A compendious body of chymistry, which will serve as a guide and introduction both for understanding the authors which have treated of the theory of this science in general: and for making the way plain and easie to perform, according to art and method, all operations, which teach the practise of this art, upon animals, vegetables, and minerals, without losing any of the essential vertues contained in them. By N. le Fèbure apothecary in ordinary, and chymical distiller to the King of France, and at present to his Majesty of Great-Britain.

How the Elixir or Essence of Chrystal is to be prepared.

℞ OF the purest rock-chrystal, reduce it to a coarse pouder, and place it in a Crucible in a wind furnace, and being red hot, quench it a glassed pan full of very good distilled vinegar, and reiterate this ignition and extinction three times, or which is bet∣ter, till the Chrystal turns of it self into a calp as small as sands, then dry this calp, and mix it with equal weight of flowers of brimstone, and calcine them together in a Crucible till all the brimstone be spent; this calcination reiterate three times, then mix the remainder in the Crucible with its double weight of very fine Salt-Peter, which must be set in a fusion and flux, and there∣fore the Crucible very good for the space of xij. hours: and if the Crucible should happen to crack, have an eye presently to sup∣ply it with another, which therefore you must have ready at hand, rebaked, and kept warm under the grate of your wind furnace, that it may out of hand be trusted to a great fire without danger of breaking; the time being expired, and the calcination over, grind the remaining matter on a porphyry stone, ℥iv. at a time, and add to it by little and little very good distilled vinegar to the quantity of ℥x. and thus continue till you have a pound of the grinded matter, which put in a new large Matrass, and pour on it of new distilled vinegar pure and strong; stop the vessel with its blind head, luted with quick lime and beaten whites of eggs; then put to digest in B. M. the space of two natural days with a moderate heat, and in the end you shall find the vine∣gar tinged with a very high blood-red colour; open the vessels, and filtrate the liquor, and put it in a Cucurbite in B. M. to draw

all the liquor till the grounds remain dry; which take afterwards, and put on a Matble-stone in a cold cellar, or some other moist place to resolve them into a red liquor, which you are to receive in a glass cup or dosis, co-operating still carefully, whether the drops as they fall be red, because the essence of the chrystal is only in them which hold forth that colour; for when the co∣lour alters, it is a manifest sign that the fixed salt of the Salt-Pe∣ter dissolves it self; wherefore you must keep apart the first li∣quor, without much heeding the other: let this red liquor settle during some days, and draw by inclination the pure part from the impure, which preserve in a strong vial; and when you will use it, take ℥j. thereof, and mix it with another ounce of good white Wine in a Vial, and shake it together; then let it settle the space of twenty four hours and there will be yet a new defeca∣tion; pour the clear and red thereof not stirred in three pound of white wine, to which this liquor will cleave without leaving or separating any impurity; this mixture must be administred three times a day to such as are tormented with the stone, gra∣vel or nephritical Fits, and those also which have already some disposition towards the gout, and find any weakness or impedi∣ment in their limbs: but chiefly to those which are troubled with Tophus's and Hardnesses, by reason of the Tartar coagulated towards the extremities. The dosis is ℥ iv. or ℥ v. in a glass, the first time in the morning fasting, the second two or three hours after twelve, and the third about bed-time: The use of it must not be intermitted during the space of a philosophical month, which is forty days, to perfect the recovery; and if during this interval the belly doth not perform its office, take no purging me∣dicine, but it will suffice if every other day the Patient takes a plain Glyster of fresh stale, or urine without any addition to it, and the next day ℈ j. of the liquor of ☿ of Sennertus in chicken or veal broth, where you have boiled Parsley and Scorzonera roots. But if any by prevention only will take some of essencified wine, a glass in the morning fasting will suffice for the space of fifteen days, twice in the year; viz. viij. days before the two Eqninoxes of March and September, and viij, days after: and in so so doing you shall doubtless reap the fruit of your hopes.