LICENCED,  
Roger L'Estrange. Feb. 21. 1669.   

SCARBROUGH SPA SPAGYRICALLY ANATOMISED.  
BY Geo. Tonstall, Doctor of Physic.  
LONDON, Printed by J. M. for the Author. MDCLXX.   

PREFACE.  
Nulla rosa nascitur sine spinis.  
DOctor Witty in his Epistle to the Reader complains, that Mr. Simpson by giving him the trouble of answering his Book, hath interrupted his design of a Latin Copy upon the subject of this Spa, which he thought should have seen the light this year. I would not willingly hinder any good work; let this little therefore that I have writ, but serve only as an Appendix to his third Volume, and I shall cloth it in like fashion: far be it from me to espouse the quarrel of either of them; I profess myself a friend to both; for if I should not walk uniformly betwixt Dr. Witty's Library, and Mr. Simpson's Laboratory, I might suspect myself a lame Physician: Hypocrates and Helmont I declare are the two great lights that rule in my Hemisphere. Galen's method of Physic may justly be named rational so far as he writes after the old man his Master's Copy, I dare not speak further for him.  
I hope in this Tract my writing is so candid, that it may be observed what I have said is not ad personam, but ad rem. And that I have not concerned myself in any word which Dr. Witty has been pleased to say in his two Books, but only what was necessary to take notice of me defendendo.  
It is but one Position that I have affirmed upon the whole subject; if it be daubed up with untempered Mortar, let who will pull it down; but if its foundation be built upon mechanical demonstration, it must stand firmer than Hercules' Pillar: by the Process that I have taken, the material principles which I assert to be in this Spa are presented to our senses, these are infallible judges (positis omnibus requisitis) of their objects.  
Dr. Witty's failure was, in that he left off where he should have begun: after he had observed what is most conspicuous about the Spa, and tried that the Gall tinctured the water of a dark purple colour, contents himself with fair probabilities for affirming his five principles, and then, pag. 15. leaves it to others to try Experiments, and make what new discoveries they can.  
What unexpected things hath Anatomy discovered in the body of man these late years? to derogate a tittle from the honour of these happy improvements of knowledge, were to speak against the light, and to bark against the Moon: yet why must the usefulness of this noble Art be confined to the Animal Kingdom only? The grounds of Anatomy in the vegetable and mineral Kingdom, laid down by Tachenius, doth nearly conduce to the discovery of the Nature, Cause, and Cure of diseases, if I know any thing. The little desection that I have made of Scarbrough's Diana, giveth the cause why one cries, great is D. of S. and another at the same time decries it as much: the general account for this confused noise is, because as the liquor is commendable, so the dregs are insufferable: the Essence of it fit for the Cup of a Prince, the caput mortuum, which is Sand and Clay, fit for nothing but the Brick-layers Trowel. Hence it doth follow, that those who are weak in their digestive faculties, and strong in their distributive, these may find good by drinking this Water, and no harm by the sordid feces, due care being taken: but those who are weak in both, will experience the contrary. To all those that have a petrifying characters seminated in them, I say of Scarbrough water, Procul Ite, cito abite, nunquam redite.   

SCARBROUGH SPA SPAGYRICALLY ANATOMISED.  
BEfore I enter into this Discourse, I am necessitated to remove an Objection, lest I stumble on the Threshold: Says my honoured Patient, Last Year you persuaded me, that Scarbrough Water was to be preferred before Knaisbrough; this Year you are of a contrary opinion, and therefore I know not how to trust you. I answer, first excusively, you may note hereby, that I am not pertinacious; conviction of an error will work in me conversion to the truth: Again, I did commend to you no worse thing than that which I took myself; 'twere to be wished that all Physicians were bound with this Girdle. Secondly, directly, for your particular trouble, Gravel, and Stone in the Kidneys, I did prefer the Nitre at Scarbrough before the Vitriol of Knaisbrough: Appello Coronam, if that be not a more noble principle than this; yet must it be understood only caeteris paribus. Here my mistake was incurable, until I got opportunity to sift Scarbrough Water in the Fire, the best Microscope could not have shown me what lay in the bowels of it, only Spagyric Anatomy made the Dirt appear to open view. For satisfaction to others, who may censure my wand'ring from Knaisbrough to rise from wavering in opinion, take this plain Narrative.  
