Joannes Aurelius Augurellus – PARAPHRASING COMPENDIUM OF CHRYSOPOEIA
BOOK 1.
Side Note: Fire, the governor and instrument of chemical operations.
First, it must be noted that fire is the governor and instrument of all operations performed on metals, such as sublimation, calcination, and fusion.
Next, every body—animal, vegetable, or mineral, whether simple or composite—naturally desires to produce something similar to itself.
Indeed, whatever fire finds, it tries to convert into fire, just as all other elements do, unless they are hindered by some greater force. Composite bodies, such as plants, produce shoots from their own seed, just as animals do, in order to generate something like themselves, for their natural purpose and use.
Side Note: Minerals, metals, and gems have a generative spirit. The reason metals do not visibly generate. The spirit must be extracted from the mineral body.
In the same way, minerals such as metals and gems have a generative spirit, by which they receive all changes of generation and corruption in their nature. The reason why we do not perceive them generating similar things, converting and transmuting others into their nature, is because their generative spirit is enclosed in thick and hard matter. This spirit is called vital, since it gives all life to metals. Unless it is drawn out by the industry of the artist from the coarse mass in which it lies hidden, it can have neither motion nor exert its power and efficacy.
All things in nature—indeed, in the entire structure of the world—are composed of body and soul, and together with a spirit that is the medium between body and soul, joining the two and being the cause of all change in the composite, for the purpose of transmutation, generation, and preservation of the like.
Side Note: Spirit extracted from gold is suitable for generation. The spirit of gold must be decocted in gentle heat.
Thus, the spirit enclosed in the mass of gold ultimately requires the hand of the artist to liberate it from prison and make it master of its own powers. And if one can, by the benefit of art, extract and produce it, and then place it for some time to decoct in gentle heat, one will see something marvelous: gold, by long use of the multiplying seed, has life, and it will be clear that gold is generated from gold.
Hence it is that gold is not only formed naturally under the earth but also artificially above the earth.
Side Note: Reject aggressive and foreign waters from the work.
There are many kinds of foreign waters by which some have attempted to dissolve types of metals. But if you strive to bring yourself out of darkness into light, you must seek waters from other sources, by which gold dissolves gently in its own water without any violence, and without the help of another liquid.
Side Note: Gold must be dissolved in its own proper water, without violence or foreign matter.
And just as anything is not generated from anything other than its own kind—in which lie hidden the spermal seeds of what is generated—so too should you not seek the principles of gold elsewhere. In gold are the seeds of gold, though deeply hidden and to be sought by us with great effort.
Side Note: Where to seek the seed of gold. Rejects the properties of other waters from that which dissolves gold.
And do not think that the water you are seeking is like sea water, rainwater, or even clear and transparent like spring water. You must carefully understand another thing: that it neither stains nor moistens anything it touches. For it appears completely dry, like a powder, but softens and becomes moist and liquid in the inner parts of the triturated gold.
Side Note: Property of the water that dissolves gold.
The ancient philosophers introduced other waters to deceive the ignorant, though they themselves used the very waters we are speaking of—adding nothing foreign to them—and placed these waters, after composition, to gentle decoction in a small furnace.
Side Note: Hermes, the first author of the art.
Hermes was the first to teach men this most noble art, and by its benefit one can cure all diseases, preserve youth for a long time, delay and prolong old age, embrace virtues, flee vices, and practice charity—thus fulfilling one’s wishes and passing one’s life accordingly.
BOOK 2.
Side Note: What must be first observed.
First, it must be known that the white stone transforms imperfect metals into silver, and the red one into gold.
Therefore, the artist must care for nothing more than to know the first materials from which this work can be composed, which he must first take in hand and upon which he must labor.
Side Note: The seed must be extracted and enclosed in a small vessel.
Then, for the first time, he will feel and know himself to be a true servant of nature, when he skillfully extracts the noble seed from its hiding place where it had been concealed, brings it to light, and then places it again in darkness, preserves it enclosed in a small vessel, and gently provides the moist nourishment to the putrid mass.
Side Note: Concerning the manner of fire.
Nor will he be less clever and diligent if, in the meantime, he provides it with gentle heat, and cherishes the internal heat or fire with the external warmth and fire. However, he must be careful not to mix in things of different kinds, but as much as he can, he should avoid and flee from them.
O slow, stupid, and blind minds of men! O minds subject to the deceptions of artists!
Side Note: Rejects from the work wine, blood, hair, etc.
What do sweet and tender wines have in common with hard metals? What has human blood drawn from the body to do with them? What have golden hair from the head? What have eggs? What have herbs gathered from mountaintops in common with gold dug from the caverns of mountains?
Side Note: From heterogeneous species, a homogeneous product is not generated.
All who use such means labor in vain: since, while they try to join together different species, one impedes the other in its first movement, so that they can generate nothing in nature that is truly united.
Side Note: The work is contained in a single thing.
For in the beginning you must establish and presuppose that what is needed in this work is contained in a single thing, so that there is no need to seek anything outside of it, except for the moisture, which is more than sufficient and is preserved within until at last that which you desire and so eagerly wish to be generated comes forth.
Side Note: The property of the moisture that enters the work, which is both Agent and Patient, Male and Female. The example of the chick in the egg.
Moreover, know that there is within it a double force—one always active, the other passive—so that the male and female may have their mutual motion together, just as the chick grows in the egg, which is at once acting and being acted upon, except that it is cherished and preserved by a gentle external warmth. You will find no example more fitting than this, nor one to which, in my judgment, you should more surely cling, by which all things may be understood. For nothing can be generated from any matter unless it is first putrefied.
Side Note: Putrefaction is the first stage of the work.
And note that in this work you need nothing but one vessel, one method of regulation, and one matter—and by the same art and process you are able to generate and produce gems.
Side Note: A parable about the practice of the work.
There is a forest on the summit of a secret mountain, in which springs a fountain of silver and shining water, and there is a cavern containing a hollowed and excavated grotto, in which resides a maiden, powerful and of divine virtue, whom the country folk of old called by the name Glarea. A narrow, rough, and steep path leads with difficulty through thick brambles to the threshold of the cave. In front of this threshold lies a smooth and level, though not wide, plain, covered with dreadful shadows, the river’s banks and the gravelly margin, as well as with green moss and thick flowering clusters.
Side Note: The body becomes spirit.
But if someone enters successfully, he immediately—and this is a wonder—casts off all human impurity and lays aside the mortal burden, and becomes entirely spirit, pure and light. He passes through all the entrances of the grotto, carried swiftly through every narrow passage, in the midst of which sits a golden Nymph, surrounded by a golden chamber, resplendent above.
Side Note: Trevisanus does not teach the principles.
And what is more, upon entering, he treads upon a golden floor, and all the furnishings are made of shining gold.
Side Note: The primary metal must be taken.
But you, who strive to reach the principles of such a profound matter, lest you err in the wandering paths of Trevisanus, go straight to the cave, and from there take what appears most precious; spare neither expense nor effort. Meanwhile, beware of applying living sulfur or mercury, or even any putrid or infected water arising from their vapor, but rather seek pure and purified metal, in whose mass the living spirit lies hidden, desiring to be freed from its bonds and dark prison so that it may be elevated into the air.
Side Note: Here the above parable is explained, though still quite obscurely. Retrogradation.
And this mass, which was burdened by its natural and original weight, once it has been relieved of it and made lighter, is lifted up into the air; and what was formerly hard is now softened by the art that imitates nature. This art commands retrogradation to occur by the usual way and method, so that the enclosed seed may be released from its long imprisonment like a vegetative spirit, and no longer fear the bonds of that hard mass.
