Medicina practica, or, Practical physick shewing the method of curing the most usual diseases happening to humane bodies ... : to which is added, the philosophick works of Hermes Trismegistus, Kalid Persicus, Geber Arabs, Artesius Longævus, Nicholas Flammel, Roger Bachon and George Ripley : all translated out of the best Latin editions into English ... : together with a singular comment upon the first book of Hermes, the most ancient of philosophers : the whole compleated in three books / by William Salmon ...

CHAP. XI. The Practical part farther Explicated.

I. HERMES. It be∣hoves you therefore to give thanks to God, who has largely given [of his bounty] to all the Wise; who delivers us out of the Snares and Clutches of Misery and Pover∣ty.

Salmon. For this inesti∣mable Gift of God, it is but gratitude to return him the Tributes of Humility and Thanksgiving; to abase our selves before his Divine Majesty, with all humbleness and submission; who thus raises you out of the Dust to sit among Princes, ma∣king you to despise the Glo∣ries of Crowns and Scep∣ters as insignificant Baubles, and to rest with infinite content in the meanness of a despicable Cottage, for that you carry within your Brests the true Treasure, more valuable than all the whole World besides.

II. Hermes. I am proved and tried with the fulness of his Riches and Goodness; with his probable miracles; and I humbly pray God, that whilst I live, I may pass the whole Course of my life, so as I may attain him.

Salmon. When a Man becomes Master of this Ar∣canum, he is then tried and proved indeed, how in the midst of such a fulness of Riches and Happiness he can humble himself, and sink in to the deep A∣byss of nothingness, abstra∣cting himself from all the goodly things of this life: In this humble state God is only to be met with, (for the proud he beholds afar off) and in this abjection

and self-denial, in this mor∣tification of the first life and birth, a second is to be found, a being brought forth in the love of God, the birth of the new Man formed af∣ter the Image of the second Adam, a new Spirit, a new Life joyned and United to the Life of God, which can never Perish or Decay, a Fountain of Eternal De∣lights, an inexhaustible Treasure, infinitely exceed∣ing that which we have all this while thus earnestly been seeking after, and pursuing.

III. Hermes. Take then from thence the Fats or Sul∣phurous Matter, which we take from Suets, Grease, Hair, Verdigrease, Tragacanth, and Bones, which things are writ∣ten in the Books of the An∣cients.

Salmon. By the Fats or Sulphurous Matter under∣stand, the Sulphurs of all kinds educed by the Alchy∣mick Art, out of Natural things, of which Sulphurs, one only is fixed, and in∣combustible, and it is a thing which is both in the Earth and in the Heavens; it is in Act, Animal, Vege∣table, and Mineral, found every where, known but by a few, and expressed by its proper Name by no Body, shadowed forth under Vari∣ous Figures and AEnigmaes. This fixed Sulphur, the Phi∣losophers understand to be nothing else, but the true Balsam of Nature, with which the Dead Bodies of the Metals are imbibed, and as it were throughly moist∣ned, to preserve them per∣petually from Corruption. The more any thing abounds with this Balsam, the longer it lives, and is preserved from perishing: From things therefore abounding with a Balsam of this kind, is this Our Universal Medicine drawn; which (as well as for Metals) is made most effectual to conserve Hu∣mane Bodies in a State of Health, and to root out all sorts of Diseases, whether accidental after the Birth, or Hereditary by Propaga∣tion, restoring the Sick to their pristine Health and In∣tegrity. This Sulphur is not taken from Suets, Grease,

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Hair, Verdigrease, Traga∣canth, Bones, &c. But un∣der these and other the like Names, our Hermes by a Philosophick Liberty, has vailed the Verity from im∣pious and unworthy Men.

IV. Hermes. But the Fats which contain the Tinct∣ures, which coagulate the Fugi∣tive, and set forth, or adorn the Sulphurs, it behoves us to ex∣plicate their disposition [more fully hereafter.]

