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. IIII. Gold animated, is the chiefe subiect of the metallic Medicine of the Philosophers.

OF so great power and force is the Phyloso∣phical Sulphur of Nature, that it multi∣plyeth and increaseth gold in strength and vertue, béeing already indued with great perfection, not so much for the equal con∣currencie of Sulphur and Quick-siluer, as in regard of the perfect combination, adequation, equabilitie of Elements, and of the principles which make gold.* 1.1 And the sayd principles or beginnings (to wit, Salt, Sulphur, and Mercurie,) doe so order themselues, that the one doth not excéed the other: but being as it were equally ballanced and proportionated, they make gold to bée incorruptible: in such wise, that neither the earth (béeing buried therein) can canker, fret and corrupt it, nor the Ayre al∣ter it, nor yet the fire maister it, nor diminish the least part of it.

And the reason hereof is, for that (as the Phylosopher saith) No equal hath any commaund or maisterie ouer his equal.* 1.2 For be∣cause also, in euery body equalled and duly preportioned, no acti∣on or passion can be found; Also this is onely that equalitie, which Pithagoras called the Mother, the Nurce, and the defen∣der of the concord of al things. This is the cause that in gold and in euery perfect body, wherein this equalitie is, there is a cer∣taine incontrollable and incorruptible composition. The which when the ancient Phylosophers obserued, they sought for that great and incomparable Medicine in gold.

And because they vnderstood, that gold was of so smal com∣pacted and firme composition, that it could not worke, and send his effects into our body, so long as it remained in that solidity, they sought & indeuored to dissolue and breake his hard bonds, and by the benefit of vegetable Sulphur, and by the artificious working of the Balsam of life, to bring it to a perfect adequation, that the vegetable spirits of gold, (which now lay hidden as it were idle, might make it of common gold, (which before it was) gold phylosophical and medicinable, which hauing gotten a more perfect vegetation and seminal vertue, may be dissolued in∣to any liquor, and may communicate vnto the same that flowing and balsamic perfection, or the Balsam of life, and of our nature.

And because we are now speaking of the animation of gold,* 1.3 be it known for a surety, that the auncient Fathers and Phylo∣sophers sweat and laboured much to find out the mistery hereof, that they might compound a certaine Balsamic Medicine, to vegetate and corroborate, and by the noble adequation, and she integritie of nature thereof, to conserue the radical Balsam, and that Nectar of our life, in good and laudable temperament. But indéed it is not to be wondered at, that gold being deliuered from his mannacles and fetters, and being made so spiritual and ani∣mate, and increased in vertue and strength, doth corroborate na∣ture, and renue the Balsam of our nature, and doth conserue vn∣to the last period of life, being taken in a very smal dose, as in the quantity of one or two graines.

And so much lesse it is to be maruailed at, that forsomuch as by that great adequation of temperature, it doth conueniently a∣grée and communicate with our radical Balsam, it doth checke the rule of phleame, the burning of choller, and the adustion of melancholy, and by his incorruptible vertue, doth preserue our nature, but also to ouercome all the diseases which belong to our body. And so much the rather, in regard that the same Balsam of nature, that natural spirit, is the principal cause in vs, of all acti∣ons, operations, and of motions, not depending vpon tempera∣ture or mixture, but concerning the same, as Galen himselfe is compelled to confesse, speaking of that our natural heat. Ye must

vnderstand (saith he) that Hypocrates calleth that, inset heate, which we call the natiue spirit in euery liuing thing. Neither hath any other thing formed any liuing creature from the begin∣ning, or increased it, or nourished it vnto the appointed time of death, but onely this inset or natural heate, which is the cause of all natural workes.

Therefore they can be excused by no maner of meanes, which contumeliously, & without any reason, doe dispise, discōmend, and caluminat these kind of remedies, which doe principally tend to the restoring & corroborating of our radical Balsam, which alone (holpen with the said medicine) is able to seperate those things which are vnkindly & grieuous to nature, & méerely heterogeni∣al, by expulsions conuenient, & ordinary euacuations: & to retaine the homogenial & kindly parts, with the which it doth most espe∣cially agrée to their further conseruation. Whereas, if for the cor∣roborating of mans strength, there could bee any vse made of leafe gold (the which is nothing else but a certaine dead matter, in no sort fit to participate with our nature, & much lesse able to be digested by our natural heat) which is most cōmonly in vse in all restoring medicins, as in Confectione alkermes, electuario de gem∣mis, aurea Alexandrina, Diamargariton Aricenna, and in such o∣ther like: why I pray you is the vse of gold animate disallowed, prescribed in that maner and forme already shewed? But in good sooth, they doe in vaine & too vnaduisedly discōmend, & contemptu∣ously speake against metallick remedies, as if they were no bet∣ter then poysons: when as the world knoweth, that men which are irrecouerably diseased, when no other cōmon medicines wil helpe, are then sent to Bathes, to the Spawe, and to such other wa∣ters which are medicinable, in regard they spring from Niter, Allum, Vitriol, Sulphur, Pitch, Antimonie, Lead, & such like: all which doe participate of a substance & spirit metallick, which we haue found by experience, to purifie & to euacuate our bodies by all manner of euacuation, not without great profit, as we will declare more at large, when we come to speake more particu∣larly of the same in our booke concerning the hidden nature of things, and of the misteries of Art: In the which worke we wil