Side Note: The germ of gold sprouts. Like ivy, showing all things must be well sealed lest the spirit of gold escape.
Nor should this seem strange to you, for the germ of gold sometimes sprouts of its own virtue and is carried upward into the air, no differently than agile ivy climbing and clinging to a wall, spreading all around, and with its leaves and roots penetrating every crack in the wall it meets, until at last the wall collapses. In the same way, the living sprout of gold, planted in the stone, seeks and explores all the empty spaces within and moves through them, spreading into the air—or at least covering the surface of the same stone in many places, and whatever place it firmly holds, it purely gilds.
Side Note: Two things must especially be considered in every work. Dissolve with a low and slow fire.
From this, there are two things the Artist must carefully attend to: namely, what material to choose first, and then how to regulate and govern what has been chosen, so as to bring it forth and make it appear, so that it may be dissolved by a gentle and slow heat.
Side Note: Dissolve with low and slow fire.
These two things the Ancients hid in endless darkness, often rendering their speech intentionally broken, and making useless digressions.
Therefore, investigate with focused eyes, and keep the matter which you have found through such noble pursuits along winding paths and many errors.
Side Note: Where the difficulty of the work lies.
For indeed it is not so difficult to find the matter which must be taken, but rather to make this same matter fit and capable—that is the work, that is the labor. This work requires nothing except what is simple and not mixed with any other matter than that which, by the fumigation of pure sulfur and the attraction of its like and equal living part, has been formed into gold.
Side Note: Requirements of the work. He says the preparations are diverse. Reduction.
Yet each person prepares it differently; and perhaps there is not one and the same method of preparation—provided only that the same pure thing is clearly seen to have been reduced and left by itself.
Side Note: The body is dissolved into spirit. What to do after dissolution. Continuous heat.
In this the Artist must labor, closely imitating nature. There, nature, constantly moved and directed by the Artist’s hand, will keep its order and course. For when the compact matter has been resolved through the help of art and has offered itself up to external force, revealing itself in a definite offspring according to its kind, what remains must be placed in a secret place and treated by nurturing it over a long time with continuous heat, gradually returning to it its proper nourishment.
Side Note: Example from the conception of animals.
Nor let delay or a determined length of time weary you—for everything that is born has a set period and a fixed time of coming forth, until it completes its perfect cycle and emerges into the light.
Side Note: The nourishment of the work is hinted to come from the place receiving the seed of gold. Continuous heat.
And just as an unformed fetus grows in the mother’s womb while the infant is being formed, so the place wisely chosen, to which you entrust the seeds of gold, will nurture them, promoting their development through continual progress until they grow into mature and desired fruits. Then you shall provide a gentle and appropriate fire for growing and perishing things, and continually add a balance of moisture and heat (which they wrongly call “dung” or “baths” of Mary). You must supply a constant and even heat—lukewarm, mild, and suitable—for uneven heat, sometimes excessive and sometimes deficient, is useless for generation.
Moreover, you should not enclose a large quantity of matter in a small vessel, for when it is dissolved with gentle heat, it cannot express its strong powers. Neither should you be overly concerned about having a large quantity, since once you have obtained even a small amount of this blessed powder, you will not desire to make more or another anew—for whenever needed, you can multiply it.
Side Note: Uneven heat is useless. One should not worry about large quantities of matter. Multiplication of the matter.
Nor should you undervalue it if this blessed powder shows you its proper signs clearly when it manifests and displays various colors.
Side Note: Principal colors of the work.
And although you primarily seek the red color, you should not despise the white, yellowish, or black either—for this black, namely, clearly shows you the beginning of the great work and opens for you the doors to the entrance of the secret.
Side Note: Black is the first color.
Wherefore, when you have already discerned by unique art the sequence of this most noble work and the clear signs of the colors, conceive hope for the rewards long promised—for by the grace of God the golden powder will be present for you, which will instantly convert any metal into gold, using only the smallest portion of itself.
Side Note: End of the work. Example of cheese curdling milk.
And just as a small amount of cheese, dissolved in water and fire, when the curd is missing, instantly curdles and sets the pure milk poured into the vat, converting that milk into its own form: so also this blessed powder will stop and fix any mercury, and convert it into the celestial and pure form of gold—more refined and noble than natural gold.
Side Note: The powder can be multiplied and increased.
This same powder can also be increased, so that afterward you will not need to worry about repeating the work once completed or making it anew—since its power can be increased even more, such that the smallest portion of the powder may transmute an immense quantity of mercury, whether because the light and perfectly dissolved spirit penetrates the deepest parts of the body and mixes itself throughout all its viscera, or rather because the powder, long cooked, enclosed, and frequently recombined into itself, becomes more concentrated, thickened, and multiplies its strength.
Side Note: Example of saffron dissolved in water.
And just as a small amount of saffron dropped into pure water spreads and multiplies its abundant color with a pleasant fragrance, so also a great power in a small quantity of the powder penetrates and passes through all parts of the liquid metal.
Side Note: Gold is difficult to dissolve.
Moreover, no work is more arduous, no labor greater, and in none does art more glory than in achieving the gradual moistening and softening of metals. At last, little will remain for you to understand on your own regarding the rest of the work.
Side Note: Gentle fire.
For all things are held and bound together by a single bond. And from this is understood the method of the gentle fire, the place and proper measure of the Stone, and also the color variously diffused beneath the desired powder, as well as how the Stone is to be multiplied. All these things you will clearly and joyfully understand, if you observe and retain the sequence of events through long practice.
BOOK 3.
Side Note: Various kinds of fire—one gentle, the other violent—suitable for the dissolution of the work. Efficacy of violent fire.
If anyone seeks the seed for making gold, or desires to know the principles of silver, let him not despise first learning the different degrees of fire. For there are many by which one must proceed, yet two are most principal—one imitates the nature of calmness, the other is suited to a violent art.
The latter, with great force, strives to expel the seed enclosed in solid gold by marvelous bonds—but only after, as will soon be shown, you have dissolved the gold and rendered it moist, putrid, well-tamed, subdued, and softened so that it can easily endure the strong fire, and be inflated, sublimed, and lifted up through evaporation.
Side Note: Effect of gentle fire.
The former (gentle fire) nourishes and cherishes the extracted seed of gold, neither burning the work through excessive heat nor allowing it to cool before it wonderfully composes itself and places itself as perfected by its own power.
Side Note: Gold must be mixed with the liquor of its own seed.
You, however, shall take plates of pure gold, crush them, and grind them down into something like powder or river sand, and triturate them extensively until they are internally dissolved by their own moisture and putrefied into liquidity.
Side Note: Like joins with like. One must seek that which is like gold. Like resolves like.
For like is joined to like, and that which is similar to gold must be sought—since what is similar to gold alone can dissolve gold itself.
It is also beneficial at times to pour in a generous amount of dew—that is, the moisture—of its own seed, but by no means should you accidentally mix in anything foreign. For you must not be ignorant of this: every like delights in its like, and is even strengthened from the outside by its own kind—especially since nature seeks nature and repels its opposite. Therefore, let it not displease you to search for that which is similar to it, wherever it may be hidden—whether concealed deep in mountains, or drawn from the crags of the sea, or clinging in the midst of springs, or even brought down from the heights of heaven, or appearing (or hiding) in any other place in the world, whatever it may be. The key is that through its strength and power you may be able to dissolve what has been so firmly joined and compacted.
Side Note: The method of dissolving gold.
So when the substance becomes moistened, you will place it in the bottom of a small vessel—not without moderation and order. It is necessary for the material to remain equally spread within it so that one and the same heat may penetrate it equally from every side, driving and directing the vapor throughout.
