Pharmacopœia Bateana, or, Bate's dispensatory translated from the second edition of the Latin copy, published by Mr. James Shipton : containing his choice and select recipe's, their names, compositions, preparations, vertues, uses, and doses, as they are applicable to the whole practice of physick and chyrurgery : the Arcana Goddardiana, and their recipe's intersperst in their proper places, which are almost all wanting in the Latin copy : compleated with above five hundred chymical processes, and their explications at large, various observations thereon, and a rationale upon each process : to which are added in this English edition, Goddard's drops, Russel's pouder [sic], and the Emplastrum febrifugum, those so much fam'd in the world : as also several other preparations from the Collectanea chymica, and other good authors / by William Salmon ...

LIX. Flores Benzoini, Flow∣ers of Benjamin.

Bate] They are made of the Pouder of the best Benja∣min, being put into a Glass Vessel, and covered with a dou∣ble Paper Pyramid, subliming with a gentle fire S. A. the Flowers adhering to the Paper (by often changing the Pyra∣mid) are to be swept off for use. See the London Dispen∣satory. They are admirable Pulmonicks, Bechikiks and Antiastmaticks, stop Ca∣tarrhs, and provoke Sweat. Dose à gr. v. ad xij.

Salmon.] § 1. A small hole ought to be in the top of the Pyramid, for there by the Flowers will the more easily ascend.

§ 2. Every half hour, if the fire be strong enough the Flowers are to be removed with a Feather, for which reason you ought to have two of the Pyramids at least, that the second may be put on while the other is a clear∣ing.

§ 3. These Flowers which are only the lighter and pu∣rer resinous parts of the Ben∣jamin, or an Exaltation of the Volatile Salt of the Benja∣min, white and almost like Snow, are to be gathered and kept in a Glass close stopt.

§ 4. The sign of the ab∣solute Sublimation is when the Paper or Alembick shall appear to be moistned with the Oily parts of the Benja∣min, for then all the Flow∣ers are ascended, that are possible to ascend pure.

§ 5. From lbj. of pure Benjamin you will not have above ℥ ij. of pure Flowers, which are very profitable in Asthma's, and in all Distem∣pers of the Breast and Lungs; they also provoke Sweat, and may be given a ℈ss. ad ℈j.

§ 6. From these Flowers a Tincture may thus be pre∣pared. ℞ S. V. Twice di∣stilled from Carminatices ℥j. Flowers of Benjamin ʒij. mix,

digest with a very gentle fire in a bolt head, till the Tincture is of a yellow colour. It is much more powerful than the simple Flowers, discus∣ses Wind, cures inveterate Coughs, difficulty of Breath∣ing, and the Cholick. Dose à gut. vj. ad xx.

§ 7. An Essence of Ben∣jamin. ℞ Flowers of Ben∣jamin ʒij. best Styrax Cala∣mita ʒj. Oil of Rhodium, or Jessamy, or rather of Damask Roses gut. iv. Civet, gr. ij. Musk gr. ij. mix the Civet and Storax with the Oil, which put into a Phial, putting thereon, the Flowers of Ben∣jamin; S. V. rectified ℥ij. vel q. s. digest two days, then de∣cant the clear and keep it for use.

§ 8. Where note, That if a little Salt of Tartar be mixed with it before dige∣stion, the Tincture will be the more easily extract∣ed.

§ 9. It is a most egregi∣ous perfume, by which Cloaths, Gloves, Linen, &c. may be made odoriferous in this manner. ℞ Damask Rose-water, or other Odorife∣rous-water, as Orange Flower-water ℥j. of this Tincture gut. 40. mix them: and there∣with moisten the things you would perfume, drying them in the Shadow.

§ 10. Le Febure makes the Flowers after the same man∣ner, and says, that they pos∣sess a Volatile sulphurous Salt, very subtil and pene∣trating; for as soon as there is heat enough to drive it out from its Body, it invades the Nose, Eyes, and Breast, by reason of its subtil and vola∣tile Salt, in which lies all the Power and Activity of the Benjamin.

