worke my will One thing was first imployd And shall not be destroid It compasseth the VVorld so round A Matter easy to be found And yet most hardest to come by A Secret of Secrets pardye That is most vile and least set by And it my Love and my Darling Conceived with all living thing And travells to the VVorlds ending What neede have I of mans Devise of Peny or of Pound Of Gold or Silver Lead or Tynn or Copper in the ground Iron or Silver Quick Whereat the blind do prick Of Cankered Corosives that rust By Salts and sulphurs all to dust Seeke out therefore my darllng deare For unto me it is most neere My spouse my Love and my Compeare And unto it looke thou direct My seaven Children long elect That all things else they might reject A Child begetting his owne Father and bearing his Mother Killing himselfe to give lyfe and light to all other Is yt that I do meane Most myld and most extreame Did not the Word that dwelt in me Take forme and walked visibly And did not I then dwell in it That dwelt in me for to unite Three powers in one seate to sit And then Experience did say Now knowest thou all heere lyes the Key And then she vanisht cleane away There with arose Phylosophy as one filled with grace Whose looks did shew that she had byne in some Heavenly place For oft she wipt her Eyes And oft she bowd her knees And oft she kist the Steps with dread VVhereon Experience did tread And oft she cast her Head on high And oft full low she cast her Eye Experience for to espy But when she saw that she was gon And that her selfe was left alone I never hread thing make such mone FINIS THE MAGISTERY THrough want of Skill and Reasons light Men stumble at Noone day Whilst buisily our Stone they seeke That lyeth in the way Who thus do seeke they know not what Is 't likely they should finde Or hitt the Marke whereat they ayme Better then can the Blinde No Hermes Sonns for Wisdome aske Your footesteps shee 'le direct Shee 'le Natures way and secret Cave And Tree of lyfe detect Son and Moone in Hermes vessell Learne how the Collours shew The nature of the Elements And how the Daisies grow Greate Python how Appollo slew Cadmus his hollow-Oake His new rais'd army and Iason how The Fiery Steeres did yoke The Eagle which aloft doth fly See that thou bring to ground And give unto the Snake some wings Which in the Earth is found Then in one Roome sure binde them both To fight till they be dead And that a Prinee of Kingdomes three Of both them shal be bred Which from the Cradle to his Crowne Is fed with his owne blood And though to some it seemeth strange He hath no other Foode Into his Virgin-Mothers wombe Againe he enter must Soe shall the King by his new-byrth Be ten times stronger just And able is his foes to foile The dead he will revive Oh happy man that understands This Medicen to atchive Hoc opus exigium nobis fert ire per altum DECEMBER 1633. W. B. ANONYMI OR SEVERALL WORKES OF unknowne Authors NOw I schall her be gynne To teche the a Conclusion In the name of the Trenete Send us grace that well hit be Now take two Onces as mych of anoder And dyssolve on ther with the toder Y tel the trowthe as my broder Put in to a Glas wyth owtten oder Than take three Onces of the bytter And meng hym with the swetter And put them than into a Glas Even right as the toder was Than take a unc of the best And do with hym as thou didst erst In a Glas than thou him put And loke thy mowth be wel I shut Now thow hast here Glasses thre Even lyke unto the Trynete Than hem stop these everychon Even a sute as thow hast on About thy Glasses a wal thow make Last the wynde ham al to crake Than thy Glassys now all I thre With yn that grave they schal be Now thys I fed with moysty hete To make that Glassys swynke and swete Then let hem stonde thus wekys thre And wel the beter they schal be Than put hem all now into on The wich ys lyke than be a stone Than let hem stonde so theryn Whan thou hast made thy Conjunction Tyl sevyn dayes be al I don Much the better woll be thy Ston Than upon thy Glas thow sett A fayre heed and wel I mette Draw up thy water with esy fyre Within a Rotunde good and cler Tyl thi Mater wol styl no mer Than set thow hem in dry Fyr Than se thow styl with reasonabyl hete Tyl thy Mater wol no more lete Whan he ys ther both good and dry Ful fayne wolde he than be moysty Than wey that Stone within the Glas And put hym hys Lecur has it was Now whan thys fryst drawte ys don Thow must Embybe with good proporciun Now looke thow wel what ys hys whyght And wyth the fourth part than hym dyght And evermore wyth partys fowr Now tyl he be of Whyte colowr And thus loke thow make good wache Tyl the Body thy Spirit can cache And also thy Sowle so must he Than understand thow hast thre Now schyt thy Glas as hyt was er And worke hyt forthe on thys maner Whan tho thre to gedur ben knyte With moch joy than thow mayst sitte For than art thou ricchar than the King But he have the same thyng Thus is alle thy Medcyn wroght Evyn after thin owne thoght How thys Medcyn thow schalt encres And make hyt mor tyll thow lyst sees The trowth I schall now the certefie How thow schalt hyt thus Multyply Loke as thow did thy Werke befor Encres hit forth with mor and mor As thow did at the begynnyng So continu forth to the endyng Thus for soth infynytely Thou mayst this craft forth Multiply Lyke as a man hath lytil Fyr And mor to make ys hys desyr He be hovyth this ys no nay More Wode or Cole ther to lay And thus he may hys Fyr encres That he schall never be fyreles One the same wise thou understande Ever thy Medcyn must be growande And whan the lyst Projecciun make Loke to this lesson good tent thou take Whan thy Medcyn is very parfit Thow schalt hym cast on hys lyke Al 's evyn than as thow can gese On part on Ten looke thow not messe The trowthe yf thow wil wete Than ys thy Lexer evyn complete And than of that On part thow take The trew Projeccion thus schalt thow make Cast that on Ten of Tyn or Leede Or Coper or Mercury ther in that steede Into fine Lun hit schal be broght Or into Sol evyn after thi thoght After that thy Lexer ys Be hit White or Rede I wys If thow hit cast on Iren also If it schal be Lun or Sol ther to Thys ar the Secrets of Phylosophie I councel
as Waters be made Some with Brenning as Colophonie And some with Water as Women make Lye Some be otherwise brought about And by naturall working fet out As Urin Sweat Milk and also Blood And Renniet which for Cheese is good By as manie manners and moe by one We seek Liquors for our Stone Every of the forenamed woll cleave To that thei touch and some deale leave But Quicksilver albeit it is fleeting Yet he woll never cleave to any thinge But to a Mettall of one kinde or other For there he findeth Sister or Brother Medling with suttill Erth doth him let To cleave to things such as he meet All the said Liquors which rehearsed be Conteyne fower Elements as well as he As Milke conteyneth Whey Butter and Cheese So done trewly every-each of all these Which fower maie be departed a twinn And after conjoynd to make ye winn But much more craftily they be heere sought Then Cheese and Butter and Whey be wrought And drawe neerer to simplicitie Then Cheese Butter or Whey maie be Of all Liquors which be in our Stone None is called simple but Water alone Of every Liquor which to our Stone shall goe Ye must know complexion and degree allso And than with Liquor ye maie abate The principall Agent from his Estate If he permanent and abiding be In any point of superfluitye As if the reigning qualitie be Driness Ye maie amend it with humour of Moistnes Now more now lesse as ye see need And so in all qualities proceede And in such wise order at your will The principall Agent your purpose to fulfill With knowledge of diversity contrarietie and accord Ye maie chuse which quality shall be Lord. Your Liquors be ordained to add and subtray To make equalitie by wisdome of assay But trust not that any thing maie be Hot and Moist both in one Degree For all that trust two qualities to be soe Shall be deceived where ever thei goe Common Schooles so teaching be not true Leave that Opinion and lerne this of new All Old men in that