this Science to search except he know the beginning of true nature and her government which being known he needeth not many things but one thing nor doth it require great charges because the Stone is one the Medicine one the Vessell one the Government one and the disposition one c. And let this suffice from your faithfull unknowne friend H. P. The Smaragdine Table of Hermes Trismegistus of Alchymy The words of the Secrets of Hermes which were written in a Smaragdine Table and found betweene his hands in an obscure Vault wherein his body lay buried IT is true without leasing certaine and most true that which is beneath is like that which is above and that which is above is like that which is beneath to worke the Miracles of one thing and as all things have proceeded from one by the mediation of one so all things have sprung from this one thing by adaptation His Father is the Sun his Mother is the Moone the Winde bore it in her belly the Earth is his Nurse the Father of all the Telesme of this world is heere his force and power is perfect if it be turned into Earth Thou shalt seperate the Earth from the Fire the thin from the thick and that gently with great discretion It ascendeth from Earth into Heaven and againe it descendeth into the Earth and receiveth the power of the Superiours and Inferiours So shalt thou have the Glory of the whole World all obscurity therefore shall fly away from thee This is the mighty power of all power for it shall overcome every subtle thing and pierce through every sollid thing so was the World created Heere shall be marvellous adaptations whereof this is the meane therefore am I called Hermes Trismegistus or the thrice great Interpreter having three parts of the Philosophy of the whole World that which I have spoken of the operation of the Sun is finished Here endeth the Table of Hermes A Treatise written by Alphonso King of Portugall concerning the Philosophers Stone FAme brought to my knowledge that in the Land of Aegypt there lived a Learned man that foretold things to come hee judged by the Stars and the motions of the Heavens those things which Time was to bring forth which were by him before understood A desire of knowledge carried my affection my pen my tongue with great humility I prostrated the height of my Majesty such power hath passion upon man With intreaty and my speciall Letters unto him I sent for him by my Messengers promising him with a sound affection great reward both in goods and money The wise man answered mee with much curtesie I know you are a great King and that neither presents nor the Law of silver nor gold nor any thing of great value but meerly out of affection I will serve you for I doe not seek that which is too much for mee and therfore I seeke not after yours but you I sent the best of my Ships which being arrived at the port of Alexandria the Doctor Astrologer came aboard and was brought to mee curteous with love for having knowne his great worth by understanding the motions of the Sphears I alwayes held him in that esteeme and love which is due to a Learned man The Stone which is called the Philosophers he could make he taught it mee and wee made it together And afterwards I made it alone by which meanes my Riches increased much and seeing that I was able to doe such a thing and that divers wayes which alwayes produced the same thing I will propound unto you the most easie and therefore the most excellent and principall I had a Library of Books of the Workes of Men of many Nations but I in this businesse did esteeme neither the Caldeans neither the Arabians though a diligent people nor the Aegyptians Assyrians but those of the East which inhabite the Indies and the Saracens did my worke and so well that they have honoured our Westerne parts The present time makes mee to know a sound and true judgement because thou shouldst give credit or beliefe to it doe not conceive that I have lied in any point That which I look after is not to bury in oblivion the great worth that was in him my Master but I will not give such an Empire to any man but to him that is Learned Now to unriddle this mystery and to propose truthes in ciphers though they are obscure yet by them you may learne and shall find they are no vaine things and if thou commest to understand this great Mystery have it not in thy ordinary conversation but leave it in the same cipher of this impression if thou understandest how to explaine it This Matter by wise men is called by divers names and this matter which to the unwise seemes to bee something to them is nothing and its nature being equally moist and dry that it will not give one without another which is a singular thing to have two such different natures meet together in one The drie is there in a supreame degree the moist likewise calls for a supream Authority the hot and cold fight there together and are contayned there likewise in a supreame degree and from that equality comes the name of each of these severally according to the quality and though the moist be joyned with the dry yet each of them retaines its owne name Our Hermes tells us that it is Heaven and Earth but others call it Man and Wife and out of their mariage they make other Riddles which serve for a light to the infirme Globe and from thence are called by some Water or Earth others the cold which is inclosed in heat so much the wise may understand The ancient Chaos according to my judgement was knit together by the fowre Elements This composition is the like when the division comes to bee made the Heaven and the Earth comes to bee a fift Essence of all for this matter is of