in his apertory where he saith Take of the best iuyce of Lunary which thou canst finde c. And the Rosary of the Philosophers where it saith The iuyce of Lunaria the water of life the fift essence the burning wine the Mercury vegetable are all one the iuyce of Lunary is made of our wine which is knowne to few of our children And with it by the meanes of it is made our potable gold and without it no waies And more he said that after he had taken his Mercury out of the same dregs or earth he could take as much of the same Mercury as he pleased without end the same earth remaining neuerthelesse euer in his proper weight and quantity as at first Which appeared wonderfull vnto me And I asking the reason thereof hee answered me with Vincentius in his naturall The light hath the property of the fountaine the cause of multiplication And more he said that this his earth was like a well of such water as neuer could be dryed and it was the body vnderstood by Iohn Augustine Pantheus in his Voarcha dumia where he saith That the vegetable body is full of iuyce c. And moreouer he said that this was that true Salamander that was ingendred and nourished in the fire alledging many authorities of Philosophers amongst which he made vse of a booke intitled The water of life perpetuall which said it is fire of fire and is ingendred of fire and is nourished in the fire and it is the daughter of the fire c. And that more he said that it was also that thing and the spirit of the world which Henricus Cornelius Agrippa speaketh of in the foureteenth chapter of the first booke of his Philosophy where hee saith But it is more infused into those things which haue taken most of this Spirit For it is taken by the beames of the starres according as things render themselues conforme vnto them Therefore by this Spirit euery hid property is propagated in herbes stones and metals and beasts by the Sunne by the Moone by the Planets and by the Starres higher than the Planets yea this Spirit may be more profitable vnto vs if any man know how to separate him well from other elements or at least vse those things which abound most in this spirit So that he made me remaine so confused that I knew not what to answer Whereby I am disposed to stay no more with these melancholicke and fantasticke humors that I make not my selfe fall into some Heresie to no purpose For the which I will exhort the true searchers of this noble science that they suffer not themselues to be fooled with vaine opinions nor to set a worke in the day that which they dreamed in the night as these two my foresaid friends haue done But to bee constant and follow the documents of the foresaid good Philosophers And so shall be made an end of this my shore discourse which is dedicated and presented to the children of the truth who delight in a solitary life Now my deare and rude booke thou hast endeuored to set forth all thy will in speaking and declaring by a method and continued order Gathering together so many fine sentences described by so many worthy and wise Philosophers and scattered not only in many chapters but in diuers bookes against their precept Who doe command that this noble Science should be written obscurely and not with a cleare and continuated stile to the end it bee not vsurped by the ignorant and vnworthy people But seeing that so it hath pleased thee to doe at least flie from the multitude of men and learne the solitary life and conuerse only with those noble and solitary spirits to which thou art dedicated because in the solitary life is found this most noble secret spirit secret it is called because also it truly shunneth the conuersation of the vulgar and goeth to hide it selfe in solitary and secret places And moreouer because that in the solitary life is learned to know God In a solitary life is learned to loue God In a solitary life I say is learned to giue glory and praise to the most high and most glorious creator of all to whom bee praises through infinite ages of ages Amen FINIS
last part shall bee shewed what is to bee vnderstood by the coniunction and vnion of the said elements after their perfect rectification reducing theÌ„ in a glorious fifth being called Quintessence or Elixir and in many other diuers names nominated by diuers Philosophers it shal be that which this Philosopher vnderstandeth when he saith but there is one thing c. Where to follow this order for the better declaration of the Text before alledged the first part shall be diuided into three parts In the first shall bee shewed as is aboue said that there is one only thing in which the said Spirit is found In the second shall bee seene by the meanes of many authorities and sentences of diuers Philosophers if it may bee iudged what thing is this onely thing And because there is no comming to the separation of the Elements if first that body or truly one thing as they say bee not disposed that it bee fit for the said separation which is nothing else but the reducing it to his first matter and this shall bee taken for the third part in which shall bee seene the necessity of the said separation Thereafter in the second part of the Text shall be shewed the manner of the separation of the Elements described by an vncertaine Author inserting therein some faire glosses of other Philosophers for the more declaration of the mystery And in the third and last part shall bee seene the coniunction of the said Elements of which shall grow a Crystalline and glorious stone called Elixir or Quintessence as some would haue it and it shall be as is said before the secret Spirit of our Philosopher c. The first Chapter Wherein it is proued that there is only one thing out of the which the secret Spirit or the Philosophers Stone may be taken HErmes Father of all the Philosophers saith that our stone is made of one thing because all our Science and mystery is made of our water that is copper And Aristotle In one thing onely consisteth truth and in multitude vanity And Pythagoras in the booke of his