AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 
215 
The atiractive virtue draws that which it 
should digest, and serves continually, to 
feed and supply it. 
The retentive virtue, retains the sub- 
stance with it, till it be perfectly digested. 
The expulsive virtue casteth out, expels 
what is superfluous by digestion. It is 
under the influence of Jupiter, and fortified 
by his herbs and plants, &c. In fortifying 
it, let your Moon be in Gemini, Aquary, or 
the first half of Libra, or if matters be come 
to that extremity, that you cannot stay till 
that time, let one of them ascend, but both 
of them together would do better, always 
provided that the Moon be not in the ascen- 
dent. I cannot believe the Moon afflicts the 
ascendent so much as they talk of, if she be 
well dignified, and in a sign she delights in. 
The retentive virtue is in quality cold and 
dry; cold, because the nature of cold is to 
compress, witness the ice; dry, because the 
nature of dryness, is to keep and hold what 
is compressed. It is under the influence of 
Saturn, and that is the reason why usually 
Saturnine men are so coveteous and tenaci- 
ous. In fortifying of it, make use of the 
herbs and plants, &c. of Saturn, and let the 
Moon be in Taurus or Virgo, Capricorn is 
not so good, say authors, (I can give no 
reason for that neither;) let not Saturn nor 
his ill aspect molest the ascendent. 
The expulsive faculty is cold and moist; 
_ cold bécause that compasses the super- 
fluities ; moist, because that makes the body 
slippery and fit for ejection, and disposes it 
to it. It is under the dominion of Luna, 
with whom you may join Yerus, because 
she is of the same nature. 
Also in whatsoever is before written, of 
the nature of the planets, take notice, that 
fixed stars of the same nature, work the 
Same effect. 
In fortifying this, (which ought to be 
done in all purgations,) let the Moon be in 
eee eahatint or Riess. or Jet one of 
Serie bon veaen 
Alihough I did what I could throughout 
the whole book to express myself in such a 
language as might be understood by all, and 
therefore avoided terms of art as much as 
might be, Yet 1. Some words of necessity 
fall in which need explanation. 2. It would 
be very tedious at the end of every receipt 
to repeat over and over again, the way of 
administration of the receipt, or ordering 
your bodies after it, or to instruct you in the 
mixture of medicines, and indeed would do 
nothing else but stuff the book full of 
tautology. 
To answer to both these is my task at this 
| time. 
To the first: The words which need ex- 
plaining, such as are obvious to my eye, are 
these that follow. 
1. To distil in Balneo Marie, is the usual 
way of distilling in water. It is no more than 
to place your glass body which holds the 
matter to be distilled in a convenient vessel 
of water, when the water is cald (for fear 
of breaking ) put a wisp of straw, or the like 
under is, to keep it from the bottom, then 
make the water boil that so the spirit may 
be distilled forth; take not the glass out till 
the water be cold again, for fear of break- 
ing: It is impossible for a man to learn how 
to do it, unless he saw it done. 
2. Manica Hippocrates, Hippocrates’s 
sleeve, is a piece of woollen cloth, new and 
white, sewed together in form of a sugar- 
loaf. Its use is, to strain any syrup or de- 
coction through, by pouring it into it, and | 
suffering it to run through without pressing 
or crushing it. 
3. Calcination, is a burning of a thing in 
a crucible or other such convenient vessel 
that will endure the fire. A crucible is such _ 
a thing as goldsmiths melt silver in, and 
founders metals; you may place it in the — 
midst of the fire, with coals above, below, 
and on every side of it. Me ee 
4, Filtration, is straining of a liqu 
