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. II. Of the Principles of Life before Composition.

WE have often said above, that the Universal Spirit being indifferent to be made all things, is undetermined to any particular subject, unless by the character of particular Matrixes; and because each Element is filled with these particular Matrixes or Wombs, as we have already proved, each Element doth con∣tribute something of his own for the perfection of its Composite. The Heaven doth by the assistance of his Stars, communicate unto it her heavenly, spiritual, and invisible vertue, which descends first into the Air, where it beginneth to assume a kinde of body; the Air sends it into the Water or the Earth, where this coelestial vertue and influence beginneth to operate more materially, and associate it self to matter, thereby to frame a body to it self, by means of those various natural fermentations which are the cause of alteration in sublunary things: because this Spirit is the true Agent, and the true efficient internal cause of these fermentations performed in the Matter, which of it self is meerly passive, and

the Archeus or director general of it: For when it is Mixt and united to the body, which clotheth it as it were, or involves it under its rinde, it can neither produce nor manifest those wonder∣full effects which it hides and conceals, being then as it were fettered and imprisoned; and shall never be able to exercise or shew his vittues, unless it be first disintangled of its corporeity, and grosseness of the matter; and this is the main point upon which Chymistry bestowes so much labour, care and study, to bring unto light those lovely Truths, which this p••••t of natural knowledge doth contain.

Now as this Universal Spirit is the first Principle of all things, and that all things are produced by it, and return into the same, it is evident, that it must by necessity prove also the first Prin∣ciple or Original of death in all things, which doth imply no contradiction, since it is done and understood in several respects; for as the variety of Compounds in Nature, doth require for its maintenance a variety of substances: There is also a variety of Matrixes or Wombs in the Elements, to attend the fabrick of those various substances, and thence it is that what doth often∣times advance the life of one, is the destruction and death of the other; as for Example: A corrosive Principle will be the death of a sweet Mixt; and contrary wise, a sweet Principle the death of a corrosive, by taking away its acrimony and sharpness, which did constitute its estence and differency.

But to speak strictly and properly, it appears, that this first Principle, thus and thus Ideified, cannot be said to be a Prin∣ciple of Life or Death: This expression can hold but in a re∣spective consideration, and as it relates to this or that Compound; but as the most part of sweet things do contribute to the service and preservation of Mankind, because they have some correspon∣dency with his taste, and participate more of substances analo∣gous to his Nature and Constitution: Hence it comes to pass, that when the Universal Spirit hath received this stamp or cha∣racter, it takes the denomination of Principle of Life; as to the contrary that of Death, if it be stampt with a corrosive Idea, which not only prejudiceth to the actions of man, but corrupts also those of such Mixts and Substances as serve for his daily food and subsistance.

So when the Air is filled with Arsenical vapours, and Realga∣rick and Corrosive Influences, which by reason of the necessary use of respiration, are often the cause of great mortality amongst Mankinde; yet considering that those destructive spirits are not influenced to that end, and that their ill effects, as to Man, are only accidental; so can they not properly be called Principles of Death, since they are dispensed here below by the Care of Nature, for the generation and propagation of Arsenical Substances, Real∣gars, and other corrosive mixt Compounds, which are no ess a part of the World then Man it self, and are destinated to a better end, by the hand of the all-wise Master and Creator of this Uni∣verse, then is known unto most of us; for we see that Nature and Art can so order and prepare these Mixts, as to make them fit and serviceable for the use of Man: We must not therefore presently call Nature a Step-mother to us, since God hath endowed us with the skill and means, to avoid these evil and malignant in∣fluencies. To accommodate our selves then, to the vulgar way of expression, we shall say, that the Principles of Life, before the Composition of the Mixt, are nothing else but the Universal Spirit, impregnated with the Idea of favourable and amicable Principles to our Nature, and possessing in the Center of its Her∣maphroditical Salt, a moderate Sulphur, a temperate Mercury, and a sweet Salt: as to the contrary, the Principles of Death are no∣thing else but this same Spirit, having in it the same Hermaphro∣ditical Salt mixt with a sharp Sulphur, a biting Mercury, and a corrosive Salt, as we shall more fully declare in the following Section.