceed from heat , and obstruction : the dose is from ten grains to a drachm in broth , or some other liquor appropriate to the distemper . remarks . this preparation is called sal , or lapis prunellae , either because the essential salt which is drawn from prunella or self heal hath , near upon the matter , the same virtue and figure as crystal mineral , or else because it is given in hot feavers , whose heat is compared to that of a burning coal called pruna . the germans do give it the form of a sloe , after having coloured it red with roses . the antients have thought it necessary to throw flowers of sulphur on melted salt-peter , to the end it might be made the more aperitive ; but thereby it is deprived of the more opening spirits which the sulphur carries away along with it ; thus instead of rendring it more open , and effectual , the better part of it is lost . it is easie to perceive that this abuse is one of those that hath insensibly gained upon men , and diminishes very much from the benefits that might be received from chymical physick , for want of applying themselves to examine well the constituent parts of natural things , before proposing of correctives . i shall rather advise them to use simple purified salt-peter , or purified from its fixt salt three or four several times , so as i have described , and i am confident , after the experience that i have often made of it , that it will better satisfie the intensions of those who use it , than when it shall have been prepared with sulphur . the diminution which is made of the salt-peter , is not only of the volatile parts which are carried off with the sulphur , but it is likewise of the watry part which this salt does always contain , and which does hereby evaporate . crystal mineral is often counterfeited , by mixing roche-alom with it during the fusion , and if those men do use a salt-peter that is not very pure , this alom does serve to purifie it , by causing a thick scum to separate to the sides of the crucible , and so the crystal mineral becomes much the whiter . this adulteration may be known , in that the crystal mineral made this way is more glittering than the other , and it is the alom which gives it this colour . those who carry about this crystal mineral to the shops do easily enough vend it for its outward excellency , and for the cheapness they sell it at ; for alom costs but little , but this sort wants a great deal of having so good effects as the other . sal polychrestum . this operation is a salt-peter fixed by sulphur , and by fire . powder and mix equal parts of salt-peter , and common sulphur , throw about an ounce of this mixture into a good crucible , which you shall have heated red-hot before-hand , there will rise a great flame , which being over , throw into it as much more of the matter , and continue to do so , until all your mixture is used . let the fire continue four or five hours , so as to keep the crucible all the while red-hot , then pour out the matter into a copper well dried by the fire , and when it is cold , powder it and dissolve it in a sufficient quantity of water ; filtrate the dissolution , and evaporate it in an earthen pan or a glass vessel , in sand until it is dry . you must fling away as insignificant that which remains in the filter . if the salt be not altogether so white , as we would have it , it is because it still retains some sulphur ; therefore you must calcine it in a strong fire in a crucible , stirring it about with a spatule three or four hours , or until it becomes very white ; then repeat your dissolution in water , your filtration and evaporation ; thus you have a sal polychrestum exceeding pure . sal polychrestum purges serous humors by stool , and sometimes by urine : the dose is from half a drachm to six drachms in some proper liquor . remarks . this salt is properly a salt-peter divested of its volatile part by sulphur , it is called polychrestum from the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is to say , good for several uses , because it is used not only to purge by stool , but by urine too , being taken to the weight of one or two drachms in a quart of water in the morning like a mineral water . it is commonly used in infusions of senna from one scruple to four , as well to increase the strength of the purgative , as to draw out more strongly the tincture of senna . some do give it to six drachms in a pint or a quart of water , to purge strongly ; but i would not advise any body to use this purgative all alone , by reason of the vellications that it gives in passing through the stomach . sal polychrestum must by no means be used until it is made very white , and very pure ; for when there remains any gross portion of sulphur , it is apt to cause vertigoes , stupefaction of the nerves , and nauseousness of the stomach . if you used sixteen ounces of purified salt-peter , and so much sulphur in this operation , you 'l have at last but three ounces and a half of sal polychrestum very fine ; but if you use common salt-peter instead of purified , you 'l have five ounces of polychrestum as white as the other . this difference of weight proceeds from common salt-peters containing more fixt salt than purified salt-peter . sal polychrestum may be crystallized like salt-peter and other salts . its crystals are very small , and much like those of sea-salt , but only they are keener . monsieur seignette an apothecary of rochell whom i have spoke of before , hath put in use a certain sal polychrestum , which seems at first to be like unto this , but when it comes to be examined , there 's found a notable difference , as well in the crystallizations , ( and when it is thrown into the fire ) as in the effects ; for whereas six drachms of this sort taken , as i have said , do cause gripes in pricking the membranes of the stomach , that of monsieur seignette in the same quantity doth purge very gently without any gripes at all , as he proves in a little treatise that he hath made touching the uses of this polychrestum . and the truth of it i have found my self in several persons . the composition of this salt is known to none but himself , who having given it a reputation in the chiefest towns of france , hath left some quantity of it with me to distribute , and make use of here at paris . spirit of niter . spirit of niter is a liquor very acid and corrosive , drawn from salt-peter by distillation . powder and mix well together two pounds of fine salt-peter , and six pounds of potters earth dried ; put this mixture into a large retort , either of earth or glass luted , set it in a close reverberatory furnace , fit to it a great capacious balon , or receiver , and give a very little fire to it for four or five hours , to make all the phlegm come forth , which will distil out drop by drop . when you perceive there will distil no more , throw the phlegm away that is found in the receiver , and having refitted it , lute the junctures , and encrease the fire by little and little to the second degree , there will come forth spirits , which will fill the receiver with white clouds ; then keep the fire two hours in the same degree , after that encrease it to the greatest violence you can give it , and so the vapours will come red ; continue the greatest fire till there come no more , the operation will be ended in fourteen hours . when the vessels are cold , unlute the junctures , and pour your spirit of niter into an earthen bottle , which you must stop with wax . spirit of niter is used for the dissolution of metals , it is the best aqua fortis that is ; and the corrosive virtue of other waters of this nature doth chiefly proceed from the niter that enters into their composition . remarks . you might , as some do , mix four parts of potters earth with one part of niter , when you would draw its spirit , but you will succeed better , and with less difficulty , by observing my description ; for whereas the earth does here serve only as an intermedium to separate the parts of this salt , to the end that the fire operating more easily upon it may draw its spirits , it is a very needless business to use more of the earth than is necessary towards this effect . besides this over great quantity of earth may serve to weaken the spirits , and by taking up too much room may hinder the drawing so much as otherwise you would with the same retort . i fling away the phlegm , because it only serves to weaken the spirit . the white vapours do proceed from the volatile part of salt-peter , and are a weaker sort of spirit ; but the red ones do come from the fixt part , and are the strongest spirit : for which reason the fire is made so very violent towards the latter end . this fixt spirit is commonly called salamanders bloud . of all salts , niter is the only one that yields red vapours . when you use here the best salt-peter , there remains nothing in the retort but only earth . i have boiled several times in water a good while , the earth that remained after the distillation of the spirit of niter , and after evaporation of the filtrated decoction , i could find no salt at bottom . i have likewise observed , that out of two pounds of purified niter , a pound and fourteen ounces of liquor , in phlegm and spirit may be drawn . a third part of the retort , wherein the operation is performed , must remain empty , and the receiver must be very large ; for otherwise these spirits coming hastily forth would break all to pieces for room to move in . spirit of niter dulcified . this oparation is a spirit of niter , whose more subtile edges have been broken , or evaporated . put into a large bolt-head eight ounces of good spirit of niter , and so much spirit of wine well dephlegmated ; set your bolthead in the chimney upon a round of straw , the liquor will grow hot without coming near the fire , and half an hour or an hour afterwards , it will boil very much ; have a care of the red vapours that come out a-pace at the neck of the bolthead , and when the ebullition is over , you 'l find your liquor clear at bottom , and to have lost half what it was ; pour it into a viol and keep it , this is the sweet spirit of niter . it is good for the wind colick and the nephritick , for hysterical distempers , and for all obstructions ; its dose is from four to eight drops in broth or some other convenient liquor . remarks . you must leave the bolthead open ; for the vapours would either carry away the stopple , if there were one , or else they would break the vessel ; the bolt-head is so hot during the ebullition , that one can't endure ones hand upon it . the heat and ebullition begins sooner or later , according as the spirits that are used have been more or less dephlegmated ; or else according as the season , in which it is made , is either hotter or colder , for in the winter you must warm the liquor in a gentle sand-heat , and when it grows a little hot , you must take it off , and shake it , thus it will come to boil . this effect is very strange , for spirit of niter being a strong acid , and spirit of wine a sulphur , it can't be said that there is here any alkali , to cause the ebullition with acid , according to the common maxim . and this operation shews us that every thing can't be explicated by the sole principles of acid and alkali , as some do pretend . this operation has much resemblance with that which happens when oil of turpentine is put into a bottle with oil of vitriol ; for the mixture of these liquors does heat and boil much alike . i shall say something of this last mixture hereafter . there is this difference notwithstanding , that spirit of niter being more volatile than oil of vitriol , causes a greater effervescency . in order therefore to explicate this ebullition , two things must be considered . first , that spirit of niter contains a great many fiery parts lock't up in its acidity , but which do still retain some evident motion , for it is they that make the spirit of niter to fume as it does . the second is , that spirit of niter is more inflammable than salt-peter , when mixed with any sulphureous body , and the reason thereof is , that it is more rarefied than salt-peter . thus when this acid spirit is mixt with spirit of wine , which is a sulphur very much exalted , and very susceptible of motion , the volatile part of the spirit of niter joyns itself to this sulphur , and the mixture becomes very ready to take flame ; likewise after this mixture the fiery bodies that were in spirit of niter , do by striving to mount upwards put the liquor into so great a motion , that it e'en almost flames , and would without all question quite flame , if there were not some phlegm always mixed with these spirits , let them be drawn never so pure , which serves to allay the activity of the fiery particles ; so that there must needs follow a very great ebullition . this effervescency therefore proceeds from this , that spirit of wine , and spirit of niter , which are as it were a salt-peter , and sulphur highly exalted , have been almost kindled into a flame by the fiery bodies that were in spirit of niter ; and that which further proves this conception is , a noise or kind of detonation , during the effervescency , which is much like that which happens when sulphur and salt-peter are burnt together . but because there may be some difficulty in conceiving what is meant by little fiery bodies , i do understand by them a subtile matter which having been put into a very rapid motion does still retain the aptitude of moving with impetuosity , even when it is inclosed in grosser matters ; and when it finds some bodies which by their texture or figure are apt to be put into motion , it drives them about so strongly that their parts rubbing violently the one against the other , heat is thereby produced . now the sulphureous parts of spirit of wine , and the volatile acids of spirit of niter being mixed , and being very aptly disposed for motion of themselves , they must needs be easily put into it by these fiery bodies , insomuch that their parts often rubbing or striking the one against the other , they must cause a heat after the same manner , as when a stone is strook hard against a piece of iron , a heat and fire do follow . the great diminution of the liquor proceeds from the evaporation of the more volatile parts of the spirits of wine and niter , through the neck of the bolt-head during the ebullition . that which remains is a well sweetned spirit of niter , for not only its edges are very much blunted in the ebullition , but the spirit of wine being a sulphur does unite and imbody with those that remain , so that they have no longer any corrosive quality . aqua fortis . this preparation is a mixture of the spirits of niter and vitriol , drawn by fire , to dissolve metals . powder and mix salt-peter purified , vitriol calcined white , as i shall shew hereafter , and potters earth , or clay dried , of each two and thirty ounces : put this mixture into an earthen retort , or glass one luted , whose third part is to remain empty ; place your retort in a close reverberatory furnace , and fitting to it a capacious receiver , lute well the junctures : then begin by giving a little fire to warm gently the retort , and encrease it by little and little ; but when you perceive the spirits to come forth into the receiver in red clouds , continue it for fifteen or sixteen hours in the same degree , then drive it to the last extremity , until there do appear white clouds instead of red . then let the vessels cool , and unlute them , you 'l find in the receiver an aqua fortis , which you must keep in an earthen bottle well stopt . it serves for the dissolution of metals . remarks . i do use to calcine the vitriol to a whiteness , that the aqua fortis may not be weakned with an insipid water . the mixture of vitriol and salt-peter has quickly some smell of aqua fortis , because vitriol contains a great deal of sulphur , which easily insinuates into the volatile part of salt-peter , and exalts some little of it , which causes the smell ; it is this sulphur in vitriol which by volatilizing the red spirit of niter , makes it come forth faster , and with a less fire , than when salt-peter is distilled with clay alone . the greatest corrosion of aqua fortis proceeds from the niter , for the vitriol doth yield but very weak spirits in comparison with the other . i do acknowledge indeed that the oil of vitriol is exceeding corrosive , but eighteen or twenty hours are not able to drive that out , for it doth not use to come until after three days continual distillation . the vitriol then and the clay do serve here only for a matter to separate the salt-peter , that it may by the means of fire , the better rarefie into spirits . although there does not enter into this preparation so much terrestrial matter , as there does into that of spirit of niter , nevertheless it proves very well , because the sulphurs of vitriol do help the spirits to rise . if you would keep on the fire five days and nights together , the receiver would be still full of clouds , because the vitriol would yield some spirits during all that time . sometimes alom and arsenick are added to the composition of aqua fortis , but the description which i have given you is the best of all . there remains in the retort a red mass , which may be used like colcothar , for an astringent . this mass may be obtained without breaking the retort . fixation of salt-peter into an alkali salt , by the means of coals . this operation is a salt-peter rendred porous by calcination , and by the ashes of coals , which are mixed with it . melt sixteen ounces of salt-peter in a strong and large crucible among burning coals , throw into it a spoonful of coals grosly powdered , and there will rise a flame and detonation , which being over , throw so much more , and continue to do so until the matter flames no longer , but remains fixt in the bottom of the crucible ; then pour it into a warm mortar , and when it is cold , powder it and dissolve it in a sufficient quantity of water ; filtrate the dissolution through brown paper , and evaporate all the water in an earthen pan in sand , there will remain a very white salt , which you must keep in a viol well stopt . this salt hath a taste like to that of salt of tartar , and they differ but little in virtue ; it opens obstructions , and works by urine , and sometimes by stool ; the dose is from sixteen to thirty grains in some convenient liquor . it may be used to assist in drawing forth the tincture of senna , a red tincture may be also drawn from it with spirit of wine , as from salt of tartar. if this salt is set in a cellar , it dissolves into a liquor like the oil of tartar : it is used to extract the tincture of vegetables and minerals . remarks . the crucible must be but half full of salt-peter , because the detonation is so great , that the matter would be driven out of the crucible , if too much be put in . when the crucible is not very strong , it breaks in pieces about the middle of the operation , and some part of the matter is lost thereby . this detonation is more violent than that which is made with a mixture of salt-peter and common sulphur , because the sulphur of coals is more rarefied than common sulphur . niter will never flame , when set over the fire alone in a crucible , though you make your fire never so strong , and coals though loaded with fuliginous or oily parts , do send forth but only a small blue flame ; but when these two bodies come to be mixt together , the volatile parts of niter joyning with the coals , which are oily , do rarefie and exalt the coals with such violence , that they produce a very great flame . now this operation confirms my opinion that salt-peter does only serve here to rarefie the flame of sulphur , but cannot send forth the least flame of itself ; because that as soon as ever the coals , you put into the crucible , are burnt , the flame goes out , and appears no more until you throw in more coals , with which a convenient proportion of the volatile parts of salt-peter , that still remained , does joyn and rarefie them into a flame . thus new coals are successively thrown into the crucible , until it flames no longer ; but toward the end of the operation , because there remain but few volatile parts in the niter , the detonation is much the less , and so is the flame , until at last the coals finding nothing more in salt-peter for it to raise , do burn only as they use to do when alone . if you use common salt-peter for this operation , you 'l have occasion to use but three ounces and a half of coals , and you 'l get twelve ounces of purified salt , but if you use fine salt-peter , you must have seven ounces of coals , and yet will get but three ounces of purified salt . this difference of weight proceeds from the fine salt-peters containing more volatile parts than the other ; likewise a great deal more coals is required to raise them , and there remains the less fixt salt for the same reason . the fixt niter being prepared as i have described , it is a little gray coloured ; now to make it white you must calcine it in a great fire , stirring it in the crucible all the while with a spatule ; when it shall have continued red hot for above an hour , it will become exceeding white . you must then dissolve it in water , filter the dissolution , and evaporate the water , and thus you have a very pure and white salt . this salt is an alkali , being a mixture of the salt of coals , which is an alkali , and fixt salt-peter ; these two salts are so strictly united and mixed together in the calcination , that they make a porous salt , and such as is much like unto the fixt salt of plants , not that there is an alkali salt in salt-peter as chymists will have it ; for give what calcination , or other preparation you please to this mineral salt , without adding any thing to it , not the least alkali can be drawn from it , and all that ever we can see in it is acid . it is further observable , that the liquor of fixt niter , which has been made with common salt-peter , being kept a year , or a year and a half , loses most of its activity as an alkali , so that it is no longer able to cause any such ebullition with acids , as it could before . this accident can have no other cause , than that the pores of salt contained in the liquor do close up by little and little , and the acid salt of niter does absorb and destroy the alkali , which kept the pores open . but the same thing does not happen , where the liquor of fixt niter was made with purified salt-peter , because whereas a great deal of coals was used in the fixing it , and but little salt of niter remained in it , the alkali must there predominate so powerfully , that the acid is not able to regain its strength . some chymists have thought fit to call the liquor of fixt niter , alkahest , that is , an universal dissolvent , thinking it able to draw out the sulphureous substance of all mixt bodies . chap. xvii . of sal armoniack . sal armoniack is either natural or artificial . the natural is found in very hot countries , such as many parts of africa , that are near the torrid zone . it is found upon the earth that hath imbibed the urine of animals , that is to say , where the sun hath sublimed the volatile salt of this urine , and made of it a sal armoniack . the artificial sal armoniack is made at venice , and divers other places with five parts of urine , one part of sea-salt , and half a part of chimney soot ; these three are boiled together , and reduced into a mass , which being put into subliming pots , over a gradual fire , it sublimes into a salt in the form we commonly see sal armoniack . now in this sublimation the volatile alkali salts of the soot and vrine do raise up as much sea-salt as they can , and do join so strictly together with this acid salt , that the mixture seems to be fixt . the reason of this close union is , that sea-salt being in form of points , does insinuate into the alkali salts ; and because it has not motion enough to separate the parts of these salts , it gets within them , and fills their pores . if you would purifie sal armoniack , you must dissolve it in a sufficient quantity of water , filtrate the dissolution , and evaporate it until it is dry in a glass vessel . you 'l have a white salt , which may be given from six to four and twenty grains in some convenient liquor . it is an excellent sudorifick and diuretick ; it is good in malignant feavers , and in quartan agues , and to bring the menses in women . it is also used in some collyries , or waters for the eyes . flowers of sal armoniack . these flowers are a part of sal armoniack , raised by fire . powder and mix together equal parts of sal armoniack in powder , and sea-salt decrepitated ; put this mixture into an earthen cucurbite , and having placed it in sand , fit to it a blind head . you must give a gentle fire at first , and encrease it by little and little , so long as you perceive the sal armoniack to rise up like meal , and stick to the head , and the uppermost part of the cucurbite : continue the fire , until nothing more rises up , then let the vessels cool ; lift up the head gently , and gather your flowers with a feather ; keep them in a viol well stopt ; they have the same virtue as sal armoniack , but are given in a little less dose , as from four to fifteen grains . remarks . this operation is performed , to the end the sal armoniack may be volatilized , by checking some part of its fixt salt by the addition of salt decrepitated , thus these flowers are a little more active than the sal armoniack , though they are both compounded of the same salts . iron or steel powdered may be used instead of sea-salt , as schroder describes it , and then the flowers do become of a yellow colour , because the salts do take the tincture of mars . and these last flowers are a little more penetrating than the others . aqua regalis . this water is a solution of sal armoniack in spirit of niter . powder four ounces of sal armoniack , and put them into a matrass , or other glass vessel of a good bigness ; pour upon it sixteen ounces of spirit of niter , place the vessel in sand a little warm until the sal armoniack is all dissolved , then pour the dissolution into a bottle , and stop it with wax , this is aqua regalis ; you will have seventeen ounces of it . remarks . this water is called regalis , or royal , because it dissolves gold , which is the king of metals . it is likewise called aqua stygia , or chrysulca . the vessel in which it is made must be of a sufficient bigness , because in the dissolution the spirits do rarefie with so great violence , that they would break it , if they had not room to circulate in ; when a great deal of this water is preparing at a time , you must take care to remove the vessel from the fire , so soon as the dissolution begins . aqua regalis may be likewise made , with equal quantities of salt-peter , and sal gemme , by mixing these salts with thrice as much potters-earth powdered , and the distillation of it is made after the same manner as i shewed , to draw the spirit of niter . it is somewhat difficult to conceive how aqua regalis is able to dissolve gold , which is a most solid metal , and cannot dissolve silver , which is a much less solid body . some chymists endeavouring to resolve this difficulty , have said that gold being a metal fuller of sulphur than silver , did therefore require a sulphureous dissolvent , such as aqua regalis , compounded of the volatile sulphureous salts of sal armoniack : but this explication destroys itself , for if gold did contain more sulphurs than silver , it would consequently be less weighty , for sulphur is one of the lightest principles in chymistry . i know the alchymists will tell me , that their sulphur is quite of a different nature from the common sort , and that they do conceive in gold , a fixt , and consequently a heavy sulphur . but besides that a fixt sulphur is a thing meerly imaginary , it can never be so heavy as the other principles which they pretend to be in gold , and which they are forced to think as fixed as the sulphur . moreover if we examine what happens in the composition of the dissolvent of gold , it will be no difficult matter to contradict this opinion : for we see that as soon as ever the spirit of niter begins to work upon the sal armoniack , the acid salt joyns with it , and quits the volatile salts , which finding themselves disingaged from the bodies that held them in a manner fixed , do rise up with violence ; but because these salts which are alkalies , do meet in their passage with some acids of the spirit of niter , the great effervescency happens which is always wont at the meeting of alkali salts and acids . this effervescency being over , our aqua regalis remains in the vessel : it is properly nothing else but an acid sea-salt dissolved in spirit of niter , the volatile salts being either exalted , or destroyed by acids , and that which confirms this opinion is , that aqua regalis is as well made with sea-salt , in which there are no volatiles at all , as with sal armoniack , according as i have said . it is not then by discourses of this nature , that this phanomenon can be clearly explicated . i am apt to believe , with more likelihood , that if aqua regalis be not able to dissolve silver , the reason of it is because the edges of the spirit of niter being magnified by the addition of salt do slide over the pores of silver , not being capable to enter into them by reason of the disproportion of their figures , whereas they easily enter into gold , whose pores are larger , to make their divisions . on the contrary if the spirit of niter dissolves silver , it is because its points are very subtle and fitly proportioned to enter into the small pores of this metal , and by their motion to divide its parts . these same points may likewise enter into the large pores of gold , but they are too small and pliable to act upon this body . there 's need of stronger and keener knives , which by filling its pores more advantageously may have force enough to divide it . i do easily foresee , it will be objected , that gold being heavier than silver , should have lesser pores and not greater , because the weight of a body doth only consist in the proximity of parts ; but it is easie to solve this difficulty , by considering each metal with a good microscope , for the pores of gold are seen to be much larger than those of silver , though indeed there are much fewer , and that will explicate very well why gold is heavier than silver , though its pores are greater ; for seeing they are at a good distance the one from the other , there 's a very compact matter as it were intercepted , which causes all the weight ; but the pores of silver being very near one another , and of a much greater number , do intercept less solid matter , and consequently it must be lighter . i 'le use a familiar example , to make my self more plainly understood . if you take two vessels of the same size and bigness , and fill one with small hail-shot , and the other with large bullets , that which holds the bullets will be much heavier than that which is full of shot ; and yet notwithstanding the vacuities between the bullets are much larger , than those between the shot . according to this hypothesis , reason may be likewise given , why gold is cut in pieces more easily than silver ; for the greater the pores of a body are , the easier entrance will a pair of sheers meet with . gold spreads under the hammer more than silver , because having larger pores the hammer makes a greater impression into it , and dilates the parts the more easily . it is objected , that if there be any heavy matter as it were intercepted between the pores of gold , it must needs precipitate of itself , after the action of aqua regalis upon this metal , which is a thing that does not happen . i answer , that if the parts of gold are heavy , the dissolvent nevertheless is a gross body , and very well proportioned to hold up those heavy parts , and to hinder them from precipitating . others have opposed this explication , and have writ , that if aqua regalis dissolves gold , and cannot dissolve silver , the reason of it is , that the gross points of spirit of niter , or aqua fortis are subtilized by the mixture of sal armoniack , and are rendred fit to enter into the small pores of gold , whereas the delicate fabrick of these same points does not leave them the necessary strength nor motion to divide the parts of silver , whose pores are a great deal bigger . but this way of arguing does not agree with experience ; for what likelihood is there that the points of spirit of niter are so subtilized by the penetration and division of the parts of sal armoniack ? or where shall we find any example , that after a considerable effervescency of two salts met together in conflict , the acidity grows sharper than it was before ? this is a thing that can never be proved . on the contrary , every body knows well enough that no effervescency happens but the acid is in part blunted or broken thereby . moreover the argument supposes that spirit of niter does break its subtilest points in violently contending with the sal armoniack , since also that in sal armoniack there are alkali salts whose property it is to destroy acids . i could further add here , that the conjunction of salt with spirit of niter should of necessity render its points more gross than they were , and that the crystals which are drawn by aqua regalis have their shape not so keen as those that are drawn by aqua fortis . but that which i have said is so probable in itself , and so easie to be convinced of , if a man takes never so little pains to consider it , that i should but amuse my reader to little purpose , if i should offer to give any proofs of it . neither do i find it convenient to make a long discourse in explicating how silver , which has lesser pores , is more susceptible of the impressions of air and fire , than gold which has larger , seeing i have already supposed that the matter intercepted between the pores of gold is more compact , and consequently more hard to separate than that of silver . volatile spirit of sal armoniack . this preparation is a volatile salt raised from sal armoniack by the means of quick-lime , and dissolved into a liquor . take eight ounces of sal armoniack , and four and twenty ounces of quick-lime ; powder them apart , and when you haved mixed them in a mortar , pour upon them four ounces of water , and put it quickly into a retort , whose half must remain empty . set your retort in a sand furnace , and fitting to it a great receiver , and luting the junctures exactly , begin the distillation without fire , for a quarter of an hour ; afterwards increasing it by little and little unto the second degree , continue it until nothing more comes forth ; take off your receiver , and pour out the spirit immediately into a viol , turning away your head as much as may be to avoid a very subtile vapour that continually rises from it . stop the bottle close with wax , to keep the spirit in ; you will have of it five ounces , and six drachms . it is an excellent remedy for all diseases that proceed from obstructions , and corruption of humours , such as malignant feavers , the epilepsie , palsie , plague , small-pox , &c. it drives by perspiration , or by urine : the dose is from six drops to twenty , in a glass of balm , or carduus water . remarks . quick-lime , which is an alkali , destroys the strength of the acid sea-salt , which in a manner bound up the volatile salts in the sal armoniack , whence it comes to pass , that as soon as lime and sal armoniack are mixed together , there exhales an unsufferable smell of urine ; for the volatile salts coming forth abundantly do so fill the nose and mouth of the artist , that he would never be able to put the mixture into the retort , if he did not take good care to turn away his head , while his hands are at work . water is added to it to liquifie these volatile salts , for if there were nothing to moisten them , they would suddenly sublime to the neck of the retort , and stopping it all together would break it to pieces . you must stop the retort with your hand , so soon as you have poured the water into it , and shaking it one minute , you must hasten all you can to fit to it the receiver , and to lute well the junctures ; for the quick-lime does presently grow hot , so soon as its body is opened ; and this heat , which is very considerable would spend the more volatile of the salts , if there were no care taken to preserve them . the quick-lime being wetted does swell , and take up a great deal of room ; wherefore the retort must be filled but half full , that there may remain room enough for the spirits to rarefie in ; you must also use a large receiver , in which the vapours that rise in abundance may be able to circulate with ease . this spirit is nothing but a solution of volatile salts in water ; if you would sublime , and separate it from the water , you must put the liquor into a matrass with its head , and proceed as i shall shew when i describe the volatile salt of vipers ; but this salt being dry , flies away more easily than when it continues dissolved in water , so that it were better keep it as it is . this is a stronger spirit than that which is prepared with salt of tartar , because the little fiery bodies of the quick-lime , which are mixed with it , have quickned the motion of the volatile salts ; likewise these fiery particles are they that do hinder the coagulation of this spirit with spirit of wine , when they are mixed together , for there must be a cohaesion and repose of parts , in order to make a coagulum . you must also have a care when you remove the receiver , not to hold your head over it ; for this volatile salt suffering a greater separation than before , enters the nose immmediately , and hinders respiration ; insomuch that several persons have been seen to fall in a swound by that means alone . now to avoid this accident , you had best have ready a wet cloth , to stop the receiver with , so soon as it is unluted . this spirit is an excellent menstruum to make precipitations with , it destroys acids exceeding well , as do all other volatile alkalis ; it is used to precipitate gold , after it is dissolved . it is good in those diseases i named , because it opens the pores , and drives the humours by perspiration , or by urine , according to the disposition of bodies : moreover , as it is an alkali , it destroys the acids which caused these diseases . again , it sometimes causes sleep , because it dulls the keenness of acid salts , which entring into the little conduits of the brain , do cause perpetual watchings . it is better give volatile spirits in sudorifick waters , than broth , because the broth being taken hot , the heat would evaporate the better part of the volatile spirits , before a man could reach the porringer to his mouth . you will find in the retort thirty ounces of a white matter , which you must throw away as useless ; it is the fixt salt of sal armoniack mixed with the quick-lime . another preparation of the volatile spirit of sal armoniack , together with its flowers , and fixt salt against feavers . powder and mix together eight ounces of sal armoniack , and so much salt of tartar ; put this mixture quickly into a glass body , and sprinkle it with three ounces of rain-water , set a head upon it , and after fitting the receiver , and luting the junctures close with a wet bladder , place your vessel in sand , with a gentle fire at first to warm the retort by little and little , and distil the spirit drop by drop ; but when you perceive there will distil no more , take away the receiver , and stop it close : then encrease the fire to the third degree , and continue it about two hours , there will sublime the white flowers of sal armoniack , which will stick about the bottom of the head like meal . the spirit hath the same strength , and virtues as the former : you will have seven ounces of it , and a half . gather up the flowers with a feather , and use them as you would those i described before the preparation : you 'l have of them ten drachms , and a half . there remains at the bottom of the cucurbite nine ounces , and three drachms of a white fixt mass . you must dissolve it in sufficient water , then filter the dissolution , and evaporate it , until it is dry , you 'l have a very white salt , that may be reckoned a good remedy for intermittent feavers : the dose is from eight grains to thirty in the small centaury water , or some other convenient liquor . remarks . the salt of tartar serves in this operation , as the quick-lime did in the other ; but because it is a more powerful alkali than quick-lime , you must not use so great a quantity of it . the fixt salt of niter might be substituted in its place , or any other alkali that you will. when the fire begins to heat the matter , there do rise up into the head store of volatile salts , in a fine delicate crystalline form , but the moist vapours coming upon them do dissolve them into spirit . the volatile spirit of sal armoniack is then a dissolution of volatile salt in water , and if there be not phlegm sufficient to dissolue all the volatile salt , there will remain some part of it at bottom of the receiver , and that may likewise be turn'd into spirit , by only adding enough water to dissolve it . thus the spirit becomes as strong as it can be made , for the pores of the water being filled with as much salt as they can contain , it can receive no more . but if there happens to be more water than the proportion of volatile salt requires , then the spirit proves weak , and must be given in a larger dose . this spirit is sudorifick , but you may perceive more sensibly the effect of sal armoniack to cause sweat , by dissolving six or eight grains of this salt , and the same quantity of salt of tartar , each separately in two small doses of some proper liquor , and giving them to a patient one presently after the other ; for the salt of tartar working upon the sal armoniack in the stomach , after the same manner as it does when they are mixt together in a mortar , the spirits do separate from the latter with the more force , and act more powerfully , than when they were mixed , before they were given ; for the little violence that the volatile spirits do use in their separation from sea-salt , does leave them the more activity , and disposes them the better to pass through the pores . again , it is probable , that in the former effort which these spirits made in their separation from the fixt part , when sal armoniack was mixt with salt of tartar in a mortar , the more subtile part might fly away first , and be lost ; now it is this subtile portion that is most proper to rarefie the humours , and to drive them forth by transpiration . the flowers do proceed from some part of the sal armoniack , which the salt of tartar had not sufficiently opened . the febrifugous salt is nothing but a mixture of salt of tartar , and the fixt and acid part of sal armoniack , it works by urine , and but seldom by sweat , by reason that being fixed it precipitates more easily than it rarefies ; and it is by this means that it opens obstructions , which are often the first cause of feavers . if you mix in a viol equal quantities of volatile spirit of sal armoniack , & spirit of wine , and shake them a little together , they will cause a coagulum . this coagulation proceeds from hence that the spirit of wine , which is a rarefied oil , does unite with the spirit of sal armoniack which is a saline liquor ; and it is but the same thing which happens from stirring oil and some salt liquor in a mortar , in order to make an unguent , called nutritum . by this incorporation together , the salt is involved in the ramous parts of the sulphur , and these same sulphureous parts are checkt , or as it were fixed by the salt , so that neither of them have any more freedom of motion ; and from this repose of these parts does result the coagulum . it may be likewise said that the conjunction of the acid that is in spirit of wine with the volatile armoniack alkali , does contribute much to this coagulation . the spirit of sal armoniack prepared with quick-lime does not at all coagulate with spirit of wine , by reason of fiery parts that it contains the salt of tartar too may have mixed some fiery bodies in the spirit of sal armoniack , but there are not enough of them in it to hinder its adunation with spirit of wine . volatile spirit of sal armoniack dulcified . this operation is a volatile armoniack salt mixed , and dissolved in spirit of wine . take sal armoniack , and salt of tartar , of each four ounces , powder them separately and mix them well in a glass , or marble mortar , put this mixture into a glass body , pour upon it ten ounces of rectified spirit of wine , stir it all together with a wooden spatule , and fit to the body a head , and receiver , lute well the junctures , place the vessel in a sand-furnace , and give it a very little fire , to warm the body . the volatile salt will rise , and stick to the head , and neck of the receiver . increase the fire a little , and continue it , until there distils nothing more , the operation is ended in four or five hours . let the vessels cool , and unlute them . you will find a volatile salt stuck to the head , and a spirit in the receiver . put quickly both the one and the other into a retort in sand ; and after having fitted another retort to it to serve for a receiver , and having luted the junctures , distil the whole with a small fire . cohobate it again three times , then keep what you have distilled in a bottle well stopt , almost all the volatile salt will be dissolved in the spirit of wine , and that which remains undissolved will receive a perfect dissolution in the bottle . it is a very good medicin for the lethargy , the palsy , the scurvy , malignant feavers , and hysterical maladies ; it may be given instead of spirit of sal armoniack before described . and it is not so repugnant to the taste . it works by sweat , or by insensible transpiration ; the dose is from twelve drops to thirty , in some proper liquor ; it is likewise good , outwardly applied , for the palsie , and for cold pains . remarks . so soon as the sal armoniack is mixed with the salt of tartar , volatile salts do rise from them , which would very much incommode the artist if he should hold his nose over it . you must lose no time in putting the mixture into the body , and then stopping it , for these first salts are the most subtile of all . the salts must be separately powdered , by reason of the loss which would be made of the volatile salts , in the mixing of the sal armoniack with the salt of tartar. in the making this mixture , you must not use any mortar made of metal , because that in the conflict of the two salts it would be corroded , and that which were corroded from it would be apt to spoil the operation . the body must be filled but half way , when the whole is in . the volatile salt is lighter than the spirit of wine , for it rises first . when the spirit of wine is well rectified ; it will not dissolve any of the volatile salt at first , but on the contrary it hinders this salt from dissolving in a liquor , because the ramous parts of the wine do stop the entrance of the air , but if there be any phlegm in the spirit of wine , it dissolves the salt according to the proportion that there is of it . those who had rather use the volatile sal armoniack dry , then in liquor , may keep it dry in a bottle well stopt , and use it for the same purposes as the spirit ; the dose of it must be a little less , it is very white and pure , this keeps better than that which is drawn with water , because an impression of spirit of wine which remains in it , does serve to retain the salts in some measure . you need not wonder , that there happens no coagulum , when spirit of wine and this volatile salt are stirred together in a bottle , as there does by the mixture of spirit of wine , and spirit of sal armoniack , for this salt having all its parts intirely united , cannot so well mix with the sulphur of spirit of wine ; but if you add water enough to dissolve the salt , then there will be a coagulum , because the parts of the salt will be disunited , and by the help of water will enter into the pores of spirit of wine . i have explicated this coagulum in the remarks of the chapter preceding . the volatile sal armoniack does dissolve well with waterish liquors , and spirit of sal armoniack may be made of them together , by only mixing water enough to dissolve the salt . but if you would mix , or dissolve it in spirit of wine , you will find a great deal of trouble in the doing it ; if you should only infuse it in spirit of wine , it would none of it dissolve ; on the contrary , that is a way to keep and preserve the salt ; therefore you must distil it over several times , that the saline parts may rarefie , and unite with the spirit of wine . that which remains undissolved in the receiver , has been very much rarefied by repeated distillations ; for which reason it also dissolves some days afterwards . spirit of wine in this operation hath so wrought upon the volatile salts that they are no longer so disagreeable to the taste or the smell as they were before , and it is by that means that it sweetens them , for sulphurs do contemperate the acrimony of salts , as i have said speaking of the principles . acid spirit of sal armoniack . this spirit is a fixed sal armoniack , dissolved into a liquor with a great fire . take what quantity you please of the fixt febrifugous salt , that i have spoken of ; powder it , and mix it well with thrice as much potters-earth powdered : put this mixture into a retort whose third part remains empty , place it in a close reverberatory furnace , and fit to it a large capacious receiver . lute the junctures close , and proceed in the method i spoke of , to make the spirit of salt , you 'l find in the receiver an acid spirit , which is a very good diuretick . it is esteemed to be specifick for malignant diseases : the dose is to an agreeable acidity in juleps and broths . remarks . this acid spirit proceeds from the fixt part of the sal armoniack , for the alkali contributes not one drop of it . although the salt of tartar has weakned the strength of sea-salt , which was mixed with the volatile salts in sal armoniack , as i have said , this same sea-salt nevertheless will yield a very acid spirit upon distillation , because the parts of sea-salt , though they have suffered a strong conflict with the other , yet do contain a spirit as well as they do otherwise intire ; after the same manner as when sea-salt is reduced into a very fine powder , it continues as full of spirits , as when it was in larger pieces ; for you must not imagine that sal armoniack does contain the acidity of sea-salt separate from its earth , for if it could remain in it in such a state , it would quietly divide the parts of the alkali salt , with which it is mixed , and would be destroyed it self , but this salt remains in it in its substance intire . chap. xviii . of vitriol . vitriol is a mineral compounded of an acid salt , and sulphureous earth ; there are four sorts of it , the blue , the white , the green , and the red. the blue is found near the mines of copper , in hungary , and the isle of cyprus , from whence it is brought to us in fair crystals , which keep the name of the country , and are called vitriol of hungary , or cyprus ; it partakes very much of the nature of copper , which renders it a little caustick ; it is never used but in outward applications , such as collyriums , or waters for the eyes , and to consume proud flesh . white vitriol is found near unto fountains , it is the most of all depurated from a metallick mixture : it may be taken inwardly to give a vomit ; it is likewise used in collyriums . there are three sorts of green vitriol , the german , english , and the roman . that of germany draws near unto the blue , and contains a little copper , it is better than the rest for the preparation of aqua fortis . that of england partakes of iron , and is proper to make the spirit of vitriol . the roman is much like the english vitriol , excepting that it is not so easie to dissolve . red vitriol was brought among us a few years ago out of germany , it is called natural colcothar , and is esteemed to be a green vitriol calcined by some subterranean heat . it is the least common of them all , it stops bloud , being applied to hemorrhagies . if you dissolve a little white , or green vitriol in water , and write with the dissolution , the writing will not be seen , but if you rub the paper with a little cotton dipt in the decoction of galls , it will appear legible ; then if you wet a little more cotton in spirit of vitriol , and pass it gently over the paper , the ink will disappear again ; and yet at last if you rub the place with a little more cotton dipt in oil of tartar made per deliquium , it will again appear legible , but of a yellowish colour . the reason that i can give for these effects is this , the spirit of vitriol dissolves a certain coagulum which is made of vitriol and galls , but the oil of tartar breaking the force of this acid spirit , the coagulum recovers it self , and appears again , but because it now contains oil of tartar too , it acquires a new colour . if you throw the dissolution of vitriol , or vitriol only powdered , into a strong decoction of dried roses , it will turn as black as common ink ; if you pour some drops of spirit of vitriol into it , this ink will turn red ; and if you add to it a little volatile spirit of sal armoniack , it will turn gray . these changes of colour do proceed from the spirit of vitriol's dissolving the coagulum which the vitriol it self had made , and rendring it invisible ; the liquor recovers a fresher red colour than it had , before the vitriol was put into it , because the same spirit does separate the parts of the rose which were dissolved in the liquor , and renders them more visible . the volatile spirit of sal armoniack , which is an alkali , does partly break the acid edges of the spirit of vitriol , so that the parts of the rose having nothing more to keep them rarefied , do close together , and consequently the liquor changes colour . by this experiment may be seen , that the dried rose may serve to make ink with , as well as galls ; indian wood , and divers other things will do the same . gilla vitrioli , or vomitive vitriol . this operation is only a purification of white vitriol . dissolve what quantity you please of white vitriol , in as much phlegm of vitriol , as is needful to dissolve it ; filtrate the dissolution , and evaporate two thirds of the moisture in an earthen pan . put the rest into a cool place for three days time , there will shoot out crystals , which you must separate ; then evaporate a third part of the liquor that remains , and set the vessel again in a cellar , there will shoot new crystals ; continue thus evaporating and crystallizing , until you have gotten all you can ; dry these crystals in the sun , and keep them for use ; the dose is from twelve grains to a drachm , in broth , or some other liquor . remarks . this is only a purification of vitriol , that serves to separate a little earth from it . all the liquor may be evaporated without any crystallization , the gilla vitrioli will remain at bottom in a white powder . white vitriol is used in this operation rather than green , because it is milder . the other vitriols may be purified after the same manner . after taking this vomit , a man sometimes voids by stool a black matter like ink , because it frequently happens that some part of the vitriol descending into the guts , meets a saline matter that it joyns with , and so causes a blackness , as it uses to do when vitriol is mixed with galls . calcination of vitriol . put what quantity you please of green vitriol into an earthen pot unglazed ; set the pot over the fire , and the vitriol will dissolve into water ; boil it to the consumption of the moisture , or else until the matter turn into a grayish mass drawing towards white ; this is called vitriol calcined to whiteness . if you should calcine this gray vitriol a good while over a strong fire , it would turn as red as bloud . it is called colcothar , and is good to stop bloud , being applied to a wound . remarks . you must not calcine the vitriol in a glazed pot for fear of dissolving the vernish , which would change the nature of the vitriol . it may be calcined , or rather dryed in the sun , until it becomes white , this calcination deserves to be preferr'd before the other , but only it is longer a doing . the vitriol may be likewise spread about a furnace heated a little , and so dried until it turns white . if you should resolve to dry as exactly as you can , sixteen pounds of green vitriol , there would remain but seven pounds of white vitriol . but in order to do this , you must powder the white mass of calcined vitriol , after you have broke the pot , and stir it a long time in an earthen pan , over a little fire , until there rises no more fume from it , or until there remains in it no more phlegm . if you should calcine this white vitriol to a redness , you 'd have five pounds and a half of colcothar . the sulphur of vitriol is lost during this last calcination , you must do it in the chimney , for the fume would be very injurious to the breast . this sulphur has the same smell as ordinary sulphur . some have writ , that the red colour which appears after a long calcination of english vitriol , was an undoubted proof that there was copper in it , after the same manner as the red colour which happens to verdigreese calcined is a certain proof that it contains in it some particles of copper . but that which is here said to pass for a thing undeniable , is no proof at all ; for first of all those vitriols which are thought most to partake of copper , do give no greater redness in their calcination , than the others which partake the least of it . secondly let copper be prepared which way you please , you can never make it redder than the colcothar of english vitriol , whose redness must be thought to proceed from some particles of this metal contained in it . and thirdly , we see plainly , that iron , lead , mercury , and divers mineral bodies do acquire a red colour in their calcining , without containing any copper . the sympathetical powder that has made so much noise is nothing but white vitriol opened , prepared divers ways according to mens different conceptions about it . the roman vitriol is better esteemed than the other for this operation . the common method of preparing this powder is to expose it to the heat of the sun , whilst the sun is in leo , that is in july , in order to dry it , and to open it . and men think that sign does bestow particular influences on the preparation . though in truth it undergoes drying better in that season than another , by reason of the great heat then of the sun. and it may be the parts of the vitriol do become more volatile by this heat , but for what is said of influence it is meerly imaginary . many do only pulverize the ordinary vitriol , in order to make the sympathetical powder . when you would use this powder , you are to take the bloud of a wound upon a linnen cloth , and to sprinkle some of it upon the bloud . it is pretended , that though the bloudy linnen were ten miles off from the patient , when the sympathetical powder is applied to it , the wound would presently heal . but the experience of several persons who have tried it ( and others may do the same ) does evince , that men have had a great faith , when they have talked of the effects of this powder ; for if it be not applied to a cloth newly blouded , and even in the chamber of the patient , you will certainly find no effect from it . nay where such precautions have been used , it performs no great matter , and sometimes does nothing at all . now to explicate the action of vitriol , called sympathy , you must know that there does continually exhale into the air , little bodies from this mineral salt , and to convince you of it , you need only to put the several vitriols of different colours pretty near one another in the same place , you will find after or daies that they have all changed colour a little in their superficies . the white will become yellow , the green whitish , the blue greenish , the red grayish . these changes of colour cannot proceed but from little bodies , which being separated from each kind of vitriol , and mixing in the air , some part of them do fall confusedly on the matter . and it must not be said that these changes are caused by the air , which does open and rarefie these salts ; for if you put them into places separate , or distant from one another , this effect will in no wise happen . you must also observe that the bloud , to which the vitriolick powder is applied , retaining some heat still , may thereby increase the activity and number of the little bodies which do arise from the vitriol . and these vitriolick bodies dispersing themselves in the air are they that cause all the sympathy , for they do mix in the wound of the patient , and because the virtue of vitriol is to stop the bloud , and to dry it , you need not wonder if the volatile parts which come from it , do perform the same effect . but it may be objected , that the volatile parts of vitriol have no more determination naturally to go find out the wound of a person , than other parts of the body , and other places of the chamber . nay on the contrary , that a wound being commonly covered with a plaister , and somewhat thick bandage , is not so likely to receive those bodies . i answer , that there is no need of giving any other determination to these volatile parts of vitriol , than is given to other volatile salts which are dispersed in the air ; but because wounds are always of a glutinous temper , it is easie to conceive that these little bodies will adhere to them in greater quantity than to others , as any downy substance which flies about a room , wherein there is glue , or turpentine , will more easily stick in them , than in other places . as for the bandage and plaster , used to wounds , you must know that those who do use the sympathetical powder , do apply none of them . but when it happens , which is very rare , that a mans wound has been cured by this powder , although there was a plaister and bandage also laid upon it , this effect can never be attributed to any thing else but the penetration of vitriol , for there are wounds that a very little quantity of vitriol is capable of drying . thus i have given you the most rational explication that can be , of an effect which has hitherto passed for a thing altogether inexplicable . to conclude , i would not advise any wounded person to insist or depend too much on a remedy of this nature ; for to one who ever received considerable good , there 's a hundred , who never perceived any effect from it , and the cause of it has been , that the volatile parts of the vitriol have hapned to be diverted from the wound by some wind , or else because the greatest part of people have their bloud too subtile , and too active to be fixed by so little a quantity of vitriol . nevertheless those whose heads are filled with the sympathetical powder do speak of it , as of a never failing medicine . and if a man offers to convince them by an experiment to the contrary , as it is not hard to do , they presently cry out , that the reason it fails is , because it is ill prepared ; but it is easie to convince them , if they desire a serious satisfaction in it , for the powder of their own preparation , that they so much magnifie , though it be successful in one , will be found to fail in a great many others . many authors have also written a great many falshoods in defence of the sympathy , as for example , that if the urine of an infant were cast into the fire so soon as it is made , it would cause a heat of urine : that if the excrements of an animal were thrown into the fire , or among nettles , there would be an inflammation in the guts of the same creature , and many the like stories , which a thousand experiments will prove not to be true . distillation of vitriol . this spirit is an acid salt of vitriol , dissolved into a liquor , by a great fire . fill two thirds of a large earthen retort , or glass one luted , with vitriol calcined to whiteness ; place it in a close reverberatory furnace , and fitting to it a great balon or receiver , give a very small fire to warm the retort , and make the water come forth that might still remain in the vitriol ; and when there will distil no more , pour the water out of the receiver into a bottle , this is called phlegm of vitriol ; it is used in inflammations of the eyes to wash them with : refit the receiver to the neck of the retort , and luting the junctures exactly , encrease the fire by degrees , and when you perceive clouds to come forth into the receiver , continue it in the same condition , until the receiver grows cold ; then strengthen the fire with wood to an extream violence , until the flame rises through the tunnel of the reverberatory as big as ones arm . the receiver will fill again with white clouds ; continue the fire after this manner for three days , and so many nights , then put it out : unlute the junctures when the vessels are cold , and pour the spirit into a glass body , set it in sand , and fit to it quickly a head with its receiver ; lute the junctures close with a wet bladder , and distil with a very gentle fire , about four ounces of it , this is the sulphureous spirit of vitriol , keep it in a viol well stopt . it is good for the asthma , palsie , and diseases of the lungs , the dose is from four drops to ten in some convenient liquor . change the receiver , and augmenting the fire , distil about half the liquor that remains in the body : this is called the acid spirit of vitriol , it is mixed in juleps to an agreeable acidity . that which remains in the body is the most acid part of the vitriol , and is improperly called oil. it may be used like the acid spirit , for continued feavers , and other distempers that are accompanied with a violent heat . this oil is likewise used for the dissolution of metals . you 'l find in the retort a colcothar which hath the same virtues with that i spoke of before . remarks . to make the spirit of vitriol you must take green english vitriol , such as being rubbed upon iron doth not at all change colour , which shews it doth not partake of copper , as the german does , that looks a little blueish , and is more acrimonious . you must calcine it as i have said , to the end it being deprived of the greatest part of its phlegm , the distillation may be dispatched the sooner . a third part of the retort is left empty , that the spirits may have room to rarefie in , when they come forth . there distils also a great deal of phlegm into the receiver , and all of it is known to have come , when there drops no more . those who don't care for the sulphurcous spirit , do let it come forth , and mix together with the phlegm , before the junctures are luted ; but you must be sure to govern the fire discreetly at that time ; for these spirits come with a great deal of violence , and use to break the retort , when they are driven too furiously . when they are out , you must augment the fire to the last degree of all , for the acid spirit will not part with its earth , until it is forced by an extraordinary heat . if you distil eight pounds of white vitriol , at sixteen ounces to the pound , you 'l draw off seventeen ounces of phlegm , and two and twenty ounces and a half , both of the sulphureous , and the acid spirit of vitriol . of these two and twenty ounces and a half , there will be five ounces of sulphureous spirit . you 'l find in the retort five pounds , five ounces of colcothar . use all the care you can possible to preserve all the liquors which come from vitriol , yet it will be impossible for you to hinder it from losing some through the junctures , during the distillation . if you should use german instead of english vitriol , you 'd draw off a little more spirit than the quantity i have named , but it would have some smell of aqua fortis , and the matter which remains in the retort would be of a brown colour drawing towards black . this colour proceeds from sulphureous fuliginosities which rise more from this vitriol than the other , because it partakes of copper ; for this sooty vapour finding no vent to get out at , falls down again upon the matter and blackens it . the furnace in which this operation is performed , must be very thick , that the heat of the fire being none of it lost through the pores , may the better act upon the retort . these spirits do rarefie into white vapours in the receiver , which must be provided large enough , to give them free liberty to circulate in , before they condense into a liquor at bottom . the fire is usually continued four or five days together , but if after that , you should change the receiver , and continue the fire three or four days longer , there would come forth an oil of vitriol congealed , and caustick , which is nothing but the more fixt part of the sprit of vitriol . and this congelation hath given this liquor the name of oil of vitriol , though improperly . vitriol contains earth enough , wherefore none is added to it , as is necessarily done in the distillation of niter . acid spirits are salts become fluid by the force of fire , which hath disingaged them from their more terrestrious part , and they may be revived again by pouring them upon some alkali ; for example , the spirit of vitriol remaining some time upon iron , doth reincorporate into vitriol , and the spirit of niter , poured upon salt of tartar makes a salt-peter . there is one thing happens about the oil of vitriol , when it is very strong , which is strange indeed ; it is , that if you mix it with its acid spirit , or with water , or else with an ethereal oil , such as the oil of turpentine , this mixture grows hot to that degree , that sometimes it breaks the viol it was put into , and often it produces a considerable ebullition . i could quickly give an account of this heat and ebullition , if i would suppose an alkali to be in the oil of vitriol , as those do who pretend to explicate every thing that happens by the notions of acid and alkali ; but not comprehending how an alkali should be able to remain so long a time with so strong an acid as is the oil of vitriol without being destroyed , i had rather give a reason that seems to me abundantly more probable . i conceive therefore that if water , or spirit of vitriol , or the ethereal oil of turpentine do come to heat the oil of vitriol , it is by setting in motion a great many fiery particles which the oil of vitriol had drawn with it in the distillation ; for these little fiery bodies being environ'd with salts that are exceeding heavy , and hard to rarefie , they drive about with vehemence whatsoever stands in their way , and when they have caused an ebullition , and find they can't get out at the top of the viol , they break it to pieces with the bussle they make at bottom , and on the sides . perhaps it will be said , i do here suppose gratis that the oil of vitriol does contain fiery particles ; but if we consider the great violence of fire , and the time that is spent in drawing this acid , it will be no such hard matter to grant me this supposition . besides it will be hard to explicate the great and burning corrosion of oil of vitriol without admitting these fiery parts , for the vitriol contains nothing in it self of this caustick nature ; it is true indeed that it contains phlegm , sulphur , and earth , but it is a thing impossible but this acid should discover it self more than it does , if it were as corrosive in the vitriol , as it is in the oil. once it hapned to me , that putting into my furnace a retort whose two thirds were filled with german vitriol dried , in order to draw off its spirits , i distilled first of all the phlegm , and sulphureous spirit , which i took out of the receiver ; i then fitted it again to the retort , and by a great fire continued three days and three nights , i distilled off the acid spirit as we are used to do . when the vessels were cold , i admired to find in my receiver nothing but a mass of salt , or congealed oil of vitriol . this salt was so exceeding caustick and burning , that if i offer'd to touch the smallest part of it with my finger , i presently felt an insufferable scalding , and was fain to put my hand immediately into water , it continued to fume still , and when a little of it was thrown into water , it made the same hissing noise , as a fire-coal flung into water would do . besides it heated the water very much , and much more than common oil of vitriol could . i kept this congealed spirit about six months , after which time it dissolved into a liquor , which i used as oil of vitriol ; for it was in effect the same thing . and in my opinion this operation does sufficiently evince , that oil of vitriol contains fiery parts . it hapned to me another time , that having rectified the spirit of vitriol , to separate it from its oil by an alembick , some part of the distilled spirit was turned into fair and transparent crystals in the bolt-head , or receiver , which crystals had the same acrimony , and strength with the mass i now spoke of . if you pour some drops of spirit , or oil of vitriol into a quart of hot water , in which you shall infuse a pugil of dried red roses , the liquor will in a little time become as red as claret ; and this effect must not so much be attributed to the spirit of vitriol's sharpning the water , and so thereby drawing out the tincture of roses , as to this that the acid spirit does rarefie and separate the particles of the rose ( which the water had dissolved ) and made to appear better than before ; for if you strain the infusion , and separate the roses , before you pour to it your spirit of vitriol , although the liquor so strained be yet but little raised in colour , it will nevertheless turn to as high a red , after the spirit is dropt into it , as if the roses remained still in the liquor . we must say the same thing of other tinctures that are drawn by acids , as also of such as are made by an alkali salt . if you fill a glass viol with the decoction of nephritick wood clarified , and look on it , turning toward the light , it will appear yellow ; but if you turn your back to the light , it will appear blue ; if you mix with it some drops of spirit of vitriol , it will appear yellow on every side , but if you again add about as much more oil of tartar , it will return unto its first colour . if you take a blue , or violet tincture made in water , such as is drawn out of the sun-flower , or violet flowers , and pour upon it some drops of spirit of vitriol , it will presently turn red ; but if you throw into it some alkali salt , it will recover again its former colour . on the contrary if you pour an alkali liquor , such as volatile spirit of sal armoniack , or the oil of tartar , upon the blue tincture , it will presently turn green ; and if you again pour upon it a little spirit of vitriol , it will change this colour into an obscure red . the decoction of indian wood is very red : if you drop into it a little spirit of vitriol it will turn yellow ; and if you still add some volatile spirit of sal armoniack it will become black . if you infuse three or four hours a piece of indian wood in some clear juice of citron , and take out your wood , the liquor will have received no alteration of colour , but if you add to it some drops of oil of tartar made per deliquium , it will take a brown colour , and if you add to it a little spirit of vitriol , it will resume its colour again . if you pour some drops of oil of tartar upon claret , it will become greenish , and if you add to it a little spirit of vitriol , it will return to its former colour . all these changes of colour , which the spirit of vitriol , or other acids , and alkali's do make , proceed only from the different position of bodies dissolved in the liquor , and from its disposition to modifie the light different ways . styptick water . this water is a solution of vitriol and other ingredients , to stop bleedings . take colcothar , or the red vitriol that remains in the retort after the spirit is drawn out , burnt-alom , and sugar-candy , of each half a drachm , the urine of a young person , and rose-water , of each half an ounce , plantain-water two ounces , stir them all together a good while in a mortar , then pour the mixture into a viol , and when you use it , separate it by inclination . if you apply a bolster dipt in this water to an opened artery , and hold your hand a while upon it , it stops the bloud . in like manner you may wet a little pledget in it , and thrust it into the nose , when an hemorrhage continues too long ; taken inwardly , it cures spitting of bloud , bloudy flux , and the immoderate flux of the hemorrhoids , or terms , the dose is from half a drachm to two drachms in knot-grass water . remarks . when the bloud gushes forth too fast , you must redouble the first bolster , that was put upon the wound , and assist it a little with your fingers for half an hour . the basis of this water is colcothar . having used this water with good success upon several occasions , i was willing to insert it in this book , and i believe if any body please to experiment it , as i have done , they will easily acknowledge it to be an excellent remedy in many distempers . lapis medicamentosus . powder and mix together colcothar , or the red vitriol , that remains in the retort after distillation , or in want of it vitriol calcined to a redness two ounces , litharge , alom , and bole-armenick , of each four ounces ; put this mixture into a glazed pot , and pour upon it good vinegar enough to cover the matter two fingers high ; cover the pot and leave it two days in digestion , then add to it eight ounces of niter , two ounces of sal armoniack ; set the pot over the fire , and evaporate all the moisture , calcine the mass that remains , about half an hour in a strong fire , and keep it for use . it is a good remedy to stop gonorrheas , a drachm of it is dissolved in eight ounces of plantain water , or smith's water , to make an injection into the yard ; it is likewise good to cleanse the eyes in the small pox , seven or eight grains of it must be dissolved in four ounces of plantain or eye-bright water ; it is also good to stop bloud , applied outwardly to a wound . it may be dissolved in knot-grass water , and will go near to have the same effects as the styptick water . remarks . this stone is called medicamentosus by way of excellence , by reason of the good effects it produces . the colcothar , that remains in the retort after the distillation of vitriol , must be better than the others for this operation ; because being deprived of the greatest part of its spirits , it is the more astringent . litharge , which is a lead calcined , alom , and bole-armenick , are so many considerable astringents , that do no hurt in this composition . vinegar is put in to incorporate the ingredients together , and set them a fermenting , after which the niter and sal armoniack do easily mix among the rest . the calcination which is given to it at the end , is done to carry off some part of the acid , and to augment the astriction : it likewise fixes the stone the more , and makes it fitter to keep . it is one of the best remedies i ever met with , for stopping gonorrheas , when it is a proper time to stop them by injections . salt of vitriol . this operation is the more fixed salt of vitriol , that remains after distillation . take two or three pounds of the colcothar , that remains in the retort after distillation of vitriol , let it infuse in eight or ten pints of warm water for ten or twelve hours ; boil it a little while , and then let it settle ; separate the water by inclination , and pour new water upon the matter ; proceed as before , and mixing your impregnations , evaporate all the moisture in a sand-heat in a glass or earthen vessel , there will remain a salt at bottom . it is used as the gilla vitrioli , to give a vomit ; the dose is from ten to thirty grains . remarks . this salt is that part of the vitriol that the fire is not able to rarefie into spirit . some authors say , that it vomits just after the same manner , as gilla vitrioli , taken in a smaller dose , but i have observed that its effect was much less , and on the contrary there was need of giving it in a larger dose than the gilla , to procure a vomit ; for having given of it several times a drachm at a dose , the person had no inclination at all to vomit ; and truly i am apt to believe that a fixt salt of vitriol divested of its sulphur , doth rather tend to precipitate downwards than mount upwards ; for vomiting is caused by saline sulphurs , which prick the fibers of the stomach , whence follows a convulsion to this part . that which remains indissoluble is called caput mortuum , it is used for astringents . if you expose it to the air for a year , or a year and half , it returns into vitriol again . chap. xix . of roche-alom , and of its purification . roche-alom is a very styptick mineral salt , found in the veins of the earth in many places of europe ; it is taken up in great transparent pieces , the best is that which is reddish , for the white contains fewer spirits . alom is purified after the same manner as vitriol ; it is used to cleanse the teeth ; it is a good diuretick ; a drachm of it is dissolved in a quart of water , and a glass of it is given now and then . many things are likewise called by the name of alom , as the saccharinum , which resembles sugar , it is nothing but a mixture of roche-alom , rose-water , and the white of an egg. plume-alom , which some call lapis amianthus , is a kind of talk. distillation of alom . put five pounds of roche-alom into a glass or earthen body , and fitting to it a head with its receiver , distil in sand as much as will rise , you will have a phlegm of alom that is used for distempers of the eyes , for quinsies , and to cleanse wounds : unlute the vessels , break the body , and powder the white mass that remains in it , put it into an earthen retort half empty ; place your retort in a reverberatory furnace , and fitting to it a large receiver , lute the junctures close , and light a very small fire the first three hours only to warm the retort , afterwards increase it every hour to the utmost violence , and these spirits will come forth , and fill the receiver with white clouds ; continue the fire in this condition three days together , then let the vessels cool : you 'l find in the receiver an acid spirit , which you may rectifie by distilling it in a glass alembick in sand , in order to make it the clearer . this acid is more disagreeable than that of vitriol , it is used in juleps for continued feavers , and tertian agues ; the dose is from four to eight drops ; it is likewise good to cure the aphtha , or little chancres in the mouth . break the retort , and you 'l find in it a white mass very much rarefied , and light , it is called burnt alom , or calcined alom , it is used for to eat carnous excrescences , or proud flesh . remarks . the distillation of alom must be performed like that of vitriol , that is to say , without addition of earth , because these salts do contain enough themselves . the body into which you put your alom must be sure to be large enough , because it rarefies extreamly . the phlegm is known to be all come forth , when there distils no more ; for these spirits being very weighty do require a greater heat than that of sand to raise them . some have written that alom yields but very little acid , yet if they take the pains to keep a strong fire under it for three days together , they 'l find that this spirit does not give place in strength , or quantity to that of vitriol . nor are we at all obliged to distinguish , as they would have us , the acrimonious , corrosive salt of alom from its acid , seeing that there is nothing either acrimonious or corosive in this mineral salt , which will not turn into an acid spirit , when it is strongly urged by fire . if a drachm of alom be dissolved in six ounces of this phlegm , you make an excellent alom water to cleanse wounds and ulcers with . the mass that remains in the cucurbite , or dephlegmated alom , is more escarotick than that which hath lost its spirits chirurgeons are wont to calcine alom in a frying pan ; but the iron dulls the greatest part of its vertue , as absorbing its spirits wherein consists the corrosion of alom ; the retort must be filled but half full , because there happen ebullitions , which do require room . chap. xx. of sulphur . svlphur is a kind of bitumen , that is found in many places in italy and spain . there is brought among us both a natural and an artificial ; the natural is greyish , and called sulphur vivum , the other is yellow , and is nothing but the natural melted , purified from its grosser earth and formed into rowls , which we do commonly use . some think that sulphur is a vitriol sublimed in the earth , because these mixts are very often found near one another ; that there is a great deal of sulphur in the mass of mineral vitriol , and that the acid spirits which are drawn from them both are wholly alike . flower of sulphur . this preparation is an exaltation of sulphur . put about half a pound of sulphur grosly powdered into a glass body , place it in a small open fire , and cover it with a pot or another cucurbite turned upside down , one that is unglazed , so as that the neck of the one may enter into the neck of the other . change the upper cucurbite every half hour , fitting another in its place ; add likewise new sulphur ; gather your flowers which you find stuck in the cucurbite , and continue to do thus , until you have got as much as you desire . then put out the fire and let the vessels cool , there will remain at bottom only a little light insignificant earth . the flower of sulphur is used in diseases of the lungs , and breast , the dose is from ten to thirty grains in lozenges , or in electuary . it is used also in unguents for the itch. remarks . this operation is intended only to rarefie the sulphur , that being become more open , it may work the better . sulphur is proper against infirmities of the lungs , when they proceed from a viscosity that sticks to them , because it deterges ; but if it should be given to such as are too much dried with a feaver , it proves very ill in that it raises a greater motion of the humours : it cures tettars , and the itch , because opening the pores it drives out the subtler part of the humor , but yet the grosser part remaining within , they do frequently return again . you may use a glass head to fit upon the body . if you mix one part of sal polychrestum with two pounds of sulphur , and sublime them together , as those i have described , you 'l have white flowers of sulphur , which are thought to be better for distempers of the breast than those others , they are given in the same dose . this whiteness proceeds from a very exact attenuation which sal polychrestum gives to the sulphur ; the sal polychrestum which remains at bottom of the cucurbite , may be calcined , and if you afterwards purifie it by solution , evaporation , and filtration , it will be as good as before . magistery of sulphur . this operation is a sulphur dissolved by an alkali salt , and precipitated by an acid . take four ounces of the flower of sulphur , and twelve ounces of the salt of tartar , or salt-peter fixed by the coals : put them into a large glazed pot , and pour upon them six or seven pints of water . cover the pot , and setting it on the fire , make the matter boil five or six hours , or until being become red , the sulphur is all dissolved . then filtrate the dissolution and pour upon it by little and little distilled vinegar , or some other acid , there will presently appear a milk , let it settle , that a white powder may precipitate to the bottom of the vessel ; pour off by inclination that which is clear , and washing this powder five or six times with water , dry it in the shade , this is called the magistery or milk of sulphur ; it is thought good for all diseases of the lungs , or breast ; the dose is from six to sixteen grains in some convenient liquor . remarks . water alone is not able to dissolve such a gross body as sulphur ; wherefore an alkali salt is added to divide it into small imperceptible particles . the acid liquor pierces the alkali , and by separating its parts makes it let go its hold , so that the sulphur gathers it self together , and falls down to the bottom in a white powder . this powder is washed to take away the impression of the salt of tartar , and the acid that might remain among it , after which it may be said to be a flower of sulphur alcoholised . the change of its yellow colour into a white comes from this , that being more rarefied it hath a smoother surface then it had before , to reflect the light in a direct line to our eyes . this operation may give us an idea of what happens in chylification , and in sanguification ; for after the same manner as the sulphur does become white , when it has been reduced into a magistery , or fine powder , so the aliments having been fermented , and their substance attenuated in our stomachs , the chyle receives a white colour ; and after the manner as the sulphur when intirely dissolved does turn of a red colour , so the parts of chyle having been altogether exalted , and dissolved by repeated circulations , does become red and turn into bloud . this bloud turns into a pus , and becomes white in imposthumes , because the acid which is found in them having as it were fixed and gathered together its insensible parts , does make them recover again the colour of chyle . you must take care not to let there be any silver vessel where this operation is performed , because the vapour which proceeds from sulphur will make it black . fifteen grains of this powder will do as much as double the quantity of flower of sulphur , for diseases of the breast , and it doth not heat so much . balsom of sulphur . this operation is a solution of the oily parts of common sulphur in oil of turpentine . put into a small matrass an ounce and a half of flower of sulphur , and pour upon it eight ounces of oil of turpentine ; place your matrass in sand , and give it a digesting fire two hours ; afterwards encrease it a little for four hours , and the oil will take a red colour ; let the vessel cool , then separate the clear balsom from the sulphur that could not dissolve . this balsom is excellent for ulcers of the lungs and breast ; the dose is from one drop to six in some proper liquor . this balsom may be reduced to the consistence of an unguent , by evaporating some part of it , and it is thus used to cleanse wounds and ulcers . to make the aniseed balsom of sulphur , you must use the oil drawn from aniseed instead of the oil of turpentine , and proceed as i have said ; it is more agreeable than the former , and has less acrimony . remarks . there is no need of a great fire for this operation , because sulphur being a fat body doth easily incorporate with oils , and commonly gives them a red colour . when you would have this balsom taken in potion , you must dissolve it in a little yelk of an egg , that it may mix in waters , or broths . that which remains undissolved in the matrass is the acid or saline part of sulphur , and is found crystallized . a balsom of sulphur may be likewise made with oil of linseed , instead of the oil of turpentine , for wounds . spirit of sulphur . this spirit is the acid part of sulphur , turned into a liquor by fire . provide a great earthen pan , and set in the middle of it a little earthen pan turn'd upside down , and then another such pan on this filled with melted sulphur ; cover both these pans with a great glass tunnel made on purpose , with a neck as long as that of a matrass , and the bigness of a thumb ; fire the sulphur , and do not stop the hole of the tunnel , but let the air come in to increase its burning , for it would otherwise go out . when your sulphur is spent , put new in its place , and continue to do so until you find under the lower pan as much spirit as you need , keep it in a viol. it is put into juleps to give them an agreable acidity , to qualifie the heat of continued feavers , and is a good diuretick . some do prescribe it for diseases of the breast , but because acids are apt to give a cough , it may therefore do more hurt than good to that part . remarks . a great many machines have been invented to draw the spirit of sulphur ; the ordinary one is the glass bell , under which the brimstone is burnt , and the spirits coagulating against its sides distil into an earthen pan , that is set underneath , after the same manner as i have shewed in the description of my machine . you must leave an empty space between the brims of the bell , and the pan , that the fire may have air enough to keep it lighted ; but besides that the fire is apt to go out every moment , use never so much precaution , a very poor quantity of spirit is drawn this way . authors do recommend this operation to be done when the weather 's wet , and to moisten the bell before-hand , but i have found by experience that these circumstances signified nothing at all . with the machine that i have described i can draw a good handsom quantity of spirit , and i am not forced to fire the sulphur several times ; because the hole at top gives vent to the air , and hinders the fires going out : again the more phlegmatick part evaporates that way , but the acid spirit not being able to rise so high , condenses against the sides of the tunnel , and then falls down under the little pan that is turned upside down , to raise the other higher , that contains the sulphur . you may use a crucible instead of a pan to put the sulphur in . the greenish sulphur is better than the other for this operation , because it has more vitriol in it , and consequently more spirit ; for this spirit is nothing but a vitriolick salt dissolved , that differs little from the spirit of vitriol , besides in the taste , which is not so empyreumatical , as not having undergone so violent a fire . the vitriolick salt which is in the sulphur does not rise , until the more volatile parts are spent ; for which reason the spirit does not distil until towards the end , and the drops begin then to appear in the middle of the tunnel . forasmuch as sulphur is good for diseases of the lungs and breast , many do think that the spirit which is drawn from it ought to have the same virtues , but they do not consider that this spirit being deprived of the fat , or most sulphureous part of sulphur , hath also lost the virtue that accompanies it , and that it must produce effects altogether different from those of sulphur , after the manner as the acid spirits which are drawn from sugar , vitriol , and many other matters , have very different virtues from those of the mixts themselves . and the reason of it is very plain , for whereas the sulphur by its ramous parts can sweeten the acrimonious humours which fall upon the lungs , and so help the cough , the spirit of sulphur which is an acid does prick the fibres of the larynx , and cause a coughing , as all other acids do . salt of sulphur . the salt of sulphur is a sal polychrestum impregnated with spirit of sulphur . put four ounces of sal polychrestum prepared as i have said , into an earthen pan , or a glass vessel , and pour upon it two ounces of spirit of sulphur ; set your vessel in sand , and evaporate all the liquor over a gentle fire : there will remain four ounces and six drachms of an acid salt , most agreeable to the taste , keep it in a bottle well stopt . it is a good medicine for to open all obstructions , and to work by urine , and sometimes it works also by stool ; the dose is from ten grains to two scruples in broth . it is dissolved from half a drachm to two drachms in a quart of water for a drink in feavers . remarks . this salt is improperly called salt of sulphur ; for it is nothing but a sal polychrestum impregnated with an acid spirit . many great descriptions have been given of salt of sulphur , which being well examined do all come to the same thing as this ; it is called by many authors a febrifugous salt . the true salt of sulphur ( truly so called ) should be a little of the fixed vitriol which remains in the earth of sulphur , after that the flowers have been drawn from it , and should be separated from the earth by a lixivium , as other fixed salts are made ; but such a salt would not have the same qualities as this . some have written , that when spirit of sulphur is poured upon sal polychrestum dissolved in water , there is made a great effervescency , as well as when the same spirit is thrown upon salt-peter : but without doubt they little examined the matter , for there is no ebullition made , neither with the sal polychrestum , nor with salt-peter , they being both of them acid salts . the union of acid spirits with acid salts is very different from that between acids and alkalis ; for the acid spirits not being able to open the insensible parts of acid salts , they do lose nothing of their strength , and their keenness remains the same , but it is not so in respect of acids mixed with alkalis , for such a penetration is made into the alkalis that the acid loses its strength in them . and for the reason that i have now given , the salt of sulphur is very acid , and tartarum vitriolatum is hardly at all acid , although there is imployed proportionably as much more acid spirit for the making tartarum vitriolatum , than there is for the making salt of sulphur . the salt of sulphur is good in tertians , and continued feavers , and on all occasions where there is need of calming the too great motion of the humours , because the acid serves to fixe the volatile salts , or sulphurs , which are most commonly the principal cause of these diseases . chap. xxi . of succinum or ambar . there is found in small currents near the baltick sea , in the dutchy of prussia a certain coagulated bitumen , which , because it seems to be a juice of the earth is called succinum , and carabè , because it will attract straws ; it is likewise called electrum , glessum , ambra citrina , vulgarly yellow ambar . this bitumen being soft and viscous , several little animals , such as flies , and ants , do stick to it , and are buried in it . ambar is of different colours , such as white , yellow , and black. the white is most esteemed , though it be no better than the yellow . the black hath the least virtue of all . ambar serves to stop spitting of bloud , the bloudy-flux , the immoderate flux of the hemorrhoids , terms , and gonorrheas : the dose is from ten grains to half a drachm . it is likewise used to stop a little the violence of catarrhs , by receiving the fume of it at the nose . some do think that petroleum , or oil of peter , is a liquor drawn from ambar , by the means of subterranean fires , which make a distillation of it , and that jet , and coals are the remainders of this distillation . this opinion would have probability enough in it , if the places , from whence this sort of drogues does come , were not so far asunder the one from the other ; for petroleum is not commonly found but in italy , in sicily , and provence . this oil distils through the clefts of rocks , and it is very likely to be the oil of some bitumen , which the subterranean fires have raised . tincture of ambar . this operation is a solution of some oily parts of ambar , made in spirit of wine . reduce into an impalpable powder five or six ounces of yellow ambar , and put it into a bolt-head , pour upon it spirit of wine to the height of four fingers , stop this bolthead with another , to make a double vessel , and having exactly luted the junctures with a wet bladder , place it in digestion in hot sand , and leave it there five or six dayes , or until the spirit of wine is sufficiently tinged with the ambar colour ; decant this tincture , and put more spirit of wine to the matter , you must digest it as before , then having separated the impregnation , mix it with the other : filtrate them , and distil from them in an alembick with a very little fire , about half the spirit of wine , which may serve you as before ; keep the tincture that you will find at the bottom of the alembick , in a viol well stopt . it is good for the apoplexy , palsie , epilepsie , and for hysterical women ; the dose is from ten drops to a drachm in some proper liquor . remarks . you must powder the ambar finely , that the menstruum may open its body the better ; this tincture is nothing but the sulphureous or oily part of ambar , which spirit of wine ( a sulphur ) does become impregnated with : a liquor that were not sulphureous would perhaps dissolve the ambar , but that which is dissolved by it would be the more impure ; wherefore you must always use such a dissolvent as is of the same nature with the substance that you would dissolve . half the spirit of wine is drawn off , to make the tincture the stronger . distillation of ambar , and the rectification of its oil , and spirit . fill with ambar grosly beaten two thirds of an earthen retort , or glass one luted ; place it in a furnace , on two iron bars ; fit to it a large receiver , and luting the junctures close , give under it a small fire to warm the retort , and drive out the phlegm . afterwards augment it by little and little , there will come forth a spirit , and an oil ; continue the fire until there comes no more ; then let the vessels cool , and unlute them . pour about a pint of warm water into the receiver , and stirring it soundly about , for to dissolve some volatile salt that often sticks to the sides of the receiver , pour all the liquor into a glass alembeck ; fit to it a receiver , and luting well the junctures , make a small fire to heat the vessel , then augment it a little , the water and spirit will rise , and carry with them a little white oil ; continue the fire , until there rises no more , and the thick oil remains at bottom of the cucurbite without boiling : separate the white oil that swims above the spirit and phlegm , and keep it in a viol well stopt ; it is given inwardly in hysterical distempers , in the palsie , apoplexy , and epilepsie ; the dose is from one drop to four in some appropriate liquor : it may be mixed with a little yelk of an egg , to dissolve it easily in water or broth . the water and spirit do remain mixed confusedly together , now to separate them you must pour this mixture into an earthen or glass dish , and evaporate over a very gentle fire two thirds of it ; that which remains is the spirit of ambar , keep it in a viol well stopt . it is an excellent aperitive , and is given in the jaundise , stoppage of urine , ulcers of the neck of the bladder , and in the scurvy ; the dose is from ten to four and twenty drops in some convenient liquor . the black oil which remains in the cucurbite may be kept apart for outward uses , to chafe the nose and wrists of women in hysterical maladies . if you would rectifie it , you must mix it with so much sand as is necessary to make it into a paste , and put it into a retort , and placing it in a furnace in a naked fire distil all the oil ; the first that comes forth will be red , but exceeding clear , keep it by it self ; it may serve instead of the white . the oil of jet may be drawn as the oil of ambar , but because jet is more terrestrious , it requires a stronger fire . remarks . the oils of ambar and jet do work in hysterical cases , chiefly by their ill smell ; for we see that whatsoever is ungrateful to the smell does commonly allay symptoms in diseases of the matrix , and that good smells do increase them . the reason of these effects is not very easie to find , seeing that all that has been hitherto said for explication of them has only come to this , that the matrix sympathizing with the brain does rise upwards to share in the good smells of the brain , and sinks downwards when the nose is offended with that which is unpleasant . nay some have thought the matrix to be a little animal , by reason of the many motions that have been observed in it . these kinds of discourses are indeed very proper to leave people in the same doubts they were in before , and i don't think any body has received any satisfaction from them . therefore let us try whether we can say any thing more to the purpose . when a woman receives an agreeable smell , the tickling pleasure which this smell produces in the brain by means of the olfactive nerve , does move the spirits and determinate them to run into the vessels in a greater abundance , and with more agility than they did before . then also is perceived , if she minds it , a certain titillation of the parts , and all the senses do seem willing to partake of this good smell . all this is common to men as well as women . but because the vessels which go from the brain to the matrix do swell with this affluence of spirits , they must of necessity be abbreviated in their length , as a cord is found to swell and to shorten when it is wetted , or as the fibres of a glove do shrink when the humidity that is within them is rarefied by the fire . these vessels being thus shortned , they must needs give shocks , and receive like returns from the matrix . and then likewise it is perceived to rise and to move upwards . but because this viscus does commonly contain a gross bloud , and humors very easie to ferment , which are actuated by these shocks , there do rise from it gross vapours which oppress the diaphragm , and do cause that which is called the suffocation of the matrix . these distempers do likewise very often happen to women who have no ways been offended with sweet smells , but that which causes the same symptoms does work after the same manner . as for ill smells , they must produce a quite contrary effect , for by striking offensively the nerve of the nose , the spirits do retire back to their places , and consequently the vessels , and the matrix do resume their ordinary disposition . but you will say perhaps that a grain of musk or civet is often applyed to the navil , to settle the mother , and to lay the vapours . this has been practised indeed by some , but without any proof that ever it did any good , or that it gave any ease . civet is put into the middle of galbanum plaisters , or the oxycroceum , which is applied to the navil , but there is more reason to attribute the effects which come from this remedy rather to the plaisters than to the civet . and besides , it cannot be said that this civet , or this musk thus applied do yield any good smell . many men are likewise very subject to vapours , and among others those that are of a melancholick temper do seem to feel the same symptoms as women , upon any sweet smells . this comes from obstructions in the vessels , which have communication with the brain , for these humors which do cause the obstruction being thereby moved may produce these effects . that which is called spirit of ambar is only a volatile salt dissolved in a little phlegm . some authors pretend , that putting this spirit into a matrass with its blind-head , they can sublime a volatile salt from it as from animals , but i could never find experience answer their pretences ; for after having followed them several times in this operation , i could never gain one jot of that salt , which hath given me occasion to examine this spirit , and to enquire what kind of salt it might contain . i found this salt was acid , and like unto that of plants which is called essential , whereof i have spoken in the principles . this salt being less volatile than that of animals , cannot rise so high , besides that it is heavier than the phlegm which must rise first . wherefore to separate it , you must evaporate about a third part of the spirit , over a very gentle fire , and then put the remainder into a cool place , and leave it there ten or twelve days without stirring it , you 'l find little crystals which you may take and keep in a viol well stopt . this salt hath the same virtues as the spirit : the dose is from eight grains to sixteen , in raddish , or pellitory water ; but it is better to keep it in the spirit , for besides that it is more easily preserved so , there always flies away some part of it with the phlegm in the evaporation , let the fire be never so moderate . but now i shall give you a preparation of the volatile salt of ambar , that may be easily made , and may keep dry . the volatile salt of ambar . put two pounds of ambar powdered into a large glass or earthen cucurbite , let it be filled but the fourth part , set this cucurbite in sand , and after you have fitted a head to it , and a small receiver , lute well the junctures , and light a little fire under it for about an hour ; then when the cucurbite is grown hot , encrease the fire by little and little to the third degree ; and there will distil first of all a phlegm and spirit , then the volatile salt will rise , and stick to the head in little crystals ; afterwards there distils an oil first white and then red , but clear : when you see the vapours rise no longer , you must put out the fire , and when the vessels are cold unlute them . gather the volatile salt with a feather , and because it will be but impure as yet , by reason of a little oil that is mixed with it , you must put it into a viol big enough that the salt may fill only the fourth part of it , place the viol in sand , after you have stopt it only with paper , and by means of a little fire , you 'l sublime the pure salt in fair crystals to the top of the viol. when you perceive the oil begin to rise , you must then take your viol off the fire , and letting it cool , break it , to separate the salt ; keep it in a viol well stopt , you 'l have half an ounce . this salt is a very good aperitive , and may be given from eight grains to sixteen in some opening liquor , for the jaundies , for ischuries , vlcers in the bladder , the scurvy , fits of the mother , and upon all occasions where there is any need of removing obstructions , and opening by way of urine . the spirit and oil have the same virtues as those i have spoken of . if you would distil in a retort the mass which remains in the cucurbite , until there comes away nothing more , you 'l have a black oil , which might serve women to smell to in fits . remarks . the cucurbite must be sure to be large enough , for otherwise it will break while the vapours are a rising . you will have five ounces and a half of a clear oil , and one ounce and a half of spirit , two ounces and a half of a black oil , are drawn from the mass by the retort , and that which remains weighs two ounces ; it is a black rarefied matter which burns like coals by reason of the fuliginosities that fall upon it . a clear oil may be drawn from ambar in the first distillation by mixing the ambar with an equal weight of sea-salt , and distilling it in a retort the usual way ; there will remain likewise some volatile salt in the neck of the retort , which may be rectified by subliming it in a viol as i have said . chap. xxii . of ambar-grease . ambar-grease is a bitumen found in many places on the sea-shore , but especially in the indies ; it grows hard in the sun-beams . the best is that which is very gray , and dry , and easily softens in the heat ; when it is wet , it appears blackish . men have thought it is found no where else but in the oriental seas , though some of it has been known to be sometimes met with upon the english coast , and in several other places of europe ; most of it is brought from the coast of melinda , and especially at the mouth of the river that is called rio di sena . ambar-grease is an excellent corroborative , it is given in some liquor , or in electuary to increase seed : the dose is from one grain to four . essence of ambar-grease . this operation is an extract of the more oily parts of ambar-grease , musk , and civet , in spirit of wine . take two drachms of good ambar-grease , so much sugar candy , half a drachm of musk , and two grains of civet ; beat them small together , and put the mixture into a viol : pour upon it four ounces of spirit of wine well alcoholized . stop the viol close , and set it in digestion in horse-dung four days ; then taking it out , separate that which is clear , while it is warm , for it will congeal when cold . this essence works more strongly than ambar-grease in substance ; the dose is from six to twelve drops in some convenient liquor . remarks . ambar-grease alone hath scarce any smell at all , but when its parts are put in motion by fermentation , sulphurs do rise from it which tickle the sense of smelling with a great deal of pleasure ; the addition of musk and civet have a good effect ; as for the sugar candy , it serves only to separate the rest , that they may be the more easily powdered and dissolved : for this tincture is only a dissolution of these sulphureous matters in spirit of wine . the terrestrious part which remains at bottom may be used in sweet powders . the second part . of vegetables . chap. i. of jalap . jalap is a grayish root brought out of america , cut into slices and dried ; it grows in the province of mechoacan , and in several other places ; the best is that which is most compact , and filled with resinous veins . it purges watery humors very well , and is therefore usually given in the dropsie and gout : the dose is from ten grains to a drachm in broth , or white-wine . rosine , or magistery of jalap . this operation is a solution of the oily or resinous part of jalap , made in spirit of wine , and precipitated by common water . put a pound of good jalap grosly powdered into a large matrass ; pour upon it spirit of wine alcoholized , until it be four fingers above the matter : stop the matrass with another whose neck enters into it , and luting the junctures with a wet bladder , digest it three days in a sand-heat , the spirit of wine will receive a red tincture : decant it , and then pour more upon the jalap ; proceed as before , and mixing your dissolutions filtrate them through brown paper . put that which you have filtred into a glass cucurbite , and distil in a vaporous bath two thirds of the spirit of wine , which may serve you another time for the same operation . pour that which remains at the bottom of the cucurbite into a large earthen pan , filled with water , and it will turn into a milk , which you must leave a day to settle , and then separate the water by inclination , you 'l find the rosine at bottom like unto turpentine . wash it several times with water , and dry it in the sun , it will grow hard like common rosine ; powder it fine , and it will become white . keep it in a viol , it purges serosities . it is given in dropsies , and for all obstructions : the dose is from four to twelve grains , mixt in electuary , or else in pills . the rosines of turbith , scammony , and benjamin , may be drawn after the same manner . remarks . the spirit of wine , which is a sulphur , is likewise a very convenient menstruum to extract rosines , which are gross sulphurs ; you must use enough spirit to dissolve all the rosine , and give it a sufficient time to open all the body of the jalap , after which a good part of the spirit of wine is drawn off , and may serve for the same use again , provided you distil it with a very gentle fire , for if you let it be too strong , it will carry along with it good part of the rosine . a great deal of water is poured upon it , to weaken the spirit of wine , which held the rosine dissolved ; and then it revives again , and its parts approaching one another , there is made a kind of milk , which clears up , according as the rosine precipitates . if you have used sixteen ounces of jalap , you will draw an ounce and six drachms of rosine well washed and dried . from six ounces of good scammony , you draw five ounces of rosine by the like preparation . some do evaporate the spirit of wine , and without using any precipitation , they find their rosine in an extract at the bottom of the vessel , but then it becomes black like pitch . all the purgative virtue of the jalap consists in the rosine : an alkali salt may be drawn from the remainder but in a very small quantity . you must observe to give the rosine of jalap always mixt with something else that may separate its parts for if it be taken alone , it will be apt to adhere to the inward membrane of the intestines , and so cause ulcers by its acrimonious quality . moreover apothecaries should observe to mix it in a little yolk of an egg , when they would dissolve it in a potion , for it sticks to the mortar like turpentine , when it is humected by any aqueous liquor . it may be likewise incorporated with some electuary , and then it easily dissolves . twelve grains of this rosine work the same effect , as a drachm of jalap in substance . it is not yet sufficiently known wherein the purgative virtue of mixts doth consist , to give it a right explication . it is easily conceived that these effects do follow the fermentation that the remedy hath caused , but no body can find what it is that makes this remedy be purgative rather than several others , which seem to have as great a disposition as this to cause such fermentation ; wherefore i shall not pretend to clear the knowledge of this phaenomenon . i shall only endeavour to give some reason for a very considerable difficulty , which is to know how hydragogues do work in our bodies , and why they rather purge water than other humors . a general reason that may be given of it is that all hydragogue remedies have more acrimony than other purgatives , and consequently they are better able to open the lymphatick vessels . but it may be further said that these remedies do so cut and attenuate the viscosities which are found in bodies , that they make them be like water , and there is no difficulty in conceiving this last reason , when it is considered , that these remedies which do purge water , are all of them resinous or else salts ; for after the same manner as we see sulphurs , or liquified salts dissolve sulphureous bodies , so do rosines , which are sulphurs and salts , dissolve viscosities in the body , which are compounded of a great deal of sulphur . but there is this difference between the effects of salt and of rosines , that the salt passing quick , and making but little impression , doth dissolve only that which is found in what is called the first region of the body , wherefore it purges but mildly ; whereas the rosine by reason of its viscous , hooked parts , remains a longer time in the body , and leasurely causes a fermentation not only about the parts where it immediately works , but operates on the brain , and other remote places , from whence it forces phlegm to discharge it self into the belly , and this is that which causes rosinous hydragogues to purge more than salts . chap. ii. of rhubarb . rhubarb is a purgative root , brought from china . it takes its name from barbary where it hath grown in abundance ; it is likewise called rheum . the best sort is that which being broke appears of a nutmeg colour within . its virtues are so many and so great , that if they were sufficiently known , and men could generally use it without that nauseousness which too commonly attends it , mankind would have infinitely less need , than they have , of the art of physick in most cases , and men might perhaps preserve themselves from most diseases without any other help . extract of rhubarb . this extract is a separation of the purer parts of rhubarb , from the terrestrious . bruise six or eight ounces of good rhubarb , and steep it twelve hours warm in a sufficient quantity of succory water , so as the water may be four fingers above the rhubarb ; let it just boil , and pass the liquor through a cloth ; infuse the remainder in so much more succory water , as before , then strain the infusion , and express it strongly : mix your impregnations , or tinctures , and let them settle ; filtrate them , and evaporate the liquor in a glass vessel , over a very gentle fire , until there remains a matter that hath the consistence of thick honey , this is called extract of rhubarb , keep it in a pot. the dose is from ten grains to two scruples in pills , or dissolved in succory water for diseases of the liver and spleen , it binds after the purgeing . the extracts of vegetables are made after the same manner , except the resinous , whereof i have spoken . likewise waters may be used for menstruums , that are appropriated to the virtue of the mixt , whose extract you intend to draw . when you draw the extract of aromaticks , such as roses , and cinnamon , the liquor may be distilled rather than evaporated , whereby you gain a fragrant water . remarks . though the name of extract ought to be very general in physick , it is confined only to one sort of preparation that is reduced to the consistence of an electuary , it is nothing else but a purification that is made to cleanse a mixt from its more terrestrious parts , that being more open and free it may work with the greater strength . now this operation is good for mixts that are not odoriferous , but not so for those that are ; for by evaporation their best part is lost which consists in a volatile . so that i would by no means advise to make the extract of aromaticks . nature is a very good artist to perform this operation within our bodies , when the principles are easie to separate , as in these sorts of mixts . there has been a great contest among chymists heretofore , in which of the principles it is that the purgative virtue of many medicins doth consist . some have maintained it to be in the salt , others in the sulphur , and others again in the mercury . but when every party had very diligently separated each their principle , and came to try it , they found after all , that none of them was purgative ; which hath perswaded many of them to think that this purgative principle was of so subtile and penetrating a nature , that glass it self was not able to preserve it from being lost . for my part i cannot grant any such indiscernable purgative , & i rather am apt to believe that the purgative virtue of a mixt consists in nothing else but such a different mixture of principles as is requisite to produce certain fermentations in our bodies . so that when once we separate the sulphur , mercury , or salt , the position of parts , or proportion of principles being changed , there remains no longer any purgative effect , because the principles being separated can no more produce that fermentation which they did while they were mixed , and united together some kind of way that art is ignorant how to imitate . perhaps some who think themselves good criticks will say this chapter contradicts the former ; for i there maintained that the rosine of jalap , which is a sulphur , doth contain all the purgative virtue of jalap ; but though i did call the rosine of jalap a sulphur , i did not mean it was a pure sulphur , it is a substance out of which all the five principles may be still drawn ; but by reason it doth contain great store of sulphur , this name may be given to it as it often is to others of the like nature . and thus salt may be said to be purgative too ; but it doth not follow from thence that the salt alone must be thought to contain all the purgative virtue of mixt bodies ; seeing many plants , such as guaiacum , box , carduus , and wormwood , do contain as much , or more salt , than senna , and rhubarb , and yet nevertheless do not purge at all . chap. iii. of the wood guaiacum . gvaiacum called lignum sanctum is the wood of a large tree that grows in a great many places in the west indies . it is likewise cultivated here in europe , in languedoc is good store , but that which is brought out of the hot countries is best esteemed ; this wood is very much in use in sudorifick decoctions ; the bark is also used , and the gum that runs from it : the best guaiacum is that which is most compact . distillation of guaiacum . this operation is a separation of the liquid parts of guaiacum , from its terrestrious matter . take the shavings of guaiacum , fill a large retort with them three quarters full , place it in a reverberatory furnace , and joyn to it a great capacious receiver . begin the distillation with a fire of the first degree , to warm the retort gently , and to distil the water , which is called phlegm ; continue it in this condition , until there come no more drops , which is a sign that all the phlegm is distilled . throw away that which you find in the receiver , and fitting it again to the neck of the retort , lute well the junctures . you must afterwards encrease the fire by degrees , and the spirits , and oyl will come forth in white clouds ; continue the fire until there comes no more , let the vessels cool , and unlute them , pour that which is in the receiver into a tunnel lined with brown paper , set upon a bottle , or some other vessel , the spirit will pass through , and leave the black , thick , and very fetid oil , in the tunnel ; pour it into a viol , and keep it for use ; it is an excellent remedy for rottenness of bones , for the tooth-ach , and to cleanse old ulcers . it may be rectified as i said of the oil of ambar , and may be used inwardly in the epilepsie , palsie , and to drive forth the after-birth : the dose is from two drops to six . the spirit of guaiacum may be rectified by distilling it by an alembeck , for to separate a little impurity that might have passed with it ; it works by perspiration , and by urine : the dose is from half a drachm to a drachm and a half . it is likewise used mixt with the water of honey , to cleanse inveterate ulcers . you 'l find in the retort the coals of guaiacum , which you may turn into ashes by putting fire to them , which they will sooner take than other coals : calcine these ashes some hours in a potters furnace , then make a lixivium of them with water , which being filtred , evaporate it in a glass or earthen vessel in sand ; there will remain the salt of guaiacum , which you may make white by calcining it in a crucible in a strong fire . this salt is aperitive , and sudorifick ; it may serve as all other alkalis to draw the tincture of vegetables : the dose is from ten grains to half a drachm in some convenient liquor . the earth , called caput mortuum , is good for nothing . after this manner the five substances of all vegetables may be drawn ; but because the fire doth give them a loathsome empyreumatical smell , other ways have been invented to draw the oil of aromaticks : i shall describe them in the sequel . remarks . during the distillation of spirits , you must not make the fire too strong , for they coming forth with a great deal of violence , would else be apt to break either the retort or the receiver . though the guaiacum that is used be a very dry body , yet abundance of liquor is drawn from it ; for if you put into the retort four pounds of this wood , at sixteen ounces to the pound , you 'l draw nine and thirty ounces of spirit and phlegm , and five ounces and a half of oil ; there will remain in the retort nineteen ounces of coals , from which you may draw half an ounce or six drachms of an alkali salt . the oil of guaiacum is acrimonious by reason of the salts it has carried along with it ; and it is the gravity of these salts that does precipitate it to the bottom of the water . the oil of box , and most others that are drawn this same way , do the like . these sorts of oil are good for the tooth-ach , because they stop the nerve with their ramous parts , hindring thereby the air from entring . moreover by means of the acrimonious salts which they contain they do dissipate a phlegm which uses to get within the gum , and causes the pain , but yet by reason of their fetid smell men have much ado to take them into their mouth . that which is called spirit of guaiacum is nothing but a dissolution of the essential salt of the plant in a little phlegm . the fixt salt is an alkali that works much like others of that kind , nevertheless it is very probable that the fixt salts of vegetables , let them be never so much calcined , do always retain some particular virtue of the plant they were drawn from . if one would take the pains to calcine the earth that remains , he would obtain a salt , though but very little of it . chap. iv. of paper . the papyrus of the antients , which gave the name to our paper , was a tree growing in aegypt near the river nilus . the bark of this tree was prepared , and men did write upon it , but our paper is made of old rags or clouts , which are beaten exceeding fine in paper-mills , and then put into the press in order to make paper with them . this paper has some use in physick ; pieces of it are lighted in a room , and hysterical women are made to receive the fume of it ; they are commonly relieved with this disagreeable smell , as by many others of the like nature . oil and spirit of paper . fold white paper into little pellets and fill a great earthen retort , or glass one luted , with them , place your retort in a reverberatory furnace . fit to it a large capacious receiver , lute well the junctures , give it a very little fire for two hours only to heat the retort ; increase it with two or three coals , and continue it so for two or three hours , then quicken it to the third degree . the receiver will be filled with white clouds , put out the fire , when no more will come forth , the operation will be ended in seven or eight hours . when the vessels are cold , unlute them , pour what you find in the receiver into a tunnel lined with a coffin of brown paper , the spirit will pass through the filter , and a thick , black , and ill-scented oil will remain within it , keep the oil for use in a viol. it is a very good remedy in deafness , some drops of it are put into the ear with a little cotton , from time to time , it quiets the noise of the ear ; it is also good for tettars and for the itch , the parts being anointed a little with it ; it cures the tooth-ach , much like the oil of guaiacum ; it is good likewise to repress hysterical vapours , women so affected are to smell to it . you must rectifie the spirit , by distilling it in sand . it is an aperitive , and may be given where there is occasion for a diuretick , the dose is from six drops to twenty in some proper liquor . remarks . the vitriol and other drogues which are in ink might alter the virtue of the oil and spirit of paper ; wherefore it is better to use clean , than written paper . the receiver must be large , in order to give room to the vapours to circulate in , for they come forth with that force that they would break the vessel if they had not room enough to play in ; you must manage the fire with prudence , for if you make it too great the first hours , the spirits will break the retort . if you have used in this operation four and twenty ounces of paper , you will draw two ounces and two drachms of oil , and thirteen ounces and a half of spirit , there will remain in the retort seven ounces and a half of coals . the oil does not pass with the spirit , through the coffin in the tunnel , because it is too thick , its black colour , and its ill smell , do come from the fire . it is good for deafness , because that disease is often caused by a thick or phlegmatick humor which dries and hardens in the ear so as to stop the auditory nerve . now this oil dissolves and rarefies this humor , and disposes it the better to come out . and this is the reason that it dissipates the noises in the ears , for they were caused by winds which this humor had shut in . the spirit is very acid in comparison with other spirits of vegetables , because it comes from an essential salt which has been put into a very considerable motion . again , it is probable that by the many different forms which the flax , and canvas have received , in order to make cloth , and afterwards paper , and by the fermentations which they may have received , their fixed salt may be volatilized , and become of the nature of that which is called essential . now in the distillation all this salt has been dissolved into a liquor by the phlegm , and turned into that which is called spirit ; that which confirms me in this sentiment is that there can be hardly any fixed salt at all drawn from the coal which remains in the retort , wherefore the coal is thrown away as useless , it takes fire exceeding easily , by reason of a light soot that is fallen upon it , and which gave it the black colour . chap. v. of cinnamon . cinnamon is the bark of a tree as large as an olive tree , it grows in the east-indies , and is much like that which the cassia lignea is taken from , but it is not the very same , as some will needs think ; the best cinnamon is that which has the strongest smell , is quick upon the taste , and of a reddish colour . the cassia lignea differs from cinnamon , in that it is not so biting to the taste , smells not so strong , and becomes mucilaginous in the mouth when it is chewed , which cinnamon doth not do . both cinnamon , and cassia lignea are good to fortifie the stomach , to help perspiration of gross humors , to strengthen and rejoice the heart , and in hysterical cases . oil , or essence of cinnamon , and its aethereal water . bruise four pounds of good cinnamon , and infuse it in six quarts of hot water , leave it in digestion in an earthen vessel well stopt two days : pour the infusion into a large copper limbeck , and fitting a receiver to it , and luting close the junctures with a wet bladder , distil with a pretty good fire three or four pints of the liquor , then unlute the limbeck , and pour into it by inclination the distilled water , you 'l find at bottom a little oil which you must pour into a viol , and stop it close . distil the liquor as before , then returning the water into the limbeck , take the oil you find at bottom of the receiver , and mix it with the first : repeat this cohobation until there rises no more oil ; then take away the fire , and distil the water that remains in the receiver , the same way i shall shew hereafter to rectifie spirit of wine , you 'l have an excellent spirituous cinnamon water . the oil of cinnamon is an admirable corroborative ; it strengthens the stomach , and assists nature in her evacuations . it is given to make women have an easie delivery , and to bring their terms ; it likewise encreases seed ; a drop of it is commonly mixed in a little sugar-candy to make the eleo-saccharum , which is easily dissolved in cordial , or hysterical waters . the spirituous water of cinnamon hath the same virtues , but two or three drachms are requisite for a dose . after this manner almost all the oils of odoriferous vegetables may be drawn , such as those of box , roses , rosemary , lavender , juniper , cloves , and anis-seed , which do either swim above the water , or fall to the bottom , according as they are more or less loaded with salts . remarks . you must make the fire strong enough , for if there be not a sufficient heat , the oil will not rise . the cohobation serves to open the body the more , that the oil may compleat its separation . cinnamon yields less oil than other woods , or barks , and it is very difficult to draw six drachms of it out of four pounds , let it be never so good . the spirituous water of cinnamon is nothing but a rarefied oil , whose parts are separated in the water by fermentation , so as they become imperceptible : they do make what is called a volatile spirit , which easily mixes with all sorts of liquors , as doth the eleo-saccharum ; for the eleo-saccharum is properly an oil , whose parts being separated in the sugar , do easily mix in waters . tincture of cinnamon . this operation is an exaltation of the more oily parts of cinnamon in spirit of wine . take what quantity of bruised cinnamon you please , put it into a matrass , and pour upon it spirit of wine one finger above it ; stop your matrass close , and set it in digestion in horse-dung four or five days , the spirit of wine will be impregnated with the tincture of cinnamon , and become red ; separate it from the cinnamon , and after it is filtrated , keep this tincture in a viol well stopt ; it is an admirable cardiack , it fortifies the stomach , and rejoices all the vital parts : it may be used like cinnamon water , in a little smaller dose . after this manner the tincture of all odoriferous vegetables may be drawn . chap. vi. of the bark of peru. the peruvian bark , called quinquina , or kina kina by the french , is a bark that has been brought into these parts , some years since , from peru ; it retains the name of the tree from which it is taken , the spaniards do call it palo de calenturas , or the wood against feavers . there are two kinds of this tree , the one is cultivated , and the other grows wild , the cultivated is much better than the other ; you must choose it of a compact substance , bitter to the taste , and of a reddish colour . it is the most certain remedy that ever yet was known , to hinder the fits of agues . the manner of using it for a great while past has been to give the patient the powder from half a drachm to two drachms , with a little white-wine , at the coming of the fit . but this method has been quite changed in our days , for at present we do infuse an ounce of the powder in two quarts of wine , eight and forty hours , in a balneum ; the infusion is then strained , and the patient is made to drink every day three or four little glasses of it , at some distance from the paroxysm . the use of this remedy is continued a fortnight at least . some do frequently add to the infusion of this bark , the lesser centaury , wormwood , chervil , juniper-berries , the bark of the alder-tree , sassafras , salt of tartar , and divers other ingredients , thought to be febrifuges . but the basis of all is the bark of peru , the rest of the ingredients do no great good . some do likewise mix with it a little opium , but that ought not to be done without a great deal of precaution . you must observe to purge your patient well before you give him the bark , because this remedy shuts up the humors for some time , and when they come to ferment a-new , they do sometimes cause more dangerous maladies than he had before , such as asthma's , dropsies , rheumatisms , dysenteries , suppression of the menses in women , and many others which have too too often succeeded cures by this bark . for which reason many diseased persons have again wished for their ague that were cured by this remedy . the bark is likewise very ill for those who have any abscess in their body , for it fixes and hardens the humor for some time , which afterwards ferments and causes a gangrene in the part . you must forbear the use of milk , and aliments of that nature , when you take this remedy , by reason of their cheesie part , which would lie heavy upon the stomach , and be apt to corrupt in the vessels . it is probable that the bark does check the humor of the feaver , much after the manner as an alkali does stop the motion of an acid salt , that is to say , it unites with it , and makes together a kind of coagulum ; this humor does commonly remain quiet a fortnight , and the person cured does find himself a little swelled and heavy , especially if he were not purged , before he took it . afterwards the ague returns because the feaverish humor having been agitated by the spirits , or else being joyned with other humors of the same nature , which have been preparing in the body during the fornights respite , it gets quit from the bark , and ferments as it did before . but sometimes , and that especially when the body of one in an ague has been well cleansed , if you should persist in continuing the use of the bark , you will so fix the humor that you will dispose it to precipitate and be evacuated , either by stool , or urine , or by insensible perspiration , and the ague returns no more , for the spirits in our body do by their motion push outwards , as much as they are able , whatsoever molests the oeconomy of the parts . tincture of the peruvian bark . this operation is an extraction of the more oily , and separable parts of the bark by spirit of wine . put into a bolt-head four ounces of good peruvian bark grosly powdered , pour upon it spirit of wine four fingers height above the matter , fit to it another matrass in order to make a double vessel , lute well the junctures , and place your vessel to digest in horse-dung , or in a vaporous bath , four days : stir it from time to time , the spirit of wine will load it self with a red colour , unlute the vessels , filtrate the tincture through brown paper , and keep it in a viol well stopt . it is a febrifuge to be given in agues , three or four times a day , at a distance from the fitt , and to be continued for a fortnight ; the dose is from ten drops to a drachm in some proper liquor , such as centaury water , or juniper , or wormwood water , or wine . if you put new spirit of wine to the matter which remains in the matrass , and set it in digestion as before , you will draw more tincture , but it will not be so strong as the other , wherefore you must give it in a little larger dose . remarks . this tincture works like the infusion i now spoke of ; it is a more convenient preparation than the other in this , that it can keep as long as you will , whereas the other does sowr in a little time . again those who do not love wine will like it better ; but i should prefer the infusion before the tincture , because wine is a more proper menstruum wherewith to draw the saline and sulphureous substance of a mixt , then spirit of wine . you may steep a few coriander seeds , or a little cinnamon in the wine or water , and after it is strained off dissolve some sugar in it , and in this you may mix the tincture of the bark , and so make a kind of febrifugous rossoli , which infants may be easily made to take of . extract of peruvian bark . this operation is a separation of the more substantial parts of the bark . put to infuse warm four and twenty hours eight ounces of peruvian bark in a sufficient quantity of distilled water of nuts ; afterwards boil the infusion gently and strain it , make a strong expression of the residence , put it to infuse in new water of nuts , boil and strain it as before , mix together what you have strained , and let them settle ; decant the clear liquor , and evaporate it in a glass or earthen vessel , set in a sand-heat , unto the consistence of thick honey . it is a febrifuge that has the same virtues as the former , the dose is from twelve grains to half a drachm , in pills , or dissolved in wine . remarks . the wine and spirit of wine are very proper to draw forth the tincture of the bark , but they are by no means good to make the extract with , because in the evaporation the spirit carries away with it the more subtile parts of the mixt . the water of nuts is much more convenient , for besides that it loses less of the volatile substance , it is a little febrifugous itself . instead of this water you might use those of juniper-berries , the lesser centaury , or wormwood-water . the extract is convenient for those who cannot endure the taste of remedies , for it may be given in pills wrapped up in a wafer , without partaking of the taste . but i should prefer the infusion , or the bark in substance , before this preparation , because it is impossible to avoid the evaporation of the more subtile parts in the ebullition of it , use what precaution you will to preserve them . you may draw the fixt salt from the residence that remains , after you have drawn the extract , or the tincture . you must dry it , and burn and calcine the ashes in a crucible , then steep them in hot water ten or twelve hours , boil them an hour , and then filtrate this lixivium , and evaporate the water in an earthen pan or glass vessel in sand , there will remain a salt at bottom , which you must keep in a bottle well stopt . this salt is an alkali , as are all other fixed salts drawn from plants , it is aperitive , it may be given for a quartan ague ; the dose is from ten grains to a scruple in some proper liquor . you must not think that this salt retains all the virtues of the bark , they are rather all destroyed in the calcination . nor may we think to separate the febrifugous virtue of this bark , by distilling it dry in a retort ; for on the contrary , this would destroy it , by breaking the natural harmony and union of its parts , and you would get only a stinking spirit , and a burnt oil , which would be of no great use . chap. vii . of cloves . cloves are the fruit of a tree as big as the laurel tree , its bark is very much like cinnamon , but tasts like the fruit cloves ; it grows in many places in the indies ; it is an admirable stomachick , held in the mouth it preserves from the contagion of ill air . oil of cloves per descensum . take several large drinking glasses , cover them with a linnen-cloth , and tie it round each of them , leaving a cavity in each cloth to put the powdered cloves into ; set a small earthen cup upon each glass of these cloves , let it stop so fitly that it may suffer no air to enter between its brim and that of the glass : fill these cups with hot ashes , to warm the cloves , and distil down to the bottom of the glass first a little phlegm and spirit , and after that a clear and white oil ; continue the fire until there falls no more , separate the oil in a tunnel lined with a cornet of brown paper , and keep it in a viol well stopt . some drops of it are with cotton put into aking teeth ; it is likewise good in malignant feavers , and the plague : the dose is two or three drops in balm-water , or some appropriate liquor . you must mix it with a little sugar-candy , or a little yelk of an egg , before you drop it into water ; otherwise it will not dissolve in the water . remarks . i have given you this preparation to serve upon an emergence , when you want in haste the oil of cloves , you must only use hot ashes to warm the cloves , if you desire to have a white oil , for if you give a greater heat , the oil turns red , and loses a good part of it . you must also take care to lift up the cup from time to time , to stir about the powder of cloves . the oil of cloves may be likewise drawn , if you please , like that of cinnamon . if you use a pound of cloves , to distil per descensum , according to the description i have given , you 'l draw an ounce and two drachms of white oil , and an ounce of spirit ; there will remain thirteen ounces and two drachms of matter , from whence might still be drawn a little red oil. it is likely that the oil of cloves works in easing the tooth-ach much after the same manner as i said the oil of guaiacum did . but this oil having an agreeable smell with it , there is no difficulty in admitting the application of this , as there was in the other . some do dissolve opium in oil of cloves , and do use this dissolution for the tooth-ach ; they do put one drop of it into the aking tooth , and this allaies the pain in a very little time , by reason of the opium , but there is one thing to be apprehended from this use of opiates , and that is deafness , some have thereby become deaf , though indeed that rarely happens . you may rectifie the spirit of cloves by distilling it in sand . and when you have distilled two thirds of it , you must keep it in a viol well stopt , and fling away the phlegm which remains at bottom of the cucurbite . the spirit of cloves is a good stomachick , it is good to help concoction , to comfort the heart , to perspire ill humors , and to provoke seed ; the dose is from six drops to twenty in some convenient liquor . chap. viii . of nutmegs . nvtmeg is the fruit of a tree as big as a pear-tree , which grows in the isle banda in the west-indies . it is called nucista , nux moschata , myristica , vnguentaria , and aromatites . while it is green , it is clothed with two barks , but when it comes to maturity , the uppermost chaps , and lets the second appear , which is tender , and very fragrant . this last bark is called mace , and improperly the flower of nutmegs . the best nutmeg is that which is most weighty ; it is mixed in carminative , & hysterical remedies . sometimes a sort of nutmegs , called male-nutmeg , is found at the druggist , which differs from the common sort , in that it is longer and weaker . oil of nutmeg . take sixteen ounces of good nutmegs , beat them in a mortar , until they are almost in a paste , and put them upon a boulter ; cover them with a piece of strong cloth , and an earthen pan over that ; put your cloth over a kettle half filled with water , and set the kettle upon the fire , that the vapour of the water may gently warm the nutmegs ; when you shall find upon touching the pan , that it is so hot you cannot endure your hand upon it , you must take off the boulter , and putting the matter into a linnen cloth , take its four corners , and tye them quickly together ; put them into a press between a couple of warm plates , set the pan underneath , and there will come forth an oil which congeals as it grows cold : express the matter as strongly as you are able , to draw out all the oil ; then keep it in a pot well stopt ; this oil is very stomachick , being applyed outwardly , or else given inwardly . the dose is from four grains to ten in broth , or some more convenient liquor . it is commonly mixed with oil of mastich , to chafe the region of the stomach . and this way the green oils of anis-seed , fennil , dill , and mace , may be drawn . remarks . the nutmegs must be well beaten , or else they will yield little oil ; this way of warming them is called the vaporous bath . the ordinary method is to heat the nutmegs in a kettle , and then express them strongly , but because the warming them that way carries off a great deal of its volatile parts , the oil never proves so good , as when made with the circumstances i have mentioned ; for thus the matter heats insensibly by the vapour of the water , and alters not its virtue in the least ; and if any water doth mix with the nutmegs , it is easily separated from the oil. they who desire to have it very fragrant , may set it over a vessel of wine instead of water . if you draw the oil from sixteen ounces of anis-seed , the way i have described , you may obtain from six drachms to nine drachms and a half of it , according to the goodness of the anis-seed you use , this oil will be of a green colour . the oils of almonds , wall-nuts , gold seeds , hazle nuts , poppy , and behen , must be only beaten , and so put into the press , without heating because they do yield their oils very easily , and because these oils are often taken inwardly , it is better to draw them without the help of fire , to avoid the empyreumatical impression it would otherwise take . chap. ix . distillation of an odoriferous plant , such as balm , its extract , and fixt salt. take a good quantity of balm newly gathered , when it is in its vigour : beat it well in a mortar , and put it into a large earthen pot , make a strong decoction of other balm , and pour of it into the pot enough to swet it sufficiently ; cover the pot , and leave it two days indigestion ; then put the matter into a large copper vesica , and cover it with its refrigeratory , or head , tin'd on the inside : set it in a furnace , and fitting to it a receiver lute the junctures with a wet bladder ; make a fire of the second degree under it , and distil about half the water you poured upon the balm , then let the vessels cool , and unlute them : you 'l find in the receiver a very good balm-water , put it into a bottle , and expose it to the sun five or six days open , then stop it , and keep it for use . it is used in hysterical maladies , in the palsie , apoplexy , and malignant feavers , it is given from two to six ounces . express through a linnen cloth strongly that which remains in the body , and let the expression settle ; filter it , and evaporate the water with a gentle heat in an earthen vessel , until there remains an extract in the consistence of thick hony . 