_B._ Have you not read in the Philosophers, when they speak of
Inceration, that the out-driven Soul is to be restored to the dead
King, that the dead Body may be recalled back to Life, and that it,
arising with a more glorious Body, and a more excellent Crown, may
prove an helper to its meaner Brethren. The Philosophers words are, as
follows. Here the Soul lets it self down, and refresheth the dead Body.
For it is not sufficient, that the King be deprived of Life and so left
dead: No, no, for necessity requires, that its Soul be restored unto
it, which may restore its Motion, and lost Life, to the dead Body. Now,
by how much the oftner, the Soul and Life is taken away from the King,
and that which is taken away be again restored thereunto, which so
much the stronger and more active Body, and so much the Magnificenter
a Crown will he arise withal. By these few words have I laid open
unto you, Inceration and Multiplication. But yet there are other ways
of increasing our fixt _Salamander_, and rendring it fusible, _viz._
by the addition of Mercurial things, which, by their speedy Flux and
penetrating Property, do pierce into this our destroyed Gold, dissolve
it, and so bring to pass, that there is made of them both (_viz._ of
the destroyed Gold, and which admits not of any reduction, and of the
Volatile _Mercury_) a certain fusile midling Body, which said Body,
thus conjoyned of the two, is to be maturated by the bare Regiment of
the Fire. And by this Maturation, is this universal Medicament rendred
so fusible, as to have Ingress into all the Metals, and to penetrate
them.
A. _[But pray Sir,] Is not this way of giving a more easie Ingress
and Flux to our destroyed, and irreducible, Gold, by the =Mercury= of
Metals, more facile, and a nearer one than that abovesaid way, which
requires a great many Operations, by the reiterating of Inceration and
Multiplication?_
_B._ Yes Verily, it is a shorter and easier way, as being void of many
tedious Labours, for it needs nothing else, but that the _Mercury_ of
some Metals be put into some good strong Glass with the inverted Gold,
and be so brought unto Fixation. But yet this Medicament, that is on
this wise wrought up with the ☿ to a constancy in the Fire, cannot
extend its Colour so largely, as that, which is rendred fusible by so
many reiterated Operations, because, in every reiteration, the Tincture
is exalted and multiplied. And now, have you any other demands? if so,
be brief, for the Evening approacheth.
A. _Yes, Sir, there are many things, that I would ask about, but seeing
that my importunity is troublesome, I will at present rest content with
those things, I have heard. Only, this one thing more would I gladly
know, =viz.= where I ought to seek for the Soul of the King._
_B._ You must look, whither you have driven it, and there must you
seek it, and, having found it, you must restore it to the dead King,
and so you will again begin your Work, and you shall again bring it
through all the Variety of Colours, like as you did at the first
time. For when the Soul is restored to the Body, there is made a new
Solution, which is to be again putrefied, that it may turn back; and
then proceeding farther on according to the same way, as was done in
the first Operation, there will appear all the Colours, and they too
far more delicate than in the foregoing Labour. The _Crows head_ will
be Blacker, the _Dragons Blood_ Redder: The _Lac virginis_ Whiter,
and the _Salamander_ more fusile, than it was in the first Operation.
For by how much the oftner you shall repeat this Mortification and
Vivification of the King, so much the more Magnificent, more precious,
and more efficacious a Tincture, will you obtain. Believe it, and give
God the thanks, and be mindful of the Poor, assoon as ever you are
Master of your Desires. Come to me again upon _Munday_, that I may
also teach you (according to my Promise) the way of making another
Philosophical work out of the Poisonous, Volatile, and black _Saturnine
Magnesia_: And so farewel.
A. _In going away spake thus with himself, Praise and Glory be unto
God, who hath thus, by the help of one Man, bestowed on me so great
a Grace. I now go home with a cheerful mind, and there will I most
desirously wait for =Mundays= approach, that so I may likewise get,
from my Friend sent me by God, that other work, [made] out of the
Volatile and Philosophical Gold. But this Operation, done with fixed
Gold, doth please me wondrously well, especially for this reason,
because, in every Reiteration, there do always appear the same Colours,
which presented themselves to view in the first Operation. Who would
ever have believed, that so many, and such excellent Colours lay hid
in common Gold? And now, if this can be demonstrated in the common
Gold, what may be expected from the secret Gold of the Philosophers,
in which (they say) many more Colours lye hid than do in common Gold.
