O Museu Hermético - a Enciclopédia de Arte e Cultura Popular (2024)

Da arte da arte e da cultura popular

O museu hermético(1893) é um livro deArthur Edward Waite, uma versão deMusaeum hermeticum.

Texto completo do volume 1

Prefaceto a edição em inglês.

O Museu Hermético restaurado e ampliado foi publicado em latim em Frankfort, no ano 1678, e, como seu título implica, foi uma forma aumentada de um trabalho anterior que, que aparece em 1625, é moroscarce, mas intrinsecamente, de menor valor.Aparentemente, seu design foi fornecido em uma forma compacta uma coleção representativa de escritores alquímicos breves e menos antigos de Themore;A esse respeito, pode ser considerado um suplemento àqueles grandes instantes da aprendizagem hermética, como o teatro químico, e que mal é menos colossal de Mangetus, a biblioteca quimicacuriosa, que se preocupam amplamente com o creme de literatura que é pesquisada, com as obras de gebere os adeptos da escola da Arábia, com os escritos atribuídos a Hermes, com aqueles de Raymond Lully, Arnold de Villa Nova, BernardtVisan e outros. O museu hermético também parece representar a escola distintiva da alquimia, pouco comprometida com os modos e terminadosque derivou a maior parte de sua prestígio do passado, e suficientemente enigmática, por mais enigmática que era, ainda inclinada a ser menos obscura e enganosa do que o Thex.O Museu Hermético, hábito dos mestres mais velhos.Pois pertencia a um período que herdou uma experiência amarga de falhas, imposturas e miséria em torno da magnum opus e da missão mística, que estava cansada de experimentos não equipados, cansados de passear "multiplicadores" e pretensiosos "Bellowsbrowers"Apenas sendo despertado para a condenação de que, se a alquimia fosse verdadeira, não era para serem livros aprendidos, ou, pelo menos, de qualquer livro que até então havia escrito sobre o assunto.Executando todos os tratados são compostos nos volumes a seguir, o leitor não reconhecerá vestígios de uma reivindicação central na iniciação alquímica ---- que os segredos, o que quer que fossem, devem ser entendidos como a propriedade de uma faculdade de adeptos, fingindo ter subsídiosO tempo quase imemorial, e se revelando para a seleção e os poucos, enquanto a literatura, grande asit é, appcars principalmente como um instrumento de intercomunicação entre aqueles que conheciam.Ao mesmo tempo, também pode ser considerado um sinal e presságio para o provável buscador, um anúncio de que havia um mistério, e que ele deve gastá -lo mais que o desvendaria. Enquanto os tratados agora traduzidos são para os mais partanônimos, como forfitsMestres velados, o leitor literário, lembre -se de que o nome de John de Meung conecta o romance Theallegorical of the Rose "com as parábolas de Alchemy; Flamel estará familiarizado a todos os estudantes herméticos dos mais célebres dos adeptos franceses; o saintlyname de Basily Valentine, Investigator of the French Adepts;As propriedades de Antimony nem agora serão inalteradas pelo químico; Eirenaeus filalethes, igualmente reverenciado e desconhecido pelos espagiritos AllDevout, deve ter sido a superfície mais lúcida da edição em inglês.O Clearestof de todos os seus trabalhos.Realmente, o trabalho de seu mestre, que foi chamado de Martyro -Chefe de Alquimia.Um abade desse nome.64it deve ser entendido que o escritor deste breve notemust não é credenciado com a tradução que ele procura.Esse é o trabalho de um cavalheiro que se diz ter conhecido a vida ao longo da vida com a literatura alquímica;Foi submetido a uma revisão de busca nas mãos do atual editor, que pode ter permissão para reivindicar alguma experiência em antiguidades herméticas;As versões como está de pé não representam de maneira inútil tanto o espírito quanto o sentido do original sem a prolixidade do original. Enquanto concedeu ao aluno moderno de doutrinas secretas que anunique para adquirir em inglês uma coleção de escritores alquímicos, esta edição do Hermetic Museumals.as mãos do historiador como autorização do valor real para a história inicial da química.arthur Edward Waite.

O prefácio da edição original.Os filósofos exclamam, por assim dizer, com uma voz, embora em muitas línguas, que essa arte não é apenas verdadeira, mas (após a lei divina pela qual nossas almas são salvas) o melhor e mais magnífico presente concedido ao homem por Deus;e, portanto, deve ser investigado com todo o zelo e com as maiores dores.Mas como o bom vinho não precisa de elogios, Sone, essa arte exige um arauto;Pois sua verdade é indiscutível, e sua utilidade na vida humana é universalmente reconhecida, AndShewn Forth, não apenas na arte da medicina, na farmácia, e muitas outras ciências, mas mais especialmente na arte de transmutar metais, é tão claramente e perspiciante demonstrada,que não é necessário ser adornado pelo esplendor oforatório, ou enganado com o dispositivo da linguagem.Notarei sobre a bênção que a claboração de minerais e metais concedeu à nossa raça.Eu apenas aponto, mas não existe de discutir longamente.Diferentes homens se dedicam ao estudo dessa ciência de diferentes motivos. O filósofo é impelido pelo amor à verdade e pela sabedoria sedenta.Ele se delicia com o conhecimento por si só.Esta é uma recompensa suficientemente generalizada para um filósofo.Ele tem, sob seu comando, os meios mais eficazes de se tornar ricos, se ele apenas os usaria.Mas ele é demitido pelo amor da filosofia e não se importa com a grandeza zombeteira da fortuna.Assim pensou que os Saracers, egípcios, árabes e persas;Foram que foram oprimidos por tiranos e, violentamente, impulsionados por exilados, eles se protegeram e se apoiaram por meio de sua arte e, através de seu conhecimento da transmutuação dos metais, tinham sob seu comando, não apenas tolos suficientes, mas todos os confortos e pomposda vida, e assim demonstrou praticamente que eles poderiam obter tudo o que a prata de Goldand poderia dar.Em relação a essa verdadeira transmutação dos metais, que é realizada apenas pelo elixir ou pedra dos filósofos, propomos aqui falar.Esta arte está em uma série de tratados de diferentes autores, que apareceu anos atrás, e, como o volume atual, foi intitulado "Um Museu de Hermes". Mas muitos escritores discutiram esse assunto e o trataram de vários pontos de vista (Então, isso escreve mais claramente do que outro, e cada um lança luz sobre o significado do outro), alguns de meus amigos, que são adeptos nessa arte, pediram que eu acrescentasse à antiga coleção Certas tratamentos suplementares dos que já foram dados.Pois, embora essa coleção de formas contivesse o maior número de redatores de seleção sobre o assunto, mas não era tão completo quanto poderia ter sido, nem foi calculado para fornecer ao leitor em plena medida o fruto ansioso de seu estudo.Para esse desejo de meus amigos, eu tenho o mais prontamente enviado, porque seu cumprimento se mencionou na vantagem do aluno.Eu, portanto, ampliei a coleção com vários tratados mais selecionados e a levei a ser adornada com muitas gravuras.Fiquei muito impelido a realizar a tarefa por essa consideração, a saber, que através das maquinações fraudulentas de gananciosos imóveis muitos tratados químicos falsos e os chamados foram colocados em direção ao qual não há uma única centelha de verdade, e que muitos foram muitos, e ainda estão sendo enganados por eles. Essas enganam, lendo este livro, no qual o magistro da Testone é mais claro e claro, e no qual nopreface para a edição original.O 3Error ou a falsificação foi admitida, será garantida contra a impostura daquela banda Wicked e Mercenary que encanta infraudinha.Pois neste livro, todos os erros são mostrados e dissipados. Por esse motivo, eu ofereço com confiança esse volume aos filhos do conhecimento, para que, embora pensem e investigem o trabalho secreto da natureza, eles podem obter nada, mas a verdade e ganhamuma visão clara da própria natureza de coisas.Somente nisso consiste a perfeição da arte sagrada da filosofia sagrada.Apenas deixe -os seguir em frente ao longo da estrada real que a natureza prescreve em todas as suas operações.Eles colocaram em terra no refúgio da filosofia, após a maneira de filósofo excluir tudo o que é indigno do seu conhecimento e, estar atento à caridade em relação ao seu vizinho carente, o medo de Deus (sem qualquer ostentação inútil), para cantar eternos paraO Deus bom e três vezes grande para este maravilhoso e Divino Prese

Quafunt infuperis, hac inferioribus infunt:Quodmonstrat cœlum, id terra frequenter habetIgnis, Agua etfluitans duofunt contraria:felix,Taliafijungis: fit tibifeirefatis!D.M.AC.B. P.L.C.THE GOLDEN TRACTCONCERNINGTHE STONE OF THE PHILOSOPHERS,BY AN ANONYMOUS GERMAN PHILOSOPHER.OMNE DECUS HABETINSE OMNIA LAPIS BENEDICTNISUS IN ARENA1THE GOLDEN TRACTCONCERNING THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.The Author's Preface to the Art- loving Reader.WORTHY reader, and true enquirer into the secretsof nature, marvel not that in the old age of thisworld, when it seems to have one foot already inthe grave, I have determined to write this tract,although all libraries are already full of books on this subjectof which, however, the greater part are false, and wear merelythe rouge and powder of philosophy. I have written it not formy own pleasure, but for your advantage, that, by pointing tothe foundation of truth, I might lead you back from the pathlesswilderness into the right way-which is certainly for your owninterest. As far as I am concerned, I have long known all thatI seek to know in regard to this matter, and have no need ofmany books, seeing that during the last twenty- two years I haveread and re- read all the works that fell into my hands-including numerous manuscripts, as well as many printed volumes.In this my tract you will find the subject set forth, and thetrue solution given, not only theoretically, but also from apractical and allegorical point of view, with a clearness andlucidity such as I believe to be almost unparalleled in any previous philosophical treatise. In quoting, I have always been careful to give the exact reference, so that you may look out thepassage for yourself, and by diligently considering it, sharpenyour understanding. I could more easily have composed thistreatise, and made myself known to the Brethren of the Golden8 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM,Cross, if I had left out those references; but for your sake Idecided otherwise. Do not wonder that I conceal my name, andrefuse to appear to you face to facc. I have come forward, notfor the sake of any paltry glory, or of worldly praise, but to doyou good. Morcover , my teachers, even the true philosophers,advised me not thus to risk mylife for the sake ofobtaining a highplace in the world's esteem, to expose myselfto greedy robbers orto give occasion for many crimes by the prostitution of this profoundsecret. No doubt the gentle reader has learned by the worksof Sendivogius that whenever he shewed himself openly to thepowerful, he went in constant fear of his life . Experience teachesthat many philosophers who gave no thought to their personalsafety, have been killed and deprived oftheir tinctureby greedyandpowerful robbers; and it stands to reason that any one going aboutwith a great treasure in his hand, must fall a prey to brigands.Sendivogius concealed his name by an anagram. Thus also ashort time ago another philosopher and Brother of the GoldenCross, whose real name has long been familiar to me, concealedit beneath an anagram, and made himselfknown to his friends byan enigmatical designation. Why then should I place myself atthe mercy of this impure world? Permit me rather, dear friend,to follow the example ofthe sages, and leave the rest to the thricegood and great God, who will make my true self known to youin good time, if it be for the glory of His name, and for your and my good. Do not be eager to enquire after my name. Foreven ifyou should get to know it, or become personally acquaintedwith me, you would have to rest satisfied with the contents of this tract. For I have solemnly promised two philosophersBernard, Count of Trevisan , and Neigens-that I will not betrayto any one more than has been revealed in this book. Neitherbeanxious to ask whether I actuallypossess this precious treasure.Ask rather whether I have scen how the world was created;whether I am acquainted with the nature of the Egyptian darkness; what is the cause of the rainbow; what will be the appearance ofthe glorified bodies at the general resurrection; what isthe most indelible colour. Ofyou that rightly understand thislittle book, I will enquire whether you have seen that great saltsca, without any corrosion, raise a sufficiency of the moisture ofall nature to the summits of the highest mountains. Tell meTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 9where there is sulphur out of sulphur, and mercury out ofmercury-or where sulphur springs from mercury, and againmercury from sulphur. When was there placed before youreyes the idea of most fervent love, the male and the female cmbracing each other so closely that they could no more be tornasunder, but through unsearchable love became one? If youunderstand what I am alluding to, and have performed theexperiment with your own hands, and seen it with your owneyes, I welcome you as fellow partakers ofthe mystery, and haveno dearer wish than to enjoy your familiar intercourse-for whichreason I have also sent forth into the world this little tract.personsner,i notIf any one complain of the difficulty of our Art, let himknow that in itself it is perfectly simple, and can present noobstacle to those who love God, and are held worthyby Him ofthis knowledge. If any one blame me for setting forth thetruths of this Art too plainly and clearly, so as to render it possible for any one to gain a knowledge thereof, I answer that Ihave indeed explained them with sufficient lucidity for those whoare worthy and forcordained of God, but that the unworthy canderive no profit from them. To some foolish and «*I have several times expounded this Art in thand even word for word, but they despised it om,believe me that there is exhibited in our work a twould resurrection of the dead. Our Art, its theory as well as its practice,is altogether a gift of God, Who gives it when and to whom He elects it is not of him that wills, or of him that runs, but simplythrough the mercy of God. Though I had diligently studied thisArt for 17 or 18 years, yet I bad, after all, to wait for God's owntime, and accept it as a free gift. No one need doubt the truthor certainty of this Art. It is as true and certain, and as surelyordained by God in nature, as it is that the sun shines at noontide, and the moon shews her soft splendour at night. But Imust conclude this preface, and gird myself for writing the tractit*elf. But ye, beloved Brethren of the Golden Cross, who areabout to learn how to enjoy and use this most precious gift ofGod in secret, do not remain unknown to me, and if ye know menot, be sure that the faithful will be approved and their faith become known through the Cross, while security and pleasure over- shadow it. God be with us, Amen!J10 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.BX૧૫୪II69 IgnDSᎾMIRAQBILITASNaturaΦTERRAΟauTHE GOLDEN TRACTCONCERNING THE STONE OF THE PHILOSOPHERS.ANCIENT as well as modern philosophers, most belovedreader, and devoted seeker after true wisdom, whenthrough the grace of God they had reached the goal oftheir desires, have endeavoured to maketheir discoveryknown to their fellow inquirers in all parts of the world-notonly because they wished to inform them that the thrice greatand good God had enlightened their minds, blessed the laboursof their hands, and shewn to them the greatest and most profound secret of earthly wisdom (for which benefit all praise,honour, and glory are justly due to Him)-but also that theymight afford assistance to beginners in the Art, by which, withGod's permission, they too might attain to the knowledge of this most holy mystery. Such men there have been in all countries.Amongst the Egyptians Hermes Trismegistus holds the highestplace; then come Chaldæans, Grecks, Arabs, Italians, Gauls,Englishmen, Dutchmen, Spaniards, Germans, Poles, Hungarians,Hebrews, and many others. Though the aforementioned Sageswrote at different times, and in different languages, yet theirworks exhibit so marvellous an agreement, that any trucphilosopher may easily see that all their hearts had beengladdened by God in the discovery of this stone, and that theyall had performed this work with their own hands. Now, as thetruth of their views is perceived by their agreement, so thedisagreement of certain others marks them as false philosophers.For, not knowing the foundation of this glorious Art, and makingup fanciful theories out of their own heads, they exhibit theirignorance to all.12 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.The aforesaid agreement exists in regard to the Matter, itssolution, its weight, and the regulation and increase of the fire.As concerns the Matter, it is one, and contains within itselfall that is needed. Out of it the artist prepares whatever hewants. Its " Birth is in the sand," as the philosopher Anastratussays in " The Crowd ": " Nothing is more precious than the redsand ofthe sea; it is the distilled moisture of the Moon joinedto the light of the Sun, and congealed." That only this onesubstance is required is attested by Agadmon in the samebook. He says: " Know that unless you take my body[sulphur] without the spirit [ mercury] ye will not obtain whatdesire. Cease to think of many things. Nature is satisfied with one thing, and he who does not know it is lost.""усIn the same way Arnold, of Villa Nova, writes in his "Flower of Flowers ": "Our stone is made out of one thing,and with one thing. " To the same effect he says to the Kingof Naples: " All that is in our stone is essential to it, nor doesit need any foreign ingredient. Its nature is one, and it is one thing." And Rosinus says: "Know that the object of yourdesire is one thing, out of which all things are made." Lilium:"You have need only of one thing, which at any stage of our experiment can be changed into another nature." So Gebersays in his " Summary ": " Our stone is one, one medicine, towhich we add nothing, from which we take nothing away, onlyremoving that which is superfluous." Again, Scites in " The Crowd says: " The essence of this Art is in like manner acertain one thing which is stronger and more exalted than allother things, and is called the most powerful acid, becauseit changes gold into a clear spirit, without which there is neitherwhiteness, nor blackness, nor redness. When the spirit is joinedto the body it becomes one with it; and yet again becomesa spirit, and is saturated with the spiritual and unchangeabletincture, and thus again by combination receives a bodily tincture .which cannot be annihilated. If you place the body withoutthe acid over the fire, it will be burnt and destroyed."these words of Scites the reader might conclude, that not onebut two things, namely a body and an acid (as he calls it) arerequired, and that a liquid must be combined with a dry thinglest the dry thing should be consumed by the fire, in order thatFromTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 13bythe moist thing it may be preserved from such combustion. Tosuch a conclusion, if rightly accepted , I gladly subscribe. Butfrom the above mentioned philosophical dicta (however obscurelyworded they may be) it is clearer than day that the substance ofour Blessed Stone is one ( although different sages call it bydifferent names) , and that Nature has made it ready to the handofthe adept, having willed this one thing, and no other thing in all the world, to be the material of the Stone. This Matter liesbefore the eyes of all; everybody sees it, touches it, loves it, butknows it not. It is glorious and vile, precious and of smallaccount, and is found everywhere. Theophrastus Paracelsus,in his book concerning " The Tincture of Physical Things,"calls it the Red Lion, which is named by many, but knownby few. Hermes, in the first chapter of his Treatise, calls it"Quick Silver coagulated in its innermost chambers." In the" Rosary ofthe Philosophers" it goes by the name of Salt. But,to be brief, our Matter has as many names as there are things in the world; that is why the foolish know it not. Foolish 1 callthose who, without any previous knowledge of Nature and her properties, undertake to learn this Art, and come to it (as Arnoldsays) like the ass to the crib, not knowing for what they open their mouths. Hence it is well said by Geber, in the " Sum ofPerfection ": " He who has no elementary knowledge of Natureis far from a proper appreciation of this Art." And Rosariussays: " I advise no one to approach this Art unless he knowsthe principle and the regimen of Nature: if he be acquaintedwith these, little is wanting to him except one thing, nor needhe put himself to a great expense, since the stone is one,the medicine is one, the vessel one, the rule one, the dispositionone. " Yet this one substance is so divided by the operation ofNature, and the skill of the Artist, that it is transmuted into ourWhite Eagle, nor does the splendour of the sun illuminate moreabundantly the spagyric matter with its beams; or, as BasiliusValentinus hath it, that, " thence is born a spirit white as snow,and another spirit red as blood, which two spirits are containedin a third hidden thing." Hence King Aros well says: " Ourmedicine is composed out of twothings havingone essence, namely,through the mercurial union of a solid and a liquid, a spiritualand a corporeal, a cold and a moist, a warm and a dry, and in་ ་14 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.no other way can it be made." And Richard the Englishmansays: "The stone is one, the medicine one, which, however,according to the philosophers, is called Rebis (Two-thing),being composed of two things, namely, a body and spirit [ red orwhite]. But over this many foolish persons have gone astray,explaining it in divers ways." Rebis is two things, and thesetwo things are one thing, namely, water joined to a body, bywhich the body is dissolved into a spirit, that is, mineral water,out of which it was first made; and this body and spirit makeup one mineral water, which is called Elixir, that is to say,ferment; for then water and spirit are one thing, of which iscomposed a tincture and medicine for purging all bodies. Andthus, according to the philosophers, we have the nature of sulphurand mercury above ground, while underground they becomegold and silver. Bernard, Count of Trevisan and the March,says: " Our work is performed by means of one root, and twocrude mercurial substances, drawn and extracted from amineral, pure and clear, being conjoined by the heat of friendship,as this matter requires, and carefully cooked until the two thingsbecome one thing," &c. Basilius Valentinus (Lib. Nat. etSupernat., c. 4) says: " I will make this known to thee in all truth[for the love of God ] , that the root of philosophic sulphur, whichis a heavenly spirit, is united in the same material with the rootof the spiritual and supernatural mercury, and the principle ofspiritual salt-out of which is made the Stone, and not out ofseveral things. That universal thing, the greatest treasure ofcarthly wisdom, is one thing, and the principles of three thingsare found in one, which has power to change all metals into onc. The three things are the truc spirit of mercury, and thesoul of sulphur, united to spiritual salt, and dwelling in onebody; they are dragon and cagle, king and lion, spirit andbody, etc."In this way our prepared material is also called male and .female, active and passive. So Zimon says, in " The Crowd ":" Know that the secret of the work consists in male and female,i.e., an active and a passive principle. In lead is found the male,in orpiment the female. The male rejoices when the female isbrought to it, and the female receives from the male a tingingsced, and is coloured thereby." And Diomedes says: " Join theTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 15male child of the red servant ' tothe fragrant spouse, and theywill produce the object of our Art. But you must not introduceany foreign matter, neither dust, nor any other thing. The conception will then be perfect, and a true son will be born. Oh,how precious is the nature of the ' red servant,' without whomnothing can be effected!" Others call it quicksilver, or mercury,and sulphur, or fire, as Roger Bacon says, in the third chapter ofhis " Mirror ": " Out of sulphur and mercury are all metals,and nothing adheres to them, neither is joined to them, or transmutes them, but what is of them. And thus we must accept mercury and sulphur as the matter of the stone." So alsoMenabadus says: " He who joins quicksilver to the body ofmagnesia, and the woman to the man, extracts the secret essenceby which bodies are coloured. " Lullius in his " Codicil " says:The property of our mercury is to be coagulated by itssulphur. " And, in the Practice of his Testament: " The silver isa flowing moisture, floating above and preserving the whole from combustion. "44Others use the names, body, spirit, and soul. Thus Arnold,in his " Flower of Flowers," says: " The Sages have affirmedthat our Stone is composed of body, soul, and spirit, and theyhave spoken truly. For the imperfect part they have comparedto a body, because it is weak. The water they have calledspirit, and truly, because it is spirit. The ferment they havetermed soul, because it gives life to the imperfect body (whichbefore was dead) , and makes its form more beautiful."Again, he says: " A spirit is never joined to a body but bythe interposition of a soul. For the soul is the medium betweenbody and spirit, joining them together. " Morienus says: “ Thesoul quickly enters its own body-but if you tried to join it to aforeign body, you would labour in vain. " And Lilium says:i Body, soul, and spirit make up one thing, which has all in itself, and to which nothing is added . ”But why should we mention and explain all the names bywhich our Matter is designated? We will be content with theforegoing, seeing that they are the most common and the mostgermane to our purpose. Inthe following pages, after endeavouring to find where our substance lies hid , and where it may beobtained, we will say some words about the mode of its dis-16 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.solution, that being after all the principal object ofour inquiry.And first, as concerns the search after our Matter, we shouldremember that in the beginning, when there was nothing butHimself, God, who is infinite in wisdom, created two classes ofthings, namely, those that are in heaven, and those that areunder heaven. The heavenly things (about which we need nothere speak at length ) are the heavens themselves, and the dwellersin heaven. The things that are under the heavens were createdout of four elements, and are commonly divided into threeclasses. Those that live and feel hold the first place, and arecalled animals. The second class are the plants, that grow out ofthe earth, but do not feel. The third class, that of the minerals,has its origin underground. These three classes include all that(beneath the moon) has been created out ofthe elements. Theycan never become more or less, and God has bound each thingto its own genus and species, so that it cannot change from onegenus to another. If any one tried to make a man or a tree outof a stone, or a monkey or lead out of a plant, or an animal or aplant out of lead, he would be prevented from doing so by theeternal order of the Great King. Ifsuch a thing were possible,all classes of natural objects could be changed into one. But,because such a change would put an end to the world, the Rulerof the Universe does not permit it. Nay, what is more, He notonly restricted everything to its own kind, but gave each createdthing its own seed, by which it might be propagated after its ownmanner-always remaining in its own class, and not oversteppingthe bounds of some other species. If any one wished to changea man into a horse, an apple into a lettuce, a diamond or anyother jewel into gold, he would make an enormous mistake. Forsuch an attempt would be against the nature of sublunar things.And as it was in the beginning so it shall be in the end, whenthe Almighty, who in the beginning said " Let it be, " shall say" Let it perish." But among those things which have a commonsubstance, seed, and elementary composition , it is not difficult toaccomplish an amelioration and improvement, by the purification of their matter. So we may see a man of a clear andsubtle mind attain to a higher degree of human excellence thanothers who are less gifted. This difference arises from the superiorpurity and subtlety of his spiritual substance, which again has itsTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 17origin in a rectified and well constituted body. Thus also we seeone horse excel the strength and speed of another; and it is thesame with all kinds of living beings. A like rule holds good toan even greater degree in regard to plants and trees-with trees,by transplanting, grafting, and kindred methods well familiar togardeners; while as to other vegetable natures, we are taught bydaily experience how plants and flowers of the same kind differfrom each other in glory, in beauty, in fragrance, and savour. Ofthis cloves and tulips afford a striking instance Into how manydifferent species have these flowers been developed; and eventhese new developments are being made more beautiful fromday to day, and it is universally admitted that never were theresuch fine and fragrant flowers before. What am I to say aboutmetals which have a common substance, namely, quicksilver,digested and consolidated by the power of sulphur? Concerning this common substance, Richard the Englishman has thefollowing words: " Nature has elaborated all kinds of fusiblethings by a natural process out of mercury, and the substance ofits sulphur, because it is the property of quicksilver to be consolidated by steam, as by the heat of white and red sulphurwhich does not burn."66 The same view is expressed by Arnold (pt. 1. , cp. ii. ):Quicksilver is the elementary forin of all things fusible; for allthings fusible, when melted, are changed into it, and it mingleswith them because it is of the same substance with them. Suchbodies differ from quicksilver in their composition only so far asitself is or is not free from the foreign matter of impure sulphur. "Similarly Rosinus ( Ad Saratantam) says: “ The substance of allmetals in the heart of the earth is solidified and imperfect quicksilver; for by the quickening heat of sulphur different metals( according to the different varieties of sulphur) are generatedin the earth; their original substance is ene and the same, and ismodified only by a greater or smaller external influence." Hencewe see daily how busily Nature is occupied in bringing themto mortification and perfection . Now the perfection of metals,and the final intention of Nature in regard to them, is gold. Forall metals shew that Nature has done something for them towardsultimate perfection; no metal is so base as not to contain a singlegrain ofgold orsilver Naturewould always changequicksilver that Б18 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.has within itself its own sulphur into gold, if she were not oftenhindered by some outward impediment, viz. , impure, fœtid, andcombustible sulphur. In most cases gold is dug out pure, clear,free from dross, and unmixed with any other metals. Butmost frequently a large quantity of foreign sulphur mingles withthe quicksilver, and thus prevents its perfect development; and,according to the variety of that sulphur, different kinds ofmetals are generated, as Aristotle says (4. Meteor. ): " If the..quicksilver be of a good substance but the sulphur impureand combustible, it changes the quicksilver into brass. If thequicksilver be stony, impure, and earthy, and the sulphur notpure, it becomes iron. Tin seems to have good and pure quicksilver; but the sulphur is bad and not well mixed. Lead hasgross, bad, and ill -smelling quicksilver, and is thus not properlycoagulated."That retarding, combustible, and fœtid sulphur is not thetrue fire that fashions metals; but quicksilver has its ownsulphur in itself, which is sufficient for the purpose of fashioningit, as Bernard, Count of Trevisan, says: " Some believe that inthe generation of metals, a sulphuric substance is introducedfrom without; but, on the contrary, it is clear that in the working of Nature sulphur is already enclosed in the mercury. Yetit has no power in it except through the moving heat, by which thesaid sulphur is changed, and with it two other qualities of themercury. In this way, then, Nature generates by means of thissulphur the different kinds of metals in the veins of the earth,according to the diversity of degrees and alterations. " For inmetals, according to Arnold (pt. I., cp. iii . ) , " there is a two-foldsuperfluity one that is enclosed in the innermost nature of thequicksilver, and got there at the first mingling of the metal; theother does not belong to the essence of it, is external to it, andcorruptible. To remove the former is a difficult task; the latter.may be removed without any difficulty. The combustiblesulphur is taken away by being subjected to the action of fire, oris destroyed by foreign bodies; but the other, which is in thequicksilver, is preserved by it from combustion." But again,that inward sulphur which fashions the quicksilver belongingto it, and matures it towards perfection, is either pure or impure,combustible or incombustible. Impure sulphur hinders theTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 19digestion of the quicksilver, which cannot be transformed intogold until that which does not belong to it has been entirelyseparated from it; but the pure, incombustible, fixed sulphurremains with it, and then at length it passes either into gold orsilver, according as the sulphur is either white or red. Thisinternal sulphur is nothing but mature mercury, and the mostadvanced part of the quicksilver, and for this reason the quicksilver receives it so kindly, as being of its own essence, whileit rejects the other which is foreign to it. So Richard theEnglishman says, in his ninth chapter: " The more simple thesulphur is, the more readily does it combine with simple andpure mercury, and the more intimately they combine themore precious is the metal which is produced. " But suchsulphur, says Avicenna, " is not found on carth, except in so faras it exists in metallic bodies through the action of the sun and moon. In the sun it exists in a perfect state, because there it isbetter digested and decocted ." According to Richard, in his twelfthchapter, the red sulphur of the philosophers exists in the sunon account of its greater digestion, and the white sulphur inthe moon on account of its inferior digestion. "Since, then, the substance of the metals is one, and commonto all, and since this substance is (either at once, or after layingaside in course of time the foreign and evil sulphur of the basermetals by a process of gradual digestion) changed by the virtueof its own indwelling sulphur into GOLD, which is the goal ofall the metals, and the true intention of Nature-we are obligedto admit, and freely confess that in the mineral kingdom, as wellas in the vegetable and animal kingdoms, Nature seeks and demands a gradual attainment of perfection, and agradual approximation to the highest standard of purity andexcellence.I thought it would be best, O friendly searcher of Nature,to discuss the matter more in detail, in order that you might themore readily know and make use of the substance of our Stone!For if you attempted to produce our Stone out of an animalsubstance you would fail, because the two things belong to different natural orders. For the Stone is a mineral, but youwould be trying to fashion it out of an animal substance." Butnothing," says our Richard, in his first chapter, " can be got out B220 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.of a thing which is not in it. Therefore every species, everygenus, every natural order, is naturally developed within its ownlimits, bearing fruit after its own kind, and not within some otheressentially different order: everything in which seed is sownmust correspond to its own seed." And Basil. Valentinus says:"Consider and know, my friend, that you must not select an animal soul for this your purpose. For flesh and blood weregiven by the Creator to animals, and are proper to animals, andfrom them animals are formed and brought forth." For thisreason I wonder at those who wish to be regarded as greatadepts, and yet look for the substance ofthe stone in femalemenstruums, the seminal fluid, eggs, hairs, urine, and similarthings, and are not ashamed to fill so many volumes with theirvain and worthless recipes, and to deceive the ignorant with such foolish, futile, and useless speculations. Roger, in his" Mirror " (cp. iii . ) , expresses his amazement at the folly of these men when he exclaims: " How strange that any sane personshould look for what he wants in the animal and vegetableworlds, which have nothing whatever to do with the object of hissearch, while the mincral world is quite as ready to his hand.It is incredible that any philosopher should establish his art onsuch a remote foundation, except indeed by way of allegory. "" For our Stone (says Basil. ) is not made of combustible things.Verily that Stone and the matter thereof are safe from all suchviolence, therefore cease to seek it in the animal kingdom; forNature herself could not find it there." Again, whoever hopesto find it in the vegetable world, as, for instance, in trees,herbs, flowers, is quite as much mistaken as he who wouldchange an animal into a stonc. Plants and trees, with all thatthey produce, may be consumed by fire, and leave nothing .behind but the dust out of which they are made, and the saltwhich at the first creation of their species they received from Nature. Let no one be misled by the confident assertions ofthose who pretend that they can produce the Philosopher's Stoneout of wheat, or out of wine. These persons fancy they understand the meaning of a certain passage in thewritings of RaymondLullius, but they exhibit the depth of their folly by the assumptionofprofound wisdom, and thus only deceive themselves and others.I do not deny that some excellent solvents, indispensable bothTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 21to the physician and to the chemist, are obtained from thesesources; but I do most positively deny that the Philosopher'sStone can be prepared, or its seed elicited, from them, since theCreator has ordained that nothing should overstep the boundsof the natural order to which it was originally assigned. Henceevery true disciple of wisdom may gather that the substance ofthe Stone is to be obtained neither in the animal nor in thevegetable world, seeing that both are combustible. We musttherefore look for it among incombustible things, that is tosay, in the mineral world, and thence only can we prepare it.Since, then, the Stone of the Wise is mineral, and there are different kinds of minerals, as stones (including clay and the differentvarieties of earth) , salts, general minerals, and metals, we mustfurther ask, in which of all these it is contained. We may atonce eliminate stones, because they contain no fusible mercury,and cannot be melted , dissolved, or divided into their componentparts on account of the large quantity of foreign sulphur andcarthly substance which cleave to them.Nor will the wise investigator of Nature's secrets expect tofind the substance of the Blessed Stone in salts, alums, orsimilar minerals. In them he meets with a sharp, corroding,destructive spirit, but mercury and sulphur, as understood byphilosophers, he would vainly look for. General minerals, likemagnesia, bismuth, antimony, etc. , can never under any circ*mstances become metals; how, then, can the substance ofthisStone, which is the essential perfection of all metals and minerals,be obtained from them? Morcover, they have nothing incommon with metals, but do burn, corrode, and destroy them: --how then can they be the means of their improvement?Hear what Richard the Englishman has to say on this head(cp. x. ): " The lesser minerals cannot become metals--First,because they were not generated out ofthe elementary substanceof metals, which is quicksilver. But seeing that their generationdiffers from the generation of metals in form, and substance, andcomposition, they can never become metals, because things.belonging to the same species have the same elementary substance, and spring from the same seed. But the lesser minerals arenot generated from mercury, as we learn from Aristotle andAvicenna. If they were to become metals, they would have to22 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.change into the elementary substance of metals. And, sincesuch a transformation is beyond the power ofchemistry, they cannever become metals; that is to say, they can never be the substance of the Stone. Second, since the lesser minerals cannot become the elementary substance of metals, which is mercury, theycan never reach the middle and the end of the same develop- ment, namely, metals and the tincture. But because the properties of the lesser minerals are foreign to those of the metals,although they may have some of the virtues of minerals, yet onthe whole they are less excellent and are liable to be injured byfire. Therefore the nature of metals delights not in them, but repels them, while it receives that which is suited to it. For thisreason they are foolish who bring in so many foreign speculations for the purpose of imposing upon their hearers; for thethings they put forward arc altogether unlike metals and cannever receive nor impart their nature. "The student must not suffer himself to be misled by thelanguage occasionally employed with regard to salts by thephilosophers whom we have quoted, as, for instance, when it issaid, in the mystic language of our Sages, " He who works without salt will never raise dead bodies "; or, again, when he reads inthe book of Soliloquies, " He who works without salt draws a bow without a string." For you must know that these sayings referto a very different kind of salt from the common mineral. Thisyou may see from the following passage of the " Rosary ofthePhilosophers ": " The salt of metals is the Philosopher'sStone; for our Stone is water congealed in gold and silver;it is hostile to fire and may be dissolved into the water of whichit is composed after its kind." And that the " congealed waterof the Sages does not mean ordinary water may be gathered fromthe following words of Geber (lib. forn. , cp . xix. ): " Seck toresolve the sun and the moon into their dry water, which thevulgar call mercury. " The Sages have also described their earth.under the name of salt-e.g. , in the " Sounding of the Trumpet,"where it is said: " That which is left at the bottom of the distilling vessel is our salt -that is to say, our earth. ” And in theAllegories of the Wise " one bursts forth into these words:" Mark well that those bodies which flow forth from our bodiesare salts and alums." At times they call the medicine itself661THE GOLDEN TRACT. 23"Salt," as in the following passage ofthe “ Scale ": " The virtueof the second water is to exalt earth into its own mineral salt, asthough assimilating it by its own strength. " And Arnold, in hiswork concerning the " Preservation of Youth," ( lib. iii. ) says:" This prepared salt has great virtue in preserving youth. TheSages have compared it to the natural heat of healthy youth.The Stone itself has sometimes been called by the wise theAnimal Stone, sometimes the Mineral Secret, on account of thissimilitude; sometimes the Everlasting Remedy, or the Water of Life. The whole preparation may be reduced to the purestdrinking water, like other things that have the same properties. "From the aforesaid it clearly appears that we are forbidden bothby the teaching of the Sages and by the nature of the thing tosuppose that the Stone can be made out of the lesser minerals.We should next enquire more carefully whether the matterof our Stone may be obtained from the intermediate mineralslike bismuth, antimony, magnesia, and so on. They are certainlyoften mentioned in this connection by the Sages. Thus Seniorsays, in a certain passage: "If yellow orpiment has not thepower of coagulating mercury our Magistery can never attain itsgoal. " Thomas de Aquinas recommends us to take "our antimony,or black carth," while Parmenides, in " The Crowd, " says: " Takequicksilver and coagulate it in the body of magnesia, or corruptible sulphur. " But in all such passages these terms are usedmetaphorically; it is not meant that the Great Stone can ever bemade out of such substances. The orpiment and magnesia ofthe Sages are not the common minerals, but the substance whichin other passages is called the Agent, the Lion, the King,Sulphur, and by many other names. They call it orpimentbecause it gives a deeper and more brilliant colouring to gold;magnesia because of the excellence and greatness of thatwhich is gained from it; antimony, with Thomas Aquinas, on account of the brilliant blackness which it assumes after solution.As a matter of fact, when the Stone has assumed its ebony colourthey are in the habit of comparing it to all black things.But it may be said that some of these intermediate mineralsare, as a matter of fact, composed of mercury and sulphur, andmay become metals, eg. , magnesia unites with lead and tin, andantimony not only mingles with metals, but also produces a24 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.lead not very different from natural lead. Moreover, it isasserted that many persons of high and low degree have actually seen gold made of these minerals. It is further saidthat as these minerals are composed of mercury and sulphur(and can by chemical means be reduced to them) , and are therefore ofa common origin with the metals, the substance oftheStone may also be elicited from them. But, in the first place,we must draw a distinction between the various minerals of thisclass, namely those which contain mercury, and those whichhardly ever contain it. Those that are full of mercury are ofgreater account, since, by means of our Medicine, their mercurymay be transformed into gold and silver; and, their naturebeing partly metallic, they may well be called half metals.But the rest, which have no mercury, are of no use for ourpurpose. But forasmuch as, on account of the gross and combustible sulphur which is in them, even the first are very farindeed from the metallic goal, so they cannot be taken for thesubstance of our Stone, which should be pure and perfectmercury combined with pure, subtle, and incombustiblesulphur. That they are most impure and deeply infected withthe grossness of their sulphur, may be easily seen by the test ofa chemical experiment. One of them (zinctum ) might, byreason of its weight and brilliance, be taken at first sight forpure mercury by the careless; but when brought to the test offire it is consumed with a smoke, like that of sulphur.Bismuth, on the other hand, is not even fusible by fire -such isits carthy grossness and impurity. Antimony, again, can bepurged by a chemical process, and reduced to a very white andbeautiful regulus. As we gaze upon it in this purified state, itscems difficult to believe that it may not be transformed intosomething glorious. Hence it is natural that some self-conceited people should have supposed that the Stone may beprepared from it. But however much antimony is purged of itsblackness, it still retains its grossness, hardness, and sulphuricproperties; it can never become malleable ( like the metals) , andtherefore, in spite of its numerous affinities, cannot be regardedas a metal. Morcover, it has gross and impure mercury; and itssulphur is combustible. Ye, then, who would be great philosophers and do deceive many with your voluminous writings,THE GOLDEN TRACT. 25in which you put this mineral forward as the essence oftheuniversal remedy-I ask you again and again to reconsideryour opinion, and to mark the saying of Arnold, that " it isfoolish to seek in a thing that which it does not contain." Healso says, in his Commentary on "The Crowd ": " Thephilosopher's stone is a pure substance." Again, Lullius in his" Last Testament," observes: " Our tincture is nothing but purefire." There is an expression to the same effect in his"Vade Mecum ": "It is a subtle spirit which tinges bodies,and cleanses them of their leprous infirmities." But thismineral ( like all the rest, without a single exception) is so grossand impure that it can only be cleansed by the mediation of ourtincture. Therefore, the substance of our Great Stone cannotbe clicited from it, since ( Richard, cp . 1. ) nothing can beobtained from a body which does not exist therein. What shallwe say of vitriol, which misleads many by its wonderfulqualities, especially as some part of it changes into copper, anditself has the power of transforming iron into copper? As amatter of fact, it is the elementary substance of copper, andwhen this mineral vapour (or aeriform mercury) finds in themineral veins of the earth a place where its bitter, acid, salt, andvenereal sulphur lies hid, it immediately amalgamates with itinto a metal. But since the quantity of the aforesaid sulphurgreatly exceeds that of the mercury, when the pure is separatedfrom the impure, and the combustible from the incombustible bythe segregating office of Nature, the mercury itself is changedinto a greenish inferior substance. When common sulphur isadded to copper, and the whole brought in contact with hre (forart can do by intense heat in a few moments what it takes thegentle heat of Nature a long time to accomplish) it corrodes thecopper, and changes it into vitriol, and, in proportion to thequantity of the sulphur, the vitriol assumes a richer or faintercolour; whence it comes that some vitriol contains more copperand some less . In iron , too, there is gross sulphur; hence it iscorroded by vitriol which seeks its mercury (the mercury of ironbeing very like that of vitriol) , and (the mercury being joined tothe sulphur) the iron becomes pure copper.It should be carefully noticed that the acid spirit of vitriolis generated from sulphur; for the smell of suiphur is perceived26 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.in the spirit of vitriol, and the spirit of sulphur, like the spirit ofvitriol, has power to change into vitriol. Since, then, thiscorrosive sulphur is hid in vitriol, and since it contains so smalla quantity of impure mercury, we may be sure that it cannot bethe object of our search. In this we agree with Alphidius, whosay's: " Take heed, my son , and eschew dead bodies, and stones;in these things there is no true way of procedure, for their lifepreserves not, but destroys. Such are salts, orpiments, arsenic,magnesia, bismuth, tutty, and the like. " And Arnold (FlosFlor. ) says: "The reason of these mistakes is that the four spirits,viz. , orpiment, salt of ammonia, mercury, and sulphur, are notthe seed of perfect or imperfect metals (except, of course,mercury and sulphur by themselves). "But from these last words of Arnold it might be inferredthat common mercury and quicksilver are the substance ofthe stone, seeing that these are referred to the four spirits, andthat sulphur is supposed to consolidate the inercury. But 1answer, with Richard the Englishman, in his eleventh chapter,that it does not really do so. For every kind of commonsulphur is repugnant to metals, as the Sage says: " Indeedyou must know that sulphur comes forth out of the fatness ofthe earth, and is thickened in the minera by gentle heat; whenit becomes hard it is called sulphur."Now there are two kinds of sulphur, the living and thecombustible. Quick sulphur is the active principle of metals,and, when purged from all foreign matter, is the Matter of our Stone. But the common combustible variety is not the Matterof metals or of our Stone; rather, it is injurous to them.Common, combustible sulphur-so we are told by Avicenna andRichard the Englishman-has nothing to do with our art.However carefully prepared, it still disintegrates and destroysmetals, because it has no affinity with them. When enclosed inmetals, it retards their fusion. This is clearly seen in the caseof iron, which contains hard, gross, and impure sulphur. Whenthis sulphur is burned it is nothing but a dead, earthy, powderysubstance. How then can it impart life to other things? Forit has two principles of decay-its inflammability and its earthyimpurity. The sulphur of the Sages, on the other hand, isliving fire; it is quick, and quickens and matures lifelessTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 27substances. Common sulphur, then, cannot be the substanceof the Stonc.But what shall we infer concerning common mercury?The Sages tell us that the Matter of our Stone is a mercurialsubstance, and many of its qualities closely resemble thoseof vulgar mercury. For it is the elementary substance of allfusible minerals, as Arnold says (Ros. , pt. 1., cp. ii . ): " Since allfusible substances, when melted, are changed into it, and itmingles with them because of its common nature: they candiffer from it only in so far as it contains impure foreignsulphur." And, again (cp. iv. ): " Living mercury is clearlymost perfect, and proved in ali its operations, since it saves fromcombustion and promotes fusion. It is the red tincture, the sumofperfection, and quick as lightning; nor is it severed from thatwith which it has mingled so long as it exists . The same isfull of affinity, cleaving faithfully, and is the medium by whichtinctures are united, for it mingles most intimately with them,penetrating naturally into their inmost part, for it is of the same nature. We imitate Nature exactly, who in her minera hath noother matter whereon she works except a pure mercurial form.It is the only thing that overcomes fire, and is not overcome byit, but delights in its amicable warmth. " Again, Bernard says:In this mercury is enclosed essential sulphur, which the firecannot touch; and it accomplishes our object without any other substance than that of pure mercury." Seeing, then, thatmercury has such excellent properties, it must surely be thesubstance of our Stone? True; but as there are two kinds ofsulphur, so there are two kinds of mercury, the common mercuryand the mercury of the Sages. Common mercury is gross andcrude; nor does it stand the test of fire like our mercury, but isdissipated in the form of smoke, even by gentle heat Hencethe Sages have laid down this rule: " Our mercury is not themercury of the vulgar herd. " So Lullius says (Clav. cp. 1. ):Common quicksilver,, however carefully prepared, cannever become the quicksilver of the Sages, for common quicksilver can only stand the test of fire by the aid of some other dryand more highly digested quicksilver." But most students ofthis art have spoken largely about the sublimation of commonmercury, and have persisted in seeking the treasure of carthly4628 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.wisdom where it cannot be found, because Nature has not placedit there. And, truly, the working even of common mercury is sowonderful that it has misled some who supposed themselves tobe adepts in this art. The following is a case in point. I knewa man who succeeded in giving to his amalgam an orangecolour, but he could not get it any nearer to the colour of gold.At last this clever chemist determined to increase the heat ofthefurnace, thinking that this would have the desired effect of moreintimately combining the various ingredients. But alas! thealembic burst, the gold was hurled into the fire, and almostchanged from its nature by the still volatile mercury.Hence it appears that the mercury (which is its body) sostrongly affected the gold in its minutest particles as to reduceit to a tincture, although several colours were obtained by theaction of the heat on the melted mass. If that good man hadtaken to heart Arnold's words in the " Flower of Flowers," hewould never have made that experiment. For the said Arnoldmakes reference to those who adopt this method in the followingterms: " They knew that mercury is the elementary principle ofthe metals, and that they are produced through its digestion bythe heat ofsulphur; they therefore . sublimed mercury by itself,then fixed and consolidated it, again melted it and did againcoagulate it but when they came to examine the alembic, theyfound no gold, etc." Therefore we cannot believe that commonquicksilver is the substance of the Stone. At the same time Ido not deny that it is indispensable both to the philosophicalchymist and to the physician.We have carefully sought the substance of our stone in theanimal and vegetable world, among stones, lesser, intermediate,and greater minerals, but in vain. We must now see whetherwe can find it in the metals, and if so, whether in all or only insome. It is a well-known fact (to which Roger bears witness,Spec. , cp. iii. ) , that all metals are generated out of sulphur andquicksilver, and that nothing will become one with them, orchange them, but what originates in themselves; since a thingcan be developed and improved only by that which belongs toits own nature ( Richard, cp. i . ).I need not say that the Great Artist has ordained thatthroughout the whole of Nature things should generate andTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 2946 produce only that which is like them, so that, for instance, ahorse can never be the offspring of a man. As brute animals, "says Basil Valentine, “ cannot multiply after their kind by wayof generation except by virtue of their common nature; so youcannot expect to obtain the Blessed Stone, but out of its ownseed, out of which it was made from the beginning. Now tofind the seed you should diligently consider for what purposeyou require the Store. You will at once see that it can beobtained only from the metallic root from which God has ordainedthat the metals themselves should be generated. Moreover,there is a great conformity between the generation ofthe metalsand the Stone. For in both sulphur and quicksilver ( containingthat salt which is their quickening soul) are indispensablyrequired; nor can any useful metal be generated until thesethree (making up the inetallic substance) have been combined;for in the composition of metals there must be nothing which has not been obtained from a metallic source. " "No external thing,says Draco, "which is not derived from these two [sulphur andmercury] has power to produce or transmute metals. On thisaccount we must select a metallic substance for the productionof the Stone. " We must next briefly enquire whether it is to befound in imperfect metals. Many imagine that the substance ofthe white (tincture) may be elicited from tin or lead, and that ofthe red out of copper or iron, or both. This idea is doubtless owingto a misconception of the words of the Sages. For Geber (lib.forn. cp. , ix. ) says: " The mass for fermentation wè generally gainfrom the imperfect [ base] bodies." Therefore we lay it down asa general rule that the white paste may be extracted from Jupiterand Saturn, the red from Venus, Saturn , and Mars. And Basil.Valentinus says ( Lib. de phys, et hyperphys. ) , that the tinctureis prepared out of a conjunction of Mars and Venus. Again(Triumph. Antimon. ) , he uses these words: " After this tinctureof the Sun and Moon comes the tincture of Venus and Mars,which two make up the tincture of the Sun, when they have beenthoroughly perfected and condensed. After these come thetinctures ofJupiter and ofSaturn ( for the coagulation of mercury),and at last the tincture of mercury itself. " But the searcher ofNature must know that there can be no contradiction of opinionbetween Geber or Basil, for it is impossible that the true30 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.philosophers should ever lie, and so these words should be parabolically understood. For no perfection can be obtained fromimperfect metals, either by themselves or mixed, nor can thatwhich is itself imperfect bring other things to perfection. Forthe purest substance of mercury is required for our purpose, asis testified in the " Sounding of the Trumpet," and by Avicenna,Lullius, and almost all the Sages, who unanimously affirm that"the purest substance of mercury is selected by us for ourwork." Now this highly refined substance of mercury is notfound in the base metals, since they are rendered so gross bytheir impure and unessential sulphur, that, like leprous bodies,they can never be thoroughly purged and cleansed, in whichprocess is the essence of our artifice . Nor do they well stand thetest of fire, which is one of the properties required in our Matter.Let us hear what Geber has to tell us ( Summa, cp. lxiii. ) concerning the impurity of imperfect metals, and the properties ofperfect mercury: " Thus," he says, " we happen upon two mostwonderful secrets. The one is that there exists a twofold causefor the destruction of every [ imperfect] metal by fire: namely,(1 ), the combustible sulphur enclosed in their interior substanceis kindled by fierce heat, and (unimpeded by any excellence intheir mercury) annihilates, and converts into smoke their entiresubstance; ( 2), the outward flame is fed by them, penetratesinto their interior, and dissolves them into smoke, even thoughthey be very solid; (3 ) , their interior is laid bare by calcination.Now when all these conditions of destruction are found together,bodies must needs be destroyed; if they are not found together,they are destroyed somewhat more slowly. The second secretis the excellence which quicksilver imparts to bodies. For quicksilver (no other condition of decay being present) does notpermit itselfto be separated into its elements, but proves itsperfection by preserving its substance intact in the fire. Blessedbe God who created it, and gave it such a substance and suchproperties as are not found in all Nature besides. This is thatwhich overcomes fire, and delights in its amicable heat. " HereGeber clearly shews that the substance ofour Stone cannot existin imperfect metals; because things that are impure in themselves do not abide the fire which might purify them, while ourmercury (on account of its purity) is not in the slightest degreeTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 31injured by the fire. Thus we perceive that no one imperfect metal can contain the substance of our Stone. But neither is itto be found in a mixture of impure metals-for by mixing theybecome less pure than they were before. Moreover we saidabove that the substance we required was one. This fact isclearly set forth by Halys ( lib. secret. , cp. vi. ) , when he says:"The Stone is One; nothing else must be added to it out ofone substance the Sages obtain our remedy. Nothing else mustmingle with the Stone itself, or with its substance." And Morienus says: " This Magistery grows from one original root,which branches out into several parts, and from which springsone thing."66But if base metals cannot be the substance of the Stone, whydo the Sages bid us employ them? I will tell you. When theyspeak of impure bodies, they do not mean copper, iron, lead, tin ,&c. , but its own body, or its carth-as Arnold ( Flos Flor. ) says:Mercury is united to carth, ie. , to an imperfect substance[or body]. " For though this " carth " is so perfect and pure thatin these respects it would seem to attain the utmost possibilityof Nature, yet in regard to the Stone it is still imperfect andimpure. In this point art leaves Nature behind, since it accomplishes what Nature could not perform . That this earth beforeits plenary purgation and regeneration is imperfect, may beseen from the fact that it cannot yet accomplish more in thematter of tinging than Nature has given to it, while after itsregeneration it is most powerful. Its grossness is clearlyperceived in an actual experiment: for first it is black and lookslike lead or antimony; then it is of a whitish colour, and iscalled Jupiter (or tin, or magnesia) , and this also before it hasattained true whiteness, but when it has passed the white stage,it is called Mars and Venus; after that it becomes perfect andred . That Basil. Valentinus agrees with me, and did notreally hold the opinion which he expressed in some of hiswritings, is clear from his tract concerning the Great Stone,where (speaking of the Matter of the Stone) he says that in theSun all three perfections are found together, whence it derivesits power of resisting the fire, and that the Moon, on account ofits fixed mercury, does not easily yield to the fire, but enduresthe trial. " That noble paramour Venus," he continues, " is32 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.furnished with an abundance of colour, and the greater and richerpart of her body is full of tincture. The colour is the same whichdwells in the most precious of metals, and on account of itsabundance has a reddish appearance. But its body is leprous,for which reason the tincture cannot remain fixed in it, butevaporates when the former is destroyed. For when the bodydecays the soul cannot remain, but is dissipated and driven off.Its habitation is destroyed and burnt with fire, and its place knowsit no more. In a fixed body it would without difficulty remain.The fixed salt ' gives to brave Mars a hard, strong, and heavybody; whence the strength of his soul is perceived: for thiswarrior is not casily overcome. For his body is hard and difficultto wound. "But let no one conclude from these words of Basilius thatthat fixed sulphur of Venus, when united to the spirit of perfectmercury, will become the tincture. We must again repeat thatour substance is not collected from many sources; but, asBasilius says, it is one universal thing, and is found in, andobtained from one thing, being the spirit of mercury, the soulof sulphur, and a spiritual salt, united under one heaven anddwelling in one body. Therefore let us turn our backs uponthe base metals, and turn our minds to the precious metals,taking to heart those words of Plato (qu. ii . ): “ Why do youmelt and dissolve other bodies . with great labour, when in these[the precious metals] you have what you seekc? If you wishto use the base metals, you must first change them into thesubstance of perfect bodies." Therefore, beloved inquirer intothe secrets of Nature, leave on one side all things animal andvegetable, all salts, alums, vitriols, bismuths, magnesias, antimonies, and all base and impure metals, and seek thy Stone withArnold de Vill. nov. ( Pt. I. , cp. vii. ): “ in Mercury and the Sun forthe Sun, and in Mercury and the Moon for the Moon; sincethe whole virtue of this art consists in them alone. " "For asthe source of ignition is fire, so gold is the principle of goldmaking," says Ripley, in his " First Gate. " If, therefore, thouwouldest make gold and silver by the philosopher's art, takefor this purpose neither eggs, nor blood, but gold and silver,which, being subjected to the action of fire naturally, prudently,and not manually, generate new substances after their own kind,THE GOLDEN TRACT. 33like all things in Nature. Richard (cp. x. ) tells us " to sow goldand silver, that aided by our labour they may bring forth fruit,through the mediation of Nature: for these two have [and are]what you seek and nothing else in all the world." And whyshould I not fix on them since they contain pure and perfectmercury, with red and white sulphur. (Richard, cp. xvii. ) SoAvicenna teaches that, " in all silver is white, as in all gold thereis red, sulphur. No other sulphur like that which exists in thesebodies is found on all the earth. Therefore we cunningly prepare these two bodies, that we may have sulphur and quicksilver ofthe same substance as that which generates gold andsilver under the earth . For they are shining bodies, whoserays tinge other bodies with true whiteness and redness, according to the manner of their own preparation. " " For ourMagistery, " says, Arnold ( Rosar. , pt. I. , cp. v. ) " aids perfectbodies, and works upon the imperfect without the admixtureofanything else. Gold, then, being the most precious of all themetals, is the red tincture, tinging and transforming every body.Silver is the white tincture, tinging other bodies with its perfectwhiteness. " Let me tell the gentle reader that the metals, thatis to say, gold and silver in their metallic form, are not the Matterof our Stone-being in the middle between them and the basemetals, as our Matter is in the middle between the former andour Great Stone. So Bernard says ( pt. ii. ): " Let them besilent who affirm that there is any tincture but our own, or anyother sulphur than that which lies hid in magnesia; also thosewho would extract the quicksilver from any but the red slave,and who speak of some other water but our own which isincorruptible and combines with nothing except that whichbelongs to its own nature, and moistens [ tinges ] nothing exceptthat which is one with its own nature. There is no acid but ourown, no other regimen, no other colours. In the same way,there is no other true solution , sublimation, consolidation ,putrefaction. I therefore advise you to have done with alums,vitriols, salts, black bodies, borax, aqua fortis, herbs, animals,beasts, and all that proceeds from them, hairs, blood, urine,human seed, flesh, eggs, and all minerals, and to keep to themetals. Butthough the quicksilver required for our Stone is foundin metals only, and in these is the beginning of the work, theyC34 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.are not therefore our Stone, so long as they retain their metallicform . For one and the same substance cannot have two forms.How can they be the Stone which holds an intermediate formbetween metals and mercury, unless their present form is firstdestroyed and removed? " Therefore, also, Raymond Lully saysin his " Testament " ( cp. vi. ): " On this account a good artisttakes metals for his media in the work of the magistery, andespecially the Sun and Moon, because in them the substance of the Mercury and Sulphur is ripened, pure, and well-digested by Nature's own artifice. The artist wouldvainly endeavour to produce this exact proportion outof the natural elements, if he did not find it ready tohis hand in these bodies." And in the " Codici! " he says:"Without these two, viz., gold and silver, our art would haveno existence, since the sulphur they contain has been purified bynature with a thoroughness such as art would vainly strive toimitate. From these two bodies, with their prepared sulphur [orprepared arsenic] our Medicine may be elicited, but without themwe can never obtain it." In the preface to his " Key" he says:" I advise you, my friends, to operate on nothing but the Sun andMoon; but these you should resolve into their elementary sub.tances, viz. , our quicksilver and our sulphur. " In like mannerArnoldus assures us that " from these bodies there is extractedan exceedingly white and red sulphur; for in these thereis a most pure substance of sulphur, cleansed to the highest degree by Nature's own artifice," Nicarus, in TheCrowd," says: " I bid you take gold, which you desire tomultiply and renew, and to divide its water into two parts; forthat metal falling into that water will be called the fermentingmatter ofgold." How can this Sage call his " water " gold? Toassist the student in solving this enigma I must tell him that thegold ofthe Sages is not common gold, as also Senior tells us. In"The Crowd" it is said: “ As mercury is the element of all metals,so gold is their ultimate goal; hence in all metals, pure and impure, there are gold, silver, and mercury. But there is one true goldwhich is the essence of all." Thus you see that there is a goldofthe Sages, which, though derived from common gold, is yetvery different from it. The following words occur in the " RisingDawn " (cp. xvi. ) " The philosopher's gold resembles commor.THE GOLDEN TRACT. 35gold neither in colour nor in substance. That which is extractedfrom it is the red and white tincture." " The philosopher's goldmay be bought at a low price " (Aphidius). " All that is boughtat a high price is false. With little gold we buy much "(Moricnus). Moreover, our gold is living gold, and our silver isliving silver, so that they can cause nothing but life and growth.Common gold and silver are dead, They can effect nothinguntil they are raised from the dead and quickened by the Sage.Then they live, and possess in a high degree the power of propagating and multiplying their race. Concerning the life of ourmetals that great philosopher, Sendivogius (who is still living) ,has the following words: " Let me advise you not to receive thegold and silver of the vulgar herd, for they are dead. Take ourliving metals. Place them in our fire, and there will result adry liquid. First, earth will be resolved into water [ for thus theMercury of the Sages is called]. That water will solve gold andsilver, and consume them until only the tenth part with one partis left. This will be the humid radical of the metals."It is to be noted that Sages sometimes call their water,as well as their carth, gold . Hereunto we have already heardthe words of Nicarus, and after a like manner we are told in the"Rosary ofthe Philosophers: “ Our gold and silver are not thegold and silver of the vulgar. We call gold the water which risesinto the air when exposed to fire. Verily, this gold is not thegold of the vulgar. The vulgar would not believe of their goldthat it could be volatilised on account of its solid nature."66The philosopher's " earth," then, is sometimes designatedtheir gold, as the same author testifies: " Know that our ore,which is the gold of the philosophers, is their earth. " This' carth " is also called ore, ferment, or tincture; just as the"water" is called white and flaky " carth " So we read in the"Sounding of the Trumpet ": " Wherefore Hermes says, ' Sowyour gold in white, flaky earth which by calcination has beenmade glowing, subtle, and volatile.' That is to say: Sow gold,i.e., the soul and quickening virtue, into the white earth, whichby preparation has been made white and pure and freed from allits grossness. Thus natural gold is not the fermenting matter,but the philosopher's gold is thequickening ferment itself. " Again,in the Seventh Step ofthe " Ladder of the Philosophers ": " Their C236 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.earth is white in which their gold [which is the soul] is sown,and this body is the centre of knowledge, the concentration thereof, and the habitation of tinctures. " Once more: " Therefore Hercules says; Solve the body of magnesia which has become white and like the leaves of the bramble.' This is thebody; the soul is the esssence which is called the philosopher'sgold. " (For with water the spirit ascends into the upper air. )Mix," says Senior, “ gold with gold, that is water [mercury]and ashes." Again, Hermes says: " Sow gold into the whiteflaky earth . " From these expressions, however obscurely worded,it is clear that our gold is not common gold.66But why do the philosophers call their gold now " water,"and now " earth "? Do they not contradict themselves, or cachother? No; our Sages, in expounding the truth, veil it underobscure and allegorical expressions, but nevertheless agree witheach other so marvellously that they all seem to speak, as itwere, with one mouth. They do not confound one thing withanother, nor do they wish to lead the earnest enquirer astray.They express themselves in mystic phrases to hide the truthfrom the unworthy and impious, lest they should seem to becasting pearls before swine, and giving the holy thing to betrodden underfoot by these who think only of indulging theirlustful desires. But the noble student of our art has been toldmore than once, not only from what quarter our Stone may beobtained, but also that its substance must be ene, which by theartist's skill may be resolved into two, viz . , earth and fire, ormercury and sulphur.The Sages, then, do well to call their gold earth or water;for they have a perfect right to term it whatever they like. Sothey have frequently called their Stone their gold, their superperfect gold, their regenerate gold, and by many other namesbesides. If any one does not perceive their meaning at the firstglance, he must blame his own ignorance, not their jealousy.The reader now knows that the substance of our Stone isneither animal nor vegetable, and that it does not belong to theminerals or the base metals, but that it must be extracted fromgold and silver, and that our gold and silver are not the vulgar,dead gold and silver, but the living gold and silver of the Sages.We must now say something about the mode of solution, as theTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 37"}' greatest arcanum of all, and the root of the matter. A solutiontakes place when we transform a dry thing into a liquid, a hardthing into a soft, a hidden thing into one that is manifest, z.e. ,when a solid is changed into water; not, however, the vulgarwater (as Parmenides and Agadmon in " The Crowd " teach us:"When some persons hear ofthe liquefaction, they think a changetakes place into the water of the clouds. But if they had readand understood our books, they would know that our water ispermanent), but into the water of the Sages, i e. , the elementary substance, as Arnold ( Ros. I., cp. ix. ) says: "The object of theSages is to dissolve the Stone into its mercury, or elementary matter' And Avicenna says: "Thou who wouldest attain ourobject must first endeavour to dissolve and sublime the twoluminaries, which is the first stage of the experiment, that theymay become quicksilver. " Therefore Arnold ( Ros. II. , cp. ii. )describes the solution as a resolving of bodies, and a preparationofthe first Matter or Nature. And Richard the Englishman(cp. xviii. ) writes thus: " First the Stone must be resolved into itselementary substance [ seeing that it is an union of body andspirit ] , that the two may become one mercurial water." But even as this first solution is the most vital part of our process, so is italso the most difficult, as Eobold Vogelius testifies when hesays: How hard this achievement is can be affirmed by thosewho have performed it. " Bernard of Trevisan, in his bookaddressed to Thomas of Bononia, says: “ He who knows thesecret of the solution is acquainted with the arcanum of the Art,which is, to mingle kinds, and effectually to extract elements from elements which lie hid in them. " The solution must notbe made with aqua fortis; for aqua fortis corrodes and destroysthe body which should be only liquefied and improved. Thesolution does not take place into any water that wets the hands,but into a dry water, which is called both sulphur and mercury,as Zneumo says (Turba): " Unless by resolving it into itselements you extract from the body its marrow, and make it animpalpable spirit, you labour in vain. " And Richard the Englishman, following Avicenna, affirms (cp. xi. ): " The Sages havestriven to discover how those sulphurs may be extracted fromthose more perfect bodies, and how their qualities may be sorefined by Art, that that which was not manifest before (although6438THEHERMETICMUSEUM.it always lay hid in them) may appear by the mediation ofthe saidArt with Nature. " And this they confess cannot be done unlessthe body be resolved into its First Matter, which is quicksilver,out of which it was made in the beginning, without admixtureof any outward things; since foreign matter cannot improve the nature of our Stone. "For no water," says Bernard, " dissolvesour bodies, but that which is of their kind, and may beinspissated by them. " (Ep. to Thom. of Bonon. ) And in thesame Epistle he writes: " The solution should be permanent, sothat from both elements, viz. , the male and female seed , a newspecies may result. Amen, I say unto you that no naturalwater can dissolve metals, except that which is always in themsubstantially and formally, and which the metals themselves,being dissolved, may again consolidate." Thus Morfoleus, in" The Crowd " says: " Every body is dissolved with the spirit that is joined to it, and doubtless also becomes spiritual. Andevery spirit is modified and coloured by bodies, to which spiritis thus added a tinging colour which stands the test of fire. "Hence the student of our art must diligently enquire what that water is. "For the knowledge of the menstruum," saysRaymond (Comp. An. , p. i . ) " is a thing without which nothing canbe done in the magisteryof this Art. Nothing preserves the metalswhile it dissolves them , but our menstruum," which, as he furtherstates in his ' Codicil,' is "the water by which the metals aresolved, while all their essential properties are conserved. " Thoughthis is the Great Arcanum which our Sages have always keptsecret, and have forbidden us to reveal, yet, as far as we may,we will put you on the right track by two quotations. Thefirst is found in the abridged Rosary, and runs as follows: " Thefirst preparation and foundation of this Art, is the solution [i.e. ,reduction] of the body into water, i.e., into quicksilver, and thisthey call the solution, when they say: Let the gold be dissolved,which is hid in the body of magnesia, that it may be reduced toits First Matter, that thence it may become sulphur and quicksilver, and not be again liquefied into water. The object of oursolution is to make it liquid, and resolve it into the substance ofquicksilver that the saltness of its sulphur may be diminished,which divine sulphur is prepared by extraction from twosulphurs, when the spirit meets the body." The second quota-THE GOLDEN TRACT. 39tion is from the " Prooemium of the Twelve Gates," by Ripley:" I will straightway teach thee that thou mayest know that thereare three mercuries, which are the keys of knowledge [whichRaymond calls his menstrua], without which nothing is properly done. But two of them are superficial. The third is of theessence of the Sun and Moon, the properties of which I willdescribe to thee. For mercury, the essence of other metals, is the principal substance of our Stone. In Gold and Silver ourmenstrua are not visible to the eye, and are only perceived by their effect. This is the Stone of which we speak, if anyoneunderstand our books aright. It is the soul and shining sub- stance of the Sun and Moon, that subtile influence from whichthe earth derives its splendour. For what are gold and silver(says Avicenna) but pure red and white earth? Take awayfrom it the aforesaid splendour, and it will be nothing butworthless earth. The whole compound we call our lead. The quality of splendour comes from the Sun and Moon. And, inbrief, these are our solvents. Perfect bodies we naturally calcinewith the first, without adding any impure body but one, commonly called by philosophers the green lion , and this is themedium for perfectlycombining the tinctures of the Sunand Moon.With the second, which is a vegetable liquid, reviving whatbefore was dead, the two principles [ both material and formal]must be solved; else they would be of little value. With thethird, which is a permanent, incombustible liquid , of unctuousquality, the tree of Hermes is burnt to ashes. This is ournatural, most sure fire, our mercury, our sulphur, our pure tincture,our soul, our Stone raised with the wind, born in the earth.These things take to heart. This Stone, I dare to tell thee, is thepowerful essence of the metal, and thou must be careful how thou dost obtain it. For this solvent is invisible, although with thesecondary philosophic water it may, by the separation of ele- ments, become visible in the form of pure water. Out of thissolvent, and with it, thou mayst obtain the sulphur of Nature, ifit be naturally turned into a pure spirit. Then thou mayst withit dissolve thy fundamental mass [ ie. gold and silver] . "In these two quotations the whole mystery ofthe solution isrevealed. If you will consider the properties and powers ofNature, and compare them with these words, and annihilate all40 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.the workings of Nature (ie. reduce them, and unroll themlike the thread of a skein) , you will find in them all truth plainlyand fundamentally. But if you cannot gather from themwhere are the bolted gates, and do not know the substanceand the powers of Nature, you shall be conducted to them, notby contemptuous self- conceit, but by ardent prayer and indefatigable study.For (bythe revelation of the great and good God) I haveattained this Art only by persevering application , vigils, andrepeated reading of authentic books. I do not speak of thematter-that was made known to me by the revelation of Godalone; but I have by study discovered the secret of its solution,which is the same with ancient and modern Sages, and the truearcanum of the Art, in the absence of which neither past norpresent Philosophers could have performed anything, whence it isa secret of Art and an arcanum of wisdom which no one but Godmust reveal, for which benefit I give undying thanks with heartand lips to the Creator of all things, world without end, Amen.That you may have no cause to complain of me, gentlereater, I will, however, for the love of God, expound to youanother mystery. You are to know that, although the solutionis one, yet in it there may be distinguished a first, and a second,as they say in the schools. The first solution is that of whichArnold speaks in the above quotation, viz. , the reduction of it toits First Matter; the second is that perfect solution of body andspirit at the same time, in which the solvent and the thing solvedalways abide together, and with this solution of the body theretakes place simultaneously a consolidation of the spirit.Here you may clearly and piainly see with your eyes whatyou have long desired to see. If you understand it, it is merechild's play; therefore, I will forbear to speak any further about it.Ifyou know the beginning, the end will duly follow by the help ofGod, from whom alone we may obtain all glory, the corruptibleglory of this world, and that eternal glory in which with glorifiedbodies we shall see God face to face-despising all mundanepleasure that we may behold with our own eyes that eternal,infinite, and unspeakable joy of heaven.With these words I will conclude my little tract. Everything else that remains to be said I will set forth in the followingTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 41parable, where you will find the entire system and practiceclearly expounded. If you duly follow it, you will doubtlessattain to the true wisdom. May it be shewn to you, and to allgood men, by God the Father, God the Son, and God the HolySpirit, Blessed for evermore!M.S.The thing is one in number, and one essence, which Naturestrives to transform, but with the help of Art, into two, and twicetwo mercury and sulphur impart nourishment to themselves.Spirit, and soul, and body, and four elements: the fifth whichthey furnish is the Philosopher's Stone. Select your substancewithout guile, let it be double, and let its splendour be of puremercury. Take sulphur free from every foreign substance, andconsume it in a fiery furnace. But when you put it togetheragain, let it still be of the same weight. Then I will believe thatyou are upon the road of the mystery. When you have dissolved, quickly sublime it. Pound what you obtain, andceaselessly distil it. Then endeavour to condense it, andcontinue to expose it to heat. After this begin to "tinge "largely. You have the panacea of men, and the sum of themetals, and you shall be able to cure whomsoever and whatsoever you please.Herefollows a Parable in which the Mystery ofthe wholeMatter is Declared.Once upon a time, when I was walking abroad in a wood,and considering the wretchedness of this life, and deploring thatthrough the lamentable fall of our first parents we had beenreduced to this pitiable state, I suddenlyfound myselfupon a rough,untrodden, and impracticable path, which was beset with briars.Then I was afraid, and strove to retrace my steps. But it was notin my power to do so; for so violent a tempest blew upon me frombehind that it was easier to take ten steps forward than totake one backward. So I had to hurry forward, and follow therugged path up and down hill. After a while, I reached a beau-42 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.tiful meadow, surrounded with heavy-laden fruit trees, which theinhabitants of the place called the Meadow of Happiness.There I met a crowd of decrepit men with grey beards, one ofwhom, an elderly personage, had a long darkish beard, whom alsoI knew by name, but whose face I had never seen. These menwere discusssing various subjects, c.g. , the goodness and wisdomof God, all natural objects, and especially the great mysterywhich lies hid in Nature, which they said- God conceals fromthe whole world, and makes known only to a few who trulylove Him. I listened to them for a long time (for I waspleased with their discourse) till I thought that some weretalking rather wildly, not in regard to the substance and themethod, but as concerns parables, similitudes, etc., which were the figments of Aristotle, Pliny, and others. When I heardthese things, I could no longer contain myself, and, like Saulamong the prophets, I began to give my opinion, and to refutethose futile assertions by arguments drawn from experience andreason. Some ofthem agreed with me, and began to test myknowledge with many questions. But I was so well groundedthat I stood the test to the admiration of all. They all marvelled at the soundness of my knowledge, and affirmed withone voice that I should be received into their fellowship.These words filled me with great joy. But they said I couldnot be their Brother until I knew their Lion, and his internaland external properties. They told me I must summon upmy whole strength to subdue him. I confidently replied thatI would leave no stone unturned to attain this object. Fortheir kindness affected me so that I would not have left themfor all the wealth of this world. Therefore they conducted meto the Lion, and were at great pains to declare to me his nature.But no one would tell me how I must treat him at first. Someof them did indeed mutter a few words on this point, but so confusedly and obscurely, that scarce one in a thousand would haveunderstood their meaning. However, they said that when I hadbound him without being harmed by his sharp claws andterrible teeth, I should know all the rest. This Lion was old,fierce, great, and terrible to behold with his flowing yellow mane.Then I repented of my temerity, and would gladly have retreated if I had not been held to my purpose by my vow, andTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 43the old men that surrounded me. So I carefully descended intothe Lion's den, and strove to pacify him; but he glared uponme with red eyes, and affrighted me so that I could hardly standupon my feet, and thought that my last hour had come. Butcalling to mind what one of the old men had said to me when Ientered the den, namely, that many had undertaken to tame theLion, but that only few had accomplished it, I summoned upcourage, and tried several artifices, which I had learned by diligent training. Moreover, I had some knowledge of naturalimagic. I therefore relinquished my blandish ents, and seizedhim so gently, skilfully, and subtly, that almost before he knewwhat I was about I had drawn all the blood from his body, andfrom his very heart and bowels. This blood was red indeed, butcholeric. Then I proceeded to dissect him, and made a mostmarvellous discovery: —his bones were as white as snow, and theirquantity more considerable than that of the blood. When theold men who stood round the den, and had watched our struggle,saw this, they began to converse with great eagerness, as I couldsee from their gestures- for, being in the den, I could not heartheir words. But anon their dispute began to run high, and Icould distinguish these words: " He must bring him to life againif he wishes to be our brother." Therefore, without further delay,I stepped out of the den into a large open space, and thensuddenly (I know not how) found myself upon a very high wall,which rose more than 100 yards into the air, but at the top wasnot more than a foot in width, and along the middle of itran an iron battlement of great strength. Now as I passedalong thought I saw one walking before me on the right side of the battlement. When I had followed him a shortdistance I became aware of another person following me onthe other side; but, whether it was a man or a woman Icannot undertake to say. This person hailed me, and saidthat there was more convenient footing on his side than onmine. This I was quite ready to believe; for the battlement,which was on the middle of the wall, made the path so narrowas to render progress extremely difficult at such a great height;indeed, I noticed that some of those who followed me actuallyfell. Therefore I got over the battlement on to the other side,and proceeded to the end of the wall, which presented a mostT44 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.difficult and dangerous descent. Then I was sorry that I haddeserted my own side, as I could neither advance nor retreat.But, remembering that fortune befriends the bold, I attemptedthe descent, and by using my hands and feet, I got down safely.Nowwhen I had advanced a little further, I put away all thoughtof danger, and forgot all about the wall and the battlement.Then lighting upon a certain place, I found white and red roses,but the latter were more abundant; so I gathered some of them and stuck them in my cap. In that place were some most beautiful women, and in the neighbouring garden a number of youngmen were to be seen. But a wall which surrounded the gardenprevented the latter from joining the women. They were eagerto do so, but were not allowed to go round the garden and findthe gate. The sight moved me to pity, and therefore I hastilywent back by the smooth path along which I had come, andsoon reached some houses, among which I expected to find thegardener's cottage. But I found there many men, of whom eachhad his own cell (in very few there were two living together).They were all busily at work, each labouring by himself. Theirwork was of a kind long and familiarly known to me -indeed,far too well known. So I said to myself: " Behold, here aremany persons at work upon vain and foolish experiments, whichhave a certain specious plausibility ( according to each man'sidiosyncrasy), but no real foundation in Nature. Surely you,too, will obtain forgiveness. " At least, I would not suffer myselfto be detained with these barren futilities, but went on my way.When I reached the gate ofthe garden some looked askance atme, and I was afraid they would prevent me from carrying outmy purpose. Others murmured, and said: " Look, this fellowpresumes to approach the gate of the garden, and we who havespent so many years in these horticultural labours, have nevergained admittance! How we will jeer at him ifhe meets with arepulse." But I paid no attention to their talk (for I knew theinterior of that garden better than they, although I had neverbeen in it), and approached the gate, which was double- locked ,and in which there appeared to be no keyhole, but soon I perceived a keyhole which would have escaped any common observer.So I inserted my master key (called by some the adulteress "),which I had diligently fashioned for the purpose, pushed backTHE GOLDEN TRACT. 45the bolt, and entered. After passing this gate, I came uponother bolted gates, which, however, I opened without any difficulty. So I entered the garden, and found in the middle of it asmall square garden, which was surrounded with a rose hedgecovered with beautiful roses, and as a little rain was falling, andthe rays of the sun shone upon it, I beheld a rainbow. But Iwas hastening past the small garden, to that place where Ithought I could aid the young women, when, behold, therecame forward the most beautiful of all the maidens, arrayed insilk and satin, with the most beautiful of the youths, dressed in ascarlet robe. They walked arm in arm to the rose garden, andcarried many fragrant roses in their hands. I greeted them, and and asked how she had got over. "This my beloved bridegroom," she said, " helped me, and now we are leaving thispleasant garden, and hastening to our chamber to satisfy ourlove." " I am glad," I returned, " that without any trouble on my part your desires have been fulfilled. But you see how muchtrouble I have taken on your behalf, having traversed so great a distance in so short a time." Then I came to awater-mill, built within of stones, where there were no flourbins or other miller's requisites; yet I saw wheels drivenround by the water. I asked the decrepit miller the reason,and he told me the grinding took place somewhere out of view. At the same moment I saw a miller enter that placeby a small bridge, and immediately followed him. When Ihad passed the bridge, which was on the right side of thewheels, I paused and beheld a wonderful sight. In a momentthe wheels were above the bridge; I saw very black water,with white drops; the bridge was only about three incheswide; but by clinging to the rails I got safely back, withoutbeing wetted at all, and asked the old man how many wheels he had. He answered, " Ten." I was troubled by the marvellous incident, and would gladly have known its meaning,but felt that it was labour lost to ask the old man any questions,and so departed. Before the mill was a raised platform onwhich some of the aforesaid old men were walking to and fro inthe warm sunshine, discussing a letter which they had receivedfrom the Faculty of the University. I guessed the tenor of theletter, and, feeling sure that it concerned me, I addressed to them46THEHERMETICMUSEUM."" 66youra question to that effect. "It does concern you," they said, " thewife whom you married a long time ago, you must keep for ever,or else we must tell our chief." " You need not troubleselves about this matter," I said, " for we were born together, andbrought up together as children, and now that I have marriedher, I will never forsake her, but cherish her till her last breath;nay, even death itself shall not sever us.' It is well," theysaid, "your wife is satisfied, too; you must be joined together. "" I am content, " I said. "It is well," they repeated. "For thusthe Lion will be restored to life, and be more powerful and moreactive than he was before." Then I remembered my labours,and knew by certain signs that this matter concerned not myself,but a very good friend of mine. Ar these thoughts crossed mymind, I saw our bridegroom and his beloved bride-both clothedin the aforesaid garments-come forward, eager to be joinedtogether. This sight gladdened me; for I had been afraid thatthe whole matter concerned me. Now when the bridegroom, inhis bright scarlet robe, with his bride, whose silk dress gave outshining rays, reached the old men, they were straightway joinedtogether. And I marvelled that the maiden, who was said to bethe mother of her bridegroom, was of so youthful an appearance,that she might have seemed his daughter. But I know notwhat sin they had committed, except that brother and sisterhad been drawn to each other by such passionate love thatthey could no more be separated; and, being charged withincest, they were shut up for ever in a close prison, which,however, was as pellucid and transparent as glass, andarched like the heavenly vault, so that all that they did couldbe seen from without. Here they were to do penance fortheir sins with ever-flowing tears, and true sorrow. All theirclothes and outward ornaments were taken away. None oftheir servants and friends were allowed to be with them, butafter they had received sufficient meat and drink (the lattertaken from the aforesaid water), the door was shut and locked,and the seal of the Faculty was affixed to it. I was entrustedwith the charge of heating their chamber in the winter, so thatthey might be neither too hot nor too cold, and I was furtherto see that they did not escape. If any accident of any kind -happened, I was to be severely punished. I did not like thisTHE GOLDEN TRACT 47charge; and, as I remembered that the matter was most important, and that the College of Sages were not wont to say what they did not mean, I was filled with fear. But since Ihad to bear that which I could not alter, and since thechamber was situated in a strong tower, and surrounded withbattlements and lofty walls, and, moreover, could be easilyheated with a gentle and continuous fire, I called upon God forhelp, and began to heat the chamber. But what happened?As soon as they felt the grateful warmth, they fell to embracingeach other so passionately that the husband's heart was meltedwith the excessive ardour of love, and he fell down broken inmany pieces. When she who loved him no less than he loved her,saw this, she wept for him, and, as it were, covered him withoverflowing tears, until he was quite flooded and concealed fromview. But those complaints and tears did not last long, forbeing weary with exceeding sorrow, she at length destroyedherself. Alas! what fear and anguish fell upon me, when Isaw those who had been so straitly committed to my charge,lying, as it were, melted and dead before me. I felt sure thatI should be put to death for it; but the jeers, the derision , andthe contempt which I would have to undergo seemed moregrievous even than death. In this anxious state of mind I spentseveral days, until the thought occurred to me that, if Medea hadrestored a dead body to life, I might perhaps be able to do the same. But I could think of no better plan than to keep up thewarmth of the chamber until the water should have evaporated,and the dead bodies of the lovers could again be seen.doubted not that then I should most honourably escape from alldanger. So I kept up the fire forty days, the water diminishingfrom day to day, and the dead bodies beginning to reappear.Now, however, they looked as black as coals. This effect wouldhave been produced sooner if the chamber had not been soclosely shut and scaled so that I could in no wise open it. ForI noticed that the water rose to the roof of the chamber, andthen came down again like rain; but it could find no exit fromthe chamber, until the dead bodies had putrefied and began togive out a grievous smell. In the meantime the rays of the sun,shining upon the moisture of the chamber, produced a mostbeautiful rainbow; and, after all my sorrow, the sight of its gayI48THEHERMETICMUSEUM.colours filled me with great delight; and I was particularlypleased to see my lovers lying before me. But as there is nojoy without a drop of bitterness, so I was still disturbed by thethought that those who had been committed to my care werestill lying lifeless. Nevertheless, I comforted myself with thereflection that the chamber (being so tightly closed) must stillcontain their souls and spirits. Therefore I continued diligentlyto perform my office of warming them, being assured that theywould not return to their bodies while they could enjoy thatmoist atmosphere. This conjecture was justified by the event.For towards evening I noticed that many vapours rose from theearth through the heat of the sun, and were lifted up as water isattracted by the sun; afterwards when night fell, they wateredthe earth as fertilising dew, and washed our bodies, which becamemore beautiful and white the oftener this sprinkling took place.And the whiter they became, the more the quantity of moisturein the air diminished, until at last the atmosphere was too thinfor the spirit and soul to remain therein any longer; so theywere at length compelled to return to the clarified body of theQueen, which (to my great joy) was straightway restored to life.My joy was all the greater, because now she was arrayed in abeautiful and magnificent garment such as is rarely seen bymortal eye, and had a glorious crown, all made of diamonds ,upon her head. Thus attired, she stood upon her feet andcried: " Know this, ye mortals, and let it enter your hearts,that the most High God is one God, who has power to set upand pull down kings. He makes rich and poor as He wills.He has killed, and raised again. I was great, and was broughtlow; but now, having been humbled, I have been made Queen .ofmany more kingdoms. After death life has been restored tome. When I was poor, the treasures of the wise and mighty were committed to me. Therefore I , too, can make the poor rich,give grace to the humble, and restore the health of the sick.But I am not yet able to raise my beloved brother, the mostmighty King, from the dead. Nevertheless, when he comes, hewill show that my words are true." When she had thus spokenthe sun lighted up the world with his glorious rays, and the heatwaxed great (for the dog days were approaching). Long beforethis, garments of rich black silk, of grey or ash- coloured damask,THE GOLDEN TRACT. 49of rare white silk, embroidered with silver, precious pearls, andbrilliant diamonds, had been got ready towards the marriage ofour Queen; and now garments of many colours, of lesh colour,orange, and saffron, and of red and scarlet silk, richly embroidered with rubies and carbuncles, were being prepared forthe adornment of our new King. But there was no one to beseen working at those garments; yet one after another was gotready, insomuch that I greatly marvelled, because I knew thatnone but the bride and the bridegroom had entered the chamber.My wonder increased when I observed that as each dress wasfinished, those that had been there before straightway vanished,though I could see no one put them away. Now when thatmost precious scarlet garment had been finished , the great andmighty King appeared in great splendour and indescribablemagnificence, and when he saw that he was shut in, he besoughtme, in the most persuasive accents, to open the door, as it wouldbe to my advantage to let him out of the chamber. Now,though I had been most strictly enjoined not to open thechamber, I was filled with awe by the majesty and persuasivespeech of the King, and acceded to his request. When he leftthe chamber, he bore himselfso kindly, so gently, and so humbly,that I could not help reflecting that these virtues are the mostglorious ornaments of the great. As he had passed the dogdays in great heat he was extremely thirsty, spent, and weary;wherefore he humbly requested me to bring him some waterfrom the river where it raged and foamed under the wheels.I gladly acceded to his request, and, after slaking his thirst witha deep draught, he returned to the chamber, requesting me toshut the door carefully so that no one might disturb him orrouse him from his sleep. So he slept a few days, and thencalled me back to open the door again. He looked much morebeautiful, ruddier, and more royal, and said that this water wasvery precious and full of virtue. When at his request I hadfetched him some more, he took a deeper draught than before,insomuch that the size of the chamber seemed to become enlarged. After drinking of this water (which is lightly esteemedby the ignorant) as much as he desired, he became so beautifuland glorious that in all my life I do not remember to have seen a more glorious man, or more glorious deeds. For he took meD50 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.into his kingdom and showed me all the treasures and riches ofthe whole world, till I was obliged to confess, that so far fromexaggerating his power, the Queen had not told me the half of it.Ofgold and precious carbuncles there was no end. There wasalso to be found renewal and restoration of youth, and of thenatural faculties, and recovery of lost health, with a never failingpanacea for all diseases. What pleased me most of all, was thatthe people of that kingdom knew, feared, and honoured theirCreator, and asked and obtained of him wisdom, understanding,and, after this life, eternal glory and beatitude. May this latterbe given to us also by God the Father, God the Son, and Godthe Holy Spirit, the Blessed Trinity, to Whom belong praise,glory, and honour, world without end, Amen.THE GOLDEN AGEHAVINGRESTORED:NOW APPEARED A SECOND TIME, FLOURISHEDBEAUTIFULLY, AND BROUGHT FORTH FRAGRANT ANDGOLDEN SEED. THIS RARE AND PRECIOUSSEED IS SHEWN AND IMPARTED TO ALLTHE SONS OF TRUE WISDOM ANDTHE DOCTRINE,VIRGOMATERETTRINUSETUNNICONCENTRICENTRILMEUSETB. S.MIRBYHENRY MADATHANAS.TRIASUNT"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, whogives simply, and without upbraiding, and it shall begiven to him. " -JAMES i . , 5 .MOTTO OF THE AUTHOR:"The Centre of the World-a Grain of Sand. "PREFACE .BTo the Worthy and Christian Reader.ELOVED and pious reader, above all , ye who are SonsofWisdom and the Doctrine, some years ago AlmightyGod, in answer to my daily prayers, opened my eyes bythe light of His Holy Spirit (Who was sent us throughChrist bythe Father, and from Whom we receive all wisdom), andenabled me to discover the True Centre in the Centre oftheTriangle and the one true Matter of the precious Philosopher'sStone, so that I now hold it in my hands; but it took me five years longer to discover how the blood ofthe Red Lion and theglue of the White Eagle were to be extracted, and how thesewere to be mixed in their natural proportions , enclosed, sealed,and committed to the secret fire. Nor did I even then find thearcanum without constant and untiring application. I have,indeed, studied the writings, parables, and various figures ofthephilosophers with singular industry, and laboured hard to solvetheir manifold wonderful enigmas, most of which are simply thevain products of their imaginations. It was long beforeexperience taught me that all their obscure verbiage and highpretensions are mere folly and empty phantasms ( as is amplytestified by our leading Sages). Then I understood that theirpreparations (of which we read in Geber, Albertus Magnus, andothers), their purgations, sublimations, cementations, distillations,rectifications, circulations, putrefactions, conjunctions, solutions,coagulations, calcinations, incinerations, mortifications, revivifications, &c. , as also their tripods, athanors (furnaces), reverberatoryalembics, excrements of horses, ashes, sand, stills, pelican-violas,retorts, fixatories, &c. , are mere plausible impostures and frauds.This must be apparent to any one who considers the truth ofthematter. Nature, who, in her noble simplicity, delights in her own54 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.proper substance, knows nothing of these futilities . HenceTheophrastus ( Scc. Mag. de Phil. Lap. ) rightly says of those whoseek the substance of the Stone in wine, imperfect bodies, blood,bismuth, mercury, sulphur, wine, dung, orpiment, and in plants,as chelidonia, hyssop, ivy, &c. , that they are full of lies andthievery-deceiving the credulous, milking their purses dry, and,as to the rest, following their own foolish fancies, that are quiteunable to realise the requirements of Nature. (Tell me now whowill help me with the minerals of the earth, distillations of water,&c.?) Some of them take new wine and urine for the purpose ofchanging them into metals. To hear them talk, you might suppose all that is sold at the apothecaries to be good for metals.Thou foolish man, dost thou not perceive that none of thesethings have anything to do with them?You might as well try to sever Nature, as endeavour to makemetals out of blood . Make a man out of a horse, or a milch cowout of a mouse: this would be according to the same method ofmultiplication. Art cannot change or overstep the natural orderof the universe. Ifa woman bring forth a male child, you cannot change him into a little girl. From this rule, which evidentlyobtains throughout Nature, any sane person may gather where,and how, we must look for, and find, our Blessed Matter.But let no one imagine, or suffer any quack to delude him intothe belief, that he has all that he requires when the substancehas been made known to him either by God, or by one of theinitiated. Let him not suppose that the solution and purificationare a very simple matter. He could fall into no more seriousmistake. He has scarcely got beyond the most elementary stageof his task. Let me once more tell him that I spent five entireyears, after discovering the true Matter of the Stone, in thesearch after the right method of manipulating it, until at length,in the sixth year, the key of power was entrusted to me by thesecret revelation of the most High God. That same key theancient Patriarchs, Prophets, and Sages have always kept secret." For if," says Monarcha, in a certain passage, " they haddescribed it in an universally intelligible manner, and placed itwithin the reach of every labourer and porter, it would have beena great theft, and no true mystery; morcover, many evils wouldarise from such a profanation of the arcanum, which would alsoTHE GOLDEN AGE RESTORED: 55be manifestly contrary to God's will. " For these and other reasons(which I have stated in the Epilogue) , lest I should seem to behiding the talent committed to me by God, I have in this my" Golden Age Come Back " (as far as Nature and God allow)revealed the Great Mystery of the Sages, which, through the graceof God, I have seen with these eyes, and handled with thesehands. The just and pious reader will regard my undertakingwith a kindly eye, and not suffer seeming contradictions to mislead him the theory of and practice of this Art, and the lawswhich obtain in the Republic of the Chemists, forbade me towrite more openly or plainly. I hope and trust that, nevertheless, all who look upon this book with the eyes of the mind, poreover it by day and by night, and pray to God from the bottomof their hearts, will, together with me, enjoy the wonderfulhidden fruits of philosophy. In this way the Brethren ofthetrue Golden Cross, and the elect members of the philosophiccommunion, are and remain joined together in a great confeder- ation.In conclusion , that the learned and worthy Christian readermay know my Christian name and my surname, I will removeevery cause of complaint by making it known in the following manner. Let all and sundry be certified that the number of myname is 1613 by this number my whole name is written in thebook of Nature with two dead ones, and seven living ones. Afterthat, the letter 5 is the fifth part of B, and 15 the fifth part of 12.With this information you must be satisfied. Written atTaunenberg, March 23rd, 1622.Epigram to the Sons of Wisdom and the Doctrine.I have sought; I have found; I have often purified; andI have joined together; I have matured it: Then the goldentincture has followed, which is called the Centre of Nature(hence so many opinions, so many books, so many parables).It is the Remedy, I openly declare it, for all metals, and for all sick persons. The solution is of God.HERMAN DATICHIUS,The Author's Famulus.

