of the preservations of naturall things.
the enemies of things are to be knowne.t
hat things may bee preserved, and kept from harm, it is necessary in the first place to know what is an enemie to them, that so they may be preserved from that, & not be hurt, or corrupted by it either in substance, vertue, power, or any way whatsoever. much therefore in this case depends upon the knowing of the enemie of all naturall things. for who can take heed of danger when hee doth not know what can hurt him?[pg 20] truly no body; wherefore it is necessary to know ones enemie, for there are many sorts of enemies. wherefore it is as necessary to know evill things, as good things: for who can know what is good, without the knowing of what is evill? truly no body. so no man can know what a blessing health is, that was never sick. who knows what joy is, that was never heavy, or sad? and who can rightly understand what god is, who knew nothing of the devil? death is the enemie of things.wherefore when god made known to us the enemie of our soul, viz. the devill, he also signified to us the enemie of our life, viz. death, which is the enemie of our body, of our health, and the enemie of medicinall, and all naturall things: also he made known to us how, and by which means it may be shunned. there is a contrariety found in all things.for as there is no disease against which there is not created, and found some remedy, which should cure, and expell it: so also there is alwaies one thing ordained against another, one water against another, one stone against another, one minerall against another, one poison against another, one metall against another: and so in many more things, all which it is not requisite here to recite.
now how, and by what means every thing is to bee preserved, and kept from hurt, wee must know, that many things are to bee preserved in the earth, and especially all rootes doe for a long time remaine in the earth without losing their vertue, or being corrupted: in like manner herbs, flowers, and all fruites continue in the water incorrupted, and green: there are also many fruits, and apples that may be preserved in water from all manner of putrefaction, untill new fruit come againe.
[pg 21]
how to preserve flesh and blood.
so also flesh, and blood, which indeed are putrefied, and grow unsavoury quickly, are preserved in cold fountain-water, and not only so, but by the addition of new and fresh fountaine-water, may be turned into a quintessence, and bee forever preserved from putrefaction, and an ill savour, without any balsome. and this doth not only preserve the flesh, and blood of dead things, but also of the living, wherefore mans body may bee preserved from all manner of putrefaction, and divers diseases that proceed from putrefaction, better then common mummie. now that blood may be preserved of it self from putrefaction, and stinking, and not as a quintessence, & so as it may preserve the blood of the living (as we now said) thou must follow this processe.
how the arcanum of mans blood is to be prepared.
let the blood bee separated from its flegm, which is separated of its selfe, and is driven to the upper part. this water poure gently out of the vessell, and in stead of it put as much of the water of the salt of blood, which water wee teach to make in our chirurgerie: that water doth presently mixe with the blood, and preserves it so, that it will never bee putrefied, or grow unsavory, but continue many years as fresh, and very red as it was the first day: and this indeed is a great wonder. but if thou dost not know how to make this water, or hast it not in readiness, then poure upon it so much of the best, and most excellent balsome, and this will doe the same. now, this blood is the balsome of balsomes, and is called the arcanum of blood, and it is so wonderful, and of such great vertue, that it is incredible to be spoken; wherefore thou shalt conceale it as a great secret in physick.
[pg 22]
how metalls may be preserved.
in preserving of metalls, their enemies are first to bee known, that so much the better they may bee preserved from harme. what are the enemies of metalls.the chiefest enemies of metalls are all sharp corroding waters, all corrosive things, all salts, crude sulphur, antimony, and mercury. but that you may know particularly how they show their enmity, it is thus. sharp waters, and such things as are corrosive, and salts shew their enmity, in that they mortifie, dissolve, calcine, corrupt metalls, and reduce them to nothing.
how the fume of sulphur doth discolour metalls.
crude sulphur shews its enmity in the fume thereof: for by its fume it takes away from copper its colour, and rednesse, and makes it white. from white metalls, as silver, tinne, lead, and iron it takes away the whitenesse, and makes them red, and yellowish. from gold it takes away that faire amiable yellownesse, and golden colour, and makes it black, and so foule, that nothing can bee more foule.
how antimony spoiles and discolours metalls.