’Tis a common Proverb, [I confess] that he who seeks from another comes
to know many things, but [usually] renders himself ungrateful: But yet
however, I cannot chuse but propose unto the Man one Question more,
perhaps some sweet refreshing Solar Ray will shine upon me. My Friend!
I am come again unto you._
_B._ Well, tell me, what more you have to say unto me?
A. _As touching those things which I have seen, I desire no farther
Information concerning them. But, it will most thoroughly serve my
turn, if you will be but pleased to answer but unto one Question,
which I shall propose unto you: And that is this, Forasmuch as almost
all the Philosophers, in the description of their Stone, do tell us,
That the King is to be conjoyned, and Radically mixed, with the Queen
in a peculiar Mercurial Bath, that so from them an Off-spring more
noble than the Father may arise: And seeing likewise, that the same
Philosophers do at large celebrate the Coition of =Mars= and =Venus=:
My desire is very great, to understand your Opinion concerning this
business. For if there could happen, or proceed, any good effect from
this Conjunction of Gold with Silver, or =Mars= with =Venus=, what need
would there be of so many repeated Coctions of the Gold?_
_B._ This way, which you make mention of, is not unprofitable; and,
to tell you the Truth, there are yet nearer ways, the which whosoever
enters into, will equally become a Master of great _Arcana_’s. I was
willing to shew unto you the work upon bare Gold only, for this reason,
_viz._ that you may see with your Eyes, and as it were feel with
your hands, that those most eminent Colours do lye hid even in bare
Gold too; which is a thing, that scarce one of a thousand would have
believed. And now being certainly assured, about the lying hid of so
great a Tincture in Gold, you may with the greater confidence set about
your Operations.
A. _Still more and more doth a brighter light shine upon me, Nor can
I enough admire, when I look upon the Rosey Colour of the Lyon, that
out of so small a Lyon, there should proceed so great a quantity of
Blood, coloured with so excellent and delicate a Colour, when as
notwithstanding, out of other much greater Animals, there is scarce
extractible so much Blood, as to answer to the hundreth part of this
Blood._
_B._ What? do not you understand, by what means, such an incredible
quantity of Blood can flow forth out of so small a Lyon? What, do you
not know, that the whole Body of the Lyon, which is the King of all
Beasts, is nothing else but the mere concentrated Blood of the heart,
one half Ounce of which, being boiled in many hundred Ounces of water,
doth turn all that water into Blood, as you your self have now seen
with your own Eyes.
A. _I confess, that there have now been shewn to the view of mine own
Eyes, such and so great things, the like of which I never heard so much
as one word of, from any others. No Body would believe me, and (which
is worse) mine Enemies, who are most vile Compilers of infamous Libels,
would set upon me with store of reproaches and lyes, and call me
Sophister and Cheater, and would say, that I boyl some =Brasile= wood,
or other Red colouring Stuff in water, and so sell it for the Rosey
Blood of the Lyon. And therefore, I have no reason to make shew of any
knowledge of this so great a Secret._
_B._ How? what will you be afraid to be a reporter of the Truth; and
to manifest these great wonders of God and Nature. That very way by
which I shewed unto you, that that most high Colour ariseth out of
Gold, by the self same way may you be able to shut the defiled mouths
of your Enemies. And if they will not believe, that there lyes hidden
such a Colour in Gold, they will be convinced by the said Lyons Blood,
which, being made bright hot in a strong Fire, and afterwards boiled
again in other water, will convert the same, as it did the former, into
Blood, and this you may even do, as often as you please. By this it is
manifestly evident, that the Blood of our Lyon is incombustible. And in
our being busied about those Labours of ours, there present themselves
to our view, three most delicate Flowers: The first is, a _Violet_,
dyed with a mixt red and Sky Colour: Then, the White _Lilly_; and at
last, the immortal _Amaranthus_ shining with a Scarlet dye. But why,
immortal? For this reason, because neither the strongest Fire, nor the
strongest Corrosive waters can at all hurt it, or change its Colours.
