shall shew Collours there many a one And tourne as White as wil be the bone With the Water that he was in Wash him cleane from his sin And let him drinke a litle and a lite And that shall make him faire and white The which Whitnes is ever abiding Lo here is the very full finishing Of the White Stone and the Red Loe here is the true deed THE MISTERY OF ALCHYMISTS Composed by Sir Geo Ripley Chanon of Bridlington WHen ☉ in ♈ and Phoebus shines bright The Elements reviving the new Year springing The Son by his vertue gives Nature Light And moysture refresheth all things growing In the season of the Yeare when the Sun waxeth warme Freshly and fragrante the Flowers doe grow Of Natures subtill working we cannot discerne Nor yet by our Reason we can it not know In foure Elements is comprehended things Three Animalls Vegetabills Mineralls must be Of this is our Principle that we make our Stone Quality and Quantity is unknowne to many one Son Quality Father would I faine know Of what nature it is and what it hath in his kinde Father As Colours divers which on the ground do grow Keepe well this secret Son and marke it in thy minde Son Without Proportion Father how should I it know This working now is far from my minde Father Nature and kinde Son together do grow Quality by waight Son shalt thow never finde Son To seperate Elements Father I must needes know Either in Proportion which be more or less Father Out of our Principle foure Elements thou shalt draw Thou shalt neede nothing else that needefull is Our Principle in quality is so perfectly mixed By vertue of the Son and his quality So equaly Joyned so throughly fixed As nothing so well mixed may be Son This Principle Father is but one thing Good Father tel me where it doth grow Father In every place Son you shall him well finde By Tast and by Colour thou shalt him well know Fowles in the Ayer with it doe fly And Fishes doe swim there with in the Sea With Reason of Angels you may it diserne Both Man and Woman to governe With our fixed Body Son we must thus begin Of him make Mercury and Water cleare Man and Woman is them within Married together by vertue of our Fire The Woman in her working is full wild Be well aware she goe not out Till she have conceived and borne a Chylde Then all his Kin on him shall lout In their workes they be unstable The Elements they be so raw And in their Colour so variable As some tyme like the head of a Crow When he is black ye may well like Putrefaction must go beforne After Blacke he wil be White Then thanke ye God the Chyld is borne This Child is both King and Emperour Through his region both far and neere All the World doth him honour By the vertue he hath taken of the Fire His first Vesture is White and pure As any Christall shining cleere Of White tincture then be you sure By verture taken of our Fire His first Vesture that is so White Betokeneth his Virginity A similitude even thereto like And according to the Trinity Our Medicen is made of things Three Against which the Philosophers cannot say nay The Father the Son in one degree Corpus Spiritus Anima When Nature is with Nature thou mayst fruite finde By proportion more or lesse In practise hereof many men be blinde Because they understand not what Nature is His second Vesture as Gold is Red In his Vessell bright shining A Diadem set on his head Richer then any earthly thing His third Vesture is Purple pure Like Sun-beames he shineth bright and clere Of Red tincture then be you sure By the vertue he hath taken of our Fire My beloved Son I commande thee As thou wilt have my love and blessing That thou to God kneele on thy knee Unto him give laude and thankeing For theis guifts of grace geven unto thee To have trew knowledge of this worthy Scyence That many men seeke by land and sea And cannot finde it for any expence I shall shew thee my Son here a hid Secret Because thou art vertuous in thy living Of me else shouldst thou never it weet And for thou art wise in thy Councell keeping And therefore I charge thee on my blessing Not to shew it to any man living For it is the first Principle of our blessed Stone Through which our noble worke is releeved Note well that I shew now to thee my Son If Sulphur be absent our worke is deprived Our Sulphur my Son is Water and Fire Constraining the Body till it be dead Of hem thou hast never thy desire Till he be bloe as any Lead After all this he doth revive That in his Vessell before was dead I can no better in my reason contrive Then to figure him to the greate God head For as there dyed no more then One Howbeit that there be persons Three The