imbibed Lead least the Nature of the Lead be converted in Litharge or some such thing and so kill a Man and therefore several good Authors particularly Paulus Zachias in Quest Med. Legal forbids to keep Water in Leaden Cisterns because its apt to contract an Impression which disposes the Body to Dysenteries especially such as are Consumptive whose Bodies are subject to Colliquation And whereas he says That Broths and other Liquors are boiled in Iron Copper or Brass Vessels without the least taste of any of the Metals I cannot but wonder to find this assertion it appears he is neither Vir emunctae naris nor exquisiti palati His frequent Contradictions do evince that he is weak in his Memory or Intellect and here I am afraid he has lost two of his Senses Paracelsus was of another mind lib. 3. de Natural Aquis cap. 13. Videmus Aquam in Cupreo vase stantem Cupri saporem asciscere We see says he if Water stand but a while in a Copper Vessel it will taste of Copper and much more certainly if it be boiled in it I am informed by some Persons of undoubted integrity on their own knowledge of some Carps which were taken out of Ponds newly drained these being put with Fresh Water into a Copper Brewing Vessel to be preserved but for one Night they were all found dead in the Morning which must certainly proceed from the Vapors of the Copper which here was communicated to the Cold Water He says further That all compact Metalline Bodies must have proper and peculiar Menstruums to unlock them if any Medicinal Arcanum be thence expected Why I can assure him upon trial that the filings of Steel suppose a Pound set to infuse in a Quart of clear Spring Water for a few dayes the Water upon Evaporation afforded a clear Salt of greenish colour which I suppose he cannot deny to have a Medicinal Vertue As for what he says concerning the boiling of Gold in broth for those that are in Consumptions to make it more cordial and nourishing I think with him 't is in vain since Gold and Silver are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by reason of the compactness of their Bodies they cannot he turned into our Nature so as to nourish And I judge it to be a far better Cordial in the Purse than in the Stomach Of the Vapor of Vitriol That Vitriol may dissolve in Water he says he denies not but that it should give a Vapor he understands not To make a Body resolve it self into Vapors or minute parts of like nature with the whole is required either an intrinsick or extrinsick heat and he apprehends not which way so ever it be done that yet the Carcase of Vitriol should remain P. 7. By this it appears he is a stranger to Scarb. Spaw or else as we have observed even now he has lost one of his Senses that he cannot smell the Vitrioline Vapors thereof there being nothing more ordinary than to hear those that come there at the very first to observe it to smell like Ink. Fallopius tells him that Vitrioline Waters may be discerned by their smell as well as by their taste De Therm Aq. cap. 9. ☞ Aqua chalcanthosa cognoscitur gustu olfactu And so says Kircher too in the place before cited Linguam acredine quadam olfactum vero putentissima mephiti percellunt So again cap. de Thermis Vix acidulae reperiuntur quae ex Vitriolo aliquid non participent non quidem quoad corum esse sensibile sed quoad spirituosam vaporosamque substantiam quae subtiliter perfecte tinguntur If he will but lay his Nose to his Ink-Bottle which I find had Vitriol enough in 't he may easily discern a Vitrioline Vapor while yet upon Evaporation the substance or Carcass of the Vitriol would be found in it And so it is with the Water of this Spring which by the intrinsick heat of the Earth imparted to the Water it doth imbibe more freely And that this may be done by the heat of the Earth alone is agreeable to the Opinion of Aristotle lib. 2. Metor cap. 3. as also of Empedocles as Seneca reports lib. 3. Nat. Quest also of Vitruvius in his Eighth Book and of Fallopius De Therm Aq. cap. 4. Besides that he himself is forced to own it P. 59. where he admires at the Chymistry of Nature which by its own proper Menstruums extracts the Essential innate Vertues of Mineral Glebes and that by intrinsick invisible fire in the digesting Vessels of the Earth Of the the Vapor of Iron But to proceed in P. 8. as he has