Containing the Practice, of the Wisest King Solomon, on the Philosopher's Stone - Continens Practicam, Sapientisimi Regis Salomonis, de Lapide Philosophorum.

Containing the Practice, of the Wisest King Solomon, on the Philosopher's Stone.
Continens Practicam, Sapientisimi Regis Salomonis, de Lapide Philosophorum.

Translated to English from the book:
Rosarium Novum Olympicum Et Benedictum - 1608

You know that fire and non-fire become fire together, that they might make an easy entry (ut facilem fortiantur ingressum).

It is necessary that they be released all the more often. For without the Solution this work cannot be perfectly accomplished, whereby further the elements are perfectly separated, for this Stone is accomplished by their element, Water, Air and Fire.

Terra is the root and nourishment of the other elements, the ferment indeed.

The water which penetrates through the air, the spirit carries and brings.

So now understand our solution, that the spirit or water purifies the being from all impurities, the air penetrates through to the root, but the fire makes it fixed and best dig the earth: The water shall be given to the thirsty earth in its season.

The earth remains fixed in its place, through which the three elements are put together again: For without the elements his perfect tincture may be prepared.

But while in this mixture the elements are still more disorderly mixed together, and lie hidden, yet its sharp and inward sub-unity, which is quite strong in nature and effect, can be prepared.

Thus the elements are not able to hide themselves and give off a vapour or smoke, which are noticeably pungent spirits.

It was from these roots that Solomon built the Ark (Archam) and adorned the temple in Jerusalem.

First of all, within the framework of the Most High, take the most noble king, who, bare and pure and surrounded by all virtue and born of the noblest lineage in this world, wears a crown of the finest and purest gold to be found in the world, a crown adorned with the most precious stones.

This king dwells in the Orient, and his power is richer and extends to the Occident, and his wrath begins from Midday and terrifies all who dwell in the middle of the night, The solution is the beginning of our work.

No tincture is perfect unless it proceeds from a true and perfect root (Solutio, nostri Operis initium est. Nulla Tinctura perfecta, nisi ex vera perfecta radice procedat).

Take this king who wears the beautiful golden crown, because of his high and rich mind and brave spirit, show him all his clothes, whatever colours they may be, so that he may be completely clean and pure from all the colours of his manifold clothes, soak him in gently warmed water, from which his age and nature may rejoice, and take care that you do not make the bath too hot, so that you do not burn his tender, pure body, veins, flesh and legs: With the same water rub all his veins soothingly.

By this soothing and pleasing bath he will fall asleep.

In such a sleep of the king, keep the water in long mild warmth, so that he remains in a degree of warmth constantly.

If you thus keep the bath with comfortable warm air, the king will fall into a deep sleep because of the sweet warmth, which he cannot awaken, so that he finally becomes so weak that he dies a gentle and mild death.

Let this corpse be rocked in a warm bath with the same warmth until the month is over: then half as long, but let the bath go all over the slain king: all his strength and bones will dissolve and the king will begin to rot, so that his flesh, veins and bones will begin to turn completely black.

But his inner heart and inner blood are still beautifully red, fresh and healthy.

So you have the beginning of the work and the death of the king, which understand that our root is consumed in water.

The work is carried on by the comfortable warmth of material fire.

I will now reveal to you more of the four elements that are still mixed in the decayed body, so keep your water still rising in equal warmth and let the king be well putrified by the material fire, preserved and nourished in equal and mild warmth: Thus awake the four elements of the slain body, which is its inmost warmth and natural working power: So then, as they awake, they become more divided by the elevation of distillation, each in its place.

I will reveal to you the garden of paradise, so that you will understand the work all the better, and I will tell you first of all what the tree is in the middle of the garden.

Secondly, what the earth is in which the tree is planted:

Third, what is the venomous and crafty serpent that counselled the heir to break the apple?

Fourth, what are the four waters that flow through the Garden of Paradise?

The tree Good and Bad (Boni & Mali) was compared to our root: The earth to our Mercurio: In which our root accomplished her perfect tincture, for the simple our king.

The poisonous serpent is our resolving water, that is, Mercury (hoc est, Mercurius) in water resolved (resolutus).

The four rivers to refresh the tree of life of our root are none other than our Mercurius water, in which our king is dissolved, and the same water is divided into four principal waters, which kill the earth.

The first water is called Pison, which surrounds the whole land of Indiam, wherein is much gold, deadly and pure: Understand our root, which is encompassed by the Mercurial Water, for in it is found very pure and deadly Indian gold: so understand that the main river and the first divided water called Pison are all the same meaning of our Mercurial Water.

For it is the first main river, of which the first river and water divide, understand the elements.

The other water is called Gyhon, which flows around the whole of Morenland, It is equivalent to bringing the blackness of water (Aequiparatur aquae nigredinem inferenti).

The third water is called Hideckiel, because it turns and flows towards the morning.

This water signifies the element of air then coming through the air, for this man's and woman's seed is perfected.

The fourth water is called Eurphrates, which signifies the element of fire and the end of our stone.

If the king is turned into a spirit, then only hold the degree of fire equal, so it rises up and down, until as long as it lies again in the bottom of the glass in a way folded and coloured.

When you see this, do not hurry too much, give it space so that the work becomes all the more perfect, then proceed with the same degree of fire as far as Rubedin (ignus usque ad Rubedinem).

Unless the seed of the man unites with the woman of the woman, you will accomplish nothing in the work. (Nisi semen viri cum femine mulieris conjungator, nihil in opere perficies.)

There are four keys to art, the first being Solution and Putrefaction.

The other is sublimation or divorce.

The third is the consummation of the man and woman's semen to mingle with a natural marriage and to unite completely with each other.

The fourth is Seal of Hermes, putrefaction completed in 42 days (Sigillum Hermetis, Putrefaktio 42. diebus absolvitur): but would be better a little longer, for thereby his harm is done.

The chief care of the whole work is that the heat should not be too intense (Praecipua totius Operis cura est ne calor nimium intendatur).

Fire of Decay (Ignis Putrefactionis) is to be made from a thought Alumnis Plumoli is prepared in pure tree oil, so that it almost reaches the first leaves.

The ascending and descending vapour is finally dissolved in fire, which, joined to the earth, decomposes it into the nature of futility (quae terrae Coniunctta eam putrefaciendo resolvit in fui naturam).

The End.