CHAP. VIII.
Of the quantitie of the Fire, and of the commoditie and discommoditie of it.
FVrthermore, thou must bee acquainted with the quantity of the fire, for the benefit and losse of this thing, proceedeth from the benefit of the fire. Wherupon Plato said in his booke: The fire yeeldeth profit to that which is perfect, but domage and corruption to that which is corrupt: so that when his quantitie shal be meete & conuenient, it shal prosper, but if it shall exceed measure in things, it shal without measure corrupt both: to wit, the perfect and corrupt: and for this cause it was requisite that the learned should poure their medicines vpon Elixir, to hinder and remoue from them the burning of the fire, & his heate. Hermes also said to his father. I am afraide Father of the enemie in my house: to whom he made answer, Son take the dog Corascene, & the bitch of Armenia, put them together, and they shal bring a dog of the colour of heauen, and dip him once in the sea water: for he shall keepe thy friend, and defend thee from thy enemie, and shall helpe thee whersoeuer thou become, alwaies abiding with thee, both in this world, and in the world to come. Now Hermes meant by the dog & bitch, such things as preserue bodies from the scorching heate of the fire. And these things are waters of Calces and Salts, the composition whereof, is to be found in the Philosophers books, that haue written of this mastery, among whome, some haue named them Sea-waters, and Birdes milke, and such like.
CHAP. IX.
Of the Separation of the Elements of the Stone.
THou must afterward bother, take this precious Stone, which the Philosophers haue named, magnified, hiddẽ & concealed, & put it in a Cucurbit with his Alembick, & diuide his natures: that is, the foure elemẽts, the Earth, the Water, the Aire, and the Fire. These are the body and soule, the spirit and tincture. When thou hast diuided the water from the earth, and the aire from the fire, keepe both of them by themselues, and take that which descendeth to the bottom of the glasse, beeing the lees, and wash it with a warme fire, til his blacknesse be gone, and his thicknesse departed: then make him very white, causing the superfluous moysture to flie away, for then hee shall bee changed and become a white calx, wherein there is no cloudie darkenesse, nor vncleannesse, and contrarietie. Afterward returne back to the first natures, which ascended from it, and purifie thẽ likewise from vncleannes, blacknesse, and contrarietie: and reiterate these works vpon thẽ so often, vntil they be subtiliate, purified, and made thin: which when thou hast done, thou shalt acknowledge that God hath bin gracious vnto thee. Know brother, that this work is one stone, into which Gatib may not enter, that is to say, any strange thing. The learned work with this, and from hence proceedeth a medicine that giueth perfection. There must nothing be mingled herewith, either in part or whole. This Stone is to be found at all times, in euerie place, and about euery man, the search whereof is not troublesome to him that seeketh it, wheresoeuer he be. This Stone is vile, blacke, and stinking: It costeth nothing: it must bee taken alone: it is somewhat heauie, and it is called the Originall of the world, because it riseth vp like things that bud forth. This is his reuelation and apparence to him that maketh inquirie after it.
CHAP. X.
Of the nature of the Stone, and his birth.
TAke it therefore and worke it as the Philosopher hath told you in his booke, when he named it after this maner. Take the Stone, no Stone, or that is not a Stone, neither is of the nature of a Stone. It is a Stone whose myne is in the top of the mountaines: and here by mountaines, the Philosopher vnderstandeth liuing creatures, wherupon he saide. Sonne, go to the mountaines of India, and to his caues, & pull out thence precious stones which will melt in the water when they are putte into it. And this water is that which is taken from other mountaines and hollow places. They are stones Sonne, and they are not stones, but we call them so for a Similitude which they haue to stones. And thou must know, that the rootes of their mynes are in the ayre, and their tops in the earth, and it wil easily be heard when they are pluckt out of their places, for there will be a great noyse. Goe with them my sonne, for they will quickly vanish away.