Of Distillation. 275 ?

Air is elevated, the Water and Earth remain in the bottom: the Fire continuethin the bottom of the former Veflel • for it Eos a fiery substance : this, Nature,and the Affusion of Water, and the Distillation in Balneo will reduce into an Oylagain : in which you must correct the Fire , and it will be perfect. You may layMetal in Embers, then by degrees encrease the fire: the Water will first gentlyascend, next the Earth. In Silver, the first Oyl is blewifh, and in perfect separa-tion, fettleih to the bottom, and the Water ascendeth ; burin Balneo, the Ele-ments cf Fire and Earth : for che substance of it is cold and moist: in Balneo theElements of Fire and Earth remain; first the Earth will come out, afterwards theFire. So of Tin, the first Oyl is yellow ; in Balneo, the Air will remain in thebottom, the Fire, Earth and Water will ascend: which is proper onely to Fin ; forin no other Metal, the Airremaincth last ; but in Tin, the Water is first elevated ;next the Fire; last of all, the Earth. OflronismadeadarkruddishOyl; Of Quick-silver, a white Oyl : the Fire fcttleth to the bottom : the Earth and Water are tie*vated: and so of the rest.

How to separate the Elements in Herbs,

In Herbs there is alwayes ope Element which reigiieth in chief. Take the Leavesof Sage, bruise them, macerate them in Fimo , and then distil them : the Fire willfirst ascend, until the colours be changed; next the VVater; then a part of theEarth: the other part will remain in the bottom, not being volatile, bnt fixed.Set the VVater in the Sun sixdayes, then put it in Balneo : the VVater willascend first, then the colour will alter; and the Fire ascendeth next , till the tastebe changed : at length , a part of the Earth , the reft being mix’d with the Air*tarrieth bchinde in the Bottom. In Water-Plants, the Air arifeth first - nc&t theVVater and Fire,

How to ftnde out the Vertues of Plants.

There are no surer Searchers out of the Venues cf the Plants, then our Handsand Eyes; the Taste is more fallible for,if in Distillation, the hottest parts eva-porate first, we may conclude, that it corsisteih of het and tbin^arts : ltd so ofthe rest. You may easily know by the separation of the Elements, Whether aPlant have mere of V iir, ot VVater, ci Earth , by weighing the Plant Fjft : thefitffetwflrd , when the VVater and Oyl ate extraHed, weighing tie FoECes * and bjrtheir proportion yon may judge cf the degrees of each Element in the Composi-tion cf it, and from thence of their Qualities. But the narrow limits of thisBook will not give me leave to expatiate farther en this Subject. Wherefore I Willleave the Discouriccf it to a particular Treatise, which I intend to set out at largeotithis matter.

How to ex trail Gum out of Plants.

There are some Plants cut of which we may extract Gum: seine Plants,! fay,be-cause many have none in them, and nothing can give mote then it hath. Fen-nel, and all other kiedes of it, Opopcnax, and luch-like Herbs ate full of ir, Na-ture is the best Director in extractirgtbem : for when the Sun shines very hot, andthe Stalks of these Plants are swelled with sap , by reason of the contirual en-crease of their juice; they open themselves in little clefts, like a Woman when he*labour approaches • and thence deth the Plant bring forth , as it were in travel,-that Noble Liquor, which partly by the heat of the Sun , partly by a na-tural Inclination grows clammy, and is condensed into a hard Body. Hence wetaay learn

How to extraSl Gum out of Opoponax,

In the Simmer Solsticegatbcr the Boots in the night-time, that the hear of the Sunmay rot exhacst tl e fr.cysture ; flice it long wayes, and put it into a well vernistiedearthen Fipkin : then set it upside down in a descending Furnace with a Receiver

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