on the practice of P.P.
Of the definition of art and what is theory and What is the practice
Real beings give knowledge of the nature of bodies, of their means and extremes, by which they are transmuted into retaining their essence.
The theory of transmutation teaches the knowledge of arrangement of transmuting and transmutable bodies to reduce them to temperament as much as is necessary for the perfection of the Magisterium.
Practice teaches form and how to operate well according to the arrangements known by theory.
The theory is divided into three knowledges of things, namely natural, unnatural and unnatural, on which depend three dispositions: temperament, intemperament and neutrality, which is very well described by Vicot in the book he made chap 4.
Of temperament, intemperance and neutrality, and of medicine and instruments
Temperament, intemperance and neutrality must be known by the workman, to which he must direct his intention, which is said in the last Chapter of Vicot, also the conclusion being that he said all in practice, which no man had ever revealed. From the principles of nature in general, and as everything has been drawn from a confused mass by comparing it to the big world of the four elements.
Of the main overriding principles and of all things to our magisterium by the great form of the world which is the least shaped like the lesser world by miracle
The extremes and the means are the primordial ones prepared and also successors in the work of nature, but God created out of nothing the nature by his pure will, into a pure substance which was after divided, which must be understood in respect of the operations of the nature which the magisterium must resemble. There quintessence was divided into four parts, by which division one can hear the nature of the four elements, of which the pure must to be separated from the impure, which is a pure nature that is in their center.
The raw material is called Hyle, which should not be sought in the simple species to begin the work, but in the species composed. It must be purged and enacuered by fire so that it is pure and clear.
After having dealt with the great great form, it is necessary to deal with the lesser and prepared from the simple mineral nature by the extremes and the means. The first are the four elements, which were created by a Divine separation. The second are the vapors composed of the same elements, in which everything resolves and corrupts to make new generation. In third place place, it is clear water composed of vapours. The fourth is certain substance coming from vitriolic mining. The fifth are the vapors generated immediately by the rarefaction of said vitriol, which are the closest material and closest for the generation of metals. The sixth are the sulfurs made by succession and immediately generated by the nature of the milk substance, living water. The sevenths are the metals generated sulphurous vapors and quicksilver by successive decoctions. After nature redissolves them by putrefaction, extracts, digests them and reduces them to a better species than they were previously. You have to imitate nature and have patience.
Of the principles of this magisterium, and of which it is made, how many are they in number and of the conversion of them.
The first radical principles are three: Living water, the spirit stinking and brimstone made of the two above which is the Stone. And as we cannot have them as we need them, because they are in form of metal, we take the extremes of the nature of Stone by the means of the art by having recourse to the third, fourth and extreme seventh of the preceding Chapter, and as they are too distant, we must take the fifth extreme, which is an average disposition of the extremities of nature, which disposition is taken from the third extreme. Finally the sixth extreme is the first and nearer matter, from which the perfect medicine is created, which is the ferment of the elixir.
On the genus of extremes and the means of their division into principles essential.
Without the natural things that descended from extremes and means, no body take being, naturally tempered. He therefore, every milieu must descend from its extremes, for the reason of his temperament, which cannot be clean and transmuted bodies, without a natural operation. material knowledge and essential of said temperament must be had by knowledge natural, unnatural and unnatural things, which are included in the three genera, animal, vegetable and mineral with their differences.
From what things we must extract the suitable material and more close to do the magisterium
The property of temper to the body of metal is of the nature of the metal closer to itself and to its mineral matter. That's why he must take nature in the line in which the two luminaries are housed and permanent, and it is the volatile body, it is to say quicksilver, which contains pure nature in its belly, which is so strongly adherent that no one can have that by a certain agreement of friendship, so that like produces like, as the animal produces the animal. And the way of this production will be taught elsewhere, which should not be revealed to anyone and which is done by means of natural, unnatural things and against nature, which must be considered; For of these three things one must extract the great dragon which is the radical beginning and principal of a firm and assured change.
As there is only one Philosopher's Stone and the address for the purge.
There is only one Philosopher's Stone, of the above three things extracted by the magisterium, without adding anything strange to it except what was born in here; But as much as extract fully purged out things unnatural phlegmatic, earthly and corruptible, which are death and mortify his quickening spirit, and which prevent his purification and marriage between body and spirit.
How she is called Peter because of her property and her nature.
This spirit is called stony, and has the power to vivify the body whence it is out. And when the body is vivified, it is pure, clear, resplendent and penetrating, no longer having any obstacle which prevents its great property.
Of the Preparation of the Stone.
The preparation of the said spirit is done by taking the juice of the lunar from which you will slowly draw the sweat and you will have one of our quicksilver in liquor. In this liquor, the great dragon rectifies and is thrown out of the great Arabian desert, because immediately he would be suffocated with thirst and perish in the sea dead, turn it and put it in the kingdom of Ethiopia, from where naturally he was born; that if he is not returned to his land, he will flee and will fit in another region, but any other climate does die.
Of what thing is the Stone and what is it called, and how it is composed of the four elements, and where it is found.
This spirit carries with it its property, and this great dragon is composed of four elements, which is only one nature which contains in itself the nature and property of the four elements; which comes in composition from the action of the first elemental qualities. It is therefore only one nature divided into four parts according to the ownership of the elements that must be defended from the violence of fire, lest the property of the spirit which has gone out of the body, be consumed by too much heat, by which it could not reduce his body in the medium to which the second spirit influences his virtue, and it is our quicksilver which takes the tincture of sulphur, and in which our Stone is dissolved and resolved in such water. Don't add so nothing strange, giving him what comes out and is born of him, because he is out of a dragon and a stinking belly. Keep the fire and the regime of the mind, out of love and defend it from great fire, out of fear so that it does not fly away and vanish. For if the soul separates, the spirit cannot vivify the body.
Of the dividing and resolving of the Stone in order to change it.
Three spirits, or in other words, three quicksilver are necessary in the magisterium, in which the Stone is dissolved and converted and this dissolution is the first door of the magisterium which is divided into Three parties. The first is bodily, the second is spiritual and the third is spiritual and bodily. The first is the reduction from gross to simple and subtle, by corruption, in the form of a land aqueous and of a subtle and mineral water, which rises to the region of the fire in stinking and subtle parts; which must be carefully to keep, especially since it is only a simple detachment and unbinding descending subtle parts of first nature, in the seed or germ, in which the natural heat must warm up ; which is the instrument with which the informative virtue which is introduced into the material works. And to pass from this first dissolution to the second, it must be maintained in a stomach digestion during its time, because by means from this heat the seed rots in the ordained terms of nature, then afterwards, makes it grow and bear fruit. But first, the seed is converted into the first nature of sulfur and mercury; and thence it will turn into a Stone whiter than the snow and for this the first form of the bodies is dissolved in mercurial seed by the solemn operation, knowing the putrefaction, and immediately another form will be introduced with conservation of the species, and this solemn preparation is the foundation of the child's creation, from which creation the way is such: Reject the mood where the dragon was submerged until there be a subtle body of celestial spirit which is called fire, which God makes known to his servants. For from then on the Stone is made after it is created, freezing the quicksilver converted into elixir. And we repeat this operation as many times as you want to multiply the Peter, who multiplies his kind with the substance of silver lively.
Of the dissolution of the Stone in special form and the change of his name.
The main and first intention is to dissolve the Stone by change of her nature into quicksilver, and by this she is the root and the father of the two luminaries, and into this are converted by the solemn dissolution, and afterwards in sulphur, because the silver alive naturally contains its own sulfur, by the vapor of which it freezes itself into the Philosopher's Stone, which afterwards has power to freeze any other quicksilver, by means of the magisterium which is the material of which medicine and the elixir of life are made, which must not be governed very subtly, nor must not be strong subtle to discern and know it.
Of the Reason for the Passage of the Stone to be Converted into Medicine and how the worker must consider the natures of the means by which she passed.
To go from one end to the other, you have to go through the middle. The ends of the Stone in the first degree is quicksilver and in the second it is the perfect elixir. But the middles of the two extremities are ointments and oils, which are ferments of the elixir, which must be carefully considered, because the matter of degree by degree gradually dries up, approaches matter and of nature nearer to metal, to receive the kind of gold and money, by science and art multiplied, and therefore, it is necessary reduce the body by an artificial mutation by imitating nature.
Of the gradual transmutations of the Stone by three digestions, so that the material is clean to create the elixir.
The Stone changes through three gradual mutations before being the matter to create the elixir. The first is in liqueur in manner of homogeneous oil, and as this one is in the beef the other is in the four moods, when the luminaries sank in corruption. At the third is the change of moods in pure sulphur, which mutations are made by a third digestion. There first is a conjunction of body and mind in one, after which comes the conception, then the pregnancy and after the fruit or the child. And when he is born, you also need patience and nurturing him until he can suffer the fire in the second digestion, exuberance is made of blood, namely of the spirit, and in the third it is nourished and multiplied.
Of the last term of the transmutation of the stone by reincrudation of the cooked and decoction of the raw, and from which comes the quicksilver of the philosophers.
The last term of the reincrudation and transmutation of cooked into raw according to the natural intention of the artist in the substance of sulfur not burning, which when changed into the nearest matter of the Stone, the humidity of which was only with quicksilver put out of bodies liquefied and melted in and out, which freezes it and converts it into pure sulphur, which moisture is quicksilver in form of clear water, and sulfur is only sperm. And therefore, it is necessary that quicksilver be strong tempered, and not common quicksilver, according to all substance fat, earthly and phlegmatic, but only its middle substance which must be well preserved and defend cleanliness in all things, the violence of fire, neither the other quicksilver which gradually came to its last term of digestion. But it's quicksilver quicksilver, real separate mind by sublimation of its opposite extremes with purification and preservation of it in virgin milk.
Of the intention of the art by which the multiplication is done and of the various digestions of the Stone.
There are four digestions necessary for the Stone. The first one dissolves the body and extracts the elements, in the second, the spirit is dissolved forming its vase where it must be transmuted with heat, and in the third the Stone is created and formed of the same matter , as soon as immediately, as the spirit withdrew from the vase with the soul of the body, which is the perfection of stone, and in the fourth the royal and true elixir is created.
Of the division of the stone into three causes of its change, and of the main colors, and what material it is specially extracted.
Because above we need three things, namely: body soul and spirit, and of three colors, namely: black, sign of putrefaction and principle of generation, white and red, which does not come only from a single matter, and from three successive digestions suitable for each color and therefore different and dissimilar to each other, by which matter is purified, digested and then goes into perfection and this matter is only in gold and silver where it is mined, especially as their sulfur are better, and their substance much purified by the operation of nature. Mix then the mercury of the philosophers and not the common, with these two bodies filled with white and red dye, where the medicine is extracted from, and you will come to the great secret.
As the artist must be virtuous in search of the first knowledge of the Stone, and of what material it is made, and must be very constant to have the second intention by experience of the artifice known in the matter of nature.
The artist must be constant in a single thing and not in several, and not be of a changing opinion in the choice of the matter which is exact, the Stone which is sulfur and medicine, which is the composition, given that it is unique without adding anything to it, on the contrary, it is necessary to remove the earthly superfluities and phlegmatic. And what is not the harmony of metals by separation and may it come neighbor and quintessence united to the earth and to fire which is of its own nature. It is found in deserts and depopulated lands, to which nothing should be added, which did not come out of its own nature. And medicine must be drawn from diminished bodies of perfection, so that they kiss each other better because of the greater propriety which they must have in their nature, and can thus perfectly perfect by this one, and that the mercury can mingle with the metals before it escapes. That's why he requires a substance more subtle and more fusible than the bodies of metals to compose medicine.
Of the first knowledge of the Stone and of what it matters is made, and of the patience which the artist must have in practice.
