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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45747	Chymical, medicinal, and chyrurgical addresses made to Samuel Hartlib, Esquire. Viz. 1. Whether the vrim & thummim were given in the mount, or perfected by art. ... 9. The new postilions, pretended prophetical prognostication, of what shall happen to physitians, chyrurgeons, apothecaries, alchymists, and miners.	Hartlib, Samuel, d. 1662.	1655 (1655)	Wing H978; ESTC R209495	57,837	197

shall be to shew which are false books and which are true ones to the end that every student in this excellent Art may trouble himself with fewer books till he hath made a Concordance and hath gathered the same out of the aenigmatical discourses and hieroglifical figures wherein this Art is hidden and never to be found in plain terms nor written plainly in any receipt Well for the first Caveat that no man needs to be damnified above 20. s. to know whether he be in a right way or not let him be pleased to consider that without putrefactio unius there can be no generatio alterius as in all other sublunary bodies as well Animals as Vegetables right so in Minerals and Mettals Therefore he that cannot take one ounce of the filings of copper or any other base Mettal and by an ingenious addition of a Mineral moisture of the same kind putrefie the same in a few moneths and make it totally volatil except a few faeces of no considerable weight then he is out of the way and is not to meddle with gold or silver or any thing of great price for he shall never obtain his desire though he spend his whole life time and estate Also he that hath not gathered a Concordance by reading of books which cannot be controlled by humane wit is not fit to begin to practice this noble Art and not in one part thereof but in six several parts which are these that follow First it is clear that he must have a Mineral spirit before he can dissolve a Mineral body or else he will work out of kind and if he think that Quicksilver which is sold at the Apothecaries shops is this Mineral spirit then he is deceived and will find it to be so but the truth is that if nature had not created quick-silver this Art could never have been found not that it can be made the Philosopical dissolvent by any preparation whatsoever but without it the first dissolvent for there are three cannot be gotten for it onely hath power to separate this Mineral spirit from a crude Mineral taken from the mine which the fire hath never touched and no other thing under heaven can do it else no more than any creature besides a Bee can extract hony out of a flower Secondly that he must know the secret of dissolution which is not by the common way used by Alchymists but by the way meant by Bernardus Comes Trovisanus where he saith hujus dissolutionis via paucissimis est nota and I know not one Alchymist this day nor ever did to whom if I should have given him the true dissolvent in one hand which is a ponderous bright water and the dissolvend in the other hand which is a powder or filings of mettal ye he knew not how to dissolve it Thirdly he must know what is meant by the hollow Oak a comparison not very unfit for the furnace wherein this secret of dissolution is to be accomplished Fourthly he must know the reason and manner of refixing his bodies when he hath made them volatil by this secret way of dissolution Fifthly he must know the secret of projection which hath beguiled many when by their great charges study and labour they have made the Philosophers Stone so that they could make no use it For when it is mingled with the imperfect mettals yea though prepared philosophically not vulgarly yet there is another thing to be done before the mettal transmuted goeth to the test or else all is lost and if any one will not believe me let him read the books of Raymundus Lullius and he shall finde in three several places in several books that after projection the matter must be put in cineritio in vasi longo but he saith also non intelligas quod ponas plumbum in cineritio for there is somthing to be separated by the Art of the Philosopher before the lead come to do its duty or else all will be gone according to the saying totum vertitur in fumum quicquid ineptus agit Sixthly he must know the fire and the regiment thereof and also the nature which is to be gentle continual compassing round about the matter and not burning it And now that I have shewed what an Artist must know or else all his labour and charge is lost I wish every man to consider what a hazard he undergoeth if he meddle without the knowledge of these six secrets for so much as he may very well faile though he have them I mean though he have the Theorick yet he may fail in the Practick Therefore if any smoak seller or wandring Alchymist shall come to any ingenious Gentleman that studieth this Art though he bring with him a recipe that promiseth golden mountains and maketh affidivit I mean that searcheth never so deeply that he hath done it or seen it done which is a common trick amongst wandring Alchymists believe him not unless he can satisfie you concerning all the six former mentioned secrets for if you do believe him having not that knowledge I will give my word for him that he shall cozen you For there is but