were oversecne To set in one degree anie qualities twaine Else thei said so that Schollers shulde not finde The secret mixtures of Elementall kind Therefore who cannot his graduations Maie not be perfect in our operations For in true Number God made every thing Without true Number no Man trulie maie sing Who faileth of his Number faileth of his Song Who faileth with us must doe Nature wrong COnsider also the nature of the meane When it is in the Third degree made cleane The purer that your meanes be The more perfection thereof ye shall see The meanes reteyne a great part Of the vertues of this Arte For the Principle maie not give influence To the Finall end neither the refluence Unto his Principall without succour and aid Of meanes conteyning the extremities aforesaid For like as by meanes of a treble Spirit The Soule of Man is to his Body knit Of which three Spirits one is called Vitall The second is called the Spirit Naturall The third Spirit is Spirit Animall And where they dwell now lerne ye shall The Spirit Vitall in the Hert doth dwell The Spirit Naturall as old Auctors tell To dwell in the Liver is thereof faine But Spirit Animall dwelleth in the Braine And as long as these Spirits three Continue in Man in there prosperitie So long the Soule without all strife Woll dwell with the Body in prosperous life But when theis Spirits in Man maie not abide The Soule forthwith departeth at that tide For the suttill Soule pure and immortall With the grosse Body maie never dwell withall He is so heavie and She so light and cleane Were not the suttilnesse of this Spirit meane Therefore in our worke as Auctors teach us There must be Corpus Anima Spiritus Also in our worke ye shall so finde That our meanes must accord in every kinde Of both extremities with wisdome sought Els all our worke shall turne cleere to nought For prudent Nature maie not by workinge Make Complement of appetite of a thing And so passe betweene extremities But if she first passe by all degrees Of everie meane this is truth unfained Wherefore Nature manie meanes ordained NOw after all this to lerne ye had need Of seven Circulations of Elements for your speede According to number of the Planets seaven Which no man knoweth but he have grace from heaven Old Philosophers men of great engine Said how of Circulations there shulde be Nine It is the â—urer to doe by their advice Nethles Seaven maie your worke suffice By inventions late found of new Of later Philosophers whos workes be trewe But for Circulations of Elements Some Clerks ween to have their intents When they fro Fier ordaine to descend To Aire thei ween not to offend If thei to Water doe then proceed And thens to Erth when thei see need And in such wise by order fall From the highest to the lowest of all Upon these words they tooke their ground That Aer est cibus ignis found But trust me that such Circulation Is but only a rectification Better serving for separation And for correction than for transmutation But the truth is that appetite of the Fier Hath to worke in Erth his cheefe desire As upon his cheefe foode materiall For Fier with Erth hath most concord of all Because that siccitie is the lyme of heate But Ayre of her kind is most wet Yet Fire without Ayre worketh not For Faces of Elements be knit with a knot Of Gods hand that they maie not depart By noe engine ne craft of Mans art As in Plomps ye have example faire Where heavie Water ariseth after Ayre Whereof noe cause reasonable ye shall finde But Connexion of faces of Elementall kinde But our Circulation is from Fier on high Which endeth with Water his most contrary Another Circulation beginneth with Ayre Ending with his Contrary cleane Erth and faier Fro Fier to Erth fro thence to Water cleane Fro thence to Ayre then fro thence by a meane Passing to Erth then eftsoones to Fier To such Circulations the Red worke hath desire Other Circulations be better for the White That be rehearsed for her appetite Every Circulation hath her proper season As her lightnesse accordeth with reason For as one Planet is more ponderous Then is another and slower in his course So some Circulations which Clerks seeks Must for her time have full thirtie Weeks Other Circulations shall oft time have lesse As one Planet is lighter then another was But the time of one with another will amount To twenty six Weekes proved by accompt After all grosse workes made before hand And after all Circumstances had I understande Ignorance hereof deceiveth manie a Man Causing them to cease where Wisemen began Common People which for this Science have sought Ween how in forty dayes it mought be wrought They know not how Nature and things of Arte Have a proper time assigned for their part As
and Water thou shalt draw And thereabout thou nedyst not at the Coles to blow Do thys wyth hete esy and mesuryng Fyrst wyth moyst Fyre and after wyth the dry The flewme by Pacyence owt drawyng And after that thy other natures wyttyly Dry up thyne Erth tyll hyt be thrysty By Calcenyng els thou laboryst all in vayne And then make hyt drynke up his moysture agayne Separacyon thus must thou ofte tymes make Thy Matter dyvydyng into parts two So that the Symple fro the groce thou take Tyll Erth remayne benethe in color bloe That Erth ys fyx for to abyde all wo The other parte ys Spyrytuall and fleyng But thou must turne hem all into one thyng Than Oyle and Water wyth Water shall dystyll And thorow her help receve menyng Kepe well thys two that thou not spyll Thy Wark for lack of dew closyng Make thy Stopell of glas meltyng The top of thy Vessle together wyth yt Than Phylosopher-lyke usyd ys hyt The Water wherwyth thou must renew thy Stone Looke thou dystyll afore thou warke wyth hyt Oftentymes by it selfe alone And by thy syght thou shalt well wyt Fro feculent feces when hyt ys quytt For sum men can wyth Saturne it multeply And other Substance which we defye Dystyll hyt therfore tyll hyt be clene And thyn lyke Water as hyt shold be As Hevyn in Color bryght and shyne Kepyng both fygure and ponderosyte Therwith dyd Hermes moysture hys Tre Wythyn hys Glas he made to grow upryght Wyth Flowers dyscoloryd bewtyosely to syght Thys Water ys lyke to the venemous Tyre Wherewyth the myghty Tryacle ys wrought For yt ys Poyson most stronge of yre A stronger Poyson can none be thought Att the Potecarys therfore oftyn yt ys bought But no man shall be by hyt intoxycate After the tyme yt ys into Medycyne Elevate For then as ys the Tryacall trew Hyt ys of poysons most expulsyfe And in hys working doth mervells shewe Preservyng many from deth to lyfe Loke thou meng yt wyth no corrosyve But chese hyt pure and quick rennyng Yf thou thereby wylt have wynnyng It ys a mervelose thyng in kynde And Wythout hyt may nought be done Therefore Hermes calleth hyt hys Wynde For it ys up flying fro Sonn and Mone And makyth our Stone flye wyth hyt Sone Revyvyng the ded and gevyng lyfe To Son and Mone Husband and Wyfe Whych yf they were not by craft made quick And ther fatnes wyth Water drawn out And so the thyn dyssevered from the thyke Thou should never bryng thys worke about Yf thou wylt speed therefore wythout doubt Reyse up thy Byrds out of they re nest And after agayne bryng them downe to rest Water wyth Water accord wyll and assend And Spryt wyth Spryt for they be of kynde Whych after they be exalted make to dyssend And soe thou shalt devyde that nature before dyd bynde Mercury essencyall turnyng into wynde Wythout whych naturall and subtyll Seperacyon May never be compleat profytable Generacyon Now to help thee in at thys Gate The last Secret I wyll tell to thee Thy Water must be seven tymes Sublymate Ells shall no kyndly Dyssolucyon be Nor Putryfyyng shall thou none see Like lyquyd pytch nor colours apperyng For lack of fyre wythin thy Glasse workyng Fower Fyers there be whych you must understond Naturall Innaturall against Nature alsoe Elementall whych doth bren the brond These foure Fyres use we and no mo Fyre against Nature must doe thy bodyes wo That ys our Dragon as I thee tell Fersely brennyng as Fyre of Hell Fyre of Nature ys the thyrd Menstruall That fyre ys naturally in every thyng But