a thing Running in errours euer more and more For lacke of true vnderstanding But like must like alwaies forth bring So hath God ordained in euerie kinde Would Iesus they would beare this in minde Weene they of a Nettle to haue a Rose Or of an Elder to haue an apple sweete Alas that wisemen their goods should lose Trusting such lorrells when they them meete Which say our Stone is troden vnder feete And maketh them vile things to distill Till all their howses with stench they fill Some of them neuer learned a word in Schooles Should such by reason vnderstand Philosophie Be they Philosophers Nay they be fooles For their workes proue them vnwittie Meddle not with them if thou be happie Least with their flatterie they so thee till That thou agree vnto their will Spend not thy money away in waste Giue not to euery spirit credence But first examine groape and taste And as thou proouest so put thy confidence But euer beware of great expence And if the Philosopher doe liue vertuouslie The better thou maist trust his Philosophie Prooue him first and him appose Of all the secrets of our Stone Which if he knowe not thou need not to lose Meddle thou no further but let him gone Make he neuer so piteous a mone For then the Fox can fagge and faine When he would to his pray attaine If he can answere as a Clarke Howbeit he hath not prooued it indeed And thou then help him to his warke If he be vertuous I hold it meed For he will thee quite if euer he speed And thou shalt knowe by a little anone If he haue knowledge of our Stone One thing one glasse one furnace and no moe Behold this principle if he doe take And if he doe not then let him goe For he shall neuer thee rich man make Timely it is better thou him forsake Than after with losse and variance And other manner of displeasance But if God fortune thee to haue This Science by doctrine which I haue told Discouer it not whosoeuer it craue For fauour feare siluer or gold Be no oppressor letcher nor boaster bold Serue thy God and help the poore among If thou this life lift to continue long Vnto thy selfe thy secrets euer keepe From sinners which haue not God in dread But will thee cast in prison deepe Till thou them teach to doe it indeed Then slaunder on thee shall spring and spread That thou doest coyne then will they say And so vndoe thee for euer and aye And if thou teach them this cunning Their sinfull liuing for to maintaine In hell therefore shalbe thy woonning For God of thee and them will take disdaine As thou nought couldst therefore thee faine That bodie and soule thou maist both saue And here in peace thy liuing to haue Now in this Chapter I haue thee taught How thou thy bodies must putrifie And so to guide thee that thou be not caught And put to durance losse or villanie My doctrine therefore remember wittely And passe forth towards the sixt Gate For thus the fift is triumphate The end of the fift Gate Of Congelation The sixt Gate OF Congelation I need not much to write But what it is I will to thee declare It is of soft things induration of colour white And confixation of spirits which flying are How to congeale he needeth not much to care For Elements will knit together soone So that Putrifaction be kindly doone But Congelations be made in diuers wise Of spirits and bodies dissolued to water cleare Of salts also dissolued twice or thrise And then congeald into a fluxible matter Of such congealing fooles fast doo clatter And some dissolueth diuiding manuallie Elements them after congealing to powder drie But such congealing is not to our desire For vnto ours it is contrarious Our congelation dreadeth not the fire For it must euer stand in it vnctuous And it is also a tincture so bounteous Which in the aire congealed will not relent To water for then our worke were shent Moreouer congeale not into so hard a stone As glasse or christall which melteth by fusion But so that it like waxe will melt anone Withouten blast and beware of delusion For such congealing accordeth not to our conclusion As will not flowe but runne to water againe Like salt congealed then labourest thou in vaine Which congelation auaileth vs not a deale It longeth to multipliers congealing vulgarly If thou therefore list to doe weele Sith the medicine shall neuer flowe kindly Neither congeale without thou first it putrifie First purge and then fixe the elements of our stone Till they together congeale and flowe anone For when thy matter is made perfectly white Then will the spirit with the bodie congealed be But of that time thou maist haue long respite Or it congeale like pearles in sight to thee Such congelâ—â—â—â—n be thou glad to see And after likâ— graines red as blood Richer than any worldly good The earthly grosenes therefore first mortified In moysture blacknes ingendred is This principle may not be denied For naturall Philosophers so sayne ywis Which had of whitenes thou maist not mis And into whitenes if thou congeale it once Then hast thou a stone most precious of all stones And by the drie like as the moist did putrifie Which caused in colour blacknes to appeare Right so the moyst congealed by the drie Ingendreth whitenes shining by night full cleare And drines proceedeth as whiteth the matter Like as in blacknes moysture doth him shew By colours variant alwayes new and new The cause of all this is heate most temperate Working and mouing the matter continually And thereby also the matter is alterate Both inward and outward substantially Not as doo fooles to sight sophistically But in euerie part all fire to endure Fluxible fixt and stable in tincture As Phisicke determineth of each digestion First done in the stomach in which is drines Causing whitenes without question Like as the second digestion causeth rednes Complete in the liuer by heate in temperatenes Right so our Stone by drines and by heate Digested is to white and red compleate But here thou must another secret knowe How the Philosophers childe in the ayre is borne Busie thee not too fast at the coale to blowe And take this neither for mocke nor scorne But trust me truly else is all thy worke forlorne Without thine earth with water reuiued bee Our true congealing shalt thou neuer see A soule it is betwixt heauen and earth being Arising from the earth as ayre with water pure And causing life in euerie liuely thing Incessable running vpon our foure folde nature Enforcing to better him with all his cure Which ayre is the fire of our Philosophie Named now oyle now water mysticallie And this meane ayre which oyle or water we call Our fire our oyntment our spirit and our Stone In which one thing we ground our wisedomes all Goeth neither in nor out alone Nor the fire but the