't is a good remedy for such diseases as proceed from corrupt humors , it works by perspiration , or by urine : the dose is from a scrupule to a drachm , dissolved in its proper water . dry the residence that remains after expression , and burn it with good store of other balm likewise dried , you may obtain an alkali salt from the ashes by a lixivium , the same way i spoke of concerning the salt of guaiacum . this salt is aperitive , and sudorifick , the dose is from ten grains to a scrupule in balm-water . the water , extract , and salt of all odoriferous plants , such as sage , marjoram , time , mint , hyssop , &c. may be drawn after the same manner . remarks . perhaps some will think it strange that i add water for the distillation of balm , but those who use to work on this sort of herbs do know well enough , that being dry substances of themselves , there is no good distilling them without first wetting them ; and besides , the water that is added doth only serve to imbibe the volatile parts , as the fermentation operates ; and when the matter is heated , the more spirituous part as being the lighter rises first , and savours much less of the empyreume , than if the herb were distilled without first wetting it . you must observe in these distillations to give a fire from the second to the third degree , because if it were made too little , none of the essential or volatile salt of the plant would rise ; and if it were too strong , the water would taste of the empyreume : wherefore to make a good distillation , you must let one drop follow another slowly . the waters so soon as they are distilled , have commonly no great smell , but when they have lain some time in the sun , their spirituous parts that were condensed in the phlegm , do display themselves , and exert their activity ; for which reason it is that the water becomes fragrant which was not so before . the extract doth contain almost all the essential salt of the plant , wherefore it is of greater virtue than the water ; you must take care to evaporate the liquor with a mild heat , for fear too much should carry off this salt , which is but too volatile of its own nature ; for it is in the salt that the principal virtue of the plant doth consist . chap. x. distillation of a plant that is not odoriferous , such as carduus benedictus , and its essential salt. take a good quantity of carduus , when it is in its prime ; pound it in a mortar , and fill with it two thirds of a limbeck ; draw by expression a sufficient quantity of the juyce of other carduus , and pour it into the limbeck , that the herbs swimming in the juyce may incur no danger of sticking to the bottom during the distillation : distil with a fire of the second degree about half as much water as you used juyce , this water is sudorifick . it is used to drive out the small-pox , and in the plague . express through a cloth that which remains in the limbeck , let the juyce settle , and after it is filtred , evaporate with a small fire about two thirds of the liquor , in an earthen or glass vessel : set this vessel in a cool place , and leave it there eight or ten days , there will shoot out crystals round about the vessel , separate them , and keep them in a viol well stopt . these crystals are called the essential salt ; it is sudorifick , the dose is from six to sixteen grains in its proper distilled water . the extract of carduus may be likewise made the same way that i described for balm . remarks . succory , fumitory , sorrel , scabious , cresses , and all other plants that are not odoriferous , which yield good store of juice , must be distilled like the carduus benedictus , and this method may serve to draw the essential salt out of any plant whatsoever . the hot plants have much more of this salt than others ; lettice contains less than succory , succory less than sorrel , and so of the rest . seeing it is in the salt that the virtue of the plant consists , i would advise rather to use the decoction of plants than their distilled water , when the plants are in season , and when they are out , then to have recourse to distilled waters , and mix with them a little of their essential salt , or extract . the fixt alkali salt may be drawn from the remainder of the plant , in like manner as i have shewed to draw that of guaiacum . chap. xi . of sugar . svgar is the essential salt of a reed or cane that grows in many places , and especially in the western islands . the pulp in the trunk of this plant is taken and washed , and then steeped in hot water , this water is strained , and evaporated , and the sugar remains at bottom ; heretofore it was called mel arundinaceum , or the cane-honey , but since it has been called zucharum , or saccharum . the first elaboration that is given to sugar , is to purifie it , by dissolving it in water , filtrating and evaporating the liquor , after which it is made up into loaves , or else it is sent in casks or chests , and is called cassonnade , or castonnade . there are of it the red , the brown , and the white sugar , according as it has been more or less purified , it differs in colour . the name castonnade may have been derived from the casks in which it is brought , called cast by the germans . when the sugar has been refined no more then abovesaid , it is a little fat ; now to refine it farther it is dissolved in lime-water , it is boiled , and the scum taken off ; when it is sufficiently boiled , it is cast into molds of a pyramidal form , which have a hole at bottom to let the more glutionous part run through , and separate . it is still farther refined by boiling it with the whites of eggs in water , for the glutinous quality of the whites of eggs does help to receive and take away the impurities which might remain in the sugar , and the boiling of it serving to drive them all to the sides of the vessel in a scum , the liquor is passed through a cloth , and then evaporated to a due consistence . sugar-candy is only a sugar crystallized ; the way to make it , is to boil refined sugar in water to the consistence of a thick syrop , it is then poured into pots , wherein little sticks have been laid in order ; it is left in a still place some days without stirring , and you have the sugar-candy sticking to those sticks . red sugar-candy is made after the same manner . sugar is good for infirmities of the breast and lungs , because it does attenuate and cut the phlegm which sometimes oppresses the fibres of these parts , but you must use it as little as may be in hysterical cases , by reason that it raises vapours . red-sugar is sometimes mixed with detersive clysters . it s sweetness does proceed from an essential acid salt mixed with some oily parts of which it consists , as i have already explicated in the remarks upon oil of antimony prepared with sugar . the cassonnade , or cask-sugar makes a sweeter impression upon the tongue than our finer sugar , because it contains more viscous or fat parts , which do remain the longer upon the nerve of the tongue , and this makes us sometimes prefer the first , as to use , before the other . and for the same reason the finer a sugar is , the quicker it passes off the taste . sugar-candy is better for rheums than common sugar , because being harder it requires a longer time to melt in the mouth , and besides it keeps the breast moister than the common sugar . spirit of sugar . this spirit is a mixture of the acid part of sugar with the flowers of sal armoniack . powder and mix eight ounces of white sugar-candy with four ounces of sal armoniack , put this mixture into a glass , or earthen body , whose third only is thereby filled , fit a head to the body , and place it in a sand-furnace ; joyn a receiver to it , and lute well the junctures with a wet bladder , give it a small fire for an hour only to heat the vessel , then increase it to the second degree , there will distil a liquor drop by drop , and towards the end there will rise white vapours into the head ; increase your fire still more , until nothing more comes forth ; let the vessels cool and unlute them , you will find in the receiver seven ounces of a brown liquor , that has but an ill smell , and a little black oil stuck to the sides , pour it all together into a glass-body , and having fitted to it a head and receiver , and luted the joints , distil in sand six ounces of a very acid spirit , that is clear and agreeable to the taste , and without any smell of empyreum . it is a good aperitive against the gravel , and the dropsie , it is good to stop diarrhea's , and dysenteries with , it may be dropt into the tincture of roses , instead of other acid spirits . some do think it good for diseases of the breast ; the dose is eight or ten drops , or to an agreeable acidity in some proper liquor . that which remains in the body after the rectification is a foetid oil , which may be outwardly used to cleanse old ulcers . remarks . the spirit of common sugar is made without addition of any thing in the preparation ; it is an acid spirit , but is not so strong , nor has so great virtues , as that which i have now described . it is thought good for diseases of the breast , by reason of the sugar , which indeed is good for them , but so strong an acid is apt to give a cough . the body must be big enough , in order to give room to the vapours to circulate in , as they do rise . a very little oil of sugar can be drawn in this operation ; for that which remains after the rectification is not a pure oil , but a remainder of the spirit tinged with some drops of oil , insomuch that it would be very hard to get one drachm of pure oil. chap. xii . of wine . wine is nothing else but the muste , or juice of ripe grapes , whose spirituous parts are set at liberty in the fermentation . this wine is more or less gross , according as it abounds more or less with tartar. in the making of white-wine , the muste of white grapes is left to ferment all alone ; but claret must ferment with the faeces of the grapes ; whence it comes to pass that the red is loaded with more tartar than the white , and remains longer in the body after it is drunk . the wines of hot countrys do commonly more abound with tartar than others , by reason of the abundance of salts which they attract from the earth . muscat , and spanish wines do not endure a fermentation , until good part of the phlegm is evaporated , either by the heat of the sun , or by fire ; and this is the reason they become so glutinous as they do , almost like syrup . lastly , there may be made as many different wines , as there can be different fermentations to the muste . now let us consider what it is that happens in these fermentations . muste is a sweet liquor that sends no vapours to the head to intoxicate , though one drinks never so much . if you distil it , there will rise first of all , good store of insipid water , after that a fetid oil with a few weak spirits , which are nothing but an essential salt dissolved ; and lastly there will remain a terrestrious mass , out of which may be drawn some quantity of fixt salt by making a lixivium , as we draw other alkali salts ; but among all these substances we find none of those spirits that use to make brandy , and yet nevertheless when muste hath fermented for some time , it turns into wine from whence you may draw a considerable quantity of inflammable spirits . now to explicate this effect you must know that muste doth contain a great deal of essential salt ; this salt like a volatile , making an effort in the fermentation to deliver it self from the oily parts with which it was before incumbred , does open and divide them , until by its subtile and keen points it hath rarified them into spirit ; this effort of the salt does cause the ebullition which happens to wine , and which at the same time does help to purifie it ; for it separates the grosser parts of the wine in form of a scum , of which some part does stick to , and petrifie on the sides of the vessel , and another part precipitates to the bottom , the first is called tartar , the last the lees of wine . the inflammable spirit of wine then is nothing but an oil exalted by salts , and this is an indubitable proof of what i establish , that there was nothing but oil in the muste , which was capable of taking fire : these same salts also being a little freed from the cover they were wrapt in , are they that change the wallowish sweetness of muste into an agreeable tartness , such as we perceive in our french wines . it is likewise remarkable that a sufficient quantity of phlegm is requisite for the better separation of the salts in their fermentation , and an exaltation of the oil ; for otherwise several changes are apt to happen : for example , when muscat , and spanish wine are made , a great deal of phlegm is separated from them ; for the muscat grape is left to dry in the sun upon the branches , before it is gathered to put into the press , and some part of the liquor of the muste , with which spanish wine is made , is evaporated before it is suffered to ferment ; which is the cause that the salts not having liberty to expatiate , and to rarifie the oil as much as they would do if they had room , do make but an imperfect fermentation . the oil being thus half exalted , hath still strength enough to hinder the tartness of the salt , and therefore only tickling the nerves of the tongue , makes us perceive in these liquors a sweet taste . and this is also the reason , why fewer spirits are drawn from muscat and spanish wines , than from french wines ; for whereas the spirit of wine doth consist in a rarified oil , there must needs be fewer spirits in those , than in french wines . but much more of a gross oil is drawn by distillation from those half fermented wines . if on the contrary the muste should be loaded with too much phlegm , as it happens often enough , there follows another imperfect fermentation , because the salts being too much weakned by it are not able sufficiently to cut and exalt the parts of oil , whence it comes to pass that these wines are subject to turn aigre , or to sowre . the wines of languedoc and provence being extreamly loaded with tartar , are grosser than the wines of burgundy and champaigne , because their spirits are incumbred with abundance of salt and earth . wherefore the goodness of wine may be said to proceed from a convenient proportion of phlegm and tartar. it is objected to this last discourse , that the tartareous part being in a natural way separated from the wine , should in no wise diminish the quantity nor the strength of the spirituous and inflammable part . but when i asserted that the spirits of divers wines are extreamly loaded with tartar , i did not mean that tartar which petrifies at the sides of the vessels , for that is at quiet , and does not hinder the exaltation of spirits ; but i intended a tartar that still remains mixt in the wine after the fermentation , and which according as it abounds more or less , does render the wines more or less thick and gross . it is easy to see this tartar i speak of , if you evaporate the aqueous part of wine , for it will remain at bottom in form of lees. nevertheless there is no need of establishing two sorts of tartar in one kind of wine , for the former is only the more soluble part of the other . divers little objections have likewise been made me on this subject , for want of duly examining what i have established . wherefore i do not desire to enlarge in the relation of them , for i do aim as much as i can , to avoid repetitions , as being good for nothing but to swell a book and tire the reader . wine diminishes the appetite , as saith hippocrates , and the cause may be , because the sulphureous spirits it is charged with , do dull and oppress the ferment of the stomach , which by its irritation caused hunger . vinous liquors may be made of all fruits , and many other things , by means of fermentation , as from apples , pears , honey , and hopps . in like manner berries , seeds , leaves , and flowers , may be made to ferment : but because several of these things are naturally too dry to ferment easily , they must be wetted with water , after they are beaten ; and to quicken their fermentation , a little yest is to be added , and by this means liquors are made , whence burning spirits may be drawn , as well as from wine . that which happens in the fermentation of wines , may serve very well to explicate many diseases , but especially the small pox , for it is very probable that in this disease the bloud does boil and ferment in the vessels much after the manner as wine ferments in a vessel . the little pustules of the small pox are a tartar which is separated from the bloud to the skin , after the same manner as the tartar separates from the wine to the sides of the vessel , and indeed they have the same effect as salt in corroding the skin . infants are more subject to this disease than elder persons , because their bloud is more like to muste , and consequently is more subject to ferment . the small-pox does usually happen but once in a mans life , just as muste does ferment also but once . distillation of wine into brandy . fill with wine half a large copper body , cover it with its moors head , bordered with its refrigeratory , and fit to it a receiver ; lute well the junctures with a wet bladder , and distil with a gentle fire , about a quarter of the liquor , or else until the liquor which distils doth not burn ; when fire is put to it , that which is in the receiver is called brandy , and in french , aqua vitae . remarks . brandy is a spirit of wine loaded with phlegm , that it hath carried with it in the distillation ; these spirits do always rise first , and so it is known that there remain no more in the cucurbite , when the liquor that distils is no longer inflammable . brandy may be drawn from all sorts of wines , but more of it may be drawn in some countries than others . for example , the wines that are made about orleans and paris do yield greater plenty of brandy than many others which seem to be stronger ; and the reason is , that those wines which appear stronger , being loaded with a great deal of tartar , have their spirits as it were fixed , whereas the others containing but a convenient portion of this tartar , do leave their spirits at greater liberty . when wine has been drunk , there is made a separation of spirits in the body , much resembling that which is made by distillation : for the heat of the bowels warming it , causes the spirituous parts to spread on all sides through the pores , and some part of them to mix with the bloud , and rarefie it , from whence it comes to rejoyce the heart , and encrease the vigour of the whole body ; but because these spirits do always tend upwards , the greatest part flies into the brain , where it quickens its motion , and produces a certain gaiety of mind that is wont to furnish us with many excellent thoughts . but now if wine moderately taken is so profitable for the functions of the body , it likewise causes many mischiefs , when it is excessively used ; for the spirituous parts rising in great abundance do circulate in the brain with so much celerity , that they soon confound the whole oeconomy . and then the objects will appear double , and the walls of the place where one is , seem to have changed their ordinary situation . this confusion remains until the spirits having some good time dissolved the phlegm , do in part condense with it , and in part spend through the pores . it likewise then happens , that a man is prone to sleep , because the pituita being attenuated either by the spirits of wine , or by the phlegm they have drawn along with them , glides into the small passages of the brain , and retards the circulation of the animal spirits , by gluing them together ; for after the same manner as the motion of the spirits in the brain doth beget watchfulness , so their repose or condensation produces sleep . but i shall speak more amply of this subject hereafter , when i come to treat of the effects of opium . the sleep which is caused through excess of wine doth usually remain until the animal spirits have rarefied this phlegm , and opened a free passage . those who are intoxicated with beer , sider or some such like liquor , do remain in their drunkenness a longer time , and sleep more after it , than those who are drunk with wine , because the spirit of these liquors , carrying along with it a viscous phlegm into the brain , remains a longer time in the disengaging it self , and passing through the pores . again it is the viscosity of this phlegm , which entring into the sinus of the brain , does cause so long a sleep , because it is so hard to rarefie . those accidents that i have related to proceed from the immoderate use of wine , are but the first , and the less grievous , though indeed they are but little to be desired ; every body knows that a continuation of frequent debauches doth at last render a man dull and stupid , and this by reason the spirits of wine do not only trouble the natural spirits in their functions , and render them phlegmatick , but likewise by rarefying them do ever carry off and lose some store of them . these persons are likewise subject to a continual spitting , or else they are molested with defluxions , catarrhs , and gout , because the pituita being rendred more liquid by the spirits and phlegm of vinous liquors , is forced to descend through the lymphatick vessels ; but if there happens to be the least obstacle in these vessels , it takes its course with the nerves , and falls upon all the parts of the body . lastly , when excess of wine does occasion falling into the apoplexy , and palsie , it is by reason the pituita is rendred too liquid by the spirits and phlegm of wine , and causes obstructions in the head , and hinders the natural course of the spirits into the nerves . many other sad effects of wine-debauches might be here mentioned , but this digression is too long . let us return to our operation . after the wine hath been deprived of these sulphureous spirits , there remains in the body a tartareous liquor , which being exposed a good while to the sun in a cask without its stopple , turns into good vinegar . it may be some such thing happens in the bodies of those who accustom to drink too much wine ; for whereas the volatile parts , which ascend to the brain and heart , by an agitation of the spirits , do beget joy ; so on the contrary the tartareous parts by fixing the humors about the hypochondria , do cause by little and little that which is called melancholy , which proceeds from an acid ; whence it comes to pass that many men making a debauch upon wine , with design to pass away their melancholy , do afterwards find they have encreased it , when the debauch hath had its effect . if you would by way of curiosity make an exact analysis of wine , you must take that which remains in the body after distillation of the brandy , and distil off all the phlegm , there will remain a matter like unto rosine , put it into a retort , and placing it in a furnace , distil away more phlegm , in a small fire , until it begins to come sharp . then fit a large receiver to the retort , and luting well the junctures , strengthen the fire by degrees , to drive forth acid spirits , and a little fetid oil , continue the fire until there comes no more . the oil is separated from the spirit in a tunnel lined with brown paper ; for the spirit will pass through , and the oil being too thick will remain . but it is here remarkable , that more of this spirit and oil is drawn from muste , than wine ; which sufficiently proves the remark i made before , touching the origine of the volatile spirit of wine ; for seeing good store of the oil of muste hath contributed to the making volatile spirit of wine , there must needs remain but very little oyl , in the liquor that brandy is drawn from . the acid spirit of wine , and the black oil , are like to those of tartar , which i shall describe anon . and an alkali salt wholly resembling that of tartar may be drawn by a lixivium from the mass that remains in the retort . spirit of wine . spirit of wine is the oily part of wine rarefied by acid salts . fill a large bolt-head with a long neck , half full with brandy , and fitting a head and receiver , lute close the junctures ; set your bolthead upon a pot half filled with water , to distil in a vaporous bath , the spirit , which separates from the phlegm , and rises pure : continue this degree of fire until nothing more distils , thus you 'l have a dephlegmated spirit of wine in the very first distillation . it serves for a menstruum to a great many things in chymistry ; half a spoonful of it is given to apoplectical , and lethargical persons , to make them come to themselves ; likewise their wrists , breast , and face are rubbed with it . 't is a good remedy for burnings , if applied so soon as they happen ; and it is good for cold pains , for the palsie , contusions , and other maladies , wherein it is requisite to discuss , and to open the pores . remarks . the usual way of making spirit of wine , is by distilling brandy in a limbeck so many times over until it comes pure ; and to do this , about half the brandy is drawn by distillation , and the phlegm that remains at bottom accounted of no use . again , half the spirit which was distilled is anew drawn off , and the phlegm thrown away ; these rectifications are continued , until you find by firing a spoonful of the spirit , that every drop burns , and there remains not the least phlegm ; but because this operation is very tedious , and it is a hard matter thus to get a spirit of wine wholly free from phlegm , even after nine or ten times repeating these distillations , let the fire be never so small ; artists have invented a long machine , which they call the serpent , by reason of the circumvolutions which it makes . it is fitted to the cucurbite containing the brandy , and the top made like a tunnel receives the head , to which a receiver is fitted , and the junctures well luted , and the vessel placed in a small fire , the spirits of wine do rise by this gentle heat , but the phlegm being too heavy cannot ascend so high , so that thus a spirit of wine deprived of its phlegm is had the very first time . but because this machine is hard to carry into the country , and other places where one would desire to make spirit of wine , and besides that it is subject to loosen in the joints , through the violence of the spirits ; i have thought that the way i delivered for making spirit of wine was more commodious ; for provided you have but a matrass and a head , it will be an easie matter to draw as good spirit of wine as that by the serpent , and there 's no need to fear the spirits breaking any way out of the vessel , if you do but lute well the junctures , as i have said . the matrass must have a very long neck , that no phlegm may be able to rise into the receiver . the vaporous bath is fitter than any other to perform this operation in , because a most moderate heat is requisite to raise up the spirits all alone ; now the vapour of water warms very insensibly . you must continue the same degree of fire , until there comes nothing more . some persons do endeavour to reject the method that i have described for drawing spirit of wine , because , say they , a long time is required to draw a little spirit , and by reason of the difficulty they conceive in procuring such vessels well made , at paris , and much more so in the country . but it is likely these gentlemen do blame this method because they never tried it ; for if they had but taken the pains to make experiment of it , they would have found that with two or three of these vessels , they might have drawn as much spirit of wine , as they could be able to do with their great machine ; and that this spirit is not liable to the impression which might be communicated to it from copper or tin vessels . as for the difficulty that there is pretended of getting such glass vessels , there is none at all that i know of , but only for such as will not take the pains to visit the glass-houses , for there they would find enough for their turn ; and though i use a great many of them in my courses of chymistry , i never was to seek for any yet . but suppose there were none to be found ready made , methinks they might as easily bespeak them , and have them made at the glass-houses , as well as bespeak those grand copper or tin machines , that are commonly used . i know that such as are better pleased with making a fair shew , than with the effects of things , and who measure the goodness of an operation by the trouble it gives one , and by the greatness of vessels and furnaces , will find here but little to their satisfaction . but i am very little concerned at such mens exceptions , i never endeavoured to follow their track . my design is simply to facilitate the means of working in chymistry , and to take away , as much as lies in my power , those things which render it mysterious and dark . spirit of wine is good for lethargical , and apoplectical persons , because it puts the spirits into a greater motion than they were in before . now because according to all appearance these diseases are caused by obstructions which hinder the course of the spirits into the brain , this spirit serves to give them a new vigour , to dissolve and rarefie these tartareous viscosities which shut up their passage . it likewise discusses tumors and defluxions , because it not only opens the pores , and gives vent to the subtler part of the humor to perspire , but likewise dissolves and rarefies the grosser part , so as to render it fit to circulate with the blood . the spirit of wine is excellent for burnings , provided it be used so soon as they happen ; for then it opens a passage for the igneous particles to come out at , and if there should remain any within the part , it unites with them as it uses to do when mixed with an acid. spirit of wine tartarised . this preparation is a spirit of wine that has carried with it some portion of salt of tartar. put a pound of salt of tartar into a long glass-body ; pour upon it four pounds of spirit of wine prepared as i said before : place your vessel in sand , and cover it with a head to which fit a receiver , lute well the junctures with a wet bladder , and give it a gradual fire , which continue until three parts of the spirit of wine are risen ; then remove the fire , and keep this spirit in a viol well stopt ; it hath the same virtues as the other , but is more subtile . the liquor that remains in the body may be evaporated , and a salt of tartar got as good as before . remarks . this operation is only a rectification of the spirit of wine , to render it more subtile than it was before ; because the salt of tartar becomes impregnated with the phlegmatick parts , and hinders them from rising . the spirit of wine doth likewise volatilize , and carry along with it some portion of the salt of tartar , which gives it a very agreeable smell , and renders it a good remedy for obstructions . a sign , that the spirit of wine has carried along with it some of the salt of tartar , is this : if you dry gently the salt of tartar that remains in the body , and weigh it , you 'l find it diminished an ounce and a half . you may again put this spirit of wine tartarized to half a pound of more salt of tartar , and distil it as before , but i have found that it is never a-whit the better for it . this way of tartarizing spirit of wine is the very best and shortest of all that have been invented , whether you desire to make it pure , or to impregnate it with salt of tartar ; and i may venture to say , that all the many long and tedious descriptions that have been given of this operation , have been only invented to cast a dust into the eyes of novices ; for it is easie for any to observe , who give themselves a little to examine things , that after all their long turnings and windings , and circumstances to no purpose , the spirit of wine is not so well tartarized , as by the plain method that i have described . queen of hungary's water . this operation is a spirit of wine impregnated with the more essential part of rosemary flowers . fill a glass or earthen cucurbite half full with rosemary flowers , gathered when they are at their best ; pour upon it spirit of wine sufficient to infuse the flowers in ; set your cucurbite in a balneum , and joyning its head , and receiver , lute close the junctures , and give it a digesting fire for three days , after which unlute them , and pour into the cucurbite that which may have been distilled . refit your alembick , and encrease the fire strong enough to make the liquor distil , so as one drop may immediately follow another ; and when you shall have drawn about two thirds of it , and put out the fire , let the vessels cool , and unlute them , you 'l find in the receiver a very good water of the queen of hungary , keep it in a viol well stopt . it is good in the palsie , lethargy , apoplexy , and hysterical maladies : the dose is from one drachm to two . it is likewise used outwardly for burnings , tumors , cold pains , contusions , palsie , and all other occasions , wherein it is requisite to revive the spirits . ladies do use to mix half an ounce of it with six ounces of lily-water , or bean-flower water , and wash their face with it , to clear their complexion . remarks . you must distil this water in a fire that is strong enough , for otherwise the spirit of wine would rise alone , or else draw along with it but very little essence , as i have observed in the working upon it . the oyl or essence of rosemary , may be made as the oyl of cinnamon , and some drops of it mixed in the spirit of wine , and hereby you have a queen of hungary's water made upon the spot . the water of the queen of hungary sometimes gives ease to the tooth-ach , being snufft at the nose , or applied to the gums with a little cotton . some thinking to criticize a little , do say , it is altogether useless to digest rosemary flowers with spirit of wine , because their substance being of a very volatile nature , it easily dissolves in the spirit without any digestion . but this circumstance is very necessary , if we desire to have a water well impregnated with the essence of the flowers , for although there is a volatile substance in rosemary , yet good part of the oil , in which consists principally the smell , is involved in the other principles , and cannot be well rarefied , mixed , and exalted , but only by a digestion : and thus we have a very good effect from it . chap. xiii . of vinegar . wines , like all other liquors that use to ferment , do grow sowr by the dissolution of their tartar in a second fermentation : this dissolution is commonly made , when upon the wines going to decay , some of the more subtile spirits are lost ; for the tartar taking their place fixes the rest of the spirits which remain in the wine , so that they can act no longer . this fixation is the cause that when the wine turns sowr , very little quantity of it is diminished , and very little tartar is found in the vessels wherein vinegar is made . to the end that wine may quickly sowr , you must set the vessel that contains it in some hot place , and mix the lees from time to time ; for this tartar will easily dissolve , when heat comes to act upon it . perhaps it will be objected that wine deprived of tartar and lees does grow sowr , when kept a long time in a vessel , without any dissolution of tartar. but we must consider that wine , let it be as clear and pure as may be , does always retain the more saline and subtile part of tartar , which exalts and easily smells , when by fermentation it gets the predominancy of the sulphureous spirits , which held it as it were involved : and thus clear wine sowrs alone , but it does not sowr so fast , and the vinegar is not so strong , as when it is made upon tartar. furthermore if we consider the principles that wine consists of , we shall find , that neither the oil , nor earth , nor water , are capable of yielding any acidity , and that nothing but the salt is able to give it . now it cannot be doubted but that the salt of wine is in the tartar. it may be added here , that the air to which wines are exposed , by leaving the vessel open , when they would have them turn into vinegar , does likewise communicate a little of its acidity to the wines , by exciting and rarifying the acid of tartar. distillation of vinegar . put six quarts of strong vinegar into an earthen pan ; evaporate in balneum about a quart , which is the phlegmatick part ; and pour that which remains into a glass or earthen cucurbite , and distil it in a strong sand-heat , until there remains at bottom nothing but a substance like honey ; keep this vinegar well stopt , many do call it spirit of vinegar . it s principal use is to dissolve or precipitate bodies . it is sometimes mixed in cordial potions , to resist putrefaction ; the dose is half a spoonful : it is mixed with water , and this oxycrate is used to stop hemorrhagies , taken inwardly , and to asswage inflammations , applied outwardly . remarks . the acidity of vinegar consists in an essential , or tartareous salt , which being heavier than the phlegm rises last ; but you must evaporate this phlegm very gently , because the acid spirit of vinegar will easily sublime with it . i do use an earthen pan , rather than a cucurbite , that the phlegm of vinegar finding a large open passage may evaporate the more easily . it would be no great fault , if you should distil the vinegar without dephlegmating it first ; for the separating the phlegm from it is not of so much consideration , as to make it as clear as pure water , that it may not bestow any particular tincture to the ingredients that are to be dissolved in it . the spirit of vinegar is much less fixed than many other acids , because it partakes of the sulphureous spirits of wine which still remain in it . common vinegar keeps its strength a longer time than the distilled , because it contains a more terrestrious salt , that doth not volatilize so easily . and for this reason , you should rather chuse to use vinegar newly distilled , than that which hath been kept a good while . all acids do prove cordial , and good against malignity of humors , when it is caused by too great a commotion , because it fixes and coagulates them , moderating their motion . thus in places where the air is corrupted , and pestilential , vinegar is a good preservative ; you may every morning take half a spoonful of it fasting ; but in diseases which proceed from a tartareous humor , as the hypochondriack melancholy , it is rather hurtful than good , because it fixes the humors the more . some having dried and calcined the sweet extract that remains at the bottom of the cucurbite , after the distillation of vinegar , and having by solution , filtration , and coagulation , separated from it an alkali fixt salt , much like to that which is drawn from tartar , they do mix it with spirit of vinegar , and distil and cohobate it divers times , until , say they , the spirit has carried off all the salt , and then will needs have it called spirit of vinegar alkalized , or radical spirit of vinegar , and they affirm that this being much more pure , and entirely united with its proper salt , is much the more powerful in dissolving metals . but the distilled vinegar is so far from becoming the stronger through this preparation , that i can demonstrate that it breaks and loses the greatest part of its edges in contending with the alkali salt , with which it is mixt , for it is the property of this salt to sweeten acids . neither is it necessary to believe that by distillations is so drawn the alkali salt of vinegar , for it remains fixt at bottom of the retort with the acids it is impregnated with ; so that this same spirit of vinegar to which so many great names and uses have been appropriated , is properly the more phlegmatick part of distilled vinegar . chap. xiv . of tartar. any gross or terrestrious matter , that sticks to the sides of the vessel , when separated from its liquor by means of fermentation is called tartar. but the tartar i am going to speak of here , is that of wine . it is found sticking to casks like a very hard stone , sometimes white , and sometimes red , according to the colour of the wine it comes from . white tartar is to be prefer'd before red , because it is purer , and contains less earth ; both one and t'other are had in greater abundance in hot countries , such as languedock and provence , than many other climats ; but the best white tartar of all is brought out of germany , it must be heavy , white , and crystalline . the lees of wine are likewise a liquified tartar , they are burned , and the ashes that are made of them are called cineres clavellati , in english , gravelled ashes . crystals of tartar. this operation is a tartar purified , and coagulated in form of crystals . boil in a great deal of water what quantity of white tartar you please , until it be all dissolved ; pass the liquor hot through hippocrates his sleeve , into an earthen vessel , and evaporate about half of it : set the vessel in a cool place two or three days , & you 'l find little crystals on the sides , which you are to separate ; evaporate again half the liquor that remains , and remit the vessel to the cellar as before , there will shoot out new crystals : continue doing thus , until you have gotten all your tartar , dry the crystals in the sun , and keep them for use . the crystal of tartar is purgative , and aperitive ; it is good for hydropical , and asthmatical persons , and for tertian and quartan agues . the dose is from half a drachm to three drachms in broth , or some other proper liquor . remarks . this operation is , to speak properly , nothing but a purification of the more terrestrious parts of tartar. you must observe to boil it in an earthen vessel , rather than any metallick one , because it would be apt to take some tincture from it . a skin that swims a-top after evaporation of some part of the liquor was heretofore carefully taken off , and there was thought to be some difference between it , and the crystal of tartar. but this cream or skin is only a part of the tartar that begins to coagulate , and so it is the very same thing in substance with the crystal . you must not imagine that the crystals of tartar do much differ from common tartar , for they differ from it only in the containing a little less earth , but all the five principles may be drawn from the crystals , as from common tartar. when you would take the crystals in substance you must make them into pills , or into a bolus , with some liquid substance ; or else you may boil them in some liquor , but you must take the liquor very hot , otherwise the crystals will fall to the bottom of the cup you drink out of . if you should boil these crystals in common water , or in broth , and then let it stand to be cold , they will return into the same form they were in before , both at the bottom , and on the sides of the vessel , but the liquor will remain a little sharp , through the solution of some part of the salt of tartar into it . i see no reason so much to wonder as some do , why tartar will not dissolve in cold water ; for although it does contain a great deal of salt , this salt is involved in earth , and oil , which must needs hinder the dissolution , and there is no need of having recourse , for an explication of this , to a proportionable union of volatile salts and acids . soluble tartar. powder and mix together eight ounces of crystals of tartar , and four ounces of the fixt salt of tartar , put this mixture into a glazed earthen pot , and pouring upon it three pints of common water , boil the matter gently for half an hour , then letting it cool , filtrate and evaporate the liquor until it is dry , and there will remain at bottom , eleven ounces six drachms of a white salt ; keep it in a viol , it is both a good aperitive , and laxative , it is good for cachexies , dropsies , and all diseases that proceed from obstructions : the dose is from ten grains to two scruples in broth , or some proper liquor . remarks . this operation is nothing but a dissolution that the salt of tartar has made of cream of tartar , so that it can dissolve in cold water , which it could not do alone ; the cream of tartar also being an acid insinuates into the pores of the alkali salt , and sweetens it . if you boil cream of tartar in water , and put into it some salt of tartar , there will happen an effervescency between them , but if you mix these two ingredients together in cold water , there will be no effervescency ; the reason of which is , that the acid spirits of cream of tartar being involved in other principles , can have no active power to open the alkali , unless they be actuated by fire . i use to filter the dissolution , in order to separate some terrestrious part of the cream of tartar , which could not dissolve : this salt comes near in virtue to tartar vitriolated , some do call it a vegetable salt . chalybeated , or martial crystals of tartar. this preparation is a crystal of tartar impregnated with the more soluble part of iron . powder and mix a pound of good white tartar , and three ounces of rust of iron , boil this mixture in an iron pot with five or six quarts of water , for half an hour , or so much time as is requisite to dissolve the tartar , pass the liquor hot through a warm cloth , then let it settle in an iron or earthen pot ten or twelve hours , it will shoot into brown crystals , at the sides and bottom of the pot , pour off the liquor by inclination , and gather the crystals ; then evaporate about half the liquor in the same pot , let the remainder settle , and take out the crystals as before ; continue these evaporations and crystallizations , until you have drawn all your tartar , dry the crystals in the sun , and so keep them . they are a good remedy for obstructions of the liver , mesentery , spleen ; they are given in cachexies , and for melancholy , and the quartan ague ; the dose is from fifteen grains to two scruples in broth , or some other liquor proper to the distemper . remarks . this preparation is boil'd but little , that the tartar may dissolve only the more saline part of iron ; the liquor is made to pass through a cloth , to free it from the impurities of the tartar and iron which could not dissolve ; but you must pass it very hot , for if it were a little cool , the tartar would coagulate in the cloth , and so none of the liquor would pass . instead of crystallizing the dissolved tartar , you may evaporate all the liquor , and so obtain a brown powder , which has the same virtues as the crystals . when you would exhibite this chalybeated crystal of tartar , you must make it just boil in the liquor you give it in , for otherwise it will not dissolve , and you must be sure to give it as hot as they can take it , for fear it should crystallize at the bottom of the cup. soluble tartar chalybeated . put into an earthen pan , or glass vessel four ounces of soluble tartar , and sixteen ounces of tincture of mars prepared according to the description that i have given , set the vessel in sand , and with a small fire evaporate the liquor , until there remains a black powder , shut it in a viol well stopt , and keep it , you 'l have eight ounces . this martial tartar has the same virtues as the tincture of tartar , it is good to remove all obstructions , wherefore it is very properly used in cachexies , dropsies , retention of the menses , in nephritick colicks , and in difficulties of urine : the dose is from ten grains to half a drachm , in broth , or some proper liquor , or else made into lozenges . remarks . this preparation of chalybeate , or martial tartar is not only more convenient for use than the former , ( in that it dissolves , or mixes in a cold liquor ) but has much more virtue in it , for the tincture of mars contains only the more saline part of tartar. soluble emetick tartar. this preparation is a soluble tartar impregnated with some portion of glass of antimony , which renders it emetick . put into a glass vessel four ounces of crystals of tartar powdered ; pour upon it spirit of vrine , until it be two fingers above the matter , there will happen a small ebullition , because the cream of tartar will dissolve in the spirit of vrine ; when the dissolution is finished , add to it an ounce of the glass of antimony finely powdered , and eight or ten ounces of water ; boil it all in a sand-heat seven or eight hours , and take care to put more hot water into the vessel , as the liquor consumes ; after that filtrate , and evaporate gently in sand all the liquor , and there will remain three ounces of a greyish powder drawing towards white , keep it in a viol well stopt . it is an emetick that works with little violence ; the dose is from four to fifteen grains in broth . remarks . the ebullition which happens in this operation , proceeds from the cream of tartars meeting with the volatile and alkali salt of urine ; for the acid of tartar piercing the salt of urine divides its parts , and gives vent to igneous bodies which were contained in it , and which now finding themselves free do break forth in great haste . volatile spirit of sal armoniack may be used instead of that of vrine ; but then there will be no sensible ebullition , the reason of which is , because the salt of this spirit is not an alkali so open as the spirit of vrine , by reason of some impression it has of the acid sal armoniack , with which it was mixt ; insomuch that the crystals of tartar whose acid is not separated from the earth , has points too gross , and too unactive to insinuate , into the pores of this salt , and separate its parts so easily as those of the salt that is contained in spirit of vrine , whose pores are bigger . some part of the glass of antimony dissolves in the boiling , and gives the emetick quality to the powder . it is a very gentle vomit , because the tartar fixes , and in some measure hinders the activity of the sulphurs of antimony . if instead of making the aforesaid evaporation , you should take the vessel off the fire , when there is but two thirds of the liquor consumed , and let it settle without stirring it , in four and twenty hours the soluble tartar , will crystallize at the bottom , and on the sides , but it will be never a whit the better . when you would make this crystallization you must use a flat vessel , let it be of earth , that the crystals may display themselves the better . the liquor is to be decanted , and the crystals to be taken and dryed . the evaporations and crystallizations are to be continued , until you have obtained all your salt . another sort of soluble emetick tartar may be made by boiling in water an ounce of the glass of antimony powdered with four ounces of soluble tartar , for seven or eight hours , then upon filtring and evaporating the liquor , there will remain a grey powder of the same virtues as the other , and to be given in the same dose . distillation of tartar. this operation is a separation of the phlegm , the spirit , and the oil of tartar. fill two thirds of a retort with tartar grosly powdered , place your retort in a reverberatory furnace , and fitting to it a large capacious receiver , begin the distillation with a very small fire for three hours only to warm the retort , and drive out the phlegm drop by drop ; throw away this insipid water , and refitting the receiver , lute closely the joints , encrease the fire by little and little , and you 'l see spirits fill the receiver with clouds ; continue it that the oil may likewise come forth ; then when there will come no more , let the vessels cool , and unlute them ; pour that which is in the receiver into a tunnel lined with brown paper , that the spirit may filtrate , and separate from the thick black oil that remains in the filter : keep this oil in a viol , it is good to smell to in hysterical vapours : it would be good to rub paralytical parts with , and for cold pains , but by reason of its abominable smell , it is not used . pour the spirit into a glass cucurbite , and rectifie it by distilling it in sand , it is good against the palsie , asthma , and scurvy , it works by urine , and by sweat. it is used in hysterical maladies , and for the epilepsie ; the dose is from one drachm to three in some appropriate liquor . you will find in the retort a black mass , from which a salt may be drawn , as i shall shew hereafter . remarks . if you have used three pounds of tartar of sixteen ounces to the pound in this operation , you will draw four ounces of phlegm , eight ounces of spirit , and three ounces of oil ; the black mass which remains in the retort after distillation , will weigh two pounds , or two and thirty ounces , and you will draw from that mass twelve ounces of salt . almost all authors who have spoke of tartar have asserted , that two sorts of spirits could be drawn from it by distillation , the one very volatile , the other fixt and acid ; wherefore after all had mixed confusedly in the receiver , they separated the oil , and added some alkali , such as coral , or crabs-eyes , to that which remained , then they poured it into a cucurbite , and distilled about half the liquor , which they pretended to be a volatile spirit ; for the acid spirit remained absorb'd by the alkali , with the phlegm in the bottom of the body . but having vowed never to be led by any authority which is not founded upon experience , i have examined the nature of tartar as strictly as possible , and after a great many distillations of it , i could never perceive this volatile spirit , which hath been obtruded upon us ; all that i could ever find is this , that tartar contains good store of essential salt , which renders it acid , and that this salt coming forth by distillation , and mixing with phlegm , doth make all the spirit that can be drawn from tartar. so that the spirit of tartar according to the description of these men is only the more phlegmatick part of the liquor , that is to say , the most deprived of this essential salt , because almost all of it doth adhere unto the alkali body of coral , or crabs-eyes , which were added to it . but according to the way i have set down , the spirit may be drawn as pure as may be , because i do not leave it to mix with the phlegm , which comes out first . if we do rectifie the spirit , it is done to purifie it from some terrestrious parts , which it might have carried along with it in the distillation . some thinking to do better than those who rectifie spirit of tartar on alkali matters , do instead of those alkalis use biscuit powdered , but they attain their end never the better , for the biscuit does sweeten the acid spirit of tartar as much as coral , or crabs-eyes . a very volatile and alkali spirit is drawn from the lees of wine , i shall speak of it in the chapter of the volatile salt of tartar , and perhaps it is this very spirit that paracelsus , and van helmont do boast so much of , and which has occasioned many authors to write that the tartar does contain a most volatile spirit . fixt salt of tartar , and its liquor , called oil per deliquium . break the retort which served you for distillation of tartar , and take the black mass you find in it ; calcine it until it becomes white , then put it into a great deal of hot water , and make a lixivium , filtrate it , and pour it into a glass , or earthen vessel , evaporate in a sand-heat all the water , and there will remain a white salt , which is called the alkali salt of tartar. this salt is aperitive , it is used for to draw forth the tincture of vegetables , and is given for obstructions ; the dose is from ten to thirty drops in broth , or laxative infusions . if you expose for some days in a cellar this salt of tartar in a wide glass vessel , it will dissolve into a liquor that is improperly called oil of tartar per deliquium . it is used for tettars , and to discuss tumors ; the ladies do mix it in lilly-water to clear their complexion , and hands . remarks . in these two last operations i have given you the means of obtaining all that can be got from tartar ; but those who have no need of the spirit or oil , and would only desire the salt , may bruise the crude tartar , and wrapping it up in paper may calcine it until it turns into a white mass ; after which they may draw the salt by a lixivium , as i said before . i do commonly draw this way four ounces of very white , and well purified salt of tartar , from each pound of red tartar ; a little more may be drawn from white tartar , but it is no better than the other . i have observed that when water is thrown upon the mass of tartar newly calcined , it heats , much like unslack'd lime , when wetted ; the reason of which is the same that i have given , to explicate the ebullition of quick-lime in water : all the difference is this , that tartar calcined containing a great deal of salt , does more easily imbibe water than quick-lime . some do calcine salt of tartar with a little sulphur , to hinder it from dissolving so easily by the air , and to render it the whiter ; but this is no good practice because the acid spirit of sulphur destroys some part of the alkali ; and this does come to happen , by reason that the pores of this salt by being thus calcined are not so open as they were , and the air therefore cannot so easily melt it . if you would make salt of tartar , and other alkali fixt salts very white indeed , you must calcine them all alone in a great fire , until they become white , and then purifie them by dissolution , filtration , and coagulation . as for their proneness to dissolve , this is natural to alkali salts , and cannot be taken from them , but by destroying their nature . nor can i approve the addition of any quantity of niter to the calcination of tartar , as some do , because the volatile parts of niter being exalted , the fixt do remain , and by their acidity do diminish the virtue of salt of tartar. although the salt of tartar be tolerably white after the first purification , yet if you do calcine threescore and four ounces of it , and filtrate it as i have said , you will draw still abundance of earthy matter : and if in curiosity you should dry this earth , you would find three ounces and a half of it . alkali salts are aperitive , in that they dissolve those slimy humors which caused obstructions ; and it is for the same reason that salt of tartar does correct senna , and hinders it from griping , for the substance of senna being viscous , this does rarefie it , and make it work the quicker ; it may also serve to dissolve some viscous phlegm that sticks in the guts , which as it is going off , causes griping pains . the liquor or oil made per deliquium is only a salt of tartar dissolved by the moisture of the cellar , if you would make it quickly , you must dissolve the salt of tartar in as much rain water well filtrated , as is needful to turn it into a liquor . it may be used like the former , it cures tettars , and discusses tumors , because being an alkali it sweetens the keen salts which fomented these distempers . when salt of tartar , or its liquor is dissolved in water newly distilled from some green plant , the water will turn green , and the greener the plant is from which the water was distilled , this salt does make the water so much the greener . the water of night-shade turns greener with it than balm-water , balm-water greener than eye-bright-water , and so of the rest . the reason of this effect proceeds from this , that the alkali salt of tartar does rarefie , and make appear many little parts of the plant , which did rise with the water in the distillation , and did not till then appear . but the water must be sure to be distilled with a fire sufficiently great , for if it should have been distilled in a balneum , or such like heat , there would not appear the least shew of green , though an alkali salt were mixed with it . cherry-water , rose-water and many other distilled waters of fruits or flowers , do give no colour , by the addition of salt of tartar. tincture of salt of tartar. this operation is an exaltation of some parts of salt of tartar in spirit of wine . melt in a good crucible twenty ounces of salt of tartar in great fire , and when it is in fusion , cover it with a tile , and put coals round it ; blow about it so , as to raise a greater heat than if you were melting gold ; continue this degree of fire about six hours , or until your salt of tartar is of a red marble colour , which you may know by thrusting the end of a spatula into the crucible , for when it is drawn out , you may look upon a little matter that is stuck to it ; then take out the crucible with a pair of tongs and turn it upside down into a warm mortar , the matter will coagulate in a little time , powder it presently , and put it into a matrass warmed before-hand ; pour upon it spirit of wine tartarized , until it swims four fingers above the matter : stop the matrass with another to make a double-vessel , lute the junctures close with a wet bladder , set your matrass in sand , and heat it with a gradual fire , to make the spirit of wine boil seven or eight hours , during which time it will assume a red colour . after that let the vessels cool , and unlute them ; separate by inclination this most fragrant tincture , and keep it in a viol well stopt . you may pour more spirit of wine on the remaining salt of tartar , and proceed as before , as long as it will draw out any tincture . the tincture of the salt of tartar is an excellent aperitive , it purifies the bloud , and resists malignity of humors . it is used in the scurvy , the dose is from ten to thirty drops in some convenient liquor . remarks . you must place the crucible in the furnace upon a tile , for fear lest the wind which comes through the doors of the ash-hole , and fire-room , might be apt to cool the bottom , and hinder the fusion of the salt. the salt of tartar having been a good while melted in the crucible , does flame when thrown upon lighted coals , as easily as salt-peter does . this effect proceeds only from this , that the fire has attenuated and volatilized the parts of this fixt salt , so as to render them fit to exalt with the sulphur of coals . many have writ that it is sufficient to calcine the salt of tartar two hours in a violent fire , or until the salt of tartar becomes blewish ; but after having tried several times to make the tincture according to this description , i could never be able to do it ; it is true the spirit of wine will be a little tinctured , but it comes not near that which is necessary to call it the tincture of salt of tartar ; for it should be red like wine , and to make it so , it is requisite to calcine it as i have said , and good store of it should be put into the crucible , because it diminishes exceedingly . you must likewise take care to use spirit of wine well rectified , for if there should be any phlegm in it , it would not turn red . this tincture doth not proceed from a fixt sulphur contained in the salt of tartar , as many have pretended ; it is only an exaltation of this salt in spirit of wine ; for if by way of curiosity you should distil this tincture , you would recover only a spirit of wine ; and yet nevertheless there will remain at bottom but a small quantity of salt of tartar with its usual whiteness ; which shews sufficiently that this colour did only proceed from the exact mixture of the spirit of wine with the salt of tartar , seeing upon their separation the colour disappears . the tincture of the salt of tartar loses its red colour as it grows old , by reason that the more subtile part of the spirit of wine is lost through the pores of the glass , and there remains only a spirit which has not strength enough to keep the salt of tartar in its exalted condition . magistery of tartar , or tartarum vitriolatum . this operation is a salt of tartar impregnated with the acidity of spirit of vitriol . put into a glass body what quantity you please of oil of tartar made per deliquium , pour upon it by little and little rectified spirit of vitriol , there will be a great effervescency : continue to drop more in , till there 's no further ebullition ; then place your cucurbite in sand , and evaporate the spirit with a little fire , there will remain a very white salt , keep it in a viol well stopt . it is a good aperitive , and is also a little purgative ; it is given in hypochondriacal cases , in quartans , kings-evil , and all other diseases wherein it is necessary to open obstructions , and to work by urine . the dose is from ten to thirty grains in some proper liquor . remarks . tartarum vitriolatum may be made with the salt of tartar as well as with the oil ; the ebullition proceeds from this , that the acid of vitriol piercing the alkali salt of tartar , doth violently separate its parts , and gives vent to igneous bodies which were there imprisoned ; and this effervescency comes to pass as often as an alkali meets with an acid , and remains until the acid can find nothing more to encounter in the alkali salt . then there follows a coagulum at the bottom of the vessel , because the acid and alkali clasping together , do lose their motion , and by their united weight do precipitate to the bottom . and this causes the liquor to be much less acrimonious than the oil of tartar was before , though at least an equal quantity of spirit of vitriol was mixed with it . you must evaporate it gently , and especially toward the end , for fear the acid should rise withal . this salt is whiter than common salt of tartar , as having been subtilized by acids , after the same manner as we see several other white things encrease in their colour , as they are beaten into a fine powder . if you do use two ounces of salt of tartar in this operation , you 'l draw two ounces and a half of tartarum vitriolatum . this augmentation comes from the more heavy and strong part of the vitriol , for that which is evaporated is very phlegmatick . you may here use the rectified oil of vitriol instead of the spirit , and then the less is requir'd , because it is a stronger acid , but the tartarum vitriolatum will not be so white , as when spirit of vitriol is used , by reason of some tincture that always remains with the oil of vitriol , rectifie it as much as you please . though some have written , that if tartarum vitriolatum were put into a retort , and distilled , one might draw spirit of vitriol as good as it was at first , nevertheless it is certain that it will not be so strong a spirit ; for it has lost the most subtile part of its acidity , by encountring with the alkali , which may be easily judged both by the taste , and the effects . if by way of curiosity you would search a little narrowly into this operation , and observe what happens during the ebullition of the acid and the alkali , you would find , that a great many little dashes of water do fly about , especially if the vessel is not placed too low , and you hold a lighted candle near it , for they will be apt to put it out . this effect can have no other cause than the violent separation of the parts of the alkali by the acid , which makes the watry part of this liquor to sparkle upwards , being on all sides violently driven . if you use oil of vitriol , the ebullition is the greater , and the heat the more considerable , because its acid being stronger , it separates the parts of the alkali body more easily . now considering the ebullition which happens between acid and alkali , i have the less opinion of a method that some do follow , which is to bathe a little the bodies that are to be embalmed , with spirit of salt , and then to put salt of tartar into the embalming powder ; for it is very likely , that this spirit of salt , which is an acid , by mixing with the alkali salt of tartar , may produce a fermentation which may stir up the remaining humidity of the carkass , and make it to mix with the ingredients of the powder , and so instead of preserving the dead body , we have reason to fear lest this fermentation should rather hasten a dissolution of its parts . acids do sometimes dissolve and rarifie , and at other times coagulate and precipitate , as may be seen by the operations which have been described . these different actions do seem very strange , for it is hard to conceive how one and the same liquor should produce contrary effects ; but i 'le give you an explication of this phaenomenon , which because it is built upon experience , may perhaps meet with some approbation . an acid proves always a dissolvent , when good store of it is poured upon the matter that is to be dissolved ; but it makes a coagulum as often , when being in too small a quantity its points are fixed in the pores of the matter , and have not power enough to get out ; and this is plainly perceived , when spirit of vitriol is poured upon the liquor of salt of tartar ; for if you should mix but so much as is requisite to penetrate the salt , the acids do remain sheathed in it , and bear it down , whence a coagulation and precipitation happens ; but if now so much more , or a greater quantity of spirit of vitriol , should be still added to the liquor , the coagulum will disappear , by reason that the little bodies which being gathered together maintained their part against the acid , and hindred its motion , will be then scattered and dissolved by the acid , that is now grown the stronger . the same thing may be remarked in all other bodies which can be dissolved by acids ; for if you take a little of any of those , and pour a little acid upon it , there is made a great effervescency , and after that a coagulum , but if you add more acid , the matter will all dissolve . an acid can likewise precipitate what an alkali hath dissolved , as we see in the operation of the magistery of sulphur , and this because the acid having dissolved and separated the parts of the alkali makes it let go its hold , and the body precipitates by its own weight . when milk coagulates by the means of an acid , it is because it contains a great deal of cheese , into which the acid enters , and losing its motion weighs it down ; whence it comes to pass that the coagulum which is made with a weak acid , precipitates much less than that which is made with a greater quantity of acid ; but if you should in curiosity pour a great deal of acid upon the precipitated coagulum , you would find it dissolve by degrees . the fermentation of dough , and other matters of the same nature does proceed from this , that the natural salts having been put into motion by trituration or some other cause do rarifie and dissolve , as much as they can , whatsoever resists their motion ; but because these acid salts do exert their activity by little and little , and do meet with much resistance , the solution is made slowly , and the division of some parts is with difficulty enough . and this is that which causes the matter to swell as it does , and to take up greater room than it had before . leaven does encrease the fermentation in dough , because it self being a paste whereof the salts are become free to act by means of a long fermentation , these salts do easily join with those of the other paste , or dough , and do help them to rarifie and dissolve the whole . the same may be likewise said of other acid matters which cause a fermentation . but when the acids have rarified the matter as much as they are able , they lose their motion in it , and then the matter coagulates , that is to say , returns into the same extension as before . there is still one effect of acids , which seems different from those i have now spoken of , that they do preserve certain bodies which are put into them , as salt keeps or preserves meat . thus when young cucumbers , samphire , or capers are steeped in vinegar , there is no fermentation with them , and consequently no corruption . the reason of which is that the parts of cucumbers and other like things being very viscuous and sluggish , the acids do insinuate to dissolve them , but they have not there their motion free enough to make their jostles , and to divide the parts minutely , so that the acids of the vinegar do only fix in the pores of these matters and coagulate in them . it is this coagulation which hinders the cucumbers from corrupting , for these acids do shut their pores , and serve for so many little pegs , wherewith to sustain their parts firm and quiet . sea-salt which is an acid does preserve meat , and many other matters , for the same reason . i have already spoken of that in my remarks upon the principles . the coagulation then which acids do cause may justly be said to be an imperfect dissolution of bodies , and i could here relate a great many other examples to prove what i have asserted . but i shall content my self with those already said . and now let us see whether this discourse can furnish us with any thing that illustrates the digestion of aliments in the stomach . most of our modern philosophers have not spared the notion of acid , when they have endeavoured to explicate digestion , they have conceived the membranes of the stomach to be all impregnated with it , and many of them not contented with this liquor alone have brought some more of it from the spleen and pancreas : but if all these acids were really in the stomach , the aliments would not escape coagulating , and consequently an indigestion , as uses to happen , after taking too many acids at meals ; for conceive never so great a quantity of them , either there would not be enough to dissolve the aliments , or else the membranes of the stomach would be attenuated and concocted too , as well as that which they contain , which nevertheless doth not happen in the natural temper of the body . there is no need of seeking after these imaginary acids to cause digestion ; the spittle which mixes with the aliments as they receive their first trituration between the teeth , will furnish us with enough to actuate the fermentation in the stomach ; there is but little acid requisite to set the parts in motion , but when once they are moved , they do contain enough salts and spirits of the same nature , which being quickned by the heat of this viscus will break all their chains , and find a vent out , whence does infallibly follow an attenuation of the aliment into a chylous substance . it will be said , without doubt , that the irritation in the stomach , which is called hunger , cannot be produced by any thing but an acid , which finding no more aliments to work upon , uses to act upon the membranes themselves . but i think i shall explicate this irritation better , according to my own opinion , than that of these men ; for i may with reason enough say , that the spittle finding the stomach empty of all nourishment , ferments alone , and creates this irritation , seeing that spittle , as every body must grant , is loaded with a salt ; but as for them , they must make an acid to come from the membranes , which nevertheless doth not irritate them , but only when it meets with nothing else in the stomach to exercise upon , which is a thing hard enough to comprehend . i know very well that some of them to avoid this difficulty will say , that the acid is generated in the stomach from the remainder of that which is eaten , which continuing some time in the stomach produces a leaven after the same manner as dough ; but then they must explain to me what the ferment did consist of , which served to digest the first aliments that the infant took . another objection may be made to what i have said touching digestion ; it is , that whereas i have maintained that acids do dissolve when they abound , and coagulate when they are but few in a great deal of matter , it should happen that spittle should then be apter to coagulate the aliments in the stomach , and cause indigestion , than would a greater quantity of acids , for it seems , according to my discourse , the more acids are found in a matter , the more liable it must be to dissolve . to resolve this difficulty , which seems to be very considerable , we must observe , that the natural acids of aliments taken into the stomach , are sufficient to rarifie and dissolve those bodies which hinder their motion , when it has been begun by mastication , or by some salt of the spittle , which serves as a leaven to them , much after the same manner as the salts of meal do rarifie the paste , when they have been actuated before by trituration and leaven together ; but now if there happens to be too much acid in the aliments that are taken into the stomach , they will have the same effects as cucumbers and those other things i mentioned , which are preserved in vinegar . the acids will indeed endeavour to cut in pieces what stands in their way , but having to do with parts too viscous and heavy , they will soon lose all their activity , and fix by their quantity , and their gravity the natural salt of these aliments , as vinegar fixes that of cucumbers ; for when the acids do shut the pores of the matter , and keep them firm and quiet , the natural salt cannot exalt so as to cause any fermentation or digestion . the reason then why a small portion of acids will cause digestion in the stomach , and a greater quantity will hinder it , is that the small quantity will joyn with the natural salt of the aliments , and have its operation without shutting the pores of the matter , whereas a great store of acids will quite fill the pores of this matter , and hinder the motion of the natural salt ; for it is not enough that there be a great many acids , to cause such a dissolution , these acids must have room to move in , and to make their jostles . thus these effects do make nothing against what i have asserted concerning acids , for a greater quantity of them will always have more disposition , and tendency to a dissolution ; but if this great quantity does coagulate divers things , it is only by accident , and through the disposition of the matter into which the acid points have entred . what i have here established concerning acids may serve very much to explicate the nature of feavers , and their principal symptoms . first of all every body must grant , that when there are obstructions in our bodies , the obstructed matter does ferment and sowr , as dough , wine , and several other things grow sowr by being stale . this matter by fermenting sends saline or acid vapours into the mass of bloud , which do cause divers alterations in it , according to their quantity , and quality , for these acids are commonly mixt with sulphurs , which are a kind of vehicle to the acids , and are more or less corrupted , according as the matter whence they are derived has sojourned more or less in the obstructed part . now if these acid vapours are carried into the vessels , but only in such a quantity as is fit to make a kind of leaven , they will then rarifie the bloud too much , and whereas they by consequence do encrease its motion and heat , they do cause that which we call a feaver ; this feaver must remain as long as the ferment continues in the bloud , and according as there comes a new supply of matter in place of that which nature has thrown off . but if a greater quantity of acids should rise all of a sudden from out of the obstructions , then there must needs happen a kind of coagulation , for these acids thus abounding , and fixing the grosser part of the bloud , do partly lose their motion , and quiet the ebullition of the bloud by fixing its parts . it is this kind of congelation which causes those cold shiverings , which are felt , before the hot fit begins ; for as the heat is derived from the motion of the spirits , the cold is produced from the cessation of their motion . the cold fit continues until the spirits have by their activity rarified this congelation ; for the spirits being continually supplied with additional forces do make violent assaults until they have made their way free . the coagulum being dissolved , the bloud should seem to circulate as it did before , but because the matter of the coagulum is converted into a leaven , this leaven makes the bloud to boil , and so causes a feaver ; this feaver continues until the bloud is freed from all this ferment , either by transpiration , or by urine . now to conceive how this coagulum may be converted into a leaven , we must consider that the spirits of the bloud have lost most of their acidity in dissolving this coagulum , and that there remains but only acidity enough to produce a fermentation . nevertheless you must not think i mean by this congelation now spoken of , a coagulum altogether like to that in milk , or to that which happens , when an acid liquor is syringed into the veins of an animal , for these congelations are too strong , and there would then happen the same thing , or very near the same as does to the animal , who soon afterwards falls into convulsions , and dies , because the course of the spirits and bloud would be intirely stopt , and they would never be able to break through so great an obstacle : but i do understand here that the bloud is made thicker than it was , and has not so free a motion as it had before , which is enough to cause such cold fits . now it remains for me to explicate how it comes to pass that feavers have their returns regularly by fits . the matter that makes the obstructions which i have laid down for the fundamental cause of feavers , begins not to send forth its vapours , nor to disperse its acid salt into the bloud in order to cause a feaver , until it has got together a certain quantity in the obstructed vessels , and then it is probable that there is a new discharge of the matter . this discharge or eruption of feaverish matter must happen at set times , so long as the obstruction lasts , because the humors which circulate to the obstructed parts , and there stop , are always in an equal quickness and an equal quantity . now because in a tertian , the vessels wherein the obstruction happens , do acquire in two days a sufficient repletion of matter to produce the eruption and fermentation i have spoken of , the fits do come to operate every second day . but because in a quartan the humors are more tenacious and heavy , and flow with less expedition , the fermentation and eruption must needs be slower , and consequently the fits more distant the one from the other . the quotidian ague is caused by a saline pituita which is naturally fluid enough to make the matter ferment in less time , wherefore it is that the fits do return every day . we may reason concerning the other kinds of feavers upon the same principle , and explicate all the accidents that happen , but i have no design to enlarge my self further upon this subject , i should think it would be too great a digression , and a book should rather be made on purpose , to express all the circumstances which might be deduced from it . volatile salt of tartar. this operation is the salt of the lees of wine , volatilized by fermentation . dry the lees of wine with a gentle fire , and fill with them two thirds of a large earthen or glass retort , place this retort in a reverberatory furnace , and fitting to it a large receiver , give a small fire to it to heat the retort by degrees , and to drive forth an insipid phlegm ; when vapours begin to rise , you must take out the phlegm , and luting carefully the junctures of your vessels , quicken the fire by little and little , until you find the receiver filled with white clouds ; continue it in this condition , and when you perceive the receiver to cool , raise the fire to the utmost extremity , and continue it so , until there rise no more vapours . when the vessels are cold , unlute the receiver , and shaking it about to make the volatile salt which sticks to it fall to the bottom , pour it all into a bolt-head ; fit to it a head with a small receiver ; lute well the junctures , and placing it in sand , give a litttle fire under it , and the volatile salt will rise , and stick to the head , and the top of the bolt-head ; take off your head , and set on another in its place : gather your salt , and stop it up quickly , for it easily dissolves into a liquor ; continue the fire , and take care to gather the salt according as you see it appear ; but when there rises no more salt , a liquor will distil , of which you must draw about three ounces , and then put out the fire . this salt is in great request for to purifie the bloud , by sweat or urine : it may be given in the palsie , apoplexy , epilepsie , quartan and tertian agues , and to open obstructions ; the dose is from six grains to fifteen in some proper liquor . the distilled liquor is a volatile salt that is risen with the phlegm ; it is called the volatile spirit of tartar , and has the same virtues as the salt ; its dose is from eight to four and twenty drops . after this same manner the volatile salt of beans , soot , and divers fruits and seeds may be prepared . remarks . the lees of wine being incomparably more fermented than the tartar which is found in the sides of vessels , we need not wonder if its salt is more volatile . this salt is sublimed in a bolt-head , to the end the phlegm , which is too heavy to rise easily so high , may not mix with it ; but it is extraordinary hard to keep this salt dry , it easily humects and dissolves into a liquor , wherefore it were much better to draw it in a spirit , and less of the volatile part would be lost , being detained by the phlegm . nevertheless because there are several persons who are as well pleased with the sight of things , as their effects , this liquefied salt might then be mixt with a sufficient quantity of calcined bones powdered , to make thereof a paste , which might be made into little pellets , to be put into a bolt-head , and fitting to it a blind-head , this salt may be sublimed or rectified as before , and this pure salt must be kept in viols well stopt , the difficulty there is in keeping this volatile salt dry , as well as that of other vegetables , does proceed from this , that only the more essencial part is volatilized , for there remains much sixt salt with the earth in the retort . this volatile salt becomes alkali by the means of fire , as other volatile salts do , whereof i have already spoken in my remarks upon the principles ; and there is no manner of probability that it should have been of this nature , either in the plant or in the lees , for the reasons that i have shewn in the same remarks . i shall add here , that if the alkali salt did exist in the lees , but is not able to expand it self , and get the predominancy of acids but only by a long fermentation , as the chymists will have it , who follow the common way of discoursing of these things , it would then necessarily follow that the more lees do ferment , the more they must lose of their acidity , because the alkali would destroy it . nevertheless the contrary to this happens ; for lees do sowr as they grow stale , & those who make vinegar , do know well enough how to use the lees , and to make them ferment with their wine , when they would make vinegar quickly . it seems to me from the consideration of this effect , that there is little reason to follow the sentiments of some , who have writ that the lees of wine abounding in volatile salt , and a sulphureous spirit do contain but very little acid ; for it is as plain as may be that this volatile salt is acid in the lees , and is the same that makes the acid spirit of vinegar , being more volatile than many other acids , to volatilize with its phlegm in the distillation . it is true that salt of tartar drawn by the retort , does rise more easily than spirit of vinegar , but this is from its being volatilized by the violent heat of fire . another mark that all the salt of lees is acid , is this , that the tartar does all dissolve in the wine , and turns into vinegar ; for very little or no lees , or other tartar , is to be found in the vessels wherein vinegar is made , although there was some naturally before , or though some more were added to it as i have said in the chapter of vinegar . perhaps it will be objected , that lees are sometimes added to wines grown ropy and mucilaginous , to make them good again , and yet those wines are not sowred by the lees. but this effect happens , when the former fermentation becoming imperfect , through the too great quantity of phlegm for the little proportion of salt that was in the wines , the salt of the lees does rarifie , exalt , and conjoin with the oily parts of the liquor that the spirit of wine is made of , as i have said in the chapter of wine . for the wine does not sowr , so long as the salt finds oil to act upon , but it does so , when this salt finds nothing to hinder it from expanding itself . the volatile salt of tartar produces much the same effects , as that of beans , and other seeds , and though many will needs give it sublime and extraordinary virtues in comparison with other volatile salts , i do'nt see any reason for such high conceits , nor that effects do answer their pretences . volatile salts have a good use , when they find the pores & humors disposed for perspiration , but they are full as dangerous , when the humors are not at all prepared ; for by their volatility they do put the humors into so great a motion , that oftentimes the feaver is encreased by them , and a translation made to the brain : wherefore you must consider well the temper and present state of your patient , before you presume to give them . that which remains in the bolt-head , after the volatile salt , and spirit are drawn off , is a black and stinking oil mixt with the more phlegmatick part of the liquor ; you must separate this oil in a tunnel lined with brown paper ; it is good for the palsie , for cold pains , and for hysterical women to smell to . a lee or tartar calcined is found in the retort , out of which you may draw a fixt alkali salt , as out of common tartar , but in a much less quantity , for that the greatest part of the salt of lees is volatilized . chap. xv. of opium . opium is a tear , which distils of itself , or by incision of the heads