The practise of chymicall, and hermeticall physicke, for the preseruation of health. Written in Latin by Iosephus Quersitanus, Doctor of Phisicke. And translated into English, by Thomas Timme, minister

CHAP. X. Wherein is prooued, that the naturall and originall moy∣sture in Saltes, is not consumed by calcination, but that the very formes do lye hidde in that con∣stant and vitall beginning.

THe Naturall and originall moysture, with the which Saltes are replenished (as is aforesaid) is not consumed with the force of fire, and by Calcination. For it shall be here shewed, that all the more forcible tinctures and impressions, and the property of things, together with their most potent qualities and powers, as tastes, odours, colours, with the very formes themselues, & such like, are concluded, and do lie hid, in that firme, constant, & vitall beginning.

For the truth whereof, I will deliuer vnto you certaine demon∣strations, oftentimes prooued and confirmed by my owne experi∣ence. One, I learned of a friend which lodged at my house, who

was the first Inuentor therof. Another, I receiued frō a most lear∣ned & famous Polonian, a skilfull Physitian, aboue 26. yeers since.

This man was so excellently, and phylosophically skilfull in the preparing of the ashes out of al the parts of any maner of plant, with all the Tinctures and Impressions of all the parts of the plant, and would in such wise conserue all their Spirites, and the Authours of all their faculties, that hée had aboue thirtie such plants prepared out of their ashes of diuers sorts, contey∣ned in their seuerall glasses, sealed vp with Hermes seale, with the tytle of each particular plant, and the propertie thereof, written vpon the same. So, as that if a man desired to sée a Rose or Mary-gold, or any other flower, as a red or white Poppey, or such like: then would hée take the glasse wherein the ashes of such a flower was inclosed, whether it were of a Rose, a Marie-golde, a Pop∣pey, a Gilly-flower, or such like, according as the writing of the glasse did demonstrate. And putting the flame of a Candell to the bottome of the glasse, by which it was made hote, you might sée that most thinne and impalpable ashes, or salt, send foorth from the bottome of the glasse, the manifest forme of a Rose, vegetating and growing by little and little, and putting on so fully the forme of stalkes, leaues and flowers, in such perfect and naturall wise in ap∣parant shew, that a man would haue beléeued verily, the same to be naturally corporeat, whereas in truth it was the spirituall Idea, indued with a spirituall essence: which serued for no other purpose, but to be matched with his fitting earth, that so it might take vnto it a more soly body. This shadowed Figure, so soone as the vessell was taken from the fire, turned to his ashes againe, and vanishing away, became a Chaos and confused matter.

When I had séene this secret, & endeuouring with al my might to attaine to the same, I spent much time about it, but yet lost my la∣bour. But as touching the demonstration following: I affirme vp∣on my faith and credite, to be most certaine, and haue often proued and experimented it by my selfe & may easily be done by any man.

The Lord de Luynes Formentieres, a man of great ac∣count, both for his learning and office, being noble, and of all men singularly beloued, long since departed this life: with whom in his life time, I conuersed with great familiaritie. This noble man 〈◊〉〈◊〉 very great paines, to search and finde out the most excellent

secrets of nature, but specially those which appertained, either for the preseruatiō, or for the restoring of health. And séeking long to find such remedies, for that he had languished in a crazed body a great while without any helpe, and was iudged by Physitians to be past cure, he was at the last holpen, and wonderfully restored to health, by one only Lossenge of a certaine Chymical electuary of great vertue, which the Lady de la Hone, a most noble and wise matrone gaue vnto him. This Lossenge, prouoked him to easie vomit, by which he cast vp from his stomacke all impurity, tough and discous, like the whites of egs, diuersly coloured, in great quantitie: by which hee was restored to health againe, to his great ioy and comfort.

Hereupon he greatly desireth to know this secret, the which he not onely obtained at the hands of that noble Lady, but some others also no lesse vertuous, by his own endeuour afterwards: the which he vsed both for his owne health, & also for the good of others as need required, in the way of Christian charity. This man cōming out of France, in the time of the ciuil wars, & conuersing with me, applyed his mind to extract Salt out of mettals: that thereby he might pre∣pare a remedy against the stone, dissoluing it with christall. This Salt being mixed with the lye made with ashes of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 mettals, by often powring warme water vpon the same, & drawing it through too and againe (as women are wont to make their cōmon lye) shew∣ed a proofe of his essence, included in the lye after this maner.

The lye being strained through a Filter, & oftentimes very well clensed, was put into a vessell of earth, hauing a narrow bottom, and a wide mouth, which is called a Terime. And when the said vessell had stood without the windowes in the cold aire, by the space o•• one night, it grew into an Ise, through the cold of the winter. The win∣dow being opened earely in the morning, and the lye clensed, there appeared a méere and firme Ise, wherein there appeared a thou∣sand formes of mettalls, with all the parts thereto belonging: as leaues, stalkes, and rootes, being very plaine and apparant to the eye of the beholders, in such sort as no man could but acknowledge them to be mettals.

