the keepe hit secretlye And serve thy God both nyght and day The better thou shalt speede thys ys no nay Now I have taught the how thow schalt do The blys of hevyn God bryng hus to HER ys an Erbe men calls Lunayrie I blesset mowte hys maker bee Asterion he ys I callet alle so And other namys many and mo He ys an Erbe of grete myght Of Sol the Sunn he taketh hys lyght He ys the Fader to Croppe and Rote Wyth fragrant Flowris that ben sote Flowrys to bere in that stede Swm ben Whyte and swm ben Red Hys Lewys grwyth both day and nyght Lyke to the Ferment that ys so bright I shall declare thys Erbe so lyght To many a man hyt ys a fayre seyght Frist at the Rote I wolle be gynne That cawsyth alle thing for to sprynge A growyth a pon a Mowntayne brym Where Febis hath grete dominacion The Sune by day the Mone by nyghâ— That maketh hym both fayre and bryght The Rote growyth on stonns clere Whyte and Rede that ys so peyre The Rote ys blacke the Stalke ys red The wyche schall ther never be dede The Lewis ben rownd as a Nowbel son And wexsyth and wanyth as the Mon In the meddes a marke the brede of a peni Lo thys is lyke to owre sweght Lunayre Hys Flowrys schynith fayre and cler In alle the Worlde thaye have non pere He ys not fownde in no maner wyse But of a Schepeherd in Godis servyse The good Schepeherd that I her mene Ys he that keepeth hys Sowle clene Hys Flowrys ben gret and sum ben small Lyke to hem that growyth in Dale With many a vertu both fayre and cler As ther ben dayes in alle the yere Fro fallyng Ewel and alle Sekeneys From Sorowe he brengyth man to Bles Unto that blese that wee maye come by th the help of Marys Sonne And of hys Moder that ys so fre Amen good Lord for cherite Spiritus Anima Corpus I Schal yow tel wyth hert mode Of thre Kynggys that ben so goude And how thaye cam to God almyght The wich was ther a sweet syght I figure now howr besset Stone Fro Heven wase sende downe to Solomon By an Angele bothe goude and stylle The wych wase than Christis wylle The present of hem in Bedlem than To Cryst brwght Aurum Tus Myrham Owre Sol and Sulphir wyth his Mercuri Both Bodi and Soule wyth oure Luneyre Aurum betokeneth heer owre Bodi than The wych was brwght to God and Man And Tus alleso owre Soule of lyfe Wyth Myrham owre Mercurye that ys hys Wyfe Here be the thre namys fayre and good And alle thaye ben but one in mode Lyke as the Trenite ys but on Ryght so conclude the Phylosofeers Stone Thow mayst a se her now in syght Off owre Stone figuriet a right How sende he wase out of Heven By an Angele wyth mylde Stefyn And by hys fygure thow mayst se That hyt ys lyke to personis Thre To Fader and Sonne and holi Gost The wych was and ys of mytis most Into hys blyse now come wee Amen goud Lord for cheyte Ishew you here a short Conclusion To understand it if ye have grace Wrighten without any delusion Comprehended in a litle space All that in this Booke wrighten is In this place comprehended is How Nature worketh in her kinde Keepe well this Lesson in your minde I have declared micle thing If you have grace to keepe in minde How that our Principle is One thing More in Number and One in kinde For there ben things Seven That in a Principle doe dwell Most precious under Heven I have so sworne I may not tell In this Booke I shew to you in wrighting As my Bretheren doe each one A similitude of every like thing Of the which we make our Stone Our Stone is made of one simple thing That in him hath both Soule and Lyfe He is Two and One in kinde Married together as Man and Wife Our Sulphur is our Masculine Our Mercury is our Femenine Our Earth is our Water cleere Our Sulphur also is our Fier And as Earth is in our Water cleare Soe is Aer in our Fier Now have yee Elements foure of might And yet there appereth but two in sight Water and Earth ye may well see Fier and Aer be in them as quality Thys Scyence maie not be taught to every one He were acurst that so schould done How schould ye have Servants than Than non for other would ought done To tyl the Lande or drive the Plough For ever ech man would be proud enough Lerned and leude would put them in Presse And in their workes be full busie But yet they have but little increse The writings to them is so misty It is full hard this Scyence to finde For Fooles which labour against kinde This Science I pray you to conceale Or else with it do not you meale For and ye canot in it prevaile Of much sorrow rhen may you tell By suddain mooving of Elements Nature may be letted And wher lacks Decoction no perfection may be For some Body with leprosy is infected Raw watery humors cause superfluity Therefore the Philosopher in his reason hath contrived A perfect Medicine for bodyes that be sick Of all infirmetyes to be releeved This heleth Nature and prolongeth lyfe eak This Medicine of Elements being perfectly wrought Receypts of the Potecary we neede not to buy Their Druggs and Dragms we set at nought With quid pro quo they make many a ly Our Aurum potabile Nature will increase Of Philosophers