Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	call_v	name_n	think_v	1,683	5	4.2786	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05040	A reuelation of the secret spirit Declaring the most concealed secret of alchymie. Written first in Latine by an vnknowne author, but explained in Italian, by Iohn Baptista Lambye, Venetian. Lately translated into English, by R.N.E. gentleman.; Apocalypsis spiritus secreti. English. 1623	Agnello, Giovan Battista.; Napier, Robert.	1623 (1623)	STC 15184; ESTC S121240	33,169	93

the Science is not deliuered without interruption because the wicked as well as the good would vsurpe it vnworthily The other cause is for the difficulty of the matter or subiect but considering that this secret is the gift of the most high God as all the Philosophers say and chiefly Morien with these words And know you that this Mastrie is no other thing but the mysterie and secret of secrets of the most high and great God Therefore I hope that our Lord Iesus will put such forme to my speech that without offending his most high Maiestie I may helpe the children of the truth And if about the difficulty and depth of the matter my forces be not sufficient the minde neuerthelesse is most ready and most desirous to make the vertuous spirits professours of this noble Science participant of a part of my long trouble and study made therein not yet as one that would perswade my selfe to be such that I vnderstood the secret hereof but as a louing professor of the search of it wherein I haue wearied my selfe for the time of twenty fiue yeeres Now to returne to our first purpose I say then for to beginne this second part that in the beginning of the booke called the blast of the trumpet it is written thus Of the first essence the first Philosopher Thales the Milesian saith God is the most ancient of things vnbegotten eternall and therefore Pythagoras saith I say that God was before all things nothing was with him when hee was and vnderstand that God when hee was alone in the beginning created one substance which he called the first matter and of that substance he created other foure fire aire water and earth of which now being created hee created all things as well high as low and so before all other things except the first matter hee created the foure elements out of which he created afterward what he would to wit diuers natures c. And Raymund Lully in the third chapter of the Theoricke of his Testament saith God created that nature of nothing into one pure substance which wee call quintessence in which whole nature is comprehended c. And in many other places hee saith the like because hee considereth that this Science proceedeth from God as all the Philosophers doe affirme therefore Mireris saith that this stone proceedeth from the most glorious high place and of the greatest Creator which hath put to death many wise men which is like vnto euery thing whose name cannot be spoken Where I considering the height and difficulty of this matter as I haue aboue said seeing that out of the Philosophers the construction concerning this thing cannot be had I purpose to see if out of the holy new or old Testament some iuyce may bee extracted studying the which in my iudgement many most excellent sentences may be taken to the purpose of this matter and of the whole science the which shall bee left out and onely I will serue my selfe with that which seemeth vnto me most to the purpose of this passage I finde the first thing that our Lord God created was the light as it appeareth in the first of Genesis there after hee made that wonderfull separation of the elements whereby there commeth in my minde some sentences of Vincentius in his Naturall mirrour in the second booke the three and thirtieth chapter where he saith Therefore his Spheres which is true light are begun from light and in light all things are accomplished c. And furthermore from the light he begun that he might shew his workes to be the workes of light not of darknesse c. And after he saith So also by his example hee hath taught man to worke in the light And in the thirty fifth he saith Therefore the first substance is light c. and after following he saith Euery thing therefore how much it hath of light so much it holdeth of diuinity because God is light and every thing hauing more of light than another is called more noble than it for in all things nobility is remarked according to the greater neerenesse and partaking of diuine essence And this also is manifest by induction in the first bodies when they are compared together the water is nobler than the earth because it hath more light than the earth Likewise the aire than the water and the fire than the aire and the fifth body than all other therefore it is called amongst them the first and most noble therefore the perfection of all these things which are in euery order of the world is light And in the thirtie eight chapter he saith Therfore worthily amongst all bodies the light holdeth the first place For as S. Augustine saith Euery substance common to two substances according to nature is before them both but light is a substance common to fire and starres which precede all other bodies Wherefore the first of all bodies is light After in the thirty nine chapter he saith But light is caused in the aire not from the aire it selfe or the forme of the aire but from the Sunne c. And he speaketh many other notable sentences which shall be left to be studied by studious men Now seeing the light is the first thing which God created I may say vnto you that the selfe nature is deriued from that light as all Philosophers doe affirme saying vse venerable nature And for confirmation hereof I will see if wee can agree many pretty sentences of diuers Philosophers who speake of this Science in fauor of this opinion But before that wee come thus farre I would know by what occasion many and diuers wise Philosophers haue entitled many of their bookes belonging to this Science vnder the name of Light As Aristotle called one the light of light Rasis fiue to wit the light of lights the booke of the Sunne the booke of the Moone the booke of cleerenesse and the booke of Light Iohn of Damascus the Rosary of the Sunne Iohn of Vien the mirrour of the elements Arnold de Villa noua the new light Roger Bacon the mirror of Alchymy Iohn de Rupescissa the booke of light and many and diuers others the like which truly I cannot thinke that they would doe it but because this diuine Science is the worke of light But perhaps some may say the Philosophers vse to say when they will declare any thing obscure that they giue light or illuminate But I my selfe doe not finde that they haue entitled their bookes of other Sciences vnder the title of Light as they haue done this Let euery one beleeue as most pleaseth him Now let vs come to the foresaid sentence and first Aristotle in his first booke of the Secret of Secrets saith For with thee is the Light of Lights and for this all darknesse shall flie from thee And Mireris in his booke of documents speaking of that secret spirit vnder the name of water he saith And know that the Philosophers declare that the

