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 manner of preparing the Syrup called Acetosus Simplex, or Syrup of Vinegar, after the ancient and vulgar way.

℞ lb v. of clarified Sugar, lb iiij. of spring-water, and lb iij. good White-wine Vinegar, boyl all according to Art, into a Con∣sistency of Syrup.

It seems at first sight that this Prescription is all full of in∣genuity, clear, and agreeable to the rules of Arr and Nature; but our Chymical examining thereof, will make it appear, that there are more faults therein then words, and that it is all full of absurdities, even unworthy of a Chymical Novice, and so by consequent much more of so famous and renowned an Arabick Physician as Mesue was, to whom the invention of this Syrup is attributed.

But before we come to note the imperfections of this process, we must declare what vertues Mesue and his Sectators have attri∣buted to this Syrup, and the Oxymel Simplex, and for which Diseases he destinated it, because it will not give a small light, to discover, how false and ill grounded are the indications which they have taken, want of knowing well the nature of things, and being vers'd in the Operations of Chymistry.

They attribute, and not without some ground and reason, to this Syrup, the faculty and vertue of incising, attenuating, open∣ing and mundifying; that of refrigerating and tempering the heats proceeding from choler, that of resisting to putrefaction and corruptions, and finally of expelling the Urine, and provoking sweat. I confess all these vertues may possibly be in this Syrup, when rightly prepared: but unless it be after our prescriptions declared hereafter, it will possess those eminent and signal ver∣tues.

I have taken the description of this Syrup from the Aupsburg

Dispensatory, as the most correct and exact we have at this day; for had I taken it out of Banderon, or some other yet more an∣cient Author, I could shew in it much greater and less tolerable absurditie, than those I am now to demonstrate. What, I be∣seech you, is there worse digested, than to prescribe to boyl lb v. Sugar, with lb iii. water, upon a fire of kindled and flaming Coals, and skimming perpetually to the consumption of half the substance, without a previous Clarification, and then to add iij. or iiij lb Vinegar, to reduce the whole into a Syrup, since Vinegar doth also participate of its impurities and froth, and so puts the Artist to a new skimming. This is, notwithstanding, the pre∣scription of Baudero.

Others have not sped better with their clarified Sugar, and deserve no less reprehension; for Experience it self doth contra∣dict what they pretend to: For, this Axiom which saith, Frustra fit per plura quod fieri potest per pauciora, aequè bene vel melius; shewes evidently, that it is very ill done, to put lb iiij. of Water, with the Sugar and Vinegar, to reduce them to Syrup; since, besides that water is here altogether needless, I say even that for two reasons it is absolutely prejudicial: The first, because the ebulli∣tion of this Water causes a great loss of time, which a good Artist ought to value; the second, and which is yet much more considerable, is, because the Water doth in the action of boyling too long, carry away in its steem, the most subtle, volatile, and saline parts of the Vinegar, from which proceeds the incisive and aperitive vertue, which is proper and specifical to this Syrup. For, I would fain know, what lb iiij. of Water can avail to this Syrup, or what vertue communicate unto the same: For, if it be answered, To advance the depuration of the Sugar, and that it was the intention of Baudero: I will ask the reason also, why the Dispensatory of Augsburg, doth also prescribe the same lb iiij. of Water, since it prescribes to take clarified Sugar; which makes me to conclude, that neither the one nor the other had any rea∣son for what they did. Therefore, those that will prepare this Syrup as it should be, with all the vertues and faculties necessary unto the same, to follow and answer the intention of Physitians, must proceed after the following rule.

℞ an earthen white Dish, or Jugg-mettle glased, which place

upon a Kettle or Cauldron of boyling water, which we will call a boyling B. M. put in this Dish lb ij. fine Sugar in powder, upon which pour xviij. ℥ distilled Vinegar in a glass Cucurbit recti∣fied in B. M. to draw thereof all the waterishness or phlegm, as we shall teach when we come to treat of Vinegar; stirr the Sugar and distilled Vinegar together with a Spatula or Glass-spoon, untill all be dissolved and reduced to a Syrup, which shall be of a just consistency, and long-lasting, and possess all the vertues required in the acetous plain Syrup. I leave now the Reader to his free choyce and judgment, of making this Syrup after the ancient or modern way, and I know that the knowing Artist, will ever follow that reason and experience which guides him to operate citiùs, tutiùs, et jucundiùs; that is to say, in the quickest, safest and pleasantest manner: to shew that Chy∣mistry is, and ever shall be the fairest and best School of Pharmacy. To conclude this examination, note in the way, that ℥ ix. of clear Liquor by it self, or according to the prescriptions of Art, are sufficient to reduce lb i. to a consistency of Syrup, by a simple dissolution in the heat of the Vaporous Bath; that this may be as a general note, when we come to speak of the other Syrups, either plain or compounded, hereafter.

The general method of making Syrups of Acid things, Fruits, as are those of Juice of Lemmons, Oranges, Cherries, Pomgranates, Barberries, Quinces, Gooseberries, Strawberries, Apples, &c.

WE have not much to note, upon the preparation of these Syrups, because the vulgar Pharmacy doth commit less faults in them; yet as there is some small observations we ac∣count necessary to the instructing of our Chymical Apothecary, we would not pass them by.

Take then of all these Fruits which you please, and thereof express the Juyce according to Art, and the nature of each in particular; with this precaution, to make use of no Metallick Vessel to receive them; taking also great care to separate the grains and seeds of these fruits, because some of them are better, and other mucilagineous and slimy; and so would impart an ill taste to the Juyces, or a sliminess and viscosity, which would

be prejudicial to the perfecting of the Syrup: And as for those Fruits which must be scraped, to express the Juyce thereof, you must have Scrapers of Silver, or Letton well blanched and pre∣pared; for, Iron doth easily communicate its taste and colour, to the substance of any acid Fruit, as also Copper or Letton. All this being exactly observed, let those Juyces, which of them∣selves are liquid, to depurate, untill they have deposited a slimi∣ness, or a ground of certain Corpuscles, which are to be sepa∣rated by filtration. But as touching the Juyces of such Fruits, which are of a soft, slow, and viscous substance, they must be put in a cold place to settle, and, as it were, ferment a little, and then the purest Liquor so clarified of it self, and swimming above the rest, let be separated; because if you proceed otherwise, there will rather come a Jelly then a Syrup.

After all these Juyces have duely been prepared in this man∣ner, as we have now deducted, they must be put in a Glass Cu∣curbit in B. M. and evaporated to the consumption of ⅓ p. or ¼ neither ought you to fear, that by this process any portion of the sharpness of the Juyce should be lost, since to the contrary it will encrease it; the acid or sharp quality remaining ever the last, and nothing vapours away but the phlegm, or unnecessary waterishness, and moreover this Operation will serve to separate the remainder of the feculencies abiding in the Juyce: For it is a thing worthy to be noted, that two hours of digestion in B. M. will sooner depurate a Juyce, then three dayes of insolation of the same; and, that which is yet more remarkable, the Juyces so depurated will seldom viny, and may be much longer preserved then others, without any alteration: As for the preparation of the Syrup, you must follow the modus faciendi, which we have heretofore prescribed to the Acetous Syrup, viz. ℞ ℥ ix. of well prepared Juyce, against lb j. of powedered Sugar, or the same quantity of Sugar boyled into a solid Electuary or Rosat Sugar, dissolve them in the heat of a Vaporous Bath, in Earthen glazed, or Glass Vessels, noting still, when you work upon Acids, never to use Metal.