CHAP. LVI.
From all that hath been said from the beginning hitherto, may be gathered by a piercing eye, that in our Operation our Bodies do not abide in the top of the Alembick, as the Bodies of Fools do: Of which Aros saith: The Bodies of the unwise, do only stick to the Cover or Head of the Vessel, and therefore they cannot effect any thing that is true. Hence also may be gathered, that Sulphurs are retain’d by 🜍, Bodies by Bodies, and Spirits by Spirits; and every imperfect thing is perfected by one thing, that is by ☿ alone, that is, by a substance, which is produced by our foresaid famous, excellent and glorious Magistery. Wherefore for a final Conclusion we say, that the Blessed stone is one, the Medicine one, to which nothing extraneous is added, nor taken from it, only its superfluities removed. Understand this, as Hortulanus saith: That, That is not extraneous, into which it must be changed, that is fixed, viz. ☉ and ☽. Therefore this stone is Mineral, because it is produced from all Mineral things. But because Hortulanus saith, that Hermes the Father of all Alchimists, was Possessor of the three parts of Philosophy, of the whole World, viz. Mineral, Vegetable and Animal: The true knowledge of which three Kingdoms, the said Hermes had joyntly, or severally in the work of the Sun; which parts are contained in one only Stone, viz. in ☿, that is under the name of ☿, because every thing of which the Stone is made, whether it be Animal, Vegetable or Mineral, is called by the name of ☿. We have also before shewed, how this Philosophy, or Science is compleated in the work of the Sun, by means of a Mineral ☿. Now to the end that this Science, or most excellent Point of Philosophy, may be perfect in every Point, we must see how this Stone may be had, by means of a Vegetable ☿, from Vegetables, and by an Animal ☿, prepared from Animals. And first, we will shew how the Stone may be made, with a Vegetable ☿: For except the Great stone might be made from many other things, besides those mentioned in the former part of my Discourse, that saying of Alphidius would not be true: That there be many other Subjects, which solve and congeal. And Hortulanus saith, the Philosophers have called every thing, the Stone, from whence the Four Elements may be separated, by our Chymical Artifice: Now this may be done, from every Vegetable and Animal; wherefore from every Vegetable or Animal, may the Great stone of the Philosophers be prepared.
The two last Chapters of this Anonymous Philosopher, contain a short Repetition of the Matters handled in his whole Book, wherein he asserts, that the Preparation of the great Elixir, he sets down, is far more subtil, excellent and Skilful, than that of Geber: Because the Operations which Geber doth successively, one after another, he shews, how they may be done all at once; for that when he dissolves, he at the same time, in the same Vessel, with the same degree of Fire, and in the same Furnace, doth also Sublime, Calcine, Cleanse, Wash, separate and conjoyn: Because, when the hard Body is put into the dissolvent, to be dissolved, it presently turns Black, and is throughly dissolved, calcined, sublimed and joyned with the Spirit. And I leave it to every judicious Person to judge, whether this way must not be very ingenious and Artificial, which at once, so easily and suddenly finisheth all these Operations, belonging to the work of the Stone. Neither was it without Reason, that the Author affirms, that the possibility of this Accurtation cannot well be believed, or apprehended by any, but those who have seen it.
N. B. Now that all these Operations may be done at once, my self can witness, as having before my Sickness performed the same with mine own hands. And however this may sound very strange to those, whose Experience never reached so far, yet is it an undoubted Truth with all those, whom God hath been pleased to illuminate, giving them the understanding and performance of this great (I had almost said, Holy) work.
Our Author in his last Chapter concludes, that of all things from whence the Elements can be separated, the Stone of the Philosophers may be made; to the Truth of which, also I can set my Seal. For when about half a year since, I had recommended to an old Friend of mine, the manner of preparing the ☿ of Wine, and that the said Friend by reason of his business could not come to me, to overlook the Work himself, because he lived in another City, and I by reason of my Sickness kept my Bed: It was concluded by us, that a third Friend should come to my House, and carry on the Work, from the beginning to the end, which accordingly was done in three or four Days. But forasmuch, as in so short a time, we could not prepare any great quantity of the Spirit of Wine, we had but little to burn away, and consequently could not get much ☿, or Cælestial ☉. Now it happened, when we were separating the ☿, we had caught, from the Phlegme, that the Fire, by mistake was too strong, so that after the Phlegme was come over, we found the remaining Heavenly Salt, or ☿ of Wine in the bottom of the Glass molten to a Red stone, which could not be dissolved with common Water. Whereupon I ordered some Aqua Regis to be poured into the Glass, to dissolve the ☿, which presently succeeded, the Solution being Blood-red. But the ☿ being by this means spoyled, as to any Medicinal use, I resolved to try what it would do on Metals, and accordingly put a little piece of fine ☽ into the Red Solution, left it there two days, and then taking it out, found it changed into ☉ as far as could be judged by the Eye, or Touchstone. But because I could hardly believe, that ☽ could be so easily turned to ☉, I put it into a strong Aqua Regis, to see whether it would be dissolved in the same, as other common ☉, and put a piece of common ☉ with it, to try which of both would be first dissolved: Whereupon I found, that the Aqua Regis rather laid hold on the common ☉, than my transmuted ☽, the half of which was only dissolved, and I have the other Part still to shew. Which tryal made me so desirous of proceeding to another, that I got a new instrument prepared, for to make the ☿ of Vegetables and Animals, but have as yet been unable to undertake the Work, by reason of Bodily weakness, and for want of some faithful assistant. Yet am not without hopes, but that with the first I may make some further Tryals, all things being in a readiness for the Work, to which God be pleased to afford his Blessing, Amen.
From this Relation it is evident, that a Vegetable ☿ is able to meliorate Metals: That it excels for Physick cannot be doubted, and therefore the said ☿ may be called a Master in both Faculties. Now if a Vegetable ☿ will do this, what may be expected from a Metallick drawn from pure Metals, and brought over by the Spirit of Wine? Without doubt, much more than the ☿ of Wine alone, without any Metalline addition. If it please God, I intend to second this Treatise with another larger, concerning the ☿ of Metals. In the mean time, I here make an End.
OF THE
Secret Fire of Philosophers.
By which, They not only brought to Maturity their Universal Medicine, but also fixed particularly all the inferior Metals, into good Gold and Silver, with great Profit.
Written for the Sakes of all the Lovers of Divine and Natural Wisdom.