Anno Domini 1666. the famous fortunate Chirurgeon Mr. Thomas Holiard of London (may this man be blessed in his deed) cut me for the Stone, which weighed four Ounces and a half; Six weeks after, I was able to take Journey; the Doctor there (my friend) told me his doubt, that Vitrioline Waters were too sharp for me to drink, because of my green wound so lately healed: notwithstanding I resolved for Knaisbrough, remembering Mr. Stones case which his Father related to me long since, which was this; after his Son was cut, a large Stone taken out of his Bladder, the wound did not perfectly heal, (notwithstanding he had all the help that London could afford) for about three months' time, at last Sir Theod. Mayrne did advise him to Knaisbrough Water, he had not drunk it fifteen days till he was perfectly healed; for which great Cure done by it, he did frequent that Spa for many years after: this Water I mixed with white Wine, which brought away by Urine abundance of mucous matter. Helmont the Prince of Reason sets down the cause hereof in these words; ubi custodes malè se habent, continuò plorant partem proprii alimenti quod sibi assimilare debebat: I was glad to see that this Spa cleansed the Bladder from that glutenous stuff, which (if let alone) would undoubtedly have laid a foundation for another Stone. Sandy Gravel (which few or none are exempted from) falling amongst it, and mixing with it, must in continuance gather to a hard substance, too great to pass away. I wish all those that shall receive like mercy with me, would use the like means to prevent a relapse of that formidable Disease the Stone.  
Anno Dom. 1667. I returned thither again, the season proved wet, during which time, the Spa proved very weak of the mineral, this discouraged me from drinking much of it: I than blamed the great Ditch about the Fountain, as the cause of impoverishing the Spa of its principle, for I judge it was as rational to pair an Apple, and to peel the Bark off a Tree, and hereby not indemnify them, as to cut away the surface of the earth about a mineral Fountain; standing water abiding all Winter in these deep Trenches, by sinking down through the softened earth, makes passage into the current of the Spa; then every shower of Rain in the Summer will find the same crevices and cliffs to descend into it: If this may suffice to get this fault mended, I shall be glad.  
Anno 1668. being mostly concerned to look well to myself against the threaten of my former distemper, I visited Scarbrough during mine abode there.  
First, I took notice what Doctor Witty says, pag. 151. that after he had exhaled the water from the body of the minerals, it would not unite with other waters, but lie all at the bottom undissolved. By this trial of his, I was certain that in that body of Minerals there must be other things contained than his 4 or 5 principles; for Allom, Nitre, Salt, and Vitriol of Iron, are amicable to water, and without any force dissolvable in it, neither may it be supposed that the fire in exhaling the Water can alter the texture of Salts, so as to hinder their dissolution; for the more Salts are calcined, the more speedily do they imbibe the Water, as thirsting for it, as Ice doth, therefore easily melt in Water, because it proceeded from it, for the same reason Salts must do so likewise. If any one doubt of this, let him try the Lord Blay's Experiment, that learned Frenchman, viz. calcine Sea-Salt, deliquiate it, then distil all that will come over, repeat this process, and you will find that all the Salt is turned into Water, as devoid of all saltness, as is distilled Rain Water.  
Next thing I observed was these words of his, pag. 13. Nor can the principles be separated further than I have already expressed, namely, by putting Gall to the Water, notwithstanding many ingenious Gentlemen have endeavoured it: I wish those he means had applied their wits about the usefulness of Experimental Philosophy, as the Honourable Boil has done, and then their endeavours would have succeeded here, and to higher purposes than the separating the principles of Scarbrough Spa; where the difficulty lay that obstructed the separation, I cannot apprehend, for fire alone is an instrument sufficient to effect it. This substance (if I may so call it) being as subtle as the light, must penetrate through the centre of every poor of the mixed Water, and because of its property to ascend upward, it doth incessantly disquiet the lodge of heterogeneals: during this restless Motion, like things do occur with like, and their Nature is to unite: after this manner (as I conceive) it comes to pass that ignis segregat heterogenea, congregat homogenea: by no other artifice did I extract out of the Spa Water a pure nitroaluminous Salt, and a large quantity of feces apart, both which I then showed to the Honourable Lord Faulconbridge, who can remember what I said then to his Lordship of it. At this time I could not be certain but that much of the Sand which settled to the bottom in the Preparation, came through the carelessness of the Porter that brought me the Water, and therefore I could not come to a positive determination by this Experiment; only I wrote to Mr. Simpson, wishing him to forbear publishing any thing concerning Scarbrough Spa, till he had spoke with me, because I had made a trial what was contained in it; his answer was, my advice came too late, for his Book was in the Press, so far was I from having a hand in the framing his Book, as Dr. Witty was made to believe by the report of others.  
This Year 1669. I returned thither, and though I dropped Oleum Salis tinctured with Gold in every other Glass, hoping thereby to cleanse off the sordes of the Spa, yet after a fortnight's drinking, it gave me a fit of the Stone, which from the time Mr. Holiard cured me, I had not felt before. I brought the Water home with me, that I might be sure that nothing extraneous to the Spa might interrupt a critical Analysis thereof; the product confirmed my first Experiment, which I made at Scarbrough; all the materials that can be found in it, are three, first Raments of Stone, secondly a Nitroaluminous Salt, and thirdly, a gleeb of Allom: their proportions are thus, of the Stone-powder, one Ounce and three Drams; of the Nitroaluminous Salt, one Ounce and six Drams; of the Blew-Clay, which is the gleeb of Allom, three Drams; the active principles, and the caput mortuum are equal; so that if Dr. Witty's trial be true, that five Quarts of Water give one Ounce of the body of Mineral (as he calls it) you take half an Ounce of Stone and Clay into your Bowels, every such quantity you drink.  
