But seeing that every one cannot discern the true from the false, and is constrained (on the contrary) to give credit unto those things which he draws in by his Ears, it cannot possibly be, but that he erre from the Truth, and often chuse the evil instead of the good; which defect is easily helped by making trial, and proving them, for this way is wont to try the Truth of things.
Should I but describe in an accurate manner the Virtues of my Potable Gold, it would fill a large Volume: And this is not my intent in this place, but (God permitting) it shall shortly be effected in a little Book, wherein shall be comprized many other of my best Medicaments, and shall shortly come abroad under the Title of Glauber’s Pharmacopœia: And in this place I will in few words hint out the Use of my Aurum Potabile.
Therefore, forasmuch as my Potable Gold is (as I have already frequently repeated) a concentrated Fire, and reduced into a liquid form, and all its whole Essence may be said to resemble nothing else but some tender penetrating Fire, yet void of flame, every one may readily conjecture what it is helpful for, and what use it is of in Medicine.
Amongst all the Elements, the purest, subtilest, most penetrative, and most efficacious, is Fire, and this is granted by every body; for the force of the Fire, viz. its heat penetrates even the most compact bodies, as Metals, and Glass; nor is there any thing that can stop its way; the Water, Earth, and Air are easily shut out. The Omnipotent God Himself is compared with Fire, from whom all things receive Spirit and Life, and without whom nothing can live or move it self, for without him, all things are dead, hard, and cold; as appears in the bodies of men and other Animals, which being alive, are alwaies hot, but being dead, become more cold than any Ice.
Therefore, as long as that small spark of Life in Man, and other Animals, is fed and nourished with its due Food and Drink, so long also doth it attract its nutriment, and continues in its vigorousness.
But as soon as it is destitute of its nutrition, and that it be taken thencefrom, the Life doth presently begin to be debilitated, and to fade, like as a kindled Lamp, if Oil be not poured thereunto, doth at last go out, and extinguisheth.
Seeing now that the Life of a Man is a meer fire, and is fed and sustained by a suitable Food and Drink only, like to a Lamp, which (without the pouring on of Oil, and without Air, without which no fire can burn, nor any Life live) cannot conserve its light. Some or other may demand, What the reason is, that such men are so easily seized on by Diseases, who have no want of the best Food and Drink, and which too is most fit for the sustaining of Life? Hereto I answer, That in such kind of men, the gross, crude, tenacious, and cold humours do shut up the passage to the point and spark of Life, whereby it is deprived of the nutriment, being hereby kept back. For an Example of which, Take a kindled Lamp, in which the Wick or Cotton is furred and clogg’d up with the Dreggs of impure Oil, whereby the Oil can have no farther access to the burning Flame; and hence it comes to pass, that it goes out, and vanisheth, and dies, though there be store enough of Oil. So likewise is it with an old Tree, though there be store of Dung thereto applied, yet the vegetation is not alwaies, and for ever, but all things die at last. Now, the crude, gross, and clammy humours insinuating themselves into the Roots, do hasten on this death, and the Roots being stopt or clogged, the due nutriment is withdrawn or with-held from the Tree, like as is wont to happen in Men, and in burning Lamps, as we said but now.
All things have their natural Causes, the which thing God Himself hath doubtlesly so ordained and implanted in Nature, that all things in their order hastening on to their destruction, nothing may be found wholly constant and stable in natural things, but be all subject to decay and death, and that Eternity alone, and Divine stability, (or the durability of celestial things only) might be laid open.
Bright clear Water, having its course through Channels and Wooden Pipes, doth, after many years time, at length fill them with Dirt, stops them up, and bars up its own way and current. This is the Operation of the clear and cold Water of Fountains; the hot Baths do it far sooner, as appears in the Aquisgrane Baths, and others, in which the Aqueducts and conveyances for the Water are to be frequently opened and cleansed, whereby the Water may have the freer passage. Bur those Waters, which being hot, do (when cool) presently let fall their fæces in the Vessels, and stop or furr them up, do most speedily of all shew this same operation. The same is also done in open Vessels, if, viz. the clear and transparent Water of Fountains be several times heated in a Copper, and be agen so often cooled, there doth then at length stick on to the inside of the Copper a tenacious sliminess, which at last is turned into an hard Stone.
If now the pure and bright Water of a Fountain effecteth such an operation, What, think you, would that Water do, which in its own nature is troubled or muddy, thick, saltish, and slimy. Hence it is that not only new-prest Wines, or that thickish, muddyish Must, do let fall their fæces to the bottom, and fasten their Tartar to the sides of the Barrel, but even the old Wines do likewise do the same, but not so much as the new ones do.