that kinde that it composeth all things In this matter are found united the four Elements in equall parts so that if one walk or move the others doe the like for by one the others are conducted so much are they equall in their duties one to another and where can you hope to find a better thing amongst all Animals then that which is so much approved by all wise men Take the Learned Philosophers Mercury and let it bee purged from its malignancy and foule quality for it cannot be too cleane and see that the weight be equall with twelve ounces of the sayd composition and then put it into a glasse bottle for no mettall else is fit for it And the forme of the glasse must be of the forme of the Sphere with a long neck and no thicker then can bee grasped with a large hand and the length of the necke not above a span and no wider then the Aegyptian seale may cover its mouth This you must put into an earthen pot
FIVE TREATISES OF THE Philosophers Stone Two of Alphonso King of Portugall as it was written with his own hand and taken out of his Closset Translated out of the Portuguez into English One of John Sawtre a Monke translated into English Another written by Florianus Raudorff a German Philosopher and translated out of the same Language into English Also a Treatise of the names of the Philosophers Stone by William Gratacolle translated into English To which is added the Smaragdine Table By the Paines and Care of H. P. LONDON Printed by Thomas Harper and are to be sold by John Collins in Little Brittain near the Church door 1652. To the Right Honourable the Earle of Pembroke and Montgomery c. Right Honourable THough in these last ages Vice hath beene esteemed above Vertue and men have made it their businesse to advance their fortunes by wicked means yet if we looke backe to former ages and the time of Hermes Trismegistus who is said to be Moses and so called from his being hid amongst the Reeds in the waters and as he was called Hermes Trismegistus he stiles himselfe the thrice great Interpreter as having three parts of the Philosophy of the whole world as may appeare in his Smaragdine Table following out of which all moderne Philosophers grounded their discourses and bookes thus hee might stile himselfe being allowed familiarity with his Creator From him likewise we had our first Record for the Creation of the world and all things therein we shall finde and be satisfied in judgement that true honour proceeded and was at first derived from Vertue and what man yet ever lived who was accounted or esteemed so Virtuous Wise Good and Rich as those who had the true knowledge of Naturall Philosophy and her secret operations which from age to age for many ages was by word of mouth delivered by one to another wherby many Shepheards Heardsmen Husbandmen and others of like quality by Gods especiall favour became great Princes Governours and Rulers over the people upon Earth being thereby enabled to advance themselves to what Riches and treasure they pleased as will appeare by the ensuing Treatises without robbing or taxing the people of their Countries under their Government in any sort who also by their Physicall Medicine continued length of dayes youth and strength by which means those old men mentioned in the Old Testament with many other Philosophers were not only so long preserved from the Grave but also thereby wrought many miracles to the wonder of the world as well they might having the power and dispose of the greatest Treasure and highest Secret that ever Almighty God revealed to mortall man And being fully satisfied of your Honours most Noble and Ingenious inclination and love to the study of this most Divine and Mysterious Art which can proceed from no other then a right Noble and Vertuous disposition and by a Divine instinct Nor is a man of any other temper fit for the study or knowledge thereof And considering of a person of Honour fit for the presentation of these Treatises well weighing your Honours inclination vertuous Disposition and mature Judgement holding my selfe obliged to be serviceable to my power to all faithfull students in this most sacred Art have fixed upon your Honour as most worthy of the presentation not only of these my present endeavours but also of such others as I shall ere long produce concerning either this or any other subject not desiring Patronage as is usuall considering the Persons by whom these Treatises were first written but only Your Honours Noble acceptance of so meane a present from the hand of him that heartily wisheth Your Honour all felicity both corporall and spirituall temporall and perpetuall and in that wish I rest My Lord Your Honours most faithfull servant H. P. To the Reader HErmes the Father of Philosophers most plainly of any that ever writ discovered the matter of the Philosophers Stone but not the manner of compleatment thereof and as he saith he came to the knowledge thereof by the mercy and favour of the great Creator of Heaven and Earth without the direction instruction or information of any mortall man and writ thereof to posterity fearing damnation if he should not have done the same since which time many hundred Philosophers have written of the same Science which is the highest and greatest secret that ever Almighty God revealed to mortall man but so obscurely that it is impossible for any man to attain to this high and mysterious Art except he be Piously and Religiously inclined and resolved to live a serious and private life free from all other employment or businesse in the world and such a man without doubt by the mercy and favour of Almighty God and with the