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1982

THE GOLDEN FLEECE

0R THE FLOWER OF TREASURES
In which is succintly and methodically handled, the Stone of the philosophers, his excellent effect & admirable Virtues: and The better to attain to the Original & true means of Perfection

Inriched with !igures representing the "olours to rise as they suooesst#ely appear in the Practise of this Blessed Work.

$y that great Philosopher

SOLOMON TRISMOSIN
%aster to Paracelsus

PREFACE

&'P(I)I*S, +truly esteemed one of the most famous & the most reccommended to posterity, among the &ncient & sage Philosophers of his time- do propose to us in his di#ine writings, that the ordinary "ontemplation, %ysterious consideration, and the con. tinual reading of appro#ed and renowned, chiefly contended &uthors, and some who ha#e more dismally deli#ered this wor/ to us, wonderfully and ne#er sufficiently praised, admired and re#erenced of the most oppollent spirits, who ha#e followed the pursuite through "uriosity or for compassion, seeing so many poor souls, consuming their days in Illusions, ha#e thought it con#enient to bring to light some glittering tinsell of that most oppollent wor/ of our 'yon which is /nown by his paws in earnest of the most Spiritual light which they ha#e contri#ed it being come somewhat near to this precious Stone, one might be appro#ed by this sacred small spar/ This wise and sage )octor saith that the In0uisitors of this terrestrial Son shall recei#e as much or more fruit and content. ment of the 'earned 1utrients sprang from the pro#ident Tutilage of this more than desired and without doubt "elestial Stream of aimabile food agreeable to the delightfull and sweet breast.mil/, then he doth discontent and mista/e in the dull discontent and mista/e in the dull sound of the Ignorant sorts who are not sufficiently enabled to 2udge discreetly and to apprehend the depth of so profound, grand and Occult a %ystery, their 'ight not being subtil enough to percei#e this Sub3ect and their $rains not 2udicious enough to pri4e this inestimable Pearl $ut rather only nourished, ele#ated, comforted and satisfied with #ain hope or to spea/ better they being held bac/ by $itter 2uice of Ignorance, are made incapable of the more Solid food for to direct them and to return them again to their proposed

+as a mar/ set before their eyes- &rt of the Stone of the Sages the which we call the (ea#en of the Philosophers: $ut I do not write unto those, but rather that they do not immerse themsel#es in the intricate ambiguity of the 6olden !leece nor not at all to touch the Sauce with the least point of their fingers, nor that they assaile the inestimable 'abourenth with their wea/ abilities, because these heady brainless are not at all rallied to the glor. ious triumph of this degree, of him only gi#en to those that lo#e 7isdom, by no means to all busy.brains, ta/en with a fantastical conceit attempting .to sna/e the delicious honey of our 3udicious writings It were better and more fit.table for these dulipates to ha#e considered it: 'ost thy charge before they began their 'abour not to ha#e any thing, how false should it be from our )i#ine 7or/ but rather to ha#e retired from the fleeting 6arden of the delightfull (esperides The senseless noise of their Inabilities incapable of the propositions +too subtil for their pates- of our oppollent 7or/ in regard of the disposition of their feeble fancy8s This "elestial 6ift doth not at all ama4e us in the 6eneral "anopy of the whole world in gross, but in the retail, considering and ought to be dispised, and especially fa#ouring and ma/ing heros of others as of those that may be /nown to be the true Sons of this Science, calling them the $lessed of the most happy 9ays of the 6olden $ranches from the which the others are dri#en away, as from .thier Sacred !ires Profane approach not this Treasure Sacred: !or (oly Ones only "onsecrated 9&SIS saith not less in the Treatise he made of the 'ight of 'ights, now ought saith he, so to presume of him as also to run so that assured hope lest he be plainly blameable for his e#il

desert for stretching his desires beyond the Imprudent 'imits of his "apacity following his own will in the feeble &uthority of his wea/ Spirit the pure and clean ;ssence of the admirable mixtures not with standing they ha#e not /nown the perfect ;lements $ut to spea/ truth, these sort of People bray of more then they ha#e gotten, they ha#e principally more confusion then contention, more sorrow than Solace, a thousand times more cause to be reprehended with a sharp "hastisement, then to ha#e fruit.full gain of their purpose which call to mind &pelles his <uip, which he ga#e in two sentences touching the presumption of an &rrogant fellow steadily chastiseing at that Instant when he did reprehend the malacious discourse of a simple "obbler, to redeem the #enerable censure of the line and portraiture of his oppollent picture Thou maist spea/ saith he of the pantable: $ut if thy doubtest thou art not able &lso #ery well to this purpose the better to a#oid the e#il speech and censure of a public/ obligation, he hath set before us this point on modesty &ttempt not more then thou art able, 7ho boast yet /nows not doth but babble On the other "olumn which he set to prepare and sustain it ;xercise thy /nowledge of thy &rt $eyond ;xperience do not start $ut now adays #ery many do set miserably, flourish and flatter. ing, and infatuating themsel#es with the #ain hope of their own opinions when they ha#e found nought more than a dole of which

= boldly they ta/e in hand not one penny, they thin/ing in this Iron age to get shec/les of 6old more surely than the $ean +acorn>- in the Oa/ 6old the &ichymist so long sought Till at length he is brought nought

In this wise, phantastically supposing they ha#e now got the moisture of the moon $rea/ing their $rains with the concept how to ma/e the %oon with her influence descend upon the body of the earth the %other of the ;lements by a way which notwithstanding they ha#e not /nown, only being supported by natural appearances and co#etous of "uriosities and desirous of 1o#elties $ut if it be true, I61OTI 1*''& "*PI)O, according to Philosophy a ripe Ingenuity may concei#e by applyarice of transcended efforts Their spirits more slight than "louds blown, "annot spea/ truth of a thing un/nown &nd no more than blind men depri#ed of their Sight can 2udge of colours 1o more can these Ignorant fellows spea/ of the (ea#en of the Philosophers, then their feet under the table Si te fata #ocant aliter non Saith &*6*9;''I*S in his "hrysopeia They only whom the (ea#ens fa#ours 7ith this precious &rt are blest Tis ordained for no others: &ll but wise Sages ha#e it missed &lso I shall enlarge myself further for their better appre. hension, so they will study to unfold the Intracateness of this

? business which is not easily done by the Importunity of the rash practioners of this Science &ll those who ha#e imployed and presented their $ar/ to the gulf ha#e not all arri#ed at the (a#en, yea, the most of those who ha#e imbar/ed themsel#es for this Port ha#e by a thousand mishaps suffered shipwrec/ The 7ise &rgonauts conducted in the 7a#es by the insistant hand of a long desteny, after a thousand "rosses, in the end con0uered this rich !leece by their #alour armed and supported by the industry of ;xperience and patience, the true "onduct to a 0uiet (a#en necessary in this 7or/ Paucy 0uos a0uus ama#it

2upiter aut ardens e#escit ad aethera #irtus 6od gi#es not this especial fa#our $ut to them of hea#ens 6races sa#our &lso he ought to arri#e at the famous Ille without calling "oichos, the better to pre#ent shipwrec/ and to come to the points of the natural "auses one should ha#e all his fingers and the best of the &ncient Philosophers and to unfold their 7ritings and to 2udge of the #erity by the "oncordance of their se#eral descriptions, otherwise they ha#e lost the false guide of the Intricate 'abourinth only in their boo/s hiding it from the ignorant )are ye ta/e with Sacrilegious hand Our chief Secret without our command 1o 1o retire ye ha#e not such slight To ensnare the bird of our delights

@ The Philosophers are cautious to tal/ or discourse, but with their li/e, yea, they do not spea/ but to the most /nowing man as it is said in the "omplaint of 1ature 7hats need to thee I shew if thou art Sage If not, not by me hast thou no ad#antage This is the cause why they command that their boo/s should by no means contain anything that might ma/e dull and ignorant people capable to obtain the sweet honey of so many flowers 9OSI1*S conformable to former &uthors doth not appro#e that in any wise, men of wea/ Spirits, should imploy their 7its in this &ssay without the /nowledge of that, the Philosophers ha#e not named in their wri.tings 7here is concord there is #erity saith the "ount Tre#isan in his great 9osary "oncorda Philosophos and bene rily erit

If seeming discord thou canst ma/e concord &nd concord Sages, accord some discord The which one ought to enter pri4e by this &rt and principal natural not familiar, but by a secret ground and more clear then day, the corporeal things ta/e their substance and essence of the terrestrial mass, for the earth is the mother of the ;lements from the earth they proceed and to earth they return saith (;9%;S The ;lement of the ;arth is 6eneral %other, and in her womb he doth nourish all &s it were the Vessel of generation because their Philosophers accord to the order of the time, of the influence of (ea#en +doth ser#eth for it for seed and fermentati#e heat to ma/e it spring and bring forth matter- of the Planets, of the Sun, of the %oon, A or of the Stars and so of others conse0uently with the = 0ualities of the ;lements, which ser#ing one and the other for wombs, they mo#e without ceasing &nd by this means all things fruitfully increasing and growing by a form and original peculiar to their proper substances acc. ording to the &lmighty power and di#ine 7ill which ma/eth things as at the first moment of the &dmirable "reation of the 7orld The metals also, are according to the "ourse of other "reated things ta/ing their Original from the ;arth, %other of the ;le. ments and 1urse of all things as I ha#e afore declared with a matter proper and Indi#idually deri#ed full and wholly from the four properties of the ;lements by the Influence agreeing to the power of the metals and the "on3unction of the "onstellations of the Planets &9ISTOT'; in the =th of the %eteors is of the same opinion, where he saith and affirmeth that the &rgent Vi#e is, the true matter "ommon to all the metals $ut now nature ;arth first gathered and con3oined together a matter of the = ;lements only thereof composing a substance according to the effort and proper. tie of the matter which the Philosophers name %;9"*9B or &96;1T VIV; 1OT "O%%O1 or made by &rt, but rather ha#ing a form perfected by 6old and Sil#er, or drawn from the Imperfect metals The curious naturalists concerning the nature of metals ha#e spo/en clearly enough in their $oo/s and therefore there is no need here to be o#er 'ong unless it be upon this assured solid $ase, the proper ground principal, and %astery of the Stone of the Sages The Original of which is found in the "enter and perfect $ody of

1ature which is not ta/en from any thing li#ing and of the same only thing we ha#e the means to obtain the perfect formed, and the most great "ontentment of the final Perfection

THE

GOLDEN
Of the Original of the Stone of the Sages & how it may be brought to Perfection

FLEECE

This Stone of 7ise men draws the pure ;lements of his ;ssence by the assured way of a mindfull and fundamental nature in the which also she amends herself as (&'B reports when he saith of this Stone, DIt ma/es his own influction and Imbibition of things growing and secretly con3oining themsel#es, congealing and res. ol#ing itself by the nature which bettereth the things and ma/eth it more perfect and of greater efficacy, orderly and according to the time ordained E *pon this model and such li/e pattern of &rtifice must e#ery man rely himself and inform himself to these natural principles If he desires to ha#e help and assistance in his &rts by the operation of nature which in amenities it preforms itself until the time comes that by his natural &rt he perfects the true form of his Intention 1ow this &rtifice is no other thing than one only operation and perfect preparation of the matter, which wise and prudent nature hath made, in the %oisture of this !oundation To this which also agrees a %oderiety of proportion and an assured measure of this operation with a mature foundation and considerate prudence for although &rt may ta/e of itself the Sun and %oon for a new beginning, as it were to ma/e 6old yet there is a necessity of /nowing the natural Secret of matters %ineral and how in the ;ntrals of the earth they ha#e the foundation of their first principals, it being most certain the &rt affords another way than 1ature ha#ing to this ;ffect another and altogether

di#erse operation It is also con#enient to this &rtifice pro. ducing out of those preceeding natural roots in the beginning of nature should produce ex0uisite things, which nature of her self could not ha#e operated !or true it is that she hath not in her power the ability to ingender those things of her self by the which natural metals come to procreate themsel#es in a long time almost altogether imperfect, notwithstanding incontinendly after and almost in a moment may be made perfect by the rare secret of the ingeneous &rtist, this which proceeds from the temporal matter of nature &nd which ser#es to this &rtifice of men, when she comforts them with her free means and then again &rt aids her by his timely operation, but in such sort that this form being complete, may afterwards hold correspondence and ma/e itself fit to the first Intention of nature and last perfection of his design &nd although with great &rtifice this Stone abo#e. mentioned should return to the proportion of his first form, that being whereof it draws from the treasure of nature +as all other the substantial form of things grow into di#erse fashions li/e &nimals, or metals- yet do Gtliey all proceed of one inward power of the matter, only excepted the Soul of man which is not so limited, nor rely as +as those other things under this terrestrial and temporal submission- $ut ta/e heed also and it is #ery considerable that the substantial form hath no relation nor can condescend to the matter, were it not that it is done by a certain operation of some accidental form, 1or yet that this happens by his own peculiar force, but rather by means of some other operation sustained as the fire or some such heat as nearly correspondent thereunto perfectly 3oined that must wor/ thereupon wherein the better to oppress oursel#es and to render our position more Intelligable 7e will ta/e the Similitude of a (ens ;gg In the which subsists the substantial form, putrefaction, without the &ccidental form, that is to say a mixture of red and white by the particular power of an Internal and natural heat

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wor/ing therein $ut although the ;gg be the matter of the "hic/en the form notwithstanding is neither substantually nor accidently compri4ed therein but only potentially !or putrefaction which is the principal of all generation is indured by this means and with the assistance of an outward heat according to the %axime which says: (eat wor/ing in moisture bringeth first blac/ness and after wor/ing upon dryness promotes whiteness ;#en so it is in the natural matter of the Stone in the which consists neither the Substantual, nor accidental form without putrefaction or decoction which brings it to be in power, which it is afterwards in effect, now it rests to demonstrate and shew of so habitude this Putrefaction is that is so necessary to gen. eration and from whom it hath its original "orruption or putre. faction are sometimes engendered by an optomium heat it being put in some certainly hot place, or by the warmth which is drawn from something that hath moisture in it, this putrefaction is li/ewise made of a superf.lnous coldness when natural heat decays and is dispersed wea/ening and corrupting by an o#er.abounding coldness which is properly called pri#ation where natural heat abandons the thing and such a "orruption is assuredly made in things that are cold and moist Philosophers spea/ not at all of this /ind of putrefaction, but of corruption which is no other thing then humidity in Siccity by the means whereof all dry things come to be dissol#ed, 3oining the fire with the water as T9;VIS&1 saith to return to resume their first being upon which they pretend soon after according to the property of their nature to arri#e to the preference of their final form In this "orruption the moistness it self, with the dry +which notwithstanding is not so dry- but by the moisture is /ept by intermingling it self with that which is dry &nd therefore it may more properly be made an Impression of Spirits or a Plain "ongealation of matters $ut when the moist comes to disunite itself and ma/e an intire Separation from the dry we must instantly

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withdraw the dry part and reduce it into &shes So the Philo. sophers intend that their corruption, dryness, disruption or dissolution, and "alcination be done in such sort as the natural moisture and dryness do re3oice themsel#es, dissol#e and reunite together by an abundance of moisture and dryness and by an e0ual proportion of temperature to the ;nd that with great facility superfluous and corruptible things may be drawn and #apoured away as unprofitable and sootie ;xcrements 1either more nor less then as the meat ta/en into the Stomach, assimulates properly and conducts itself into the Substance of the nature it is nourished when it is seasoned by a digestion and laudable concoction, and when by the proportion, and digestion made in the Ventricle she draws unto her self a Plain substantial and con#enient humidity 1ow by the means of this radical humour, nature is conser#ed and augmented, their sootie and superfluous parts o#er abounding, as a corrupted Sulphur being re3ected from them $ut it is remar/able that anyone of their parts will be nourished according to the property of his nature, in the which he re3oyceth and desires there to remain and to conser#e his indi#idual in the same Species which we ought also as well to understand of this Stone of wisemen as of the human body which changes into the purity of his substance the inferiour form though of a different condition by the means of this natural and well tempered fire which is the true go#ernour and the only guide of our great %ystery as it is said, %inor Ignus omnia tent The less fire grinds all things This radical moisture is the Pilot that orders all those di#erse natures to li#e peaceably together and of #arious contrarie <ualities, and of differing discords compasses an excellent harmony of &greement by the Industry of a necessary concoction and a moist heat which doth actuate an e0ual proportion upon their metalline $odys

