An Account of Three Books

An Account of Three Books. I. The Royal Pharmacopæa, Galeno-Chymical, according to the Practice of the most eminent and learned Physicians of France, and published with their several approbations. By Moses Charras, the King's chief Operator in his Royal Garden of Plants. In English. The diligent and Ingenious Author having some years since received Order and Directions from Monsieur Anthony d'Aquine, primary Physician to the French King, for composing a Galeno-Chymical Pharmacopæa: his Industrious pursuance of the same from year to year, hath at length produced this Work. The greater part of the Contents whereof, although well known to most learned Physicians; yet because there are also amongst them many uncommon Experiments, and all made with great accurateness, and deliver'd with equal perspicuity: it doth therefore very well deserve the following account. It is divided into Four Parts. The first is of Pharmacy in general. As of the Names and Principles of Chymical Pharmacy. The choice and preparation of Medicines, as Lotion, Purgation, Trituration, Cribration, Infusion, Humoration and Immersion, Nutrition, Dissolution, Fermentation, Digestion, Circulation, Cohobation, and the rest. Together with the several degrees of Fire, and kinds of Furnaces, Lutes, Vessels, &c. The Second Part treateth of Galenical Preparations and Compositions, in two Books. In the first, of Internals, as Juices, Infusions and Decoctions, Julaps, Apozemes, Emulsions, Potions, Gargarisms, and the rest. In the second Book, of Externals, as Oils by Expression, Infusion and Decoction, Balsams, Embalming of dead Bodies, &c. The Third Part treateth of Chymical Preparations, in three Books. In the first, of Vegetals. And first of Distillation, as of Roots, of moist and cold Herbs, of bitter Herbs, Herbs, of Antiscorbuticks, of Flowers, Odoriferous Waters, Ardent Spirits, Seeds, Berries, Grains and Pulse; Woods, Soot, Wine, Spirit of Wine (where also of Spirit of Wine Tartariz'd) of Tartar, Vinegar, Sugar, Manna and Gums. Then of Tinctures, Elixirs, Extracts, Refins, Salts, Tartar crystalliz'd, Chalybite, Emetic, Vitrioliz'd, Foliated; of Volatile Salt of Tartar, and of Sal Volatile Oleosum. In the second Book, of Animal Preparations. As of Humane Skull, Blood and Urine, Of Vipers, Harts-Horn, Toads, Frogs, River Crabs, Storks, Honey, Wax, and Earthworms, Cantharides, Ants, the Peacock and Castor. In the third, of Mineral Preparations; as of Earths and Boles, Waters, Lime, Lapidis Judaici, Lincis, of the Blood-Stone, Crystal, Coral, Pearls, Talk, Common and Sea-Salt, dulcify'd Spirit of Salt, Nitre, Sal Polychores, Spirit of Nitre, Aqua fortis, Aqua Regia, Aum, Salt Armoniack, the Urinous Spirit of Salt Armoniack, the acid Spirit, Vitriol, Monsieur la Faveur's Stipack Water, Sulphur of Vitriol, dulcify'd Spirit of Vitriol, Salt of Vitriol; Sulphur, Lac Sulphuris, Spirit and Salt of Sulphur, Arsenick, Ambergrise, Amber. Of Metals, as several ways of calcining and refining of Gold; and of its Tinctures. Refining, Crystals, and Tincture of Silver. The Infernal Stone. Crocus, Sal, & Tinctura Martis, Vitriolum & Spiritus Veneris, Saccharum, Spiritus & Balsam Saturni. Flores Jovis, Bezoardicum Jovitale, &c. The Cinaber, and several Precipitates and Sublimes of Mercury, &c. The Icy Liquor, Emetic Powder, Philosopher's Spirit, and other preparations of Antimony. The Fourth Part contains several particular Receipts, taken out of good Authors, with others communicated by divers Learned Persons. The Work is illustrated by several Copper Plates. II. Decameron Physologicum: Or, Ten Dialogues of Natural Philosophy. To which is added (they are the Authors words) the proportion of a straight Line, equal to half the Arch of a Quadrant. By Thomas Hobbs of Malmesbury. I am not more certain of the Authors being a learned Man, than I am of his mistakes in several Particulars of this Book. Yet my business is not here to dispute it, but to give a just account of it, which is as follows. The first Dialogue is of the Original of Natural Philosophy; which (from the Authority of Diodorus Siculus) he ascribes to the Astronomers of Ethiopia: Many of whose Posterity (their only Disciples) were transplanted into Egypt, (whence Pythagoras, &c. fetched their Philosophy into Greece) and Assyria, and were by the Hebrews there called Chaldeans, or Chaldeim, corruptly, as he conjectures, from Chal'dim, as that from Chus'dim, as being a Race of Ethiopians; for Ethiopia and the Land of Chus are the same. But he conceives, That the first Studiers of Natural Philosophy commonly so called, were the Greeks: That the several Sects hereof were the occasion of Heresies in the Primitive Church; And this and the Scriptures together of the School-men. Whereto he subjoyns his thoughts of the nature of Body, defining it, a thing that hath Being in itself without the help of Sense. The second is of the Principles and Method of Natural Philosophy: Wherein he neglecteth all