The works of the highly experienced and famous chymist, John Rudolph Glauber

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

Besides, there are not a few of this sort, that briefly and cursorily running over the Writings of the Philosophers without any serious meditation upon the thing they read, or without understanding of the same, do think themselves masters of a great deal of Wisedom, and firmly perswade themselves, that if they have a little smatch of Learning, and have but the knowledge of a Tongue or two, and have but by some Anagrams pleasantly tingling in the Ears of some great Men, sooth’d their minds a little, and wip’d them of some of their Silver, the finding out of so great a mystery cannot possibly escape their profound Scholarship, but they must needs catch it. But yet (by their leave) they are quite out, and full well are they known unto God, who with-holds from those proud deriders, and envious contemners of the truth, his benediction, and leaves them wallowing in their courtly pastimes so long, untill at length (after their turning and applying themselves from one foolish deceived man to another, and so on) they doe themselves lay open their own gross ignorance and most filthy shifts, which they have wrapt over with such a detestable babling, and by the fruitlesness of the event shew that their large promises of golden Mountains are most vain and idle. And hereupon their hopes of having the Philosopher’s Stone (which they seek for meerly to advance their pride, and the more easily to suppress the truth) vanishing away with the smoak, they lose all their credit and their good report, and can find no more such credulous persons that will suffer themselves to be soothed by their most vain promises. And this is another kind of those that bestow their labour in vain about this so great a work, who doe thereby add a great load to their wickedness, by wasting other mens goods, and deceiving the too credulous, and ruining others as well as themselves. There are yet a third kind of erroneous searchers, and who deceive themselves with their vain labour, and they are such as being a little too credulous and simple when they have lighted upon some of the Philosophers Writings, and read what vast treasures are to be gotten by Chymical Labours, doe presently feel an itching desire after Gold, and being inflamed with the covetous desire of such hungry treasures, doe apply themselves with unwashen hands (as we may so say) to the reading of the same, and then follow the bare letter in their operations. From whence it comes to pass, that (all things being obscure and dark to them, being ignorant and unskilfull, and the light of nature not shining upon them) they wander from the right path, and immerse themselves in the fruitless attempts of vain Labours. Some there are that have indeed some kind of knowledge of managing the Fire, and who doe very diligently read over the Writings of the Philosophers, but yet are quite confounded by their reading them, seeing that they cannot find out the true Fire, and true matter of the Stone, which the Philosophers have so obscurely and so variously written of. For some of them teach the making of the Stone out of fixt Gold and Silver, and not out of the other immature and volatile Minerals, because what a Man sowes, that he reaps; others tell us the quite contrary, and say that there cannot be any better thing made of fixt Gold and Silver, seeing they are already brought by nature unto that perfection as not to be reduceable into their first matter, out of which (said first matter) they affirm that their Universal Medicine is to be made, and not of fixt Gold and Silver: And therefore rejecting fixt Gold and Silver, they say that the first Entities (of the said Sol and Lune) being yet Volatile, are the true first matter of the Philosophers Stone, because they are as yet immature (as they phrase it) and tender, and fit for the making of those things which we are desirous to accomplish, which (they tell us) cannot be possibly made out of those two fixed bodies. And to help forward yet more confusion, the multiplicity and variety of names, which the matter of the Philosophers is stiled, is no mean impediment to the understanding. One bids us seek it in Vitriol, another in Mercury, some in Saturn, others in Magnesia: And thus is that matter deciphered by various and innumerable names, insomuch that it is impossible but that he who is ignorant, and not well versed in these affairs should be hurried into various doubts and perplexities, being clearly ignorant whether or no the Philosophers mean the common Vitriol, or a Vitriol extracted out of the fixed Metals, especially seeing they too and agen affirm, that their Vitriol Mercury and Saturn are not those vulgar Metals of Gold, Quicksilver, and Lead. Who therefore I pray could be so wise and prudent as to rid himself out of the so many confused and intricate windings of this Labyrinth? Even hence it is that the most learned and diligent searchers have been wound into so many erroneous Labours, nor could by any means get clear of those hedg’d up turnings.

Nay yet more, the inconstancy of such as labour is no small impediment, who (should they have the matter) would not perfect the same by reason of their fickle inconstantness. For if the Stone does not presently come forth, and make them masters of what they desire, away they throw their Books and tread upon them, and load the Authours with curses and imprecations, accusing them of wicked deceit, in that they have not written clear enough for every one to understand so great an Art at the very first dash, and to become a master of such a notable treasure without any labour at all.

You shall likewise meet with some that are so very wise as that it seems no ways likely unto them, that so divine a gift can be prepared out of so vile abject, and contemptible things, whenas though (by their leave) every good thing (for the most part) is wont to be abject and mean, and not precious, witness Sandivow, who tells us that he had declared the whole Work to not a few, even from the beginning to the end, but (by reason of the meanness of the same) they judged it to be but of small moment, believing that no good could possibly proceed thencefrom.

Besides too, it oft times happens that even many of those who by their reading and diligent scrutiny have attained the knowledge of the true matter, are notwithstanding that ignorant of the true Fire that gives Tincture unto that true matter, and therefore cannot be masters of their wishes and desires. Infinite is the number of these and such like obstacles which impead, and retard the desirous searchers after so great a Work. For many there be that seek, but few are they that find.

Question 5.

Whether or no the Philosophers do so much differ amongst each other, as that one hath prepared that Universal Medicament of this matter, and another of that?

Answer.

Yea, verily they seem much to differ amongst themselves, nor onely as to the external Letter, but their Opinions also that concern the very matter it self are very various and discrepant, but yet as to the Basis and Fundamentals of the truth, there they are of one mind, though one hath prepared his universal Medicament of one matter, and another of another matter, and have each (after the finishing of their Work) described the operation agreeable to their own way of proceeding.

Question 6.

Whether or no there are more universal matters than one, out of which the universal Tincture is prepared?