Gold if it be perfectly wrought The Phisitians with Minerall puteth him in prese Litle it availeth or else right nought This Scyence shall ye finde in the old boke of Turb How perfectly thisMedicine Philosophers have wrought Rosary with him also doth record More then four Flements we occupie nought Comune Mercury and Gold we none occupie Till we perfectly have made our Stone Then with them two our Medicine we Multiply Other recepts of the Potecary truly we have none A hundred Ounces of Saturne ye may well take Seeth them on the fire and melt him in a mould A Projection with your Medicin upon hem make And anon yee shall alter him into fine Gold One Ounce upon a hundred Ounces is sufficient And so it is on a thousand Ounces perfectly wrought Without dissolucion and Subtillant Encreasing of our Medicine els have we nought Ioy eternall and everlasting blisse Be to Almyghty God that never schal miss In some Copies I found these following Verses set before this Worke. EArth out of Earth clensed pure By Earth of himselfe through his nature Rectified by his Milke who can it tye And afterward united with Water of lyfe truly A Dragon lying in his deepe denne Rotting in Water to Putrefie then Leprouse huge and terrible in sight By bathing and balning the Dragon cometh to light Evermor drowned in the bottome of his
Man if they would but observe the Beginnings Change declination and death of all things in and upon this inferiour Globe and compare their vertues with our owne internall Natures for they are certainly united by a Noble excellent and secret Harmony and Relation And having found the true Originall and Cause of Diseases then further to search after a proper remedy for all Diseases are not cured by one sort of Physick save that which is Aetheriall and Incorporeall And therefore according to the Doctrine of Paracelsus such as are bred from so light a cause â—s the impure Seeds of Vegitables viz. Meate Drinke Fruits Herbes and the like Elementary things may be very easily cured with the Secrets of Hearbes Roots and such like mild and tender Medicines of which sort Galenicall Physick is more plentifully furnished then any of the â—est Those that are produced from the more rude and knotteer Qualities of Mineralls and what is cast within the Compasse of that Tribe the Chemicall Phisitian must expell by the power and force of his Metalline Sulphurs c. Vegitables being in this Case too weake to Master and Dissolve their tenacious and coagulated Spirits Those which are derived from the Influences of Heaven must be removed by Plants c. Magically gathered and prepared or by Sigills c. framed or made under sutable Positions and Aspects of the Planets and impregnated with the rayes of Celestiall Vertues for without opening the Bodyes Infusing superiour Influences and by an additionall Artifice fixing them to the said Bodies their own ordinary vertue be Elections never so propitious hath not strength enough to conquer Diseases of that Nature and severall of these choice Secrets of Nature and Art united I my selfe have prepared made and Experimentally verified Finally where Diseases happen by Supernaturall meanes as by Inchantments c. none of the other three are able to remedy the same save onely Magicall and Supercelestiall meanes by and through the Vertues of particular Intelligences Or the Red Medicine wrought up to the highest degree of Perfection And in such cases the Hermetique Philosopher must appeare who In his Reason hath contrived A Perfeit Medicine for Bodiâ—s that be sick Of all infirmities to be releived This heleth Nature and proâ—ongeâ—h lyfe eke Therefore leâ— all men cease to wonder why so many Diseases seeme incurable when many times being Supernaturall we judge them Naturall and the true Causes unknowne no sutable Medicamen is administred And whereas I have toucht upon Sigills I thinke it will not be remote from this discourse if I give a little satisfaction to my Reader therein Though pâ—rhâ—ps it may be esteemed as a thing of too daring a Nature for my Pen Nor am I ignorant how some most learned Men have extremly suffered under the heavy and sharp Load of unworthy and rash Calumny for manifesting or desending this Doctrine but it hath only beene such is their Glory by those that could never sufficiently Answer their Arguments The framing of Sigills Lamâ—ls Talesmes for all depend upon one Radix is a piece of Learning as Ancient as the Babilonianâ— and Caldean Magi who first found out the Secret power of Figures a chiefe part of their Magick And practised by the greatest Philosophers in the Easterne World Where remaine to this day as evident Testimonies of their first Invention very many and ancient Talesmes the miraculous effects whereof were admired and approved throughout all Aegipt and Persia although I confesse their Name and Use be yet scarce knowne in these parts of the World Or if onely to such whose Wisdome thinkes fit to conceale and preserve the knowledg thereof from the hands of the senslesse and