THE GOLDEN AGE RESTORED.ASI pondered in my mind the marvels of the MostHigh, and the duty of fervent love to our neighbours, which He laid upon us; I remembered thewheat harvest, when Reuben, the son of Leah, foundDudaim in the field, which Leah gave to Rachel for thelove of the Patriarch Jacob. Then I was carried forward,being plunged in profound thought, to the time of Moses,who rendered potable the golden calf (which Aaron hadformed) by reducing it to powder in the fire, throwing it intothe water, and giving it the children of Israel to drink; and Imarvelled greatly at the wonderful and masterly destruction of the metal by the man of God. But when I reflected uponthe matter, the truth was borne in upon my mind, and my eyeswere opened like those of the disciples at Emmaus, who knewtheir Master in the breaking of bread; and my heart burned within me. Then I retired to rest, that I might consider thematter further (on the morrow), and fell into a deep slumber;when, behold, Solomon appeared to me in all his power,wealth, and glory, and with him came his whole harem: sixty were queens, eight hundred concubines, and of virginsthere was a countless number. One of them was his mostbeautiful dove, and was dearest to his heart. They formed aprocession according to the Catholic rite, in the centre of whichwas one greatly praised and beloved, whose name was like ointment poured out, and whose fragrance was sweeter than that ofspices; the fiery spirit of this person was the Key for theopening of the Temple, for entering the Holy of Holics, andtaking hold on the horns ofthe Altar.When the procession had been performed in the manneraforesaid, Solomon shewed me the One Centre in the Triangle58THEHERMETICMUSEUM.ofthe Centre, and opened my understanding. Then I observedthat a woman stood behind me, who had bared her breast, froma deep wound in which blood and water gushed forth. Herthighs were like two half-moons, made by the Master; her navelwas like a round goblet; her belly like a heap of wheat, setabout with roses; her breasts like two young roes that aretwins; her neck like a tower of ivory; her eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the Gate of Bathrabbim; her nose likethe Tower of Lebanon, which looketh towards Damascus;her head like Carmel, and the hair of her head like royalpurple. Her garments, which were rancid, ill - savoured, and fullof venom , lay at her feet, whither she had cast them; and atlength she broke forth into these words: " I have put off mycoat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; howshall I defile them? The watchmen that went about thecity found me, they smote me, they wounded me; theytook away my veil from me." Thereupon I fell to the ground with great and ignorant terror. But Solomon bade me rise,and said: " Fear not; for you see Nature bared, and the mostsecret of all secrets that is found beneath the sky and carth:She is beautiful as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem , terrible as anarmy with banners-and nevertheless the pure and chaste virginof whom Adam was formed and created. The entrance ofher tabernacle is sealed. She lives in gardens, sleeps in thedouble cave of Abraham, in the field of Hebron, and herpalace is in the depths of the Red Sea, and in transparentcaverns. The air bare her, the fire nourished her: thereforeshe is the Queen of the carth, and has honey andmilk in her breasts; her lips are as a dropping honeycomb; honey and milk are under her tongue; and the smell ofher garments is to the wise like the smell of Lebanon-but tothe ignorant an abomination." And Solomon said further:"Awake, and see my whole harem, and say what it is like."And straightway his whole harem was stripped naked. Yetcould I not find or judge, and my eyes were sealed lest I shouldknow the secret. When Solomon saw my infirmity, he setthat naked woman apart from the rest of the harem, and said:"Thy thoughts are vain, and thy mind is sunburnt; thy memoryis shrouded in a thick mist, so that thou canst judge nothingTHE GOLDEN AGE RESTORED. 59rightly. But if thou art on the watch, and makest good useof thy present opportunity, the bloody sweat and snowy tearsof this virgin will have power to restore thee, and to strengthenand clarify thy intellect and memory that thy eyes may seethe secret wonders of the Most High, the height of the thingsabove, the depth of the things beneath, and that thou maystclearly understand the powers and operation of all Nature, andof the elements. Thy intellect shall be silver, and thy memorygolden. The colour of all precious stones shall appear beforethy eyes; thou shalt know their birth, and separate the goodfrom the bad, the sheep fromthe goats. Thy life shall be peace,but the bells of Aaron shall rouse thee from sleep, and the lyreof David, my father, from drowsiness." These words ofSolomon awed and terrified me still more; in part I wasadread at such emphatic speech, and in part also at thesplendour and glory ofthe King's harem. But King Solomonseized my right hand, and led me through a wine cellar into amost splendid secret palace, where he refreshed me with flowersand apples. The windows were of transparent crystal, and Igazed through them. And he said: " What do you see? " I said:I see the former chamber whence we came, and on the leftstands thy royal harem, and on the right naked virgins. Theireyes are redder than wine, and their teeth whiter than milk.But the garments that lie at their feet are fouler, blacker, and more unsightly than the river Kidron." "Choose out one ofthese," said Solomon, " to be your love. I esteem the virginseven as my own harem. And the more their loveliness delightsme, the less am I deterred by their foul garments." With this,the King turned himself and spoke most kindly to one of his queens. There was in the chamber a mistress of about ahundred years of age. She was arrayed in a grey robe, andhad a black fillet on her head, that was embroidered with manybrilliant jewels, and lined within with red, yellow, and blue silk;her mantle was heavily ornamented with all kinds of Turkishand Indian colours and figures. This ancient woman nodded to me,and swore piously that she was the mother of that naked virgin,and that she was a pure, chaste, and sealed virgin, who hadnever before suffered the eye of man to dwell upon her, nor hadany one ever touched her. She was the virgin of whom the60 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Prophet had spoken: " Behold, we have a secret son, whowith others has been changed. Behoid, a virgin has conceived,the virgin that is called Apdorossa, that is, the sealed one, whosuffers not others. " Because her daughter was still unmarried,she had concealed her dowry beneath her feet, lest in the presentwar she should be deprived of her wealth by soldiers. ButI was not to be deterred by her foul garments, but tochoose her daughter from among all the rest for my belovedone, and the pleasure of mylife. IfI did so she would give me alye with which I could cleanse her garments. Moreover, with herhand I should receive the flowing salt, the incombustible oil, andan inestimable treasure. She was about to declare this tome more in detail, when Solomon turned round, looked askance atme, and said: " I am the wisest of men, and my pleasant haremand the glory and the beauty of my queens excel the gold ofOphir. The ornaments of my concubines shame the rays of thesun, and the beauty of my virgins the light of the moon. Myvirgins are heavenly, my wisdom inscrutable, my mind pastfinding out. "Then I answered, while I bowed down to the ground withawe: " Behold, if I have found grace in your eyes-for I amlowly-give me that naked virgin whom I have chosen fromamong all, to preserve my life. Her garments are old, defiled ,and foul, but I will purge them, and love her with all my heart.Let her be my sister, my spouse, since one glance of her eyes has stolen away my heart, and I am sick with love for her."On hearing this Solomon straightway gave her to me. Withthat there arose a tumult in the harem, which roused me from mysleep. Now I knew not what had happened to me; but Itook it for some dream, and thereupon until the light dawned Iwas full of subtle thoughts. But when I had risen, and pouredforth my prayers, behold, I saw the garments of the naked virginlying by my bedside, and when I saw not her, my hair stood onend, and I was covered with a cold perspiration. But I tookheart and recalled my dream, and endeavoured to rememberwhether it had been real or not. But seeing that my ponderingcould explain nothing, I would by no means look again upon thegarments, much less did I dare to touch them. So I changedmy chamber, and, out of sheer ignorance, left those garmentsTHE GOLDEN AGE RESTORED. 61lying there a long time. For I feared that if I touched them orturned them over, something remarkable would happen to me.Now the poisonous odour of the garments which I had inhaledin my sleep was so sickening that my eyes could not see thetime of grace, or my heart understand the great wisdom of Solomon.After the garments had lain five years in the chamber, I atlength determined to throw them into the fire, and change mydwelling. In the night after I had formed this resolution, thatancient woman appeared to me in a dream, and rebuked withthe following angry words: " Most ungrateful of mortals, thegarments of my daughter, beneath which lie concealed thosepriceless jewels, have now been committed to thee for more than five years. Yet in all that time thou hast not cleansed or purified them, and now thou thinkest to burn them; is it not enoughthat thou art the cause of my daughter's death? " Then Ianswered, wrathfully: " How am I to understand thy words?Wouldst thou make me out to be a robber, though during thosefive years I have never seen thy daughter, or heard a syllableabout her? How can I possibly be the cause of her death? "Here she took me up: " All this is true. Nevertheless thouhast sinned grievously against God, and on that account hastnot received from me my daughter, or the lye of the Sages wherewith to cleanse her garments. For since thou wert fromthe very first horrified at the sight of my daughter's garments,the planet Saturn, her grandfather, was wroth, and changed her into what she was before her birth. Moreover, thouhast offended him by despising her, and being the cause ofher death, corruption, and final destruction. She it is of whomSenior thus speaks: ' Woe, woe unto me! Bring me a nakedwoman, while my body was yet invisible, and I had notyet become a mother, till I should be born a second time;then I brought forth all the strength of the vegetableroots, and carried off the victory in my essence.' " Thesewords sounded strange and mysterious to me, yet Imanfully repressed my wrath, and solemnly protested that Iknew nothing of her daughter's decease, and certainly had notbeen the cause of her death, corruption, and destruction; that Ihad kept her garments five years in my chamber, but had been62 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.prevented by my great blindness from understanding their use;and that I felt innocent before God and men. My excuse satisfied the ancient woman; she looked kindly at me, and said: “ Isee that thy conscience is pure from guilt, and for thy innocencethou shalt receive a great reward. Therefore, I will reveal to theethis matter faithfully, but secretly. My daughter, for the greatlove she bare thee, has left thee under her garments a grey boxwrapped in a thick, black, mouldy cloth. " With this she gave me aglass bottle full of lye, and continued: " Purge that box well ofthe dirt and bad smell with which the garments have infected it,and then thou shalt want no key, but the box will open of itsown accord, and in it thou shalt find two things, viz. , a whitesilver casket full of polished diamonds, and a rich robe intertissued with precious solar jasper stones. All these treasuresbelonged to my dear daughter, and she left them all to thee beforeshe was transformed and perished. If thou wilt skilfully transpose this treasure, carefully purify it, and silently and patientlyplace it in some warm, moist, vaporous, and transparent chamber,and guard it there from cold, wind, hail, swift lightning, and alloutward injury, till the season of the wheat harvest, thou shaltperceive and behold the great glory and beauty of thine heritage. "When she had thus spoken, I awoke, and devoutly prayedthat God might grant me wisdom to find the box which had beendescribed to me in my dream. Then I instituted a careful searchamong the garments, and was soon rewarded with success; butthe cloth in which the box was wrapped was so hard and so firmlyglued to it that I could not tear it off; morcover, I could notcleanse it with lye, or cut it with iron, steel, or any othermetal. So I did not knowwhat in all the world I should do, andbegan to think that it was a poisoned cloth, and to call to mindthe saying of the Prophet: " Though thou wash thee with nitreand take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me,saith the Lord God."So another year passed away, and still all my patient toil andthought had met with no success. At last, to drive away melancholy, I took a walk in a certain garden; and, after some time, Isat down upon a stone and fell into a deep sleep. I slept, but myheart,waked. Then the ancient woman appeared to me oncemore, and said: " Have you entered upon the heritage of myTHE GOLDEN AGE RESTORED. 63daughter? " I sorrowfully replied, " I did indeed find the box,but I cannot remove the cloth, nor will the lye that thou gavest me avail to soften it." Then she laughed at my simplicity, andsaid: " Dost thou try to cat oysters or crabs in their shells?Must they not first be prepared by the ancient cook ofthe planets?I told thee to purify the grey box with the lye I gave thee, butnot the cloth which is wrapped round it. The latter thoushouldest first have burned with the fire of the Sages." For thispurpose she gave me some glowing coals, wrapped in a silk cloth,from which I was to obtain the subtle fire of the Sages, and toldme that if with this fire burned away the cloth I should get atthe box. When she had ended, straightway there arose a northand south wind, and blew through the garden. Then I awokeagain, shook off sleep, and beheld the glowing coals lying at myfeet. I took them up with a grateful heart, and began to workday and night, remembering the saying of the Sages: “ Fire andAzoth are sufficient for thee "; and the passage in Esdras ( Bk. iv. ):" And he gave me a goblet filled with fire, and when I had drunkit wisdom grew in me; and God granted me understanding, andmy spirit was preserved, and my mouth opened, but nothing elsewas added. " After forty nights I had finished 204 books, ofwhich seventy were worthy to be read by the most wise, andwere written upon box tablets. I thus continued in silence andhope, as that ancient woman had bidden me do, until at last,after a long time, my understanding, in fulfilment of Solomon'sprophecy, became silver, and my memory gold.When, in obedience to the directions of the ancient lady,I had skilfully placed the treasure of her daughter in a chamberby itself, and closed it up, I gazed upon those brilliant lunardiamonds, and solar rubies, and understood the meaning ofSolomon when he says: " My Beloved is white and ruddy, thechiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold,his locks are bushy, and black as a raven; his eyes are as theeyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitlyset; his cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers; his lipslike roses dropping fragrant myrrh; his hands are as gold ringsset with the beryl; his belly is as bright ivory overlaid withsapphires; his legs are as pillars of marble set upon sockets offine gold; his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the64 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.cedars; his mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely.This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O ye daughters ofJerusalem. Hold him, and suffer him not to go, till I havebrought him into my mother's house, into my mother'schamber. "To these words of Solomon I could find no answer, and hadalready determined to take the treasure out of the chamber thatI might at length enjoy quietness and peace, when I happenedupon this other passage: " I charge you, O ye daughters ofJerusalem, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, that ye stirnot up nor awake my love till he please. She is a gardenenclosed; a spring shut up; a fountain sealed; a vineyard atBaal-hamon; a vineyard at Engedi; an orchard; a spice garden;a hill of myrrh; a mountain of incense; a bed; a crown; apalm tree; a rose of Sharon; a sapphire; a beryl stone; a wall;a tower, and battlement; a garden of herbs; a fountain in agarden; a spring of living waters; a daughter of princes, andthe pleasant love of Solomon; she dearly loves her mother, andis her mother's chosen one; her head is full of dew, and herlocks wet with the drops of night. "These words enlightened me, and shewed unto me the aim ofthe wise wherefore I patiently left the treasure in the chamber,and waited till through God's mercy all should have been happilyperfected by the operation of Nature, and the labour of my hands.Shortly afterwards, on the day of the new moon, an eclipseof the sun was seen, which was terrible to behold, for it beganwith a misty greenness, somewhat shot over with other colours,but it was followed by entire blackness; all heaven and earthwere shrouded in thick darkness, and men were full of fear, butI rejoiced. For I remembered God's great mercy, and theMystery of Regeneration, as Christ Himself told us thatunless a grain of wheat was cast into the earth, and decomposed, it could bring forth no fruit. Now it happenedthat the eclipse was covered by clouds, and the sun began toshine, but as yet three-fourths of it were darkened. And,behold, an arm held out from the clouds a letter sealed at thefour corners, on which was written: " I am black, but comely, Odaughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the1THE GOLDEN AGE RESTORED. 65curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black,and burnt by the sun. " Then there was seen a rainbow, and Iremembered the Covenant of the Most High, and the faithfulness of my Teacher, and, behold, by the help of the planets andthe fixed stars, the sun at last overcame the eclipse, and shoneout once more in perfect brightness upon the mountains andvalleys. Then all fear and terror were at an end, and all thathad seen that day rejoiced in the Lord, and said: " Lo, thewinter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appearon the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and thevoice of the turtle is heard in our land; the fig tree puttethforth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes givea good smell. Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil thevines, that we may gather the ripe grapes and drink wine, andbe satisfied in due season with milk and the honeycomb.". Atthe approach of evening the sky changed its aspect, and theSeven Stars rose with a lurid light, till, having completed theirnatural course, they paled and vanished before the Redness ofthe Sun. And, behold, the wise that dwelt upon carth awokefrom their sleep, and gazed up to heaven, and said: " Who is itthat bursts forth like the Dawn, beautiful like the Moon, mightylike the Sun, in whom there appears no spot? his fervour iskindled , and the flame ofthe Lord: Many waters cannot quenchlove, neither can the floods drown it. Therefore, we will notforsake her; she is our sister, though she be small, and have nobreasts. We will take her back to the house of her mother, intothe transparent palace where she was before, that by sucking thebreasts ofher mother, she may become great like the tower ofDavid, strengthened with battlements, on which hang a thousandshields and all the weapons of the strong. When she wentforth the daughters called her blessed, the Queen and theconcubines praised her. " But I knelt down, and returned thanksto God, and glorified His Holy Name.EPILOGUE.And now, my beloved Sons of Wisdom and the Doctrine,herein is the great Mystery of the Sages, in all the power andglory thereof, and the Revelation of the Spirit, concerning E66 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Whom the prince and monarch Theophrastus has these words, inhis Apocalypse of Hermes: " He is the only God, and holds thewhole world together; through Him alone can we be true, andtruly vanquish the Elements, and obtain the Quintessence. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, neither has it entered into theheart of any man to conceive that which is in the mind of thisSpirit of Truth. In Him alone is truth, and through Him aloneAdam and the other patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, wereenabled to secure constant health, and a long life, and to providefor themselves great wealth. Through this Spirit the Seven Sages invented the Arts, and gained riches. With His aid Noahbuilt the Ark, Solomon the Temple, and Moses the Tabernacle;through Him vessels of pure gold were borne into the Temple;through Him Solomon gained his excellent knowledge, and performed mighty deeds. He enabled Ezra to restore the Law;Miriam, sister of Moses, to exercise liberality; and the Prophetsofthe Old Covenant to predict the future. He is the Sanctification and Healing of all things , the highest knowledge, theultimate Mystery of Nature, that is to say, the Spirit oftheLord, Who fills the whole universc, and Who brooded over thewaters in the beginning-without Whose secret teachingthe world cannot be understood, and Whom the wholeworld desires on account of His power, while the Saints have sought and longed ardently to see Him from thebeginning of the world. For He dwells in the sevenPlanets, raises the clouds, dispels the mist, gives light to allthings, changes everything into gold and silver, imparts allhealth, abundance, and treasure, heals the leper, cures dropsyand gout, prolongs life, comforts the sorrowful, restores health tothe sick, removes all defects, and, in short, is the Mystery of allmysteries, the Arcanum of all arcana, the true healing andMedicine of all things. He gives the desired knowledge, and isthe best of all sublunar things, by which Nature is strengthened,and the heart with all the members renewed, the flower of youthkept fresh, old age driven away, diseases destroyed, and thewhole earth renewed. His Nature is unscarchable, His powerinfinite, His excellence and glory unapproachable.66 Moreover, this Spirit presides over all heavenly things,gives health, fortune, joy, peace, love, destroys every evil afterTHE GOLDEN AGE RESTORED. 67its kind, puts an end to poverty and misery, renders menincapable of doing, saying, or thinking any evil, and gives to thegodly temporal felicity, but to the wicked who abuse it, eternalpunishment. "And thus, in the Name of the Holy Trinity, we will, inthese few words, conclude our exposition ofthe Great Mystery ofthe Most Precious Philosophical Stone, and of the Arcanum ofthe Sages. To the Most High and Almighty God, the Creatorof this Art, Whom it hath pleased to reveal to me, wretched, sinful man (in answer to my prayer), this most precious knowledge,be eternal praise, glory, honour, and thanksgiving; and to Himbe addressed a most humble and fervent prayer that He may sodirect my heart and mind, that I may not speak of this Mystery,or make it known to the wicked, lest I be found unmindful of myVow, a Breaker of the Heavenly Seal, a perjured Brother of theGolden Cross, and guilty of, the Sin against the Holy Ghost.From this may God the Father, God the Son, and God theHoly Ghost, the Blessed and Indivisible Trinity, in mercyPRESERVE ME. Amen, Amen, Amen.E2

THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH;OR,WATER STONE OF THE WISE,THAT IS, A CHYMICAL WORK, IN WHICH THE WAY IS SHEWN,THE MATTER NAMED, AND THE PROCESS DESCRIBED;NAMELY, THE METHOD OF OBTAINING THEUNIVERSAL TINCTURE.NOW PUBLISHED FOR the first time.PRINTED AT THE PUBLIC COST FOR THE ADVANTAGE OF THE PUBLIC.}A BRIEF EXPOSITIONOF THEWONDERFUL WATER STONE OF THE WISE,COMMONLY CALLEDTHE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.FROM the beginning of the world, there have alwaysbeen God-enlighted men and experienced philosophersand wise Gentiles who diligently studied the natureand properties of the lower Creation . They laboriouslyendeavoured and fervently longed to discover whether Naturecontained anything that would preserve our earthly body fromdecay and death, and maintain it in perpetual health and vigour.For bythe light of Nature, and Divine revelation, they intuitivelyperceived that the Almighty, in His love to men, must have concealed in the world some wonderful arcanum by which everyimperfect, diseased, and defective thing in the whole world mightbe renewed, and restored to its former vigour.By the most diligent and careful search they graduallyfound out that there was nothing in this world that could procurefor our earthly and corruptible body immunity from death, sincedeath was laid upon the Protoplasts, Adam and Eve, and theirposterity, as a perpetual penalty. But they did discover onething which, being itself incorruptible, has been ordained of Godfor the good of man, to remove disease, to cure all imperfection,to purge old age, and to prolong our brief life -a boon actuallyenjoyed by the Patriarchs.This wonderful remedy was industriously sought by thewise and understanding, until they discovered it, and its preciousvirtue. Thus, the Patriarchs used it to restore their bodily72 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.vigour, and prolong their lives; and it was no doubt revealed byGod to Adam, our thrice great parent, who bequeathed the secret to all the Patriarchs who were his descendants, who thereby procured for themselves length of days and boundless wealth.When the aforesaid Gentiles had received this knowledge, theyjustly regarded it as a most precious gift of God, and a mostholy Art, and forasmuch as they perceived that, by God'sprovidence, it had been revealed only to a few, and concealedfrom the majority of mankind, they always made it a point of conscience and honour to keep it secret.But that the secret might not be lost, but rather continuedand preserved to posterity, they expounded it most faithfully,both in their writings and in oral teaching to their faithfuldisciples, for the benefit of posterity; nevertheless, they soclothed and concealed the truth in allegorical language thateven now only very few are able to understand their instructionand turn it to practical account. For this practice they had avery good reason; they wished to force those who seek thiswisdom to feel their dependence on God ( in Whose hand are allthings), to obtain it through instant prayer, and, when it hasbeen revealed to them, to give all the glory to Him. Moreover,they did not wish the pearls to be cast before swine. For theyknew that if it were made known to the wicked world, menwould greedily desire nothing but this one thing, neglect alllabour, and give themselves up to a dissolute and degraded life.But although the said philosophers have treated this subjectwith so great a variety of method, and used many peculiar andsingular expressions, curious parables, and strange and fancifulwords, yet they all agree in pointing out the same goal, and oneand the same Matter as essential to the right conduct of the Art.Nevertheless, many students of the Art have entirely missedtheir meaning, and the secret Matter of which they speak. Forat the present day there are (as there have always been) a largenumbernot only of low charlatans, but of grave and learned men,who have sought this knowledge with unwearied industry, andyet have not been able to attain to it. Nay, some, angling witha golden hook, have utterly ruined themselves, and have beencompelled to abandon their search in despair. Therefore, lestanyone should doubt the existence of this secret Art, or, after theTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 73manner of this wicked world, look upon it as a mere figment, Iwill enumerate some of the true Sages (besides those named inHoly Scripture) who really knew this Art, in the natural orderof their succession. They are Hermes Trismegistus, Pythagoras, Alexander the Great, Plato, Theophrastus, Avicenna,Galen, Hippocrates, Lucian, Longanus, Rasis, Archelaus,Rupescissa, the Author of the Great Rosary, Mary theProphetess, Dionysius, Zachaire, Haly, Morienus, Calid, Constantius, Serapion, Albertus Magnus, Estrod, Arnold de VillaNova, Geber, Raymond Lully, Roger Bacon, Alan, ThomasAquinas, Marcellus Palingenius; and, among moderns, Bernardof Trevisa, Frater Basil. Valentinus, Phillip Theophrastus ( e.,Paracelsus) , and many others. Nor is there any doubt that,among our own contemporaries, there might be found some, who,through the grace of God, daily enjoy this arcanum, though theykeep it a close secret from the world. But, side by side withthese great Sages who have written truly and uprightly concerning this Magistery, there are found many charlatans andimposters who falsely pretend to have a knowledge of this Art,and, by tricking out their lies in the phraseology of the Sages,throw dust into men's eyes, make their mouths water, and atlength fail to make good their promises. Their dupes shouldwell ponder the following warning: " Trust not him whodistills gold out of your money-box. If you are wise you willbe on your guard against such. If you would not suffer.both loss and mockery, beware of these dishonest charlatans.Follow those who are simple, straightforward, and modest. Hewho has the good, enjoys it in silence. " But where are you tofind such? "Seek the good; you may know them by theirexcelling the rest in weight, matter, and performance. " Now,since there are many students ofthis Art who would fain learn itssecret by a true and straight path, and are yet so bewilderedby these impostors and charlatans, by their empty talk and theirhigh pretensions, that they do not know which way to turn:therefore I have determined briefly to expound the true principles of this Art. For though I account myself unworthy tospeak of so great a Mystery, yet I may say, without any selfglorification, that, through the grace of God, I have made greaterprogress in this Magistery than most; and I consider it as my74 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.duty not to hide the talent which my Lord and Master, thegreat and good God, has committed to my unworthy keeping.For this reason I am willing to show the right way, by whichthey may attain a true knowledge of this subject, to all loversof chemistry, and have put forth this Brief Epitome and Declaration of the Whole Art (so far as it may be committed towriting), in the hope that through my means, God may perchance open the eyes of some, and lead them back from their preconceived notions to the right path, and so manifest to them Hismighty works. For the greater convenience of the reader Iwill divide the work into four parts.In the First part I will set forth the rudiments of the Art,and the best mode of preparing oneself for its study.In the Second I will shew and describe the quality andproperties of the substance required, as also the method of itspreparation and manipulation.In the Third something will be said concerning the greatutility ofthe Art, and its unspeakable efficacy and virtue.In the Fourth will follow a Spiritual Allegory, in which thiswhole Magistery is set forth, being the true form of theHeavenly, Everlasting, and Blessed Corner Stone of the MostHigh. It will also contain a true, brief, and simple, practicalmanual ofthe method of proceeding, for I am no friend of manyspecious words.•PART I.PSALM 25." Who is he that fears the Lord? He will instruct him inthe right path."In the first place, let every devout and God-fearing chemist and student of this Art consider that this arcanumshould be regarded, not only as a truly great, but as a mostholy Art (seeing that it typifies and shadows out the highestheavenly good). Therefore, if any man desire to reach thisgreat and unspeakable Mystery, he must remember that it isobtained not by the might of man, but by the grace of God, andTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 75that not our will or desire, but only the mercy of the Most High,can bestow it upon us. For this reason you must first of allcleanse your heart, lift it to Him alone, and ask of Him this giftin true, earnest, and undoubting prayer. He alone can give andbestow it.Ifthe omnipotent God, who is the unerring searcher of allhearts, should find in you uprightness, faithfulness, sincerity, anda desire to know this Art, not for any selfish end, but for His truehonour and glory, He will doubtless hear your prayer (accordingto his promise) , and so lead you by His Holy Spirit that youwill begin to understand this art, and feel that this knowledgewould never have entered your heart if the most gracious Lordhad not answered your petition , and revealed to you the understanding even of the most elementary principles.Then fall upon thy knees, and with a humble and contrite heart render to Him the praise, honour, and glory duefor the hearing of thy prayer, and ask Him again and againto continue to thee His grace, and to grant that, after attainingto full and perfect knowledge of this profound Mystery,thou mayest be enabled to use it to the glory and honourof His most Holy Name, and for the good of thy suffering fellow men.Moreover, as you love your soul, beware of revealing theMystery to any unworthy or wicked man, even in the smallestparticular, or by making him in any sense a partaker thereof.Ifyou in any way abuse the gift of God, or use it for your ownglorification, you will most certainly be called to account by theAlmighty Giver, and you will think that it would have beenbetter for you if you had never known it.When you have thus, as it were, devoted yourself to God(who is not mocked), and learned to appreciate justly the aimand scope of this Art, you should, in the first place, strive to realisehow Nature, having been set in order by God the Triune, nowworks invisibly day by day, and moves and dwells in the will ofGod alone. For no one should set about the study ofthis Art without a just appreciation of natural processes.Now Nature maytruly be described as being one, true, simple, and perfect in her own essence, and as being animated by an invisible spirit. If theretore you would know her, you, too, should be true, single-hearted,76THEHERMETICMUSEUM.patient, constant, pious, forbearing, and, in short, a new andregenerate man.Ifyou know yourself to be so constituted and your natureadapted to Nature, you will have an intuitive insight into herworking, such as it would otherwise be impossible to obtain.Forthe study of this Art is such a perfect guide to excellence that a good knowledge of its principles will (as it were,against your will) hurry you on to an understanding of all thewonderful things of God, and teach you to rate all temporal andworldly things at their true value. But let not him who desires.this knowledge for the purpose ofprocuring wealth and pleasurethink that he will ever attain to it. Therefore, let yourmind and thoughts be turned away from all things earthly, and,as it were, created anew, and consecrated to God alone. Foryou should observe that these three, body, soul, and spirit, mustwork together in harmony if you are to bring your study of thisArt to a prosperous issue, for unless the mind and heart of aman be governed by the same law which develops the wholework, such an one must indubitably err in the Art.When you are in inward harmony with God's world, outward conformity will not be wanting. Yet our artist can donothing but sow, plant, and water: God must give the increase.Therefore, if any one be the enemy of God, all Nature declareswar against him; but to one who loves God, heaven and earthand all the elements must lend their assistance. If you bearthese things in mind, and know the true First Matter (of whichwe shall speak later on) you may at once set about the practicalpart of this study, calling on God for grace, direction , and guidance, so that your work may be carried successfully through allits stages.ECCLESIAST. XI."He that abides in the fear of the Lord, and cleaves to HisWord, and waits faithfully on His office, will transform tin andcopper into silver andgold, and will do great things with the helpof God: yea, with the grace ofJehovah, he will have power tomakegold out of common refuse."THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 77PART II.ISAIAH XXVIII."Therefore, thus saith the Lord: Behold I lay in Zionfor afoundation a Stone, a tried Stone, a precious corner Stone, asurefoundation. He that has it shall not be confounded."The numerous writers on our most noble Art have neverwearied of singing its praises, and inventing for it new andglorious names. Its most precious object they have called thePHILOSOPHER'S STONE, or the most ancient, secret,natural, incomprehensible, heavenly, blessed, beatified, andtriune universal Stone of the Sages. Their reason for namingit a stone, or likening it to a stone, was this: First because itsoriginal Matter is really a kind of stone, which, being hard andsolid like a stone, may be pounded, reduced to powder, andresolved into its three elements (which Nature herselfhas joinedtogether), and then again may be re- combined into a solid stoneof the fusibility of wax by the skilled hand of the artist adjustingthe law of Nature.The importance of starting with an exact knowledge ofthe first or otherwise the second Matter of the Philosophical Stonehas been largely dwelt upon by all writers on this subject.This Matter is found in one thing, out of which aloneour Stone is prepared (although it is called by a thousandnames) , without any foreign admixture; and its quality,appearance, and properties have been set forth in thefollowing manner. It is composed of three things, yet it is onlyone. Likewise, having been created and made of one, two, three,four, and five, it is everywhere found in one and two. They alsocall it the universal Magnesia, or the seed of the world, fromwhich all natural objects take their origin. Its properties are ofa singular kind; for, in addition to its marvellous nature andform, it is neither hot and dry like fire, nor cold and wet likewater, nor cold and dry like earth, but a perfect preparation ofall the elements. Its body is incorruptible, and is not destroyed byany of the four elements, but its properties far exceedthose ofthe four elements, and the four qualities, like heaven andthe Quintessence. With respect to its outward appearance,78 THE HERMETICMUSEUMfigure, form, and shape, they call it a stone, and not a stone;they liken it to gum and white water, and to the water of theOcean. It is named the water of life, the purest and mostblessed water, yet not the water of the clouds, or of any commonspring, but a thick, permanent, salt, and (in a certain sense) drywater, which wets not the hand, a slimy water which springsout ofthe fatness ofthe earth. Likewise, it is a double mercuryand Azoth, which, being supported by the vapouror exudation ofthe greater and lesser heavenly and the earthly globe, cannot beconsumed by fire. For itselfis the universal and sparkling flameof the light of Nature, which has the heavenly Spirit in itself,with which it was animated at first by God, Who pervades allthings, and is called by Avicenna, the Soul of the world. For asthe soul lives and moves in all the members of the body,so that spirit lives and moves in all elementary creatures, and isthe indissoluble bond of body and soul, the purest and mostnoble essence in which lie hid all mysteries in their inexhaustiblefulness of marvellous virtue and efficacy. Moreover, theyascribe to it infinite Divine power and virtue when they saythat it is the Spirit of the Lord who fills the Universe, and inthe beginning moved upon the face of the waters. They alsocall it the spirit of truth that is hid in the world, and cannot beunderstood without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, or theteaching of those who know it. It is found potentially everywhere, and in everything, but in all its perfection and fulnessonly in one thing. In short, it is a Spiritual Essence which isneither celestial nor infernal, but an aërial, pure, and preciousbody, in the middle between the highest and lowest, the choicestand noblest thing under heaven. But by the ignorant and thebeginner it is thought to be the vilest and meanest of things. Itis sought by many Sages, and found by few; suspected bythose that are far away, and received by those that are near;seen by ali, but known by few, as you may see from the following lines:"Into three the great good is divided, yet it is one, andhighly esteemed by the world. Men have it before their eyes,handle it with their hands, yet know it not, though they constantly tread it under their feet. It is the greatest wealth, and hewho knows the Art may rival the richest.'THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 79AN ENIGMA OF THE SAGES,In which the underlying substance of the Art, called thePhoenix of the Sages, is found to be thrice threefold."If I tell you three parts of a thing you have no cause tocomplain. Seek one of three, and ofthe three one will be there:for where there is body and soul, there is also Spirit, and thereshine salt, sulphur, and mercury. Trust my word, seck the grassthat is trefoil. Thou knowest the name, and art wise and cuning ifthou findest it. "ANOTHER ENIGMA.(Much easier. )"There is one thing in this world which is found occasionally.It is bluish-grey and green, and, wonderful to say, there is in thisthing a red and white colour. It flows like water, yet it makesnot wet; it is of great weight, and of small. I might give it athousand names, yet the thousand know it not. It is mean tolook upon, yet to the Sage it is precious. He who solves it withthe second and condenses it with the third, he has our glorioussubject."YET ANOTHER ENIGMA.Everthing contributes to the formation of this Stone. It isconceived below the earth, born in the earth, quickened in heaven,dies in time, obtains eternal glory.Now when you have the substance indicated (which is inpart heavenly, in part carthly, and in its natural state a méreconfused chaos without certain name or colour) , and know it well(for this knowledge the Sages have always accounted theprincipal part of this work), then you must give your whole mindto manipulating it in the proper manner. But before doing anything to it with his hands, the student should remember not tobegin the preparation of this great and inscrutable arcanumbefore he knows well the spirit that lurks in it according to itsessential qualities and properties. "With this spirit," says acertain philosopher, “ you should not meddle until you first have afull and exact knowledge of it. For God is marvellous in Hisworks, and He is not mocked. I could give some instances of80 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.men who set about this matter with great levity and were heavilypunished by meeting (some of them) with fatal accidents in theirlaboratories. For this work is no light thing, as many suppose,perhaps, because the Sages have called it child's play. Those towhom God has revealed His secrets may indeed find the experiment simple and casy. But do thou carefully beware of exposing thyselfto great danger by unseasonable carelessness. Ratherbegin thy work with reverent fear and awe and with carnestprayer, and then thou wilt be in little danger.'"}Now when you have exercised yourself with exceedingdiligence in the oratory, the matter being ready to your hand, gointo the laboratory, take the substance indicated, and set to workin the following manner. 7Above all things you must let it be your first object to solvethis substance (or first Entity, which the Sages have also calledthe highest natural good ) . Then it must be purged of its wateryand earthy nature (for at first it appears an carthy, heavy, thick,slimy, and misty body), and all that is thick, nebulous, opaque,and dark in it must be removed, that thus, by a final sublimation, the heart and inner soul contained in it may be separatedand reduced to a precious essence.All this can be accomplished with our Pontic and Catholicwater, which in its refluent course irrigates and fertilizes thewhole earth, and is sweet, beautiful, clear, limpid, and brighter than gold, silver, carbuncles, or diamonds. This blessed wateris enclosed and contained in our Matter.Then the extracted Heart, Soul, and Spirit must once morebe distilled and condensed into one by their own proper salt(which in the interior of the substance is first of a blood- redcolour, but then becomes of a bright, clear, and transparentwhite, and is called by the Sages the Salt of Wisdom) . You havethus first, by what is called the anterior process, separated thepure from the impure, and first rendered the visible invisible,then, again, the invisible visible or palpable (but yet no longer sogross and shapeless as it was at first), and it is now a bright bodywith a pleasant, penetrating smell, and withal so subtle andethereal that if it were not fixed it would evaporate and vanishaway. For this reason the Sages call it mercurial water, or waterof the sun, or mercury of the sun, or mercury of the wise. ButTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 81so long as it remains in the aforesaid form it would, if used as amedicine, produce no good effect, but rather act as a poison. If,therefore, you wish to enjoy its glorious virtue, and manifoldpower, you must subject it to some further chemical processesFor this purpose you must diligently observe the workingof Nature (extending over a considerable period of time), andstrictly follow her guidance. When you have this knowledge,you should take two parts of the aforesaid prepared aqueousmatter, and again three different parts. The first two parts youshould keep; but to the three parts add another matter, viz. , themost precious and divinely endowed Body of Gold, which ismost intimately akin to the First Matter. Of this add onetwelfth for the first fermentation; for both, the spiritual andheavenly prepared substance, and this earthly Body of Gold,must be joined together, and coagulated into one body.But it should be noted that common gold is useless for thispurpose, being unsuitable and dead. For though it has beendeclared by God the Omnipotent to be the most precious andbeautiful of metals, yet so long as it lay hid in the mine itsperfect growth and development was hindered. Daily use,moreover, blunts its indwelling powers, namely, sulphur, or itssoul, and it is continually becoming mingled and defiled with other things that are foreign to its nature. Hence it becomesdaily more and more unfit to be the subject of art. You must,therefore, seek to obtain gold which has a pure, living spirit, andofwhich the sulphur is not yet weakened and sophisticated, butis pure and clear (by passing through antimony, or by theheaven and sphere of Saturn, and being purged of all its defilement) otherwise the first substance, being spiritual and ethereal,will not combine with it. For this Magistery deals only withpure bodies, and suffers no unclean thing near, on, or around it.Now when these unequal parts of the water and gold(differing not only in quality, but also in quantity, for the first is,after its preparation, ethereal, thin, subtle, and soft, while theother is very heavy, firm and hard) have been combined in asolutory alembic, and reduced to a dry liquid or amalgam, theyshould be left six or seven days exposed to gentle heat of atleast a tepid character. Then take one part of the three parts ofwater, and pour it into a round, oval glass phial, similar to anF82 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.egg in shape; put the tempered liquid in the midst thereof, andleave it once more for six or seven days; the Body of the Sunwill then be gradually dissolved by the water. Thereupon bothwill begin to combine, and one will mingle with the other as gently and insensibly as ice with warm water. This union theSages have shadowed out in various ways, and likened it, forinstance, to the wedlock of a bride and bridegroom (as in theSong of Solomon). When this is done, add the third part (whichyou have kept) to the rest, but not all at once, or in one day, butin seven different instalments: otherwise the Body would becometoo liquid, and entirely corrupted by too much moisture.For as seed, when cast into the ground, is destroyed andrendered useless by an excess of moisture and rain, so our workcannot prosperunless the water is judiciously administered. Allthis being done, let the phial be carefully closed and sealed, toprevent the compound from evaporating or losing its odour; andplace it in the furnace, there exposing it to a gentle, continuous,airy, vaporous, and well-tempered heat, resembling the degreeofwarmth with which the hen hatches her eggs.[ NOTE. -The Sages have said much about vaporous fire,which they have called the fire of wisdom, which is not elementary or material, but (according to them) essential and preternatural. They also call it the Divine fire, i.e., the water ofmercury, roused into action by common fire. ] Digest and heatit well, yet take care that none of it is sublimed, or, in theparabolic language ofthe Sages, that the wife does not rule thehusband, and that the husband does not abuse his authority overthe wife, &c., -if you do this, the whole will proceed normally,without any interference on your part (except that, of course,you must keep up the fire). At first the earthly Body of the Sunis totally solved, and decomposed, and robbed of all strength(the Body, which was first of a muddy impurity, changing to acoal-black colour, called by the Sages the Raven's Head, withinthe space offorty days), and is thus despoiled of its Soul. TheSoul is borne upward, and the Body, being severed from theSoul, lies for some time, as if dead, at the bottom of the still,like ashes. But if the fire is increased, and well tempered, theSoul gradually descends again in drops, and saturates andmoistens its Body, and so prevents it from being completelyTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 83burned and consumed. Then, again, it ascends and descends, theprocess being repeated seven times. The temperature you mustkeep at the same point from beginning to end. Haste slowlyfor it is of the greatest importance that the influence of the fireshould be brought to bear gently and gradually. In the meantime you will observe various chemical changes (e.g. , of colour)in the distilling vessel, to which you must pay careful attention.For ifthey appear in due order, it is a sign that your undertakingwill be brought to a prosperous issue.First there appear granular bodies like fishes' eyes, then acircle around the substance, which is first reddish, then turnswhite, then green and yellow like a peaco*ck's tail, then a dazzlingwhite, and finally a deep red—until at last, under the rarefyinginfluence ofthe fire, the Soul and Spirit are combined with theirBody, that lies at the bottom, into a fixed and indissolubleEssence, which union and conjunction cannot be witnessedwithout unspeakable admiration and awe. Then you will beholdthe revivified, quickened, perfected, and glorified Body, which isofa most beautiful purple colour ( like cochineal), and its tincturehas virtue to change, tinge, and cure every imperfect body, aswe shall hereafter show more in detail. When thus, by the graceand help of God, you have happily attained the goal of yourlabours, and found the Phoenix of the Sages, you should once morereturn thanks to Him with your whole heart, and use His unspeakable gift solely for His glory, and for the advantage ofyoursuffering brethren. Thus I have most faithfully explained toyou the whole process by which this most noble Art, and highestachievement, to wit, the Egg of the Sages, or Philosopher'sStone, may be begun and successfully completed.If, however, during the operation, any accidental mishapshould occur, it must be seen to in time, or else the chemicalprocess will never be brought to perfection. If you ( 1 ) observethat before the compound is solved and turns black, anything issublimed, or evaporated, or something resembling a red oil floatson the surface of the substance (which is a bad sign); or (2) ifbefore or after it has turned white, it turns red too suddenly; or(3) if, towards the end, it does not properly coagulate; or (4) ifthe substance is so strongly affected by the heat that, beingtaken out, it does not instantly melt on red hot iron like wax, but F284THEHERMETICMUSEUM.