H5

The $ody alters all into his proper /ind On what so ere it feeds it nourishment doth find So doth our &rtifice imperfect metals raise &s they are e0ualled unto 6old and stand as strongest &ssayes

The Second Treatise 9epresenting the 7or/ of the Philosophers by two !igures

(ere was placed the !igure: & Sun in a Shield with a mantle, (elment and "rown upon it: The "rest was li/ewise a Sun

It is necessary saith %O9I;1 that our operation and the &rt whereof we desire at this present to intreate, are di#i#ed into 5 principal doctrines, the extremes and the means whereof are strictly tyed together so adhering the one to the other and with such a reciprocal interchange to the immediate and of the first lin/ itself with an indi#isible chain to the beginning of the last and do mutually surround one another the cast being lo#ingly pro#o/ed to the In#itation of the self same actions the which may be obser#ed and seriously considered in the precedent pattern of her that hath gone before and then is the mastery entirely done and perfected $ut they cannot possibly accomodate themsel#es

H: in any other $ody then their own proper matter 1ow the better to concei#e and understand more assurdly, it is necessary in the first place to note the 1ature according to 6;$;9 assines out of the first ;ssence of metals composed of %ercury and Sulphur which opinion is seconded by the &uthority of !;99&9I*S in his <uestions of &lchemy, 5?th "hapter, where he saith that nature proceeds from the Original and Pure ;ssence of metallic/

nature the which in the fire becomes a putrefying water which she mingles with a Stone #ery white and subtile rendering and resol#ing it as it were into a broth and certain Vapour raised out of the #eins of the ;arth, the which she doth churn by force of a continual motion to ma/e her digestion, and doth #apour together with e0ual moisture and dryness uniting and coagulating themsel#es in such sort as from them is produced a slimy Substance which we commonly call %;9"*9B or <*I"JSI'V;9: The which is no other thing then the Spring.head or first matter of %etals as we ha#e heretofore affirmed &nd further the same &uthor testifies to us in his 5@th "hapter, that those that will set as far as it is lawfull and possible to follow nature must not only help themsel#es with <uic/sil#er only, but with <uic/sil#er and Sulphur both together, the which notwithstanding they must not only mingle but also especially prepared, and season with 7isdom the which prudent nature hath produced and reduced into a perpetual confluxure 1ow so it is the which such a /ind of &rgent Vi#e nature begins her first operation ana finisheth by the way of metals with which she contents her self for the entire perfection of her wor/ she ha#ing thus accomplished that which belonged to her )uty and left the rest to &rt to accomplish the Intention in perfecting the Philosophers Stone, and the absolute framing and forming it to his last period and incomparable 'uster, whereby it is e#ident that we begin the 7or/ where nature hath placed her end and the last glory of her ambition &ll the Philosophers agreeing in

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this Tenent that the true principal of their operation is ta/en from natures last ;nd, which is the Sun of metals and freely do confess that he that pretends any thing in the /nowledge of this business or desires perfectly to reach the height of this natural &rt must absolutely and without doubt begin at the ;nd and "ess. ation of 1ature and where she reposed herself infine ha#ing arri#ed at the period of her Intension contenting herself with the &chi#ement of those ordinary operations 7e must then ta/e the Sulphur and the <uic/sil#er which nature hath brought to a most neat and pure form being accomplished and endowed with a most subtill *nion as none other could so ingeniously prepared by no &rtifice seen, although the nature +as it is said- finally possesses this matter by the formal 6eneration of %etals 1ow this matter thus informed by nature doth conduct the 7or/ to the period of perfection: &nd the &rtifice by this means attaineth the safe Port of his design through the force she whereunto being fitly Imbibed and associated to the same matter, To the which &lchymists add Sol to ma/e him dissol#e, distinguish his ;lements till such time as he hath gotten a nature sub.till and spiritual by the purity of <uic/sil#er and of the nature of Sulphur in which sort that it is become the next approaching matter thereby enabling itself to retain the pure forms of this hidden Stone which matter we call the %;9"*9B of the Philosophers seeing the two abo#e said con3oined and strictly allied each to the other The opinion of &9ISTOT'; repugnes not this but holds conformity as appears by the ad#ice he gi#es to Jing &lexander the 6reat, 7ill you +saith he to him- add 6old to the other precious things wherewith Jings are commonly adorned, richly "rowned to the 7or/ of our Stone I ad#ise you that this %;9"*9B is alone the matter and the only thing to accomplish our Science notwithstanding it be infolded in many di#ersities and ambiguities that #ery few can assure themsel#es to find a safe "onduct

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from the Jing to approach the "enter of this Intricate 'abyrinth without the thread of the fair and fa#ourable &riadine 1ow this obscure di#ersity shadowed with a hundred ambiguities, paths and #eiled with an infinite number of thic/ dar/ "louds is a true touch of the hand of the Philosophers of purpose to mista/e it wisely from the ;yes of the Vulgar So spea/s 9OSI1*S and ;&9'; T9;VS&1, and all the rest with one Voice to this end that e#ery man by the facility of the wor/ should not indifferently reach to so high a degree lest thereby he despise so precious and inestemable a 2ewel ha#ing so easily without difficulty gotten and attained the happy period of our wor/, the perfection of all wor/s, which therefore we call a "ollection as being a multitude of things compounded together and a full representation of all the /inds comprehended in nature Therefore the Philosophers spa/e so dar/ly +sublime the Infer. 3our by con3oining and distilling, ma/e it again ascend and des. cend, drying it without and within- with infinite other sentences intergrated with such ambiguous and (yperbolicial figures which notwithstanding we must plienlerly follow and absolutely accom. plish if we desire to reap the 1otarian fruits of our golden ;arth &lthough it seems that &'P(I)I*S doth in some sort oppose him. self to this in these terms +we must /now, saith he, that when we dissol#e and congeal, we sublime also, an &lchymist without intermission of time, do by this means con3oin and purify our 7or/- and more clearly yet in this which follows +when the $ody hath cast into 7ater and when it begins to calcine it, then all incontinently corrupted becomes blac/ shadowed and obscured, after this hath #anished, he shall be li/e 'ime which sublimed and exalts it self being thus sublimed and dissol#ed with the Spirit, he putrifies himself, which is a principal or original most worthy to be compared to all the things of this *ni#erse which ha#e life, Soul or Spirit or none be they %ineral, animal

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or Vegetable ;lements or their composition, things cold or hot, and briefly which good things may be found, yea, in earth or hea#en is contained or may be apprehended in the possibility of our &rt These two )octrines abo#e mentioned signify +according to Philosophers- this blac/ woman and obscure which ser#es as a Jey to all the wor/ which must bear that these rules in our Stone that is to say in blac/ness, the assured foundation of all the buildings, or else this man which is the form of our matter, which we compare #ery properly to the Sun This may well suffice for the Introduction of the first )ocument of this &rt The Second !igure & high roc/y mountain, which 5 men are brea/ing the earth with Pic/.axes, at the bottom of which a 9i#er runs, with the %oon in it, and after , at a bridge, branching it self 5 ways (ere is declared by many similitudes figurati#e speeches and philosophical interpretations how we must proceed to the final perfection of the 7or/ The Third !igure &n old Philosopher holding in his hand a Vessel half full of the matter

The Third Treatise

The great 6enius of our Science and !ather of the most high

HA and rare Philosophy (;9%;S in a rapture and entertainment of his Spirit upon the operation of this philosophical 7or/ brea/s out into these speeches +this may be termed as it were an end of the world- forasmuch as the (ea#ens and the ;arth seem to bring forth but no man can by this (ea#en and this ;arth, understnad our two precedent )octrines #eiled with so many (yroglyphic/s, many who

ha#e attempted this 'abour ha#e sweat much before they could attain this perfection, which when once they ha#e gotten they oppress with such &inphibological ambiguities and so confused as they cannot be understood by their figurati#e and shadowed similitudes being too obscure for those that thin/ to trace their steps and are desirous to imbrace the same fortune arid be crowned with the same palm seeing they ha#e run +as they thin/- the same race The first Similitude demonstrates unto us that 6od by his great power and infinite bounty hath created this earth all e0ual, fat and fertile without sands, without Stones, without mountains or Valleys, by the influence of the Stars and operation of nature, notwithstanding we now see that it retains nothing of the ancient 'uster, but rather disfigured from his perfection, that hardly can it be /nown to be the same thing it was being outwardly changed into di#erse forms and figures of strong Stone, of high mountains, and deep Valleys, and inwardly into wonderful things, di#erse colours, di#erse minerals, di#erse salts and sundry metals and although those confused and contrary things are found at this present in the bowels of the ;arth, yet proceed they all interiorly from the same first form, then when of a most 'arge, gross profound, and largeness that it had at the beginning it is brought into a grand and #ast 'ustre by help of the continual operation of the Sun the heat thereof being always there conser#ed Vehement, burning and #apourous, mingling itself confusedly e#en to the #ery "enter of this gross mass with the cold and moist which is shut up in the same body from whence some times arise

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cold Vapours cloudy and aierous, which some of the mixture of those 5 contrary regients, from which being stayed, and inclosed within the ;arth in length of time many other #apours do brood so strong that at the last that she is constrained to ma/e way for them to exhale by the opening of the womb, gi#ing unto them +in spight of her power- free passage whereas she would rather ha#e desired to retain them in the natural dens of her most profound "a#es where many of them being gathered pell.mell together in long continuance of time raiseth suddenly upon heapes many parts of the earth in one place by the united force of the ;xhalations and many others in other places Bet notwithstanding the mountains and the #alleys are to some purpose principally it helpeth the earth to a better temperature of the = 0ualities, heat, cold, moist and dry )ecoction in a manner decocted and diminished 1ow in those places we there find the best and purest metals This reason doth mush inforce that in low grounds where the earth is flat and plain there is not so great 0uantity of Vapours nor so many Sulphureous exhalations therefore it is more calm and 0uiet That which is fat and slimy and where the humidity from abo#e drains itself downward, and enters thereinto becomes more tender and soft changing itself into an extreame 7hiteness by the means principally of a drought proceeding from the heat of the Sun which ma/es it more strong more digested and more hardened after a long time $ut a corruptible, frangible sandy earth and which yet being somewhat tender hanging in 6oblets as 6rapes of a Vine is ordinary more wane and by conse0uence ha#ing less nourishment to compact the substance thereof is not so li#ely ha#ing retained little humidity or #igorous nourishment So it becoming more difficult to be digested, it being dissol#ed in the form of 9owls or other ill. composed matter 1ow this earth cannot easily be decocted into Stone if it be not extreemely #apoured and replenished with much humidity $ut it is #ery necessary that with the drying of the water +which

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comes of the Vehement heat and continual burnings of the Sun- The earth be /ept always humid, otherwise this earth should remain brittle and corruptible and would easily fall in pieces That which notwithstanding hath not yet been hardened, fully arid perfectly may at length be brought and decocted into a hard and strong Stone by the continual operation of nature assisted with the heat of the Sun and a long and continual decoction with. out intermission So the fumes and #apours aforesaid Shut up in the pores of the earth and when they come to form with the watery #apours with the substance of some #ery subtill earth digested and well purified by the heat and influence of the Sun, of the other planets and of all the ;lements together, thus may one address and bring to 7or/ <*I"JSI'V;9 $ut for as much as it may contract some hardness by a subtill Inflammation one may well ser#e himself of the Sulphur of the Philosophers and the force and #igour Thereof the great (;9%;S concludes #ery well when he saith, that it shall recei#e the #irtues of the superior and inferior planets and that his force surpasseth and penetrates all other forms, yea e#en to the #ery precious Stone

The !ourth !igure & Tree with $irds in it, to which a young man is climbing by a 'adder: The bottom of the Tree grows out of a "rown and hence also issues a ri#er Two Philosophers stand arid discourse and on the left side of the Tree

&nother Similitude (;9%;S the greatest wor/man and the first %aster of this &rt

5I saith that the water of the &ir which is between the (ea#ens and the ;arth is the life of e#ery thing !or by the means of those two particular and natural 0ualities hot and moist, it unites those two contrary ;lements the water and the fire as necessary mediators to agree those 5 extremes and the hea#en begins to close it self as soon upon the earth as this water is infused from abo#e

as it were with a fruitfull Seed in3ected into the wor/ of her 7omb by which means she hath concei#ed a sweetness as it were of honey and a certain humidity, which causeth it to produce di#erse of colours and fruits from whence there is yet risen reason and ground as it were by a lineal Succession in the trace of their Secret 7ays a tree of admirable height and greatness with a sil#er.li/e body which extends itself 'argely through the places and 0uarters of the world, 7hereupon the $ranches of this Tree di#erse sorts of birds did repose themsel#es &ll which flew towards the day &fterwards there did appear great abundance of !lowers and infinite other rare properties were thereto to be found, for it did also bear di#erse sorts of fruits, whereof the first were as small grains and the other is named of the Philosophers the !oliated ;arth the third was of the most pure 6old intermixed with many fruits necessary for health, warming that which is cold and cooling that which is hot and that which hath contracted an extraordinary interperate, a /ind of excessi#e heat rendring the dry moist and the moist dry Softening that which is hard, and hardening that which is soft, now all these conditions of contrary ;ssences are the most &ssured pilots of the hope of our 7or/, our operations being only a imitation of di#erse natures as it is said The body spirit ma/e the Spirit bodified Jill thou the 0uic/, 0uic/en the which dead doth lie This is the 'oadstone, perfect "ircle upon whose "enter rests

5H

the chief mastery and the beginning of the pretended ;nd of all our &rtifice This %axime being true that the assurance of a good beginning is no small hope to comfortable Spirits who notwithstanding they ha#e embargened themsel#es yet fearing to arrise safely at the "ape of good hope when they see themsel#es incountered with so many contrary 7inds and dangerous 9oc/s they are inforced many times to abandon their underta/ings, to better sailers than themsel#es Bet notwithstanding if we encounter some sweet and precious (alcyon in the midst of our tempest we assure oursel#es to be yet at the 'east in the true course of our Intentions, and by this happy &ugure we begin to /now the 'yon by his Paws, breathing +as one saith- under the hea#y burden of our greatest tra#aills, and bra#ely surmounted by the hopeful &spect of a happy and fa#ourable beginning (e is half way at his 2ourneys end 7hose good beginning was his friend The blac/ /ey of the reciprocall mutations of these di#erse forms opens the "abinet of natural Secrets 7hereby we taste the sweetness and maturity of this fruit of the Isle of "olchos /ept by the wa/ening )ragon and the de#ouring 'yon composed to the pursuite of our 7or/ Our Sacrifices end well to attain 7e must be patient and refuse no pain Salienus spea/s sufficiently of the Variety and di#ersity of this fruit ma/ing also ample mention of an (erb which +according with di#erse others- he calleth 'unary, ha#ing a stal/ far differ. ing from others drawing his root from an earthly metal ruddy in parts, but incompassed with a blac/ colour, or spotted easy to corrupt and to disfigure itself, and being willing to forgo his

55 ordinary force to be more fair and more perfectly reno#ated that changing his might with !lowers in his due time, li/ewise after Se#enty two hours, he incounters with the &ngel of %ercury changing it self into a perfect white of a most pure 'une and again con#erted by a longer and more #iolent decoction into a 6old of such an &lloy as changes into his nature a hundred parts of %ercury Bea a more pure gold then is produced out of any mine in

the whole earth Virgil affirms as much in the @:rd of hus &;neads spea/ing of a tree with golden boughs which he ma/es his Tro3an prince to incounter in his long #oyage & tree of such excellence that whensoe#er any branch of it was cut off, another presently supplied the place succeeding by multiplication his predecessor, or +as the Phoenix- renewing himself out of his own &shes

The !ifth !igure The same !igure as the =th was

The Third Similitude &VI";1 treating of humidity and of all the efforts thereof saith that in the beginning there must appear blac/ness when heat operates upon moist bodies, which is the cause that the ancient Sages without unfolding the ambiguity of their Inigmatical figures declare that they had obser#ed from far, a tempestuous "loud raising it self which in#iroried all the earth and moistened it They say also they ha#e forseen the great tempestuousness of the Sea and the abundant concourse of waters flowing upon the face of the earth in such sort that the form arid the matter destitute of their original #igour and through complete

