Then I again asked him: What the Menstruum was, and whether the Operations were made in Glasses, or in Crucibles. He answered; The Menstruum is a Celestial Salt, or a Salt of Celestial Virtue, by the benefit of which, Philosophers only dissolve the Terrene Metallick Body, and in dissolving, the noble Elixir of Philosophers is produced. But the Operation is, performed in a Crucible, from the beginning to the end, in an open Fire. And the Whole Work may be begun, and plainly ended in no longer time, then four dayes: Also in this whole Work, no greater Cost is required, then the value of three Florens. Lastly he added; Neither the Mineral, from Which, nor the Salt by Which, is of any great Price. I again said to him: My Master; This is strange, for it is repugnant to the sayings of various Philosophers, Who have writ, that at least seven, or nine Moneths are imployed in this Work. He answered: The true writings of Philosophers are only; understood by the truly Adept. Therefore, touching the Time, they would write nothing certain; yea; I say, no Lover of this Art, can find the Art of preparing this Mystery in his whole Life without the Communication of some true Adept Man. In this respect and for this Cause, I advise you, my Friend, because you have seen the true Matter of the true Work, not to forget your self, and thirsting after the perfection of this Art, to cast away your own Goods; for you can never find it out. Then I say'd: My Master, although I am so unknown to you, as you are unknown to me; nevertheless, since he was unknown to you who shewed you the way of finding out the Operation of this Arcanum, perhaps you may also, if you be willing, notifie to me somewhat, touching this Secret, that the most difficult Rudiments being overcome, I may (as the saying is) happily add somewhat to things already found out; for by the occasion of one thing found, another is not difficultly invented. But the Artist answered: In this Work the matter is not so, For unless you know the thing, from the beginning of the Work to the end, you know nothing thereof. Indeed I have told you enough, yet you are ignorant how the Stone of Philosophers is made, and again, how the Glassy Seal of Hermes is broaken, in which Sol gives forth Splendor from his Metallick Rayes, wonderfully coloured, and in which Speculum, the Eyes of Narcißus behold Metals transmutable, and from which Rayes the Adept gather their fire, by the help of which, Volatile Metals are fixed into most fixed Gold, or Silver. But enough for this time, because (God willing) on the Morrow, we shall have occasion of meeting yet once more, that we may talk together touching this Philosophick matter; and according as I said, at nine a Clock, I will come to your House, and shew you the way of Projecting. But with that happy Valediction for one night, that Elias the Artist hath left me most sad in expectation unto this very day. Yea, the Mercury of Philosophers did with him vanish into Aire; because from him I did no more again hear so much as one word. Yet he, (because he promised that he would come again to me betimes the next morning) half an hour before ten, sent to me another unknown man, signifying, that, that friend, who yesternight promised to revisit me this morning, by reason of other urgent business, could not come, nevertheless, at three of the Clock in the afternoon, he would again see me. But after I had, with a most vehement desire expected him, till almost eight a Clock, I began to doubt in the truth of the matter. Besides, my Wife also, a very curious Searcher in the Art of that Laudable man, came to me, troubling me, by reason of the Philosophick Art, cited in that aforesaid Severe, and Honest man; saying, Go to, let us try, I pray thee, the Verity of the work, ac cording to what that man said. For otherwise, I certainly shall not sleep all this night. But I answered; I pray let us deferr it till to morrow; perhaps the man will come then. Nevertheless, when I had ordered my Son to kindle the fire; these thoughts arose in me; That man indeed, otherwise in his discourses so Divine, is now found the first time guilty of a Lye. A second time, when I would make Experiment of my Stollen Matter hid under my Nayl, but to no purpose, because the Lead was not transmuted into Gold. Lastly a third time, he gave me so very little of the Matter, for tinging so great a Mass of Lead; that he almost drove me to Desperation. Notwithstanding these thoughts, I commanded yellow Wax to be brought, wherein to wrap the Matter, and finding Lead, I cut off half an Ounce, or six Drachmes. My Wife wrapped the Matter of the Stone in the Wax, and when the Lead was in Flux, she cast in that little Mass, which, with Hissing and Flatuosity, so performed its Operation in the Crucible well closed; as in one quarter of an hour, the whole Mass of Lead was transmuted into the best Gold. Certainly, had I lived in the Age of Ovid, I could not have believed, any Metamorphosis more rare, than this of the Chimical Art; but if I could behold things with the hundred Eyes of Argus, I should scarcely see any work of Nature more admirable, for this Lead, mixt with the Stone of the Wise, and in the Fire melted, demonstrated to us a most beautiful colour, yea, I say, it was most green; but when I poured it out into a [Cone, or] fusory Cup, it received a colour like Blood, and when it waxed cold, shined with the colour of the best Gold: I, and all who were present with me, being amazed, made what haste we, could with the Aurificate Lead (even before it was through cold) to a Gold-Smith, who after a precious Examen, judged it to be Gold most excellent, and that in the whole world, better could not be found; withall, adding, that for every Ounce of such Gold, he would give 50 Florens.