tinges and colours the iron, and afterwards will not remain fixedin the fire-you may regard all these indications as symptonsof a false composition and temperature, or of some kind or other of carelessness.If these defects are not immediately seen to, they willspeedily become incorrigible. A cunning adept should be acquainted with the various devices by which they may beremedied; and I will recount them here for the sake of thebeginner.If one or more of the above defects are observed, the wholecompound must again be taken out of the phial, and once moresolved in the aforesaid water of mercury (also called virgin's milk,or the milk, blood, and sweat ofthe First Matter, or the never-failingfountain, or the water of life, which nevertheless contains themost malignant poison); with this water it must once more bemoistened and saturated, and then subjected to the action of thefire, until there is no longer any sublimation or formation ofgaseous vapours; or till the final coagulation has duly takenplace, as described above. Of its subsequent fermentation andmultiplication, and of its uses, more will be said in the third part.Ofthe time required for the whole process, it is impossibleto say anything very definite; and, indeed, the Sages have putforward the most conflicting opinions on this point -no doubtbecause some have been occupied with it longer than others.But if any man will carefully observe the working of Nature,and be guided by her teaching, and in all things hold a middlecourse, he will gain his object sooner than one that trusts tooblindly to his own wisdom.But I tell thee not to go beyond the middle point of theletter X either in the former or latter stage of the operation,but to take one half (V) for the time of the solution and theother half for the composition. Then, again, for the final union,the number XX should be thy guide ( unless anything unforeseenshould occur). Be satisfied with that space of time. On theother hand, do not try to hurry on the consummation, for onehour's mistake may throw thee back a whole month. If thoustrivest unduly to shorten the time thou wilt produce an abortion.Many persons have, through their ignorance, or self-opinionatedhaste, obtained a Nihilixir instead ofthe hoped for Elixir.THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 85In view of the importance of this magical science, I havethought it right to lay this before the sons of knowledge, fortheir careful consideration.RIDDLE.There are seven cities, seven metals, seven days, and thenumber seven; seven letters, seven words in order meet, seventimes, and as many places; seven herbs, seven arts, and sevenstones. Divide seven by three, and thou shalt be wise. No onewill then strive to precipitate the half. In brief, all will proceedfavourably in this number."-In the following lines the whole Process is briefly described:-(1.) THE FIRST STAGE."Dissolve your substance, and then let it be decomposed;then let it be distilled, and once more condensed."(II. ) THE SECOND STAGE,"Combine two things, decompose them, let them becomeblack. Digest them and change them to white by your skill; atlast let the compound change to a deep red, let it becoagulated, and fix it; and you will be a favoured man. If,afterwards, you cause it to ferment, you will have conductedthe whole work prosperously. Then tinge therewith whatsoever you will, and it will multiply to you infinite treasure. "Or, more briefly, thus: --" Seek three in one, again seek one in three. Dissolve, andcondense, and thou shalt be master of the Art."A Riddle in which also the Process is indicated:-" A spirit is given for a time to the body, and that spirit isthe life of a soul. Ifthe spirit draw the soul to itself, they areboth severed from the body. Then are there three abiding inthe same place, until the precious body is dissolved, and isdecomposed and dies. But after a time the spirit and the soulare brought back by gentle warmth, and hold once more their former seat. Then you have the essence; no perfection iswanting, and the work is glorified by a joyful end. "PROV. XXIII." My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe myways."86 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM,PART III.Sirach xliii: "Who has seen Him that he should tell ofHim? Who can exalt Him according to His greatness? Wesee but thesmallest ofHis works: those that are much greaterare hidden from us. For God has made all, and gives understanding thereof to those thatfear Him."Concerning the end of this great Art, and the excellence,virtue, efficacy, and unspeakable utility of the marvellousPhilosopher's Stone, much has been written: yet has noone been able to tell out its thought-surpassing glory orto adequately set forth its fame. All Sages have regardedit as the chief felicity that this earth can afford, without which no one can attain perfection in this world. ForMorienus says: He who has this Stone has all, and needs noother help." For it includes all temporal felicity, bodily health,and solid good fortune.་་They have also commended the Stone for that the spiritand efficacy which lie concealed in it are the spirit of the Quintessence of all things beneath the disc of the moon; on thisaccount they say that it upholds the sky, and moves the sea.They also describe it as the most elect, the most subtle, thepurest, and noblest of all the heavenly spirits, to which all therest yield obedience as to their King, that bestows on men allhealth and prosperity, heals all diseases, gives to the God-fearingtemporal honour and a long life, but to the wicked, who abuseit, eternal punishment. It is also extolled by the Sages becauseit has never been known to fail of effecting its purpose, but isfound to be in all proved, perfect, and unerring. ThereforeHermes and Aristotle call it the true, undeceiving, and unfailingarcanum of all arcana, the Divine Virtue which is hidden fromthe foolish. In brief, they have designated it the chief of allthings under heaven, the marvellous conclusion or epilogueof all philosophic works. Hence some devout Sages haveaffirmed that it was Divinely revealed to Adam, and by himhanded down to all the holy Patriarchs.For by its aid Noah is said to have built the Ark, Mosesthe Tabernacle with all its golden vessels, and Solomon theTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 87Temple, besides accomplishing many other great deeds, fashioning many precious ornaments, and procuring for himself long life and boundless riches.Moreover, the Sages own that through its means theyinvented the seven liberal arts, and sought and obtained sustenance for themselves. God gave them this gift that they mightnot be hindered in their researches by poverty, or driven to flatterthe rich for the sake of gain, and thus become contemptible,and as a jest or by-word in His sight.The Stone enabled them to discern the great mysteriesof the Divine wonders, and the inexhaustible riches of theDivine Glory, By it their hearts were roused and stirred upto a more intimate knowledge of God. For they sought not toobtain great wealth, or the honour and pleasures of this world,but all their delight was to search out and contemplate themarvellous secrets of Nature. They regarded the works of Godwith very different eyes, and in a very different manner thanmost men in our own times, who, alas, look on them like cowsor calves, and pursue the study of our noble Art for the sake ofwealth, and temporal advantage and pleasure. But they willnever find what they seek. For God gives not this gift to thewicked, who despise His word, but to the godly who strive tolive honestly and quietly in this wicked and impure world,and to lend a helping hand to the needy brethern; or, in thewords of the poet:-66 God gives this Art to the sincere and good, nor can theworld purchase it with all its gold. The vulgar know nothingof this Mystery, for if any man be impious, he seeks the Stonein vain. He who holds it in silence dwells where he would, andfears neither accidents, nor thieves, nor any evil. For this reasonthis sacred gift is granted to few: it is in the hands of God, andHe gives it to whomsoever He will."Much has been said concerning the operation, virtue, andutility ofthis Art in a variety of writings which have heretoforeseen the light, as, for example, unto what extent the said Stone,prepared and made more than perfect, becomes a medicinewhich is above every medicine. It has been denominated theuniversal panacea, to which not only all diseases yield (as, forinstance, leprosy and gout), but by the use of which old men88 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM..may become young again, recover their lost faculties, and theirformer strength, and by which those who are already half deadmay be revivified and quickened. But, as I am no physician, Iwill forbear to give an opinion on this point. That the Stonehas this virtue, every one that possesses it can discover for himself. I prefer to set down a few observations concerning thosequalities and uses of the Stone which are known to me by dailyexperience.In the first place, the practice of this Art enables us tounderstand, not merely the marvels of Nature, but the nature ofGod Himself, in all its unspeakable glory. It shadows forth, ina wonderful manner, how man is the image of the most HolyTrinity, the essence of the Holy Trinity, and the Oneness ofSubstances in that Trinity, as well as the difference of Persons;the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, HisNativity, Passion, Death, and Resurrection; His Exaltation andthe Eternal Happiness won by Him for us men; also ourpurification from original sin, in the absence of which purificationall good actions of men would be vain and void—and, in brief,all the articles of the Christian faith, and the reason why manmust pass through much tribulation and anguish, and fall a prey to death, before he can rise again to a new life. All this we seein our Art as it were in a mirror, as we shall take occasion to setforth in our Fourth Part.Secondly, its earthly and natural use consists in changingall imperfect metals, by means of its tincture, into pure and solidgold, as I will try to show as briefly as I can.The Stone or Elixir cannot be used for this purpose in theform in which we left it at the completion of the previous stageof our process; but it should be still further fermented andaugmented in the following manner, as otherwise it could not beconveniently applied to imperfect metals and bodies.Take one part of the Essence, and add to it three parts ofpurest gold, which has been purged and melted by means ofantimony, and reduced to very thin plates. Let them be placedtogether in the crucible.Thereupon the whole compound will be transformed into apure and efficacious Tincture, which, when applied to basemetals, in the ratio of 1:: 1000, will change them into pure gold.THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 89NOTE. The purer the metals are, and the greater theiraffinity to our substance, the more easily are they received bythe Tincture, and the more perfect and rapid is the process ofregeneration. For the transformation consists in all that isimpure and unsuitable being purged off, and rejected like dross.In the same manner flawed stones can be transmuted intoprecious diamonds, and common crystal can be so tinged as tobecome equal to the most precious stones. Moreover, manyother things may be done with the Tincture which must not berevealed to the wicked world. These virtues of the Stone, andothers of a like kind, are looked upon as the least important bythe Sages, and by all Christians on whom God has bestowedthis most precious gift. Such men think them vile indeed whencompared with the knowledge of God and of His works which isafforded by the Stone.For let me tell you that he on whom the Most High hasconferred the knowledge of this Mystery esteems mere moneyand earthly riches as lightly as the dirt of the streets. His heartand all his desires are bent upon seeing and enjoying theheavenly reality of which all these things are but a figure;as Solomon, the wisest of wise Kings, testifies in chaptervii. ofthe Book of Wisdom, where he says: " I preferred wisdombefore sceptres and thrones, and esteemed riches nothing incomparison of her. Neither compared I unto her any preciousstone, because all gold in respect of her is as a little sand, andsilver shall be counted as clay before her. " Those, therefore,that desire this Art as a means of procuring temporalhonour, pleasure, and wealth, are the most foolish of men; andthey can never obtain that which they seek at so great an expense of money, time, and trouble, and which fills their hearts,their minds, and all their thoughts. For this reason the Sageshave expressed a profound contempt for worldly wealth (not asthough it were in itself a bad thing, seeing that it is highly commended in Holy Scripture as an excellent gift of God, butbecause of its vile abuse). They despised it because it seemed tohinder men from following the good and the true, and to introduce a mischievous confusion into their conceptions of right andwrong. These abuses of money the illustrious Marcellus Palingenius Stellatus has graphically described in the poem entitled90 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.the "Zodiac of Life," under the sign of Sagittarius, where hedraws a vivid picture of the evils of avarice. To this poem Iwould therefore refer the gentle reader.From this poem we may gather how lightly this distinguished man, though evidently a possessor of the Stone, asappears out of his " Zodiac of Nature," held gold and silver,and all things temporal, in respect of virtue.Nor is his case by any means exceptional. All Sages haveregarded wisdom, and the knowledge of heavenly things, as farbetter than the transient things of earth, and have so orderedtheir lives and actions that at the last they might obtain immortality and eternal glory. This feeling is well expressed bySolomon, in his Book of Proverbs ( cp. xvi. ), where he says:"How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to getunderstanding rather to be chosen than silver!"—and again inthe xxii. chapter: " A good name is rather to be chosen thangreat riches, and knowledge rather than silver and gold. " Thesame aspiration prompted the following words of the son ofSirach: " See that thou keep a good name, for it is better thana thousand treasures of gold."By reason of these and other virtues which result from thephilosophy of the Stone, the Sages have never wearied ofextolling its marvellous excellence; and they have taken greatpains to make it known to the worthy, in order that its wisdommight be accepted and practically exhibited by them. But tothe foolish everything is obscure and difficult to be understood.This is the gist of the first six chapters of Solomon's Book ofProverbs, where he says that men should strain every nerve toattain to our wisdom. In the Book of Ecclesiastes, too, he usesthe following words: " My son, be satisfied with a lowly station:for it is better than all that this world desires. The greater thouart, the more humble thyself, and God will give thee grace.For the Lord is a most High God, and does great things throughthe lowly."THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 91PART IV.PSALM LXXVIII. AND MATTH. XIII."I will open my mouth in parables, and declare things hiddenfrom thefoundation ofthe world."When it pleases Almighty God by His Divine Word to makeknown unto the human race His marvellous, deep, and celestialmysteries, He is wont to do so in parables, and to shadow forthHis meaning in things familiar to our eyes which are depictedvisibly before us. For instance, when pronouncing upon Adamin Paradise, after the Fall, the sentence of death, He told himthat as he was made and formed of dust, he should also returnto dust-dust being a thing which in itself has no life. Again,when promising to Abraham an innumerable posterity, Heillustrated His meaning by pointing to the stars of the heavens,the sand of the sea shore, and the dust of the earth. In thesame manner, God made use of divers precious types in declaringHis will to the children of Israel through the Prophets. Thispractice was also adopted in the New Testament by ChristHimself the Foundation and Express Image of the Truthwho set forth His teaching in parables in order that it might bebetter understood. So He compares His Divine and BlessedGospel-the highest happiness of man-to seed that is sown ina field, amongst which the enemy scatters evil seed; to ahidden treasure; to a pearl of great price; to a grain of wheat;to a mustard seed; to leaven, etc.[Cp. Luke viii . Matthew xiii. and xxii. Luke xix.Matthew xx.]The Kingdom of Heaven He describes under the image ofa great Wedding Feast. The Christian Church, again , He compares to a Vineyard, and to a King calling upon his servants torender up an account. He also uses the similitude of a noblelord who entrusted his goods to his servants, of a lost sheep, aprodigal son, and others of a similar nature.[Cp. Matthew xviii. Luke xvi. Matthew xxv.Mark xii. Luke xviii. Luke x. ]Luke xviii.These types and similitudes were given to us on account ofour human infirmity, which prevents us from understanding and92 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.picturing to ourselves the things of heaven. And since it is God'swont to reveal His mind in parables and figures, we can butregard it as of a piece with all the other dealings of God, thatthe Chief Good, His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,who by His obedience saved all mankind from eternal death andrestored to us the Kingdom of Heaven, should have expressedHis nature in a concrete bodily form. This is the greatestmystery of Almighty God, and the highest and worthiest objectof knowledge.[ Ephes. iii. Col. i . Isaiah xlv.: " Let the heavens drop downfrom above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Letthe earth open and bring forth the Saviour. "]And although this great Good had been prefigured to us inthe Old Testament by types such as the sacrifice of Isaac, theladder of Jacob, the betrayal and wonderful exaltation ofJosephthe brazen serpent, Samson, David, and Jonah: yet, besides allthese, Almighty God deigned to give us a fuller revelation and acorporal, visible, and apprehensible Idea of His heavenly treasures and gifts in the Person of His Son. This earthly andbodily manifestation He plainly foretold in the Prophet Isaiah(cp. xxviii. ): " Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a corner stone, a tried stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shallnot make haste. " To the same effect the Royal Scer Davidspeaks, through the Holy Spirit, in Psalm cxviii.: " The Stonewhich the builders rejected is become the head stone ofthe corner.This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." Thistype, the aforesaid Corner Stone, Christ applies to Himself(Matth. , cp. xxi. ) when He says: " Have ye never read in theScriptures? The Stone that the builders rejected is become the chiefstone ofthe corner. This is the Lord's doing, and it ismarvellous in our eyes. And whosoever shail fall on this Stoneshall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall it shall grindhim to powder. " And Peter (Acts, cp. iv. ) and Paul in hisEpistle to the Romans (ċp. ix. ) repeat almost the same words.This tried, blessed, and heavenly Stone Jesus Christ waslongingly expected from the beginning of the world by theFathers and Holy Patriarchs; God-enlightened men prayed thatthey might be accounted worthy to see the promised Christ inHis bodily and visible form. And if they rightly knew Him byTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 93the Holy Spirit, they were comforted by His presence in theirlives, and had an invisible Friend on whom they could stay themselves, as upon a spiritual fulcrum, in trouble and danger even unto the end of their life.But although that heavenly Stone was bestowed by God asa free gift on the whole human race, the rich as well as the poor(Matth. xi. , 6. ); yet to this very day comparatively few have beenable to know and apprehend Him. To the majority of mankind.He has always been a hidden secret, and a grievous stumblingblock, as Isaiah foretold in his eighth chapter: " He shall be fora stone of stumbling and a rock of offence, a gin and a snare, sothat many shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared,and be taken. " The samewas revealed to the aged Simeon, when hespake thus to Mary, the Mother of the Corner Stone: " Behold,He shall be for a fall and rising again of many in Israel, andfor a sign that shall be spoken against. " To this S. Paul alsobears witness (ad . Rom. ix. ): “ They fell from the Stone of offence,and the rock of stumbling. He that believes in Him shall not beconfounded. " This Stone is precious to them that believe, butto the unbelieving " a stone of offence and stumbling, seeingthat they are broken against the word, and believe not inHim on whom they are founded ( Eccl. xliii. ). " In all theserespects the Precious, Blessed, and Heavenly Stone agrees mostwonderfully with our earthly, corporal, and philosophical Stone;and it is, therefore, well worth our while to compare our Stonewith its Heavenly prototype. We shall thus understand thatthe earthly philosophical Stone is the true image of the real,spiritual, and heavenly Stone Jesus Christ.Thus, then, those who would truly know and prepare the firstMatter ofthe Philosopher's Stone (the chiefand principal mysteryof this earth) must have a deep insight into the nature ofthings,just as those who would know the Heavenly Stone ( ie. , theindissoluble, triune essence of the true and living God) must havea profound spiritual insight into the things of heaven: hence wesaid in our first part, that the student of our Art must first havea thorough knowledge of Nature and her properties. If a man would come to know the highest good, he must rightlyknow, first God, and then himself ( Acts xvii.: " For in Him welive," etc.). If anyone learn to know himself and God (ie.94 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.our duty as men, our origin, the end of our being, and our affinityto God), he has the highest scholarship, without which it isimpossible to obtain happiness, either in this world, or in the world to come.If we would find that high and heavenly Stone, we nustremember that, as our earthly Philosophical Stone is to besought in one thing and two things, which are met with everywhere, so we must look for Him nowhere but in the eternalWord of God, and the Holy Scripture (consisting of the Oldand NewTestaments)-as God the Father testified at His Transfiguration on Mount Tabor ( Mark ix. , Luke ix. ), when He said:" This is My Beloved Son: hear ye Him." In the same wayChrist, the essential and eternal Word of God, speaks of Himself: " No one comes to the Father, but by Me "-according tothe Scripture, the infallible testimony of the Divine Word (Isaiahxxxiv.). In Isaiah viii. we find the words: " to the Law and theTestimony. " And Christ, the aforesaid Corner Stone, bearswitness to the necessity of Scripture, when He says: " Searchthe Scriptures, for in them ye believe that ye have eternal life,and it is they that testify of Me. " Therefore, David says inPsalm cxix. , long before the coming of Christ: " My delight, OLord, is in Thy commandments, for they are my counsellors;Thy word is a lamp unto my feet; I rejoice in the way of Thytestimonies more than in great riches. Also, I consider Thyways, and walk in Thy testimonies."[Cp. Gen. xiii. Psal. xlv. Isaiah ix., 49. Jerem. xxxii.John x., 14. Rom. ix. I. Cor. v. ]Moreover, when and where the First Matter of this heavenlyStone was founded (" from the beginning of the world "), isexpressly set forth in several passages of Holy Scripture,especially in the fifth chapter of Micah: " Whose goings forthhave been from of old, from everlasting." When the Jews askedthe Corner Stone Himselfwho He was, He answered: " I thatspeak to you was from the beginning," and again: " BeforeAbraham was, I am. " From these passages it follows that Hehad His being, without a beginning, from all eternity, and thatHe will abide throughout all eternity.And although this knowledge is to be found and obtainednowhere but in the Old and New Testaments, nevertheless heTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 95who would gain it must proceed with the greatest care (II.Timothy, iii. ), for one false step may render all our subsequent labour useless. He who would gain a golden understanding ofthe word of truth, should have the eyes of his soul opened, andhis mind illumined by the inward light ( 1. John, v. ) whichGod has kindled in our hearts from the beginning; for he whostrives to obtain this knowledge without the Divine light, mayeasily mistake Saul for Paul, and choose a false road instead ofthe right path. This happens continually in regard to ourearthly Stone. Ten persons may read the same description of it,and yet only one may read the words aright. So the majorityofmankind daily miss the knowledge of the Heavenly Stone;not because it is not before their eyes, but because they have not eyes to see it. Therefore Christ says: (Luke xi. ) " The eye isthe light of the body, and if the eye be dark the whole body will be full of darkness.' In the seventeenth chapter of the sameGospel He says: " Behold the kingdom of God is within you. "From these words it most clearly appears that the knowledge ofthe light in man must come from within, and not from without.The external object, as they say, or the letter, is written forthe sake of our infirmity, as a further aid to the implanted lightof grace (Matth. xxiv. ), as also the outward spoken word isused as an auxiliary means for the conveyance and advancementof knowledge. For example, if a white and a black tablet wereput before you, and you were asked to say which was white andwhich black, you would not be able to answer the question ifyou had no previous knowledge of those colours; your ability todo so, comes, not from looking at the tablets, but from the knowledge that before was in your mind. The object only stirs upyour perceptive faculty, and calls out the knowledge that beforewas in you, but does not of itself afford that knowledge.same way, if any one put into your hand a flint, and asked youto bring outward and visible fire out of it for him, you would beunable to do so without the steel that belongs to it, with whichyou would have to elicit the spark slumbering in the stone.Moreover, you would have to catch and fan it into flame on apiece of tinder-or else the spark would immediately vanishagain. Ifyou do this, you will have a bright fire, and so long asyou keep it up, you will be able to do with it whatever youIn the96THEHERMETICMUSEUM.like. In the same manner, the heavenly light slumbers in thehuman soul, and must be struck out by outward contact,namely, by the true faith, through reading and hearing, andthrough the Holy Spirit whom Christ restored to us, andpromised to give us (John xiv.: " No man comes to the Fatherbut by me "), and to put into our dark, but still glowinghearts, as into a kind of tinder, where He may be fanned andkindled into a bright flame, working the will of God in oursouls. For He delights to dwell in light unapproachable, andin the hearts of believers. Although no man ever has, or evercan, see God with his outward bodily eyes, yet with the in- ward eyes of the soul He may well be seen and known. Butnotwithstanding that inward light casts its bright beams overthe whole world, and into the heart of every man withoutany difference, the world, by reason of its innate corruptness,cannot see it rightly, and refuses to acknowledge it; and onthis account so many false and pernicious notions are currentconcerning it. But we shall do well to consider that God has,not without a good purpose, furnished our heads with twoeyes and two ears; for He would thereby teach us that manhas a double vision and a double hearing; namely, the outwardand the inward. With the inward he is to judge spiritual things,and the outward is also to perform its own proper office. Thesame distinction we find in the spirit and the letter of Scripture. For this reason I thought fit to explain this matter forthe sake of students of the simple sort, who might otherwisebe at a loss to apprehend the full significance of the triuneStone.Again, as the substance of the earthly Stone is nothingaccounted of in the world, and rejected by the majority of mankind, so Christ, the eternal Word ofthe Father, and the HeavenlyTriune Stone, is lightly esteemed in this world, and scarcelyeven looked at; nay, we may say that nothing is so profoundlyand utterly despised by mankind, as the Saving Word of God.Hence (Cor. i., 2 ) it is called foolishness by the wise of thisworld. Nor is it only contemned and regarded as worthless;it is even proscribed and laid under a ban, like some falseheretical doctrine, and it is greivous for a God-fearing man tolisten to the blasphemous words that are spoken against it. ButTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 97the believer must be tried by it, and the world sifted by itsappearance. So S. John says (cp. i. ): " He came unto His own,and they received Him not; and again: " He was in theworld, and the world knew Him not."Again, as the physical and earthly water- Stone of the Sageshas, on account of its unsearchable excellence, been called by agreat variety of names by the multitude of philosophers, so theHeavenly Light, the one Noumen and Illuminant, whose richesand glory are past finding out, is designated in Holy Scriptureby a large number of titles. We will go through the mostimportant names of both. The Philosopher's Stone is called themost ancient, secret or unknown, natural, incomprehensible,heavenly, blessed, sacred Stone of the Sages. It is described asbeing true, more certain than certainty itself, the arcanum of allarcana-the Divine virtue and efficacy, which is hidden from thefoolish, the aim and end of all things under heaven, the wonderful epilogue or conclusion of all the labours of the Sages-theperfect essence of all the elements, the indestructible bodywhich no element can injure, the quintessence; the double andliving mercury which has in itself the heavenly spirit-the curefor all unsound and imperfect metals-the everlasting lightthe panacea for all diseases-the glorious Phoenix-the mostprecious of treasures-the chief good of Nature -the universaltriune Stone, which is naturally composed of three things, and,nevertheless, is but one-nay, is generated and brought forth ofone, two, three, four, and five. In the writings of the Sages wemay also find it spoken of as the Catholic Magnesia, or the seedof the world, and under many other names and titles of alike nature, which we may best sum up and comprehend inthe perfect number of one thousand. And as the earthlyPhilosopher's Stone and its substance have a thousand names,so an infinite variety of titles is even more justly predicated ofthe Chief Good of the Universe. For He is God, the Word ofGod, the Eternal Son, the real, eternal, tried, and preciouscorner and foundation Stone which the builders refused andrejected. He is true, and more ancient than all things, seeingthat He was before the foundation of the world, and from everlasting. He is the true, hidden, and unknown God, supernatural, incomprehensible, heavenly, blessed , and highly G98THEHERMETICMUSEUM.praised. He is the only Saviour, and the God of Gods(Deut. x.). Sure He is, and true, and cannot lie (Nu. xxiii. ,Rom. iii.). He is the only Potentate who does what He will,according to His good pleasure. He is secret and eternal, and in Him lie hid all the treasures and mysteries of knowledge(Rom. xvi. , Col. ii. ). He is the only Divine virtue andomnipotence, which is unknown to the foolish, or the wise ofthis world. He is the only true essence of all elements, seeingthat of Him all things are and were created ( Rom. ii . , Ja . i . ) . Heis the quintessence, the essence of all essences, and yet Himselfnot an essence of anything. He has in Himself the HeavenlySpirit which quickens ail things with life itself ( Wisd. vii . , Isaiahxlii., John xiv. ). He is the one perfect Saviour of all imperfectbodies and men, the true heavenly physician of the soul , theeternal light that lights all men ( Isaiah lx. , John i. ), the universalRemedy of all diseases, the true spiritual panacea. He is theglorious Phoenix that quickens and restores with His own bloodHis little ones whom the old Serpent, the Devil, had woundedand killed. He is the greatest treasure, and the best thing in heaven or upon earth, the triune universal essence, calledJehovah of one, the Divine essence-of two, God and Man-ofthree, namely three Persons-of four, namely three Persons, andone Divine Substance-of five, namely of three Persons, one Divine, and one Human Substance. He is also the trueCatholic Magnesia, or universal seed of the world, of Whom,through Whom, and to Whom are all things in heaven and uponearth-the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord that is, and was, and is to come, the Almighty(Apoc. i . ).But again, as in the case ofthe philosophical work, it is notenough for anyone to know its substance and its triune essence,with the quality and property thereof, if he does not also knowwhere to obtain it, and how to become a partaker of its benefits-which can only be done, as we said above, by dissolving thesubstance into its three parts, decomposing it, and sodepriving it ofits caliginous shadow and hirsute essence, sublimingits inner hidden heart and soul by means of the sweet, universal,fiery, marine water (extracted from itself) into a volatile essence--so we cannot know that glorious triune Essence, called Jehovah,THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 99unless the image of Him is first dissolved and purified in our ownsouls, the veil of Moses (ie. , our own desperate sinfulness whichprevents us from seeing God as He is) being taken away, andour inner heart and soul being purified, cleansed, and sublimedby the Divine illumination of Him that dwells within, namely,Christ, who washes our hearts like pure water (Isaiah xliv. ), andfills them with His sweet and gentle comfort. So you firstbehold the wrath, but afterwards the love of God.SOOnce more: As our Matter, in the philosophical work,after being dissolved into its three parts or principles, mustagain be coagulated and reduced into its own proper salt, andinto one essence, which is then called the salt of the Sages:God, and His Son, must be known as One, by means oftheiressential substance, and must not be regarded as two or threeDivinities, possessing more than one essence. When you havethus known God through His Son, and united them by the bondofthe Holy Spirit, God is no longer invisible, or full of wrath,but you may feel His love, and, as it were, see Him with youreyes, and handle Him with your hands, in the person of JesusChrist, His Son and express image. But even this knowledgeof the Triune God will avail you little, unless you continue toadvance and grow in His grace, for God otherwise will be stillterrible, and as it is said of Him ( Deut. vii. , 18), " a consumingfire." For as the substance of the Sages, after all the changesthat it has undergone, will do more harm than good as a medicine applied to the body, without the final preparation, so unlessyou fully and perfectly apprehend Christ, the mere knowledge ofHim will tend to your condemnation rather than to the salvationof your soul (I. John, iv. ). Therefore if you wish to become apartaker of Christ, and if you desire to possess and enjoy Hisheavenly gifts and treasures, you must advance in the personalknowledge of Christ, and look upon Him, not merely as a pureand immaterial Spirit, but as the Saviour who in the fulness oftime took upon Himself a human body, and became the Son ofMan, as well as the Son of God.For as in our philosophical work another most noble andcognate metallic body must be united to our first substance (ifit is to be rendered effectual for the perfecting of other metals),and joined together with it into one body, so the Divine Nature G2100 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.of the Son of God had to take upon itself, as it were, anotherkindred " metallic " body, namely our human nature, our humanflesh and blood (which, having been created in the image ofGod, has the greatest affinity with Him), and to be joined withit into one indissoluble whole, in order that He might have thepower of bringing imperfect men to perfection.But again, we said that common gold, on account of itsimperfection and impurity, would not combine with our substance,because its manifold defects had rendered it " dead " and uselessfor our purpose, and that, for this reason, it must first receive abright and pure body (not adulterated or weakened by thepresence of bad internal sulphur). In the same way, the Divineessence of the Son of God could not be joined to commonhuman nature, which is conceived in sin, defiled with hereditaryuncleanness, and many actual sins and besetting infirmities(though all these are no integral part of human nature as such) ,but required a pure, sinless, and perfect humanity.For if the earthly Adam, before the Fall (though after allonly a created being), was holy, perfect, and sinless, how muchmore must the heavenly Adam, to whom the only begotten Sonof God was joined, have a perfect humanity? Therefore theheavenly, eternal, fundamental Corner Stone, Jesus Christ ( likethe earthly Philosophical Stone), is now One, uniting in Himself, after an inscrutable manner, a dual nature of admirablegeneration and origin, and the properties both of God and ofFor according to His Divine Nature, He is true God, ofthe Substance of His heavenly and eternal Father, and the Sonof God, whose goings out (as the Scripture says) were fromeverlasting (Mic. v. ). According to His human nature, on theother hand, He was born in the fullness of time as a trueand perfect man, without sin, but with a real body and soul(Matth. xxvi. ). Therefore He now eternally represents the indissoluble and personal union of the Divine and the human substance, the oneness of the natures of God and man.man.It is much to be wished that the eyes of our self- opinionateddoctors were opened, or the nebulous film, or sophistical mask,which obscures their vision, taken away, that so they might seemore clearly. I am particularly alluding to the Aristotelians,and other blind theological quibblers, who spend their lives inTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH 101wrangling and disputing about Divine things in a most unchristian manner, and put forth no end of manifold distinctions,divisions, and confusions, thus obscuring the Scriptural doctrineconcerning the union of natures and communication of substances in Christ. If they will not believe God and His HolyWord, they might at least be enlightened by a study of ourchemical Art, and ofthe union oftwo waters (viz. , that of mercuryand that of the Sun) which our Art so strikingly and palpably exhibits. But the scholastic wisdom of their Ethnic philosophyis entirely based upon pagan philosophy, and has no foundationin Holy Scripture or Christian Theology. Their Aristotelianprecepts, their " substances " and " accidents," entirely blind themto the true proportions of things, and they forget Tertullian'ssaying " that philosophers are the patriarchs of heresy." But wedo not think it worth while to pursue this subject any further.Again, as our chemical compound (in which the two essenceshave been combined) is subjected to the action of fire, and isdecomposed, dissolved, and well digested, and as this process,before its consummation, exhibits various chromatic changes, sothis Divine Man, and Human God, Jesus Christ, had, by the willof His heavenly Father, to pass through the furnace of affliction ,that is, through many troubles, insults, and sufferings, in thecourse of which His outward aspect was grievously changed;thus He suffered hunger when, after His Baptism and Hisentrance upon the ministry of the Word, the Holy Spirit led Himinto the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil, and there wagedwith Him a threefold contest, as an example to all baptizedChristian men, who, having declared themselves followers ofChrist, are, like Him, tempted, and have to sustain the shock ofvarious grievous assaults. Again, He was subject to weariness,He shed tears, He trembled, He wrestled with death, He sheddrops of sweat mingled with blood, He was taken captive andbound, was struck in the face by the high priest's servant,was mocked, derided, spitted upon, scourged, crowned withthorns, condemned to die upon the Cross, which He had to bearHimself; was nailed to it between two malefactors, receivedvinegar and gall to drink, cried out with a loud voice, commended His spirit into the hands of His Father-and so gave upthe ghost and died upon the Cross. These and other tribulations,102 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.which are faithfully related by the Evangelists, He had to bearin the course of His earthly life.And as the Sages say that the above mentioned process ofchemical digestion is generally completed within forty days, sothe same number seems to have a most peculiar significance inScripture, more particularly in connection with the life of ourLord. The Israelites remained forty years in the wilderness;Moses was forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai; Elijah'sflight from Ahab occupied the same length of time. Christfasted forty days and forty nights in the wilderness; He spentforty months in preaching upon earth; He lay forty hours inthe grave appeared to His disciples forty days after His Resurrection. Within forty years from Christ's Ascension Jerusalemwas destroyed by the Romans, and made level with the ground.Then again, the Sages have called our compound, whileundergoing the process of decomposition, the Raven's Head, onaccount of its blackness. In the same way, Christ ( Isaiah liii . )had no form nor comeliness-was despised and rejected of mena man of sorrows and acquainted with grief-so despised, thatmen hid, as it were, their faces from Him; and in the 22ndPsalm He complains that He " is a worm, and no man," 66 ascorn and laughing-stock of the people. " We may also see ananalogy to Christ in the fact that the decomposed body of thesun lies for some time dead and lifeless, like burnt-out ashes, atthe bottom ofthe phial, and that its " soul " gradually descendsto it under the influence of greater heat, and once more saturates,as it were, the dead and decaying body, and saves it from totaldestruction. For when, on the Mount of Olives, and on theCross, Christ had experienced a feeling of utter dereliction , Hewas afterwards comforted and strengthened, and nourished (asit were) with Divine nectar from above. And when at length Hehad given up the ghost, and all the strength forsook His body,so that He went down to the parts below the earth, even thereHe was preserved, refreshed, and filled with the quickeningpower ofthe eternal Deity, and thus, by the reunion of Hisspirit with His dead body, quickened, raised from the dead,lifted up into heaven, and appointed Lord and King of all—where, sitting at the right hand of His Father, He now rules,governs, preserves, and quickens all things with the power ofTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 103) His Word. This marvellous Union and Divine Exaltationangels and men in heaven, upon carth, and under the earth canscarce think upon without holy fear, and trembling aweWhose power, strength, and purple Tincture ( i.e. , Blood) changesus imperfect men and sinners in body and soul, and is a marvellous medicine for all our discases, as we shall see further on.We have briefly and simply considered the most obviousanalogies that serve to establish the typical connection betweenJesus Christ, the heavenly Corner Stone, and our earthlyPhilosopher's Stone, and to illustrate its figurative resemblance tothe Incarnation of the Saviour of men. We will now proceed toshew that the earthly Stone also shadows forth His transmuting,strengthening, healing, and quickening power towards us sinful,wretched, and imperfect human beings.For though God created man at the beginning in His ownimage, and made him more glorious and perfect than othercreatures, and breathed into him a living and immortal soul,yet by the fall the image of God was defaced, and man waschanged into the very reverse of what God had intended that he should be.But in order that we might be restored to our formerglorious state, God in His great mercy devised the followingremedy As the perfect carthly Stone, or Tincture, after itscompletion extends its quickening efficacy, and the perfectingvirtue of its tincture to other imperfect metals, so Christ, thatblessed heavenly Stone, extends the quickening influence of Hispurple Tincture to us, purifying us, and conforming us tothe likeness of His perfect and heavenly Body. For, as S.Paul says: (Rom. viii . ) , He is the first-born among manybrethren, as He is also the first-born before all creatures, throughwhom all things in heaven and earth were created, and reconciledto God. If we who are by Nature impure, imperfect, andmortal, desire to become pure, immortal and perfect, thistransmutation can be effected only through the mediation oftheHeavenly Corner Stone Jesus Christ, who is the only holy, risen,glorified, heavenly King, both God and man in the unity of one Person.For as the Philosopher's Stone, which is the Chemical King,has virtue by means of its tincture and its developed perfection104 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.to change other imperfect and base metals into pure gold, so ourheavenly King and fundamental Corner Stone, Jesus Christ, canalone purify us sinners and imperfect men with His Blessed rubycoloured Tincture, that is to say, His Blood, from all our naturalfilth and uncleanness, and perfectly heal the malignant diseaseofour nature; seeing that there is no salvation but in Him, andthat no other name is given under heaven whereby men canobtain happiness and perfection.The blind and insensate world has, indeed, through the craftand deceit of the Devil, tried many other ways and methods ofobtaining everlasting salvation, and has toiled hard to reach thegoal; but Christ nevertheless is and remains the only trueSaviour and Mediator, who alone can make us appear just in thesight of God, and purify us from our spiritual leprosy-just as,upon earth, there is only one royal, saving, chemical Stone bywhich all imperfect metals must be brought to perfection and allbodily diseases healed (especially that fearful, and otherwise in- curable leprosy). All other spiritual remedies-such as thoseinvented and used by Jews, Turks, heathens, and heretics-maybe compared to the devices of false and sophistical alchemists;for bythem men are not purified, but defiled -- not quickened, butenfeebled, and given over to a state of more helpless spiritualdeadness. So the pseudo alchemists, or malchemists, as theymay be more appropriately termed, discover many tinctures andcolours by which men are not only deceived, but, as dailyexperience teaches, often ruined in fortune, body, and soul.InAgain, if we men would be purified and cleansed of ouroriginal sin and the filth of Adam (in whom, through the subtiltyof the Cacodæmon, our whole race was corrupted in the veryProtoplast), we can obtain perfection and eternal happiness onlythrough the regeneration of water and the Spirit, as the royalchemical substance is regenerated by water and its spirit.this new and spiritual regeneration, which is performed inbaptism through water and the Spirit, we are washed andpurified with the Blood of Christ, united to His Body, and clothedwith Him as with a garment ( Col. iii . , Eph. v. ) . For, as thePhilosophical Stone becomes joined to other metals by means ofits tincture and enters into an indissoluble union with them, soChrist, our Head, is in constant vital communion with all His1THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 105members through the ruby tincture of His Blood, and compactsHis whole Body into a perfect spiritual building which after Godis created in righteousness and true holiness. Now, that regeneration which is wrought in baptism through the operation of theHoly Spirit is really nothing but an inward spiritual renewal offallen man, by which we become God's friends instead of Hisenemies, and thus heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ ( 1 .Cor. ii., Rom. xii . , Ephes. ii . , Hebr. iii . ) . For to this end Christdied and rose again, that through this means, namely, throughHis passion, death, resurrection, and ascension, He might enterthe Holy Place made without hands, and prepare for us the waytoour everlasting Fatherland. Therefore, we, too, as His brothersand sisters, should follow His passion, and grow like Him in love,humility, and all other virtues, till we are conformed to Hisglorified body, and until, having lived and died with Him, wealso reign with Him, and share His everlasting glory.But this inward quickening and imitation of Christ, ourheavenly King, in our daily lives, is not the outgrowth of ourown merit or natural will (for by nature all men are blind, deaf,and dead, as to spiritual things), but is produced solely throughthe effectual working of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us through the blessed laver of regeneration. In like manner, theminerals and metals are in themselves gross and dead, andcannot purify or ameliorate themselves, but are purified, renewed,dissolved, and perfected through the agency of the spagyricspirit. Now when we have been incorporated in the Body of ourheavenly King, and washed and cleansed of original sin throughHis purple Tincture, and so rendered capable of bringing forththe first fruits of the Holy Spirit, we are fed up, like little children,and nourished with the pure and health-giving milk of grace,until at length we become living stones, fit for the heavenlybuilding and the highest priesthood, which consists in offering upspiritual sacrifices such as are acceptable to God the Father,through Jesus Christ. For even a Christian, though regeneratedthrough water and the Word, cannot grasp or apprehend allthings at once, but must grow gradually, and daily, in theknowledge of God and of Christ.For as, in cur philosophical experiment, the union of thetwo essences, namely of the earthly gold and the heavenly106 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.prepared Matter, which have first been reduced to a kind of dryliquid, or amalgam, in a solutory alembic, does not take placeall at once (seeing that the different parts are added graduallyand at stated intervals), so we must expect the growth of thequickened spirit to be slow and gradual. For when the spiritualunion of a man with Christ in baptism has once taken place, andhe is united once for all with His Body, he must graduallyadvance in the Christian faith, and assimilate in his soul onearticle after another, until he has obtained perfect knowledge,and is firmly established in all the fulness of conviction.Now the Christian faith, like the prepared aqueous substance, consists of twelve articles, according to the number ofthe Apostles, and these again fall into three principal sections,viz. (1 ) that which treats of our creation, ( 2) that which deals with our redemption, and ( 3 ) that which describes our sanctification. All these articles the Christian must, one by one, and little by little, make his own. He cannot master them all atonce; for if too much spiritual nourishment were administeredto him at a time, his soul might begin to loathe its food, and he might be entirely estranged from the faith. Therefore, the thirdarticle, for instance, should be divided into seven parts, and taughtin seven different lessons (just as the matter was not put into the phial all at once). When a man has made the whole faiththoroughly his own, he must carefully preserve it pure from all corruption and falsification.Moreover, in the chemical process, the Stone cannot bringits influence to bear on imperfect metals, unless it is first combined with three several parts of highly refined and purified gold,not because the tincture of the Stone itself is imperfect, but onaccount ofthe grossness of the metals which otherwise could notreceive its subtle influence. The Stone itself is perfect; but thebase metals are so feeble and dead that they cannot apprehendthe angelical and spiritual perfection of the Tincture, exceptthrough the more congenial medium of gold, refined and fusedthrough Antimony. In the same way, our heavenly King, JesusChrist, has, through His obedience to His Father's will, oncefor all delivered us from sin and impurity, and made us sonsand heirs of God; nevertheless, His saving Blood, the true purpleTincture, cannot be received by us, on account of our inborn1THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 107infirmity and gross sinfulness, except through three mediaappointed by God for this purpose, namely: ( 1 ), His HolyWord, which is better and purer than earthly gold seven timesrefined; ( 2), saving faith, which is a marvellous gift of God,comes through the Word of God, unites the hearts of men, andis tried in the fire of affliction; (3), unfeigned love towards Godand our neighbour, which is also a gift of God, the fulfilment ofthe law, and a perfect imitation of God's nature. If we have andpossess in a proper manner these three things, the Word, faith,and love, Christ can operate rightly upon us with his heavenlyTincture, and celestial Unction, make their blessed influence feltthroughout our imperfect natures, and thus, by pervading ourentire being, cause us to be partakers of His own heavenlynature. But Satan, that grim pseudo-alchymist, ever lies inwait to draw those whom Christ has regenerated, and made sonsof God by faith through baptism, and who are warring thegood warfare, and keeping faith and a good conscience, awayfrom the right path- and in this attempt he and his faithfulservants, our sinful flesh, and the wicked, seductive world, are, alas,very frequently successful (for even the just man falls seven timesa day. Prov. xxiv. ). For as he lay in wait for Christ, our Lord,Master, and Guide, and soon after His Baptism made a violentassault upon Him; so to the present day he spreads his craftynets and pernicious snares in the Christian Church. Our Lordhe first endeavoured to delude into doubting the Word of God,and questioning His Father's love, by pointing to the want,hunger, and bodily affliction, that God suffered Him to endure inthe wilderness. But if Christians do not yield to this temptation, Satan attacks them on another point, and tries to inducethem to place a foolhardy confidence (such as is not warrantedby God's word) in their heavenly Father; just as he strove topersuade Christ to cast Himselfdown from the pinnacle oftheTemple, seeing that God would surely protect Him. If thisdevice does not succeed, the Evil One is not ashamed to trya third expedient: he promises us all the riches of this world,and the glory thereof, if we will forsake God, become idolators,and worship Satan himself—a proposal which he actually hadthe hardihood to make to Christ. These Satanic machinationsGod, in His inscrutable wisdom, permits, in order that men may108 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.thereby be exercised in faith, hope, patience, and true prayer,and prepared for the agony of death which the old man will oneday have to undergo-that thus they may gain a final victoryover their hereditary foe. This victory they will gain if theyare taught by the grace of God how to encounter the Devil'sdeceitful and crafty wiles.For since, as S. Paul says, we wrestle not with fleshand blood, but with principalities and powers, with the rulers ofthe darkness of this world, with the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places; we cannot successfully oppose ourown strength to their spiritual assaults, but we must, after theexample of our Standard- bearer, Jesus Christ, arm ourselvesagainst our spiritual foes with spiritual weapons, such asthe Word of God, and the sword of the Spirit. We must takefrom the armoury of the Holy Spirit the breast-plate ofrighteousness, and have our loins girt with truth, our feet shodwith the preparedness ofthe Gospel of peace; and we must coverourselves with the great shield of faith, with which we shall beable to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one: for faith inJesus Christ is a most strong shield which no weapon of the EvilDemon has power to pierce.Again, we saw that in our chemical operation the regulationofthe fire, and a most patient and careful tempering of its heat,was ofthe greatest importance for the proper digestion of thesubstance. We also spoke of the " fire of the Sages " as beingone ofthe chief agents in our chemical process, and said that itwas an essential, preternatural, and Divine fire, that it lay hid inour substance, and that it was stirred into action by the influenceand aid of the outward material fire. In like manner, the trueWord of God, or the Spirit of God, whom Jeremiah compares toa fire, lies hid in our hearts, having been planted in our souls byNature, and only defaced and obscured by the fall . This spiritmust be aided, roused into action, and fanned into a brightflame, by another outward fire, viz. , the daily fire of godliness,the exercise of all the Christian virtues in good days and in evil,and the study of the pure Divine Word, if, indeed, the internallight of grace, or the Spirit of God, is to work in us, instead ofbeing extinguished. For as an earthly craftsman polishes iron,which in itself is cold, till it is heated by continual friction, andTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 109as a lamp must go out if it is not constantly fed with oil; so theinward fire of man, unless it is assiduously kept up, graduallybegins to burn low, and is at length completely extinguished.Therefore it is indispensable for a Christian diligently to hear,carefully to study, and faithfully to practice the Word of God.Again, what we said of spiritual sight, viz. , that it must takeplace not with the outward eyes of the body, but with theinward eye ofthe soul, is equally applicable to spiritual hearing.I speak of listening, not to the outward speech of men, or to thePharisaic leaven of the new Scribes, which nowadays, alas, issubstituted for the sincere and unadulterated Word of God, butto the Voice of God Himself. I speak of the thrice refined Wordof God ( Psalm cxix. ), which proceeds out of the mouth of God,and is declared by His Holy Spirit-which is not, as these falseteachers presumptuously assert, a vain and empty sound, but theSpirit, the life, and the saving power of God to all that believe.Of it the Royal Seer David speaks as follows: " I will hearwhat the Lord shall say unto me. " Of this inward and Divinehearing of the Word of God, as from a kind of fountainhead, good and living faith, which works by love, takes its source.For it is, as S. Paul says ( Rom. x. ): " Faith comes by hearing,and hearing by the Word ofGod. "66Now if the Word is pure and undefiled, the hearing, too,may be pure and undefiled, and the faith which comes of suchhearing will also be true, and show itself by love and humbleobedience to the will of God in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.It will also find expression in all good works towards our neighbour. Tothe exercise of this love Christ exhorts us in His longvaledictory discourse (John xiii. ) , and leaves it with us as Hisfarewell saying: " This is my commandment that ye love eachother, even as I also loved you." If any one say, I know God,and love not his brother, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.But he who keeps the Word of God, in him the love of God isperfected ( 1. John, ii. ). And again ( 1. John, iv. ): “ God is love,and he that abides in love abides in God, and God in him."From these passages we learn that love is the bond of perfectionby which we are united to Christ, and by which we are in Him,He in His Father, and His Father in Him. " Ifany one," saysChrist, "will keep my word, this is he that loves me, and I will love་ ་110 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.him, and we will come to him and take up our abode with him."Again: " Ifye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love. " But this our love to God must also find expression towards our neighbour. For " if any one love not his brother whomhe has seen, how can he love God, whom he has not seen? Andthis commandment we have of Him, that he that loves God love his brother also." The nature of this love is described by S.Paul (1. Cor. xiii. ) in the following words: " Love suffereth long,and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is notpuffed up, and never fails.” Hence it appears that there is notrue love which does not show itself in works of kindness towardsour fellow men; and hence also it appears that the good workswhich are acceptable to God cannot precede faith, but are itsoutgrowth and precious fruit; works do not make faith good andacceptable, but it is faith that gives , their real value to worksfor we are justified and obtain eternal life by faith alone. Andif a regenerate man bear himself thus lovingly and humbly in all his life, he will never lack fruit in due season. For such a man isplaced by God in the furnace of affliction , and ( like the hermetic compound) is purged with the fire ofsuffering until the old Adam is dead, and there arises a new man created after God inrighteousness and true holiness, as S. Paul says (Rom.vi.): " Weare buried with Christ by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead, even SO we alsoshould walk in newness of life. " When this has been accomplished, and a man is no longer under the dominion of sin, thenthere begins in him something analogous to the solution of the gold added to the substance of our chemical process. The oldnature is destroyed, dissolved, decomposed, and, in a longer orshorter period of time, transmuted into something else. Such aman is so well digested and melted in the fire of affliction thathe despairs of his own strength and looks for help and comfortto the mercy of God alone. In this furnace of the Cross, a man,like earthly gold, attains to the true black Raven's Head, i.e. ,loses all beauty and reputation in the eyes of the world;and that not only during forty days and nights, or forty years,but often during his whole life, which is thus often more full ofsorrow and suffering than of comfort and joy. And, through thisspiritual dying, his soul is taken from him, and lifted up on high;THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. IIIwhile his body is still upon earth, his spirit and heart are alreadyin his eternal Fatherland; and all his actions have a heavenlysource, and seem no longer to belong to this earth. For he livesno longer according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, notin the unfruitful works of darkness, but in the light and in theday-in works that stand the test of fire. This separation ofbody and soul is brought about by a spiritual dying. For as thedissolution of body and soul is performed in the regeneratedgold, where body and soul are separated from one another, andyet remain close together in the same phial, the soul dailyrefreshing the body from above, and preserving it from final'destruction, until a set time: so the decaying and half-deadbodily part of man is not entirely deserted by its soul in thefurnace of the Cross, but is refreshed by the spirit from abovewith heavenly dew, and fed and preserved with Divine nectar.(For our temporal death, which is the wages of sin, is not a realdeath, but only a natural and gentle severing of body and soul).The indissoluble union and conjunction of the Spirit of God, andthe soul of the Christian, are a real and abiding fact. And hereagain we have an analogy to the (sevenfold) ascending anddescending ofthe soul in the chemical process. For the tribulations and temporal sufferings of God's people have now lastedsix thousand years; but during this whole time, men have againand again been refreshed, comforted, and strengthened by theSpirit of God-and so it is now, and ever will be, until the greatuniversal Sabbath and rest-day of the seventh millenium. Thenthis occasional spiritual refreshing will cease, and everlasting joywill reign, since God will be all in all.While the digestion ofthe dead spiritual body in man goesforward, there may be seen (as in the chemical process) manyvariegated colours and signs, i.e. , all manner of sufferings, afflictions, and tribulations, including the ceaseless assaults of theDevil, the world, and the flesh. But all these signs are of goodomen, since they show that such a man will at length reach thedesired goal. For Scripture tells us that all that are to obtainthe eternal beatitude of Christ must be persecuted in this world,and we must enter into the kingdom of heaven through much tribulation and anguish. This truth is well expressed in thefollowing words of S. Augustine: " Marvel not, brother, if after112 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.becoming a Christian you are assailed by many troubles. ForChrist is our Head, and, as His members, we must follow andimitate, not only Him, but His life and sufferings. The life ofChrist was closely beset with all manner of tribulations, poverty,insult, mockery, scorn, sorrow, and acute bodily suffering; and itis clear that if you would obtain the life of Christ, you must, like Him, become perfect through suffering. For without theseafflictions and tribulations we cannot come to God. A man whowould enter Paradise must go through fire and water, whetherhe be Peter, to whom the keys of heaven were entrusted, or Paul,a chosen vessel of God, or John, to whom all the secrets of God were revealed. Every brother must enter the kingdom ofheaven through much tribulation. "It should further be observed that the Antimony oftheSages with which the gold must be refined before being addedto the Elixir, or royal chemical substance (or before undergoinga sudatory bath with ancient grey-headed Saturn ) is expressedby the sign ō. In the same way, a ball with a cross uponit is put into the hands of the Lord of the Holy Roman Empire,whereby it is indicated that he, too, must experience, and betried by the tribulations of this world, before he can be peacefully seated upon his throne. To all this we may find ananalogy in the aforesaid School ofthe Cross, and the tribulationsand persecutions through which all Christians must pass, and thestruggle which they must wage with grey-headed Saturn, that isto say, the old Adam and Satan, before they can enter intoeverlasting joy and rest.Besides the aforesaid sorrows and afflictions, there are alsoin this world certain signs and marvels, and great mundanerevolutions, which we must diligently consider and perpend. Wemust first hear of wars, and rumours of wars, various sects,plagues, and famines; for all these things are the true forerunners aud heralds of our redemption. Then must come thegeneral resurrection of the dead, by which those who obtain thevictory through the Blood of the Lamb (for this second regeneration is begun and rendered possible by their first regeneration in this life) pass into a new and unending life through thefinal indissoluble union of their bodies, souls, and spirits. Forby the power and effectual working of Christ, our almightyTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 113heavenly King (to whom we are joined in a supernaturalmanner by faith), we shall be endued with pure spiritual health,strength, glory, and excellence. This marvellous union of body,soul, and spirit, this Divine glorification and exaltation of theelect, is a consideration fraught with reverential and unspeakableawe (like the sight of the final chemical transformation); it is.a sight at which the very angels will stand rapt in inexpressiblewonder; and then they will see us pass into the heavens toreign with Christ, and with them, and the ministering spirits,in everlasting glory, and joy unspeakable, world without end.To conclude-as, in our chemico- philosophical process, itwas possible and necessary to correct at once any defect orirregularity, since otherwise the whole compound would becorrupted and rendered useless; so, in the Christian life, everyfault must at once be carefully corrected, and put away, lestit afford a loophole for Satan, the world, and the flesh, to creepin again, and to cause in us, so to speak, a pernicious sublimation, or a premature redness (corresponding to the first andsecond chemical defects), or to make us despair of God's mercywhen we consider our many grevious sins, or to stir up in usa spirit of murmuring against the great furnace heat of God'sdiscipline (which two latter failings correspond to the third andfourth chemical defects). If any of these unfortunate accidentshappen to our souls, they must be dissolved again (after theanalogy of the chemical compound), by repentance, by thesolutory key of holy Absolution, and thus, as often as isrequired, be purged of sin and post-baptismal defilement byAbsolution, as well as by the pure heavenly milk of the Lord'sSupper, which is the sweat of the heavenly Lamb, and waterand blood, the fountain of life-which (like the mercurial waterof the chemical process) is, to the unworthy and wicked, themost deadly poison, but food, drink, and a source of strength tothe repentant believer. Thus he may still attain to what corresponds to the final coagulation and perfect chemical condensation, namely, to the heavenly perfection of eternal beatitude.These two most wholesome remedies for post-baptismal sin(viz. , Absolution and the Lord's Supper), God in his mercy hasordained, and entrusted to the keeping of His most BelovedChurch, for the healing of repentant Christian men. Through H114 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.her, we are either, by absolution, pronounced free from guilt,or, if we remain impenitent, and persist in our wicked course,we are, by excommunication, delivered over to Satan, that bythe destruction of the flesh, our souls may be saved in the day ofthe Lord Jesus.man.EPILOGUE.Thus, gentle and well-wishing reader, I have briefly andsimply set forth to you the perfect analogy which exists betweenour earthly and chemical and the true and heavenly Stone, JesusChrist, whereby we may attain unto certain beatitude and perfection, not only in earthly but also in eternal life. I might havedone so more grandly and copiously; but you must know that Iam neither a theologian, nor, according to the modern fashion,an Aristotelico-theologian, but a simple and unsophisticated layFor the knowledge which God has committed to me, Ihave obtained, not at any learned academy, but in the universalschool of Nature, and by perusing the open book of God.this reason I have expressed my thoughts simply, and not trickedthem out in sesquipedalian words, as is the manner of professional theologians; nor do I pretend to have exhausted thesubject; all that I have done is to throw out some hints for theguidance of those who wish to investigate it more carefully. Indoing my best, I have also endeavoured to do my duty; forevery lover ofthe truth is bound to praise God by revealing theknowledge entrusted to him. Besides all this, I desired to profess publicly my belief in the true Christian faith; since at thepresent time many devout and godly Christians are falselyrepresented and decried by lying slanderers as heretics. Letnot the blasphemies and reckless judgment of the wicked worldtrouble the true Christian, against whom they are directed; forthe Devil and his servants have at all times done to the followersof Christ what they did to Christ Himself. Therefore I will sayno more on this subject, but I will leave it to be decided by theJudge of all the world.As to the earthly Stone itself I must ask the reader to studydiligently what has gone before in our treatise as to this subject.THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 115For as in an excellent poem a verse is sometimes repeated atleast once, so on this point we are accustomed to do the same,because the reader ought not to direct his aims and thoughts tothe earthly Philosophical Stone until he has attained a rightknowledge ofthe Celestial Stone, and has prepared it, or, at least,has commenced with the utmost zeal the preparations of bothtogether. For the earthly Stone is a gift from God, descendingby the clemency of the Celestial Stone. I agree with all theSages that it would be folly to attempt the study of so profounda mystery without a good previous knowledge of Nature andher properties. But I also say that it is not merely difficult, butquite impossible, to prepare the Philosopher's Stone without atrue knowledge of Christ, the heavenly Corner Stone, in whomall Nature lives and moves, and has its being. This warningshould be duly considered; and he who would not expose himselfto the certainty of ignominious failure, should reflect that themastery of any art requires persevering exercise, and that, beforesetting about this search after the Philosopher's Stone, he mustprepare himself by careful and patient study. If any neglectthis warning, his failure will be the result of his own ignoranceand mental immaturity.But I wonder still more that there are to be found somemen, who not only study this Art, but even try to practice it, andyet do not quite know whether it proceeds by natural andlegitimate magic, or whether it is not after all a necromantic, orblack art, which is exercised by the illegitimate aid ofthe powersof hell. No, my good friend. The Devil, wicked angels, andwicked men, have no power but that which God suffers them topossess and with our present glorious Art they positively havenothing whatever to do. It is entirely in the hand of God, whoimparts it to whom He will, and takes it away from whom Hewill; and He does not suffer any votaries of pleasure, or evilspirits, to partake of it. He gives it only to the pure, true, andhumble of heart. This excellence is neither known, nor understood, bythe majority of the present generation; and when thesound of it strikes upon their cars, and they do not comprehend it, they straightway call it foolishness. On account of this theirblindness, that spirit will always be hidden from their minds,and will at length be entirely taken away from them.H2116 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Let me, however, be permitted to impress one thing on the minds of my pious and devout readers. In so far as a manorders his life, soul, heart, and actions aright in the sight of God,in so far will he perceive that he is making good progress in thediscovery, preparation, and use of the Stone. This assertion isthe result of my own personal experience during many years,and it embodies my deliberate conviction. Therefore, the bestpreparation for this study is, in my judgment, a diligent amendment of heart and life.I am aware that I here lay myself open to the objectionthat it is possible to enumerate several men who actuallypossessed this Stone, or Tincture, and with it transmuted baseinctals into gold and silver; and who yet were not good men,but vain, profligate, and without knowledge of God. To thisobjection, I answer that from whencesoever these men may haveobtained the Tincture, I certainly never will believe that theyprepared it -i.e. , the true and right Tincture-themselves. Thetragic end of many of these men, and the headlong destructionbrought upon them by their Tincture, prove but too clearly thetruth of what I say. Moreover, all that call themselvesalchemists are not therefore necessarily true possessors of theStone. For, as in other branches of knowledge, there arefound many different schools and sects, so all that are in searchof this precious Tincture are called alchemists, withoutnecessarily deserving the name.In this tract I have spoken of truc, natural, and scientificalchemy, which teaches us to distinguish the evil and impurefrom the good and pure, and thus, to aid the weakness, andcorrect the corruption , of Nature. We help the metals to arriveat maturity, just as a gardener may assist fruit, which by someaccident is prevented from ripening, or as a seed or grain of cornmay casily be multiplied by being sown in the ground. Ofpseudo-alchemy I neither pretend, nor care, to know anything,because I perceive that the ways of its teachers are crooked, andthat they promise mountains of gold, without being able toredeem the least part of their pledge; I also see that those whofollow them incur great expense, ceasless toil, and are oftenruined in body and soul. Therefore, if you encounter alchemistsof this description, who speak boastfully of their Art, and offerTHE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 117to teach it you for money, I warn you to be on your guardagainst them. For with such men there is mostly a serpentlurking in the grass (Mic. ii. ).I think I may confidently assert that the cost of preparingthe Tincture (apart from your own daily maintenance, and thefuel required) does not exceed three florins. For the Matter, ashas already been said, is for most part, very common, and maybe everywhere obtained in abundance; and the labour is casyand simple. In brief, the whole design can present no difficultywhatever to those whom God has chosen for this purpose, i.e. , tothose who love Him; but to the wicked it is beset with insuperable impediments. In conclusion, let me tell you that if Godin His gracious mercy should vouchsafe to reveal to you thisopen secret, it will then become your sacred duty to use it well,and to conceal your knowledge from the unworthy, to put a sealupon your lips, and to preserve unbroken silence about it. Ifyou neglect this well- meant warning, you may bring upon yourself the anger of God, and persecutions of wicked men, and bejustly punished with temporal and eternal ruin."If any one seek riches by means of this sacred ""Art, let him be devout, and simple-hearted, silent,""and wise. He who strives not after these virtues,""will receive the opposite of that which he desires:"he will be poor, needy, naked and wretched. ""All this, beloved Reader, I desired to enjoin upon you as afarewell admonition. I devoutly hope that God has opened youreyes, and that you have completely apprehended my meaning.To explain the matter more clearly and openly than I have done,I am forbidden by my vow. I can only ask you once more toperuse this treatise carefully, and to ask God to enlighten yourunderstanding.APPENDIX .If, after obtaining this knowledge, you give way to pride oravarice (under the pretext of economy and prudence), and thusgradually turn away from God, the secret will most certainly fade out of your mind in a manner which you do not understand.This has actually happened to many who would not be warned.118 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.66RECAPITULATORY LINES."""If you will follow my teaching, and if you area devout Christian man, you may take the"substance which I have before indicated, and,"4466 by following the directions I have given, you ' may possess all the riches ofthe whole world. "To this end-ifyou are worthy-may God in His mercyvouchsafe you His blessing. This prayer I offer up for you fromthe bottom of my heart.PRAYER.Almighty, everlasting God, Father of heavenly light, fromWhom proceed all good and perfect gifts: we pray Thee, ofThine infinite mercy, to reveal to us Thine eternal wisdom,which is evermore about Thy throne, and by which all thingswere created and made, and are still governed and preserved:send it down to us from heaven, and from the throne of Thyglory, that it may be with us, and work with us, seeing that it isthe teacher of all heavenly and secret arts, and knows and understands all things. Let it accompany us in all our works, thatby Thy Spirit we may attain a true understanding and certainknowledge of this Blessed Art, and of the marvellous Stone ofthe Sages, which Thou art wont to reveal only to Thine elect,and hast concealed from the world. And so further us with Thywisdom, that we may begin, continue, and complete this workwithout any error, and enjoy its fruits for ever with great joy— through the Heavenly and Eternal Foundation and CornerStone, Jesus Christ, Who with Thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end. Amen.66 Joshua xxi. , 43-44.And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which Hesware to give unto their fathers; and there failed not aught ofany good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house ofIsrael; all came to pass."Deuteronomy xxxii. , 3." Ascribe the Glory unto God Alone! "ΑΜΕΝ .THE SOPHIC HYDROLITH. 119EPIGRAM."It is an easy matter to prepare gold in the furnace out of metals at times there is found a man to whom the secret isrevealed. Why is not every alchemist rich? The reason is thatone thing is wanting which many seek with anxious care.Common gold is not fixed, and, when brought to the test of fire,quickly disappears and perishes. But he who knows the fixedgold, which at all times remains the same, and from which nothingis lost, he is the possessor of the true Art, and may be called agood and practical Sage and Chemist. "66ANOTHER EPIGRAM.Theology without alchemy is like a noble body without itsright hand. This is graphically shewn and exhibited in the picture before us. First look at the helmet and the two wings,which signify the love of the Art. They bear us onward toSophia (Wisdom), who is bright like Phoebus. Her bodyis nakedbecause she is ardently loved. She is loved because she has ather disposal the riches of the whole world. He that gazes uponher beauteous form cannot refrain himselffrom loving her, goddessas she is. Although this love is, as it were, hidden, yet it is constant; and that is indicated by the mask. Her heart is sincere,her words are modest, righteousness upholds her steps, she is freefrom malice and guile. Her valiant appearance shews that sheis of an open mind. Yet she seems to be falling, too: that isbecause the base world hates her, and with fierce truculence triesto cast her down to the ground. But evermore she bravely riseson high, though ambition moves her not. She is beloved by Godand man. Though mockery is to her for a garment, as is shewnby the noisy cymbals, yet she cares nothing for it, but cleaves allthe more faithfully to wisdom; to it she lifts her eyes, to it she directs her steps. For she knows that it is the only true salvation, and therefore she occupies herself with it by day and bynight. She is not anxious for worldly praise, nor does she heedthe hatred and injustice of men, or care for their opinion too little ortoo much. Much suffering and tribulation are inflicted upon herby this wicked world, yet she bears it with a valiant heart and holds it in disdain. For she possesses the treasure which gives her all120 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.that she desires, and avarice dwells not in her thoughts. Thatin which the world delights, she accounts as the dirt beneath herfeet, since fortune is a wheel, and its revolutions are swift. Therefore she delights to tread the path of thorns, until, leaving theworld, she finds rest in the tomb. Then her righteous soul willsoar aloft to heaven, and for a just reward there shall be givenunto her a diadem of stars. After her death, her praise and gloryshall wax bright in the world, like unto the glorious splendour ofthe sun; nor will it ever pale, but become more intense as theyears advance, and her name shall shine like a bright star for evermore. "" "UNTO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY.AMEN.

• OBSERVAÇÃO.-O original latino não contém uma gravura ilustrativa deste epigrama.