of poppies , found very frequently in greece , in the kingdom of cambaia , and the territories of grand-cairo in egypt : there are three sorts of it , the black , the white , and the yellow . the inhabitants of those countries do keep this opium for their own use , and do send us only the meconium , which is nothing else but the juyce of these same poppy-heads , drawn by expression , and then thickned , and wrapt up in leaves to transport the better . it is this drug that we improperly call opium , and always use for want of the true ; but being more impure than the true , it hath not the same activity , and strength . a meconium may be made after the same manner with the heads of those poppies that grow in italy , languedoc , and provence , but it will prove much weaker than the former . the opium which comes from thebes , or else from grand-cairo , is accounted the best , you must choose it black , inflammable , bitter to the taste , and a little acrimonious , its smell must be disagreeable and stupefactive . extract of opium , called laudanum . this operation is the purer part of opium drawn in water and spirit of wine , and reduced to the consistence of an extract . cut into slices four ounces of good opium , and put it into a bolt-head ; pour upon it a quart of rain-water well filtred ; stop the bolt-head , and setting it in sand , give your fire by degrees , then increase it , to make the liquor boil for two hours , strain it warm , and pour it into a bottle . take the opium which remains undissolved in the rain-water ; dry it in an earthen pan , over a small fire , and putting it into a matrass pour upon it spirit of wine to the height of four fingers ; stop the matrass , and digest the matter twelve hours in hot ashes ; afterwards strain the liquor , and there will remain a glutinous earth which is to be flung away . evaporate both these dissolutions of opium separately , in earthen or glass vessels , in a sand-heat , to the consistence of honey , then mix them , and finish the drying this mixture with a very gentle heat , to give it the consistence of pills , or a solid extract . it is the most certain soporifick that we have in physick , it allays all pains which proceed from too great an activity of the humors , it is good for the tooth-ach , applied to the tooth , or else to the temple-artery in a plaister , it is used for to stop spitting of bloud , the bloudy-flux , the flux of the menses and hemorrhoids , for the colick , for hot defluxions on the eyes , and to quiet all sorts of griping pains : the dose of it is from half a grain to three , in some convenient conserve , or else dissolved in a julep . remarks . opium is compounded of a spirituous part and a gross terrestrious rosine ; the spirituous part may be easily dissolv'd in water , but the resinous requires a more convenient menstruum , such as spirit of wine . you must dry the opium after the first dissolution , least the spirit of wine be too much weakned by the watry part that remains , which would hinder the solution from being done so well as it should be . distilled vinegar dissolves opium , but the acids may diminish its virtue , by destroying or fixing its volatile part , which serves for a vehicle to the other . spirit of wine alone might be used to dissolve both parts of the opium , but it might be feared it would carry away with it the volatile part in the evaporation . all that is in the opium is preserved by my description ; for the resinous part dissolved in the spirit of wine cannot evaporate with it , because it is the heavier ; and the other part which i call volatile in comparison with the first is mixt with a little rosine that keeps it back , while the water evaporates . the truth of this i have found by experience , and any body else may try as well as i have done , by distilling these liqours . lastly it is hard to use any greater precaution than this , for the preservation of all the pure parts of opium , and fewer menstruums can be used that are more convenient . if in curiosity you weigh the glutinous earth after it is dried , you will find it to be half an ounce . almost all authors have appointed to torrifie opium before it be dissolved , to the end a certain malignity which they say is in it may be evaporated ; but that which they call malignity is nothing but the spirits , or sulphurs that are most volatile , whereof i spoke but now ; so that by the torrefaction they deprive it of its more active part . they do further add to the extract commonly drawn with spirit of wine , coral , pearl , treacle , extract of saffron , cordial confections , hysterical ingredients and other things which may resist a cold malignity in the fourth degree which they pretend to be in opium . but experience convinces us that it is not so dangerous , when given in the foresaid dose , so that there is no need at all of losing its volatile part by torrefaction , nor of mixing it with other ingredients which may hinder its operation , or retard its effect . it belongs to the physician , when he thinks fit to give it , to judge whether there be any need of an hysterick , or cordial , which he may appoint to be mixed upon the spot . i shall not stay to examine here whether opium is cold or hot ; they who have made the anatomy of this mixt , do know very well that it is almost all of it sulphur . i shall endeavour to explicate its effects the most sensibly i can according to the rules of chymistry . the virtue of opium consists in causing sleep , and that by calming the motion of the spirits ; for since watchfulness does proceed from the motion of the spirits , which by rarifying the humors in the little passages of the brain do augment their circulation , it may surely be said with probability enough that sleep is caused by some condensation of the humors , which happens from a repose of the spirits in the brain . according to this principle then there must be contained in opium , and all other soporificks , a certain substance that inviscates the spirits , and hinders them for some time from circulating so fast as they did before . let us examine now , whether any such thing can probably be found in opium , by the analysis i have made of it : first of all i have observed a spirituous part , but after that hath been drawn out by means of rain-water , there remains a gummous and terrestrious matter , and this is the substance that i find so proper to produce this effect . for nothing in physick is so fit to thicken the bloud , and other humors , as things that are mucilaginous : milk , and the emulsions which are drawn from divers seeds , the water-lily , lettice , nay and all temperate aliments , do frequently incline to sleep , because they are impregnated with a gummous substance , which mixing in the bloud , does serve to agglutinate the spirits , and to moderate the quickness of their motion ; this now being supposed , it is easie to conceive how opium makes one sleep , seeing it is loaded with mucilaginous parts , which may be conveighed into the vessels . but without doubt it will be here objected , that opium is full of subtile parts , which on the contrary instead of condensing the spirits must needs rarifie them ; and further , that according to my discourse all sorts of gummous matters should incline to sleep as well opium , which is a thing manifestly false . in the first place , i answer , that the spirits of opium being actuated by the heat of the stomach do serve to raise the gummous part , and to conduct it into the little passages of the brain , but having there introduced them , they either fly away through their volatile nature , or else condense with the moisture of the brain . the same thing happens , after drinking any spirituous liquor , such as wine , cyder , or beer ; for the sulphureous spirits of these liquors carrying along with them some phlegmatick parts , do conduct them into the little vessels of the brain , or else do cause some coagulation there , whence it comes to pass that a man who is drunk commonly sleeps until the spirits of the liquor he is intoxicated with are in part spent , or evaporated out of his brain . in the second place , i say that all gummous or viscous things are not able to cause a sleepiness as opium does , because they have not equally the same proportion of volatile spirits to convey them into the brain . they may indeed , by giving more consistence to the bloud , moderate its motion a little , and excite some disposition to sleeping ; but it will not be done so quickly as by the means of opium , and they likewise do it with a great deal less force . if you should mix volatile spirits with the gummous matters i now spoke of , it would not follow that they would prove narcotick as opium is , because the spirits not being capable of so strict an union with those matters , as the spirituous part of opium has received with its viscous substance , they would soon separate from one another in the stomach , and the gummous matter would want a vehicle to convey it into the channels of the brain , as would be requisite in order to cause sleep . the viscous parts of opium insinuating into the small channels of the brain , do there produce a condensation or inspissation of the humors , until by little and little new spirits do draw together , which by dissolving and rarifying this glue , do carry it along with the bloud , or other humors . and then it is that the sleeping ceases , a man finds himself awake as before . reason may be given why pains in many places are asswaged after the effect of laudanum , for these pains being caused by an agitation of the spirits , when these spirits are condensed , the pain consequently ceases . and this opium does perform exceeding well , as i have said . those who fall into deliriums in a continued feaver , do find themselves strangely relieved by the use of opium , by reason that the principal cause of this accident is an acrimonious salt , which is got into the brain , and irritates its membranes . now laudanum which is a viscous substance , unites with these salts by means of its sulphur , and takes away their acrimony . it likewise stops the dysentery , the flux of the menses , and other hemorrhagies by sweetning the acrimonious salts which fomented them . lastly opium may be said to be one of the greatest remedies that we have , when it is properly administred , and in a reasonable dose : but when it is given in too great a quantity , it so thickens and glues the humors in the brain by its viscous parts , that the spirits which come afterwards to succour , not being able to dissolve this viscosity , are forced to stop and congeal likewise by little and little , until at last they lose all their motion , whence it comes to pass that many do dye upon the taking of opium . it is remarkable , that many do so accustom themselves to the use of opium , that at last it is scarce able to make them sleep , except when they take three or four times as much as is commonly given . there are some men in france , who can venture to take to a drachm , and this quantity does no more in them than two grains in another . it is well known that the turks will take of it to the bigness of a hazle nut , to fortifie themselves when they are going to fight . the reason that they can do so is , that opium passing a great many times into the small vessels of the brain , hath in great measure dilated them . so that finding the passages very large , it makes little or no stop , unless taken in a greater quantity than before ; for the turks do not only accustom themselves to the taking of opium by little and little , but being of a hotter temperament than we , they supply more spirits to the brain for rarefaction of the humors , which opium might there have condensed . if the turks do find themselves fortified so soon as they have taken opium , it is by reason of these volatile spirits , which work in them much the same effect , as the spirits of wine use to do with us . some have writ in opposition to what i have establish'd on this subject , and say , that if we have regard to the quantity of narcotick vapours that may arise from a small dose of opium , it ought not to be imagined that those vapours should be able to shut the channels of the spirits and humors which make a defluxion upon some part ; but that we should rather conclude the mitigation of pains , and stopping of defluxions to proceed from a just proportion of the salt and sulphur of opium , and from the secret ferment they contain . but this objection will give us little trouble to answer , when we consider that although the vapours caused by it are but few , yet the vessels of the brain , in which the animal spirits do move , are exceeding delicate , and easie to be obstructed ; and that the too great activity of the spirits , which often fly into the diseased parts , being thus abated by the viscous nature of opium , there must needs follow thereupon some ease and comfort , without any need at all of admitting a stoppage of the vessels which contain the humors . as for the proportion of salt , and sulphur in opium , and the secret ferment they pretend to acquaint us with , in order to explicate this matter , i know they are high terms indeed , but illustrate the matter very little , for though they say these salts and sulphurs do unite with homogeneous particles that they meet with , and destroy such as are the cause of the distemper , yet we can never by this means obtain any clear idea of that which makes opium to be soporiferous . besides the virtue which opium has to cause sleep , i have observed that it is often sudorifick . i conceive this effect must not be attributed only to the volatile parts of this mixt , which may be thought to operate this way , after they are disingaged from its viscosity , but rather to this , that during sleep , the inward vessels being as it were obstructed , or in some manner coagulated , and the spirits finding resistance in their passage , do reflect , or bend their motion to the outward parts , and draw along with them some moisture through the pores . that which confirms me in this opinion is the consideration , that divers persons do use always to sweat , when they are asleep , though they have not taken any opium at all . now it may happen that in the operation of opium , the spirits finding more resistance within than they are wont , may tend outwards with the more force , and consequently incline to sweat more than in natural sleep . some prejudiced chymist may not relish perhaps this my explication , because i do not season it with salt enough , and sulphur , and other principles ; but although the five principles which may be drawn from vegetables may also be drawn from opium , i never use them but when they are necessary to explicate some effect ; for whensoever i find they cannot satisfie my reason , nothing shall hinder me from pursuing my thoughts farther , and searching otherwhere for some better explication . in fine the beauty of chymistry does not consist in suiting our opinions to those of ordinary chymists , who resolving to explicate all the events of nature by their principles , which they manage according to their own fashion , do reject as ridiculous whatsoever does not agree with their sentiments ; but it rather consists in examining and imitating what is done naturally , and so searching for reasons that are most probable , and such as may be said to come nearest to truth , though a man be fain to forsake the way that others have trod in . chap. xvi . of aloes . aloes is the thickned juice of a plant bearing the same name , it grows in many countries , especially in egypt , whence it is brought to us ; the best is that which is called hepatick , and succotrine , because it bears the colour of a liver , and a great deal of it is brought from an island of persia , called soccotra ; the hepatick is drawn by incisions made on the plant ; it is friable , of an offensive smell , and very bitter taste . there is another sort of aloes , which doth not differ from the former , but only in that being drawn by expression , many impurities are mixed with it , it is compact , heavy , and smells not so strong as the other . it is called aloes caballina , because farriers do use it most for their horses . aloes is not only used inwardly , as i shall shew , speaking of its extract , but it is also used outwardly in many unguents and plaisters that are detersive , and discutient . it s tincture is also drawn with spirit of wine , by the same method as i shall describe that of myrrhe ; it is discutient , detersive , good against gangrenes , and to incarnate : it is used in injections to dissolve gypsous humors , and to cleanse wounds , and old ulcers . extract of aloes . this operation is an aloes depurated from some feculencies which it contained . dissolve eight ounces of aloes succotrina in a sufficient quantity of juice of roses , or a strong decoction of violet flowers ; let the dissolution settle five or six hours , then decant it , and when you have filtred it , evaporate the liquor gently , until the matter remains in the consistence of an extract , keep it in a pot . 't is a good remedy to purge the stomach , fortifying it withal , the dose is from fifteen grains to a drachm in pills ; it is likewise good to bring down the menstrua . remarks . this preparation is nothing but a purification of aloes into an hepatick liquor . pills are made of this extract , and are called pills of frankfort , and some do add to them mastich , rhubarb , and other stomachick ingredients ; it is the basis of the angelical pills . aloetick pills may be taken at meat , or a little before meals , they seldom purge till the next day . wherefore they have been called pilulae ante cibum . they bring the hemorrhoids , and terms , in that aloes do rarefie the bloud by its fermentative salt , and stimulates it out of the veins with great force . the extract of aloes taken alone is pungent upon the stomach . it is given immediately before meat , that the aliments by their viscous quality may dull the keen operation of this remedy , and so may serve as a corrective to it . chap. xvii . elixir proprietatis . this operation is a tincture of myrrhe , aloes , and saffron , drawn in the spirits of wine and sulphur . powder grosly , and mix together two ounces of good myrrhe , the same of aloes succotrina and one ounce of good saffron ; put this mixture into a bolt-head , and pour upon it spirit of wine a fingers heighth above it ; stop well the bolt-head , and let them digest two days , then open it , and add to it spirit of sulphur , until the liquor is four fingers above the matter ; shake it all well together , and having fitted another bolt-head to the former in order to make a circulating vessel , set it in digestion in horse dung , or such like heat the space of four days . then decant the liquor , and strain it , keep it in a bottle well stopt . it is a very good remedy to fortifie the heart , it purifies the bloud , and works by sweat , it is likewise good to help digestion , to bring down the menses , and in hysterical vapours ; the dose is from seven to twelve drops in some proper liquor . remarks . the name elixir has been given to many infusions , or tinctures of spirituous bodies prepared in spirituous menstruum's . they would express by this word a very pretious liquor , or a quintessence . paracelsus was the first who described this preparation . many others since him have changed some circumstances relating to it , but all have tended to the same end , which is to draw forth the tincture of those three ingredients . i have used but one ounce of saffron , because this little flower is very light , and takes up a great deal of room . though we should use more of it , the menstruum would receive no more than it does , for there is as much in that quantity as is sufficient to fill the pores of the menstruum . i do leave the ingredients to infuse two days in spirit of wine all alone , that only their more sulphureous part may be drawn by this spirit . the acid spirit which is mixed afterwards , being sweetned by the ramous parts of the spirit of wine has only force remaining to load itself with the tincture . this mixture of spirit of wine , and spirit of sulphur do give the tincture a very pleasant smell , and they have some cordial quality besides . wherefore i would not advise the changing this menstruum , as some do , by substituting in their place spirit of harts-horn . if you would , you might draw more tincture from that which remains in the bolt-head , but it will not be so strong nor so good as the first , because it has already parted with its more volatile parts . chap. xviii . of tabaco . tabaco called nicotiana , or petum , is a plant with broad leaves , that grows abundantly in many places of america , as brazile , and peru , but the best that is brought into france is from florida , it hath been transplanted among us , but our countrey not being hot enough , that which grows here , is not so strong as the tabaco that is brought out of america . tabaco , either chewed or smoked now and then , makes a great discharge of humors from the head ; but if it be used too immoderately , it is apt to cause several diseases , such as the palsie , and apoplexy . it is beaten , and applied to tumors to discuss them , it being full of spirits which do rarifie them and open the pores . it is likewise infused in common water , and tettars and other itchings of the skin are washed with this infusion , but you must have a care that the water be not too much charged with it , for fear of giving a vomit . tabaco kills serpents , vipers , lizards , and such like animals , if you open a hole in their flesh , and thrust a little bit into it , or if you should smoke them with it . distillation of tabaco . put into a glass-cucurbite eight ounces of good tabaco cut small ; pour upon it about an equal weight of phlegm of vitriol , cover the cucurbite with its head , and digest the matter in sand for a day , fit to it a receiver , and distil about five ounces of liquor in a small fire , keep it in a viol . it is a powerful vomit , the dose is from two drachms to six in some proper liquor , it is likewise good for tettars , and the itch , being rubbed lightly with it . put that which remains in the cucurbite into an earthen retort , or glass one luted , place it in a furnace , and fit to it a great receiver , and luting close the joints , begin with a small fire to raise all the phlegm ; augment it by little and little , and the spirits will come forth confusedly with a black oil ; continue the fire until there comes no more , then let the vessels cool , and unlute them ; pour that which you find in the receiver into a tunnel lined with brown paper , the watry part will pass through , while the black and fetid oil remains in the filter , keep it in a viol : a drachm of it may be mixed with two ounces of hogs-grease , it is a good remedy for the itch , and for tettars . an alkali salt may be drawn from the coals that remain in the retort , after the same manner as the salt of guaiacum . this salt is a sudorifick , the dose is from four grains to ten in some convenient liquor . remarks . tabaco is full of such piercing sulphurs and volatile salts , that so soon as ever it is in the stomach , it falls a pricking the fibers , and moving to vomit . the oil of tabaco is so great a vomit , that if one should but hold ones nose a little over the viol , in which it is kept , it would make one vomit . one day i made a small incision in the skin of a dog's thigh , and thrusting in a little tent dipt in the oil of tabaco , the dog immediately purged both upwards and downwards with a great deal of violence . the fixt salt of tabaco may be made as i have said , but if you would have any quantity of it , you must join a great deal of other tabaco with it , for receiving so little matter out of the retort , it would be hard to get a drachm of salt. chap. xix . extractum panchymagogum . this extract is a farrago of the purer substances of divers purgative and cordial medicines . take an ounce and a half of the pulp of coloquintida , one ounce of the pulvis diarrhodon abbatis , so much good agarick , and two ounces of black hellebore , powder them all grosly , and put them into a matrass : pour upon it rain-water distilled , four fingers above the mixture . stop the matrass close , and set it in digestion in hot sand , or in horse dung , three or four days , and shake the vessel ever now and then . after this pass your infusion through a cloth : pour upon the residence a like quantity of the same liquor ; let it infuse as before , then strain and express it strongly ; mix your infusions , and let them settle , until they become clear , decant them , and evaporate the liquor in an earthen pan in a sand-heat with a little fire , to the consistence of a syrop : then mix with them half an ounce of rosine of scammony , and two ounces of extract of aloes , evaporate the whole to the consistence of an extract . it purges all the humors well , the dose is from one scruple to two in pills . remarks . the flesh or pulp of coloquintida is nothing but the apple it self cleansed from its seeds . it purges the brain , the best is that which is whitest and lightest . the powder diarrhodon abbatis is cordial , and resists the malignity of humors , it takes its name from the rose , which is its basis . the agarick is a rosinous mushrom , that grows on the larix , the best is the whiter , lighter , and most friable ; it is used for to purge the brain . the root of black hellebore is a very strong purger of melancholy , wherefore it is given to hypochondriacal persons , and even to the maniacal ; it gives a vomit , when taken alone , but with this mixture it fixes downwards ; the white is a poison , taken inwardly ; it is never used but for sneezing powders . scammony is a very purgative resinous juyce , the best is most friable , and which being powdered hath a grey colour drawing towards white : its rosine is drawn from it as that of jalap . aloes is said to purge choler , i have spoken of its virtues sufficiently already , when i described its extract . spirit of wine is commonly used to make this extract , and it may seem to be so much the purer , being drawn by this dissolvent , rather than by a watry menstruum ; for spirit of wine dissolves only the more balsamick and purer part of mixt bodies : but nevertheless i chuse rather to prefer the use of dew , or else rain-water , nay and even common water before spirit of wine for several reasons . first , because in the evaporation of the liquidity of the extract , drawn by spirit of wine , a great many of the more subtile parts are lost , which this dissolvent had volatilized . and indeed it cannot be denied , but some useful parts will evaporate , let us use what dissolvent we please ; but it is plain there is no such great loss , when watry menstruums are used , as when spirit of wine . now we should always prefer such menstruums , as are best able to preserve the virtue of the mixt , whose extract we intend to draw . the second is , because spirit of wine does always leave some impression of heat and acrimony in the extracts it draws , which the liquors that i use do not do . the third is , because spirit of wine is not so convenient a menstruum to dissolve the salts which the ingredients we use are full of , and it is in this salt , that their greatest virtue does consist . wherefore we ought to chuse such dissolvents , as can best preserve the virtue of mixt bodies , and such as are familiar to our nature . we must use spirit of wine to extract rosines , such as that of scammony , jalap , turbith ; but whenever an extract can be drawn with a watry menstruum , it is better to use that , rather than another , for the reasons i have mentioned . purgative medecins have been divided into melanagogues , phlegmagogues , and cholagogues . by melanagogues are understood those that chiefly purge melancholy , by phlegmagogues such as purge phlegm , and by cholagogues those that evacuate choler ; so then by mixing these three sorts of remedies , a composition is made that is called panchymagogue , that is to say , purging all the humors , as doth the extract i have described . now to explicate the action of purgative remedies upon all the several humors , you must consider in the first place , that melancholy is a very tartareous humor , and full of fixt salts ; that phlegm is very viscous , and descending from the brain sticks like glue to the internal membrane of the viscera , and that choler is very thin and easie to rarifie . the remedies which are called melanagogue , such as scammony , senna , &c. are full of lixivious salts , which are very good dissolvents of the melancholick humor contained in the lower parts , in that these sort of remedies do always descend , and being strong purgers , do raise a fermentation where-ever they come . phlegmagogues , such as agarick , coloquintida , &c. do purge the phlegm chiefly that is contained in the brain , because these remedies are full of volatile parts which easily sublime thither by means of the natural heat , and rarifying this humor do make it come down by the ordinary ways of purgation . cholagognes , such as cassia , rhubarb , &c. which are mild remedies , and are not strong enough to excite so great a fermentation as the others , do only purge choler , it being very soluble , and easie to ferment ; but they are not able to reach melancholy , or phlegm , by reason of their thickness ; wherefore there is no need of wondring , why a greater evacuation of choler than other humors is effected by these remedies . it is further observable , that the remedies which purge phlegm and melancholy , do remain , or leave their impression in the body a longer time than those that purge choler , because they more abound in spirits or salts : moreover it is not to be imagined , that these phlemagogues , and melanagogues do evacuate no choler at all , for they do force away all they can meet with , but because it is then mixt with other humors , it appears not so plainly as when it is wrought upon alone . chap. xx. of turpentine . there are two sorts of trees that the turpentine comes from , by incisions that are made into them , to wit , the turpentine tree , and the larix , or larch-tree ; there are a great many of both sorts in hot countries , such as italy , provence , and even in dauphiné . turpentine is properly a liquid rosine in the consistence of a balsom ; that which is brought out of the isle of chios is best esteemed , and is also the dearest ; that which we commonly use , and is called venice turpentine , must be clear , transparent , fragrant , and a little biting on the taste : it is used like a balsom for wounds , it is very diuretick , taken inwardly , and is therefore given in gonorrheas , in bolus , or else dissolved in some liquor by means of a little yelk of an egg , it gives the urine a smell much like violets . it is often boiled in water , and then becomes solid like rosine , and being so prepared is made up into pills , the dose is from half a drachm to a drachm ; if you take too much of it , it gives the head-ach . if in curiosity you should boil a little turpentine in water for a quarter of an hour ; and after you have removed it from the fire , if you should pour cold water upon it , you would see a little skin spread it self upon the water , which has many curious marble colours . and if you gather this skin into a lump , it will become a white turpentine . distillation of turpentine . this operation is a separation of the oil of turpentine from its terrestrious part . take three pounds of good turpentine , and pour it into a retort large enough to remain half empty . add to it a handful of stupe , to prevent the thicker parts of the turpentine from rising when the liquor distils ; you must cleanse the inside of the neck of the retort , and place it in a furnace to distil in an open fire ; fit to it a receiver , and luting the joints , begin the distillation with a very small fire only to warm the retort , and drive out a volatile spirit , after which augment the fire by degrees , there will come forth first a clear oil , then a yellow oil , and at last a red oil ; take care to separate these liquors as they do distil , and when you see the red oil begin to come thick , take away the fire , and when the vessels are cold , unlute them . keep all these liquors separately in viols . the volatile spirit is an excellent aperitive , it is given from four to twelve drops in some appropriate liquor , to expel gravel out of the reins or ureters , in the nephritick colick , or to dissolve viscosities , it is likewise used in gonorrheas . the first oil serves for the same uses as the spirit ; the second and third do serve as a balsom to consolidate wounds , discuss tumors , and to fortifie the nerves . break the retort , and you 'l find in it a mass , melt and strain it to separate the stupe ; it is a good colophone , and is used in plaisters to dry and to consolidate . after this manner may be distilled rosines , mastich , frankincense , tacamahaca , gum elemi , varnish , labdanum , and other gums of this nature . remarks . the spirit of turpentine is properly an ethereal oil mixed with a little phlegm , and acid essential salt , which renders it aperitive , it is this spirit that gives the turpentine its smell . a great fire is requisite for to draw the last oil , and it becomes red , through some fuliginosities that fall upon it , before it comes forth of the retort . if you should continue to raise the fire , until there comes no more liquor , you 'd find in the retort nothing but a little light , and very rarified matter that is good for nothing . the oil of turpentine that is bought at the druggists , is a mixture of spirit , and yellow oil . the oil of turpentine being mixed with that of vitriol , there grows a very considerable heat , and if the oil of vitriol is strong , it makes an ebullition . i have endeavoured to give you a reason for it in the remarks which i have made upon distillation of vitriol . chap. xxi . of benjamin . benjamin called by some assa dulcis , is a rosine that distils from a great tree in foreign countries , the name of it is unknown , though many have thought fit to call it laserpitium ; this tree is very common in samaria , and in many other adjacent countries . benjamin is very much used by the perfumers , and it hath use also in physick , to resist the malignity of humors , and to fortifie the heart and brain ; you must chuse it clean , friable , and full of white spots , and that sort is called amygdaloides . flowers of benjamin , and its oil. this is an exaltation of the volatile salts of benjamin , and a separation of its oil , by distillation . take an earthen pot , high and narrow , with a little border round it , put into it three or four ounces of clean benjamin grosly powdered ; cover the pot with a coffin of paper , and tye it round about under the border ; set the pot into hot ashes , and when the benjamin is heated , the flowers will sublime ; take off the coffin every two hours , and fix another in its place ; stop up quickly in a glass the flowers you find in the coffins , and when those which afterwards sublime do begin to appear oily , take the pot off the fire ; put that which remains into a little glass retort , and fitting a receiver to it , distil in a sand-heat a thick and fragrant oil until nothing more comes forth , there will remain in the retort nothing but a very spongy earth . the flowers are good for asthmatical persons , and to fortifie the stomach ; the dose is from two grains to five in an egg , or in lozenges . the oil is a balsom for wounds and ulcers . remarks . benjamin being full of a great many volatile parts , easily sublimes over the smallest fire ; the flowers do rise in little needles that are very white ; but if you give never so little fire more than should be , they carry along with them a small quantity of oil , which makes them to be yellow and impure . you must therefore perform the operation in hot ashes , or in sand , to have the flowers fair . the flowers of benjamin have a very pleasant acidity . tincture of benjamin . take three ounces of benjamin , and half an ounce of storax , powder them grosly , and put them into a bottle , or matrass half empty , pour upon them a pint of spirit of wine , stop your vessel close , and set it in warm horse-dung , leave it in digestion for a fortnight , after which filtrate the liquor , and keep it in a viol well stopt : some do add to it five or six drops of balsom of peru , to give it a better smell : it is good to take away spots in the face , a drachm of it is put into four ounces of water , and it whitens like milk , this water serves for a wash , and is called virgin 's milk. remarks . this tincture is a dissolution of the rosine of benjamin made in spirit of wine . when it is mixed in a great deal of water , it makes a milk , because water weakens the spirit of wine , and makes it quit what it held up dissolved . if you let this milk settle , the rosine precipi 〈…〉 to the bottom of the vessel , and the water becomes clear . the storax is added to this tincture , to encrease the goodness of the smell . chap. xxii . of camphire . camphire is a rosine that distils drop by drop from a great tree that is much like to a walnut-tree in the island borneo in asia . little cakes of it are likewise brought out of china , but that is not so good ; it must be chosen white , transparent , clean , friable , without spot , and such as is hard to quench , when once lighted . camphire is compounded of a sulphur and salt so exceeding volatile , that it is very hard to keep it any time , and it always loses something , let it be never so closely stopt . it is an excellent remedy for the fits of the mother , it is not only smelt to by women in this condition , and used in their clysters , but also taken inwardly ; for it is lighted , and then quenched five or six times in some water proper to the distemper , and so the water is given to drink ; it is likewise good for intermittent feavers , being hung about the neck , because in its evaporating away , it insensibly enters through the pores , and causes a rarefaction , and transpiration of the humor which caused the disease : and for the same reason it is that several druggs applied to the wrists and other places , have often cured diseases : but you must observe that this sort of remedies is always of a very spirituous nature . camphire is dissolved in spirit of wine , and this dissolution is called spirit of wine camphorized , it is good in the apoplexy , and in hysterical maladies ; it is also found to be of excellent use in the tooth-ach , a little cotton is dipt into it , and put into the aking tooth . oil of camphire . this operation is a camphire impregnated with spirit of niter , which converts it into a liquor . powder grosly three or four ounces of good camphire , put it into a matrass , and pour upon it twice as much spirit of niter , stop your vessel close , and set it over a pot half full of water a little heated ; stir it ever now and then , to help forward the dissolution which will be finished in two or three hours , and then you 'l find the camphire turned into a clear oil which swims above the spirit , separate it and keep it in a viol well stopt . it is used for the caries of bones , and to touch nerves that are uncovered , in wounds . remarks . this oil is nothing but a dissolution of camphire in spirit of niter ; for if you pour water upon it to destroy the force of the spirit , it returns into camphire as before . of all the rosines this is the only one that can dissolve with spirit of niter . this dissolution is made without ebullition , or sensible heat , because the camphire consisting of thin disunited parts , the acids do enter among them and make an easie separation : again acids mixing with sulphurs do never raise any ebullition , because they find those bodies too pliant and yielding , to make sufficient resistance . if you have used three ounces of camphire in this operation , you will obtain four ounces of oil , and the spirit of niter will have lost an ounce ; this last will likewise have lost much of its acrimony . some have censured this operation , by reason , say they , of the violent impression which the corrosive spirit does give to the camphire in its dissolution , and that therefore the acrimony of the medicine renders it of a dangerous use . but seeing this oil is not wont to be given inwardly , methinks there is very little reason for this scruple : there are medecins which are much more acrimonious than this , which nevertheless are not esteemed dangerous to be used . again , there is occasion for this acrimony in the use that is made of this oil , for the spirit of niter which is mixed with it does very much help the camphire to deterge wounds , and to cleanse rotten bones . chap. xxiii . of gumm ammoniack . gvmm ammoniack is so called , because it distils from a sort of ferula , or fennil-gyant , that grows near the place where the oracle of jupiter ammon stood heretofore ; the best is in large yellowish tears , and white within . it is given inwardly in deoppilative electuaries for schirrhous tumors of the liver , spleen , and mesentery ; it is used in emollient and attractive plaisters . the way to purifie it is to dissolve it in vinegar , then passing it through a cloth all the moisture is evaporated away over the fire ; by this means it is cleansed from some straws or other little impurities that it contained . but some part of its volatile spirits are evaporated at the same time , and in them consists its greatest virtue , while some others are fixed by the acid , which always hinders the motion of volatiles . wherefore i would never advise this purification to be made ; i would rather , after chusing it as clean as may be , only powder it in a mortar , to mix it with what may be thought fit ; for though there should be some little straws in it , that would never be able to alter the nature of the remedy , or diminish its virtue so much as doth the destruction of its volatile salts by the vinegar . the same thing may be considered in the use of all other gumms ; & if some of them , as galbanum and opopanax , are too moist to be powdered , you may cut them into little slices , & dry them in the sun. distillation of gumm ammoniack . this is a separation of the oil and spirit of gumm ammoniack from its earthy part . put a pound of gumm ammoniack into an earthen retort , or glass one luted , great enough for two thirds to remain empty ; place this retort in a reverberatory furnace , and fitting to it a receiver , begin the distillation with a very little fire to warm gently the retort , and drive forth drop by drop a little phlegmatick water . when the vapours begin to appear , throw out that which is in the receiver , and refitting it , and luting close the joints , encrease the fire by degrees , and continue it until all is come forth . then let the vessels cool , and unlute them ; pour out that which is in the receiver into a tunnel lined with brown paper , the spirit will pass through , and leave the thick black oil in the filter , keep it in a viol : it is good for the palsie , and hysterical diseases : the diseased parts are rub'd with it , and it is given to women to smell to . put the spirit into a glass alembeck , and rectifie it by distilling it in sand. 't is a good remedy against the plague , and all sorts of malignant diseases ; it is used in the scurvy , and all manner of obstructions , the dose is from eight to sixteen drops in some proper liquor . the spirit of all other gumms may be drawn after the same manner . remarks . two thirds of the retort must remain empty , because the gumm rarifies exceedingly as it heats , and would be apt to come forth in substance , if it had not room enough . there is no need of adding alkali's for the rectification of this spirit , as many authors would perswade us ; this circumstance doth rather more hurt than good , because alkalies do spoil these sorts of spirits , as i have said when i treated of the rectification of the spirit of tartar. the phlegm is taken out of the receiver before the spirits come forth , in order to their being the purer . you will have six drachms of phlegm , three ounces and seven drachms of spirit , six ounces of a black & stinking oil , and there remains in the retort four ounces six drachms of a black , light and very spongious matter , which is to be flung away . it is likewise a little inflammable by reason of fuliginosities which have fallen upon it . and this is that which gave it the black colour ; a great deal of the ashes of this matter is requisite to make a little salt , for the salt of gumms being commonly more volatile than fixed , it comes forth almost all of it in acid spirit . chap. xxiv . of myrrhe . myrrhe is a gummy juice that distils from a thorny tree , of a middle height , by incisions that are made into it ; this tree grows commonly in ethiopia , and arabia , and because the inhabitants of those countries are thought to feed on serpents , the myrrhe that is brought thence is called troglodytick . the antients were wont to collect from the same tree a liquor that fell from it without incision , which was called stacten ; it is only a liquid gum , but i am apt to think it should have more virtue than common myrrhe , because it was the more spirituous part , which filtrated through the pores of the bark of this tree . you must chuse such myrrhe as is friable , light , odoriferous , clear , and such as is in small pieces , of a yellowish colour , and bitter to the taste ; it is aperitive and discutient ; it is much esteemed for obstructions of the vterus , and to bring the menstrua , and to quicken womens labour ; it also resists malignity of humors , it is used in corroborative remedies , and discutient plaisters . tincture of myrrhe . this operation is a solution of the oily parts of myrrhe in spirit of wine . put what quantity you please of good myrrhe powdered , into a bolt-head , and pour upon it spirit of wine four fingers high ; stir the matter and set it in digestion in warm sand , two or three days , or until the spirit of wine is loaded with the tincture of myrrhe ; then separate the liquor by inclination , and keep it in a viol well stopt . it may be used to expedite womens labour , to bring down the menstrua , and in the palsie , apoplexy , lethargy , and all diseases that proceed from corruption of humors ; it is sudorifick and aperitive ; the dose is from six drops to fifteen in some proper liquor ; it is commonly used in outward applications , or mixed with the tincture of aloes to discuss cold tumors , and to dissolve gypsous humors by way of injection , and in the gangrene . after this manner may be made the tinctures of castor and saffron , which are much esteemed in hysterical cases ; the dose of them is from four to twelve drops in balm or mugwort water . remarks . though tinctures of myrrhe are daily drawn in wine , yet the best that can be prepared is with spirit of wine , because this menstruum receives the more oily , or balsamick part of the myrrhe ; whereas the phlegm of wine does cause it to dissolve , and impregnate with the more terrestrious part of the gumm , as well as with the oily . some do use to evaporate this tincture to the consistence of an extract , but because thereby they are fain to lose the more volatile part of the myrrhe with the spirit of wine , i do conceive it better to use the tincture it self as i have described it . the tincture of castor makes the water white , into which you drop it by reason of a rosine which it contains , which is the same i have said , speaking of the rosine of jalap . oil of myrrhe per deliquium . this preparation is a solution of the more separable parts of myrrhe , made with whites of eggs. boil eggs until they are hard , then cutting them in two , separate the yelk , and fill the white with myrrhe powdered , set them on little sticks placed conveniently on purpose , in a plate , or earthen pan , in a cellar , or some such moist place , and there will distil a liquor to the bottom of the vessel , which you may take out , and keep for use . this is called the oil of myrrhe : it is good to take away spots , and blemishes in the face , applied outwardly . remarks . though this liquor , improperly called oil , is only the more soluble part of myrrhe humected with the moisture of whites of eggs , and the cellar together , yet it is the best of any that have been invented , whether you should draw it in spirit of wine , or distill this gumm in a retort ; for by spirit of wine the more volatile part of myrrhe is lost , either by distillation , or evaporation ; and it is so torrified in a retort , that it loses its best virtues ; whereas per deliquium what volatile this gumm contains is preserved in its natural being , for the wet that mixes with it is no ways capable of destroying or altering its nature . the third part of animals . chap. i. of the viper . passing by the fabulous stories that the ancients have left us concerning the birth of the viper , i shall say it is a sort of serpent , that comes into the world by eating through the belly of her dam , and killing her ; whence she is called vipera , quòd vi pariat . this animal is very common in dauphiné , and poictou , from whence it is carried all over france . while it is in the field it feeds upon several little animals , but when taken and shut up in any place , it may be kept a whole summer without eating any thing at all , provided it hath air enough to breath in . the reason why they can live so long without eating is doubtless that the pores of their skin being so exceeding narrow , as they do appear to be upon examination , very few of their spirits do come to be lost ; wherefore they have little need of successive nourishment to beget new ones , as other animals have , who spend abundance of spirits . 't is good to take vipers in the spring , or autumn , because then they are fattest , and in greatest vigour . the cold kills ' em . they differ from other serpents in that they never grow so much ; they have two teeth on the sides of their jaws , and those very long , in comparison with a great many little ones that are round about , and the gum of each of those long teeth is full of a yellowish juyce , in which many do think their venom consists ; now serpents have none of those long teeth , but only little ones . again , they differ in that being taken up by the tails , they can't wind themselves like serpents , to make such circumvolutions about the arm , or thing that holds them , and this by reason of the different connexion of their vertebra's . when the viper is irritated , it shoots out a forked tongue , which looks like a little fire-brand , by reason of the vigorous motion of its spirits ; those who never had seen the teeth of the viper do think this is that which causes all the mischief , but the tongue is not at all venomous . some do save the tongue , to wear about their neck instead of an amulet , in order to preserve them from the effects of ill airs . serpents do likewise thrust out their tongues as the viper does . but here it may be good to advertise you by the by , that those things which are brought to us from maltha for the tongues of petrified serpents are nothing but the teeth of a fish which that countrey affords . the biting of vipers is more dangerous than that of other serpents , but the most quick and assured remedy that can be used upon it , is to crush the head of the animal , and lay it on the wound , because by opening of the pores it lets out the venomous spirits that were got in . the bit person may likewise take the volatile salt of vipers , as i shall shew hereafter . it is not yet sufficiently known wherein consists the venom of vipers , nor can any good substantial reason be given of the accidents which happen after the biting . most men think this malignity consists in the enraged spirits . and this is the opinion of van helmont , and poterius , according to the relation of zwelfer in his remarks upon the augustan dispensatory , where he treats of the troches of vipers : he saith there have been a great many eminent men who have confirmed this opinion with curious observations , on the bitings of enraged animals , particularly of man , of the cat , wolf , horse , dog , weasil , &c. and among others fabritius hildanus in his chirurgical operations , to whose proofs he thinks nothing further can be added to confirm the truth of this opinion : if accidents , saith he , do happen that are sometimes more severe , and sometimes less , they must be attributed only to more or less provocation and anger , or sometimes to a more profound or slighter biting of these animals . this opinion seems likewise to have been confirmed by some experiments , which monsieur charas relates in his book of vipers , where he shews not only that the enraged spirits are the sole poison of the viper , but also pretends that the yellow juice which is found in the hollow part of the jaw , wherein the great tooth is fastned , and was supposed to be the venom of this animal , is no such matter ; for having poured some of this liquor on the wounds of several beasts , not one of them died , nay further , that those persons who had ventured to taste it , never found any inconvenience from it . nevertheless monsieur redy in a particular treatise on the viper will not grant the truth of these experiments . on the contrary he maintains , that having put some of this yellow juice into the wounds of divers sorts of animals , they soon died upon it , and thence concludes that the venom of vipers consists in the yellow juice , and not in the enraged spirits only , as the others have thought , he taking this cause alone to be too metaphysical . and in truth who would believe that the idea which this animal forms , when he finds himself provoked , should be able to imprint on the spirits qualities so malignant ? now in so great an opposition of opinions and experiments , a certain great man of these times found a way to reconcile them , by affirming that the yellow juice of vipers did produce different effects , according to the several places where these animals lived ; so that monsieur redy might have found the yellow juice to be venomous in italy , whereas in france , where the climate is not so hot , this juice doth not produce any poisonous quality , unless it be quickned by the angry spirits of the viper , which gives it a sufficient penetration . others do confidently assure us they have seen several animals in france die , soon after they had put some of this yellow liquor into the wounds they had made for that purpose , which very much favours the assertion of monsieur redy . furthermore as for what is related , that in france people have ventured to taste this yellow liquor without any harm , i find this not to be a convincing proof that it is no poison ; for although spirit of vitriol , for example , or some other acid , does not prove mortal , when taken inwardly , nevertheless if the same quantity should be syringed into the veins , the animal falls presently into convulsions , and dies . now as that which caused the spirit of vitriol taken inwardly not to be poison was this ; the acids do become weak through the mixture of the saliva , and before ever they come to mix in the mass of bloud , their parts do receive so great an alteration from the ferment of the places they must pass through , that they are able to do nothing else at most but cool the body : so the same may be said of the yellow liquor of the viper , when it is tasted of , that besides its mixture with the liquors of the mouth and stomach , it receives divers alterations from the ferments of the places it must pass through , before it enters into the mass of bloud . many do likewise think that the venom of vipers hath its chief seat in the gall , and thence is easily transported to the gums , when they are angry ; nevertheless in the anatomy of this animal there 's no passage found capable of such a translation . i know very well that the pores of living bodies may be said to be so open , that all manner of liquors may be presumed to pass through them , but yet no mischievous effect is discovered to proceed from the viper's gall when given inwardly , for it only causes sweat . lastly , others will have the viper's venom to be dispersed over all its body . and those who think thus , do advise us to whip these animals in a warm bason to drive their venom into the extremities of the body , before we cut ( as is usually done ) their heads two fingers below , and their tails two fingers above ; after that , to flea off the skin , and take out the bowels , and then boil the body in water , wherein are added salt , and dill , to correct , as they say , the remaining malignity . when the flesh is tender , it is to be separated from the bones , then to eight ounces of this flesh beaten into a paste in a marble mortar are added two ounces of bread dried and powdered , and troches made of it , which being dried are kept for use . but this long preparation is seldom used , since experience hath taught us , that no part of a dead viper is at all poisonous . the head and tail dried and powdered may be taken instead of a cordial , as well as the rest of the body . i can likewise assure you , upon my own experience , that the tooth of a dead viper is no ways venomous , having by chance been prickt my self till the bloud came , whilst i was a handling the heads of vipers newly kill'd that i had a mind to dry , and there did not follow the least ill accident from it . furthermore by this coction the vipers flesh is deprived of its volatile salts , which gave its greatest virtue ; for they dissolve in the broth , which is flung away , and only the faeces remain , wherein there hardly rests so much cordial virtue as there does in the bread which is mixed for a corrective . but there is no need i should enlarge my self further on this subject , because these observations are sufficiently delivered in the augustan pharmacopoeia . wherefore i do conceive it to be much better to use the powder of vipers newly made , than the troches . to make this powder well , it is good to chuse vipers , when they are in the prime of their strength ; the females that are full of eggs or young ones , are not so good as the others : their heads are to be cut off , their skins thrown by , and their bowels taken out , and so they are set a drying in the shade , to be afterwards powdered in a mortar . but because this powder is hard to keep , in that worms do breed in it , it will be good to make it into a paste with a sufficient quantity of the mucilage of gum tragacanth , so form it into troches , to dry them , and powder them when there is occasion to use them , and thus it keeps good a long time . this powder is given in the small pox , malignant feavers , and all other maladies where alexipharmicks are required , and the humors are to be purified by perspiration ; the dose is from eight grains to thirty in broth , or some other convenient liquor . the heart and liver are dried in the sun , and powdered together , and this powder called animal bezoar , hath the same virtues as the body of the viper , only it is given in a little lesser dose . the gall of vipers provokes sweat ; the dose is a drop or two in carduus water . the fat that is found in them is melted , then strained for to separate it from the membranes it sticks to , it is as clear as oil. several countries do use it in the small-pox , and in feavers : the dose is from one drop to six in broth , or some other convenient liquor . it likewise enters into the composition of some plaisters , and into discutient unguents . distillation of vipers . this operation is a separation of the phlegm , the volatile salt , and the oil of vipers from its earth . take twelve dozen of vipers dried in the shade , as i said before , put them into an earthen retort , or glass one coated , place it in a reverberatory furnace , fit to it a great capacious receiver , and luting the joints close , begin the distillation with a small fire to warm the retort gently , and drive out a phlegmatick water drop by drop ; when you see no more drops to fall , encrease the fire a little , and spirits will come forth , which will fill the receiver with white clouds , you will see at last a black oil come , and the volatile salt stick to the sides of the receiver . continue the fire until there comes no more , after which let the vessels cool , and unlute them . shake about the receiver a little , to loosen the volatile salt from the sides , and pour it all into a bolt-head , fit to it a head and a small receiver , and lute the joints with a wet bladder ; you must set your vessel in sand , and with a gentle fire under it , the volatile salt will sublime , and stick to the head , and uppermost part of the bolt-head , separate it and keep it in a viol well stopt . it is one of the best medicins we have in physick , it is good in malignant feavers , and agues , the pox , apoplexy , epilepsie , palsie , hysterical maladies , and the bitings of all venomous beasts ; the dose is from six to sixteen grains in some proper liquor . pour that which remains in the bolt-head into a tunnel lined with brown paper , the spirit and phlegm will pass through , and the stinking oil remain behind ; hysterical women may smell to this last , to allay vapours , and paralytical parts may be anointed therewith ; but its smell is so offensive that it is hard to endure it . pour the spirit and phlegm mixed confusedly together into an alembeck , and distil in a vaporous bath about half the liquor , you 'l have a spirit that must be kept well stopt , it hath the same virtues as the salt ; the dose is from ten to thirty drops . the phlegm must be flung away . if that which remains in the retort is calcined in an open fire , and a lixivium made of it , as i said concerning fixt alkali salts , a small quantity of fixt salt will remain , which nevertheless hath no more virtue than other alkali salts i spoke of before . the volatile salts of harts-horn , the bloud , skull , nails , hair , and other parts of animals may be drawn after the same manner . remarks . the receiver must be sure to be large enough , that the spirits may circulate with greater ease , the fire must likewise be well managed ; for these spirits being forced out too fast do rush forth violently , and break the receiver , or else are lost through the joints . the phlegm comes before the other principles in the first distillation , but in the rectification the volatile salt rises first , because it is at liberty , and is lighter than the phlegm . the spirit which is drawn from animals by chymistry is nothing but a volatile salt dissolved in phlegm . your vessel for sublimation must be very high , that the volatile salt may rise without any phlegm , for when the vessel is short , the phlegm riseth with the volatile salt , liquifies it , and turns it into spirit . a bolt-head , or a long body with its head , may serve for this operation , because the phlegm being too heavy cannot mount so high , and therefore leaves the volatile salt to sublime alone , which may nevertheless be rectified to become more pure ; you must mix it with the distilled spirit , and repeat the sublimation according as i have said : but because this salt always carries along with it a small quantity of oil , a few days afterwards it loses its whiteness , and turns yellowish : now to avoid that , you must pour upon it , when it is in the bottle , spirit of wine tartarised one fingers height , and so keep it well stopt . this spirit of wine hinders the salt from dissolving its self and the oil it contained , so that after some days it turns red , and the salt grows white ; when it is to be used , the spirit is decanted from it , and the salt left alone : by means of this lotion it loses a little of its former smell ; but care must be taken that the spirit of wine be well rectified , for if there remained any the least phlegm , the salt would dissolve in it . you may also sublime it again as before , after having well washt it in spirit of wine , it will be dry , and very fair . there is another way of rectifying the volatile salt , which is by mixing it with four or five times as much bones , or horns burnt white , and putting the mixture into a glass , or earthen body , then fitting to it a blind-head , or such a one whose nose has not been opened , after that luting well the joints , then setting the vessel in sand , and with a gentle fire the volatile salt will rise , and stick to the head , you must continue the fire until there rises no more . this salt is hereby purified from a great deal of its oil , which remains in the powder of bones , wherefore it becomes whiter than it was , and pleasanter to the palate . it may again be mixt with other calcined bones , and sublimed as before , to render it purer still , and take away more of its loathsome smell , that 's caused partly by the empyreumatical oyl that it draws along with it in the distillation . the volatile salt dissolved in a little water crystallizes like sugar-candy , and then it is easier to keep than before . there can be drawn from animals but a very little quantity of fixt salt , because the spirits which abound in them do volatilize their salt : for which reason this volatile salt keeps dry longer than that of vegetables . the virtue of animals doth principally consist in their volatile salt , it is that which gives meat its savour , that makes broths strong , and turns them into a gelly , according as they do abound more or less . the juscula consummata which are made with a small fire are better than those that are boiled quick , because a strong fire carries away good part of the volatile salts . volatile salts do rarifie the humors of the body , both by reason of their piercing nature , and also in that being alkalis they do dull the strength of acids , which keep the humors condensed , after which the bloud being in greater motion than before , doth the more easily purifie it self , either by perspiration or by urine , from heterogeneous bodies which were there gathered together . this operation may serve to shew how the volatile salt of all animals , or any part of them , may be drawn . when the volatile salt of bloud is to be drawn , that of the best colour must be taken and dried in the sun , or else with a very little fire , and so distilled like vipers . if you distil two and thirty ounces of shavings of harts-horn , you 'l draw thirteen ounces of liquor , and volatile salt , and there will remain in the retort nineteen ounces of matter as black as coal . you 'l draw from the liquor an ounce and a half of volatile salt , six ounces of spirit , and two ounces of black oil . the black matter being grinded on a marble is good for painters use ; if you calcine it , the fuliginous parts which make it black , will fly away , and leave the harts-horn very white ; you 'l have sixteen ounces of it , and this is called burnt harts-horn . it is accounted a cordial , but indeed has no other virtue than to destroy acids , as all other alkali matters do . some do stratifie harts-horn with bricks , and calcining it that way , they call it harts-horn prepared philosophically , they account it more cordial than it was before ; but they are egregiously mistaken , for the volatile salt , and oil , which were the things that should render it cardiacal , were carried away in the calcination , and there remains only a terrestrious matter that may be called a caput mortuum . notwithstanding it is an alkali , which may serve as crabs-eyes , coral , and divers other matters of the like nature , which absorb acids ; the bricks bestow no virtue at all to it . if you distil forty ounces of ivory , you will draw thirteen ounces of liquor , and volatile salt ; and there will remain in the retort six and twenty ounces of a matter as black as coal . afterwards by the rectification you will get two ounces and a drachm of volatile salt , one ounce and five drachms of a stinking black oil , five ounces of spirit , and four ounces two drachms of phlegm . if you calcine the black pieces which remain in the retort , in an open fire , the soot will leave them and they will burn white ; this is called burnt ivory , or spodium : it has the same virtues as burnt harts-horn , you will have at least twenty ounces of it . it is here remarkable that ivory does contain much more earth than harts-horn , and doubtless that is the reason why it is the whiter . if you distil twelve ounces of hair , you will obtain eight ounces of liquor and volatile salt . there will remain in the retort three ounces and a half of a black matter very spongy and earthy , from which no fixed salt can be drawn . and by rectification you will raise into the head an ounce and seven drachms of a very fine volatile salt ; separate by a filter three ounces of a black and very fetid oil , and by distillation of that which is filtrated you 'l have two ounces of spirit , and nine drachms of phlegm . all volatile salts have much resemblance in their figure , smell and taste , but that of vipers is accounted the most active , and proper against poisons ; those of harts-horn , and mans skull are thought to be better than others for the epilepsie , that of mans bloud to purifie the bloud , and so of the rest . when you rectifie the spirit of vipers , or man's skull , or harts-horn , or hair , in order to purifie them from their phlegm , if you should let the liquor continue distilling longer than is fitting , the phlegm will rise after the spirit , but then it separates from the spirit as water separates from oil , the spirit will be uppermost , and a little troubled , and whitish , but if you keep these two liquors together for a month , the whole will mix together , and there will be no longer any separation of them at all . these effects do happen from this , that the spirit in rising does carry with it some small quantity of oil , which was dissolved in the liquor by reason of salts that it contains . this oil is very volatile , it rises with the spirit , and by rendring the spirit a little oily , it hinders at first the phlegm from mixing with it . it is likewise this little quantity of oil which makes the spirit look a little troubled , and whitish ; but when the spirit and phlegm are kept a good while together , they mix , and the whole appears like a homogeneous liquor , because there being but little oil in the spirit , the phlegm insensibly enters into , and incorporates with it ; wherefore you must take care to separate the spirit from the phlegm so soon as ever you take the receiver from the nose of the head , in case you have suffered the liquor to distil too long . what i have now spoken of does not happen in the rectification of the spirit of ivory , and without doubt the reason is that the ivory does not contain so much oil as the other parts of animals . some do prepare a sudorifick water with vipers after this manner . they do put the vipers alive into a great earthen body , they fit to it a head with its receiver , they lute the joints , and distil in a balneum all that will rise from it ; but you must take care that the head be well fastned to the body , for when the vipers begin to be heated , they leap and fling about with so much violence , that they would otherwise throw it down , and get out of their stove . and then the artist must have a care of himself , and not be too bold , for these creatures being irritated would fling about on every side , and a bite of theirs at that time would be twice as dangerous as at another . this water which rises whilest the vipers are in their greatest fury is sudorifick , because some volatile salts have risen and mixed with it . you may give of it from a drachm to half an ounce in some proper liquor . but to avoid the forementioned danger you might cut the vipers in pieces before you put them into the body ; and because these pieces of them do retain life a long time , the water will be little the worse for their not being intire . when you have drawn as much water from them as you can , by the heat of a balneum , you must put the remainder of the vipers into a retort , and distil it as i have shewn before ; you will thereby have the volatile salt , the spirit , and the oyl . chap. ii. distillation of vrine , and its volatile salt. this operation is a separation of the spirit , the volatile salt , and the oil of vrine , from the phlegm , and the earth which it contains . take ten or twelve quarts of vrine newly made by sound young men , evaporate it in an earthen or glass cucurbite in a sand-heat , until it remains in the consistence of honey ; then fit a head with its receiver , and luting the junctures close , continue a small fire to distil the rest of the phlegm , after which encrease it by little and little , and the spirits will rise in clouds , carrying with them a little oil , and after that the volatile salt , which will stick to the head like butter-flies ; continue the fire until there comes no more ; then unlute the vessels , and separating the volatile salt , put it into a bolt-head , pour likewise into it the spirit that is in the receiver , and fit a blind-head to the bolt-head ; lute the junctures with a wet bladder , and setting your bolt-head in sand , sublime with a small fire all the volatile salt , as i have shewed concerning that of vipers ; separate this salt , and keep it in a viol well stopt . it is a good remedy for quartan agues , and malignant feavers , it opens all obstructions , and works both by vrine and sweat : the dose is from six to sixteen grains in some convenient liquor ; filtrate that which remains in the bolt-head , the spirit will pass through the filter , whilst a small quantity of black and extraordinary stinking oil remains , which is good to discuss cold tumors , and to give to hysterical women to smell to . you may distil the spirit in a sand-heat to separate it from a thick matter that remains at bottom , it hath the same virtues as the salt ; it is given from eight to twenty drops in some proper vehicle . two drachms of it are mixed with two ounces of spirit of wine to rub paralytical parts with ; it is likewise used for cold pains , and for the sciatica . if the mass that remains in the cucurbite should be calcined and a lixivium made of it with water , a very small quantity of fixt alkali salt might be gotten from evaporating the water , and it hath the same virtues as other alkali salts . remarks . the vrine of young men is to be prefer'd before others , because it contains more salt. it must be newly made , and evaporated with a gentle fire , that the fermentation , or too much heat , may not cause the volatile salts to rise with the phlegm . the spirit is only a volatile salt dissolved in a little phlegm ; this volatile salt works more by vrine than any of the rest , but its smell is more offensive . this remedy must never be given in broth , for broth being to be taken hot , the heat evaporates some of the volatile salts , before it can well be taken . a volatile salt may be drawn from vrine , after setting it some months fermenting in a vessel close stopt , and then a third part of the liquor must be distilled with a gentle fire ; it is in this distilled vrine , that the volatile salt will be found exalted by the fermentation . rectifie this liquor again three or four times , throwing away each distillation the phlegm that remains at the bottom of the cucurbite ; then putting your spirit of vrine into a matrass with its head , sublime the volatile salt as i shewed before . some do add to it salt-peter . this salt is of a more penetrating nature than the other , but a great deal of time is required to make it . the phosphorus . it is a luminous matter distilled from vrine that has been fermented . take a good quantity of humane urine , let it ferment , or putrifie in the air in an open vessel three or four months : then pour it into earthen pans , and evaporate it over the fire , until the remaining matter comes to the consistence of thick honey , put this matter into an earthen body that can endure the fire , and is big enough to be left at least half empty , place your body in a furnace , fit to it a glass head with its receiver , and having well luted the joints , give it a little fire for two or three hours to distil some phlegmatick spirits which still remained in the matter , after which you must encrease the fire by little and little to the third degree , there will rise some small quantity of volatile salt , which will stick to the head , and some black oil which will fall into the receiver , continue a good coal fire , until there comes no more oil ; let the vessels cool , and having taken off the receiver , pour the liquor you find in it into a tunnel lined with brown paper , the spirit and phlegm will pass through , and the oil will remain in the filter , put the oil into an earthen pan , and in a mild sand-heat dry it until it comes to be as thick as an ointment : take off the head , and you will find in the body a black spongey mass which you are to separate from the solid compact matter which remains at bottom , powder your spongey matter , and mix it with the dried black oyl ; put it into an earthen retort , set it in a reverberatory furnace , fit to it a large capacious receiver , and luting well the joints , give it a small fire to heat insensibly the retort , then increase it by little and little , a volatile salt will come forth which will stick to the sides of the receiver , and a little oil with it , increase the fire to the last degree of violence , and you will perceive a white fume , which after it has circulated in the receiver will likewise stick to the receiver , and will be of a yellow colour ; this is the phosphorvs , continue the fire in its greatest vigour four or five hours , or until no more will come into the retort . let the vessels grow cold , then unlute them , throw water into the receiver , and having shook it sufficiently about to loosen that which was glu'd to its sides , pour it all into a large glass vessel , and leave it to settle , the volatile salt will dissolve in the water , but the matter of the phosphorus , and the oil will precipitate to the bottom ; decant the water , and having gathered the matter together , put it into a little glass vessel , add to it a little water , and place the vessel in sand , give it a digestive heat , and stir the matter gently with a wooden spatule , the phosphorus will separate from the oil , and sink to the bottom , you may make it up into little sticks whilst it is hot , by putting of it into the neck of a very little bolt-head , and taking it out when it is cold , then keep it stopt in a little bottle filled with water , for without water to preserve it , it would spend it self and be lost in fumes . to make phosphorvs liquid , you must scrape or break off a piece of it , put it into a viol , and pour upon it the clear essence of cloves to the height of one finger , stop the viol close , and set it two days in digestion in horse-dung , stirring it from time to time , to help the solution of the matter , after that take your viol and keep it , you have in it the liquid phosphorvs . all the matter will not have dissolved , some part of it will remain at bottom . remarks . the word phosphorus , comes from the greek , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is , lucifer , or the morning-star . of them there are the natural , and the artificial , the natural are such as glow-worms , rotten wood , and many others . the artificial are made with the bolonian stone , with chalk , with urine , with bloud , and with divers other sulphureous matters . the bolonian stone was one of the first artificial phosphorus that has been known : it takes its name from the town in italy where it was made , he that did prepare it is dead without leaving the knowledge of his secret , insomuch that no body 'till the present has been able sufficiently to imitate it , he did calcine it for a certain time , and perhaps after such a manner as we are still ignorant of , then exposing it to the air it yielded a great light in the dark , which by little and little grew weaker and weaker . this stone is bituminous , and full of sulphur , which is the thing that gives it this disposition to shine in the dark , but because its sulphur is spent by little and little , it comes at length to be opake , like another stone . when it has not been calcined enough , it yields no light at all , because the sulphureous parts have not been put into sufficient motion , and when it is calcined too much , these sulphureous parts are thereby lost ; therefore a medium is to be observed , which no body has yet been able to hit . the germans being very