THE FIVE BOOKS

GOLD

THE KEY TO THE SECRET OF SECRETS

Nicolas Le Valois d'Escoville

BOOK ONE

THEORETICAL

The first Elements : B. Vapors from ice, which condense into ponderous Water: E. Vapor: C. Flowing Mercury: D. or Water. Chaos Calcaduct: E. Philosophical Mercury: F. Dry Sulfur: G. Metals:






H.

The first Principles are two, namely D . and H. , from which by philosophical sublimation is generated F. , that is to say that the philosophical Mercury is mean disposition, having the power to convert Water into Vapor. Now everything is found in the prime Elements, for these Elements are reduced to Vapor, or ponderous Water, from which Mercury must be extracted instead of living Water, and the said Mercury descended from the said Metal into the prime Element, is changed by transmutation of form into Dry sulfur; but first the first Elements descended in Vapor from these Elements.The white or red Calcaduc as the entire journey to the last end of the whole work, means that is considered the ferment and last injunction of Nature.

Brief explanation according to common and vulgar sense.

God is Eternal and Almighty, who begot his Son, from whom proceeds the Holy Spirit, one God in Trinity, who made Heaven and Earth, and all that dwell therein. He also made the Sun, the Moon and the Stars, which throw their influences into the belly of the wind, as in the first vessel of nature, it is this triple seed which is converted into the substance of all the things which are in the world, that is to say, to each kingdom separately, without any being able to go from one to the other, but multiply in them by their own virtue their similar, without retrogradation of them, only by the reduction into their first Universal Matter, which is Limbo and the Chaos of Nature.

In the name of Almighty God, know, my beloved son, the intention of Nature by the Teachings hereafter declared. When in the last days of my life, my Body, ready to abandon my Soul, was only waiting for the hour of the Lord and of the last sigh, I wanted to leave you as a Testament and last will, these Words, by which you will be taught several beautiful things touching the very worthy metallic Transmutation, that is to say the Stone of the Philosophers, today so vilified by the ignorant vulgar, and so hidden by the Sages, that hardly those who are on the true path can believe it, until they have seen by experience the truth of it.

This is why I made you teach the principles of natural Philosophy, in order to make you more capable of this holy Science; but especially as I leave you at an age when discretion is not yet in you, such as I could have impressed if the good Lord had let me live longer, I speak only with fear and sorrow that I have, that your heart, like the Kings of Judah, does not deviate from the qualities of its Father, as predicted by Solomon, father of Sciences, that riches corrupt the benign heart, that your birth and my example had begun to imprint on your heart; most often the children of perverse fathers are inclined to do well; but also Angels can give birth to Demons, so much do their inclinations differ from those of their Fathers.

Now to avoid this misfortune, which would disturb the rest of my soul, as many times as you abuse this divine secret, to use it for impure and bad things, I want you to know, as the good God gave it to me, by my prayers and good intentions, that I had to use them well. And as by Her I acquired all the goods that I leave between your hands and your brothers, which will perish as soon as the owners of them become corrupt in their morals; for it is a secret reserved by the good God for his Elect who make his divine commandments; who are chosen by him according to the purity of their hearts.

Because he knows how to penetrate the secret of our Consciences and foresees the excesses that the authorities and wealth of worldly men usually bring, so he only gives it to those who are worthy of such a great Treasure; that is, to the humble of heart, patient and charitable. Thus these Virtues will lead you to this high secret, provided that you know the metallic Principles and the operations of Nature; because by icelle Nature you will be illuminated, provided that you are in grace.

But I will still omit something to say, which will be the truth of the Practice, which you will find enough in the old authors, provided you know how to discover their intentions, which are hidden under a confusion of empty words, and you must as in a shuffled card game, knowing how to arrange everything according to its value. I will lead you to this knowledge better than any man in the world can do, as to Theory and knowledge of the first Principles which are the keys to the House of Nature, in which you must work. But as for the Practice, do not stop with me, that you did not resort to the authors, who say good and bad things: but here is the Secret.

Know that all speak the same way in two ways, of which one is true and the other is false; the true is such that it can only be understood by the Illuminated, who walk uprightly and according to nature, which is nevertheless covered with comparisons and examples, under names and ambiguities, which do not belong to Science, but are significant of it, because in this only one thing is needed, and only one way to operate, by a simple and natural way, without getting lost in the plurality of things contrary to our unique leaven.

The false is this confusion of nasty diets and drugs, for even though the whole thing is significant of something which belongs to Science; however, there should be no regard for quality, because Nature is simple and only operates simply.
Let us begin all things with a first Principle, which is said to be general, and ending with the species that Nature desires to produce, and not that she usurps from one to put it to another, because she is powerless. of any new generation, except that each thing after its time falls back into its first Limbo. This is the first Key of Nature; for if you know how to observe this precept well, you will avoid this precipice of errors, into which everyone plunges before arriving at true knowledge.

You have to be a very simple man; but also one must be constant after one has this ray of light, for as much as the obstinacy of an erroneous opinion is harmful, Perseverance in the true one is profitable, of which I will give you this following Example.

When I first let myself, unfortunately, be seduced by the wicked and deceitful Alchemists who by their damnable practices destroy and consume men's bodies and goods, we were only Three wandering through the World with all possible inconveniences, who, subject to all new opinions, have had all the trouble that can be imagined, sometimes under the domination of the Great, and sometimes the slaves of the little ones, to try to arrive at some new knowledge. But after so many Matters tested by us, and so many sophistications which finally gave us only the regret of our time and our goods, until seeing us by our poverty the subject of any mockery;

in despair we withdrew from these errors, curiously peeling between us the most demonstrative signs of the intentions of the Philosophers.We soon saw our blindness and recognized our past mistakes, which caused us a new regret of so many people we knew who were consumed in these vain and ruinous searches, like us. For truly this may be said canvas without expense; and the wicked Sophists empty the purse before their various vessels can be accommodated and their furnaces prepared. For truly this may be said canvas without expense; and the wicked Sophists empty the purse before their various vessels can be accommodated and their furnaces prepared. For truly this may be said canvas without expense; and the wicked Sophists empty the purse before their various vessels can be accommodated and their furnaces prepared.

Thus having diligently reviewed the good Books, such as Arnaud , Raymond Lully and the Code of All Truth , we made a resolution, on which we have by the grace of God arrived at our end, after so much labor spent on this great Secret. But one of us, so drawn to sophisticated individuals to see new things every day, which dazzled his eyes, did not want to leave them. Now I was 45 years old when this happened in the year 1420, and after 20 months 10 we saw this great King seated in his Royal Throne, first projecting onto white, then onto red.

What you will do like me if you want to take pains and be as you should be, and above all fearing God, and you don't need so much expense, time, or expense; because counting the time that I was on the way, that I leave in writing, until the perfection of the Work. It takes only 18 months, at which time said Work was accomplished, though it was once failed. It's the least, and for that you need two people, so that if one is lacking, the other makes up for it, both in work and in advice. What you must note well to assure yourself of a faithful Companion, endowed with the same Virtues that I have recommended to you, who never abandons you, entrusting to him just as to another yourself;and without being obstinate sometimes follow his advice as he will do yours, espousing no particular opinion except by mutual consent of the two,

A, la Tourbe , or the Codicile of Lully and his Testament, to which everything is taught from the beginning to the end. But sometimes enigmatically, the great Rosary, the flower of flowers, the Elucidation of the Testament, the Appertory and others, where the Science is complete, disguising the two matters however and hiding them from the unheard. But I will give them to you in view, if God gives you the grace. You will also find a little Treatise composed by one of us, if you want to take the trouble to look for it, in which you will find part of what I omit, but a little obscurely, if you do not have this bright light, and knowledge of both subjects. Because in the Work, nothing else enters, which is only one and the same thing, but here is an Example. In front of a besieged city, there is only one man, as a Water divided into several drops is only one Water, which joined together make only one Body; thus these men are well separated, to inconvenience the city;but when the breach is made, all in a Corps storm, each tending to plunder. So it is in the Work.

FIRST PRACTICE According to the Philosophers

It is a Stone of great virtue, and is called Stone and is not Stone, and is Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal, which is found in all places and at all times, and in all people, which must be putrefied with manure nine days , then distill the Elements; from which will be born a multiplicative sperm of cough Metals, ie a mineral seed which perpetuating itself, will reach the perfection of an infinite generation.

Take 8 ounces of what the Philosophers command you, which you will grind on the marble, then soak it with 12 ounces of the common oil of the Philosophers, so long as it is like paste, which you will put on the fire and dissolve it . And when you see the red foam rising, remove it from the fire, then put it back on the fire, and so reiterate that everything is thick like melted wax. From which you must extract your virginal Milk by way of philosophy; then you will separate the Elements and will join them together, projecting on Quicksilver, you will put it back in as much fine Lime; then continuing your Magisterium will also be made a Red Stone which will have the same Virtue on red as on white.

But beware of the obscurity of some, who deceive more than they teach, mainly to the preparations commanding you to use what Nature knows nothing about, and who teach you matters not required for our Work; but they speak to the heard, and not to the ignorant; for beneath these enigmas everything is understood; but you must gather the good grain from the bad, and don't be discouraged if you hear of this kind.

SECOND PRACTICE

Take two parts of Saturn, if necessary, from the Sun or Moon of Jupiter, and three parts of Mercury to amalgamate, which becomes a frangible Stone, which will be ground several times on the marble, and soaked in very sour vinegar and Well- prepared common salt water, soaking and often drying until it contains in itself a very great substance from Heaven. So soak this Alum Water again, until it becomes a soft paste, and dissolve it, then freeze it, and you will have a powder which will convert Jupiter into the Moon.

But for the Sun, take Vitriol of stone and calcine red, and dissolve it in the urine of children, and distill everything, and do it so many times until the Water is quite red. Then join this Water with the aforementioned Water, before it is frozen and put these two Waters on the manure for a few days, so that it is better incorporated. And distill these Waters together and freeze everything, you will have a red stone like a Hyacinth, from which you will project one part out of seven of Mercury or Saturn purged, and will be red Sun. Lully and others teach all that is additionally required; but as I said under Figures and Allegories, because know that all matters declared by them are not matters in their Essence, but figurative of the effects which these two and unique matters produce in the Work of the Philosophers.

OF THE FIRST AGENT OR PRINCIPLE

The Stone of the Philosophers is nothing but very perfect Gold, that is to say, brought to such a degree of perfection that it can perfect all imperfect Bodies. Gold is therefore this Stone, but not the vulgar, for it is dead, and ours is alive. This is the one to take, but know what this bright gold is. When the fruits are ripe they bring seed, by which they can be multiplied to infinity; thus Gold is a fruit which has never acquired this maturity in the mines, and consequently is said to be dead; for his seed is the thing that can make him live and vegetate like the other two kingdoms.But we can imagine him this seed, which is already in him potentially, because he is created to multiply, as well as his two other brothers, otherwise, he could be said to be the impotent of Nature.

He really has this imagined seed, which Nature has tried by all means to make him put into effect; but his forces have not been great enough and require the help of the Artist. That is why it is said: Help me and I will help you. Hold therefore for very certain that Gold is the beginning of our great Work. But not in the state it is, because it is hard, solid and very united in all its parts; but it must be broken, then afterwards have Nature operate.Also it is said, that it must be reduced to its first matter, which is none other than Quicksilver, from which the said Gold was first created and engendered; but all the more so as to reduce it to this first matter, it is necessary an aid and a liquid thing, as Saffron throws its tincture.

For what can make liquid a body which is itself hard and dry, if it is not a liquid matter, as we see that the mire is made of Water and Earth. There must therefore be a lukewarm Water in which the aforementioned Body will be converted, and instead of being thick, it will remain muddy and muddy.And this is done for two reasons, the first to cleanse the said Body, and to purge it of any impurity which by nature has remained in it, and cannot be cleaned, except by being its hardness, especially as in the state in which it is, nor even when it is melted, nothing can be separated from it, because it is so well united, that one part always follows the other. But when he is thus softened by the solution of the thing he desires, the evacuations take place by themselves, and the impurities separate from the pure things.

There must therefore be a lukewarm Water in which the aforementioned Body will be converted, and instead of being thick, it will remain muddy and muddy.And this is done for two reasons, the first to cleanse the said Body, and to purge it of any impurity which by nature has remained in it, and cannot be cleaned, except by being its hardness, especially as in the state in which it is, nor even when it is melted, nothing can be separated from it, because it is so well united, that one part always follows the other. But when he is thus softened by the solution of the thing he desires, the evacuations take place by themselves, and the impurities separate from the pure things.

There must therefore be a lukewarm Water in which the aforementioned Body will be converted, and instead of being thick, it will remain muddy and muddy.And this is done for two reasons, the first to cleanse the said Body, and to purge it of any impurity which by nature has remained in it, and cannot be cleaned, except by being its hardness, especially as in the state in which it is, nor even when it is melted, nothing can be separated from it, because it is so well united, that one part always follows the other. But when he is thus softened by the solution of the thing he desires, the evacuations take place by themselves, and the impurities separate from the pure things. and purge it of any impurity which by nature has remained in it, and can only be cleaned, by being its hardness, especially as in the state where it is, nor even when it is melted, nothing cannot be separated from it, because it is so well united, that one part always follows the other.But when he is thus softened by the solution of the thing he desires, the evacuations take place by themselves, and the impurities separate from the pure things.

and purge it of any impurity which by nature has remained in it, and can only be cleaned, by being its hardness, especially as in the state where it is, nor even when it is melted, nothing cannot be separated from it, because it is so well united, that one part always follows the other. But when he is thus softened by the solution of the thing he desires, the evacuations take place by themselves, and the impurities separate from the pure things.

The Philosophers have concealed this reduction at all, speaking of it only in a veiled way, as in saying, converting the Elements one into the other; what the ignorant explain by a bad sense, intending to separate them. This separation therefore, is conversion of them, which is called Sublimation, Calcination and Dissolution, and such names are given to them only to put the ignorant on the path of error.

The Body, therefore, the first agent of the Philosophers is Gold, which must be passed through the Cements, and it is to clean it of the mixtures which could be enclosed in its Body, then to put it in small tables or in subtle powder , that it is necessary to disjoin in a Water, and redissolve so many times that the whole Body is dissolved, so that there is and that there appears to be nothing but Water, and all this will be done in several Waters , which are however only one same Water. Then the whole being dissolved, it is necessary to pass the Waters, and draw the Soul of the said Body from within these Waters, then after the oil or balm, which will then be joined with the imperfect Body.

All this work is only to imitate Nature, in her philosophical purifications, distillations and freezings. So it is said, look how Nature works, and imitate her as closely as you can. For you only need to soften this Body on which you are working, since I tell you assuredly that it is the said Body, with the Water that I will teach you; but keep this secret hidden and reveal it to no one.

