as many Livers of Vipers dry'd in the shade and reduced to powder two drachmes of good Cinnamon half a drachme of Cloves grosly beaten put them into a strong glass-bottle holding about two pints Powr on it a pound of the Queen of Hungary's Water a pound of melisse-Melisse-water half a pound of orange-flower-Orange-flower-water and half a pound of rose-Rose-water Close the bottle exactly and expose it to the Sun for fourty dayes after which dissolve in the liquor a pound of fine Sugar and pass all through a clean bagg Put up this Elixir in a Bottle and add to it half an ounce of the Volatil Salt of Vipers well rectified twelve grains of Levant-Musk and as much of Amber-gris Close the bottle exactly and you may keep this Elixir to use it in time of need from half a spoonfull to a whole You may take of it in the morning upon an empty Stomack and at all hours according as necessity shall require This medicin is very good and very convenient It is not onely proper against all Poysons against the Plague and all Contagious and Epidemical diseases but it also fortifieth all the noble parts preserves the Natural heat in good condition and by this means the use of it conduces much to preserve Health and to prolong Life The Elixir following deserveth also to be communicated to the Public as a medicine that is not common and is very available not onely for the Sicknesses of men as well in the Brain as the stomack and all the noble parts but also very particularly for most of the diseases of Women I shall give you here the Description of it Take an ounce of good Saffron as much of fair Myrrhe as much of Aloes Socotrina and the same quantity of White Amber a drachm of the Extract of Opium and as much of the Extract of Castor Mingle your Extracts in a little Spirit of Wine pulverize all the rest and put altogether in a Glass-Body powr upon it three pounds of Spirit of wine tartarized place the Body in a Bath of Ashes fit an Head to it with its Recipient well luted together Give it a moderate fire and draw from it about the moiety of the Spirit of Wine then unlute your vessels decant the tincture that will swim above your powders which will be found very much imbued with all their qualities and keep it by itself in a bottle well-closed Powre the Spirit of Wine which you have drawn off upon the remainder in the Body Fit again to it the Head and the Recipient and draw again from it the half of the Spirit of Wine Decant again the tincture swimming a top mingle it with the first and keep it likewise Cohobate for the third time the Spirit of wine drawn off upon the remainder in the Body proceed as before and powre off the tincture swimming a top and mingle it with the former then filter all three together and powre all into a strong Viall adding to the whole an ounce of the Volatil Salt of Vipers which will easily dissolve in it keep the whole thus mix't and well closed The dose may be from ten to sixteen drops We shall yet adde to this an Opiate of great efficacy for most distempers of the Brain and t is this Take half an ounce of the Extract of the root and seed of the male-Paeony and of the true Misseltoe of the Oak and of that of Betony-flowers and of that of Clove-gilly-flowers the same quantity of each of them three drachms of the Confection of Alkermes of Mesue three drachms of the Volatil Salt of Vipers one drachme of the Volatil Salt of Succinum two drachms and an half of prepared Pearl and as much of Crabs-eyes prepar'd three drops of Cinamon-oyle and as much of the oyle of Mace Mingle all according to Art and make an Opiate of it and keep it in a pot of Fayence a sort of fine white Earthen pots well closed The dose of it may be from a scruple to a drachme You may also make in the following manner an opening and laxative Opiate that shall conduce to the cure of sundry long and stubborn diseases especially of those that are caused by several obstructions of the parts Take of the Conserve of Tamarisk-flowers of the Conserve of the Flowers of Genista or Spanish-Broom of that of Mary-gold and of that of the Male-peach flowers of each six drachms half an ounce of the Volatil Salt of Vipers as much of the Extract of the ordinary Iris root and as much of the Extract of Rubarb two drachms of the fix't Salt of Vipers as much of the Mineral Bezoar and as much of the Salt of Worm-wood a drachme and an half of Rosin of Scammony and as much of the Extract of Coloquintida and a drachme of the powder of Cinnamon Mix all these things together and adding to it as much as needs of the Syrup of Succory compounded with Rubarb you shall make an Opiate of it the Dose of which may be from one drachme to two and even to three for stronger Bodies There may also be made Pills that shall have a vertue near the former in efficacy to be taken in a less quantity Take of the Extract of Aloes made with the juyce of the cleansed flowers of Violets of the Extract of Rubarb and of that of the Levant-Sena of each two drachms as much of the Volatil Salt of Vipers as much of the Rosin of Scammony and as much of the Gumm Ammoniac in drops one drachme of Mineral Bezoar and