Father the Son by might is one The holy Ghost make our full Trinity A similitude like unto our Stone In him ben things three which be concluded all in one Our Sulphur is likened to the holy Ghost For he is quick called the Spirit of Slyfe In his working of might he is most He raiseth our Body from death to lyfe Many my Son with him do rise The holy Gospell therein is expert The number my reason cannot contrive Multum quantum fructum adfert I liken our Sulphur to the Adamant Stone That Steele drawes to him naturally So doth our Sulphur the woman When she from her husband would flye Son I muse greatly Father and mervaile in minde Whereof this Stone is ingendered And also of what manner of kinde For I have traveled many a Country In vallies low and on hills high And spurred therefore of foes and freind Yet could I never that Sulphur see Nor in any place wat I where him to finde Father Son he is made of the Elements That God hath given both soule and lyfe From Mettall he may never be absent For he rules both man and wife Son Father I pray you for charity Where shall I this Sulphur finde For perfectly I know him not by quality Nor yet to fore know him by kinde Father In our Water Son keepe this in minde For there he will appeare as white as snow Son Gramarcy Father to me ye be full kinde For through your teaching full well I it know Now Father I pray you for charity The while it is in your minde To ken the red Sulphur that you will teach me And then I trust your Doctrine to finde Father White and Red Son be both one in kinde Now hast thou all thy desire Keepe well this secret and close it in thy minde His tincture and growing is by vertue of our Fire For in our Fire our Stone will grow And there his riches he doth encrease And so doth no Stone that I do
Brothers the wicked do eschew Let Flasehood and Flattery goe least thou it rue Devoutely serve God call daily for his grace Worship him in Spirit with heart contritâ— and pure In no wise let Sathan thy prayers deface Looke thou be stedfast in faith and trust most sure Lay up treasure in heaven which ever shall endure In all Adversity be gentle in thy heart Against thy Foe so shalt thou him convert Most heartily therefore O Lord to thee I call Beseeching thee to ayde me with thy heavenly grace Lovingly thy Spirit upon me downe let fall Overshaddowing me that I at no tyme trespas My Lord and my God grant me to purchase Full knowledge of thy Secrets with thy mercy to wine Intending thy truth this Practise I begin Listen thou my Son and thine Eares incline Delight have thou to learne this Practise sage and true Attend my saying and nore well this Discipline These Rules following do as it doth ensue This labour once begun thou must it continue Without tedious sluggardice and slothfull wearines So shalt thou thereby acquire to thee greate Riches In the name of God this Seacret to attaine Joyne thow in one Body with a perfect unity First the red Man and the white Woman these twaine One of the Mans substance and of the Womans three By Liquefaction joyned together must they be The which Conjunction is called Diptative That thus is made betweene Man and Wife Then after that they be one Body made With the sharpe teeth of a Dragon finely Bring them to Dust the next must be had The true proporcion of that Dust truly In a true Ballance weighing them equally With three tymes as much of the fiery Dragon Mixing altogether then hast thou well done Thy Substance thus together proportionate Put in a Bedd of Glasse with a bottome large and round There in due tyme to dye and be regenerate Into a new Nature three Natures into one bound Then be thou glad that ever thou it found For this is the Jewell shall stand thee most in stead The Crowne of Glory and Diadem of thy head When thou hast thus mixt thy Matter as is said Stop well the Glasse that the Dragon goe not out For he is so subtile that if he be overlayd With Fire unnaturall I put thee out of doubt For to escape he will search all about Therefore with gentle Fire looke that thou keepe it in So shalt thou of him the whole Maystery winne The whole Maystery hereof duly to fulfill Set thy Glasse and Matter upon thine Athenor Our Furnace called the Philosophers Dunghill With a temperate heate working evermore Night and day continually have Fuell in store Of Turfe of Sawdust or dry chopped segges That the heate be equipolent to the Hen upon her Eggs. Such heate continually loke thou doe not lack Forty dayes long for their perfect union In them is made For first it turnes to Black This Collour betokens the right Putrefaction This is