This is the ART.
When thou hast put in the Heaven of ♄, and hast made it to flow with its Life in the Earth, then add the Imperfect Metals in a due Weight, viz. ♄, ♃, ♂, ♀, and a little ☽; let them flow so long with the Heaven, until with it they disappear, and having lost their nature and metalline form, are reduced into earth. This metallick earth being yet joined to the heaven of ♄, and compassed wholly round therewith, raise up by the spirit of Heaven, and make it corporeal, and it will receive its former metalline form; but although it be bettered, yet let it be killed three, or four, or five times, and raised up, that the melioration may be greater, and produce in the separation more Sol and Luna. There needs no Tyle, (Muffel) Cupel, Test, (treibs-scherben) Cucurbit, Aqua-fortis, and such like Vessels and Instruments necessary in other Metalline Labours, but ’tis perfectly finished in one only Crucible, in one Furnace, with one only Fire, and in the space of a few hours, from the beginning to the end. And to speak more plainly in this Process, the Sphere of ♄ is the Regulus of ♁, the Life is a whitening Salt, having its operation and motion from the Fire; the Earth is the Crucible. And thus hast thou the whole Process of the Work laid open, the which I have tried above an hundred times in a small quantity; but let the studious Artist, above all things, observe the Fire, of what original, nature, and virtue it is, and the other things will be the more easily understood; for the Wood, the Coals, and such-like burning things, are not the Fire properly, but only its habitation, in which the Fire being occultly dispersed in the Air, is made manifest, visible, and perceptible. Even as the Man is not the Life or Soul, but only the receptacle wherein the Life or Soul, being infused from above, doth lodge: Nor is the man any more a man, but a meer carcass when the soul expires. In like manner Gold ceaseth to be Gold when deprived of its soul, but is volatile, and a Mineral without colour. Whence ’tis evident, that the Goodness of metals consists not in their bodies, but in their souls: On this account ☽ is added to the Imperfect Metals, that it may receive that invisible soul which lies largely diffused throughout their bodies, that it may collect it, make it visible, perceptible, and corporeal, whereby the mixtion of both (viz. of the Luna and the Soul of the Imperfect Metals) being made, it gets the name of ☉. Some body may ask, Whether or no Gold will be produced, if no ☽ be added to the metalline mixture? For answer, There will be ☉ produced, but less in quantity than if Luna were added, because the most tender (and as it were incorporeal) golden soul of the imperfect bodies is not able to quit it self and get out by its own proper force, from so many impurities as ’tis invironed with, without some other help, nor make a new body; ’tis needful and good to administer and lend to it a body wherein it may be contracted, and thereto betake it self, for which the Luna is most fit; the which being by a vivifying Fire radically united with the unclean metals, and well subdued or exercised in the mutual ascension and descension, the purer particles of the Imperfect bodies do come together in this Circulation of the Luna, adhere thereto, are mixed, and become corporeal, the impure corruptible body being left, and a separation made of the good from the bad.
So then, I have now taught perspicuously the Art of extracting Sol and Luna out of all the Imperfect Metals, either apart, or conjoined with or without the addition of the Luna. If therefore thou attainest to the Art, I am glad; if not, thou hast no cause to complain of me, for I have candidly imparted unto thee the meer and naked Truth.
Another Separation of Sol and Luna out of the Imperfect Metals, by ♄.
First of all, melt ♄ well in a melting Vessel, (Scherben) add ♃, ♂, and ♀, mixt in due weight, melt them together, and forthwith the ♃ and ♂ will corrupt the Lead, being reduced into Scoria like to yellow Earth, and being reduced, they will in part restore their own Lead and Copper, but the ♃ and ♂ remain like black Scoria, which are to be kept: Let the Coppery Lead flow well again, and again add ♃ and ♂, and there will be again made Scoria, which are presently to be reduced. Let this Labour of Scorification and Reduction be repeated, until there remain scarce one or two pound of Lead out of an hundred to be washed, and you shall find ☉ and ☽ in part, which the Metals give out from themselves in this operation: But the Scoria which can’t be reduced, let lie well heated red hot, in a peculiar Furnace, for some daies, and be fixed, and they will give in the reduction a golden and silvery ♄ or Lead to be washed, that so the remaining ☉ and ☽ which the Scoria drank up, being extracted, may be of use unto us. This labour (which I never tried in great quantity, will doubtlessly (in my opinion) succeed in quantities; any one may try the thing, and exactly compute how much profit may be thence had every year.
Also the most Imperfect Metals may (by the benefit of Salts not corrosive) be truly and infallibly fixt and wash’d by a particular way, that they may give much ☉ and ☽, concerning which none need to doubt; the which I having oftentimes mentioned in my Writings, will not repeat it again.
Metals also being first reduced into a Calx, may be purged and wash’d by the glass of Lead, made by the addition of Flints, so as to yield much Sol, concerning which I have written heretofore: But there’s required much ♄, whereby the metals may be largely diffused, otherwise it will not let fall the fæces; nor can its more pure parts be gathered together into a body, and concentrated; I take in the Flints, that they may receive into themselves the fæces of the unclean Metals, and so make a separation of the pure from the impure. And like as we are wont to mix the whites of Eggs to Honey, Sugar, and other Vegetable Juices, in the purification of them by Water, that thereby the viscousness of the Juices may be attracted, and so be clarified. In like manner, the Flints do in this operation occupy the place of the whites of Eggs, and ♄ of the Water wherein ♂, ♀, or ♃ is to be dissolved; the Labour is most pleasant and speedy, exceeding gainful, if the Crucibles (perforated by the Litharge) would but hold the mixture, and not let it pass through so soon.
But whosoever shall be so happy as to find Vessels which can keep in the Glass of Lead for ten or twelve hours, he need not be solicitous or careful of other Arts to inrich himself by. For my own part, I could never be so happy hitherto, albeit I have carefully sought it for so many years. One only pound of Iron, ♀, or ♃, doth sometimes yield half, yea a whole lot of Sol, if the Work be rightly managed. And if you add a fix’d Salt, as of Tartar or bare Pot-ashes, it will then yield more, but the Crucibles will be the sooner perforated to our grief. I do believe that one or other will be a curious Searcher after this, and may in due time find how to make this Work succeed very well, both in Crucibles and in great Fires, or melting places; and will be thankful to GOD the Giver, and to me the Writer hereof. Heretofore I did set by this Labour very highly; and although I would not then communicate it to any body for a great price, yet now (being not permitted to make any further Progress therein) I freely bestow it, that others also may try their fortune.