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 Crocus Martis aperitive is to be prepared.

VVEE will deliver two manners of preparing this aperi∣tive Crocus of Mars, as we have shewed two for the astringent Crocus. The first manner is by taking lb j. of Filings or dust of Needles very clean, which put in a stone earthen Pan very flat, then by degrees and gently moisten it with Dew-water, if your work falls in May, else Rain-water of the vernal Equinox, until the Filings begin to crumble, at which sign proceed no fur∣ther lest you should drown your matter; for when it is only moi∣stened in the form of a past or crums, it ferments and grows hot of it self with water, as by the touch and smell it may easily be noted: for there is a certain saline Spirit hidden in these waters which penetrates the Steel, and insensibly dissolves it: wherefore it must immediately be dryed in the Sun, and being dry, grinded on a Marble, and so moistened again without drowning, and in lesse then three or four dayes all the Filings will be converted into a black powder, which will begin to draw to a Violet purple colour in the superficies, and by a small taste of ink, or somewhat vitrio∣lick, sheweth, that the water begins to make the reincrudation of the metal into his seminal principles, which are Sulphur and Vi∣triol; for when the water is put upon it, it sends forth a sulphureous odour, and the taste doth manifestly declare and discover the Vi∣triol. Note, that your matter must be grinded on the Marble as often as you dry it, and if you will discharge the parr of a care∣ful Artist, you may make three exsiccations every day, and end the operation in three weeks, otherwise you must bestow at least a moneth or six weeks, before the body of this metal may be reduced to an impalpable powder, which is coloured with a brown purple Violet, which having got, put it in a crude Iron Pot or Caldron, and upon open fire Reverberate, stirring it still with a Rod or slice of Iron, and as soon as it begins to grow red, take it away, and you shall have the aperitive Reverberated Crocus of Mars in a fair red brown colour. But it is much better not to reverberate it, be∣cause this heat may cause the Vitriol that begun to be fram'd in the Crocus, to exhale away, and this vitriolick salt only constitutes its

aperitive vertue. The Dosis of this Crocus must be from iij. gr. to xx. and xxx. provided it be given by degrees, and the stomach used to it by little an little; it is administred in Opiats and Conserves or mixt amongst aromatical Powders; it must be taken fasting,, or the stomach being empty three or four houres before meales, and the Patient must walk after in some smooth and pleasant place; after the walk take a Btoth of Veal and Chicken made with Parsly and Spanish Scorzonera Roors. This Remedy is use∣full for all Chronical Diseases, Cachexy, Leucophlegmacy, and all other Diseases proceeding from splenetical obstructions, or ob∣structions of the Liver, Mesentery and Pancreas; but there are al∣some other Martial Remedies more quick and efficacious in their operation, as we will shew hereafter.

The second manner of preparing the opening Crocus Martis is this. Take a bar of good Steel and make it glowing in a Smiths Forge, in that degree of heat which they call so ering heat, which is a kind of half-fusion, and being thus, have a great Pan full of water, over which you shall hold your Steel, and apply close to it a cake of Brimstone, which will melt the Steel, and drop by drop precipitate it in the water in small graines; continue this work until you have a sufficient quantity of the Steel in graine, which must be separated from the Brimstone that fell dropping a∣long with the Steel in the water, then beat it in an Iron morter to powder, which must be run through a delicate sieve or Tamy, then prepared on a Porphyry stone, or Sea-shel with some opening water, until it be reduced to an Alkohol, the half whereof must be framed into Trochisks, when dryed and so kept; this is called pre∣pared Steel. Then take the other half and reverberate it in an I∣ron Cauldron with naked fire, as we have said above, until it hath attained a red purple colour, without fear of consuming the vitrio∣lick faculty; but contrariwise it will open more and more, this preparation being different from that of the foregoing Crocus; the Dosis is the same with the other, the precautions the same, and the use of it for the same Diseases; some there are that even do pre∣fer it to the other preparations, but I am of a contrary mind.