Wherefore the first degree, and beginning to prepare Potable Gold is this: so may such a Volatile bee afterwards dissolved in spirit of Wine, that both may ascend together, bee made volatil, inseparable. And as you prepare Gold, so may you also prepare potable ☽[Moon] ♀[Venus] ♂[Mars] ♃[Jupiter] ♄[Saturn] and ☿[Mercury].
The raising againe of things is proved by the Whelpes of a Lyon.
But to return to our purpose, let us prove by examples, and sufficient reasons, that things mortified are not dead, and forced to abide in death, but may bee reduced, raised again, and revived, and this truly by man, and according to the course of Nature. You see Lions how all of them are brought forth dead, and first of all are made alive by the horrible roaring of their Parents, as one that is asleep is raised with a noise, How Lyons are made alive againe.so also are Lions raised, not that they are thus asleep. (For they which sleep a naturall sleep must of necessity rise again, which the Lions of themselves doe not.) For if they were not raised by this roaring, they would remain dead, and life would never bee perceived in them. Wherefore it is apparent, that by this roaring they receive their life.
The reviving of dead Flies.
So also you see in all Animalls which are not ingendered, but proceed from putrefaction, as Flies, which if they bee drowned in water, that no life at all is perceived in them, and if they were so left, they would continue dead, and never return to life of themselves any more. But if you cast salt upon them, and put them in the warme Sunne, or behind a warme furnace, they will recover their former life, and this truly is a raising of them up againe. For if this were not done, they would continue dead for ever.
The generation of many Serpents of one.
So also you see in a Serpent, if hee be cut into pieces, and these pieces put into a gourd glasse, and bee putrefied in Horse-dung, the whole Serpent will become living againe in the glasse, in the form either of Worms, or spawn of Fishes. And if those Wormes bee in a fitting manner brought out of putrefaction, and nourished, many hundred Serpents will be bred out of one Serpent, whereof every one will be as big as the first, which is done only by putrefaction. And as it is said of the Serpent, so also many other Animalls may be raised, and restored again.
Hermes, and Virgils endeavour to raise themselves after Death.
According to this processe Hermes, and Virgil have attempted (by the assistance of Negromancy) to renew, and raise themselves after death, and to bee born again as infants, but it succeeded not according to their purpose.