MERCURY’s Caducean Rod: OR, The great and wonderful Office of the Universal Mercury, or God’s Vicegerent, Displayed.

Wherein is shewn His Nativity, Life, Death, Renovation and Exaltation to an Immutable state; BEING A true Description of the Mysterious Medicine of the Ancient Philosophers.

By Cleidophorus Mystagogus.

LONDON: Printed by W. Pearson, and sold by T. Northcott, in George-Ally in Lombard-street, 1702.

A General Epistle to the Reader, more especially to those who are the true Inquirers after Hermetick Philosophy.

THIs Caducean Rod of Mercury (Reader) is a subject of so great usefulness to this Generation of searchers after that infallible Truth of Natures Mysterious Operations, that it needs no Apology, or any of those Flattering Titles, wherewith worthless Books are usher’d into the World; my Language being indeed obvious to all those Capacities, which God hath qualified in the simplicity of Nature to understand the same; tho’ Truth’s Language may seem contemptible to many of these worldly Wise-lings, who swell and are puft up, ready to burst with the empty Notions of their vain Philosophy, regarding not any thing, but what is hammer’d upon their own Anvil, in the false flourishes of Athenian Phrases, which we willfully omit, for to speak Rhetorically is no part of my Design: Because true learning in the spagyrick Art consists not in that, but in the Demonstrative Knowledge of that matter, which all the Ancient Philosophers have born Testimony to, with one unanimous voice, from the true speaking Hermes even to this present Age.

Therefore (O Reader) what I shall entertain thee with in this ensuing Discourse, will be a product from the knowledge of that universal subject matter from whence alone Mercury hath its Birth, Life, &c. and his Office of Ascending and Descending is known: For this Philosophical work is an Abstract of the Creation, an Epitome of all Forms, and Nature’s general Looking-glass, wherein more Mysteries are contained, than mean Capacities are able to describe: But to add some sparks to this Light or Knowledge, I shall ground my discourse from the secondary Chaos, analogized with the first, according to the custom of Philosophers.

In the Beginning when the Darksome Abyss imprison’d the yet undistinguish’d Waters, the divine all-working spirit Moved and Brooded on the face of them, and from the invisible Gulph brought forth this glorious Fabrick: The first thing that appeared after this Incubation was Light, the immediate Product of the spirit of Light and word Fiat.

Now this Light, being the principal Instrument of the Creating spirit, out of hand manifested its boundless Activity, in separating the several Natures, that lay hid in the Chaos, which was the dividing of the Waters from the Waters.

But the divine Artificer stop’d not here, but clears the surface of the Earth of Waters, and by his word of Power swaths their restless Waves in Bands, that they might no more deluge the Earth, and so made way for the vegetative Power, which he had implanted in her, to display it self in a most lovely and ravishing variety.

He imbellish’d also the Azure Roof of this spacious Theatre of his Glory with numberless inextinguishable Lights; a little beneath which he ranged those seven Lamps, which continually influence and beam down upon the Earth the Blessing of Heaven, as being supplyed from the over-flowing Fountain of his Inexhaustible fullness; amongst which the sun and Moon are call’d the two great Lights, by way of Eminency, as being not only the distinguishers of Times and seasons, but also the great Dispensers of the divine Bounty and Justice here below.

When God had thus created the World, and all the Host and Furniture thereof, he imparted to them all the Blessing of Encrease, commanding them to multiply in their kind, by means of a seed, to that end inclosed in them.

And at the close of all he made Man, the Abstract and Abridgment of all his Works of Wonder, upon whom he stamp’d the glorious Image or Character of his own Essentiality, to the end he might be every way worthy, fit and capacitated to rule over and dispose of the outward Creation.

Now one main Lineament of this beautiful Image being that Wisdom, wherewith he was indowed, and whereby he was enabled to pierce through the external shell of things, to the internal working spirit, it was to be his continual imployment to search into the abstruse Essence of things, and by a skillful application and joyning of symbolizing Natures, to effect all, that might conduce to delight or necessity, and so become an Opener and Manifester of the Wonders of God in Nature.

’Tis true, the Image of God in Man consisteth in Knowledge, Righteousness and Holiness, and a firm Knowledge of that Truth, which was defaced (yea in a measure lost) by the Fall, but restored again to all Believers by and through Jesus Christ, the Archetypal Image and son of God, in and according to whom the lesser as well as the greater World was framed, who to this day by his spirit doth not fail faithfully to shew the way, in which this Wisdom, the best and choicest of all Treasures, and most desirable, may be obtained, by exciting strong and earnest impulsations of life in the heart of the Elect after this Jewel of Price, putting them upon seeking, asking, knocking incessantly, until they find, receive, and (upon their perseverance to the end) it be open’d unto them.

For great is the Magical attractive Power of Desire, but certainly nothing can be compared to the force of those longings, which the Divine spirit blows up in us, as being influenc’d

Influenc’d by Omnipotence it self, to which nothing is impossible.

This is that which the Wise Men of old took for their way, to obtain the knowledge of the secrets of Nature: solomon the wisest of men asked Wisdom of God, and obtained it to that degree, as ’tis declared none ever before him did, or ever after him shall arise like unto him.

Job, that great searcher into natural secrets (as appears by several Passages of his Book) after he had discoursed of the Mysteries of God in Nature, and particularly of those in the mineral Kingdom, and inquiring after that Wisdom, which is the sole Revealer of them, gives us this short, but pithy information to obtain the same from the mouth of God himself, in these words; The fear of the Lord is Wisdom, and to depart from evil is Understanding.

This is the way I have endeavoured to follow, in order to obtain this Wisdom and true knowledge of Nature, who being God’s hand-maid, will not conceal her self from those, who are ordained of God to behold her Beauty unvailed, if they seek by the means ordained, viz. an illuminated understanding and diligent indefatigable Labours, &c.

And for my part, I have great reason to magnify that holy Arm, that hath in some measure conducted me to the Mount Helicon of Art, and brought me to see at a distance, the reward of Art; therefore hope my soul will never forget to bless and praise that holy Name, who hath taken compassion upon me, the smallest and lowest of all his Creatures, as I in humility have sought unto him, for I have found my hungry soul to be filled with Divine and natural Wisdom; even those good things of his Kingdom, of which the Rich, Proud, Full and Haughty know not; and we have sufficient Testimony on Divine and natural Records, that this God, the Father of all our Mercies, hath had a special regard to a Remnant in all Ages, giving them a Prospect, and also a Tast of that blessed Portion of Joseph, being a true Compendium of the choicest Vertues of Heaven, of the dew and of the deep, that lieth beneath; of the choicest Emanations of the sun, and the choicest Products of the Moon; of the top of the Mountains of the East, and of the choicest fruit of the Avel Hills, and of the choicest part of the Earth, and the fulness thereof.

O Lord God! stream out, if it stands good with thy Divine Majesty, these thy Blessings upon the head of all those, who seek thy Name, in the painful Work of Watchfulness, Holy silence, and Regeneration; and for the sake of Truth and Wisdom are free to be separated from the Pleasures of this wicked World and their Brethren; desiring nothing more than that they may be worthy of a true Resignation to thy Disposal, to follow thee and the Lamb in all the Tribulations we are to pass through in our Pilgrimage to thy immortal City.

Therefore, if it be thy good Pleasure, O Lord God, make us instruments in thy hand, to reveal thy Wonders, and to shew the true Mysteries of Nature to such as are worthy; and raise up yet more powerful ones, commissioned and gifted from above to declare against the Man of sin, and to be exemplary in this holy way of Righteousness; to the end, that the Tabernacle of David, which is fall’n may be raised again; and the New Jerusalem come down from Heaven, like a Bride adorned for her Husband, and that thy Temple may be built in greater Glory than ever, by those living stones; O Almighty God! that thou hast thereunto ordained to the Glory and Eternal Halelujahs of thy Pure, Holy, Immortal Name, Amen.

Reader, I must draw to a Conclusion of this Preface; only let me caution thee, for fear lest I should be misunderstood, in speaking or writing too Reverently of the Mysteries of Nature, which are but Types of the glorious Antetype and Fullness, that I put as much distinction between them, as school-learning can make between God and his created Works: But as Nature is God’s Handmaid, and Centers in his Divine Will, she ought gravely and solidly to be treated of; so I shall no longer detain thee from the Porch, call’d Beautiful, nor from Hermes’s Mystical Temple, where Wisdom’s Oracles are; therefore shall conclude, subscribing my self a Friend in all Christian Love, to the Travellers in the ways of Truth, whether Divine or Natural.

Cleidophorus Mystagogus.

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Mercury’s Caducean Rod:
OR,
The great and wonderful Office of the Universal Mercury, or God’s Vicegerent Displayed, &c.

Chapter 1.
Containing a Theophysical Investigation of the Philosophical Chaos, from whence Mercury hath its Birth,

I am bound to confess, and that in much sincerity, that sandivogius and Philalethes are Authors of so great Worth and Learning, that I cannot pretend to come up with them in the least degree, either in my stile or Matter treated of; only as they themselves confess and experience shews, that many practical Truths are by them couched in silence, whether it might be in Divine Reverence for fear lest the Art should be too much exposed, ’tis not my matter in hand to determine, but the matter of Fact is Essentially true; for sandivogius himself owns, that he had not leave to write concerning the way of extracting the sal Armoniack or Mercury of Philosophers out of their sea-water and its use, but directs you either to God, on a Matter for the obtaining of it: And Philalethes saith, that they confound one Operation with another, even the Natural with the Artificial, to keep the simple in ignorance concerning their true Vinegar or Crude White sulphur, which being unknown, all their Labour is lost: Artephius also confesses the same thing, where he saith, He hath shewed you all things plainly, excepting one thing, which is not lawful for him to speak of, much less to write: And Dominus Nuyment, where he speaks of the Philosophers Fire, he saith, That all Philosophers have concealed it, and kept it under Lock and Key, as the sole steam of all their Actions: But what need I to enlarge, seeing the lip of Truth saith, That out of the Mouth of two Witnesses every thing shall be confirmed; these Authors being Matters of undeniable Credit, therefore none need to doubt their Affirmation.

And farther, if any will make a nice scrutiny into this matter, they shall find that the subject matter is not so much as once named by any of them; which is the very hinge or foundation by which the door of entrance moves; for which reason, as a late Author saith, We ought to implore a Blessing from Almighty God, to open our Understandings, and unlock unto us the Recesses of this darksome Abyss, where all the treasures of Health and Riches are locked up: For he accuses all the Masters of Alchymy at once of Envy, who have ever written of this Celebrated stone, saying, they have declared the matter and subject (which is the chief of this Art) so obscurely, that Apollo himself would be tired in unravelling the AEnigma’s they have excogitated concerning it; and this doubtful Declaration of the matter, is the reason why many, who seek this science without the Light of Nature, are precipitated into very great Errors, because they know not the true subject of this Art, but busie themselves about other things altogether unfit for the work.

These are Motives sufficient, not only for this Writing, but also to excuse all Objections, which may be offer’d against it, seeing I design (God-willing) measurably to supply these Defects, by letting the Artist know, that our subject matter is no specificated determined thing, but an Universal subject, even a Chaos, which I have shewn in my General Epistle is begotten by the Union of Elements, and is an Emblem of the first Chaos, whence the World was Created; and therefore that thrice worthy and learned Willis, in his search of Causes, hath Allegorically yet Cabalistically treated of this Chaos; the like hath the Author of Enchiridion Physicæ Restitutæ, and many others too tedious to recite.

Now seeing Mercury hath its Birth and Manifestation from this Chaos, I think it convenient to give some short Descriptions of its Qualities and Properties, that so the Artist may the better know it.

First, ’Tis an Emblem of the Ancient Chaos, and consequently Universal, as is plainly manifest by that lightsome spirit, incubating on the face of the Waters, to animate Beings with Heat, Life and Motion.

secondly, There are two Waters, superior and Inferior, with their Divisor.

Thirdly, In the Bowels of its Earth is Contained the Form of all Mineral salts and sulphurs (as I have plainly shewed in my General Epistle) as may be plainly manifested by the hand of an Artist, yet none of these specificated.

Fourthly, The matter is fluid and open, and in its self neither perfect nor imperfect, therefore in a way to Perfection.

Fifthly, ’Tis neither Animal, Vegetable nor Mineral, yet of a Mineral Birth, wherein the salt and Light of the most perfect Metals are plenteously found.

sixthly, And principally, there is none of its Elements permanent in the Fire, but its Earth.

seventhly and lastly, ’Tis a matter as Ancient as the World it self; therefore as Hermes saith, ’tis that one thing, whence all things proceed, containing both the Cælestial and Terrestrial Vertues; therefore Operation on it shews what the World was, what it is, and what it shall be.

From this one Chaos proceeds all that is necessary to this Philosophical Work, without addition of ought, but what is of its self, only by a diminution of what is superfluous, and that by a Natural Process; for as sandivogius saith, The Ancients regarded nothing but Nature and her Possibilities, for that Nature originally was created pure and good; and although she travels under the burthen of the Curse for Man’s Transgression, yet the same Primitive spirit remains in her, and will if rightly disposed, labour with all her might to attain a more perfect end; therefore the Artist above all things ought to be simple hearted, and not in the least to regard, the subtil and new invented Operations in Chymistry, but that alone which Nature is able to effect; for God having created her, and placed his Divine spirit in her, he is as sandivogius saith, That alone, by which God works all things: Therefore if rightly disposed, she brings forth no Abortives.

What she is, and how she Operates in the four Elements, and in what Vessels, is learnedly and candidly shewn by sandivogius in the latter part of his first Treatise; but having promised to shew Mercury’s Birth, I shall now come to perform that Task, for that the four Elements co-operate together to produce a sperm and seed, by first producing three Principles, and of them two Natures, Male and Female; the Male is the Earth or sperm, or sulphur, by which Nature works all her intentions, not compulsively, but voluntarily; for the central sun receiving the spiritualities of the Elements, does like a true servant mix the astral Virtues, and send them forth to the Circumference, where the Female sperm is, which being acuated, animated and strengthened, and by a fermentative Union the impurities cast off, Mercury is born with his Caducean Rod; and seeing he hath his Birth from Celestial and Terrestrial Vertues, his Office is to ascend to the superior Orbs, to fetch Celestial Virtues, and again return to the centre of the Earth, to communicate the same to his defiled Brethren; by which act of Ascention and Descention he doth not only nourish himself, but also sol and the other Planets; for as Philalethes saies in Fons Chymicæ Philosophiæ, And it’s our sea, our hidden Fountain, out of which our Gold naturally is created, when yet it prefers it self to Gold, and conquers it, and in the hour of its Nativity Gold is joyned with it, and washed in it, and both encrease together into a strong Hero, which neither Cæsar nor the Pope can buy with Money, therefore with all thy strength, get this Water: For this is that Mercury out of which the body of Metals is procreated, and as sandivogius saith, even the Mercury of Philosophers; therefore they are not to be regarded who say, that vulgar Mercury or any of the imperfect Metals are the Foundation of our stone, these being all specificated by Nature, and brought to a Metallick Hardness; whereas ours is open and fluid, yet this Mercury, tho’ thus universal, and the very matter from whence all the Ancient Philosophers, none excepted, obtained the secret, must be mortified and die, and by due Mediums be brought to Renovation and a more immortal state; for by this way only is he Capacitated to redeem his defiled Brethren, and to exalt the imperfect Bodies to the highest degree of Perfection; but this will be more largely treated of in the following Chapters, as occasion will necessarily require; therefore hating fruitless Repetitions, my aim being only to supply what many of the Philosophers have (I presume) wilfully omitted, I shall write that in these sheets, which, I dare be bold to assert, was never written by any of the Philosophers; and I have deliver’d that in this Chapter concerning the true Chaos or Matter of the Celestial stone, that hath hitherto remained as a secret to the generality of Mankind, even from the foundation of the World: so that none for the future need to scruple or doubt, what the right beginning of our Work is, nor of obtaining it, if they will take the wholesome advice of Bacon, which I shall repeat, and so conclude this Chapter; Which is to congeal the thing that Nature begun her first Operations about, by a proportional Mixture and Union of pure living Mercury, with the like quantity of sulphur in one Mass.

Whereupon saith Dominus de Nuyment, holy words, wherein this good Anglian or rather Angel clearly depinged that one and true matter, whereof the Philosophers have written Volumes under divers Figures and Ænigmatical Fables; not because they would maliciously hide it, but keep the Privilege of this knowledge for learned and Pious Men, who by continual study and laborious experience find and adorn it.

Chapter 2.
In which is shewn some practical Conclusions concerning the separation of the Chaos.

IN the former Chapter 1 have shewn you what the Chaos is, and how it came to be Corrupted by the fall of Man, the Earth being cursed for his sake; not only the Earth, but as the Apostle Paul saith, the whole Creation groans under the Burthen of Corruption, for this reason the Artist must be assistant to Nature, that she may be able to cast them off, if ever he intends to arrive at the Haven of rest; I shall therefore in this Chapter come to shew some spagyrick separations, that so the Artist may better understand his Alchymy, which in the Arabian tongue signifies Fire; and the Author of Enchiridion Physicæ Restitutæ speaking of the Birth of this Universal seed, says, ’Tis born from the Loines of Jupiter by the help of the Divine Light, by the Midwifery of Vulcan: so are our Elements and Principles born from this Chaos by separation by Fire, for except separation goes before Generation, there can be no perfect Birth brought forth; for the first separation is of distinct Elements, the second of Principles, and the third of the two Natures Male and Female; in the Elements are many immerg’d Corruptions, which must be separated for the producing of the Principles, in which are great varieties of salts and sulphurs, which are not in the least adherent to our Work, which Philalethes candidly hints at, where he saith, amongst all the great variety of salts and sulphurs, there are but two for our Work, which two must be rightly known and adapted, if ever you hope to see Diana unvailed; also he cautions you to beware of Corrosives, which are repugnant principles contained in the same Chaos, and are some of those vile Garments which glorious Nature casts off, when she shews her self in her Amours to her Lovers, and that you may not be ignorant of what these separations be, I will give you a short Catalogue of them.

The first is common Mercury and sulphur; the second is Urine; the third is sal Armoniack volatile and fixed; the fourth is Nitre and Vitriol; the fifth is a Corrosive and destructive Vinegar; the sixth is an Homogeneous Vinegar and Mercury sublimate; the seventh is a spirit of Wine; an eighth is a sulphureous Laton; the ninth Blood; and the Tenth an Hermaphroditical Mercury; the eleventh an Universal spirit, by which the whole Chaos is acuated with life; the twelfth a Golden sulphur, from whence Tincture and Permanency proceed; and the thirteenth a sweet Central and Permanent salt, which is the ground-work and foundation of the whole.

I could enlarge to a greater Variety, but shall omit them, seeing every Artist, in the separation of the Chaos, will be able to demonstrate the same; although ’tis true the Ancients have not so distinctly named them, nor it may be so well consider’d it; whether they have or not, I dare not judge, seeing it is couched in silence, and they have said, ’tis a symbol of every thing, and therefore have call’d it by all names, but its proper name is Universal Mercury; for it contains in its Womb the first seed of all the seven Metals, as well the imperfect as the more perfect; and therefore I regard not the opinion of even many of the Philosophers themselves, who write about the number of Elements, whether it be Ternary or Quartenary, seeing I am satisfied there are four Qualities, hot, cold, dry and moist, and that in a two-fold Composition: For the first heat is of the Red sulphur, to which may be added the White sulphur and the Homogeneous Vitriolic salt.

The first Moisture is in the Inferior Waters, which must be married to its natural spouse the Earth, by which it shall be enriched with fruitfulness; the second in the superior Mercurial Air, for after you have sublimed the Mercurial Earth from its Fæces, and have formed the Body, and separated his Blood, you must know that the sulphur is cloathed with combustibilities, and the Mercury with a flegmatick Nature; therefore must you cast into her Womb the seed of that Universal sulphur or Fire, which is the parent of all Form in Generation, by which her volatility and Inconstancy will in great measure be taken off; but how this is to be performed will be the task of another Chapter, so we shall pass it by here, and come to speak a little concerning the two Corporal Elements of Earth and Water; for when we speak of the Earth, we mean not its gross and corporal part, but the Central salt it contains: For as the Philosophers say, in the Centre of the Earth is a Virgin Earth, which is true Element and Nature’s Work: And as to the Water ’tis filled with the dreadful effects of the Curse, even a Dismal Poisonous Coagulating, Arsenical salt, which hinders Vegetation, and therefore must be separated, for the Earth delights only in the pure; this Mystery is candidly hinted by sandivogius, for he saies, the Water is never to be had pure, Art purifies that by a two-fold heat, and then conjoyns it, nay yet after this Union, although by a true Medium of sulphur, it contains abundance of superfluous and corporeal Corruptions, which are Enemies to Generation, and therefore must be separated in preparing the Vinegar, or Crude white sulphur; for (as Basil Valentine, speaking of the great Office and Effect of the Earth, saith) the Earth doth it not of it self, but the living spirit it contains.