fyre occasionat we call Innaturall And hete of Askys and balnys for putrefying Wythout these fyres thou may not bryng To Putrefaccyon for to be seperat Thy matters togeather proportyonat Therefore make fyre thy Glasse wythin Whych brennyth the Bodyes more then fyre Elementall yf thou wylt wyn Our Secret accordyng to thy desire Then shall thy seeds both roote and spyre By help of fyre Occasionate That kyndly after they may be seperat Of Seperacyon the Gate must thus be wone That furthermore yet thou may procede Toward the Gate of secret Conjunccion Into the Castle whych wyll the Inner leade Do after my Councell therefore yf thou wylt spede Wyth two strong locks thys Gate ys shyt As consequently now thou shalt wyt The end of the third Gate OF CONJUNCTION The fourth Gate AFter the Chapter of naturall Separacion By which the Elements of our Stone dysseveryd be The Chapter here followyth of secret Conjunccion Whych natures repugnant joyneth to perfyt Unyte And so them knyttyth that none from other may fle Whan they by Fyre shall be examynate Soe be they together surely conjugate And therfore Phylosophers geveth thys deffynycyon Seyng thus Conjunccion ys nought ells But of dysseveryd qualytes a Copulacyon Or of Pryncypylls a coequacyon as other tells But some wyth Mercury whych the Potecarys sells Medleth Bodyes whych cannot dyvyde Ther matter and therefore they step asyde For unto tyme the Sowle be Separate And clensyd from hys orygynall Syn Wyth the Water and purely spyrytuallyzate Thy trew Conjunccion may thou never begyn Therfore the Soule fyrst fro the Body twyn Then of the corporall parte and of the spyrytuall The Soule Conjunccion shall cause perpetuall Of two Conjunccions Phylosophers don mentyon make Groce when the Body with Mercury ys reincendat But let hyt passe and to the second tent thou take Which as I sayd ys after Separacion celebrat In whych the partys be lest whych lest so collygate And so promotyd unto most perfyt temperance Then never after may be among them Repugnance Thus causyth Separacion trew Conjunccion to be had Of Water Ayre Earth and Fyre But that every Element may into other be lad And so abyde for ever to thy desyre Do as done Laborous with Clay and Myer Temper them thyke and make them not to thyn For so to up drying thou shalt the rather wyn But manners there be of thys Conjunccion three The fyrst ys callyd by Phylosophers Dyptative Betwyxt the Agent and the Patyent which must be Male and Female Mercury and Sulphure vive Matter and forme thyn and thyke to thryve Thys lesson wyll helpe thee wythout any dowte Our Conjunccion trewly to bryng about The second manner ys called Tryptative Whych ys Conjunccion made of thyngs three Of Body Sowle and Spyrit tyll they not stryve Whych Trynite must be brought to perfyt unyte For as the Sowle to the Spyrit the bond must be Ryght to the Body the Sowle to hym must knyt Out of thy mynde let not thys lesson flyt The thyrd manner and also the last of all Fowre Elements together whych joynyth to abyde Tetraptative contently Phylosophers doth hyt call And specyally Guydo de Montayno whose fame goyth wyde And therfore the most laudable manner thys tyde In our Conjunccion four Elements must be aggregat In dew proportion fyrst whych asonder were separat Therefore lyke as
must be proportionate Att the Dyers craft ye may lerne this Science Beholding with Water how they decoctions make Uppon theyr Woad and Maddre easyly and with patience Till the Tinctures appeare which the Cloath doth take Therein so fixed that they wyll never forsake The Cloth for washing after they joyned be Right so our Tinctures with Water of our Lake We draw by boyling with Ashes of Hermes tree Which Tinctures when they by craft are made parfite So dieth Mettalls with Colours evermore permanent After the qualitie of the Medycine Red or White That never away by eny Fire will be brente To this Example if you take good tent Unto your purpose the rather shall ye wynne And see your Fire be easy and not fervent Where Nature did leave off what tyme look ye begynn First Calcine and after that Putrefye Dyssolve Dystill Sublyme Descende and Fyxe With Aquavite oft times both wash and drie And make a marriage the Body and Spirit betwixt Which thus togeather naturally if ye can myxe In losinge the Body the Water shall congealed bee Then shall the Body dy utterly of the Flixe Bleeding and chaunging Colours as ye shall see The third daye againe to Life he shall uprise And devour Byrds and Beasts of the Wildernes Crowes Popingayes Pyes Pekocks and Mavies The Phenix the Egle whyte the Griffon of fearfulnes The Greene Lyon and the Red Dragon he shall destres The white Dragon also the Antlope Unicorne Panther With other Byrds and Beasts both more and lesse The Basiliske also which allmost eche one doth feare In Bus and Nubi he shall arise and ascend Up to the Moone and sith up to the Sonne Through the Ocean Sea which round is without end Only Shypped within a little glasen Tonne When he commeth thither then is the Maistrie Wonne About which Iourney greate good shall ye not spend And yet ye shall be glad that ever it was begonne Patiently if ye liste to your worke attend For then both Body and Spirit also both Oyle and Water Sowle and Tincture one thing both White and Red After Colours variable it conteyneth what so men clatter Which also called is when he hath once bene Dedd And is revived our Marchasite our Magnete and our Lead Our Sulphure our Arsenicke and our true Calcevive Our Sonne our Moone our Ferment of our Bread Our Toade our Basiliske our unknowne Body our Man our Wife Our Body thus naturally by crafte when it is renovate Of the first ordre is Medicine called in our Philosophy Which oftentimes must againe be Spiritualizate The rounde Whele turning of our foresaid Astronomy And so to the Elixir of Spirites must ye come for why Till the same of the fixed by the same of the flier be overgone Elixir of Bodyes named it is only And this secrete poynt truly deceaveth many one This naturall processe by helpe of craft thus consummate Dissolveth the Elixir spirituall in our unctuous Humiditie Then in Balneo of Mary togeather let them be Circulat Like new Hony or Oyle till they perfectly thicked be Then will that Medicine heale all manner Infirmitie And turne all Mettalls to Sonne Moone most perfectly Thus shall ye have both greate Elixir and Aurum Potabile By the grace and will of God to whom be lawd eternally Here followeth the Figure conteyning all the secrets of the Treatise both great small Iohn Goddard sculpsit Incipit Prologus CHyld of thys Dyssyplyne incline to me thyne Ere And harkyn to my doctryne with all thy dylygence Thes words of wysdome in mynde doe thou bare Which of old Fathers be trew in sentence Live clene in soule to God doe none offence Exalt thee not but rather keepe thee Lowe Ells wyll thy God in thee no Wysdome sowe Fro fayned Doctryne and wycked thought The holy spryt doth hym wythdraw Nylling to dwell where Syn is wrought Dred God therefore and obay his Lawe A ryghteous Man forsooke I never sawe Nether hys seed begg bread for need In holy Scrypture thus doe I rede Make Wysdome therefore thy Sister to be And call on Prudence to be thy Frynd By pathes of truth they wyll gyde thee Wyth love and honesty wher so thou wend Both vertuose to be curteous and hend Pray God therefore that thou may fynde Wysdome and Prudence with mouth and mynde All manner good cum wyth them shall And honestie by ther hands innumerable Then into combraunce shall thou not fall Soe be they in ryches Incomparable To worshyp and profyt they wyll thee able To conyng and to all manner of grace Both here and after thy lyvys space For these benefyts which they don bryng In parte ynnumeryd by sapyence To them I can compare no thyng No rychys no spyces of redolence Above all tresure such is ther exellence That whatsoever erthly that precyous ys To them comparyd ys but as cley ywys Infynyte treasure to Man they be Who usyth them shall fryndshyp have With God in Heven and there hym se After them vyvelyche therefor thou crave For Body and Soule both wyll they save And herein Goods doth multiplye