Here you see a cause (as I observed before) why this Body of Minerals would not dissolve in Water, namely, the Stone and Clay by the heat of the Fire (while he exhaled the Water dry from them) become more compacted together with the Salts, than when they were in the Fountain; whereas when these Salts are separated from their dross, they melt as easily as Snow in Water.  
You will say, how comes it about, that there is so much Filth in Scarbrough Water, as you speak of? For answer, take notice, Dr. Witty tells you, that the Spa, which is a quick Spring, cometh out at the foot of an exceeding high Clift, all the Stone and Earth that maketh up this Mountain is big bellied with Nitre, Allom-Stone here and there mingled in it; after the Spring has run through this high Hill, the Spa is brought forth, which is fair and clear to look to; I cannot but compare it to an Harlot, of whom it is said, She eateth and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. This hungry esurine Water, after she has devoured Stone in a large quantity, as if that were not sufficient for to grate her Teeth upon, she hath swallowed both Cup and Liquor of the Allom. Because I have dealt with her, as Aesop dealt with the Boy that had eaten the Figs, made her vomit them up again; whosoever is angry with me for doing so, I must bear it. If any of her friends think I do belly her, let them for their satisfaction first answer this Query.  
From what cause is it, after you have drunk a Month of it, then, if not before, it takes a Resty, Jadish fit, will neither go backward nor forward? A Noble Lord complained to me that the Water dealt thus with him: his Lordship having drunk it with success about a Month, it then swelled him at stomach two or three last days, and would neither work by Urine nor Stool, though he took his usual Physic with it, as formerly, the Scotch Pill, which is an Extract of Aloes: I advised him to take one Dram and half of the pure Essence with the Spa Water; by the help of this, and the said Pill, he had plentiful Evacuations in that Afternoon: thus being quitted of his oppression, he meddled no farther with the Water. This Dr. Witty hath carefully observed, and therefore adviseth thus, pag. 211.  
If any man finds, that after benefit once had by the Waters, he gins to decline again in his health, as that his appetite or concoction decay, or the Waters pass not so well as formerly, but cause distension, either in the Belly or the Veins, and so bring on a difficulty of breathing, or pain in the head, or the like, it is then time wholly to desist, and to proceed no farther.  
This is honestly spoken, but is this the manner of other Waters, when they are fitly suited to a Chronical Distemper, and the Patient find once benefit by them, do they produce in him afterwards such evils as these? or rather, the longer they are drunk till the Cure be wrought, the nearer the Patient is carried to his desired end. Is there not therefore a sting in the tail of Scarbrough-Water? are not the Stone-feces plastered upon the inner Coat of the Bowels, disturbing their peristaltic Motion, and obstructing the attraction of the lacteal Veins, the cause of all those evils?  
This Query thus answered, for further satisfaction proceed after this manner.  
First, Take a large quantity of the clear Spa Water, in case you fear any Sand may be taken up with it, put all through a woollen Cloth, boil it till half be consumed, clear off that Liquor, then see how much Sand you find at the bottom; which is nothing else but part of the nitrous Rock, which the Water has dissolved, exhale that Liquor lower to the thickness of Oil, then pour it forth into a wooden Vessel; set it by in the cold, and the Nitre and Allom settles into crystals: when that Liquor will cast forth no more of these, then exhale the liquor dry, put Water to it, and filter it, and you will find more Stone-Powder in the Paper; exhale this Water perfectly dry, then burn it in a Crucible, dissolve it with Water, and filter it, there will you have the blue Clay; which is nothing else but the gleeb of the Allom: If you please to proceed further, dissolve the first Crystals, exhale, and filter, so often till the Crystals be pure and white, so will be separated more sandy Clay. By all this that I have said and proved to those that will trust their own eyes, I affirm this as my Position (viz.)  
The Nature of Scarbrough Spa is petrifying.  
First, I shall prove it by the Authority (which to Dr. Witty is instar omnium) of Kircher, lib. 8. p. 46. Quaeritur quid propriè sit succus lapidificus; dico esse Saxum nitrosum, aquâ eliquat●; his whole Chapter, de Origine Succi petrifici, doth make manifest this truth, as if it were written with the Sunbeams.  