the like quanitty of the Fixt Salt of Vipers Reduce all into a mass of Pills of which the dose shall be from half a scruple to two scruples Those whose stomach shall be troubled with tenacious humors such as could not be carryed away by Purges or other remedies those that have a nauseousness and are subject to troublesome resentments from the Stomach may to good purpose use the following powder Take of Coriander-seed that is not prepared with Vinegar according to the ill way of the Antients but such as is sold in good shops of Anis-seed of sweet Fennel-seed of the root of Lickorish well scraped and dryed of each half anounce three drachms of the Volatil Salt of Vipers and as much of Crabs-eyes prepared two drachms of the Fixt Salt of Vipers and as much of well-chosen Cinamon Bring all to a fine powder and adde to it its weight or if you will double its weight of fine powder'd sugar Close this mixture in a Glass-vessel or in one of the fine white Earthen pots and close it carefully You may take of it at a time from half a spoonfull to a whole according as you have put more or less Sugar to it You may also adde to the powder some drops of the Oyl of Anis and of the Oyl of Cinnamon and even of Musk and Ambre-gris This Volatil Salt is to very good purpose mix't among the Sneezing powders for besides that it penetrates exceedingly by its activeness it also discharges the Brain powerfully and withall fortifieth it It may be mixed with the powders of Betony Marjoram Rosemary Arabic Staechas Sage and the like not putting but a sixth part of our Volatil Salt among these powders Those that would have an Opiate proper not onely to fortify the Heart the Stomach and all the noble parts but also to expell all kind of Venom and all the impurities of the mass of Bloud and of the solid parts and to make them issue out at the pores of the skin or at the other emunctories may prepare very beneficially the following Opiate Take two ounces of the Conserve of Gilly-flowers one ounce of the Confection of Alkermes ambred and musked six drachms of the Volatile Salt of Vipers well rectified half an ounce of the Confection of Hyacinth as much of the Electuary of Diascordium three drachmes of the Mineral Bezoar and of Pearl prepar'd of Crabs-eyes prepared of the Extract of Angelica and of that of Carlina of each of these the same quantity two drachms of the Salt of Carduus Benedictus Mix all together and reduce it to an Opiate by adding to it some Syrup of kermes or the Clove-Gilly-flowers as much as needs to give a good consistence to the Composition Which you are to keep close for your occasions You may take of it for a preservative half a drachm at a time in Wine or broth but in urging sicknesses you may take of it a whole drachme and even two drachms Those that will use the Oyl which hath been drawn by Distillation may either employ it all alone or mingle it with an equal quantity of Unguentum Martiatum and even adde to it Oyles distilled of Rosemary Sage Lavender and the like Those that shall well consider these Receipts will finde therein not onely a fit proportion in the dose of all the particulars but also great cautiousness in mixing nothing with them that may destroy or change the natnre of our Volatil Salt which is the thing most to be avoided in the exhibition We might here adde many other Compositions of which the Volatil Salt of Vipers may be the Ground but we have contented ourselves to deliver these for examples knowing that there may be found divers others good enough in Books and esteeming that 't is better to prepare them upon occasion according to exigency and following the Receipts which able Physitians may prescribe thereof We have also explain'd ourselves sufficiently in all particulars We would have been more large if we had not apprehended we might exceed our bounds and undertake things which might be thought to be beyond our reach and to belong onely to knowing Physitians Those that know well to prepare this Volatil Salt of Vipers and to unite it well with the Volatil parts of Plants and with the Sulphureous parts of certain Minerals that are friendly to our nature may say that they have made some progress in their Profession We labour daily and wish our selves able in time to impart something to the publick that may be more accomplisht FINIS
Navil and there appear'd a coldness in his extreme parts and in the whole face which was covered with little drops of cold sweat his lips also were swell'd especially the lower And finding himself urged by the pains about his Navil and a disposition to go to stool he rose and having voided some excrements he vanish't away and at the same time vomited not only all the Theriaque he had taken but all he had eaten at dinner which was yet un-digested We made haste to succour him and found him so feeble that he was not able to goe up again to the chamber whence he was come down And in regard his pulse continued weak low quick and unequal and his swoundings frequent as well as his cold sweats it was thought seasonable to give him a drachm of Viper-powder in Theriacal and Carduus Benedictus water