never had sight to peinte How shoulde a borne blinde Man be sure To write or make good Portrature To build Poules steeple might be greate doubt For such proude Clerks to bring aboute Such might well happ to breake their crowne Ere they coude wisely take it downe Wherefore all such are full farr behinde To fetch out the secreatest pointe of kinde Therefore all Men take theire fortune and chaunce Remit such Clerks to their Ignorance NOw ye that will this Science pursue Learne ye to know fals Men from trew All trew searchers of this Science of Alkimy Mustbe full learned in their first Philosophie Else all their laboure shall them let and greive As he that fetcheth Water in a Sive The trew men search and seeke all alone In hope to finde our delectable stone And for that thei would that no Man shulde have losse They prove and seeke all at their owne Coste Soe their owne Purses they will not spare They make their Coffers thereby full bare With greate Patience thei doe proceede Trusting only in God to be their speede THe fals man walketh from Towne to Towne For the most parte in a threed-bare-Gowne Ever searching with diligent awaite To winn his praye with some fals deceit Of swearing and leasing such will not cease To say how they can Silver plate increase And ever they rayle with perjury Saying how they can Multiplie Gold and Silver and in such wise With promise thei please the Covetise And Causeth his minde to be on him sett Then Falsehood and Covetise be well mett But afterwards within a little while The Multiplier doth him beguile With his faire promise and with his fals othes The Covetise is brought to threed-bare clothes But if he can hastily be well aware Of the Multiplier and of his Chaffare Of whose deceipts much I can reporte But I dare not least I give comforte To such as be disposed to Treachery For so much hurte mought come thereby Wherefore advise you and be wise Of them which proffer such servise If they had Cunning have ye no doubt They woll be loath to shew it out When such men promise to Multiplie They compasse to doe some Villony Some trew mans goods to beare awaye Of such fellowes what shulde I saye All such false men where ever thei goe They shulde be punished thei be not so Upon Nature thei falsely lye For Mettalls doe not Multiplie Of this Sentence all men be sure Evermore Arte must serve Nature Nothing multiplieth as Auctors sayes But by one of theis two wayes One by rotting called Putrefaction That other as Beasts by Propagation Propagation in Mettalls maie not be But in our Stone much like thing ye may see Putrefaction must destroy and deface But it be don in its proper place Mettalls of kinde grow lowe under ground For above erth rust in them is found Soe above erth appeareth corruption Of mettalls and in long tyme destruction Whereof noe Cause is found in this Case But that above Erth thei be not in their place Contrarie places to nature causeth strife As Fishes out of water losen their Lyfe And Man with Beasts and Birds live in ayer But Stone and Mineralls under Erth repaier Physicians and Appoticaries faut appetite and will To seech water flowers on a dry hill For God hath ordeyned of his wisdome and grace All things to grow in their naturall place Against this doctrine some Men replie And say that Mettalls doe Multiplie For of Silver Lead Tinn and al so Brasse Some veyne is more and some is lasse Or which diversitie Nature shulde cease If Mettalls did not multiplie and increase Wherefore they say that reason sheweth nowe How that under Erth they multiplie and growe Why not then above Erth in vessells close and faire Such as shulde preserve them from Fire Water and Aier Hereto we say this reason is but rude For this is noe perfect similitude For cause efficient of Mettalls finde ye shall Only to be the vertue Minerall Which in everie Erth is not found But in certaine places of eligible ground Into which places the Heavenly Spheare Sendeth his beames directly everie yeare And as the matters there disposed be Such Mettalls thereof formed shall you see Few grownds be apt to such generation How shoulde then above ground be Multiplication Also all men perceyven that be wise How Water conjealed with Cold is yse And before tyme it harded was Some lay in more places and some in lasse As water in fosses of the Carte-wheele Were veynes smale whan they began to keele But water in ditches made veynes more For plenty of water that was therein froare Hereupon to say it were noe good advice That therefore of yse should multiply more yse Soe though there be of Mettalls veynes more and lasse It proveth not that they increase more then it was Alsoe ye may trust without any doubt If Multiplying should be brought about All th'engredience must draw to simplcity And breake Composition as yearly ye may see For Multiplying of Hearbes how Nature hath provided That all things joyned in the seede be divided Else stalke and leaves which vertually therein be May not come forth actually that eye mought them see But Mettall holdeth his holle Composicion When corrasive waters have made dissolucion Therefore syth yse is nerrer to simplicity Then is Mettall and maie not increased be Trewly ye maie trust as I said before How of one ounce of Silver maie Silver be noe more Also nothing multiplyed shall ye finde But it be of Vegetative or of Sensitive kinde Where Mettalls be only Elamentative Having noe seede nether feeling of life Wherefore concluding all Multipliers must cease For Mettalls once Mettalls shall noe more increase Nathlesse one Mettall transmuted we finde Unto a Mettall of another kinde For propinquity of matter that in them was As it is knowne betwixt Iron and Brasse But to make trew Silver or Gold is noe ingin Except only the Philosophers medicine Wherefore such leasings as Multipliers use Clerks reprove and utterly refuse Such art of Multiplying is to be reproved But holy Alkimy of right is to beloved Which treateth of a precious Medicine Such as trewly maketh Gold and Silver fine Whereof example for Testimonie Is in a Citty of Catilony Which Raymond Lully Knight men suppose Made in seaven Images the trewth to disclose Three were good Silver in shape like Ladies bright Everie each of Foure were Gold and did a Knight In borders of their Clothing Letters like appeare Signifying in Sentence as it sheweth here 1. Of old Horshoes said one I was yre Now I am good Silver as good as ye desire 2. I was said another Iron fet from the Mine But now I am Gould pure perfect and fine 3. Whilome was I Copper of an old red pann Now am I good Silver said the third woman 4. The fourth saide I was Copper growne in the filthy place Now am I perfect Gould made by Gods grace 5. The fift said I was
