METHOD FOR A UNIVERSAL MEDICINE - Methodus ad Medicinam Universalem

Made from two planets, namely Mars and Venus, for the most desperate diseases; and also for transmuting any imperfect metal into the most perfect a thing not hitherto known to everyone.




Translated to English from the book:
Hadriani a Mynsicht ... Thesaurus [et] armamentarium medico-Chymicum ... cui in fine adjunctum est testamentum Hadrianeum de Aureo Philosophorum Lapide ... Auctarium Andrea Battimelli, Corollarium Hieronymi Piperi ... nunc demum Praelectiones chymicae in quibus omnes ferè operationes chymicae ad veraprincipia ... a Joanne Freind ...

Therefore take most beautiful Venus, and reduce it to a most pure salt, that is, vitriol which is easily done by means of sulphur and fire; then dissolve it in hot waters, and evaporate it, and it passes into a most beautiful vitriol when all these things have been properly carried out.

Put ten pounds of this vitriol into a glass retort well luted (sealed), and apply a reverberatory fire; but begin to distil with the first degree of heat, so that first you may receive the phlegm (watery part), which you should keep for further use.

Then increase the fire up to the third degree, and it will give forth stronger and sharper spirits, which also keep in a vessel very well closed for the following use. Afterwards increase the fire to the fourth and last degree, up to distillation, at least for three hours, and you will have an oil most exceedingly reddish and most weighty, which likewise keep for further use.

Then take the dead head (the caput mortuum), which will be blackest; and by means of the phlegm kept above, extract from it a salt, which will be somewhat greenish, and of no value; therefore calcine it further, so that the whole vitriolic matter may vanish, and at last you will have a pure and whitest salt, which also keep for the next use; for this is our virgin earth of Venus, which is of great worth for this our work.

Now we must proceed to the most strong Mars (iron), so that by means of our method and by our very great labor, from it we may have its most strong “vitriol,” which for this our marvelous medicine is altogether necessary and useful.

Therefore take our mercurial spirit which above we called the sharp spirits of Venus and pour it upon filings of Mars (iron filings), so that it stands above them by four or five finger-breadths. Let all stand in a warm place for three or four days, often shaking and stirring it in the meantime; then filter it, and you will have a greenish tincture, which evaporate to half; and after two or three days you will have the vitriol of Mars, which keep.

Upon the remaining Mars pour again the mercurial spirit of Venus, and again digest it in a warm place for three or four days, and again you will have the greenish tincture as before, which you likewise evaporate as you did above; and again after three or four days you will have other crystals of Mars, which also keep with the others.

Repeat this operation at least three or four times, until you have obtained a just quantity of these crystals, observing this method.

Then put all these crystals of Mars into a glass retort, very well luted and secured, which place in a reverberatory furnace, with a receiver fitted and the joints well closed; begin to distil with a very moderate fire for two or three hours, and you will receive the martial dew, which keep most carefully for use.

Then strengthen the fire, and make it a flaming fire for at least two or three hours, and you will receive the strong and sharp spirits of Mars. Separate these sharp spirits, and still increase the fire, until red and heavy drops begin to distil, which likewise keep in a vessel very well closed.

Increase the fire further, until this very reddish martial oil comes over entirely, since the noblest treasure in this marvelous medicine lies in it, as we shall teach below.

And from the martial dew, by further extraction, you will obtain a whitest salt, indeed crystalline, just as you did in the extraction and preparation of the salt of Venus; proceed in the same way in the extraction and preparation of this salt of Mars, as has been said.

Now we have extracted, both from Venus and from Mars, their “entrails” (their inner parts), which as yet are impure and need our philosophical preparation and purification, so that they may be pure and without any impurity; otherwise our medicine becomes impure, and consequently its operations impure and in no way legitimate. Therefore let us proceed to purify their entrails, the inner parts.

First: concerning the purification, or rectification, of the acid spirit of Venus, or of Mercury.

Take then our acid spirit, or the mercurial spirit of Venus; put it into a glass retort, and from the sand distil off all the acid that can ascend, and throw away what remains in the retort; and again put in the distilled spirit and distil as before, and what remains, throw away again; and do this so often until no more dregs remain at the bottom of the retort; and by this method you will have a pure mercurial spirit from our Venus, which keep very well in glass, tightly closed; for this mercury alone has been endowed with the highest virtues of Venus.

Now let us proceed to the purification of the blood of Venus.

