TEN CANONS ON THE PHILOSOPHICAL STONE

by an unknown author

1614



Which, if rightly understood, will reveal to the son of the art no small approach to the desired end.

Translated from the book: "Opuscula quaedam chemica. Georgii Riplei Angli Medulla philosophiae chemicae. Incerti autoris Canones decem [de lapide philosophico] mysterium artis mira brevitate & perspicuitate comprehendentes. Heliae monarchi Franciscani Speculum alchymiae. Ioan. Aurelli Augurelli Chrysopoeiae compendium paraphrasticum. Artefii Clavis maioris sapientiae. Ioan. Pontani Epistola de lapide philosophorum. Galli Etschenrevteri medici Epistola ad Guilielmum Gratarolum. Omnia partim ex veteribus manuscriptis eruta, partim restituta"

Canon 1

The Stone which is sought is one; the medicine is single, nor can there be more than one.

2

The matter of the thing, or of the one Stone, is likewise single though manifold; nor is there found in the whole world’s power anything nearer to it, nor in any other thing is that secret discovered, nor has it its like in the whole world.

3

Yet it contains within itself many principal things: but the hypotheses are twofold, the Lower and the Upper; but in another respect, they are three, four, and five.

4

That thing also, in its own respect, is All, and contains All, and is above all sublunary things; likewise, in another respect, it is Nothing, for it is Hyle, or the Chaos and seed of the world, having great blessing.

5

The only matter is the first matter of all metals, not of things made, but of things in the process of being made: it is neither animal, nor vegetable, nor mineral, but catholic and universal, not limited to any specific thing. And it is earthy water, and watery earth, in the womb of the earth, mixed with the Quintessence and all the rest of the elements, with which Spirit and Soul have been mingled.

6

Yet in its external form it agrees with minerals, and is discerned from ores, for which reason it is neither purely Natural nor Artificial, since Nature herself prepares it.

7

And just as there is one Stone and one matter, so too there is one preparation, which altogether imitates Nature as far as possible: indeed, the work of Nature ought to be the model for the work of the Artist.

8

And just as Nature from that matter raises a certain vapor, which vapor, enclosed in minerals, comes into a pure place, the pure mineral sulphureous virtue, in pure metal, is congealed and fixed for a long span of time: so also this preparation is divided into two parts, the first natural in its own respect, and the artificial in another way. In which this spirit, cleansed and truly remaining with its body, is reduced into the quintessence and is congealed and fixed: so that what the true Philosophers say may be fulfilled. The whole work consists in solution and congelation; nevertheless, one work can, in a different respect, be expanded into several.

9

Nature, however, must be aided, both by applying external fire and by moving it within, both by administering the physical Mercury, either perfected in the moist or more than perfected in the dry: the ferment converting the whole mass into its own nature.

10

And yet before the fermentation it is truly catholic and universal, and acts universally and catholicly upon all sublunary things. But after fermentation it is specific to the metallic nature.

Epilogue of the whole matter

The Stone is one, the matter is one, which is indeed the first of all metals; the preparation, however, is one alone, from which, if anyone should stray, he will not reach the goal. It is divided into two operations, namely solution and congelation. And it is truly universal before fermentation, but after it, specific. Blessed therefore is that thing, and blessed is its operation, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

As many are the words here, so many are almost the names of things and mysteries, in which the eye of the common man grows dim. Read, reread, and reread again: they will please the chosen. To the intelligent, a few words suffice; to the envious, nothing.

Finish.