AZOTH or the way to make the hidden gold of the Philosophers

By Brother Basil Valentin

First part.

Adolphe, old man.
Venerable Old Man, well be you, seeing you a long time ago, from afar, alone close to this tree, thinking I do not know what in yourself, I cannot wait any longer until I approach you, to inform about the subject of this meditation.

The old man.
For real (oh! young Teenager) now I am allowed to know the things that seemed to me in my youth incredible and out of reason, because when I studied, puffed up with pride, I presumed myself to know all things, and now at the end of my age, I take pleasure in researching with great care, this great difficult book of nature, yet I see however every occasion and length of time, pass like flowing water, and of which greatly I pity me.

Adolf.
It is in truth what I admire in you (O! Old man) when I consider the affections so contrary between us: for it seems to you that time flies before the season, and the days seem to me to go too slowly. , for this cause I have wanted to ride a horse for a long time and find pleasant company that can take away the annoyance that time brings me so slowly flowing.

The old man.
Certainly, O friend, I see you in the flower of your age, with a liberal face, therefore I will be very happy to know your name, and your race, believing that you will not be disagreeable, if all suspicion of fraud removed, I ask your name, and the condition of your life.

Adolf.
My name is Adolphe, and my Country Hassie, which taught me letters from my infancy, and advanced in age, I left studies, and took the merchandise, and having neither Guardian nor Governor, even administering my paternal property, I wanted to travel, and see the most distant lands, and certainly before anything else, I would like to go to Rome, mistress of the Universe, with company, however I desires to hear your advice, as a man well versed in the use of things and experience.

The old man.
You will not miss my advice, provided you do not refuse to obey the good advice I give you, because I have the means to help you more easily, having knowledge of these places.

Adolf.
I estimate that it will be possible for me to obey you mainly to you who are old, and have the experience of things: please show to him who wanders, and flees the dark paths, you will judge to have found a docile and attentive listener .

The old man.
You say, my son, that you desire to see Rome, but be sure that I have truly seen this head of the Universe, but being now wiser with age, I am wiser and attentive to perils and dangers. But according to my opinion, please do not converse long in these places, because this place is in truth, what I will tell you more fully below. But it greatly displeases me that I see you showing the length of time in such perfect health, although we have not endured the violence of any disease, being in this prime of life. I therefore wish that you would esteem these things ought to be prized with more consideration, for you see that I have rather acquired these things in less time, than I have spent this length of my life: it is not lawful to to pass the time in idleness, but rather carefully, and diligently, to give ourselves up to the knowledge of God and his works, and to employ therein the forces of our senses, for we are created in the Image of God for that purpose and not like beasts, which were produced for our use. Our eyes therefore be open, and our ears attentive to praise God, to flee from idleness, and to employ the time in studies.

Adolf.
Truly, my old man, I seem to have already understood the things that are necessary for me, because I have acquired the knowledge of the Latin language, and the notice, collected of the Aristotelian doctrine. I see that there is no need to labor so much in these studies, mainly when I recognize that all things are imperfect and vain, and that there is no Master or doctor of the art, who leads actions in such a way, without fraud and deceit, that he can deftly acquire the desired end. The study of astronomy, which should be before all other Arts very certain, and indubitable, is at all uncertain, deceptive and inconstant, one makes the same judgment of Medicine. Who is it that considers the evil customs and errors which creep into the sacred minds of theologians, seeing that Holy Scripture, its firmness and constancy, must not be doubted, and yet it is almost taken in various senses by all? , and there is no end to any of the controversies, by it some spying on the life of others, others kill the soul, others pursue property, and there is no end to theft, robbery, debates , and quarrels, and each one has the habit of praising, and saying these works be, or of great doctrine, or of prudence, or of force. But even though young, I cannot consent to these things, although I no longer study mainly because I see that the true purpose is almost forsaken in everyone, and that these past days I was reproached by a certain Villager, that the most learned are the most wicked, & the most pernicious: & some fear (not without reason) that the learned will bear the penalty of this thing by their own misdeed: And there is no reason why we withdraw from the true & celestial doctrine, since it has been divinely left to us by the Incarnate Word, as I have heard from you above. But to put it better, human wisdom & the inconstant circle of doctrines are imperfect, & believe that you will be of my opinion in this.

The old man.
It is very likely, & I claim knowledge of the Latin language, but the notice of foreign languages has no proper place, nor particular, & does not seem necessary in any way: as is the Hebrew language, & Greek, by which the knowledge of all the Arts was formerly taught to us, & we also see that these foreign languages are mainly necessary to the houses of Princes, because of the various businesses, & is an excellent gift of God, which appears to the example of those who built the Tower of Babel, among whom there was a marvelous confusion of languages, to the end that, scattered through all the countries, and parts of the world, they could not agree. However these things were so governed by God, very good, & very great: that they used themselves, & by the power of the Holy Spirit (the devotees of all the Gentiles amassed) this Tower, a mad building, was converted by the ministry of the Apostles, in the Temple of God, holy & sacred, in which the praises of God are heard, for confusion does not please God, as on the contrary the Devil is the Author of discord, & quarrels, & God in Trinity asks us for peace , & the concord, even of all things, This is the peace, appearing above all, in which the world was made, & shine the Governments of the Kingdoms in which Jesus Christ our Saviour, & his Disciples, left us a example that must be carefully imitated. And this, these things will suffice the knowledge of various tongues, but as for the salvation of souls, it is not necessary to use one's age to acquire the knowledge of languages, but it is expedient that we hear the sacred sermons of the Preachers. , & that we read the Holy Scriptures with diligence, as they are, the three principal languages, the natural language is proposed to all, likewise the natural Philosophy, & the care to acquire goods of fortune. But the worldly sages, and the crafty of this century take various paths, not satisfied with the ordained government of God, seek the foreign and contrary ones: Hence the precious treasure of time is dissipated, and the Souls in great danger of succumbing at the end. century, that God will visit the last City of Jerusalem, that is to say, the universal world, & will judge it. Also similarly will appear the three capital enemies, & principal, the spiritual ones as they were before the coming of Jesus Christ, & his Passion, but at his last advent their advice will be vain & ridiculous before the Tribunal of Jesus Christ. If therefore it happens that these come hereafter, we will know the end of the world is approaching: for at the same time the various sects of the Pharisees, Sadducees, & Essenes will arise; to know if the Pharisee Operators were not stopped at the earth, occupied with external works, having no knowledge of the Spirit, nor of the coming of the Messiah. Didn't the Sadducees deny the resurrection of the dead?

Were not the Anabaptist Spirit-filled Essenes fighting against the Holy Trinity? the first blasphemy against the power of God, the second against mercy, and the third full of insult against the just and true Spirit of God. We know from there that men are always contrary to the law of God, & although they were several in number & diversity of sects, however were named the main ones, which tried to harm in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity: because the some from the East, others from the West, changing only their names, multiplied day by day in malice, & the Jews were few in number, & there were few Jews who were given to the true worship, who led a secret life , with great care, they fled the pitfalls of this world. It is therefore necessary to test every spirit, but each of us must test himself by the divine Word, as by the touchstone; that if so, this Spirit, by peeling the conscience of each one, will remain unfailing; These things be said of the knowledge of languages, & hold for certain that the natural, daily, & eternal conservation of man & his knowledge does not consist only in the search for the animal body, (because it belongs only to men to wander) but rather in the acquisition of the perfection of one & the other part, that is to say, both of the body and of the spirit, to the Divine Word, which preserves the investigation of nature must follow, for we take our origin from God, we return to him, and there we stop, for the Word is the only rule and the scepter, and nature the rule of all creatures, preparing the way for the habitation of soul & body, by which things one certainly knows the wise, God-loving. Aristotle has no real knowledge of all these things, although he was of great doctrine, and excellent above all, in the subtlety of human reason, for it is permissible to see him blind to the things of this world. The same must be said of its followers, although their name is held in great esteem and authority by many. Now before all things we must consider the time exactly, & follow the study of truth & justice with all our strength, & implore the help of the Holy Spirit, who widens our knowledge of spiritual things, & manly take heed that by the vices we did not fall into the labyrinth of this world but following good & equity, & not allowing a day or hour to pass without working, all our actions led to the glory of the name of God, & to the benefit of our neighbour.

Adolf.
You have spoken so amply of all these things, my old man, that hardly have I retained any part of them, of which I can answer you, I see well that one must follow the good with all diligence and care, and do not don't think it's a good idea to hasten to answer all the points together, but slowly, & after having thought about it.

The old man.
You must learn, my friend, the things you still confess you do not know, for I confess that by means of the sages and elders, I know the easy and desired way, which we cannot hopelessly reach, provided you bring the will and diligence to it. required.

Adolf.
Certainly I have a great desire to hear all these things from you, & will employ all my study & labor to satisfy my desire, especially when I know that all these things are useful & honest.

The old man.
Before all things is to be considered with much reason the nobility & excellence of the seven dignities, which I will put in order for you now, which are, happy health, & the careful charge of time, which is threefold, but is to reject the care of good grace, of human authority & esteem, as also of strength, & power, & wealth, & of one's own convenience, for these four are gifts which men have been accustomed to abuse, without taking guard. That if God very powerful, & very great, did not visit us because of these gifts by afflictions & temptations, & sometimes by sudden death, also did not wait (as if to say) to chastise humans (because in front of him he not with regard to persons, consideration of dignity, aristarque the spirit of man, ignores what is, & is done evening & morning) we will easily come to the contemplation & knowledge of these goods. But each one of us also takes care, after the salvation of the soul, of eternal & perpetual health, of lasting peace, of angelic beauty, of strength & celestial wisdom & of the treasures of glory, which things we promise ourselves, & expect the fruit & communication thereof through our Savior Jesus Christ, but not in this corrupt & spoiled body. If we persevere to the end of walking in His ways & teachings, & to the true ark of consideration.

Because who will obey the Divine will, discovered & demonstrated in the book of life, his name will not be erased from this book of life, because we are all called. Although truly I would like to say something of the glory of this world, which is true, however is nil, and at all dead, compared to the celestial glory, although it is a very precious treasure, for I recognize it as such, except that it is obsolete and vain, not perpetual and immortal like the celestial glory, Jesus Christ. Now happy & truly happy are those, whose spirit God illuminates through afflictions, & leads them to where it seems that temporal things have no efficacy, for then spiritual debate, struggle & arms, appeared to those who use it: But I agree that this strength depends on the Word of God alone, & is granted to men at the point of death, but not to all; from there also, taking things backwards from what they are, and taking little account of the celestial life, we lead a life that is altogether idle and voluptuous, believing that we have only to fight nature, although it is otherwise, whence comes the severity in the whole life of man, who acts as a tyrant. Hence it is evident that the spirit of man is subject to the passions & torment, so as the spirit has the first sin, he has consummated the sins second by his body. In the same way perpetual sorrow & affliction precedes death, & makes it seem to man more horrible than all things, & especially to those who have led a dirty, ugly, & dishonest life, then the remorse of consciousness runs through the souls of men with a thousand temptations. Would to God that we really knew the glory of him at the time of the grace offered, & that we could understand it with the eyes, & the ears, as constituted before, & in the future, by his verb, in which are hidden the celestial & eternal treasures, & which remain after the end & desolation of all things, although all things are filled with the Divine Majesty, & of it all the creatures & works of his hands bear witness in Heaven, under the Heaven, earth, & under the earth. For in all these things it was lawful to behold God sovereign, and master in the power of his virtue, and in his goodness: That if we consider this diligently, we shall find it proper to behold the great treasures of wisdom , so that, besides the knowledge of his word, trembling before his face, because of the imbecility of our spirit, we can acquire these two treasures (which with great difficulty could we ever hope for) when we consider God very great & very good, to have created all things in order, good, & decent in our regard. For man truly contemplates God in the Spirit, & can rejoice in it when he knows that he is the Image of God in the Spirit, & that he wants to conduct the actions of his life according to the law of Jesus Christ, the first Adam, & precursor of actions, to the usefulness of the neighbor. Now in the future & perfect life, we will have full knowledge of the divine glory, without any work & trouble we will learn what in this life we are forced to devour in this life, the honor & the glory of the name of God will be perfect, & will remain in perpetuity, for we have seen his mercy renewing daily, & his glory could not be sung enough by the voice of the Angels, & cannot we men diligently enough seek & praise the divine mysteries, if the Holy Spirit assists us. Now the wicked who look only to their particular profit, always have before their eyes the perpetual affliction of this eternal fire, hunger & thirst accompanies them, the vision of the Devils, the intolerable coldness & heat which even afflict & torment the Demons, though they cannot feel the elementary passions but will only feel the eternal & spiritual sorrows, of which things we can say nothing certain, except what we have exhausted in the mysteries of the Divine Word.