§ 11. Thibaut makes them thus. ℞ Benjamin in pou∣der, q. v. put into a Crucible, proportioned to the quantity of your Matter, so as it may be but half full, put your Crucible into an Iron ring which has two Arms, one on each side, which place upon a second row of Bricks of a Circulatory Fur∣nace, so that your Crucible may be suspended in the mid∣dle of the Furnace, and the fire may immediately strike upon it fit to the top of your Furnace an Earthen Pyramid, much like a Sugar Loaf, as broad in the bottom as the Furnace, with a small hole in its top to give the Fire air, lute it to the Furnace, and make a moderate fire, so will the Flowers arise in dry fumes and stick to the sides of the Pyramid in form of white Snow, or Meal-dust: at half an hours end take off the Cap∣sula

or Pyramid, and with a Feather gather all the Flowers, which presently stop close up in a Glass bottle, and in the Crucible there will be remain∣ing nothing but black, oily Faeces.

§ 12. Now the Reason why he applies the Capsula to the brim of the Furnace, and not the brim of the Crucible is, lest the heat stri∣king the out-side thereof should make the Flowers melt and resolve into their first Nature; but to this I an∣swer, That if the Heat stri∣king on the out-side thereof should endanger the melting of the Flowers; much more, would it do it, when it has the liberty of striking within, where the Flowers are.

§ 13. These Flowers must be white, because it is their volatile Salt, which predomi∣nates over them, and which consequently invests them with that colour, which is natural to all simple Flowers. but particularly to volatile Salts.

§ 14. Lemery makes it thus. ℞ An Earthen pot or Crucible high and narrow, with a little Border round it, put into it ℥iv. of pure Ben∣jamin grosly poudered, cover the Pot with a Pyramid of Pa∣per, and tie it round about un∣der the Border; set the Pot into hot Ashes, and when the Benjamin is heated, the Flow∣ers will ascend, take off▪ the Pyramid every two hours, and fix another in its place, put∣ting the Flowers up quickly in∣to a Glass, which stop close: continue this Sublimation, till the Flowers begin to appear Oily, and then cease: put what remains into a little Glass Retort, fitted with a Receiver and distil off a thick fragrant Oil, in a Sand heat, till nothing more comes forth, there remaining in the Re∣tort nothing but a spungy Earth.

§ 15. Benjamin being a Substance full of Volatile parts easily sublimes over the smallest Fire, the Flowers a∣rising in little white needles; but if the Fire be never so little too much, the Oil will ascend with them in some small quantity, which will make them yellow and im∣pure; you must therefore do the Operation in hot A∣shes or Sand, to have the Flowers fair. They have a pleasing Acidity, and are al∣lowed by Lemery to be given but à gr. ij. ad v. other Authors allow them to be given to 20 grains.

§ 16. Flos (Dixit Rolfin∣cius) aequivocum est vocabu∣lum, & variis rebus accomo∣datur: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 flos salis in Nitrariis & salinis inve∣nitur officinis, aeris in aerariis, farinae in Molendinis, lactis, qui & Cremor, in pecuariis, — in Chymicis ergasteriis flores nominantur tenuiores & subtiliores partes Corporis, à Crascioreper sublimationem se∣paratae.

§ 17. Rolfincius, Beguinus, Schroder, Le Mort, Charras, and almost the whole herd of Authors, follow one and the same way of making these Flowers, which is that of Lemery's at § 14. afore∣going: but there is another way by Distillation, where∣in they are made in greater plenty, which according to Charras his Method is this.

§ 18. ℞ Choice Benjamin lbj. in pouder, put it into a large Glass Retort, and affuse there∣on good S. V. lbiij. stir and in∣corporate them well together; lute to it a Vessel of Rencoun∣ter; and keep the Retort twen∣ty four hours with the neck up∣right upon a gentle Sand heat, shaking the Substances often, to hasten the dissolution of the Rosin in the Spirit; which done, place the Retort in a Sand heat fitting to its beak a middle siz'd Receiver, and with a gentle fire first distil off the S. V. after which the Flowers will ascend; but as soon as they appear, change the Receiver, which let be dry, and lute it slightly, that you may be able to draw out from time to time the Flowers, (which you must immediately stop close up in a Glass) putting another Receiver in its place, which now you may lute up very ex∣actly, and continue the fire, so will a thick Liquor distil from the Retort, which is the first Oil of Benjamin: if you con∣tinue still the fire you will have an Acid Liquor, and after that a yellow, clear and odoriferous Oil, and then lastly an Oil thick and greazy.

