parte of Medicine quickly Then will it be brought to such a passe That all will be as brittle a glasse Take the brittle substance as it is And upon an 100. to take doe not misse That 100. uppon 1000. soe still increase you may And project noe more when your Tincture doth decay This projection is sure without any doubt Thus is our Wheele turned round about In what Vessell to project I need not to tell For a Maister of his Arte knoweth it very well To project on Mettalls nowe you knowe And to project on mans body nowe will I shewe First the Body must be purged well And by swetting and bathing be made suttell And when you are cleane according to your minde Take a dragme of your Medicine with the Quintessence of Wine Such a suddeine alteration itt will showe As you need not to feare Corruption noe moe Nowe of his Vertues I need not to declare They are fully shewne by others elce-where Now to the holy Trinitie I thee commend Thankeing him my Worke is at an end Chargeing thee this Secret from bad men to keepe Though with greate Importance of thee they itt seeke And beware itt goe not from thy hand Except to a perfect honest man By Bookes the true Worke I could never finde Therefore left I this Booke behinde That to whose share soever itt might fall By itt they might know our Secretts all God grant noe Multiplyer meete with my Booke Nor noe sinister Clerkes thereon to looke Then will they pay their debts surely And build Churches and Steeples very hye Keepe itt from these folkes I thee pray As thou wilt answere before God att last day For whatsoever hath bin said to our worke doth accord Therefore give honour prayse and thankes to our Lord Holy and Reverend be his Name Which to me vile Synner hath revealed the same THE HERMET'S TALE IN Pilgrimage one onely thing I found Of worth in Lemnes nere to Vulcan's shopp A Christall founteine running under ground Between a Vally and a Mounteines topp Pleas'd with this sight I bid a Hermite tell The story of the place who there did dwell Within this Vale a hallowe dusky Cave There is quoth he of greate Antiquity Where plumes of Mars blew greene and red you have Torne from his crest for his Iniquity The Troope of Smiths as he for Venus lay Surpris'd and tooke him yett he gett away For as the Cyclops him in tryumph brought To halting Vulcan to receive his doome They lifted up his beaver and found nought But vacant place and Armour in the roome Of th'armour then they thought they had good prize But working it they found itt scyndarize The Smiths amaz'd finding themselves deluded Satt all in Counsaile in their Masters Denne Deliberating well at length concluded There is no equall War twixt Godds and men Lett 's finde the Angry God and pardon crave Lett 's give him Venus our poore selves to save They sought in Heaven Mars knew his fact so bad He came out there then one began to tell Saturne turn'd from his Throne a Place had Not far from thence hard by this Christall Well Thither they wen and found two Gods alone Sitting within a darke but glittering throne Downe fell old Vulcan on his crooked knee And said forgive O mighty God of Warr My servants and my selfe once God as yee Then use thy will with Venus my faire starr Saturne quoth Mars and I must not yet part Though shee for whom th' art pard'ned hath my heart With this the Cuckold with his sweaty Troope Went to his Forge and seem'd to make a legg Att every steppe where halting made him stoope In thankes to Mars granting what he did begg In whose remembrance you shall ever have Syndars and fetters in that hollow Cave But lett me tell you all that then befell Iove seeing this meaning the Smith to right Sent downe a winged God he trusted well Disguis'd in habitt of a shineing light Which to the Vally from the Hill's high topp Affrighted all the smiths in Vulcans shopp A voyce was heard from Ioves Embassadour To summon Mars t' appeare before the Gods With Saturne forth came Venus Paramour Thinkeing with might to gett of right the odds Downward came he 9. myles they upward fower All mett in mist he fledd they nere went lower Vulcan came hobling up to se what 's done He findes nor light nor Gods but other shape To witnesse of this fact he calls the Sonne Who streght cryes Murther and made hast to scape Some dyeing Soule groan'd forth Apollo stay Helpe wise Apollo ere thou goest away With this Apollo lookeing round about Espies this fountaine knowes the voice was here And boweing downe to finde the party out Himselfe unto himselfe doth streyght appeare There gaz'd he till a sturdy showre of rayne Tooke wise Apollo from himselfe againe Farewell Apollo then Apollo sayd To morrow when this storme is fully past I le turne and bring some comfortable ayd By which I le free thee ere the latter cast Then did itt cry as if the voyce were spent Come sweete Apollo soe itt downwards went Vulcan went to his Forge the Sonne to