Also that we must consider & examine eternity, & the duration of time, which will be forever, & pray to God every day, & at all times so that he delivers us from the enemy, who tries to oppress us by infinite temptations & evils, in all our ways & paths like also the other creatures & the elements, the celestial bodies & the spirits which strive to harm us, if God in this part did not help us. But on all things is necessary the fervent prayer, by which we ask the help & help of the Holy Spirit, so that helped by his grace, we hear & learn without ceasing the word of God, by which word we trust in God , which is the rule & touchstone of our life, when he himself says; do this, and you will live. And elsewhere, who has sinned do penance, and sin no more; for he does not rejoice at the death of the sinner, but wants his conversion, and that he live. But as regards the knowledge of our flesh, it would seem at first sight that there is no celestial power, whose wrath, & its pains, would be to be feared, when we cannot see with our eyes, & hear something else, if not obsolete, mortal, and earthly things, and not the Divine will. But things are otherwise, for we have Moses, & the Prophets, & the voice that cries in the desert, who announce the word of God, & his will, & prepare the way, of which we are counted worthy on this great day. of our death, & universal judgment, when all the actions of men will be examined according to the rule of the book of life, & the testimony of the spirit, & the sentence will be given against all living flesh, for then the Infidels will see him, of whom they pierced the side, when they did not want to see him invisibly in spirit, & sometimes, if they did not put their fingers to the wounds made to him by the Jews, considering rather the things that befit the nature of this world, than those attributed to the Heavenly King.

Adolf.
I certainly seemed to hear the preaching of some pastor, although I cannot deny that these spiritual things are a burden to me, & that it is not permitted to order the actions of my life according to this rule, but by chance & no times one is pleased to have learned & perfected these things. However, however, I will endeavor to do all these things diligently, & as much as it will be possible for me, & that the forces of our human imbecility will allow it, & as much as you have mentioned the treasure of this world I have great desire to know from you who this worldly treasure is, for it seems to me that I have known it a long time ago, and that there are none other than the goods and riches of this world, only if there are another contrary to my opinion I greatly wish to know from you the description & full knowledge.

The old man.
To know if I consider that you desire the full knowledge of what everyone is burning to know: But have this for certain, that this treasure is the spiritual essence & full of virtue not only abundance in wealth but also in science of medicine: & certainly of such a medicinal potion, by which men are delivered from unbearable diseases by divine favor & grace; For which diseases even another doctor cannot give relief. Now this mystery far surpasses all the excellence of gold and silver, & stimulates human reason, & is full of mysteries which seem incredible to others: of all these things you can read the Hermetic revelation of Theophrastus, I do not want to tell you now what it is, because this mystery is a secret hidden from the beginning of the world, until now, & is such the will of God, & will no longer reveal to you this seal of Nature, in the manner of the ancient Philosophers, & its secrets are fairly boldly & at length declared for the authors, but by divine providence it has been granted that this mystery be revealed to the pious & devout followers of this art, for from the beginning it knows all future things, & such is divine providence, at whose feet men must throw the beams of pride.

Adolf.
Although you have hitherto endeavored to hide these things by a pure spiritual covering, yet know & hear now what you wish to infer from it, for this mystery is the truth & the stone of the Philosophers mentioned in their writings, composed of the first matter: knowledge is, of Salt, Sulfur & Mercury. All the books mention this Philosophical stone & every day several writings have been brought to light, & even I have known some who were addicted to this art, & conferred it on me, & were accustomed to show spirits, which I myself have changed in a few places. And though indeed they are carefully & artificially wrought, yet are corrupted, & maliciously altered from them. From there the printer & the vulgar, ignorant, were mistaken & the gain is for this raptor alone, from which I recognize a great scandal. Besides these things we do not see the end and the effect of art. And artists are like the rare & black Swan, which has found its true use, just as in several schools the precepts of art are held to be fables & nonsense, which I have heard from the most learned, who dispute with the artists, have called them rappers, imposters, & impudent, because of the lack of certainty & constancy they have in their art, & never will I believe that these extractors of art can produce gold & the silver of other inferior metals, or else I think they make them, or by divine virtue, or by enchantments, or by the mystery of demons, chiefly when I heard that several were suspected, not without cause, have familiarity with demons. But I desire to hear from you (venerable man) more carefully, because I see that you are certain of it, although you refuse to reveal to me the main mysteries of the art: But order of this art, & give healthier judgment of the transformation of the secrets of nature, whether this gift is granted to men of God, very good, & very great because when I think about it; I am greatly astonished when mainly I remember having read a few things on this subject, & seemed to me less able to understand their meaning, & that the deceivers of art are accustomed to using in a manner of speaking, hidden & differing from others, from there proceed the vain expenditure of so many years, of expenses and immense labors, that it is not permissible to cry out that the hope is at all doubtful, uncertain and deceptive which nourishes the children of the art, mainly when the true effect of this art is nowhere seen.

The old man.
But, O friend, I will show you the end & the true effect of this art, so that you may know the certainty of it, & that I really possess it, but let it be said of the stone, & you persuade that I I have true knowledge of the root of this tree, together with the things necessary for this study, which root, however, is unknown to all the others, and to the vulgar. Do not be weary when you see that I will be longer than usual when I discuss these things: for the reason of this art requires it, and the first principal things and excellences must proceed after the earthly ones. But I will answer below with more length & with questions that you have proposed to me will obviously demonstrate that I said things true.

Adolf.
I would like above all things to know the reason why we do not know any artists who have acquired perfection, & know exactly the transmutation of metals, on the contrary this art is despised by the most learned, who however with good reason should have the entirety of it knowledge, when principally it is without fruit & utility, although I have not heard, nor seen in any place, anyone who has acquired by this means the riches of Croesus. And again seeing that you attribute to yourself the knowledge of this art, you are poorly dressed as a Hermit. But if I had the knowledge of the procedure of this excellent & wealth-bearing art, I would amass great treasures, & the riches of the world, & would purchase states & dignities so great, that the most powerful Kings of the world would get away with it. would frighten, & would envy, for false artists promise the same to others, however I want to hear your opinion of these things.

The old man.
It seems that your opinion is similar to that of the vulgar of this world, & of all the madmen who carefully seek the treasures of corruptible wealth, & the allurements of voluptuousness, the intention of the philosophers & their opinion is quite different, for those are not worthy of the name of philosophers, who run after such follies, but those who devote themselves carefully to the entire knowledge of the divine mysteries, and employ their study and labor in the service of God, very good and great, chasing from boastfulness, ambition, and the care of amassing earthly wealth, even though necessary, and may God mercifully extend them to us for this life, the studies of this secret are very different, the intention is very different occupied in the only laborious acquisition of money & wealth, & the superb dignities in hatred of which the Philosophers have customarily veiled these mysteries of the art, for fear of incurring violence, & oppression of the family of Nembrot. And is the same reason why these secrets are hidden from these jugglers, & sleight-of-hand players, for it would result in the publication of this mystery a great confusion & trouble of every order of this world, seeing that however the distinction of the orders has been established by God, and that it is very necessary to maintain men in peace and harmony: for God, very good and very great, has so scattered this distinction of orders and degrees between humans, that some would serve others, & would keep them in peace until they were conjoined to each other, just as the Philosopher Artist separates one from the other, the soul, the body, & the spirit, & the conjoined alike . But this divine separation from God most good and great, must not be made of anyone, if he does not have the command of the Word of God, to repress the wicked, because he alone is the only truth and justice, & what is third to that, it is only blasphemy & abomination before God. Because from there the Magistrate who holds the place of God, has taken full divine power, also will be the punishment & vengeance of the law against the one who sheds human blood against this precept, because God does not accept anyone. Now this divine separation is with considerable diligence, & in great esteem. But it seems that these things are said out of place, which however bring great profit & utility to the human race, & for this cause it seemed good to me to add it, & indeed to the book of Ezekiel the Prophet, it mention is made of four winds, which blew the dead bones, which were surrounded by flesh by it, & there even is spoken of the spirit, which held these bones, even of the dissipation & return of the winds. We also see in the agony of death all the parts of men being separated from each other, for then the four elements, Spirit, & Soul, which are manifested by the name Spirit, are departis, & separate from each other: In their place, water & elemental earth are conjoined, & another air also & fire, are thickened. The astral spirit of life, the internal & invisible man, returns to Heaven, & is elevated over the elements, the soul goes to the bosom of Abraham, following the walks of God, & rests on the altar, until 'for the consumption of the world, & all things be accomplished.

We also see how the earth furnishes us with daily meats in which is hidden this spirit of the Elements, like food, & also celestial essence, for the same reason we have also the food of water & fire, by which we will preserve the temperament of the earthly body, which contains fire & spiritual water, to strengthen the inner spirit. For like the earth to these two things in themselves, likewise Heaven, which is said to be quintessence, because it is much nobler than the elements, and is the meat of the spirit; as the Word of God is the food of souls, & is made body, in order to give celestial bliss to the body, to the soul, & to the spirit, even though it is not meat & bodily food, but the bond & seal of the promise, & of the book of life, in testimony of the truth, because of our little faith, & of the weak knowledge of the divinity, so greatly does God love natural & spiritual things, & wants all his creature be in man, & in the conjunction of Jesus Christ, by whom sins are forgiven. For as the divine Word is the principle of all things, so also is the principle of the image of God, for to listen to the Word of God: from this flower of the Holy Spirit begins faith, from the seed of this flower is born a tree of good works, although good works do not deserve eternal salvation, but faith in the word of God which we say is impossible. Together to be mad before our face, this verb is a magnetic love by which he draws us to him with the good ones & cannot be separated from anyone, there is no such magnetic Astral love, & earthly nature which things one must consider with the balance very exactly, as is greatly to be considered in the knowledge of nature, what the inner man does in nature, which inner man is invisible & celestial, but the soul is super-natural & super-celestial, of which things we know nothing but what has been quoted to us revealed from God. Now nature proposes natural spirits, although they are great, & have the care of a secret consideration, & corporeal man cannot understand spiritual things if the spirit of truth were not revealed to him by the King of Gods. spirits, & the Holy Spirit, by him all arts, sapience & science are examined, this spirit excites in Christians a super-celestial fire of love, & a magnetic spirit of sapience, & inflames us & washes us of pure water, & cleanses us, so that we may do penance for our sins, & not die daily in our trespasses, whence comes the frequent tale of water & fire, blood & water, which is the giver of life, for our sin is blood colored, & the reward of sin black death, the cross & affliction, but of the devotees & pious the white robe & the crown of glory. These things amply said suffice now: let us come to the explanation of the questions proposed to you, which I will tell you in order, & will show the certainty of this art by the thing itself, in such a way that you cannot doubt it. Now as to what belongs to the other object by which you hold that several learned men have a very little knowledge of this art, know that it is the will of God, and that it is done for some consideration and certain profit, because God condemns all haughtiness & ambition & gives this treasure to the humble & poor & not to the great & to the children of this world, which treasure man must charge according to the law of the Lord for his honor & glory, & to relieve the poor, lest in idleness leave the burden of our life, but do the works of our calling according to the will of God. That if this treasure were given to all, what confusion (please) would it be between mortals: And do not see why Sirac's statement could be verified: My son, if you want to please you in the day of affliction? what is truly the death of poverty, talkativeness & human imbecility, as you can easily conjecture from yourselves, & it is also not open to men to use this treasure as they see fit, for the nature of man is mischievous & depraved. Now do not reveal this secret to anyone, and do not give it to the proud, avaricious and ambitious soul, for it is the honor and the only glory of God, but do so, if fortune favors you, beware of t to be proud, if it turns beware of succumbing, for God is the arbiter of both fortunes, & moderates them as he pleases, & is no less virtue before acquired knowledge, to seek it with take care only to keep it secret when it is known, because if you had revealed it otherwise than is permitted, this art very much shares the name and dignity of art.