§ 19. Le Febure makes the Flowers by distillation after the same manner, but he ad∣vises, 1. To rectified S. V. lbiv. 2. To digest five whole days. 3. To distil in a great large Retort having a long and broad Neck. 4. To put into the Ingredients pure clean Sand lbj. Scales of Iron falling from the Anvil lbss. 5. The Retort to be so large as not be above ⅓ part full, 6. To lute the Juncture with a wet Blad∣der, that it may the easier be removed in changing the Re∣ceiver. 7. That the fire be

soft at first and increast but little, slowly and by degrees. 8. That the S. V. and a new Receiver being put to for the Flowers, the Juncture is not to be luted, because it must be often taken off to gather the Flowers out of the mouth of the Retort lest they should wholly stop it, and so break it. 9. That the first Flowers are the whitest and purest. 10. That when the buttery Substance be∣gins to come, you may then lute the Juncture again with a wet Bladder, and increase the fire a little, that all the Acid and Mercurial Liquor may follow the Butter: which done. 11. That then the Receiver is to be charged again, to receive the true Oil of Benjamin, which will be of a fragrant O∣dor, and yellow colour, some∣what resembling a Hyacinth. 12. That when the drops be∣gin to appear red, you must immediately substitute a new Receiver, which is to take the thick and dark Balsam, which in this Work is the last action of the Fire.

§ 20. Thus according to Le Febure there is, 1. a S. V. impregnated with a portion of the volatile, sulphurous and spiritual Salt of the Ben∣jamin. 2. The Volatile Salt or Flowers in the neck of the Retort. 3. A Butter-like Oil, which is the grossest part of the Salt and Sulphur. 4. A small quantity of Mercurial acid Spirit. 5. The Odorife∣rous yellow or Hyacinth Oil, which will be but lit∣tle. 6. A thick blackish Bal∣sam.

§ 21. This S. V. alone and without mixture, or adding any more of the Gum to it may serve for an Excellent Cosmetick, because it is al∣ready filled and impregnated with the Volatile Salt of the Benjamin, in which the de∣tersive, mundifying and re∣solutive Vertue of the Benja∣min does confist; and is more powerful than the vul∣gar Tincture, because that is mixt with the unctuous Body of the Benjamin which stops the Pores and dries the Skin. And with this Spirit, a famous Tincture may be drawn from the Flowers of Benjamin (if pure and white, and divested of their thick Oily parts) after the man∣ner as is before declared at § 6.

§ 22. The Flowers or Vola∣tile Salt of Benjamin are Pul∣monick, Antiastmatick, Su∣dorifick, and a great Speci∣fick against the French Pox, if given à gr. vj. ad xx. in a Glass of Infusion of Sassa∣fras

in Wine, or a Decocti∣on of Sarsa, China, and Gua∣jacum bark; for it is a Search∣er which immediately pene∣trates the whole Body.

§ 23. The Buttery Oil is Vulnerary, and contains a portion of the Flowers, which you may thus seperate. ℞ Of the whitest Butter of Benja∣min ℥j. dissolve it in boiling water, and immediately filter the Liquor through Paper, so will the Flowers be instantly coagulated under the hand: then draw back again the white Water by inclination, and let it settle, and you shall have in the bottom, a Magistery, of equal Vertue, with that made by precipitation of the Tincture: let the Flowers dry, and the Magistery slowly and leisurely between double Pa∣per, and keep it for use.

§ 24. The Mercurial Spi∣rit, is an Antidote against Malignity and Venom, and proper against the Poyson of the Pox. Dose gut. 20. ad 30.

§ 25. The Odoriferous Oil, besides its excellency for ma∣king Perfumes, is an admi∣rable Vulnerary, and has all the Vertues of the Salt, and may be given à gut. iij. ad x. in any proper Vehicle. A Perfume may be thus made with it. ℞ Of the Odorife∣rous Oil ℥ss. pure Salt of Tar∣tar ℥j. Butter of Benjamin ℥j. mix and grind them well together in a Mortar, to which add this: ℞ Musk gr. x. Am∣bergrease gr. vj. Civet gr. iij. Salt of Tartar ℈ss. mix or grind them together, and mix it with the former: Of this: Tincture may be made with rectified S. V. for perfuming Cloaths, Gloves, &c.

§ 26. The thick blackiss Balsam, is also an excellent good Vulnerary, and has a real Excellency for curing Punctures of the Nerves, old Sores, running Ulcers and the like: and if it be applied to Gouts, Sciaticaes, Aches or Pains proceeding from a cold Cause it cures them to admiration. It is also prevalent against Pal∣sies, Contractions of the Nerves, Cramps, Weak∣nesses, and other Distempers of the Nerves; so that in these cases there are not many Remedies more effectual: put into a hollow Tooth it eases the Pain thereof, and dropt into the Ears (mixt with Oil of Ben) it helps Deafness, noise and pain in the Ears, &c.