A Choice
COLLECTION
of rare
Chemical Secrets
and
EXPERIMENTS
in
Philosophy
As Also
RARE AND UNHEARD OF MEDICINES, MENSTRUUMS and ALKAHESTS.
with the True Secret of Volatilizing the fixt Salt of
TARTAR
collected
And experimented by the Honourable and truly learned Sir
KENELM DIGBY
Kt. & Chancellor to Her Majesty the Queen-Mother, Eng.
Hitherto kept secret since his decease, but now Published for
the good and benefit of the Publick by: GEORGE HARTMAN.
PRODUCED BY
1983
TO THE
RIGHT HONOURABLE
ROBERT, Lord Paston, Baron of Paston, Viscount and Earl of
Tarmouth, My Lord:
It is not my intention, nor indeed my Taltent, to Cebrate those
Excellent Virtues, which shine so eminently bright in yoar Lordship: For they are Themes only fit to be treated on by the strongst Pen, and their Native Worth and Repldency are their own
sufficient Panagyricks.
Yet, such is the Veneration I have for the Excellent Qualities and Endouments of your Noble Mind, and those Heroick inclinations, that move your Honour to make such exact diligent, and curious search into all the Secrets and Mysteries of Nature, and encourage all others that Labour therein, that I cannot forbear beig so vain as to publish my resentmens thereof to the World. These Reasons, My Lord, together with the consideration of your inbred Candour and Generosity, encouraged me to the boldness of committing this small Treatise to your Honours Patronage and Protection: To whom I know it will be welcome as containing in it the Choice Observations both in Physick and Chemistry, ofthat Famouns Man, and great Privy Counsellor of Nature, Sir K. D., A Name, My Lord, that hath peculiar Charms with it, to recommend all that are under its great shadow, to the value and consideration of all the diligent, the Learned and the Honourable: So great a Person (may I assume this vanity to say so) I had the Honour and Happiness for several years to serve, beyond the Seas, as well as in England, and to attend on him more particularly in the Production of many of his incomparable Experiments, and so to continue to his dying day; when he left with me those Choice things contained in this littlr Treatise.
And since I fear they suffer dimunition of their Worth and Beauty, by passing through mt mean Hands, and weak Managery, I thought I could make no better atonement, then by recommending them to receive Recriuts, and Reinforcements from the Splendour and imminence of your Illustrious Name. To that end therefore I take the Boldness to prostrate them at your Honours Feet, where also in al humility lyes
Your Honours Most Obedient, and Most Devoted Servant,
George Hartman
READER
Courteous Reader,
This Treatise contains some of the Choicest Collections of the Famous Sir Keneim Digby (some whereof have been wrought by his own hands, some communicated to him by Learned Men of all Nations) in praise whereof no n~re need be said, but, that they are his; either of his production, or of his approbation. I shall, therefore, omitting other Artifects and Insinuations, only satifie the Reader with all the clearness and ingenuity I can, how I came by them; and thereby I question not, but I shall bery successively recommend this Collection of them to all Ingenious Lovers of Art, whose Ears the Fame of the Worthy Author hath reached.
To this End, I must acquaint him, that I had the Honour several years to wait upon Sir Kenelm, and to have several of his Manuscripts in my Custody, more particularly this with others was committed to my Charge, when my Worthy Master intended a Journey to France for his Health’s sake and to settle his Af-airs there: And he had progressed in his designed Journey as far as Cittenburn, when a violent Distemper forced him back to his own House in Covent Garden; and in three days after his return, left the Learned World to lament the loss of so great a Man. And here besides his incomp— arable self, his Friends and Countrey 1st the benefit of his Famous Library he had in France (which for want of his being Naturalized) fell into the French Kings hands, who bestowed it upon a gentleman, and it was sold (as I was credibly informed) for ten thousand Crowns. In which no doubt were manuscripts of his own, of very great worth and rich value, and might have obliged the world, had they fallen into the hands of Generous and Communicative Men.
But it was my happiness to have, among some other Manuscripts of his, the sole Propriety of this Choice Manual, which contains rare and profitable Secrets in Philosophy and Chyinistry, delivered with
more perspicuity and plainness than is yet to be found in any Chymical Book: Yea, such that any understanding Reader may with great facility be conducted as with an Ariadnean Line into the most intricate and hither—to fatigating Arcana of Chymistry. Here are the true Menstruums and Aikaheete, and that hitherto hidden Secret of Volatizing the fixed Salt of Tartar without any Heterogene Substance, being the true Vegetable Menstruum; with many other rare and unheard of Medicines, some whereof I had a mind to reserve for myself, and not to Publish them during my Life, because of the great Experience, and the good success I have had with them in desperate cases; but Impium est sacere quae promulgata essent, multoram misere decumbentium, £n levamen extarent. ‘Tis Impious and unchristian to forbear the Publication of those things, which being rendered Publick, will effectually redound to the Advantage and Comfort of miserable Man.