be departed a twinn Into foure Elements if ye would to winn Which thing to doe if ye ne can Goe and lerne it of Hortolan Which made his Boke of that Doctrine How ye shulde part the Elements of Wine Moreover ye must for your succour Know th' effects of the quallities fower Called Heate Colde Moisture and Drines Of which fower all things Compounded is And sith in this Arte your cheefe desire Is to have Colour which shulde abide fier Ye must know before you can that see How everie Colour ingendred shall be For every Colour whiche maie be thought Shall heere appeare before that White be wrought Yet more ye would have to this summe Swiftly to melt as Wex or Gumme Els mought it not enter and perce The Center of Mettalls as Auctors reherse Soe ye would have it both fix and flowe With Colour plenty if ye wist howe Such three Contraries joyntly to meete In one accord is a greate Secret Nethles he that is cleere of Minde In this Chapter maie it well finde And first to give you a short Doctrine Of the aforesaid qualities prime Heate and Cold be qualities Active Moisture and Drines be qualityes Passive For they suffren the Actives evermore As Stones to be Lyme and Water to be Froare Hereupon to Judge ye maie be bold Nothing is full wrought but by Heate and Cold Nethles the Passives have some Activity As in Handicrafts men ye maie daily see In Bakinge and Brewinge and other Crafts all Moisture is opperative and soe Drines be shall Aristotle in his Phisicks and other manie moe Said ab actionibus procedit speculatio They said that Practise is roote and beginning Of Speculation and of all Cunning For the properties of every thinge Be perceaved by their working As by Colours of Urins we may be bold To give sentence of Heate and Colde By thes aforesaid foure qualities prime We seeche Colours with length of tyme Of White Colour we be not full sure To seeche it but in a substance pure Greate Doctrine thereof lerne now ye maie When ye know how Colours growe all day COlour is the utmost thinge of a Body cleere Cleere fubstance well termined is his matter heere If Heate hath maistery in matter that is drye White Colour is ever thereof certainely As it appeareth in sight of brent Bones And in making of all Lyme Stones Where Cold worketh in matter moist cleere Yet of such working Whitnes woll appeare As it sheweth in Ice and Frosts hore The cause is set out in Philosophie before I write not here of common Philosophie But by example to teach Alkimy That one maie be perceived by that other As is the Child perceived by the Mother If Heate in moyst matter and grosse withall Warke thereof Black Colour ingender shall Example hereof if ye of me desire Behold when you see greene Wood set on a fire When Cold worketh in matter thick and drye Black Colour shall be this is the cause whie Such matter is compacted and more thick With Cold constreyning enimy to all quick Thicknes made Darknes with privation of Light Soe Collour is private then Black it is to Sight Therefore evermore remember this How cleere matter is matter of Whitenes The cause efficient maie be manyfold For somewhile it is Heate and sometime Cold But Whire and Black as all men maie see Be Colours contrary in most extremitie Wherefore your warke with Black must beginn If the end shulde be with Whitenes to winn The midle Colour as Philosophers write Is Red Colour betweene Black and White Nethlesse trust me certainly Red is last in work of Alkimy Alsoe they say in their Doctrine How theis two Colours Rufe and Citrine Be meane Colours betweene White and Red And how that Greene and Colour wan as Lead Betweene Red and Black be Colours meane And freshest Colour is of matter most Cleane Physitians in Urines have Colours Nynteene Betweene White and Black as thei weene Whereof Colour underwhite Subalbidus is one Like in Colour to Onychyne stone Of such like Colour Magnetia found is But Magnetia glittereth with Cleerenes In our suttill warke of Alkimy Shall be all Colours that hath beene seen with Eye An hundreth Colours more in corteyne Then ever hath been seene in Urine Where in so many Colours mought not be But if our Stone conteyned every degree Of all Compositions found in warke of kinde And of all Compositions imaginable by minde Of as manie Colours as shall therein be saine So manie graduations your wisdome must attaine And if you knowe not such graduations all Lerne them of Raymond in his Atre Generall Gilbert Kymer wrote after his devise Of 17. Proportions but thei maie not suffice In this Science which he coude never finde And yet in Phisick he had a nobil minde Wher the royalty of the nature of Man Advaunceth ofte Medicines of the Phisitian And so honoreth oft times his Crafte When that the Medicines peradventure mought be lafte But it is not so in Phisick of Mines For that Arte exceedeth all other engines And resteth only in the wisdome of Man As by experience wise men witnes can ANd soe of Alkimy the trew foundation Is in Composition by wise graduation Of Heate and Cold of Moist and of Drye Knowing other Qualities ingendered thereby As hard and soft heavy and light Rough and smoothe by ponders right With Number and Measure wisely sought In which three resteth all that God wrought For God made all things and set it sure In Number Ponder and in Measure Which numbers if you doe chaunge and breake Upon Nature you must doe wreake Wherefore Anaxagoras said Take good heede That to Conjunction ye not proceede Till ye know the Ponders full compleate Of all Components which shulde therein meete Bacon said that old Men did nothing hide But only Proportion wherein was noe guide For none old Auctor King Prince ne Lord Writing of this Science with others did accorde In the Proportions which if ye would reach Raymond with Bacon and Albert done it teach With old Anaxagoras of them fowre ye shall Have perfect knowledge but not of one have all And if you would joyne fowre Qualities to intent Then must ye Conjoyne every Element As Water and Erthe after your desire Well compounded with Ayer and Fier Knowing the worthiest in his activitie The second the third every-each in his degree The fourth and the vilest maie not be refused For it is profitable and best to be used And best maie extend his Multiplication In whome is the virtue of our Generation And that is the Erthly Lytharge of our Stone Without him Generation shall be none Neyther of our Tincture fixation For nothing is fixt but Erthe alone All other Elements moveable be Fier Ayer and Water as ye daily see But Fier is cause of extendibility And causeth matters permiscible to be And cleere brightnes in Colours faire Is caused of kinde evermore of Ayer And Ayer also with his Coaction Maketh things
ingendered all the Colours meane Every cleere thinge perspicuate and fayre Standeth by the matters of Water and Aire Whome a pure Erth doth apprehend Such as shall not their cleerenes offend And if in such cleerenes and perspicuitie Ye can noe speciall Colour see Thereupon to Judge you maie be bold The cause of such things was exceeding Colde As Christall Berill and other things moe Diversitie betweene them lerne ere ye goe Christall hat Water declyning toward Ayer Wherefore it is cleere perspicuous and faire But where it declineth towards Water more It is darke as Berill or Ice hard frore But when matters draweth toward siccitie Darknes with hardnes ingendred shall be As it appeareth in the Adamant Stone And in other things manie one Twinckling and glittering as in Magnetia is Light is cause thereof within matter of Cleerenes Which is superduced upon waterly vapour Beforetyme incenced with Heate be ye sure Now after cleerenes and Colours in extremitie Of meane Colours a litle shew will I. Ruby colour is of a thinn fume succended In a cleere Body which alsoe is amended When in that Body reyneth plenty of light For more or les thereof maketh more or les bright As the Amatist followeth the Ruby in dignity In less Cleerenes and more Obscuritie And a Calcedonie in Slymy substance Followeth the Berill in degrees of variance Greene as a Smaragde is of Water cleere With Erthy substance Combust mixt full neere And the cleerer substance that the Erth be The cleerer greeness thereof ye shall see Tawney is of Cleerenes terminate Infused with thick Fumosity congregate Of Water and alsoe of Erth succended Whereby the cleerenes of Aier is suspended Wann or leady Colour ingendred