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.

The Preparation of Syrup of Cinamon according to the Precepts and Prescriptions of Chymistry.

THis Syrup may serve for a pattern and rule to make all other. Syrups of aromatical bodies, of which it would be needless to give the particular prescriptions, since this may be instar om∣nium.

℞ ℥ x. of very good Cinamon cut very small, and put in a Glass Cucurbite, upon which pour lb iij. of good Malmsey or Spanish Wine, or some other kind of generous and spirited Wine, and lb i. of very good Rose-water, cover the Cucurbite with its Glass Body, the joynts being exactly luted, put it in B. M. and adap∣tate thereto a Receiver, which you shall lute to the Nose of the Limbeck very exactly; give first a gentle fire of digestion the space of 12. hours; then increase, till the distilling drops follow close one the other, heeding nevertheless, that the Head of the Lim∣beck should not grow too hot: but may be so, as the hand may endure it. Continue thus until the Cinamon in the bottom ap∣pears dry; the cease, and put by the Cinamon. Reiterate your operation with like quantity of fresh Cinamon, pouring upon it the Water first extracted, and distil as you did at first, reiterate it until the third time; and having ended, put your Water in a Bot∣tle well stopt with waxed Cork, and cover it with a wet Bladder, lest that it should lose and exhale away the best and subtilest part of its vertue. Then take afterwards all the remaining Cinamon, put it in a Cucurbite, and pour upon lb iiij. of common Water; cover it with its Head; lute, and distil in Sand, and draw off lb i. ss. that in case any volatile and virtual substance should remain in the Cinamon, it may be drawn off again without loss: This last Water shall serve in the Laboratory for the last lotion of Magi∣steries and Precipitates, as also for the extraction of some Tin∣ctures. Strain and express all the liquor impregnated with the ex∣tract and fixed Salt of the Cinamon, clarifie, and then boyl to the consistency of Lozenges, with lb ij. of refined Sugar, which you must dissolve in cold, with lb i. of the spirituous Water be∣fore received: This Syrup must immediately be put in a well stopt Bottle, that what you have preserved with so much labour,

smay not be lost. It is a treasure and present remedy in all weaknes∣es: but chiefly, in long and difficult travels of Women, where their strength is exhausted, and they consequently deprived of the best part of their Spirits and natural heat: and as there is no Ve∣getable that possesses more of Spirits then Cinamon, and prin∣cipally, being animated with the Spirits of Wine, all that ver∣tue is found concentrated in this Syrup by an admirable harmony, so, that is capable to produce all the effects we have attri∣buted unto it. The Dosis is from one half to one and two spoonfuls. They that shall desire to make this Syrup yet more excellent, must put in the mouth of the Limbeck ℈ i. of Amber∣grice mixt with ʒ i. of true wood of Aloes reduced to Powder, and shall distil over again lb ss. of their best Cinamon Water, whereof they shall make the Syrup which will be much more efficacious.

We will end this Discourse concerning Syrups, by the notes and observations we shall make upon compounded Syrups: be∣cause that as they are destinated to several ends, so are they com∣pounded with different matters, which do require a different manner and way of preparation. But before we enter into our matter, we must say something that may affect the mind of the Reader, and open his understanding, whereby we may also in∣struct those that apply themselves to the study of the noblest Pharmacy. And to begin, I will say: that Natural Phylosophers, which are the soundest Judges of things, do assure us, that all whatsoever receives, doth receive according to its proper way of receiving Secundum modum recipientis; and not according to the way of the thing received, Secundum modum recepti, which is to introduce some new quality in the Recipient. If this Phyloso∣phical Axiom is true in it self, as no body of sound judgement can doubt of it; it will chiefly appear to be so, and we will make it evident herein. Because no Apothecary can make a compound∣ed Syrup, without extracting before hand the vertue and tinctures of the several ingredients which are to be received into the li∣quor, which is that which commonly Chymists do call their Menstruum: Now of whatsoever quality or nature that Men∣struum be, it cannot take upon it self, nor be impregnated with the Tincture or Essence of any Vegetable, Animal, or Mineral what∣soever,

but according to its own way or capacity of receiving, which cannot be otherwise disposed then by the weight of Na∣ture, which is nothing else but the capacity, and sufficient quan∣tity of the most subtile matter of the extracted body, whereof the Menstruum is impregnated; and when it is thus filled and satiated within, either cold or warm, all the power of Art can∣not make it to take up more; because, as we have said, he is loaden according to the weight of Nature, which cannot be transgressed, unless with a design to lose all, or frustrate the ope∣ration: for,

Est modus in rebus, sunt certi deni que fines: Quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum.

