Enthusiasmus triumphatus, or, A discourse of the nature, causes, kinds, and cure, of enthusiasme; written by Philophilus Parresiastes, and prefixed to Alazonomastix his observations and reply: whereunto is added a letter of his to a private friend, wherein certain passages in his reply are vindicated, and severall matters relating to enthusiasme more fully cleared.

Observation 45. Pag. 55.

From this page to the 62. your Theomagicall Nag has been prettie sure-footed, Philalethes! And it is a good long lucidum intervallum you have ambled out. Nay and you have done very well and soberly in not plainly pretending any new thing there. For they are both old and well seasoned, if the Church be so pleased to esteem of them. But what you have to∣ward the latter end of the 62 page, that is, a word of your self, and another o•• the common Philosophie, has in it a spice of the old maladie, pride and con∣••••it••dnesse: as if you had now finished so famous a piece of work, as that all the world would stand a∣mazed, and be inquisitive after you, asking who is this Philalethes, and what is he? Presbyterian or In∣dependent? Sir, may it please you, He is neither Pa∣pist, though he bid fair enough for Purgatorie in his Exposition of St. Peter in the foregoing page; nor Sectarie, though he had rather style himself a Pro∣testant then a Christian: but be he what he will be, he is so great in his own conceit, that though you have not the opportunitie to ask his judgment, yet he thinks it fit unasked to set himself on the seat of Judicature, and disgorge his sentence on our ordinary Philoso∣phie. He means you may be sure the Aristotelean in use for so many hundred years in all the Universities of Europe. And he pronounces of it, that it is An inconsistent Hotch-potch of rash conclusions, built on meer imagination without the light of Experience. You must suppose he means Chymicall experiments,

for you see no small pretensions to that in all his Treatise. And this very Title page, the first of the book, has the priviledge to be first adorned with this magnificent term of Art, Protochymistry. But tell me, Mr. Alchymist! in all your skill and observation in your Experiments, if you have hit on any thing that will settle any considerable point controverted a∣mongst Philosophers, which may not be done as ef∣fectually at lesse charges. Nay, whether you may not lose Nature sooner then find her by your industri∣ous vexing of her, and make her appear something else then what she really is; Like men on the rack or overwatched witches, that are forced many times to confesse that which they were never guiltie of. But it being so unsatisfactorie to talk in generall, and of so tedious purpose to descend to particulars, I will break off this discourse. Onely let me tell you thus much Mr. Philalethes! that you are a very unna∣turall son to your mother Oxenford, and to her sister Universitie; for if they were no wiser then you would make them, you would hazard them and all their children to be begg'd for fools: And there would be a sad consequent of that. But your zeal and heated melancholie considers no such things, Anthro∣posophus!