The next day, the rumour of this wonderful Metallick Transmutation was spread all over our Hague; whence many illustrious men, and lovers of Art, made hast to me, among which, by name, the General Examiner of the Moneys of this Province of Holland, Dn. Porelius, came to me, with certain other most illustrious men, earnestly desiring, that I would communicate to them some small particle of my Artificial Gold, to prove it by legitimate Examens: these, for their curiosity sake, I willingly gratified; and we went together to the house of a certain very curious Silver-Smith, by name Brechtelius, in whose Workhouse, the Excellency of my Gold was evidenced, by that form of Probation, which Skilful Artists call. Quarta, viz. when they in a Crucible melt three or four parts or Silver, with one part of Gold, and then by hammering, reduce that mixture into thin Plates, on which they pour a sufficient quantity of Aquafortis, by which the Silver is dissolved, but the Gold settles to the bottome, like a black powder. Afterward, the Aquafortis is poured off, and the golden powder, is again put into a Crucible, and by strong fire reduced to Gold.
But when this work was ended, we supposed, that one half of the Gold was vanished, yet in very deed it was not so: for we found that the Gold, besides its own weight, had transmuted some part of the Silver into Gold, viz. two drams of the Gold, transmuted two scruples of the Silver (through the abundance of its Tincture) into like Gold Homogeneal to it self.
After this, we, suspecting that the Silver was not well separated from the Gold did presently make a mixture: with seven times as much Antimony. And after this Examen, we lost eight grains of Gold; but when I had again evaporated the Antimony, I found nine grains of Gold, yet in colour somewhat pale. Thus, in the best Tryal of fire, we lost nothing of this Gold, And this infallible kind of Probation, I thrice performed in presence of those most noble and illustricsus Men, and found, that every Dram of Gold acquired from the Silver for an augmentation to it self, one Scruple, of Gold: and the Silver, is pure good, and very flexible. So according to this, the five drams of Gold, attracted to it self from the Silver, five Scruples; and (that I may together, and at once, comprise all that remains to be said) the whole weight that that Laudable Powder, in quantity so exceeding small, did transmute, was six drams, and two Scruples, of a more vile Metal, into Gold, in such wise fixed, as it was able perseveringly to sustain the most intense Torture of Fire.
Behold! thus have I exactly, from first to last, commemorated this History. The Gold I indeed have, but where, or in what Land or Countrey. Elias the Artist is at this day hospited, I am wholly ignorant for he told me, his purpose was to abide in his own Country no longer then this Summer; that after he would travil into Asia, and visit the Holy Land. Let the most wise King of Heaven (under the Shadow of whose divine Wings he hath hitherto layn hid) by his Administratory Angels accompany him in his intended Journey, and prosper it so as he living to a great Age, may with his inestimable Talent greatly succour the whole Republick of Christians, and after this Life gloriously behold, and take of the prepared Inheritance of Life Eternal. Amen.
CHAP. IV.
Therefore, now to compleat my promise, I will forthwith betake my self to the Dialogue or, Colloque between Elias the Artist, and me the Physician.
Elias the Artist.
God save you, Master Helvetius! If I may not be too troublesome, I desire to have the freedom of Discoursing with you for a little time, because I have heard, that you are a curious Indagator of natural things. For I have perused your Books, and among them, especially that whole Treatise, which you write against the effect of Sir Kenelm Digbies Sympathetick Powder, where it is gloried, that the same, can at distance cure all Wounds. Assuredly I am incredibly delighted in those things, which are beheld in this Speculum, whether Sympathetick, or Antipathetick, naturally implanted in Creatures. For the inexhausted Treasures of the Divine Light and Deity, no less abundantly, than liberally granted to us, may best of all be known from all the Creatures, which are produced either under the Ætherial Heaven, or in the belly of the Earth, or in the Womb of the Sea, to the end, that by their potentially insited virtues, they should restore health to the Mortal Body of Men.