the begining of perfect Conception Of your Infant into a new generation A most pretious Jewell for our Consolation Forty dayes more the Matter shall turne VVhite And cleere as Pearles which is a declaration Of voiding away of his Cloudes darke night This sheweth our Infants full organization Our White Elixir most cleere in his Creation From White into all Colours withouten faile Like to the Rainebow or the Peacocks Tayle So forth augment thy Fire continually Under thy Matter easily they must be fedd Till these Collours be gone use it wisely For soone after appeareth Yellow the messenger of the Redd When that is come then hast thou well sped And hast brought forth a Stone of price Which Raymund calls his Basiliske and Cocatrice Then 40 dayes to take his whole Fixation Let it stand in heate most temperate That in that tyme thou spare thy Fermentation To increase him withall that he be not violate Beware of Fire and Water for that will it suffocate Take one to a hundred of this Confection And upon crude Mercury make thou Projection One of thy Stone I meane upon an hundred fold After the first and second right Fermentation Of Mercury crude turneth it to fine Gold As fine as good and as naturall in ponderation The Stone is so vehement in his penetrations Fixt and Fusible as the Gold-smiths Souder is Worke as I have said and thou canst not doe amisse Now give thankes to the blessed Trinity For the benefit of this precious Stone That with his grace hath so much lightned thee Him for to know being three in one Hold up thy hands to his heavenly Throne To his Majesty let us sing Hosanna Altissimo Deo sit honor gloria The Conclusion OUr Magistery is Three Two and One The Animall Vegitable and Minerall Stone First I say in the name of the holy Trinity Looke that thou joyne in One Persons Three The Fixt the Variable and the Fugitive Tâ—ll they together tast Death and Live The first â—â— the Dâ—agon fell That shall the other twaine both slay and quell The Sun and Moone shall loose their light And in mourning Sables they shall them dight Threescore dayes long or neerâ— thereabouts Then shall Phoebus appeare first out With strange Collours in all the Firmament Then our Joy is coming and at hand present Then Orâ—ent Phoebus in his hemisphere To us full gloriously shall appeare Thus who can worke wisely Shall attains unto our Maâ—stery FINIS SIR EDWARD KELLE'S VVORKE ALL you that faine Philosophers would be And night and day in Geber's kitchin broyle Wasting the chipps of ancient Hermes Tree Weening to turne them to a pretious Oyle The more you worke the more you loose and spoile To you I say how learned soever you be Goe burne your Bookes and come and learne of me Although to my one Booke you have red tenn That 's not inough for I have heard it said The greatest Clarkes ar not the wisest men A Lion once a silly Mouse obeyd In my good will so hold your selves appaid And though I write not halfe so sweete as Tully Yet shall you finde I trace the stepps of Lully Yt doth you good to thinke how your desire And selfe-conceit doth warrantize vaine hope You spare no cost you want no coals for fier You know the vertues of the Elitrope You thinke your selves farr richer then the Pope What thinge hath being either high or low But their Materia prima you do know Elixir vitae and the precious Stone You know as well as how to make an Apple If'te come to the workinge then let you alone You know the coullers black brown bay and dapple Controwle you once then you begin to fraple Swearing and saying what a fellow is this Yet still you worke but ever worke amisse No no my friends it is not vauntinge words Nor mighty oaths that gaines that sacred skill It is obteined by grace and not by swords Nor by greate reading nor by long sitting still Nor fond conceipt nor working all by
so lax That all other kindes he tourne him to Then Ferment him with his like By joyning of true Decoction And feede him forth by litle and lite That both together be brought in one In Colour sight and Demeane That there be no division As thou hast wrought so will it prove Take heede how thou hast done In this worke of Conjunction Thou shalt se marvells greate Both going up and coming downe Of Colours springing by the heate For the soule that is so withheld Andthe spirit that is so bright I men it seene say they would Certaine it were a wondrous sight And all this is past That God and Kinde hath done his cure Of the Whyte Stone be not agast He will not flee but bide the Fyre Now farther if thou wilt Worke To have the ready way Take good heede and be not dull For I le tell