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A61317
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An exposition upon Sir George Ripley's Epistle to King Edward IV written by Eirenæus Philalethes Anglus, cosmopolita.
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Philalethes, Eirenaeus.; Starkey, George, 1627-1665.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing S5274; ESTC R8174
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16,997
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51
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wait and wait until about the 40 th day utter blackness begins to appear when thou seest that then conclude thy Body is destroy'd that is made a living Soul and thy Spirit is dead that is Coagulated with the Body But till this sign of Blackness both the Gold and the Mercury retain their Forms and Natures Rule XVII Beware that thy Fire go not out no not for a moment so as to let thy Matter be cold for so Ruine of the Work will certainly follow .. By what has been said thou mayst gather that all our work is nothing else but an uncessant boyling of thy Compound in the first degree of liquifying heat which is found in the Metalline Kingdom in which the Internal Vapours shall go round about thy matter in which fume it shall both die and be revived Rule XVIII Know that when the White appears which will be about the end of Five Months that then the accomplishment of the White Stone approacheth Rejoyce then for now the King hath overcome Death and is rising in the East with great Glory Rule XIX Then continue your Fire until the Colours appear again then at last you shall see the fair Vermillion the Red Poppy Glorifie God then and be thankful Rule XX. Lastly you must boyl this Stone in the same water in the same proportion with the same Regimen only your Fire shall then be a little slacker and so you shall increase Quantity and Goodness at your pleasure Now the only God the Father of light bring you to see this Regeneration of the light and make us to rejoyce with him for ever hereafter in light Amen AN ADVERTISEMENT THis Author having wrote many Excellent Pieces on this Subject not so much to manifest himself an Adept as many have done as to benefit the World by his Writings himself professing that although the rest of his Adept Brethren had as we may say enviously sworn secrecie contrary to their received Maxim of doing all the good they may with this large Talent so long as they live and longer if it might be yet had not he so sworn though they supposed it for he had as himself confesseth an extraordinary impulse of mind to be helpful to all sincere searchers of this secret Art to use his own words and to stretch out his hand to such as are behind Seeing therefore that it was the Authors own desire to benefit the World by his Labours and that he gave his consent to Mr. Starkey for Printing his Pieces as appears in his Preface to the Marrow of Alchimy I know no reason wherefore his Writings should lie conceal'd any longer And great pity it was that Mr. Starkey did separate this Author's Commentarie upon Sir George Ripley's 12 Gates which he did as I was informed by one unto whom he gave the very Book from which he confessed he had cut the last Six Gates the Person demanding the reason wherefore he cut them in sunder he answered that the World was unworthy of them which nevertheless he promis'd to give that Person a Transcript of but did not which is the reason that they cannot yet be found the loss of which is very much lamented Wherefore if any Gentleman hath them by him or any other piece of this Author It is humbly desired that they will send them to the Pellican in Little Britain London that they may be Printed with the first Six Gates which are now in the Press And that I may not be wanting to contribute what I can for the discovery of this Author's Works I here make bold to present the Reader with a Catalogue of such Pieces as are noted to be writ by this Author under the disguised name of Aeyraeneus Philalethes part whereof are set down by Mr. Starkey in his Preface aforenamed and part are mentioned by the Author himself with several others which he wrote as he saith for his own recreation and afterwards burn'd which Author is acknowledged by all hands to be an English-man and an Adept supposed to be yet living and travelling and about the age of 55 years but his Name is not certainly known These Books in this Catalogue were written by Eirenaeus Philalethes whereof these 15. following are Printed 1. INtroitus apertus ad occlusum Regis Palatium Amst 1667. This is Re-printed in Germany with the Collection of Books called Musaeum Hermeticum of the Edition 1677. in 4º 2. Idem in English called Secrets Reveal'd Printed at London 1669. in 8o. being much more perfect than the Latine Editions 3. The Marrow of Alchymy in two Poems or Parts in English Verse Lond. 1654. 