body For the Anima without its body cannot be held But such an Union must be made by mediation of the Spirit because the Anima cannot have life in the body nor perseverance in it but by the Spirit And such an Union and Conjunction is the end of the Work The Soul must be joyned with the First body whence it was and with no other which if thou dost not thou shalt faile of thy purpose as many Ignorants have done who knew not this Secret Margarita Novella Spirits are fugitive untill such Time as bodyes are joyned with them and help them to fight against the fire and yet those parts agree but little unless with good Operation and Continued labour because the nature of the rwordr Tendent Upwards where the Centre rr the Anima is And who is he of those that have tryed that was able to Conjoyne Two Things that are Diverse whose Centers too are Divers unless after the Conversion shall be transmuted into True Luna less or more according to the Spirituality of the stone And if thou would'st Work with thy Red Stone project it upon Luna Molten and thou shalt finde the purest Sol. Cast thy medicin upon thy Ferment then it is frangible as Glasle Take that frangible masse and cast it upon metals first clear'd and thou shalt have metal of proofe Ripleus Anglus This Secret thou must not be Ignorant of That our Red man and his wife do not Tinge till they are Tinged Evoaldus Would any man by the Physic Stone turn lead into Gold or Silver Then he must first mingle with it the Substance of Lead that both may become one Thing In the same way he must proceed with Tin and Copper Idem pagin 123. The Virtues of the Great Elixir or Astral medicin ECHO XII THIS Chymic-powder whether you call it the Philosophers stone or fulsile Salt Sulphur Elixit or potable Gold has in it a wonderfull power over the Three Divisions of nature the Animal Vegetal and Mineral Kinds Thus first on the Animal Every Animal brute or man it brings to Sanity from every disease within or without All defections from natural Symmetry are reduced by it to Temperament because there is in it a perfect Aequation of Elements separate from their dreggs and all Sulphureous Adustions On the Vegetal It acts wonderfully by Exciting their Genital power in their seasons or out of them to a most florid vegetation In the mineral Every Imperfect metallic body Lead Tin Copper common Argent vive it transformes to Silver or Gold better then the natural in every probat Pretious Stones too the Emerald the Carbuncle the Anthrax or Rubie Chrysoprase Adamant Chrysolite and many others are made by it Rob. Vallensis By long Inquisition Labour and certain Experience we have found one medicin by which that which is hard may be made soft and that which is soft may be made hard that which is fugitive be fixt that which is foul and dark be Illustrated with a wonderfull splendor Geber Arabs Wrincles of the face every litura or spot gray haires it takes away and keeps us in perpetual youth and cheerfulnesse Clangor The Crystallin Lamen cures the most Diseases the Red Elixir all makes a man grow young like the Eagle and has produced the lives of some to above five hundred years Geber Arteph the Jew when he wrote his book affirmes he had lived a thousand and five and twenty years Rogerius Bacho de Artis mirabili potestate By its Ethereal humid oleous fire it gives us youth by its Tincture it transforms the Imperfect to the perfect Mines makes various sorts of pretious stones with the most pretious malleable Glasse Charta Sacer dorum Et Chorus Omnium The way to attain to this Sacred Science ECHO XIII FEar God you that look after this Sacred Skill For that which you seek is not a small Thing but the Treasure of Treasures the Gift of God most Excellent and Admirable Bacaser in Synod Pythag. He that is Idle and Negligent in the Reading of books shall never be prompt in the preparation of Things for one book opens another one speech explicates another and that which in one is Incompleat in another is compleated And how can he that refuses the Theorie apply himselfe to the regular practice Arnaldus in Rosario Follow it with the Instance of labour but first exercise thyself in a diuturnity of Intense Imagination for so thou mayst find the compleat Elixit but without that never at all Idem lib. 2 Rosar Serious Study our Doctors say removes Ignorance and brings the human Intellect up to the knowledge of Every Thing Richardus Anglicus Think not to find out our profound sense by the sound of the letter for he that takes the sound of the words and has not the hidden sense too shall lose his Labour and his Cost Aurora If thou canst Resolve even the least of our Sayings the Greatest cannot be hid from thee Aurora Consurgens prolog All wisdome is from God and was always with him from eternity Whosoever therfore loves wisdome let him seek it and begge it from him for he is the Altitude and profundity of all Science the Treasure of all wisedome because from him in him and by