Side Note: What kind of vessel for dissolution.
The vessel in which the gold, thus properly prepared, is to endure these strong heats must be a small cucurbite (retort), made from clay and off-white earth resembling aged marble. This cucurbite should be glazed, and covered with a glazed cap, so that it may collect the subtle vapors.
Side Note: Glazed cucurbite with cap. Furnace and fire required.
Then place the cucurbite with its contents onto a perforated furnace, in which the fire is strong—sealed and glowing within—so that the heat strikes the vessel directly from below and brings the entire vessel to ignition.
Side Note: Gold dissolved in its own liquor.
At last, the substance of gold, soaked and moistened in its own former liquor (who would believe it?—yet the ancient Philosophers witnessed it), dissolves and gradually adheres to the walls of the vessel, and soon seems to rise slowly toward the top of the glass.
Side Note: Gold does not dissolve suddenly.
And just as it was once hard and heavy, so now it becomes volatile, soft, and rarefied, and separates and dissolves itself from its mass, becoming subtle and clear.
Side Note: Colors of the work.
Moreover, just as it was at first dark and obscure, so now at first it becomes clothed in snowy whiteness, then soon afterward with a bluish pallor, and finally tinged with a lightly violet hue, shining with a celestial coloration and persisting in a golden vapor or aura.
Side Note: The work is known by taste. By odor.
This, however, is not only known by these signs and indications but can also be perceived by its taste—if it shows even a slight bitterness, scarcely noticeable to the mouth.
Side Note: By sound.
It can likewise be recognized by a dull sound, which is difficult to discern unless one listens attentively—and also by a smell that is not strong, unless it carries the stench of burning sulfur.
Side Note: Gold dissolves into flowing water.
And what is more, you may at times see this mass turning upward and dissolving itself into flowing water—whose liquid, if gathered at the proper and opportune time, may serve two purposes.
Side Note: What the water of gold is useful for.
First, it can be used with gold that has already been dissolved and skillfully triturated, to soak it in the moisture of its own seed. Then, when this moisture or liquid has been properly mixed, it can serve to restore aged pearls or beads that have grown dull over time to their original and natural luster—or even to artificially form new ones using this clear and pure liquor.
Side Note: Example of the generation of pearls.
Just as nature forms pearls in the sea by the operation of a moist vapor acting upon a fixed substance, so too may these be formed by art, through the application of this liquid, if it be properly and naturally composed.
You could scarcely find a more fitting or marvelous example—one which human art can imitate—than that of the pearls (baccae), around which nature so cunningly plays. Just as certain shells (cochleae) open themselves on the seashore, gaping and, lightly filled with the dew of conception, are stirred at the generative hour, and then, thus impregnated, after a certain time bring forth their offspring—so too may art follow this process. In this, also, we find an analogy with the art of painters, who teach us the various kinds of colors to imitate.
Side Notes: What must be done after the sublimation of gold. Lamp fire.
Moreover, after you have extracted from the glass vessel the snow-white gold, and all has been sublimated, you will place this same whiteness once again into a glass vessel. You must seal the vessel’s mouth with molten glass, and place it in a hypocaust or a furnace, under which you place a burning lamp that provides a steady, gentle heat. Above this heat should be ashes, carefully arranged so that the seeds of gold are preserved and enclosed at the bottom of the vessel.
Side Notes: Which colors appear in the digestion of gold by the lamp fire.
When these substances have long remained sealed and cooked in the glass vessel, they will first show various colors. Of all these, the black is what we seek and desire first and foremost. After the black, through intermediary colors, comes the white—for the final stage cannot be reached without passing through the intermediate ones. These will appear in as many hues as those in the rainbow, or as many as the eyes Argus had when transformed into a peacock.
Side Notes: The black color is a sign of properly administered heat.
When the matter is tinged with black, you may believe that you have provided it with sufficiently gentle and proper heat—just as a female embraces the male in her sweet bosom, nourishes and warms him, and he, now comforted, slowly instills into her his love. And at last, through this sweet union, they together, in languid delight, bring forth a rich offspring.
Hence, the blackened matter begins gradually, day by day and without ever ceasing, to shed its dark garment, moving through the varied colors, from one to another, until finally—by the power of that great union in which it rotted away, was reconstituted, and regained new strength—it becomes white.
Side Notes: After blackness, the heat must not be increased.
Therefore, beware at this stage not to remove or lessen the gentle heat in any way. Rather, you must nourish and support its intrinsic, generative, natural power with the penetrating warmth from outside—just as a bird continuously incubates her eggs with warmth and care, attentively sustaining the vigor necessary for the chicks to be born.
Side Notes: Simile from birds continuously incubating their eggs.
This method and practice you must observe until, after a full revolution of the sun and the passing of the appointed time, the matter is completely sprinkled with abundant whiteness.
Side Notes: Whiteness of the Work.
You must patiently endure up to this period and goal: here the horse is loosened, here is the limit of the sea, where you will rejoice to have completed the course of such great labors.
Side Notes: When the work is brought to whiteness, the fruits can be perceived.
And now the time has come, when, exhausted from labor and sweat endured to the utmost, you will receive due rewards. Therefore, take the weight of pure living silver, prepared in the usual manner, which you will place in a triangular vessel, and place and fit it in the middle of the fire.
Side Notes: Projection and its method.
When it begins to boil and send forth smoke upward, then you will cast a small particle of your perfected powder from above, and you will fan the fire with bellows more and more. This living silver will shortly (which will seem strange to you) melt into the form of liquid silver, and then you will see it poured into a narrow channel and drawn into a slender ingot.
Side Notes: Whiteness is not the perfection of the work, but a step further must be taken.
However, you must not stop here at all, for a long journey still remains to be undertaken, which you must diligently carry through and complete until you happily arrive at the gate.
Side Notes: Fire must be continuous. Fire must be increased and moderated.
I advise now that no one remove the administered work from the fire, lest it lose or diminish the heat so long conceived, but rather should tend and increase it, so however that the artist’s hand can endure the touch of it, and the moving force of the heat does not exceed, but the heat is continuous and equally lasting, which kind and joyful nature can follow.
Therefore, let no delay hold you back, but continue onward and complete further, once you have produced and brought forth a splendid whiteness of the desired and attained color.
Side Notes: Patience must be maintained; haste avoided.
Yet do not hurry too much; faithful patience should be your companion, so that long delay, which otherwise could be caused by too much hastening, does not hinder you: there is no reason to hope to attain so many things in so short a time, which if you can obtain, you surely would not cease from the acquisition of such greatly desired things.
Side Notes: Various colors appearing in the work.
When the fire has now further advanced, there will not then appear one color or one face alone, but before the purple or red color is to be seen, the white, tinged with a saffron cloak, changing in various ways, will endure a whole year.
Side Notes: White color, varying with pale yellow or saffron, lasts a year.
But when the red begins to appear and endures, it will seem to bloom like an ear of grain beneath the upper skin, and will also seem like a violet red and shining like a hyacinth.
Side Notes: The superficial red color is still imperfect.
You must not yet stop there, but must proceed further, taking care not to stray from the right path you are walking.
Side Notes: Color tolerable and not harmful to the hands.
Nor should it then come to your mind, nor should anyone persuade you, to change the fire at all, unless you increase it just enough so that you can bear the heat of the vessel and touch it with your hand without harm: this you will observe as a rule and sure method throughout the entire work; by this very thing you will imitate nature.
Side Notes: Errors can be corrected.
Moreover, if perchance any fault or omission has occurred among other things, nothing prevents you from correcting it or recomposing and restoring it anew, provided you have previously taken care and investigated these things well.
Side Notes: If the fire is extinguished, the work collapses.