is Of Waterie and Erthy parts without amisse And where such parts be cold and thick Ever Wann Colour theron shall stick As it appeareth in old layen Lead And in Men that be wellneere dead This Wann Colour called Lividitie In Envious Men useth much to be Naturall heate and blood done resorte To the Hert them to comfort And leaveth Cold and Dry the Face For heate and blood is parted fro that place Likewise when Fevers be in extremitie The Nailes of Hands of this Colour wil be The Saphire Colour that Orient Blewe Like in Colour to the heavenlie hue Is much fairer than Wann Colour to sight For therein is more of Aier Water and Light Than is in Wann Colour and that by manifold Wherefore such Colour is more deerer solde All other Blewes the sadder that they be Thei have lesse of Aier and more of Terrestriety Silver to Azure soone broght will be The cause thereof is perspicuitie Which is in Silver caused of Ayer Wherefore it turneth to hevenly Colour faire And Quicksilver plenty within him is Causeth in Silver all this brightnes Subtiler Erth pure Water with cleerenes of Air Causeth such brightnes to Quicksilver to repaire Citrine Colour Yellowe as ye see in Gould Is Colour most liking for some men to behould Caused of mighty and strong digestion For humor in him have strong decoction Such Colour with Heate ingendred be shall As it in Honey Urine Lye and Gall The shining of Gould is caused as I tell Of pure and subtile Water termined full well Perspicuously condensed for Water pure and fine The more it is Condensed the better it woll shine For of a Mirrour the cause none other is But moisture termined as all Clerks gesse Soe that it be polible withall For Aier Figures receive never shall For Aier maie not be terminate in his kinde So cause of shining in Water ye shall finde With White and Red well medled pure and fine Woll be ingendred faire Colour Citrine Soe divers Comixtions of Elements Maketh divers Colours for divers intents With divers Digestions and divers degrees All Colours be made which your Eyen sees Of Elements ye must the proper Colour lerne Whereby of Colours ye maie better discerne Phisitians saie of good Herbs and soote Some be colde outward and hot within the roote Example hereof if ye list to gett Behold the working of the gentle Violet Common Philosophie the cause doth disclose Whie colde is within and red without the Rose Anaxagoras said in his Coversions naturall Inward and Outward be contrary in things all Which is trewe except such things as be Of little composition and nigh simplicitie As is Scammonye and Lawrell the Laxative Which be not nourishing to vegetative Remember how in every mixt thinge Evermore one Element defireth to be Kinge Which proude appetite of Elements and vicious Moveth men to be Ambitious Wherefore our Lord that best dispose cann Hath made Ordeynance for sinfull Man All proude appetites to equalitie to bringe When Requiem aeternam the Church shall singe Than shall everie ambitious thought Plainely appeare how that it was nought Lords and Beggars and all shall be In the Charnell brought to equalitie Your Principall Agent so rebate shall ye When he usurpeth above equality Therefore Aristotle said Compound ye our Stone Equall that in him repugnance be none Neither division as ye proceede Take heede thereto for it is greate neede And when it falleth that ye shall see All Colours at once that named maie be Than suffer Nature with her operation At her owne leasure to make Generation Soe that amonge so manie Colours all Nature maie shew one principall Such as shall draw towards your intent According to your desired Element This wise by Colours yee maie provide How in your workes yee shall yee guide Manie moe things of Colours I maie write But this is sufficient my promise to acquite As farr forth as Colours maie serve your intent By them to know your principall agent But manie Clerks wonder why you may see Soe manie Colours as in our Stone woll be Before that perfect White and Cleere And unchaungeable woll appeare Considering the fewnes of the ingredients I woll that answer to please their intents And teach them the trewth of that greate doubte By kinde of Magnesia such Colours passe out Whose nature is of such Convertibilitie To everie proportion and to everie degree As Christall to his Subject is founde For of everie thing that is upon the grounde Which that ye woll Christall set under Such Colour hath Christall therefore cease to wonder Wherefore Hermes said not untruly ne Envious Ad perpetranda miracula rei unius God hath so ordeyned saith Hermes the Kinge To fulfill the miracles of one thinge Common Philosophers thereof cannot finde The vertues of our Stone exceeding far their minde SMelling maie helpe forth your intente To know your reigning Elemente And be with Colour a Testimony To know your principall Agent thereby And ye which would by smelling lerne Of your principall Agent trewly to discerne As White and Black be Colours in extremitie Soe of Odors soote and stinking be But like as Fishes know not by sight Noe meane Colours because their Eyne bright Have none Eyelidds for their sight closinge Soe meane Odors shall not by
as Waters be made Some with Brenning as Colophonie And some with Water as Women make Lye Some be otherwise brought about And by naturall working fet out As Urin Sweat Milk and also Blood And Renniet which for Cheese is good By as manie manners and moe by one We seek Liquors for our Stone Every of the forenamed woll cleave To that thei touch and some deale leave But Quicksilver albeit it is fleeting Yet he woll never cleave to any thinge But to a Mettall of one kinde or other For there he findeth Sister or Brother Medling with suttill Erth doth him let To cleave to things such as he meet All the said Liquors which rehearsed be Conteyne fower Elements as well as he As Milke conteyneth Whey Butter and Cheese So done trewly every-each of all these Which fower maie be departed a twinn And after conjoynd to make ye winn But much more craftily they be heere sought Then Cheese and Butter and Whey be wrought And drawe neerer to simplicitie Then Cheese Butter or Whey maie be Of all Liquors which be in our Stone None is called simple but Water alone Of every Liquor which to our Stone shall goe Ye must know complexion and degree allso And than with Liquor ye maie abate The principall Agent from his Estate If he permanent and abiding be In any point of superfluitye As if the reigning qualitie be Driness Ye maie amend it with humour of Moistnes Now more now lesse as ye see need And so in all qualities proceede And in such wise order at your will The principall Agent your purpose to fulfill With knowledge of diversity contrarietie and accord Ye maie chuse which quality shall be Lord. Your Liquors be ordained to add and subtray To make equalitie by wisdome of assay But trust not that any thing maie be Hot and Moist both in one Degree For all that trust two qualities to be soe Shall be deceived where ever thei goe Common Schooles so teaching be not true Leave that Opinion and lerne this of new All Old men in that were oversecne To set in one degree anie qualities twaine Else thei said so that Schollers shulde not finde The secret mixtures of Elementall kind Therefore who cannot his graduations Maie not be perfect in our operations For in true Number God made every thing Without true Number no Man trulie maie sing Who faileth of his Number faileth of his Song Who faileth with us must doe Nature wrong COnsider also the nature of the meane When it is in the Third