denied Vitriol to communicate its Vapor to Water which I have sufficiently proved and do refer to the judgement of the Intelligent Reader So he says Iron cannot give it self by a Vapor to the Water because it is a Compact Body for no Solid Body is at all apt to Vapor To this I have answered in part already and shall now further adde The Iron that is imbibed in this Spring of which we discourse is not a Solid or Compact Body of Iron but like an ordinary Earth to look on when it is newly digged or when through the Surges of the Spring Tides in storms it falls from the Cliffe yet it is so strongly impregnated with the Concrete Juice of Iron ☞ that in a short time it turns through the heat of the Sun to an Iron Stone of which within Six score Paces of the Spaw there is as much fallen from the Cliffe as would load four or five Carts some of which I have put into a Smiths Forge where I saw it fusible and melt in the Fire This I have shewn to several Physitians who know it to be true besides that there are Thousands of Gentlemen that have observed it among which one Mr. William Cotton who is Overseer of the Iron Mines in the Edge of Derbyshire was present when Mr Simpson was at Scarbrough and affirmed it to be Iron and that he would undertake to make Solid Iron out of it Now this Earth having the Spring passing through it may very easily be supposed to impart something of its Mineral Essence as also of its Vapor to the Spring If he will but consult profound Kircher he 'l tell him that Iron yields a Vapor to the purpose Observantur says he lib. 10. cap. 10. P. â—19 in fornacibus in quibus ferrum in massâ—s componetur vapores quidam a materia ferrea exhalantes qui in lanuginem parietibus tectis Officina adharentem convertuntur to wit in the Iron works where it is smelted Vapours arise out of the Iron which turn into a Downyness which cleaves to the Walls and Roofs of the House He also says that of all Metals Iron sends out the most fetid smell But to return to Mr. Simpson's Objection wherein he says That Iron or other Metals being Solid Bodies are not at all apt to send forth a Vapor and yet keep their
it Concerning his Quaerie How I would demonstate those to be Vitrioline Spirits which were lost in the Waters carrying at distance I returned the same Answer which here I have already laid down and need not to repeat onely to that which I urged out of Fallopius I 'l subjoyn the Opinion of Dr Heer 's in his Spadacrene cap. 6. p. 44. where he is proving the German Spaws to have imbibed Vitriol Conjecturam hanc duae rationes firmant utraque nifallor evidentissima c. These two reasons says he do evidently confirm this Opinion One is because where such acid Waters are found there is usually found something of the Minera of Vitriol near at hand and thus it is at Scarbrough within Sixscore Paces of the Spaw where Vitriol sweats out of the Cliffe His other reason is from the eminent acidity that is in Vitriol sutable to that which such Waters have imbibed wherein he appeals to the Chymists themselves and declares that no man but he that has a snotty Nose will presume to deny it Cujus nasum pituita obstruxerit c. P. 46. But an ingenious Person being by asked the Doctor Whether if the Water was sealed up in a Glass Bottle hermetically and so carried abroad it would be altered by carriage or no He answered he thought it would If so says Mr. S. then it was not from any volatility of parts because it was sealed up and so not from the loss of the Vitrioline Spirits It is very true I said so and now upon trial I am sure it is so Vitrioline Spirits in the Spaw nor is his consequence of any validity but rather the contrary for if there be any loss it must be of the volatile parts there being nothing else that can be lost since it is supposed to be sealed yet says Mr. S. it is not from the loss of Vitrioline Spirits but it is an Aporrhaea Mineralis whether Vitrioline or Aluminous It seems hereby that he is in doubt which of the two but certainly I judge it from Vitriol since both the acidity and the Vitrioline smell and the tinging quality will be all lost together Notwithstanding they will all keep longer being sealed up in Glass Bottles than in Woodden Vessels and therefore I did advise in my Book that it should rather be carried in Bottles well stopt although