Secondly, by Experiment, I made it visible that the Spa is mostly nothing else, but the nitrous Stone melted in Water, besides the Allom-stone that is imbibed in it; There is a famous petrifying Water at the Bridge-end of Knaisbrough Westward, known by the name of Dropping-well, a Stillicidium of a nitrous Rock. I sent for a Quart of this Water (which was very clear) and distilled it in a Glass Retort, which gave a Dram, wanting ten Grains) of pure white Nitre and Stone: by this 'tis observable, that Scarbrough Spa, because of the Allom juice joined with the Nitre, has corroded and imbibed more Stone than this notorious petrifying Water at Knaisbrough.  
I would not be here misunderstood, as if I did from hence infer, that Scarbrough Spa is more petrifying than this Water, which will set a stony Crust upon a Loaf, or piece of Wood, after it has lain in it a few hours: this manifest token of petrifaction Scarbrough Water is not charged with. The reason of the difference I apprehend to be thus, viz. the alkali of the Allom in Scarbrough Water hath in part imbibed the acidity of the Nitre, and therefore it cannot so penetrate the Wood put in it, as to leave a crust of Stone upon its superficies, which the other Water having Nitre alone in it will do. That Allom is an Alkali Salt, is plain from its saponary property, this the Dyers have experienced: Again, when Allom is put in a Crucible over the fire, it burns to a light porous Cinder, Vacua esse alcalium corpora demonstravit Tachenius. Nitre on the contrary doth flux in the Fire into a hard compact body, whereby it is evident, that in Nitre the acid hath the predominium, in Allom the Alcali; and therefore Scarbrough Water cannot manifest its petrifying property by putting Wood into it, and crusting it over as the other Water doth: yet he that will affirm, that Scarbrough Water hath no such occult quality in it, must first prove that it carries no Stone Powder in the Bowels of it; which is manifestly false.  
Thirdly, By the Aporrhoea Spiritus lapidifici, there are found on the Clift near the Spa, Muscle-shells, and such like things petrified to a stony substance; one of these was shown to Dr. Witty, this year, but he accused the Sea for petrifying it; if so, what befell Lot's Wife judicially, is not so great a miracle, as that it is not our lot naturally to be turned into Pillars of Salt, that eat so much of Sea-Salt daily; again, when the Earth of the Cliff falleth down by dashes of Rain upon the Sands, as soon as the watery moisture is exhaled from it, it doth petrify. Dr. Witty tells you of a lump of Earth thus petrified that will load two Carts, which because it was of a reddish Colour, and hard, he mistook it for Iron.  
Fourthly, by the effects the Spa produceth, primarily in those that are inclinable to the Stone: I wish Scarbrough Spa had given me no just occasion to complain of it in this particular; besides what happened to me there, (as I said) I was no sooner come home from thence, but another sharp fit tormented me for two days; that I am not alone in this accusation, may be gathered from Dr. Witty's Book; if such complain as these had not been vulgarly spoken, I suppose, so wise a man as he would not have started this Objection against the Spa, pag. 150. Another (says he) never had a sit of the Stone till drinking of these Waters, though few of his Family have escaped that Disease: is not this a shrewd sign of its petrifying nature? his Parenthesis doth not invalidate it, for, multae sunt in potentia, quae nunquàm reducuntur in actum; but take his answer to this Objection; Even just so a Light is brought into a dark Room, by which a Thief is discovered, therefore Light is ill for a Thief; by the same consequence that Scarbrough Spa is ill for the Stone. An Objection of this weight must not be answered so lightly, we that have been afflicted with this Distemper cannot be affected with ginglings when they tend to our mischief: But to answer, The Thief is in the Spa, the Water was not such a dark Room where the Thief has lain hid so long, but if a Light had been brought in by a Chemist, this Thief might have been discovered before this time, and then Nephritick men would have been ware of it. I grant, by reason of abundance of Nitre in the Water, it will force out stony Gravel in the Kidneys, when any is there; but I am certain also because, of the plenty of Stone filings that are in it, the Water will occasion the breeding of Stones in the Kidneys, where, pro tempore; there are none; ask those that have quitted themselves of the Stones they voided by drinking the Water, if after they returned home, fits have not come on them more frequently and sharply than before they drank of Scarbrough-Spaw. I protest to the world, both as to myself, Relations, and Patients, I have found it so: to show the disserence betwixt Scarbrough and Knaisbrough Water (as to this petrifying property) I shall mention a remarkable Observation of Mr. Henry Proctor of Farnly, I had the relation of it from his own mouth when we were together; this Gentleman was brought very low in an Hectic Fever, and sadly troubled with shortness of breath, he consulted with Dr. Henry Poor for Cure, but found no Remedy; he then applied himself to Dr. Neal, who prepared his body, and advised him to drink Knaisbrough Water, which caused him cough up several Stones daily till he was perfectly cured. He does enjoy his health very well ever since, using those Waters once a year; afterward he married, and now is Father of two Children; if this