degree made cleane The purer that your meanes be The more perfection thereof ye shall see The meanes reteyne a great part Of the vertues of this Arte For the Principle maie not give influence To the Finall end neither the refluence Unto his Principall without succour and aid Of meanes conteyning the extremities aforesaid For like as by meanes of a treble Spirit The Soule of Man is to his Body knit Of which three Spirits one is called Vitall The second is called the Spirit Naturall The third Spirit is Spirit Animall And where they dwell now lerne ye shall The Spirit Vitall in the Hert doth dwell The Spirit Naturall as old Auctors tell To dwell in the Liver is thereof faine But Spirit Animall dwelleth in the Braine And as long as these Spirits three Continue in Man in there prosperitie So long the Soule without all strife Woll dwell with the Body in prosperous life But when theis Spirits in Man maie not abide The Soule forthwith departeth at that tide For the suttill Soule pure and immortall With the grosse Body maie never dwell withall He is so heavie and She so light and cleane Were not the suttilnesse of this Spirit meane Therefore in our worke as Auctors teach us There must be Corpus Anima Spiritus Also in our worke ye shall so finde That our meanes must accord in every kinde Of both extremities with wisdome sought Els all our worke shall turne cleere to nought For prudent Nature maie not by workinge Make Complement of appetite of a thing And so passe betweene extremities But if she first passe by all degrees Of everie meane this is truth unfained Wherefore Nature manie meanes ordained NOw after all this to lerne ye had need Of seven Circulations of Elements for your speede According to number of the Planets seaven Which no man knoweth but he have grace from heaven Old Philosophers men of great engine Said how of Circulations there shulde be Nine It is the â—urer to doe by their advice Nethles Seaven maie your worke suffice By inventions late found of new Of later Philosophers whos workes be trewe But for Circulations of Elements Some Clerks ween to have their intents When they fro Fier ordaine to descend To Aire thei ween not to offend If thei to Water doe then proceed And thens to Erth when thei see need And in such wise by order fall From the highest to the lowest of all Upon these words they tooke their ground That Aer est cibus ignis found But trust me that such Circulation Is but only a rectification Better serving for separation And for correction than for transmutation But the truth is that appetite of the Fier Hath to worke in Erth his cheefe desire As upon his cheefe foode materiall For Fier with Erth hath most concord of all Because that siccitie is the lyme of heate But Ayre of her kind is most wet Yet Fire without Ayre worketh not For Faces of Elements be knit with a knot Of Gods hand that they maie not depart By noe engine ne craft of Mans art As in Plomps ye have example faire Where heavie Water ariseth after Ayre Whereof noe cause reasonable ye shall finde But Connexion of faces of Elementall kinde But our Circulation is from Fier on high Which endeth with Water his most contrary Another Circulation beginneth with Ayre Ending with his Contrary cleane Erth and faier Fro Fier to Erth fro thence to Water cleane Fro thence to Ayre then fro thence by a meane Passing to Erth then eftsoones to Fier To such Circulations the Red worke hath desire Other Circulations be better for the White That be rehearsed for her appetite Every Circulation hath her proper season As her lightnesse accordeth with reason For as one Planet is more ponderous Then is another and slower in his course So some Circulations which Clerks seeks Must for her time have full thirtie Weeks Other Circulations shall oft time have lesse As one Planet is lighter then another was But the time of one with another will amount To twenty six Weekes proved by accompt After all grosse workes made before hand And after all Circumstances had I understande Ignorance hereof deceiveth manie a Man Causing them to cease where Wisemen began Common People which for this Science have sought Ween how in forty dayes it mought be wrought They know not how Nature and things of Arte Have a proper time assigned for their part As
Hot and Moyst in the Second degree With a Thick substance Doulcet Tast will be The same degrees of the same Complexion To a Meane substance knit by connexion Unctuous Sapor ingender ever shall But where it is Hott and Dry withall With a Meane substance in the Second degree The Tast thereof must needs Saltish be When a thing in the Third degree Hot and Dry is With a substance Thick there is Bitternes But in the Fowerth degree matter Hot and Dry With a Suttill substance Sharpe Tast is thereby So five Tasts as I said before Be ingendered with Heat and not one more Of Cold and Dry in the Second degree by kinde With a Suttill substance full Sower ye shall it finde As by Faces of People ye maie Deeme When thei tast Crabs while thei be greene The same Complexion in the same degree In a thing which of Meane substance shall be Of that is ingendred ye maie well suppose A Bitinge Tast as is of the Roase But Sower and Sowrish and least Sower all three Be of Cold and Dry in High and Low degree And Cold and Moyst in the First degree of all A Weerish Tast ingender ever shall As of an Egg it showeth in the glaere And in pale Women over White and Fayer For such be Cold and of Humiditye Thei have trewly greate superfluity Therefore to Men thei have lesse delight Cold rebateth luxurious appetite Isaac said there be but Tastes seaven For Sower and lesse Sower was one but uneven But in Complexion thei were of one foundation For Unsavoury was but of Tast privation Compound Tasts be found also As Doulce Eger and others manie mo So by Tast men maie Craftily know Divers complexions and degrees high and low And when ye doubt by Tast to make report Than to your other testimonies resort As in Phisicke trust not to Urine Onely but also take witnes and Doctrine Of your Pulses and wisely considering Six things not naturall the Body concerning Having respect also therewithall Unto these Seaven things naturall And take heed if ye woll be fure Of Three things contrary to nature Compleat theis Sixteene wisely to your ground A lewd Phisition least that ye be found For so of had I wist ye maie beware And helpe the Sick man from his care So fo this Science if ye woll advaunce Your works take heed of everie Circumstance Wisely Considering your testimonyes fower Three be now passed the fowerth is Liquor LIquor is the Comfort of this Werke Liquor giveth evidence to a Clerke Thereby to fasten his Elements And also to loose them for some intents Liquor conjoyneth Male with Female Wife And causeth dead things to resort to Life Liquors clenseth with theire ablution Liquors to our Stone be Cheefe nutrition Without Liquor no Meate is good Liquors conveieth all Aliment and Food To every part of Mans Body And so thei doe with us in Alkimy Ye must consider the puritie Of all your Liquors and quantitie And how thick thei be or thinn Or else thereof shall ye litle winn But not as Phisitions maketh mention For Elixir is a thing of a second intention Wherefore ye shall more Wondrous natures find In his working than in all other kind Phisitions say the thicker Urine be The more it signifieth Humidity Where thick Liquor with us hath siccity And suttill Liquor betokneth Humidity MAnie Liquors be requisit To our Stone for his appetite In the Booke of Turba Aristeus deposed How Ayre