meene Nought else to say but element with element The spirit of life onely going betweene For like as an adamant as thou hast seene Draweth yron to him so doth our earth by kinde Drawe downe to him his soule borne vp with winde With winde therefore the soule lead out and in Mingle gold with gold that is for to say Make Element with Element togetherrin Till time all fire they suffer may For earth is Ferment withouten nay To water and water the earth vnto Our Fermentatioâ— in this wise must be doe Earth is gold and so is the soule also Not common but ours thus Elementate And yet thereto the Sunne must goe That by our wheele it may be alterate For so to ferment it must be preparate That it profoundly may ioyned bee With other natures as I said to thee And whatsoeuer I haue here said of gold The same of siluer I will thou vnderstand That thou them putrifie and alter as I haue told Ere thou thy medicine to firment take in hand Forsooth I could neuer finde him in England Which in this wise to firment could me teach Withouten error by practise or by speach Now of this chapter needeth to treate no more Sith I intend prolixitie to eschew Remember well my words therefore Which thou shalt proue by practise trew And Sunne and Moone looke thou renew That they may hold of the fift nature Then shall their tincture euermore endure And yet a way there is most excellent Belonging vnto another working A water we make most redolent All bodies to oyle wherewith we bring With which our medicine we make flowing A quintessence this water we call In man which healeth diseases all But with thy base after my doctrine preperate Which is our calx this must be done For when our bodies be so calcinate That water will to oyle dissolue them soone Make thou therefore oyle both of Sunne and Moone Which is ferment most fragrant for to smell And so the ninth gate is conquered of this Castell The end of the ninth Gate Of Exaltation The tenth Gate PRoceede we now to the chapter of Exaltation Of which truly thou must haue knowledge pure But little it is different from Sublimation If thou conceiue it right I you ensure Hereto accordeth the holy scripture Christ saying thus if I exalted be Then shall I draw all things vnto me Our medicine if we exalt right so It shalbe thereby nobilitate That must be done in manners two From time the parties be dispousate Which must be crucified and examinate And then contumulate both man and wife And after reuiued by the spirit of life Then vp to heauen they must exalted be There to be in bodie and soule glorificate For thou must bring them to such subtiltie that they ascend together to be intronizate In cloudes of clearenes to Angels consociate Then shall they draw as thou shalt see Al other bodies to their owne dignitee If thou therefore the bodies wilt exalt First with the spirit of life thou them augment till time the earth be well subtilizate By naturall rectifying of euery Element Them vp exalting into the firmament Then much more precious shall they be than gold Because of the quintessence which they doe holde For when the colde hath ouercome the heate Then into water the Ayre shall turned be And so two contraries together shall meete Till either with orher right well agree So into Ayre the water as I tell thee When heate of colde hath got domination Shall be conuerted by craft of our circulation And of the Ayre then fire haue thou shall By loosing putrifying and subliming And fire thou hast of the earth materiall Thine Elements thus by craft disseuering Most especially thine earth well calcining And when they be each one made pure Then doe they holde all of the first nature On this wise therefore make them be circulate Each into other exalting by and by And all in this one glasse surely sigillate Not with thine hands but as I teach thee naturally Fire into water then turne first hardly For fire is in Ayre which is in water existent And this conuersion accordeth to our intent Then furthermore turne on thy wheele That into earth the ayre conuerted be Which will be done also right well For Ayre is in water being in earth trust me The water into fire contrarious in her qualitie Soone turne thou mayst for water in earth is Which is in fire conuersion true is this The wheele is now neere turned about Into ayre turne earrh which is the proper nest Of other Elements there is no doubt For earth in fire is which in ayre taketh rest This circulation beginne thou in the west Then into the south till they exalted bee Proceede duely as in thy figure I haue taught thee In which processe clearely thou mayst see FroÌ„ one extreame how to another thou mayst not go But by a meane since they in qualities contrarious be And reason will forsooth that it be so As heate into colde with other contraries â—o Without their meanes as moyst to heate and colde Examples sufficient before this I haue tolde Thus haue I taught thee how to make Of all thine Elements a perfect circulation And at thy figure example to take How thou shalt make this foresaide Exaltation And of thy medicine in the Elements true graduation Till it be brought to a gueneritie temperate And then thou hast conquered the tenth gate The end of the tenth Gate Of Multiplication The eleuenth Gate MVltiplication now to declare I proceede Which is by Philosophers in this wise defined Augmentation it is of the Elixer indeede In goodnes and quantitie both for white and red Multiplication is therefore as they doe write That thing that doth augmeÌ„t medicines in each degree In colour in odour in vertue and also in quantitee And why thou mayst this medicine multiplie Infinitely forsooth the cause is this For it is fire which kindled will neuer die Dwelling with thee as fire doth in houses Of which one sparke may make more fire ywis As muske in pigments and other spices mo In vertue multiplied and our medicine right so So he is rich which fire hath lesse or more Because he may so hugely it multiply And right so rich is he which any parte hath in store Of our Elixers which be augmentable infinitely One way if thou dissolue our pouders drye And make often times of them Congelation Thereof in goodnes then makest thou Augmentation The second way both in goodnes and quantitie It multiplyeth by iterate Fermentation As in that chapter I shewed plainely to thee By diuers manners of naturall operation And also in the chapter of our Cibation Where thou mayst know how thou shalt multiplie Thy medicine with Mercurie infinitely But and thou wilt both loose and eke ferment Both more in quantitie and better will it be And in such wise thou mayst it soone augment That in thy glasse it will growe like a tree The tree of