But if you cease to nurture the fire so that the power or heat that continuously nourishes the fetus with its fuel is interrupted, your labor will be entirely in vain: for where the fire fails, all things will collapse and be reduced to nothing, which by no artifice can ever be repaired.
Side Notes: Precipitation in the work is harmful.
On the contrary, if through impatience you increase the fire beyond measure and become tired of the delay, you will suddenly lose what you have prepared with such great time.
Side Notes: Warm, tempered heat must be preserved.
Therefore, diligently take care that in whatever way you keep the heat continuous, warm, and tempered. Nor should you be unwilling or ashamed to sift the fine ashes and place them around the warm flask; meanwhile, you will see the fetus grow and more intensely aim for a dense redness, until finally the third year arrives, after which you will be free from all previous labors.
Side Notes: Dense red heat sufficient; three years of perfection.
For as soon as the full and perfect purple color appears, then you will not hesitate to take the blessed powder from the vessel and reserve it for various uses: either for transmuting metals into gold, or for helping the needy, or for curing human diseases.
It is not, however, necessary to count these years so precisely that you may neither subtract nor add anything to them.
For either the material, if it was suitable, can mature the course of the work, or if unsuitable, delay it; or if the heat is more or less intense than the proper measure, it can vary the time and place.
Hence you will easily see the cause why the work was either prolonged or matured in the generation of its fetus.
Side Notes: Similar to a child born at seven or eleven months.
For a child born in the seventh or eleventh month will not be illegitimate, although some attribute these things to the stars and gods.
Side Notes: Criticism of calcination after the work’s perfection.
Moreover, there are some who calcine the stone and hold and burn it in a strong fire for seven days, until, as they say, it is inspected; however, a good Philosopher will not approve this in every respect, since nature does not seem to do anything similar.
Side Notes: Nature must be followed.
For if nature has begun the course, it preserves and continues it, and rejects its opposite.
And so that you may more rightly complete the course which you follow and strive to perfect, I advise you not to disregard the space of a whole year in your work: and if you believe me, you will begin at the time of spring, when everything bears fruit, and nature is busy producing all things.
Side Notes: The work is to begin in springtime. On number and weight.
You may perhaps ask about the number and weight of things to be prepared before the beginning of the work. But if you consider the truth, you will find only three principles, or even two, or if you weigh the matter well, not more than one; and these three will be found in gold alone: and moreover, you will include all these in a single weight.
For when they are joined, they are not different; they exchange and communicate their weights to one another successively.
This must be observed precisely according to the custom of goldsmiths, who separate gold and silver from the smallest particle of a great mass, will calculate and easily find the sum that remains in the residue.
Side Notes: Earth, that is, scarcity of matter, suffices.
And although number and weight must be observed so exactly, it will nevertheless suffice for you to take only one of the three mentioned, which you will rightly administer as I have taught; or if perhaps you take two of them, there is no need to add more.
Side Notes: Even a slightly larger quantity suffices.
For what remains I will teach you, from which, if you investigate these things, you will know why you should be content to work with a small quantity and portion of matter.
Side Notes: It makes no difference to work with a small quantity of matter.
What remains to be said, and what the ancients admit they deliberately concealed, I will not propose with fictitious figures or riddles.
Side Notes: On multiplication.
Therefore, you, wisely, must by no means yield to this final labor, since it is brief and very small in craft, but of splendid use.
Side Notes: Multiplication with gold. Multiplication with the gravid seed of gold and an equal weight with powder. Multiplication with slow heat.
First, therefore, you will mix a little of the medicine already perfected with yellow gold, and immediately you will see that it retains the power of the blessed powder; or when you have extracted the heavy seed of pure gold with great and difficult art (the method of which is sufficiently and abundantly set forth above: nor is it permitted to recount everything), you will mix and add to it soon an equal part of red powder, then indeed you will apply slow and gentle heat: in which you will decoct it for two months, after which you will perceive the whole series of colors, which before with admiration you saw during the space of three years, openly manifesting itself; and finally, in a short time, you will gather and obtain those immense riches which you sought with the benefit of the art for such a long time, and you will repeat the same work again and again.
Side Notes: Multiplication increases the quantity and quality of the powder.
For as many times as you complete this, so many times you will see the quantity of the powder and its quality increased: for it grows more quickly, and hence it also takes up another growing one, meanwhile retaining the former, resuming its power. It is not vain to believe that the old authors sometimes increased it so much that if the whole sea were quicksilver, and in it a projection were made of even the smallest portion of this powder, that said sea, though immense and infinite, would be transformed into gold.
LATIN VERSION
IOANNIS AVRELII AVGVRELLI CHRYSOPOEIÆ compendium paraphrasticum è gallico translatum.
LIBER I.
Side Notes: Ignis gubernator & instrumentum operationum chimicarum.
Primo notandum est, ignem gubernatorem esse & instrumentum quasvis in metallis perficiendi operationes, veluti sublimationem, calcinationem & fusionem.
Deinde, omne corpus tam animale, vegetabile quam minerale, & tam simplex quam compositum appetere naturaliter producere sibi simile.
Etenim quicquid ignis invenit, in ignem convertere conatur, uti & cætera elementa, si modo aliqua vi maiore non impediantur. Corpora composita, uti vegetabilia, ex proprio suo semine germen producunt, sicuti etiam animalia faciunt, ad generandum sibi simile, in finem atq; usum suum naturalem.
Side Notes: Mineralia metalla & gemmæ habent spiritum germinativū. Causa cur metalla non generent visibiliter. Spiritus è corpore minerali extrahendus.
Eodem modo mineralia, uti metalla & gemmæ habent spiritum germinativū, quo omnes generationis ac corruptionis alterationes in natura sua recipiunt. Causa autem cur sensu non percipiamus, hæc generare sibi simile, convertere ac transmutare alia in suam naturam, hæc est, quod spiritus corum germinativus in crassa & dura materia sit inclusus, qui spiritus dicitur vitalis, eo quod vitam omnem det metallis, qui nisi è crassa illa massa, in qua latet, industria Artistæ educatur, nec ullum motum habere, neq; efficaciam ac vim suam exserere potest.
Res omnes in natura, imo in universa mundi machina existentes, compositæ sunt ex corpore & anima, & simul ex spiritu, qui medium est inter corpus & animam, utrumque coniungens & causa omnis alterationis compositi, ad transmutandum, generandum & sibi simile conservandum.
Side Notes: Spiritus ex auro extractus ad generationē habilis. Spiritus auri igne tepido decoquendus.
Sic in massa auri inclusus spiritus, requirit tandem manum Artistæ, qui ipsum è carcere liberet & propriarum virium compotem efficiat. Et si quis eum beneficio artis extrahere & producere potest, ac deinde ad tempus ad decoctionen in igne tepido collocare, videbit, quod dictu mirabile, aurum longo usu seminis multiplicativi habere vitam, & non fore dubium, quin aurum ex auro generetur.
Hinc est, quod aurum non solum fiat sub terra naturaliter, verum etiam super terram artificialiter.
Side Notes: Reiicis aquas fortes & extraneas ab opere.
Sunt quam plurimæ species extranearum aquarum, quibus nōnulli tentarunt species metallorum dissolvere, verum si è tenebris in lucem extricare te satagis, aliorum fontium aquæ tibi sunt quærendæ, quibus aurum per se leniter citra ullam violentiam, citraq; auxilium alterius liquoris in sua aqua propria dissolvitur.
Side Notes: Aurum in sua propria aqua dissolvendum citra violentiam & materiam extraneam.