ADEMONSTRATION .OFNATURE,MADE TO THE ERRING ALCHEMISTS, AND COMPLAININGOF THE SOPHISTS AND OTHER FALSE TEACHERS.SET FORTH BYJOHN A. MEHUNG.P,5NATURE (speaks).GOOD heavens, how deeply I am often saddened atseeing the human race, which God created perfect, inHis own image, and appointed to be the lords of theearth, depart so far away from me! I allude moreparticularly to you, O stolid philosophaster, who presume tostyle yourself a practical chemist, a good philosopher, and yet areentirely destitute of all knowledge of me, of the true Matter, andof the whole Art which you profess! For, behold, youbreak vials, and consume coals, only to soften your brain still more with the vapours. You also digest alum, salt, orpiment,and atrament; you melt metals, build small and largefurnaces, and use many vessels: nevertheless, I am sick ofyour folly, and you suffocate me with your sulphurous smoke.With most intense heat you seek to fix your quicksilver, which isthe vulgar volatile substance, and not that out of which I makemetals; therefore you effect nothing. For you do not follow myguidance, or strive to imitate my methods, rather mistaking my whole artifice. You would do better to mind your own business,than to dissolve and distil so many absurd substances, andthen to pass them through alembics, cucurbitas, stills, andpelicans. By this method you will never succeed in congealingquicksilver. For the revivification you use a reverberatory fire,and make it so hot as to render everything liquid-thus do youfinish your work, and in the end ruin yourself and others. Youwill never discover anything unless you first enter my workshop,where, in the inmost bowels of the earth I ceaselessly forgemetals: there you may find the substance which I use, anddiscover the method of my work.Do not suppose that I will reveal my secret to you unlessyou first find the growing seed of all metals (resembling that of124 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.the animals and vegetables). I preserve in the bosom of theearth both that which is used for their generation, and that withwhich they are nourished up.Metals Exist, vegetables Live and Grow, and animals Feel,which is more than merely to grow. I make metals, stones, andthe atramental substances out of certain elements, which I mixand compound in a certain way. These elements you must seekin the heart of the earth, and nowhere else. Vegetables containtheir own seed, and image; in like manner, animals are propagated, and by the same means do generate their own likeness.Everything proceeds by the laws laid down for it. Only you,wicked man, who try to usurp my office, have departed furtherfrom me than any other creature. Metals have no life, orprinciple ofgeneration and growth, if they lack their own propersced. The first is accomplished by the four elements in ninedays; the Moon goes through the twelve heavenly signs intwenty-nine and a half days.By the aforesaid laws, winter and summer relieve each other,the elements are changed, generations take place in the earththrough my working, through the working of God and theheavens, do all things subsist, the perceptible, the visible, and theinvisible. Thus all things in heaven which are comprehendedunder the Moon, do work, and impart their influence to the substance, which, like a woman, longs to conceive seed. Eachstar influences its own substance, and according to their peculiarnature, they produce different things. They work first in heavenabove, then in the earth beneath in the elements, each accordingto its own peculiar virtue; and hence arise species and individualthings.You are to know that these manifold influences do not pourthemselves fruitlessly upon the earthly elements. For thoughtheir working is invisible, yet it is a most certain and realthing. The earth is surrounded by heaven, and from it obtainsher best influences and substances. Every sphere is ready tocommunicate its truth, and therewith to pervade her centre.Through this motion and heat, there arise upon earth vapours,which are the first substances. Ifthe vapour is cold and moist,it sinks down again to the earth, and is there preserved; that which is moist and warm ascends to the clouds. That which isA DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 125shut up in the earth I change, after a long time, into thesubstance of sulphur, which is the active, and into quicksilver,which is the passive principle. The metals are another mixtureof this first composition. The whole is obtained from the fourelements, which I form into one mass. This process I repeat sooften that you have no excuse for a mistake.After the putrefaction comes the generation, which isbrought about by the internal incombustible warmth heating thecoldness of the quicksilver, which gladly submits to this heatbecause it wishes to be united to its sulphur. All these things,fire, air, and water, I have in one alembic in the earth. There Idigest, dissolve, and sublime them, without any hammer, tongs,file, coals, vapour, fire, " bath of S. Mary," or other sophisticatedcontrivances. For I have my own heavenly fire which excitesthe elemental according as the matter desires to put on a suitableand comely form. Thus I extract my quicksilver from the fourelements, or their substance. This is always accompanied by itssulphur, which is its second self, and warms it gradually, gently,and pleasantly. Thus the cold becomes warm, and the dry moistand oily. But the moist is not without its dry substance, nor isthe dry without its moist: one is conserved by the other in itsfirst essence (which is the elementary spirit of the essence, or thequintessence) from which proceeds the generation of our child.The fire brings it forth, and nourishes it in the air, but beforethat, it is decomposed in virgin earth; then water flows forth (orit flows forth from the water), which we must seek, since it is myfirst Matter, and the source of my mineral. For contrary resistsstrenuously to contrary, and doth in such wise fortify itself, lestperchance it be carried away in operating; then does it suffertransmutation, and is stripped of its form by the concupiscenceof matter, which incessantly attracts a new form.By my wisdom I govern the first principle of motion. Myhands are the eighth sphere, as my Father ordained; myhammers are the seven planets, with which I forge beautifulthings. The substance out of which I fashion all my works,and all things under heaven, I obtain from the four elementsalone. Chaos, or Hyle, is the first substance. This is theMistress that maintains the King, the Queen, and the wholecourt. A horseman is always ready to do her bidding, and a126 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.virgin performs her office in the chambers. The more beautiful she is, the more beautiful do I appear in her. Know also thatI have power to give their essence to all essences, that it is I whopreserve them, and mould them into shape. Moreover, observethe three parts into which God has divided the first substance.Of the first and purest part He created the Cherubin, Seraphin,Archangels, and all the other angels. Out of the second, whichwas not so pure, He created the heavens and all that belongs tothem; of the third, impure part, the elements and their properties. First and best of these is Fire. Fire admits of nocorruption, and contains the purest part of the quintessence.After Fire, He made the subtle Air, and put into it a part ( but not so large a part) of the quintessence. Then came thevisible element of Water, which has as much of the quintessenceas it needs. Last of all comes the Earth. All these (like allthe rest of Nature) He created in a moment of time. The earthis gross and dark, and though it is fruitful, yet it contains the smallest part of the quintessence. At first the elements remained as they were in their separate spheres. So Air is reallymoist, but is properly tempered by Fire. Water is really warm,but obtains its moisture from the air. The Earth is really dry,but it is also cold; its great dryness renders it akin to fire. Fire,however, is the first of elements which causes life and growth by its heat.Now all these elements influence and qualify each other, sothat each in its turn is now active, now passive. For instance,Fire works upon air and earth. Earth is the mother and nurseof all things, and sustains all that is liable to decay underheaven. Now God has given me power to resolve the fourelements into their quintessence; this is that first substancewhich in every element is generically qualified. I resolve themfor my own purpose, and thereby bring about all generation.But no one will be able to resolve me into my first substance, ashe strives to resolve the elements. For I alone can transmutethe elements and their forms, and he who thinks otherwisedeceives himself. For you will never be able to assign to eachsubstance its proper influence, or to find the correct proportionsofthe elements which are required by that substance. I alone,I say, can form created things, and give to them their peculiarA DEMONSTRATION AO OF NATURE. 127properties and substance. By my heavenly mysteries I produceperfect works, which are justly called miracles, as may be seenin the Elixir which has such marvellous virtue, and is of my ownforming. No art upon earth can add anything to, or improveupon, my workmanship. Every sane person must see thatnothing can be accomplished without a perfect knowledge oftheheavenly bodies, or apart from the efficacy which abides in them;without these everything is error and misuse; and yet, whenceis a mere man to obtain this influence, and how is he to apply itto the substance? How can he mingle the elements in theirright proportions? Even if a man were to spend a long life inthe investigation of this secret (says Avicenna, De Vir. Cord. ,cp. ii. ), he would not get any nearer to its solution. It isentrusted to my keeping alone, and can never be known to anyman. By my virtue and efficacy I make the imperfect perfect,whether it be a metal or a human body. I mix its ingredients,and temper the four elements. I reconcile opposites, and calmtheir discord.This is the golden chain which I have linked together of myheavenly virtues and earthly substances. I accomplish my workswith such unerring accuracy that in them all my power is shewnforth, and with so much skill that the wisest of men cannot attainto my perfection. Go forth then, and behold my works, you whothink yourself so skilled a workman, and (without any knowledge of me), with your coal fires and your S. Mary's bath, striveto make gold potable in my alembics-and know that I cannotbear the sight of your folly. Are you not ashamed, after considering my works, to attempt to rival them with your malodorous decoctions in your coloured and painted vials, and thuslose both your time and your money? I am at a loss to conceive what you can be thinking. Have pity upon yourself,and consider myteaching. Try to understand rightly what I tellyou, for I cannot lie. Consider how that most glorious metal,gold, has received its beautiful form from heaven and its precioussubstance from the earth. The generation of the precious stones,such as carbuncles, amethysts, and diamonds, takes place in thesame manner. The substance itself is composed of the fourelements; its form and qualities it receives through heavenly influences, although the capacity of being thus wrought upon128 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.slumbers in the element and is only brought out and purified inthe course of time. All this is accomplished by my hands alone..I am the architect, and no one else knows the secret of life. For,however wise he may think himself, he does not know how muchto take of each element, or where to obtain it, or how to minglehostile elements so as to allay their discord, or how to bring theheavenly influences to bear on these essences. He cannot evenmake iron, or lead, or the very basest of metal; how then shouldhe be able to make gold except by stealing my treasure? Theobject which he desires can be accomplished by my art alone—an art which it is impossible for man to know.And even though we allow gold to be the most precious ofmetals, yet gold by itself cannot cure diseases, or heal theimperfections of other metals, or change them into gold. In thesame way glass (which might otherwise be the Philosopher'sStone) can never become so soft as to be rendered malleable.Gold alone is the most precious and the most perfect of allthe metals. But if you cannot even make lead, or the minutestgrain of any metals, or produce the fruit of any herb, how hopeless must your search after the art of making gold appear!Again if you say that you wish to produce some chemical result,even if it do not turn out to be gold, I answer that you therebyonly give a fresh proof of your folly. Can you not understandthat the secret of my innermost working must always remain asealed book to you? What Nature does can never be successfully imitated by any created being. Nay, if I made goldout ofseven metals, and you do not understand my method, howcan you ever hope to prepare the substance which itself changesall metals into the purest gold, and is the most precious treasurethat God has given me? You are foolish and ignorant, if youdo not know that this precious thing which you seek is, to thecreated mind, the greatest mystery of Nature, and that it is compounded by heavenly influences -and thus has power to healand deliver men from all diseases, and to remove the imperfection of the base metals. If, therefore, it is in itself so perfectthat it has not its like upon earth, it must surely be the workmanship of the highest Intelligence, since no one else can evenmake gold, and certainly not produce a thing which has itselfthe power of making gold. Surely, to maintain that you are1A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 129able to prepare such a thing, is like saying that you cannot carryten pounds, but that you are strong enough to carry a hundredpounds. Put to heart, therefore, the true scope and responsibilityofyour intent.I , myself, again, receive all my wisdom, virtue, and powerfrom heaven, and my Matter, in its simplest form, is the fourelements. This is the first principle and the quintessence oftheelements, which I bring forth by reductions, time, and circulations, by which I transmute the inferior into the more perfect,the cold and dry into the moist and warm; and thus I preservestones and metals in their natural state of moisture. This isbrought about by the movements of the celestial bodies, for bythem the elements are ruled; by their controlling influence likeis brought to like, The purer my substance is, the more excellent are the results produced by the heavenly influence. Anddo you think that there in your alembic, where you have yourearth and water, I will be induced by your fire and heat, andby your white and red colour, to bend my neck to your yoke,and to do your will and pleasure? Do you think that you canmove the heavens, and force them to shed their influence uponyour work. Do you think that that is an organic instrumentwhich gives forth sweet music only when it is touched by themusician's fingers? You take too much upon yourself, youfoolish man. Do you not know that the revolutions of theheavens are governed by a mighty Mind, which, by its influence,imparts power to all things?I beseech you to remember that all great things proceedfrom me, and, in the last instance, from God; and not tosuppose that the skill of your hands can be as perfect as theoperation of Nature. For it is void and vain, and, ape-like,must imitate me in all things. Nor must you suppose thatyour distilling, dissolving, and condensing of your substancein your vessel, or your eliciting of water out of oil, is theright way of following me. Far from it, my son. All yourmixing and dissolving of elements never has produced, andnever can produce, any good result. Do you wish to knowthe reason? Your substance cannot stand the heat of thefurnace for a single half-hour, but must evaporate in smoke, orbe consumed by the fire. But the substance with which I.I130 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.work, can stand any degree of heat, without being injured.My water is dry, and does not moisten what it touches; itdoes not evaporate, or become less, neither is its oil consumed.So perfect are my elements; but yours are worse thanuseless.In conclusion, let me tell you that your artificial fire willnever impart my heavenly warmth, nor will your water, oil ,and earth supply you with any substitute for my substance.It is the gift of God, shed upon the elements from heaven,and upon one more than upon another; but how, is knownonly to me, and to the Great Artist who entrusted me withthis knowledge. One thing more let me tell you, my son.If you would imitate me, you must prepare all out of onesimple, self-contained Matter, in one well- closed vessel, and inone alembic. The substance contains all that is needed forits perfect development, and must be prepared with a warmth that is always kept at the same gentle temperature. Let meask you to consider the birth and development of man, mynoblest work. You cannot make a human body out of anysubstance whatsoever. Of my method in forming so subtle abody neither Aristotle nor Plato had the remotest knowledge.I harden the bones and the teeth, I make the flesh soft, themuscles cold, the brain moist, the heart, into which God haspoured the life, warm, and fill all the veins with red blood.And in the same way, I make of one quicksilver, and of oneactive male sulphur, one maternal vessel, the womb of which is the alembic. It is true that man aids me with his art, byshedding external heat into the matrix; more than this,however, he cannot do. He, then, that knows the true Matter,and prepares it properly in a well-closed vessel, and puts thewhole in an alembic, and keeps up the fire at the properdegree of warmth, may safely leave the rest to me. Uponthe fire all depends, and much, therefore, does it behove you to see thereto. Consider, therefore, the fire, which they callepesin, pepsin, pepausin, and optesin, or natural, preternatural,and infranatural fire, which burns not. Without the trueMatter and the proper fire, no one can attain the end of hislabour. I give you the substance; you must provide themere outward conditions. Take, then, a vessel, and an alembicA DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 131of the right kind and of the right size. Be wise, and performthe experiment in accordance with my laws. Help me, andI will help you. I will deal with you as you deal with me.To my other sons, who have treated me well, have obeyedtheir father and mother, and submitted themselves to myprecepts, I have given a great reward, as John de Mehung,for instance, will tell you. His testimony is also borne outby Villanova, Raymond, Morienus the Roman, Hermes (whomthey call Father, and who has not his like among the Sages),Geber, and others who have written about this Art, and knowby experience that it is true.If you, my son, wish to prepare this precious Stone, youneed not put yourself to any great expense. All that you wantis leisure, and some place where you can be without any fear ofinterruption. Reduce the Matter (which is one) to powder, putit, together with its water, in a well- closed vessel, and expose itto continuous, gentle heat, which will then begin to operate,while the moisture favours the decomposition. The presence ofthe moisture prevents the dryness of the quicksilver from retardingits assimilation. Meanwhile, you must diligently observe whatI do, and remember the words of Aristotle (Meteor iii. and iv. ),who says: " Study Nature, and carefully peruse the book concerning Generation and Corruption. " You must also read thebook concerning heaven and the world, in which you will findindicated the beautiful and pure substance. Ifyou neglect thisstudy, you will fail. On this subject consult Albertus Magnus,De Mineralibus. But if your eyes are opened by such studies,you will discover the secret of the growth of minerals, viz. , thatthey are all produced from the elements.First learn to know me, before you call yourself Master.Follow me, that am the mother of all things created, which haveone essence, and which can neither grow, nor receive a livingsoul, without the heavenly and elementary influences. Whenyou have learned by persevering study to understand the virtuesof the heavenly bodies, their potent operations, and the passivecondition of the elements, and its reason—if you further knowthe media of transmutation, the cause of generation, nutrition ,and decay, and the essence and substance of the elements-youare already acquainted with the Art, notwithstanding that a1 2132 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.most subtle mind is still needed for the studying of my operations.But if you do not possess part at least of this knowledge, youwill be fortunate indeed if you succeed in discovering mysecret. It is a secret that is read not by those that are wise in theirown conceits, but by those that bumbly and patiently listen tomy teaching. Therefore, if you desire to own this treasure,which has been the reward of the truly wise in all ages, you mustdo as I bid you. For my treasure has such virtue and potencythat the like of it is to be found neither in heaven nor uponcarth. It holds an intermediate position between Mercury andthe Metal which I take for the purpose of extracting from it by your art and my knowledge that most precious essence It ispure and potable gold, and its radical principle is activehumidity. Moreover, it is the universal Medicine described bySolomon (Eccles. xxxviii. ); the same also is taken from theearth, and honoured by the wise. God has assigned it a placeamong my mysteries, and reveals it to the Sages, althoughmany who call themselves learned doctors of Theology andPhilosophy, hold it in ignorant contempt-as Alchemy is alsodespised by the doctors of Medicine, because they do not knowme, and are ignorant of that which they profess to teach. Theymust be insufficiently furnished with brains, or they would notdirect their foolish scorn against the panacea which renders allother medicines unnecessary. Happy is the man, even thoughhe be sinking under the weight of years, whose days God prolongs until he has come to the knowledge of this secret! For (asGeber says) many to whom this gift was imparted late in life,have, nevertheless, been refreshed and delighted by it in extreme old age.He that has this secret possesses all good things and greatriches. One ounce of it will ensure to him both wealth andhealth. It is the only source of strength and recreation, and farexcels the golden tincture. It is the elixir and water of life,which includes all other things. In my treasure are concealedquicksilver, sulphur, incombustible oil, white, indestructible, andfusible salt. I tell you, frankly, that you will never be able toaccomplish its preparation without me, just as I can do nothingwithout your help. But if you understand my teaching, and cooperate with me, you can accomplish the whole thing in a shorttime.A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 133Have done with the charlatans, and their foolish writings;have done with all their various alembics, and phials; have donewith their excrements of horses, and all the variety of their coal- fires, since all these things are of no use whatever. Do notperplex yourself with metals, or other things of a like nature:rather change the elements into a mutable form. For this is themost excellent substance of the Sages, and is rejected only bythe foolish. Its substance is like, but its essence unlike, that ofgold. Transmute the elements and you will have what youseek. Sublime that which is the lowest, and make that which isthe highest, the lowest. Take quicksilver which is mixed withits active sulphur; put it into a well-closed vial, and one alembic,plunge one-third of it into the earth, kindle the fire of the Sages,and watch it well so that there may be no smoke. The rest youmay leave to me. I ask you to do no more, but only bid youfollow my unerring guidance.THE ANSWER OF THE CHEMIST,In which he confesses his errors, asks pardon for them, and returns thanks to Nature.Dearest Mother Nature, who, next to the angels, art themost perfect of all God's creatures, I thank thee for thy kindlyinstruction. I acknowledge and confess that thou art theMother and Empress of the great world, made for the little worldof man's mind. Thou movest the bodies above, and transmutestthe elements below. At the bidding of thy Lord thou dostaccomplish both small things and great, and renewest, by ceaseless decay and generation, the face of the earth and of theheavens. I confess that nothing can live without a soul, and thatall that exists and is endued with being flows forth from thee byvirtue of the power that God has given to thee. All matter isruled by thee, and the elements are under thy governance.From them thou takest the first substance, and from the heavensthou dost obtain the form. That substance is formless and voiduntil it is modified and individualized by thee. First thou givestit a substantial, and then an individual form. In thy greatwisdom thou dost cunningly mould all thy works through theheavenly influences, so that no mortal hand can utterly destroythem. Under thy hands God has put all things that are necessary134 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.to man, and through thee, He has divided them into four kingdoms, namely, those that have being and essence, like the metalsand stones; those that have essence and growth, like thevegetables; those that have feeling and sensation , like the beasts,birds, and fishes. These are the first three classes; in the fourthit pleased God to place only the noblest and most perfect of Hisworks, namely, man, to whom He also gave a rational and immortal soul. This soul is obscured by the defilement whichfound its way into the body through the senses, and, but for the grace and mercy of God, would have become involved in itscondemnation. Hence the chief perfection of man is not derived from thee, nor dost thou impart to us our humanity.Nevertheless, the material part of man is the work of thy hands alone.And, surely, our bodies are cunningly and wonderfully made,and, in every part of them, bear witness to the masterly skill of the workman. How marvellous are the uses of our variousmembers! How wonderful that the soul can move them andset them to work at will! But, alas! oftener still the body ismaster of the soul, and forces it to do many things which purereason condemns. Ifwe consider the matter from this point ofview, it seems as though thou hadst begun well, and yet thywork had, after all, turned out an abortion. Wert thou wantingin wisdom, or knowledge, or couldst thou not do otherwise?Pardon me if I speak too presumptuously about thy wisdom, Ionly desire to be rightly and truly informed. For, indeed, evennow thy stern rebuke has made many things clear to me. I havespent my whole life in attending to thy lessons; and the moreclosely I have listened, the more clearly have I understood mymistakes and the depth ofthy wisdom. Now, whether I lie, orstand, or walk, I can think of nothing but thy great mystery.And yet I am unable to conceive what subtance and form I must take for it. Thou didst sternly rebuke me for not following thyway; but thou knowest that, if I do not obey thee, it is only be- cause I do not know what thou wouldst have me do. I shallnever be able to attain any satisfactory result in this Art, unlessthou wilt enlighten my blindness. Thou hast rightly said that itis not for man to know the mystery ofthy working: how thencan I be guided to this knowledge, unless thou wilt take me byA DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 135the hand? Thou sayest that I must follow thee; and I amwilling to do so. But tell me what I must do, and what books Imust study for that purpose. Of the books which I have read,one says, " Do this," and the other, " No, do that "; and they arefull of unintelligible expressions and of dark parables. At last Isee that I cannot learn anything from them. Therefore I takerefuge with thee, and instantly beseech thee to advise and to tellme how to set about this difficult task. On my kness I implorethee to show me the way by which I can penetrate into the lowerparts of the earth, and by what subtle process I am to obtain theperfect mercury of the metals. And yet I doubt whether anyman, even after obtaining this mercury, can really make gold.That is thy work, and not the work of man; as thy words andmy own experience most clearly shew.We see that the cold and moist mercury needs theassistance of its sulphur, which is its seed after its kind, or itshom*ogeneous sperm, out of which the metal or Stone must beproduced. But thou sayest only: Take the proper substance, theproper vessel, the proper mineral, the proper place, and theproper fire; then form, colour, and life will grow and spring forth from thence. Thou art the Architect; thou knowest the gloriousproperties ofthe Matter. The active principle can do nothingunless there be a passive principle prepared to receive itsinfluence. Thou knowest how to mix the warm and the cold,the dry and the moist; by reconciling hostile elements, thou canst produce new substances and forms. For I did indeedunderstand all that thou didst tell me, but am unable to expressit so well as thou. This thou hast firmly impressed on mymind, that the Elixir is composed by the reconciling and mutual transmutation of the four elements. But what man is sufficientfor such a task? For who knows how earth can have itsessence in common with air, or how it can be changed intomoisture which is contrary to its nature? For humidity will notleave a cold and humid element, not even under the influence offire. This, too, is the work of Nature, that it becomes black, andwhite, and red. These three visible colours correspond to thethree elements, earth, water, and fire, and are pervaded by the air.Then, again, thou sayest that the Stone is prepared of onething, of one substance, in one vessel, the four (elements)136 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.composing one essence in which is one agent which begins andcompletes the work; man, thou sayest, need do nothing but adda little heat, and leave the rest to thy wisdom. For all thatis needed is already contained in the substance, in perfection,beginning, middle, and end, as the whole man, the wholeanimal, the whole flower is contained each in its proper seed.Now, in the human seed the human specific- substance is alsoincluded, as flesh, blood , hair, &c.; and thus every seed containsall the peculiar properties of its species. In the whole worldmen spring from human seed, plants from plants, animals from animals. Now I know that when once the seed is enclosedin the female vessel, no further trouble or work of any kind isrequired everything is brought to perfection by thy gradualand silent working. And the generation of the Stone, thousayest, is performed in a similar manner. Only one substanceis required, which contains within itself air, water, and fire -inshort, everything that is needed for the completion of this work.No further handling of any kind is necessary, and a gentlefire is sufficient to rouse the internal warmth, just as an infant inthe womb is cherished by natural heat. The only thing inwhich man must aid thee, is, by preparing the substance,removing all that is superfluous, enclosing this simple earth,which is combined with its water, in a vessel, andsubjectingit to the action of gentle heat in a suitable alembic. This,thou sayest, is all that needs to be done by man; when all hasbeen prepared for thee, thou dost begin thy part ofthe work.Thou dissolvest the substance, and makest the dry watery; thenthou sublimest it, and bearest it upward into the air, and thus,without any further aid, bringest that to perfection which canitself impart perfection to all imperfect things. Therefore, thou,Nature, art the first mother, since thou dost cunningly combinethe four elements into an essence by a process of which nonebut thou has any knowledge. Thus far have I understood thee,and do not quite despair, if it be pleasing unto God and to thee,of seeing thy great reward with my own eyes.But at present I earnestly desire to know but one thing:and that is, how can that substance be obtained, what are itsqualities, and what its powers to impart perfection to imperfectthings?A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 137I am well aware that gold is the most precious of the metals;but I cannot see that it has any capacity of becoming morepotent than it already is. For whatever man may do with it,it will never be able to perfect anything but itself. If any onetold me to dissolve it and extract from it its quicksilver, I shouldregard that as a very foolish direction; for nothing can be gotout of gold but what is in it. These philosophasters betraytheir ignorance by saying that they can reduce gold to its firstsubstance; but thy instruction has made it clear to me thatthe first substance cannot be obtained, except by destroying thespecific properties of a thing, nor can any new species be broughtforth by such a destruction, unless the species be first universalized into the genus. Moreover, I make bold to affirm that noman can first resolve gold into its generic substance, and thenrestore it again; for when it has once lost its specific properties,no mere human skill can change it back into what it was before.Nor can any one really reduce gold to the first form imparted toit by the elements. For gold is not transmuted either by heator by cold, and is so perfect in its kind that fire only renders itpurer. It does not admit of any further development, and therefore no other metal or quicksilver can be obtained from it.It is true that plants and animals are constantly producingtheir like by means of their seed, and their capacity of organicnu*trition. But I do not see how the same can be said of metals,seeing that at the expiration of any given period they still retainthe same size and weight which they had at the beginning.Through thee they receive their being out of the elements without anysowing, planting, or development of any kind. Moreover,I know that no credit is to be attached to the fanciful notions ofthe old Sages who would prepare our Stone out of a crudeinetallic substance, and do not understand that the form andsubstance of a thing are conditioned by its essential nature.Now, I remember a certain juggling charlatan, who was lookedupon as a great philosopher, telling me that the only truematerial was common quicksilver, which must be well mingledwith gold, since in such an union the one brought the other toperfection. If I did this, continued that impostor, I should beable to prepare the Elixir. First, however, the four elementsmust be separated from each other, then, after each had been138 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.purified, they must be reunited, the great being combined with thesmall, and the subtile with the gross. This, he said, was the rightway of making the Stone. But I know that all this is sheer nonsense, and that such men are only deceiving themselves and others..I am also aware that only God can produce anything out ofthe elements. He alone knows how to mingle and combine themin their due proportions. For He alone is the Creator andAuthor ofall good things, and there is nothing in the world thatHe has not made. Therefore, let the charlatans cease their vainglorious talk, and remember that they can never hope to gatherwhere they cannot sow; let them make an end of their false calcinations, sublimations, distillations, by which they extract thespirit in a vaporous form, and of their juggling coagulations andcongelations, by which they pretend, even among the initiated, tobe able rightly to separate the elements ofgold and quicksilver.It is certainly true that all things under heaven are composed ofthe four elements, and mixed of them according to the due proportion oftheir genus and species; but it is not simply the unionofthe four clements, but their being combined in a certain way,which constitutes the substance ofthe Philosophical Stone.I also understand that in the red quicksilver and perfectbody, which is called the Sun, the four elements are combined ina peculiar way, and so inseparably conjoined, that no mere humanart can divide them. For all ancient and true Sages say that fire and air are enclosed in earth and water, and contend soviolently with each other that none but God and Nature can loosentheir grappling embrace. This I can truly affirm and also prove.For we can neither see the fire nor grasp the air; and if any onesays that the several elements can be seen he is an imposter,seeing that they are inseparably and inextricably conjoined.For, although the Sophists pretend, and confidently affirm, thatthey can divide gold and quicksilver into the four elements, yet for all that they speak not the truth. Iftwo elements, fire andair, were thus taken away, all the rest must vanish into nothing.They may say that those two are retained, but they are, never- theless, densely ignorant as to what becomes of them; for airand fire cannot be seen or perceived. Again, that extract which they call fire and air renders humid, which is not the property either of fire or of air.A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 139Moreover, as thou hast said, even the most learned Doctorcannot know the proportion of each element in any givensubstance. For God has entrusted this knowledge to thee alone.Nor is any Sage wise enough to be able to mingle and puttogether the elements so as to produce any natural object. Ifthen he dissolves anything into its elements, how, I pray thee,is he to put them together again into any abiding form, sincehe is ignorant of their proportionate quantity and quality, andof the method of their composition? Yet it is of no use toseparate them, if they cannot be put together again. To thee,O Nature, we must entrust this task, since thou knowest theart of preparing the Philosopher's Stone, and of combining theelements without first separating them. Nevertheless, for thepreparation of the true Elixir, thou needest the aid of a wise andtruly learned man. Aristotle says: " Where the physicist ends,there the physician begins. " Nor can we attain to truc alchemy,until we begin to follow Nature, and to be guided by a knowledge of her principles. Where the study of Alchemy is rightlycarried on, it is mightily advanced by Nature. But, for all that,we must not suppose that every natural substance must be usefulto the alchemist. We must remember that Alchemy has athreefold aim: First, to quicken and perfect the metal,and so to digest its spirit that none of it is lost; secondly,so to digest and heat the substance in a small phial that(without the addition of anything else) the body andspirit are changed into one. The mingling of the elements isperformed, not by the artist, but by thee. Thirdly, it ( alchemy)proves that the process of preparing the Stone does not include any separation of the four elements (of the quicksilverand the Sun, which is called red and glorious gold) .believe that such a separation must take place is a greatmistake, and contradicts the fundamental principles of philosophy.:ΤοAgain, it is an undoubted fact, that every elementary substance is fed by the elements themselves. If, then, that whichnow forms one object is dissolved, the object as such isdestroyed, the bond which held the elements together beingviolently broken, and each returning to that from which it wasfirst taken. A father that begets a son must not be destroyed140 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.for that purpose; it suffices that the generating spirit shall goforth with the seed, and be conceived by the female seed, andcherished with its warmth. Such a generating spirit has powerto beget an infant of the same species, as Avicenna says. Now,it is the same with pure gold, which is the true matter of thePhilosophical Stone. For the father is the active principle, andmust not be destroyed, or resolved into its elements, but it issufficient for the paternal Sun (gold) to breathe its virtue andstrength through the mother into the son. When the mother(who is of the earth) brings forth, the son is seen to have the father's substance.Thus, I have learnt from thee, O Nature, that Alchemy is atrue science, and that the deep red gold, which is called Sun, isthe true father of the Stone or Elixir, from which this great andprecious treasure proceeds; which heats, digests, and cunninglytinges (without the least diminution or corruption) the otherprinciple of that gold, and thus brings forth so glorious a son.It is worse than useless, therefore, to meddle with the composition, or to separate the elements, which Nature has so skilfullycombined in the quicksilver, and in the perfect body of the gold.All we have to do is to imitate Nature, and use the instrumentswith which she combines the elements, and which she uses inmoulding minerals, and in giving its form to the quicksilver.Ifwe act otherwise, we destroy thy works, and sever the goldenchain which thou hast forged. Nevertheless, we must, asAristotle says, transmute the elements that we may obtain theobject of our search.Thus thou hast wisely led me into thy way, and hastshewn me the utter folly of my own doings. Unto thee Irender the most heartfelt thanks for that thou hast deliveredme from my own ignorance, and from the disgrace and ruinto which all my endless alembics, quicksilvers, aquæ fortes,dissolutions, excrements of horses, and coal fires, must at lengthhave brought me.In future, I will read thy book more diligently, and obeythee more implicitly. For this is the surest and safest waythat a man can go, because the Art is entirely in thy hands,although, by reason of its gigantic aim, its progress mustnecessarily be slow. Therefore, I will lose no more time, andA PHILOSOPHICAL SUMMARY. 141first begin to think about the substance, the active principleof which shall yield me most potent quicksilver. That I willenclose in a clean, air-tight phial, and under it I will place analembic; thereupon thou wilt wait upon thine office. Fromthe bottom of my heart I once more render unto thee thedebt of unspeakable gratitude, for that thou hast deigned tovisit me, and to bestow upon me so precious an inheritance.In token of my gratitude I will now do thy bidding, and letit be my ceaseless aim to attain to this most glorious Tinctureof the Elements, feeling assured that with the help of thethrice great and good God, I shall succeed.A SHORT TRACT ,ORPHILOSOPHICAL SUMMARYHBy NICHOLAS FLAMELL.E that would understand the whole subject of metals,and how they are transmuted one into another,ought first to find an answer to the question, fromwhat substance they spring, and how they are formed in their ores. For this purpose he must observe thechanges that are continually going forward in the mineral veins.ofthe earth. Hence they may be made subject to transmutationoutside of their ores if they are first made spiritual, so that theymay be reduced to their sulphur and mercury, which is performedby Nature. Now all metals have been formed out of sulphurand quicksilver, which are the seeds of all metals, the onerepresenting the male, and the other the female principle.These two varieties ofseed are, ofcourse, composed of elementarysubstances; the sulphur, or male seed, being nothing but fire and142 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.air (ie., good sulphur, resembling fire, free from the mutableproperties of metals, and not that common sulphur which isnot a metallic substance at all); while the quicksilver, or femaleseed, is nothing but earth and water. These two seeds werefiguratively represented by the ancient Sages under the forms oftwo dragons, or serpents, one of which had wings, while theother had none. The wingless dragon is sulphur, because itnever flies away from the fire. The winged serpent is quicksilver,which is borne away through the air (the female seed, which iscomposed of water and earth)-because in a certain degree itflies away or evaporates. Now, if these two seeds, separatedone from another, are united spermatically by triumphant Nature,in the book of Mercury, the first mother of metals, the Sagescall the substance that results, the flying dragon, because thisdragon, being kindled with its fire, in its flight pours abroadinto the air fire and a poisonous vapour. The same happensto mercury, which, if placed in a vessel over an ordinary fire,has its internal, hidden fire kindled; and then you may see howthe outward vegetable fire kindles the inward natural fire ofmercury. You will notice that it exhales into the air acertain poisonous fume or vapour, the stench of which issuch as to prove that it is nothing but the head of the dragonwhich is leaving Babylon in great haste, even the philosophicalBabylon which is encompassed by a double or treble vessel.Other Sages have likened this Mercury to a flying Lion,because the Lion devours other animals, and refreshes andstrengthens himself at will with the blood of all animals exceptthose which have power to resist his rage-and because mercury,too, is known to deprive other metals of their specific form,and to absorb and incorporate them. Gold and silver, however,are strong enough to resist its violence; although it is well-knownthat mercury, when exposed to an exceptional degree of heat,devours and swallows even these two metals. Yet neither ofthem is changed into the nature of the mercury, howbeit, theyare enclosed in its womb; for gold and silver are more permanent and more perfect than crude mercury, this being animperfect metal, notwithstanding that there is in it the substanceof perfection. Common gold, which is a perfect metal, and silver, and all the imperfect metals, are developed out ofA PHILOSOPHICAL SUMMARY. 143mercury. For this reason, the ancient Sages have called it theMother ofthe Metals, and hence, being itself a metal, it mustcontain a two-fold metallic substance, namely, the inner substance of the Moon, and that of the Sun (which is unlike theother). Of these two substances mercury is formed, and theyare cherished in its body in the form of spiritual essences. Now,as soon as Nature has formed that mercury of these two spirits,she strives to transmute them into a perfect bodily form; andtherefore, when those two spirits have grown up, and their twovarieties of seed awake, they desire to assume their own properbodies; and then the Mother, mercury, must die, and havingdied a natural death, can never be quickened any more into thatwhich it was previously.Vainglorious and arrogant Alchemists have obscurelyhinted that perfect and imperfect bodies must be transmutedinto fluid mercury, but this assertion is only a trap for the unwary. It is true that mercury consumes imperfect metals, likelead and tin, and thus increases in quantity; but, by doing so,it loses its perfection, and is no longer the mercury that it wasbefore. If, indeed, it could be so mortified by a chemicalprocess as to shut out all hope of its ever quickening itself again,it would be changed into something else, as happens with cinnabar, or in sublimate. But, when it is coagulated by a chemicalprocess, whether by a swift or a slow method, its two bodies donot assume a permanent form . By the natural process thiscoagulation is indeed successfully carried out; and thus we neverfind a vein of lead, for instance, which does not contain a few permanent grains, at least, of gold and silver. The first coagulationof mercury is lead, which is most suitable for fixing it, andbringing it to perfection. For lead is never without some fixedgrain ofgold and silver, which are impa ted to it by Nature forthe purpose of multiplication and development, as I myselfhave experienced, and am able to testify. So long as it is inits mercury, and not separated from its mineral, it can continue.to increase its substance from the substance of its mercury.But if this fixed grain is taken away, and severed from itsmercury (or the mineral in which it is found), it can no longergain in size. It is with this grain as with the green fruit thatis formed on a tree when the blossom has been shed. If it is144 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.plucked off before it is ripe, it can come to nothing. If it isleft on the tree, it is nourished and increased by the sap and thejuice ofthe parent stem, and thus gradually attains to its propersize, and to maturity. But, until ripeness has been attained, thefruit continues to attract to itself the sap and juice of the tree,that is to say, so long as the connection with the parent tree isnot severed."Almost the same thing happens with gold. Such a grainattracts to itself the mercury ofthe lead, and incessantly " fixesit into its own mercury, whereby it grows and gradually increasesin size. The mercury of perfect or imperfect metals is the parenttree, and the grain ( of gold) can be nourished with nothing but this mercury. But as soon as you sever the connection with theparent mercury, that growth of the grain must immediately cometo an end; it is as though the unripe fruit had been pluckedfrom the tree: you would vainly endeavour to restore the vitalconnexion. When you have once removed an unripe pear orapple from its native branch, it would be foolish indeed to joinit to the tree once more, and expect it to ripen. Instead ofgrowing, it will gradually shrivel up, and become smaller. Thesame thing may be observed in the case of the metals. For ifany one were to take common metallic gold and silver, and triedto resolve those metals into mercury, he would be doing a veryfoolish thing. It is a result which cannot be brought about byany chemical process, however subtle and ingenious, just as fruitwhich has once been plucked in an unripe state can never againbe vitally joined to the parent tree. It has, indeed, been wellsaid by the Sages that if gold and silver be joined togetherthrough their proper mercury, they have power to render allother (imperfect) metals perfect. But these Sages did not speakof common gold and silver, which must always remain what theyare, can never become anything else, and certainly cannot aid thedevelopment of other metals. It is fruit that has been pluckedbefore the time, and therefore is dead and withered. No, theliving fruit (the real living gold and silver) we must seek on thetree; for only there can it grow, and increase in size, accordingto the possibilities of its nature. This tree we must transplant,without gathering its fruit, into a better and richer soil, and toa sunnier spot. Then its fruit will receive more nourishment in

Um resumo filosófico.145 a um dia único do que costumava receber em cem anos, enquanto ainda estava em seu antigo solo estéril. Desejo que você entenda que Mercury, que é uma árvore mais Excelente, e contém prata e ouro em uma forma indissolúvel, deve ser tomadae transplantado em um solo que fica próximo ao sol (ou seja, neste caso, ouro), onde pode florescer excessivamente e ser abundantemente regada.Onde foi plantado antes, estava tão abalado e enfraquecido pelo vento e pelo frostão, que apenas pouca fruta poderia ser esperada.Portanto, há muito tempo e não tinha frutos. Mas no jardim dos sábios, o sol derrama sua influência genial tanto de manhã quanto à noite, dia e noite, incessantemente.Lá, nossa árvore é regada com o orvalho mais raro, e a fruta que pendura nas árvores incha e amadurece e existe, de dia a dia.Ele nunca murcha, mas faz mais progresso em um ano do que em mil anos em sua situação estéril de formato.Ou, para largar a metáfora, deixe o Mercurybe pegado e aquecido dia e noite em um incêndio alambico sobre o agente.No entanto, não deve ser um carvão ou um incêndio em madeira, Buta Clear and Pelucid Heat, como o do próprio Sol - um cavalheiro e até o calor.A fruta em crescimento não deve ser exposta ao calor de Toomuch, ou então é murcha e encolhida, e não é trazido à perfeição.Deve ter um calor genial e ser apoiado por uma umidade moderada na árvore, se for florescer e expandir.Para o calor e a umidade são os alimentos de todas as coisas terrenas, ambos animais, vegetais e minerais. Os fogos de carvão ou madeira ordenados são violentos demais para o nosso propósito, e não dão alimento como o calor do sol que preserva todos os corpos através de suas influências naturais.Para esta vez, os sábios não usam ninguém além desse fogo natural, não porque é feito pelos sábios, mas porque é feita por natureza - natura, isso cria todas as coisas, sejam elas animais, vegetais ou minerais e os aquece, cada um em cada um emSeus próprios registros.Mas eu digo que a arte humana pode transmitir a perfeição do Greater àquilo que a natureza faz.Pois este opeso os sábios antigos tiveram apenas um objeto Inview, a saber, produzir a partir da lua e a verdadeira mãe146 O Museu Hermético.Trabalhando em metais simples, perfeitos, imperfeitos, frios e quentes.Agora, a pedra filosófica é boa para metais perfeitos e imperfeitos, e logo restaura e os traz com perfeição sem qualquer diminuição, adição ou mudança real de qualquer tipo.Pois, além de aperfeiçoá -los, isso os deixa no estado em que antes. Não digo que os sábios combinam ouro comum, prata e mercury para esse fim: esse é o método apenas dos ignorantes, que esperam se prepararo mercúrio de TheSages;Mas eles nunca conseguem produzir isso, a verdadeira primeira substância da pedra.Se eles o obtiveriam, deveriam ir para a sétima montanha, onde não há simples, e a partir da altura, eles devem olhar para o sexto, o que eles aguentarão a uma grande distância.No cume daquela montanha, encontrará a gloriosa erva real, que alguns sábios Calla Mineral, outros um vegetal.Os ossos que eles devem sair e extrair seu suco puro, o que lhes permitirá fazer a parte mais bem do trabalho.Este é o mercúrio verdadeiro e sutil dos filósofos que você deve tomar.Agora, primeiro ele prepara a tintura branca e depois o vermelho.Para o sol e o Moonare preparados pelo mesmo método, e produzem o vermelho e a whiteTincture, respectivamente, e a preparação é tão simples que é visto por uma mulher enquanto ela trabalha em seu eixo-apenas como ela pode colocar uma galinha em alguns ovos, sem Washingem primeiro, e sem nenhum outro problema, mas o de girar os ovos todos os dias em que as galinhas podem quebrar as conchas mais cedo.Da mesma maneira, você não deve lavar o seu mercúrio, mas apenas coloque -o com o seu (que é fogo) em cinzas (correspondendo à palha), em um vaso de vidro (que é o ninho), em um alembic adequado (que é a casa.De todas as coisas, paragrafar sua graça a todos os alquimistas fiéis, para que eles encontrem o frango, que, através da bondade e misericórdia indizíveis de Deus, agora me foram concedidas.Eu escrevi thisifyou · um resumo filosófico.147TRATE POR SUPESSO, para encorajá -lo e apontar para você da maneira certa: espero e confio que minhas palavras permitirão que você entenda mais plenamente as obras de outros sábios.Farewell! K2

A única via true; ou um trato útil, bom e útil, apontando o caminho da verdade.1677.

O ÚNICO CAMINHO VERDADEIRO.AMADO amigo e irmão, sob o nome desta gloriosa Arte podem ser encontrados muitos ensinamentos falsos, que são apresentados por pseudo-alquimistas, cujos escritos nada mais são do que impostura e engano, e ainda assim são altamente estimados pelas pessoas. do tipo mais simples. Esses charlatões induzem seus ingênuos a desperdiçar muito dinheiro e tempo naquilo que não pode lhes trazer nenhum proveito; pois, a menos que algo seja bem começado, nunca poderá ser levado a um bom fim. No entanto, a maioria dos homens que, hoje em dia, se dedicaram a esta exaltada arte da química, estão seguindo um caminho errado e são enganadores ou enganados. Os enganadores estão conscientes de sua própria ignorância e tentam ocultá-la sob um estilo obscuro e alegórico. Quanto menos eles realmente sabem, mais pomposas e mais ininteligíveis se tornam as suas especulações. Mas o leitor, que está intrigado com o seu estilo desconcertante, pode pelo menos confortar-se com a certeza de que sabe tanto sobre o assunto como os autores. Essa garantia deve servir como uma espécie de pista para o interminável labirinto de suas falsas sublimações, calcinações, destilações, soluções, coagulações, putrefações e corrupções. No entanto, podemos ver quase todos os dias pessoas tolas gastarem toda a sua substância nessas experiências absurdas, sendo induzidas a fazê-lo, como os referidos pseudo-alquimistas, que lhes impõem um processo e perversões fantasiosas da Natureza. não terá nada para fazer. Eles seguem o método seguido pela Natureza nas veias da terra, que é muito simples, e não inclui soluções, putrefações, coagulações, ou qualquer coisa do tipo. Pode a Natureza, no coração da terra, onde os metais crescem e recebem aumento, ter qualquer coisa152 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO..correspondente a todos aqueles instrumentos pseudo-alquímicos, alambiques, retortas, frascos circulatórios e sublimatórios, fogos e outros materiais, como cera de sapateiro, sal, arsênico, mercúrio, enxofre e assim por diante? Todas essas coisas podem ser realmente necessárias para o crescimento e aumento dos metais? É surpreendente que alguém não totalmente desprovido de sentidos possa passar muitos anos no estudo da alquimia e, ainda assim, nunca superar essas soluções tolas e frívolas, coagulações, putrefações, destilações, enquanto a Natureza é TÃO simples e pouco sofisticada em seus métodos. Certamente todo verdadeiro Artista deve olhar para este elaborado tecido de operações infundadas como a mais tola, e só pode admirar que os olhos daqueles idiotas tolos não sejam finalmente abertos, que eles possam ver algo além de tais sofismas absurdos, e ler algo além daqueles livros estúpidos e enganosos. Parece que eles estão tão enredados em seus sofismas que nunca poderão alcançar a liberdade da verdadeira filosofia. Mas deixe-me dizer-lhe que enquanto você amar as mentiras e se afastar da filosofia racional, você nunca encontrará o caminho certo. da experiência amarga. Pois eu também trabalhei durante muitos anos de acordo com esses métodos sofísticos, e me esforcei para alcançar o objetivo cobiçado por sublimação, destilação, calcinação, circulação e assim por diante, e para moldar a Pedra a partir de substâncias como urina, sal, atramento, alúmen. , etc. Tentei muito desenvolvê-lo a partir de cabelos, vinho, ovos, ossos e todos os tipos de ervas; de arsênico, mercúrio e enxofre, e todos os minerais e metais. Eu me esforcei para clicá-lo por meio de aquafortis e álcalis. Passei noites e dias dissolvendo, coagulando, amalgamando e precipitando. Contudo, de todas essas coisas não obtive nem lucro nem alegria. Eu esperava muito da quintessência, mas ela me decepcionou como o resto. Portanto, amado irmão, deixe-me alertá-lo para não ter nada a ver com sublimações de enxofre e mercúrio, ou com a solução de corpos, ou com a coagulação de espíritos, ou com todos os inúmeros alambiques, que pouco aproveitam para a verdadeira arte. Enquanto você não buscar a verdadeira essência da Natureza, seu trabalho estará fadado ao fracasso; portanto, se você deseja o sucesso, você deve renunciar de uma vez por todas à sua fidelidade a todos esses métodos antigos e alistar-se sob os padrões daquele método que prossegue no ÚNICO CAMINHO VERDADEIRO. 153obediência estrita aos ensinamentos da Natureza — em suma, o método que a própria Natureza segue nas entranhas da terra. Pois você vê que a Natureza usa apenas uma substância em seu trabalho de desenvolvimento e aperfeiçoamento dos metais, e que esta substância inclui tudo o que é necessário. Ora, esta substância não parece exigir nenhum tratamento especial, exceto o da digestão por meio de calor suave, que deve ser continuado até atingir o mais alto grau de desenvolvimento possível. Para este simples processo de aquecimento, os astutos sofistas substituíram soluções, coagulações, calcinações, putrefações, sublimações e outras operações fantásticas - que são apenas nomes diferentes para a mesma coisa; e assim multiplicaram mil vezes as dificuldades deste empreendimento, e deram origem à noção popular de que é um empreendimento muito árduo, perigoso e terrivelmente caro. Fizeram isto simplesmente por ciúme e maldade, para desviar os outros do caminho certo e para os envolver na pobreza e na ruína. Mas terão dificuldade em justificar a sua conduta perante Deus, que nos ordenou que amemos o nosso próximo como a nós mesmos. Pois, por pura malícia, eles tornaram intransponível o caminho da verdade e confundiram um processo natural simples com um tecido tão elaborado de nomenclatura circunstancial, que fez com que a melhoria dos metais parecesse uma tarefa desesperadamente difícil. decompõe-se, como você pode ver pelas mudanças que um grão de trigo sofre no solo sob a influência da chuva e do sol; você sabe que ele deve primeiro decair antes que uma nova vida possa surgir. É esse processo que eles denominaram putrefação e solução. Novamente, quando você aquece, você também sublime, e a esta mistura aplicaram os termos sublimação e multiplicação, para que o homem simples pudesse errar mais facilmente. Da mesma forma, a coagulação ocorre no aquecimento; pois dizem que a coagulação ocorre quando a umidade se transforma na natureza do fogo, de modo a poder resistir à ação do fogo, sem evaporar ou ser consumida. E o aquecimento também inclui aquilo que eles chamam de circulação, "ou conjunção, ou a união do fogo com a água para evitar a combustão completa.66 Assim você vê que aquilo que eles chamaram por tantos nomes é na verdade apenas um processo simples. A substância, que .é um deles, eles descreveram sob uma variedade semelhante de denominações, para impedir que os homens encontrem aquilo que, pela graça de Deus, pode proporcionar-lhes tantas bênçãos preciosas. Em primeiro lugar, eles o chamam de "nosso mercúrio", pelo qual. eles não significam nada além de umidade, que começa a se unir ao fogo e, portanto, podem ser comparados ao mercúrio. Novamente, eles usam a expressão "nosso enxofre", com a qual não significam nada além do próprio fogo, que fica escondido sob a água, ou. umidade, e é aquecido pela água em seu grau mais alto. Então, novamente, eles o chamam de Hyle, ou a Primeira Substância, porque todas as coisas são geradas primeiro a partir da água e do fogo. Outros nomes, como Arsênico, Orpimento, Bismuto, não são usados. pelos Sábios, mas apenas por certos charlatões ignorantes, dos quais não precisamos prestar mais atenção. Sigamos a orientação da Natureza: ela não nos desencaminhará. Se deixares este ser o teu lema, certamente conseguirás recordar a primeira substância, da qual são geradas todas as substâncias metálicas. Mas antes de considerarmos esta questão, cabe a você entender por que o Sol, a Lua, Vênus, Marte, Júpiter e Saturno são metais e qual é a sua origem. que todas as coisas criadas estão divididas em três reinos, viz. , o animal, o vegetal e o mineral. Ao primeiro pertencem todos os seres vivos que têm carne e sangue; ao segundo, todas as ervas, plantas e árvores; ao terceiro, todos os metais, pedras e tudo o que não pode ser queimado. Mas, embora divididos em três classes, todas as coisas, ó meu irmão, podem ser atribuídas a um Princípio comum, do qual derivam sua geração ou nascimento. Através de diferentes variedades de calor, esta primeira substância é transmutada de diversas maneiras e assume diferentes formas específicas. Visto, então, que a Natureza é tão simples, aconselho-vos mais uma vez a acabar com todas aquelas tolas sublimações, coagulações e putrefações, e com as ridículas fábulas de velhas que até agora são acreditadas por muitos, e simplesmente seguir a Natureza, e os seus métodos pouco sofisticados. :então ela o pegará pela mão e o guiará até a verdadeira substância. Pois o único método de corrigir ou melhorar a Natureza consiste no aquecimento natural das essências. Agora, esta Essência, meu amigo, é a coisa principal, da qual depende o ÚNICO CAMINHO VERDADEIRO. Todo esse assunto. Esta verdade simples, o rebanho vulgar de alquimistas parece incapaz de compreender, e assim continua trabalhando dia após dia com substâncias que nada têm a ver com o assunto. Eles poderiam muito bem semear chifre, ou madeira, ou seja, pedras, e esperar uma colheita dourada de milho. O sol e a lua não podem ser feitos de todas as substâncias, mas apenas da Essência natural da qual todas as coisas são formadas, sendo posteriormente diferenciadas em diversas substâncias por diferentes variedades de calor. Assim, a qualidade especial de cada coisa individual deve ser referida ao grau de sua preparação. Se, portanto, quisermos exercer a verdadeira Arte da Alquimia, devemos imitar o método pelo qual a Natureza faz o seu trabalho nas entranhas da terra. Os antigos nomearam muitas cores em conexão com este processo, como preto, branco, citrino, vermelho, verde e assim por diante. Tudo isso tem simplesmente a intenção de desviar você do caminho certo e mantê-lo na ignorância. Aqueles escritores antigos faziam constantemente o maior esforço para obscurecer seu estilo com uma variedade tão desconcertante de expressões alegóricas que tornava impossível para o leitor comum compreender seu significado. deve ter ou receber uma substância preta, ou que a substância fique preta, branca e vermelha no decorrer do processo químico. A cor preta lhes foi sugerida pelo fato de que a substância ou essência inicialmente se mistura com um fogo material brilhante, pelo qual um líquido é separado da essência na forma de uma certa fumaça negra. A essa fumaça negra os antigos chamavam de Corvo Negro, e a essência eles denominaram Cabeça de Corvo. Esta separação você deve observar cuidadosamente. Com isso, os antigos aprenderam que a separação das substâncias naturais nada mais é do que um defeito natural do processo de aquecimento. Isto, mais uma vez, sugeriu-lhes a consideração de que aquelas essências que foram imperfeitamente aquecidas pela Natureza poderiam ser auxiliadas de maneira natural pelo fogo comum, e que, portanto, as essências que ainda são combustíveis e seus líquidos (que os antigos invejosamente chamavam de mercúrio), sendo negros quando separados da essência, podem ser aperfeiçoados pela arte, e as essências protegidas contra a combustão pelo seu líquido, e o líquido tornado incapaz de ser.

separated from the essence. This the ancients called " oursulphur." For after this preparation the essence is no longervegetable or animal, but by the perfection of its heating it hasbecome a mineral essence, and is therefore called sulphur; theessence is nothing but an elementary fire, and its liquid, which isguarded against combustion, is true elementary air, and, becauseair is naturally warm and moist, it is called mercury by thosejealous ancients. Air contains in itself the nature of fire, andelementary fire, again, contains within itself the nature of air:thus, by the union of their common elements, a true amalgamation of the two can take place. Such are the material fire andwater which we see. These material elements are nothing butan aid to the essences of the elements by which they can benaturally reduced to the highest degree (of perfection?). Thisgradation is the only true Alchemy, and there is none beside.The pseudo-alchemy of our modern charlatans is mere waste ofmoney and time.It would be a great mistake for you to suppose that youcan derive any real knowledge from the writings of the Sages.They show you only the outside, and conceal the internalEssence. To you they offer the husks, but the finest of thewheat they keep for themselves. They showyou a way which theydo not dream of treading. I advise you, therefore, in future, togive them a wide berth; or you will only enrich the apothecarieswhile you plunge yourself and your family into the deepestpoverty; nay, instead of gaining the universal panacea, you willcontract the most dangerous diseases from constantly moving inan atmosphere black with sulphurous and mercurial smoke, andfetid with the stench of bismuth and all manner of salts.It is truly amazing that none of the seekers after this greattreasure, though willing to submit to any amount of labour andhardship for its sake, seem capable of perceiving the lessonwhich constant failure is striving to impress upon them. What,I pray you, have those thousands of persons, who have tried thesolutions, coagulations, putrefactions, amalgamations, andcirculations, gained by their agonising toil? What good resulthave they produced with their waters, solutions of metals, blood,hair, eggs, milk, sugar, and all manner of herbs?Let mebeseech you to profit by their heart- breaking experience, and toTHE ONLY TRUE WAY 157have done with everything but true Alchemy, which teachesthat the substance is brought to perfection, and attains theexaltation of elementary fire, by its own light and liquid—by which also imperfect metals are ameliorated, because theirelementary fire was not properly digested by its liquid.And for the same reason the elementary fire cannot remain,for the liquid is separated from that elementary fire bythe heat of the ordinary fire, and evaporates in the form ofwhite smoke. The elementary fire, on the other hand, does notevaporate, but abides with its carth, and must be burned withit, because its protecting liquid has vanished in white smoke.This is that whiteness of which the Ancients have said that itcomes after the black colour. For this reason, they are in thehabit of saying that you must make it black before you make itwhite. We begin our process with blackness, and transmutethe black smoke, but do not take it for our substance, and makeit white. The latter would be a foolish supposition and imposture. If you would avoid such misapprehensions, you mustnot attempt the study of this subject until you have a soundknowledge of the operations of Nature, and more especially ofthe essential properties of the metals.I am afraid, my Brother, that my book will cause youheaviness of heart, instead of joy, because I sweep away at onefell stroke all those false sophistical notions which had becomeso dear to you. Nevertheless, you must once for all relinquishthat idea of yours that you are profoundly versed in themysteries of this Art, and leave these childish absurdities tothose who derive wealth and profit from them. Among thesepersons, Adam de Bodenstein held a very distinguished place;for he wrote all manner of so-called theosophical books, andboasted of his attainments in the alchemistic Art, of which hewas really quite ignorant. Yet to the present day many peoplebelieve that he (whose expressions are those of a mere charlatan)had a real knowledge of true alchemy. It is true that hisnonsense cannot for a moment impose on the initiated; butamong the blind (as the proverb says) it is easy to win goldenopinions as a good fencer. On this account, and as Bodenstein.is no more among the living, I will dismiss the subject, fornothing but what is favourable should be spoken of the dead158 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.and of the absent. This I will say, however, that he was agood Sophist and a good physician; but of Alchemy he knewlittle or nothing. I should not have said this much if I werenot really anxious to warn the unwary against being dazzled bythe splendour of his name, and to prevent them from beinglured on by it to their own ruin.If, then, you are a lover of the truth, you will bid farewellto these specious absurdities, and henceforth entrust yourself tothe guidance of Nature alone; be sure that she will lead youonward without faltering to the desired goal, even that methodby which she works towards the essence. Moreover, she willdemand ofyou neither much labour nor any considerable outlay.The whole thing is done by a simple process of heating, whichincludes the solution and coagulation of the bodies, and also thesublimation and putrefaction . But some writers have substituted for the simple and true essence a certain other essence,with which they have deceived the whole world, and involved many persons in considerable losses. Whether their conductwas upright and loving will one day be decided by the GreatJudge. It would be better not to publish such writings, sincethe false statements and groundless assertions with which theyswarm, plunge so many credulous persons into grievous losses.For if there were not so many books put forward by ignorantwriters, many thousands of persons who at the present momentare hopelessly floundering about in a sea of specious booklearning, would have been led by the light of their own unaided intellects to the knowledge of this precious secret; they areprevented, these many years, from seeing the plain truth by avast mass of printed nonsense which commands their reverence,because they do not understand it. The Ancients did indeedknow something about the Art; but at the present day we canvery well dispense with the cumbrous phrascology under whichthey (most successfully) attempted to yeil their meaning. Itcan only tend to the bewilderment of honest enquirers, who arethereby thrown off the true scent, unless indeed they shouldcome to be instructed by living Masters.I myself may not speak out as plainly as I would, for I amsilenced by the vow which binds all the masters of the Art, thecurse that lights on those who violate the sacred seal of Nature'sTHE ONLY TRUE WAY. 159secrets, and the malediction of all the philosophers. Therefore,I must exhort you again and again to trust your own observations rather than the writings of others, and to let the Bookof Nature be the most favoured volume of your library.Observe her methods, not only in the production of metals, butin the procreation of the fruits of the earth, and their constantgrowth and development, in the winter and summer, in thespring and autumn, by rain and sunshine. If you had a soundknowledge of Nature's methods in producing the bud and theflower, and in ripening the green fruit, you would be able to setyour hand to the germs which Nature provides in the bowels ofthe earth, and to educe from them (or their substance) thatwhich you so much desire.Forgive me then, my Brother, for so unceremoniouslyoverthrowing all your old settled and dearly cherished convictions. My excuse must be that I have done it for your owngood, as you would otherwise never learn the true secret oftransmuting metals. You may believe and trust me, for I canhave no conceivable motive for filling the world with fresh lies,of which, God knows, it is already full enough, through theagency of the aforesaid deceivers and their willing dupes, whoafter being lured on by those false books to the loss of all theirworldly goods, have not suffered their eyes to be opened bytheir losses, and seem unable to find their way out of thatgigantic labyrinth of falsehood . Nay, they have even takenupon themselves to write books, and to speak as if they wereperfect masters of the Art, and had derived great advantagefrom it, though in reality they have been brought so low as tobe able to afford nothing but miserable decoctions. Theydissolved until their whole fortune had undergone a process ofdissolution; they sublimed until all their gold and silver hadevaporated; they putrefied until their clothes decayed upontheir bodies; and they calcined until all their wood and coalwere consumed to ashes, and they themselves were reduced towallet and staff.This is the prize which they have won with all their trouble.Let their ruin be a warning to you, my Brother. For theiralchemy, instead of imparting health, is followed by penury anddisease; instead of transmuting copper into gold, it changes160 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.gold into copper and brass. Consider also how many ignorantpersons, such as cobblers, tailors, bankrupt merchants, andtavern keepers, pretend to a knowledge of this Art, and, after afew years' unsuccessful experimenting in the laboratory, callthemselves great doctors, announce in boastful and sesquipedalian language their power to cure many diseases, and promisemountains of gold. Those promises are empty wind, and theirmedicines rank poison, with which they fill the churchyards,and for the impudent abuse of which God will one day visitthem with heavy punishment. But I will leave the magistratesand the jailers to deal with these swindling charlatans.speak of them only to put you on your guard. If so manypersons write on the subject of Alchemy, who know nothingwhatever about the nature and generation of metals, it becomesall the more necessary for you to be careful what books youread, and how much you believe.IFor I tell you truly that so long as you have no real andfundamental knowledge of the nature of the metals, you cannotmake much progress in the true Art of Alchemy, or understandthe natural transmutation of metals. You must grasp themeaning of every direction before you can put it into effect.Always mistrust that which you do not understand (ie. , instudying this art). There are many false ways, but there can beonly one that is truc, and indicates a process which does notrequire many hands, or much labour. For this reason, belovedfriend and Brother, you must work hard by day and by night toobtain a thorough knowledge of the metals, and of theiressential nature. Then you will be able to understand therequirements of the art. You will know without being toldwhat is the true substance and the true method. You will seethe utter uselessness of your former labour, and you will beamazed at your former blindness. Study the nature of metalsand the causes of their generation, for they derive their birthfrom the same source as all other created things.For as by a heating process the infant is developed in themother's womb out of the father's seed, and as the chicken isbrought forth out of the egg by the natural incubation of thehen, so the metals, too, are developed in a certain way outof a certain substance. Yet I do not say, my Brother, thatTHE ONLY TRUE WAY. .161mercury and sulphur are the first substance of metals. Thosejuggling deceivers have told you so; but in the veins of theearth, where the metals grow, are found neither mercury norsulphur. Therefore, when they speak of sulphur, you must understand them to allude to elementary fire, and by mercury youmust understand the liquid. In a similar lying spirit they havecalled fire ( elementary) " our Sun, " and the liquid " our Moon,"or the elementary fire soul, and the elementary liquid spirit, because elementary substances are invisible. The soul is invisiblefire, and the spirit invisible moisture: the outward essential fireand water they have called bodies,' because they are visible andpalpable. Nay, they try to make you believe that these aremetallic bodies, and that you must dissolve them. But do notlet them deceive you. Be on your guard against their dishonesttricks, and cunning devices, by which they set you to experimentwith metallic bodies, when they really mean the metallic essence.They point out to you various materials and substances,notwithstanding that there is only one true substance, and onetrue method. Be sure that their solutions, coagulations, sublimations, calcinations, and putrefactions, do not represent themethod of Nature in the heart of the carth, where the metalsgrow. For pious Nature only heats the elementary fire which isthereby ameliorated and fixed through its liquid; which lattershe also changes, by various degrees of heat, into all the variousobjects which compose the three natural kingdoms- and althoughnow it is differentiated into bodies so different as vegetables, animals, and minerals, yet they have all originally sprung from onecommon substance, all have one root, which the Ancientsdenominated the first Matter or Hyle. But it is really nothingbut hidden elementary fire, with its liquid, which the Ancientscalled the root liquid, radical moisture, or humid radical, becauseit is the root of all created things.This liquid, with its fire, is differentiated into the variouskinds of natural bodies, by the various degrees of heat, or'coction,' which take place in them. One thing is more perfectlyheated in its elementary fire through its liquid, than another.The vegetable nature is that in which the coction is least perfect.Therefore its essence is easily burned, and its liquid easily sepa.rated from its elementary fire, by common fire.L162. THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.The coction of the animal is almost as imperfect as that ofthe vegetable substance: for its essence is easily burned. Thecoction of the mineral substances is the most perfect of all,because in them the metallic liquid is more closely united (bycoction) to its elementary fire. Hence metals are better able toresist common fire than the vegetable and animal substances.When a metal is placed in the fire, it does not burn with a brightflame like wood; for the liquid of wood is not so completelyjoined (by coction) to its essence, as the liquid of metals is to its essence. The union of the liquid with the essenceis not metallic, but vegetable, for which reason the latter isconsumed with a black smoke, when, by a higher degreeof coction, the vegetable has been transmuted into a metallicessence, it no longer gives out a black smoke in common fire, buta white smoke, as you may see when imperfect metals are meltedin the fire. That is why the Ancients said that you must firstmake the substance black before you make it white, ie. , it mustfirst give out a black smoke before it gives out a white. Againthey say: You must first make it white before you make it red.To make red is to make perfect, because gold and silver havebeen rendered perfect by coction , their essence being fully unitedto their liquid, and changed into pure fire.Do not then suffer yourself to be thrown off your guard bythe obscure phraseology of the Ancients. If you thoroughlystudy the simple fundamental nature of the metals, you willknow what their enigmatic expressions mean, and will not, likesome moderns, conclude from their writings that you must takea certain substance and dissolve it until it turns black, thenagain purify and calcine it till the blackness disappears and itbegins to turn white; and after that, once more increase the fire and calcine and toil until the substance turns red . Such aninterpretation of the language of the Ancients can only suggestit*elf to persons entirely ignorant of the nature of metallicsubstances; indeed, the Ancients wrote as they did solely inorder to hide their real meaning from all but the close students of Nature. To this end they were in the constant habit ofemploying the terms " mercury " and " sulphur." And althoughthe metallic essence is the true substance which, by natural coction, must be raised from the lowest to the highest stage ofTHE ONLY TRUE WAY. 163development, and although the meaning of the Ancients isintelligible enough to the initiated, yet the ignorant can gatherfrom their language no more than the fact that the substancemust be taken from the metals. But where are they to obtainit, and how are they to bring it to perfection? The metallicessence can not be separated from the imperfect metals withoutbeing injured; for if it be separated with fire the liquid must evaporate, and the essence (with its carth) be consumed. Norwill you be able to separate the essence of the imperfect metalsby means of aqua fortis, arsenic, aqua vita, or alkali, withoutinjuring the essence and its liquid by the foreign moisture: forthe metallic nature can bear no foreign substance, and if anyforeign moisture combines with the metallic liquid, it loses itsproper quality and is entirely corrupted.The metallic essence of the perfect metals you cannotobtain in a separate form; for their liquid and elementary fireare welded together by so perfect a process of coction , and soclosely united with their earth, that neither fire nor water canavail to separate them, seeing that the fire has no power overthem, and no foreign moisture can combine with, or corrupt, theliquid of perfect metals. All your labour will be in vain thecoction has done its work so well that you will never be able to undo it.