also to euery creature Thine handy-work therefore vouchsafe to defend That we no time in liuing here mispend With troth here graunt vs our liuing so to winne That into no danger of sinfulnes we rinne And forasumch as we haue for thy sake Renounced our wills the world and fleshly lust As thine owne professors vs to thee take Sith in thee onely dependeth all our trust We can no further to thee incline we must Thy secret treasure vouchsafe vnto vs Shew vs thy secrets and to vs be bounteous And amongst others which be profest to thee I me present as one with humble submission Thy seruant beseeching that I may bee And true in liuing according to my profession In order Chanon Reguler of Bridlington Beseeching thee Lord thou wilt me spare To thy true seruants thy secrets to declare In the beginning when thou mad'st all of nought A globous matter and darke vnder confusion By him the beginning marueilously was wrought Conteyning naturally all things without diuision Of which in six dayes he made cleere distinction As Genesis apertly doth record Then heauen and earth were perfected by his word So through his will and power out of one mas Confused was made each thing that being is But afore in glory as maker he was Now is and shall be without end I wis And purified soules vp to his blis Shall come a principle this may be one For the declaring of our precious stone For as of one masse was made all thing Right so in our practize must it be All our secreats of one Image must spring As in Philosophers bookes whoso list to see Our stone is called the lesse world one and three Magnesa also of sulphure and Mercurie Proportionate by nature most perfectlie But many one marueileth and maruaile may And museth on such a marueilous thing What is our stone sith Philosophers say To such as euer be it in seeking For foules and fisshes to vs doth it bring Euery man it hath and it is in euery place In thee in me and in each thing time and space To this I answere that Mercurie it is I wis But not the common called quicksiluer by name But Mercurie without which nothing being is All Philosophers record and truely saine the same But simple searchers putteth them in blame Saying they hid it but they be blame worthy Which be no Clearkes and meddle with Philosophy But though it Mercurie be yet wisely vnderstand Wherein it is and where thou shalt it seech Else I counsell thee take not this work in hand For Philosophers flatter fooles with fayre speech But listen to me for truly I will thee teach Which is this Mercurie most profitable Being to thee nothing deceiueable It is more neere in some things than in some Therefore take heede what I to thee write For if knowledge to thee neuer come Therefore yet shalt thou me not twite For I will truely now thee excite To vnderstand well Mercuries three The keyes which of this science bee Raymond his menstrues doth them call Without which truly no trueth is done But two of them be superficiall The third essentiall of Sunne and Moone Their properties I will declare right soone And Mercurie of mettalls essentiall Is the principle of our stone materiall In Sunne and Moone our Menstrue is not seene It appeareth not but by effect to sight That is the stone of which we meene Who so our writings conceiueth aright It is a soule a substance bright Of Sunne and Moone a subtill influence Whereby the earth receiueth resplendence For what is Sunne and Moone sayth Auicen But earth which is pure white and red Take from it the said cleerenes and then That earth will stand but in little stead The whole compound is called our lead The qualitie of clearenes from Sun and Moone dooth come These are our menstrues both all and some Bodies with the first we calcine naturally Perfect but none which been vncleene Except one which is vsually Named by Philosophers the Lyon greene He is the meane the Sunne and Moone betweene Of winning tincture with perfectnes As Geber thereunto beareth witnes With the second which is an humiditie Vegitable reuiuing that earst was dead Both principles materials must loosed be And formalls els stand they little in stead These menstrews therefore know I thee reed Without the which neither true calcination Done may be not true dissolution With the third humiditie most permanent Incombustible and vnctuous in his nature Hermes tree vnto ashes is brent It is our naturall fire most sure Our Mercurie our Sulphur our tincture pure Our soule our stone borne vp with winde In the earth ingendred beare this in minde This stone also tell thee I dare Is the vapour of mettalls potentiall How thou shalt get it thou must beware For inuisible truely is this menstruall Howbeit with the second water philosophicall By separation of Elements it may appeare To sight in forme of water cleare If this menstrue by labour exuberate With it may be made Sulphur of nature If it be well and kindly acuate And circulate into a spirit pure Then to dissolue thou must be sure Thy base with it in diuers wise As thou shalt know by thy practise That poynt therefore in his due place I will declare with other moe If God will graunt me grace and space And me preserue in life from woe As I thee teach looke thou doe so And for the first ground principall Vnderstand thy waters menstruall And when thou hast made Calcination Encreasing not wasting moysture radicall Vntill thy base by oft subtilation Will lightly flowe as wax vpon mettall Then loose it with thy vegetable menstruall Till thou haue oyle thereof in colour bright Then is that menstrue visible to sight And oyle is drawne out in colour of golde Or like thereto out of fine red lead Which Raymond sayd when he was olde Much more than golde would stand in stead For when he was for age nigh dead He made thereof Aurum potabile Which him reuiued as men might see For so together may they be circulate That is the base oyle and the vegetable menstruall So that it be by labour exuberate And made by craft a stone celestiall Of nature so firie that we it call Our Bazeliske or our Cockatrice Our great Elixer most of price Which as the sight of Bazeliske his obiect Killeth so sleyeth it crude Mercurie When thereupon he is proiect In twinckle of an eye most sodainly That Mercurie then teineth permanently All bodies to Sunne and Moone perfect Thus guide thy base both red and white Aurum potabile thus is made Of golde not commonly calcinate But of our tincture that will not fade Out of our base drawn with the menstrue circulate But naturall calcination must algate Be made ere thy golde dissolued may bee That principle first therefore I will teach thee But into chapters this Treatise I will diuide In number twelue with due recapitulation Superfluous rehearsalls Ile lay aside
