The Testament of Hadrian concerning the Golden Philosophers Stone

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The Testament of Hadrian concerning the Golden Philosophers’ Stone.
Testamentum Hadrianeum de aureo philosophorum lapide



By Hadrianus from Mynsicht.
Hadriani a Mynsicht

1638.

Epilogue.


And so finally, kind Reader, I have now completed—by the grace of God—this new edition of my Medicinal-Chymical Compositions, greatly enlarged and enriched with many additions which I had promised. I have applied great diligence in reviewing, correcting, and polishing, to remove whatever errors or less suitable material may have crept in, to make it more fitting for public use. This edition, thus revised, corrected, and refined, is indeed such that it proves itself—not merely in name, but in truth—to be a Treasure and an Armory of Medical-Chymical remedies, most effective for repelling all illnesses and afflictions of the human body.

Yet I do not doubt that I will still face reproach from my Hadriano-Mastiges—those critics who, like dogs, bark and gnaw now at this, now at that—not so much at the work itself, but at its author. For the work, being good in itself and long praised by the most skilled and noble in the medical profession, they cannot truly assail with criticism. So instead, they endeavor to tear down me, after God, as the author of this work, slandering and defaming me.

And these detractors, as far as I have discerned from their howlings and bites, are not of one kind, but of various types. Some of them, though they have produced nothing similar—let alone better (whether because envy held them back, or laziness, or more likely, because they could not)—nevertheless attribute to others what is solely mine by the grace of God. In doing so, they seek to rob the true author of his just reputation, and to tarnish those monuments—already long suspended by good men in the temple of fame and good opinion—which I, who begrudge no one their due, have earned.

To this end, they try to cast down what is rightly mine, or at least to stain it with suspicions and defamations, flinging vain and feeble missiles from various quarters. Their chief and supposedly most powerful argument is this: “Art is long, life is short; how, then,” they ask, “can it be that so many singular experiments, spread throughout the entire art of medicine and requiring the longest experience, are the work of one man alone?”

Here I could, if I wished, lengthily recount how much others before me, in this and other fields, have each achieved in their own way, with great praise and admiration—though they lived not overly long lives. But letting that be, I will speak only of my own labor, which I have now completed here, by the grace of God, most happily.

I confess that I found this labor difficult and extremely arduous; but at last, with God’s inspiration, I found it surmountable. Through the light of grace and nature, I discovered these things at great expense, and they have been successfully used and proven in the healing of many great Princes and others over many years of my life. Out of love for the public good, I have not hesitated to bring them into the public light.

If the envious still persist in denying that these things are solely mine, then let them show at last from whom and through whom these inventions came to them, and by whom and through whom they were communicated to me. But since such a demonstration seems unlikely to succeed as they wish, these same detractors faltering and falling short, another band of even baser fellows tries to join forces with them and offer supporting aid.

These ones, whatever good has been done in this little work of ours (which even they cannot deny to be good in itself, its own merit commending it like a fine wine), attribute all of it to a familiar spirit. They would be right, indeed—if by this spirit they primarily and principally meant that Spirit, by whom all things work in all, from whom, in whom, and through whom are all things, in whom we live, move, and have our being: namely, the divine and omnipotent Spirit, familiar to all good things.

Even the pagan poet, acknowledging His gifts, says:

There is a God within us; by His motion we grow warm;
That Spirit comes from the heavenly halls.


To Him alone—namely, the Giver and Mover of all things—I ascribe whatever good is here, with singular gratitude. And I daily beseech Him in my prayers that He may ever remain most familiar, gracious, and propitious to me. If then, in a secondary and subordinate sense, they would also note under the name of that “familiar spirit” that spirit which, by the gift of the Almighty, has been granted and inborn in me, and thus served as the ministerial and instrumental cause for undertaking this labor and bringing forth its results—namely, the power and genius of the mind, informed, illuminated, and strengthened by art, practice, and experience—this indeed is the Spirit I use daily, truly familiar to me, inseparable from any of my actions, words, or thoughts in life. Without such a familiar spirit, there would be little difference between me and a brute beast, or even a stump or log.

But indeed, it is not without clear signs what kind of “Spirit” those critics claim is familiar to me and the source of all my insights: namely, that which, enslaved at times to the ministrations of rash men and the wicked suggestions of those who impiously crave it in secret, allows itself to be shut up for a time in crystals, rings, or other prisons, to be bought and sold, summoned and dismissed—often at the peril of the soul, and not rarely of the body as well.

Truly then, relying on the witness of God Himself, the Searcher of hearts, and on the innocence of my conscience against these impious accusations, I deem these slanderers and traducers of mine to be rightly guilty of the horrid crime of blasphemy. For they attribute to a demon the gifts of God, which have been granted to me by divine favor, and which I have manifestly used for nothing other than the glory of God and the salvation of mankind.

Thus, I place these impious blasphemers in no other category than that in which CHRIST Himself placed the Pharisees—those offspring of vipers who ascribed divine works to Beelzebub. For he, being himself evil and the source of all evil, works only evil. And if he ever appears to work something under the guise of good, he only intends it for man’s destruction.

Therefore, to that most wicked Demon and Satan—who, with Pharisaic hatred, claims as his own those divine gifts given for the health of mankind—I say: let those who ascribe the same to him, in name and title, earn also his satanic and diabolical condemnation. And unless they seriously repent in due time, they shall not escape the punishment so deserved for such a heinous crime.

Finally, I also suffer the insolence and shameless boldness of those (shall I call them Catos, or rather Catapancrites?) who, by their usual custom and canine impudence—barking at everything—attack and gnaw at all things unless they glorify themselves. Whatever is not their own, they scorn with lofty disdain, even the liberal arts and sciences—however little they may have tasted of them, and that only with the tip of the lip. Not only do they greet them with mockery and sneers, but they pursue them with foul jesting, proclaiming them vanities, trifles, and filth.

With this same reckless audacity, they no doubt now seize upon Me and My work to malign, these poor wretches—my fellow practitioners, half-witted and unskilled, more aptly called Cumanian asses than physicians. For their supply of medical knowledge—and of other arts and sciences—is scant indeed. But as the proverb says, "The more unlearned, the more impudent." So it is with these my Zoiluses, who would be Aristarchuses, if the gods allow it.

Since they cannot shine by their own merit or fame, they take another route: seeking to diminish the virtue and reputation of others through slanders, while loudly boasting of themselves and their own works, especially among the ignorant and their own kind.

And the more simple-minded they are, the more they hunt after praise and glory for themselves, recalling the proverb: “’Tis easy to mock, and easier to imitate.” But oh, that wretched praise—vain and puffed-up glory—which, when it comes down to the thing itself, and they must, as the saying goes, "leap in Rhodes," utterly vanishes. Thus, imitating the presumptuousness of Icarus, they share alike in his downfall and disgrace, such that the Horatian line rightly finds its place here: “Could you hold your laughter, friends?”

From this shameful fall, what sickness does their affected glory bring upon them?—and I speak of what I have seen and known. A disease truly incurable by any of their decoctions or re-cooked mixtures, much less by their seals, amulets, characters, superstitions, incantations, rites, ceremonies, mystical figures, cabalistic fables, magical cures, and the like—a thousand other vanities (with which, though they delight themselves wonderfully, they also often deceive others under the name of “secret medicine”).

But as for that Thrasonical family of Censors—those men who admire only themselves and their own works, and, with a prideful arrogance, disparage all the works of others, whatever their quality, branding them with a black mark by their self-given authority and license—what more need I say?

The mice betray themselves by their own gnawing; so do our censors by their rash and foolish judgment, which earns them no other reward than that which once befell King Midas when he judged between Pan and Phoebus. Hence that old saying:

“King Midas has the ears of an ass.”

Which Ovid explains more fully in Metamorphoses, Book 11, Fable 4:

“Nor would Delian Phoebus allow such foolish ears
To keep the shape of man. He drew them long,
And covered them with white and bristling hairs,
Made them insatiable and ever flicking.
All else remained as human, but this one part
Was cursed: the ears of a slow-stepping ass he bore.”


And truly, this is no enviable reward for them: let our modern Midases have it to themselves. Let them, thus marked out among others, take pleasure only in themselves, live by their own whims, abound in their own opinions, and persuade themselves that they alone know, understand, and can accomplish whatever astonishes other men. I, meanwhile, shall not cease to expend oil and effort in serving the medical commonwealth and promoting your benefit, kind Reader, with whatever talent has been granted me.

In this very spirit—and yielding also to the encouragements of my friends, indeed of Princes and great men—I preferred to publish both this work and the former one, rather than fear the barking censures of Zoilean dogs. At first, I had compiled these things solely for my own practice—as a sort of daily handbook, always to be at hand, whether at home or abroad—without any concern for publication. But the authority of the leading physicians from nearly all Germany, who urged me to bring these writings to light, ultimately prevailed upon me to change my mind and allow that which had been gathered only for private use to enter the public sphere.

I was mindful, even in this respect, that I was not born for myself alone, but for others too, who are in need of my help.

Therefore, to such people as these—not to those monosophists and mygosophists Aristarchuses, who admire nothing but themselves (whose judgments, since they are either ignorant of the very foundations of medicine, or preoccupied by a certain natural defect, or have just stepped forth from the barber’s shop or stable, with unwashed hands and feet, and who rashly declare my works partly venomous, partly imperfect, useless and superfluous—though they themselves have yet offered nothing more ingenious, excellent, or safer)—I have willingly chosen to communicate these writings, and not to hide anything with envious secrecy.

My aim is this: that whosoever finds these things agreeable may use them to the glory of God and the benefit of their neighbour; and that anyone who finds himself in danger of health or life may flee hither as to a sanctuary for aid.

Indeed, from this work—as from a most well-furnished Armamentarium—may he draw forth salutary weapons and healing arms against all diseases and afflictions. And just as it most abundantly provides for various and manifold uses, so does it most clearly approve itself to those who use it.

All true and dogmatic physicians, and all sounder practitioners who do not scorn to make use of it, will confess this openly.

Let those who will, make trial of it; the outcome itself shall serve as sufficient praise. And if these things cannot please or satisfy all, I think it enough if they do so for the good and the learned.

