216 
THE COMPLETE HERBAL 
in form of a funnel, the which having 
placed in a funnel, and the funnel and the 
paper in it in a empty glass, pour in the 
liquor you would filter, and let it run 
through at its leisure. 
5. Coagulation, is curdling or hardning: 
it is used in physic for reducing a liquid 
body to hardness by the heat of the fire. 
6. Whereas you find vital, natural and 
animal spirits often mentioned in the vir- 
tues or receipts, I shall explain what they 
be, and what their operation is in the body 
of man. 
The actions or operations of the animal 
virtues, are, 1. sensitive, 2. motive. 
The sensitive is, 1. external, 2. internal. 
The external senses are, 1. seeing, 2 
hearing, 3. tasting, 4. smelling, 5. feeling. 
The internal senses are, 1. the Imagina- 
tion, to apprehend a thing. 2. Judgment, to 
judge of it. 3. Memory, to remember it. 
The seat of all these are in the brain. 
The vital spirits proceed from the heart, 
and cause in man mirth, joy, hope, trust, 
humanity, mildness, courage, &c. and their 
opposite: viz. sadness, fear, care, sorrow, 
despair, envy, hatred, stubbornness, re- 
venge, §c. by heat natural or not natural. 
The natural spirit nourishes the body 
_ throughout (as the vital quickens it, and 
the animal gives it sense and motion) its 
office is to alter or concoct food into chile, 
chile into blood, blood into flesh, to form, 
engender, nourish, and increase the body. 
7. Infusion, is to steep a gross body into 
one more liquid. 
8. Decoction, is the liquor in which any 
thing is boiled. 
As for the manner of using or ordering 
the body after any sweating, or purging 
_ medicines, or pills, or the like, they will be 
found in different parts of the work, as also 
in the next page. 
_ The different forms of nein up medi- 
ve _cines, as some into syrups, others into elec- 
ee ee 
please the different palates of people, that 
so medicines might be more delightful, or at 
least less burdensome. You may make the 
mixtures of them in what form you please; 
only for your better instruction at present, 
accept of these few rules. 
1. Consider, That all diseases are cured 
by their contraries, but all parts of the body 
maintained by their likes: then if heat be 
the cause of the disease, give the cold medi- 
cine appropriated to it; if wind, see how 
many medicines appropriated to that dis- 
ease expel wind, and use them. 
2. Have a care you use not such medi- 
cimes to one part of your body which are 
appropriated to another, for if your brain 
be over heated, and you use such medicines 
as cool the heart or liver, you may make 
bad work. 
3. The distilled water of any herb you 
would take for a disease, is a fit mixture 
for the syrup of the same herb, or to make 
any electuary into a drink, if you affect 
such liquid medicines best: if you have not 
the distilled water, make use of the decoc- 
tion. 
4. Diseases that lie in the parts of the 
body remote from the stomach and bowels, 
it is in vain to think to carry away the cause 
at once, and therefore you had best do it 
by degrees; pills, and such like medicines 
which are hard in the body, are fittest for 
such a business, because they are longest 
before they digest. 
5. Use no strong medicines, if weak will 
serve the turn, you had better take one t00 
weak by half, than too strong in the least. 
6. Consider the natural temper of the 
part of the body afflicted, and maintain it 
in that, else you extinguish nature, a5 the 
heart is hot, the brain cold, or at least the 
coldest part of the body. 
7. Observe this general rule; That such 
medicines as are hot in the first degree at 
most habitual to our bodies, because: O77 
are just of the heat of our blood. 
a 
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