5:

putrefaction shall seem to threaten with obscure dar/ness, the Jing of the earth, who cries and 'aments with a putifull #oice, and full of compassion (e that shall redeem me from the Ser#itude of this corruption shall li#e with me in perpetual and most happy content and reign gloriously in the spar/ling clear light of my royal Throne e#en far excelling the precious shineing of my golden Scepter The cloudy curtain of the mist shut up his complaint with a charming sleep, but at the brea/ of the day there was seen to arise abo#e the person of the Jing a most resplendent star and the dar/ness being chased away the bright shining Sun appeared in the "louds adorned and beautified with di#erse colours The twin/ling Stars did da44el the sight and there was a perfume passing all the odours of balmes arid out of the earth proceeded a fair translucent light with spar/ling beams, In fine all which might ser#e to gi#e content or delight agreeable to the ma3esty of a great Jing pleased with a rare no#eltie The Sun with his golden rays and the Sil#er moon incompassing this excellent beauty rendered themsel#es admirable to all Spect. ators and this /ing rapt in the contemplation of so sweet pleas. ures made three fair magnificient "rowns to adorn the head of this great beauty, the one of Iron, the other of Sil#er, the third of 6old, he held in his right hand a Sun and A Stars about it, which ga#e a great 'ustre, and in his left a golden apple and upon the which reposed a white pidgeon which nature had also garnished with sil#er and the wings of 6old &9ISTOT'; saith that the "orruption of one thing is the life and generation of another thing which may be understood of the &rt of our %astery and the preparation of corruptible humidities reno#ated by this moist substance aspireing always to more and more perfection and continuation of a much longer life

5=

The Sixth !igure & Jing "rowned, with Scepter in right hand, and a $ird stand. ing on a 6lobe in his left & Jing crowned swimming in a 9i#er The Sun appearing on the top of a %ountain

The Se#enth !igure & "rowned <ueen in a white imbrodered 6arment, with 7ings full of half %oons, and a Star on her "rown & na/ed boy coming out of a brown muddy place

The !ourth Similitude HVI;1&'O*S shews e#idently the necessity and strict commerce the li#ing things ha#e with dead, in these 7ords: I will and loo/ +saith he- that all those that addict themsel#es to our serious study and the desire to follow the same, absolute stop and order those we oursel#es ha#e /ept, the better to obtain their desire, must ta/e such a course that spiritual things may be corporated and corporeal things Spirituali4ed and that by a reciprocal comm. ission and destruction of their first forms to the end to ac0uire a form more excellent ha#ing raised themsel#es from the death of putrefaction much glorious than before, by one only means and light decoction %any other of the best Philosophers being at *nity in this opinion do all agree in these or the li/e words )issol#e and congeal in saying If thou dissol#e the fixt and ma/e it fly &nd fix the bird thou shalt li#e happily

5? Or as the fountain of 'earning 'o#ers says: 'ighten earth gi#e weight to the fire &nd thou hast that which thou canst desire

&s we ha#e heretofore pro#ed by di#erse passages in Imitation of Senior, who in#ites us, as all the rest do to the necessary things of contrary natures The Spirit saith he hath freed the body and by this deli#erance the soul is extracted out of the $ody and after the self same body is reduced into soul, the soul then changing itself into Spirit becomes a new body, for if it remains firm in the body, and that it hath renewed the body with his terrestrial and massi#e grossness spirituali4ed by the operation of this Spirit that is the perfection of our operation &lso if the same happen not to the metalline $odys and if they loose not their first and natural being to resume a greater 'uster and perfection by the 7or/, their first matter being destroyed by "orruption and another introduced by generation, our 'abour and watching is all but #ain and our oil but blown away with the 7ind &n unfortunate man fallen from the Sweet Kephirus of his happy. ness and lighting by doleful disaster, into a most filthy bay. stall, appearing as blac/ as an absolute moore panting and 0uite breathless with much strugling, to free himself, attempting all possible means to sa#e his life and deli#er his fettered body from the Infected prison of this muddy )ungeon, but his too feeble power could not second this #ote of his desire for his release out of this place &nd seeing himself to ha#e in Vain importuned the hea#ens with "ries, to gi#e assistance to his Industry for the disintangling of himself out of this poisonous )en In this misery he had leisure enough to attend the last stro/e

5@

of an exorable death out of all hope of the fa#ourable succour of any bene#elent Soul full of charity that might be drawn to a piteous compassion of his piteous estate resol#ing himself as out of dire constraint sorrowfully to finish the abridgement of his days fatally followed at the heels by the dismall disasters of this unclean and uncomfortable "ondition, then finding e#ery one deaf to his complaints shewing in his behalf hearts harder than a senseless wor/ Of a desired health the hope now being #ain (is hert expecting nought but death to rid his pain To purpose there appears a 'ady young and fair That ga#e her handy help to him in this despaire This 'ady was exceeding beautiful, both of body and face arrayed in most precious apperall of di#ers "olours ha#ing fair white plumes but spec/led as are the peacoc/s which spread themsel#es e0ually upon her bac/ by the industry of a gratious wind and fa#ourable Kephirous the pinions of her 7ings were of pure 6old interlaced with a many fair small grains of Sil#er upon her head +comely supported- she had a most fair "rown of 6old in the highest part whereof there shined a Star of Sil#er &bout her nec/ she had a "recent of 6old 7herein was richly incased a precious 9uby with excellent &rtistry, the true #alue whereof could not ha#e been paid by the whole re#enues of a most puissant Jing She had also upon her feet shoes inbrodered with 6oldsmiths 7or/ and from her proceeded a most fragrant smell of a most sweet and odiferous perfume &s soon as did she percei#e this poor desolate and abandoned 7retch with a 2oyfull countenance and amiable &spect she offered her hand and relie#ed his extream feebleness, now so destitute of his former strength that he could no more support himself or sustain his wea/ body, from sin/ing to the earth in this eminent

5A

peril of life not expecting or relying upon any thing sa#e the old pro#erb: 1ullam sperare Salutem This 'ady seeing the feebleness of this 'anguishing 7retch ad#ances herself towards him and graciously drawing him unto her of the infection she 7ashes him neatly and presents him with a fair robe of purple and carries him with her to hea#en S;1IO9 intreating of the same sub3ect spea/s ali/e or more clearly there is +saith he- a certain thing which is no more mortal being once re#i#ed and renewed by multiplication The ;ighth !igure & Jing stands upon the Sun and the Sun upon his "rown, his Scepter being wrapt in a Scrowle & <ueen stands on a half %oon, and the full %oon on her head with a Scrowle in her left hand

The !ifth Similitude The Philosophers to lea#e nothing unmentioned which they might honestly disco#er of this &rt, do attribute unto it two bodies, #i4 The Sun, and the %oon, which they call earth and water, these two bodys are also called man and woman, the which ingender four "hildren, two little males which they call heat and cold and two little females, dryness and moisture, out of these four 0ualities proceedeth a 0uentessence which is the white %agnesia which doth not carry any face of falsity, and Senior pursuing more at 'arge the same figure concluding in this manner when saith he, these fi#e are come together and are con3oined in one,

5C the 1atural Stone is then made of all these e0ual mixtures which is called )I&1& &VI"I1 to the same purpose saith that if we can arri#e to this fifth thing we shall obtain that which all the &uthors call the Soul of the 7orld The philosophers under the bar/ of this similitude expound unto us the model and #erity of their essence by the demonstration of an ;gg because in the whole substance composed and 3oined together, the first of which is the

Shell, signifying the earth, and the white is the 7ater $ut the s/in which is between the 7hite and the Shell is the &ir which di#ides the earth and the 7ater, the Bol/ is the fire wrapped up in a most delicate film which is the most subtil &ir, the which is the most interiour of the most subtile, for it is of near nature and &ffinity than the fire repulsing the fire and the 7ater, into the midst of the yol/, which is the 0uintessential matter of the which is formed and ingendered the "hic/en that afterwards doth increase and grow, so which an ;gg is all the force and #igour together which the matter the which nature ta/eth to accomplish and perfect her operation, So is it li/ewise necessary that all these be found in perfection in this our operation

The 1inth !igure & body with two heads, the right yellow and left white, and both young faces, with wings, the right red, the left white, in $lac/ clothes, and something li/e a platter in his right hand

The Sixth Similitude The discourse of the most discreete are altogether ambiguous

5F

always intermingling their grand 7ritings with some /ind of ob. scurity each of them so well understanding the other by this /ind of discourse, sto that the Secret is rio more di#ulged by the latter then by the former &s appears by 9OSI1*S conformable in the point to the old Philosophers in the ;xplanation of his &enigma, concerning this matter saying that by the face which he had seen of a dead person mutalated in many pieces his body and all his limbs di#ided the one from the other $ut the trun/ of the body as yet whole, appeared as 7hite as Salt, the head being separated from the other members, was of find 6old near unto which there was a man of #ery great blac/ness, and was composed of his limbs, of a gastly "ountenance and a hideous &spect, who stood upright, his face turned towards the dead "orpse, in his right hand a two.edged sword imbedded in blood, in the effusion whereof +li/e a syrup & clear- he too/ his chief delight, and his most pleasant Sport, was to commit willfull murder and to put all manner of persons to #iolent death e#en in cold blood In his left hand was a scrowle containing these sayings: I ha#e murdered thee and cut thy body in pieces to the end so beautify thee and to ma/e thee li#e a longer and happier life then thou did before did8st death conspiring against thee by the ;dge of this my Sword $ut I will hide thy head that thou maist not be /nown of men and that they may not see that in the same ;0uipage of mortality thou wert before, I will mingle all thy members in an earthen Vessel, where being buried and in a small time brought to "orruption that hou maist be again re#i#ed and multiplied so to produce and being forth better fruits

The Tenth !igure & man with a blac/ face, with a sword on his right hand,

:I

ha#ing cut off the legs, &rms and (ead of a %an, from the trun/, the head +being of gold- he holds in his left hand & 9i#er running by him, at the far end a ship, and se#eral persons on the Shore loo/ing after it

The Se#enth Similitude The 7or/s of O#id that excellent Poet and grand Philosopher perswadeth us to esteem well of his 3udgement and true /nowledge and great experience he had of the miraculous effort of our %agnesia declaring to us the prudent wisdom of those &ncient Sages being desirous to reno#ate their sliding and decaying age, how ingeneously they did arm themsel#es with a so#eraigne &ntidote and "ounter poison at the in#enomed darts of the fierce ;umenides, the cruel plagues of life, sic/ness, and old age, and being carefull of the "onser#ation of man/ind de#ised a way by the #oluntary dismembering of their $odies but cutting them in pieces, to ha#e them boiled to a perfect arid sufficient decoction, thereby to change the feeble "onstitution of their aged bodies to its former natural estate of youth and #igour ma/ing themsel#es by dying to resurge more strong and healthfull and by dis3ointing their 'imbs to reunite and /nit them more strong, and firmly together 7hat is that property of that nature that doth bring to pass this operation

The !ourth Treatise The Prince of the Peripatetic/e Philosophy and great In0uisitor of natural Secrets and curiosities saith in his boo/ of 6eneration

:H

and "orruption that man and Seed produceth man, it being most plain that e#ery thing Ingenders his li/e by the animated force and particular secret of e#ery Seed which gi#e e#ery 'i#ing form in se#eral ;ssences by di#erse and sundry means but principally by the operation and temperate heat of the Sun, without whose infused &ids, and immediate assistance this operation could not shew its effect The most regular Philosophers following the perfect pattern of wise nature, are constrained to beg her succour and fa#our to their designs in the research of their 7or/ which cannot be done without the mutual borrowed &ide of nature & &rt Perfect in all points no one thing is found *nless it ta/e some help from other grounds So saith nature to &rt in her "omplaints If thou help me I will thy wor/ assist If either fail the other all is mist !or if the &rtist second not the )esign of nature +although she be now so full of good intention- yet cannot she bring to the perfect 'ight, nor raise them to the highest of their absolute perfection without their pain, patience and dilligence 1either can all our &rtifice at all perfect in those #ain Searches, but remain unfruitfull and unfittable without we ha#e the fa#ourable &ssistance of 1ature This plainly appears unto us that they are always to mutually aid one another and that our &rt ought to go#ern the heat by the temperature of the Sun .to produce this Stone $ut the ;#ent and good success of all these things ought to be extracted by our Sage Imitators in se#en se#eral manners which doth open us the door gra.tiously to induct us to the full understanding of the perfect heats

:5

The ;le#enth !igure & man stands in a "auldren with a $ird upon his head & young man bloweth the fire under it, at the bottom, a passage for the li0uor to run into a 6lass

!irst we must of necessity practise such a /ind of heat as may mollifie and melt the hardness of the earth, seething together the gross and the hard by a temperate fire of "orruption which is the beginning of all the 7or/, confirmed by the best &uthors If it be not putrefyed it can neither dissol#e nor melt and if it be not dissol#ed it comes to nothing saith %O9I;1 and P'&TO 1ote that without corruption there can be no putrefaction Therefore saith he to attain to putrefaction must be the principal &im of all our intentions &ccordingly the same philosopher declares that he had ne#er seen any li#ing "reature bred without putrefaction and *rging it farther in #ain were the 7or/ of &lchemy without you did first putrefy P&9&%;1I);S also exclaims the same in these 7ords: If the body be not destroyed, demolished, all rotted and totally corrupted by putrefaction the hidden and secret #irtue of the matter could ne#er be drawn out, nor perfectly con3oined to the $ody The great 9osary maintains the same opinion to be most assured and infalliable as appears in this metaphorical figure 7e hold saith he for a most true %&LI%; that the head of our &rt is a "row flying, without 7ings in the obscurity of the night as well as in the light of the day $ut by some means this must be done, SO"9&T;S gi#es us #ery good ad#ice spea/ing .thus of the first heat agreeable to corruption The Vents and little holes which are the breathing places, and pores of the earth shall open and dissol#es to the end she may retain into herself the force and #igour as well of the fire as of the waters

::

The Twelfth !igure Three $irds in a Vessel, one blac/ falling on his bac/, another white, and another red, both pec/ing at the blac/ one, arid he at them The Vessel standing as it were upon beams, round at the top, and flames persuing throughout Secondly by such a heat is necessary for us by the #irtue whereof the dar/ness may be expulsed from the earth according to the pro#erb of S;1IO9, heat saith he ma/es all things 7hite and all 7hite things do afterwards become red The 7ater li/ewise by his Virtue brings 7hiteness which the fire shortly after illuminates $ut the "enter doth then peirce and shines through the subtili4ed earth li/e a 9uby by the ting. ing Spirit of the fire, to the which also agrees the &uthority of SO"9&T;S: 9e3oyce thy heart when thou seest an admirable light Issue from dar/ obscurity

The Thirteenth !igure & 6riffon in a Vessel, and a na/ed boy blowing into his mouth with a pair of $ellows 9ound the bottom of the Vessel $eams The Vessel "rowned and flames issuing out of it Thirdly heat rightly disposed directs e#ery thing in the height of his perfection by the Secret force, with the which she animates $odies by the means of their "orruption !or which "ause %O9I;1 saith that nothing animates itself, but after putrefaction and that all the force of the %astery a#ails not if this "orruption do not preceede as it is assuredly affirmed to us by the Turba Philosophorum, who by a common consent attribute to this heat the 2urisdiction and power to animate bodies in gi#ing them

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a li#ing essence after this Putrefaction to fill with waterish humours that which was formerly firm and solid, or other 'i/e, or contrary operations because heat continues this properly both to fix and to resol#e and here lyeth the /not of the business In which absolutely consists the perfection of the 7or/man Therefore ought we to lay fast hold in this assured precept that rather to get the comfortable hope of being able to attain the precious pri4e and expected Salary of our blac/ earth, the dissol#ed, and congealed, so often remembered by the best &uthors and etc and so often repeated by us It is no small matter to /now the fire that causeth this putrefaction and many other di#erse and fair ;ffects, upon which the entrance and conclusion of our Saturne wholly depends If thou this wor/ will speedily conclude %a/e the fixt fly, soften the hard and rude $ecause the essence of this %astery ta/es his force from con. trary 0ualities perfectly united 9&SIS in his Treatise of 'ights affirms as much spea/ing of the necessity of this metalline mixture 1o man saith he can reduce a hea#y thing to 'ightness without the help of a thing that is light, no more then he can transmute a light thing into a hea#y, without the Intermission of a hea#y $ody The !ourteeneth !igure & 6riffon with 5 heads inclosed in the Vessel "rowned at the top and stopped The Vessel

