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. I.

NOt only Hypocrates, but also all other fa∣mous Philosophers which haue succeeded him, haue receiued their most principall grounds of Physicke & Phylosophy, from the Aegiptians. For the Aegiptians had a most singular knowledge of Astronomy and of the celestial courses, together with the vniuersal Science of the Mathematickes, and of such like Sciences. But the more generall knowledge of all Sciences, is by Strabo ascribed, before al others, to that admirable Her∣mes Trimegistus: as doth also Diodorus Siculus, who af∣firmeth, that the Aegiptians were the first inuentors of Sci∣ences, taking their originall and infallible grounds from the same Hermes, or Mercury: whose diuine monuments are to be séene at this day.

From this ancient Author Hermes, which liued in the first worldes, haue sprung vp all our Hermetical Philosophers and Physitions, whose traditions, haue bene receiued and imbra∣ced, not onely of all sorts of learned men in all countries, but also by the most noble and famous Princes and Kings, both Gréekes, Arabians, and Latines.

Yet it must be confessed that the most ancient learned Phi∣losophers▪ neither haue nor could deliuer such a general know∣ledge, wherin there was not something wanting, and whereof themselues were not ignorant.

For (to vse the words of learned Guido) we are in∣fants carried vpon the shoulders of those great and lofty Gy∣ants, frō whose eminence we do behold, not onely those things which they saw, but many other misteries also, which they saw not. For no man is so sottish as to imagin that those first foun∣ders of Physicke had attained to the exact & perfect knowledge of Medicine, or of any other Science: which Hypocrates him∣selfe acknowledged in his Epistle to Democritus.

The same Hypocrates, howsoeuer otherwise singularly learned, and of all learned men for his monuments of Medi∣cine, to be had in great reputation and reuerence; yet hath be∣wrayed his ignorance in mineralls, and metalline misteries: as appeareth in his booke of Simp. where he intreating of Quick-siluer, affirmeth that he neuer made tryail thereof, neither in∣wardly taken, nor outwardly applyed: bewraying his error in thinking that Hydrargyre, & Quick-siluer, were two seueral things: supposing that it was a medicine of Siluer dissolued into water, like vnto potable golde.

Hereby (I say) he hath bewrayed his ignorance in metal∣line substance, in that he knew not Hydrargyre, and Quick-siluer to be all one. Whereof neuer any man doubted, except he were so addicted to his teacher, that he wold say black is white, because his master saith so, which none of meane wit will do.

For as we thinke them worthy of blame, which with newe found phantasies & toyes, do go about to burne & couer the er∣rors of the reuerend fathers & ancients, as do many Empiricks and deceiuers, vnder the name and profession of Paracelsians: who also, do too stiffely and falsely ascribe to Paracelsus, as to the onely author, the knowledge of hidden things & causes, the finding out of mysteries, & the true preparation of al remedies and medicines: so in like manner they are to be reprehended which holde it sufficient, so as they talke of Galen without all reason, and affirme that he was ignorant of nothing, and that he came to the full knowledge of Medicine.

It is therefore well said of a learned & wel experienced law∣yer, that it is a token of great rashnes, for wise men, either at the first to subscribe error, or to subuert that which might

please, moderated with a temperate resolution. And yet lear∣ned men against all truth, do oftentimes barke against aunci∣ent writers, thinking it great honour and praise vnto them, if they be able in any sort to contend with their greatnesse.

Those Phylosophers which haue written of Chymistrie, haue to maintaine their Science, Nature, Arte, and Experi∣ence: by auncient practise deriued from the Hebrues, Chal∣deis, Aegiptians, Persians, Greekes, Latines, and Arabians. This Science therefore is not grounded (as some suppose) vp∣on a vaine an imaginarie speculation, but is found most cer∣taine and infallible to the procuring of health, and length of dayes to many, by the goodnesse of Almighty God.

Neither doth this Science onely affoord, common extracti∣ons of oyles and waters, by ordinary Distillations, (as many Emperis doe imagine) but also most precious Elipirs & Quin∣tessences, much laboured, circulated, and wrought, by digesti∣ous concoctions, and fermentations, by the meanes whereof all impure and corrupt matter is defeked and separated, the euil quality corrected & amended, & that which is bitter, is made swéet. Without the which operations, our bread, béere, & wine, the ordinary and most principal meanes of our nourishment, become hurtful & pernicious vnto vs. For if we should eat raw wheate, or hoyled onely in water: what & how many diseases would grow in vs? For this cause we separate the pure from the impure, that they may be profitable for vs, as the meale from the bran, the which meale or flower, we mixe with water, we leauen and bake, whereof ariseth a great magistery, name∣ly bread fit for nourishment: and by his artifice, apt to passe and turne into our flesh: in the working whereof, if there be but a little error, it wil not be so pleasing to the tast, nor so fitting to nourishment, as is to be séene in bread, either ill seasoned, or not wel baked: the which we reiect through these defaults.

The like practise & worke is to be vsed in wines, if we desire to haue them fitte for our vse. For the pure must be separated from the impure, by boylings, digestions, and firmentati∣ons, separating from the kernells and skinnes, the liquor of the grapes, that it may be brought into pure wine.

This done, and being put into vessels, it worketh newe se∣perations, fermentations, disgestions, and purgations, sepera∣ting the dregges and lées, from the pure substance of the wine; the which so seperated, it becommeth fine and cleare, and is fit to be dranke for nourishment: Whereas otherwise taken with the lees & not fined, it bréedeth dissenterie, fluxes, the stone, paine in the head, and procureth such like diseases.

Chymists therfore immitating nature in these kind of wor∣kings, and haue learned them in her schoole: finding by effect in natures worke, that if common & ordinary meates & drinkes vnprepared, vnseasoned, & rude, cannot be taken into our bo∣dies without perill, then Physitians, and Apothecaries, ought to prepare, seperate & purge those simples which they shal vse for medicine, by arte seperating the crosse impurity, that they may not be more hurtful to the weake and sick, then profitable.

If Hypocrates or Galen himselfe, were now againe aliue, they would excéedingly reioyce to sée art so inlarged & augmen∣ted by so great and noble addition, and would patronize and vpholde with their owne hands, that which was hidden from the old fathers in former ages: and reiecting many of these things, which before pleased them, yéelding to reason and ex∣perience, would gladly imbrace the new. For it is euident by their writings, how vncertaine and doubtful they be in many things, by reason of the weakenesse of the foundation where∣on they haue builded. Whose buldings notwithstanding, vt∣terly to ouerthrow, no wise and modest Phhlosopher wil goe about, but will rather endeuour to vphold them, that posterity may well and assuredly knowe that we were not barren, but endued with the same wit that they had, and that our mindes were seasoned with that more noble salt. The which shall ap∣peare, it not reiecting the writings of our elders, we shall in∣rich and adorne them with newe inuentions.

For artes come by tradition, and are deliuered as it were from hand to hand, and euery one adorneth his arte with new inuentions, according as he excelleth others in dexteritie of wit. And albeit, it may be said, that it is an easie matter to adde

to that which is inuented, yet both the Inuentors, and also the augmentors, are to be thankfully imbraced.