CHAP. VII.
How to make proiection of the medicine vpon any imperfect bodie.
I Haue largely accomplisht my promise of that great masterie, for making the most excellent Elixir, red and white. For conclusion, we are to treate of the manner of proiection, which is the accomplishment of the work, the desired & expected ioy. The red Elixir doth turne into a citrine colour infinitely, and changeth all mettals into pure gold. And the white Elixir doth infinitely whiten, and bringeth euerie mettal to perfect whitenesse. But we know that one mettall is farther off from perfection then another, & one more neere then another. And although euerie mettall may by Elixir be reduced to perfection, neuerthelesse the neerest are more easily, speedily, and perfectly reduced, then those which are far distant. And when we meete with a mettall that is neere to perfection, we are thereby excused from many that are farre off. And as for the mettals which of them be neere, and which farre off, which of them I say be neerest to perfection, if thou be wise and discreete, thou shalt find to be plainely and truely set out in my Chapters. And without doubt, hee that is so quick sighted in this my Mirrour, that by his own industry hee can finde out the true matter, hee doth full well knowe vppon what body the medicine is to bee proiected to bring it to perfection. For the forerunners of this Art, who haue founde it out by their philosophie, do point out with their finger the direct & plain way, when they say: Nature, containeth nature: Nature ouercommeth nature: & Nature meeting with her nature, exceedingly reioyceth, and is changed into other natures. And in another place, Euery like reioiceth in his like: for likenesse is saide to be the cause of friendship, wherof many Philosophers haue left a notable secret, Know thou that the soule doth quickly enter into his body, which may by no meanes be ioyned to another body. And in another place, The soule doth quickly enter into his own body, which if thou goest about to ioyne with another body, thou shalt loose thy labour: for the neerenesse it selfe is more cleare. And because corporeall things in this regimẽt are made incorporeall, & contrariwise things incorporeal corporeall, and in the shutting vp of the worke, the whole body is made a spirituall fixt thing: and because also that spirituall Elixir euidently, whether white or red, is so greatly prepared and decocted beyonde his nature, it is no maruaile that it cannot bee mixed with a body, on which it is proiected, beeing onely melted. It is also a hard matter to proiect it on a thousand thousand and more, and incontinently to penetrate and transmute them. I will therefore nowe deliuer vnto you a great and hidden secret. One part is to bee mixed with a thousand of the next body, & let all this be surely put into a fit vessell, and sette it in a furnace of fixation, first with a lent fire, and afterwardes encreasing the fire for three dayes, till they be inseperably ioyned together, and this is a worke of three dayes: then againe and finally, euery part heereof by it selfe, must be proiected vpon another thousand parts of any neere body: and this is a worke of one day, or one houre, or a moment, for which our wonderfull God is eternally to be praised.
Here endeth the Mirror of Alchimy, composed by the most learned Philosopher, Roger Bacon.
The Smaragdine Table of Hermes, Trismegistus of Alchimy.
The wordes of the secrets of Hermes, which were written in a Smaragdine Table, and found betweene his hands in an obscure vaute, wherin his body lay buried. It is true without leasing, certain and most true. That which is beneath is like that which is aboue: & that which is aboue, is like that which is beneath, to worke the miracles of one thing. And as all things haue proceeded from one, by the meditatiõ of one, so all things haue sprung from this one thing by adaptation. His father is the sun, his mother is the moone, the wind bore it in hir belly. The earth is his nurse. The father of all the telesme of this world is here. His force and power is perfect, if it be turned into earth. Thou shalt seperate the earth from the fire, the thinne from the thicke, and that gently with great discretion. It ascendeth from the Earth into Heauen: and and againe it discendeth into the earth, and receiueth the power of the superiours and inferiours: so shalt thou haue the glorie of the whole worlde. All obscuritie therefore shall flie away from thee. This is the mightie power of all power, for it shal ouercome euery subtile thing, and pearce through euery solide thing. So was the worlde created. Here shall be maruailous adabtations, whereof this is the meane. Therefore am I called Hermes Trismegistus, or the thrice great Interpreter: hauing three parts of the Philosophy of the whole world. That which I haue spoken of the operation of the Sunne, is finished.
Here endeth the Table of Hermes.
A briefe Commentarie
of Hortulanus the Philosopher, vpon
the Smaragdine Table of Hermes
of Alchimy.
The praier of Hortulanus.