Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	cold_a	hot_a	moist_a	5,424	5	10.2024	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75271	Five treatises of the philosophers stone. Two of Alphonso King of Portugall, as it was written with his own hand, and taken out of his closset: translated out of the Portugez into English. One of John Sawtre a Monke, translated into English. Another written by Florianus Raudorff, a German philosopher, and translated out of the same language, into English. Also a treatise of the names of the philosophers stone, by William Gratacolle, translated into English. To which is added the Smaragdine Table. / By the paines and care of H.P.	Afonso V, King of Portugal, 1432-1481.; H. P.	1651 (1651)	Wing A2900; Thomason E654_5; ESTC R205924	41,579	80

this Science to search except he know the beginning of true nature and her government which being known he needeth not many things but one thing nor doth it require great charges because the Stone is one the Medicine one the Vessell one the Government one and the disposition one c. And let this suffice from your faithfull unknowne friend H. P. The Smaragdine Table of Hermes Trismegistus of Alchymy The words of the Secrets of Hermes which were written in a Smaragdine Table and found betweene his hands in an obscure Vault wherein his body lay buried IT is true without leasing certaine and most true that which is beneath is like that which is above and that which is above is like that which is beneath to worke the Miracles of one thing and as all things have proceeded from one by the mediation of one so all things have sprung from this one thing by adaptation His Father is the Sun his Mother is the Moone the Winde bore it in her belly the Earth is his Nurse the Father of all the Telesme of this world is heere his force and power is perfect if it be turned into Earth Thou shalt seperate the Earth from the Fire the thin from the thick and that gently with great discretion It ascendeth from Earth into Heaven and againe it descendeth into the Earth and receiveth the power of the Superiours and Inferiours So shalt thou have the Glory of the whole World all obscurity therefore shall fly away from thee This is the mighty power of all power for it shall overcome every subtle thing and pierce through every sollid thing so was the World created Heere shall be marvellous adaptations whereof this is the meane therefore am I called Hermes Trismegistus or the thrice great Interpreter having three parts of the Philosophy of the whole World that which I have spoken of the operation of the Sun is finished Here endeth the Table of Hermes A Treatise written by Alphonso King of Portugall concerning the Philosophers Stone FAme brought to my knowledge that in the Land of Aegypt there lived a Learned man that foretold things to come hee judged by the Stars and the motions of the Heavens those things which Time was to bring forth which were by him before understood A desire of knowledge carried my affection my pen my tongue with great humility I prostrated the height of my Majesty such power hath passion upon man With intreaty and my speciall Letters unto him I sent for him by my Messengers promising him with a sound affection great reward both in goods and money The wise man answered mee with much curtesie I know you are a great King and that neither presents nor the Law of silver nor gold nor any thing of great value but meerly out of affection I will serve you for I doe not seek that which is too much for mee and therfore I seeke not after yours but you I sent the best of my Ships which being arrived at the port of Alexandria the Doctor Astrologer came aboard and was brought to mee curteous with love for having knowne his great worth by understanding the motions of the Sphears I alwayes held him in that esteeme and love which is due to a Learned man The Stone which is called the Philosophers he could make he taught it mee and wee made it together And afterwards I made it alone by which meanes my Riches increased much and seeing that I was able to doe such a thing and that divers wayes which alwayes produced the same thing I will propound unto you the most easie and therefore the most excellent and principall I had a Library of Books of the Workes of Men of many Nations but I in this businesse did esteeme neither the Caldeans neither the Arabians though a diligent people nor the Aegyptians Assyrians but those of the East which inhabite the Indies and the Saracens did my worke and so well that they have honoured our Westerne parts The present time makes mee to know a sound and true judgement because thou shouldst give credit or beliefe to it doe not conceive that I have lied in any point That which I look after is not to bury in oblivion the great worth that was in him my Master but I will not give such an Empire to any man but to him that is Learned Now to unriddle this mystery and to propose truthes in ciphers though they are obscure yet by them you may learne and shall find they are no vaine things and if thou commest to understand this great Mystery have it not in thy ordinary conversation but leave it in the same cipher of this impression if thou understandest how to explaine it This Matter by wise men is called by divers names and this matter which to the unwise seemes to bee something to them is nothing and its nature being equally moist and