Patient had been sent to Scarbrough-Spaw, what had become of him let others judge; as the Disease of the Stone doth immediately proceed from a petrisick spirit, the cause sine quâ non, so Jaundice and the Gout have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from it, hence it doth follow, that, secondarily these two Distempers are dangerously exalted (in bodies that are inclinable to them) by drinking this Spa: for evidence of this truth, I shall give instances: First, the Lord Erwin went from his House at Temple-Newsam to Scarbrough (upon what other account than to divert himself there with the company of his friends, I know not) after he had drunk the Water, and was returned home, presently the Jaundice seizes on him, of which Disease he shortly died, though Dr. Taylor used all means for his remedy; now this I say, all sweet Spaws in the World have a property common to them, that they are of a deopilating nature, and though they may not suit to every Disease, yet for the removing of grand Obstructions (the cause of most Diseases) they are generally the best, and mostly the last advice of all Physicians; what reason then can be given why this Honourable Lord by drinking Scarbrough Spa Water had not the Obstructions of his Gall opened, but contrarily brought into this irrecoverable Disease that killed him? I say what reason else, if not this, Scarbrough Water did petrify that Sulphurous Saline humour in the Vesica bilaria into Stones, too great to pass through the porus? Dr. Witty blamed his too liberal drinking of wine with it (as he said to myself this year) but what harm could that do more than to increase Choler, which humour unpetrified is most easily purged away of all others? That Stones do as usually concrete in the Gall, as in the Kidneys, in men as well as in beasts, who doth question? I was present many years since at a Physic Lecture in London, when the Professor in the Discourse of the Jaundice brought forth three or four little Stones of Gall wrapped up in his Handkerchif, to show them to the other Doctors there, relating that a Gentlewoman of the City afflicted with that Disease, after many fruitless attempts made by him for her Cure, at last was put to it to give her a Dose of sharp working Physic, which quitted her of those Stones, whereby she forthwith recovered: if any object, that suppose the Gall be petrified, yet it cannot cause death in so short a time as this Lord took his Disease, and died in it.  
For answer, let him consult Helmont with Syloius, and there is enough to satisfy him, that the second fermentation made by the succus pancreaticus, and the Gall, are as necessary for the preservation of life, as the first fermentation is, that's in the Stomach; though in an Ox Gall there is often found a great Stone, notwithstanding the beast keeps health and liking till the Butcher slaughter him, yet then there is abundance of liquid choler besides in his Vesica bilaria, sufficient to perform fermentation; I shall mention but two other instances of this year in our Town. An Alderman whose Father some years since died of the Jaundice, but himself was never troubled with it, till after his coming from Scarbrough Water, than did the Symptoms of this Disease appear, only it did not manifest itself either by Urine, or by Colour of his body, which gave me a great cause of suspicion that the water had petrified the Gall; with Chalibeat, and other Icterical drinks, by slow degrees he recovered.  
A Merchant's Wife with Child, for company of her Husband, came to Scarbrough: Dr. Witty in his Book approving the Water safe for such, she desired to drink of it, upon her return home, a tormenting pain seized on her right side, for mitigation of this extreme dolour, and prevention of a Fever, Phlebotomy was thrice ordered, than an Antimonial Vomit, yet so obdurated was the Gall, by the petrifying property of Scarbrough Water, as I suspected, that none other sign appeared of the Jaundice, but a return of her pain three or four times over, at length a ternary spirit of Wine, Nitre, and Mercury elixerated dissolved the congealed Choler, and then did the Disease shine forth in its saffron colour; after three recidivations she was plucked out of the Jaws of death, beyond the hopes of all her friends, and is now well delivered of a lusty Boy: Let it be here observed that I practise according to conscience, and let those She-Tatlers, who when they have done mumbling over their Beads, come to a Feast, and there mutter hard speeches against me for dealing so severely with this Patient, take notice that it is my principle, when I see my duty, to pursue it to the hazard of my credit with such as them: and though I be singular in this point from the most of my Brethren, whose wisdom it is to secure themselves from an evil report, by doing nothing in a doubtful case; yet I have not so learned Christ. The Maxim is true, quod unicum est, non deliberandum est, and the resolution is Christian, Let us quit ourselves like men of Art and Integrity, and let the Lord do what seemeth him good. Pardon this digression, Reader.  
Dr. Witty gives an instance, pag. 180. of a Knight and his Lady in Lincolnshire, by drinking the Water at home for the Scurvy, both of them took the Jaundice, which they recovered not from, till Christmas following; he blames the distance of place from the Fountain for this fault of the Water; but all that can be charged upon drinking at a distance, is, that it may diminish the good, and increase the bad qualities of the Water which are innate.  
