out of the MIND the Man that liveth in nothing but the Mind is as an Angel as I may so say conceiveth and apprehendeth God after a sort in his whole breast The scope and mark unto which all the most dear beloved holy and intimate Friends of God who live after the Image or inspiration of the most High and not after the Limus Terrae the Eearthy Mind doe bend who from Divine Love willingly cast themselves headlong into the fountaine of the Abysse and into the Sea of Nihilitude or Nothingnesse and enter into the Holies of Holies by the Life of Christ that in the Sabbath they may live with God in Rest and Blessednesse and so drink of the everlasting Ambrosian Nectar of Eternity By the Soul abiding and standing stedfast embracing its Image of Divinity or MIND united to GOD by Christ we enjoy actuall Blessednesse T is possible to extend a long life farther Therefore Porta reject the opinion of those that cast mens fortune from the day or houre of their nativity prefixing the bounds of life affirming that he that is wary of his infirmities and avoydeth those things that are hurtfull may live a longer life Parac chap. 7. of the Labyrinth of Physitians Though it may go for the discourse of Vaine men that the life may be lengthned yet it is repugnant neither to Nature nor Reason that a Man may prolong his life beyond the common ordinary age of Men even to a long time and that for two Reasons First Because in NATURALS there is no certaine appointed Terme apparent what day we shall die but it is in our own hand and power to put an end to our life if we will and to prolong it without offence to GOD if so be we may and have wisdome so to do I speak here Phylosophically of the Naturall death which is onely the wasting of the Naturall Moysture and Heat as may be seen in a burning lamp not Theologically of the Fatall death and utmost Terme which God hath prefixt to every one by which we are inforc'd not onely to pay the debt of Nature but are compel'd also to undergoe the punishment for sin Death is the bound which we cannot passe nor is there any day or hour for by the Grace of God we live the Terme without houres As God hath numbred our hairs so also doth he reckon our years leaving them in our power And because it was the good pleasure of God that Man should live for ever thence it is easie to discerne that for the lawfull matrimoniall propagation and augmentation of Mankind a long and lasting life of Man in this world is not displeasing to him especially if it be spent in the Fear and Service of his Creator yet alwayes short of that utmost and fixed Terme or determined poynt of DIVINE PREDESTINATION which is unknown to mortalls See Paracelsus of long life imposed on our first Parents and their heires for their Fall from Originall Righteousnesse beyond which bound no man can goe See Paracelsus in lib. 8. As Man many wayes may not attaine to the appointed Terme of life it being compassed about with diseases Archid. of the Elixirs It is the conservation of the Human body from all accidentall corruption Death Gods minister expecteth our intestine war There is a two fold death from the Iliad or first principle and from the Ens or Being The Soule of perpetuity or the Spirit of Light joyned to Nature with the light is perpetuall and will not suffer such a conjunction and such a life to be short and so his time may be shortned so may he prolong his life by removing these impediments so that at last he may attaine to the appointed Terme of the Nature of life Secondly Because God hath created the aforesaid Medicine for the preservation of life which may preserve our body as well from the corruption of our Parents as from the defect of our own government cure its infirmities and repaire what is wasted yea chase away from us all diseases which cause the naturall death untill ultimate death the most Terrible of all Terrible things which is the destruction of the Mummy which God the most high Creator hath ordained as the wages of sinners Therefore Paracelsus saith that the death which is from the resolution of the Iliad may be hindred by the industry of the Physitian but that which is from the Ens or Being cannot as we may preserve a little fire by laying on more wood so also may our life be prolonged by administring such Remedies and secrets as are derived from the fountaine of Gods gifts with which the Rayes or little beams the weaknesse of the Moysture and innate heat is nourished and cherished as the Fire with wood This at least is desired in us because we being destitute of wisdome know not that wood wherewith our life might be cherished and prolonged Adam who was full of wisdome and the perfect knowledge of all Naturall things and many more of his time who lived a more frugall life than we did attaine to so many ages not by Nature and property of Time for then all had been Long-liv'd but by the help of Secrets and by Wisdome which was revealed but to few and by speciall knowledge which God gave them in this particular whereby they lengthned out their life to so many years beyond the ordinary time that men lived Many holy men used this universall Medicine before the flood which Adam also had in his Family as Lactantius witnesseth which strengthneth the Internall Balsom and like Fire congregateth Homogeneous things and segregateth Heterogeneous which are of a contrary nature Nor are we to relie upon their judgements who being ignorant of the Mysteries of the Element of Water dream that the Deluge washed away the efficacy of fruits of growing things or that the power and strength of mens bodies was spoyled by the Water For all things that grow by the benefit of Water do yet sprout and spring forth in the same vigour and with the same efficacy as they did in Adams time When men multiplyed in the world wise men lived together in the Centre reserving wisdome among themselves but banished those that had it not into the circumference Paracels Wherefore we want nothing but the knowledge of Secrets and their use And thus the Flood did not wast the things that grow but wash'd away our wisdome of knowing them These most secret of secrets have ever been hid from the common sort of them that professe Phylosophy and especially sincemen began to abuse Wisdome using it to an ill end which God bestow'd upon them for their health and advantage But as few reach the Naturall Terme so also few have known the reason of prolonging the life And hereof there are many Causes For the life is broken off or shortned two manner of wayes MENS ENS abrumpunt nobis vitam First Either by the MIND whence arise mentall