In philosophical work, there is nothing secret but the way to operate (Which is declared in practice) which is strong boring and long, and for that you need a lot of patience to elementary downgrade the luminaires by solution, subtilization, sublimation and freezing. But first you have to philosophically calcine them and then you have to dissolve them philosophically and then the freezing of the spirit takes place, and as soon as when the spirit is frozen, the body is dissolved, what to do with a very slow fire, without haste, because otherwise the fire would lose especially at the beginning of the mixture, the more so as the dyeing will be corrupted, which could be done next way. For the first calcination it is necessary to make digestion of flame, and by means of this one you will certainly shoot without danger of vitreous azoth, vitriolic vapors or vitriol as it will be said in practice. That done, you will put the attached clear with the metal and united in the form of vitriol vapor to the digestion of the bath and then the luminaries will burn out with preservation of their form, which must be left in this digestion during the term of their own nature and no more, lest the spirit suffer. After this term the body will turn black, from there it must be put in digestion of ashes because it will give the body, the spirit and blade. After that the spirit must pass seven times through digestion. bath, and the soul by the ashes, which must be drawn from the body by digestion of the flame until the seventh exuberance. And so we will have a suitable material, very beautiful to create the Stone, in which stone the heat is contained.
Of the creation of the Stone which is done by a certain digestion and of its properties.
The creation of the Stone is made both of the body and of the the spirit by the digestion of the flame until the body is become white, because then the body approaches just as much as it can of its primary nature, which is closer to metals than clear water, nor vitreous azoth, nor the vapors of vitriol. And so it is necessary that the body be transmuted into aquatic sulphur, because that it is the matter closest to metals, and the vitreous azoth changed in spirit is closer to the nature of the body from which one will draw the soul which is the complement of all the aforesaid magisterium.
How the species of metals are transmuted, and of the fire of the elemental nature caused, because in no way do they change not, and for that when the species appear of these, which is in the being of truth, goodness and greatness.
Species do not transmute, but individuals of species, without destruction of their kind, are transmuted to multiply, and for this reason they are called principal means in the magisterium, because they can be changed, cleansed and purified under conservation of their general metallic species, for the multiplication of which the philosophical fire is created and of which comes out light and clarity, which is the philosophical warmth that multiplies by unnatural and unnatural fire; Which is the object which excites as active in itself, as passive in individuals, the multiplicative power in the act of multiplication, especially since she wants to perfect herself with what she has in her, without borrow from elsewhere, in order to rest from its complement and the finished order of nature which is not infinite in its works. And starting from there we can understand that the elements make appear their power in the Stone, according as more or less each predominates. Thus darkness appears when the earth dominates, if it is the water the whiteness is shown, and if the fire predominates the Stone will be diaphanous.
How everything made of stone consists in the knowledge of elements and their conversion
You have to understand these elements and know how to convert them by certain operations, otherwise do not approach the chemistry. Form and species make known the goodness of matter, for according to the merit of this form is introduced.
How the elements came out of a single matter that contains in it the mineral species.
Our elements have come out of a single nature in which the species mineral is in power, which nature is currently showing to the end of the circulation of the elements, and that the artist by his intelligence puts it into its own act, but it is very rare, because there is only one path to operate, by which the elements must change under preservation and multiplication of the species which is infused in them from power in action.
How the artist must know nature, so that he resembles it in certain cases, and of the error of several workmen, and of the council which have to take.
And as the instruments of nature are compared to those of the art in which it governs itself in its training. You have to hear how and in what way nature works and leads and follow this path. Because it is nature that must operate to form, cleanse and purify, not the artist. So know the leading by the right path, informing and shaping matter in which nature is introduced, dispose of the fire which is entirely the master and director of the work, because he freezes and dissolves, and finally arrange the material so that it itself is perfected according to the order of nature; For the celestial and elemental virtues are in artificially natural vases, which are in vases only natural. And what nature does with the heat of the sun and stars, she does the same by the heat of the fire, provided it be so well regulated that it does not overcome virtue motivates and informant, who is influenced from heaven into matter, which virtue must determine itself in things corrupted and putrefied according to their nature; Thus the informative virtue is introduced into the matter putrefied by the science of the artist by his operation natural.
Of the informative virtue by which the Stone receives creation and the multiplication in his instruments and the sulphurousness of elements, and the place of generation.
By means of this informative virtue which is called soul, our Peter multiplies, because this virtue is mineral and universal, which descends of the sky and is specified according to the nature of the mineral individuals which are in all nature, especially since it is common to all metals, stones and what is average between them, which receive determination, according to the land where they were begotten, by which one must know by what land the soul must be terminated, and the joint mercury. This informative virtue loses its force when it comes out of its vessel. That's why you have to keep the vase closed, until all the wetness is over, otherwise she won't will not be able to complete its circulations and its wheels, as it appears in the example of plants and animals, proper virtue is infuses into each matter according to its kind, as also according to the merits of matter, the celestial virtues are infused, which operate the things of nature in plants and minerals as well as we sees in summer the influence of natural heat descend to the bodies by means of the air which heats them, and dissolves them; finally comes the influence of the cold that traps the heat of the air in their bodies, and then the vegetables begin to germinate and grow, the minerals do the same, whence it follows that the natural heat must be with the warmth of the place; This informative virtue called soul of the Stone is a general primary form, which introducing it into a matter susceptible, cannot be changed, engendered, multiplied etc., without corruption and alteration of matter, which are the means by which which nature passes from one extreme to the other, which cannot be perfect only by a long time with two own instruments of which she needs to form her work, according to the diversity of the matter.
Of the Death of Stone and of Some Causes, and Things preventing its generation and multiplication, and how they are removed by the demonstration of the example to the respect of the common nature
In the Stone this informative virtue is dead because of the solidity of the material, which holds the heat bound without movement, by which said virtue should govern itself to form the Stone, as can be seen in the example of the grain of wheat that the author gives, which is very well described, and which must be highly regarded as a compendium of all physics, by which he concludes that he must dissolve the Stone to reincrude it to give freedom to the natural heat to operate, which is enclosed as in a prison, which must be done in airy humidity, which is the fire food, in which it will be resolved in wet material in which is the natural heat, which has the power to gradually receiving through the seed the informative virtue of heaven, and it is by means of condensation and rarefaction, which is the original way that nature observes for the gradual conversion of its elements, and therefore we need at the beginning that the substance which is the pure nature of the Stone be resolved by subtilization of its gross substance, then be putrefied and the moist which is cold and unnatural is well separated by the heat from the sun. Afterwards it is necessary to administer its suitable food that the said virtue must change in itself (and thus the industry of the worker, that is to say the artifice will assist the mineral matter, namely nature) what one can never know and acquire except by practice and experience. So that he who will not know by experience of practice or by revelation the virtue of the stones and their property, which carry the bodies of power in act, will not enjoy never of such a great and precious good, and will not taste of a meat so delicious.
Of the corruption and putrefaction of all things, and how all thing is born, and receives life and natural soul by putrefaction, like the nourishment of the mother's womb by the change of elements.
It is necessary to know that nothing can be born, nor be created, nor animated only after its corruption, putrefaction or mortification, because that then the matter of the stone is changed from nature to nature. PULL therefore the form of matter by corruption of that one, so that the same matter being separated by corruption can gradually perfect in sublimation. It has some active power in each matter, which can never be sufficiently accomplished by the form of the body, and which is capable of corruption and of generation, since she herself wants to be perfect under another form, and this second form cannot be introduced into the material only after corruption of the first. So when you want to corrupt matter, do it with a dry fire, so that what dry is converted to cold. And when you want to reach the generation cause the moist to be changed into hot by frigidity. And when you're at the generation point put the damp cold with the dry heat of his nature. And when you want to chill water by heat warm more. And when you want light the fire with the water, put it in cold water and if you want to dissolve snow by coldness, freeze it better. And thus these qualities will be changed and you will find the mutations gradual in nature. So if you therefore convert the dry to cold, the cold in wet and the wet in hot you will have the Magisterium. Nature is taken for the fire of nature, which is contained in the air, in which it moves to form the things of nature, whence it follows that the stone is composed of matter of air, in which the fire of nature is manifested in effect and action, which being moved in a certain way by moving moves matter, to its last term, according to the course of nature. work therefore with the most noble material that you can have, because the thing is not done if it is not corrected in this one according to the nature.
Of the humidity of the stone and how it is a permanent water, and the various actions of fire, and the subtilization of the elements coarse, and darkness.
Our humidity is a permanent water from which The humidity radical cannot be destroyed by fire. On the contrary, it feeds on fire, increases in it and rejoices there. And when you want begin the preparation of our magisterium, take the water proportionate in quality according to the nature of the body you want dissolve, so that the virtue of fire against nature does not overcome point the natural heat, so that the quicksilver, with regard to the power of nature's sulfur can be tempered by a certain knowledge of gradation in the first resolution, because in him is all the peril, including the brimstones destroyed by heat of simple quicksilver, so that their active property does not not be destroyed by extraneous heat, but must appear black in its wet. This darkness is the first door to this magisterium, nothing can be done without it, because this is the fire of nature which must create the Stone, which cannot be seen without the corruption of his body. And the whole compound has become black, this blackness comes slowly, little by little, because it is necessary that the heats pass through their mediums, like the elements; Because in the gross elements the fire is hidden and for this they have need to be subtilized by a weak and weak digestion, which causes the greenness which is the first color, which seems indigestible and terrestrial, in the belly of which the heat of nature multiplies by the aid of the heat of the fire administered by the artist, who well knows conduct matter until it is covered with blackness, which is a sign of the fight of fire against humidity; the darkness beginning to appear must be increased and multiplied by a natural way, by which the natural fire must be governed, which begins to digest matter and to work, which is the beginning of the work by rotting all the elements until the end of this sort of digestion, which is the first of heat digestive in our artifice, until the matter is accomplished. And then in this matter by the degree of digestion, the color black is multiplied by all its subtle and separate parts in all matter by the multiplication of this digestion, which is generated by the natural heat in the radical humidity, whence the whiteness comes, not by the action of common fire, but by the power of fire or natural heat stronger than that of fire elementary, which resolves and digests, until it has come to the point putrefaction in the first digestion. Matter being thus digested and putrefied, nature separates the subtle from the gross, and the coarse is set apart by the second digestion and converts as much that something subtle is needed in the substance of the sulfur created by quicksilver. And according to this the conversion is made by arrangement and settlement given to the heat of nature in the third digestion.
Of how to philosophize, and how this science and this art is only given to philosophers, and that the freezing of quicksilver is the main and final secret, and of the patience of the worker passing to the whiteness
Those who study Raymond Lully must make great very considerable annotations with great meditations repeated so that you can hear it, and after hearing it, let to posterity his doctrine, under the veil of philosophy; Because she is very true, namely that the smoke of our fermented gold after the reduction and fixation in his earth, will show himself visibly in the fire philosophical. Know therefore that the land in which our gold must be sown and planted, is white first, before it can manifest the appearance of our fire. However, you have to be patient in the déalbation, especially since there is a great delay, do so whiten your land and nourish it, if you want the son of the father assists you in need. This land is magnesia in which is the whole secret, and this final secret is the freezing of our quicksilver in our craft-made magnesia and certain diet. The spirit of the fifth essence is in our magnesia, our magnesia is our aforesaid quicksilver, and of this quicksilver is issued the smoke from our gold and our silver, by which smoke all colors appear. If you know how to extract it from a body, you have half the secret, and if you get her back you will have his magnesia colored like snow, for as he is put out of the body, it returns there, both the semi-minerals and the metals with quicksilver, because as it is the means to join the tinctures in a pure subject, it also separates them from an impure one.