Hence, the Ancients said that there was no sulphur inanything but in the metals, and hence also they called themetallic liquid quicksilver. But names do not alter facts: thefact is that the elementary fire must be so united to its elementary liquid by natural coction that they become indivisible. Forthe liquid protects the fire against combustion, so that bothremain fixed and unchanged in common fire. This perfectedsubstance the Ancients have well called Elixir, or fire whichhas undergone a process of perfect coction: for that which.before was crude and raw is " cooked," or digested by theprocess of coction . That element which, by its imperfection,causes base metals to be broken up and disintegrated by fire,has been digested and perfected by natural heat.For this reason you must not grudge the labour which theproper performance of this heating process demands, seeing thatit includes purification , sublimation, dissolution, and all the other L2164 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.chemical processes enumerated by the ancient alchemists. Allthese you may safely dismiss from your mind, as they can causeyou nothing but trouble, loss, and waste of time. My purposein writing this faithful admonition is to caution you again andagain to beware of those pitfalls with which the contemptuousobscurity of the Ancients has so plentifully beset the path ofthe ingenuous enquirer. I also desired to suggest to you thetruc substance, and the one true method, and have throughoutendeavoured to express myself in a style as free from allegoricalobscurity as possible. I have recalled you from your wanderings in the pathless wilderness, and put you in the right way.Now you must beseech Almighty God to give you the realphilosophical temper, and to open your eyes to the facts of nature. Thus alone you will be able to reach the coveted goal.THEGLORY OF THE WORLD;OR,TABLE OF PARADISE;THAT IS TO SAY,A TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE ANCIENT SCIENCE WHICH ADAM LearnedFROM GOD HIMSELF; WHICH NOAH, ABRAHAM, AND SOLOMONHELD AS ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS OF GOD; WHICHALSO ALL SAGES, AT ALL TIMES, PREFERRED TO THEWEALTH OF THE WHOLE WORLD, REGARDED ASTHE CHIEF TREASURE OF THE WHOLEWORLD, AND BEQUEATHED ONLY TOGOOD MEN;NAMELY,THE SCIENCE OF THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.2 PET. iii. , 5:"For this they willingly, through their wickedness, areignorant of, that through the Word of God the heavens wereor old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in thewater"CTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD,OR,TABLE OF PARADISE:A most precious book, containing art, the like of which is not tobe found upon carth; shewing the truth concerning the truePhilosophy, and the most noble medicine, and pricelessTincture, together with divers other valuable Arts,and the Instruments required for them.NOW, in the name of God, the Almighty Creator andPreserver of this World, I venture to shew forth thehidden mysteries of Nature, which God has plantedthere, and deigns to reveal to men, that they may seehow marvellously things are created, and how wonderfully allclasses of natural objects are brought forth: for atestimony to allbelieving Christian men, and for a comfort to all afflicted andtroubled hearts-seeing that all things created perish and are decomposed only to be renewed again, to be multiplied, animated,and perfected after their kind. For nothing that is created, orborn, is at rest, but daily undergoes increase or multiplication onthe part of Nature, until it becomes that which is created andordained to be the treasure of all mankind.Therefore, beseech God to give you such wisdom and understanding as will enable you to understand this Art, and tobring it, by His blessing, to a good issue for His own glory, andthe good of your neighbour.If then you would obtain this knowledge at the hand ofGod, you must confess yourself a miserable sinner, and imploreHis blessing, which alone can enable you to receive His Gift168 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.worthily, and to bear in mind that He has bestowed it upon youout of pure mercy, and that any pride or presumptuous insolenceon your part will most certainly entail its loss, in addition to Hiswrath, and eternal condemnation. You must resolve to beginthis blessed and divine work in the name of God, for the serviceof all good Christians, and the building up of our faith; to be agood athlete in the war against unbelievers; to shun the companyof wicked men; never to open your mouth against the righteous;but to bestow your bounty upon the needy in order that afterthis life you may receive the crown of eternal joy and beatitude.For this treasure, which is above all other earthly treasures, isgranted to him alone who approves himself humble, honest,gentle, and faithful, as far as the weakness of human natureallows, and keeps the laws of God through God's bounty andblessing, and who is not likely to mistake the true nature of thegift, or to abuse it against his own eternal welfare. It is the giftof the Holy Spirit, the loving bounty of the great God, whichcomes down from the Father of light. He who masters thisArt, must have asked and obtained wisdom of God, since he hasnot only gold, silver, and all the riches of this world, but alsoperfect health, length of days, and, what is better still, the comfort to be derived from a reassuring type of the bitter passionand death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, His descentinto hell, His glorious and most holy Resurrection on the thirdday, and His victory and triumph over sin, death, Devil, andhell-a victory that must carry joy and comfort to all that havethe breath of life.Let me now shew you how wonderfully the human anddivine natures of Jesus Christ were united and joined togetherin one Person. The soul and body of Christ and His divinenature were so inseparably joined together that they cannot besevered throughout all eternity. Nevertheless Christ had to die,and His soul had to be separated from His body, and oncemore joined to it on the third day, that His body might beglorified, and rendered as subtle as His soul and spirit. ForHe had received His body of the substance of the most BlessedVirgin Mary, and therefore it had to be perfected by temporaryseparation from His soul and spirit. Nevertheless, His divinityremained united in one essence with the body and soul ofTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 169Christ-it was with the body in the tomb, and with His soul inParadise.The body of Christ had to be separated from its soul inorder that it might receive the same power and glory. Butnow, Christ having been dead, and His soul having afterwardsbeen reunited to His body, they are henceforth inseparablyconjoined into one subtle essence. His divine omnipotencewhich He received from His Father, which governs all things inheaven and earth, and is equally perfect from all eternity, is nowone Person with the Christ Jesus, who suffered, died, rose again,and ascended into heaven, in endless power, glory, majesty,might, and honour.Therefore, O sinful man, render thanks to Almighty Godfor the grace and fatherly loving kindness shewn to you; andrest assured that you may obtain the glorification which wasgiven to Christ. For Christ rose first that he might open up foryou a way unto His heavenly Father. Like Him, you toomust be crucified to this world by many hardships, tribulations,and anxieties. But that you may understand the glorificationof the body, and its renewal to eternal life, you should diligentlyconsider God's fatherly love and mercy towards fallen man.Bear in mind that all things that come down from Him aregood and perfect gifts. Take care, therefore, lest you foullyabuse the gifts bestowed upon you freely, without any meritof your own, to the destruction of your soul; rather let allyour actions shew that you love and fear God, and then everylabour to which you set your hand will prosper, and frombeginning to end you will pursue the work successfully andjoyously. Commit your care to God, trust His word, andkeep His holy commandments: then God will be with youin all things, will bless your toil, and in His fatherly loveforefend all loss and harm. Your art will then afford you truecomfort, yield you all you need, refresh you amid all your hardships, supply you with the means of relieving the necessitiesof others, and constantly keep before your eyes a living typeof your own glorious resurrection, and of that of all Christianbelievers-whereby we must exchange this earthly and mortallife for endless joy and the glory of eternal and incorruptible beatitude.170 THE HERMETIC MUSEUMS .Let me then tell you, who would be a true lover of this Art,that it was first delivered by God to Adam in Paradise. For itis a truc revelation of many secrets and mysteries. It shewsyou the vanity of your body and of your life in this world; butit also solaces you with the hope of eternal salvation. It suggests to you the reflection that if God has infused such wonderfulvirtues into mere inanimate natural objects, surely we, who areso much better than they, must be reserved for some high andglorious destiny. I beseech you, therefore, to acquit yourselfwisely in all that you do-not to be in haste, -but to reveal thismystery to no mortal man, unless he be a lover of this Art andof a godly, sincere, and merciful temper. Such was the practiceof the ancient Sages to whom this wisdom was revealed by theinspiration ofthe Holy Spirit. You must also confess that thisArt is real, for the sake of those who will not believe that JesusChrist proceeded from His Almighty Heavenly Father, and wasalso born of a pure virgin. Morcover, you must ask God toenlighten you by the gift of His Holy Spirit, to sharpen yourunderstanding, to open your eyes, and to grant you a profoundinsight into that unfathomable wisdom which lies hid in ourArt, and which no Sage has ever been able to express in hiswritings. For there are many secrets in Nature which it isimpossible for our unaided human reason to apprehend. If youfollow my directions and suffer yourself to be guided by thegrace of God, then the work which you undertake for the gloryof God, and for the good of your neighbour, will have a joyful issue. Feed the hungry: give drink to the thirsty; clothe thenaked; comfort the afflicted; visit the sick and the prisoners:and you shall have what you desire.66ROBERT VALENS RUGL."""" A spirit is within, which by deliberate skill"you must separate from the body. Simplydisjoin the material part from the vapour. You ""should then add the cold water of the spring. ""Withthis you should unweariedly sprinkle both. "" You will then have the true Elixir of all this ""Art."THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 171Exhortation and Informationto all the lovers of this Art, in which they can see, as in a mirror,all the fundamental and essential requirements thereof; whetherit is possible or not to arrive at the true Art, and concerning the same.I would warn all and sundry, but especially you, my beloveddisciples, in clear and impressive language, to be on your guardagainst all fantastical teaching, and to listen to the truthful information which I shall now proceed to give you.In the first place, you must give a wide berth to the falseAlchemy ofthe vulgar herd. I have experienced this so muchthat I am loath to recommend any to undertake the work,since this Art is so well hidden that no mortal on earth can discover it unless Sol and Luna meet. Ifyou give diligent heed tomy warning you may attain to a knowledge thereof, but if youdo not, you will never approach any nearer to it. Know alsothat there is only one thing in the whole world that enters intothe composition of the Stone, and that, therefore, all coagulation,and admixture, of different ingredients, would shew you to be ona wrong scent altogether. If you could perform all the differentoperations of our art, yet all your dissolving, coagulating, decomposing, distilling, augmenting, albefying, &c. , would be useless,without a true knowledge of our Matter. For our Art is goodand precious, nor can any one become a partaker of it , unless it berevealed to him by God, or unless he be taught by a skilledMaster. It is a treasure such as the whole world cannot buy.Do not, therefore, my sons, spend your toil until you know whatthat is on which you are to operate. For even if you knew theright Matter, your information would be useless to you withouta knowledge of the method of preparing it. The Stone in itsfinal and effective form is not to be found anywhere in the wholeworld, either in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath; norin any metal, nor in anything that grows, nor yet even in gold orsilver. It must be prepared, ie., developed, into its final form;yet for all that, it cannot, strictly speaking, be made better thanGod created it, nor can the Tincture be prepared out of it: the'Tincture ' must be added to it, and therefore has nothing to do172 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.with our main object, since it is a different thing altogether. Ifit were in any metal, we should surely have to look for it in theSun or Moon; yet the Moon cannot contain it, or it would longsince have become the Sun. Neither is it in mercury, or in anysulphur, or salt, or in herbs, or anything of that nature, as you shall see hereafter. Now we will conclude our exhortation, andproceed to describe the Art itself.There follow some Methods of Recognising our Stone.I.Know that our Stone is one, and that it is justly called aStone. For it is a Stone, and could bear no name so characteristic, as that of the Stone ofthe Sages. Yet it is not any one of ourexisting stones, but only derives its appellation from its similarityto them. For our Stone is so prepared as to be composed ofthe four clements. On this account it has been called by differentnames, and assumes different forms, although it is one thing, andits like is not found upon earth. It is a Stone, and not a stonein the sense of having the nature of any one stone; it is fire, yetit has not the appearance, or properties, of fire; it is air, yetneither has it the appearance, or properties, of air; it is water, but has no resemblance, or affinity, to the nature of water. It isearth, though it has not the nature, or appearance, of earth, seeingthat it is a thing by itself.Another way of Knowing our Precious Stone.II.An ancient philosopher says: Our Stone is called thesacred rock, and is divided, or signified, in four ways. Firstly,into earth; secondly, into its accretion; thirdly, into fire; andfourthly, into the flame of fire. If any one knows the method ofdissolving it, of extracting its salt, and of perfectly coagulatingit, he is initiated in the mysteries of the Sages. Therefore if thesalt turn white, and assume an oily appearance, then it tinges.There are three stages in our Art. Firstly, the transmutation ofthe whole thing into one salt; secondly, the rendering of threesubtle bodies intangible; thirdly, the repetition of the wholesolution of the whole thing. If you understand this, set yourhand to the work. For the Matter is only one thing, and wouldTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 173remain one thing, though a hundred thousand books had beenwritten about it, because this Art is so great a treasure that thewhole world would not be a sufficient compensation for it. It isdescribed in obscure terms, yet openly named by all, and knownto all. But if all knew its secret, no one would work, and it wouldlose its value. On this account it would be impious to describeit in universally intelligible language. He to whom God willreveal it, may understand these dark expressions. But becausemost men do not understand them, they are inclined to regardour Art as impossible, and the Sages are branded as wicked menand swindlers. Learned doctors, who thus speak of us, have itbefore their eyes every day, but they do not understand it,because they never attend to it And then, forsooth, they denythe possibility of finding the Stone; nor will any one ever beable to convince them of the reality of our Art, so long as theyblindly follow their own bent and inclination In short, they aretoo wise to discern it , since it transcends the range of the humanintellect, and must be humbly received at the hand of God.Yet Another Way of Knowing our Blessed Stone.The philosopher, Morienus, calls our Stone, water and hehad good reasons for the name. O water of bitter taste, thatpreservest the elements! O glorious nature, that overcomestNature herself! O thou that resemblest Nature, whichdissolvest her tractable nature, that exaltest Nature-that artcrowned with light, and preservest in thyself the four elements,out of which the quintessence is made! Thou art for the simple,sceing that thou art most simple in thy operation . Havingconceived by a natural process, thou bringest forth vapour,and art a good mother. Thou needest no outward help; naturepreserves nature, and is not separated from nature by theoperation of nature. The thing is easy to find, the knowledgeis easy, altogether familiar, yet it is as a miracle to many. Thysolution is great glory, and all thy lovers are named above. Thouart a great arcanum and to the many thou appearest impossible!Explanation.Know, my son, that our Stone is such that it cannotadequately be described in writing. For it is a stone, and174 THE HERmetic MUSEUM.becomes water through evaporation; yet it is no stone, and itby a chemical process it receives a watery form it is at hrstlike any other liquid water, being a thin fluid; yet its nature isnot like that of any other water upon earth. There is only onespring in all the world from which this water may be obtained.That spring is in Judæa, and is called, the Spring of theSaviour, or of beatitude. By the grace of God its situationwas revealed to the Sages. It issues in a secret place, and itswaters flow over all the world. It is familiar to all, yet noneknows the principle, reason, or way to find the spring, or discover the way to Judæa. But whoever does not knowthe right spring will never attain to a knowledge of our Art.For this reason , that Sage might well exclaim, “ O waterof a harsh and bitter taste! For, in truth, the spring isdifficult to find; but he who knows it may reach it easily, without any expense, labour, or trouble. The water is, of its ownnature, harsh and bitter, so that no one can partake of it; and,because it is of little use to the majority of mankind, the Sagedoth also exclaim, “ O water, that art lightly esteemed by thevulgar, who do not perceive thy great virtues, in thee lie, as itwere, hid the four elements. Thou hast power to dissolve, andconserve, and join nature, such as is possessed by no other thingupon earth." If you would know the properties and appearanceof this Stone, know that its appearance is aqueous, and that thewater is first changed into a stone, then the stone into water,and the water at length into the Medicine. If you know theStone without the method of its preparation, your knowledgecan be of no more use to you than if you knew the right methodwithout being acquainted with the true Matter. Therefore ourhearts are filled with gratitude to God for both kinds ofknowledge.Concerning the Treasure in the Tincture.For let me tell you that when you have the red [tincture]you have something that all the treasures of the world will notbuy. For it transmutes all metals into true gold, and is therefore much better than the preparation of the Sun. As amedicine it excels all other gold; all diseases may be cured bydrinking one drop of the tincture in a glass of wine; and it hasTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 175power to work many other marvels which we cannot here.mention at length. If you wish to prepare the tincture for theMoon, take five half-ounces of the red tincture, and mix it wellwith five hundred half- ounces of the Moon, which have beensubjected to the action of fire, then melt it, and the whole willbe changed into the Tincture and the Medicine. Of this take halfan ounce, and inject it into five hundred half- ounces of Venusor any other metal, and it will be transmuted into pure silver.Of the red tincture, which you have diligently prepared, takeone part to a thousand parts of gold, and the whole will bechanged into the red tincture. Of this, again , you may takeone part to a thousand parts of Venus, or any other metal, andit will be changed into pure gold. For this purpose you neednot buy any gold or silver. The first injection you can makewith about a drachm of both; and then you can transmute withthe tincture more and more.You should also know that in our Art we distinguish twothings-the body and the spirit: the former being constant, orfixed, while the other is volatile. These two must be changed,the one into the other: the body must become water, and thewater body. Then again the body becomes water by its owninternal operation , and the two, i.e. , the dry and the liquid, mustonce more be joined together in an inseparable union. Thisconjunction could not take place if the two had not beenobtained from one thing; for an abiding union is possible onlybetween things of the same nature. Of this kind is the unionwhich takes place in our Art; for the constituent parts of theMatter are joined together by the operation of nature, and notby any human hand. The substance is divided into two parts,as we shall explain further on. For instance, the Eagle is a"water," which being extracted is then a body dead and lifeless:if it is to be restored to life, the spirit must once more be joinedto it, and that in a unique fashion, as we see that it devoursgradually again the one eagle after the other. Then the bodyloses all its grossness, and becomes new and pure; nor can thisbody and soul ever die, seeing that they have entered into aneternal union, such as the union of our bodies and souls shallbe at the last day.176 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Another Description of our Stone.The Enigma of the wise (the Stone) is the Salt and Rootof the whole Art, and, as it were, its Key, without which no oneis able either to lock or unlock its secret entrance. No man canunderstand this Art who does not know the Salt and its preparation, which takes place in a convenient spot that is both moistand warm; there the dissolution of its liquid must be accomplished, while its substance remains unimpaired. These are thewords of Geber.Explanation.Know that the Salt of which Geber speaks has none of thespecific properties of salt, and yet is called a Salt, and is a Salt.It is black and fetid, and when chemically prepared, assumes theappearance of blood, and is at length rendered white, pure, andclear. It is a good and precious Salt which, by its own operation,is first impure and then pure. It dissolves and coagulatesitself, or, as the Sage says, it locks and unlocks itself. No Salthas this property but the Salt of the Sages. Its chemicaldevelopment it may undergo in a moist and convenient place,where its moisture (as the Sage says) may be dissolved in theBath of Mary. He means that it must be warm enough for itswater to be distilled, yet not warmer than the excrement ofhorses, which is not fresh.Another Description of our Stone.Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, in his " Philosophy"has the following words: Know that the Salt is fire and dryness.Fire coagulates, and its nature is hot, dry, and penetrating, evenunto the inmost part. Its property is to become white even asthe Sun and the Moon with the variations in the extremes of fire,to wit, of the natural fire , while the Sun restores redness and theMoon whiteness, and brings bodies to their spiritual conditionat the same time that it removes their blackness and bad sulphur.With it bodies are calcined: it is the secret of the red andwhite tincture, the foundation and root of all things, and thebest of all created things after the rational soul of man.For noStone in the whole world has a greater efficacy, nor can anychild of this earth find the Art without this Stone. Blessed beTHE ONLY TRUE WAY. 155whole matter. This simple truth, the vulgar herd of alchemistsseem quite unable to understand, and thus go on toiling day byday with substances which have nothing to do with the matter.They might as well sow horn, or wood, er stones, and expect agolden harvest of corn. The sun and moon cannot be made outof all substances, but only out of the natural Essence out ofwhich all things are formed, being afterwards differentiated intodivers substances by different varieties of heat. Thus thespecial quality of every individual thing is to be referred to thedegree of its coction. If, therefore, we wish to exercise thetrue Art of Alchemy, we must imitate the method by whichNature does her work in the bowels of the earth.The ancients have named many colours in connexionwith this process, such as black, white, citrine, red, green, andso forth. All this is simply intended to lead you astray fromthe right road, and to keep you in ignorance. Those ancientwriters were constantly at the greatest pains to obscure theirstyle with such a perplexing variety of allegorical expressionsas to render it impossible for the ordinary reader to understand their meaning.Therefore, I would again and again exhort you not tobelieve them when they tell you that you must have or take ablack substance, or that the substance turns black, white, andred in the course of the chemical process. The black colour wassuggested to them by the fact that the substance or essence atfirst mingles with a brilliant material fire, by which a liquid isseparated from the essence in the form of a certain black fume.This black fume the ancients called the Black Raven, and theessence they denominated the Raven's Head. This separationyou should carefully observe. From it the ancients learned thatthe separation of natural subtances is nothing but a naturaldefect of the heating process. This, again, suggested to them theconsideration that those essences that had been imperfectlyheated by Nature, might be aided in a natural manner byordinary fire, and that thus the essences which are still combustible, and their liquids (which the ancients invidiously calledmercury) , being black when they are separated from the essence,might be perfected by art, and the essences guarded against combustion by their liquid, and the liquid rendered incapable ofbeing156 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.66 separated from the essence. This the ancients called oursulphur." For after this preparation the essence is no longervegetable or animal, but by the perfection of its heating it hasbecome a mineral essence, and is therefore called sulphur; theessence is nothing but an elementary fire, and its liquid , which isguarded against combustion, is true elementary air, and, becauseair is naturally warm and moist, it is called mercury by thosejealous ancients. Air contains in itself the nature of fire, andelementary fire, again, contains within itself the nature of air:thus, by the union of their common elements, a true amalgamation of the two can take place. Such are the material fire andwater which we see. These material elements are nothing butan aid to the essences of the elements by which they can benaturally reduced to the highest degree (of perfection?) . Thisgradation is the only true Alchemy, and there is none beside.The pseudo-alchemy of our modern charlatans is mere waste of money and time.It would be a great mistake for you to suppose that youcan derive any real knowledge from the writings of the Sages.They show you only the outside, and conceal the internalEssence. To you they offer the husks, but the finest of thewheat they keep for themselves. They showyou a way which theydo not dream of treading. I advise you, therefore, in future, togive them a wide berth; or you will only enrich the apothecarieswhile you plunge yourself and your family into the deepestpoverty; nay, instead of gaining the universal panacea, you willcontract the most dangerous diseases from constantly moving inan atmosphere black with sulphurous and mercurial smoke, andfetid with the stench of bismuth and all manner of salts.It is truly amazing that none of the seekers after this greattreasure, though willing to submit to any amount of labour andhardship for its sake, seem capable of perceiving the lessonwhich constant failure is striving to impress upon them. What,I pray you, have those thousands of persons, who have tried thesolutions, coagulations, putrefactions, amalgamations, andcirculations, gained by their agonising toil? What good resulthave they produced with their waters, solutions of metals, blood,hair, eggs, milk, sugar, and all manner of herbs? Let mebeseech you to profit by their heart- breaking experience, and toTHE ONLY TRUE WAY 157have done with everything but true Alchemy, which teachesthat the substance is brought to perfection, and attains theexaltation of elementary fire, by its own light and liquidby which also imperfect metals are ameliorated, because theirelementary fire was not properly digested by its liquid.And for the same reason the elementary fire cannot remain,for the liquid is separated from that elementary fire bythe heat of the ordinary fire, and evaporates in the form ofwhite smoke. The elementary fire, on the other hand, does notevaporate, but abides with its carth, and must be burned withit, because its protecting liquid has vanished in white smoke.This is that whiteness of which the Ancients have said that itcomes after the black colour. For this reason, they are in thehabit of saying that you must make it black before you make itwhite. We begin our process with blackness, and transmutethe black smoke, but do not take it for our substance, and makeit white. The latter would be a foolish supposition and imposture. If you would avoid such misapprehensions, you mustnot attempt the study of this subject until you have a soundknowledge of the operations of Nature, and more especially ofthe essential properties of the metals.I am afraid, my Brother, that my book will cause youheaviness of heart, instead of joy, because I sweep away at onefell stroke all those false sophistical notions which had becomeso dear to you. Nevertheless, you must once for all relinquishthat idea of yours that you are profoundly versed in themysteries of this Art, and leave these childish absurdities tothose who derive wealth and profit from them. Among thesepersons, Adam de Bodenstein held a very distinguished place;for he wrote all manner of so- called theosophical books, andboasted of his attainments in the alchemistic Art, of which hewas really quite ignorant. Yet to the present day many peoplebelieve that he (whose expressions are those of a mere charlatan)had a real knowledge of true alchemy. It is true that hisnonsense cannot for a moment impose on the initiated; butamong the blind ( as the proverb says) it is easy to win goldenopinions as a good fencer. On this account, and as Bodensteinis no more among the living, I will dismiss the subject, fornothing but what is favourable should be spoken of the dead158 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.and of the absent. This I will say, however, that he was agood Sophist and a good physician; but of Alchemy he knewlittle or nothing. I should not have said this much if I werenot really anxious to warn the unwary against being dazzled bythe splendour of his name, and to prevent them from beinglured on by it to their own ruin.If, then, you are a lover of the truth, you will bid farewellto these specious absurdities, and henceforth entrust yourself tothe guidance of Nature alone; be sure that she will lead youonward without faltering to the desired goal, even that methodby which she works towards the essence. Morcover, she willdemand of you neither much labour nor any considerable outlay.The whole thing is done by a simple process of heating, whichincludes the solution and coagulation of the bodies, and also thesublimation and putrefaction. But some writers have substituted for the simple and true essence a certain other essence,with which they have deceived the whole world, and involvedmany persons in considerable losses. Whether their conductwas upright and loving will one day be decided by the GreatJudge. It would be better not to publish such writings, sincethe false statements and groundless assertions with which theyswarm, plunge so many credulous persons into grievous losses.For if there were not so many books put forward by ignorantwriters, many thousands of persons who at the present momentare hopelessly floundering about in a sea of specious booklearning, would have been led by the light of their own unaidedintellects to the knowledge of this precious secret; they areprevented, these many years, from seeing the plain truth by avast mass of printed nonsense which commands their reverence,because they do not understand it. The Ancients did indeedknow something about the Art; but at the present day we canvery well dispense with the cumbrous phraseology under whichthey (most successfully) attempted to veil their meaning. Itcan only tend to the bewilderment of honest enquirers, who arethereby thrown off the true scent, unless indeed they shouldcome to be instructed by living Masters.I myself may not speak out as plainly as I would, for I amsilenced by the vow which binds all the masters of the Art, thecurse that lights on those who violate the sacred seal of Nature'sTHE ONLY TRUE WAY. 159secrets, and the malediction of all the philosophers. Therefore,I must exhort you again and again to trust your own observations rather than the writings of others, and to let the Bookof Nature be the most favoured volume of your library.Observe her methods, not only in the production of metals, butin the procreation of the fruits of the carth, and their constantgrowth and development, in the winter and summer, in thespring and autumn, by rain and sunshine. If you had a soundknowledge of Nature's methods in producing the bud and theflower, and in ripening the green fruit, you would be able to setyour hand to the germs which Nature provides in the bowels ofthe earth, and to educe from them (or their substance) thatwhich you so much desire.Forgive me then, my Brother, for so unceremoniouslyoverthrowing all your old settled and dearly cherished convictions. My excuse must be that I have done it for your owngood, as you would otherwise never learn the true secret oftransmuting metals. You may believe and trust me, for I canhave no conceivable motive for filling the world with fresh lies,of which, God knows, it is already full enough, through theagency of the aforesaid deceivers and their willing dupes, whoafter being lured on by those false books to the loss of all theirworldly goods, have not suffered their eyes to be opened bytheir losses, and seem unable to find their way out of thatgigantic labyrinth of falsehood. Nay, they have even takenupon themselves to write books, and to speak as if they wereperfect masters of the Art, and had derived great advantagefrom it, though in reality they have been brought so low as tobe able to afford nothing but miserable decoctions. Theydissolved until their whole fortune had undergone a process ofdissolution; they sublimed until all their gold and silver hadevaporated; they putrefied until their clothes decayed upontheir bodies; and they calcined until all their wood and coalwere consumed to ashes, and they themselves were reduced towallet and staff.This is the prize which they have won with all their trouble.Let their ruin be a warning to you, my Brother. For theiralchemy, instead of imparting health, is followed by penury anddisease; instead of transmuting copper into gold, it changes160 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.gold into copper and brass. Consider also how many ignorantpersons, such as cobblers, tailors, bankrupt merchants, andtavern keepers, pretend to a knowledge of this Art, and, after afew years' unsuccessful experimenting in the laboratory, callthemselves great doctors, announce in boastful and sesquipedalian language their power to cure many diseases, and promisemountains of gold. Those promises are empty wind, and theirmedicines rank poison, with which they fill the churchyards,and for the impudent abuse of which God will one day visitthem with heavy punishment. But I will leave the magistrates.and the jailers to deal with these swindling charlatans.speak of them only to put you on your guard. If so manypersons write on the subject of Alchemy, who know nothingwhatever about the nature and generation of metals, it becomesall the more necessary for you to be careful what books youread, and how much you believe.IFor I tell you truly that so long as you have no real andfundamental knowledge of the nature of the metals, you cannotmake much progress in the true Art of Alchemy, or understandthe natural transmutation of metals. You must grasp themeaning of every direction before you can put it into effect.Always mistrust that which you do not understand (ie. , instudying this art). There are many false ways, but there can beonly one that is truc, and indicates a process which does notrequire many hands, or much labour. For this reason, belovedfriend and Brother, you must work hard by day and by night toobtain a thorough knowledge of the metals, and of theiressential nature. Then you will be able to understand therequirements of the art. You will know without being toldwhat is the true substance and the true method. You will seethe utter uselessness of your former labour, and you will beamazed at your former blindness. Study the nature of metalsand the causes of their generation, for they derive their birthfrom the same source as all other created things.For as by a heating process the infant is developed in themother's womb out of the father's seed, and as the chicken isbrought forth out of the egg by the natural incubation of thehen, so the metals, too, are developed in a certain way out of a certain substance. Yet I do not say, my Brother, thatTHE ONLY TRUE WAY. .161mercury and sulphur are the first substance of metals. Thosejuggling deceivers have told you so; but in the veins of the earth, where the metals grow, are found neither mercury norsulphur. Therefore, when they speak of sulphur, you must un- derstand them to allude to elementary fire, and by mercury youmust understand the liquid. In a similar lying spirit they havecalled fire ( elementary) " our Sun," and the liquid " our Moon, "or the elementary fire soul, and the elementary liquid spirit, be- cause elementary substances are invisible. The soul is invisiblefire, and the spirit invisible moisture: the outward essential fireand water they have called ' bodies, because they are visible andpalpable. Nay, they try to make you believe that these are metallic bodies, and that you must dissolve them. But do notlet them deceive you. Be on your guard against their dishonesttricks, and cunning devices, by which they set you to experimentwith metallic bodies, when they really mean the metallic essence.They point out to you various materials and substances,notwithstanding that there is only one true substance, and onetrue method. Be sure that their solutions, coagulations, sublimations, calcinations, and putrefactions, do not represent themethod of Nature in the heart of the carth, where the metalsgrow. For pious Nature only heats the elementary fire which isthereby ameliorated and fixed through its liquid; which lattershe also changes, by various degrees of heat, into all the variousobjects which compose the three natural kingdoms -and althoughnow it is differentiated into bodies so different as vegetables, animals, and minerals, yet they have all originally sprung from onecommon substance, all have one root, which the Ancientsdenominated the first Matter or Hyle. But it is really nothingbut hidden elementary fire, with its liquid, which the Ancients.called the root liquid, radical moisture, or humid radical, becauseit is the root of all created things.This liquid, with its fire, is differentiated into the variouskinds of natural bodies, by the various degrees of heat, or' coction,' which take place in them. One thing is more perfectlyheated in its elementary fire through its liquid, than another.The vegetable nature is that in which the coction is least perfect.Therefore its essence is easily burned, and its liquid easily sepa.rated from its elementary fire, by common fire.L162 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.The coction of the animal is almost as imperfect as that ofthe vegetable substance: for its essence is easily burned. Thecoction of the mineral substances is the most perfect of all,because in them the metallic liquid is more closely united (bycoction) to its elementary fire. Hence metals are better able toresist common fire than the vegetable and animal substances.When a metal is placed in the fire, it does not burn with a brightflame like wood; for the liquid of wood is not so completelyjoined (by coction) to its essence, as the liquid of metalsis to its essence. The union of the liquid with the essenceis not metallic, but vegetable, for which reason the latter isconsumed with a black smoke, when, by a higher degreeof coction, the vegetable has been transmuted into a metallicessence, it no longer gives out a black smoke in common fire, buta white smoke, as you may see when imperfect metals are meltedin the fire. That is why the Ancients said that you must firstmake the substance black before you make it white, ie. , it mustfirst give out a black smoke before it gives out a white. Againthey say: You must first make it white before you make it red.To make red is to make perfect, because gold and silver havebeen rendered perfect by coction, their essence being fully unitedto their liquid, and changed into pure fire.Do not then suffer yourself to be thrown off your guard bythe obscure phraseology of the Ancients. If you thoroughlystudy the simple fundamental nature of the metals, you willknow what their enigmatic expressions mean, and will not, likesome moderns, conclude from their writings that you must takea certain substance and dissolve it until it turns black , thenagain purify and calcine it till the blackness disappears and itbegins to turn white; and after that, once more increase the fireand calcine and toil until the substance turns red. Such aninterpretation of the language of the Ancients can only suggestit*elf to persons entirely ignorant of the nature of metallicsubstances; indeed, the Ancients wrote as they did solely inorder to hide their real meaning from all but the close studentsof Nature. To this end they were in the constant habit ofemploying the terms " mercury " and " sulphur." And althoughthe metallic essence is the true substance which, by naturalcoction, must be raised from the lowest to the highest stage ofTHE ONLY TRUE WAY. 163development, and although the meaning of the Ancients isintelligible enough to the initiated, yet the ignorant can gatherfrom their language no more than the fact that the substancemust be taken from the metals. But where are they to obtainit, and how are they to bring it to perfection? The metallicessence can not be separated from the imperfect metals withoutbeing injured; for if it be separated with fire the liquid must evaporate, and the essence (with its carth) be consumed. Norwill you be able to separate the essence of the imperfect metalsby means of aqua fortis, arsenic, aqua vita, or alkali, withoutinjuring the essence and its liquid by the foreign moisture: forthe metallic nature can bear no foreign substance, and if anyforeign moisture combines with the metallic liquid, it loses itsproper quality and is entirely corrupted .The metallic essence of the perfect metals you cannotobtain in a separate form; for their liquid and elementary fireare welded together by so perfect a process of coction , and soclosely united with their earth, that neither fire nor water canavail to separate them, seeing that the fire has no power overthem, and no foreign moisture can combine with, or corrupt, theliquid of perfect metals. All your labour will be in vain thecoction has done its work so well that you will never be able toundo it.Hence, the Ancients said that there was no sulphur inanything but in the metals, and hence also they called themetallic liquid quicksilver. But names do not alter facts: thefact is that the elementary fire must be so united to its elementary liquid by natural coction that they become indivisible. Forthe liquid protects the fire against combustion, so that bothremain fixed and unchanged in common fire. This perfectedsubstance the Ancients have well called Elixir, or fire whichhas undergone a process of perfect coction: for that whichbefore was crude and raw is " cooked." or digested by theprocess of coction. That element which, by its imperfection,causes base metals to be broken up and disintegrated by fire,has been digested and perfected by natural heat.For this reason you must not grudge the labour which theproper performance of this heating process demands, seeing thatit includes purification , sublimation, dissolution, and all the otherL2164 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.chemical processes enumerated by the ancient alchemists . Allthese you may safely dismiss from your mind, as they can causeyou nothing but trouble, loss, and waste of time. My purposein writing this faithful admonition is to caution you again andagain to beware of those pitfalls with which the contemptuousobscurity of the Ancients has so plentifully beset the path ofthe ingenuous enquirer. I also desired to suggest to you thetruc substance, and the one true method, and have throughoutendeavoured to express myself in a style as free from allegoricalobscurity as possible. I have recalled you from your wanderings in the pathless wilderness, and put you in the right way.Now you must beseech Almighty God to give you the realphilosophical temper, and to open your eyes to the facts of nature. Thus alone you will be able to reach the coveted goal.THEGLORY OF THE WORLD;OR,TABLE OF PARADISE;THAT IS TO SAY,A TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE ANCIENT SCIENCE WHICH ADAM LEARNEDFROM GOD HIMSELF; WHICH NOAH, ABRAHAM, AND SOLOMONHELD AS ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS OF GOD; WHICHALSO ALL SAGES, AT ALL TIMES, PREFERRED TO THEWEALTH OF THE WHOLE WORLD, REGARDED ASTHE CHIEF TREASURE OF THE WHOLEWORLD, AND BEQUEATHED ONLY TOGOOD MEN;NAMELY,THE SCIENCE OF THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.2 PET. iii., 5:"For this they willingly, through their wickedness, areignorant of, that through the Word of God the heavens wereor old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in thewater "