The true knowledge of this Mystery brings you to a right foundation in Art, and opens many others; for herein Nature only begins her Art of Formation and Vivification, without which there can be no Multiplication nor Perfection.

And that thou maist not be ignorant of the true and adequate knowledge of this separation, I tell thee, that what Art doth not perform, Nature will, being rightly disposed, and that by a living active Innate, Quintessential spirit, that forms the very Elements, and preserves them, taking upon it self the shape of Elements, yet it self is no Element, but a living soul, lying hid in them, and when by Art extracted out, it turns to one again: Now if this living Fire is absent, the Elements would be dead, but seeing every active cause must have some passive one, we cannot in the first part of our Work separate the one from the other; for according to Hermes, the Earth is its Nurse.

Concerning this Universal and living Fire, much might be written, but seeing its office is so general, that the Philosophers say, the Heavens and all things are filled with it, nay whatever is lucid and glittering, as the sun, Moon and stars, doth secretly derive its Original from it, and are to this day supplied by it, as you may read at large in sanguis Naturæ, where he also describes the living Central Fire, call’d the Central sun and Corporal Water, or Fire of Bodies; to know this (saith he) is the most secret Mystery in all our Philosophy: This fixed fire, as it hath its original from the living Fire, so it hath a great sympathy with it, for it wants it as an Aliment, which it continually attracts out of the Water and Air, and converts it to its own substance; and in this, as in a Centre, all the virtue lies concentrated, which being scatter’d lies into the Circumference, as may be observed in Man, in whom this fire fixed in the Centre of the heart, hath its seat, as the yolk in the Egg: But its Operation is invisible and very secret, and yet very powerful, which also few know; for it operates by its heat in all things, which lie in the Earth, and excites the Flux and Reflux of the sea, as the Pulse in Man is excited by the fire which lies hid in the Center of his heart.

Hence also all the Watry and Airy Vapors by the help of this Fire are Elevated from the Earth and sea into the Air, which compose the Clouds, and by Rarefaction of the Wind (being impregnated by the vital spirit) fall down again to the Earth in form of Water.

Thus Art may prepare and exalt the Rivulets, but ’tis Nature alone which must exalt this Catholick Fountain of Mercury.

Now what Concerns the Purification of the Elements, I have said enough; yea more than enough by shewing what is Homogeneous, and what is Heterogeneous, what must be separated, and what must remain: Reader, thou maist sincerely thank me for what I have done, seeing I never received the like from any Person or Author extant, therefore let this suffice.

Chapter 3.
Containing some Theophysical Investigations concerning the Formation of the first Philosophical Body.

LET me direct thee a little (Reader) by a Digression from the Matter, to shew thee the reasons of my Writing so plain: for in my search I faithfully promised, that if ever it should please God to illuminate me in some measure to understand what the Ancients have so Mysteriously Written, I would for my own satisfaction, as well as the benefit of others, draw it up in a more intelligible Method.

Now considering the substance of this Promise, I could have no Peace in my Mind, until I had stretched forth my hand in this Treatise, to the desirous of Art, shewing them what is most needful for them to search after; and these Labours do also not a little conduce to the ease and satisfaction of my mind, seeing my Operations have brought me into much Infirmity and Craziness of Body, and life is uncertain at the best; so that I hope my poor Children may receive Benefit from them, as a Legacy by way of Requital for what I have exhausted of theirs; and likewise in general for the Benefit of all those whom God may hereafter ordain to be Possessors hereof, my Pen hath deliver’d the truth, with as much Candidness, as ’twas lawful for me with a clear Conscience to do; and one thing I may boast of, which is that I have shewn the particular and lineal Operations as they proceed, which was never done before.

For my part I have not chose the common envious and ambiguous way of Writing, I speak it not out of any disesteem to the Ancients, whose writings I esteem with the highest veneration imaginable, next to Holy Writ; but out of an Exercise, sympathy and Fellow-feeling with the painful and laborious, for I have often said in my self, that I should never be able to subsist in these Indefatigable Labours, and to pass through so darksome a Wood; and indeed do admire, when I look back, how I have been upheld, but I wholly attribute it to that Divine Arm, who hath hitherto sustained me in a sea of Difficulties.

And it hath been one of my greatest griefs, that for many years I have had a perfect knowledge of the Matter in General, yet have been to seek in joyning symbolizing Natures together, and all this through the obscurity of the Philosopher’s words, and their confounding their Operations together; but what shall I say, I must conclude with solomon, there is an appointed season for all things under the sun; for I now plainly discern, that this great Mystery here spoken of, may measurably be gather’d out of Books, when we come practically and feelingly to understand them.

For which reason I cannot choose but Love and Admire the Philosophers.

Admire them, when I consider with what admirable Cunning and Artifice they have wrapt up this secret from the Unworthy; Love them, when I see how plainly they have delineated the same to the Masters of Art, who alone can receive the true and advantageous benefit of their Writings; and upon this consideration, I do not now admire, why there are so many Books of this subject in the World, for should this method be taken, there would be as much need of Writing to the end of Time, as if never any thing had been Written before, I mean for the Edification of a Tyro; therefore have they well said, Labour, Pray and Read, for one Book opens another, and true Adeptists confess, that thus they have learn’d distinct Operations from divers Authors.

Read Philalethes and Philadelphia on this point.

Therefore I may compare these renowned Men to skilful Masters in science, who can with great cunning, defend themselves from each others stroaks, yet at the same time let each other understand their great skill and Ability in Weapons, so that one indifferently vers’d in the Art, dare not attack them; even so have the Philosophers done by their various Expressions and cunning Artifice, having written so as to be plainly understood by each other, yet at the same time veil’d it from the vulgar Pretenders.

But to return to the matter in hand, all the wise Men began their foundation from the Roots or Ground-work, viz. from a Body; but seeing this Body is the Philosopher’s Earth, it cannot be accounted a light and frivolous thing to understand it, for ’tis not a simple Earth, but an Earth that hath the first Unity of the four Elements in it; and by a dissolution of the first Corporal Earth, and a Coagulation through the purified salts and sulphurs of Nature; for here (according to Artephius) the Artist must put the hard and dry Bodies into the Water once for all, and then this Earth being from thence form’d, is the House and Habitation of the Philosopher’s sperm; for the sperm is one thing the seed another, the Earth is the Receptacle of the sperm, the water of seed: Flammel above all others in his Hieroglyphicks, hath given not only its Composition, but also the degrees of Heat requisite for its Production, Pag. 58. and 64. shewing it to be a Natural Work.

Therefore I shall not speak here of extraordinary Generation, called in the schools Equivocal, which is a Birth produced only by Putrifaction, without an Original specificating seed, but of that properly call’d Univocal; for by the seed of Metals, Metals only are Generated, or else that Art, concerning which so many famous Philosophers have written, would be impossible: But to Assert this, is not only contradictory to Truth it self, but also a giving the direct lye to their voluminous Works, seeing on the one hand the Art hath not only its verity and possibility in Nature, but also on the other to be obtained by diligent search and labour; and sandivogius hath already taken off all objections concerning the Production of this Mineral sperm, where he saith, the four Elements beget it, through the will and pleasure of God, and imagination of Nature; therefore I would have none to put a false Construction upon these Writings, imagining, that I have a secret Reserve concerning vulgar Metals, for I deny them all, even Lead, Tin, Iron, Copper, common Mercury, Antimony, Marcasites, Nitre, salt, Vitriol, Oyls of Vegetables, Animals, or any other thing, that hath received Determination in Nature, even snow, Dew and Rain-water, most of which I have tryed to my own loss and damage, and not finding the signs, was forced to begin again; Gold and silver only excepted, which serve us for Fermentation in order to Projection.

What would you have clearer delivered to you than the Truth without any Equivocation, or Mental Reservation; concerning which verity I have a cloud of Witnesses on my side, even the conjoint Testimony of all the true Philosophers.

Therefore away with all your false Notions in Philosophy, as also with all false Books (from whence many such Notions do arise) written by some upstart smoak-sellers, false Pretenders, unexperienced in Natures Mysterious ways; away also with all false Commentors on the Philosophers Writings, especially such who make it their livelihood to rob the dead, and destroy the living; not valuing for self-ambition sake how much money is exhausted, and Families ruin’d, by following such their frothy Notions: These are indeed so far from unfolding or conceiving the Mysterious ways of Nature, that they write things repugnant to her very Laws.

These instead of adorning, destroy that living Image, so truly delineated by the Ancient Philosophers, and dishonour their Writings, causing them to be ill-spoken of many times; especially by such whose losses have made them perverse.

O vain Wretches, may not I properly apply to you the words of sandivogius, where Nature speaks to the Alchymist in his Treatise of Mercury, for your falseness you deserve the Halter, equally as well as those who rob on the High-way, for of the two, you are the greatest Thieves; for I count it no less than sacrilege, to rob the dead of those Honours due to them, and without Repentance expect an equal reward.

I must confess, that when I have read some of those Commentors Works, I could not choose but blush for shame, to see such confused Processes, as if they would by their Heterogeneous Mixtures create a seed, contrary to the express Law of God and Nature, and the Genuine sense of true Philosophers, which is but to Maturate and Ripen that which God hath already in Nature created; which I count little less than wilful blindness or perverse ignorance, which deserves to be stigmatized rather than pitied.

For in this Work, from one Fountain proceed three distinct parts, not only the Body mention’d, but also soul and spirit, which is the threefold Mercury, and summ Total, which by degrees is harden’d into a Metallick form, and afterwards by long Decoction into pure Metals; but seeing that each of these parts require a distinct Chapter, I shall now proceed to speak concerning the Philosophical Blood, which is a Medium of life between Body and spirit; for these are the three springs that testify to the Artist the truth of his Proceedings, for what is call’d Body, soul and spirit is also called Water, Blood and spirit; for all agree that the Body is formed out of the Water, by a Body spiritual and a spirit Corporal, mixing per Minima in a sulphureous Earth, as the Artist will learn by the practice of this Chapter, therefore shall conclude it.

Chapter 4.
A Theophysical Investigation concerning the Blood or Mineral spirit, which is in the Philosophical Principles of sol, Lune and Mercury.

This Blood is of so great consequence to be understood, and its Preparation, that without a perfect knowledge thereof, there can be no Progress made in the Philosophical Work; and as in Formation of the Body the Acetum is the first Menstruum, so here Elixir is the second, and Azoth is the third and perfect one, which are the three Fires, by which the work is carried on to its predestinated end, and are called the keys of the secret science, two of which, saith Ripley, are superficial, and the third is Essential to sun and Moon; now Philalethes says, that the superficial are the Water and the Blood; for that the passive Principles of the Philosophical Mercury, by this active Essence, which is a fire and sol volatile, are digested and ripen’d into Lune and sol, at the Philosophers’ pleasure.

Therefore Experience shews that Philalethes hath testified the Truth, where he saith, There are in our Mercury three Mercurial substances, which may well be call’d Menstrues, the one the more gross part (which tho’ it be a Water, yet it being the most palpable part, and visible, may be termed the Body of the Water) the last is a Fiery form, which is the Blood of Cadmus; this is a real invisible form, which is Essentially and formally sol volatile: The second is the mean soul, which Philosophers without Equivocation call saturn’s Child: the middle substance of these three is made into one wonderful Mercury, which hath not its like in the world.

And in another place he saith, That their dissolving Water flows from three springs, one is a common Well at which all draw, and of which water many use; this Well hath in it a saturnine Drossness, which makes the Waters unuseful; these frigid superfluities are purged by two other springs, through which the water of this Well is artificially caused to run.

These springs make but one Well, whose Waters appear dry, the humidity being sealed; the Well it self is surrounded with an Arsenical Wall, the slimy bottom abounds with the first Ens of Mineral salt and sulphur [which is the Body and Blood] which Acuate the Water of the first Well, whose primary quality is coldness; being thus Acuated, it becomes so powerful a Menstruum, and so pleasant to the Metals, that for its peculiar virtue it is chosen for to be the Bath of the sun and Moon.

Of these three springs the Blood must now be considered, for that is the Middle Nature between the Body and the spirit; for according to scripture, the Blood is the Life, that is to say, the life is in it, as in its proper vehicle, and there ’tis nourished and maintained: Now the Philosophers have distinguished two Bloods, sc. the fixed Blood of the Red Lyon, and the unfixed Blood of the Green Lyon, which they often joyn; for as Basil Valentine saith, they have their Original from one Consanguinity, amongst all these three springs, there is nothing unclean, but that they call the Green Lyon, or the Instrument that naturally inclines the Body to purify, and (as Philalethes says) is the very Grave of it; it is called by some Philosophers Aqua Fœtida, and by some Mortis Immundities, which uncleanness is impossible to be separated by Fire, by the hand of any Artist whatever; but Nature must here contribute her aid, by its being removed from its Matrix of Earth, and sown in its Matrix of Air, by which Action and Reaction they purify each other, so produce a Bud, Blossom and Flower, different from either Root; therefore he afterwards adds, that it is not in its own Nature unclean, but made pure, as the Art of the Artist can make it: He also shews, how it is thus purified, viz. by the help of Nature, art joyning Consanguinity with Consanguinity; the knowlege of this is the hidden Key of the whole Art, for saith Philalethes, Learn to know this Green Lyon, and its Preparation, which is all in all in the Art; it is the only Knot, unty it, and you are as good as a Master; for whatever then remains is but to know the outward Regimen of Fire, for to help on Nature’s Internal Work; therefore I desire my Reader, very cautiously to observe this Point, not only in the right Formation of the Body, and to beware of all Corrosives, but also in the right separation of the Blood, and to beware of all violence; for we see the Husbandman sows his Grain or seed, but ’tis the sprout only that produces the Herb, which at first is scarce discernable, and therefore if taken out from its Grain or Root, ’twill die in a moment; for which reason the aforesaid Author saith, The whole is sown, yet the Fermentative spirit is scarce a third part of the whole, the rest is of no value, and that the dregs of the Body come off with the dregs of the prepared Mercury, and that the spiritual part or virtue of the Body doth purge and purify the Matrix of the Water in which ’tis sown, in a Generative way between Male and Female of the same kind, betwixt which there is a fermentative virtue, which will effect that which no other thing in the World is able to do; by it Water becomes Plants, Minerals and Animals, nor is the work ever out of kind.

Artephius intimates the very same Operation, where he saies, The Body Coagulates the Water into dryness out of the Body, all one as Rennet doth Cheese; therefore do they say, the Earth is the Receptacle of sperm, the water of seed; seek the knowledge of this only, and rejoyce in it, as in a deservedly invaluable Treasure, for ’tis the way, which Nature hath and doth tread in all Ages of the World, although it may seem Riddles and perfect contradictions to some, how the seed can be said to be sown in the Earth, Water and Air; but thy experience only must reconcile this difficulty, for that I will not, nor dare not speak plainer.

I shall only add, that life, as ’tis an invisible thing, contained in the Blood, as in its Vessel, is as in Infants, very tender and weak, and easy to be extinguished; but if carefully nourished, it successively grows stronger and stronger from Babes to young Men, and from thence to strong and perfect years, therefore in the Philosophick work, ’tis a successive Animation by Eagles, which the sophi have assigned from three to ten; three is the least you may dare to open your Vessel at, for it must first be able to withstand the Fire and Water; therefore Philalethes saith, the Vessel must not be open’d, nor the Fire go out from the 10th. of October to the 10th. of March; but I say ’tis far better if it remains till the 10th. of July.

What is to be understood by breaking the Vessel, or letting the fire go out, I have plainly shewn in my General Epistle, therefore need not to recite it here; this Operation is that which Espagnetus intimates, where he saies, that the winged Virgin, excellently well washed, and impregnated with the spiritual seed of the first Male, whose cheeks are stained with the Colour of a Pomegranate, must be joyned to the second Male, by whose Corporal seed she is made fully to be conceive; this same truth is also hinted Flammel in his summary, Mercury must be taken out of his Nest, and transplanted nearer the sun, where he will grow more in one day, than in a thousand elsewhere; the practice is plainly intimated by Artephius, thus: Our Mercury is drawn from its vitriolick Caverns, and a little farther tells you, ’tis drawn from a red servant.

But this being the Work of the succeeding Chapters, I shall omit it here, and supply what is defective for the compleating this Chapter, which is to let the Reader know, that ’tis not the outward Vessel, or outward Fire, that Philalethes means, which I will plainly show, by confronting against him an Author, as Learned as himself, viz. that famous Willis in his search of Causes, page 73. where he speaks of the Mineral Matrix, and the Modus of ripening the seed.

He says we find, that though some part of the Matter exhale, and fly through the pores of the Matrice, yet that which remaineth may be brought afterwards to his full specifical Perfection, if the Matrice be closed again; and this is a good and observable ground to investigate the true seed of all Metals, the manner of Ripening them, their Generation, Regeneration and Exuberation; also to confirm the Doctrine of Homogeneity of that which is most perfect in the Metalline Predicament; also of the symbolizing of the Corporal Metalline Elements before spoken of; being understood this is a Key opening the Door of many Mystical Vestries in Hermes’s Temple.

And so we see, that it is impossible for any thing to attain Natural Perfection more than it hath, without Natural Motion, such as Nature useth in Generation and Augmentation; therefore in all times, and in all matters, the cautions here delivered must be carefully observed, that the seed may be brought to such motion, and be enabled to receive the Benefit of such Natural Exaltation.

Now this Motion and Exaltation is not to be effected, without you understand the Office of Nature in all the seasons of the Year, from the West to the North, and thence to the East, and lastly up to the south; or from the Autumn to the Winter, and thence to the spring, and lastly to the summer.

For in Autumn the seed is sown in the Earth, in the Winter it doth digest and purify, and in the spring it buds forth stalks, Herbs and Flowers, and in the summer ’tis ripe and gathered; therefore let the Circulation be gentle, not only in the Formation of the Body, but also in the Union of the two Dragons, Male and Female; the Male is sulphur, or the fixed Dragon, the vessel of Earth and Receptacle of sperm;

sperm; the Female is Argent vive, born up in the Wind, the vessel of Air animated with the first Male sulphur, and therefore the Receptacle of seed.

There must be time and place therefore given, both for the Formation and Dissolution of this Body; for as it Congeals drop by drop, so doth it dissolve drop by drop again; in which Action and Work of the Elixir, there will appear blackness conjoyned with Moisture, unctuous and fusible in melting, and more than Water, for in this Elixir the Latonal Body of Earth is hidden, which will again Congeal it self, and at last Calcine it self into Dust; thus in the two-fold vessel doth this wheel about from Earth to Heaven, from Heaven to Earth again, by which is manifestly seen Mercury’s Growth and Office of his Caducean Rod, but this being more clear in practice, I shall proceed to that in the following Chapter.

Chapter 5.
Containing some Practical Rules to be observed in the Body’s Formation and Exaltation.

Having in the former Chapters delivered many hitherto undiscover’d Mysteries, for the benefit of the sincere Inquirer, even such things as have been hid in this Art from the Foundation of the World, and spoken that which many of the Philosophers have not dared to do to their own Children for fear of being exposed, I shall come with the same Candidness as to Practice; therefore shall state this for an infallible Aphorism, sc. That every thing generated or begotten, is generated or born of its own specifick seed, and in its proper Matrix.

The Matrix may in one sense be said to be Corporal, as being the Element of Earth; but the seed in the first intention of Nature, wholly spiritual, being a subtil, Unctuous, spermatick vapour, which never can be multiplied without Attraction of a proper Nutriment, which is a living Body, endued with Prolifick and Multiplicative Power, agreeable to the intention of the seed; for in such Homogeneous Principles the Body is not only softned and strengthened, so as to be the true Womb and Matrix, for the bringing forth the most perfect Minerals; but also the spirit is so exalted, as to be able to propagate and multiply in its own kind.

The difference between the Body and seed Sendivogius hath in his twelve Treatises learnedly described, therefore needles here to repeat it.

Again, the seed must both by Nature and Art be placed in its proper Matrix; for by this alone, the seed is nourished through Death and Regeneration to a form more Noble, according to that undoubted Truth and Doctrine of our Blessed saviour, concerning a grain of Wheat, Joh. 12. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a Grain of Wheat fall in the ground and die, it abides alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit. So that from hence we may easily gather, that nothing can be Animated and born again, unless it first suffer Mortification, Putrifaction and Corruption, by which dissolution and a more secret and noble change is brought about; for the Central Virtue is thereby extracted and set at Liberty, and is capacitated to become either spirit or Body, as the Artist pleases.