profane Among all other Philosophers famous for this kinde of knowledg Apoloneus Tyaneus was the mightiest and his Workes in my Opinion most Stupendious Who though the Envious and Ungratefull World has throwne some dirt upon him to blemish the Innocency of his Operations yet he never deserved other then well all He did being for the good thereof and not for hurt He was no lesse a Pious then Illustrious Philosophâ—r Hiâ— whole Life being strict and vertuous and his Death not blasted with any scandalous Exit And for a justification of his Praxis take this Testimony of Justinus who saith that he was a Man skillfull in the Dissent and Consent of all naturall Powers and who wrought wonderfull things by the meanes of this Science which were only Naturall and not Miraculous For which purpose he made choyce of such fit Subjects as might conduce to the perfection of what he intended to Effect And indeed God did not withstand those Workes of his in regard they were done by the knowledg of Naturall things for the use and benefit of Man What I have further to say shall onely be to shew what Naturall powers Sigills c. Graved or Imprest with proper Characters and Figures and made under certaine peculiar Constellations may have Albumazar Zabel Haly Albaâ—egnus and divers other Arabians give us severall examples of such as have been cured of the biting of Scrpents Scorpions Mad dogs c. by Talismaticall Figures And in other Authors we meete with a world of Stories which tell what Admirable effects they have wrought being rightly prepared which should I here mention would swell beyond the limits of my Discourse But this peece of Art is of extreme difficulty and not to be performed by every one that takes it in hand As for the use of such Characters Letters Words Figures c. Formed or Insculped upon any Matter we make use of we are led to it by the president of Nature who Stampes most notable and marvelous Figures upon Plants Rootes Seeds Fruits nay even upon rude Stones Flints and other inferiour Bodies Nor are these remarkable Signatures made and described by Chaunce for there is a certaine Providence which leades on all things to their end and which makes nothing but to some purpose but are the Characters and Figures of those Starrs by whom they are principally governed and with these particular Stamps have also peculiar and disterent vertues bestowed upon them What Artists therefore doe in point of Character is onely to pursue the Track that is beaten out by Nature And by how much the more the Matter whereupon such Impressions are made is sutable to the Qualities of those Staâ—rs whose Characters it is signed with By so much more apt and inclineable it will be to receive those vertues that shall impower it to produce an Effect in things whereunto it 's applyed Neverthelesse this is not all for this Body must have as it were a Soule insused and be Impregnated with a Celestiall vitality or else it remaines Ineffectuall and Dead In which respect other meanes must be found out before we can obtaine that Effect And therefore we are to Consider that the Soule of the World is not confined nor the Celestiall Influences limited but doe indifferently emit and communicate their
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
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
By lyttyll and lyttyll therfore thou to hyt put Of Mete and Drynke as semyth to do hyt good That watry humors not overgrow the blood The Drynke therfore let hyt be mesuryd so That kyndly appetyte thou never quench therfro For yf yt drynke to much then must yt have A Vomyte ells wyll yt be syk to long Fro the Dropsy therfore thy Wombe thou save And fro the Flux ells wyll hyt be wrong Whych rather lat yt thyrst for drynke amonge Then thou shold geve yt overmuch at on s Whych must in youth be dyattyd for the nons And yf thou dyatt hyt as Nature doth requyre Moderatly tyll hyt be growen to age Fro Cold hyt kepyng and nurryshyng wyth moyst Fyre Than shall yt grow and wax full of corrage And do to thee both plesure and advauntage For he shall make darke Bodys hole and bryght Clensyng theyer Leprosenes thorow hys myght Thre tymes thus must thou turne about thy Whele Abowte kepyng the rewle of the seyd Cibacyon And then as sone as yt the Fyre doth fele Lyke Wax yt wylbe redy unto Lyquacyon Thys Chapter nedyth not longer protestacion For I have told thee the dyatory most convenyent After thyne Elements be made equypolent And also how thou to Whytnes shalt bryng thy Gold Most lyke in fygure to the lenys of an hawthorn tre Callyd Magnesya afore as I have told And our Whyte Sulfur wythowte conbustebyllyte Whych fro the fyer away wyll never fle And thus the seventh Gate as thow desyred In the upspryng of the Son ys conqueryd OF SUBLIMATION The eight Gate HEre of our Sublimacion a word or two I have to speke whych the eyghth Gate ys Folys do Sublyme but Sublyme thou not so For we Sublyme not lyke as they do I wys To Sublyme trewly therfore thou shall not mys If thou can make