OF THE WATER SPIRIT OR SECOND PRINCIPLE

Many have considered that Water, the first Principle of the Philosophers, was the simple Elemental Water, or of rain, or of the sea, others the dew from the sky; others have sought it in the simple, herbs and animals, and such heterogeneous things, misinterpreting the saying of the Philosophers, and clinging to their words instead of taking their intentions.

As when they spoke of Water of Life, Red and White Wine, Vinegar, Oil of Tartar and such like things, as well as Water from our sea. , as when they say: Take water from our sea; in another place say: Mercury, or our Quicksilver, because this word Our carries another meaning; for if they said Sea Water, one might be disappointed in this place, but the Water of our Sea, which is the Sea of ​​the Philosophers, is another thing.

They mean by their sea, the generality of the said Water, because it is everywhere, everywhere. She is in Heaven,since the Sky engenders it, in the Air, since it is only Air, and in the Earth to produce all things there. Secondly they call their Sea the whole Work, and as soon as the Body is reduced to Water, of which it was first composed, this Water is called Sea Water, because it is really a sea, in which several Wise Nautonniers have shipwrecked, not having this Star for a guide, which will never fail those who once knew it.

It is this Star which led the Sages to the birth of the Son of God, and this same which makes us see the birth of this young King. this Water is called Sea Water, because it is really a sea, in which several Wise Nautonniers were shipwrecked, not having this Star as a guide, which will never fail those who have once known it.It is this Star which led the Sages to the birth of the Son of God, and this same which makes us see the birth of this young King. this Water is called Sea Water, because it is really a sea, in which several Wise Nautonniers were shipwrecked, not having this Star as a guide, which will never fail those who have once known it. It is this Star which led the Sages to the birth of the Son of God, and this same which makes us see the birth of this young King.

There is yet another Water from our Sea which is the Water of which Augurel speaks in these words: The Water that I hear is externally a powder to the species properly, which is the great Elixir, which in white or red, works wonders on all spells of imperfect and sick Bodies, which is only the first Water, but sublimated seven times and sometimes ten.

Those also who call it Water of Life, Red Wine, Vinegar, and the rest, are telling the truth: for it is an invigorating Water which makes all things grow and vegetate. It is a powerful and strong Vinegar; and to put it in a nutshell, it is strong water which has the power, without any help other than itself, to convert all bodies into their first matter: for it is water which kills everything.She is in the wombs of Mothers to procreate Children there.

She is also in the Tombs to consume them and restore them to their first nothingness. And although some have defended the Etchings, which the confronts and charlatans use to corrupt and break the Bodies of Metals, they hear these Etchings, made of several compositions and things contrary to the substance and quality of our one and only subject; for our Water is drawn from a single and unique thing, which contains in it all the things of the world, and in it if there were something foreign, it could never come to its effect, that the said thing does not was separated from it .

they hear those Eaux forte, made of several compositions and things contrary to the substance and quality of our one and only subject;for our Water is drawn from a single and unique thing, which contains in it all the things of the world, and in it if there were something foreign, it could never come to its effect, that the said thing does not was separated from it . they hear those Eaux forte, made of several compositions and things contrary to the substance and quality of our one and only subject; for our Water is drawn from a single and unique thing, which contains in it all the things of the world, and in it if there were something foreign, it could never come to its effect, that the said thing does not was separated from it .

This is why we must prepare it before all things, as well as the Body, lest some mixture and contrary thing should oppose the conjunction of the two. It is therefore an Etching, because if it did not have a great and admirable force, how could it make the Body perfect in its first matter. The Spirit of Common Salt dissolves Gold well, but it does not mingle with it inseparably. But our Salt dissolves it with an admirable dissolution, and such that there is no difference between Gold and Water, and is made the same thing.

But what is the cause, I will tell you. Gold in its first beginning was made of Earth and Water which are understood Sulfur and Mercury, which being assembled together by the mixture of ingenious Nature, were for a long time baked and hardened in the Mountain where the said materials met. But in this cooking the Earth separated little by little, as the disposition and the digestion advanced, after however that they began the corporification and freezing of the said Body, and this is what makes it all the more perfect as the other Metals, that in them the Sulfur has remained there, and has not been purged like the Gold; because either of the Matrix which did not have a powerful enough fire, or of the impurity of the Sulphur, which could not be arranged for this separation.So it's only Water thickened in the mines, by a certain degree of digestion and decoction; and was the same Water that he had to give to drink to swell and rot, like a grain of wheat.

But although Nature has digested and cooked it as long as its heat has been great, know however that it is not yet so perfect, that it does not have in it some imperfection and moisture, which is inseparable from it, whatever trouble one can bring roof. If it did not have this humidity, it would not be fusible, which humidity gives entry to our Water and converts the whole Body into It, as Leaven converts all the mass into its substance, then little by little, as well as the Water made the Body Water, said Water be made Body, by virtue of said Leaven. But first there is a fight between them, so that both are devoured by a bitter and violent putrefaction.

It is this imprisoned Water, which ceaselessly cries, Help me and I will help you. That is to say Release me from my prison, and if once you can get me out of it, I will make you Master of the fortress where I am. The Water therefore, which is in this Body enclosed, is the same nature of Water as that which we give it to drink, which is called Mercury Trismegistus, of which Parmenides hears when he says: Nature rejoices in Nature, Nature overcomes Nature, and Nature contains Nature. For this imprisoned Water rejoices with its Companion who comes to deliver it from its irons, mingles with it, and finally converting the said prison into them, rejecting what is contrary to them, which is the preparation, are converted into mercurial and permanent Water.Nature overcomes Nature, because the quantity of Water that we give to it by the reiterations of it,

Nature contains Nature, that is to say the Body contains the Spirit, and the Spirit contains the Body, because after dissolution comes freezing, as one would say: Help me to dissolve, and I will help you. to freeze. It is therefore with good reason that our divine Water is called the Key, Light, Diana which illuminates in the thickness of the night. For it is the entrance to the whole Work, and that which illuminates every man.

It is the bird of Hermes, which has no rest day or night, only trying to corporify itself in all the places of the Earth; for its whole center is full of this Spirit, which is like a point, to which an infinite number of rays, starting from the surface, are going to reach. Now I will tell you the way to know the said Water.But if the love I have for you causes me to commit a sin here, pray to God that he forgive me, and take care not to oblige me to any pain, by your recklessness. You must first know that some have sought it in several drugs, such as Antimony, Salts, Aluns, Vitriols, Attramants; but they never found there anything they were looking for, and never will.

For whoever does not know what he seeks, does not know what he must find; it is necessary first to know by the increase that to believe to come to it by chance, and without first having experienced it well in the understanding, it is madness. does not know what he must find;it is necessary first to know by the increase that to believe to come to it by chance, and without first having experienced it well in the understanding, it is madness. does not know what he must find; it is necessary first to know by the increase that to believe to come to it by chance, and without first having experienced it well in the understanding, it is madness.
If, for example, how among an infinite number of men will you find someone with whom we are dealing, if we do not all know him well, or if we are not well informed of some particular remarks he has, either in his clothes, or in his person.

Now, this Water is in a Body, and in all the Bodies which are in the World, which have it in their interior. And what makes ours look for it in Antimony, Vitriols and others, which are such and similar names, which the Philosophers have given it, and give it on purpose. Both to deceive the ignorant, and for some other reason, because nothing is said uselessly.

And then our Magisterium can be compared to all the things that are in the World. One says that you have to take Simple Stone Salt, the other Salt Armoniac, Vitriol and so on all kinds of drugs, and they say the truth. For our Matter is Stone Salt (note well), Sel Armoniac, and true Vitriol; A few Antimony, but all of these things are particular, not universal. And on the contrary, our Salt Armoniac and vegetable, is universal, which does not have rest, that it is not embodied in a virgin Earth; then from Body is made Spirit, and so on ad infinitum, or until it has gone to the production of something, as a species or form understood in some kingdom, and then afterwards of itself destroys its composed, to return to its first Limbo.

Because nothing in the World is lost, nothing is done; but everything remains whole. Everything only changes form and place, like Water raised to vapor, then returns to Water. Because everything ends where it began, and returns to where it came from. But here's the difference between those nasty drugs, and our real Salt Armoniac. They are all formed underground and in certain countries, or composed industrially by men, who nevertheless have in them some strong substance, which can well corrupt and disjoin some metal. Which made the ignorant think that all these Waters can be our Quicksilver, since they have the power to dissolve, and that our Quicksilver must be a dissolvent.

This error is truly founded on some slight appearance; but has no reason, because they do not consider all the sayings of the Philosophers, which is that there are three kingdoms, each of which possesses in its particular its kingdom, without usurping nor ever being able to undertake one over the other. other. And these three kingdoms each subsist for themselves, without borrowing anything from each other, except the Animal, from which the other two belong; but not that any of them have this power, for they are obligated to the Animal, and not the Animal to them, nor they only to each other.

Thus those who have worked on Animals to believe that they have found something metallic there, have been extremely blinded, as well as those who have worked on Plants.The Animal can only spawn the Animal, because each thing produces its like. And how much that the Operators ordinarily by their calcinations, dissolutions, sublimations and the rest, believe to convert and change one species into the other, if they are greatly deceived, because one cannot change the materials of the things; it belongs only to the factor which is Nature itself; and so such people are ordinarily of the Devil.

Others more subtle considering these things, leave these two kingdoms and go to the Mineral, remaining in the Maxim that each thing generates its like; but they do not follow them, because there is sometimes as much danger in taking the Mineral to produce an animal seed, as the Vegetable or the Animal.Now the reason is that no metallic matter, whatever it is, really has a seed in it, especially since there is no metal so pure that it does not have impurities, and no impurity can bear seed, because the seed is a very noble Quintessence , which can only come out of the most perfect Body. But Nature could never lead Metals to this perfection, and it is the work of the Artist.

Why it is advisable to seek a thing which has the capacity to open the most noble Body, to separate the superfluous things from it and to put in that there, the seed of it. This thing is a Water full of fire, which for its moist quality softens Bodies; and this is why it is called Strong Water begotten of the Sun and the Moon, which has in it the power to destroy and to quicken.Why it is advisable to seek a thing which has the capacity to open the most noble Body, to separate the superfluous things from it and to put in that there, the seed of it.

This thing is a Water full of fire, which for its moist quality softens Bodies; and this is why it is called Strong Water begotten of the Sun and the Moon, which has in it the power to destroy and to quicken. Why it is advisable to seek a thing which has the capacity to open the most noble Body, to separate the superfluous things from it and to put in that there, the seed of it. This thing is a Water full of fire, which for its moist quality softens Bodies; and this is why it is called Strong Water begotten of the Sun and the Moon, which has in it the power to destroy and to quicken.

Now, to express myself better, I will tell you what I have been able to understand, since the time that I have been sailing like the others, on this foreign sea. Know then that our Water, which is called raw and imperfect Mercury, is an Etching resembling the other Etchings as to its Body, and having the same effects; but nevertheless very dissimilar, because the others are proper and particular for the dissolution of some Bodies, but ours is general which dissolves all that is in the World. These are somewhere on Earth; but this is everywhere; even before our eyes, and there is nothing that is not filled with it.

And however much she is everywhere, she nevertheless has a Body which makes her visible to us, which is only a true and pure Salt: for it is a white and virgin earth, which has never yet produced, and if it had produced anything, it would be useless to us. It is a real Salt Armoniac; but here is the difference. The vulgar Armoniac Salt dissolves Gold, but not perfectly, but ours does it, and Silver too, and mixes intimately with them, and inseparably, especially as the vulgar at its beginning, after corporification, is a Impure Earth, which Earth is not of the nature of perfect Metals, as we see that the Earth has its particular properties, and produces each thing according to the disposition of the places and qualities of the said Earth.

Thus the lands which have become a drug, being impure lands and of wicked qualities, have corrupted the Mercury which is in them, and made obligated to the Nature of their Element. And so having contracted such an alliance between them, we cannot with our Water separate them. So that in vain we claim to join icelles to that which is contained in Gold, because the impurity of these coarse Grounds repugnant there, because they are heterogeneous. But our Matter or Earth which has not yet taken a particular form, that is to say in which it can remain, like the Vitriol in the vitriolic cave can never be anything other than Vitriol and not Ours. Because there is a universal Earth, Father and Mother, which is called Virgin especially since it has not yet produced anything.

It is this Maid Beïa, who has not yet been corrupted nor lost her freedom, to marry infirm and untidy Bodies, like captives, who can never leave their filthy prisons without the help of men. . Thus preserving freedom with its integrity, we see in a philosophical way this luminous Star making turns with infinite circulation, until it has come into some realm; before which, we must surely surprise and not wait for any of the said reigns to be. Of which I will give the following example.

The common Water serves us all and is applied to all things, because it is a Body, which can be filled with all the things that we add to it; it is suitable for receiving the tastes, colors and substances that we want to give it, provided it is taken in its natural purity;for if previously wormwood, salt, or even some poisons had been mixed in it, then it would take on the substance of the things that were mixed with it. And uniting inseparably with them, it would be useless and poisonous to us, as well as sea water which cannot be used for the necessities of human life, because of its ponticity.

Because the Sailors are forced to provide themselves with fresh Water, to serve them during the time of their journey.

Thus the Mercury which is contained in all sorts of species is indeed our universal Mercury. But such that it is useless to us in this Work, because it has contracted such an affinity with the thing which contains it, that it cannot be separated from it, without receiving the quality and the substance of the thing with which it made such a covenant. For the said thing which is his Sulfur and his Body, whether Animal or Vegetable, has bound him so closely to all his conditions and humors, that he cannot produce other species than by their Sulfur, or from it in part, like two germs will not prevent each other's effect, but still only produce monsters.

Now, therefore, the best advice that I will give you now, my dear Son, is that if your Companion says to you: Our universal Mercury is in Antimony, Alum, or Vitriol, because these are pure and clean materials, which contain a penetrating and strong Spirit, such as the one we seek, which are even of the Mineral or Metallic kingdom, or else the Philosophers say that our matter is pure Salt, Salt is everywhere, the Spirit of Salt dissolves Gold, so our Mercury is common Salt.

You will answer him: The Philosophers truly say that our first Matter is Salt. But their word receives several explanations. And how much that in the Work, there are several Salts, I mean several regimes, I find however that our first subject is a pure Salt, which is universally by all the Earth.But here is the difference. I have already said that all and such drugs, above declared, are Impure Matters, formed in a certain particular earth, and allied with a Spirit issuing from the Living Fountain, which are called Metallic because they are in the realm Minerals, but that their Spirits have been corrupted and spoiled by the contrary qualities of their impure Sulphur.

