Descriptions they give us of that Principle or Ingredient of mixt
Bodies, are so intricate, that even those that have Endeavour'd to
Pollish and Illustrate the Notions of the Chymists, are fain to
confess that they know not what to make of it, either by Ingenuous
Acknowledgments, or Descriptions that are not Intelligible.
I must confess (sayes _Eleutherius_) I have, in the reading of
_Paracelsus_ and other Chymical Authors, been troubled to find, that
such hard Words and Equivocal Expressions, as You justly complain of,
do even when they treat of Principles, seem to be studiously affected
by those Writers; whether to make themselves to be admir'd by their
Readers, and their Art appear more Venerable and Mysterious, or, (as
they would have us think) to conceal from them a Knowledge themselves
judge inestimable.
But whatever (sayes _Carneades_) these Men may promise themselves from
a Canting way of delivering the Principles of Nature, they will find
the Major part of Knowing Men so vain, as when they understand not
what they read, to conclude, that it is rather the Writers fault then
their own. And those that are so ambitious to be admir'd by the
Vulgar, that rather then go without the Admiration of the Ignorant
they will expose themselves to the contempt of the Learned, those
shall, by my consent, freely enjoy their Option. As for the Mystical
Writers scrupling to Communicate their Knowledge, they might less to
their own Disparagement, and to the trouble of their Readers, have
conceal'd it by writing no Books, then by Writing bad ones. If
_Themistius_ were here, he would not stick to say, that Chymists write
thus darkly, not because they think their Notions too precious to be
explain'd, but because they fear that if they were explain'd, men
would discern, that they are farr from being precious. And indeed, I
fear that the chief Reason why Chymists have written so obscurely of
their three Principles, may be, That not having Clear and Distinct
Notions of them themselves, they cannot write otherwise then
Confusedly of what they but Confusedly Apprehend: Not to say that
divers of them, being Conscious to the Invalidity of their Doctrine,
might well enough discerne that they could scarce keep themselves from
being confuted, but by keeping themselves from being clearly
understood. But though much may be said to Excuse the Chymists when
they write Darkly, and AEnigmatically, about the Preparation of their
_Elixir_, and Some few other grand _Arcana_, the divulging of which
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