Mr. Culpepper's Treatise of aurum potabile Being a description of the three-fold world, viz. elementary celestial intellectual containing the knowledge necessary to the study of hermetick philosophy. Faithfully written by him in his life-time, and since his death, published by his wife.

OF THE SUN. CHAP. I.

IT would make a man admire, when he considers how plain the course of Nature is in all the actions of Nature, which are especially discovered to the Sons of men in the birth and conce∣ption of man himself: What the rea∣son should be of so many preposterous opinions now conversant in the brains of the Sons of men, we knowing that Admiration was the daughter of Igno∣rance, laboured in the first place to find

out their ignorance; we knew well enough Nature would make all men happy, according to that ancient Pro∣verb,

— Natura beatis Omnibus esse dedit, si quis cognoverit uti,

She hath enough, if men knew how to use it, To make them happy: Pray doe not abuse it.

The most probable cause of the Brain-sicknesses of our age, we shall shew you in the next Book; however, we consulted together which was the best way to obtain that knowledge which hath now been a long time al∣most lost in the world; and that we might proceed methodically in this, wee propounded two wayes to our

selves, whereby we might come to finde out the truth; those that account them∣selves learned, call the first an Argu∣ment à priore, and the second an Ar∣gument à posteriore.

I. We went to School to Nature, to see which way things were made in a Naturall way, and guided being made; and we supposed, that way we might come to know their Natures, by knowing of what matter, and by what means they were made.

II. We viewed the signatures in things that were made, we searched if that we might finde their Natures thereby; we perceived work enough in this for a man to busie his head about all the dayes of his life, and yet learn some∣thing every day.

We have heard of some that will un∣dertake (and they say, perform what they undertake) to tell a man what his diseases be, by the view of his counte∣nance. We confesse our selves either

through want of age, or experience, or something else, are not able alwayes to do it, yet we really beleeve it may be done; because,

1. We have read of a Physician that knew a young Prince was in love with his Mother in Law, because his pulse alwayes moved swifter when she was in his presence. It seems all Creatures have their proper beams as the Stars of heaven have.

2. We have read in Alkindus in his Treatise de Radiis, where he affirms, that every thing in the Elementary world contains its species in it selfe; for it is manifest, that every thing in this world, whether it be a Substance, or whether it be an Accident, casteth out its beams as the Stars do, or else it had not the fi∣gure of the Starry world in it selfe. The Fire (as it is most manifest) casteth out its beams to a certain di∣stance. The Earth sends out its beams of cold, of health, and of medicine;

and medicines taken into the body, or outwardly applyed to the body, dif∣fuse their beams through the whole bo∣dy of him that receives them; and every coloured body sendeth out its beams, by which it is perceived of what colour it is; whence it appears to be an apparent truth, that every thing which hath actuall existence in the Elementary world sends forth its beams, which fill the Elementary world after their own manner; and every place of this world contains the beams of all things, which are actually exi∣stent in every place; and as every thing differeth from another, so the beams of every thing differ in effect, and nature from the beams of all other things; by which it comes to passe that the opera∣tion of the beams is divers in all di∣vers things.

Much more Alkindus speaks, which for brevity sake we shall omit; yet the truth of this we conceive can be deny∣able to no man that doth but consider that he may smell many things when

he seeth them not; and then we in∣treat you but soberly to consider, that if the beams and signatures of Hearbs and Plants, &c. have their significa∣tions, must not the beams of the Sun, Moon, and Stars have much more, seeing they cause the variety and chan∣ges of the other, as Spring and Sum∣mer, Autumne and Winter evidently declare.

We have been very long upon gene∣ralls, yet nothing is tedious which is rationall.

We come now to speak of the Sun particularly, therefore we intreat you to consider,

1. That the Sun gives vitall heat to the whole Universe, to all and every part of the Creation.

By the Coelestial Sun was the Cen∣trall Sun in the Earth kindled, and also the Microcosmicall Sun in the Body of Man.

2. This Sun by his vitall heat quickens moysture, heat and moysture so quickened is the cause of the ge∣neration of all things are bred by heat and moysture.