I say now that the Common Salt is as little the Stone; because it is not universal, and because it is a Body formed by Nature, like the other Bodies, which can never change itself, nor be converted, or, better said, go to the production of nothing, as does our natural and vegetable Salt , which procreates all things: because it is the Spirit of the Universe, and from it is drawn the seed of Nature.are Impure Matters, formed in a certain particular earth, and allied with a Spirit issued from the Living Fountain, which are called Metallic because they are in the kingdom of Minerals, but their Spirits have been corrupted and spoiled by the opposite qualities of their impure Sulphur. I say now that the Common Salt is as little the Stone;

because it is not universal, and because it is a Body formed by Nature, like the other Bodies, which can never change itself, nor be converted, or, better said, go to the production of nothing, as does our natural and vegetable Salt , which procreates all things: because it is the Spirit of the Universe, and from it is drawn the seed of Nature.are Impure Matters, formed in a certain particular earth, and allied with a Spirit issued from the Living Fountain, which are called Metallic because they are in the kingdom of Minerals, but their Spirits have been corrupted and spoiled by the opposite qualities of their impure Sulphur.

I say now that the Common Salt is as little the Stone; because it is not universal, and because it is a Body formed by Nature, like the other Bodies, which can never change itself, nor be converted, or, better said, go to the production of nothing, as does our natural and vegetable Salt , which procreates all things: because it is the Spirit of the Universe, and from it is drawn the seed of Nature.which are called Metallic because they are in the kingdom of Minerals, but their Spirits have been corrupted and spoiled by the contrary qualities of their impure Sulphur.

I say now that the Common Salt is as little the Stone; because it is not universal, and because it is a Body formed by Nature, like the other Bodies, which can never change itself, nor be converted, or, better said, go to the production of nothing, as does our natural and vegetable Salt , which procreates all things: because it is the Spirit of the Universe, and from it is drawn the seed of Nature. which are called Metallic because they are in the kingdom of Minerals, but their Spirits have been corrupted and spoiled by the contrary qualities of their impure Sulphur.

I say now that the Common Salt is as little the Stone; because it is not universal, and because it is a Body formed by Nature, like the other Bodies, which can never change itself, nor be converted, or, better said, go to the production of nothing, as does our natural and vegetable Salt , which procreates all things: because it is the Spirit of the Universe, and from it is drawn the seed of Nature.

I say now that the Common Salt is as little the Stone; because it is not universal, and because it is a Body formed by Nature, like the other Bodies, which can never change itself, nor be converted, or, better said, go to the production of nothing, as does our natural and vegetable Salt , which procreates all things: because it is the Spirit of the Universe, and from it is drawn the seed of Nature.

I say now that the Common Salt is as little the Stone; because it is not universal, and because it is a Body formed by Nature, like the other Bodies, which can never change itself, nor be converted, or, better said, go to the production of nothing, as does our natural and vegetable Salt , which procreates all things: because it is the Spirit of the Universe, and from it is drawn the seed of Nature.

To say who he is, he is a Fire enclosed in a Water, which is formed into an earthly Body, of a matter not obliged or affected to anything, but capable of converting into any Body because of its purity: which is a pure white salt, foliated and virgin earth, which has not yet produced anything. This salt generates itself and goes as it pleases, without the help of any man. And to show that the common Salt, or other, which have been found in certain regions in the Abyss of their vitriolic caverns, are not our Matter, who has ever seen or heard that not one of these matters be converted, neither into grains, nor into flowers, nor into fruits; as does our Vegetable Salt every day, which I show you so clearly, that when I told you its own name, you would not believe me,if you do not understand it by my words; and I do not know how I have the boldness to speak to you so soon, so much would I believe I deserved punishment if the natural love of the Father for the Son did not serve as an excuse for the offense committed.

This is why I dare not follow the rest of the Work, for what I fear I will fail, because I say too much, and the others too little. And it is at this point where everyone has wandered, because it is the entrance to the Garden that the Philosophers have so concealed and covered with enigmas and deceptive appearances. It is the Key to the whole Work, and whatever you find in my Books and in those of all the others, things difficult to hear;

know nevertheless that you can understand everything easily in brief words, and that this Water is the beginning, the middle, and the end of all the Magisterium;because we have nothing to do with anything other than it, which dissolves, freezes, and finally restores the Body to the total perfection of the noble Stone, which is called Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal; because it has for its material foundation the most perfect Body of Nature, which is the flaming Sun, father and first cause of this new vegetal creation; because it has likewise for mother and first lunar matter, this imperfect Body which is matrix, vegetal Water, because it is the universal Fountain of all the things which tends to vegetation.

And is said to be Animal, because the Body being dead comes back to life in this Water, feeds on it, like milk from the white udders of its first nurse. Which soon acquires here an admirable form and power. Behold what is this mystical Water so industriously hidden until now, that I make you touch with your finger, if you are such as you must be, and that it pleases God to dispense with you his graces, which he granted to me, not by any merit of mine, but by a good will he has towards his Children, who are humble and charitable.

I speak to you as a Father and not as a Philosopher, so am I not, and while apparently declaring little to you, believe that I am saying a great deal, even more than ever man has said; for what I omit to say, enough others teach,
And then it is reasonable to leave something to your work, because a little trouble you will have, will make you appreciate, which, perhaps, you would despise because of such great ease.

Consider only the intention of the good authors whom I have taught you; in them, what I omit will be revealed to you. And so that you do not say that I am naming you a large quantity of them: that it is putting you in great confusion, know that the least of them teaches you the whole Work. And there are some who repeat it several times; but I tell you those in whom you must have more confidence, and if you can see them all, so much the better, provided you take heed of their ambiguities, and know how to discern their intentions in their words;because one can clarify something more than the other, each having their own style, and his words more or less intelligible, depending on where they want to manifest themselves more or less clearly. To God, my dear Child, pray for my Soul, and keep this present Treaty as faithfully and secretly as it belongs, and that it does not fall into wicked hands.

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LAUS DEO

SECOND BOOK

My dear Child, although I doubt too much to divulge Holy Science and Philosophy, for which fear I would have stopped at the two preceding Principles, if you are moved by good will, and trusting in your prudence, I have not done difficulty in giving you yet this little Summary, by which you will be able to be more fully enlightened on the principles, and especially of the first mystical Water of the Philosophers, which is the Mother of all Metals, and of all the things which are in the World , which I tell you is nothing but a fiery Water, in which every Body must be broken and torn to pieces, to then be led by the degrees of digestion, until a perfect sublimation. This Water is therefore really a Water of Life, which must be subtly extracted from a pure and virgin Earth, then revivified,as long as in it there remains neither earth nor foreign Water; but be clear as pure Silver, of which a good quantity must be had.

Now if by my preceding Chapters, I have not given it to you to understand clearly enough, do not accuse my Book, but yourself, for you are not in grace, having in truth declared to you the truth of the thing; and in order to give you every opportunity and means to come to this point which opens the eyes and the hearts of men, I want you to reiterate the same words again, provided that you are secret and that greed or covetousness does not make you seek wealth; for it is the Work of God, and this light so concealed from the Ancients, it is the Seal of Seals, which opens and closes the Book of Life, on which are written the names of the Elect, and of those who love God and their neighbour.

Know then, Son of Doctrine, and the dearest of my Children, that the Sun, the Moon and the Stars perpetually throw their influences into the center of the Earth, in order to reach this, one must first pass through the middle regions of the Earth. Air, in which the said influences are assembled; which mixed and joined to each other, are then after distilled in the pores of the Earth, to the center of it, purifying itself from sand to sand, to the last taste of their aerial humidity;

The Air is therefore full of these influences, the Earth is also teeming with them, and there is nothing in the World that is not full of them; because it is the center of all things, and the universal Soul of all Bodies; but this seed is greatly abundant in two qualities, viz. heat and moisture,from which one sees coming out all things that are in the World, however by bringing together the first Male who is the ferment which joins the said seed, which attracts and converts it to its Nature; thus dividing the species and ordering them according to the will and first ordinance of the Almighty, so that nothing is confused, and that each thing produces fruits of its Nature.

The heat of said seed is hidden in its center, and hence is invisible. But the said dampness is the Body or the Sperm of it, which growing fat in the Air, requires physical separation and purgation, which is the preparation for the extremes; which must be considered maturely on the operation of Nature in this manner. Said seed called by Hermes, Mercury Trismegistus, because of its triple Virtue, passing from place to place in the traces and veins of the Earth, purges and cleanses the places of it by an infinite reiteration; because these humidities follow each other like the waves of the sea, until they are at their end or term, which is the hearth or center of the Earth.

For in this place having arrived, the elemental Water, or the Water of the magnified Air, left the pure Air, which is by the said centric Fire raised to the surface in the form of vapor, as it had descended in aqueous moisture, until it has met a purified earth, by the previous evacuations, to attach itself and join it, which according to purity or impurity, produces Gold, Silver and other metals. But when the said Vapor does not find this Earth, or this Earth is not enclosed between other earths, as are the places where mining is done, but is porous on all sides, the said Vapor cannot be cooked, but always rises towards the circumference , where it produces by the attraction of the celestial Sun, Grasses, Trees and all other things, or else is congealed by the Air into a certain white Body, grease of the Earth, sometimes also visible in places where there is clinging material, then being met by rain or other moisture, is redissolved and carried down by a circulation which has no end.

So ruminate in your mind what this Matter can be, because if you don't know it then, don't inquire any further, because you will never come to it. But those who need this Vapor, which would always be imperceptible to our sight, without the Body it borrows from the purest part of the Earth, know how to take their time, and do not wait for this Bird to resume its flight, but with an industrious and subtle hand, separate it from the Body, and doubling or even tripling their labor, cleanse it altogether of its gross and elemental wateriness and earthiness; for nothing strange must remain there, especially as this would impede the Work, the humidity diminishing the strength of the Spirit, and the earthiness thickening the Body instead of making it diaphanous. :

for our main intention is none other than to take it Body on the terms that Nature left it imperfect and to perfect it by Art; that is to say, Nature intended to render the said Body in its mine entirely purged of the said Earth, then to cook it until perfect maturity, which would be the same thing as the perfect Elixir, but the delay came from the Air, which piercing the walls of Nature's oven, has cooled the materials, although Nature has made every effort to overcome it.
But I will say as gathering of the principles is done.

First, it should be noted that the said principles of the Metals are only Sulfur and Mercury: that is, the heat and purity of the Earth for Sulphur, and this humid vapor for Mercury, which is the very one which cleansed and purified the said Sulfur. from its receding earthliness, reducing it by dint of distillations, into a fatty substance in various and particular places on the Earth, sometimes enclosed in a place where the heat coming from the center is retained by a certain natural vault which makes it reverberate on ice matter. Sometimes also in a vague place surrounded by pores, through which the said heat expands; and in these places there, never occurs of Metal.

But to him who is surrounded by heat, where this fat has accumulated by length of time and natural distillations, on the arrival of this steam, the said steam joins with this fat which putrefy together, because one resists the other; but the vapor daily surmounting the Sulfur digests it, so that it is consumed in the said Mercury, which increases as its enemy diminishes, and finally the Gold would only be Mercury cooked by virtue and fermenting the said Sulphur, which thus separated from said Mercury , would have left us a Body as lucid as the Sun; but as I said, the Air intervened which prevented total separation, and therefore maturity; this is why Gold bears no seed, for it could only be matured after Sulfur had been well digested or separated.

We must therefore begin our Work by separating Sulfur from it, which can never be extracted, without reducing the Body to its first matter, that is to say, to the state it was in the mine when the Raw air has come to freeze it, which is not a heavy task for anyone who understands it and knows this raw material; because she does everything. But those who have never arrived at it, or who do not have this light, believe it impossible, basing themselves on the wonder of the thing, or on the obscurity of those who have written about it; most of whom have rather intended to hide Science than to teach it, believing they are doing enough to ensure true Science, without showing the way, on the contrary have hidden it, because this research is not subtle, but simply natural.

And he who first found her had no Book; but following Nature, looking at how and with what she works; for whoever wants to achieve this, he must first be a God-fearing man; then watch as all things happen, and after the example of natural things make good and strong Resolutions.

For do not inquire into human experiences, because the work is excessive, although the whole consists only of experiences; but it is after good and strong philosophical resolutions: for, for example, what would be the use of putting two materials together in an oven to wait for the Colors, if not the real materials of the Stone.

And then when it would be the real materials of the Stone, what would all this be for, if they were not well prepared:because without the preparation they could not mingle well together by a true marriage, nor would they make a conjunction because of the impurities contained in the said materials. Thus it is necessary first to know the matters by their substances, not with the ill-founded opinions, but with a good and firm judgment.As when it is said that the Philosophers have a Gold that is alive, and that common Gold is dead, who will be the ignorant who will dare to maintain that there is in the World other Gold than common Gold, which still that he be said dead is yet the purest thing in all the Earth, and the last effect of Nature, and consequently the matter on which we must begin our Work, and must understand this difference before or after the preparation, by which, instead of being buried in a sepulchre, he was raised and placed on the path of vegetation:

A Philosopher like Raimond Lully , will say that it takes both in preparation and in the Work, so many vessels and ways of operating, that it is to confuse the disciples, if they do not know how to separate the good from the bad, so as not to sow the tares with the good seed. As another will also say, so many fires and furnaces, to which we believe, without considering that the furnace of Nature and its fire is unique, which is nothing other than a round Mountain, in which a continual heat rising from the center towards the circumference and passing through Mineral Earths, will lock up and obscure in these Mountains, where by lapse of time, it cooks the material by various degrees however. But the degrees can be imagined by a good Spirit.

Because who would be so ignorant who would not judge, that after having put two materials together, one of which is fixed and the other is volatile, which one wants to make take like cheese, if one makes a fire too strong the volatile will rise , and the fixed will remain alone; thus there will be no conjunction. For that one would be very ignorant, who would not judge that the fugitive should be gently restrained by a temperate heat, until he is caught with the fixed;

for then they will embrace each other, and one will no longer be able to leave the other; and I assure you that you will see well by the sign of which you are warned by so many good authors, when it is time for the little ones Crows leave their nest; because know that your work will be a Teaching to you, provided that you work on due matter, because your Spirit will find new things, and will not make more regard of those which by their writings, divert more than they do not benefit.

I will give you another example to guess it. You will find in their Writings, that the Projection is one weight out of ten, the other out of fifteen; but isn't that an abuse, since in all the practices that have ever been made, there has always been some difference, either in the first composition of the materials, or in the advancement or delay of the Work, or to have it more gold less concocted; no one can ensure the weight of the projection, because not all are taught by the same Master.

And therefore we always work differently. Thus the Projections differ: but who will be the ignorant who would not judge that it is always necessary to project until the matter is no longer frangible, but remains firm under the Hammer;it is reason and judgment that makes us know everything, provided that this great light does not fail us. Fear God, says the Wise, and be constant, the rest is easy, and having these things, one can easily come to the Work, of which I will mention a little more at the end of this Summary.