THE GLORY OF THE WORLD,OR,TABLE OF PARADISE:A most precious book, containing art, the like of which is not tobe found upon earth; shewing the truth concerning the truePhilosophy, and the most noble medicine, and pricelessTincture, together with divers other valuable Arts,and the Instruments required for them.NOW, in the name of God, the Almighty Creator andPreserver of this World, I venture to shew forth thehidden mysteries of Nature, which God has plantedthere, and deigns to reveal to men, that they may seehow marvellously things are created, and how wonderfully allclasses of natural objects are brought forth: for a testimony to allbelieving Christian men, and for a comfort to all afflicted andtroubled hearts-sceing that all things created perish and are decomposed only to be renewed again, to be multiplied, animated,and perfected after their kind. For nothing that is created, orborn, is at rest, but daily undergoes increase or multiplication onthe part of Nature, until it becomes that which is created andordained to be the treasure of all mankind.Therefore, beseech God to give you such wisdom and understanding as will enable you to understand this Art, and tobring it, by His blessing, to a good issue for His own glory, andthe good of your neighbour.If then you would obtain this knowledge at the hand ofGod, you must confess yourself a miserable sinner, and imploreHis blessing, which alone can enable you to receive His Gift168 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.worthily, and to bear in mind that He has bestowed it upon youout of pure mercy, and that any pride or presumptuous insolenceon your part will most certainly entail its loss, in addition to Hiswrath, and eternal condemnation. You must resolve to beginthis blessed and divine work in the name of God, for the serviceof all good Christians, and the building up of our faith; to be agood athlete in the war against unbelievers; to shun the companyof wicked men; never to open your mouth against the righteous;but to bestow your bounty upon the needy in order that afterthis life you may receive the crown of eternal joy and beatitude.For this treasure, which is above all other earthly treasures, isgranted to him alone who approves himself humble, honest,gentle, and faithful, as far as the weakness of human natureallows, and keeps the laws of God through God's bounty andblessing, and who is not likely to mistake the true nature of thegift, or to abuse it against his own eternal welfare. It is the giftof the Holy Spirit, the loving bounty of the great God, which comes down from the Father of light. He who masters thisArt, must have asked and obtained wisdom of God, since he hasnot only gold, silver, and all the riches of this world, but alsoperfect health, length of days, and, what is better still, the comfort to be derived from a reassuring type of the bitter passionand death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, His descentinto hell, His glorious and most holy Resurrection on the thirdday, and His victory and triumph over sin, death, Devil, andhell-a victory that must carry joy and comfort to all that have the breath of life.Let me now shew you how wonderfully the human anddivine natures of Jesus Christ were united and joined togetherin one Person. The soul and body of Christ and His divinenature were so inseparably joined together that they cannot besevered throughout all eternity. Nevertheless Christ had to die,and His soul had to be separated from His body, and oncemore joined to it on the third day, that His body might beglorified, and rendered as subtle as His soul and spirit. ForHe had received His body of the substance of the most BlessedVirgin Mary, and therefore it had to be perfected by temporaryseparation from His soul and spirit. Nevertheless, His divinityremained united in one essence with the body and soul ofTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 169Christ-it was with the body in the tomb, and with His soul inParadise.The body of Christ had to be separated from its soul inorder that it might receive the same power and glory. Butnow, Christ having been dead, and His soul having afterwardsbeen reunited to His body, they are henceforth inseparablyconjoined into one subtle essence. His divine omnipotencewhich He received from His Father, which governs all things inheaven and earth, and is equally perfect from all eternity, is nowone Person with the Christ Jesus, who suffered, died , rose again,and ascended into heaven, in endless power, glory, majesty,might, and honour.Therefore, O sinful man, render thanks to Almighty Godfor the grace and fatherly loving kindness shewn to you; andrest assured that you may obtain the glorification which wasgiven to Christ. For Christ rose first that he might open up foryou a way unto His heavenly Father. Like Him, you toomust be crucified to this world by many hardships, tribulations,and anxieties. But that you may understand the glorificationofthe body, and its renewal to eternal life, you should diligentlyconsider God's fatherly love and mercy towards fallen man.Bear in mind that all things that come down from Him aregood and perfect gifts. Take care, therefore, lest you foullyabuse the gifts bestowed upon you freely, without any meritof your own, to the destruction of your soul; rather let allyour actions shew that you love and fear God, and then everylabour to which you set your hand will prosper, and frombeginning to end you will pursue the work successfully andjoyously. Commit your care to God, trust His word, andkeep His holy commandments: then God will be with youin all things, will bless your toil, and in His fatherly loveforefend all loss and harm. Your art will then afford you truecomfort, yield you all you need, refresh you amid all your hardships, supply you with the means of relieving the necessitiesof others, and constantly keep before your eyes a living typeof your own glorious resurrection, and of that of all Christianbelievers-whereby we must exchange this earthly and mortallife for endless joy and the glory of eternal and incorruptible beatitude.170 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Let me then tell you, who would be a true lover ofthis Art,that it was first delivered by God to Adam in Paradise. For itis a truc revelation of many secrets and mysteries. It shewsyou the vanity of your body and of your life in this world; butit also solaces you with the hope of eternal salvation. It suggests to you the reflection that if God has infused such wonderfulvirtues into mere inanimate natural objects, surely we, who areso much better than they, must be reserved for some high andglorious destiny. I beseech you, therefore, to acquit yourselfwisely in all that you do-not to be in haste,-but to reveal thismystery to no mortal man, unless he be a lover of this Art andof a godly, sincere, and merciful temper. Such was the practiceof the ancient Sages to whom this wisdom was revealed by theinspiration of the Holy Spirit. You must also confess that thisArt is real, for the sake of those who will not believe that JesusChrist proceeded from His Almighty Heavenly Father, and wasalso born of a pure virgin. Moreover, you must ask God toenlighten you by the gift of His Holy Spirit, to sharpen yourunderstanding, to open your eyes, and to grant you a profoundinsight into that unfathomable wisdom which lies hid in ourArt, and which no Sage has ever been able to express in hiswritings. For there are many secrets in Nature which it isimpossible for our unaided human reason to apprehend. If youfollow my directions and suffer yourself to be guided by thegrace of God, then the work which you undertake for the gloryof God, and for the good of your neighbour, will have a joyfulissue. Feed the hungry give drink to the thirsty; clothe thenaked; comfort the afflicted; visit the sick and the prisoners:and you shall have what you desire.6666ROBERT VALENS RUGL.99 "A spirit is within, which by deliberate skillyou must separate from the body. Simply' disjoin the material part from the vapour. You "should then add the cold water of the spring.""With this you should unweariedly sprinkle both."" You will then have the true Elixir of all this "Art. "66THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 171Exhortation and Informationto all the lovers of this Art, in which they can see, as in a mirror,all the fundamental and essential requirements thereof; whetherit is possible or not to arrive at the true Art, and concerning thesame.I would warn all and sundry, but especially you, my beloveddisciples, in clear and impressive language, to be on your guardagainst all fantastical teaching, and to listen to the truthful information which I shall now proceed to give you.In the first place, you must give a wide berth to the falseAlchemy of the vulgar herd. I have experienced this so muchthat I am loath to recommend any to undertake the work,since this Art is so well hidden that no mortal on earth can discover it unless Sol and Luna meet. Ifyou give diligent heed tomy warning you may attain to a knowledge thereof, but if youdo not, you will never approach any nearer to it. Know alsothat there is only one thing in the whole world that enters intothe composition of the Stone, and that, therefore, all coagulation,and admixture, of different ingredients, would shew you to be ona wrong scent altogether. If you could perform all the differentoperations of our art, yet all your dissolving, coagulating, decomposing, distilling, augmenting, albefying, &c. , would be useless,without a true knowledge of our Matter. For our Art is goodand precious, nor can any one become a partaker of it , unless it berevealed to him by God, or unless he be taught by a skilled Master. It is a treasure such as the whole world cannot buy.Do not, therefore, my sons, spend your toil until you know whatthat is on which you are to operate. For even if you knew theright Matter, your information would be useless to you without a knowledge of the method of preparing it. The Stone in itsfinal and effective form is not to be found anywhere in the wholeworld, either in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath; norin any metal, nor in anything that grows, nor yet even in gold orsilver. It must be prepared, i.e., developed, into its final form;yet for all that, it cannot, strictly speaking, be made better thanGod created it, nor can the Tincture be prepared out of it: the'Tincture ' must be added to it , and therefore has nothing to do172 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.with our main object, since it is a different thing altogether. Ifit were in any metal, we should surely have to look for it in theSun or Moon; yet the Moon cannot contain it, or it would longsince have become the Sun. Neither is it in mercury, or in anysulphur, or salt, or in herbs, or anything of that nature, as youshall see hereafter. Now we will conclude our exhortation, andproceed to describe the Art itself.There follow some Methods of Recognising our Stone.I.Know that our Stone is one, and that it is justly called aStone. For it is a Stone, and could bear no name so characteristic, as that of the Stone ofthe Sages. Yet it is not any one of ourexisting stones, but only derives its appellation from its similarityto them. For our Stone is so prepared as to be composed ofthefour elements. On this account it has been called by differentnames, and assumes different forms, although it is one thing, and its like is not found upon earth. It is a Stone, and not a stonein the sense of having the nature of any one stone; it is fire, yetit has not the appearance, or properties, of fire; it is air, yetneither has it the appearance, or properties, of air; it is water, buthas no resemblance, or affinity, to the nature of water.earth, though it has not the nature, or appearance, of earth, seeingthat it is a thing by itself.Another way of Knowing our Precious Stone.II.It isAn ancient philosopher says: Our Stone is called thesacred rock, and is divided, or signified, in four ways. Firstly,into earth; secondly, into its accretion; thirdly, into fire; andfourthly, into the flame of fire. If any one knows the method ofdissolving it, of extracting its salt, and of perfectly coagulatingit, he is initiated in the mysteries of the Sages. Therefore if thesalt turn white, and assume an oily appearance, then it tinges.There are three stages in our Art. Firstly, the transmutation ofthe whole thing into one salt; secondly, the rendering of threesubtle bodies intangible; thirdly, the repetition of the wholesolution of the whole thing. If you understand this, set yourhand to the work. For the Matter is only one thing, and wouldTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 173remain one thing, though a hundred thousand books had beenwritten about it, because this Art is so great a treasure that the whole world would not be a sufficient compensation for it. It isdescribed in obscure terms, yet openly named by all, and knownto all. But if all knew its secret, no one would work, and it wouldlose its value. On this account it would be impious to describeit in universally intelligible language. He to whom God willreveal it, may understand these dark expressions. But becausemost men do not understand them, they are inclined to regardour Art as impossible, and the Sages are branded as wicked menand swindlers. Learned doctors, who thus speak of us, have itbefore their eyes every day, but they do not understand it,because they never attend to it And then, forsooth, they denythe possibility of finding the Stone; nor will any one ever be able to convince them of the reality of our Art, so long as theyblindly follow their own bent and inclination In short, they aretoo wise to discern it, since it transcends the range of the humanintellect, and must be humbly received at the hand of God.Yet Another Way of Knowing our Blessed Stone.The philosopher, Morienus, calls our Stone, water and hehad good reasons for the name. O water of bitter taste, thatpreservest the elements! O glorious nature, that overcomestNature herself! O thou that resemblest Nature, which.dissolvest her tractable nature, that exaltest Nature-that artcrowned with light, and preservest in thyself the four elements ,out of which the quintessence is made! Thou art for the simple,sceing that thou art most simple in thy operation. Havingconceived by a natural process, thou bringest forth vapour,and art a good mother. Thou needest no outward help; naturepreserves nature, and is not separated from nature by theoperation of nature. The thing is easy to find, the knowledge.is easy, altogether familiar, yet it is as a miracle to many. Thysolution is great glory, and all thy lovers are named above. Thouart a great arcanum and to the many thou appearest impossible!Explanation.Know, my son, that our Stone is such that it cannotadequately be described in writing . For it is a stone, and174 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.becomes water through evaporation; yet it is no stone, and itby a chemical process it receives a watery form it is at hrstlike any other liquid water, being a thin fluid; yet its nature isnot like that of any other water upon earth. There is only onespring in all the world from which this water may be obtained .That spring is in Judæa, and is called, the Spring of theSaviour, or of beatitude. By the grace of God its situationwas revealed to the Sages. It issues in a secret place, and its waters flow over all the world. It is familiar to all, yet noneknows the principle, reason, or way to find the spring, ordiscover the way to Judæa. But whoever does not knowthe right spring will never attain to a knowledge of our Art.For this reason, that Sage might well exclaim, " O waterof a harsh and bitter taste! " For, in truth, the spring isdifficult to find; but he who knows it may reach it easily, without any expense, labour, or trouble. The water is, of its ownnature, harsh and bitter, so that no one can partake of it; and,because it is of little use to the majority of mankind, the Sagedoth also exclaim, “ O water, that art lightly esteemed by thevulgar, who do not perceive thy great virtues, in thee lie, as itwere, hid the four elements. Thou hast power to dissolve, andconserve, and join nature, such as is possessed by no other thingupon earth." If you would know the properties and appearanceof this Stone, know that its appearance is aqueous, and that thewater is first changed into a stone, then the stone into water,and the water at length into the Medicine. If you know theStone without the method of its preparation, your knowledgecan be of no more use to you than if you knew the right methodwithout being acquainted with the true Matter. Therefore ourhearts are filled with gratitude to God for both kinds ofknowledge.Concerning the Treasure in the Tincture.For let me tell you that when you have the red [tincture]you have something that all the treasures of the world will notbuy. For it transmutes all metals into true gold, and is therefore much better than the preparation of the Sun. As amedicine it excels all other gold; all diseases may be cured bydrinking one drop of the tincture in a glass of wine; and it hasTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 175power to work many other marvels which we cannot heremention at length. If you wish to prepare the tincture for the Moon, take five half-ounces of the red tincture, and mix it wellwith five hundred half- ounces of the Moon, which have beensubjected to the action of fire, then melt it, and the whole willbe changed into the Tincture and the Medicine. Of this take half an ounce, and inject it into five hundred half-ounces of Venusor any other metal, and it will be transmuted into pure silver.Of the red tincture, which you have diligently prepared, takeone part to a thousand parts of gold, and the whole will bechanged into the red tincture. Of this, again, you may takeone part to a thousand parts of Venus, or any other metal, andit will be changed into pure gold. For this purpose you neednot buy any gold or silver. The first injection you can makewith about a drachm of both; and then you can transmute with the tincture more and more.You should also know that in our Art we distinguish twothings-the body and the spirit: the former being constant, orfixed, while the other is volatile. These two must be changed,the one into the other: the body must become water, and thewater body. Then again the body becomes water by its owninternal operation, and the two, i.e., the dry and the liquid, mustonce more be joined together in an inseparable union. Thisconjunction could not take place if the two had not beenobtained from one thing; for an abiding union is possible onlybetween things of the same nature. Of this kind is the unionwhich takes place in our Art; for the constituent parts of theMatter are joined together by the operation of nature, and notby any human hand. The substance is divided into two parts,as we shall explain further on. For instance, the Eagle is a"water," which being extracted is then a body dead and lifeless:if it is to be restored to life, the spirit must once more be joinedto it, and that in a unique fashion, as we see that it devoursgradually again the one eagle after the other. Then the bodyloses all its grossness, and becomes new and pure; nor can thisbody and soul ever die, seeing that they have entered into aneternal union, such as the union of our bodies and souls shallbe at the last day.176 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.Another Description of our Stone.The Enigma of the wise (the Stone) is the Salt and Rootof the whole Art, and, as it were, its Key, without which no oneis able either to lock or unlock its secret entrance. No man canunderstand this Art who does not know the Salt and its preparation, which takes place in a convenient spot that is both moistand warm; there the dissolution of its liquid must be accomplished, while its substance remains unimpaired. These are the words of Geber.Explanation.Know that the Salt of which Geber speaks has none of thespecific properties of salt, and yet is called a Salt, and is a Salt.It is black and fetid, and when chemically prepared, assumes theappearance of blood, and is at length rendered white, pure, andclear. It is a good and precious Salt which, by its own operation,is first impure and then pure. It dissolves and coagulatesitself, or, as the Sage says, it locks and unlocks itself. No Salthas this property but the Salt of the Sages. Its chemicaldevelopment it may undergo in a moist and convenient place,where its moisture (as the Sage says) may be dissolved in theBath of Mary. He means that it must be warm enough for itswater to be distilled, yet not warmer than the excrement ofhorses, which is not fresh.Another Description of our Stone.Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, in his " Philosophy"has the following words: Know that the Salt is fire and dryness.Fire coagulates, and its nature is hot, dry, and penetrating, even unto the inmost part. Its property is to become white even asthe Sun and the Moon with the variations in the extremes of fire,to wit, of the natural fire , while the Sun restores redness and theMoon whiteness, and brings bodies to their spiritual conditionat the same time that it removes their blackness and bad sulphur.With it bodies are calcined: it is the secret of the red andwhite tincture, the foundation and root of all things, and thebest of all created things after the rational soul of man.For noStone in the whole world has a greater efficacy, nor can anychild of this earth find the Art without this Stone. Blessed beTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 177God in heaven, who hath created this Art in Salt for the transmutation of all things, seeing that it is the quintessence which isabove all things, and in all things. God Most High has notonly from Heaven blessed creatures in this fashion, but praise,excellence, power, and wisdom are to be recognised as existingin this Salt. He who can dissolve and coagulate it, is wellacquainted with the arcana of this Art. Our Salt is found in acertain precious Salt, and in all things. On this account theancient Sages called it the " common moon," because all men needit. If you would become rich, prepare this Salt till it is renderedsweet. No other salt is so permanent, or has such power to fix the"soul," and to resist fire. The Salt of the earth is the soul; itcoagulates all things, is in the midst of the earth when the earthis destroyed; nor is there anything on the earth like its tincture.It is called Rebis (Two- thing) , is a Stone, Salt, one body, and, tothe majority of mankind, a vile and a despised thing. Yet itpurifies and restores bodies, represents the Key of our whole Art,and all things are summed up in it. Only its entering in is sosubtle that few perceive it: yet if it enter a body, it tinges it andbrings it to perfection. What then should you desire of God butthis Salt and the ingression thereof?If a man lived a hundred thousand years, he could neversufficiently marvel at the wonderful manner in which this noble treasure is obtained from ashes, and again reduced to ashes. Inthe ashes is Salt, and the more the ashes are burnt, the moreashes it affords; notice also, that that proceeds from fire, andreturns to fire, which proceeds from [ the] earth. All must confess that in the Salt there are two salts that kill mercury. Thisis a most profound saying. For sulphur, and the radical liquid,are generated in earth of a most subtle nature, and thus is prepared the Philosopher's Stone, which causes all things, even asthe philosophers set forth, to arise out of one thing, and onenature, without the addition of any foreign substance. OurMatter is one of the commonest things upon earth, and containswithin itself the four elements. It is, indeed, nothing short ofmarvellous that so many seek so ordinary a thing, and yet areunable to find it . We might put down many other characteristicsof this Salt, but I prefer to leave the further elaboration of thissubject to the reader, and to confine myself to a more detailedM178 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.account of its fruits, entrance, and life, of the mode of openingthe garden, and catching a glimpse of the glorious roses, of theway in which they multiply, and bear fruit a thousand- fold; alsohow you may cause the dead body to re- appear, and to be raisedagain to immortal life, by the power of which it may be able toenter imperfect bodies, purify them, and bring them to perfection, and to a state of immutable permanence.I now propose to speak ofthe Stone under three aspects,viz. , as the vegetable, the animal, and the mineral Stone; andamong these again, of the one which contains those fourelements that impart life to all. Place this one substance in anair-tight alembic, and treat it according to the precepts of ourArt, which we shall set forth further on. Then the sowing in thefield can take place, and you obtain the Mineral Stone, and the Green Lion that imbibes so much of its own spirit. Thenlife returns to its spirit through the alembic, and the deadbody lies at the bottom of the vessel. In the latter there arestill two elements which the fire cannot sever-for sooner[than that] the ashes are burned in the fire itself, and the Salt thereby becomes stronger. The earth must be calcineduntil it turns white; then the earth is severed of its own accord,and is united to its own earth. For every thing strives tobe joined to its like. Give it the cold and humid clementto drink, and leave it standing eight days, that the twomay be well mixed. You must see yourself what is best to bedone after this: for I cannot give you any further information atpresent. Sun and Moon must have intercourse, like that of aman and woman: otherwise the object of our Art cannot be attained. All other teaching is false and erroneous. Thinkupon this Salt as the true foundation of our Art; for its worthoutweighs all the treasures of this world. Itself is not developedinto the tincture, but the tincture must be added to it. Nor isthe substance of our Art found in any metal.Another Description of the Matter and the Method.By Senior.Natural things; according to this Sage, are those which havebeen generated and produced out of a natural substance by anatural method. Now in its first, or lunar, stage, our Stone isTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 179produced from a coagulated white carth, as the Sage says:Behold our Sun in our white earth, and that by which theunion in our Art is effected; which is twice transmuted intowater, and whose volatile exhalation, representing that which ismost precious in our Substance, is the highest consolation of thehuman body. With this water the inward mercury of themetals must be extracted. Hence it follows that our Stone isobtained from the elements of two luminaries (gold and silver ) ,being called our quicksilver and incombustible oil, the soul andlight of bodies -which alone can afford to dead and imperfectbodies eternal light and life. Therefore I pray and beseech you,my son, to crush quicksilver from our Substance with intelligenceand great activity.The Purging the " Earth" of Its Superfluous Earth.The aforesaid earth, or Matter, you must purify, or calcine,so as to extract its water and spirit. The latter you must enclose in a phial, and pour common aqua vitæ upon it till thesubstance is covered to the height of three or four fingers; thensubject it to the action of fire for an hour, and diligently distil itbythe bath. What remains you must again calcine, and extractwith its water till you find nothing more in the "earth. " The earthkeep for the second stage of the process. The water you haveextracted distil over a gentle fire. Then you will find at thebottom of the distilling vessel a certain beautiful substance,resembling a crystal stone, which is purged of all carthly grossness, and is called " our earth." This substance you must placein a glass ( pumpkin-shaped) distilling vessel, and calcine untilit becomes dry and white, and yet liquid withal. Then youhave obtained the treasure of this world, which has virtue topurify and perfect all earthly things: it enters into all, itnourishes the fixed salt in all things by means of Mercury orthe body.Another Description of our Stone.Know, my sons, that the Stone out of which our Art iselaborated, never touches the earth after its generation. If ittouch the earth, it is of no use for our purpose, although at itsfirst birth it is generated by the Sun and Moon, and embodies M2180 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.certain earthy elements. It is generated in the earth, thenbroken, destroyed, and mortified. Out of it arises a vapourwhich is carried with the wind into the sea, and thence broughtback again to the land, where it almost immediately disappears.It must be caught in the air, before it touches the ground; other- wise it evaporates. As soon as it is borne from the sea to theland, you must promptly seize it, and enclose it in your phial,then manipulate it in the manner described. You may know itscoming by the wind, rain, and thunder, which accompany it;therefore it should not escape you. Though it is born anewevery day, yet it existed from the beginning of the world. Butas soon as it falls to the ground, it becomes useless for the pur- poses of our Art.6666"""From our earth wells forth a fertilizing fountain, ""whence flow two precious stones. The first "straightway hastens to the rising of the Sun; '"the other makes its way to the setting thereof. ""From them fly forth two Eagles, plunge into the "flames, and fall once more to the earth. Both ""are furnished with feathers, and Sun and Moon,""being placed under their wings, are perfected ."Know also that two waters flow forth from this fountain; theone (which is the spirit) towards the rising Sun, and the other,the body, towards the setting Sun. The two are really only onevery limpid water, which is so bitter as to be quite undrinkable.The quantity of this water is so great that it flows over the wholeearth, yet leads to nothing but the knowledge of this Art. Thesame also is misused too often by those who desire it. Take alsothe " fire," and in it you will find the Stone, and nowhere else in the whole world. It is familiar to all men, both young and old,is found in the country, in the village, in the town, in all thingscreated by God; yet it is despised by all. Rich and poor handle it every day. It is cast into the street by servant maids. Children play with it. Yet no one prizes it, though, next to the human soul, it is the most beautiful and the most precious thingupon earth, and has power to pull down kings and princes.Nevertheless, it is esteemed the vilest and meanest of earthly things. It is cast away and rejected by all. Indeed it is theStone which the builders of Solomon disallowed. But if it beTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 181prepared in the right way, it is a pearl without price, and, indeed,the earthly antitype of Christ, the heavenly Corner Stone. AsChrist was despised and rejected in this world by the people ofthe Jews, and nevertheless was more precious than heaven andearth; so it is with our Stone among earthly things: for thespring where it is found is called the fount of nature.For evenas through Nature all growing things are generated by the heatof the Sun, so also through Nature is our Stone born after thatit has been generated.When you have found the water which contains our Stone,you must take nothing away from it, nor add anything to it: forit must be entirely prepared by means of that which it containswithin itself. Then extract the water in an alembic, and separatethe liquid from the dry. The body will then remain alone onthe glass, while the water runs down into the lower part. Thereupon unite the water once more to the body in the mannerdescribed above, and your task will be accomplished. Knowalso that the water in which is our Stone, is composed in wellbalanced proportions of the four elements. In the chemicalprocess you will learn to distinguish earth, oil, and water, or body,spirit, and soul: the earth is at the bottom of the glass vessel, theoil, or soul, is with the earth, and the water is the spirit which isdistilled from it. In the same way you will come upon twocolours, namely, white and red, representing the Moon and theSun. The oil is the fire, or the Sun, the water is air, or the Moon;and Sun and Moon are silver and gold which must enter intounion. But enough, what I have said in this Epistle ought toenable you to find the Stone, and if herein you fail to discover it,rest assured that it will never become known to you. Be thou,therefore, a lover of the Art, and commended unto God theAlmighty even unto all eternity. Written in the year 1526 afterthe birth of our Lord.Thus do the Sages write concerning the two waters whichyet are only one water-and in this alone the Stone is to befound. Know also that by so much as the earthly part iswanting, by also so much does the heavenly part abound morefully. Now this Stone renders all dry and arid bodies humid,all cold bodies warm, all impure bodies clear and pure. It contains within itself all healing and transmuting virtue, breathed182 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.into it by the art of the Master and the quickening spirit of fire.Thanks be unto God therefore in all time.The Sun is its Father, the Moon its MotherIf you have those two spirits, they bring forth the Stone,which is prepared out of one part of Sulphur, or Sun, and fourparts of Mercury, or Moon. The Sulphur is warm and dry, theMercury cold and moist. That must again be dissolved intowater, which before was water, and the body, which before wasmercury, must again become mercury.Concerning the First Matter, or Seed of the Metals, includingthat of the Husband, and that of the Spouse.Metals have their own seed, like all other created things.Generation and parturition take place in them as in everything else that grows. If this were not the case, we should never havehad any metals. Now, the seed is a metallic Matter which isliquefied from carth. The seed must be cast into its carth, andthere grow, like that of every other created thing. Therefore,we must prepare the earth, or our first Matter, and cast into itthe seed, whereupon it will bring forth fruit after its kind. Thismotion is required for the generation out of one thing, viz. , thatfirst Matter; the body must become [a] spirit, and the spiritbody thence arises the medicine which is transmuted from onecolour to another. Now, that which is sought in the white produces white, and the red, in like manner, gives red. The firstMatter is one thing, and fashioned into its present shape by thehand of God, and not of man-joined together, and transmutedinto its [being] essence by Nature alone. This we take, dissolve,and again conjoin, and wash with its own water, until it becomeswhite, and then again red. Thus our earth, in which we nowmay casily see our Sun and Moon, is purified. For the Sun is theFather of metals, and the Moon is their Mother and if generation is to take place, they must be brought together as husbandand wife. By itself neither can produce anything, and thereforethe red and the white must be brought together. And though athousand books have been written about it, yet for all that, thefirst substance is not more than one. It is the carth into whichwe cast our grain, that is to say, our Sun and Moon, which thenTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 183bear fruit after their kind. If itself be cast into metals, it ischanged into that which is best, viz. , Sun and Moon. This ismost true. Thanks be unto God.A Simple Account of the True Art.According to the Sages, no body is dissolved without thecoagulation of the spirit. For as soon as the spirit is transmutedinto the body, [ the Stone] receives its power. So long as thespirit is volatile, and liable to evaporate, it cannot produce anyeffect: when it is fixed, it immediately begins to operate. Youmust therefore prepare it as the baker prepares the bread. Takea little ofthe spirit , and add it to the body, as the baker addsleaven to the meal, till the whole substance is leavened . It isthe same with our spirit, or leaven. The Substance must be continuously penetrated with the leaven, until it is wholly leavened,Thus the spirit purges and spiritualizes the body, till they areboth transmuted into one. Then they transmute all things, intowhich they are injected , into their own nature. The two mustbe united by a gentle and continuous fire, affording the samedegree of warmth as that with which a hen hatches her eggs. Itmust then be placed in a St. Mary's Bath, which is neither toowarm nor too cold . The humid must be separated from the dry,and again joined to it. When united , they change mercury intopure gold and silver Thenceforward you will be safe from thepangs of poverty. But take heed that you render thanks untoGod for His gracious gift which is hidden from many. He hasrevealed the secret to you that you may praise His holy name,and succour your needy neighbour. Therefore, take diligentheed, lest you hide the talent committed to your care. Ratherput it out at interest for the glory of God, and the good of yourneighbour. For every man is bound to help his fellowman, andto be an instrument in the hand of God for relieving his necessities. Ofthis rule Holy Scripture affords an illustration in theexample of Joseph, Habakkuk, Susanna, and others.Here follows my TESTAMENT which I have drawn up inyour favour, my beloved Sons, with all my Heart.For your sakes, beloved students of this Art, and dear Sons,I have committed to writing this my testament, for the purpose184 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.of instructing, admonishing, warning, and informing you as tothe substance, the method, the pitfalls to be avoided, and theonly way of understanding the writings of the Sages. For asAlmighty God has created all things out of the dry and thehumid elements, our Art, by divine grace, may be said to pursuea precisely similar course. If therefore any man know the principle and method of creative nature, he should have a goodunderstanding of our Art. If anyone be unacquainted withNature's methods, he will find our Art difficult, although in realityit is as easy as to crush malt, and brew beer. In the beginningwhen, according to the testimony of Scripture, God madeheaven and earth, there was only one Matter, neither wet nordry, neither carth, nor air, nor fire, nor light, nor darkness,but one single substance, resembling vapour or mist, invisible andimpalpable. It was called Hyle, or the first Matter. If a thing isonce more to be made out of nothing, that " nothing" must beunited, and become one thing; out of this one thing must arise apalpable substance, out of the palpable substance one body, towhich a living soul must be given-whence through the grace ofGod, it obtains its specific form. When God made the substance,it was dry, but held together by moisture. If anything was togrow from that moisture, it had to be separated from that whichwas dry, so as to get the fire by itself, and the earth byitself. Then the earth had to be sprinkled with water, if anything moist was to grow out of it, for without moisture nothingcan grow. In the same way, nothing grows in water, except it have carth wherein to strike root. It then the water is to bedewthe earth, there must be something to bring the water into contact with the earth; for example, the wind prevents all ordinarywater from flowing to the sea, and remaining there.Thus oneelement without the aid of another can bear no fruit; if therewas nothing to set the wind in motion it would never blowtherefore the fire has received the office ofimpelling and obligingit to do its work. This you may see when you boil water overthe fire; for then there arises a steam which is really air, waterbeing nothing but coagulated air, and air being generated fromwater by the heat of the Sun. For the Sun shines upon thewater, and heats it until steam is seen to issue forth. This vapourbecomes wind, and, on account of the large quantity of [ the] air,THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 185we get moisture and rain: so air is once more changed or coagulated into water, or rain , and causes all things upon carth to grow,and fills the rivers and the seas.It is the same with our Stone, which is daily generated from[the] air by the Sun and Moon, in the form of a certain vapour,yea, even through the Red Sea; it flows in Judea in the channelof Nature whither it behoves us to bring it. If we catch it, welop off its hands and feet, tear off its head, and try to bring it to thered [ colour]. If we find anything black in it, we throw it awaywith the entrails and the filth. When it has been purified, wetake its limbs, join them together again, whereupon our Kingrevives, never to die again, and is so pure and subtle as to pervadeall hard bodies, and render them even more subtle than itself.Know also that when God, the Almighty, had set Adam in Paradise, He shewed him these two things in the following words:Behold, Adam, here are two things, one fixed and permanent,the other volatile: their secret virtue thou must not make knownto all thy sons. "66water.Earth, my brother, is constant, and water volatile, as youmay see when anything is burnt. For then that which isconstant remains, while that which is volatile evaporates. Thatwhich remains resembles ashes, and if you pour water on it, itbecomes an alkali, the efficacy of the ashes passing into theIf you clarify the lyc, put it into an iron vessel, and letthe moisture evaporate over a fire, you will find at the bottomthe substance which before was in the lye, that is to say, thesalt of the matter from which the ashes were obtained. Thissalt might very well be called the Philosopher's Stone, frombeing obtained by a process exactly similar to that which isemployed in preparing the real Stone, though at the same timeit profits nothing in our work. For the substance which contains our Stone is a lye, not indeed prepared by the hand ofman from ashes and water, but joined together by Nature,according to the creation and ordination of God, commingled ofthe four elements, possessed of all that is required for its perfectchemical development. If you take the substance, whichcontains our Stone, subject it to a S. Mary's Bath in an alembic,and distil it, the water will run down into the antisternium, andthe salt, or earth, remain at the bottom, and is so dry as to be186 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.without any water, seeing that you have separated the moistfrom the dry. Pound the body small, put it into the S. Mary'sBath, and expose it to heat till it is quite decomposed. Thengive it its water to drink, slowly, and at long intervals, till it isclarified. For it coagulates, dissolves, and purifies itself. Thedistilled water is the spirit which imparts life to its body, and isthe alone soul thereof. Water is wind (air), and wind is life,and the life is [in the ] soul. In the chemical process, you findwater and oil-but the oil always remains with the body, and is as it were, burnt blood. Then it is purified with the body bylong-continued gentle heat. But you should be careful not toset about this Art before you understand my instructions, whichat the end of this first part are bequeathed to you in the form of a Testament. For the Stone is prepared out of nothing inthe whole world, except this substance, which is essentially one.He who is unacquainted therewith can never attain the Art. Itis that one thing which is not dug up from mines, or from thecaverns of the earth, like gold, silver, sulphur, sait, &c. , but is found in the form which God originally imparted to it. It isformed and manifested by an excessive thickening of air; assoon as it leaves its body, it is clearly seen, but it vanishes without a trace as soon as it touches the earth, and, as it isnever seen again, it must therefore be caught while it is still inthe air-as I told you once before. I have called it by variousnames, but the simplest is perhaps that of " Hyle," or firstprinciple of all things. It is also denominated the One Stoneof the Philosophers, composed of hostile elements, the Stone ofthe Sun, the Stone of the Metals, the runaway slave, theaëriform Stone, the Thirnian Stone, Magnesia, the corporcalStone, the Stone of the jewel, the Stone of the free, thegolden Stone, the fountain of earthly things, Xelis, or Silex(flint), Xidar, or Radix ( root), Atrop, or Porta (gate). By these and many other names it is called, yet it is only one.If youwould be a true Alchemist, give wide berth to all othersubstances, turn a deaf ear to all other advisers, and strive toobtain a good knowledge of our Stone, its preparation, and its virtue.My Son, esteem this my Testament very highly for in it Ihave, out of love and compassion towards you, given the reinsTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 187to the warm -hearted impulse which constrains me to reveal morethan I ought to reveal. But I beseech you, by the Passion ofour Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, not to communicate myTestament to ignorant, unworthy, or wicked men, lest God'srighteous vengeance light upon you, and hurl you into theyawning gulf of everlasting punishment, from which also maythe same merciful God most mercifully preserve us.It is by no means a light thing to shew the nature of theaforesaid Hyle. Hyle is the first Matter, the Salt of the Sages,Azoth, the seed of all metals, which is extracted from the bodyof" Magnesia " and the Moon.Hyle is the first principle of all things-the Matter thatwas from the beginning. It was neither moist, nor dry, norearth, nor water, nor light, nor darkness, but a mixture of allthese things, and this mixture is HYLE.HERE FOLLOWS THE SECOND PART OF THIS BOOK.In the beginning, when God Almighty had created our firstparent Adam, together with all other earthly and heavenlybodies, He set him in Paradise, and forbade him, under penaltyof eternal death, to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledgeofgood and evil. So long as Adam obeyed the Divine precepthe had immortality, and possessed all that he needed for perfecthappiness. But when he had partaken of the forbidden fruit,he was, by the command of God, driven forth into this world,where he and his descendants have since that time sufferednothing but poverty, disease, anxiety, bitter sorrow, and death.If he had been obedient to the Divine injunction, he would havelived a thousand years in Paradise in perfect happiness, andwould then have been translated to heaven; and a like happydestiny would have awaited all his descendants. For hisdisobedience God visited him with all manner of sufferings anddiscases; but in His mercy also shewed him a medicine wherebythe different defects brought in by sin might be remedied,and the pangs of hunger and disease resisted, as we are, forinstance, preserved and strengthened by bodily meat and drink.188 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.It was on account of this original sin that Adam, inspite of his great wisdom and the many arts that God hadtaught him, could not accomplish his full thousand years.But if he had not known the virtues of herbs, and the Medicine,he would certainly not have lived as long as he did. When,however, at length his Medicine would no longer avail tosustain life, he sent his son Seth to Paradise to fetch the treeof life. This he obtained after a spiritual manner. ButSeth did seek also and was given some olives of the Treeof the Oil of Mercy, which he planted on the grave of hisfather. From them sprang up the blessed Tree of the HolyCross, which through the atoning death of our Redeemerbecame to us wretched, sinful men, a most potent tree of life,in gracious fulfilment of the request of our first parent Adam.On the other hand, the suffering, disease, and imperfectionbrought not only upon men, but also upon plants and animals,by the fall of Adam, found a remedy in that precious giftof Almighty God, which is called the Elixir, and Tincture,and has power to purge away the imperfections not onlyof human, but even of metallic bodies; which excels all othermedicines, as the brightness of the sun shames the moon.and the stars. By means of this most noble Medicinemany men, from the death of Adam to the fourth monarchy,procured for themselves perfect health and great length ofdays. Hence those who had a good knowledge of theMedicine, attained to three hundred years, others to fourhundred, some to five hundred, like Adam; others again to ninehundred, like Methusalem and Noah; and some of theirchildren to a longer period still, like Bacham, Ilrehur, Kalix,Hermes, Geber, Albanus, Ortulanus, Morienus, Alexanderof Macedonia, Anaxagoras, Pythagoras, and many others whopossessed the Medicine of the Blessed Stone in silence, andneither used it for evil purposes, nor made it known to thewicked; just as God Himself has in all times hidden this knowledge from the proud, the impure, and the froward. But ceaseto wonder that God has put such excellent virtue into theStone, and has imparted to it the power of restoring animalbodies, and of perfecting metals: for I hope to explain to youthe whole matter in the three parts of my Book, which I haveTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 189entitled GLORY of the WORLD. If you will accept myteaching, and follow my directions, you will be able to provethe truth of my assertions by your own happy experience.Now when you have attained this great result, take care that you do not hide your talent. Use it for the solace of thesuffering, the building of Christian schools and churches, andthe glory of the Holy Trinity. Otherwise God will call youto an eternal account for your criminal neglect of His gift.May God deign to keep us from such a sin , and to establishus in His Holy Word!To the Reader.If it should seem unto you a tedious matter, my friendlyreader, to read through and digest my book, I advise youto cheer yourself on by bearing in mind the great object you have in view. If you do so you will find the book verypleasant reading, and a joy indeed. Since God-praised inall times be his Holy and Venerable Name!-in Hisunspeakable mercy has made known to me the magistery ofthis most true and noble Art, I am moved and constrainedby brotherly love to shew you the manner of producing thistreasure, in order that you may be able to avoid the ruinoustrouble and expense to which I was put in the course of along and fruitless search. I will endeavour to be as clearand outspoken as possible, in order to vindicate myself from the possible charge of imposture, malice, and avarice. I ammost anxious that the gift which God has committed to my trust shall not rust, or rot, or be useless in my hands. Forthis most precious Medicine is so full of glorious potency asto be most justly styled the Oi! of Mercy, for reasons whichyour own understanding will suggest to you. It is thereforeunnecessary for me to go into this preliminary question atany great length. I may at once proceed to give you anaccount of the Art itself, and to put you on your guardagainst all seducing deceivers, -in short, to open up to you atrue, unerring, and joyful road to the knowledge and possessionof the Stone, and to the operations of this Art.Therefore, I -who possess the Stone, and communicateto you this Book-would faithfully admonish and beseech.190 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.you to keep this my TABLE of PARADISE and GLORYof the WORLD, from all proud and unjust oppressors of thepoor; from all presumptuous, shallow, scornful, calumnious, andwicked persons, so as not to put it into their hands, on pain ofGod's everlasting punishment. I beseech you to take this warningto heart; but, on the other hand, to communicate and impartthis my Table to all true, poor, pious, honest, and benevolentpersons, who will gratefully reverence and rightly use themerciful gift of God, and conceal it from the unworthy.Nevertheless, even if my book should find its way into the handsof wicked men, God will so smite them with blindness as toprevent them from apprehending too much of my meaning, andfrustrate all their attempts to carry out my directions. For Godknows how to confound the wicked, and bring their presumptionto nought; as we are also told by David in his psalms: “ Thineenemies shalt thou hold in thine hand, and shalt restrain themin the snares of their mind." I beseech you, therefore, mysons, to give diligent heed to my teaching; then you will spendthis life in health and happiness, and at length inherit everlastingjoy. I pray that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,may grant this my petition.An Account of the True Art.I make known to all ingenuous students of this Art that theSages are in the habit of using words which may convey eithera true or a false impression; the former to their own disciplesand children, the latter to the ignorant, the foolish, and theunworthy. Bear in mind that the philosophers themselvesnever make a false assertion. The mistake (if any) lies notwith them, but with those whose dulness makes them slow toapprehend the meaning. Hence it comes that, instead of thewaters of the Sages, these inexperienced persons take pyrites,salts, metals, and divers other substances which, though veryexpensive, are of no use whatever for our purpose. For no onewould dream of buying the true Matter at the apothecary's;nay, that tradesman daily casts it into the street as worthlessrefuse. Yet the matter of our Stone is found in all those thingswhich are used by ignorant charlatans: for it is our Stone, ourSalt, our Mercury, our verdigris, halonitre, salmiac, Mars,THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 191sulphur, &c. It is not dug out with pick-axes from ordinarymountains, seeing that our Stone is found in our mountains andsprings; our Salt is found in our salt- spring, our metal in ourcarth, and from the same place we dig up our mercury andsulphur. But what we mean by our mines and springs thesecharlatans cannot understand . For God has blinded theirminds and made gross their senses, and left them to carry ontheir experiments with all manner of false substances. Nor dothey seem able to perceive their error, or to be roused from theiridle imaginations by persistent failure. Where they shouldhave distilled with gentle heat they sublime over a fierce fire,and reduce their substance to ashes, instead of developing itsinherent principles by vitalizing warmth. Again, when theyshould have dissolved, they coagulated instead, and so on. Bythese false methods they could , of course, obtain no good result;but instead of blaming their own ignorance they lay the fault ontheir teacher, and even deny the genuineness of our Art. As amatter of fact, all their mistakes arise from their misinterpretingthe meaning of words which should have put them on the right scent. For instance, when the Sages speak of calcining, thesepersons understand that word to mean " burning," and consequently render their substance useless by burning it to ashes.Whenthe Sages " dissolve," or transmute into " water, " these shallow persons corrode with aqua fortis. They do not understand thatthe dissolution must be effected with something that is containedwithin our substance, and not by means of any foreign appliance. These foolish devices bear the same relation to our Artthat a dark hole bears to a transparent crystal. It is their ownignorance that prevents them from attaining to a true knowledge;but they put the blame on our writings, and call us charlatansand impostors. They argue that if the Stone could be found atall, they must have discovered it long ago, their eyes being askeen and their minds as acute as they are. Behold," saythey, " how we have toiled day and night, how many books wehave read, how many years we have spent in our laboratories:surely if there were anything in this Art, it could not haveescaped us." By speaking thus, they only exhibit their ownpresumption and folly. They themselves have no eyes, andthey make that an argument for blaspheming our high and holy.66192 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Art. Therefore, you should first strive to make yourselfacquainted with the secrets of Nature's working, and with theelementary principles of the world, before you set your hand to this task. After acquiring this knowledge, carefully peruse thisbook from beginning to end; you will then be in a position tojudge whether our Art is true or false. You will also know whatsubstance you must take, how you must prepare it, and how your cager search may be brought to a successful issue. Letme enjoin you, therefore, to preserve strict silence, to let nobody know what you are doing, and to keep a good heart:then God will grant you the fulfilment of all your wishes.Here follows my own Opinion and PhilosophicalDictum.I now propose to put down a brief statement of the viewwhich I take of this matter. He who understands my meaning, may at once pass on to the opinions of the various Sages,which I have placed at the end of my book. He who does notapprehend my meaning, will find it explained in the following treatise.1.Since know the blessed and true Art, with the natureand the matter of the Stone, I have thought it my duty freelyto communicate it to you -not in a lawyer's style, nor in pompouslanguage, but in few and simple words. Whoever peruses thisbook carefully, and with an elementary knowledge of naturalrelations, cannot miss the secret which I intend to convey.am afraid that I shall be overwhelmed with reproaches forspeaking out with so much plainness, seeing that this Art hasnever, from the beginning ofthe world, been so clearly explainedas I mean to explain it in this Book. Nevertheless, I am wellaware that I am now declaring a secret which must for everremain hidden from the wise of this world , and from those whoare established in their own conceits. But I must now proceedto give you the result of my experienceMy beloved sons and disciples, and all ye that arestudents of this Art; I herewith, in the fulness of Christian faithand charity, do make known to you that the Philosopher's Stonegrows not only on " our " tree, but is found, as far as its effectand operation are concerned, in the fruit of all other trees, in allTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 193created things, in animals, and vegetables, in things that grow,and in things that do not grow. For when it rises, being stirredand distilled by the Sun and the Moon, it imparts their ownpeculiar form and properties to all living creatures by a divine.grace; it gives to flowers their special form and colour, whetherit be black, red, yellow, green, or white; in the same way allmetals and minerals derive their peculiar qualities from the opcration of this Stone. All things, I say, are endowed with theircharacteristic qualities by the operation of this Stone, i.e. , theconjunction of the Sun and Moon. For the Sun is the Father,and the Moon the Mother of this Stone, and the Stone unites initselfthe virtues ofboth its parents. Such are the peculiar properties of our Stone, by which it inay be known. Ifyou understandthe operation, the form, and the qualities, of this Stone, you willbe able to prepare it; but if you do not, I faithfully counsel youto give up all thought of ever accomplishing this task.Observe, furthermore, how the seeds of all things that grow,as, for instance, grains of wheat or barley, spring forth from theground, by the operation of the Stone, and the developinginfluences of Sun and Moon; how they grow up into the air, aregradually matured, and bring forth fruit, which again must besown in its own proper soil. The field is prepared for the grain,being well ploughed up, and manured with well rotted dung;for the earth consumes and assimilates the manure, as the bodyassimilates its food, and separates the subtle from the grossTherewith it calls forth the life of the seed, and nourishes it withits own proper milk, as a mother nourishes her infant, andcauses it to increase in size, and to grow upward. The earthseparates, I say, the good from the bad, and imparts it as nutriment to all growing things; for the destruction of one thing isthe generation of another. It is the same in our Art, where theliquid receives its proper nutriment from the earth. Hence theearth is the Mother of all things that grow; and it must bemanured, ploughed, harrowed, and well prepared, in order thatthe corn may grow, and triumph over the tares, and not bechoked by them. A grain of wheat is raised from the groundthrough the distillation of the moisture of the Sun and Moon,if it has been sown in its own proper earth. The Sun and Moonmust also impel it to bring forth fruit, if it is to bring forth fruitN194 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.at all. For the Sun is the Father, and the Moon the Mother, ofall things that grow.In the same way, in our soil, and out of our seed, our Stonegrows through the distilling of the Sun and Moon; and as itgrows it rises upwards, as it were, into the air, while its rootremains in the ground. That which is above is even as thatwhich is below; the same law prevails; there is no error or mistake. Again, as herbs grow upward, put forth gloriousflowers and blossoms, and bear fruit, so our grain blossoms, matures its fruit, is threshed, sifted , purged of its chaff, and again putin the earth, which, however, must previously have been wellmanured, harrowed, and otherwise prepared. When it has beenplaced in its natural soil, and watered with rain and dew, themoisture of heaven, and roused into life by the warmth of theSun and Moon, it produces fruit after its own kind . These twosowings are peculiar characteristics of our Art. For the Sun andMoon are our grain, which we put into our soil , as soul and spirit-and such as are the father and the mother will be the childrenthat they generate. Thus, my sons, you know our Stone, ourcarth, our grain , our meal, our ferment, our manure, our verdigris,our Sun and Moon. You understand our whole magistery, andmayjoyfully congratulate yourselves that you have at lengthrisen above the level of those blind charlatans of whom I spoke.For this, His unspeakable mercy, let us render thanks and praiseto the Creator of all things, through Jesus Christ our Lord .Amen.Concerning the Origin of Metals.My son, I will now proceed to explain to you more in detailthe generation of the metals, and the way in which they receivetheir growth and development, with their special form and quality.You will thereby be enabled to understand, even from the veryfoundation, with marvellous accuracy and clearness, the principlethat underlies our whole Art. Permit me, therefore, to informyou that all animals, trees, herbs, stones, metals, and minerals,grow and attain to perfection, without being necessarily touchedby any human hand for the seed is raised up from the ground,puts forth flowers, and bears fruit, simply through the agency ofnatural influences. As it is with plants, so it is with metals.THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 195While they lie in the heart of the earth, in their natural ore, theygrow, and are developed, day by day, through the influence ofthe four elements: their fire is the splendour of the Sun andMoon; the earth conceives in her womb the splendour of theSun, and by it the seeds of the metals are well and equallywarmed, just like the grain in the fields. Through this warmththere is produced in the earth a vapour or spirit, which risesupward and carries with it the most subtle elements. It mightwell be called a fifth element: for it is a quintessence, and contains the most volatile parts of all the elements. This vapourstrives to float upward through the summit of the mountains, but,being covered with great rocks, they prevent it from doing so:for when it strikes against them, it is compelled to descend again.It is drawn up by the Sun, it is forced down again by the rocks,and as it falls the vapour is transmuted into a liquid, i.e. , sulphurand mercury. Of each of these a part is left behind-but thatwhich is volatile rises and descends again, more and more of itremaining behind, and becoming fixed after cach descent. This"fixed " substance is the metals, which cleave so firmly to theearth and the stones that they must be smelted out in a red- hotfurnace. The grosser the stones and the earth of the mountains are, the less pure will the metal be; the more subtle thesoil and the stones are, the more subtle will be the vapour, andthe sulphur and mercury formed by its condensation-and thepurer these latter are, the purer, of course, will the metals themselves be. When the earth and the stones of the mountain aregross, the sulphur and mercury must partake ofthis grossness, andcannot attain to their proper development. Hence arise thedifferent metals, each after its own kind. For as each tree ofthefield has its own peculiar shape, appearance, and fruit, so eachmountain bears its own particular ore; those stones and thatearth being the soil in which the metals grow. The quality ofthis soil is to a great extent dependent upon planetary influences.The nearer the mountains lie to the planets, the more do metalsgrow in them for the qualities of metals are determined byplanetary influences. Mountains that are turned towards thesun have subtle stones and carth, and produce nothing but gold.If they are more conveniently situated for being influenced bythe moon, their metallic substance is turned into silver. For allN2196 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.metals, when perfectly developed, must ultimately become Moonand Sun, though some need to be operated on by the Sun andMoon longer than others: for the Sun is the Father, and theMconthe Mother, of all things that grow. Thus you see that goldglitters like the Sun, and silver like the Moon. Now, childrenalways resemble their parents; and all metallic bodies containwithin themselves the properties of the Sun: to change the basermetals into gold and silver, there is positively nothing wantingbut gentle solar warmth. In this respect there exists a closeanalogy between animal and vegetable growth. When the Sunretires in the winter, the flowers droop and die, the trees shedtheir leaves, and all vegetable development is temporarily suspended. In the summer again, when the heat of the Sun is too .great, not being sufficiently tempered by the cooling influencesof the Moon, all vegetation is withered and burnt up. If thereis to be perfect growth, the Sun and Moon must work together,the one heating and the other cooling. If the influence of theMoon prevails unduly, it must be corrected by the warmth of theSun; the excessive heat of the Sun must be tempered by thecoldness of the Moon. All development is sustained by solarfire. Imperfect metals are what they are, simply because theyhave not yet been duly developed by solar influences.Now, bythe special grace of God, it is possible to bring thisnatural fire to bear on imperfect metals by means ofour Art, andto supply the conditions of metallic growth without any of thehindrances which in a natural state prevent perfection. Thus byapplying our natural fire, we can do more towards " fixing " imperfect bodies and metals in a moment, than the Sun in athousand years. For this reason our Stone has also power tocure all things that grow, acting on each one according to itskind. For our Matter represents a perfect and inseparable unionof the four elements, which indeed is the sum of our Art, and isconsequently able to reconcile and heal all discord in all mannerof metals and in all things that grow, and to put to flight alldiseases. For disease is discord of the elements, (one undulyTording it over the rest) in animal as well as in metallic bodies.Now as soon as our blessed Medicine is applied, the elements arestraightway purified, and joined together in amity; thus metallicbodies are fixed, animal bodies are made whole of all their dis-THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 197eases, gems and precious stones attain to their own proper per- fection.You should also know that all stones are generated by theSun and Moon out ofthe sulphur and volatile mercury; if theydo not become metals, that is entirely due to their own grossness.In the same way, all plants are generated from sulphur and mercury, and that by the heat of the Sun and Moon. For theSun and Moon are the mercury in our Matter. The Sun is warmand dry, the Moon warm and moist; for in [ the] earth is hid awarm and dry fire, and in that fire dwells warm and moist airand from these is generated mercury which is both warm andmoist. Hence there may be distinguished two chief constituentprinciples, to wit, moist and dry, that is, earth, wind, and water,unto which mercury is conjoined, and the same is warm and moist.Mercury and sulphur, in our substance, and in all things, springfrom the moist and dry, the moist and dry being stirred by thewarmth of the Sun, and distilled and sublimed,-in cach thingaccording to its specific nature. Thus our Stone is that mercurywhich is mixed of the dry and the moist. But the common mercury is useless for our purpose-for it is volatile, while our iner- cury is fixed and constant. Therefore have nothing to do withthe common mercury, but take our mercury which is the principleof growth in all bodies, whether human, vegetable, or metallic;which imparts to all flowers their fragrance and colour. This mercury represents an harmonious mixture of the four elements,hot and dry, Sun and Moon. It is generated in the form of avapour in the fields and on the mountains, by the warmth oftheSun that vapour is condensed into a moisture, from which arise sulphur and mercury, and from them again metals The sameprocess takes place in our Art, which represents the union of the warm and moist, by means of warmth. For our substance isgenerated in the form of a vapour out of warmth and moisture,and changed into sulphur. In this fire and water, and nowhereelse, is our Stone to be found. For the vapour carries upwardwith it most subtle earth, most subtle fire , most subtle water, andmost subtle air, and thus presents a close union ofthe most subtleelements. This is the first Matter, and may be divided intowater and earth, which two are again joined together by gentleheat, even as in the woods and mountains mercury is joined with198THEHERMETICMUSEUM.a quick earth and rare water by means of a temperate warmth,and in the long process of time is converted into metal. So isit ordained in our Art, and not otherwise does the process takeplace. When you, therefore, see that our substance, having beenfirst generated in the form of a vapour, permits itself to be separated into water and carth, you may know that the Stone iscomposed of the four elements. Know also that the vapour inthe mountains is true mercury (which cannot be said of theordinary mercury); for wherever there is vapour in the mountains,there is true mercury, which by ascending and descending, in themanner described above, becomes fixed, and inseparable from itsearth, so that where the one is, there the other must abide.Thus I have told you plainly enough how the metals aregenerated, what mercury is, and how it is transmuted into metals.I will therefore conclude this part of my treatise, and tell you inthe following section how you may actually perform the chemicalprocess. You see that it is not so incredible, after all, thatall metals should be transmuted into gold and silver, and allanimal bodies delivered from every kind of disease; and I hopeand trust that God will permit you practically to experience thetruth of this assertion.Now I will tell you how you must produce the Fire andWater, in which is prepared the Mercury requiredfor the red and white Tincture.Take fire, or the quicklime of the Sages, which is the vitalfire ofall trees, and therein doth God Himself burn by divine love.In it purify Mercury, and mortify it for the purposes of our Art;understand, with vulgar Mercury, which you wish to fix in wateror fire. But the Mercury which lies hidden in this water, or fire,is therein fixed of itself. The Mercury which is in the fire must bedecomposed, clarified, coagulated, and fixed with indelible,living, or Divine fire, of that kind which God has placed inthe Sun; and wherein God Himself burns as with Divine lovefor the consolation of all mankind. Without this fire our Art cannot be brought to a successful issue. This is the fire of theSages which they describe in such obscure terms, as to havebeen the indirect cause of beguiling many innocent persons toTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 199their ruin; So even that they have perished in povertybecause they knew not this fire of the Philosophers. It is themost precious fire that God has created in the earth, and has athousand virtues-nay, it is so precious that men have averredthat the Divine Power itself works effectually in it. It hasthe purifying virtue of Purgatory, and everything is renderedbetter by it. It is not wonderful, therefore, that a fire shouldbe able to fix and clarify Mercury, and to cleanse it from allgrossness and impurity. The Sages call it the living fire,because God has endowed it with His own Divine, and vitalising power.In the writings of the Sages, this fire goes by different names. Somecall it " burnt " wine, others assign to it three namesfrom the analogy of the Three Persons ofthe Holy Trinity, Godthe Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost; Body,Soul, and Fire, or Spirit.The Sages further say: The fire is fire, and also water,containing within itself both cold and heat, moisture, anddryness, nor can anything extinguish it but itself. Henceothers saythat it is an inextinguishable fire, which is continuallyburning, purifying, and tinging all metals, consuming all theirimpurities, and combining Mercury with the Sun in so closean union that they become one and inseparable.Therefore our great Teachers say that as God the Father,the Son, and the Holy Ghost, are three Persons, and yet butone God; so this fire unites these three things, namely, the Body, Spirit, and Soul, or Sun, Mercury, and Soul. Thefire nourishes the Soul which binds together the Body andthe Spirit, and thus all three become one, and remain unitedfor ever. Again, as an ordinary fire, on being supplied withfuel, may spread and fill the whole world, so this Tincturemay be multiplied, and so this fire may enter into all metals;and one part of it has power to change two, three, or fivehundred parts of other metals into gold.Again, the Sages call this fire the fire of the Holy Spirit,because as the Divinity of Christ took upon itself true flesh andblood without forfeiting anything of its Divine Nature, so theSun, the Moon, and Mercury, are transmuted into the trueTincture, which remains unaffected by all outward influences,200 THE HERMETIC MUSEUMand endures, and will endure, for ever. Once more, as Godfeeds many wicked sinners with his blood, so this Tincturetinges all gross and impure metals, without being injured bycontact with them. So also, therefore, may it be compared withthe sacro-saintly Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist, fromwhich no sinner is excluded, how impure soever he may havebeen. You have thus been made acquainted with the all butmiraculous virtue of this fire: remember that no student of thisArt can possibly do without it. For another Sage says: " Inthis invisible fire you have the whole mystery of this Art, as thethree Persons of the Holy Trinity are truly concluded in onesubstance. " In this fire the true Art is summed up in threepalpable things, which yet are invisible and incomprehensible,like the Holy Spirit. Without those three things our Art cannever be brought to perfection . One of them is fire; thesecond, water; the third, earth; and all those three are invisiblypresent in one essence, and are the instrumental cause of allperfection in Nature.Now will I also describe the operation of those ThreeThings in our Art, and will at once beginwith all Three.Our wise Teacher Plato says: " Every husbandman whosows good seed, first chooses a fertile field , ploughs and manuresit well, and weeds it of all tares; he also takes care that his owngrain is free from every foreign admixture. When he hascommitted the seed to the ground, he needs moisture, or rain, todecompose the grain, and to raise it to new life. He alsorequires fire, that is, the warmth of the Sun, co bring it tomaturity." The needs of our Art are of an analogous nature.First, you must prepare your seed, i.e., cleanse your Matter fromall impurity, by a method which you will find set forth at lengthin the Dicta of the Sages which I subjoin to this Treatise.Then you must have good soil in which to sow your Mercuryand Sun; this earth must first be weeded of all foreignelements if it is to yield a good crop. Hence the Sage enjoinsus to "sow the seed in a fruitful field, which has been preparedwith living fire, and it will produce much fruit "THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 201What is the Urine of Children?I will now truly inform you concerning the Urine ofChildren, and of the Sages. The spirit which is extracted fromthe metals is the urine of children: for it is the seed and thefirst principle of metals. Without this seed there is no consummation of our Art, and no Tincture, either red or white.For the sulphur and mercury of gold are the red, the sulphurand mercury of silver are the white Tincture: the Mercury ofthe Sun and Moon fixes all Mercury in imperfect metals, andimparts excellence and durability even to common Mercury.Dioscorides has written an elegant treatise concerning thisUrine of Children, which he calls the first Matter of metals.What is the Mercury of the Sages?Mercury is nothing but water and salt, which have beensubjected for a long space of time to natural heat so as to be united into one. This is Mercury, or dry water, which is notmoist, and does not moisten anything; of course, I do not speakof crude common mercury, but of the Mercury of the Sages.The Sages call it the fifth element. It is the vital principle whichbrings all plants to maturity and perfection. The other quintessence, which is in the earth, and partly material, contains withinitself its own seed which grows out of its soil . The heavenlyquintessence comes to the aid of the earthly, removes thegrossness of its earth, and brings the aforesaid seed to maturity.For Mercury, and the Celestial Quintessence, drain off all harmful moisture from the quintessence of the carth. ThisMercury is also called sulphur of the air, sulphur being ahardening of mercury; or we may describe them as husband and wife, from whom issue many children in the earth. Youmust not think that I desire to hide from you my true meaning:nay, I will further endeavour to illustrate it in the following way.Common sulphur, as you know, coagulates common mercury;for sulphur is poisonous, and mercury deadly. How then canyou obtain from either of them anything suitable for perfectingthe other, seeing that both require to be assisted by some external agent? On the other hand, I tell you that if, after theconjunction of our fixed sulphur with our sublimed mercury, yousprinkle a mere particle of it upon crude mercury, the latter is at202 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.once brought to perfection. Again, you may clearly perceivethat the quintessence ofthe earth has its operation in the winterwhen the earth is closed up with frost; while the Quintessenceofthe Stars operates in the summer time, when it removes allthat is injurious in the inferior quintessence, and thus quickenseverything into vigorous growth. The two quintessences mayalso be driven off into water, and there conserved. An earthlymanifestation you may behold in the colours of the rainbow,when the rays of the Sun shine through the rain. But, indeed,there is not a stone, an animal, or a plant, that does not containboth quintessences. In short, they embody the secret of ourwhole Magistery, and out of them our Stone is prepared.Hermes, in his Emerald Table, expresses himself as follows:"Our Blessed Stone, which is of good substance, and has a soul,ascends from earth to heaven, and again descends from heavento earth. Its effectual working is in the air; it is joined toMercury; hence the Sun is its Father, the Moon its Mother;the wind has borne it in her womb, the earth is its nursingmother, and at length that which is above is also that which isbelow. The whole represents a natural mixture: for it is aStone and not a Stone, fixed and volatile, body and soul, husband and wife, King and Queen." Let what I have saidsuffice, instead of many other words and parables.Composition.Albertus expresses himself thus concerning the conjunctionof the Stone: "The elements are so subtle that no ordinarymethod of mingling will avail. They must first be dissolvedinto water, then mixed, and placed in a warm spot, where theyare united after a time by natural warmth. For the Elixir andthe two solutions must be conjoined in the proportion of three parts of the Elixir and one part of the crushed body. Thismust again be coagulated and dissolved, and so also again until the whole has become one, without any transmutation. All thisis accomplished by the virtue of our mercurial water; for withit the body is dissolved. It is that which purifies, conjoins,dissolves, and makes red and white. " Aristotle says of it asfollows: This water is the earth in which Hermes bids us sowthe seed; the Sun or Moon, as Senior hath it, for extraction ofTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 203the Divine water of sulphur and mercury, which is fire, warmingand fructifying by the igneous virtue thereof. This is theMercury and that is the water which wets not the hand. It isthe Mercury which all Sages have loved and used, and of whichthey have acknowledged the virtue so long as they lived.THE THIRD PART OF THIS TREATISE, CONTAININGTHE DICTA of the SAGES..i. I will now proceed to quote the very words of thevarious Sages in regard to this point, in order that you may themore casily understand our meaning. Know then that Almighty God first delivered this Art to our Father, Adam, in Paradise. For as soon as He had created him, and set him inthe Garden of Eden, He imparted it to him in the followingwords: " Adam, here are two things: that which is above isvolatile, that which is below is fixed. These two things containthe whole mystery. Observe it well, and make not the virtuethat slumbers therein known to thy children; for these twothings shall serve thee, together with all other created thingsunder heaven, and I will lay at thy feet all the excellence andpower of this world, seeing that thou thyself art a small world."ii. ABEL, the son of Adam, wrote thus in his Principles:After God had created our Father, Adam, and set him inParadise, He subjected to his rule all animals, plants, minerals,and metals. For man is the mountain of mountains, the Stoneof all stones, the tree of trees, the root of roots, the earth ofearths. All these things he includes within himself, and Godhas given to him to be the preserver of all things.iii. SETH, the son of Adam , describes it thus: Know,my children, that in proportion as the acid is subjected to coction, by means of our Art, and is reduced into ashes, the more ofthe substance is extracted, and becomes a white body. If youcook this well, and free it from all blackness, it is changed into astone, which is called a white stone until it is crushed. Dissolveit in water of the mouth, which has been well tempered, and its204 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.whiteness will soon change to redness. The whole process isperformed by means of this sharp acid and the power of God.iv. ISINDRUS: Our great and precious Matter is air, forair ameliorates the Matter, whether the air be gross or tenuous,warm or moist. For the grossness of the air arises from thesetting, the approach, and the rising of the Sun. Thus the airmay be hot or cold, or dry and rarefied, and the degrees of thisdistinguish summer and winter.V. ANAXAGORAS says: God and His goodness are thefirst principle of all things. Therefore, the mildness of Godreigns even beneath the earth, being the substance of all things,and thus also the substance beneath the earth. For the mildness of God mirrors itself in creating, and His integrity in thesolidity that is beneath the earth. Now we cannot see Hisgoodness, except in bodily form.vi. SENIOR, or PANDOLPHUS, says: I make known toposterity that the thinness, or softness, of air is in water, and isnot severed from the other elements. If the earth had not itsvital juice, no moisture would remain in it.vii. ARISTEUS delivers himself thus briefly: Know thatthe earth is round, and not flat . For if it were perfectly flat, theSun would shine everywhere at the same moment.viii. PYTHAGORAS: That which is touched and not seen,also that which is known but not looked upon, these are onlyheaven and earth; again, that which is not known is in theworld and is perceived by sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch.Sight shews the difference between black and white; hearing,between good and evil; taste, between sweet and bitter; touch,between subtle and gross; smell, between fragrant and fetid.ix. ARISTEUS, in his Second Table, says: Beat the bodywhich I have made known to you into thin plates; pourthereon our salt water, i.c., water of life, and heat it with agentle fire until its blackness disappears, and it becomes firstwhite, and then red.x. PARMENIDES: The Sages have written about manywaters, stones, and metals, for the purpose of deceiving you.You that desire a knowledge of our Art, relinquish Sun, Moon,Saturn, and Venus, for our ore, and our earth, and why so?Every thing is of the nature of no thing.THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 205xi. LUCAS: Take the living water of the Moon, and coagulate it, according to our custom. By those last words I meanthat it is already coagulated. Take the living water ofthe Moon,and put it on our carth, till it becomes white: here, then, is ourmagnesia, and the natures of natures rejoice.xii. ETHEL: Subject our Stone to coction till it becomesas bright as white marble. Then it is made a great and effectualStone, sulphur having been added to sulphur, and preserving itsproperty.xiii. PYTHAGORAS: We exhibit unto you the regimen concerning these things. The substance must drink its water, likethe fire of the Moon, which you have prepared. It must continue drinking its own water and moisture, till it turns white.xiv. PHILETUS: Know, ye sons of philosophy, that thesubstance, the search after which reduces so many to beggary, is not more than one thing of most effectual properties. It islooked down upon by the ignorant, but held in great esteem bythe Sages. Oh, how great is the folly, and how great also is thepresumptuous ignorance of the vulgar herd! If you knew thevirtue of this substance, kings, princes, and nobles would envyyou. We Sages call it the most sharp acid, and without this acidnothing can be obtained, neither blackness, whiteness, nor the Tincture.XV. METHUSALEM: With air, vapour, and spirit we shallhave vulgar mercury changed into as good a silver as the natureofminerals will allow in the absence of heat.xvi. SIXION: Ye sons of philosophy, if you would makeour substance red, you must first make it white. Its three natures are summed up in whiteness and redness. Take, therefore,our Saturn, subject it to coction in aqua vitæ until it turns white,becomes thick, and is coagulated, and then again till it becomesred. Then it is red lead, and without this lead of the Sages nothing can be effected.xvii. MUNDINUS: Learn, O imitators of this Art, thatthe philosophers have written variously of many gums in theirbooks, but the substance they refer to is nothing but fixedand living water, out of which alone our noble Stone canbe prepared. Many seek what they call the essential"gum, " and cannot find it. I reveal unto you the knowledge of206 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.this gum and the mystery which abides therein. Knowthat our gum is better than Sun and Moon. Therefore it is highlyesteemed by the Sages, though it is very cheap; and they say:Take care that you do not waste any of our " gum. " But in theirbooks they do not call it by its common name, and that is thereason why it is hidden from the many, according to the commandwhich God gave to Adam.xviii. DARDANIUS: Know, my sons, that the Sages takea living and indestructible water. Do not, then, set your handsto this task until you know the power and efficacy of this water.For nothing can be done in our Art without this indestructiblewater. For the Sages have described its power and efficacy asbeing that of spiritual blood. Transmute this water into bodyand spirit, and then , by the grace of God, you will have the spiritfirmly fixed in the body.xix. PYTHAGORAS, in his Second Book, delivers himself asfollows: The Sages have used different names for the substance,and have told us to make the indestructible water white and red.They have also apparently indicated various methods, but theyreally agree with each other in regard to all essentials, andit is only their mystic language that causes a semblance ofdisagreement. Our Stone is a stone, and not a stone. It hasneither the appearance nor the properties of stone, and yet itis a stone. Many have called it after the place where it isfound; others after its colour.XX. NEOPHIDES: I bid you take that mystic substance,white magnesia. And have a care that the Stone be pureand bright. Then place it in its aqueous vessel, and subject itto gentle heat, until it first becomes black, then again white, andthen red. The whole process should be accomplished in fortydays. When you have done this, God shows you the firstsubstance of the Stone, which is an eagle- stone, and known toall men.XXI. THEOPHILUS: Take white Magnesia, i.e. , quicksilver,mingled with the Moon. Pound it till it becomes thin water;subject it to coction for forty days; then the flower of theSun will open with great splendour. Close well the mouthof the phial, and subject it to coction during forty days, whenyou will obtain a beautiful water, which you must treat in theTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 207same way for another forty days, until it is thoroughlypurged of its blackness, and becomes white and fragrant.xxii. BELUS says: I bid you take Mercury, which isthe Magnesia of the Moon, and subject it and its body to coctiontill it becomes soft, thin, and like flowing water. Heat it againtill all its moisture is coagulated, and it becomes a Stone.xxiii. BASAN says: Put the yellow Matter into the bath,together with its spouse, and let not the bath be too hot, lest bothbe deprived of consciousness. Let a gentle temperature be keptup till the husband and the wife become one; sprinkle it withits sweat, and set it in a quiet place. Take care you do notdrive off its virtue by too great heat. Honour then the Kingand his Queen, and do not burn them. If you subject them togentle heat, they will become, first black, then white, and then red. If you understand this, blessed are ye. But if you donot, blame not Philosophy, but your own gross ignorance.xxiv. ARISTOTLE: Know, my disciples, the Sages call our Stone sometimes earth, and sometimes water. Be directed inthe regulation of your fire by the guidance of Nature. Inthe liquid there is first water, then a stone, then the earth ofphilosophers in which they sow their grain, which springsup, and bears fruit after its kind.XXV. AGODIAS: Subject our earth to coction, till itbecomes the first substance. Pound it to an impalpable dust,and again enclose it in its vessel. Sprinkle it with its own moisturetill an union is effected. Then look at it carefully, and if thewater presents the appearance of ) ( , continue to pound andheat. For, if you cannot reduce it to water, the water cannot befound. In order to reduce it to water, you must stir up the bodywith fire. The water I speak of is not rain water, butindestructible water which cannot exist without its body,which, in its turn, cannot exist, or operate, without its own indestructible water.xxvi. SIRETUS: What is required in our Art is our waterand our earth, which must become black, white, and red, withmany intermediate colours which shew themselves successively.Everything is generated through our living and indestructiblewater. True Sages use nothing but this living water whichsupersedes all other substances and processes. Coction, califac-208 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.tion, distillation , sublimation, desiccation , humectation, albefaction, and rubrefaction , are all included in the natural development ofthis one substance.xxvii. MOSINUS: The Sages have described our substance, and the method of its preparation, under many names, andthus have led many astray who did not understand our writing.It is composed of red and white sulphur, and cf fixed or indestructible water, called permanent water.xxviii. PLATO: Let it suffice you to dissolve bodies withthis water, lest they be burned. Let the substance be washedwith living water till all its blackness disappears, and it becomesa white Tincture.xxix. ORFULUS: First, subject the Matter to gentlecoction, ofa temperature such as that with which a hen hatchesher eggs, lest the moisture be burnt up, and the spirit ofour earth destroyed. Let the phial be tightly closed that theearth may crush our substance, and enable its spirit to beextracted. The Sages say that quicksilver is extracted from theflower of our earth, and the water of our fire extracted from twothings, and transmuted into our acid. But though they speakof many things, they mean only one thing, namely, thatindestructible water which is our substance, and our acid.XXX. BATHON: If you knowthe Matter of our Stone, andthe mode of regulating its coction, and the chromatic changeswhich it undergoes-as though it wished to warn you that itsnames are as numerous as the colours which it displays-thenyou may perform the putrefaction , or first coction, which turnsour Stone quite black. By this sign you may know that youhave the key to our Art, and you will be able to transmute itinto the mystic white and red. The Sages say that the Stonedissolves itself, coagulates itself, mortifies itself, and is quickenedby its own inherent power, and that it changes itself to black,white, and red, in Christian charity and fundamental trnth.xxxi. BLODIUS. Take the Stone which is found everywhere, and is called Rebis (Two-thing), and grows in two mountains. Take it while it is still fresh, with its own properblood. Its growth is in its skin, also in its flesh, and its food is in its blood, its habitation in the air. Take of it as much as youlike, and plunge it into the Bath.THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 209xxxii. LEAH, the prophetess, writes briefly thus: Know,Nathan, that the flower of gold is the Stone; therefore subjectit to heat during a certain number of days, till it assumes thedazzling appearance of white marble.xxxiii. ALKIUS: You daily behold the mountains whichcontain the husband and wife. Hic you therefore to theircaves, and dig up their earth, before it perishes.xxxiv. BONELLUS: All ye lovers of this Art, I say untoyou, in faith and love: Relinquish the multiplicity of yourmethods and substances, for our substance is one thing, and iscalled living and indestructible water. He that is led astray bymany words, will know the persons against whom he should beon his guard.XXXV. HIERONYMUS: Malignant men have darkenedour Art, perverting it with many words; they have called ourearth, and our Sun, or gold, by many misleading names. Theirsalting, dissolving, subliming, growing, pounding, reducing to anacid, and white sulphur, their coction of the fiery vapour, itscoagulation, and transmutation into red sulphur, are nothing butdifferent aspects of one and the same thing , which, in its firststage, we may describe as incombustible and indestructiblesulphur.xxxvi. HERMES: Except ye convert the earth of ourMatter into fire, our acid will not ascend.xxxvii. PYTHAGORAS, in his Fourth Table, says: Howwonderful is the agreement of Sages in the midst of difference!They all say that they have prepared the Stone out of a substance which by the vulgar is looked upon as the vilest thing oncarth. Indeed, it we were to tell the vulgar herd the ordinaryname of our substance, they would look upon our assertion as adaring falsehood. But if they were acquainted with its virtueand efficacy, they would not despise that which is, in reality,the most precious thing in the world. God has concealedthis mystery from the foolish, the ignorant, the wicked, andthe scornful, in order that they may not use it for evilpurposes.Xxxviii. HAGIENUS: Our Stone is found in all mountains,all trees, all herbs, and animals, and with all men. It wearsmany different colours, contains the four elements, and has been210 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.designated a microcosm. Can you not see, you ignorant seekersafter the Stone, who try, and vainly try, such a multiplicity ofsubstances and methods, that our Stone is one carth, and onesulphur, and that it grows in abundance before your very eyes?I will tell you where you may find it. The first spot is on thesummit of two mountains; the second, in all mountains; thethird, among the refuse in the street; the fourth, in the trees andmetals, the liquid of which is the Sun and Moon, Mercury,Saturn, and Jupiter. There is but one vessel, one method, and one consummation.xxxix. MORIENUS: Know that our Matter is not ingreater agreement with human nature than with anything else,for it is developed by putrefaction and transmutation. Ifit werenot decomposed, nothing could be generated out of it. The goalof our Art is not reached until Sun and Moon are conjoined , andbecome, as it were, one body.xl. THE EMERALD TABLE: It is true, without anyerror, and it is the sum of truth; that which is above is also thatwhich is below, for the performance of the wonders of a certainone thing, and as all things arise from one Stone, so also theywere generated from one common Substance, which includesthe four elements created by God. And among other miraclesthe said Stone is born of the First Matter. The Sun is itsFather, the Moon its Mother, the wind bears it in its womb,and it is nursed by the earth. Itself is the Father of the wholeearth, and the whole potency thereof. If it be transmuted intoearth, then the carth separates from the fire that which is mostsubtle from that which is hard, operating gently and with greatartifice. Then the Stone ascends from earth to heaven, andagain descends from heaven to carth, and receives the choicestinfluences of both heaven and earth. If you can perform thisyou have the glory of the world, and are able to put to flight alldiseases, and to transmute all metals. It overcomes Mercury,which is subtle, and penetrates all hard and solid bodies. Henceit is compared with the world. Hence I am called Hermes,having the three parts of the whole world of philosophy.xli. LEPRINUS says: The Stone must be extracted froma two- fold substance, before you can obtain the Elixir which isfixed in one essence, and derived from the one indispensableTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 211Matter, which God has created, and without which no one canattain the Art. Both these parts must be purified before theyare joined together afresh. The body must become different,and so must the volatile spirit. Then you have the Medicine,which restores health, and imparts perfection to all things. Thefixed and the volatile principle must be joined in an inseparableunion, which defies even the destructive force of fire.xlii. LAMECH: In the Stone of the Philosophers are thefirst elements, and the final colours of minerals, or Soul, Spirit,and Body, joined unto one. The Stone which contains all thesethings is called Zibeth, and the working of Nature has left itimperfect.xliii. SOCRATES: Our Mystery is the life of all things, orthe water. For water dissolves the body into spirit, and summons the living spirit from among the dead. My son, despisenot my Practical Injunction. For it gives you, in a brief form,everything that you really need.xliv. ALEXANDER: The good need not remain concealedon account of the bad men that might abuse it. For God rulesover all, according to His Divine Will. Observe, therefore, thatthe salt of the Stone is derived from mercury, and is that Matter,most excellent of all things, of which we are in search. Thesame also contains in itself all secrets. Mercury is our Stone,which is composed of the dry and the moist clements, which havebeen joined together by gentle heat in an inseparable union.xlv. SENIOR teaches us to make the Salt out of ashes, andthen, by various processes, to change it into the Mercury of theSages, because our Magistery is dependent on our water alone,and needs nothing else.xlvi. ROSARIUS: It is a stone, and not a stone, viz. , thecagle- stone. The substance has in its womb a stone, and whenit is dissolved, the water that was coagulated in it bursts forth.Thus the Stone is the extracted spirit of our indestructible body.It contains mercury, or liquid water, in its body, or fixed earth,which retains its nature. This explanation is sufficiently plain.xlvii. PAMPHILUS: The Salt of the Gem is that which isin its own bowels; it ascends with the water to the top of thealembic, and, after separation, is once more united and made onebody with it by means of natural warmth. Or we may, with 02212 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.King Alexander, liken the union to that of a soul with itsbody.xlviii. DEMOCRITUS: Our Substance is the conjunctionof the dry and the moist elements,which are separated by a vapouror heat, and then transmuted into a liquid like water, in whichour Stone is found. Forthe vapour unites to the most subtle earththe most subtle air, and contains all the most subtle elements.This first substance may be separated into water and earth, thelatter being perceptible to the eye. The earth of the vapour isvolatile when it ascends, but it is found fixed when the separationtakes place, and when the elements are joined together again itbecomes fixed mercury. For the enjoyment of this, His preciousgift, we Sages ceaselessly praise and bless God's Holy Name.xlix. SIROS: The body of the Sages, being calcined, iscalled everlasting water, which permanently coagulates ourMercury. And if the Body has been purified and dissolved, theunion is so close as to resist all efforts at separation.1. NOAH, the man of God, writes thus in his Table: Mychildren and brethren, know that no other stone is found inthe world that has more virtue than this Stone. No mortal mancan find the true Art without this Stone. Blessed be the Godof Heaven who has created this property in the Salt, even in the Salt of the Gem!li. MENALDES: The fire of the Sages may be extractedfrom all natural things, and is called the quintessence. It is ofcarth, water, air, and fire. It has no cause of corruption or othercontrary quality.lii. HERMES, in his second Table, writes thus: Dissolvethe ashes in the second element, and coagulate this substanceinto a Stone. Let this be done seven times. For as Naamanthe Syrian was purged of his leprosy by washing himself seven.times in Jordan, so our substance must undergo a seven-foldcleansing, by calcining and dissolving, and exhibiting a varietyof ever deepening colours. In our water are hidden the fourelements, and this earth, which swallows its water, is the dragonthat swallows its tail, i.e., its strength.liii. NUNDINUS: The fire which includes all our chemicalprocesses, is three-fold: the fiery element of the air, of water,and of the earth. This is all that our Magistery requires.THE GLORY OF THE WORLD 213liv. ANANIAS: Know, ye Scrutators of Nature, that fireis the soul of everything, and that God Himself is fire and soul. And the body cannot live without fire. For without firethe other elements have no efficacy. It is, therefore, a mostholy, awful, and divine fire which abides with God Himself inthe Most Holy Trinity, for which also we give eternal thanks to God.lv. BONIDUS: In the fountain of Nature our Substance isfound, and nowhere else upon earth; and our Stone is fire, andhas been generated in fire, without, however, being consumed by fire.Ivi. ROSINUS: Two things are hidden in two things, andindicate our Stone: in carth is fire, and air in water, yet thereare only two outward things, viz. , earth and water. For Mercuryis our Stone, consisting as it does both of moist and dryelements. Mercury is dry and moist in its very nature, and allthings have their growth from the dry and moist elements.lvii. GEBER: We cannot find anything permanent, orfixed, in fire, but only a viscous natural moisture which is theroot of all metals. For our venerable Stone nothing is requiredbut mercurial substances, if they have been well purified by ourArt, and are able to resist the fierce heat of fire. This Substancepenetrates to the very roots of metals, overcomes their imperfectnature, and transmutes them, according to the virtue of the Elixir, or Medicine.lviii. AROS: Our Medicine consists of two things, and one essence. There is one Mercury, of a fixed and a volatilesubstance, composed of body and spirit, cold and moist, warmand dry.lix. ARNOLDUS: Let your only care be to regulate thecoction ofthe Mercurial substance. In proportion as it is itselfdignified shall it dignify bodies.lx. ALPHIIDIUS: Transmute the nature, and you will findwhat you want. For in our Magistery . we obtain first from thegross the subtle, or the spirit; then from the moist the dry,i.e., carth from water. Thus we transmute the corporeal into thespiritual, and the spiritual into the corporeal, the lowest into thehighest, and the highest into the lowest.•214 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.lxi. BERNARDUS: The middle substance is nothing butcoagulated mercury; and the first Matter is nothing but twofold mercury. For our Medicine is composed of two things, thefixed and the volatile, the corporeal and the spiritual, the coldand the warm, the moist and the dry. Mercury must be subjected to coction in a vessel with three divisions, that thedryness of the active fire may be changed into vaporous moistureof the oil that surrounds the substance. Ordinary fire does notdigest our substance, but its heat converted into dryness is thetrue fire.Ixii. STEPHANUS: Metals are earthly bodies, and aregenerated in water. The water extracts a vapour from theStone, and out of the moisture of [the] earth, by the operation ofthe Sun, God lets gold grow and accumulate. Thus carth andwater are united into a metallic body.lxiii. GUIDO BONATUS writes briefly concerning thequintessence, as being purer than all elements. The quintessence contains the four elements, that is, the first Matter, outof which God has created, and still creates, all things. It isHyle, containing in a confused mixture the properties of everycreature.Ixiv. ALRIDOS: The virtue and efficacy of everythingis to be found in its quintessence, whether its nature be warm,cold, moist, or dry. This quintessence gives out the sweetestfragrance that can be imagined. Therefore the highest perfectionis needed.lxv. LONGINUS describes the process in the followingterms: Let your vessel be tightly closed and exposed to aneven warmth. This water is prepared in dry ashes, and is subjected to coction till the two become one. When one is joinedto the other, the body is brought back to its spirit. Then thefire must be strengthened till the fixed body retains that whichis not fixed by its own heat. With this you can tinge tenthousand times ten thousand of other substances.lxvi. HERMES, in his Mysteries, says: Know that ourStone is lightly esteemed by the thankless multitude; but it isvery precious to the Sages. If princes knew how much goldcan be made out of a particle of Sun, and of our Stone, theywould never suffer it to be taken out of their dominions.THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 21599 "The Sages rejoice when the bodies are dis- ""solved; for our Stone is prepared with two 66 waters. It drives away all sickness from the"diseased body, whether it be human " metallic. "or "By means of our Art, we do in one month what Naturecannot accomplish in a thousand years: for we purify the parts,and then join them together in an inseparable and indissolubleunion.lxvii. NERO: Know that our Mercury is dry and moist,and conjoined with the Sun and Moon. Sun and Moon innature are cold and moist mercury and hot and dry sulphur,and both have their natural propagation by being joined in onething.Here follows a True Explanation of some of the ForegoingPhilosophical Dicta, the meaning, word for wordand point for point, being clearly set forth.I now propose to say something about the meaning of theobscure and allegorica! expressions used by some of the Sageswhom I have quoted . Be sure that they all were true Sages,and really possessed our Stone. It may have been possessedby more persons since the time of Adam, but the above listincludes all of whom I have heard. I need not here review alltheir sayings; for the words of the least of them are sufficient forimparting to you a knowledge of this Art; and my ambition.goes no higher than that. If I have enumerated so large anumber of authorities, I have only done so in order that youmight the better understand both the theory and practice ofthis Art, and that you might be saved all unnecessary expense. For this reason I have declared this truc philosophywith all the skill that God has given me. I hope the initiatedwill overlook any verbal inaccuracy into which I have fallen,and that they will be induced by my example to abstain fromwilfully misleading anxious enquirers. I may have fallen intosome errors of detail, but as to the gist of my work, I knowwhat I have written, and that it is God's own truth.216 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Explanation ofthe Saying ofAdam.When God had created our first parent Adam, and set himin Paradise, He shewed him two things, namely, earth and water.Earth is fixed and indestructible, water is volatile and vaporous.These two contain the elements of all created things: water contains air, and earth fire-and of these four things the whole ofcreation is composed. In carth are enclosed fire, stones, minerals,salt, mercury, and all manner of metals; in water, and in air, allmanner ofliving and organic substances, such as beasts, birds,fishes, flesh, blood, bones, wood, trees, flowers, and leaves. To allthese things God imparted their efficacy and virtue, and subjectedthem to the mastery and use of Adam. Hence you maysee howall these things are adapted to the human body, and are such asto meet the requirements of his nature. He may incorporate thevirtue of outward substances by assimilating them in the form offood. In the same way, his mind is suitably constructed for thepurpose of gaining a rational knowledge of the physical world.That this is the case, you may see from the first chapter of Genesis.On the sixth day ofthe first year of the world, that is tosay, on the 15th day of March, God created the first man, Adam,of red earth, in a field near Damascus, with a beautiful body, andafter His own image. When Adam was created, he stood nakedbefore the Lord, and with outstretched hands rendered thanks toHim, saying: O Lord , Thy hands have shaped me: now remember, I pray Thee, the work of Thy hands, which Thou hast clothedwith flesh, and strengthened with bones, and grant me life andloving-kindness.So the Lord endowed Adam with great wisdom, and suchmarvellous insight that he immediately, without the help of anyteacher-simply by virtue of his original righteousness-had aperfect knowledge of the seven liberal arts, and of all animals,plants, stones, metals, and minerals. Nay, what is more, he hadperfect understanding of the Holy Trinity, and of the coming ofChrist in the flesh. Moreover, Adam was the Lord, King, andRuler of all other creatures which, at the Divine bidding, werebrought to him by the angel to receive their names. Thus allcreatures acknowledged Adam as their Lord, seeing that it washe to whom the properties and virtues of all things were to beTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 217made known. Now the wisdom, and knowledge of all things,which Adam had received, enabled him to observe the properties,the origin, and the end of all things. He noted the division anddestruction, the birth and decay of physical substances.He sawthat they derive their origin from the dry and the moist clements,and that they are again transmuted into the dry and the moist.Of all these things Adam took notice, and especially of thatwhich is called the first Matter. For he who knows how allthings are transmuted into their first Matter, has no need to askany questions. It was that which existed in the beginningbefore God created heaven and earth; and out of it may bemade one new thing which did not exist before, a new earth, fire,water, air, Sun, Moon, Stars, in short, a new world.As in the beginning all things were created new, so there isa kind of new creation out of the first substance in our Art.Now although God warned Adam generally not to reveal thisfirst substance- viz. , the moist and the dry elements-yet Hepermitted him to impart the knowledge to his son Seth. Abeldiscovered the Art for himself, by the wisdom which God hadgiven him, and inscribed an account of it on beechen tablets.He was also the first to discover the art of writing; further, heforetold the destruction of the world by the Flood, and wrote allthese things on wooden tablets, and hid them in a pillar ofstone,which was found, long afterwards, by the children of IsraelThus you see that our Art was a secret from the beginning, and a secret it will remain to the end of the world. For this reasonit is necessary carefully to consider all that is said about it , andespecially the words of the Lord to Adam: for they exhibit in asuccinct form the secret of the whole Art.Explanation of the Saying of Abel.This saying partly explains itself, and is partly explainedby what we said about God's words to Adam. Yet I will add afew remarks concerning it. Man hath within him the virtue andefficiency of all things, whence he is called a small world, and iscompared to the large world, because the bones which are beneathhis skin, and support his body, may be likened to the mountains.and stones, his flesh to the earth, his veins to the rivers, and hissmall veins to the brooks which are discharged into them. The218 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.heart is the sea into which the great and small rivers flow; hishair resembles the growing herbs-and so with all other partsof his body. Again, his inward parts, such as the heart, lungs,and liver, are comparable to the metals. The hairs have theirhead in the carth (i.e., the flesh) and their roots in the air, as theSages say, that the root of their minerals is in the air, and theirhead in the earth. That which ascends by distillation is volatile,and is in the air; that which remains at the bottom, and isfixed, is the head, which is in the earth. Therefore, the onemust always exist in conjunction with the other if it is to beeffectual. Hence man may be compared to an inverted tree: forhe has his roots, or his hair, in the air, while other trees have theirhairs, or their roots, in the earth.And of our Stone, too, the Sages have justly said that it has its head in the earth, and its root in the air. This similitude hasa two-fold interpretation. First, with regard to the place inwhich our Matter is found; secondly, with regard to the dissolution and second conjunction of the Stone. For when our Stonerises upward in the alembic, it has its root in the air; but if itwould regain its virtue and strength, it must once more return toits earth, and then it has its head and perfect potency in theearth. Hence our Stone, too, is not inaptly denominated a smallworld; it is called the mountain of mountains, from which ourore is derived, since it is evolved fromthe first substance in a wayanalogous to that in which the great world was created. Knowthat ifyou bury anything in [the] earth, and it rots, as food isdigested in the human body, and the gross is separated from thesubtle, and that which is fetid from that which is pure, then thatwhich is pure is the first Matter which has been set free by decay.Iffyyou understand this, you know the true Art. But keep it toyourself, and cast not pearls before swine; for the vulgar regardour Art with ignorant contempt.Explanation of the Saying of Seth, Son of Adam.By " acid which is to be subjected to coction, andtransmuted into ashes, " the Sage Seth means distilled water,which we call ' seed. If this, by diligent coction, is condensedinto a body-which he calls ashes-the body loses its blacknessby being washed till it becomes white; for, by constantTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 219If it coction, all blackness and gross impurity are removed.were not for this earth, the spirit would never be coagulated;for it would have no body into which it could enter-seeingthat it cannot be coagulated and fixed anywhere but in itsown body. On the other hand, the spirit purifies its body,as Seth says, and makes it white. He says further: " If youdiligently heat it, and free it from its blackness, it is changedinto a Stone, which is called the white coin of the Stone.'That is to say, if it is slowly heated with a gentle fire, it isby degrees changed into a body which resists fire, and isnamed a Stone. It is fixed, and it has a brilliantly whiteappearance. A coin it is called, because, as he who has a coinmay purchase with it bread or whatever else he needs, so hewho has this Stone may purchase for himself health, wisdom,longevity, gold, silver, gems, etc. Hence it is justly called theCoin, since it can buy what all the riches in the world cannotprocure. It is struck by the Sages, who, instead of the imageof a prince, impress upon it their own image. Therefore it isdenominated the COIN of the SAGES, because it is their ownmoney, struck in their own mint.""Again, when the Sage says, " Heat the Stone till it breaks[itself] , and dissolve it in the well-tempered water of theMoon," he means that the Stone must be heated by that whichis in itself, until it is changed into water, or dissolved. All thisis done by its own agency; for the body is called Moon, whenit has been changed into water; and the extracted spirit, ordistilled water, is called Sun. For the element of [the] air isconcealed in it; but the body must be broken.in its own water,or dissolved by itself. The " well-tempered water of the Moonis the gentle inward heat which changes it into water, and yieldstwo waters, viz. , the distilled spirit, and the dissolved body.These two waters are again united by slow and gentle coction,the distilled spirit becoming coagulated into a body, thedissolved body becoming a spirit. The fixed becomes volatile,and the volatile fixed, by dissolution and coagulation, and bothassume, first a white, and then a red colour. The change towhite and red is produced by the same water, and the white isalways followed by the red, just as the black is followed by thewhite. When the Sage says, in conclusion, " that the whole220 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.can be accomplished only with the best acid, through the powerof God alone," he means that the one thing from which alone ourStone can be procured may be compared to the sharpest acid,and that, by means of our Art, this acid is changed into thebest of earthly things, which all the treasures of all kings andprinces are not sufficient to buyExplanation of the Saying of Isindrus.Good Heavens! How skilfully the Sages have contrivedto conceal this matter. It would surely have been far better ifthey had abstained from writing altogether. For the extremeobscurity of their style has overwhelmed thousands in ruin,and plunged them into the deepest poverty, especially thosewho set about this task without even the slightest knowledge of Nature, or of the requirements of our Art. Whatthe Sages write is strictly true; but you cannot understandit unless you are already initiated in the secrets of this Art.Yea, even if you were a Doctor of the Doctors, and a Lightof the World, you would be able to see no meaning intheir words without this knowledge. They have written, but you are none the wiser. They halfwished to communicate thesecret to their posterity; but a jealous feeling prevented themfrom doing so in plain language. To the uninitiated readerthese words of Isindrus must appear nothing short of nonsense:“Great is the air, because the air corrects the thing, if it is thin orthick, hot or cold. " But the Sage means that when it ascendswith the water, it is hot air, for fire and air bear our Stonelike secret fire concealed therein, and the water which ascendsfrom the earth, by that ascension becomes air, and thin;and when it descends, it descends into water which contains fire;thus the earth is purified, seeing that the water takes [ the] firewith it into the earth. For the fire is the Soul, and the Moonthe Spirit. Therefore, the air is great, because it bears with itwater and fire, and imparts them to all things, though thereby(by this loss of water) itself becomes cold. Then the air becomesthick, when with its fire it is transmuted into the body, and thusthe air corrects the thing by its thickness. For it bears outour Stone as it carries it in, and purifies it both in its ascent andin its descent. In the same way air purifies all things that growTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 221(ie. , plants), gives them their food ( ie. , water), and imparts to themits fire, by which they are sustained. Of this you may convinceyourself by ocular demonstration. For the air bears the clouds,and sheds them upon earth in the form of rain; which raincontains secret fire derived from the earth, and the rays of theSun by which it was drawn upward—and this fire it gives to allthings as food. And although the rays of the Sun and Moonare immeasurably subtle, swift, and intangible; yet the rays ofour Sun and Moon are much swifter and more subtle than thosewhich are received by the plants in their growth. For the earthdigests the rays of the Sun and Moon, and they sustain inthe most wonderful manner things of vegetable growth; and allthe living rays of the Sun and Moon nourish all created things.For by this digestion they obtain their life. For this reasonthe air may be called great, because through the grace of God itaccomplishes great things.Again, when the Sage says, " If the air becomes thick, " ie. ,when the Sun turns aside, or is changed, " there is a thickness,till it rises," he means that if the distilled water which is takenfor the Sun, or fire, approaches its body, and is changed into it,then the Sun stoops down to the earth. Thereby the airbecomes thick, being joined to the earth, and if the Sun is oncemore elevated the air becomes thin; that is to say, when thewater is extracted from the earth by means of the alembic, thefire rises upward, ie. , the Sun is exalted, and the air becomesthin. Again, when he says, " This also is hot and cold, andthickness, and thinness, or softness," the Sage means that theSun is hot, and the Moon cold; for the earth, when dissolved, isthe Moon, and water, in which is fire, is the Sun: these two mustbe conjoined in an inseparable union. This union enables them.to reduce the elements of all metallic and animal bodies, intowhich they are injected, to perfect purity and health. Whenthe Sage adds that thickness and thinness denote summer andwinter, he means that our Art is mingled of thickness andthinness, or two elements which must be united by gentle warmth,like that of winter and summer combined. This temperatewarmth, which resembles that of a bath, brings the Sun andMoon together. Thus I have, by the grace of God, interpretedto you the parabolic saying of Isindrus.222 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Explanation of the Saying of Anaxagoras.66From the beginning of all things God is. He is likened tolight and fire, and He may be likened to the latter in Hisessence, because fire is the first principle of all things that areseen and grow. In the same way, the first principle of our Artis fire. Heat impels Nature to work, and in its working aremanifested Body, Spirit, and Soul; that is, earth and water.Earth is the Body, oil the Soul, and water the Spirit; and all thisis accomplished through the Divine goodness and lenity, without which Nature can do nothing; or, as the Sage says: God'slenity rules all things; and beneath the thickness of the earth,after creation, are revealed lenity and integrity. " That is to say:Ifthe earth is separated from the water, and itself dissolved intooil and water, the oil is integrity, and the water lenity; for thewater imparts the soul to the oil and to the body, and [ the body]receives nothing but what is imparted to it by heaven, that is,by the water—and the water is revealed under the oil, the oilunder the earth. For the fire is subtle, and floats upward fromthe earth with subtle waters, and is concealed in the earth. Κοινoil and air and earth are purified by their own spirit. Thereforethe oil is integrity in the body, and the spirit lenity. And thespirit in the first operation descends to the body and restores lifeto the body; although the oil is pure and remains with the body,yet it cannot succour the body without the help of the spirit; forthe body suffers violence and anguish while it is dissolved andpurified. Then, again, the " thickness of the earth " is transmutedinto a thin substance such as water or oil, and thus the " lenityis seen in the body. For the body is so mild or soft as to bechanged into water, or oil, although before it was quite dry.Therefore oil is seen in the earth, which is the fatness or life ofthe water, ie , an union of fire, air, and water. Now give the water to the body to drink, and it will be restored to life. Andthough those three elements have ascended from the earth, yetthe virtue remains with the body, as you may see by dissolvingit into oil and water. But the oil cannot operate without thespirit, nor can the spirit bear fruit without the oil and the body.Therefore they must be united; and all " lenity " and " integrity"are seen in the body when it is transmuted to white and red."་THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 223Explication of the Opinion of Pythagoras.This Sage asks what that is which is touched, and yet notseen. He means that the substance which is prepared by ourArt is one thing, which is tangible and invisible. That is to say,it is felt, but not seen, nor is the mode of its operation known.He who knows it, but knows not its operation, as yet knowsnothing as he ought. This one thing, which alone is profitablefor the purposes of our Art, proceeds from a certain dark place,where it is not seen, nor are its operation or its virtue known toany but the initiated. A great mystery is also concealed in theMatter itself, namely, air and fire, or the Sun, the Moon, and theStars. This is concealed in it, and yet is invisible, as the Sagesays: What is not seen, or known, is only heaven. That whichis felt, and not seen, is earth. Earth, says the Sage, is thickness,or body, which is found at the bottom of the Matter, has accumulated in the Matter, and can be felt and known. By thewords, " that is between heaven and earth, which is not known,"(ie. , in the world), the Sage means that the Matter of our Stoneis found in the small world; not in rocks and mountains, or inthe earth, but between heaven and earth, i.e. , in the air. Again,when he says that " in it are senses, and entirety, as smell, taste,hearing, touch," he would teach us that in human nature there isentirety of mind and perception; for man can know, feel, andunderstand. He would also teach us how our Stone is to befound, namely, by sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Bysight, because the Matter of the Stone is thick, or thin and clear,and turns black, white, and red. By smell, because, when itsimpurity is purged away, it emits a most sweet fragrance. Bytaste, because it is first bitter and disagreeable, but afterwardsbecomes most pleasant. By touch, because that sense enables usto distinguish between the hard and the soft, the gross and thesubtle, between water and earth, and between the different stagesof distillation, putrefaction, dissolution , coagulation, fermentation ,and injection, which the substance goes through. The differentprocesses of the task are perceived with the senses, and it shouldbe accomplished within forty- six days.Loosening of the Knot of Aristeus."Take the body which I have shewn you, and beat it into thinleaves," ie. , take the earth which cleaves to our substance, and,224 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.66by having become dry, becomes visible and knowable; for nowit is water and earth. The earth is thus shewn, and divided intotwo parts, earth and water. Let that earth be taken, placed in aphial, and put in a warm bath, by the warmth of which it is dissolved, through its own internal coction, into water; this the Sagecalls beating into thin leaves. The body which is thus obtainedis variously described as the Philosopher's Stone, or the Stone of leaves. Add some of our salt water, and this is the water oflife." That means: After its dissolution into water, it mustreceive our salt water to drink—for this water has been previouslydistilled from it, and is the water of life; for the soul and spiritof the body are hidden in it , and it is called our sea water; thesame also is its natural name, because it is obtained from theinvisible hidden sea of the Sages, the sea of the smaller world.For our Art is called the smaller world, and thus it is the waterof our sea. If this water is added to the body, and heated andpurified with it, the body is purged by long coction, and its colourchanges from black to a brilliant white, while the water is coagulated, and forms, by indissoluble union with the body, theimperishable Philosopher's Stone, which you must use to theglory ofGod, and the good of your neighbour.Exposition ofthe Saying ofParmenides.Jealous Sages have named many waters and metals andstones, simply for the purpose of deceiving you; herein thephilosophers would warn us that they have used secrecy, lest thewhole mystery should be manifested before all the world.Those who follow the letter of their directions are sure to be ledastray, and to miss entirely the true foundation of our Art.The fault, however, lies not with the Sages so much as with theignorance of their readers. The Sages name it a stone; and soit is a stone, which is dug up from our mine. They speak ofmetals; and there are such things as metals liquefied from ourore. They speak of water; but our water we obtain from ourown spring. The red and white sulphur they refer to are obtained from our air. Their salt is obtained from our salt mines. It isour Sun, our verdigris, halonitre, alkali, orpiment, arsenic, ourpoison, our medicine, etc. By whatever name they call it theycannot make it more than one thing. It is rightly described byTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 225all the Sages, but not plainly enough for the uninitiated en- quirer. For such an one knows neither the substance nor itsoperation. The Sage says: " Relinquish Sun, Moon, and Venusfor our ore," ie,, it is not to be found in any earthly metals, butonly in our ore. Whoever rightly understands the concludingwords of the Sage has received a great blessing at the hand ofGod.Explanation of the Saying of Lucas.By the living water of the Moon this Sage means ourwater, which is twofold. The distilled water is the Moon; theSun, or fire, is hidden in it, and is the Father of all things.Hence it is compared to a man, because the Sun is in the water.It is also called living water; for the life of the dead body is hidden in the water. It is the water of the Moon, because theSun is the Father and the Moon the Mother. Hence, also, theyare regarded as husband and wife. The Body is the Moon,or Mother, and the distilled water, or male principle, rises upward from the earth; and for that reason is sometimes calledMoon. For it is the water of the Moon, or Body. It has leftthe Body, and must enter it again before our Art can beperfected. Hence the Body, or Moon, has well been designatedthe female principle, and the water, or Sun, the male principle,for reasons which have been set forth at length in this book.Again, when the Sage says, " Coagulate it after ourfashion," those last three words mean that the body must receiveits spirit to drink gradually, and little by little, until it recoversits life, and health, and strength, which takes place by means ofthe same gentle heat which digests food in the stomach, andmatures fruit in its place. For it is our custom to cat, drink,aud live in gentle warmth. By this regimen our body is preserved, and all that is foul and unprofitable is driven out fromour body. According to the same fashion of gentle coction, allthat is fetid and black is gradually purged out of our Stone.For when the Sage says " after our fashion," he wishes to teachyou that the preparation of the Stone bears a strict analogyto the processes of the human body. That the chemical development of our substance is internal, and caused by theoperation of Nature and of its four elements, the Sage indicatesP226 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.by the words, " Everything is already coagulated." The substance contains all that is needed; there is nothing to be addedor taken away, seeing that it is dissolved and again conjoinedby its own inherent properties. When the Sage continues, " Ibid you take water of life, which descends from the Moon,and pour it upon our earth till it turns white," he means that ifwater and earth are separated from each other, then the drybody is our earth, and the extracted water is the water of theMoon, or water of life. This process of adfusion, desiccation,attrition, coagulation, etc. , is repeated till the body turns white;and then takes place onr conglutination, which is indissoluble." Then," as the Sage says, " we have our Magnesia, and theNature of natures rejoices." Its spirit and body become onething they were one thing, and after separation have once morebecome one thing; therefore, one nature rejoices in the restora- tion of the other.Exposition of the Saying of Ethelius.He says: " Heat our Stone until it shines like dazzlingmarble; then it becomes great, and a mystic Stone; for sulphuradded to sulphur preserves it on account of its fitness. " That isto say: When the moist and the dry have been separated, thedry which lies at the bottom, and is called our Stone, is as blackas a raven. It must be subjected to the coction of our water(separated from it ), until it loses its blackness, and becomes aswhite as dazzling marble. Then it is the mystic Stone which bycoction has been transmuted into fixed mercury with the blessing of God. The Stone is mystic, or secret, because it is foundin a secret place, in an universally despised substance where noone looks for the greatest treasure of the world. Hence it maywell be called The HIDDEN STONE. By the joining oftwo sulphurs and their mutual preservation, he means thatthough, after the separation of spirit and body, there seem to betwo substances, yet, in reality, there is only one substance;the body which is below is " sulphur," and the spirit which isabove is also " sulphur. " Now, when the spirit returns to thebody, one sulphur is added to another; and they are bound together by a mutual fitness, since the body cannot be without thespirit, nor the spirit without the body. Hence there are theseSOTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 227two sulphurs in the body, the red and the white, and the white sulphur is in the black body, while the red is hid beneath it. Ifthe spirit is gradually added to the body, it is entirely coagulatedinto the body, sulphur is added to sulphur, and perfection isattained through the fitness which exists between thein. Thebody receives nothing but its own spirit; for it has retained itssoul, and what has been extracted from a body can be joined tonothing but that same body. The spirit delights in nothing somuch as in its own soul, and its own body. Hence the Sagesays: " When the spirit has been restored to the body, thesulphur to the sulphur, and the water to the earth, and all hasbecome white, then the body retains the spirit, and there can beno further separation. " Thus you have the well purged earth ofthe Sages, in which we sow our grain, unto infinity, that it maybring forth much fruit.Explanation of the Saying of Pythagoras.You have good cause to wonder at the great variety ofwaysin which the Sages have expressed the same thing. Nevertheless,their descriptions apply only to one Matter, and their sayingsrefer only to a single substance. For when our Sage says, " Wegive you directions concerning these things: We tell you thatit is dry water, like the water of the Moon, which you have prepared,"he means that we Sages must give directions, according tothe best of our ability. Ifthose directions, rightly understood, donot answer the purpose, you may justly charge us with fraud andimposture. But ifyou fail through not taking our meaning, youmust blame your own unspeakable stupidity, which follows theletter, but not the spirit of our directions. When the Sagefurther says that it must drink its own water, he would teach youthat after the separation of the dry from the moist, the water extracted from the body is the right water, and the water of theMoon, prepared by putrefaction and distillation. This extractedwater is regarded as the male principle, and the earth, or body,as the female principle. The water ofthe husband must now bejoined in conjugal union to that ofthe wife; the body must, atintervals, drink of its own prepared water, and become everpurer, the more it drinks, till it turns most wonderfully white.Then it is called " our calx," and you must pour the water ofourP2228 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.calx upon the body, until it is coagulated, becoming tinged, anda most bright quality returns to it, and the body itself is saturatedwith its own moisture. If you wish to obtain the red tincture,you should dissolve and coagulate, and go through the whole process over again. Verily, this is God's own truth, an accurate,simple, and plain statement ofthe requirements of our Art.Explanation of the Emerald Table of Hermes.Hermes is right in saying that our Art is true, and has beenrightly handed down by the Sages; all doubts concerning it havearisen through false interpretation of the mystic language of thephilosophers. But, since they are loth to confess their own ignorance, their readers prefer to say that the words of the Sages areimposture and falsehood. The fault really lies with the ignorantreader, who does not understand the style of the Philosophers.If, in the interpretation of our books, they would suffer themselvesto be guided by the teaching of Nature, rather than by their ownfoolish notions, they would not miss the mark so hopelessly. Bythe words which follow: " That which is above is also that whichis below," he describes the Matter ofour Art, which, though one,is divided into two things, the volatile water which rises upward,and the earth which lies at the bottom, and becomes fixed. Butwhen the reunion takes place, the body becomes spirit, and thespirit becomes body, the earth is changed into water and becomesvolatile, the water is transmuted into body, and becomes fixed.When bodies become spirits, and spirits bodies, your work isfinished; for then that which rises upward and that which descends downward become one body. Therefore the Sage says thatthat which is above is that which is below, meaning that, afterhaving been separated into two substances (from being one substance), they are again joined together into one substance, ¿.e. , anunion which can never be dissolved, and possesses such virtueand efficacy that it can do in one moment what the Sun cannotaccomplish in a thousand years. And this miracle is wrought bya thing which is despised and rejected by the multitude. Again,the Sage tells us that all things were created, and are still generated, from one first substance, and consist ofthe same elementarymaterial; and in this first substance God has appointed the fourelements, which represent a common material into which it mightTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 229perhaps be possible to resolve all things. Its development isbrought about by the distillation of the Sun and Moon. For itis operated upon by the natural heat of the Sun and Moon, whichstirs up its internal action, and multiplies each thing after itskind, imparting to the substance a specific form. The soul, ornutritive principle, is the earth which receives the rays ofthe Sunand Moon, and therewith feeds her children as with mother'smilk. Thus the Sun is the father, the Moon is the mother, theearth the nurse-and in this substance is that which we require.He who can take it and prepare it is truly to be envied. It isseparated by the Sun and Moon in the form of a vapour, and collected in the place where it is found. When Hermes addsthat " the air bears it in its womb, the earth is its nurse, the wholeworld its Father," he means that when the substance of ourStone is dissolved, then the wind bears it in its womb, i.e. , the airbears up the substance in the form of water, in which is hid fire,the soul ofthe Stone; and fire is the Father of the whole world.Thus, the volatile substance rises upward, while that whichremains at the bottom , is the " whole world " (seeing that our Artis compared to a " small world " ). Hence Hermes calls fire thefather ofthe whole world, because it is the Sun of our Art, andair, Moon, and water ascend from it; the earth is the nurse ofthe Stone, i.e. , when the earth receives the rays of the Sun andMoon, a new body is born, like a new foetus in the mother'swomb. The earth receives and digests the light of Sunand Moon, and imparts food to its fœtus day by day, till itbecomes great and strong, and puts off its blackness anddefilement, and is changed to a different colour. This, " child,"which is called " our daughter," represents our Stone, whichis born anew of the Sun and Moon, as you may easily see,when the spirit, or the water that ascended, is graduallytransmuted into the body, and the body is born anew, andgrows and increases in size like the foetus in the mother's womb.Thus the Stone is generated from the first substance, which contains the four elements; it is brought forth by two things, thebody and the spirit; the wind bears it in its womb, for itcarries the Stone upward from earth to heaven, and down againfrom heaven to earth. Thus the Stone receives increase fromabove and from below, and is born a second time, just as every230 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.other fœtus is generated in the maternal womb; as all createdthings bring forth their young, even so does the air, or wind,bring forth our Stone. When Hermes adds, " Its power, orvirtue, is entire, when it is transmuted into earth," he meansthat when the spirit is transmuted into the body, it receivesits full strength and virtue. For as yet the spirit is volatile, andnot fixed, or permanent. If it is to be fixed, we must proceed asthe baker does in baking bread. We must impart only a littleof the spirit to the body at a time, just as the baker only puts alittle leaven to his meal, and with it leavens the whole lump.The spirit, which is our leaven, in like fashion transmutes thewhole body into its own substance. Therefore the body mustbe leavened again and again, until the whole lump is thoroughlypervaded with the power of the leaven. In our Art the bodyleavens the spirit, and transmutes it into one body, and thespirit leavens the body, and transmutes it into one spirit. Andthe two, when they have become one, receive power toleaven all things, into which they are injected, with their own virtue.The Sage continues: " If you gently separate the earth fromthe water, the subtle from the hard, the Stone ascends from earthto heaven, and again descends from heaven to earth, and receivesits virtue from above and from below. By this process youobtain the glory and brightness of the whole world. With it youcan put to flight poverty, disease, and weariness; for it overcomesthe subtle mercury, and penetrates all hard and firm bodies. "He means that all who would accomplish this task must separatethe moist from the dry, the water from the earth. The water, orfire, being subtle, ascends, while the body is hard, and remains.where it is. The separation must be accomplished by gentle heat,i.e., in the temperate bath of the Sages, which acts slowly, and isneither too hot nor too cold. Then the Stone ascends to heaven,and again descends from heaven to earth. The spirit and bodyare first separated, then again joined together by gentle coction,of a temperature resembling that with which a hen hatches hereggs. Such is the preparation of the substance, which is worththe whole world, whence it is also called a " little world." Thepossession ofthe Stone will yield you the greatest delight, andunspeakably precious comfort. It will also set forth to you in aTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 231typical form the creation of the world. It will enable you to castout all disease from the human body, to drive away poverty, andto have a good understanding of the secrets of Nature. The Stonehas virtue to transmute mercury into gold and silver, and topenetrate all hard and firm bodies, such as precious stones andmetals. You cannot ask a better gift of God than this gift, whichis greater than all other gifts. Hence Hermes may justly callhimself by the proud title of " Hermes Trismegistus, who holdsthe three parts of the whole world of wisdom."ANOTHER TRACT,CORRESPONDING TO THE FIRST, WHICH MAY BEREAD WITH GREAT PROFIT.PREFACE.We may justly wonder that the Sages who have writtenabout this most precious and secret Art, have thought it necessaryto invent so many occult and and allegorical expressions, bymeans of which our Art is concealed not only from the unworthy,but from earnest and diligent students of the truth. Foolish persons, indeed, who read their books, and hear of the riches andall the other good things which this Art affords, experience apleasant tickling sensation in their cars, and straightway beholdvisions of themselves sitting on golden thrones, and commandingall the treasures of the universe; they fancy that the Art can belearned in the twinkling of an eye, soon come to regard themselves as great Doctors, and are unable to conceive the possibilityof their making a mistake, or being led astray by the Sages.Much less are they aware that it has always been the custom ofthe philosophers to conceal the fundamental facts of this Art,and to reveal them to their own sons and disciples only in sententious allegorical sayings. It is impossible to read through all thatthe Sages have ever written on this subject; but it is a still more232 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.hopeless undertaking to gather from their books a full and sufficient knowledge of our Art, unless, indeed, God opens yourunderstanding, and gives you a real insight into the naturalproperties ofthings, and thereby into the sayings of those whospeak of them. For it is Nature alone that accomplishes thevarious processes of our Art, and a right understanding of Naturewill furnish you with eyes wherewith to perceive the secretsthereof. Thus Bason says: " Take care not to add anything else;for it is the property of our substance to overcome all otherthings. " And Bondinus tells us that the whole process is accomplished by means of the water which issues from the Stone.Alphidius declares that the Philosopher's Stone contains fourdifferent natures, and thereby possesses a virtue and efficacysuch as are found in no other stone. Therefore, the question ofthe Royal Sage Haly, whether there is another stone uponearth which may be compared with our Stone, and possesses thesame wonderful properties, is answered by Morienus in the following words: " I am aware of no other stone of equal excellence,potency, and virtue; for it contains the four elements in avisible form, and is singular of its kind among all the created.things of the world. If, therefore, any person should take any[other] Stone but the one demanded by this Magistery, hislabours must result in failure. " Moreover, the ancient Sage Arrossays: " Our Stone is useless for our purpose, until it be purgedof its gross earth. " In like manner we are informed by Morienusthat unless the body be purged of its grossness, it cannot beunited to its spirit; but when it has put off its gross nature,the spirit joins itself to it, and delights in it, because both havebeen freed from all impurity." The truth ofhis words is attestedby Ascanius in " The Crowd," who says: " Spirits cannot jointhemselves to impure bodies; but when the body has been wellpurged, and digested by coction, the spirit becomes united to it,amidst a phenomenal exhibition of all the colours in the world,and the imperfect body is tinged with the indestructible colour ofthe ferment; this ferment is the soul, in and through which thespirit is joined to the body, and transmuted with the body intothe colour ofthe ferment, whereupon all three become one thing."Hence it is well, though somewhat enigmatically said by theSages, that there takes place a conjugal union of husband andTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 233wife, and that of the two a child is born after their likeness, justas men generate men, metals metals, and all other things thatwhich is like them.Hence all that would exercise this Art must know the properties of the most noble substance thereof, and follow theguidance ofNature. But many enquirers conduct their operationsat haphazard, they grope in the dark, and do not know whether their art be an imitation of Nature, or not. Yet they undertaketo correct, and intensify, the operation ofNature. Ofsuch persons Arnold says that they approach our Art as the ass goes up tothe crib, not knowing for what it opens its mouth. For they donot know what they would do, nor are they aware that they mustlisten to the teaching of Nature. They seek to do the worksof Nature, but they will not watch the hand of her whomthey pretend to imitate. Yet our Art has a true foundationin natural fact. For Nature prepares the metals in the earth,some perfect, like gold and silver; others imperfect, likeVenus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter, according to the labour andinfluence of the planets. He, then, who would accomplish ourMagistery, and desires to participate in this most noble Art, must know the seed from which the metals are naturally generated inthe earth, which seed we remove by Nature, and purify and prepare it by Art, making it so glorious, and full of wonderfulpotency, that with it we can impart instant purity and perfectionto the imperfect bodies of men and metals. This seed we mustextract from perfect, pure, and mature bodies, if we would attainthe desired end. Now, in order that you may the more readilyattain this knowledge, I have composed the following Tractconcerning the first principle of Nature, and the creation andgeneration of man-which the student of our Magistery shoulddiligently peruse, consider, and digest. Then he will not soeasily miss the right path.The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom.All true Sages and philosophers have earnestly sought toobtain a knowledge of Almighty God as He is revealed in Hismarvellous works; this knowledge they attained, in so far as itcan be attained by the human mind, by diligently consideringthe origin and first principles of all things. For they were enabled234 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.to realize the omnipotence of the Creator by the contemplationofthe secret powers, and miraculous virtues, which He has infusedinto natural things. They were led to consider how they mightemploy their knowledge for the good ofthe human race, and howthey might reveal it to others, and they received wisdom to expound the first principles of natural things, but more especiallythe birth and death of man, in something like the following way:In the beginning God created all things out of a subtle liquid, orimpalpable vapour which was neither moist, nor dry, nor cold,nor hot, nor light, nor dark, but a confused chaos. This subtlevapour God first changed into water, which He then separatedinto a hard and a liquid part, or into earth and water. Out ofelementary water He further evolved air, and out of elementaryearth He brought forth fire, that is, elementary fire. And it maystill be seen that the two first elements contain the two last; fordaily experience teaches us that in water there is air, and that inearth there is fire. Out ofthese God created the firmament, theSun, the Moon, and the Stars, and all other natural objects. Atlast He created a being in His own image, which He formed outof moist earth-i.e., for the most part out of earth (which enclosesfire) moistened with water (containing air). Hence it is saidthat man was created out of the four elements, and he is called a" small world." But man lay like one dead upon the ground, untilGod breathed into his nostrils the spirit of life, and Adam becamea living soul. In like manner God created all other animals, andall plants and minerals, out of the four elements. Then God setAdam in the Garden of Eden, in Paradise, which He had plantedwith His own hands, and in which flourished all manner of flowers,fruit, roots, herbs, leaves, and grass. Then Adam's heart wasfilled with joy, and he understood the great power of his Creator,and praised and magnified Him with his lips; at that time hesuffered no lack of any thing, having all that his heart desired,and he was appointed lord of all other creatures. Therefore, theeternal Creator bade the holy angels bring every other livingbeing to Adam, that all might acknowledge him as their lord,and that Adam might give to each one its own name, anddistinguish one from the other.Now when God beheld the animals walking about inParadise, each with its own mate (except Adam, for whom noTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 235:mate was found); when God saw them approaching him, andyet eager to flee from him, because of the reverence and awewith which he inspired them -God said: " It is not good forman to be alone "; therefore He caused a deep sleep to fall uponAdam, and taking one of his ribs, not far from his heart, Heformed it into a beautiful woman. This woman God broughtunto the man, calling her Eve, and gave her to him for a wife,that he might protect her, that she might obey him, and thatthey might be fruitful and multiply.The Glory and Excellence of Adam.God had appointed that Adam and Eve should spend athousand years in Paradise, and then be translated, body andsoul, to the Eternal Life of Heaven; the same glorious destinywas in reserve for their posterity. For as yet man was pure, good,and sinless, and not subject or liable to any kind of distemper,or sickness. He was acceptable and perfect in the sight of HisCreator, who had made him in His own image, and given him allthe produce of Paradise to eat, except the fruit of the Tree ofKnowledge, from which he was to abstain on pain of eternalpunishment, both bodily and spiritual. But when he gave carto the seducing words of the Evil One, and ate the forbiddenfruit, he straightway became poor and wretched, perceived hisown nakedness, and concealed himself amongst the trees ofthegarden. He had deserved eternal death, and it would havefallen upon him, if the Son of God, our Lord and Saviour JesusChrist, had not promised to give satisfaction for him. Yet inthis world God punished Adam with a heavy yoke of wretchedness, tribulation, poverty, and disease, followed by the bitteragony of death. He also drove him forth from Paradise, aadlaid a heavy curse upon the ground, that thenceforward it shouldnot bring forth fruit of its own accord, but that it should bearthorns and thistles. Now, when Adam found himself in themidst of a wild and uncultivated earth, compelled to gain hisbread by tilling the field in the sweat of his brow, and to enduremuch suffering, care, and anxiety, he began to think seriously ofwhat he had done to provoke the wrath of God, to experience deepsorrow for his grievous sin, and to implore God's gracious mercyand forgiveness. His prayers appeased the paternal heart of236 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.God, and induced Him to ease the grievous yoke laid uponAdam. The central fact of his punishment, however, remained,and death, though deferred, at length overtook him.But, as I say, God mitigated the punishment of Adam, andtook away from his neck the grievous yoke of suffering, byshewing him the means of warding off the strokes of impendingcalamity. For this purpose the natural properties of things wererevealed to Adam by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; andhe was taught to prepare medicines out of herbs, stones, andmetals, wherewith he might alleviate his hard lot, ward offdisease, and keep his body in good health until the end of his days,which, however, was known to God alone. For, although fromthe very beginning Adam had a clear insight into the workingof the natural world, the greatest of all secrets was still hiddenfrom him, till God one day called him into Paradise, and set forthto him this marvellous mystery-the mystery of our Stone—inthe following words:66 Behold, Adam, here are two things, the one fixed andimmutable, the other volatile and inconstant. The great virtueand potency that slumber in them you must not reveal to allyour sons. For I created them for a special purpose, which Iwill now no longer conceal from you." Now, when Adam hadlearned the mystery out of God's own mouth, he kept it a strictsecret from all his sons, until at length, towards the close ofhis life, he obtained leave from God to make the preparation ofthe Stone known to his son Seth. Unless Adam had possessed the knowledge of this great mystery he would not havebeen able to prolong his life to the age of 300 ( let alone 900)years. For he was never for a momeut free from an agonizingsense of his guilt, and of the terrible evils which he had, by hisdisobedience, brought upon himself and his posterity, who,through his fault, were one and all involved in the condemnationof eternal death. If we consider this, it must appear amazingthat Adam could keep alive even so long as a single year afterhis fall; and we thereby clearly perceive (from the fact that heattained to so great a length of days) that the goodness of Godmust have furnished him with some life-preserving remedy. IfAdam had not possessed our Medicine, or Tincture, he couldnot have borne up under so much tribulation , anxiety, wretched-THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 237ness, grief, sorrow, and disease. But against all these ills heused our Medicine, which preserved his limbs and his strengthfrom decay, braced his faculties, comforted his heart, refreshedhis spirit, relieved his anxiety, fortified his mortal body againstall manner of disease, and, in short, guarded him from all eviluntil the last hour of his life.At length, however, Adam found that the Remedy had nolonger any power to strengthen him, or to prolong his life. Sohe began to consider his end, refrained from applying the Medicine any more, threw himself upon the mercy of God, and senthis son Seth (to whom he had confided the secret), to the gateof Paradise, to demand some of the fruit of the Tree of Life.His request was denied him, whereupon he returned, and carriedback to his father the answer of the Angel. It was heavy newsfor Adam, who now felt that his end was approaching, and therefore sent Seth a second time to fetch the oil of mercy. Before hecould return, Adam died; but, at the bidding of God, Sethobtained from the Angel some olive-stones from the Tree of theOil of Mercy, and planted them on his father's grave, wherethey grew into the tree from which the Cross of our BlessedRedeemer was made. Thus, though in a carnal sense the Oilwas denied to Adam, and brought him no surcease from temporal death; yet, in a spiritual sense, it was freely given to himand obtained for him and all his offspring eternal life, and free,gracious, and merciful forgiveness of all their sins, concerningwhich God promised that He would remember them no more.Thus, through the Heavenly Tree of Life, God fulfilled theprayer of our first parent Adam, and granted his request in away which he had not looked for; and he now tastes the joywhich is at the right hand of God, and is for ever removed fromthe hostile power of hunger, thirst, heat, cold, death, and all the other evils which flesh is heir to. Let us then diligently strive torealize that the Mystery of the Redemption is the most precious,the most excellent, and the most awful of the mysteries revealedby God to man, a mystery which no human thought can sound,and which no human lips can ever fully utter. But of thisAwful Mystery, or Medicine of the Soul, God has also bestowedupon us an earthly antitype, or Medicine of the Body, by meansof which wretched man may, even in this world, secure himself1238 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.against all bodily distempers, put to flight anxiety and care, andrefresh and comfort his heart in the hour of trouble-namely,the Mystery of the Sages, or the Medicine of the Philosophers.If, therefore, a man would be perfectly happy in this world, andin the world to come, he should earnestly and devoutly strive tobecome possessed of these two Remedies; and for this purpose,he should turn to God with his whole heart, and ask for Hisgracious help, without which neither can be obtained; and, aboveall, he should be most eager to receive that Remedy by which the soul is healed of the mortal disease of sin.This is the true fountain of the Sages; and there is nothinglike it upon earth, but one eternal thing, by which the mortalbody may, in this vale of tears, be fortified against all accidentaldisease, shielded from the pangs of poverty, and rendered sound,healthy, and strong, being protected against all mischances tothe very end; and by which also metallic bodies may be changed into gold through a quickening ofthe process which Natureuses in the heart ofthe earth. The preparation and effects ofthis Stone are not unjustly considered to bear a close analogy tothe creation of the world; therefore, I thought well to give anaccount ofit from the very beginning.I will now proceed briefly to expound my view of this Art,which, as all Sages testify, corresponds most closely to thecreation and generation of man. I will attempt to make mymeaning as plain as I dare, for the glory of the Holy Trinity, andthe good of all Christian believers. When God had created theworld, and adorned it with all manner of green things, herbs,roots, leaves, flowers, grass, and also with animals and minerals,he blessed them, and appointed that everything should bringforth fruit and seed after its kind. Only Adam (who is ourMatter) was not yet in a position to produce any fruit out ofhimself. Before he could propagate his species, it was necessarythat a part ofhim should be taken away, and again joined to him,ie , his wife Eve. Hereunto we must understand that so longas our substance is still gross and undivided, it can produce no fruit. It must first be divided, the subtle from the gross, or thewater from the earth. The water is Eve, or the spirit; theearth Adam, or the body. And as the male is useless for purposes of generation until it be united to the female, so ourTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 239earth is dead till it is quickened by the union with water.This is what that ancient Sage, Hermes, means when he saysthat the dead must be raised to life, and the feeble made strong.It is necessary, then, to unite body and soul, and tochange that which is below into that which is above, i.e. , bodyinto spirit, and spirit into body. By this expression you are tounderstand not that the spirit by itself is changed into a body,or that the body by itself is changed into a spirit, but that bothare united, and that the spirit, or water, dissolves, or resuscitatesthe body, or earth, while the body attracts the spirit, or water;and that they are thus joined into one substance, the earth beingsoftened by the water, and the water hardened by the earth-asthe boys in the street pour water on dry dust, and knead thewhole into one mass. For this reason the Sages call our processchild's play, in which the death of one is the life of the other,i.e., in which the hardness of the one is softened by the other,and vice versa, seeing that the two are nothing but body andspirit originally belonging together. When contemplating thisunion, the Sage, Hermes, bursts forth into the following exclamation: " Oh, how strong, victorious, and precious is thisnature that so unspeakably comforts its supplementary nature! "This nature is water, which stirs up and quickens the nature ofthe body. Hence it is said that Adam, or the body, would bedead without Eve, the spirit; for when the water has beendistilled from our substance, the body lies dead and barren atthe bottom of the alembic, and is described by the Sagesas being, after the loss of its spirit, black, poisonous, anddeadly. Ifthe body is to be resuscitated, it must be renderedfit for generation by being purged of its blackness and fetidsmell, and then its sweat or spirit must be restored to it; thespirit cannot conceive unless the body be allowed to embrace itsEve, or spirit. Senior says that the higher vapour must bebrought back to the lower vapour; the Divine water is the Kingthat descends from heaven, and leads the soul back to its bodywhich is thereby quickened from the dead. Observe that in thebody there is hidden fixed salt, which slumbers there just as themale seed slumbered in Adam. This the spirit, or Eve, attracts,and thus becomes pregnant; that is to say: The seed of thebody, which we call fixed salt, is extracted from the body by its240 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.own water (which has before been separated from it), and isrendered so subtle and volatile that it ascends with the spirit toheaven. Then we say that the fixed has become volatile, thatthe dead has been revived, and that the body has received lifefrom its spirit. On this account the water is called by someSages the living water of the man, since it is extracted from thebody, or man; and Lucas enjoins us to take it, and heat it afterthe fashion of Nature. Other Sages call the body the " blacksoil," because in it the fixed salt is concealed from view, like theseed in the ground. Others, again, call it the " black raven,"which has in its maw the " white dove "; and the water which isdistilled from the body they call the " virgin's milk," by which the white dove must be brought forth from the black raven. Inshort, these things are described by the Sages under a greatvariety of names; but the meaning of those names is the same.In this fashion the water is embraced by the body, and the seedof the body, or the fixed salt, makes the water pregnant. Forthe water dissolves the body, and bears upward with it someparticles ofthe fixed salt; and the oftener this process is repeated,the thicker does the water become. Hence the repetition ofthe process is a most important point. Hermes says that whenhe saw the water gradually grow thicker and harder, he rejoiced,for thereby he knew that he should find what he sought. Thewater, then, must be poured upon the body, and heated with it,till the body is dissolved, and then again extracted till the bodyis coagulated. Thus the body must be well broken up, and purifiedby washing. This process of affusion and extraction must berepeated until all the salt, or potency and efficacy, has been extracted from the body. This is the case when the water becomeswhite and thick, and, in the cold, hard and solid like ice, while inthe heat it melts like butter. Now, when nothing more can beextracted from the body, the residuum must be removed; for itis the superfluous part of the substance. This is what the Sagesmean when they say: In the preparation we remove that whichis superfluous; but otherwise our whole Magistery is accomplishedwith one single substance, nothing being added, and nothingtaken away, except that which is really superfluous; for itpossesses in abundance all that is needed, namely, the water, or"white, flaky earth," which must be injected into " livingTHE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 241mercury," that so the transmutation into good and fixed silvermay take place. But something much more noble and preciousis concealed in this water (fixed salt), which grows and growslike the infant in the mother's womb. For as the embryo in thematrix, which is first a mere seed, grows, and is gradually transmuted into flesh and blood, z.e. , into a thicker substance, till atlength the limbs are formed; so this water grows from the whitecolour which distinguishes it at first, till it is changed to anothercolour. (For the embryo, too, is transmuted from the naturalcolour of the embryo into flesh and blood. ) The substance atlength assuming a red colour, may be compared to the formingof the infant's limbs; it is then that we first see what is tobecome of it. When you perceive this final transmutation-thegerm of which lay in the substance all along -you maywell rejoice; for you have attained the object of yourdesire.Thus I have described the union of the man and woman,that is to say, of the body and spirit, by means of which thechild is conceived in the water, and the whiteness extracted fromthe black body. Nor do we need anything else, except, asMorienus says, time and patience. This coagulated water is the"white, flaky earth," in which the Sage bids us sow our gold andsilver that they may bear fruit a hundred-thousand-fold. This isthe " clear spring " of the Count of Trevisa, in which the Kingbathes, though not assisted by any of his ministers, who onlywatch his clothes until he has dried up the whole spring, whenhe makes all his ministers lords and kings such as he was atthe time of his entering the bath. But now the King's dignityis three times as great as it was before; he wears a three-folddiadem on his head, and is arrayed in garments that shine likecarbuncles and amethysts, and beneath them he wears the tunicof purity, and is bound with the girdle of righteousness. He isthe most glorious King of life, whose power transcends all humanthought. At his side is seated his pure and chaste queen, sprungof his own seed; and of these two are born many royal children.The redness is concealed and preserved in the whiteness,which must not be extracted, but subjected to gentle coctionuntil its full crimson glory flames forth. This whiteness is thus referred to in "The Crowd ": Ifyou see that after the blacknessQ64242 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.there follows a whiteness, be sure that after the whiteness willcome a redness: for the redness slumbers in the whiteness, andshould not be extracted, but gently heated, until the whole turnsred." Let what I have now said suffice you.THE GLORY OF THE WORLD. 243HERMES [says]:You must have a good knowledge of the True Principleof both Natural and Artificial Substances. For he who knowsnot the true First Principle will never attain to the end.THE LOVE OF GOD ANDOF YOUR NEIGHBOURIS THE PERFECTION OF ALL WISDOM.To LOVE GOD IS THE HIGHEST WISDOM,ANDTIME IS OUR POSSESSION.UNTO HIM BE ALL HONOUR, PRAISE, ANDGLORY.