Et quemadmodum res quævis non aliunde generatur quam ex suo simili, in quo delitescunt rei generatæ semina spermatica, ita nec principia auri alibi tibi quærenda sunt. In auro auri sunt semina, licet profunditus in illo abscondita, & multo labore nobis quærenda.
Side Notes: Vbi semen auri quærendum. Reiicit proprietates aliorum liquorum ab aqua aurum dissolvente.
Nec est quod putes, istam quam quæris aquam, esse similem aquæ maris aut nubium, aut etiam claram sive transparentem instar aquæ fontanæ: probe enim considerare alterum debes, eam nec inficere, nec madefacere quidquam quod attigerit, quippe quæ omnino sicca in speciem pulveris prodeat, sed mollescit & in partibus auri contriti interioribus fit humida & liquida.
Side Notes: Proprietas aquæ dissolventis auri
Philosophi prisci alias introduxerunt aquas ad decipiendum ignaros, quamquam tamen iis ipsis, de quibus loquimur, usi sunt, non admiscendo eis quidquam alieni, quas aquas post compositionem ad lenem decoctionem in parvo furno posuerunt.
Side Notes: Hermes primus author artis.
Hermes primus hanc artem nobilissimam docuit homines, & eius beneficio curare omnes morbos, iuventutem diu conservare, retardare & prolongare senectutem, & possessorem tanti thesauri amplecti virtutes, vitia fugere & charitatem exercere, atque ita ex voto totam vitam transigere.
LIBER II.
Side Notes: Quid primū observandum.
Primum sciendum est, lapidem album cōvertere metalla imperfecta in argentum, rubeum vero in aurum.
Quocirca Artista nihil magis curare debet, quam ut primas cognoscat materias è quibus opus hoc componi possit, quasque primum ad manus sumere, & super quibus laborare debeat.
Side Notes: Semen extrahendū parvo vasi includendum.
Tum primum sentiet & cognoscet, se verum naturæ ministrum, ubi sperma nobile solerter à latebris, in quibus delituerat, extractum in lucem produxerit, & ubi ipsum iterum in tenebris reposuerit, & parvo vase inclusum reservaverit, putriq; massæ nutrimenta humida sensim ministraverit.
Side Notes: De modo ignis.
Neque etiam minus sagax erit atque industrius, si interim tepidum illi ignem subministraverit, & internum calorem sive ignem externo calore & igne foverit, caveat tamen ne res diversarum specierum admisceat, sed quantum poterit, eas amoveat & fugiat.
O mentes hominum tardas, stupidas & obcæcatas, ó ingenia subiecta Artistarum deceptionibus!
Side Notes: Reicit ab opere vina sanguinem, capillos, &c.
Quid commune habent vina dulcia & tenera cum duris metallis? quid cum illis sanguis è corpore humano extractus? quid flavi capitis capilli? quid ova? quid etiam collectæ in summitatibus montium herbæ conveniunt cum auro in cavernis montium fosso?
Side Notes: Ex heterogeneis speciebus non producitur homogenea.
Quotquot autem huiusmodi utuntur mediis, in vanum laborant: quandoquidem dum conantur coniungere diversas species, altera alteram in primo suo motu impedit, ita ut nihil in natura solide unitum generare queant.
Side Notes: Opus in unica re continetur.
In principio enim statuere ac præsupponere te oportet id, quo in opere hoc opus habemus, unica re contineri, ita ut nihil extra eam alibi quærere necesse habeas præter humorem, qui abunde sufficit atq; intus servatur donec tandem illud quod desideras, & tanto studio generari optas, prodeat.
Side Notes: Proprietas humoris qui opus intrātis quae Agens & patiens Mas & fœmina. Exemplum pulli in ovo.
Præterea scias, intrinsecus vim duplicem esse, alteram semper activam, alteram passivam, ut mas & fœmina motum suum mutuum invicem habeant, haud secus atque in ovo pullus crescit, qui simul est agens & patiens, nisi quod levi calore exterius illum conservante foveatur. Nullum hoc exemplo convenientius invenias, nec cui meo iudicio certius inhærere debeas, ad quod omnia reducere possis. nihil enim ex re quapiam generari potest, nisi prius putrefacta.
Side Notes: putrefactio primum est in opere.
Et nota in hoc opere non nisi uno vase, uno regimine & una materia tibi opus esse, eademq; arte ac modo posse te gemmas generare ac conficere.
Side Notes: Parabola de operis praxi.
Est sylva in summo secreti montis vertice, in qua fons argenteæ & nitidæ aquæ scaturit, & specus est continens antrum exesum & excavatu, in quo est virgo potētia ac virtute pręstās divina, quā agricolæ prisco nomine Glarea appellant. Eo via angusta, aspera & acclivis euntē egre inter denſos vepres ducit ad vestibulū antri usq;. Ante ipsū vestibulū est levis & ęqualis, nectñ ampla planities, umbris horēdis obsessis, fluvii quoq; ripis & Tophi margine, nec nō viradi musco & spiſsis Corymbis obducta.
Side Notes: Corpus fit spiritus.
Sed si quis feliciter ingrediatur, is quaprimū, qƺ mireris, omnē imunditiem humanā exuit & pōdus mortale deponit, & totus fit spiritus purus ac levis, plustrans oēs antri aditus, perlatus agiliter undiq; per cuneos, in quorum medio Nympha aurea residet, & circū thalamus anreus, supra resplēdens.
Side Notes: Trevisanus non docet principia.
Et qƺ magis est, ingressus tabulatū aureū pedibus cōculcat, & omnis supellex ex auro splēdido est cōflata.
Side Notes: Metallum primum sumendū.
Tu vero qđ tātarū rerū principia satagis, ne in motib. Trevisaneis erres, recta ad antrū pergito, & inde qđ pretiosissimū videbit sumito, nec sūptibus ullis vel labori parce, interim cave ne applices sulphur vivū vel argentū vivum, vel etiam aquam putridam vel infectam ex eorum vapore procedente, sed purum & defecatum metallū in cuius massa spiritus vivus delitescit cupiēs liberari à vinculis & à carcere obscuro, ut in aerem elevetur.
Side Notes: Hic parabola supra dicta exponitur, satis tamen obscure. Retrogradatio.
Et hæc massa quæ erat onerata naturali & originali mole, posiꝗ ea est exonerata & facta levior, sursum in aerē levatur, & quæ prius dura fuerat, iā per artē naturæ ęmulam mollescit, quæ ars jubet fieri retrogradationē via ac more consueto, ut semē inclusū è diuturno suo carcere instār spiritus vegetabilis se recludat, neq; amplius metuat vincula illa duræ massæ.
Side Notes: Germen auri pullulat. Simile hedera,declarãs omnia bene esse obsignanda, ne spiritus auri exhalet.
Neq; id mirū tibi videri debet, nā germē auri perpetuū quandoq; pullulat virtute ppria, & sursū in aerē fertur, nō aliter atq; hedera agilis murū amplexa se extēdit, circūquaq; serpit, & frondib. radicibusq; suis oēs muri rimas, quas offendit, pmeat, ut tandē murus fatiscat; sic et vividus auri surculus Topho insitus quærit atq; explorat intus oēs partes vacuas, & per eas egreditur & in aere diffūditur, vel saltē eiusdē Tophi superficiē in plurib. locis occupat, & quem locū firmiter tenet, pure inaurat.
Side Notes: Duo in omni opere precipue considerāda. Dissolvere parvo & lento igne.
Hinc Artistæ duo sūt studiose tractāda, vid. quānā materiā primū eligere, deīde quō electā moderari & regere debeat, quo aptius ea pducat & edat in lucē ut modico & lēto calore possit dissolvi.
Side Notes: Dissolvere parvo &, lento igne.