help of these following Authours with some others of the best of these latter times and the Hieroglyphicks now cutting and comming forth in Print by the Printer hereof living in Little-Brittaine London never heretofore published which make a full and clear demonstration to the sons of wisedome of the whole worke of the Philosophers Stone from the beginning to the ending and giveth a clearer light to the understanding of the Reader than all the books in the world so that by the help of these and such like Books with the Hieroglyphicks this Art doubtlesse may be attained unto with ten times more ease and lesse difficulty than otherwise These only I have given thee a taste of untill the others come forth which will speedily be effected And note this that scarce one of the ancient Philosophers ever writ fully of this noble Science but whatsoever one leaves out may be found in another if you read many of the best Authours I have been a Student in this Art many years and being satisfied of the truth thereof having studied many of the best Authours thought fit for the good and benefit of the faithfull Students of this Art to cause these to be published being by some of my best friends thereunto very much urged and because the Students of this Art should not be deceived by false Philosophers and worke as they do upon false matters as Salts Alomes Vitriols Mettals Minerals and the like let them consider the words of Geo Ripley an English Monke who saith yet the matter of this worke according to all the ancient Philosophers is one only thing containing in it selfe all necessaries to the accomplishing of its own perfection And Henricus Cornelius Agrippa in the second Book of his Occult Philosophy in the 4. Chap. saith there is one thing by God created the subject of all wonderfulnesse which is in earth and in heaven it is actually animall vegetable and minerall found every where known by few by none expressed in his proper name but covered in numbers figures and riddles without which neither Alchymy nor naturall Magick can attaine their perfect end And in the Rosary of the Philosophers it is written but I advise that no man intrude himself into
you passe the forty dayes and more yet still keepe the water in a glasse bottle Change it from the receiving glasse into another and put it upon hot ashes and then thou shalt have or draw out a lighter element in weight called Ayre which you must subtily put into a bottle and stop the mouth of it very close with Hermes his seale and its necke also be carefull that you let not forth the aire Put in or to the glasse another receiver after having strongly luted it and make such a fire as that by his great heat the pot may distill this Element keep with carefulnesse for it is the Element of Fire and then thankes be to God in this worke thou hast separated the foure Elements After the division of this Chaos thou must now thinke of joyning them together againe for if thou meanest to joyne and make that world which was disunited the only matter which is in the bottome of the glasse must bee retayned or kept and softned by grinding and then the composition put into a glasse Let this glasse bee round bodied and long neckt which glasse or bottle you must fortifie by luting and set it upon the coales that it may have the force of the fire in such a maner that it may rise ten degrees Titans Wife of the beloved Bed and in this maner it wil be converted into a hard substance In another like glasse put this with a quarter of its weight of the reserved water and then stop the mouth of it well and put it in a brasse furnace or vessell and put it upon hot ashes and keepe such a fire to it as the matter may become dry as it was before This being done and the congealing and drying being past as I have said do the like again with its fourth or quarter part of that Royall water The infusion must be reitterated and the fourth time ended of doing the same work know that thou hast satisfied the drougth or drouth or thirst that this substance had after that water Hast thou not seen the earth when it wants raine how barren it shews no fruit to be seen but all looks like a fallow ground and every thing like to perish But if the rain falls to refresh it it makes it fruitfull for generation or increase and every seed that is sown in its proper time brings forth its fruit And continuing disperseth its watery power into all plants and trees and makes the fruit appeare on every bough even so goes this matter preparing the Ayre which you kept in the bottle you must give drink to five severall times the tenth part of its quantity at a time so that in all it must have halfe its own weight and alwayes at every time be dryed up Then on a Copper plate in a flaming fire try this matter if it will consume in smoake for you must presume it to be of the nature of the Ganimedes to flie up to Heaven but if it flies not upwards then it is not yet well done but you must give it more water and trye again whether or no it hath his true spirit Cause it to drink a quarter part of its weight that first it was of which will be the tenth part of the Aire and as you did it before so do it again then prove it upon the Copper Plate to trye if it will evaporate and smoake then turne againe to what you did before Then put the matter in sublimation and when you shall see it all rise up that which riseth not but remaineth in the bottome give it drink again according as is aforesayd prove it again upon the plate and so continually trye it till it riseth and then you shall be sure that in the bottome will remain a black earth like a dead body in the