Now neither the Matrix nor seed can be exalted, without it be strengthened and assisted by a salt of its own Nature, dissolved in a convenient Liquor, that is, its own pure vitriolick salt united with the inferior Waters and Lunar sulphur, and then by Art sublimed and purified; for this is the Watry Leffas, which unites with the Watry seminal, whence Vegetation and Germination come, for it readily unites with and strengthens the seed, by the assistance of a gentle Bath, Penetrating, Analyzing and Rarifying the substance thereof, that so the included spirit may, out of its subject Matter, form a convenient Habitation and Body for it self and also the Blood; for Basil Valentine, that learned Philosopher, plainly shews you, That the fixed Blood of the Red Lyon hath its Original from the unfixed Blood of the Green Lyon, therefore they are near of Kin.

Hence by the way, it may be observed, that there is no visible or permanent Body before ’tis form’d by Art and Nature; and without this Body and true soyl, the seed can never perform its Office in Natural Propagation and seminal Multiplication.

Here Basil is to be understood, where he says, That Metals and Minerals must be dissolved and reduced again to their first matter by Minerals; this must not be out of kind, for if so, you may expect a Monster: For the subtle seed will not mix with anything outside its own proper “latitude” (that is to be understood, to the profit of the Artist).

For, as Basil says in his Eighth Key, speaking of Putrefaction:

No metallic seed can operate or increase of itself, unless this metallic seed, by itself alone without any strange addition or mixture be brought to Purification; and this is done only by salt and sulphur of its own kind.

For salt prepares the sulphur; and salt and sulphur qualify Mercury, and form the Body, and also bring it to Vegetation.

So then, this saline liquor or medium is that by which the salt by its dissolving and searching power enters into Nature, and opens the most intricate and inmost recesses of the seed.

And only when the moisture or liquor is, by a due degree of heat, rarified and thereby stirred up, then the salt in it is also thinned and made fit to pass into and open the most compacted body of the seed there stirring up and provoking to vegetation a spirit of salt, which is like and of the same nature with it, but which before lay hidden and inactive.

A spirit that is at liberty will easily and quickly free another spirit of the same nature that is bound up and restrained.

This is done, first, because of that activity and permeability with which the free spirit is endowed; and secondly, because of the harmony, likeness, and love between them.

This mutual relation is the cause that the outward free spirit makes its way in and joins with that spirit of salt included in the seed, and so, with more ease, works upon it and excites it; for (as the proverb has it) like will readily go to like, and their unity is most intimate.

Now every spirit, when loose and floating in liquid bodies or liquors, is at liberty in this state, and by the mediation of heat does (like a loadstone) attract the spirit that is under restraint opening and dissolving the body which holds it in.

And the restrained spirit itself (like a sensible prisoner) labours for liberty, striving and pressing to be in action and in full communion with the other; the free spirit, by this sudden and subtle accession, still exciting and strengthening him, does by this means so provoke him to action, as fire doth enkindle fire; therefore the body holding it must necessarily suffer a change and labefaction, and so come to be putrified by its own included spirit; whose whole operation before was obstructed and kept under; for the included spirit having acquired liberty, and a power to be in action from the other, strives to get out and enlarge itself, and to that end breaks and destroys its first body, and produceth another new one.

so the spirit of the salt of the Earth, when it is dissolved in the immixed humour of that element (for every salt melts and is dissolved in its proper liquor) is then at liberty; for every salt, when once dissolved in its own liquor, becomes active.

Hence it is that a corn of wheat in whose body, as if under lock and key, the spirit of the vegetable salt is bound up and fetter’d, as soon as it is cast into the ground, is by the free spirit of the salt of the earth penetrated and opened, that the salt which lies dissolved or loose in that liquor or immixed humour, may excite the vegetable spirit in the corn of wheat to action and vegetation; which spirit being thus set at liberty, doth presently, by the putrefaction of the grain of corn, produce in the wheat’s proper matrix the substance of the root (which is a new body) by whose mediation and defaecation the earth must afterwards (the spirit attracting it) communicate nutriment to the blade and rest of this vegetable, as it grows up and increaseth.

Now you must observe, that this salt which conduceth to the solution and opening of the body, is sometimes weak, sometimes strong: if it be weak, you must strengthen it with a salt that is of the same nature and property with the seed; and the liquor which hath the weak salt in it, must be impregnated with it, that the solution may be more effectual and more convenient for Nature in her operation.

Let us therefore consider the Generation of Wheat: there is in Rain-water a volatile salt, by which solution is made in the Earth; but when that salt by reason of the Earth’s over-dryness, is not sufficient to cause a perfect and fruitful solution of the seed-corn, then doth the Husband-man strengthen and manure his Ground with Muck and Dung, in which there is a salt of the same Nature with the seed; for Muck is made of straw, and straw grows out of the seed, so that when the Rain descends and mixes it self with the Compost or Mold, there proceeds from the Muck and Ground a nitrous sulphureous salt, which the immix’d Humour of the Earth imbibes or takes in, and being strengthen’d by it, opens the most compacted and firmest seed, whence comes a fruitful and joyful Harvest.

Therefore thou that desirest to be a Disciple of Nature, and see the secrets thereof, open thy Eyes at what Cleidophorus delivers.

Now seeing that the seminal vertue lurks in the most intimate recesses of the seed, and consists in a most subtil proportion of the sulphureous salt, it is most clear, that it cannot be exalted and multiplied, but in an Humour that is most eminently subtil and pure; because the seed sown doth not at the first, or presently, take in that subtil Humour out of those places, which supplies it with nutriment: Therefore Nature doth before all things take care, first to provide and form these Vessels, in which that Humour taken afterwards out of the Elements is digested and rarified, and most accurately purged, that out of the whole Body, when formed and perfected, she may contribute her utmost for producing that pure seminal Essence, which is the Conservation and Multiplication of that species, which yields it or brings it forth; for which very reason provident Nature doth, by the intervening of Putrifaction out of the seed of the Herb, form first the Root (which we must also do, which Root being formed, you will understand what Laton is) and afterwards she doth shoot forth the blade, dividing it in the growth into several sections or Joynts, that the Humour taken out of soyl, in which the seed is sown, may at first in the Root, and afterwards in the Body of the Herb, when grown up and nourish’d, be the more and more digested, like as the Blood in Man’s Body by the Pulse and Action of Circulation; for that Nature drives the seminal vertue thro’ all the vessels and joynts from the very Root, to the uppermost top Branches, wherein a Matrix is form’d on purpose for the Reception of this seminal Matter and most perfect seed, fit for the Generation of the same species; the like doth the Artist.

Observe, when the seed is thus formed it doth come to maturity by assistance of the sun’s heat, being ripe is gathered; but it happens often, and this you are concerned to know, that though Nature forms always these Vessels and Vehicula of the seminal Progression, yet those Bodies, which are thus furnished, do not always yield seed: And this comes to pass, because in those Bodies, the Pores, through which the spermatick vertue should be promoted and driven into the superficies and upper part, are (before the seed is stirr’d or can be produced) stopt up by external Cold, or else by the predominant vertue of the innate fixed salts; nay sometimes by volatile coagulating ones, which so bind up and obstruct the seeds motion, that it either cannot come to any effectual Maturity and Perfection, or else is wholly supprest or shut up: For example, the Orange and Limon Trees do manifestly grow in this Climate, but the Region is too cold, and that in a double sense to yield their Fruit, as they do in Italy, where the sun by its warmth excites, and where the soyl also is more naturally warm and agreeable to bring them to their Perfection; the like may be understood in the Metallick Kingdom, for altho’ here is the seed of Metals in abundance, as Lead, Tin, Iron, &c. yet the Climate is not hot enough to bring it to Perfection or Emission of seed; this you may conceive by Gold and silver when its comes to our hands, for it can make no Emition of the included seed, because the Pores are by the vigor and excellency of the Innate fixed salts and sulphur so bound and shut up, that they are wholly restrained from effusion of seed; for the seminal virtue in them is not at liberty to act and come forth.

For which reason the Philosophers, who knew this, were willing to assist Nature, and did with most happy success reduce Gold and the other Metals into their first Matter, as hath been plainly shewn before, that by this course they might open the Pores, which by the super-eminent vigour and strength of the innate fixed salt, were shut and lock’d up, and so bring the Metal to that pass and condition, in which they might with a marvelous encrease to their great benefit, yield seed and Propagate, as our Philosophick Gold, silver and Mercury doth, which will afterwards exalt the vulgar sol and Lune to that state, as to excel their own Virtues a thousand degrees; and this no other way than the Orange Trees are in many parts cherished by an Artificial and external heat, which makes them not only put forth, but also bring their Fruit to maturity.

The like do we in our work, he that hath an understanding Heart, let him conceive what Cleidophorus saith for his information.

The Humour or Liquor which serves for Putrifaction must be proportionable to that body, which is to be putrified, both for Quantity and Receptivity; the Humour is then proportionated for quantity, when so much of the Humour is taken in by the Body, as is sufficient for its subtilization; it is proportioned for its Receptivity or manner of Reception, when the Humour is not suddenly and at once, but gently and by degrees, or by little and little taken in, and drunk up by the body and feed; for a sudden Imbibition of the Humour cannot so conveniently vivify the seed, but causeth by its sudden and unequal Penetration, that some part of the Body or seed is insufficiently open’d or dissolv’d; hence it happens that Darnel doth sometimes come up instead of Corn, therefore the Philosophers advise the sons of this science to irrigate or moisten our Earth by long delay, and frequent wearisome Attraction.

The heat which promotes this Putrifaction, must be so mild and temperate, that the Liquor in which the resolved salt lieth, may remain still in and about the matter, and not be laved or evaporated from it, and that for these two principal reasons: First, because the Body putrified must receive life in this Liquor; secondly, because such a gentle heat dissolves the salt in the Liquor without violence, and disperseth it into the matter after a natural manner, that the Body may more commodiously putrify; but if the Liquor were agitated by an excessive burning heat, the matter in it would be destroyed or spoiled, so that it could never be animated, nor receive such a Putrifaction, as is convenient for it; so that in this case, there would be no true Birth produced.

Listen if you intend to obtain the true Medicine.

The Body purifying must not be removed out of that Matrix, in which the Putrifaction was begun, until that which is intended be fully perfected; therefore do the Philosophers say, one Vessel, one Matter, and one successive disposition to the White and to the Red; (but here is something in this very Mysterious) but candid sandidvogius alloweth two, which point we shall clear up hereafter.

But the Reasons why the first Vessel is not to be broke are these: If you sow a grain of Corn in the Earth, you must let it remain until the Harvest comes, and the more pure the Matrix is, the thing generated is by so much the more perfect and sound, because a pure Matrix yields pure Fruit, which is durable, but an impure Matrix, Impure, Imperfect and Frail, whence comes shortness of Life.

Therefore you must assist Nature, by purifying the two inferior Elements of Earth and Water, which being purified, will prepare the sulphureous Earth to admit of some fiery vertue from the Central sperm into the Water, by which the seed will be purified by the natural Union; if thou proceed thus, then art thou in a good way to obtain thy desired perfection, for all impurities of the Matrix are to be removed, first by Art, and then by Nature; for she observes the separation of Impurities, &c. the subtil from the gross, but for the removing of any weakness Nature requires help, which must be done by a judicious and Discerning Disciple, for these impurities being once excluded, Generation proceeds more freely; for Earthly incumbrances are to be removed by Manual Operation, as Evulsion or Ejection, the spiritual by Nature: We have a demonstration of this in the Art of Tillage, or Husbandry, where the infirm salt of the Earth is by the sulphurous, Fat salt of the dung assisted and strengthened; but the stones and Thistles, which separate from the Matrix and hinder its Fertility by their weighty incumbrance, are by hand-work cast out, and the Field dressed, that it may become fruitful; for which end all Weeds are also pluck’d up.

The same method must the Disciple of Nature observe in preparing the secret Magistery, for his Earth or Field is first made open and fit by Calcination, and then enriched with his Mercurial Power, and fortified with a salt and sulphur in kind, which again prepares the seed to be cast into its own Matrix, by which ’tis vivified and multiplied in order to bring forth more noble Fruit; for that Matrix is only convenient, which is adapted to Generation, and permits an easy entrance to the seed, that is to say, to receive it with ease, that it is not hindred by its hardness to the entrance of the seed; for if the Matrix is grown callous or hard or impenetrable, the seed never freely enters, therefore ’tis our Art to keep it open and render it porous, and that by frequent Agitations, that it may be fitted for the Conception of the seed.

For as in the forecited Husband-man, he Plows, Mattocks, Harrows, to bring his Earth into a softness, that so it may easily take in his seed, and bring it to perfection; these things thou must observe, if thou desirest to come to the secret, praying to God for a right use, and wait with patience, as the Husbandman doth, and then without doubt God will favour thy righteous attempts, and give that into thy Possession, which will satisfy all the longings of thy Heart.

But out of that Body which is either corrupted or destroyed by strange or extraneous Natures, or whose spermatiek Vessels are by some violence maimed or cut off, no seed can be had; for it will be very vain, and an unprofitable attempt for any to hope for Issue, or an healthful seed by a Man, whose Body and radical Balsom is depraved or dryed up by excess of Aromatick Wines, or hot Waters, or by some contagious incurable Disease.

Eunuchs, because their Genitals are cut off, can’t propagate their own species; therefore I say, it is a fruitless search, to look for that in a dry Tree and lopp’d of Branches, which never can be found, but in that green and living power of Mercury’s Triune Office.

Farthermore, the Body which is preserv’d or sustained by one simple kind of Nutriment, is far more perfect and durable, yielding more sound and prolific seed, than that which is nourished with different kinds of Nutriment, as to what concerns our Work; for you have often heard, the nearer any thing is to Unity, so much the more durable it is; for in Unity there is no division or discord, which is the cause of Corruption, and where no Corruption is, there is a permanent Integrity and Conservation thereof; that which is nearest to Unity must needs keep better, and endure longer than that which is remote from it; because there is in one, less discord, and more in the other; so there can be nothing, that can give this durability to the seed, so as to yield perfect and permanent Fruit, but this Universal spirit, the first Actor in all Generation, which comes from Unity, passing thro’ the Elements into Discord, thro’ Discord returns to Unity again, which that you may the better Understand, we shall particularly handle Mercury’s Triune Office, as we shall proceed in the following Treatise.

Observe, That under this Head of Agriculture the whole work, with all its particular Modes for Nourishment and Exaltation may be delivered; for as I have shewn in my Historia Nova de Thefauro Britannia, this is a most excellent way of writing, the work being for the greatest part purely Natural, doth symbolize and Agree with what she yearly performs in the great World.

God’s works being uniform, therefore I shall give you a short review; for as the Husbandman doth burn up Brambles, Thornes and Briers, nay in some parts of England they dig up the pit of the Earth, and burn it to manure the other part, for salts are by experience found to be of a wonderful attractive Nature, and powerful in fortifying seed; and as stones are taken out, the Clod’s broken and often harrowed to make it fine; so doth Art in our Work, make our Earth as fine, even as flower; and as Nature fortifies the Earth by the Universal spirit in the Rains, Dews and Airy Life, so in Art by the unctuous Vapour of Mercury; and as in Nature the Husbandman manures his Ground with Muck and straw, which is of the same Nature with the seed, so doth Art by the salt and sulphur of the Earth and inferiour Waters, which is one in kind; and as the seed when ripe is gather’d in the Ear, growing at the very summities of the stalk, the like in Art; for Mercury, being ripe is taken from her superior Habitation.

Chapter 6.
A theosophical investigation concerning the Elixir, it being the House and Habitation of Mercury, &c.

The Elixir is our second menstruum (or fire), just as Acetum (vinegar) is the first; and therefore it constitutes a second part in the Work.

It is two things of one nature: for the seed is dissolved by sperm alone; and in this dissolution it appears in the form of a weighty mineral water a Chaos.

Therefore the Philosophers say that Elixir is Water; and for this reason the Elixir rules throughout the whole time of the repeated dissolutions that is, from the conjunction of the two sperms up to the perfect calcination of the body, through the whole period of the flight of the Eagles.

And here Mercury has his habitation and dwelling-place, he being born out of the Chaos, when the waters were separated from the waters, and being by Nature distilled into the centre of the Earth.

For as sendivogius says: “The four Elements in the first operation of Nature do, by the help of the Archeus of Nature, distil into the centre of the Earth a ponderous or heavy vapour of water, which is the seed of metals, and is called Mercury, by reason of its fluidity and its conjunction with every thing; not for its essence; and for its internal heat ’tis likened to sulphur, and after congelation becomes the radical moisture.”

And although the body of metals be procreated of Mercury (which is to be understood of the Mercury of Philosophers), yet they are not to be hearkened to, that think the vulgar mercury is the seed of metals, and so take the body instead of the seed.

Now though he be distilled into the centre of the Earth, yet doth he ascend again he ascends again to Heaven upon the wings of the spirit, and so partakes of both natures, and shows his threefold office, which his hieroglyphic sets forth: for his body is hermaphroditical, but his caducean rod is male and female; for by the female he ascends to the courts of Heaven, and by the male he descends to the centre of the Earth; and by this same power he draws souls out of Hell, and makes all eyes yield to sleep, as Virgil writes of him.

By “Hell” is meant the Philosophers’ centre; and by “Heaven,” their superior waters: as he is God’s vicegerent and Nature’s eldest son, he acts most powerfully in the mineral kingdom.

For instance, Helmont tells you that the Earth is only a matrix for generation, and that it is not in the least transmuted, but remains the same in pondus (weight); and he gives you an example in a tree, which increases from a very small one to a great one endeavouring to prove that by water alone vegetables receive their growth and increase.

This doctrine, in the common production of things, carries with it some appearance of truth; but in this mineral work the matter is clearly otherwise: for the Earth here not only increases in weight, but also in virtue.

For as sendivogius says in his treatise of the three principles of all things where he shows the action of body, soul, and spirit the spirit increases the quantity of the body, but the fire increases the virtue thereof; yet because there is more of the spirit in weight than is of the Fire, the spirit is rarified and oppresses the Fire, and draws it to itself; and thus every one of them increases in virtue.

And the Earth, which is the middle between them, increases in weight nay also in virtue; for from a simple Earth it is brought to a noble and fusible salt, which by Artephius is called sal Albroe, the best and noblest of all salts.

For the seminal Leffas of the Earth unites with the seminal vitality of the Water, from which comes vegetation, multiplication, and exaltation; for in the universal spirit is the multiplicative power of all things, as has been often hinted and candidly, plainly and candidly set forth, namely, that metals are generated from a body that is spiritual and a spirit that is bodily; and that from these two kinds of salts all things in the Macrocosm and Microcosm are generated, as the Mauritanian philosopher truly says.

And in my opinion, it is an excellent and well-worked piece, if you will only take the word “Man” for “Microcosm,” which indeed is the foundation of our seed.

Whether the fault lies in the translator, or whether it is a deliberate veil of the author, I will not discuss here.

These two salts are plainly indicated by sendivogius, where he says you must mix the two Waters together, that is, the Celestial and the Terrestrial.

For although the Golden seed is in the Earth, the Lunar is in the Air, and she is the radical moisture of metals; therefore the philosophers say that minerals have their roots in the air, and their heads and tops in the earth.

But since these truths are mysterious and profound, and far above common understanding, many will not be convinced without signs and wonders and no wonder, since they demanded this of Christ, the author and foundation of our salvation.

But he answered them that no sign would be given except the sign of Jonah, who was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, before his glorious resurrection. so, with reverent submission to that holy Restorer, I answer: in the restoration of Nature, this is as significant a sign as any; and whoever will not believe this shall have no other sign given them in this book.

For since your Mercury flows from the ocean of Nature’s catholic (universal) spirit, it must contain a universal and non-specific nature, and such degrees of purity as to be able to descend into the centre of the earth, and there to kill and purify the first spermy matter (and also you, from all vain notions in philosophy); and after death to ascend again upon the Water (and make you alive in the deep sense of Nature’s mysterious operations), and finally into the Air, gaining a more immortal and celestial Body.

These right proceedings will not only confirm to you that you stand upon a right foundation, but will also open to you the pleasant fountains of Nature, show you her mysterious operations, and interpret those irrevocable laws which are written on fine leaves of silver in capital letters of Gold.

The preface to them is:

That she alone, in secondary causes, is the only true universal fountain and ocean, whence all true natural wisdom is obtained; and he that does not believe these signs, let him suffer deservedly for his unbelief.

For he still carries in his mouth the taste of the first fruits of disobedience and unbelief that ancient monstrous sin: a lust for the carnalities of elementary corruptions esteeming the vain glosses of merely notional philosophy above the substantial glory of the true Light, and the beauty of Nature in her universal outgoings and work of vivification.

And this is because they do not consider her as they ought to do nor Mercury the universal, the most universal of all Nature’s children; for he ties and unites the rays of the sun and Moon together, and brings the Queen those garments which Philalethes speaks of in his Chymical Fountain so charming and beautiful that no man can believe it without a sight of it.

Let it suffice that this book is written from an hypothesis as ancient as the world itself: namely, that I refer you to those Golden Leaves contained in this universal Book of Nature; and that from them you should learn her spiritual operations, and understand that wisdom which reveals the mysteries of this universal office of Mercury.