and to apply to him a great Plaister of Theriaque upon the Heart and Stomach but he soon rejected what he had taken One also came to give him some of the Orvietan mixt with new powder of Vipers but he vomited up that also and desired to be put upon a bed and to have other help administred to him During all which time he neither wanted his senses nor the use of reason notwithstanding all the feebleness of his Body and he had had great aversion to the Orvietan having no faith at all in it and not consenting to take it but out of respect to some of those that were present who had pressed it upon him This vomiting not giving time to the remedies to convey and communicate their vertue to the noble parts it was judged very proper to have recourse to the Volatile Salt of Vipers because that being very volatile and exceeding fit to be quickly conveyed to all the parts even the most remote the Patient might thence feel the effects with more speed and efficacy than from all the other grosser remedies which having been rejected as soon as they were taken had not had time to be made effectual by the stomach nor to impart their vertue where need required We therefore caused to be dissolv'd a drachm of this volatile Salt of Vipers in Theriacal and Carduus water and gave him about a quart of this mixture he kept it a little while and then cast up a part of it mingled with store of phlegme very viscous We made him take another like quantity of the same mixture which he also kept for some time and then vomited up what might have remain'd of it in his Stomach and amongst it much phlegm We continued to give him still more of the same composition as fast as he vomited it up and there were also given him several Clysters to appease the violent and stubborn pains which he felt about his Navil His lips remained still swolne his pulse naught and his sweat cold as well as his faintings continued very long but having persisted in the use of the Volatil Salt of Vipers his vomiting ceased and he kept the eighth dose in his belly which was given him about four hours after he received the mischief the symptoms lessen'd from that time the cold began little by little to retire and gave place to the natural heat which appeared sufficiently about five hours after the pricking his pulse returned and was even and strong but somewhat high It was about ten of the clock at night that the most troublesome accidents disappear'd the Patient was happy in his unhappiness in being speedily and rationally succour'd I left him not before his mortal accidents had ceased and then he was carried to his lodgings whether I accompanied him and he was put to bed and by the advice of those persons that frequently visited him during his distemper I made a mixture of one drachm of Confection of Hyacinthe and of as much of the Confection of Alkermes and of one ounce of Syrup of Limons and of four ounces of carduus-Carduus-water which was giv'n him at three times from three hours to three hours There were given him Citrons to smell to and from time to time some slices of them sugred He took good broths and drank ptisan made with Scorzonera-roots and the shavings of Harts-horn mingled with Syrup of Limons he also drank sometimes a little wine and there was dissolved of the Confection of Alkermes sometimes in his broth sometimes in his ptisane This is a thing remarkable enough that during all the great accidents his finger was not changed and there appeared not any swelling upon it but that began when those accidents ceased In the mean time the pains about the navil continued though they were in some little degree abated which obliged the Physitians often to prescribe him Clysters His belly was a little stiff but not swelled his tongue was whitish but not dry his eyes faint and wan his countenance pale and his lips still swelled The swelling of the finger extended it self that night over the whole hand which was often anointed with the Oyl of Scorpions composed by Matthiolus and mixt with the Queen of Hungarie's water but notwithstanding this anointing the tumor pass'd onto the arm the next day with pain and redness and advanced to the Eye It was thought fit to apply fomentations made with the roots of Angelica Imperatoria Carlina and Aristolochia and with the tops of Scordium Centaurium Wormwood St. Johns wort Calamint boyled in White wine and withal to continue the anointing with the said Oyle of Scorpions among these fomentations Although this was done with great care yet there appeared no great effect upon it the Patient was squeamish and once vomited up even his broth but this vomiting continued not He alwayes used the same internal and external remedies and the same food but although he found his other limbs in a good condition and his pulse very equal and moderate nor had any drought heat or pain in the rest of his body yet was that of the Navil obstinate and the swelling and the redness of the hand and arm still increased and from the beginning of the third day it had seised on the shoulder of the same side and descended to the arm-pit upon the whole breast and all the neighbouring