And these, sincere Reader, concerning our Medical-Chymical Treasure and Armamentarium, which has been produced not without much labor and sweat, shall suffice in place of the Epilogue. To this end, use and enjoy it, now enriched by several additional contributions to the Treasure already published, until, if fate permits, other, perhaps much more secret, inventions of my own genius may one day emerge and, in their proper time, contribute to the eternal benefit of the entire Medical Republic.

In the meantime, fare thee well, and may you grow and thrive with me.


APPENDIX OF THE MEDICAL-CHYMICAL TREASURE AND ARMAMENTARIUM
Philosophically and poetically considered.



THE ADRIAN TESTAMENT


In which he reveals his final will and testament concerning the Golden Stone of the Philosophers, along with his ultimate disposition of his knowledge, to the sons of Wisdom and learning.



Emblem:
To weep, to deny, to sit — these three are in a woman.
The conjunction of the planets is the generation of metals.
The work of Muli ER CU LA RUM

Flere Nere Sedere Haec Tria Sunt In Muliere, Planetarum Coniunctio est Metallorum Generatio, Opus Muli ER CU LA RUM




Of the Great Hermetist Trismegistus
To the Trustees and Disciples, for future generations with gratitude and remembrance.



To the Illustrious and Noble
Count and Lord
Mr. Georg Ludwig
Count of Schwarzenberg, Lord of Hohenlandesberg and Murau, etc.
Privy Councillor to His Imperial Majesty, Chamberlain, and Supreme Marshal of the Court, his most clement Lord.


I am mindful of those things, Noble Lord,
Which, after having been granted to me by the illustrious, under the auspices of Phoebus,
Led me to know your countenance, where the magnanimous hero Tillyus lay,
His legs pierced by fiery metal;
Indeed, it was your fibers that death, menacing Sicilian death, would later seek,
Fated to meet its fatal blows—
Yet, through the power of our sacred Art, this was all dispelled,
Blessed by the divine breath of the Numen:
Which, then, what deeds, what Gratitude, did my Muses follow?
And thus, having acknowledged such a new honor, Apollo, our own, rejoiced in such a great Patron!
These things I recall in my memory, constantly revisiting them in thought,
Whereby the pleasant faces of past times open up in conversation with me:
Thus, granted to proceed, why should I not now venture farther,
And journey through the learned world?

Great honor it is to have had, Excellency,
Your subjects—cultivators of knowledge and the spirit of learning. Who could be a greater hero
In doctrine, even revealing the hidden truths of nature,
Seeking the alchemical riches, and the Philosopher's Stone?
This I offer, Philosopher, what could be more precious than this?
While the progeny of wisdom, by these Testamentary writings,
I present, in order to be more worthy of publication,
Except with the aid of your protection, noble Lord,
Your virtue, well-known to the Phoebus-descended men, rightfully claims it,
And your rare knowledge exemplifies it.
Therefore, what is owed by these titles, accept it gently,
Accept it and defend it with the illustrious shield of favor,
O Noble Count, memorialized in my Camanian songs,
While the mind and voice of Apollo moves these strings!

Illustrious and Noble T.
Most devoted,



HADRIANUS from MYNSICHT
Count Palatine, Medicus, Doctor of Philosophy, of the Roman Emperor, and so forth.





Emblem:
Version 1:
From one root, with two salts and as many spirits, let there be one Mercury ☿ and one Sulphur 🜍:
from four arise two, and from two again is made ONE,
which is called the CENTER of the world.

Version 2:
From one root’s two salts, and likewise two spirits, one becomes mercury and one becomes sulfur:
From four, two arise; from two again comes ONE,
Which is called the CENTER of the world.

Ex unius radicis duobus salibus, totidemque spiritibus, unus sit ☿ Mercury et unum 🜍 Sulphur: ex quatuor fiunt duo, ex duobus rursus fit UNUM, quod dicitur mundi CENTRUM.


The Golden Age Revived.

I sought, I found, I purified often, and
I joined, I matured, the Golden Tincture followed,
Which is now called the center of the world.
Hence, all the senses, all writings, and various forms of the man.

I candidly admit to all, Medicine in metals
And simultaneously with the sick. A point divinely originated.

The Testament of Hadrianus on the Golden Philosopher's Stone.



You have a treasure, Reader, which was discovered and acquired with great care and effort,
If it pleases you, it is yours, for the divine favor has granted it to us;
It is Apollo, the giver, who has bestowed it upon us.
I reveal to noble men what they ask of me,
That which has been produced for the common good.
What Zoilus might gnaw at with his insane tongue,
I am not concerned. An equal censor suffices,
One who is wise, and who finds no fault in our work.
To criticize the deeds of others is for few,
Those whom Jupiter has shaped from a better metal,
And whom he has commanded to distinguish the crooked from the straight.
To these judges, my work is subject,
And through them, God has granted us the knowledge of the high mysteries of the golden river,
Revealing hidden paths in nature.
It is permitted to none but the wise, under the auspice of the one divine Father,
To penetrate these mysteries.
This person, radiant with the wisdom of the divine,
Is honored, enriched with abundance,
And made more powerful than the most abundant treasures!

It was revealed many years ago under a fictitious name,
That true interpreter of my genius, the one who brings forth the Golden Age of a revived century.
It was he, I say, Henry, with the cloak of Madathanus,
Who, while seeking praise from the winds of empty glory,
Is falsely flattered by some vain Batillus.
Behold, he rightly rages against the undeserved honor,
And Apollo, with foresight, grants his hope to the client,
Revealing the Author’s name, lest the false one boast with his crow’s feathers.
Thus, my little book, content with these pages,
Is not yet intended to expose the mysteries of my work to an ungrateful world.
The union of such things is not to be given to swine, nor to dogs, nor to profane souls.
However, to the extraordinary part of the world,
And to the noble minds granted to me, I have not been envious of such talents,
Lest I seem to be born only for them, and not for all.
Behold, the progeny of heaven, which my messenger once foretold,
I, clothed in foreign garb, now reveal to you,
Having laid aside the scheme (as the divine seems to wish),
I gladly present this to the public hand,
In the solemn form of the Testamental records, as is appropriate.
To you, the heir, I leave these records of my heart,
For the praise of the divine spirit, as it is fitting, with a grateful mind.
Thus, that the perfection of the Testament may be made clear,
I testify, with seven witnesses duly called,
They being Saturn the elder, Phoebus, the winged Cyllenius,
Jupiter the good, Mavors, Venus of Cyprus, and Luna.
To these is added the father of all the wise men, Hermes,
The scribe who is sought, who has written all with true words,
And who, as a faithful guardian, keeps it in the ark.
It is not permitted for anyone to break the seals in their absence,
For it is fitting that the act is completed in the presence of all.
For if even one witness is absent, the Testament would be null and void.
How vast is the treasure hidden deep within the ground,
Which is entrusted to your use, O heir!
Once the seals are opened, the testament will show what was kept hidden.
In the meantime, as long as the Hermetic scrolls are guarded,
They must be kept in secret, under the sole use of those wise in the divine light,
For whom the divine has granted the inner mysteries of truth.
This is for your benefit, O noble line of Divine Sophia,
To whom the gods have given minds illuminated by the secret light.
This knowledge is unknown to the common people,
And not revealed to the ignorant; though often,
A rash tongue will foolishly blurt out its judgments,
Just like the judgment passed between Pan and Apollo.

Deservedly, like Midas, the little king with donkey ears is laughed at—
That man who approves of nothing unless it matches his own deeds,
Or is aligned with his own narrow brain.
Such is the herd of men, unworthy of these sacred mysteries,
Which, by the indulgence of the divine spirit and through many prayers,
And labor immense, unwavering even under envy’s darts,
And the biting of the many-headed Hydra, are at last obtained.
Ah, how often have I struggled with the many-headed Chimera,
While divine Pallas led me to her sacred art!
What snares envy lays, what deceits cruel slander hurls,
To draw me back from sacred pursuits!
Yet love of truth prevails, and holy Science is victorious—
O Science, chosen above numberless gifts of the divine!
And why not? When it is more excellent than all things
That ever a king, even the richest, held in his treasure.
The wealth of mighty Solomon, the riches of Crassus,
Were great. Great heaps of gold were held
By the effeminate king Sardanapalus in his Assyrian court.
Other great kings and leaders possessed great treasures;
But this one treasure surpasses them all,
As a living spring surpasses a stagnant marsh.
Therefore, whoever wishes the golden rivers of that Fountain
To gush forth for you, and to draw the sacred, eternal
Streams of ambrosia—cast away, I say, the fool’s bait:
Do not pursue the viscera of nature in plants or animals,
Nor chase the varied snares of many substances,
Which, while focused on distant natures,
Cloak the art and themselves in dark shadows.
Hold to this alone, which I here reveal, bare and simple:
Search the mineral veins; draw forth what nature brings you
From her nearby womb. There you will find that which alone
Is the material of our Stone, the first origin of so many goods
(Though externally base in appearance).
Here is the sacred fountain, this is the blessed water of the wise,
The mercurial glory, the fruitful flower of gold, the single
Noble bridal bed of the spouses, the noble seed.
As once there was one matter, one chaos, created by the right hand
Of loving Jehovah, the single origin of all things,
From which, by the supreme God’s command, all things emerged,
Which the whole world now contains—
So too our Stone came from one like mass,
A compact, confused mass, within which lies hidden
Nature’s four created elements.
From this maternal womb is born at last
That noble offspring of loving nature and art.
Just as the same one mother is for our Stone, so too she is
The first of metals, whom it is needful to know.
Capable of all forms, from her is every species seen
Drawn forth from deep within the womb of the earth,
Over which presides the sevenfold order of Planets.
Behold, among them all, one surpasses the rest in strength:
If any of the forms of metals must be dissolved by art,
And returned to their first matter,
It is ruled by this Stone, the master, by its power—
It commands the imperfect to assume the perfect form.
He alone can do this—not imitable by anything
Under the heavens. Just as it is proper to the magnet
To draw iron, or to bind with it.
Hence, the perfection and honor of the physician depends on this one thing—
Here hangs the master key, the crown of our theatre,
The high art bearing brilliant triumphs to the artist.
So whoever desires these things, cleave with contentment
To the matter I named—heed not
Those many things that countless philosophers offer you,
Describing in books various cisterns of materials—
Dry and remote from the true Fountain.
There is but one, and it remains the single gate to our secret.
Seek rightly, and you shall find what you desire.
But what, you ask, is this material? By what signs and under what stars
Is it to be discovered and named at last?
It has already been said—it is the mother of metals,
Conceiving from whatever the earth yields in her veins,
Nourishing and bringing them to birth in her mineral womb,
Until the time is ripe for delivery.
Moreover, it brings forth man himself, and once brought forth,
It nourishes and strengthens the body’s firm limbs.
It is a powerful hermaphrodite, bearing beneath one body
Both male and female, with the twelvefold force of seed.