him all things are and without his will nothing can be To whom be glory for evermore Albertus magnus de Alchymia It is impossible that This should beknown unless it be known from God or from a master Rosarium Philosoph pag 230 The Artist must be prudent and of a witt naturally subtile profound and excellent in the Ability to Judge He must be learned likwise that what his wit reaches not to that may be supplied by his learning For whosoever aspires to this Science and is not a philosopher is a fool He must be Industrious Laborious and of a Constant mind not precipitant but very patient For all hastiness saies our Geber is from the Devill He must be at his owne election and free not held by other businesses and cares He must have money enough for his practice and books enough for his study Theobald Hogheland And above all he must be jealous over the Secret and keep it severely to himselfe Idem Hogheland I adjure thee by the living God whosoever thou art that hast this book in thy hands that thou offer it not to any of the Unworthy such as are Fools Tyrants Opressors Covetous Proud persons Adulterers soft Amorato's or such whose belly is their God Place thy hope in the Lord God work in his feare to the good of man expecting the blessing from above Jodoc Grever initio Lib. Thou who hast this book hide it in thy bosome discover it to none offer it not to Impious hands for it fully containes in it the very Secretum Secretorum of the Philosophers Such a pretious Jewel as This is not to be cast before Swine Therefore thou that hast the book lay thy hand upon thy mouth that deservedly thou mayst be said to be
turning it on the Earth again till the Earth putrefie and be cleare again is the Summe of our magistery And when the Philosophers saw their Water diminished and their Earth increased they called it Ceration Then when all became Earth they called their Work Congelation and when White Calcination Monachus ex manuscripto vetustiss Dissolution begets blacknesse Reduction Whitenesse Fixion Citrinity Inceration Rednesse Blacknesse is the Earth Whitenesse the Water Citrinity the Ayre Rednesse the fire Anonymus Solution turnes the Stone into its Materia prima that is into Water Ablution into Ayre Conjunction into fire Fixion into Earth Spiritual and Tingent Scala Philosoph Putrefaction is made by a most Gentle fire hot and moyst and no other so that nothing Ascend Desponsation and Conception is made by a kind putridnesse in the Bottom of the vessell Rosarium pag. 198. Burn with Water wash with Fire Idem ibidem Labour not to make thy Mercury Diaphan that is into a cleare Transparent Water for so it is too highly Inflamed and Irrestrinctible and will never be fixt never congealed Aureola When we Dissolve without any Intervall we Calcine Sublime Seperate Compound and between Solution and Composition of the body and Spirit there intervenes no space of Time Alphid Arabs The Watering of Pegasus at his own Fountain and of his Other food out of the Ayre and Earth ECHO VI. WIth the Water of Paradise bedew the Earth now clarified and that Water will again Ascend to heaven and Descend againe to the Earth to make it fertil and bring forth White Citrine and Flamye Red flowers Isaac Flander Cibation is the Nutrition of our Materia Sicca with milk and meate both moderately given till it be brought to the third order Ripleus Aglus Our Great businesse is to make the Body a spirit and the Spirit a body But it is True That if the Summe of the volatil exceed and Subdue the Summe of the fixt it will finally be turned into a Spiritual body White or Red Rosarius Minor The Earth does not Germinate without frequent Irrigation nor receive Irrigation without Desiccation Therefore at every Turn after desiccation powre Water on it temperatly neither too much nor too litle If too much it will be a Sea of Conturbation If too little all is burnt to a light Cindar Daustricus pag. 25. Our divine Water the Spume of Silver mingled with Magnesia rids away the Darke Umbra of the body Democritus Apud Flamellum The Dragon born in Darknesse is fed with his owne Mercury submerged in it and then a little dealbated by it Keep a soft fire till there be patience betwen Water and Fire and till the Spirit and Body become one Monachus pag. 14. See that thou water it temperatly for if it abound it will be a Sea and if there want a Combustion will be made Desiderabile As in this work in its first Composition nothing that is extraneous to its Nature enters So neither does any thing Multiply it that is not of its first Disposition Trevisanus The Magistery of the Philosophers does not need a Commistion of any extraneous thing but out of the proper seed metallic cast into Philosophicall earth prepared it produces a Stone infinitely multiplicable if it be nourisht with its owne menstrnum or humor Connatural and be excited by the heat of the Philosophers Sun from its Potentia into Act. Theobaldus Hoghelandus Take the quantity know