curious and industrious in chymical concerns , have found out several kinds of phosphorus , and i do not doubt but upon working further upon this subject much may still be done . among those who have particularly applied themselves to it balduinus a german has invented a sort of phosphorus , whose description i shall give anon ; kunkelius a saxon has written very well upon it , and workt to good effect ; daniel kraff a german chymist is the first inventor of the phosphorus which is drawn from urine , he gives it the consistence of a paste , or of a liquor , as he pleases ; and the honourable mr. boyle of london , to whom all the ingenious have so much obligation , put forth a treatise in english about three or four years ago , called noctiluca aeria , full of abundance of experiments , and most curious remarks which he has made upon this phosphorus ; he likewise found the way to give it a solid consistence , and a little while since he put forth the same treatise in latin enlarged above half with new experiments and observations on the same subject . you must provide a great quantity of urine for this operation , for a great deal is necessary to draw a little luminous matter from . the vessel in which it is put to ferment is left open , that the air entring into it may help the fermentation ; and in truth , the more volatile salts are hereby lost , but yet there do remain sufficient to make the phosphorus . when the urine upon evaporation begins to grow thick , you must take care that the matter does not swell over the vessel , for it rarifies very much ; you must evaporate as much phlegm as possibly you can when the evaporation is made in the earthen pans to the end that the operation be sooner ended in the body , for there is much less time spent in the evaporation , and it is much more easie to keep down the matter when it swells in earthen pans , than in a body which is luted , and has its head on . the body must therefore be sure to be large enough by reason of this rarefaction of the matter , which will be apt otherwise to rise into the head , and to mix in the receiver with the distilled liquor , which would force you to begin the distillation anew . when the vessels are unluted , you may take the volatile salt out of the head , if there remains any in it , and rectifie it as i have shewed speaking of the distillation of urine , but you will find little of it , because the greatest part of this salt was lost in the fermentation ; you might also preserve the liquor which is separated from the oil in the filtration , it is a spirit of urine . the compact matter which remains in the body after that the spongy part is separated , is fixed and saline ; you might calcine it , and draw from it a fixed salt of urine by a lixivium , as other fixed alkali salts are separated . you must heat the retort very gently , for if you should make too great a fire at first , it would break it to pieces . the oil which is separated from the phosphorus at the end of the operation is a little luminous , but it is very foetid ; there is but little of it because some part of it has been rarefied by the fire , and turned into phosphorus . mr. boyle gives a description of the phosphorus , in which he puts to the thickned urine three times as much sand . the phosphorus contains more sulphur than any thing else , for water condenses it , and oyls dissolve it ; it has an offensive smell , and it is partly to correct the smell that it is dissolved in oil of cloves , when we make it liquid . the liquid phosphorus gives more light at first than the solid , because its matter is more rarefied . open but the bottle in the dark , and it appears to be all of a fire . you might use oil of cinnamon instead of oil of cloves , and the light would be still the greater , because the parts of essence of cinnamon are more volatile than those of the essence of cloves , but it would endure the less time for the same reason . add to this , that the oil of cinnamon is a very dear commodity . if you should fire a little piece of the solid phosphorus with a burning-glass , and quench it when two thirds of the quantity are consumed , that which remains will be yellow , and a little luminous still ; it will easily dissolve in water . this experiment shews , that the more fixed part of the phosphorus is saline , because it dissolves in water . the phosphorus is luminous in the dark at all times , but especially in hot weather ; for the cold does a little constringe the parts . if you take a little piece of the solid , or even the stopple of the bottle that contains the liquid , and write with it on paper , or upon the hand of a person , the letters do seem to be a perfect fire . if you rub a little piece of the solid phosphorus on paper , and press it down with the point of a knife , the paper will be set on fire . after some experiments made one day at my house upon the phosphorus , a little piece of it being left negligently upon the table in my chamber , the maid making the bed took it up in the bed-clothes she had put upon the table , not seeing the little piece : the person who lay afterwards in the bed , waking at night , perhaps through the more than ordinary heat he felt , perceived that the coverlid was on fire . it seems the phosphorus being heated with the body of him that lay in bed had set fire to the coverlid , and had before he perceived it burnt a great hole in it . it is observable , that the air lighting the fire by exciting the motion of parts in the phosphorus , does likewise make it yield a considerable light ; for when the matter has continued shut some time in the glass , it shines no longer , and it recovers its light no more until the glass is opened , and the air is let into it . nevertheless some experiments made a while since in paris , at the house of monsieur d' alence , by mr. homberg a german , do seem to evince the contrary , that the air is not always necessary to make the phosphorus shine in the dark . the case was thus : a very little piece of the solid phosphorus was put into a little glass bottle ; a brass cock was fitted to this bottle , and made so as it could enter into another cock belonging to a large glass receiver . then the bottle that contained the phosphorus was heated , and the cock of this bottle was made to enter into that of the great glass vessel , out of which the air had been pumped . so soon as the cocks were opened , the air came forth of the little bottle , and at the same time was seen to come a great train of light like a flash ; nay some did discover particles of the phosphorus at the bottom of the great glass . the bottle was then taken from the receiver , and the light of the phosphorus was very much diminished : it sometimes seemed to be quite out , the cock was turned to let in the air , and presently the phosphorus recovered its light again . in the mean time the heat of the phosphorus grew less and less , and it yielded but a weak light . we began the experiment again , the same bottle that had the phosphorus was applied to the great glass receiver , and when the air was drawn out of the bottle , the phosphorus did shine brighter ; on the contrary when we let the air again into it , the phosphorus went out : which is quite different from what hapned whilst the bottle that held the phosphorus was hot in the former experiment . we repeated the experiments divers times , and saw the same thing continually happen : that is to say , the phosphorus being heated lost much of its light , when the air was pumped out of the bottle wherein it was contained , and it recovered light again when new air was let into it : on the contrary the phosphorus being cold did shine when the air was pumped out of the bottle , and the light disappeared when the air was let into it . it suffices to have related two experiments , as contrary one to another as can be , it is easie to judge what would happen when the phosphorus is not so hot as in the first experiment , and when it is not altogether so cold as in the second , the alteration of the least circumstance quite alters the experiment , but the same things always happens in proportion with those already described . we made another experiment thus : we put a little piece of the solid phosphorus into a crystal vessel , and we poured upon it a very fixt acid liquor , i think it was oil of vitriol , a great fume arose from the mixture ; we stopt the bottle with paper , and stirred the matter several times after having left it some hours in digestion . we lookt upon it in the dark , and it appeared luminous , though it were stopt , and it has still been alike luminous from about two months ago until the present . indeed the light of it is not so great as is that of the phosphorus , but it keeps a much longer time . that which is surprizing in these experiments is , that the air does sometimes make the phosphorus shine , and sometimes not . now to explicate this difficulty , i do say , that in the first experiment the greatest part of the luminous matter of the phosphorus did fly out of the bottle into the receiver , and that that which remained in the bottle after it was separated from the receiver , being deprived of its most subtle sulphurs , was not able to give so great a light as before ; nevertheless the matter still retaining a little warmth , there did rise from it enough particles to give a light when the bottle was unstopt , but because by the cold the little bodies do condense , and lose very much of their motion , this phosphorus likewise loses much of its strength , and gives but a languid or weak light . when the air was drawn out of the bottle , the matter lookt very light , and when the air was let to it again , it went out , the reason whereof is that the light being weak , could not preserve its self but with a convenient proportion of air , and there was some remaining still in the bottle , for though the air be never so much pumped out of the vessel there will still remain a little behind . the phosphorus loses its light by the usual great quantity of air , as a little candle will be put out by being exposed to the wide air , or a small fire will soon go out , when too great a wind blows strongly upon it . so long as the phosphorus sends forth a great many vapours , a good deal of air is requisite to make it appear luminous , and a little air will not be sufficient . wherefore when the phosphorus was hot , it would not shine , until the bottle was unstopt , but when it was cold , it sent forth only weak vapors , wherefore then a very little air sufficed to make it shine , and when it received too much , it was thereby suffocated . the last experiment made in the little crystal bottle does further very well prove my explication : the fixt acid liquor which was poured upon the phosphorus , did slacken the motion of its parts , so that from that time they could not display their light with so much vigour as they did ; wherefore a very little sufficed to continue its light , so that the paper-stopple served to give it sufficient air ; but when the bottle was stopt closely with its crystal stopple , no more light was seen for some time afterwards , because that stopple did wholly hinder the entrance of air . it is likewise the fixing of the volatile parts of the phosphorus , which preserves the light so long , for the matter having now less motion than before it was fixed , its parts do come to be dissipated with the more leasure . but you will tell me , that the great fume which exhaled from it when the acid liquor was poured upon the phosphorus , is rather a sign of a greater than less dissipation of parts . i grant that when this acid acts upon the matter , there is at that time a considerable exaltation of parts , but i say also that when this great motion is once over , that which remains is in much less agitation than it was , and you must observe that the strong acids , such as oil of vitriol , and spirit of niter upon being mixed with spirit of wine do cause a much like fume as this , and yet afterwards the spirit of wine is much less volatile than it was . again the light of the phosphorus which is in the little crystal bottle that is stopt , may be said to be partly caused by an air which is produced by a kind of fermentation , for doubtless there is some little action between the acid and the matter . i find therefore that there is a parity of reason in the explication of the light which appeared in the viol after the air was pumped out of it , and that which is seen in the little crystal bottle stop'd . it is further remarkable that this same phosphorus which went quite out , when air was let into it by means of the pneumatick engine , yet did not altogether lose its light when it received the air the common way , that is to say , meerly by unstopping the bottle , whereof the reason is this , the air that is communicated from the air-pump comes in with a great force and violence through the pipe , and so may very well put out the light of the phosphorus , which the air that has its ordinary motion is not able to do ; after the same manner as a candle lighted is much sooner put out when exposed to a blast of wind , than when it is set in a place where the air is quiet . from considering all the kinds of phosphorus , both natural and artificial , and the experiments that have been made upon them , i cannot but conclude , that the general cause of the light they give does proceed from a very great agitation of insensible parts ; and whereas it is very probable that fire is only a very violent motion of little bodies round their center , the parts of our phosphorus may be said to have received the same determination by the fermentations it has undergone ; for wood never shines in the dark until it is become rotten , that is to say , until it has undergone a sufficient fermentation to make its most subtile parts move nimbly round their center . the bolonian stone is not luminous until it has been calcined a certain time , in order to excite a motion of its parts . the viper being irritated darts forth its tongue with so much quickness , that it appears all on fire . many little creatures , such as some kinds of caterpillars , and woodlice do shine in the night , because they have a matter so exceeding subtile towards their tail , that it produces a sort of fire ; and it is for the same reason of the motion of parts that vrine does become luminous . that which gave occasion to the working upon vrine for the making of the phosphorus was , that in some little holes of the earth wherein there had been standing-puddles of vrine , a light had been observed to be seen at nights . but you will ask me then , why the greatest part of mixt bodies do yield no light , although the same means are used to excite a motion of their parts . i answer , that all mixt bodies have not their insensible parts so disposed to a rapid motion , and after such a manner as those i have now spoken of . wood indeed will easily enough flame , but you can't make a flame with stones , because you cannot give stones the same determination to motion of parts , as you can to wood . to give light , or to make a fire , bodies must be compounded of sulphureous parts , for sulphurs are very susceptible of motion . i do not at all doubt but an infinite number of things , that there is no imagination of at present , might serve to the making of phosphorus , when inquisitive men shall have a mind to try it . it has been observ'd in many men , that when they have been in a great rage , or are become extream cholerick , the very hair of their head has shone brighter than usual ; and we need not be scrupulous in believing what is said of alexander the great , that when he was hotly engaged in the battle , fire was seen to sparkle out of his eyes , because his humors were then in an extraordinary commotion . what i have now said may pass for a general explication on this matter , but if we should descend into particulars nicely , it would be very hard to clear so well as could be wished a great many doubts that have been raised : for example , wherein consists the difference of fermentations , which of many like matters makes this to shine , and that not to shine , although they do seem to have undergone the same fermentations and elaborations in a like space of time . why some things that have fermented but little do give a light , and others of the same nature , though they have fermented as long and longer , yet give no light . why one side of a matter shall be luminous , and the other shall not be ; we ought to have a very perfect knowledge of the structure and the order of the insensible parts of the matter , to give good substantial reasons for the resolution of these doubts . sometimes there have been found in the shambles pieces of veal , mutton , beef , which do shine in the dark , though they have been but newly killed , and yet other pieces of the same kind killed at the same time , shall not shine at all . nay , this very year was seen at orleans , in a very temperate season , a great quantity of meat of this sort , some of it would shine all over , and others of it would shine only in some certain places , in form of stars . it was likewise observed that with some butchers almost all their meat was found to be luminous , and with other butchers there was not a bit to be seen of that kind . men concluded presently that such flesh as this was altogether unwholsome to eat of , they therefore flung away a great deal of it into the river , and several butchers there had like to be ruined by this accident ; but at last perceiving that there was such quantities of it , some people ventured to eat of it , and at length it was found to be as good meat as any other . i conceive that this phenomenon may be imputed to two causes . first to the pasturage of the beasts ; for it is certain that in some countries the herbs are more spirituous than in others , and those do give such an active impression to the humors of those beasts who feed on them , that they may have a disposition to the making this phosphorus . secondly , to these beasts having been heated more than others in their driving upon the road , or else to their having been killed before they had sufficiently rested after their journey ; for the spirits being put into a great motion thereby , do not every where lose it after the beast is killed , and so long as the spirits do continue their rapid motion , so long the phosphorus is to be seen , but when the flesh begins to stink , there appears no more light in it , because these vigorous spirits are then spent , or else they come to be confused in the meat by the means of another fermentation . but you will not fail to make me this objection : if the phosphorus does consist in a violent motion of the insensible parts , then stinking meat should be more luminous than that which was newly killed , because the smell proceeds from the separation of the principles of a mixt body by fermentation , which as they rise from it do strike the nerve of smelling , wherefore there must needs be a greater motion of parts in stinking meat than in that which is fresh . i answer that that which makes the phosphorus in meat newly killed is a matter much more active and more subtile than that which gives the ill smell to stinking meat ; it is a remainder of the spirits which do run with a prodigious swiftness through the body of a living creature in all its parts , and unless the matter be in this degree of motion , it will never become lucid , no more than if the insensible parts of inflammable matters be not put into a very rapid motion , they will not take fire . perhaps also it may be that the meat in the corrupting might receive a sufficient agitation of parts to produce light , as it happens sometimes in the standing puddles of urine . in considering the light which appears upon the surface of standing urines , i have been led to think that there are oftentimes serosities that settle in the bodies of sick persons which might be in a condition to make kinds of phosphorus , if they had but air enough to illuminate them ; at least they do produce the effects of fire , as in gouts , in rheumatisms , in the erysipelas , and in abundance of other inflammations . the hermetick phosphorus of balduinus . it is a mixture of chalk , and the acid spirits of aqua fortis , which makes it lucid . make red-hot about two pounds of chalk , then let it cool , and powder it . take a quantity of aqua fortis , for example a pound , pour it into a great glass body , and throw into it a spoonful of your calcined chalk powdered , it will make a strong ebullition ; when that shall be dissolved , throw into it as much more , and continue to do so until it makes no ebullition ; let the liquor settle , and decant it into an earthen pan placed in sand , and evaporate all the liquor with a little fire , you will have remain a kind of salt at bottom . put this salt into a coppel , or into an earthen pan unglazed , set it in sand in a gentle heat , the matter being heated will swell , continue this gentle heat about an hour , or until it be a little sunk , cover it then with a cover or lid that has three or four holes in it , increase the fire by little and little , until it be strong enough to melt the matter , and when it is melted you must expect to see a yellow vapour come forth through the holes of the lid : so soon as that appears you must take your vessel off the fire , and having covered it with an earthen lid without holes instead of that with holes , suffer it to cool . you will find on the sides of your vessel a border of yellow matter , which is sometimes to the thickness of a finger , this is the phosphorus , take it and keep it in a box well stopt in some dark place . when you would have it appear lucid in the dark , you must expose it about a quarter of an hour to the light , without which it will not shine in the dark . remarks . chalk is a bituminous earth called in latin creta , from the isle of crete , where there is abundance of it . it likewise abounds in many other countries . some authors do recount three sorts of it , the white , the greenish , and the black , but that which we use in this operation is the common , the white : it is calcined in order to make its sulphur more active than it was before ; the more volatile part of it flies away , but there is still enough remaining to make the phosphorvs . although chalk be bituminous , nevertheless it is an alkali , because the sulphurs which it contains in small quantity are not capable to shut the pores of it ; and besides , the calcination opens them more , and disposes this earth to receive more easily the impression of acids , which plainly shews it self by the strong ebullition that happens when it is thrown into the aqua fortis . the body must be large , and the chalk must be thrown into it by little and little , to hinder the matter from boiling over . the chalk does all of it dissolve perfectly in the aqua fortis ; and more is still to be added , until there be no further ebullition ; for that is the sign that the acid spirits have rarefied the matter as much as they were able , and that being as it were sheathed or locked up in the matter , they could not possibly dissolve any more of it ; if therefore you should still add more in superfluity , the overplus would precipitate to the bottom . when the aqua fortis you use is good , it dissolves very near its weight in chalk ; the solution of it is yellow . that which is evaporated is the more phlegmatick part of aqua fortis , and the acid spirits being incorporated with the chalk do make a kind of austere salt ; this salt might very easily be dissolved into a liquor in the air . it is fit that it should be very dry , when it is put into the coppel , that the operation may be done the sooner ; the vessel is covered , that the matter may be the more easily melted , but the cover must needs have holes in it , to give vent to the vapours which rise from it , and that we may see when the vapours do come yellow , that we may then immediately take the vessel off the fire , for these yellow vapours are they that make the phosphorus lucid . after calcination you find at bottom of the pan , or coppel , a terrestrious matter which must be flung away as useless . in order to preserve this phosphorus the better you may leave it as it is in the vessel wherein it was calcined , but you must stop it close in a box with a glass lid . it is to be kept in a shady place , that its parts being thereby the more condensed , they may spend the more slowly ; and when you would have it to shine in the dark , you must expose it to the air about a quarter of an hour , because the air does put its parts into a motion . this phosphorus is in its effects very like to the bolonian stone , but that takes the air much sooner than this stone , because it contains abundantly more salt ; its light does not endure so long as that of the phosphorus which i described before . chap. iii. of honey . honey is compounded of the most balsamick substance of several flowers , which the bees do separate and carry into their hives for nourishment . they do gather up and order this honey most artificially , as if they took special care to make provision against winter , and thereby they make way for the fermentation which sends to the sides the grosser part which is like to a tartar , and called wax , the honey being found in the middle ; the best to the taste is the white , but for physick the yellow is the better , as containing more spirits than the other ; it must be of a moderate consistence , that is to say , neither too hard , nor too clear . a hydromel is prepared with it for diseases of the breast . a vinous hydromel is made of water and clarified honey , then the liquor is put to ferment in a vessel in the sun , until it is grown as strong as spanish wine ; a spirit may be drawn from it ; and hydromel will grow as sowr as wine . distillation of honey . this preparation is a separation of the water , the spirit , and the oil of honey from its terrestrious part . put four pounds of good honey into a large earthen body , and distil the water in a moderate sand-heat , until acid drops begin to come ; then take away the fire , and keep this water in a bottle ; it is good to make the hair grow , you must either wet your comb with it every day , or else dip a piece of spunge into it , and therewith soak the roots of the hair . take that which remains in the body , put it into an earthen retort , or glass one coated , but one that 's large enough for two thirds to remain empty , and place your retort in a reverberatory furnace ; then fitting a large receiver , and luting the joints , begin the distillation with a small fire for three hours only to warm the retort ; then encrease it by little and little , spirits will come forth with a little black oil , and fill the receiver with clouds ; continue the fire until all is come out that will , unlute the vessels , and separate the spirit from the black and stinking oil in a tunnel lined with brown paper , ( there is but very little oil ) keep them both in viols : you will have twelve ounces of spirit . the spirit is an excellent aperitive , some of it may be dropt into juleps , to give them an agreeable acidity . the spirit may be rectified by distilling it in sand in a glass body , and that which rises last may be kept apart as the strongest of all ; it is used for to cleanse old ulcers , and to eat proud flesh . the oil is good to be used in caries of bones . you will have in the retort six and twenty ounces of a black very spongy matter , which is inflammable by reason of a soot that remains in it ; when it is burnt it yields but very few ashes , out of which nothing can be drawn . remarks . the vessels must be exceeding large for the distillation of honey , because a great vacuity is requisite for it to rarifie in . the water of honey makes the hair to grow , because it opens the pores ; some do mix it with the juice of onion to render it the more effectual . sometimes a little wax is found in the receiver , which came with the spirit from the honey in the distillation . chap. iv. distillation of wax . this operation is a separation of the oil of wax , from the phlegm , and salt. melt two pounds of yellow wax in an earthen pan , and mix with it three or four pounds of potters earth powdered , or so much as is requisite to make a paste of it , form it into little pellets , and put them into an earthen retort , or glass one coated , a third of which remains empty ; place this retort in a reverberatory furnace ; fit to it a receiver , and luting the joints , give a small fire at first , and there will come forth phlegm , then a spirit ; encrease the fire a little , and a liquor will distil that congeals in the receiver like butter ; continue the fire till nothing more comes forth ; then unlute the joints , separate the spirit mixed with phlegm from the butter , and keep it in a viol well stopt . it is a good opener ; the dose is from ten drops to twenty in raddish water , or some other appropriate liquor . some do use the butter of wax to discuss tumors , rather than the oil that i am going to describe . melt the butter of wax in an earthen pan , and make a paste of it with sufficient quantity of potters-earth powdered ; form this paste into little pellets , put them into a glass retort , set your retort in a sand-heat , fit to it a receiver , and luting the joints , begin the distillation with a small fire , a great many spirits will come forth mixed with phlegm , after which encrease it a little , and a clear yellow oil will come ; having distil'd about three ounces of it , change the receiver , for that which comes at last is as thick as butter . it may be rectified with other clay , or potters-earth , and it will change into as transparent an oil as the other . separate the oil from the spirit , and keep it in a viol. it is a good discutient for tumors , and cold pains : it is mixed in unguents and oils for that purpose . the oil of wax may be rectified several other times to make it still clearer than before . remarks . the solid consistence of wax doth proceed from a proportionate mixture of water , volatile salt , and oil , united and incorporated together ; wherefore its solidity comes to be destroyed , according as the principles do suffer a separation ; and this is easily observed in the rectifications , for in every distillation that is made , some considerable quantity of water is separated , and the oil does likewise become clearer . the clay serves only to separate the parts of wax , and to rarifie it the more . if by way of curiosity you desire to know exactly what quantity of liquor , or spirit , can be drawn from wax , you must dry your clay as much as you can , or else use in its place , broken pots , or bricks powdered , which are not at all wet : out of three and twenty ounces of wax , you 'l draw in the first distillation just the same weight of liquor ; to wit , twelve ounces of phlegmatick spirit , and the rest is a butter ; in the second and third distillation you 'l draw fourteen ounces of spirit , and six ounces of clear oil. spirit of wax is only a small quantity of acid volatile salt dissolved in phlegm ; but you must not believe what some have written , that having distilled a considerable quantity of wax , and put that which was drawn into a bolt-head , they could sublime the volatile salt like others of that nature . for this salt , though it be indeed volatile , yet it is not volatile enough to rise before the phlegm ; it is an acid salt much like unto that of ambar , but is not of the nature of volatile alkali's , which are known to sublime so easily ; it were better therefore to keep this spirit as it is , or else to evaporate about half of it with a very mild heat , that it may be the stronger . the volatile salts of many sulphureous matters are drawn acid , as they are in the mixt , because being clothed with soft and ramous parts which give way easily to their motion , they do not break their natural keenness by endeavouring to separate , when they are forced to it by fire , and so they do not receive so much terrestrious and firy matter , as is requisite to make them porous , like volatile alkali's . this operation , and that of the distillation of ambar which i have described , do much confirm what i said before in my remarks upon the principle , that all the salt of mixt bodies is naturally acid , and that alkali is nothing else but an alteration of the natural salt , made by fire . besides , all sorts of experiments do seem to me to confirm and establish this opinion ; but yet i am not so peremptory in the vindication of it , but that i would gladly give place to another , if i could be shewed that it is better than mine , for i seek after nothing so much as to discover truth . finis . the index . a acid , what , page how different crystals are drawn with different acids , that acids drawn by violent fires do much differ from the natural , how they do become able both to dissolve , and to coagulate , that they will preserve bodies from corruption , that digestion and hunger , are not so mnch beholding to acids , as is commonly thought , , acid and alkali , not the only cause of ebullition , , aes ustum , alchymy , well defined , alkaest , alkali , whence so called , what it is , aloes , roch-alom , alom-water , alumen saccharinum , burnt-alom , amalgamation of gold , ambar , ambargrease , antimony , what renders it emetick , , its emetick quality drawn better in wine than other liquors , the violence of antimonial vomits to be conquered with cream of tartar , antimony calcined in the sun , increases in weight , , antimonial cup , antimonium diaphoreticum , whether sudorifick , that it is not an alkali , cinnaber of antimony , regulus of antimony increased in weight by calcination , what gives the form of a star to its martial regulus , glass of antimony , why more emetick than its other preparations , how it may be corrected , ib. what gives it vitrification , sulphur of antimony , our golden sulphur of antimony , different from that of the antients , aqua regalis , why it dissolves gold , and cannot dissolve sylver , , &c. aqua secunda , arcanum corallinum , arsenick , what to be done when this poison happens to be taken inwardly , b balm distilled , balsom of sulphur anisated , bath-waters , their heat explicated , benjamin , animal bezoar , bismuth , bolonian stone , butter of saturn , c camphire , how it comes to be an amulet in agues , ib. carduus benedictus distilled , chylification explicated , cerusse , cineres clavellati , cinnaber of antimony , anatomized , cinnamon , how it differs from cassia lignea , cloves , colcothar , the natural , and the artificial , , colophone , colour , what it is , , , variety of colours , , , and the reason of them , coppel , copper , coral , the ebullition it causes with vinegar in its dissolution , thought to be a cold ebullition , the solution of pearl , and other alkali matters , perform'd as that of coral , coral prepared , much better than the magistery , cornachine powder , crocus martis , its best preparation of all , , crocus metallorum , how often the same will serve to make the emetick wine , d depart , , that digestion owes more to the saliva , than to acids , e earthquakes , their nature explicated , ebullition , without the encounter of acid and alkali , , elosaccharum , elixir proprietatis , emetick syrop , emetick wine , , extracts of greater virtue than waters , extractum panchymagogum , f feavers their nature , and their principal symptoms explicated , , the regularity of their fits explicated , a febrifugous salt , fermentation , fire , how it alters the nature of bodies , , , , , how the substance of fire does increase the weight of some medicines , , , , , what fire is , flints , how generated , fulminant powder , furnaces and vessels , g gold , the wicked cheats which alchymists do use in pretending to make it , , &c. the improbability of making gold fairly represented , , whether it be a cordial , , that it can be volatilized , purified by an operation called the depart , purified by cementation , its precipitation , its fulmination from whence , why it spreads under the hammer better than sylver , gravelled ashes , guaiacum , its oil why so good for the tooth-ach , gumm armoniack , its best purification , other gumms how purified , h hair distilled , harts-horn distilled , honey , hunger from what cause , hydragogues , why they do work more on watery humours than the others , hysterical vapors why allaied by ill smells , , i jalap , that all its purgative virtue consists in the rosine , inks called sympathetical , , iron , how made steel , preferred before steel for physical uses , ib. , , &c. that it opens obstructions by its salt , when mixed with sulphur , and wetted with water , it grows extraordinary hot of it self ; which serves to explain the nature of earthquakes , and hot baths , , ivory distilled , l lead , that it purifies gold and sylver , as the white of an egg clarifies a syrop , ib. increased in weight by calcination , increased in weight by distillation , how to be revived , , lignum sanctum , lime water , litharge , lutes , m mace , magnesia opalina , marcassite , mercury , why it remains fluid , and why it so easily volatilizes by fire , ib. it s ill effects , and its good effects , especially in venereal maladies , ib. the raising a flux by mercury , ingeniously , and at large explicated , , , &c. proved to be an alkali , , why it requires less spirit to dissolve it than other metals , in what form to be taken inwardly , mercurius vitae , mercurial water , , metals seven , milk , its coagulation explicated , , virgins milk. minerals , their formation and growth , minium , mountebanks , their cheat in taking poisons , myrrhe , n niter , see salt-peter . nutritum , or butter of saturn , nutmegs , o oleum philosophorum , or oil of bricks , why so called , opium and meconium , how its narcotick quality is best to be preserved in the extract , that it ought not to be torrified , how it is that opium causes sleep more than other things , reason given why it allaies pains , takes off deliriums , and cures fluxes , the turks taking such quantities of it , descanted upon , why sudorifick , p paper , both antient and modern how made , perpetual pills , not good in the iliaca passio , but good in the colick , whether they do lose their virtue by frequent use , perspiration insensible , two sorts , that more is perspired in the heat and drought of a feaver , than in the violent sweat , ib. petrification , how , petroleum , , peruvian bark , the greatest specifick ever known in agues , ib. the different manner of giving it heretofore , and at present , ib. the body to be well purged , before the bark is given , the ill effects of taking it irregularly , ib. to be avoided by such who have an abscess , ib. how it comes to remove the fit , ib. & its febrifugous virtue lost by distillation , phagedenick water , philosophers stone , or powder of projection , a miserable cheat , , &c. phosphorus , the solid , and the liquid , its inventors , experiments made upon the phosphorus , , , &c. baldwin 's phosphorus , plumbum ustum , poison , what it is , the difference between coagulative or cold poisons , and the corrosive or hot , how different the remedies proper to each of them be , , principles of chymistry , that they are not first principles , how much they are indebted to fire in their production , , &c. the five principles not to be found in minerals , pulvis cornachinus , purgative medicines , their different operation explicated , purgative virtue of mixt bodies , wherein it consists , , pus , how it becomes white , q quicklime how made , fiery bodies proved to cause its corrosion , and ebullition with water , , no salt to be drawn from it , that acids will give it a new ebullition , after it is slak't , but will make no ebullition with lime-water , ib. r rhubarb , commended as it deserves , rosines , how distilled , s salivation explicated , , , &c. sal armoniack , the natural , and the artificial , its purification , ib. its flowers chalybeated , sal gemme , its origine , , sal prunellae , often counterfeited , salt , one chief , of which all the rest are compounded , three sorts of it drawn from vegetables , that it becomes alkali by fire , , alkali salts , how made exceeding white , common salt , its origine , that made by evaporation , not so strong as that by crystallization , the manner of making salt at rochel , its spirit drawn without addition of earth , new spirits drawn several times from the same matter , exposed to the air after distillation , salt decrepitated must be newly made for use , salt-peter , or niter of the antients different from ours , its origine , , that it is not inflammable in it self , nor sulphureous , , that it is a sal gemme impregnated with greater store of spirits , salt-peter purified , judged better for use than sal prunellae , sanguification explicated , sea-sickness , its cause , small-pox ingeniously compared to the fermentation of wines , vniversal spirit , steel , how made , stones , how generated , how possibly they grow in our bodies , succinum , or ambar , sublimate corrosive , often counterfeited , and how to be discovered , its corrosion much greater than that of arsenick , how from so great a poison it comes to be so mild as it is in mercurius dulcis , suffocation of the matrix explicated , sugar , whence its sweetness is derived , , how made , sugar-candy , how made , sulphur , its flowers , how made white , its milk. that half the quantity of its milk or magistery , is as effectual as double the quantity of its flowers , its spirit suspected in diseases of the breast , its salt , why so much more acid then tartarum vitriolatum , sulphur vivum , sylver , how made , or counterfeited by alchymists , the difference between plate-sylver , and coppel sylver , its crystals , how revived , its calx how revived , sympathetical powder , its preparation and use , and its operation explicated , , , the authors candid judgment of it , syrop of mars , t tabaco , an experiment made upon its oil , tartar , its cream and crystals , why its crystals will not dissolve in cold water , no true volatile salt to be drawn from it , a quick way of making its salt , that water thrown upon tartar newly calcined gives it a heat and ebullition like quicklime , how its salt mixed with distilled waters will make them look green , that its salt will cause a flame , after the manner as does salt-peter , when thrown upon kindled coals , chymical terms explicated , tinctures how made , turpentine , tynn , v venereal disease , its venom proved to be an acid , , verdigrease how made , vermilion , vinegar , how made , that common vinegar keeps its strength longer than the distilled spirit , good against the plague , ib. vinegar of saturn , vipers when taken , can live a whole summer without eating , if they have but air , how the viper differs from serpents , the quickest remedy for the biting of a viper , wherein her venom does consist , , &c. a sudorifick water of vipers , virgins milk , vitriol its several sorts , , the english how to be distinguished from the german , its spirit how revived into vitriol , that its strong oil causes heat and ebullition with divers liquors that are not alkali , a remarkable instance of its caustick oil , volatile salts , how rectified , , when to be used , and when not , why they become foetid , and are alkalis , vomiting when excessive , through the taking antimonial preparations , is to be stopt with cream of tartar , , w wax , wine , analyzed , why claret lies longer in the body , and abounds more with tartar than white-wine , its muste anatomised , no inflammable spirit in the muste , ib. it s spirit , what , ib. why muscat and spanish wines are so sweet as they are , and why they yield fewer spirits than french wines , the small-pox ingeniously compared with the fermentation of wines , its good and bad effects , , how it causes so profound a sleep , the drawing spirit of wine by the serpent rejected , and another instrument preferred , , , &c. what causes wine to turn egre , and what will hinder it , finis . books printed for walter kettilby at the bishop's head in s. paul's church-yard . tho. sydenhami , m.d. opera universa , oct . lister de fontibus medicatis angliae , oct . jones de febribus intermittentibus , oct . mayow tractat. quinq . è med . de sal . nitro , &c. oct . charletoni inquisitio physica de causis catamenionum , & uteri rheumatismo , oct . entii apologia pro circuitione sanguinis , contra parisanum . edit . altera , auct . & accuratior , oct . lossii observationes medicae , oct . r. grovii carmen de circuitione sanguinis , quart . dr. charleton's three anatomick lectures , . of the motion of the bloud . . of the organick structure of the heart , . of the efficient causes of the hearts pulsation , quart . dr. webster's history of metals , quart . — grew's anatomy of trunks , oct . — 's anatomy of plants , fol. dr. goodall's royal college of physicians of london , founded and established by law , as appears by letters patents , acts of parl. &c. quart . dr. smith's portraicture of old age , oct . burnetii telluris theoria sacra , quart . mr. burnets theory of the earth , fol. dr. hicks's jovian , in answer to julian , oct . plato's daemon , or the state physician unmask'd , in answer to plato redivivus , by t. goddard , esq dr. more 's exposition on daniel , quart . — exposition on the apocalypse , quart . — answer to several remarks on his exposition on daniel , and the revel . by s.e. quart . dr. more 's answer to dr. butler about judicial astrology , quart . — 's reply to the answer to his antidote against idolatry , with his appendix , oct . — 's remarks on judge hales , about fluid bodies , &c. oct . dr. falkner's libertas ecclesiastica , oct . — 's christian loyalty , oct . — 's vindication of liturgies , oct . dr. sherlocks discourse of the knowledge of jesus christ , with his defence , oct . dr. scott's christian life , first and second part . dr. fowler 's libertas evangelica , in pursuance of his design of christianity , oct . mr. kidder's discourse of christian fortitude , oct . mr. hesketh's serious exhortation to frequent communion , oct . — piety the best rule of orthodoxy , oct . dr. worthington's great duty of self-resignation , oct . mr. needhams six sermons at cambridge , oct . mr. grails sermons at norwich , oct . mr. long 's history of the donatists . oct . — 's character of a separatist . oct . — against hales of schism , with mr. baxter's arguments for conformity . oct . — 's nonconformists plea for peace impleaded against mr. baxter . oct . mr. w. allens works , in vol. oct . mr. lamb's stop to the course of separation . oct . — 's fresh suit against independency . oct . dr. charleton's harmony of nat. and positive divine laws , oct . experiments and considerations about the porosity of bodies in two essays / by the honourable robert boyle ... boyle, robert, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing b estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial 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ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng chemistry -- early works to . porosity -- early works to . anatomy -- early works to . physiology -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - jason colman sampled and proofread - jason colman text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion experiments and considerations about the porosity of bodies , in two essays . by the honourable robert boyle , fellow of the royal society . london , printed for sam. smith at the prince's arms in s. pauls church-yard . . to the reader . the reader is to be advertis'd , not to expect in the following essay a regular , or so much as a coherent , discourse . for it was intended only as a collection of loose experiments and observations about the porosity of the parts of bodies belonging as chymists speak ) to the animal kingdom , and laid ( not to say thrown ( together , in order to what i had thoughts of offering , towards an intelligible account of occult qualities . i am not ignorant , that even one of the most ancient and famous of physicians hath said , that a mans body is ( almost ) every where perspirable . but i judg'd that a doctrine of such moment , and which diverse things in the theory and practice of after physicians may make one think they either disbelieved or disregarded , did not deserve to be slightly deliver'd , and in general terms , but to be more narrowly considered , and likewise made out by particular instances , whose applyableness and usefulness to explain divers obscure phaenomena , may hereafter appear much greater , then perchance at the first sight they will be thought . and the foregoing advertisement , with a light change , which 't is presum'd the reader may easily make of ●imself , is to be extended to the essay tacked to this about the pores of solid bodies , and so may excuse the absence of a distinct preface to it . an essay of the porousness of animal bodies . as the most numerous part of the pores of bodies is too minute to be seen , so the contemplation of them has been thought too inconsiderable to be regarded . but when i consider , how much most of the qualities of bodies , and consequently their operations depend upon the structure of their minute , and singly invisible , particles , and that to this latent contexture , thē bigness the figure and the collocation of the intervals and pores do necessarily concur with the size , shape and disposition or contrivance of the substantial parts i cannot but think the doctrine of the small pores of bodies , of no small importance to natural philosophy . and i scarce doubt , but if such little things had not escaped the sight of our illustrious verulam , he would have afforded a good porology ( if i may so call it ) a place , ( and perhaps not the lowest neither , ) among his desiderata . and , though other imployments and avocations hinder me from attempting to treat of this subject as amply and particularly as it deserveth , or even as i had design'd in a scheme drawn diverse years since , and seen by some virtuosi ; yet , not to leave apart of physicks , that seems to me so curious and important , altogether as uncultivated as i found it ; i shall present you as many of the notes i had drawn together about this subject , as i can conveniently ( for i do not pretend to do it methodically ) reduced to three heads : whereof the first , which will challenge to it self this present essay , is the porosity of animal bodies , about which i shall not be solicitous to marshal my observations , since they all conspire to shew but this one thing ; that the parts of animals , especially whilest these are alive , are furnished with numerous pores . those parts of the bodies of animals , wherein their porosity may be best shewn seem to be their membranes or skins , the bones , the flesh , and coagmentations of membranes , flesh and juices . and therefore it would be proper enough to treat of these heads distinctly , and give instances of each of them in particular . but yet i think it will be more convenient , to set down in order the principal fountains , whence the porousness of the substances belonging to the animal kingdom ( as the chymists speak ) may be derived , and to annex to each of these the experiments and observations , upon which i argue from it , and which it will be easy to refer , if that be thought fit , to this or that of the parts above mentioned ( namely the membranes , bones , &c. ) whereto they shall ( respectively ) appear the most properly to belong . chap. i. the first thing from which i will deduce the porosity we have been speaking of , is , the frame or constitution of the stable parts of the bodies of animals . for the body of an animal being not a rude and indigested lump of matter , but a curious engine , admirably framed and contrived for the exercise of several functions as nutrition , generation , sensation , and many differing local motions , it was necessary that it should be furnished with variety of dissimilar and organical parts not only very skilfully , but very differingly , contrived congruous to the several uses for which they were designed , or if you please , to the several functions they were to perform . and , because 't will be easily granted , that the corpuscles , that are skilfully brought together for such purposes , must be so contexed as not to touch one another exactly every where , it will readily follow that they must leave little intervals or pores between them , and that , considering the multitude of particles that must go to the making up the body of the animal , and the great difference and variety in point of bigness and figure of the corpuscles that are requisite to contex such differing parts , as membranes , fibres bones , grizles , ligaments , veins , arterys , nerves , &c. both the number and the variety of the pores cannot but be very great . this argument will be much confirmed , by what there will be occasion to say further to the same purpose , in the essay touching the porosity of even solid bodies . wherefore i shall now proceed to the second thing , whence we may derive that of animal substances . chap. ii. this is afforded us by considering the nutrition of animals . for there being continually a great waste made of their substance , partly by the exclusion of visible excrements , and partly by the avolation of invisibles steam , this great loss must necessarily from time to time be repairpaired by the supplies afforded by nutrition of which the best , if not the only intelligible , way of giving an account , is , to conceive that the alimental juice , prepared chiefly in the stomach is impelled or attracted ( for to our present purpose it matters not which ) to the parts of the body that are to be nourished by it , and the corpuscles of the juice insinuate themselves at those pores they find commensurate to their bigness , and shape ; and those that are must congruous , being assimilated , add to the substance of the part wherein they settle , and so make amends for the consumption of those that were lost by that part before . this may be illustrated by what happens in plants , and especially trees , in which , of the various corpuscles that are to be found in the liquors , that moisten the earth , and are agitated by the heat of the sun and the air , those that happen to be commensurate to the pores of the root , are by their intervention impelled into it , or imbibed by it , and thence conveyed to the other parts of the tree in the form of sap which passing through new strainers , ( whereby its corpuscles are separated , and prepared or fitted to be detained in several parts ) receives the alterations requisite to the being turned into wood , bark , leaves , blossoms , fruit , &c. but to return to animals , our argument from their nutrition will be much confirmed , by considering , that in children and in other young animals , that have not yet attained their due stature and bulk , the nutrition is so copious as to amount to a continu'd augmentation . for , as 't is evident that animals grow in all their parts , and each part according to all its dimensions , in so much that even the cavities of bones increase ; so we cannot well conceive how this can be done , unless the nutritive liquor be distributed through the whole body of the part that is to be nourished and augmented . and to this distribution 't is requisite that the body abound with pores into which the congruous particles of the juice may be intimatly admitted , & penetrating even into the innermost recesses , may place or lodge themselves in the manner that is most convenient for the natural increase of the part . but the more particular declaration of this process i leave to anatomists and physicians . chap. iii. having premis'd once for all , that in this essay , i often use the word skin in the lax and popular sense of it , without nicely distinguishing the epidermis or cuticula , called in english the scarf-skin , from the cutis it invests and sticks closely to ; i shall proceed to another topic , whence the porousness of animals may be argued , namely , the great plenty of matter that is daily carried off by sweat , and insensible transpiration . for , 't is confest that sweat is discharged at the pores of the skin ; and since there is no penetration of dimensions , we may safely conclude , that the matter that is not wasted by sweat , or by any other sensible way of evacuation , must have small pores or out-lets in the skin , at which it may issue in the form of steams ; though nothing hinders but that invisible effluvia also may evaporate at the same pores with the sweat , though for want of plenty or grossness , or a fit disposition in the ambient , those effluvia be not at the orifices of those pores brought into little drops , such as those of sweat . that therefore the skins of a multitude of animals , though they seem close to the eye , may be porous , may ( as we have been saying ) be argued in many of them from their sweating . but because all of them have not been observed to sweat , as is wont to be particularly affirmed of dogs , we shall add some other instances to make it probable . we may sometimes , in the smooth skin of a living man , discern pores with good microscopes , and , with one that is none of the best , we may easily on the inside of gloves , which are made but of skins drest , discern good store of these little out-lets : sometimes orderly enough ranged to make the sight not unpleasant . and though some of them may , i think , be suspected to have been made by the hairs that grew on the skin before 't was drest , yet that greater numbers of them , than can be supposed to come from thence , are perforations that pass quite through the leather , may , not improbably , be shewn by the usual practice of chymists , to purify quick-silver by tying it up strictly in a piece of kids or sheeps leather , and then wringing it hard to force it out ; by which means the lower surface of the leather will be covered with a mercurial dew or sweat which will fall down and fly out , as the pores happen to open this or that way , in a thick shower of globules , leaving the dross behind in the leather . and tho when a mans skin is tanned it is of a greater thickness then one would expect , and that which i employed seem'd almost as thick as a buck-skin glove yet having had the curiosity to try the same experiment with the skin of a mans arm , i found the quick-silver would be squeez'd out at the pores of that also . 't is not necessary that i should here inquire , whether the little holes , unperceiv'd by the naked eye , at which the sweat is discharged , and perhaps the matter that the body looses by insensible transpiration gets out , be not , at least most of them , the orifices of small excretory vessels , belonging to those very numerous glandules which the excellent anatomists steno and malpighi are said to have discovered beneath the cuticula , and which for their smalness and shape have been called glandulae miliares . i need not , i say , engage in this inquiry , since according to this ingenious opinion also , the skin must be allow'd a multitude of small perforations or pores , and that is sufficient for my purpose , from whencesoever this porosity proceeds in a mans skin . for the next observation will shew that some membranes of animals may give passage to transpir'd matter without being perforated by the excretou● vessels of glandules . the membranes or skins under the shells of hens eggs , though they be very thin , are of a contexture very fine and close as may be confirmed by their resisting the sharp corpuscles of vinegar ; and yet , that not only these skins , but the shells that cover them , are porous , may be inferred from the experiments i made , of keeping them suspended for a good while , and carefully counterpoised in good scales ; for by these it appeared , that the eggs did from time to time manifestly lose in weight ; which could not reasonably be imputed but to an invisible transpiration , the rather , because usually in eggs that have been kept long , there will be at one end a cavity which is wont to increase with their age , and is made by the shrinking of the membrane from the shell , to accommodate it self to the diminished quantity of matter , that remains to be involved by it . when i consider the plenty of matter , that is wont to be discharged daily by insensible perspiration , especially in healthful men that exercise themselves moderately , i cannot but think it probable , that the minute pores , that suffice for the carrying off so much matter , are very numerous , and are much more so than even by the multitude of drops of sweat , that serve to wet the skin , men are wont to imagine . for sanctorius in his excellent little tract de medicina statica affirms , that what is barely carryed off by insensible transpiration does ordinarily amount to more , that is , diminishes more the weight of a mans body , than all the visible excrements ( whether gross or liquid ) put together . aph. vi . he adds , if the meat and drink , taken in one day , amount to the weight of eight pound , the insensible transpiration ordinarily amounts to five pounds or thereabouts . and elsewhere says , that sometimes in the space of hours , in the winter time , a healthy body may exhale fifty ounces or more . and some tryals , that i have carefully made upon my self , added to some others of a very curious as well as great prince , that made use of a like instrument , & did me the honour to acquaint me with the events , gave me no cause to reject sanctorius observations , considering the difference in point of heat , between the climate of italy , where he writ , and that of england , where ours were made ; only i fear , there has been committed an oversight by those many that ascribe all the decrement of weight , that is not referrable to the grosser excrements , to what transpires at the pores of the visible parts of the skin , without taking notice of that great plenty of steams that is in expirations discharged through the wind-pipe by the lungs , and appear manifest to the eye it self in frosty weather ; though they may be presumed to be then less copious than those invisible ones that are emitted in summer , when the ambient air is much warmer . but though i look upon the wind-pipe as the great chimney of the body in comparison of those little chimneys ( if i may so call them ) in the skin , at which the matter that is wasted by perspiration is emitted , yet the number of these little vents is so very great , that the fuliginous exhalations that steal out at them , cannot but be very considerable . besides that , those that are discharged at the aspera arteria , do probably , at least for the most part , issue out at the latent pores of the membranes that invest the lungs ; which membranes may be lookt upon as external parts of the body , in reference to the air , tho not in reference to our sight . but , to return to our eggs , we may safely allow a very great evacuation to be made at the pores of the skin in man , who is a sanguineous and hot animal , since we see that even eggs , that are still actually cold , transpire . and i elsewhere mention the copious transpiration even of frogs , that are always cold to the touch ; and the decrement in weight of some animals , soon after they are strangled or suffocated , when , their vital heat being extinct , no more fumes are emitted by expirations at the wind-pipe : to which signs may be added the trivial experiment of holding in warm weather the palp of ones finger , as near as one can without contact , to some cold & solid smooth body , as to a piece of polished steel or silver ; for you will often times see this body presently sullyed or overcast , with the invisible steams that issue out of the pores of the finger , and are by the cold and smooth surface of the body condensed into visible steams , that do as 't were cloud that surface , but upon the removal of the finger , quickly fly off , and leave it bright again . the perviousness of the skin outwards may not improbably be argued from the quickness wherewith some medicines take away some black and blew discolorations of the skin , that happen upon some lighter stroke , or other contusions . for , since these preternatural and unsightly colours are wont by physicians to be imputed to some small portions of blood , that upon the contusion is forced out of the capillary vessels that lye beneath the surface of it , & being extravasated are obliged to stagnate there ; it seems very likely , that if a powerful medicine do quickly remove the discoloration , that work is performed by attenuating , and dissolving , and agitating the matter , and disposing it to transpire through the cutaneous pores , though perhaps , when 't is thus changed , some part of it may be imbibed again by the capillary vessels , and so by the circulation carryed into the mass of blood. now , that there are medicines that will speedily work upon such black and blew marks , the books and practice of physicians and chirurgeons will oblige us to admit . helmont talks much of the great vertue of white briony root in such cases . and a notable experiment made a while ago by a learned acquaintance of mine in an odd case , did not give helmont the lye. and i know an eminent person , who having some while since received a stroke , by a kick of an horse , on his leg , a very threatning contusion , which made the part look black and frightful , he was in a few hours cured of the pain of the hurt , and freed from the black part of the discoloration by the bare application of the chopt leaves of hissop mixt with fresh butter into the form of a pultess . nor is it only the skin that covers the visible parts of the body that we judg to be thus porous , but in the membranes that invest the internal parts , we may reasonably suppose both numerous and very various pores , according to the exigency of their peculiar and different functions or offices . for , the two first causes of porosity mention'd in this essay , are as well applicable to the membranes that cover the internal parts , as the liver , the spleen , &c. as to the external skin , or membrane that covers the limbs ; and in some respects the transpiration through such pores seems more advantaged , than that through the pores of the surface of the body ; since the parts that environ the spleen , liver , kidneys , &c. in man , are hot in comparison of the ambient air , and being also wet , which the air is not , the laxity of the pores of the internal parts is doubly befriended . and perhaps it may be allowable to conceive , both the skin that covers the limbs , and the membranes that invest the internal parts of the body , to be like worsted stockings , wast-coats , &c. which in their ordinary state have a kind of continuity , but upon occasion can have their pores every way enlarged and stretched , in this or that manner , as the agents that work on them determine them to be . this may be confirmed , by what we manifestly see in the finer sort of leather , as that of kid or lamb , and by the latent pores that may be opened in sheeps-leather , and mans leather , by the pressure of included quick-silver . this porosity of a living mans skin and other membranes , though internal ones , will the more easily be assented to if it appear that such thick and gross membranes , as the urinary bladders of dead animals , are porous and penetrable even by water . this we tryed , by putting some salt of tartar in a clean well dryed bladder ( which ought to be afterwards tyed up close in the neck , lest the effect should be ascribed to the moist air ) and leaving the lower part of the bladder , as far as the salt , reached immersed in common water , whose particles by degrees insinuated themselves into the pores of the bladder , in plenty enough to resolve the salt of tartar into a liquor . and , that it may not be said that the acrimony of the salt , by fretting the bladder , made way for the corpuscles of the water , i shall add that the experiment succeeded , but much more slowly , when we tryed it with sugar instead of salt of tartar. and there are some , who pretend that certain syrups made this slovenly way , which they would have pass for a secret , are very much preferable to those made of common water . that the films that line the shells of eggs are of a very close contexture seems probable , as by other things , so by their resisting some liquors , sharp enough to corrode the shell , and yet that such membranes are pervious to liquors that are none of the most subtile of all , we found by the ensuing experiment . this was made by taking an ordinary hens egg , and keeping it for two or three days in distill'd vinegar , or in strong crude vinegar . for then taking it out of the liquor and wiping it well , it was visibly , and not inconsiderably , swell'd , which i concluded to be from the ingress of some particles of the liquors , at the pores of the skins that invest the white of the egg. for we found nothing broken , though we made the tryal more than once . and to be satisfied that the manifest expansion proceeded from some other cause , than the meer dilatation of the white , or yolk , or both , we compared the weight of the egg , after it was taken out and well wiped , with that which had been taken before 't was put into the menstruum , and found the egg , notwithstanding the loss of the shell , to be considerably heavier than 't was before its immersion . i shall add on this occasion that by a more unlikely way than that newly recited , both the egg , shell and lining of an egg , may be penetrated . for , notwithstanding the fine and close contexture of the membranes that invest the eggs , the chineses have a way of salting them in the shell , as i have been assured both by english and dutch merchants trading to the east indies . and in one of the dutch journals sent by the council of batavia to their principals in holland , and intercepted by an english man of war , i met with divers accounts of great numbers of salted eggs , that were such or such a day of such a month brought in by sea to batavia or other ports . long after which time , meeting with an ingenious physician , that liv'd in batavia , i learned by enquiry from him , that 't is very true that such eggs are frequently met with in those parts ; he having divers times eaten of them there : some that he judged to have been either boyled or roasted , before they were salted ; and others that were raw , when they came to be dressed for him , but yet retained a briny tast . and , though the merchants i enquired of could not tell me what way the chineses employed to salt their eggs , without making them unfit for common use , yet by a tryal made with clay and brine , in which i kept the eggs for a competent time , i was perswaded that 't was possible the chineses should have the art ascribed to them . for upon the breaking of an egg coated with clay , after it had lain for a competent time in brine , i found its tast considerably salt , but was , by i know not what accident , hindered from prosecuting the experiment , and endeavouring to make it more practicable and useful . i knew a physitian of more learning than vertue , who , being tormented with a violent and obstinate colic of a peculiar kind , was wont to relieve himself by clisters of sack ; thô he usually found that not long after he had taken any of them , they would make him giddy , and fuddle him , as he himself confessed to me . but upon this instance i lay not much weight , and less upon what was answered me by a great chirurgeon , who having practised his art in the west-indies , and being asked by me whether he had not dressed wounds and ulcers with the recent juice of tobacco ( a plant i use to keep growing in my garden for its excellent vertues in cuts , burns , and tumors ; ) and whether , if he employed it , he did not find it emetick , he told me among other things , that having divers times dressed with this juice a small ulcer in a womans leg , the patient soon after the application would grow sick , and have her stomack turned , or actually vomit . but , as i was saying , on this instance i lay no stress , because the corpuscles of the tobacco might probably enough get in at the small orifices of some corroded vessels , and so be conveyed inwards , rather by the help of the circulation of the blood , than on the account of the porousness of the parts . and therefore i shall rather mention what has been related to me , by an eminent physician of the famous colledge of london , namely , that he had divers times given himself a vomit , by a certain application of decocted tobacco to his wrists , and some other external parts ; which brings into my mind , what is affirmed to have been observed in some children that have scabb'd heads , who have been made drunk , by the application of clothes or spunges wetted in infusion of tobacco , or of strong liquors , and applied to the part affected . though in this case the inebriating particles may be suspected to have got in , not at the meer pores , but rather at the orifices of the capillary vessels , that were made accessible by such little solutions of continuity , as are seldom wanting in scabbed heads . that children may be purged by outward applications is asserted by some physicians ; and an experienced person of that number has affirmed to me , that he can almost constantly do it by a plaister . but 't is more considerable what was related to me by an eminent virtuoso , who being indisposed to believe such things a while before he told me the story , was desired by a curious person to shew him his hand which the relator having done the other took it in his hand , which was moistened ( as was afterwards confessed ) with a kind of subtile chymical oil , but so slightly , that the relator scarce minded it , till some time after when he found himself prest with a motion , like that which a purge would have given him ; for the other thereupon smiling , my acquaintance began to suspect what the matter might be , and was in a short time purged four times , without griping , or other pain or discomposure . but to return to the porousness of membranes , it may serve to make way for your admitting it , to observe , that though lute-strings be but ropes of fibres ( which are at least the chief parts that membranes consist of ) dead , cold and stiff , yet when the lute is in tune they will sometimes in wet weather swell so forcibly as with noise and violence to break , which proceeds from the copious ingress of moist vapors into their pores , whereby they are not only shortened , but as i have tryed in nice scales , made manifestly heavier . the porosity of the internal parts of animals by both the foremention'd ways ( viz. of emission and reception of corpuscles , ) may be confirmed by the things that happen in some of the metastases or translations ( as the physitians call them ) of the morbifick matter in diseased bodies . 