302 APPENDIX 



Primum Ens Sanguinis 



To make the Primum Ens Sanguinis^ take blood from 

 the median vein of a healthy young person, and let it 

 run into a warm bottle that has been weighed upon 

 scales, so that the exact quantity of the blood used will 

 be known. Add to this blood twice its quantity of 

 alcahest, close the bottle, and permit it to remain in a 

 moderately warm place for about fourteen days, after 

 which the red fluid is to be separated from the sedi- 

 ment, filtered, and preserved. This is the Primum Ens 

 Sanguinis, and it is used in the same manner as the 

 Primum Ens Melissce. 



The Alcahest 



The celebrated Alcahest is an universal medicine 

 whose preparation was also known to Helmont and to 

 some Eosicrucians. It was considered by them as one 

 of the greatest mysteries. It is prepared as follows : — 



" Take freshly prepared caustic lime, if possible still 

 warm ; powder it quickly in a dry place, and put it into 

 a retort. Add as much absolute alcohol as the powder 

 will absorb, and distil the alcohol at a moderate heat, 

 until the powder in the retort is left perfectly dry. The 

 distilled alcohol is now to be poured again upon the 

 lime, and distilled, and this operation repeated ten times. 

 Mix the powder with the fifth part of its own weight 

 of pure carbonate of potash. This must be done very 

 quickly and in a dry atmosphere, so that it will not 

 attract any moisture. Insert the mixture of the two 

 powders into a retort and heat it gradually, after putting 

 about two ounces of absolute alcohol into the recipient. 

 White vapours arise from the powder, and are attracted 

 by the alcohol, and the heating is to be continued as 

 long as this takes place. Pour the alcohol from the 

 recipient into a dish, and set it on fire. The alcohol 



