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But whatever it be in its Crudity, I am sure it is not so in its Perfection, forhe who shall take of it then, shall be so far from receiving any damage byit, that he shall find it to be a soveraign Medicine, which hath not its like inthe whole Universe.For then as is the Triacle true,And in its working doth marvels shew,Restoring many from death to life;But see thou mingle it with no Corrosive,But chose it pure and quick running,If thou thereby wilt have winning.It is not the Triacle of Galen, nor yet of Hippocrates, (which yet if rightmade are of great efficacy) that can compare to it; for first, it kills all thevenom of any disease or malady, so that those diseases which do astonishthe beholders, are by this overcome even ad miraculum: for suppose a mandying with the Tokens of the Plague, so that he is upon the very point ofdeparture, (and the decree not past, for then there is no recovery) if he havebut a drop of this Elixir poured down, so that he swallow it, he shallimmediately recover, and in short time he will be restored to his formerhealth. Now that it doth immediately reach the root of Life, I shalldemonstrate: Suppose one with a very languishing disease be consumed tonothing in comparison, and for want of Spirits be just going out of theWorld, so the decree be not past, if he have but the strength even in theAgony of death, but to take a drop of this Elixir, he will recover and revive,and in a few days in comparison will be doubly stronger then ever he wasbefore. Suppose one of a very weak Constitution, and sickly, and every dayill, feeble all over, if he take of this Elixir, it will in a short time alter hisConstitution fundamentally, so that he shall be far stronger then any otherman ordinarily is.A noble Philosopher (though I scarce believe him to be an Adeptus of theStone) hath wrote of late a small Treatise of Fevers, the Lithiasis, and thePestilence, and there he saith in one of his Tractates, That the loss ofstrength which is made by Venery and Bloud-letting, is whollyirrecoverable. It is true, and I verily believe that he had Medicines verynoble, and it is pity but he had this secret to preserve his old age, for Iseriously profess, that of all the Tractates that ever I read, they are the mostPhilosophical; but by this expression it is evidence, that he was ignorant ofthis secret.For although by Venery, or a Tabes, or Bleeding, or by any other way aman may be debilitated, he may be restored by this Elixir, not only toperfect health, but also to such a measure of strength which he never had119