glasse As the Ganimedes went up to Heaven so thou shalt see this matter exalted It shall be demanded from the God of the earth by Jove from whom it was stolen it having been left with Demogorgon and shall be restored and if thou sublimate it oftentimes grinding it untill it come at last to be firme it will all remain in the bottome of the glasse To this matter there wants ingression because there wants the fourth Element therefore make this operation in a fire neither great nor little but when thou puttest it in its inflammation take the pot and be sure that not one drop or tittle of any foule thing comes to it before thou seest infusion If then thou seest it become like wax that it will rope then thou hast a vast great Treasure that thy estate shall be advanced to more than the riches of Midas 100. parts of Mercury put on the fire and when it begins to fume away then temper it with one of this matter and presume thou hast brought it to the perfect medicine And if another time thou dost the same worke one part of this applyed to 100 will turn likewise to the second medicine and one part of this is a great reward being applied to 100 parts of Mercury hot or any other mettal being melted making it becom Gold most high and sublime For which the Lord be praised FINIS The Booke of John Sawtre a Monke concerning the Philosophers Stone ALL things consisting of Naturall bodies aswell perfect as unperfect in the beginning of Creation were compounded and made of foure natures and those foure natures bee the foure Elements viz. Fire Aire Water and Earth the which God omnipotent did congelate mingle and married together in his masse of Poyse for in these foure Elements is the Privity hid of Philosophers and when their natures be comming and reducted together into one then they bee made another thing whereupon it appeareth that all things universall and variable bee of the foure Elements ingendred naturally and changed together whereupon Rasis sayth Simple generation and naturall permutation is the operation of the Elements but it is necessary that Elements be of one kinde and not divers for otherwise they have not action and passion together for as Aristotle sayth There is no true generation but of such as be convenient and agreeing amongst themselves Therefore doe not search that thing of nature that is not of nature or things not according to their nature for the Elder tree doeth not bring forth Peares nor the Thorne tree Pomegranats for we doe never gather grapes of Thornes or figges of Thistles for they offer no things but such as are like themselves nor doe they bring forth other fruit then their owne Therefore it is necessary that our medicine bee taken chiefly of such things as it consisteth in but there bee many men busying themselves and medling greatly and diversly therein that now a daies goe about to get the same medicine of dry stones and divers kinds of salts as of Sal alkali Sal. gem vitriol Sal-armoniack and allome cicory tutty attramentum saffron burnt brasse vitrioll Romane verdegris sulphur auripigmentum arsnick and
be dissolved into water impalpable and that all the tincture do go forth into blackness which is a signe of solution Also Lucas sayth When thou seest blacknes inure to that water in all things then know that the body is liquefied for the Philosophers doe call this blacknes the first mariage for that the man is joyned to the woman and it is a signe of a perfect medicine and mixtion but all the tincture is not drawne forth all at once but it goeth forth by little and little every day untill that in a long time it be compleat and finished and that that is dissolved doth ever goe up to the topward although that which is remayning beneath bee the more whereupon Avicen sayth that which is spirituall doth ascend up into the Vessell and that which is thicke and grosse remayneth in the Vessell beneath but this blacknes is named by the Philosophers with many and sundry names as the fire the soule the clouds the crowes head oyle tincture rednesse or shadow Sol brasse blacklead black water sulphur and by many other names and that the blacknes doth conjoyne together the spirit to the body wherefore Rosarius sayth by the continuance of the fire in the Regiment to the number of forty dayes both shall be made a water permanent the blacknesse being covered which sayd blacknesse if it bee governed as it ought to be it doth not stay away above forty dayes of the colour of blacknesse Also Pythagoras sayth as long as the obscure blacknesse doth appeare the woman doth rule which is the first strength of our stone for unlesse that 〈◊〉 be black it cannot be white nor red Also Avicen in the Chapter of Humors saith heat in moistnesse doth first make blacknesse and his moistnesse endureth untill the superfluity thereof bee removed and then it becommeth white Also in our works first they be made blacke secondly white and thirdly by a greater intention and composition of fire it behoveth to be made yellow whereupon it is written in the Booke called Multifary in the sixth Chapter in the first detection which is called putrifaction when our Stone is made black that is to say black earth by the drawing forth of his moistnesse wherein the whitenesse is hid and when the same whitenesse is reversed upon his blacknesse and is fixed with his earth by easie rosting then is made the white in which whitenesse the rednesse is hid and when it is well sodden by augmentation of the fire the same earth is then turned into rednesse as after it shall be taught Now againe let us returne to our black Stone being strongly closed in his Vessell