And because my purpose was to speak of the preparation of Vegetable Essences, but not make a description of their most ample use, I will now put a period to this business, leaving every one to be wiser as his own capacity is. But yet, would the present time have permitted, I would have mentioned some specificks, which may haply be elsewhere done. But thus much I say, that in Wine, lies hidden very much which but few know, and which if one would reckon up, would stir up admiration. But it appertains not to this place, but to the Vegetable Work, which (if God permit) shall soon follow. But seeing I have made mention of Wine, I cannot omit to add in this place one thing, viz. what yet farther use the Essences of Herbs might be of, if always to be had ready prepared in the Apothecaries Shops: For one, two, three, or more drops of Essences, being put in a Cup of Wine at pleasure and stirred about, that the Wine may be united with the Essence, do presently make the Wine clear and pleasant, resembling the kind and nature of the Essence you put in; and by this means divers kinds of Wines may presently be made out of one and the same Vessel, to refresh and please your guests: And this way far exceeds the using of extracts, which make the Wine troubled, but this leaves it clear. It will be needless therefore to put different sorts of Wines in several Vessels in Cellars, where they will all of them by degrees wax weaker and weaker, unless they are kept always full; but one onely Vessel, is sufficient for to make various kinds of Wines at your pleasure; and this is a very profitable secret for great Men and others, who sometimes must have various Wines. It is a usual thing with many to drink a draught of Physical Wine in a morning on a fasting Stomach, to strengthen the weak Stomach, and to preserve it from hurtfull Air, if they can but get it, and if they use that which is usually made of the Reliques of the Wine, and such decayed stuff, such is void of virtue, and brings more hurt than benefit. But now, having these Essences of Herbs, you may easily impregnate generous Wine therewith and make it Medicinal, and by this way maist thou be certain that thou hast good Wine, and not such as is made out of the droppings and refuse, which is usually employed to make Medicinal Wines of, and from whence gripings and other incommodities do frequently exist: But that which is composed of generous Wine, and a well prepared Essence deserves the name of wholsome Physical Wine. These things I was willing to add to this first part of my Spagyrick Pharmacopœa by way of Ornament, and do request the well minded Reader, that he think well of my Labour, Diligence, and Intention. There shall follow (God permitting) in the two next parts, more good Medicines.

The End of the First Part.

THE
SECOND PART
OF THE
Spagyrical Dispensatory.

Concerning the preparation of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals, by an Universal Dissolvent.

Wherein is clearly demonstrated and exactly described, that Niter is the true Universal Dissolvent, and how all Vegetables, Animals, and Minerals, are therewithall dissolved, corrected, and their venemous and obnoxious property changed into wholsome Medicaments, contrary to the opinion of many ignorant Men.

What Animals are, and what is understood or meant by them.

I do here understand by the name of Animals all such things as have life, and a vital motion, as Men, all kinds of Beasts, Worms, and Insects, either in the Earth or above the Earth, the Fishes in the Water, the Birds in the Air, and all the Creatures that can move themselves, and that do partake of a visible life. Amongst these living Creatures, there is this difference to be observed, viz. that some of them serve for the use of Medicine; other some of them are not fit for Medicine; for all those Animals which nourish mankind and sustain his body, have not a medical but nutritive power, so that out of them can’t be prepared Medicaments resisting Diseases. For although that out of some Animals (as Oxen, Sheep, Goats, Hens, Birds, and such like) a good Essence may (by the benefit of Art) be extracted, so as to restore and strengthen a body that is debilitated by sickness (as you may see in my Book of the Kitchin Art) yet that labour doth appertain to the Kitchin, and Cooks, rather than to the Apothecaries. Therefore in this Treatise nothing else shall be mentioned, but concerning such Animals onely as do not nourish the body of Man, but (being eaten or any ways entring into Man’s Belly, or other parts of his body) do by their venome most greatly hurt: But being inverted or turned in and out by the Spagyrical Art do become excellent Medicines, and (without that bettering them) would remain venemous and hurtfull: such as these are Vipers, Serpents, Toads, Scorpions, Spiders, and other venemous Insects; the which being spoiled of their venome or changed by Art, do become Medicines of a penetrative efficacy. Indeed a Serpent, a Toad, and other like venemous Creatures being onely boiled in common water, are barred of their Poison, and may be eaten without any hurt, seeing that their Poison consists not in the Flesh, but in the Spirit, and vanisheth by a bare decoction. Many examples do confirm this thing, and ’tis evidently known that Serpents have been oftentimes boiled and eaten instead of Eels. It is no new thing in India, that that People do feed on great Serpents boiled, instead of Food, and contrariwise other Animals there are which do not deposite or lay aside their venome by a bare boiling, but do retain it, such as are Scorpions, Tarantula’s and such like. But now, if to such kind of Vermine that are endued with so hurtfull a Poison, a water or liquor of a stronger efficacy be added, wherein they may be digested, their venome is turned into a wholsome Antidote, and is a resister of Poison, as shall be proved anon. This is certain, that the omnipotent God hath not created so much as the least Worm in vain, which cannot bring some profit, though by the under sort of Men, it be contemned and plainly neglected. But forasmuch as almost all such Vermine and Insects, are (by reason of their Poison) rarely used in Medicine, and scarce any one knows their occult virtues, from that signature God hath given them, or cares to know, the use of them remains unknown and in the dark. Nay it is well done, that (seeing the way of correcting such Poisons, or turning them into Medicine, hath lain hid from the greatest part of the Learned ones) their use was thrown out of the Apothecaries Shops. But yet in process of time, some of those kind of Vermine were admitted by the Physicians, as the Scorpions, Cantharides, and such like. The Scorpions being suffocated in Oil Olive do tame their own proper Poison; Cantharides, great Worms, and Milli-pedes, or Pigs lice, are used to provoke Urine. But yet not without danger, because of the venome they abound with. Nevertheless Men have dared to use them, and many times they have proved very profitable. But had their bettering been known; and had they (being thus corrected) been made use of, they would (without all fear of danger) have procured a greater honour to those that used them. Now the usual way of all such as know not the manner of correcting them, such little Animals are dried, and (crude as they are) beaten into a powder, and so administred to the sick, and do some times (though with mighty hazard) perform great cures. Were the signature of such Vermine well examined, and their use in Medicine well known, and they were afterwards transmuted and changed (by the help of an universal Dissolvent) into a safe Medicament, they do then become such safe and effectual remedies, as to take away most grievous, (and in the accompt of some plainly incurable) Diseases, and do in many Degrees exceed the weak operations of Vegetables. For the Animals which God hath gifted with life, are of a far greater efficacy than the Vegetables, and this any one will not be over hard in believing of. You will find many wonderfull things in my Book of the signature of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals (which shall shortly come forth to light) nay and besides their signatures, as well their unknown and occult Vertues as their known Vertues shall be herein declared. But in this Treatise, shall onely be mentioned some of the principal small Animals of use in Medicine, viz. by what means they may be reduced into most excellent and most safe Medicines, by the help of the universal Dissolvent. As for their Vertues, and Efficacy, the well minded Reader may search for them in my other Writings. And although I have met with admirable Vertues in some hitherto neglected Vermine, and would have also described them for the profit of my Neighbour, and so purposed to have made a large discourse concerning them; yet the love to my Neighbour (whom I would not willingly lead about in many erroneous Turnings) hindred me from performing it. For all the Vertues that are apart dispersed amongst all the Vegetables and Animals, are all of them concentrated in one Mineral, and found perfectly united, so that there’s no need of using so many distinct Medicines of Vegetables, Animals, and Minerals, and therefore I refer the Reader thereunto. But yet for satisfactions sake of such who abhor such Medicines as are made of Minerals, and dread them as if they were a Poison, I will detect the Vertue and Power of some of the most principal ones in Medicine.

