Transcribed and Translated from Elias Zetzner - Teatrum Chemicum tom 4
AVICENNA’S LETTER TO HASEN THE KING
ON THE TRUE THING
Chapter 1.
Various matters, which he knew, were discussed between Hasen and me. He requested me in one part to write them down in a formal treatise so that they might be better understood, and so I might make him comprehend the methods by which I approached the matter, according to what I had thought and learned. I considered this deeply and subtly in natural things, and found the opinion asserted by those who profess Alchemy to be one of the things most opposed by those who strive for goodness and knowledge, and their opinion is thereby destroyed. Yet for my part, I had no excuse in my art for not knowing the intention of both sects.
I therefore examined the books of those affirming the art and found them empty of the rational arguments which every art requires, and I discovered that most of what they contain is more akin to delusion. I also examined the books of the contradictors and found their opposition weak and their reasoning trivial, of the sort that cannot destroy any art.
I thus returned to myself and began to reflect and meditate whether this is real, and if so, how it is real—and how it is not. I wrote, therefore, that it is possible to dye the moon with the color of the sun and Venus with the color of the moon. Then a red tincture is necessary to redden, and a white one to whiten. I further wrote that through the mixture of tinctures with bodies, the production of the Stone is not possible until they are lightened and made fluid. Then, such lightening and flow are not possible at the beginning of the matter until they are melted. But when they have been melted, not every red or white tincture brings us to our intended goal. For when treated upon fire, it burns, is corrupted, and does not perfect. Or, if it does not burn, it is not fixed by fire but instead evaporates and flees.
It is of no use if it is not burnt yet does not enter, nor is mixed. Or, if it enters and is mixed but does not remain fixed in disposition, then it putrefies, evaporates, and separates in some way—and in all such separation, it does not perfect. Or, if it does not separate and does not evaporate, but does not cause the body to be non-burnable against the things that burn it—so that it remains in the moon and does not make the moon unburnable against those that do not burn the sun, but burn the moon, like salt and others by which the sun is purified from the moon and is composed.
Likewise, if it does not make Venus such that it is not burned by those which do not burn the moon but do burn Venus—similarly for lead and others—we need, then, a medicine of citrine or white tincture which may be mixed with putrefied bodies and is not burned by sharp things that burn everything, and which does not allow the burning agents to separate the parts of the body.
I then considered whether there is in the simple medicines any which possess these operations, and I did not find among them any that attain to this medicine with such qualities—except what has been answered to you about the discovery of a plant whose nature and essence is such, and red sulfur has been found with it, and white arsenic—these possess such operations.
Nevertheless, in my judgment, this is vanity. None of those who are wise in medicine has achieved what this story suggests. It is necessary, then, for us to discover this operation by ourselves. Let us therefore seek a tincture that fire does not corrupt, and a substance that may mix with the melted bodies, and a solidifying substance, and a coagulating substance, a fixed uniting one, and a device for mixing them together so that they become a single united substance into which fire does not imprint and which is dyed by what is within it of tincture, and is mixed with the permixable substance, and is solidified always with the consolidating substance, and is always fixed with the fixed substance.
If we attain these five things, we attain our intended goal.
On the Tinctures
Chapter 2.
As for the white tincture, it must be known that we found living Zaimbar to whiten, and we found that with its whitening it adheres to and penetrates bodies—so that when copper is pulverized and decocted in vinegar with its medicines, it does not delay before the whiteness penetrates its inner parts, so that its outward and inward become like the moon in whiteness. Thus, it is shown that when we have prepared mercury with an increase in regimen, its impression and operation will be added to us.
However, we found it to flee from fire and to separate from the mixture, and it does not combine with everything that we wish to whiten. But it has the good property of not burning at all on the fire, but only being heated by it. Thus we are excused from laboring in removing the destruction by burning, only heating it. And we know that when it is prepared so that it mixes with the melted bodies and remains in them whitening according to its disposition, we saw at the beginning of its operation that drying and the destruction of its uniformity are necessary—so that it is heated until it is pulverized, or broken, or ground.
So that when prepared, and we wish to grind and mix it with things, it is neither living nor hidden, and is able to absorb waters, if perhaps the necessity of that arises with substances which we cannot do without if we desire conjunction and mixture. Its path, then, is to decoct it on fire so that its running parts are separated from it and the dry part remains. Further, this is possible so that the running part is evaporated and the dry part remains, since the nature of the whole is such that most of it is dominated by what is more, so that it appears especially when our way is to mix with it medicines that we cannot separate from it.
So the regimen is to place its moist and dry parts, and to distill its moist part and hide its dry part within its hidden part. Then we repeat this many times so that after that it is no longer hidden, and so when something of it burns, it burns at the bottom of the instrument and purifies the extraneous thing with it, and the dry part is sublimated, and from its uniform substance, and also that which does not burn, a white powder in which there is no burning at all, and a coagulated white in which there is no burning at all.
We therefore need a sublimation vessel. Let us take a long vessel, round at the bottom, and place its smaller part in the fire and most of it above on a plate prepared for it. We prepare above its head a cover perforated in the middle so that the head of the vessel fits into it, and upon the cover we place a lid so that what is sublimated of the vapor of mercury is contained in it. Upon the lid there is a hole, and in it is a cleverly made closure to open it when it is estimated that the furnace is finished and it is observed whether the vapor has left and sublimed.
When we wish to sublimate it, we grind it after its mortification with that which mortifies it, so that it is ground with burning substances that make it pervious or first dry it out, such as salt, ink, lime, and other things similar to these. Then, if we wish and the mixture is good, we combine it equally with those and grind it. This is so we may convert it and place it in a straight glass vessel, and coat the vessel with the clay of wisdom and dry it, and place it in the Athanor, that is, the bread oven.
And we will indeed say afterward how mercury is mortified and how the clay of wisdom is made. Then after the roasting we grind it and leave it in the sublimation vessel, called the Alludel, and we sublimate it in it many times. When it rests, we renew its mixture and sublimate it again on the same sediment. We repeat this many times until it dies and is whitened. Sometimes it is completed in seven repetitions, and sometimes we wait upon it up to twelve, which is the utmost.
And sometimes we place it in the Kimiya lined with the clay of wisdom, carefully, and close its head, after we have taken its dew, as we will explain later. Then we sublimate the medicine so it rises and is completed, and is pierced at the throat, turned like crystal, sometimes like tin, sometimes like stony salt.
But after we have sublimated it, and these things proceed with rational deliberation and experience, afterward we understand that the intention in it is to dry mercury and make it pervious. When we have done that, we find a tinging and lasting power, even of better tincture and penetration, so that it does not differ at all from the color of pure silver—indeed, it is a more incisive tincture and more perfect in whiteness. And these things were known to us before experimentation, by subtle, intense, and long contemplation.
Thus the white tincture came to us, free from the things we needed.
ON THE RED TINCTURE
According to what we have found, at the beginning there is nothing that makes red. Indeed, we have found that everything which penetrates into silver and the rest of things tinctured by it leads it to blackness. Moreover, we see that silver, when prepared with sulfur, produces a yellowish color; then, when it remains, it blackens it—and likewise, when it continues, the blackness becomes stronger. And when it is projected onto it in melting, it burns and perforates it. And we know that the way to whiteness is not through that which blackens by burning, but rather by the path of yellowness and redness, because of principles which we already know.
