Exposition of the Epistle of Alexander the Great - Expositio Epistolæ Alexandri Regis

An interpretation of an epistle that is carried around under the name and appearance of Alexandri, the Macedonian kings, which explains to the whites the hidden composition of the philosophical stone.

Alexander, in which he deals with the sun in an epistle, recently says to the image and likeness of the world that you certainly have a foundation in the same explanation: for he shows and points out that this art was taken from the creation of a human being in whom everything is .

Then, just as the small world is made up of four repugnant virtues, this art is also made up of the natures of a woman, some of which we want to tell shortly:

show and assert that the big world is created out of four natural virtues, replenished and composed, which is the first the one that desires trusts the other (digestiva), the third breeds or keeps the fourth, but the one that drives out the pure power (expulsiva, quæ mundificativa est. - expulsive, which is purifying.)

and is the quinta essentia, without alien life, which the other four do I told you and described it and united it: Which disposition I have explained and is in this art like a key to the box which if you open it without this it will be completely dissolved: Then it is like a band that holds its sides then it stands well in this art (convenit) that one obviously knows the entire masterpiece of this thing from these virtues.

This art is not accomplished because those who work in it through much vigilance and their moderation then, as I first tell you the beginning of its action, it is, apart from the four accomplishing virtues, namely the desire-retaining one, the one that tames and that drives out and makes pure That one is the fifth soul from the clearest light.

But now we want to tell you about the orders and dispositions of the figures and want to talk about their power.

That's why we want to say which of them is warm, which is cold, which is the man and which is the woman, and we don't want to be mistaken or deviate from the variety of colors and differences between them and when there is a difference between the warm and the cold under what the man is and You will not be able to complete the work unless you do it right along the way.

And you should know that no one is born or conceived without a man and a woman, and not a branch is created without warmth and moisture, cold and dryness.

But the human virtue that pleases is warm and dry and a lasting gift.

The holding virtue is female cold and dry and is the earth.

The virtue that is entrusted or used is humanly warm and moist and is the air, the expelling power is femalely cold and moist and is water that cleanses.

But the Quinta essentia is the life which is unique, neither warm nor moist, neither cold nor dry, neither man nor woman and yet when it is made dry by this force, its counterpart is corrupted.

So that you don't mislead from the effect by looking for it in a watery place, I will show you its place.

And when you therefore want to dissolve the water of life with cold, you coagulate it much more.

But when you want to make the water cold, you make it warmer: If you do not emend every nature of strength and virtue to the assumption that you work, you spoil the work.

One should also know that the desire power that is warm and dry makes the fire stronger, the retaining power is cold and dry that collects the warmth in the bodies and in which it softens it darkens the same with the colors and is the earth.

The trustworthy male and that one cleanses the body because it surpasses nature with the rust then it dries up nature and is warm and moist and is the air.

The exorciser who also cleanses is female, the power of fleeing all impurity when it is poured on her is brought to herself and cannot then be divided. It is poured into the body like a poison after which it is not secreted, but this warm virtue does or has an effect In the bodies and with them, nature is ordered and gathers its own into one: but it is cold and damp and is water.

And is the quinta essentia that directs and fulfills the whole work and is a soul put together with the body, which composition has wrought a number of evils in the work and has erred in taking useless things for useful ones.

Some also divided it into small pieces, as if they were working in the right way as we had commanded and did according to their own opinion and that is why the whole work was foreknown and destroyed and made a stone. (Saxum factum est. - It became a rock.)

In truth I will tell you again when you feel like doing your work, then do as I commanded you. Now it remains that we give the species name and you should not forget that the ones you look like are not supposed to be of a bright and gentle nature from which the small world was created which I want to present and name to you with its properties.

You should know that Sulphur is Fewr and Earth is Magnesia, and the air of the ore mines and the water is Argentum vivum, which is drowned in the body.

The Quinta essentia is the spirit that gives life to everything and transforms everything and gives birth to every branch and lights every candle and brings blossom to every fruit.

With such a government and gubernature one must indeed correct this work and as has been said you should also know and be able to bring the natures together delicately - the man to the woman, the warm to the cold and the wet to the dry: then the water Spiritum and Fire (lumen - Light) finely nourish or wait then the work is based on various natures: the corpus is made from its melancholia and its size will be from the liver's famine when it spoils (vitio) then the raw colera arises, when such a thing has to happen so that to the action and spiritual diligence compt of which it is said that there is a flowing blood in all the veins of the body and that compts over it until it is transformed into a raw color.

The water is the flegma that sits in the chest and appears in the form of guilder instruments and therefore everything that I have now told you becomes perfect through the strength of the pre-painted and every corpus.

Therefore, endeavor to govern the same natures all with each other whitely and clearly and also place the vessel with its equal or opposite one in the wrong (in devio) with the Tinchar: and so your work will be judged to you according to which I have given you my favor in which I described to you the species that one must gradually govern until the bodies become spirit: And then the whiteness of art works so that nature is changed and transformed into another nature and a nature through nature appears: after the feeling but nature is yours There is no need to join two natures together until you produce from them a clear and bright nature which, when it is held upwards, shines and is rightly put together.

And you should also know that in this art I am not talking about anything philosophically and in the solution of melting you must above all guard yourself and take care that you do not exceed the right modum in the ascension then in the melting lies the whole secret, the change of all natures and you should know how it is transformed from one nature to the other until it becomes a substance that does not fly or change, but remains fixed and stable, from which it takes the black entrance and disposes of it, then a part becomes different: and immediately a nature appears through the others.

That's why the thinness makes the nature of the fixed things comfortable with melting and the water that was called by the wise the water of whiteness and then the secrets that are tempered and moist then if you don't wear out the natures and make them less and water out of them They will not be able to ferment: That's why you should make the body wet with the water and you should know that the whiteness is in the process of coagulation and that the species is a spirit and one thing emends the other. I also tell you, dear son of you It is important that you don't put rough and disordered species in it, but rather those that are putrescified and made comfortable and that rise up and down.

Without a doubt, I have invented a number of vnguenta that are elevated bright and illuminated and I have found hidden secrets in them which when you rule them, their nature that has hidden things there will appear to you publicly - that is the white earth through bright and known silver.

And you should know that a number of bodies have to be dissolved, a number of bodies have to be elevated, that they become tinged brightly and enlightened in which all bodies have been dissolved. You should also know that, according to nature, secrets are hidden in them when they appear, which appeared and is to the Philosopho Hermeti White earth close to silver.

Therefore arrange the bodies that heal themselves when the earth is white so that they remain fixed and ensure that the fire does not burn them with its flames but melts them like melted wax.

And remember that this meal is once again called water, so you should believe that in your arts you are studying 2. martelli, of which one of the suns and the other belongs to the mon. Thereafter follow two orders or dances which to govern the two of them are satisfactory to our head Figured Behold, I have counted the heavenly mystery revealed, the heavy and hidden whiteness illuminated and the perfect whiteness and way of government, I make sure that I have not hidden anything and have not set any speciem with a strange description, nor have I given the genera to others Oerther set.

Therefore, when you will read my letter and understand it, you will come to your understanding, then you should thank God, but when the composition will be weak and the complexion will arise shortly, he will not come to his understanding, but he may impose it on his lack of understanding and not on me and not say it that I was missing but him himself because he could not come to his own good.

Finis Epistolæ.