Part 1 (2/2)

Question the 3rd. Of the corporeal Water.

Because you are employed in the explication of the globe, I would very willingly ask you, that you would be pleased to inform me why you have denoted the little globe by the name of corporeal water?

The Answer The reason of this name is, that I might so much the more strongly inculcate and describe the thing in your mind by its own proper name. For you see from this figure that it is a white thing and s.h.i.+ning like mother of pearl. For this reason it is water in respect of common earth; but it is the body of the Earth, by reason of its thickness which it has in regard of water, which names were not given it by me in vain, which you in time will better consider.

When therefore this purged seed, or mineral form falls into a small portion of earth, it is then the life of minerals, and metals, and the motion of union is at hand, which the celestial and immortal Spirit desires to procure with the earthly mortal body, and so long follows after the matter which also does by a particular desire long after which, until it obtain its like, with which it in a moment mingles itself, and unites, out of which after a sufficient digestion the little tender shrub does grow with boughs, leaves and flowers and seed, in which the virtue of this whole tree does lie. This seed is the end of the tree. Out of which it is demonstrated that there is a seed prepared to perform a multiplication which is also to be seen in herbs. For as diverse herbs grow out of diverse seeds, do produce divers seeds; for every seed or form, according to the property of its own nature attracts unto itself a body or convenient matter out the Earth (which has in itself the matter of all things): in the same manner from the conjunctions of the stars by the nature of them and the power of the enlivening fire the celestial seeds of all sorts, fall continually upon the Earth, whence all sorts of fruits are produced; for no star is so small and weak, which affords not its animals, vegetables and minerals; whence when a star is little and of less power there is made a race of viler men, and fruits of the field, herbs and minerals, and on the contrary. For as divers herbs grow and are plucked up in one place, so also diverse minerals are found in the same place, which are distinguished by the diggers, are taken out and separated by the founders.

Furthermore, you must know, that of this spiritual, celestial body is clear, pure and transparent from the best stars, then it seeks also in the centre of the Earth a master like itself clear, pure and transparent, out of which there grows the subtle clear and transparent shrub, having subtle, tender branches, and soft as juice, the flower of which shrub at first dilated or spread wide, is afterwards contracted, and pa.s.ses into its second nature, into a clear, transparent and pure seed. In this manner gems are produced, and tinged according to the conceived form, and get a property, which is painted out for you to behold in the mountain which is set at the left side.

The 4th Question of Gems If the thing be so, it will from thence be concluded that gems ought to be found in every place, because the stars in their course surround the whole Earth, when yet experience teaches in these countries none, but in others many are found.

Answer.

These seeds fall most commonly in hotter countries. Therefore where the Sun is in the highest degree of heat, there this seed (which proceeds from the Sun, the planets and a few other powerful stars) is sown, and by the means of the strongest heat of the Sun is so purged, that it is the most pure, before it arrives at its matter in the centre of the Earth. And though the Sun send out as strong a light and a splendour in one place as in another, yet by reason of the nearness of the pole there intercedes so great a cold between the Sun and the Earth, that this seed cannot be sufficiently clarified, and though it were clarified, yet the digestion would be insufficient, because such an intense heat of the Sun is not used to nourish long in such a place. But the digestion of the seed agrees well with hot countries. That is: after the seed is sent by the Sun and stars, it is first purged in the sphere of the Air, afterwards also in the Earth, which in the place is hot and attractive, which having cast off all its impurity and having sought and found its pure matter, it diligently increases and comes forth: for the Sun by its intense and continual heat does so warm the Earth, that the precious and the best stones, which can be found in the whole world grow out of it. And though precious stones be found in Germany and other places, yet they are not like these. For toward the Eastern and Southern climates of the world, all things are n.o.bler than towards the Northern and Western. You are not ignorant that Arabian gold exceeds the Hungarian, but the Hungarian that of the Rhine. So all Eastern fruits are better than the Western. It can likewise in no manner be brought to pa.s.s, that Hungarian Gold can be naturally made like the Arabian, by reason of the want of digestion, for its seed cannot be purged enough, nor at last can it ripen enough.