!ourthly heat purifies, dri#ing from his heat the least ob3ect of Impurity, "&'I) says we must waste the matter with a hot fire,

:? if we will ma/e an apparent mutation we must also /now that the minerals 3oined and /nit together easily depart from their first habitation by the recipical communication of their proper in. fluence by the infusion e0ually disposed through the total mass of their community dispoiling themsel#es of a particular Vestment, to ma/e a 7hite, after an e0ual proportion and measure to all the mineral substance so 0uitting their e#il infected sa#our by means

of our renewed ;lixir Of which (;9%;S treats #ery well to the purpose saying that it is most necessary to separate the 6ross from the Subtill, the earth from the fire, the thic/ from the thin &nd it is #ery moot for me to report in this place the conceit of &'P(B)I*S in his Treatise which contradicts not in any thing that we ha#e spo/en Bou shall /now by exact reading of his learned writings the same ad#ice gi#en by so many renowned &uthors which brought us out of doubt in this way: The earth saith he melteth itself as a water out of which proceeds a fire, yea for the earth contains in itself a fire, as the &ir is contained in the 7ater 9&SIS also ad#iseth us that a certain &rtifice ought to preceed the perfect operation, which we fitly call mundification because we must resol#e, to ma/e the matter more tractable and that it be reduced to 7ater which is supple and principle of all things, for of water all things are made, the which is done only by Putrefaction, for which the beginning of this mundification and may get an assured prognostic/ of the success of this Stone of the Sages, If the filthy and deformed parts, li/e ;xcrements hurtfull and superfluous to the purity of this fair wor/, be entirely separated and excluded The !ifteenth !igure &n ;agle with 3 heads "rowned in a Vessel stands upon lea#es +beams>!lames The top of the Vessel crowned out of which issues

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!ilthy heat is ele#ated by the Virtue of the fire and the hidden spirit of the earth is returned into &ir as (;9%;S saith in the Smaragdine Table, in these words, it gently ascends, from earth to (ea#en, and again descends from (ea#en to earth, so obtaining the #irtue of both and a power abo#e e#ery power and in another place subtili4e the gross, arid ma/e the subtil gross, and thou shalt ha#e the glory of the 7orld 9IP';B in his H5 6ates says the same in another figure 6ate Three 9aise saith he the birds out of their nest &nd then again return them to their rest

7hich is only to draw the Spirit from the earth, and return it thither again, and to this purpose say the Philosophers that they ac/nowledge him for a %aster of this Science that /nows how to draw light from out of obscurity %O9I;1 falling upon the same point +to whose sweet "oncordance we strain and tune all our harmony- composed from the brains of so many Sundry and transcending agreeing Spirits concluding it for an absolute truth: (e that can gi#e Solace to the Soul by drawing it out of Putrefaction /nows the greatest Secret of this %ystery, herein &'P(I)I*S agrees, cause saith he this #apour to ascend else you effect nothing The Sixteenth !igure & Peacoc/ with a spread Tail in a Vessel, corwned at the Top and Stopped Sixthly that when the heat is so much multiplied in the earth

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that the strongest parts be reduced and united together, and rendered more #olatile, surpassing Impurity and all the other ;lements $ut this heat must only be augmented, to the e0uality and proportion of the coldness of the Swan +>- "&'I)S words do proud what we say, extinguish saith he the fire of one thing with the coldness of the other things, yet ad#isedly, let this coldness exceed the natural heat, but one only degree for fear of an intire Suffocation as 9aymond testifies in the Theory of his Testament The Se#enteenth !igure & <ueen "rowned, +with a 6lobe in her right hand, and Scepter in her left, standing upon a half moon, with a 9ay round about her body- in the Vessel, the top crowned and flames issuing out thereof

&nd se#enthly heat mortifies the cold earth to the which the saying of SO"9&T;S doth well agree, in these words, then when the heat penetrates it doth cause those things that are gross, and terrestrial to become subtile, and spiritual accomodating themsel#es to the matter rather than to the final form, contin. ually wor/ing by means of the aforesaid heat &nd this is the which the Philosophers mean when canidly they spea/ of distilling 7 times, understanding by 7 "olours, applying by the continual decoction in one only Vessel without once touching the same lending all to nature which separates and mingles them together according to her own ballance and not ours The ;ighteenth !igure & Jing "rowned in the Vessel stands upon a half moon re#erse, with a Scepter in his right hand, and a 6lobe in his left, the top crowned and stopped :C &ctor in the fourth of his Problems gi#es us another Instruction fittingly to temper and go#ern the heat of the fire necessary to the operation in these terms, than which the Sun is restrained which is as much as debilitated and returned into his first matter he shews the first degree which is unto us a true sign of infirmity, principally because of the deminuition of his natural heat, being then in his blac/ness, then is a way by the breath of

the 'yon, to corrupt this first natural heat, augmenting it to a burning fire more digesting then common fire and this excessi#e &rdour demonstrates the second degree, which proceeds from the admirable great heat of the fire, whereby we understand Putrefaction which is the pri#ation of the !orm &nd again a Plain other positure of the &ir of the :rd degree follows at the heels of the two others not burning but of temperate 0uality with a modiorcity of &ir, and order more regular and changes all Violence into a tran0uility, here you may behold the true means to gi#e an ;nd to the the 7or/ and an assured beaten path, to the culture of the hopefull Vine and the achie#ing which good success the "omfort of a )elicious &ir of health and prosperity The !ifth Treatise The 7hole Operation compri4ed in four brief &rticles, easy to be understood

The !irst &rticle The first step established by the true &lchymists to mount the golden Scale of our happy wor/ is called by the most expert in this (ermetical &rt Solution, which re0uires +according to nature itself- that the body should be boiled till it comes to perfect decoction &ll our %astery being no other thing than boiling

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Seeth, Seeth, and again Seeth and let it not seem tedious unto thee for the more thou seethest the more thou dissol#est, the more thou seethest the more thou whitenest, the more thou seethest, the more thou reddest In fine decoct at the beginning, decoct at the middle, and decoct in the ;nd, Seeing this &rt consists in nothing but decoction $ut the decoction of thy material must be perfected in one only water that is in our <uic/sil#er which ser#es us as the matter and in one only Sulphur which is the form (ereby we must clearly understand that the #ital Sil#er which clea#es itself, doth firmly adhere and is annexed to the dissol#. ing Sulphur 2oin the dry with the moist and then hath the %astery, con#ert water into fire and the dry into moist In brief the ;lements one into another, and you ha#e a firm passage unto all that your heart can desire in this &rt "on#erte ;lementa and 0uod 0uaris in#enies The best understandeth perfectly all happiness to be at your disposing if you /now the means to 3oin %ercury and Sulphur to. gether 1ow this Solution is no other thing in a plain order incon3oining humidity with dryness properly called Putrefaction, which it totally corrupts the matter and brings it to blac/ness %O9I;1 attributes to it the same effect upon the same near Putre. faction, wherein we comfort our hopes in the 7or/, this being the /ey that opens all the 'oc/s of the #ery (ea#en of the Philo. sophers, If it be not +saith he- putrified and blac/ it will not dissol#e and if it dissol#e not the water cannot pierce through all the body as it ought necessarily, nor penetrate nor blanch It must therefore dye to re#i#e as the grain of "orn which neither germinates nor bringeth forth profit, if first it do not well dye altogether The 1ineteeneth !igure Two women beating and raceing "lopex near a fountain

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The Second &rticle The second step is called "oagulation which notwithstanding may be said to be one and the same thing with Solution wor/ing the same effects The difference that is between them is only caused by a small and almost insensible distance in the perfecting the mutation of the first ;ssences into di#erse natures 0ualified, which di#erse names only to oppose the confusion of the first Intentions, and utterly to depri#e the Ignorant from apprehending the Secret, and to lead the "hildren of &rt by the hand to the true understanding of the same This "oagulation then doth again reno#ate the water in the $ody, for in congealing it dissol#es, and in dissol#ing it congeals, to shew us that the <uic/ Sil#er which is the dissolution of the %etallic/ Sulphur and +which he draws unto himself thereby to be congealed- desires again to be re3oined to the radical humidity of this Sulphur and this Sulphur as greedily see/s to be again con3oined to his %ercury by which reciprocal amity it is easily percei#ed that the one cannot li#e without the other, imbracing amiably the other as being indeed one only nature as most learnedly is published by "&'I) under the name of all the Philosophers, in his boo/ of the Secrets of &lchemy, saying: 1ature re3oiceth in 1ature, nature o#ercomes nature, nature retaineth nature, nature whiteneth nature, and nature rubifies and afterwards he addeth, 6eneration is fixed with 6eneration, and 6eneration is #irtuous with 6eneration $y good right then say we that our %ercury see/s always the fellowship of the Sulphur to ser#e him as his formed from whom he had before him separated with so many unutterable signs and tears as not being able to suffer the dissolution of two so perfect 'o#ers, for this Sulphur which is the form of %ercury ma/es him return again to him, drawing him from the water of the earth as soon as they are disunited, to the end that of this body composed of matter

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which is %ercury and of form which is Sulphur, we may extract a perfect essence in the which are to be seen a happy di#ersitie of "olours because the property of the 7or/ing things no sooner begins to alter, but the pure conduit and ex0uisite achie#ement of li#ing and animated things wisely go#erned and learnedly disposed, by the head and hands of the expert who ha#e already guided the ;lements It being no small matter to find a good Pilot that can securely tra#el in these Seas although he be pro#ided of an able Vessel that is to say wor/ing upon the true matter, and /nowledge, or else the 0uantities and 0ualities of the operation of things, because that in Solution the G%ercury is become the &gent, whereas in "oagulation, it is the patient of the operation which happens &nd here we may oursel#es apprehend that this Science if fitly compared to the Sport of little "hildren for only &rt is called play, but principally that of 'etters which is called '*)&S 'IT;9&9*% In the which the best Spirits ta/e greatest pleasure and the 'earned as much content as "hildren delights in fri#olous pastimes, not apprehending the least Incon#enience, as this present figure represents unto us The Twentieth !igure The boys play, and riding on a (oby.horse, another scourging a Top, and a girl dancing and leaping between them

The Third &rticle The third degree of the 1aturalists is Sublimation, by which the gross and massie earth changes it self into his contrary which is humidity and then may it easily be distilled, after it hath encompassed this "ondition for as soon as the water is

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reduced and brought to influxtion into his proper earth it begins then to retain the 0uality of the &ir lifting up itself by little and 'ittle, and puffing up the earth, /ept till then in 0uiet repose by the thirsty siccity li/e a compact body and much pressed together the which ne#ertheless resumes there his Spirits and extends himself more 'argely by the Influence of the humour wherewith he is imbibed and entertains himself by the Infusion in this Solid $ody in form of a porous "loud, and li/e to the 7ater that swims in the upper part of a ;gg that is to say the Soul of the <uintessence which we naturally call Tincture, !erment, Soul, Oil, because it is the matter most necessary and in the nearest degree to the Stone of the 7ise men, for as much as by this Sublimation, cinders are produced the which perfectly +but abo#e all by the &ssistance of 6od, without whose fa#our nothing pro#es fortunate- arrogates to himself the limits and measures of the fire in which it is inclosed as it were with natural compeers firmly shut up: 9ipley in the same sence agrees with us, saying, ma/e fire in thy glass, within +#i4 - in the earth, where the natural fire is inclosed This brief method whereof we ha#e gi#en you liberal instruction, seems unto me to be the shortest way and the true philosophical sublimation to reach to the perfection of this grand and rare labour, aptly to the purpose compared for the purity and admirable "andor thereof, to the ordinary business of women which is their 'aundry which hath this property to ma/e things infinitely white, which before appeared to be sluttish and foul as by this figure you may perfectly percei#e $ut I must also ad#ise you that I am not alone in this &llusion, there being nothing so common in the best &uthors, as to call it womans wor/, arid childrens play "hildren using continually to be mire and be soiled in the ordure of their ;xcrements which represents unto us this blac/ness drawn out of the proper natural mixtures of our mineral body without any other operation or &rtistry then of his fire, hot and moist

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digestion, and #aporous, the which blac/ness and putrefaction, is afterwards cleansed by the 7hiteness that comes to ta/e place ma/ing the house neat and clean from all former Imperfections with the same lye and clear 7ater the woman ta/es to wash the "hild and purify him for his more intire preser#ation The Twenty.first !igure & Sun rising behind the Top of a %ountain, & man going towards it, and by him runs a 9i#er

The !ourth &rticle This last of our &rticles ad#erti4eth the reader that the water should be separated and di#ided from the ;arth and afterwards re3oined again to the end that these two bodies being straightly united may again be one homogeneal thing, and so firmly and fast /nit together, that no more they may be any separation Such must also be the intention of the wor/man, otherwise his 'abour #ainly underta/en will now come to an end but remaining always in an estate in li/e to lea#e nothing to the &rtist but a care.full and mournefull remorse to find themsel#es the Ser#ants of Ignorance in not being able to reduce this wor/ into the natural union of a body composed of di#erse things, and differing in 0uality of the which necessarily he must ser#e himself to the raising of this rare edifice 1either more or less than the wise &rchitect that frames a building of di#erse materials, whose Idea notwithstanding the Varieties aims at one only end, a pallace or a house and structure of di#erse parts stedfastly united in one body composed of di#erse Instruments Then the which may be said of our "omposition and of the proportiom

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thereon to be obser#ed, is succinetly compri4ed in the brief method of these four precedent &rticles without otherwise In. tricating the Spirits almost already ama4ed and confounded with the Intricate paths, doubtfull stops and hyperbolical discourses of so many &uthors, which spea/ of it but mistically in such art as they draw into ;rror, such as are less ad#ised, under the doubtfull #eil of so many obscurities, and cause them to run headlong into the *nbottomed Pit, as soon as the Shining Sun illuminates with his rays some part of the Superficies, so that ha#ing already promised to themsel#es so many 6olden mountains upon this smiling fortune following then all panting and out of breath, their business thin/ing to surprise and snatch the %oon in their teeth, whereof they are dri#en to repent of the sun light of their inconsiderate rashness, Od3 pupillos praecocis Ingeng 1o man doth err so much in heat or cold as doth the &rtist, that is rash or bold Patience is a fair guide to bring a man to the end of the most hard &ttempts, for most in re0uest are the things most difficult This is the cause that T*9$& bids us so often be diligent and patient, and not to be offended, with the tediousness &nd &*6*9;'': Patience will be thy true and faithfull guide "onsule with her and thou shalt ne#er slide The Twenty.second !igure & full %oon rising at the top of a mountain, the lower part of her face ruddy, the top part white

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Of the Order and 9egiment of the !ire &fter all these &rticles we are to treat of the true manner, well and methodically to go#ern the fire in the due proportion of his degrees, the /nowledge whereof is to us so necessary, that without this Science all our operations shall pro#e but unprofitable !or although we are assured of the right choice of the matter arid so also understand the means to sow it in the proper earth, yet all is nothing (e that wants one thing wanteth all the rest Our fire un/nown, our hope is 0uite disperst &s the least Vice, or defect breeds more disgrace to the most generous Spirit then all his #irtues can gi#e him praise and reputation and therefore Mtis premptorily spo/en of The wise In0uisitor must doubt of nought &ll that he wants stands ready in his thought One regimen of fire ma/es perfect all, 6uiding your feet so you cannot fall That is the faithfull &gent must dispose The wor/ from the beginning to the "lose (e is the 6uardian of our "ittadell &nd sa#es his Jing by standing Sentenal PO1T&1*S gi#es us good instruction to this purpose, in an ;pistle of his, ma/ing us happy by his mishaps +if other mens faults may be our warnings- who by his own defect was carried 0uite out of the light of his designs being not able to ad#ance his 7or/ beyond the beginning in two hundred times that he had appempted it, notwithstanding that his building was raised upon a due and

=@ true foundation This Ignorance cost him deere both in time and expence, and bred much repentence though he were guarded with all the patience that is re0uired $ut the natural fire necessary to this fair business, gi#ing him no &ssistance he was disappointed of his expected desires so often as he persisted in his former