hand of God but if he be a wretched Miscreant and an Ignoramus what he giveth is to be lookt upon as poyson And though great part of Physitians who cheat us of other mens good things cannot indure that Physick with its preparations should premiscuously be imparted to all sorts of men for fear if it should be made common or as they say Prophaned they should lose their gaines for t is a foolish conceit of the frantick vulgar sort who think that a Secret looseth its vertue when t is made known Neverthelesse those greedy covetous gaine-getters will cease their murmuring and forbear to curse and wish my eyes out for my good will when they consider that neither God nor Nature hath made every man a Physitian Every one hath not the gift not is he fit to be a Physitian and though all experiences are secrets yet Novices know not the Dose and true quantity in which the vertue of Physick consisteth for if we take too much Saffron or Treacle it is poyson if too little it will doe no good Thus it will be the experience of the Physitian onely though he may rightly administer some known Physick to the Patient according to art and the methodicall and set proportion or quantity of the Dose to say nothing of other circumstances requisite to a godly learned Physitian as one saddle will not fit every horse nor can a child handle his weapon like a fencer That which is the proper duty of a sincere true and expert Physitian onely who is more religiously and holily instructed in the exhibition of their medicines they will follow the steps of pious and venerable antiquity and imitate that most commendable and religious custome of the Hermetick Physitians who always use to pray for a blessing upon their endeavours striving to be equall to those who will not take in hand the smallest matter without Divine Invocation Whosoever useth any Creature without craving a blissing God imputeth it to him for no other than theft and rapine Wee who professe CHRIST ought to administer in that Wonderfull Name of JESU for so the Doctor of the Gentiles commandeth the Colossians saying Whatsoever yee do in word or deed Col. 3.17 1 Cor. 10.31 do all in the NAME of the LORD JHSVH Christ giving thanks to him and to God by him Gods blessing is to be obtain'd by prayer Call upon me in the day of thy trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me saith our Creator First then before we give or take any Physick we are to pray to the good and great God that the Physick which he hath ordained as the meanes may work Divine and healthfull effects that his name may be glorified Secondly after we have recovered and made them well let us never cease to give him hearty thanks in respect of gratitude as it is to be considered in it selfe as a duty and for time to come to avoyd the heavy wrath of God against unthankfull men These two poynts are scarce thought of by most Physitians which is the chief cause of thier ill successe and then all the blame must be laid upon the Art It is also to be observed That as for example though a Cathartick medicine doth work equally effectually in a knave as it doth in an honest man which God permitteth for his praise and glory and to make his mercy known yet the end in both may be far different and unlike for it may be healthfull to the one and hurtfull to the other For what medicine soever it be that is administred and taken without imploring the Divine Grace Ecel 39.28 c. doth become a greater inconvenience of a more grievous disease that will certainly befall the impenitent unbeliever Here also it is to be considered that sometimes the sick person is not recovered by the best and fittest medicines that can be applyed and that for these eight causes Viz. Paracels lib. de resuscitatione naturalium sol 295. First Because the Terme of Life approacheth which cannot be prolong'd by any art or help of Man No Medicine can preserve the corruptible body from death the wages and punishment of sin but there is one thing that hindereth corruption reneweth youth and prolongeth the short life as in the Patriarchs But although as we shall shew anon the life may be shortned or lengthned yet by the immutable decree of the Eternall Law we must of necessity die at last in respect of the punishment of sin least with Plato we conclude a recesse after such a time for the conjunction of divers things necessarily implies a dissolution Our domestick enemy which we beat about usis the cause of our death The Curse in the Creature is removed by death Eccl. 10.11 14.18 41.5 And in this case the universall and chiefest medicine is of no effect because no industry or skill of Artist or Nature can perpetuate the wedlock of life and death which by an immutable necessity is destin'd to a divorce for the Laws of Nature are inviolable we are not therefore to desire much lesse may we think to find any help beyond that utmost bound which God hath set us Secondly Because through the ignorance of unskilfull Physitians and their naughty medicines the sick is brought to that passe that the disease is corrupt pernicious and incurable