From there a certain Philosopher says Hide this work before the eyes, of all, like the word in your tongue, & the fire in your eyes, even do not dispute in yourself of this work, that the wind does not carry the words to a another, which would bring you inconvenience. I have faithfully warned you of these things, it is up to you to take heed of them, lest you be tormented in body and soul. Now the abuse of these most excellent gifts of God, is very great, which God gives of his own grace & liberality, so is it a great ignominy & cowardice of these Philosophical gifts to be reiterated, & trampled underfoot, & that the sciences are wickedly spoiled from the ignorant, for which ignominy also they will not be able to see this light. But the crime of avarice & lust has so broken the hearts of the children of this world, that Faith & Justice is not kept to their servants, & all rights are subverted. I will recite an example to you, which I saw with my own eyes. There lives in a certain city a very rich man & overflowing with goods, father of several avaricious children, stingy & does not do good to himself because of avarice, he amassed great treasures for his children, who fed by the mother in all abundance of things assured of the wealth of their father, passing the time in idleness, lust & debauchery, & as they grew in age, so their wickedness & life multiplied & as the father had died, every day spending lavishly in feasts & banquets their paternal goods, immersed in vices & wickedness, awaited, insane as they were, the increase in wealth (as it had been done before) but in vain: feeling from day to day the decrease of their good & wealth reduced to great poverty, did not fail to commit great wickedness, exposed to dishonor & ignominy, the rest of their lives. Now all these things were the cause that they were badly instructed, although they were first taught in the knowledge of manners and sciences. For in this shines the will of God, who wills that the orders & degrees of men be distinct & separate, & that some serve others: Also all men in their vocation & order are serfs & mercenaries: For our Savior & Lord he himself did servile works, & washed the feet of his disciples, but the honor of some is less; others greater & we are, as it pleases God to bless us. From where the rule was ordained from the father of the family God very good & very great, in the way that you will serve in your vocation, in the same way I will reward you. Now God in one day distributes the great treasures of riches so much that they seem to surpass by far the riches of the most powerful kings, and yet his treasures do not diminish, but on the contrary, the more he has given, the more he abounds, & this is why God must be loved before all things & over all things. We very often see human wealth arrive that he who amassed goods out of avarice, dying, leaves a prodigal liberal successor, according to the saying of the learned: May wealth add horns to the poor, & most often precipitate the one who possesses it in extreme misfortune, & to the eternal torments of hell. For if someone has had the goods and riches of this world in abundance, with great difficulty does he care about true health, and does not think of heavenly peace, and does not study himself by liberality to help the poor, on the contrary puts all his diligence & all his care to amass great wealth, & yet forgets God, & the works of piety. Now young men are in great danger in these temptations of the world, although prudence sometimes makes up for the lack of age, but the pious are forced to drink the chalice of afflictions, the wicked being reserved for the pains of hell. But what is more to be deplored is that everyone makes fun & laughs at these things, & that all the children of this century work only to leave riches & honors to their children without conscience, who tell them without mockery that one must seek before all things the divine sapience, without which nothing can subsist in this world, whence it comes that the worm of conscience gnaws the hearts of miserable backs with various temptations in the agony of death; for men have not been accustomed to seek the salvation of their souls in true and perfect humility.

Adolf.
It seems that the things you have just said are entirely contrary to the purpose for which you claim, although I recognize that what you have said is in my favor: however diligently add the rest, for I await the end of it attentively. However I would like to know, how this fact that this art & the mysteries of the Philosophers are not also revealed to others, & that they do not know them, seeing that we see all the other arts often being known to the people, & sometimes Thinking about it exactly, I have a great suspicion of knowing if this is true.

The old man.
You have heard here before that silence was imposed on the children of the art so that this science was kept hidden because of the power of the tyrants of this world, and the wickedness of the superb rogues, the usurers, the lustful & other scoundrels. For all the Philosophers hide the true knowledge of this science with great artifice, especially since some having acquired the possession of this divine science, have misused it, lost its use & perverted the conveniences, some having been vexed by a more annoying, & the others being warned of death. Now it is necessary that the listener & the possessor of this art be humble, pious, taciturn, & good-natured. When God, therefore, has extended to you the science & possession of this art, govern yourselves in this way, & do not go and sell it here & there, but rather employ yourselves in carefully & with great diligence to the more secret knowledge of things, & with works of your vocation, & do good to your neighbor & to your enemy, because the law of Christianity obliges us to this: We must also resist with all our strength the enemies of the faith, & carefully strive in this, so that others prepared to praise God, they sing with us his mercy, but because of ingratitude many things are hidden, & ignorance engenders many evils, knowledge on the contrary increases goods, & is the ray of the light. There are many who strive & employ in the research of this art, but they do not study the necessary virtues, mainly to keep it secret. They fall into the same misfortune as that Phaethon of which Ovid speaks, who did not know how to drive the chariot of Phoebus his father, so agrees with great care to guard this treasure. That if man has considered parables and mysteries only, that he thinks he is abundantly satisfied, when he sees in nature the seal and image of divine goodness being imprinted, for nature perfects all things diligently, & certainly more perfectly than man himself, who however is the most noble creature & closest to God, reasonable & loved by God, from which appears the excellence of man over all other creatures, & for this cause God very good & very great also offered him the precepts & eternal life.

Adolf.
I confess to the truth that there are great things to be considered here, yet I briefly await your opinion of the parables, especially when you have often said that they were well suited to paring them.

The old man.
But to put it better, they should be considered before all other things, and for this I have mentioned them in such a way that I have left the other things almost without mentioning them, which are infinite and not necessary. For whoever has had knowledge of this work, he knows for himself that one must not give occasion to errant opinions, for these scoffers sometimes strive to sell these things to the simple people under the sacred name of the Bible, which has wont take them in large armfuls, so is it unholy & blasphemy to paragon another work to divine power, for the word of God is Jacob's ladder: And Jesus Christ is the only mediator & ruler, by which all things are put in the book of life, for the same reason we see in our natural work, life & death, the resurrection & creation of everyone, the numbers, the measure & the weight, the increase, the forces & effective of the Stars & the Elements, in the first place of the Sun & the Moon, for through the Sun life descends as it pleases God, & for this cause is compared to the Sun, & called by his name, for all thus as he is above, so he is below, by which wonders are wrought. Also the purple Sun, red & golden, is male & female, & servant of the whole universe: containing in itself the universal riches. It is necessary to note two things in this, as one thing & two, because God very good & very great, has created something from nothing. Now this thing was a thing from which all things both heavenly and earthly are produced, for God said, be done, & he was. When therefore all things were created by his word, & after him was the universal nature separated from the thing & good in his essence was after God, & was his good pleasure, for he was very good, but he had withdrawn somewhere something suddenly of him, & had not lasted until the time of the great world, & because of this, another thing was required, for by one thing it could not last, as it had been done from the beginning because of of the weakest creature, which God desired together, and said grow & multiply, then we multiplied so much, that nothing perished at the end of the century, because it was the blessing of the Lord, which by his word he distributed to the man, & all things are perfected to the end by most great obedience, & are led by the Holy Spirit, so it is with Adam, & Eue, with the mass & with the female. It must be observed here how the creation is perfected by the one & by the other, the increase, multiplication, & conservation, & by the third the administration, as by the spirit, these things must be examined diligently. Praise & honor to God in Trinity. Furthermore, God commanded & came down to man incontinent as to essence, and subjugated everything to him without any fault, & gave him power to eat of all the fruits of Paradise, except the one tree of knowledge, of good & evil. , the fruit of which had been forbidden to him, by chance because of the malice of the Devil to whose will he finally submitted by disobedience, for one must know only good, & flee evil, by which the way is given to the enemy, for God is the only Lord who leads & administers all things, & all creatures are subject to him: the commandment introduced sin when men did not take heed of it, by the instinct & knowledge of the Devil, & of his own will: for the first sin was blasphemy & Idolatry, obscuring through ignorance all science, but to say better, converting into science, into knowledge of evil, until now, & into all vices, wickedness & arts of the Devil, to whom we renounce the Sacrament of Baptism, knowing in the regeneration & renewal of our life, to the new Adam, as to the wood of life, which was taken from our parents in the earthly Paradise of earthly life, however promised in the seed of a woman, Christ who is the tree of life & spiritual & bodily, by which not only the soul receives life, but also the body.

For just as Adam expelled from Paradise was sent to the world, garden of darkness & afflictions, for the mortification of blood & flesh, even if we mean manna, that is to say heavenly bread , the word of God, & that we live according to his commandments, & that we believe the word which was made flesh, by it we will resume life, & will be transported from the house of ignorance to the celestial Paradise, & like death carried away & ravished Adam, thus it constrains us to remain willy-nilly by the sole word of God, Jesus Christ, of whom all things are, for we die to old Adam, & we are resurrected in Jesus Christ new Adam, as he has given us preceded therefore he is the tree of life from which we must eat banished to this house of afflictions, & indeed, as in the first Adam the fruit of Paradise was forbidden by a certain means, so likewise we esteem not There should be no other rule, commandment, or way, neither right nor left besides the word of God, included in the book of life, which closed with seven seals Jesus Christ opened. But if we desire to know greater things, & eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good & speak evil, it will be said that we want to serve two masters, that is to say, to God & to the Devil, taking lying for the sake of truth, & reproving the truth as a lie, also we receive a worthy reward for our works, & it was made that our first parents were cast out of the presence of God alive for God is not like man , but men have been made in his image, so that they obey his commands, and that they neither diminish nor add to them: when we are offered the sapience and the science which are conceded to us in meat, of the Divine Word , which man lives, & are taken from the spiritual garden book of life. For all good things are from it, & by it all things are made, which it is permitted to understand with eyes and hands, for the visible is made of the invisible, so faith takes its beginning from the hearing of the Faith, the good works that is to say of the invisible the visible, & of the verb the Christian is begotten. Now things are such so that man of the same reason acts & operates, not that idle & frivolous questions of the divine omnipotence arise, for it is the will of God, & the omnipotence that has also yawned to similar man pattern & example: but incredulous Thomas could not achieve this when he knew only human nature & Science, & the lower elemental Heaven, & primarily inner things like water & earth , which however are receptacles & prisons of death. Now this Philosophy is reprobated by St. Paul, in which there is no perfection, for the only celestial Philosophy is consummated by faith, hope and charity. In this place it is to be noted, that as all things are preserved by the word of God, & that we must believe in the word which came out of the mouth of God, so Jesus Christ deferred this honor to his Father, that nothing is acquired without faith, but the greater part of men do not believe the things which they do not see, & consider only God the Father, God the Son & God the Holy Spirit cannot be seen with our sinful eyes. , as also the rays of his countenance which far surpass in splendor the Sun: Men could not see because of the sinful nature, when he was with them in visible form; & when he was in this world, even though Jesus Christ assists us bodily & is at the right hand of God, that is to say in the sacred holy purity & Deity, as he has accomplished the will of his Father & is went to hell, & ascended to Heaven in flesh & Spirit, & completed all in all. Who among men is the one who can find by seeking the greatness and wisdom of God, we know that Heaven is his seat, and the earth is the stool of his feet. We cannot inform ourselves of celestial things, nor know except those which are not given by the Divine Word, & which S. Paul saw, & did not take into account to say, but left us the Word this celestial bread like a seal in which consists the salvation of our souls, knowing the will of God, true tree of life, that we drink his blood & eat his flesh, & that we firmly believe that all our things are, if the words of the institution are say. Thus perfect nature demonstrates many marvels in a single mirror, of which seems to have been spoken enough when the things of Holy Scripture are sufficiently known by it. Now he who does the will of God sees all things & knows them as also some of the Pagan & Ethnic Sages have known.

