B. Content, hearken therefore attentively.
C. So I do.
B. Did you never find in the reading of the Philosophers, that all the imperfect Metals may in a Particular way be promoted to the perfect Maturity of Gold or Silver, by their dry Water which wetteth not the hands: But being not content with this effect, they have promoted the first Ens of Metals (by the help of their occult, fiery, and ripening Water) to a more than perfect Constancy, and Fixity in the Fire, and have concentrated it to the form of Gold.
C. I remember, that I have read of such things as these, though by reason of my unskilfulness and ignorance, I could not understand the least Particle of their meaning: For I am altogether ignorant of that kind of wonderful, and yet, to every Body well known Water: And so shall still remain until it be shewn (and pointed at) with the Fingers.
B. Look here, here’s a piece of admirable Water which is every where in all places easie to be found, yea, in the poorest Country-mens Houses, nor doth it deny any Man, the Possession and having it.
C. Who would ever have believed, or thought, that there was any good hidden in so vile and abject a Body?
B. [I wonder] wherefore [it is] that no Body can think of this Matter, seeing it is evident, that in our Water the first Entities of all the Metals are abundantly hidden, as in their own proper Seed, out of which they are generated in the Earth, and ripened unto perfection. Those first Entities are but extracted out of this our Water, by [peculiar] Magnets. And now, like as every Metal hath its own Magnet, even so every one [of them] hath its proper Magnet, by which it is concentrated into a narrow Room. I will declare unto you the Truth of this business, by an example taken from the Metals. If you have a Water fully impregnated with Copper, and you desire to have Copper out of the said Water, you will easily bring this to pass, if you shall but put in to that Water, which holds in it the Copper, a piece of clean Iron, the which Iron, (as being the true Magnet of the Copper,) will attract unto it self, all the invisible Copper out of the Water, and gather it into a visible and palpable Metal. If Silver be dissolv’d in any Water and made invisible, and you would again have it, put into the Solution a Plate of pure [or clean] Copper, which (after a Magnetick manner) will gather together [or draw out] all the Silver in his own [Silvery] Body, and make it visible and palpable. Now when Gold is dissolved in some Water, and largely dispersed, [as I may say] and you would again have it [in the form of Gold;] then put in some ☿ or Ar. vive in that Water, and boyl it a little therewithal, (as was done above, with the Copper and Silver) and you shall presently see all the Gold to be attracted, and gathered together by the Mercury, insomuch that there will not remain ought of the Gold in the Water, because it follows the Attraction of its own Magnet, Mercury. These Metallick and Magnetick Operations, are a sufficiently manifest Information unto us, and do point out unto us (as with a Finger) the way, of the extracting, not only good Metals in a Particular manner, but also far better things than Metals, (viz. the Tincture, or form of Gold) out of our stinking Water, in an Universal way, by such Magnets, as are fit and apt in Nature for this Extraction. Another similitude we have from the Earth, and Rain water, with which the Fruits of the Earth are moistned: Put you in such an Earth moistned with that Water, as many Seeds as you please; each of them, will (by its Magnetick Virtue) attract unto its self, its own like, for its Multiplication, and will leave to the other Seeds, to attract each of them its like also. If now, by this similitude, the Scope or end I aim at, may be made manifest unto you, there is yet hopes you may be holpen: If not, I do not see, by what means you can be succoured, forasmuch as it would be too tedious here to use many other Circumstances. For when we are certainly assured, that the first Ens, or the very Form of Gold is plentifully hidden in our Water, we do by very good right seek after that best part, viz. the form of Gold, and leave the other first Entities of the rest of the Metals, in the Water. And now Ile shew thee another similitude: Dissolve in one and the same Water, ☉, ♀, ♂, ♃, ☿, that so you may have all these Metals commixt together in the same: If now you desire to extract the best of them, viz. the Gold there out of, what hurt will the other bring you, if they remain in the Water. Such therefore as the Magnet is, which you put into that same Water, such is the Metal too, that you shall extract. If therefore we particularly seek ☉ and ☽ in our Water, it will be expedient, that we put unto this spiritual ☉ and ☽ their proper Magnet, unto which Magnets, they (being precipitated) do stick on, and are by little and little fixed [on thereunto.] And now if we seek after something better than ☉ and ☽, viz. the form and Tincture of Gold, it will be necessity, that we also apply such a [suitable] Magnet, which may draw out nothing else but the Tincture or Form of Gold, which being precipitated [thereout of] may be fixed. And thus have I here told you all those things that are necessary to be known. If you are minded to extract in a Particular way, Sol and Lune out of the Universal Mineral water, you must then put unto them their Magnet, viz. an Amalgama of Copper, and Argent vive: For the Copper draws to it self the spiritual Silver, and the ☿ the spiritual Gold, out of the said Water, and brings it unto a Fixation [or Corporeity] with it self, [or, as it self is.] But if you are minded, or desirous, of getting some better thing, than the Gold it self, or Silver, is, viz. a Tincture, you must then needs adjoyn thereto its own peculiar Magnet, for, without it, you cannot effect any thing at all: But that you may know, what the true Magnet of the Tincture is, I say unto you, That is the Compeere, or Companion of our Water, and not of the Metals: For like seeks its like, as the Philosophers say, Nature rejoyceth with Nature, Nature overcomes Nature, Nature retains Nature: More than these things I have told you, it is not needful for you to know: Consider therefore very accurately what I have said, and beg of God by your Prayers a blessing, which if you do, you shall not err, but yet you will not be all of a sudden Master of what you desire. All these things have their determinate times, like as a Grain of Wheat Sown in the Earth, the which requires a time to ripen in, nor doth it wax ripe afore the time appointed for Maturation be come about. Follow you the Advice left by Geber, and do not hasten on your Work, by any the least hasty speed: For he tells us expresly, that all hastning in our Work is of the Devil. And as concerning what is to be known, and what a one the Student of so noble an Art ought to be, you will find described in the Fifth Part of my Spagyrical Pharmacopœa. And what think you now? Can you thoroughly understand me?
