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.

SECT. I. Wherein is treated, Whether those Five Principles, which remain after the dissolution of the Mixt, are Natural or Artificial.

CHymical Philosophy doth admit for Principles of the Com∣pound, those five substances whereof we have treated above, because as it is a Science wholly sensal, it grounds its reasons only upon what senses do demonstrate unto her: And because having exactly anatomized a body natural, nothing is found be∣yond what may answer one of these five substances. But here may be a Question moved of no small difficulty, viz. Whether these five Substances, are Natural or Artificial Principles, and not rather Principles of Disunion and destructive, than of Composition and Mixture? To this may be answered, that it is not a matter of small difficulty, to know whether these Principles are natural, because we do not see them severed from the Compound, by a natural corruption or putrefaction; and that Chymical separation can only be performed by an artificial corruption caused by the help of the heat of fire: but if the businesse be judiciously and narrowly examined, it will appear, that although these substances can only be extracted by the help of Chymical Art, they are notwithstanding, meerly and purely Natural, since Art doth con∣tribute nothing else but the Vessels to contain and receive them. Whence Nature being destitute of these Vessels, and we cannot without their help render those substances palpable and visible objects of the eye; it cannot seem strange, that we should not perceive these substances, in the natural corruption and solution of their Compounds: for Nature which is still in action and busie about productions, makes use of the said substances, and applyes

them to the generation of several other existencies, as Aristotle hath very well observed, when he saith that, Corruptio unius est gene∣ratio alterius. Thence it is, that in the natural putrefaction of bodies, a certain smell for the most part offends our Nostrils; a true token of the Air being impregnated with volatile spirits, which are Saline and Sulphureous; by which it appears, that the Mixt is radically dissolved, and thus it is performed: The Salt is dissolved by the help of the internal Phlegm or Water; and as the Salt is the bond of the two other Principles, so can they no longer subsist in their Mixt or Body, because heat which accompanyes all putrefactions, doth subtilize and carry them a∣way, so that there remains nothing but what is of earthlinesse in the Compound. Therefore we do conclude, that although these Principles may not be made sensible and manifest, but by the Operations of Chymistry, it doth not debarre them notwith∣standing from being natural, because if nature had not immixed them in all things, they could not indifferently be drawn from all bodies, as we daily see that they may; whence we inferre, that these substances are not extracted from the Mixt by trans∣mutation, but by a meer natural separation, assisted by the heat of the Vessels and the hand of the Artist: for all things cannot indifferently and immediately be transformed in the like and same things. Therefore it cannot be thought strange, that other sub∣stances then the forementioned five, should be extracted from Mixt Bodyes by Chymical Operations, when the way of opera∣ting is altered, and proceeds by another way, then by the sepa∣ration of Principles, such as are the Quintessences, Arcana, Magiste∣ries, Specificks, Tinctures, Extracts, Faeculae, Balsoms, Flowers, Panacaea's and Elixirs, whereof Paracelsus treats at large, in his Books of Archidoxa; since all these several preparations take their vertues from the various mixture of the Principles, whereof we are to speak in the following Sections, according to the order wherein they fall first under our senses. Where we shall consider them both as they yet compound the Mixt or Body, and as they are separated from it.