For as I have often thought and sometimes said by the knowledge of the two fountains, all things required for man’s happiness in this world, and in that which is to come, may be understood: for from the natural, the things of Nature are conceived; and from the divine, the divine mysteries are conceived; for it is of an informing and teaching virtue, reminding us of our duties; and, by the grace and favour given, it draws a man toward a living faith, to walk in a manner agreeable to the power of religion contained both in Law and Gospel.

And all professions and outward forms whatsoever are, to me, like an empty shell without a kernel, when they deny the dictates of this divine spirit: for it is that by which true wisdom alone is obtained yes, that wisdom which is to be valued before riches, and understanding before an abundance of hidden treasure.

But very often it turns out for those who seek it rightly, as it did for solomon namely, that it brings with it riches, honour, and length of days.

For this reason I have so often directed you to the Fountain itself, where you may come to understand Mercury’s threefold office, so that you may come to see that pattern planted by God in Nature indeed, a true emblem of the Heavenly Jerusalem.

Therefore I again and again invite all who desire to be possessors of this great mystery to prepare themselves for the day of Mercury God’s vicegerent when he appears: who has in one hand his snaky rod, and in the other a threefold key, which unlocks the mysteries of Acetum, Elixir, and Azoth yes, and all the other necessary things in the mixture of our seed.

And likewise (it explains) why the seed is cast into so dismal and dark a cavern, or magical cell so as to hide it from all who are not appointed to it.

Therefore, above all things, it is highly necessary to learn Mercury’s office in particular, and Nature’s in general; and also to know her first mixture in the bowels of the elements, as in the womb of their great parent how the sperm and seed are formed there, endowed with life, and then awakened so as to be brought from mere potential into actual operation. This has always been the counsel of the Brothers of the R.C.; and then there would be more Philosophers and fewer mere “boilers.”

Now, as in this work of the Elixir, the principles are confused a Chaos for the central waters have not a radical union with the celestial, for there is a crude Air, or Firmament, divides them; so that you must first learn to take off Mercury’s hat, if you intend to exalt him from a natural to a millenary perfection able to redeem the imperfect planetary forms that arise from Mercury’s depression, or unprofitable shadows by which his pure spirit is covered over.

The practice of this is plainly shown by Philalethes, where he says:

Our art is to compound two principles (one in which the salt, and another in which the sulphur of Nature doth abound) which are not yet perfect, nor yet totally imperfect; and (by consequence) may therefore (by our art) be changed or exalted which that (which is totally perfect) cannot be; and then by common Mercury to extract not the Pondus, but the Calcifial virtue out of the compound; which virtue (being fermental) begets in the common Mercury an offspring more noble than itself; which is our true Hermaphrodite, which will congeal itself and dissolve the bodies.

And experience shows that in this work of the Elixir it divides itself into two principal parts, namely Laton and Azoth: Laton is the bottom, and Azoth is at the top; and Laton is whitened by Azoth.

Therefore I think it necessary to treat of these in a chapter apart; and so I shall conclude this here.

Chapter 7.
A theosophical investigation concerning the nature and production of Laton.

Laton is produced out of the Elixir as a body drawn from water, inasmuch as the bodily impurity is still contained in it.

Laton, say the Philosophers, is Gold that is, Philosophical Gold which must be redeemed by Azoth.

For the seed of Gold lies in Gold, although it is in a close confinement under strong metallic folds, which the hermaphroditical Mercury (mentioned in the last chapter) has power only to open.

The Poets have also given a very clear distinction concerning the nature and production of Laton.

The fable of her birth I omit (having treated of it in my Analysis Chymica Theolog. Poetica), and only note that she is said to be an island floating in the sea, and hidden under water, and afterward became fixed and immovable.

Her name signifies her nature, being called Latona from Lateo (“to lie hidden”): that is, she is hidden in the Elixir, and by separation through fire becomes manifest. she is said to have delivered two twins, namely Diana and Apollo: first Diana who served as a midwife to bring forth Apollo.

All of this casts shadows of deep truths, and shows that in her bowels the solar or golden seed is contained.

Therefore, if ever you expect to see Apollo sprinkled in his golden robes, it must be by the dissolution of this earth; for this is what is fabled by Juno, the twin sister and wife of Jupiter, whom the Poets feign to have let fall showers of gold with a triple thunderbolt at her feet.

Therefore the whole business is: that Laton be perfectly calcined, so that it may admit of this golden tincture; for as this Gold is noble, so is its Mother far more noble; for sol, of all the natural forms, hath nothing comparable to it for lustre and beauty; yet the Mother of sol, or Mercury of the Philosophers that being supernatural is far more beautiful: for there is no compare; the nature of this Mercurial, sulphureous light being such, as to dart into the ocean of Nature’s universal one.

O the secrets of this science, that demonstrates the triune office of Mercury, and shows his nobleness and unparallel’d virtues, which centre in a paradisiacal purity! For Mercury may be said Janus-like, to have a double face: by one he looks towards elementary corruptions and generations within the verge of elements, he being the life and death of every natural thing; by the other he looks eternity-ward; for the fire or breath of his mouth represents the fire of the general conflagration, when the very elements shall melt for fervent heat, and a new heaven and new earth philosophical shall be created.

The central heart of Mercury is also endued with a double essence one immutable, the other multiplicative all by the virtue of light; the motion of which is the highest fire in the world, and will suffer by the re-action of no contrary thing: for this Laton or Gold, redeemed by this mercurial fire, is melted, opened, and calcined; and in such a way as the common fire can never perform, and therefore receives a more high and noble purification, and in some sense demonstrates immortality.

Nay, common gold itself shows much of the verity of this thing, and that ’tis endued with equal dominion of pure elements not so much in quantity as in quality; therefore is it a perfect birth of Nature by a united specification, wherefore it bears all the fiery examens; but alas, in its highest perfection ’tis but a signature of the sun, and differs as much from the fulness, as a shadow doth from the substance.

Now the fulness of its virtue remains in that general Mine, where Mercury is resident in his Triune Office; from whence not only sol and Luna are formed, but also the most noble and chaste Virgin Diana is beautified with the circles of light all which spring from the Elixir, as will be hereafter shown.

For the incorruptible elements get dominion over the corruptible; whence is produced a most perfect birth: (and next to the soul of man) which, being artificially exalted to a light, you may thereby discern many mysterious seals, which the Eternal God stamped in the light, as before hinted, in the first signature of things.

For, by the way, I would have you observe, that the universal signet contains all the virtues of the inferior ones, as they spring and arise from the primitive root of universality, and have passed salmacis’s fountain, having there effeminated themselves in the first radical moisture; and being thus exalted to its beautiful form, it is a Genus rather than a species; and, as before hinted, the most universal that hath been, or ever shall be, in the action of vivification.

For such like reasons as these it was, that those inquisitive after Nature and her secrets became so profoundly wise, even by their inspection into these Ens, and were enabled to describe the nature of individual species from the original head-spring, without the help of books.

For, saith sendivogius, He that is in the centre is able to write many books, because things are plain and feasible to be understood; for there the revolutions, durations, and mutations of all the spheres is plainly to be seen, and what will be their eternal change from elementary corruption. so that when thou comest to see Nature unveiled, and the body of Laton radically dissolved, thou wilt find nothing more clear and candid than what I have here written; for I have shown the union of the Earth and Water, and of its making one globe, and how the Earth is in the Water, and the Fire in the Air, which is the life and activity of the whole; for Laton must be regenerated by Azoth, if ever you desire to see him in his beautiful garments; and that the reader may better understand what this Mercury (that so often dies and regenerates himself) is, I will give some short hints of his office in the work.

He is that first active power that excites the sperm to motion and information of the body and exaltation; he is the sole drudge, for he plows the earth, and beats the water with his breast, and strikes the azure skies with his rod; he is here a body, and there a spirit, and in his triune power becomes victorious over all the elements, and that in a triumphant manner, communicating of his living virtues to the more imperfect and decaying species, and giving the homogeneous more living and durable qualities.

This the divine Hermes, who is called the Father of the Philosophers, knew right well; for in his smaragdine Table he saith, That the Father of it is the sun, and the Moon the Mother, and the Wind or Air carries it in its Belly; to the truth of which all true philosophers have, as with one mouth, borne a faithful testimony, figuring out the same as with the most artificial pencil, which I from my experience have methodically collected and digested.

Therefore I suppose, thou mayest never expect to have this art more plainly opened than what I have done in this book, until the fulness of time come, that the secrets of all these mysteries shall be made manifest; therefore if thou dost not understand me, never expect to obtain it from authors, seeing that in many of their writings are contained such mysterious knots, that a tyro can never untie without he comes to that still silence which Hermes speaks of, which opens the intellectual springs; and if thou art thereunto ordained, will show thee the budding of Mercury’s Caduce, as it were in thy hand, like that of Aaron’s:

For I’ll assure thee, that in these natural mysteries, matters unpremeditated flow to me for thy benefit, in, this Writing; yet I am forced to cloath it in that decency which becomes a Philosopher, least I should transgress that Divine Precept, where it is commanded, Thou shalt not give the Childrens bread to Dogs, as well knowing, that ’tis the gift of God, as also that ’tis his free gift, and therefore he will be the sole Dispenser of it according to his Almighty Pleasure until the fullnes of time.

This Body of Laton being known and prepared, must be redeem’d from all earthly Corruption; for as there is a Restoration for Man by the Vertue and Efficacy of the well beloved son of God, according to those Conditions and Divine Precepts laid down in scripture; so there is the like promise for Nature in general, that we equally look for a new Heaven and a new Earth, and a spiritual Jerusalem, which shall be adorned with all the Glories of God; for all visibles we now see must pass away, and then will be seen what now is invisible, which hath been hid from the generality of Mankind, ever since the foundation of the World, which is the converting of a Quadrant into a Circle; an enjoyment of the Fifth Monarchy of Nature, which is possessed by the way of Love, it being a Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity: For the true knowledge of Mercury’s Triune Power will shew man the true Emblem of the Garden of Eden, the Paradise of God, about which there is to this day such a clashing among the seeming Learned, where it should be, whether upon the visible Earth or not; which that it is, some have granted for certain, but withal allow it to be an Embarrasment to find, being by Divine Authority guarded by the Cherub.

But at the best, these are but Carnal Reasonings, for they will not conceive this Flaming sword to be Death, and the separation of the Elementary Corruptions; a Type of which is plainly seen in Nature, which they know nothing of, and therefore do imagine the Glories of God not to be as they are, unless they were comprehensible and visible to them.

And therefore I define Paradise to be a pure heavenly virtue, implanted by God in Nature, having its residence in the centre of this universal seed, and remaining there as the preserver of life and durability.

To this great truth all the true chemical philosophers, as with one voice, agree.

so, with humble submission to that Eternal Being who created Man and placed him in the Garden of Eden (or Paradise), a place of pleasure and delight, I define the celestial Paradise to be in the centre of the heavenly spheres, and to stand in harmony with the sun, making (as it were) one sphere with it.

And this opinion of mine is grounded on the words of the Apostle Paul, where he speaks of his divine trance, saying: “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago (whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell God knoweth), such a one caught up to the third heavens.”

And in the two following verses, repeating the same words, he adds that he was taken up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Therefore, it follows that the third heaven is Paradise, and that it contains such mysteries as man, in his fallen state, can never fully comprehend, until he returns by the work of regeneration.

But while man is a stranger to this spiritual country, he is bound and chained fast to the forbidden fruit the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil which nourishes the sensual and earthly nature; so that he neither can nor ought to eat of the Tree of Life until he returns to that one living faith, and knows the Rock of it, even Christ, who in all ages is the support and foundation of his Church.

Here miracles have not ceased; for the spiritual eye is opened to see from where they have fallen, so that they may return again by passing through the flaming sword of the Cherub, and by knowing the water of regeneration, which gives entrance to the Tree of Life, which stands in the midst of the Paradise of God, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations, freely, without money or price.

I have a magazine of such like secrets as these to write, and more especially concerning the seeds of elements, and that pure type which is to be raised out of these corporal elements by the grand tyrant of the earth, as well as the fire of conflagration; for as there is a particular, so is there a general purification by water and spirit, and then by fire.

But what shall I say? should I even spend and be spent to invite, I am satisfied it would not avail while the Man of sin thus remains; for Wisdom hath been tendered to all, and the porch of her temple stands always open by night and by day, and her ministers inviting thee to enter, O man, whoever thou art; for her call is to all the inhabitants of the earth.

But solomon testifies that although she thus speaks, yet few are they that regard her call; and although I say by her (as was said by the spouse in the Canticles), “Although she is black, yet is she comely;” and King solomon compares her to all the glories that this world affords, the better to make her received yet was she despised; the more’s the pity, and so remains the same to this day.

Now, seeing this Art carries so many mysteries with it, we ought therefore in all humility to labour to prepare ourselves, so as to know the hour when the Lord’s call shall be; and with the five wise virgins to have oil in our lamps, that when the Bridegroom calls we may be admitted.

It is good at all times to be zealously affected according to the measure of knowledge received; and then it is upon a good ground to be hoped, though we may not be so rightly informed as we should, that it will be accepted.

This was the case of saul, who for his zeal was converted to Paul; though at the same time he had the writ of persecution about him, yet he was made an Apostle of Jesus Christ: for that God, who knows the hearts of all, told him, he had made him a chosen Vessel, and could in that very minute have shewed him all that was necessary for his Conversion, if it had stood good with his Divine Pleasure; but he was order’d or sent to Means, sc. to go into the City to Ananias, and there to be told what he should do.

From hence I have learn’d thus much, that ’tis very profitable for information, to follow the ordained Means, which is diligent study and continual Labours, for I am very apt to think that the Almighty hath given opportunity to many, but they have wilfully neglected it.

And as no mortal Man knows the Counsel and Decrees of the Almighty, so none dare open the Flood-gates of these Mysteries more fully, than he finds himself Commissioned, and hath peace in his Conscience for so doing; but I have a secret faith, that the day is even at the door, that shall reveal and bring to light hidden things, even those of the greatest concern for Man’s temporal and eternal Welfare.

But, designing, if God permit, to write more fully of these Mysteries, I shall omit them here, or any further discourse of Laton, and so conclude.

Chapter 8.
A Theophisical Investigation concerning the
Rise and Production of Azoth.

Azoth hath its Rise and Birth from the Elixir, as well as Laton; for, as I said before, as the one inhabits the lower part, so doth the other the upper: This truth is confirmed by Connt Trevisan, who saith, That Azoth is drawn out of the Elixir as Oyl out of Water, and is hot and moist; and Philalethes in his Exposition on Ripley likewise thus: The Elixir is divided into a more subtil part which is called Azoth, and the grosser part is called Laton, which is by Azoth washed and whitened.

In Rebis the Matters are confused, in Elixir they are divided, and in Azoth they are conjoyned with an inseparable Union.

This is that Menstruum they so much do magnify, saying, That Azoth or Fire is sufficient for thee, in the middle or end, tho’ not at the beginning; and Basil Valentine in his Manual, pag. 487. shews a reason for it, saying, That this spirit renews both Men and Beasts, like the Eagle, consumeth whatsoever is bad, and produceth a great age to long Life; this spirit of Mercury is the chief Key of all my other Keys, of which I have written in the beginning thereof.

I call come ye blessed of the Lord, be ye anointed with Oyl, and refreshed with Water.

Embalm your Bodies, that they may not Putrify, get a bad sent and stink; for the Heavenly Water is the Beginning, and the Oyl a Medium, which doth not burn, because ’tis made out of a spiritual sulphur, and the Balsom of salt is Corporeal, which is united with the Water by means of the Oyl. And again pag. 281.

First know that no common Argent vive is fit for our use, but our Argent is made of the best Metals by the spagyrick Art, pure subtil, clear, splendent as a Fountain, transparent as Christal, with out any Impurity; of this make a Water, or incombustible Oyl, for Mercury was at the first water as all Philosophers agree to this my saying and Doctrine.

The manner of its Preparation is candidly deliver’d by Flammel, who above all others hath untied the knot, and deservedly carries away the Garland; for he saith, when you come to Laton, the Matter must be divided into two parts, the one to wash and cleanse, the other to be cleansed and nourished; for Laton must enter the Nymphs Bath, to be cleansed of his Leprosy, and that Infant when born, must be indued by the living God with a vegetative soul; yet however these words are Mysterious enough, till practice demonstrates them: This truth he himself agrees to, saying, ’tis a secret, most admirably secret, which for want of understanding, hath made fools of all those who have sought with-out finding it; and hath made every Man wise, that beholds it with the eye of his Body or of his spirit.

For in the knowledge of Azoth the whole secret consists, and as ’tis customary in the Books of Philosophers, to make Repetitions, I here again tell thee, that our three Keys are Acetum, Elixir and Azoth; and Azoth is, as it were, the fruit of the other two.

Now Acetum is the four juice of Minerals, simple and compound; simple in respect to its Essence, and compound in respect to the saline and sulphureous Earth it contains; this goes before in preparing the Elixir, and out of the Elixir comes Azoth, so called for its purity and incorruptibility; and because this is the most secret and mysterious to be understood, I shall be the more large in my Descriptions; for this Fire is a simple compound, simple in respect to its Heavenly and spiritual Essence; compound in respect to the manner of its mixture and operation through the Elements, so as to inform Matter with Light, then have you active and passive, superior and inferior, the true Hermaphroditical Mercury, to which all the Philosophers have born this Testimony, There is in Mercury whatever the wise Men seek: This is the true Avis Hermetis and Magical Aniiday or everlasting spring, that flows to the Paradifical world of the sophi, where Mercury is rightly underftood in his Triune Office, and to have an Animal, Vegetable and Mineral Life, and yet of kin to the moft perfect Mettals, for ’tis by this alone the body is redeemed; and to be fhort, this is that floating soul, which hovers up on top of the Mountains, and primitively did build her Neft, as Bafi Valentine fays, in the coldnefs of the snow, where her Chickens die for cold by the coldnefs of the snow, but the Eggs being laid, and incubated by the old fiery Dragon, or firft Male sulphur, the cold Matrice of Mercury is animated with Heat and Life, and spiritual seed, which prepares it as a fweating Bath for the King.

Here you fee there appears somewhat of diverfity between Laton and Azoth, the one being hot and dry, the other cold and moift; the one Male, the other Female; the one the Body, the other the soul: so that by confequence a Medium muft be found out, partaking of both Natures, by which they are reconciled.

This Medium between the hot and the cold is Moifture, and that between Body and soul is spirit; the quint-eflence of which is that pure vital Fire, that contains all the Elements, yet it felf is no Element: For as it hath defcended into the Centre of the Earth, and partaken of Purgation, fo hath it again afcended into the Air, and holds the Wind in its Fift, in all to bring about its Immortality.

And in this production it changes it felf into various forms, one while ’tis Female, another while Male, and between both thefe states, Hermaphroditical; nay it types forth many Divine and supernatural Myfteries, and as the Author of the Cline Bawer faies, that great Office of Chrift’s Reconciling God with Man, which perhaps hereafter I may more largely touch at, but at prefent fhall only fay thus much concerning it, and that without blushing, That ’twas by the knowledge of this Medium, they knew there should be a more Heavenly one, which should descend and be born of a Virgin, suffer Death and Martyrdom, and open the Gates of Hell and Death, and then again ascend into the Bosom of his Father, and sit at his right hand, advocate on Man’s behalf, and so have prophesied of his Nativity, some hundred of years before it was.

Read Hermes, the Cline Bawer, and sal Lumen, and spiritus Mundi, especially Chapter 2. for thy further satisfaction; that being accurately handled there, I will now come to speak of its Magnetick Power and Attractive Office.

This spirit is the first plain and manifest Effects of Mercury’s Triune Power, being the chief of our sophical Fires; for first, it Magnetically attracts all the vertue out of the Earth, and now out of the sea, and then out of the Air, but first forms his Nest there; from which Nest you must take our whitening Water, yea even the Female Dove with all her Eggs, which are seven or nine; but be sure you separate her from her Nest, without destroying her Young, for if you do, all your Labour will be in vain, for the Chicken is nourished in its blood, &c.

This active Medium, in its very first Composition, is Pontanus’s Fire, and by those Rotations may be understood, why ’tis said, ’tis taken elsewhere than from the Matter, and that it separates nothing from the Matter, but turns the whole into Purity; but notwithstanding his pretended candidness and pitty to the searchers, thou canst not understand him without a grain of salt; for here is much of subtilty and mystery lock’d up in these words, for in every operation there are many superfluities separated; nay even when Azoth is formed, and comes to act upon Laton, it cannot, as Artephius plainly tells thee, dissolve the whole, but what is Homogeneous, throwing off the Faeces, as Nature doth Corruption out of the stomach by a voluntary Vomit.