Therefore, since we know that when it is resolved into water, and is pure—even if green—it does not cause it to become green, but reddens it, we know that it is possible for us, from things that blacken the moon, to bring forth a citrine tincture by an easy operation. And we have understood that a substance in which there is burning, when it is decocted, the first thing to be released from it is the fiery power within it, because it is lighter and more suitable for evaporation and separation than the power of the other elements.
Therefore, we have found that we must separate from sulfur and arsenic, or from some ointments, whatever in them blackens silver—even though sulfur is better than all minerals. So, we found a way to do this: we decoct it in water with a gentle fire so that the fiery power in it is burned off and drawn out, and none of the substance of the sulfur or its fiery power is burned, and nothing of the potency of the sulfur escapes. And we do this only in order to isolate the tincture alone and to prepare it with what is appropriate—and to purify the sulfur with those things which we shall discuss later.
This immersion is not possible unless it is in some known vessel, nor is any boiling of waters possible unless it is buried either in dung, or in the sun, or in hot ashes. And the more the burial, and the more intense, the more the corruption is removed from it.
Furthermore, not every water moves the tincture and draws it out unless there is in it something sharp. Nevertheless, if plain water is taken, it is sufficient; but water in which there is sharpness is easier. And later we will explain how this must be done according to this example, so that the water is, as we have discovered through thought and experiment, easier.
Moreover, when we have decocted it in water, making decoction after decoction and removing the water, we will preserve this water whenever it is tinted red, and renew the water until no tincture remains. Then we combine the waters and distill them by igniting a fire until the pure red tincture is sublimated. Then the work we began is good.
But if a black tincture appears, it has been burned by us through over-decoction because the fire was stronger than it ought to have been. When, then, the red tincture appears, if we take it and continue its decoction in cold waters—such as distilled vinegar and filtrate extracted from coagulated and dissolved milk, and the sour essence of bran porridge, or the sourness of lemon and the rest—making decoction after decoction, so that when its fiery nature has been broken, that is, its operation weakened, and its yellowish hue remains due to its weakness in burning, and there remains only a small power of blackening within it—which is the citrination—so that that impression does not hinder, nor persist, but vanishes when fire is applied, then we have completed that kind of tincture.
And we, to whom it is necessary to temper its moisture until its mixture is easy with that to which we wish to join it—we have found its compatibility with other things, especially in giving shine and brightness to cinnabar mercury, since it is possible for it to be reddened like uzifur, and so that it is reddened in such a way that it is not burned when prepared in the work of those things which are burned.
And since red mercury, when waxed with what we will describe and is dissolved as we shall say, and becomes flowing red and tinges itself—and much more so when tincture is added to it, whose property is to combine and mix with it, just as in uzifur—except that uzifur burns, and this does not burn. And we only reach this through the work of uzifur and what we have learned about the violence of sulfur upon mercury and the reddening at the point of conjunction.
Then, when we compose and create this tincture with this mercury, placing equal parts of each—or less of the tincture—it is possible for us that the mercury, if unreddened, is resolved, because it is reddened when mixed with it as in uzifur, and since its reddening is possible, it will be better and more noble. And we shall bury both in dung so that they may be well and perfectly mixed.
Now, therefore, the white and red tinctures have been understood by us.
And this is the living thing of the five elements.
On the Permixable Substance for the Liquefied Material
Chapter 3.
Now the second element is that which is necessary for the permixable and liquefied substance, so that it may have within it the power to liquefy. And when we considered and inquired further, to the extent that we might find something which, when projected onto a liquefied substance, would adhere to it, mix with it, and be submerged in it, and not corrupt it, we found nothing except among minerals—sulfur—and among composites—arsenic. These, however, tend to flee and do not remain long, unless by a very brief time they are found beginning to proceed toward union with it.
We thus found no method other than the rectification of these, such that adhesiveness remains in them and burning is destroyed. I found, therefore, due to the necessary burning, that what evaporates from them over fire, and by their nature evaporates quickly. And we found the cause of their adhesion to be liquefaction. Then it imitates resemblance and proximity, which it shares in nature with the target.
We considered, therefore, the natural principles. The subject of liquefaction is flowing moisture, mixed with dry and earthy parts, in which it moves when fire dissolves them, and it is not possible that it is moved away from them due to the intensity of the mixture. We found the cause of evaporation to be the presence of moisture that is not strongly mixed into it—indeed, it is lifted from it and departs. And we found the cause of burning to be that it is already decocted and mixed with dryness, so that it reaches it through what is mixed in it of dryness. The waters, then, have excessive accidental heat, either shared with or altered by fire, such that it is fixed in us until there is a removal of the moisture which, with strong fire, is capable of converting certain watery parts of the body or the substance into fire—either before or during evaporation—and the fire is separated, or its dregs remain as ash, and this is what is burnt. And indeed, when it evaporates, it is already transformed into flame.
But the details of this, according to vitrification and the indicative and essential causes, is a matter that this book does not expand upon, though experiment testifies to it. And the rule is that excessive moisture is not burned; rather, when heat first encounters it, it is sublimated before burning. And if it is hidden in something, and not by its nature evaporative, so that it remains dry and stained with ash, nothing from it is burned—as in liquefied bodies.
Moreover, when it is contained in the body of a plant or animal in which there is innate heat and a permixable power, then if it is decocted with a dry thing, such that it is thoroughly mixed, and becomes an ointment or oil, it is inflamed or burned.
Likewise, when it is not an oil, but rather of intense mixture with dryness—and despite all this, it is not separated from its original oiliness—we observe that if the burning power is purified from it, and its oil destroyed so that only its moisture remains, it melts or adheres to it with that which we will later describe with the highest estimation.
I think that moisture in such bodies is not evacuated from its strong mixture with dryness in them, so that when fire drives it toward evaporation, and the dryness and sediment have ended their dominance, it is not separated; rather, it flows in them and liquefies or is lightened as in glass. And if the moisture is dominant, it expands and evaporates, so that the vapor is as smoke mixed with dryness within it, and this happens with things that are not purified or are like pure water.
Moreover, after we revivify that substance, by experiment it proved to be extremely, even supremely, dry, whitened by decoction with sublimation. Thus, thirdly, we have something that is not corrupted by evaporation, nor diminished by it, because its moisture and dryness are mixed with its own dryness.
And when we persist in working upon it, we destroy the burning from it. We have seen many methods for this. One of them is roasting with burning substances and those that open the body. Then there is sublimation. For certainly, in sublimation, that which is not burned is burned and purified beneficially.
And if something from it is certainly burned, we repeat the process until, in the end, we find white matter being sublimated in which there is no mixture of burning. And when we project it onto silver, it does not burn or corrupt it—and this was certain for us through trials, the recounting and recalling of which would be too lengthy—namely, that this operation does not destroy its substance, nor its depth, nor its adhesion. And that occurs with such speed and moistness as can be.
Thus, the innate earthiness of bodies is removed through sublimation, and by the resolution of their substance, all impurity is separated from them. This is from Geber. Burning, moreover, is when the substantial moisture of a thing is mixed, or burned, or corrupted. And we have already destroyed it. Therefore, it is not burned. And we also resolved most of the excessive moisture; for these are frozen because of that—thus, excessive moisture and burning moisture are destroyed, and the remaining moisture is strongly mixed with dryness. These moistures are frozen because they were melted as oil over fire.
After, then, we understood and tested it, we found it adhering, and we found it with this also whitening that which is not white—when that liquefaction is held so that it is not separated from it, either by agents mixed with it, or by constructing a bulbous vessel head, so that it does not find a way to escape from it. But we had already known this before the experiment, through reasoning confirmed by experiment—that a white mixed with white makes white.