The stars grant it its form, the elements lend it power,
And from itself the earthly force shapes its remaining figure.
It is not to be sought beneath the Spanish sky, nor in the Indian mountains,
Not in the Italian soil, nor under the Libyan stars;
It is brought forth from our own land, seen daily upon our own soil—
A thing in common use, common in everyday affairs,
Often even played with in the streets by children—
A thing of little esteem, because its hidden power is unknown,
Known only to the few, by gift of the gods.
And rightly so—for what if a sword be given into the hands of madmen,
Or a noble, massive horn to the rhinoceros?
The better a thing is in itself, the worse its misuse,
If it fall to the use of the insane, the vulgar crowd.
It would be more dangerous still—more than raising tumults in every land,
Confusing the low with the high, the sacred with the profane—
In proportion as it is a single thing nobler than all others.
But what then is this thing? I shall speak: it is a salty substance.
It is a dry water, a water beloved by all spirits;
It is a fiery oil, a non-combustible wine,
Which, even if Vulcan vomits it forth with raging mouth,
Endures the flames. It is the sealed thing that reflects all things,
Returning to itself and reproducing all things of hidden nature—
A key of wondrous hidden nature.
In its crude state it appears with a raw face, with impure limbs,
When it first emerges from its origin;
Yet in such a body it bears such powers:
It heals a corrupted stomach, it cures injuries,
It restores pure flesh by casting out decay,
It drives away all offensive odors hateful to the nose.
It is a universal medicine—whether one is rich with goods,
Or poor, struggling beneath a humble roof.
Hence, it is heard to proclaim of itself in such titles as these:
I am the Stone, the rule of royal empire,
The comfort of a poor man’s life—held rightly alike
By both the wealthy and the wretched. I am a child’s plaything,
A woman’s craft—often more despised than cast-off seaweed,
Which clings to the feet as they tread through the muddy streets.
Yet the king acknowledges me, and the sevenfold Synod
Of the metals bows and reveres my scepter.

Therefore, this Unknown to the world, long sunken in darkness,
Uncultivated, barren, lying without honor—
By the favor of God, shall be abundantly illumined
By the light of our Testament, and its pleasant fruits made known.
And that I might finally name its proper designation to you,
Know this: that the ancients called her the daughter, in form, of the seer
Calchas, and that she was born alongside the greedy Kite in the East,
At whose rising I too was born, in the art of Chymistry,
At the time when Mulciber, the fire-wielding god,
Caught Mars the adulterer with Venus his wife,
And made them seen by all the gods.
If you can remove the rosy and weighty blood
Of this our Virgin, and also the human sap
Of the winged one, and its snowy essence, then the crown of kings is prepared for you;
For around the golden yolks flows a clear and saffron stream.

But to what end? I have now sufficiently revealed
What that material of ours is, what name it rightly bears,
And in what places it must be sought. Do you henceforth leave behind
The vain sophistries that lead you through winding deceptions;
Abandon every kind of herb, forsake the bodies of animals,
While you are intent on seeking our Stone.
Neither flesh, nor blood, nor those excretions
Drawn from them—menses, semen from human genital vessels,
Dung, or urine—will give you what you seek.
Nothing from hair, from eggs, from fecundity,
Or from the green herb shall yield the treasure.
The fruit matches the seed, and thus he who sows dung
Shall find a field of dung.
No less shall he sweat in vain who seeks it in gold
Or silver. It must be purer than these, more refined
Than vulgar gold or silver, so that by its own power it can penetrate
The metals, transforming anything into silver or gold.
Nothing vulgar enters our work; it is drawn
By the sages from Mercury alone—by which we tincture, and which
Perfects the imperfect. This is the punctum, the midpoint
Of nature, that which separates the impure from the pure. This is it—(that)
Which, though extracted from no metal by any art,
Whether they be perfect, unable to take on change, or imperfect—
Yet since they lack wholly the vital nourishment
And generative seed of life,
They cannot produce from themselves offspring like to themselves.

What then? That all those impure things
Are also full of diseases, imperfect,
And thus in need of remedies from elsewhere,
Since the power they lack is absent from their own nature.
Yet in one thing alone resides the whole power—
Whatever metals possess,
Whatever plants and minerals contain, nay, even
That power by which the seven celestial rulers reign,
It prevails, and works marvelously upon the human body.

Behold then, Phoebean child, the material of our
Ethereal Stone! Henceforth, while you seek the same,
Let the tracks of the Green Lion be known to you!
But once, under Jove’s guidance, the material is placed
Before your hands, learn thereafter what must be done,
That you may reach the long-desired goal of your quest.
To discern the pure from the impure is the first wisdom.
Only when the material has been well purified
And freed from coarse parts, decently sublimated,
Will it become the medium for tincture; for only that
Which is sought from nature’s innermost subtle parts
Has the power to penetrate bodies and exert its strength.

Once this is perfected, from the purified extract
A wise artist will obtain two things: Salt—
Distinguished by the philosophers with the name Mercury—
And then Oil, red and weighty, in the form of Sulphur.
In the Salt all secrets lie hidden: whoever
Knows how to dissolve this will penetrate into
The innermost mysteries of the hidden Temple.

This is that Eagle which whitens, related to the Red Lion:

Here is the Bridegroom, with snowy and ruddy face, most beautiful,
Chosen among thousands, upon whose head is pure gold.
(But it is useful to know here: not the whole body of that Eagle
Should be taken, but only the innermost part of her bodily juice—
The crystals, I say, gleaming with snowy whiteness.)
So too, you must not take the entire body of the Red Lion;
Rather, it is the interior moisture of the ruddy blood—
The Sulphur, purified from all impurity.
This is to be brought forth through labor, and the great work of prayer and diligence,
Which, unless you rightly apply and unlock the inner parts,
Neither Sulphur nor Salt will ever avail you.

From Salt comes Mercury—(that Virgin’s Milk, and the
White Snow of the Philosophers' School)—from this proceeds
The only Gatekeeper of wisdom and bearer of the whole art!

About the Red and the White—how they are to be drawn forth by labor—
Let this suffice. What follows is by what method thereafter
They must be joined, that they may bring the sacred art to completion.

Therefore, under divine auspices, whoever has progressed thus far
As to fully obtain the Sulphur purified with Salt,
Let him next proceed to join them together, the Philosopher
Following the correct measure—such as Nature herself,
Retaining just what is needed, shows as though with a pointing finger.

Then, having sealed them with the Hermetic Seal,
Let him apply a tempered heat in the proper degree,
Such as the brooding hen imparts when she sits longingly over her eggs.

As a hen, or as a fetus grows in the mother's womb,
So too must this work proceed. All labor will be in vain,
All care fruitless, unless with prudent hand you govern the fire.
Thus, when the White and Red Spouses are joined in their bedchamber,
Pray with humble supplication to the divine power of the heavens,
That in this work you may behold the husband mingled with the wife.
And in brief time, you shall see—when the two are sent into one—
The Black Ethiopian and the head of a black raven appear!

This, above all, you must diligently beware—
That the door of the glassy chamber not be opened
Until what is sealed within has fully taken on redness,
And become fit to generate an offspring like unto itself.
Thus, that the restful sleep of the beloved be not disturbed,
And that she not be touched before her time,
The King of the Wise forbids.

She, enclosed in her own narrow vessel,
Begins to sweat, and subtle vapors rise upward.
And the more skillfully the fire is guided beneath,
The greater and stronger is the army of spirits.
You are a garden (sings the same Royal Wisdom),
A garden enclosed, a sealed fountain, a pleasant
Flower of the garden, a living spring of flowing waters.
From Lebanon: Rise, O North Wind, and come, O South,
Blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out.
Lo, the sweet voice of my beloved who comes—
Behold, he leaps upon the mountains, bounds upon the hills!

Like a young stag coming from his mother’s breast!
For the wondrous motion of the joined glass—
Now they rise aloft, now they are seen plunged into the deep,
Often they revolve, often they come together, and of themselves
They die, and then again they recall their fugitive life.
Until, putrefied, they fully take on blackness.
This is the first work of our Stone (for the corruption of one
Is the generation of another), whence is born
The Raven’s Head, the King of the Ethiopians, and the black tail,
As the Sun and Moon enter into eclipse.

For as soon as the blackness has sufficiently increased,
Exceeding pitch and surpassing all blackness,
The matter becomes truly pregnant—bodies dissolved,
Putrefaction begetting black earth,
The beginning (rejoice in it!) of the work.
This blackness, truly, is that most beautiful maiden—
Without wings she flies. He is that Black-White—
For in this blackness lies hidden the purest Whiteness.
The raven is scarcely anything graver, yet no work
Is more noble in all Nature’s generative acts.

Only take care that the flower of the woman’s hair,
And the feather from the marrow of the raven,
Be not consumed by too great a fire.

Thus, when the Blackness is complete, let the Woman
Be strengthened by one more degree, and let Green succeed the Black.
Then comes that color—the green of the peacock’s tail—
Which reflects all the colors that exist throughout the world.

Next follows the Whitening (Albedo), to be drawn forth
By the third strength of Vulcan (the fire),
And to be guided step by step through all degrees,
Until it be lifted up to its proper axis by the fire.
For not just any Whitening will suffice—only the most perfect whitens,
And with Lunar rays makes the tinged thing equal to silver,
A perfect egg of nature, born from fire,
Producing a metal of steadfast whiteness, untiring and sound.

Then, when the Whitening is complete, follows Reddening (Rubedo),
The last of all colors of our Stone,
The final seal and the long-desired goal of the work.
If the Vulcanian flame is rightly directed,
It successfully completes the divine task.
Therefore, wise Philosopher, continue to govern the fire,
Continue to increase it by degrees, working beneath with your sand,
Continue until you see the citron turn yellow with its fruit.