bed But both were up betimes to meete againe Next morne after the storme a pale soule dead Was found att bottome of this faire Fountaine Smith said Apollo helpe to lade this spring That I may raise to life yonder dead thing Then Vulcan held Apollo by the heele While he lades out the Waters of the Well Boweing and straining made Apollo feele Blood from his nose that in the fountaine fell Vulcan quoth he this Accident of blood Is that or nought must doe this Creature good He spake the word and Vulcan sawe itt done Looke Sol said he I see itt changeth hue Fewe Gods have vertue like to thee ô Sonne From pale itt is become a ruddy blue Vulcan quoth Phoebus take itt to thy forge Warme it rubb it lett itt caste the Gorge Thus Vulcan did itt spued the Waters out And then itt spake and cry'de itt was a cold Then Vulcan stuft and cloath'd it round about And made the Stone as hott as ere itt would Thus fourteene dayes itt sickly did indure The Sonne came every day to se the cure As itt grewe well the Colours went and came Blew Blacke White Redd as by the warmth heate The humours moved were within the same Then Phoebus bid him put it in a sweate Which Vulcan plyde soe well it grue all Red Then was itt sound and cald for drinke and bread Stay quoth Apollo though itt call for meate Disgestion yett is weeke 't will breede relapse By surfett therefore ere you lett itt eate Some little exercise were good perhapps Yett had itt broath alowde the strength to keepe But when 't was on his leggs it would scarce creepe Sol sawe some reliques left of th'ould disease A solutine quoth he were good to clense With which the sicknesse he did so appease Health made the Patyent
by Grace from Heaven I give you the same here in Chapters seaven As largely as by my fealty I may By licence of the dreadfull Judge at domes daye The first Chapter shall all Men teache What manner People may this Science reache And whie the trew Science of Alkimy Is of old Fathers called Blessed and Holy In the second Chapter maie be sayne The nice Joyes thereof with the greate paine The third Chapter for the love of One Shall trewly disclose the Matters of our Stone Which the Arabies doon Elixir call Whereof it is there understonde you shall The fowerth Chapter teacheth the grosse Werke A foule laboure not kindly for a Clerke In which is found full greate travaile With many perills and many a faile The fift Chapter is of the subtill Werk Which God ordeyned only for a Clerke Full few Clerks can it comprehend Therefore to few Men is the Science send The sixt Chapter is of Concord and love Between low natures and heavenly spheares above Whereof trew knowledge advanceth greatly Clerks And causeth furtherance in our wonderfull werks The seaventh Chapter trewly teach you shall The doubtfull Regiments of your Fires all NOw Soveraigne Lord God me guide and speede For to my Matters as now I will proceede Praying all men which this Boke shall finde With devoute Prayers to have my soule in minde And that noe Man for better ne for worse Chaunge my writing for drede of Gods curse For where quick sentence shall seame not to be Ther may wise men finde selcouthe previtye And chaunging of some one sillable May make this Boke unprofitable Therefore trust not to one Reading or twaine But twenty tymes it would be over sayne For it conteyneth full ponderous sentence Albeit that it faute forme of Eloquence But the best thing that ye doe shall Is to reade many Bokes and than this withall Ro Vaughan sculp Nortons Ordinall CHAP. I. MAIS tryefull merveylous and Archimastrye Is the tincture of holi Alkimy A wonderfull Science secrete Philosophie A singular grace gifte of th' almightie Which never was founde by labour of Mann But it by Teaching or Revelacion begann It was never for Mony sold ne bought By any Man which for it hath sought But given to an able Man by grace Wrought with greate Cost with long layfir and space It helpeth a Man when he hath neede It voydeth vaine Glory Hope and also dreade It voydeth Ambitiousnesse Extorcion and Excesse It fenceth Adversity that shee doe not oppresse He that thereof hath his full intent Forsaketh Extremities with Measure is content Some people would not have it cauled Holy And in this wise thei doe replye Thei say how Painims maie this Arte have Such as our Lord God woll never save For their wilfull fals infidelitie The cause of goodnes possessours cannot be Alsoe it maketh none other thing But Gold or Silver for Mony Cupp or Ring Whiche of wise men is proved and well founde Least verteous thing that is upon the Ground Wherefore concluding all men of that sect Say how this Science n'is holy in effect To this we say and wittnes as we cann How that this Science was never tought to Man But he were proved perfectly with space Whether he were able to receyve this Grace For his Trewth Vertue and for his stable Witt Which if he faulte