The Fourth Part of the Spagyrical Pharmacopœa

Treating of the four principal Pillars of Medicine, viz. Sulphur, Vitriol, Antimony, and Mercury, but chiefly of the great harmony between the Superiour Elementary Sun and Moon, and the Inferiour and Terrestrial Gold and Silver, and the magnetick way of attracting the Virtues of Sol and Lune by the Air, and of rendring them palpable and visible.

READER,

After that I had intended to publish in the Fourth Part of this my Spagyrical Pharmacopœa, some singular and excellent Medicines, and such as might much exceed all others, and so must consequently be prepared of choice and excellent subjects and matters; I accounted it my task in the first place to shew you out of what subjects such efficacious Medicines may be drawn and extracted, viz. out of Gold, Wine, and Antimony, as likewise out of Vitriol and Mercury, but not the vulgar Mercury.

Now although most Men are blinded with a thick darkness, but principally those that prosecute the truth with a deadly hatred, and do prate much, and by reason of their blindness and ignorance do affirm, that Gold being a thick and compact body is not at all fit to admit of such a preparation as thereby to display its most efficacious virtues in Man’s Body: And as for Antimony and Mercury, that they are most present Poisons, and can’t serve as Medicines without great danger; but as for Wine, that it is indeed fit to be drunk, but is of no validity in Medicine, not knowing how to imploy it about any Medicinal use, but are rather ready and skilfull Artists at swallowing it down in full draughts; however though they thus chat yet these objections are frivolous, and do proceed from their ignorance which is wrapped about with most thick Clouds, and which I refute by this brief and strong Reply. But I do not at all deny, that Gold reduced even to the smallest Powder, and so made use of (as ’twas wont of old to be by the Ancient, yea and latter Galenists, and is even too at this day) by mixing it with such Medicines as are for the comforting and strengthning the Heart and Vitals of Men, cannot contribute so much as the least Iota to the health and preservation of the body of Man: And so I say of Antimony and Mercury, that they are not at all salutiferous to Man’s Body, but contrariwise are deadly and destructive Medicaments, untill (by a due preparation) they are deprived of all their Venenosity, and thereby rendred fit to be safely made use of. So Wine it self being taken per se as it is, is a restoring and refreshing Drink for Man, provided it be moderately used: But contrarily is a causer of many Diseases if it be frequently and in large quantities swallowed in, and doth operate in Man’s Body more hurt than good, this daily experience doth sufficiently testifie, and renders it evident, that being so immoderately taken, it fills all the Members of the whole Body with Tartar, and makes obstructions and stirs up intolerable Pains, and principally in the Bladder, Reins, and other parts of the Body, viz. if coagulated in the Hands, Knees, and Feet, whereupon it doth not easily suffer it self to be exterminated, unless by such Artists as well know the properties and nature of Tartar, but of such Men there is at this day a great scarcity, and therefore that proverbial Verse still takes place.

Solvere Nodosam Nescit Medicina Podagram.

The Art of Physick can’t root out
(Thy dire Disease) the Knotty Gout.

But he who is so well skilled as to separate the fiery, penetrative, wholsome, and true Medicinal Spirit of Wine; Yea its true Balsam from its Fæces, he will easily expel out of the Body of Man all tartarous impurities and defilements, and will perform things wonderfull in the Stone and Gout. But now forasmuch as the educing so wholsome a Medicine out of gross crude Tartar is known but to a very few, no wonder that there hath been so little or rather nothing at all performed by Physicians in such like most grievous tartarous Diseases that have gotten deep rooting in the Body of Man. But the way how you may be rendred Possessors of such a Spirit of Wine shall be spoken of afterwards. Yet I would not that anyone should perswade himself that my meaning and intention in this place is about the common Spirit of Wine, or either that which is gotten out of Tartar by the usual known way of Distillation. No, there’s a vast difference betwixt that Spirit which I here make mention of and the other. For in this Spirit the crude Tartar is first to be washed by common Water from all its Defilements, and that without the addition of any other things, so as to shine like Snow, then to be afterwards made black by putrefaction, and out of that blackness the said Balsam is to be drawn off, of which we shall hereafter make a more ample Declaration. This now is that Spirit which doth Anatomically resolve the compacted Body of Gold, and converteth the venemousness of Antimony into a wholsome Medicine, and doth perform things wonderfull in all tartarous Diseases. ’Tis the true Wine of Health, and the very Aq. Vitæ of the Philosophers, and hath a great familiarity with Gold and Man, and may be excellently compared with the coagulated solar beams.

Therefore as it is evidently known to every body, that Gold and Wine are advanced on to maturity, by the heat of the Sun, and that Men do notably love and desire both of them. So may any one conjecture what Gold and Wine would do if a Man could but have them reduced to a spiritual essence. Hence now it seems necessary unto me, that before I pass on to the preparation of the said Medicine, I do in a few words describe the harmonial love that is between the superiour and inferiour Sun and Man, that so it may appear, what a bond or tie of love and necessity there is betwixt these three most noble Creatures of God, to one another.