Then, with prudent reasoning, you must govern
That very Vulcan (the fire): so that the Red,
Most beautiful in countenance, spotless,
Will present herself as a Queen to be seen—
Like the dawn, shining with the heavens.
Yet do not permit her to leave her bedchamber,
But observe her only through the clear glass windows,
Until she wears the full redness of the Red Woman.

Meanwhile, beware lest by too great a fire the Stone
Be vitrified and thus lose its virtue, dashing your hope.
Let it be boiled in the proper degrees by fire;
For if the work is rushed by excessive heat,
The whole operation will be destroyed.

Then at last, with God as Guide, shall come forth into the air
The completed Stone, that King of all-healing kind,
A Panacea strong with invincible powers, the one
Medicine than which none is more health-giving in the whole world,
Penetrating with spiritual force all parts of the body,
Even when taken in the weight of but a single grain.

This, like smoke drives off bees, expels from the body
Corrupt humors, banishes every type of disease and evil,
And with the root of sickness utterly torn out, restores what is better:
Indeed, like the eagle, it renews and preserves; the blooming
Flower of youth it makes to thrive, and does not permit it
To perish by malign chance, unless the span appointed
By the Supreme Deity for man has been fulfilled in full age.

(For death is common, and avoidable by none
In the end—whoever is born of mortal seed.)
This the youthful Adam used, this the Fathers of old
Employed as medicine, and led a healthy life for long ages.
By this the age of ancient wise men flourished, by this very thing
They earned the name of immortality with its rich treasury.

No disease, however incurable it may seem—
Be it dire dropsy, scabby leprosy, or goiter,
Be it the gout of the feet, or the hand-twisting chiragra,
And all those torments of mankind deemed beyond all hope
By other remedies—those living deaths, those corpses that breathe—
None of these stand unconquerable before our Stone;
All are overcome by this one, invincible thing.

he (the Stone) also restores to health even those whom the remedies of others,
Through long periods, scarcely cure; but this one strengthens the sick in a few hours.
O great gift of Medicine, to which, of whatever is in the world,
Nothing in practical use deserves a more excellent trophy!

But lest its leprous scab remain even when uncorrected by impure metals,
Let it be stripped of every defect of Nature,
And be adorned with the highest honor:
We must proceed further, and the operation of our Stone
Must be multiplied, that it may acquire new divine powers.

Therefore, the completed Stone must again be inserted into its own Mother,
By whom it was born, namely into the twofold salts,
Into the Mercurial womb—that blessed Fountain—
And therein be placed under the just weight of the philosophers.
Let the crystalline gate of the new heaven be closed again,
Cleverly sealed with the Spagyric seal.

Thus, inserted into the Mother, thus received
Into the transparent chamber, heated by fresh embers in new baths,
Let it be rightly cooked again, until through every kind of color
The matter is led in order (this you may accomplish in one month
Which you had scarcely completed before in ten).
Let one body again be generated from the two.

Its power shall be more divine than all else
In purging the impure, and in the tincturing of metals.
Let it be recooked in the fire, by the same Philosopher’s method, again and again.
And if anyone is permitted to repeat this labor so often,
With God’s aid he shall supply himself long centuries of life.

The Stone shall tincture all impurity of the world—even a single grain—
So that it shines forth immediately purer than pure gold.
The Ferment remains—the final particle entering
Our Tincture—indicating the sure way of penetrating impure metal,
As Ariadne with her fixed thread pointed the path,
So that Theseus, free from the impure prison of the labyrinth,
Might earn the right to wear the shining crown of the king.

Thus, by this method, is Fermentation made:
From purified, sublime gold, let a most subtle
Leaf be formed, which Vulcan (the fire) shall gently
Join to the Stone in one bridal chamber.
Then with a stronger fire increasing,
Let it compel the union to continue three nights
And as many flowing days. So shall Gold, adorned
With spiritual gifts and with subtle vigor,
Penetrate all impure metals that lie before it.

For the Stone works nothing, and shall never tincture,
Unless it be joined and fermented with Gold.
It rejoices in the like, and when well joined,
The Tincture enters the body and, the impurity dissolved,
Brings forth the impure with a pure garment.

Thus, from the fermented Stone, thus rightly prepared,
You shall finally discover this divine use of tincturing:
One portion is to be taken in ten thousand parts—
Or even in numberless more, according as the Tincture,
Multiplied by cooking, is to be mixed in the flux of fiery metals.
And behold—a new birth, noble in value as Gold!

By affection, one body eagerly embraces another,
Though born from as different an origin as can be.
The one passes into the nature of the other, compelled by virtue—
From this, like begets like, and is born into the world.

Therefore, he who uses the Ferment well at the right stage
Finds revealed to him the whole of Fixation—
That one and only process by which
All things among the subtler created beings are perfected.
This is the Grain of the Foundation, the noble Center of the World.

He who becomes its possessor, let him with grateful mouth
Praise Jehovah in hymns, who is the Author of so great a gift—
For dire poverty flees, as do disease and black
Melancholy; and from it wisdom flows in abundant streams!
So great indeed is this our Tincture, that through the whole world
Nothing exists to match it in equal powers!

This is the Golden Shower of Jove! This is that Spirit
By which Noah, the cultivator of the vine, built the ark
That preserved the world! By which Solomon
Gave the Temple and its shining vessels, famed through all the earth!
This is what Moses once used to construct the archetype of the Temple,
And raised it, radiant with much gold!
This is what Ezra used to restore his fallen nation,
And, renewed under its own laws, made it firm again!
This is the one Spirit that prevails over all spirits,
Of all that are born from the womb of things!

He, the Giver of good Fortune, of virtue, of honor,
When poverty is utterly destroyed and the weight of evils cast off,
Grants all things besides with sweet and lasting peace!
And just as to the good He gives good things in accordance with their wishes—
Honor, readiness, and the happy seasons of a long life—
So also, if by the wicked it be defiled through wicked abuse,
He dooms the ungrateful to eternal torment in Orcus.

With these verses are concluded the mysteries of the sacred Stone,
Receive them, candid Reader, and The Testament of Hadrian.

Which, having been begun in the name of—
The holy Name of God—let it thus be solemnly sealed.

To Him, the Highest King who rules the heavenly spheres above,
And governs all that is hidden within them with nourishing guidance,
To Him, the Giver of this noble Art,
And to Jove Almighty, whom every good race of men worships,
Be praise, and glory through all the ages of ages!

THE END.
Glory to the One and Triune God.





LATIN VERSION


Testamentum Hadrianeum de aureo philosophorum lapide



Hadriani a Mynsicht

Epilogus.


Et sic tandem etiam, Lector benevole, hanc compositionum mearum Medico-Chymicarum novam Editionem, multis auctam & locupletatem accessionibus, quas promiseram, multa etiam in recognoscendo, corrigendo, elimando, si quid mendosum, aut minus aptum usibus publicis irrepserat adhibita diligentia, per DEI gratiam nunc absolvi. Quae sane editio sic recognita, correcta, & elimata etsi talis, ut non titulo-tenus, sed reipsa Thesaurum se probet & Armamentarium Medico-Chymicum, quibusvis morbis & affectibus humani corporis propellendis efficacissimum; Non dubito tamen, quin adhuc meos in veniam Hadriano-Mastiges, modo hoc, modo illud canum instar, allatrantes & arrodentes in illo opere, imo non tam in opere per se, quam operis producti auctore. Opus enim ipsum quippe bonum per se, & a bonis reique Medicae callentissimis jam pridem di laudatum, cum vituperiis convellere isti nequeant, Me subinde, Me post DEUM, Operis Auctorem calumniis proscindere nituntur. Et hi sane, quantum hactenus quidem de latratibus istis & rosionibus compertum no­ bis, non unius sunt, sed diversorum generum. Qui­ dam eorum, cum simile quid, nedum melius, haete­ nus non praestiterint (praestare autem vel plane no­ luerunt, invidia forsàn prohibente, si non ignavia, vel, quod verisimilius, nequiverunt) quod meum solius est, per Dei gratiam, aliorum etiam operis as­ scribunt mutuis, ne scilicet genuino Auctori sua ma­ neant integra existimatio, & illa (quae tamen ne­ mini invidet ipse, qui meretur) à bonis viris in tem­ plo famae & bonae mentis suspensa jam pridem mo­ numenta. Quae proinde ut suo deturbent isti loco, vel ad minimum maculis aspergant suspicionum, conquisitis hinc inde variis missilibus, vanis tamen illis & invalidis, aggredi nituntur & impetere. Prae­ cipuum, & quod palmarium putant, hoc est: Artem longam esse, vitam hominis brevem; ergò aiunt qui fieri potest, ut tot illa, per totam artem Medicam, longissima experientia nitentem, diffusa experimen­ ta singularia unius sint hominis? Possem hîc, si vel­ lem, prolixè commemorare, quid & quantum alii, ante me, cum in hâc, tum aliis facultatibus, suo quis­ que modo singulariter, magnâ cum laude & admi­ ratione praestiterint, idq; annis suae vitae non usque adeò numerosiss; sed missis jam illis, de meo tantum,

quo defunctus hîc sum, labore loquar, per Dei gra­ tiam felicissimo. Difficilem hunc, fateor, maximè­ que operosum sum expertus; sed tandem tamen, Deo aspirante, ita superabilem, ut quae per illum ex gratiæ & naturæ lumine, magnis sumptibus inventa, multis etiam & variis tam magnorum Principum, quam aliorum curationibus, ab annis vitae meae plu­ rimis feliciter adhibita sunt & approbata, boni pub­ lici promovendi amore, in publicam emittere lucem non sim veritus. Quae quidem ita publicata si Meæ solius esse negare adhuc pergant invidi, age, demon­ strent tandem, à quibus & per quos illa illos adin­ venta, per quos & à quibus aliis mihi communicata. Sed haec istorum demonstratio cum ex voto parùm successura videatur, defectis & succumbentibus iis­ dem alia cohors aliorum, prioribus etiam istis nequi­ orum succenturiari & opem ferre subsidiariam co­ natur, dum, quicquid praestitum in hoc nostro opu­ sculo, per se quidem nec illis ipsis illaudato, suâ quip­ pe semetipsum bonitate, vini instar vendibilis, com­ mendante, spiritui adscribunt familiari. Rectè qui­ dem illi, si per spiritum hunc primo & principaliter intelligerent eum, à quo omnia in omnibus opera­ tur, à quo, & in quo, & per quem sunt omnia, in quo sumus, vivimus, & movemur, spiritum nempe divinum

& omnipotentem, omnibus bonis familiarem, de quo etiam Poëta Ethnicus, dona illius agnoscens ait:
Est DEUS in nobis, agitante calesſimus illo,
Sedibus aethereis Spiritus ille venit.