And afore Prynces they dygnyfy Thynke how Adam lost hys wysdome Sampson hys myght that was soe strong Kyng Saule also lost hys Kyngdome And Davyd was punnyshed soare for hys wrong In the Oake by the here fayre Absolon hong Kyng Ezeky by sycknesse had punishment And many one moe for synne was shent But see how other that livyd well And to their God did none offence Such chastysment did never fele But God shewed ever to them benevolence Enok and Ely were caryed hence To Paradyse and other good livers were Of God rewarded in dyvers manner Sum had gret Fortune sum gret Cunnynge Sum had gret Peace sum gret Ryches Sum conquered Londs to ther wonyng Sum were exalted for ther gret mekenes Sum other were saved fro the cruelnes Of Tyrants Lyons and hot Fornacys As Danyell and other in many places Thus to good Livers God send gret grace And unto Synners sore ponishment Sum to amend in thys lyfe had space Sum sodenly with fyre fro Heavyn were brent Synfull Sodomyts for ever were shent With Dathan and Abyron and other moe Which sank for Syn to endles wo. Thus ever syth the World was wrought God hath rewardyd both evyll and good Thus yf it maye rest in thy thought Fro synfull livyng wyll chaung thy moode Yf synfull people thys understood They ought to be aferd God to offend And soone ther synfull lyfes to amend Therefore with God looke thou begyne That he by grace may dwell with thee So shall thou best to Wysdom wyn And knowledge of our grete prevyte Norysh Vertues and Vices looke thou flee And trustyng thou wylt thee well dispose Our secrets to thee I wyll dysclose Keep thou them secret and for me pray Looke that you use them to Gods pleasure Do good wyth them what ever thou may For tyme thou shalt thys lyfe endure That after thy endyng thou may be sure In
thys one thyng therfore putrefye Wash hym wyth hys owne broth tyll whyte he becoom Then Ferment hym wyttely nowe here ys all and soom Now to God Almyghty I thee Recommend Whych graunte the by Grace to knowe thys one thing For now ys thys Treatys brought to an end And God of hys Mercy to hys blysse us bryng Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus where Angells do syng Praysyng without ceasynge hys gloriose Magestye Whych he in hys Kyngdome graunte us for to see AN. DOM. 1471. Explicit Alchimiae Tractatus Philosophiae Cujus Rypla George Canonicus Auctor erat Mille quadringentis septuaginta unoque Annis qui scriptus compositusque fuit Auctori lector praebe praece quaeso Iuvamen Illi purgamen leve post vitam ut sit Amen Englished Thus heere the Tract of Alchimy doth end Whych Tract was by George Ripley Chanon pen'd It was Composed Writt and Sign'd his owne In Anno twice Seav'n hundred seav'nty one Reader Assist him make it thy desire That after Lyfe he may have gentle Fire Amen LIBER PATRIS SAPIENTIAE THow that in thys Boke beginneth to rede Keepe well thys Councell the better schalt thow spede Be thow in a place secret by thy selfe alone That noe man see or here what thow schalt say or done Yet ere thow begyn to rede much take thow good hede Wyth whom thow kepest company I councell thee indede Trust not thy freind too much wheresoere thow goe For he that thow trustest best sometyme may be thye Foe And take hede to the words of the Fader of Wysdom How he techeth hys Sonne how he schould done To kepe hys presepts of bodely governance And wyth hys Conyng he wyll the gretly advance And yf thow wylt not to hys wordys take hede Thow schalt stand here oft in gret feare and dred For he that hath a fore wytt he nedes not do amysse And he that doth Folly the Folly schalbe hys Now my dere Sonne be thow not a know To Lerned nor to Leud to Hygh nor to Low Neyther to Young nor Old Rych nor Poore Unto them thow tech nothyng my Lore Also to scuche men that hold themselves wyse And so forth to the foolys that glyde on the Ice They weene in grete Bokes schould be the Art O◠the Science of Alchemy but they be not worth a fart Therefor my Sonn to thee thys Science I may well teach And yf thow wylt upon thy enemy be wreach Or to purchase or build any good thyng It schalbe to thy gret furtheryng Thys worthy Scyence of Alchemy if thow wylt it leare A lyttle mony out of thy purse thow must forbeare To buy therewyth Flos Florum it is most worthiest And to build well her Cabyn and her Nest And if thow put out mony for any other thing It is to thy losse and to thy great hindring Except yt be for thy workes naturall Foode Which is had out of Stone Ayre and Wood. And if thow have all thyngs wythin the growing Then thow needest not to buy any manner of thing That schould be to thys Science belonging But beware of thy selfe for feare of hanging For then thow and thys Scyence were for ever lost If thow make thereof any manner of boast To any Man or Woman Old or Young Beware of thy selfe for feare of discovering For if thow make any man privie Of thy Councell Rich or Needy Thow must so beware Sleeping or Waking For once ymagining of Money making For yf God sends thee grace and understanding Wyth thys Scyence thow mayst have good lyving But beware of speach of Women liberall And of the voice and sight of Children generall Sonn in thyne owne howse thow maist well gett A good Morsell of meat thy mouth to sweet Both Pheasant Partridge Plover and Leveret Though thow cry yt not owte in the common Market Therefore kepe close of thy Tongue and of thy Hand From the Officers and Governours of the Land And from other men that they of thy Craft nothing know For in wytnes thereof they wyll thee hang and draw And thereof the People will the at Sessions indight And great Treason against the they wyll write Wythowt that the Kings grace be to thee more Thow schalt for ever in thys world be forlore Alsoe wythowt thow be sure of another thyng To purchase the Lycence of thy King For all manner of doubts thee schall betide The better thow maiste Worke and both goe and ride Also another thing I schall thee lere The poore People take thow nothing deare But ever serve thy God alway at the begynnyng And among the poore People the better schalbe thy livyng Now my Chylde to my precepts looke thow take hede Whatsoever fall after the better schall thow spede Better it ys to have a thyng then for it to wish For when thow feelst a Sore t is hard for thee to get a Leech Now my deare Son to the I wyll declare More of thys Warke which schalbe thy welfaire If thow canst consider all my sayings For therewyth thow mayest finde a full precious thing And Son though thys Writing be made in Ryme Yet take thow thereat noe greate disdaine Till thow hast proved my words in deede and in thought I watt it well it schalbe set at nought Therefor of all Bodyes and Spyrits more or lesse Mercury is called Flos Florum and worthiest Pryncesse For her Birth and marvelous dealing Sche ys most worthiest to have byne King For sche ys Erth and Water most heviest And sche will conjoyne wyth Fire and Aire most lyghtest And so forth wyth her love sche will run and flee For sche delighteth noe other game or glee Some say that of Sulphur and Mercury all Bodyes minerall are made Ingendered in the Erth with divers Colours cladd By the vertue of Decoccion before Preperacion To the lykenes of every body Mynerall in ther fashion I will first begin wyth Saturne after other mens sayings How he ys ingendered in the Erth wyth unclene Mercury flying And of Mercury he ys most heviest wyth black Sulphury Erth mixed Save he ys soft of fusion and hys Sulphur nothing fixed Iupiter is a whyte Body made of pure Mercury outward And of clere Sulphur somewhat Erthly and white inward He ys in kynde softest and well in his fixation For he is almost fixt but he lacketh Decoction Mars ys a white Body most of unclene ☿ in the Erth y'made And he ys hardest of fusion with Sulphur Erthly cladd To blacknes and rednes he will soonest consume By heate or by corrosive when the Spirit beginneth to fume Sol is the purest somwhat red is made of clene ☿ Sulphur fixed Ingendered with clere red Sulphur in the Erth well mixed And therefor he ys without defalt and lacketh no degree For he ys almost hardest of Fusion and heviest in ponderossity Venus ys a Body more red of pure ☿ made in hys substance Most of red Sulphur and greene and therein is greate variance In the Erth ingendered with