't is known to them that are any thing conversant with hospitals , or the observations of physicians , that there do not seldom occur in diseases sudden removes of the matter that caused them , from one part to another according to the nature and functions of which , there may emerge a new disease , more or less dangerous than the former , as the invaded part is more or less noble . thus oftentimes the matter , which in the sanguiferous vessels produced a feaver , being discharged upon some internal parts of the head , produces a delirium or phrenitis ; in the latter of which i have somewhat wondered , to see the patients water so like that of a person without a feaver ; the same febrile matter either by a deviation of nature , or medicines improper or unskillfully given , is discharged sometimes upon the pleura , or membrane that lines the sides of the chest ; sometimes upon the throat ; sometimes upon the guts ; and causes in the first case a pleurisie , in the d a squinancy , and in the third a flux , for the most part dysenterical . but , because i suppose , that many , if not most , of these translations of peccant humors , are made by the help of the circulation of the blood , i forbore at the beginning of this section to speak in general terms , when i mentioned them in reference to the porousness of the internal parts of the body , and contented my self to intimate , that some of them may serve to confirm that porosity . this will not perhaps seem improbable , if we consider that 't is in effect already proved , by the same arguments by which we have shewn , that both the skin and the internal membranes are furnished with pores , permeable by particles whose shape and size are correspondent to them . for we may thence probably deduce , that when a morbifick matter , whether in the form of liquor , or of exhalations , chances to have corpuscles suited to the pores of this or that part of the body , it may , by a concourse of circumstances , be determined to invade it , and so dislodge from its former receptacle , and excite disorders in the part it removes to . chap. iv. another thing whence the porosity of animals may be argued ▪ is , their taking in of effluvia from without . for these cannot get into the internal parts of the body , to perform their operations there , without penetrating the skin , and consequently entring the pores of it . now , that things , outwardly applyed to the body , may without wounding the skin , be convey'd to the internal parts , there are many things that argue . and first , it has been observed in some persons , ( for all are not equally disposed to admit the action of particular poysons ) that cantharides , being externally apply'd by chyrurgions or physicians , may soon , and before they break the skin , produce great disorders in the urinary passages , and sometimes cause bloody water . and i remember , that having once had a blistering plaister , applyed by a skilful chyrurgion between my shoulders , though i knew not that there were any cantharides at all mixt with the other ingredients , yet it gave me about the neck of my bladder one of the sensiblest pains i had ever felt , and forced me to send for help at a very unseasonable time of night . the porousness of the skin may be also argued from divers of the effects even of milder plaisters . for , though some plaisters may operate as they closely stick to the skin , and hinder perspiration from within , and fence the part from the external cold ; yet , t will scarce be denied , that many of them have notable effects upon other accounts , whereof none is so likely and considerable as the copious ingress of the corpuscles of the plaister , that enter at the pores of the skin , and being once got in , act according to their respective natures & vertues . the like may be said of ointments , whose operations , especially on children ( whose skin is ordinarily more soft and lax ) are sometimes very notable . and i have known considerable things performed by them , in an internal disease of grown men , where i should scarce have expected a vegetable ointment should perform so much : i say , a vegetable ointment , for 't is vulgarly known that by mercurial ointments salivation may be excited ; and sometimes , against the physitians will , the corpuscles of the quick silver get so far into the body , that he is not able to get them out again . what we lately said of plaisters , may be applyed to those that physitians call pericarpia , or wrist-bands : the better sort of which , though sometimes ineffectual , are oftentimes successful in stopping fits of agues , as i have frequently found in a mixture , elsewhere mention'd , of currans , hops , baysalt well beaten together , by which , by gods blessing , many , and i among others , have been freed from simple tertians , and either double tertians or quotidians . the argument of the porosity of animals , drawn from those things that get in through their skins , without breaking or wounding them , may be much strengthned , if it can be made appear , that those physitians do not deceive us , who ascribe sensible operations and vertues , to things externally applyed , in so loose a way , that they do not so much as stick to the skin , or perhaps immediately touch it ; such as some call periapta and appensa ; divers of which are best known among us , by the name of amulets ; such as are the quills containing quick-silver or arsenick , that some hang about their necks , and wear under their shirts , against the plague and other contagious diseases ; and the bloodstones that others wear against haemorrhages ; and the stone which the women use in the east-indies , for a quite contrary effect , in obstructione mensium . that many of these external medicines , answer not the promises of those that extol them , having some of them no sensible operation at all , and others no considerable one , experience has assured judicious observers ; but that some of them , especially on some patients , may have considerable , not to say admirable , operations , i confess my self by other motives , as well as authority , to be perswaded . having been one summer frequently subject to bleed at the nose , and reduced to imploy several remedies to check that distemper ; that which i found the most effectual to stanch the blood , was some moss of a dead mans scull ( sent for a present out of ireland where 't is far less rare than in most other countrys ) though it did but touch my skin till the herb was a little warm'd by it . and though i remember not that i have known any great matter done to stop haemorrhagies by the bare outward application of other blood-stones ; yet of one that look'd almost like an agate , i admired the effects , especially upon a young and extraordinarily sanguin person . to which i shall add a memorable thing , communicated to the experienced zwelfer by the chief physitian of the states of moravia . for this learned man whom he extols for a great physician and philosopher ; assures him , that having prepared some trochischs of toads according to helmonts way , ( which i remember i also was solicitous to prepare , but had not occasion to make tryal of their vertue , ) he not only found , that being worn as amulets they preserved him and all his domesticks , and friends , from the plague ( though he daily visited the infected ) but that having caused these trochischs to be put upon the plague sores of several persons , none of them died , but the venom of the pestilential carbuncles was thereby so weakened that the ulcers were afterward easily cured by vulgar remedies . and now , as to the difficulty , which i acknowledge not to be small , to conceive how bodies actually cold can emit effluvia , capable of penetrating ( without moistening it ) a membrane of so close a contexture as a mans skin ; i suppose it will be much lessened in the objectors opinion , by what he will meet with hereafter about the pores of bodies , and the figures of corpuscles . for supposing these to be congruous , it will not seem incredible , that the effluvia of amulets should in tract of time get passage through the pores of the skin of a living body . and to make this the more probable , i will give an instance in the skin of a dead animal . and , because this requires a liquor i much employ in these trials about porology , though i have many years since in another tract taught how to make it for another purpose ; yet i shall here repeat , that 't is made by exactly mingling flower of brimstone , powdered sal armoniac and good quicklime in equal quantities , save that , if the quicklime be not very dry and good , a fourth or fifth part must be superadded , for these being nimbly mixed , and distilled by degrees of fire in a retort , till the sand be at length brought to be almost red hot , there will come over a smoaking spirit , which must be kept very carefully stopt , and which for distinctions sake , i also use to call , the permeating menstruum or liquor , and its expirations the penetrant , or permeating fumes . and now you will easily understand the experiment i was about to mention , which was this ; we took a very clean piece of polish'd copper , in want of which one of silver will serve the turn , and having lapt it up in a piece of either lambs or sheeps leather , so that it was every way inclosed , we then held it over the orifice of the vial that contained the spirit , at a pretty distance from the liquor , whose fumes nevertheless did quickly , ( perhaps in a minute of an hour or less ) pervade the pores of the leather , and operate upon the included metal as appeared by the deep and lasting tincture it had given to the lower surface of it , though the interposed leather it self was not deprived of its whiteness , nor at all sensibly discoloured ; however it smelt of the sulplureous steams that had invaded it . and , if i misremember not , the same experiment succeeded , though somewhat more slowly , when a double leather was interposed between the fumes and a new piece of copper coin . this will be thought the less strange , when i shall come to some other instances of the penetrancy of these spirits . in the mean while i leave it to be considered , whether this may not suggest some conjecture at that strange phoenomenon , which is recorded by authors of good repute , that sometimes in great thunders the lightening , among other operations , has been found to have manifestly discoloured mens money , without burning the purses or pockets wherein it lay . for in our experiment , the steams that in a trice pervaded the leather , the most usual matter whereof purses are made , were sulphureous , as the smell argues , that those which accompany the fulmen are wont to be ; and whereas these , when they invade bodies , are usually very hot , ours operated when the liquor that emitted them was actually cold . and if it be said , that sometimes their money has been found discolored in their pockets , who were not struck , by the fulmen , but had it only pass near them , it may be objected , that tho the intire body , whether fluid or solid , if there be any of this latter kind that is in latine called fulmen ( for our english word , thunderbolt seems not so applicable to a fluid ) did not touch them , yet it might scatter steams enough round about it , to cause the phoenomenon . for confirmation of which i shall take notice , that a considerable person of my acquaintance , having had the curiosity to ascend a burning mountain in america , till the sulphureous steams grew too offensive to him , he told me that , among other operations he observed them to have upon him , one was , that he found the money he had about him turned of a black and dirty colour , such as i have observed our sulphureous steams often give both to copper , and to silver coins . but whether or no our spirits will justify the conjecture , they invited me to mention , at least their so easily pervading the skin of a dead animal may make it probable , that the skin of a living man may be easily penetrated by external steams whose approach the eye does not perceive , and whose operations , though not inconsiderable , may therefore be unsuspected . i leave to physitians to consider , what use may be made of this observation , in reference to the propagation of contagious diseases , by the contact of infected air , distinct from the respiration of it , and by the penetration of the steams , that issuing from divers bodies invade the skin , and may perhaps be capable of operations , either hurtful or friendly , that are not usually suspected to proceed from such causes , and are therefore misascribed to others . and on this occasion it will not be impertinent to add , that by hanging up sheeps leather or lambs leather in the free air , the vapors of it would so insinuate themselves into the pores in wet weather , that a moderate degree of moisture in the air would add to it a not inconsiderable weight , of which dry weather , whether hot or cold , would deprive it . chap. v. i must not in this place omit some instances , very proper to manifest the penetrableness of membranes to fumes themselves , if they be subtile enough for their pores , or correspondent enough to them . among the observations published by physicians i have met with some by which it appears that cantharides may have great effects upon the internal parts of the body , though they do not so much as touch the skin , but are placed at some distance from it , so that their effluvia must be transmitted through other bodies before they can penetrate that . the learned michael paschalius mentions a chyrurgion , who was twice brought to void much blood with his urine , by some spanish flies that he carryed about in a purse or bag. and another doctor of note relates of another person that came to complain to him , that he pissed blood , having carryed about with him cantharides , though in his pocket , and adds , that a like case was recounted to him by helidaeus , whom he calls an eminent bolognian physician . we see , that in linnen cloth , the finer and more slender the threads are the closer and less porous , coeteris paribus , the linnen is : by analogy to which one may esteem the thin film that lines the shell of an egg , to be of an exceeding close contexture ; and yet that even this film is not impervious to some fumes , i have found by the following tryal . to make this , we slowly and warily pick'd off a sufficient part of the shell of a hens egg , from the skin that lay just beneath it , and is wont to stick so close to it , that their separation , without injuring the membrane , is not easy . in this skin , being wip'd , we wrapt up a flat piece of copper , whose surface was made bright , that the change of colour might be the better seen ; and having kept this covered bit of plate , over the fumes of our smoaking liquor lately mentioned for a minute or two by our ghess we unfolded the skin , and found , as we expected , that the lower surface of the copper which was it that had been held over the fumes , was turned of a very dark colour , which manifested that even so fine and closely contexed a membrane was not only , as we have formerly shewn , penetrable by liquors , but readily pervious to our sulphureous exhalations , tho these were probably but faintly emitted , since the liquor they came from was then actually cold . but in making the tryal it is fit to hold ( as we did in that newly recited ) the membrane against the light , to see if it be intire , and have escaped all those little lacerations that are hardly avoidable in severing it from the shell it sticks so close to . if this caution be neglected , 't is easy to be imposed on , by overlooking some little holes , that are not easily discerned when one looks down upon the skin , and yet may be sufficient to make the experiment deceitful . but , thô when 't is well made , it is a notable confirmation of the doctrine endeavoured to be established in this paper , yet i shall now subjoyn a more considerable instance to the same purpose . the porousness of the internal membranes of the body , will be more easily granted , if it be considered that either the liquors , or the moist exhalations , whose action is promoted by the natural heat of the parts , keeps them constantly wet or moist , and thereby renders them more lax , and more penetrable by subtle spirits or other corpuscles . in favour of this reflection i made the following experiment . we took a piece of a dryed urinary bladder , which was judged to have been a calfs ; and having lapt it about a new piece of silver coin , so that the bladder was single where it covered the lower side of the piece , we kept it for divers minutes , by guess , over the spirituous fumes of our often mentioned permeating liquor , but could not perceive that the coin was thereby at all affected or ternished . whence we concluded that the pores of the dry bladder were too close and narrow ▪ to give passage to the expirations of the menstruum . but presuming that moisture would some what relax them with another piece of the same bladder , made limber by being a little wetted in common water , we lapt up another like peace of new coin , as we had done the former , and kept it at the same distance as before , from the liquor , but not for so long a time . for after about two minutes , by guess , we remov'd and took out the piece , and , as we expected , found much of its lower surface ( that regarded the liquor ) deeply discoloured . which experiment will not only justify what i lately said , of the greater laxity of moist than of dry membranes , but will be thought no mean confirmation of what is in this essay delivered about the porosity of membranes , since the urinary bladder does , as anatomists well know , consist of more than one membrane , though they stick so close together , as to appear but one to the eye . and this bladder was speedily penetrated by the fumes that our liquor emitted in exceeding cold and frosty weather , though the bladder it self was not in the warm body of the live animal , but had been so long kept dryed and cold , that probably the moisture it introduced in scarce one minute of an hour , could not restore it to the laxity it had , whilst it was a part of the living calf . one of the notablest instances i ever met with , of the porosity of the internal membranes of the humane body , was afforded me by that british nobleman , of whom our famous harvey tells a memorable , not to say matchless , story . this gentleman , having in his youth , by an accident which that doctor relates , had a great and lasting perforation made in his thorax , at which the motion of his heart could be directly perceiv'd did not only out live the accident , but grew a strong , and somewhat corpulent man ; and so robust , as well as gallant , that he afterwards was a souldier , and had the honour to command a body of an army for the king. this earl of mount-alexander ( for that was his last title having marryed one of my nearest kinswomen , and having been told that i was very desirous to see , what i had heard such strange things of , very obligingly came , at a fit time , to give me that satisfaction . in order to which he removed that which covered the wide orifice of his hurt , and gave me the opportunity of looking into his thorax , and of discerning there the motions of the cone , as they call it , or mucro of the heart . but these things i mention but upon the by , and because of the strangeness of the fact ; the thing i principally intended relates to my present argument . having then made several inquiries fit for my purpose , his lordship told me , that when he did , as he was wont to do from time to time , ( though not every day ) inject with a syringe some actually warm medicated liquor into his thorax , to cleanse and cherish the parts , he should quickly and plainly find in his mouth the tast and smell of the drugs , wherewith the liquor had been impregnated . and i further learned , that , whereas he constantly wore upon the unclosed part of his chest , a silken quilt , stuffed with aromatick and odoriferous powders , to defend the neighbouring parts and keep them warm ; when he came , as he used to do after some weeks , to imploy a new quilt , the fragrant effluvia of it would mingle with his breath in exspiration , and very sensibly perfume it , not , as i declared i suspected , upon the score of the pleasing exhalations that might get up between his clothes and his body , but that got into the organs of respiration , and came out with his breath at his mouth , as was confirmed to me by a grave & judicious statesman , that happened to be then present , and knew this general very well . other circumstances i might add , but that i dare not trust my memory for them , and unhappily lost the paper , wherein the oddness of the things invited me to set them down , for fear of forgetting them . that part of this narrative which relates to injections may be much confirm'd by what is delivered by galen himself , who says that mulsum or honeyed water , being injected at the orifice of wounds penetrating into the cavity of the thorax , has been observed to be in part received into the lungs , and discharged out of the aspera arteria by coughing . and this he mentions as a known thing , imploying it as a medium whereby to prove another . the mention that has been made of the porosity of membranes , brings into my mind what i once observed at the dissection , made by some physicians , and anatomists , of a lusty souldier , that was hanged for i know not what crime . this man , though otherwise young and sound , was observed to have been long molested with what they call a short , dry cough , which made us expect to find something much amiss in his lungs . but meeting with nothing there , we were at a loss for the cause of this cough , till coming to consider the internal part of the chest , we perceived something on one of the sides , by tracing of which we discovered , that between the pleura and the substance of the intercostal muscles , there was lodged a certain matter , of the breadth of a silver crown piece , or thereabouts , of a roundish figure , and of the consistence and almost colour of new , soft cheese , which odd stuff was concluded to have been the remains of some ill cured pleurisy , and to have transmitted through the pores of the pleura , though that be a very close membrane , some noxious effluvia , which ever and anon irritated the lungs into an irregular and troublesom motion , and so produced the cough the malefactor had been molested with . chap. vi. i am well aware that 't is far less difficult , to prove the permeableness of single membranes , than that of such a part of the body , as seems to be an aggregate of several parts , which in regard of their close adhesion , are looked upon but as one part , to which , on that account , men commonly give a distinct name . but yet there are some phaenomena that seem to argue , that even such compounded or resulting parts if i may so call them , are not destitute of pores , which whether they be not some of them the orifices of exceeding slender and therefore unobserved capillary vessels , i must not now stay to enquire . when the cavity of the abdomen in those hydropical persons that are troubled with an ascites , is filled with water , or rather with a liquor that i have found to be much more viscous , it justly appears strange , that by an hydragogue , or some appropriated purging medicine , great quantities of this gross liquor should in a short time be carryed off by siege , and perhaps also by urine , though to get into the cavity of the guts , or that of either of the kidneys , it seems necessary that it permeate the tunicles , and other component parts , of the viscera it gets into . i know not whether i may on this occasion take notice of what physicians observe to occur now and then in empyema's that follow ill conditioned pleurisies . for it has several times been observed , that upon the bursting of such imposthumes into the cavity of the chest , the purulent matter hath been voided by siege and urine . i hesitate , as i was saying , whether i should alledge this phaenomenon , as a proof of what i now contend for , till it be determined whether this metastasis be made by transudation properly so called , or by the ingress of the pus into the imperfectly closed orifices of the vessels of the lungs ; where being once admitted and mingled with the blood they may with this circulating liquor arrive at the kidneys , or any other parts fitted to make a secretion of this heterogeneous matter . but whatever be the reason or manner of it , we find that the lungs do sometimes odly convey things to distant parts of the body . and if i may here mention a thing , cui honos praefationis est , i shall add that i have several times observ'd in my self , that when i had been an actor or an assistant in the dissection of a living dog , especially if his blood or body were rankly scented , i should divers hours after plainly find that odour in the excrements i voided by siege . a famous chirurgeon and anatomist relates , that one who was very ill of a dropsy , judged to arise from a scirrhus of the spleen , coming to ask his counsel and assistance , though he judged the patients case desperate , yet to content him , he ordered him to dip a very large sponge in good quick-lime-water , and having squeezed out the superfluous liquor , to bind it upon the region of the spleen , only shifting it from time to time . he adds , that after some months he was much surprized to receive a visit from this patient , with solemn thanks for his recovery ; the outward medicine having , it seems , resolved the scirrhus and concurred with nature to evacuate the hydropical humour . for the resolution of which hard tumour it seems necessary , that the sanative corpuscles of the external remedy should at length penetrate , not only the epidermis , and the true cutis , but the muscles themselves of the abdomen , and some other interposed parts . these instances may be strengthen'd by an eminent observation of galen , who takes notice that bones being sometimes broken , without piercing the skin that covers the part they belong to , when the callus is making , and the broken parts of the bone begin to be conglutinated together , a portion of that blood which had flowed to the part affected is carryed to the skin and permeats that , so as to wet and foul the dressings or bandages that are kept upon the limb affected by the fracture . chap. vii . bones , horns , and parts of the like substance , being those that are granted to be the most solid of the bodies of animals , i come in the last place to shew by particular experiments that these also have their pores . i say , by particular experiments , because in a general way , their porosity has been already proved , by the same arguments , from their original texture , nutrition , augmentation , &c. that have been employed to manifest the porousness of animal substances in general . that the nails of men , as well as their skins , are porous , may be gathered from their being easily and permanently tinged with divers metalline solutions , and particularly with those of silver in aquafortis , and gold in aqua regia ; the former of which solutions though cold , will but too easily tinge the skin and nails it chances to touch , and makes some little stay upon , with a dark and blackish colour ; which i found not that i could wash out with water , or , even with a far more penetrating and abstersive liquor . the like durableness i found in the purple spots , that i sometimes purposely made on my nails , by letting some little drops of the solution of gold in aqua regia dry upon them , which i now and then did , to observe the way of the nails growth . for if the stain were made near the root of the nail , it would be still , though very slowly , thrust on by the new matter , till after some weeks it arrived to the further end of the nail , and was fit to be pared off with it . but this only upon the by . 't is more to our purpose to take notice , that , though the menstruums imployed in the recited experiments be of themselves very acid and corrosive , yet they are so changed by the metals they have dissolved , that they are acid no more , the solution of silver being rather extreamly bitter , and that of gold of a kind of stiptic tast , almost like that which sloes , growing in the hedges , are wont to be of . ivory is a thing too well known to need to be described . and , since 't is generally lookt upon ( for i have had no opportunity to compare it with the bones ) as the solidest part of the vastest of terestrial animals , experiments proving its porosity , will be strong presumptions for that of the hardest parts of other animals . and the porousness of ivory may be argued from the several ways of dying it with permanent colours . for in these colorations the tinctures that make them , must penetrate into , and be lodged in the substance of the ivory , especially when the substance remains smooth and glassy , as i have divers times made it do , when i employed fit menstruums and metalline pigments . the solution i formerly mentioned of silver in aqua fortis , being laid upon ivory , will soon give it a dark and blackish stain , which is not , that i have found , to be washed off . i remember also that i many years since taught some ingenious artificers , to adorn ivory with a fine purple colour , by moistening it with , and suffering leisurely to dry on it , a solution of gold made in aqua regia . and if occasion required , allayed with water , nor needs either of these solutions be applyed hot , any more than the ivory needs to be heated . both which circumstances favour the porousness of the solid body . copper dissolved in aqua fortis stains ivory with a blewish colour , as i have sometimes seen in the hafts of knifes , about whose coloration nevertheless another way is also employed . but i remember that without making use of any acid or corrosive menstruum , i have even in the cold stained ivory , with a fine and permanent blew , like a turquois , by suffering to dry upon it as deep a solution as i could make of crude copper , in an urinous spirit , as that of sal armoniack . but now to return to bones , their growth in all their dimensions , does , as i lately noted , argue their porosity and the marrow that is found in the great hollow bones , whether it nourish them or no , must it self be supplyed by some alimental juice , that soaks or otherways penetrates , into the cavities that contain it . nor does it seem at all improbable , that blood it self may through small vessels be conveyed into the very substance of the bone , so as that the vessels reach at least a little way in it , though perhaps the liquor they carry may afterwards by imbibition be brought to the more internal parts of the bone. for not to urge that we manifestly see , that on each side of the lower jaw , nature has been careful to perforate the bones and make a channel in the substance of it ; which channel receives not only a larger nerve but a vein , & artery to bring in & carry back blood for the nourishment of the teeth , by distinct sprigs sent from the great branch to the particular teeth . not to urge this , i say , ( which i mention but to shew that the opinion lately proposed is agreeable to a known practice of nature ) i have been assured by eminent anatomists , whom i purposely consulted , that they have observed blood-vessels to enter a great way into the substance of the larger bones . and one of them affirmed , that he had traced a vessel even to the great cavity of the bone. which i the less scrupled to admit , because it has been observed , that in younger animals the cavity is in great part furnished with blood ▪ as well as marrow , and in those larger pores , whereof many are found in the more spongy substance of divers bones , blood has been observed to have been lodged , as also in the spongy part of the skull , that lies between the two tables , as i have been assured by skilful eye-witnesses . the blackness also , that bones acquire when put into a competent heat , and a peculiar kind of fatness which they may by heat be made to afford , shew that they harbour , even in their internal parts , store of unctuous particles , separable from the solid substance , ( which still retains its shape and continues solid ) in whose pores they may thereby be argued to have been lodged . the lightness of bones , even when their cavity is accessible to ( air and ) water , is also a great sign of their porosity . and so is their being corroded by tinging liquors , if they be penetrative and well applyed . i know not whether i should add on this occasion , that having taken calcined and pulverized bones , such as we use to make our cupels of , and , after having given them a good heat , kept them for some time in the air , but in a well covered place ; i found the imbibed moisture of the air to have manifestly increased their weight ; and that i also observed in a curious skeleton , where the bones were kept together by wires , instead of other ligaments , that though i kept it in a well covered place , not far from a kitchin fire , yet in very moist weather the bones seemed to swell , since those joynts that were easy to be bent , in dry weather , and that after several manners , would grow stiff and refractory , and indisposed to be put into such motions , when the weather was considerably wet . these particulars ( as i was saying ) i am somewhat doubtful whether i should here insert , because one may suspect the phaenomena may proceed rather from somewhat else , than the imbibed moisture of the air ; and yet i would not omitt to mention these observations , because i do not yet see any cause to which they may more probably ( or indeed so probably ) be assigned . and on this occasion i shall subjoyn some observations made on large and solid ox bones , which in one of my note books i find thus registred . nov. . we weighed two [ entire or unbroken ] marrow bones , and found the one to weigh ℥ xxix + ʒss , and the other ℥ xxiv + ʒiv + gr . nov. . the former weighed ℥ xxix + ʒvi , and the latter ℥ xxv + ʒi + gr . decemb. . the former weighed ℥ xxix + ʒiij . gr . and the latter ℥ xxiv + ʒvii . + gr . june th of the following year , the former weigh'd ℥ xxix + ʒii . and the latter ℥ xxiv + ʒvii . by which observations purposely made at differing times of the year , and in very good scales , it seems that bones do plentifully enough imbibe the exhalations of the air , and emit them again , together with some of their own , according as the ambient happens to be disposed . and these alterations argue the bones to abound with pores , since the external steams must have pores to receive them , and the effluvia must upon their recess leave pores behind them . i confess that to think ( as with some anatomists i lately seemed to do ) that bones themselves admit into their substance , vessels capable of conveying a nutritive liquor , we must suppose those vessels extreamly slender . but that 't is not only possible but somewhat credible , there may be such , i am induced to think , by what is known to happen in that disease , which from the country it most infests is called the plica polonica . for , tho one would think that the hairs of men are much too slender , to have cavities in them capable of visible liquors ; and though i have found it very difficult , even with a good microscope , to perceive any cavities in the hair of a man transversly cut ; yet not only some other writers of good note , but the judicious sennertus himself deliver , that in this disease ( of which he particularly treats ) it has been observed , that if the patients cause their intangled hair to be cut , as they sometimes do , by reason of its nastiness or unsightliness , they are not only thereby endangered , but sometimes the single hairs will actually bleed , where the ends have been cut off ; so that so thick a liquor as blood may be conveyed through vessels , that can at most be but in a proper sense capillary and must be far less than hairs , if their perforations be like those by which many plants have their nourishment conveyed to them , or such as are obvious in divers canes , which being cut quite through transversly , discover a multitude of distinct pores , that by some experiments one may be induced to guess , reach all along , and make the cane like a cylindrical bundle of minute pipes ; or rather a multitude of small cavities , that perforate from end to end the parenchyma , or substance analogous to it , that gives them stability . and for the present this sort of vessels seem to me , the more likely to be those that convey the blood to the extream parts of the hair , because even in horse hairs , which yet are nourished and grow , i am not yet sure , that i have discovered with my microscopes any cavity , and therefore suspect there may be divers imperceptible ones , for the hair is nourished and grows , which it is not like it should do if the body were solid ; and if there were but a single cavity in it , as in the lower part of a quill , 't is like the microscope i used would have discovered it , since with one much inferiour i could easily see , that several little short hairs , that grow upon the animal that yields musk , had each of them a cavity in it like that of the lower part of a quill . to the things that have already been said about the porosity of bones , i shall now add an observation of a very learned physician , that is very remarkable to our present purpose , because it argues , that even bodies not saline , nor actually moist , may from without get into the pores and cavities of humane bones . divers physicians have complain'd of the mischiefs done to the bones by mercury , employ'd to salivate in venereal diseases . whereof i remember i have read a very notable instance , in a learned book ( which i have not now by me ) of an eminent roman professor of physick , who had the opportunity of making several curious observations in the famous hospital of the incurabili at rome ; and is therefore the more to be credited ; where he relates , that in the cavity of at least one pocky-mans bones , there was found real quick-silver that had penetrated thither . and this brings into my mind a memorable observation of an ancient and experienced physician , who being famous for the cure of venereal diseases , was asked by me , what instances he had found of the penetration of quick-silver , either outwardly or inwardly administred , into the bones of men ? to this he answered , that he could not say he had himself taken notice of any quick-silver , in the cavities of greater bones , but that some other practitioners had told him , that they had met with such instances , as i enquired after . but for himself , he only remembred that a patient , who had been terribly fluxed with mercurial inunctions , coming afterwards to have one of the grinders of his lower jaw pulled out , because of the raging pain it had long put him to ; my relater had the curiosity to view narrowly this great tooth , and found , to his wonder , a little drop of true mercury in that slender cavity of the root , that admits the small vessels which convey nourishment and sense to the tooth , in more than one of whose three roots he affirmed to me that he found true , though but exceeding little , quick-silver . but a full testimony to my present purpose is afforded me by the experienced physician eustachius rudius , who relates , that he saw himself , and that others also observed , some bodies dissected , of those that had been anointed for the venereal pox , in the cavities of whose bones no small quantity of quick silver was got together , ( which yet ( to add that upon the by ) he says , did not hinder some of them from living many years , surviving those inunctions . ) chap. viii . i am not ignorant that , among the particulars laid together in the foregoing essay , there are some that are not absolutely necessary , to prove the porousness of the bodies of animals . but i thought it not impertinent to mention them , because i hoped that they , in conjunction with the rest , may be of some use to naturalists , in giving an account of several things that pass in a humane body , whether sound or sick , especially if it be of a topical disease , and may remove , or much lessen that great prejudice , that makes many ( and some of them otherwise learned ) physicians despise the use of all amulets , pericarpia , and other external medicines in distempers of the inward parts , upon a confident , but not well grounded supposition , that these remedies immediately touching but the outside of the skin , cannot exercise any considerable operations upon the internal parts of the body . but though i have thus acknowledged some passages of the foregoing essay to be supernumerary , yet i must not dismiss it without intimating that i might from one topick more have fetched a probable , though not a demonstrative argument , in favour of the porousness of animals . for this may be very probably argued from hence , that even inanimate , solid and ponderous bodies , that in all likelyhood must be of a far closer texture than the living bodies of animals ( whose various functions require a greater number and diversity of pores in their differing organs ) are not devoid of pores , and have some of them very numerous ones , as will be sufficiently made out in the following essay , to which i shall therefore hasten . n. b. the following paper is that which is refer'd to in the th page of this essay . hujus rei veritatem comprobat doctissimus ac celeberrimus medicus & philosophus d. johannes chrysostomus irmbler , statuum moraviae marchionatûs protomedicus , his verbis ad me scribens : et revera paravi ego , anno m. dclv , quo tempore inter infectos versabar quotidie , trochiscos bufonios , eósque ut caetera helmontii , indefessi veritatis indagandae , & ex puteo opinionum veterum nostram credulitatem excaecantium eruendae , nati philosophi , experimenta suas laudes sustinere comperi : inter , viginti autem bufones vix unum quidem , jucundo sane spectaculo , vidi vermiculos , per nares & oculos egressuros , manu repellere quamdiu poterat , doxec elanguerit bufo : sed trochiscos ex vermiculis unà cum pulvere emo●tui bufonis , & materiâ per anum ( nondum vidi per vomitum ; ) scilicet alis , pedibus , capitibus , ventribus scarabaeorum viridibus , auratisve & nigris , quos bufo cum terra in escam venatur , ejectâ , cerea patinâ exceptis , cum tragacantho rosato formatos , pluribus personis super anthraces opponi feci , atque nullum eorum mortuum esse dicere possum , sed & meorum domesticorum , ut & aliorum , quibus dedi , amicorum nullus , quod scio , infectus est . sic comperi non tantùm hisce trochiscis enervari virus pestilens in carbunculo jam admissum , ut dein vulgaribus chirurgicis remediis ulcus facili negotio fuerit curatum , sed etiam ad sinistram mammam ligatos , mihi meísque accursui & occursui infectorum expositis , animositatem quandam indicibilem conferre , atque ita miasmata & effluvia pestilentialia abarcere . hucusque excel . medicus moraviae . an essay of the porousness of solid bodies . chap. i as 't will with far less difficulty be allowed , that animals and vegetables , and such bodies , as have belonged to either , abound with pores , than that inanimate , solid , and even ponderous bodies are not destitute of them : so 't is far less difficult to make out the former than the latter of these propositions . and therefore , pyrophilus , i hope you will not expect that i should give you as many proofs of the one , as i have of the other ; however i despair not , that those i shall present you , will appear sufficient for my purpose , though they be not numerous enough to make me careful to marshal them in any exact order . of the reasons that induce me to think that even solid bodies are not destitute of pores , there are some that have a greater affinity with those arguments that the schools are wont to call à priori , because they require more unobvious ratiocinations upon physical principles , and others which resemble , and indeed are , such proofs as are usually named à posteriori , being suggested by the phaenomena afforded us by experience , without the help of any difficult ratiocinations . of the first sort of reasons i shall propose to you three ; and begin with that , which may be drawn from the origine and formation of divers hard bodies . for i have elsewhere endeavour●● and i hope not unsu●cessfully , to shew , both that divers stones , and even gems themselves , and that several metalline and other mineral bodies , were once either visible liquors or at least very soft substances . and i have elsewhere proved , that both these kinds of bodies do consist of , ( which is the case of liquors ) or abound in ( which is the case of soft and moist bodies ) minute particles of determinate sizes and shapes ; from whence i think one may very probably conclude , that such gems and other mineral bodies , notwithstanding any hardness they afterwards come to acquire , are not destitute of pores , since 't is no way likely , that corpuscles of various and very irregular figures , such as those of most liquors of the terrestrial globe are wont to be , can be so brought together , especially by chance , cold , or any other such agents , as not to intercept little intervals or pores between them . chap. ii. another thing which makes me think the porosity of the most part even of solid bodies to be great , is the consideration of the great disparity , that may be found in the specifick gravities of such bodies , as the eye does not perceive to be porous . for , though water be a body of that kind , and though its parts be so close packt together , that the attempts of ingenious men , to make a manifest compression of that liquor by outward violence , have not hitherto proved successful , yet we find , that stones , clays , metals , and even some woods and a multitude of other kinds of solids , will readily sink in water , and by consequence are specifically heavyer than it ; which greater gravity seems not any way explicable , without supposing , or at least so well as by supposing , that the corpuscles whereof such sinking bodies consist , do either lye closer together , or are separately more solid , than those of water ; which liquor must consequently be porous , though neither the eye , nor the great force that has been several ways employed to compress it , can discover any pores in it . upon the same ground i further conclude , that solid stones themselves , as marble , flints , &c. are not free from porosity . for whereas , as far as several tryals purposely made can inform me , i have found , that such of these as have nothing metalline in them do seldom or never reach to treble the weight of an equal bulk of water , they will , upon the former grounds , appear to be considerably porous ; since the lightest metals , which are tin and iron , are above twice heavier in specie , that is , the bulks being equal , than marble , flints , chrystal , &c. and by the same reason i also infer the great porosity , even of the solid body of iron , which is as well heavier , as very much harder , than tinn . for though copper be a good deal more ponderous than iron , or steel , yet i have divers times found fine gold , to be more than twice as heavy in specie as copper , since , whereas this metal , whether it be european , or brought from japan ( for of that also i made tryal ) is about nine times as heavy as so much water ; i found refined gold to be about nineteen times as heavy as water equal to it in bulk . by which it seems highly probable , that so solid and heavy a body , as iron or steel it self , may be so porous , that metalline matter equal to it in weight may naturally be contained in much less than half the dimensions that metal possesses . and that gold it self , which is the most compact and solid body we know of , is not destitute of pores , may appear by the dissolution of it in quick-silver , of which i shall speak a little below . and if any should pretend , that hardness may be a greater argument of the compactness of a body , and its immunity from pores , than its specifick weight can be ; i shall add , that though i have found that emery , which is the body employed to cut steel and load-stones and crystal , and the most of gems , being indeed much harder than marble or flints , be far heavier than thrice its bulk of water ; yet that ponderousness proceeds , as i else where intimate , from the mixture of a metalline substance , which i have separatted from it . and diamonds , though much harder bodies than emery , and indeed the hardest we know of in nature , are so far from being , as some of late have written , the most ponderous of bodies , that having examined them hydrostatically , by a way elsewhere mentioned , i found them not much heavier than either crystal , or fine glass , and not half so heavy as the lightest metals . chap. iii. the next thing , from which the porousness of solid bodies , and even those that belong to the mineral kingdom ( as the chymists speak ) may be deduced , is the same with the first of those from which we formerly argued the porosity of substances belonging to the animal kingdom , namely , the very frame & constitution of such bodies . for the solidest bodies themselves , resulting from the convention or coalition of a great number of particles of several bignesses and shapes , we cannot reasonably suppose , ( especially in those concretes wherein they are not ranged by a seminal principle ) that they should be contexed so , as to touch one another exactly every where and therefore they must of necessity leave some little intervals and pores between them . this reason will , i hope , appear clear enough of it self , to him that shall attentively consider it , especially if he know , that it has been geometrically demonstrated , that there are but very few figures that will , ( as they speak ) implere spatium , that is , which being adjusted to one another will so exactly touch , that there is not the least unfilled space within the circumference or circuit , if the figures be plain , or within the ambient superficies , if they be solid ; so that , considering the vast variety of other figures , which made epicurus and other atomists pronounce it incomprehensible , 't is very obvious to conceive , that corpuscles of such differing shapes being put together , will leave multitudes of little pores intercepted , between those parts that do not every where touch one another . and even the mathematical figures lately spoken of , may be said to fill space rather in a geometrical than a physical sense . for , if such portions of matter as are required to constitute , for instance , a cube , were actually put together , they would not exactly fill the space comprehended within the ambient surface of the body they compose , because the component bodies , being physical , consist of corpuscles of their own particular shapes , which we never find mathematically exquisite . as if , for example , the cube were of marble , no art could polish the sides of a component body so , as that they should be perfectly smoothed since ( as , if i mistake not , the learned gassendus well observes ) emery , pumice-stone , and even puttee , or other powders that are employed to polish them , do themselves consist of little hard angular corpuscles , that leave small scratches , like so many little furrows , on their surfaces , which must needs hinder the perfect contact of the whole surfaces of two contiguous bodies , and consequently leave here and there intervals or pores , between those surfaces ; to which i shall add that marble it self as 't is marble , abounds with internal pores , as will ere long appear by experience , and as may be rationally conjectured from the specifick levity of it , in comparison of gold and lead . chap. iv. having dispatched the arguments à priori , that may be imployed to shew the porousness of solid bodies , 't will be now seasonable to propose some experiments and observations , that may ( as 't were ) à posteriori either evince or confirm the same doctrine . of these instances some relate to solid bodies that are of less specifick gravity some to fossiles presumed to be devoid of metalline parts , some to minerals that are thought to participate of a metalline nature , some to metals themselves , and some to glass . to begin with the first sort of these instances ; that wood is porous , there are many things that argue ; some of which are elsewhere mentioned . but few would suspect , that quick-silver which is so unapt to enter the pores of bodies much less compact , should permeate peices of wood of a considerable thickness ; and yet , that we have made it do by the following experiment . we took a wooden trunk , such as is employed to shoot pellets at birds , with strength enough to kill them , and having closely stopt one end of it , we poured in quick silver at the other , till it reached to a good height in the cylindrical cavity of the instrument , and then the lower parts of the metalline liquor , being assisted by the weight of the incumbent ones , ( not to mention that of the air ) to press into the pores of the wood , they issued out at them on all sides , in great numbers of minute drops , much after the manner of quick-silver strained through leather , out of amalgams ; which was a phaenomenon not unpleasant to behold . but till i have opportunity to repeat this experiment with differing circumstances , i shall not think it fit to lay much stress upon it , for want of knowing , what interest the great weight of the quick silver may have had in the event . and this caution may perchance be applicable to the following experiment , namely , that having , by the help of my pneumatical engine , withdrawn the air from one side of a round peice of board , the air on the opposite side , not having its pressure any longer resisted by that which it used to meet with from the withdrawn air , pressed so strongly against the surface of the wood exposed to it , as to make it self way through the pores of it , and get copiously enough into the cavity whence the other air had been pumpt out ; ( the weight of the incumbent atmosphere doing on this occasion , what the weight of the quick-silver did on that last recited : ) which was a surprizing spectacle to the by-standers because the board that was thus permeated , was of strong wood , and of considerable thickness . i should here subjoin several other arguments of the porousness of wood , if i could display them without more words , than i am willing to allow them ; and i presume it may here suffice , if i let you see by some surprizing effects that when wood is reduced to that thinness , that its closeness or porosity may conveniently be examined , it will easily enough give passage , even unto visible , odorable , and tinging corpuscles though they invade it not in the form of a liquor , but of dry exhalations , so they be not incommensurate to its pores . this i suppose , you will not scruple to infer from the following tryals , as they were long since set down in one of my note-books . . the fumes of our smoaking liquor [ described in the foregoing essay ] tinged a copper half penny , through a broad thin shaving of dale , that did not , when held against the window , discover any perforation ; tinged it , i say , very deeply in about a quarter of a minute and somewhat less . . the same fumes tinged manifestly , but not so notably , the same half penny first cleansed through two such shavings of dale , laid one upon another in somwhat less than one minute . . and in about one minute the same fumes tinged the cleansed half penny , through three such shavings of dale very visibly , but not so conspicuously , as through the two forementioned . these tryals were made without the help of heat to promote the operation of the fumes . chap. v. from the consideration of woods let us now proceed to give some instances of the porousness of bodies made of close and compacted , and perhaps well baked clays or other earths . that earthen vessels , thô strong and well bak'd , are many of them porous enough may be argued not only from what has been lately recited , but from hence , that some of them will suffer themselves to be soakt through by oyl . others by solutions of nitre , and some other salts . and there are very few of them , without excepting hassian crucibles themselves , that will long keep salt of tartar , and such like fixt alcalies , in fusion without being penetrated by them . i have heard distillers complain , that when they have distilled corrosive materials , as vitriol and salt-petre , with strong fires , in those earthen vessels that are commonly made use of in london ( especially by refiners ) instead of retorts though their necks be strait and long ( upon which account they are called long-necks ) a considerable quantity of the finest spirits make their escape quite thorow the vessel ; so that in the retort and receiver many ounces are found wanting , of the first weight of the matter to be distilled . and this sometimes , when the vitriol has been previously calcin'd , and a reasonable allowance has been made , for what may have escaped thorow the lute , that joined together the long neck and receiver . and though i have observed of our bottles , made of the same earth with juggs , that they are hard enough to strike fire with a good steel , yet a good experimenter upon such vessels of whom i made enquiry , has assured me that these , as compact as they are , may , even without external heat , have their pores pervaded by the finer parts of spirituous liquors . to this purpose i remember that meeting once with a virtuoso , that was curious about the ways of making sider as brisk and spirituous a liquor as he could ; i enquired of him , whether he was able to keep in the subtil spirit of this skilfully fermented liquor , in those earthen bottles , that , by reason of the solidity they acquire by the vehement coction of the fire , are commonly called stone bottles ; to which he replyed . that he often found to his trouble , that the liquor would permeate the compact substance of the bottles : and when i objected that the spirits might either escape out at the cork , which i have made several spirits of divers kinds that would readily permeate ; he replyed , that what he had said appeared by the outside of the bottles : to which when i further objected , that the sight of dew on the surface of the bottles , would not convince me , without tasting whether it were vinous , because i had divers times observed , that brisk liquors would produce a dew , on the outside of the vessels that contained them , not by any transudation ( for i have made tryal of it in glasses ) but by condensing the aqueous vapors , dispersed through the neighbouring part of the ambient air : he replyed that , besides what his tast had informed him of the quality of this dew , he found that the included liquor , though exactly stopt , wasted in not very many months so considerably , as sometimes to lose a sixth , or even a fifth part ; & this escape or percolation of the liquor through the substance of the vessels , he affirmed himself to have observed , not only in one or two bottles , but in very many and the like observation for the main was confirmed to me , upon his own experience , by an eminent physician , who , being a great lover of brisk sider , used to bottle it up early and carefully . though good hassian crucibles be very closely compacted , as well as throughly baked bodies , and upon that account are able to keep silver and divers other metals long in fusion , without letting them at all run out ; yet having dissolved silver in aqua fortis , i observed that , though the salts were by this operation so chang'd that this horn-like silver did dissolve neither in the aqua fortis , nor in the aqua regia that i put it into ; yet when i kept it a while in fusion , ( which 't is easily brought to be ) among quick coals , it would without cracking or perforating the crucible , soak into it , and permeate the pores of it , in i know not how many places , as i convinced some curious persons , by shewing them on the outside of the vessel , a multitude of minute globules of pure silver , like so many little drops , that were got thither , as it were , by transudation . chap. vi. from baked earths , that are designed in point of hardness to emulate stones , we will proceed to give some instances of the porousness of natural stones themselves . there goes a tradition , that in some part of the west-indies they have a stone , of which they make large vessels , wherein they put water to percolate , as it were , through a strainer . of these vessels i had one sent me for a present , whereof being hereafter to give some account in a more opportune place , i shall now only take notice that i found that water would ( thô slowly ) soak through the vessel , thô it were considerably thick . if , as many of the ancients , and most of the modern corpuscular philosophers have conceived , the transparency and opacity of bodies proceeds from a rectitude or crookedness of pores , which makes them fit or unfit to transmit the light , that tends to pervade them in physically straight lines : if this hypothesis , i say , be allowed , we may draw a very probable argument , that stones may be porous , from the phaenomena of that odd gem , that is best known by the name of oculus mundi . for this small stone ( at least that which i made my observations of ) when 't is dry , and is kept in the air , is opacous , almost like a polished piece of white amber , and so it continues , as long as 't is kept dry . but if you put it into fair water , it will in no long time , become by degrees quite transparent , and that which i made tryal of looked then not unlike a piece of clear yellow amber which by degrees does in the free air lose its transparency and turn to be opacous as before . now according to the above mentioned corpuscular hypothesis , the pellucidness which the stone acquires in water , may be accounted for , by saying , that the liquor getting in at the crooked pores of the stone , does for the time rectify them , and make them pervious to the straight beams of light ; as we see that white paper , being wetted with water , or , which does far better , being made so imbide oyl , has its pores so changed and rectified , that the water much lessens its opacity , and makes it almost semidiaphanous and the oyl , if it be fine and well soaked up , makes it transparent . but upon the recess or evaporation of the imbibed particles of water , the pores of the little stone becoming crooked again reflect the rays of light they should transmit . which explication will be the better allowed of , if my memory do not misinform me , when it tells me , that a learned member of the royal society found the oculus mundi to weigh more in a nice ballance , when it was taken out of the water and well wiped , than before it was put in . this stone , which very few of the writers about gems take notice of , is so rare and difficult to be got , that i had not opportunity to make upon it all the tryals i desired ; and therefore , though the subject be curious , i may , i hope , be excused , if i hasten from it to another . there is so much difference in many qualities betwixt stones and metals , that 't is very probable , that when the corpuscles of both come to be brought together into one mass , they will not touch one another so close , as not to leave store of little intervals or pores between them . and upon this ground i have been apt to think that divers very hard stones , diaphanous and opacous , are not devoid of porosity . for i have elsewhere delivered a way by which i have obtained good store of metalline parts , both from american granats , and from emery ; though this last be so exceeding hard a stone , that 't is usually imployed by artificers to work upon iron and steel , and to cut not only rock crystal , but divers gems that are harder than either that or steel . upon the same ground one may probably infer the porosity of many artificial gems made by fusion ; for to give these the colour of sapphirs , topazes , amethysts , &c. we are wont to add to the vitrifiable matter , either some prepared metal , as calcined copper , calx of gold , &c. or else some mineral as zaffora and manganeze ( as the glass-men call magnesia ) that abounds in metalline parts . nay i remember , i have sometimes given the colour to the vitrified substance , by imploying natural gems , as granats ; though to shew that the coloration which the mass received from these , proceeded from the metalline corpuscles , that lay hid in the tinging matter , the colour produced was not that which was conspicuous in the gem it self , but one very different from it , and such as the metal , which upon other accounts i supposed the gem to partake of , ought , according to the grounds i proceeded upon , to produce in the vitrifiable matter . and this very experiment makes it also highly probable , that even natural transparent gems , ( divers of which are much harder than marble , iron & even steel ) are themselves porous ; since , notwithstanding their transparency and seeming homogeneity . they are made up of ingredients of such differing natures as are stony and metalline corpuscles . from the same ground we may likewise deduce the porosity of marcasites ; many of which i have observed to be , not only hard enough , plentifully to strike fire by collision with steel , but more ponderous than even divers oars , that were rich enough in metal , to be wrought with good profit . and yet these hard and heavy ( mineral ) stones are very far from being homogeneous ; since i have met with few inanimate bodies , produced by nature her self , so compounded as several marcasites that i have seen . for these are wont to contain more or less copper , and iron too : and they abound in combustible sulphur , a corrosive salt , and a certain fixt substance , which i found to differ from true earth , but of whose nature the tryals i have hitherto made on it , have but little satisfied me . i might here deduce the porosity of the load-stone , as hard and solid a body as it is , partly from the effluvia it emits and admits , and partly from the heterogeneity i have by chymical tryals found to be in it . but these things belong more properly to a paper about magnetical bodies , for which i the more willingly reserve them , because other experiments will keep them from being needful to be here insisted on . the porosity of marble , and divers other stones of like contexture , may with probability be deduc'd from this , that they are liable to be dissolved by divers of the corrosive menstruums of the chymists , such as aqua fortis sp . of salt , &c. and some of them even by vegetable liquors , of natures own preparing , as the juice of limons , and that of barberries . but a more noble and satisfactory instance may be afforded , by the invention of staining or colouring white marble , without imploying any fretting liquor , or spoiling the texture of it . this way being casually lighted on by an ingenious stone-cutter in oxford , who gained by it both credit and money , he long since thought fit to acquaint me with it , upon condition of secresy ( which i have to this day inviolably kept ) and of my assisting him to improve his invention by making it practicable with other colours than red. these circumstances i mention , to signify that i write not by guess , of this matter , having both seen the experiment tried , and made it my self . but though i found it far less improvable to other uses , then one would expect , yet , as to our present purpose , it is very apposite . for by this way an excellent red colour , may be made to soak into a piece of white marble , almost as oyl will do into leather , without impairing , that i observed , the solidity of the stone , which , after being dyed , will be capable of a fine gloss as before . some other colours ( yet but few fair ones ) would by this way be brought to soak into marble , on which one may with them so define , and limit the colorations , that i remember the artificer , when i brought him to kiss the kings hand , presented his majesty with an andromeda , whose colours were so vivid , that this skilful judge of curious things , was pleased to honour it with a place among his rarities . and , to satisfy his majesty that the fine red was not , as some suspected , a mere varnish , i purposely broke a plate of marble , in whose fragments he saw , that the pigment had sunk to a considerable depth , into the very substance of the stone . and i doubt not but it might have been made easily enough to sink much deeper , if it had been thought necessary . a fine plate of such white marble , with the penetrating pictures of coloured flowers drawn upon it i yet keep by me to satisfy the curious . and some utensils , as hafts of knives , salt-sellers , &c. i have known to have lasted several years . there is an experiment that seems much stronger for the porousness of solid bodies , than that it self ( which was lately recited ) of staining marble . for in italy some goldsmiths have a way of imbuing fragments of rock-crystal , which is a body much harder than marble , with divers colours ; which do sometimes so imbellish them , that having ground off those parts that would not receive the same tincture , they set some of them in gold rings , and sell them with profit . when i was inform'd of this , i thought of a composition , that i hop'd might perform the same thing , and perhaps better than that which was employ'd by them , who either knew not , or for ought i could perceive , us'd not , some minerals that i thought fit for the purpose . upon this presumption we carefully cemented some clear fragments of native crystal with a composition of some volatile minerals , together with a salt or two , and having suffered the crucibles to cool leisurely , we had divers of the fragments stain'd here and there , some with one colour and some with another , as differing fumes happen'd to invade them . and of these colours some were dark or dull , and some vivid enough . but having consider'd the stain'd pieces , and the progress of the operation , more attentively , i began to doubt , whether these adventitious colours were really produced by the bare penetrating of the mineral fumes into the pores of the crystal it self . for i thought it possible , and not very unprobable , that the great heat of the fire , and the ambient mixture , might cleave or flaw in many places some of the crystalline fragments ; and that the finer parts of the minerals being vehemently agitated , might insinuate themselves into these thin flaws , which upon the slow refrigeration of the stones , shutting themselves close again , might lock up the tinging particles , without appearing discontinued , especially to the eyes of persons that were not made use of with a more than ordinary attention , excited by distrust . this suspicion was not removed by the apparent entireness of each little piece of crystal . for having taken more than once a lump of that stone , and slowly brought it to be red hot in the fire , i found that if i warily quenched it in water , though it would thereby acquire a multitude of little cracks or flaws , which destroyed its former transparency , and made it look whitish , yet it continued still an entire body , notwithstanding the disadvantageous haste , wherewith the operation had been performed . and having after this suspicion , inquired of an ingenious lapidary , that belonged to a great prince whether in polishing of gems upon the wheel , he had taken notice that the heat would flaw them , he answered me , that now and then he had observed that some stones , especially ▪ if i misremember not , rubies , when they were very much heated by the swift motion of the engine he employed to polish them , did cleave as it seemed to him , and gape , so as at first to make him fear the stones were spoiled ; and yet afterwards they closed so perfectly , that no flaw at all could be perceived in them . i have mentioned the foregoing experiment of tinging crystal , to comply with the dictates of philosophical candor , which forbids me to lay much stress upon a proof , whose validity i my self distrust . but perhaps my suspicion may by further tryal , which i have not now conveniency to make , appear not to have been well grounded , and in that case the tinging of crystal , as well inwardly as outwardly , by fumes will be a noble argument for the porosity of solid bodies , rock-crystal being harder , and probably closer , not only than marble , but even than glass . chap. vii . that metals , though the heaviest of bodies , are not destitute of pores , may be with probability proved in a general way by this ; that they are all dissoluble in their appropriate menstruums , as gold in aqua regia , and all the rest in aqua fortis , except tin , which yet it self will be corroded by that menstruum , though not well kept up in a fluid form , as it may be by another menstruum , which i elsewhere teach ; and sometimes the same metal may be dissolved by very differing menstruums , as lead by aqua fortis , and spirit of vinegar ; and copper by aqua fortis , aqua regia , spirit of vinegar , spirit of salt , and some other solvents , that upon trial i have found sufficient for that purpose . but 't will , i presume , be thought more considerable to my present argument , if it be shewn , that bodies that appear gross , and which in their natural state are not fluid , and are confessed to be of a compounded nature , will penetrate metals quite through , even without melting them . this we have divers times effected by a cementation of copper plates , with common 🜍 ( much a kin to a way prescribed by some alchymists to make vitriolum veneris ) which we warily performed much after this manner . we took good copper laminated to the thickness of a shilling or thereabouts , and having cut it into small pieces , that they might the more easily be put into a crucible or cementing pot , we strewed at the bottom of the vessel some beaten 🜍 , and then covered it pretty well with some of these plates , which were laid on flat-wise . upon these we strewed another bed of powdered brimstone , and cover'd that also with plates , upon which we put more sulphur , & so continu'd making one lair of brimstone , & another of metal , till we had employed all our plates , or filled the crucible , being careful that the uppermost bed , as well as the lowest , should be of sulphur . this done , we luted on an earthen cover to the vessel , to keep the 🜍 from taking fire , and afterwards having placed the pot amongst coals kindled at a good distance from it , that it might be heated by degrees , we kept it for some few hours ( perhaps two or three ) in such a degree of fire as was sufficient to keep the sulphur melted ( which is easily enough done ) without bringing the metal to fusion ; the pot being cold , we took off the cover , and found the plates quite altered in colour and texture , some of them having a dark and dirty colour , whilst others looked of a fine violet or blew ; they were generally so brittle , that 't was very easy to break them with ones finger , and reduce them to powder . and ( now to add such circumstances as a chymist would not take notice of ) many of the plates , when they were broken , appeared to have been ( by the contiguous beds of sulphur above and below ) horizontally divided each of them into two plates , divers of which in some places had a manifest distance or cavity between them . and 't was observable , that when i considered one or other of these plates attentively in the parts that had been contiguous before i broke it , i could plainly discern a multitude as 't were of fibres , reaching from one of the flat sides of the plate to the other , & running many of them , as to sense , parallel to one another . these circumstances may sufficiently argue , that the plates were pierced quite through by the brimstone ; but for confirmation of this , and to shew too that the sulphur does as it were soak into the body of the metal , and in a gross manner lodge it self there ; i shall add , that not only to the eye the plates appeared much swelled , or thicker then when they were put in , but having weighed them before the operation was begun , and after it was quite ended , the copper , though it needed not to be freed from externally adhering sulphur , was found to have a considerable increase of weight by the accession of the sulphur , which ( to add that circumstance ) though it appeared not to the eye , yet if a plate were laid upon quick coles , and blown , would oftentimes discover it self by a blew flame . by making the like experiment for the main , we found that refined silver , though a more heavy and compact body , than copper , and not dissoluble by most of the menstruums , that work on this metal , is penetrable by the body of sulphur , which will also calcine tin and lead and ( especially ) iron . nor is sulphur the only consistent body that has this ingress into metals ; for we have found them penetrable by prepared arsenick . but because these operations are not so easy , and the subject is not easily handled without danger , i forbear the mention of them in this place , where , after what has been recited , it is not necessary . another experiment there is , which does more advantageously than that made with brimstone , discover the porosity of copper . for there is a way by which , without the help of salts , sulphur or arsenick , one may make a solid and heavy body soak into the pores of that metal , and give it a durable colour . i shall not mention the way , because of the bad use that may be made of it . but having had the curiosity more than once to try it upon a new copper farthing , the event was , that one part of it , which i purposely forbore to tinge , remained common copper still , but the other part acquired a yellow , that differed very little , if at all , from a golden colour , the former stamp that was impressed upon the coin continuing visible . and to convince the scrupulous , that the pigment did really sink , and as it were soak into the body of the metal , and did not meerly colour the superficies , i made them take notice , that the farthing was not melted , and yet by filing off a wide gap from the edge of the coin , inwards , it plainly appeared , that the yellow or golden colour had penetrated a pretty way beneath the surface of the farthing ; so that it looked there as if two thin plates , the one yellow , and the other reddish , did , without any interval between them , lye upon one another . if bodies be not to be pervaded , or deeply pierced into , by corpuscles , but only to have their more superficial pores , if i may so call them , penetrated thereby , 't is possible that bodies , which are either much harder , or much closer , than marble , alabaster or the like bodies , may have their pores possessed even by odorous corpuscles ; i say , even by such , because they are most of them gross enough to be kept from exhaling , by bodies much less compact then earthen bottles ; and are far from being of the finest particles that nature affords . but that such odorous corpuscles may lodge themselves in the exterior pores of very close bodies , i have been inclined to think , not only , by the obstinately adhering odour , which i found by tryal , that some suttle and spirituous parts , such as the chymists would perhaps call in their aggregates , the essence of musk , amber , amber-greece , &c. notwithstanding the washing of the glasses , that had long contained such liquors ; but by what has been assured me by a physician of great experience , who travelled and lived much in the east . for having told him , that i had been informed , that in some places less famous then damascus , for curiosity in making fine sword blades , there was a way found and practised of making them richly scented , without injury to their gloss ; i desired to know of him , if at damascus , or elsewhere , he had seen any of them ; to which he replied , that he did not remember he had , but yet made no doubt the information might be true . for he himself had in europe , and kept for divers years , a watch , whose metalline case , was richly perfumed ; and when i askt him , whether there were not some thin varnish , or some outward case of perfumed leather , or chagran , or somewhat else , from whence the odour proceeded , he assured me , that his observations had prevented and removed that and divers other scruples , and that the case being clean and glossy , he could not perceive that the odour proceeded from any thing else , than some odoriferous thing , or other that was invisibly lodged in the pores , or porous substance of the metal it self . and indeed , since both arsenick , and even common sulphur , may by art be as it were incorporated with some metalls , and even with silver , i see not why it should be impossible , that some pleasingly scented substances should be admitted into the pores of metalline bodies , and be volatile enough to have their subtiler parts fly off in odorous exhalations , especially if they be a little excited , as the watch case lately mentioned was , by a gentle heat , such as was that of the wearers pocket . and on this occasion i remember to have made a certain metalline composition , which looked like gold , and of which i caused a ring to be cast , and yet this metal retained so many unperceived mercurial corpuscles in it , that an ingenious person to whom i discovered the composition of it , found after tryal , as he assured me , that being worn as a ring , it had in some distempers , particularly of the eyes , manifest operations , that evidently enough seemed to flow , at least in great part , from its participation of the mercury we employed in preparing the factitious metal . since the writing of the former part of this essay , having met with an inquisitive nobleman , who had lived in several parts of africk , and was governour of the best town the europeans have on that continent , i discoursed with him , among other things , about the skill that some ascribe to the african moors , of making excellent weapons , whereof i knew his excellency was very curious . upon which occasion he told me , that some of the off-spring of the granadine moors were indeed the best at making arms that ever he met with ; and that he had seen some weapons of their forging and tempering , that he preferred even to those of damasco . and when i asked him whether any of them had the art of perfuming their weapons , he answered me , that some of them did it admirably well , and instanced in a blade which he kept for some years , & found it still to retain the perfumed scent , which he supposed to be as it were incorporated with the steel whereof the blade was made . when i told him , i suspected that the scabbard might have been well perfumed , and communicate its odour to the contained blade , he allowed the objection to be plausible , but replyed ▪ that it was not concluding , since misliking the scabbard , as not handsom & fashionable enough , he caused a new one to be made , wherein he afterwards kept it . and the same lord further told me , that he had also a fowling piece , whose barrel was perfumed . and when i objected that perhaps the odoriferous scent proceeded from the stock , and not from the metal , he answered that the gun not being , when it came into his possession , skilfully and handsomely mounted , he caused the barrel to be fitted with a new stock , notwithstanding which , it continued to smell fragrantly . and when i further asked , whether he ever caused the gun to be washed or scoured after it was grown foul by having been often shot in , he answered me , that he had , and , as far as i can remember , subjoyned , that after it was made clean it did ( notwithstanding the ill scent that the soot of the powder had given it ) retain a pleasing smell , but fainter than before . chap. viii . since the subject of this essay is the porousness of solid bodies , and since there is no body that is generally reputed so close and compact as glass , it will be pertinent to this discourse , and probably will be expected , that i should here say something about the question , whether glass be , or be not , devoid of pores . but before i acquaint you with my tryals , or my thoughts , about this problem , i think it requisite to clear the sense , in which i mean to handle it , that i may not , as some others have done , for want of distinctly stating the question , speak confusedly and erroneously of it . i shall then here observe , to prevent mistakes , that the porosity of glass may admit of two acceptions . for it may be said to be quite pervious to fluids , as a boot is to water , or only to be capable of having its superficial parts further and further dissolved or corroded thereby , as a silver cup is porous in reference to aqua fortis , which cannot sweat through it , as water does through a boot , but eat its way through it , by dissolving the texture of the vessel . another thing requisite to be premised , to prevent ambiguity , is , that glass it self is not all of one sort , as men unacquainted with chymistry are wont to presume , for glass of antimony , for instance , and that of lead , both of them made per se , do manifestly differ , usually in colour , and constantly in weight , and also in their operations upon humane bodies ; and both these sorts of glass do in several points differ from common glass , under which name , for brevities sake , i comprehend both white or crystalline glass , as 't is called in the shops , and that courser sort , which they usually call green glass ; both which sorts i here consider under one notion , because both are made of fixt alcalies , and other fit ingredients , as sand , earth , ashes , pebbles , or flints , colliquated by a strong & lasting operation of the fire : and 't is of this common glass , in the sense now declared , that i shall consider the porosity in the remaining part of this essay . in which to proceed with some method , i shall digest what i have to say into the ensuing propositions , and the observations annext to them . prop . 