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. XXXVII. An Introduction into the whole Work.

I. PErfection and Imper∣fection of Metalline Bodies, is the Subject of this present discourse; and therefore we treat of things perfecting and corrupting, or destroying, because op∣posites set near to each o∣ther, are the more mani∣fest.

II. That which perfects Imperfect Minerals, is a commixtion of Argent Vive and Sulphur in due propor∣tion, by a due and tempe∣rate decoction in the bow∣els of clean, inspissate, and fixed Earth, joyned with an incorruptible radical hu∣midity, whereby it is brought to a solid, fusible substance, with a conveni∣ent fire and made maleable.

III. But Imperfect Mi∣nerals are made of a com∣mixtion of pure Argent Vive and Sulphur, without due proportion, or a due de coction, in the bowels of unclean, not fully inspissa∣ted, nor fixed Earth, joyn∣ed with a corrupting humi dity, whereby are brought forth Metals of a porous substance, and though fusi∣ble, not sufficiently, or so perfectly maleable as the o∣thers.

IV. Under the first defi∣nition, are concluded, Sol and Luna, each according to their perfection: Under the second Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus, each ac∣cording to their imperfecti∣on: in which that which is manifest must be hidden, or taken away, and that which is hidden, must be made manifest and brought into operation, which is done by preparing them, by which, their Superstuities will be removed, and their defects, or imperfecti∣on supplied, and the true perfection inserted into them.

V. But the perfect Bodies, as Sol and Luna, need none of this preparation, yet such a preparation they must have, as may subtilize their parts, and reduce them from a Corporality to a fixed Spirituality, that from thence may be made a fix∣ed Spiritual Body, in order to compleat the Great Eli∣xir, whether White or Red.

VI. In both these, viz. the White and Red Elixirs, there is no other thing than Argent Vive and Sulphur, of which one cannot act, nor be without the other: It would be a foolish and vain thing to think to make this Great Elixir or Tincture, from any thing, in which it is not, this was never the intention of the Philoso∣phers, though they speak many things by similitude.

VII. And because all Metalick Bodies are com∣pounded of Argent Vive and Sulphur, pure, or impure, by accident, and not innate in their first nature, there∣fore by convenient prepa∣ration,

'tis possible to take a∣way their impurity; the end of preparation is to take away Superfluities, and sup∣ply the defects.

VIII. For we have con∣sidered the substance of Me∣taline Bodies, perfect and imperfect, to be but one, viz. Argent Vive and Sul∣phur, which are pure and clean before their commix∣tion; and by consideration and experience, we found the Corruption of Imper∣fect Bodies to be by acci∣dent; but that being pre pared and cleansed from all their Superfluities, Cor∣ruption, and fugitive Un∣cleanness, we found them of greater brightness, clear∣ness, and purity, than the naturally perfect Metals not prepared, by which consi∣deration we attained to the perfection of this Science.

IX. The Imperfect Bo∣dies have accidentally Su∣perfluous Humidities, and a Combustible Sulphureity, with a Primary Blackness in them and corrupting them; to gether with an Unclean, Fae∣culent, Combustible, and very gross Earthiness, impedeing Ingress and Fusion: There∣fore it behoves us with arti∣ficial fire; by the help of purified Salts and Vinegars; to remove superfluous acci∣dents, that the only radical substance of Argent Vive and Sulphur, may remain; which may indeed be done by various ways and me∣thods, according as the Eli∣xir requires.

X. The general way of preparation is this. 1. With fire proportional, the whole superfluous and Corrupt humi∣dity in its essence must be e∣levated: and the subtil and burning Sulphureity removed, and this by Calcination. 2. The whole Corrupt sub∣stance of their superfluous burning humidity and black∣ness, remaining in their calx, must be corroded with the following cleansed Salts and Vinegars, till the Calx be White or Red (according to the nature of the body) and is made clean, and pure from all Superfluity and Corruption: These Calxe are cleansed with the 〈◊〉〈◊〉

Salts and Vinegars, by grinding, imbibing and washing. 3. The, whole 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Earthiness, and Com∣bustible, gross Faeculency, must be taken away with the aforesaid things, not having Metallick Fusion, by com∣mixing and grinding them together with the aforesaid Calx, depurated in the aforesaid manner: For∣these in the Fusion or Reduction of the Calx, will remain with themselves the said uncleanness and gross Earthiness, the Body re∣maining pure.

