The wards of the key to Helmont proved unfit for the lock, or, The principles of Mr. William Bacon examined and refuted and the honour and value of true chymistry asserted / by John Case ...

CHAP. III. Where, and how the Vitals do perform their chief Operation.

NOw these Spirits, as Authors have observed, are the Master-Workmen in the Body, and as the upper Wheel which turneth about the lower Wheels in the Body: therefore whatso∣ever is healthful, and refreshing to the Spirits, works powerfully good effects in the Body, and that speedily and suddainly, as the Author saith, Vapours and Affections work compendiously upon the Spirits. It is well known that the Almighty hath placed in the World all things for the use of Mankind, and nothing in vain; it was appointed by God that Mans Body should receive Nourishment by the Fruits of the Earth, what is a greater Earth∣ly Blessing than perfect Health of Body? Some say, Valetudo est summum Bonum, Health is the chiefest Good.

First, To shew you how this Wheel or Vital Spirit doth work for or against us; first for us, viz. for Health of Body. First, good Nourishment causeth Health. Secondly, good Air will

revive the Vital Spirits: But for fear this small Volume should be too big, I will only give you two Reasons which will give light to the lowest Capacity, viz. All Bodies are guided and governed by four Elements; not only the Bodies of Men, but all Vegeta∣bles, Animals, and Minerals.

An Element is a Body pure, Simple, and unmixt, from which all Natural Things have their Original; they are held to be in Number four, viz. Fire, Air, Water, Earth; Since that there is none born into the World but their bodies do participate of all these four Elements, and these cause all Alteration, and Change by Reason of these four Elements, because of their changing and shifting one with the other, therefore no Man stands at one stay, but he is either growing Rich or Poor, in Health or Sickness.

Now when these four Elements can be weighed in the Balances of Uprightness, there can be no Sickness, viz. the Heat to over∣sway the Cold, or the Cold to be prevalent, or over-power the Heat.

[illustration] depiction of scales

The Cause of Sickness is when those four Elements are une∣qually balanced, viz. if Heat be most prevalent, then it causeth Choler, and extream high Fevers; if Cold be, then Phlegma∣tick and Moist Humours.

[illustration] depiction of scales

This is the way that our Vital spirits strive for us, and against us, so they borrow one from the other, and change this World of four Elements, which is produced out of the two inward Worlds, and is a Glass of them, wherein Light and Darkness, Good and Evil, are mixt; It is not Eternal, but hath both a beginning and ending, meant of Heaven, which comes out of the midst of the Water, viz. of Mercury, whence ariseth the Male and Female Kind in the Spirit of the outward World, that is the Male in the Fiery Mercury, and the Female in the Watery.

This Separation was made all over in every thing, to the end the Fiery should desire and long for the Watery, and the Watery for the Fiery, that so there might be a desire and love between them in the Light of Nature, from which the Conjunction ariseth; therefore the Fiery Mercury, viz. The over-flowing Word, Se∣perates it self according both to the Fire and Water-nature of the Light, and thence comes both the Male and Female kind in all things, both Animals and Vegetables.

In the third days Work, the Fiery and Watery Mercury entred again into Composition or Mixture, and Embraced one another, wherein the Salnitre, viz, the Separator in the Earth, brought forth Grass, Plants and Trees, and that of the first Generation and Production between Male and Female.

In the fourth days Work the Fiery Mercury brought forth his Fruit, viz. the first Essence on Higher Powers, or Vertue of Life; then the four Elements, and it is in the Elements, of it the Stars were made.

In the Fifth days Work, the spiritus Mundi, viz. the Soul of rhe World, opened it self in the first Essence, it is here meant of the Life of the Fiery and Watery Mercury, wherein God Created all Beasts, Fishes, Fowl, and Worms, every one from its own peculiar property of the Divine Mercury.

Here you see how the Eternal Principles have moved themselves according to Evil and Good, for there are Evil and Good Crea∣tures Created, every thing as the Mercury, viz. the Seperator, and yet every kind of life hath its Original, in this Light of Na∣ture, from which it is that all Creatures in their kind or property love one another.

In the sixth days Work God Created Man; for in the sixth day the Understanding to the Life opened its self out of the Fiery Mercury, and that is out of the inward ground.

God Created them in his Likeness, out of the three Principles, and made them Images, and breathed into them the Understanding Fiery Mercury, viz. according to Time and Eternity, so he be∣came a Living and Understanding Soul.