When the noble man beheld this, and gazed vpon it, as on a mi∣racle, he hastily ranne vnto me, and spake to me in the words of Archymides, crying, I haue found, come, and see. And when I came into his worke-house, I tooke the Ise, and brake of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 good

péece, which I handeled so warily, that it might not melt with the warmth of my hand, and carryed it to men of great woorth, which dwelt with vs in that Citie: who beholding the Ise, affirmed most constantly that they were mettalls, and did no lesse maruaile then I my selfe did, wondering what it should intende, and from whence, and how so excellent a thing coulde procéede out of Nature: wée all calling to minde this sentence of holie writ: Remember man, that thou art Ashes, and to Ashes againe thou shalt returne: considering that the forces of such things do lye hydde and abide in their ashes, from whence the Resurrection of our Bodies is most assuredlie to bée expected.

This gallant experiment being afterwards oftentimes by mée wrought, & rightly performed by Art, brought also to my minde that History wherof I spake before, concerning a Poleland Physitian: the which when I saw, I stroue, and endeuored all that I coulde, with meditation and practice to bring it to passe. And first I thought vpon the reasons how so excellent a woorke might be finished: and what it was, that gaue forme so perfectly to a Rose, or to any other Plant, according to the verie life, with all the Naturall colours thereto belonging, in a moment, occasioned through a light heate. I say, I had diuers and sundrie cogitations with my selfe how this thing might bée. And amyddest these thoughts, and as I was bu∣sied in other woorkes, I perceiued that the forme and figure of a thing is included in his salt, without any colour: and that there are no other colours in water, then waterie, that is to say white: And further, that the mettalls in that I sée should be deuoid of all colour, sauing waterie and white, by reason that the Ethereall and Mercu∣riall spirites Vaporous and sulphurous▪ do vanish away, by their as∣sation and calcination in the Sunne-shine, from the which spirits the colours doe arise, as is to be séene in Salt Niter: which al beit whyte in shewe, yet put into a close Lembic, and set ouer the fire in sande to be fixed, it sendeth foorth his flying spirits, euen through the harde bodie of the Alembic, of sixe hundreth seuerall colours, and cleaning to the vttermost part of the vessell like volatile meale. Sée∣ing therefore there lye hid so many sundrie colours in Salt-peter, (which is a fatte salt of the earth) there is no doubt but that the like

Saltes also are contained in all other things, which containe in them their proper colours also drawen out of the power of the earth, which shew foorth themselues in theyr due season by the in∣dustrie of Art.

Thus after long deliberation had with my selfe, I fullie resol∣ued to make tryall hereof. And first I tooke one whole simple being in this perfect vigor and strength in the spring time, hauing fulnesse of Iuice, and impressions of vitall tinctures, which na∣tures are included in the spirites of Saltes. This simple (I say) I determined to beate in a marble morter, with his stalkes, leaues and flowers, together with the rootes, and so to reduce it into a Chaos or confused masse, & to put it into a vessell of glasse, closed with Hermes seals, and so to remaine to be digested, ma∣cerated, and fermented a conuenient time, out of the which at the length I might 〈◊〉〈◊〉 those thrée principles, Salt, Sulphur, and Mercurie, & to separate them according 〈…〉〈…〉 preseruing with all diligence the spirtes: & out of their mercuriall and sulphurous liquor actiue, separating the Elementall water passiue, whereby is extracted out of the drie Feces artificially calcined, a Salt, brought to the puritie of Christall, which is a most white ashes, and most full of life.

Then after this, I would put to this Salt by little and little his Mercuriall liquor, which I would distill from it, that I might conioyne with the fixed salte, the volatile armoniac, which is in∣cluded in that liquor, and from whome the liquor borroweth his whole force, which I perceyued to be deteyned and swallowed vp by the fixed salte: for so nature imbraceth nature, and like re∣ioyceth with the like, as salt with salte.

These things thus finished, that is, these saltes being vnited together againe, then would I adde by little and little the sul∣phurous essence, which I would bring into earth soliate, that is to say: the most simple essence, full of all vitall Tinctures and properties.

But wanting leysure to go forward in this course, I haue not as yet attayned the vndoubted experience of this so noble a se∣crete: whereof I will make proofe and assaye, if God permit,

when occasion shalbe giuen. For séeing it is a matter in nature, and hath bene alreadie done, there is no doubt but that it may be done againe, by other diligent woorkemen. Neyther doe I thinke that there can be a more ready way of working prepa∣red, than that which I haue already spoken of, and which is kno∣wen and familiar to true Philosophers, and Chymists. For this course obserued, euery thing wel wrought, hath his most effectual and actiue vertues, and vital qualities. But some other better learned and more exercised in Chymical philosophy then my selfe, can more readily sée this thing, and looke further into the worke∣manship, who hauing better leysure, may make trial of this wor∣king, and finde out in very déede the truth and certainty of the ar∣tifice. Wherunto if any man by his industry do attaine, let him not kepe the secrete to himselfe alone, but let him bestow the same vppon men of good parts, for the which benefite they shal stant bounde foreuer.

For albeit, it is a matter more pleasant to beholde then profi∣table, yet it openeth and awaketh the drowsie eyes of the more witty and learned sort of men, to beholde and take in hande for greatter and more profitable things for mankinde: who after∣warde wil guide into the right way, the blinde, and such as doe erre through ignorance, and wil steppe the mouthes of euil ton∣gued and malicious men.