DURING THE MIDDLE AGE. 109 



of the compofitions were only mixtures, or more 

 fimple preparations, as extracts, decodions, e- 

 lecluarics, fyrups, and fuch like. Pie defcribcs 

 however very clearly the method of making e- 

 thcr (which he calls oleum vitrioli dukc)\ of 

 which we find only obfure traces in Balilius Va- 

 Jcntinus. 



Medicines that required the aid of more pro- 

 found chemiftry were at the beginning of this 

 period very rare, though not altogether un- 

 known. The emperor Conitantinc IX. fur- 

 named Porpbyrogcnetcti who died in the year 

 ^59* relates in the life of Bafilius of Maccdon, 

 his grandfather, that the emprefs, when juil dy- 

 ing, was recovered by mrw^;* r-^ar.. Conrad 

 Gefner lias taken great pains to prove, that the 

 fyrupum rofatum is underitood here; for he flip- 

 pofes that rbodoftagma is the fame as rhodoftac- 

 turn ; but, from the preparation of it defcribed 

 by Paulus of yEgina, there is no doubt of its be- 

 ing the fyrupum rofatum. But although many 

 ages paft, the fame thing was cxprefied under 

 two ditlercnt names, it by no means follows, 

 that they were afterwards confidercd as fynony- 

 mous. Actuarius alfo makes mention of rhodo- 

 ftagma; but, from its ufc, it is evident, that undtr 

 this appellation he means the water that drop- 

 peth from rofes. How could it happen that 

 diftillation was not known, when the utcnfils for 



Ir 