THE mercury is the water in which the tincture is carried, because the fire separating from one subject is immediately carried into another, if he is not prevented by a foreign fire, and for that, when one does not can have it in an essential form, it is necessary to have it in a substantial form, namely in the matter of mercury which is our water; and our fire draws itself from the body little by little and afterwards is changed into a body by its noble heat, this is our seed necessary, with which our tincture is fixed in the body, when it is drawn from him with the water of fire, therefore impregnate the body by fire and multiply its combustion, and you will have a tincture strong, and hear this secret because it is the complement and the beginning of everything.
From whence is extracted the own tincture of the philosophers who by fermentation dyed in medicine red quicksilver frozen in white.
The above tincture is taken from our gold, and is fermented with the gold vulgar, which carries it from power in action. Because the great heat of our magnesia, freezes the spirit by changing its nature exuberance multiplied in the permanent heat, and this fermentation is done by using fixed red sulfur. It's this tincture that strips itself of a base earth and clothes itself with another strong noble; That if our first venom don't make golden smoke when from him the mercury is sublimated, it is because the mercury to taken in its belly all the tincture of the said smoke and is impregnated with the said smoke which we call our fire, and by a successive decoction which corresponds to the nature of said fire, which is hidden in the belly of frozen quicksilver, it colors the parts of the says Mercury and transmutes it into its own fiery nature, which is the pure tincture of metals, which we call mercurial spirit, seen that the spirit or fire is resolved in mercury, and again when the mercury is transmuted into the nature of the said fire, it is resolving in the same nature of mercury and will be, because thus nature rolls by traffic.
Of how to proceed in practice and how many things are required in the Magisterium.
To enter into the practice of the Stone one must have a great science and great knowledge, the subtle and natural mind, the disposition of hands to work, and free will, with which he you also need sapience to know how to do, wealth to have the means of doing and books to open the understanding; Because the The doctrine of one will explain the doctrine of the other. I will declare here to enter into the secret of the secrets of nature, which is mostly sealed. But it is necessary to know first the informative virtue which depends on our Magisterium, of some known science. Because art, when it is good known without ignoring anything, prepares the matter to reach the end destined, according to the course of nature by means of heat instrumental ruled by the artist. So there are two things necessary in the Magisterium, namely the informative virtue and the instrumental warmth. The informative virtue is governed by four elementary qualities and principal virtues, and the instrument which is the fire by the science of the worker to order it well.
Of the four natural virtues, their names and their operations As the informative virtue is governed by the four qualities elements from which successively emerge four natural virtues.
It is also necessary to divide the way of operating successively into four parts, which the good workman must influence in a proper matter . Namely in attractive or appetitive, in retentive or coagulative, in expulsive, contentive or digestive, and fortifying the action of virtue which operates best in matter, because according to the more or the less of the goodness of his constitution, it will produce promptness or lateness or his temper. And for that you have to train the instrument so that the matter is well ordered by a science and certain operation until the end of its operation. what if we know the signs, we will have the certainty of correcting the faults by reinforcement or debilitation, which are the extremities of natural works by means of fire which is the instrument of nature, which the artist must regulate according to his intention, which must be known, so that by means of his art and heat, matter changes from nature to nature, and comes to its perfection; And it's there heat of every generation, as is the heat of the sun, ui is the main effect of any generation. So seek medicine universal which is a gift of God and an incomparable treasure, by the means of a certain science to naturally dispose the material to receive the informative virtue and to govern the fire well, which is the instrument to cause the movement so that its active virtue does not spoil the medicine by an exaggerated heat and burning that destroys nature.
Of the way to excite the natural heat by the common fire or with the heat of the unnatural fire.
So there is only natural fire, or natural fire reinforced with fire unnatural with the operation of consolidation, or the creation or transmutation, which operates only one way in excited matter so much only by fire against nature, so that the natural does not is not overcome by the unnatural, nor by the elemental in the first operation of his corruption, only by one degree, because otherwise nature would destroy itself and end its movement of generation in matter. This is why it is necessary have a large still so that the material can more freely rise and be energized with a little fire, so that it changes into air and it is not necessary that by a great fire the air should be very thickened in water, because the active virtue would be submerged and too suffocated in water, and the natural dyes would be burned off. And for this two certain operations are necessary. The first one is the corruption that is made under the preservation of its form by unnatural fire excited by elemental fire, the other is the generation which is made with the natural fire multiplied by the fire not natural and unnatural. In these operations, there is a very large virtue and very powerful to make a new generation and binding of several virtues together in a proper subject which is the secret of nature joined by art of the Magisterium to the nature of the wet radical. See Vicot on the Chapters of fire.
How is the matter of our quicksilver found and which can be found in every elementary body.
Our quicksilver is found in every elementary body which is composed of four main elements, in whatever form it can be formed by nature. For nature in creation or generation of things composes them of a material kind closer to the general and imprints the figures on him as on his own natural subject, who is quicksilver, who descends from the generalissimo universal genus more distant, which is the gradually successive natural origin of all other kinds, which are our quicksilver, and this quicksilver generalissimo is the first matter of the other kind which comes afterwards, to which it changes by the concordance that they must have together. This concordance descends from the first kind of thing divided into three genera, namely animal, vegetable and mineral; Of first kind comes the vapor immediately generated from the elements, which vapor is of the first composition, and the minerals are of the second composition following the first. THE plants come next and are of the third composition. THE brutes are of the fourth and the men of the fifth, and all come from the very principal principal genus from which nature receives the nature of quicksilver to create any compound, and any compound changes into the nature and matter of the other that follows it, separating subtly the pure from the impure and the homogeneous from the heterogeneous, both in going up from the first composition to the second than going down from fifth to fourth.
From the supreme genus from which all nature sprang.
And so it is clear that everything proceeds from this supreme and universal which is the matter of nature, and is maintained by it, which is found in all matters of every kind and the form being transmuted by certain degrees of separation, must convert these materials into raw materials not however distant of the mineral genus, but close to the line or genus in which it was in the beginning, from which matter nature began to work before any other form has been introduced to the first matter, or was generated nearest or nearest gender
Of matter which desires to have unity of form, in order to perfection it be renewed in the unity of the spirit of quintessence.
This first material is a subtle sulphurous earth which strongly desires to renew itself from the conjunction of the spirit of the quintessence to be accomplished, and for that the matter of moist quicksilver is prepared by seven distillations so that the material is pure, with which one has pure form by means of resolution, and this must be understood in the dry and wet matter, and as much the more that the material is noble and better, it desires a more noble, and all the more as the form is noble, it ennobles the material provided that matter is well disposed to receive it as it is when it will be approached by the art or by the nature of the first material. So she is very well disposed to receive the oily mineral form that clarifies, illustrates and totally ennobles it, and this mobile earth is called mercurial subject, since it is converted into the first substance of quicksilver and does not receive determination. In this earth it is necessary to fix the elements, in which the smoke of our gold must rest. She is the main foundation of the whole Magisterium, and the first element, the subject, and the base of the others, which must be fixed on it. She is more material than all the others, although very subtle and spiritual, in form of white earth and of great virtue. She is sulfur and quicksilver, which by her property receives red tincture from the supreme metal and receives from it ingress and perpetual fixation, and because the property of quicksilver is to dissolve and whiten its sulfur, and the property of its sulfur is to congeal and rubify its mercury, you will find the earth furnished with its virtues, which it has received from first kind.
How all things in the world are of brimstone and quicksilver, and also of universal matter, and of its successors, and that it found everywhere by its properties.
Everything in the world substantially composed of substance of the four elements is only sulfur and quicksilver, pure and neat and incombustible, at the first point of creation is the first genus or first matter, and middle substance in which nature prints and fixes all the colors by making various substances. Its properties are to dissolve, freeze, attract, retain, repel and order, which is its perfection and the complement of the thing animated with contrary passions, which shows by its contrary operations, that this substance is of the nature of sulfur and quicksilver, indeed is only sulfur and quicksilver put together according to its composition. And so our stone is the first universal matter of all things, which according to their composition, are formed by generation and corruption. She will join the common quicksilver by the alliance of their nature and kinship of the first kind, and as it is of the nature of quicksilver, it penetrates and mingles with the metal, since the metal is of the nature of quicksilver. This is why quicksilver must be fixed first before making the projection on quicksilver vulgar in a certain decoction (which descends from a property which by means of the ferment of the sun and the moon) is the digestion of the said quicksilver and entire perfection, because all the substance of this quicksilver is airy and incombustible.
How our stone is found everywhere, and of the subtlety it need to find it.
The stone of the philosophers is everywhere, especially as it as raw material all things were produced. Nature therefore takes this first simple matter at the beginning of work, which has no completed form and in it, it begins to fix the elements which are of various nature, according to that they are more streamlined and made simpler in preparation natural by the action of moderate heat, giving it various forms according to the diversity of the mixtures of the elements in the various complexions, such as plants, minerals to which it must change, as the general seed of all things. And for this cause by art, the kind to which matter is completely formed by nature and by generation, of which by artifice and by natural corruption, draws himself the generalissimo kind, is converted and frozen in the very nature of the form of its first kind, which one calls quicksilver, which is the subject capable of receiving all the unique colors and shapes. To this own matter frozen one must attach a noble form. This is why it is necessary whether it has the very noble elements, which contain the species or the form you ask for, because she will receive the thing you will yawn, and will be dyed from it, and will be entirely changed by reason of the subtle oleaginousness of the thing, which enters gently into all the parts of matter. And because this matter changes in any form and in every kind of temperate complexion, we call it our mercury, and it is this matter which changes into nature at which it joins, that if you want it to change into the nature of the metal, joined there with the nature of the metal which is more proper to it, until it is fermented, that is to say united with the ferment which is gold and silver, which are the tinctures of which our quicksilver is colore, which is the great secret and our fire, and these are the means materials purified by the subtlety of nature, in which are real beings in extent and perfection with all its accidents you have to dip the stone in the mixture: nutrition and fermentation.
To keep the invention of the Philosopher's Stone secret
The first matter of everything in the last purification is found in the form of mercury in all that is created and formed by the nature. It is said to be a very general genus like real being, and term material from nature, from which it receives its material principles in the action of generation. It is the first being and the term material in nature said very general genre and first subject of the nature divided into three genera, namely animal, vegetable and mineral. Hide our books and keep these secret documents, where there are great wonders.
How after the invention of the Stone, she is helped by others things to make the elixir accomplished.
You have to keep the above said kind of all black burning, because that by this kind you will perfect all your work with the help of tinctures of the sun and the moon. But it is necessary to know how to extract by art and by science of our magisterium, and strip it of all external accidents that nature has placed in him. He gets away with all things, but is nearer to the sun and moon whence it came, and which adheres better to the own substances of gold and silver, of which you must make the fermentation of the Stone by conjunction natural, and after the ferment will have incorporated into any other metal, thus by the means of nature, one must pass smoothly to extremities and pull our Power Stone into action.
Of the term and end of the Stone in various figures, and as it is between stones, between salts, and between glasses, which are all come out of its nature, and how it must be born.
The kind we draw from the three kingdoms in the form of clear water imbued with the spirit of the quintessence ends in this noble nature, which afterwards we freeze with the vapor of its sulfur, and then the Stone is seen, which before was hidden from us; do it come out of his mother's womb without there being anything else, because that she brings with her the virtue of her mother's womb, namely this sulphurous virtue which freezes all quicksilver. It is this land where we let us sow our gold which has the power to retain it.
Of the great conjunction and of the manner of male and female, and of the eclipse of the sun and the moon and the second birth of ours quicksilver to make the complete elixir.