The Serpent of Venus, which in the preceding pages we called the reddish oil, since unless it has been most thoroughly purified it is of no power, as also every / which is found impure blood, and we judge it necessary that it be cleansed from every stain, so that it may come forth most pure; and this is the method:

Take this impure blood, and distil it from a retort as many times until no more dregs remain at the bottom of the retort just as you did in the purification of the Mercurial spirit of Venus; and when the purification of the blood of Venus has been completed, keep it for the following use.

Now let us proceed to cleansing the entrails of Mars.

Take the acid spirit of Mars, as was said above, and purify it in the manner just described just as we said in the purification and rectification of the spirit of Venus; neither more nor less. And you will have the purged spirit of Mars, which keep for the following use in a vessel very well closed.

To purify the blood of Mars, which also must be purified, proceed just as you did in the purification of the blood of Venus, neither more nor less, and you will have the martial blood purified.

Now all the entrails, both of Mars and of Venus, are purified and free from every accidental stain; now you have pure principles; now the spouse is prepared to receive the spouse, so that from these there may proceed not impure offspring, but legitimate, more beautiful and nobler no unworthy children of their parents, but far more excellent.

Now the day of joining has come indeed, the day of marriage, a day of joy and jubilation. See how handsome is that boy; see how beautiful is this maiden: he is from the house of Mars, but she truly from the house of Venus. He is endowed with strength; she with beauty. He is always ready for war; she, however, ready to practice love. Both are born of a most noble and not only most ancient lineage; indeed, from the very origin of the world their generation was: for their father is the Sun, and their mother the Moon.

To the conjunction and marriage let us proceed.

Take our white and virgin earth, both from Mars and from Venus, and reduce this earth into a very fine powder; put it into a glass phial, and little by little sprinkle in one part of the spirit of Venus, and one part of the spirit of Mars, and always digest it with a gentle heat, until the spirits are coagulated into their earth. Now the part of the conjunction is completed, and the blood is lacking. Therefore, in the manner described, let the blood of Mars and of Venus be coagulated in our earth namely by instilling it drop by drop, little by little, and boiling it down, not all at once in a single time; and thus, by means of spirit and blood, our earth is rectified, and becomes fair and strong; and thus its power will be entire if, in this earth, Mars and Venus have been caught by the snares of Vulcan.

Powers, Use, Dose of this universal medicine

Know, kindly reader, that this medicine is marvelous in its operations for curing all diseases; for God did not wish because of Adam’s fall together with temporal death to bring upon mankind every kind of disease, but rather, because of His mercy and goodness, to create remedies for all; and He willed to reveal them to the devoted cultivators of medicine, who blacken their hands with coals and make them wet with sweat before furnaces; for:

The gods have set virtue to be won by sweat.

This medicine works in some cases by insensible transpiration, in others by sensible (according to the patient and the condition of the disease), and its effect is perceived plainly; for with safe speed it pervades almost the whole body, consumes what is superfluous, renews what is lost, and admits no further degeneration of morbid humors.

Accordingly it drives away apoplexy, epilepsy, palsy, dropsy, cancer, scirrhus, struma (glandular swellings), leprosy, elephantiasis, chiragra (gout of the hand), podagra (gout of the foot), the venereal disease, malignant and pestilential fevers, all chronic diseases, and whatever among foolish common people are held incurable; and it repels other contagions of the body by a marvelous power.

Dose: 1–2–3 grains, in a suitable vehicle; and it can be taken at any time.

It is also possible to specify this medicine according to nature - and the manner of specification and fermentation.

Take one part of this medicine, and three parts of the purest gold. Melt the gold in a crucible; then cast in that part of the medicine; remove it from the fire, and you will see the gold reduced into a very red powder. One part of this falls (is projected) upon ten parts of living mercury, and the whole will be reduced into most perfect gold.

Now, friendly reader, you have an unfailing treasure: not guarded by ghosts (lemures), which, if anyone should try to dig it up, the foolish common people believe either is corrupted by fear and falls down dead, or is beaten with rods nor wrapped up in allegorical fictions of poets, nor in Sibylline riddling symbols, characters, sophisms, or impostures; but given with that simplicity and sincerity of heart with which the Most High from whom every perfect gift descends has granted it to us; and by no fortune have we come to it, but rather by divine calling we have come to this happiness.

If you hope for Attalic riches, set your hand to this our Great Work, and you will find us speaking truly; and long live the medical art for Galen does not give riches. But do not be unmindful of the poor; otherwise you will draw upon yourself divine indignation, and you will experience the torments of the rich feaster. And thus, for so great riches and a long and sound life by this our secret arcanum, give thanks to God, the Best and Greatest, to whom alone be praise, honor, and glory forever.

THE END.