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.

CHAP. 8.

Of Hereditary impurity, which is the fourth Cause of the Ex∣trarious Cause.

I.

Hereditary infection, is a transplan∣tation of extrarious Causes, per∣formed by impressing a fixt tincture, springing from another fixt salt into the prol••fic seed, which Pa∣rents contribute to the Generation of Children.

SAlt alone and onely, is of all the three Principles fixt and f••••••e. Therefore those Diseases which pro∣ceed from the indisposition of the Salt, are radically fixt, and for the most part Hereditary, as the Lepro∣sie, the Stone, the Joynt-gout, and the like. But those Diseases which spring from any infirmity of the fluxible

and volatile principles, that is to say, from Mercury and Sulphur (as all manner of Cathars and Feavers do,) cannot so easily infect posterity: for these Diseases neither fix their seeds firmly, nor deeply, because they have not their tinctures so tenaciously imprest. The nature of this kind of fixed Salt or Sulphur, may be perfectly discern'd in the seeds and the roots of Plants: for if you take but some particles of them, and transplant them▪ those very peeces will take root and grow, and bear fruit: But neither the leaves, nor the flowers in which the volatile Mercury & Sulphur have their seat, will do so. Now the fixed Salt is al∣waies conserved in the root, and in some pithy stalks & Siens or Graffes: but the fixed Sulphur is in the seed. And this is the reason that the trans∣plantation of all Vegetals, is perfor∣med by these onely: but by the Mer∣curiall parts, which easily fade and

wither, it cannot be done; nor by those parts, which have onely in them a volatile Sulphur, as the flowers, and the leaves of some Vege∣tables. See Quercetan, in his advice against the joynt-gout, and the stone.

Therefore (saith the same Quer∣cetanus) whatever lodgeth in the body of the parents, that with a firm, spiritual, impure, and malignant tincture can affect or infect the radi∣cal Balsame, the vital seed, and the very root or fundamentall of hu∣mane nature: that same impurity (whatever it be) doth by an Here∣ditary transplantation pass into, and infect the Children. But if these im∣pure seeds of Diseases, have not ta∣ken such a deep root, nor so far cor∣rupted the radicall Balsame: or if by the helpe of nature, and her inter∣nall Balsame, there is a separation made of them; or if by the ministry of Art, and externall, specifical Bal∣sames

of Physick, they are effectually allayed and weakned, or are come to their proper terme and utmost du∣ration, so that their virulency and force is quite spent and broken: in any of these Causes, Gouty and Le∣prous persons, doe not alwaies beget Gouty and Leprous Children. For by these means, the roots of Diseases, even the most fixt and malignant are eradicated, impure seeds are pu∣rified, and the morbid tincture by long traduction becomes quite ex∣tinct. This Eradication of heredi∣tary Diseases, and Purification of diseased seed comes to passe by the benefit and assistance of good Seed∣plots, that is, by the excellent, whole∣some temperament of the Matrix, in vegetous and healthy women: whence it happens, that the Fathers seed, though tainted with some morbific indisposition, is by the laudable vigour of the mothers ra∣dical Balsame amended, so that

Arthritical and Calculous Fathers beget Children, which all their life∣time continue healthy and unat∣tempted by such Diseases. Yea, they beget such Children▪ as are not ob∣noxious or liable to such indisposi∣tions▪ In like manner also it happens, that a vegetous, healthy Father, contributing good seed, may have a sickly, impure issue, troubled with hereditary infirmities, the Fathers seed attracting to it the malignant propriety of those Diseases which possessed the Mother. Thus good Corne, if it be cast into a bad soile, will degenerate into Tares, or yeeld a very bad and a thin Crop: but sow it againe in good ground, and it will recover its former goodnesse and perfection.