And therefore you must not understand him, as if there should be an union of any other Matter; for this would contradict the unanimous Authority of Philosophers, who say in one thing alone is truth, and in plurality vanity. so that it must be conceived only in respect to place and diversity of Natures, ripeness and unripeness, purity and Celestial vertue, and impurity and Corporal Corruption; what shall I say, I heartily wish, that this my candidness may not deserve the same Judgments to come upon me, as upon those that discover the secrets of the Elysian Fields; but, O Reader! ’tis for thy benefit, and therefore let thy Prayers be for my Preservation as for thy own, and let us not provoke the just God by a sinful abuse of his secrets.

This indeed hath been the only Gordian knot, which hath puzled me, in my hard and painful Labours for many years, and will for ever puzle all the fond Doters on Alchymy in their various and Heterogeneous Mixtures, and for ever shall puzle all such, as are not ordained to this Wisdom, notwithstanding our plain Description of the Matter, and Modus thereon; and although I am not in full possession of this great Medicine, yet can behold as in a Glass, the various Operations, and measurably describe the Glory thereof, being well satisfied that the knowledge thereof is to be obtained by all that will be industrious, and if they can but once come to understand and know the dimensions of our seed in the Chaos, and how to separate the same, and to form the Female Mercury, for thou must remember, that the Woman was taken as a Rib from the Man; so must our Female be taken from the body, and being united in the moist Nature, the Female seed is produced, without addition of any thing in the World; but only as to distinction of Nature, place and manner of preparation, for thou must by the way observe, that crude Mercury and crude sulphur must from the very beginning be separated, one by Art, the other by Nature; the one carrying an horrible coagulating salt with it, the other a wild sulphur or Fume, that burns the flowers of the seed, so that I advise all to beware of crude Air; for when the seed is stirred up by the external Heat, ’twill cause horrible Fumes in thy Glas, and so break it: I have observed, that where these wrathful principles remain, if they break not the Vessel, they will blast the seed, as they too often do in the great World; for were it not for the benign spirit of Nature, that labours with all its might to rarify and disperse them, they would destroy Man and Beast, therefore may I properly call them the principles of Wrath, which I shall pass by and come to those of Love, which are Laton and Azoth; for Laton is the body of the World, and Azoth the soul or Mind, and the soul must be reap’d above the Body in the Mind, as a Celestial seed, superior to Root or stalk; these things being observed in practice, the Artist may be satisfied, that he builds upon the foundation Rock of Truth, for that in the great World the Office of the superior and active Elements is to animate inferior Beings with Light, Heat, Life and living motion, so as to cause vegetation through the great Ocean of Nature.

For ’tis plainly shewn to us by the irrevocable Law of Creation, that every seed was first spiritual, and had its original stamp, form and texture in the Light by the Divine Finger of God, in respect to every individual species, which causeth them to this day only to produce their like, as experience daily confirms.

This is one of the greatest Mysteries in Philosophy to be rightly understood, nay it launches into many Divine Mysteries, for here is to be seen the Efficacy of the impression given by the divine former (as before hinted) as well to Celestial as Terrestrial Beings, therefore we cannot, nor indeed ought to speak or write of it, but with astonishing Humiliation and Holy Praises to that one Triune God, who created this Nature, as a Transcript or Copy of the Original.

But seeing that from the very first formation of the Body, this Work of Purification is carried on, I shall quote some Authorites from the Philosophers to shew how it is effected, beginning first with sandivogius, who tells you, That sulphur is detained in Prison, and salt is the Key to the infernal Prison, where sulphur lies bound; so as Philadelphia saies, salt prepares sulphur, salt and sulphur prepare Mercury, and Mercury must weigh them in the just Balance of Libra.

You may remember that Libra is an airy sign, yet is it pictured with a sword of Justice in one hand, and the scales of true Weights in the other.

The Philosophers having mention’d the Office of this saturnal salt in opening the door of the Prison, where sulphur lies bound: Come let us now see by what action it is perform’d, which I tell you will be no other than that of Animating and Cherishing the seed, until the pure sprouts, Buds and Flowers come forth, and after that the weighty Grain; for do not the Philosophers unanimously tell you, that Heaven and Earth must be united in the bed of Friendship, so that they may honourably reign all their lives; and wherefore else should sandivogius say, That the Earth is like a sponge, was it not that it should drink in the spermy Aquacity of Mercury, and further, The Earth is the Receptacle of all, that is, for their purpose, because the Mercurial spirit is counted for Earth till exalted; for as Philaethes says, In the first days of the stone, there appears four Elements, of which three are in the Mercury sublimed, and one in sol, which is counted all for Earth, till it be dissolved, and then it ferments the Mercury, and makes the three Qualities of it, which it hath drawn from three substances to unite into one Mercury.

Sendivogius doth also allow a twofold Mercury, where he says, The first Matter of Metals is twofold; the first a Humidity mixt with hot Air in form of a fat Water, adhering to things pure or defiled, and is govern’d by Mercury in the Philosopher’s sea, by the influence of the sun, Moon and stars; the second the dry heat of the Earth, called sulphur or Earth of sulphur, which is the prime matter, life and virtue of the salt and Fire of Nature and of Metals; the place, centre and point is not the whole but the 8200th. part of the seed, and an unresolvable spark of its own dissolvable body, from whence ariseth a fame and prolifick Power, as Philalethes hath it, thus we see that one Author unriddles another; nay, they do even by their various expressions often unriddle themselves; and as to the point in hand Artephius doth wonderfully explain it, where he speaks of the virtue of the Mineral spirit, saying,

The spirit is the Mineral Vertue of the two Bodies, and then he adds, and of the Water, which carries the soul or white Tincture upon the Bodies and out of the Bodies, as the Tincture of Dyers is carried by water on the Cloath.

But for the Practice I must seek yet another interpreter, and here I will bring in the Cline Bawer, for indeed if I understand him, he hath supplyed with his candidness, as to the practical part, what others seem to be silent in, where he says, the Male Mercury and Female, or the spiritual Blood of the Red Lyon must be united with the unfix’d Blood of the Green Lyon, and both must stand together in a Cellar for a time without Fire, and then will be seen with Admiration, what the first Matter of Metals is, viz: Gur, or rather an oyly unctuous seed to be spread like Butter; and if I remember him aright, he also gives you the Pondus, which is four of the Male to nine of the Female.

Basil Valentine also hints at this Operation where he saith,

The most precious Water, wherewith the Bridegroom’s Babel must be made, must be wisely and with great care prepared of two Fencers, understand of two contrary Natures, viz. hot and dry, cold and moist, that one may drive out the other, and animate it so as to produce a wonderful Medium.

sandivogius intimates as much, when he says, You must separate the spirit from the Water, and let it return to the Earth, and putrify like a Grain of Wheat; the Fæces being caft away, you muft bring it from the deep again into Water, which will generate a Branch of an unlike shape to either Parent; and altho’, as before hinted, he doth seem to speak of the unlawfulness of shewing the way of extracting the sal Armoniac or Mercury of the Philosophers out of their sea-water; yet hath he here candidly given some general hints of it, therefore well may his Writings be esteemed a Rose, pluck’d out from among the Thorns.

Another anonymous Author says, The soul hovers in the Air and waits to redeem the Body, and to unite with it, so as to bring it to Immortality, alluding to the soul of Man: But methinks I hear my Reader to inquire, what this Hovering is, to whom I will answer, it may be well understood by that, which is divinely deliver’d by Moses in Genesis, where he saies, The spirit of God moved on the face of the Waters, commanding light to come forth, and like a swift winged Herald, proclaims its Embassy, separating the distinct Natures, which lay unfruitfully hidden in the Pavilions of Confusion, which was the separating of the Waters from the Waters.

so the like in the Philosophers Chaos; for as I have already said, the spirit proceeds from Unity, and passing through the discord of Elements comes to Unity again, which is Azoth, our whitening Water, and is made Permanent only by the aforesaid Medium, which is the white Wife, Pontanus’s fire, Artephius’s middle substance, clear like pure silver, which ought to receive the Tincture of the sun and Moon, his sharp Vinegar, in which there is one of Antimony, another of Mercury sublimed, ’tis a Coagulated Mercury, but not fixt, a spiritual Body, fluxible in nature of a Body, yet volatile in nature of a spirit; it is the Tyer of the sun and Moon together.

For Laton being formed, it muft be whiten’d by Azoth, for the Body doth not Tine, except it be Tined, because of its thick and corporal Nature, therefore Philosophers say, That Gold Colours not until its hidden spirit be drawn from it, which sandivogius intimates in these words: There is given to us one Metal, which hath power to consume the rest, which he calls Magnet and Chalybs; but the radical Moisture of sol and Lune withstands it, and is better’d by it; and in another place he cautions you, to meddle with nothing else but their salts, which is Mercury, and their Gold and silver cover’d over with the sphere of saturn.

And Artephius speaking of this Mercurial Fire, says, ’Tis the hidden secret of the wise Alchymist, the Philosopher’s spirit or Fire separated from the Water and Blood; for ’tis that Mercury already mentioned, which is drawn from its red servant and vitriolick Caverns, wherewith ’tis adorned; it is the dissolving Water, the Menstruum in the sphere of the Moon, that knows how to calcine sol, about which Volumns might be written; for the Mercury is not congealed through a watry cold, but through a fiery warmth, from whence afterwards comes the glassy sea of the Wise men, and the first Candles of Medea’s lighting, by the light whereof you may understand the Mysteries of Nature, and see how Mars and Venus have cast their Golden star into the sea of Delos, from whence the Mercury is so strengthen’d, as that it will be able to devour the Companions of Cadmus; so that you may discern by this, how the lowest is brought highest, to be strengthen’d by the airy life of Bodies, and then the highest will exalt the lowest; for this Water is of such Transcendent Brightness, as that ’twill blanch Venus into Lune, and all brought about by the twisting and twining of Mercury’s Caduce.

Basil Valentine describes it thus: ’Tis a volatile Fire in form of a Mineral Water, which congeals his volatile Mother, and dissolves his fixed Father, until they become one in Mercury’s Triune Kingdom; for Mercury is help’d by Nature and Art in a way far beyond her common Process, and so comes readily to mollify the Body, and prepare it for fusion and liquifaction; nay ’tis the fountain and Balneum Mariæ, the Fire against Nature, because it makes of Gold a meer spirit, and dissolves it as naturally as Ice in Warm-water; for that Gold had its Original from it, and rejoyceth in it, as its like: Nay ’tis the only agent in the World for our Art, for it reduceth the body, and causeth it to purify in the preservation of form, for Gold and silver only are amended in this Water, for Nature rejoyceth in Nature, and sooner adheres to it than to a contrary: ’Tis our moist Fire, our hidden invisible Fire, and the most sharp Vinegar, of which an ancient Philosopher says, I besought the Lord, and he shewed me a certain clear Water, which I knew to be the pure Vinegar, altering, piercing and digesting the body.

But withal you must know by the way, that ’tis of an oyl Nature, and therefore hath power to exalt Tincture.

Thus having now run through the Natures of our Menstruums some and all, in which may be seen the Nativity, Life, Death, Renovation and Exaltation of Mercury to an immutable state, and that in a two-fold Nature; therefore what appertains to his Offices, in compleating the grand Medicine, I shall here omit, which if I see convenient may hereafter pass the Press; this being all that was promised in the Title page of this Book, so that I shall draw towards a Conclusion, but before I wholly finish, I shall, rather than offend the Process-mongers, give one short Proces containing the whole Work.

The first Work is to unite the four Elements by the Water, taken out of the beams of the sun and Moon, and then to separate the Arsenical sulphur and Earthy Fæces, that the Metalline sulphur may appear; with this and the common Moisture of Metals, you come to the Philosopher’s Water or sophical Fountain, wherein is contained the Fire of the three first Principles, which make afterwards the Magician’s sol, Lune and Mercury, that is, salt, sulphur and Mercury, which being once prepared, we come to the sophical Work, and wheel of the sophi.

The first to begin with, Amalgamation, which is Calcination; for the true Philosophers Calcination is Purification, and the encrease of Radical Moisture, call’d by the sophi the first work; but indeed ’tis the second, because they have hid the Preparation and gross Conjunction, and the next beginning the Principles are seal’d up in a Glass, and as it softens is call’d Dissolution; for the hard is made soft, and the ripe is made Crude and Raw, and becomes an undigested Chaos, no Form, and an Amalgama, no stone, but a gummy substance.

The separation of the Elements sets forward, and the virgin Principles, even the Magicians, sol, Lune and Mercury aforementioned, the thin being separated from the thick, there proceeds conjunction, or the union and conjoyning of all the dissevered Qualities; here one colour follows another, for as in the first Conjunction it is made from an Earthly to a Watery, so to an airy Nature: so in this second Conjunction, ’tis converted from an Airy to a Watry, and from a Watry to an Earthly Nature; but now ’tis endued with such vertues, as that by another rotation, it will be made into a fire-abiding Tincture, which, according as ’tis exalted and fermented, ’twill transmute the imperfect Metals into sol or Lune, &c.

Chapter 9.
Containing a Theophisical investigation concerning the Probability of what the Philosophers have asserted concerning the Art’s Excellency.

Reader, This Chapter is written by way of Answer to any dubious Query, that may arise in thy mind concerning the possibility of this Art, and of the Mysteries it points forth; but many of the Ancients have already learnedly and excellently perform’d this Task, having proved, that in the Preparation of this Medicine, all the Types of the Antetype are beheld; instance Basil Valentine, where he compares the Triune Office of Mercury to type forth the Mysteries of the Holy Trinity, as in pag. 347. 348.

And again to all the Mysteries of the Prophetical and Evangelical Dispensations, as thou mayest read at large in pag. 121. 122, 123, &c. And again, the Water-stone of the Wise Men runs through all these Mysteries in scripture Phrases, the like do many Philosophers; but this way of proceeding, viz. to Allegorize the Holy scriptures is not so pleasant to me, as to cull out some backing Testimonies from its Authority, seeing many things in scripture seem to me very pat to the matter in hand; although I must confess, that Moses gives a very large Map of the work of Creation, yet there is no particular mention made of Minerals, but the two first Chapters of Genesis are so material as to this Point, that it seems very plain to me, that Moses did from a practical knowledge of the Mineral seed deliver that in those Chapters, which many of the Philosophers have not done in all their voluminous Writings extant; and that I may induce my Reader to a greater satisfaction in this Point, I cannot suppose they were omitted for any other reason, but that general one aforenamed, for that they are afterwards named for the riches of some of those Countries, divided by the Rivers, flowing out of Eden; the name of the first is Pison, that is it which compasses the whole Land of Havilah, where there is Gold; and the Gold of that Land is Good, there is Bdellium and the Onyx stone.

And the name of the second River is Gihon, and the third River is Hiddekel, and the fourth River is Euphrates; from which Eastern Waters all Artifs consent, that Minerals had their Original.

And what reason can any mortal Man give to the contrary, that Minerals have no seed multiplicable, seeing they yearly grow and yield encrease, as well as Vegetables or Animals; sandivogius having in his sixth Treatise decided this Point, I shall omit enlarging on it, and say with the Psalmist, let the bright Beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and guide thou the work of our hands upon us, and the work of our hands guide thou it, Psal. 90. and 19.

For who hath despised the day of little things?

For they shall rejoice, and shall see the stone of Tinn in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run too and fro through the whole Earth, Zech. 4. 10.

For ’tis said by sirach also, Chap. 24. versl. 22. There are hidden greater things than these, seeing we have seen but few of his Works; and according to the Proverbs of the Wise men, In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy Paths; again, He that abides in the fear of the Lord, and cleaves to his word, and waits upon his duty, neither Blacks nor Whites shall move him, he shall easily make Gold out of Copper and Tinn, and shall by God’s help do many more things, if Jehovah favour him, he may then make Gold of Clay or Dirt.

And further, The refined Copper spoken of by Esdras, as pure as Gold; the Maccabean Fire, which burn’d on the Altar, and the Water of the colour of Fire, given by the Angel for Esdras to drink; but these being already cited in my general Epistle, I omit speaking farther of them in this Book, considering I labour not for my self, but for all them that seek Learning, Eccl. 33. v. 17.

I shall shew the Reader, that the seed of Metals being not particularly described, and so darkly deliver’d hath been the cause in all Ages of so much sweat and Labour, wherein Man eats his Natural Bread; this hath been a Fate which the most Learned of Men have in all Ages been subject to.

’Tis somewhere said, Out of much Earth is turned a little Gold: But if we can find out the material Element, it will be no hard matter to know the next seedy Matter or substance; All things that are of the Earth shall turn to Earth again, and they that are of the Waters shall turn into the sea. Eccl. 40. 11.

In Job ’tis briefly touched, yet more plainly than elsewhere, in one continued Place; The dead things are formed under the Waters, or near unto them. Job. 26. 5. This sheweth truly the material Elements of the purest Minerals; and again, The silver hath its vein, and the Gold its place where they take it.

Iron is taken out of the Dust, and Brass is molten out of the stone; God puts an end to darkness, and he tryeth the Perfection of all things, he sets a bound to Darkness, and of the shadow of Death; the Flood breaketh out against the Inhabitants, and the Waters forgotten of the Foot, being higher than Man, are gone away; the stones thereof are a place of sapphires, and the Dust of it is Gold: There is a Path, which no Fowl hath known, neither hath the Kite’s eye seen; the Lyon’s Whelps have not walked in it, neither the Lyons passed thereby; he putteth his hands upon the Rocks, and his eye seeth every precious thing; he bindeth the Floods, that they do not overflow, and the things that are hid, he bringeth to Light; but where is Wisdom found, and where is Understanding, &c.

Not prophaning the Divine Application and sense of this place, Consider, as a Chymical Natural Philosopher, in these verses, what is meant by dead things, Waters, Vein, Place, Darkness, shadow of Death, Flood, Inhabitant, Bread, Fire Turned-up, Dust, unknown Path, Kytes-eye, Lyon’s-whelp, Lyons, Rocks, Mountains; and then you may boast that you know the beginning, spermatical substance and true Generation of Metals, I would have every industrious Artist well to consider the 4th. Chapter of Zephan. especially that of the two Golden Pipes emptying the Golden Oyl; I could indeed cite other scriptures pertinent to the Matter, but these being sufficient to any Man that hath the eye of his Understanding open’d, not only to shew him, that Metals were originally Created, but also the way of their Generation and Production; brevity being design’d, I shall omit farther Quotations from scriptures, and conclude this Paragraph with this firm Belief, That that scripture will be fulfilled, where ’tis said, Hidden things shall be made manifest, even such things as have been hid from the Foundation of the World; and I understand, that this alludes to that time, that the man of sin shall in great measure be finished, and the Church come out of the wilderness in the White Garments of Purity and Righteousness.

Hence I can believe no other, but that the Gold-making Art, so call’d, will become common to the men of the new World, when Wisdom shall be esteemed for Wisdom’s sake; therefore, O thou Desirer of Art, for thy encouragement, I advise thee with Patience to wade through some Errors at the beginning of thy Labours with content, as all true Philosophers have done; and indeed it can, cannot be otherwise expected untill the fullness of time shall come, that the Golden Calf shall be ground to Powder, and Money shall be esteemed like Dross, and the prop of Antichrist dash’d in pieces.

O that we might be all prepared for that long expected, yet now approaching universal day of Redemption; that our eyes may see the new Jerusalem, that is cloathed in White, come down from Heaven, which shall abound with Gold in the streets, and the Gates made with the richest stones, and that we may pass through that Holy River of Regeneration unto the Tree of Life, whose fruit is for the healing of the Nations, given without Money and without price.

O that we could see the Adeptists return from all the Corners of the Earth, and the righteous Inhabitants thereof without fears or snares of their Lives.

O that this great glorious Monarchy of the North was established, that all who thirst might come freely to it; that the swords might be turned into Plow-shares, and their spears into Pruning Hooks, and that the name of the Lord, which is as a strong Tower, may be our defence, which are the Walls and Bulwarks of Righteousness.

O that we could but once have our Assurance, that Elias the Forerunner of these mighty things was come, as I hope he is, and that he had beat his Alarum and sounded the Trumpet for the Preparation of the Kingly way of the Lord.

I would to God, that we might daily prepare our selves, so as to receive this great Heavenly Bridegroom with a bowed down spirit and a sanctified Heart, that so we may not be found like the five foolish Virgins without Oyl in our Lamps, and so lose the Admittance into his holy Presence.