he shall never have it Also no man coulde yet this Science reach But if God send a Master him to teach For it is soe wonderfull and soe selcouth That it must needes be tought from mouth to mouth Also he must be he never soe loath Receive it with a most sacred dreadfull Oath That as we refuse greate dignitie and fame Soe he must needly refuse the same And also that he shall not be so wilde To teach this seacret to his owne childe For nighnes of Blood ne Consanguinity May not accepted be to this dignity Soe blood as blood may have hereof noe part But only vertue winneth this holy Arte Therefore straightly you shall search and see All manners and vertues with th'abilitie Of the person which shall this Scyence leere And in likewise make him straightlie swere Soe that noe man shall leave this Arte behinde But he an able and approved Man can finde When Age shall greeve him to ride or goe One he may teach but then never no moe For this Science must ever secret be The Cause whereof is this as ye may see If one evill man had hereof all his will All Christian Pease he might hastilie spill And with his Pride he might pull downe Rightfull Kings and Princes of renowne Wherefore the sentence of perill and jeopardy Upon the Teacher resteth dreadfully So than for doubt of such pride and wreach He must be ware that will this Science teach No Man therefore maie reach this greate present But he that hath vertues excellent Soe though Men weene Possessours not to aide To hallow this Science as before is said Neither seeme not blessed effectually Yet in her Order this Science is holy And forasmuch as noe Man maie her finde But only by grace she is holy of her kinde Also it is a worke and Cure divine Foule Copper to make Gold or Silver fine No man maie finde such chaunge by his thought Of divers kinds which Gods hands have wrought For Gods Conjunctions Man maie not undoe But if his Grace fully consent thereto By helpe of this Science which our Lord above Hath given to such Men as he doth love Wherefore old Fathers conveniently Called this Science Holy Alkimy Therefore noe Man shulde be too swifte To cast away our Lords blessed guift Consideringe how that Almighty God From great Doctours hath this Science forbod And graunted it to few Men of his mercy Such as be faithfull trew and lowly And as there be but Planets seaven Amonge the multitude of starrs in Heaven Soe among millions of millions of Mankinde Scarslie seaven men maie this Science finde Wherefore Lay-men ye may lere and see How many Doctors of great authoritie With many searchers hath this Science sought Yet all their labours havâ— turned into nought If thei did cost yet found thei none availe For of their purpose every tyme thei faile And in despaire thei reason and departe And then thei said how there is noe such arte But fained Fables thei name it where thei goe A fals fond thing thei say it is alsoe Such Men presume too much upon their minde They weene their witts sufficient this Arte to finde But of their slaunder and words of outrage We take thereof trewlie little Charge For such be not invited to our feast Which weeneth themselves wise and can doe leaste Albeit such Men list not lenger to persue Yet is this Science of Alkimy full trew And albeit some proude Clerks say nay Yet every wise Clerke well consider may How he whiche hereof might no trewth see Maie not hereof lawfull wittnes be For it were a wonderous thing and queinte A man that
God and the Trinity Since that our Lord this world first began Was it not so opened I dare lay my hand No all the Philosophers which were before this day Never knew this secret I dare boldly say And now to obteyne thy purpose more rathe Let thy Fire be as temperate as the Bath of the Bathe Oh what a goodly and profitable Instrument Is the Bath of the Bathe for our fiery intent To seeke all the World throughout I should not finde For profit and liberty a Fire more fitt to my minde Goe or ride where you list for the space of a yeare Thou needest not care for the mending of thy Fire A Monke of Bath which of that house was Pryor Tould me in seacret he occupied none other fire To whome I gave credit even at the first season Because it depended upon very good reason He had our Stone our Medicine our Elixir and all Which when the Abbie was supprest he hid in a wall And ten dayes after he went to fetch it out And there he found but the stopple of a Clout Then he tould me he was in such an Agonie That for the losse thereof he thought he should be frenzie And a Toy tooke him in the head to run such a race That many yeare after he had no setling place And more he is darke and cannot see But hath a Boy to leade him through the Country I hapned to come on a day whereas he was And by a word or two that he let passe I understood streight he was a Philosopher For the which cause I drew to him neare And when the Company was