A TRACTOF GREAT PRICECONCERNING THE PHILOSOPHICALSTONE.PUBLISHED BY A GERMAN SAGE IN THE YEAR1423,UNDER THE FOLLOWING TITLE:THE TRUE TEACHING OF PHILOSOPHYCONCERNINGTHE GENERATION OF METALSANDTHEIR TRUE ORIGIN.·A TRACT OF GREAT PRICECONCERNING THE PHILOSOPHICAL STONE.A'CHAPTER I.LL temporal things derive their origin, their existence,and their essence from the earth, according to the succession of time. Their specific properties are determined by the outward and inward influences of the starsand planets, (such as the Sun, the Moon, Etc. ), and of the fourqualities of the elements. From these combined circ*mstancesarisethe peculiar forms, and propersubstances, of all growing, fixed,and generating things, accordingto the natural order appointed bythe Most High at the beginning of the world. The metals, then,derive their origin from the earth, and are specifically compoundedof the four qualities, or the properties of the four elements; theirpeculiar metallic character is stamped upon them by theinfluences of the stars and planets. So we are informed byAristotle, in the fourth book of his Meteor. , where he says thatquicksilver is the common substance of all metals. The firstthing in Nature, as we said before, is the substance whichrepresents a particular conglomeration of the four elements,which the Sages call Mercury, or quicksilver. But thisquicksilver is as yet imperfect, on account of its gross andearthy sulphureous nature, which renders it too casily combustible, and on account of its superfluous watery elements, whichhave all been collected together out of the four elements by theaction ofthe heavenly planets. This substance is composed of ahot sulphureous earth, and a watery essence, in such a way thatthe Sages have called it imperfect sulphur.248 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Now, since Nature is always striving to attain perfection, andto reach the goal set before her by the Creator of all things, she iscontinually at work upon the qualities of the four elements ofeach substance; and so stirs up and rouses the inward action ofthe elements by the accidental heat of the Sun, and by naturalwarmth, that there arises a kind of vapour or steam in the veins of the earth. This vapour cannot make its way out, but isclosed in; in penetrating through fat, earthy, oily, and impuresulphurcous substances it attracts to itself more or less of theseforeign and external impurities. This is the reason that thereare seen in it so great a variety of colours before it attains topurity and its own proper colour.Those mineral and metallic substances which contain thelargest proportion of efficacious sulphureous and mercurialvapour are the best; and cach quality of the four elements hasits own peculiar operation and transmuting influence in such aconglomeration of various substances-their action being rousedby the sulphur of the earth and the outward heat of the Sun.Through these agencies the Matter is often dissolved andcoagulated, till that which is pure, or impure, is borne upward;and this is the work not of a few years, but of a great length oftime. Nature has to purge away the peculiar characteristics ofall other metals before she can make gold; as you may see bythe fact that different kinds of metal are found in the samemetallic vein. This fact may be explained in the followingmanner. When the sulphureous and mercurial vapours ascend,they are mixed, and united by coction, with the aforesaidsubstance. If those sulphurcous vapours are earthy, thick, andimpure, and the heat of the Sun, or their own natural heat, havetoo sudden and violent an effect, the substance hardens, with all itssulphureous impurities, before it can be purged of its grossness,and it becomes more like metallic sulphur. If the quicksilver ishardened, the whole mass takes the form of some metal,according to the influence of the particular planet with which it is penetrated. For Nature first combines the four elements intosome substance or body, which then receives its specificproperties through the influence of some planet. Such is theorigin of copper, tin, lead, iron, and quicksilver. But it is notessential that I should here describe at length the specificA TRACT OF GREAT PRICE 249composition and distinctive properties of each of the imperfectmetals; they are all mingled in various proportions of impuresulphur and inefficacious quicksilver. Nature, as I said, isceaselessly at work upon these imperfect metals, purging andseparating the pure quicksilver from the impure, and the puresulphur from the impure, until all their grossness is removed, andthey become what God designed that they should be, viz. , gold.But if these vapours float upward in their original pure condition,with their inward, pure, and subtle earth, without becoming mixedwith gross, earthy, and sulphureous alloy, and if they succeed inbreaking forth into the open air, before they become hardenedinto a sulphureous mass, they remain quicksilver and are notchanged into any metal.If, however, this pure quicksilver floats upward in a puremineral earth, without any gross alloy, it is hardened into thepure and white sulphur of Nature by being subjected to a verymoderate degree of gentle heat, and at length assumes thespecific form of silver. Like all the other metals it may still bedeveloped into gold, if it remain under the influence of itsnatural heat. But if the same pure, unalloyed quicksilver besubjected to a higher degree of natural heat, it is transmutedinto the pure red sulphur of Nature, and becomes gold without first passing through the stage of silver. In this form itremains, because gold is the highest possible stage of metallicdevelopment.Quicksilver is the mother of all metals, on account of itscoldness and moistness; and if it be once purified and cleansedof all foreign matter it cannot be mixed any more with grossness of any kind, neither can it be changed back into animperfect metal. For Nature does not undo her work, and thatwhich has once become perfectly pure can never become impureagain. Sulphur, on the other hand, is the father of all metals,on acount of its heat and dryness. In the following chapter weshall refer to this difference, and speak more in detail aboutquicksilver.CHAPTER II.There is, then, in all metals true mercury, and good sulphur,in the imperfect as well as in the perfect metals. But in the250 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.imperfect metals it is defiled with impure matter, and stands in need of maturing. Hence you see that all metals may bechanged into gold and silver, if the golden and silver propertiesthat are in them be freed from all alloy, and reduced by gentleheat to the form of silver or gold. Those metals, indeed,which have been torn up by the roots, that is to say, that havebeen dug up from their own proper soil in the veins of theearth, can no longer proceed in that course of developmentwhich they pursued in their native abode; yet, as much as inthem lies, they strive to be perfected.Now the Spirit of Truth, who imparts all true knowledge,.has taught the Sages a Medicine, or Form, by which all theimpurities of the imperfect metals may be removed, and theperfect nature, or true mercury, which is in them, transmutedinto gold and silver.CHAPTER III.But we must now proceed to say a few words about themethod of preparing this Medicine, by which the imperfection isremoved from imperfect metals through the mediation of perfectmercury, and the mode of gold and silver is developed in them.I find that the writings of the Sages are all about gold,silver, and quicksilver, which, it is said, must be reduced to theform which they wore before they became metals; that is tosay, the form which they wore, perhaps, some thousands ofyears ago. But the operation of Nature is progressive, not retrogressive. Hence it is a great mistake to suppose that the workof Nature can be reversed by dissolution in aqua fortis, or bythe amalgamation of gold or silver and quicksilver. For ifthe metal be plunged in a solvent, if water be distilled from it , orif quicksilver be sublimed from it, it still remains the samemetal that it was before. The specific properties of a metal cannot be destroyed so as to obtain the first substance. YetAristotle says that metals cannot be changed unless they arereduced to their original substance.CHAPTER IV.What we said in the last chapter shows that Alchemical Artcannot be concerned with the subjecting of gold, silver, or quick-A TRACT OF GREAT PRICE. 251silver to chemical processes. Nevertheless, that which you readin the books of the Sages is most true; and we shall see in thefollowing pages in what sense it is to be understood, that our Artis in gold, silver, and quicksilver. But it is clear that our Art canmake no use of quicksilver such as may be obtained from themetals by means of any kind of artificial process, such as dissolution in aqua fortis, or amalgamation, or any other method ofchemical purification.If then, this is not the right substance, or original mercury,it is clear that it is not to be found in the metals. For even ifyou melt two, three, or four metals together, yet not one of themcan give the others any aid towards attaining perfection, seeing that itself stands in need of external aid. And even though youmix some imperfect metal with gold, the gold will not give up itsown perfection for the purpose of succouring the other for ithas nothing to spare which it might impart to the imperfect metal. And even if the imperfect metal could assume the virtueand efficacy ofthe gold, it could only do so at the expense ofthe gold itself. In vain, then, shall we seek in metals the Medicinewhich has power to liberate the perfect mercury contained in im- perfect metals.CHAPTER V.Again, we read in the books of the Sages that quicksilverand mercury are the original substance of all metals. Thesewords are true in a certain sense. But by many beginners theyare supposed to mean ordinary quicksilver. Such an interpreta- tion, however, makes nonsense of the dictum of the Sages. Forordinary quicksilver is an imperfect metal, and itself derived fromthe original substance of all metals. The Sages, indeed, saylittle about the origin of their mercury; but that is exactly because they use the name of mercury, or sulphur, for the firstsubstance of their perfect metals. If common mercury were nota metal, there would be no metal corresponding to the celestialinfluence of the planet Mercury, as gold and silver receive theirspecific properties from the influence of the Sun and Moon. Now,as it is one of the metals, the other metals cannot be derived fromit, much less can their properties be derived from it or fromthemselves, although the real perfect mercury is quite as abundant252 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.in mercury as in any other metal. Nor can common sulphurbe the first substance of the metals, for no metal contains somuch impurity as common sulphur; and if it be mixed with anymetal, that metal becomes even more impure than it was before,and is even partially, or wholly, corroded.CHAPTER VI.Again, the Sages affirm that quicksilver, or mercury, is thespirit of the specific nature of metals, collected out of the fourelements by the influence of the Planets, and the operation ofNature in the earth-and that from it is developed either gold,silver, or some other of seven metals, according to the peculiareffects ofthe predominant planetary influence.Hence ignorant alchemists have supposed that all this istrue of the common quicksilver, because it amalgamates withall metals, and is soft and volatile. But why should its volatileproperties prove it to be no metal? According to this definition,we might deny the metallic character of tin, lead, and othermetals, because they do not remain fixed in a fierce fire-thoughone can stand a greater degree of heat than another. If, again,any substance is to be called the first substance of metals becauseof the facility with which it amalgamates with them, copperwould have a better claim to be so regarded, since it enters into acloser union with gold and silver than mercury, and shares boththeir fusible and malleable nature. But that is no final union,for it admits of separation; and quicksilver may, with the greatest case, be separated from the metals with which it hasamalgamated. A true union of metals can only take place inthe original substance which is common to all. We do findamalgams of three, or even more metals; but then this unionwas consummated in the first substance, which is one, and thewhole amalgam would have been developed into gold, if itsnatural growth had not been retarded by gross, sulphureous,arsenical, and earthy impurity, which is found among metalswhen purified. The metals which we dig up out of the earthare, as it were, torn up by the roots, and, their growth havingcome to a standstill, they can undergo no further developmentinto gold, but must always retain their present form, unless some-A TRACT OF GREAT PRICE. 253thing is done for them by our Art. Hence we must begin at thepoint where Nature had to leave off: we must purge away allimpurity, and the sulphureous alloy, as Nature herself would havedone if her operation had not been accidentally, or violently, disturbed. She would have matured the original substance, andbrought it to perfection by gentle heat, and, in a longer or shorterperiod of time, she would have transmuted it into gold. In thiswork Nature is ceaselessly occupied while the metals are still inthe earth; but she takes away from them nothing save theirsuperfluous water, and the impurity which prevents them fromattaining to the nature of gold, as we briefly showed in thesecond chapter.CHAPTER VII.It is clear, then, that the final union of metals, or their perfection, cannot be attained by the mingling of any specificmetals; that the metallic substance becomes useless for ourpurpose, as soon as it assumes a specific form; but that, at thesame time, all metals have a common origin, or Matter, which isone thing, flowing out by the operation of Nature, who everdesires the most perfect form which her own essence and her condition will admit. And this is the form of gold, highest and bestof all that belong to the metallic mode. If, then, the purest formof this substance which it is possible for Art to prepare with thehelp of Nature, be added to the imperfect metals, then it overcomes what is impure in these, for it is not the impure, but thepure matter which is like unto it. But you must not supposethat this power belongs to common gold; common gold has itsown specific form, which it is unable to impart to other metals.The power of gold is sufficient only for preserving its own excellence; but our prepared substance is much better and morehonourable than gold, and has power to do that which goldcannot do, viz. , to change the common matter of all metalsinto gold.CHAPTER VIII.From what I have hitherto said, one ignorant of alchemymight suppose that the teaching of the Sages is altogether falseand untrustworthy. Therefore I must now proceed to tell you254 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.how it may truly be affirmed that our Art is concerned with quicksilver, silver, and gold, or with quicksilver and sulphur, and inwhat sense mercury is the spirit of the metals. I will first speak.about quicksilver, and at once premise that this word is not heretaken to mean that common quicksilver which is one of themetals, but the first substance of all the metals, and itself nospecific metal at all. For a metal must have derived its distinctiveproperties through planetary influences; nor can any onemetal be the first substance of all metals. This quicksilver isneither too hot, nor too cold, nor too moist, nor too dry; but it isa well-tempered mingling of all four. When perfectly maturedquicksilver is subjected to external heat, operating thereon, it isnot burned, but escapes in a volatile essence. Hence it may wellbe called by the philosophers a spirit, or a swift, and winged, andindestructible soul.So long as it is palpable and visible it is also called body;when subjected to external cold it is congealed into a fixed body,and then these three, body, soul, and spirit, are one thing, andcontain the properties of all the four elements. That outwardpart which is moist and cold is called water, or quicksilver; onaccount of its inward heat it is called air; if without it appear hotand dry it is fire, or sulphur; and on account of its internalcoldness it is also styled earth. In this way quicksilver and sulphur are the original substance of all metals; but, of course, I donot mean that the substance is prepared by mixing commonsulphur and quicksilver. The sulphur and quicksilver of theSages are one and the same thing, which is first of the nature ofquicksilver, or moist and watery, and is then, by constant coction,transmuted into the nature of sulphur, which may inost justly bedescribed as dry and igneous.CHAPTER IX.But I wish to confine my discourse to the quicksilver andsulphur ofthe philosophers, from which all metals derive theirorigin; and it is, according to the Sages, a heavy, earthy water,mixed with very subtle white earth, and subjected to natural coction until the moist and the dry elements have become unitedand coagulated into one body-through the perfect mutualA TRACT OF GREAT PRICE. 255adjustment of all the elementary properties, and by the accidentaloperation of cold. This is the substance which is used for thepurposes of our Art, after it has been perfected and purified bygentle coction, and freed from its carthy and sulphureous grossness, and the combustible wateriness ofthe quicksilver. It is thenone clear, pure, and indestructible substance, proceeding from aduplex substance, exhibiting, in their greatest purity and efficacy,the united properties of quicksilver and of sulphur. In Art theoperation is similar to Nature. Hence the Sages have justlyaffirmed that our Art is concerned with quicksilver, gold, andsilver. For in its first stage the substance resembles quicksilver,which is sublimed by gentle natural heat, and purified in theveins ofthe rocks in the form of a pure vapour, as we explainedabove. To it we now add silver and gold, and that for the following reason, because we cannot find anywhere else in any onething the metallic power needed for rousing the sulphur of thequicksilver, and coagulating it, except in gold and silver. Forthe Sage cannot prepare our quicksilver unless it be first removedfrom the earth, and separated from the potency of its naturalsurroundings; and all these natural influences.can be artificiallysupplied only by the addition of gold and silver. Our Art, then,has to find a substitute for those natural forces in the preciousmetals. By them alone it is able to fix the volatile properties ofour quicksilver, for in them alone do we find the powers and influences which are indispensable to our chemical process.You should also bear in mind that the silver should beapplied to our quicksilver before the gold, because the quicksilveris volatile, and cannot with safety be subjected all at once togreat heat. Silver has the power of stirring up the inherentsulphur of the quicksilver, whereby it is coagulated into theform of the Remedy for transmuting metals into silver; andthis coagulation is brought about by the gentle heat of thesilver. Gold requires a much higher degree of heat, and ifgold were added to the quicksilver before the silver, the greaterdegree of heat would at once change the quicksilver intoa red sulphur, which, however, would be of no use for thepurpose of making gold, because it would have lost its essential moisture; and our Art requires that the quicksilver shouldbe first coagulated by means of silver into white sulphur,256 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.before the greater degree of heat is applied which, through gold,changes it into red sulphur. There must be whiteness beforethere is redness. Redness before whiteness spoils our wholesubstance.CHAPTER X.The quicksilver of the Sages has no power to transmuteimperfect metals, until it has absorbed the essential qualities ofgold and silver; for in itself it is no metal at all, and if it is toimpart the spirit, the colour, and the hardness of gold and silver,it must first receive them itself. It is with the first substance ofmetals as it is with water. If saffron is dissolved in water, thewater is coloured with it, and if mixed with other water, impartsto that water, too, the colour of saffron. Unless the first substance, or quicksilver, is tinged with silver and gold, and coagulated by their efficacy, it cannot impart any colour, orcoagulate the (water or) first substance which is latent in theimperfect metals. For it is essentially a spirit, and volatile, andif it be added to imperfect metals, it cannot act upon their water,or undeveloped first- substance, because that is partly fixed by their coagulated sulphur. But if the first-substance has beenfixed by means of gold and silver, it has become a fixed andindestructible water; and, if added to imperfect metals, takes upinto its own nature their first substance, or water, and mingleswith it. By this means all that is combustible and impure inthem is driven off by the fire. And herein is the saying true,which was uttered by the Sage Haly: " The spirit ( .e. , quicksilver) is not coagulated, unless the body (ie., gold and silver) befirst dissolved. " For then gold and silver become spiritual, flowing, capable of being assimilated by the common substance ofall metals, and of imparting to it their own metallic strengthand potency. And even though this new substance be fusiblein the fire, yet, when it cools again, it still remains what itwas, nor is it ever again converted into a permanent spiritualsubstance. It is the quicksilver, then, that constitutes the chiefstrength and efficacy of our Art; and he that has noquicksilver is without the very seed of gold and silver fromwhich they grow in the earth.

O museu hermético restrito e ampliado.no .. 6.Edição limitada a 250 cópias numeradas.

O museu -reestrado em termos de Andenlarged.Um trato de grande preço.257EPILOGO. Explicamos suficientemente que o Quicksilver é a primeira subsídio dos metais, sem os quais nenhum metal pode se tornar perfeito, seja na natureza ou na nossa arte.Mas ainda não sabemos onde procurá -lo e onde encontrá -lo.Este é o segredo dos sábios, que eles sempre são tão cuidadosos, sob palavras sombrias, que dificilmente uma em muitos milhares de tensões consideradas dignas de encontrar o mercúrio filosófico.Muitas coisas foram escritas sobre isso;Mas vou citar as palavras de um filósofo que considero o mais útil: na obtenção, ele diz, Deus criou a terra pura, simples, rica e muito fértil, sem pedras, areia, rochas, colinas ou vales;É as influências dos planetas que agora o cobriam, suportando, rochas e montanhas, e encheram com coisas raras de vastas cores, isto é, os minérios dos sete metais;e por essessemeanos a terra perdeu inteiramente sua forma original e, por causa das seguintes causas: - Primeira, a terra que foi criada rica, grande, profunda, larga e ampla, foi, através da operação diária dos raios do sol, penetrada emSeu centro, com um calor fervoroso, borbulhante e vaporoso.Pois a terra em si mesma está fria e saturada com a tema -história da água.Por fim, os vapores que se formaram dessa maneira no coração da Terra tornaram -se tão fortes e poderosos que procuram forçar uma saída para o ar livre, e isso, em vez de efetuar seu objeto, vomitaram colinas e colinas, ou, como issoestavam, bolhas na face da terra.E desde que esses lugares onde as montanhas foram formadas, o calor da SunSust tem sido mais poderoso, e a umidade terrosa rica e mais abundante, é lá que encontramos os metais mais preciosos.Onde a terra permaneceu clara, esse vapor não tem sucesso em elevar as montanhas;Ele escapou, e a terra, sendo privada de sua umidade, foi endurecida em rochas.Onde o time era pobre, macio e fino, agora está coberto de pedras da Sandand, porque nunca teve muita umidade e, tendo sido privado do pouco que possuía, agora se tornou arenoso e seco e incapaz de reter a umidade.Nenhuma terra desperdiçada em rochas que não eram ricas, viscosas e bem saturadas com umidade.Pois quando o calor do sol sugou R258 O Museu Hermético. Sua umidade, a riqueza da terra ainda faz com que ela se coereça, embora agora tenha se tornado duro e seco;E a terra que é note que é perfeitamente difícil é, mesmo no momento, submetido a achange em pedras duras, através do trabalho diligente da natureza. Mas o vapor e os vapores que não conseguem escapar, permanecem fechados nas montanhas e são dia por dia subjetadopara as influências amadurecidas e transmutantes do Sun e os planetas.Agora, se essa umidade vaporosa se mista com uma substância pura, sutil e terrosa, é o traminete dos sábios;Se for reduzido a uma dureza ardente e terrosa, torna -se o enxofre dos sábios.Este inquérito abre a maneira de encontrar nosso candidato a lavagem, ou primeira substância dos tempos;Mas, embora seja encontrado em grandes quantidades em todas as minas, é conhecido apenas por muito poucos.Não é prateado, ou ouro, ou comum, ou qualquer metal ou enxofre.O sábio diz: "É uma substância vaporosa de quatro elementos, aquosa e pura, e embora seja encontrada com todos os metais, não está amadurecida naqueles que são imperfeitos. Portanto, deve ser procurado no minério, em que encontramos ouroe prata. "E quando ele diz: "Se esse troca de trânsito for endurecido, é o enxofre dos sábios", hemeans que isso só pode ser feito por meio de ouro e prata, que ele toma em si, e pelo qual é sublimado e coagulado através de seuCocção gentil natural, sob a influência do calor do sol, e em seu próprio Pai Celestial adequado, mostre este Quicksilverto All Whou tou Biddest Walk em Teus caminhos! Um breve atropelamento da pedra filosófica.Anos atrás, e chamou o livro de Alze, mas agora publicado pela primeira vez.

THE BOOK OF ALZE .D°O not, gentle Reader, find fault with me for speakingfirst about the Moon, then about the Sun, and the otherplanets, and only in the third place about our mostexcellent Medicine, ALZE. In this case that which islast is better and more honourable than thatwhichis first. Thesubstancemust first become white, and then red; it cannot become redunless it have first become white. Hence Simon the Sage says:" Know that unless you first make the Stone white, you cannotmake it red." For by the red are the rest of the planets united,and the Medicine appears unawares unless this order isobserved in the matter of the white and red. So is the Moonfirst taken and makes, with the white, Elixir, that is, the white ofthe Moon to the white of Mercury out of bodies comes to thered. Whence our Sages say that the red is hidden in the white,which they do not dare to extract, until the whole substance hasbecome red. When the substance has been subjected to theinfluence of the Moon, it may then, in the second place, bebrought under the influence of the Sun, which will bring theMedicine to perfection without any aid from the other planets.By which you may understand why the Medicine comes last,even as from the Father proceeds the Son, and the Holy Spirit from both of these. He that hath ears to hear let him hear, andcomprehend the brief statement of our Art, which is given in " TheCrowd ": " Know that the true Tincture can be prepared onlyout of our ore." Concerning this ore I therefore propose to giveyou the only explanation that is required, and I shall be carefulto supplement and confirm my own opinion by quotations fromother Sages. I shall speak not only about our ore, but alsoabout our union or conjunction of water and mercury. ForEximenus says: " Nothing profitable can arise out of the262 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.66elements without conjunction and gentle coction. "Our oreLucas calls the white ore, and it goes by many other names onaccount of the many colours which it exhibits in the variousstages of the chemical process. But though the jealousy of theSages has described it under various names, it is, and remains only one substance. Pythagoras says: " Many names aregiven to it; nevertheless, it is nothing else but the one and trueMatter, and this is by reason of the development of its nature.The envious have described it by the names of all bodies, as, forinstance, a coin, lead, copper, etc., according to the variety of its colours." So Lucas tells us that we have no need of manythings,but only of one thing. Diamedes and Basan say: Do not addto it any foreign substance; for the common substance of metalsis one thing, and more excellent than all other things. " Henceour whole Art is concerned with water, and a twin substancethat ameliorates the water. Synon tells us that sulphur and ourore are derived from one thing, and changed into four. Lucassays: "The white ore is subjected to coction till it generates itself.Thus it becomes united in all its four elements, and receives aliving soul. It is never more than one thing, but as a manconsists of body, soul, and spirit, and yet is no more than oneperson, so our substance consists of body, soul, and spirit. Theore receives its strength, spirit, and growth from the water." TheSages say: " If the ore be often deadened in its coction, itbecomes all the more excellent, and if the body have a soul afterthe manner of man." The body does not penetrate the soul, butthe soul penetrates the body, because it is volatile. The soul,which is hidden in the four parts of the body, is called sulphur.These bodies are male and female, and by their mutual operationour substance becomes water. Aristeus says: Observe theindestructible water which issues from it." Take the humiditywhich it gives off. Hence other Sages say: " Take water withits twin substances, and let it be dried up by means ofthe vapourwhich is like it, and coagulated in its own water." That water isalso called poison; it is the principle of life, because it is a soul,and extracted from many things. All bodies that thisTincture enters are quickened; all bodies from which it isextracted are destroyed. Its potency is spiritual blood, which, ifwell mixed with bodies, transmutes them into spirits, and66THE BOOK OF ALZE. 263combines with them into one substance. The body attracts thespirit, and the spirit tinges the body with a spiritual substancelike blood. For the Sages say that whatever has a spirit has blood. If the venom penetrate the body, it imparts to it anindestructible colour, and then the soul cannot be separated fromthe body any more. If in flying it faces round and meets itspursuer, then is the flight at an end. The two belong together,aud Nature always tends to assimilate kindred substances.The final colour is indestructible, because the soul pervadesevery part of the body, and is inseparably bound up with it.Though the water is naturally cold, yet we must beware of toofierce a degree of heat; for if the moisture of the substance bedried up, our work must come to nought.That which is called the spirit, is the active, or male principle, and can only be obtained by the dissolution of the body.Accordingly, we must understand this of the humidity whichresults, namely, that which is produced, as long as two spousesare conjoined after a lawful manner, even unto the white.Would you know when the body has been rendered liquid bycoction? Hear what Bonellus answers: "When you see a blacksubstance floating in the water, you may know that the body hasbeen dissolved . "These two, body and spirit, have a third thing whichrepresents their common substance, and is, in its turn , called theirbody. It is also called a round cloud, death, blackness, darkness,shadow, ashy lead, or a metallic and subtle ore; or it is described,after that which is obtained from it, as gold that was hidden inthe body of Magnesia. Hence it is said: " Extract the shadowthereof from the splendour. " This also is the substance of whichso many have spoken. Three things constitute the true ore, viz. ,body, soul, and spirit. Hence it is compared to an egg, becausein an egg, too, the chicken is developed out of three things.Thus also Alchemy is produced out of the above- mentionedthree things, as many philosophers do testify in " The Crowd. "The male principle, or the water, is also called the " nature "; forwater is a natural agent which dissolves the elements of bodies,and then again unites them. Concerning this water, it is said byFictes, that its nature has the wonderful power of transmutingthe body into spirit. Where it is found alone it overcomes all264 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.other things, and is an excellent, harsh, and bitter acid, whichtransmutes gold into pure spirit. Without this acid we cannotattain either the red, or the black, or the white. When it is combined with bodies, then the body changes into spirit, by a heavenlyfire, and immutable, indestructible tincture. Know also that theunion must be brought about by a gentle fire, since the elementscannot stand a fierce fire, until the union has taken place.When the gentle heat is applied, the elements devour and consume each other, and yet again, on the other hand, comfort andstrengthen each other, and teach each other to stand the test offire. Hence the Sages say: " Invert the elements, and you willfind what you seek." To invert the elements is to make thatwhich is moist, dry, and that which is volatile, fixed. The husband also enforces conjunction that he may reproduce his ownlikeness. Many strive to accomplish this separation and conjunction; but few succeed in bringing about an union which canstand the test of fire. The composition which is prepared out ofour precious substance is not even in the slightest degree diminished in volume by fire. Rather, it is nourished by fire, as amother nourishes her child. These are the only things that havethe power of making red and white, both inwardly and outwardly.Remember that at first they can only bear a gentle fire. Whenyou see that a whiteness begins to appear it must be your nextcare to extract it from the black substance; then you shoulddevelop the redness which is hidden in it. But the latter objectyou must attain, not by extraction, but by gentle coction.not marvel that the Sages describe our ore under many names,and as consisting of body, soul, and spirit. They are alsoreferred to as brothers, or as husband and wife. But Geber saysthat sometimes the whole substance is only called body, or spirit;and unless there be a dissolution into water, our work cannot bebrought to a successful issue. Of course, we do not mean thethe water of the clouds, as the foolish say, but a permanentwater, which, however, cannot be permanent without its body.Thus Hermogenes says that we are to take the hidden spirit, andnot to despise it, because it shares its great power with its brother.For only the union of the two can give us the right Tincture.The water is also called a most sharp acid, with which the bodymust be washed; this is what Socrates calls " woman's work, andDo!THE BOOK OF ALZE. 265child's play. " The secret of our Art is the union of man andwoman the husband receives the tinging spirit from his wife.The union of husband and wife coagulates the female principle;and if the whole be transmuted into red, we have the treasure ofthe world, ofwhich Synon says: " If the water be changed into thebody, the body is changed, first into earth, then into dust andashes, and you have what you want. "Then the work is over, and the Stone contains within itselfthe Tincture in the body of Magnesia. Therefore, the Sages say,in conclusion: " My son, extract from the splendour its shadow. "Accordingly, we need exertion, and exercise is beneficial to us,seeing that milk is for infants, but that strong men requirestronger food. So also is it in this operation of the Stone.Now, it is laid down by Geber that our Art must do morefor the substance than Nature has done for it; otherwise weshould never obtain the Medicine which has the power ofcorrecting and perfecting the essences of the seven planets, ormetals. For this purpose the Art of Alchemyhas been deliveredto us by the Sages; but the beginner must be on his guardagainst being misled by their manner of speaking, and the multiplicity of names which they give to our substance, which hasbeen suggested to them by its great variety of(successive) colouring, and by the fact that it is composed of the four elements.The Stone must be saturated with its water, that it may imbibeit all, and then subjected to the action of fire, until it turns to akind of dust, like burnt blood, and becomes indestructible by fire.This Stone is sought by Kings, but is found only by those towhom it is given of God. It is publicly sold for money. But ifmen knew its precious nature, they would cease to think lightlyof it. God, however, has hidden it from the world, and he whowould accomplish our work should first lay the right foundation,or his building must come to nought. Let me tell you, then, thatour Stone requires a gentle fire; and if, after not many days, itdie, and lie in the tomb, yet God restores to it its spirit, and removes its disease and its impurity. When it is burnt to ashes,it must be well sprinkled and saturated with its blood, until it becomes like burnt blood. Hermes remarks that both substancesrejoice in being united to each other. To the spiritual substanceGod gives that which Nature could not give it. For Nature has266THEHERMETICMUSEUM.nothing so precious as the true Tincture; and if with its bodiesit become liquid, it produces a marvellous effect. For the Tincture changes everything it is mixed with into its own nature, andmakes it white both within and without. By one operation andway, by one substance, and by one mixing, the whole work isaccomplished, while its purity is also one, and it is perfected intwo stages, each consisting of a dissolution and a coction, withthe repetition of these.It must be your first object to elicit the whiteness ofthe substance by means of gentle and continued coction or heat. I knowthat the Sages describe this simple process under a great numberof misleading names. But this puzzling variety of nomenclatureis only intendeď to veil the fact that nothing is required but simple coction. This process ofcoction , however, you must patientlykeep up, and that with the Divine permission, until the King iscrowned, and you receive your great reward. Ifyou askwhetherthe substance of our Stone be dear, I tell you that the poor possess it as well as the rich.Many have been reduced to beggary because they foolishlydespised that which is highly esteemed by the Sages. If kingsand princes knew it, none of us would ever be able to obtain it.Only one vessel is required for the whole process, whichshould be of stone, and should be capable of resisting fire.A pound ofthe body of our ore should be taken, and rendered as pure, refined, and highly rectified , like the virtue ofheaven, as the philosophers have it. Then the vessel should beplaced in a reverberatory alembic. This should be set over agentle fire, the vessel being kept tightly closed, in order that itmay be able to retain its companion, and permit the same to enkindle the whiteness thereof, as Lucas says. The vessel containing the ore must be placed over the fire, since there can be noperfection without heat and intermixture of elements, seeing that it is produced from blood. When the male and thefemale principle have been together for a space of forty nights,there is an emission of moist warm seed; and to the same Godhas liberally given much blood to heat it. This seed developsinto an embryo which is supported with a little milk over amoderate fire, and grows stronger day by day. Its growth mustbe aided by warmth; but the heat ofthe fire should be temper1THE BOOK OF ALZE. 267ate, like that of the Sun. This may be effected by placing ourvessel over an empty vessel, and that again upon some glowingcoals. The process of coction should be continued until thealembic is well dried and the substance begins to assume aliquid aspect; for water alone is sufficient for the coagulationand fixing of the whole, as we are told by Democritus. Thiswater is described under various names, such as sulphur, quicksilver, spirit, and also vapour, for it can scarcely retain itscompanion. There are in our Art only two substances, and ifI speak of two, then I think of four, all which things require onething, by which Nature, conquering all Nature, is extracted.For Nature, on account of its nature, rejoices in itself, Natureconquers nature, and in itself contains nature. At the same timeone is not opposed to the other, but one comprehends the other,whereby it excels the other, and the philosophers call thiswater the purifying water.This dissolution first imparts a black appearance to thebody. The substance should then turn white, and finally red.The blackness exhibits an intermediate stage between fixednessand volatility. So long as there is blackness, the female principle prevails, till the substance enters into the white stage. Thiswhiteness is called the first power of our Stone, and the water is referred to as that most excellent acid. You must be very careful not to destroy the potency of this water.Avicenna saysthat natural heat operating in humid bodies, first causes blackness; then removes the blackness; and finally causes whiteness,as maybe seen in calx. Hence our substance must become firstblack, and then white, and be reduced to a kind of powder.Then the soul must be restored to the powder by a powerful fire;and both [be] subjected to coction until they become first black,then white, afterwards red, and finally good venom, the wholebeing accomplished by the separation of waters. And now, thewaters being divided, cook the matter and the vapour tillcoagulation takes place, and there is made a white stone. Thenare the waters divided. Another mortification, or exsiccation,follows, and is called clouds, or smoke. The smoke well coagulated with its feces becomes quick white; roast then the whiteore that it may bring forth itself. When the blackness vanishes,the spirit is restored; for the spirit does not die, but rather268 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.quickens body and soul. The more perfectly our.ore is purged,and subjected to coction, the better it becomes, till it is atlength condensed into a Stone. But it must be dissolved again,and subjected to a powerful fire, until it looks like burnt blood.If this Stone be added to any substance, it tinges it into gold.The Sages speak of it as a kind of root. Take, they say, the whole virtue of the Tincture, and concentrate it in the Root. Ifa body which has no carthy elements receive this Tincture, itreceives more benefit than less excellent bodies. The Stoneovercomes everything to which it is applied, and tinges foreignbodies with its own colour. The dry fire tinges bodies, the airstrengthens them, the white water washes away their blackness,and their earth receives the Tincture. Concerning the coctionneeded for the development of our substance, the Sages have expressed themselves in a great variety of ways. ObserveHermes, who says that it must be repeated again and again,until the red colour at length is obtained. Herein is the stabilityof the whole work. Afterwards it assumes many, many colours,not including the red, which appears at the end. For the whitemust precede it. Set to work by the regimen of fire, and triturate. The above mentioned water volatilizes all bodies;even such as are gross it penetrates until it has assimilated themto its own nature. Know that unless you operate upon bodiesuntil they are destroyed and their soul is extracted, with suchyou will never tinge any body, for nothing tinges which has notfirst itself been tinged . If the body be made fluid and burnt,then it bends itself towards its begetter, becoming a subtleMagnesia, and it turns towards the earth, which makes itspiritual and vivifies it. Before the final whiteness of the firststage is attained, the substance turns first of a black, then of anorange, and then of a reddish colour (which, however, is quitedifferent from the final redness of the last stage). These colours,however, need not trouble you, since they are evanescent andmerely transitional.From what I have said you may gather that our substanceis found in the gold which is hidden in Magnesia, and that it isone thing composed of sulphur from sulphur and mercury frommercury. And as the substance of our Stone is one, so is themethod of its preparation. Therefore, do not listen to thoseTHE BOOK OF ALZE. 269Inignorant and fraudulent alchemists who speak of many differentkinds of sublimation and distillation. Turn a deaf ear to thosewho say that the substance of our Stone is the powder of the Basilisk. As to the (length of) time required for the preparation, you must begin it in the winter, which is moist, and extractthe moisture until the spring, when all things become green, andwhen our substance, too, should exhibit a variety of colours.the summer the substance should be reduced to powder bymeans of a powerful fire. The autumn, the season of ripeness,should witness its maturity, or final redness. About the motionsof the stars or planets you need not trouble yourself. Oursubstance is a body containing the spirit which makes glassmalleable, and turns crystals into carbuncles. One drop of ourElixir, as large as a drop of rain, will suffice to tinge and transmute a body a thousand times as large as itself.This most noble Remedy was appointed, like all otherthings, for the use of man, because he is the most glorious ofGod's creatures, and the lord of the whole earth. It was givento him for the purpose of preserving his youth, expellingdisease, preventing suffering, and providing him with all herequires. Our Elixir is better than all the medicinal preparations of Hippocrates, Avicenna, and others. From it may be.prepared a potable antidote which has power to cure leprosy.As fire purges and refines metals, so this Remedy restores tothe human body its natural heat, expels from it all healthdestroying matter, and fortifies it against every conceivableform of disease. Its virtue is infinitely greater than that of thepotable gold dust, which is taken as a preventative among theGentiles.Great and wonderful is the potency of the gold that slumbers in Magnesia, both for the purifying of the human system,and for the transmuting of metals. What more shall I say?All the things that I have here faithfully described I have seenwith my own eyes, and performed with my own hands.When I was preparing the substance, after discovering thetrue method, I was so seriously interfered with by the personswith whom I lived that I was almost on the point of giving upthe whole thing in despair. At length I communicated mydiscovery to a friend, who faithfully executed my instructions,270 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.and brought the work to a successful issue.Gift may God be praised, world without end.For which BlessedAmen.THE BOOK OF.LAMBSPRING,A Noble Ancient Philosopher,CONCERNING THE.PHILOSOPHICAL STONE;RENDERED INTO LATIN VERSE BYNICHOLAS BARNAUD DELPHINAS,Doctor of Medicine, a zealous Student of this Art.

PREFÁCIO.SOU CHAMADO Lambspring, NASCIDO DE UMA FAMÍLIA NOBRE, E ESTA CRISTA EU CARREGO COM GLÓRIA E JUSTIÇA.S274 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO.FILOSOFIA Eu li e compreendi completamente, A maior profundidade do conhecimento de meus professores eu sondei. Este Deus graciosamente concedido a mim, Dando-me um coração para compreender a sabedoria. Assim me tornei o Autor deste Livro, E expus claramente todo o assunto, Para que Ricos e Pobres possam entender. elogiado) esqueci meu eu humilde. Estou familiarizado com o único fundamento verdadeiro: Portanto, preserve este Livro com cuidado, E tome cuidado para estudá-lo repetidas vezes. Assim você receberá e aprenderá a verdade, E usará este grande dom de Deus para bons fins. Ó Deus Pai, que és de todo o começo e fim, Nós te imploramos por amor de nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo Para iluminar nossas mentes e pensamentos. Para que possamos louvar-Te sem cessar, E realizar este Livro de acordo com Tua vontade! Dirija tudo para um bom fim, E preserve-nos através de Tua grande misericórdia. - Com a ajuda de Deus eu te mostrarei esta Arte, E não vou esconder ou velar a verdade de você.Depois que você me entender corretamente,Você logo estará livre das amarras do erro.Pois só existe uma substância,Na qual todo o resto está escondido;Portanto, mantenha um bom coração.Cocção, tempo , e paciência é o que você precisa; Se quiser desfrutar da preciosa recompensa, Você deve dedicar alegremente tempo e trabalho. Pois você deve submeter à cocção suave as sem*ntes e os metais, O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 275 Dia após dia, durante várias semanas; Assim, nesta única coisa vil, Você descobrirá e aperfeiçoará todo o trabalho da Filosofia, O que para a maioria dos homens parece impossível, Embora seja uma tarefa conveniente e fácil. mundoDeveríamos ser ridicularizados por homens, mulheres e crianças. Portanto, seja modesto e reservado, E você será deixado em paz e segurança. concluiremos o Prefácio, Para que possamos começar a descrever a própria Arte, E declará-la verdadeira e claramente em figuras, Rendendo graças ao Criador de cada criatura. A seguir segue a Primeira Figura, S2276 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO. você Que dois peixes estão em nosso mar Sem carne ou ossos. Deixe-os ser cozidos em sua própria água; Então eles também se tornarão um vasto mar, A vastidão da qual nenhum homem pode descrever. Morcover, os Sábios dizem Que os dois peixes são apenas um , não dois; Eles são dois e, no entanto, são um, Corpo, Espírito e Alma. Agora, eu te digo com toda a verdade: Cozinhe esses três juntos, Para que haja um mar muito grande. Cozinhe bem o enxofre com o enxofre ,E mantenha a língua sobre isso: esconda seu conhecimento para sua própria vantagem, e você estará livre da pobreza. Apenas deixe sua descoberta permanecer em segredo.O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 277FIGURA I. ESTEJA AVISADO E ENTENDA VERDADEIRAMENTE QUE DOIS FÍSIOS ESTÃO NADANDO NO NOSSO MAR.. O Mar é o Corpo, os dois Peixes são a Alma e o Espírito.278 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO. A tinta mais negra. Se algum homem cortar sua cabeça, Sua escuridão desaparecerá, E dará lugar a um branco como a neve. Entenda bem o significado desta cabeça: A escuridão é chamada de cabeça do Corvo; Assim que ela desaparece, Uma cor branca é imediatamente manifestado; É dado este nome, despojado de sua cabeça. Quando a tonalidade negra da Besta desaparece em uma fumaça negra, Os Sábios se regozijam Do fundo de seus corações; Mas eles mantêm isso em segredo, Para que nenhum homem tolo possa saber disso. Contudo, a seus Filhos, com bondade de coração, Eles o revelam parcialmente em seus escritos; 279FIGURA II.AQUI VOCÊ VEJA IMEDIATAMENTE UMA BESTA NEGRA NA FLORESTA.Putrefação.280 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO.Os Sábios dizem verdadeiramenteQue dois animais estão nesta floresta:Um glorioso, belo e rápido,Um cervo grande e forte;O outro um unicórnio. Eles estão escondidos na floresta, Mas feliz será aquele homem que os capturará. Os Mestres mostram aqui claramente Que em todos os lugares Esses dois animais vagam pelas florestas (Mas saiba que a floresta é apenas uma). à nossa Arte, Chamaremos a floresta de Corpo. Isso será dito correta e verdadeiramente. O unicórnio será o Espírito em todos os momentos. O cervo não deseja outro nome A não ser o da Alma; cujo nome nenhum homem tirará dele. Aquele que sabe como domesticá-los e dominá-los pela Arte, Uni-los, E conduzi-los para dentro e para fora da floresta, Pode ser justamente chamado de Mestre. Pois julgamos corretamente Que ele alcançou a carne dourada, E pode triunfar em todos os lugares; Não, ele pode governar o grande Augusto. O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 281FIGURA III.OUÇA SEM TERROR QUE NA FLORESTA ESTÃO ESCONDIDOS UM CERVO E UM ÚNICÓRNIO. vale escuro e acidentado. Estes o Mestre deve capturar, Embora sejam rápidos e ferozes, E de aspecto terrível e selvagem. pode-se dizer com justiça e verdade Que ele mereceu o louvor acima de todos os outros, E que sua sabedoria transcende a dos sábios do mundo. 283FIGURA IV.AQUI VOCÊ VÊ UMA GRANDE MARAVILHADOIS LEÕES ESTÃO UNIDOS EM UM.O Espírito e a Alma devem estar unidos em seu Corpo.284 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO.Alexandre escreve da Pérsia Que um lobo e um cachorro estão neste campo,Que, como os Sábios dizem,São descendentes da mesma linhagem,Mas o lobo vem do leste,E o cachorro do oeste.Eles estão cheios de ciúme,Fúria, raiva e loucura:Um mata o outro,E deles sai um grande veneno.Mas quando são restaurados à vida, Eles são claramente mostrados como O Grande e Precioso Remédio, O Remédio mais glorioso da terra, Que refresca e restaura os Sábios, Que rendem graças a Deus e O louvam. 285 FIGURA V. UM LOBO E UM CÃO ESTÃO EM UMA CASA, E DEPOIS MUDAM EM UMA. O corpo é mortificado e tornado branco, então unido à Alma e ao Espírito ao ser saturado com eles. ele é venenoso, mas não lhe falta nada: Quando ele vê os raios do Sol e seu fogo brilhante, Ele espalha seu veneno, E voa para cima tão ferozmente Que nenhuma criatura viva pode resistir diante dele, Nem mesmo o Basilisco é igual a ele. quem tem habilidade para matá-lo, sabiamente escapou de todos os perigos. No entanto, todo veneno e cores são multiplicados Na hora de sua morte. Seu veneno se torna o grande remédio. Ele rapidamente consome seu veneno, Pois ele devora sua cauda venenosa. Tudo isso é realizado em seu próprio corpo, Do qual flui o Bálsamo glorioso, Com todas as suas virtudes milagrosas. Aqui todos os Sábios se regozijam ruidosamente. O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 287FIGURA VI. ISTO É COM CERTEZA UM GRANDE MILAGRE E SEM QUALQUER ENGANO - 'QUE NUM DRAGÃO VENOMOSO DEVE HAVER O GRANDE REMÉDIO. O Mercúrio é precipitado ou sublimado, dissolvido em sua própria água e depois coagulado novamente. O ninho é encontrado na floresta, Na qual Hermes tem sua ninhada; Um filhote sempre se esforça para voar para cima, O outro se alegra em sentar-se calmamente no ninho; está acima, E não o deixará escapar do ninho, Como um marido em uma casa com sua esposa, Unidos pelos laços mais estreitos do casamento. Assim também nos regozijamos em todos os momentos, Por segurarmos a águia fêmea firmemente neste caminho, e rendemos graças a Deus Pai. O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 289FIGURA VII.OUVIMOS FALAR DE DOIS PÁSSAROS NA FLORESTA, MAS DEVEMOS ENTENDER QUE ELES SÃO APENAS UM. O Mercúrio tendo sido frequentemente sublimado, é finalmente fixado e torna-se capaz de resistir ao fogo: a sublimação deve ser repetida até que a fixação completa seja alcançada.T290 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO. Na Índia existe um bosque muito agradável, No qual dois pássaros estão amarrados. Um é branco como a neve; o outro é vermelho. Eles mordem um ao outro, e um é morto E devorado pelo outro. Então ambos se transformam em pombas brancas, E da Pomba nasce uma Fênix, Que deixou para trás a escuridão e a morte suja, E recuperou uma aparência mais vida gloriosa. Este poder foi dado pelo próprio Deus, Para que pudesse viver eternamente e nunca morrer. Ele nos dá riqueza, preserva nossa vida, E com ele podemos realizar grandes milagres, Como também os verdadeiros Filósofos nos informam claramente .O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 291FIGURA VIII.AQUI ESTÃO DOIS PÁSSAROS, GRANDES E FORTES - O CORPO E O ESPÍRITO; UM DEVORA O OUTRO. Deixe o Corpo ser colocado em esterco de cavalo, ou em um banho quente, o Espírito tendo sido extraído dele. O Corpo tornou-se branco pelo processo, o Espírito vermelho pela nossa Arte. Tudo o que existe tende à perfeição, e assim é preparada a Pedra Filosofal. T2292 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO. Agora ouça sobre um feito maravilhoso, Pois eu lhe ensinarei grandes coisas, Como o Rei se eleva acima de toda a sua raça; a floresta diz: Eu venci e venci meus inimigos, pisei o Dragão venenoso, sou um grande e glorioso Rei na terra. Não há ninguém maior do que eu, Filho do Artista ou da Natureza, Entre todos criaturas vivas. Faço tudo o que o homem pode desejar, dou poder e saúde duradoura, Também ouro, prata, pedras preciosas e pedras preciosas, E a panaceia para grandes e pequenas doenças. colocado em um lugar alto. Alcançar este cume elevado Foi-me dado por Deus e pela Natureza. Daí, do mais vil, tornei-me o mais alto, E subi ao trono mais glorioso, E ao estado de soberania real: Por isso Hermes me chamou de Senhor das Florestas. O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 293FIGURA IX.O SENHOR DAS FLORESTAS RECUPEROU SEU REINO, E MONTOU DO GRAU MAIS BAIXO AO MAIS ALTO. SE A FORTUNA SORRIR, VOCÊ PODE DE UM RETOR SE TORNAR ACONSUL; que a Tintura atingiu verdadeiramente o primeiro grau.294 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO. Em todas as fábulas nos é dito Que a Salamandra nasce no fogo; é cercado por muitas chamas, E uma delas é sempre menor que a outra Aqui a Salamandra se banha. A terceira é maior, a quarta mais brilhante que as demais Em tudo isso a Salamandra se lava e é purificada. o caminho é apanhado e perfurado, para que ele morra e entregue a sua vida com o seu sangue. Mas isto também acontece para o seu bem: pois do seu sangue ele ganha a vida imortal, e então a morte não tem mais poder sobre ele. é o Remédio mais precioso da terra, O mesmo não tem igual no mundo. Pois este sangue afasta todas as doenças Nos corpos dos metais, Dos homens e dos animais. Dele os Sábios derivam sua ciência, E através dele eles alcançam o Dom Celestial, Que é chamado de Pedra Filosofal, Possuindo o poder do mundo inteiro. Este presente os Sábios nos transmitem com corações amorosos, Para que possamos lembrá-los para sempre. O FOGO, QUE LHE DÁ UMA MATIZ MAIS GLORIOSA. Esta é a reiteração, gradação e melhoria da Tintura, ou Pedra Filosofal; e o todo é chamado de seu Aumento.296 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO, Aqui está um velho pai de Israel, Que tem um Filho único, Um Filho a quem ele ama de todo o coração. Quem deve conduzi-lo onde quer que ele queira. O Guia dirige-se ao Filho com estas palavras: Venha aqui! Eu te conduzirei a todos os lugares, Ao cume da montanha mais alta, Para que você possa compreender toda a sabedoria, Para que você possa contemplar a grandeza da terra e do mar, E daí obter o verdadeiro prazer. portas do mais alto céu. O Filho deu ouvidos às palavras do Guia, E ascendeu com ele; Ali viu o trono celestial, Que era além de qualquer medida glorioso. tristeza de seu Pai, E disse: Voltarei ao seu seio. O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 297FIGURA XI.O PAI E O FILHO UNIRAM SUAS MÃOS ÀS DO GUIA:SAIBA QUE OS TRÊS SÃO CORPO, ALMA E ESPÍRITO.298OMUSEUHERMÉTICO.Diz o Filho ao Guia:Descerei para meu Pai,Pois ele não pode viver sem mim. Ele suspira e me chama em voz alta. E o Guia responde ao Filho: Não te deixarei ir sozinho; Do seio de teu Pai te tirei, também te levarei de volta, Para que ele possa se alegrar novamente e viver.Esta força daremos a ele.Então ambos se levantaram sem demora,E retornaram para a casa do Pai.Quando o Pai viu seu Filho chegando,Ele gritou em voz alta, e disse::---O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 299FIGURA XII. OUTRA MONTANHA DA ÍNDIA ESTÁ NO NAVIO, QUE O ESPÍRITO E A ALMA QUE É, O FILHO E O GUIA - ESCARAM.300 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO.Meu filho, eu estava morto sem ti,E vivia em grande perigo de meu vida.Eu revivo no teu retorno,E isso enche meu peito de alegria.Mas quando o Filho entrou na casa do Pai,O Pai o levou ao coração,E o engoliu de alegria excessiva,E isso com sua própria boca.O grande o esforço faz o Pai suar. O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 301FIGURA XIIIAQUI O PAI DEVORA O FILHO;A ALMA E O ESPÍRITO FLUEM DO CORPO.t.302 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO.Aqui o Pai transpira por causa do Filho,E suplica fervorosamente a Deus,Que tem tudo em Suas mãos,Que cria, e criou todas as coisas, Para tirar seu Filho de seu corpo, E para restaurá-lo à sua vida anterior. Deus atende às suas orações, E ordena ao Pai que se deite e durma. estrelas brilhantes. Foi uma chuva prateada e fecundante, Que orvalhou e suavizou o Corpo do Pai. Socorre-nos, Senhor, no final, Para que possamos obter Tua graciosa Dádiva! LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 303FIGURA XIV.AQUI O PAI SUA PROFUSAMENTE,ENQUANTO O ÓLEO E A VERDADEIRA TINTURA DOS SÁBIOS FLUEM DELE.304 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO.O Pai adormecido é aqui transformado Inteiramente em água límpida,E somente em virtude desta águaO bom trabalho é realizado.Lá agora é um Pai glorificado e belo, E ele dá à luz um novo Filho. O Filho permanece sempre no Pai, E o Pai no Filho. Assim, em diversas coisas Eles produzem frutos incalculáveis ​​e preciosos. Eles nunca mais perecem, E riem da morte Pela graça de Deus eles permanecem para sempre, O Pai e o Filho, triunfando gloriosamente No esplendor de seu novo Reino. Num trono eles se sentam, E a face do Antigo Mestre é imediatamente vista entre eles: Ele está vestido com um manto carmesim .O LIVRO DE LAMBSPRING. 305FIGURA XV.AQUI PAI E FILHO ESTÃO UNIDOS EM UM,PARA PERMANECER PARA SEMPRE.n306 O MUSEU HERMÉTICO.O AO REI INVISÍVEL DO MUNDO,TOÚNICO VERDADEIRO E IMORTALDEUSBELOUVOR E GLÓRIANOWEEVERMORE.AMÉM.O TRIPÉ DE OURO,OU,TRÊS TRATOS QUÍMICOS ESCOLHIDOS,A saber: (i.) O de BASILIUS VALENTINUS, Monge da Ordem Beneditina; chamado PRACTICA, com doze chaves e um apêndice. (ii) O CREDE MIHI, ou Ordinal, de THOMASNORTON, um sábio inglês. (iii) O TESTAMENTO de um certo CREMER, Abade de WESTMINSTER. FDITADO POR MICHAEL MAIER, DOUTOR DE MEDICINA.