in these also it will not keep long but be subject to Putrefaction and become whitish in Colour Nor let any man think it strange that though stopped it should yet lose its Spirits since Frambesarius reports as much of the Sauvenir in Germany for causing 12 Lagena to be carried but two dayes journey which is near so many Gallons of English Measure taking a Lagena to contain 6 Sextaries and a Sextary to be 20 Ounces and that in Bottles well sealed up there wanted to every Lagena one Glass of its measure which probably might be half a Pint through the loss of the Volatile Spirits and the Water became like Common Spring Water Dr. Heer 's his words are Has nihil a communibus discrepasse ut quibus ☜ singulis lagenis aquae vitrum decesserat cum tamen apud fontem picatae subere obseratae lagenae fuissent Spad cap. 5. And Dr. Heer 's affirms the same on his own Observation in the same Chapter Decedit etiam inquit quantitati aquae nam vase optime obturato nec ulla gutta dilabente si fons hic alio transferatur minuitur quia spiritu turgentia plus loci quam eo privata occupare amant ☞ Thus it appears my assertion is no Paradox and indeed I do really think the main part of the Vitriol in this Water is its spirits rather than any body of the Mineral it self yet do think it has also something of the untipe juyce While I in my Book discoursed concerning the extracting the Minerals that are in the Water I said P. 10 they may be found either by DISTILLING off the Water or otherwise by evaporating the Water away in a Skellit over the Fire Mr. S. very disingenuous He exclaims P. 47 of my Tools that they are very rude und of a low rank to wit a Skellit a Culinary Fire but not a word of a Glass still which an Ingenious Artist would have chosen c. Here I find constantly the young man in the same temper owning nothing of Modesty and knowing as little of Moderation ☞ Is it not enough that I say they may be extracted BY DISTILLATION but must I needs tell what Metal my Still is made of I designing to speak to the capacity of all men mention both wayes and do particularly point out such Tools for trial of the truth of what I say as are most ready at hand however any thing will serve this man to rail on me who walks excentrick to all the Rules of Reason If the Reader ☜ please but to look into P. 360. he shall find him using the very same Tools viz. A Skellit and a Culinary Fire Of the said quantity of Spaw Water I took about 2 Quarts which having filtred I put it in a SKELLIT and boil'd away two thirds What a strange spirit is this man of especially to me that he will not allow me that liberty of expression which he takes to himself Yet let him do what he can by Distillation so volatile are these spirits that they will yet be gone as upon trial I have often observed The same did Doctor French discover in his Distilling of the Sweet Spaw at Knareshrough which though he did it in a Glass still luted and closed up carefully in the ioynts thereof so as the spirit of Wine could not evaporate out thereat yet so subtil were the Vitrioline Spirits and so volatile that he says they are sooner sublim'd than the Water and do penetrate even the Glass it self or the Lute and he believes that neither Glass nor Lute can hold them P. 67 So again he lets flie because I say â—â—e Minerals when the Water is almost gone do rise up in Bulla's making a bubbling noise like the boiling of Alome c. Our Naturalists observe that of all Minerals or Vegetables Alome makes the greatest noise when it is boiling as I have observed in those Mines at Whitby which a Stranger would wonder at and there being Alome in these Minerals hence they bubble with more noise than ordinarily Minerals use to do where that is away ☞ Doctor Jordan a very learned Chymist speaking in Chap. 7. of the boiling of Vitriol has this very Expression It ariseth up in Bulla's like Alome Had I to deal with any Man of Reason or Ingenuity who being unsatisfied had undertaken this task against me I had not met with such measure nor to my knowledge did I ever read any man of the like temper As for what he saith concerning the Emetick or Vomiting Property of Common Vitriol it is altogether extraneous to our Subject and I have