unica via unica operatio to accomplish any work in Alchymie which is as hard to be found as the way to heaven in this world where there are an hundred Religions or rather an hundred Sects of Religion wherein the true Religion is smothered and bemisted even as the way to make the Philosophers Stone is by the idle conceits of men that are ruled by opinion more than by knowledge As for example on Petrus Bonus ferrariensis a great learned man and a Doctor of the chair of an University wrote a book called Margarita Pretiosa and penned it most admirably concerning the Philosophers stone and the way to make it and when he had done confessed that he never had made it yet he guessed indifferent well but all his directions are not worth a button I would give an impression of his books away freely that I had his School-learning but as for his knowledge I would not give two pence whereby it may be seen how easily wise men may be deceived and therefore let fools look about them before they attempt this noble science Also one Gaston Dulco Cl●vens a great Champion that quarrelled with all opposers of this sacred Art and wrote a book which is greatly esteemed by Alchymists and seemeth very rational to all those which have not the practick wherein he defendeth the truth of this Art by 32 Arguments and many experiments which are all false upon my certain knowledge and if my purse could speak it should swear it And many others have written upon this subject which knew nothing but what they had collected out of books to what end I know not unless it were to draw other learned men unto them thinking to gain some knowledge by their conference Also another whose name I have forgotten for it is a great while since I read any

the God Mars in the earth and water of Saturn mix these two in such a pondus as nature doth require In this mixture you have our invisible fires for in the water our Mercury is an active Sulphur or mineral fire and in the Gold a dead passive but yet actual Sulphur now when that Sulphur of the Gold is stirred up and quickned there is made between the fire of nature which is as the Gold and the fire against nature which is in the Mercury a fire partly of the one and partly of the other for it partakes of both and by these two fires thus united into one is caused both Corruption which is Humiliation and Generation which is Glorification and Perfection Now know that God onely governs this way of the internal fire man being ignorant of the progress thereof onely by his reason beholding its operations he is able to discern that it is hot that is that it doth perform the action of heat which is decoction In this fire there is no sublimation for sublimation is an exaltation but this fire is such an exaltation as that beyond it is no perfection All our work then is onely to multiply this fire that is to circulate the body so long until the vertue of the Sulphur be augmented Again this fire is an invisible Spirit and therefore not having dimentions is neither above nor below but every where in the Sphere of the activity of our matter in the Vessel So that though the material visible substance do sublime and ascend by the action of the elemental heat yet this spiritual virtue is alway as well in that which remains in the bottom as in that which is in the upper part of the Vessel for it is as the soul in the body of man which is every where at the same time and yet bounded or termined in none This is the ground of one Sophism of ours viz. when we say that in this true Philosophical fire there is no sublimation for the fire is the life and the life is a soul which is not at all subject to the dimensions of Bodies Hence also it is that the opening of the Glass or cooling of the same during the time of working kils the life or fire that is in this secret Sulphur and yet not one grain of the mettal is lost The elemental fire then is that which any child knowes how to kindle and govern but it is the Philosopher onely that is able to discern the true inward fire for it is a wonderful thing which acts in the body yet is no part of the body Therefore the fire is a Celestial virtue it is uniformed that is it is alwaies the same untill the period of its operation is come and then being come to perfection it acts no more for every Agent when the end of its action is come then rests Remember then that when we speak of our fire which sublimes not that thou do not mistake and think that the moisture of the compound which is within the Glass ought not to sublime for that it must do ●ncesantly but the fire that sublimes not is the metalline love which is above and below and in all places alike Now then for a close to all that hath been said learn and be well advised what matter you take in hand for an evil Crow laies an evil Egg as the proverb hath it let thy seed be pure and thy matrix also pure then shalt thou see a noble off-spring let the fire without be such as in which our confections may play to fro uncessantly this in a few daies will produce that which thou most longest for the Crows Bill To the Readers WHereas this Book is to be Printed by a well-willer to all men that love knowledge more than riches and to be censured by all men I desire no man to assent unless his reason do move him therefore I am contented that