so that he cannot be repaired or recovered by good medicines And to such commonly the Chymists are sent for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whom Plutarch calls Physitians of Trophilus who said that he was a compleat Physitian who could judg what might be done and what not such never make use of their noble and undeserved Remedies with a vaunting ostentation to their disgrace when the sick is past all hope of mans help for it becomes a wise man to prevent an errour rather than repent of it Let them take heed also they mix not their own medicines with others poyson least the miscarriage be ascribed to the good and the recovery to the bad for it is a lamentable thing to see the cursed hatred of some Physitians who rather than they will allow another his due honour who is more able than themselves to maintaine their tottering credit will utterly cast away the Patient who might be recovered by anothers skill such as these men commonly and justly call Honest Hangmen Thirdly Because the Physitian is sent for too late when Nature is overcome and the disease hath got the mastery Otherwise if the Physitian had Seasonably cast fit leed of Physick into the sick mans body resisting the disease at first no doubt but by Gods blessing the expected fruit of health would have sprung up Fourthly Because the sick doth not follow directions For so it is many times that the sick layes the fault on the Physick or Physitian when he himselfe committed it by his disorderly living contrary to the Golden law of the Locrians recorded by Aelianus Fifthly Because some mens Natures or
may inspire whom he will and deny it to whom he please Neverthelesse religously affirming that none can attaine the desired end though they sleight all particulars which naturally doe altogether want the virtue of tincturing unlesse they proceed from the first fountaine before the fat or blood of the Sun and the Dew of the Lunary be joyned into one body by the circular wheel of the Elements with the help of Art and Nature in the form of an Hexagon Read Gen. 1.27 28. Hermes his Table Morienes Alan Rodargir Monad Tâ—evisan Lull which can never be done except the most High God please who alone of his speciall mercy graciously bestoweth this singular gift of the Holy Spirit and impreciable price both to whom and when he seeth good And to whom he will not bestow any of his Treasures let that man use what Arts soever he can yet shall he never get any thing against the Will of God for the Spirit proceedeth from Grace who inspireth whom he will Seeing therefore all mans endeavor is but vaine except God prosper it unlesse any with the losse of this most undoubted Truth Levit. 26.20 will deny that God is the moderator of the universe and will set himselfe in opposition to the Will of his gain-saying Creator with a rash gigantick sacrilegious boldnesse and with manifest danger incur the indignation of the Divine Majesty I cannot wonder enough that in our age many great men Great men commit great errours Psal 25.14 Prov. 3.32 Wisd 1.4 Eccl. 43.32 33. wasting their time and estates should suffer themselves to be cheated and deceived with the greedy world by the golden promises of circumforaneous vitious and most lying Impostors against their own conscience not considering that without the liberall and right noble arts of which those Phylosophists and Imposters are altogether destitute having not tasted so much as a drop of the Springs of Nature no perfect perception of Mysteries can be attained to Those Gymnosophists with their Fantasticall and Frantick inventions inrich the eares of credulous men that they may make their pockets poor they promise great matters and faine that they can doe all things but their unwary disciples get nothing from them but after three or four cheats to be againe deceived by fresh and most subtile juggling deceit and fraud whose company we should avoyd even as the most raging torments of hell And that which is the chiefest thing of all the Wisdome of the Lord whose mysterie is onely with them that Fear him Great gaine is the scope of sophisticall craft because Dust Ashes is the end of such smock-sellers entreth not into such wicked and unworthy souls who have spent the whole course of their life in searching out Vanities and Deceits and of set purpose maliciously have deceived almost all the world with their guilfull devices of painting white and red and pargetting womens faces Thus these men playing away and losing the story of Pandora at length nothing else falls to their share but what Alphidius foretold should happen to them that when their braines grow giddy instead of the Tincture they should find only the colour instead of the Hermetick Stone a pibble or glasse and instead of great Treasure and riches nothing but coals and ashes Piety is the most necessary key to the knowledge of all Secrets See Rodargirus BRITTO SARMATUS his verse in Zodiâ—co PisciuÌ„â— against those sacrilegious souldiers who threatningly and malepertly rush into the Vestry of Phylosophy It is not expedient to reveal it to any carnall man because thou wilt be accuised for making known so great a Secret He that publisheth this Art let him die an evill death saith Lully because it is a secret to be given and revealed by God alone who hath created Nature and no other for he will reveal it to whom he will and to whom it doth belong to be revealed and not to others because it is the Gift of God and not of any mortal Man Job 34.11 Prov. 24.12 Apoc. 2.23 22.12 Es 3.10 11 Jer. 17.10 32.19 Ezek. 33.20 And who would not admire this efficacious transmutatory virtue of these Impostors which makes wise men fools strong men weak rich men poor and poor bankrupt men desperate and vagabond beggers But as the envy of Phylosophers is not against the Children of Art and Science