the weight of it and add to it as much of the humidity as it can drink of which humidity we have not the pondus determinate Calrd Aegyptius The Time of every Imbibition to its Exsiccation is Twenty or Thirty Natural dayes Clangor Buccinae IGNIS MAGORVM The Philosophers Fire ECHO VII OUr fire is Mineral Equall Continuall it vapors not unlesse excited too much it partakes of Sulphur it is taken from some other Thing than the Materia it breaks down all before it Dissolves Congeales and Calcines That Fire with a Fire Remisse perfects the whole work and makes all the right Sublimations Pontanus pag. 75. uti et in Epistola The Fire against Nature must torment the bodyes That is the Dragon burning violently like fire of hell Ripleus All along the fire must be gentle till the Water be congealed in Whitenesse A stronger heat given the Mercury flyes the fire by reason of its Frigiditie Therefore keep thy fire soft till thou hast a white Congelation Benedictus By a Temperate fire a little quantity of the Drie Desiccates ethe moyst and this by little and little and not suddainly And by how much the Stone has more of the Ablution so much the more Intense is the whitenesse Scotus de Bufone The fire of the first Degree that is of Solution and Putrefaction ought to be so weak that Nothing Ascend of the Nature to be Sublimed and so a gentle fire gives Mercury Ingresse into the body when with a strong one all is destroyed Saturninus pag. 71. The heat Dealbant must not be too much else all is gone But understand this of the first White after Nutrition Anonym Make thy Contritions with fire not with thy hands Argent vive is fierie and burns the bodyes more then fire whatever Metallic body is joyned to it it slayes it and brings it down to dust Synodus Pythagorica Although we alwayes speak of Slow-fire yet in earnest we think that in the Government of the work by little and little and at Turnes the fire to the End is to be Augmented Bacho Spec. Alchym cap. 4. There are onely Two fires found in the books of the Philosophers The one dry the other moyst The Dry is the Elemental The moyst is Mercury Alanus Niger As oft as occasion shall require heat and cool moysten and desiccate thy Earth and there is no Error So oft as thy vessels are broke thy matter must cool to be reposed in a like vessell and put again to the fire Greverius Sacerdos The Philosophers vessel The Cone or Oval The Colours of the Chao's Transienr and Critical ECHO VIII THE vessel must be Glasse and Round with a long Neck firmly Sealed on the Top and is to be Enclosed with another Vessel that the heat enter not the matter immediately and so the Digestion is in a Triple vessel Liber Trium Verborum pag. 49. Put thy Amalgam carefully into a Glasse-vessel of such a capacity that thy Earth that is sown and harrowed may take up only the Third part of it the other two left vacant Close up the orifice with the wisest Lute Jodoc Grever Set one halfe of the round of the Vessel into Ashes the other beare above that thou mayst look at pleasure upon the work Alanus The vessels are Glasse wide below terminating in an Acute like the figure called a Cone Vogelius Think not That the Philosophers lye when they say The whole Magistery is perfected in one only vessel when thou hearest them say so think presently of the Species of the vessel not
of the Individual and thou hast found the Truth Greverius We need but one Vessel one Furnace one Disposition which is to be understood After the preparation of the first Stone Flamellus in Democritum Our vessel is a Glasse firmely shut round bellied of a neck strict and long halfe a foot or thereabout This vessel is called an Egge a Sublimatory a Sphear a Sepulcher a Cucurbit c. Laurentius ventura Italus Put thy matter into a Glasse-vessel Round and strong the Orifice strait and sealed that it cannot expire the least fume Scotus de Bufone The Colours When the matter has stood for the space of forty dayes in a moderate heat there will begin to appear above a blacknesse like to pitch which is the Caput Corvi of the Philosophers and the wise men's Mercury Alanus Blacknesse once seen thou mayst be sure a True Conjunction of the principles is made Before the clear Splendent colour comes all the Colours in the world will appear and disappear then thou shalt see an admirable whitenesse that it will seem to thee the True whitenesse and yet it is not so Before the True whitenesse comes thou shalt see all about in the margin of the Glass as it were Oriental pearls in the matter of the Stone glittering like the Eyes of fishes and when thou seest the Matter white as Snow and shining like orientall gemms The white stone is then perfect Let it cool of Itself Isaacus Flander The Colours are only Three the others that come are called the middle Colours that vanish away But the Black White and Red are Eminent and lasting Scenes Trithemius When in the work blacknesse appears know that thou hast found the right way of