parts and even the whole region of the Liver notwithstanding the continual use of the fomentations and the Oyle of Scorpions All these considerations joyned to the hot season wherein we were made us apprehend lest the gangrene should strike to those parts It was believed that since the outward remedies which had been judged most expedient had proved successless recourse must be had to internal ones which induced the Physitians to give him in the evening of the third day a drachm of the root of Contra-yerva in powder dissolv'd in cordial waters with as much confection of Alkermes but we saw no abatement of the redness swelling or pain on the contrary we observ'd that the swelling seem'd to seize on the left side After we had well examin'd all things we found
it very necessary to return to the use of our first inward remedy which had struck the great stroke and had had a manifest good operation I mean the Volatil Salt of Vipers This was in the morning of the fourth day after the biting So we gave him half a drachm of that Salt dissolved in four ounces of Carduus water and we order'd that he should be well covered to make him sweat This medicine did work according to our expectation and desire for the Patient not onely did sweat abundantly but found a very considerable amendment in all the ill Symptoms that had remain'd His pain about the navil was almost not sensible the tumor of his Lips and that which was in the region of the Liver Breast and under the Arm-pits vanish't and that of the shoulder Arm and Hand was much abated as well as the redness and pain We thence judg'd that we should certainly cure the rest and to compass it we gave the next morning to our Patient a like dose of that Volatil Salt of Vipers which made him sweat again very largely the pain of the Navil ceased altogether the swelling of the shoulder was wholly gone and that of the whole arm and hand was yet much more abated as well as the redness and pain And not to leave the cure imperfect though the patient found himself exceedingly amended we gave him the next day another such dose again and the day following one more whereby the whole swelling all the redness and all the pain of the arm hand and the finger itself were dissipated Mean while there was applyed to the finger a little plaister to cicatrize the incisions that had been made there and which were healed three or four dayes after Which did not hinder the Patient to goe abroad and to doe his business as well as if he had never been bitten by the Viper Those that shall read this History and examine all the circumstances of it the several and surprising accidents of the biting of the Viper which we saw and the effectual operation of the remedies employed to remove them will therein find ample matter to exercise their reasoning upon and will soon judge that we had cause accurately to inquire as we have done into all the parts of a Viper to know them well and what they can doe to make a great number of Experiments upon all its parts and to apply ourselves to the preparation of the excellent remedies that may be drawn from the body of this Animal The Extraordinary effect of its Volatil Salt in stopping and in overcoming first of all the Venome which so violently exercised its tyranny over the natural heat and all the noble parts and which doubtless would have altogether triumphed over them the activity penetration and force of the same Salt going to find out the poyson and expelling it from the remotest parts of the body where it had fortified itself and whence it endeavoured to regain the place it had lost and where in the mean time it seem'd to despise the ordinary most powerful remedies All this I say is sufficient to make it to be wondred at and men will doubtless averr that the ill which Vipers are able to cause and which every one may easily avoide is nothing in comparison of such a remedy as the same Vipers can furnish and which may serve not onely to heal their bitings but also to overcome many other obstinate diseases against which the ordinary remedies perform nothing not to speak of many other good preparations made of Vipers which we intend to describe hereafter EXPERIMENTS Of the Biting of Vipers upon other Animals CHAPT II. Experiments upon Dogs THE effects that are surprising are wont sensibly to touch the Minds of Men and they are they which excite the Curious to inquire into the Cause of them and although this do alwayes precede those yet it would not be known and we should not so much as be aware that it was if the effects thereof did not first appear Being therefore to treat of the Biting of Vipers we hope it will not be thought amiss if we begin with the recitation of the Experiments by the Examples of its effects And not to be tedious to the Reader having reviewed all that hath been experimented at my house both the last and this year I shall confine my self to what I think deserves most to be communicated what serveth most to our purpose and what may give most satisfaction to the Curious One of the most considerable Experiments was made on a Dog which was bitten by an angred