Adolf.
You have been so long in your words that I have forgotten most of them, yet I desire to hear this from you, whether this work of nature does not contain within itself a spirit which is the cause of mutation, because it seems to me that you mentioned the second number which is multiplication, for which purpose a vital spirit is required.

The old man.
In truth, the mineral vital spirit is in this work which is perfected after it is prepared, according to dignity by the Artist: for God by his infinite goodness has constituted man, Lord of this spirit, so that he would form something else, namely a new world by the force of fire, according to the order & commandment given by God. And because of this man will achieve nothing at all, & is required that all his things be done in the fear of God, by honest means & a pure conscience. That if there is one among the vulgar who does not reach the end of this art, that it is not scandalous, even though it is before the eyes of men, that everyone sees it, & often is used for other purposes, however many are unaware of its true use, not knowing that this great treasure is surrounded by that darkness, whence often it is very pure gold surrounded by thick darkness & rust, is left in the mud & villainy, which things are thus done by the right order of Nature. The wiser Philosophers hearing only the name of Mercury know this treasure & have it before their eyes, although it is invisible & spiritual, however it is material, & is a very chaste virgin who has not known a man . Fragile substance, from which it has been called virgin milk, earthly mountain honey, milk, children's urine, & similar other names: & in all these things several Artists have sought it but they have not found it, because it is prepared of metallic material & very good.

Adolf.
Isn't gold this material because of its nobility, and because it is the most perfect metal, it seems to me that all your words point to this.

The old man.
No to the truth, but it is necessary for you here to hear other things from me beforehand, because you still dwell too eagerly on the treasures of this earthly gold, & have not sufficiently understood what I have said, & truly I I will write to you the last & principal mystery of this art, & although in this present speech there seem to me to be some doubts, it is not useful however to explain them more clearly, & truly this treasure is not this common mundane Gold nor Silver, Mercury, Sun, Antimony, Nitre, Sulphur, nor anything like it, but it is the spirit of Gold & Mercury, which is called by the Philosophers the first & second proper matter & alone of nature & property, very pure Oriental gold not having felt the force of fire, above all excellent, softer & easier to melt than the gold of the vulgar. It is true mercury of gold & antimony, attracting its qualities from bodies if liquefied. Its preparation is nothing other than washing it well & putting it in small portions with water & fire, as all other things are prepared in the same way: so that they may be pleasing to God and to men. It is necessary to know exactly what is sublimation, distillation, separation, digestion, purification, coagulation, & fixation, & diligently seek out this egg of nature, desired by many from the beginning. Of this there are several writings, & among others by Comte de la Marche Trévisanne Bernard, & others, which I will show you at the end, & will add several parables.

The old man.
When I consider that the use of this art must be acquired by a lot of sweat, and that its possession is perilous, and that it is appropriate to do the vocation to which we are called by God, has the pleasure that you had previously taken me makes me more humble when I see that I have been deceived in vain hope.

Adolf.
Do you consider that I told you these things as a matter of fact, that one must work hard, and that one must exercise the works of mercy towards the poor, not towards all the poor, but those who are poor? truly, & take care of orphans, & widows, for the glory & honor of the name of God. Now honor is due to God rather than to anyone else, at which time consolations are sought from the divine Word, for the Word of God greatly precedes nature, as the servant follows the master, and the father excels in dignity. mother. We must therefore act in such a way, as if nothing at all belongs to us, but rather work diligently according to our vocation for the usefulness of our neighbor, & the profit of the Republic, & destroy the evils that ignorance, for relentlessly reason & the body must do well, for idleness is Satan's pillow, & is forbidden under grave penalty, especially since from there come all enormities, lust, avarice, homicide, lies, impostures, & frauds, imitating in this their very nature. Now our work is never idle, but labors & operates unceasingly day & night, until the sixth time of its weeks is complete, & its Sabath draws nigh, for then it rests & honors its Lord, the man to whom he must serve according to the commandment of God, obeying his laws. In the same way men must work, until we enter the eternal Kingdom of God. Even but all these things are done. Nature almost contradicting it, & we become angry when we hear that we must work assiduously to live it, until we return to the earth, of which we are made, because idleness & the desire to command please all equally, which is the occasion that we are lazy & revelers in our prayers & prayers, although we must pray to God to impetrate all things: we despise some as poor, because they have little income, however avaricious, & that we are obliged to do well to our enemies, all wickedness has taken place in us, such as anger, avarice, hatred, enmity, mutual mistrust, & because of these the very excellent good is taken away from us, as also that science of medicine which is hidden in this good, is unknown to other more learned Doctors: For this treasure is not learned in the schools of Doctors, but hidden remains before their eyes, in the the same way that the internal spirit of Holy Scripture was sealed to the Pharisees, who was the true Messiah, and the medicine of the soul, even though he was in their midst. So he gave thanks to God his Father for having hidden this treasure from the wise men of this world, and would have declared it to the little ones: Likewise also is said of our natural medicine, that the will of God must precede when it is requested by ardent prayer, as in all other worldly things, this divine will disposes of all things: & from this is perceived the vanity of these medicines of simple & syrups, which run through the hands of these ointment makers, with the loss of fame & esteem of doctors, to the great damage of the sick. But what is more, these syrups are drunk by a very certain damage, & death from them, & the expenses made by the sick are converted to maintain the superb & lust, as not long ago a breading man complained to have been deceived by them, and to have used almost all his goods, and lost his substance, if a man of small and low fortune had not helped him.

So we see that many have only this care, that they want to be in recommendation to Posterity, like the Gods, yet they neglect all the care and diligence to help their neighbor, to study the good books, by which the universal knowledge of this art is acquired. it is therefore necessary for all to pain themselves, in what can separate good from evil, that is to say, that they know by modesty, patience, & humility the virtue & the fruits of the good tree, with the triple root, so also honor the fruits of the soul, Faith, Hope, & Charity, so that we know that it is that truth & justice, both of the soul and of the body, it is that is, of heavenly & corporeal good, and so that we can easily understand this thing. Theological & juridical science is given to us by God for what in them consists purity & holiness of nature, & virtue the work of vocation, & justice is singular sapience, light, & philosophy, because of which Solomon far surpassed all other men. And in truth God himself has ordered each one the works of his vocation, & has commanded each one of us, to conduct his actions prudently, piously, & justly in his vocation & duty of life, according to the rule of the Word Divine, as a servant of God, & who will account for all things before the Tribunal of the judge of all nations, & before whom all the facts of men will be revealed. Now all good comes from God, together from him descends the wise and the foolish, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak: and whoever despises the poor and imbecile, he despises the one who created him, for all good is of God, & all evil comes from the Devil, as fountain & origin of all evil. But by a particular council of God, evil in this life tyrannizes & gives anger to the pious & good people: & although the Devil by his own malice strives to erect evil to the detriment of men, nevertheless all evil serves good to God and to the devotees, for the Devil himself is forced to serve the Divine glory in spite of himself. And our sin alone is the occasion why evil is mingled with good in this life, yet nourishing us with divine goodness & mercy, & to the same end the ten commandments are given to us from God, that we may separate evil from good. , to escape eternal damnation. But easily can one see who is the face of the world, & the care, & the avaricious thieves who call themselves Christians, by the Sacrament of Baptism, imitate by the immoderate exactions of usury the perfidy & plunder of the Jews, when they think having done the divine will, when they stole the property of Ethnics & foreigners, (by which name they used to call Christians) & that the Savior of the world threatens with Eternal penalties, those who offend their neighbor by usury & exactions, depending on their goods in feasts & banquets; like those who, having good flesh, fraudulently take the property of orphans and widows, and in truth these two kinds of honour, avaricious and luxurious, must be conjoined and placed in the same balance. But the life of these rich Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, & Job, was precious, just, & full of modesty, & obedience to God, for they preferred the honor of God to all other creatures, & walking in purity of life, & in justice, they prayed to God with ardor & efficiency.

And just as many in the Old Testament had great wealth, joined by the bond of constancy. In the same way poverty welcomed many worshipers of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, however it is required similar constancy, fear & love towards God. Of all these things I reckon you have heard enough occasion why this mystery & secret has now been hid before the eyes of many, when the Devil can easily turn from the straight path, by the vain pleasures of this world, for he seduces us in the knowledge of all evil, & wicked, & scoundrel, seduced Adam our first parent, the wisest of all, but to say better, by his cunning all the Saints have fallen into evil things, & for our sins . And for this the wrath of God has been poured upon us, & all things are sold unto mortals by great labor, care & solicitude: for it is the Chalice of the Cross, out of which we shall drink of the fruit of the vine with our Savior Jesus Christ, until this great day of Sabath, & Eternal rest of the future age, or we will remain under another species, & will pass to the one who similarly advances us & hastens to come to us, to which happiness leads us God very good & very great by our Mediator & the Holy Spirit, to whom we are conjoined by covenant of filiation, & to whom we are bound to obey, by doing good works, & trampling on bad ones, so that we may offer him new Jews, a contrite spirit & rendering to God the vows we have made. In these things the Spirit of God works, through Faith, Hope, & Charity, just as burning desire & custom perfects many things in nature which seem unbelievable, & there are few men who study themselves to patiently acquire the knowledge of God, but rather follow mortal goods, earthly, & decrepit, given to voluptuousness, ambition, & worldly power. This is why Jesus Christ separates his Kingdom from the world, & rejects from himself the care of worldly things, even though he has knowledge of all things, & is the same fountain & source. These things however despised, he announced the Kingdom of divine wisdom which must be sought before all things, and I command it: but I want to know your opinion on it.

Adolf.
Certainly the truth compels me to confess that all these things are thus arranged, and that my opinion agreed point by point with the opinion of the children of this light: But as much as I hear things at all contrary to my belief , it should be changed. Now I have no doubt, and seem to me at all indubitable, that this mystery and secret cannot be revealed and communicated to all, principally when in all the arts which are given to us, both from nature and taught by a master. I consider that one must take the same path there, for to acquire the knowledge of it, divine grace is required, industry, diligence, & ardent study joined with hard work, as these things are desired in all other s necessities of life. Now in what certainly belongs to me speaking of this voluptuous life I would patiently endure the company of these go-betweens, these well-meaning ones, these greedy ones, and these disdainful ones (when I have seen some a great happiness & bliss without work) & employ the use of this treasure to power & ambition, & to acquire great wealth.