who seek not their own but Gods glory and who have lived to the praise and honor of GOD the good of their Neighbour and the Salvation of their own soule so he that is an Adept and compleat Phylosopher a keeper of Gods Secrets and is conformed to the dignification of his work after he by the Blessing of God hath happily labored like Hermes more then twenty years fearing to offend the Divine Majesty will be lesse afraid to die an hundred most cruell deaths and indure all manner of miseries and punishment rather then by any means whether through wrath or what force soever shall be used to publish to the wicked enemies of the Children of Art and Science or to such as are unworthy of it this greatest and richest Terrene Treasure the Perfect Benefit or good gift of GOD descending from the Father of Lights as a Kingdom that will suffer no Com-peer from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that terrible and fearfull avenger of every unrighteous person who hath intrusted him onely to keep it which Secret would by evill men with the ruine of the whole world be abused to judgement or condemnation of an Eternal curse because he knoweth most certainly that he shall be most grievously punished with the damnation of his soul and losse of eternall salvation by the Holy Trinity and Christ the just and severe Judge of quick and dead except he can give a good account of his Stewardship and the Talent committed to him at the formidable and terrible Tribunal before which we shall all stand even of that Greatest and Eternall Judge whose Terrible and Ineffable Majesty all mortall men ought to stand in fear of who at the great Judgement day will examine our deserts who will justifie the works of none that hath done evill and deprive none that hath done well of his reward When I say in that Terrible day he shall hold the exeltrees of the poles from turning about any longer and the motion of the Elements shall cease then all things shall run to ruine and the heat of the Centre united to the heat of Sun shall set all corruption of the Elements on fire when every evill and impure thing shall be cast like lead with the damned into Hell Apoc. 20.10 The end of the world is by fire There is a Sea of glass mingled with fire Apoc. 15.2 The property of fire is to seperate the impurity of the Elements Read Isa Holand in opere minerali Rom. 8.19 23. where all things shall be tormented for ever yet not consumed with unquenchable brimston like molten glasse
Tob. 12.7 nor doe I thinke their miserable life is to be desired whose felicity is their ruine and who loose by that that should advantage them and who in the height of fortune do yet desire fortune for the chains and fetters sake even when the indulgents of Fools could scarce add any greater happinesse and on whom God bestoweth somethings as a punishment when he is angry which he denies as a blessing when he is pleased Yet since the works of God are to be published and celebrated and that by this monument here left it may hereafter appear that that Divine Benificence hath not been denyed to men of our age also who did not begrudge posterity their felicity I cannot but in attestation and confirmation of the Truth here remember that singular Divine Clemency to me which not without the clear favour of God was shewed to me as an eye-witnesse in my travells which was denyed to many others who earnestly desired it that I should see and taste it at some Great mans house Cui in aeternum bene sIt Cumprimis egregium Helioch Antharum bor EaLem nunc in Christo quiescentem cujuSmodi lENtis DenIque consueVerunt latitare tempOrum currIcVlis Which I forbear to English The Physophycall Basilisk like Lightning suddenly and unawares burneth up any imperfect mettall whatsoever and on a sudden Produceth another new forme Therefore the searching it out is most to be commended to all that are studious of the Truth Whence being a long time astonished and amazed at the greatest miracle of Nature wrought by Art among the various and manifold metamorphosis of the Inferior Astronomy made in the cold the Moyst way of the Ancients not as yet intensly exalted to the eye of the Basilisk this one prodigie passing the admiration of all wonders seemed strange and most worthy to be seen that by giving one onely drop of that Latex or liquor in which as in a storehouse the dispersed vertues of all Celestiall and Terrestriall bodies were by a wonderfull artifice invisibly gathered together in an heap nay in which the whole world was centred a man desperately sick and at the point of death was recovered by its Fiery Astrall and Celestiall Invisible Nature conveying to the Heart a beam of the Naturall Life and renewing the organs of Life and repairing Nature which by an accidentall sicknesse causing a remotion was spent and wasted restoring him to firme and perfect health in one night For this Kingly medicine and the Empresse of all other causeth Humane Bodies immediately and as it were miraculously to rise againe from what desperate diseases soever There is no Physitian can cure death but Christ if God hath not otherwise decreed for many diseases are a Divine innate punishment for which there is no cure in Nature For surely this whole new regenerate world is able by vertue of its Regeneration to renew the little old corruptible world Man to restore whatsoever is amisse in Mans body to consume what is superfluous to mend what is defective and reduce the whole Microcosm into a true Temperament and preserve it therein till the appointed Terme of death imposed on mortalls for their sin Imperfect and impure mettalls are cleansed from their infirmities and accidents by the same spirit of the world by the same Heat of Sun and Moon as mens bodies are they are restored to their True Health which is aureity or goldness without a new