working Then rejoyce for God has given thee a very Great and pretious Gift Phoenix pag. 71. In horâ Conjunctionis mirabilia maxima apparent Nam omnes Colores quotquot Excogrtari possunt c. In the hour of Conjunction wonderfull things present themselves apparent to us For all the Colours that can be Imagined appear in the work and the Imperfect body is colour'd with a firm Coloration by mediation of the Ferment Arnaldus in Flore Florum The Time to perfect the physick-work ECHO IX This work cannot be perfected in a little space of Time therefore the Artist must be patient Greverius The shortest Time of the preparation is the Circuit and Revolution of the Greater luminary For the Stone must be kept in the fire till it cannot any more be changed from one nature to another from one Colour to another but become like the Reddest blood running like wax in the fire and yet diminishing nothing at all Laurentius Ventura Italus We take a year for our Expectation for our Calx in lesse Time cannot be made Ripleus The Philosophers seeing a sort of whitenesse come after a long Time of the Colour of Ashes called it Incineration or Dealbation Idem cap 112. In purification there cannot be a determinated Time but in ninety dayes the Red work is completed Variation of Times happens from the quantity of the med'cin and according to the Industry of the Artist Monach. pag. 17. After the first fifty dayes the Caput Corvi shows it self from thence in an hundred and fifty the Dove is made and in another hundred and fifty the Red is wrought Till you come up to whitenesse use a Gentle fire Saturninus When it has stood under an Eclipse for five months and the Darknesse recedes the light supervening Encrease your fire Scala philos Ripleus etiam The Time for perfection of Elixir is at least one year Rosarius pag. 179. Be patient in extracting thy Tincture for haste is the first Error of Art and burns all Anonymus In forty dayes and nights after the True purification of the Stone the work to White is compleat because in the purification there cannot be a Set time but in ninety dayes and nights the work to the Red is perfected Rosarium Vetustum The first Decoction has no certain Time and indeed is somewhat Taedious yet waite upon it and Expect it with joy Many have perisht with haste and affected with Tediousnes given over all Phoenix Liber pretiosissimus The Fermentation of The Stone ECHO X. FErment is made after the Ortus or Birth of the Infant And Ferment is nothing but meat Disposed to a Convertibility into the Essence of the Infant that all may be made of one nature This fermentation Cibal ought to be de suâ propriâ naturâ of the Infant 's own nature and assimilated to it else there will be no Incorporation no conversion into Sulphur Lullius in Codrcrl Ferment must not be of this or that but of Sol or Luna only For we look for nothing but that the Stone be turned into his like and from them is the whole Temperament nor is it Ferment before the Bodyes be turned into their first matter Vogelius pag. 10. Infermentation see that the Summe of the volatil do not exceed the Summe of the fixt otherwise the Sponsal Ligament of the body would be put to flight But if a little of the Sulphur be cast upon much of the body so that it has the dominion over it it soon converts it into Dust the Colour whereof is as the Colour of the body one ounce of the Dust four of the Body Anonymus Incipiens Desiderabile Know that there is no Ferment but Sol Luna Arnaldus in Flore Florum Fermentation is the Animation of the Stone Clauger pag. 46. Of the nature of both and the mutation of their substance He that is able to turne the Soul to a Body and the Body to a Soul and mingle with it Subtile Spirits is able to Tinge every Body Calid Egyptius The Multiplication and Projection of the Tincture ECHO XI IT is impossible to multiply the central salt without Gold But the Sons of Art only know the True seed of Metalls Novum lumen Chymicum Multiplication is either Virtual Such as is made by Alteration by Dissolving and Congealing or Quantitative by Apposition of new Matter Scotus de Bufone The Quantitative is Nothing else but the Augmentation of the Tincture from one pondus ad infinitum So that the Worke is never again to be begunne and this Without the Diminution of its force Incertus Projection upon Metalls No Projection of the Red stone but upon Luna Isaac Flander If thou would'st make Projection upon Jupiter melt it in a Crucibrrr rrd put to one pound of Jupiter one orrce of pure Luna and melt them together then cast on it thy White Tincture and the Jupiter animation of the Stone Clang If Thou put to It but Little of Ferment thou shalt have but little Tincture Dastinus pag. 30. When the stone is liquefied by Decoction it must then be Coagulated But this Coagulation is made with Ferment or with its owne body which is the same thing When the Anima Candida is perfectly risen the Artist must joyn it the same moment with its