Hęc duo veteres infinitis tenebris occultarunt, sæpius etiam seriem loquendi continuam studiose abrumpendo inutiles fecerunt digressiones.
Quapropter intentis oculis investiga, & fume materiam, quam in tam eximiis rebus per vias devias & longos errores inveneris.
Side Notes: In quo difficultas operis consistat.
Non. n. usq; adeo difficile est, materiam quam sumere oportet, invenire, at vero hanc ipsam aptam ac habilem reddere, hoc opus, hic labor est. Opus hoc nihil, nisi quod simplex est, requirit, & quod non est commixtum cum materia alia quam ea, quæ per suffumigationē puri sulphuris & attractionem sibi similis & comparis vivi in aurum formata est.
Side Notes: Requisita in opere. Diveras esse dicit preparationes. Reductio.
Verum aliter alius atq; alius eam præparat, nec fortasse unus idemq; præparandi modus est, modo una eademque res pura manifeste videatur reducta & relicta per se sola.
Side Notes: Corpus dissolutū in spiritū. Quid post solutionē faciendū. Calor continuus.
In hoc Artista naturā propius imitando laborare debet: illic natura constans mota & directa per Artistæ manum, ordinem suum ac tenorem servabit. Nam ubi opus compactum ope artis fuerit resolutum, & se ultro vi exteriore exposuerit, seque certa prole secundum commonstraverit, id quod superest in loco secreto collocabis & exercebis, fovendo illud longo tempore in calore continuo, eique sua alimenta sensim reddendo.
Side Notes: Exemplum de conceptu animalium.
Neque te tædeat moræ vel spatij temporis determinati. Omne enim quod nascitur, habet certam periodum tempūsq; ortus limitatum, donec orbem suum perfectum, quo in lucem prodit, circumiverit.
Side Notes: Nutrimētum operis à loco semen auri recipiente provenire innuit. Calor continuus.
Et sicut fœtus informis crescit in utero matris, interea dum formatur infans, sic locus dextere electus cui semina auri committes, ea fovebit, per progressum continuum ea promovendo, donec in fructus maturos & optatos adoleverint: Tum primum subministrabis ignem lentum & aptum rebus crescentibus & corrumpentibus, ijsq; temperamentum inter humidum & calidum (quod balneum Mariæ, falso tamen fimum & balnea appellant) continue addes: subministrabis etiam continuum & æqualem calorem tepidum, mitem & aptum, calor enim inæqualis quandoque excedens quandoque deficiens ad generationem inutilis est, præterea nec magnam materiæ quantitatem in parvo vase includere oportet, modico enim calore resoluta, vires suas quas habet fortes, expromere non potest, neque etiam tantam habere quantitatem tibi magnopere sit curæ, quoniam ubi semel copos istius pulveris benedicti factus eris, eius maiorem quantitatem, aut alium de novo conficere non desideras, quippe illum quotiescunque opus erit augere poteris.
Side Notes: Calor inæqualis inutilis. De magna quantitate materiæ non esse laborandum. Augmentatio materiæ.
Neque etiam parvi facies, si pulvis hic benedictus bene tibi sua signa monstrēt, quando se manifestat & varios monstrat colores.
Side Notes: Colores operis principales.
Et licet principaliter desideres colorem rubeum, album tamen, urinec nigrum non contemnes, nam hic, niger videlicet, tibi aperte principium magni operis cōmonstrat, & fores aditus secreti tibi apetit.
Side Notes: Color niger primus.
Quare cum iam arte singulari deprehenderis artis huius tam eximiæ seriem & manifesta colorum signa, spem cōcipe de promissis longi temporis præmiis, per gratiain enim Dei tibi præsto erit pulvis auriferus, qui subito convertet minima sui parte quodvis metallum in aurum.
Side Notes: Finis operis. Exemplū de caseo lac coagulante.
Et sicut modicum casei aqua & igne resoluti, deficiente coagulo, mulctra confestim lacte puro impleta coagulat & constringit, convertendo illud lac in suam formam: Sic etiam pulvis hic benedictus argentum vivum quodvis sistet & figet, inque speciem auri cœlestem puriorem ac præstantiorem naturali id convertet.
Side Notes: Pulvis multiplicari & augeri potest.
Hic idem pulvis etiam augeri potest, ut de cætero non fis solicitus opus semel absolutum reiterare, seu id de novo componere, siquidē virtus ei potest augmentari maior, ita ut minima pulveris portio immensam argenti vivi quantitatem transmutare possit, sive quod spiritus levis & omni parte solutus profundas corporis partes ingrediatur, seque per omnia viscera eius misceat, seu potius quod pulvis lōgo tēpore coctus, inclusus & sæpius in sese reductus cogat, inspisset & multiplicet vigorem suum.
Side Notes: Exemplū de croco in aqua dissoluto.
Et sicut modicum croci in aqua pura immissi diffundit & multiplicat grato odore immodicum suum colorem, ita etiam magna virtus in exigua pulveris quantitate agitans penetrat & percurrit quascunque partes metalli liquidi.
Side Notes: Aurum difficilis dissolutionis.
Præterea opus nullum magis arduum neque labor maior est, neque in quo ars magis glorietur quam præstare, ut metalla sensim madeant & mollesiant. Tandem parum aberit, quin reliquum operis per te intelligas.
Side Notes: Ignis lentus.
Omnia enim vinculo unico iuncta atque ligata tenentur. Et hinc deprehenditur modus ignis lenti, locus & decens lapidis mensura, color etiam sub pulvere optato varie diffusus, nec non quomodo lapis sit multiplicandus, quæ omnia clare & cum gaudio intelliges, & rerum seriem longo usu observaveris atque retinueris.
LIBER III.
Side Notes: Varii ignes, alter lentus & alter violentus, ad operis dissolutionem apti. Ignis violenti efficacia
Si quis semen faciendi auri quærat, sive principia argenti nosse desideret, non spernat primo diversos ignis gradus cognoscere. Sunt enim plures per quos cum procedere oportet, duo ti sunt præcipui, quorū alter tranquillæ naturæ æmulus, alter arti violētæ cōvenit.
Hic magna violētia semen auro solido miris compagibus inclusum protrudere nititur, cum prius, prout mox declarabitur, dissolveris aurum, idque reddideris humens, putre, bene subactum, domitum & mollificatum, ut ignem fortem facile ferre possit, & per exhalationem infletur, sublimetur, eleveturque in altum.
Side Notes: Ignis lenti effectus.
Ille nutrit & fovet semen auri extractum, nec etiam comburit opus virtute caloris excessiui, nec permittit ante frigere quam se mirabili cōponat modo, & sefe perfectum propria sponte reponat.
Side Notes: Auro liquer proprii seminis miscēdus.
Tu tamen sumes laminas auri puri, easque contundes & quasi in pulverem sive arenam fluvialem comminues, multumque teres, ut tandem per sese resolutæ humiditate & putrefactæ interius liquefcant.
Side Notes: Simile suo simili adgregatur. Simile auri quærendum. Simile auri resolvit ipsum aurum
Proderit etiam copiosam interdum quantitatem roris seminis proprii infundere, ne forte fortuna tamen alieni quicquam admisceas, ignorare enim non debes, omne simile suo simili gaudere, atque etiam extrinsecus suo simili iuvari: præsertim cum natura requirat naturam & respuat suum contrarium. Ideoque non te pigeat, suum querere simile, vbicunq; id lateat, sive in imis montibus fit absconditum, sive etiam eruatur è maris scopulis, sive in mediis hæreat fontibus, sive ex alto productum sit cælo, sive quocunque etiam loco appareat vel abscondatur, quidve id fit, etiam si corpori cuicunque totius orbis se misceat, cuius vi & virtute efficacitu ea tam firmiter insita atque compacta possis resoluere.