documents speaketh And I say vnto you that the foundation of this Art for which many haue perished is one thing that to the Philosophers is stronger and higher then the natures and to the foolish is baser then any thing we esteeme And Geber It is one thing one medicine to which we adde nothing we diminish nothing except that in separation wee remoue the superfluous And Rasis Know my sonne that it is one disposition and one nature and one worke and one vessell to make the white and red And Morienus This mystery is wont to be made of one only thing therefore put this in thy mind for thou needest not many things but one onely thing And Lucas in turba For our verity is one in which is the Spirit that we search And another vncertaine Philosopher saith For our matter is one containing in it selfe the essence of all the seuen metals and in that substance is the deiâ—g Spirit which we seeke And in the booke intituled The secret of Auicen it is written thus And know for certaine that the Philosophers cared not for the names but one name and one action to wit to seeth the stone and bring forth his soule because their stone is alwaies one And Iohn of Damascus in his Rosary of Phoebus saith Therefore it is doubted of the stone which is called the Philosophers which is it and what Seeing it was neuer named openly by any Philosopher Therefore in this many iudged diuers things when in one onely consisteth truth We do hold him dearely teaching to auoid all others and surely it is manifest by the Philosophers Writs that it is one thing and that no strange thing should be ioyned thereto because nothing agreeth to a thing but what is neerer to his owne nature And Arnoldus de villa noua in his Rosary saith Therfore it behoueth the searcher of this Science to be of a constant will in worke that he presume not to try sometime this sometime that because our Art is not perfected in the multitude of things for it is one And Raymund Lullius in the 49. Chapter of the Theoricke of his Testament saith Thou must no waies be ignorant hereof seeing it is necessary that our Medicine of one onely kind and one sole nature be made And in the seuenty fiue Chapter Moreouer wee say recapitulating that seeing this thing is of one sole nature and of that onely this is made which mighty men desire to haue and search and in many other places he mentioneth which for shortnesse sake shall bee left out And George Ripply the English in his Ladder of twelue degrees saith yet the matter of this worke according to all the authenticall Philosophers is one onely thing containing in it selfe all necessaries to the accomplishing of its owne perfection And Henricus Cornelius Agrippa in the second Booke of hid Philosophy in the fourth Chapter saith There is one thing by God created the subiect of all wonderfulnesse which is in earth and in heauen it is actually animall vegetable and minerall found euery where knowne by few by none expressed in his proper name but couered in numbers figures and riddles without which neither Alchymy nor naturall magicke can attaine their perfect end And in the Rosary of the Philosophers it is written But I aduise that no man intrude himselfe into this Science to search except hee know the beginning of true nature and her gouernement which being knowne he needeth not many things but one thing nor requireth great charges because the stone is one the medicine one the vesselbone the gouernement one and the disposition one c. Many other authorities and sentences of diuers Philosophers for the confirmation of this passage I could produce but for shortnesse sake as also because I thinke that the foresaid sentences of so many worthy Authors are sufficient enough for confirmation of this matter we let them alone The second Chapter In which shall bee seene by meanes of many sentences of diuers Philosophers if it can bee iudged what thing is this onely thing THis is the passage which abaseth the wings of the ignorant searchers of this glorious and diuine Science Ignorant call I all those to wit of this Science who are ignorant of the true matter of which the Philosophers stone is made albeit that in other Sciences they were most excellent and most learned But before I proceed further two causes doe make me stand somewhat doubtfull of the manner which I should hold in my writing the one is two sentences one of Aristotle and another of Geber The first of Aristotle in his light of light saith that the ancient Philosophers haue therefore so carefully hid this mystery that few might vnderstand it because if it were vulgarly knowne there were no further place for prudence seeing the foolish would be equall to the wise And the other of Geber Wherefore
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
stone containeth sufficeth to fulfill the nourishment of the whole stone Therefore seeke not a strange earth as some doe who take the tartar of wine and say that it is the earth of the stone some the dreggs of wine calcined others the ashes of the vine and these doe erre so the blinde leadeth the blinde and both fall in the pit beleeuing to make the water of life and make the water of death Because the earth must not be strange witnessing the Philosopher Geber saying one stone and one medicine to which no strange thing is added but all superfluities remoued So it is in this water of life No strange thing is added but all superfluous things are remoued Therefore this is the blessed stone rectified Or the foresaid water if it bee thrise sublimed through his dreggs that when a drop thereof is put into a spoone and kindled with a candle it is all burned so that nothing remaine in the spoone and then it is rightly rectified and this may be perceiued in the preperation thereof for this end that it may bee profitable to cure diseases and to conserue the life of man And because the earth is necessary before that the rectified water should be distilled from it then it is necessary that the oile be drawne out and separated from the earth Know that the