I have translated most of these Secrets out of the Latine, French, German and Italian Tongues. And if I have committed any indecencies against the Idiom of the English Speech, I hope the Candid Reader will forgive a Foreigner. As for any Ornaments and Embellishments of Language, as the Work requires no such a Painting, so the Publishers Foreign Stile and mean Talents are not able to afford it.
I have no more to acquaint the Reader with, but that these Secrets had been Communicated to him long before, but that I have been most part of my time since my Excellent Masters Decease, a— broad: However, I hope they will be now kindly entertained. For it is the height of my Ambition to make the Memory of my incomparable Master to Live, who was my private, and the World’s Publick Benefactor, which can no where do with such Advantage as in his Learned Works, for thereby being dead, he yet speaks and instructs.
And though it be no addition to his Glorious Name, yet for the Wit and smartness of the thing, and the Readers diversion, I shall conclude here with that Elegant Epitaph made on him by the ingenious Dr. Farrar, which is as followeth.
AN
Epitath
UPON
The Honoruable and Truly Nobel
Sir Keneim Digby, Kt.,
Chancellor to Her
Majesty
THE
QUEEN MOTHER
Under this Tomb the Matchless Digby lies;
Digby the Great, the Valiant and the Wise:
This Ages Wonder for his Noble Parts,
Skilled in Six Tongues, and Learn'd in all the Arts
Born on the Day He Dy’d, Th’ Eleventh of June
And that Day Bravely Fought at Scandaroun:
'Tis Rare, that one and the same Day should be
His Day of Birth, of Death and Victory,
R.F.
INDEX
A
AGUE ii, 42, 50, 58
AN AETHEREAL AURUM POTABILE II, 22
AN UNHEARD OF ARCANUM II, 30
ANIMATION AND PREPARATION OF COMMON 18, 59, 60
ANTIMONY, BUTTER OF 42, 55
ANTIMONY, FLOWERS OF II, 78
ANTIMONY, MARTIAL REGULUS OF 43, II, 73
ANTIMONY, MINERA OF 52
ANTIMONY, OIL OF II, 51
ANTIMONY, SALT OF 58, II, 70
ANTIMONY, SPIRIT OF 59, 65, 72, 75, 79, 80
ANTIMONY, SULPHUR OF II, 52
ANTIMONY, TINCTURE OF II, 89
ANTIMONY, TINCTURE OF GLASS II, 13
AQUA FORTIS 21, 36, 77
AQUA REGIA, PHILOSOPHICAL 67
ARCANUM OF FLAMEL, ARTEPHIUS & PONTANUS 83
AURUM POTABLE 67, II, 29, 72
B
BALSAM, A PRECIOUS II, 85
BUTTER OF , TO EXTRACT THE TINCTURE OF 44
BUTTER OF , WITHOUT SUBLIMATE 55
BUTTER OF , A WORK UPON 42
C
CALX OF 91
CANCERS, TO CURE II, 62
CINNABER, A WORK UPON 37
CLODINS, DR. 156
COPPELS, HOW TO MAKE 99
COPPER INTO SILVER 87
CORAL, TINCTURE OF II, 79
CORROBORANT & SUDOFIRICK, A GREAT II, 19
CONVULSIONS,FITS, TO CURE II. 57
COSMETICK, PREPARED FROM LIJNA 95
CRAY-FISHES, TO ENGENDER 93
CREAM OF TARTAR, A LAXATIVE & EMETICK II, 74
D
DANE'S WORK, THE 24
DANDRE’S WORK WITH & vive 4
DEAFNESS, TO CURE 84
DECOCTION SUDORIFICK 50
DIAPHORETICK OF 48
DROPSIE, TO CURE II, 32
E
ELIXIR ALBUM 50
ELIXIR RUBRUM 51
ELIXIR SULPHURIS 46
ELIXIR OF 49
ELIXIR OF 49-50
EPILEPSY, TO CURE 36
ESSENCE OF SULPHUR II, 46
EXTRACTION OF 51—60,65,72,75,77,7981
EXTRACTION OF 52
F
FEBRIFUGE, A GREAT II, 53—55
FEBRIFUGE OF RIVERIUS II, 56
FIRE STONE, THE II, 69
FIXATION OF INTO 15, 18, 44, 46, 57
FIXATION OF BY 103
FIXATION OF (MALLUS) 45
FIXATION OF INTO 31
FIXATION OF BY 35
FIXATION OF 31—33
FIXATION OF COMMON AND ITS TINCTURE II, 34
FURNACE FOR MANY USES 97a
G
GLASS, TO BURN HOLES IN 96
GLUTEN OF THE EAGLE II, 23
GOUT, TO CURE II, 82—83
H
hERPS, TO CURE II, 65
I
J
JUPITER, AN OPERATION ON 74
K
L
LAC SULPHURIS 46
LAPIS IGNIS II, 69
LAuDANUM GERMANICUM II, 87
LAUREMBERGS OBSERVATIONS 81
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