This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
TAke a great glasse that will bear the fire, and put into it your earth and your fire, and pour your aire upon it, and set it to distill in a furnace, in pot or with sand or ashes, with a Limbeck well luted, having a hole in the uppermost knottie
part, that a Funnell may be put in when there shall bee need of Infusion: when as the humiditie that it hath received be half consumed, then fortifie your fire by little and little in∣creasing it, untill you see the water boyl, and keep the fire in that state still, untill it be consumed even to a pint. Take away the fire, let it cool, take away your Receiver, and open the hole of the Limbeck, and put in your glasse Funnell, and pour in all the distilled water in the Recipient upon the Earth, and stop the hole of the Limbeck, and set the Recei∣ver unto the neck thereof well luted, and distill again, and observe the manner aforesaid of drawing and making infu∣sion, and do thus ten times. The tenth Distillation finish∣ed, let all passe together; for then the earth is made flying. So the aire, the water, the fire, and the earth will ascend together by the Limbeck, and be brought into one substance which were in four. One together in nature, and now simple as the incorruptible heaven, yet are they not fixed: but notwithstanding they are so coupled together between themselves, that by no means they can be separated, but will continue one simple bodie for ever; even as the Christal∣line and uncorruptible heaven, which notwithstanding is com∣pounded of the four Elements. What thinke you of this my Son? Cannot this Quintessence help every disease that doth infect man through his most excellent temperature, whether it be in heat, cold, moist, or drie, for all are in it that he may distribute unto every one that which is necessary, even as the heaven, when need requireth, giveth unto the earth all things, as coldnesse, heat, or moisture: And yet it is neither hot, cold, moist, nor drie, but of one simple essence, and that in∣dued with such a nature, that it giveth unto every thing that which is necessary: In like manner doth this Quintes∣sence. Therefore my Son rejoyce, and give the Almightie God thanks which hath opened these things unto the Phi∣losophers.