thee the truth in fay Hold alwaies as thou did Before in the other Stone Thou cannot faile God be thy spede As Clerkes write every one For your Fyre will him dere So it be dry and lastingly Save other while the changing cheare Till he have sottill fasting and slye First I wot well change he woll Into Citrine and pure degree And after that Colour is full He shall never but be White ay After that Tawny and Colour de Pale He changeth often in such lay Till he be Red withouten faile As good Coroll or Rose in May. Then dread he nothing I wis Of this Worlds adversity An Emperour of conquest then he is The Philosophers sayne worthy to be And when thou hast thus done And thereof seene the privity Thanke God and Christ his only Son Together with our blessed Lady TAke of the eger bloud that is so Red And distill that by Lymbick till it be bright Therewith dissolve the Philosphers lead Filtering it till it be cleere in sight Evaporating it if ye do right And from the Medicine with strong Fier Dâ—still our Mercury most of myght Rede as blood and strong of Eyre And there you have your Stone I wysse Conteyning in them all that you neede The Erth thereof true Ferment is Of our purpose yf you will speede In other Bokes whatsoever you Reede From this Doctrine you never flitt But further with these Stones proceede Into foure Elements dividing it Ayre Water and Oyle well rectified The Earth by boyling make white as Whale bone Againe together them neately joyne And of them make a precious stone The matter goeth to the White alone This Aristotle tought Alexander his lore The Stone thus fixed make fugitive Againe with Aer reserved in Store And then againe make fix belyve Multiply it in one and more With Nature and Oyle reserved in store Both white and red as you did first This secret made me study full sore Many a night ere I it wyste For my Master from me it hidd Now is one point yet behind With this Stone that must be done Ingendering him of Water Ayr and Winde The Red on Sun the White on Moone Molten looke thow cast full soone And Multiply in them their Tincture And then take of the powder with a spoone And straine it on Mercury hott and pure And a marvelous Battell thow shalt se soone Betweene that and the said Mercury Either it will turne it Sun or Moone And then thou shalt the Mastery unfold And thus proceeding Multiply In every thing as I have tould And thus endeth our PHILOSOPHY THe World is in a Maze and wot you why Forsooth of late a great rich Man did dye And as he lay a dying in his Bed These words in secret to his Son he said My Son quoth he t is good for thee I dye For thou shalt much the better be thereby And when thou seest that lyfe hath me bereft Take what thou findst and where I have it left Thou dost not know nor what my riches be All which I will declare give Eare to me An Earth I had all Venome to expell And that I cast into a mighty Well A Water eke to clense what was amisse I threw into the Earth and there it is My Silver all into the Sea I cast My Gold into the Air and at the last Into the Fyre for feare it should be found I threw a Stone worth forty thousand pound Which Stone was given me by a mighty King Who bad me weare it in a fore-fold Ringe Quoth he this Stone is by that Ring found out If wisely thou canst turne this Ring about For every Hoope contrary is to other Yet all agree and of the Stone is Mother And now my Son I will declare a wonder That when I dye this Ring must breake assunder The King said so but then he said withall Although the Ring be broke in peeces small An easy Fire shall soone it close againe Who this can doe he neede not worke in vaine Tyll this my hidden Treasure be found out When I am dead my Spirit shall walke about Make him to bring your Fier from the Grave And stay with him till you my Riches have Theis Words a wordly man did chance to here Who daily watcht the Spirit but nere the neere And yet it meetes with him and every one Yet tells him not where is this hidden STONE A Dialogue betwixt the FATHER and the SONNE Concerning the two Principles of the BLESSED STONE Father MY Sonne if that Sulphur be absent away Our worke is reproved what ever they say And it is Water Fire as tru as your Creed Which constraineth a Body till it be dead Of him shalt thou never have your desire Till he be blew as Lead through his owne Fire I do liken our Sulphur to the Magnet Stone That still draweth to her Naturally So with our Sulphur the firey Woman Mercury When she would from her husband flye Son Father I pray you for Charity Where shall I this Sulphur finde For I never did him se with Eye