Part 3
Then, I confessed to him; that when held the Mass of his Medicine, in that short space of time, I attempted to raze something there-from with my Finger Nayl, But I got no more, than a certain invisible Atome; and, when I had cleansed my nayl, and had injected the collected matter, wrapt in paper, upon Lead in Flux, I could see no Transmutation of it into Gold; but almost the whole Mass of Lead vanished into Aire, and the remaining Substance was transmuted into a Glassy Earth. At the hearing of this, he smiling, say'd You could more dexterously play the Thief, than apply the Tincture. I wonder, that you, so expert in the Fire, do no better understand the fuming Nature of Lead. For if you had wrapped your Theft in yellow Wax, that it might have been conserved from the Fume of Lead, then it would so have penetrated into the Lead, as to have transmuted the same into Gold. But now a Sympathetick Operation was performed in Fume, and so the Medicine permixed with the Fume, flew away: For all Gold, Silver, Tin, Mercury, and like Metals, are corrupted by Lead Vapours, and likewise converted to a brittle Glass. While he was thus speaking, I shewed him my Crucible, who, viewing the remaining Substance, perceived a most beautiful Saffron-coloured Tincture, adhering to the sides of the Crucible, and say'd, To-morrow at nine of the Clock, I will return, and shew you; how your Medicine must be used to transmute Lead into Gold. In which promise of him, I rested secure. Yet, in the mean while, I again and again requested information of him, whether this Philosophick Work, required great Charges in the preparing, and a very long Time. O my Friend, answered he, you very accurately affect to know all things, yet I will open this to you; The Charge is not great, nor is the Time long. But, as touching the matter of which our Arcanum is made, I would have you to know; there are only two Metals and Minerals, of which it is prepared. And because the Sulphur of Philosophers is more abundant in these Minerals, therefore it is made of them.
Then I again asked him: What the Menstruum was, and whether the Operations were made in Glasses, or in Crucibles. He answered; The Menstruum is a Celestial Salt, or a Salt of Celestial Virtue, by the benefit of which, Philosophers only dissolve the Terrene Metallick Body, and in dissolving, the noble Elixir of Philosophers is produced. But the Operation is, performed in a Crucible, from the beginning to the end, in an open Fire. And the Whole Work may be begun, and plainly ended in no longer time, then four dayes: Also in this whole Work, no greater Cost is required, then the value of three Florens. Lastly he added; Neither the Mineral, from Which, nor the Salt by Which, is of any great Price. I again said to him: My Master; This is strange, for it is repugnant to the sayings of various Philosophers, Who have writ, that at least seven, or nine Moneths are imployed in this Work. He answered: The true writings of Philosophers are only; understood by the truly Adept. Therefore, touching the Time, they would write nothing certain; yea; I say, no Lover of this Art, can find the Art of preparing this Mystery in his whole Life without the Communication of some true Adept Man. In this respect and for this Cause, I advise you, my Friend, because you have seen the true Matter of the true Work, not to forget your self, and thirsting after the perfection of this Art, to cast away your own Goods; for you can never find it out. Then I say'd: My Master, although I am so unknown to you, as you are unknown to me; nevertheless, since he was unknown to you who shewed you the way of finding out the Operation of this Arcanum, perhaps you may also, if you be willing, notifie to me somewhat, touching this Secret, that the most difficult Rudiments being overcome, I may (as the saying is) happily add somewhat to things already found out; for by the occasion of one thing found, another is not difficultly invented. But the Artist answered: In this Work the matter is not so, For unless you know the thing, from the beginning of the Work to the end, you know nothing thereof. Indeed I have told you enough, yet you are ignorant how the Stone of Philosophers is made, and again, how the Glassy Seal of Hermes is broaken, in which Sol gives forth Splendor from his Metallick Rayes, wonderfully coloured, and in which Speculum, the Eyes of Narcißus behold Metals transmutable, and from which Rayes the Adept gather their fire, by the help of which, Volatile Metals are fixed into most fixed Gold, or Silver. But enough for this time, because (God willing) on the Morrow, we shall have occasion of meeting yet once more, that we may talk together touching this Philosophick matter; and according as I said, at nine a Clock, I will come to your House, and shew you the way of Projecting. But with that happy Valediction for one night, that Elias the Artist hath left me most sad in expectation unto this very day. Yea, the Mercury of Philosophers did with him vanish into Aire; because from him I did no more again hear so much as one word. Yet he, (because he promised that he would come again to me betimes the next morning) half an hour before ten, sent to me another unknown man, signifying, that, that friend, who yesternight promised to revisit me this morning, by reason of other urgent business, could not come, nevertheless, at three of the Clock in the afternoon, he would again see me. But after I had, with a most vehement desire expected him, till almost eight a Clock, I began to doubt in the truth of the matter. Besides, my