If now the Saturn be imbued with a sufficient Portion of spiritual Gold, it must be reduced by X, or Alkalies, that so the spiritual Gold may be made corporeal, which will exhibit it self pure unto you, after that the Saturn shall be driven away on the Test. But yet there is no need of doing this, seeing it will be better to granulate the Saturn, and by those repeated cohobations to draw off the Spirit of Salt agen, being each time impregnated with that spiritual Gold, and so by this means will you enrich your Saturn with the greater plenty of Gold. And being so enriched it must be reduced by a fixing X, in my secret Crucible, which neither suffers any thing to go away in fume, nor to run out; in which reduction the spiritual Gold and the fugacious Saturn it self are fixed, so that both Gold and Silver are found on the Test with great profit, this labour requiring no other costs save those of the Fire.
This Operation which separates fugacious and fix Gold out of the Oars and Stones, is far better than that which is made by the Solutions of Lune and Saturn, described at large in the [third part of the Prosperity of Germany]. For here, we do not need either Aq. Fortis or Vinegar for the Solution of Saturn or Lune, neither need we the same to get the extracted Gold out of the Spirit of Salt, but being free from that labour and costs, we [onely] draw off from Saturn, that Spirit which hath extracted the Gold, which [Saturn] attracts and holds the volatile and fix Gold that was in the extraction, insomuch that there is not requisite to this labour of drawing off the extractions from Saturn, any thing else save onely Coals and Fire. Add hereunto also, the gainfull encrease which daily comes in by the addition of Salt and Water, by which the Spirit of Salt is day by day augmented without any costs.
N. B. When the Spirit of Salt becomes too strong by reason of the Salt put thereto, that Water wherewith the Oar is washt, after the first extraction of the Spirit of Salt, [or after it hath first been extracted with Spirit of Salt] may be made use of [and put thereto] instead of common Water. For it is somewhat sourish, and hath likewise a golden nature.
N. B. Praise God, and forget not the Poor, seeing thou art sufficiently informed and taught by what means thou maist get great Treasures.
The things I here write, are not for this end, namely, to teach others how to make great heaps of Gold, but onely to shew them a way of attaining to a good Medicament, and withall, of knowing and perceiving by the same labour, that the melioration of the Metals is altogether possible and certain.
Whoever he be that could attain so far as to bring Antimony and Lead, as being the first Ens of Gold and Silver, into a certain Dissolvent, so as that the one would not precipitate the other; then at length would he have entrance upon the right way, which leadeth unto great things, like as also Gold and Silver being dissolved in one and the same Menstruum gives beginning to things of great moment. I dare affirm therefore, that he that can reduce Gold and Silver, or Antimony and Lead, with Salt, into an agreement, hath opened a most strong Gate which leads unto a great Treasure; for then the Patient must suffer even unto death, and must die, out of whose dead Body, new and living Bodies do afterwards come forth.
Although I have often told you in my Writings that Gold has no greater enemy than combustible Sulphur, and that nothing is more inimicitious to Silver than Salt, and nothing more displeasing to Mercury than a strong Lixivium, and that amongst these contraries there is a perpetual Antipathy so long, untill they are constrained by Art and Skill to become friends and mutually to embrace each other: yet notwithstanding; this will not be so easily fesible by every prating Boaster, and that makes a great noise by his lofty vapouring speeches; no, but for the sake of these very Men, are such great Arcana’s justly and deservedly wrapt up in darkness, and indeed ’tis fit they should so be.
Moreover if there be required a great suffering, ’tis necessary that both the Gold and Silver, as being Male and Female, should suffer together and not barely the one or the other apart: for hereby this Regeneration will be made so much the nobler and the more magnificent. For Example, make a Circle, and cut or divide it with Diameters crosswise [or at right Angles through the Center] so that the extreams of the Diameters which divide themselves in the middle or central point of the cross may touch the Circle, and that of those four extreams [or Semi-diameters] one may touch above, and the other beneath, and the other twain may reach, one to the right side, and t’other to the left. Place the Gold in the uppermost extream marked with the letter A, and his enemy, namely Sulphur, in the lower extream, which the letter C, demonstrates. In like manner place Silver on the left side of the Gold, at the letter B, and its enemy, viz. Salt on the right side marked D, and you will see how aversly these enemies behold each the other. The Sol looking about him espies his capital enemy, Sulphur, directly opposite unto him, and hath Lune at his left side, and Salt at his right; and very willingly would he enter into friendship with Lune, and Salt which are joyned at his side, if they but would, or indeed could. But he honours not his capital enemy Sulphur, with so much as a look. The Lune placed by the side of the Sun, does not permit the Salt to joyn it self with the Gold. For when the Salt is with the Sol, it clearly hinders the Lune from associating it self with the same. Nor can it possibly be that Salt, Lune and Gold should enter into a thorough familiarity. Thus too is it with Lune, who hath her capital enemy diametrically opposite unto her, and very willingly would she enter into friendship with both her neighbours, viz. Sol and Sulphur, if they were not such great enemies (to each other,) and refused this familiarity. For if Lune associates unto her self the Sun, then Sulphur denies to come into the society. If she admits the Sulphur as her companion then, then Sol is excluded, as abominating the friendship with his enemy Sulphur. Much less therefore can Lune be the companion of them both together. See the Fig. in the Book of Dialog.
But now if the Gods please, that these four capital enemies, should unite in one sociable amity, and that wonderfull regenerations should arise from this new familiarity, (then) do they command Vulcan to heat in the Fire this Circle comprizing those four capital enemies, thus constituted in the four aforesaid extreams, and casting such hatefull looks upon each other, and yet not knowing how to escape out of the Circle, and to press them together more and more with his Hammer by little and little, untill all four being driven into one mass, do come together into one body, which body doth then obtain a power of reconciling all enemies, and of effecting great matters.
By this here spoken may any one easily conjecture, what great suffering there is in this Conjunction, and what great streights do afflict these enemies, when each of them must thus against their will enter into friendship with his capital enemy. Verily we find them to be such sufferings as have not their like again, and therefore do they produce to light, such great and such wonderfull regenerations. Now whatsoever it be that is exercised in but a small suffering, the same doth admit of but small emendation.