Nor never knew him in his kinde Father In our Water my Sonne keepe it in your minde Where he will appeare so white as any snow Son Grammercy Father ye be full kinde For through your teaching full well I know Now teach me the Red stone when it is in minde How it is made by Natures Law Father The White and Red be both of one kinde Now hast thou my Son all thy desire Whose tincture by growing thou shalt it so finde Through vertue of the Sun and regiment of Fire His riches there he doth increase Farre passing all that I can name If they in Fire shall come in presse Gune is their glory but he the same For the vertues of the Planets seaven Shall have and also from the Pole of heven Since the VVorld began noe Gemme is found Equall him till in vertues all The Saphir nor the Diamond The Ruby rich behind shall fall So shall the Turkie and Carbuncle If they in fire togeather shall fight All One except shall loose their might The fire on
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
know That in the fire will put him in prease We liken him therefore unto the Sun That to all Elements giveth light Never sith the World was begun Was any but he of so much might Were he never of so high degree Saphir Diamond or Emarald Stone The Turcas or the rich Ruby Of all vertuous Stones set ower alone The greatest Carbuncle that is full of light May not with our Stone Compaire For if they in the Fire should fight The Carbuncle of vertue should be full bare To destroy our Stone Son that will not be The Elements in him be so equall He is an Oyle incumbustible And of all things most imperiall Son In which Elements Father is our Sulphur in Is he in all or in any one Father In all Son he needes must be For Seperation of Elements make we none Sulphur in Elements Son we may not see By Nature in them he is so privily mixed In Elements he is a quality Our Stone will never else be perfectly fixed Quality Son growes also in fire Betwixt the White Stone and the Redd For many Colours there will appere While the tyme the Woman be dead Son Father must the Woman needes be dead Father Our Stone else my Son will never be Redd For whereas a Woman is in presence There is much moysture and accidence Wetnes and humours in her be The which would drown'd our Quality Perceive well Son by Noahs flood To much moysture was never good Like as quality is hid in quantity So must our Erth in Waters be The riches in him thou shalt finde After alteration of kinde His Oyle in him is congelate This makes our Body liquefact Sulphur and Oyle all of one kinde Which makes our Stone rich and couloring I cannot tell thee Son a richer thing Then he is in the Fire during The Fire to him may do no wrong Sulphur of Nature makes him so strong Son How to make our Stone Father I would faine know Father In soft heates my Son Elements will meete Hast not to fast whilst they be rawe In the Vessell Son the better thou shalt him keepe Rule well the Fire and and beware of the Lawe Shut well the Vessell for going forth of the Spirit Soe shall you all things the better keepe For how to get him againe it is strange to know It is hard for some men to make Elements meere Keepe well this Secret Son and God daily praise Put into thy Vessell Water cleare And set it in Fire full forty dayes And then in the Vessell blacknes will appeare When that he is black he will change tyte Many Colers in him then will appeare From coulour to colour till it be white Then it is tyme Son to change the Fire And melt the heat to your desire And if you will have him White still Then must you your Medicine apply A dry Fire put him till And a moyst Fire naturally Till he be made fixed For to take Mercury before his flight As he is by nature privily mixed Of fusion then he shal be light And if you to his proportion take Fine Luna then will he make So micle of piercing will he be Both fluxible with penetrabilitie And Son if thou wilt have thy Medicine Red In a dry Fire thou shalt him keepe Ever still in one steed That never your Vessell come to wet Son So hard so heavy and so peircing Father this a wonderous thing So hot so moyst so light so wet This greate Secret Father will I keepe So white so red so profitable Of all Stones most incomparable Father He may do more then any King He is so rich Son in his working Gould and Silver men would faine have Poore and rich for it do crave They that of it have most aboundance Of the people have most obaisance To serve them both day and night And in the feeld will for it fight Therefore Son upon my blessing Keepe secretly this precious cunning Of thy Councell make neither