Cui soli etiam, utpote datori & motori rerum omnium, quicquid hic boni est, unicè acceptum refero, idemque, ut semper sit & maneat quam maximè familiaris, clemens & propitius, quotidianis eum precibus oro: Si deinde etiam, respectum nimirum secundario & subordinato, nomine spiritus illius familiaris vel cum subnotarent, qui spiritus illius omnipotentis munere mihi datus & connatus, adeoq; ad capessendum hunc laborem & producendum effectum, ceu causâ ministra & instrumentalis, à principe motus & instructus, vis nimirum & genius mentis, arte, usu, & experientiâ informatus, illustratus, confirmatus: quo sanè Spiritu nisi aequè familiari; à nullis unquam vitae meae actionibus, dictis & cogitatis separabilis, uterer quotidie, parùm utique discriminis inter me foret, & brutum animal, imò truncum & stipitem. Verumenimverò cum indiciis pateat non obscuris, quem & qualem isti Spiritum, mihi familiarem & omnia suggerentem, hîc indigent,

eum videlicet, qui ministeriis hominum temerariorum, suggestionibus ejus clanclariis impiè desiderantium, quandoq; se mancipans, jam Crystallis, jam annulis, jam aliis carceribus includi se ad tempus, emi & di, mitti & remitti se patitur, summo possidentium ventam animæ, quam corporis sæpe periculo: meritò equidem, DEI ipsius cordium scrutatoris, & innocuæ culpationum istarum impiarum conscientiæ meæ testimonio fretus, traductores hosce meos & calumniatores, dona DEI divino munere mihi concessa, nec aliter, quam in DEI gloriam & hominum salutem evidenter usurpata, Cacodæmoni tribuentes, non sine horrendo blasphemiæ crimine, meritò, inquam hosce impios blasphemantes non alio dignor loco, quam quo suos ipse CHRISTUS nōster Pharisæos, progeniem illam viperarum, opera divina Beelzebub adscribentium, qui tamen, utpote malus ipse, & mali omnis author, non nisi mala operatur, & si quid apparenter sub specie boni operari videtur, non nisi in perniciem hominis dirigere meditatur. Cui proinde pessimo Dæmoni & Satanæ, qui dona illa, in hominum salutem divinitùs concessa, odio tribuunt Pharisæico, ut idem cum Authore illo suo nomen, eundem titulum mereantur Satanicum & Diabolicum, sic dignam etiam

isto tam nefando crimine poenam, nisi resipiscent serio, suo tempore non effugient. Praeter hos deniq; illorum etiam (Catonum, dicam, an Catapancritonum?) protervitatem & effrontem audaciam experior, qui pro more suo & caninâ impudentiâ, quâ nil non allatrant, impetunt, arrodunt, nisi nisi propria magnificiant, caetera omnia, etiam artes & scientias liberaliores, quantumvis labello ipsis primo vix degustatas, cum suis & auctoribus & cultoribus alto supercilio aspernantur, nec risu tantum & sannis excipiunt, sed probis insuper scurrilibus, vanitates, nugamenta, stercora proclamando, prosequuntur. Eâdem dubio procul etiamnum temeritate, eôdem ausu Memet & Mea sibi arripient perstringenda; immemores interim miselli illi socii, insulsi & semicoti Medicastŕi, imò, si titulo eos convenientiore appellitem, Asini Cumani, quàm sit ipsis tam rei Medicae, quam aliarum artium & scientiarum curta supellex. Verùm, quod proverbio dicitur, quo quis indoctior, eò impudentior, idem nostris hisce Zoilis in Aristarchis, si DIS placet, acutissimis usuvenit. Propriâ virtute & famâ cum nequeunt inclarescere, aliâ rem viâ aggreditentes, virtuti & famae aliorum calumniis detrahendo, se verò & sua magnificè jactitando, apud ignaros praesertim & sim.

& simpliciores, laudem sibi & gloriam aucupantur, proverbii memores, φαιδρὸν μωμᾶσθαι τ’ μίμησθαι. Sed ô miseram illam laudem, vanam & inanem gloriosulam, quae, si deveniendum ad rem, & in illa, de qua tam profusè & plus quam Thrasonicè gloriantur, saltandum Rhodo, planè evanescit, adeoque fortunam Icari, cujus temeritatem arrogantē aemulata, pari cum dedecore subit & experitur, ut locum inveniat illud Horatianum, Risum teneatis amici. Quo sanè ex casu ignominioso quem sibi morbum attrahit (visa loquor & nota) affectata illa gloria, nullis unquam seu decoctis seu recoctis suis, nedum sigillis, amuletis, characteribus, superstitionibus, incantationibus, ritibus ceremoniis, figuris, fabulis caballisticis, curis magicis, aliisque mille vanitatibus (quibus tamen ut alias mirè sibi placet, sic aliis etiam sub nomine secretionis Medicinae non rarò imponit) curabilem deprehendit.
Sed de ist hâc Censorum familiâ Thrasonicâ, se tantum & sua admirantium, alia vero aliorum opera, qualiacunq; sint etiam, pro sua, quam superciliosè sibi arrogant, authoritate & licentiâ,

nigro carbone notantium, quid ego multis? Sorices
suo se produnt indicio: Sic nostri illi Censores te-
merario & insipido judicio: Quo & ipso nil aliud
praemii loco merentur, quam quod Midas olim cum
de Phoebo judicasset, de quo vetus illud; Auriculas
asini Mida rex habet: Quod uberius sic explicat
Ovidius lib. 11. Metam. fab. 4.

––– Nec Delius aures
Humanam patitur stolidās retinere figuram;
Sed trahit in spatium, villisq; albentibus implet,
Insatibilesq; illas facit, & dat posse moveri.
Cætera sunt hominis, partem damnatur in unam,
Induiturq; aures tardè gradientis aselli.

Et hoc sanè non invidendum ipsis praemium, no-
stri sibi habeant Midæ, eódemq; præ aliis conspicui
soli sibi placeant, suo voto vivant, suo sensu abun-
dent, soliq; ea scire, nosse & posse, quæ homines de-
mirentur, sibi persuadent. Ego interim eo, quod
concessum mihi talento, Reipublicæ inservire Me-
dicæ tuisq;, Lector candide, commodis promoven-
dis oleum & operam impendere non desistam. Quo
nomine etiam amicorum meorum, imò Principum,
& Magnatum hortatibus obsequi malui tam in hóc
quàm priore opere publicando, quam censuras la-
trantium Zoilorum caninos vereri. Ad praxin

quidem meam tantum collegeram haec primitus, ut
promptuarii instar quotidiani, ubicunq; agerem,
tum domi tum peregre, semper ad manus haberem,
de publicatione eorundem nil tum sollicitus; sed
instantium apud me & editionem suadentium Ger-
maniae ferè totius Medicorum primariorum autho-
ritas praevaluit tandem, ut mentem mutarem, & quae
privatis solùm usibus meis erant collecta, in pub-
licum prodire paterer, memor hâc etiam in parte me
non mihi solùm, sed aliis etiam, qui meâ indigent
operâ, natum. His talibus igitur, non verò Aristar-
chis illis μονοσόφοις & μυγοσόφοις nil nisi propria admirant-
tibus (quorum ego judicia, cum ipsi vel fundamen-
torum Medicorum adhuc ignari, vel nativo quo-
dam vitio praeoccupati, vel etiam ex tonstrinâ nuper
aut equili, illotis manibus pedibusque adhuc nostra
proreuntes, ea partim virulenta, partim imperfecta,
inutilia & supervacanea esse, praecipitantèr judicent,
nec tamen his ingeniosiora praestantiora & tutiora
in medium hactenus afferant, nil utiquè memor)
Mea haec libens communicare, nihilque invidiosè
occultare volui, eo sine, ut ad D E I gloriam, & pro-
ximì utilitatem ille, cui placent, utatur, utque hue
tanquam ad asylum confugiat, si quis in periculo
sanitatis & vitae constitutus opem desideret, imò ut

ex hoc, tanquam instructissimo Armamentario,
contra quosvis morbos & affectus arma salutaria,
arma remedentia depromat, quorum usum varium
& multiplicem ut locupletissime suppeditat, ita evi-
dentissime utentibus approbat. Id quod Medici
fundamentales & Dogmatici, omnesque saniores
Practici, qui illorum non fastidiunt usum, pleno
ore fatebuntur. Experimini, qui vultis, sat hic pro
encomiis ipse eventus. Quod si omnibus tamen pla-
cere & satisfacere haec nequeant, sat reor esse, si bo-
nis & peritis.

Et haec, Lector sincere, de Thesauro & Arma-
mentario nostro Medico-Chymico, non sine plu-
rimo labore & sudore producto, Epilogi loco dicta
sufficiant. Quo quidem, promissis illis in edito jam
ante Thesauro accessionibus non paucis nunc lo-
cupletato, tantisper utare, fruare, donec, si per fata
licuerit, alia etiam, fortassis longe secretiora, non
minus proprii mei ingenii inventa, suo olim tem-
pore in lucem, & ad totius Reipublicae Medicae
emolumentum sempiternum subsequan-
tur. Interim bene vale, pariterq; mihi
cresce & fave.

THESAURI ET ARMAMENTARII

Medico-chymici Appendix
Philosophico poetica videlicet;

TESTAMENTUM
HADRIANEUM.

Quo suam.

De Aureo Philosophorum LAPIDE sententiam, adeoque ultimae voluntatis suae dispositionem, Sapientiae & doctrinae filiis revelat Author.