The Gouts inveterate malice is known to arise from a petrifying property of its acid Spirit, hence 'tis said, Tollere nodosam, nescit medicina podagram. If losers may have leave to speak, I shall mention how Scarbrough water dealt with me as to this Distemper, which all my life long I never felt the least touch on before: no sooner was an usual Stone slipped into the Bladder, from the left Kidney (of which I have spoke) but immediately ictu oculi, a Thunderbolt from the right Kidney darted into the joint of the great Toe, which caused me to go limping a fortnight after: Thus have my Reins tried what is that water of Scarbrough Spa. That I am not alone neither in this accusation, hear Dr. Witty, pag. 149. Others drinking without due preparation as was necessary (peradventure to save some petty charge) have fallen into the Gout, the water contracting heat for want of speedy passage, being thrown by nature upon the weak Joints, have hence inferred that these Water's cause the Gout. Answer, These Gentlemen without peradventure may be supposed to have neglected that which is judged necessary for them to do before they drink Water, yet I do aver, no Spa in the world has less need of preparatives, and more need of Purgers than this of Scarbrough: it was never observed by me, that any at the first morning draught of this Water, wanted a speedy passage by the back door. Though I cannot approve of his Notion touching the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, how and wherefore the water causeth the Gout, yet in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that it does so in Bodies inclinable to that Disease, we are both agreed. Thus having proved by all manner of Arguments both à priori and à posteriori, that Scarbrough water is petrifying, and have manifested that Knaisbrough Spa (which partakes of the Vitriol of Iron) by a famous Instance is quite otherwise; it now remains, only that I make out Scarbrough water has no Vitrioline Spirit in it. In this undertaking, I shall approve myself a greater friend to Scarbrough than Dr. Witty, who maintains the contrary, for if in this water the esurine Spirit of Vitriol be joined with the Volatile Spirit of Nitre, of which this Spa doth chief partake; how then doth it differ from Aqua Fortis, that deadly corrosive water, which is nothing else, but these two acid spirits inseparably united together? if he say these two are not all, there is Allom and Salt also, this makes the Water worse, for a Spirit from all these will make an Aqua Regia, which doth corrode Gold itself, the hardest of all Metals to dissolve. If it be said these corrosive Spirits are extorted by stress of fire from their bodies, which extraordinary heat will not be granted to be in the bowels of the Earth. I answer, this possibly may excuse à tanto, but not à toto: for first, the prolific Seminals of all things generated in the Earth, doth come to their proper matrices in a vapour. If any question this, let him try Platt's Experiment, put bituminous and combustible substances into two Glass Retorts, filling their necks, the one with lean Earth, the other with peet-earth, set them in an open fire, and by gradual heat the Vapours that ascend will petrify, the one Earth into Stone, and the other Earth into a plain coal. Secondly, this Vapour, if it be of ill quality, hath the same pernicious effects upon our bodies, as those that are sublimed by Art in the fire. This truth the Miners do sadly experience, the Sulphurous Vapours that are in every Coal-pit, will soon stifle any that goes into it before it be purged by air conveyed to it. Thirdly, this Vapour Nature can no more cause to ascend upward (which it doth perpetually) without heat, than Art can sublime without fire. Suppono (says Kircher) omnes vapores nihil aliud quàm tenuissima, subtilissima ac insensibilia corpuscula esse, quae calore exaltata ingentis in terreno mundo mutationis causa sunt.  
Wherefore, I say, though we know that Nitre and Vitriol distilled divisim, are both of them severally good, and of daily practice; yet we experience also, that distilled conjunctim, they send forth the most deadly corrosive Vapour, which by the coldness of the Receiver is condensed to a Spirit; there can be no doubt, but if both these (as Dr. Witty would have it) be joined in Scarbrough water, it must be highly corrosive, though not to such a degree as Aqua Fortis is, twenty drops whereof will kill a Cat; notwithstanding I shall examine his proofs for this Vitriol of Iron, as I find them in his Book, pag. 9 he says, a small quantity of Gall being put into the Spa Water, doth turn it into a dark Claret Colour, ergo, there is Vitriol in it; this is a non sequitur, for thus will the Gall turn a Coal-water, if it has gotten any touch of the Spirit of Sulphur to sharpen it, for dissolution of the black Mine that it passeth through: but we will suppose there is no Coal-Mine about Scarbrough, therefore, I say, it is only the Allom-Stone in the Spa that gives the tincture by the Gall; let experience prove it, take any Allom-stone unhurnt, powder it, add Spring-water sharpened with the Spirit of Nitre that it may dissolve it, and silter it, so will you have (to appearance) a water as clear as the Spa, put Powder of Gall thereto, and it gives you the same tincture. I am witness that the Chemical Apothecary of York did pick out of the Hill near the Spa, an Allom-stone that was not hardened in the air, but made soft in the Nitre which abounds there, and after he mixed only Spring water with it, and added the Gall to it, it gave as high a Claret colour, as the Spa itself doth.  
The Reason of these Experiments is plainly thus; the acid water dissolves the black Coal, or the blue Stone, and hides the colour of them in its pores, because every Atom of the continens must be outward to the contentum. The Gall being put in and stirred amongst it, by its Alcaly imbibing the acidity of the water, what is included therein is extruded towards the bottom, where, what is precipitated appears in its own colour, the Spirit of Salts adding lustre thereto.  