For example. Take ℥ iv. of ordinary Salt, dissolve them in ℥ viij. of common Water warm, and you shall see the Water to take up but ℥ iij. of the Salt, and leave behind the fourth, and though you never boyl or agitate so much the Water with the Salt, yet it shall not be capable to receive more; because if it appears dissolved in the heat, it sinks nevertheless afterwards to the bot∣tom, and coagulates when the water is grown cold. But to prove more evidently, that the Water is naturally and sufficiently loaded; take a competent quantity of this Water so impregnated with Salt, that an Egge may swim in it, whereby you may imme∣diately know, whether the Water is loaded according to the weight of Nature; for if it hath as much as it can be capable to receive, the Egge will swim above the Water; but, if it be not sufficiently loaden or impregnated, the Egge will immediarely sink to the bottom; because the Water is not sufficiently filled with the dissolved body of the Salt to hinder the sinking of that of the Egge. Another proof and experiment thereof, is made in the boyling of Hydromel or Mead; for, when the Water is not yet sufficiently loaded with the small bodies of Honey, the Egge will never swim above the Water; but to the contrary, will im∣mediately sink to the bottom: but, when by reiterated experi∣ments, you are come to bring the Egge to swim above Water, it is then a true sign of the sufficient boyling of the Mead, and that the Water is as much impregnated with Honey as it can

bear, to have a pleasant and vinous drink thereof, after due fermen∣tation; whereas if it be more loaded, the drink will prove clam∣my and cleaving to the lips, by reason of the over-abundance of Honey; and if it be not enough, then it is defective, and wants its sufficiency of the body of Honey, to give it the taste and strength it ought to have; because the Spirits of Honey, which cause its goodness, are in too small a quantity to cause due fermentation. We say the same thing of Spirit of Wine, Aqua-vitae, plain and distilled Vinegar, corrosive Spirits of Salt, Nitre, Vitriol, or Copparis, all Strong-waters generally, Liquors or Menstrua's, which are capable to extract or dissolve any Body, Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral. For example, put Coral gross∣ly powdered in a Matrass, and pour upon distilled Vinegar, by degrees, to the height of three or four fingers, you shall imme∣diately perceive its action, and hear a certain noise in its ebulli∣tion, which causes the dissolution of the body of Coral; but when this ebullition and noise is ceased, filtrate the liquor which swims above, and put it upon new Coral in Powder, and you shall perceive no more action or noise; which evidently proves that liquor to be satiated with the body received, and uncapable to admit any more; Take also Water, Aqua-vitae, or Spirit of Wine, and put upon Saffron, until it be exhaled to a very high colour; then take afterwards new Saffron, and pour this tin∣cture upon it, and you shall perceive, that this will extract no more, and that your Saffron will remain of the same colour as when you did put it in at first.

It happens so to all Vegetable Bodies entring in the preparation of compounded Syrups, as Herbs, Flowers, Fruits, Seeds and Roots. All these bodies have a Salt in themselves, which though of a different nature, doth notwithstanding load or impregnate of its substance more or less Clammy, the Menstruum, which the A∣pothecary doth use, according to the Dispensatory from whence he hath his direction, proportionally to the weight of Nature; and when this Menstruum is once impregnated, with the vertue or essence of any of these things, to the concurrence and pro∣portion of the weight of Nature, it is impossible it should at∣tract to it self the tincture or, vertue of other bodies added to it afterwards, without some deperdition and loss: for the nature

of these bodies will be either fixt or volatile; if fixt, the Men∣struum is already loaded with some thing of like nature, and so this body shall never communicate its vertue to the decoction of the Syrup already sufficiently loaded: but, if the vertue of this body be volatile, it will needlesly evaporate during the ebullition of the superfluous liquor in the concocting of the Syrup.

All what we have said here above, may sufficiently show the necessity of delivering our promised notes upon the compounded Syrups, and the examples of the dividing the matters which enter into the composition of these Syrups, to extract their essence and vertue, according to the several nature which is in them, whether it resides in the fixed part, or be found in the vo∣latile.

We shall then make use of the example of six kinds of Syrups, having six several uses, and consequently, compounded of dif∣ferent substances, and extracted with different Menstruums, to demonstrate the better the truth of all the possible means. These Syrups are; first, a Stomachal one, which is the compounded Syrup of Wormwood. Secondly, an aperitive Syrup, which is the acetous, or compounded Syrup of Vinegar. The third is, an hy∣sterical Syrup, or good for the Mother, which is the compounded Syrup of Mugwort. The fourth, a cholagogick and hepatical Sy∣rup, which is the compounded Syrup of Endive or Chicory, with Rhubarb. The fifth is, a thoracical or pectoral Syrup, dedicated to the diseases of the Brest, which is that of Hysop. The sixth is, a purgative and phlegmagogical Syrup, which is the Syrup of Carthamie, or Bastard Saffron. We shall first deliver them ac∣cording to the ancient dispensations, and then shall make our notes thereupon of their imperfection: after which shall fol∣low our prescpition for preparing after the modern way, i. e. Chy∣mically and without defects.