Take from your two Materials, as long as it is enough, and prepare it as you are taught, following the example of the two natural purifications and distillations.For your Spirit will dissolve your Body, and opening it, the two Spirits will mingle together, namely the free and the prisoner, which are called by some the Eagle and the Lion, then the Soul will follow the Spirit abandoning the Body, which on his side will return to the earthly and sulphurous silt, with which he had languished for so long, then afterwards will be given back to this Body the aforementioned Spirit, which will attract to itself several others,
For it is here the labor which is said to be supernatural, being the link of the conjunction which is made, as I have said, by an admirable and supernatural decoction.

Patience is the ladder of the Philosophers, and Humility is the door to their Garden. For whoever perseveres, without pride and without envy, God will have mercy on him. And of one, by one, which is only one, are made three, the three are made two; and the two not without a long fight, which must be ended by the prudence of the workman, will be made one, clear, beautiful, transparent, which will supply all the faults of his crippled brothers.

I won't tell you more about it, because it's enough, and what I don't say, enough others say, however obscure it may be.But work a little and God will give you grace, for he never refuses it to his servants, when they require it with a firm intention to use it well. So I will follow by exhorting you as long as it is possible for me to govern you as a good man, and to hold back what I give you, as the most precious thing in the world. God have mercy on us all, to whom be honor and glory forever and ever.

In the name of the Holy Trinity of Paradise, be carried out the Work to an end, three times very great, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

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THIRD BOOK

CHAPTER I

Nicolas Valois to his children Salut

My dear Son, when at first I wanted to give you light, I did not believe the Love of a Father so strong towards his Child that I was forced to declare you further; but as believing your benign naturalness and moved by good will, I want to deposit on your conscience the occult Secrets of my heart, to be moult preserved in yours, without anyone being able to usurp at the risk of your conscience, on which I leave them, so that after this life no harm will ever befall me, and believe that a greater Treasure of yours can be given, for no other can be compared to this one.

I have already given you the primordial Principles by my previous Chapters , and according to my purpose, to chief will come from your company, if the Creator of all things allows it. Otherwise I command you, on pain of anathematization, you or any other who wishes to ensue them, to thin them and put them in ashes, so that profaneness is not done and failure does not happen, because my words are simple; but Truth is there, as long as knowledge of it has been given to me. Because in another way we cannot practice here, so that the Ancients had another way of working, always their work is only one and goes only to the same end, and every child simple and of good life cannot wander, as said is, having the above Principles, and knowing what he seeks, though he may take one path for the other and wander sometimes, as I have done.

But no one is in the living world, that at the simplest need does not go astray, if by no Master is introduced, and for that must not withdraw his hand from it; for this Art, which surpasses all others, is much more valuable than patience should accompany all those who seek it; and if this Treaty would only be given to you at the price of all the goods that I leave you, provided that you take care of it, you will be lucky enough; having, as said is, these virtues and knowing what thing you are looking for.

Because the Stone is not what so many imposters claim, explaining more subtly the words of others than the thing requires.And without calling so much rubbish, where so many people have deceived themselves, just believe that man engenders man, and metal metal, because Gold, however much it is said to be dead, nevertheless has its seed, by which it can be infinitely multiplied , and is said Gold composed of three things, two of which are superficial, and one essential. Because Gold and Silver are only red and white earth, animated by this essentiality, without which these metals would be of little esteem.

The two superficial ones are the Earth which appears to us alive, and the Water which has been joined to it, which is seen only when the metal is in fusibility; but said essentiality is the Soul or Fire of this metal, which gives it a lot of Virtue, provided that it is stripped of this Earth, that is to say that it is purged; for without the Body the Spirit cannot act, and without the Spirit, in vain the Body will desire the Soul.

Advise therefore what you seek, and you will find that it is only separation of these three, in order to arrange them better than they were before, because Nature did not have sufficient time to concoct them;but by our Art we perfect them, and to achieve this, we need to draw in the first instance the link from the other two, which is the highly condensed Spirit, which part, no agreement can remain in them; but the Soul will desire to follow the Spirit, and thus stripped the Body will be much whitened as such by suitable calcination, to which afterwards the Spirit will be given little by little, as long as it is melting like Wax, and this Spirit will be then says Vegetable Menstrue, because it will revive the Stone, and will help to putrefy it, so that it may be fermented from its soul.

For note that all the things of the World are composed of five things, of which the first is phlegmatic, which is a superfluous dampness; the second is mercurial, which is substance of it; the third is oleaginous, which is the vivifying Soul; the fourth terrestrial, which is the Body; and the fifth, the superfluity of the Earth, which is converted to individuals, which is claimed as black; but our Composition is not phlegmatic, but charged with this damned Earth, which is the prison of our Stone. And thus this malignant Earth separated with ingenuity from the other pure Earth, will be our said Compound, the matter of the Stone without delay and impediment.

So more clearly cannot you be taught.Because other diets don't fail you, if not to dissolve your Metal little by little, as Nature operates and not hastily; then this Body being dissolved, separates it from the Body in the Waters, and the subtle being well separated, washes the quagmire, as long as the whiteness reaches it; then for the Spirit on the Body and rot them, and then several colors will appear. For these two Matters called new forms and the Dragon not yet separated, and Fire and Water will fight; then darkness comes on the Earth; then the light will appear and a balm will be made, which it will be necessary to multiply at will.

For these two Matters called new forms and the Dragon not yet separated, and Fire and Water will fight;then darkness comes on the Earth; then the light will appear and a balm will be made, which it will be necessary to multiply at will. For these two Matters called new forms and the Dragon not yet separated, and Fire and Water will fight; then darkness comes on the Earth; then the light will appear and a balm will be made, which it will be necessary to multiply at will.

Because as much in a word as in a mil, the Gold is our Body, which it is necessary to steal and rot in the Water, and from this putrefaction will be born the Salamander persevering in the Fire. And in my God, I admire the diversity of the Plowmen and the conduct of them, for they condemn without seeing, and no one is alive, if he had acquired this rot, either by one way or another. , provided that to icelle could reach, did not find thing miraculous; for many things are said of this decay, of which Books are made, which seem to fools to mean something else; whereupon they waste their time and property.

For note that Fire and Azoth are sufficient for you; that is to say, the Matter prepared as said is, and the Fire administered by the Engine and subtlety of the furnace, for the purpose of bringing this matter to decay. Because being once rotten, it is impossible that it does not happen any more perfect thing. But note that any Agent requires the Patient, who are already declared in one matter, by using the mediating thing.

And although some speak more clearly than others, even if in truth everything is said; however, we do not believe the truth in these words, because the weights, the time, nor the materials (if they were needed), are not already literally deduced there, thus significantly, and the naive enemies of Philosophy,who seek only short and easy receipts of such Philosophy have cure; but test everything they find written, without considering that Science is well written; but not entirely taught, and only by reasons and significances, as in Rasés, Archelaus, and several others, of which the practices are as different as they are often repeated;

having no resemblance to conformity of words, but of intention, which is not only to dissolve, and to freeze after the materials already prepared, as the Ancients want to signify, when after having said so many sophisticated regimes, they teach that although these regimes are false, they are nevertheless examples of Truth. Archelaus, and several others, whose practices are as different as they are often repeated;having no resemblance to conformity of words, but of intention, which is not only to dissolve, and to freeze after the materials already prepared, as the Ancients want to signify, when after having said so many sophisticated regimes, they teach that although these regimes are false, they are nevertheless examples of Truth.

Archelaus, and several others, whose practices are as different as they are often repeated; having no resemblance to conformity of words, but of intention, which is not only to dissolve, and to freeze after the materials already prepared, as the Ancients want to signify, when after having said so many sophisticated regimes, they teach that although these regimes are false, they are nevertheless examples of Truth.

And when others would believe that this Science could only be heard word after word, all things moult deduced, it would follow that no one would ever arrive at it by Book, against the saying of Cyrus in the Peat .

It is so noble that it can be understood in an hour, knowing Science simply and not all the dependencies of it; because no living person has yet had all this knowledge, which extends over all the things of the World, because the only Elixir by different accommodations is medicine over everything, which Hermes could not experience for having had too short a life. But as for the simple Peter, he can in a few words be understood by a man of good faith. As who would say the Stone is the Gold that Nature has left in the imperfect mine, which the Artist must perfect to the last degree of perfection;and it only needs to be cooked, and cannot be cooked without digestion and separation, as long as finally this Gold has become Elixir, if the heat of the mine had been very sufficient.

Our final intention is therefore none other than to take this Gold, clean it with Antimony, or Cement; then to open it in our Water and make separation of the Body, the Spirit and the Soul, that it is necessary to wash and whiten the Body, so that the Soul is better glorified in it, for after this conjunction extract the Mercury from the Philosophers and their first Matter, on which you will work, as Nature desires; to know by a single decoction in a single vessel, in which so many beautiful things will appear to the sight, that you will be glad.

So do not seek anything but my Teachings, which must be followed without other regimes than those which are declared to you hereafter: because in good Engin enough understands on the things which appear in icelle Work without misleading in its work, more than so many others who have never had a Maistre. But all the more so since the natural love of the Father for the Son alone overcame me this blow, and caused me to surpass the limits that God orders, to tell you what no one else had dared to think; do not be surprised if I have given you several Chapters, and if in them brevity is put;

because I do not say a word that is not worth noting and carefully weighing, without you having to believe in them deception, but simple Truth without any malignity, as a Father can say to his Son, who tenderly loves him. Because the difficulty of the Art is clearly put, and the rural ease referred to the differential practices of the Chemical operations which teach you the rest, like cementations, distillations and other common operations, which would harm the brevity that I want to keep in mind .

my treatise. and push beyond the bounds that God commands, to tell you what no one else had dared to think; do not be surprised if I have given you several Chapters, and if in them brevity is put;because I do not say a word that is not worth noting and carefully weighing, without you having to believe in them deception, but simple Truth without any malignity, as a Father can say to his Son, who tenderly loves him. Because the difficulty of the Art is clearly put, and the rural ease referred to the differential practices of the Chemical operations which teach you the rest, like cementations, distillations and other common operations, which would harm the brevity that I want to keep in mind .

my treatise. and push beyond the bounds that God commands, to tell you what no one else had dared to think; do not be surprised if I have given you several Chapters, and if in them brevity is put;because I do not say a word that is not worth noting and carefully weighing, without you having to believe in them deception, but simple Truth without any malignity, as a Father can say to his Son, who tenderly loves him. Because the difficulty of the Art is clearly put, and the rural ease referred to the differential practices of the Chemical operations which teach you the rest, like cementations, distillations and other common operations, which would harm the brevity that I want to keep in mind .

my treatise. and if in these brevity is put; because I do not say a word that is not worth noting and carefully weighing, without you having to believe in them deception, but simple Truth without any malignity, as a Father can say to his Son, who tenderly loves him.Because the difficulty of the Art is clearly put, and the rural ease referred to the differential practices of the Chemical operations which teach you the rest, like cementations, distillations and other common operations, which would harm the brevity that I want to keep in mind .

my treatise. and if in these brevity is put; because I do not say a word that is not worth noting and carefully weighing, without you having to believe in them deception, but simple Truth without any malignity, as a Father can say to his Son, who tenderly loves him.Because the difficulty of the Art is clearly put, and the rural ease referred to the differential practices of the Chemical operations which teach you the rest, like cementations, distillations and other common operations, which would harm the brevity that I want to keep in mind . my treatise.

CHAPTER II

From the Furnace.

Before that of any thing to treat, necessity is to say of the Furnace, which must resemble Nature in its equal and proportioned Fire digesting the matter, such as at the mine you will have seen it, of which there are still such several in various places from France, like Paris, where the whole Work was completed. But mine shall be made into a round and whole globe having a foot or so diametrically, or as the amount of your material appears, made of good Fire-resistant Earth, and make that globe four fingers thick.

In the middle will be a small circle of round iron adjoining the sides of the walls, in which will be suspended a vessel of good old oak wood, dry and not at all porous, sliced ​​by the round middle into two hemispheres, of which on the upper one will be hung a brass wire, which will pass through the sovereign part of the furnace, to raise these hemispheres when need be to see the glass vessel similarly suspended in the center of said wooden vessel;then will be the said first globe in the furnace also suspended between strong and thick towed wall above and below and on all sides, except at the sovereign part, in which there will be a round window of the size of the said wooden vessel to pass it, and also the material, which will be properly trimmed, and on the two opposite sides two other windows, the first of four inches, as much to see the colors as to pass the hand experimenting the heat of the said stove;

the other opposite will be only two inches, to give light to these colors to appear, which will be well glazed and both well stamped with two buffers,to which there will be, as in the one above, small handles to pull them when one wishes: below the said globe will be a strong and thick stirrup, where there will be four windows at the four corners, where will be four ventailles or layettes of iron or earth, whose tails will pass the said walls to open and shut down these windows when desired.

Below this stirrup, there must still be a thicker and stronger one, separated from each other by four inches, in the middle of which will be a square window straight on the Fire, through which the heat will pass to go to the four above, then after circulating around the great globe which by means of this heating, will cause a suffocated heat to the material, which heat will be as slow as you want, stifling these windows, as said is,then below these two stirrups will be the hearth, as large as the need will be, around which will be the registers to give or take away the Air, where below this hearth will be the Ashtray, the whole thing properly quenched, otherwise when you remove the ashes or put in the coal, which will be 24 hours in 24 hours. And all the coal must be made in the same way, and of small wood.

Another way is to said stove; it is a Tower of Athanor placed next to the said furnace, from which the heat leaving by the foot will enter the said furnace below these stirrups and will pass through the window, and when the Athanor passes you will be able put on another layette.




FIGURE I

(philosophical furnace)


A. Capon from the top. B. Capon of the globe. C. Four-inch window capon. D. Capon of the fenestration, where the canopy will be. E. Vessel of wood, in which is the matrass. F. Globe containing four inches in thickness. G. Fenestration from above the hearth of the two Hearths, like those of C. K. Second stirrup. L. Hearth. Mr. Fireplace door. N. Ashtray. O. Ashtray door.

The Furnace above will be enough for you to complete your work; consider the good to understand its Use.

CHAPTER III

Water Preparation

Having already taught you the Matter which contains the Water, which you need, you will separate it in this way. dissolve it in common distilled water, and being dissolved, purge it by filtering gray paper, then cook it in an earthen vessel, often skimming it; before it freezes crushed it on the marble, and put on it three parts of fine sand, thoroughly washed and dried in a strong vessel of stone glass, well wrestled, with a large vessel which shall sit in Water, to condense the Spirit at the bottom by this moisture, then set the fire by degrees for 10 or 12 hours, and you will have from one pound of matter 12 ounces of Spirit, which will have to be dephlegmated and rectified, then finely quench the vessel until the spirits come out , and so will continue as long as you have enough of the said spirits.

CHAPTER IV

Preparation of the work

Now, my Son, especially since my main purpose has not been to deduce to you by the menu all the things necessary for the work, which would bring confusion and breaking your brains, but simply to declare to you what the said Work is, from what how it begins, by what way it is perfected.

