Van Helmont's works containing his most excellent philosophy, physick, chirurgery, anatomy : wherein the philosophy of the schools is examined, their errors refuted, and the whole body of physick reformed and rectified : being a new rise and progresse of philosophy and medicine, for the cure of diseases, and lengthening of life / made English by J.C. ...

CHAP. VIII. The Elements. (Book 8)

1. The Doctrine of the Elements, in healing, is wholly impertinent, and so that in Galen, such a heap of those Books is ridiculous. 2. The vain opini∣ons of the Schooles concerning the Elements. 3. The true beginnings of naturall Science, are delivered. 4. Six conclusions out of the holy Scri∣ptures. 5. That there are onely three Elements. 6. The Content of the Heavens. 7. That there are two first-born Elements. 8. That Fire is not an Element. 9. The Errour of Paracelsus, touching the matter of the Heaven. 10. A Quaternary of Elements, for the mixtures of Bodies, and for Diseases, falls to the ground. 11. A Proposition; that all things which are believed to be mixt, are materially of water onely, with a me∣chanicall or handicraft demonstration. 12. What the Elementall, and Virgin Earth is. 13. From whence the two Elements may be called, the first-born. 14. An objection from artificial things. 15. The force of the artificial fire of Hell. 16. Another objection from Arts. 17. Why the Water may be reckoned the first-born Element.

MY sight is carried on a useful good, but not on vain reasoning. Wherefore [unspec 1] seeing the Auncients do call back nature, and every of its operations, to the account of Elements, Qualities and Complexions, resulting in mixture, and the Schooles do even to this day, hand forth this Doctrine to their young beginners in Medicine, to the destruction of mankinde; I will again and again, set upon the dis∣section of the Elements, whereby it may appear that they have erred hitherto, in the Causes of Diseases. I will every where, relate Paradoxes, and things unaccustom∣ed to the Schooles, and it will be hard for those to cease from the Doctrine drunk in, [unspec 2] who do believe, the whole truth to have flowed into Galen. Galen hath delivered in many Volumes, and with a tedious boasting of the Greeks, that every Body, the Earth, Water, Air, and Fire excepted, doth consist of the Wedlock of these four uni∣ted together, and so from hence, that a Body is to be called mixt. Moreover, that the whole likeness and diversity of bodies, doth arise from the unlike conflux or con∣currence, and continual fight of four Elements. But the Schooles that came after, do as yet dispute it as undecided, whether the Elements with their forms, do remain in the thing mixt; or indeed, whether in every particular mixture they are deprived of their essential forms, and the which, by a peculiar indulgence, they do re-take from the seperation, and general privation of the form of the thing mixed. At length, from the unlikeness, and combate of the Elements, they bid all the infirmities, and first-born fewels of our mortality to descend. Surely, it is a wonder to see, how much brawling and writing there hath been about these things: and it is to be pitied, how much these loose dreams of trifles, have hitherto circumvented or beset the World: they have prostituted destructive vain talkings in the faires of the Schooles, instead of the knowledge of Medicine, and so, so damnable a delusion, hath thereby deceived the obedience of the sick, in healing. Therefore the juggling deceipts of Pagans, being cast behinde me, I direct my experiences, and the light fteely given me, according to [unspec 3] the Authority of the holy Scriptures, at the beholding of which light, the night-Birds