such a point of high Temper that all the admirable virtue of it was not to be found by the Wit of man That by which it past through even all metals without diminution of its force and made them perfect and yet to it self was still sufficient to Tinge more and more yet nor That by which it was apparently able to propagate humane bodyes Sound and Strong to the Tenth Generation To Antimony Sulphur is not unlike The mineral for both of Them are to be referr'd to the vitriolates of which Theo hrastus sayes thus That That is not In It we may attain by the help of the Other by It meaning the magnetick Spirit of the World which is the Philosophers True Magnesia And That sayes he will follow the Captain of Art that is Helias the Artist close But after what manner the Stone of Fire out of the Three Intrinsics of Antimony by intervention of Oyle of the vitriol of Mars and Venus ought to be prepared Basilius teaches not only in his Triumphal Chariot here and there but more collectedly and in an open method he seemes to have treated of it in the manuscript of his Manual practice After the Stone of Fire next he mentions the Philosophers Stone and gives it the highest place to wit in respect of the other Tinctures Universal but not of the Universal Most Universal as I shall show and prove anon But he affirms the Stone is made out of the Essence of Gold and Truly indeed but not as we shall heare without the Addition of the Salt of Nature both Simple and Compound whence Alchymia the name of the Art is pointed out Halchymia that is a fusion of Salt by the Ingenious Chrysippus Fannian The third is the Tincture of the Sun or of Gold The most Philosophical and follows immediately The Philosophers Stone This consists of Gold Alone or chiefly and That Philosophical described by me for which Cause it differs from the Stone Itselfe although there are various preparations of it For indeed the Great Stone is made out of the Essence and the very astral Tincture of Gold But this Tincture of the Sun instead of the fusile Salt of Nature is content with his own Salt and comes out of the three principles of Gold Philosophical resolved depurated and conjoyn'd as we shal tell you towards the End The fourth Tincture according to the Sentence of our Basil is the Tincture of Mars and Venus Conflate that is of the white and red Spirit of their vitriol which is the Mercury and Sulphur of both together with their fixt Salt out of which this Tincture is had although without the vulgar Sol wherewith it is to be Incorporated it cannot be perfected because with It it is first to be fixt as Basil witnesses in his book of Naturals and Supernaturals Ch. 2. pag. 28. in these very words Because sayes he he Tincture of the Sun is no where more abundantly found then in Mars and Venus as in male and female Their bodyes are destroyed and their Tingent Spirit is driven forth to Satiate open'd prepared Gold with Its own blood and by its proper meat and drink to make it fugitive and volatil Then anon This volatil Gold thus Satiate with Its own meat and its own drinke resumes its own blood and Dryes it up by Its own Internal Heat by the help of a vaporous fire whence ensues another victory which makes it fully fixt and highly perseverant so that now the Gold is med'cin more then fixt To the same Sense the same Author some pages after adds Although the Mars and Venus of this Art doe not stand in need of any vesture but are able to give it to the other five yet I dare constantly affirme and assert it that without Our Lyon that is without Gold reserate and prepar'd as aforesaid they can do just nothing at all because we doe not see and provide against the peremptory fixity of their Mercury and the malleability of their Salt to have gain from them unlesse the Lyon conquer them again in a great Scuffle and both be brought not onely to perfect Solution but final fixation as he taught afore But here we meet with a Great and notable Objection that bids us stand to answer it For Basil in the twenty ninth page of this Chapter does not only say plainly That the Tincture of Venus and Mars without Gold resolved as was said a little before can doe nothing but he also affirmes of the vulgar Gold whose Tincture is to be joyn'd with the Tincture of Mars and Venus That the Lord of all the planets namely Gold is not able to impart to his Subjects any thing of his own vesture because nature has given to it but only One rich Suit unlesse the Servant first do further enrich his Lord. And a little after he adds The King cannot communicate with his Servants any of his hereditary honour nor give them a lasting Court-gallantry of habit unlesse that first he do receive pensions and Tributes from his Subjects And now since This is so It may be askt and that indeed not without an eminent cause How it should be That the Tincture of Sol according to its Essential Difference can stand off from the Tincture of Venus and Mars or any other of the Tinctures namely