Wife also, a very curious Searcher in the Art of that Laudable man, came to me, troubling me, by reason of the Philosophick Art, cited in that aforesaid Severe, and Honest man; saying, Go to, let us try, I pray thee, the Verity of the work, ac cording to what that man said. For otherwise, I certainly shall not sleep all this night. But I answered; I pray let us deferr it till to morrow; perhaps the man will come then. Nevertheless, when I had ordered my Son to kindle the fire; these thoughts arose in me; That man indeed, otherwise in his discourses so Divine, is now found the first time guilty of a Lye. A second time, when I would make Experiment of my Stollen Matter hid under my Nayl, but to no purpose, because the Lead was not transmuted into Gold. Lastly a third time, he gave me so very little of the Matter, for tinging so great a Mass of Lead; that he almost drove me to Desperation. Notwithstanding these thoughts, I commanded yellow Wax to be brought, wherein to wrap the Matter, and finding Lead, I cut off half an Ounce, or six Drachmes. My Wife wrapped the Matter of the Stone in the Wax, and when the Lead was in Flux, she cast in that little Mass, which, with Hissing and Flatuosity, so performed its Operation in the Crucible well closed; as in one quarter of an hour, the whole Mass of Lead was transmuted into the best Gold. Certainly, had I lived in the Age of Ovid, I could not have believed, any Metamorphosis more rare, than this of the Chimical Art; but if I could behold things with the hundred Eyes of Argus, I should scarcely see any work of Nature more admirable, for this Lead, mixt with the Stone of the Wise, and in the Fire melted, demonstrated to us a most beautiful colour, yea, I say, it was most green; but when I poured it out into a [Cone, or] fusory Cup, it received a colour like Blood, and when it waxed cold, shined with the colour of the best Gold: I, and all who were present with me, being amazed, made what haste we, could with the Aurificate Lead (even before it was through cold) to a Gold-Smith, who after a precious Examen, judged it to be Gold most excellent, and that in the whole world, better could not be found; withall, adding, that for every Ounce of such Gold, he would give 50 Florens.
The next day, the rumour of this wonderful Metallick Transmutation was spread all over our Hague; whence many illustrious men, and lovers of Art, made hast to me, among which, by name, the General Examiner of the Moneys of this Province of Holland, D^n Porelius, came to me, with certain other most illustrious men, earnestly desiring, that I would communicate to them some small particle of my Artificial Gold, to prove it by legitimate Examens: these, for their curiosity sake, I willingly gratified; and we went together to the house of a certain very curious Silver-Smith, by name Brechtelius, in whose Workhouse, the Excellency of my Gold was evidenced, by that form of Probation, which Skilful Artists call. Quarta, viz. when they in a Crucible melt three or four parts or Silver, with one part of Gold, and then by hammering, reduce that mixture into thin Plates, on which they pour a sufficient quantity of Aquafortis, by which the Silver is dissolved, but the Gold settles to the bottome, like a black powder. Afterward, the Aquafortis is poured off, and the golden powder, is again put into a Crucible, and by strong fire reduced to Gold.
But when this work was ended, we supposed, that one half of the Gold was vanished, yet in very deed it was not so: for we found that the Gold, besides its own weight, had transmuted some part of the Silver into Gold, viz. two drams of the Gold, transmuted two scruples of the Silver (through the abundance of its Tincture) into like Gold Homogeneal to it self.
After this, we, suspecting that the Silver was not well separated from the Gold did presently make a mixture: with seven times as much Antimony. And after this Examen, we lost eight grains of Gold; but when I had again evaporated the Antimony, I found nine grains of Gold, yet in colour somewhat pale. Thus, in the best Tryal of fire, we lost nothing of this Gold, And this infallible kind of Probation, I thrice performed in presence of those most noble and illustricsus Men, and found, that every Dram of Gold acquired from the Silver for an augmentation to it self, one Scruple, of Gold: and the Silver, is pure good, and very flexible. So according to this, the five drams of Gold, attracted to it self from the Silver, five Scruples; and (that I may together, and at once, comprise all that remains to be said) the whole weight that that Laudable Powder, in quantity so exceeding small, did transmute, was six drams, and two Scruples, of a more vile Metal, into Gold, in such wise fixed, as it was able perseveringly to sustain the most intense Torture of Fire.
Behold! thus have I exactly, from first to last, commemorated this History. The Gold I indeed have, but where, or in what Land or Countrey. Elias the Artist is at this day hospited, I am wholly ignorant for he told me, his purpose was to abide in his own Country no longer then this Summer; that after he would travil into Asia, and visit the Holy Land. Let the most wise King of Heaven (under the Shadow of whose divine Wings he hath hitherto layn hid) by his Administratory Angels accompany him in his intended Journey, and prosper it so as he living to a great Age, may with his inestimable Talent greatly succour the whole Republick of Christians, and after this Life gloriously behold, and take of the prepared Inheritance of Life Eternal. Amen.