After we found it to adhere and appear, what we sought was achieved. And sometimes it is not sublimated, but we decoct it in oil or water until its fiery power is separated from it and much of the excessive moisture evaporates into dryness, and moisture remains within the dryness—because it is not purified and stirred within it—it liquefies it.
Therefore, when they are aggregated bodily in oil or in water and placed over fire, they do not delay.
On the Conjoined Substance Which Fire Does Not Separate
Chapter 4.
Moreover, after we came to know this path, we discovered that common sulfur is used in both red and white elixirs—though it is better in the red—and that arsenic is more suitable in the white, according to experience, although everything is generally compatible with everything else. Furthermore, it is possible for us to prepare them for the red elixir with the quality of animal substances, so that we redden it with things that fire causes to become red. These are the waters of atraments (ink-like substances), and they produce yellowish tinctures.
Thus, what serves to whiten is the white substance, with the enhancement of its purpose being more intensely whitening. And what serves to redden, when applied, is more intrinsically whitening. The conjoined substance is this aggregated moisture which fire does not separate, and it has now come to us from those oils.
On the Fixed Substance
Chapter 5.
We sought a fixed substance among those we mentioned, a substance we might take as fixed. We found it to be everything that does not flee from fire—even the liquefiable or non-liquefiable bodies. And we found all of them to be obstacles to our operation. Nevertheless, those that are liquefied are closer in assimilation, and they are improved when they remain as bodies having inherent liquefaction. It is not possible for another thing to be mixed in.
And when the parts are sublimated with which movement is possible, they are fixed; and it is possible for them to return to their original state over fire. Therefore, we must burn them and calcine them, and if possible, after combustion, turn them into powder—perhaps then they will not flow.
Indeed, the form of their species is destroyed in them, as Aristotle explained in De Auditu Naturali (“On the Hearing of Nature”), for experiment destroys specific form. When it comes to this, it will be possible for us to attain our intention through them.
We have seen—indeed, we see clearly—that we may take the moon from the moon, which is best, or from lead; and the sun from the sun, which is best, or from Venus. It is possible for us to take lime from the moon—which is white lead (cerussa)—and it will be one of the whitening agents. And from the sun we obtain a red powder (usifur), which will be one of the reddening agents.
On Composition
Chapter 6.
After the oil, tincture, lime, and all other whitening agents have been obtained for the white, and the tincture, oil, and all other reddening agents for the red, it will be necessary for us to compose them together so that they become one substance. And this is not possible unless by their mutual penetration and mixture.
And we now see through experience that, when mixed with water, they are powerfully united, then dried, coagulated, and glued together—so that if the strength of the volatile overcomes the fixed, it will fly away with it; and if not, it will be fixed with it.
We have seen many things dissolve and coagulate, and their powers remain—such as salt, salari, and dragantum. And we know through many principles of natural science that it is possible for lubricous (slippery or unctuous) substances, whose root is from earth and water, to be dissolved and made flowing. Then, by other rules, we know that these aforementioned elixirs, when dissolved, are not hindered by dissolution from their fundamental operations; rather, we retain from their power what we seek.
Experiment confirms the validity of such reflection. We have therefore observed among things the most suitable for that dissolution and flow, and then coagulation, so that by uniting the root, a single thing is made—stable, tincting, penetrating, consolidating, and enduring.
We considered that, when we use trituration (grinding), namely the trituration of mixed, resolved hot waters, repeatedly combined, this would serve as a kind of resolution. We therefore did the same with things for the sake of experimentation. Sometimes it succeeded, and sometimes it did not—either due to the weakness of the instruments, or faults in the operation, or due to particular accidental factors which cannot be fully grasped.
Thus our intention in these two chapters was the full completion of the art of the elixir. Therefore, with praise to God, the sought intention was achieved. The roots of the white elixir were: prepared mercury, whitened sulfur, calcined body (lime), and cerussa—these, when joined and mixed, form the complete elixir.
And the roots of the yellow (citrine) elixir were: prepared sulfur, prepared mercury, fixed white salt, and dried lime. And better than that is that all should be reddened.
Then let them be composed together, and from them a complete elixir will result.
On Hair, Egg, and Blood
Chapter 7.
After having heard many times that it is possible to make an elixir from hair, egg, blood, and many other parts of animals, we began therefore to experiment whether they have suspension and impression in liquefied bodies. Thus we found that they do not impress, but their vapor does—for it is suspended in the bodies, so that it begins to yellow silver, and likewise silver heated and submerged in it receives an impression.
We thus understood that in them there is tincture, and in them there is suspension. And we knew that hair, blood, and egg, when boiled with salt, coagulate with water into salt. And we knew that when we want to separate the tincture and suspension from them, it is only possible with fire and sublimation, in such a way that it does not stain.
And we knew that the first thing distilled from them is water, then oil, because it is more fixed over fire. We therefore distill them with gentle fire in a cucurbit and alembic. The water is first distilled, then the oil begins to be distilled. We continue distilling until they are exhausted and a residue remains, which we then burn with fire until we obtain a fixed calx over fire. Thus we obtained calx from it.
Then we knew that the tincture comes from the oil, and so we rectified it. Then we boiled it in nothing else but its own water—since that water is hot and salty—and when it is frozen, it becomes sal ammoniac through gentle decoction, until we extracted its tincture. Then we took it and boiled it in nothing else but its own water with etc.
Then we took the oil and boiled it in temperate waters with some acidity until they purified it, whitened it, and removed the burning from it. Thus liquefaction and suspension occurred, and the burning was destroyed from it.
We purified its calx until it became a white powder, and we found its water similar to mercury in minerals, its oil like sulfur in minerals, and its calx like lime in minerals. And the aggregated elixir from them was like the elixir that comes from minerals—truly broader, better, more effective, and more sublime.
On Preparations
Chapter 8.
On the Preparation of Mercury
Take mercury and coagulate it with the vapor of tin if it is for white, or of lead if for yellow. This is done by placing it in a cavity, namely of lead, and sprinkling upon it white ash or silvery marcasite for white, and golden marcasite or sulfur or copper ash for yellow.
Pour on it over the surface a scraped salt arob sufum, so that it does not mix, and repeat this many times until it congeals into stone. And when we place it into the hollow of a mortar, we press it into the lead until it perhaps congeals, and we lay it upon it, then we pull it away with iron many times until it congeals.
And if we want to congeal it, we grind it with mustard and water until it dies within it. Then we mix it with salt and vitriol; afterward, it is sublimated from them many times.
Then, if it is for the red, we imbibe it—after roasting and sublimating—with the redness of sulfur in its own water, and we sublime it with the redness of sulfur in its own water, and we sublime and congeal it until it coagulates like the coagulation in the neck of a kīmiyā (alchemical vessel). Indeed, all sublimation and congealing follow distillation.
On Arsenic and Sulfur
As for arsenic and sulfur, it was seen fitting to grind them thoroughly with iron filings and boil them with vinegar until dried, then roast them, then sublimate them, and repeat this with salt and vitriol and talc and natron and quicklime. And when they are congealed by glass and calcined air, singly or in combination, they freeze like salt or crystal, and sublimation is repeated many times until they are perfected.
On the Oil of Hair
As for the oil from hair, blood, and others, after its congealing with gentle heat, roast it continually until it thickens. Then, to extract the tincture from it, boil it in water in which talc or lime has already been boiled, using a mild nutrient solution, until its blackness is removed and it is whitened.