thy Bodys first spirituall And then thy Spyryts as I have tought the corporall Som do Mercury from Vitriall and Salt sublyme And other spryts fro Scales of Yern or Steele Fro Eggshells calcynyd and quyk lyme And on theyer manner hyt they Sublyme ryght well But such Sublymyng accordyth never adele To our entent for we Sublyme not so To trewe Sublymyng therfore now wyll I go In Sublymacyon fyrst beware of one thyng That thou Sublyme not to the top of thy Vessell For without vyolence thou shalt yt not downe bryng Ageyne but there yt wyll abyde and dwell So hyt rejoysyth wyth refrygeracion I the tell Kepe hyt therfore wyth temperat hete adowne Full forty dayes tyll hyt wex black abowen For then the Sowle begynnyth for to com owte Fro hys owne vaynys for all that subtyll ys Wyll wyth the Spryts assend withouten dowte Bere in thy mynde therfore and thynke on thys How here eclypsyd byn thy Bodys As they do Putrify Sublymyng more and more Into the Water tyll they be all up bore And thus ther venom when they have spowtyd out Into the water than Black yt doth appeare And become spirituall every dele withoute dowte Sublymyng esyly on our manner Into the water which doth hym bere For in the Ayre one Chyld thus must be bore Of the Water ageyne as I have seyd before But when these to Sublymacyon continuall Be laboryd so wyth hete both moyst and temperate That all ys Whyte and purely made spirituall Than Hevyn uppon Erth must be reitterate Unto the Sowle wyth the Body be reincorporate That Erth becom all that afore was Hevyn Whych wyll be done in Sublymacyons sevyn And Sublymacyon we make for causys thre The fyrst cause ys to make the Body Spirituall The second that the Spryt may Corporall be And becom fyx wyth hyt and substancyall The Thyrd cause ys that fro hys fylth orygynall He may be clensyd and hys fatnys sulphuryose Be mynyshyd in hym whych ys infectuose Then when they thus togeder depuryd be They wyll Sublyme up whyter then Snow That syght wyll gretly comfort the For than anon parfytly shalt thou know Thy Sprytts shall so be a downe I throw That thys Gate to the shal be unlockyd Out of thys Gate many one be shyt and mockyd OF FERMENTATION The ninth Gate TRew Fermentacyon few Workers do understond That secrett therfore I wyll expounde to the I travelyd trewly thorow many a Lond Or ever I myght fynde any that cold tell hyt me Yet as God wolde evermore blessed he be At the last I cum to knowledge therof parfyt Take heede therfore therof what I do wryte Fermentyng in dyvers maners ys don By whych our Medcyns must be perpetuate Into a clere Water som lesyth Son and Mone And wyth ther Medcyns makyth them to be Congelate Whych in the Fyer what tyme they be examynate May not abyde nor alter wyth Complement For such Ferments ys not to our intent But yet more kyndly som other men don Fermentyng theyer Medcynes in thys wyse In Mercury dyssolvyng both Son and Mone Up wyth the Spryts tyll tyme wyll aryse Sublymyng them together twyse or thryse Then Fermentacyon therof they make That ys a way but yet we hyt forsake Som other ther be whych hath more hap To touch the trothe in parte of Fermentyng They Amalgam ther Bodys wyth Mercury lyke papp Then theruppon ther Medcyns relentyng These of our Secretts have som hentyng But not the trewth wyth parfyt Complement Because they nether Putrefy nor alter ther Ferment That poynt therfore I wyll dysclose to thee Looke how thou dydyst wyth thy unparfyt Body And do so wyth thy parfyt Bodys in every degre That ys to sey fyrst thou them Putrefye Her prymary qualytes destroying utterly For thys ys wholey to our entent That fyrst thou alter before thou Ferment To thy Compound make Ferment the fowerth parte Whych Ferments be only of Son and Mone If thou therfore be Master of thys Arte Thy Fermentacion lat thys be done Fyx Water and Erth together sone And when the Medcyn as wax doth flowe Than uppon Malgams loke thou hyt throw And when all that together ys myxyd Above thy Glasse well closyd make thy fyre And so contenew hyt tyll all be fyxid And well Fermented to desyre Than make Projeccyon after thy pleasure For that ys Medcyn than ech dele parfyt Thus must you Ferment both Red and Whyte For lyke as flower of Whete made into Past Requyreth Ferment whych Leven we call Of Bred that yt may have the kyndly tast And becom Fode to Man and Woman most cordyall Ryght so thy Medcyn Ferment thou shall That yt may tast wyth the Ferment pure And all assays evermore endure And understond that ther be Ferments three Two be of Bodys in nature clene Whych must be altryd as I have told thee The thyrd most secret of whych I mene Ys the fyrst Erth to hys owne Water grene And therfore when the Lyon doth thurst Make hym drynke tyll hys Belly burst Of thys a Questyon yf I shold meve And aske of Workers what ys thys thyng Anon therby I sholde them preve