You now know where our quicksilver comes from, which makes the conjunction of male and female, and who is their mediator. It is why when you dissolve the sun, steal it with ours quicksilver, and you will see the blood of the man who asks for a suitable female who carries it in her womb, and it will be the moon which will fatten up with the fire of our sun. First the mercury resolves the tincture of the sun and is all dyed by it, then comes the female who conceives all this, and from there is fermented. The mercury whose first degree of conjunction, corrupts the one with whom it mixes, but the moon watches the act of generation, and so our mercury is not the suitable female. But it takes another noble female, which has the power, by its nearness to receive, carry and nourish our dear child without loss of his noble matter, and may it have great substance in nature and near of the mineral kind, for all the accidents of all its substance universal to respect for the complexion of the male, so that it is necessary to have two material substances that are suitable for a nature, so that the nature of the passive has the appetite to receive the form of the male. However, this cannot be done by simply female, since it comes from the general genus. But it will be with many operations and with long digestion, because it is necessary that our mercury mingles with the nature of the two bodies and that after it is driven out of them before the complete elixir can be made. This requires the term of two years, so that nature accomplishes his courses ; one year for the stone and another for the elixir, which term can be abbreviated by a subtle artist, because he creates and engenders matter as he corrupts it, and all this is done by a generation called solution and freezing.
Radical natures to acquire and reach earlier the perfection and the more special nature of marriage, and of the virtue which fate of this marriage.
Our male sun needing a cleaner female in kind, we choose a material more cooked by this decoction, its nature changes into nature of medium metal, by means of which our Magisterium is best accomplished with great perfection, although mineral female is warmer in nature than the first, which is neither hot nor cold in its complexion, except in a term excellent simple. Nevertheless the mineral female is cold in her natural complexion to the respect of her male who is currently hotter than her for the reason of generation, both in the first conjunction of their dissolution, than in the second in the reduction of its germ. So the female conceived in her womb by the warmth of her male, which afterward she gladly returns with great fat in its reduction, and it is because of the attraction and the appetite which nature has taken from the heat of her male in the first conjunction, and we reinforce the virtue of the female with the warmth of her male, so that by a kind embrace of the nature, she can ferment her first germ, and being drawn into her belly, changes it and freezes it by the heat of her male, by which the germ comes in great and fertile joy. So you have to let act nature, and be aware that gold is more pleasing to ours quicksilver than any other metal, as the conjunction of its pure nature by virtue of which our quicksilver purely freezes into very pleasant sulphur.
How generation cannot come from qualities too remote, and of the difference which is between the male and the female, and of the heat philosophical.
The generation cannot be made from a female that is too cold and from a male too hot because of the extremity and intemperance of their qualities, and leaving to make our Magisterium you must take a another female who is warmer and has the quality of a cold temperate and of a material humidity well proportioned to the warmth of her male, as the natural body desires, for such proportion the generative virtue is made, and is drawn from power to deed. This is why it is necessary to know the virtue, quality and quantity of philosophical warmth, so that the virtue of power generative holds linked the formative virtue, that is to say that the heat artificial be governed by the artist with regard to celestial virtue, so that the formative virtue, namely artificial heat existing hold captive the celestial virtue, by the great temperance which is done by temperate coldness moderating the pungent heat, assembling the warmth remaining in the deep composition of the compound. The fire of the philosophers is therefore of four things. There first is the unnatural fire proper to the proper subject of quicksilver. The second is the natural simple warmth of this subject. There third is the informing heat and the fourth is the proportion of these three, because if one surpasses the other he prevents and diminishes its action, as it is seen in the heat of digestion, which must be such that the virtue of potency can work, and if it cannot be such, it must work under the power of informative virtue, and its influence. Note that the quantity among the philosophers is only for the fire and not for matter, what they say only by similarity to the quantity of the substance, because the fire must not exceed potentially virtue, nor be contrary in quality to it, because that one element must enter into the other, and that art assists the nature, according to his power by joining many into one; Because then the nature will make new generation, when this unity contains in itself essential and not accidental plurality.
How from the unity of our quicksilver, which is made of plurality, it out comes a simple stone-like virtue
From the composition of many, there comes a certain power noble, simple and of great virtue and value, because several virtues are united into one thing by the power of nature led by the artist into the putrefaction from which the operations emerge seconds tending to generation; that's why you have to know which species have greater virtue, so that their operation in be nobler. The Sun and the Moon among the minerals have more great virtue and more noble operation than the others, and therefore work only in these two luminaries and in their mediator who is our mercury beginning with corruption, for the dissolution of its new genre, in which is its first matter and nature; For all real species move with an extended simplicity, and all the more so as this movement is great, so much the more powerful is natural virtue, because the movement comes from power, power comes from its simplicity, simplicity comes from subtlety, and subtlety comes from solution, which is the end of the corruption of former individuals. It is why by the solution, the Stone comes from power into act and the Sun has more virtue, and is more prone to generation than the Moon, to because of its movement which is greater than at the Moon; that if we know how to accommodate this male to this female, we will have a child who will never die, even who makes the dead live, and after death will live with waters, his parents
When the artist says he considers the power of the two quicksilver after their conjunction, and the differences of its effect with respect to its effects
After that it is necessary to know the power of the two quicksilver, namely when they are mixed together by dissolution, seeing that one is active and the other passive, from these two united together come four main natures, namely attractive or aperitif, the second retentive or coagulatory, the third expellent and the last digestive system, some are masculine and others feminine, by the whereby the best part of the compound being digested and separated is called ointment, soul, our gold and oil and to which will separate and never divide again, being ruled by one Quintessence that does everything, leads and leads everything to the end of its composition, and it is the spirit of the Quintessence put by nature in the substance of the compounds. See in Vicot in his last book titled Secret Compendium in Chapter X, the title is Follows practical principles.
How the Stone acquires various names by its various effects
To begin the Magisterium, it is necessary to work from the natures more powerful, and lead them as masters in an equality of natural temperament, namely hot, cold, dry and wet, of male and female, from this conjunction is born the beginning of the generation of the Stone, and after you the nourish in the water which carries in itself the light, the life, the spirit, in also cooking the work in rest, constancy and assiduity, and the composed according to the composition of those it wishes to be composed, namely Sun, Moon and our Mercury. So join two natures until you have drawn all nature pure, shining and clear, for from these two must be born a clear one which must illuminate all its breed. Thus it is necessary by science and measure of the art to join the two natures, until bodies are made spirits, always keep the bodies in their fusions when you are in the work, besides pass the measure that the signs of nature will give you in each decoction, because nature into nature changes, until that the bodies remain fixed in the fusion because of the perseverance of the fixed matters, which are the ointments, souls, ferments and Suns. This is why we must work to reduce the nature, to form the Philosophical body, until it is water clear that contains the spirit of the Quintessence that does everything.
How the artist and the operator must keep the nature of the spirit of the Quintessence as form of forms and how it must hear it, and the measure of fire
It is necessary to keep the nature of the spirit of the Quintessence if Do you want to do something. This is why it is necessary to know arrange the airy substance of our Stone and the substance of the land of the same Peter who is his mother, until they are well united without separation; This airy substance is the matter of ours germ which otherwise is called permanent water, from which the moisture and very hot, because it is clothed with the fire of nature. It is why it is necessary to know how to dispose and know on which land it must be frozen; For there is all strength, and in this place are all the virtues of the Stone, so that it may be animated by its unifying spirit to bear fruit. Freeze therefore the volatile aerity in its earth, by sweet nourishment from a clean fire, like a child in the arms of his mother, namely that the fire be so well proportioned that it does not point overcomes the forces of the hot and humid spirit. Because nature hot of this spirit would part by the flame of a fire not suitable, and in this case it is necessary to imitate nature by not taking fire elementary in the generation of things of nature, that as much that one needs to excite the fire of nature. Because you have to fix spirit damp in its earth, and gently dry it out with a insensible heat, because it suffices that the dryness of the earth be nourished by the dryness of a very feeble and subtle fire to excite its nature without overcoming its virtue, so that the spirit penetrates to the fullest deep in the body, and be fixed in it by means of fire, and not otherwise all this is done in the first creation of the Stone.
How sublimation separates the pure and clean from the impure by subtlety of art and nature, and how one must hear the soul and what is the soul
Sublimation separates from the gross and terrestrial faeces all the pure and net, which was assembled mercurial in nature. This is why it is necessary be very prudent in this regime where there is danger, all the profit and all the Magisterium, namely by forming our child, and inspiring his soul in the body with moisture and warmth of true light, since we will see the material change color into another, not by violence, but by the subtlety of the spirit of nature and by the science of the fire regime well trained according to the order and rules of nature, because then she, by her care and her intelligence, will complete his work in a well-arranged and obedient matter which will move by means of his soul which is his form, and the Quintessence of the four elements, which rests in the sphere of fire and remains there in continual movement, the cause of which is the natural heat excited by a single elemental fire. Keep so that it does not flee by too much fire and retain it by softness and by love.
How the elemental natures come from male and female to make the generation
Of these four natures said to be joined, two depend on the male and two of the female who must suffer so much in the change of their natures until the aforesaid fifth virtue or essence agrees entirely and binds itself inseparably with them, and does not separates from the compound until it is completely dissolved and detached by a corrupted and destroyed separation, for then the elements do not have the strength to hold together, but remain separate like a confused and desolate thing that has lost its governor. He must note this very noble virtue which unites the four elements together according to the weight and measure of the higher nature. This virtue is the instrument that one must know well, in order to see the virtues influenced by the sapience of nature, and the prudence of art.
Of the intention of by which the union of the four elements is made, how it can be done, and how and why it is done.
It is necessary to unite the spiritual elements, so that being united they are fixed to withstand the battle of fire, the property of which cannot suffer any corruption, or even destroy it. That's why he must extract and mondify the Stone very exactly from all its filth and corrupting flatulence and having the elements well prepared by philosophical purgation, until you have that pure nature which is appropriate to the pure element and the raw virgin material drawn from the center of the shaped elements crystalline, clear and resplendent before fixing them. Because the elements in their center are blank, and the true blank element which is called fire and is incorruptible, by which bodies are reduced to quicksilver (the science is to have it). This is why everything that will not the pure nature of the elements be burned entirely reduced to nothing, and then the elements, pure, clear and clean, will withdraw and the earth will shine brighter than crystal, and then fear not no more fire, but all the elements remain together in great friendship.
How all the substance of the Stone is imbued with the spirit of the Fifth essence of the simple ferment and of the compound
The substance of our Peter is all greasy and impregnated with fire, in which the spirit of the Fifth Essence moves and is concealed, and there remains, namely in the sphere of fire, since our Peter who is the quint spirit and all full of fire, he is in all four elements united or divided and in the inhabited Dragon (i.e. fire), in which is ours Stone of Air, and this property is in all composed of the world. Because his temper can only be made by the ferments, which must necessarily fix the Stone, after that it is changed into the nature of metal, namely into sulfur and quicksilver, and the leaven comes neither from one nor from the other, but only of the Sun and the Moon after they are changed into the first material. For the ferment must be composed of oil and of very subtle earth, like Medicine, by inceration natural solution and induration, until it is like a gummy substance. And this eraser has the power to convert to itself anything else to which it is attached. She is ours composed, similarly to our Medicine, which after the Medicine supreme has the power to do transmutation, which Medicine is formed from compound ferment, and our simple ferments are properly oils, from which we make our ferments compounds. That's why if you don't know how to reduce our two bodies perfect in their first nature, you cannot have any compound ferments.