in Water was secreatly inclosed Which bare up Erth with his Aierly might Pithagoras said that was spoke with right Aristotle Craftilye his words set he Saying cum habueris aquam ab Aere Plato wrote full sapiently And named it stilla roris madidi Which was kindly spoken for Alkimy But common Students in first Philosophie Say Ayre condensed is turned into Raine And Water rarified becomes Ayre againe Some said how May was first season and faire To take such Water as is made of Ayre Some said such Waters come heaven fro When the Sunn entereth into Scorpio Some said all Liquors shulde be refused Which Frost infected shulde not be used The cause whie as telleth Autors old Is that theire accuity is duld with cold Some Philosophers said that ye shulde take Milke for the Liquor Elixir to make And other sort said after their intent No Liquor so good for the Complement As Water of Litharge which would not misse With Water of Azot to make lac virginis But Democrit said best Liquor to present Elixir withall was Water permanent Whose naturall vertue and propertie Was fier to abide and never to flye Rupiscissa said that cheefe Liquor Was Aqua-vitae Elixir to succour For she was spirituall and would revive Dead things fro death to live Shee was Quintessence the fift thing Whereof Aristotle by his writing In his Boke of Secrets saith soe How that all perfection was in quinario Rupiscissa called it best Liquor of all For it maketh grosse matter spirituall But of Pithagoras ye maie finde Our Aqua-vitae of another kinde He saith it was Vivificans in his sentence Fac fugiens fixum fixum fugiens For in such wise with strong Coaction Fixt matters were made of light liquefaction Another sort said no Liquor was above The Liquor which Congers most desier and love Therefore such Liquors are best found Nigh to Islands and to such ground Which the Ocean Sea hath compassed about For there such Liquors be soonest fet out Of another Liquor wise men tell Which is fresher than Water of the Well Fresher Liquor there is none in tast Yet it woll never consume ne waste Though it be occupied evermore It will never be lesse in store Which Democrit named for his intent Lux umbra carens Water most Orient Hermes said no Liquor so necessarie As was Water of crude Mercury For he shall stand said that Noble Clerke For the Water within our werke Now lerne ye which for this Science have sought By all these Liquors our Stone must be wrought LIquor is a thing moveable Of fleeting substance and unstable All such things follow the Moone More then standing kindes doone And that appeareth to a Clerke In working of the white Werke Liquors washen and maken cleane Both Extremities and the Meane God made Liquors for Mans use To clense foule things in everie howse Liquor bringeth without doubt Hidden things in Bodyes out As Landres witnes evidently When of Ashes thei make their Lye Liquor comforteth the roots of Grasse And of Trees such as drye was For Liquors of Nature woll restore Humors that were lost before Liquors departeth Qualities asunder Substance resolving in Attomes with wonder Liquors also bringeth into one Many things to be one Stone Liquors helpeth to flux and to flowe Manie things and lerne ye maie now How Liquor is in manie manners found Out of things that be on the ground Some by cutting as Turpentine Some with Pressing as Sider and Wine Some with grinding as Oyle is had Some with stilling
perfytly consummate Thus under the moysture of the Moone And under the temperate hete of the Sonne Thy Elements shal be incynerate sone And then thow hast the Maistery wone Thanke God thy worke was then begon For there thow hast one token trew Whych fyrst in blacknes to thee wyll shew The hede of the Crow that tokyn call we And sum men call hyt the Crows byll Sum call hyt the Ashes of Hermes Tre And thus they name hyt after theyer wyll Our Tode of the Erth whych etyth hys fyll Sum name hyt by whych it ys mortyfycat The spyryt of the Erth wyth venome intoxycate But hyt hath Names I say to the infynyte For after each thyng that Blacke ys to syght Namyd hyt ys tyll the tyme that hyt wex Whyte For after blacknesse when yt wexeth bryght Then hath hyt names of more delyght After Whyte thyngs the Red after the same Rule of Red thyngs doth take hys name At the fyrst Gate now art thou in Of the Phylosophers Castle where they dwell Proceede wysely that thou may wyne In at mo Gates of that Castell Whych Castle ys round as any Bell And Gates hath Eleven yet mo One ys conquered now to the Second go The end of the first Gate OF SOLUTION The second Gate OF Solucion now wyll I speke a word or two Whych sheweth owt that err was hyd from syght And makyth intenuate thyngs that were thyk also By the vertue of our fyrst Menstrue clere and bryght In whych our Bodyes eclypsyd ben to syght And of ther hard and dry Compactyon subtylyat Into ther owne fyrst nature kyndly retrogradate One in Gender they be and in Nomber not so Whose Father the Son the Moone truly ys Mother The mean ys Mercury these two and no mo Be our Magnesia our Adrop and none other Thyngs there be but only Syster and Brother That ys to wene Agent and Pacyent Sulphure and Mercury coessentyall to our entent Betwyxt these two in qualyte cotraryose Ingendred ys a Mene most mervyllosely Whych ys our Mercury and Menstrue unctuose Our secrett Sulphur worchyng invysybly More fersely than Fyre brennyng the body Into Water dyssolvyng the Body mynerall Which Nyght fro darknes in the North parte we call But yet I trow thou understandyst not utterly The very secrett of Phylosopers Dyssolucion Therefore conceve me I councell thee wyttyly For I wyll tell thee trewly wythout delusyon Our Solucyon ys cause of our Congelacyon For the Dyssolucyon on the one syde corporall Causyth Congelacyon on the other syde Spyrytuall And we Dyssolve into Water whych weytyth no hond For when the Erth ys integrally yncynerat Then ys the Water congelyd thys understond For the Elements be so concatenat That when the body fro hys fyrst forme ys alterate A new forme ys inducyd immediately For nothyng being wythout all forme ys utterly And here a secret to thee I wyll dysclose Whych ys the ground of our secrets all And yf thou hyt not know thou shalt but lose Thy labour and costs both great and small Take hede therefore in Errour that thou not fall The more thyne Erth and the lesse thy Water be The rather and better Solucyon shall thou see Behold how Yse to Water doth relent And so hyt must for Water hyt was before Ryght soe agayne to Water our Erth is bent And Water thereby congelyd for evermore For after all Phylosophers whych ever was bore Every Mettall was on s Water mynerall Therefore wyth Water they turne to Water all In whych Water of kynde occasyonate Of qualytes bene repugnaunce and dyversyte Thyngs into thyngs must therfore be rotate Untyll dyversyte be brought to parfyt unyte For Scrypture recordyth when the Erth shall be Trowbelyd and into the depe Sea shall be cast Mountaynes our Bodyes lykewyse at the last Our Bodyes be lekenyd convenyently To Mountaynes whych after hygh Planets we name Into the depenes therfore of Mercury Turne them and kepe the out of blame Then shall ye se a Nobyll game How all shall become powder soft as sylke So doth our Runnett by kynde curd our Mylke Then hath our Bodys ther fyrst forme loste And other be enducyd ymedyately Then hast thow well beset thy cost Wheras some other uncunning must goe by Not knowyng the secretts of our Phylosophy Yet one poynt I more must tell thee Every Body how hyt hath dymencyons three