Then Philosopher-like it is vp shit The water wherewith thou mayst reuiue the stone Looke thou distill before thou worke with it Oftentimes by it selfe alone And by this sight thou shalt wit From feculent feces when it is quit For some men can with Saturne it multiplie And other substance which we defie Distill it therefore till it be clene And thinne like water as it should be As heauen in colour bright and shene Keping both figure and ponderositee Therewith did Hermes moysten his tree Within his glasse he made it grow vpright With flowers discoloured beautifull to sight This water is like to the venymous Tire Wherewith the mighty triacle is wrought For it is poyson most strong of Ire A stronger poyson cannot be thought At Pothecaries often therefore it is sought But no man by it shalbe intoxicate From the time it is into medicine elixerate For then as is the Triacle true It is of poyson most expulsiue And in his working doth marueiles shew Preseruing many from death to life But looke thou meddle it with no corosiue But choose it pure and quick rinning If thou thereby wilt haue winning It is a marueilous thing in kinde And without it can nothing be done Therefore Hermes called it his winde For it is vp flying from Sunne and Moone And maketh our stone flie with it soone Reuiuing the dead and giuing life To Sunne and Moone husband and wife Which if they were not by craft made quick And their fatnes with water drawne out And so the thinne disseuered from the thick Thou shouldst neuer bring this worke about If thou wilt therefore speede without doubt Rayse vp the birds out of their neast And after againe bring them to rest Water with water accord will and ascend And spirit with spirit for they be of one kinde Which after they be exalted make to discend So shalt thou deuide that which Nature erst did binde Mercury essentiall turning into winde Without which naturall and subtill Seperation May neuer be complete profitable generation Now to helpe thee in at this gate The last secreat I will declare to thee Thy water must be seauen times sublimate Else shall no kindly Dissolution bee Nor putrifying shalt thou none see Like liquid pitch nor colours appearing For lack of fire within the glasse working Foure fires there be which thou must vnderstand Naturall innaturall against Nature also And elementall which doth burne the brand These foure fires vse we and no moe Fire against nature must doe thy bodie woe This is our Dragon as I thee tell Fiercely burning as the fire of hell Fire of nature is the third menstruall That fire is naturall in each thing But fire occasionate we call vnnaturall As heate of ashes and balnes for putrifying Without these fires thou maist naught bring To Putrifaction for to be seperate Thy matters together proportionate Therefore make fire thy glasse within Which burneth the bodie much more than fire Elementall if thou wilt winne Our secrets according to thy desire Then shall thy seeds both rot and spire By helpe of fire occasionate That kindly after they may be seperate Of Seperation the Gate must thus be wonne That furthermore yet thou maist proceed Towards the Gate of secret Coniunction Into the Castle which will thee inner leed Doe after my counsell if thou wilt speed With two strong lockes this Gate is shir As consequently thou shalt well wit The end of the third Gate Of Coniunction The fourth Gate AFter the Chapiter of naturall Seperation By which the elemeÌ„ts of our stone disseuered be The chapter here followeth of secret Coniunction Which Natures repugnant ioyneth to perfect vnitie And so them knitteth that none from others may flie When they by fire shalbe examinate They be togethers so surely coniungate And therefore Philosophers giue this definition Saying this Coniunction is nothing els But of disseuered qualities a copulation Or of principles a coequation as others tells But some men with Mercurie that Pothecaries sells Medleth bodies which cannot diuide Their matter and therefore they slip aside For vntill the time the soule be seperate And cleansed from his originall sinne With the water and throughly spiritualizate The true Coniunction maist thou neuer begin Therefore the soule first from the bodie twyne Then of the corporall part and of the spirituall The soule shall cause coniunction perpetuall Of two Coniunctions Philosophers mencion make Grosse when the bodie with Mercury is reincrudate But let this passe and to the second heede take Which as I saide is after Seperation celebrate In which the parties be left with least to colligate And so promoted vnto most perfect temperance That neuer after amongst them may be repugnance Thus causeth Seperation true Coniunction to be had Of water and ayre with earth and fire But that each element into other may be lad And so abide for euer to thy desire Doe as doe dawbers with clay or myre Temper them thick and make them not too thinne So doe vpdrying thou shalt the rather winne But manners there be of our Coniunction three The first is called by Philosophers Diptatiue The which betwixt the agent and patient must be Male and female Mercury and Sulphure viue Matter and forme thinne and thick to thrine This lesson will helpe thee without any doubt And our Coniunction truly to bring about The second manner is called Triptatiue Which is Coniunction made of things three Of bodie soule and spirit that they not striue Which trinitie thou must bring to vnitee For as the soule to the spirite the bond must bee Right so the bodie the soule to him must knit Out of thy minde let not this lesson flit The third manner and also the last of all Foure Elements together which ioyne to abide Tetraptatiue certainely Philosophers doe it call And specially Guido de Montano whose fame goeth wide And therefore in most laudable maner this tide In our Coniunction foure Elements must aggregate In due proportion which first a sunder were seperate Therefore like as the woman hath veines fifteene And the man but fiue to the act of their secunditie Required in our Coniunction first I meene So must the man our Sunne haue of his water three And nine his wife which three to him must bee Then like with like will ioy haue for to dwell More of Coniunction me needeth not to tell This chapiter I will conclude right soone therefore Grosse Coniunction charging thee to make but one For seldome haue strumpets children of them ybore And so thou shalt neuer come by our stone Without thou let the woman lig alone That after she once haue conceiued of the man Her Matrix be shut vp from all other than For such as adde euer more crude to crude Opening their vessell letting their matters keele The sparme conceiued they nourish not but delude Themselues and spâ—ll their worke each deele If thou therefore haue lift to doe weele Close vp thy Matrix and nourish the seede With heat
water anone First it out leadeth and after it bringeth it in As water with water which will not lightly twin And so may water only our water meeue Which mouing causeth both death and life And water to water doth kindly cleeue Without repugnance or anie strife Which water to fooles is nothing rife Being of the kinde withouten doubt Of the spirit called water and leader out And water is the secret and life of euery thing That is of substance in this world yfound For of water each thing hath his beginning As showeth in women when they shalbe vnbound By water which passeth before if all be sound Called Albien first from them running With greeuous throwes before their childing And truly that is the cause most principall Why Philosophers charge vs to be patient Till time the water be dried to powder all With nourishing heate continuall not violent For qualities be contrarious of euerie element Till after blacke in white be made an vnion Of them for euer congeald without diuision And furthermore the preparation of this conuersion From thing to thing from one state