every man upon the reading thereof shall have his free vote if he praise my work that will make me neither fatter nor more proud if de dispraise it that will make me no leaner nor abate the courage of my noble mind for the truth is that my minde is a size too great to value or regard the speeches of the common people more than the chattering of Magpyes or the pratling of Parrots So I take my leave At Westminster this 10. of March 1643. Your loving Friend G. P. A CAVEAT FOR ALCHYMISTS OR A warning to all ingenious Gentlemen whether Laicks or Clericks that study for the finding out of the Philosophers Stone shewing how that they need not to be cheated of their Estates either by the perswasion of others or by their own idle conceits The first Chapter WHereas I am shortly to demonstrate before the High and Honourable Court of Parliament in England that there is such a thing feisible as the Philosophers Stone or to speak more properly an Art in the transmutation of Mettals which will cause many a thousand men to undo and begger themselves in the searching for the same I cannot chuse but to publish these advertisements for that is a fundamental point in my Religion to do good to all men as well enemies as friends If I could be satisfied that the publishing thereof would do more good than hurt then the world should have it in plain terms and as plain as an Apothecaries receit But in regard that I have often vowed to God Almighty upon my knees to do the greatest good with it that my understanding could perswade me unto I have craved the advice of the Honourable Parliament for that I have strongly conceived an opinion that by the well contriving of the use of it the worlds ill manners may be changed into better if this can be done then I should break my vow to God if I should not do my best endeavours and therefore I dare not to cheat God Almighty having obtained this blessed science of his free gift and go into a corner and there eat drink and sleep like a swine as many have done before me upon whom this blessed knowledge hath been unworthily bestowed but had rather improve it to his glory if my counsel craved shall so think fit But howsoever my meaning is to do some considerable good with it howsoever that is to make my self a sea-mark to the end that no ingenious Gentleman shall from henceforth be undone by the searching for this noble Art as many have heretofore been Therefore my first Caveat shall be to shew that no man needs to be damnified above the value of 20. s. to try whether he be in a right way to it or not The second Caveat shall be to shew a way how to try whether any wandring Alchymist that promiseth golden mountains know any thing or not The third Caveat shall be to shew how any mans Iudgement ought to be grounded by a Concordance of the best books before he fall to practice The fourth Caveat

books wrote a book intituled De interitu Alchymie which is as foolish as any of the other unless that when all his hopes were at an end he thought that some man would have come unto him and confuted him by shewing him the experience of it Well thus much for false books now as for true ones I could name many that could not be written but by those that had made certain trial of the work but for brevity sake and to keep this book within the price promised viz. two pence I will name onely four viz. The Compound of Alchymie written by Georgius Ripleus Anglus The Hierogliphical Figures of Nicholaus Tilamellus whose body lieth buried in Paris The works of Raymundus Lullius The two books of Bernardus Comes Tievisanus These four men shewed by their actions that they had the Art of the transmutation of Mettals For Georgius Ripleus Anglus maintained an Army of souldiers at Rhodes against the Turks at his own charge Nicholaus Tilamellus builded up seven Churches and seven Hospitals at Paris and endowed them with good revenues which may be easily proved Raymundus Lullius made gold in the Tower of London to furnish an Army to go against the Turks Bernardus Comes Trevisanus recovered his Earldome again which he had formerly spent in the seeking of this Art And now me thinks I hear every one demanding how shall we do to find out this grat secret But Geber an Arabian Prince and a famous Philosopher shall answer in his own words viz. non per lectionem librorum sed per immensam cognitionem per profundam imaginationem per assiduam praxim and when all this is done he concludeth that est donum Dei Altissimi qui cui vult largitur subtrahit Well now me thinks I hear the cousening Alchymists saying what shall we do now we have no other living To which I answer that I would gladly rid the world of cheaters if I could but if they must needs couzen then let them trade with those that have so little love to art that they cannot afford to read this book to defend themselves and that will improve the wits of the world very much so that it may possibly do more good than hurt for the truth is that the world is unhappy only for want of wit which I have demonstrated in a little book lately printed which sheweth how any Kingdome may live in great plenty prosperity health peace and happiness and the King and Governours may live in great honour and riches and not have half so much trouble as is usual in these times and if any one shall