The philosphical and physical opinions written by Her Excellency the Lady Marchionesse of Newcastle.

Chap. 202. The nature of purging medicines.

MOst purging drugs are of the nature of hot burning fire; for the inherent motions therein work according to the humour, or matter it meets with, some humor they melt, making it thin and fluid, although it be hard, tough or clam∣my, and as fire doth oare which is unmelted metal, makes it so fluid, as it will run through a gutter of earth like water; so do some drugs make some sorts of humour through the body, either upward or downward.

Again, some drugs will work upon some humours, as fire upon wood, dividing the humour into small parts, as ashes from wood, which naturally falls downward.

And some they will dissolve by mouldring, and crumbling, as fire doth stone, which runs forth like sand, which is stone in∣deed bred in the body.

Some drugs rarifie the humors into wind, as fire will rari∣fie, and evaporate water, which is set boyling theron.

Other drugs will at fire that distils out the moist, and watry substance, from that which is more grosse; but it is to be observed, that all purging drugs that work by vomit, are somewhat of the nature of that kinde of fire we call sulphur; or oyl that is melted, or fluid sulphur,

when these sorts of drugs are set on fire, as I may say, by the natural or distempered heat in the body, it flies out as∣cendingly, like AEtna; for it is of the nature of sulphur to as∣cend* 1.1 as flame doth; and certainly al bodies have such motions naturally inherent in them, as make and produce such effects as fire doth on several sorts of humours, by which motions the body hath a natural cleansing faculty, which makes the na∣tural purging quality: but when the motions are so violent, they oftentimes destroy the body with burning fevers, or vio∣lent fluxes, or the like; for the fire in the body, is like a fire in a chimnie, for when the chimny is clean, and the fire pro∣portionable to lie therein, it warms and comforts all a∣bout, and is useful for many imployments for the necessaries of life; but if the chimny be foul, or the fire too big, or too much for the chimny, it sets all in a flame, consuming whatso∣ever it incompasses, if it be not quenched out with cooling ju∣lips, as with water, or by casting on rubbish, or grosse materi∣als to smother it out, as in great fluxes, they will not onely give restringent medicines, as having a natural restringent fa∣culty, but thick meats, as thicked milk, or the like; but when the body is restringent, or hath taken restringent medicines, it is produced by drying motions, as contracting, or retentive motion, if they be hot, retentive, or contracting motions, they they harden and confirm the humours, as the heat of the sun, or the heat of the fire doth clay, which turns it to brick or tile, or those things we call earthen pots, and according as the hu∣mour is grosse or fine, the more britle or hard, or thick or heavie, or thinne or light; It is for some humor as Proselnye, or Chyney, others as the grosser earthen vessels; Again, some sorts of contracting, or retentive motions draw the humour, as when bacon, neats tongues, or the like, are dryed in a chimney, or oven, or the like; other sorts of hot contractions draw the humour, as the sun doth the earth, dry∣ing up the watry spring therein; but if the restringencies either of the body, or of the medicines be caused by cold retentive or contracting motions, it dries the humors, as cold frost dries the earth, or bindes up the humors, as frost binds up the waters in icy fetters, or thickens the humors, as cold thickens the water, or vapor drawn from the earth into clouds of snow. But I am to advertise my readers, that all expulsive motions are not fiery expulsions; for there are infinite several wayes of expulsive motions, and dilations.

Secondly these fiery motions do not alwayes work expul∣sively, but contractively, attractively, and retentively, and dis∣gestively.

Thirdly, all expulsive, dilative, disgestive, contractive, attra∣ctive, retentive motions are not fiery, but there is such a kinde, or sort of contractions, attractions, retentions disgestions, di∣lations, and expulsions, as belong to fire or heat, or as I may

better say, produces heat or fire, and as I said there are in∣finite several wayes of each kinde of motion; as for example, I will treat of one of them: a bee gather wax, a bird gather straws, and a man gathers sticks; the bees gather and carie the wax to the hive to make a comb, to lay, or hold and keep the honey; the bird gathers and carries the straw to build a nest to hatch her young ones in; the man gathers wood to mend his house, these all gather to one end, but yet several wayes; for the bees gather the wax, and carie it on their thighs, the bird gathers the straw, and carries it with their bill, the man gathers with his hands, but carries it several wayes, as on his head, or on his shoulders, or at his back, or in his armes, and milions of the like examples may be given upon each kinde or sort of motion, or moved matter.