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
Well Tyl all his Leprousie will no longer dwell In his owne Nature he altereth cleane Into a pure substance ye wat what I meane I shew you here a short Conclusion c. WHy art thou so Poore and I so Rich Aboundance of Tresure in me thow maist In all the World I am nothing so liche As Man that is so proginitous to my kynde The Rych man on the Poore hath no pity In me therefore have thow affiance It is oft tymes seene in Towne and Cittie He is evyll at ease that hath no Craft nor Scyence The Ryche men of the Poore now have greate dispight That they should wyth thyr cunyng any good thing wyn And to give to the Poore almes they have no delight Lytle is the Charity that is them within And Ensample of Dives as the Scripture can tell Poore Lazerus at his Gate for default dyed Had he given him Almes he had not gon to hell Now for to repent him truly it is too late Man thou hast no goods but God doth them send Departe with thy Brother as God doth thee Comand Thy lyfe that wyll the better amend Death will with thee make a suddaine hand Thy worldly goods thow schalt forsaken Give every Beast againe his due And than schall thy body be full naked Death on the will nothing rue Why so far and I so neare Hast thou no grace Man me to meete So oftyn as I to the do appeare And yet of me thou takest no keepe In common Mercury thou doest me seeke In Alkali and in Alembroke In common Sulphur and Arsenick eke Which makes many a man to dote Common Mercury is not good It bringeth many a man to care It makes his Haire grow through his hood And his Purse both thin and bare Mercury and I are of allye But she with me may not compare In nature she is both cold and dry Therefore I councell thee to beware Many a man she makes full bare Because she lacks humidity On her to spend they would spare She brings many a man to poverty I am she which wise men seeke Mercury which is most of might Hot and moyst light and weake Of the Elements I am full right Water Earth Aire and Fire Quality and Quantity you can never have your desire Without Concoction perfectly Great riches in us be Who hath grace us for to know By vertue of her humidity In the Fire our Stone doth grow Thou needy man where is thy minde I councell thee this lesson leare Our Mercury is but of one thing In our Vessell thin and cleere Common Mercury in him is none Neither Gold nor Silver in him none is Of Mettalls we make not our Stone By proportion more or lesse All manner of Mettalls we deny Untill the time our Stone be wrought All other Receipts we defie That of the Potecaryes be bought With all Spices save onely Mercury Gould with him stands us in steed Our Medicine for to Multiplie After our Phisicks Stone be Red. A true Lesson I have thee tought Pray for me and forget it nought Many Bookes mayst thou see That is not writ so openly And as I am true Christian man A truer Booke findest thou none And thou wilt of this Scyence leare In riches thou shalt have no peare He that made this Booke hath it well preved The better therefore he may be beleived Therefoee I pray you for charity To keepe this Booke very secretly If any man this Science of you will crave Know he be Sapient that the Coppy shall have I made it not for every man Neither for them that litle good can But for me and for my Brother Such as have Reason and no other Keepe this Lesson well in minde Beware thou worke not against Kinde And in thy Worke make no greate hast That thou labour not in wast Worke in light and not in darke And ask Councell of a Clerke Else may you both lightly fayle Without you have both good Counsayle TAke our Rose with the red Flower Which thou maist know by his Colour And him knock into Plates small A like thin beate over all And with a Corosive good and fine Forthwith drawe the same tyne Of things that be new and good And diverse in Nature and one in Moode And put together with strong grinding In Horse wombe ever abiding In a Vessell good and strong Thou so it rule and thinke it not longe For within a Moneth or litle moe And with his might the Body slo Thy Corrosive will thy Rose so frett Till he be thin as Milke in Meate But how the Corrosive made shal be I will it shew plainely to thee As I said to thee before Elss knowest thou litle of this lore Take Maidens Urine younge of age Ashes Salt and Lyme Of him together make a mariage Then the Corrosive is both good and fine For without this Corrosive shortly said Well compound together in One All your Worke is but voyd As Philosophers write every ech one For Doctors both to lay and Clearke Written that our first Warke Is to bring our Body all and some And him to reduce in Mercurium Then is our Worke well begun If the first love be thus wone Now say Philosophers much more Our second Worke if thou wilt know Labour with paine and travell therefore And God is ready thee it to shew To bring our Water into Air Of Philosophers the second verse Spare not to worke and be not afraid For so it will be without lese But yet be wise in the Warke For hasty men never lack woe And aske the Councll of a Clarke For sober thrift is best thereto And so Continue night and day I thee charge and sleepe thee not For in six Weekes truly in fay All into Earth it wil be brought So the Fyre continued be Every Decoction to even measure And after that fyre his quality Thou must all the Worke rule For when it is in Earth full black Then is it our black Stone He is so strong he may not lack Tyll all thy Worke be y done The third degree as I thee say Of our Stone now black as pitch Thou must him wash with waters gay And make him white for so did Ich And when thou hast washt him cleane Then is his blacknes gone Then is he bright and shine As Carbuncle or Beril stone But ere he come to that degree It wil be labour but thinke not long For many a Colour change will he Browne Red Russet ever amonge After that to many other mo Greene Blew Pale and Whyte But all these let them goe They are not to thy profit And when thou hast thus wrought By six weekes and a day Then is the Earth truly sought A white powder collor'd in fay But then spare the fyre And bate him even to measure And within a month and litle mo The Whyte Stone hath nigh sure done Which will shine and melt as wax He must needes Masteries do The Spirit and Soule make him
him hath power none His Elements be so coequall An Incombustible Oyle is this our Stone In power farr passing others all Son In what Element Father is our Sulphur bright Is it in all or is it in one Father In all Sonne he must need be of right For Seperacion of Elements we make none And yett in them we can it not see For sensuall matter is he none But equallitie only intellectuall Without which our Stone never fixt be shall Qualitie Sonne alsoe groweth in the fire Betwixt the White stone and the Read For Colours many to you shall appeare Untill the tyme the Woman be dead The which things if ye shall not see Red shall your Stone at noe time bee For where the Woman is in presence There is much moysture and Accidence Watry humors that in her bee Will drowne and devoure our qualitye Remember and thinke of Noahs flood For too much Water was never good And yet as qualitie is hid in quantitie So must in Water our Earth be Riches in him thou shalt much finde After alteracions all due to his kinde When Oyle in him is coagulate Then is our Stone body made liquefact When Sulphur Water and Oyle be one Indued with riches then is our Stone I cannot thee tell a richer thing Then is our Stone when he is fire dureing Our Fire maketh her so strong Son Father how to make our Stone Fayne would I knowe that have we done Father My Sonne with lent and easie heate The Elements togeather will kindly meate Haste not to fast whilest they be rawe Keepe well the Fie beware of the lowe Shutt well the Vessle least out passe the Spirit So shall you all things the better keepe For if the Spiritts doe passe you from Remedy to gett them againe have you none And how marveillous it is the Elements to meete