Emblem:
Ex unius radicis duobus salibus, totidemque spiritibus, unus fit mercuri et unum sulphur:
Ex quatuor fiunt duo, ex duobus rursus fit UNUM,
Quod dicitur mundi CENTRUM


MAGNI HERMETIS TRISMEGISTI
Fideicommissariis & discipulis, gratae, & memori Posteritati.

Alii de aliis, quibus discessuri, manentium augeant facultates, saepe opiniones, suae elucubrent, legant annua, bima, trima, gravantes fideicommissis quartis & restitutionibus, quos jam beasse visi fuere. Quotusquisque non etiam ex prudentissimis in communi illa hallucinationi materia, vitium passus a semetipso; quorum opes & ideas postmodum aut orcina lis ever­tit, aut mora atterit atque differt. Nos hic vobis non Cretensē aliquid Daedali, Tantali fugacia poma, hortosve pensiles adumbramus, & fingimus Semiramidis; sed Colchidis ultimum deferimus honorem & saturnina monstramus regna, horas Dearum recensentes beatas ratasque. Professi ingenuē in Sulphure, Sale, & sole naturae esse omnia & quasi filo Ariadnes Theseum deducimus, muliebre & abjectum solutionis & coagulationis officium; quomodo bis, ex uno fiant duo; hi rursus uniantur & in orbem redeant: Fermentum deniq; & Mulciberis in digestione usum Moëchique audaciam canimus & recommendamus: Neque hic vobis Manticae opus conjecturis, F. Vasquii, Success. progress. vel Pretani interpretat. ultimum volunt. Planius quam Majestas rei patitur, Archaeo recluso, immaterialem materiandam pandimus materiam, fractoq; cortice nucleum denudamus: Lulliani Testamenti non imitatores sed interpretes. Mactamini igitur animis, vosq; met ipsos dignos ostendite, qui tanti Thesauri non ignobiles haeredes efficiamini, quod dum fiet, quando amicam gratamq; naturae & radicalem Aphrodisiae Martisq; sociastis in Balneo suo sua viationem, quo & crescere & multiplicari poteritis. Valete posthumi & Hadriani fidei commisso fruamini.

Testam. Hadrianeum.
AD
ILLUSTREM ET GENEROSUM
COMITEM AC DOMINUM
DN. GEORGIUM LUDOVICUM
Comitem à Schwartzenberg, Dynasten in
Hohenlandesberg / & Murau &c.
S. Caes. Maj. Consiliarium, Camerarium, & supremum Aulae Marschallum, Dominum suum clementissimum.

Sum memor illorum, quae me, Generose Dynasta,
Concessum illustres postquam, Phoebo auspice,
vultus
Nosse tuos, ubi magnanimus decumberet Heros
Tillyus, ignivomo trajectus crura metallo;
Immo tuas etiam peteret cum postea fibras
Mors Sicelice minax, fatalibus obvia plagis
Atq; Illi atq; Tibi, nostrae depulsa per Artis
Vim tamen, a sacra benedictam Numinis aura:
Quae tum quae benefacta, meas quae Gratia Musas
Concomitata! novumq; novi gratatus ut inde
Noster Apollo sibi tanti Fautoris honorem!
Haec memori ceu mente sedente, meritisq; subinde
Fas ubi, grata mihi sermonibus ora resolvunt:
Sic prodire data, quidni jam longius ansa
Ulla eadem patiar, doctumq; meare per orbem?

Magnum illi decus, Excellōs habuisse suōrum
Cultores studiōrum Animōs. Quis clarior Heros
Doctrinā, Hāc etiam, naturæ quæ abdita pandit
Quæ chymicas scrutatur opes, Lapidemq; Magistrū?
Hunc ego (Philosopho quid enim pretiosius?) almæ
Dum sophies proli Testamentalibus istis
Offero descriptum foliis, quo dignius edam,
Hoc nisi præsidio, tua quod, Comes inclyte, virtus,
Phœbigenis bene nota viris, merito sibi jure
Vendicat, exempliq; tua illa scientia rari?
Ergo his quod titulis debetur, id accipe clemens,
Accipe, & illustris clypeo defende Favoris,
O Generose Comes, nostris memorande Camanis,
Dum mentem his, vocem dum plectra movebit
Apollo!

Illust. Generos. T.
Addictissimus

HADRIANUS à MYNSICHT
Comes Palat. Med. U. Doct. P. Laur. Caes. &c.

Aureum Seculum Redivivum.

Quaesivi, inveni, purgavi saepius, atque;
Conjunxi, maturavi, Tinctura secuta est Aurea, quae mundi centrum nunc dicitur; Inde Totsensus, tot scripta virum, variaeque figurae.

Omnibus ingenue fateor, Medicina metallis Infirmisque simul. Punctum divinitus ortum.

EMBLEM 2

TESTAMENTUM
HADRIANEUM DE AUREO
Philosophorum lapide.

THesaurum tibi, Lector, habes, quem numine dextro
Curis inventum sumptuq; ingentibus usu;
Si placet, est tuum, non invidus annuit ille,
Ille Dei dono nobis largitor Apollo.
Ingenuiis mea pando viris, quæ voce rogantum
Communi producta bono; quid ganaiat ore
Zoilus, insano corrodens quælibet ausu,
Haut ego sollicitus. Censori sufficit æquo,
Qui sapit, hunc nostrum non displicuisse laborem.
Carpere quorumvis; laudata imitarior acta
Paucorum est, finxit quos de meliore metallo
Juppiter, & curvum jussit discernere recto.
His mea judicibus subjecta hæc omnia, quæq; his
Alta magis Deus Auriflui mysteria Fontis
Nosse dedit, naturæ aditus referando latentes.
Quos penetrare cui licitum (Divi unius uni
Sed licitum Sophiæ soboli, licet Auspice certo,
Auspice supremi divino munere patris)
Hunc radiante beat felix sapientia vultu,
Huic assurgit honos, hunc divite copia cornu
Regificas superare facit quàm uberrima gazas!

Proditit ante annos hæc ficto nomine paucos
Ille mei interpres genii genuinus, in auras
AUREA producens REDIVIVI tempora SÆCLI
Ille, inquam, HENRICUS versò MADATHANUS amictu;
Quem se dum captans ventosæ encomia laudis
Nescio quis vanâ mentitur fronte Batillus.
Ecce rapi indignum justè indignatus honorem
Providus ipse suo, spem præter, Apollo clienti,
Detecto Auctori sua nomine reddidit, istis
Ne dein se jactet fallax corniculâ plumis.
His adeò illa mei foliis contenta libelli
Clariùs ingrato mysteria pandere mundo
Propositi haut nostri fuit hactenus; unio porcis
Nec debetur enim, canibus nec sacra profanis.
Parti orbis tamen eximiæ, natisque sophorum
Ingenuiis concessa mihi, invidisse talenta
Ne videar, soli tantum, nec natus & illis;
En tibi, progenies cœli, quæ Nuncius olim
Rettulit ille meus, peregrinâ veste revinctus,
Ipse ego, detractâ (superi quod velle videntur)
Schemate, cuncta lubens præsenti publico dextrâ
Publico sed tabulis Testamentalibus, illâ,
Quà par est, formâ solennî. Tu omnibus, Hæres,
Quæ legomonumenta mei tibi pectoris, almi
Numinis in laudem, ceu fas, mente utre grata.
Ergo sua ut constet perfectio Testamento,
Quæ testor, mecum confirmante ritè vocati

Septem, affingentes signacula Hermetica, Testes,
Saturnus senior, Phoebus, Cyllenius ales,
Juppiter ille bonus, Mavors, Dea Cypria, Luna.
Additus his cunctorum Hermes pater ille sophorum
Scriba requisitus, conceptis omnia verbis
Connotat, & fidâ custos asservat in arcâ.
His verò haut quâquam fas est absentibus ulli
Pro libitu fractis conclusa recludere signis.
Haut est; sed cunctis totum praesentibus illis
Ceu decet institutì, sic fas absolvier actum.
Irrita sunt etenim, sunt cassâ vigore, vel unus
Hoc Testamento si desit Testis aperto.
Quanta sed hîc lateat quam fundo divite gaza,
Quae legata tuis committitur usibus, Haeres,
Ipsa, resignatis, Testamentalibus hisce,
Solemni patefacta modo contenta docebunt.
Illius interea, dum clausum Hermetica servant
Scrinia, secreto solis sed habenda sub usu
Vobis, ô Divæ Sophiæ veneranda propago,
Dii quibus illustres arcanò lumine mentes
Largiti, arcanis veri penetralibus aptas.
Vestro haec Nostra bono prosunt; vulgaribus illis
Ignota ingenuis, nec prodita; quam libet ausu
Saepè arrepta sibi temeraria lingua protetro
Delambens, tali censuram eructet ab ore,
Quali, Pana inter cum quondam & Apollina judex.

Ridendas asini meritus Mida regulus aures,
Scilicet iste, suis nisi respondentia factis,
Et cerebro cognata suo, nihil approbat unquam:
Grex hominum arcanis indigni talibus, almi
Numinis indultu, precibus quae industria multis
Obtinèt, ingenti non delassata labore,
Fracta nec invidiae telis, nec morsibus hydrae.
O mihi cum varia luctanti saepe Chymera
Dum me Diva suam deducit Pallas ad artem,
Quod livor technas, quas dira calumnia fraudes
Objicit! a coeptis retrahèt ut improba sacris.
Vincit Amor veri tamen, alma Scientia vincit,
O mihi prae innumeris electa Scientia numinis.
Et cur non? cunctis cum sit praestantior, ulla
Quos unquam tenuit Rex vel ditissimus arcâ.
Magnae olim Salomonis opes, opulentia Crassi
Magna fuit, magnos auri possedit acervos
Semivir Assyria Rex Sardanapalus in aula,
Magnos magni alii Reges tenuere Ducesque
Thesauros; tantum sed praestat hic omnibus unus,
Stagnanti quantum scaturigo viva paludi.
Haec ergo Aurifluì quisquis tibi flumina Fontis
Ebullire cupis, sacrosque haurire perennis
Ambrosiae latices, misso, cui stultus inhaeret,
Viscere naturae vegetalibus, aut animalis,
Missâ multiplici variarum indagine rerum;