CHAP. IV.
Therefore, now to compleat my promise, I will forthwith betake my self to the Dialogue or, Colloque between Elias the Artist, and me the Physician.
Elias the Artist.
God save you, Master Helvetius! If I may not be too troublesome, I desire to have the freedom of Discoursing with you for a little time, because I have heard, that you are a curious Indagator of natural things. For I have perused your Books, and among them, especially that whole Treatise, which you write against the effect of Sir Kenelm Digbies Sympathetick Powder, where it is gloried, that the same, can at distance cure all Wounds. Assuredly I am incredibly delighted in those things, which are beheld in this Speculum, whether Sympathetick, or Antipathetick, naturally implanted in Creatures. For the inexhausted Treasures of the Divine Light and Deity, no less abundantly, than liberally granted to us, may best of all be known from all the Creatures, which are produced either under the Ætherial Heaven, or in the belly of the Earth, or in the Womb of the Sea, to the end, that by their potentially insited virtues, they should restore health to the Mortal Body of Men.
Helvetius the Physician
O Sir! The presence of such a new Guest shall never be troublesome to me, but rather I receive you as one of my best Friends. For Philosophick Discourse, touching the Secrets cf Nature, is the only recreation of my Mind, also it is such convenient Salutiferous Nutriment, as no man can be worthy to taste of, before he shall be rightly disposed for that Banquet. Enter, I pray, Friend, into the House.
Artist
Indeed Sir! Here, as it seems to to me, you have a compleat Vulcanian Shop, and perhaps all these things Spagyrically and exactly drawn from, the Mineral Kingdom; but I pray, to what end so many Medicaments? I believe, that God in the things of Nature, naturally gives such Medicines, with a very few of which, we may much sooner, and more safely re-integrate the decayed, and languishing Health of Man, unless the Disease be Mortal, from a deficiency of Nature, or from the putrefaction of some noble internal part hurt, or by reason of a total absumption of the radical humidity in which desperate Cases, no Galenick Cure, or Paracelsick Tincture can yeild releif. But in ordinary Diseases it is not so; and yet here, very many Men, before the fatal term of Life be expired (abfit Nemesis dicto) are enforced to pass out of this fair Kingdom of pleasing Light, into the Shadowed Land of the Dead, whilst, either they neglect the health of their own Body, or commit the same to the Faith of Physicians, unskilful of the Remedy they have in their hand.
Physician.
As far as I can gather from your discourse, if my Judgement deceive me not, you are either a Physician, or a man expert in Chimistry. Certainly, according as you say, so I believe, that in the things of Nature are given other more excellent Medicaments, as also very many other Philosophers affirm, that there is a certain (although to few known) Universal Medicament, by the benefit which, we may prolong Life unto the appointed End, cure all Diseases otherwise uncurable, and many other such things. But, where is any among all the Wisest men of this world, that can shew us the way, how to find out so noble a Fountain, whence such a wonderful Medicamentous juice, nobilitating the Physician, is drawn? Perhaps no one man.
Artist.
Indeed, I am not a Physician, but only a Melter of Orichalcum, and almost from my Child-hood, have exercised my Ingeny in Pyrotechny, and so have sought out the internal Nature of Metals And although I now cease from my usual diligence in elaborating some accurate work, by the Art of Vulcan, yet my mind still takes delight in labours of that kind, and in the lovers of this most curious Spagyrick Art; and I do verily. believe and judge, that the most Wise God, will in this our age communicate gratis, or for nothing, the Metallick Mysteries of Nature to his Spagyrick Sons, Praying, and Physico-chimically Labouring.
Physician.
My Friend, I must needs grant this, that God, for nothing, communicates to his Sons, this laudable Good, as well as all other gifts; yet you shall very rarely hear, that he for nothing gives or vends this Medicamentous Wine or Nectar to his Sons. For we certainly know, how great a number of Chymists lived in former ages who, (according to the Proverb ) strove to draw water in a Sieve, whilest they presumed to prepare this Universal Stone of Philosophers. Besides, out of the books of them, who triumph in the glory of Adept, no one man can learn the way of preparing, nor know their First Matter, so as any one, searching to the lowest roots of Mountains, can never ascend to those their Heights, where Ambrosia, and Nectar of Macrosophists, is drank.
In the mean time, it is the part of a good Physician, since he wants such an Universal Elixir, (not without the daily study of conserving his Conscience pure and sound) to adhibit to the Diseases of the Sick, commended to his Cure, such Curations; or Remedies as for restoring Sanity as in which he (from the effect) certainly knows, that a virtue of healing is incited.
Wherefore, in all desperate Diseases, I, with many other Practitioners, do alwayes use such most simple Medicaments, that thence the Diseased may soon be restored to their Pristine state of Health, or to a better than the Pristine.