I will leave behind all the other things that are fairly well known to common operators, from whom you can take lessons for the said operations, and not from these Chapters of mine; which were never written down, but are obscured under unnecessary allegories and repetitions; and because in them, confiding one should not, operates in this way.

When you have a good quantity of the aforesaid Water, put it in two well-sealed vessels, this done, take Gold or Silver well purged by Cement and in impalpable powder, which you will wash and dry, then put in a Cucurbite and pour over it your Water as long as it floats above a finger, then quenches the vessel of the spoutless still, digests a natural day, then distills the more volatile Spirits at slow heat. This fact shall put upon thy Metal another Spirit as before said, and distil, and so iterate so long as thy Metal retain half its weight of more fixed Spirits, having expelled all the phlegm into the boiling bath; this fact, separate from the Ashes the said Spirit joined to the Metal, then you will start all over again to put back on the said Metal other Water, as before is said,

This done, take all these Waters, which you will put taste by taste on your Metal, which you will put to bury as long as your Water is dyed, then draw it through the Ashes, and put other Water as above, and continue as long as your Metal is discolored. This done, put all your Waters together which you will digest, then draw the Water from your Golden oil. This fact, begin all your work on the said oil, with your Waters, as it has been practiced, as long as the said oil has all passed through these Waters.

And if after these past, as said, at the bottom of the vessel remains some impurity, like the first Earth, these Earths must be put together, and this until the said oil no longer makes earth. This done, draw all the Waters from above the said oil, put them in a glass vessel well quenched, then take the Mark, or earth which started from the oil, and draw from it its substance, then calcine it with Fire strong.

This done, take the other guarded Water and begin your work on the said earth again, putting Water on it, as I have said, then digesting and withdrawing your Water, with what substance it may carry away. It is necessary to reiterate this work, and that it draws from this Earth what one will be able to draw from it; and when nothing can pass, it must be recalcined. This having been accomplished, the quagmire will then be cleaned, then all the said Waters will be put together, and separated from their Earth to begin this work again, which will always last as long as in this Earth will be found impurity.

And the labors are nothing but the extraction of the Soul and the calcination of the Body, which being thus accomplished;have animated Mercury twelve times the weight of the said Earth, and will digest until semblance of fixation, then put another part, and so up to twelve parts, and afterwards will put to a big digestion. But keep that the Volatile does not go away and that your Fire is so natural, that it rejoices.

Digestion being accomplished in 30 days, let your vessels cool and separate your materials, and draw your Quicksilver from it afterwards from the Fire, which you will keep in a temperate place, then you will have the Earth impregnated, which will need to separate the moisture in clear Water, which you will keep in a clean place; then taste by taste the oil or the previously guarded Soul, as long as its Body is filled with it and will be in the consistency of melted Wax, with which you will put the tenth part of Quicksilver that you have separated from it, which will serve from Menstrual to Stone.

The other way to proceed is such. Take and purge your Body as above, then pour your Water over it, as long as it floats from a finger, digests 29 hours, as above, then distill by strong bath and repeat until the Body is gone no longer dyed, then extract your oil and iron it so many times that there is no more earth left; which can only be done by means of our Waters; then the said well-purified oil must be washed by several enemas, and kept clean.

This fact, from the other part of the Water already kept, must draw the Spirit from the Earth, as above is said, and make a new Earth, throwing away the old one which can no longer be used; then wash this Earth so many times that no impurity remains there, then that by any other way than in front of it cannot be,reject the Golden Waters on the said Body by small digestions and imbibitions, then withdraw the Waters in a gentle bath: and this, so many times reiterate that the Earth re-drink its Spirit; and to do this, it is not necessary to separate the said Soul from the Water.

But note that the Earth will not replenish its temper if any filth remains therein, and being joined together with reason; it is the material of the Stone that you will put back in the furnace, to decay as will be declared hereafter because you will see a perfect sublimation, which separating the pure from the impure will bring out the clear and resplendent Mercury, which by a philosophical fixation, will give you a perfect Stone, and be sufficient for you.

Because if to say I wanted all the marvels which are there, no confidence you would have in my writings, and would believe my deceitful words. As also the brevity that I keep you could neglect to put them to the experiment (from which God keep you). Because when in iceux would be disappointment, many know well, that need is that you believe to inquire, and what light the work keeps to the men of good faith. Because two things cause many people to fail in Theory and prevent them from undertaking anything, namely, little faith and patience. And in practice, too much water or fire.

For these well-noted things make it abundantly clear that one must first believe, be baptized with Fire and Water, and patiently bear the afflictions of this World, if one is to have Eternal Life. Hey, my Child, it is not so difficult for the disbelievers of the faith to judge, for in short you will know the Truth, if patience is with you, provided you have these four things in mind. For without faith you will never be able to believe such marvels; without patience, to put anything into imagination, nor without the measures of Fire and Water, to bring anything to an end.

The little humidity is indeed retardation to the Stone, but too much is the ruin of it, and so of the Fire . For in this, the Spirit and the Understanding advance with the help of the furnace, for in vain do we turn the pegs of the Harp, which does not know which tone to take. It is true that we can go back to thinking about the thing we are looking for, whether dryness, frigidity, heat or humidity, because temperation serves where excess is harmful.

And when it is necessary to go from one extreme to the other, as happens in the Work, it cannot be without great changes which do not all come at once, but little by little; thus the harshest impositions are exercised on the people, and the proudest Lions are softened, all by moderation;because what is done by jumping, runs the risk of burning.

Two things are in our Matter, which must be noted: the first is the hardness and compactibility of this Body, which can only be softened by its same substance, which is returned to it; the second is the preservation of his Kind, where all such words are only heard in Putrefaction, where the two parts of the Body are gathered up, and is one female, and the other of another sex, so long as by its humidity, it attracts the dryness of the other to putrefaction, which is the great Secret; for therein are contained all the mysteries of the Stone.

And in this part, may consider the degree of heat by the heat of a manure, or of something else in putrefaction, but as a slow and mortified heat. And that counts with the measure of Water, which customarily is only ten to one; many great misadventures will happen later; because if once mishap happens, the other will be repaired, because do not worry about anything else to inquire, if to this Work want to hear, must untie the Body of its impurity, then perfect it according to Nature: and deligature is only done in preparation and putrefaction.

And in all the Work, there are only two perfect dissolutions, namely the said putrefaction and the projection, which are only aided by the same nature. My words are clear, and yet will you doubt their truth until knowledge of them is given to you from your first experience of them, provided you are a little theoretician, as I have taught you; but that the corruption of the World have not ruined you.
Afterwards, look for the handling of the vessels, and the arrangement of the materials, because that is appropriate; and by following these Treatises word for word, many marvels will appear before your eyes. And by these same errors will make you wise; having, as said is, the knowledge of Theory, and knowing what are the Matters, and what in here it is necessary to seek; because although under brevity I introduced the complete Science, nevertheless the most common sequel of the men already will not be any more scholars, without icelle faith, patience and firm confidence in God, from which all our goods come; then being in this grace, inquire then can what it is that the Stone, which Lully declares enough in his Theory.

This being known, advise in the same Lully in his Practical Work the means of operating; what by you have seen. Guard the Water and the Fire; but no one will give you the stove as clear as I did, because without it nothing can come. And if I warn you, that of the two ways of operating, of which one is false and the other true, and the true hidden under the false. And also repeated the same thing several times; but as I told you in my other Chapters, of the man who among a multitude is found knowing himself perfectly, I will tell you that you will find a pearl among a barrel of grain, where a blind man will not come to the end, as contained in the hand.

So if by my Teaching your eyes are opened to you, do not doubt this studied practice: for you will not be able to sayangle enough what the Work requires, if you are no longer knowledgeable of my exhortations. But beware of any other Book to inquire about except of the said Lully, or of some other that you will know well to have done, like our Companions, who left to their Children Written Books of the said Science, in which can be taken lessons of great price. But what they didn't dare to say, I put here on your conscience, which I make sure will not happen. So I will end this Chapter to say the Work of Mastery; but the Holy Spirit be in my mind. Amen.

CHAPTER V

Artwork

Any inquisitor of any Art must be Theoretician, before putting his hand to the Practice; for whoever does not hear what he is looking for, later may come, like so many inept laborers, who are simple sophists, waste their time and their property, without finding anything of what they are looking for; but on the contrary he who walks in some place he knows, whatever he may get lost, he nevertheless arrives sooner or later at the place where he desires: and when knowledge would not have of the situation of the place where he tends, otherwise than towards the Levant or the Septentrion , it will always come to completion; because by dint of walking towards this climate, in the end he will find someone who will teach him the City, if he knows its name.

So it is with our Work; because he who does not know which way to take, will be able to consume all his time on Lead, on Tin, or some other material that he will desire, by some conformity of name or quality that he will find written; but, on the contrary, he who studies himself on the noblest, can well expect a nobler outcome. For if we had no other warning, that each thing can only give what it has, isn't that enough to make us seek perfection in perfection, and not in imperfection; although without these imperfect things, the Stone could not extend its Virtue: for it is the Earth, where need is to throw our seed, to convert it into this seed.

So Gold is therefore Matter, which must be brought back to its first Matter, namely into Sulfur and Mercury, by the separation and purgation of them; that is to say of their impure Land, which holds this Body buried as in a sepulcher, which is the cause why the Spirit cannot act, as it will do after it is stripped of it, not that there is a need to separate all icelle earth, but to purify and clean it, as said is; for it is the Body, as the Water is the Spirit, and the Fire, the Soul and the splendor, which makes this Body illumined. But especially since in my little Chapters, so many detours are only found because of Shaved and others; do not enter into doubt, that Truth is there, because obscurity only serves to deviate.And I want to clear you up.

For if in them nothing sufficient is found according to your opinion, seek where I have taught it to you, even though I have told you everything; but many opinions support the resolutions. And if you believe that I have not said sufficient things, yet have I not said useless things: but above all keep silence, and if profit does not come to you from it my Treatise thin it, as said is; because such does not know how to put to use what others collect well, therefore sometimes arrives unconscious, and against the opinions of some rural investigators, my words want to be noted since in them is put the greatest Treasure of the Earth.

That is why above all have your eyes fixed on this noble matter, in which is what we are looking for; but it must be stripped by a very slow and gentle diet; lest its radical humidity receive damage, but haste is to flee, and necessity is that the Seasons bring leaves, flowers and fruits. Because the tallest fir trees were not raised all at once, but little by little, taste by taste; thus the Body must be led in its nature in the same way as it was made Body; namely by purifications, for the Spirit will come out of the Body, and will desire to follow the Water, and the Soul alike.

Thus will remain the Earth alone, which will also be raised by the Water, until nothing rises; and what will remain at the bottom will be useless, then will have to withdraw its earth, that is to say separate it from the water. And start this last work again so many times that there is no more quagmire left, then the Earth will be purged, on which little by little you will rebut the Spirit, and when they are thus assembled, put all the fire in a circle. vessel, from which it will not come out until you see your Matter emerging in clear Mercury, which will attach itself to the side of the vessel; then amalgamate this Mercury with the Gold of the Philosophers, which is the aforesaid Soul that you will put in a matrass in the furnace that I have taught you.

And there will be 40 or 50 days, with a very gentle fire that you will regulate, often sticking your hand in the stove, or judging with your eye to the material; that it is not carried out too quickly. For note that in this matter is an enclosed fire, so small that in a short time it can be suffocated. And this fire we need to keep; for provided death does not come to him, having taken our fire at will, he will rejoice in it, and from him will grow so strong that he will dominate the humidity of Matter;then force will be that putrefaction arrives from all Matter pell-mell, and will be turned into the color of Lizard Green, which little by little will turn to the swarthy, then to black, which you will often look at through the windows by raising half of the wooden vessel with archal wire. Here is the great difficulty of Art, represented by so many allegories of the Philosophers; it is also their sea, their forest and in a word the whole Work; because by this putrefaction, Nature is converted and changes form, and no change or mutation can be made of any thing that is in the World except by putrefaction. It is the mystical Water of the Philosophers, which is vile in all things, and without which nothing is generated.

And if you were asked the means of making the Stone, like also any other thing, you will be able to teach it by this word: Putrefy. Because without this putrefaction nothing is done, and this alone is enough. It is the mystical Water of the Philosophers, which is vile in all things, and without which nothing is generated. And if you were asked the means of making the Stone, like also any other thing, you will be able to teach it by this word: Putrefy. Because without this putrefaction nothing is done, and this alone is enough. It is the mystical Water of the Philosophers, which is vile in all things, and without which nothing is generated.And if you were asked the means of making the Stone, like also any other thing, you will be able to teach it by this word: Putrefy. Because without this putrefaction nothing is done, and this alone is enough.

So don't look for anything else, but that you can achieve it; for to keep brevity, as said is, no other long procedure you want to do, neither of Dragons nor of Lions, nor of Dogs, nor other animals, nor of separations of Elements, nor any other thing; because who would believe that to convert the Earth into Fire, it is first necessary to convert Elements; for first, Earth becomes Water, then Water becomes Air, and Air becomes Fire, closer in proximity to Air than Earth; but this process is long and confusing more than it teaches.

Our Compound therefore being blackened, it must come to whitening, and whiteness cannot come there without becoming gray, but the Fire continues its operation until perfect whitening; for then it should increase slowly, and not suddenly, as the Body grows nourishment should be given to it. And the milk of our Stone is Fire; because it is only Fire, which requires strong Fire, according to the strength of the complexion, and icelle was figured by the Prophet Elijah, who devoured the flames of Fire whole.

Between the predicted colors, there are many others, but these should not be looked for, like crazy flowers that are useless; and by these brief words have all Science described, that nothing remains to be said; but the work will be yours to teach, when many things happen against your mind, which you will remember to have read in the Books, whose name be blessed God. And what I have yet to recommend is faith, patience, and purity, without which with proportion and thy arrangements retardation would be. So let's come to the rest of the work.

CHAPTER VI

Multiplication

Fermentation is extraction of substance; but we do not need to remember it any other way than what has been said and will be spoken afterwards. But the Multiplication is necessary to know, which is only a pure reiteration of the Work; namely, to the materials and not to the length of time, for if the first Work was accomplished in nine months, the second will be accomplished in three, the third in three weeks, and at the end in a short time. For at first a length of time is required, especially as Nature is dead, for the little vigor which is in her; which vigor nevertheless is the entrance and leaven of the Stone.

Because without it our Fire would work in vain, because nothing of it would enter into matter; but here it has the attractive Virtue of drawing its nourishment from the Fire of the Philosophers, and the more its strength and its virtue grow, and the more powerfully it acts on our Fire, and in a shorter time draws its nourishment from itself; and finally sees himself made Fire pure. That is why in the beginning, he does not win so soon because the enemy is ten times stronger, and now that his strength is increased ten times, they are equal, and as soon as they feel the Common Fire icelle putrefaction happens. Thus they increase in projective virtue, which I will mention at the end of this Treatise.