Keepe this as your principall secrete At your begining give God the prayse And keepe your Matter in heate forty dayes But so that all things be made cleare Or else you are never the neare And within this tyme itt wil be Black And oft chainge colour till it be White There you may cease and further proceede By mendinge the heate to your mesure indeed And there withall now will I end And to God onely thee Commend JOHN GOWER CONCERNING The PHILOSOPHERS STONE AND also with great diligence Thei fonde thilke Experience Which cleped is Alconomie Whereof the Silver multeplie Thei made and eke the Gold also And for to telle howe itt is so Of bodies seven in Speciall With fowre Spirites joynt withall Stant the substance of this matere The bodies which I speke of here Of the Plannets ben begonne The Gold is titled to the Sonne The Moone of Silver hath his part And Iron that stonde uppon Mart The Leed after Saturne groweth And Jupiter the Brasse bestoweth The Copper sette is to Venus And to his part Mercurius Hath the Quicksilver as it falleth The which after the Boke it calleth Is first of thilke foure named Of Spirits which ben proclaymed And the Spirite which is seconde In Sal Armoniake is founde The third Spirite Sulphur is The fourth Sewende after this Arcennium by name is hotte With blowyng and with fires hote In these things which I say Thei worchen by divers waye For as the Philosopher tolde Of Gold and Sylver thei ben holde Two principall extremitees To which all other by degrees Of the mettalls ben accordant And so through kinde resemblant That what man couth awaie take The rust of which they waxen blake And the savour of the hardnes Thei shulden take the likenes Of Gold or Silver parfectly But for to worche it sykerly Betweene the Corps and the Spirite Er that the Metall be parfite In seven formes itt is sette Of all and if one be lette The remnant may not avayle But otherwise it maie nought fayle For thei by whome this Art was founde To every poynt a certayne bounde Ordeinen that a man may finde This Craft is wrought by wey of kinde So that there is no fallace in But what man that this werke begyn He mote awaite at every tyde So that nothynge be left asyde Fyrst of the Distillacion Forth with the Congelacion Solucion Disscencion And kepe in his entencion The poynt of Sublimacion And forthwith Calcinacion Of very Approbacion So that there be Fixacion With temperate hetes of the fyer Tyll he the perfite Elixer Of thilke Philosophers Stone Maie gette of which that many one Of Philosophers whilome write And if thou wolt the names wite Of thilke Stone with other two Which as the Clerkes maden tho So as the Bokes itt recorden The kinde of hem I shall recorden These old Philosophers wyse By wey of kynde in sondry wise Thre Stones made through Clergie The fyrst I shall specifie Was cleped Vegetabilis Of which the proper vertue is To mans heale for to serve As for to keepe and to preserve The body fro sicknes all Till death of kinde upon hym fall The second Stone I the behote Is Lapis Animalis hote The whose vertue is proper and couth For Eare and Eye Nose and Mouth Whereof a man may here and see And smell and tast in his degree And for to feele and for to goe Itt helpeth a man of both two The witts five he underfongeth To keepe as it to hym belongeth The third Stone in speciall by name is cleped Minerall Which the Mettalls of every myne Attempreth till that thei ben fyne And pureth hem by such a wey That all the vice goth awey Of Rust of Stynke and of Hardnes And when they ben of such clennes This minerall so as I fynde Transformeth all the fyrst kynde And maketh hem able to conceive Through his vertue and receive Both in substance and in figure Of Gold and Silver the nature For thei two ben the extremitees To which after the propertees Hath every mettall his desire With helpe and comforte of the fyre Forth with this Stone as it is said Which to the Sonne and Moone is laide For to the Red and to the White This Stone hath power to profite It maketh Multiplicacion Of Gold and the fixacion It causeâ—h and of this babite He doth the werke to be parfite Of thilke Elixer which men call Alconomy as is befalle To hem that whilome were wise But now it stant all otherwise Thei speken fast of thilke Stone But how to make it now wote none After the sooth Experience And nathles greate diligence Thei setten up thilke dede And spillen more then thei spede For alwey thei fynde a lette Which bringeth in povetee and Dette To hem that rich were to fore The Losse is had the Lucre is lore To gette a pound thei spenden five I not how such a Craft shall thrive In the manner as it is used It were better be refused Then for to worchen upon wene In thinge which stant not as thei wene But not for thy who that it knew The
befall Mankinde in health preserve they shall Reneweth Youth and keepeth it sound As trew by proofe the same is found And here I will teach you plaine How for to make their Mixtures pure In order faire without disdaine I will tell you no Dreame be sure Beleeve me while my life may dure Looke what with mouth to you I say My deedes shall prove it true alway Yett shall some Figure my Meeter hide Least the Arte with wings should fly awâ—y And soe as vile abroad to slide Whose sence or Truth cannot decay And without fraude I will display The matter plaine on every side And true likewise what soe betide Although ere this you have heard say That such as practice doth this Arte Their thrift in Ashes seeke alway And learne at length with heavy heart Not more but lesse to make their part Yet be not you dismayed therefore Ne feare nor shrinke for it the more But trust the words which I you tell For truly I doe flatly say I have both seene and known it well And wittnesse will the same alway This the Marrow called is I say A truer Text full well I wote In all this World finde shall you not Then as this writing of our Wine Whereof I bring you here a taste Whose heavenly Water pure and fine Doth all things worke withouten waste To your desire the bodyes fast It doth dissolve make light and open With other things not yett of spoken Against Nature yet is it not But naturall as may men trow Which being cleansed from his spott There Phoebus splendor shall forth shewe And cause it fragrantly to grow For how more fragrant it shal be Soe much of Valor more is hee For Phoebus nature doth surpasse And bodyes pure and eke the sky It doth beshine both Corne and Grasse The Sonn reneweth from on hye And causeth things to fructifie Doth mix and fix and natureth Drives plagues away and nourisheth Abandoneth draweth and clenseth the Aire Maketh dews sweete floods and humors dry Maketh softe hard sweete and fayre And purifieth Natures perfectly By his working incessantly It maketh all things to grow I say And chaseth Vgly things away In Laurell Tree it is full greene In Gold it lodgeth glistringly It decketh Stones with brightnes sheene The shinening bodyes are made thereby But if you will more certeinly Of Phoebus vertue have knowledging Then Saturns Chyld must yssue bring O Pastor meeke draw Water cleere From buds of Vynes out of a Glasse As red as blood as Gold it were Which will you give a Gummy Masse As pretious as ever was Thus without fraude made open is by wyse The Arte which you shall not dispise It multiplyeth and maketh also Gold Potable know this for trewe By it are things increased soe That health thereby you may renewe To learne those Secreats dayly sue Which formally prolong well may Your Life in joy from day to day For although many hate this Arte Yet it is precious over all Try and discerne within your hearte By all the Lessons misticall A Gift it is Coelestiall Which here is taught to you him by That prov'd it hath Assuredly This have I written for your sake Not in vaine stile but order plaine This little Booke of him you take Which frankly doth bestowe his paine To God committinge you againe And all that doth wish well to thee In any place wheresoever they bee If you unbroken long would keepe In perfect health your Vessel still Then for your Cannon looke you seeke Remembring him that hath good will By your assistance