Altytude Latytude and Profundyte By whych algates turne we must our Whele Knowyng thy entraunce in the West shall be Thy passage forth into the North yf thou do well And there thy Lyghts lose they re Lyght eche-dele For there thou must abyde by Ninety Nyght In darknes of Purgatory wythowten Lyght Then take thy course up to the Este anon By Colours passyng varyable in manyfold wyse And then be Wynter and Vere nygh over-gon To the Est therfore thyne assendyng devyse For there the Son wyth Day-lyght doth upryse In Somer and there dysporte the wyth delyght For there thy Warke shall becom parfyt Whyte Forth fro the Est ynto the South assend And sett thou up therein thy Chayre of Fyre For there ys Harvest that ys to say an end Of all thys Warke after thyne owne desyre Ther shynyth the Son up in hys owne sphyre And after the Eclyps ys in rednes wyth glory As Kyng to rayne uppon all Mettalls and Mercury And in one Glasse must be done all thys thyng Lyke to an Egg in shape and closyd well Then must you know the mesure of fyryng The whych unknowen thy Warke ys lost ech dele Lett never thy Glasse be hotter then thow may feele And suffer styll in thy bare hand to holde For dread of losyng as Philosophers have the tolde Yett to my Doctryne furthermore intend Beware thy Glasse thou never opyn ne meve Fro thy begynnyng tyll thou have made an end If thou do contrary thy Warke may never cheve Thus in thys Chapter whych ys so breve I have the taught thy trew Solucion Now to the Thyrd Gate goe for thys ys won OF SEPARATION The third Gate SEparacyon doth ech parte from other devyde The subtill fro the groce fro the thyck the thyn But Separacyon manuall look thou put asyde For that pertaynyth to folys whych lyttyll good don wyn But in our Separacyon nature doth not blyn Makyng dyvysyon of qualytes Elementall Into the fyfth degree tyll they be turned all Erth ys turnyd into Water black and bloe And Water after into Ayre under very whyte Ayre ys turned into Fyre Elements there be no mo Of thys ys made by crafte our Stone of grete delyte But of thys Separacyon much more must we wryte And Separacyon ys callyd by Phylosophers dyffynycyon Of the sayd Elements tetraptatyve dyspersyon And of thys Separacyon I fynde a lyke fygure Thus spoken by the Prophet yn the Psalmody God brought out of a Stone a flud of Water pure And out of the hardyst Stone Oyle abundantly Ryght so of our precyose Stone yf thou be wytty Oyle incombusteble
to be of light liquefaction As Wax is and Butter and Gummes all A little heate maketh them to melt and fall Water clenseth with ablution blive And things mortifyed causeth to revive Of multiplying of Fier is no greater wonder Than is of multiplying of Erth set under For Erth beareth Herbes daily new and newe Without number therefore it is trewe That Erth is wonderfull as well as Fier Though one sparke maie soone fill a Sheere If all a Sheere were filled with Flaxe One sparke than would wonderfully waxe Fier and Erth be multipliers alone And thei be causers of multiplying our Stone Of this Erth showeth Albert our great Brother In his Mineralls which Lytharge is better than other For the white Elixir he doth it there rehearse And the booke of Meeter showeth it in a verse NOw to Conjunction let us resorte And some wise Councell thereof reporte Conjoyne your Elements Grammatically With all their Concords conveniently Whiche Concords to healpe a Clerke Be cheefe Instruments of all this werke For nothinge maie be more contrary nowe Than to be fixt and unperfectly flowe All the Grammarians of England and of Fraunce Cannot teach you this Concordance This Ordinall telleth where ye maie it see In Phisick in the Boke de Arbore Joyne them also in Rhetoricall guise With Natures Ornate in purified wise Sithens our Tincture must be most pure and faire Be sure of pure Erth Water Fier and Ayre In Logicall wise be it early or late Joyne trewe kindes not sophisticate Ignorance hereof hath made many Clerks Lewdly to leese their labour and their werkes Joyne them together also Arithmetically By suttill Numbers proportionally Whereof a litle mention made there was When Boetius said tu numeris elementa ligas Joyne your Elements Musically For two causes one is for Melody Which there accords will make to your mind The trewe effect when that ye shall finde And also for like as Diapason With Diapente and with Diatesseran With ypate ypaton and Lecanos muse With other accords which in Musick be With their proporcions causen Harmony Much like proportions be in Alkimy As for the great Numbers Actuall But for the secreate Numbers Intellectuall Ye must seeche them as I said before Out of Raymond and out of Bacons lore Bacon sheweth it darkly in his three letters all And Raymonde better in his Arte Generall Many men weene which doth them reade That theie doe understonde them when theie doe not indeede With Astrologie joyne Elements also To fortune their Workings as theie goe Such simple kindes unformed and unwrought Must craftily be guided till the end be sought All which season theie have more obedience Above formed Natures to Sterrs influence And Science Perspective giveth great evidence To all the Ministers of this Science And so done other Sciences manie moe And specially the Science de Pleno Vacuo But the chiefe Mistris among Sciences all For helpe of this Arte is Magick Naturall WHen the foure Elements wisely joyned be And every-each of them set in his degree Then of divers degrees and of divers digestion Colours will arise towards perfection For then worketh inward heate naturall Which in our substance is but Intellectuall To sight unknowne hand maie it not feele His working is knowne to few Men and seild And when this heate naturall moved be shall By our outward heate artificiall Then Nature excited to labour will not cease Many diversities of degrees to increase Which is one cause by reason you maâ—e see Whie in our warke so manie Colours be Therfore it causeth in this Arte great doubt Ignorance of heate within and without To know how theis two heates shulde accord And which of them in working shulde be Lord. DIgestion in this warke hath great likenesse To digestion in things of Quicknes And before other as I witnesse can It is most like to digestion of Man Therefore said Morien our Stone in generation Is most like thing to Mans Creation In whom saith Raymond the fowre degrees all Of the fowre Complexions together finde ye shall And that actually which ye cannot finde Amongst Creatures in none other kinde Wherefore amonge Creatures theis two alone Be called Microcosmus Man and our Stone Now of Digestion the aliment and foode Perfectly to know is needfull and full good It is humor sollid constant with siccitie Mightily medled after some degree In opposite passives mixed duly Ingendered by inward and outward heat trewly Soe nothing else is our Digestion But of humour substantiall a create perfection I pray ye Laymen have me excused Though such Tearmes with you be not used I must use them for all Auctors affirmes How every Science hath his proper Tearmes Digestion sometimes advanced maie be By outward cold as yearly ye maie see How in Winter men eaten more meate Than in Summer when expansed is their heate For colde maketh heate inward then to flye And ligge nigh together then stronger is he Which by his strength his power is more To make Digestion than he mought before But our cheefe Digesture for our intent Is virtuall heate of the matter digerent Nethles heate of the digestible thinge Helpeth digestion and her working Feaverly