let it stand therefore continually in the moist fire untill that the white colour doe appeare like unto the manner of most white Salt and this colour according to the Philosophers is called Sal Armoniack without which nothing can be made or is profitable in our work And so the intensive whitenes appearing the perfect mariage copulation indissoluble of the Stone is made then is that of Hermes fully fulfilled saying That which is above is as that which is beneath is That which is above is to obtaine Miracles of one thing But Pithagoras saith when that you do see whitenes comming above then be you sure that rednesse is hid in that whitenesse but before that the white doe appeare many colours shall appeare Therefore Diademes saith seeth the man and vapour together untill that both of them be congelate into drynesse for unlesse that it be made dry divers colours will not appeare for it is ever black as long as moystnesse doth rule and then it sendeth forth divers colours for in divers manners and at divers times it will be moved from colour to colour untill it come to a firme whitenesse Also Zenon saith all kinde of colours will appeare in it untill the black humidity be dryed up but of such colours take you no great care for they be no true colours for it shall very often times be citrine and very often times rednesse will appeare and often times it will be dry and also liquid before whitenesse but the Spirit will never be fixed with the body but with white colour Astavus sayth betweene the blacknesse and the white there shall appeare all colours even as many as can be named or thought of from diversity of which colours divers men gave it divers names and almost innumerable names for some did it on purpose to conceale and obscure the Art and some did it of envie but in the Chapter of the appearing of divers colours in the medicine there is a definition of his blacknes for wheras the blacknes and the white be extreme colours and all other colours be meane colours therefore as often soever as any thing of the blacknes doth descend so often another colour and another doth appeare untill it be an extreame whitenesse But for descending and ascending Hermes saith it ascends from the Earth up to Heaven and descends againe from the Heaven to the Earth and receiveth the superiour strength and the inferiour strength And note that if there appeare between the black and the white any yellow colour care not for them for they do not continue nor are permanent but they are slippery and passing away for there can be no permanent nor perfect Red except that go before it Rosarius saith no man can come from the first to the third but by the second for it appeareth that the white is to be looked for in the second when that it is the compliment of all the worke for afterwards it will never be varied into any other true permanent colour but Red Now we have the white therefore now it behooveth thee to make Red for the white medicine and the red do not differ between themselves in any essence but onely in this poynt that the red medicine hath need of a greater subtiliation a longer digestion and a hotter fire in his Regiment And therefore forasmuch as the end of the operation of the white is the beginning of the operation of the Red and forasmuch as that which is the compliment of the one is the beginning of the other therefore unless that thou do first make white the medicine thou canst never make true red But now how it shall be made Red we will tell thee shortly First the medicine to the Red must be put into our moyst fire untill the white colour appeare as is aforesaid afterwards let the vessell be drawn out of the fire and put it in a pot of sifted ashes and warme water halfe full and set your vessell of glasse with the medicine in the ashes unto the midst and under the earthen pot make a dry temperate fire and continuall but the heat of this dry fire must be greater by double at the least than was the heat of the moyst fire and by the benefit of this fire the white medicine shall receive Red tincture truly thou canst not erre if thou wilt
be done and put the fire to it as you did formerly till it bee congealed also and proceed so long in it till all the matter be congealed And know that Philosophers for the generallity have concealed the Congelation in their books and none of them as far as we can finde have disclosed it only Larikalix who hath composed it into many Chapters and produced it in the German tongue without any alteration which he revealed unto me without any reservation or deceit CHAP. 29. Calcination HAving treated of Congealation and Fixation now we come to the Calcination We take the known matter and put it into an Urinall and set a head upon it luting it well set it in the Oven of ashes make a continued great fire for a sennight then that which is not fix riseth into the Alimbeck which wee call Hermes his bird and that which remaines in the bottome of the glasse is like ashes or sifted earth called the Philosophers Earth out of which they make their foundation and out of it they make their increase or augmentation through heat and moystness this earth is composed of foure Elements but are not contrary one to another for their contrariety is changed or reduced to an agreement unto an uniforme nature then we take the moyst part reserve it apart to a further use which afterward must be put to it as you shall heare We take this earth or ashes which is a very fixed thing and put it into a strong earthen pot unto which we lute its lid and set it in a calcining Oven that the fire may beat on it above and below and that fire we