CHAPTER VII

From the Screening

Although in the Books of the Philosophers the Projection is there, if only so as not to forget anything; so that you are not compelled to ask for them, I will say. That any assembly of contrary parts cannot be done without some mediator who has insight into the wills of both to know how to unite them. Now the Elixir is so far removed from the Imperfect Metals, that in them he would not want to marry, without the obligation and commitment of the promised faith. And because this Elixir came from Gold, this Gold has this power over the Elixir to make it promise connection and marriage with itself without fear, which holding it firmly forces it to enter into these other Bodies;not, however, without the regret that he receives from it, which he testifies to by the complaint he makes of it in his projection.

It is therefore necessary to put three or four parts of refined gold to melt in a crucible; which being melted, you will put part of your Elixir on it, and you will stir them with a small stick as long as they are well mixed, then you will throw them into an ingot, and will be Medicine for the Metals. And if your Work is blank, put Silver instead of Gold. But for the Medicine of the human Bodies, this Matter requires ampler declaration, which you will find enough in Lully .

Enough said of these things for the present, than to see you have no doubts of working. Because if by this me in small Treatise you cannot come there, do not believe that all those of Lully, nor of the others, must be enough for you, not that I forbid them to you, but I recommend them to you; but not that after experience you will have done so; because their words are by me declared briefly, and mine will not be found in any of their Books, except veiled and mingled among fabulous things. Pray to God to inspire you, for without his grace nothing can be done;and observe my Teachings moult, so that misfortune does not arrive by this defect, and that after the course of this life, nothing prevents us from the celestial Kingdom, where wants to lead us the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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BOOK FOUR

This is my last remark in the form of an Epilogue to which the Work is repeated and very well taught, to whom to follow the will of my Children, although with little obscurity, in some place Truth is nevertheless put there, and greater light cannot be given.

When it is a question of anyone giving himself up to a need in which he thinks he is spending his life, he too cannot understand; why in this process learning is never time uselessly employed, nor is delay already harmful to the worker; because in some small Art that it is, moult one must be tested before no work to expose. As in our Science, Theory must first work, then Practice must follow.
Because here our Philosophy, which has never been measured by any other Science, well deserves that he who seeks it, to here completely devotes himself, without wasting time or opportunity, nor in his opinions varying until the last experiment;

however that it be founded on reason, and not cuider that this Art comes to us without seeking it, seeing that the least Science consumes the young years of the Students without knowing much nor acquiring profit by their studies, any more than the flatterers of Court , who with the Great ones die ruined. These miserly merchants and craftsmen, also all lawyers and other officers, consume their years and their Corps, the first that great wealth can achieve, so unprofitable are the things of the world;but in it noble Art of Philosophy lies the Treasure of Kings, the favor of Peoples, and the glory of Heaven; for by means of this, to man nothing is impossible.

Thus, my Child, to inquire about everything else abandon, not that I want my Teachings alone to obey you; but to those of all the good authors who have preceded us, and of whom I am only an imitator, like Lully, already so highly recommended by me; because he of course does not doubt to enter into work; but even though previously I have given you the entire Work in which few things are obscured. If the regret I have at not daring to speak more openly still makes me give this little Abridgement, to which the Magisterium will be repeated several times, which you will note with good Engin, as a thing of great price; for although it seems to differ from speech, nevertheless the intention is but one, whatever one may say what the other omits.And that if the difference is found there, it is only the difference of operations,

For there are several Magisteries, some of whom are simply called Minieres, of whom I do not speak; the others are called Stones, of which there are two kinds: that is to say that the operation of one lies so much only in washing the Body well, both by Water and by Fire. The operation of the other is to make the Gold of living Azoth; the invoice and the generation of which follows Nature in the procreation of the Metals, and for this to compose well, it is advisable to know the manufacture of the furnaces, so that they do not exceed both in increase and in decrease according to the necessary degrees, of which we will talk later; for the Fires are to be noted, as well as the manner and quality of the vessel of the Work.

Which Work consists of four parts, namely in solution, freezing, albification and rubification; which four parts I will declare according to the intention of the Philosophers, and not by rural ignoramuses, who take the syllables for the intention.

For there are two solutions at work, one of which is mystical and the other philosophical. There are also two Conjunctions or Marriages, one ordinary and the other philosophical. The simple is only the assembling of the parts, but the philosophical is the conjunction which takes place on the Fire, namely in the natural dissolution of the Body, and in the congealing of the Spirit; for this Body and this Spirit meet each other and join together, namely the Water thickened up to a certain point, and the Body softened in the same degree.

For the generative part puts its virtue in the subtle which is the Air, and thereby are joined, and is the solution, congealing, division, composition and putrefaction of the Philosophers hidden until today, and leaves the diversity of words, all these things are one and the same operation, after which comes the imbibition of half the weight of the material by the Water of ice until bleaching, after which another imbibition is made, and then comes the compost to rubification, and are the four parts already declared.

But first of all, the Body, as the saying is, must be dissolved, so that the heat enters its depths, in order afterwards to redissolve it and freeze it, as the saying is, with the thing that has approached it. For as the worms are produced from a single matter, the bled alone engenders another bled, of which the Sun and the humidity of the Water cause the germination, which produce its like, is at the end this him bled converted into the flesh and blood of man. Thus our Fire, which in this resembles the Sun, is the life and death of our Stone, by a certain in-between in its spirituality; and to put it in a nutshell, what is our Pierre, icelui bled is the example. For here is only a metallic seed drawn from such a Body, and sown in metallic Earth,

But for this Work to come, many things are required, first of all time. Although at any time it can be done; but Spring above all advances the Work, especially since the coldness of Winter, coming to strike the furnace, the Fire is affected and loses part of its strength; so that at such times the talent of the workman will be necessary, to help the Fire against this coldness.

Secondly, the place must be free and secret, and able to do everything without any constraint. Thirdly, the person must be gentle, equal, peaceful, constant and skilful, and in no way contradict his Companion, by any reason for presumption, except to give advice according to reason and Nature.For the Matters, already by me have been sufficiently declared, so that no better explanation can be made of them, that by declaring that every thing engenders its like: that Nature approaches Nature and joins icelle; and that Nature contains Nature; for all foreign things are thrown out of the work.

But for beginnings to hear, know that any dry tincture is useless in its dryness; but by Water all color is brought to the sheet. Now we have seen in the procreation of Metals, three principal matters, of which the first is a moist vapor, proclaimed Mercury; and the second is the heat of the Earth, which is Sulphur; from which two matters is generated the first matter of Metals. And as much as need is to reduce iceux Metals into iceux first Material, moult iceeux subtilier is appropriate, as said is, for from here extract iceux first and second Matter; because when measure our Stone could be built of Animals and Plants, as some want, it would be necessary to draw from them Quicksilver and Sulphur, by long dissolution,

There are also three kinds of complexions among men, some of which are quite coarse and rural, which have no good machine; others are very subtle and think they know everything, and nothing comes, which invent things out of Nature, and no Book wants to hear; but the third are more perfect, and between these extremities hold the middle, and participate in mediocrity in each other; for as strong wine, because of its heat, harms human health, so Water kills by its rawness; but the proportionate mixture of the two is very suitable.

So in the Stone of the Philosophers the first matter of it is not the first matter of all things, nor also the Metals, but around here is found our first Matter; for the Body must be demoted, not to the four Elements, but to the metallic principles. And when this Body is degraded in form, it must take a new form in its mineral Menstrua, and from this it take substance; as we see in the belly of the woman, the child takes nourishment from the menses of it, until the age of being generated on Earth.

Thus the first Matter of Metals is here the vapor of the Earth, and here heat, from which our Matter is generated by the conjunction of the two; for Earth or Water alone are useless, but by their proportioned mixture are begotten all things. And so that you do not doubt my words, look at the Miners who still exist today; to which, although the air enters, these hot vapors always rise in such abundance, that the laborers, who work there, hardly suffer their shirt, by the heat which in these places lives in these vapors; even, and if so much rise icelles, that often happens that iceux would be suffocated, if longer stay they wanted to make there. Because immediately we see them go out, that their candle wants to be extinguished;and when they returned to the mine,

This is the first Menstrue of the Philosophers, which we really need. But Fire is the regime of everything, which is divided into three, of which the first proceeds from the Sun, which cooperates imperceptibly in every generation, as the first Agent of Nature, which is in every kind of seed and is called natural Fire. The second is that which, starting from the center at the circumference of the Earth, carries these smoky vapours, and is said to be unnatural; to which is compared that of Art, by the administration of which the natural is increased;the third is said against Nature, which is begotten from the first, namely from the vapors of the Metals, and rots the compound, as we have heard from the First Menstrue, which so corrupts matter out of specific form, that it is brought to generation; and thus the natural, and against Nature, are one and the same thing; except that the counter-Nature, by greater debilitation, walks more slowly by destroying matter.

And on the contrary the natural as more vigorous by generating icelle, which feeds on the other, which is its extrinsic, and however does not appear anything on icelle said extrinsic matter without the intrinsic, which is said natural Fire;thus one awakens the other, which dissolves the Body perfectly, by means of the furnace, whose steps are in the first instance, heat of fever or manure; the second from Bain; the third of Cinders, and the fourth of Coal or flame: for in them are the successive digestions, of which the first is the solution of the Body, which is made in the conjunction of the male and the female, whence comes putrefaction into a homogenized Water by this feeble Fire;

the second is separation of the Waters, where the Elements come out of Chaos, as the Philosophers say; and the third comes as a Water which is called the Dew water ; and in the fourth are all the fixed Elements. To which procession Nicolas Flamel bears witness ;

but above all take care that the extrinsic does not destroy the intrinsic, or lacks its guarantee; that is to say, keep the Fire and the Air together, which are willing to be kept to be nourished by this digestion, without the humidity or frigidity of this Stone damaging them. Keep still the Air and the Water from the combustion of the Fire, keeping also the Cold and the Dry; for all these oven seek their preservation in food by the proportions and degrees of the heat of the furnace; for Fire and Azoth suffice;but the Azoth, which is the composition which contains in itself the said four Elements, is Quicksilver and not vulgar, but that which is drawn from the Bodies, and not from the mine, dissolved by the Quicksilver, so much that it is more cooked than the vulgar one; for this Body is made of mercurial Water, from which comes Azoth, as animated Spirit.

And note that the first composition is made of three things, namely metallic Water or Mercury sublimated by white or red Levain, and by the Second Sulfur, of which in Lully seeks the weights; for as Mercury takes color, he communicates it to others. It also draws from the Stone three humours, by dissolving and coagulating them one after the other; namely that of Water, that of Air, and the radical; but this radical is only Fire, which does not want to draw its Ash except by a gentle fire of nature, and not like the radical temper of glass which yields only to the force of Fire; and this is the difference between stained glass art and our art.
The Stone is also made of one thing, which contains two, three and four; because the four Elements are there, the three Principles, and the two Matters, to know Sulfur and Mercury, not vulgar in their Nature, but the Bodies reduced in this matter; for being simply perfect, they are useless to us without an ingenious mondification and separation of imperfect things, gradually dissolving in the philosophical dunghill the dregs of Fire, Air and Water, so that the Stone remains without filth, and it will be the separation that is said.

Separate the Earth from the Fire, and the subtle from the Thick with Industry, because after the exaltation of this Stone, it is suitable to nourish it with a Juice which came out of it in the first operation, which is called Water of the Stone .So that one vessel, one material, and one diet suffice.

If both at the beginning and at the end several regimes, several vessels, Matters and Fires are required, even up to seven Triturations. But having, as it is said, several Mercurys, these regimes cause their diversity; and for what in this place, I want to declare the Menstrue closer to the matter of icelle Pierre, know that even though the Spirit cannot join the Body, as said is, only after that Body will be made of nature of Spirit by our first Menstrue, to which is the Fire against nature, another Menstrue is required, which is root of our Stone and in it is converted, thus as Matrix to the Animals, where they find creation and nourishment, and of this last Mercury are made multiplications, putting part of the Elixir on a thousand of it Quicksilver and with it fixed in the Slow Fire Furnace,then increasing it by three natural days which is the Work of Three Days; which can be reiterated until an infinite multiplication.

Thus Art can be said in brief words, not however like the other Sciences, but by philosophical intelligences; for this one cannot otherwise explain, even if one would believe it, without similarity, so noble and admirable is he. So it should only be revealed with figures and examples: as it were, take some Ground, grind it with Water, rotting it into other Waters and by various grindings crumple it hard with Salts, and burn it several times to acquire purity.

Item, take a part of the Body, and seven or nine, even up to ten of the Spirit, which you will put in the vessel in the furnace, where they will be for forty or fifty days turning white and red, whose experience will be seen on the red iron sheet. For if she runs without smoke, then take three parts of red Leaven and two parts of Water and Air, and make amalgam that you will digest by degrees, from which will come out a red and transparent crystal, from which take one part and put in a crucible, and incessant taste of its oil, as long as it is melted and flows without smoke.

For then thou shalt have perfection, as well in white as in red, putting, as said is, a weight of this Elixir on such weight as in front of red or white Water, following the Elixir according to the manner already declared, of which enough be said, and suffice you if you don't want to start again in this way. Extracted by the Spirit believed the digestible Spirit of the Body dissolves, so that you have a fixed Ash which you will further dissolve,

And in these words is the whole Work, besides what I have already preached. For the stove you have enough knowledge of it, although others still are now of which I do not wish to speak, but by you will be required, if need be, and which you perseveringly condescend my warnings to retain; for it is not up to me to lead this Work, but lead you to it as much as possible for me; provided that avarice or laziness do not command you.

Because to leave nothing to say that you had to do with, I will increase my stove for you even more, if in the state it is it is not enough for you, changing something from it to this way. To know, that instead of building it, as said has been, you only do it similar to B . C. _ D. _ F. _ L. _ M. _ N. _ and O. _ Because you will remove A. G .HI and K. And instead of A . make a fenestration similar to that of I. And again of G . and H., if need be, but above all, that it be justly quenched, so that nothing can come out or enter it except by will, on which will be fixedly placed a vessel similar to F . And what lies with it, so that the vaporous heat of the first furnace enters the said F ., as long as it is needed, it can be used for the sweetest digestions, but it is necessary that F . be reinforced from outside, because of the Air which will beat against it.