Besides the Novelty of the Notion of his Primum Ens gives ground of suspition the whole Current of Learned Authors that have written of Medicinal Waters mentioning no such thing whether Chymists or others All accounting the Esurine Spirit or Juyce of Vitriol enough to impregnate a Water with an Acidity that shall make it to corrode other Minerals or Metals by which it passes So as we may very well lay aside this Esurine Salt or Primum Ens Salium as wholly precarious Entia non sunt multiplicanda nisi ex necessitate Again I answer it is both repugnant to Reason and Experience and the Judgment of all Learned Writers who have treated of these Matters What should hinder but Salts of several kinds will dissolve in Water impregnated with one single kind As suppose a Quart of Sea Water which has two Ounces of Salt in it as I have tried by Evaporation will not this receive Nitre suppose a Dram and after that as much Alâ—ome and after that Vitriol as much and so become an Emetick and last of all Arsenick so as it shall become poison If Mr. S. shall dissolve Vitriol in Water of any kind whatsoever whether Natural or Factitions which he cannot deny must be stronger of Vitriol than any Spaw and then shall pass that Vitrioline Water thorow three or four Cap Papers wherein several sorts of Powders are put the same Vitrioline Water shall receive an alteration or some taste from every of them and after they are so mixed per minima it will be easie to separate the Salts from the grosser parts but one Salt from another will be very difficult But further I reply If this be true infallibly A Contradiction as his confidence does seem to import for he says P. 4. If one of the Principles be made by this Esurine Acidity Nature is not at leasure to make another which were such an Indulgence as she never granted her self How does this agree with that Mr. S. himself says P. 45. in the beginning of the Second Section viz. Thus far I assented viz. That an Aluminous Salt from a Mineral Acidity had dissolved a sleight touch of the Mineral of Iron and both dissolved in the Current Spring of Water makes up the Spaw Are not here two Minerals made viz. Iron and Alome by his own Confession The like Confession he makes P. 61. N. 16. Nay further I le see if I cannot find two more Look P. 359. and there he says Vpon a farther Trial of the Spaw Water he found a Body of Vitriol which he calls Terra Vitrioli Then turn but over leaf to P. 360 and he tells you he found Nitre And so again P. 361. How now Mr. S. how will these things hang together can all your Philosophy reconcile this Contradiction What now will become of your Inference you deduce from the former Assertion in P. 4. viz. So then we find a flaw in the main Timber of his Building an Inconsistency of two of his Chief Principles of the Spaw Iron and Vitriol Certainly an Inference drawn from both ends of a Contradiction â—sinvalid But I must not thus pass it over He has told us here Pag. 3. That the Primum Ens or Esurine Salt having dissolved one Mineral is thereby terminated so as if it should meet with another it can take nothing thence Now let us cast our Eye upon P. 59. where Mr. S. hath quite forgotten what he said here for speaking of this Sulphurious Esurine Salt he says It becomes determined and specificated according to the difference of the Mineral Glebes it meets with into this or that Fossible Salt or Mineral Mixture which he illustrates by an Instance which he has verbatim from Sendivogius Lumen Chym. Trac 2. As suppose several Colours and Salts placed at a distance one from another upon a large Marble and common Simple Water is conveyed to each of them this Water although the same to all yet as it comes to every of them is differently tinged and tasted according to the Colour and Taste of those parcels it meets with So says he this Esurine Sulphureous Spirit meeting With variety of Mineral Earths though the same in it self to every one yet becomes altered and tinctured according to the different property of the Mineral Earth And from this Contradiction he has ☜ other Inferences which he mentions not worthy here to be recited Here is an able Philosopher indeed that can assert Contradictions and draw quidlibet ex quolibet But I shall leave this to the Readers Contemplation because I study to be short and shall only say at present I never found any man so inconsistent with himself only he aimed P. 3. to perswade