Experiments 
in Confort, 
| couching 
| Sulphure and 
i Mercury, two 
of Paracelfus 
Principles, 
4 vain, that the Star is the Denfer Part of his Orb,) hath notwithftanding 
| come very little, but extream lively: For the Spirit of Nitre is cold. | 
to tarn Silver or Quick-filver into Gold. 
though much of their Fat, and Flefh, are out of Oyly Aliments, (asM 
and Bread,) yet they aflimilate alfo ina meafure their Drink of Wa 
SS rs 
One 
Natural Fliftory 5 a 
Nature; for that attenuateth the Juyce, and furthereth the Motionof the | 
Spirits upwards. Neither is it without caufe, that Xenophon inthe Nouriture | 
of the Perfian Children, doth fo much commendtheir feeding upon Cardamon,| { 
which (he faith) made them grow better, andbe of a more active habit. | _ 
Cardamon is in Latin, Nafturtium, and withus Water-creffes; which, it iseer-|__ 
tain, is an Herb, that whilftit is young, is friendly to Life. As for the] 
quickning of Natural Heat, it muft be done chiefly with exercife; and| ~ 
therefore (no doubt) much going to School, where they fit f> much; } 
hindereth the growth of Children ; whereas Countrey-People, hat eo 
not to School, are commonly of better ftature. And again, Men mult * 
beware how they give Children any thing that is cold in operation; ' 
even long fucking doth hinder both Wit and Stature. This hath been | 
tryed, that a Whelp that hath been fed with Nétve in catilk, thath be-} 
And though it be an excellent Medicine in ftrength of years for Pro-|~ 
longation of Life; yet itis in Children and young Creatures an enemy | 
to growth; and all for the ‘ame reafon, For Heat is requifice to Growth. | 
But after a Man is come to his middle age, Heat confumeth the Spirits 5 | 
which the coldnefs of the Spirit of Nitre doth help to condence and 
correct, Ha 
Here be two great Families of Things, you may term them by 
feveral names, Swlphureons and (Mercureal, which are the Chymists 
words: (For as for their Salty: which is their third Principle, it isaCom-|_ 
pound of the other two,) Inflamable, and Not Inflamables; «Mature and Crude, | 
Oily and Way: For we fee that in Subterranies thereare, as the Fathers of | 
their Tribes, Brimftone and Mercury ; In Vegetables and Living Crea-| 
tures, there is Water and Oy] ; in the Inferior order of Pneumaticals , 
there is Air and Flame ; andin the Superior, there is the Body of the} 
Star, andthe Pure Skey. And thefe Pairs, though they be unlikein the | — 
Primitive Differences of Matter, yet they feem to have many confents 5}. 
for Mercury and Sulphure ate principal materials of Metals; Waterand 
Oy! are principal materials of Vegetables and Animals, and feem to differ| 
but in Maturation or Concoction. Flame (in Vulgar Opinion ) is’ but 
Air incenfed, and they both have quicknefs of Motion, and facility of | 
Ceflion, much alike: And the Interftellar Skey, (though the opinion be } 
fo much affinity with the Star, that there is a rotation of that, as well as 
of theStar. Therefore, itis one of the greateft Magnalia Nature, to turn | 
Water or Watry Juyce into Oyl or Oyly Juyce: Greater in Nature, than} — 
$ 
i 
f 
: 
; ¢ : i 2 , 
The Inftances we have wherein Crude and Watry Subftance, turneth } © 
into Fatand Oyly, are‘of four kindes. Firft, In the Mixture of Earth and | © 
Water, ‘which mingled by the help of the Sun, gathered a Nitrous Fat- | 
nefs, more than cither of them have feverally; As wefee, inthatthey put} 
forth Plants, which need both Juyces. ’ Mee | 
Thefecond isin the Affimilation of Nourifhment, made in the Bodies } 
of Plants, and Living Creatures ; whereof Plants turn the Juyce of meer} 
Water and Earth, imto a great deal of Oyly matter: Living Creatu 
a zee 
