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.

Of Humane Flesh and its Preparations.

THe Mummy which is prepared out of the Flesh of Man, is one of the noblest Remedies which all the parts of his Body can afford: But, because it is abhorred by some natures, and is nei∣ther known, nor well apprehended by others, it will not be unfit to say something of its differences, before we come to the descri∣ption of its true Preparation.

Those that have more learnedly writ of Mummy among the Ancients, make only four kinds of it: the first is the Arabiack, which is nothing else but a Liquor flowing from Bodies embalmed with Myrrha, Aloes, and natural Balsom mixed and acorporated, with the fleshy substance of embalmed bodies, contaming the Spirit and volatile Salt, from which doth result the Mummial part, which composes with Myrrha, Aloes, and Balsom this first kind of Mum∣my of the Ancients, which were not to be despised, if recoverable; but none such is to be found at this day.

The second kind, is the Aegyptian Mummy, which is a Liquor thickned and dryed, proceeding from the Bodies which have been sea••oned and filled with a Balsom, ordinarily called Asphaltum,

or Pissasphaltum (a kind of Bitumen). Now as Sulphur in natural bodies is incorruptible, so is it by his means and Balsamick facul∣ty also, that dead bodies are preserved against corruption: This second kind is much inferiour to the first, and is only fit for out∣ward uses, being not capable to draw from the dead body, the vertues of the median life, which was hidden and concealed in the parts, by reason of the compactedness and closeness of parts of these Bituminous Sulphureous Substances, which are dry, crumb∣ling, brikle.

The third kind is altogether to be laught at and rejected, being nothing else but an Artificial Pissasphaltum, viz. black Pitch mix∣ed with Bitumen, and boyled with a Liquor issuing from the dead Bodies of Slaves, to give it the cadaverous smell; and this third sort is usually found in Druggers shops, which furnish Apotheca∣ries; deceived by the odour of this D••ugg sophisticated and falsi∣fied. This that I say, have I learned from a Jew of Alexandria in Aegypt, laughing himself at the credulity and ignorance of Chri∣stians.

The fourth, and best, and less so phisticated kind, is that of Hu∣mane Bodies, dryed up in the hot Sands of Lybia; for it happens often, that whole Caravans are swallowed up in the Sands, when any contrary wind doth in an instant arise, and whirling the Sand, doth in an instant cover and overwhelm them unawares. I have said, that this fourth kind is the best, because it is uncompounded, and that this sudden suffocation doth concentrate the Spirits in all the parts, by reason of the fear and sudden surprisal, which seizes on Travellers, according to that saying of Virgil,

Membra quatit, gelidusque coit formidine sanguis.

And because moreover the sudden exsiccation caused by the heat of the Sand, or the irradiation of the Sun, communicates unto it some astral vertue, which by any other way whatsoever can∣not be performed.

They that can recover this last kind of Mummy, shall make use of it towards the following preparations: But, because these dead bodies so dryed, are not still to be recovered, and that the Remedies thereof extracted are very useful and necessary;

the ingenious Artist may substitute a fifth kinde of Mummy, viz. that which Paracelsus calleth Mumiam Patibuli; and which may lawfully be also called the Modern Mummy, which you may pre∣pare in the following manner.