the unwary Readers that it was impossible that Iron and Vitriol could be both in this Water as I had asserted I could now bring in the Testimony of Learned Writers who tell of several sorts of Springs in Europe that have imbibed two or three sorts of Minerals As at St. Lucas in Italy there is one that has imbibed Iron and Alome Another in Germany which is impregnated with Alome and Nitre so as Ernestus a Chymist can hardly determine which of the two is more predominant So in Sweden one that has both Lead and Copper And thus also the ordinary Spaws in Germany have imbibed Vitriol Iron and Ochre as Dr. Heer 's relates in his Spadacrene And Fallopius mentions several such as have partaked of several Minerals in his Book De Therm Aquis Among all whom yet I find not any mention of this Primum Ens. But above all the profoundly Learned Kircher is most full and plain to our purpose Lib. 5. Sect. 2. ad finem accounting not only Spring Water a proper Menstruum to take in the Vertues of Minerals and Metals but one and the same Current to take in several as they lie in its passage for which purpose he has a Scheme P. 259. whereby ☜ by he demonstrates it to the Eye As suppose upon a Table a Subterraneal Channel of Fresh Water enters at one end and runs out at the other end of the Table in one Spring in its passage from one end to the other it is divided and divaricated into several smaller Channels by crooked turnings in one passage it meets with Salt Vitriol Iron Galx and Silver in another Meander it meets with Sulphur Salt Nitre Ochrâ— Gadmiâ— in another it meets with Alome Bitâ—â—â—an Lead c. By this time these several streams meet in the Spring at the other end this Spring he says shall be repâ—â—â—she with the preperties of them all In some oâ—â—nes canales dicti corrivati ex â—â—â—â—bus per quae transcunt Mineralibus fonteâ—â— istum omnibus Mineralium speciebus viribusque compositum constituunt And therefore we may with very good reason reject his Objection as idle and frivolous But I proceed Of Iron Mr. S. P. 3. cannot find out what is the dissolvent in this Water that should dissolve Mars viz. Iron
to make it appear in the form of a Liquor Why I 'l tell him what will do it besides the Alkabest of the Chymists Vitriol imbibed at the first does by its Esurine Salt make the Water corrosive and fit to take in that or any other Mineral that is in its way and so will Nitre as I made out before or Aloâ—e If it will please him I'â— refer him to his Grand Master Paracelsus De Nâ—tur Aqâ—is lib. 3. cap. de Aquis Gustatilibâ—â—s whâ—â—â—â—â—ting of Acide Waters Harâ—â—◠〈…〉 â—â—quit ex â—â—solutione 〈…〉 maturitatem 〈…〉 produced by the 〈…〉 before they come to 〈…〉 By which he hints as if simpl◠〈…〉 alone were â—â—â—â—ent to imbibe a Metal as Iroâ—â— while it has not attained to iâ—perfection which is the case of the Trâ—â—â— Scarboâ—â—gh â—s I shall have occasion to point out afterwards And presently after Pâ—â—â—câ—isus adds Interdum ex Vitriâ—â—â— Aluâ—â—nâ— hujus-modi Aquae promanant viz. Sometimes these Waters come from Vitâ—â—ol and Alome And again I find him to the same purpose De Natur. Baln cap. de Thermis treating of Natural Baths Quod sunt resoluta Minera ex corporâ— eo quod simile est Aluminis Vitrioto Sali tamenid non est to wit they are resolved out of that Body which is like unto Alome Vitriol and Salt and yet they are not that As if he would say they are not perfectly Alome Vitriol and Salt but onely initially not instatu perfectione but in Embrione in fieri not in fâ—â—to and this is the case of these Minerals in this Spaw-Water they are but iâ— sâ—lutis principliâ—e and in their Concrete Jâ—â—â—â— and not perfect Minerals or Metals And yet Paâ—acelsus adds that whatsoever Vertue those Baâ—hs had they were to be judged of according to the propdâ—â—es of those Simples Ita Bâ—â—gâ—â—â— ipâ—arâ—â— Virtuâ—â—s secâ—â—duâ—â— horâ—m triâ—â— simplicium â—â—â—â—tias And so may I say â—onâ—erning these Waters of the Spaâ—â— they have the Veâ—â—ned of all those Minerals we have mentioâ—â—d to be in them From what has been said I suppose it will follow that ouâ— Foundation as to these two Minerals Iron and Vâ—trâ—â—l stands sure and the Building 〈◊〉 liâ—â—ly to suffer by such Vapour that canâ—â—â—ther be hot or cold say and unsay as may best suit