heate maketh no digestion Baines maie helpe and cause also destruction Wine digested hath more heate naturall Than hath new Muste whose heate is accidentall Coagulation is noe forme substantiall But onlie passion of things materiall MOre ye must know when Colours appeare Who is principall Agent in that matter Cleere For sometimes it is Heate and sometimes Cold it is And sometime Moysture and somewhile Drines The principall Agent to know at every season Requireth great search made by suttill reason Which is not perceived but of Masters fewe For thei mark not how Colours arise by rewe The principall Agent of the qualities fowre Hath power royall as Lord of most honour The remnant of qualities to Converte to his kinde Of which conversion Anaxagoras maketh minde In his Boke of Conversions Naturall Whereof Raymond sheweth causes speciall It is no Jape neither light to lerne Your principall Agent all seasons to discerne Which I teach you to knowne by signes fowre By Colour Odour Sapor and Liquore ANd first by Colour to serve your intente To know thereby your principall Agent Looke in your Vessell which Colour sheweth most He that causeth him is principall of the host As for that season whose pride ye maie swage By this our Doctrine if ye see him rage Which ye maie doe when ye well understonde The cause of all Colours which ye have in honde Which I woll teach you now shortly withall Bycause here and there seeke them ye ne shall Whitnes is caused of manie matters cleere In another thing termined and soe it is heere Blacknes is when parts of a body darke With thicknes oppresseth the cleernes of the Warke Or els it is of a Combust terrestrietie But of such Combustion greate hardnes shall be And by Commixion of Darke Cleere and Cleane Shall be
smellinge Be knowne of you this is the cause whie For Nostrills be open as the fishes Eye Therefore meane Odors be not in certaine Smelled by the Nose as meane Colours be seene Heavie Smell is not as Clerks thinke The midle Odor but only the lesse Stinke Old Fathers wrote by their Doctrine Of their Experience which is maturine That if ye medle sweete Savour and redolente Equally with stinking to prove your intent The soote shall be smelled the stinking not soe The cause ye may lerne now ere ye goe All sweete smelling things have more puritie And are more spirituall than stinking maie be Wherefore it is in Aier more penetrative And is more extendible and is alsoe to life More acceptable as friend to Nature And therefore rather received be ye sure ODor is a smokish vapour resolved with heate Out of substance by an invisible sweate Which in the Aier hath free entringe And chaungeth the Aier and your Smellinge As Sapor of Meates chaungeth your Tastinge And as Sounds chaungeth your Hearinge And as Colour chaungeth your Sight Soe Odor chaungeth Smelling by might The cause of Odours to know if you delight Foure things thereto be requisite First that suttill matter be Obedient To the working of Heate for to present By a fume the liknes of the same thinge From whome that fume had his beginninge Also to beare forth that pure fume and faire There is required a cleere thinn Aier For thick Aier woll not beare it farr But it woll reteyne it much faster And soe thick matter Obedience hath none To the working of Heate as it sheweth in Stone Heate maketh Odours Cold shrinketh by reason Dunghills in Summer stink more than in Winter season Pleasant Odours ingendered be shall Of cleane and Pure substance and fumigale As it appeareth in Amber Narde and Mirrhe Good for a Woman such things pleaseth her But of Pure substance with a Meane heate Be temperate Odours as in the Violet Of a Meane heate with substance Impure Is Odours misliking as Aloes and Sulphure But when Naturall heate beginneth to spill Then thereof ariseth heavie smell As Fish smelleth that is kept too longe Naturall heate rotteth soe the smell is stronge STinch is a Vapour a resolved fumositie Of things which of Evill Complexions be And when Humor onlie is in Corruption Soe that the Substance be not in Destruction Thereof shall onlie heavie smell arise But not verie Stinch come in that wise Of everie Stinch the cause of that Chaunce Is only corruption of the selfe substance And when Evill substance shall putrifie Horrible Odour is gendred thereby As of Dragons and Men that long dead be Their stench maie cause greate Mortalitie It is not wholsome to smell to some Cole For quenching of some Snuffe a Mare woll cast her Foale When the Qualities of a thing according is To your Nature good Odour will not misse But when the substance is contrary to your kinde The Odours thereof odious you shall finde Fishes love Soote smell also it is trewe Thei love not old Kydles as thei doe the new All things that are of good Odour Have naturall Heate for their succour Though Camphire Roses and things colde Have soote Odours yet Auctors tould How Heate virtually inclosed is the skell With Purenes of substance whie they so smell This olde opinion you maie teach your Brother How noe good Odour is contrary to another But it is not soe of stinking smells For stinch of Garlick voydeth stinch of Dunghills Of Odours this Doctrine is sufficiente As in Alkimy to serve your intente Your Warks to understonde thereby When things begin to purrifie Alsoe by Odours this you maie lerne Suttilnes and grosnes of Matters to discerne Alsoe of Meane substance knowledge ye may get With knowledge of Corruption of Naturall heate And knowledge of Diversitie by good attendance When Humour corrupteth and when the Substance But our Substance was made so pure and cleane And is conserved by vertue of the meane That ye no stinke thereof shall finde Albeit that it putrifie fro his owne kinde THe third signe and the third Testimony To understand your principall Agent by Is Sapor called of Mouth the Taste Which evermore is cause of waste Of the substance of the same thinge Whereof ye make proofe by Tastinge Sapor shulde be much better Judge Then Colour or Odour and more refuge Were not Taste a perillous thinge While our Stone is in workinge For it is hurting to health and life It is so greatly penetrative Above all subtill things it hath Victory And peirceth solid things hastily Wherefore it is perill and not good Much or oft to Tast of that foode It Comforteth Mettalls as we well finde But it is Perillous for all Mankinde Till perfect Red thereof be made Such as in Fier woll never fade A lewde Man late that served this Arte Tasted of our white Stone a parte Trusting thereby to find releefe Of all sicknes and of all greefe Whereby the Wretch was sodenly Smitt with a strong Paralisie Whom my Master with great Engine Cured with Bezoars of the Mine Therefore though Tast by Common reason Shulde be best judge at every season Yet for that Tast is abominable Sapor is heere not profitable Yet of some parts seperable A Tast maie well be Convenable Before Conjunctions to make assay Whether they be well wrought or nay Howbeit a Wiseman hath helpe sufficient By Colour and Odour to have his intent For manie Men can chuse good Wine By Colour and Odour when it is fine But for new Wine not fined in generall The trew Tast is most suertie of all For Smelling hath Organalls but one Nothing discerning but fumous things alone But Tast hath six Organalls without doubt To feele qualitie of things within and without Which Nature ordain'd against perill and strife For more suertie of things haveing life An Ape chuseth her Meate by Smelling Men and Popinjayes trusten to Tasting For manie things be of good Smell Which to Tast be found full ill For they maie be abhominable sower Over-sharpe too bitter or of greate horrour Or Venamous stinking or over-stronge The Tast is judge and voideth such wronge Old men wrote in antient time How that of Sapors there be fully Nyne Which ye maie lerne in halfe an hower As Sharpe tast Unctuous and Sower Which three doe suttill matter signifie And other three doe meane matter testifie As Bitinge tast Saltish and Weerish also Other three come thicke substances fro As Bitter tast under Sower and Douce Thes Nyne be found in manie a Noble House Five of these Nyne be ingendred by Heat Unctuons Sharpe Salt Bitter and Doulcet But of the Nyne the remnant all fower Be made with cold as is the Sapor Sower And so is Sowerish tast called Sapor Pontick And lesse Sower allso called Sapor Stiptick Also is Weerish tast called Unsavoury With Cold ingendered effectually Sapor of two things hath his Conception Of divers Substance and of divers Complection OF