On Calcination
Chapter 9.
Bodies, indeed, when they are rubbed with sal ammoniac and vinegar, and when they are burned with burning agents, are treated thus until they receive either a grinding with salt, and sal ammoniac, and sulfur; and sometimes they are fed with mercury until mercury is sublimated from them many times—until only powder remains.
Then, that which is sought for whiteness is imbibed with distilled salt water and cerated, and is left in an aludel continually until it becomes a substance of which no part remains (i.e., fully unified). And that which is sought for yellowness is imbibed with waters of vitriol, wine, and union (possibly unius = "urine" or a combined matter), or conjoined with the redness of sulfur and other things, and egg oil; and its roasting is repeated until it becomes red—so that it becomes a powder in which no part remains (a perfectly unified compound).
On Dissolution
Chapter 10.
The easiest method we have found for dissolving these things is by converting the nature of the species into materials that can receive dissolution in their substance, such as salts and vitriols. And we have seen that sal ammoniac is the strongest of them. For we dissolve it and repeatedly imbibe the cerated substance with it by grinding and roasting it with heating, until it is all congealed into sal ammoniac.
This is done by pouring upon it a certain amount of dissolved sal ammoniac, then letting the body dry. What results we place into a bag and insert into a fiscarium (a kind of vessel for infusion), and we approach it with gentle fire. And when it begins to emit fumes, we remove it, then imbibe it again, and repeat this ten times. Then we repeat the imbibition again and do it until it is cerated and liquefies upon red-hot iron.
Then it is dissolved into water, and no trace remains of it—between twenty and thirty imbibitions. And we do not multiply them unless we want to prepare a more perfect grinding.
Indeed, the elixir of redness is more rightly made when the dissolved sal ammoniac is red, so that it is imbibed with vitriol water and sublimated until it becomes red, then dissolved.
These waters are aluminous, in which the substances are ground and cerated. When they are cerated, we dissolve them, if we wish, by burying in the kīmiyā vessel that has a sealed mouth, uncovering it above, or suspending it in a pit of dissolution, or by other methods—as in their other burials and furnaces.
And let it be suspended in pits or in a blind cucurbit with vapor of warm waters, and these are waters in which alkali has been boiled many times—until a feather burns in them and sal ammoniac is projected into them.
And if redness is sought, let sulfur and vitriols be added. For if we proceed with these methods, dissolution will occur in between forty days and three months.
When the waters are dissolved, we gather them and bury them until they are mixed. Then we place them in a vessel of burial and bury them in hot ash until they become red. Then they are dried and coagulated, and it is the elixir.
And when we imbibe it with sharp waters until they are mixed with it and are mutually dissolved, and we repeatedly treat it—thirty times or more or less—until none of it evaporates or all evaporates.
And know: when all of it evaporates well, then you have worked well in the composition—but you have erred in the calx. Therefore cool it, and understand that you must add to the tincture and suspension, but not beyond the proper bounds, so that the whole does not evaporate.
On the Elixir
This elixir dyes with its tincture, is submerged in its oil, and is fixed with its calx.
The oil is what gathers into a very subtle tincture and water.
The mercury is what carries the tincture.
And when the oil precedes with the calx that tinges with the tincture, it dyes along with it.
And when the calx is fixed, it is fixed with it on account of the strength of the mixture.
The example of calx is earth.
The white is completed by three rotations, in which there is no fire.
The red is completed by four rotations.
LATIN VERSION
AVICENNAE AD HASEN
REGEM EPISTOLA
DE RE RECTA.
Caput I.
Pertractata sunt inter me & Hasen, de eo quod ipse scit, varia, quae rogavit me in parte una in tradendo scribere, ut essent meliora, & ut faccerem eum intelligere, quibus modis ego ad illud applicui, secundum quod cogitavi & novi, dupliciter, subtiliter in rebus naturalibus consideravi, & fuit sententia, quam asserunt Alchimiam profitentes, una illarum rerum, quibus illi qui ad bonitatem & scientiam operantur plurimum contrariantur, & sententia illorum annihilantur. Mihi autem excusatio non fuit in arte mea quin scirem intentionem ambarum sectarum. Consideravi ergo libros affirmantium artem & inveni eos vacuos a rationibus quae sunt apud omnem artem & reperi plurimum ejus quod in ipsis continetur, alienationi similius. Et aspexi libros contradicentium & reperi contradictionem debilem & ratiocinationem levem, cujus simili ars non destruetur. Ad me ipsum igitur sum reversus & cogitavi & meditari coepi si hoc est, quomodo est, & quomodo non est. Scripsi itaque quod possibile est ut lunam in colorem solis tingamus & venerem in colorem lunae. Tunc necessaria est nobis tinctura rubea rubificans, & alba albificans. Scripsi praeterea quod per mixtionem tincturarum cum corporibus adducens lapidem non est possibilis antequam leviantur & currant. Deinde levificatio & eorum cursus non sunt possibiles in principio rei antequam liquefiant. Cum autem liquefacti fuerint, non omnis rubea tinctura aut alba facit consequi nos intentionem nostram. Nam cum tractatur super ignem aduritur, corrumpitur & non perficit. Aut si non aduritur sed non figitur apud ignem, sed evolat, & fugit. Non valet autem si non aduritur, neque evolat si non ingreditur, neque permiſcetur. Aut si haec ingreditur & permiſcetur, sed non remanent fixae dispositionis, imo putificatur, & evolat, & separatur quolibet modo separationis non perficit. Aut si non separatur, & non evolat, sed non efficit, non adustibile ab eis quae adurunt ut sistit in luna & non facit lunam non adustibilem ab eis, quae non adurunt solem, sed adurunt lunam ut sal & reliqua, quibus sol purificatur a luna & 5 conficitur. Similiter si non efficit venerem tale quod non aduritur ab eis quae non adurunt lunam, & adurunt venerem similiter, si non plumbi & reliqua. Indigemus ergo Medicina tinctura citrine aut albae quae corporibus putrefactis permisceatur, & non aduratur cum rebus acutis adurentibus omnia, & non permittat adurentia partes corporis separare. Consideravi ergo an in medicinis simplicibus sit medicina habens has operationes, & non inveni de medicinis quae ad hanc perveniunt medicinam habentem impressionem, nisi illud quod vobis responsum est de inventionae plantae cujus natura & ratio est haec quod, & sulphur rubeum repertum est haec repertum in fragma & arsenicum album, habent has operationes. Veruntamen quod meae seminantur existimationi est quod haec est vanitas. Non enim advenit alicui eorum, qui sapientes fuerint aliqua medicinarum cujus haec est narratio. Nobis itaque necessarium est ut hanc operationem per nosmet inveniamus. Inquiramus ergo tincturam quam ignis non corrumpat, & substantiam quae permisceatur liquefactis, & substantiam solidativam, & substantiam coagulativam, adunativam fixam superiorem, & ingenium ad permiscendum ista ad invicem ita ut fiant uniendō substantia una, in quam ignis non imprimat & tingat cum eo quod est in ea de tinctura, & permisceatur cum eo quod est in ipsa de substantia permiscibili, & consolidetur cum eo semper, quod est de substantia consolidativa, & figatur semper cum eo, quod est in ea de substantia fixa. Si ergo pervenimus ad has quinque res, pervenit ad nos intentio nostra.
De Tincturis.
Caput II.
