Nevertheless, he left with me (as a Spurre) the acute Memory of, him, reposted in my minde, as also the Opinion of Paracelsus affirming, that by Metals, of Metals, and with Metals, cleansed, Spiritual, and first depurated from their feculency, are made Metals, and the Living Gold and Silver of Philosophers, as well for Humane, as for Metallick Bodies. Wherefore if that Guest, my Friend of but little acquaintance, had exactly shewed to me, the way of preparing preparing this Celestial Spiritual Salt, by which, and with which, from Corporeal, and Earthly Substances, I might, as it were, in the Matrix of them, collect the Spiritual Rayes of Sol or Luna: assuredly, He from his own Light, would have enkindled in me so great a Light, as I should have seen, and understood how I ought in other Corporeal Metals, by Sympathy to transmute the Eternal Soul of them so, as by the help thereof they had clarified, or transformed their own like body, either into Gold, or into Silver, according to the disposition of the Red seed, into a Red Body, or according to the Nature of the White Seed, into a White Body. For Elias the Artist affirmed to me, that the Chalybs Of Sandivogius is that true Mercurial Metallick Humidity, by the help of which, without any Corrosive, the Artist might, in an open Fire, and Crucible, separate the fixed Rayes of Sol or Luna from their own Body, and thenceforth make them Volatile and Mercurial, for the Dry Philosophick Tincture, as he demonstrated to me; and communicated somewhat relating to the transmutation of Metals. Indeed all men well skilled in the Chymical Science, have a necessity of assenting to me in this, viz. that Pyrotechny is the Mother, and Nurse of various noble Sciences and Arts. For they can easily judge from the Colours of the Chaos of Metals in the Fire, what Metallic body is therein. Even so dayly in the bowels of the Earth are procreated Metals, and Perspicuous Stones, from a proper noble vaporous Seed, from a Spiritual tinging Sulphureous Seed, in their diverse Saline Matrixes. For the common Sulphur, whether of an impure, or pure Metal whilst conjoyned with its own body, mixt with Salt Peter only in the burning heat of Fire is easily changed into a most hard and most fixed Earth, but this Earth is thenceforth by the Aire easily changed into a most limpid Water: and this Water afterward, by a more strong Fire, according to the Nature of the Metallick pure or impure Sulphur mixt is converted into Glass, admirably Well tinged with various Colours. Almost in the very same manner,from the White of an Egge is generated a Chick by natural heat. So also from the Seminal bond of Life of any one Metal, is made a new, and more noble Metal, by an heat of Fire convenient to the Saline Nature; although very few Chimists rightly and perfectly know, how the Internal, and alwayes moving Magnetick virtues, are distinguished according to the Harmony, or Disconsonancy of them. Whence we see, this Metal hath a Sympathy or Antipathy with another, so very singular, as is found in the Magnet with Iron, in Mercury with Gold, in Silver with Copper, a very remarkable Sympathy, but on the contrary, there is a notable Antipathy in Lead against Tin, in Iron against Gold, in Antimony against Silver, in Lead against Mercury. Infinite other like Sympathetic, and Antipathetick Annotations occurr in the Animal & Vegetable Kingdom; as you may read and find in various Authors, who have written of such Curiosities, from the accurate, and absolute Knowledge of which, the true Philosophers, and Masters of Nature had their beginning, and Esteem.
Thus have I described, what I my self have seen and done; and have caused the same to be printed for you, Candid Readers, out of mere Liberality, gratis communicating it, according to that of Seneca: I desire in this to know somewhat, that I may teach others. Si cum hac Exceptione detur Sapientia, ut illlam inclusam tencam, abjiciam, &c. But if any man doubt of the real truth of this matter, let him only with a lively faith believe in his Crucified Jesus, that in Him, he (by the strict way of Regeneration) may become a New Creature; in the same let him fix the whole Anchor, of his Faith, and likewise shew his [Greek: philanthropia], or Love of Mankind, unto all his Neighbours, and especially exercise the works of Mercy, and Brotherly Love towards the needy Members of the Christian Religion, that at length, when the whole Course of his Life is justly, and holily finished, in that Fatal and Mortal hour, he may hence, through the Watery Ocean of this Tempestuous and Rocky World, arrive in safety at the most blessed Port of Eternal Rest, and sing the New Song with the Triumphing Philosophers of the Heavenly Jerusalem, of which he hopes to take, who is,
Your most faithful and assured Friend
John Frederick Helvetius,
Doctor and Practitioner of Medicine at the Hague.
Transcriber's note: Repeated word "perused" deleted