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. XXXV. A farther Explication of this matter.

I. OUR Medicine is made of 3 things, viz. of a Body, Soul, and Spirit. There are two Bo∣dies, to wit Sol and Luna: Sol is a Tincture, where with imperfect Bodies are tinged into Sol; and Luna tingeth into Luna; for nature brings forth only its like, a Man, a Man, a Horse, a Horse, &c.

II. We have named the Bodies which serve to this Work, which of some are called ferment; for as a lit∣tle leven levens the whole lump, so Luna and Sol, le∣ven Mercury as their Meal into their Nature and Vir∣tue.

III. If it be demanded, Why Sol and Luna, having a prefixed Tincture, do not yet tinge imperfect Metals? I Answer: A Child, tho' born of humane kind, acts not the Man; it must first be nourisht and bred up till it comes to Maturity: So is it with Metals also; they cannot shew their power and force, unless they be first reduced from their Terrestreity to a Spirituali∣ty, and nourisht and fed in their Tinctures through heat and humidity.

IV. For the Spirit is of the same matter and nature with our Medicine: We say our Medicines are of a siery nature, and much sub∣tiler, but of themselves, they cannot be subtil nor simple, but must be matu∣rated, or ripened with sub∣til and penetrating things.

V. Earth of it self is not subtil, but may be made so through moist water, which is dissolving, and makes an

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ingress for Sol, that it may penetrate the Earth, and with its heat make the Earth subtile; and in this way the Earth must be subtilized so long, till it be as subtil as a Spirit, which then is the Mercury, more dissolving than common water, and apt to dissolve the said Me∣tals, and that through the heat of fire, to penetrate and subtilize them.

VI. There are several Spirits, as Mercury, Sul∣phur, Orpiment, Arsenick, Antimony, Nitre, Sal-ar∣moniack, Tutia, Marchi∣sits, &c. but Mercury is a better Spirit than all others; for being put into the fire they are carried away, and we know not what becomes of them: But Mercury, as it is much subtiler, clearer, and penetrative, so it is joyned to the Metals, and changed into them, whereas the others burn and destroy them, making them more gross than they were be∣fore.

VII. Now Mercury is of such a subtil nature, that it transmutes Metals into sim∣ple and pure substances as it self is, and attracts them to its self: But no Metal can be transmuted by any of the other Spirits, but they burn it to Earth and Ashes: which Mercury it becomes impalpahle, and therefore is called Argent Vive.

VIII. We take nothing else to subtilize Metals, to make them penetrative, or to tinge other Metals: Some call it Argent Vive, or a Water, an Acetum, a Poyson, because it destroys imperfect Bodies, dividing them into several parts and forms; our Medicine is made of two things, viz. of Body and Spirit: And this is true, that all Metals have but one Root and O∣riginal.

IX. But why cannot this Medicine be made of two compounded together? I Answer: It may be made of all these together; but they must be reduced into a Mercury, which would be difficult of the shortness of Man's Life: Therefore

we take the next matter, which are the two afore∣said things, viz. Body and Spirit.

X. Some Philosophers say, our Medicine is made of four things, and so it is: For in Metals, and their Spirits are the four Ele∣ments. Others say true al∣so, That Metals must be turned into Argent Vive: Here many Learned and Wise Men err, and loose themselves in this path. Thus far of the matter of which our Medicine is made, or with which it is ioyned: Now of the Ves∣sels.

XI. The Vessel ought to resemble the Firmament, to enclose and encompass the whole Work: For our Medicine is nothing else but a change of Elements one into another, which is done by the motion of the Firmament; for which rea∣son it must needs be round and circular.

XII. The other, or se∣cond Vessel, must also be round, and be less than the outward Vessel: 6 or 7 In∣ches high, called a con∣taining Cucurbit; on which you must place an Alem∣bick or Head, through which the Vapors may a∣scend, which must be well luted, with Lute made of Meal, sifted Ashes, Whites of Eggs, &c. Or of Meal, Calx Vive, ana j. part tem∣pered with Whites of Eggs, which you must immedi∣ately use: Lute it so well, that no Spirits may fly a∣way; the loss of which will prejudice your Work ex∣treamly; therefore be wa∣ry.

XIII. The Fornace or Oven must be round, 12 or 14 Inches high, and 6 or 7 Inches broad, and 3 or 4 Inches in thickness to keep in the heat the better.

XIV. Our matter is ge∣nerated through, or by help of the heat of the fire, through the Vapour of the Water, and also of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉, which must be nou∣rished; be wise and consi∣der, and meditate well up∣on the matter.

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XV. Now in order to this Work, there is 1. Dis∣solution. 2. Separation. 3. Sublimation. 4. Fixation, or Congelation. 5. Calci∣nation. 6. Ingression.