motion of generation and corruption by way of alteration onely and remotion of accidents which are the cause of the sicknesse and distemper for mettals doe not differ in specie but onely in accidents This incredulous doubtfulnesse will fall out to the gaine rather than to the losse as heretofore to our ancestors so hereafter to all posterity because there are few that believe that this Art is true and with 〈◊〉 stedfast confidence are perswaded of it for upon that account God provideth for the security of those that give themselves truly to the study of Phylosophy Exod. 32.20 Job 14.19 No marvell if this secret by reason of the proclaimed uncertainty of so great mysteries shall seem incredible and justly not to be made known though it be truer then true to our Vulgar sort though Athenians of a clean nose as being ignorant because they never heard any thing in all their life of the Heat of the Sun and Moon who know not these Vulcanean metamorphoses and this Power of GOD joyned to Nature but admire the Heathenish Physick who to excuse their own ignorance doe foolishly enough account the sayings of Prudent men but as fables and fictions no marvell I say when the understanding of the intelligent clouded with no precepts or traditions of foolish men can hardly apprehend it much lesse that the Element of EARTH should by the help of Mechanick Magick swim upon the water To know this Phylosophicall Secret truly is principally necessary to an Astrall Physitian none of which Physitians can come to any operation or knowledge of wonderfull effects nor be certaine in his Art except he cleave to this Science especially in the cure of desperate diseases in our body to wit the four Monarchs of all diseases the Epilepsie Gout Dropsie Leprosie These four chiefest kinds of Diseases Paracelsus It is not Christian-like to ascribe to the Devill a greater possibility and power than to the Infinite divine Wisdome omnipotence The chiefe Foundation Scope of true Physitians because it is not the first but second birth that produceth it through the help of Christ not of the Devill cured by a wonderfull Art proving in some of his works that God taught him the medicine for he did it not by our common ordinary medicines but by Restoring or regenerating ones which are known to very few by which Nature being renewed afterward of her own accord she expelleth all things that offend her as his Epitaph at Salisburg doth truly and sufficiently witnesse to posterity All diseases proceeding from the corruption of humors how great and desperate soever their cures be are healed by this universall medicine as a Carpenter that squareth all kind of timber except the party be at the utmost Terme appointed him by the supream Being or the disease be inflicted by God besides Nature as a punishment and speciall affliction But no man as hath been said can make use of this peculiar and celestiall Gift but he on whom God himselfe hath bestowed it who onely both inlightneth the obscurity and darkneth the clearnesse of these mysteries so that none can understand the plainest things except he enlighten them nor be ignorant of the darkest if he illustrate them for so great a faculty is there given by the rich and peculiar Grace of the most high Creator Therefore Lullius that Divine and most perfect Phylosopher rightly concluded that between the Artist and God the first cause there ought to be an agreement without contrariety that the first mover as the principall Forme
sustentation and multiplication of Individualâ—s The Spirit is the life and Balsom of all Naturall things therefore it ought to hold the first degree in the order of Physick and the Man that useth it with the moderation of other meat may live as long as the ancient Fathers From those two fountaines the SUN and MOON as Suchtenius learnedly discourseth springeth the Naturall and Vitall Spirit of the world which runneth thorow all Beings giving life and consistance to all things by which as a mediator every occult quality all vertue all life is propagated into the inferior bodies into hearbs mettalls stones animalls so that there can be nothing in all the world that may or can be without a spark of this Spirit The Life of Man is the Astral Balsom the Balsamick Impression the Celestiall and Invisible Fire the Aire shut up and the Tincturing Spirit of Salt This Celestiall Spirit which is one and the same with our Naturall spirit when its breathing in our body is not lesned or hindred by outward things is that Naturall Heat of ours whereby every thing is digested for the sustentation and multiplication of every particular It digesteth the nourishment that Man taketh and breeds good blood in all the members so long as the blood is pure it continueth and is the strong vitall pure and sound spirit of the Heart so that the whole body liveth orderly and well But if it be hindered by sicknesse that it cannot so well doe its office the nourishment is not well concocted and that breeds bad blood by which the vitall spirit of the Heart is weakned Whence comes Old age that house of oblivion at last followeth a full extinction consumption and dissipation of that spirit which is the Naturall Death that the consumption and dissiapation of the said spirit may be prevented as much as by Nature may be that spirit and Naturall Heat in Humane bodies so weakned and hindred must be increased and strengthned that it may be the better able to do its duty But seeing every agent when it begins to act doth not move toward any thing below it selfe but to that which is equall like and sutable to it Therefore this strengthning also must be by its like that is by that Celestiall Heat of the Sun and Moon and the other Planets or with those things in which the Virtue of the SUN and MOON is most potent and doth most abound or is lesse restrain'd by