by Drynes and by Hete Dygestyd ys to Whyte and Red complete But here thou must another secret knowe How the Phylosophers Chyld in the Ayre ys borne Besy thee not to fast at the Cole to blowe And take that nether for mock nor skorne But trust me truly else thy work ys all forlorne Wythout thyne Erth wyth Water revyvyd be Our trew Congelyng shalt thou never see A sowle betwyxt Hevyn and Erth beyng Arysyng fro the Erth as Ayre wyth Water pure And causyng lyfe in every lyvely thyng Incessably runnyng uppon our foresayd Nature Enforsyng to better them wyth all hys cure Whych Ayre ys the Fyre of our Phylosophy Namyd now Oyle now Water mystyly And thus mene Ayre whych Oyle or Water we call Our Fyre our Oyntment our Spryte and our Stone In whych one thyng we grownd our wysdomes all Goyth nether out nor yn alone Nether the Fyer but the Water anone Fyrst yt outeledyth and after bryngyth yt yn As Water with Water whych wyll not lyghtly twyn And so may Water only our Water meve Whych mevyng causyth both Deth and Lyfe And Water doth kyndly to Water cleve Wythout repugnance or any stryfe Whych Water to Folys ys nothyng ryfe Beyng of the kynd wythowten dowte Of the Spryte callyd Water and leder owte And Water ys the secret and lyfe of every thyng That ys of substance in thys world y found For of the Water eche thyng hath begynnyng As showyth in Woman when she shall be unbound By water whych passyth afore if all be sound Callyd Albyen fyrst from them rennyng Wyth grevose throwys afore ther chyldyng And truly that ys the cause pryncypall Why Phylosophers chargyd us to be pacyent Tyll tyme the Water were dryed to powder all Wyth nurryshyng hete contynuall but not vyolent For qualytes be contrarious of every element Tyll after Black in Whyte be made a unyon And then forever congelyd wythout dyvysyon And furthermore the preparacion of thys conversyon Fro thyng to thyng fro one state to another Ys done only by kyndly and descrete operacion Of Nature as ys of Sperme wythin the Mother For Sperme and Hete as Syster be and Brother Whych be converted wythin themself as Nature can By accion and passyon and at the last to parfyt Man For as the bodely part by Nature whych ys consumate Into Man ys such as the begynner was Whych though yt thus fro thyng to thyng was alterat Not owt of kynd to menge with other kynds dyd yt pas And so our Mater spermatycall wythin one Glas Wythin hyt selfe must turne fro thyng to thyng By hete most temperate only hyt noryshyng Another example naturall I may thee tell How the substance of an Egg by nature ys wrought Into a Chyk not pasyng out of the shell A playner example cowd I not have thought And there conversions be made tyll forth be brought Fro state to state the lyke by lyke yn kynd Wyth nurryshyng hete only bere thys yn mynd Another example here may you also rede Of Vegetable thyngs takyng consyderacyon How every Plant growyth of hys owne sede Thorow Here and Moysture by naturall operacyon And therefore Mineralls be nurryshyd by mynystracyon Of Moysture radycall whych theyr begynnyng was Not passiyng theyer kynd wythin one Glas. There we them turne fro thyng to thyng agayne Into ther Moder the Water when they go Whych pryncyple unknowen thou labourest in vayne Then ys all Sperme and thyngs ther be no mo But kynd wyth kynd in number two Male and Female Agent and Pacyent Wythin the matryce of the Erth most oryent And these be turnyd by Hete fro thyng to thyng Wythin one Glas and so fro state to state Tyll tyme that Nature do them bryng Into one substance of the Water regenerate And so the Sperme wythin hys kynde ys alterate Abyll in lykenes hys kynde for to Multeplye As doth in kynde all other thyngs naturally In the tyme of thys seyde processe naturall Whyle that the Sperme consevyd ys growyng The substance ys nurryshed wyth hys owne Menstruall Whych Water only out of the Erth dyd bryng Whose colour ys Greene in the fyrst showing And for that tyme the Son hydyth hys lyght Taking hys course thorow owte the North by nyght The seyd Menstrue ys I say to the in councell The blod of our Grene Lyon and not of Vytrioll Dame Venus can the trewth of thys the tell At thy begynnyng to councell and yf thou her call Thys secret ys hyd by Phylosophers grete and small Whych blode drawen owte of the seyd Lyon For lac of Hete had not perfyt Dygestyon But thys blode our secret Menstruall Wherewyth our Sperme ys nurryshed temperatly When it ys turnyd into the fecys Corporall And becom Whyte perfytly and very Dry Congelyd and Fyxyd into hys owne body Then brustyn blod to syght yt may well seme Of thys warke namyd the mylke whyte Dyademe Understonde now that our fyery Water thus acuate Is called our Menstruall water wherein Our Erth ys losyd and naturally Calcenat By Congelacyon that they may never twyne Yet to Congele more water thou may not blyn Into thre parts of the acuate water seyd afore Wyth the 4th part of the Erth congelyd no more Unto that substance therefore so congelat The fowerth part put of water Crystallyn And make them then together to be Dysponsat By Congelacyon into a myner metallyne Whych lyke a sworde new slypyd then wyll shyne After the Blacknes whych fyrst wyll showe The fowerth parte geve yt them of water new Mo Inbybycyons many must we have yett Geve yt the second and after the thyrd also The seyd proportyon kepe well in thy wyt Then to another the fowerth tyme loke thou go The fyfth tyme and the syxth passe not there fro But put two parts at eche tyme of them three And at the seventh tyme fyve parts let there bee When thou hast made thus seven tymes Inbybycion Ageyne then must thow turne thy Whele And Putrefy all that Matter wythowte addycyon Fyrst Blacknesse abydyng yf thow wylt do well Then into Whytenes congele yt up eche dele And by Rednes into the Sowth assend Then hast thou brought thy Base unto an end Thus ys thy Water then devydyd in partyes two Wyth the fyrst party the Bodys be Putryfycat And to thyne Inbybycions the second part must go Wyth whych the Matter ys afterwards Denygrat And sone uppon by esy Decoccyon Albyfycate Then yt ys namyd by Phylosophers our Sterry Stone Bryng that to Rednes then ys the syxth Gate woon OF CIBATION The seventh Gate NOw of Cibacion I turne my pen to wryte Syth yt must here the seventh place occupye But in few words yt wylbe expedyte Take tent therto and understond me wyttyly Cibacion ys callyd a fedyng of our Matter dry Wyth Mylke and Mete whych moderatly they do Tyll yt be brought the thyrd order unto But geve yt not so much that thou hyt glut Beware of the Dropsy and also of Noyes Flood