"ourse, much power hath %;9"*9B the father of the family instruct. ing and go#erning this rich Vessel much might here be discussed but our pen hath not permission to write plainer, when a thing is adressed to heat it ought to be in such a manner as there may not be any percei#eable motion at all, but only an insensible change of his natural order, agreeable to the Sun, whose heat we ought especially to Imitate, which is as much as if we should say unto you that a terrestrial thing without Spirit, may be animated by the means of a natural heat, conformable to that of the Sun and %oon, not excessi#e or scorching but only moderate and according with a well tempered body 1ow of what /ind of 0ualities these two principal "elestial 'uminaries be, S;1IO9 shews unto us when he says, that the Sun is of a moderate heat, and the %oon cold and moist, but as less perfect she mounts up desirous of better state, and borrowing from the more noble party, that which she wanteth, until in the end she appeareth of as much Vigour and #irtue as he had that fa#ourably communicated to her, So that soon after they both put e0uil &gents, upon $odys with their "elestial influence and do abundantly replenish them with their fain Illuminated motion as heat and moisture, cause generation they are therefore most necessary to our design, as all &uthors affirm upon which !'&%;'' grounding himself in his Philosophical Summary: DThat heat and this humidity is nourishment in Verity, To all things this world brings forth (a#ing 'ife much or little worth, &s %inerals and Vegetables Bea animals and rationals,

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This heat is no burnt "oal or 7ood They do much hurt, but little good They are too full of #iolence 1ot nourishing but breed offence $ut it must be a warming heat 7herein /ind moisture hath his seat, 'i/e to the Sun that comforts all ;lse will your comfort be but small E Thus we ha#e sufficiently declared the %astery of the &ncients how by the reno#ation of these two means, we hope to obtain the glittering beams of the radiant Sun coming to refresh his amourous ardour in the Sil#er $osome of the depurated %oon, from whence we shall see the issue, a thousand little Suns, that is to say, infinite and which may be multiplied without end or number This being now the Stone of the Sages Scala Philosophorum to ad#ance this excellent /nowledge intirely describes what should be the fire of our %astery and with what temperature the Soul of the Philosophers would be intertained 7e will produce as by the way some di#ersities of opinions, It is well said in the place abo#e mentioned that the heat or fire re0uisite to this wor/ is comprised in one only form but it is too successi#ely spo/en, because: 7hen I would use in &rt a brie#ity The sence is lost in my obscurity 7e will therefore clear oursel#es of this doubt in spea/ing plainly that some of the Turba will that the heat of the first address, or regiment, should in some sort ha#e relation to the heat of a hatching (en, others will ha#e it resemble the heat of a human body, e#en such as the perfect coction or digestion of meat in the Stomach changing into the substance of the body =C the necessary 0uantity of the nourishing thing Others will ha#e it e0ual to the heat of the Sun which +according to the ob3ect wherewith it incounters- produces contrary effects although inalterable in his own nature, as doth our Stone aforesaid which without any 'abour is brought to perfection, changing his first

being and suffering himself to die that he may again re#i#e by the aid of that which caused his death $ecause the fire of the Philosophers retains the effects of the Scorpion which carrys in himself 'ife and )eath, /illing by his Poison and being applied to the 7ound becomes a so#erigne sal#e The too #iolent fire ruins that which it encounters, the moderate refreshes and insensibly comforts that which he would help and relie#e with his humidity as "alid says the 'esser fire grinds all things, and this is the hopefull means of a praisworthy end, from the beginning of the interprised 7or/, to minister a temperate heat that which without burning penetrates #igoursly into the entrails of his massi#e body that she softens his hardness, and ma/es him comply to all his pleasure as the 7ater which by long continuance of his dripping wears out and pierces the most Solid 9oc/s, which by an open form he were now able to effect the matter altered, and gently chased retains no more his 'uster, but patentially and changing his fair tincture co#ers himself with an obscure Vail infinitely blac/ which ma/es him as it were 'epreous and "orrupted in all the parts of his body &s the !ountain of 'o#ers calls it mesea 6old, or the lead of the philosophers (is former state he see/s to change (is "oal blac/ his #isage strange $ut the all producing times dissipates in the Second change, the shady dar/ness and in due Season withdraws the body from the blac/ dens of his long indured prison, redeli#ering unto him a

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new form freed from this "orruption, from which being cleansed he resumes the agreeable face of his perfection 1ow this blac/ Sun burnt Indian turned into a most white Swan The true heat re0uisite for this purpose should be neither more or less burning than of the Sun, that is moderate and temperate, because the gentle fire gi#es hope of health and perfects all things as the Turba affirms $ut the heat necessary in the alterati#e principles of our oper. ation is in the Sign of 6emini and when the "olours are become white the multiplication doth appear with an absolute dryness in the Stone 1ow to /now whether this especial Sign does rule or not, we ha#e no way so good to decide our 2udgement as to examine whether our heat be the same that is in the Sun, !or it is that only we desire, for the great Sympathy is in them both, and disagree most in the same, changing themsel#es according to the Signs which are predominant, more #iolent or more gentle, naturally notwithstanding and without any artifice $ut as soon as the Stone is dryed and may be reduced into powder, the fire hitherto ha#ing been moderate, ought to reinforce himself and to act upon this body more foricably To the end that by his augmented &rdour, he may be made to change his habit, to put off his white robe and to put on a robe of a higher colour, more transparent and Vermillion li/e which is the ordinary 9ubys and right rich Vesture of our great Jing, now deli#ered from the prison +wherein so long a season he hath li#ed in so great and grie#ious an indurance- by the great diligence of his faithfull go#ernour who hath cherished him The degree of his heat is the same that swayeth in the Sign of the 'yon more furious and flaming than all the other Signs of the Kodiac, for then is the Sun most #ehement as in his highest degree of heat and ele#ated into the supreme dignity of his "elestial domicile

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This is sufficiently handled compendiously +which we effect- in this our Philosophical Instruction, the way to be /ept, and strictly obser#ed in the go#ernment of the fire of the Philosophers without the which tra#elist in #ain wheresoe#er thou beest, thou wouldest ma/e an &ssay of this last piece, wherein consists the whole perfection of this absolute 7or/, here we ha#e 'aid all before thee more clearly then if our discourse were deli#ered with a larger plixity of Speech If thou understandest me I ha#e said enough $y the paws you may /now the 'yon and the wor/man by his description of the 7or/ Of the "olours successi#ely appearing in the preparation of the Stone %any &uthors writing of this (erculean 'abour may seem to con. tradict and o#erthrow one another in the di#ersities of their opinions, and if that we do not more expertly examine their common Intentions or if we are not well ad#ised of their purpose in this ambiguity, we may sweat a long time in the extraction of the Spirit of these their curious Subtilities so intricate are their ambiguous 7ritings, that it is infinitely difficult to &tomi4e into all their parts and chiefly when they treat of the colours in the 7or/ of the which we will Succintly say something, yet I will not ad#enture to bring them all to light and fetch them one another after another out of their )en8s belie#ing ourseif sufficiently discharged of our underta/en promise, if we produce the most apparent and those which contain the others +the rest being guided with too slight a "onse0uence- as to manifest the Secret of the principal points, and which ha#e managed the whole ;conomy and the most weighty business of their 'ord by whose Intelligence we shall ha#e assured /nowledge of all that is hid e#en in the most Secret and Sacred "abinet of this Jing so exped. ient sagefull in this business that without In0uiring after the

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Inferiour offices of the "abinet> Of the dignities and 0ualities the Officers may attain by means of those "olours %iraldus one of the Turba saith to this purpose +consenting with all other good authors- that our metalline $ody becomes twice blac/, twice 7hite, and also twice red, which be the principal permanent "olours: changing by the more or less measure of heat, for it is most plain that there is an Infinite number of others $ut because they are only &ccidental we do not ran/ them in the list of our &ccompt, for fear of confounding light brains, as well as our 7ritings and that as many "olours as possibly can be Imag. ined do wholly depend upon these three abo#e mentioned, and return in the ;nd by a proportioned Syinnieterye to one or other of the designated and , it is not without reason that the &uthors by the Inspiration of some holy rapture or re#ealation do abridge this di#ersly, to the )i#ine mistical Ternary number which meets, as in a "enter point the glorious termination of all !elicity &mongst these three notwithstanding +to conceal nothing of our brief method- which are the principal and permanent of our terrestrial and metallic/ /ing of Philosophers, we may also well discerne some other different and intermixed the which notwithstanding purposely and out of good reason we conclude as being but imperfect "olours and not of such nature and consistent as they should be worthy to be rec/oned amongst those three that are more permanent, the blac/, the white, and the red The which Immediately and absolutely comprehend all the &ccidental, Therefore is it needless to write of them any further unless to content the "urious, we ha#e now already produced the causes to the means as honestly to pass on in Silence the general number of those which successi#ely appear the one after the other between the principal abo#e named because the effects are of small success in regard of the least of the other +our natural 7or/s acting nothing in Vain- and their colours of so small appearance gliding as iG were insensibly out of sight we lea#e them more suddenly then they them 0uit us, for they pass by with so swift a march, that scarce the shadows of their

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substance appears when they #anish in the Vessel with a pace e0ual to inconstance This is the cause wherefore we ha#e not discoursed of each part. icular species and their property These being something else to do then to ta/e an uncertain thing for a certain !or all those "olours come with so feeble and slow a pace that they cannot be discerned, we will not write, attending more profitable designes and spea/ only of the yellow "olours which come next the perfect 7hiteness before the last redness because it remains a long time #isable in the matter in comparison of the speed of the others and for this reason the Philosophers gi#e him a place of principality as to the others, rec/oning it in the ran/ of other necessary "olours, not that it yet stays so long in the #essel as the three which remain permanent in the matter the space of fourty days apeace, but for this that after those others she ma/es the longest abode, with = "olours, are compared to the four ;lements which ha#e influence and )ominion o#er all bodies as well humans as &nimal and mineral The blac/ to the earth which is the 'ead of the Philosophers and the firm base to support the others, The white to the water, which ser#es as Sperm to the "elestial woman for 6eneration The yellow to the &ir which is the father of life, and the red to the fire which is the end of the wor/ and his last perfection The blac/ which appears twice as well as the red is in great "redit amongst the famous, because he hath the /eys to open the )oor of which of the "olours he pleases, ha#ing a fire that administers to him all things, yet are needfull and upon which only he relei#es holding the others under his 'aws, for without that there is no happy effect to be expected, of all the enterpri4e, this humour is not so untractable, nor hard to manage as the rest, but much more handy and easy to go#ern and demand no other susten. ence but a gentle heat which will prepare the corrupted '&TI1 to good obedience through patience and humility sooner then by the #igour or #iolence of a rash 6o#ernour which instead of mending would marr all

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Senior gi#es a 'aw in this point to many good &uthors which all appro#e his opinion in his 7riting agreeing to it, &d#ise that the perfect decoction of the matter should be entertained with a temperate heat until the putrified "row be fled, and hath yielded his place to another tincture, and seeing how it is the fire as is reported in the "omplaint of 1ature spea/ing thus: !ire is %aster of e#ery Thing &nd causeth all things fresh to Spring, &nd hath 'ife by heat inspired 7hich guides the wor/ and disposes all at his pleasure as a faithfull Interpreter of the dar/ 'anguage which doth direct the 7or/ the most assured way I shall no more be daunted saith the )ectumn of the Turba, and ha#e announced by the mouth of 'ucas one of their associates that they held in great ;stimation the wor/man that understands the fire and seasonably to increase it Ta/e heed saith he of a fire which is too strong when you begin, !or if it be too #iolent before the time and exceed his dimensions he will burn that which he should putrefy which is the principal of 'ife So our unprofitable 'abour would yield us nothing but 9epentence, "onfusion and unspea/able displeasure, #ainly expecting good by Violence caused by 9ebellion and obstinacy To which purpose %ary the Prophetress tells us, that the strong fire hinders "on3unction and the true dissolution of nature, and elsewhere she saith, the strong ma/eth the 7hite red before his time &nd Tre#isan says, that the gentle and temperate fire perfects the 7or/ when as the #iolent doth utterly destroy it If in e#ery thing the end of the ;nterpri4e is to be considered at the beginning Then in this principally we ought to be most #igilant because if we /now not the 9egister of our fire in e#ery Season, which is the greatest happyness to our &ttempts and the only way of bringing our 7or/ to his perfection, our labour is lost, for in the /nowledge

?: of the orderly progression of "olours consists the main point of this %ystical Science and of the tree of (;9%;S so often and so )i#inely celebrated in the Songs of all the Philosophers Jnow but our $rass, which if thou hittest right

Thou /nowest all, whereof our pens do write 7hose power first ma/es blac/ the inclosed matter Then brings it into 7ater, moist as a 7ater &nd lastly to a powder perfect red Setting a )iademe upon thy head $aldus in the Turba spea/ing of these "olours whose &pposition we ought strictly to obser#e, gi#es us &d#ertisement to decoct our "omposition until we see it become 7hite, the which afterwards we must 0uench in Vinegar, by which means the %ineral 7ater, of the matter which is the fire and water philosophical, for our 7ater is fire burning the Sun, more then fire agreeable to the 9osary and the Turba which say that our 7ater is stronger then fire because it ma/es the body of 6old a meer Spirit, which the fire can ne#er do, and with 6eber, we must 'earn +saith he- to the blac/ from the 7hite for the white is a Sign approach.separateing neer to fixation 1ow we cannot better distinguish them then by a fire of "al. cination, seeing that without &ddition or %ultiplication of the heat, by the gentle temperature of the which hath proceeded and procured this corrupt blac/ness of di#ision of the degrees of our colours, cannot easily be performed, though in fine it may be obtained by the industry of such a fire, and then their remains to us a gross ;arth +which many ha#e called the father of the matterin the form of an ;arth blac/ and rude which is their Saturn, a 'eprous and blac/ earth which others name the inferiour 7orld, the which can no more mix itself with the pure arid subtil matter of the Stone, for we are in3oined to separate the subtil from the gross and from the pure the impure which is by decoction without touch of hand or foot because the great 7or/ dissol#es

?= itself and separates itself as is affirmed by 9&B%O1), T9;VIS&1, & (O9T*'&1*S *pon the Smargidine Table saith the same, you must separate it, that is to say dissol#e, for dissolution is the separation of parts, &nd whosoe#er /nows the &rt of dissol#ing is arri#ed to the Secret according to 9&SIS 1ow this is the 9ande4#ou4 to which we are summoned by all the best Philosophers, when they so often ad#erti4e us that with the true white and the red are to be extracted from the blac/ and then there is nothing to be found in him that is superfluous, ha#ing resigned all his power to the two foresaid "olours and he is now

no longer sub3ect to &lteration, but yields himself afterwards conformable, in all things to the compleate red &nd this is the "ause why they would draw him by the #ehement and force of the fire In the Turba it is said that when the "olours begin more and more to enter into motion and &lteration the fire ought to be more augmented, and be more Vehement than before, so that hereafter we shall not fear any danger, for the matter is fixed in the 7hite, at which time the Soul inseprable 3oins itself to the body and the Spirit now descended from hea#en into this earth, do ne#er depart from thence again, which is confirmed by 'ucas, when our %agnesia +saith he- is transformed 7hite, she recalls the Spirit into her which had lost her, and thence forth they now separate themsel#es anymore The !ather of the Philosophers (ermes passes you further and says, that it is not necessary to finish the white %agnesia, until all the "olours be accomplished that which sub.di#ide themsel#es into four di#erse 7aters, that is to say, from one into two, and three into one, the last of which parts agreeth with the heat and the 3 others with the moisture (old this for assured that these foresaid 7aters are the

