CHAP. VII.
By what means Gold may be brought to such a pass as that (being inwardly made use of in Medicine) it may display its virtues and be stirred up to operation by a guider (or leading Card as ’twere) added thereunto.
Gold being reduced by the way now spoken of into most tender (Atoms, may be stirred up divers ways, so as that being inwardly administred, it may manifest its virtues and that notably and efficaciously.
As first when such Salts are thereunto added as do corroborate the Stomach, and augment its acidity, so as to make it strong enough to work upon the tender Gold and dissolve it, and to turn it into Vitriol in the Stomach, in which case my Sal Mirabilis is very excellent, but yet other Salts are not to be despised, to each of which I give the honour due unto them.
Then farther, the same may be done when such Mineral Species are added to the said Golden Calx as do by their natural propriety expell by Sweat and Urine: For a Mineral Medicine, as soon as ever it begins its operation in the Body, whether by Sweat or by expulsion by Urine, doth also stir up the Gold to operate, so that it works too after the same manner as the Medicament adjoyned to it is wont to operate, just as ’tis usually wont to be in some kind of Fraternity or Consortship; If one begins to sing, to dance, to be enamoured with a Virgin, to brawl, or to play, he presently stirs up others to do the same, who would otherwise have abode still. Now as to the Minerals, amongst the many inciters there, Antimony obtaineth the first place, and doth stir up to operate with himself any such things as are thereunto adjoined, whether they be Gold or Silver, yea though they be dead. And so a Mineral being purgative, or Diuretick, being mixt with Gold, doth perform its operation much more safely and efficaciously than if it were alone and used per se, inwardly, without any addition of Gold thereunto. For the tender Gold is stirred up and driven as ’twere to Cooperate together with the operation of the Mineral Medicament, which otherwise, and without such an impulsion and incitement would have remained as dead, and void of any kind of operation, and so passed forth together with the Excrements.