The old man.
And what do you not know that power is given to the Kings & Princes of this world, so that they repress the malice of men, instead of God very good & very great, & honor justice, truth, piety, & obedience, & multiply them so that all things are ordered in this life prudently. And just as the political judge is accustomed to punishing the wicked with the secular sword: Thus the spiritual Fathers & Ecclesiastical magistrates govern the Christian people by the sword of the Spirit of the Word of God, & of his commandments, & after having brought the wounds by the curse of the Law, they anoint them with the oil of righteousness & heal, except that the transgressors reject the kindness & healing of the wounds, yet these wounds of conscience are not to be healed by the Ecclesiastics by the temporal sword, as we see Aaron, Moses, & Joshua, having had the offices separate until they entered the land of promise, & also the subjects are commanded to obey, the Judge & Magistrate ordained of God, lest, puffed up with pride, they attribute to themselves the Magistrates by duty, & ravish the dignities by pressure, frauds, or powers, if they are not lawfully called, for who shall exalt himself by above others, he will be humiliated, for what he comes from ambition & arrogance which God greatly resists: governs according to will & good pleasure all orders & degrees of secular power, fully cognizant of all things in light & darkness, creator & author of all orders of Justice, & creatures, preventing trees & mountains from rising higher in the Heaven, restraining the ravishing sects, & restraining the force & cruelty of the Giants & tyrants: for those who resist God & are contrary to those whom he has chosen, instead of good they have only evil, although the The common sun shines upon them, God miraculously snatching the strength of their power by a whirlwind of winds, of which daily examples bear witness to us. Besides these people there are some who lead great minds, having some knowledge of the mediocre, minor & petty arts of the Gentiles, raising the power of the most good & great God, & leading an Epicurean life. Care must be taken of them, mainly that they are of a nature inclined to evil, although we do not know how the world was made by the word of God, & the spirit of this word proceeded, & that the Image of God is hidden; what Moses saw from behind in the rock, and that at that time Jesus Christ could not be seen with bodily eyes.

Adolf.
You make strange digressions, and far removed from what you started, wanting to clarify spiritual questions. I have a great desire henceforth to hear the description of your proposal, although it seems to me that I have heard a few things from you, which I did not take heed, which had to be diligently balanced.

The old man.
We must seek at the same step the knowledge of divine & human goods, especially since the external & goods give entrance to temporal bliss only once, & that the will of God is immutable, so that day & night we meditate his law: for from it the salvation of the soul proceeds, & man knows that all things are to be prayed for from this fountain of goods, that the care of earthly things is to be cast off, & goods which are given to us, should keep them in humility & modesty, because also the power & cunning of the Devil seems very great on all things, & no one could avoid his strength & his cunning, if the mercy of God did not keep us. What can be esteemed the happiness, the profit and the excellence of man, even though he is filled with goods and riches, if the diseases of the soul are not cured, and are not removed? It was the greatest benefit that God left us when Jesus Christ our Savior always combined the remission of sins with the healing of diseases.

Adolf.
These things are indeed very certain; but many do not consider it as it should, which happens to me very often, and mainly when I defile my soul with greed and worldly pleasures. But since the use & possession of wealth, as also this work, is not repugnant to the will of the Divine nature, I have good hope that I will be able to profit from it according to the command & will of God very good & very great. However besides these things the blindness of the Pharisees detains me somewhat, who would not believe if they did not see the miracles & signs of Jesus Christ, although I do not doubt that faith is given to me by the grace of God, necessary for the salvation of the Soul: but to confirm my faith in divine miracles, & the knowledge of the parables of this most excellent treasure, I await a more exact explanation of your words.

The old man.
I have related all these things thus amply, so that you understand that this treasure is not acquired by magical art, as some believe that other things can be acquired by said art, in which one must not put one's confidence, nor in any way give faith. But in order that I may show you the true occasion for which it must be hidden from the children of knowledge, & that it must not be given to one: for all things are not given to one. Whence is taken the excellent parable of our Savior Jesus Christ, in St. Matthew, sixth: That no one can serve two masters. And in order that we may see that God has boldly demonstrated himself in the works of Nature, that his admirable works may be known to all & truly this is done by various means & by strong opposites of temptations & afflictions, not in the mire of pleasures, & as we see Zacchaeus having been received by God, when he fell into the vice of the Spirit, even though he was small & of low stature, nevertheless he wanted to stay with him, because he had a magnetic love for Zacchaeus which was also given by flowing to others: But by a common stain of human nature: we pride our minds, & close the fountain of gentleness, as if this gift were given to us for our only utility, when rather we must do good works, and exercise the works of mercy towards the poor: but the followers of this world, these jokers & jesters easily laugh at all these things: for riches change men & their manners , & pervert them to do things at all contrary, & take away the bite of righteousness: riches were called of Jesus Christ, Mammon.

More riches give sapience, & the Wisdom of the poor is of little esteem when the purse rings, & money speaks, & for this cause it is difficult for a rich person to enter the celestial Kingdom, but God knows & nourishes the poor Sages, meek & humble, reducing the abundance of wealth to poverty (because they feel they need no one) & also shows that the wisdom of this world is only madness before all things: thus very joyful let us seek the Kingdom of God, & pray with the Prophet David that God gives us our necessities according to his will & our poverty, so that we do not deviate from the true path because the way of this world is greatly lustful, & dangerous. So King Solomon asks for the Wisdom of God, so that he may govern him & govern the people of God, to your honor & praise, & yet receive great treasures from God, as Solomon himself says, that Wisdom crying out in the forked way invites one each to his love & study: for the Divine glory is great & excellent, showing itself to us in all places & everywhere, & inviting us thereto, but there are few who consider these things carefully in this mortal life which flies away very quickly, seems to many nevertheless to retire carelessly. The mystery of God is therefore great towards those who fear him, and the light shines in darkness to the good, by the mercy and justice of God. Psal, 112. So that we do not use this precious treasure of time, & our strength of mind & body to acquire & amass wealth, & imitate the ambitious & proud, do all things in the fear of God for the profit & utility of the good, though unwise.

Adolf.
Although I confess these things to be true, yet I have a scruple in the Soul, when I hear the opinion of the Philosophers being, that everything must be prayed for, this treasure of God, and required.

The old man.
You have long heard me say that we must seek before all things the Kingdom of God, that God will add to us & give all things as we wish, & that man cannot live on bread alone, but of any verb proceeding from the mouth of God. Now, for the same reason that the Devil tempted our Saviour, so even to this day he has customarily tempted us, principally at the time when we need something: for where faith and the word of God do not assist, we despair in our afflictions, & are at all cast down, & to tell the truth, when fortune laughs at us, the same happens to us: for we follow the Devil himself & the opener of all evil, & ask him for help; he promises us things which are not in his power, and precipitates us into the darkness of ignorance: thus preferring heavenly bread to earthly manna as long as we can: What the Philosophers say, that we must pray to God, in the search for this treasure, it is a true thing and well said because God alone gives it to us, provided that we designate to him the moments of time and the means, and that we do not presume to be able to resist his will: because he is alone truth, wisdom and justice, rendering to each according to his merit by the Holy Spirit, as also he was scattered among the Apostles. Also for this cause we are commanded to ask daily in prayer. Sunday, our daily bread, because we do not know the things that we must ask God, & often we ask for the things that will turn out to be our damage, although they are granted to us to tempt us. The help and help of the Holy Spirit alone, happy health and the amenities of Peace must be sought from God: for from Him descends all science and wisdom, both natural and spiritual.

And Jesus Christ ardently desired the salvation of men, & therefore I say that his Kingdom was not of this world, & that he had come into the world in order to save men: & to draw them out of the darkness of ignorance & earthly riches, until finally having led some of them to the celestial Kingdom, for this purpose he gave us by tradition this prayer which we called Dominical, & taught us how we must raise our prayers to God his Father, from whom we are children by adoption, when before we walked before him under the ceremonies of the Law in awe & servile fear. Besides these things I consider that you know that natural things have come out of the supernatural, and that the Kingdom of God is Eternal, from which proceeds the temporal Kingdom. Is it not probable that the sky & the firmament were first prepared, & after the element, & the last of all the earth; after that man was made, new creature & small world. For God first begins in man to be on earth, as the center of the circle, as also he had taken the beginning of the great center, and after life the soul was placed in the body of man, life & eternal soul & immortal: for this is supercelestial & as the divine Astral Sky & as the essential spirit of all natural living creatures, were before, & then after the elementary body as a body alone, center of the earth, touched on the finger of Jesus Christ when he 'named earth salt; for salt preserves all things from rotting, as we know of the ocean, the natural sea of the world, what contagion would come out of such a stench, if God did not preserve by this salt it is ocean, and also if he did not there was movement. Moreover, the pastors and ministers of the word of God are conferred on the salt which preserves from putrefaction the members which have been committed to them by the preaching of the Divine Word, and the Holy Spirit, in this mother of the world. Also our first father Adam had full knowledge of all creatures, & we successors of him, possess with great difficulty some particularities, & even recognize that this our knowledge is imperfect; Also in the last times many will be congregated in many, instead of a single Adam, & it is said that all the arts before the last judgment will be revealed bitterly. Never was so much science and knowledge given as was granted to Adam our first Father, and to Jesus Christ new Adam, which science he left to his Church, until we enter into life. eternal in which all things will be known & revealed to us, & will be given to each his due reward: for in this world we are tormented by various temptations, anger & troubles, because of the sin by which the human race receives great inconveniences by the enemy Satan, because having lost the similarity of God, we always do the opposite of his will. Besides these things you will also consider what our Savior said when he commanded to seek the treasures which are not subject to decay, nor to the plunder of thieves and thieves, but spiritual treasures, defending the consciences of men when they are extremely tempted , when also the spirit & the body seek in vain the human help, the fear & fear removed; for at this moment of time heavenly armor is greatly required, & then the strength which is of the Cardinal virtues of these worldlings, from which we lean in the time of flourishing grace, knowledge is beauty, wisdom, wealth & power. The force seems however obsolete & fragile, compared to the divine glory, which should be sought in Jesus Christ alone & his word. That if, therefore, in this time of our pilgrimage, watching & praying, we make our Faith, Charity, Hope, Modesty, Humility & Patience appear like the Spouse of Jesus Christ, so that we may conform to our Spouse our Savior Jesus- Christ, we will ascend to the bosom of Abraham & Isaac by Jacob's ladder, & see the glory & the stone of faith, with the beloved Disciple of God Saint John, who looks at the Sun like the flying Eagle above, that is to say, the glory and brightness of God, which was hidden from Jacob, of which glory certainly the three Disciples saw some brightness on the mount of Tabor.

