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 ...

XXXVI. Spiritus Veneris, Spirit of Venus, or Cop∣per.

Bate.] It is distilled by a Retort from the Vitriol of Ve∣nus, S. A. It is the greatest Arcanum for the Cure of the Epilepsy, it corroborates the Ventricle, corrects Crudities, warms a cold Womb, cures the Suffocation thereof, or Fits of the Mother, moves or provokes the Courses, and strengthens the Reins to per∣form their duty. Dose à gut. v. ad. x.

Salmon.] § 1. In Our Do∣ron Medicum, Lib. 2. Cap. 2. Sect. 19. we have given you a full and large description of the Spirit of Venus, shewing you its compleat Preparation, as well as its Virtues, Uses, and Dose. But there are se∣veral other ways of preparing thereof, which we now come to declare. § 2. Spiritus & Crocus Veneris Marg-gravii. ℞ Verdigrise in fine Pouder lbss. put it into a Glass Retort, and distil in Sand with Fire of the third degree, for five or six hours, or till no more will come forth; so will you have ℥iv. of Liquor. Take this di∣stilled Liquor, and distil it by a Glass Retort to driness, so have you Spirit of Venus recti∣fied and pure, which Zwelfer calls the Liquor Alcahest. The Caput Mort. left in the first di∣stillation, edulcorate, or wash oftentimes with warm Water, and dry it; so have you Cro∣cus Veneris. § 3. This Spirit or Alkahest or Zwelfer is an admirable dissolvent of Mars, Venus, Corals, and other Stones; being taken into the Body, it attenuates gross humors, and opens all manner of Obstru∣ctions, taking away the vi∣scosity of the passages, it strengthens the Stomach and created dries and astringes, stops Haemorrhagies, and is used in drying and astringing Oyntments and Emplasters. §. 4. Maets makes it after this manner: ℞ Verdigrise, or rather Crystals of Venus, q. v. to which add a half part of A∣lum calcined, (i. e. of the Ca∣put Mort. after its Spirit is drawn off) mix and distil in an earthen Retort, or a Glass one well luted in an open Fire, till all the Fumes cease, which Spirit rectifie from its flegm, as before directed. § 5. This

Spirit is an egregious Men∣struum for extracting the Tinctures from the Glass of Antimony, as also from its Minera, and the Crocus's and Calces of other Metals, ex∣ceeding indeed all other Spi∣rits of Vinegars. § 6. Lemery makes it thus: ℞ Crystals of Venus q. v. put them into a Glass Retort, filling it ⅔ full, place it in Sand, fit to it a large Receiver, lute well the Juncture, and give a small Fire at first, to drive out the insipid Flegm, after which will follow a volatil Spirit. Aug∣ment the Fire gradatim, and the Recipient will fill with white Clouds; towards the latter end, kindle Coals round about the Retort, encreasing the Fire to the last degree, to force over all the Spirits. When the Clouds disappear, and the Recipient grows cool, put out the Fire, unlute and decant the distilled Spirit into a Glass Body, drawing off the Spirit again to driness: this is Spirit of Venus rectified. § 7. It is a Specifick against the Epilep∣sy, Palsie, Apolexy, and o∣ther Diseases of the Head and Brain: it may be given à gut. v. ad x. or xij. in any convenient Vehicle. The black mass at bottom may be revi∣ved into Copper, if put into a Cucurbite in a fire of fusion, with a little Saltpeter, or Tartar. § 8. In making this Spirit from the Crystals of Ve∣nus, you will have ℥viij. from xvj. of the Vitriol, ℥viij. of Caput Mort. remaining be∣hind. § 9. And thô Zwelfer says, that this Spirit will dis∣solve Coral and Pearl with∣out loosing any thing of its force or strength, so that when you would use the same numerical Spirit again, it shall do again the same operation upon new matter, yet Experience has not con∣firmed this assertion; for thô it may come off from the dis∣solved matter with a great deal of sharpness, yet has it lost a great part of its acidity wherein the force of the Men∣struum lay: and by many reiterated Operations upon new matter Operations upon new matter, it will come off at length very weak, and al∣most insipid. § 10. Charras makes it thus: ℞ Crystals of Venus made of Verdigrise, af∣fuse on them (in fine Pouder) S. V. rectified, so much as may overtop it four inches, which in a Sand heat abstract, and cohobate twice or thrice more, to qualifie the Acrimony of the Vitriol: then being dry, and in Pouder put it into a Retort, and distil as before directed in a close Furnace of Reverbera∣tion, with a large Recipient: reiterate the distillation as al∣so cohobation of the Spirit di∣stilled upon the sediment, and make a third distillation: so will you have a Spirit impre∣gnated with the most essential parts of the Crocus Veneris. § 11. This Spirit is a Speci∣fick against the Epilepsy-Ap∣polexy, Convulsions, Le∣thargy, Coma, Carus, and other Diseases of the Head, Brain, and Womb. It is highly esteemed against the Jaundice, illness and weak∣ness of the Stomach, want of Appetite, and to break the Stone in the Reigns and Blad∣der. It is prevalent also a∣gainst all sorts of Agues, the Plague or Pestilence, and all other malign Feavers; and may be successfully used in∣stead of the Prophylactick Wate of Sylvius, even against all the Diseases for which that is commended. § 12. Paracelsus accounts this very Medicine as the quarter part of the whole Materia medica, and by some it is esteemed as a real Alcahest, able to dissolve totally all Pearls, Corals, and such other like hard Substances, with more ease than any other dissolvent, and then quitting them by distillation, is able to dissolve more: but without doubt (as I before observed) it must

grow weaker and weaker; for the saline parts of the matter dissolved will be sure to retain, and unite itself with some part of the acid; and the terrene parts will also detain and unite with other particles of the said Men∣struum, which cannot well be separated by distillation, nor by any other way but by lotion; so that in all proba∣bility▪ this Spirit must by u∣sing decay, and grow every time weaker and weaker. § 13. And this is also to be noted, That Iron, Copper, Pearls, Corals, &c. ought not to pass for pure Alcalies, because that acid Spirits work upon them: for thô these, and such other like substances, are not destitute of the proper Alcali, it follows not, that this part is the whole, nor that it can transform the other parts into itself, since that when acid Spirits dissolve those kind of Substances, they do it not by uniting themselves to them, as they do with true Alcalies, but by destroying them, by dividing them into little particles; quitting them, and letting them precipitate downwards, when they meet with any fixed or volatile Salt, with which they can unite; con∣sidering that▪ only salt Sub∣stances

dissolvable in Water, and capable to unite and in∣corporate themselves with the Oils, can be accounted real Alcalies. And thô boyling Water may make some dis∣solutions of Copper reduced into Crystals, or Crocus after it has been calcin'd with Sulphur; yet it only dissolves that part which the acid of the Sulphur has corroded, and as it were half dissolved in Calcination. § 14. As it is given inwardly in any pro∣per Liquor à gut. vj. ad xij. so likewise it is used out∣wardly in Oyntments to make the Hair grow, and to cure the Itch, Scurf, and Scald Heads.