I add a further demonstration to what has been said. When the Sun is his own house, and is clear in a clear season then in the point of exaltation the seed is sent from him, which this purges itself, that part of it remains in the Air, part upon and in the Earth, part falls into the centre of the Earth. This is distributed into diverse parts, for one namely the most beautiful, clearest, and most cleansed part joins itself and mingles with its matter, whence Carbuncles are made. Another part of smaller value mixes itself also with its matter, whence rubies grow; at length another viler part, having left all its transparency in the gems serves for generating the preciousest Arabian gold. Moreover another part affords the nature of red sulphur, whence Arabian sulphur and next it Hungarian sulphur is thought the best; beside these others add and commend many more sulphurs, but as they understand a thing to they also speak of it. From those falling parts of seed; the Sun being in his exaltation, which remained upon the Earth, there are bred the best and most precious herbs, the n.o.blest of which is that which is called Alladruca, or Allakanea, which indeed performs great effects. This herb in growing rises up high, produces red and gold-coloured flowers, and is fat like oil, is well enough known to the Armenians. But from some other parts of the aforesaid seed, which also stayed upon the Earth there are made Gamahei in stones, wood, herbs and all things which were separated before, from their Root. From the part of the Seed which remains in the Air, a matter is made resembling a certain juice, which falls upon the Earth and is called Rumani, unknown to you, as many other things not necessary to be known.

Hitherto you have observed the virtue of the rays of one star. But when a certain planet makes a conjunction or a trine aspect with other planets, changes a sign and enters into another sign, then the rays fall otherwise than they did before, for hence it is that such different fruits are product. For the Sun in his exaltation having a conjunction with Mars, the carbuncles are bred with a greater but obscurer s.h.i.+ning red, the rubies also of an impure and of a tawny redness, which reason takes place also with the other planets. In cold countries there grow stones, metals and herbs which are not found in the hot. An example for us is crystal, which needs a cold place, for it is clearer there, whose growth is not out of snow, as some think, but from a mineral water, in which it is generated by Saturn, by means of his cold ascendant. If in a serene and clear sky in Saturn's exaltation there be made a conjunction of him with the Moon, you will have beautiful, clear, white and pure crystals but if in a cloudy sky there be a conjunction of Saturn with Mars, you'll have other crystals. The same is the reason of other colours, which depend on the conjunction of the planets, which is as it were unspeakable by me and impossible to be understood by you. We also have with us sapphires, granates, pearls, corollas and stones which they call chalcedonies, for the reasons before alleged according to a dominion and conjunction of the planets, which yet are not like the Oriental ones. And so I have hitherto spoke to you of the production of gems, to which I forbear adding any more by reason of cheats and those who traduce the Art, and leave the rest to be guessed at by him who desires to be made a perfect physician. Where it is to be observed that when the corporeal and spiritual seed is pure, its quant.i.ty is the less, which is the cause why so few gems are found, for the sky on this account is not always favourable. But I speak here of the purer seed, not of that which separated itself from the pure, as is the seed of crystal, just now spoken of.

But the highest virtue is in these gems. For the celestial fire mixed with the soul of the Sun, is by a slight precedent operation found better in carbuncles and rubies, than in all the other creatures. When a seed failing from the Moon would make a sapphire, and from Venus an emerald, it seeks out for itself like matter in the Earth, which being united to itself, it shows to our sight growing as a tree, and thrusts out its branches, that is, its drifts, veins and flowers in the Earth; such as are found in vitriol, antimony, sulphur, marcasites and talc. In which the pure, tender flower dispersed like a subtle juice or a powder, is of a far more excellent substance, than the metal itself or the seed arising from that flower. For as roses, lavender and spikenard, and other odoriferous herbs have a more grateful smell while they yet flourish or are newly distilled, than if the seeds of them were offered to or smelled to, or were distilled: So is our flower much more grateful, more excellent and more powerful in its virtue, than its metal is.

Question the 5th.

Of the flower or being of metals and the first Ens. Is this flower called the first Ens of which Theophrastus wrote such strange things?