't is very probable , that glass may be pierced into to some distance , even by visible and tangible bodies . i know that this will seem a paradox to many , and repugnant to common experience , which shews that glass vessels will contain very subtile and even highly corrosive liquors , as the spirit of hartshorn , of urine , and that of nitre ; as also those potent menstruums , as aqua fortis , aqua regis , and oil of vitriol , which not only are not observed to pierce into it , but are unable to make any sensible alteration , so much as on the superficial parts , even in those vials wherein they have been long kept . but , notwithstanding all this , i presume you will not condemn the lately proposed paradox , when you have considered what may be said to justifie it . for , besides that it may be made probable à priori , by the arguments whence we have formerly proved the porousness of solid bodies in general ; there are two sorts of experiments , from whence one may argue , that glass in particular is not devoid of pores in the sense wherein we are now speaking of them . and first , i remember , that , having kept for a good while in a vial , a quantity of a certain spirit of salt , that i had reserved in a cool place ; i found , when i came to use it , that the glass was crackt , and most of the liquor was run out ; but , before this happened , it had so far corroded the inside of the glass , that in some places it was eaten almost as thin as a piece of paper ; and this part which yet continued glass , was lin'd with a much thicker white substance , that stuck to the sides of it , and looked and tasted like a kind of odd salt ; so that it invited me to conjecture , that it proceeded from the substance of the glass , which you know consists of an alcali as well as of sand corroded by the saline spirits of the menstruum , and coagulated with them into this odd kind of concrete ; and 't was remarkable in our vessel , that the upper part of the vial , to which the menstruum did not reach , was not corroded , nor alter'd , tho the operation of the liquor reached as high as the liquor it self . and i remember , that when i related all this to some experienced chymists , one of them that was a more heedful observer , assured me , the like had once or twice , happened to him , as since that time it hath likewise done to me . i had also , if i misremember not , another vial , corroded by a distilled liquor of vitriol , that had in it more of the phlegm than of the oil ; which you will somewhat the less wonder at , if you consider , that some corrosive menstruums will scarce work on some bodys , if they be too well dephlegmed , or at least will not corrode them so readily and powerfully , if they are very strong , as when they are diluted with a convenient quantity of water . and , as to oil of vitriol it self , which is the menstruum i am speaking of , when we employ it to make vitriolum martis , we are wont to weaken it with water , that it may the better dissolve that metal . and perhaps you will suspect , that vitriol has some peculiar faculty of penetrating and fretting glass , when to the experiment newly recited i shall add that which follows , as i find it registred among my notes . [ a pound of dantzick vitriol and a pound of sea salt , after the former had been very lightly calcined , and the latter decrepitated , that they might not boil in , or crack the vessel ; we caused to be distilled in a well coated retort by degrees of fire , giving at length a very strong one , then taking off the vessel , we were not much surprized to find , that the heat had here and there melted it , and that the fluxed caput mortuum had corroded the glass , fetching off as 't were films from it , and those parts which did not appear to the eye thus manifestly wasted , seemed yet by their great brittleness , to have been penetrated , so that their texture was spoiled by the saline and vitriolate corpuscles . ] prop ii. common glass is not ordinarily permeable by chymical liquors , though strong and subtile , nor by the directly visible or odorable expirations of bodies tho absolutely speaking it be pervious to some corporeal substances . this proposition consisting of two parts , we shall allow each of them its distinct proofs . and as for the first part , 't is manifestly agreeable to the common experience of chymists ; who daily find , that in well stopt vials , or at least in hermetically seal'd glasses , they can preserve their subtilest and most piercing menstruums , as spirit of nitre , aqua fortis , spirit of salt , spirit of vinegar , and oil of vitriol . and this they find to be true , not only as to acid and corrosive liquors , like those i have newly named , but also in those spirits that abound with fugitive salts , as the spirit of urine , of blood , and of sal-armoniack ; and in the most subtile & highly rectified spirit of wine ; as also in the ethereal oil , or , as many call it , spirit , of turpentine : as likewise in the liquors of salt of tartar , and other fixt alcalies resolved by deliquium . the result of these observations may be much confirmed by considering , how often it happens in the destillation of more wild and fugitive spirits , as of nitre , tartar , and sugar ; that , though they are much agitated , and perhaps subtilized , by heat , yet , if the lute , that joins the receiver to the retort be very firm & close , the receivers , though large , are often broken in pieces ; which probably would not happen , if the spirits could insinuate & croud themselves , through the pores of glass . but , whereas it may be pretended , that such vessels are strong and thick , i shall add , that i have had the curiosity to cause very fine bubbles to be blown at the flame of a lamp , purposly that they may be made extreamly thin , and of but a small part of the thickness we meet with in the vessels made at the glass house ; and some of these i caus'd to be exactly stopt , and others to be hermetically seal'd ; but could not find , that either dry salt of tartar would relent in one , that was kept a good while under water , or that strong spirit of sal armoniack , which is one of the subtilest spirits that we know , would penetrate one of these thin films of glass , which we kept a great while immersed in it , though to discover whether it would at all penetrate the thinnest glasses , we employed some which were of that fine sort that is called essence vials . these and some other tryals have , i confess , made me very diffident of the experiments , that have been delivered by some men of note , and built upon by others , of the permeableness of ordinary glass vessels to chymical liquors , as , that mercury and aqua fortis being digested together in a bolt-head may , by rubbing the outside of the glass , be made visibly and palpably to transudate . which experiment ( if my memory do not much deceive me , ) i purposely tryed with care , but without success . but after all this i must desire , that it may be remembred , that in wording the proposition of the imperviousness of glass , i intimated that i would have it understood of what ordinarily happens . for in some extraordinary cases , which i take to be exceeding rare , i do not absolutely deny , but that the general rule may admit of exceptions . and , if it be lawful to conjecture , these exceptions are likeliest to take place , when the peculiar texture of this or that glass , is more slight or lax than ordinary ; or when the bodies that are to pervade it , are vehemently agitated by heat ; or when , besides a great subtlety , and perhaps degree of heat too , their particles chance to have a special congruity , to the relaxed pores of that particular glass they are to pass through . i remember i have seen , not without some wonder , a sort of glass of so soft and resoluble a texture , that vessels of it of a competent thickness , would be manifestly prejudiced and wrought upon by liquors , that were not considerably sharp or corrosive , if they were put in very hot . i have also heard of another sort of glasses , made in a certain forrest , complained of by a destiller , as subject to be sometimes injured by corrosive liquors . i once knew a doctor of physick , that by divers credulous alchymists was suspected to have , what they call the philosophers stone , because of a certain book , ingenious enough , that he was supposed to have written on that subject . but when after some acquaintance i happened to debate his principles freely with him , he confessed to me , that he had been mistaken , and to invite me to give him my thoughts upon such like works , he frankly made me an ingenuous relation of his proceedings , wherein the main thing that dazled him , and kept him from seeing his error , was , that he had reduced the matter he wrought on , which was real gold , to that degree of fusibleness and subtlety , that when he gave too strong a fire , as mistake or curiosity made him several times do , the finer part of the metal would sweat through his glasses , and stick sometimes to the outside of them , and sometimes to the neighbouring bodies . and , when i objected , that he might be mistaken in this , and that what he thought had come forth by transudation , rather issued out at some small unheeded crack , he replyed that he had made the observation so often , and with such care , that he was fully satisfied it was a real penetration of the glass , by the attenuated metal , which he was to have convinced me of by tryal . but , before he could come to make it , by an errour of his own he unhappily died . but , whatever be judged of this penetrating gold , i elsewhere relate , that i having upon a time destilled spirit of harts-horn with a very strong fire , into a receiver that was large and thick enough , but of a course kind of glass , it did appear , upon my best examination , that the glass itself was penetrated by some vehemently agitated fumes , or some subtile liquor , that setled in strongly scented drops on the outside of the receiver . but such instances being very rare , and happening but in some cases or conjunctures of circumstances , that are not like to be at all frequent , they cannot hinder the first part of our proposition to be true , in the sense wherein 't is laid down . and , as to the second part of the proposition , which asserts glass to be pervious to some corporeal substances , it may be proved ad hominem against any epicurean that should deny it , and the cartesians must not ) by the free ingress and egress , which our seal'd thermoscopes shew , that the atoms or corpuscles of cold and heat are allowed , through the pores of the glass , that contains the rising or fallng tincture , or other liquor . and without proceeding upon the peculiar principles of the epicureans , we may give more certain proofs of the permeableness of glass by certain bodies . for i have elsewhere manifestly evinced that the effluvia of a loadstone will attract and invigorate steel , though inclosed in hermetically seal'd glasses ; nay , i have also shewn by experiment , that the effluvia of so gross and dull a body as the earth , are readily transmitted through glass , and will operate on iron , in vessels hermetically sealed . if light be , as probably 't is , either a subtile and rapidly moving body , or at least require such an one for its vehicle , it must not be denied , that 't is possible for a body without difficulty to pass through the pores of glass ; since 't is by its help that we can clearly see the dimensions , shapes , and colours of bodies included in glasses . to this i shall add , that far less subtile bodies than those that constitute or convey light , may be made to permeate glass , if their figures being congruous enough to the pores of it , their penetration be assisted by an impetuous motion , or a brisk impulse ; as i have found by the increase of weight in some metals , exposed for divers hours in hermetically seal'd glasses , to the action of a flame . on which occasion i remember that having some years ago tryed the same experiment with some filings of copper , they had indeed their colour much alter'd , being beautified with exceeding vivid dyes , which they yet retain , but did not evidently appear to be increased in weight , as if , because they were not of a texture loose enough to be melted , the igneous particles could not pierce them enough to stick fast in them , at least in numbers great enough , to amount to a sensible weight . but without the help of fire , or any sensible heat , i think it not impossible that glass should be freely penetrated by some kind of corpuscles , ( though i do not yet know of what sort they are ) that sometimes happen to roave about in the air. this you will probably be surprized to read ; but perhaps not more than i was at the phaenomena that induce me to write it . but because these are very unusual , and can scarce be discoursed of without some odd reflections hinted by them , i thought fit to set down a circumstantial account of them in another paper , to which it more directly belongs than to this essay ; and therefore shall now only tell you , what may be sufficient for my present purpose , namely , that having in two or three vials closely stopt , kept a certain limpid and colourless liquor , it would by fits acquire and lose a high colour , though i could not reasonably impute the changes to any manifest ones in the air , nor to any other cause so probable , as the ingress and recess of some very subtle and uncommon particles , which at that time happened to swim to and fro in the air , and now and then to invade , and sometimes to desert , the liquor . there is another sort of experiments relating to the porosity of glass , to shew that it may be pierced into by bodies that are not corrosive in tast , and are not liquors , but only have a forced and temporary fluidity , if they have so much as that . these experiments may be drawn from some of the ways of colouring panes of glass , for the windows of churches and other buildings ; i say , some of the ways , because , to deal candidly with you , i think , and so i presume will you ere long , that in divers of those glasses , the colour doth not pierce at all deep into the glass , but is produced by the close adhesion of a deep red , but thin and transparent , pigment , to the surface of a glassy plate , through both which the beams of light passing to the eye , receive in their passage the colour of the pigment . but , as by some operations the glass is rather painted , or externally enamelled , than tinged , so in some others the pigment or dying stuff appears to pierce a little beneath the very superficies of the glass , and the yellow colour will not only go further or deeper , but sometimes seems ( for i do not yet positively affirm it ) to penetrate the whole glass from side to side . the methods of painting and staining glass , having been hitherto the practices of a particular trade that is gainful enough , and known but to few , the artificers are wont to be shy of communicating their secrets , thô we know in general that glass is stained , by having the plates covered with mineral pigments , laid on beds of beaten lime , or some other convenient powder , and kept for divers hours in a strong fire , but yet not strong enough to make the plates melt down , by which means the pores of the glass being much opened by the heat , and the pigments being likewise agitated , and some of them as it were vitrified with it , they are made either to pierce into the plate , or at least to stick very closely and firmly to it . but because the practices of glass painters require , besides skill and experience , a particular furnace , and divers implements , i shall add , that to try , whether glass may not , without so much ado , be so stained , as to shew it to be porous , we took prepared silver , ( that metal having , of all the minerals i have tryed , the best ingress into glass ) and having laid it upon a piece of glass , not thick , nor yet so thin as to melt very easily , we laid this glass ( with the pigment uppermost ) warily upon a few quick-coals , and having suffered it to neal a while we gave it about such a degree of heat , as might make and keep it red hot , without bringing it to compleat fusion , and then , suffering it to cool by degrees , we found , as we expected , that the glass had acquired a yellow , and almost golden , colour , which was not to be washed off , or to be taken away , without such scraping as would injure or spoil the glass it self . the way of preparing silver for this operation , is not always the same , the glass painters commonly add to the calcined silver some mineral bodies , as antimony , yellow oker , or the like . but i , who take the penetration of the colour to proceed from the silver it self , do sometimes imploy only some thin piece of silver , such as an old groat , upon which a little sulphur being put , and kindled in the open air , the metal is presently calcined , and the powder made use of . and this it self i do not so much out of necessity , as because the calcination reduces the metal into small parts , and gives it a form , that makes it more easy be laid on , as one thinks fit . for otherwise , going upon this my supposition , that the silver was the true pigment of the glass , i have more than once made glass yellow by leaf-silver laid flat on the surface of it , and a little moistened , to keep so light a body from being blown off . and ( to note that upon the by ) 't is pretty , that if the fire be made too strong , which 't is hard to avoid doing , when we will make it strong enough , without the help of a furnace , it has several times happened to me that the dyed glass , though when held against the light it appeared of a golden or yellow colour , yet when held from the light it appeared blew , so that here we have in a mineral , somewhat that is very like that we admire in the tincture of lignum nephriticum , which shews almost the like difference of colour , as 't is held against or from the light , which may serve for a confirmation of what i have elsewhere said to shew that colours may be derived from mechanical principles : but that only upon the by . whether the gold colour produced by silver , do favour the hopes of those alchymists that work on that metal , upon presumption that 't is but unripe gold , 't is improper here to examine . but since yellow is not the colour of silver , it seems the yellowness , acquired by our glass plates , argues , that there has been some ingress of the substance of the particles of the silver into the glass , there appearing no way so ready , to give an account of the change of colours , as by supposing the particles of the silver to be wrought on by the fixt salts , and other fine parts , of the glass ; since we know , that metals may afford differing colours , according to the saline and other bodies that work upon them , as copper with spirit of urine , which abounds in volatile salt , gives a deep blew ; with spirit of salt , a fair green ; and with aqua fortis , a colour that participates of both . and in the making of glass of lead with minium and white-sand , or crystal , the glass , it self if well made , is usually of an amethystine colour . but if you put a due proportion , ( which is a very small one , ) of calcined copper to it , this metal will not communicate to the glass it s own reddishness , but be so changed by it , as to give it a good green , and sometimes so good an one , that pieces of this glass , such as we have caused to be cut and set in rings , might , among those that judge of stones but by the eye , pass for no bad emeraulds . on this occasion , 't is likely 't will be asked , whether there be any way of tinging glasses quite through , with a true and beautiful red , and whether the art of dying plates of glass , which the windows of many old churches shew to have formerly been practised , be now ( as 't is commonly supposed ) altogether lost ? this question , consisting of parts , i shall quickly dispatch ; the former , by answering it without hesitancy in the affirmative . yet adding withal , that the red tincture being communicated to glass , not properly by mere penetration of the pigment , but by the incorporation of it with glass or its materials , by the help of fusion , i think the experiment of no such great use in our present inquiry , as to hinder me from reserving what i have observed about it to a more opportune place . and as to the second part of the inquiry , it being rather a historical than a philosophical question , i shall not here meddle with it ; only i shall wish the question may be cautiously stated . for , upon the burning the famous cathedral of st. pauls church in london , many pieces of the red glass that adorned the windows , were found broken and scattered about , some of which i procur'd from a chymist , that had carefully preserved them , designing to retrieve the lost invention of making the like . but when i came to examine them narrowly , i was confirmed in the suspicion i had , that the redness did not penetrate the whole glass , but proceeded from a diaphanous pigment very artificially laid on , for though in other postures no such thing could be discerned , yet when i so held it , according to my custom in examining painted glasses , that the surfaces of the plate lay in the same level with my eye , between it and the window , so that a broken edge was next my eye , i could plainly see , and made the chymist himself see , the lower part of the plate to be of ordinary uncoloured glass , upon which there lay a very thin plate or bed of a diaphanous red pigment , which , though it were not easily , was not impossible to be here and there scraped off . but , to return to those colorations that seem to pierce into the pores of glass , i remember that i had once occasion to destil in a small retort some gold , amalgamed with such a fine and subtile mercury , that being ( without the addition of any salt ) put to the gold in the cold , they presently grew hot together . and in the destillation of this uncommon mixture , i found the matter had , before it flew a way , permanently died or stained , about an inch in diameter of the bottom of the glass , with a colour that , looked on from the light , was like that of the better sort of turquoises ; but beheld when 't was interposed between the window and the eye , appeared of a somewhat golden colour . and this glass , with some others oddly colored , i have yet by me to satisfy the curious , though i cannot but give advertisement , that the colorations of glass may be much better performed with such plates , and in such furnaces , as the glass painters use , than without them . since the writing of the foregoing paragraph , i was visited by an industrious person , much addicted to some chymical operations , who had formerly advised with me about a process , of which i had had some experience , that he conceived might be useful to him . i then acquainted him with some of my thoughts about it , and he having afterwards united gold with quick-silver , ( which by its effects will be easily concluded not to have been common , ) he kept them in digestion for some months , & afterwards coming to me with a melancholy look , told me that the fire having been once immoderately increased in his absence , the sealed-glass burst with an affrighting noise , and the included amalgam was so strangely dissipated , that scarce the lest fragment of it could be retrieved . but the decoction having continued so long a time , it seems the matter was subtiliated enough to have a notable operation upon the glass . for , though the upper part of the bolt-glass were blown of , and shattered into many pieces , yet the lower part scaped well enough , and when he brought it me , to observe what change had been made in it , i took notice with much delight , that the glass seemed to be tinged throughout , with so fine and glorious a red colour , that i have seen several rubies themselves , in that point , inferiour to it . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e if one would see this passage at large he may find it at the end of the essay . schenkii observationum lib. . obs . . eustach . rudius ( apud sennertum ) lib. . de morbis acutis cap. . pharmacopoeiae regiae classis xiii . pa. . . notes for div a -e see the tract of the origine and vertues of gems , and the notes about the mechanical production of hardness . curiosities in chymistry being new experiments and observations concerning the principles of natural bodies / written by a person of honour ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) curiosities in chymistry being new experiments and observations concerning the principles of natural bodies / written by a person of honour ; and published by his operator, h.g. person of honour. boyle, robert, - . [ ], [i.e. ], [ ] p. printed by h.c. for stafford anson ..., london : . ascribed by bm to robert boyle; not in fulton. an attempt to prove that water is "the only first material principle of natural bodies". advertisements ([ ] p.) at end. reproduction of original in harvard university libraries. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng chemistry -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - robyn anspach sampled and proofread - robyn anspach text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion imprimatur , tractatus cui titulus curiosities in chymistry . sept. . . ex aedibus collegij . guall . charleton . proefes coll. med. lond. censore . tho. burwell , j. gordon , will. dawes , tho. gill. curiosities in chymistry : being new experiments and observations concerning the principles of natural bodies . written by a person of honour , and published by his operator , h. g. london : printed b● h.c. for stafford anson , at the three pigeons in st. paul's church-yard , . new experiments and observations concerning the principles of natural bodies . the introduction . the ingenious author of this treatise has herein laid a great many experiments and observations together , in order to prove that water is the only first material principle of natural bodies ; and that all the other pretended hypostatical principles are ultimate and reducible into mere elementary water . wherefore to give a brief and perspicuous account of his reasonings upon this subject , he has thought it expedient to reduce them to the following propositions . sect. i. the ardent spirits of vegetables are nothing else but the oleous particles of these vegetables subtilized by fermentation , and thereby dissolved in , and united to some part of their own phlegm . for lavender , rue , marjoram , &c. distilled without addition , and without a previous fermentation , afford an oyl , but never yield any burning spirit . whereas after fermentation they yield an ardent spirit , but no oyl ; which is a manifest proof , that the inflamable oyl is converted into an inflamable spirit : especially , since by the lasting action of the air upon this spirit , the oleous part will at last be brought to separate it self from the phlegm and swim above it . moreover if you pour oyls in small quantity upon fermenting vegetables , they will come over in distillation in the form of spirits . as for the spirits of aniseeds , wormwood , and such other oleous and aromatick vegetables , that are prepared with spirit of wine without any previous fermentation ; they are nothing else but the oyls of these vegetables that the spirit of wine has imbibed and carried up along with it in distillation . for this spirit , being it self no other thing than the oyl of wine dissolv'd in phlegm , will presently imbibe any aromatick oyl dropt into it . hence it is , that , in the preparation of spirit of aniseeds , the oleous part of the spirit of wine imbibes as much of their oyl as it can receive , and the rest ( for they abound with oyl ) being joyn'd with the phlegmatick part of the spirit of wine , compose a milk-coloured liquor , ( as all oyls do when they are mixed with water , which we see daily in the preparation of emulsions ) whose oily parts may be imbibed by fresh spirit of wine , and by that means yield spirit of aniseeds anew . finally , 't is upon the account of their oleous nature , that ardent spirits are so inflamable ; and that they so much weaken the corroding acidity of aqua fortis , as to render it innocent enough to be taken inwardly , though they themselves be endowed with a certain volatile acid. sect. ii. the spirits of vegetables , made by incineration , are nothing else but the volatile salts of the tartar of these plants , dissolved in their own phlegm . for they consist of the effluvia that ascend from the plants , while their tartar is a calcining into a fixt salt , kept from flying away into the air , by reason of the peculiar structure of the furnaces , &c. imployed in this kind of incineration : and are therefore altogether of the same nature with spirit of soot , or even with the genuine bitterish alcaline spirit of tartar of wine . n.b. since in the juice of grapes , the alcali and acid , mutually coagulated , obtain the name of tartar , why should not the same salts , con-coagulated in the juices of other vegetables , though endowed with very different seeds , obtain the same appellation , rather than that of essential salts ? for there is really , in the juices of all vegetables , a tartar not unlike to that of wine . so that the spirits , prepared by the incineration of plants , do , like that of vinous tartar , proceed from the tartars of these plants ; which seeing they consist of the same salts , namely alcaly and acid , those spirits are indeed nothing else but these salts in a fluid state . hence if genuine spirit of tartar be drawn off from an alcalisate salt , the volatile acid being left in the fixt alcaly , it will strike your nose with the pungent scent of a volatile urinous salt. sect. iii. the alcaline vrinous spirits of animals are nothing else , but the volatile salts of these animals , dissolved in a little of their own phlegm . [ for , . if you put spirit of urine , or any other urinous spirit , well rectified , into a glass conveniently shaped , a gentle heat will sublime good store of dry volatile salt into the slender neck of the glass , leaving a weak phlegmatick liquor in the bottom ; which would be mere insipid phlegm , if it could be perfectly freed from the volatile salt that 't is yet impregnated with , and from the subtle particles of oyl that generally , if not constantly , ascend together with these spirits , and continue invisibly mixed with them ( though never so well rectified , even to a perfect transparency ) for a long time , 'till at length by the action of the air , or evaporation of the volatile salt ( if the glass be not very well stop'd ) or the intestine motion of the parts of the liquor , though it be , the particles of oyl begin to seperate themselves from the rest of the liquor , and gather together into numerous little drops , which , though they be singly invisible , yet render the whole liquor muddy and of a reddish colour . . in the distillation , for instance , of fermented urine , or of sal armoniack mingled with a fixt salt , usually the volatile salt sublimes at first in a dry form ; but if you continue the distillation , so much of the phlegm will ascend as shall dissolve all your volatile salt , and wash it it down into the receiver , where you have it in the form of a spirit . . if you dissolve , in common water distilled , as much volatile salt of human blood ( for instance ) as it will take up , and distil this mixture , you will by that means obtain a liquor , that by its smell , tast , and divers operations , appears to be a good brisk spirit of human blood ; as that incomparable promoter of experimental philosophy , mr. boyle , has observed in his late useful treatise about human blood. the same is to be said of the alcaline spirits , that are distilled from peas , beans , and some other vegetables : for they appear by divers effects to be much of the same nature with urinous spirits . ] sect. iv. the acid spirits of minerals ( as sea-salt , vitriol , sulphur , &c. ) are nothing else but the acid salts of these minerals freed from the more terrestrial parts , united with a little phlegm , and so reduced into a fluid state by the force of the fire . for you may reduce them to a dry salt by pouring them upon an alcaly . for instance , spirit of vitriol , after it has been imployed to corrode iron , and the superfluous moisture evaporated , recorporifies into vitriol . and spirit of nitre , satiated with salt of tartar or any other fixt salt , turns into nitre again after evaporation . moreover these acid spirits are often found upon the corks ( that stop the glasses wherein they are kept ) in a dry saline form . the same is to be said of the acid spirits of vegetables , as that of vinegar , tartar , guaiac , &c. which are nothing else but essential salts dissolved in phlegm . sect. v. the oyls or sulphurs of vegetables are nothing else but volatile salts concentrated , in union with an unctuous inflamable acid ; which by its unctuosity hinders them to mix readily with water , as all salts use to do . therefore helmont often affirms , that vegetable oyls may be turned into volatile salts . but however that be , being joyned with fixt salts , they turn into a soap ; and if they be frequently drawn off , they are thereby at last resolved into mere elementary water : which is also true of all fermented ardent spirits , since they are but oyls dissolved in phlegm . thus spirit of wine , drawn off from salt of tartar , leaves its seminal acid behind it , and comes over weak and phlegmatick : and if this abstraction be often reiterated , it is thereby at length resolved into pure elementary water , as will be more fully declared hereafter . there is a certain vegetable sulphur , found in charcoals before they be burnt to ashes , by vertue whereof they glow . it is separated by means of alcali's and precipitation . this sulphur is of a golden colour , and of no contemptible use : but if the charcoal be distilled in a retort with an open fire , it turns , like all other sulphurs , into an acid spirit , which being poured upon the fixt salt of the caput mortuum , makes an effervescence with it , and so is coagulated into a salt. sect. vi. the sulphurs of animals , namely oyl and fat , are also nothing else but volatile alcaline salts concentrated , and somewhat suppressed by an occult acid ( that is not manifest to sense ) so that they cannot make any effervescence with manifest acids . these volatile salts may be discovered after the very same manner with those of vegetable oyls . yea , sometimes dogs-grease , for instance , exposed in a glass to the sun , sublimes into a volatile salt without any other art : and 't is , upon the sole account of this volatile salt , that it has been found beneficial to the exulcerated lungs of consumptive persons . the oyl of harts-horn also may be sublimed into a volatile salt. sect. vii . the acid oyls of minerals ( as vitriol , sulphur , allom , sea-salt , &c. ) are not true oyls , but acid salts concentrated ; and differ not from the fore-mentioned acid spirits of the same minerals , but in that they are less diluted with phlegm . sect. viii . all mineral sulphurs , if they be kindled , turn into a very acid saline spirit . the fixt incombustible sulphurs of metals , that helmont speaks of , are ( if there be any such sulphurs ) reducible into a salt , since the same author informs us , that the metals themselves may be totally reduced to an aequiponderant salt , and this into insipid water . as for the earthy part of natural bodies , being useless and of no activity , it scarcely uses to be reckoned amongst the principles . and however helmont informs us , that the liquor alcahest turns this earth into water , by depriving it of its essence , i. e. of its seminal vertue . from what has been said it appears that all those substances , that the vulgar chymists obtain from bodies by the fire , and style principles , are reducible to salts and and phlegm ( or water . ) now our ingenious author goes on to prove , at great length , that even , sect. ix . all sorts of salts , whether acid or alcalisate , fixt or volatile , are finally reducible to elementary water . here first of all 't is to be acknowledged , that salts do naturally exist in bodies before they have suffered the fire : although in many bodies , as woods , flints , &c. the salts are so bound up , by reason of the close contexture of the parts of these bodies , that they cannot easily be put into motion and dissolved , and therefore do not affect the organs of tast , 'till the concretion of the parts be dissolved , and the scattered saline particles be brought together and colliquated by the fire . nor is it true , that the terrestrial particles are turned into salts by the operation of the fire : for , why is it then that ashes , once elixiviated , will not yield one grain more of salt , though you calcine them again ? why do not any terrestrial particles acquire a saline tast by the operation of the fire ? but yet , sect. x. the fixt salts of vegetables , prepared by calcination , were not naturally pre-existent in that form , but are produced of the volatile salts , colliquated amongst themselves and with the earthy particles , by the force of the fire . 't is true , there naturally exists , in the juice of grapes and of all other vegetables , a tartar so fixt as to be inodorous , and to endure the air ( though not the fire ) without flying away . which fixtness proceeds from the acid , that saturates the volatile alcali of this tartar ; as we see in the volatile salt of urine , soot , &c. which being satiated with spirit of salt , are thereby fixed into sal-armoniack , that has no smell . the fermentation of the juices , pressed out of apples , pears , &c. is a manifest proof of this tartarous salt ; for there can be no fermentation without acid and alcaly , which are the constituent principles of tartar. but there is no salt , pre-existent to calcination in any vegetable , so fixt as to endure the fire as well as the air. for , first , the ordinary way of preparing fixt salts , is , by burning the dried vegetables to ashes in an open fire , lixiviating these ashes by decoction in common water , and exposing this lee to some heat , 'till the greatest part of the water being evaporated , the saline particles , formerly dispersed in the pores of the liquor , unite together for want of room into crystals , of different figures , according to the diversity of the seminal acid. others distill a certain acid seminal spirit from the plant , reduced to ashes by a moderate fire , and lixiviate the salt that remains in the retort with this spirit . again others , instead of this acid , cast a little sulphur upon the salt , when 't is highly calcined , whose seminal acid gives a certain form to the salt , in place of that which the extreme calcination had destroyed ; lest , if the salt were wholly destitute of a seminal acid , it should resolve into elementary water , as shall be made out hereafter . but tachenius's method is the best ; namely , to reduce the plants , whilst they are fresh and green , into black ashes with a very gentle fire , so as they may not break out into a manifest flame ; to calcine these ashes to whiteness in an earthen pot over the fire , stirring them ever now and then ; after this to lixiviate them with common water ; to evaporate the lee to the consistence of honey ; then to urge it with a moderate fire to browness : and last of all to dissolve and chrystallise it . one pound of ashes , prepared after this manner , will yield near four ounces of very pure fixt salt : whereas four pound calcined by the former methods , will scarce yield one ounce . the reason of so great a difference , depends partly upon the greenness of the plants , and partly upon the moderateness of the fire imployed to calcine them . for dried plants ( for instance wormwood ) do always afford less fixt salt than green ones ; whence it manifestly follows , that by exs●iccation some saline particles are carried away with the aqueous ones , which would have composed a part of the fixt salt , if the plant had been calcined while it was green : now these salts could not fly away unless they were volatile . again , as the volatile salts of a plant are spent by the action of the air in exsiccation , so are they likewise by the action of the fire in calcination ; and this so much the more , by how much the fire is more violent ; for the particles of a manifest flame , being in exceeding quick motion , excite the volatile salts to a swifter motion , and consequently a more copious avolation , than those of a gentle smothering fire . secondly , if you take the soot that ascends in the calcination of tartar , ( otherwise called the spirit of tartar , ) and put it back again to the caput mortuum , you will thereby much increase the quantity of the fixt salt : and if all the volatile saline particles of tartar could be kept from flying away in calcination , they would all turn into a fixt salt. but if all of them were driven away , 't were not possible to obtain one grain of fixt salt : which yet never happens , because they cannot all fly away at once , but one after another ; so that those , which were to fly away last , are by reason of their longer stay in the fire , colliquated , and so fixed ; and that partly by the acid particles that feed the flame ( and condense the smoak into soot ) and partly by the earthy particles , commixed with the volatile salts that are coagulated in the fire . thirdly , 't is impossible to extract one grain of fixt salt from any vegetable , not yet calcined to ashes , that is , so long as there remains any smoke , or the least motion , of the vegetable particles ( such as we see in glowing charcoal ; ) but when this motion ceases , 't is a sign that all the remaining particles are coagulated and fixed . fourthly , soot is nothing else but a heap of volatile particles coagulated together , and yet by calcination it affords a considerable quantity of fixt salt ; which must proceed from the colliquation of the volatile salts , since there can be none but such in soot : for fixt salts are so constant in the fire that they cannot ascend in the form of flame or smoak , and consequently cannot enter the composition of soot . and that the salts of soot are volatile , is also manifest from hence , that , by means of spirit of salt , they may be turned to sal-armoniack , and consequently ( when the acid spirit is separated by the addition of a fixed alcali ) into a volatile and highly urinous salt. so that the matter , of which the fixt salt of soot consists , are these volatile salts of soot , one acid and another urinous , colliquated together and with the terrestrial particles , by the force of the fire . nor can it be said , that the fixt salt of soot was carried up by the volatile ; for ( besides that there was no fixt salt pre-existent in the mixt body ) by this means it would be no more a fixt but a volatile salt : and if we consider the proportion of the fixt salt of soot to the weight of the soot it self , it will easily appear , that soot contains not enough of volatile salt to elevate such a quantity of fixt , since that ought to exceed this almost in a triple proportion . thus though if you mingle fixt salt of tartar , with a sufficient proportion of its own , or any other , volatile salt , and commit this mixture to sublimation , our author denies not but that some parts of the fixt salt will be elevated by the other salt ; yet he affirms , that these are not integral parts , but have lost the nature of a fixt salt , and are really turned into a volatile one , because this sublimation separates them from the terrestial particles , their union with which was the only thing that kept them in a fixt state . in the like manner spirit of wine , being digested with fixt salt of tartar , and drawn off by distillation , carries along with it some of the saline particles ( whence it is said to be tartaris'd , ) but no terrestrial ones , and consequently no fixt salt but a volatile . again , as 't is impossible to obtain one grain of fixt salt from soot , before a violent calcination , so the quantity of the fixt salt is increased by all the same methods that restrain the volatile from flying away in this calcination : namely if it be calcined in a close vessel , with an intense fire at the beginning , ( that the volatile salts may be the sooner colliquated , before they can have time to fly away ) then beaten , and kept stirring over the fire 'till it be of a cineritious colour . the soot also , that ascends in the calcination of soot , being put back again to the caput mortuum , increases the quantity of the fixt salt. fifthly , whatsoever separates the terrestrial parts from any fixt salt , does at the same time destroy its fixity , and volatilise the saline parts . which our author makes out by several experiments . . if you pour spirit of salt , by degrees , upon a lee of salt of tartar , ( or of any other alcalisate salt , ) 'till it be almost satiated , ( which is known by the abating of the effervescence , ) you shall observe a kind of earth precipitate out of the fixt salt , ( namely because , upon the mutual conflict , between an acid and an alcali , whatsoever heterogeneous substance is contained in either of them uses to precipitate . ) the earthy part of the salt of tartar being thus separated , the saline part is thereby render'd volatile , and would actually fly away , were it not for the acid that fixes it anew : and if you separate this acid , by the addition of new salt of tartar , it will by this means be set at liberty , and strike your nostrils with an urinous odour . thus , if you separate the liquor from the precipitated earth by filtration , then reduce it to crystals by evaporation , and last of all , mingle an equal quantity of salt of tartar , with these crystals in a mortar ; the acid rit spirit will joyn it self to this new salt of tartar , and so the volatile alcali , being freed from the acid , flies away . nor can it be said , that the forementioned earth did but externally adhere to the salt of tartar , and was not intimately united with it by colliquation ; since the experiment succeeds with oyl of tartar per deliquium , though it be clear and limpid like rock-water : but observe , that the earth does not fall out of the pores of the oyl of tartar , 'till the salts have attain'd the point of saturation , and then the liquor , that was lympid before , begins to look troubled ; and when the glass has stood a while , a whitish colour'd substance settles to the bottom . but the volatile salt , that is separated from the oyl of tartar , is weaker than that which is separated from the dry salt ; because salts approach so much the nearer to the nature of elementary water , by how much the easier they run per deliquium . . in the very same manner , and for the same reason , a volatile urinous salt may be obtain'd from the caput mortuum of sal-armoniac , by the addition of new fixt salt. for in sal-armoniack there is a somewhat fixt acid spirit , combined with the volatile salt of urine and soot ; which acid , being imbib'd by the salt of tartar , ( that is mingled with the sal-armoniack immediately before distillation , ) the volatile salt is set at liberty , and presently flies away . and in the mean time , the forementioned acid dissolves the union , between the earthy and saline particles of the salt of tartar , and thereby renders the saline ones volatile ; which therefore , so soon as they are freed from this acid , by the addition of new salt of tartar to the caput mortuum , do presently ascend , even without fire , with a most piercing urinous odour . and even from this second caput mortuum you may obtain a volatile salt , by the addition of a third portion of salt of tartar. . the volatilisation of salt of tartar , by the help of vinegar , depends upon the same principle . for they pour vinegar upon the salt of tartar , and draw it off very phlegmatick ; for the acid salt is left in the salt of tartar. then they pour on fresh vinegar , and abstract it as before ; and reiterate this operation so often , 'till the vinegar came over as acid as when it was poured on : which is a sign that the salt of tartar is now satiated with the acid of the vinegar , and consequently volatilis'd by the separation of the earth that fix'd it . for if you pour vinegar upon the lee of tartar , to the point of saturation , the earth of the tartar will presently precipitate . . the preparation of balsam of samech is of no small affinity to this ; namely , the volatilisation of salt of tartar , by a frequent abstraction of spirit of wine from it . for the spirit that is first poured on , though it were highly rectifi'd , comes off phlegmatick , with very great loss of its igneous vertue ; because 't is in great part turned into a water , by being rob'd of its seminal acid. but , so soon as the salt of tartar is fully satiated with this acid , ( which cannot be without reiterating the abstraction of fresh spirit a great many times , since salt of tartar requires a great quantity of the strongest vinegar to satiate it , though the acidity of vinegar be manifest and more fixt , whereas that of spirit of wine is occult and volatile , ) and the spirit comes off without loss of strength , the alcali of the tartar is found to have been volatilis'd , by being separated from the earth that fix'd it . hence you may observe a sweetness in the spirit of wine tartarised , which argues , that the acid particles of the spirit are converted into sweet ones , by being coagulated in the alcalisate ones of the salt of tartar that ascend with them ; in like manner as when vinegar is coagulated in saturn or mars . n. b. 't is not necessary , in this operation , to separate the acid from the volatilis'd alcaly , before this alcaly can be made to ascend , as it was in the experiments made with spirit of salt and vinegar ; because the acid of the spirit of wine is much more volatile than that of spirit of salt or vinegar , and therefore , tho' it be coagulated in the volatilis'd alcaly , yet it hinders not it's volatility . . the same observation holds of oyl of cinnamon ( and the like distil'd oyls ) which being long digested and circulated with it's own fixt salt , volatilizes it , and is together with it totally converted into a volatile salt , if helmont rightly informs us , and 't is easy to understand the reason of this , if we consider that there is an acid in all distill'd oyls , as well as in spirit of wine and all other inflamable substances ; which we shall manifestly prove hereafter . . in the fermentation of salt of tartar with its own proper ferment , namely crude tartar ; the acid of the latter precipitates the earth of the former ; ( from eight ounces of each the author has seen two drams of earth separated ) but the volatilis'd alcaly , being kept under the power of this acid , does not yet manifest it self : so that the volatile urinous salt which is obtain'd from hence , does not so much proceed from the salt of tartar , as from the crude tartar , on which the salt of tartar operates in this case , much after the same manner as it uses to do as sal-armoniac . which is the more probable , because a very piercing urinous salt may be obtain'd from crude tartar alone , without any salt of tartar , only by the addition of an equal weight of crude alum , as dan. ludovicus informs us . . oyl of tartar per deliquium , digested with flowers of sulphur in a gentle heat , emits particles extremely urinous ; which effect the author attributes to the acid of the sulphur : and adds , that , having had occasion to reduce faetid oyl of harts-horn into a soap with a certain alcalisate salt , the glass grew warm without any external heat , and a strong urinous odour pierc'd his nose . [ i am apt to think that this odour came not from the alcalisate salt , as the author seems to believe , but from the oyl of harts-horn , which without doubt contains an urinous salt in it . and if it contain an acid also , as the author thinks it does , the incalescence might proceed from some conflict betwixt this & the alcalisate salt , which being united together , the urinous salt was perhas thereby set at liberty from the acid that formerly detain'd it . ] the like odour is observable in the salt produc'd by frequent abstraction of spirit of wine from salt of tartar : where the author observes that some , after they have several times pour'd spirit of wine upon warm salt of tartar and abstracted it again , do last of all pour on oyl of vitriol , and then obtain the volatile salt by the addition of fresh salt of tartar. which experiment , tho' the author has not try'd , yet he judges it may succeed ; since the terestrial parts of the salt of tartar may be separated by the oyl of vitriol , and the alcaline parts , being united with this acid , may be set at liberty by the addition of new salt of tartar. here the author takes occasion to discourse of the vertues of salt of tartar volatilis'd , and affirms that it has no peculiar effects , ( neither in the curing of diseases , nor in the dissolution of bodies , ) but what other urinous salts do likewise produce . but yet he acknowledges a specifick difference between them , upon the account of the seed in the acid of tartar , which differs from the seeds of other acids : and in this respect other urinous salts do also differ from one another ; since the renowned boyl has observ'd , that the volatil salt of harts-horn resembles a parallelopiped , but that of human blood , digested with spirit of wine , is like a rhombus . this diversity of figure is owing to the different seeds or idea's , as residing in the acids , that are the causes of the solidity and coagulation of these salt : wherefore the fixt salt of tartar cristallis'd does also resemble a rhombus , because the seminal acid of this salt , is of the same kind with that of the spirit of wine , which being stronger than the seminal acid of the foremention'd volatile salt of blood , this salt is coagulated according to the idea of the vinous acid : even as , when spirit of nitre is pour'd upon salt of tartar , the acid of the former being the more powerfull , forms the crystals of an oblong figure like nitre , but not like salt of tartar , which resembles a rhombus . the author concludes , that this seminal difference of volatile alcalies is of little moment in medicine , since all alcalies , even the purest , are endow'd with so much of a seminal acid , as does indeed preserve them from a spontaneous resolution , into elementary water , but yet hinders them not from being in a capacity to imbibe this or that hostile morbisic acid indifferently . the same thing is to be said of the fixt alcalisate salts of vegetables , for the seminal vertues are lost in the calcination , and there remains only so much of a seminal acid , as keeps them from relapsing into elementary water , and does indeed cause them to differ specifically from one another , but not to produce different effects in medicine . from all the foremention'd particulars , concerning the volatilising of fixt salts , our author concludes , that there can never be any method found out to effect it , but by separating the terrestrial particles . as for zwelfers volatile salt of tartar , prepar'd by often reiterated solutions ( per deliquium ) and abstractions , he affirms that 't is nothing else but useless elementary water ; as will manifestly appear to him that considers , that alcalisate salts are fundamentally nothing else but aqueous particles , converted by a little seminal acid into rigid salts , which , as soon as the acid is destroy'd , turn again into water : wherefore the more violent the calcination is , and by consequence the greater your loss is of this seminal acid , they are the more easily resolv'd per deliquium in moist air , which by it's vertue , as a menstruum , does in great part consume the little acid that remains and thereby resolve a great part of the alcalisate salt into elementary water , wherein the other particles , not yet depriv'd of their seed , do swim , ( for when salts approach to the nature of water , they are readily dissolv'd in it ; ) but if the water be abstracted from them , and they expos'd to the air again , their remaining acid is destroy'd , and they resolv'd into water in great part : and if they run per deliquium and be abstracted often enough , all the seminal acid will be at length destroy'd , and nothing remain but bare elementary water , which will all of it easily ascend . and by this means any fixt alcalisate salt may be totally reduc'd into elementary water . sect. xi . the volatile salts of vegetables , since they are the matter of which ( colliquated with the acid and terrestrial particles ) the alcalisate salts consist ; and the volatile salts of animals , since ( as the author has prov'd ) they differ not essentially from those of vegetables ; are both of them ultimately reducible into elementary water . sect. xii . acid salts , made fluid by the force of fire , and drawn off from fixt alcalies , may be thereby so rob'd of their acid , that nothing will ascend but elementary water . and the alcalisate salt , that has imbib'd the acid , being frequently resolv'd per deliquium and the phlegmatic part as frequently abstracted , may by this means be at length totally converted into pure elementary water . thus the author having particularly examin'd the pretended chymical principles , and found them all ultimately reducible into elementary water ; concludes that sect. xiii . all mixt bodies are made up of water , as the only first material principle and seeds ( which differ according to the differing species of bodies ) as the formal principle , united together by means of acid ferments : that is to say , water is coagulated into a plant , by the ferment of a vegetable seed ; into a metal , stone , &c. by that of a mineral seed ; and into flesh , bones , &c. by the ferment of an animal seed . for in all mixt bodies there are certain acid particles , wherein the seeds or ideas of natural things do reside , and which , in coagulating the approximated aliment , do follow the draught of these ideas , and so are thereby determin'd to give it the form of this or the other vegetable mineral , or animal . thus in a mans stomach , for example , there lurks a certain acid , that discovers it self by the sour belches of healthy men , and by the vomiting of coagulated milk , tho' it were taken fluid . this acid easily receives the alcalical particles of the meat extracted by ( the alcalical menstruum ) the spittle , and imprints the idea of its own seed upon them , by which they are determin'd to nourish man only , and no other animal ; as afterwards , when they come to every particular part of the body , by the circulation of the blood , they are determin'd by the seminal acid residing in that part , to nourish it rather than any of the rest . and that aliment , which has once receiv'd the seal or impression of the seminal idea of any animal in the stomach , or of any part of the animal in that same part ; will never receive the idea of another animal , nor of another part of the same animal , unless it be suppress'd by a more powerfull ferment ; as when sheeps bones , tho' furnish'd with their own proper ferment and idea yet , being unable to resist the stronger one of a dogs stomach , are therein turn'd into fit nourishment for the dog , and afterwards for his musculous flesh it self and other parts , as well as for his bones . in like manner grass has its own ferment and idea suppress'd by that of a cows stomach , which seals it with such an impression , as renders it fit nourishment for a cow , but not for any other animal . but if the same grass had been taken into the stomach of a horse , it would have been turn'd into nourishment fit for a horse , but unfit for a cow or any other animal . again common mercury , which is the nourishment of metals , is converted into this or the other metal , according to the diversity of the acid seminal sulphur that coagulates it . finally all vegetables also are endow'd with a seminal acid , and therefore their express'd juices do , after long fermentation , tast acid. and in the fermentation of cream of tartar with salt of tartar , the seed , idea or archeus , that reside in the acid of the tartar , forms certain bubbles very much resembling natural grapes . all this will be better understood hereafter , from the authors particular expication of the nature of the foremention'd seeds , ideas and ferments : but now , to put it past all doubt , that water is the only material principle of all mixt bodies , the author has not only prov'd that all substance 's that mixt bodies can be resolv'd into by the chymical art , are totally reducible into elementary water ; but likewise he proves particularly , that prop. xiv . water is the only and catholic nourishment of all vegetables , animals , and minerals . and 't is manifest that every body consists of the same matter that nourishes . . as for vegetables , helmonts experiment proves this beyond contradiction ; namely , he put pound of earth ( dry'd in an oven ) into an earthen vessel , moisten'd it with rain-water , planted it in the trunk of a willow tree weighing pound , and let it alone there for years time , only watering it , as need requir'd , with rain-water or distill'd water . [ and to keep the neighbouring earth from getting in , he imploy'd a plate of iron tin'd over and perforated with many holes . ] at the years end he found the tree had grown so well , that it weighed pound and three ounces : and yet the earth , being dry'd again , weigh'd but two ounces less than it had done at first : so that above pound of wood , bark , root , &c. had grown up out of mere water , coagulated by the seminal ferment of the vegetable into the severall substances newly mention'd . hence rain does wonderfully refresh , envigorate and advance the growth of , all sorts of plants , and without that they decay , wither and dye . for water is indifferent to them all , till it be turn'd by the ferment of the vegetable seed into leffas , as helmont calls the juice that is the immediate aliment of the plant. thus wolf-bane aconitum and lavender , for instance , growing in the same soyl , are both nourish'd by the same rain-water , which by the ferment of the one is coagulated into a poysonous herb , and by that of the other into a wholsome one . secondly , that animals are nourish'd with water alone , appears in fishes ; for they live only in the water , and yet have no food supply'd them from any where else , nor is there any rudiment of it to be found in their stomachs , as helmont observes . [ and tho' some fishes feed upon others , yet these others feed only upon water , and therefore are materially nothing else but water . ] as for terrestrial animals ; some of them , as horses , cows , sheep , &c. feed wholly upon water and grass , which the author has already prov'd to be materially nothing else but water , and therefore that which grows in well water'd places , prospers best , others , as a lyon , wolf , &c. tho' they be not nourish'd by grass and water only , but feed upon other animals , yet still their food is materially nothing else but water , being that these animals live only upon grass and water , except when they are too young to digest grass , that they are nourish'd by their mothers milk , which also is materially nothing else but water , since it is generated of the mothers nutriment . [ the same things are easily applicable to birds ; ] and to men , which feed only upon vegetables , fishes , and the flesh of beasts that are nourish'd only by vegetables . thirdly , as for minerals ; mercury is the immediate aliment of metals , and some other minerals , and the nearest matter of which they are produc'd . now mercury is nothing but elementary water , coagulated by a certain metalline and arsenical sulphur into such a water as does not wet the hands : and by other various sulphurs 't is further coagulated into antimony and divers metals . hence mines are never found but where there is a great conflux of water . gold is gather'd out of the sands of some rivers . sand abounds no where so much as near the sea and great rivers . stones are nothing else but sand compacted together . [ and the illustrious mr. boyle has fully prov'd in a most ingenious as well as judicious discourse about the origine and virtues of gems , that many gems and medical stones were once fluid bodies . but 't were too long , here to give an account of the many cogent arguments he there imploys to prove this assertion , which very much countenances our authors hypothesis . ] the experienc'd helmont informs us , that it often happens in mines when the workmen are breaking the rocks , that the wall cleaves , and a little water of a whitish green colour flows out of the cleft , & presently thickens like liquid soap ; afterwards it growes yellow or white or of a deeper green . this juice he calls bur , and affirms it to be the nearest matter of all minerals , and to be nothing else but water coagulated by a mineral ferment , as leffas is by a vegetable . to make it yet more evident , that water is the only first material principle of natural bodies ; the author undertakes to prove that prop. xv. all animals , vegetables , and minerals are ultimately resoluble into elementary water . [ first the substances that animals are resolv'd into by distillation , are phlegm , volatile salt , urinous spirit , oyl , and earth or caput mortuum , but very little if any fixt salt. the phlegm is nothing else but elementary water , except in as far as it partakes of the volatile salt and oyl , of which it always carries up some particles , nor can it ever be perfectly separated from them . ] . the volatile salt of animals is of the same nature with that of vegetables , which being colliquated by the force of the fire with acid and earthy particles , is thereby turn'd into a fixt salt. and this fixt salt being frequently deliquated , and the phlegm as often abstracted , is at length totally resolv'd into elementary water . all this was abundantly prov'd before ; as also that . the spirit is nothing else but volatile salt dissolv'd in phlegm . . the oyly and fat parts of animals may be united with an alcalisate salt into soap , from which being often abstracted , they turn at length into meer elementary water . and this is to be observ'd of all the fat 's of animals , that by frequent circulation with salt of tartar they are converted into water . . [ as for the fixt salt of animal substances , 't is the common opinion that none can be abstracted from them ; perhaps because all their saline parts are so volatile , that ( to speak consonantly to our authors hypothesis ) they cannot sustain a colliquation with the earthy parts , especially since there are very few , if any , manifestly acid ones to concur to their fixation . but that indefatigable searcher into nature , mr. boyle , informs us , that by an obstinate calcination of eight ounces and a half of caput mortuum of human blood , he obtain'd above seven drams of salt , which , tho it were not truly lixivial , but rather of the nature of sea-salt , yet it was fixt enough to endure a calcination for two days together , without flying away . however , 't is probable , that this was nothing else but some unalter'd part of the sea-salt that season'd the aliments , that the person or persons whose the blood was fed upon . ] . the earth also may be totally resolv'd into elementary water , by being depriv'd of its seminal vertue by means of the alcahest , if we may believe van helmont . hence t is that dead animals , when they putrify , are resolv'd into an aqueous substance . and helmont has deliver'd a notable experiment to this purpose , namely , that if you dig up a frog at full moon , in the coldest time of winter , ( atrocissimo hyemis borea ) wash it , and tye it to a stick in the fields , the next morning 't will be turnd into a white and transparent mucilage , not unlike to liquifi'd gum tragacanth , but retaining the figure of a frog . yea he affirms that the cadaver of a man or beast , exposd all night to the rayes of the moon , will in the morning be almost fluid with rottenness , ( putrilagine diffluet : ) so great power has the moon to reduce dead bodies into an aqueous mucilage . [ secondly , vegetable substances chymically analys'd , yield phlegm , volatile salt , spirit of several sorts , oyl , fixt salt , and earth . to the first , second , fourth and sixth may be apply'd what was said of the phlegm , volatile salt , oyl , and earth of animal substances . the fixt salt may be totally resolv'd into elementary water , by reiterated solutions in the air , and abstractions , as above . there are . sorts of spirits afforded by vegetable substances . . vinous inflamable spirits , which were formerly prov'd to be nothing but oyls dissolv'd in phlegm by fermentation : as also that . volatile saline spirits , as spirit of soot , spirit of beans ( that have been kept in a dry place for some months ) &c. are nothing but volatile salts dissolv'd into phlegm . and that . acid spirits , as spirit of vinegar , spirit of beans newly gather'd , &c. are nothing but acid salts in a fluid state and united with phlegm : and being pour'd upon fixt salts , they are together with them ultimately resoluble into elementary water . . adiaphorous spirits of box , guaiacum &c. which the judicious mr. boyle , who was the first observer of them , suspects to be generated of the finer parts of the oyl of the wood , reduc'd to an extraordinary smallness , and by that means exquisitely mix'd with the plegm the juice of grapes affords : all these sorts of spirits , as mr. boyle has observ'd in his excellent discourse concerning the producibleness of the chymical principles . thirdly , as for minerals ; we must rely upon the testimony of van helmont , whom mr. boyle concludes to be a veracious author , ( except in that extravagant treatise of the magnetical cure of wounds , ) from the success he has had in trying some of his experiments , that might seem not the most likely to succeed : [ and i think we may justly lay great weight upon the judgement of so experiencd and judicious a person as mr. boyle , concerning the sincerity of any chymical author . ] helmont then in several places informs us , that all stones , gems , marcasites , metals &c. may be transmuted into an aequiponderant salt , and this into insipid water . and as for metals , it seems indeed that common mercury is their nearest matter , into which they may be resolv'd by the separation of their coagulating salts : and the famous langelot has made an experiment of this in the regulus of antimony . now if the other metals also may be resolv'd into mercury by depriving them of their sulphurs , and the mercury it self be reducible into water , ( by robbing it of the sulphurs yet remaining in it , ) as mr. boyle somewhere affirms , it may in great part , and as several other authors of good credit attest ; then it can no more be doubted , that all minerals are reducible into water . [ it will not be unseasonable in this place to mention a few experiments , deliver'd in mr. boyles septical chymist , that do very much countenance the three last propositions . that excellent author then informs us , that about the middle of may he caus'd his gardiner , to dig out some good earth , dry it well in an oven , weigh it , put it in a very shallow earthen pot , and set in it a seed of squash ( a sort of indian pompion that grows apace ) which he water'd only with rain or spring water . and tho the hastning winter hinder'd it from attaining any thing near its wonted magnitude , yet being taken up about the middle of october , the pompion together with the stalk and leaves weighed three pound wanting a quarter . and yet the earth , being very well dry'd in an oven , was found to have lost little or nothing of its first weight . he try'd the like experiment with two cucumbers , which being taken out of the earth wherein they had grown , weighed ( together with the roots and branches ) fourteen pound and six ounces ; and yet the earth had lost but a pound and a half of its first weight , which the gardiner judg'd to have been in great part wasted in the ordering . but granting that some of the earth , or rather of the dissoluble salt harbour'd in it , was wasted in the nourishment of the plant ; yet 't is plain , that the main body of it consisted of trasmuted water . this experiment may be try'd with the seeds of any plant that is bulky and grows hastily . likewise a top of spearmint of an inch long , being put into a vial full of spring-water with its lower part immers'd , did in a few days shoot forth numerous roots into the water , ( as if it had been earth , ) and display it self upwards into many leaves , with a pretty thick stalk . the same experiment has also succeeded with marjoram ( tho' more slowly ) balm , and peniroyal , to name no more . one of these vegetables cherish'd only by spring-water , and that never renew'd , afforded by distillation ( besides phlegm ) an empyreumatical spirit , an adust oyl , and a caput mortuum , that appearing to be a coal , consisted no doubt of salt and earth . and if helmont had distill'd the foremention'd tree , no doubt it would have afforded him the like distinct substances as another of the same kind . but a more considerable instance ( to prove that all sorts of bodies are nothing else but water subdu'd by seeds ) than any yet mention'd , is afforded us by mr. de rochas , who tells us , that he took simple water , that he well knew to be mix'd with no other thing but the spirit of life , and having with a heat artificial , continual , and proportionate , prepar'd it by the graduations of coagulation , congelation , and fixation , which he had spoken of before , untill it was turn'd into earth ; this earth produc'd animals that mov'd of themselves , vegetables and minerals . the animals he found , by a chymical anatomy he made of them , to be compos'd of much sulphur , little mercury , and less salt ; and the minerals ( which were solid and heavy , and began to grow , by converting into their own nature one part of the earth thereunto dispos'd ) of much salt , little sulphur , and less mercury . and tho the judicious mr. boyle has some suspitions of this strange relation , yet as to the generation of animals and plants , he thinks it not incredible , since common water ( which is indeed often impregnated with variety of seminal principles and rudiments ) long kept will putrify and stink , and then perhaps too produce moss and little worms , or other insects , according to the nature of the seeds that were lurking in it . and tho' the distillation of eels yielded him some oyl , spirit , volatile salt , and caput mortuum , yet were all these so disproportionate to the phlegm ( in which at first they boyl'd as in a pot of water ) that they seem'd to have been nothing but coagulated phlegm ; which does likewise strangely abound in vipers , as hot in their operation and as vivacious as they are . and seven ounces and a half of human blood yielded near six ounces of phlegm , before any of the spirits began to arise , and require the receiver to be chang'd . corrosive acid spirits , tho they seem to be nothing but fluid salts , yet you 'l find them to abound with water , if either you entangle , and so six their saline part by making them corrode some idoneous body , or mortify it with a contrary salt. thus in making of balsamus samech with distill'd vinegar instead of spirit of wine , the salt of tartar from which it is distilld , will , by mortifying and retaining the acid salt , turn near twenty times its weight of the vinegar into worthless phlegm , before it be satiated . and in making the true balsamus samech ( which is nothing but salt of tartar dulcifi'd , by distilling from it spirit of wine till it be glutted with the vinous sulphur , ) as soon as the spirit of wine is depriv'd of its sulphur by the salt of tartar , the rest ( which is incomparably the greater part ) remigrates into phlegm : so that if helmonts process be true ( which was confirmed to mr. boyle by a sober and skilfull spagyrist , who did indeed prepare the spirit and salt by a way that is neither short nor easie , but added nothing to them ) spirit of wine seems to be materially nothing but water under a sulphureous disguise , tho' being so igneous that it will totally flame away , 't is of all liquors the most likely to be free from water . but helmont's grand argument for his hypothesis , is taken from the operation of the alcahest ; which , he says , does adequately resolve plants , animals , and minerals into one liquor or more , according to their several internal disparaties of parts , ( without caput mortuum or the destruction of their seminal vertues ; ) and that the alcahest being abstracted from these liquors in the same weight and vertue wherewith it dissolv'd them , they may by frequent cohobations from chalk or some other fit substance , be totally depriv'd of their seminal endowments , and by that means reduc'd to insipid water . here mr. boyle judiciously observes , that it may be doubted whether this water , because insipid , must be elementary ; since the candid p. laurembergius affirms that he saw an insipid menstruum , that was a powerfull dissolvent : and the water which may be drawn from quicksilver without addition , tho' almost tastless , will manifest a very differing nature from simple water , if you digest in it appropriated minerals . however the forementiond experiments concerning the growth of vegetables , do sufficiently prove that salt , spirit , earth , and oyl ( which are four of the pretended chymical principles ) may be produc'd out of simple water . but to return to our author . ] having prov'd , that water is the only material principle of bodies usually calld mixt , by three arguments . . because none of the other pretended chymical principles have a right to that title ; some of them not being naturally pre-existent in the bodies from which they are obtain'd ; and all of them being reducible to elementary water . . because water is the only nourishment of all animals , plants , and minerals ; and by consequence the only matter of which they consist . because all animals , plants , and minerals are by a true analysis ultimately reducible to simple insipid water . having evinc'd this , i say , by these three newly mention'd arguments ; and fire being the only sublunary body ( besides air , of which heareafter ) that these arguments , as hitherto prosecuted , can with any colour of reason be pretended not to reach ; and being likewise by many enumerated amongst the principles of natural bodies ; the next proposition shall be , that prop. xvi . fire is nothing but an acid volatile sulphur very swiftly mov'd . for there is a certain sulphur in every inflamable body , which takes fire as soon as 't is put into a rapid motion , whatsoever the cause be that excites it to that motion . this appears in the striking of fire by the collision of two flints ; in the firing of the axel-tree of a mill or coach , that sometimes happens upon a long continued and vehement attrition ; and in many other such obvious instances . oyl of vitriol contains a great many acid sulphureous particles , proceeding as well from the embryonated acid , that corroded the iron or copper oar in the bowels of the earth , as from the iron or copper it self : these particles , being excited to motion by the affusion of oyl of tartar ( or even genuine spirit of tartar ) produce a notable heat and effervescency . the sulphur of quick-lime ( whether it be innate , or adventitious from the fire ) conceives a vehement heat , as soon as 't is excited to motion , by the alcaline lixivial particles set at liberty by the affusion of water . finally ( to add no more ) butter of antimony consists chiefly of the sulphureous particles of the antimony , and the salino-acid ones of the mercury sublimate : the latter being wash'd off with water , the former do more manifestly appear , ( namely in mercurius vitae , which causes vomiting without any danger of corroding the bowels : ) and both of them being vehemently mov'd by the affusion of spirit of nitre , there is an intense heat produc'd . so that the formal nature of fire or heat consists in motion . now that the sulphureous particles of which fire is materially constituted , are of an acid nature , will abundantly appear from the ensuing considerations . i. the particles of the flame of common sulphur , being receiv'd and condens'd in a glass bell , do compose a very piercing acid liquor . ii. there are not any bodies more akin to fire , than the totally inflamable spirits of fermented vegetables . and yet all the principal effects of these fermented spirits , depend upon a volatile acid. for 't is upon the account of its acid salt , that spirit of wine is coagulated in spirit of urine or salarmoniac , or in any other volatile alcali , as also , that it loses its strength by distillation from salt of tartar , which imbibes and retains the acid , and receives an increase of weight thereby . and generous wine , that is turgent with this spirit , being drunk moderately , sends a volatile acid to the brain , that makes a subtile effervescence with the ( alcaline ) animal spirits , and thereby produces cheerfulness and a vigorous promptitude to action ; ( as on the contrary , the sadness of melancholy persons proceeds from the fixation of the animal spirits by a more fixt acid. ) but upon excessive drinking , that volatile acid ascends too copiously to the brain , conquers and fixes the animal spirits , and so stupefies the organs of sense and motion : yea sometimes it may suppress the vital acid ( or innate heat ) of the blood , and at length totally coagulate it ; especially if the wine be endow'd with a strong acid , as the french , and chiefly the hungarian wines are wont to be . and indeed , that the inebriating vertue of wine ( and all other strong drinks ) is entirely owing to a volatile acid , may be prov'd by many arguments . . hence 't is , that volatile alcaline salts do prevent drunkenness , especially spirit of salt-armoniack , if some drops of it be now and then mingled with the drink . . bitter almonds and other oleous things , do likewise prevent drunkenness , by weakning and suppressing the vaporous acid of the wine , so that it cannot reach the brain . . the same acid inflames drunkards faces , and adorns them with purulent pimples , like so many gems . for the whitish colour'd matter , contain'd in these pimples , proceeds only from the volatile acid of the wine that infects the ferment of the muscles of the face , coagulates and precipitates the blood that comes thither for nutrition , and so changes its purple colour into a whitish one . for proof of this assertion , 't is to be noted , that the purple colour of the blood proceeds from the resolution of the sulphurous acid parts by the ferment of the heart , which sets them at liberty , so as that they may mix per minima , and make a subtile effervescence with the alcaline spirits : as when spirit of salt-armoniack or of harts-horn , or any other that is alcalical , is digested with spirit of wine , they produce together a very red tincture , because the acid sulphur of the wine , being by digestion intimately mix'd , and making a subtile effervesence with the subtil alcaly , is at length so resolv'd as to manifest it self by tinging the whole liquor : after the same manner , in the tincture of the salt of tartar , the spirit of wine is ting'd by the volatilis'd alcaly of tartar : and common sulphur boyl'd in the lixivium of any fixt salt , is thereby exalted to a red colour ; but because the alcaline salt is so ty'd to the terrestrial particles , that it cannot penetrate the sulphur per minima , therefore the colour is obscure and dark . now , if you pour another acid liquor upon these sanguine tinctures , immediately they become of a milk-white colour . just so it happens , when the blood is extravasated , and putrefi'd in any part of the body , the acidity , that arises from this putrefaction , precipitates the sulphur that ting'd the blood , and thereby turns it into white stinking pus ; even as common sulphur , when it is precipitated out of any lixivium by the affusion of vinegar , strikes the nose with an ungratefull odour , tho it was utterly inodorous before : so that pus is nothing but blood , whose vital alcaline balsamical spirits are suppres'd by an hostile acid , and the tinging sulphureous particles precipitated in wounds & abscesses , while the pus is a making , the motion of the acid particles do often produce a symptomical feaver , an inflammation in the part affected , convulsive motions in the brain , and pains in the nervous parts : but these symptoms abate as soon as the pus is made , and the motion of the particles ceas'd . . amongst the external medicins , that are wont to be apply'd to the foremention'd pimples in the face , the preparations of saturn are the chief ; because they imbibe the acid of the wine , or other inebriating liquor , that inflames the face . for saturn readily receives all sorts of acids or sulphurs , even those of metals , as is well known to the refiners . thus the unripe sulphurs of metals , coagulated in saturn , do compose litharge . vinegar , coagulated in saturn , produces sugar of lead . and all acids in general , coagulated in saturn , mars , or any other body whatsoever , are wont to be dulcifi'd thereby . for all sugars are nothing but acid salts coagulated in other particles : whence 't is , that they are resolv'd by distillation into a very ardent and powerfully inebriating spirit ; and are extream sit to promote or even begin fermentations : and therefore 't is , that the syrups of the shops have a manifestly acid tast ; and sugar is very hurtful to scorbutical persons , because upon the account of its acidity it excites divers vitious effervescencies , produces tumors of the bowels &c. and vitiates the vital ferment of the stomach . iii. that the particles of fire are of an acid nature , may evidently appear from all other inflameable substances , especially those that are oyly and fat , as well as from common sulphur and spirit of wine . for in the first place , 't is certain , that oleous and fat bodies are really endow'd with an acid ; as appears from the following reasons . . chirurgions observe , that oyls , and fat substances , are very noxious to the bones , ( especially the skull , which is a porous bone ) and particularly , that they are apt to make them carious ; which must happen upon the account of their corroding acid. and for the same reason , they render vlcers sordid , by increasing the corroding acid. . what else is that greenness , that adheres to lamps , but the acid of the oyl-olive coagulated in the particles of the metal , that it has corroded ? whence comes the blew colour of oyl of camomil distill'd in copper vessels , but from some particles of the veins corroded by the acidity of the oyle ? . the heart-burn ( ardor ventriculi ) is often occasion'd by fat things , ( especially if you drink after them , because the acid salts are thereby dissolv'd and put into a swifter motion ) as well as by austere and sourish wines : and the remedy , in both cases , is , to use things fitted to precipitate the acid. . oleous and fat things are hurtful in erysipelatous distempers , ( which proceed from the coagulation of the blood by an acid , ) because they increase the peccant acidity , whence the putrefaction is increas'd , the bones are corroded , and the natural heat of the part is at last totally suppress'd , and mortify'd . ( yet the author denyes not , but these effects do also partly depend upon the obstruction of the pores of the part , by the foresaid fat substances , so that the effluvia , wont to transpire through the pores , being detain'd in the body , and inordinately mov'd , do increase the feaver . ) . 