King nor Knight If they knew they would set it light For when they have what they will God's curse wil come they say the untill For had I wist and had I wend That commeth evermore behinde Our Mercury my Son is white and thin In our Vessell shining bright and cleere Our Sulphur is in him within Burning him more then our dry Fire He fixes him more in one yeare By his naturall working I understand Then doth the Sonne by his dry Fire In yeares a long thousand In short space we may have done When our Medicine thou wilt assay Thou maist make both Sol and Lune In lesse space then in one day Son Father is it Water in the well springing Or is it Water in the river running Other Water Father can I not finde Father Noe Son it is of another kinde Howbeit it is Water cleere Our Sulphur in him is soe cleving He may not be departed by any fire I tell thee the throath in this thing Son By no fire Father how may that be Father Fire he is ever brenning Our Sulphur is made of the Sun and such humidity That in the Fire he is ever during Son The tyme of our working would I know In what space might be made our Stone By Corne and by Frut Son thou maist it welknow Once in a yeare it is afore thee done The Sun in the Zodiack about doth gonne Through the twelve Signes once in a yeare Soe long it is eâ—e we can make our Stone Father Haste not to fast but rule well thy Fire The vertue of our Stone few men can tell The Elements in him be so mighty Aboundance of treasure in him do dwell For in riches all Stones exceeds he FINIS The Preface prefixt to Sir Geo Ripley's MEDVLLA Which he wrote Ann. Dom. 1476. and Dedicated to Geo Nevell then Arch-Bishop of Yorke RIGHT noble Lord and Prelate Deere Vouchfafe of me these Verses take Which I present unto you heere That mencion of the Stone doth make Of wise men meetered for your sake For which of you thus much I crave Your gentle favour for to have This Stone divine of which I write Is knowne as One and it is Three Which though it have his force and might Of Triple nature for to be Yet doe they Mettalls judge and try And called is of Wise men all The mighty Stone that Conquer shall Disdaine you not nor yet refuse To learne the vertues of them now By which you may if you them use Your selfe preserve and eke know howe Old age to hide and Youth out shewe And Brasse by them transmuted is And eger Bodyes clensed I wis Fined also and made full pure And Aurified be at the last The first of these I you assure Right hurtfull is for Man to tast For Life it will resolve and wast Of Corrosives made corrupting all And named is the Minerall But Animall the second is The third forsooth the Vegitable To cure all things their vertue is In every cause what soe
seeke to make amense Who went away three weekes then brought a Stone That in projection yeelded ten for one This did he lay downe att Apollo's feete And said by cureing one th' hast saved three Which three in this one present joyntly meete Offring themselves which are thine owne to thee Be our Physitian and as we growe old Wee 'le bring enough to make new worlds of Gold With that this Hermite tooke me by the hand And ledd me to his Cell Loe here quoth he Could'st thou but stay and truly understand What thou now seest thou knowst this Mystery I stayd I saw I tryde and understood A Heav'n on Eaâ—th an everlasting good A DISCRIPTION of the STONE THough Daphne fly from Phoebus bright Yet shall they both be one And if you understand this right You have our hidden Stone For Daphne she is faire and white But Volatile is she Phoebus a fixed God of might And red as blood is he Daphne is a Water Nymph And hath of Moysture store Which Phoebus doth consume with heate And dryes her very sore They being dryed into one Of christall flood must drinke Till they be brought to a white Stone Which wash with Virgins milke So longe untill they flow as wax And no fume you can see Then have you all you neede to aske Praise God and thankfull be The standing of the Glasse for the tyme of the Putrifaction Congelation of the MEDICINE THe Glasse with the Medicine must stand in the fyre desire Forty dayes till it be Blacke in sight Forty dayes in the Blacknesse to stand he will And then forty dayes more till itt be White And thirty in the drying if thou list to doe right And then is the Sulphur perfectly Calcinate To drinke up his moysture for him being preparate In this tyme the Glasse neither open nor shutt But still let him stand all the aforesaid dayes Not once from the Furnace that ye take him upp For by Cooling the Matter the Medicine decayes Therefore you must Fire continue