Answer Yes; but it is not rightly called so in a true sense. For marcasites are not the first beings, nor are they that which Theophrastus teaches to extract out of them by sublimation and distillation, but may only be called the beginning of the seed, or the last spiritual Ens of metals or minerals, in which the celestial ethereal fire lies hid, being joined with its subject. Here there is need of a separation, not of that only which is made by sublimation, whereby you obtain the flowers of metals and minerals, and you break them off from their stalks, that is, from the impure mineral places: but you must first extract the first Ens from them, because it lies hid in them and can easier be obtained, than out of its metals. For that being as yet soft, tender, pure and volatile is dispersed in its subject, but in the metal straightened up, hard and fixed. As by distillation, as an easier way, you may extract as I said above, the sweet scent of lavender and roses, as you perceive by their smelling, which you can hardly draw out of the seed, because it is compact, and the last matter of roses, so the business is here also. Hence you see, that in this spiritual and last Ens of metals (which is in a readiness that seed may be made out it) there lies hid a great virtue: which Ens may easily be made like its seed or metal: but with difficulty out of a metal, and not without a diligent preparation, which is worthy to be taken notice of. After the flower has got to the end of its time, it is out of its dispersion closely contracted into the body, and is made a metal according to the nature of the seed falling down from heaven or the stars, and so Nature has done her duty, because she cannot lift up this seed to a higher degree: Behold this is the generation of minerals and metals, this is the other mountain placed on the left hand.

Question the 6th. Of the astral or celestial Seed It is not undeservedly demanded, if this celestial seed in metals be equal; that is, whether this seed be as equal in one as in another; for this fire might as well be extracted out of the viler metals as out of the best, or, which is easier, out of their first Ens to avoid change?

Answer You ought to have more rightly understood, what I showed you above concerning this: for I said that the heavens, or the celestial firmament of the stars, there being in them a new conjunction of the planets, as it were an attractive matter (which in respect of Earth is esteemed fire) draws unto itself from the superior stars and the living fire, a life and a stirring up of this Fire and trans.m.u.tes itself into its nature and place, or, which is the same into the nature of the form attracted by the said firmaments, as was said more at large in the First Question which is thus further declared. If the spiritual body of the conjunction of the planets be cold, then this soul, or this fire will also be of a cold nature. For this fire is subject to no certain complexion, and applies itself to any thing, also puts on its nature, hence it is, that in the rest of the conjunctions their complexions are also made. From hence therefore you understand the possibility and nature of life. Therefore by how much the n.o.bler a certain creature is, by so much the n.o.bler is the life and the celestial fire in it.

But if the spiritual body be thick, and sprung from a gross star, then it also a.s.sociates to itself a matter like itself. From this a.s.sociation are made all sorts of stones, flints, sand, and marbles. But sand or gravel is nothing but broken stones. These stones are looked upon among mineral stones, as herbs which always accompany good herbs, and oft are a hindrance to their growth. This is the cause why the best mines, are found in the highest mountain, that is, the highest carnell (or c.o.c.kle) grows right the best herbs. And as the beech, an oak, or an herb when it grows up high, spreads its branches in the air, and divides the air, which division nevertheless by reason of the weakness of sight and subtilty of the air, is not perceived by men's eyes; though it may well be understood in the mind: so also mineral herbs do act, for these divide the Earth, lift it up on high, extend it to the sides, and thus make hills, and valleys. For such trees are tall and strong, for whose extension and dilation it is required, that such an herb should have a very great thickness and power of extending itself, if it must ascend from the center to the superficies of the Earth. Hitherto you have also attained to the growth of the mountains and valleys.

But as to what belongs to the growth of minerals, you must know, that gems, minerals and their stars grow most slowly, so that many were of this opinion, that they grow not at all, but have their original from the running of Mercury into sulphurous veins, and in them veins that it is coagulated into a metal, which yet is false, both because it contradicts the divine word of multiplication, and because Mercury never was the matter of metals, much less sulphur. For Mercury derives its growth from the planet Mercury, and is by itself a mineral fruit, and according to the nature of the conjunction of this planet with another planet, there is produced argent vive. For Mercury is the n.o.blest among the rest of the planets, and changes himself into the nature of what planet soever, with which he makes a conjunction, according to the house of the zodiac in which he is lord: for metals are produced according to the rule of some planet and yet nevertheless obtain some quality from the nature of that with which the conjunction was made. Hence there is argent vive of diverse colours, white, blueish, grey, blackish, one slow, another swift, yet having in itself an open metal and a body easy to be trans.m.u.ted. For as the planet Mercury is easily changed into the nature of the rest of the planets, so also running argent vive may be easily changed into another metal, but chiefly into that which proceeded from the conjunction of some planet, into whose metals it ought to be converted. For example sake, Mercury makes a conjunction with the Sun, whence because he is the lord of the conjunction, there arises a Mercurial tree, whose spiritual solar seed is contained in the argent vive, whence such an argent vive may be easily trans.m.u.ted into gold, which is also to be understood of all the rest.