if the vulgar Gold be not able to Tinge unlesse Itselfe be first Ting'd by the Spirit of Its Subjects Some to untie this knot have betaken Themselves to the minera of Gold as yet Green as also to the Marcasits and I deny not but They may doe very much because they are not destitute of Spirits And thence as they contend the Tincture of Sol and not from fused Gold is to be prepared and had Others look for the Tincture of Sol not out of Gold simply resolved but such as is first brought into his principles distinct and after certain Depurations made up againe by a handsome natural coalition For the Artists such as they are that do not add to the Mercury of Gold the Sulphur of Sol but Sol it selfe doe not properly belong to us here and therefore without contemning them we answer thus That the Silver and Gold that Nature has put into our hands upon her own Simple provision is not so much required to the Tinging of Sol as is Another more Sublime and much better Our Gold the Philosophers Gold in which there is the Tingent Spirit of which I shall presently discourse when first I have run over all the Tinctures of Basil The fifth Tincture Basil proposes in Jupiter and Saturn and that as extending to the Coagulation onely of Common mercury to Silver namely and to Gold to wit by their red and sweet Oyle by Art prolected from their Centers as he in more then one place intimates to those that can read And to this place also belongs the Doctrine that Paracelsus delivers in his book of Vexations concerning the composition of Saturn Luna and Mercury But here I
judgment of the learned For he sayes That the Astrum both of Sol and Mercury and the Mercury and Sulphur of the Philosophers proceed from One root at first indeed a white Spirit and That he plainly calls the Philosophers Mercury for afterwards there follows sayes he a red Spirit that is the Sulphur of the Philosophers and their oyle Incombustible from both the Tinctures of Venus and Mars meeting together in one womb To this purpose in his Chapter of Vitriol see more pag. 132. and how profoundly he playes the Philosopher the Analogically de Spiritu Albo ad Album ad Rubeum de Rubeo Of the white Spirit to the white and to the Red of the Red. It appeares therefore That the red minera of Paracelsus his Cinnabar and the red minera of Basilius his Mercury agree very neer and that the best minera of Gold with both may be understood not only of the common Mines which nature gives us but of others to wit of Antimony the minera of Mars and chiefly of the vitriol of Venus out of Mars But of these as the Greeks speake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the way to help us to understand Basilius speaking so variously of the Spirit of Mercury which is the manner of those Chymists that have tryed many Things and draw on one shoo upon many For there are Many wayes that aime particularly at One End not only by One but by many and indeed diverse Things Against which Doctrin many have their Opinations Therefore since our Basil reckons up to Us distinctly these Six Explicit Tinctures which we have discours'd so freely afore and yet in the 244 page of his Triumphal Chariot professes also openly That All the Six Stones of metallic Tinctures arise from One Seed and are All by One Initial mother in their first Generation So proseminated and bred that from The same mother the True Universal has its lineal profluence it is cleer as noon-day that besides and above the Solific Essence both of the vulgar and Our Philosophical Gold there is yet Another sort of Gold and That more Secret and hid from which the Universal Most Universal issues forth as the Seaventh and most perfect of All rising from its own proper root that is it s own Earth and Water and in That much exceeds the very Philosophers stone Itselfe because out of It alone both That Stone and the Other particular Tingents are form'd and flow primordially and more then that because from It all the other Things of all the world not onely in the Mineral but also in the Vegetal and Animal Kingdome derive their life hold it still and by the Crearor are so ordain'd to their Increment and multiplication But now what manner of thing this is and in what thing placed although it may in some sort be conjectured by what was said afore The Green Line casting it self every where and encompassing all yet we shall speak more of it below in its place All the question now after we have reckon'd up all the Tinctures with their Multiplicity and diversity in the Minerall Kingdome is to be transferred by us Ad Aurum Philosophorum Nostrum to Our Philosophers Gold What it should be viz. out of which the Tincture of Sol is chiefly to be prepared besides the Universal Most Universal and the other Tinctures named above We say therefore That this Gold of the Philosophers for of the others as of the Universal Most Universal we speak not now is Gold that is produced by the Philosophers out of the Metalls Inferior