Alchymy is raised a substance like vnto a stone And he calleth it blessed because beyond the foure Elements there resteth a fifth Essence called the Spirit because the Spirit cannot bee seene by vs nor felt without a body assumed in some Element c. This Spirit for the noblenesse of his nature taketh a body in a nobler and superiour Sphere to wit of the Elements namely of the fiery Sphere of the noble fire but yet his spirituall nature remaining therefore neither is it fire nor hath it the nature of fire so much as is of it selfe And againe Because that body of the Spirit is fiery for his subtilty and purity and this cannot be seene by vs therefore with fit instruments by meanes of the workemans industry thickning its subtill substance it is conuerted in the forme of water and floweth Therefore separate the said Spirit and conioyne it with the Elements But the operation in the coniunction is twofold to wit one that the Elixir may be made to congeale Quickesiluer another that the Elixir may bee made for to preserue the life of man and to throw away all superfluity of bad humors and to eschew all corruption of the body Therefore if thou wilt make the Philosophers Stone to congeale Quickesiluer do in this manner Separate first the Spirit and the soonest that thou canst because thou shalt neuer separate him so warily but that hee will retaine some part of the former substance of Phlegme This Spirit once separated is called the burning water whose signe is that if thou dip a linnen cloth in it the cloth will be inflamed and not burne But if you separate oftner it is called the burning water rectified whose Signe is because a cloth dipt is altogether burned So haue you one Element made spirituall with the Spirit of the Quintessence And so the first apparition of that secret Spirit becommeth manifest in forme of water The which is that water whereof the Philosophers say The secret of the Art is to know the celestiall water diuine and glorious c. It followeth And so it behoueth the other three Elements to be made spirituall with the said Spirit retaining the corporall vertue in this manner Separate the whole superfluous Phlegme from the said stone vntill the oyle come to fume out and nothing at all remaine of the Phlegme and it shall be turned like vnto pitch And then mixe the first burning water rectified with this substance made like pitch well stirring till it be incorporated And then againe distill twice or thrice and then it is called mans bloud rectified and of this saith the Philosopher the winde hath carried him in his belly And so haue you two Elements exalted in the vertue of the fifth Essence to wit water and aire And this is the second apparition of that secret Spirit in the forme of aire of which another Philosopher saith This is truly humane bloud the true Celandine in which the secrets of nature are hid c. It followeth Thereafter take the foresaid substance which remaineth like pitch and separate all the superfluous oyle by a glasse Alembicke vntill that no oyle remaine And then it will be a blacke dry substance which powder well and grinde well with humane bloud rectified and let it so stand for the space of three houres Thereafter distill and then it is called the fiery water and doe in the same manner the second time and then it is called the fiery water rectified And so haue you three Elements in the vertue of the Quintessence to wit aire fire and water And so appeareth the third apparition of that secret Spirit in forme of fire But because this Philosopher maketh no mention of the separation of one Element from another and this I thinke is because the separation of the airy Element is not necessary to desire to follow the whole worke But who wil separate it to vse it for the vertue described by the Author of the secret Spirit many Philosophers haue told the manner But if you read the manner of the separation of the foure Elements of Celandine described by many Authors chiefly by Philip Vlstadius in his Heauen of Philosophers there you shall finde the manner of the said separation therefore I will not enlarge my selfe otherwise to write it And more I will say that the Philosopher who hath written the separation of the Elements of Celandine is that same of the secret Spirit who would serue himselfe vnder the name of Celandine that is the gift of the Heauen and that this is true you shall find described the vertues of these Elements word by word as those of the secret Spirit in the fifth apparition outward And the like did another vnder the name of humane bloud And as it is aboue spoken at full it is no matter of the names otherwise because all doe vnderstand one onely thing Now followeth here a most pretty glosse worthy to be noted vpon this passage of 3. houres the which will giue great light to the children of the truth and it saith thus And in that space is melted all the white volatill Salt which is in the blacke earth with the foresaid water and the water becommeth more sharpe and burning which whiles it is distilled it carrieth with it all this Salt volatill and spirituall and flieth out in the stilling The which Salt is called fire and therefore this water is called fiery of the which Salt the names are these the Salt of the yolkes of eggs the Starre Diana the morning Starre the flying Eagle the Secret of Nature and infinite other names Therefore Mercury is sublimed and made Salt and so when you heare in the bookes of Philosophers any thing of these names know that it is no other thing but the honored Salt and in it there are more than fifty names And so oft rectifie vntill that it destroy all things by burning Followeth After take the said blacke substance and calcine it in a furnace of reuerberation vntill it become like lime and with this lime mixe the fiery water rectified and distill it and then it will be a water of life rectified And so haue you the foure Elements rectified and purified with the fifth Essence and with the Spirit of the fifth Essence and this is the water of life which is sought in the worke And here endeth the separation of the foure Elements with the fourth apparition of the secret Spirit in an earthly forme as more cleerely appeareth in this glosse which followeth vpon that place vntill it become like lime which saith And this shall be when all superfluities and foule humidities shall flye out and be separated by the flame of fire and no otherwise and the lime shall not be white but blacke rusty And this is the true earth of the Philosophers which is called the secret of the Stone in this lurketh the hid gold and this hid gold cleansed from his earthlinesse and filth I haue touched with mine owne fingers