Viper at the upper lipp The dog was not much moved at it at first but little by little grew sad and his jaw began to swell a little while after he vomited up the last food he had taken and dunged Then some bread flesh and water being offred him he would touch none of it he remain'd in a prostrate posture without complaining the place of the pricking waxed livid and this lividness extended it self to the neck and as far as the breast as did also the swelling At length he dyed but not till fourty hours were past after the biting His belly appear'd not swoln and without we observ'd nothing extraordinary but the tumour and lividness in the part prick't and thereabout The Dog being opened after his death we found in the tronc of the vena cava a little bloud curdled and we noted that the rest of the bloud in this place in the heart and every where else was of a dark colour and of a very ill consistence as if it were blood in part dissolv'd and corrupted The Stomach appear'd of a darkish colour but the Mesentery and the Gutts were darker We found no alteration in the Heart Liver Lungs nor the Spleen all these parts being of a very fine colour and in their natural condition The Biting of a Dog at the Ear. THis Dog howled from the time he felt the biting and continued his howling for half an hour then he ceased to howl and to complain The place prick't wax'd livid and swell'd as also did the Neighbouring parts This dog vomited not but voided some excrements which seemed natural He would neither eat nor drink no more then the first and he soon dyed having liv'd no longer then twenty four hours after he had been bitten We saw outwardly nothing un-common but the lividness and swelling at the neighbouring part and thereabout But having opened him we found all the inward parts in the same condition with those of the former dog 'T is true we did not finde in this dog any coagulated blood neither in the heart nor the vena cava nor else where but it was of an obscure colour and of an odd consistence and in a visible disposition to coagulate Another biting of a Dog WE had a Dog bitten by an irritated Viper at the tip of his Nose the dog howled when he felt himself bitten but was soon appeased falling to
in the Cucurbite put them into a glass-retort well luted and set this into a reverberating furnace dapt and exactly lute to it a great Recipient and give it a fire increased by degrees and hotter about the end to obtain the Volatile Spirit Salt and Oyle that could not rise by the fire of the Balneum which are to be separated and rectifyed as we shall say hereafter Then take a portion of this Volatile Salt well rectified and dissolve it in distilled water and keep it carefully in a well stopp'd bottle as an excellent remedy of which you may increase or diminish the dose according to persons and occasions and according as you shall have dissolved more or less of the Volatile Salt in it Upon this occasion I thought fit to advertise those who distill Capons Partridges slices of Veal or other parts of Animals in a Glass-limbec as the custom is and who employ for that purpose the fire of a Balneum or that of Sand or Ashes that by a moderate fire they cannot make rise almost any thing but useless flegm and that not being able to increase the fire without making the distilled water smell of the Empyreuma they would succeed better if in this they did what I was just now saying of the water and volatile Salt of Vipers and if they joyn'd their water with the volatile Salt of the distilled Animals in which resides the chief vertue Those that have no mind to take so much pains shall do better not to give distilled waters to their Patients as the custom is since they have no vertue at all if none be communicated to them by the volatil Salt of the Animal As to the Trochisques the Antients have as ill invented and as ill ordered them as the Powder For not to stay to blame here as I have done elsewhere the whipping which they used and which was not onely useless but also very noxious I shall say in a few words that the decoction they made of the body of the Viper in Water with Salt and Anise till the flesh would sever from the bones which they afterwards cast away as well as the broth was not a Preparation of the flesh of the Viper but rather a destruction since it was made to leave its principal vertue in the broth and that they weaken'd it yet more by incorporating it with very dry bread of which the proportion of a fifth to four times as much weight of flesh though but little in appearance came yet to a moiety since that four ounces of this flesh and one ounce of bread which was so dry that it could not be lessened make onely two ounces of Trochisques when they are well dry'd This we have more at large examined in our Treatise of the Theriaque and because their fault is very easily understood I shall insist on it no farther nor on their reasons for making use of Boyling to correct a malignity in the flesh of which there is none and to be able to sever it from the bones which they believe naught or at least unusefull which yet are very good forasmuch as all