But all these things that I have described are for no other purpose than their example, contemptuous of worldly riches, and following the Only Divine Word, & its Law, we implore the help & succor of the Holy Spirit, & that we walk before God in Faith, Hope, Charity, Humility & Patience, recognizing even some taste of this celestial Jerusalem, & of Paradise, for we learn these things from the word of God alone & not by the allurements of this world, for he alone is Just & merciful. Who therefore desires the restoration in himself of the Divine Image, devotes himself to works of mercy and charity, because we are many, one body in Jesus Christ, and his Spouse alone is. I have had the desire to propose to you all these necessary things, even though every day you withdraw from them or can when you hear the word of God, so that you may listen to these things more earnestly, as St. Paul says, for certain it is a great income if someone honoring piety, desires greater things, for we bring nothing into this world, and leaving this world, we gain nothing of wealth. That if God has given us the things necessary for life, & clothing: It is reasonable that we live contented with these gifts; for those who seek worldly riches too carefully, they are ordinarily tempted & fall into the nets of covetousness, until by it they are reduced to extreme unhappiness, for avarice is the root of all evil, & those who have desired it have turned away from the faith plunged into extreme calamities. Flee all these things diligently, O man of God, & follow righteousness, godliness, faith, penance & humility, fighting purposely, & conceive that eternal life, for which you are made, & which you have confessed before all. Teach the rich of this world that they do not elevate themselves by pride, & do not put their hope in uncertain riches, but rather in the living God who gives & provides all things, so that the rich may do well to others, & fill with good works acquire as a foundation both treasures and eternal life. This is the whole summary & the argument of our whole answer, now declare at such length, so that I can soften a little the desire that was in you, for earthly goods & riches: for these words come from the celestial center of the Sun of Justice, & of the rays of the Holy Spirit by the chosen vessel of God. But to tell the truth, the heavenly life & bliss far surpasses the earthly, which we need to desire & envy in this flesh, so that we may be a spiritual flesh, which abstains from all attractions of this world, having war continual with the enemies of God, & putting them under the yoke of the spirit.

Adolf.
I am greatly amazed to see you speak of the mysteries of the celestial doctrine, & of spiritual things, because there are few addicted to this secret who have been accustomed to contemplate these things, & have written these things so verbosely & obscurely. that everyone would more easily desire riches than the Holy Scriptures. When it comes to me, I took great pleasure in hearing these things, although I have heard several of them, of which up to this day I have not related, & as we are by nature inclined to evil, also we are less attentive to saying well and doing well, or to things well said and well done.

The old man.
We must therefore rather beware of these things because this natural work is very full of the Divine glory, in parables & images, besides the abundance also of earthly riches. But I am angry seeing the lives of men, & of many: for few are worthy of this mystery, & in my youth, needy of all things, mocked of all, at hard end, received from a good man, hitherto tormented with great care, solicitude & great divers & troublesome afflictions, with great difficulty at last I lifted my head, & considering, speaking deeply by these things the blindness of men, I turn my ears & my eyes obeying God our Saviour, praying him by a solemn vow that he deliver me, & the others from worldly blindness, & seems that it goes on the same footing in that we see many of the learned, rich, & the others all almost be in contempt, swell with too much ambition and pride, when, however, in the last article of life, riches and ambitions cannot console or help them, and whose forces are so weak that they can hardly they hunt flies. To know then if ambition & haughtiness & laziness are not the only causes for which we are sent from God into this light, not to preserve the fruits; Know, if we should not employ our care & solicitude in the way that we acquire Divine wisdom, which is, indeed, cast out from many wickedly, & is not received into the house, as time passes it was received of Abraham, of Lot, and of the Virgin Mother of God, for in them she dwelt, and prepared in their hearts a firm and stable habitation. This wisdom is the spirit of God, and to put it better, it is God himself. Which assures what the Word of God can be, that he intends to dwell in us, because it is perfect Wisdom. Now he does not dwell in those who are superb and proud, and who do not seek wisdom, for she seeks those whom she loves, namely the devout and the reasonable, which devotion is the beginning of Wisdom, from which proceeds the diversity of states. men, both spiritual and temporal things, such as Theology, Jurisprudence, Medicine, which are called mechanical and liberal arts. For this reason manufactures are reduced to good & just order by these seven, good is separated from evil, truth is discerned from falsehood. For it is the will of God that true light should shine in us, evil being separated from good, when after the sin of the first Adam by the wrath & shrewdness of the Devil, all things were subverted & troubled, & the new Adam us separated from all stain & defilement, as this regenerated Eve divides good from evil, brought back life & the new world by itself & its holy word, so that from now on the body & the soul will not be separated one another, but remain stable in the image of God: for it is the will of God, & in this way remained with us until the end of the world. But the world being stubborn, it blinds itself & puts before it the Judaic obscurities because it has remained in the paths of old Adam, & yet neither causes it to die nor oppresses it by faith in the Holy Sacred Baptism, because the Holy operation of the Holy Spirit is that, by the word in faith, and without the word there is nothing: for it is the very word of God. Now whoever does not believe in God, he is in the darkness of death with this old Adam, & has no hope in eternal life: for he cannot persist in his baseless faith, & is pagan & wicked heretic, who offends the demonstrated cornerstone of Saint John, for God has proposed to us several means by his great mercy, by which, according to his will, we may be preserved from very great evils & temptations; & may flee the accursed spirit & the wicked doctrine, which brings us together, the ruin of the soul & of the body. The duty of the Political Magistrate has come this far, by which the magistrate drives out the strength & audacity of the wicked, from the brains of the good & pious, maintains peace & harmony, averts all fraud & deceit, & restores the right to whom it belongs , not according to desire & will of men, but according to the rule of justice & Divine will. It is necessary to esteem the likeness of the Physician & medicine who tames all kinds of illnesses & infirmities, & chases them away.

For this evil spirit sends to the human lineage, all kinds of evils, temptations & afflictions, such as deceptions, malice, enmities, hatreds, lies, adversities, calumnies, poverty, persecutions, inconstancy, & other various kinds of temptations, combatants against Faith, Hope & Charity, as it appears: & the Apostle S. Jean, S. Pierre & S. Paul, who however our Savior Jesus Christ was taken captive to the garden, demonstrating a clear example of human frailty & inconstancy. We must therefore follow the divine word with all our heart, and have it planted in our soul, and assure it with the seal of the Sacraments, so that we may be assured in this life, and enter into eternal life despite the infernal powers. But I beg you that these things which I have recited to you at such length do not bore you, and which, following the example of Tobias, you reject the care of worldly things, being content with meat daily, and putting all your hope in God give alms to the poor, leaving the rest to the will of God. But in order for you to understand more fully what I have said, I offer you this present, by which these words will be declared to you at greater length & abundantly, & by which you will acquire the pledge & ample treasure, so that you will face more happily in this newness of life, & in continuation of study for the profit & utility of the neighbor, & for the glory of the name of God. It is truly the same treasure, if with the help of God you have knowledge of it, which is not found in the books of the learned, nor in the boxes of ointment makers, hidden before the eyes of usurers & overwhelmed , & can not be taken from any man, because it is our water, & our fire appearing to the good for their utility & profit, & to the wicked to their ruin, when the wicked will have abused it by worldly pleasures, & their laziness, for humans do not do the things which have been wont to be sought with pains & labor. But if you are humble patient, modest, & of a docile spirit, you will have this treasure of true rest & wealth, & to serve with utility, God & your neighbour. In the first place I will put the words of this wise Egyptian King & Priest Hermes & his Emerald table, & will add the symbol of Brother Basil Valentin of Count Bernhard, & the writings of Theophrastus, the tincture of the Philosophers, provided that you first state your opinion on this subject.

Adolf.
Here is finally the end of my desire, which I have now awaited with great lust & ardor. Now I holyly promise that I will use this treasure for the profit and utility of my neighbor, and for the glory of the name of God, and will conduct my actions to that end that it will never appear that I possess it, and my soul and spirit Being stained with vices & wickedness, I will not offend anyone, certainly as much as human frailty will allow me.

The old man.
Know also that he can conveniently exercise the works of mercy who is content with little, & rejoices in a small fortune, & certainly a good deed from a poor person is greatly approved of God. But to tell the truth, when I considered at length the purity & candor of your soul, I resolved to give you at the end of this statement the hidden mystery of the mantle of the parables: & your duty will be to work on reading of these remarks, & of the others who keep hidden, & lock up the secret of this mystery, & observe the present written commemoration because of you, & for the rest, entrust yourselves at all to God very good & very great.

Adolf.
Certainly (venerable old man) I thank you as much as it is possible for me, & that I can consent in my soul to the great good, that I have learned from you, however I promise you holy that I will study & will employ in it reading these books written with blood & will ask the help of God very ardently, & will lead such a life, that I will make to others the example of the virtuous, & now I consecrate to you & offer you all my studies & my pain to your usefulness.

The old man.
God grant that all these things be thus by the goodness of God that if God very good & very great gives you the knowledge of this mystery, please him, giving praise & glory to him alone, according to what Jeremiah 9 says. the wise shall not boast in his wisdom, nor the mighty shall trust in his strength, nor the rich in his riches who boasts, in this alone boasts, that he knows that I am the Lord, merciful and just, saith the Lord your stake. So be it.

End of the first part.

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Second part of the secret hidden spirit of the Philosophers' Gold.

Containing the general practice of the work of the Elders & Elders.

Atlas
I carry on my shoulders Heaven & Earth, & I observe them exactly & fundamentally, & search closely, first cautious, then remaining simple, until I bring back the wages of them.

This art & mystery must not be revealed more apparently than in parables, which must be exactly considered & weighed; one must also know the books, & see the writings of other Philosophers. To arrive therefore entirely at this art: No great labor or trouble is required, & the expenses are small, the instruments of little value: for this Art can be learned in less than twelve hours, & the space of eight perfected, when there is in itself its own principle, although in the other arts the course of six or seven years is required, in order that they may be made perfect, some however have employed thirty or forty years at great expense, & we have never acquired the end of this mystery. But the artists to whom the end is known, try to hide and keep this artifice largely secret, which is truly the custom of admiring those who indulge in the things of the world and those who follow. But all these things are placed in the mercy of God, & only Azoth is required for our work, & the fire which is nothing else than to let cook, dissolve, rot, coagulate and fix: & these things can be make as much of the poor as of the sickly as of the rich, & there is no need to write this artifice for fear of not remembering it. But can be taught by verbal condition. I can no longer clearly declare these things, because of the unjust force of some. But I say to everyone & order: Take lunar water or silver water, in which are the rays of the sun for these artifices to perfect, & this operation, as the ancients say, known to women in truth, although there are so many writings and books composed on this subject, and which so many people and great people seek it with great expense and labor: but in vain, for nature has put a barrier across the way . After these things or parables are offered to you with the smaragdine table of Hermès Philosophe very excellent for greater & full knowledge.

The words of Hermès at Pimandre
The Pimandre of Hermes Trismegistus says: as once among other things I was thinking of the nature of things, & raising the subtlety of my spirit to Heaven, having then my bodily senses dulled, as it commonly happens to those who, because of too much repetition or boredom & annoyance are oppressed by sleep, the Latin says, Quendam poena quid mensura indefinita, suddenly I seemed to see a very large corporeal statue, who calling me by my name asked me what do you want to hear & see, what do you want Pimandre & want to know, so I asked him who he was. I am, he said Pimandre, the thought of the divine power, I would do what you want, & am with you everywhere. Then I told him that I wanted to know the nature essence & spring of all things, & mainly to know God: & he said to me, I would teach you everything you want to learn. As he said these things he changed his form; & all in a moment all things were revealed to me in a moment.

The Emerald Tablet or the words of the secrets of Hermès
It is true & far from all falsehood that what is below similar to what is above, by this is acquired & works the wonders of the work of a single thing, & as all things are made by one, & meditation of one, thus all things are made of one by conjunction, the Sun is its father, & the Moon its Mother, the wind carried it in its womb, the earth is its nurse, the mother of all perfection , its power is perfect if it is changed into earth, separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the thick & gross, & cautiously with modesty & wisdom. He ascends from Earth to Heaven, & descends again from Heaven to Earth, & receives the power, virtue & efficacy of superior & inferior things. By this means you will have the glory of everything.