to another Is done onely by kindly and discreete operation Of Nature as is of sperme within the mother For sperme and heate are as sister and brother Which be conuerted in themselues as nature can By action and passion at last to perfect man For as the bodily part by nature was combynâ—te Into man is such as the beginner was Which though it thus froÌ„ thing to thing was alterate Not out of kinde to mixe with other kinde did passe And so our matter spermaticall within our glasse Within it selfe must turne from thing to thing By heate most temperate only it nourishing An other example naturall I may thee tell How the substance of an egge by nature is wrought Into a Chicken not passing out of the shell A plainer example could I not haue thought And their conuersions be made till forth be brought From state to state the like by like in kinde With nourishing heate onely beare this in minde Another example here also thou maist read Of vegetable things taking consideration How euerie thing groweth of his owne seede Through heate and moysture by naturall operation And therfore myneralls be nourished by ministration Of moysture radicall which there beginning was Not passing their kinde within one glas There we them turne from thing to thing againe Into their mother the water when they goe Which principle vnknowen thou labourest in vaine Then all is sperme and things there be no moe But kinde with kinde in number two Male and female agent and patient Within the matrix of the earth most orient And these be turned by heate from thing to thing Within one glasse and so from state to state Vntill the time that nature doth them bring Into one substance of the water regenerate And so the sperme with his kinde is alterate Able in likenes his kinde to multiply As doth in kinde all other things naturally In the time of this said proces naturall While that the sperme conceiued is growing The substance is nourished with his owne menstruall Which water only out of the earth did spring Whose colour is greene in the first showing And from that time the Sunne hidâ—th his light Taking his course throughout the North by night The sayd menstruall is I say to thee in counsell The blood of our greene Lyon and not of vitriall Dame Venus can the troth of this thee tell At the beginning to counsell if thou her call This secret is hid by Philosophers great and small Which blood drawne out of the greene Lyon For lack of heate had not perfect digestion But this blood called our secreat menstruall Wherewith our sperme is nourished temperately When it is turned into the feces corporall And so become white perfectly and very drye Congeald and fixed into his owne bodie Then biscoct blood to sight it may well seeme Of this worke named the milke white Dyademe Vnderstand now that our firie water thus acuate Is called our menstruall water wherein Our earth is loosed and naturally calcinate By Congelation that they may neuer twinne But yet to congeale more water thou may not linne Into three partes of the acuate water sayd afore With the fourth parte of the earth congealed and no more Vnto that substance therefore so congelate The fourth parte put of water christaline And make them then together to be dispousate By Congelation into a miner metaline Which like a sworde new slipped will shine After the blacknes which first will shew The fourth parte then giue it of water new Imbibitions many it must haue yet Giue it the second and after the third also The sayd proportion keeping in thy witt Then to another the fourth time looke thou goe The fift time and the sixt passe not therefore But put two partes at each time of them three And at the seuenth time fiue partes must there bee When thou hast made seauen times Imbibition Againe then must thou turne about thy wheele And putrifie all that matter without addition First blacknes abiding if thou wilt doe weele Then into whitenes congeale it vp each deele And after by rednes into the south ascend Then hast thou brought thy base vnto an end Thus is thy water then diuided into partes two With the first parte the bodies be putrificate And to thine Imbibitions the second parte must goe With which thy matter is afterwarde demigrate And soone vpon easie decoction albificate Then is it named by Philosophers out starry stone Bring that to rednes then is the sixt gate wonne The end of the sixt gate Of Cibation The seuenth Gate NOw of Cibation I turne my pen to write Sith it must here the seuenth place occupie But in few words it wilbe expedite Take heede therefore and vnderstand me wittelie Cibation is called a feeding of our matter drie With milke and meate which moderately thou doe Vntill it be brought the third order vnto But giue it neuer so much that thou it glut Beware of dropsey and also of Noahs flood By little and little therefore thou to it put Of meate and drinke as seemes to doo it good That watry humours not ouergrow the blood To drinke therefore let it be measured so That kindly appetite thou neuer quench it fro For if it drinke too much then must it haue A vomit or els it wilbe sick too long From the dropsie therefore thy wombe thou saue And from the flâ—x or els it wilbe wrong But rather let it thirst for drinke among Than thou shouldst giue it ouermuch at once Which must in youth be dieted for the nonce And if thou diet it as nature doth require Moderately till time that it be growen to age From colde it keeping and nourishing with moyst fire Then shall it growe and wexe full of courage And doe to thee both pleasure and aduantage For he shall make darke bodies whole and bright Clensing their leprosies through his might Three
Hermes named seemely to see Of which one pippin a thousand will multiplie If thou canst make thy proiection wittely And like as Saffron when it is puluerizate By little and little if it with liquor be Tempred and then with much more liquor dilate Teyneth much more of liquor in quantitie ThaÌ„ being whole in his grosse nature so shalt thou see That our Elixer the more it is made thinne The further in tincture it fastly will rinne Keepe in thy fire therefore both euen and morrow From house to house that thou neede not to rinne Among thy neighbours thy fire to seeke or borrow The more thou keepest the more good shalt thou win Multiplying it alwaies more more thy glasse within By feeding with Mercurie vnto thy liues end So shalt thou haue more than thou needest to spend This matter is plaine I will no more Write thereof let reason thee guide Be neuer the bolder to sinne therefore But serue thy God the better in each tide And while that thou shalt in this life abide Beare this in minde forget not I thee pray As thou shalt appeare before God at domes day His owne great giftes therefore and his treasure Dispose thou vertuously helping the poore at neede That in this world thou mayst to thee procure Mercy and grace with heauenly blisse to meede And pray to God deuoutly that he thee leade In at the twelfth gate as he can best Soone