AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED 215 



should digest, and serves continually to feed Although I did what I could throughout 

 and supply it. \the whole book to express myself in such a 



The retentive virtue, retains the substance ; language as might be understood by a//, and 

 with it, till it be perfectly digested. \therefore avoided terms of art as much as 



The expulsive virtue casteth out, expels \mightbe, Yet, 1. Some words of necessity fall 

 what is superfluous by digestion. It is \ in which need explanation. 2. It would be 

 under the influence of Jupiter, and fortified : very tedious at the end of every receipt to repeat 

 by his herbs and plants, #c. In fortifying jooer and over again, the way of administration 

 it. let your Moon be in Gemini, Aquary, or \ofthe receipt, or ordering your bodies after zY, 

 the first half of Libra, or if matters be come : or to instruct you in the mixture of medicines, 



to that extremity, that you cannot stay till 

 that time, let one of them ascend, but both 



and indeed would do nothing else but stuff the 

 book full of tautology. 



of them together would do better, always \ To answer to both these is my task at this 



provided that the Moon be not in the as- j time. 



cendent. I cannot believe the Moon afflicts j To the first : The words which need eX' 



the ascendent so much as they talk of, if \plaining, such as are obvious to my eye, are 



she be well dignified, and in a sign she : these, thatfollaw. 



delights in. 1. To distil in Balno Mariae, is the usual 



The retentive virtue is in quality cold and \way of distilling in water. It is no more than 

 dry ; cold, because the nature of cold is to i to place your glass body which holds the matter 

 compress, witness the ice ; dry, because the ; to be distilled in a covenient vessel of water, 

 nature of dry ness, is to keep and hold whatl^en the water is cold (for fear of breaking) 

 is compressed. It is under the influence of \put a wisp of straw, or the like under is, to keep 

 Saturn, and that is the reason why usually I it from the bottom, then make the water boil t 

 Saturnine men are so covetous and tenaci- ! that so the spirit may be distilled forth ; take 

 ous. In fortifying of it, make use of the I not the glass out till the water be cold again, 

 herbs and plants, &c. of Saturn, and let the Ifor fear of breaking r It is impossible for a 

 Moon be inTaz/rusor Virgo, Capricorn is not | man to learn how to do it, unless he saw it 

 so good, say authors, (I can give no reason I done. 



for that neither ;) let not Saturn nor his ill i 2. Monica Hippocrates, Hi ppocrales's 

 aspect molest the ascendent. j sleeve, is a piece of woolen cloth, new and 



The expulsive faculty is cold and moist; j while, sewed together in form of a sugar-loaf, 

 cold because that compasses the super- > Its use is, to strain any syrup or decoction 

 fluities ; rnoist, because that makes the body i through, by pouring it into it, and suffering 

 slippery and fit for ejection, and disposes it j it to run through without pressing or crush- 

 to it. It is under the dominion of Luna, jing it. 

 with whom you may join Yerus, because \ 3. Calcination, is a burning of a thing in 



she is of the same nature. 



Also in whatsoever is before written, of 



a crucible or other such convenient vessel 

 that will endure the fire. A crucible is such 



.he nature of the planets, take notice, that j a thing as goldsmiths melt silver in, and 

 fixed stars of the same nature, work the! founders metals ; you may place it in the 

 same effect. : midst of the fire, with coals above, below, 



In fortifying this, (which ought to be j and on every side of it. 



done in all purgations,) let the Moon be in I 4. Filtrition, is straining of a liquid body 

 Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces, or let one of these | through a brown paper : make up the paper 

 sicrs ascend. \ in form of a funnel, the which having placed 