dry that it will not give one without another which is a singular thing to have two such different natures meet together in one The drie is there in a supreame degree the moist likewise calls for a supream Authority the hot and cold fight there together and are contayned there likewise in a supreame degree and from that equality comes the name of each of these severally according to the quality and though the moist be joyned with the dry yet each of them retaines its owne name Our Hermes tells us that it is Heaven and Earth but others call it Man and Wife and out of their mariage they make other Riddles which serve for a light to the infirme Globe and from thence are called by some Water or Earth others the cold which is inclosed in heat so much the wise may understand The ancient Chaos according to my judgement was knit together by the fowre Elements This composition is the like when the division comes to bee made the Heaven and the Earth comes to bee a fift Essence of all for this matter is of that kinde that it composeth all things In this matter are found united the four Elements in equall parts so that if one walk or move the others doe the like for by one the others are conducted so much are they equall in their duties one to another and where can you hope to find a better thing amongst all Animals then that which is so much approved by all wise men Take the Learned Philosophers Mercury and let it bee purged from its malignancy and foule quality for it cannot be too cleane and see that the weight be equall with twelve ounces of the sayd composition and then put it into a glasse bottle for no mettall else is fit for it And the forme of the glasse must be of the forme of the Sphere with a long neck and no thicker then can bee grasped with a large hand and the length of the necke not above a span and no wider then the Aegyptian seale may cover its mouth This you must put into an earthen pot

such other unfruitfull matters whereas neither salts nor alloms doe goe into or be compounded in our worke but the Philosophers named it salts and allomes in stead of the Elements as Theophrastus saith But if thou desire to make the Elixir wisely and perfectly then learne to know the Minerall Roots and make of them thy worke for as Geber sayth thou shalt not finde the terme or end of the thing in the veines of the earth for sulphur and mercury which be the roots minerall and naturall principles that Nature doth make the foundation of her operations once as in the mineralls and chambers of the Earth be water viscous and a stinking spirit running by the veines and bowells of the Earth and of them doth spring a fume which is the mother of all mettalls joyned by a moist temperate heat ascending and verberating againe upon his upper Earth untill that by temperate decoction in the term of 1000. years is made a certaine naturall fixation as more plainly it doth appeare and so is made mettall as appeareth in the bookes of Geber Even so of Sol which is our Sulphur reduced into Mercury by Mercury is made a water thicke and mixed with his proper Earth by temperate decoction and from it riseth a fume of the veins of this proper Earth viz. of himselfe which afterward is changed into a water most subtle which is called Anima Spiritus Tinctura that is the Soule the Spirit and Tincture and when the same water is reduced upon the Earth from whence it came and sprinkled upon his owne veines it commeth into a certaine fixation and is made the Elixir compleat and so Art doth worke in a short time by the wit of man more then Nature doth work in 1000. yeares But yet wee doe not make mettall but Nature doth make it we doe not change mettals but Nature doth change them but we be Natures helpers or Ministers Whereupon Medus in Turba Philosophorum sayth That although our Stone being perfectly created in the Earth doth naturally contayne in himselfe tincture yet by himselfe he hath no motion or moving to be Elixir unlesse thereto hee bee moved by Art Therefore let us choose the naturall and next mineralls according to the words of Aristotle for Nature hath procreated all metalique bodies of a fume Sulphur and Mercury wherein thou shalt finde no Philosopher disagreeing therfore it behoveth thee to know the principles of this Art and the principall Roots thereof for hee that doth not know the right beginning shall never finde the right end thereof for Geber sayth in the beginning of his Booke Hee that knoweth nor our beginning in himselfe is farre from the attayning or understanding of this Science for hee hath not the true Root or ground whereon he should rayse this Art or Science or Worke also in another place he sayth It behoveth that our Art be found out by a naturall wit and a subtile soule searching forth the naturall principles and true foundations But although that a man may know his principles yet neverthelesse he cannot in this follow Nature in all things as Geber testifieth Sonne of this Art of Alchymy we doe open to thee a great secret Many Artificers in this Art doe greatly erre which do think to follow Nature in all properties and differences Therefore these things thus shortly passed over as is aforesayd let us come to that part of the worke artificiall many men doe write of the Stone named the Philosophers Stone but how or of what it is made no Philosopher did plainly and openly name for in these points divers men taught divers