O that all the truly ingenious may obtain their desire, by beginning in that Wisdom, which shall never fade, and that the earnest Desirers of science might know the true interpretation of all, that hath been Mystically delivered by the Philosophers from the Creation to this very day; that we may be a People of one Language, and one Heart, as they will be in the day of the Gospel-Trumpet’s sound, when they shall come to eat of the Bread, and drink of the Water of Life freely, without Money or without price; where the Mysteries of Nature will be unvailed, even those hid from the Foundation of the World, and things passing unto their general Restoration, where they shall rest in their Eternal Quies; a Type of which every true Philosopher beholds, and how the Elements are unbanded, Principles produced, Bodies Calcined and Purified, in order to produce those rich and living Metals, even that Gold, which st. John in the Revelations says, The streets of the new Jerusalem shall be layed with, all which is brought about by the knowledge of Mercury and his Regenerating Nature; for ’tis he that must deliver into your hand that Truine Key, that unlocks all the Mysteries of Nature, yea and her Book of Records too, wherein her magnificent Acts are seen, and the Mysteries she contains unlock’d and open’d, and will be to be viewed by all, to whom the Promises belong, even those who are come through the many Tribulations, and have a Triumphant song of Joy in their Mouths, even the song of Moses and of the Lamb; that is, the song of Judgment and of Mercy, which the sionites sing upon the holy Mount sion to that great glorious Being and fulness of all Beings, and to the Lamb that sits on the Throne for ever and ever, Amen.

But seeing it is not our lott to fall in this Glorious day, although we see the Day-star of it, and thereby are sensibly awakened, so as to awaken others, that they may give diligent heed to Wisdom’s Voice, and so come to understand, what hath been left on Record by the Ancient Pilgrims, concerning Divine and Natural Mysteries, which that, they may is the sincere desire of him, who is a Brother and Fellow-traveller, &c.

I shall now only add the Testimonies of some worthy Authors concerning this Arcanum, and so conclude: The first is that of Paracelsus in the signature of Natural things, fol. 358.

This is a true sign of the Tincture of the Philosophers, that by its Transmuting force all imperfect Metals are changed, viz. the White into silver, and the Red into the best Gold, if but the smallest part of it be cast into a Crucible upon melted Metals, &c.

Item, for the invincible Astrum of Metals conquers all things, and changeth them into a Nature like unto it self, &c. and this Gold and silver is nobler and better, than that brought out of the metalick Mines, and out of it may be prepared better medicinal Arcana’s.

Item, therefore every Alchymist, that hath the Astrum of the sun, can transmute all Red Metals into Gold, &c.

Item, Our Tincture of Gold hath Astral stars within it; it is a most fixt substance and immutable in the Multiplication; it is a Powder having the reddest Colour, almost like saffron, yet the whole Corporal substance is liquid like Rosin, transparent like Christal, frangible like Glass; it is of a Ruby Colour, and of the greatest weight, &c. Read more of this in Paracelsus’s Heaven of Philosophers.

Item, Paracelsus, in his seventh Book of Transmutation of Natural things, saith, ‘ The Transmutation of Metals is a great Natural Mystery, not against Nature’s Course, nor against God’s Order, as many falsly judge; for the imperfect Metals are not Transmuted into Gold, nor into silver, without the Philosopher’s stone.

Item, Paracelsus in his Manual of the Medicinal stone of the Philosophers, saith, ‘ Our stone is an Heavenly Medicine, and more than perfect, because it cleanseth all filth from Metals.

Secondly, Henry Khunrade, in his Amphitheater of the Eternal Wisdom, “I have travelled much and visited those, esteemed to know somewhat by Experience, and not in vain, &c. amongst whom I take God to Witness, I got of one the universal Green Lyon, and the blood of the Lyon, which is Gold, not vulgar, but of the Philosophers; I have seen it, touch’d it, tasted it and smelt it: O how wonderful is God in his Works; I say they gave me the prepared Medicine, which I most fruitfully used towards the poorest of my Neighbours in desperate Cases; and they did sincerely reveal to me the true manner of preparing their Medicine, &c.

Item, This is the wonderful Method, which God only hath given me immediately and mediately, yet subordinate through Fire, Art and Masters help, as well Living as silent, Corporal and spiritual, Watching and sleeping.

Item, Fol. 202. I write not Fables. With thy own hands shalt thou handle, and with thy eyes see the Azoth, &c. the universal Mercury of the Philosophers, which alone with its Internal and External Fire is sufficient for thee to get our stone; nevertheless with a sympathetick Harmony, being Magick Physically united with the Olympick Fire by an inevitable necessity, &c.

Item, Thou shalt see the stone of Philosophers (our King) go forth of the Bedchamber of his Glassy-sepulchre in his glorified Body, like a Lord of Lords, from his Throne, into this Theatre of the World, that is to say, Regenerated and more than perfect, a shining Carbuncle, a most temperate splendour, whose most subtil and depurated parts are inseparable, united into one with a Concordial Mixture, exceeding equal, Transparent as Chrystal, compact and most ponderous, easily fusible in fire like Rosin or Wax, before the flight of Quicksilver, yet flowing without smoak, entering into solid Bodies, and penetrating them, “As Oyl doth Paper, dissolvable in every Liquor, and commiscible with it, fryable like Glass, in a Powder like saffron, but in the whole Mass shining red like a Ruby (which Redness is a sign of a perfect Fixation, and fixed Perfection) permanently colouring or Tinging, fixt in all Temptations or Tryals; yea in the Examination of the burning sulphur it self, and the devouring Waters, and in the most vehement Persecution of the Fire always Incombustible and Permanent, as a salamander.

Item, The Philosopher’s stone, being fermented in its parts in the great World, transforms it self into whatsoever is profitable to Man by the Fire; hence a son of Art may perceive, why the Philosophers have given their Azoth the name of Mercury, which adheres to bodies, &c.

And further in the same place, It is fermented with Metals, viz. the stone being in its highest whiteness is fermented with pure silver to the White; but the sanguine stone, with pure Gold to the Red, and this is the work of three days, &c.

Thirdly, Helmont, in the Book of Eternal Life, fol. 590. I have often seen the stone, and handled it, and have projected the fourth part of one grain, wrapt in Paper, upon eight ounces of Quick-silver, boyling in a Crucible; and the Quick-silver with a small noise presently stood still from its Flux, and was congealed yellow like Wax; and after a Flux by blast, we found eight Ounces, wanting eleven Grains, of the purest Gold: Therefore one Grain of this Powder would transmute Nineteen Thousand, One Hundred and Eighty six parts of Quick-silver into the best Gold. so that this Powder is found to be of similar parts with Terrestrials, and doth Transmute infinite plenty of impure Metals into the best Gold, uniting with it, and so defends it from Rust, Cancer, Rottenness and Death, and makes it in a manner immortal against all Tortures of Fire and Art, and transforms it into a Virgin purity of Gold, requiring only a fervent heat.

Item, in his Tree of Life, fol. 630. I am constrained to believe, there is a Gold and silver-making stone or Powder, for that I have divers times made projection with one Grain thereof upon some thousand Grains of boyling Quicksilver to a tickling admiration of a great multitude.

And farther, as is rehearsed in the first Chapter, He who gave me this Powder had so much at least as would transmute Two Hundred Thousand Pounds worth of Gold.

Item, He gave me about half a Grain, and thence were transmuted nine Ounces and three quarters of Quicksilver into pure Gold; and he who gave it me was but of one Evenings acquaintance.

Fourthly, Flammel, saith, ‘ That the first time he made Projection, ’twas on Mercury, whereof he turned half a pound, or thereabouts into pure silver, better than that of the Mine.

Afterward he made Projection of the Red-stone upon the like quantity of Mercury, which he transmuted truly into almost as much pure Gold, more soft and more plyable.

Fifthly, Raymond Lully, confined in the Tower of London by King Edward III. was manifestly known to have this Elixir, and with the same he redeemed himself by paying a considerable quantity of Gold, which Gold was after Coined with this Inscription, Jesus autem Transivit medium illorum, which is thus in English, But Jesus passing through the midst of them, went his way; by which Motto the Lullian Gold may be known.

Sixthly, Ripley in the Preface of his twelve Gates, told King Edward in so many words, That at Louvaine he had made the white stone.

Seventhly, That of Dr. Dee to Queen Elizabeth, who caused that an Iron Pan might be cut out from the Hoop, very observable, the which he Transmuted into Gold, exactly fitting it as before.

Eightly, Those so many demonstrations in Germany, besides those Golden Ducats which were Coined by the command of the Emperor, ☿ Mercury 🜍 Sulphur, on them, to signify that the Gold was made by Art.

Ninthly, The Testimony of Oswald Crollius in his Preface to Basilic. Chymi. concerning Michael sandivogius, that noble Polander, which he calls Hellyoanatharus Borealis, the Northern Beetle, “In whose hands I saw, with great Admiration and Amazement, the wonderful Virtues and Operation of the Philosopher’s Tincture, commonly call’d the Philosopher’s stone.”

Tenthly, That of Dr. Helvetius, “Who received a small Grain of Powder of Elias the Artist at the Hague in Holland, which Transmuted six drams of Lead into pure Gold, bearing all the Essays at Delph, [which my eyes have seen, and my own hands have handled.]”

Eleventhly, The Testimony of Philalethes, who says, “That one Man, that is an Adeptist, might Transmute into perfect Gold and silver all the imperfect Metals, that are in the whole World. secondly, he may by this Art make precious stones and Gems, such as cannot be parallel’d in Nature for goodness and greatness; and lastly, ’tis an universal Medicine for prolonging Life and curing all Diseases.

Twelfthly, A French Doctor who is Physician to the People of the French-Church, formerly living between Bishop-gate and Leaden-hall-street, his Name I know not, is positively satisfied from actual Demonstration, who saw Copper Farthings converted into pure Gold.

Item, The thrice worthy R. B. Esq; who actually saw Transmutation, and wore a Ring of the same Gold; which was a promoting cause to the Parliament, for taking off the Act against the Melioration of Metals, which was originally made upon the occasion of too too many being satisfied from that Demonstration of Raymund Lully, before mention’d, that the Art of Transmutation was real, but upon practical search being found difficult to be obtained, the Estates of the Heirs and Heiresses wasting so fast, as I have been inform’d by an excellent Politician, it was thought highly expedient to make a severe Act against it; both which Acts to me is a convincing Argument of our wise senators satisfaction of this Arts possibility, as any other whatsoever, without we should suppose that the Wisdom of the Nation would make Acts for or against the Wind, which I have not the least thought of, much less reason to judge them guilty of such Absurdity.

But what need I spend my time, to sum up Testimonies concerning its possibilities, seeing I have my self good reason to believe the same, having seen some seals of the Philosopher’s Writings, and hope that many more, will be equally satisfied, that so the Philosophers may be more reverenced than hitherto they have been.

The Copy of an Oath, found amongst the Papers of a Known Adept, after his Death, which is Administred upon the Adopting of a Brother into the Cabalistical society.

Forasmuch as the great God of Heaven and Earth, from whom we all proceed, in whom we Live, and to whom we must Return at our appointed time, hath adopted and chosen out from among Mankind a certain number of Christians, for that eminent Work of Creating perfect things from imperfection, unto whom it is made manifest by the spirit of Creation the Universal first or fifth Creating Quintessence, by which it is by many held to this day, the World was reduced from its rude and undigested Chaos, to a Beautiful and pregnant Matrix, fit for the receiving of seminal Vertue, for producing all Circular Appearances, as daily doth appear by our most glorious Production or Manufacture; and for as much as it has been from all times thought fit to keep secret and undivulged, from the common knowledge of Mankind, the easie and facil way of our great Work, both for the Glory of God and common Good and Conveniency of Government; and for as much as there are no Obligations found like those which are freely enter’d into by a true sense of his great necessity, therefore I, R. s. do freely, for the reasons before mention’d, promise and swear by the great Jehovah, and by all things visible and invisible, and by the fifth produced Essence to me known, as I have evidently made appear to thee and the rest of my Brethren, I will not Reveal, Acknowledge or declare till Death me thereunto cause or move; or any way direct, or indirect, absolutely informing any person to the attaining of this secret and Divine Knowledge, unless I, the said R. s. do evidently know, that the said person hath found out things supernatural, which is daily experienced; wonderful and manifest effects me thereunto moving, or that the said party be so qualified by Nature, that three or four of the said Brethren of the society finding him fit for the said Work, and give me their consent and permission, so as to do it.

I also do promise that if God should, out of special Mercy, reveal to me greater knowledge of the supernatural and hidden Mysteries than to some common Adepts, not to discover thereof to them by way of Discourse, without I am directed by my Brethren so to do, or that I am assured he doth enjoy the same ever glorious Mercy and bright knowledge.

I also promise by virtue of the foresaid Oath, not to have to do with Kings or great Men, and never to commune with any out of a covetous mind or design, but remain satisfied with that knowledge God hath shewed out of his wonderful Providence to me; likewise I promise to make it my endeavour to find out one to enjoy this knowledge after my decease, unto whom I will, while I live, impart what I safely may, and at my death reveal the whole secret; also I promise in the presence of God, that I will never joyn with any upon a covetous pretence of advancing the secret, unless it be with an Adeptist, known and approved of by my other Brethren; neither deliver any true knowledge of our true Universal Magnet and Chalybs, and principally the Mercury and Gold, whether it be in an AEnigma or otherwise, as is designed or best thought fit for the preservation of this science; and if it should so happen that I should be Racked and Tortured to discover the same, and there is no hopes of avoiding the danger, by giving or delivering some other compound way, which hath been beforehand consulted of, and agreed upon, by the Brethren; and if that will not do, then I promise to swallow my common Pill without which I promise never to be, but constantly to have it about me, in the form of Beads, or what shape shall be thought most fit, to which promise and Covenant I bind my Body and soul and my Life, in the Testimony of which I have set my Hand with my own Blood, and my seal with the true Universal Mixture, desiring all to hold that Man excused, which observing my willful failing in any thing above mentioned, privately cuts me off from amongst Men; and I desire of God, and of all my Brethren to forgive him, and to esteem him with the highest Veneration imaginable, knowing that his Zeal for the Glory of the Lord of Hosts hath been thereunto moved.

Thus calling God, Heaven, Earth and all that is therein, to bear Testimony of this my free and voluntary Condescension. Amen, Amen, Amen, and praise be to thee, O God, Holy, Holy, Holy, for ever, Amen, Amen, Amen.

The Author’s Comment on this Oath.

O Eternally happy is that Man whom the spirit of God hath season’d by his Grace, and qualified so, as that every word he speaks may be as irrevocable as the Laws of the Medes and Persians, and then certainly the Name of the Holy God of Hosts would not be call’d to Witness, but Men would keep their word without Oaths; as for my part I should not accept of taking this Oath for any advantage whatsoever.

For I have always endeavour’d by Prayers and hard Labours to obtain this Art, being the ordained Means I shall advise all to prosecute this way, and so conclude this Treatise.

Farewel.

Finish.

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THE Author designs (by Divine Permission) to make ready for the Press those two following Treatises, viz. Analysis Chymica Theologiæ Poetice: Or, An Explanation of the Poetical Theology from Philosophical and Chymical Experience; wherein is plainly shewed, that the Historical Mysteries and Mystical Histories of the Ancient Greek and Latin Poets, is but an Enigmatical Description of the Golden Apples, contained in the Gardens of the Hesperides; to wit, the Elixir of the wise, or the silver and Gold-making Medicine; whatever Comments other Mythologists have in their Eclipsed Understanding and vailed Reasons put upon them.

The other, Historia Nova de Thesauro Britanniæ: Or, an Historical Account of the Philosopher’s Colchos, Delos and Lemnos; being a Practical Discourse of the undiscover’d Treasures of the Hesperiden Gardens, contained in the Britannic Dominions; set forth by way of Dialogue between the Author and Hermit Experience, which is a full Discovery of the Matter and Preparation of the Universal Medicine of the Ancients. Written for the Benefit and Information of the diligent Inquirers after the Mystical Truths contained in Hermes’s secret Temple.

A philosophical letter, revealing the hidden mystery of the three fires of the sophi.

You tireless seeker of Nature’s mysteries mysteries the Ancients kept in silence out of compassion for you I have set down some ideas here, which in practice will remain as a touchstone for all true seekers of alchemy.

And therefore, aiming chiefly at your good and benefit, I will not use flattering language to persuade you to think well of what is written here; for it is not the custom of philosophers to use such things in a science so lofty.

I know I have written the plain truth openly, by which I have helped and I hope satisfactorily instructed those who are worthy seekers after this mystical science, the very mother of all the others.

And since this is intended as a brief summary of true practice, I will, without evasions or allegorical speeches, present the truth in a modest, cabalistic style hoping thereby to veil it, to keep it from the unworthy, yet at the same time to allow free entry to the adopted sons of Hermes.

And it is necessary that it should be delivered in this way, since it is the foundation of that cabalistic wisdom which contains the secrets of nature, and the chief part of what was so highly valued by the Jews, Chaldeans, Persians, and the ancient Greeks, and by many other Christian cabalists of other nations; for as I said just now, it is the mother of all natural art and science something with which Paracelsus, sendivogius, Philalethes, and many others expressly agree.

We shall first make a theoretical, and then a practical, investigation into the origin of this cabalistic wisdom.

First, theoretically, it is asserted that this secret science was delivered by divine inspiration to the ancient Jews, and more particularly to Moses with the Law both the natural and the divine as some of the Hebrew rabbis state in general.

But others among them held the opinion that it was revealed from God to humankind four times: some saying that Adam had perfect knowledge of it in Paradise; others, that it was revealed to him as a recompense after he was driven out of Paradise, at a time when melancholically he was contemplating the loss of that great enjoyment; also that it was revealed to Moses in the bush, to solomon in a dream, and to Esdras (Ezra) by the angel.

From this the Jewish Kabbalah had its origin, and it was highly esteemed by them through successive ages; but here I must make one remark: it seems clear to me that the art was often lost otherwise, what need would there have been for renewed discoveries? And there is a very good reason for this: because the practical and natural part of this wisdom, in those ages (as they claim), was never written in books, but was passed down by tradition from one generation to another, and only among those they considered worthy.

Now, a chief obstacle to the successful advancement of this art was the many captivities the Jews endured.

But Esdras (Ezra) the great restorer and final establisher of this art being greatly enlightened, and knowing what had happened and foreknowing what would come (namely, that Israel would suffer further captivities and exile), feared God and obeyed the angel, and so wrote two hundred and four books, of which seventy-two belonged to this art, to preserve it from the weakness of human memory.

For, according to Domin. de Nuyssent, Treatise on the True Philosophic salt, he gathered all the elders seventy in number where it was decreed, by God’s immediate appointment and command, that the books of divine mysteries were to be made public for everyone to read; but the books of this art were to be delivered only to the wise among the people since they contained the vein of understanding, the fountain of natural wisdom, and the flood of knowledge.

Pico (Picus) Mirandola, who was regarded as the phoenix of his age for learning and knowledge, says that these are the seventy cabalistic books in which Esdras plainly declared the fountain of all understanding and knowledge to be contained: that is, priceless theology concerning the supreme Deity; the fountain of wisdom; the complete metaphysics of intelligences; the stream of knowledge namely, the firmest natural philosophy.

These were held in such reverence among the Jews that no one under forty years of age might touch them; and furthermore (which is remarkable), within these cabalistic doctrines were contained certain chief points of Christianity.

It is the opinion of wise men that these books remained until the Temple was burned by the Roman army.

Whether that is so or not is not the point I am dealing with here; my aim is only to indicate the origin, and also, in the course of time, the decay and disappearance of this art from most of humankind so that many learned Christians today fall far short of the Jews’ wisdom: some regard it as a fabulous story and idle fiction (as I will show plainly in my Analysis Chymica Theologie Poetica), while others hold it in the highest imaginable veneration.

From this, many learned men have been of the opinion that the art spread from the Jews to other eastern countries; but for certain essential reasons I cannot wholly agree.

For Hermes, who was a master of this science and king of Egypt when it was “the Garden of God,” lived according to the best account we can gather from ancient chronologers before the time of Moses, and therefore before the Jews were a nation. since he was the first to teach learning to humankind, and wrote many books treating of this science, it is very likely that it derived from him.

But Paracelsus and others derive it from Adam and the fathers of the first world, who (as they say), foreseeing the Flood, erected two stone tablets in which the foundation of this wisdom was contained; one of these was found after the Flood in Armenia on Mount Ararat.

From this they conclude that the eastern countries obtained their knowledge from these tablets, and they assert that the Chaldeans (from whose country came Abraham, the father of the Jews) and also the Persians were great admirers and diligent seekers after the said art.

But where matters seem doubtful, I will not give my reasons for one opinion over another, well knowing according to the testimony of scripture, God created all nations from one blood to live upon the earth, and by his fatherly care and divine providence has distributed knowledge like rivers of water for the service of all creation.

Thus, as the previously cited author Domin. de Nuysment says, “The fountain of this mystery lies open to all, and all who have striven to obtain it have become masters of it, without regard to name or nation.”

For it is very clear from the books that still exist that many broad scatterings (of knowledge) may be gathered from the sage and wise men of every country and nation whatever.

Therefore I consider it too difficult a task to determine who the first possessors were, and so I will pass that by, and instead offer a remark and observation about the high esteem the ancient possessors had for it namely, that it was a jewel of too great a value to be worn in the breast of those with only an ordinary education, and fit to be understood only by their kings, priests, and great men.