and of lesser value and not by separation alone but by the benefit of nature working by Art in an Actuall transmutation Therefore it is not vulgar Gold which by nature in her degree is onely simply perfect and therefore now lyes under rather an Expiration or declination of its Seed than that it should be vegetous and fruitfull to a progeneration of other Gold Concerning this thing the most Expecienced Minerallist and Metall-man Andreas Solea published by the famous Montanus is to be heard who in his Book of Minerals Metallic Chap. the 9th Of expiring Metall Septurie the second writes thus When Nature with the body of Metall is come as high as Gold then it descends again or moves down ward for want of Aliment by its hunger Again in the end of the Seventh Chapter Septurie the first Of the Ascent and Descent of Metalls after he has recounted how finely nature ascending Calcines the whole body of Luna which Calx is nothing else but the body of Sol he adds thus As for Descention thou mayst easily perceive and understand it by Ascension For this is the difference that in the Ascent it first acquires Tincture before a body but in the Descent sooner looses that Tincture And therefore Metalls that are Descendent are much more imperfect then those that are Ascendent Thus he Therefore showing where the Seed and Tincture is fruitfull or not fruitfull in the Metalls The Ascension sayes he and Descension of Metalls could not be made but that they all agree in their seed and are of a Consanguinity Item In their Ascent Silver and Gold have the same seed which in the Ascent transmutes Silver to Gold but in the Descent transferrs it into Copper Then concluding he sayes most openly The Seed must passe out of its owne body into another or else it cannot be fruitfull or fertill Thus farre Solea And whosoever will not give Credit to his various experience will believe no body at all The cause therefore appears why Tinctures are not made out of Common Gold unlesse that as Basil sayes be first exalted by the Spirit of Its Subjects For we must look for a more noble and more perfect Gold that is in its Ascent in which the Tingent Green Vegetant spirit and fruitfull Seed is which by Solea's intimation and pointing out is Gold produced from Inferior Metalls Why else sayes Count Trevisan should we take nine Months time to serve our turn to spend it he means upon the Exaltation of Common Gold by the Tincture of Venus as Basil teaches For we might take that body as nature has made it and laid it ready for our use Here you see that Gold simply given us by nature cannot of it self produce Tinctures but another sort of Gold Therefore he adds Our Gold is not the Gold of the Vulgar as all Philosophers say because the common Gold is dead but ours is impregnate with Spirit and is a hueing Gold Hence John Clopinel de Mehun in his answer to the Lamentation of Nature Gold sayes he is known to be the Treasure of all the Mines and yet it has neither matter nor form of so great power as to exceed its owne perfection For it has no greater power then to perfect it self let the Artist strive and do what he can To destroy it and to reduce It would be a foolish work since out of it no more virtue nor power can be had
us think but of One Thing one Disposition one Way The wisemen know this one thing and that it is one they have often proved Morienus Eremita Hrerosolymitanus In a multiplicity of things our art is not perfected For it is one stone one med'cin in which consists the whole magistery to which we add nothing extraneous nor take away any thing but only in our preparation that that is superfluous Idem Eremita White and Red proceed from The same Root without any other Kind intervenient For it dissolves and conjoyns It selfe makes it selfe Black and Citrine white and red espouses Itselfe conceives brings forth and does all to the perfect end Rhasis Arabs Et Idem Haly. If you Govern Our Brasse Our Venus with Our Water then you shall find all that is said otherwise you doe nothing Turba Philosoph There is noway for the Rectifying of Bodies intirely and compleately without our Tincture which is a Clean Seed and has upon it the blessing of multiplication from Heaven Aurora Our water Gilded with Solar Sulphur is the Secret of the Aegyptians Chaldeans Arabians Persians and Greeks Hallelujah per Anonymum The Number of the Components of the Magical Stone ECHO IV. OF Sol and Luna thou mayst make the perfect med'cin without Separation of the Elements without labour without fear without danger they need a long time but they are safe Isaacus Flander lib. 2. mineral The Ancients labour'd in the Almagamation of Sol Luna which is indeed the most perfect worke and the Care little Idem ibidem Mercury alone perfects the works in it we find all that we need to it we adde nothing extraneous Sol and Luna are not Extraneous to one another because they in the beginning of the work are reduced into their first Nature that is Mercury