be cheated and lay the fault upon me for discovering of cheats in this book I cannot help it for he that is willing to do good must needs do some hurt unless men were Angels But in this case I see not but my action is justifiable for first I have given every one an antidote against cheating and if they will not take it let them be cheated and then I will shew them a way to recover their losses by an experiment tryed upon my self for till I was soundly cheated of divers hundred pounds I thought my self to be a very knowing man but then I found that I was a fool and so disdained not to learn wit at any bodies hands that could teach me whereby I attained a considerable quantity of knowledge which I will not give or change for any mans estate whatsoever but though I sped so well by being cheated yet I wish all others to take heed for fear least that their fortunes prove not so good as mine The second Chapter WHereas I have professed my self to be an Anticheator it behoveth me to discover the several ways whereby the world is so universally cheated by the cosening Alchymists and therefore though I could discover fourscore cheats yet at this time I will onely discover fourgrand ones and so conclude The first shall be to discover the knavery of Kelly the grand Impostor of the world whom the Emperour of Germany kept prisoner in a Castle and maintained him honourably thinking either by fair means or by foule to get the Philosophers Stone out of him who God knows had it not but made divers cosening projections before great men which by the report thereof have caused many to spend all that ever they had and it cannot be well estimated how many hundred thousand pounds have been spent in Europe about it since that time more than before And thus one of his projections was made before three great men sent over by Q Elizabeth to see the truth of the business He gave order to them to buy a warming panne which they did accordingly and brought it to him he took a pair of compasses and marked out a round plate in the middle of the cover thereof and with a round chisel he took out the piece then he put it in the fire and when it was red hot he put a little pouder upon it which flowed all over it and made it to look like to gold which is an easie matter to be done but when he came to fit it to the hole he had a piece of good gold taken out of a plate of gold by the compasses not altered and this by a trick of Legerdemain or slight of hand a thing common for I have known a Porter that could have done it he conveyed into the place and delivered the warming panne ●nto the hands of the spectators who brought it into England and the noise thereof made almost all mens ears to tingle and their fingers to itch till they were at the business and raised the price of Alchymie books fearfully Now if he had meant plain dealing he would have given them some of his pouder home to their lodging that they might have done the like again themselves at home but he neither offered it neither did they desire it at which I marvel for if he had denyed that as it is like that he would then the knavery had been presently discovered so that this false news had not been brought into England whereby many men have received great loss Some have reported that he clipped out a sheard with a pair of Goldsmiths sheers and then he took a little more time and cast one of gold like to it which is easily done whethersoever he did the whole scope of the business argueth cheating and his meaning was nothing else but by either of these wayes to make the spectators to be less suspitious like to a jugler that foldeth up his sleeves for the like purpurpose But admit that he had the true Philosophers Stone and that the body of a Mettal might be altered by it and turned into true gold without reduction of it to the first matter which is altogether unpossible yet he was a detestable villain to publish it in such manner to the great dammage of so many men as were thereby irritated to undoe themselves and not to give them some Advertisements

unto gold or silver dissolved in aqua fortis or aqua regis or spirit of salt made by any way whatsoever or any dissolution whatsoever which is not done cum congelatione spiritus according to the manner used in the great work 3. Let all men take heed of books that teach any operations in vegetable or animals be they never so gloriously penned for it is as possible for a bird to live in the water or for a fish to live in the air as for any thing that is not radically mettallical to live in the lead upon the test And lastly let all men beware of his own conceit of wisdom for that hath undone many a man in this Art Therefore let every one take notice that though it be a thousand to one odds that any seeker shal not obtain his desire that is because many men being unfit and not quallified sufficiently to take in hand this great business let these remember what Solomon the wisest of men saith into a wicked heart wisdom shall not enter and he saith not great wisdom nor much wisdom but ordinary wisdom then how can any wicked or foolish man hope to find out this great secret which being the most sublime knowledge that God hath given to men requireth the greatest wisdome to accomplish it that God hath bestowed upon men Therefore if