the production of Naturall things, concerning the Elements, the First
matter, and Second matter, Bodies, Seeds, and concerning the Use and
Vertue of them: I wrote also the Praxis of making the Philosophers
Stone. Now I will discover so much of the vertue of it, as Nature hath
granted to me, and experience taught me. But to comprehend the argument
of all these Treatises briefly, and in few words, that the Reader which
fears God may understand my mind and meaning, the thing is this. If
any man doubt of the truth of the Art, let him read the voluminous
writings of ancient Philosophers, verified by reason, and experience;
whom wee may deservedly give credit to in their own Art: but if any
will not give credit to them, then we know not how to dispute with
them, as denying principles: for deaf, and dumbe men cannot speak.
What prerogative should all things in this world have before Metalls?
Why should these alone by having seed without cause denyed to them, be
excluded from Gods universall blessing of multiplication, which holy
writ affirms was put in, and bestowed on all created things presently
after the world was made? Now if they have Seed, who is so sottish
to think that they cannot bee multiplyed in their Seed? The Art of
Alchymie in its kind is true, Nature also is true, but the Artificer is
seldome true: there is one Nature, one Art, but many Artificers. Now
what things Nature makes out of the Elements, she generates them by the
will of God out of the first matter, which God onely knowes: Nature
makes and multiplies those things of the second matter, which the
Philosophers know. Nothing is done in the world without the pleasure
of God, and Nature. Every Element is in its own sphere; but one cannot
be without the other; one lives by vertue of the other, and yet being
joined together they doe not agree; but Water is of more worth then all
the Elements, because it is the mother of all things: upon this swims
the spirit of Fire. By reason of Fire Water is the first matter, _viz._
by the striving together of Fire, and Water, and so are generated
Winds, and Vapours apt, and easy to bee congealed with the earth, by
the help of the crude aire, which from the beginning was separated
from it. And this is done without cessation, by a perpetuall motion;
because fire, or heat is stirred up no otherwise then by motion, which
thing you may easily conceive by a Smith filing Iron, which through
vehement motion waxeth hot in that manner, as if it were heated in
the Fire. Motion therefore causeth heat, heat moves the water, the
motion of the water causeth aire, the life of all living things.
Things therefore grow after this manner (as I said before) _viz._
out of water; for out of the subtill Vapour of it, subtil and light
things proceed; out of the oylinesse of it, things that are heavy,
and of greater price; but of the salt things far more excellent then
the former. Now because Nature is sometimes hindred, that it cannot
produce pure things; seeing the Vapour, Fatnesse, and Salt are fouled
or stained, and mixe themselves with the places of the earth: Moreover,
experience teacheth us to separate the pure from the impure. Therefore
if thou wilt have Nature be bettered, or mended in her actings,
dissolve what body you please, and that which was added or joined to
Nature, as heterogeneous, separate, cleanse, joine pure things with
pure, ripe to ripe, crude to crude, according to the poise of Nature,
and not of Matter. And know that the Centrall salt Nitre doth not
receive more of the Earth then it hath need of, whether it be pure or
impure: but the fatnesse of the water is otherwise, for it is never to
be had pure; art purifies it by a twofold heat, and then conjoins it.