XVI. Dissolution is the changing of a dry thing in∣to a moist one, and belongs only to Bodies, as to Sol and Luna, which serve for our Art: For a Spirit needs not to be dissolved, being a li∣quid thing of it self; but Metals are gross and dry, and of a gross nature, and therefore must be subtili∣zed.

XVII. First, Because un∣less they be subtilized through dissolution, they cannot be reduced into wa∣ter, and made to ascend through the Alembick, to be converted into Spirit, whose remaining foeces are reserved for a farther use.

XVIII. Secondly, Be∣cause the Body and Spirit must be made indivisible and one: For no gross mat∣ter joyns or mixes with a Spirit, unless it be first sub∣tilized, and reduced into Ar∣gent Vive, then the one em∣braces the other insepera∣bly. For Argent Vive meet∣ing with a thing like it self, rejoyceth in it; and the dissolved Body embraces the Spirit, and suffers it not to fly away, making it to endure the fire; and it re∣joyces because it has found an equal, viz. one like it self, and of the same nature.

XIX. Dissolution is thus done: Take Leaves of Sol, or Luna, to which add a good quantity of pure Mer∣cury; putting in the Leaves by little and little, into a Vessel placed in so gentle a heat, that the Mercury may not fume: when all is dissolved, and the Mass feems to be one Homogene body, you have done well: If there be any foeces, or matter undissolved, add more Mercury, till all seems to be melted together.

XX. Take the matter thus dissolved, set it in B. M. for 7 days, then let it cool: and strain all through a Cloth or Skin; if all goes through, the dissolution is

perfect; if not, you must begin again, and add more Mercury, so long till all be dissolved.

XXI. Separation is the di∣viding of a thing into parts, as of pure from impure. We take our dissolved matter, and put it into the smaller Vessel which stands in the Cucurbite, well luting to the Alembick, and seting it in Ashes, continuing the fire for a Week: One part of the Spirit sublimes, which we call the Spirit or Water, and is the subtilest part; the other which is not yet sub∣til, sticks about the Cucur∣bite, and some of it falls as it were to the bottom, which is warm and moist, this we call the Air. And a third part remaining in the bot∣tom of the inner Vessel, which is yet grosser, may be called the Earth.

XXII. Each of these we put into a Vessel apart; but to the third we put more Mercury, and proceed as before, reserving always each principle or Element apart by it self, and thus pro∣ceeding, till nothing remains in the inner Vessel, but a black pouder, which we call the black Earth, and is the dregs of Metals, and the thing causing the obstructi∣on, that the Metals cannot be united with the Spirit; this black pouder is of no use.

XXIII. Having thus se∣parated the four Elements from the Metals, or divided them, you may demand, What then is the fire, which is one of these four? To which I Answer: That the Fire and the Air are of one nature, and are mixed to∣gether, and changed the one into the other; and in the dividing of the Ele∣ments, they have their na∣tural force and power, as in the whole, so in the parts.

XXIV. We call that Air which remained in the big∣ger Vessel, because it is more hot than moist, cold, or dry: The same under∣stand of the other Elements. Hence Plato saith, We turned the moist into dry, and the dry we made moist, and we turned

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the Body into Water and Air.

XXV. Sublimation is the ascending from below up∣wards, the subtil matter a∣rising, leaving the gross mat∣ter still below, as he said before in the changing of the Elements: Thus the matter must be subtilized, which is not subtil enough, all which must be done through heat and moisture, viz. through Fire and Wa∣ter.

XXVI. You must then take the thing which re∣mained in the greater Ves∣sel, and put it to other fresh Mercury, that it may be well dissolved and subtili∣zed: set it in B. M. for three days as before. We men∣tion not the quantity of Mercury, but leave that to your discretion, taking as much as you need, that you may make it fusible, and clear like a Spirit. But you must not take too much of the Mercury, lest it be∣come a Sea; then you must set it again to sublime, as formerly, and do this Work so often, till you have brought it through the A∣lembick, and it be very sub∣til, one united thing, clear, pure, and fusible.

XXVII. Then we put it again into the inner Vessel, and let it go once more through the Alembick, to see whether any thing be left behind; which if so, to the same we add more Mer∣cury, till it becomes all one thing; and leaves no more sediment, and be separated from all its Impurity and Superfluity.

XXVIII. Thus have we made out of two, one only thing, viz. out of Body and Spirit, one only congene∣rous substance, which is a Spirit and light; the Body, which before was heavy and fixed, ascending up∣wards, is become light and volatile, and a mere Spirit: Thus have we made a Spirit out of a Body, we must now make a Body out of a Spi∣rit, which is the one thing.