their reasons are sufficiently refuted in the same Book and because they are yet more so by what we have establish'd in this And although it be not alwayes necessary to make Trochisques of Vipers since we might be without them yet there being some use of them and to preserve their name you may take a little Gumm Arabique very white and pure and reduce it to powder and infuse it in good Malvasy till it be well dissolv'd and the wine somewhat tinged thereof then take of the powder of Viper prepar'd as we have lately directed and incorporate it with a sufficient quantity of this gumm'd Malvasy braying them together in a Marble-mortar with a woodden-pestle and so reduce the whole into a somewhat solid paste whereof make Trochisques of the size and shape you please and dry them in the shade upon a hair-sive I said that we might be without Trochisques because that having the Powder which they are made of that may suffice for our uses but there is one inconveniency in the Powder in that it will scarce keep any considerable time espeally if it be not well stopt up and if besides some art be not used to hinder the breeding of worms in it Whereas Trochisques being made compleat by the addition of Malvasy and by the close compression of the parts of the Powder they are not so easily penetrated by the Air nor so subject to corruption The Trochisques being dry they may be slightly rubbed over with a little Balsom of Peru which will give them a good scent and help to preserve them The Use both of the Powder and Trochisques is excellent and alike but the Trochisques are to be reduced into powder when they are to be used Neither of them have an ill taste and they contain all the vertues we have ascribed to the Flesh of Vipers as having lost nothing in drying made without the heat of the Sun-beams but a superfluous moisture which could serve for nothing but corrupt them if it had remained They may be given in cordial waters broths wine or some fit decoction or you may make Bolus's of them with Syrrups Conserves or Cordial Confections or turn them into tablets with sugar Their main effect is to purify open penetrate and to drive to the extremities of bodies all venom corruptions impurities superfluities and they may be very beneficially used in many occasions for divers maladies without the fear of any ill success For both have this quality that they do alwayes some good but never any harm Their dose is from a Scruple to a drachm or two and they may be given to all ages and sexes and at all times CHAPT V. Of the Salt of Vipers made by the Ancients AMong many different Preparations of the Salt of Vipers made by the Ancients of which we finde the descriptions in their Books there is none more famous nor that hath been longer in use than one that is very ample and much enriched by many Alexiterial remedies whence t is also that they gave to this Salt the name of Theriacal But having considered this pompous Preparation we do not wonder that a much esteemed Author hath not given it his approbation since we cannot finde any thing in it that is according to rule or reason no more than there is in the rest We finde that the sentiments of that Author proceed from an understanding so judicious and so knowing that we cannot but subscribe to them almost in all For in the Calcination they used there remain'd nothing but the fix't Salt which contains but very little vertue Vipers as all sorts of Animals having but little of Fixt Salt whereas they have much of the Volatile which soon riseth in the Calcination and carries away with it the principal and the most essential vertue of the Animal They were also much mistaken when they thought that four
first perceived in this Salt and besides dissatisfied with its easy Avolation unless it be extreamely well closed have endeavoured to fix it and so to free it from this smel not considering that this smel cannot be altogether separated from this Salt but its vertue must be so too and that the fixation changes its nature And instead of contenting themselves to rectify it well thereby to carry away as much as may be the adventitious smel which it may have acquired by the violence of the fire by the first distillation they have sometimes altogether destroyed it and have dealt with it as if one would deprive Musc and Amber-gris of their good sent and Coloquintida of its bitterness and many compounds of their operations which would not be what they are if you should robb them of the least of those parts that compose them We say therefore that after the Rectification of this Volatil Salt such an one as we shall set down beneath the best and surest preparation would be to do nothing else to it but to make it to be used in that condition only mixing with it things accomodated to the Patients taste or with such other remedies as do not change its nature nor make it loose any thing of its force or vertue If the Fixed Salt of Vipers were capable to arrest and retain the Volatil there were then nothing to be said against this fixation because having been both formed jointly and in the same body they have no aversion to but rather