PRAISE BE GOD

AMEN

DEUS IN NOMINE TUO SALVUM ME FAC

If you want to know the way

To make Stone and Mining,
In Lully you should see;
It was he who let me know,
And learned the right invoice
From the same Gold that Nature engenders.
But for the Stone, it is appropriate
Have the liquor that comes from it.
Namely a seed,
Of immense strength and virtue,
Whose Gold and his Wife products
To perfection be led.
But first you will dissolve it,
And in stone will put it.
As well as Nature and Science
Teach it to people of conscience.
In its principles reducing
This noble and heavy metal;
As we do in sections,
Human body dissections.
To see on secret parties,
Departed qualities above.
Because a Seed in this place
Is beginning and middle,
And end of this admirable work.
It is also, as has been written,
A Salt, a Water and a Spirit,
Which being united together,
Are only a balm, it seems to me,
And then to this perfect balm,
Mercury is indeed yawned.
Then comes from them an oil sprout,
Incombustible without fail.
Which is occasion more,
That Mercury we no longer know
And devoured the wingless
Tail of the Venomous Dragon;
Then Mars on a quest by reason,
Put Mercury in jail
By the light horses of the Camp,
And give him warning to Vulcan.
Then the colors appearing,
Go one after another being born,
Lead being, then Mars as lightning,
Turns Mercury's bones into powder.
Then the Moon in a gray coat
Silvered from the Waters she took,
With tears and all in mourning,
Cries her husband the Sun.
And praying for his deliverance,
Bothers them excessively.
Nevertheless Vulcan the Jailer
Continue his daily Fire.
Until as Venus the beautiful
Yet arrives around her,
Red coat lined with green
With which all her beautiful Body is covered,
Holding in her hanging hands
Very fragrant flowers.
After Heaven, or issuant Air,
A very powerful Animal comes out.
With many more babies,
Which suddenly Vulcan devours.
Also does the beautiful Venus,
Which for him would go jus.
And if cried out in a loud voice,
Wives fathered me without fail.
And my Seed everywhere,
On this side, beyond, spars;
But their Soul in me uniting,
Of their Blood I will pasture.
Then he and his little ones together,
They say who looks like strong gold,
In a room shut himself up,
And the door closed behind him:
Eating much more,
Than he had done until gold.
So well as he had done,
This first oil indeed,
Incombustible and delectable,
Which some have called drinking gold
Then came a transparent Old Man,
Of this Animal seizing,
From which here ends the thing,
That throughout here I expose
Finally, with this following statement,
Which now I'm ending
To tell you that if you are wise,
Here you will learn
Of the greatest Secret than ever
Taught the Sage Hermes.


GOD BE BLESSED AMEN

---

BOOK V

FIRST CHAPTER OF THEORY

My very dear and natural Son, although previously, paternal Love has led me to declare to you many highly lofty and wonderful things, which my man had told me so clearly, but each obscuring these by figurative similarities, in order to mislead the unworthy whom this noble Art seeks, and to teach the Children of Science, which I command you to keep silent, and reveal it to no man under pain of damnation, as it has been entrusted to us by those from whom it is held. For all things would be degraded on Earth; but keep it in your heart, otherwise you would not teach; which all significance and statement will give you: for though heretofore have I certain truth of this Art, yet in it are many faces, from which this present Theory will keep you,

Because when by your own hands would have seen all the Work brought to an end, I would not be more learned for that, if your conscience were sullied, because deviance will happen to any man who believes that he is usurping and already will not happen at the effect of his practices, whatever good engine he had, and whatever straight path he might take. For enough have been of them by their rejected vices, so that they had experience of them. And for this have the Jews and Arabs here lost, as unworthy, which however had it between them by tradition, like traditional Cabal;

which was given by the Almighty to Moses on Mount Sinai, and thus kept from Father to Son, without writing, until Ezra;and then from Ezra to David Roy, by certain numbers and characters, among the sacred stories of the Hebrews, for here, be made and built this great and wonderful edifice of the Temple of God. But herelui Roy David, corrupting his morals by impurity, was not only dismissed from herelui Art, but also deprived of seeing the construction of this beautiful edifice.

What I tell you, as I have been taught, by a certain copy of this traditional Judaic Kabbalah, which was called Magic, which is the philosophical Science, from which Hermes, Pythagoras, Numa Pompilius, and several others, have given school to the youth, not for this Science only, or Art of the Stone to know, but for all the knowledge of Nature, agreement and knowledge of it, and also to discover the occult things and hidden with the men, by joining the superior to inferior things , by true marriage.

And applying by nature the active things to the passive, so that there are born things admirable to see and hear, and others which are reputed to be miraculous, like giving birth to roses, and grapes in March, or in an instant several reptiles and animals on Earth. Item rains and thunders, which made say that the rural people believed that this Magic was on the part of Satan, changing the word of Magic in Sorcery and enchantment. Such learned Philosophers have been Hermes, Joseph, Amanadus, Ptolemy, Apollonius, and several others, of whom it would take a long time to relate; but above all Salomon Roy son of David, who was so much learned and subtle character, that he argued and disputed from the highest cedar of Lebanon, to the smallest hyssop leaf.

Such were also those who, at the birth of the Son of God, came to bring him mysterious gifts befitting his greatness and the capacity of their doctrine. Since then, there have been many laborers in the Art, such as Arnaud , Bacon , and several others; between whom of good memory was the good Lully , so much recommended, principally his Testament and his Codicil . Because even though I have given you Science so well written, yet do not be amazed if in these writings, there are no obscure points to the ignorant.For whoever would give it in such a way that everyone could practice it, would deserve more Hell and damnation than there are blades of grass on Earth.

And when by a Jew , Flamel had an explanation of his Paintings, yet he was for a long time the first to come; because any worker, however well indoctrinated he may be, must contribute a great deal of his labor with patience, constant and firm Faith in God. So do not concern yourself with these obscurities; but let him have your treatment, and in them my writings, reserving above all, however, those of Lully , so much recommended by me, for what it is impossible for me to say everything, although everything by me has been said; but not successively, but according to reason and knowledge.

For as said is, the Labor of yours will be teaching, provided you go by the right path, considering first, what thing you seek, for what end, and by what means. And I am not amazed, so few are today who arrive at this Art, given the eagerness, incredulity, and impatience of the Laborers, who would like it to come to them without inquiring, and it was done without hand put. Because such there are, who would not want to give themselves the time, nor the trouble to put it into practice, even if they had it more clearly than I am giving it to you.
Alas! A poor Student is so attached to a Book, which will give him only a word of this precious Art, and you ignorant, you think you can achieve it without difficulty and by the labor of others.

It would be damned to him who, after the consumption of his time and his youth, would put it in the hands of such a lazy and lazy man; for no worldly affair can be compared to it. For what leave everything else, and go about it yourself, or more to icelle does not aim. So, my dear Child, with such and good affection as before, you want to leave this little Treatise, by which you will be indoctrinated by way of theory on the most principal points, which could have been omitted or obscured by others my preceding Treatises .

CHAPTER II

The knowledge of this noble Art has come to us by Books, both Theoretical and Practical: so as the Treatise on the Judaic Kabbalah, which the Lord gave to Moses, to be dearly kept among the Children of God, to whom is given perfect knowledge of all Nature, both lower and higher; whereby, as die is, are the Children indoctrinated to conjoin things according to their own kind and species, to produce things of their Nature, and wonderful to hear.

So many, as said is, by icelles knowledge, have done miracles, like the Magicians of Pharaoh against the miracles of Moses, which, according to the opinion of some, hold icelle science from the time of the deluge: but icelle natural knowledge is divided into several parts, of which the first is the astral knowledge and conjunction of the higher and lower Elements, such as the generation of rains and thunders: also reptiles and flies by the powerful natural Virtue, but of this we do not hear, but of the second, which is our intention, which has the same principles and the same objects; although in part it is restricted and obliged to some natural Bodies, whereas the first is free and not assigned to any intention other than that of the workman.

The third are the occult Virtues of Animals and Vegetables, which rural and worldly Doctors think they hear a lot, which derives and depends on the second. And by it can be known and understood by any Artist, here second is the Stone in all its circumstances, which although it is in all places, is nevertheless very perfectly only in Gold alone. For in it is enclosed all the power of Nature, which is called Sulfur, or Fire. Because it is an astral Virtue which after several circulations in the Earth, it is condensed and thickened by double Virtue with the humidity of the Air, which is gradually added to it. Thus Gold is the universal Medicine and the fountain of Life.

And for this Medicine to have, you must first consider what you are looking for, and by which way you want to operate. Because to make a Tree, it is necessary to operate naturally from living Natures, to know that have vigor and increasing virtue like the Tree;which has in itself a soul attracting from the Earth a nourishment and multiplication of Trees, which is not only subtle Earth, mixed with Water, which keeps in its occult a little Sulphur, which Fire brings up here Earth and Water to follow its Companion, who is already in the wood, by a certain attractive Virtue and affinity, and as soon as this watery Earth enters wood into it by the small end of its roots, it begins to take the said nature of wood and become wood: because most of the Earth carried thus by the Water remains in the trunk or branch for the increase of it,

And when the Water no longer has the strength to rise, carries a subtle vapor that becomes a flower; then thickening becomes fruit, in the center of which are formed small grains in which the Soul is imagined by the virtue of Fire, as in the whole of the Tree. Which by Virtue of the ripening Sun comes into act and Virtue of Soul. And so the species is continued by its seed, and by this similarity; Gold has an imagined seed, by which it can be multiplied, and makes Medicine on imperfect Bodies.

But vulgar Gold is as if dead, and has no seed in it: for it is like grass pulled up before the season. But who could replant this grass and make it ripen, it would bring seed. For the multiplication of grasses, lies only in grasses, and if this grass has no seed for not having had enough nourishment in the Earth, do we seek this grass seed that is rawer and greener, as those which go to the Imperfect Metals, which are cruder and greener than Gold and Silver; or else those which are more subtle than Nature itself, go to the four primordial Elements, of which Nature could immediately make a horse than a Metal; or else believe they take the first Matter of all things, not judging that Nature is powerless of any new creation, which to God alone belongs.

For it pleased him to create all the things of the World from the first Matter, and to give Nature power over the second, namely over the seed; although nothing appears to come out of the Earth without seed, for no time, no place, or matter, has the power to give new form without seed; like woodworms; for then the species can be born of matter, and not of the species. But it is not only the first universal Matter; but of a Sulfur contained in this Matter which has the power and virtue of producing such a species.

For all Sulfur is male and leaven, which converts the first Matter. But we give it the second. Because Nature gave me my Body, but without my seed, it is impossible for Nature to make one similar to me. For all things are generated from Male and Female. And how much that to dissolve and open first the Body of Gold, there is need of a humidity which is like female, carrying the Gold in itself hermaphroditely male and female, like the Plants; because they do not need other females than a clean Earth where they are planted; thus Gold alone suffices. Because in it nothing enters but what is in itself, although I said that the Stone can be made of all things. It is quite differently, because first, what we call Peter is needed.

But the Stone is properly only the very pure Quintessence of each thing, which is freed and extracted from its impure Earth, which held it as if embarrassed in its interior; which Quintessence is not only a virtue and substance invisible to bodily eyes, which cannot of itself contain itself without a Body, like the Soul of man. This is why this so noble Quintessence, needs a very subtle Body approaching the nobility of its subtle substance, which Quintessence thus embodied is a marvelous medicine for all diseases, according to the more or the less.But Gold has this Quintessence more perfectly in it than the other Bodies, both because of its long and perfect digestion in the bowels of the Earth, of which its Body is formed, which Body, whatever the rural people claim it Gold, n Yet it is only Earth.

Because, as said is, here Quintessence or Gold of the Philosophers, is invisible to the bodily eyes, and is not seen anything other than Earth in Gold, no more than in the Body of man, where the Soul does not is manifest only by its effects and faculties. All things are composed of three things, namely Earth which makes the Body, Water which makes the Spirit, and Fire which makes the Soul. Gold is of this composition, because although the Earth is very pure, it is nevertheless only Earth resplendent by the Virtue of Water and Fire. For as said has been, being from here Gold this splendor, this Earth will be of little esteem.

Gold, therefore, having been composed of these three things, has these three things still in it, and can, after a more accomplished digestion, convert another paste into its substance, according to the more or less of this digestion; for he has seed in him, like all other things.

Thus, as if by similarity to the Apple, which is not an apple tree, nor even less a similarity to it, and who would believe that he was planting the Apple to make an apple tree come, would err. For the Apple is a Body made of Earth and Water and coagulated by the Sulfur of the apple tree, having in it no virtue of producing its like; but whoever would open this Apple would find in it the sperm, in the center of which is the seed capable of producing an apple tree. Gold is therefore without deception the Matter from which the Matter of the Philosophers is drawn, because it is the Earth from which the Earth is drawn, in which the Gold of the Philosophers is sown. That is to say, this spirituality has already been declared, without there being anything foreign involved in it.

This is why I have recommended Theory to you so much, which imbues reason with the heart of man, for cause and fear of the rustic ignoramuses. For it is not that mixture cannot be made of any Metals; but know for certain, that no body mixes perfectly, which are only differential and impure lands. But the Spirits are penetrating together. And be enough for you.

But I have said that all things are begotten of two, and though in Gold are contained both, another Spirit enters and opens the door of the sovereign Heaven, which can be found in every elemental Body and s' call repupu, Southern Bird, brighter than fine Gold, and yet nests in retreats, as in Gold it is contained. And so it is precious 3; which is called Bird of Paradise, because it dwells in the highest regions and makes its nest in the low land.

This thing is therefore noble and vile, that is, vile in its corruption and noble in its generation. For corruption never comes, may a nobler generation follow. And so Nature improves things every day until a certain term, and then leaves them. But the Artist should look like this, and if he thinks he is imitating it, let him imitate it boldly: but if he thinks it is perfecting, let him know with what it perfects things, and he will find that it is always with similar things.
As by similarity, who would like to have good fruits to amend Nature, it would be appropriate between fruit of such Nature and not of another species, nor on another Nature, like apple tree on apple tree.

True is that in Nature can be born Monsters, by terrible commixion of the reasonable, with the brutes, as in the Vegetables apple tree on pear tree, but always however according to Nature, knowing from Animal to Animal, from Vegetable to Vegetable, and this still more approaching Nature, like pear trees on pear trees and not on oaks, or other trees of a contrary nature.But the Metals are very noble or very imperfect, and do not believe in amending the best with the worst, but subtleting and penetrating it more and more by the aid and means of simple Matter, which is Nature, lest the alliance of a foreign thing mixes with our Matter to infect it, instead of purifying it. Because, as said is, each thing remains in its kingdom without passing into the other, each multiplying according to its kind.

CHAPTER III

Nature is very simple, and does not operate differently, but with the same Vessels and Matters in its operations. Because the top is like the bottom, and on the contrary. That is to say that they are made of a single and unique Matter, and by the same regime, however keeping the order and the observance of the different regimes. For the animal Sulfur will never have the power to freeze the vegetable Mercury, nor the Vegetable the Animal, neither coagulate, nor be coagulated by the Sulfur or by the mineral Mercury.

Thus are mistaken those who believe to extract their first matter from the Vegetable, being based on what our Stone is called vegetable, or of the Animal being called animal. For the Animal remains in the animal kingdom, the Vegetable in the vegetable, and the Mineral in the mineral, although animal substance is made vegetable, by conversion of one Nature into the other, according to the digestion of the convertible.