The _Amaranthus_ is tinged with the highest and most constant Colour,
beyond all other Herbs and Flowers, the which does not so soon vanish
after the manner of other Colours, which other Flowers have, but abides
constant for many years, insomuch, that such an Herb is kept both
Winter and Summer, to make Garland and Posies, or such like, withal.
A. _If now any one could be so happy at last, as to enjoy that
=Amaranthus=, he might present many pious Virgins, with Posies and
Garlands made thereof._
_B._ If you are desirous of using the Lyons Blood in your Operations,
then follow _Paracelsus_ his Doctrine, in his _Tincture of the
Philosophers_, where he teacheth, that the Rosey Blood is to be
conjoyned and fixt with the white Glew of the Eagle; which way seems
the nearest for the obtaining of the universal Tincture.
A. _I am delighted with hearing of this: The Rosey Blood of the Lyon I
have, but yet I want the white Glew of the Eagle; which if I could but
get into my power, I would conjoyn them both together without any more
delay, and bring them to Fixation. But I cannot sufficiently enough
admire at this, =viz.= that =Paracelsus= hath made no mention, of
conjoyning the Virgins Milk of =Diana= with the Kings Blood._
_B._ _Paracelsus_ has not therefore injured any, in his not manifesting
all things so clearly and openly, seeing it is the Custom with other
Philosophers to do the like: If you are desirous to use Gold and Silver
conjoyned together, in your working, then deal with the Silver, just
as I taught you to do with the Gold, and make thereof an incombustible
_Lac Virginis_, and such as admits not of any Reduction; the which is
to be conjoyned with the incombustible Blood of the Lyon, and to be
put into a Vessel, that so these two Bodies, being conjoyned, may be
most constantly [or firmly] united, and may never be separated from
each other by any kind of disjoyning. But, that you may yet better
understand the whole business, I will subjoyn a few words more. Our
white Eagle being put in common Water, makes the same, wherein it is
dissolved, so tenacious and glutinous, as that, it can glew Paper or
other things together; and, therefore it is not without cause, that
this our secret Salt is termed by Philosophers, the Glew of the Eagle.
For those things, which this Glew joyns together can never more be
separated from each other, and this is one mutual Bond, by which the
Husband and the Wife are so linked together, that they cannot separate
from one another. It doth not much differ from the tye of Marriage,
by which, the Husband and the Wife, or the young Man and Maid, are by
Gods Command so knit and bound to each other by the ordinary Minister
of God, that nothing but Death can separate them. If now a Man and
Woman joyn themselves together without the legitimate and publick Bond
of Matrimony, they beget illegitimate Children, and can (when they
please) break that Conjunction of theirs, and depart the one from the
other, because they are not coupled with that Marriage, that proceeds
from the Command and Will of God; which said coupling or Matrimony is
in repute, and is generally observed for a common Custom, and as being
the Will and Command of God, not only amongst us _Christians_, but
likewise amongst _Jews_, _Turks_, and _Heathens_, throughout the whole
World. And for this reason, the Philosophers were pleased to introduce
the like coupling or Marriage in their work, and that not only of _Sol_
with _Lune_, but likewise of _Mars_ with _Venus_: Which Copulation, if
wanting in these two last [_viz._ ♂ and ♀:] their conjoyning cannot
have any good and happy Success, as daily experience witnesseth. But
now if _Mars_ and _Venus_ be coupled by a Priest in the lawful Bond of
Matrimony, they likewise bring forth legitimate Children, and such as
may be promoted unto Kingly Dignities. I could yet kindle more light
unto you here, concerning this our Philosophical Copulation, _viz._ by
what means the most inconstant, and most highly Volatile, things may
(by the Operation of the same) be so conjoyned, as that they can never
afterwards be loosened from their inseparable knitting together. But at
the present you are not capable of bearing any more. Whatsoever hath
been now omitted, by reason of the shortness of time, shall be made up
at our next meeting and Conference. But, one thing more comes in mind,
which I would have you to know; and ’tis this. When you would make any
good thing of _Mars_ and _Venus_, you must in an especial manner beware