XXIX. Fixation, or Con∣gelation, is the making the

flowing and volatile matter fixt, and able to endure the fire; and this is the chang∣ing of the Spirit into a Bo∣dy: We before turned the dryness and the Body, into moistness and a Spirit; now we must turn the Spirit in∣to a Body, making that which ascended to stay be∣low; that is, we must make it a thing fixed, according to the Sayings of the Philo sophers, reducing each E∣lement into its contrary, you will find what you seek after, viz. making a fixt thing to be volatile, and a volatile fixt; this can only be done through Congelati∣on, by which we turn the Spirit into a Body.

XXX. But how is this done? We take a little of the ferment, which is made of our Medicine be it Luna or Sol; as if you have 10 Ounces of the Medicine, you take but 1 Ounce of the ferment, which must be so∣liated; and this ferment we amalgamate with the mat∣ter which you had before prepared, the same we put into the Glass Vial with a long Neck, and set it in warm Ashes: Then to the said ferment, add the said Spirit which you drew through the Alembick, so much as may overtop it the height of 2 or 3 Inches; put to it a good fire for 3 days, then will the dissolved Body find its Companion, and they will embrace each other.

XXXI. Then the gross ferment, laying hold of the subtil ferment, attracts the same, joyns it self with it, and will not let it go; and the dissolved Body, which is now subtil, keeps the Spi∣rit, for that they are of e∣qual subtilty, and like one to another; and are be∣come so one and the same thing, that the fire can ne∣ver be able to separate them any more.

XXXII. By this means you come to make one thing like another; the fer∣ment becomes the abiding place of the subtil body, and the subtil body the ha∣bitation of the Spirit, that it may not fly away. Then

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we make a Fire for a Week, more or less, till we see the matter congealed: which time is longer or shorter, according to the condition of the Vessel, Furnaces, and Fires you make use of.

XXXIII. When you see the Matter Coagulated, put of the abovesaid Matter or Spirit to it, to over top it two or three inches, which digest as before, till it be coagulated also, and thus proceed, till all the Matter or Spirit be congealed. This Secret of the Congelation, the Philosophers have con∣sealed in their Books, none of them that we know of having disclosed it, except only Larkalix, who com∣posed it in many Chapters; and also revealed it unto me, without any Reserva∣tion or Deceipt.

XXXIV. Calcination. We take the known Matter, and put it into a Vesica, set∣ting a Head upon it, and luting it well, put it into a Sand Furnace, making a continued great Fire for a Week: then the Volatile ascends into the Alembeck, which we call Avis Herme∣tis: that which remains in the bottom of the Glass, is like Ashes or sifted Earth, called, the Philosophers Earth, out of which they make their Foundation, and out of which they make their increase or aug∣mentation, through heat and moisture.

XXXV. This Earth is composed of four Elements, but are not contrary one to another, for their contra∣riety is changed to an agree∣ment, unto an homogene and uniform nature: Then we take the moist part, and reserve it a part to a farther use. This Earth, or Ashes, (which is a very fixed thing) we put into a very strong Earthen Pot or Cru∣cible, to which we lute its Cover, and set it in a cal∣cining Fornace, or Rever∣beratory, for 3 days, so that it may be always red hot: Thus we make of a Stone, a white Calx; and of things of an earthy and watery nature, a fiery na∣ture: For every Calx is of

a fiery nature, which is hot and dry.

XXXVI. We have brought things to the na∣ture of fire; we must now further subtilize the four E∣lements; we take apart, a small quantity of this Calx, viz. a fourth part: The o∣ther we set to dissolve with a good quantity of fresh Mercury, even as we had done formerly (in all the Processes of the aforego∣ing Paragraphs) and so proceed on from time to time, till it is wholly dis∣solved.

XXXVII. Now that you may change the fixt into a Volatile, that is, Fire into Water, know, that that which was of the nature of Fire, is now become the nature of Water; and the fixt thereby is made vola∣tile and very subtil. Take of this water one part, put it to the reserved Calx; and add to it as much of the water, as may over top the Calx 2 or 3 Inches, making a fire under it for 3 days; thus it congeals sooner than at first, for Calx is hot and dry, and drinks up the hu∣midity greedily.

XXXVIII. This Congela∣tion must be continued till all be quite congealed; af∣terwards you must calcine it as formerly; being quite calcined, it is called the quintessence, because it is of a more subtil nature than fire, and because of the Transmutation formerly made. All this being done our Medicine is finished, and nothing but Ingression is wanting, viz. that the mat∣ter may have an Ingress in∣to Imperfect Metals.

XXXIX. Plato, and ma∣ny other Philosophers, be∣gan this Work again, with dissolving, subliming, or subtilizing, congealing, and calcining, as at first. But this our Medicine, which we call a ferment, transmutes Mercury into its own na∣nature, in which it is dis∣solved and sublimed. They say also, our Medicine transmutes infinitely im∣perfect Metals, and that he who attains once to the per∣fection

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of it, shall never have any need to make more, all which is Philoso∣phically to be understood, as to the first Original Work.