foresaid earth is all burned and stinketh as burnt things And vnlesse the foresaid earth be washed with the water of the Phlegme so that it lose altogether his stinke the rectified water would retaine something of the stinke which must passe through the earth and be distilled from it And therefore before you make the water of life now rectified passe through the earth first wash the earth well with the water of the Phlegme so that it lose well the stinke of his burning Which done from the said earth that is to say through the said earth make the water of life rectified passe And this you shall doe at least seuen times and then shall you haue the water of life medicinal as I haue abouesaid And note that scarse can you haue a pint of the foresaid water of life well rectified out of thirty pints of wine Let it passe through his earth many times and it will be more effectuall and his vertue will be multiplied and increased because the oftner it is distilled through his earth so much the more effectuall and powerfull shall bee the said water Item Note that in the said water are dissolued the leaues of most thin gold and so of gold is made aqua potabilis and it is wonderfull to conserue the life of man and to take away all diseases And which is more it maketh old men yong againe Therefore regard warily the foresaid water The water of life aboue written is sometime made to bee Elixir or Medicine to congeale Mercury Sometime a part to be medicine for to conserue mans life the vertues which are communicated to euery one we will briefly set downe in this Chapter Know therefore that the water of life which is made to be Elixir to congeale Mercury not only congealeth Mercury but also blancheth Venus and dissolueth Spirits and calcineth bodies c. But where it is made to be medicine for the conseruing the life of man you haue his vertues and praises in other bookes For it breaketh the impostumes and cureth wounds from rottennesse c. The simple water of life is drawne out of wine and is called the soule of wine whose glory inestimable is the Mother and Lady of all simple Medicines and Compound whose effects are wonderfull and especially against all causes and passions of mans body There are many waies to rectifie it but in the aboue written Chapter I haue put the best inuentions When the foresaid water of life is distilled at least foure times there is no meanes to distill it from its earth as I haue set downe in the chapter aboue written But it sufficeth that it be distilled as commonly it vseth to be distilled that the health of mans body may be conserued and lost health restored This water is so strong and of so great vertue and of the greatest naturall heat that by it selfe and without commixion it cannot bee drunken without hurt Item If the eyes be weakned through a web or for want of spirit let there be put in wine the leaues of eye-bright Rue and Veruene of each one handfull of Celandine a little and all being bruised amongst the hands let them be put in wine and stand there ouer night and thereafter the forefaid water of life be distilled Item If the herbe Baulme-mint be put in wine and afterward the water be distilled then one spoonful be taken with a fasting stomacke it maketh a man well remembring things passed and retaining things heard Item If Sage and Mint be put in wine and thereafter the water of life bee distilled the water drunke killeth wonderfully all kind of wormes Item The water of life made with Terpentine careth the quartane Ague if it be taken before the sit and muske water also with it Item Note that whatsoeuer odoriferous Powders or whatsoeuer greene or dry herbes shall be distilled in the foresaid water it shall retaine the smell and shall bee powerfull and smelling according to their qualitie And the vser of such water shall feele the power and vertue of these spices and if guests chance to come wine being mixed with the foresaid water incontinent shall retaine the taste and smel of the Spices and herbs put into it and so it shall appeare to be Cloue wine or Sage wine c. And so euery discreet wise and vnderstanding man may seeke out the vertues of the water And note that al which are written to wit medicines you vnderstand of the water of life which is called the burning water is the greatest subtilty of wine or spirit to the soule And the second water which is extracted or sublimed from wine by the same manner is the Element of aire and burneth not but some call it the water of Phlegme because it is of a cold nature wherefore I will describe some things after this sort If you will make haires yellow make ashes of Iuy wood and make a Lee of the foresaid second water Thereafter often wash thy head with the foresaid Lee and know that in two moneths the effect followeth and it will kill all kind of wormes that is in the haires Item The washing cleanseth the face for if the face be washt therewith the rose gut or sauce Phlegme is taken away And if oile be made of the inward kernels of pine Apples mixed with the foresaid water it shall heale and cure it quickly chiefly if the said oile be applied in hot milke and that this be done with the fat swimming aboue The eight Chapter Where are handled the diuers workers in this Science SEeing that hitherto by the grace of the Lord God an end is put vnto the Exposition of the secret
