Thesaurus & armamentarium medico-chymicum, or, A treasury of physick with the most secret way of preparing remedies against all diseases : obtained by labour, confirmed by practice, and published out of good will to mankind : being a work of great use for the publick / written originally in Latine by ... Hadrianus à Mynsicht ...; and faithfully rendred into English by John Partridge ...

Arcanum Duplicatum, or a double Secret.

THis Arcanum is also called the Salt of Wis∣dom, also a Salt of two things, because it doth consist but of two things in its preparation, to wit, Vitriol and Nitre, and it is by the Chy∣mists prepared in the following method. Extract from the Caput mortuum of Aqua fortis (distil∣led from equal parts of Vitriol and Nitre) a most white Salt with warm water. Take this Salt and grind it upon a Marble, and put it into a Cucurbit luted all over; let your fire be increa∣sed by degrees, and continued for twelve hours, till it be calcined, remembring to stir it often, towards the end let the bottom of the Cucurbit

grow red-hot, afterwards let all cool again: the Vessel being broken, take out your Salt, and work again as at the first, grinding it into sine Powder, &c. and let this labour be repeated the second and third time, and then it is truly pre∣pared.

But some of the more curious Spagyrists add to seven or ten parts of this Salt, one part of the Calx of the Sun or Moon well prepared; and being well mixed together, they grind them in∣to a fine Powder upon a Marble, and after by the benefit of fire, as Artists well know how, they six and unite them: and being so prepared, they preserve it as a part of their Treasure.

Virtue, Use, and Dose.

IT is given in all Melancholy-distempers, in Madness, disturbance of Mind, the Pestilence, Epidemical Diseases, &c. This Medicine is a great Secret, and works variously, by Transpi∣ration, by Stool, and sometimes also it causeth sleep. The Dose is from a scruple to half a dram in any Vehicle appropriate to the disease.