Salmon. Here, in more words, Hermes explicates the Condition, or Qualities, and Properties, of the true Balsam of Nature, or Phi∣losophick Sulphur. 1. He says it contains the Tinctures. 2. It Coagulates Fugitive Substances. 3. It exalts the Power of the Sulphurs, by fixing the Volatile, and ma∣king Bright and Shining the things. which were Dark and obscure. The Volatiles of this kind, are nothing else but all the inferior and im∣perfect Metals, which by this 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or Sulphur, are 〈◊〉〈◊〉 into the best and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Silver and Gold. Now this hidden Sulphur dwells in the Bodies, just as Fire in a Coal, or Natural Heat in a Humane Body, or the Vegetative Life in the Spring time, in Herbs, Plants, and Trees, which in Process of time, makes them bring forth Buds, Leaves, Flowers, and at length perfect Ripe Fruits and Seeds. Or like Heat in the inward parts of the Earth, and Bowels of the Mountains, where the most simple Bodies of things, or E∣lements are first mixed, and produce Metals, Minerals, Stones, &c. according to their several varieties and kinds: So this our Sulphur of Na∣ture contains in it self the true Tinctures, which by the revolution of time it ex∣plicates; making ripe the unripe, purifying the im∣pure, fixing the Volatile and ennobling the Ignoble and Vile.

V. Hermes. And to Un∣veil the figure or form, from all other Fats or Sulphurs, (which is the Hidden and Bu∣ried Fat or Sulphur) which is seen in no disposition, but

dwells in its own Body, as fire or heat in Trees and Stones, which by the most subtle Art and Ingenuity it behoves us to extract without Burning.

Salmon. 4. It unveils the Figure or Form, distinguishing it self from all other Fats, Bal∣sams, or Sulphurs; He calls it Hidden and Buried, be∣cause it is not Vulgarly known, but only to such as are Adepts: And Buried, because it lies Centrally in the Bodies of Sol, Luna, and Mercury, as a thing Buried in the bowels of the Earth: It is seen in no disposition, but dwells in its own Body, that is, it is not perceptible in any of the imperfect Metals, because they have not Bodies able to hold it, till by it they are made pure and fixt, where they may become as its own Body is, and so takes up its habitation and dwells in them, as Heat does in Trees in the Spring time, when the External Heat of Sol, stirring up their internal or Mercurial Heat latent with∣in them, makes them bud, and bring forth Leaves, Flowers, Fruits, and Seeds, and that to perfection. This Sulphur (saith Hermes) it be∣hoves us to extract without Burning; for in the Mercu∣ry it is yet Volatile, and therefore by subliming of it more and more, it must be exalted, till at length it is fixt, but with great care and industry, lest you err in the Degrees of the Fire; which if it be too great, it burns, or breaks our Body or Ves∣sel, (which in this place we call the Matter it self, and is the Domicil,) in which this Celestial and Astral Spirit and Sulphur dwells, and so makes it Vanish and Fly away. Now it is said to be Volatile, only in re∣spect to the Body which holds it: in Sol and Luna, it is absolutely fixt; but in Mercury this same Sulphur seems to be Volatile; not that it is Volatile in its own Nature, but is only con∣tained in a Volatile Body, which is Immature and Weak, and cannot hold it: This Body therefore must be maturated and strength∣ned and made fixt, by Vir∣tue of this inherent Sulphur, being digested and Decoct∣ed

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in it, with an Idoneus or fit Heat for a certain Revolu∣tion of time.

VI. Hermes. And know that the Heaven is to be joyn∣ed in a mean with the Earth: But the Figure is to be in a middle Nature, between the Heaven and the Earth, which thing is Our Water.