continue for three dayes so that the pot is alwayes red hot we make of a stone a white calx and the things which are of water and earth-nature are of fire's nature for every calx is of a fires nature which is hot and dry CHAP. 30. Subtiliation of the foure Elements into the fifth essence VVEE have spoken of Calcination in which we have brought things to the highest subtility namely to fire's nature now we must further subtiliate the foure Elements we take a little quantity of this Calx viz. if we have 100 pounds we keep no more than the fourth part the other we set into dissolution with a good deale of fresh mercury even as we had done formerly and so follow from Chapter to Chapter from time to time as formerly hath been proceeded in CHAP 31. Changing Fire into Water NOw my dearest that you may change the fix into a volatile thing that is Fire into Water know that that which was of sire's nature is now become the nature of water and that which was fix is now become volatile and being made very subtile then we take 1. p. of this water and put it to the reserved Calx and we adde as much of the water unto that it go over it two or three fingers breadth over the Calx then we put fire under for three dayes long thus it congealeth sooner than at first for Calx is hot and dry and sucks in the humidity greedily this Congelation must be continued till it be quite congealed afterward we calcine it as formerly being quite calcined it is called the quintessence because it is of a more subtile nature than Fire and because of the transmutation formerly made CHAP. 32. The Philosophers Examples ALL this being done then our medicine is finish'd and nothing but the ingression is wanting that the matter may have an ingresse into imperfect mettalls Plato and many other Philosophers begun this worke againe with dissolving subliming or subtiliating congealing calcining as at first and that medicine which we call a ferment transmutes Mercury into its nature in which it is dissolved and sublimed Philophers say our medicine transmutes infinitely imperfect mettals and say that he which attaineth once to the perfection of it hath no more need of it to make any more but they speake it mystically in their expressions CHAP. 33. How our medicine transmuteth mettalls into Sol and Luna KNowing that our medicine converteth imperfect mettalls into Sol and Luna according to the nature and forme of the matter out of which it is made therefore know that wee now at second time say that this our medicine is of that nature that it transmuteth converts divideth asunder like fire and is of a more subtile nature than fire for it is of a nature of the quintessences as we sayd before therefore it converts Mercury into its nature seeing our medicine is of a converting nature as our body converts Mercury into its nature which is an imperfect body or mettall and the grossenesse of mettall it turneth into ashes or powder therefore our medicine is of a dividing separating nature as you see fire doth not turn all the world into its nature but only that which is of its nature and the rest it turneth to ashes CHAP. 34. Reason why a Spirit is made of a Body VVEE shewed by reall reason how a body is turned into a spirit and againe a spirit is turned into a body viz. out of a fixed this is made a volatile and of a volatile a fixed thing the earth is turned to water and aire and the aire into fire and the fire to an earth the earth into a fire and the fire is turned to aire and the aire is turned into water and the water is become an earth Now the earth which was of fire's nature is brought to the nature of quintessence Thus we have spoken of all the wayes of transmuting perform'd through heat and moystnesse and have made out of dry a moyst thing and out of the moyst a dry one otherwise natures which are of severall motions and of severall mansions could not be brought to one uniforme thing if one should bee turned in the others nature CHAP. 35. Accomplishment of Philosophers sayings WEE having brought the matter to the abovesayd points then have we done and wrought according to the Philosophers sayings when they say in their Books Rising from the Earth into Heaven and comming downe from Heaven into the Earth to that sense to make the body which is of earth into a spirit which is a subtile thing in his nature and then to reduce the spirit into a body which is a grosse low thing changing one Element into another as earth into water water into ayre ayre into fire then fire is turned into water and water into fire and that into a more subtile nature and quintessence Having thus done then are you come to the glory of the world be dutifull to God remember the poore CHAP. 36. Ingression TAke quicke Sulphur melt it in an earthen vessell well glazed being melted powr it forth into a Lie made of Calx vive and willow ashes let all these boyle in a kettle gently an oyle swimmeth on the top which take and keepe having enough of it we mingle it with sand distill it through the Alimbeck so long till it become