things whereas the truth doth consist in one thing onely but without doubt and without all errour we say that this Stone which is the root of our Art and privity or hidden secret of God and whereof many wise men did treat who did of it make and did knit many knots and so deceived many men in making them thereby fooles is none other thing but man and woman Sol Luna hot and cold Sulphur and Mercury and heere sticke downe your stake staying only and leaving to search further for any other stone or foolishly to consume thy money and to bring to thy soule heavy thoughts or sadnesse for what thou sowest thou shalt reape And forasmuch as this Stone is divided into two parts we will speake a little of the first part Sol and note that without it our worke cannot be done as I well prove by authority of learned Philosophers For Aristotle sayth of all things in this world Sol is most and it is the firment of white and red without which it is not done Also Hermes sayth There is no true tincture but of our Brasse that is to say Sol for all Sol is brass but all brasse is not Sol so all Sol is Sulphur but contrary for in it is nothing of the corruption of Sulphur but when it is made white in the worke then it worketh the operation of white Sulphur congealing and converting Mercury into Sol of the colour named Obrison in Latine therefore use alwayes the nobler member that is to say Sol for it is the kinde of kindes and forme of formes for it is the first and last in mettals and it is amongst them in their natures as the Sun is amongst the Stars but it doth concerne thee to understand well how to choose in what noble member materiam vel rem homogeneam amborum mundi Luminum that is a thing of that kinde which is a kindred to both the lights in the world that is to say Sol for Sol is homogeneam and the spirit hid and covered in that noble member without which the work is not done Wherefore Rasis sayth Doe not colour it untill his hid spirit be drawne out and made all spirituall and therefore worke thou nothing but that which is very light and of the most pure Sol which doth illuminate and lighten all lights and casteth away all darknesse of the night by his power viz. the superfluity of Mercury and other imperfect bodies when that it is cast upon them wherefore Geber saith in the Chapter of the Quintessence and Projection of the Stone this Sulpher lightning and easting forth his beames and shining abroad of his most cleare substance doth irradiate and giveth light not only in the day but also in the darknesse wherupon Pandulphus in turba Philosophorū saith my Brethren know ye that there is no body more precious or purer than Sol for as the Rubie hath in it selfe the effect of all precious stones so Sol hath in it selfe the vertue of all stones and Mettals ductible for it containeth in it selfe all mettals and coloureth and quickeneth them when he is most noble of them and of all bodies and the head and the best of them and consider this one poynt more that Sol is equall in the qualities and parts of it and it is of a compleat nature of the foure Elements

mettalls also they cannot shew their operation unlesse they be first reduced from their grosnes to a spiritualty nourisht and fed in their tinctures through heat and moistnesse For the spirit is of the same matter and nature with our medicine for wee say our medicine is of fire Nature and much subtiler but of themselves they cannot bee subtile nor simple for they must bee helped with subtile penetrating things Note earth of it selfe may not be subtile but must be made subtile through moyst water which is dissolving and maketh an ingresse for Sol that shee may penetrate the earth and with her heat she maketh the earth subtile and in that way the earth must be made subtile so long till it bee as subtill as a spirit which then is the Mercury more dissolving then common water to dissolve the sayd mettalls and that through the heat of fire to penetrate and subtiliate the mettalls CHAP. 3. IF you aske why is Mercury called a better spirit then others as there are sulphur orpiment arsenici salarmenic all these are called spirits also for being set into the fire they are carried away and wee know not what is become of them but this Mercury is much subtiler and clearer or penetrative then the other and mettalls are turned in it but the others burn them and destroy them make mettalls more grosser then they were CHAP 4. BUT Mercury is of such a subtile nature that he turnes mettalls into simples as himselfe is and draweth them unto him Note no mettall may be turned by any of the other foure spirits for if you put any of them to our mettle it turneth to ashes or earth but if you doe it to Mercury it will bee impalpable therefore is it called argent vive CHAP. 5. VVE take nothing else to subtilize mettles or make them penetrative nor to tinge other mettles some call it argent vive or a water an acetum a poyson because it destroyeth imperfect bodies and divideth into severall members and formes as you shall heare and is called by severall names CHAP. 6. YOU may say we doe not speake true that our medicine is made of two things of body and of spirit it is right sayd that all mettals have one root and originall CHAP. 7. VVHY can it not be made of two compounded together Answer 1. They may be made of all these together 2. They must be reduced into a Mercury which would fall difficult