matter The Celestiall or that Spirit of the world and the Naturall Spirit of our body is one and the same Spirit and therefore the Heat of the Sun and Moon generated of the very stroke of the spirit is a â—bing more concoct and by consequence more perfect For these things work more quick and perfectly and doe more readily beget their like and what is more easie the spirit or that supernall Fire is got out of them by art to which the Heat that burneth not like the Elementall but that which maketh all things fruitfull and Light giving life to all things are proper But burning Heat consuming all things and darknesse making all things barren are proper to the Elementall and Inferior Fire That same Heat therefore is excluded as also with it all divers and contrary things such as are all the inferior Elements For this and all things else that include a Naturall composition in them so far as they are yet drowned in a thick grosse matter and as yet not separate from it are subject to corruption and transmutation But Medicines ought to be preserving and very durable and remote from corruption For whereas they should preserve the Human body from corruption they ought first to be of a long and lasting nature otherwise they would corrupt rather then preserve Besides t is but in vaine to think to preserve a corruptible body by a putrid and corruptible thing to cure the weak by a feeble thing to form a Thing by a thing subject to deformity Every corruptible weak and feeble thing added to its like augmenteth it One Like added to its like maketh it more Like and so that corruptibility is increased not diminished as we see some and truly too many Physitians of our time who labor in vaine to cure Men of their maladies by their grosse and corporall compositions of Medicines but a higher speculation is here required The vitall spirit in Man the Elemental is one spirit For whereas diseases are not corporall but spirituall and lurking in the spirits they also call for spirituall medicines They therefore that would preserve that vitall spirit which is the Radicall Moysture and Heat The Innate Heat and Radical Moysture of the Microcosm are sustained by the MacrocoMacrocosmicall Heat and Moysture of the Sun and Moon as being thatoâ—e the same Celestial and Naturall spirit of ours the innate Mummy and hath its seat in the midst of Mans heart as the sustentacle of all our life in young men and repaire it languishing in old men and as much as may be make them young againe and so bring Mans life into the greatest health they must seek after not the Elementall but that Celestiall Heat of the Sun and Moon that dwelleth in the more incorruptible substance that is to be found under the Globe of the Moon to make this like our heart or spirit which is done when it is prepared and made up into a medicine and most pleasant meat so that being taken by the mouth it may presently pierce and passe throughout the human body keep every thing incorrupt especially the flesh that is united to it nourish the power and spirit of life increase and restore digest every raw thing lop and prune all excesse of every quality make the Naturall moysture abound and strengthen inflame and augment the weak Naturall Heat or Fire This is the duty of a true Physitian and of the more sound Phylosopher The Tincture doth so cleanse the Balsom that our children in the tenth generation may see the effect of it living so long Paracels For thus he might preserve our body from corruption retard old age keep youth flourishing in its vigour to the very poynt of death and were it not for the wages of sin withstand death preserve our body in perpetuall health and defend it from destruction Paracelsus calleth it the Element of FIRE which like the Sun of the Terrene or inferiour Firmament may be the greatest Secret for the removing all diseases and refreshing the cold benummed members for that Essentiall Fire worketh in the body as the Flame and Nettle doth without the body Whose meaning was that of right he may here be vindicated from the unjust calumny wherewith he was branded where he treateth of the vertues of this perfect Fire of Life that the Balsom of Nature The Humors of life do nourish the spirit of life See Paracel in the sift Tome among his Physicall fragments sol 162. Cease therefore henceforth to blame
that which is mortall According to what hath been said the mortall and eternall are joyn'd together Understand that which is mortal prepareth an essence in the stomack and upholdeth the default of the body The onely cause whereof is that that of man which is eternal might live for ever and that which is mortall might die according to its frailty Such as the body such is the eternall that comes from that body This is that which confounds all Philosophy that the mortall should domineer and as it were beare sway as it listeth over that which is eternall and that this also should depend on man Who thereby is made more a companion of that which is eternall than if his mortall and eternall both floweth from himselfe Whence we moy conclude that all creatures should live together the reasonable and unreasonable one being serviceable to another the eternall planted into the mortal and these two dwelling together Hence Philosophy teacheth Destruction is from contraries that all those things cannot be destroyed and confumed that live together without squabling and fighting without guile and deceit without good and evill Which otherwise would be if one should oppose another Those have no knowledge or judgement in whom the eternall dwelleth not But those things in whom the eternall is cannot be destitute of understanding When things so fell at odds as to clash one with another one eternall was forc'd to give an account and make satisfaction of wrongs to another And whereas recompence belongs to