Side Notes: Modus resoluendi aurum.
Vbi ergo humescent, recondis ipsa in fundo parui vasis, non tamen citra suum modum & ordinem: necesse enim est ea ibi æqualiter disposita manere, vt calor vnus atque idem ex æquo penetrans per omnes feratur partes, & ex omni parte vaporem compellat atq; regerat.
Side Notes: Vas resolutionis quale.
Vas porro, in quo aurum ita rite præparatum istos vehementes calores ferre debet, sit cucurbita paruula, ex argilla & terra subalba, vetustū marmor referens, composita: quæ quidem cucurbita sit vitreata & cooperta cappa vitrea-ta, ad subtiles recipiendum vapores.
Side Notes: Cucurbita vitreata cum cappa. Furnus & ignis qualis.
Deinde cucurbitam cum sua materia pone super furnum perforatum, in quo ignis sit vigorosus, clauso furno æstuans, feriensq; vas recta inferius ad ignitionem usque totius vasis.
Side Notes: Aurum dissolutum suo proprio liquore.
Tum demum species auri suo olim liquore proprio imbibita & madefacta (quis credat? veteres tamen Philosophi viderunt) solvitur, atque paulatim spondilibus vasis adhæret, mox quoque sensim summitatem vitri videtur petere.
Side Notes: Aurum subito non dissoluitur.
Et quemadmōdum hæc quondam fuit dura & gravis, sic nunc volatilis, mollis ac rara fit, seque etiam à sua massa discontinuat & resoluit, sitq; rara & clara.
Side Notes: Colores operis.
Præterea etiam sicuti hæc ab initio fusca fuit & obscura, sic iam primum albore niueo, mox deinde cæruleo pallore vestita, & tincta colore leuiter violacco prius colore cœlestino relucebat, & in aura atq; vapore fului auri perstabat.
Side Notes: Per saporem cognoscitur opus. Per odorem.
Quod tamen non solum hisce cognoscetur indiciis & signis, sed licebit etiā observare per saporē suum, si nimirum hic aliquid amaritudinis, quæ vix ore percipitur, præ se ferat.
Side Notes: Per sonum.
Potest similiter cognosci per sonū obtusū, qui nisi per difficile acutū deprehēditur. Per odorē quoq; nō grauem, nisi p sulphuris fœtidi odore spirantem.
Side Notes: Aurum soluitur in aquam fluentem.
Et qƺ plus est, massa i tidem hæc sursum versans videť quandoq; se soluere in aquā fluētem, cuius liquor, si tempore cōgruo atq; opportuno fuerit collectus, ad duo vsui esse poterit.
Side Notes: Ad quid aqua auri prosit.
Primū ad aurum, vbi ipsū prius solutū & artificiose contritū fuerit, liquore proprii seminis imbibendū. Deinde vbi humiditas sive liquor iste rite commixtus fuerit, ad Baccas sive vniones vetustate nonnihil pallentes pristino & proprio cādori restituendū: vel etiā ad nouas hocce liquore claro & puro artificiose formandū.
Side Notes: Exemplum de generatione unionum.
Nec exēplum tā appositū inuenire potetis, nec tā mirabile, qđ ars humana imitari possit, vt istud Baccarū, circa quas natura adeo sagaciter ludat, veluti qđ istarum cochę sese in litore maris pandunt, hiantesq; & coceptione leui roris sic impletæ hora genitalis eas stimulat, tū demū ita repletæ certo post tēpore suos producunt fœtus. In quo etiã exemplum pictorum, qui nos tot colorum diuersitates docent, imitari licet.
Side Notes: Quid post aurum sublimatum faciendum. Ignis lampadis.
Porro postquā ex vase vitreo extraxeris auri niuē, totumq; fuerit sublimatum, eandē denuo niuē repones in vase vitreo, cuius orificium vitreo ardete obsignabis, vasq; illud pones in hypocausto vel camino, eidem supponendo lampadem ardente, qui producat calore continuum atq; tepidum, cui calori superpositus sit cinis, arte cōseruans semina auri in fundo vasis inclusa.
Side Notes: Qui colores in digestione auri per ignem lampadis appareant.
Que cum in vase vitreo diu conclusa & cocta fuerint, diuersos primum mōstrabunt colores, inter quos præ cæteris pro primo quærimus & desideramus nigrum: post eum per intermedios colores album: nam ad postremum non deuenitur, nisi per intermedios; inter quos tot se præbebunt, quot in iride sunt colores, aut quos Argus in pauonem transmutatus habebat oculos.
Side Notes: Color niger est signum caloris recte administrati.
Cum iam massa nigro fuerit colore tincta, putabis te illi sufficienter tepidum atq; proprium administraſſe calorem, quo fæmina marem in suaui suo gremio amplexa foueat ac nutriat, masq; iam fotus illi itidem suum amorem sensim instillet, & denique dulci coniugio languescentes ditem producant prolem. Hinc dicta massa paulatim nigram suam vestem indies magis ac magis, nullo vnquam tempore cessans, deponere incipit, procedendo per colores varios, ab vno ad alium, donec tandem virtute tanti coniugii, quo resoluta putruit & recreata vires nouas resumpsit, albescat.
Side Notes: Post nigredinem calor non augendus.
Quapropter hic caue, ne illi vllatenus suum ignem aut calorem tepidum submoueas, sed nutrias & foueas virtutem eius intrinsecus genitalem & naturalem, vi caloris extrinsecus penetrantis, haud secus ac auis suis ouis tepidis assidue incubat, & intenta vigorem addit pullis nascendis.
Side Notes: Simile ab auibus ouis assidue incubantibus assumptū.
Hunc itaque modum & morem vt obserues, conuenit, donec Solis circulo reuoluto & tempore exacto massa sit omnino albedine multa aspersa.
Side Notes: Albedo operis.
Patientem ad hanc vsque periodum & metam te præstare oportet: hic equus soluitur, hic terminus maris, vbi cursum tantorum laborum te absoluisse lætaberis.
Side Notes: Opere ad albedinem deducto, percipi possunt fructus.
Et iam tempus aduenit, quo exantlati laboris & sudoris vsq; perpessi condigna reportes præmia. Recipies igitur pondus argenti viui puri & de more præparati, quod vasculo triquetro impones, idq; in medio ignis collocabis & adaptabis.
Side Notes: Proiectio, eiusque modus.
Vbi vero feruere & fumum sursum mittere cœperit, tum exiguam pulueris tui perfecti particulam desuper proijcies, ignemq; post follis flatibus magis & magis succendes. Argentum hoc viuum subinde mox (quod tibi mirum videtur) in speciem argenti liquescet, hancq; deinde in canali angusto fusam in lingonem gracilem inducere videbis.
Side Notes: Albedinem non esse perfectionem operis, sed ulterius progrediendum.
Veruntamen hic omnino insistendum non erit, nam longum tibi adhuc iter reſtat suscipiendum quod sedulo peragere & perficere debes, donec ad portam feliciter appuleris.
Side Notes: Ignis continuandus. Ignis augendus, & quatonus.
Consulo iam, ne quis opus administratum
ab igne amoueat, ne forte calorem tam diu cõceptum remittat aut deminuat, sed potius intendat & augeat, ita tamen vt manus artistæ tactu eum ferre possit, & caloris vim mouentem non excedat, sed continuus æqualisque duret, quem benigna natura & læta sequi possit.
Ideoque nulla te retardet mora, quin continues vlterius pergere & peragere, vbi semel absolueris & produxeris albedinem splendidam desiderati & adepti coloris.
