Wherefore it can bee destroyed by no Fire, seeing indeed it is all Fire it selfe: and indeed it is nothing else but the quintessence of Sulphur, which is extracted out of reverberated Sulphur by the spirit of wine, being of a red colour, and as transparent as a Rubie: and which indeed is a great, and excellent Arcanum, for the transmuting of white metalls, and to coagulate living ☿[Mercury] into fixt, and true Gold. Esteeme this as an enriching treasure, and thou maist bee well contented with this, onely secret in the Transmutation of Metalls.
Where is the generation of metalls and mineralls.
Concerning the generation of mineralls, and halfe metalls nothing else need bee known then what was at first said concerning metalls, viz. that they are in like manner produced of the three Principles, viz. Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, although not as metalls of perfect, but of the more imperfect, and baser Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, and yet with their distinct colours.
Whence the generation of Gemmes.
The generation of Gemmes is from the subtilty of the Earth, of transparent and crystalline Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, even according to their distinct colours.
Also of Common Stones.
But the generation of common Stones is of the subtilty of Water, of mucilaginous Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt. For of the mucilaginousnesse of Water are produced all stones, as also sand, and gravell are thence coagulated into Stones, as wee often see.
An artificiall generation of Stones.
For any stone put in the Water, doth suddenly contract a mucilaginousnesse to itself. Now if that mucilaginous matter bee taken from this Stone, and coagulated in a glasse, it becomes such a Stone, as was in that Water, but it would require a long time before it would be coagulated of it selfe.