As far as I, beloved Friend, can
understand, this Medicine makes
not for the Emendation of depraved
Humours, but is chiefly conducent
for the recreation of the Vital Spirits.
Besides, among practical Chimists,
this Secret is taught, viz.
that by the Spayrick Art, it may be
commonstrated, how the pure
should be separated from the impure,
and by the same, how the Immature
are rendred mature, and
how the Bitter are corrected into
sourish, and the sourish into Sweet,
and the Sharp into Gentle, and
the Gentle into Sharp; and the
Acid into Sweet, and the Sweet
into Acid. Also this Laudable
Medicine of Philosophers, according
to my understanding, cannot
prolong Life, beyond the term
prefixed from above, but only
preserve from the Effect of all
Venimous, or otherwise mortiferous
Diseases: and so it is certainly
true, as is commonly believed,
that the prolongation of Humane
Life depends, on the Will of the
Omnipotent God only. But, omitting
these, I would here ask this
one Question. Whether by the
use of this Universal Medicine,
the pristine Nature of Man may be
converted into New, so as a Slothful
Man may degenerate into a
Diligent, or stirring Man, and a
Man, who before was by Nature
Melancholy and Sad, afterward
became Jovial, Chearful, and full
of Joy, or like alterations, reformations,
permutations, or vicissitudes
happen in the Nature of
Man?
Artist.
Not at all Sir. For so great power
was never conferred on any Medicament,
that it could change the
Nature of Man. Wine inebriating,
taken by diverse individual Men,
in him, who is drunk, changeth
not his Nature but only provokes,
and deduceth into act, what is naturally,
and potentially in him,
but before was as it were, dead.
Even so is the Operation of the
Universal Medicine, which by
recreation of the Vital Spirits, excites
Sanity, for a time only suppressed,
because it was naturally
in him before; even as the heat of
the Sun changeth not Herbs, or
Flowers, but only provokes the same,
and from the proper potential nature
of them, deduceth them into
act only. For a Man of a Melancholy
temper, is again raised up
to exercise his own Melancholy
matters; and the jovial Man, who
was pleasant, is recreated in all
his chearful actions, and so consequently,
in all desperate Diseases
it is a present, or most excellent
Preservative. Hence a Man, presaging
that some evil will befal
him, will rather prevent than be
prevented. But if any prolongation
of Life, by some Philosophick
Medicament, could have
been induced, against the predestination
of the Omnipotent God, undoubtedly
neither Hermes Trismegistus,
nor Paracelsus, nor Raymundlully,
nor the Count Bernhard, and
many more like illustrious Possessors
of this great Mystery, would
not have yeilded to the common
death of all Mortals, but perhaps
have protracted their Life
until this very Day, Therefore, it
would be the part of a fanatick, and
foolish Man to affirm this, yea of
a most foolish Man, to believe,
and assent to the same, touching
any one Medicament in the things
of Nature.
Physician.
My Friend, whatsoever you have
spoken no less regularly, than fundamentally,
touching the Operation
of the Universal Medicine, I
indeed cherefully, and willingly
grant, but as long as I am ignorant
of preparing the same rightly, I
do no other than attempt to carry
my Boat from a very small Lake,
into the Vast Ocean, because it
will certainly be driven back to the
Shore, without any Fruit. For although
many of those illustrious
Men have written somewhat
touching that laudable preparation,
yet they involved that in such a
Wrapper of shadowed Caution, as
the Footsteps of them latently demonstrated,
can be known by few
or none of the most diligent Readers,
who should follow them so
far, as until they come where they
would be. Also, who is so wealthy,
and well informed, as to be able,
and to know where to buy all
those Books, in which, here, and
there an Hypothesis of this kind is
handled: betides, you may consume
the greatest part of your life, before
you can gather thence any sufficient
knowledge, or the direct
manual Operation. Therefore it
is best for us to abide patiently in
our Laboratory, praying to the
blessed God, according to that Saying:
Ora, ac Labora; & Deus dat omni hora.
Labour, and Pray; God gives alway.