But already the Metal will not be made Vegetable nor Animal, nor the Animal and the Vegetable, made Mineral. For the Metal remains in its metallic Nature; so that he can go to one or the other, but it is by Medicine of the Perfect Elixir or Perfect Stone.So when we say that our Stone is vegetable, we say it with reason that it depends on the universal and vegetable Nature, which causes in it new vegetation and new life. It is also called vegetable, Lully by virtue of its medicines. And what we call it animal, is because it is composed of Body, Soul and Spirit, and is antidote and medicine to Animals as to Plants.

For it prolongs the life of men, and restores their youth, although it is primordially only mineral; but by successive degrees, arrives at this animation, as well as at rotting, one of which even at this vegetation, and the other at this animation. This is why it is said that the Work is done in two nights and three days. The days being the similarity of the three kingdoms, and the nights of them rotting which are the so much recommended dissolutions, for although there are several dissolutions, there are nevertheless only two kinds, one of which is rural and violent. , the other soft and philosophical, under which they are together understood.

These three Stones are also represented in the Work, by the three Sulfurs of the two three kingdoms. For through the Mineral Stone, or Mineral Degree, comes the color of metallic Sulfur; through the vegetal degree, comes the Coagulation and odor of vegetal Sulphur; and by the animal degree acquiring this perfection, by these two degrees, on these two kingdoms as on the Metals to strip them of their impurity and filth, making the Hidden manifest, and manifestly perfecting that which has occult perfection, out of the mire of the Earth, on vegetables, by a repair and restoration of invigorating humor lost and consumed, by the debilitation and short duration of these Vegetables.

And on the Animals by a Separative Virtue of the pure from the impure, which impure causes corruption in our Bodies, and diminishes the radical humidity and natural heat of them.

So that the exterior, which seems debilitated by the interior debilitation, resumes its first greenness, both in Plants and Animals; and is by this Medicine stripped of accidental inconveniences, which had come upon him from the superfluous and corrupting humours, or astral dryness, of a feeble and languid nature.

This is why the Wise Physicians forbid the Gold of chemistry to the medicines, because it is not stripped of its unnatural Fire, and has not acquired these perfections by these rottings which perfectly separate these things.

CHAPTER IV

But I said that nothing is primordially generated from a matter alone, because a matter has no motion, nor can act on itself, and therefore it is appropriate to have two of them of different natures, which be like Male and Female, what, as said is, that no things be, which are hermaphrodites and carry in them male and female, like Metals and Vegetables;but nevertheless in iceux it is appropriate to have a matter which acts as a female, and is said to be menstruating, for what matter is corrupted in it, and from this corruption is born another Menstrue closer and neighbor to the metallic matter, than that descended from the metal. very general kind, in which and from which is born the Child of the Philosophers, by the seed of the first Male, which, as said is, attracts and converts all the virtue of him menses into his first substance.

But to understand well the order of the Nature of the Metals by their generation, I will say by repetition, that all the things of the World are composed of four, which are hot, cold, dry, and humid, descended primordially from heat and cold. , which are according to Parmenides the two principles of Nature, but by means of conversions from one to the other; which are Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Fire is hot and dry; the Air is humid and warm; the water is cold and wet and the Earth dry and cold.

This is why Fire can be made Air, for their convenience and because of the heat which is Medium between them. Air makes Water by moisture, similarly Middle between Air and Water. And Water Earth by coldness, which is Medium between Earth and Water, which are participants of this coldness. Fire therefore, in this way, makes an alliance with Air by the loss of heat, and Air with Water by humidity, and Water with Earth by frigidity. Thus that Fire descending from one to the other is carried, as said is, to the center of the Earth, which is like a point at which everything ends.

And the center, thus agitated on all sides, overflows its flames towards the surface of the Earth, but in a vaporous form, whereas descending it was in the form of Water, and this by other places, for n prevent natural circulation. And this vapor cleans and heats the places through which it passes, until it arrives in a place greatly purified by the other previous vapours, and to which the very subtle, hot and humid Earth is united, thus like fat, for then this vapor joins this fat, and together they become corrupted.

So that from the two is born a mucous smoothness, which coming out of the very general kind, enters the Mineral kingdom, which some call Calcaduct or Green Lizard, and then descends and reaches in flowing metallic Mercury, which contains in itself its own Sulfur of Gold,Silver or other metals, according to the purity or impurity of the Earth of this place, and which finally by a perfect decoction is converted into this Metal of its destination. But if never here vapor and grease had met, never would have been made Metal; each apart not being sufficient for the generation of this Metal, although both primordially descended from one, by conversion of this unctuous metallic substance into these metallic Earths, which already thicken this vapor, and make it fat .

This is how Metal is made, when mainly such a meeting takes place in a clean and suitable place for such digestions. Thus, as in a vaulted mountain, by way of an oven, so that those vapors which always rise find themselves locked up there and cannot escape,that because also the Waters and rains which roll and flow around these Mountains, without delaying or remaining on them; because in the places flattened as campaigns, one was not found Mining, because the rains making there residence, finally enter in icelles Terres, by leaving the surface of icelles destitute, only in mediocre quality for the simple Vegetations only, but always the Sun, father and first cause of things, restores by its rays this debilitated Virtue.

For these rays and vapors have alliance and attraction between them, and by these rays these vapors, as said is, are restored to produce grasses, trees, corn and other similar things, because all that is of them comes, and nothing is not born in the World otherwise.

Thus, sheltered from the winds and the rain, the Metals are generated, especially since the Fire acts there more powerfully and naturally than it would do in an open place, where the Air and the Waters put an obstacle; for therein Fire fulfills the intention of Nature, which Fire is considered in this way, namely in this, by which it is enclosed as in all kinds of seeds, and is begotten from the Sun, as I have made further statement; but other is the subterranean Fire, which proceeding from the Center or things which move it there,

But the Fire of putrefaction is the third Fire which can be considered by the similarity of several herbs gathered together, which by virtue of the Air being heated together, move one another, and if cause the humidity of those to act against each other by means of the heat imagined by the Air, and by such heating and penetrating heat, until they can cook Eggs, become corrupted with the aid of humidity, and putrefying together these herbs. Because each thing carries its Fire in itself, and in its Center.

And is this Fire, the Fire of Nature, contained in everything. Thus must our Composition have its Fire, which will be raised little by little, and without destruction by the industry of the worker. Which Fire taking noise from it says Menstrue, will lead Matter to corruption;because herelui Menstrue provoked by the Artist, will gently sting that of Matter, and between them there will be a long fight whose outcome will be glorious, if that of Matter overcomes that of Menstrue. Which will infallibly happen if it is not too keenly led, and the Artist puts his cure in the keeping of the Lord.

CHAPTER V

All who have written of the Noble Stone have rather confused the Students than taught the true operation of it, and yet there have been many who have come to this Science by Books. Because also the Sages judged that it should be enough to hear and know without other intelligence, that it was a Stone of great Virtue, because any man of common sense, must on the simple sayings of the Philosophers, imagine many great things, not only by their effects, but by natural reasons. So as when you would have no knowledge, except that there is a Virtue separating pure things from impure and convertible from impure to pure. Which one has more particularly power over the Metals, would it not be sufficient, to make you understand that the origin of it must be from these Metals.

For if you know the Nature of things, you will know that each Sulfur has the power to coagulate only its Mercury, being something impossible and outside of Nature to join the Lion to the Man, nor the Man to the Metal. And when someone would say that the noblest Virtue that is in Nature, must proceed from Man, since Man is the noblest Body that is in Nature. I would answer:

No body is so perfect as the Spirit; but whatever perfection may be in the Bodies, of these Bodies we seek only this separative Virtue; and when from them we would like to extract them, she would never appear to our eyes except by means of her Body, however small it may be, which will always be left, to gradually attract all things to her Nature.And although the perfect Elixir only has the Separative Virtue, it must always be penetrating and is needed, that it also has a Fixative Virtue: otherwise Quicksilver would not be made Gold in its projection, which Fixative Virtue comes only from the earthly Sulfur of Gold , which fixes and multiplies Quicksilver in our Magisterium, setting and remaining at most depth of imperfect Natures, to give them perfection as Leaven; that is to say until the end that Nature had accomplished it, bringing it Multiplicative Virtue according to the degrees of digestion of our Magisterium.

This is well considered, and knowing that the most perfect of all Metals is Gold or Silver; in some other material would you believe to seek this noble and powerful Virtue than in Gold? And when you do not even know that this noble Metal contains in its secret the two Virtues together, the fixed and the volatile, from which it was primordially engendered, and which by their various properties and contrary qualities corrupt each other, for out of this corruption to bring out a new generation purer and more excellent than the first.

Since the first Gold, as said is, was primordially created and composed of these two contrary Virtues, and therefore as made of two things, is subject to death. Which is not so with him who is issued from a single thing; because it is also called Phoenix, having the power to resurrect itself and take a second birth in its Ashes, and at the very least to purify Metal itself of its superfluities, as much as the Artist can, however by way of Nature.

Which way already declared, is only putrefaction and purification, from which putrefaction is born all generation; according to each species and individual, and to come to this putrefaction, it is necessary to consider not adding to the Metal another Metal or foreign powder, but something very close and close to its Nature.
For he who is good and natural Philosopher, of a lively Spirit, must imaginarily penetrate the secret of more occult things.

What you will know by similarity of similar things; for Nature is not diverse in what it does, but are all things of the same composition of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, where are Sulfur, Salt, and Mercury. For though Gold is very much contracted in its parts, and seems indivisible, nevertheless it is constructed of these things, like all the others of Nature; for the bottom is like the top, and what is generated on Earth and in the Air is not different generations; that of wood and wheat, or of Man;like that of the Flies, the Thunders and the Metals, are according to the more or the less of spirituality or corporeality, and by the center and interior of one,

And if you told me to see the center and interior of the wood, many would agree to corrupt it from its first form, so that already could no longer be wood, I would answer you: I have already told you that it is of two kinds of dissolutions, one violent, the other natural; that is to say, one corrupting, and the other preserving the species. But nevertheless it is possible, from one and the other, to draw some fruit. For if one preserves the species, the other does not fail to separate the terrestrial superfluities from the Composite, so that there remain only the things which bear the Virtues, of which the ancient Wise Philosophers made marvelous things.

But if you doubt to lose the specific shape of the wood in the devouring flames of the Fire, make your separation in the Water; and if Water is not strong enough to corrupt, add Fire to it. And if then you have not removed from the material this specific form of wood, at least you will have given it another much more noble than the first, which will be that of the Animal; as it happens to our Magisterium.

Know therefore that in the beginning a perpetual dew flows from Heaven to Earth, which spawns in the bowels of it Metals and Minerals, and in the surface and outside of it, Plants and Animals of all species, of which the most excellent of all is Man. What it is necessary to know and know to understand how many things are in Nature, and from which they are primordially issued; in order to discover afterwards where the universal power of things consists, in which is hidden all the secret of the Art.

These things thus well known, of a subtle Spirit can be done miraculous things in Nature, as I said of the Judaic Kabala. Because formerly by icelle Science completely understood, were made several miracles like ordering even to Nature and the Elements. What the miserable Jews believed to attribute to the miracles of JC to be made by the virtue and skill of this Science, by which as worthy lost this, and from this transported to the Christians who today have it, and will be used to the honor and glory of the Lord; so as it is required, that any Man who devotes himself to it, to all that he does not please God, in vain to it will put his cure.

So seek first to conform to his Will, then you will find glory. For I have left you enough in writing, if you are a good man.

But you must first purge your Gold, then dissolve it and reduce it to a very impalpable powder; then from it extract a volatile Spirit white as snow, and another red as blood, which together will engender a third, in a humid continuous heat.

But our Magisterium mainly consists of four operations. Knowledge, solution, ablution, conjunction and fixation: which four are only to dissolve and congeal; in the solution the parts are divided, and all the dark matter becomes; in the ablution, assembly is made of these parts, and come to the laundering.
In conjunction, new darkness appears; and in fixing, are all the Elements fixed. Which four parts are divided into twelve degrees, of which the first is calcination of the Body which the Ancients represent by a Dragon asleep in the Fire, and guarded by an Old Man, which is the virtue of the Sulfur retained in the Soul which Demogorgon of the Earth awakened by our Mars, claimed by no Magnet, which is the first simple matter, or Air.

Because then the Earth makes separation of these matters, which are Sun and Moon. In the second degree, which is a solution, a ferocious beast devours our Sun in the presence of our Magnet. Which puts on seven beautiful flowers, but the Fire resolves by sweats and takes better birth.The third degree which is the separation, here Mercury makes separation of the feminine parts, which are those of the Body,

The fourth which is conjunction, Water being set apart, the aforementioned Old Man conjoins Man to Woman, where by soft dews many colors appear. The fifth degree is Putrefaction, or blackness. The sixth, Freezing, the seventh, libation, the Child is three times nourished with suitable milk. The eighth, Sublimation, Gold and Silver are exalted; but at the degree of fermentation, which is the ninth, is the seed sown on Earth, and the Sun and the Moon which Saturn had slain, rise again and go to great splendor, which is the tenth degree.

The eleventh and twelfth enough by me have been advocated and preached, which are multiplication and projection. It remains to say the degrees of heat, which suits you to consider by the temperature of the Air, from Aries, to Cancer: from Cancer, to Libra: and from Libra, to Capricorn.

But note that the seven Rivers which are in the Work, are the seven imbibitions of which Nicolas Flamel makes much mention. Which seven imbibitions are repeated twice. And suffice yourself with what I have said: for as said is, if I were to explain myself as clearly as possible, both the Wise and the Fool would come there, and the Fool and the Wise, and would deserve damnation for risking a thing which could never be repaired, when once it would be known. This is why onc was not written, nor will be clearer. But if not can understand what I say with fatherly love, and of Truth, so work boldly, as all who knew it did; for already Man has not spoken more clearly, whatever teaching he has given, than simply and superficially and not successively to avoid any inconvenience.

For also are all operations long enough in Lully written. Which I command you so much to follow; so that I leave you Book where little is obscured. But I have just declared to you things that the greatest Kings of the Earth should value more than their own Empires.

And keep it carefully, so that no one looks at it, and that when you die, if you have not done so, burn before you my Book, according to which, if in my previous writings you have not added faith, take those of Lully and separate grain from chaff, as long as contradiction is no longer found there.

But for the stove and the Fire, I leave you three kinds, namely one of the Lamp, the other of the manure, and the other of coals. And in this furnace, there are still as many different knowledges of the bath, or Water, or Air simply heated and tempered by a precisely closing wooden globe, in which I place more confidence than in the other. So that everything is one, provided you know how to give measure to the Fire, and not by haste, which has lost several craftsmen. So I beg you and exhort you, as much as possible in me, to observe my commandments, so that God will be blessed and honored, to whom be honor and glory forever and ever.


AMEN