any man attempteth this Art which hath not attained to such a perfection in the knowledge of nature especially in minerals that by his own speculation and practice without the help of books he can write a rational discourse of either animals vegetables or minerals in such a solid way that no man can cōtradict it without shame upon fair tryal the questions being rightly stated then his labour and charge is the cause why so many men fall and undo themselves in this Art for if the searcher be quallified sufficiently then it is ten to one odds that he speedeth But to draw to an end What should I say more Oh if any man either in England or beyond the Seas shall trouble himself to write to me he shall be sure to have an answer if he come to me he shall be sure to lose his labour if he think to win me by rewards though never so great he shall be sure to get nothing but a Jeer for I did not write this book with an intent to teach the Art absolutely but onely to preserve men from undoing themselves foolishly which if it be well considered of will be found to be large charity for but that I know where I am to wit in a free State where the subjects know so well their own Liberties and Priviledges that they will never suffer any Tyrannical Government to prevail in this Nation I should have been sure to have lost my liberty by this single action But now I have been a Petitioner to the High and Honourable Court of Parliament that I may demonstrate my ability to do the the Common-wealth of England service which service consisteth in three things principally to wit to shew how the husbandry of this Land may be so improved that it may maintain double the number of people which now it doth and in much more plenty also to shew how the Art of Physick may be improved and lastly to shew the Art of the transmutation of Mettals if I may have a Laboratory like to that in the City of Venice where they are sure of secrecy by reason that no man is suffered to enter in unless he can be contented to remain there being surely provided for till he be brought forth to go to the Church to be buried Geber an Arabian Prince and a famous Philosopher being overjoyed when he had found out the Philosophers Stone breathed out these words in the end of his book Benedictus sit Deus sublimis gloriosus omnipotens benedictum sit ejus nomen in secula seculorum But I having not onely found out the Philosophers stone but also a sure and infallible way to make England and so the world happy by it which is ten thousand times better than it will exalt the praises of God in the superlative degree and conclude thus benedictissimus sit Deus sublimissimus gloriosissimus omnipotentissimus benedictissim●m sit ejus Nomen in secula seculorum A CONFERENCE Concerning this QVESTION Whether or no each several Disease hath a particular and specifical remedy THe first man said that men following the order of nature alwayes seek the neerest way which hath caused them to make Maxims of all things whereas in truth there is no Maxim of any thing for by the most certain of all Rules there is no Rule so General but it hath some exception nay there are so many exceptions that we have often cause to doubt on which hand the Rule is And yet nevertheless men make Axiomes in all Sciences but chiefly in Physick which taking upon it the Government as it were of n●ture wraps up in general Laws all diseases with their Causes Symptoms and Remedies although as in the Law so likewise in Physick there never happen two cases alike And when these Rules come to be applyed to practice every one confesseth that he doth not find that power of those Laws which he had imagined to himself But this is chiefly to be understood of particular and specifical diseases such as the Pleurisie the Cataract and the Gout For general diseases and such as meer distempers may be cured by as general remedies that is by such things as have contrary qualities The second said That specifical is that which is determined to one and hath above it Generical and below it Individual Now the question is Whether there be any remedies so determined to one species or sort of disease that they are fit for none else I do think that seeing there are diseases of the whole form or frame of Man as are pestilent venomous and malignant diseases so there are likewise as general remedies And experience shewes as in divers admirable cures that there are remedies the effects of which do not depend upon their first qualities As in Rheubarbe to be purgative in Mugwort to be good against fits of the mother and in Bezoar to be Cordiall comes not from being cold or hot in such a degree for then every thing of the same temper with them would be purgative good against fits of the Mother or Cordial which is not so But there is no reason why the same Remedy may not be fit for one particular disease by its occult qualities and yet good for others by its manifest qualities as food also is medicinal The third said That this question depends upon another namely Whether mixt bodies work onely by their tempers and first qualities or by their substantial forms and specifical vertues For if the working of every thing do not depend upon its whole form and substance then Medicines cannot cure by their qualities of heat and cold but by a particular