't is likewise upon the account of their acidity , that oyls are hurtful to all inflammations , without such a preparation as consumes or corrects their acid. thus lin-seed oyle mingl'd with an equal weight of spirit of wine , and boyl'd ( with continual stirring ) till the spirit be consum'd , is us'd safely and successfully , both inwardly and outwardly , in pleurisies , peripneumonies , inflammations of the liver &c. because the coagulating acid is readily imbib'd by this oyl , that has been depriv'd of its own acid by the spirit of wine , which , being a much more volatile oleous body than the oyle of lin-seed , evaporates before it , and carryes its acid along with it ; even as the same spirit , being mingl'd with aqua fortis and distill'd in a cucurbit , ascends before it , and carrys a great part of its acidity along with it , insomuch that the remaining aqua fortis becomes a very safe internal medicine , tho' before , the smell of it only would cause an atrophia in the whole body . the same oyl of lin-seed is also corrected , by frequently extinguishing red hot steel in it , till it appear by the ceasing of the hissing & smoke , that the acid particles are either evaporated in smoke and spent by deflagration , or coagulated in the mars . and if after this it be distill'd from quick-lime , that if any acidity yet remains , it may be therein coagulated , the oyl of lin-seed becomes an excellent remedy for inflammations , burns and the like : as oyl-olive also does , by distillation from quick-lime . and this last nam'd oyl , being imbib'd in old tyles or bricks ( which are depriv'd of all moisture by their having been long expos'd to the heat of the sun ) heated red hot , and quench'd in it , and then distill'd in a retort , is thereby robb'd of all its acidity , and acquires a singular vertue in the palsey , gout , cramp &c. and all oyls are wholsomer boyl'd than crude , because a great part of the acid is exhal'd in the boyling . . helmont teaches that distill'd chymical oyls , which are otherwise very hot , may by an artificial circulation for three months time with an alcali salt be turn'd into a very temperate volatile salt : namely because the hot acid of the oyl is saturated by the alcali , and by that means reduc'd temperate . nor can there be any other reason given , why the alcaly should have this effect upon the oyl , but that the acid of the oyl corrodes the alcaly and is coagulated in it . now in the next place , that the heat and inflammability of oyly substances depend upon the acid , that the experiments , newly deliver'd , prove to be contain'd in them , may be evinc'd from those same experiments ; most of which do not only prove , that oleous and fat bodies are endow'd with an acid , but likewise , that the effects usually ascrib'd to the hot quality of these bodies , do indeed depend upon this acid ; and that whatsoever mitigates or destroys this acid , does at the same time weaken or destroy their heating power . and . that this may also be truly apply'd to their inflammability , and that the acid particles contain'd in oyly and fat substances are really the matter of which the flame of these substances ( when they are burning ) consists , does plainly appear by the abstraction of oyls from spirit of wine , quick-lime , or bricks ; for , being by this means depriv'd of their acid , they become less inflammable than the crude oyles were . and candles made of sheeps tallow , burn sooner away than those made of any other tallow , because there is greater store of acid particles in it ; as appears by the griping of the guts , which cannot happen without a corroding acid , ( for all the medicines , effectual against this distemper testify that to be the cause of it ) and which is very often occasion'd by eating fat mutton , especially if the acid salts be dissolv'd by drinking after it , in like manner as when salt butter is sweetned by melting it , and pouring it into water , and thereby dissolving the salt. likewise recent fat , or oyl burns sooner away , than that which has been long kept , and thereby lost much of its volatile acid. n.b. since tallow , as well as every other body , is materially nothing else but water coagulated by a seminal acid , and since 't is only the acid particles that feed the flame ; it follows , that when they are consum'd , he remainder , being robb'd of , the coagulating , acid must return into elementary water , and therefore 't is insensibly dissipated like a vapour : even as the water of spirit of wine kindled vanishes into a vapour . iv. the particles of fire being fix'd or coagulated in any body whatsoever , do plainly manifest themselves to be acid , as appears from the following instances . . fire coagulated in mars , turns it into a crocus , that differs nothing from rust , ( which proceeds always from an acid ) and is every way like to that crocus which is prepar'd with acids , and endow'd with the same medicinal vertues . v. tachen . hipp. chym. cap. . . fire coagulated in saturn is separated by means of a fixt alcaly , or even of venetian borax ; for minium ( which receiv'd its red colour from the sulphur of the coals , even as the sulphur of antimony coagulated in mercury , turns it [ into cinnabar ] of an exceeding high red , is by the help of these salts reduc'd to crude lead . n. b. according to tachenius's computation , pound of lead retains in calcination ten pound of fire . . all the remedies for burns are such as are capable to imbibe , saturate , or suppress the igneous acid ; for instance , sugar of saturn , ceruss , litharge , oyls depriv'd of their acidity , lixiviums , &c. and unwashen threed mitigates erysipelatous inflammations , because of the alcaly of the spittle . v. and lastly , the acidity of the particles of fire appears from its efficacy in chirurgery , and particularly in exstirpating ill condition'd ulcers . for the cause of vlcers being a corrosive acid , they may be cur'd by three sorts of external medicines . . those that saturate this acid , as spirit of salt-armoniac , quick-lime water , oyl of tartar per deliquium , and the like . . those that imbibe and assume this acid , as all the preparations of saturn . the author has known ulcers in the legs cur'd , meerly by applying thin plates of lead to them ; because the acid , corroding the musculous flesh , was coagulated in the lead . . those that by a more potent acidity suppress this weak one ; as verdegreese , which consists of the acid salts of vinegar coagulated in particles of venus ; now these salts are much more powerfull than in common vinegar , because they are concentrated and separated from strong phlegm , and thereby enabl'd to suppress the weaker putredinous acid of the ulcers ; which aqua fortis , spirit of salt , and other acid spirits also do . but nothing performs this so effectually , as actual cauteries , because there is no acid so powerful as that of fire . n. b. i. the acid effluvia , that are continually passing away from inflammable bodies while they are burning , do compose flame , so long as they continue numerous enough within a certain sphere , and in a very swift motion , but having pass'd the limits of this sphere , they begin to move more slowly , and are by degrees dispers'd . so that the same acid effluvia , which being in a rapid motion , produce tormenting pains and convulsive motions by corroding the nervous parts ; when they are in a moderate motion , do produce in our body a temperate and gratefull heat , by inciting the nervous capillaments to gentle spasms . n. b. . tho' actual fire be so far from being one of the material principles of mixt bodies , that it cannot exist in them without destroying them ; yet there are certain acid particles in all mixt bodies , differing but in rest , or in degrees of motion from actual fire , in which the seeds or ideas reside , that are the formal principles of those bodies . but these acid particles do themselves return into elementary water , when they are devested of those seeds . which seeds or ideas , so often heretofore mention'd , t' will now be seasonable to explain . having abundantly prov'd , that simple water is the only matter of which all mixt bodies consist , 't is plain that they all agree in one and the same material principle ; so that their difference one from another proceeds not from any diversity in the matter of which they consist , or in the proportion of the elements that may be suppos'd to concur to their composition but , prop. xvii . the diversity , that is among natural bodies , is wholly owing to the different seminal ideas , that regulate the operation of the plastick spirit , which coagulates water into various substances , differing in figure , solidity , bigness , order and connection of parts , and other modifications , according as its motions are guided by these ideas . for when god at first created out of nothing the terraqueous globe , and furnish'd it with numerous bodies of several species or kinds ; he was pleas'd , because the individuals were corruptible , to endow them by vertue of his omnipotent word ( be fruitful and multiply , ) with a power of producing out of pre-existent matter , new individuals like themselves , and of their own species ; that so , when the first individuals were dissolv'd , the species might nevertheless be preserv'd in these new individuals generated by the first ; & so on , as long as the world endures . this generative power is seated in the seeds ; [ which are very obvious in animals and vegetables , but more doubtful in minerals , at least in severall sorts of them . ] as for animals , and particularly man ; the feminine seed is a limpid liquor , contain'd in the little eggs , that are found in the testicles . this seminal liquor contains in it self an exact idea of an entire human body ( of the femal sexe , ) consisting of as many particular distinct ideas , as there are different parts in a human body , which all together concur to make up one entire idea of an entire woman : so if it were possible for us to contemplate this idea with our bodily eyes , as well as we can do with our intellectual , we might discern in it sensible signatures of all the parts of the body , alltogether making up a lively representation , and as 't were exact model , of an entire woman . the idea of every particular part in this seed , is a particle of the idea that resides in that same part of the womans body that generates this seed . for every part of a womans ( mans , or any other animals ) body , whether similar or organical , has its own idea residing in it , in which idea is imprinted upon , or ( which is all one ) communicates a particle of it self unto the blood , that circulates through the part ; and the blood carryes all these ideas to the testicles , where they are gather'd together , dispos'd into the same order that the parts , they come from , have in the womans body , and so united into one entire idea , which is inclos'd within the tunicles of the egg , that being defended from injuries thereby , the particular parts of it may be able to retain their due situation , and may not be lyable to be confounded one with another or misplac'd . this idea is endow'd in the testicles with a particle of that moving vital spirit , which is the principle of all vital actions , and the only mover of all seeds , which , without this , are barren and unfruitful , because they cannot unfold themselves . but yet this plastick spirit in the feminine seed is too weak for to accomplish the evolution of the ideas , without it be strengthen'd , actuated , and fecundated by that more powerfull spirit which the masculine seed is impregnated with . all that has been said of the feminine seed , is applicable also to this , saving , that it contains ideas of all the parts of a human body of the male sex only , not of the female ; and that these ideas are confounded one with another , because the seed not being inclos'd in tunicles in the form of eggs , but contain'd in the testicles in a liquid form , they fluctuate and cannot retain any certain order . hence it is , that as the feminine seed alone can never be fruitful , till its weaker spirit be corroborated by conjunction with the masculine ; so neither can the masculine seed alone ever produce a foetus , till its confus'd ideas be reduc'd into due order by conjunction with the feminine , each idea taking its own proper place , by applying it self to the correspondent ideas of the feminine seed . in short , the masculine seed cannot reduce the confus'd ideas into order , but being set in order by the feminine , it can explicate or unfold them , which the feminine cannot . wherefore the masculine seed must be injected into the womb , whence it emits a seminal and vital spirituous exhalation through the tubi fallopiani into the testes or ovarium , where one ( or more ) of the eggs , being impregnated with this exhalation , and foecundated thereby , is thrust out of its place , and falls into the extremity of the tubus fallopianus , which conveys it to the womb. for tho' the two seminal spirits be now united into one , yet even this is not sufficient for the evolution of the ideas ; till it be excited to motion by the heat of the womb ; and then it begins the evolution of the ideas , by coagulating the approximated aliment into a substance agreeable to the particular ideas , and applying it to them : by which means the ideas , that were utterly insensible before , do quickly acquire a visible bulk : insomuch that kerkringius tells us of a foetus , but four days old , wherein the distinction of the parts was plainly discernible . this apposition of aliments to , and gradual evolution of the ideas , begins at the first conception , and continues after the child has left the womb , till the body have attain'd its full stature ; ( that is , to a perfect evolution of the ideas , for when the ideas are not capable of any further evolution , the growth of the body must cease . ) so that ganeration is really nothing else , but the first nutrition ; or the apposition of aliment to and evolution of the ideas while they are yet insensible : and on the other side , nutrition is nothing but a continued generation . for 't is the same plastick spirit , guided by the same ideas , that coagulates and applyes the aliment to every part , both in and out of the womb. and the immediate aliment of all the parts in both states is the same , namely blood , but with this difference , that the embryo is nourish'd with the mothers blood , communicated to it by the vmbilical vein from the placenta vterina : whereas , after the child is born , it takes in various aliments by the mouth , and makes blood of them it self for its own nourishment . this blood is already determin'd to nourish the human ( and no other animals ) body , by the impression that the idea of the stomachal ferment has seal'd the aliments , it is made of , with ; but is indifferent to all the parts of the human body , till it come to be determin'd to the nourishment of particular parts by being stamp'd ( as it were ) with the seal of the particular ideas residing in them . for every organ hides in its ventricle an idea of its own body , that regulates the apposition of the aliment to that part , ( and is the same that regulated the first formation of it . ) and the native heat , or vital spirit of every different part , coagulates the blood into a differing substance , and applyes it in a differing manner , according to the diversity of that idea , which guides the motions of this coagulating spirit . these ideas were concreated with the parts of the first individuals . and after what has been said , 't will not be difficult to conceive , how they were folded up ( as it were ) and united into one entire idea in the seed of these first individuals : how the second were generated by the gradual unfolding again of the same ideas , & apposition of aliment to them : in a word , how by the convolutions and evolutions , ( so to speak ) of those ideas , the propagation of mankind has been continu'd to this day . ( and the same is to be said of all other animals , as well as of all vegetables . ) this is as brief and clear an account , as i could give of the authors notion of the generation of animals : which tho' it may seem already more prolix than is agreeable to the design of this treatise , yet , because the theory of generation is so difficult , and because i have not elsewhere met with so intelligible an account of the seeds and ideas that helmont so often speaks of ; i thought it would not be foreign to my design , if i insist a little longer upon a theory , that will so much conduce to facilitate the reading of an author , that many are deterr'd from , by the obscurity of his notions , and that has deliver'd so many and so considerable chymical experiments ; for the obscure hints he gives of some of the principal , will be much better understood by one that is acquainted with his notions , than by one that is not , caeteris paribus . wherefore i shall proceed , without any farther apology , to deduce , from the hypothesis , already deliver'd , an explication of some of the chief phaenomena of generation ; continuing to insist upon one single instance , taken from the chief species of animals , man : for the same things , that are here deliver'd concerning man , may , with a little alteration , be easily apply'd to other animals . ] the sexe of the foetus is determin'd by the prevalency of the ideas of the fathers , or of those of the mothers seed . if there be a parity of both , the foetus will partake of both sexes . a mole happens , when an egg falls out of the ovarium into the womb , merely by the irritation of lust , without congress with a man : for the tunicles of this egg swell and are extended in the womb ; but the moving spirit of the masculine seed is wanting , to unfold the ideas of the egg and apply aliment to them : for the ideas , tho' they give the due figure to every part , yet they cannot unfold themselves ; and the feminine spirit in the egg is not vigorous enough to do it ; tho' it have really some activity , whereby it concurs with the masculine in the formation of a true foetus , and makes itself alone some unperfect evolution of the ideas in a mole , which has been observ'd sometimes by kerkringius and others , to contain the parts of a human body sensibly , tho' imperfectly , delineated . 't is because of this strength and vigour of the spirit of mens seed , that they are said to be of a hotter temperament than women ; and that eunuchs turn effeminate in their voice , manners , and disposition . abortion happens upon the lest manifest acidity of the aliment of the foetus , for this coagulates and suffocates the spirit , that by its occult and milder acidity should coagulate the aliment , and apply it to the nourishment of the foetus . hence a four scorbutick disposition of the blood makes women subject to miscarry ; and the use of red coral , mother of pearl , and the like is good to prevent it . the plurality of foetus's happens when more eggs than one are foecundated by the mans seed , and fall out of the ovarium into the womb. for the ideas of the mans seed , being to be reduc'd into order by application to those of the womans , every particular idea may be divided , and apply it self to the correspondent idea of several eggs. this is manifest in the seed of a cock , which if the hen have but once receiv'd , it suffices oftentimes to make her eggs fruitful for a whole year thereafter . so that every particular idea of his seed , must have been divided into as many particles , as there were eggs foecundated by it . marcus marci , de ideis operatricibus , ascribes the plurality of foetus's to the plurality of hearts in the seed , howsoever this be occasion'd ; for the heart being the center of evolution , as many hearts as there are , so many centers of evolution , and by consequence so many foetus's . the monstrous plurality of parts in one foetus happens , when the ideas of the masculine seed are not exactly apply'd to the correspondent ideas of the feminine seed ; but decline to the right or left hand ; so that , being separately unfolded , they make up distinct parts . the want of a particular part ( as arms , legs &c. ) happens , when the idea of that part is not unfolded for want of aliment ; or is extinguish'd by some impure acid particles of the aliment , or by the force of the mothers imagination of some person presented to her , that has ( by an accident perhaps , ) lost that part. a pygme or dwarf-stature happens , when the evolution of the ideas is hinder'd , either by the impurity or manifest acidity of the aliment apply'd to them , some time after the foetus has left the womb ; or by the force of an idea imprinted in the mothers imagination , that so mingles it self and becomes one with the idea , that forms the foetus , as to determine it , not only in respect of figure but of stature ; so that the formative idea , being straitly ty'd with the imaginative , is compell'd thereby to stop before a perfect evolution . if this idea take root in one subject , it may be propagated to posterity , till it be extinguish'd by a supervening idea of greater force . on the contrary , a gigantine stature proceeds from the evolution of the formative idea beyond its due bounds ; which marcus marci ascribes to two causes , namely , either the refraction of the ideal rayes by falling into a dissimilar medium , or the mothers strong imagination of some huge statue . and indeed there are many obvious instances , to prove , that a strong imaginative idea of the mothers , impress'd upon the seed , ( or even upon the embryo , after the evolution is begun ) may have powerful effects in the formation of the foetus . for hence it is , that we can often distinguish men of several nations by their aspect : because the women of every nation form in their imagination so strong an idea , from the constant sight of their owne country-men , as , by uniting it self to the formative idea , determines it to fashion the foetus like them , in some propertyes of the countenance , that most , if not all , of them , agree in : jacobs rods also are a signal instance to this purpose . and there are many relations of white women , that by reason of a strong imaginative idea , occasion'd by the frequent , or unexpected and affrighting sight of blackamores , have brought forth black children . this imaginative idea continues , till it be extinguish'd by the accession of another more powerfull idea . the author tells us of a woman with child , affrighted at the sudden coming of a blackamore ; who being presently washd all over , by the prudent advice of a by-stander , did so strongly imagine the washing off of the blackness hereby , that the idea of blackness , formerly conceiv'd , and already imprinted upon the foetus , was by this means extinguish'd ; for she brought forth a white child , but spotted between the fingers and toes , and in a few other parts that the washers hand had miss'd . finally , to add no more , 't is a very usual observation , that if a woman with child conceive a strong idea of any thing , whether by a longing desire after it , or being affrighted at the sight of it &c. the child seldom fails to have a mark in some part of its body , representing that thing both in colour and figure ; whether it be a cherry , mouse , or any other such like thing : and if the thing , that surprises the mother , fall upon or hit against a particular part , the idea of it will be impress'd upon that same part of the foetus . [ an eye-witness related to me , that a pregnant woman , that had been affrighted with a cat suddenly thrown upon her lap , brought forth a child with two marks , one above each knee ; which marks , when the knees were brought together ( into the same posture that the mothers were in , when the cat affrighted her ) did exactly represent an entire cat , with the head above the one knee , and the tail above the other , in the very same posture that the cat fell in . but , tho' it plainly appears from these and many more such instances , that the mothers imagination has a powerfull influence upon the foetus ; yet to give a clear and intelligible explication of the manner how it produces such effects , is a matter of no small difficulty ; and our author gives but little account of it . however i shall offer some considerations , that may somewhat lessen this difficulty , tho' i shall not pretend to give a clear and satisfactory solution of it . first of all then , i consider , that , since the formation of the foetus is wholly regulated by the seminal ideas , 't is easy enough to conceive , that an imaginative idea , impress'd upon the seed , may have a considerable influence in the formation of the foetus . for instance , the idea of a blackamore ( simply as such , regarding only the colour of his skin , and not the figure , proportion , and other qualities of the parts of his body ; or at least , not being so strong in regard of them , but that other different , and more prevalent ideas of these qualities , may render this ineffectual , as to them : this idea ( i say , ) impress'd upon the seed , may determine the formative spirit to form the foetus with a black skin ; since it has been formerly prov'd , that all the modifications ( and consequently the colour ) of every part , depend intirely upon the ideas residing in the seed . in the next place i consider , that , since 't is highly probable , that the animal spirits , which come from the brain through certain little nerves to the testes , do there mingle themselves with the spirituous part of the blood , brought thither by the arteries , and concur with it to make up the matter whereof the seed consists : and since the idea of a blackamore ( to keep to the former instance ) is convey'd to the brain and imprinted there by the animal spirits , which receive it from the image or idea painted in the bottom of the eye , upon the tunica retina or ( as others think ) the choroeides , by the rayes of light reflected from the blackamores body : it may be easily enough conceiv'd , that the animal spirits may also convey the same idea from the brain to the testes , and there impress it upon the seed . for if the animal spirits of the optick nerves transmit this idea from the eyes to the brain , and there imprint it ; why may not the animal spirits of the par vagum transmit the same idea from the brain ( through certain little branches that reach , ) to the testes , and there communicate it to the seed . and since the rayes of light , that come from the object , may be reflected from a specular body to the eye , without losing thereby that figuration , motion , or whatever other modification it be , that qualifyes them to paint an exact idea of the object , they receiv'd it from , upon the retina or choroeides : why may not the animal spirits , that receive the very same modification from the tunicle of the eye , be reflected from the brain to the testes , and there impress the same idea upon the seed . nor can it be said , that the seed is not a subject capable of such ideas , since ( as was noted before ) the animal spirits are part of the matter whereof it consists , so that by taking them into its own substance , it must receive the ideas they bring along with them . and 't is most certain , that many impressions , made in particular parts of the body , and transmitted to the brain , do not stop there , but are reflected back to the same , or to other parts , where they often produce very notable effects ; & that barely by the strength of the impression , without any concurrence of the wills determination , yea many times in direct opposition to it . and tho' the substance of the brain seems very remote from being specular ; yet since that quality depends upon such a modification of the surface of any opacous body , as qualifies it to reflect the rayes of light in the same order they fell in , without at all confounding them , or altering the modifications they receiv'd from the object ; 't is plain that the brain , if it be at all capable of reflecting the impressions that come from visible objects , ( as certainly it is ) must , as well as specular bodies , tho' perhaps upon very different accounts , be qualify'd to reflect them without confounding or altering them ; for if the brain should confound or alter them , there could be no true distinct ideas of the objects , they come from , form'd in it . all these considerations may be also apply'd , to lessen our wonder at the powerful influence of the mothers imagination upon the foetus in the womb already form'd . for so long as the foetus is in the womb , it may very justly be consider'd as a part of the mothers body ; since her blood circulates through and nourishes it , as well as the other parts of her body . and being 't is very probable , that the animal spirits , convey'd by the nerves to every part of the mothers body , do there mingle with the blood brought thither by the arteries , and concur with it to the nutrition of the part : i may very reasonably suppose , that the animal spirits , that come to the womb , may there mingle with the arterial blood , and be trasmitted together with it by the umbilical vein into the body of the foetus for its nourishment . and if there be a strong impression of any idea in the brain , the animal spirits may ( as was formerly explain'd with relation to the testes ) ▪ convey it to the womb , and there impres● it upon the body of the foetus ; which , being so soft and tender , may upon that account be more susceptible of any such impression , than the other parts of the mothers body ; especially since her frequent and solicitous thoughts of the womb , and the foetus therein contain'd , may determine the animal spirits to flow more copiously thither than to other parts , and keep those pores of the brain that lead thither more open : so that the reflection of any impression , made upon the brain , may have a freer course that , than any other way . and tho' the impression made upon the foetus be but weak at first , yet it may be afterwards sufficiently confirmd by often reiterated imaginations . finally , tho' it be very little at first , yet it may increase daily as the foetus grows : which may be both illustrated and confirm'd by figures lightly cut in the rind of a gourd , which grow bigger and bigger as the gourd increases . and now i see not any considerable difficulty remaining in this subject , after i shall have added this one consideration ; namely , that , because the formative idea , residing in every part of the foetus , is a particle of the idea that resides in the same part of the mothers body ; an imaginative idea , produc'd in her brain , by a sudden impression made upon any part of her body , may , when it is communicated to the foetus , be more apt to unite it self with the formative idea , belonging to that same part of the foetus , than with any other ; and upon this account , that part may more easily , than any other , receive the impression . for the idea of the object comes to the mothers brain , accompany'd with the idea of the part , that the impression is made upon , and the imagination connects them together as it were into one compound idea , and transmits them to the foetus ; where the latter easily unites it self with the formative idea homogeneous to it , and the former impresses itself upon the part , that this idea resides in . if it be objected , that after all that has been said , we are still in the dark about the main point , for want of a clear and distinct notion of the ideas so often mention'd . i answer , that many things have been already , and some more yet remain to be , deliver'd , tending to clear the nature of those ideas , all which laid together , and attentively consider'd , may go a great way in assisting judicious readers , to form as clear notions about them , as can well be expected in so abstruse a subject , as the generation of animals . and 't is no less cefficult , if not much more , to give an intelligible and satisfactory explication , of the nature of imaginative ideas , representing sesible objects in the brain ( which no man questions the reality of , ) than of those formative ideas , that the notions , here propos'd about generation , are built upon . and he that denyes the later , because he cannot be distinct enough in his conceptions of them , may upon the same ground deny the former , yea and even disbelieve his own eyes , when he sees the ideas of many various objects transmitted through a small hole ( fill'd with a convex glass ) into a dark room , and there delineated to the life , without the least confusion , upon a piece of white paper , plac'd opposite to the hole , at a convenient distance . and such a person i cannot better answer , than by recommending to his serious perusal , a discourse of things above reason , lately published ; where the acute and judicious author very convincingly proves , that , 't is highly reasonable to believe many things , that our reason cannot comprehend ; many that we cannot form any clear and distinct notions of ; and many that we cannot reconcile to other unquestionable truths . for the ideas , we have been speaking of , may very justly claim a place in the second of the three , newly mention'd , ranks of priviledg'd things , which that author styles inexplicable . 't is true , that profound and subtil philosopher , des cartes , has attempted , in his book de homme , to give a mechanical account of the ideas , that are imprinted in the brain by insensible objects . but he founds his notions upon an hypothesis , concerning the structure of the brain , and the motion of the spirits in it , which tho' it be most ingeniously devis'd , yet 't is so far from being countenanc'd by anatomical observations , that it seems utterly inconsistent with the best and most accurate , that have been made upon that part. but 't is more than time to conclude this digression , and proceed to the rest of our authors observations about the seminal ideas of animals , and particularly of man. the propagation of hereditary distempers ( such as the epilepsie , gout , stone , consumption ) from parents to their children , depends upon this : that the seminal idea which forms the lungs ( for instance ) of the foetus , is a particle of that idea which resided in the parents lungs : which is to be understood also of the reins , joynts , brain , and all the other parts of the body . hence many children are born with moles , or spots , in the very same parts of their body where their parents had them , and of the same shape ; insomuch , that whole families have taken their names from the things that the moles , common to these families , were observ'd to resemble , as the cicerones , pisones , lemuli , &c. for there are certain subtil corpuseles , that go out of every ( even the smallest ) part of the parents body , and mingle themselves with the spirituous part of the blood that circulates through it . which effluvia , being modifi'd , and as it were figur'd , after a peculiar manner by the part they come from , impress this modification upon the fore-mention'd spirit ; which spirit , being afterwards united in the seed with the ideas of all the other parts , ( that is , the spirits come from every part with a peculiar modification impress'd upon them by it ) and excited to motion , and extricated from the grosser parts of the seed by the heat of the womb , begins to form , of its own substance , a body like unto that part , from which it receiv'd the modifications impress'd upon it . and thus the prima stamina of the foetus are form'd ; which are nourish'd at first by the grosser part of the seed , and afterwards , partly by the mothers blood , and partly also , perhaps , by the liquor contain'd in the amnos or inner membrane of the foetus . from this process of generation , 't is easie to understand , how that disposition of some particular part of the parents body , which renders him or her obnoxious to any particular distemper , may be communicated to the same part of the foetus , and render it obnoxious to the same distemper . only the nature of the impression which is made upon the spirit that forms the parts of the foetus , and which qualifies it to form them like the parts of the parents body which it came from ; i say , the particular nature of this modification remains in the dark still . nor do i know how to illustrate it better , than by comparing it to that which is little less obscure than it self ; namely , the modification , which the rayes of light receive by being reflected from various objects , and by which they are qualifi'd , to produce , in a darkned room , lively and distinct representations of each of those objects , both as to their figure and the colour of their surface ; and 't is from the surface only , that the rayes receiv'd this modification , whereas the fore-mention'd effluvia come from all the innermost recesses of every part , and therefore from the correspondent part of the foetus like unto it , not only in figure and colour , but in the whole nature and inward textur of it . that the ideas of all the parts do really exist in the blood , appears from the following arguments . . they have sometimes visibly appear'd in the blood , receiv'd into a cucurbit immediately as it slows out of the vein , ( whilst it is warm and turgid with spirits ) for some medicinal preparation : see borell . observ . . some , that have drunk the blood of any animal , or of another man , have been observ'd to partake of the nature and disposition of that man or animal . commodus his disposition was owing to his mother , who , presently after his conception , drank the blood of a cruel gladiator that she was desperately in love with . a certain maid , having drank some cats-blood , as a remedy for the epilepsie , did imitate cats in her voice , motion and actions , when the fit was coming upon her ; watching silently at little mouse-holes . see becker . microcosm . therefore ( to note that by the way ) the transfusion of blood seems not a safe way of curing diseases . . the spittle of a mad dog makes other dogs , men , horses , or any other animal , wounded by his teeth , turn mad also , and imitate his actions and gesticulations , such as barking , grinning , fearfulness of water , &c. now spittle is an immediate production of the blood that circulates through the salivary glandules , & therefore must have receiv'd from thence the ideas , that it infects the spirits of the bitten animal with . also other venemous enraged animals , as the tarantula , &c. communicate such ideas by the little wounds that their teeth make in the part they bite , as transform the spirits of the party bitten to a ridiculous imitation of their gesticulations . though every particular part of the foetus be form'd , as has been said , by the evolution of its own idea , convey'd , by the circulation of the blood , from the correspondent part of the parents body , unto the testes , where the seed is made ; yet maimed parents may have perfect children ; namely , if both father and mother be not mutilated ( at least not of the same parts ; ) or if they have had perfect seed in store , before they were dismembred ; or if the defect of the architect tonic spirit , that should have come to the seed from the part that is deficient , be suppli'd by the strength of the parents imagination ; who by seeing daily other infants , boys , girls , men , women , all perfect , without the defect of any part , may conceive so firm an idea of a perfect foetus , as will ( by the sympathy , between the imagination and the seed , formerly explain'd ) produce the very same modification in the seed , that an idea , convey'd by the blood from the deficient part , ( if it had not been wanting ) would have done . for the mothers imagination may not only add to the foetus a spot representing the thing imagin'd in figure and colour , but even the very thing it self in its whole nature . how many instances are there of pregnant women , that have conceiv'd so strong an idea of the horns of some beast that has terrifi'd them , that the impression , thereby made upon the foetus , has produc'd ( not a spot only representing it , but ) a real substantial horn , though , perhaps , this cause of the phaenomenon be not always observed . and hence it is , that if the parents be maimed from their birth , their children are often mutilated of the same part , because they cannot easily conceive a firm idea of the entireness of that part , which they never felt entire in themselves : but if they were dismembred long after , they can easily form a strong idea of the part that they have felt entire , and known the use of , in themselves , and so supply the defect of that idea in the seed . 't is also probable , that the mothers imagination is the principal cause , why the childs face sometimes resembles the fathers , sometimes the mothers , and sometimes some other person , according to the idea that is prevalent in the mothers brain , while she is with child . that the mother ( as well as the father ) is furnish'd with true seed , endow'd with the ideas of the parts of her own body ( as well as the fathers is with the ideas of his ) and consequently , that she does contribute part of the plastick vertue that forms the foetus , as well as afford the matter of which it is form'd and nourish'd in the womb , appears from several parts of the foregoing discourse , as well as from the three following considerations . . the ideas of the masculine seed can only be taken from the parts of the mans body , and therefore can never form the organs peculiar to a woman . . the vitious conformation of any part of the mothers body , as well as of the fathers , is often propagated to the foetus . . when a male and female of differing species copulate , the foetus is of a mixt kind , resembling the one in some of its parts , and the other in others . we have ( besides the instance of mules ) too many instances of this in the monstrous foetus's produc'd by the detestable venery of some men , that copulate with female brutes . the flowing of the menstruous blood to a young womans womb , is a sign of maturity , because it signifies , that , besides the seminal idea of her own sex ( which she was really furnish'd with before ) there is now also aliment provided for the evolution of that idea , whensoever it comes to be foecundated by the masculine seed . death happens , when the vital spirit ( or calidum innatum ) that is the chief mover in the evolution of the ideas , and in all the animal functions , is supp●●ss'd or extinguish'd by any cause whatsoever . ( this may be better understood from what was formerly deliver'd of abortion , which is nothing else but the death of the foetus . ) but the ideas do still remain in the cadaver , though they are become barren for want of the moving spirit ; which shall be restor'd again at the resurrection , and no new evolution thereby made , but the entire idea , as it was already unfolded at the time of death , resuscitated or animated anew . and some of the spectres , that are seen in church-yards , may be nothing else but the ideas , remaining in the human cadavers , elevated by means of a certain central heat , which would be seen in the day time also , if the light of the sun did not keep them from appearing . serpents , cut to pieces and putrefi'd , breed new serpents by the influence of the sun , which restores to the quiescent ideas that moving spirit , which they had lost by death . frogs also bruis'd , in the winter , and resolv'd into mud , do , upon the same account , revive in the summer . ducks , putrefi'd , are reported to breed serpents , and it has been confirm●d to the author , by a credible eye-witness : whence it evidently appears , that the seminal ideas of the serpents flesh ( which they use to feed often upon ) have not been totally destroy'd , even by so many digestions , but have continu'd entire under the dominion of the ducks seminal ideas . swallows , when the cold winter comes , bury themselves under the water , where they continue without any sign of the least motion or life , 'till the returning sun inspire them with new vital spirit , and thereby raise them to life again . all these instances do strongly argue the possibility of the h●●●●●… resurrection : which ( as also the authors conjectures about sp●●●…es ) is likewise much confirm'd by the resuscitation of vegetables , hereafter mention'd . naturalists observe , that , in some persons , the passion is so great in time of coition , that , for the present , it quite bereaveth them of the use of reason . and therefore it is , ( which should have been noted before ) that the parents imagination , at that time , produces more powerful effects in the seed , than the same imagination , at any other time , could have done . for when the animal spirits flow in such abundance into the organs of generation , any idea , that is very strong in the imagination , must of necessity be carry'd down together with them and infect the seed . but i have already insisted too long upon this subject : and therefore i shall add no more , but pass on to the generation of vegetables . every species of vegetables has its own particular seed . the visible seed is but the receptable , that contains , and secures from external injuries , the true seed or idea of the plant , which ( says our author ) all sound philosophers affirm to be but the parts of its own body ; intimating this determinate proportion , that in all generations the true seed is very remote from any sensible bulk . the seminal idea of every plant ( as was formerly said of animals ) consists of as many particular distinct ideas , as there are different parts in the vegetable , all together representing an exact model of the entire plant. the evolution of this idea is perform'd in this manner . when the body of the seed , or external capsula of the seminal ideas , begins to be soften'd by the moisture of the earth , so that the ideas may take up a larger space , the heat of the sun excites the innate fire of the seed , which is congeneal to it ; ( for all fruitful seeds are endow'd with a particle of that universal spirit of life , which is the principle of all vital actions , foecundates all seeds , and is the only mover in all generations : ) and which being , put in motion , begins , by the coagulative vertue 't is endow'd with upon the account of its acidity , to coagulate the water that is at hand , into a substance agreeable to the nature of the ideas , and fill up the little spaces of the ideas with it : which are by this means gradually explicated , 'till they have attain'd the utmost evolution that they are capable of . this evolution , of the ideas of a vegetable seed , may be clearly represented to the eye by artificial vegetation , which is perform'd in the following manner , according to tachenius . take the ripe seed of any plant , gather'd in fair weather , bruise it in a glass mortar , and keep it in a glass hermetically seal'd , of a shape and bigness answerable to that of the plant , 'till you observe a convenient evening , when dew is like to fall ; then take out your seed , and expose it all night upon a plate of glass , that it may be wet with dew ; but be sure to seal it up again before sun-rise , with a solution of the salt of dew , in its own distill'd liquour pour'd upon it to the heighth of three fingers breadth . expose this seal'd glass to the rayes of the sun and moon in fair weather , and keep it in a warm fire-room in rainy weather . after some days the seed will appear like a mucilage , and the supernatant d●w will be of a green colour saturate according to the nature of the seed , and coverd over with a skin or divers colours . when these signs are compleat , if you heat the glass , you shall see a perfect lively idea of the plant rise up within it , which will disappear again when the glass is remov'd from the heat . this odd phaenomenon depends upon a particle of the vniversal spirit contain'd in the dew , which excites the innate spirit of the seed to an occult fermentation , whereby the idea is freed from its external earthy receptacle , so that it may be elevated by the application of external heat , leaving the heavy terrestrial particles behind . but the author does not give credit to the experiment , that some pretend to , of elevating this idea from the ashes of a plant ; because the calcination drives away that spirit , which is the immediate receptacle of the idea of the plant. the foremention'd salt of dew is made by filtring and distilling the dew 'till it leave no more faeces , then calcining the faeces , and extracting the salt from them , which is to be dissolv'd in the distill'd dew , and so pour'd on upon the seed , as above . in the last place , minerals also are endow'd with seminal particles . for though they be not made up of so many dissimular parts , and of distinct organs , as vegetables , and especially animals are ; and consequently , though we cannot suppose any ideas in them consisting of integral organical parts : yet they have a certain seminal ferment , which , in metals particularly , is evident enough ; for 't is this ferment that converts mercury into a metalline substance . therefore , iron mines , that have been almost quite exhausted , are after some years found as rich in the oar as they were at first . and the same thing is observ'd in tin , ( and likewise in nitre . ) and such a seminal power there is in common gold , though this metal be unfit to impregnate other metals therewith , and consequently improper for the grand philosophical work of transmutation ; because its sulphur , being once coagulated , loses all power of motion for the future , and therefore is unfruitful and dead . but 't was this same seminal sulphur , that , when the gold was produc'd , did coagulate it self with mercury , and thereby convert it into gold. and there appears not any solid reason against the possibility of the transmutation so much sought after ; since , though seeds cannot be converted into other seeds , yet those , that are endow'd with a weaker mover , may be overcome by , and brought under the dominion , of such seeds as are furnished with a stronger . and now having establish'd the material and formal principles of natural bodies , the efficient only remains to be consider'd . prop. xviii . the chief mover ( under god ) of all natural bodies , that actuates and foecundates all animal , vegetable and mineral seeds ; that coagulates elementary water into all sorts of bodies , according to the various ideas of those seeds ; that applies the same water to those ideas , and in a word , the chief efficient in all the phaenomena of nature , is a certain subtil spirit of an igneous nature , diffus'd through the whole visible world , but chiefly treasur'd up at the center thereof in the sun. n.b. [ . by spirit here , is not meant an immaterial substance , but a body consisting of very minute and very active particles , peculiarly fitted for motion , and endow'd with a great measure of it . . by the visible world , i understand here , that part of the corporeal universe which contains the earth with the other six planets , and makes up one great vortex , whereof the sun is the center . as for the rest of the universe , it is altogether unknown to us , only , as that most ingenious conjecture of the incomparable des cartes concerning it , is very likely to be true ; namely , that every one of the fixt stars , we see , is the center and sun , as 't were , of a distinct vortex : so 't is no less likely , that each of them has the same relation to its own vortex , and the same influence upon the planets , or whatever bodies they are which it contains , that the sun has to our vortex , and upon the bodies comprehended there in particularly the terraqueous globe . and though this part of our authors hypothesis concerning the anima mundi or vniversal spirit , may be applicable in the sense newly explain'd , to the whole universe of bodies , yet his other principles of water and seeds are not so comprehensive ; and whatever he says of them , must be limited to the bodies contain'd in this little point of the universe , that the almighty creator has given to mankind for an habitation . and the truth is , we have but little certain knowledg of the other parts of the world , and that little we have is very superficial . ] . this vniversal spirit is actually igneous in its fountain , the sun ; and after it is incorporated in terrestrial bodies , even the coldest of them , it differs but in the slower motion of its particles from actual fire , and therefore , when-ever they are put into a rapid motion , it turns into actual fire again . and those particles of combustible bodies , that , being in a vehement agitation , do chiefly constitute our culinary fire , were once particles of this vniversal spirit , and came originally from the sun. . this is the spirit that mov'd upon the water at the beginning of the creation . for when god created the matter of which he intended to form this terraqueous globe , namely , a great mass of simple elementary water , he endow'd it with all sorts of seeds , and made use of this spirit to coagulate a great part of the foresaid mass , according to the signatures of those seeds , into mineral , vegetable and animal bodies of all kinds . [ and the word in the original , which our translators render mov'd , seems to agree very well with this hypothesis : for it properly belongs to birds sitting upon and fluttering over their eggs and young ones , to excite , quicken and foecundate the seed contain'd in the eggs , and so bring forth the young ones ; and to cherish them when they are brought forth : so that , in this place , the word may be very reasonably suppos'd to imply , that the vital spirit , which god had created , did , as 't were , sit upon , and move it self in the waters , to actuate the seeds they contain'd , and by this means hatch'd , as 't were , and brought forth the after-mention'd bodies . ] . tho' this spirit , by coagulating the elementary water into several bodies , was it self coagulated and incorporated together with it , and tho' it has been propagated to all sorts of bodies that have been produc'd , by generation , ever since the terraqueous globe was first created ; so that every fruitful seed has a particle of this quickning spirit connate with it : yet this particle is not sufficient to accomplish the evolution of the seminal ideas , and actuate the body in all the functions that belong to it , unless it be maintain'd , corroborated , and multipli'd by constant fresh supplies , from that inexhaustible treasure of this vital fire , which is plac'd in the sun ; and thence diffus'd , with the rayes of that glorious body , to all parts of the visible world , and particularly to the terraqueous globe , where it maintains and actuates the fore-mention'd native spirit of all animals , vegetables and minerals . . the vital substance , that flows continually from the sun , is equally capable of all forms , and unites it self indifferently with all seeds . but when 't is once united , it loses its indifferency , and is specifi'd according to the determinate nature of every particular seed that it incorporates with . hence the sulphurs of vegetables are quite different from those of animals , and both from the sulphurs of minerals ; nor can they be transmuted into one another by humane art : so streightly does the vniversal spirit unite it self with particular seeds . the reason of this so close an union , is , because the native pre-existent in every seed , is of the same spirit nature and original with this vniversal spirit . as for the proof of the proposition hitherto explained , the vniversal spirit , asserted in it , is manifest , . from the absolute necessity of constant respiration to men , and most other animals ; for hence it is evident , that there is a certain vital substance in the air , that they cannot live a minute without fresh supplies of , now that the air is but the vehicle of this vital substance , flowing continually from the sun , and the medium , through which it is convey'd to sublunary bodies , shall be prov'd hereafter . so that it must be the vniversal spirit , cloath'd with air , that is constantly receiv'd into the lungs by inspiration , and thence transmitted to the heart ; which ( being the chief fountain of the animal life , that constantly diffuses a vital spirit through the arteries , together with the blood , to all parts of the body , and thereby maintains and cherishes the native heat and vital spirit residing in each of them ) must have constant supplies from the vniversal spirit , to corroborate , maintain , and multiply its own particular spirit . for the vniversal spirit , that flows from the sun to all parts of the macrocosm , is of the same nature with this particular spirit , that flows from the heart to all parts of the microcosm , and is therefore very fit to nourish and support it with constant new supplies . . the same vniversal spirit is no less evident from what has been deliver'd under the former proposition , concerning the generation of animals . to which i shall only add , that nature has solicitously provided to secure the seed from external air , because , if it were expos'd but a moment to the air , the vniversal spirit , that dwells there , would instantly suck up ( so to speak ) the congeneal spirit that foecundates the seed , as not being yet incorporated . [ wherefore the seed , of oviparous animals , is carefully shut up from the contact of the external air within the egg. and in viviparous animals , presently after the injection of the masculine seed into the womb , and the union thereof with the feminine , ] the orifice of that part is exactly clos'd , and the two united spirits do presently fall to work , and begin the evolution of the seminal ideas , and the apposition of aliment thereunto . but this work could never be accomplish'd , nay , nor even begun , unless the seminal spirit were excited , cherish'd , corroborated , and supported by the heat of the womb , [ and by constant supplies of the mothers vital spirit , convey'd , with the arterial blood , from her heart to the placenta vterina , and thence transmitted , through the vmbilical vein , into the vena cava , and so into the heart of the foetus , which is the centre of evolution , and the chief spring of all the animal actions , both in and out of the womb : but no sooner is the foetus separated from the mother , and thereby depriv'd of the supplies that the vital spirits , residing in the heart , receiv'd from her in the womb , than it begins to draw supplies for maintaining of the same vital substance , from the vniversal spirit lodg'd in the air , as was said before . . 't is the vital spirit residing in every particular part of the human , or any other animals body , maintain'd by the influence of the vniversal spirit convey'd with the air , by respiration , into the lungs , and from thence communicated , by means of the circulation of the blood , first to the heart , and , from that , to the whole body ; ] 't is this spirit , i say , that coagulates the fluid blood into the solid substance of that part , and is the true efficient of all the vital functions belonging to it . [ those animals that are destitute of lungs , are nevertheless endow'd with organs of resparation of an equivalent use . for that excellent anatomist , malpigius , has happily discover'd , that those blackish points , which we observe in insects , all along the length of their body , on both sides , are really the orifices of so many tracheas or wind-pipes , which convey the air into the stomach , spinal marrow , and all the other bowels , as well as the heart , so that the air has immediate access to seed the vital spirit that resides in each of them , because there is no circulation of the alimentary juice in these animals ; or if there be , it is too slow to convey sufficient supplyes of the vniversal spirit from any one part to all the rest , as it doth from the heart and lungs in perfect animals . and the constant ingress and egress of the air by these little holes , is so necessary to the life of insects , that if you immerge their whole body into oyl , or but anoint these little spots with it , they presently dye ; whereas if you anoint only the intervals with oyl , without touching these little holes , they receive no harm . and tho' fishes have no lungs nor air pipes , because they live in the water ; yet instead thereof they have gils , which are dilated and contracted by a perpetual reciprocation , to give ingress and egress to the water , as the lungs of other animals are to inspire and exspire the air. nor can fishes live without water , any more than land-animals can do without air. whence 't is highly probable , that the former receive constant supplyes of some vital substance from the water , as well as the later do from the air : especially if we farther consider , that the vital liquor circulates through the gils of the one by the ramifications of their arteria bronchialis , as well as it do's through the lungs of the other by those of the arteria pulmonaris . wherefore , if in land-animals the said vital liquor divide it self into little rivulets in its passage through the lungs , that every part thereof may at each circulation receive fresh supples of vital spirit from the air , that is diffus'd through the whole substance of those respiratory organs , by the numerous ramifications of the wind-pipe ; if this be so , i say , ( as we formerly prov'd it to be ) we may very reasonably suppose , that in fishes the same vital liquor circulates in like manner through the gils , that it may receive constant fresh supplies of a vital substance from the water , that washes the gils perpetually . n. b. the gils of crusted fish , as lobsters , &c. and of shell-fish , as oysters , &c. are spongious , and not only receive the water into all their innermost parts ( where it communicates with the numerous vessels , that diffuse the vital liquor through the whole substance of the gils ) but give it a passage also into all the internal cavities of the body , where it is laid up as in bottles , to supply the foresaid fishes with vital spirit , when the ebbing of the sea leaves them in sicco : whereas the gils of sanguineous fishes that live constantly in the water , are not spongious , and the water washes only their outward surfaces without penetrating any farther . but instead of enlarging any more upon this point , i shall refer the curious reader to dr. willis's book of the soul of brutes , chap. . where he will find it very fully and accurately handled . ] . the existence of an vniversal spirit is evident from what has been said concerning the growth of vegetables . for 't is a particle of this spirit in the seed , excited , strengthn'd and maintain'd by the suns vital influence , that explicates the seminal idea , and coagulates the water into solid substances , as wood , bark , &c. which could never be produc'd out of simple water without this coagulating spirit . . the same argument may with equal , if not greater , force be applied to minerals , and especially to metals , which , tho' they be the solidest substances yet known , are nevertheless made of mercury , which of all liquors is the most fluid . in the next place , to evince that the sun is the chief fountain of this vniversal spirit , i need only put the reader in mind of what was formerly observ'd concerning vegetable seeds ; namely , that they would be perpetually barren , if their native spirit were not actuated by that vital substance which is every where diffus'd with the rayes of the sun. but to confirm this a little farther , 't is evident beyond contradiction , that the growth of vegetables depends upon the influences of the sun , since the different seasons of the solar year have so constant and so powerful effects upon them . for in winter the influence of the sun is very weak , because of the obliquity of his rayes , and the shortness of the dayes : and therefore seeds lye dormant in the earth without any motion : herbs fade and wither , or dye totally : trees are depriv'd of their leaves and lively verdure , shoot forth no twigs , produce no blossoms , bear no fruit , and in a word cease from all vital actions . yea many animals themselves loose much of their vigour , and some of them ( such as flyes , frogs , swallows , &c. ) lye dead , as it were , all the winter long , in chinks of walls , or in cavities of the earth , or under water , without any motion , sense , or the least appearance of life : but when the sun comes to be more vertical , and the dayes grow longer , every thing capable of life is quickn'd or reviv'd ; and the whole face of the earth , that look'd dead and lifeless before , appears fresh , verdant , lively , and quite new , insomuch that 't is astonishing to behold so vast an alteration : the vital spirit remaining in the roots of such herbs , as did not quite dye in the preceeding winter , being reviv'd , excited to motion and corroborated , falls to work afresh , and produces new stalks , leaves , flowers , seed , fruit , &c. the vital spirit that had in a great measure retir'd from the branches of trees into their roots and body , explicates it self anew , restores their fresh and lively verdure , and adorns them with new leaves , twigs , buds , blossoms , fruit , &c. finally the vital spirit of the forementioned animals , that had concentred it self in the middle of their body , actuates the members anew which it had before deserted , and restores to them sense , motion , and the exercise of all their vital functions . lastly , the vniversal spirit appears to be of an igneous nature , . because it flows from the sun , which is an actual fire . yea the solar rayes themselves , which diffuse this vital substance through the visible world , being collected by a burning glass into a center , produce all the effects of our actual culinary fire . [ . the vital spirit of animals is fed by the universal spirit , as has been evidently prov'd , and by consequence is of the same nature with it . now this vital spirit , in hot sanguineous animals , has all the essential properties of an actual flame : for it constantly diffuses a sensible heat through all the members of the body : it is maintain'd by constant fresh supplies of sulphureous fuel from the aliments , that are taken into the stomach and thence conveyed to the blood , where this subtil flame invisibly burns ; and of an aerial pabulum from the air , that is taken into the lungs by inspiration , and there communicated to the same liquor : it constantly emits fuliginous effluvia , both through the wind-pipe also through all the pores of the skin , which are like so many chimneys appointed to ventilate this vital fire : it is kindled first in the seminal liquor , either by another vital fire , as in viviparous animals ; or by the intestine motion of the sulphureous parts , excited and cherished by a continu'd external warmth , as in oviparous animals : but so long as the foetus is included in the womb or egg , it burns very faintly , and never breaks out into an actual flame till the air have free nccess to it by respiration : finally it dyes as soon as it is depriv'd of sulphureous fuel , of aerial pabulum , or of ventilation . now these properties seem to be peculiar to flame : and particularly there is nothing we know of in the world besides life and fire , whose motion is instantly suppressed by withdrawing the air. see willis de accentione sanguinis . ] prop. . the vniversal spirit , that coagulates elementary water into solid substances of the animal vegetable and mineral kingdoms , consists of acid particles . for . it is of an igneous nature ; and fire has been prov'd to consist of acid particles put into a rapid motion . . all chimists agree that the concretion of bodies depends upon the saline principle . now acaline salts are apt rather to dissolve bodies , than either to coagulate or be coagulated : whereas we have a multitude of instances of coagulation and fixation perform'd by acid salts ; which tho' they corrode ( and so dissolve ) many bodies , yet their property is to concoagulate with the bodies they have corroded . [ thus quicksylver is fixed and coagulated by the acid particles of common or antimonial sulphur , into cinnabar ; by those of salt and vitriol into sublimate corrosive ; by spirit of nitre into red precipitate , as the chymists abusively call it ; by oyl of vitriol , oyl of sulphur , or oyl of alum into turbith mineral , finally by the acid particles of fire into precipitate per se . these instances are the more pertinent to our purpose , because mercury is a more fluid body than simple water it self . and the last of them , tho' at first it appear somewhat paradoxical , yet upon better examination it seems to be very reasonable ; since precipitate per se , as well as the rest of the newly mentioned preparations of quicksilver , may be reviv'd into running mercury , by being distill'd from salt of tartar , quick-lime , or such other alcalisate bodies as are very apt to be wrought upon by acid salts , and thereby to disengage the quicksilver that was coagulated with them : and since the particles of fire ( which have been prov'd to be acid ) may penetrate glass , and many times increase the weight of the inclosed bodies , as mr. boyle has undeniably evinced by a great many experiments : and finally since fire is the only agent in this preparation . ] the sulphur of lead deprives quicksilver of its fluidity . volatil urinous salts are so powerfully fix'd by acid spirits as to endure an open fire for some time ; but they recover their former volatility , as soon as they are disengaged from the acid salts that fixed them , by the addition of any alcalisate body . all sorts of acid salts do coagulate milk : and the coagulation of the creamy parts of milk into butter , depends upon the internal acid of the milk ; for if you throw any alcalisate salt into it , there can be no butter obtain'd from it . the acid salts of nitre do so powerfully fix the vomitive sulphur of antimony , as to render it a good diaphoretic . [ the acid of spirit of wine instantly coagulates spirit of vrine ; for , if both these liquors be highly rectified , as soon as ever you have mingled them , the whole mixture loses its fluidity , insomuch that tho' the glass be inverted , not one drop will fall out : yea our author affirms that ] if spirit of wine highly rectified be kept for some months upon salt of urine in a gently digestive heat , they will unite together into a calculus of a reddish colour : and ( which is yet more strange ) four parts of this stone will convert one part of new spirit of urine into its own substance , and four parts of this one more , and so on without any end : and that the stone in the may be generated after the same manner by the plaistick vertue of an internal acidum , joyned with the salt of urine , and being mixt with gravel by fermentation , concentrates into a concreate substance . we found by a stone being taken out of a humane bladder , and anatomized , by distillation , to consist of oyl , spirit , and volatile salt , with a very large caput mortuum : but of this we shall say no more at present , but leave the reader to judge what may be gathered by the foregoing experiment ; so that it 's believed , the universal spirit that coagulates elementary water , as well as other bodies into solid substances , consists of acid particles . finis . some books printed for and sold by stafford anson , at the three pidgeons in st. paul's church-yard , . . dictionarium historicum , geographicum , poeticum : opus admodum utile & apprime necessarium . a carolo stephano inchoatum . ad incudem vero revocatum , innumerisque pene locis auctum & emaculatum per nicolaum lloydium , collegii wadhami in celeberrima academia oxoniensi socium . editio novissima . in qua historico poetica , & geographica seorsim sunt alphabetice digesta ; & liber totus tum emendationibus , tum additamentis ( recentioribus tredicem annorum lloydii elucubrationibus , manuque ultima ) ita adornatur , ut novus ac plane alius videripossit . cui accessit index geographicus , ubi hodierna & vernacula locorum nomina antiquis & latinis proponuntur . . the history of the council of trent ; containing eight books . in which , besides the ordinary acts of the council , are declared many notable occurrences which happened in christendom , during the space of forty years and more , and particularly the practices of the court of rome , to hinder the reformation of their errors , and to maintain their greatness . written in italian by pietro soave polano ; and faithfully translated into english by sir nathaniel brent , knight . whereunto is added the life of the learned author , and the history of the inquisition , in folio . . dionysii orbis descriptio , annotationibus eustathii , & hen. stephani , nec non guil. hill commentario critico & geographico , ac tabulis illustrata , vo . . p. virgilii maronis opera , interpretatione & notis illustravit car. ruaeus , ad usum delphini . juxta editionem novissimam parisiensem , vo . . horatii opera ad vsum delphini , vo . . phaedri fabulae , ad vsum delphini , vo . . virgilii operacum annotationibus johannis minellii . . — — id. cum notis . t. farnabii , ves : . p. terentii comoediae cum notis . t. farnabii , ves : . isocratis orationes duae . . ad demonicum . . ad nicoclem . nova methodo & apprime utili , quoad verbum & sensum latine redditae : graecismis phrasibus & sententiis in quibus maxima vis rei consistit ,