Corrosive and bitter substance Well fixed and hard of fusion rude in governance Mercury ys a Body if he be with a Substance moved Mixing one kinde with his kinde so schall he be loved One Spirit received wyth another the which of them be maine Is cause of ingeneration of every body Mettalyne Luna ys a pure white Body of clene Mercury Sulphur white ingendered And sche is a litle hard of fusion almost well fixed And sche is next cleanest in Tincture of whitenes Of Ponderosity light of Iupiter bearing his whitenes And soe after the Colour of that Erth ys Sulphuri and receptuall Some men do say ys engendered every Mettall But my Son the perfect worke of thys alteration I schall informe the true way of another fashion Now have I declared the working of the Bodies Mynerall Whereof they be ingendered after other mens sayings over all And as in place of the Erth one Body was fully wrought Soe must the artificiall Medicine be or else it ys nought Now will I declare the worthines of Mercury in speciall How sche ys the notablest Spirit that ys mynerall Most marvelous in working and in degree Sche ys called the Matter principallest of the three Also sche ys very subtile in many things artificiall Sche will both give and take Tincture most speciall To hym or of hym that sche loveth most best In speciall when sche ys warmed in her Nest My Son Mercury ys called the mightiest Flos florum And most royall and richest of all Singulorum Sche ys very Patron and Princes most royall And sche ys very Mother of every Mettall Sche ys Vegitable Animalle and Minerall Sche ys Foure in kinde and One in generall Sche ys Erth Aire Water and Fyre Among all other sche hath no Peere Sche kylleth and slayeth and also doth calcine Sche dyeth and also doth sche live againe Sche giveth lyfe and also ingression For joyntly sche ys three in one Sche ys a very frendly mixar The progeneration of a greate Elixar Sche ys both Body Soule and Spirite In Colour very red black and white Many be the wooers that hang on her tayle But sche will not with them I'deale They would her wedd against her will With foemen that liken her full ill Sche will deale with no manner of wight But with her Husband as it ys greate right With him sche will beare much fruite For he ys by nature of her selfe same sute My Son of hem Fooles have much dispight And therin such Fooles loose their light For sometymes he ys darke and sometymes bright For he ys lyke no other wight For if they have their kynde ingendering Their naturall foode and good keeping They schall increase frute by dene Very red and white King and Queene My Son in thys Scyence I doe deny All things that be discording truly All manner of Salts I doe defie And all manner of Sulphurs in waters of Corrosie Also Alloome Vitriall Auripigmentum and Haire Gold Silver Alkaly and Sandiver Honey Wax and Oyles or Calx else Gumms Galls and also Egg shells Also I defie Antimony Berrall and Christall Rosin Pitch also Amber Jett and Corrall Hearbs Dated Stones Marble or Tinglas If there come any of all these it ys the worse Also Berrills Gotts Hornes and Alome plome Good with them will none be done All things that discordeth from Mettall It ys contrary to thys worke in generall My Son many fooles to me have sought But they and I accord right nought I leave them there as I them finde And as Fooles I make them blinde For whych Mercury they have errd full sore And then when they had they could doe no more Therefor in Phylosophers sche bear'th the floower For sche ys King Prince and Emperour Yet my deare Son be thow not a knowne To Learned nor to Lewde to High nor to Low That thys worke standeth by Mercury and in her fire Her owne speciall Love both life and deare For he ys her Son sche ys hys Fright In whome sche worketh all her myght He ys her Son sche ys hys Mother Sche loveth him peramore and no other In Sol and Lune in her meeting ys all love For of Mercury only ys all her behove And with them sche worketh all her might But they may never increase on fright Therefor it ys possible to cast a Projection pure Upon a Million to make a perfect Body of tincture Wyth Medicine of Spirits well joyned and fixed It schall not be perceived where it ys well mixed And therefor if there com Silver or Gold in at thy Gate The which men use in Aoyne or in common Plate I sweare by God that all thys world hath wrought All thy labour and warke schall turne to nought For with what Mettall soever that Mercury be joyned Because of her Coldnes and Moistnes sche ys acloyd Put them never so close togeder sche will fume anon And when they come into the fire sche wil sone be gone Therefore Mercury hath a Lover that passeth them A thousandfold who so will him ken And he ys her Lover and her Leman sweete And so hys Councell sche will keepe Both in hys Chamber and also in hys Bedd Also alive and when they byne dead Seeke yee forth fooles as ye have sought For in all other things finde yee right nought Now my deare Son to thee I will indight The truth in word and deede I will write How that a precious Stone shal be made Thee to rejoyce and make thee full glad As I said in the 32. Chapter unto my Conclusion How I schould informe the truth