Darkness & all darkness & blindness thou shalt repel: for it is the force of forces which overcomes all forces & subtle things, & penetrates hard & solid things. In this way the world was made & the admirable conjunctions & effects thereof. And this is the way by which wonders are done. And for this cause I am named Hermes thrice great, having the three parts of the wisdom & philosophy of the universal world, & have perfected what I have said of the Solar work. These words outweigh all those that have been reported from this subject, as also Theophrastus left what spoke to him about this art. The principal of these sayings consists in this, take the Moon from the firmament, change it from the upper place into water, & reduce it to earth, & then you will perpetuate a miracle marvelous to everyone. If you carry out the operation to the end, & from its principle throw it into sacred ground, which in our art is compared to muddy ground, purge & clean it of this dirt, then it will shine with a brighter ray. & splendid. But if you see her changed & sad, or as if pale, wash her in a bath of good seance, & adorn her with garments of permanent splendor & of hollow earth in which she greatly rejoices, & let her remain in this state until at its own time. For then she dwells there forever, by which also you can deliver her from the bonds of the tomb. It is the mystery of the reversed Moon, that if you come to the end of it all the secrets of the art will be revealed to you.

The Symbol of Br. Basil Valentin
The stone from which our fugitive fire is extracted is not the most precious, & from this fire the very stone is built of white & red color, & yet is not stone, in this stone there nature operates & produces a fountain clear & limpid, which suffocates its fixed father & engulfs him until the soul is finally restored to him, & the fugitive mother is made like in the Kingdom: this stone also acquires great powers & virtues; she is older than the sun, the mother prepared by fire, and the father begotten by the spirit, the soul likewise, the body and the spirit consist of two things, of which all things make this one, and this a spouse the fixed and the volatile: these things are two and three, that if you ignore the knowledge of any of these, you will be frustrated from the effect of art: Adam dwells in the bath, in which Venus finds thing similar to itself, and this bath was prepared by this ancient Dragon, when it had lost its forces and its power; and this is nothing else, says the Philosopher, than Mercury doubles in this, his name is hidden, which must be sought with diligence and assiduous labor.

The end proves the effects

The New Symbol
I am an excellent goddess of beauty and of great race, born of our clean Sea, surrounding all the ever-moving earth, flows from my breasts milk & blood, cook these two things until they are converted into gold & in silver, surmounting the others; I enrich the one who possesses me.

O most precious & most excellent foundation, from which all things are produced in these lands, though you are at first a venom adorned with the name of Fugitive Eagle. The first matter & the white & red seed of the divine blessing, in the body of which the drought & the rains are closed, which however are hidden from the impious because of the ornament & virginal dress scattered throughout the earth; your father and mother are the sun and the moon, the water and the wine also operate in you, the gold likewise and the silver in the earth, so that mortal man may rejoice therein in this way. Most good & great God expands his blessing & sapience with rain & sunbeams to eternal praise of his name. But O man consider here what things God gives you by this present, torment the Eagle hard until it yawns tears, and the lion is weak, and desires death crying: the blood of this one is the earthly treasure joined with the Eagle's tears. These animals have a habit of swallowing up and killing each other and pursuing each other out of mutual love, and taking over the nature and property of the Salamander. But if he remains unoffended in the fire, he consumes the great diseases of men, metals and beasts. And after the ancient Philosophers had knowledge of this sign & mystery, they diligently searched for the center of the tree which is in the middle of the earthly Paradise, entering through the five contentious gates. The first of these was the knowledge of the real matter, because in this one is born the first & cruel fight. The second is preparation as matter must be prepared in order to find the ashes of the Eagle & the blood of the Lion: on this homeland rises a bitter fight: for blood & water are acquired & a spiritual body lucid. The third door is the fire that leads to the end of maturity. The fourth multiplication, in this the weight is necessarily required. The fifth & last door is the projection on the metal. Now he is glorious, rich and great who occupies this fourth gate, because he acquires the general medicine of all diseases, in this is the great character of the book of nature, from which the whole Alphabet sleeps. This oldest mystery of all subsists from the beginning of the world & from the creation of Adam, & the science of nature inspired by God very good & very great by his word, admirable power, fire of life, blessed very clear ruby & shining red gold, & the blessing of this life. But because of the malice of men this mystery of nature is given to few people, although every day it is before the eyes of everyone, and it lives as it is seen in its following parable.

Raw material
I am envenomed Dragon being present everywhere & at a low price, the thing on which I rest, & which rests on me will be in me, which will seek well & diligently my water & my destroying & composing fire.

You will extract from my body the green & red lion, that if you don't know me exactly you take the five cents of my fire, a venom comes out of my nostrils too soon subtle from the thick, except that you rejoice in extreme poverty. I extend to you the strengths of males & females alike, & also of the Heavens & Earth, the mysteries of my art must be handled bravely & magnanimously, if you wish me to overcome the strength of fire, in which matter many have lost time, property & pain. I am the egg of nature known only to the wise, who pious and modest engender from it, from me the little world prepared by God, very good and very great for men, even though it is given to few people (several however in vain desired it) so that they do good to the poor of this mine treasure, & that they do not put their spirit & devote themselves to the gold which must perish. The Philosophers call me Mercury, my husband is Philosophical gold, I am the old Dragon prefect over all the earth, I am father & mother, young and old, strong & weak, dead & alive, visible & invisible, hard & soft , descending to earth & ascending to Heaven, very large & very small, very light & very heavy; the order of nature is often changed in me into color, number, weight & measure, containing natural light, dark & clear, coming out of Heaven & earth, known & being nothing at all, that is to say from stable, all the colors shine in me, & all the metals by the rays of the Sun, the solar ruby, very noble earth, clarified, by which you will be able to transmute copper, iron, tin & lead into gold.

Operation of philosophical mystery
I am the weak & sick old man, my nickname is Dragon. For this cause I am locked up in a pit, so that I may be rewarded with the Royal Crown, & that I enrich my family, being in particular a fugitive servant. But after these things we shall possess all the treasures of the Kingdom, the fire torments me greatly, & death breaks my flesh & my bones until six weeks pass; God grant that I can overcome the enemies. My soul and my spirit leave me cruel venom, I am compared to the Black Raven, because it is the reward of malice, I am lying in powder and in the earth, it would to God therefore that three things I did, so that you do not forsake me oh my soul & spirit, & that I look again at the light of day, & that from me come out this hero of peace which everyone looks at, in my body are Sulphur, Salt & Mercury, these things are appropriately sublimated, distilled, separated, rotted, coagulated, fixed, cooked & washed, so that the faeces & filth may be cleansed.

Figure Second
That if therefore these colors, which are several, are changed, and that this hero appears red because he is the very powerful and small son, or the least, having no equal in all the world, and who has the strength & the efficacy of the Sun & the Moon conqueror of all(?) the red gold, the knowledge of which you will acquire, if however it is purged seven times by fire after these things produced the in the boring populace, & which bears hate at the recommendation of this work. But listen to this.

Figure Third
Ten men defeat this hero & kill him, yet he forgives them & remits this wickedness to them, when after these things he rises in this life & rejoices eternally. By this the greater part of these live again, to which he communicates his substance, the city however is besieged on all sides, where these must endure & die, & are instantly lost at first sight. Now the darkness assailing the Moon & the Sun this Pastor succumbs, & nevertheless cannot be separated because he is not similar to the first earth, & the enemies die alike with him, if they want to be made participants of honor & glory. Gold of pure grace, the Rainbow appears when the King favors them, and then we must sing the praises and the effects.

Figure Fourth
Now the enemies of the King are in Gehenna, & knowing their malice, fall to the ground all together, & what is more, they are declared guilty on the second count, & their city besieged by enemies, & by fire first, indeed & spiritually, & now bodily & of the same end with the first, they all fall. But this hero as true King aids & assists them because these are only one, & almost brought to nothingness because of this Eclipse of the Sun from which the very black Ravens consume all their flesh: & wounded of the soul & of the spirit are close to their rotten flesh, & the King is cleansed of rot, & to be cause the soul, the spirit & the body are conjoined so that they dwell in them, & said likewise dwell in him: now the fixed makes this other fixed likewise, so that from this one comes a new & white lineage: but consider further the colors of the rainbow demonstrating that these are worthy of the nuptial white dress, that if they kiss her kindly they will gain the purple & golden dress, & the rest of Sabah, to which they will render to God their Creator the honor deu(?): defied the obedient Moon yawns on the day of the shining Sun, & this friend beloved (money) be covered with snow-white garments: but joyful thou understand the rest.

Fifth Figure
At this hour I have risen from the sepulcher & appear to my brothers my husband embracing me, by which also I would make my brother content spiritual & white by dyeing him even though he is weak & imbecile, so that I awaken his strength & power of the King, which victor must follow me in short, & will make us like the Sun, especially as he has resuscitated in me, I am therefore paragoned to the crystalline sea, fixed, & I bitterly deplore the malice & imperfection of my brothers by which withdrawing from me conjoined with the stones & with the earthly powder; they lose all strength, barking(?) after earthly things, & despising heavenly things, for without any remission I weep and shed tears from which blessing comes & appears, & study me not to vanity & impudence like my sister Venus always attentive to these playful worldliness. However she will be able to acquire my garment, which I must distribute to five, provided they suffer to live with me, but my brother Mars, this wicked & deceitful villain after he has had my tears & tears, he knocks down & kills many innocent people, & inflamed with radiant anger, he despises at all Wisdom, modesty, & peace. My brother Saturn is also of the same spirit, who, pressed by melancholy passion and avarice, overthrows the salvation of many, so he has a sad face. Gentle & clement Jupiter approaches the Royal Crown, stern, fearful, & many times subject to the passions of inconstancy, as the greater part of men are subject, yet all men must be assembled & conjoined into one: but my brother Mercury the youngest although old by prudence, he breaks the bonds of concord, he cries & laughs all together abundantly when he knows to be similar to the salamander; he is a mercenary & operator of admirable works, similar to the one who running on all sides through the universal globe of the earth rejoices in the company of both the good and the bad & comes out of it: If then they imitated my constancy, the celestial King would enlarge you with great goods or the Sun is pleased in the rains, & after the rains it gives great wealth, as the father of the family loves or pursues his wife with an ardent love, rejecting the discords & contentions between them & me, I would tincture silver, reducing my King to gold;

figure Sixth
Shining with great clarity, I have vanquished all my foes, from one many & many one descendant of famous generation, from the lowest it rises to the highest, the lowest force is joined in this world with the highest, I am one, & many are in me, multiplied by ten, I heal(?) my six friends as many times as long as they obey me promptly, in fusion, following the example of my friend the Moon. I have six nuptial robes, & six golden crowns, each of which shall be given to one each, that like kings they may reign with me, ruling over those who despised me & my love, they shall be uncovered by fire, d as much as they are careful to come up from the earth, if they have been truly joyful, white, blood-colored & purple, giving great riches, just as from God do all things high & low, beginning & end: for he is A & O: present everywhere, the Philosophers have adorned me with the name of Azoth, the Latins A & Z, of the Greeks Alpha & Omega, of the Hebrews Aleph & Thau, all whose names mean & make Azoth cast in the fire as in anger I oppress the water, & the six other metals greatly praise my name, especially as I introduce them to the Kingdom of the Sun, from there they call me universal when I transmute them into very pure Gold , which will never feel any damage by water, fire, earth, or venom: More it serves as a remedy for the diseases of men; I am the true Royal treasure given only to the pious. If then God most good and most great gives you the knowledge of this treasure live modestly with you, so that rejoicing in the company of the wicked, you will not fall into great danger and affliction: for there are many who under the color of friendship lay ambushes to your salvation, and the revelation must be from God.