after then thou shalt end thy conquest The end of the eleuenth gate Of Proiection The twelfth Gate IN Proiection it shal be proued if our practise be profitable Of which it behoueth me the secrets here to moue Therefore if thy tincture be sure and not variable By a little of thy medicine thus mayst thou proue With mettle or with Mercury as pitch it will cleaue And teyne in Proiection all fires to abide And soone it will enter and spread him full wide But many by ignorance doe marre that they made When on mettals vnclensed Proiection they make For because of corruption their tinctures must fade Which they would not away first from the body take Which after Proiection be brittle blew and black That thy tincture therefore may euermore last First vpon ferment thy medicine see thou cast Then brittle as glasse will thy ferment bee Vpon bodies clensed and made very pure Cast that brittle substance and soone shalt thou see That they shall be curiously coloured with tincture With all assayes for euer shall endure But profitable Proiection perfectly to make At the Psalmes of the Psalter example thou take On Fundamenta cast first this psalme Nunc diâ—â—ittis Vpon verba mea then cast Fundamenta beliue Then Verba vpon diligam conceiue me with thy wits And diligam vpon attendite if thou list to thriue Thus make thou Proiections three foure or fiue Till the tincture of the medicine beginne to decrease And then it is time of Proiection to cease By this mistie talking I meane nothing else But that thou must cast first the lesse on the more Encreasing aye the number as wisemen thee tells And keepe thou this secreat vnto thy selfe in store Be couetous of cunning it is no burden sore For he that ioyneth not the Elixer with bodies made cleane He wotteth not surely what Proiection doth meane Ten if thou multiplie first into ten One hundreth that number maketh sickerly If one hundreth into an hundreth be multiplied then Ten thousand is that number if thou count it wittely Then into as much more ten thousand to multiplie It is a thousand thousand which multiplied ywis Into as much more a hundreth millions is That hundreth millions being multiplyed likewise Into ten thousand millions as I to thee doe say Maketh so great a number I wot not what it is Thy number in Proiection thus multiplye alway Now childe of thy curtesie for me that thou pray Sith I haue tolde thee our secrets all and some To the which I beseech GOD by grace thou mayst come Now hast thou conquered these gates twelue And all the Castle thou holdest at thy will Keepe thy secreats in store to thy selfe And the commaundements of God looke thou fulfill In fire see thou continue thy glasses still And multiply thy medicines aye more and more For wise men doe say that store is no sore The ende of the twelue Gates intituled Ripleys Compound of Alchymie Recapitulatio totius operis praedicti FOr to bring this Treatise to a finall ende And briefly here to conclude these secrets all Diligently looke thou and to thy figure attend Which doth in it containe these secrets great small And if thou it conceiue both theoricall and practicall By figures and colours by scripture plaine It wittily conceiued thou mayst not worke in vaine Consider first the latitude of this precious Stone Beginning in the first side noted in the West Where the red man the white woman be made one Spoused with the spirite of life to liue in rest Earth and water equally proportionate that is best And one of the earth is good and of the spirit three Which twelue to fowre also of the earth may bee Three of the wife and one of the man thou take And the lesse of the spirit in this dispousation The rather thy Calcination for certain shalt thou make Then forth into the North proceed by obscuration Of the red man and his white wife called Eclipsation Loosing them and altring them betwixt winter vere Into water turning earth darke and nothing cleare From thence by colours many one into the East ascend Then shall the Moone be full appearing by day-light Then is she passed purgatorie and her course at an end There is the vprising of the Sunne appearing bright There is Summer after Vere and day after night TheÌ„ earth water which wer black be turned to aire And clouds of darknes ouerblown all apeareth faire And as in the west was the beginning of thy practise And the North the perfect meane of profouÌ„d alteratioÌ„ So in the East after them the beginning of speculatioÌ„ is But of this course vp in the south the sun maketh coÌ„suÌ„matioÌ„ Ther bin the elements turned into fire by circulatioÌ„ Then to win to thy desire thou needst not be in doubt For the wheele of our philosophie thou hast turned about But yet about againe two times turne thy wheele In which bin coÌ„preheÌ„ded all the secrets of our philosophy In chapiters 12. made plaine to thee if thou coÌ„ceiue theÌ„ well And all the secrets by by of our lower Astronomy How thou shalt calcine bodies perfit dissolue diuide putrifie With perfect knowledge of all the poles which in our heauen beene Shining with colours inexplicable neuer were gayer seene And thus our secret conclusion know withouten faile Our red man teineth not nor his wife til they teined be Therefore if thou list thy selfe by this craft to auaile The altitude of the bodies hide shewe out their profunditie In euery of
milke sod with wine nourisheth moysture radicall But a good Phisition who so intendeth to be Our lower Astronomie needeth well to know And after that to learne well vrine in a glasse to see And if it neede to be chafed the fire for to blow Then wittily it by diuers wayes for to throw After the cause to make a medicine bliue Truly telling the infirmities all on a row Who this can doe by his Phisick is like to thriue VVe haue our heauen incorruptible of the quintessence Ornate with signes Elements and starres bright VVhich moysteth our earth by subtill influence And of it a secret sulphure hid from sight It fetcheth by vertue of his actiue might Like as the Bee fetcheth honey out of the flower VVhich thing could doe no other worldly wight Therefore to God be all glory and honour And like as yee to water doth relent VVhere it was congealed by violence of colde VVhen Phoebus it shineth with his heate influent Euen so to water minerall reduced is our golde As witnesseth plainely Albert Raymond and Arnold By heate and moysture and by craft occasionate VVhich congelation of the spirits loe now J haue tolde How our materialls together must be proportionate At the dyers craft you may learne this science Beholding with water how decoction they make Vpon the wad or madder easily and with patience Till tinctures doe appeare which then the cloth doth take Therein so fixed that they will neuer forsake The cloth for washing after they ioyned be Euen so our tinctures with the water of our lake VVe draw by boyling vvith the ashes of Hermes tree Which tinctures when they by craft are made perfite So dyeth mettles with colours aye permanent After the