after another fashion And to performe thys Scyence both in word and deede In making of our Medicine God must us speede The which ys called the greate Elixer And ys verily made with a stronge mixar The which is a Stone very Minerall And thow maist him wellgett ever all My Son thow schalt take to Mercury no other thing But Erth that 's heavy and hard and stiff standing The which in himselfe ys derke bright dry and cold To joyne them togeder thow maist be full bold One of them to 10 parts of that Water running most heaviest And they schalbe both one and to thy warke most mightiest Then hast thow Man and Woman togeder brought The which ys done by greate love in a thought The which two be both Spirits one Body most heaviest When they be in your Chamber and bed joyned in the Element lightest The which ys more bigger and bigger hott and dry And therein they will both kiss togeder neither weepe nor cry For when Erth and Water ys well mixed By the vertue of the lightest Element well hardned and fixed For before that time they be Water running both And then schall turne to fix body be they never so loath For in theyr bed they schall make a perpetuall Conjunction After the feeding of the light Element and of their proportion Soe schould they be decoct having the parfeit fixascion In the
Apprehensions The latter of which might as well say Jacobs practising to make his Lambs of a Py'd Colour was performed by the assistance or ministry of the Devill and as well condemne the use of Phisick because the Devill has taught Witches divers harmfull and uncharitable uses of Herbs Mineralls Excrements c. And as in some dull ages and among some Grosse Spirits it has proved dangerous to be Learned Witnesse our Renowned Roger Bachon whom Together with Artepheus Arnold de villa nova who were Philosophers of known reputation credit Wierus reckons among the Deplorati ingenii homines all whose Workes fairely written and well bound were by Religious pretending Sciolists dam'd as Devilish with long Nailes through them fastned to desks in the Franciscan Library at Oxford and there with Dust and Moths consumed Even so our other famous Country-man Profound Ripley was also abused who after his death is said to have been branded with the name of a Necromancer Pope Silvester the second pas'd for a Magician in the worst sence because he understood Geometry and about 150. yeares agoe so blind an age was it that to know Greeke and Necromancy were one and the same thing in opinion of the Illiterate However let the Ignorant scoffe and attribute that to Deceipt and Illusion which is the proper worke of Nature produced by exquisite knowledge I am confident the ingenously learned will approve and admire it But to teare off that ugly vizard which Envy has placed before the Face of so Divine a Beauty and to make way for the meaning of our Author I thinke it necessary in the first place that I touch upon the Word that gives a name to the Prosessors And that is Magus primitively a Persian word which onely signifies or imports a Contemplator of Heavenly and Divine Sciences a studious Observer an expounder of Divine things a name saith Marcellus Ficinus gratious in the Gospell not signifying a Witch or a Conjurer but a wise man and a Priest And in truth a true Magician acknowledges God to be the true Cause and Giver of life and vertue to Nature and all Naturall things of the Causes of which things as also of Divine is the whole scope and effect of all their Writings and Discourses In the Next place that I give the Definition of Magick because as Myrandula sayes it is an Art which few understand and many reprehend and therefore of necessity to be clearly evinced Receive it from a learned hand you le finde it worth your observance Magick is the Connexion of naturall Agents and Patients answerable each to other wrought by a wise Man to the bringing forth of such effects as are wonderfull to those that know not their causes Thus Hee Paracelsus called it a most secret and hidden Scyence of supernaturall things in the Earth that whatsoever is impossible to be found out by mans Reason may by this Art And shortly after to cleere it from imputations adds that t is in it selfe most pure and not defiled with Cerimonies nor Conjurations as Necromancy is Agreeable to both but more copiously delivered is that of Corn Agrippa who affirmes Magick to containe the profoundest Contemplation of most secret things together with the nature power quality substance and vertues thereof as also the knowledge of whole nature That instructs us concerning the difference and agreement of things amongst themselves whence it produceth its wonderfull effects by uniting the vertues of things through the application of them one to the other and to their inferiour sutable Subjects joyning and knitting them together throughly by the powers and vertues of superiour Bodies This briefly is an account of that Learning whose Operations and Effects being full of Misteries was by the Ancients esteemed as the