Quae dum naturis incumbit vana remotis,
Seque ipsamque artem nigris obnubilat umbris;
Nuda haec nostra tene: minerales excute venas,
Erue, quae gremio tibi fert natura propinquo.
Hic illam invenies, quae nostri est unica tantum
Materies lapidis, tantorum prima bonorum
(Aspectu quamvis externo vilis) origo.
Hic fons ille sacer, Lympha haec benedicta sophorum,
Mercuriale decus, Flos auri fertilis, unus
Nobilium Thalamus sponsorum & nobile semen.
Sic rerum una fuit, quas condidit alma Jehovae
Dextera, materies, unum chaos, omnibus unum
Principium, unde Dei virtute exire supremi
Jussae res omnes, totus quas continet orbis.
Noster & a simili massa lapis exiit una,
Massa compacta, confusa, quatuor illa
Quà contenta latet natura elementa creatae
Semina, maternâ tandem qua nascitur alvo
Nobilis ille almae naturae partus & artis.
Una eadem ut lapidis nostri, sic mater & ipsa
Prima metallorum, quae sciri-cunque necesse est,
Formarum ipsa capax, species queis visitur omnis
Eductis quotquot gremio telluris ab imo
Ille Planetarum septenus praesidet ordo.
Ecce sed has omnes, his fortior omnibus unus,
Si qua metallorum formis solvenda per artem

Congenitis, primaeq; sua reddenda subinde
Materia, virtute regit Lapis ille magister,
Perfectam imperfecta jubens assumere formam.
Unus id ille potest, non ulli imitabile rerum
Quae subjecta polis; uni ceu propria virtus
Magneti ferrum trahere, aut se jungere ferro.
Hinc medico perfectus honos, hoc pendet ab uno
Clave magisterium, nostri diadema theatri,
Claros Artifici pariens Ars celsa triumphos!
Hos igitur quicunque cupis, contentus inhaere
Materia, quam dixi, uni, nil ista moratus,
Quae variis descripta libris tibi plurimus offert
Philosophus, varias perquirens materiarum
Cisternas steriles, veroque a Fonte remotas.
Una est, una manet secreti janua nostri:
Quare hanc, invenies quaerendo rite, quod optas.
Qualis at haec, inquis, quibus inveniunda subastris
Materia, & quonam signanda est nomine tandem?
Esse metallorum, jam dictum est antea, matrem,
Cum mineris quaecunque suis terra exhibet usquam,
Concipit haec, nutrit, minerali enititur alvo.
Denique maturum fecere, ubi tempora partum.
Addo, quod ipsa hominum generet, generata subinde
Nutriat & firmis sustentet corpora membris,
Hermaphrodita potens, sub corpore scilicet uno
Foemina Masque ferens bis sexas semine vires.

Astra huic effigiem, vires elementa ministrant,
Deque suo reliquam fingit vis terrea formam.
Non haec Hispano sub coelo, aut montibus Indis,
Non Italo quaerenda solo, Lybicisque sub astris;
Nostrâ profertur, Nostrâ tellure videtur
Cottidie, res communi communis in usu,
Saepe & per vicos puerili exercita lusu,
Res parvi aestimii, vim quippe ignota latentem,
Noscerè quam paucis concessum munere Divûm.
Et merito. Manibus quod enim rhomphaea furentû,
Nobileque immane quod cornu Rhinoceroti:
Hoc ea praestet idem, quantùmvis optima per se,
Vesani insanum si vulgi prostet ad usum:
Pejor tanto etiam turbis toto orbe ciendis,
Imaque supremis miscendo & sacra profanis,
Quanto nobilior rebus res unica cunctis.
Sed quidnà haec tandem? Dicam. Substantia salsa est.
Est aqua sicca, est spiritibus dilecta aqua cunctis,
Ignitum est oleum, vinon combustile saevâ
Vulcani, irato quem cum que ore evomat ignem,
Est referans conclusa, sibi & conformia reddens
Omnia naturae Clavis miranda latentis.
Cruda haec sese offert facie, membrisque videndam
Impuris, cum prima suo procedit ab ortu:
Vires ipsa tamen tali edit corpore tales;
Corruptum emendat ventrem, laesalia sanat,

Puram restituit, pulsa putredine, carnem,
Omnem inimica fugat male gratam naribus auram:
Communis Medicina omni, seu rebus abundet,
Paupere sive in opem toleret sub culmine vitam.
Hinc de se titulis auditur talibus ipsa:
Sum Lapis, Imperii regum moderamen, egenae
Solamen vitae, parili, quem dives egenusq;
Jure tenet, sum lusus, ego puerilis, opusq;
Foemineum, saepe abjecta contemptior alga,
Pes quam per luteos in volvit stercore vicos;
Me Regem agnoscit tamen, & mea pronus adorat
Sceptra metallorum Synodi septemplicis ordo.

Hanc ergo Ignotam mundo, mersamq; tenebris
Hactenus, incultam, sterilem, & sine honore jacentem,
Aspirante Deo, nostri illustrabit abundè
Lux Testamenti, fructusque ostendet amoenos.
Cujus ut indigitem proprium tibi deniq; nomen,
Scito, quod antiqui facie sit filia vatis
Calchantis, Milui simul orta rapacis in Ortu,
Ortu cujus ego, Chimica quoque natus in arte,
Tempore quo moechum cepit cum conjuge Martem
Mulciber ignipotens, Diis exhibuitque videndos.
Tu si hujus nostrae roseumque gravemque cruorem
Virginis, humanoque potes sit demere succum
Alitis & niveum, tibi regis parata corona est;
Candida nam croceos circumfluit unda vitellos.

Sed quorsum? Exposuisse sat hic, quae nostra sit illa
Materia, ingenuum quod nomen praefert, & quae is
Inquirenda locis. Tu vana sophismata deinceps
Linque per anfractus te seducia curvaos,
Herbarum omne genus fas missum, animalia linque
Corpora dum lapidem cura est tibi quaerere nostrum.
Nil caro, nil sanguis, quaeque excrementa ab illis
Menstrua, sperma, hominum genitalibus edita vasis,
Stercoraque, urinaeque; dabunt; nil crinibus, ovis,
Nilque fecundinis, viridive inveniris herba.
Sementi fructus respondet scilicet; atque hinc
Stercoreum inveniet, qui stercora seminat, agrum.
Nec minus in cassum sudabit, quisquis in Auro
Quaerit & Argento. Sic purior illa necesse est,
Sit digesta magis vulgari materia Auro
Argentove, sua quae vi penetrare metalla
Possit, in Argentum mutans quaecunque vel Aurum.
Nil opus ingreditur nostrum vulgare; sophorum
Solo ex Mercurio trahitur, quo tingimus, & quod
Perficit imperfecta. Hoc est punctum, hoc medium
Naturae, impura a puro quod segregat, hoc est, (illud
Cui, licet extracto nullis nulla arte metallis,
Seu perfecta, vices admittere nescia, sive
Imperfecta sint (vitali quippe alimento
Quae carent omnino & genitali semine vitae
Nullum ex se similem sibi possunt gignere foetum.

Quid? quod & impuris sint plena illa omnia morbis
Imperfecta, suae mediorum hinc indiga curae
Ex alio, in propriis quae virtus denegata abfens)
Vis uni tamen omnis inest, quamcumque metalla,
Quam minerae & natura tenet vegetabilis, immo &
Quâ superi pollent septem virtute Dynastae,
Praevalet, humanos mireque operatur in artus.

En tibi materiam, proles Phoebea, nostram
Aetherei Lapidis. Tu dehinc, dum quaeris eandem,
Fac tibi sint viridis vestigia nota Leonis!
Sed nota oblatâque tuis Jova auspice, tandem
Materiâ manibus, quid agendum, disce deinceps,
Optatam ut liceat voti contingere metam.
Cernere ab impuro purum sapientia prima est.
Non nisi perpurgata probè crassisque soluta
Materia à membris, ac sublimata decenter,
Tingendi medium fiet, subtilia tantum
Visceribus naturae intimis quaesitus exit,
Exserere hasce valent penetrando corpora vires.
Perfecto hoc, ex purgata post elice prudens
Materia contenta duo, Sal, Mercuriali
Nomine philosophis insigne, oleoq; deinde
Sub forma Sulphur rubicundum & pondere plenu.
In Sale cuncta latent arcana: hoc solvere quisquis
Noverit, arcani penetrabit in intima Templi.
Haec aquila illa albascit Rubeo cognata Leoni:

Hic sponsus Niveo & Rubeo pulcherrimus ore,
Millēos inter multos lectissimus, auro
Cui caput est puro. (Albæ
Seire sed ex usu hic, non totum Aquilae illius
Sumendum corpus; sed corporei intima succi,
Crystallos, inquam, niveo candore nitentes
Sic neque tota tibi Rubei capienda Leonis
Membra; sed interior rubicundi est sanguinis humor,
Purgatum impuro nimirum Sulphur ab omni.
Praecepitus labore hic, precibusque industria magni,
Qua nisi tu utaris bene, & interiora recludas
Viscera, nil Sulphure nec Sal tibi proderit unquam.
Ex sale Mercurius (Lac virginis illud, & illa
Philosophæ Nix alba scholæ) procedat; hic unus
Janitor est sophiae & totius claviger artis!
De Rubeo atque Albo haec, qualia elicienda labore,
Sufficiant, sequitur, qua sint ratione deinceps
Conjungenda, sacram quo perficiant̄ur ad artem.
Auspiciis igitur divinis quisquis eo usque
Progressus, plene ut purgatum cum sale sulphur
Obtineat, porro conjungere pergaturumque
Philosophum juxta pondus, natura quod ipsa,
Quantum opus est retinēns, digito velut indice monstrat.
Hinc obsignatis signaculo Hermetico iisdem
Conveniente gradu moderatum adhibeto calorem,
Quali suppositis, pullorum avida, incubat ovis.

