they may upon Grounds Plausible enough esteem unfit; yet when they
pretend to teach the General Principles of Natural Philosophers, this
Equivocall Way of Writing is not to be endur'd. For in such
Speculative Enquiries, where the naked Knowledge of the Truth is the
thing Principally aim'd at, what does he teach me worth thanks that
does not, if he can, make his Notion intelligible to me, but by
Mystical Termes, and Ambiguous Phrases darkens what he should clear
up; and makes me add the Trouble of guessing at the sence of what he
Equivocally expresses, to that of examining the Truth of what he seems
to deliver. And if the matter of the Philosophers Stone, and the
manner of preparing it, be such Mysteries as they would have the World
believe them, they may Write Intelligibly and Clearly of the
Principles of mixt Bodies in General, without Discovering what they
call the Great Work. But for my part (Continues _Carneades_) what my
Indignation at this Un-philosophical way of teaching Principles has
now extorted from me, is meant chiefly to excuse my self, if I shall
hereafter oppose any Particular Opinion or assertion, that some
Follower of _Paracelsus_ or any Eminent Artist may pretend not to be
his Masters. For, as I told you long since, I am not Oblig'd to
examine private mens writings, (which were a Labour as endless as
unprofitable) being only engag'd to examine those Opinions about the
_Tria Prima_, which I find those Chymists I have met with to agree in
most: And I Doubt not but my Arguments against their Doctrine will be
in great part easily enough applicable ev'n to those private
Opinions, which they do not so directly and expresly oppose. And
indeed, that which I am now entering upon being the Consideration of
the things themselves whereinto _Spagyrists_ resolve mixt Bodies by
the Fire, If I can shew that these are not of an Elementary Nature, it
will be no great matter what names these or those Chymists have been
pleased to give them. And I question not that to a Wise man, and
consequently to _Eleutherius_, it will be lesse considerable to know,
what Men Have thought of Things, then what they Should have thought.
In the fourth and last place, then, I consider, that as generally as
Chymists are wont to appeal to Experience, and as confidently as they
use to instance the several substances separated by the Fire from a
Mixt Body, as a sufficient proof of their being its component
Elements: Yet those differing Substances are many of them farr enough
from Elementary simplicity, and may be yet look'd upon as mixt Bodies,
most of them also retaining, somewhat at least, if not very much, of
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