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HAving to treat of Purity and Impurity, in the second Book, which shall immediately follow this Chapter, and the Principles of Death being in a manner contained under this matter; I found it not out of purpose, to close this first Book
by a short Discourse upon these Principles, although to speak properly, they should not be called by this name; for it is proper to the nature of Principles ever to compound or generate, but never to destroy.
We have shewed heretofore, that Principles may be considered three several wayes, viz. Either before the composition of the Mixt, or in the state of its composition, or finally after dissolution and destruction: We may say the same here touching the Prin∣ciples of Death, which we have already said in another place concerning the Principles of Life. But because Contraries oppo∣sed one to the other, are better apprehended and illustrated, we shall say something again concerning the Principles of Life be∣fore the composition of the Mixt, that we may the better come to the knowledge of the Principles of Death, when we shall speak of it in the third Section; for we shall referre our selves so speak of their effects, being already corporified or embodyed in Mixts, when we come to treat of Purity and Impurity.
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.
I Must, before I do proceed further, repeat once more here, that when we call these, Principles against Nature, we under∣stand not Nature in a general term; but only humane Nature: because it happens often, that what is Poyson to one species, shall be nourishment to the other: so doth Hen-bane please to Sterns, which feed upon it; and killeth Man.
This ground being layd, I say, that all heat, or rather all hot, corrosive, biting, sharp substance, which destroyes and consumes, is such, because it contains in it self a Sulphur against Nature; and that from this Sulphur it is, that as from their Spring, do flow all the vertues and proprietyes of the Mixt, where that im∣pure Sulphur is predominant: for if Life doth flow from a sweet, natural and vital Sulphur, and that it receives a long preservation by the essential proprietyes of this Sulphur, it must necessarily be concluded, that death and destruction must follow that Sulphur which is of an opposite nature unto it; and all Arsenicks, Realgar, Auripigment, or Lead-oar, Sandarack, and all other venoms of a hot, fiery nature, whether celestial, aerial, watery, terrestrial, all these Poysons, I say, are such by their very actions, and sole propriety of this Sulphur against Nature.
It is not our design to speak here of those Principles which are enemies and contrary to humane nature when they are already in∣corporated, and do compose some of the venemous Mixts, because we referre our selves to treat of it in the Book following; we shall only speak of these Principles here, as they are yet spiritual, & flow∣ing from the Stars; by the mediation of the Universal Spirit, and as this Principle is single in this respect, so hath it received these seve∣ral and different denominations: for as we have already said, that the Sulphur, which is heat, cannot be without Mercury, that is to say, moysture; neither without Salt, by reason of their mutual union, it followeth from thence, that a biting Mercury, and corrosive and caustick Salt is required to the subsistance of a sharp Sulphur; as likewise a temperate Mercury and sweet Salt is required for the preservation of a moderate Sulphur. For these three Principles are ever united and joyned very strictly together, whether con∣sidered as P••inciples of life, or P••inciples of death; and if some∣times we treat of them separately, it is to the end only that their operations and nature may be better understood; because there is still one of these Principles predominant above the others in the Compound, and whose actions are made manifest, concealing and blunting the efficacy and vertues of the two other, though not∣withstanding they act by way of Concomitancy, with that which predominates; as for Example: When the Mercury of Death ope∣rates the Sulphur against Nature, and corrosive Salt does not cease
from their action, though it appears but little, by reason of the pre∣dominant Principle, for à potiori sumitur denominatio.
Now as the Sulphur of Death, or Mortal Sulphur, doth manifest it self in the Arsenical substances, Realgar, Auripigment, &c. the Mercury of Death doth also the same in all Narcoticks, and we have not without reason affirmed these poysons to be, not only terre∣strial, but aerial also; for in all the Elements there is much of this malignant Mercury, not yet specified in any individual Body, but flying up and down, and remaining of a volatile nature; and whensoever it exceeds proportion, doth cause an infinite number of Epidemical, Pestilential, and Contagious Diseases; and if the individual venoms already immersed in Bodies did not attract it for their nourishment, it would infallibly, cause a great spoyl and dis∣order in the World.
And as Salt is the Principle which causes the coalescency of substances in Bodies, or corporification (if we may use the word) and that by it Sulphur and Mercury are made visible and palpable, by reason of the coalition of the same which it causes; so the cor∣roding Salt, doth also corporifie the two other Principles of Death, and renders them visible by giving them a Body; for these sub∣stances otherwise should remain invisible in the Universal Spirit, were they not brought to light, and made corporeal by the opera∣tion and help of the Salt, and by this means it is, we finde true, that so important Axiom of the great Trismegist, when he saith, that Quod est occultum fit manifestum, et vice versâ. The violence and hurtfull nature of this Salt of Death, appears very little in natu∣ral things; but when Art hath bestowed its skill, upon one or several Mixts, then appears its activity, and not before, as is ob∣vious in all sublimated Corrosives, Aqua Fortis, Butter of Anti∣mony, and several other Preparations, of this nature, known to the Sons of Art, it is from such a kinde of Salt, that Cancers, Gan∣grenes, Kings-evil, and all other corroding Ulcers are generated in mans body; which is against the sense of those, who do im∣pute to sharp and biting humours, the cause of these Diseases, ha∣ving but Chymical notions of knowledge in natural things, as we shall shew in the next Book, where we shall declare which way the Principles of Death do incorporate themselves in Man.