to fulfill And in such sort your Worke display As sound may to your lawd alway A SHORT WORKE That beareth the Name of the aforesaid Author Sir G. RIPLEY TAke Heavy Soft Cold and Drye Clense him and to Calx grind him subtily Dissolve him in Water of the Wood If thou can do any good Thereof take a Tincture And Earthy Calx good and pure Of this maist thou have with thy travaile Both Mercury Water and Oyle Out of the Ayre with Flames great Fire into the Earth doth Creepe In this Worke if thou wilt winn Take heed wherewith thou dost begin And in what manner thou dost work For loosing thy way in the darke And where with what and how thy matter shal end I tell and Councell thee as my Frend Make Water of Earth and Earth of Water Then art thou well onward in the matter For thou shalt find hid in the myre Both Earth Water Ayre and Fire I tell thee my Brother I will not flatter Of our Earth is made our Water The which is cleere white as Snow And makes our Earth Calcine and growe Blacknesse first to thee doth shew As by thy practise thou shalt know Dissolve and Calcine oft and oft With Congelation till the Body to whitnes be brought Make the Body fluxible and flowing With the Earth perfect and teyning Then after Ferment is once done Whither thou wilt with Sunne or Moone Dissolve him with the Water of life Ycalled Mercury withouten strife Put the Soule with the Body and Spirite Together in one that they may meete In his Dammes belly till he wax great With giving Drinke of his owne sweate For the Milke of a Cow to a Child my brother Is not so sweete as the Milke of his Mother This Child that is so marveilously wrought Unto his Heritage must be brought His livelyhood is so worthy a thing Of abilitye to spend with a King He that beareth all this in minde And understandeth these Parables all With Seperation he may finde Poore and Rich great and small With our Sulphur we make our Antimony White and Red And thereof we make our Mercury quick dead This is a Mettall that I speake of one of the seaven If thou be a Clerk read what I meane There is no Plannet of six neither great nor small But if he be put to them he will Calcine them all Unto red blood he must be brought Else of him thou gettest right nought Reach him then with the Wood Water Man and Woman Clothed under one hatter In and of them is conceived a Child Lovely of beauty meeke and mild Out of the Earth with dropps strong Nourish the Child in his Mothers wombe Till he be come to full age And then make thou a Mariage Betweene the Daughter and the Sonne And then thou hast the Mastery wonn The beginning of this Worke if thou wilt crave In holly Writ thou shalt it have Both in Masse Booke and in Psalter Yea wrighten before the Preest at the Alter And what is Antimony that thou shalt worke I have written to thee if thou be a Clerke Looke about before if thou canst finde Plainely written which maketh men blind Our Werke is bringing againe our Mercury And that Philosophers call Solucion And if thou loose not the uncleane body Thou werkest without discretion The Inbibition of Water is not the loosing But bringing the Body into water againe turning That is to say into
lyfe is Fyre Wheare hast thowe goe too Scolle to learne all this For that thou sayest is right true I wisse And I suppose it in thie thought That with iiii Spirits it must be wrought Nay your Spirits are too wilde quoth Marlin againe Therefore I will not medle with them certaine I will have a Spirit made by kinde naturally That will abide with every body kindly Such a Spirit could I macke quod Marlin And yet men would hold yt but in veyne And yet of all workes it is the best Lest of Cost and most surest For if it should faile then were we done all And therefore for the most parfitest worke we it call It is so rich when it is wrought Though all the world were turned to nought As mennye rich bodyes agayn make would he As ever were or ever should be Take Earth of Earth Earths Brother c. I have seene an old Coppy of the said work of Pearce the Black Monk to the end of which these following Verses were joyned NOW of this Matter derke and nothing clere An Exposicion I doe mack here Wherein I charge you secre to be That frend ne foe doe yt se Erth hyd within the bodies center is most fine Water of Wood Essell of Wine For by the moyster of the Grape This centrall Earth who can it take It and Sercion do our Maistry make For it shall become Mercuriall And after that Essentiall But now beware that you not faile For then you loose your greate travaile Whan you have drawne owte of the Gum All the Mercury that wyll come Understand that Lycowres three In that Mercury conteyned be The first is the Watur of lyfe Ardent By Bath departed that is most lent It burneth as Aquavite by live And is called our Mercury attractive Wherewith is made Earth Christalline Out of all Collours Metallyne I speke no more thereof as yet For in this worke we neede not it Then runneth a Water after thilke Litle in quantity white as mylke Whych ys sperme or nature of our Stone That is earnestly sought of many one For of Man Beste and every thynge Sperme is there begynyng Therefore we our Mercury do it call Whych ys found here and there and over all For wythout yt ys nothyng lyvyng Wherefore yt ys in every thyng As well in thyngs most preciouse As in thyngs most vyle and odious Of yt they have there first nature Thys moyster to you as now is clere Thys ys the Mercury that we call Vigetable Minerall and Animall Our Quicksilver and our lac Virginis Our Water permanent forsooth yt ys Wyth thys Water Mercuriall We wasch the fylth Originall Of our Erth tyll yt be whyte Lyke a Gumm that floweth lyte By dry fyre after that schale cume Oyle wherewyth we make red Gumm Wych ys our Tincture and our Sulfur vive The soule of Saturne the Golde of life Our Tincture and our airy Gould Wych before was never so plainely tould God graunt that I do no displeasure To hym in fulfillyng your desire Now Elements be divided every one Wyth thys Oyle make red your Stone Owre Gumms two then have schall ye Wythout the wych no Elixir may be They go the Body and the Spirits betwixt Wythowte the wych our Ston cannot be fixt And makyth of hym in a lytle space Two Elixirs by Gods Grace Whereby are trewly alterate All Metalline Bodies into a better state Wyth Sol and Luna equall to be To helpe us in our necessitie Now thanked be God most gracious Wych hath this Secret lent to us Hys grace therewyth to us he leave To our Soules helth us for to meve This following Fragment in some copies I have found placed at the end of the aforegoing Exposition of Pearce the Black Monke In others immediately before With Hic and with Hac c. and bearing this Tytle A CONCLUSION TAke Wynde and Water white and greene And thereof draw a lac Virgine Where some it call a water cleere The which water hath no Peere And then make your Fier stronger When the white fume doth appeare Chaunge your Receiver and continue longer And then shall you see come a Fire Red as blood and full of Yre Quod dicitur menstruum faetens sol philosophorum In quo fit nostra dissolutio congelatio Sublimatio attractio etiam fixatio Et Sulphuris nostri five foliati creatio WIth hic and with haec thus may ye do As Husband and Wife toogeather them wed Put them in a chamber both two And shet fast the dore when they be a bed The woman is both wanton and wilde With her husband she cannot rest Till she have conceived a Child Of all his kin he shall be best He is a Childe of the Elements Both by Father and by Mother None so worthy in presence Not perfect Sol his owne Brother Sol and Luna owe unto him obedience And all that him needes they to him bring Saturne doth to him obesance Howbeit he is next of his kinne There is neither Emperour or Kinge But of his presence they would be glad If he from them were one yeare wanting In their hearts they would be full sad In riches he exceedeth all other The Elements in him are so even Luna is his Sister and Sol is his Brother His Father dwelleth among the planets seaven Nulla virtus mineralibus where shall we him seeke Sit tibi principium principale Councell we must it keepe Reperitur ubique