qualitie of the medicine red or white That neuer away with anie fire wilbe brent To this example if you take good tent Vnto your purpose the rather you shall winne And let your fire be easie and not too feruent Where nature did leaue what time you did beginne First calcine and after that putrifie Dissolue distill sublime discend and fixe With Aqua vitae oft times both wash and drie And make a marriage the bodie and spirite betwixt Which thus together naturallie if you can mixe In loosing of the bodie the water congeald shalbe Then shall the bodie die vtterlie of the flixe Bleeding and changing his colours as you shall see The third day againe to life he shall arise And deuoure birds and beasts of the wildernesse Crowes popingaies pies peacocks and mauois The Phoenix with the Eagle and the Griffin of fearfulnesse The greene Lion with the red Dragon he shall distresse With the white Dragon and the Antelop Vnicorne Panther With other beasts and birds both more and lesse The Basiliske also which almost each one doth feare Jn bus and nibus he shall arise and descend Vp to the Moone and sith vp to the Sunne Through the Ocean sea which round is withouten end Onely shippen within a little glassen tunne When he is there come then is the mastrie wonne About which iourney great goods you shall not spend And yet you shall be glad that euer it was begunne Patiently if you list to your worke attend For then both bodie and spirite with oyle and water Soule and tincture one thing both white and red After colours variable it containeth whatsouer men clatter Which also is called after he hath once been dead And is reuiued our Markaside our Magnet and our lead Our Sulphur our Arsinike and our true Calx viue Our Sunne our Moone our ferment and our bread Our toad our Basiliske our vnknowen bodie our man our wife Our bodie thus naturally by craft when he is renouate Of the first order is medicine called in our Philosophie Which oftentimes againe must be propertualicate The round wheele turning of our Astronomie And so to the Elixer of spirits you must come for why Till the sonne of the fixed by the sonne of the fixer be ouergone Elixer of bodies named it is onely And this found secret poynt deceaueth manie one This naturall proces by helpe of craft thus consummate Dissolueth Elixer spirituall in our vnctuous humiditie Then in Balneo Mare together let them be circulate Like new honie or oyle till perfectly they be thickned Then will that medicine heale all infirmitie And turne all mettals to Sunne and Moone perfectly Thus you shall make the great Elixer and Aurum potabile By the grace and will of God to whom be all honour and glorie Amen quod George Ripley FINIS George Ripleys Wheele mentioned in his Worke. In the Sunne he puts his tabernacle Sunne and moone blessed be ye The flouds vvent avvaie in the drith Coelum Sol conuerted into darknes and Lvna into blood â—horm ♉ ♠♑ Occidentalis Atteâ—tiue Autumne VVest 🜃 ♋ ♠♓ Aquea flegmatica Australia Expulsiue VVinter North. 🜄 ♊ â™’ ♎ Sanguinea veria Masculina c. OrieÌ„ntalis digestiue East 🜠♈ ♌ â™ Ignea Choleria Meridionalis Attractiue SuÌ„mer South 🜂 The altitude of the stone fierie in qualitie shining more than perfect quintessence and end of the practise speculatiue Sol tenet ignem South As Christ the Scripture making mentioÌ„ In the holy wombe descended of Marie FroÌ„ his high throne for our redemption Working the holy Ghost to be incarnate So here our Stone descends froÌ„ his estate Into the womb of our Virgin Mercuriall To helpe his brethren from filth originall The fâ—rst or West latitude of the Stone and enâ—ring into the practiue pole and earthly in qualitie occasionate Saturne holdeth the earth West As Christ his godhead hid froÌ„ our sight When he our kinde to him did take Euen so our Sun his beames of light As for a time hath him forsake For vnder the wings of his make The Moone he hideth in his glory And dieth in kind that he may multiply The darke profunditie of the Stone in the North Purgatorie all imperfect waâ—rie in qualitie variable in colour the eclipse of the Sunne Mercurius tenet aquam North. As Christ our Sauiour was tumulate After his passion and death on tree And after his bodie was glorificate Vprose indued with immortalitie â—o here our Stone buried after penaltie Vpriseth from darknes colors variable Appearing in the East with clearenes incomperable The East latitude of the Stone and entring into the speculatiue aier of the full Moone Iupiter holdeth the aier East As Christ froÌ„ earth to heauen did ascend In cloudes of clearnes vp to his throne And raigneth there shining without end Right so our Sunne now made our Stone Vnto his glory againe is gone His fire possessing here in the South With power to heale leapers and renewe youth From paradise they goe to heauen to woon shinining brighter than doth the Sun ✚ Here the red man and his white wiâ—â— Be spoused with the spirite of life Into Paradice here we goe There to be purged of paine and woe Here be they passed their paines all Exceeding in brightnes the christall ♄ ☉ ☉ ♃ ☽ ☽ ♂ ☿ ☿ ☉ ♀ ☿ ☽ He brought vvater out of the stone oyle out of the most hard rock The Sunne is in the eclipse and the Moone shall not shine by night Our heauen this figure called is our table also of the lower astronomy Which vnderstood thou canst not mis to make our medicine perfectly on it therefore set thou thy studie And vnto God both night day For grace and for the Author pray To the indifferent Reader FOrasmuch Gentle reader as nothing can be performed with what singularity of iudgement exquisite foresight great care and diligence soeuer in any action of importance but that some fault or error must of necessitie be coÌ„mitted it being an vnseperable propertie of nature accident vnto men to erre for that it is impossible for the most curious quickest and piercing eye to see all things I hope therefore thou wilt not finde it strange if any thing haue bin mistaken by me in deciphering of this worke by conference of many olde rude and ill written Copies out of which the same with great trauel and industry hath been gathered as the Rose from among the Briers and Thornes or the sweete Violet out of the Nettles for that euery man carried with a seuerall opinion and sense thinketh best of his iudgement Copie and correction whereupon it was not possible for me to ground any certaintie if I had not happened on a most auncient recorde thereof and vsed the assistance of a most notable and experienced decipherer of olde and vnperfect writing and after conferred with many skilfull persons in this high Arte praying thee if in reading hereof thou shalt note any fault in matter or forme that thou wilt curteously note the same and send it vnto me or the house of Peter Bales in the Olde Bayly to bee corrected vppn the next generall impression there being but a small number of these Bookes imprinted remayning at this time in his handes to be priuately deliuered to the learned desirous thereof Vale.