Causes, but Motion, the universal Efficient. This he defines to be, Change of Place. Place to be, the space wherein a Body is contain'd; or, The Image of a Body. Time, the Image of Motion. To which he subjoyneth some Propositions. The Third is of Vacuum, which he denyeth from several, by him supposed Arguments. Asserteth, That the space above the Mercury in the Barometre, is fill'd with Air. And that in working upon the Pneumatick Engine, there is never any Air pumped out. The fourth is, of the System of the World. Wherein he he endeavours (chiefly from the Doctrine of Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo) to explicate the Cause of the motion of the Earth about the Sun, of the Moon about the Earth, and both about their own Centres. Why the Equinoctial and Solstitial Points, are not always in the same point of the Ecliptick of the Fixt Stars. Noting, from the same Authors, that the Equinoctial Points proceed from West to East, every Hundred years, one Degree or very near; which is 36000 years for one whole Revolution. And lastly, why the Distance betwixt the Equinoctial and the Solstice is not always the same. The fifth is, Of the Motions of Water and Air. Wherein he speaks his sense of Tides, and their variations; deducing them partly from the Motions both of the Earth and Moon; & partly from the situation of the Sea in respect of the Land. Of the Cause of Clouds, &c. Of Springs; noting a mistake of Julius Scaliger about a River in Savoy, and thence of the Original of Springs. The sixth is, of the Causes and Effects of Heat and Cold: Where he speaks his opinion of the nature of Fire and Ice. The Inflammability of Gun-powder; of Thunder and Lightning; which, he saith, will not burn. The seventh is, of Hard and Soft, and of the Atomes, that fly in the Air. Wherein he also speaks, what he thinks, of such Bodies as are generally conceived to be petrified: of Elasticity, and of contagious Air. The eighth is, of Gravity and Gravitation: Wherein he positively denies, That Oyl poured upon Quicksilver in a bended Siphon (only in at one arm of the Siphon) will cause the Quicksilver in that Arm to descend. He doubts not, but that the Species of heavy, hard, opaque and Diaphanous, were all made so at the Creation. In the end, explains a Scheme shewing the Degrees of the Inclinatory Needle in passing from one Pole to another. The ninth is, of the Loadstone and its Poles. Where, of the Magnetick Attraction: The Touching of Needles: The Variation of the Compass, and of that Variation: The rest is offer'd, as a Confutation of the Book called Longitude found. Asserting, contrary to that Book, The Poles of the Earth, and the Magnetick Poles to be the same. The last is, of Transparence and Refraction. Where he asserteth, That no Body, which was not Transparent from the Creation, can be made so by Humane Art. That Refraction is dependent upon Hardness in Conjunction with Gravity. And concludes with his Opinion of the Power of the Earth to produce living Creatures. To these Dialogues, the Author subjoyns a supposed Demonstration of a straight Line, equal to the Arch of a Quadrant. III. Mechanick Exercises: Or, the Doctrine of Handy-Works. Began Jan. 1. prosecuted in two other Essays, February 1. and March 1. 1677. And intended to be continued monthly. By Joseph Moxon, Hydrographer to the King. The Authors Undertaking, to set down what is already known, being good; and not unlikely to give occasion to others to consider of further Improvements in these Matters: it may not be thought improper, that the same, once for all, be here represented. The Author, as he saith in his Preface, having for many years been conversant in Handy-Works, especially Smithery, Founding, Drawing, Joynery, Turning, Engraving, Printing of Books and Pictures, making of Globes, Maps, Mathematical Instruments; and being willing publickly to communicate his knowledg herein; hath in his first Essay begun with Smithery, as comprehending with the Black-Smiths Trade, all other handy-crafts, using either forge or file, from the Anchor-Smith to the Watch-maker: Which will be an Introduction to most other handycrafts, as having a dependance upon this. And first, he gives Account of the several Parts, Kinds and Uses of the Smiths Forge, Anvil, Tongues, Hammer and Sledg, Vice, Hand-Vice, Pliers, Drill and Drill-Bow, Skrew-Plate and its Taps. Then of Forging and the several Heats to be given: Of brazing and soldering. The several sorts of Iron and their proper Uses. And lastly, of Filing, and the several sorts of Files. In the second Essay, of the making of Hinges, Locks and Keys: The manner of Riveting, making of Screws and Nuts. And particularly, of cutting Wormes upon great Screws. In the third Essay, of the making of Jacks, Bullet-molds, Twisting of Iron, Case-hardening. Some Tools not before describ'd. The several sorts of Steel; the manner of softening, hardning and tempering the same. LONDON, Printed for John Martyn, Printer to the Royal Society, 1678.