all gone And none but his Boy and he and I alone Master quoth I for the love of God and Charity Teach me the seacrets of Naturall Philosophy No Son quoth he I know not what thou art And shall I reveale to thee such a preciuos Arte No man by me shall get such gaines No not my Boy which taketh with me such paines That to disclose it lyes not in my Bands For I must surrender it into the Lords hands Because I heare not of one that hath the same Which lifts up his minde and is apt for the same Which if I could finde I would ere I dye Reveale to him that same greate mistery Yet one there is about the Citty of Salisbury A young man of the age of Eight and Twenty Charnock is his name of Tennet that Isle His praise and Comendacions soundeth many a Mile That for a Younge man he is toward and apt In all the seaven liberall Scyences set none apart But of each of them he hath much or title Whereof in our Scyence he may claime a title His praise spreads also for his good indighting And of some of his doings I have heard the reciting Both of Prose and Meeter and of Verse also And sure I commend him for his first shewe I thinke Chancer at his yeares was not the like And Skelton at his yeares was further to seeke Wherefore for his knowledge gravity and witt He may well be Crowned Poet Laureat Cease Father quoth I and heare me speake For my name is Charnock upon whome you treate But this which you say to me is greate wonder For these quallities and I am farr assunder I am no such Man as you have made reckoning But you shall speake for me when I go a wiving Your praise will make me speede though it be not true Nor yet my substance worth an old horse shooe Is your name Charnocke and the same Man Yea Sir quoth I then stumbled he to give me his hand And talked an howre with me in the Philosophers speeche And heard that in no question I was to seeche My Son quoth he let me have thy prayer For of this Science I will make thee myne heire Boy quoth he lead me into some secret place And then departe for a certaine space Untill this man and I have talked together Which being done quoth he now gentle Brother Will you with me to morrow be content Faithfully to receive the blessed Sacrament Upon this Oath that I shall heere you give For ne Gold ne Silver as long as you live Neither for love you beare towards your Kinne Nor yet to no great Man preferment to wynne That you disclose the seacret that I shall you teach Neither by writing nor by no swift speech But only to him which you be sure Hath ever searched after the seacrets of Nature To him you may reveale the seacrets of this Art depart Under the Covering of Philosophie before this world yee What answer will you give me let me heare Master quoth I I grant your desire Then Son quoth he keepe thys Oath I charge thee well As thinkest to be saved from the pitt of Hell The next day we went to Church and after our devocion A Preist of his Gentlenes heard both our Confessions Which being done â—o Masse streight we went And he ministred to us the holy Sacrament But he never wist what we meant therein For with a contrary reason I did him blinde And so home to dinner we went to our hoast All which refeccion I paid for the Cost When dinner was done I walked in the field Large and plaine where people passe by but sield And when we were in the midds Boy quoth he go pick a Thistle And come not againe before I for thee whistle Now Master quoth I the Coast from hearers is cleare Then quoth he my Sonn hearken in thyne Eare And within three or foure words he revealed unto me Of Mineralls prudence the greate Misterie Which when I heard my Spirits were ravished for Joy The Grecians were never gladder for the wynning of Troy As I was then remembring my good Master thoe For even the selfe same secret he did me shew Nyne dayes and no more I tarried with him sure But Lord in this tyme what secrets of Nature He opened to me at divers sundry tymes As partly I have told thee in my former Rimes The rest is not to be written on paine of Damnacion Or else in this Boke truly I would make relation Now Father quoth I I will depart you froe And for you I wil pray whether soever I goe Son quoth he Gods blessing goe with thee and thyne And if thou speede well let me heare of thee againe The sixt Chapter WHen I was gone a mile or two abroade With fervent prayer I praised the Lord Giveing him thankes for that prosperous Journy VVhich was more leaver to me then an 100 l. in mony Surely quoth I my Master shall know all this Or else my Braines shall serve me amisse Which if they were so good as the Monke made mencioÌ„ Then would I write to my Master with a better invencioÌ„ O Lord quoth I what a solemne Oath was this given Surely in sheetes of Brasse it is worthy to be graven For a perpetuall memory ever to remaine Among the Philosophers for an Oath certaine And when I was