I will not mention here, how Dr. Witty commends this black sediment for Physical use, pag. 10. Against this Experiment of Allom Stone giving its tincture by the Gall, let be observed how Dr. Witty mistakes in his trials; says he in his answer to Mr. Simpson, pag. 91. I have tried the Allom Mine, having broken it to powder, and infused it in Spring water some hours, and it received no tincture from the Gall. Good reason, for he did but infuse it, not dissolve it; can it be expected that the Gall should precipitate the Allom Stone from the water, whilst it came not into it, but only lay at the bottom undissolved? what can simple water extract out of a hard Slate? no more than a Feather can strike fire out of a Flint Stone: Nay more (saith he) I calcined that very Stone, and then dissolved it in Spring water, and yet it received no tincture from the Gall. Answer. No marvel neither, because the calcined Stone of Allom is white; its blewness, which gives the tincture, disappears by the sire; even as red Coral calcined in a Crucible turns white of Colour. Further, to let the Reader know that he will spare for no pains to give satisfaction, pag. 92. he sends to two ingenious Gentlemen at Whitby, where is a water that breaks out of the middle of a Mine, to try if that would receive tincture from Gall, and they did both assure him it did not; besides they sent a Glass-bottle of the same water to York, where he tried it himself, and it did not change at all. Why? what's the matter? he is answered out of his own mouth, Nay, saith he, I do aver with them that it is like ordinary Spring-water, (in truth it is none other, the Labourers drink of it, to quench their thirst) having taken no vapour, odour, or Sapour from the Mine; yet he doth confidently conclude from this trial that it is not from Allom that this Water at Scarbrough takes its incture. Such another Errand as this to Whitby, he makes to Barnsley upon the edge of Derbyshire, to try if a Spring of fresh Water that runs out of Ironstone, would change colour with Gall: and it did not, neither there, nor at York. What can be inferred from hence, but that this Water which ran from the Ironstone was no more concerned with the Iron, than that at Whitby was with the Allom; nay, à potiori, if a Mineral Salt of Allom whiles crude, and embodied in its Gleeb, doth not always impart to the Spring that runs through it, either Odour, Sapour, or Vapour, as he hath said before, much less will the Metal of Ironstone do it. If his friend that for a further trial made a hole in the bottom Stone, to see if the Water that stood in it would tinge by Gall, had sent him a Bottle of any Water that came from the Ironstone, whilst it was in solutis principiis, I do affirm that Water would receive tincture from Gall; such a Water we have at Hunwick, where great quantity of Ironstone is digged up, and it receives tincture from Gall as highly as Scarbrough doth. Dr. Witty, pag. 94. is framing an Argument ab inductione thus. The tincture by Gall is not from Allom, nor from Iron, ergo, 'tis from Vitriol: Answer, I am loath to see my Brother in the pinfold, yet must I say, if it be from the Vitriol, it is because of the Iron that is in it, for no other Vitriol but ferrugineum will do it: hence it will follow, if not from Iron, then 'tis not from Vitriol, ergo, 'tis from Allom that Scarbrough Water tinges by Gall.  
His second proof, pag. 11.  
Sir John Anderton observed that the Water carried in an Oaken Vessel, in the bottom whereof was found a yellowish sediment, which he sent to the Doctor, he saw it like crocus Martis, and tasted it of a styptic quality, and therefore 'tis supposed by him to be the Chalybeate part of the Minerals. Answer, Quaecunque volumus, facilè credimus. The sharp Water agitated against the Oaken Vessel, in carrying corrodes the inner parts of it, which powder settling to the bottom, with some seces of the Spa Water produceth a settlement of the colour of Oak, which if he had dried, and then burnt in a Crucible, the flame thereof would have shown him, that it was Wood and not Iron. If different things were not sometimes like one another, none could be deceived. Pag. 12. The water at 40 Miles distance will not cruddle Milk as it doth at Scarbrough, and that it doth not receive such a deep tincture from the Gall, nor is it found to have such a pleasant acidity as at the Fountain: which certainly must proceed from a loss of the Vitrioline Spirits, of which it doth eminently participate. Answer, Who questions that Allom will not cruddle Milk as well as Vitriol? the more subtle any acid Liquor put to Milk is, the more perfectly doth it separate the thick parts from the thin; 'twill follow therefore that the water hath lost some of its subtle Spirits, by carrying, but none of the Vitriol which it never had. The tincture from the Gall I have manifested to proceed from the Unburnt Allom Stone, whereof this is a plain proof; put the Spa Water into Glass Bottles at the Fountain, let them be carried abroad and left a few days, and the Allom Stone will settle of itself without any mixture of Gall, to the bottom, in a blackish Powder, which cannot be any thing