Of the universal virtue which separates the elements, and which conjoins them and from where it is created in the universal knowledge
It is true that a certain virtue is influenced in all bodies elements or compounds, without which there cannot be, that it is necessary to draw perfect metals, by a similar virtue, which is in the unfinished raw things only in mediocrity, and by their nature. He nature must be attracted more cooked, warm, humid, airy and subtle, which by the subtlety of nature was congealed into nature and kind of metal in its own mine. But she'll never join the metal, and shall not change into the form of metal, nor make metal, until that it has a metal in its raw and pontic nature, and that one suffers from the other. So there are three virtues. The first comes from first mobile and the movement of the stars and their so-called figures forms of forms, which according to the course of the institution of nature changes the lower matters from one form to another, and this virtue or form does not obey art. The second is the infused virtue of materials composed of the elements, which must be drawn from the materials where she is, by the way of changing the genre to her premiere nature, or to approach it as much as possible at its first matter, and because it is material, it suffices for art. The third is the substantial form, which nature gives and perfects according to its instinct, and its intention which art cannot do. That is why it is necessary to have recourse to nature to imitate it as long as it is possible, and to convert matter of power into act of generation that nature completes. And whatever is said above that there were three virtues or forms, nevertheless there is only one which is influenced in the nature of its kind, and in the moist radicals, from which are made the essential parts of all mercury, and without which nothing can live in the world. This virtue is such that without it one cannot bind, dissolve, form, transmute, wash, dry, heat, moisten, and by it the elements are linked.
Of the nature of the stinking menstrual, in which is fire against nature and the thing that corrupts all nature
After that knowledge of stinking menstrual is necessary, in which is the fire against nature, which transmutes the Stone into a certain strong dragon who impregnates, and impregnates his mother. His nature in his nativity is cold and dry in the fourth degree, and its substance is pontine, but by its digestion changes its nature into a other, because it receives annoyance within it, in the Magisterium we have need two airs, one is of a temperate complexion and by that one Stone is begotten, the other is of a complexion not temperate, as the sharp and bitter terrestrial ponticity assures us, because it is cold in nature in the fourth degree and hot in the first, coldness is the cause of its ponticity, and the heat is the cause of its acuity, by which it stinks and stings a lot, penetrates, separates each other, break and gnaw. That is why in the heat it can always dissolve and resolve the moist, and change it into vapour, and rotting it by virtue or the impression of unnatural heat, which proceeds from our quicksilver, whose bitterness descends from the type of stones; That's why it gnaws and stings. Because when this acute hot is incorporated with the sea in the form of wet water, it penetrates the body, and because being outside its place, it could not have wet to continue. It's starting to freeze deep of its vase, and the metal remains dissolved and impregnated with the acute heat in the form of water, from which comes our quicksilver. However, we must keep the weight because the bitter must not overcome the acute hot, so that it does not prevent the putrefaction of the Stone. Because nature animal which is in the menstrual moistens, dries up and has contrary operations, which are the operations of nature. Because when it is frozen it freezes, and when it is dissolved it dissolves the frozen. So research carefully the virtue of the said menstrual, which engenders and governs all nature. It's a vile thing that of itself changes into a very noble and precious one that does not must not be suffocated by a foreign agent. Sublimate first before anything mercury, which has such a virtue because being sublimated, his own virtue will congeal the mercury into high Medicine, which he will not do until after sublimation.
How the artist should practice to find the menses and hear nature
Without the aforementioned menstrual nothing can happen naturally. After that we must have recourse to natural principles, where nature has started working immediately, as are the wet aforesaid radicals, which by their natural heat excited by the fire of the Soleil are finished in metals. What could never be done if he did not participate in the nature of the metal; And this radical humidity is only the substance of quicksilver impregnated and filled with sulfur heat. And this heat is the cause of the freezing of the humid mercury radical, and its termination in perfect metal. He is therefore evident that this mercurial humidity terminated in the form from metal to actually the nature and potency of the menstrual, which is called the first end of the Stone. And then the Stone proceeds from the quality of the so-called menstrual. It also dissolves into this without prejudice to its nature and its growth, which is the first regime of the Stone and the form in which the Stone is extracted both from bodies and from quicksilver. Donate dissolve the stone until it is water and is continued in the shape of a liquor, which dissolution cannot take place without the menstrual, which is the stinking spirit, from which living water is drawn, which seems dry to us.
For quicksilver being in its pure nature, by dissolution changes bodies in its nature and is filled with the virtue that receives determination in matter. Note that simple quicksilver does not cannot transmute the bodies of the Sun and the Moon, because it has no not that thing that participates between the body and the spirit. And this thing is the means which has the power to do the contrary operations. And however, it is necessary to moderate the exciting fire so that this means defends the elements of combustion, helps, and by the property of its nature join body and mind, and mind with body. It is why it is said to be the medium between body and mind.
There is yet another way when the body is joined to the spirit, and the mind with the body, and this one is very close to the metallic kind and so step by step, from medium to medium, one comes from a end to end, and from opposite to opposite by an average disposition, and this disposition is this mean which participates in the softness of quicksilver in its first being, on one side and the hardness of the metal on the other. Know then that the immediate end in the work of nature, and in its first being is quicksilver not the one we know how to do by art. This is why we consider as real menstrual, and on the other side are all the metals, because in both is found the end of circulation of the perfect operation of nature, the average arrangement of these two is the quicksilver extracted from the first end, which we let's call menstrual in clear water shape artwork made by the subtlety of nature, which freezes into sulphur. This is why it is said dry water hotter than fire, but the true radically born principles, from which nature operates, are truly sulfur and quicksilver, from which issue two extremities distant forts, with their own means that it is necessary to know, if you want to start.
Confused natural principles, and how they were engendered by the virtue of the successive operation in the high natures
The confused natural principles in the work of nature are the stinking spirits, otherwise called sulfur and fire, and the so-called living water real dry and medium water which is silver-quick frozen in sulphur, of this matter is successively engendered in its own vessel mineral, a certain very subtle smoky substance, which assembles in vapor, which is called mercury, is cooked and purified strongly, after comes on it the sulphurous mineral virtue in the form of dry vapour, which is called sulphur, which freezes it and penetrates it with such a strong union, that they will never be separated, so by art they freeze and stop in a fixed thing by the temperament of the decoction natural, which the matter or quicksilver had according to the nature of its own mine.
This is why the good artist takes metals as means in the work of the Magisterium and especially the Sun and the Moon, because these two have arrived at a tempered, cooked equality, very depurated of the substance of sulfur and quicksilver, and well digested by the subtlety of nature, for which proportion the artist would turn in vain, if he wanted to begin his operation with the principles natural, without the real means.
Of the matter of sulfur proportioned and of its power equal to nature's operation
Metallic matter is the second extremity of nature, and is the means of the art with which we do all the secret Magisterium, in perfecting what nature has left, because she cannot its circulation overrides the generation of the metal, and causes the metals can be perfect is because they have a fixed humidity, at because of the homogeneity of the elements, which little by little are linked and joined together. This is why we fix with such water the birds flying in the air, by virtue of our Peter, who is created from their own substance. It is evident from this that ours quicksilver is the material substance and radical moisture of all the fusible bodies liquefied, therefore the body in our quicksilver.
Because as it is the main element of fusible bodies, they will resolve In this one. So we have to follow as much as possible the operation of nature in its way of operating, that is to say by taking the means of nature, which is the first extreme of art and the second and second extreme of nature, which is the means of art. For art can only follow nature in its way of operating, and cannot take raw matter as it takes in its first principle, although without this raw material one cannot begin, since it is the necessary thing in which all the metal, which is sulfur and quicksilver, must be solved, but by imitating the work of nature in our Magisterium, we must use the closest materials.
How art corrects and helps the strengths she found in nature by its change into the action of pure form.
By the science of the art, one corrects and helps the forces and the virtues of the nature, and to help it we begin by art where nature has left his work, so that in the generation of our Peter, the dyeing of metals increases more than it could have done, by the power of the first natural circulation. If you know the previously nature of quicksilver, this will make the complete Elixir.
But since in the work of nature quicksilver and the metals are extremes, the extremes can only be joined by virtue of a medium disposition, which is between the softness of quicksilver and the metal hardness. We take the nature of this vile matter by the help of which the Stone is made, because it is the means in the work of nature, between the spirit and the material body, through which nature converts quicksilver into perfect metal, and the metal perfect because of its purity is a real medium between the body and the spirit, the end of the Stone in its creation is quicksilver extracted from the bodies, on the first side, and on the second side is the Elixir complete, which is the end of the Magisterium.
Of the nature of the ends of our quicksilver
After the extremes of the Stone, we must know the extremes of ours quicksilver. In the first place the first extremes of quicksilver, with all its substance, are the water of the green lion conjoined with the metal. Second is the Stone that was created, and their averages are the Sun and the Moon, whence comes our quicksilver which is the body liquefied and putrefied, of which the Stone is made when it is mondified from the original nature. This is why we have naturally need three main roots, namely two extremes and of a means, as well as nature, which it is necessary to know with great patience. And first we must have ours first quicksilver and the two proper metals, which are the means of the said quicksilver, the nature of which must convert quicksilver into Stone by artifice, because nature could not carry metals into another digestion, to make it the complete Elixir by another traffic. That is why in this case we help the impotence of the nature, namely by making hard bodies soft, and coarse hairlines and menus with the help of nature. And we liquefy them with putrefactions, until they are returned to quicksilver by sublimation and by dissolution, what to do to better digest matter. This is why we dissolve gold and silver in radical things of their own kind, namely in the liquor of their quicksilver, of which the first is the stinking menstrual, which enters into the first matter of the two aforementioned luminaries, because that they immediately resolve and dissolve into it, and upon the field resolve into that by which they were made, and changed in stinking menstrual by the convenience they have together of their nature. Note that you should not put anything strange with the menstrual, if not the thing which was born from him at the beginning of his mixture, gold, silver and mercury dissolve in our menstrual, and from there you extract the white smoke which is our sulfur. This green lion which is our ointment, and the stinking au which is our quicksilver. However, the green lion must dissolve in the stinking water before that you may have the white smoke, which is our sulfur, which is likewise dissolved by the body, freezing the spirit into form of dry water. This water is called fire water, which burns gold and silver than the elementary common fire, because it contains the heat of terrestrial nature which dissolves without violence.
Of the Nature of Etchings and Their Approval
Who does not hear the corruption of the Stone, it is difficult for him to hear generation, which must be done by corruption and transmutation of individuals, by means of said menstrual, lovingly, without their total destruction, so do not mix anything with our water, which does not be of its own nature, for that which rots the body better and sooner perfect, it is water because of its bitter ponticity, and raw nature, and it is she who burns and corrupts all that is combustible, for the annihilation of his own fiery and burning nature, and if impure and unctuous moist oilseed and in its composition, this that it must corrupt by its property and by its operation. It reduces everything to nothingness, and everything that is pure, clean and better dissolves remains, and she defends it from the fire, because it is her pure nature and the essential matter of our Stone dissolved by the virtue of aforesaid water, which cannot burn or be burned, but its moisture grows when it is in the fire. This is why you must know that the virtue of our water has the power of power assembling purely homogeneous things, and dividing and separating heterogeneous by the combustion and consumption of these, which are not of the same kind.
How the artist should hear the good and the bad spirits, and to know them by the virtues of strong waters, and by the nature of these waters and of the elementary fire which mixes the elements
By our minds we can know the best water, and by ours what spirit is better in nature, and nearer in ours work, since according to the truth of the thing, our quicksilver is purged by it without consumption of its pure substance, and changed pure metal by nature and pure medicine by art. Fire elementary, and which composes the elements, cannot draw the soul from bodies, but the stinking water attracts them by virtue of the love it has contracted among them, by means of their preparations, because in the preparations souls and forces unite to make our Magisterium, distilling and redistilling, dissolving and freezing. And so ours makes every body a spirit, and after when it is frozen, it is called magnesia, which is compound water and frozen, which resists fire, because it is fire, can be preserved in fire, governs itself and feeds on fire. And this is the declaration of our water after freezing it with its ferment. If you know our waters, you also know our quicksilver which come successively, and if you hear our quicksilver, you will know the power of our ferments.
Of the nature of ferments and their waters, and of our quicksilver and of their lands of the Magisterium and of the knowledge of etching, and things which must be joined to them, by the concordance of contradictions or opposites.