But blessed and eternally praised be the great everlasting God, who shows no partiality to persons: all who truly fear him, of whatever nation or blood they may be, are accepted by him; and as our blessed Lord says (both spiritually and temporally), “to the hungry babes he reveals his secrets.”

This is enough as general hints about the art’s origin; I will not concern myself with who first possessed it, since it is now to be practiced.

Therefore I will go on to set out some practical truths, in a way that agrees with those living ideas of truth that this art carries with it.

For I have great reason to believe through practical knowledge of a mineral chaos, or a certain matter which is in itself universal and plentiful enough for the art to have its origin and foundation from that the art is true, and can be obtained easily by a natural process.

And as for the process: it seems very clear to me that this is that one true “matter” to which all the ancient philosophers without exception have borne witness with one voice.

They agree so closely that they do not differ in the least point about the matter itself, or about the modus operandi (the way of working upon it), even across long ages though they differ in language and nation.

To me, that is a plain proof of its truth, and therefore it is sheer ignorance to question whether it is possible.

But since it is not my task, in this short epistle, to use many arguments to convince the skeptic or unbeliever (my aim being to lend a hand only to the diligent and tireless seeker of natural truths), I want them to know that the knowledge of this subject matter is of such importance that it is the very foundation upon which Hermes’ mystical temple is built; and likewise, the proper orderly procedure upon it is the main hinge upon which the door of entry turns.

By understanding these first two steps we come to the fountainhead, and recognize those little streams that run through the darkest caverns of nature’s hidden mysteries, and that by degrees flow out into clear and crystalline waters that open to us the nature of all created beings.

Ah! What a great pity it is that so useful and profitable a science should be so slighted, despised, and neglected (because it is difficult to search out) and that even by men who possess outward learning and accomplishments since by it, as sendivogius says, one may discern “the growth and virtue of created beings.”

The many disputes that often arise about these points, I am strongly inclined to think, come merely from not knowing this fountain; for many are apt to form their own ideas of things, so that fancy has become the foundation of too much there is a great deal of theory out there; but I would value no theory any further than it can be practically demonstrated so that the “water” may be drawn from the fountainhead itself, and not from the side-streams of tradition, which never has been, and never will be, confirmed by experience.

There are too many people who, in the very subject matter of this Art, prize their own notions and ideas just as Naaman did with Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus saying, “Are they not better than the waters of Israel?”

side note:
so our subject seems too humble and contemptible for the lofty notions of the “process-mongers” (those who chase elaborate procedures); for I know from experience that if I were to reveal it as I have done to some people would neither believe it nor pay it any regard.

When the prophet Elisha told him to go down seven times into the River Jordan to wash and be cleansed of his leprosy, it seemed too low and too mean for him.

For it is said that he became angry, went away, and said: “I thought the prophet would surely come out to me, stand, call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place and cure the leper” not realizing that this great miracle was performed by simple water, and not understanding the symbolic meaning of the water of Jordan (which signifies the River of Judgment, through which true cleansing comes), as a sign of a more excellent fullness.

Yet he was persuaded by his servant, who said to him: “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some greater thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he says to you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” so Naaman, persuaded, did it and was cleansed.

I give this example to show how highly many people esteem their own notions and also that the same spirit of ambition remains to this day, especially among those whose heads are filled with ideas of things, even though they may prove mere foolishness in practice just as Naaman’s did.

Indeed, what if I were to say that there are far, far too many people who are raised to a much greater degree of self-conceit than he was, and therefore cannot be persuaded by men of a lower rank; nor would we dare to speak to them in the familiar manner that Naaman’s servant used with him, even though it would be for their own benefit.

Truly, this seems to me a chief reason why the leprosy of error in this art remains so visible today.

And although (as mentioned before) we have a whole “cloud of witnesses” on record concerning the truth of this art, and concerning Nature’s universal fountain and “seed-water” that generates all things in fire, air, water, and earth chiefly by the activity of the two active elements, visible to the eyes of all people yet to speak of the art of transmutation is considered a ridiculous thing, and even the very name alchemy is counted a mere chimera.

And students of it (if they do not “hit the nail on the head” on the first or second attempt) are dragged out branded with the black coal of disgrace. such people give little thought to the difficulty and hardship by which many of the ancients possessed it before us, and how, through a great field of errors, they obtained the truth.

Indeed, they say that everyone errs in the beginning and leave it as a warning that the true laborer should not lose heart even if he makes mistakes; for “errando discimus” by erring we learn.

But I hope that these lines may fall into the hands of some who not only understand what I write here, but also feel sympathy with my painful and tireless labors knowing that the art is not gained all at once, but step by step. such readers will pity, along with me, the ignorance of the rash and hasty “process-monger,” and will also smile at those mentioned before, who condemn (or “damn”) up to themselves this fountain which is so open, so free, and so universal that most people have it and know it: namely, that subject-matter from which the wise men obtained their knowledge.

And although it is thus open and free, I am strongly inclined to think it will remain like a sealed fountain so long as “the man of sin” remains as he is, and the work of regeneration and restoration is so little understood.

But passing over this (and much more of the same kind that could be said), I will come more directly to the matter at hand: to show that this subject contains all the elements and all the principles in a single, compounded manner.

For just as it has its Eastern magnet, or chalybs (“steel”), found in the belly of Aries, which is a true sulphurous fire, coagulating ☿ Mercury and ripening the compound so it also has its Western ☿ Mercury, found in the belly of Libra, where the scale of justice is, for it casts off all corruptions.

Here your tent must be pitched and settled too, if ever you intend to see the ebb and flow of this fountain or sea.

And I do not doubt that in these writings I shall sufficiently reveal and show to the sons of wisdom that I am not wholly ignorant of the mysteries of the ancient philosophers though as yet only a beginner (tyro), not in full possession.

And it is usual for such to speak more plainly in any science than a crafty master; therefore you may perhaps find in these sheets what you might not be able to gather from all the voluminous writings of the ancients that still exist since I intend this as a journal of my philosophical theory and practice.

Having already plainly pointed out the matter, I will now lay down some rules by which its nature and qualities may be better discerned.

To that end, the first thing I offer is the following, setting it down as an infallible maxim in philosophy: That if ever the Artist expect to obtain an Universal Medicine, it must be in, by, and from such a subject, as hath not only all the particular forms of Mineral salts and sulphurs, as may by the hand of an Artist easily be demonstrated; but also the Metallick ones too, together with the general form of Light, Heat, Motion, and Astral virtue, from whence the perfect Metals receive their Beauty and Durability; even from an oyly and lightsome vapour of salt, sulphur, and Mercury, by which the particular body of salt and sulphur is Animated, Enliven’d, Purified, and Exalted, as also truly Open’d, so as to cast out all its corrupted Defilements, and to be brought to a nature wholly Universal, by the Magnetick virtue of our Western Mercury.

This is the true beginning and foundation of our Art; for ’tis impossible for any thing to give that which it self hath not, and therefore cannot be attributed to any particular species whatsoever, but to the great Fountain of Nature, even that Catholick salt, sulphur, and Mercury, whence all things derive (in secondary Causes) their life and multiplicative virtue.

And to describe it more plainly, it is living Fumes, both Male and Female; the Male is a dry and sulphureous Earth, naturally and artificially prepar’d both simple and compound; the Female is a moist and living Vapour, a spermatick and seedy Water; and the whole a mystical Emblem of the ancient Vapour, Myst, Hyle or Chaos, whence the World, by the stupendous Art of the great Artificer (even the Almighty God) was first form’d; for in its Womb is contained the first Ens of all natural Forms, yet unspecified: This was from the foundation of the World, and will be to the end thereof, the true and right beginning of this Mystical science.

Now the first necessary Apparitions which are constituted, and do appear from the first Chaos in separation, are the Elements; to wit, a superior spermy-water, and an inferior saline one (which is Air and Water): also Earths, Red and White, together with a fixed Vitriolick salt and sharp Vinegar; which do contain Earth and Fire.

Now the Inferior Waters being putrified, and separated from a coagulating, arsenical, poisonous salt, and united with its natural spouse, the salt of the Earth; then by Distillation and sublimation purified from a poisonous Fume and corrosive fixed salt: this makes a second Apparition, in order to the Formation of the body natural; which body is an Union of the three Earths with the spermy-water.

And then, adding the first Menstruum or Fire, namely the Vinegar and Mercury sublimate, they produce (by means of our Fire, and by Digestion, out of the united Waters) the first body of Earth and Fire, in whose Womb is contained the first receptacle of Tincture.

For mark it well: our Fire is sulphureous, yet a living and volatile Earth, purified from all watry aquacity and earthy Fæces; and by sublimation brought to that estate which answers the Artist’s end, even to heat and warm the cold and feminine Matrix of Mercury, and so make it naturally to cast off its Defilements.

This is a dry Water, and yet a Fire; Like-warm Ashes; a Green Lyon; a House and Habitation of Tincture; the Governor of our Bath; that White, that Lunar Earth, which from the foundation of the World hath remained undiscovered unto this day.

This is that fat and dry Water which was prepared by Medea, by whose advice Jason charm’d the Dragons of the Hesperian Gardens.

And as it is the Governor of the Bath, and the Conqueror of the Dragons, so by it alone the oyl of the Lamp is govern’d Clibanically; and without this heat the Artist must fight a long time: the reason is shewn by sandivogius, who says, That Nature makes the Metals of Mercury alone by long decoction; but Art addeth a ripe sulphur, which maketh a great Abbreviation of the Work.

For although it be a body, yet is it volatile in the nature of a spirit, so that it doth the more readily unite with Mercury’s nimble motion.

This is a volatile sulphur out of a volatile Mercury, which carrieth on the Work to its first Predestination, in order to Perfection.

The practice hereof is, to unite the dry and the moist, to wit, the sulphurous and the Mercurial; and that in a Complicate, yet simple Compound Nature; yea, in a double dry and double moist Nature.

The first dryth is in the Earth Natural, the second in the Earth and Fire Artificial; the first Moisture in the united Inferior Waters, the second in the Air.

Now the most dry and the most moist are Male and Female, which are acted by an Active spirit, which is in them all, but is only manifest by the Union and Rotation of the Elements, by casting a Mineral sulphur into a Vegetable Mercury, whereby they do compleatly and perfectly purge each other: so that the whole Work is but a rarifying of Water into Air, and a condensing of Air into Earth; and to make spirits bodies, and bodies spirits again.

Which is effected by uniting the Centre to the Circumference, and by boiling Fire in Water.

For he that knoweth not how to weigh the Fire (that is to say, to know its true Pondus in the Composition of Bodies), as also to measure the Wind, or rather to know that Power which holdeth the Wind or Air in its fist, shall never know the right beginning and practice in our Philosophy; which in plain Terms is in the Balance of Libra.

For as the right scale holdeth the weight of Fire, so doth the left the weight of Air, grasping and separating the pure Air from the crude; which crude Air must never go into the Work: for Nature casteth that off, as a voluntary vomit, being the most wild and uncondensible fume in the whole World.

That adulte sulphur contained in the combustible Oyl, which though you distil or sublime, and separate a Fæces like Lamp-black from it, yet it avails not as to our Work; for Nature alone must perform it: for the separation of the pure from the impure is not by hands, but is to be done by the stone of Fire.

Thus have I shewn in the first Work what must be separated and what must remain; which bringeth me to the second Menstruum or Elixir.

The principal way to attain unto this is by the knowledge of the Green Lyon, which is that unclean Menstruum, in the true preparation whereof the whole Art consisteth.

For in his Bowels alone is that Fire which is the Key of the whole Mystery; and according to Pontanus, it is equal, it is mineral, it is continual, and evaporateth not unless it be too much stirr’d up.

Now this too much stirring of him up is a violent breaking of the Vessel, House, or Habitation; but if thou shalt be so rash, he may by the force of his stink at once knock thee down: for Flamel saith, The force of his stink is able to kill every thing living; but addeth, that the Philosopher smelleth not this stink, except he break his Vessel; which breaking of the Vessel is the same with Pontanus his too much stirring up of the Fire, by which it evaporateth and flieth away.

For as the Body containeth the receptacle of the Golden Tincture, so doth this contain that of the Lunar one.

And although both the Mercury and the Gold grow up together, and the Body is calcined and made black and unctuous, yet these two have no fundamental Union all the time of the flight of the Eagles (which are seven or nine): for all this while the Green-Lyon is predominant; and all this while the chiefest colour that doth predominate is blackness: for in this colour only is contained the King’s Royal Diadem, and the Magicians, sol, Luna, and Mercury.

For you must know that Laton must be whiten’d before it is taken out of its Womb; for when it is ripe, it will give thee not only a Lunar, but also a solar Oyl.

The Philosophers say, that the whole Work is but to extract the Water from the Earth, and to return it to the Earth again; but in these words there is somewhat very mysteriously to be understood.

For if the Water or spirit, which is putrified in the Earth, be not cooled by casting it into the Water and Air (by which it is cleansed) it is made unfit to return unto the Body.

For as the sublimation Artificial carrieth off an hydropical Water and filthy Earth, so doth this natural work purifie the Matrix of Mercurial Water wherein it is sown, causing it likewise to cast forth a filthy Earth and hydropical Water also.

This is Artephius his Body, which coagulats the Water into dryness, as Rennet doth Cheese out of the body in the Water.

The Body being purged by Vinegar and salt, and our fiery Dragon by the juice of the vegetable saturnia, they may again be united by the Medium of our dry Water, or Philosophical Fire; Flamel his first Agent or Peacemaker: Basil his sal Armoniack, which in page 150 of his Elucidation he doth so much magnifie, bidding thee not despair of obtaining it, and telling thee that it cometh out of the Mine of old saturn.

Hence thou mayest easily discern, that there must be Mediums between the hot and the cold, the dry and the moist; and that it is also the Union between the volatile and the fixed.

For the Body being formed in the Water by a Body spiritual and a spirit Corporal (or out of a Vitriolick Water and a sulphureous Fume) they mix her Minima in the sulphureous Earths.

But if these things be not performed gradually, the Body will lose its Magnetick Vertue, and so will never be able to return to a spirit again: for if the Body be not endued with a powerful attractive Virtue, it can never be animated; and if the Cœlestial spirit be not pure; else the Body will not retain it to profit: for they are nourishment one to the other; the Body fixing the spirit, and the spirit exalting the Body with Celestial Virtue; yea, that celestial airy life by which it was (though after a more simple manner) first form’d.

so that here thou mayest observe, That that Body is most healthy and durable which is nourished and enliven’d by the more simple Food (so called), as proceeding from the first Ens of its own Being. so likewise is that spirit which remains in its own Habitation until it be ripe; for it is that only which giveth strength unto our Philosophical Babe, so as to bring it unto an hero-like state of force and strength sufficient to dissolve the Body.

For the White and Female Dove will first ascend, and that will go down and fetch up the Male; for it is by Regeneration and new Additions of Water, spirit, and Fire, that our third and permanent Menstruum is brought forth: which is a white and incombustible Oyl, taken when ripe as a Kernel out of the shell.

Here thou mayest conceive (I mean as to the outward) that mysterious Doctrine of Regeneration: for the first Body, after it is brought forth, must be brought down to Death by the Water and spirit of the Prima Materia; and then it is rais’d a more glorious one.

For doubtless since the Fall, the whole Creation groaneth under the bondage of Corruption, as saith the scripture: for Duality being enter’d, it bringeth with it its Impurities; and therefore it may aptly be said, There is a Body that is from the Earth, earthly; so there is a spirit that is more celestial and pure.

For it taketh off the Adamical Corruptions (that is, the effects of the curse for Man’s Transgression); therefore must the Body, like Naaman the Assyrian, be cleansed of its Leprosy, by going seven times down into the Cabalistical River of Jordan: for according to Artephius, the hard and dry Bodies must be put into the Water once for all; that is to say, there must be no fresh Matter; yet there must be fresh Water and spirit, yea, and sulphureous Fire too.

For he also addeth, That in their Vinegar of Mountains there is one of Antimony, another of Mercury sublimed, which addeth unto the Body both Weight, Colour, and Tincture: for it is the spiritual seed of this first Male that causeth a fermentative Virtue in the Water; therefore, if it transmute so much being crude, what will it do when it is ripe?

For this Operation in the Elixir is a reiterated dissolving of the Body into Water; and it hath a volatile and a fixed part, which Flamel compareth unto two Dragons, the one with Wings, and the other without.

The fixed Dragon is sulphur, and the volatile Dragon is Argent vive, borne up in the Wind: the one half draweth downward and exalteth sulphur, the other half upward and exalteth Mercury; and now by this circular Motion an incombustible and permanent sulphur is exalted.

Hence it is clear to conceive why the Vessel must not be opened till it be ripe, nor the Fire go out: by the Vessel thou mayest understand that of Earth, and by the Fire the spirit, which also hath its Nest, to wit, the Blood.

For in this Nest are seven or nine Eggs; which Nest if it be broken, thou shalt never hatch the Chickens.

For this Mercurial Water hath power, not only to carry the Corruption from the Circumference, but also (when truly exalted) to separate the same from the Centre.

’Tis indeed no wonder that this Celestial spirit, or spiritual Mercurial Vapour, should so cleanse those places through which it passeth, as to translate from a Natural unto a supernatural state; seeing it is the Celestial spirit that giveth lustre and durability unto all things.

Therefore (as sandivogius saith) the greater quantity of Vapour that passeth through the Mineral Earths, the more is it cleansed and fitted for perfect Generation; which doth plainly point forth, not only the successive sublimation into spirit, but also a Condensation of the said spirit upon the Body again.

For as the Gold is dead, the Mercury is alive; and by this Animation the Body is made living and exalted; which I may properly express by the opening and shutting of the Chaos, &c.

By means of our living sulphur-Mercury it is coagulated, and Laton, or the Body of Gold, is exalted.

This Lunar sulphur doth exalt, not only the Mercury simplex, but also the Duplicatus; for it is the chaste Diana, born upon the Island Delos, which will be Midwife unto her Mother Latona to bring forth Apollo.

For it is his own Arrows by which the Water of the Deluge is in part dried up, and the serpent Python slain.

It is indeed the Philosophers Fire, equal unto the sun, which putrifieth the Compound and disposeth sol.

Now by sol thou must understand the fixed Body, which as yet hath no Union with the spirit, and therefore will part with its fiery Dragon, as Water separateth from Land: the Virtue of which sulphur the spiritual Mercury will attract, and make it Quintessential, and prepare the soul for the Redemption of its Body.

Which is performed by the twofold Zaybeth; to wit, the spiritus Mundi and Lunar sulphur, which is volatile, and spendeth its strength in Conjunction with the sun; and therefore must she every Month have her Light renewed.

And here the Philosophers are easy to be understood, when they say, their Water is more of kin to the sun than to the Moon; because it standeth in so near Affinity to the Body, that (if the Blood were separated) it would become one in an inseparable Unity.

By this thou mayest know (according to Artephius) that the Operation is truly Philosophical: for although the Body is calcined and made black and unctuous, yet must it retain its magnetick Virtue.

For whosoever shall be so vain as to think to perfect the great Elixir, and yet seeth not his Earth endued with this Property, is certainly in an erroneous way, and must begin again.

For as the Blood hath affinity unto the Mercurial Water, so hath that Water unto the Body. so (according to Basilius) the fixed Blood of the Red Lyon hath its Original and Consanguinity from the unfixed Blood of the Green-Lyon; therefore are they near of kin, and will unite by bare Digestion, by the addition of our sulphureous Fire, Vineger, or saline vitriolick Water, and Mercury sublimate.

For thus the sun and Moon must be in Conjunction, to accomplish perfect Generation; which is done by successive Animations, Cohobations, and Rotations.

For this reason the Body is often liquified in the Water: for the Tincture cometh not out all at once, but by degrees, and still ripeneth farther and farther.

For though the two first Menstruums do exalt and generate the Body, and in good part purifie it, yet have they not power to make a radical Dissolution; as doth our third perfect and permanent Menstruum, which is a Mercurial Oyl; which dissolveth sol as Ice in warm Water.

For it is the Mother of sol, from whence sol was generated; and therefore it dissolveth it with preservation of Form and germinative Virtue, which no other thing in the World will do.

Now I shall no longer deter thee from the knowledge of this third Menstruum or Fire; mark well what I say.

It is drawn out of the second, as spirit out of Blood; or according to Trevisan, as Oyl out of Water; which is Azoth out of the Elixir.

And according to Artephius, it is their Mercury drawn from the Vitriolick Caverns and Red servant: the Philosophers Water of May-dew; their invisible and divine Water; which is not seen till the Artist please; which must not be till it become a perfect fruit, called Virgins Milk; without which there is no profitable secret, either in Alchymy or Transmutation.

In vain therefore do the many Pretenders in Alchymy boast of their dissolving Waters, or Menstruums (as they call them); for they have little proficiency in this science, until Gold and silver be made irreducible, and so their Light and Tincture multiplied, so as to communicate it unto others: which can never be effected, but by the true knowledge of this Fountain, from whence Light, Life, and Tincture proceed; as being that only Catholick and Universal spirit, which formeth Bodies, and supplieth them with the aforesaid Properties when formed.

