Section II, Book 3, member 1, chapter 6: The admirable effects of sympathy (part 1 of 4)

CHAP. VI.

How the feisiblity and possibility of the Magneticall manner of cure by the Weapon-salve, is produced, and demonstrated to be naturall: The which that we may the better effect, we will first set down our main Proposition touching this kind of cure; and afterward elucidate and clearly demonstrate it by evident proofs, derived especially from the virtue of the Load-stone.

The Proposition.

IF after the wound is made, a portion of the wound's externall blood, with his inward spirits, or of his internall spirits onely, that have penetrated into the weapon, or any other thing, which hath searched the depth of the wound, be conveyed from the wound, at any reasonable, but unlimited or unknown distance, unto an Ointment, whose composition is Balsamick, and agreeing specifically with the nature of the creature so wounded, and be in a decent and convenient manner adapted, and, as it were, transplanted or grafted into it; the oyntment so animated by those spirits will become forthwith magneticall, and apply with a magneticall aspect or regard unto the bearny spirits, which stream forth invis[…]bly from the wound, being directed thereunto by those spirituall bloody spirits in the weapon, or other thing, which hath received or included them; and the lively and southern beams streaming and flowing from the wound, will with the northern attraction of the oyntment, so magnetically animated, concur and unite themselves with the northern and congealed, or fixed bloody spirits contained in the oyntment, and stir them to act southernly, that is, from the center to the circumference; so that by this reciprocall action, union, or continuity, the lively southern beams will act and revive the chill, fixt, or northern beams, which do animate the oyntment with a magneticall vertue, and quickned spirits of the oyntment, animated by the spirits of them both, and directed by the spirits which were first transplanted into it, doth impart by the said union or continuity, his balsamick and sanative vertue unto the spirits in the wound, being first magnetically attracted; and they afterwards by an unseperable harmony, transfer it back again unto the wound. And this is the reason of that sympatheticall and antipatheticall reference or respect, which is by experience observed to be between the oyntment and the wound, so that if the whole space of the weapon that made the wound, be covered and annointed with the unguent, and the unguent be well wrapped and kept warm, the wound will find consolation, and be at ease; but if a part of the oynment be pared away, or wiped off from the weapon, it hath been often tryed, that pain or dolour will immediately ensue and afflict the wound. Moreover, if the place anoynted be kept temperately warm, the wound will also rest in temper; but if it be uncovered, and left in the open cold aire, then will it happen, that the wound will also be distempered and vexed with cold.

Certain Problematicall Demonstrations, to prove the foresaid Proposition to be true in every point, and consequently to manifest this manner of Magical cure to be effected Naturally, and therefore not Cacomagically.

The particulars of the foresaid Proposition are easily proved and maintained by such ocular demonstrations, as may be produced from the vertuous operation of the minerall Load-stone, unto the which we may rightly compare all magneticall bodies, with their actions, because they have their denominations from the mineral magnet, and therefore this weapon-salve is tearmed by some men, Un[…]uentum magnet[…]cum, and the cure is also called Magneticall. I proceed therefore in my purpose after this fashion, to prove the Proposition punctually, and therefore I divide it into members or portions.

The first member of those Propositions, with certain experimentall Conclusions from the Load-stone to confirm it.

First therefore we gather by the said precedent Proposition, that two magneticall bodies of a like nature, may spiritually meet and conjoyne together by a like naturall inclination. And that the weapon wounding, or other materiall penetrating, doth imbibe the spirits, and is made magneticall.

1 Problematicall Demonstration, taken from the Load-stone.

Take two Loadstones, and place them in small wooden vessells, or boats of cork or wood, and set them upon a basin, or tub, or cistern of water, so that each of the Magnets may aspect one another, within the visible orb of his vertue, & you shal perceive them sensibly to move, and as it were, to incite each other to mutual embracement; so that at the contrary poles unto one another, they will meet and unite themselves; which is an argument, that dissevered spirits, of an identity of nature, do sympathetically operate and act one upon the other, at a distance.

2 Demonstration from the same.

In the like manner, if we shall place a piece of Iron in one little boat, and a Load-stone in another, you will find, that the Iron will hasten with the like celerity unto the Load-stone, being also in his small barck; for you shall perceive, that each of them will be carried unto the other, and will the one stick and adhere unto the other in the mid-way; and after that the desire of each of them is accomplished, that is, after coition and union, they will stand still, and rest in their consents.