do fly away. Therefore it is chiefly to be grieved at, that the light of truth being had, darkness is as yet taught in the Schooles of Christians. In the beginning therefore, the Almighty created the Heaven and the Earth, before that the first day had shone forth. Afterwards in the first day, he created the light, and divided it from the darkness. Secondly, he created the Firmament, which should seperate the inferior Waters from the waters that were above it self, and named that, Heaven. Therefore it is hence plainly to be seen, that before the first day, the waters were already created from the beginning, being partakers of a certain heavenly disposition, because they were hidden under the Etymologie of the Word, Heaven. Yet they were a-kinne to these lower waters, to which they were once conjoyned, before their seperation. In the next place, that darkness covered the face of the deep, and that, that deep did point out the Waters: because then, all the Waters above the Heaven, being as yet conjoyned to ours, upon the Earth, did make an Abysse of incomprehensible deepness, upon which, the Spirit (whose name is Eternall) was carried, that he might with his bles∣sing, replenish his new Creature of water. Therefore it is manifest, that the Creation [unspec 4] of the Heaven, the Water, and the Earth, was before a day, neither that it may be numbred with the six dayes Creation, afterwards described. Because it pleased the Eternall, also to rest on the seventh day, which in respect of the aforesaid Creation, would have been the eighth, if it had been a day. And therefore it is not reckoned among the number of dayes, because the Creation of the Elementary matter was made before a day sprang forth. Lastly, by this Text, the Firmament is not onely the eighth Starry Heaven: but and also that, which, by our Authority, we distinguish into seven wandring Orbs or Circles. Which the teacher of the Gentiles, hath seemed to contain in one: But the Chrystalline, and first mover, for another: and at length, the huge Heaven of an incomprehensible greatness, wherein every righteous man shi∣neth [unspec 5] like the Sun, for the third; although that Empyrean Heaven joyned with its two fellowes, being taken for the second, perhaps another may remain for the third. Which may be the bottomless retiring place of Fountain-light, full of Divine Maje∣sty, and unsearchable. At leastwise, the Firmament reacheth from the Moon, even to the conjoyning of the Starry Heaven, and seperateth the water that is above it, from these lower ones, and therefore the Heaven, with the Hebrews, soundeth, [where there are waters.] But the Lights, and the Stars, began on the fourth day, and were set in order in the Firmament. Therefore, in the beginning, the Heaven, Earth: and Water, the matter of all Bodies that were afterwards to arise, was created. But in the Hea∣ven were the Waters contained, but not in the Earth; hence I think the Waters to be more noble than the Earth: yea, the Water, to be more pure, simple, indivisible, [unspec 6] firm or constant, neerer to a Principle, and more partaking of a heavenly condition, than the Earth is. Therefore the Eternall would have the Heaven to contain Waters above it, and as yet something more (by reason whereof it is called Heaven) that which we call, the Air, the Skie, or vitall Air. For therefore neither is there mention [unspec 7] made of the creating of the Water and Air, for that, both of them, the Etymologie of the Word, Heaven, did include. Therefore, I call these two Elements Primige∣niall, or first-born, in respect of the Earth. But no where, any thing is read of the [unspec 8] Creation of the fire: neither therefore do I acknowledge it among the Elements, and I reject my honour or esteem with Paganisme. Neither also, may we with Paracelsus, acknowledge the fire, by the name of Lights and Stars, to be a superlunary Element, as neither to have been framed from the beginning: the which notwithstandig, it [unspec 9] should needs be, if it ought to resemble or partake of the condition of an Element. Therefore I deny that God created four Elements; because, not the fire, the fourth. And therefore it is vain, that the fire doth materially concurre unto the mixture of bodies. Therefore the fourfold kinde of Elements, Qualities, Temperaments or Com∣plexions, [unspec 10] and also the foundation of Diseases, falls to the ground. For our handicraft operation, hath made manifest to me, that every body (to wit, the Rockie Stone, the small Stone, the Gemme or pretious Stone, the Flint, the Sand, the Fire-stone, the [unspec 11] white Clay, the Earth, cocted or boyled Stones, Glasse, Lime, Sulphur or Brimstone, &c.) is changed into an actual Salt, equall in weight to its own body, from whence it was made: and that, that Salt being sometimes forced to a mixture with the Circu∣late Salt of Paracelsus, altogether looseth its fixedness, and at length may be changed into a Liquor, which also at length passeth into an un-savory water: and that, that water is of equall weight with its Salt, from whence it sprang. But the Plant, fleshes, bones, Fishes, and every such like, I have known how

to reduce into its meer three things; whence afterwards, I have made an un-savory water. But that a Mettall, by reason of the undissolveable co-mixture of its own seed, and the Sand (quellem) are most hardly reduced into Salt. I have learned therefore [unspec 12] by the fire, that God before there was a day, created the Water and Air, and of the Water an Elementary Earth, which is the Sand. Quellem. Because it was the future Basis, or foundation of Creatures, for man their Standard-defender: and therefore, in the very beginning it ought to be created, although in its own nature, it was not truly primo-genial, or first-born. Wherefore I finde two onely primitive Elements, al∣though there is mention made of neither, in the holy Scriptures, because they are com∣prehended under the Title of Heaven. But with the two, he also created the Earth. Wherefore he created two great Lights; that the Moon, and the lesse, by shining, might govern the Water: but that the greater, should shine upon the Earth. But I shall by and by teach, that these first-born Elements, are never changed into each other.

Indeed the Water putrifying by continuance, in the Earth, doth obtain a locall, or implanted Seed. And therefore it passeth either into the Liquor (Leffas) for every [unspec 13] Plant, or into the Minerall juyce (Bur) according to the particular kindes, chosen by the direction of the Seedes. Which Seedes, are replenished by the Ferment of the Earth, at first, empty and void, and then straightway, by the blessing of the Spirit boren upon the Waters. But my experience of the fire, hath taught me, to wit, that the three first [unspec 14] things, the Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury of the Water, do alwayes remain undivided, whether in the mean time, the water be lifted up in manner of a Vapour, in the form of a Cloud, or be made thin like unto invisible things, or at length also it doth flote in its antient shape of water. For, that Paracelsus would have the water, by evapora∣ting, to be wholly brought to nothing; let that be his own Idiotisme or property of speech, at leastwise not to be winked at by the ingenious Distiller. Truly I have cer∣tainly [unspec 15] found, that the water being lifted up into the Atomes or Moats of Clouds, yet doth alway remain the same, in number and water, in kinde, which the Atomes of the Mercury of the water, do shew to us in the likeness of a Cloud. But there is never made in the water a seperation of the three former things, and much lesse any essen∣tiall transmutation or changing. For truly there is a simple turning outward of the in∣ward [unspec 16] parts by the fire, the which again return inward, as oft as the Vapour is co∣thickned into drops. But the cause why I may think the Earth not to be reckoned a∣mong the primary Elements, although it was also created in the beginning, is, because it may at length be turned into water by the depriving of its essence. And therefore I believe the water to be the first and most simple body, seeing that never returns into [unspec 17] Earth, but by the vertue of the Seeds, and so the water takes the turns of a composed body, before the Earth or Sand Quellem, be made. Which thing, I shall hereafter more largely demonstrate.