And that thou mayest the better know it, I tell thee, it hath not only this Property in the Mineral Kingdom, but in the Vegetable and Animal also.

Which are not the properties of vulgar Mercury (whatsoever sophisters imagine in their sophisticating Processes and silly Amalgamations) but of the General Mercury, that nourisheth all things.

For although every Class, and every particular Body, hath its own seed, by which its like is produced; yet the All-wise Creator hath ordained, that they all should be nourished by one spirit.

It is upon this very account (to wit, its Universality) that, as I doubt not, it is said Adam brought it out of Paradise.

For if in the Generation of Man the vital Power hereof should not act its Office, the seed could never be brought unto its Perfection.

And as in Generation, so doth it likewise lend its aid for continual Nourishment and Preservation.

For as sandivogius saith, No mortal can live without it.

This is that which giveth greenness unto Lawrel; a new Life (I mean the Multiplicative one) unto every species; Permanency unto Gold; and by its starry-fire a lustre unto precious stones; and when concentrated, exalted, and prepared, malleability unto Glass: concerning which thou hast a notable account of a famous Artist, who, in the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, causelessly lost his favour, or rather for the doing of that which by others was counted impossible; to wit, the restoring of a Portico at Rome; for which nevertheless he was banished the City, &c.

This Artist, imploring his pardon, presented Tiberius with a Glass; which, whilst he craved his pardon, the said Tiberius threw against the ground; and it being bruised and crushed together, but not broken, the Artist with a Hammer brought it to its former shape.

Whereupon Cæsar asked him whether any besides himself understood this secret.

He replied, No. Whereupon he commanded his head to be struck off, saying, That if the art of malleable glass should be practised, it would make Gold and silver but cheap and inconsiderable things. (vid. Wan’s History of Man.)

This spirit, or rather the soul and fiery Virtue of this universal Matter, standeth in harmony with the great World; and consequently is the foundation of that which is called the sophi’s perpetual Motion.

And the permanent sulphur of this will give a transcendant lustre to Copper, and make it (as in scripture is mentioned) as pure as Gold.

There is a fiery power in it that will fix common Mercury; and a golden and fiery sulphur, which the Philosophers say is the Water of the colour of Fire (mentioned in the Maccabees), which was hid in a Pit; and being taken out, burned on the Altar; and the same with that given by the Angel for Esdras to drink.

From hence I am well satisfied, that all the natural Magick so highly esteemed by the Jewish Cabala and Christian sophi had its rise and foundation.

And I will distinguish it thus: The Divine part (which was for expounding the Law, received by the hand of Moses, as also the Prophets) did flow from the unspeakable fountain of God’s inexhaustible fulness, by the revelation of the Divine spirit: and the natural doth flow from Nature’s Catholick spirit, which being rightly understood, it expoundeth all the Mysteries, which are couch’d in Tropes, Metaphors, and dark ænigmatical speeches, contained in the Philosophers Writings; so that it may easily be conceived why this Art remaineth at this day so hidden, and by so few obtained.

For Man’s natural Wit, Learning, Arts, and Parts are all too short: it must come by hard Labour, guided by an illuminated Understanding.

For which cause some have said, Dii sua dona vendunt laboribus (The Gods sell their gifts for labours).

For this reason, Reader, hath this Universal spirit been so highly esteem’d in all Ages: though in its first Formation it be so spiritual that it is almost invisible and untangible; yet it must be nourish’d in the arms of its Nurse, until it be brought to such strength as not only to cure sick and imperfect Metals, but also to restore Man’s body to perfect sanity; and it is a sure help to the needy, whilst in the vale of Misery.

But more of this in Mercuries Caduce Rod.

Therefore (O Reader) slight not the Antiquity of this Mystery, nor this Epistle; for what I have here written is a Doctrine as ancient as Philosophy it self.

For they all affirm with one Mouth the Office of the Universal spirit in making the grand Medicine; and that by a gradual progressive Motion though in this Work it is a Retrogradation, or a reiterated Reincrustation of the Body, and a Coagulation of the spirit.

In which Act the earthly Fæces and watry Aquacity is cast off; and so that which is of a cold and moist Nature is made hot and warm, even the permanent Fire of Bodies: from whence proceedeth the Chrystalline Lake of the wise Men.

And all these, both Active and Passive, arise from one Matter; for the Matter is one Thing, containing an Emblem of all Things mean and contemptible to outward appearance, especially to those who know not its inward Virtues.

And the Ancients did not err, when they said it is found in a Dunghill, and that it was cast away as a thing of little value; and therefore did they write of the smallness of its cost.

But now the case is altered: experience maketh men wiser.

For in some parts of the World the general crude Matter is become a Manufactory; although the true and simple Matter is obtained with difficulty.

This I shall pass by, and come to explain what may be understood by the Vessel in which this great Medicine is prepared; for to bring it unto its perfection, there must be fit and proper Instruments, &c.

’Tis true, I am not insensible that there is a vulgar notion among those who take the Philosophers words according to the literal sense: namely, that it is a thing of small charge, and may from the beginning to the end be wrought in one Vessel.

But this is a mysterious Knot, and one of the greatest Riddles contained in their Writings (as hath been confirmed unto me by woeful experience).

And therefore I am bold to affirm, that it is so difficult to be understood, if taken in the vulgar sense (as though it should be a vessel of earth or glass) that they shall never see the perfection of the Magistery.

But in commiseration to the true desirers of natural verity, I have already sufficiently shewn to a son of Wisdom what is to be understood by the Vessel and Fire.

I shall yet further add, that by the Vessel is understood the Philosophers Earth, which must be calcined, that its Golden seed may be extracted: which being performed, thou hast a ripe seed, which will soon reward the Artist.

Now this seed cannot be extracted but by an homogeneous Menstruum; to wit, our third Fire: which Fire likewise must not go out of its vessel of blood, until it have strength to withstand the Fire and the Water.

Though it may sooner be taken out of its Vessel than the Body, yet it must not be opened in less than three Eagles (according to Philalethes) or five months time Flamel’s time of blackness: for if thou do so, experience sheweth that thou destroyest the life, and canst do no more with that Chaos.

For by putrefaction only is Generation, and the separation of Impurities.

And that thou mayest not be ignorant where they are separated, I have shewed that all must be weighed in the Mercurial balance of Libra; for there is the sword and scale of Justice, and its due weight here is of the greatest consequence in the whole Work.

For as Mercury hath its Helm of sulphur to steer and govern the Work, so hath sulphur its Receiver: so that I may boldly assert (in the most strict sense of Philosophy) that we have two Vessels; without the exact knowledge of which, the Magistery will never be effected.

Yea, sandivogius saith, That Nature hath but one, but for brevities sake we use two; which Philalethes, in his comment on him, calleth the one the star of Mars and Venus, and the other the Mercury of the Philosophers.

Nay, I may add a third; to wit, our fiery Furnace or Magnet found in the belly of Aries; which by its Lunar nature is the cause of the Calcination of the Body, and consequently of the flowing of Radical Moisture.

But I fear I have already transgressed the silence of Pythagoras, and so have incurred upon me the curses of the Philosophers, for so plainly opening the door of Hermes’s mythical Temple, &c.

But as I use not other men’s words, nor run in the stream of vulgar errors in protesting what is utterly false; so neither shall I write or deliver any thing that disagreeth with the Law of Verity in the natural and artificial process, so as to expose known and wilful untruths to the World.

But for the undeceiving of the true Desirer, in the bowels of true compassion, I do further boldly assert in the face of all mankind, that as to chymical vessels of glass or earth, it requireth many, much cost, and considerable pains whatsoever ignorance may conceive to the contrary.

For the crude matter yieldeth but a small quantity of pure seed; so that considerable quantities are required for Distillation, and therefore fit vessels; others for Calcination and sublimation; others for evaporating the vitriolic salts; others for making the vinegar and Mercury sublimate; others for preparing our sulphureous fire, the luke-warm ashes, and the fiery furnace: which is the beginning of Pontanus’s fire, and maketh manifest that Celestial spirit which Pontanus saith is taken from elsewhere than from the matter and which (as I have said) is the governor of our bath.

For by it the oil of the lamp is governed “geometrically”; because the vegetable saturnia embraceth the pure part of the saturnia minerale, and so casteth off those black fæces which hinder an otherwise resplendent whiteness; and thus, by means of this sulphur, our Mercury is made hermaphroditical.

But since my design is chiefly to touch upon the three Fires, I will now speak a few words concerning that fire which must not go out; namely, the Philosophical spirit or Fire contained in the blood, which must remain there until it be well digested and ripe.

For after the first distillation there separateth a blood-red oil, which is a noble medicine. so when they speak of “the fire that must not go out,” they mean not the culinary fire (for that must needs go out after every operation), but the internal one even that sharp spirit or fire which causeth putrefaction in the whole compound.

Thus, having shewed the vessels and fires though I have thwarted the opinion of those who affirm that one vessel is sufficient I am well satisfied that such understand not the Philosophers’ writings, but only follow the sound of words; for which reason their operations ever have, and always shall, remain erroneous, &c.

I will now proceed to unfold another mystery concerning the seal of Hermes, which some take to be only the exact closing and sealing of a glass by charcoal- or lamp-fire; whereas the Philosophers’ “Hermetical seal” means the sealing of the form within the womb of the Matter like a mother carrying an infant; and that “infant,” as Artephius says, has only lately been brought forth.

Merely pinching and sealing a glass vessel is, by itself, of little importance, because much of the work (especially Nature’s work) is done in open vessels so that external/mineral fumes can pass off.

Even in art we do seal vessels carefully, but not in the crude way sophisters imagine.

He says he has already said enough about this, and will move on, since true sons of wisdom will understand it in the essential and practical sense.

He is not writing for sophisters those who ruin Nature by metallic mixtures and yet cannot exalt her whether they work with crude mercury amalgamated with the “stellified regulus of antimony” and revived again, or with common gold and silver, or with corrosive dissolutions that never achieve a radical (true, foundational) solution.

Likewise, their processes using vitriol, dew, snow, rainwater, human breath, etc., are (in his experience) mere sophistry and fruitless, because they do not know true Gold nor its birth, much less the true Mercury by which it is exalted.

Gold is noble, but the “mother” (Mercury) surpasses it even more in nobility, excellence, and universality.

He then says he will pass over this and instead show: salt prepares sulphur; salt and sulphur prepare Mercury; and Mercury dissolves sol (Gold).

And since the art has many difficulties, he will now speak of them in general first, knowing the true matter (the foundation of the work), and second, the true way of operating upon it; many have known the matter, yet never been able to effect the Magistery.

Others that have been more constant minded, have waded through a flood of Difficulties, as instance, John Pontanus, who erred 200 times, before he could obtain the true matter, and the right operation thereon, although he knew the matter in general.

As also Flamel labour’d 21 years in his Broileries,and three years(or thereabouts) before he knew the first Agent; likewise the Author of the Kleine Bawer, to wit, Johannes alias Cartilaceus; who says, he waded through many Difficulties, and with great hardship obtained it, as his Labours extant plentifully witness.

Likewise that famous Count Bernhard Treves, who is said to have been debarred three years after the knowledge of Requisites.

Many more might be reckon’d, but I shall pass them by, seeing their Books extant do plentifully witness the same; and let the vain pretenders and soppish conceited ones know, that the Magistery is not so easily perfected, as they imagin, nor for so small a charge; for if you must by experience come through this difficult and darksome Wood (to wit, by Trials, all which require convenient Furnaces, Glasses, Coals and hard Labour for many years together) it must for certain exhaust considerable sums of Money, as doubtless the Ancients did before us in their many Trials, whatever they are pleas’d to write concerning the smallness of the charge.

I shall instance my own experience now in these 16 years, since I have known something of this matter, during which time I have exhausted many hundreds of pounds, more than I shall name; the work being very difficult to be searched out, in that it contains many parts, various Menstruums and Fires, which if a Man should know one or two, and not the whole, he is still to seek, to perfect the design in the end.

For he must not be imperfect in one Operation, that is required in the Magistry, if ever it is perfected.

And in this case it requires the whole Man, and where a Family is to be maintain’d, how soon is a considerable sum of Money exhausted? It is well said of the Author of sanguis Naturæ, where he speaks concerning Philosophers, Who perswade themselves, that the Tincture may be made with a very little pains in one Vessel, one Furnace, with one external Fire; and so deceive with themselves many others.

But let these high nos’d scoffers know, that the Philosophers stone is a thing of higher Moment than they imagine; for it is a difficult thing, and of deep search to be understood, and of great labour to be accomplished, which they with me would acknowledge, if they apprehended the Operations of Nature.

But to what purpose are many words, &c.

The Crude preparation of the matter, and the matter it self is by the Philosophers couch’d in silence; yet the former is pointed forth under a Herculean Labour, which to perfect (they say) life it self must not be spared.

And also that ’tis in vain for Jason to go to Colchos, without Alcides, and that by the help of Medea: Now Jason is the Operator, Hercules, the strength and power of an active Agent; Colchos, the Earth of the Philosophers, which is to be redeem’d.

Medea is deep Meditation, Investigation, or in plain words, sound Theory agreeable to practice, all which to understand is no small piece of Art.

And therefore I shall thus candidly communicate my painful Experience to thee, who desirest to be a son of Wisdom; nay, to such also which think, the Magistery is so easily prepared, to see whether he will find it so, and the more especially, since I have communicated that openly and freely, which hath remained secret from the foundation of the World; as having in plain and linear words described the whole Process, without any falsity or intermixtures, having adventur’d to do that, which none of the Philosophers ever did dare to do for fear of the curses, or, otherwise in Envy, as well knowing the great and eternal Being doth by his divine hand of Providence preserve this secret for such only, as he hath ordain’d there unto; and such only are led by the divine Arm unto the Altar of Hermes’s Temple.

So that the most plainest Writings, and amplest Truths will seem to such as are not chosen for it, the most difficult and abstruse or mysterious; as I am well satisfied from the Conversation I have had with Men of several Degrees in my Pilgrimage in this World, where Discourses have arisen concerning this Art.

As I hinted before, that I discovered that which never was discovered, which Artephius says, is not lawful for any one to Name, much less to Write; which sandivogius doth hint at, where he says, “He hath written all things plain, excepting the shewing the way of Extracting the sal Armoniack (or Mercury of the Philosophers) out of their sea-water, and the use of it, which he directs to God or a Master, this being the very Dalila of the Art.

But I have shewn the Vessel of Air, how the Mercurial spirit is fortified and prepared to join with the body; I have also shewed the Medium between the Body and the soul, to wit, the Lunar Fire, and that it is a Body spiritual: For that the Mercury must be acuated with a sulphur of his own kind, that spirit being the Fire that brings on the work to its first Predestination, it being the Universal and Celestial spirit, which one Author calls a spoon, where he says, The Male and the Female must be united (he says) they must have but one spoon to eat together; so that the Male and Female may the better agree.

But Flamel calls it a Peace-Maker, or Apollo, the yellow sun, that is to say, by our Fire equal to that of the sun: And the Author of sal, Lumen and spiritus Mundi also sheweth, That this spirit is the cause of Perfection, as being the Active Glue of both Natures, to wit, Body and soul: and that Metals are perfected by a threefold Mercury, or sum Total: The reason he shews, “because Nature produces not it self, but in every Operation, there must be some Agent, and some matter subjacent to the Action.

And withal he points forth, that that Agent was Pontanus his Fire, which all Philosophers have concealed, and kept under Lock and Key, as the sole-stearn of their Action, without which nothing can be perfected.

Thus having shewn the extracting of sal Armoniack, I shall now come to speak of its use, which is not only for exalting the body, but also to dissolve the same, and that by the way of Generation.

This true, there is a twofold Dissolution, Violent and Natural, which sendivogius intimates; and likewise doth Basilius Valentinus, where he saith, There is a short way to bring it into its Prima Materia, which is done thus: Take the known Mineral spirit, in which our Mercury, sulphur and salt is shut up, containing that Philosophical Mystical Gold, and pour it upon white calcined Tartar, as thou mayst read p. 168. of his Elucidation of the 12 Keys, therefore shall omit it.

Only for the Information, that Tartar there mention’d is not common Tartar made from the Lees of Wine; but a fixed and genuine Tartar made from our saturnal Matter, which is properly the Tartar of Vitriol.

And Paracelsus intimates this forcible dissolution also, where he bids you dissolve the body by Vitriol, Nitre and sal Armoniac; which process I have in measure follow’d, and have seen a white incombustible Oil: But being forcible, it carries not that Excellency with it, as the natural Dissolution doth.

For, as Philalethes saith, That where the Metals are reduced by the help of salts, is not an universal Dissolution; therefore Basil saith, That if Corrosives are us’d in the beginning, they must be again wash’d off, for sharp things hurt; and indeed they destroy the fixedness of the body, although by a skilful hand of the Artist they may exalt the Permanency of the spirit.

But it is a hazardous way, and is called the breaking of the Egg, and hath an adherance to the preparation of the Alkahest; therefore (as Philalethes says) it is an hundred times more difficult than the Elixir, being done by force and violent Fires, it is in danger of being lost.

Ludovicus de Comitibus intimates the same, where he sheweth the difference between the preparation of the Liquor Alkahest, and Mercury of the Philosophers, shewing, that the one is made by a fermentation of the body, and bringing it into a spirit, by which its seminal virtue is destroyed; the other natural dissolution is, the sowing of Gold into its own Matrix.

Well might Philalethes say, that the Body or sulphur is detrimented by the use of salts; but I designing (as soon as convenient) to write a particular Treatise of the Liquor Alkahest, shall omit any further Discourse of it, and come to speak of the natural Dissolution, which is done through a slow Calcination of the Body; therefore shall divide the whole into these 3 Heads, or a threefold Rotation, Now this work is perform’d by a threefold Rotation or turning the Wheel; the first is the Preparation of the Mercury, which hath seven Animations or Cohobations of the spiritual Zaybeth on the body, which bedeweth it with Life and Celestial Virtue, as also with Purity, and virtue through a Radical Calcination, by which not only the body is exalted, but also the spirit and soul.

For indeed, the whole work is but a Cohobation of an active principle upon a mere passive one, until the passive is brought to an Activity: These are the Eagles the sophis write of, which must be seven or nine to devour the Lion.

For Laton or the salt of Metals being form’d and calcin’d, must be dissolv’d and whiten’d by Azoth; which Laton is found in the bottom, and Azoth in the upper part: Therefore as sandivogius saith, You must find out such a moisture, that dissolves Gold as Natural, as Ice in Warm-water, and (he intimates) that it is agreeable with the body, saying, It is that, out of which Gold it self is generated.

Thou being come thus far, the Herculean labour is perform’d.

Therefore I shall assert as a fundamental Aphorism, That whosoever shall not find this Mercurial Fire, when prepared in quantity, of force sufficient to perfect the whole work with as little Labour, and as little Charge, is to seek, and must begin again.

For the great Charge is in the Artificial Work; the Natural is but small Charge, the Agent being sufficient to bring about its Perfection, and this will be a good distinction to understand the Philosopher’s Books.

The Artificial is to prepare our Fires and Menstruums, and the Natural is, to know the use of our third, perfect and permanent Menstruum in dissolving the body.

The body being dissolved, and the Corporeal Feces totally separated, and two Oils, a snow-white, and a Blood-red one, being distilled, begins our second Rotation, which is by extracting a fixed salt out of the Cap. Mort. which must be imbibed with the aforesaid white Oil, for the white Elixir; therefore for a concluding Aphorism I further affirm,
“That if this permanent Body or salt doth not attract the soul, as the Load-stone doth Iron, and unite with it, thou art yet to seek in the Philosopher’s Principles, and must begin again, in that thou shalt never see the perfection of the White-stone.”

Now here begins the third Rotation, which is; before the White is cold, thou must divide it into two parts, the one part is for the White, and the other to carry on to the Red, which is, by imbibing of it with the Virgins Milk of the sun (which is Yellow and Golden) to perfect the third Motion, which is a Red fusible Elixir, flowing like Wax, &c.

Thus Reader, I have Theorically, yet candidly given thee, what was never written before, and that in true Bowels of Compassion, being in the middle of my Age, free from Envy, I hope as fully free, as Artephius was in his wonderful Old-age, that I can sincerely say, I should be well pleased, if all the worthy and honest hearted did injoy this Mystery; and should be heartily glad to see an end to the Cut-throat Avarice; that so the poor may be relieved in such a way, that God through all and above all may be glorified, &c. according to the saying of a Wise-man, Ut veritas exaltetur, & Deus Glorificetur.

Thus in Cordial Love I subscribe my self a true Friend to all that desire to exalt natural Truth, but more especially to those, that above all desire the welfare of Zion.

Cloidophorus Mystagogus.