Again, I must advertise my readers, that though I say there are fiery motions in drugs, and natural fiery motions in every animal creature, and so in many other figures; yet I mean not a bright shining fire, although some are of opinion, that in the heart is a thin flame, and when that is put out, or goeth out, the creature dies; but I mean not such a fire, for to my apprehension there are three sorts of fire to our perceivance, al∣though there may be numberlesse sorts, yet all of one kinde: as for example, there are those creatures we call animals, though some are beasts, birds, fish, and men, but not onely so, for some are of one sort, and some of another; for a lennit is not a parot, nor a parot an owl; nor a horse a cow, nor a sheep a dog, nor a whale a herring, nor a herring a plaise, nor a plaise a lobster; nor a black-more is not a tauny-more, nor a Euro∣pian an Ethiopian, yet all are of animal kinde; so although there may be several sorts of fire, and so of the other elements, yet all are of the fiery kinde, or likewise the fiery motions make several figures, and several figures have several fiery motions, for every sort of animals have a several shape, and several mo∣tions belonging to that shape; so in fiery figures, and fiery motions; but as I said before; there are three sorts of fire. The first is a bright-shining hot-burning fire, that is, when the interi∣or, and exterior temperament of matter, and the interior and exterior figure, and the interior and exterior motions be all as one. The second is a hot-burning fire, but not a bright shi∣ning fire, such as Aqua-fortis, vitrals, and such sorts of the same nature which will burn as fire doth, but not thin as the other fire doth; for though they are both of an interior nature, yet not of an exterior, for the bright-shining fire is all composed of sharp points, as I may say, lines of points, but this vitral fire is as sharp edged lines, like a rasor, or knife, or the like, nei∣ther* 1.2 is there external motions alike; for bright-shining fire mounts upwards, when it is not supprest, or in a straight para∣lel line, for flame which is the liquid part of bright-shining fire, although it moves in several lines, as it ascends, yet the

lines they ascend in are a straight diameter line, but this vi∣tral fire descends as it were downward, or divides as streames of water do, that digs it self a passage through the earth, so this vitral cuts a passage, through what it works on, neither can this sort of fire work so variously, as bright-shining fire can, by rea∣son it hath not so many parts, for points will fall into more parts, and are more swift in motion, then the edged line; as for example, dust which is numerous little parts heapt together, will be more agile upon the least motion, although it be of a weighty nature, as of the nature of a stone.

The smal haires which be of a light, and weightlesse nature, but being not divided into so many parts, cannot move so nim∣ble, as being united lines, but if you cut the hair into smal parts, it shall move with more restlesse motion, then the sand, by so much the more as the substance is lighter.

The third sort of fire is that which I call a cold dull fire, such as brimstone, or sulphur, mercury, salt, oyl, or the like, this sort in the interior nature is of the nature of bright-shining fire, both in the motions, and temperaments of matter, but not in the exterior, for it is composed of points, but those points* 1.3 are turned inward, as toward the Center: but assoon as it touches the bright-shining fire, it straight turns the points outward: for those points soon catch hold of those straight circumferent lines, and break them in sunder, which as soon as they are broke, the points are at liberty, and taking their freedom, they mount in a flame; but when those lines are not dissolved by fire, but crack, as we will snap* 1.4 a string asunder, then they onely sparkle fire out, but not flame out; but mercury, or quick-silver, the interior is fire, but the exterior is water, for the exterior moves extenuating circles as water doth, and so much as to make it soft, and fluid, but not so much as to make it wet; for though it alwayes gathers into sphiratical figures, which shews that the exterior would run into wet, but that the interior hinder it, by drawing the circles inward, as cold doth water into hail-stones, but yet the interior wants the force to make it so hard and firm; but as I did advertise my Readers before, that all sorts of fire work ac∣cording to the matter it meets with, yet none work so vari∣ously, as the bright-shining fire; which makes me think that drugs are more of the nature of bright-shining fire, then of the two other sorts, because they work in the body according to the humour it meets with, for if it meets wit watrish humors, it boyls it as water in a pot, which either boiles over the mouth of the stomack, or evaporates out in sweat, like dewes, or draws downward, like as in showers ofrain, it melts humors like metal, or turns humors like wood into ashes, or calcines the humor, where some part is fixed, other parts are volable; As for example, Rubarb hath a double faculty, some humors it expels out, others it bindes up; for Rubarb is both

purging, and restringent, as it is to be observed in great fluxes; for what it doth not cast forth it confirms to a more solid substance, so as it doth expulse and contract at one time, as I may say, according as it findes the humour it works with; Again, some drugs move several expulsive wayes, as by vomit and stool, where the vomiting is produced with as∣cending expulsions, siege with descending expulsions, but that expulses descending are of the nature of vitral fire, all that ex∣pulses ascendingly, is of the nature of sulphurous fire; but the generality of drugs works like bright-shining fire, according to the nature of the matter, it meets with, as I have sormerly described.

Notes

• * 1.1

  I have treated of the several sorts of fire.
• * 1.2

  That is when it works, and converts a thinner sub∣stance to its own nature.
• * 1.3

  But bound a∣bout with straight smooth lines without as to the circum∣ference.
• * 1.4

  As a flint, hard suger, brimstone, or the like.