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. XX. Of Digestion, Sublimation, and Separation of the Bodies, for the perfection of the Work.

I. ERgo necessaria est haec sublimatio philosophi∣ca, & naturalis, quae compo∣nit pacem inter corpus & spi∣ritum, quod est impossibile ali∣ter fieri, nisi in has partes se∣parentur.

II. Idcirco oportet utrumque sublimare ut purum ascendat, & impurum, & terrenosum descendat, in turbatione maris procellosi.

III. Quare oportet decoquere continuò, ut ad subtilem de∣ducatur naturam, & quous∣que corpus assumat & attrahat animam albam Mercurialem, quam retinet naturaliter, nec demittit eam à se separari, quia sibi compar est in pro∣pinquitate naturae primae,

purae & simplicis.

IV. Ex his oportet per de∣coctionem separationem exerce∣re, ut nihil de pinguedine ani mae remaneat quod non fuerit elevatum & exaltatum in su∣periori parte, & sic utrumque erit reductum ad aequalitatem simplicem, & ad simplicem al∣bedinem.

V. Vultur ergo volans per aerem, & Bufo gradiens per terram, est magisterium.

VI. Ideo quando separabis terram ab aqua, id est, ab ig∣ne, & subtile ab spisso, sua∣viter cum magno ingenio, a∣scendet à terra in coelum quod erit purum, & descendet in terram quod erit impurum.

VII. Et recipiet subtilior pars in superiori loco naturam

spiritus, in inferiori verò na∣turam corporis terrei.

VIII. Quare elevetur per talem oporationem natura alba cum subtiliori parte corporis, relictis foecibus, quod fit brevi tempore.

IX. Nam anima cum sua adjuvatur socia, & per eam perficitur.

X. Mater (inquit corpus) me genuit, & per me gignitur ipsa, postquam autem ab ea accepi volatum, ipsa meliori modo quo potest fit pia fovens & nutriens filium, quem ge∣nuit, donec ad statum devene∣rit perfectum.

I. THIS Philosophical and Natural Subli∣mation therefore is necessa∣ry, which makes peace be∣tween (or fixes) the Body and Spirit, which is impos∣sible to be done otherwise, than in the separation of these parts.

II. Therefore it behoves you to sublime both, that the pure may ascend, and the impure and earthy may descend, or be left at bot∣tom, in the perplexity of a troubled Sea.

III. And for this reason it must be continually decoct∣ed, that it may be brought to a subtil property, and the Body may assume, and draw to it self the white Mercurial Soul, which it naturally holds, and suffers not to be separated from it,

because it is like to it in the nereness of the first, pure, and simple nature.

IV. From these things it is necessary to make a separa∣tion by Decoction, till no more remains of the purity of the Soul, which is not ascended and exalted to the higher part, whereby they will both be reduced to an equality of Properties, and a simple or pure Whiteness.

V. The Vulture flying through the Air, and the Toad creeping upon the Ground, are the Emblems of our Magistery.

VI. When therefore gent∣ly and with much care, you separate the Earth from the Water, that is, from the Fire, and the thin from the thick, then that which is pure will separate it self from the Earth, and ascend to the upper part, as it were into Heaven, and the im∣pure will descend beneath, as to the Earth.

VII. And the more sub∣til part in the superior place,

will take upon it the nature of a Spirit, and that in the lower place, the nature of an earthy body.

VIII. Wherefore let the white property, with the more subtil parts of the bo∣dy, be by this Operation, made to ascend, leaving the faeces behind, which is done in a short time.

IX. For the Soul is aided by her associate and fellow, and perfected by it.

X. My Mother (saith the Body) has begotten me, and by me, she her self is begotten: now after I have taken from her her flying, she, after an admirable man∣ner becomes kind, nourish∣ing and cherishing the Son whom she has begotten, till he comes to be of a ripe or perfect Age.