Alchemy
Orig.

the Inventor of Fire, where he was worshipped under the Name of Ala Hoaisov, from na to burn *.

THE Author goes on to enquire into that other Branch of Chemistry, which aims at the making of Gold out of the bafer Metals, either by Converfion, Maturation, or Separation, which the Arabs of late days, he fays, have denominated Alchemia, or Alchimia. The Origin of this Art is very obfcure: fome carry it back very far t; Suidas, in particular, relates, that Dioclefian, who lived at the latter end of the third Century, ordered all the Books on this Subject to be burnt, on account of fome Plot which the Egyptians were hatching against the Roman State. But in another place, the fame Author goes much higher; makes the Art to have been known, and practised at the time of the Argonauts; and afferts exprefly, that the Golden Fleece, which was the Object of their Expedition, was no other than a Book called As, wherein the manner of making Gold was exactly defcribed . But he produces no Vouchers for this; and what renders his Teftimony the lefs credible, is, that the antient Authors, who had the best opportunity of being informed of the Matter, and whofe Subject naturally led 'em to have mentioned it, as Sanchoniathon, Orpheus, Homer, Hefiod, Pindar, Herodotus, Thucydides, Hippocrates, Ariftotle, Theophraftus, Galen, and Diofcorides, are utterly filent on it.

THE moft antient Teftimonies concerning it, are thofe of Jul. Firmicus Maternus, an Author of the fourth Century, who fpeaks of Alchemy as a thing then well known. Eneas Gazaus

in

in the fifth Century; G. Syncellus in the seventh; and Anaftafius the Sinaite, in the eighth Century, fpeak of it ftill more plainly; from which time the Art appears to have been common enough, and cultivated by a multitude of Greek Authors*, chiefly Ecclefiaftics, whofe Names the Author here rehearses; but whofe Writings ftill remain unpublished in the Libraries of Rome, Venice, and Paris +.

THB chief who have made Improvements in Principal this Branch of the Art, are Geber, the Arab, who Alche lived in the feventh Century; Morienus, a Monk mists. of Jerufalem, before the Year 1182; Albertus Magnus, a German, about the Year 1200; Roger Bacon, a Monk of Westminster, about the Year 1226 George Ripley, Canon of Bridlington, about the fame time; Raimund Lully, a Spaniard, about the Year 1235; Johan de Rupefciffa, a Francifcan, about the Year 1375; Ifaac and John Hollandus, Dutchmen; and Bafil Valentine, ufually by mistake said to have been a Monk of Erfurt. The Author gives us a Catalogue of the Writings of each of thefe, and the time and place of the Edition of many of 'em I.

FOR that other Branch of Alchemy, which Univerfal feeks an Univerfal Medicine, the Author attri-Remedy. butes its Origin to that figurative Style ufed origin. by the Arabian Chemifts; who calling the imperfect Metals fick Men, Gold a found Man, the Impurity of Metals, Leprofy; and the means of meliorating them, Medicines; gave occafion to a notion among the Populace, that the fame thing which turned other Metals inte Gold, would change fick Men into found

ones:

*P. 12. + p. 12, 13. || p. 15, 16, 17, 18.
p. 19:

ones: which was further confirmed, when the Arabs began to apply Chemistry to the Art of extracting Medicinal Virtues from Drugs, of which the first Inftance was given by Rhazes. Medicinal FROM that time Chemistry was chiefly Chemistry. cultivated with a view to Phyfic; efpecially after Bafil Valentine's Treatife of Antimony, and the Doctrine of three Principles broached by him, which fet the whole Nation of Chemifts in queft after Medicines; by which means Phyfic, which had till now been wholly Galenical, turned entirely into the Vein of Chemistry.

Venereal

An Accident which happened about the
Difeafe. fame time, had alfo its fhare in the Effect:
Rife.
The Venereal Disease had just then made its ap-
pearance, which the common School-Medicine
was not able to cure. But Carpus, an Italian
Chemist, having by the Ufe of Mercury difco-
vered a Specific, henceforwards nothing in Me-
dicine would go down that was not thoroughly
Chemical.