In this variety of argent vive there is required the experience of some master, to know for what use this or that is if he would go about a right trans.m.u.tation. If he takes in hand an argent vive, which has the nature of silver or some other metal, he must first strip it of the nature, which is no small labour, and afterward convert it into gold: For you must overcome the spirit, not with a body, but with a spirit which is stronger than it, which is to be overcome. Perhaps in your first trial you got a Mercury, bred out of the conjunctions of Mercury, Sol and Mars, Mercury being lord over Sol and Mars. Out of this the Mercury had grown, which you precipitated and converted into a better metal. Your labour was easy, because Mercury was superior to Sol, and Sol to Mars, whence came the easiness of your labour. Another Mercury which you would trans.m.u.te was of the nature of Lune and Jupiter, which had no good success, because you ought to have first overcome it with the Spirit of Sol, whence your error and ignorance deceived you.

The sulphur also which, as I said above, ought also to contribute something to the generation of metals, is not that which is to be sold, but that which descends from heaven; by the ancients named sulphur, by reason of the astral, celestial fire, which has dominion in it, whence it deservedly is called incombustible sulphur. Out of the other sulphur no metal can (without art) be made, because by itself it is a fruit to which a metallic virtue is given, which the artist may extract. But the best sulphur is the Arabian and Hungarian, because it contains the excrements of the ruby, the carbuncle and the granate, of which I spoke before. This is red like blood, and transparent, its preparation is of no small concern, and in its substance it is rather the form than the matter of metals. The other sulphurs are bred from the stars, and are nothing else but the excrements of the stars, and of diverse kinds, as black, green, yellow, white, and tawny, according to the nature and property of the stars: hence you see the ancients mistook in the generation of metals, which none of them understood better than Hermes. Since therefore metals grow and have a beginning, it follows also, that they are also multiplied. Now follows another error of those who affirm gold to be eternal or incorruptible, which opinion is false, because since everything has in itself life and death, and gold also has received a life, it will follow that it received death also. If this were not so, gold could neither by Nature nor by Art be destroyed. Since nevertheless experience, which in this case teaches truth, witnesses the contrary. Gold therefore does die, does see an end and perish, as do all things in the world. But because minerals grow on a long course of time therefore they also in a long time decrease. For what soon grows, soon decreases; an example whereof is given us in herbs, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, which are devoured and consumed with their own rush and canker; as it were by a death implanted within them. Men by reason of the shortness of their lives, cannot observe the mortification of gold, therefore it was held to be immortal and incorruptible. Now follows the confuting of the third error of the ancients about gold, of which many write that it requires a thousand years until it be made mature, but yet it can no ways be proved. As in Spain, France and Italy fruits grow sooner than in Poland, Swedeland, Denmark and Germany, nay in Arabia and India much sooner: So minerals do grow in one place sooner than in another, yet all in one summer, that is their own proper summer. For everything has, as I said before has its own summer, and its own firmament. So also every metal is sown in its spring, grows its summer, bears fruit in its autumn, and in its winter again falls away and perishes: whence no certain term of time can be prefixed for these things, but yet on the account of gold it runs out into many ages.

Furthermore we must still refute another error, for some, who to themselves seem learned, write that one metals is in the Earth changed into another, but this is false. For as an apple tree cannot be made out of a pear (or pear tree) so in the Earth gold cannot be made out of silver. Though there be made a transplantation of some herbs, yet out of them there is made a particular sort, such as nature produces not. So when silver is transplanted, there is made the Lazuli (or azure stone, whence, ultramarine is made) which therefore is not good, or any thing else having the property of any metal: we must therefore bid farewell to such errors: for everything grows by itself, one communicates nothing to another, just in the same manner, that one herb has no communication with another, though they are sprung out of one matter, namely earth, and minerals out of a corporeal water; yet the form of them even as much as the matter is different from one another, which is to be observed.