and commonly of all men it may be bought for a small price it doth ascend by it selfe he waxeth black he descendeth and waxeth white increaseth and decreaseth by himselfe It is a matter which the earth bringeth forth and descends from heaven waxeth pale and red is born is dead riseth againe and after liveth for ever by many wayes it comes to his end but his proper decoction is upon a fire soft meane strong it is augmented untill they be sure it resteth quietly with red in the fire this is according to the vow of all good Philosophers called the Philosophers Stone read and read againe and every thing more cleare thou shalt never find and if hereby thou understandest not the matter thou shalt never otherwise know it or learne this Art Hermes saith the Dragon is not dead but with his Brother and his sister not by one but by both together note these things three heads and one body one nature and one Minerall and this is sufficient for them which have any aptnesse of understanding in this Science the Dragon is not mortified nor made fixed but with Sol and Luna and by none other as saith Hortulanus by mountaines in bodies in the plaine of Mercury and in these looke for it and this water is created and by concourse of these two is called water permanent of Philosophers Our sublimation is to seeth the bodies with golden water to dissolve to liquefie and to sublime them Our calcination is to putrifie and digest by foure days and to do no other wayes wherefore many be deceived in sublimation Thou mayest know that brasse which is the Philosophers Gold is their Gold and that is true but thou hast searched for greennesse thinking that brasse is a Leprous body which he hath for his greennesse wherefore I say unto thee that all that is perfect in brasse is that greennesse only that is in him because that that greennesse by our mastry is turned shortly into gold and of this thing we have experience and if thou wilt prove it we will give thee a rule Take therefore burnt brasse and perfectly rubified and breake and imboyle him with drinke seaven times as much as he is able to drinke in all the wayes of rubifying and roasting him againe afterward make him to discend and his greene colour will be made red as cleare graynes and thou mayst know that so much redness wil descend with him that it wil tinckt Argent vive in some part with the very colour of gold and all this we approved for it doth worke very great operations yet thou canst not prepare the Stone by any meanes with any drinke greene and moist which is seene to be borne in our Minerals O blessed greatnesse which doth ingender all things whereby thou mayst be informed that no vegetable or fruit in budding will appeare except there be a greene colour wherefore Philosophers call it their bud and likewise they call it the water of purifying or putrifaction and they say the truth heerin for with his water he is purified washed from his blackness and made white and afterwards he is so made red whereby thou mayst learne to know that no true tincture is made but of our brasse seeth him therefore with his soule till the spirit be joyned with his body and be made one and thou shalt have thy desire Wife men have spoken of this in many names but know thou right well that it is but one matter which doth sticke unto Argent vive and to bodies and thou shalt have the true signes yet left thou shouldest be deceived heereby thou mayst know what Argent vive is to stick unto Argent vive doth stick to the bodies which is false for they think that they do understand that Chapter of Gebar of Argent vive wherein he saith when in searching in other things he doth not find by our invention any matter to be more agreeable unto nature then Argent vive of the bodies for this place is to be understood of Argent vive Philosophicall for that Argent vive only sticketh and tarrieth in and with the bodies and the old Philosophers could find no other matter nor can those which be Philosophers now invent any other matter which will abide with the bodies but Argent vive of the Philosophers for common Argent vive doth not stick to the bodies but the bodies do stick to that Argent vive and this is certaine by experience for if the Argent vive common be joyned with any bodies the Argent vive abides in his proper nature or flies away and doth not turne the body into his proper nature and therefore he doth not cleave unto the bodies and for this cause many be deceived in working in common Argent vive for our Stone that is to say Argent vive accidentall which doth advance himselfe far above Gold and doth overcome it and he doth kill and he doth quicken for thou must know that Argent vive father of all marvellous things of this our mastery is congealed and is both spirit and body and this is that Argent vive which Gebar did speake of the consideration of a very matter which doth make perfect is the consideration of a chosen pure substance of Argent vive but chiefly out of whom the substance of Argent vive may be drawne out is to be inquired of and we making answer do say that in them in whom it is out of them it may be drawne therefore Sonne consider well and see from whence that substance is and take that and none other if thou desire to come to knowledge I say unto thee for love of Christ that by no other means we can it finde now the Philosophers never might finde any other matter that would continue in the fire but that only which is unctuous perfect and incombustible and that matter when it is prepared as it ought will turne all bodes Minerall which it toucheth rightly unto most perfect Sol compleat and above all bodies Lune Seeth first with wind and afterwards without winde untill thou hast drawne out of thy subject or matter the venome which is called the soule that is it which thou seekest called the everlasting aqua-vitae for alldiseases the whole mastery is in the vapor Avicen Let the body be put in a fire kindled for forty dayes by elementall heat then in that decoction of forty dayes the body will rejoyce with the soule and the soule will rejoyce with the body and spirit and the spirit will rejoyce with the body and soule and they are made immortall and perpetuall without separation FINIS