are able to help one another But this common origin and this friendship which they have contracted whilst they lived together in one and the same subject hinders them from destroying one another and maketh that what is Fixe can nor will change the nature of the Volatil And indeed although you mixe them together and that the quantity of the Fixe be five or six times greater than that of the Volatil and that they may also lodg with one another yet they both equally keep their nature and vertue and they may be separated by fire and manifest at all times their several and distinct vertues But this hinders not the taking one Salt among the other nor that the Fixe should not then borrow somewhat of the subtilty of the Volatil the better to penetrate the Entrals and Vessels to open the more vigorously the obstructions and to expel the impurities it meets with by siege or urine and that on the contrary the Volatil Salt helped by the Fix't Salt should not carry away and drive out through the pores of the skin or other ways the more gross and more viscous parts of the humors that perhaps might have escaped its quick and subtile operation For which uses both Salts may be mix'd together upon occasion without undertaking an impossible fixation But especially the fixing of this Volatil Salt by Quick-lime cannot pass with all Artists but for an operation altogether destructive to it and 't is that which is most of all to be avoided because not only it carries away the smel taste and vertues of this Salt but quite changeth its nature and converts it into its own by petrifying the same The Fixation of this Volatil Salt by the Spirit of Salt although it seem to destroy it and change its nature in that it carries away the smel and taste of the Volatil Salt may notwithstanding be admitted rather than the other in regard that the Spirit of Salt by preserving the vertue it hath to open all the obstructions of the inward parts working upon the Volatil Salt may appropriate to it self something of its vertue especially that which is able to second its action and to expel together with it by urine or other ways the most tenacious and most stubborn humors Those that would expel the humors by these ways may usefully prepare it after this manner Mix four ounces of the Volatil Salt of Vipers well rectifyed with four ounces of Water put them into a Glass-Cucurbite Somewhat high of a narrow mouth broad and flat towards the bottom holding about two pints Fit to its mouth a Glass-funnel the end of whose pipe is very narrow Lute the funnel quite round about the orifice of the Cucurbite so that there may be no other aperture but that of the end of the funnel Then powre little by little and drop-wise some Spirit of Salt well rectified upon the Volatil Salt At first there will be a conflict betwixt them which will cause an ebullition but that of a short duration Continue to powre upon it of the same Spirit of Salt gently and leisurely according as you find the ebullition cease and by intervals stir also the Cucurbite and repeat this so often that at last there appear no motion any more and the Spirit of Salt have as 't were mortified and fixed the Volatil Salt Then place the Cucurbite in some receptacle furnish't with Sand fit to it a head lute it though at the beginning that be not necessary and by a slow fire draw away all the moisture of the Spirit of Salt and of the Volatil Salt which will rise almost insipid Continue the fire still and when you shall perceive a taste of the Spirit of Salt in what shall be distill'd change the Recipient increase a little the fire and drive it yet without too much violence until there distil no more and that the Salt remain at the bottom of the Cucurbite altogether dry and of a gray colour You 'l find in the Recipient a Spirit of Salt of the same taste of the same colour and of the same force it had when it was powr'd upon the Volatil Salt but you shall not find any part of the Volatil Salt risen to the head nor to the top of the Cucurbit as some have given out it doth without having experimented it as we have done The gray Salt found at the bottom is but in a smal quantity being lessen'd almost of two thirds It 's taste is very sharp biting and much differing from what it had before it was fix'd and as 't were mortified by the Spirit of Salt After this you may dissolve this Salt in water filter it and make it evaporate and letting it cool you 'l find at the bottom a smal quantity of Salt coagulated in the form of Chrystals Powr out by inclination the water swimming on the top to have the Salt by itself which you may dry in the Air or the Sun or over a little fire You may also make good use of the Salt that shall have remained in the water that swam a top by making it evaporate in part Chrystallizing and drying it as the former You might if you pleased very well omit luting the Funnel upon the Cucurbit when you will powre the Spirit of Salt upon the Volatil Salt forasmuch as we have found by experiment that in the operation of the Spirit of Salt upon the Volatil Salt there riseth nothing but phlegme that hath neither vertue