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.

To make the astringent Tincture of Mars.

℞ ℥ iiij. of Filings of Needles very pure and clean, and ha∣ving put them in a glasse Cucurbite, pour upon spirit of ♀ or Copper until they be sufficiedtly moistened and begin to cleave together; then cover the Cucurbite with a Still-head, and draw off the spirit in a slow heat in ashes to a dry bottom; and if what you have drawn hath any taste, cohobate it again; if not, moisten it again with new spirit of Venus, and dry as before, and go on thus doing three times, or until your Mars. be changed into a very subtil and red Crocus; then grind it on a Porphyry stone

and put again in a Cucurbite, and pour upon of the same spirit of ♀ four fingers high, and having adapted to it the double Pan or Blindhead, place it in B. M. to extract, until the Spirit be turn'd very red; then separate the Tincture, and pour again new Menstruum, and go on thus doing so long as it will take colour; this done, put all the Tinctures together and filtrate them, draw off the spirit of Venus in B. M. until it hath got the consistency of a thick Syrup, upon which pour spirit of Wine three fingers high, which digest in the vapour of Balneo and let extract; then filtrate and extract with the same Menstruum until no more will come▪ and having filtrated all the Tinctures, draw off three parts of the Liquor, and you shall have an astringent Tincture of Mars remaining, which is none of the least secrets in Physick, and worthy the Closet of a curious Artist. This Tincture is admini∣stred by drops, from iiij. to xv. and xx. in Decoction of Plan∣tain, or water of the juice thereof; it may also be given in wa∣ter sharpened with juice of a Pomegranate. It hath the vertue to stop all immoderate fluxes of the Belly, to correct and allay the griefs and irritations of the Pylorus or Blind-gut, cure Dy∣sentery and Lientery, as alse red and white fluxes of Women, and the hemorrhoidal also; finally it dryes Gonorrhea and cures heat of Urine, and stops all manner of Hemorrhagy.