INSCRIBEDΤΟTHE MOST LEARNED AND HUMANE OF PHYSICIANS, THETRUEST, SINCEREST, NOBLEST, AND MOSTACCOMPLISHED OF HIS KIND,JOHN HARTMANNM.D.,BEYER .A RENOWNED PHYSICIAN AND COUNCILLOR OF THE IMPERIALFREE CITY, FRANCFORT-ON-THE- MAIN,BYMICHAEL MAYER,M.D., PH.D., COUNT PALATINE, KNIGHT, AND FORMERLYCOURT PHYSICIAN TO HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY.Being placed in the thick of the struggle between the followers of Dogmatic and Hermetic Medicine, I thought it wouldthrow great and unexpected light on the subject of this controversy, ifI published in the Latin tongue the three great classicalTracts bearing upon the matter, viz. , that of the Benedictine MonkBASILIUS VALENTINUS, and those of the two greatEnglish Sages NORTON and CREMER. This Triad of Tracts310 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.I have ventured to call the GOLDEN TRIPOD, and the namesuggests to me, as appropriate to our controversy, the answerreturned to the enquiring Ionians by the priestess of Delphi:"The feud between the Meropes and the Ionians ""will not cease until the Golden Tripod, which"" Vulcan cast into the sea, be brought into the ""house of the man who knows the things that "66 are, that were, and that are to come."Thus I believe our controversy, too, may be determined, if Idedicate my golden Tripod to the most learned of modernphysicians. For, as Homer says, " Aphysician is worth many ordinary men," and if I searched through the whole of Germany, nay,Europe, I could not find a fitter person than him who is set uponthe lofty tower of world-wide celebrity, and whose skill is admiredand courted far and wide by princes and nobles. Accept, then,this GOLDEN TRIPOD, forged by the hands of the HermeticVulcan. Value it as a token of affection and esteem, as well asbecause of its inward worth. I firmly trust that it will assuagethe feud between the adherents of Dogmatic and of HermeticMedicine, as its namesake of old did that between the Meropesand Ionians; and that it will establish amnity and concord amongphysicians of both schools. In order that its beneficial influencemight be as widely spread as possible, I have set it forth in thecommon language of European scholars. In conclusion, let mepray you to love me, even as I love you-as I also know thatyou do.Written at Francfort-on-the-Main in the month ofJanuary, 1618.66THE' PRACTICA, "WITH TWELve keys, and an appendix thereto,CONCERNINGTHE GREAT STONE OF THEANCIENT SAGES.BASILIUSBYVALENTINUS,A MONK OF THE BENEDICTINE ORDER.FIRST TRACT.AN EPIGRAMUPONTHE PRACTICA OFBYMICHAELBASILIUS.MAIER.66་ ་64""""Pactolus contains not such great treasures;"nor does gold-bearing Hebrus roll down such ""precious things in its golden sand, as Valentine ""scatters abroad in this one book. Here is "greater wealth than all the riches of the Inds."" For he bore away the golden fruit from the "Hesperian garden, and blessed with them fair ""Germany's fields. He bore away the golden"fleece from Colchis, and gave it to us by mighty"toil. And when at length he sank into the""tomb, he left us his royal Treasure to enjoy. "" Here is something for you to admire and "imitate. Only seek it at the bottom of the"vessel, or you will wander astray. All things "are one, though they be described under various "names. Let this suffice thee; seek not many"utensils for thy labour. If thou knowest the ""substance and the method, it is enough, and ""thou knowest all."666666་ ་ ""THE PREFACEOFBASILIUS VALENTIŅUS, THE BENEDICTINE,CONCERNINGTHE GREAT STONE OF THEANCIENT SAGES.WHEN I had emptied to the dregs the cup of humansuffering, I was led to consider the wretchednessof this world, and the fearful consequences of ourfirst parents' disobedience. Then I saw that therewas no hope of repentance for mankind, that they were gettingworse day by day, and that for their impenitence God's everlasting punishment was hanging over them; and I made hasteto withdraw myself from the evil world, to bid farewell to it,and to devote myselfto the service of God.When I had spent some years at the monastery, I foundthat after I had performed my work and my daily devotionsI still had some time on my hands. This I did not wish to passin idleness, lest my evil thoughts should lead me into new sins;and so I determined to use it for the study and investigation ofthose natural secrets by which God has shadowed out eternalthings. So I read a great many books in our monastery writtenin olden times by philosophers who had pursued the same study,and was thereby stimulated to a more ardent desire of knowingthat which they also knew. Though I did not make muchprogress at first, yet at last God granted my earnest prayer, andopened my eyes that I might see what others had seen before me.314 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.In the convent there was a brother, who was afflicted witha severe disease of the kidneys, and to whom none of the manyphysicians he had consulted had been able to give even momentary relief. So he had committed himself to the hand ofGod, and despaired of all human aid.As I loved him, I gathered all manner of herbs, extractedtheir salts, and distilled various medicines. But none of themseemed to do him the slightest good, and after six years I foundthat I had tried every possible vegetable substance, without any beneficial effect.It last I determined to devote myself to the study of thepowers and virtues which God has laid into metals and minerals;and the more I searched the more I found. One discovery ledto another, and, after God had permitted unto me many experiments, I understood clearly the nature and properties, and thesecret potency, imparted by God to minerals and metals.Among the mineral substances I found one which exhibitedmany colours, and proved to be of the greatest efficacy in art.The spiritual essence of this substance I extracted, and therewithrestored our sick brother, in a few days, to perfect health. Forthe strength of this spirit was so great as to quicken the prostratespirit of my diseased brother, who, from that day to the day ofhis death, remembered me in his hourly prayers. And his prayers,together with my own diligence, so prevailed with God, thatthere was revealed to me that great secret which God ever conceals from those who are wise in their own conceits.Thus have I been wishing to reveal to you in this treatise, asfar as may be lawful to me, the Stone of the Ancients, that you,too, might possess the knowledge of this highest of earthly treas- ures for your health and comfort in this valley of sorrow. I writeabout it, not for my own good, but for that of posterity; andthough my words be few and simple, that which they import isof immeasurable magnitude. Ponder them well, that you alsomay find the Rock which is the foundation Stone of truth, the temporal blessing, and the eternal reward.THE TRACTOFBASILIUS VALENTINUS, THE BENEDICTINE,CONCERNINGTHE GREAT STONE OF THEANCIENT SAGES.IN the preface, gentle Reader, and zealous Student of thisArt, I promised to communicate to you'a knowledge ofour Corner Stone, or Rock, of the process by which it isprepared, and of the substance from which it was alreadyderived by those ancient Sages, to whom the secret of our Artwas first revealed by God for the health and happiness of earthlylife. Let me assure you that I fully intend to fulfil my promise,and to be as plain with you as the rules of our Art permit, not misleading you by sophistical deceptions, but opening up to you thespring of all blessings even unto the fountain head. I proposeto set forth what I have to say in a few simple, straightforwardwords, for I am no adept in the art of multiplying words; nordo I think that exuberance of language tends to clearness; onthe contrary, I am convinced that it is many words that darken council.Let me tell you, then, that although many are engaged inthe search after this Stone, it is nevertheless found but by veryfew. For God never intended that it should become generallyknown. It is rather to be regarded as a gift which He reservesfor those favoured few, wholove the truth, and hate falsehood, whostudy our Art earnestly by day and by night, and whose heartsare set upon God with an unfeigned affection.316THEHERMETICMUSEUM.Hence, if you would prepare our great and ancient Stone,I testify unto you in all truth that you must give diligent heed tomy teaching, and before all things implore the gracious blessingof the Creator of all things. You must also truly repent you ofall your sins, confessing the same, and firmly resolve to leada good and holy life. It is also necessary that you shoulddetermine to shew your gratitude to God for His unspeakableGift, bysuccouring the poorandthe distressed, and byopening yourhand and your heart to the needy. Then God will bless yourlabour, and reward your search with success, and yourself witha seat in Heaven as the fruit of your faith.Do not despise the truthful writings of those whopossessed the Stone before us. For, after the enlightening graceof God, it is from them that I received my knowledge. Letyour study of them be increased and repeated often, lest youlose the thread of insight, and the lamp of understanding beextinguished.Give yourself wholly to study, and be not flighty or doubleminded. Let your mind be like a firm Rock, in which all thevarious sayings of the Sages are reduced to the unity of theircommon meaning. For a man who is easily influenced indifferent directions is not likely to find the right path.As our most ancient Stone is not derived from combustiblethings, you should cease to seek it in substances which cannotstand the test of fire. For this reason it is absurd to supposethat we can make any use of vegetable substances, though theStone, too, is endowed with a principle of growth.If our Stone were a vegetable substance, it would, likeother vegetables, be consumed by fire, leaving only a certain salt. Ancient writers have, indeed, described our Stone as thevegetable Stone. But that name was suggested to them by thefact that it grows and increases in size, like a plant.Know also that animals only multiply after their kind, andwithin their own species. Hence our Stone can only be prepared out of its own seed, from which it was taken in thebeginning; and hence also you will perceive that the soul of ananimal must not be the subject of this investigation. Animalsare a class by themselves; nor can anything ever be obtainedfrom them that is not animal in its nature. But our Stone, as itTHE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 317has been bequeathed to me by the Ancients, is derived fromtwo things, and one thing, in which is concealed a third thing.This is the purest truth, and a most faithful saying. Formale and female have from of old been regarded as one body,not from any external or visible consideration, but on accountof the ardour of that mutual love which naturally draws themtogether into one; and as the male and female seed jointlyrepresent the principle of propagation, so also the sperm of the matter out of which our Stone is made can be sown andincreased. There are in our substance two supplementary kindsof seed, from which our Stone may be prepared and multiplied.If you are a true lover of our Art, you will carefullyweigh and ponder these words, lest, with other sophisticators,you fall into the dangerous pit prepared by the common enemy of man.But whence are you to obtain this seed? This questionyou may most easily answer by asking yourself another question.What do you want to develop from this seed, and what use doyou wish to make of it? There can be no doubt, then, thatit must be the root, or first substance, of metals, from which allmetals derive their origin. It is, therefore, necessary that weshould now proceed to speak of the generation of the metals.In the beginning, when the Spirit of God moved uponthe face of the waters, and as yet all was involved in darkness,Almighty and Eternal God, Whose beginning and wisdom arefrom everlasting, by His inscrutable counsel created heaven andearth, and all that in them is, both visible and invisible, outof nothing. How the act of creation was accomplished I will notattempt to explain. This is a matter which is set forth to usin Holy Scripture, and must be apprehended by faith.To each creature God gave its own seed, wherewith topropagate its kind, that in this way there might always be anincrease of men and animals, plants and metals. Man was notto be able to produce new seed: he was only permitted to educe⚫new forms oflife out of that which already existed. The creating of seed God reserved to Himself. For if man could createseed he would be equal to the Creator.Know that our seed is produced in the following way. Acelestial influence descends from above, by the decree and318 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.ordinance of God, and mingles with the astral properties.When this union has taken place, the two bring forth a third,namely, an earth-like substance, which is the principle of ourseed, ofits first source, so that it can shew an ancestry, and fromwhich three the elements, such as water, air, and earth, take theirorigin. These elements work underground in the form of fire,and there produce what Hermes, and all who have preceded me,call the three first principles, viz. , the internal soul, the impalpablespirit, and visible bodies, beyond which we can find no earlierbeginning of our Magistery.In the course of time these three unite, and are changedthrough the action of fire into a palpable substance, viz. , quicksilver, sulphur, and salt. If these three substances be mixed,they are hardened and coagulated into a perfect body, whichrepresents the seed chosen and appointed by the Creator. Thisis a most important and certain truth. Ifthe metallic soul, themetallic spirit, and the metallic form of body be present, therewill also be metallic quicksilver, metallic sulphur, and metallicsalt, which together make up the perfect metallic body.If you cannot perceive what you ought to understandherein, you should not devote yourself to the study of philosophy.Moreover, I tell you in few words, that you cannot obtain ametallic body except by perfectly joining these three principlesinto one. Know, also, that all animals are, like man, composedof flesh and blood, and also possess a vitalizing spirit, but aredestitute of the rational soul which the Creator gave to man alone.Therefore, when animals die, they perish for ever. But whenman yields up his mortal life into the hands of his Creator, hissoul does not die. It returns, and is united to the glorified body,in which, after the Resurrection, soul and spirit dwell togetheronce more in eternal glory, never to be separated again throughout all eternity.Hence the rational soul of man makes him an abidingcreature, and, though his body may seem to die, yet we knowthat he will live for ever. For to him death is only a process ofpurification, by means of which he is freed from his sins, andtranslated to another and better place. But there is no resurrectionfor the brute beasts, because they have no rational soul, for whichalone our Lord and Saviour shed His blood.THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 319For though a body may be vitalized by a spirit, yet it neednot, therefore, be fixed, unless, indeed, it possess a rational soul,that strong bond between body and spirit, which represents theirunion, and resists all efforts to separate them. Where there isno soul, there is no hope of redemption. Nothing can be perfector lasting without a soul. This is a profound and most importanttruth, which I feel in conscience bound to make known to myreaders. Now, the spirits of metals have this property of fixedness in a greater or less degree; they are more or less volatile inproportion to the mutual fitness of their bodies and souls. Ametal that has the three conditions of fixedness is not affectedby fire or overcome by any other outward agent. But there isonly one metal that fulfils these conditions, namely, gold. Silveralso contains fixed mercury, and is not so quickly volatilised asthe imperfect metals, but stands the trial of fire, and yields nofood to voracious Saturn.Amatory Venus is clothed with abundant colour, and herwhole body is one pure tincture, not unlike the red colour whichis found in the most precious of metals. But though her spiritis of good quality, her body is leprous, and affords no permanentsubstratum to the fixed tincture. Hence the soul has to sharethe fate ofthe imperfect body, and when the body dies the soulhas to leave it. For its dwelling has been destroyed by fire, andit is without a house wherein to abide.Fixed salt has imparted to warlike Mars a hard , firm , anddurable body, which is evidence of the generosity of his soul; norcan fire be said to have much power over it. And if its strengthbe united to the beauty of Venus, I do not say but that a preciousand harmonious result may be obtained . For the phlegmatic orhumid quality of the Moon may be heated with the ardent bloodof Venus, and the blackness of Venus removed with the strongsalt of Mars.You need not look for our metallic seed among the elements.It need not be sought so far back. If you can only rectify theMercury, Sulphur, and Salt (understand, those ofthe Sages) untilthe metallic spirit and body are inseparably joined together bymeans ofthe metallic soul, you thereby firmly rivet the chain oflove, and prepare the palace for the coronation.These things represent a liquid key, comparable to the320 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.celestial influence, and a dry water joined to the terrestrial substance: all which are one thing, derived from three, and two, andone. If you understand this, you have already attained ourMagistery. Then you must join the husband and wife together,that cach may feed upon the other's flesh and blood, and that sothey may propagate their species a thousandfold.Though I would fain reveal this matter to you moreplainly and openly, I am prohibited from doing so by the law ofGod, and by the fear of His wrath, and of eternal punishment,lest the gift of the Most High should be abused.If, however, you do not understand the theoretical part ofmy work, perhaps the practical part will serve to enlighten youmore fully. I will therefore proceed to shew how, by the help ofGod, I was enabled to prepare the Stone of the Ancients, and,for your further instruction, I will add twelve keys, in which Igive a figurative account of our Art.Take a quantity of the best and finest gold, and separate itinto its component parts by those media which Nature vouchsafesto those who are lovers of Art, as an anatomist dissects thehuman body. Thus change your gold back into what itwas before it became gold; and thou shalt find the seed, thebeginning, the middle, and the end-that from which our goldand its female principle are derived, viz. , the pure and subtlespirit, the spotless soul, and the astral salt and balsam. Whenthese three are united, we may call them the mercurial liquid: awater which was examined by Mercury, found by him to bepure and spotless, and therefore espoused by him as his wife.Of the two was born an incombustible oil; for Mercury became so proud that he hardly knew himself. He pu: forth eaglefeathers, and devoured the slippery tail of the Dragon, andchallenged Mars to battle.Then Mars summoned his horsem*n, and bade them encloseMercury in prison under the ward of Vulcan, until he should beliberated by one of the female sex.When this became known, the other Planets assembledand held a deliberation on the question, what would be the best and wisest course to adopt. When they were mettogether, Saturn first came forward, and delivered himself as follows:THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 321"I, Saturn, the greatest of the planets in the firmament,declare here before you all, that I am the meanest and mostunprofitable of all that are here present, that my body is weak,corruptible, and of a swarthy hue, but that, nevertheless, it is Ithat try you all. For having nothing that is fixed about me,I carry away with me all that is of a kindred nature. Mywretchedness is entirely caused by that fickle and inconstantMercury, by his careless and neglectful conduct. Therefore, Ipray you, let us be avenged on him, shut him up in prison, andkeep him there till he dies and is decomposed, nay, until not adrop of his blood is to be seen."Then yellow Jupiter stepped forward, bent his knees, inclined his sceptre, and with great authority bade them carry outthe demand of Saturn. He added that he would punish everyone who did not aid the execution of this sentence.Then Mars presented himself, with sword drawn-a swordthat shone with many colours, and gave out a beautiful andunwonted splendour. This sword he gave to the warder Vulcan,and bade him slay Mercury, and burn him, together with hisbones, to ashes. This Vulcan consented to do.While he was executing his office, there appeared a beautifullady in a long, silver robe, intertissued with many waters, whowas immediately recognised as the Moon, the wife of the Sun.She fell on her knees, and with outspread hands, and flowingtears, besought them to liberate her husband-the Sun-fromthe prison in which, through the crafty wiles of Mercury, he wasbeing detained by the Planets. But Vulcan refused to listen toher request; nor was he softened by the moving prayers of LadyVenus, who appeared in a crimson robe, intertissued with threadsof green, and charmed all by the beauty of her countenance andthe fragrance of the flowers which she bore in her hand. Sheinterceded with Vulcan, the Judge, in the Chaldee tongue, andreminded him that a woman was to effect the deliverance oftheprisoner. But even to her pleading he turned a deaf ear.While they were still speaking the heaven was opened, andthere came forth a mighty animal, with many thousands ofyoungones, which drove the warder before it, and opening its mouthwide, swallowed Venus, its fair helper, at the same time exclaiming with a loud voice: " I am born of woman, woman hasV322 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.propagated my seed, and therewith filled the earth. Her soul isdevoted to mine, and therefore I must be nourished with herblood." When the animal had said these words with a loudvoice, it hastened into a certain chamber, and shut the doorbehind it; whither its voracious brood followed, drinking of theaforesaid incombustible oil, which they digested with the greatestease, and thereby became even more numerous than they hadbeen before. This they continued to do until they filled thewhole world.Then the learned men of that country were gatheredtogether, and strove to discover the true interpretation of all they had seen. But they were unable to agree until there came forward a man of venerable age, with snowy locks and silverybeard, and arrayed in a flowing purple robe. On his head he wore a crown set with brilliant carbuncles. His loins weregirded with the girdle of life. His feet were bare, and his wordspenetrated to the depth of the human soul. He mounted thetribune, and bade the assembly listen to him in silence, since hewas sent from above to explain to them the significance of whatthey had seen.Whenperfectsilenceprevailed, he delivered himselfas follows:"Awake, O man, and behold the light, lest the darknessdeceive thee! The Gods revealed to methis matter in a profoundsleep. Happy is the man who knows the great works of theDivine power. Blessed is he whose eyes are opened to beholdlight where before they saw darkness."Two Stars are given by the Gods to man to lead him togreat wisdom. Gaze steadily upon them, follow their lights, andyou will find in them the secret of knowledge." The bird Phoenix, from the south, plucks out the heart ofthe mighty beast from the east. Give the animal from the castwings, that it may be on an equality with the bird from thesouth. For the animal from the cast must be deprived of itslion's skin, and lose its wings. Then it must plunge in the saltwater of the vast ocean, and emerge thence in renovatedbeauty. Plunge thy volatile spirits in a deep spring whosewaters never fail, that they may become like their mother, whois hidden therein, and born of three.་ ་Hungary is my native land, the sky and the stars are myTHE GOLDEN TRIPOD 323habitation, the earth is my spouse. Though I must die and beburied, yet Vulcan causes me to be born anew. Therefore, Hun- is my native land, and my mother encloses the whole world."When all that were present had received these his sayings,he thus continued:gary66 Cause that which is above to be below; that which isvisible, to be invisible; and that which is palpable, to becomeimpalpable. Again, let that which is below become that which isabove; let the invisible become visible, and the impalpable,palpable. Here you see the perfection of our Art, without any defect, or diminution. But that in which death and life,destruction and resurrection dwell, is a round sphere, withwhich the goddess of fortune drives her chariot, and impartsthe gift of wisdom to men of God. Its proper name here uponearth, and for the human understanding, is All- in-All. '"Let him who would know what this ' All-in-All' is, give theearth great wings, and make it fly upward through the air to theheavenly regions. Then singe its wings with fierce heat, andmake it fall into the Red Sea, and there be drowned. Then dryup the water with fire and air till the earth reappears, and youwill have All- in- All. '66་"If you cannot find it in this way, look around upon thethings that are in the world. Then you will find the All- in- All,'which is the attracting force of all metals and minerals derivedfrom salt and sulphur, and twice born of Mercury. More I maynot say about All-in-All, ' since all is comprehended in all.•My friends, blessed are ye if, by listening to the words ofthe wise, ye can find this great Stone, which has power to curcleprous and imperfect metallic bodies and to regenerate them;to preserve men in health, and procure for them a long lifeas it has hitherto kept the vital fire burning within me so longthat I am weary of life, and yearn to die." For His wisdom and mercy, and for the gracious Gift whichHehas bestowed upon me so long ago, I am bound to renderGod thanks, now and evermore. Amen. "When the old man had thus spoken, he vanished from their sight.But all who had heard him went each man to his house,and meditated on his words by day and by night.V2324 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.HERE FOLLOWTHE TWELVE KEYSOFBASILIUS VALENTINUS, THE BENEDICTINE,WITH WHICH WE MAY OPENTHE DOORS OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THEMOST ANCIENT STONE,AND UNSEALTHE MOST SECRET FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH.FIRST KEY.THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 325Let my friend know that no impure or spotted things areuseful for our purpose. For there is nothing in their leprousnature capable of advancing the interests of our Art. There ismuch more likelihood of that which is in itself good being spoiledby that which is impure. Everything that is obtained from themines has its value, unless, indeed, it is adulterated. Adulteration, however, spoils its goodness and its efficacy.As the physician purges and cleanses the inward parts ofthe body, and removes all unhealthy matter by means of hismedicines, so our metallic substances must be purified and refinedofall foreign matter, in order to ensure the success of our task.Therefore, our Masters require a pure, immaculate body, that isuntainted with any foreign admixture, which admixture is theleprosy of our metals.Let the diadem of the King be of pure gold, and let theQueen that is united to him in wedlock be chaste and immaculate.Ifyou would operate by means of our bodies, take a fierce greywolf,which, though on account of its name it be subject to the swayofwarlike Mars, is by birth the offspring of ancient Saturn, andis found in the valleys and mountains of the world ,where he roamsabout savage with hunger. Cast to him the body of the King,and when he has devoured it, burn him entirely to ashes in agreat fire. By this process the King will be liberated; and whenit has been performed thrice the Lion has overcome the wolf, andwill find nothing more to devour in him. Thus our Body hasbeen rendered fit for the first stage of our work.Knowthat this is the only right and legitimate way ofpurifying our substance: for the Lion purifies himselfwith the bloodof the wolf, and the tincture of its blood agrees most wonderfullywith the tincture of the Lion, seeing that the two liquids areclosely akin to each other. When the Lion's hunger is appeased,his spirit becomes more powerful than before, and his eyes glitterlike the Sun. His internal essence is now of inestimable valuefor the removing of all defects, and the healing of all diseases.He is pursued by the ten lepers, who desire to drink his blood;and all that are tormented with any kind of sickness are refreshedwith this blood.For whoever drinks of this golden fountain, experiences. arenovation of his whole nature, a vanishing of all unhealthy326 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.matter, a fresh supply of blood, a strengthening of the heart andof all the vitals, and a permanent bracing of every limb. For itopens all the pores, and through them bears away all that prevents the perfect health of the body, but allows all that is bene- ficial to remain therein unmolested.But let my friend be scrupulously careful to preserve thefountain of life limpid and clear. If any strange water be mixedwith it, it is spoiled, and becomes positively injurious. If it stillretain any ofthe solvent which has been used for its dissolution,you must carefully purge it off. For no corrosive can be oftheleast use for the prevention of internal diseases.When a tree is found to bear sour and unwholesome fruit,its branches must be cut off, and scions of better trees graftedupon it. The new branches thereupon become organically unitedto the trunk; but though nourished with its sap, they thenceforward produce good and pleasant fruit.The King travels through six regions in the heavenly firmament, and in the seventh he fixes his auode. There the royalpalace is adorned with golden tapestry. If you understand mymeaning, this Key will open the first lock, and push back thefirst bolt; but if you do not, no spectacles or natural eyesightwill enable you to understand what follows. But Lucius Papiriushas instructed me not to say any more about this Key.THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 327SECOND KEY.In the houses of the great are found various kinds of drink,of which scarcely two are exactly like each other in odour,colour, or taste. For they are prepared in a great variety ofdifferent ways. Nevertheless they are all drunk, and each is .designed for its own special use.When the Sun gives out his rays, and sheds them abroadupon the clouds, it is commonly said that he is attracting water,and if he do it frequently, and thereby cause rain, it is called afruitful year.If it be intended to build a palace, the services of manydifferent craftsmen must be employed, and a great variety ofmaterials is required . Otherwise the palace would not be worthy the name. It is useless to use wood where stone is necessary.The daily ebb and flow of the sea, which are caused by thesympathetic influence of heavenly bodies, impart great wealthand blessing to the earth. For whenever the water comesrolling back, it brings a blessing with it.328 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.A bride, when she is to be brought forth to be married, isgloriously adorned in a great variety of precious garments,which, by enhancing her beauty, render her pleasant in the eyesof the bridegroom. But the rites of the bridal night sheperforms without any clothing but that which she was arrayed withal at the moment of her birth.In the same way our bridal pair, Apollo and Diana, arearrayed in splendid attire, and their heads and bodies arewashed with various kinds of water, some strong, some weak,but not one of them exactly like another, and cach designed forits own special purpose. Know that when the moisture of theearth ascends in the form of a vapour, it is condensed in theupper regions, and precipitated to the earth by its own weight.Thus the earth regains the moisture of which it had beendeprived, and receives strength to put forth buds and herbs.In the same way you must repeatedly distil the water which youhave extracted from the earth, and then again restore it to yourearth, as the water in the Strait of Euripus frequently leaves theshore, and then covers it again until it arrives at a certain limit.When thus the palace has been constructed by the hands ofmany craftsmen , and the sea of glass has absolved its course, andfilled the palace with good things, it is ready for the King toenter, and take his scat upon the throne.But you should notice that the King and his spouse must bequite naked when they are joined together. They must bestripped of all their glorious apparel, and must lie down togetherin the same state of nakedness in which they were born, thattheir seed may not be spoiled by being mixed with any foreignmatter.Let me tell you, in conclusion, that the bath in which thebridegroom is placed, must consist of two hostile kinds ofmatter, that purge and rectify each other by means of a continued struggle. For it is not good for the Eagle to build hernest on the summit of the Alps, because her young ones arethus in great danger of being frozen to death by the intense coldthat prevails there.But if you add to the Eagle the icy Dragon that has longhad its habitation upon the rocks, and has crawled forth fromTHE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 329the caverns ofthe earth, and place both over the fire, it will elicitfrom the icy Dragon a fiery spirit, which, by means of its greatheat, will consume the wings of the Eagle, and prepare a perspiring bath of so extraordinary a degree of heat that the snowwill melt upon the summit of the mountains, and become a water,with which the invigorating mineral bath may be prepared , andfortune, health, life, and strength restored to the King.THIRD KEY.By means of water fire may be extinguished , and utterlyquenched. If much water be poured upon a little fire, the fireis overcome, and compelled to yield up the victory to the water.In the same way our fiery sulphur must be overcome by meansof our prepared water. But, after the water has vanished , thefiery life of our sulphurous vapour must triumph, and againobtain the victory. But no such triumph can take place unlessthe King imparts great strength and potency to his water, andtinges it with his own colour, that thereby he may be consumed330 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.and become invisible, and then again recover his visible form,with a diminution of his simple essence, and a development ofhis perfection.A painter can set yellow upon white, and red or crimsonupon yellow; for, though all these colours are present, yet thelatter prevails on account of its greater intensity. When youhave accomplished the same thing in our Art, you have before your eyes the light of wisdom, which shines in the darkness,although it does not burn. For our sulphur does not burn, but nevertheless its brilliancy is seen far and near. Nor does itcolour anything until it has been prepared, and dyed with itsown colour, which it then imparts to all weak and imperfect metals. This sulphur, however, cannot impart this colour untilit have first by persevering labour been prevailed upon to abjure its original colour. For the weaker does not overcome thestronger, but has to yield the victory to it. The gist of the whole matter lies in the fact that the small and weak cannot aidthat which is itself small and weak, and a combustible substancecannot shield another substance from combustion. That whichis to protect another substance against combustion must itselfbe safe from danger. The latter must be stronger than theformer, that is to say, it must itself be essentially incombustible.He, then, who would prepare the incombustible sulphur of theSages, must look for our sulphur in a substance in which it isincombustible-which can only be after its body has beenabsorbed by the salt sea, and again rejected by it. Then itmust be so exalted as to shine more brightly than all the starsof heaven, and in its essence it must have an abundance of blood,like the Pelican, which wounds its own breast, and, without any diminution of its strength, nourishes and rears up many youngones with its blood. This Tincture is the Rose of our Masters,of purple hue, called also the red blood of the Dragon, or thepurple cloak many times folded with which the Queen of Salvation is covered, and by which all metals are regenerated in colour.Carefully preserve this splendid mantle, together with theastral salt which is joined to this sulphur, and screens it fromharm. Add to it a sufficient quantity of the volatility ofthebird; then the co*ck will swallow the Fox, and, having beendrowned in the water, and quickened by the fire, will in its turnbe swallowed by the Fox.THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 331FOURTH KEY.All flesh that is derived from the earth, must be decomposedand again reduced to earth; then the carthy salt produces a newgeneration by celestial resuscitation. For where there was notfirst carth, there can be no resurrection in our Magistery. Forin earth is the balm of Nature, and the salt of the Sages.At the end of the world, the world shall be judged by fire,and all those things that God has made of nothing shall byfire be reduced to ashes, from which ashes the Phoenix is toproduce her young. For in the ashes slumbers a true andgenuine tartaric substance, which, being dissolved, will enable usto open the strongest bolt of the royal chamber.After the conflagration, there shall be formed a new heavenand a new carth, and the new man will be more noble in hisglorified state than he was before.When the sand and ashes have been well matured andripened with fire, the glass- blower makes out of it glass, whichremains hard and firm in the fire, and in colour resembles acrystal stone. To the uninitiated this is a great mystery, butnot to the master whom long experience has familiarized withthe process.332 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.But before they are preparedThe stone must be maturedOut of stones the master also prepares lime by burning,which is very useful for our work.with fire, they are mere stones.and rendered fervent with fire, and then it becomes so potentthat few things are to be compared to the fiery spirit of lime.By burning anything to ashes you may gain its salt. Ifin thisdissolution the sulphur and mercury be kept apart, and restoredto its salt, you may once more obtain that form which wasdestroyed by the process of combustion. This assertion thewise of this world denounce as the greatest folly, and count as arebellion, saying that such a transformation would amount to anew creation, and that God has denied such creative power to sinful man. But the folly is all on their side. For they do notunderstand that our Artist docs not claim to create anything,but only to evolve new things from the seed made ready to hishand by the Creator.If you do not possess the ashes, you will be unable to obtainour salt; and without our salt you will not be able to impart toour substance a bodily form; for the coagulation of all things isproduced by salt alone.As salt is the great preserving principle that protects allthings from decay, so the Salt of our Magistery preserves metalfrom decomposition and utter annihilation . If their Balm wereto perish, and the Spirit to leave the body, the body would bequite dead, and no longer available for any good purpose. Themetallic spirit would have departed, and would have left its habitation empty, bare, and lifeless.Observe alsò, thou who art a lover of this Art, that the saltthat is gained from ashes has great potency, and possesses manyconcealed virtues. Nevertheless, the salt is unprofitable, until itsinward substance has been extracted. For the spirit alone givesstrength and life. The body by itself profits nothing. If youknow how to find this spirit, you have the Salt of the Sages, andthe incombustible oil, concerning which many things have beenwritten before my time.Although many philosophersHave sought for me with eagerness,Yet very few succeed at lengthIn finding out my secret virtue.THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 333FIFTH KEY.The quickening power of the earth produces all things thatgrow forth from it, and he who says that the carth has no lifemakes a statement which is flatly contradicted by the mostordinary facts. For what is dead cannot produce life and growth,seeing that it is devoid of the quickening spirit. This spirit isthe life and soul that dwell in the carth, and are nourished byheavenly and sidereal influences. For all herbs, trees, and roots,and all metals and minerals, receive their growth and nutriment.from the spirit of the earth, which is the spirit oflife. This spiritis itself fed by the stars, and is thereby rendered capable of imparting nutriment to all things that grow, and of nursing them asa mother does her child while it is yet in the womb. The mineralsare hidden in the womb ofthe earth, and nourished by her withthe spirit which she receives from above.Thus the power of growth that I speak of is imparted notby the earth, but by the life-giving spirit that is in it. If theearth were deserted by this spirit, it would be dead, and no334 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.longer able to afford nourishment to anything. For its sulphuror richness would lack the quickening spirit without which therecan be neither life nor growth.Two contrary spirits can scarcely dwell together, nor do they easily combine. For when a thunderbolt blazes amidst atempest of rain, the two spirits, out of which it is formed, fly fromone another with a great shock and noise, and circle in the air,so that no one can know or say whither they go, unless the samehas been ascertained by experience as to the mode in whichthese spirits manifestKnow then, gentle Reader, that life is the only true spirit,and that that which the ignorant herd look upon as dead maybe brought back to permanent, visible, and spiritual life, if butthe spirit be restored to the body-the spirit which is supportedby heavenly nutriment, and derived from heavenly, elementary,and earthly substances, which are also called formless matter.Morcover, as iron has its magnet which draws it with theinvisible bonds of love, so our gold has its magnet, viz. , the firstMatter ofthe great Stone. If you understand these my words,you are richer and more blessed than the whole world.Let me conclude this chapter with one more remark. Whena man looks into a mirror, he sees therein reflected an image ofhimself. If, however, he try to touch it, he will find that it is notpalpable, and that he has laid his hand upon the mirror only.In the same way, the spirit which must be evolved from thisMatter is visible, but not palpable. This spirit is the root of thelife of our bodies, and the Mercury of the Philosophers, fromwhich is prepared the liquid water of our Art-the water whichmust once more receive a material form, and be rectified by meansof certain purifying agents into the most perfect Medicine. Forwe begin with a firm and palpable body, which subsequentlybecomes a volatile spirit, and a golden water, without any conversion, from which our Sages derive their principle of life.Ultimately we obtain the indestructible medicine of human andmetallic bodies, which is fitter to be known to angels than tomen, except such as seek it at God's hands in heartfelt prayer,and give genuine proofs of their gratitude by service rendered toHim, and to their needy neighbour.Hereunto I may add, in conclusion, that one work is devel-THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 335oped from another. First, our Matter should be carefully purified, then dissolved, destroyed, decomposed, and reduced todust and ashes. Thereupon prepare from it a volatile spirit, whichis white as snow, and another volatile spirit, which is red as blood.These two spirits contain a third, and are yet but one spirit.Now these are the three spirits which preserve and multiply life..Therefore unite them, give them the meat and drink that Naturerequires, and keep them in a warm chamber until the perfect birthtakes place. Then you will see and experience the virtue of thegift bestowed upon you by God and Nature. Know, also, thathitherto mylips have not revealed this secret to any one, andthat God has endowed natural substances with greater powersthan most men are ready to believe. Upon my mouth God hasset a seal, that there might be scope for others after me to writeabout the wonderful things ofNature, which by the foolish arclooked upon as unnatural. For they do not understand that allthings are ultimately traceable to supernatural causes, but nevertheless are, in this present state of the world, subject to natural conditions.SIXTH KEY.C336THEHERMETICMUSEUM.The male without the female is looked upon as only half abody, nor can the female without the male be regarded asmore complete For neither can bring forth fruit so long as itremains alone. But if the two be conjugally united, there is aperfect body, and their seed is placed in a condition in which itcan yield increase.If too much seed be cast into the field, the plants impedeeach other's growth, and there can be no ripe fruit. But if, onthe other hand, too little be sown, weeds spring up and choke it.If a merchant would keep a clear conscience, let him givejust measure to his neighbour. If his measure and weight benot short, he will receive praise from the poor.In too much water you may easily be drowned; too littlewater, on the other hand, soon evaporates in the heat of the sun.If, then, you would attain the longed - for goal, observe justmeasure in mixing the liquid substance of the Sages, lest thatwhich is too much overpower that which is too little, and thegeneration be hindered. For too much rain spoils the fruit, andtoo much drought stunts its growth. Therefore, when Neptunehas prepared his bath, measure out carefully the exact quantityof permanent water needed, and let there be neither too littlenor too much.The twofold fiery male must be fed with a snowy swan,and then they must mutually slay cach other and restore cachother to life; and the air ofthe imprisoned fiery male will occupythree ofthe four quarters of the world, and make up three partsof the imprisoned fiery male, that the death-song of the swansmay be distinctly heard; then the swan roasted will becomefood for the King, and the fiery King will be seized with greatlove towards the Queen, and will take his fill of delight inembracing her, until they both vanish and coalesce into onebody.It is commonly said that two can overpower one, especiallyif they have sufficient room for putting forth their strength.Know also that there must come a twofold wind, and a singlewind, and that they must furiously blow from the east and fromthe south. If, when they cease to rage, the air has become water,you may be confident that the spiritual will also be transmutedTHE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 337into a bodily form, and that our number shall prevail throughthe four seasons in the fourth part of the sky (after the sevenplanets have exercised power), and that its course will be perfected by the test of fire in the lowest chamber of our palace ,when the two shall overpower and consume the third.For this part of our Magistery skill is needed, in order todivide and compound the substances aright, so that the art may result in riches, and the balance may not be falsified byunequal weights. The sky we speak of is the sky of our Art,and there must be justly proportioned parts of our air and earth,our true water and our palpable fire.SEVENTH KEY. Autumno Sigilum HermelisHiemsAQVASal philosophorumSVISTVerNatural heat preserves the life of man.natural heat his life has come to an end.If his body lose itsA moderate degree of natural heat protects against thecold; an excess of it destroys life. It is not necessary that thesubstance of the Sun should touch the earth. The Sun canheat the earth by shedding thercon its rays, which are intensifiedW338 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.by reflection. This intermediate agency is quite sufficient to dothe work ofthe Sun, and to mature everything by coction. Therays ofthe Sun are tempered with the air by passing through itso as to operate by the medium of the air, as the air operatesthrough the medium ofthe fire.Earth without water can produce nothing, nor can waterquicken anything into growth without earth; and as earth andwater are mutually indispensable in the production of fruit, sofire cannot operate without air, or air without fire. For fire hasno life without air; and without fire air possesses neither heatnor dryness.When its fruit is about to be maturcd, the vine stands ingreater need of the Sun's warmth than in the spring; and iftheSun shine brightly in the autumn, the grapes will be better thanif they had not felt his autumnal warmth.In the winter the multitude suppose everything to be dead,because the earth is bound in the chains of frost, so that nothingis allowed to sprout forth. But as soon as the spring comes, andthe cold is vanquished by the power of the Sun, everything isrestored to life, the trees and herbs put forth buds, leaves, andblossoms, the hibernating animals creep forth from their hidingplaces, the plants give out a sweet fragrance, and are adornedwith a great variety of many coloured flowers; and the summercarries on the work ofthe spring, by changing its flowers into fruit.Thus, year by year, the operations of the universe are performed, until at length it shall be destroyed by its Creator, andall the dwellers upon earth shall be restored by resurrection to aglorified life. Then the operations of earthly nature shall cease,and the heavenly and eternal dispensation shall take its place.When the Sun in the winter pursues his course far awayfrom us, he cannot melt the deep snow. But in the summer heapproaches nearer to us, the quality of the air becomes morefiery, and the snow melts and is transmuted by warmth intoFor that which is weak is always compelled to yield to that which is strong.water.The same moderate course must be adopted in the fieryregimen of our Magistery. For it is all important that the liquidshould not be dried up too quickly, and that the earth ofthe Sagesshould not be melted and dissolved too soon, otherwise your2THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 339fishes would be changed into scorpions. If you would performour task rightly, take the spiritual water, in which the spirit wasfrom the beginning, and preserve it in a closely shut chamber.For the heavenly city is about to be besieged by earthly foes.You must, therefore, strongly fortify it with three impassableand well-guarded walls, and let the one entrance be well protected.Then light the lamp of wisdom and seek with it the gross thingthat was lost, shewing only such light as is needed. For youmust know that the worms and reptiles dwell in the cold andhumid earth, while man has his proper habitation upon the faceof the earth; the bodies of angels, on the other hand, not beingalloyed with sin or impurity, are injured by no extreme either ofheat or cold. When inan shall have been glorified, his body willbecome like the angelic body in this respect. If we carefullycultivate the life of our souls, we shall be sons and heirs of God,and shall be able to do that which now seems impossible. Butthis can be effected only by the drying up of all water, and thepurging of heaven and earth and all men with fire.EIGHTH KEY.W2340 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Neither human nor animal bodies can be multiplied or propagated without decomposition; the grain and all vegetableseed, when cast into the ground, must decay before it can springup again; moreover, putrefaction imparts life to many wormsand other animalculæ. The process of augmentation and quickening is mostly performed in [ the] earth, while it is caused byspiritual seed through the other elements.The farmer's wife knows that she cannot hope to obtainchickens except through the decomposition of the egg.Ifbread is placed in honey, and suffered to decay, ants aregenerated; worms are bred in the putrefying bodies of men,horses, and other animals; maggots are also developed by thedecay of nuts, apples, and pears.The same thing may be observed in regard to vegetable life.Nettles and other weeds spring up where no such seed has everbeen sown. This occurs only by putrefaction . The reason is thatthe soil in such places is so disposed , and, as it were, impregnated,that it produces these fruits, which is a result of the properties ofsidercal influence; consequently the seed is spiritually producedin the earth, and putrefies in the earth, and by the operation oftheelements generates corporeal matter according to the species of Nature. Thus the stars and the elements may generate newspiritual, and, ultimately, new vegetable seed, by means of putre- faction. But man cannot create new seed; for it is not in hispower to order the operation of the elements and the essentialinfluences of the stars. By natural conditions, however, newplants are generated simply through putrefaction . This fact isnot noticed by the farmer, simply because it is a thing that hehas always been used to, and for which he is unable to find anexplanation . But you who should know more than the vulgarherd, must search into the causes of things, and endeavour tounderstand how the process of generation and resuscitation isaccomplished by means of decomposition, and how all life isproduced out ofdecay.Each element is in its turn decomposed and regeneratedby that which is contained in it. For you should know thatevery element contains the three others. In air, for instance, .there is fire, water, and carth. This assertion may appearincredible, but it is nevertheless true. In like manner, fireTHE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 341includes air, water, and earth, since otherwise it could generatenothing. Water contains fire, air, and earth; for if it did not,there could be no growth. At the same time, cach element isdistinct, though each contains the others. All this is found bydistillation in the separation of the elements.In order to rationally prove this to you, who are investigating the separation of Nature, and purpose to understand thedivision of the elements, lest you should think my words inventions, and not true, I tell you that if you distil carth, you will findthat, first ofall, there is an escape of air, which, in its turn, alwayscontains fire, as they are both of a spiritual essence, and exercisean irresistible mutual attraction. In the next place, there issueswater from the earth, and the earth, in which is the precious salt,remains by itself at the bottom of the vessel.When water is distilled, air and fire issue from it, and thewater and material earth remain at the bottom. Again, whenthe invisible part of elementary fire is extracted, you get water and earth by themselves. Nor can any of the three otherelements exist without air. It is air that gives to earth its powerof production, to fire its power of burning, to water its power ofgenerating fruit. Again, air can consume nothing, nor dry upany moisture, without that natural heat which must be impartedto it by fire. For everything that is hot and dry contains fire.From these considerations we conclude that no element canexist without the others, and that in the generation of all thingsthere is a mingling of the four elements. He who states the contrary in no wise understands the secrets of Nature, nor hashe investigated the properties of the elements. For if anythingis to be generated by putrefaction, the process must be asfollows: The carth is first decomposed by the moisture whichit contains; for without moisture, or water, there can be no truedecay; thereupon the decomposed substance is kindled and quickened by the natural heat of fire: for without natural heatno generation can take place. Again, if that which has received.the spark of life, is to be stirred up to motion and growth, itmust be acted upon by air. For without air, the quickenedsubstance would be choked and stifled in the germ. Hence itmanifestly appears that no one element can work effectuallywithout the aid of the others, and that all must contribute342 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.•towards the generation of anything. Thus their quickening cooperation takes the form of putrefaction, without which therecan be neither generation, life, nor growth. That there can beno perfect generation or resuscitation without the co-operation ofthe four elements, you may see from the fact that when Adamhad been formed by the Creator out of earth, there was no lifein him, until God breathed into him a living spirit. Then theearth was quickened into motion. In the earth was the salt,that is, the Body; the air that was breathed into it was mercury,or the Spirit, and this air imparted to him a genuine andtemperate heat, which was sulphur, or fire. Then Adam moved,and by his power of motion, shewed that there had been infusedinto him a life-giving spirit. For as there is no fire without air,so neither is there any air without fire. Water was incorporatedwith the earth. Thus living man is an harmonious mixture ofthe four elements; and Adam was generated out of earth, water,air, and fire, out of soul, spirit, and body, out of mercury, sulphur,and salt.In the same way, Eve, our common mother, was created;for her body was built up and formed out of Adam's body-afact which I wish you particularly to notice.To return again to putrefaction, O seeker of the Magisteryand devotee of philosophy, know that, in like manner, no metallicseed can develop, or multiply, unless the said seed, by itself alone,and without the introduction of any foreign substance, bereduced to a perfect putrefaction.The putrefaction of metallic seed must, like that of animaland vegetable seed, take place through the co-operation of thefour elements. I have already explained that the elements them- selves are not the seed. But it ought by this time to beclear to you that the metallic seed which was produced bythe combined operation of heavenly, sidereal, and elementaryessences, and reduced into bodily form, must, in due course, becorrupted and putrefied by means ofthe elements.Observe that this seed contains á living volatile spirit. Forwhen it is distilled; there issues from it first a spirit, and thenthat which is less volatile. But when by continued gentle heat,it is reduced to an acid, the spirit is not so volatile as it wasbefore. For in the distillation of the acid the water issues first,THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 343and then the spirit. And though the substance remains thesame, its properties have become very different. It is no longerwine, but has been transmuted by the putrefaction of gentle heatinto an acid. That which is extracted with wine or its spirit,has widely different properties and powers from that which isextracted with an acid. For if the crystal of antimony beextracted with wine or the spirit of wine, it causes vomiting anddiarrhoea, because it is a poison, and its poisonous quality is notdestroyed by the wine. But if it be extracted with a good distilled acid, it furnishes a beautiful extract of a rich colour.Ifthe acid be removed by means of the St. Mary's Bath, and theresiduum of yellow powder washed away, you obtain a sweetpowder which causes no diarrhoea, but is justly regarded as amarvellously beneficial medicine.This excellent powder is dissolved in a moist place into aliquid which is profitably employed as a painless agent in surgery.Let me sum up in few words what I have to say. The substance is of heavenly birth, its life is preserved by the stars, andnourished by the four elements; then it must perish, and beputrefied; again, by the influence of the stars, which worksthrough the elements, it is restored to life, and becomes oncemore a heavenly thing that has its habitation in the highestregion ofthe firmament. Then you will find that the heavenlyhas assumed an earthly body, and that the earthly body has beenreduced to a heavenly substance.344 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.NINTH KEY.Saturn, who is called the greatest of the planets, is the leastuseful in our Magistery. Nevertheless, it is the chief Key of thewhole Art, howbeit set in the lowest and meanest place.Although by its swift flight it has risen to the loftiest height, farabove all other luminaries, its feathers must be clipped, anditself brought down to the lowest place, from whence it may oncemore be raised by putrefaction, and the quickening caused byputrefaction, by which the black is changed to white, and thewhite to red, until the glorious colour of the triumphant Kinghas been attained. Therefore, I say that though Saturn mayseem the vilest thing in the world, yet it has such power andefficacy that if its precious essence, which is exceesively cold, bereduced to a metallic body by being deprived of its volatility, itbecomes as corporeal as, but far more fixed than, Saturn itself.This transmutation is begun, continued, and completed withMercury, sulphur, and salt. This will seem unintelligible to many,and it certainly does make an extraordinary demand upon themental faculties; but that must be so because the substance iswithin the reach of everyone, and there is no other way ofTHE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 345keeping up the divinely ordained difference between richand poor.In the preparation of Saturn there appears a great variety ofdifferent colours; and you must expect to observe successivelyblack, grey, white, yellow, red, and all the different intermediateshades. In the same way, the Matter of all the Sages passesthrough the several varieties of colour, and may be said tochange its appearance as often as a new gate of entrance isopened to the fire.The King shares his royal dignity with noble Venus, andappears in splendid state, surrounded by all the dignitaries of hiscourt. Before him is borne a beautiful crimson banner, in whichthere is an embroidered representation of Charity in greengarments. Saturn is the prefect of the royal household, and infront of him Astronomy bears a black standard, with a representation of Faith in yellow and red garments.Jupiter is the Grand Marshal, and is preceded by a bannerof grey colour, borne by Rhetoric, and adorned with a variegatedrepresentation of Hope.Mars is at the head of military affairs, and executes hisoffice with a certain fiery ardour. Geometry carries beforehim a crimson banner, on which you may behold Courage in acrimson cloak. Mercury holds the office of Chancellor; Arithmetic is his standard bearer, and his standard is of many colours;on it may be observed the figure of Temperance in a manycoloured robe.The Sun is Vice- Regent, and is preceded by Grammar,bearing a yellow banner, on which Justice is represented in agolden robe Though Venus seems to cast him into the shadeby the gorgeous magnificence of her appearance, he really possesses more power in the kingdom than she.Before the Moon, Dialectic bears a shining silver banner,with the figure of Prudence wrought into it in sky- blue, andbecause the husband of the Moon is dead, he has transferred toher his task of resisting the domination of Queen Venus. Foramong all these there is enmity, and they are all striving tosupplant cach other. Indeed, the tendency of events is to givethe highest place to the most excellent and the most deserving.For the present state of things is passing away, and a new346 THE HERMETICMUSEUM.world is about to be created, and one Planet is devouring anotherspiritually, until only the strongest survive.Let me tell you allegorically that you must put into theheavenly Balance the Ram, Bull, Cancer, Scorpion, and Goat.In the other scale of the Balance you must place the Twins, theArcher, the Water- bearer, and the Virgin. Then let the Lionjump into the Virgin's lap, which will cause the other scale tokick the beam. Thereupon, let the signs of the Zodiac enter intoopposition to the Pleiads, and when all the colours of the worldhave shewn themselves, let there be a conjunction and unionbetween the greatest and the smallest, and the smallest and thegreatest.If the whole world's natureWere seen in one figure,And nothing could be evolved by Art,Nothing wonderful would be found in the Universe,And Nature would have nothing to tell us.For which let us laud and praise God.TENTH KEY.NATVS SVM EX HERMOGENE.כלכסכעטעבה

INTERIRECOGORLAMSVPHABSO3772O+7337DHYPERIONELEGITME.1THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 347In our Stone, as composed by me and by those who havelong preceded me, are contained all elements, all mineral andmetallic forms, and all the qualities and properties of the wholeworld. In it we find most powerful natural heat, by which theicy body of Saturn is gently transmuted into the best gold. Itcontains also a high degree of cold, which tempers the ferventheat of Venus, and coagulates the mercury, which is thereby alsochanged into the finest gold. All these properties slumber in thesubstance ofour Stone, and are developed, perfected, and maturedby the gentle coction of natural fire, until they have attainedtheir highest perfection.If the fruit of a tree be plucked before it is ripe, it is unfitfor use; and if the potter fail to harden his vessels in the fire, theycannot be employed for any good purpose.In the same way you must exercise considerable patience inpreparing our Elixir, if it is to become all that you wish it to become. No fruit can grow from a flower that has been pluckedbefore the time. He whois in too great a hurry, can bring nothingto perfection, but is almost sure to spoil that which he has in hand.Remember, then, that if our Stone be not sufficiently matured, itwill not be able to bring anything to maturity.The substance is dissolved in a bath, and its parts reunitedby putrefaction. In ashes it blossoms. In the form of sand allits excessive moisture is dried up. Maturity and fixity are obtained by living fire. The work does not actually take place inthe Bath of St. Mary, in horse- dung, in ashes, or in sand, but thegrades and regimen ofthe fire proceed after the degrees which arerepresented by these. The Stone is prepared in an empty furnace,with a threefold line of circumvallation, in a tightly closed chamber. It is subjected to continued coction, till all moisture andclouds are driven off, and the King attains to indestructiblefixedness, and is no longer liable to any danger or injury, becausehe has become unconquerable. Let me express my meaning in a somewhat different manner. When you have dissolved yourearth with your water, dry up the water with its own inward fire.Then the air will breathe new life into the body, and you willhave that which can only be regarded as that Great Stone whichin a spiritual manner pervades human and metallic bodies, andis the universal and immaculate Medicine, since it drives out that348THEHERMETICMUSEUM.which is bad, and preserves that which is good, and is the unfailing corrective of all imperfect or discased substances. ThisTincture is of a colour intermediate between red and purple, withsomething of a granite hue, and its specific weight is very considerable.Whoever gains possession of this Stone, should let his wholelife be an expression of his gratitude towards God in practicalkindness towards his suffering brethren, that after obtaining God'sgreatest earthly gift, he may hereafter inherit eternal life.Praise be unto God everlastingly for this His inestimablegift.ELEVENTH KEY.The eleventh Key to the Knowledge of the augmentationof our Stone, I will put before you in the form of a parable.There lived in the East a gilded knight, named Orpheus,who was possessed of immense wealth, and had everything that heart can wish. He had taken to wife his own sister, Euridice,THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 349This he re- who did not, however, bear him any children.garded as the punishment of his sin in having wedded his ownsister, and was instant in prayer to God both by day and bynight, that the curse might be taken from him.One night, when he was buried in a deep sleep, there cameto him a certain winged messenger, named Phoebus, who touchedhis feet, which were very hot, and said: " Thou noble knight,since thou hast wandered through many cities and kingdoms,and suffered many things at sea, in battle, and in the lists, theheavenly Father has bidden me make known to thee the followingmeans of obtaining thy prayer: Take blood from thy right side,and from the left side of thy spouse. For this blood is theheart's blood of your parents, and though it may seem to be oftwo kinds, yet, in reality, it is only one. Mix the two kindsof blood, and keep the mixture tightly enclosed in the globe of the seven wise Masters There that which is generated willbe nourished with its own flesh and blood, and will complete itscourse of development when the Moon has changed for theeighth time If thou repeat this process again and again, thoushalt see children's children, and the offspring of thy body shallfill the world. "When Phoebus had thus spoken, he winged his flightheavenward. In the morning the knight arose and did thebidding of the celestial messenger, and God gave to him and tohis wife many children, who inherited their father's glory, wealth ,and knightly honours from generation to generation.If you are wise, my son, you will find the interpretation ofmy parable. If you do not understand it, ascribe the blamenot to me, but to your own ignorance. I may not express myself more explicitly; indeed, I have revealed the matter in amore plain and straightforward manner than any of my pre- decessors. I have concealed nothing; and if you will butremove the veil of ignorance from you eyes, you will beholdthat which many have sought and few fo...さ350 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.TWELFTH KEY.'CIf an athlete know not the use of his sword, he might aswell be without it; and if another warrior that is skilled in theuse of that weapon come against him, the first is like to farebadly. For he that has knowledge and experience on his side,must carry off the victory.In the same way, he that possesses this tincture, by thegrace of Almighty God, and is unacquainted with its uses, mightas well not have it at all. Therefore this twelfth and last Keymust serve to open up to you the uses of this Stone. In dealingwith this part of the subject I will drop my parabolic and figurative style, and plainly set forth all that is to be known.When the Medicine and Stone of all the Sages has beenperfectly prepared out of the true virgin's milk, take one part ofit to three parts of the best gold purged and refined withantimony, the gold being previously beaten into plates of thegreatest possible thinness. Put the whole into a smelting pot,and subject it to the action of a gentle fire for twelve hours;then let it be melted for three days and three nights more.THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 351For without the ferment of gold no one can compose theStone or develop the tinging virtue. For the same is very subtleand penetrating if it be fermented and joined with a fermentlike unto itself; then the prepared tincture has the power ofentering into other bodies, and operating therein. Take thenone part of the prepared ferment for the tinging of a thousandparts of molten metal, and then you will learn in all faith andtruth that it shall be changed into the only good and fixed gold.For one body takes possession of the other; even if it be unliketo it, nevertheless, through the strength and potency added toit, it is compelled to be assimilated to the same, since likederives origin from like.Whoever uses this as a medium shall find whither thevestibules of the palace lead, and there is nothing comparableto the subtlety thereof. He shall possess all in all, performingall things whatsoever which are possible under the sun.O principle of the prime principle, consider the end! Oend of the final end, consider the beginning! And be thismedium commended unto your faithful care, wherein also Godthe Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, shall give unto you whatsoeveryou need both in soul and body.Concerning the First Matter of the Philosophical Stone.Seek for that Stone which has no fleshly nature, but out ofwhich a volatile fire is extracted, whence also this stone ismade, being composed of white and red . It is a stone, and nostone; therein Nature alone operates. Afountain flows from it.The fixed part submerges its father, absorbing it, body and life,until the soul is returned to it. And the volatile mother like tohim, is produced in her own kingdom; and he by his virtue andpower receives greater strength. The volatile mother whenprepared surpasses the sun in summer. Thus the father bymeans of Vulcan was produced from the spirit. Body, soul, andspirit exist in both, whence the whole matter proceeds. Itproceeds from one, and is one matter. Bind together the fixedand the volatile; they are two, and three, and yet one only.If you do not understand you will attain nothing. Adam wasin a bath-wherein Venus found her like, which bath the agedDragon had prepared when his strength was deserting him.352 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.There is nothing, says the Philosopher, save a double mercury;I say that no other matter has been named; blessed is he whounderstands it. Seek therein, and be not weary; the result justifies the labour.A short Appendix and clear Resumption ofthe foregoingTract concerning the Great Stone of theAncient Sages.I, Basil Valentine, brother of the Benedictine Order, dotestify that I have written this little book, wherein, after themanner ofthe Ancients, I have philosophically indicated how thismost rare treasure may be acquired, whereby the true Sages didprolong life unto its furthest limit.But, notwithstanding that my conscience doth bear me witness in the sight of the Most High, before whom all concealedmatters are laid bare, that I have written no falschood, but haveso exposed the truth that understanding men can require nofurther light (that which is laid down in the theoretical partbeing borne out and confirmed by the practice of the TwelveKeys), yet have I been impelled by various considerations toTHE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 353demonstrate by a shorter way what I have written in the saidtreatise, and thus cast further light thercon , whereby also thelover ofthe desired wisdom may obtain an increased illuminationfor the fulfilment of his desire. There are many who will consider that I am speaking too openly, and will hold me answerablefor the wickedness that they think will follow, but let them restassured that it will be sufficiently difficult, notwithstanding, forany thick-headed persons to find what they seek herein. Atthesame time the matter shall be made clear to the elect. Hearkenthen, thou follower of truth, to these my words, and so shalt thou find the true way!Behold, I write nothing more than I am willing to hold byafter my death and resurrection! Do thou faithfully and simplylay to heart this shorter way, as hereinafter exhibited , for mywords are grounded in simplicity, and my teaching is not confused by a labyrinth of language.I have already indicated that all things are constituted ofthree essences-namely, mercury, sulphur, and salt-and hereinI have taught what is true. But know that the Stone is composed out of one, two, three, four, and five. Out of five-that is,the quintessence of its own substance. Out of four, by which wemust understand the four elements. Out of three, and these arethe three principles of all things. Out of two, for the mercurialsubstance is twofold . Out of one, and this is the first essence ofeverything which emanated from the primal fiat of creation.But many may by all these discourses be rendered doubtfulin mind as to what they must start with, and as to the consequent theory. So I will, in the first place, speak very brieflyconcerning Mercury, secondly concerning Sulphur, thirdly concerning Salt; for these are the essence of the Matter of ourStone.In the first place, you must know that no ordinary quicksilver is useful, but our quicksilver is produced from the bestmetal by the spagyric art, pure, subtle, clear, and glistening, likea spring, pellucid even as crystal, free from all dross. Hencemake water or combustible oil . For Mercury was in thebeginning water, and herein all the Sages agree with my dictumand teaching In this oil of Mercury dissolve its own Mercury,from which the water in question was made, and precipitate theX354 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.Mercury with its own oil. Then we have a twofold mercurialsubstance; but you must know that gold must first be dissolvedin a certain water, as explained in my second Key, after thepurification described in the first Key, and must be reduced intoa subtle calx, as is mentioned in the fourth Key. Next, this calxmust be sublimated by the spirit of salt, again precipitated, andby reverberation reduced into a subtle powder.Then its ownsulphur can more easily enter into its substance, and have greatfriendship with the same, for they have a wondrous love towardscach other. Thus you have two substances in one, and it iscalled Mercury of the Sages, but is yet a single substance, whichis the first ferment.Now follows concerning Sulphur.Seek your Mercury in a similar metal. Then when youknow how to extract the metal from its body by purification , thedestruction of the first Mars, and reverberation , without the use ofany corrosive (the method of doing which I have indicated in mythird Key)-you must dissolve that Mercury in its own blood,out ofwhich it was made before it became fixed (as indicated inthe sixth Key); and you have then nourished and dissolved thetrue lion with the blood of the green lion. For the fixed bloodofthe Red Lion has been made out of the volatile blood of theGreen Lion; hence, they are of one nature, and the unfixedblood again renders that which is volatile fixed, and the fixedblood in its turn fixes that which is volatile, as it was before itssolution. Then foster it in gentle heat, until the whole of themercury is dissolved, and you obtain the second ferment (bynourishing the fixed sulphur with that which is not fixed), as allSages unite with me in testifying. Afterwards this becomes, bysublimation with spirit of wine, of a blood- red colour, and iscalled potable gold.Now I will also give my Opinion respecting theSalt of the Sages.The effect of " salt" is to fix or volatilize, according as itis prepared and used. For the spirit of the salt of tartar, ifextracted by itself without any addition , has power to render allmetals volatile by dissolution and putrefaction, and to dissolveTHE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 355quick or liquid silver into the true mercury, as my practicaldirections shew.Salt of tartar by itself is a powerful fixative, particularly ifthe heat of quicklime be incorporated with it. For these twosubstances are singularly efficacious in producing fixation.In the same way, the vegetable salt of wine fixes andvolatilizes according to the manner ofits preparation. Its use isone of the arcana of Nature, and a miracle of the philosopher's art.When a man drinks wine, there may be gained from hisurine a clear salt, which is volatile, and renders other fixedsubstances volatile, causing them to rise with it in the alembic.But the same does not fix. If a man drank nothing but wine,yet for all that the salt obtained from his urine would have adifferent property from that gained out of the lees of wine. Forit has undergone a chemical change in the human body, havingbecome transmuted from a vegetable into an animal salt -justas horses that feed on oats, straw, etc. , change those vegetablesubstances into flesh and fat, while the bee prepares honey outofthe precious juices of flowers and herbs.The great change which takes place in these and othersubstances is due to putrefaction, which separates and transmutes the constituent elements.The common spirit of salt, which is extracted according tothe direction given in my last declaration , if there be added toit a small quantity of the " spirit of the dragon, " dissolves,volatilizes, and raises together with itself in the alembic, gold andsilver; just as the " eagle," together withthe spirit of the dragon(which is found in stony places) , before the spirit is separatedfrom its body, is much more powerful in producing fixation than volatility.This I also say, that if the spirit of common salt be joinedto the spirit of wine, and distilled together with it, it becomessweet, and loses its acidity. This prepared spirit does not dissolve gold bodily, but if it be poured on prepared calx of gold,it extracts the essence of its colour and redness. If this berightly done, it reduces the white and pure moon to the colourof that body from which it was itself extracted . The old bodymay also receive back its former colour through the love of356 THEHERMETICMUSEUM.alluring Venus, from whose blood it, in the first instance, derivedits origin.But observe, likewise, that the spirit of salt also destroysthe moon, and reduces it to a spiritual essence, according to myteaching, out of which the " potable moon " may be prepared.This spirit of the moon belongs to the spirit of the sun, as thefemale answers to the male, by the copulation or conjunction ofthe spirit of mercury or its oil.The spirit lies hid in mercury, the colour you must seek insulphur, and their coagulation in salt; then you have threethings which together are capable of once more generating aperfect thing. The spirit is fermented in the gold with its ownproper oil; the sulphur is found in abundance in the property ofprecious Venus. This kindles the fixcd blood which is sprungfrom it, the spirit of the salt of the Sages imparts strength andfirmness, though the spirit of tartar and the spirit of urine,together with true vinegar, have great virtue. For the spirit ofvinegar is cold, and the spirit of lime is intensely hot, and thus the two spirits are found to be of opposite natures. I do nothere speak according to the customary manner of the Sages.But I must not say too openly how the inner gates are to be unlocked.In bidding farewell, let me impart to you a faithful word.Seck your material in a metallic substance. Thence preparemercury. This ferment with the mercury of its own propersulphur, and coagulate them with salt . Distil them together;mix all according to weight. Then you will obtain one thing,consisting of elements sprung from one thing. Coagulate and fixit by means of continuous warmth. Thereupon augment andferment it a third time, according to the teaching of my two lastKeys, and you will find the object and goal of your desire. Theuses of the Tincture are set forth plainly in my twelfth Key.THANKS BE TO GOD.As a parting kindness to you, I am constrained to add thatthe spirit may also be extracted from black Saturn and benevolent Jupiter. When it has been reduced to a sweet oil, wehave a means of robbing the common liquid quicksilver of itsvivacity, or rendering it firm and solid, as is also set forth in my book.THE GOLDEN TRIPOD. 357Postscript.When you have thus obtained the material, the regimen ofthe fire is the only thing on which you need bestow much attention. This is the sum and the goal of our search. For our fireis a common fire, and our furnace a common furnace. Andthough some of my predecessors have left it in writing that ourfire is not common fire, I may tell you that it was only one oftheir devices for hiding the mysteries of our Art. For thematerial is common, and its treatment consists chiefly in theproper adjustment ofthe heat to which it is exposed.The fire of a spirit lamp is useless for our purpose. Nor isthere any profit in " horse-dung," nor in the other kinds of heatin the providing of which so much expense is incurred.Neither do we want many kinds of furnaces. Only ourthreefold furnace affords facilities for properly regulating the heatofthe fire. Therefore do not let any babbling sophist induceyou to set up a great variety of expensive furnaces. Our furnaceis cheap, our fire is cheap, and our material is cheap-andhe who has the material will also find a furnace in which toprepare it, just as he who has flour will not be at a lossfor an oven in which it may be baked. It is unnecessary to writea special book concerning this part ofthe subject. You cannotgo wrong, so long as you observe the proper degree of heat,which holds a middle place between hot and cold. If youdiscover this, you are in possession of the secret, and can practisethe Art, for which the CREATOR of all nature be praised worldwithout end. AMEN.END OF VOLUME I.LONDON:JAMES ELLIOTt and Co., Tample Chambers, Falcon Court, Fleet Strenḥ, E.C.

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Este é um fac-símile autorizado do livro original e foi produzido em 1969 por microfilme-xerografia por UniversityMicrofilms, uma empresa Xerox, Ann Arbor, Michigan, EUA.

O Museu Hermético, restaurado e ampliado: instruindo a maioria fielmente a todos os discípulos do Sopho-Spagyricart como esse maior e mais verdadeiro medicamento do pedreno do filósofo é encontrado e realizado. Agora, em inglês, a partir do Latin Original Publicado Atfrankfort no ano 1678.dois folhetos químicos mais célebres. Em dois volumes.

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Índice

ÍNDER.O trato dourado referente à pedra dos filosofistas, por um alemão anônimo adepto ... 5II.A Idade de Ouro restaurada: depois de aparecer agora a segunda vez, floresceu lindamente e trouxe uma sem*nte perfumada e dourada.Esta sem*nte rara e preciosa é mostrada e transmitida a todos os tesens de verdadeira sabedoria e doutrina, por Henrymadathanas `... ... ... ... ... iii.O hidrólito Sphic;ou, pedra aquática dos sábios, isto é, um trabalho químico, pelo qual é a maneira como é a matéria denominada e o processo descrito; a saber, o método de obter a tintura universal ... ... ... 5169IV.-Uma demonstração da natureza, feita aos errringalchemists e reclamando dos sofistas e outros falsos mestres.Estabelecido por John A. Mehung 121V.- Um trato curto, ou resumo filosófico, Bynicholas Flamell ... 141VI.A única maneira verdadeira;Ou, um trato útil, bom e de ajuda, apontando o caminho da página da verdade .... 149VII.A glória do mundo;Ou, a Tabela de Paradisethat é dizer, um verdadeiro relato da ciência antiga que Adão aprendeu com o próprio Deus;que não, Abraão e Salomão mantiveram -se como um dos presentes mais agregados de Deus;que também todos os sábios, em todos os tempos, preferidos à riqueza de todo o mundo, considerados o tesouro -chefe de todo o mundo, e legavam apenas a bons homens;Ou seja, a esciência da pedra do filósofo ... ... VIII.-Um pedaço de grande preço, publicado por um alemão no ano de 1423, sob o seguinte título: O verdadeiro ensino da filosofia relativa à geração de metais e sua verdadeira origem165... 245ix.-Um trato muito breve sobre a pedra filosófica.Escrito por um sábio alemão desconhecido, há cerca de 200 anos, e chamou o Livro de Alze ... 259x.O Livro de Lambspring, um nobre filósofo antigo, sobre a pedra filosófica, de Nicholasbarnaud Delphinas ... ... ... ... ... 271xi.O tripé de ouro;Ou, três produtos químicos de escolha, a saber: a de Basílio Valentinus, Amonk da Ordem Beneditina, chamada Practica, com doze chaves e um apêndice ... ... 307