The nature of ferments, strong waters and our quicksilver, all are but one nature and one thing, which number of three gradually changes according to its operations from one to the other, by three successive digestions, by which one can know the three lands, the three waters of the Magisterium, as you can know by the operation of the triangular form by which are established three principal reductions, which are the complement of all our Magisterium. Therefore guard well the quicksilver which is frozen in the mines of his lands, which is all the matter of the work. There are two things that must be joined by the concordance of contradictions, one is pure and the other impure, the impure draws back because it is the enemy of fire, because of its corruption, and the other remains in the fire because of its purity transmuted into blood, for it is all our quicksilver and all our secret dressed in three colors; it's the only thing we need for the Magisterium which contains all that is necessary, which is only gold and silver melted out and in by virtue of the fire, and after purified and separated from any original task. For the gold which is incombustible remains molten, and being in mercury it dyed into gold, for all the sulfur substance is universally dispersed throughout the substance of the said mercury, and this mercury is all fermented in the seminal matter because of the sweetness of gold, which nourishes moves and multiplies the seed, like all other things in nature, know therefore our mercury its property and the manner of its conjunction. So join it with gold for gold and with silver for money, because they are not resolved except by their own nature.
Of the preparation of the Stone by its division into four elements after its putrefaction
It is necessary to divide the Stone into four elements to make the Magisterium according to the intention of nature, so that separately and by itself each element can separate better, which is called separation of the elements, because it separates the pure from the impure, so that by the pure it is made successively by a natural conjunction sa perfect preparation, which is done by reducing the wet to the dry well appropriate, as soon as rt immediately after separation of the elements, and it is necessary that the spirit and the body be well purified to unite. The said separation of the elements is nothing other than the dissolution, which takes place after the putrefaction by which the spirit mingles with the body, and with its elements and makes them volatile as it is seen by their separations, and after the air is drawn out, the earth of the body is calcined or separated, and the compound is purified by corruption of the Stone, after its dissolution with distillation and calcination, before the mercury joins and unites the body by dissolution of one and freezing of the other which is the dissolution solemn, and the substance of the Stone is made very pure and clean, and it is after putrefaction that digests and rots the elements in their excrement to be well digested, in order to satisfy the will of nature. It is therefore necessary to separate the fifth substance into four element, each of which must participate in Quintessence in order to join naturally to the body, because the binding of the elements is the reduction into a first and pure substance, because the combustible and corruptible sulphides are separated by the calcination, and are entirely annihilated by fire and by means fire, and the earth of the body and broken and made very subtle by a such digestion, and the waters are purified of their filth by distillation, and are subtilized and changed into the nature of air, after that you can make the conjunction of male and female, so that by art they engender the son of fire. Here lies all Philosophy.
Of the effect of all art in general, and that all the effect of the Magisterium is only the multiplication of the substantial virtues in the Quintessences
The effect of the whole Magisterium in general is none other than the multiplication of the tincture, which attaches naturally to all the kinds of metals, and metallic nature in general is only sulphur, of which multiplication takes place by its own heat natural in the substance of quicksilver, the digester and converting into the sulfur substance by some manner of digestion, and so the multiplication of the tincture is only for the increase and multiplication of natural heat, which is what unburning sulfur in the matter of quicksilver, and quicksilver to all the qualities necessary to join sulfur and fix.
For it is the cause of the perfection of metals and of their fusion with ignition or without ignition, because of the good union of its parts. If in any way you can thicken it by fire under the retaining its moisture, it will never corrupt or will go up in smoke, the philosophical quicksilver thickens, and when it is fixed there comes from it such a great tint and such a great clearness, that at difficulty she can express herself, it is the means of conjoining the tinctures, unites with them, and attaches itself naturally to the depths of them, which is of the nature of metals and especially of the Sun and the Moon. It is therefore necessary to fix the tincture of sulfur only in quicksilver, and in a perfect and proximate matter quicksilver for the life and perfection of metals everything is created by him, everything is dissolves and resolves into sulfur by the multiplication of the tincture adherent to said dissolved matter, and congealed by virtue of a certain close incrudation to nature.
What is the matter of quicksilver and sulfur
Radical moisture is strong unctuous, in which is the heat natural, which is why it is difficult to separate. The wise nature created this very subtle unctuous mercurial humidity, which holds itself the matter of the earth united by the nourishment of natural heat, and by the separation of such permanent oiliness is declared and discovered the creation of the Stone, which is made of water after the assembly of unctuous spirit, unctuous humidity is the nearest matter of philosophical quicksilver, and the substance of its unctuousness is the very essential matter of the sulfur. This is why one cannot be fixed without the other, because one is not without the other. This is why sulfur is like colorial heat in the substance of quicksilver, and is like the virtue of the male sperm which is in the seed of the women. The matter of such sulfur is very shiny, clean and pure by the virtue of strong and very sharp ablutions.
From the knowledge of natural heat and the place of its disposition to generate sulfur
The subtle nature which is in the belly of matter freezes quicksilver into the substance of sulphur, in which substance is contained part of the natural heat, and when it is solves by quicksilver it freezes it into pure sulphur, and pure change a metal into a metal, it is necessary to take away its solidity and convert it into its first species close to the genus by means of quicksilver, which by his virtue resolves the matter of the body and converts it into the nature of the sulphur, which is in the depths of his belly, and then that he is the pure nature of the body and of quicksilver, by which they maintain in its action. It is necessary to extract said sulfur by corruption of said pure nature, because without it one cannot could create the perfect medicine, which we cannot have and multiply only after the bodies are made clean and spongy by the operation which makes truly light all the elements of which they are composed. This is why it is necessary to choose the corruption which opens the pores of bodies by resolution, and excites the active and multiplicative heat, and it is necessary to do the four regimes which convert the elements, of which the first is the solution, after comes the purification, then the reduction before the fixation by the means by which nature works in her own warm and porous, because everything growing and multiplying must exist and be received in the concavity and porosity of the one who receives growth and multiplication. And all dissolved metal needs to be received in a porous place which is of its own matter, which has in itself of the pure nature of the dissolved metal, which is called quicksilver, in order to know, and to be multiplied by the attraction of the food which enters into the parts of it by the generative virtue or heat natural. This is why it is necessary that the material nature of the air which is the subject and receptacle of said heat, enters into said porosity and appear black, which is the mark of heat when the elements are well mixed and the body is burned, and that the water has penetrates deep into the body and dissolves heat into darkness which is joined to the moist radical. That's why when the wet radical which is the subject of fire separates from the body in its calcination, then the natural heat suffocates and goes out because its subject it misses, and that body comes red and the work is destroyed. This humidity is the matter of the spirit in which the heat natural is retained, and heating works against its moist and engenders darkness, and then there is no other subject tempers his action with a contrary quality as first made the water and the earth, in which he was bound. Must take keeps that such humidity in which the natural heat is housed does not separate entirely from the body by excess fire stranger, when you are in its natural and profitable calcinations. Because afterwards we could not attract or convert the food of the Stone and the multiplication would be entirely lost, because no attraction can be done except by heat and moisture, from which natural heat is made.
Of the effect of fire and what it is called in the Magisterium
In the diversity of the mixture of the elements, there is only one act in general, namely distilling, redistilling, dissolving and freezing, which especially as it will be filled with natural heat, especially it will heat and dry up the humor of mercury, and impress upon it further its effects, although sometimes the natural heat is so weak in a coarse matter, that it needs a heat exterior well ordered by a wise Philosopher, as he saw himself in the creation of sulfur and its multiplication. All the operations proceed from the dry and from the wet, which are always opposites, and what the wet does without fire, the dry does not, but needs fire to complete its impression. That's why he must steal so much the dry, and mix it with the wet until it is truly tempered and mediocrely subtilized, so that with with the help of a very small heat, he makes in his body a noble impression, what is needed the heat of the exciting common fire, and that of the operating fire of nature. For artificial fire alone cannot never do it, because by it the matter would rather be reduced to ashes than to do that natural heat, and he who is influenced by the Sun and the Stars do. For the Sun is called fire, and the vicar of the Sun is the natural heat, because it carries the forces of the Sun with the help of common fire. And what does the heat do of the Sun in a thousand years in the mines, the natural heat makes it within one hour. On earth she is called the Son of the Sun, because she was first engendered by the influence of the Sun, without the help of the science or art the Sun is its father and the earth is its mother, who is imbued with the vivifying heat of the Sun, which changes said solar heat into natural heat, which is multiplied in the Magisterium by the aid of the heat of the fire, and to say it without enigma, it is the natural fire which is generated by the Sun, and is multiplied with the aid of the common fire and Philosophical disposition.
For if one of these three fires were lacking in art, everything would be worth nothing, that of the Sun is cause of its perfection, and the third of the ert is cause of its multiplication. Take gifts of our land steeped in Sun, and with its substance sacrifice the thread of the Sun by a subtle food. For he must be there instead of the Sun, having in him the forces of his father, and the father gave him his power. And it's our gold, our Sun, our soul, and not elsewhere our bronze and the earth leprous and black in which the vulgar Sun is corrupted, honor his nature, and know his virtue. It takes four things material of Medicine drawn from the four elements mixed together proportionally. First the natural fire aided by a digesting heat. Secondly water to melt the dry and the change to wet. Third the air so that said moist is thickened in the ground. And finally the earth for the consistency of the substance and for the retention of the impression of heavenly virtue, which is form in heat, and in spirit. And in this he is need that the mixture is done proportionally. And this mixture is the first and chief thing necessary, that all matter of regeneration requires. The second is that matter has the power well purifying, and vegetative, before it can be said to be provided with sulfur vapour. The third and fourth are at< next Chapter.
How the artist must accustom to measure the imbibitions having regard to the force of fire, which is called the instrument of nature
It is necessary to remember to be moderate in the imbibitions according to the quantity of the virtue of the fire of nature, because it is necessary that the virtue of fire fights against water, and overcomes it, and that water does not does not overcome the natural heat, because for little its virtue vegetable would be resolved and dissolved and would be converted into nature of water, but it would be of greater heat. It is therefore necessary that, as water overcame sulphur, and changed it by dissolution into its nature, so sulfur must have the power to overcome quicksilver and freeze it. It is therefore necessary to know not only what the thing is, but how many ways and how it can and should operate. Also, you need to know the property of good or bad disposition, by which the body does or does not do its operations good or bad, and if we does not know this we will never have the knowledge to weaken it or to comfort her. This is why if for obvious and distinct reason one does not know the disposition of the virtue of property by the consideration of art, we will never be able to increase this virtue, by which growth is made by way of comfort and debilitation, because the consolidation of one cannot be done without the debilitation of the other.
How the debilitation of one is the comfort of another, and how by the reinforcement of the mineral virtue our Pierre is engendered
Every debilitation of the body is its dissolution and every dissolution is his downfall and temper, and all temper is the restoration of the lost thing. And for that it is necessary, as our Peter must be debilitated by dissolution, division and corruption, that the virtue of water is reinforced so that it is made conjunction and union of things changed and altered into a new generation of mixed ones, so that by the help of this comfort, the virtue of the waters comforted can be better received against the union of debility and by a good exuberance, get to overcome the power of the Stone debilitated to be converted into it and into its quality and nature, in this way nature clearly shows us that the virtue of stone being debilitated strengthened by means of water, which will have the power to convert water to its nature, i.e. that which is wet will become dry, by means of temperament, that qi was cold will be changed to hot by means of dissolution solemn, but first the dry nature must become moist, for our Peter must gently ascend to heaven, and from there descend into the earth, and there receive the wind of rest, which fixes the Stone carried by the belly of the wind. Finally in any way, the Pierre by passion and suffering of his nature must pass by the qualities of the other elements, before it is the perfect Medicine. It goes from dry to cold, from cold to wet, from wet to hot, then the fire is lit without ever going out again and the Medicine is completed.