Of the Signature, Property, and Medicinal Vertues of the Bull-like and Horned Scarabæus or Beetle.

I have known some of the biggest and flying Scarabæus’s that have weighed half an Ounce, or a whole Ounce, and of a Chestnut Colour, and they will firmly stick to any thing by reason of their sharp Feet, and are furnished with double Wings, the upper ones are hard and smooth like an horn, the under ones are very thin and transparent, and shew like the dried leaves of Poppy. The Male is for the most part bigger than the Female, and is armed with two horns, which in their branchings resemble the Figure of Stags horns, hard and smooth like horn, and hollow on the inside, without any marrow, with these he defends himself. If you put one of them on a Table, and smite him often with some small twigs, and enrage and provoke him to anger, he doth not run away like as other Animals do, but sets upon his Enemy, with his upright and variously branched horns, as if he would revenge himself for the injury done him; and whatsoever you reach out to him, he presently snatcheth with his horns, and holds it so fast, that ’tis a hard matter to get it from him: If the thing be too heavy, he then leaves it, and goes his way without it: But if it be light, he carries it away with him, and afterwards unlooseth his horns from it and lets it fall. The Females two horns are lesser and crooked, which open and shut like Pincers; whatsoever they seize on, they hold it most firmly, and if you expose to its horns any thing that is not hard she doth gripe it so long, till the tops of her horns touch each other. Being hanged at a Cats or a Dogs Ear she presently pierceth it through, and so holds that the Dog can’t cast her off with her Feet, but (not knowing what is happened to him) runs to and fro, howling and crying out, as if he implored help from some body else, such is the innate anger and malice of this small Creature. They feed not upon Grass and the Leaves of Trees as other Scarabæus’s do, but are nourished with the Juice of the thin soft reasinousness which is in Summer Flowers out of those Trees that bears fruit with stones in them, such as Nuts, Cherries, Plums, Pruens, Peaches, and such like. These Trees they sticking fast on, do by sucking out the Rosin thence flowing, support their lives withal. These small Creatures are truely Martial, and as if they were endued purposely by nature with Weapons, and armed. Some men do break off their horns, and carry them about them, as if they were a safeguard against the invasions and being set upon by wild Beasts, but I count this as superstitious. Some (I know) do reduce them with their Wings into pouder, and make use thereof, and have healed the inward pains and prickings of the Body: And have cured Quartanes, yea have in all Feavers hanged it about the Neck; but yet I believe it would bring more profit, if it be duely prepared and so taken into the Body. But what effects they will perform in the other parts of the Body I know not, nor have I hitherto tried or known them to have been used to any other intent than before mentioned. But I am certainly assured, that there is a most wholsome Vertue in this insect, because of his thus living on, and being nourished by those resinous Juices which flow out of such Trees as bear those kinds of Fruits that have Stones in their inside: Wherefore I think that their whole Body is of a balsamick Nature, and I do judge by their signature, that they may be profitably used in curing all inward and outward hurts arising from beating, wounding, stabbing, and shooting, if they are first reduced into an Essence according to my method. The horns and those hard wings, may be reduced into a Magistery, apart by the universal Dissolvent, and serve for inward Use. And the body being on like manner prepared, may be applied and made use of for the allaying of all griefs, or pains both externally and internally. Without doubt it aboundeth with many other hidden Vertues which are unknown both to my self and other men.