a present Design 〈◊〉 his second Section P. 4. he says The Doctor undertakes to discourse of Vitriol not such as he had seen but such as he saith Learned Writers name viz. 3 sorts Roman Vitriol or Copperas which two I do not understand to be Synonima's the second Cyprian and the third Ligurian c. He seems to envy that I discourse about Vitriel as if it were a Prerogative of the Pseudochymists and not to be undertaken by me as if I knew not Vitriol as well as himself and have not as much liberty to treat of it as He. Not will he give me leave to cite my Authors that from their own Knowledge and Autopsy discourse of Vitriol I speak of that which is natural such as this at Scarbrough for my own part I have not such a conceit of my self as he has as that I should impose in this thing my own 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as sufficient Authority and therefore I cite my Authors as need is He quarrels that I call it Roman Vitriol or Copperas whereas I am warranted by good Authors Weckerus in his Antid spec lib. 1. says That which the Italians call Victriolo the Spaniaras call Copparofa So Adrianus Tol. in Stocker lib. 1. cap. 9. Vitriolum simpliciter inquit aut Vitriolum Romanum nihil aliud est quam Copparosa As for the Romas it s nothing but Natural Vitriol brought for the most part out of Cyprus or Germany which they dissolve and cast into forms to which they add some pleasant Colour usually of Blew which yet diminishes much of its efficacy Of the Vapors of Minerals In his third Section P. 6. He proceeds to examine the four wayes whereby I say Water may imbibe the Nature and Vertue of a Mineral or Metal And the first was by receiving its Vapour Thus Water standing some while in a Brass or Iron Vessel will taste of the Brasse or Iron Here he cavils at the word Vapour as improper which to me does imply that he is little versed in any solid Authors that treat of this Subject It 's needless to spend time to prove to him that the best Writers do rather chuse to express their sense of the imbibition of the Vapours of Minerals than Odors which he rather espouses Fallopius in Ther. Aqu. cap. 8. uses the term Vapour above 40 times in the sense I am speaking of even in one leaf side P. 214 So Kircher lib. 5. de Virt. Aqu. cap. 3. reckons this as one way whereby a Water imbibes Minerals and Metals and says Vitriol is thus imbibed in its Vapour Whence is this Oâ—â—r but from the Offluâ—ium of minute parts out of the odorable body to the Sensorium and what is that but a Vapour I observe P. 46. he allows an Aporrhaea â—â—â—eralis which word either he understands not or must not deny the word Vâ—â—â—ur But to go on he says P. 6. That no Metallick body doth or can give a Vapour to a simple Elementary Water as long as the Water is Homogeneal in its parts I answer This is quite from the point in hand we are not treating here of Simple Elementary Water but of ordinary Water which is neither so Simple nor Elementary ☞ But where is W. S. his Philosophy he calls it Simple and Elemantary and yet says as long as it 's Homogeneal as if Water could be Simple and Elementary and not Homogeneal Really the very Freshmen do not reason at this rate What A BATCHELOVR OF ARTS and reason thâ—â—â— I must let you know in charity to your Degree that you never saw Simple Elementary Water not ever shall while you breath and that it s not indeed capable of receiving a Vapor or Odor from any Mineral or Metal Galen will tell you 8. de placit Hypoc that it is Minima pars â—jus cujus est Elementum quae lynceis cujusvis oculis non est obvia and yet the same Galen will tell you that Elementum per tâ—tum alterabile est lib. de Constit Art Med. Reconcile these Riddâ—es if you can But if he means that no Metallick Body can give a Vapor or Odor or Sapor I matter not which to Spring Water it 's a shrewd Argument he has not much conversed with Ladies in his Practice of Physick whose accurate Tastes are wont frequently to dis-relish their Water if it has stood but a while in a Vessel of Brass or Iron especially if it be at all warm And for that which he says concerning Lâ—ad that if pure Spring Water were boiled a whole Age in it it will not contract any Saturnine Impression from it Fallopius is quite of another Opinion severely declaring against those Waters that have