Zjl Natural Magick. ‘Boo^iq*

Elements and humors into a right temper , allay the excessive, and supply the de-fective, takeaway all putrefaction, refresh the natural heat, purge the blood, andencreale it ; and not onely cure all sicknesses, but make us healthy, long-lived , andalmost immortal. %ainoldtu^ %jtmundtu-> and other Physicians of the best esteem,do attribute to Gold , a power to corroborate and strengthen the Heart, to dry upsuperfluities and ill humors, to exhilarate and enliven the Spirits with its Splendorand Beauty, to strength en them with its Solidity, temper them with its Equality, andpreserve them from all diseases, and expel Excrements by its Weight : by which itconfiimeth Youth , restoreth Strength, retardeth old Age, corroborateth the prin-cipal Parts, openeth the Urinary Vessels, and ail other passages, being stopt : cureththe Failing-sickness, Madness,and Leprosie, (for which cause, 0(tandtr the Divine,wore a Chain of Gold about his neck) and also Melancholy, and is most excel-lent against Poyfon and Infections of the Plagne. We will now examine whe-ther the old or new Physicians knew the way to prepare it aright, to perform theseadmirable Effects. Nicander doth mightily cry up for an Antidote against Poyfon,Fcuntain-watet in which Gold hath been quenched ; supposing , that it imparted*some of its Verme to the Water in the extinction. Dioscondcs , Taulm tÆgweta yand Aetitu, affirm the same. lAviccnmt faith, That the filings of it helpeth Melan-choly , and is used also in Medicines for the shedding of the Hair, in liquid Me-dicines,or reduced into very fine Powder; it is used in Collyriums, or Medicines forthe Eyes, for the pain and trembling of the Heart, and other passions of theMinde. 'Pliny useth it burnt in an earthen Pipkin , with a treble quantity of Salt;whereby it will communicate its Vertue , but remain entire and untouched it self.He also makes a Decoction of it with Honey. CftUrftlim Ficinm faith, It is of asolid substance , and therefore must be attenuated, that it may penetrate the Body.But he n ignorant of the way of it, onely he advisers, to give it in Cordial-waters,being beaten out into thin Leaves ; for so the Water will fuck out the Vertue of it:or else by extinguishing it in Wine. There are seme of Pliny's Scholars, who wouldhave the parts of a Hen laid in melted Gold, until it consume it self; for the parts ofa Hen art Poyfon to Gold. Wherefore Ficinut mixeth Leaf-Gold in Capon-broath.Thus far the Grecians, Latines, and Arabians , have discoursed concerning the Ex-traction of the Tincture of Gold ; but they have erred fat from the Truth : forwhat a vanity is it to imagine, that quenching it in Water, can extract the Vertue ofit ? or,that the heat of Man's Body,though it be liquified and be made potable,cantdraw any thing from it, when the force of the most vehement fire is ineffectual, andcannot work upon it ?I have made trial of it in a most violent fire for the space ofthree months, and at last I found it nothing abated in weight, but much melioratedin colour and goodness; so that the fire, which consumeth other things, doth makethis more perfect. How then can it be concocted by the heat of Man’s Body,which is scarce able to concoct Bread ? And how can ic impart its Vertue by Ex-tinction , when neither Jq/tAVitœ, nor any strong Waters can alter the colour ortasteof it? 1 will set down what 1 have seen. The later learned Men, and curiousInquirers into Nature, affirm, That the Magistery, Secret and Quintessence of Gold,consisteih in the Tincture: so that the Vertue, Power, Life and Efficacy of it, re-fideth in the Colour. Wherefore it will be no small Secret to know how to ex-tract the Tincture ■ no small labor and pains: for those who pretend to speak of it,do it so intricately and obscurely, that they rather seem to obscure it, or not to un-derstand it, then to discover or teach it. Know therefore, that the Tincturecannot be extracted, but by perfectly dissolving it in Strong Waters ; and that itcannot be dissolved, as rbe work requiresh, in common Aqu* Fertts, or Royal Wa-ters , because the corrosive Salts in them, are not perfectly and absolutely dissolvedinto Water. Wherefore you must learn by continual solution and immistion , so c©distil them, that the whole substance of the Salt may be melted; which must be doneby reiterating the Operation. I have informed you, what Salts are easie to be sepa-rated, the which must onely be used in this Work. After perfect solution, cast inthat Menstruum or Water, which T have often mentioned for the Extraction of Es-sences or Colors. I have with great joy beheld it attract to it self the Golden,Yellow,