Salmon. Here he speaks of the Three parts of the Stone. 1. Heaven, which is our prepared Gold. 2. The mean or Medium of Conjuction, which is our Aqua Philosophica. 3. The Earth or Foeces, which is Gold it self: Now wonder not that Gold is here con∣verted into Foeces, and is esteemed more vile, than the Heaven and the Water: But this is not spoken of Vulgar Gold, but of that which is Philosophick; which while it lies in Pu∣trefaction, seems to be a vile thing; now that it con∣tains in it self all Bodies, both perfect and imperfect, precious and vile, Gold and Lead, i. e. Plumbum Philosophicum, Aurum Lepro∣sum & Imperfectum, & Plum∣bum Fixum & Perfectum; but this is said to be in a mean; that is, tho' it may have the Color and Weight of Gold, and other properties, yet it may be made much more Spiritual, and Excellent, and Efficacious, almost in∣finitely, exceeding the Vir∣tues and Excellencies of the Vulgar or Common Gold; and this by the help of a middle Nature, (which is not so Volatile as Mercury, nor so Dead as common Gold,) which middle prin∣ciple is Our Water.

VII. Hermes. Now in the first place of all, is the Water, which goes forth from this. Our Stone: The second is Gold: But the third is Gold in a mean, which is more noble than the Water and the Foeces.

Salmon. The three parts of the Stone are here more plainly exprest. 1. The Water, which is our Mer∣cury. 2. Gold, which is Sulphur. 3. The mean, or almost Gold, which is Our Salt, or Philosophick Earth,

and is more worthy than either the Water or the Foe∣ces, by which Vulgar Gold may by projection be ting∣ed, and made more than perfect. This is that preti∣ous Stone, in comparison of which, Gold it self, the most pure Gold, is esteem∣ed but as a little Sand, and Silver as Clay in respect thereof. This Gold in a mean, is Gold, in a middle principle, that is, Essential Gold in the Root of the Aurifick Agent, which is in the possibility of aug∣mentation or encrease, even as a very little Plant which becomes a great and migh∣ty Tree; now this third principle which he calls Gold in a mean, is the very Soul it self, which makes this our Philosophick Plant to grow, giving it form and Beauty, and making it become a Golden Tree of a vast and almost infinite magnitude.

VIII. Hermes. And in these three are the Vapors, the Blackness, and the Death.

Salmon. That is in one only Subject composed of three, Spirit, Soul, and Bo∣dy, these three Vapor, Black∣ness, and Death are latent, which three are also one. The Caput mortuum must be dissolved; for except the Body be dissolved, there can be no Coagulation of the Spirits: for the Solution of the impure and vaporous Body, induces and brings forth more pure and No∣ble Spirits, indued with a mighty Strength and Pow∣er. And by means of this Solution, a more perfect mixtion is made as of Wa∣ter with Water, which can∣not be separated; not like that of Sand with Sand, whose Superficies only touch one another, which is in∣deed no true mixtion. And thus by making a dissoluti∣on of the Metalline Princi∣ple, that which is not Me∣talline, nor will dissolve, nor mix with the dissolved Matter, (as the Vapor, the Blackness, and the Death or Putrefaction,) comes to be separated and removed, whereby the Dead comes to Live, and that which was in Captivity and Chains comes to be made free, de∣livered

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and set at Liberty.

IX. Hermes. It behoves us therefore to chase or drive away, and expel the Super∣existent Fume or Vapor, from the Water; the Blackness from the Fat; And the Death from the Foeces, and this by Dissolu∣tion: By which means we at∣tain to the knowledge of the greatest Philosophy, and the sublime Secret of all Secrets.

Salmon. In these three, that is, in the One, Com∣posed of the three, lie these other three, the Fume, the Blackness, and the Death, that is, the want of Ponde∣rosity, of Tincture, and of Fixity, both which threes in their own principles, are also but one thing, to wit, the Caput mortuum, which is depurated and revived by Dissolution only. And ex∣cept the Body is Dissolved, there can be no Coagulati∣on of the Spirits, as we have said before. And therefore if you would remove the Fumes, you must dissolve the Fumous, or imperfect Body, that it may mix with the Ponderating Spirit. The Fat or Sulphur is cleared from the blackness by mani∣fold Sublimations, bringing forth the pure Philosophick White and Red Flowers, which are the Tincture. And the Death is expelled by the Mercurial or Metal∣lick Spirit, which gives the Eternal fixity.