by reason of mans life therefore we take the next matter which are the two above sayd things viz. the body and spirit Some Philosophers say in their Bookes our medicine is made out of foure things and it is so for in mettles and their spirits are the foure Elements and others say true also saying mettalls must be turned into argent vive Heerein many learned and wise men doe erre and lose themselves in this path CHAP. 8. HAving spoken of the matter of which our medicine is made or joyned or generated now we will speake of the forme of the Vessells in which it is made CHAP. 9. Forme of the Vessell IT is requisite that the Vessell be likened to the firmament which encloseth and encompasseth all For our medicine is nothing else but a change of Elements one into another which is done by the motion of the firmament and so it must needs be round and circular CHAP. 10. VVE must speake also of the other or second Vessell and that also must be round and must be lesse then the outward Vessell two hand-breadth high called Cucurbite containing on the Cucurbite you set an Alimbeck through which the vapours ascend to the nose of the Alimbeck which must be well luted The Lute is made with meale sifted ashes white of an Egge c. or one part of meale one part of calx vive tempered with the white of Egges which you must lute withall quickly lute it well that no spirits may get away which if you lose any of them will prejudice your Worke mainely therefore be cautious CHAP. 11. Forme of the Oven THis Oven must be round foure hands high and two broad and one in thicknesse to keepe in the heate the better Having spoken of the forme of the Vessell and Oven now we will declare how our medicine is generated and nourished CHAP. 12. How the matter is extracted and cherished VVEE say that our matter is generated through the heat of fire and through the vapour of the water and also of Mercury and is nourished in this manner and to bring this matter into a just comparison it is requisite to prick up your eares and to open your reason and understanding that we may the better understand the following Chapters CHAP. 13. FIrst we will shew the order of the worke in the following Chapters 1. The first is called Dissolution 2. Separation 3. Sublimation 4. Fixation or Congelation 5. Calcination 6. Ingression CHAP. 14. What is Dissolution IS the turning of a dry thing into a wet one and you must know that dissolution belongeth onely unto bodies as to Sol and Luna which serve for our Art for a spirit needs not to be dissolved being a liquid thing of it selfe but mettalls are grosse and dry and of a grosse nature therefore they must be made more subtile the reasons why they must be subtillized CHAP. 15. THe first is our medicine must needs be subtile and mettalls cannot bee made subtile unlesse through dissolution being reduced into a water and ascend through the Alimbeck to be turned to water and spirit as you shall heare When it is come to that that all is ascended and nothing stayd behind and the feces are reserved for a further use as you shal hear hereafter CHAP. 16. THe second reason the body and spirit must be made indivisible and be one for no grosse thing mingleth with the spirit unlesse the grosse matter bee reduced to a subtility as into Argent vive then the one embraceth the other inseparably For if Argent vive perceiveth a thing like to it selfe then it rejoyceth and the dissolved body embraceth the spirit and suffers him not to fly away and maketh it durable for the fire and the spirit rejoyceth because he hath found his fellow therefore the one must be like the other and are of one nature CHAP. 17. Of Dissolution how to make it VVEE take leave of Sol and Luna thinly beaten very pure which we put into a good deale of Mercury which is made pure also then we put one after the other into Mercury in a pot in a heat not too hot that the Mercury fume not when wee see that no grosse thing is in it and is melted or streameth together then you wrought well but if there be any feces or settlement then you must adde more Mercury to it and doe as you did formerly and this is the first signe of dissolution that all bee streamy CHAP. 18. The Prosecution of this Matter VVEE take all the matter thus dissolved and

be done and put the fire to it as you did formerly till it bee congealed also and proceed so long in it till all the matter be congealed And know that Philosophers for the generallity have concealed the Congelation in their books and none of them as far as we can finde have disclosed it only Larikalix who hath composed it into many Chapters and produced it in the German tongue without any alteration which he revealed unto me without any reservation or deceit CHAP. 29. Calcination HAving treated of Congealation and Fixation now we come to the Calcination We take the known matter and put it into an Urinall and set a head upon it luting it well set it in the Oven of ashes make a continued great fire for a sennight then that which is not fix riseth into the Alimbeck which wee call Hermes his bird and that which remaines in the bottome of the glasse is like ashes or sifted earth called the Philosophers Earth out of which they make their foundation and out of it they make their increase or augmentation through heat and moystness this earth is composed of foure Elements but are not contrary one to another for their contrariety is changed or