times must thou turne about thy wheele Still keeping the rule of the said Cibation And then as soone as it the fire doth feele Like waxe it wilbe readie vnto liquation This chapter needeth no longer protestation For I haue tolde thee the dietorie most conuenient After thine Elements be made equipolent And also how to whitenes thou shalt bring thy golde Most like in figure to leaues of hawthorne tree Called Magnesia afore as I haue tolde And our white Sulphure without combustibilitie Which from the fire away will neuer flie And thus the seuenth Gate as you desired In the vprising of the Sunne is conquered The end of the seuenth Gate Of Sublimation The eight Gate HEre of our Sublimation a word or two I haue to speake which the eight Gate is Fooles doo sublime but sublime thou not so For we sublime not as they doe ywis To sublime truly therefore thou shalt not mis If thou canst make thy bodies first spirituall And then thy spirits as I haue taught thee corporall Some doe Mercurie from vitrioll and salt sublime And other spirits from scales of yron and steele From egg-shels calcined and from quick lime And in their manner yet sublime they right weele But such subliming accordeth neuer a deele To our intents for we sublime not so To true subliming therefore now will I goe In Sublimation first beware of one thing That thou sublime to the top of the vessell For without violence thou shalt it not downe bring Againe but there it will abide and dwell So it reioyceth with refrigeration I thee tell Keepe it therefore with temperate heate adowne Full fortie dayes till it wexe blacke and browne For then the soule beginneth to come out From his owne veynes for all that subtill is Will with the spirite ascend withouten doubt Beare in thy minde therefore and thinke on this How here eclipsed been thy bodies As they doe putrifie subliming more and more Into water vntill they be all vp ybore And thus their venome when they haue spued out Into the water then blacke it doth appeare Becomming spirituall each deale without doubt Subliming easilie in our manner Into the water which doth him beare For in the ayre our childe must thus be bore Of the water againe as I haue said before But when these two by Sublimation continuall Be laboured so with heate both moyst and temperate That all is white and purely made spirituall Then heauen vpon earth must be reiterate Vntill the soule with the bodie be incorporate That earth become all that before was heauen Which wilbe done in Sublimations seauen And Sublimations we make for causes three The first cause is to make the bodie spirituall The second is that the spirite may corporaâ—l bee And become fixt with it and consubstantiall The third cause is that from his filthie originall He may be cleansed and his saltnes sulphurious May be minished in him which is infectious Then when they thus together depured be They will sublime vp whiter than the snowe That sight will greatly comfort thee For then anon perfectly thou shalt knowe The spirits shall so adowne ythrowe That this eight Gate shalbe to thee vnlocked Out of the which many be shut and mocked The end of the eight Gate Of Firmentation The ninth Gate TRue Firmentation few Workers vnderstand That secret therefore I will expound to thee I trauailed truly through manie a Land Ere euer I might finde any that would tell it mee Yet as God would euermore blessed be hee At the last I came to the knowledge thereof perfite Take heede therefore what I thereof doe write Firmentations in diuers manners be doone By which our medicine must be perpetuate Into cleere water some looseth Sunne and Moone And with their medicines make them to be congelate Which in the fire when they be examinate May not abide nor alter with complement For such Firmenting is not to our intent But yet more kindly some other men doone Fermenting their medicines in this wise In Mercurie dissoluing both Sunne and Moone Till time with the spirit they will arise Subliming them together twice or thrice Then Fermentation therewith they make That is a way but yet we it forsake Some other there be which haue more hap To touch the troth in part of fermenting They amalgame their bodies with Mercurie like pap Then therevpon their medicines relenting These of our secrets haue some henting But not the truth with perfect complement Because they neither putrifie nor alter their Ferment That poynt therefore I will disclose vnto thee Looke how thou didst with thine vnperfect bodie Doe so with thy perfect bodies in each degree That is to say first thou them putrifie Their former qualities destroying vtterly For this is wholly to our intent That first thou alter before thou ferment To thy compound make firment the fourth part Which ferments been only of Sunne and Moone If thou therefore be maister of this Arte Thy Fermentation let thus be doone Fixe water and earth together soone And when thy medicine as waxe doth flowe Then vpon malgames looke thou it throwe And when all that together is mixed Aboue the glasse well closed make thy fire And so continue it till all be fixed And well fermented to thy defire Then make Proiection after thy pleasure For that is medicine each deale perfite Thus must thou ferment both red and white For like as flowre of wheate made into paste Requireth ferment which leauen we call Of bread that it may haue the kindly taste And become foode to man and woman cordiall Right so thy medicine ferment thou shall That it may taste of the Ferment pure At all assayes for euer to endure And vnderstand that there be Ferments three Two be of bodies in nature cleene Which must be altred as I haue told thee The third most secret of which I meene Is the first earth of his water greene And therefore when the Lion doth thurst Make him to drinke till his belly burst Of this a Question if I should mooue And aske of workers what is this thing Anon thereby I should them prooue If they had knowledge of our fermenting For manie a man speaketh with wondring Of Robin hood and of his bowe Which neuer shot therein I trowe For Fermentation true as I thee tell Is of the soule with the bodies incorporation Restoring to it the kindly smell With tast and colour by naturall conspissation Of things disseuered a due reintegration Whereby the bodie of the spirit taketh impression That either the other may help to haue ingression For like as bodies in their compaction corporall May not shewe out their qualities effectually Vntill the time that they become spirituall No more may spirits abide with bodies stedfastly Till they with them be confixate proportionally For then the bodie teacheth the spirit to suffer fire And the spirit the bodie to enter to thy defire Therefore thy gold with gold thou must ferment With his owne water thy earth cleansed I