the eternall What things are subject to destruction it must not be repay'd by that which is mortall And though bodies may pacifie and bear with one another yet if any thing be left here that is eternall Therefore that onely is judged that is eternall in us And though one exact upon or judge another yet all mortall things which have the eternall in them must die whether they will or no so that the eternall onely shall stay behind here without company of the body Thus the judgement is finished For that onely is eternall nor is there any more of it to come in the last destruction of every mortall thing Now if those things that had the eternall in them have so perished nothing now remaineth but what was eternall of it selfe and did nourish and increase that which was mortall That which is good for nothing doth not tarry in the creature All other things are only for the sake of that which is eternall Hence also it is that which hath the erernall in it selfe and with it all things that maintain'd it may die and perish together That only remaineth that is eternall Whence the end of all bodily things is evident even nothing to which they all revolt For they are separated from their ownessence into nothing that is from something into nothing But man desireth a perfect separation i. e. of the eternall from the mortall Now is the judgement when the ficklenesse of all things under heaven is proclaimed If there were no reason why a thing should be fragill the creature should never die no death should be in it but all things would be eternall The onely reason whereof is this because we mortalls live not in righteousnesse we judge not right judgement among our selves one toward another nor have we received the power of the eternall to judge These things belong to the eternall Which seeing it ought to be so all we must of necessity be brought and come together Thus have we found the dissolution of all things TEXT 24. Seeing then all things were created and have their end also out of the first great mysterie as hath been said it is evident by consequence that there is some great mystery Which is no other than as if a house should be built by the command of a word Understand it thus that the mysterie it applyed it selfe to the sole supream so it is possible that a man may bring fire out of that which is not fire where no fire is A flint hath no fire in it selfe though fire come out of it Know therefore that all the first mysteries lay hid and did exist in the great mysterie in a threefold manner The dignity of the great mystery Three sorts out of the Mysterie in respect of things vegetable elementary sensible The vegetables were many hundreds many thousands Every thing had its own special kind in the great mysterie To the Elements did there but four belong for they had but 4 principles But men had six hundred The infinity of mysteries Crump-feeted men had one the Ciclopes another Gyants another the Mechili another So had they that dwell on the earth in the aire in the water and in the fire Things also that grow had every one it s own proper mysterie in the great mysterie whence came out many kinds of creatures So many trees so many men so many mysteries too But the eternall onely doth bear rule in man and in his whole mysterie and no more in one than in another In the great mysterie there was not any kind but might infinitly be formed and digested one different from another All which must perish What more might have been made from thence we forbear to mention But that there should be a New great mysterie is impossible unles that could be made more miraculous which by reason of its wonderfull nature we cannot sufficiently search out THE Second Book TEXT 1. The difference of the creating Gods SEing then there was something by which when it was separated all things were created first we must conclude that there is some difference of the Gods which it this Sith the things created are divided into eternall and mortall the reason whereof is because there was another creator of the mysteries besides the chiefest and most high For the most high Creator ought to be the Judge and corrector of all the creatures who should know how much was bestowed on them whereby they might do either good or evill though they had it not immediately from him Moreover the creatures are alway egged on and provoked rather to evill Mans inclination is to evill compeld thereto by the fates stars and by the infernall one which by no means could have bin if they had proceeded out of the most high himself that we should be forced into those properties of good and evill but should in all things have had free will without any such violent instigation yet neverthelesse the creature hath not so much wisdome as to know good or evill to understand the eternall and mortall For there are many fonles and mad men scarce a wise man of a thousand most are false Prophets Teachers of lies Masters of folly and ignorance who are accounted for the most eminent though they be nothing so And the reason is plaine for such creatures are we whose Masters teach us no perfect good but are rather seasoned by the mortall God who had some power in the
