Part 3

Now begin I to speake of the great worke which they call Alchimy, wherein I will confirme my woordes, without concealing ought, or keeping backe any thing, saue that which is not conuenient to bee vttered or named. We say then that the great work contained in it foure masteries (as the Philosophers before vs haue affirmed) that is to say, to dissolue, to congeale, to make white and red. And these foure quantities are partakers, whereof two of them are partakers betweene themselues, and so likewise are the other two. And either of these double quãtities hath another quantity partaker, which is a greater quantity partaker after these two. I vnderstand by these quantities, the quantitie of the natures, and weight of the medicines which are orderly dissolued and congealed, wherin neither addition nor diminution haue any place. But these two, to wit, solution and congelation, shal be in one operation, and shall make but one worke, and that before composition: but after composition, their works shall bee diuers. And this solution and congelation which wee haue spoken of, are the solution of the bodie, and the congelation of the Spirite, and they are two, yet haue but one operation. For the Spirites are not congealed, except the bodies bee dissolued, as likewise the bodies is not dissolued, vnlesse the spirit be cõgealed: & when the soule & the body are ioyned togither, either of them worketh in his companion made like vnto him: as for example, when water is put to earth, it striueth to dissolue the earth by the moisture, vertue and propertie which it hath, making it more subtile then it was before, and bringing it to be like it selfe: for the water was more subtile then the earth: and thus doth the soule worke in the bodie, and after the same manner is the water thickened with the earth, and becommeth like vnto the earth in thicknesse, for the earth is more thicke then the water. And thou must knowe that betweene the solution of the bodie, and congelation of the spirit, there is no distance of time or diuerse work, as though one should be without the other, as there is no difference of time in the coniunction of the earth, and water, that one might be knowne & discerned from the other in their operations: but they haue both one instant, and one fact, and one and the same worke conteineth them both at once before composition: I say before composition, least he that shall read this booke, and heare the names of resolution and congelation, shoulde suppose it to be the composition which the Philosophers entreat of, for so he should sowly erre in his worke and iudgement: because composition in this worke or masterie, is a coniunction or marriage of the congealed spirit, with the dissolued bodie, and this conjunction or passion is vpon the fire. For heate is his nourishment, and the soule forsaketh not the bodie, neither is it otherwise knit vnto it, then by the alteration of both from their owne vertue and properties, and after the conuersion of their natures: and this is the solution and congelation, which the Philosophers first spake of; which neuerthelesse they haue hidden in their subtile discourses with darke & obscure words, that so they might alienate and estrange the mind of the reader frõ the true vnderstanding thereof: whereof thou maist take this for an example. Annoynt the leafe with poyson, and ye shall approue thereby the beginning of the worke and mastery of the same. And againe, labour the strong bodies with one solution, til either of them be turned to his subtilitie. So likewise in these folowing, except ye conuert the bodies into such subtilitie that they may bee impalbable, yee shall not find that ye looke for: and if you haue not ground them, returne backe to worke till they bee ground, and made subtill: which if you do, you shall haue your wish. And many other such sayings haue they of the same matter. The which none that euer proued this Art could vnderstand, til he hath had a plaine demonstration thereof, the former doubt being remoued. And in like maner haue they spoken of that cõposition, which is after solution & congelation. And afterward they haue said, that Cõposition is not perfect without marriage, and putrifaction: yet againe they teach solution, congelation, diuision, mariage, putrifaction, and composition, because composition is the beginning, and verie life of the thing. For vnlesse there were composition, the thing should neuer be brought to passe. Diuision is a separatiõ of the parts of the cõpound, & so separation hath bin his coniunction. I tell you againe, that the spirit wil not dwel with the body, nor be in it, nor by any meanes abide with it vntill the body be made subtil & thin as the spirit is. But when it is attenuate and subtill, and hath cast off his thicknes, & put on thinnes, hath forsaken his grosnesse & corpority, & is become spirituall, then shall he be mingled with the subtill spirits, & imbibed in them, so that both shall become one and the same, & they shall not be seuered, like as water put to water cannot be diuided. Suppose that of two like quantities, that are in solution and congelation, the larger is the soule, the lesser is the body: adde afterward to the quantitie which is the soule, that quãtity which is in the body, & it shall participate with the first quantity in vertue only: then worke them as we haue wrought them, and so thou shalt obtaine thy desire, and _Euclide_ his line shall bee verified vnto thee. Afterwarde take his quantity, and know his waight, and giue him as much moysture as he will drink, the weight of which moysture we haue not here determined. Then againe worke them with an operation vnlike the former, first imbibing and subliming it, and this operation is that which they call Albification, and they name it _Yarit_, that is, Siluer, and and white Leade. And when thou hast made this compounde white, adde to him so much of the Spirit, as maketh halfe of the whole, and set it to working, till it waxe redde, and then it shall be of the colour Alsulfir, which is verie red, and the Philosophers haue likened it to golde, the effect hereof, leadeth thee to that which _Aristotle_ saide to his Disciple _Arda_: wee call the claye when it is white, _Yarit_, that is Siluer: and when it is red, wee name it _Temeynch_, that is Golde. Whitenesse is that which tincteth Copper, and maketh it _Yarit_, and that is rednesse, which tincteth _Yarit_, that is siluer, & maketh it _Temeynch_, that is Gold. He therefore that is able to dissolue these bodies, to subtiliate thẽ, to make them white and red, and (as I haue said) to compound them by imbibing, and conuert them to the same, shall without all doubt attaine the masterie, and performe the worke whereof I haue spoken vnto thee.