reduced to an agreement unto an uniforme nature then we take the moyst part reserve it apart to a further use which afterward must be put to it as you shall heare We take this earth or ashes which is a very fixed thing and put it into a strong earthen pot unto which we lute its lid and set it in a calcining Oven that the fire may beat on it above and below and that fire we continue for three dayes so that the pot is alwayes red hot we make of a stone a white calx and the things which are of water and earth-nature are of fire's nature for every calx is of a fires nature which is hot and dry CHAP. 30. Subtiliation of the foure Elements into the fifth essence VVEE have spoken of Calcination in which we have brought things to the highest subtility namely to fire's nature now we must further subtiliate the foure Elements we take a little quantity of this Calx viz. if we have 100 pounds we keep no more than the fourth part the other we set into dissolution with a good deale of fresh mercury even as we had done formerly and so follow from Chapter to Chapter from time to time as formerly hath been proceeded in CHAP 31. Changing Fire into Water NOw my dearest that you may change the fix into a volatile thing that is Fire into Water know that that which was of sire's nature is now become the nature of water and that which was fix is now become volatile and being made very subtile then we take 1. p. of this water and put it to the reserved Calx and we adde as much of the water unto that it go over it two or three fingers breadth over the Calx then we put fire under for three dayes long thus it congealeth sooner than at first for Calx is hot and dry and sucks in the humidity greedily this Congelation must be continued till it be quite congealed afterward we calcine it as formerly being quite calcined it is called the quintessence because it is of a more subtile nature than Fire and because of the transmutation formerly made CHAP. 32. The Philosophers Examples ALL this being done then our medicine is finish'd and nothing but the ingression is wanting that the matter may have an ingresse into imperfect mettalls Plato and many other Philosophers begun this worke againe with dissolving subliming or subtiliating congealing calcining as at first and that medicine which we call a ferment transmutes Mercury into its nature in which it is dissolved and sublimed Philophers say our medicine transmutes infinitely imperfect mettals and say that he which attaineth once to the perfection of it hath no more need of it to make any more but they speake it mystically in their expressions CHAP. 33. How our medicine transmuteth mettalls into Sol and Luna KNowing that our medicine converteth imperfect mettalls into Sol and Luna according to the nature and forme of the matter out of which it is made therefore know that wee now at second time say that this our medicine is of that nature that it transmuteth converts divideth asunder like fire and is of a more subtile nature than fire for it is of a nature of the quintessences as we sayd before therefore it converts Mercury into its nature seeing our medicine is of a converting nature as our body converts Mercury into its nature which is an imperfect body or mettall and the grossenesse of mettall it turneth into ashes or powder therefore our medicine is of a dividing separating nature as you see fire doth not turn all the world into its nature but only that which is of its nature and the rest it turneth to ashes CHAP. 34. Reason why a Spirit is made of a Body VVEE shewed by reall reason how a body is turned into a spirit and againe a spirit is turned into a body viz. out of a fixed this is made a volatile and of a volatile a fixed thing the earth is turned to water and aire and the aire into fire and the fire to an earth the earth into a fire and the fire is turned to aire and the aire is turned into water and the water is become an earth Now the earth which was of fire's nature is brought to the nature of quintessence Thus we have spoken of all the wayes of transmuting perform'd through heat and moystnesse and have made out of dry a moyst thing and out of the moyst a dry one otherwise natures which are of severall motions and of severall mansions could not be brought to one uniforme thing if one should bee turned in the others nature CHAP. 35. Accomplishment of Philosophers sayings WEE having brought the matter to the abovesayd points then have we done and wrought according to the Philosophers sayings when they say in their Books Rising from the Earth into Heaven and comming downe from Heaven into the Earth to that sense to make the body which is of earth into a spirit which is a subtile thing in his nature and then to reduce the spirit into a body which is a grosse low thing changing one Element into another as earth into water water into ayre ayre into fire then fire is turned into water and water into fire and that into a more subtile nature and quintessence Having thus done then are you come to the glory of the world be dutifull to God remember the poore CHAP. 36. Ingression TAke quicke Sulphur melt it in an earthen vessell well glazed being melted powr it forth into a Lie made of Calx vive and willow ashes let all these boyle in a kettle gently an oyle swimmeth on the top which take and keepe having enough of it we mingle it with sand distill it through the Alimbeck so long till it become