Confidence To whome reason shulde you leade That you shall have noe cause to dreade If you wisely call to your minde The vertuous manners such as you finde In your Master and your Teacher Soe shall you have noe neede to feare If you consider all Circumstances about Whether he tought you for Love or for Doubt Or whether Motion of him began For it is hard to trust such a Man For he that profereth hath more neede Of you then you of him to speede This wise certainely ye maie well win Before that you your warkes do begin When such certainety ye truly have Fro Dispaire ye maie be sure and save But who can finde such a Master out As was my Master him needeth not to doubt Which right nobil was and fully worthy laude He loved Justice and he abhorred fraude He was full secrete when other men were lowde Loath to be knowne that hereof ought he Could When men disputed of Colours of the Rose He would not speake but keepe himselfe full close To whome I laboured long and many a day But he was solleyn to prove with straight assaye To search and know of my Disposition With manifold proofes to know my Condition And when he found unfeigned fidelity In my greate hope which yet nothing did see At last I conquered by grace divine His love which did to me incline Wherefore he thought soone after on a tyde That longer delayes I ne shulde abide My manifold letters my heavie heart and cheere Moved his Compassion thei perced him full neere Wherefore his Penn he would noe more refraine But as heere followeth soe wrote he againe MY very trusty my deere beloved Brother I must you answer it may be none other The tyme is come you shall receive this Grace To your greate comfort and to your solace Your honest desire with your greate Confidence Your Vertue proved with your Sapience Your Love your Trewth your long Perseverance Your stedfast Minde shall your Desire advance Wherefore it is neede that within short space Wee speake together and see face to face If I shulde write I shulde my fealty breake Therefore Mouth to Mouth I must needes speake And when you come mine Heier unto this Arte I will you make and fro this londe departe Ye shall be both my Brother and myne Heier Of this greate secrete whereof Clerkes despaire Therefore thanke God which giveth this renowne For it is better then to were a Crowne Next after his Saints our Lord doth him call Which hath this Arte to honour him withall Noe more to you at this present tyde But hastily to see me dispose you to ride THis Letter receiving I hasted full sore To ride to my Master an hundred miles and more And there Forty dayes continually I learned all the secreats of Alkimy Albeit Philosophy by me was understonde As much as of many other in this Londe Nethles fooles which for their Science sought Ween that in forty dayes it wil be wrought Betweene Forty dayes warke now ye may see And Forty dayes lerninge is greate diversitie Then darke doubts to me appeared pure There fownd I disclosed the Bonds of Nature The cause of Wonders were to me soe faire And so reasonable that I could not dispaier If your Master and ye resemble all aboute My good Master and me than have ye no doubte THe third impediment deceipt we call Amongst other to me the worst all And that is of Servaunts that should awaite Upon your warke for some can much deceipte Some be negligent some sleeping by the fire Some be ill-willd such shall let your desire Some be foolish and some be over bold Some keepe no Counsell of Doctrine to them tould Some be filthie of hands and of sleeves Some meddle straunge Matter that greately greeves Some be drunken and some use much to jape Beware of thes if you will hurt escape The Trew be foolish the Witty be false That one hurts me Sore that other al 's For when I had my warke well wrought Such stale it away and left me nought Then I remembring the cost the tyme and the paine Which I shulde have to begin againe With heavie hearte farewell adieu said I I will noe more of Alkimy But howe that chaunce befell that Season Few men would it beleeve by reason Yet Tenn persons be witnes trew all How that mishapp did me befalle Which might not be only by Man Without the Devil as they tell can I made also the Elixer of life Which me bereft a Merchaunt's wife The Quintessens I made also With other secrets manie moe Which sinfull people tooke me fro To my greate paine and much more woe Soe in this worke there is no more to saine But that every Ioy is medled with his paine OF Paine there is a litle yet behinde Which is convenient to be had in minde That fell upon a blessed Man Whereof the trewth report I cann Thomas Daulton this good man height He served God both day and night Of the Red Medicine he had greate Store I trowe never English man had more A Squier for the body of King Ehward Whose name was Thomas Harbert Tooke this Daulton against his desier Out of an Abbie in Gloucester-shier And brought him in presence of