[Illustration: *decorative divider*]
_THE EPILOGUE, or CONCLUSION OF THESE TWELVE TREATISES._
FRIENDLY READER,
I wrote the Twelve foregoing Treatises in love to the sonnes of
Art, that before they set their hand to the worke they may know the
operation of Nature, _viz._ how she produceth things by her working;
lest they should attempt to enter in at the gate without keyes, or to
draw water in a sieve: for he laboureth in vain, that putteth forth
his hands to labour without the knowledge of Nature, in this sacred
and most true Art, he lies in nocturnal darknesse to whom the sun doth
not shine, and he is in thick darknesse, to whom after it is night
the Moon doth not appeare. Nature hath her proper light, which is not
obvious to our eyes; the shadow of Nature is a body before our eyes:
but if the light of Nature doth enlighten any one, presently the cloud
is taken away from before his eyes, and without any let he can behold
the point of our loadstone, answering to each Center of the beams,
_viz._ of the Sun and Earth: for so farre doth the light of Nature
penetrate, and discovers inward things; of which thing take this for
an example. Let a boy that is twelve yeares old, and a girle of the
same age, be cloathed with garments of the same fashion, and be set
one by the other, no body can know which is the male, or which is the
female; our eyes cannot penetrate so far, therefore our sight deceiveth
us, and takes false things for true: But when their garments are taken
off, and they are naked, that so it may appear what Nature made them,
they are easily distinguished by their sexes. Just after the same
manner doth our intellect make a shadow of the shadow of Nature; for
the naked body of Man is the shadow of the seed of Nature: As therefore
mans body is covered with a garment, so also mans nature is covered
with the body, which God reserves to himself to cover, or uncover. I
could here discourse largely, and Philosophically of the dignity of
Man, his Creation and Generation: but seeing they are impertinent to
this place, I will passe them over in silence; only I will treat a
little concerning the Life of Man. Man was created of the Earth, and
lives by vertue of the Aire; for there is in the Aire a secret food of
life, which in the night wee call dew; and in the day rarified water,
whose invisible, congealed spirit is better then the whole Earth. O
holy, and wonderfull Nature, who dost not suffer the sons of Wisdome
to erre, as thou dost manifest in the life of man daily! Moreover
in these twelve Treatises I have produced so many naturall reasons,
that he which is desirous of the art, and feares God, may the more
easily understand all things, which through Gods blessing, with my
eyes I have seen, with mine own hands have made without any deceit of
sophistication: for without the light, and knowledge of Nature, it
is impossible to attain to this Art, unlesse it come to any by Gods
speciall revelation, or some speciall friend doth privately shew it.
It is a thing of little account, yet most pretious, which being divers
times described, I doe now again repeat. Take 10 parts of aire, 1 part
of living gold, or living silver; put all these into thy vessel; boyle
this aire first untill it be water, and then no water. If thou art
ignorant of this, and knowst not how to boyl aire, without all doubt
thou shalt erre; seeing this is the matter of the ancient Philosophers.
For thou must take that, which is, and is not seen, untill it be the
Artificers pleasure; it is the water of our dew, out of which is
extracted the Salt Petre of Philosophers, by which all things grow, and
are nourished: the matrix of it is the Center of the Sun, and Moon,
both celestiall, and terrestiall: and to speak more plainly, it is our
Loadstone, which in the foregoing Treatises I called Chalybs, or Steel:
The Aire generates this Loadstone, and the Loadstone generates, or
makes our Air to appear, and come forth. I have here entirely shewed
thee the truth; Begge of God that hee would prosper thine undertakings:
And so in this place thou shalt have the true, and right explication
of _Hermes_, when he saith, that the father of it is the Sun, and its
mother the Moon, and that which the wind carryed in its belly, _viz._
_Sal Alkali_, which the Philosophers have called _Sal Armoniacum_, and
vegetable, hid in the belly of the _Magnesia_. The operation of it is
this, to dissolve the congealed aire, in which thou shall dissolve
the tenth part of Gold; seale this up, and work with our fire, untill
the air be turned into powders; and there appear (the salt of the
world being first had) divers colours. I would have set down the whole
processe in these Treatises; but because that, together with the
multiplication, is sufficiently set down in the books of _Lullius_,
and other old Philosophers; it therefore sufficed me to treat only of
the first, and second matter; which is done faithfully, neither do
thou ever think that any man living hath done it more cleerly, then I
have done it; since I have done it not out of many books but by the
labour of my hands, and mine own experience. If therefore thou dost
not understand, or beleeve the truth, doe not blame me, but thy self;
and perswade thy selfe that God was unwilling to reveal this secret
to thee: Be therefore earnest with him by prayer, and with serious
meditation read over this book oftentimes, especially the Epilogue of
these twelve Treatises: alwaies considering the possibility of Nature,
and the actions of the Elements, and which of them is the chiefest in
those actions, and especially in the rarefaction of water, or aire,
for so the heavens are created, as also the whole world. This I was
willing to signifie to thee, as a father to his son. Doe not wonder
that I have wrote so many Treatises, for I did not make them for my
own sake, seeing I lack not books, but that I might advertise many,
that work in fruitlesse things, that they should not spend their
costs in vain. All things indeed might have been comprehended in
few lines, yea in few words: but I was willing to guide thee to the
knowledge of Nature by Reasons, and Examples; that thou mightest in
the first place know, what the thing is thou seekest after, whether
the first, or second matter, also that thou mightest have Nature, her
light, & shadow discovered to thee. Be not displeased if thou meetest
sometimes with contradictions in my Treatises, it being the custome of
Philosophers to use them; thou hast need of them, if thou understandest
them, thou shall not find a rose without prickles. Weigh diligently
what I have said before, _viz._ how four Elements distill into the
Center of the earth a radicall moisture, and how the Centrall Sun of
the earth, by its motion bringeth it forth, and sublimeth it to the
superficies of the earth. I have said also that the Celestiall Sun hath
a correspondency with the Centrall Sun: for the Celestiall Sun, and the
Moon have a peculiar power, and vertue of distilling into the earth
by vertue of their beams: for heat is easily joined to heat, and salt
to salt. And as the Centrall Sun hath its sea, and crude water, that
is perceptible; so the Celestiall Sun hath its sea, and subtill water
that is not perceptible. In the superficies the beams of the one, are
joined to the beams of the other, and produce flowers, and all things.