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Philosophers weights, and these 7eights are the colours of the matter and the 3 principal "olours are the Philosophers 3 fires, natural, not natural, and against 1ature The "omparisons that the 'o#ers of .this Science ma/e when they allude our 7or/ to 7I1;, is not from the purpose which I might succiently propound the less to trouble the bene#olent 9eader, we must understand that the Sa#our of the 7ine, within the 2uice, li/e as the white colour of the matter shall be drawn out of this 0uintessence, but his nature shall be finished in the third degree according to true proportion, for it &ugments itself in the decoction and forms itself in the puli#i4ation +F- which are the sole means to conceal the beginning and of this natural seed !or the same cause di#erse &uthors write that their philosophical brass shall be absolutely perfect in se#en days, by which we understand the se#en metallical "olours whereof the perfect red is the last Others prolong not this time of perfection further then to four days ha#ing relation to the four principal "olours which di#ersities do only admit, and of which especially depends the whole 7or/, Others allow but 3 days which are attributed to the strongest, and most necessary "olours of the matter and some others less sparing of time and deli#ering it by larger measure do charitably afford us a whole year to bring the business out of towtellage and to gi#e it absolute power and after to manage his own rights, without other 6o#ernor then self discretion, now capable to entertain a world with his bounteous 'iberality &nd this yearly term may well be accomodated to the four Seasons and as it is by some of the four ;lements, which ha#e no small right in this great matter conformable to the 3udgement of &iphidius seconded with many more of the Society, determining the ;nd of the wor/ by the ;nd of the four <uarters of the year: Spring, Summer, &utumn & 7inter, because the year is composed of these four Seasons, many others abridge it to a day which is the time of perfect decoction spea/ing metaphorically, for a year philosophical is the time of

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decoction, which some will ha#e to be a 7ee/, others a month &91O'), 9&B%O1), 6;$;9, (O9T*'&1 & &*6*9;'', testify as with 3 years expressing for a "olour a year &ll which di#ersities tend but to one and the same sence, by the doctrine expressed, and precepts of the most ingenious understands, which are reser#ed in their most secret "abinet the exposition of the times, weights and matter, that the Ignorant might not understand therein by which means the Sages do discreetly cast a "loud before the #enerable ;ntry of their mysterious school, least fools should find it, &s P'&TO absolutely forbid the publishing of his )i#ine )octrine, to those that had not the /nowledge of %athematic/s It is the general "harge of all the philosophers upon penalty that they should not deli#er their mysteries, but mas/ed with &;nigmatical and ambiguous Speeches, to the ;nd their wor/ should only be comm. unicated to the "apacity of the "hildren of this Science and to the diligent search of transcendent Spirits, of which number, if they be not, they ought not to intermeddle, but to withdraw them. sel#es, and not to effect, or try to set foot on the threshold of this so perilious a Port for them, least they should ma/e a sotish stumble and measure the floor with their nose Bou foolish and propharie fly far from hence This our art lo#es wisdom and diligence

The Sixth Treatise The disposition of the whole wor/ and the preparation of the Stone "alcination and )ealbation amongst the Philosophers, hold the place of a good father of a family in pro#iding all things fitting the necessity of his household, so do the so hold the prime degree

?A in this &economy from the beginning of the wor/ and the principal "harge of the in.tire &dministration of metals, till .that by his pro#ident discretion the #ice 6o#ernour changing them e#ery one into his due place ha#e reduced all to the honourableness of their perfection 1ow being to treat of this )ealbation it is remar/able that the philosophers do establish in it 3 di#erse fashions, whereof the two fitst appertain to the body and the third to the

Spirit The first is the preparation of the cold humidity, which preser#es combustible matter from the in3ury of the fire which they call their Saturn, because Saturn is said to ma/e "ongealat. ion of the Sperms and by that preparation duly made in the Souls we percei#e the good success of a plausible beginning The Second is an unctuous humidity, +which ma/es the combustible parts apt to retain the fire- which is otherwise called the #iscous oil, appearing after the "orruption, this oul is that which gi#es tin. cture and is the first philosophical %enstrua and their first #essel $ut the third is an 2urisdiction of the dry earth that is into 7hite indued with a true pure fixed and subtil humidity which yields no flame forming notwithstanding himself into a body clear, transparent, shining and diaphanous li/e a glass which is pure and perfect 7hiteness of the Pearl of the Philosophers and their white gold, and this is half of their 7or/, their "alcination being no other then pure blanching &s %orien says, when our 6old shall be 7hitened after his blac/ness it is named our 6old, our "alx, our %agnesia and our permanant 7ater See then the manner of "alcining Philosophically, which is by the means of a permanant 7ater or strong Vinegar, which is the 0uintessence of the matter and Soul of the Stone, but let us note as we go that the metals do participate of this radical humidity, the which is no other thing then the beginning of all other soft things Therefore it is an assured maxime that the "alcination of Philosophers is no other thing then 7hitening and the purgation, restauration of natural heat and radical humidity and the only means to expell the Superfluous humidity, and an attraction of fiery moisture

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which is this pure white which we call the internal S*'P(*9 of Philosophy separating from itself all accidental and superfluous Sulphur which is "orruption, Otherwise a pleasant 'i0uor from which proceeds the animated substance of our wor/, the so#erigne 0uintessence of all happiness the chiefest Spirit and the life of which is extracted the compleate redness The glorious "rown of our 'abours, not this li0uid Substance is ordinarily made with the 7ater of the Philosophers which properly is the Solution and Sublimation of the Sages, or their ;xaltation or 7hitening of their permanan t 7ater &nd of such particular force that it suddenly changes the hard dryness into a supple and manuable drawing out the <uintessence which is the admirable Stone of the 7ise men and the Vegetable %ercury which separates and con3oins the ;lements which happens principally because the parts with the #iolence of the fire hath consumed and composed together is become subtil by the Spirit which is a resol#ing 7ater and a humidity of uncorrupted bodies gathered together and annexed by heat, to the Spirit and radical humid &ll which thing ma/es one root of the philosophical ;lements, the which we must renew after "orruption, which are the four perfect "olours, the red being last according to the fountain of the 'o#ers of Science Then guide by reason, thy intents To di#ide the four ;lements &ll which thou again new shalt ma/e &nd them into thy wor/ then ta/e 1ow the Sublimation is named a terrene #apour gross but subtil. i4ed and brought into a humid Vapour,or moist &ir, by the well tempered heat of fire which heat absolutely causes the motion and necessary mutation of the ;lements, which whosoe#er /nows these mutual "on#ersions of one into the other, may rest assured of his 7ay, whereby he may find the <uintessence extracted out of the intire ;lements, not any more to be combured with superfluous

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humidity or foul polutions $ut this <uintessence is an opaline humidity of excellent 0ual. ity the which gi#es 'uster to the four ;lements, without restraint, transmuting into the proper nature of a 0uintessence and then called the Soul of the 7orld and fire of Philosophers This is e#en the true fixation that 6eber mentions, 1othing +saith he- shall be made firm, but by receipt of some 'ight, or when it becometh a fair and penetrating Substance, fbr of that cometh the Sulphur and "enter of the Philosophers, which cannot be extracted without the 'une which is the chief point of their %astery and their greatest Secret for in it is the metalline 7ater preser#ed, the which he recei#eth of the body he hath animated and restored to life, this is a mixture of the white and red tincture and for. mati#e Spirit !or the moon doth co#ertly contain in it the tincture of the Sun, the which he doth produce in the form of a red Sulphur, at the ;nd of the )ecoction, all by the means of the Soul of the 7orld and the fire of the Philosophers which doth all of himself Bet in this ablution much blac/ness and "orruption doth appear through the heat of the fire which doth putrefy e#erything, and 7hiteneth the blac/ things which once were dead and brought to nought at the same time restoring life to the matter in the which one may percei#e a pure and intire heat intermingled with a /indly metallic/ humidity from which the matter doth recei#e tincture, #irtue and #igour The putrefaction so much desired of all the philosophers which is their choice Study shall be perfected and accomplished when it shall manifestly change and alter its first form and from a blac/ colour become a white, the Secret being produced by "orruption for that, that was hid doth show itself apparently to sight and reneweth itself from death Therefore ought one to ha#e especial heed in our 7or/ to the blac/ essence of the Sulphur of the Philosophers, This is the same that &rnold de #illa 1o#a saith in his 9osary: The perfection of this 7or/ is in the change of natures, Of the same opinion is 9aymond in

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the Theoric/ of his Testament, The &rt +saith he- of our %astery, dependeth on "orruption, and we dissol#e putting it to putrefact. ion at the same time, and elsewhere he saith whosoe#er doth /now the means to destroy, that is to dissol#e the 6old he hath attained the Secret, and our Stone is not found but in the bowels of "orruption The Turba of the Philosophers saith further that "orruption is the &scerident, and chiefest hope of all the 7or/, the which doth disco#er, and manifest the highest %ystery of this operation, which is principally a certain destruction and true "on#ersion of the ;lements That which is manifest we hide from sight &nd bring the hidden thing again to light It is of this change that the learned Turba gi#es us so often admonition, Saying change the ;lements and ma/e that which is moist, dry and firm, who yet passes further, answering as that the matter with all his dependance is then prepared as it ought, when all is pul#eri4ed and brought into one body, 7hich for this effect is most properly called of the Philosophers "on3unction "onsider also and pray you, that your "alcination, is in #ain, if thereby no powder be produced, which is the water of the Philosophers The &shes of (;9%;S or powder of %ercury as &*6*9;'' saith in these terms: The 7ater which I mean seems to the ;ye & powder and is so called properly )ecoction is also one of the principal and necessary parts of the business whereof they ought to understand the %ystery, the means to imploy the flower of their best )ecoctions in the ;ssence of our %astery &lbertus %agnus concours with all the other philosophers in the same opinion &ll holding it in special esteem

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$ut seeing he is the first that presents himself, I will for the present repeat his speech DOf all the &rts +saith he- yea of the most perfect we /now not one, that so neetly imitates nature as that of the &lchymist, in the decoction and formation of this red and fiery 7ater of %etals attracting the #ital 0ualities of the Sun, and so small a nature, also the Philosophers ha#e an &ssa. tion and usefull dissolution, by which the humidity shall consume itself by little and little and through the fire become a body more powerfull against the flame then metal, $ut we in our 7or/ must ta/e good heed that the Spirit be not too much scorched and dryed so that he may no more hold correspondence with the $ody, and not be sufficiently purified and perfected E )istillation of the Philosophers otherwise called "larification doth also bring a great ad#ancement to the "onclusion of this 7or/, which we hold to be a Plain purification of the matter with the radical humidity, the which being found gi#es hope to the Sages of a desired rest to their almost tired spirits, by means of this "oagulation, the perfect alliance is made and the "orruption of the Sulphur not Vulgar and the "row or $ird of (ermes which always flyes about the Tops of the %ountains that is to say upon the superficies of the metals, with it is a spirit blac/ and not burning insensibly "rying, I am the 7hite of the $lac/, and the 9ed of the "itrine, I ha#e with a pleasant riddle expressed this bird, which I will here set down, finding it #ery suitable to our sub3ect, In memory whereof it was 'earnedly composed the modest "uriosity of our %ystical 7or/ being thereon compri4ed The 9iddle I dwell in %ountain Tops, in Valleys and in Plains !ather before a Son, my %other was my "hild, $orn in my %others womb, my !ather first exilded There without nourishment, I did myself sustain

@5 (ermaphrodite I am, both sexes I maintaine The strong I #an0uish yet am by the wea/ beguiled, There8s nothing under hea#en then I myself more #ilde, 1or ought so fair so good doth in this 7orld remain,

In me, without me strangely one strange $ird is hatch 7hich of his bones, no bones, builds for himself a Tomb There without 7ings he flies for swiftness ne#er matched $y nature and &rts 'aw recei#ed hath his )oom In fine he yet re#i#es, and ma/es himself a Jing &nd to his breathren Six, he golden "rowns doth bring The 9osary spea/ing of this "oagulation compares it to the "9O7 that flies without 7ings, that which is principally done by dissolution caused with heat and "ongealation the effect of "old which two, are the means of perfect 6eneration (ermes spea/ing with what /ind of heat, the whole 7or/ should be go#erned saith in his Smaragdine Table that the Sun is the !ather and the %oon is the %other and the fire the 6o#ernour saying: &ll perfect and in.tire is then his force 7hen to earth again he hath recourse &nd when by degrees this ;lixir comes, to settle in firm earth the which afterwards may ser#e for so many se#eral operations as cannot be numbered upon any apt body, to which it shall be applied, for which reason we may compare it to a commodious 6ardner which safely preser#es all manner of 6rains to use and profit So our &rt once perfected con#erteth all things that ha#e propin0uity fitting into his Viens ;xcellency of nature and being furnished with sufficient materials, raises admirable Structures, resembling the perfect &rchitecture of the Sun @: Of the di#erse Operations, the Various names, fre0uent in the discourses of this &rt It is a general saying amongst the philosophers, that he that can /ill and fix the Volatile essence of the fugiti#e %ercury, shall attain the excellent operation of the metals, and /now the greatest %ysteries of this &rt, Bet must we not premptorily pitch upon the rude 'etter but see/ out some ingeneous glosse that may disco#er their sense and meaning, because they spea/ di#ersly of their %ercury and here we thin/ fit to place in the frontispiece of this their innumerable contro#ersities a Sentence of Senior for the preheminence he hath before other &uthors, Our fire saith he

is a 7ater $ut when you can fit one fire to another !ire, and one %ercury to another %ercury This /nowledge shall suffice to bring you to the glorious ;nd of all thy Intentions (ere note that this &rgent Vi#e is called a fire, and a 7ater and yet it is necessary that this fire should be made by means of another fire, he says also in another place that the Soul must be drawn out by "orruption, which is blac/ness and the first "olour of the perfect ;lixir the which infuses itself again into the dead body to preticipate his Spirit to it, and to gi#e it a life and resusica. tion and to the end that the wise philosopher may afterwards peaceably en3oy both the body and the Spirit by this perfect operation It is the same also that is spo/en in the Turba where they call their %ercury their !ire Ta/e +saith he- the blac/ Spirit not burning with the which thou must dissol#e and di#ide the $ody This Spirit is all fire dissol#ing all sorts of bodies by his fiery property Others hold that this %ercury is properly named a <uintessence, Soul of the 7orld, Spirit, 7ater permanent, menstrae and an infinite of other names &ll which they impose upon him according to the di#ersity of his se#eral efforts to whom they attribute so much power and #irtue as that without the assistance of this 0uic/ening Soul, the body

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of our Vessel which is the blac/ matter called the dragon de#our. ing his Tail, which is properly humidity, should now regain life nor demonstrate any good effect Ta/e say they their <uic/sil#er and the $ody of the blac/ %agnesia or some pure Sulphur not burned, which you must pul#eri4e and grind in most strong Vinegar, $ut you shall not find any apparent "hange or mutation in the "olours permanent, the blac/, the white and the red which are the most necessary If the fire do not ma/e 7hite, nor approach this "omposition !or he only ta/es unto himself this property and indures the perfect regiment tinging him into a perfect red, throughout The Turba say it will become 6old and transplanting itself into an ;lixir, from whence one may extract a 7ater ser#ing to di#erse tinctures gi#ing life and "olour to all that are 2oined with him !or as $lac/ness is the first that displays himself in the 7or/, so doth it direct the assured march of the rest, and as it doth precede all the others, so is it the foundation containing all the rest potentially as &rnold affirms that whatsoe#er "olour appears after blac/ is 'audable for whene#er thou shalt see thy matter turn blac/, re3oice and comfort thy self because this beginning shall continue assuredly to a happy ;nd of the whole 7or/, in the great 9osary it is also said that all .the perfection of this Science consists in the transmutations of 1atures which cannot be attained without passing o#er the blac/ Stigian 'a/e described by the philosophical poet OVI), otherwise you are out and must begin again, though ne#er so much against thy will $ut if you can percei#e in your Vessel, the blac/ Sulphur, whereof we now intreate, It is a perfect and infallible ;ntrance to all the necessary ways See thou the great ;steem that the gra#e and pro#ident Turba ha#e of this Original "olour which doth preceed the "itrine and the red "olour outwardly appearing praised and exceedingly hopefull and fairly promises good success, after which comes a purple #ery precious and of great comfort ma/ing assured