the King Whereof Deluis had some tiding For Daulton was whilome Deluis's Clerke Deluis disclosed of Daultons werke Deluis was Squier in confidence With King Edward oft in his presence Deluis reported that in a little stounde How Daulton had made to him a thousand pound Of as good Goulde as the Royall was Within halfe a daye and some dele lasse For which Deluis sware on a Booke Then Daulton on Deluis cast his looke And said to Deluis Sir you be forswore Wherefore your hert hath cause to be sore Of nothing said he that I now have told Witnes our Lord whom Judas sould But once said Deluis I sware to thee That thou shouldst not be uttered by me Which I may breake well I understand For the Kings weale and for all his Lande Then said Daulton full soberlie This answer voydeth no perjury How should the King in you have Confidence Your untrewth confessed in his presence But Sir said Daulton to the Kings Grace I have bin troubled oft in many a place For this Medicine greviously and sore And now I thought it should hurt me no more Wherefore in the Abbie where I was take I cast it in a foule and Common lake Going to the River which doth ebb and flowe There is destroyed as much riches nowe As would have served to the Holy land For twenty thousand men upon a band I kept it longe for our Lords blessed sake To helpe a Kinge which that journey would make Alas Daulton then saide the Kinge It was fowly don to spill such a thinge He would have Daulton to make it againe Daulton said it might not be certeine Why said the Kinge how came ye thereby He said by a Channon of Lichfielde trewly Whose
in Bokes Such Heate wherewith Pigg or Goose is Scalded In this Arte Decoction it is called For Minerall meanes serveth such heate And to make our Letharge to give sweate Such Heate as dryeth lawne Karcheefes fayre In thirty operations serveth for our Ayre But for Divisions you must use such heate As Cookes make when they roast grosse Meate The same Heate with a circular Fier For Separation of Dividents we desire But for Circulation of Elements Ignis candens observeth our intents Which Fier must ever be Coequall In every minute and yet perpetuall For it maie never abate ne increase And yet the Fier maie never cease Study wisely and looke about Such a Fier trewlie to finde out And in that Fier no moisture maie be Which Hand maie feele or Eye maie see Ignis humidus an other Fier alsoe Is and yet it seemeth oppositum in adjecto Such Heate dissevereth at certaine tydes Matters cleving to Vessells sides Manie moe things that Heate maie wynn It maketh oft thick Matters to be thynn A Philosopher mistely spake of this Heate And saide the highest degree thereof to get Shall cause and gender such Siccitie As of drie heate shall be in the First degree Another Fier is Fire of Disiccation For matters which be imbibed with Humectation An other Fier is Fier of Conservation For all drie things of his operation For Magnetia is Fier of effusion Full of perills and full of illusion Not onely perill which to the Warke maie fall But such alsoe which the Master hurte shall Against which once received is noe boote Ordaine therefore to fetch breath from your foote Provide for Mouth Eyes Eares and Nose For it is worse than ten times the Pose Men hereby hath sound paines sore Because they had not this warning before Ignis corrodens serveth in this Arte Elementa propinqua wisely to departe By one point of excesse all your Warke is shent And one point too little is insufficient Who can be sure to finde his trewe degree Magister magnus in igne shall he be It is the harder to know trewly his might There is no triall for it but our Eye sight Therefore all men faile in his presence Where Heate is lerned with cost of Experience Of this Heate in speciall Anaxagoras said thus Nemo primo fronte reperitur discretus Another is Heate of mighty Coaction For Mineralls that be of hard Liquefaction This Heate cannot be too stronge Be he continued never so longe Another is Heate of Calcination For fowle Mettalls for their Preparation Which maie not brenn ne doe them melte For so all thei maie soone be spilte The twelfte is Heate for to Sublime All rhe Spirits of the Mine The last Heate of theis goeth for all When to Projection our Stone shall fall Use maketh Masterie there is noe more to saynâ— But he that faileth must needs begin againe Now have I tought you everie thing by name As Men teach other the way to Walsingham Of every Village Water Bridge and Hill Whereby wise Men their Journey maie fulfill Soe maie a Clerke by this Doctrine finde This Science well if he be cleere of minde All other maie finde himselfe hereby a foole To deale therewith which litle can of Schoole For this is the end of all worldly Cunninge Where to attaine can neither Pope ne King By their Honours ne by their great Councell But only by Vertue and Grace as Auctors tell This precious Stone