XL. Seeing then that our Medicine transmutes im∣perfect Metals into Sol and Luna, according to the na∣ture and form of the matter out of which it is made; therefore we now a se∣cond time say, That this our Medicine is of that nature, that it transmutes or chan∣ges, converts, divides asun∣der like fire, and is of a more subtil nature than fire, being of the nature of a quintessence as aforesaid, converting Mercury, which is an imperfect substance, into its own nature, turning the grossness of Metal into Dust and Ashes, as you see fire, which does not turn all things into its nature, but that which is homogene with it, turning the hetero gene matter into Ashes.

XLI. We have taught how a Body is to be chan∣ged into a Spirit; and again how the Spirit is to be turn∣ed into a Body, viz. how the fixed is made volatile, and the volatile fixed again: How the Earth is turned into Water and Air, and the Air into Fire, and the Fire into Earth again: Then the Earth into Fire, and the Fire into Air, and the Air into Water; and the Wa∣ter again into Earth. Now the Earth which was of the nature of Fire, is brought to the nature of a quintes∣sence.

XLII. Thus we have taught the ways of transmu∣ting, performed through heat and moisture; mak∣ing out of a dry a moist thing, and out of a moist a dry one: otherwise Natures which are of several Pro∣perties, or Families, could not be brought to one uni∣form thing, if the one should be turned into the o∣thers nature.

XLIII. And this is the perfection of the matter according to the advice of the Philosopher: Ascend from the Earth into Heaven

and descend from the Hea∣ven to the Earth; to the intent to make the body which is Earth, into a Spi∣rit which is subtil, and then to reduce that Spirit into a Body again which is gross, changing one Element in∣to another, as Earth into Water, Water into Air, Air into Fire; and Fire again into Water, and Water in∣to Fire: and that into a more subtil Nature and quintescence. Thus have you accomplished the Trea∣sure of the whole World.

XLIII. Ingression. Take Sulphur Vive, Melt it in an Earthen Vessel well glazed, and put to it a strong Lye made of Calx vive and Pot Ashes: Boyl gently toge∣ther, so will an Oyl swim on the top, which take and keep: Having enough of it, mix it with Sand, distil it through an Alembick or Retort, so long till it be∣comes incombustible. With this Oyl we imbibe Our Medicine, which will be like Soap, then we distil by an Alembick, and coho∣bate 3 or 4 times, adding more Oyl to it, if it be not imbibed enough.

XLV. Being thus imbib∣ed, put fire under it, that the moisture may Vanish, and the Medicine be fit and fusible, as the body of Glass. Then take the Avis Her∣metis before reserved, and put it to it Gradatim, till it all becomes perfectly fixt.

XLVI. Now according to Avicen, it is not possible to convert or transmute Metals, unless they be re∣duced to their first Matter; then by the help of Art they are transmuted into ano∣ther Metal. The Alchy∣mist does like the Physiti∣an, who first Purges off the Corrupt or Morbifick Mat∣ter, the Enemy to Mans Health, and then admini∣sters a Cordial to restore the Vital Powers: So we first Purge the Mercury and Sulphur in Metals, and then strengthen the Hea∣venly Elements in them, according to their various Preparations.

XLVII. This Nature

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works farther by the help of Art, as her Instrument; and really makes the most pure and fine Sol and Luna: for as the heavenly Elemen∣tal Virtues work in natural Vessels; even so do the ar∣tificial, being made uniform. agreeable with nature; and as nature works by means of the heats of Fire and of the Bodies, so also Art work 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by a like temperate and proportionate fire, by the moving and living virtue in the matter.

XLVIII. For the heaven∣ly virtue, mixed with it at first, and inclinable to this or that is furthered by Art: Heavenly Virtues are com∣municated to their Sub∣jects, as it is in all natural things, chiefly in things ge∣nerated by putrefaction where the Astral Influences are apparent according to the capacity of the mat∣ter.

XLIX. The Alchymist imitates the same thing, destroying one form to be∣get another, and his Ope∣rations are best when they are according to nature, as by purifying the Sulphur, by digesting, subliming and purging Argent Vive, by an exact mixtion, with a Me∣talick matter; and thus out of their Principles, the form of every Metal is produ∣ced.

L. The power and vir∣tue of the converting Ele∣ment must prevail, that the parts of it may appear in the converted Element; and being thus mixed with the Elementated thing, then that Element will have that matter which made it an Element, and the virtue of the other converting Ele∣ment will be predominant and remain; this is the great Arcanum of the whole Art.