of their gross Bodies, which are Leprous and unfit for our work. ’Tis
their Blood you must seek after, the Blood, I say, of their inmost
Heart, and the true Soul that lyes hidden in that Blood, which is so
very near akin to the Royal Blood. And now, that you may enjoy such
a most noble Blood, you must not imitate the Country fellows, who,
thrusting a knife into the Hogs necks, do save that Blood that flows
out from thence, to make Puddings withal, and take both good and bad
Blood together. No! You must therefore in the first place, know for
a certain Truth, that you must separate out of that grosser Blood of
♂ and ♀, that most subtil Arterial Blood of the Heart, without which
Separation, you may not expect any good succeeding Event. Which said
Separation, seeing, I know, that you are ignorant of, I have thought
good to set it afore your Eyes, which more clear and more perspicuous
Expressions. [Know then] that that most pure Blood is never gotten by
any other means, but by the Corruption and Destruction of the Venereal
and Martial Body: By which helps, these, so gross and hard Bodies are
in such wise opened, that the inmost and most subtil Blood may be
drawn out of them. But yet, ther’s no need of destroying their Bodies
by _Aqua Fortis_, seeing that Nature her self exhibits unto us their
Bodies already opened, in _Vitriol_, and hath left no more for us to
do, but the Labour of extracting the most pure part thereout of. For
even in the common _Vitriol_, _Mars_ and _Venus_ are found conjoyned by
Nature. And now, when we would draw thereout of the most pure Blood,
such a _Vitriol_ is to be chosen, which never hath been as yet in the
Fire; this, _Vitriol_ is to be dissolved in water, and to be filtered
and separated from all its Feces. This green _Vitriol_ contains hidden
in its self, the Blood of that green Lyon, out of which, the said
Blood is to be extracted by the help of a certain Magnet, that so the
unprofitable and gross Body may remain behind. For ’tis the Spirit that
vivifies, the Body is unprofitable. But now, in your extracting this
Blood thus pure, you must not be too greedy, but have a Care, that you
extract no more than a little of the best Blood: Which if you do not
heedfully mind, you will also extract together with the pure Blood, the
more gross and more impure, and so your work will be spoil’d. For you
need only the best and most subtil white Blood of _Mars_ and _Venus_.
For, like as the subtilest and noblest Blood of all the Animals is
not Red, but White, [_viz._ the Sperm:] Even so, the Blood of _Mars_
and _Venus_, which comprehends the Virtues of the whole Body, and the
true propagating Seed, is tincted with a white Colour, in the search
of which, ’tis expedient we bestow our Labour. Therefore, after that
we have extracted, by the help of our Magnet, some two or three half
Ounces of white Blood, out of twenty Pounds of _Vitriol_ dissolved in
water, we then take it out, lest it should also extract the most gross
Blood too, when it can find no more of the white Blood unextracted. You
had therefore need be cautelous in the extraction of that Tincture,
and be circumspect in the Accomplishment of the same. For we are
taught by Nature and Experience, that, in the Coition of Male and
Female, there doth naturally concur a white Blood to the Propagation
of their Off-spring, and in defect of that, Nature is constrained to
send forth a vile and red Blood. Therefore, we must here endeavour,
with our utmost Care and Industry, to purchase by our extraction the
most pure Whiteness, and not the most gross Redness. For in that white
Virgins Milk lye hidden all Colours, and the highest Redness. This
white Virgins Milk, you may promote to a Fixity and Constancy, in a
pure clean Glass, without the Addition of any other thing, the which,
after its being dryed, will become black, and will be translated out of
the black Colour, into several others, and at length shines with the
highest Redness, which puts an end to the Operation.
But as concerning our Magnet, seeing you know it already, you will not
need any farther instruction about it. You have thus heard my Opinion
about _Mars_ and _Venus_, and have understood, by what means some good
thing may be thence had. Neither must you persuade your self, that
there is any other way of having any benefit out of them; how great is
the number of those, who by their vain Labours have mightily endamaged
themselves, following the Writings of _Basilius_, in which he teacheth
to make a Red Oyl out of _Vitriol_, which he calls Gold Philosophical.