spirit and it is shewed by many sentences of diuers wise Philosophers the great difficulty and deepest depth of so high a secret not onely in knowledge of the matter but also in preparation thereof wherefore the Philosophers say that it is very difficult and they doe speake in this manner The Philosophers haue hid the preparation of the stone because it is the Key of the Art and difficultest of things Some others say The working and gouernment thereof cannot be knowne but by the gift of God or instruction of a master who should teach it The same saith our Philosopher of the secret Spirit Therefore that would I know what wee should thinke and say of so great a multitude of men which otherwise I know not how to name that when they haue seene a simple and sophisticate receit say and affirme with an oath that they can make the precious and most beloued stone of the Philosophers the which they haue purchased with so long studies troubles teares and sweats Which is altogether against the vse and order of all the Philosophers as Villa Noua saith The Alchymists of latter time are for the most part mockers and whiles by sophistications they seeke rather to seeme wise then to be they deceiue the yeelders to them but the ancients not profiting according to their owne couetousnesse haue wrapped vp this Art in riddles shewing rather their owne ignorance then science c. I say then what should we say of these truly it cannot be otherwise answered but with the conference of Ianus Lacinius and Petrus bonus ferrariensis in his precious new pearle to exclaime say And no wonder because it falleth out in this desperate age that men of euery sort and some the most ignorant dare search the hid causes of the Art and Science of this most happy and most high Philosophy thinking to wrest and steale that blessed stone out of paper tricks and deceits of some Idiots For they are Smithes and Weauers Carpenters and such kind of men desiring to bee inriched without labour An answer certainly to the purpose worthy of such kind of people But moreouer what shall we say of an infinite number of lettered and learned men of whom I know enow who are searchers of this Science and neuerthelesse vnderstand not the most obscure bookes of the Philosophers to be written vnder Metaphors but as the letter soundeth and consider not or else will not consider what the Philosophers say We haue not written our Bookes but vnto our children and our children are they who vnderstand our sayings And Plato saith Who knoweth our purpose and our intention is now a Philosopher and is inriched and who knoweth not our sayings he is in the snares of nature c. And Geber For wheresoeuer we haue spoken plainly there we haue said nothing but where vnder riddles and figures wee haue put something there haue we hid the truth And Arnoldus But the foolish vnderstanding the sayings of the Philosophers according to the letter are become blind and haue found nought but a lie and then they say the Science is false because we haue tried and find nothing and then they are like desperate men and doe despise the bookes and the Science and therefore the Science despiseth them for our Science of the hid things of nature hath no enemy but the ignorant Therefore this diuine Science is not purchased by being lettered and learned only seeing it is the secret of God as all men do affirme for the which it is written Because all wisdome is from the Lord God and therefore sometimes these things are giuen to the simple which the most studious cannot know Now let vs leaue this I could in particular tell some manners of working of many which I haue seene in my iournies of diuers workers which I will leaue that I bee not too long and tedious But I wil tell two ridiculous which I haue seene in this noble City of London where I was present my selfe of two of my best friends searchers of this Science The one of which hauing diuers waies tryed fortune and being one day by chance in a very ancient Palace where hee saw a glasse window in the which was painted the history or fable of Iason when he went to Colchos to purchase the golden fleece Where reading somthing written a fantasie entred his head so that he would not vnderstand that the Philosophers stone was made of other then of glasse alledging a sentence of a Philosopher saying in salt and glasse is all the secret And againe hee said that Alsidius speaketh breake the glasse and extract the stone and put it in a glasse vessell or bolts head and extract the oyle from it and you shall finde this which the Philosophers deliuered vnto vs in this glasse is the quicke siluer which ouercommeth the fire and is not ouercome by it And Raymund confirmeth the like in the eighty six chapter of the Theoricke of his Testament where he saith draw the quick-siluer out of the caues of glasse c. but what more He alledgeth two passages of the Reuelation of S. Iohn the Euangelist chapter 21. where he saith And the building of the wall thereof was of Iasper stone but the city it selfe pure gold like to pure glasse And furthermore after And the street of the city pure gold like transparent glasse Where I remaining a little wondering at this his fantasticke fantasie asked him what affinitie and friendship and what to doe had glasse with metall He answered me that I vnderstood not and that it was vnderstood the glasse made of metals alledging the speech of the Philosophers saying That the glasse of metall changeth euery metall to better c. And Iohn Bracescus vnderstood the same in his dialogue of demogorgon and Geber when it is said that glasse made of iron is the Philosophers stone And so likewise may be made glasse of gold and siluer and of all other mettals Wherefore leauing him with this his Chimera I will speake of the opinion of the other no lesse fabulous than this I say that this my other friend said and affirmed that he had the knowledge of the true Lunaria so much mentioned by the Philosophers and that in it did consist all the secret of this Art Out of the which as he said by a Philosophicall way he did take the iuyce and of which hee made a salt which was greene saying that this was the true salt which the Philosophers vnderstood alledging a sentence of Hermes that saith All salts of what kinde soeuer are contrarie to our Art except the salt of our Lunaria Of which salt he said by diuers operations he tooke the Mercury the which was the Mercury vegetable of which afterward he separated not onely the foure elements but also he tooke a water which hee called the spirit of the stone or fifth essence alledging an infinite number of sentences of diuers Philosophers for his purpose And chiefly Raymund Lully and principally