CHAP. II.

_Of the things and instruments necessarie and fit for this worke._

It behoueth thee to knowe the vessels in this masterie, to wit _Aludela_, which the Philosophers haue called Church-yards, or Cribbles: because in them the parts are diuided, and cleansed, and in them is the matter of the masterie made compleat, perfect, and depured. And euery one of these must haue a Furnace fit for it, and let either of them haue a similitude and figure agreeable to the worke. _Mezleme_, and many other Philosophers, haue named all these things in their bookes, teaching the maner and forme thereof. And thou must know, that herein the Philosophers agree togither in their wrytings, concealing it by signes, and making many books thereof, & instruments which are necessarie in these foure foresaid things. As for the instruments, they are two in number. One is a _Cucurbit_, with his _Alembick_: the other is _Aludel_, that is well made. There are also foure things necessarie to these: that is to say, _Bodies_, _Soules_, _Spirites_, and _Waters_: of these foure dooth the masterie, and minerall worke consist. These are made plaine in the Philosophers Bookes, I haue therefore omitted them in mine, and onely touched those things, which they passed ouer with silence: which he shall easily discerne, that is but of indifferent iudgement. And this booke I haue not made for the ignorant and vnlearned, but for the wise and prudent.

CHAP. III.

_Of the nature of things appertaining to this worke._

Know thou that the Philosophers haue giuen them diuerse names: for some haue called them Mynes, some Animal, some Herball, and some by the name of Natures, that is Natural: some other haue called them by certaine other names at their pleasures, as seemed good vnto them. Thou must also know, that their Medicines are neere to Natures, according as the Philosophers haue said in their bookes, that Nature commeth nigh to nature, and Nature is like to nature, and Nature is ioyned to nature, and Nature is drowned in nature, and Nature maketh nature white, & Nature doth make nature red, and generation is retained with generation, & generation conquereth with generation.

CHAP. IIII.

_Of Decoction, and the effect thereof._

Know thou that the Philosophers haue named Decoction in their Bookes, saying, that they make Decoction in thinges: and that is it that engendreth them, and changeth them from their substances and colours, into other substãces and colours. If thou transgresse not, I tell thee in this booke, thou shalt proceed rightly. Consider brother, the seed of the earth, wheron men liue, how the heate of the Sunne worketh in it, till it be ripe, when men and other creatures feede vpon it, and that afterwarde Nature worketh on it by her heate within man, conuerting it into his flesh and blood. For like hereto is our operation of the masterie: the seed whereof (as the learned haue sayde) is such, that his perfection and proceeding consisteth in the fire, which is the cause of his life and death, without somwhat comming betweene, and his spiritualtie, which are not mingled but with the fire. Thus haue I tolde thee the truth, as I haue seene and done it.

CHAP. V.

_Of Subtiliation, Solution, Coagulation, and commistion of the Stone, and of their cause and end._

