Four books of Johannes Segerus Weidenfeld concerning the secrets of the adepts, or, of the use of Lully's spirit of wine : a practical work, with very great study collected out of the ancient as well as modern fathers of adept philosophy : reconciled together by comparing them one with another, otherwise disagreeing, and in the newest method so aptly digested, that even young practitioners may be able to discern the counterfeit or sophistical preparations of animals, vegetables and minerals, whether for medicines or metals, from true, and so avoid vagabound imposters, and imaginary processes, together with the ruine of estates.

VII. That some Menstruums are corrosive.

THat Mineral Menstruums are corrosive, and therefore dis∣solve Bodies with ebullition, is clearly manifest by the Re∣ceipts aforesaid. I would not have you, being perhaps not suffici∣ently instructed in the Sayings of the Adepts, every where decla∣ring against Aqua fortisses, and all Corrosives, either despise, or think ill of them: These are those Menstruums by which the an∣cient Adepts abbreviated their Time and Labour in preparing their Tinctures: And Paracelsus justly entituled himself to the Monarchy of Arcanums, he having been the principal Instrument in compleating not only the Abbreviations of Alchymy, but moreover introducing these Mineral Menstruums to Medicinal Ʋse, and that with so much dexterity, that there seems to be now no hope left to his Disciples of mending any imperfection of this Art, as will be demonstrated in the following Books: Besides, these Menstruums differ from the Vegetable Menstruums no otherwise, than that an Acidum is superadded to them, or to the Spirit of Philosophi∣cal Wine, corroding the Aridum, and dividing it into Atoms, making way for the Oleosum, to be sooner and better incorporated and mixed together, which notwithstanding do by taking away the Acidum, return into the same Vegetable Menstruums they were before.