antimony shews its enmity in this, in that all metalls with which it is melted, or mixed, it spoiles, carryeth away, and preys upon, and also not unlike to sulphur, by its fume it takes away from metalls their true, and naturall colour, and brings in another.
quicksilver distroyes metalls, and how.
quicksilver doth destroy metalls upon this accompt, in that it enters into metalls, with which it is joined, and dissolves them, so that it makes an amalgama of them: wherefore the fume thereof, which wee call common mercury, makes all metalls brittle, that they cannot bee malleated, and calcines them, also it makes all red metalls of a golden co[pg 23]lour, to bee white: but it is the greatest enemie of all to iron, and steel; for if common mercury doe but touch a barre of iron, or steel, or that be but smeared over with mercuriall oile, that bar will afterward be broken like glasse, and be bowed; which indeed is a great secret, and deserves to be kept exceeding close. in like manner must the loadstone be kept from mercury, for the like enmity it shews to that as to iron. how the loadstone may be spoyled.for any loadstone that mercury hath but touched, or which hath been smeered with mercuriall oyle, or only put into mercury, will never draw iron more. let no man wonder at this, for there is a naturall cause for it, and it is this, viz. because mercury extracts the spirit of iron, which was hid in the loadstone, which spirit draws the spirit of iron to it: and this is not only in the loadstone, but in all naturall things else, so that alwaies a strange spirit in a body which is not of the same nature with it selfe, drawes to it self a body which is of the same nature: and this wee must know to bee so, not only in the loadstone, but also in all other naturall things, as mineralls, stones, hearbs, roots, men, and brutes.
what antipathy there is betwixt metalls themselves.
that metalls have an enmity, and hate one the other naturally, as you see in lead, which is naturally a very great enemy to gold. for it breaks asunder all parts of gold, it makes it foule, weak, spoiles, and destroyes it even to death, more then any other metall.
tin also hates, and is an enemy to all metalls: for it makes them base, immalleable, hard, unprofitable, if it bee mixed with them in the fire, or in melting.
since therefore you have now heard of the enemies[pg 24] of metalls, you must next know their preservatives, which keep them from all manner of hurt, or corruption, also strengthen them in their nature, and vertue, and exalt their colour.
gold is preserved in boyes urine.
first therefore concerning gold, you must know, that it cannot bee preserved better, and fairer then in boyes urine, in which salt armoniack is dissolved, or in water alone of salt armoniack. in them in time the colour is so highly exalted that it can bee exalted no higher.
how silver is preserved.
silver cannot be better preserved then if it be boiled in common water, or vineger, in which tartar or salt have been dissolved. so any old silver, that is made black, and fouled, is renewed by being boiled in these waters. how iron and steel may be preserved.the best preservative for iron and steel is the lard of a barrow-hog not salted, which indeed preserves iron, and steel from rust, if once every moneth they be smeered over with it. also if iron bee melted with fixt arsenicke, it will be so renewed and fixt, that it will like silver never contract rust. how copper is preserved.copper may be preserved, if it bee only mixed with sublimed mercury, or bee smeered over with the oyle of salt; and so it will never any more be grown over with verdegrease.
how lead is preserved.
lead can no wayes bee better preserved then in cold earth, and in a moist place, according to the nature thereof. how the loadstone is preserved.the loadstone is preserved best of all with the filings of iron, and steel, for by this meanes it is never weakened, but daily strengthened.
the preservation of salts.
now concerning the preservation of salts, and all things, that are of a saltish nature, and may be comprehended under the name of salt (of which there are[pg 25] more then an hundred sorts) you must know that they are to bee preserved in a hot dry place, and in woodden vessells, not in glasse, stone, or metalls: for in those they are dissolved and become a water, and an amalgama which cannot be in wood.
the preservation of liquors with oils.
moreover you must know how some kind of waters, and liquors pressed out of hearbs, roots, and all other fruits, and vegetables, which doe easily contract filth, and slime as if a skin were spread over them, may be preserved. these waters therefore, and liquors must bee put up into glasses that are narrow towards the top, and wide below, and the glasses be filled to the top, then adde a few drops of oyl olive, that all the water, or liquor may bee covered: so the oyl will swim on the top, and preserve the liquor, or water a long time from filth or slime. for there is no water, or liquor if it bee covered with oyl, that will bee musty, or of an ill savour.