3 Demonstration. 1 Problem.

One vein of Iron being rightly disposed, will draw unto it another if the vein be rich, and of the colour of Iron. As for example, put one peece of the vein in his little cup, or small boat or bark, as is said before of the Load-stone, and hold in your hand another piece of the same Mine, somewhat near the other, and you shall find the other in his bark to move unto it, but nothing so swiftly as will the Iron unto the Loadstone.

2 Problem.

You shall find it also for a most true experiment, that if Iron be taken nakedly of it self, that is, not being excited by the Load-stone, or any thing else, it will draw another Iron unto it, though not so swiftly as the Load stone, that is vigorous; A tryall is made thus. Make a piece of cork round, and as big as a hazel-nut, and pierce it through the center with a reasonable big piece of wier, till the middle of the iron be in the center of the corck: put it into a quiet water to swim in, and apply it unto its other end very near; but so, that it toucheth it not, the end of another piece of wier; and you shall see, that the piece you hold in your hand shall draw the other in the cork, so that as you move the one, the other shall slowly follow. And this must be effected by the application of such of their ends, as shall agree in their pole. The Demonstration is this:

[Figure]

Application.

By these examples therefore it is made evident, how the two spirits of like disposition, or rather of one identity of nature, are apt and prone by a naturall inclination to covet and embrace their like, and that at a distance, or space between each body, and consequently, that it is not the bodies that acteth. For they are divided and distant from one another; but the formall spirits, which by an astrall emanation do sympathetically and lovingly, first aspect one another, and then by an equall attraction, do, as it were, kiss and hug together. And therefore it cannot seem strange or impossible unto wise men, that the bloody spirits in the oyntment, and those in the wounded person, should at a far distance meet and apply together, by a sympatheticall aspect, being that they are but one continued and indivisible quintessentiall spirit, though altered in elementary property, even as the northern aire is by the north wind made to differ from the south, though all is but one essentiall and indivisible aire.

Touching the last branch of this Member, it argueth, that spirits may be, nay are imbibed by the weapon that woundeth, which by this axiom of Paracelsus, maketh the place of the weapon which woundeth a magnet, or magneticall. The Problem is this.

3. Problem.

Every Body, after that it hath imbibed the Mummy, which issueth from man, is forthwith made a Magnet unto him.

And this is proved Magnetically by this Problem.

4. Problem.

Iron incited or touched by the Load-stone at the Pole, doth draw unto him the like of the Load-stone that toucheth it.

Application.

Now that the vitall spirits of the wounded animal, do penetrate in the very moment of the stroak into the weapon, and that the weapon doth greedily suck them in; it is proved by this following observation.

Some Country Chirurgions, not daring to search some deep wounds with a Probe, do use to take the weapon that made the wound, be it sword, dagger, knife, and such like, and put it into the fire; and though before you saw no difference in the colour of the weapon, yet after it cometh out of the fire, you shall see the place of it that wounded, altered in colour from the other, by reason of such spirits as it did imbibe. This is commonly found true by experience.

Another proof to maintain this, is, that if a Viper or Adder be cut with a sword or knife, in peeces, the venomous, odious, and irascible spirit of the Serpent will penetrate into the substance of the steel; which is confirmed by this, namely because that if a man be afterward wounded by this weapon, that did cut and divide the Adder or Viper, it will so invenome the wound, that it will be made incurable, except an Antidote made of Adder or Viper be applied: So also the Scorpion, being bruised and applied unto the wound, that is made by the Scorpion, will cure it; as also an Oyle made of the same.

The second member of the Proposition, with the proofs.

Secondly, that if a Magneticall body, be it animal, vegetable, or minerall, be divided into parts, the spirituall nature of these parts do alwaies tend unto Unity, although these parts be divided far from one another: which is an Argument, that they are no continued thing in spirits; and therefore one part doth directly co-operate and send out actuall beams of sympatheticall identity unto another, though the bodily divided parts be absent or distant in space from one another.

A Demonstration to confirm this.