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the happy ;#ent of the triumph and magnificience praised to our /ing, and this "olour is the best and most pure %ercury which furnishes us with the most ex0uisite tirictures of our %astery, indued with a most Sweet odour 1ow all these beautiful and excellent properties, attributed to this worthy %ercury do mani. festly show the cementing power and the subtle Vi#acity of this #olatile Spirit (ermes that great Prince of Philosophers, ignorant of nothing that was natural, had his Spirit so transported with the "ontem. plation of the ;xcellency of this %ercury that he professed him. self unable to gi#e this mineral an ;pithett fitting his powerfull and glorious effects, yet willing to deli#er a metaphorical abridgement of the particular properties thereof than describe it %ost common, most *n/nown, most precious and most #ile "onser#ing and destroying, both you may him stile 6ood and milacious, beginning and the ;nd Of Treasures nowe afar and nowe again a friend !or "orruption and blac/ness are the beginning and end of all things, and &ugurellus in his "rysopea affirms as much of that blac/ bird that dissol#es all bodies in this Verse: &nd which is more, this bird so potent is That he dissol#es the metals without miss &nd naturally is in e#ery thing !irst in their birth and at their last ending The &xioms and principals natural assureing us that *ni#ersal "orruption is the common Sperm and proper seed of all 6enerations $ut in fine to return to the nature of this bird in whom we may mar/ and percei#e such a power that he is able to withstand what. soe#er is contrary to him ta/ing his flight sometimes to the Sign of 'eo, sometimes to "ancer and other whiles to "apricorn, but @@ if after so many subtile flights thou canst stay, 0ualifie and correct his fic/leness stopping the Swiftness of his course, thou maist purchase the precious 6olden 'oadstone of the most rich minerals, and thou maist at length en3oy many precious things whose ex0uisite #alue now came within thy Imigination

&nd then thou must separate and di#ide him into di#erse parts reser#ing to thy self always some part which thou shalt again reduce to his putrefied and dead ;arth so long till his #olatile Spirit lend his aid to set him upon his foot by his natural Strength, beautifying him with Variety of fair and pleasant "olours, most plain ;#idence of his "larification &nd when all this is past it is called by all good &uthors the ;arth and 'ead of the Philosophers which they may happily ma/e use of ha#ing now attained the 0uality of heating the Vessel of (ermes, which is %ercury and when and how to distill by number or plain )istribution, 0ualifying this Spirituali4ed ;arth with di#ersity named according the Successi#e "olours and di#erse operations of this wingless flying Spirit subliming and rectifying e#en to the bottom of the mass, which decreases, purifies and renders it self more and more fair in tincture e#en to the perfection of the first 7hite which must again be mortified, and afterward restored to a more glorious life, which is the red tincture, Putrefy again this body and pul#eri4e it, till the occult and the more hidden red come forth, and be manifested to sight &fter this dissol#e the ;lements and separate them in such sort as thou mayst again re3oin and reunite them according to the manner and again putrefie so oft until thou hast brought the corporeal and material substance to an animated and spiritual ;ssence, which being happily done, you must again draw the Soul from the body which you shall again rectify with his Spirit This gentle %essenger of the 6ods %ercury full of in#ention and subtility, being thus often metamorphi4ed hath gotten to himself much 'uster whereof he ma/es large and liberal portions to his

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&ssociates and nearest neighbours, &s to Venus on whom he bestows a rich white, he moderates the "rac/ling of 2upiter bringing him to Solidity, hardens, whitens and fixes Saturn, Softens %ars ma/ing him fluxible, gi#es unto the %oon a glorious "itrine "olour and resol#es into a perfect water from whence may be extracted an ;ssence of admirable Virtue Tre#isan openly deli#ers in his practic/ of the natural Philosophy of %etals, to which we refer the diligent 9eader, the philosophers do point us out with their finger the necessary means to attain the preparation of the blac/ Sulphur, e#en to the first nature of red which they call distillation, until i.b comes to an oleaginous gum and waterish incombustible, #ery penetrating and altogether li/e the body 7herefore it is called by many the Soul, because it re#i#es, con3oins, renders and reduces the natures into Spirit This Sulphur thus reduced transcends in excellency all the #alue that can be Imagined or expressed and therefore ha#e they highly praised it and gi#en it a title of great honour attributing the prerogati#e to it of the rare name of 'ac Virginis which returns in some sort to the form of a red 6um all of gold resembling the 7ater of the philosophers most resplendent, which ought to be coagulated, commonly called of the Sages TI1"T*9; S&PI;1TI&;, the admirable tincture of 7isdom or the Vital !ire of the permanent colours & Soul, a Spirit that by his #irtue much more altereth himself at his pleasure becometh #olatile and contracting himself when he pleaseth, of a high fixed tincture in his indi#idual, that is his own proper homogeneal nature This %ercury not common is yet called red Sulphur, 6um of 6old, apparent 6old, the desired body, most precious 6old, 7ater of 7isdom, earth of Sil#er, 7hite ;arth, &ir of 7isdom +note that the "hild of the Philosophers is born in the &ir- then principally when he is become #ery clear and perfect white &ll the Turba treating on these "ircumstances that do appear upon the Surface and upon the intire body, of their fruit ha#e gi#en this 2udgement: (e ought say they, to /now that one cannot

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tinct gold into red who ha#e not passed the white after "orrupt. ion, because there is no way between the two ;xtremes of the 7or/ but through the 7hite 7or/ that is the middest Therefore ought we intirely to obser#e these methodical rules seeing the discord and "enter of "onfection which he doth e#er hastily run into through the way of desolution who hath o#er run the good "oncord directed by the prudent discipline of a well ad#ised order necessary to this wor/ 1ow all these "olours aforesaid are of the same nature and are successi#ely found in the same sub3ect, though they produce di#ers effects !or it is truth that the white shall be made blac/ by the red, and that from a pure "hristalline coloured 7ater, there shall citrine red appear altogether, se#eral of the said philosophers secret #irtues %orien treating metaphorically of the transmutation of metals, of the proportion and degrees which ought to be obser#ed in the "omposition of thy wor/ "ause saith he the red fume to comprehend your 7hite fume, &lso pour them down to the bottom and there con3oin them together The "odex of all truth saith to the same purpose, blanch the red and ma/e the red white and then has.b the whole art from the beginning to the ;nd Senior also spea/ing of the Varieties of "olours, gi#es us to understand in the 7ords following the great profit and necessity of them It is an admirable thing to consider the wonderful operations and noble actions of this mercurial Spirit The which if thou pro3ect upon the three imperfect planets he ma/es them rich in whiteness and upon the other, as rich in redness and "itrination, the first whites then the 'illy or the untouched snow, the second more orientally red then the poppy or the ruby To which form %orien confirms his 3udgement though in other 7ords, and by another 7ay Ta/e heed saith he to the perfect "itrine which by little and little di#ests himself of his "it. rinity to gain a more glorious robe of unspea/able redness after the dism3ssion of a formed blac/ness, strong and powerful, which

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she was fain to wear in her younger years, that she might so ser#e as an earth, a base and assured foundation to build the rest of the wor/ upon $y all these in#iolable Theorems fixed to the Ideas of the most famous &rchetict +which ha#e happily underta/en the industrious fabric of this excellent Stone, and framed with an &rtificial hand the true "ube of (ermes- we may easily concei#e that the 6old of the philosophers is absolutely another thing than common 6old, or sil#er which yet are indeed of the nearest neighbourhood unto it, and the chief Imitator of their 6olds perfection !or although the Similitudes +which the Sages the Sons of this Science- put between them ma/e as though there should be community and familiar "on3unction with Vulgar 6old and Sil#er, as also with other metals which fail in ;ffect the purity and perfection, therefore we must ingeniously consider that they induce such things but by way of "omposition meerly !or the profound 9aymond most charitably tells us once for all that out of metals perfect or imperfect we ha#e no need to extract a Spirit when nature herself as our handmaid hath prepared one for us which Spirit +saith he- we find only in our own +not the #ulgar metals which are dead- from whence we artificially draw him, arid again con3oin him to his body that so we may be masters of the #egetable %ercury of the Philosophers, &n &xiome worthy to be ingra#en in gold &nd for common metals notwithstanding that the many &uthors are of opinion that the impure metals do e#er remain such without reaching to any higher 'uster and that 'ead always retains the nature of 'ead, yet we may separate for some special property of excellence e#en in these, and the reciprocal &ffinity between them, and the ;lixir that wor/s upon them, they need not be assaulted of the "omparisions they so often use in this /ind, they being +if well understood- so full of expression and demonstration "onsider that which much to this purpose Senior reports spea/ing of the imperfect, which notwithstanding saith he pretended one day to be e0ual to the most perfect, which

AI

no way exceedeth them in nobleness of ;ssence but in primogeniture, only ha#ing had a longer decoction, their extraction being as Vile and ab3ect in the natural "omposition as the imperfect, the most perfect of them being originally without difference of nobleness in the common Seed and uni#ersal principle of the most abstract sordid metals I am +saith he- spea/ing philosophically- more then metallic/ Iron hard and dry but such is my power and #irtue that nothing may compare with me, for I am the "oagulation of the &rgent Vi#e of the Philosophers The Turba also says that prepared lead shall become a Precious Stone, 0ualifying the most noble and perfect "olour of the 7or/ yea, the wor/ itself which they name "opper They say also that 'ead is the beginning of the true %astery and the thing without which nothing can be done: They ha#e expressed as much of the red lead made white, or Venus of %ars: &nd of white 'ead +as they continue their discourse- thou shalt ma/e white tincture, which is the 'unary Sulphur and then shall thy 'abour ha#e passed the blac/ness, and hath arri#ed at the 7hite, the Second 'ady of our /ings Officers, and the proportional middle point of our &rtifice &nd for this cause the philosophers ha#e taught us that there is nothing of nearer neighbourhood or that doth more approach the nature of 6old then 'ead, for as much as in him consists the 'ife which attracteth to itself all the Secrets $ut we must not ta/e these things only literally, nor see/ in common 'ead these rare phenomion, in whom these properties are not to be found, except only in that which is called the 'ead of Philosophers as well for his facultie in putrefying as the infect. ion of his stin/ing earth, he is ad#anced abo#e other metals This is the reason that they all conclude with 9aymond 'ully that without putrefaction the 7or/ can ne#er be effected, it being the 7ater, the !ire and the absolute /ey of the perfect %agnesia

AH

&nd to this purpose hath %orien learnedly compaired it to &rsen. ic/, to Orpiment, to Tutia, to rotton ;arth, to stin/ing Sulphur, to all /inds of Venom, poison, and "orruption for the "orrespon. dence that it hath in some 0uality or other with all these things &nd further to di#erse bodies which are not of the number or nature of minerals, but that only retains a "ommerce in "omplexion as blood, hair, eggs, and many others &nd finally to di#erse %ineral matters as Salt, &llom, and infinite others, in all three 9egions, %ineral Vegetable and &nimal &ll these #arieties being &ttributes, in regard of the apparent "onformity that it holds in effect with e#ery particular 6enius and Species of those bodies and Spirits aforenamed !or which "ause 6eber affirms that their Stone is extracted from the metalline bodys prepared with their &rsenic/, that is to say their "orruption, and "alid in his Secrets saith, D&nnihalite the leaf with Venom, therein denoting putrefactionE $ut abo#e all &lphidius ad#ertises us to ta/e great heed in the wise 6o#ernment of an animated body or a mortified Stone which is the blac/ness !or +saith he- as by the pri#ation of their 1atural heat the which decays e#en to the death, being now destitute of all his first functions So if for remedy thou thin/est to gi#e them a greater heat then is fitting to hinder the perishing of the heat, with which they were naturally intertained and nourished in "orruption, thy matter shall become red before blac/, which is the pri#ation of life and thou shall loose thy "ost and 'abour !or which cause we must accomodate oursel#es, with a most gentle fire and naturally well disposed to the end to re#i#e that which this pri#ation hath debilitated, by his offensi#e Violence, for as 9ipley saith in his ?th 6ate Thou /eep in temperate heat eschewing e#ermore that they by #iolent heat be not incinerate to powder dry, unprofitably rubif. ication, but into powder blac/ as a "rows bill with heat of $alne or else of our )unghill

A5

&bo#e all things remember to /eep them in a moist heat until fourscore nights be past, and that the blac/ "olour appear in the Vessel, which is the first Salt of the philosophers and a tincture near the 0uality of Sal &lcaly and other Salts, of bodies that which changing itself subtily into the nature of the things attracted becoming all one with the natural ;ssence of the metall. ic/ nature 1ow the philosophers do di#ersly handle these #arieties as well of their Stones as of their Salts !or as much as the greater part of them do constitute three Sorts in the perfection of the entire 7or/ &nd for witness and warrant of this Thesis I will ta/e the proposition described in the 6reat 9osary in this manner There are three stones and three Salts out of which the whole %astery existeth 'ucas 9odargirius in his boo/ of the philosophical dissolution, where he ma/es an ample discourse thereof, rests himself resolutely upon this ternary number $ut we must not forget 9aymond 'ully that calls these three Salts, three menstrues, three Vessels, three 0uic/sil#ers, three Sulphurs, three fires, which are no other thing +to spea/ properly and not hiperbolically in dar/ philosophy- then the three "olours, blac/, white and red, which are only extracted from the natural essence of the true matter The which Salts ha#e so much power upon the perfect beings of our %astery that Senior spea/s thereof in these terms, our body shall first become &shes, afterwards a Salt, in fine it shall arri#e by his #arious operations, to the measure and most perfect degree of the %ercury of the Philosophers $ut amongst all the Salts, it is to be noted for the total in. struction and fabric/ of the 7or/ that the &rmoniac/ holds the prime and principal place surpassing in ;xcellency the impurity and ;ssence of the others not so noble, which for this purpose of our 7or/ are found also prepared by many degrees &s &ristotle himself assures us in di#erse particulars of his wor/ ad#ising us by his discreet pen only to use this Salt &rmoniac/ in our

A:

operations because that only hath the property to open, dissol#e, soften, and animate the bodys 1ow there is nothing animated or ingendered without a precedent "orruption, as %orien says which is the blac/ "olour or this Sal &rmoniac/ and the blac/ Spirits dissol#ing the bodys The Turba adds abundance of these Speeches to confirm our &ffirmati#e 7e must +saith he- /now and perfectly understand that the bodies will ta/e no tincture unless the Spirit hidden in their $ellies which is this blac/ Spirit, be not from thence with great )exterity and difficulty extracted, which being done +as it oughtthere shall come a water and a body that resembles our human nature, for it then contains body, Soul, and Spirit, the which while it is an essence of a mean "olour cannot perfectly tinge the gross Terrestrial substance, if it be not subtili4ed, by this Spirit and made li/e unto it and the Spirit of 7aterish nature be tincted into ;lixir, producing white and red with pure and perfect fixation, high in "olour and of a penetrating tincture mingling it self indifferently with all the metals, as the "elestial %ercury re3oining himself to e#ery Planet becometh of their nature, be they noble or imperfect $ut yet we must /now that the perfection of all the mastery depends upon this only point that we draw the Sulphur out of the perfect body ha#ing a fixed nature for this Sulphur is the most ancient and most subtil part of the "rystalline Salt, odiferous to the smell, delectable to the taste, and of an &romatic/ humidity, the which being the Space of a year, in the fire shall e#er stand as melted wax and because he holds some part of the nature of <uic/sil#er he tincteth them into a most pure 6old and being the water or humidity which is drawn from the body of metals it is called the Soul of the Stone and that which is hidden in this humidity is called Spirit and the #irtue of the Spirit is called Soul and tincture which tinges and fixes all the 7ater into pure 6old

A=

$ut the %ercury or his force and #igour is also called Spirit when he hath attracted to himself the Sulphureous nature &nd the dry earth is the $ody and the body is of the <uintessence and the extreame and absolute tincture, which is the true ;ssence and perfect nature capable of all forms 1ow though these three proceed from one root yet hath they notwithstanding #ery different operations, the names of which are infinite according to the apparent "olours and if all be again reduced to one, to wit to this final redness, it ser#ing as 'in/s so artificially chained together yet it is a great difficulty to discern an absolute end, for the one finishing his ordinary &ction the other recommences anew, because according to 9aymond, the first form being destroyed there is another immediately intro. duced, arid in his Testament he calleth it the 6olden "hain which doth lin/ together the #isible to the in#isible, uniteing together in an indissoluble bond the four ;lements 2ohn %ehurig saith in his complaint of nature: This is the most rich gotten chain 7hich circulerly maintaine &nd in his 9omance of the 9ose he calleth this %ercury a whore which con3oins herself indifferently to all forms one after another The admirable Virtues and more than humane power of this noble Tincture, briefly and perspicuously declared in this our Instruction

The exacter the tinctures are, the more acceptable are they according to the usual fashion, that bears rule and sway amongst men through a desire not unworthy but rather most commedable in Ingenious Spirits curious of the inestimable Value of any rare