De alba quidem tinctura sciendum est quod nos invenimus Zaimbar vivum albificare, & invenimus ipsum cum albificatione sua corporibus adhaerere & penetrare in ipsa, ita, ut cum subtilitatur aes, & decoquitur in aceto cum suis medicinis, non moratur quin penetret albedo ad interiora ejus, ut fiat ejus extrinsecum & intrinsecum simile lunae in albedine, & ita ut indicetur quod quando praeparavimus argentum vivum in augmento regimine addetur nobis ejus impressio & operatio, veruntamen invenimus ipsum fugere ab igne & separari a commixtione, & non conjungi cum omni re quae est de eis, quae volumus albificare. Sed cum hoc habet bonitatem quod non aduritur super ignem omnino, sed calefit ab eo tantum. Excusamur ergo ne laboremus in destructione adustionis ab eo tantum. Et scimus quod cum in ea sit praeparatio, ita ut commisceatur liquefactis, & remaneat in eis albificans secundum suam dispositionem, vidimus ita in principio rei ejus exsiccatioem & destructionem aequitatis ab eo fore necessaria, ita ut calefiat quod pulverisetur, aut frangatur, aut teratur, ita ut cum praeparatur, & volumus ipsum terere & permiscere cu rebus, non sit vivum neque occultum, & sit susceptibile quo ipsum imbibimus ex aquis, si forsitan accidit necessitas illius apud res quibus carere non possumus si volumus conjunctionem & commixtionem. Est ergo via illius ut decoquamus ipsum super ignem taliter, ut separentur partes ejus currentes ab eo & remaneat siccum illius, amplius illud est possibile ita ut evaporetur ab eo illud quod currit & resideat ab eo illud quod siccè est, cum sit natura totius, ut plurimum ejus ut magis dominans ipsius, ut appareat praecipue cum nostra via ad illud fuerit ut commisceamus cum eo medicinas quas ab eo separare non possumus. Est ergo regimen ut ponamus humidum & siccum ejus, & destillemus humidum ipsius, & occulemus in occulte ipsius siccum ejus. Deinde remus illud multoties ita ut non occuleter postillud omnino, & ita cum de eo aduritur aliquid, aduratur in fundo instrumenti, & purificetur cum eo res extranea, & sublimetur siccum & ex substantia aequitatis & etiam illud quod non aduritur pulverisabile album in quo non sit adustio penitus, & album coagulatum in quo adustio penitus non sit. Indigemus itaque instrumento sublimationis. Accipiamus ergo vas longum, inferius rotundum, & ponamus minorem partem ejus in igne & plurimum ejus supra laminam praeparatam ei, & praeparemus supra caput ejus coopertorium in medio perforatum, ut ingrediatur in ipso caput vasis, & super coopertorium ponatur cooperculum ut coarctetur in ipso quod sublimatur de fumo argenti vivi. Super cooperculum sit foramen, & in eo sit clausura ingeniose facta, ad aperiendum ipsum quando aestimatur quod furnus jam sit finitus & consideratur an abscessus sit fumus & sublimatus. Cum ergo volumus ipsum sublimare, conterimus ipsum post mortificationem cum eo quo mortificatur, ita ut teratur cum rebus adurentibus facientibus pervium vel prius exsiccantibus, sicut sal & atramentum & calx & aliae res quas habent similes istis. Deinde si volumus & sit bona commixtio ejus, cum illis assensu ipsum equaliter & teramus, & hoc est ut convertamus ipsum, & ponamus in vase recto, vitreato, & liniamus vas cum luto sapientiae & exsiccemus ipsum, & ponamus in Athanor, id est, in furno panis. Et nos quidem dicemus post hoc quomodo mortificetur argentum vivum, & quomodo fiat lutum sapientiae. Deinde post assationem terimus ipsum, & dimittimus ipsum in vase sublimationis, & nominatur vas alludel, & sublimamus ipsum in eo multoties. Et quietescente sublimamus ipsum renovamus ei commixtionem, et sublimamus ipsum super illam eandem fecem. Facimus ergo illud multoties donec moriatur, & albificetur, & quandoque completur in septem vicibus, & quandoque expectamus super ipsum usque ad 12. vices quod est ultimum.
Et quandoque ponimus ipsum in Kimiam linitam luto sapientiae caute & constringimus caput ejus, postquam assumuimus rorem ejus, sicut dicemus postea. Deinde sublimamus medicinam ut ascendat & perficiatur, perforetur in gula, conversum sicut cristallum, quandoq; sicut stannum, quandoque sicut sal lapideus. Postquam autem sublimaverimus ipsum ab eo, & istae res egrediuntur cum ratiocinationibus & experientiis, post illa sapiam, & quod intentio quidem in illo est exsiccare argentum vivum, & facere ipsum pervium. Postquam ergo fecerimus illud, invenimus virtutem tingentem & remanentem, imò melioris tincturae & penetrationis, ita ut non diversificetur à colore argenti puri in aliquo, imò est magis resectiva tinctura & magis completa albedinis. Et istae res ante experimentum fuerint nobis notae cogitatione subtili, vehementi, longa. Pervenit ergo ad nos tinctura alba nuda à rebus quibus indigemus.
DE TINCTURA VERO RUBEA.
Secundum quod nos non invenimus in principio aliquid faciens rubeum. Imò invenimus omnia quae penetrant in argentum & reliqua ab eo quae tingunt, ipsum perducentia ad nigredinem. Amplius videmus argentum ex sulphure adornare citrinitatem. Deinde cum remanet denigrat ipsum, & similiter cum remanet, sit fortior scilicet nigredo, & cum projicitur supra ipsum in liquefactione, adurit ipsum & perforat ipsum. Et scimus quod non est via perveniendi ad albedinem ejus, quod cum adustione denigratur per semitam viriditatis, imò per semitam citrinitatis & rubedinis, propter principia quae jam scivimus, propterea igitur, quoniam scivimus quando resolvitur in aquam, & est mundus, etiam viridis, non facit ipsum cadere viridem, sed rubificat ipsum, scivimus quod nobis est possibile, ut ex rebus denigrantibus lunam faciamus manare tincturam citrinam operatione facili. Et scivimus quod res in quae est adustio cum decoquitur, primum quod de ea resolvitur est virtus ignea quae est in ipsa, quoniam est levior & dignior vaporatione, & separatione, quam virtus reliquorum elementorum. Ergo invenimus ut separemus à sulphure, & arsenico, aut ex aliquo unguentorum, quicquid est in eis, denigrans argentum, cum tamen sulphur sit melius omnibus mineralibus, in illo inveniamus ergo viam illud esse, & decoquamus ipsum in aqua cum igne leni ita ut aduratur virtus ignea in ipso, & extrahat ipsam, & non adurat de subst. sulphuris, & virtute ignea, aliquid, & non egrediatur de virtuositate sulphuris aliquid. Et nos non facimus illud, nisi ut separemus tincturam solam, & ut praepararemus ipsam cum eo quod oportet, et in mundificemus sulphur cum eis quae dicemus postea. Non est ergo possibilis nobis haec inhumatio, nisi sit in vase aliquo cognito, neque ebullitio aquarum omnino nisi inhumetur aut in fimo, aut in sole, aut in cinere calido, & quanto plus inhumatio & vehementior, tanto plus ab eo