send his Angells to them from his throne and dwelling place to declare such things but those things are fore-known and understood from the great Turban The great Turban worshipped as God which many Pagans and Jewes darkened in the true sence and understanding have worshipped as a God TEXT 21. What the Umbrate Evester signifieth Sith that the shadowed Evester beginneth and springeth up with every creature we must know that the fortune and life of that thing where the Evester is may be prognosticated by it For example When a child is born at the same time the Evester is born with him continually manifest in him that it presageth from the cradle to the very hour of death and can shew what will become of that infant So when one is ready to die death seizeth not on him till the Evester hath first past sentence either by blow bruise or fall or some such other kind of example by which if a man perceive the Evester he may see a signe of his approaching death The Evester is united to the eternall The Evester abideth in the world after death For a mans Evester remaineth in the earth after his death and hinteth in its kind whether the man be in blisse or misery Nor ought we to say that it is the spirit or soul of a man as simple people speak or that it is the dead man that walketh But it is the dead mans Evester which departeth not hence till the last minute when all things shall come together This Evester worketh strange things The Saints wrought miracles by their Evester Holy men wrought miracles by their Evester onely As the Sun by his shining gives forth his heat nature and essence so is it with the divining and Propheticall Evesters in us to which we should give credit These rule and moderate sleep fond dreams prefigurations of things to come the natures of things reason concupiscences and thoughts TEXT 22. Whereas things to come may thus be known before in the Elements by that wherein the Evesters dwell some Evesters will be in the water some in looking glasses some in crystalls some in polished muskles some will be known by the commotions of waters some by songs and by the mind For all these can as I speak Evestrate The mysterious Evester of God The most great and blessed God hath a mysteriall Evester in which his essence and property is beheld Every good and every inlightned thing is known by the mysterious Evester On the contrary What the Evester of the damned is the damned hath his Evester in the world by which the evill is known and all whatsoever violateth and breaketh the law of nature Although those two may Evestrate yet doe they nothing belong to our life For we shall not know our selves but by our own Evester All creatures have Evesters Every thing hath an Evester all which likewise are Prophets either reasonable or unreasonable sensible or insensible The Evester is a spirit What an Evester is which teacheth Astronomy Not that it is learned by nativities and prognostications from the Stars but its esse as I may so say is from the Evesters its Ens or being is in these as an image in a glass or as á shade in water or the earth As growing things are increased and diminished just so it is with the Stars Not that their course is such of their own nature and that moyst and cold rise out of the earth but onely because the essence of the earth is such It is shadowed in heaven but by parts yet as an Evester but not as a power TEXT 23. Such kind of Evesters also will be corrupted yet shall they not perish without something eternall Nor shall the Evesters themselves be so much regarded for they shall fully and wholly dwell with or in those things to whom they belong Hence let every man now advise with himselfe that above all things he admonish and learn to know himselfe The infinite number of Evesters The nature and number of the Evesters is infinite These lead men about in their sleep fore-shew good and evill search out the thoughts perform work and do business without bodily motion So wonderfull a thing is the Evester A commendation of the Evester the mother of all things in the Prophets Astronomers and Physitians If the understanding come not from the Evester there can be no knowledge of nature As theft poynteth to the gallowes and the clouds to rain and urine to the disease so the Evester sheweth all things without exception The Sibylls and Prophets spake by the Evester From it the Sybills and Prophets spake but as it were drowsily and dreamingly After this manner are the Evesters in the four worlds one being alwayes a presage to another communicateth an image and a miracle which by there disolution and regeneration will be much more to be admired Nor shall we forbeare to say that the Evester is an Eternall relict the support of religions and the operation of the Celestialls Nothing but felicity blessednesse the cheifest good and the last judgment move and stir us up to seek and search more narrowly and exactly after the difference between those two things or Evesters that is between the true and false which is to be considered and known not spiritually but naturally THE Third Book TEXT 1. Nothing is without a body EVery thing that hath a Being must nf necessity have a body The manner and reason thereof is that we may know it is like a smoakie spirit that hath neither substance nor bodie nor can be felt And though it be neither of these yet both bodyes and substances may proceed out of it Thus may we conceive of fuming Arsnicke that after the generation of a body there is no more of the fume of the spirit to be seen no more then if all were turned into a body Which yet is not so for it still remaineth most subtle in that place of generation And so both the visible invisible are brought forth together by seperation After this way and manner all things are propagated How al things are imbodied Wood hath still a surviving spirit from which it is seperated So have stones and all things else none excepted For their Essence still remaineth just as it was seperated from them What man is how made Man likewise is nothing but a relique and the remainder of smoak seperated But yet note that he was a kind of spirit before Of this drosse was man made and is a thing most subtill in spirit Yea he is that very spirit that is A twofold eternall a discovery or sign of a twofold Eternall one of Caleruthum the other of Meritorium Caleruthum what it is Caleruth is a note or discovery in the first Eternall This seeketh or desireth the other that is God The cause therof is naturall Like