highest and sacred Phylosophie the fountaine of all good doctrine Animadverto saith Pliny summum Literarum claritatem gloriaâ—que ex hac scientiâ antiquitus penes semper petitam What hath been hitherto said will not I presume offend the Eares of the most Pious for here is no Incantations no Words no Circles no Charmes no other fragments of invented Fopperies nor needs there any Nature with whom true Magicians only deale can worke without them she findes Matter and they Art to helpe and assist Her and here 's All. To instance the Generation of Froggs Lyce Wormes Insects c. The worke of a Philosopher is therein onely to strengthen the Seeds of Nature for she alone Workes and so to quicken them that they hasten the worke of Generation and by such meanes Tho. Aquinas supposes Pharo's Magitians produced Froggs insomuch as it seems to the Ignorant not to be the Worke of Nature that usually operates more leasurely rather the Power of the Devill But they who are learned in those Arts marvell not at such working but Glorifie the Creator To whose Honour alone these Operations must chiefly tend for he is best praised in his workes and we knowing him in and by these visible things may through such knowledge understand his more Secret and Invisible things and thereby be better inabled to Glorifie him then men otherwise can Now I deny that any measure of understanding in naturall Magick how large soever or the utmost and â—arthest search we can possibly make into that pure and primitive knowledge of Nature to be a prying inâ—o those Hidden Secrets which God would have concealed and ranked among the number and nature of those things he has prohibited us to search into as I know there are that will tell you it is and they such as weare the Coatâ— and would be loath to want the reputation of Schollars And this is fully manifested from Adam who before his Fall was so absolute a Philosopher that he fully understood the true and pure knowledge of Nature which is no other then what we call Naturall Magick in the highest degree of Perfection insomuch that by the light thereof upon the present view of the Creatures he perfectly knew their Naures and was as able to bestow names sutable to their Qualities and Properties For This was a larger and cleerer Ray of the Light of Nature then all the industry of man since the Fall was able to hope for or attaine unto and to attest the allowance bestowed upon him by God himselfe Nor was it this Naturall knowledg that introduced his Fall or can be any Offence or Sin in us were it possible to arrive at his Perfection No certainly Adams transgression for which he fell was of a higher Nature even that proud inquiry into the knowledge of good and evill with no lesse intent then to make a totall defection from God and depend wholly upon himselfe and his free will Besides t is worthy Observation that God in constituting Moses to be a Governor over his owne people seemed as willing to make choyce of such a one for that high Office as was learned in all the Sciences then in request with the Egyptians among whom Magick was the
Vertues alike as well to things Artificially made as to those that are Naturally generated though sometimes they are more at othertimes lesse vigorous and powerfull according to the disserent Aspects under which they are wrought In which regard a fit Election must be built up from the foundation of Astrologie sutable to the Nature of the Operation proposed which being effected and the Stars finding a figure aptly disposed for receiving them they forthwith Impresse their vertue which they retaining doe afterwards operate in that they finde to be semblable And this is not strange if we reflect upon the Vulgar experiments of the Loadestone who communicating its vertue to a peece of Iron a thing made fit by Nature to attract and reteine that Piece thereby becomes of strength to communicate this vertue to a third But if we should consider the Operations of this Magnet throughly which proceeds onely from a Naturall Principle there is no other Mystery Celestiall Elementall or Earthly which can be too hard for our Beliefe Moreover these Celestiall vertues and peculiar Gifts are not infused into Individuall and particular things by the Idea and by meanes of the Soule of the World alone But also are invited thither through the Obedientiality of their Matter and a certaine aptitude and likenesse that these Inferiours beare to their Superiours which being once taken in they thereupon contract and reteine besides such as they receive from their owne Specieo those naturall Vertues and Roots of the Starrs wherewith they suscitate and stir up the Influences of the Celestiall Bodies who are as it were by compact when United Obliged to Operate in and for that purpose which the Artist appoints them And more especially if the Minde of the Operator be vehemently inclined towards the same For that through the strength and Efficacy of the Imagination and Passion being seriously intent upon any Operation