Paracelsus, his Archidoxis comprised in ten books : disclosing the genuine way of making quintessences, arcanums, magisteries, elixirs, &c : together with his books of renovation & restauration, of the tincture of the philsophers, of the manual of the philosophical medicinal stone, of the virtues of the members, of the three principles, and finally his seven books of the degrees and compositions, of receipts and natural things / faithfully and plainly Englished, and published by J.H., Oxon.

CHAP. IV.

BVt before we come to the degrees themselves, there are certain rules of the degrees to be observed, viz. By what means the degrees are augmented, or diminish∣ed: Therefore in the first place you are to observe this method: Whatsoever is of the Elements of the Earth, it possesseth the first degree, such as are Lettice, the Vio∣let, Anthos, &c. Likewise whatsoever is made by the Ayre, as the Plagne, the Peripnumonia, or Imposi••••me of the Lungs, the Causon, or most sharp Fever; these are in the second degree: But that which is begotten of the Element of Water, possesseth the third degree, as Lead, the Saphir, the Topaz, &c. But such things as come from ••he Element of Fire, as Ice, Crisial, Snow, they are of the Fourth degree, and that either hot or dry: There¦fore

you are to note, that whatsoever, sensitive thing proceeds off an Element, it is the same with the Element; as for Example, a Frog, whose Spenn i•• in the third Degree; Likewise Camphire. That which is of the Earth, as men, is in the first Degree, as Rebis: What∣soever comes forth out of Volatile or flying things, is in the second Degree, as ava, alias nvis, a Bird. But whatsoever breaks forth from the fire, as the Salamander; is in the fourth Degree: But the means by which one excells another, shall be laid open in the following Chapters.