Know, that except thou subtiliate the bodie till all become water, it will not rust and putrifie, and then it cannot congeale the flitting soules, when the fire toucheth them: for the fire is that which congealeth them by the ayd therof vnto them. And in like maner haue the Philosophers commanded to dissolue the bodies, to the end y^t heat might enter into their bowels. Again we returne to dissolue those bodies, & congeale them after their solution, with that thing which cõmeth nigh to it, vntil we ioyne all those things which haue beene mingled togither, by an apt and fit commixtion, which is a temperate quantitie. Whereupon we ioyne fire and water, earth and ayre togither: when the thick hath bin mingled with the thin, & the thinner with the thick, the one abydeth with the other, and their natures are changed and made like, wheras before they were simple, because that part which is generatiue, bestoweth his vertue vpon the subtill, and that is the ayre: for it cleaueth vnto his like, and is a part of the generation from whence it receyueth power to moue and ascend vpward. Cold hath power ouer the thick, because it hath lost his heate, and the water is gone out of it, and the thing appeared vpõ it. And the moisture departed by ascending, & the subtil part of y^e aire, and mingled it selfe with it, for it is like vnto it, and of the same nature. And when the thicke bodie hath lost his heat and moysture, and that cold and drinesse hath power ouer him, and that their parts haue mingled themselues, and be diuided, and that there is no moysture to ioyne the partes diuided, the parts withdraw themselues. And afterwards the part which is contrary to colde, by reason that it hath continued, & sent his heat and decoction, to the parts of y^e earth, hauing power ouer them, and exercising such dominion ouer the cold, that where before it was in the thicke body, it now lurketh and lieth hid, his part of generation is changed, becomming subtil and hot; and striuing to dry vp by his heat. But afterward the subtill part (that causeth natures to ascende) when it hath lost his accidentall heat, & waxeth cold, then the natures are changed, and become thicke, and descend to the center, where y^e earthly natures are ioyned togither, which were subtiliate and conuerted in their generation, and imbibed in them: and so the moysture coupleth togither the parts diuided: but the earth endeuoureth to drie vp that moysture, cõpassing it about, and hindring it from going out: by means wherof, that which before lay hid, doth now appear: neither can the moysture be separated, but is retained by the drinesse. And in like maner we see, that whosoeuer is in the worlde, is retained by or with his contrarie, as heate with colde, and drinesse with moysture. Thus when each of them hath besieged his Companion, the thin is mingled with the thicke, and those things are made one substance: to wit, their soule hote and moyst, and their body colde and drie: then it laboureth to dissolue and subtiliate by his heate and moysture, which is his soule, and striueth to enclose and retaine with his body that is colde and drie. And in this maner, is his office changed and altered from one thing to another. Thus haue I tolde thee the truth, which I haue both seene & done, giuing thee in charge to conuert natures from their subtilitie and substances, with heate and moysture, into their substances and colours. Now if thou wouldst proceed aright in this mastery, to obtaine thy desire, passe not the boundes that I haue set thee in this booke.

CHAP. VI.

_The manner how to fixe the Spirit._

Knowe also, that when the bodie is mingled with moysture, and that the heate of the fire meeteth therewith, the moysture is conuerted on the body, and dissolueth it, and then the spirite cannot issue forth, because it is imbibed with the fire. The Spirits are fugitiue, so long as the bodies are mingled with them, and striue to resist the fire & his flame: and yet these parts can hardly agree without a good operation and continuall labour: for the nature of the soule is to ascend vpward, whereas the center of the soule is. And who is hee that is able to ioyne two or diuers things togither, where their centers are diuers: vnlesse it be after the conuersion of theyr natures, and change of the substance and thing, from his nature, which is difficult to finde out? Whosoeuer therefore can conuert the soule into the bodie, the bodie into the soule, and therewith mingle the subtile spirites, shall be able to tinct any body.

CHAP. VII.

_Of the Decoction, Contrition, and washing of the stone._

Thou art moreouer to vnderstand, that Decoction, contrition, cribatiõ, mundification, and ablution, with sweet waters is very necessary to this secret and mastery: so that he who will bestow any paines herein, must cleanse it very well, and wash the blacknesse from it, and darknes that appeareth in his operation, and subtiliate the bodie as much as hee can, and afterwarde mingle therwith the soules dissolued, and spirits cleansed, so long as he thinke good.

CHAP. VIII.

_Of the quantitie of the Fire, and of the commoditie and discommoditie of it._

Fvrthermore, thou must bee acquainted with the quantity of the fire, for the benefit and losse of this thing, proceedeth from the benefit of the fire. Wherupon _Plato_ said in his booke: _The fire yeeldeth profit to that which is perfect, but domage and corruption to that which is corrupt_: so that when his quantitie shal be meete & conuenient, it shal prosper, but if it shall exceed measure in things, it shal without measure corrupt both: to wit, the perfect and corrupt: and for this cause it was requisite that the learned should poure their medicines vpon Elixir, to hinder and remoue from them the burning of the fire, & his heate. _Hermes_ also said to his father. I am afraide Father of the enemie in my house: to whom he made answer, Son take the dog _Corascene_, & the bitch of _Armenia_, put them together, and they shal bring a dog of the colour of heauen, and dip him once in the sea water: for he shall keepe thy friend, and defend thee from thy enemie, and shall helpe thee whersoeuer thou become, alwaies abiding with thee, both in this world, and in the world to come. Now _Hermes_ meant by the dog & bitch, such things as preserue bodies from the scorching heate of the fire. And these things are waters of Calces and Salts, the composition whereof, is to be found in the Philosophers books, that haue written of this mastery, among whome, some haue named them Sea-waters, and Birdes milke, and such like.

CHAP. IX.