Question the 7th, of the maturation of metals, and of volatile gold It is notorious and manifest that by Art gold and silver are drawn out of the base minerals, which have in them often no metal, or but a small quant.i.ty of metal, whence it is concluded that such base metals are converted into gold and silver. Therefore if metals were not trans.m.u.ted in the Earth into one another, it is also impossible that Art should perform this with lead, tin, and copper that gold and silver may be made out of them, because Art only imitates Nature, and neither does, nor can do any other thing, than what Nature does beforehand figure out for Art, without which Alchymy would be false and wicked.

Answer.

It is true indeed and possible, that out of some minerals which have in them neither gold nor silver, and in which trial being made, none is found, gold and silver may be drawn; yet this is not be taken in the sense that you think. For as I said above, vile herbs grow also with the good ones, the herbs bearing gold and silver, and mix themselves with them, as are copper, iron, tin, lead, vitriol and antimony. Those herbs come sooner to maturity, than the herbs called gold and silver, whence they can also be sooner destroyed. But when Venus and Mars, and the minerals also of Saturn and Jupiter are gathered, then not only the flowers of Sol and Lune, but the seeds are also comprehended. These when they are subjected to a trial in the ordinary way often afford gold presently, because the seed is in them: but if only the flower be there, they yield not gold: for the flower is quite dest.i.tute of the virtue, which should resist the violence of the fire, as the seed does.

But when these minerals are digested and maturated with hot corporeal and fixed species bred from the conjunction of the Sun, as antimony, vitriol and Sol, there is no little profit arises thence. For these species not only ripen immature gold, but also trans.m.u.te unripe metals, as lead, tin, copper and iron, and because they as yet remain in the flower do convert them into gold and silver; and then they enter into their true furnace, in here, the flower is in a short time ripened and reduced to a firmness, without which medium Nature would have been employed a long time in performing this effect, by reason of her infirm and weak digestion. Thus these minerals give their spiritual and immature gold fixed and sometimes in a greater quant.i.ty than Nature would have brought to perfection in them, and here therefore there is need of great diligence, that good species be made use of for maturation, and such indeed as by reason of their generation have a kindred with Sol and Lune, or, which is better, are endued with sulphur, that is, with the flower of Sol, for in such sulphurous species those minerals are highly tinged.

But in this operation you must take care of a right digestion and a temperate heat, which ought to be natural and perfecting. For when we desire to perfect a great many minerals together and at once there needs a particular diligence and understanding. For many have in samples of a small quant.i.ty found great profit, but in the working a greater quant.i.ty, just none at all. The cause of this thing was, that they not only made the lair wrong, and too close and thick, by too much breaking and dispersing the minerals, they laid open the flower, but also they though, that by reason of the quant.i.ty of matter there ought also to be so much greater digestion, whence they made so much the stronger a fire; hence it came, that the minerals (or ores) were burnt in one place, and in another felt even no fire. Hence that matter remained common ore and sometimes brought more loss than profit; you must therefore proceed prudently. But that many are persuaded that they can draw more out of a volatile than out of a fixed mineral, it is rightly said indeed, but not rightly understood. For how volatile so ever any mineral be which wants the flower of Sol or Lune, or does not get it by an addition, in it nevertheless you will find neither Sol nor Lune, but only the metal joined to the mineral whose flower it has in it, though you torment it with a great deal of digestion, or burning and roasting. So I have made the maturation of metals more easy to be understood by you, and that Art does, as also Nature ripen minerals; also I have demonstrated that man may by his knowledge and reason trans.m.u.te minerals above and contrary to Nature. For this Nature cannot do, because she has not hands, nor feet, and cannot, as man may, unite distant things.

I now go on to the other part of the Seventh Question; which was this: that the trans.m.u.tation of metals was impossible to the art, because no metals were in the womb of the Earth changed into one another. But that you are widely mistaken will be made out to you by what follows. A metal as yet lying hid in the Earth, rests upon its root and stalk, and is sustained by its own root and nourishment, and therefore while it cleaves to its root, can take nothing from another metal, or attract its nature unto itself, but when it is lopped off, then at length it expects a nourishment, which, if it can be made partaken of it, it greedily draws from the flower of Sol or Lune, or other metals. Then this seed as the spirit of that body undergoes the nature of the metal which was lopped off, and brings it, as was said above, sometimes into a perfecter condition, and sometimes also to a worse.

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