corruptio removetur. Praeterea non omnis aqua movet tincturam, & extrahit ipsam, dum non est in ea aliquid acuitatis, veruntamen si sumatur aqua dulcis sufficiant. Sed aqua in qua est acuitas est facilior. Et nos quidem post dicemus, qualiter oportet secundum exemplum hoc facere, ut aqua sit, secundum quod invenimus cum cogitatione & experimento, facilior. Amplius cum decoxerimus ipsum in aqua, faciendo decoctionem post decoctionem, & removendo aquam, hanc aquam servabimus quoties rubedine tincta erit, & renovabimus aquam, donec nil remaneat tincturae. Deinde conjungimus aquas, & distillamus eas, accendendo igne donec sublimetur tinctura pura rubea, tunc bene est quod incepimus. Si autem nigra advenit, erit adusta à nobis per decoctionem, quia ignis fuit fortior quam deberet. Cum ergo adveniret rubea, si acceperimus eam & assidueaverimus decoctionem ejus in aquis frigidis, sicut aceto sublimato, & expressione assimus ex lacte coagulato, facto & resoluto, & exsoca acetosa farinae fusturum, aut in acetositate citri, & reliquis, faciendo decoctionem post decoctionem, ita ut cum ejus igneitas fracta fuerit, scilicet ipsius operatio debilitata, & remanserit ejus citrinatio propter debilitatem suam in adurendo, & remanet virtus pauca nigrificandi in ipsa, quae est citrinatio, ut fiat impressio illa non impediens, & non perseverans, sed recedens cum ignis accenditur, tunc illud complevimus genus tincturae, & nobis, quibus est necessarium ut ipsius humiditatem componamus, donec sit ejus facilis commixtio cum eo cui ipsum adjungere volumus. Et nos invenimus convenientiam aliis rebus, praecipue ad dandum splendorem & nitorem argenti vivi rubricati, cum sit possibile ita ut rubricetur ut uzifur, & ut rubricetur, ita ut non aduratur cum praeparatur opus eorum quae aduruntur. Et quoniam arg. vivum rubricatum, quando ceratur cum eo quod dicemus, & resolvitur sicut dicemus & sit rubedo currens, & ipsummet tingens & multo plus quando in ipso ponitur de tinctura, cujus proprietas est componi & commisceri cum eo sicut in uzifur, nisi quia illud aduritur, & istud non aduritur. Et ad hoc quidem non pervenimus nisi per opus uzifur, & ejus quod scivimus de violentia sulphuris illato argento vivo, & rubricationem apud conjunctionem, tunc quando componemus & creemus hanc tincturam cum hoc argento vivo, ponendo aequaliter de unoquoque, aut de tinctura minus. Et possibile est nobis ut sit argentum vivum resolutum non rubricatum, quoniam rubricatur cum permiscetur ei sicut in uzifur, cum sit rubricatio ejus possibilis, erit melius, & dignius. Et inhumabimus ambo in fimo, ita ut bene & perfecte commisceantur.
Jam igitur comprehensae sunt nobis tinctura alba & rubea.
Et hoc est vivum quinque elementorum.
De substantia permiscibili liquefacto.
Caput III.
Elementum vero secundum est, quod necessarium est substantiae permiscibili & liquefactae, ut sit in substantia sua liquefactiva, cumque cogitaremus & inquireremus postea, quatenus inveniremus aliquid, quod quando projiceretur super liquefactum adhaereret ei, & commisceretur ipsi, & submergeretur in eo, & non corrumperet ipsum, non invenimus nisi de mineralibus sulphur, & de commixtis arsenicum. Ipsa tamen fugiunt non facientia moram, nisi quia tempore brevissimo inveniuntur incipientia procedere ad connexionem cum eo. Non ergo invenimus ingenium nisi rectificationem eorum, ita ut in eis remaneat adhaerentia, & destruatur adustio. Inveni itaque propter adustionem necessitatriam quod vaporatur ab eis ad ignem, & ad sui naturam est vaporari velociter, & invenimus causam adhaerentiae, liquefactionem. Deinde similitudinem imitatur, & vicinitatem, quam habet in natura cum eo, consideravimus itaque in principiis naturalibus. Est itaque subjectum liquefactionis humiditas currens, permista partibus siccis, terreis, in quibus movetur cum resolvit eas ignis, & non est possibile ut moveatur ab eis propter vehementiam commixtionis, & invenimus causam evaporationis humiditatem non vehementem in eo commixtam, imo elevatur ab eo & egreditur. Et invenimus causam adustionis, ut sit jam decocta permixta siccitate, ita quod pervenit ad ipsum per illud quod ei est admixtum de siccitate, quod aquae sunt de caliditate accidentali superflua, communicans vel commutans conjuncta cum igne, ita quod figitur nobis tam diu, donec inveniatur exterminatio humiditatis, quae est apud ignem potentem convertere aquas quasdam partium corporis, aut substantiam ignis, ante evaporationem aut cum evaporatione, & separetur ignis, aut remaneat fex ejus, cinis, & est illud quod est adustum, & hoc quidem cum jam evaporat, jam conversum convertitur in flammam. Quantunvis vero hujus secundum vitrificationem, & causas indicativas, & essentiales, est res ad quam non dilatatur hic liber, sed experimentum testificatur hoc, & lex est quod humiditas superflua non aduritur, imo inprimis cum eam invenit calor sublimatur ante adustionem. Quod si etiam est occulta in aliquo, & non est de proprietate ejus quod evaporat, ita ut remaneat siccus & cinere tinctum, non aduritur de eo aliquid, sicut in corporibus liquefactis.
Amplius quando comprehenditur in corpore plantae, aut animalis, in quo est calor innatus, & virtus permiscibilis, tunc si decoquitur cum sicco, ita ut sic immisceatur, & fiat ungventum vel oleum inflammatur vel aduritur.
Et similiter cum non sit oleum, imo sit vehementis permixtionis cum sicco, & cum hoc toto, non evacuatur ab unctuositate prima. Videmus enim quod si purgetur ab eo virtus adustiva, & destruatur ejus oleum ita ut remaneat in eo humiditas, liquescit aut adhaeret ei cum eo, quod dicemus de summa & nimia existimatione. Cogito quod humiditas in hujusmodi corporibus non evacuatur a commixtione vehementi cum siccitate in eis, ita quod quando movet eam ignis ad vaporationem, & finiunt siccitas & sex dominantes, non separatur, imo currat in eis, & liquefiat aut leviatur quemadmodum est in vitro. Et si humiditas fuerit dominans, dilatatur & vaporat, ut ita sit vapor quasi fumus permixtus siccitati in ipso, & quod est ex eis quae non purgantur, vel itae sint aqua pura. Amplius postquam vivificamus illud, cum experimento fuit, plurima imo summa siccitas albificata decoctione cum sublimatione. Tertium itaque est apud nos, quod non corrumpitur cum vaporatione, neque minuatur cum vaporatione, quia ejus humiditas & siccitas est permixta siccitati ejus.
Et quod nos quando perseveramus operando in ipso, destruemus adustionem ab eo, & vidimus ad illos modos plurimos. Unus modorum est assatio cum rebus adurentibus & facientibus perjurium. Deinde est sublimatio. Nam proculdubio apud sublimationem aduritur & purgatur salubriter quod non aduritur.