The Universal Work of the Philosophers
The old man is the first principle revealed by the art of Hermes, because the Sulphur, Salt & Mercury, the bottom as the top, the star of the Sun abundant in colors, the fire, the air, the water, the earth begotten of the generation of Diana & Apollo, the masculine fire & the feminine air signify the earth & the water, of heavy & light weight, stable, constant & fleeting, stripped of the earthly dress, & prepares it naked , lock him in a hot bath, cook him in the heat of the vapors day & night until the star appears, around which run seven others, through the sphere, & is suffocated in the water: the black Raven first bird flutters around the dead bodies until from the white Dove comes out a red bird following it, being then spiritually the black Raven, so that all the colors appear: but the bodily Moon remaining the Unicorn rest, & prepare the King's way; the white silver comes out and the King follows close behind red still solitary: but very pure, that if you lead him with his mother through all the Kingdoms he will multiply his price ten, and give great riches and conveniences to his brothers. Happy three or even four times, happy is he who has acquired full knowledge of this art.

Declaration & explanation of Adolphe

After I Adolphe had deliberated according to the greed of my mind to go to Rome, that I might more diligently seek the secrets of the arts, one night being out of the house compelled by the weakness of my strength & become heavy with sleep , & greatly weakened from the rains & storms that it had been making throughout the day, I entered a certain cavern underground, of which the number is quite large in Rome, & having made my prayer to God very good & very tall, imploring his help, being fasting, & dozing, I fell asleep, but because of the inconvenience of the place I woke up at midnight, considering the cavern of my inn raising my spirit to the admirable works of God very good & very great, & attentively examining the mysteries of human life, finally also balancing exactly the secrets & the work of the Philosophers, I seemed to hear some noise in my cave, which however at the same moment ceased; which made me be very afraid, therefore that it was wizard or thieves. But imploring God's help, I beheld a small light far from me deep within my cave, which gradually increasing, approached after me, & destitute of strength I hesitated & then I saw a a certain very lucid, airy man rewarded with a Royal Crown adorned everywhere with stars; now as I look at him attentively considering all his interior parts, his brain like the crystalline water moved itself like the clouds, & the heart like a blushing ruby between these things I saw the intestines; the lung, the liver, the ventricle, the bladder, which were all pure clear & lucid as glass, & yet no gall, the spleen, & the other intestines also appeared, yet I cannot express in words, its clarity & purity, & as if tormented by dream & vision, at the end I cried out O Lord my God, deliver me from all evil: but this man approaching me said to me, Adolphe follow me, I will show you the things that are prepared for you so that you may go beyond the darkness into the light, then I say I do not know who you are, the spirit of the Lord of Heaven and earth leads me, and he says to me follow me: for as much as you love me & my Lord you will also be equally loved by me, & you will praise the name of the Lord greatly, these things said, finally entered the depths of the cave, considering all these things more carefully, I saw in its crown a shining red star sleeps , the rays of which penetrated all my body & my entrails, her dress was of white linen strewn with flowers of various colors, the shining green color sleeps within, besides these things a certain ever-moving vapor rose from her heart to the brain & from the brain to heart: at last then he shook the wall with his hand with a great & dazzling sound & withdrew from before my eyes, from this once again the great darkness, solicitude & fear spring up my soul, & the rising Sun having kindled a candle, diligently seeking the interior of the cave, I see the wall shaken & find a lead chest, which having opened I see the book with the pages, of which, which were of beech, was put in writing as if for memory, the figure parabolic of old Adam, & I turned it day & night with my hand until by a single voice this secret was revealed to me, by which I fully knew several admirable things.

I looked at the south where the warm Lions are, & the places subject to the Poles & the North, in which places the Bears are, & sang in hymns & praises the name of the Lord, & knew the mystery of this sealed book of nature, which secret as before it had been added, I would put in this place.

The Symbol of Saturn
Adam being burdened with old age, not having obeyed the Law of God with his wife, had turned upon himself the sentence of curse, & both fallen & filled with fear, fleeing hid themselves in the bushes & thorns, & mus of shame and shame because of the nudity of their bodies, they would also have died miserably, if the mercy of God the very good and very great Creator had not reduced them to the future in their first state: because before that they were renewed they begot imperfect children, & as they had made themselves unworthy of the possession of this garden, & also as they were to be revealed to everyone, they were thrown from this garden of delights by a ray of fire, & how truly this garden abounded in sweets & delights however Adam with his wife surpassed him by several generations. There is in Latin the mutis parasangis, which means thirty stages of earth. But as they were thrown out of it, Eve, a woman moved by inconstancy, first came out Adam, a constant and magnanimous man, not wanting to yield until after having received six wounds: but Eve received the blood which flowed from her wounds, & kept him pulling him from the garden with such a loving force, for he was weakened by these first forces, which he could not recover until washed together in the same bath, & loving each other mutually, they both desired death. , & again resuscitating in one, & after death they engendered a child of supreme essence.

But this child, desiring death in the same way, has risen so that he may penetrate all things, and must be multiplied by ten: for if this were not so, all the labor would be in vain and without profit. Now after these things they all die together with him, at last rising & reigning with him shining & shining like the Sun of the earth: for their will is obedient to the King, from this having acquired eternal riches which will be ten times, a hundred times & a thousand times. To God alone from whom proceeds all wisdom be honor and glory.

So be it to Mercury, which although it is without feet short, like water, does not wet the hands, and operates quite metallically.

END.

PHILOSOPHICAL POEM ON THE AZOTH OF PHILOSOPHERS

By the sieur de Nuisement.

If Art could create the principles of things,
As he can accomplish the enclosed powers,
And created principles, & multiply them,
Nature at the feet of Art would come to humble itself,
Whereas in front of her he bends and bows,
Because if he has glory, it is the origin.
As master expert, & he as expert assistant.
She does her aprests(?), after which he serves her.

The next principles of which this great worker,
Composes metals the raw material,
And those whose elixir through art I must form.
For imperfect bodies the flaws reform,
Are in being, in substance, & uniform virtues,
Equal in quality; but different in shape.
Nature prepares them; & preparing them;
It makes our eyes look different.

In the center of the earth she keeps her shop,
Or of an admirable machine she assembles & manufactures,
From first principles these next principles;
Of which she will form with her expert hands,
A confused mass, or by weight it assembles,
The four qualities of two sperms together.

Having mingled the dry water with the stinking spirit,
Her furnace she inflames; & goes transmuting them,
In a smoky substance, or vapor which ceaselessly,
Ascends if some opposite obstacle does not lower it.

If nothing represses her by dint of stealing,
She escapes flees iue(?); & will form in the air
Some instrument of lightning: or the fateful aspect
Of a wandering comet, & meteoric fire.

But finding a rampart that she does not pierce,
It is reverberated, & curved downwards.
Then departing in a hurry, with the narrowest veins,
Rough rocks, & haughty mountains,
She is held there with mighty effort,
Of mineral virtue; uniting with her.
Of the very firm good of lasting union,
By the gentle action of amicable warmth;
Who day & night persists, in order to convert,
Metal, steam that can no longer be used.

Thus nature has for all fabrics,
This double vapor common to the Philosophers,
That it makes accomplished, as much as allows,
And the time, and the place, where the vapor sets in,
For if it encounters an impure womb,
The embryo that forms there is stained with its vice,
And if the miserly hand of the greedy merchant,
From the mother's womb goes the snatching child,
Before the first years destined to be theirs,
It is an abortifacient fruit, which dies before being born.

The clairvoyant Hermès with a Lynx eye opened,
The earth to the center; & subtle discovered
The deeper secrets where envious nature
Uses in hiding his industrious hand.

He wants her to marry Mercury with Venus,
Who in the beloved key, intertwined and bare:
Begot the child where their sexes come together,
Resembling both, who do not resemble him.

Venus feeling fat she explored fate,
Of his dear Embryo birth & death.
Three different Oracles afflicted her confused,
And none of them, however lying, deceives it.
The first portends him a submissive son of iron,
The other has a promised daughter for him,
Then the third announces to him a new brood,
Who being born daughter, & son, is neither male nor female:
And whose frail life in the air must expire,
These opposite destinies make Venus sigh,
Full of impatience; waiting for the day,
That the triple destiny will hatch from its fruit.

His birth according to divine omens,
For death make him believe in the words of the three soothsayers,
He is born male female, and is neither male nor female;
THE sword, the wave, and the air stole his soul,
Killed, drowned, hanged, in the April of his years;
Honored with the beautiful name of his divine parents.

The blind in such mystery will have this for fable,
Who's to unravel(?) true story.
For principles true by nature allied,
Are these divine lovers bound to the yoke of Himen:

And the double vapor that exhales from these two,
Taking from each his equal portion,
Is this Hermaphrodite; which are contained,
The two divine sperms of Mercury & Venus.

Art imitating Nature accomplishes the whole work,
By the same practice, and the same material,
In the belly of a clear vase, like a round globe,
The agent to the patient well purged uniting:
From which the fire gives birth to a subtle vapour,
Who many times rises, & many times distills;
Deanimating the bodies that will produce it,
Then with the own soul in them shrinking.

It's Azoth, it's the spirit, it's the fugitive soul,
Which invisible smoke swirling arrives,
Qu top of our globe; or losing strength & heart,
Visibly falls back into a pearly liquor:
And not quick, common, cold, and damp silver,
Even though it appears radiant & fluid:
Have a Mercury extracted from subtilized bodies,
By vulgar quicksilver open & untied:
Spirit which may be called Mercury of Mercury;
More subtle, warm & dead(?), than that of nature.

By this spirit visible in glorified Heaven,
Our filthy Brass is all purified,
That it becomes medicine infinite in power;
To exterminate everything, which offends every body.

Who has seen this Azoth has seen our Elixir;
Because of our Elixir our Azoth issir(?):
Since Elixir is nothing but Mercurial water;
And let Azoth be called the steam that comes out of it.
Elixir is the body in reduced Mercury;
And the Azoth is the spirit which of the two is produced:
Everything is made water, by water; but this water that nothing wets,
Otherwise joins his own remains.

Now we can divide this great work into three parts,
And under three different names the secret to disguise,
Rebis is the first, when the stone is composed:
And which the two spouses only do one thing.
Elixir the second, when in our coffin,
Floats a sea of silver under veils of mourning.
Azoth is the third, while in the void(?)
From the diaphanous globe, a lucid vapor
Out of its waves rises, & fertilizing above:
Then rechet(?) when the force has gone to default.

Spirit that ravishes the soul, and hides it in its bosom,
When rotten bodies his tincture he tears.
Tincture, oil, soul, sulphur, extracted by our agent:
Living water that shines, and rolls as clear as silver,
Beneath the dazzling, humid & inconstant species
From the purified spirit of this floating sea.
As after the earth will have its water resumed,
The soul, & the spirit will be below the bodies understood:
Body, & earth where gold must die & rot,
Like the human sperm in the human womb.

We see the plants produced by the earth,
By putrefaction being in the ground reduced:
Earth which by virtue of the first surpasses,
By its salt which animates it, and which makes it fatter.

Those who plowing practiced the train,
The chaff was taken care of as well as the grain:
For rotten straw into fat converted,
Rejoins the earth, & gives it life:
Whose after his own grain, in such a sown field,
Is more abundantly produced & animated.
The metals, from Mercury, drew their seed:
He is their own land & he alone in power
To reduce them in him by putrefaction,
To give the perfect more perfection.
For our bodies submerged in the waves of Mercury
And transmuted into him by his own decay:
Are the fertile earth, and the fruitful fields,
Or our beautiful sown seeds become more virtuous.