Now as for the use of our secret Fire, no Man may be so bold as to discover the Power thereof to the World, for things incredible are to be done by it, which are better to be concealed, than made publick: Yet I will a little touch at it. The secret Fire of it self is of no use in Physick, but great Secrets may be prepared by it, both in Medicine and Alchimy. First, out of our fiery Mass may be driven a living Mercury of Mars, which is the most noble Subject to prepare an extensive Tincture, both for Men and Metals, for of all Mercuries of Metals, this is the best. When our Fire is melted into a thick water, and this fiery water poured upon a subtil Calx of Gold, and digested with it, it will attract the yellow Colour from the Gold, and leave it white, yet the Tincture is not yellow, but as green as Grass, out of which an excellent Medicine may be made; it is also profitable in Alchimy. For it is also of this Nature, that if you put a Solution of Gold and Silver into it, they will be joyned together without Precipitation, which is not usual to be done. One may also squirt this fiery water, by peculiar Springs, to a great distance, and thereby fire any Combustible matter. If you will, you may also shoot this our Fire in a dry form, out of great and small Guns, to fire any thing with it. I believe, that by the help of this, one might fire a great Canon under water, by which you may fright Fish up to the Surface of the water in deep Ponds, so that you may catch them with small Nets. One may also drive away all hurtful wild Beasts, as Bears, Wolves, Foxes, nay even Lyons, Tygers and Dragons, out of the Wilderness. One may also drive away High-way-Men, Murtherers out of their Ambuscades, and catch them. In a word, many strange things may be done with it, which for certain Reasons I dare not mention. The greatest and the best thing that may be done by this secret Fire, is the preparing of the Mercury of Mars, as also after a Magnetical manner to draw the Lightning which way one please. I have had this Fire now for above twenty years, and durst not own that I had Such a thing, now I am near my end, I was willing to let it be known, that there is such a Fire in Nature. If I did not fear, that malicious Men would abuse this secret Wonder-fire, I would have been plainer, but the time is not yet come for the doing those great things, but when Elias the Artist shall come, he will not fear to make great Alterations in the World, by the help of this Fire. He will establish much good, and abolish all that is evil, but I have said enough of this at this time. I have indeed told you here that it will be done, I do not desire, neither shall I live till it shall come to pass, for such great Changes will not be made with ease, but with great Zeal. God preserve the Pious, and shew them a way over the Mountains, where they may live secure from this Sodomitish Fire, Amen.
Of the Third secret Fire, and the wonderful Stone that is engendered by it.
That pious Philosopher Basil Valentine, in his Triumphant Chariot of Antimony, teacheth, how to prepare a stone by Distillation and Rectification out of the purest part of Antimony, and calls it the Stone of Fire because this Stone is prepared by Fire out of fiery Subjects: And also because it expelleth all Diseases from the Body of Man, and consumeth them as common Fire doth Wood. He also saith, that this Fire-stone can transmute Silver into Gold, although in a small quantity. The highly experienced Philosopher Helmont, makes mention of almost such a Stone, which he saith, he saw in England with one Butler, and tells of wonderful things that the said Butler did with it. Now by reason of my diligent search into Nature and the Blessing of God, such a Stone hath fallen into my hands, with which I can do the same things in Physick and Alchimy, which Basil Valentine ascribes to his Fire-stone, and Helmont to Butlers Stone: I could not but leave to posterity, that it is possible to prepare this Stone out of Antimony. The Art consists in this, that you first bring the Antimony by Sublimation, Distillation and Rectification to the greatest Subtilty, and afterwards again concentrate this subtil Spirit into a hard Stone, which Stone when it is not fixed (being then useful in Medicine) is of a reddish Colour, and easily melted, and penetrates all Bodies. But if by it you would graduate Silver into Gold, you must first fix it, to abide the Cupel, but being once fixed, it will not then perform in Medicine what it would before. It is worth much more, when unfixed to be used in Physick, than when it is fixed for the tinging of Silver. For the health of Men is more precious than Gold or Silver. And with an universal Medicine, that will Cure all internal and external Diseases, you may get Gold and Silver enough. I have at this present time, but a very little of this Stone left, but am resolved in a little time to make a good quantity of it, that I may therewith serve my sick Neighbours. For it works strange things as you shall hereafter hear. This our Stone is so powerful in its working, that we dare not give it in substance, for one Grain of it serves for twenty Doses or more, and each of them hath power to expel from the Body whatsoever is hurtful. This Medicine opens all Obstructions, and you shall hardly find any other comparable to it. The best way to use it is to keep it whole, and not to powder it, and then it is fit to be used both inwardly and outwardly. If you will use it inwardly, then put a few bits of it into a Glass, and pour Spirit of Wine upon