Quod si certe aliquid ex eo aduritur, reiterabimus ipsum donec inveniamus in fine rei album sublimari, in quo non sit permixtio adustionis. Et cum projecerimus ipsum super argentum, non adurere ipsum, neque corrumperet, & fuit certum illud apud nos cum probationibus, quarum expositio & rememoratio prolongatur, scilicet quod haec operatio non destruit de substantia ejus, & profundatione, & adhaerentia, & illud cum humiditate velocius quam esse potest. Sic innata terrietas corporum per sublimationem tollitur, ita per solutionem suae substantiae omni impuritas ab eisdem separatur. Haec Geber. Adustio autem est, quando commiscetur, aut aduritur, aut aduritur, aut corrumpitur humiditas substantialis rei. Et nos quidem jam destruimus eam, non ergo aduritur, & resolvimus etiam plurimum humiditatis superfluae; namque istae congelatae sunt, quia propter illud destruitur humiditas superflua, & humiditas adustiva, & remanet humiditas valde commixta siccitati. Humiditates namque illae sunt congelatae, quia liquefactae sunt oleum super ignem. Postquam igitur scivimus & experti sumus, invenimus ipsam adhaerere, & invenimus eam cum hoc albificare illud quod non est album, cum tenetur liquefactio illa, ita ut non ab eo separetur, aut retinaculis ei permixtis, aut cum constructione capitis ampullare, ita ut non inveniat viam egrdiendi ex illa. Sed nos quidem scivimus illud ante experimentum, cum ratiocinatione quam verificavit experimentum, quotum, quoniam album commixtum albificat. Postquam igitur invenimus ipsum adhaerere, & apparere, pervenit ad nos quod volebamus. Et quandoque non sublimatur, sed nos decoquimus illud in oleo aut aqua donec separetur ab eo virtus ignea, & evaporat plurimum humiditatis superfluentis siccitati, & remanet de humiditate quae continetur in siccitate, quia non do purgatur & movetur in ea, liquefacit ipsum. Non ergo morantur quando aggregantur corporaliter in oleo, aut in aqua ei praesentetur super ignem.
De substantia conjuncta quam ignis non separat.
Caput IV.
Amplius postquam scivimus hanc viam, invenimus sulphur commune in elixir rubco & albo, licet sit melius cum rubco, & invenimus arsenicum cum albo melius experimento, cum tamen omne cum omni sit conveniens. Amplius possibile est nobis ut ea praeparemus cum rubco bonitatem animalium, quatenus rubefacimus ipsum rebus quas ignis rubefacit. Et sunt aquae atramentorum, & fiunt tingentes in citrinum. Est ergo illud quod est ad albificandum album est cum proventu suae intentionis magis intensè albificans. Et quod est rubificandum cum applicatione sua magis intrinsecè albificans. Substantia conjuncta est haec humiditas aggregata, quam ignis non separat, & jam provenit ad nos ex istis oleis.
De substantia fixa.
Caput V.
Quaesivimus substantiam fixam, quae est in eis quae diximus, quae sumimus, substantiam fixam, & invenimus eam esse omne quod non fugit ab igne, & ipsa etiam corpora liquefactiva aut non liquefactiva, & invenimus ea omnia prohibentia nos ab operatione, verumtamen liquefacta propinquiora sunt in assimilatione, & meliorantur in ipsis, dum permanent corpora habentia conjunctam liquefactionem, non est possibile commisceri aliud. Et dum sublimantur partes, cum quibus possibile est currere, fixantur, possibile est ut redeant ad dispositionem suam supra ignem. Oportet ergo ut aduramur ea & calcinemus ea, & si possibile est ut calcinemus ea, post combustionem faciamus ita ut pulvis fiant, qui forsitan non curret, & jam quidem destruetur forma specierum earum ab eis, quam Aristoteles declaravit in auditu naturali. Quoniam experimentum destruit formam specificam, cum ergo pervenit ita, possibile erit nobis, ut per ea assequamur intentionem. Et vidimus, & bene videmus, ut sumamus lunam ex luna quod melius est, aut ex plumbo. Solem, ex sole quod est melius, aut ex venere. Et possibile est nobis, ut accipiamus calcem ex luna, & est cerussa alba, & erit unum ex albificantibus. Et ex sole, & erit pulvis rubeus usifur, & erit unum ex rubificantibus.
De compositione.
Caput VI.
Postquam ad album pervenerint oleum, & tinctura, & calx, & omnia alia albificantia, & ad rubeum tinctura, & oleum, & omnia alia rubificantia, necessarium erit nobis componere inter ea, ut sint substantia una, & illud quidem non est possibile, nisi per introïtum eorum, & per commixtionem eorum, & nos jam videmus in eis, quibus jam usi sumus, modis experientiae, quod cum aqua permisceantur vehementer, deinde exsiccantur, & coagulentur, & conglutinantur. Ita quod si vicerit summa volatilis summam fixi, volabit cum ea, & si non vicerit, figetur cum ea. Et vidimus plurimas res resolvi & coagulavi, & virtutes earum remanere, de quibus sunt sal & salari, & dragantum. Et scimus per principia plurima scientiae naturalis, quod possibile est, ut res lubricae substantiae, quarum radix est ex terra & aqua, resolvantur & currentes fiant. Deinde scimus per canones alios, quod istas elixir praedictas, cum resolvuntur, non prohibet resolutio ab operationibus omnino radicalibus, imo remanet nobis de virtute earum quae volumus. Testificatur enim ad credendum meditationem experimentum. Vidimus ergo de rebus convenientiores ad illud resolutionem & cursum, deinde congelationem, ut unione facta radicis fiat res una, stans, tingens, profundens, consolidans, perseverans. Et aestimavimus quod quando utcemur contritione, scilicet contritione aquarum calidarum permixtarum, resolutarum, commixtarum secundum assiduationem, quod erit illud loco resolutionis. Fecimus ergo idem de rebus ad experiendum, & quandoque valuit & quandoque non valuit, aut propter debilitatem instrumentorum, aut defectum in opere, aut propter res particulares accidentales, quae non comprehenduntur. Fuit ergo nostra intentio ad haec duo capitula in summa complementi artis elixir. Advenit ergo cum Laude Dei intentio quaesita, & fuerunt radices albi: Argentum vivum praeparatum, & sulphur albificatum, & calx corporis, & cerussa, eorum, quae conjuncta & permixta fuerint elixirium integrum, & fuerunt radices citrini: Sulphur praeparatum, & arg. viv. praeparatum, & sal albificatum fixatum, & calx oridum. Et melius illo est ut omnia sint rubificata.
Deinde componantur & sit ex eis elixir integrum.
De Capillis, Ouo & Sanguine.
Caput VII.
Postquam audivimus multotiens quod possibile est ex capillis, ovo, & sanguine & multis partium animalium quod fiat elixir, incepimus ergo experiri, an haberent suspensionem & impressionem in corporibus liquefactis. Invenimus itaque ea non imprimere sed fumum eorum, ipse enim suspenditur in corporibus, ita quod coeperit argentum citrinare, & similiter argentum ignitum cum submergitur in eo imprimitur. Scivimus ergo quod in eis est tinctura, & quod in eis est suspensio. Et scivimus quod capilli, & sanguis, & ovum decoctorum salsorum, coagulantur aqua in salem. Et scivimus quod quando volumus separare tincturam, & suspensionem ab eis, non est possibile ut sit nisi cum igne, & sublimatione, ita ut non tingat. Et scivimus quod primum quod est ex eis distillatum, est aqua, deinde oleum, quoniam fixius est super ignem. Distillamus ergo ea cum igni subtili in cucurbita & alembico. Distillata ergo est aqua, deinde incipit oleum distillari. Distillamus ergo a modo tamdiu, donec finita sunt, & remanserit fex, quam cum igne tamdiu combussimus, donec exivit calx fixa super ignem, advenit ergo nobis ex ea calx. Deinde scivimus quod tinctura est ab oleo, rectificavimus igitur ipsum. Deinde decoximus non in re alia nisi in aqua sua, cum sit aqua ejus calida, salsa, & cum congelatur in salem armoniacum decoctione leni, tamdiu donec extraxerimus tincturam ejus. Deinde accepimus & decoximus ipsum in re non alia nisi in aqua sua cum &c. Deinde accepimus oleum, & decoximus ipsum in aquis temperatis in acuitate, donec purgaverunt ipsum, & dealbaverunt, & removerunt adustionem ab eo, pervenerunt igitur per id liquefactio, & suspensio ; & destructa est ab ipso adustio. Et purgavimus calcem ejus tamdiu, donec facta est pulvis albus, & invenimus aquam ejus sicut in mineralibus argentum vivum & oleum ejus sicut sulphur in mineralibus, & calcem ejus sicut est calx in mineralibus, & elixirium aggregatum ex eis, sicut elixir quod est ex mineralibus, verum est largior, & melior, & largus operans, & sublimior.