will not be found ne wrought But he be right devotely sought The Auctors forenamed with this Boke of mine Sheweth of Alkimy all the Doctrine If ye compleate their Sentences all Not by Opinion but after this Ordinall For in this Ordinall I fet you from all doubt Is nothing set wronge nor one point left out The dayes were when that this Doctrine and ground Had pleased me more than a Thousand pound Three Hundred pounds was not for my desire As would have byne this Chapter of the Fier And mervaile not Lords ne ye freinds all Why soe noble a Scyence as all Men this Arte call Is here set out in English blunt and rude For this is soe made to teach a Multitude Of rude people which delen with this Werkes Ten Thousand Laymen against ten able Clerks Whereby yearely greate Riches in this Londe Is lewdly lost as Wisemen understonde And manie men of Everie degree Yearely be brought to great Povertee Cease Laymen cease be not in follie ever Lewdnes to leave is better late than never All that hath pleasure in this Boke to reade Pray for my Soule and for all both Quick and deade In this yeare of Christ One thousand foure Hundred seaventy and seaven This Warke was begun Honour to God in Heaven THE COMPOVND OF ALCHYMIE A most excellent learned and worthy worke written by Sir George Ripley Chanon of Bridlington in Yorkeshire Conteining twelve Gates Titulus Operis HEre begynneth The Compound of Alchymie Made by a Chanon of Bridlington After his learning in Italy At Yxning for tyme he there did wonne In which be declared openly The secrets both of Sunne and Moone How they their kinde to multiplye In one body togeder must wonne Which Chanon Sir George Ripley hight Exempt from Claustrall observance For whom pray ye both day and night Sith he did labour you to advance He turned darknes into light Intending to helpe you to happy chaunce Gyving Counsell that ye live right Doeing to God no displeasaunce GEORGE RIPLEY UNTO King EDWARD the fourth O Honorable Lord and most victoryous Knyght With Grace and Fortune abundantly endewed The savegard of England maynteyner of right That God you loveth indeede he hath well shewed Wherefore I trust thys Lond shal be renewed With Joy and Riches with Charyty and Peace So that old ranckors understrewed Tempestuous troubles and wretchednes shall cease And now syth I see by tokens right evident That God you guydeth and that ye be vertuous Hating synne and such as be insolent How that also Manslaughter to you is odious Upon the Indygent also that ye be piteous Greate ruth it were if ye should not lyve longe For of your great fortune ye be not presumptuous Nor vengeable of mynde to wreke every wrong Theis considered with others in your most noble Estate Like as God knoweth and people doe witnesse beare So entyrely me meveth that I must algate Recorde the same and therein be no flatterer And that not onely but also to write here And to your Highnes humbly for to present Great Secretts which I in farre Countryes did lert And which by grace to me most unworthy are lent Once to your Lordship such thyngs I did promise What tyme ye did command to send unto me And since that I wrote in full secret wise Unto your Grace from the Universitie Of Lovayne when God fortuned me by Grace to see Greater secretts and moch more profyte Which onely to you I wyll disclosed to be That is to say the great Elixirs both Red and
the keepe hit secretlye And serve thy God both nyght and day The better thou shalt speede thys ys no nay Now I have taught the how thow schalt do The blys of hevyn God bryng hus to HER ys an Erbe men calls Lunayrie I blesset mowte hys maker bee Asterion he ys I callet alle so And other namys many and mo He ys an Erbe of grete myght Of Sol the Sunn he taketh hys lyght He ys the Fader to Croppe and Rote Wyth fragrant Flowris that ben sote Flowrys to bere in that stede Swm ben Whyte and swm ben Red Hys Lewys grwyth both day and nyght Lyke to the Ferment that ys so bright I shall declare thys Erbe so lyght To many a man hyt ys a fayre seyght Frist at the Rote I wolle be gynne That cawsyth alle thing for to sprynge A growyth a pon a Mowntayne brym Where Febis hath grete dominacion The Sune by day the Mone by nyghâ— That maketh hym both fayre and bryght The Rote growyth on stonns clere Whyte and Rede that ys so peyre The Rote ys blacke the Stalke ys red The wyche schall ther never be dede The Lewis ben rownd as a Nowbel son And wexsyth and wanyth as the Mon In the meddes a marke the brede of a peni Lo thys is lyke to owre sweght Lunayre Hys Flowrys schynith fayre and cler In alle the Worlde thaye have non pere He ys not fownde in no maner wyse But of a Schepeherd in Godis servyse The good Schepeherd that I her mene Ys he that keepeth hys Sowle clene Hys Flowrys ben gret and sum ben small Lyke to hem that growyth in Dale With many a vertu both fayre and cler As ther ben dayes in alle the