therefore from It they took their beginning Divus Thom Aquinas cap 3. Wherefore I counsell you my friends that you work not on any thing but Sol and Luna reducing them into their first matter that is Our Sulphur and Argent vive Lullii Codicillus Of Sol vulgar Luna vulgar both Solute there is a preparation of Mercury vulgar Of those Three without any other Species the Physic-Stone is generated and of no other can it be made by the Wit of Nature Incertus Incipiens Desidrrabile The difference betwixt the Solar and the Lunar Tincture is This The Solar contains Solar Sulphur The Lunar Lunar Sulphur Albertus Magnus The Stone is one Yet This one is not one in Number but in kind Scala Philosoph Rebis is the first part of the work Elixir the Second Tincture the Third and Medicin the fourth Therefore it appears That to Azoth Elixir is required because Elixir in this work precedes Azoth For from Elixir Azoth is extracted But Azoth is that which is extracted by our Mercury from the bodyes dissolved and That is counted the Maturer Desiderabile 169. Elixir is no other then the body resolved into Mercurial Water after which resolution Azoth is extracted out of it that is a Spirituous Animated Essence Idem In one Thing for speices and Two Individuals It consists and is perfected first to White then to Red finally by increasing the the fire Petrus Valentiae In the first Regimen set the Crude and pure Elements upon an Easie fire that they may be mingled and joyn'd together govern them so that they may be desiccate or dried and all be black from which blacknesse an Occult Whitnesse is drawn afterwards a Redness by decoction And when it is in the perfect White it is in Dust Impalpable Zininus p. 68. The Generation of Metalls and the Philosophers stone is to conjoyn proper principles videlicet Man with Woman Active with a Pssive Sulphur with Mercury that so Generation may ensue Corruption Argent Vive is the Recipient of the Form and Gold the very Philosophers Stone Saturninus pag 71. The whole work consists in Sol Luna and Mercury Tersim pagin 103. Gold and Silver are Metalls out of which the Golden and Silver Elixirs are made Tauladan Pag. 184. Tinge with Gold and Silver because Gold gives the Golden and Silver the Silver Nature and Colour Richardus Anglicus It is necessary that the Stone before it be made Elixir be extracted from the Nature of Two bodyes Monachus The fire ought to be very soft till the Spirit be separated from the Body ascending into black clouds above the body By a Spirit Crude a spirit Digested is Extracted from the body dissolved Idem pag. 167. Take the Stone Suspended upon the Sea his name is Victor with him slay the living and enliven the slain for in his power are Death and Life Incognitus qui incipit Exemplum Scientiae Our Mercury is drawn from the Calx of Metalls by putrefaction till the Compound put off one nature and put on another And so by such Operations is made the Mercury of the Philosophers Jacobus de Sancto Saturnino The Operations of Art in her Ministery and Attendance to Nature ECHO V. NAture begins all her Actions from Seperation Mortification is the first step to Separation and the only way to that End for as long as Bodies remain in their old Origin Separation without putrefaction or mortification cannot reach them Anonymus Adeptus Amalgama which is the first Work is made with one of Sol and four of Mercury And this beginning of the Work the Philosophers have called by many names Our Venus Our Gold The Earth of Magnesia The whole Compound Jodocus Greverius In the first Decoction when thou art blacking there will rise from the Earth a certain humidity of Argent vive like a Cloud and will stick to the upper part of thy vacant Oval by its sides which thou must let alone untoucht Idem Blacknesse like that of the blackest Coal is the Secret of True Dissolution Raym. Lullius in Claviculâ Turne thy clouds into raine to water thy Earth and make it fruitful This Reduction of clouds into raine is called by some Cauda Draconis The Dragons Taile and others say that new Mercury is to be added Idem Greverius pag. 22. The bodyes are first to be Subtiliated by Dissolution which is the first Degree of the Work And this Dissolution is nothing else but that bodyes be return'd into Mercury and Sulphur from whence they took their Original But no other body can be resolved into Mercury but a Metallic consisting of Mercury and Sulphur The Spirit of Metalls is part of Our Stone and That we must evacuate from the bodys of metalls namely from the two perfect by putrefaction division of Elements and their fixation Raym. Lullius When the matter Ascends by Wind that is by fume the Philosophers call it Sublimation when it is cast into the bottom of the vessel and Converted into Water they call it Solution or Distillation When the Earth is Inspissate they say it is Corruption and when it begins to change from black they call it Ablution Extraction of Water from the Earth and