localis by way in every streete An other Conclusion FIrst Calcine and after Putrefie Dissolve distill sublime discend and fix With Aquavitae oftymes wash and dry And make a marriage of Body Soul the Spirit betwixt Which thus together naturally if ye cannot mix Then shall the Body utterly dye in the flix Bleeding and changing Collours as ye shall see In bus and nubi he shall uprise and descend First up to the Moone and after up to the Sun Onely shipped within a litle glasen Tunne When he commeth thether then is all the Maistry wonne About which Journey great goods ye shall not spend And ye shall be Glad that ever it was begun Patiently if ye list to your worke to attend Who so shall our Pearle and our Ruby make Our Principle let him not forsake For at the beginning if his Principle be trew And that he can by craft so him bake Trewly at the end his Worke shall him not rew The whole Scyence THere is a bodi of a Bodi And a Soule and a Spryte Wyth two Bodyes must be knete There ben two Erthys at I the telle And two Waters wyth hem do dwelle The ton ys Whyte the tother is Red To quick the Bodies that ben ded And oon Fyre in Nature y hydd And oon Ayre with hem that doth the dede And all hyt commeth out of onn kynde Marke thys well Man and beare yt yn mynde TAke Mercury from Mercury which is his wyfe For Mercury wife to Mercury maketh greate stryfe But
chiefe And we find that upon Salomon's Prayer to God for Wisdome he granted him a Heart as large as the Sea and therein lodged so greate knowledge of Humane things that he penetrated whatsoever the understanding of Man might comprehend and to manifest the inoffensivenesse of Naturall Magick never â—eckons it up in all his Retractations Though he throughly understood it and in his practise attempted the highest Experiments which had it been unlawfull certainly he would not have omitted Thus much for a Preparative And now that I may come closer to what Norton intends and bring Magick neerer to our purpose We must understand that the Order and Symmitry of the Universe is so setled by the Lawes of Creation that the lowest things the Subcelestiall or Elementary Region should be immediately subservient to the Midle the Midle or Calestiall to those above and these the Supercelestiall or Intelligible to the Supreame Rulers becke With this it is further to be knowne that these Superiours and Inferiours have an Analogicall likenesse and by a secret Bond have likewise a fast coherence between themselvs through insensible Mediamâ— freely combiening in Obedience to the same supreme Ruler and also to the benefit of Nature Insomuch that if we take the said Harmony in the Reverse we shall finde that things Supercelestiall may be drawne down by Celestiall and Supernaturall by Naturall For this is the Maxim of old Hermes Quod est superius est sicut id quod est inferius And upon this ground Wisemen conceive it no way Irrationall that it should be possible for us to ascend by the same degrees through cach world to the very Originall world it selfe the Maker of all things and first Cause But how to conjoyne â—he Inferiours with the vertue of the Superiours which is marrying Elmes to Viâ—es or how to call out of the hidden places into open light the dispersed and seminated Vertues i e. Virtutes in centro centri latentes is the work of the Magi or Hermetick Philosophers onely and depends upon the aforesaid Harmony For They know that the Production of things is Naturall but the bringing forth of the vertue is not Naturall because the things are Create but the Vertues Increate Hence it is that the Power and Vertue is not in Plants Stones Mineralls c. though we sensibly perceive the Effects from them but t is that Universall and All-pierâ—ing Spirit that One operative Vertue and immortall Seede of worldly things that God in the beginning infused into the Chaos which is every where Active and still flowes through the world in all kindes of things by Universall extension and manifests it selfe by the aforesaid Productions Which Spirit a true Artist knowes how-so to handle though its activity be aâ— it were dul'd and streightly bound up in the close Prison of Grosse and Earthie bodies as to take it from Corporiety freeâ— it from Captivity and let it loose that it may freely worke as it doth in the Aetheriall Bodies But the meanes whereby it is to be done which is the first Preparation all Philosophers have hitherto concealed For To Create Magnesia they made no care In their Bookes largely to declare But how to Order it after its Creation They left poore Men without Consolation And unlesse God please to reveâ—le it like the Iewish Fire it must be kept hidden and till he doth there is no bumane industry can forcibly wrest the knowledge thereof out of the Almighties bands Si te fata vocant aliter non Looke not then for it at the hand of Man for t is the Gift of God onely A singlular gift and grace of th' Almighty Nil dat quod non habet Man has it not that is he has it not to bestow where he will The Philosophers were y sworne eche one That they shulde discover it unto none Ne in no Boke it write in no manere For unto Christ it is solefe and deare That he wol â—â—t that it discovered be But where it liketh to his deite Man to inspire and eke for to defend Whan that him liketh lo this is his end In fine if any man be so blest as to discover and unvaile our Diana he shall finde and confesse that he was beholding to Naturall Magick for directions at the Beginning Midle and End and when it is wrought up to his highest degree of Perfection he shall see things not fit to be written for may I aver it with awfull Reverence Angelicall wisdome is to be obteyned by it Pag. 72. li. 25. Tasted our White Stone a parte UNlesse the Medicine be qualified as it ought t is death to east the least Attome of it because its Nature is so highly Vigorous and strong above that of Mans For if its least parts are able to strike so fiercely and throughly into the Body of a base and corrupt Mettall as to Tinge and Convert it into so high a degree as perfect Gold how lesse able is the Body of Man to resist such a force when its greatest strength is far inferiour to the weakest Mettall I doe believe and am confirm'd by severall Authors that many Philosophers having a desire to enjoy perfect Health have destroyed themselves by adventuring to take the Medicine inwardly ere they knew the true use thereof or how to qualifie it to be received by the Nature of Man without destruction Pa. 88. li. 15. The Red Stone is preservative Most precious thing to length my lyfe THis is the Stone which some builders up of life have refused when in truth it was the cheife Stone in the Corner It being produced from that undefiled vertue which is yet left with the Creature as a small remainder of the First Blessing and able to make a perfect union betweene the Body Soule and Spirit whilst our lively Fire that Medium between the Body and Spirit by receiving this Aetheriall Medicine consisting of heavenly vertues that consume the Impurities and Superfluities of the Body is delivered from all Impediments and the Body forced to agree with that incomparable Nature into which it is changing by so sweete and powerfull Compulsions and consequently life Prorogued As touching the Prolongation of life wee meete with some Presidents in Histories and they not Fables where by the Application of things inward or outward the Spirit hath beene renewed the Body strengthned the Vitall and Animall faculty quickned decrepid and withered Age renewed Life inlarged Besides these Relations we perceive Nature is so curtéous to some kind of Creatures as the Hart Eagle and Serpent that she affords them meanes to obteine the benefit of Renovation here Nature teaches them Naturall Magick for t is no other and why then may it not be granted to Man if sought after Nay the consideration of this Favourable Blessing afforded to Animalls has been the principall ground whence many Philosophers have addicted themselves to the search of this Mistery hoping that might not be denyed to Man upon his search which is
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