shewe plainly and openly, the vertual qualities of those metallick spirits. And it shal be there proued by reason, and also by experi∣ence, that those metallick spirits, haue the same effects that the foresaid medicinable waters of Bath,* 1.4 and the S••awe, and other such like haue, which are natural and naturally hote: and there∣withal we wil shew plainly, that such waters artificial, by indus∣try may be made at any time, and in any place, and with no lesse commodity and profit.

There are a sort of men, which in some measure are to be ex∣cused, which being old, and thinke that they know all things, are ashamed to begin now to learne againe: but they which oppose themselues obstinately, and through enuy and malice, doe carpe and cauil, are more out of course, against whom we haue no∣thing to say in our defence but this, that they bewray their grosse ignorance and malice.

But the order and maner of preparing the Medicine, where∣of we treat here, was in old time called mineral, in regard that the Phylosophical Sulphur or Salt, which serueth for animation or vegetation, is extracted out of the first vegetatiue spring of mineral nature.

Many Phylosophers haue taken Saturn or Lead for the mineral subiect. Other some haue taken the Saturnal Magne∣sia or Loadstone, which is the first metallick roote, and of the stocke and kind of vitriol. Isaac Holland, Ripley, and many other Phylosophers, haue written their workes concerning this mat∣ter, the which, forsomuch as they are extant, euery one that list may read them. For we haue no other purpose in this place, but to teach and demonstrate in plaine maner, what that Bal∣sam radical is, and that vniuersal medicine, so much spoken of by auncient phylosophers, for the conseruation of health, and for the curing of diseases in mans body.

Others (among whom also is Raymund Lully) sought their fire of nature in a vegetable, to animate gold. For this was that which al men especially laboured for, to put life into gold.

And this is the reason why they all say▪ that there is onely one way, and one matter, or Balsamick Sulphur and of nature, which yéeldeth actiue and internal fire, to the same work.

And among all vegetables, the chiefest is wine. For of all o∣ther it partaketh very much of the vitriolated nature: which may be gathered, not so much by that gréene collor of the vnripe clus∣ters of grapes and their sharpe fast: as by the saphiric and red∣dy colour of those that are ripe, which appeareth both within and also without, and by the sharpe tast: all which things doe plainly declare both the external and internal qualities of Vi∣triol.

It is also wel knowne that there are certaine such waters in Auuergne in France, which haue the taste of wine with a cer∣taine pricking facultie or relish.

Vineger also, whereto wines is easily brought, when his sul∣phurus life is gone, (that is to say, when his spirit is seperated) doth represent the tart qualitie of Vitriol, as doth also other im∣pressions of wine sufficiently known to true Phylosophers.* 1.5 The which also may be gathered by the concordance and agréement which wine hath with the metallick nature, séeing that as well out of wine as out of Vitriol, the Menstrue of Chymical Art may be prepared, which is able to dissolue metals into liquor.

These are (I say) the reasons why Raymund Lully, and other famous Phylosophers, placed their workings in wine, for the ex∣tracting of their Balsamick Sulphur, that thereby they might make true potable gold, and the infallible Balsamick medicine.

But now we wil goe forward to open in few wordes Lullies method, which he so greatly hid in his booke of Quintessence, and in other places, which if it be rightly vnderstood, it wil easily di∣rect and instruct euery true Phylosopher, to extract out of all things (and therefore to compound) that Balsamick medicine.* 1.6 For the scope is euery where all one, there is but one ende, and there is but one onely way, to the composition of that Balsam, or Phylosophical Sulphur, which existeth in all things, mineral, ve∣getable, and animal: howbeit in some more, in other some lesse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gold tryum∣pheth in earth, in aier and in fire.
• * 1.2

  The incor∣ruptibilitie of gold, maketh it the best Medicine to helpe a cor∣ruptible bo∣dy.
• * 1.3

  The wonder∣ful effects of potable gold.
• * 1.4

  Bathes and waters arti∣ficial.
• * 1.5

  The Chymi∣cal ministries
• * 1.6

  Balsam is in euery thing.