yere Fro fallyng Ewel and alle Sekeneys From Sorowe he brengyth man to Bles Unto that blese that wee maye come by th the help of Marys Sonne And of hys Moder that ys so fre Amen good Lord for cherite Spiritus Anima Corpus I Schal yow tel wyth hert mode Of thre Kynggys that ben so goude And how thaye cam to God almyght The wich was ther a sweet syght I figure now howr besset Stone Fro Heven wase sende downe to Solomon By an Angele bothe goude and stylle The wych wase than Christis wylle The present of hem in Bedlem than To Cryst brwght Aurum Tus Myrham Owre Sol and Sulphir wyth his Mercuri Both Bodi and Soule wyth oure Luneyre Aurum betokeneth heer owre Bodi than The wych was brwght to God and Man And Tus alleso owre Soule of lyfe Wyth Myrham owre Mercurye that ys hys Wyfe Here be the thre namys fayre and good And alle thaye ben but one in mode Lyke as the Trenite ys but on Ryght so conclude the Phylosofeers Stone Thow mayst a se her now in syght Off owre Stone figuriet a right How sende he wase out of Heven By an Angele wyth mylde Stefyn And by hys fygure thow mayst se That hyt ys lyke to personis Thre To Fader and Sonne and holi Gost The wych was and ys of mytis most Into hys blyse now come wee Amen goud Lord for cheyte Ishew you here a short Conclusion To understand it if ye have grace Wrighten without any delusion Comprehended in a litle space All that in this Booke wrighten is In this place comprehended is How Nature worketh in her kinde Keepe well this Lesson in your minde I have declared micle thing If you have grace to keepe in minde How that our Principle is One thing More in Number and One in kinde For there ben things Seven That in a Principle doe dwell Most precious under Heven I have so sworne I may not tell In this Booke I shew to you in wrighting As my Bretheren doe each one A similitude of every like thing Of the which we make our Stone Our Stone is made of one simple thing That in him hath both Soule and Lyfe He is Two and One in kinde Married together as Man and Wife Our Sulphur is our Masculine Our Mercury is our Femenine Our Earth is our Water cleere Our Sulphur also is our Fier And as Earth is in our Water cleare Soe is Aer in our Fier Now have yee Elements foure of might And yet there appereth but two in sight Water and Earth ye may well see Fier and Aer be in them as quality Thys Scyence maie not be taught to every one He were acurst that so schould done How schould ye have Servants than Than non for other would ought done To tyl the Lande or drive the Plough For ever ech man would be proud enough Lerned and leude would put them in Presse And in their workes be full busie But yet they have but little increse The writings to them is so misty It is full hard this Scyence to finde For Fooles which labour against kinde This Science I pray you to conceale Or else with it do not you meale For and ye canot in it prevaile Of much sorrow rhen may you tell By suddain mooving of Elements Nature may be letted And wher lacks Decoction no perfection may be For some Body with leprosy is infected Raw watery humors cause superfluity Therefore the Philosopher in his reason hath contrived A perfect Medicine for bodyes that be sick Of all infirmetyes to be releeved This heleth Nature and prolongeth lyfe eak This Medicine of Elements being perfectly wrought Receypts of the Potecary we neede not to buy Their Druggs and Dragms we set at nought With quid pro quo they make many a ly Our Aurum potabile Nature will increase Of Philosophers Gold if it be perfectly wrought The Phisitians with Minerall puteth him in prese Litle it availeth or else right nought This Scyence shall ye finde in the old boke of Turb How perfectly thisMedicine Philosophers have wrought Rosary with him also doth record More then four Flements we occupie nought Comune Mercury and Gold we none occupie Till we perfectly have made our Stone Then with them two our Medicine we Multiply Other recepts of the Potecary truly we have none A hundred Ounces of Saturne ye may well take Seeth them on the fire and melt him in a mould A Projection with your Medicin upon hem make And anon yee shall alter him into fine Gold One Ounce upon a hundred Ounces is sufficient And so it is on a thousand Ounces perfectly wrought Without dissolucion and Subtillant Encreasing of our Medicine els have we nought Ioy eternall and everlasting blisse Be to Almyghty God that never schal miss In some Copies I found these following Verses set before this Worke. EArth out of Earth clensed pure By Earth of himselfe through his nature Rectified by his Milke who can it tye And afterward united with Water of lyfe truly A Dragon lying in his deepe denne Rotting in Water to Putrefie then Leprouse huge and terrible in sight By bathing and balning the Dragon cometh to light Evermor drowned in the bottome of his
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