Side Notes: Patientia præstanda Spræcipitatio fugienda.
Sed tamen ne nimium properes, patientia fida tibi comes obstet, simul-atque efficiat, ne longa mora, quæ alioqui nimia festinatione causari posset, te remoretur: non est enim quod speres, posse te tantas res tam breui tempore adipisci, quas si obtinere possis, non vtique desineres ab acquisitione rerum adeo desiderandarum.
Side Notes: Varii colores in opere apparentes.
Vbi itaq; ignis iam vlterius processit, non vnus tum color, vnaue apparebit facies, sed priusquam color purpureus siue rubeus sese videndus præsentet, paulatim albus, veste crocea perfusus, varie se mutans, annum integrum perdurabit.
Side Notes: Color albus subcitrino vel croceo varie mutans perdurat annum.
At vero vbi rubeus apparere cœperit & perdurat spicue sub cute superiori florere, violae etiam rubentis & splendentis hyacinthi similis esse videbitur.
Side Notes: Color rubeus superficialis adhuc imperfectus.
Non tamen adhuc ibi hærendum, sed vlterius progrediendum erit, ne tamen à via recta, quam incedis, aberres cauendum.
Side Notes: Color tolerabilis & manuum nō lædens.
Nec tum quoque tibi in mentem veniat, nec quisquam tibi etiam persuadeat, ignem vllatenus mutare, nisi forte tantisper augeas, vt sine læsione calorem vasis ferre manuque attingere possis: quod pro norma & certo modo obseruabis toto opere durante, hoc ipso enim imitaberis naturam.
Side Notes: Errores corrigi posse.
Inter cætera autem si quid forte peccatum vel omissum est, nihil prohibet, quin emendare possis vel iterum de nouo componere & redintegrare, modo iam antea hæc bene animaduersa à te fuerint & inquisita.
Side Notes: Igne intermortuo opus corruit.
At si intermiseris fouere ignem, ita vt eius vis calorve, qui fœtum continuo fomite nutrit, intermoriatur vanus erit omnino labor tuus: nam vbi ignis defecerit, omnia corruẽt & in nihilum redigentur, quæ nullo vnquam artificio reparari poterunt.
Side Notes: Præcipitatio in opere noxia.
Econtrario si per impatientiam ignem vltra modum auges & te moræ tædet, subito perdes id, quod tanto tempore parasti.
Side Notes: Calor tepidus temperatus seruandus.
Cura igitur sedulo vt quocunq; modo calorem continuo conserues tepidum & temperatum. Nec quoque te pigeat pudeatve cribrare cineres subtiles, eosque circa ampullam tepidam adaptare, interim videbis fœtum inolescere & ruborem densum magis affectare, donec tandem tertius annus adueniat, quo transacto ab omnibus præteritis laboribus liber eris.
Side Notes: Calorem rubeum sufficientem appellat densum, spissum. Tres anni perfectionis.
Quãprimum enim color purpureus plenus & integer apparebit, tunc non cunctaberis puluerem benedictum è vase sumere, eumque in varios vsus tibi reseruare: siue ad transmutandum metalla in aurum, siue ad succurrendum egenis, siue ad curandum hominum morbos.
Non tamen necesse est dictos annos tam exacte computare, vt nihil eis vel detrahere vel addere liceat.
Nam aut materia, si fuit habilis, cursum operis maturare potest, vel si non habilis, eundem retardare, aut si calor plus minusve debito intensus iustam mensuram excedit, potest variare tempus & locum.
Hinc tibi facile causa apparebit, ob quam opus vel dilatum vel maturatum fuerit in generatione sui fœtus.
Side Notes: Simile de infante 7 vel 11 mense edito.
Infans enim natus septimo vel vndecimo mense non erit illegitimus, quanquam alii hæc astris & Diis tribuere soleant.
Side Notes: Reprehendit calcinationem quæ sit post perfectionem operis.
Sunt præterea quidam qui lapidem calcinent, & in vehementi igne septem diebus detinent & perurunt, vsque dum, vt dicunt, inspissetur, quod tamen bonus Philosophus per omnia non probabit, quippe quod natura quidpiam simile facere non videatur.
Side Notes: Natura sequenda.
Nam si natura cursum incepit, eundem seruat & continuat, & huius contraria recusat.
Et vt hæres cursum, quem tu sequeris & perficere conaris, rectius absoluas, te admonitum velim, ne in opere tuo spacium anni integri obseruare contemnas: & si mihi credis, tempore veris, quo omnia fructificant, & natura omnibus rebus producendis occupatur, incipies.
Side Notes: Opus tempore veris incipiendum. De numero & pondere.
Quæres fortasse de numero & pondere rerum ante inchoationem operis præparandarum. Sed si veritatem consideraueris, tria tantum principia reperies, vel etiam duo, vel etiam si bene rem perpenderis, non nisi vnum erit, & hæc tria reperietur in auro solo: & quod plus est, omnia hæc vno tantum pondere comprehendes.
Nam cum sunt coniuncta, non sunt diuersa, se inuicem commutant & communicant sua pondera alterum cum altero successiue.
Quodipsum exacte obseruãdum est secundum morem aurifabrorum, quicum aurum & argentum separarunt à minima particula magnæ massæ, computabunt & inuenient facile summam quæ in residuo remansit.
Side Notes: Sufficit terra, id est pauitas, materiæ.
Et licet numeri & pondera tam exacte obseruanda sint, sufficiat tibi tamen vnum ex tribus prędictis, quod recte, vt docui, administrabis, vel si duo forsitan eorum sumpseris, non est quod addas amplius.
Side Notes: Siue etiam paululum maior quãtitas sufficit.
Nam quod restat, nonnulla te docebo, ex quibus, si modo ea cæaueris, cognosces quare contentus esse debeas laborare modica quantitate & portione materiæ.
Side Notes: Nihil refert laborare paucā quantitate materiæ.
Quod superest dicendum, & quod veteres consulto se calasse fatentur, non fictis figuris aut ænigmatibus proponam.
Side Notes: De multiplicatione.
Tu igitur vti prudens labori huic extremo nullatenus cede, quandoquidem breuis & perexigui est artificii, at luculenti vsus.
Side Notes: Multiplicatio cum auro. Multiplicatio cum semine grauido auri, & æquali pondere cum puluere. Multiplicatio cum lento calore.
Inprimis ergo aut miscebis paululum medicinæ iam perfectæ cum fuluo auro, & continuo videbis id virtutem pulueris benedicti retinere, aut quando magna nec non difficili arte graue auri puri semen extraxeris (cuius modus satis superque supra expressus exstat: nec etiam licet omnia effutire) commiscebis & adiunges illi mox partem pulueri rubeo æqualem, deinde vero lentum illi succendes & administrabis calorem: in quo illud decoques per menses duos, quibus effluxis percipies omnem seriem colorum, quam antea cum admiratione spacio trium annorum vidisti, se aperte manifestare, & tandem breui tempore ingentes illas diuitias, quas tanto tempore beneficio artis quæsiuisti, colliges & adipisceris, idemque opus iterum atque iterum repetes.
Side Notes: Multiplicatio inseruit quantitati & qualitati pulueris.
Quotics enim id perfeceris: toties quantitatem pulueris eiusque qualitatem etiam auctam videbis: citius enim crescit, & hinc aliam etiam crescentem, retenta interim priore, resumit virtutem. Neque vanum est credere, illam veteres authores tantopere interdum auxisse, vt si mare vniuersum foret argentum viuum, & in eo vel minimæ istius pulueris portionis fieret proiectio, quod dictum mare, quamuis immensum & infinitum, in aurum transmutaretur.