That the conversion of the Stone into quicksilver is only the conversion elements of a single nature
The conversion of the Stone into quicksilver, is only the changes of natures, namely that a single substance changes entirely in cold nature before nothing can be done, until whether it has received the appetite to change into another element or into the quality of another, that is why then, that we bring it to the elementary division into four parts, according to the instinct and the state of its pure nature, which does all it can to separate itself from the corruption, or of the thing that is corrupted in it, in which it suffers to death, and each part goes to its own element stripping itself of the quality of the element with which it is clothed by the virtue of a nobler, until the intention of the appetite of the nature, it is terminated by that of the element of fire. The elements simple are useless in this art, because the work cannot be done naturally only of the four elements (which are said to be compounds) jointly and separately, and in which the nature of the metals (which is homogenized) is entirely preserved.
How the Stone Changes into All Elemental Qualities
It is the nature of the Stone which can change into all qualities elements, which the artist wants, and these elements are said to be qualities compounds, which have the power to convert this nature of quality in qualities, or in dry, or in humid, or in cold, or in warm as all of nature, by conjunction and complexion of its element, or a part of it, by division, will have been consolidated or debilitated. Our Stone can never be made but of pure nature, as can be known from good theory and experience, and Medicine is made only of this one nature, to which mingle only those things which are of her own nature, from which she must be nurtured and nurtured. This matter is of subtle substance, which immediately enters and penetrates the qualities of the elements, and changes in that of this element which she found more abundant, and because that the Stone is of a subtle substance, the qualities of the elements pure descend into it and are retained there.
That all the substance of our Peter is essential
Nature must be all subtle substance, so that the essence essential of the elements can be printed and dominate on said substance. And that the other elements, each according to its nature, have domination over those inferior in quality, so that the substance can enter and penetrate, and have ingress. Because if she didn't have ingres, she could not color. The Stone must therefore be begotten of airy nature, which came out of the substance of the earth. That is why it is obvious that all the admirable substance stone came out of the earth. It is therefore necessary to have the subtle earth to know the one that flies over our heads, take it, kiss it and hold it expensive because of its property. Because it is neither hot, nor cold, nor dry, nor wet, and yet it has all these qualities.
That Medicine must be of subtle substance
Our Medicine must be of pure and subtle substance, and moreover easier fusion than the body of metals, and of more fixed retention than quicksilver in its nature, therefore separate the subtle from the gross, and the pure from the impure, and the simple from the gross in order to have the substance, and that of the lightest and purest Medicine can be made. But to make this separation requires a great science
Of recapitulation, and how of one nature all this is done that we ask
This thing is one nature, and is made of that only. This is why this nature by agreement of love, without violence of fire, without trituration of the hands, by its own heat, without any sensible action of the property of its nature, changes from a quality in the other, until it has passed through the wheel of the circle. So what it is an incomparable and eternal treasure. But before this nature can pass through the circular wheel of the elements, it is necessary let it be divided into four parts, so that it may pass through the four elementary qualities, namely from dry to cold, from coarse to thin, from cold to damp, and from heavy to light, and from damp to warm, and from harsh to sweet, pleasant soft and pleasant. But this division cannot be made of change of nature, without the loss of his property, and that the nature which is in male, hard and dry, does not returns to its first confused matter, or cahos, or was the great world before it was divided into three parts. From the first more pure the supercelestial world was created, from the second the celestial world and from the third the elementary world with all their properties. Thus God made nature diverse, so that the lower less pure needs the superior in all her operations, before she achieves the perfection of its operation, and all the more the superior nature gives of its purity that the inferior is more close to her, to her clarity, purity and light, by attraction of superior nature, which is made because of the neighborhood of the strong and union bond uniform before their division. This is why there is appearance that everything was one nature.
How the Magisterium should be understood with regard to the constitution of this great world which was created by God
We will now deal with the low nature which makes such great diversities in this world, which must be clearly understood for fear of fall into error. Hence the establishment of this great world, which God made after the creation of nature in the form confused. The elements were cold because of their mixture and confusion of their water-like nature, which touched the circle of the Moon, since the colder the nature of the water, the the more it embraced the nature of fire deep within the other elements, and therefore also the purest nature of the air, because the air is the food of fire, but after their miraculous division by the divine power, each one was put in his place, and the earth retained some portion of the fire, and of the other elements, in which is the thing which participates in joint things. You should also know that the nature works according to the will of God, and that God makes all things we see by nature. If you want to do something thing at all times, do it by nature, and from there know what agrees with nature. Because never without her you could do nothing do, because nothing in the world is said to be done except by nature, nature, and in nature.
How the earth is full of intelligence and how it operates, and of the creation of Adam and Eve, and how the Magisterium resembles the work of man's creation
The whole earth is full of intelligence brought to the operation of the nature, which intelligence is moved by the superior nature, in as long as the lower intelligence resembles the higher nature. For this intelligence is aided by its like, by conversion and attractive power. After this natural wonder God created Adam from the sluggishness of the elements, and vivified him from the Sun and the holy Spirit, and of the clear light of the world, and of all the elements, he rebounds in him the mixture of the fifth thing in his composition. But especially he was created from the earthly element as through his fault this is seen, and so from this sluggishness, God the creator of all, establishes and made a homogeneous nature, of which Adam was formed, of which in furthermore successively he created Eve. That done he commanded nature to multiply, and multiplied their species, taking the example of the confused mass of the world at the beginning, which afterwards was divided. This is the general rule which God gave to nature, and we has shown it by the figure, which must be followed, and nature will do all the works. The stone therefore must resemble the creation of man, which was made of sluggishness by following nature without haste, and that in that she is the mirror, which does not form things in a short time time, But by a certain fixed time his operation is done, which the Magisterium should look like.
How should the artist arrange these things so that the Magisterium resembles the universal creation, by creating the confused mass which contains the four elements
Now we must put nature in order with the whole knowledge we need, namely by reducing it by demotion in confused form, until it is changed into the quality of great coldness, in which she was at beginning. And being thus changed, it is but a compound made by art with respect to nature, in which are the four elements of simple and compound mineral nature, by which the four elementary qualities are produced. This is why the water must dominates there, and that in confused mass, it contains in itself the four elements, from which nature by division must separate, and after to change from quality to quality, and it is our thing which contains in itself all that is necessary in the Magisterium, of which by the will of God and the operation of nature, our Peter afterward is produced.
How the Philosophers called the confused mass, and of the division of it, and the nature of its elements
Philosophers have named this confused mass by similarity, everyone, because it confusingly contains the four elements, which can be separated and divided each apart, imbued with the Quintessence, by which they separate and are separated. separate therefore of this mass cautiously by industry, the elements, and you will find the nature that is in them divided into four parts, and each will be clothed with the quality of its element. Because said nature was first cold, and then becomes the qualities main elements, namely dryness, coldness, humidity, and heat. And it is because of the elements and their qualities, in which is diffused in vapor said fifth nature, which we cherish so much, and these said elemental qualities are appropriate to the elements, because of the coarseness or simplicity of the said parts, in which is pure nature with great corruption, from which if you know how to withdraw it, you have our Magisterium by some preparation. Because the Stone is never found except in the belly of corruption, and from there we pull it out. There substance from which corruption moves is very greasy, muddy, and very unctuous, airy, in the belly of which is the fire that we seek, and in this we light it. You must know that the secret of the Stone is in the depth of the compound elements, of which the simple elements are, according to what we have said, which being contrary in quality do not change into each other only by their next means. Like the earth can't change into the nature of air, if first it changes into the nature of water, neither nature of fire to be converted into nature of water, that it is not first changed into the nature of air, since an extreme does not pass point at the other extreme, without first passing through the midpoints next and middle degrees. This is why air and water are close neighbors and elemental means of the round scale, by through which nature must pass before she can complete her operations, to go to perfection. For the water is cold and wet, and by its coldness it participates in the earth, and by its humidity in the air.
And so by her temper she rarefies the earth, making it light, and by its coldness thickens the air by squeezing it, so that when the water changes the earth into its nature, it can afterwards convert it into air, for the sympathy of the humidity which the earth has received from the water, and by the sympathy of coldness that the air has received from the water, which has squeezed it. And so therefore air is the medium between fire and water, since air is moist it participates in water, and by its heat it participates in fire, and by its temper thickens the fire, and changes it into matter of air by inspiration, and by its heat makes the water subtle and tender, and the changes into the nature of air, making it light. That's why when water is converted into the nature of air, air is changed into the nature of fire, or when fire is converted into the moist nature of air, humidity and coldness change it into the nature of water, according to the intention of nature, or of the good and perfect artist. Because as the water is matter of the earth, so air is the matter of water, and of the earth, and one is matter of the other.
How the Elements Are Subtracted and Thickened by the Wheel circular, which by the Philosophers, is called chain of gold
The elements change into each other, namely by subtilization ascending from earth to fire, and by condensation descending from fire in the ground, that if you want to light our fire, give it meat light and tender, and pure, because by the conversion of elements from one to the other, the secret of the composition of our water is manifested to the son of knowledge. For in dissolution the body becomes spirit, and the spirit becomes body, consider the multiplication of true tincture for transmutation, because from a handful of earth and nine of air, ten of water, and of a handful of this water and nine of fire, we do ten of air, going up to steal nature coarse in simple and superior, similar to a handful of fire and nine of water, ten of dead air, which is living water, and of one handful of this dead air, and nine handfuls of earth, make ten of water glorious. This is the doctrine by which the whole disposition is do.
How the artist must know by heart the circular wheel, and the nature of the conversion of the elements to compliance with the first and second quality
It is necessary to know by heart the wheel and the circulation of the aforementioned elements, because the elements are by nature rolling each in turn successively, until they have completed their circulation and circle, which is the perfection of their work in the Magisterium. THE elements in the work are not defined as principles of movement from one place to another, but as the beginning of change and alteration. The earth, has reason for its strong substance coarse, participates in coldness and dryness, water because of its moderately subtle substance participates in the coldness and moisture, air due to its moderately warm nature, participates in moderately subtle heat and humidity, but the fire participates in heat and dryness in a very subtle and very active because of its simple nature.
Of the cause and the reason why the elements cannot be converted, and also of the cause why they may well be converted
Dry nature cannot change into moist without its environment, as it has been said. So take our air and a little earth, and pierce its side with a hot sharp spear, and you will see come out of his belly so much burnt black anger, which will have the power to poison and inflame everyone. Hold it well that she does not flee from you, because she will be good against your enemies, then pierce his other side with the sting of the great snake, only until all the phlegm is out, and it doesn't have any more in its belly, then burn it until it's near death, and the soul has gone out and the body has been reduced to powder coated with black eyes, know that the coarse nature, heavy, cold and dry, sagged and sunk by property which is in its terrestrial element, which is contrary to the air in all its nature and property. That if you want to change it to nature of air, add to it nine parts of the red head, and the nature of this red head is a very subtle and very light substance, and in his complexion very hot, dry and acute. Then add two parts of the white feet. The nature of white feet is a substance moderately coarse, and in quantity moderately cold, and by this property it partakes of the substance of air. From the composition of the four elements there arises a pure means for the union of their mingled qualities, changed into the form of a land very subtle white, and transparent, depending on the clarity of the aerated water already frozen by the vapor of said earth matter, now comforted by an acute heat.
Of the symbol that stops the elements
In this change the substance of the earth has the power of lower nature, to unite with water, because of the coldness which is common. So put higher heat in nature inferior, to fortify its dryness, and to kill its coldness by the known temperament towards nature. Because know that the great coldness is the cause of the death of fire, and of its hardening. The heat of nature must be tempered by the means of radically humid, so that the hot steam does not burn the matter of our dear child, which temperance is made only to nature by raising his mood, until that it reaches the degree of a tempered subtlety, by which it can invisibly penetrate all parts of nature moist, and put its form, and fashion it in the matter of air. Don't strain the power of nature through too much heat, fear that the compound is separate and remote from all its nature, because not after we could not put it back to its first state, if it was only joined to a part of that one, and if the said was altogether done separated, and that we would like to start over by the way of correcting defects, it would be boring and very difficult, because of the length. This is why one must be very wise and prudent in the first corruption.