it, in which a little Sugar is dissolved, and so let it stand till you have occasion for it. If you will purge any Body with it, you must put a few drops of it into a spoonful of Wine or Beer, or any other Liquor, and give it to the Patient, and order him to be kept warm, then the Medicine will work in his Body, like fire upon Wood, and consume whatever impeded his health, and drive it out by all the Emunctories, viz. by Vomit, Stool, Sweat, Urine and Spitting, and leaves no impurity in the Body, and so it expels all Fevers and Agues, however distinguished. It also cures the Plague, Leprosie, Gout, the falling Sickness in young and old. It takes away all obstructions of the Body, viz. of the Liver, Spleen, and Lungs, it expels all ill Humours, contained in the Cavity of the Thorax and all other parts of the Body. This our Stone also opens the Obstructions of the Mesentery, carries off all Slime, and Salt watry Humidities. It cleanseth the Stomach and Guts from all pituitous and bilious Slime. It also draws all hurtful Humours out of the Brain, takes away noise in the Ears, Comforts the hearing and sight, takes away every Toothach in a moment, fastens loose Teeth, and hinders their fouling. It takes away all the Vices of the Throat, Mouth and Tongue, and suffers no uncleanness or foulness to abide thee. It is a pitty to see that no Physician hath a Remedy for the Toothach, but either pulling them out, or stopping them when hollow with Narcoticks or hot Oyls, which are indeed no cure: Now forasmuch as this Disease troubled People of all Ages, and few know any Remedy for it, I think it necessary to set down a never failing Cure. ’Tis true, most Toothachs may be put off by Purging, and need not so painful a Cure, as drawing. Out of Pity to those, who are troubled with the Toothach from their infancy, I here declare the Remedy. ℞. Of our Fire-stone, as much as a Pea, and put it into your Mouth, with half a Spoonful of Wine, keep it in your Mouth as long as you can, or so long till the Stone hath drawn your Mouth full of Rheume, then spit it out, and again put the Stone into your Mouth, with as much Wine as before, and keep it there till your Mouth is again fill’d with Rhume, then again spit it out, and continue doing this so long, till you have spit out half a Pint of Rhuemy Spittle, not reckoning the Wine. The next day again draw out the same quantity; do this every Morning fasting so long, till no slimy matter, but only a clear insipid water comes out, which is a certain sign that your Head and Brain is freed from all superfluous Moisture. When this is done, for a great while you will be free from all noxious Rhumes, or Salt defluxions, which fall from the Head to the Teeth, and there cause pain. This our Fire-stone doth not only draw all noxious Humours from the Head, but also out of the Stomack, Lungs, Liver and Spleen, and carries them out of the Body, by the Mouth, as well or better than any common Purge. But if the Body should be too full of ill Humours, so that our Fire-stone, should not be able to draw them all out that way, then you must take some of it inwardly extracted as before mentioned. But because this our Stone is yet unfixed, and therefore sometime causeth Vomits, and some are not able to bear Vomiting, therefore you may prevent it, by putting distilled Vinegar with Sugar upon the Stone, instead of Brandy, and so extract it, and this Extract will cause no Vomits, but only work by Stool: This is enough to be said for the Cure of the Toothach. But if Parents were sufficiently knowing, and careful of their Children, they might in their Childhood prevent the greatest part of this Mischief, by causing them daily to wash their Mouths, and behind their Ears, with cold water. But in those who are come to Maturity, our Fire-stone is the best of Remedies and never fails. It also cures the Scurvy in the Mouth, when little hot Pimples appear, and the decay or washing of the Gums. This Stone being held in the Mouth with Wine, also preserves Old Men from Apoplexies, Catarrhs, and the like. Let this suffice to be spoken concerning the Virtues of our Fire-stone, in the curing of internal Diseases. But because the Variety of Distempers is great, I will there set down the true way of using it, that none may err in its Application.
Of the true use of this Medicine in Diseases.
In all Fevers or Agues, let them be Quotidians, Tertans or Quartians, you must always give our Medicine two hours before the fit, and keep the Patient from the cold Air. In the Plague, Pleurisie and other hot Fevers, you must not delay the using of this Medicine, but as soon the Patient is taken, give him a Dose of our Medicine, let it work with him in a warm Room. And if the Disease abate not, give him the next day another Dose more or less, according to the condition of the Disease and the Patient. And you must beware of Bleeding, if the Patient be strong enough to endure a Purge, but if the Patient should not have sufficient strength, and yet the heat encrease, then you may abate the heat by taking away a little Blood, but not too much, that the strength may not be exhausted with the Blood, and the evil yet remain in his Body, for by Purging, only that which is hurtful is expelled, and the good remains.
In the Epilepsie, you must use this Medicine only every other, or every Third day, as long as there shall be occasion.
In the Stone of the Kidneys and Bladder, once in a Fortnight.
In the Dropsie, once a Week.
In the Cholick, once after you have used a Clyster.
In the Leprosie, once a Week.