THE great Promoters of this Branch, were
Paracelfus, and Helmont, whofe Hiftories the
Author gives us more in detail; as collected
from their own Writings *.

Paracelfus. Theoph. Aureol. Paracelfus Bombaft, ab Ho-
benbein, was born in 1493, at Einfidien, a
Village near Zurich in Switzerland; and edu-
cated firft in Phyfic under his Father, then
in Chemistry under the Abbot Trithemius,
and afterwards under Sigifmund Fuggerus of
Schwatz. He travelled through moft Coun-
tries of Europe to fee the Mines, vifit the Aca-
demies, and pick up Secrets +; and was taken
prifoner on the Frontiers of Ruffia by the
Tartars;

t

Tartars; who fent him to Conftantinople. He afterwards ferved as Phyfician and Surgeon in feveral Camps and Sieges, and was at laft made Profeffor of Phyfic at Bafil*. He had feveral Remedies, as Opium and Mercury, unknown to others at that time, wherewith he wrought great Cures. For his indifcreet Behaviour to the Magiftrates of Bafil, he was obliged to quit the Place privately; after which he ftrolled about Alfatia two or three Years, always drunk, yet working notable Cures, and died in a public Inn at Saltzburg, in 1541 t.

Jo. Baptift Van Helmont, was of a noble Fa-Helmont, mily at Bruffels, born in 1577. He applied himself to Phyfic against his Parents Confent II, and was created Doctor at twenty two Years of Age. But finding the Infufficiency of the School-Phyfic, which could not cure him of the Itch, he threw afide his Profeffion in dif dain, and took to travelling; where meeting with a Chemift, from whom he received better Inftructions, he devoted himself thenceforth to the new Art; and in order thereto retired to Welwoord, where he spent his whole time in making Experiments, many of 'em with great danger of his Life: And died in 1644.

THESE Two Authors have been fucceeded in the fame way, by many later ones, as Fran. de la Boe Sylvius, Otto Tachenius, and others .

THE Author clofes this part with a Methodus Studendi, or an Account of the best Books in each Branch of the Science ** beginning with the Systems, or Courses of Practical tions; the principal of which are those of

Opera

Crollius,

P. 21. † 24. 1125.

26.

** 27.

Crollius, Beguinus,Hartmannus, Glafer, Le Febure, Lemery, Le Mort,and Barchaufen.-Then follows thofe in the Art of Metals, the chief whereof are Geber, G. Agricola, Laz. Erckern, Glauber, Becher, Kunkel, Borrichius.-Then those in Alchemy, the chief of which are, Morienus, R. Bacon, G. Ripley, R. Lully, Bern. Com. Trevifan, If. Hollandus, Bafil Valentine, Artepbius, Irenæus Philaletha, Mic. Sendivogius, Paracelfus, Van Helmont, and others found in the Theatrum Chemicum and Turba Philofopborum.-Laftly, He enumerates those who have applied Chemistry to Philofophy and Phyfic; the chief whereof are Helmont, Mr. Boyle, 7. Bobnius, Drs. Cox, and Slare, M. Homberg, Geoffroy and Lemery, G. Ern. Stabl, and Fred. Hoffman +.

THUS ends the History of Chemistry; wherein it were to be wifhed the Author had avoided that Confufion vifible in the first Part of it; the drift whereof, as it ftands in his Text, few Perfons will readily comprehend.

HE would alfo have been read with more pleasure, if he had been lefs jejune, and not ufually have contented himself to give us a dry lift. of the Names of Chemifts, and Titles of obfcure Manufcripts lock'd up in two or three Libraries. 'Tis pity too, he fhould have confined his pursuits fo near home, when he had room to have followed the Art into India, Arabia, China, and other Eastern Countries, which would have afforded him a multitude of curious and interesting Incidents; as appears by those transient Notices given us by If. Voffius

*P. 28.
+ p. 29.
In Obferv. Variæ, Cap. 14.
I

Dr.