This is sufficiently proved, by the ocular Demonstrations, recited for the confirmation of the first member; but more especially by the second Demonstration of the eighth Chapter of this present Book: where I have shewed you, that if a long Load-stone be divided in the middle, between the two Poles; that is to say, about the aequinoctial line, and each of these divided parts be put to flote in his small vessell or bark on the still water. The influentiall spirit, which is one in essence, and continued between them, doth desire and covet to unite the divided minerall bodies, whose limbs are by a wound or Solution of continuity separated, and to reduce them into the naturall estate, they were in at the first; and for that cause B, and C; whereof the one is Meridionall, namely B; and the other Septentrionall, to wit, C, which were at the first continuated parts, but now divided, are by that unseparable Spirit, which giveth life unto both the parts, reunited, sucked, and drawn together, and reduced unto the estate of their pristine continuity; that is, of two stones they are made one; so that the portion of spirit in C, draweth and attracteth the bodily B, unto it, and the proportion of spirit in B, sucketh and inticeth C, unto it: For we must note, that the unity of spirit, doth evermore desire and effect the unity of the body, in which it dwelleth; for the quintessentiall or formall spirit, delighteth not in the variable disposition of the airy spirit, and therefore coveteth to inhabit the close specificall house or pallace, which it did possesse immediatly after his discent from his celestiall starry parents. This is the reason, that one specifick spirit is most easy, yea, and rejoyceth to communicate with his like; but especially one and the same spirit must needs act with, and never be absent from the other; and therfore when the frozen, Northern, and as it were congealed nature is incited and stirred up, by the aequinoctiall or Southern property, if it be rightly adopted; and the Southern Iron's property is touched with the Magneticall North-pole of the other, they will effect attraction the better; and to this purpose speaketh this Problem.

Problem.

If Magneticall bodies be divided, or any part broken off from the whole, each part so broken off, will have his North and South.

And therefore each particle of Iron, or of the Load stone, being divided from the whole, will have a Northern property, and a Southern, which doth manifestly confirm unto wise men's capacities, that the spirit of every Specifick, yea, of every individuall, hath a Northern and a Southern condition, and consequently an attractive and dilative property; and not only the spirit of the whole, but also of every particular of it (if it may be spoken) being that the formall spirit is in all, and in every part.

Application.

Yee may therefore perceive by this, how possible and fezible it is, that the spirit in the dead blood or weapon, being transferred, and as it were transplanted at a far distance in the Ointment, as having a Balsome not differing from the animall nature; but especially in respect of the vegetable Salt of the Uzneas, in the which altogether lurke spirits, which by the present application of the Southern, lively, and warm spirits in the wounded man, guided unto it by the spirits transported. or transplanted bood, doth re-vivify, and co-operate with the same spirit; not onely in the stanching of the flowing blood, but also in the healing and consolidating of the wound: as shall be shewed you more amply hereafter.

The third Member of the Proposition, is confi[…]med by these proofs.

Thirdly, that it is not the animal's externall blood, but the internall in the externall; which being separated from his fountain, and transplanted on another unctuous stock, doth operate Magnetically from the stock on which it is planted, unto the fountain or spring, from whence it floweth. And it is maintained thus.

A Demonstration to confirm this first Problem.

It is not any corporeall thing, which floweth from the Load-stone, or which penetrateth into Iron, or that is poured, or extracted out of the Iron, being awaked by the Load-stone's power: but one Load-stone disposeth another, by an originall or primary Form; and the Load-stone doth revoke, and disposeth the Iron, which is familiar unto his nature, together with it self, unto a formed vigour, for which reason, the Iron runs unto the Load-stone, and doth greedily conform it self unto it, (each forces or vigours symphoniacally provoking).

Application.

Therefore it is a formall spirit, or subtle celestiall influence, which doth operate mutually from the wounded body, unto the transported or transplanted blood, and not the body, or the blood, or the aire, or the oyntment, in which the transported blood, or bloody spirits are contained; so that the excited spirits in the oyntment, do apply their regard unto the beams of the exciter, the north spiracle unto the southern; and so a union is made between the spirits of the oyntment with the adopted blood, and those of the wounded body. And as we see, that by the concourse in the macrocosmicall aire of the north-wind and the south, both spirits are united into one form, and are magnetically, with their airy vehicle, contracted into a clowd, which containeth in it a formall fire or lightning, and a watry body: So the two emanations do cause a contracted aery spirit in the place of their concourse or application, which doth in his contraction attract the balsamick spirit which the oyntment doth send forth; even as we see in the Weatherglass, that the contracted aire sucketh up with it the masse of the water, and yet the aire so contracted is not for all that visible. But this is further confirmed by this Problem.

2 Problem.

Iron is allured and drawn, onely by the immateriall act of form, that is to say, by an incorporeall proceeding, the which doth act and is conceived in the iron subject, as in a continuate homogeneall body: And this is the reason, that Iron is moved and drawn unto the Load-stone, without being impedited or hindred, by the interposition of dense and well-compacted bodies between them. And again, Iron draweth to it the Load-stone it self, and the concourse unto unity is moved by a mutuall consent and vigour, the which concourse is vulgarly termed Attraction.