De Praeparationibus.
Caput VIII.
De argenti vivi praeparatione. Argentum quidem vivum accipe, & coagula ipsum cum vapore stanni si est ad album, at plumbi si ad citrinum.
Et illud est ut ponas ipsum in fovea scilicet plumbi, & pulverises super ipsum ad album cinerem aut marcasitum argenteum.
Et ad citrinum marcasitum aureum, & sulphur aut cinere aeris, & fundatur super faciem ejus rasa sal arob sufum, ita ut non commisceatur, & fiat multoties donec congeletur in lapidem. Et quando ponimus ipsum in concavitatem Mortarii, infigimus in plumbum, donec fortasse congelentur, & superponimus ipsum ei, deinde evellimus ipsum cum ferro multoties, donec congeletur. Et si ipsum congelare volumus, conterimus ipsum cum sinapi contritio cum aqua, donec moriatur in ipsa.
Deinde permiscemus cum sale & atramento, postea sublimatur ab eis multoties. Tunc si fuerit ad rubeum, imbibemus ipsum, post assationem & sublimationem, rubedine sulphuris in aqua sua, & sublimationem rubedine sulphuris in aqua sua, & sublimabimus ipsum, & constringemus, donec coaguletur, & coaguletur sicut coagulation est in collo kimiæ. Omnis vero sublimatio & constrictio est post distillationem.
De Arsenico & Sulphure.
De Arsenico vero & sulphure visum est conveniens esse, ut terantur valde cum limatura ferri, & decoquatur in ipso cum aceto donec exsiccetur, deinde assentur, post sublimentur, & iteretur cum sale & atramento, & talck, & nova & calce minore. Et quando constringuntur à vitro & aere usto, singulae aut conjunctorum congelantur, sicut sal, aut Crystallus, & iteretur sublimatio multotiens donec ad finem perveniant.
De oleo Capillorum.
Oleum vero de capillis, sanguine & reliquis post sui congelationem cum calore non fervente assidue donec inspissetur. Deinde ad acceptionem tincturae ab eo decoquatur in aqua in qua jam decoctum est talck, vel calx, alimentum non forte, tam diu donec egrediatur ab eo nigredo ejus & dealbetur.
De Calcinatione.
Caput IX.
Corpora quidem quando apodiantur sale armoniaco, & aceto, & quando aduruntur cum adurentibus, tam diu donec recipiant aut contritionem cum sale, & sale armoniaco, & sulphure, & quandoq; cibantur argento vivo, donec sublimetur ab eis arg. viv. multotiens, donec remaneat pulvis. Deinde illud quod quaeritur ad album imbibatur aqua salis distillata, & ceratur, & dimittatur in aludele semper, donec fiat res cui non sit pars. Et illud quod quaeritur ad citrinum imbibatur aqua atramentorum, vini & uniis, aut conjunctorum, rubedine sulphuris & aliorum, & oleo ovorum, et assidetur assatio illius, donec rubificetur, ut fiat pulvis non sit pars.
De Dissolutione.
Caput X.
Facilior vero modus quem vidimus ad ipsa resolvenda, est conversio naturae specierum ad res recipientes resolutionem in substantia sua, sicut sunt sales, & atramenta.
Et vidimus fortiorem eorum esse salem armoniacum. Ipsum namque resolvimus, & assidavimus imbibitionem rei ceraetae ex eo terendo & assationem ejus cum calefactione, tamdiu donec congelatur totum in salem armoniacum. Et illud est, ut effundatur super ipsum salis armoniaci resoluti quantitas aliqua, deinde dimittamus ipsum corpus donec siccetur, quod inde provenit ponamus ipsum in saccum translati in fiscarium, quod est genus vasis insinuationis, & appropinquemus igni leni, cumque fumigare inceperit removeamus ipsum, deinde imbibamus ipsum, postea reiteremus illud, & faciamus illud vicibus x. deinde iteremus imbibitionem, rursus faciamus illud donec inceratur, & est ut liquefiat super ferrum ignitum. Deinde dissolvatur in aquam, & non remaneat ei vestigium, & XX. imbibitionibus usque ad XXX. imbibitiones, & non multiplicabitur nisi quando volumus componere contritionem perfectiorem, & rectius quidem elixir rubedinis ut sal. armoniacus resolutus sit rubeus, ita ut imbitatur aqua atramenti, & sublimetur donec rubificetur, deinde resolvatur. Ipsae vero aquae alumineum sunt quibus ipsa terantur, cerentur. Cumque cerata sunt, resolvimus ipsa si volumus cum inhumatione in Kimia, habente os ligatum, in fundo, discoperiendo super eam, aut suspensione in puteo resolutionis, aut modis aliis, quemadmodum in aliis inhumationibus eorum, & in toribus, & suspendatur in puteis, aut in cucurbita caeca cum vapore aquarum calidarum, & sunt aequae in quibus decoctae sunt alkali & fora vicibus pluribus adeo donec in ipsis aduratur penna, & projiciatur in eas sal armoniacū.
Et si quaeruntur ad rubedinem, ponantur in eis sulphur & atramenta. Nam si cum his viis inceserimus, resolvetur in eo quod est inter XXXX. dies & tres menses. Cumque resolventur aquae congregabimus ex eis & inhumabimus eas donec commisceantur, deinde ponamus eas in instrumento inhumationis, & inhumabimus eas in cinere calido, donec rubescant, deinde exsiccentur, & coagulentur, & est elixir, & quando imbibemus ipsum aquis acutis donec permisceantur cum illo, & resolvantur ad invicem, & assidavimus ipsum, & faciemus illud XXX. vicibus & plus & minus, donec penitus non evaporet aut vaporetotum.
Et scias quando bene vaporat totum, tunc jam bene operatus es in compositione, sed errasti in calce. Infrigida ergo ipsum, & ingenies ut addas in tinctura & suspensione, tamen non sit in hoc exitus a termino, ita quod totum evaporet.
DE ELIXIRE.
Elixir hoc tingit tinctura sua, & submergitur oleo suo, & figitur calce sua, & oleum quidem est aggregans in tincturam subtillem valde & aquam.
Et argentum vivum est deferens tincturam, & cum profundatur oleum antecedens cum calce tingente cum tinctura, profundat cum eo, & quando figitur calx figitur cum ea propter vehementiam commixtionis.
Et exemplum calcis est terra.
Et album quidem completur tribus rotis in quibus non est ignis.
Et rubeum completur quatuor rotis.