held the Quaternary of Elements,
[which, by the way, they could never yet
sufficiently prove.] And the Second be∣lieved
Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury to be
the first Principles of all Bodies. And
the last sort, the modern Chymists,
hold Spirit, Oyl, Salt, Water, and
Earth, to be the true Primary Principles
of Bodies, for the same reason; viz.
because many Concrets are resolvable by
fire into the first three, if not into the
last five, distinct Substances before na∣med.
But that all Bodies are by Art to be [ 62]
brought back, uniformly, into water; hear
what that Learned Man, Helmont, saith.
Nostra namque operatio Mechanica mihi pa∣tefecit,
omne Corpus [pu••a saxum] Lapidem,
Gemmam, Silicem, Arenam, Marcasi∣tam,
argillam, terram, Lapides coctos,
vitrum, Calces, Sulphur, &c. Trans∣mutari
in Salem actualem, aequiponderan∣tem
suo Co pori, unde factus est: Et quod
iste s••l aliquoties c••hobatus, cum sale cir∣culato
Paracelsi, suam omnino fixitatem
amittat, tandem transmutetur in Liquorem,
qui etiam tandem in aquam insipidam tran∣sit:
Et quod ista aqua aequiponderet sali suo,
unde manavit.—Plantam verò, car∣nes,
ossa, Pisces, &c. quicquid similium