A? no#elty so well for the benefits that doth almost e0ual this "uriosity, as for the desired honest and perogati#e befitting their noble disposition happily, at last attained through the absolute possession of this pleasant fruitfull of felicitie

This is the directest and most apparent means to perswade e#en the Soul with Sweet hope and with a calm 6ale of a pleasant &ire and #ery seasonable to satisifie the most earnest wishes by the gain and full contentment of aforesaid proposed ob3ect within the Idea of our fancies premeditated before the happy effecting and fruitation of this )elightfull possession Seeing that naturally we wooeth +reach- after things which are amiable deser#edly belea#ed and desired, for the cause principally heretofore ment. ioned, of greater reason ought we desire the In3oyment of our mar#ellous tincture $ut because we can hardly indure the pain. full search of an un/nown thing principally seeing that the real and actual /nowledge ought first to be apprehended within the sub. til #eritie of a 0uic/ apprehension, which he may potentially attain, and be assured of by the forms sincere, friendly descript. ions and that the general intention do first aim to /now the lo#ely thing before it be belo#ed, I ha#e handled in brief 7ords according to our fashion, the intricate "ourse of the pleasant operation of our natural Science, issued and drawn from the pure and perfect testimony of the &ncient Sages, which I may call the chief 2udges gratiously ad#anced to such &uthority by the Supreme 'icence of the )i#inity and by the Sacred "onceptions of the mysterious tree which they ha#e admired for his So#ereign balm, to the end that by the true /nowledge of this rare #irtues and particular 0ualities, e#ery #irtuous Soul perswaded by sound reasons, grounded upon the excellent 'uster of this glorious tincture suddenly yeilding their Spirits amorously surpri4ed with great admiration lay hold of the S/irts, of some bene#olent #irtuous man, as the ordinary gages of their fidelity and to announce to all the Sages, the esteem they ha#e of this same excellent sub3ect altogether #ererable

A@

most transparent to the ;yes and by his sweet odour better appre. hended to be of such a harmony The delight of which changeth, the o#er whelming wa#es of so doubtfull a shipwrec/ sub3ect to the mercy of many bearfull Irresolutions as a small boat is directed by the safe proposed Sea Sna/e and the help of the nautic/ needle, rather maintain the #essel at the ;nd arri#eth happily in the safe port of "omfort with 3oufull sails through the s/illfull "onduct of famous pilots and by the ensign (&'"BO1S of the 2asonic/e (ands, who shall do this, 'et their hearts be e#en ra#ished at the Sepulcher of some Saint &nthony 'et them be firmly delighted in the sweet 9egister of such a remembrance, 'et them perfume the alters of their ardent de#otion within the temple of honour and /nowledge, with some being art of pious humility in sign of their compleat 2oy and ;xtasie of hea#enly "ontentment surpassing the superfical appearance of human contemplation, of which the gra#e Ideas only are in possibility to ascend the Supream top of the most lofty mountains approaching hea#en InG their intelligence of formed ;ssences by the 'i#ely ;ffigies and natural representation of a terrestrial Sun shining here below as well as the "elestial after the same spar/ling brightness somewhat illumination mens hearts ma/ing them more Kealously to ac/nowledge the So#erign duty they owe to him manifesting their ardent affections by the sweat of earning bowells of uni#ersal &toms of the image of his 6lory within the delightsome &ngles of the terrestrial minerals by the profound inspection and sublime preparation of a mysterious philosophical and most admirable &rt I will spea/ now of our tincture wherewith the animated spirit is after a sort made perfect which doth intirely perfect the most perfect "olours 1ought else li/e him is found Of his alloy so sound In his proper ;ssence

AA

$y sole &ctioitie, Surpassing happily The purest ;xcellences The ancient Sages prudently obser#ed four remar/able points in this #ital power extracted from the great number of his proper

#irtues when that the properties are fortified by infalliable maximes which the same nature shewing disdaine seems almost dis. contented by the difficulty of his assurance for the approbation of obtaining so great 0ualities $y agreement free and #oluntary This power is all in all ordinary It is true the greater part of his Virtues are more than can be Imagined, esteemed of some as a thing impossible and contrary to natural reason, which gross, Ignorant )ulpates will not willingly ac/nowledge that any other hath that which they understand not with 2elious #aunting as though they could fathome the depth of these more than human perfections and determine of so great pre. orgati#es by the rash Sentence of a shallow Incrudulity The fond conceite of #ain appearance Of chanced act, without ;xperience )emonstrated, shows but presumption Thus not stretching their "onceits further then these biased fancy8s filled with #ain Scruples and with a more then panic/ and apprehend ;rrors or great "ontempt of our %ystery $ut what ha#e I said, yea are they not much rather ta/en with a confused fanatic/ "ensure of extreame shallow brains hammered on the unpolished &n#il of an absolute carping Koylus

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& disco#ery of the mar#elous ;ffects of the true medicine of the Philosophers reduced into four especial and remar/able points The first point of his perfection is to preser#e the person of man in his intire ability and strength free from any accidental mallady that may assault him and to confer upon him a perfect "onstitution and healthful, and #igerous disposition with a merry Spirit till he may be a competant member of his posterity chasing absolutely by the Virtue of his operation the threatning causes of our e#ils which otherwise would daily corrupt and o#erwhelme us with frail Infirmities without the aid and help of this so#erigne &ntidote "alid in his mirror of the Secrets of &lchemy writes that it mundifies the body of all diseases and conser#es the well tempered Substance and the Vitals in their intire prosperitie exempt from any Imperfect alteration The Second accomplishes and ma/es perfect the bodys of metals according to the "olour of the %edicine, which if it be white it transmutes them all into fine Sil#er, If red into most perfect 6old The Third changes all sorts of Stones into precious Stones, after the measure of the decoction that the medicine hath gotten The !ourth wor/s upon 6lass reducing it also to the nature of precious Stones of which "olour you desire the medicine ha#ing been first decocted more or less to the purpose as shall appear by the following paraphrases upon these four points The %ystical 7or/ of our Stone being perfect and wholly compleat is a gift of 6od so precious that it surpasses all the mar#els and most admired Secrets of all the Sciences in this world for which cause we call it +in imitation of many excellent &uthors- the incomparable treasure of Treasures Plato hath so highly pri4ed it, that whosoe#er hath ac0uired +saith he- this 6ift of hea#en he holds the best of this world in his possession being mounted to the height of riches, and the

AF

most so#erign phisic/ The Philosophers ascribe unto it the #irtue of healing all sorts of persons detained in the 'anguishment of any disease whatsoe#er, by ta/ing in drin/ a little warmed or mingled with wine or in the 7ater extracted from any simple that hath Sympathy with the part offended or infected recei#ing in one day a disease of a month, or continuance in Twel#e days that of a year and in one month the most in#enerate and "hronic/ The dose being no more than the weight of a grain, a greater 0uantity not to be gi#en without the pre3udice of the party, 'et the mallady be, dropsy, 6out, 'eprosie, &poplexy, "ollic/, (eadache, !rensie trembling of the heart, fe#er, falling sic/ness, defluctions of all sorts inward and outward this medicine ma/es a 0uic/ hearing, and it fortifies the heart, recoborates the im. perfect members, chasing out of the body all fistilas, *lcers, and imposthumes, &nd in fine it is the true balm for any ill, and a singular preser#ati#e against all corporal infirmities, poison, or other re#i#eing the Spirit, augmenting the strength, conser#ing youth, prolonging old age and chasing away e#il Spirits, &nd so 0ualifying the temperatures that no humour gets predominance of others, to alter the complexion and condition of the body other. wise then for the bettering thereof $riefly in this 7or/ is fully seen the great Secret and Incom. parable Treasure of the most rare mysteries of all the Philosophers 7hich Senior confirms, saying that this pro3ection renews a mans youth, renders him 2oyfull and merry, conser#es him in health, to the end of ten ages Our famous 9oger $acon affirmes &rtephious to ha#e 'i#ed by #irtue of this medicine HI5? years 7herefore not without great reason (ypocrates, &#icen, 6alen, "onstantine, &lexander and many other physicans +whose memory the 7orld celebrates- prefer the ;lixir before all their medicaments, who so terming it the most perfect and absolute medicine and the uni#ersal balm of the 7orld

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!or the Second it is held for an undoubted maxim by the exper. ience of di#ers authors without all compass of extremes that it transmutes the Imperfect metals in a moment into pure Sil#er and 6old most perfect, and far exceeding in "olour, 7eight and subst. ance and constaney of trial all mineral 6Old and Sil#er whatsoe#er and so high in #alue as no refiner in the world can ma/e a 3ust report of his "arrats !or the third it is most certain that this powder by pro3ection upon other common Stones +being first liguified- doth ma/e and produce most precious Stones as 2aspers, &methyst, (yacynthes, Topa4, "hrysoliphs, Saphires, ;meralds, 9ubys, )iamonds and flaming "arbuncles, much better and far excelling in 'uster and #irtue, those that nature doth produce, all the which this medicine can li0uifie &nd for the fourth and last property of our %astery it hath the #irtue to communicate itself to #egetables and &nimals and to e#ery inferiour body to ma/e them perfect, Bea there is not the most Simple creeping "reature in or upon the face of the ;arth that ser#es not as a sounding trumpet to announce the glory of his excellent pri4e ;#en of that which if you pro3ect a little upon molten glass you ma/e it malliable and of what "olours you please and as he proceeds to his purification in his decoction when he is green you may ma/e ;meralds when he is li/e the rainbow +which appeareth in the #essel before the 7hite- he ma/es opals in his &sh "olour he produces )iamonds, and in his red 9ubies, and the in#aluable "arbuncle $ut for fear the Sages should en#y my pen for ha#ing so punctually and perhaps too boldly pointed upon this Table to the open #iew the Secrets which they ha#e with much care and "unning shadowed with so many obscurities and #ailed under so many (ieroglyphical figures as it can not be disco#ered but by the ripe 3udgement of some prudent Oedipus I will here ma/e an ;nd excusing that fault, with the feeling I ha#e of the sufferings patiently borne by the #irtuous "hildren

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of &rt which this 7orld ma/es miserable whom I confess I ha#e a 7ill to help &nd for the sottish Ignorant I now doubt their approaches, for where there hath been so much &rt used in hiding as they that are of the notion and understand the 'anguage failed in the finding, it is not for Idiots, nor #ain glorious ;mpty Thrasos to hope it being to them a gordian /not which whosoe#er will untye must be furnished with /nowledge, patience, dilligence and #irtue 1ow upon whom should so great a blessing be conferred if not on those ;glets which ran with open ;yes behold the glorious Sun of Philosophy +that stri/es blind all others that unworthily stare upon it- and for you and their deli#erance out of the Iron.fetters of "ontempt and misery, I ha#e written this plain and true dis. co#ery of a /ingdom that far transcends &rabia foolix or the ;ast and 7est Indies happily and peaceably may they find it and in3oy it: that we may so Plato8s plot accomplished which was to produce a 6o#ernment wherein the Jing should be Philosophers and Philo. sophers /ings, and not as now adays when fools ride on horsebac/ in state and pomp and wise men lar/ly by them on foot by them, as despised &ttendants

The "onclusion The 7or/ most perfect, most commendable and most in re0uest is that which brings to the wor/master the fruitation of whatsoe#er he can wish for his "ommodity or pleasure and which defends him from all the importune strea/s of 2udgement, the public/ plague and conspiring ;nemy of all humanity and especially to the best Spirits the worst Tyrants 1ow if by the powerful &ntidote of this murdering poison, man may dissipate and happily blow away the noisome #apours of his sufferings to sa#our and taste all leasure the comfortable and

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profitable fruits of his industrious and diligent hand and ingen. ious Spirit that is desirous to gi#e testimony of his good 7ill and "harity towards the necessity of his "ompanion and by some "haritable &rt, to relie#e him and release him out of the loath. some dungeon of carefull necessity 1o man that hath any sense of Virtue, seeing the ;ffects of so wonderful a wor/manship can forbear to admire the &uthors 'o#e and honesty the &rt that thus doth conser#e the comfortable society of mans life, in a fair, free and flourishing estate Shall we then remain bruitish without consecrating the famous Sacrifice from the &ltar of our hearts, to the li#ely memory of our admirable tincture which without "omparison places the pro. fesser abo#e all other men, ad#ancing him to the highest stop of human felicity Shall we now in this happiness become Stupid and insensible of the honour due to so sublime a business, seeing the unfitting and too ingrateful Silence of mouths undescreetly mute would ha#e but in this respect but small 6race, If we cannot excuse this fault with the dread we ha#e that we cannot suffic. iently extoll the sub3ect furnishing so ample a matter of dis. course In such a "ase insufficience might ha#e a place in our writings 7hereas a rude neglect in not ac/nowledgeing of such an &rtifice so absolutely excellent, as nothing in this sublunary #ail can e0ual were gross and absurd in the ;yes of the 3udicious who could not but condemn with a public/ "urse, such, as should by contem. plation or denyall, blaspheme against the true ;ssence, and real nature of this inestimable wor/ of philosophy The most perfect di#ine Image where, The glass wherein all natures wor/s appear, 6i#ing us whatsoe#er we hold dear $ut although the 7or/ of itself be plain conspicuous and easy

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the base being true SI%P'I"ITB $;I16 T(; S;&' O! T9*T(, yet because it should not be prophaned nor so precious a pearl cast befire Swine the best ad#ised Philosophers ha#e treated thereof in figures, riddles, obscure parables, "ircumloctitions, hyperbolical )ialogues, and shadowed Siniilitudes, to the ;nd it should not be contaminated by impure and unsanctified hearts and hands of ab3ect and #ile persons as is re0uisite in so Sacred a %ystery "ease therefore pusallanimous souls, "ease to sweat any more in #ain underta/ing to beat out the path of #irtue It is to you of difficult &ccess and full of ha4ard and ruin, but to generous, patient, painfull and ingeneous Spirits the new soul at the apprehension of so dangerous a passage ha#ing health, wealth and a mature apprehension of their proposed 'abours It is but "hildrens Sport and 7omans 7or/, honour also ta/ing pleasure in this their bold and bra#e attempt conducts them by the hand through all crosses and ne#er forsa/es them till they be arri#ed at their desire and felicitie, and tryumph happily in the plentifull har#est of the seed sown in the fertile 6lobe of their perser#erance which grows in the ;nd to the palm of glorious #ictory The #alorous &rgonauts could not be di#erted from their ;nterpri4e by the pillous Sands nor threatning roc/s, but made all good into the point of their "onstancy and gathered the sweet fruits of their expected glory, which a timerous Soul durst ne#er endea#our to attain nor expose his Sail to the 7ind in the #iolence of unmindfull 7a#es for the honourable Spoil of so rich a bootie So may we say of our 7or/ whose na#agators are selected and elected by the "ouncel of (ea#en neither s.bric/ing Sail nor ma/ing Shore, nor ta/ing pri4e, but indure a long painfull and perilous Voyage !or our Stone suffers itself to be o#ercome only by the perser. #erance of those Sage "a#iliers of the 6olden !leece, which under. stand the peculiar State and general "eremony of this 'arge business To these Sages and no other she communicates herself, yet not indifferently to all, nor always, but in a certain Season which

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1ature and she agrees upon things conser#ing in maturity the "orn being now ready to reap and the reapers solid heads coloured as the "orn and made capable of the dowry according to 6ebers saying: Philosophers that found and had this Stone, Obtained it not till all hot blood was gone &nd yet when all men thought them wea/ and old, They could embrace their lo#es as 'o#ers should

To which &ge principally prudence and solidity are familiar or new which ha#e in this time of ripeness banished all the 'e#ity and rashness of youth, and brought all their passions to stand bare headed before them for which "ause Senior says, That a man of Spirit and long experence may easily pric/ his Voyage to arri#e happily through this &rt at the "ape of 6ood (ope, if he gi#e him. self wholly without discontinuance to read good &uthors by whose means he shall be illuminated, and find an easy entrance to the true /nowledge of this di#ine Secret, as is &ffirmed by these Verses wherewith I will ma/e an ;nd

6rey heads are they that free those ;gletets That Saturn catches in our glassy nets, The winged feet of nimble %ercury, &re only lim8d by grace Sobrietie (&'';'* 2&(

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