For indeed, various and diverse kinds of Salts, are generated in the Glandules and Lymphatick Vessels, after the putrefaction of this, or that nutriment taken, which afterward wax florid in various Humours, for diverse Diseases, either Internal, or External. Experience teacheth, that as many as are the Constitutions, or Complexions of humane bodies, to so many diversities of Diseases the same are obnoxious; although in one manner, and the same Disease, as our daily conversation evidenceth to us in those who drink Wine, whence divers Operations manifestly discover themselves.
Because Peter drinks Wine, he labours with an angry, I will not say, furious mind.
On the contrary, Paul drinking Wine, seems to imbibe his mind with an Agnine Timorousness.
But Matthias sings, and Luke weeps.
Also,
Touching the Scorbutick Contagious Venome, viz. of Peter, his radical juice in the Lymphatick Vessels, and Glandules, is converted into an Acidity, stopping the passages, and all Organs of the whole body, whence, under the Skin, arise Spots on the Arms and Legs of a blewish colour, but in times of Pestilence, they swell like Pepper Corns.
Also
The juice of Pauls parts is changed into an Aperitive Bitterness; whence, under the Skin of the Arms and Legs, arise red Spots, pricking like the bitings of Fleas; but in a Pestilential time, they are Blanes.
Also
The juice of Matthias his parts, is converted into a sweetness easily putrifying; whence, under the Skin of Arms and leg, arise watery Tumours, almost such as are conspicuous in Dropsical Persons; but in time of the Pest, they are Pestilential Tumours.
Also,
The juice of the parts of Luke, is changed into a Saline, and drying sharpness; whence, under the Skin of the Arms and Legs, arise Precipitations of the ordinary Ferment of the Flesh, and Exficcations, as usually happens in this Atrophia, yea most frequently in the true Atrophia. But in the Pest, they become most ardent Buboes, with madness, even until death.
Behold, my Friend, no Physician, by one only Universal Medicament, can heal the Evil of this Scorbutick, or Pestilential, or Febrile Venome, but indeed, by the Mediation of some particular Vegetable, or Mineral Remedy, given to us from God in Nature, he may exterminate the same. For, as I cannot heal, or help all Scorbutick Persons, with one only Scorbutick Herb, as Scurvy-grass, or Sorrel, or Fumitory, or Brooklime; so, much less of a certain remedy made of these diverse Species congested into one; because, between the Herbs Scurvy-grass and Sorrel, there is an Antipathy, as between Fire and Water; and so there is the same Antipathy between the Herbs Fumitory and Brook-lime.
Therefore, the Correctory of Peters Scorbutick Saline acid tinging Venome, is made with the Volatile bitter Salt of Scurvy-grass.
But the Correctory of Pauls Scorbutick Saline bitter tinging Venome, is made with the acid fixed Salt of the Herb Sorrel.
The Correctory of Matthias his Scorbutick sweetish, and moistning tinging Venome is made by the help of the fixed bitter drying Sulphur of the Herb Fumitory.
And the Correctory of Lukes Scorbutick tinging Saline and drying Venome, is made with the help of the sweet moistning Mercury of the Herb Brook-lime, or red Colewort, as from the External Signature of these Herbs, it is easie to judge of the Internal Specifick Remedy against there diverse Scorbutick Disease. Certainly, my Friend, if this be observed by a prudent Physician, he must needs doubt of the Universal Medicine,
Artist.
All you have discoursed of, I can easily grant; yet very few Physicians use this Method of healing. Yet, in the meanwhile, it is not impossible, that an Universal Medicine should be given in the highest Mineral Kingdome, by the benefit of which we may perform and administer all things, which are by you related to me, touching the lowest Kingdom of Vegitables; but the most wise God, for several weighty reasons, hath not on all Philosophers promiscuously conferred this most magnificent Charisma of Supereminent Science, but hath revealed it only; to a very few. According as all the Adept, with one mouth, confess, and say: The Science is true, And, the verity thereof not to be doubted.
Physician
Sir, besides the above commemorated, there are also other Observations; strenuously refuting the Operation on an Universal Medicine, partly in respect of the Age and strength of Man, partly by reason of the Sex, and other Circumstances, whilst a difference is to be made between the tender, and the Robust, whether from Nature, or from Education; or between the Male and Female, or between a Young Man and a Virgin, or between the Beginning, Middle, or End of Diseases; or it is to be understood whether a Disease, be inveterate, or the Sick be lately invaded; or lastly, whether the Ferment be promoted in this Disease, or be precipited in in another. Effervescency is made either in the Stomach or in the Intestines. Assuredly there are many contradictions of the Wonderful effect, of the Universal Medicine. For the greatest part of rational Physicians want the Perspicil of Thomas Didymus in their Fingers.
Artist