But now seeing idlenesse is so much in request amongst Physitians, and all labour and study is turned only to insolency; truly I do not wonder, that all such preparations are every where neglected, and coales sold at so low a price, that if Smiths could be so easily without coales in forging, and working their Metalls, as Physitians are in preparing their Medicines, certainly Colliers would long since have been brought to extream want.
A reprehension of Physitians.
In the mean time I will give to Spagiricall Physitians their due praise. For they are not given to idlenesse, and sloth, nor goe in a proud habit, or plush and velvet garments, often shewing their rings upon their fingers, or wearing swords with silver hilts by their sides, or fine and gay gloves upon their hands, but diligently follow their labours, sweating whole nights, and dayes by their furnaces.
The commendation of Chymists, and how they differ from other Physitians.These doe not spend their time abroad for recreation, but take delight in their laboratory. They wear Leather garments with a pouch, and Apron wherewith they wipe their hands. They put their fingers amongst coales, into clay, and dung, not into gold rings. They are sooty, and black, like Smithes, or Colliers, and doe not pride themselves with cleane, and beautifull faces. They are not talkative when they come to the sick, neither doe they extoll their Medicines: seeing they well know that the Artificer must not commend his work, but the work the Artificer, and that the sick cannot be cured with fine words.
How many degrees of Alchymie there be.
Therefore laying aside all these kinds of vanities, they delight to bee busied about the fire, and to learn the degrees of the science of Alchymie: Of this order are Distillation, Resolution, Putrefaction, Extraction, Calcination, Reverberation, Sublimation, Fixation, Separation, Reduction, Coagulation, Tincture, &c.
But how these separations may bee done by the help of distinct degrees according to the Art of Alchymie, hath been in generall spoken of already. Wherefore it is needlesse here to make repetition.
But to proceed to particulars, and briefly to explaine the practise, you must know that Water, Spirit, Liquor, Oyle, &c. cannot bee separated after one and the same processe, out of Flowers, Hearbes, Seeds, Leaves, Roots, Trees, Fruits, Woods, by the degree of Distillation.
For Hearbs require one processe, Flowers another, Seeds another, Leaves another, Roots another, Trees another, the Stalkes another, the Fruite another, Woods another.
The degrees of fire in Distillation.