by this means also may two sorts of water, of liquors of wine bee kept apart in one vessell, that they may not bee mixed: and not only two sorts, but three, four, five, and more, if only the oyle bee put betwixt: for they are severed by the oyle, as by a wall, which wil not suffer them to be joined together, and united, for oyle and water are two contraries, and neither can be mixed with the other: for as the oyle will not suffer the waters to be united, so on the contrary, the water will not suffer the oyls to be mixed.
how clothes are preserved.
now to preserve cloath, and garments from moths, there is no better way then with mastick, camphire, amber gryse, and muske, and civet, which indeed is the best of all, which doth not only preserve them from moths,[pg 26] but also, drives away moths, and all other vermine, as fleas, lice, &c.
how all sorts of wood may be preserved.
also all manner of woods, as in houses, bridges, ships, or wheresoever they be, may bee preserved so that they will never bee putrefied, either in waters, or under waters, or out of water in the earth, under the earth or above the earth, whether they be set in the rain, or wind, aire, snow, or ice, in winter, or summer; also that they be not worm-eaten, nor that any worms may breed in them whensoever they bee cut. now this preservative is a great arcanum against all kinds of putrefactions, yea so excellent a secret that none may bee compared to it. fixed oyle of sulphur.and it is nothing else but oyle of sulphur, the processe whereof is this. let common yellow sulphur bee powdered, and put into a gourd glasse, upon which let there be poured so much of the strongest aqua fortis, that may cover it three fingers breadth: then draw it oft by distillation, three, or four times; and last of all, till it be dry. let the sulphur that remaines in the bottome being of a black, sad red colour, be put upon marble, or in a glasse, and it will easily bee dissolved into oyle, which is a great secret in preserving of wood from putrefaction, and wormes. for this oyle doth so tinge the wood that is nointed with it, that it can never bee washed out of it againe. many more things may bee preserved with this oil of sulphur; from putrefaction, as ropes, cords in ships, and masts of ships, in carts, fishing-nets, and gins which fowlers, and hunters use, and such like, which are oftentimes used in waters, or raine, and are otherwise easily rotted, and broken, so also linnen clothes, and many other such like things.
[pg 27]
which are potable things, and how they are preserved.
also you must know how potable things are to be preserved, by which wee understand wine, beer, meade, vineger, and milke. which is an enemie to them.now if we would preserve these from harm, and in their full vertue, it is very necessary that you know well what is an enemie to them, and that is menstruous women: for if they doe handle the foresaid things, or have any thing to doe about them, or looke, or breath upon them, they corrupt them. for wine is thereby changed, and become thick, beer, and mead grow sowre, vineger grows dead, and loseth its sharpnesse; and milke grows sowre, and curded.
this therefore you must well know, before you come to preserve each of these in particular.
how wine is preserved by sulphur.
wine is preserved chiefly by sulphur, and the oyle of sulphur, by which all wine may bee preserved a long time, so that it be neither thick, nor any other way changed.
beere is preserved with oyle of cloves.
beere is preserved with oyle of cloves, if some drops thereof bee put into it, to every gallon two or three drops, or, which is better, with the oyl of the root of avens, which doth preserve beer from sowring.
mead is preserved with oyle of sugar.
meade is preserved with oyl of sugar, which must bee used as the oyle of cloves abovesaid.
how vineger is preserved.
vineger is preserved with oyle of ginger, which must be used as the oyle of cloves abovesaid.
how milke is preserved.
milke is preserved with oyle of almonds made by expression, which must bee used as the oyle of cloves abovesaid.
cheese is preserved with st. johns wort.
cheese is preserved with st. iohns wort from worms, for if it doth but touch it, no worme will[pg 28] breed in it: and if there bee any in before, it will kill them, and make them fall out of the cheese.
how honey is to be preserved.
honey hath no peculiar preservative, onely that it may bee kept from its enemie. what its chief enemie is.now its chief enemie is bread: for if a little bread made of corne bee but put, or faln into it, all the honey is turned into emmots, and spoiled.