of Chalybs, for two Reasons; First, because the Vitrioline Spirit, and Iron are too great friends (being once met together) to be so easily separated. Any that have prepared Vitriolum Martis, he hath learned this Note by it. Secondly, when the Vitrioline Water doth settle its Colcothar without adding Gall to it, it is always of a yellow Colour. This may be seen in the Stone Bason and Spout of Knaisbrough Spa, where the Water passing continually in the open air over it, hath precipitated Crocus Martis, as I may call it thereupon. The like may be observed in every runner near the Fountain head of any Vitrioline or Chalybeate water whatsoever. His Argument for Iron, pag. 14. The Earth that falls from the Bank turns to Ironstone, as hard as Iron itself, and fusible being put into a Smith's Forge, as I have sometimes found upon trial: There is a piece of the Cliff within one hundred paces of the Spa, thus converted in a very sew years to an Iron Stone, as much as would load three or four Carts: Answer, I here require the Smith to make Horse-shoe Nails of it, and then I shall yield to Dr. Witty, thus much, that within a hundred Paces of the Spa Westward there is Ironstone. To me it doth appear to be a reddish Earth dissolved with the Nitroaluminous Salt, and petrified in the Sun and Air to a hard lump, which will flux in the Fire, answerable to the Nature of that Salt that is in it. Another Argument for Iron (which for manners sake I leave last) is that the Water colours the Excrements black: he should have said blue, for when he looks back again, they will appear of the same colour that Allom Stone is of. In his Answer to Mr. Simpson, pag. 42. I knew (saith he) Vitriol to be in the water from its eminent acidity. Answer. This is a non sequitur, for acidity is appropriated to the Spirit of Nitre, as well as to the Spirit of Vitriol. Pag. 43. Another token of Vitriol is, that Vitrioline vapour which any one of an indifferent smell may observe, which is something likely of Ink, though more pure. Answer. Take this Experiment to know what smell Scarbrough Spa is of, (viz.) Take oily Water (after all the Crystals are settled from it mentioned before) exhaled perfectly dry; add hot water to it, then stir it, and if it do not stink as bad, or worse than the Allom-pans at Whitby, I will forfeit my Nose: why then says Dr. Witty 'tis a more pure smell than that of Ink. Dulcis odor lucri ex re quâlibet. Pag. 44. Six score paces from the Spring a Vitrioline Salt, of a dark yellow colour, sweats out of the Cliff. Answer. The Nitre spires out of the Cliff all along Westward from the Spa, of a white Colour, this he confesseth to be none other than Nitre; at a further distance it changeth Colour to a dark yellow, as the Earth doth out of which it sweats: Let him hear Kircher confirming this truth, Capite de nitro; Quod si subindè nitrum variis coloribus imbutum reperiatur, id nil tamèn diversum à nitro, arguit cùm omnem colorem à colore terrae ex qua extractum fuit, trahat, si ex rubro, rubrum; si ab albo, album, & sic de caeteris, pag. 304. l. 6. Page 67. The black sediment precipitated by the Gall, I Calcined (says Dr. Witty) and it became of a dark brown colour, and is none other than Scoria of Iron (he calcined likewise the whole Body of Minerals) and there are in it here and there flakes of Iron, broad and thin, like those that fly off from the Smith's hammer. Answer. This calcined Sediment, and calcined Body are all one Experiment; for the Gall precipitates the gross parts whatsoever they be: no marvel then if it became as hard as a Cinder, which had so much Stone in it as I have proved; for those flakes of Iron that are discovered in the Body of Minerals, I confess I am not so ingenious, I never yet undertook his method in searching what different parts were in this compound Water, to calcine the whole Body of Minerals together, as that only expedient way; yet I calcined the Stone Powder, where most likely it should be intermixed, and there they are not. I calcined also the Clay, neither are any Iron flakes there, wherefore it must be supposed, like as he smelled the Vitriol, so he saw the Iron flakes, idest, something like them.  
The right improvement of this Water consists in three indications.  
First to resist (if it were possible) the petrifying property; but this being to the Water proprium quarto nodo, small help can be had against it.  
Secondly, To hinder that the Stone Powder, and feces of the Allom fix not in the Bowels.  
Thirdly, To prevent in tender constitutions that the duplicated Salt corrode not the Entrails, causing thereby a Dysentery, which (says Dr. Witty, pag. 150.) rarely happens.  
All the harm that Scarbrough water is guilty of, proceeds from one of these causes.  
In his Answer to Mr. Simpson, I read thus, pag. 238. And though Mr. Simpson has designed causelessly to rob me of the honour and reputation (if there be any in it) of my discovery of Scarbrough Spa, with its usefulness to my Country, yet if he have any thing to make out in point of Art, I shall never go about to eclipse it, but thank him to boot.  
As he is a man of his word, I expect thus much from him.  
FINIS.