Application.

Here we see that reference, which is between the Magnet and the Mine, out of which that spirit which doth animate the Magnet is drawn; As for example, In the forementioned Chapter, the spirit of the microcosmicall Mummy is in the excrementitious excrescence transported unto the Plant; and so the plant, animated by that spirit, becommeth a magnet, which directeth his vegetating spirit to apply unto the spirit or beam of the weak member, &c. I come now to the proof of the fourth Member.

The fourth Member of the Proposition is demonstratively proved thus.

Fourthly, that there is a spirituall penetration made from one body unto another, before any magneticall operation can be effected.

Demonstration.

This member is sufficiently confirmed by that which is already said in the other members, and yet it is more plainly expressed by this Problem.

Problem.

The Load-stone doth guide and direct magneticall things, the which do conceive vigour and force from it, not onely in their extremities, but also in their interiours, and very marrow: As for example, A piece of Iron, so soon as it is touched or attainted with the very breath of the Load-stone, it is excited magnetically at the end at which it is touched or regarded, and that very power which it received by that touch, passeth quite through from the end touched unto the other, not onely superficially, but also centrally, and (as I may say) at the very marrow.

Application.

It appeareth evidently by this, that as the formall beams of one Load-stone doth penetrate unto the very center of the other, and the other again reciprocally into the very center of it; so also the spirit of the wounded man doth penetrate, partly by emission from it self, and partly by attraction of his like in the oyntment, into the bowels of the oyntment, unto the spirits of his own kind that are hid in it, and reciprocally the oyntment being made a magnet by the imbibing of the Mummial spirits of the blood, applyeth his attractive beams unto those, which are emitted from the wound, being directed therein by the spirit of the dead blood in the unguent, as shall be shewed hereafter more at large.

The fifth Member of the Proposition, with the Proofs.

Fifthly, that the magneticall act and operation of celestiall, astralicall or starry, and influentiall spirits, are not to be limited, nor yet to be impedited or hindred in their motion, if we look into the mystery of this business with intellectuall eyes.

We must distinguish this Member, for your better understanding, into two severall articles or branches, whereof the first must shew, that the extension of the emanations made from two astralicall or starry spirits, are not to be limited by mans understanding, howsoever by an externall effect, it may at random be guessed at. These one shall prove, that such influentiall starry beams, or quintessentiall emissions, as are sent forth from the Load-stone unto the Iron, or from one Load-stone unto his like in nature, and consequently from all other magneticall bodies, o[…] like condition in essence, cannot be hindered by the interposition of any solid or well-compacted bodies, as some Fool losophers, rather than Philosophers, have […]emerariously averred in their writings.

Touching the first, which includeth the imaginary termination or bounding of beamy or formall extensions, or emanations from magneticall bodies, within a setled, or known limited sphear of activity, the impossibility thereof (howsoever our Peripatetick Philosophers have feigned the contrary) is argued by these following problematicall Demonstrations.

Certain Problematicall Demonstrations, confirming the contents of this Members first Article 1. Problem.

The vigour in heavenly bodies, whereby they move themselves, doth argue a soul in them, and for that reason they are esteemed by the wisest Philosophers, to be endued and animated with a divine act or spirit, by means whereof they move; which being so, the extension of application of their beams must also prove uncertain, and therefore without limit, being that their spirits, after the emanation made, do concur sometimes in the aire, sometimes in the water, and sometimes, without resistance, they pierce even unto the center of the earth, to operate upon the mineral Kingdom, bestowing on the earthly subjects that are under them, of that very formall act and vertue, whereby they operate in their acute penetration: And therefore these inferiour creatures of a like nature, are able to send forth and extend their astralaicall or beamy vertues as far, and to apply their beams at as an unterminable distance, as their stars in heaven are observed to do.

2 Problem.

It is rightly then said, that the Load-stone doth move the Load-stone, and doth both dispose of one another by their primary form, which it receiveth from his starry fountain. And therefore it was not any absurdity in the wise man, Thales Milesius, nor yet any madness in Scaliger, to assigne a soul unto the Magnet, seeing that by it, it is centrally incited, directed, and carried or moved circularly: As for example.

Example.

If two Magnets be put one against the other in their small barkes, upon the water, they will not presently concur together, but first they do mutually conforme themselves unto one another, or else the lesser doth obey the greater, moving it self after a circular fashion, and when at the last they are disposed, according unto their naturall position, they run or concurr together.

The like effect also will appeare between the Magnet and the Iron, and the Iron and the Iron; as shall be expressed hereafter.