Therefore when there is raine made, it receives from the aire that
power of life, and joins it with the salt-nitre of the earth (because
the salt-nitre of the earth is like calcined Tartar, drawing to it self
by reason of its drynesse the aire, which in it is resolved into water:
such attractive power hath the salt-nitre of the earth, which also was
aire, and is joined to the fatnesse of the earth) and by how much the
more abundantly the beams of the Sun beat upon it, the greater quantity
of salt-nitre is made, and by consequence the greater plenty of Corn
grows, and is increased, and this is done daily. Thus much I thought
good to signifie to the ignorant of the correspondency, or agreement
of things amongst themselves, and the efficacy of the Sun, and Moon,
and Stars; for the wise need not this instruction. Our subject is
presented to the eyes of the whole world, and it is not known. O our
Heaven! O our Water! O our Mercury! O our Salt-nitre abiding in the
sea of the world! O our Vegetable! O our Sulphur fixed, and volatill!
O our _Caput Mortuum_, or dead head, or feces of our Sea! Our Water
that wets not our hands, without which no mortall can live, and without
which nothing grows, or is generated in the whole world! And these are
the Epithites of _Hermes_ his bird, which never is at rest. It is of
very small account, yet no body can bee without it: and so thou hast a
thing discovered to thee more pretious then the whole world, which I
plainly tell thee is nothing else but our Sea water, which is congealed
in Silver, and Gold, and extracted out of Gold, and Silver by the help
of our Chalybs, by the Art of Philosophers in a wonderfull manner, by
a prudent son of Art. It was not my purpose for some reasons before
mentioned in the Preface, to publish this book, but a desire to deserve
well of those that are studiously given to liberall, and Philosophical
Arts, prevailed with me, that I might hold forth to them, that I
bear an honest mind; also that I might declare my self to them, that
understand the Art, to be their equal and fellow, and to have attained
their knowledge. I doubt not but many men of good consciences, and
affections do enjoy this gift of God secretly; these being warned by
my example, and dangers are made more cautious, and wise, having that
commendable silence of _Harpocrates_. For as often as I would discover
my selfe to great men, it alwaies turned to my losse and danger. By
this my writing I make my self known to the adopted sons of _Hermes_,
I instruct the ignorant, and them that are misled, and bring them back
into the right way. And let the heirs of wisdome know, that they shall
never have a better way, then that, which is here demonstrated to them;
for I have spoken all things cleerly: Only I have not so cleerly shewed
the extraction of our Salt Armoniacke, or the Mercury of Philosophers,
out of our Sea water, and the use thereof, because I had from the
Master of Nature no leave to speake any further, and this only God must
reveale, who knows the hearts, and minds of men. He will haply upon
thy constant, and earnest prayers, and the frequent reading over of
this booke, open the eyes of thy understanding. The vessell, as I said
before, is but one from the beginning to the end, or at most two are
sufficient: the fire is continuall in both operations; for the sake
of which let the ignorant read the tenth, and eleventh Treatise. If
thou shalt operate in a third matter, thou shalt effect nothing: they
medle with this, whoever work not in our Salt, which is Mercury, but
in Herbs, Animals, Stones, and all Minerals, excepting our Gold, and
Silver covered over with the sphere of _Saturne_. And whosoever desires
to attaine to his desired end, let him understand the conversion of the
Elements to make light things heavy, and to make spirits no spirits;
then hee shall not worke in a strange thing. The Fire is the Rule,
whatsoever is done, is done by Fire; as sufficiently before, so here we
have spoken enough by way of Conclusion. Farewell friendly Reader! and
long maist thou enjoy these labours of mine, (made good, or verified by
mine owne experience,) to the glory of God, the welfare of thine owne
soule, and good of thy neighbour.
[Illustration: *decorative divider*]
TO THE SONS of TRVTH:
A Preface To the Philosophicall _ÆNIGMA_, Or _RIDLE_.