1655. 4. Ars Metallorum Metamorphoseωs Amst 1668. in 8o. These are likewise in the aforesaid Edition of the Musaeum Hermeticum 5. Brevis manuductio ad Rubinum Coelestem Amst 1668. in 8o. These are likewise in the aforesaid Edition of the Musaeum Hermeticum 6. Fons Chymicae Philosophiae Amst 1668. in 8o. These are likewise in the aforesaid Edition of the Musaeum Hermeticum 7. Methodica Enarratio trium Gebri Medicinarum Lond. 1678. in 8o. 8. Vade-Mecum Philosophicum sive breve manuductorium ad Campum Sophiae Lond. 1678. in 8o. 9. Experimenta de praeparatione Mercurii Sophici Lond. 1678. in 8o. 10. A Commentary or Exposition upon Sir G. Ripley's Epistle to Edw. IV. King of England Lond. 1678. in 8o. 11. Idem upon Sir G. Ripley's Preface to his Compound of Alchymy Lond. 1678. in 8o. 12. Idem upon the first six Gates of his Compound of Alchymy Lond. 1678. in 8o. 13. Idem upon the Recapitulation of his Compound of Alchymy Lond. 1678. in 8o. 14. Idem upon his Vision Lond. 1678. in 8o. 15. Experiments for the Preparation of the Sophick Mercury Lond. 1678. in 8o. These 13. following he wrote but we cannot as yet find where the Copies are 1. A Comment or Exposition upon the last six Gates of Sir G. Ripley's Compound of Alchymy 2. Idem upon Sir G. Ripley's Erroneous Experiments 3. Idem upon Sir G. Ripley's Wheel 4. Idem upon Arnold's Vltimum Testamentum 5. Opus Elixeris Aurifici Argentifici 6. Brevis via ad vitam longam or Alchymy Triumphing 7. Cabala Sapientum or an Exposition upon the Hieroglyphicks of the Magi. 8. Elenchus Errorum in Arte Chymica deviantium 9. Elenchus Authorum potissimorum in Arte Chymica 10. An Enchiridion of Experiments together with a Diurnal of Meditations in which were many Philosophical Receipts declaring the whole Secret with an Aenigma at the end 11. Analysis Operis 12. A Clavis to his Works 13. Comments or Expositions upon Flammel Artephius and Sendivogius But these three are rather Quaeried then affirmed to be wrote by this Author
The Contents Directions for the Book-binder 1. The Author's Preface 1 sheet Signat * 2. Exposition upon the Epistle to K. Edw. 3 sheets and a half Signat A.B.D.E. 3. upon the Preface 3 sheets 4. upon the 6 Gates 19 sheets a half from F. to Cc. 5. and the Experiments of the Sophick Mercury 6. Breviary of Alchymy 2 sheets A. B. 7 An Exposition upon Sir G. Ripley's Vision 2 sheets A. B. AN EXPOSITION Upon Sir George Ripley's EPISTLE To King Edward IV. Written by Eirenaeus Philalethes Anglus COSMOPOLITA LONDON Printed for William Cooper at the Pellican in Little Britain 1677. Sir GEORGE RIPLEY'S EPISTLE TO King Edward the Fourth UNFOLDED THis Epistle as it was immediately written to a King who was in his Generation both wise and valiant so it doth comprize the whole secret both learnedly described and yet artificially vailed Yet as the Author testifieth that in this Epistle he doth plainly untie the main knot So I can and do testifie with him that there is nothing desirable for the true attaining of this Mystery both in the Theory and Practick of it which is not in this short Epistle fully taught This then I intend as a Key to all my former writings and assure you on my faithful word that I shall not speak one word doubtfully or Mystically as I have in all my other writings seeming to aver some things which taken without a Figure are utterly false which we did only to conceal this Art. This Key therefore we intend not to make common and shall intreat you to keep it secret to your self and not to communicate it except it be to a sure friend who you are confident will not make it publick And this request we make upon very good grounds knowing that all our writings together are nothing to this by reason of the contradictions which we have woven into them which here is not done in the least measure I shall therefore in this Epistle take up a new Method and that different from the former and shall first draw up the substance of the Philosophy couched in this Epistle into several conclusions and after elucidate the same The first Conclusion is drawn from the Ninth Stave of this Epistle the eight first Staves