XI. Being thus cleansed, it is Meliorated thus. First, This Purged and Reduced Body is again Calcined by Fire, with the Salts as afore∣said. Secondly, Then with such of these as are Solutive, it must be Dissolved. For this Water is Our Stone, and Argent Vive of Argent Vive, and Sulphur of Sulphur, ab∣stracted from the Spiritual Body, and subtilized or at∣tenuated; which is Melio∣rated, by confirming the E∣lemental Virtues in it, with other prepared things of its own kind, which, augment the Colour, Fixion Weight, Purity and Fusion, with all other things appertaining to the true Elixir.

XII. The Salts and Vine∣gars for this work are thus prepared and cleansed. Com∣mon Salt, and Salt Gem, as also Sal Alcali, and Sandi∣ver, are cleansed by Calci∣ing them, and then casting them into hot water to be Dissolved, which Solution being Filtred is to be coa∣gulated by a gentle fire, then to be Calcined for a Day and a Night in a mo∣derate fire, and so kept for use.

XIII. Sal Armoniack is cleansed, by Grinding it with a preparation of Com∣mon Salt cleansed, and then subliming it in an high Bo∣dy and Head, till it ascends all pure: then dissolving it in a Porphyrie in the open Air, if you would have it in a water, or otherwise keeping the sublimate in a Glass close stopt for use.

XIV. Roch Alums, or

Factitious, or other Alums, are cleansed, by putting them in an Alembick, and extracting their whole Hu∣midity, which is of great use in this Art. The Fae∣ces remaining in the Bot∣tom, Dissolve on a Porphy∣rie, in a moist place, or in water, and then again extract, and keep it for use.

XV. Vitriol of all kinds is cleansed, by dissolving it in pure Vinegar, then Di∣stilling and Coagulating. Or first abstract its Humi∣dity over a gentle fire: the Faeces Caleine, and Dissolve per deliquium, or in their own water, filtre, and Coagulate (or if you please, the water,) and keep it for use.

XVI. Vinegars of what kind or how acute and sharp soever, are cleansed by subtilization, and their Virtues and Effects are Me liorated by Distillation. With these Salts and Vi∣negars, the imperfect Bo∣dies may be prepared, pu∣rified, meliorated and sub∣tilized, by the help of the Fire. Glass and Borax are pure, and need no prepara∣tion.

XVII. Out of the Me∣talline Bodies we compose the Great Elixir, making One substance of many, yet so permanently fixed, that the strongest or great∣est force of Fire cannot hurt it, or make it flie away, which will mix with Metals in Flux, and flow with them, and enter into them, and be permixed with the fixed substance which is in them, and be fixed with that in them which is incombustible; receiving no hurt by any thing which Gold and Sil∣ver cannot be hurt by.

XVIII. Hence we de∣fine Our Stone, to be age∣nerating or Fruitful Spirit and Living water, which we name the Dry water, by Natural proportion cleansed and United with such Union, that its principles can never be separated one from another; to which two must be added, a third, (for shortning the work)

and that is one of the per∣fect Bodies attenuated, or subtilized.

XIX. The generating or Fruitful Spirit, is White in Occulto, and Red and Black on either side, in the Magi∣stery of this work: but in Manifesto, on both sides tending to Redness. And because the Earthy parts are throughly and in their least particles United with the Airy, Watery, and Fiery, so that in Resolution, no one of them can be sepa∣rated, but each with all and every one is dissolved, by reason of the strong Union, which they have with each other in their said least par∣ticles, the Compositum is made one solid, uniform substance, the same in Na∣ture, Properties, and all other respects as that of Gold.