SONS of WISDOME,
I have now opened to you all things from the very first rising of the
universall fountaine, that there is no more left to be discovered. For
in the foregoing Treatises I have sufficiently explained Nature by way
of example: I have shewed the Theorie and Praxis, as plainely as it was
lawfull. But lest any should complain of my briefnesse, that by reason
of it I have omitted something, I will yet further describe to thee
the whole Art by way of Ridle, or Ænigmaticall speech; that thou maist
see how farre through Gods guidance I am come. The bookes that treat
of this Art are infinite; yet thou shalt not find in any of them the
truth so much, as it is in this of mine, made known, or discovered unto
thee. The reason that encouraged mee to make it so plain, was this,
_viz._ Because, when I had discoursed with many men, that thought they
understood the writings of Philosophers very well; I perceived that
they did explaine those writings far more subtilly then Nature, which
is simple and plain, did require: yea all my true sayings did seem to
them being profoundly wise, or savouring of high things, to bee of no
value and incredible. It hapned sometimes that I would intimate the
Art to some from word to word, but they could by no meanes understand
mee, not beleeving there was any water in our Sea, and yet they would
be accounted Philosophers. Since therefore they could not understand
my words, which I delivered by word of mouth, I doe not fear (as other
Philosophers were afraid) that any one can so easily understand what
I have wrote; It is the gift, I say, of God. It is true indeed, if in
the study of Alchymie there were required subtilnesse, and quicknesse
of wit, and things were of that Nature as to be perceived by the eyes
of the vulgar, I saw that their fancies, or wits were apt enough to
find out such things: but I say to you, bee simple, or plaine, and not
too wise untill you have found out the secret, which when you have, it
will of necessity require wisdome enough to use, and keep it; then it
will be easy for you to write many books; because it is easier for him,
that is in the Center, and sees the thing, then for him that walks in
the Circumference, and only heares of it. You have the second matter
of all things most cleerly described unto you: but let mee give you
this Caution, that if you would attaine to this secret, know that first
of all God is to bee prayed to, then your neighbour is to bee loved:
and lastly, doe not fancy to your selves things that are subtill,
which Nature knew nothing of; but abide, I say, abide in the plain way
of Nature; because you may sooner feel the thing in plainnesse, or
simplicity, then see it in subtilty. In reading therefore my writings
doe not stick in the letter of them, but in reading of them consider
Nature, and the possibility thereof. Now before you set your selves to
work, consider diligently what it is you seek, and what the scope, and
end of your intention is: for it is much better to learn by the brain,
and imagination, then with labour, and charges. And this I say to you,
that you must seek for some hidden thing, out of which is made (after
a wonderfull manner) such a moisture, or humidity, which doth dissolve
Gold without violence, or noise, yea so sweetly, and naturally, as ice
doth melt in warme water: if you find out this, you have that thing,
out of which Gold is produced by Nature: and although all Metalls, and
all things have their originall from hence, yet nothing is so friendly
to it as Gold; for to other things there sticks fast some impurity,
but to Gold none, besides it is like a Mother unto it. And so finally
I conclude; if you will not be wise, and wary by these my writings,
and admonitions, yet excuse mee who desire to deserve well of you: I
have dealt as faithfully as it was lawfull for mee, and as becomes a
man of a good conscience to doe. If you ask who I am, I am one that can
live any where: if you know mee, and desire to shew your selves good
and honest men, you shall hold your tongue: if you know mee not, doe
not enquire after mee, for I will reveale to no mortall man, whilest
I live, more then I have done in this publick writing. Beleeve mee, if
I were not a man of that ranke and condition as I am, nothing would be
more pleasant to mee then a solitary life, or with _Diogenes_ to lie
hid under a tub: for I see all things that are to be but vanity, and
that deceit, and covetousnesse are altogether in use, where all things
are to be sold, and that vice doth excell vertue. I see the better
things of the life to come before mine eys. I rejoice in these. Now
I doe not wonder, as before I did, why Philosophers, when they have
attained to this Medicine, have not cared to have their dayes shortned;
because every Philosopher hath the life to come set so cleerly before
his eyes, as thy face is seen in a glasse. And if God shall graunt thee
thy desired end, then thou shalt beleeve mee, and not reveal thy self
to the world.
[Illustration: *decorative divider*]
THE PARABLE, OR _PHILOSOPHICALL RIDLE_.
Added by way of Conclusion, and Superaddition.