3. Though it be true, that radical moist∣ure comes from the Moon, as we shall cleerly prove in the next Chapter; yet it is as true that it comes principally from her when she receives the full beams of the Sunne, as is palpably and apparently seen not onely in all shell-fishes, but also in the marrow both of men and beasts.

4. For as the Sun when he is up enlightens all the Hemisphere, and this light departs again when he is down; so our life remains so long as the Coelestiall Sun quickens the Micro∣cosmicall Sun; but when either the Coelestiall Sun fails in that office, or else the vessell that holds the Micro∣cosmicall

Sun is broken, life departs, and man dyes.

5. And this also is very agreeable to reason, that the Coelestiall Fire should have some center, from whence it should quicken, cherish, inspire, and move the Creation; it must have its place where he may keep his Court like a King, that so the Sons of Wisdome, reall Philosophers, such as preferre a drachm of knowledge before the ri∣ches of the whole world, may be in∣structed where to goe, and how, and which way by Art to help Nature in her operations; therefore the Eternall God, in mere mercy to mankinde, fixed its center in the Sun, that so his creatures which fear him, and hate covetousnesse, when they want vitall heat to quicken either themselves or their operations, they may know where to fetch it, if they know but how; and that they may easily know, if they doe but know themselves; it was not for nothing that wise Greek

so often exhorted men to know themselves.

5. We shall be yet a little plainer with you, doe but seriously take notice of the common operations of the Sun, viz. how in Winter he prepares the Earth for Spring; in Spring, how he prepares it for Sum∣mer; in Summer, how he prepares it for Autumn; and in Autumn, how he prepares it for Winter: Nay, do but note how dayes-labour prepares a man for night-sleep, and night-sleep for dayes-labour: Heed but this with the eye of Reason, for plai∣ner then this thou shalt never be taught.

7. Take notice that all operations are perfected by the Sun, not upon a sudden, but by degrees, and re∣quire time and patie ce.

You see the Sun makes it day by degrees, and changes the seasons of the yeers by degrees, and that's the

the reason all sudden changes are averse to Nature.

8. The Coelestiall Sun causeth the Heliocentricall motion of the Earth, and all the Planets. The motion of the Earth upon her owne Axis, is caused by the Terrestriall Sun.

9. Both Coelestial and Terrestrial Sun joyn in the generation of things upon Earth, neither can there be any generation without both.

This will appear cleer to you, if you do but consider, that the vitall spirit of all seeds proceeds from the Coelestiall Sun; but yet they must be set in the Earth, that so they may take the influence of the Ter∣restriall Sun, that so they may grow, and bring forth their in∣crease.

Lastly, the Coelestiall Sun is in the Creation like a mighty Prince in a Kingdome, onely he is neither ty∣rannicall nor covetous, nor yet will he be flattered; for as a Prince distri∣buteth offices to people, both great and small offices, according as their capacity is to perform them; some things he acts himselfe, some he permits others to act, and some he commands; he prescribes one ad∣ministration to one man, another office to another man, and a third to a third: Even so doth the Sun in the Creation; for,

1. He gives light to the whole Creation.

2. He gives motion to it, whence proceeds that heat which quickens all things.

3. This motion heats and clari∣fies the Air, from whence men and

boasts come to breath, and there∣fore the Latins derive Spiritus from spiro.

4. According as this spirit is re∣tent or remisse, vehement or not ve∣hement, benevolent or malevolent, according to the administration of other Planets, so is the qualities and appetites of things below, either a∣cute or dull, vehement or mode∣rate.

5. The truth of this is cleerly seen in Vegetables; for Leeks and Onyons are hot, by the administra∣tion of Mars; Lettice and Purs∣lance cold, by the administration of the Moon; Hemlock, and Hen∣bane stupefying, by the administra∣tion of Saturn.

Heed this well in all your Philo∣sophicall operations.

6. As in a Kingdome it lies in the power of a Prince, to redresse

what wrongs his Officers or Admi∣strators commit upon his Subjects; so also in the Universe, it lies in the power of the Sun to rectifie the evil influence of the rest of the Planets, and he will doe it to such Philoso∣phers as know him.

And so much shall suffice to have been spoken concerning the Sun, we shall be a little briefer in the rest.