being only complementall and that is That as all things are multiplied in their kind so may be Metalls which have in themselves a capacity of being transmuted the imperfect into perfect The second Conclusion in the Tenth Stave is That the main ground for the possibility of transmutation is the possibility of reduction of all Metalls and such Minerals as are of metallick principles into their first Mercurial matter The third Conclusion is in the Eleventh Stave that among so many Metaline and Mineral Sulphurs and so many Mercuries there are but two Sulphurs that are related to our work which Sulphurs have their Mercuries essentially united to them The fourth Conclusion from the same Stave is That he who understands these two Sulphurs Mercuries aright shal find that the one is the most pure red Sulphur of Gold which is Sulphur in manifesto and Mercurius in occulto and that other is most pure white Mercury which is indeed true Quicksilver in manifesto and Sulphur in occulto these are our two Principles The fifth Conclusion from the Twelfth Stave is That if a mans Principles be true and his Operations regular his Event will be certain which Event is no other then the true Mystery These Conclusions are but few in number but of great weight or concernment the Amplification Illustration and Elucidation therefore of them will make a son of Art truly glad STAVE IX In the Edition 1591 but in Esq Ashmole's Theatrum it is Stave 8. But notwithstanding for peril that may befall If I dare not here plainly the knot unbind Yet in my writing I will not be so mysticall But that by study the true Knowledge you may find How that each thing is multiplyed in its kind And how the likeness of Bodies Metalline be transmutable I will declare that if you feel me in your mind My writing you shall find true and no falned Fable FOr the First Forasmuch as it is not for our purpose here to invite any to the Art only intending to lead and guide the sons of Art We shall not prove the possibility of Alchymy by many Arguments having done it abundantly in another Treatise He then that will be incredulous let him be incredulous he that will cavil let him cavil But he whose mind is perswaded of the truth of this Art and of its Dignity let him attend to what is in the Illustration of these Five Conclusions discovered and his heart shall certainly rejoyce We shall therefore briefly Illustrate this 1st Conclusion and insist there more largely where the secrets of the Art are most couched For this first which concludes in effect the truth of the Art and its validity he that would therein be more satisfied in it let him read the Testimony of the Philosophers And he that will not believe the Testimony of so many men being most of them men of renown in their own times he will cavil also against all other Arguments We shall only hold to Ripley's Testimony in this our Key who in the Fourth Stave assures the King that at Lovain he first saw the greatest and most perfect secrets namely the two Elixirs and in his following Verses craved his confident credit that he himself hath truly found the way of secret Alchymy and promiseth the discovery of it to the King only upon condition of secrecy And in the Eighth Stave though he protests never to write it by Pen yet proffers the King at his pleasure to shew him occularly the Red and White Elixir and the working of them which he promiseth will be done for easie costs in time So then he that will doubt the truth of this Art must account this Famous Author for a most simple mad Sophister to write and offer such things to his Prince unless he were able in effect to do what he promised from which imputation his Writings and also the History of him of his Fame Gravity and Worth will sufficiently clear him STAVE X. As the Philosopher in the Book of Meteors doth write The likeness of Bodies Metalline be not transmutable But after he added these words of more delight Without they be reduced to their beginning materiable Wherefore such Bodies which in Nature be liquiable Mineral Metalline may be Mercurizate Conceive you may this Science is not opinionable But very true by Raymond and others determinate WE come to the second Conclusion the substance of which is that all Metalls and Bodies of Metalline Principles may be reduced to their first Mercurial Matter And this is the main and chief ground for the possibility of Transmutation On this we must insist largly and fully for trust me this is the very hinge on which our secrets hang. First Then know that all