Gallina, aut foetus maternâ crescit in alvo.
Vanus enim labor omnis erit, frustranea cura,
Subjectum prudente manu ni rexeris ignem.
Sic thalamo junctis, clauso Niveâ Rubeoque
Conjugibus, superûm prece adora supplice Numen,
Permixtum hoc opere ut videas cum uxore maritum.
Tempore & ecce brevi missis, spectabis, in unum
Binis, Æthiopem nigrum & corvi caput atri!
Hæc studio inprimis summo tibi scito cavendum,
Janua ne vitrei referetur clausa cubiculi,
Perfectum induerint donec conclusa ruborem,
Facta sui similem generare aptissima foetum.
Hinc dormitantis ne interpellatur amicæ
Coepta quies, prius & tactum ne sentiat ipsi
Quàm fuerit libitum, prohibet Rex ille sophorum.
Illa inclusa suo, mox angustataque vase,
Mittere sudorem incipiunt, subtilia in altum
Surgere, quove magis rectore coquuntur ab igne,
Spirituum sit majus eos sit fortius agmen.
Hortus es (illa eadem sapientia Regia cantat)
Hortus conclusus, Fons, obsignatus, amoeni
Flos horti, Fontis scaturigo viva fluentis.
De Libano: Surge ô Aquilo, tuq; ininsufla Auster,
Surge, hortum perflà, rorent ut aromata nostrû.
Ecce mei vox dulcis adest venientis amici,
Montibus ecce salit, subsultat collibus ille.

Capreoli similis venientis ab ubere matris!
Mirus enim vitro junctorum motus, in altum
Jam surgunt, fundo jam mersa videntur in imo,
Saepe revolvuntur, coëunt saepe, ipsaque sese
Mortificant, vitam revocantque subinde fugatam.
Perfectum assument donec putrefacta nigrorem.
Primum opus hoc nostri lapidis (corruptio quippe
Unius alterius generatio) nascitur unde
Corvinum caput, Aethiopum Rex caudaque nigra,
Eclipsin Sole & Luna subeuntibus atram.
Nam simulac ingressa fuit satis aucta nigredo,
Illa picem exsuperans omnemque; nigredo nigrorem,
Materia facta est pregnantio vera, solutis
Corporibus, nigram generante putredine terram,
Principium (quod gaude!) operis. Negra scilicet illa
Haec est, sed multum formosa puella, sine alis
Est volitans Niger-ille-Albus (Nigredine namque hac
Occultata Albedo latet purissima) corvus
Vix aliud gravius; sed nec præstantius ullum est
Naturae geneticis opus. Tibi sit modo curae
Foeminae flos ille comae, pennaque medulla
Corvinae, nimio ne comburantur ab igne.
Sic consummata Nigredine, fortior uno
Mulierbit esto gradu, viridis successerit Atro
Dum color, & viridi pavonis cauda colori,
Illa omnes referens, sunt quotoque in orbe, colores:

Albedo hossèquitur, Vulcani tertio adaucti
Viribus elicienda, gradusque subinde per omnes
Igne regenda, suam dum sublimetur ad axim.
Non quaevís etenim, sed perfectissima tingit
Albedo, & radiis tinctum Lunaribus aequat,
Perfectum naturae Ovum parientis, ab igne
Praestans illassum constanti albore metallum.
Succedit tandem conclusa albore Rubedo,
Cunctórum Lapidis nostri ultimus ille colorum.
Suscepti colophon & meta optata laboris,
Si justo directa modo Vulcania flamma
Divinum pertextat opus feliciter. Ergò
Philosophum prudens perge hic moderarier ignem,
Perge augere gradu, subjecta operosus arena,
Perge, citrum donec videas flavescere fructu.
Tum porrò prudente tibi ratione regendus
Mulciber ille tuus: Rubco pulcerrima vultu
Dum se, labe carens omni, Regina videndam
Offerat, aurorae similis, coeloque micanti
Nec tamen hanc exire suo patiare cubili,
Cujus per nitidas tibi conspicienda fenestras,
Perfectum induerit nisi cum Rubicunda ruborem.
Interea nimio ne vitrificatus ab igne
Spem Lapis exultà fallat virtute, cavendum,
Justis decoctum gradibus ceu promovet ignis;
Sic opus immodico totum destruxerit aestu.

Hinc tandem, Ductore Deo, prodibit in auras
Confectus Lapis, omnigenae Rex ille medelæ,
Invictis Panacea potens virtutibus, una
Qua non est toto Medicina salubrior orbe,
Pneumaticà partes penetrans vi corporis omnes,
Sumpta vel unius saltem sub pondere grani.

Haec ceu fumus apes, pravosita corpore pellit
Humores, morborum abigit genus omne, malique
Radice evulsà penitus, meliora reponit:
Immo aquilæ in morem renovat servatque; virentem
Flore juventutem, casuque perire maligno
Non sinit, aetatem nisi pleno clauserit aevo
Praefixa illa homini supremo à Numine meta.

(Mors communis enim, nec declinabilis ulli
Denique, mortali quisquis de semine cretus.)
Hoc primaevus Adam, prisci hoc medicamine Patres
Longaevam sani duxère in saecula vitam.
Hoc sapientum aetas priscorum floruit, ipso hoc
Æternum meruit penu cum divite nomen.

Nullum huic quantumvis morbi incurabile mon-Dirus sive hydrops fuerit, scabiesve leprosa, (strum,)
Sive Podagra pedum, tortrix manuumve chiragra,
Et quae plura aliis sunt desperata medelis
Tormenta illa hominum, mors viva cadaveris illa
Vivi & spirantis; nullum insuperabile nostro
Stat Lapidi; invicto cuncta expugnantur ab uno.

Illa aliorum etiam quos tempore pharmaca longo
Vix curant; paucis Hic aegros roborat horis.
O donum Medicina ingens, cui quicquid in orbe est,
Nil usu tantum meret excellente trophaeum!

Sed sua ne impuris etiam incorrecta metallis
Permaneat scabies leprosa; exsuta sed omni
Naturae vitio, summo afficiantur honore:
Pergendum ulterius, Lapidisque operatio nostri
Multiplicanda, novas acquirat ut enthea vires.

Confectum ergo suae Lapidem rursum inserre Matri,
Qua natus, salibus duplicato nempe duobus
Mercuriali utero, Fontinae illi benedictae,
Justoque insertum sub pondere philosophorum.
Concludat repetita novi crystallina coeli
Janua, spagyrico scite obsignanda sigillo.

Sic Matri insertum, sic pellucente receptum
Conclavi calefacta novis nova balnea prunis.
Denuo rite coquant, dum per genus omne colorum
Ordine materies deducta (id mense vel uno
Absolves, denis quod vix perfeceris ante).
Ex binis unum progignat denuo corpus.

Hujus eo fuerit virtus divinior omni
Purgando impuro, tingendis atque metallis.
Philosopho recoquatur idem quo saepius igne.
Quem si cui liceat toties iterare laborem,
Suppeditante Deo longaevae secula vitae.

Impurum omne orbis vel granum tinxerit unum,
Purius ut puro splendescat protinus auro.
Fermentum superest, Tincturam illa ultima nostram
Particula ingrediens, penetrandi impura metalli
Certa viam indigitans fixato Ariadna tenore,
Liber ut impuro labyrinthi carcere Theseus,
Fulgentem regis mereatur ferre coronam.

Haec ratione igitur fit Fermentatio tali:
Purgati sublime auri tenuissima fiat
Lamina, quam Lapidi thalamo Vulcanus in uno
Leniter associet, post aucto fortior igne
Tres coitum noctes totidemque liquenta cogat
Continuare dies: Sic spiritualibus Aurum
Dotibus ornatum subtili cuncta vigore,
Obvia quae fuerint impura metalla, penetrat.

Nil operatur enim Lapis, & nil tinxerit unquam,
Conjuncto fuerit nisi fermentatus ab Auro.
Consimili gaudet sibi, quo bene consociato,
Ingreditur corpus Tinctura, suisque solutum
Sordibus impurum puro producit amictu.

Sic fermentati Lapidis, sic rite parati
Divinum hunc tandem tingendi inveneris usum;
Una in millenas sumatur portio partes;
Immo vel innumeras, prout multiplicata coquendo
Tinctura, ignitis fluxu miscenda metallis;
Partus & ecce novus pretio nobilis Auro!

Affectu unum aliud comprendit quippe lubenti
Corpus, dissimili natum quantumlibet ortu.
Alterum in alterius transit, virtute coactum,
Naturam: hinc simile a simili natum exit in orbem.

Hoc Fermenti igitur bene qui medio utitur, omnis
Huic detecta patet Fixatio, ea unica, qua non
Res omnes inter subtilior ualla creatas:
Hoc Granum Fundi est, quod Centrum nobile Mundi.

Hujus qui factus compos, grato ore Jehovam
Laudibus extollat, tanti qui muneris author,
Paupertas quod dira fugit, quod morbus, & atra
Tristitia; unde fluit largis sapientia rivis!
Tantum nempe bonum est Tinctura haec nostra, per omnem,
Cui paribus nihil aequipares virtutibus, orbem!

Aureus hic imber Jovis est! hic spiritus ille,
Conservatricem mundi quo condidit arcam
Noah vitisator! quo Templum et fulgida Templi
Vasa dedit Salomon toto celeberrima mundo!
Hic est, quo Templi protypon construxerat ante
Moses, & multo radiantem erexerat auro!
Hic est; collapsam patriae quo restituit rem,
Firmavitque; suis renovatam legibus Esdras!
Hic est, spiritibus qui praevalet omnibus unus,
Cunctarum quotquot gignuntur viscere rerum!

Fortunae dator ille bonae, virtutis, honoris,
Pauperie penitus destructa & mole malorum,
Omnia cum dulci largitur cetera pace!
Utque ad vota bonis bona dat quacunque, paratum
Et decus, & longae felicia tempora vitae;
Sic pravo a pravis si contemeretur abusu,
Aeterno ingratos cruciandos devovet Orco.

His conclusa metris Lapidis mysteria sacri,
Candide Lector, habe, TESTAMENTUMQUE HADRIANUM:

Quod cujus coeptum conseribi nomine, sancto
Nomine nempe Dei, clausum hoc solenniter esto.

Huic, coeli superos qui Rex altissimus orbes,
Quicquid & his tectum, moderamine dirigit almo,
Huic Artis largitori tam nobilis, & quae
Gens hominum bona cunque tenet, Jovae omnipotenti
Sit laus, sit cunctis saeclorum gloria saeclis!

FINIS.
Uni Deo et Trino gloria.

Quote of the Day

“the red sulphur of the philosophers exists in the sun on account of its greater digestion, and the white sulphur in the moon on account of its inferior digestion.”

Richard the Englishman

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