C. Yes, Verily, I do well enough understand those things which I have hitherto heard from you, But yet this Womens work, which you began a Declaration of, is not sufficiently clear unto me, nor is that Boys-play, which is done with small Bowls or Knickers, I do not thoroughly understand that neither, viz. how it may be compared with the work of the Philosophers. Were but these things made clear and evident unto me, I would Ranck my self amongst the number of the Masters of the Art.
B. Well then, come let us go on and see, by what means the Philosophers are wont to make their little Bowls. [Note!] Like as the Boys make use of Earth and Water, for the making of their Pellets or Knickers: So likewise will we use our Earth, and our Water to the making of our small Bowls or Pellets: Ours, I say, not the vulgar and common Earth and Water, for they are unprofitable as to our Work. But tis indifferent, and all one, whether we take Yellow, Red, or white Earth, because all of them are of one and the same Nature. According to the Colour of the Earth which we use, will the Colour of the small Balls we make, be: We have here at hand a threefold Earth, a yellow Earth of Gold, a white of Silver and a Red of Copper. This threefold Earth will we moisten with our Water or Mercury, and so make up a Paste or Mass of the two, which the Chymists call an Amalgama. This Paste will we wash with pure Water, grinding it so long ’twixt our Fingers, till there be to appearance of any father impurity, and that it admits of being easily washt, or broken with the Fingers. Being thus well washt, we will put it in a Skin, or Cotton, and tye it firmly in; out of which, we will squeez forth all the ☿ with our hands, and separate it from the said Earth, just in such a manner as Argent vive is separated in Amalgamations, or Metalick Masses. The Mercury being separated, we will take out our thick Amalgama, and make small Bowls, or Knickers thereof, and of almost the same bigness, that the Boys Knickers are of. These Bowls we will expose to the Air, for about some twenty four hours, and by this time they will be grown so hard, as to resemble Stones, in hardness. And now, being thus made ready for boyling, we will put them into our Water to seeth: But yet in the seething, there must be an accurate regard had to some skilful handling the Matter, if you would have it perform its Operation without Errour. This Art will I faithfully open unto thee, lest you err, and so bring damage upon your self: These Pellets, or little Bowls thus made of our Mass, are not to be thrown into the Pot filled with Water, afore the said Water boyls: Which boyling, you must throw them in one after another, and they will presently harden themselves, and cover themselves over with an hard Crustiness or Skin by which they will be prevented from sticking to one another, and from coming altogether into one Mass. For if you first of all put your little Balls into the Pot, and then afterwards pour cold Water upon them, and so set them on the Fire, that they may be boyled unto their Maturity, you will spoil your whole work. For before the Water in the Pot be hot, all the Pellets being dissolved, would run together in one Mass, and so would not admit the Humefying, or moistning of their inside Parts, and so you would turn all your Pellets by your seething into a mere Pouse or Pottage, whereas they should remain whole in all their Parts, as well internal, as external, for fear of drawing the Water in. But that you may have an accurate Account of all these things which I have said unto you, I hope you will set about the Work, [or thus,] I hope you will do your best, heedfully to regard all these things which I have said unto you and I suppose, that you have sufficiently understood the things which I have already spoken: But if so be, you do not yet apprehend the meaning of these things, I will Counsel you, by what means you may learn this Operation at home from your Wife. When you are come home, bid your Wife to make you some little Balls, or Dumplins with Flower and Veal. And heedfully observe, what Course she takes, about making such Balls, that so you may by the same way learn to deal with your Metallick Pellets. First of all, you shall see, that she puts some pure Flower into a deep Dish or Platter, and having put it in, she works it into a Paste, or Mass with Cream, or the purest Milk. Then she admixeth some green Herbs smally minced, and some Spice medled among, and sprinkling some Salt thereupon, she mixeth them with the Paste made as aforesaid, to give it the sweeter Smell, and Taste. Of this Paste, she will afterwards make little Balls, of what bigness she pleaseth, which Balls she does not put in the Water afore it boyls. When therefore the Water seeths, she throws in, one Ball after another, each of which, as soon as ever it feels the fervent heat of the boyling Water, will presently cover it self over with a Skin, whereby they will be kept from sticking one to another, and running into one Mass, and returning into such a Paste as they were in, before their being made up into Pellets: Whereas, now each of them may be kept in its own Form, and be encompassed all round with the Water, and be advanced unto a Maturity, or readiness, by a due seething: And now, when you have seen this Operation of your Wives Cookery, I do not question, but that you will be well enough skilled in this Cooking Art.
C. My dearest Friend, I do friendly request you not to take it amiss, in that I cannot abstain any longer from down right laughing, when I hear that our work hath such a corresponding likeness, with the Art of Cookery: Your so faithful Instructions have already abundantly satisfied me: I have very often seen my Wife busied about the Cooking of such Balls, and my self have also delightfully fed upon these kind of Dumplins, made both of Veal, Eggs, and Spices, and also of Flower, Milk, and green Herbs. But I fear me, that when my Wife shall see me making these Balls or Pellets, and boyling them in a little Pot, she will laugh at me, and say, that I learned my Skil from her.