The method of chemical philosophie and physick. Being a brief introduction to the one, and a true discovery of the other. namely, of diseases, their qualities, causes, symptoms, and certain cures. The like never before extant in English.

CHAP. I. The assigned Star of the Ancients.

IN that I am about to unfold and explain the sacred and ancient Philosophy, which is collected forth of the Philosophy of the Academicks and Peripateticks, I have thought it meet to set before your eyes the Opinions of the ancient Philosophers concerning the nature of things, and that in brief to repeat that whereby it may appear now far Vital Philosophy hath excelled and surpassed the rude and corpulent Philosophy. Which things being understood and throughly viewed, it will be convenient to descend to the fountains of things. All the precepts of ancient Philosophers which concern∣ed the knowledge of Natural things, have been hidden and concealed of them under feigned and dark shadows and fables: for all those things which divine Plato, and after him Aristotle, have writ concerning the World and nature of things; as also whatsoever Empedocles or Parmenides, or Pythagoras have brought into the light, all those precepts have been the precepts of those which writ ancient fables; from whose precepts every one hath so much profited, as he could attain unto by the faculty of his Wit.

Their precepts did signifie that the World was created of God, and that it consists of one universal and com∣mon matter. Wherefore they held there was but one World, and not many; and that Time was caused from the motion of the Heaven; and that the Heavens, while they were moved, did effect a musical harmony by rea∣son of the magnitude of their bodies; and that the eter∣nal Matter of the Heaven existed, and that the Elements

were obnoxious to corruption and transmutations, accor∣ding to their parts. Whenas yet the whole substance is so created of him, that it might be eternal. All these are conserved from corruption by the Soul of the World or Divine power.

They al••o did express by fables that the Earth was un∣moveable, and that all other things were moved with perpetual motions, and that the parts of the Elements mutually amongst themselves were generated and cor∣rupted by the heat and cold of the Heaven, and that there were made more frequent mutations of all these about the Earth. They also did lay open by fables the generation of Hail, Rain and Thunder, and other Me∣teors, which are caused by the Sun from Vapours eleva∣ted upwards. And also they expressed how Living crea∣tures and Plants were generated by the commixtion and corruption of the Elements; of all which the Sun is the efficient cause by his moderate heat. Again, they af∣firmed that all the living bodies should die which were composed of many principles or beginnings, because every compounded body is at length to be resolved into his principles.

Now at length we come to explain the nature of Plants and Fruits.

They in their fables declared that the seasons of Time were profitable to them when the Fruits and Plants are fit to gather strength and yield fruit.

Lastly, the generation of all things, whether it be by corruption of life, or conjunction of Male and Female, it is governed and holpen by the temperature of the Hea∣ven, both in procreating and conserving, or bringing them up: for from that temperature there arises an ap∣petite and desire of procreating.

Again, they have entreated of the Changes and Vir∣tues of the Moon whose humour is expedient in the Full

Moon to those that bring forth, and for the increase of Plants, and the conservation of living things which are bred. And they said that the principal author of this power was the Sun; which therefore the Physicians thought to be a skilful governour of Health and Disea∣ses: for seeing the mediocrity and temperature, and the grievousness and magnitude of the Heat is caused by it, this power is not undeservedly attributed to the Sun. They judged the Sun to be the ministrant cause of God, by which all things are made and generated; seeing that he by this mixeth the Elements, from whose commixti∣ons all things are generated.

This was their Philosophy, which is no other vise ex∣plained than in the sense of Fables.