℞. of Tartar 20 or 30 pound, put it in a large coated retort, and place it in sand, and distil the spirit off with a soft heat.
N. B. This work may better and sooner be performed by that instrument of our second Furnace; and because it requires great and large receivers, as being very penetrative, thou maist first apply a tin or copper Serpent to the neck of the retort, instead of a receiver, which is placed in a tub filled with cold water, that the spirits being thereby cooled, may be retained, which afterward you must abstract to the half, out of a glass cucurbit by an alembick: for the other half with the black oyl is unprofitable in this work, and therefore to be taken away. After that, mingle the more subtile part, distilled with half of the Caput Mortuum, of the aforesaid Spirit, calcined to a whiteness, and abstract it half again in a gentle Balneum, out of a glass cucurbit by an alembick, the joynts whereof are every where to be well closed, and the calcined Tartar shall receive with it self the stench, together with the Phlegm, only the purer part of the Spirit, and more subtile distilling forth, which is again to be mingled with the other half of the Tartar calcined to a whiteness, and to be rectified by another alembick; the Caput Mortuum may again be calcined to take away the fetidness, that it may be used again. And this is that tartarised spirit of wine, with which the aforesaid tincture and essence is extracted, and truly not only this, but of all other metals, which no other can do. And if it were lawful, I would write something more of its wonderful force and vertue which it hath in purifying baser metals, with which it hath a great affinity; for it can separate the pure from the impure, of which more in another place. But when it is to be used in mending of metals, it needs not so much rectification as is required in the extracting of metallick medicines; where you may draw it in plenty out of the dry lees of wine. But there is also another tartarised spirit of wine, which may also be used in this same work, which is made after the following way: Dissolve in a pound of the spirit of wine six ounces of Crystal of Tartar; which solution use in the aforesaid extraction, in the same manner.
Of the Virtues of this Medicine.
This Antimonial Tincture doth, above all other Medicines evacuate vitious humours, and insensibly purgeth impure blood; opens any obstructions of the Liver, Spleen, Reins, and the other vessels, attracting to it all malignities, and leaving no impurities behind it. And because it cleanseth the blood, it cures the Leprosy, French-pox, and itch, and other Diseases proceeding from the impurity of the blood. By its penetrative and attenuative vertue, it resolves all tartareous humours, and evacuateth them, viz. which ingender the Gout, the stone of the Bladder and Reins; but not the Stone perfectly coagulated, only it mitigateth its pain, and hinders its encrease; but being not hardened or coagulated, it attracteth and evacuateth it totally and fundamentally out of all parts; it takes away also all Feavers, and other diseases coming from the superfluity of humours. It gently evacuateth the water between the skin, by siege and urine. In brief, it strengthens and purges the principal parts, and preserves them from all preternatural accidents. It is a most excellent preservative in the time of pestilence, and other contagious diseases; and of them being caught, it is a most absolute remedy, expelling the disease suddenly from the heart, and evacuating it. In few words, ’tis of all others a most excellent Universal Medicine, very profitable to both old and young, and also very safe; but warily to be ministred, by reason of its strength with which it is endued, which is most powerful, for it is as a great fire, which extinguisheth the lesser. Truly a better medicine cannot be desired than this, which is extracted of a very mean thing, in a short space of time, and with very small cost and pains. I ingenuously confess, I never saw its like, which I doubt not to be the best in the World. Wherefore then do we seek any other but this, viz. which excels in those things which are desired from the real medicine? But as it is most excellent, yet I am certain, that many deluded people will be offended at it, being prepared out of Antimony, a mean and despised thing, and after a plain way. But ’tis no matter, For the world will be deceived, looking after gay things, disrespecting and despising mean things, when all good things, yea, even when God himself doth rejoice in simplicity, for which, by wicked and proud men he is not sought unto. But this is the effect of sin, by which man is so blinded, that though he know not good, when set before his eyes, yet he is studious of evil.
Of the Use and Dose of this Medicine.
Seeing of all medicines it is the most powerful, it had need be warily used, for a smaller dose is alwaies safer than a greater; which therefore may after be given; the which is to be observed in all diseases of young and old. To children of 2, 3, 4, or 6 months old, against the Worms, Scabs, Feavers, and Epilepsie, you need not give above half a drop with a proper vehicle, which you may repeat three or four times a day: it killeth the Worms, it emptyeth the stomach of evil humours: it refresheth them, and preserves them from scabbiness; and because it evacuateth evil and corrupt humours, it preserveth them from the small pox and measles, viz. if it be used every month; but to children of 1, 2, or 3 years old, you may give a drop, and to children of 4 or 5 years old a drop and a half: to young people between 15 and 24 years, may be given 2, 3, or 4 drops. To stronger bodies from 25 to 50 years, 4, 5, 6, or 7 drops. But the dose must be greater or less, with a regard had to the sickness of the patient. And in the Stone and Gout, may be daily administred in wine or beer, viz. in the morning fasting, unless the patient be very weak; for then you may give it twice or thrice in a day, and continue this till the cure be perfected; where is to be observed that he must keep a temperate dyet.
In the Leprosy, French-Pox and Scurvy, every morning may a dose be given, and the disease shall totally be rooted out. Otherwise, viz. the strength being too much wasted and weakned, you may give only every other day, viz. so long as shall be need.
In the Epilepsie it may be given daily; and also in the Dropsy. In all Feavers, two or three hours before the fit. In the Plague it is to be given presently, and every day to be repeated: but for a preservative to be drunk every week once. In all other internal affects it must be given daily, until the declining of the disease; but afterward by little and little, the medicine is to be used till the disease be fully cured.
In external, as in fresh wounds by a blow, thrust or shot, broken bones, &c. every day once; with a necessary extrinsical application of a Plaister. In old Fistulaes and Cancers, it may be used once every day intrinsically and extrinsically, the place affected may be cleansed with Mineral Oyntments. For by this means every inveterate evil, how desperate soever, is throughly cured, and pleasantly, without all pain.
But although this be most precious of all medicines, yet there is a menstruum not corrosive, with which not only more easily than with the spirit of wine tartarised, a Universal Medicine may be extracted out of Antimony, and endued with better than the aforesaid vertues; so that for the charge of one royal, in three days time, so much may be gotten as may serve to cure some thousands of men, but also all vegetables, animals, and minerals and metals, are radically dissolved and reduced into their first matter: by which means not only very great Poysons are changed into most wholesome medicines, but also bitter things are deprived of their bitterness: for by it things are so corrected, that they do no more provoke stool and vomit, viz. which are very vehement Catharticks (by nature) being changed into most excellent restoratives. Also fetid things being corrected by it, do acquire a sweet odour. And it doth not only (which seems a wonder) dissolve vegetables, animals and minerals with those things which come of them, but also the very Glasses; wherefore you must alwaies chuse the strongest glasses for digestion and solution, or in the defect of such, the weaker are to be changed every 6 houres. And yet it is not at all altered by those things that it doth reduce and turn into their first matter medicinal, neither in vertue nor colour; for it alwaies keeps the middle place between pure and impure, of which this falls to the bottom, but that swims on the top of the menstruum, which may again be used. In brief, it’s vertues in preparing medicines cannot be enough praised. But it may be compared with the Mercurial water of Basilus Valentinus; and the Alcahest of Paracelsus and Helmont, which I judge to be the Fire of the Maccabees turned into a thick water under-ground. It is a perpetual fire, but not alwaies burning visibly; it is a water permanent, not wetting the hands, the Sope of the Wise, the Philosophers Azoth, and the Royal-Bath.