The Fifth Rule.
Of the Nature and Virtue of Saturn.
Thus speaks Saturn of himself: The other Six Planets have excluded and thrust me out, who am their Examinator, from the spiritual City, assigning me an habitation with a corruptible body; for what they neither are, nor will be, I am constrained to be: My six Brethren are Spiritual, wherefore as often as I am in the fire, they pass through my body, and both I and they perish together in the Fire, the two best excepted, ☉ and ☽, who are most neatly and purely washt in my waters, and wax proud. My Spirit is Water, softning the hard bodies of my Brethren; but my body is addicted to the Earth, whatsoever I lay hold on, is also made like the Earth; and is converted into one body. It would not be good that the World should know what is in me, or what I could do; it would be better did they but know how to get that thing which is mine, and is in my faculty, they would lay aside all other Arts of Alchymy, and handle this thing only, which I am able to perfect. The Stone of Coldness is in me; this is the Water by which I cause the Spirits of the six other Metals to congeal into the Corporeity of the Seventh, that is to promote ☉ with ☽. Antimony is twofold, the one sort is the common black ♁, wherewith ☉ being mixt and melted, is purged; this is of nearest kin to Lead; the other is white Magnesia, Bismuth, and nearest to Tin; being mixt with the other ♁, it encreaseth ☽.
Glaub.] Here we have mention made of Saturn, from whence the Bath (spoken of afore) for ♀ and the other metals is prepared, and that twofold, the common and ♁, both which I have mentioned in my former Tracts, as profitable for this washing; but one is fitter for some metals than the other. Venus willingly enters into ♄, and may most rightly be washed and separated (geseigert) with the common Saturnine water, ♂ and ♃ will not; but ♁ receives them most greedily, holds and washeth them, which is impossible for the common ♄ to do. Yet notwithstanding Paracelsus seems to hint at some other thing here, speaking of the transmutation of ♄ with other metals, aiming (as I conjecture) as well at an universal as a particular transmutation of Metals by Saturn. Now Saturn also, as he is the water and washing of other metals, so may he himself be washed with Salts, which, as I shall anon declare, are his water.
But let no body wonder that I speak no larger of the nature and virtue of Saturn, whom I set so high an esteem upon; for it hath been most frequently mentioned, and after this will be; so ’tis not fit so often to repeat the same thing, one Chapter illustrates another. See such other small Tracts as I have written of Saturn, and compare them well together, and without doubt you will perceive my meaning. That which Paracelsus adds concerning the difference of ♁ is plain enough, and wants no illustration; for common Lead and ♁ (although much differing in the diversity of Sulphurs) was by the Philosophers called Black Lead. Bismuth, ashy Lead, and Tin, among the ancient Metallurgists, is white Lead; which appellations we shall leave to the ancients, and say no more thereof.
The Sixth Rule.
Of the Moon, and her Nature and Property.
If anyone goes about to reduce ☽ into ♄ or ♂, it will be as difficult as to make ☽ (with great profit) out of ☿, ♃, ♂, ♀, or ♄. But ’tis not expedient to make vile things out of good, but to make precious things out of base and abject things.
’Tis also fit to know of what matter the Moon is, and whence ’tis risen; he that is ignorant of this, will find it impossible to make Luna.