The First Rule.
Of the Nature and Property of Mercury.
All things are absconded and hidden in all things, but of all things there is one which is a coverer or hider of the rest, and is a Corporeal Body, External, Visible, Moveable: all fluxes are manifest in this vessel, for this vessel is a Corporeal Spirit, and therefore all Coagulations, and Consistences are captivated and shut up therein being overcome by its flux compassed about and strengthened thereby, what this flux is, its cause and name what it is called, cannot be found, because there is no heat which may be therewith compared. The burning of the Gehennal Fire may be likened thereunto, on which account this Flux hath nothing at all of Community or Affinity with other fluxes, which are melted by the heat of common fire, and become hard and coagulated by natural cold. These fluxings or meltings cannot thus operate with ☿, they are too weak, he values them not; hence ’tis to be observed, that the mortal Virtues of the four Elements have no ingressive Operations upon the Cœlestial Virtues, which Virtues we also call Quintessence, because Elements cannot either give unto, or take any thing from this Quintessence; the Cœlestial or Infernal Virtue cares not for the four Elements.
Hence note, That none of the Elements, nor any Elementary thing, be it dry or moist, hot or cold, none of these can do any thing against that Quintessential Virtue, but each hath its operation and efficacy for it self apart.
Glaub.] In this Chapter or first Rule of ☿, Paracelsus useth succinct but yet perspicuous words, saying, that the fluidity of Mercury ariseth not from the four corruptible Elements, but from the Quintessence, and therefore hath not any affinity with these Elementary fluxings and meltings. Now, what this Quintessence properly is, which Paracelsus here mentions, much might be spoken, but ’tis not so convenient at this time, my self and other Philosophers have largely treated thereof, and therefore speak not of it now.
This only I add over and above, That Paracelsus will have the Quintessence to be a thing not subject to the four Elements, but permanent and incorruptible, whereby he gives to understand, That seeing ’tis so, that the fluidity of Mercury hath its originality from the Quintessence, and not elementary Fire, so its coagulation is in like manner to be made by the Quintessence and not by the elementary Fires, be they hot or cold.
But now, what that Quintessence is, that coagulates Mercury, and transmutes him into Gold or Silver, it may be easily conjectured, that it is not to be sought for out of Vegetables and Animals, but to be extracted out of Metals, and ought to be much more pure, fixt, and meltable than they are.
Many are the things which Paracelsus hath written of this Quintessence, attributing great Virtues thereunto; he that desires it, may read thereof in his Writings. Likewise many Philosophers affirm it to be a thing reduced by the benefit of Art into the purest and highest substance. Which name of Quintessence, some there are that attribute unto that Tincture, wherewith perfections are wont to be made. By which it is evident, That by the name of Quintessence is alwaies understood the most pure, the best, and the most powerful part of a thing. But be it what it will be, ’tis clear, That Mercury is a wonderful subject, nor is to be coagulated and fixed so easily, as many have falsly believed, and tryed the contrary to their great loss.
Many are the Coals which have been vainly consumed about his fixation, and are consumed, although alwaies in vain; my self have also, though not often, handled him with a great deal of tediousness, which although not permanently fixt, yet observing therein many singular things, of which I count it expedient to relate something. In him is a most great power and virtue, most friendly to Metals; he is easily mixed with the purest Metals, and most difficultly with the impure; which denotes him to be of a most pure nature: And now, if he come to be fixed, I could demonstrate, if need were, by indubitable reasons, that a thing more pure than Gold would flow therefrom. It alwaies produceth something as often as it is added to Metals, and constrained to undergo some fire, helping them evidently, even whilst it is in its Volatility; what then would it do, if being therewith fixed, it were along while melted with them in the Fire?
This I add for the better Lights sake.
When I was in my youthful days, and saw many attempting to fix Mercury with Gold and Silver, by Amalgamation, Sublimation, Coagulation, Precipitation, and other Labours of that kind, to transmute it into Gold and Silver; my self also attempted somewhat about him, by the advice of Paracelsus’s Sayings, That in Saturn its Coagulation is to be found. On this account I melted in a little Crucible 6 or 7 parts of Lead, and added one part of Mercury; this I put into another Crucible where Nitre did flow, that it might be covered over thereby; in the mean while I melted the glass of ♄, (being made of 4 parts of Minium, and one part of Flints) in a greater Crucible, whereto I put the two former Crucibles heated to be covered by the glass. These three I again sunk into a new Crucible flowing with the glass of ♄, thinking that I should this way keep in the volatile Guest, having now shut up Mercury in so many walls, I put him to the fire, intending to fix him, and then indeed he sustained it, not being able to break through; but increasing my fire, and the Glass melting with Nitre, away he goes leaving an empty nest, and left ♄’s weight whole and perfect, which having examined, it yielded a grain of Silver heavier than the common ☽ which I believed to be Mercury fixt and coagulated, but reiterating that labour, I found it to be otherways, viz. that the Mercury was not it self fixed, but flown away, but yet by his occult power penetrated and meliorated the lead, that it afforded a little silver; also the whole mass of lead was hereby made black, and hardened like tin, whereby I perceived, that Mercury being a pure, meer fiery spirit, is most impatient of the Fire, and cannot be fixed without a Quintessence.
But thus much indeed it can do, if being joined with other metals, it can be so long held, as to endure the Fire; although it presently vanisheth away, it doth in a manner change them, not by bettering them, but stirring them up by its penetration, that they may mutually act each upon the other, and receive a meliorating faculty, although without any great profit, as far as I know, but I only intend to discover its possibility, its miraculous and almost unsearchable power, for it may deservedly be esteemed a Miracle of Nature. It is a meer invisible Fire; albeit such as are ignorant account it cold, and by Art it may be made far more fiery and volatile; which I sometimes have tryed, where being often injected into a vehement fire, again and again, and received in Glasses, it hath elevated it self without any fire, and gone away into its own Chaos. In a word, many men have accomplished prodigious things with Mercury, but all of them without any fruit; of which more shall be spoken in its place.