Of accidental qualities and the union of nature
After that you should know that the sharpness of the above hot steam, is created by the very fire which issues from this nature, which fire is the fourth part of all nature divided into four parts. It is why the humor penetrating by its fiery acuity, digests and helps nature, by means of mere nature, to unite together all its homogeneous parts, which will be all the more perfect, that they will be purified, and that the virtue of nature celestial which is influenced in the depths of matter, will be more powerful and will prevail. Make therefore that the virtue of the earth, in freezing in a cold and dry temperate, and that heavenly virtue informative influenced by forming the species in celestial color, transform the humidity of the individual, and freeze it into a form transparent and very fine, which will be of great virtue. It is why quicksilver has to be washed so many times, until it is changed into a celestial light color, and, this is the land in which we sow our souls and our freezing is in it and not elsewhere.
How the whole intention of the artist must be in preparing the material of the Stone and its temperament
For this reason, especially since the material will be duly prepared and subtilized, all the more she will obtain celestial virtues from the higher nature and will hold them back, and if from the matter of the earth, you want to make the fire, you have to steal it well at the beginning, and be transmuted into the nature of water and air, and on the contrary when you want to reduce the fire to the ground. But however do your business of the simplest thing, for celestial virtue joins it as form, and it is according to the action of matter, and the course of nature. This is why when you want to tempt the substance of the Stone, put it in the place of generation or conversion of qualities, of which by certain knowledge, you want our Stone to be changed, namely put it in a moist heat, because it is the quality which makes the Stone soft by the preservation of the dampness of the Stone in its fire, until it be fixed.
Of the demonstration of the preparation of the Stone by the difference examples from nature, working in the mines
From this come out nature uses temperament in mines by successive operations, though by accident it wanders a lot. For if the matter of sulfur and quicksilver purified and conducted in great splendor finds the place filthy, the generation will be the same. Therefore reduce gross matter to simple, until she is clothed with celestial virtue, which must form the clarity in what you can do well in the revolution of elements, if you know their conversion. And the biggest door is that supercelestial virtues must obtain earthly virtues. And by this mixture we see what is the middle between the Stone and the metal. And it is the wet aquatic and the quicksilver separated by art from the Magisterium. It is necessary to be aware of the nature of the means, because that all science comes from them, and the power to put quicksilver to work, and quicksilver is drawn from its glazed caverns, and with this the Stone is carried to its first matter, which is the supreme means purged of its original task.
Of the extremities of the Stone, and what are they and from where they arise shoot
After that it should be known that quicksilver in its first degree, is the first end of the Stone, in the second is the Elixir complete, and perfect metal is the common way to shoot and put in very great power means into act. Because so much the more means are noble, so much the ends are more noble, and more worthy in power. The nature of the extremities breaks quicksilver, and mortifies it by freezing, and after freezing it can be mingle with the body, giving the color that we need. There vapor of extremes is cause of the constriction of quicksilver, the said substance and vapor is called Green lion, green serpent, quicksilver, pasture of the philosophical Basil, this vapor is called humor menstrual fluid, which came out of quicksilver, although quicksilver is changed by corruption and earthly frailty that came to him. And this quicksilver joined with the body are two sperms from which we give birth to living water, which is our quicksilver, and the water of life who raises dead bodies.
How the menstrual is the cause of the death of quicksilver
Quicksilver is the cause of the death of the menstrual humor, because that she kills herself, and then kills her father and her mother, and shoots their souls of the bodies, and drinks all their moistures, and makes them black like a coal and resurrects them with such great clarity, that they will live with him and never die again. We must seal these secrets to the ignorant. So take the vile thing and make it kiss its parents, until they die and are as if dead. And take the quicksilver from their belly, of which you will make the Stone and after Medicine, which should not be communicated to everyone, and so it will change from little to good, from good to better with the help of God.
That the quicksilver of the Philosophers is not the common quicksilver, and why the Stone is so rarely found on earth
The quicksilver of the philosophers cannot extricate itself from the things in which it is power, only by tenebrous resolution made by the industry of a good worker, namely by the way of corruption and generation philosophical. That is why in his generation we have need to subtly introduce into matter the action of metallic nature, whence it is said to be engendered by a pure philosophical knowledge. That if the Stone is not on earth, it comes because men do not know the nature, and that God has not allowed nature to do it alone.
How this Magisterium is made by nature and operation of science and art, and not by miracle, and its demonstration
The Stone is made by the course of nature according to a known artifice, because there is a certain operation in the preparation, which cleans and purifies the vile, filthy nature, and puts it and converts it into nature noble, and changes the dry into the wet, and the hot into the cold. So take simple aerity, and wash it very well, and make it into water, and prepare it by a philosophical preparation, until it will have passed through five planets, and then reaches the Moon. And when it will have gone through six, it comes to the Sun which will clarify and will illuminate everything.
What is said makes us acquainted with the multitude of preparations, for which you must pass, and in each preparation by the by virtue of it, the complexion is introduced to each planet. Therefore, if individual nature finds the place of its clean generation, and skillful to form a metal, as if the place is of the complexion of Saturn, it changes the individual into lead, and as well as others depending on the nature of the place.
Of the Nature of Imperfect Aborted Bodies, and of the Temperance of the slime of nature
Nature by default of due preparation and natural heat in corrupt heavens, produces imperfect metals. What if the individual's place of change is tempered, so that he may better purify clear and pure seed, he will freeze it and will transmute into a thin Moon or a perfect Sun. If with this purity aforesaid the fire dominates there. For the fire with celestial virtue dominates at the generation of the Sun, and the air to the generation of the Moon. And so when the place of generation participates more in the virtues heavenly and less earthly, gold is more resplendent, and without no corruption.
How the artist must mark the most mineral virtues close to perfection, and the watering of the work by fermentation
The purified quicksilver can change into the nature of those with which it is joined, both in the first part which is the purgation and an action of the Stone, only in the second which is the fermentation and the change of it into true and fine Medicine. When you will therefore pass to the second part of the second degree, add the sulfur already carefully made with the washed ferment, which is called ointment, so that everything changes into ferment and ointment. And this is to shorten time, both in the first part and in the second, and in this we surpass nature, because she ends her operation with a digestion alone. And we do by leaven what nature had already completed. Therefore have in yourselves the preparations well known, and patience in their great length. Because the nature goes slowly in its works, and our operations are only point if they are not perfected by nature in the revolution of the times.
How the artist must hear, when the Stone loses its nature and decreases, in order to correct it
It is necessary in the first part to correct the Stone which loses of its first tempered virtue in the whole regime of the preparation. For in this preparation she needs to return, and from this pass to death by the part of the second degree, and as much the farther she is from his temperament, by the mortifications of the body made in the first part, all the more she loses her first nature, and comes to the end, and so much the more you hear the wheel, carrying the body to longer corruption and mortification, under some conservation of natural heat, so much the more life and perfection it will have, if afterwards by comforting her lost spirits, she is reduced to her temperament. And temperament is only made by repairing the lost thing. Preparation is not without natural attraction, the attraction cannot be done without a previous evacuation, nor no evacuation without a certain mortification, which is done by combustion and calcination of the body, and evacuation of the moist radical.
To know how the Stone is farthest from its temperament
When the body is burnt, lifeless, and devoid of its spirit, then it is further than it can be from his temper, has finished the wheel of corruption to be a place specific to the generation. And all the more he lost superfluous humor in his dissolution, so much the more will it attract the mood which it has returned or which has been exuberant in its reduction, and by this you can hear, that the whole Magisterium is only an assemblage of the mood resolves, or the dissolution of one and freezing of the other, or else is only the mortification of the spirit, and the vivification of the body since in however the Stone is dissolved, in the same way it must be composed, and this assembly or connection is nothing other than the multiplication of exuberant and fixed quicksilver, by which multiplication ours Peter comes to the greatest perfection and temperance.
Of the cause of the supplement, of the diminution of imperfect bodies, and how our Peter will perfect their defect and the chaining to towards the natural elements
In this Stone is the perfection of imperfect bodies, which have lacked a little fixed humidity, and perfect condensation, and it is by the Magisterium, which is only the corruption of a form and the generation of another much more resplendent with the conservation of its species. Therefore, so much more than you will be able by a subtlety and science, introduce corruption natural, and separate what you can separate, and you will come to the corruption of the first form by the true path, and the generation of the second form which is very noble. The diets of Magisterium are attached to each other, not only by a diverse mixture of operations, but also by various digestion of decoction, to which they are reduced by repeated putrefaction, and everything is only one regimen of decoction, which by various mixtures of operation completed the first degree of the Magisterium, and none of these operations cannot be completed without the help of the other contrary, as we see that the solution of the body is the freezing of the spirit, and the freezing of the spirit causes the dissolution of the body. It is the erratic conversion of elements that needs to be hear well. And then you will know comfort and debilitation, which are done in our supreme secret, and in all body of nature.
Of the latitude of the complexion, and how it is understood from two terms
The whole latitude of the complexion of any species is reduced to temperament or intemperament. This is why the first differences of complexion are only two, apart from namely temperate and intemperate complexion. The temperate and the one by which, by mixing the first qualities are broken and broken off, until they come to that end, by means of which results in a better arrangement of the compound, according to the manner due to the species. For in every species absolutely the temperament is there. The intemperate is that when the body of the Sun moves away from a better disposition, because of the advantage and the domination of certain primary qualities. That is why, as no quality can dominate in any complexion, that in a simple or compound way, likewise any complexion intemperate will be simple or compound. The simple one is that where a quality, so much only dominates as in our Peter, when after humidity, dryness dominates there with a simple quality, and that it is naturally converted into airy earth. Which nevertheless is not so simple, that it does not participate in some way with the other qualities, since it is composed of the four first, which must not be destroyed by too much fire, and which matter in the second regime does not come out entirely outside the complexion of the metal. See then that the body does not go away entirely from nature. That is to say that he leaves his last particular complexions, which are contained under the latitude of temperament. And when matter has this extremity, provided that it is not entirely thrown out of the said latitude of the said term, it is said to be more distant from his temperament.
How the sulfur substance comes out of the extremities when the Peter is created
Our Stone is first created so that the subtle substance hot and sulphurous be pulled out of its extremes, and that the said Peter be tempered with temper and heat, which is the second instrument which perfects nature, and is the means which participates immediately of the nature of the said substance, by which it receives the dye from the metal, which is in said instrument. So we let us pull our Peter out of the extremes, in which are the means confusedly, which make a neutrality which participates in extremes, which are body and mind. And this neutral means pulled from the ends known minerals, must necessarily participate in their natures without distinction, which imperfect neuter must be reduced to a perfect end. You will add to him another time of his nature homogenized, from which they were partly created, namely simply to the end, to remove and alienate with measure by heat and temper, the infirmity and disease of the neuter, which comes from side of earth and water, with the perfection of health that is in the air, which is warm and moist, and then you will find her approaching of the perfect and temperate extremity. Make this extreme one more another time imperfect, and add to it two operative virtues, namely natural air and fire, and you will find her returned from the extremities and imperfect means, at the other end full of health and everything temperament.
Quote of the Day
“All our Work of the Creation from its very Beginning to its perfect End may, on our certain knowledg, be perfected in less than nine Months by any skilful and careful Artist, that follows our Rules, unless some Accident should happen in the Preparation of our Herculean Works: which to prevent, we wrought them our self in an earthen Vessel, which we count far better and surer than any Glass, and which is most agreeable to the Practice of the most ancient Philosophers.”
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