Hermetical physick: or, The right way to preserve, and to restore health. By that famous and faithfull chymist, Henry Nollius. Englished by Henry Uaughan, Gent.

III.

All Medicines must be specificall and a••propriated to the Disease.

THat is to say, they must have in them by the gift of God, such a virtue, that is peculiarly proper, and designed (as it were) to remove those diseases against which they are administred. Whether they be uni∣versally so gifted, or particularly for some one sort of disease. That bo∣dy, or subject in nature, which will be easily corrupted▪ cannot be medi∣cinall for all diseases: and this is the reason, that out of such bodies, the true Philosophers extract onely spe∣cifical Antidotes, whose power or virtue is effectual onely against some particular kind of disease. That thou maist have some knowledge of those materials or ingredients which are requisite and proper to make such sp••cifical Medicaments, thou must

diligently read the Bookes of the Hermetists, De signaturis rerum, That is to say, Of those impressions and Characters, which God hath communicated to, and marked (as I may say) all his Creatures with. These Bookes thou•• must carefully peruse and all others which teach us the true and solid practise of Phy∣sick. But if it would please God to blesse thee with the universal Medi∣cine, these studies, and all other cures whatsoever, might be safely pretermitted. This glorious univer∣sal Medicine (without all doubt) is to be extracted out of such a sub∣ject, whose innate Balsame preserves both it Selfe, and the Body in which it exists from all corruption. This body is so adequate, and tempera∣ted with such a just and even pro∣portion of all the foure Elements, that the qualities of no one of them, can ever possibly corrupt it. If thou conceivest it may be bad in another

kind of subject, thou dost but play the fool and deceive thy selfe. What ever Nature hath, that she can give us; what she hath not, she neither will, nor can afford. To the wise man one word is enough. I speake out of the true light of nature: My Studies also hitherto cannot find a∣ny other Fu••damental of an univer∣sal Medicine.