alwayes In one measure and temperatenes of heate Untill all be White and the Sulphur compleate This heate sufficeth for this principle one Which is the cheife ground of our Secretts all Without which Knowledg thou must not make the Stone If thou labour thy lyfe tyme not prosper thou shall Therefore merry beware thou doe not fall But first truly learne before thou beginne And so to true workeing thou shalt the better wynne Follow this Booke and wander not aside Out of the way to the left hand nor the right But streight betweene both directly you guide Thy Worke soe as I to thee doe write For in this Booke I will thee plainely excite How thou shalt make the Philosophers Lead That is Elixir to the White and the Redd And then the Golden Oyle called Aurum potabile A Medicine most mervelous to preserve Mans health And of Transmutation the greatest that can bee For in the same Oyle is nothing but wealth Then glorious he is in the power of himselfe For noe sicknesse can stand where he is in place Nor povertie dwell in the pleasures of his Face Aenigma Philosophicum THere is no light but what lives in the Sunne There is no Sunne but which is twice begott Nature and Arte the Parents first begonne By Nature 't was but Nature perfects not Arte then what Nature left in hand doth take And out of One a Twofold worke doth make A Twofold worke doth make but such a worke As doth admitt Division none at all See here wherein the Secret most doth lurke Unlesse it be a Mathematicall It must be Two yet make it One and One And you do take the way to make it None Lo here the Primar Secret of this Arte Contemne it not but understand it right Who faileth to attaine this formost part Shall never know Artes force nor Natures might Nor yet have power of One and One so mixt To make by One fixt One unfixid fixt D. D. W. Bedman FRAGMENTS COPPIED From THOMAS CHARNOCK 'S owne hand writing WHen an hundreth fourscore had run their Then sone after in short time space race Blacknes began to shew his Face in fyght But when a C. and L. had overcumde hym He made him wash his Face white bright Which unto me was a joyfull syght Yet xx at last came in with greate bost And made both Black and White to fly the Cost Written by T. Charnock at the end of Scotus de Bufone HEre in Gods name take thy rest Quietly in thy warme nest For so Charnocke thinks it best Tyll the Sune hathe runne West Seaven tymes 600. and 16. just Then this Chyld awake thou must RIPLYE'S Cantalena ABowte 653. I dare be bold This Chyld shall put on a Crowne of Gold Or at 656. at the moste This Chyld shall rule the roste OTher Fragments scattered in the wast places of an Old Manuscript written with T. Charnock's own Hand WE worke this Worke of wonder By Wayght Measure and Number Quoth THOMAS CHARNOCK WHen he is full Black then take some payne To wash him 7. tymes in the water of Jourdayne CHARNOCK FRo the tyme that he be Black and Ded Wash him 7 tymes or he be perfect Red. ANd when he is full Black then take some payne To wash hym 7. tymes in the water of Jourdayne ANd when you see hym perfect Redd Then take a stone and knock him on the hedd Id est ANd when this Woman is brought a bed Take the Chyld and knock hym on the hedd CHARNOCKE 1573. PErfect Whyte will not be accomplished Untill it hath byne twelve tymes circulated Id est Six tymes Black and vi tymes Whyte BEtwixt true Black and true Whyte Wyll appeare many Collers to syght T.C. BEtwixt Purgatory and Paradyse The Raigne-bows Collers will arise T.C. BEtwixt Black and Whyte sartayne The Pekokes fethers wyll appeare plaine T.C. LOoke you conceive my words aright And marke well this which I have sede For Black is Ferment unto the Whyte And Whyte shal be Ferment unto the Rede Which I never saw till I had whyte heres upon my head T. C. 1574. The 50 yeare of my age In some Coppies I have found these Verses placed before Pearce the Black Monk upon the ELIXIR MAN and Woman God hath wrought And full mykle fruite forth they brought So multiplyeth the workes of our heaven King And yet come they but of one thing Now quod Marlin what may that be The slithe of the Yearth so say we Yearth it was some Men would say nay And yet was it nether cleane yearth sand ne clay But the feces of yearth it was of Colour grey Which then turned to yearth as it on yearth lay The Water turned to blude to make man stronge The Ayre and Fire was medled theare amonge How be Ayre and Fire quod Marlin Through the workes of our Lord quod Martin For the brightnes of the holy Ghost is the Aire And the lightnes that gafe
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