is joyned with the Minde of the Starrs and Intelligences and as sodainly fitted with Vertues as if it were the proper Receptacle of their Influences and consequently helpes more effectually to infuse their Vertues into our Workes And the reason is because there is an appreheusion and power of all things in the Minde Whereupon all things having a naturall Obedieuce to it have also of necessity an Efficacy and more to that which desires them with a strong and intent Desire Notwithstanding all these Wonders are not wrought but by the Cooperation of second Causes dispositing of the Corporall Matter God the first cause of all things having variously distributed these vertues to every one as he pleaseth who by his Command and appointment are necessitated to produce their Effects which Matter by reason of its Purity or Inequality may cause the Celestiall vertues to erre in their Actings for certainly Influences may be hindred and prove ineffectuall through the indisposition or insufficiency of the Matter And therefore it is no ordinary Speculation to awaken the sleeping Spirit which lyes bound up in the straight Prison of the Body to invite and allure that propitious Spirit to descend from Heaven and unite it selfe with that which is Internall and there withall to convey a Vniculum thereinto that is of power to hold fast and fix the Celestiall Influencs from recoyling back into their united Centers This is the Series and Order of Nature conjoyn'd with Art and this and all this must be effected before one true Magicall Operation can be performed Pag. 194. Liber patris Sapientie THough I cannot yet satisfie the Reader who was the Authour hereof and therefore must Register it together with Experience and Philosophy the hermets Cale amongst the Anonymi yet I can assure him He gives exceeding good advice to the Student in this Science where he bids him be Secret in the Carriage on of his Studies and Operations and not to let any one know of his Undertakings but his good Angel and Himselfe and such a close and retyred Brest had Norton's Master who When Men disputed of Colours of the Rose He would not speake but keepe himselfe full close Privacy will questionlesse prove an unimaginable benefit to him whereas on the contrary Apertnesse exposeth a true Philosopher to a multitude of Misfortunes Witnesse Sir Ed. Kelley whose immoderate Ambition of spreading his Name lifted him up even to a Madnesse of publique Carriage which not correcting in Time he most miserably fell through the fatall Virtego of imprudent Glory To such therefore I shall only adde Chaucers Councell which may prove of no litle advantage if they remember it Make â—privy to your dealing as few as you maie For three may keepe Councell if twaine be awaie THe Figure cut in Brasse and placed in Page 210. is an Hierogliphicall device of Cremer somtime Abbot of Westminster and Scholler in this Science to Raymond Lully which he caused to be painted upon an Arched Wall in Westminster Abbey where now the Statues of our Kings and Queenes are set in their respective Habits I met with it Limned in a very Ancient Manuscript before the old Verses that follow which there seemed to serve as a Preface to that Worke which beares the Tytle of Hermes Bird. In it is conteyn'd the Grand Misteries of the Philosophers Stone and not more Popish or Superstitious then Flamell's Hierogliphicks portraid upon an Arch in St. Innocents Church-yard in Paris Notwithstanding it has pleased some to wash the Originall over with a Plasterer's whited Brush As also of late to breake in Pieces the Glasse Window behinde the Pulpit in St. Margarets Church at Westminster wherein was fairely Painted but unhappily mistaken for a Popish Story the whole Processe of the Worke in this manner The Window is divided into three Parts In the Outermost whereof upon the right hand was drawne a Man holding a Boy in his hand and a Woman with a Girle in hers all standing in upright naked postures upon a greene foliate earth The Man and Woman had Fetters wherewith their Feet seemed to be chained to the ground which Fetters were presented as falling from off their Legs Over the heads of these persons were the Sun and Moone placed and painted of a sad darke red Colour Within the Left side of the Window was a Beautifull Young man clad in a Garment of various Colours bearing a Yellow Crosse upon his Shoulders his Body Encircled with a Bright Glory which sent forth Beames of divers Colours He stood upon an Earth intimating Oculus Piscium At the Foote of the Midle Part of the Window was a faire large Red Rose full spread which issued Rayes upward and in the Middle an exeeding bright Yellow Glory Above the Rose was the Figure of a Man rising with Beames of Light spread about his Head somwhat like the Posture used to expresse Christ's rising from his Sepâ—lâ—hre He had a Garment of a Reddish Colour deepned with Red and heightned with Yellow In his left Hand a White Stone which he held towards the Persons arising in that paâ—t of the