_Of the Separation of the Elements of the Stone._

Thou must afterward bother, take this precious Stone, which the Philosophers haue named, magnified, hiddẽ & concealed, & put it in a _Cucurbit_ with his _Alembick_, & diuide his natures: that is, the foure elemẽts, the Earth, the Water, the Aire, and the Fire. These are the body and soule, the spirit and tincture. When thou hast diuided the water from the earth, and the aire from the fire, keepe both of them by themselues, and take that which descendeth to the bottom of the glasse, beeing the lees, and wash it with a warme fire, til his blacknesse be gone, and his thicknesse departed: then make him very white, causing the superfluous moysture to flie away, for then hee shall bee changed and become a white calx, wherein there is no cloudie darkenesse, nor vncleannesse, and contrarietie. Afterward returne back to the first natures, which ascended from it, and purifie thẽ likewise from vncleannes, blacknesse, and contrarietie: and reiterate these works vpon thẽ so often, vntil they be subtiliate, purified, and made thin: which when thou hast done, thou shalt acknowledge that God hath bin gracious vnto thee. Know brother, that this work is one stone, into which _Gatib_ may not enter, that is to say, any strange thing. The learned work with this, and from hence proceedeth a medicine that giueth perfection. There must nothing be mingled herewith, either in part or whole. This Stone is to be found at all times, in euerie place, and about euery man, the search whereof is not troublesome to him that seeketh it, wheresoeuer he be. This Stone is vile, blacke, and stinking: It costeth nothing: it must bee taken alone: it is somewhat heauie, and it is called the Originall of the world, because it riseth vp like things that bud forth. This is his reuelation and apparence to him that maketh inquirie after it.

CHAP. X.

_Of the nature of the Stone, and his birth._

Take it therefore and worke it as the Philosopher hath told you in his booke, when he named it after this maner. Take the Stone, no Stone, or that is not a Stone, neither is of the nature of a Stone. It is a Stone whose myne is in the top of the mountaines: and here by mountaines, the Philosopher vnderstandeth liuing creatures, wherupon he saide. Sonne, go to the mountaines of _India_, and to his caues, & pull out thence precious stones which will melt in the water when they are putte into it. And this water is that which is taken from other mountaines and hollow places. They are stones Sonne, and they are not stones, but we call them so for a Similitude which they haue to stones. And thou must know, that the rootes of their mynes are in the ayre, and their tops in the earth, and it wil easily be heard when they are pluckt out of their places, for there will be a great noyse. Goe with them my sonne, for they will quickly vanish away.

CHAP. XI.

_Of the commistion of the Elements that were seperated._

Begin composition, which is the circuite of the whole worke, for there shall be no composition without marriage and putrefaction. _The Marriage_ is to mingle the thinne with the thicke, and _Putrefaction_, is to rost, grinde, and water, so long till all be mingled together and become one, so that there should bee no diuersitie in them, nor separation from water mingled with water. Then shall the thicke labour to retaine the thinne: then shall the soule striue with the fire, and endeuour to beare it: then shall the Spirite labour to be drowned in the bodyes, and poured foorth into them. And this must needes bee, because the bodye dissolued, when it is commixt with the Soule, it is likewise commixt with euerie part therof: & other things enter into other things, according to theyr similitude and likenesse, and are changed into one and the same thing. And for this cause the soule must partake with the commoditie, durablenesse, and permanencie, which the body receiued in his commixtion. The like also must befall the Spirite in this state or permanencie of the soule and body: for when the Spirit shall bee commixt with the soule by laborious operation, and all his partes with all the partes of the other two, to wit, the soule and bodie, then shall the Spirite and the other two, bee conuerted into one indiuisible thing, according to their entire substance, whose natures haue beene preserued, and their partes haue agreed and come together: whereby it hath come to passe, that when this compounde hath met with a body dissolued, and that heate hath got hold of it, and that the moysture which was in it appeareth, and is molten in the dissolued body, and hath passed into it, and mixt it selfe with that which was of the nature of moysture, it is inflamed, and the fire defendeth it self with it. Then when the fire would be enflamed with it, it will not suffer the fire to take holde of it, that is to say: to cleaue vnto it with the Spirit mingled with his water. The fire will not abide by it vntill it be pure. And in like manner doth the water naturally flie from the fire, wherof when the fire hath taken hold, it doth forth with by little and little euaporate. And thus hath the body beene the meanes to retaine the water, and the water to retaine the oyle, that it should not burne nor consume away, and the oyle to retaine tincture, and tincture the precise cause to make the colour appear and shew forth the tincture, wherein there is neither light nor life. This then is the true life and perfection of the worke and masterie which thou soughtest for. Be wise therefore and vnderstande, and thou shalt find what thou lookest for, if it please God.

CHAP. XII.

_Of the solution of the Stone compounded._