The bare literal Sense is not always, and every where in his Writings
to be taken. There is no doubt, but that no small benefits are to be
had out of _Vitriol_. For the Philosophers themselves do hint forth
unto us, the benefit therein hidden, in these words: _Visitabis_,
_Interiora_, _Terra_, _Rectificando_, _Invenies_, _Occultum_,
_Lapidem_, _Veram_, _Medicinam_; _You shall Visit the inward parts of
the Earth, by Rectification you shall find an hidden Stone, a true
Medicine_. And now at last, to close up this our Conference with some
profitable Admonition, know, that I would have thee forbear from the
troublesome Coction of the imperfect Metals, by reason of the too many
impurities, which create many Molestations in the Separation of them,
and cause much loss of time. ’Tis better, that you take in hand _Sol_
and ☽ to perfect the Work withal, which Metals do most abundantly
contain in them, the Red and White Tincture, and are already freed by
Nature from most of their impurities. And although, I have not as yet
made the universal Tincture out of ☉ and ☽, yet there hath appeared
unto me so much, from so many, and such various Operations, that I do
not in the least doubt, but that the immortal _Amaranthus_ may be made
out of them; whereunto you may boldly give Credence, without doubting
at all.
_The COROLLARY,
Or, Present over and above._
[Sidenote: _Cons. 5. Part Sp. Ph. p.149._]
In this Dialogue, the Dragons Blood is so described, as if it needed
full six whole days Operations, to be perfected and brought to its
full end, nor did I then know any nearer way. But afterwards, there
became known unto me a nearer and more compendious Process, whereby
I can now (Praise and Glory be to God for the same) in a few hours
time introvert and transmute the dissolved Gold, and reduce it into a
Red Blood, and that by the help of one only certain White _Urinous_
sublimate, concerning which, I have treated more at large in the fifth
Part of my _Pharmacopea Spagyrica_. And upon the same Account have I
likewise written, that the said of Blood of Gold must [needs] at length
get an easie Fluxibility and Ingress by the frequent Iteration, or
Abstraction of the moist Spirits from the dry Gold. But forasmuch as
the Multiplicity of such Abstractions is not only full of laborious
Operations, but also chargeable and requires much time; and that the
studious Searcher after so great a Secret, may not by being affected
with the Tediousness of so many toylsome Operations, be quite weary,
and at last throw off all hopes: I do therefore commend unto every one,
that other and nearer way of getting it a Fusibility and Ingress, _viz._
the incerating it by _Mercury_, by the benefit whereof, he will far
sooner and easier arrive unto his purpose and final Scope. And although
I have hitherto been hindred through want of time, besides (many other
impediments) from having compleatly finished the Operation of the said
Tincture. Yet notwithstanding, I do with an assured and undoubted
confidence affirm unto every one, that there is given a most certain
occasion [or Capability] of the making and finishing it, and that by
the hitherto described way. I bequeath to such of our Posterity, as
are of a Good, Sincere, and faithful mind, those things which I have
wrought with mine own hands, and withal to what issue I have brought
all my Operations. It is free for every one (as time and occasion
serves) to make Tryal about attaining unto the wisht for end. For my
part, I do heartily thank God, that he hath vouchsafed unto me the
Ability of plentifully and abundantly preparing the Lyons Blood, and of
performing no small matters therewith in a Physical way: And therefore
I shall be well content, though I never arrive unto the desired end of
finishing the Operation of the universal Tincture.
_The Second Dialogue, or Conference, Or a Continuation of the
precedent Colloquy or Dialogue, treating of the Preparation of
an universal Medicament out of the black venemous and Volatile,
=Saturnine Magnesia=._
A. _Blessed be the name of the Lord, who hath caused another Day to
shine upon me. I will presently haste to my faithful Master, and will
beg from him the Doctrine of the second universal Medicament, that he
promised unto me._
_All hayl t’ yee, my dearest of Friends! God Grant that this Day may
prove happy and lucky to me and you: I am come hither to hear from you,
if it stand with your Conveniency, to make good your Courteous Promises
at this present, and to teach me the making and Preparation of your
second universal Medicament: For I have an exceeding ardent desire, to
know the manner of Preparing it, out of that Volatile and poysonous
Mineral._
_B._ I thank you for your good Wishes, and wish unto you the same
you wisht me. Look here, here’s a piece of our venemous _Saturnine
Magnesia_, which is the true Matter, that the Philosophers Stone is
prepared out of.
A. _I pray, is this black stone the true Matter, out of which is wont
to be made the universal Tincture, and Stone of the wise Men? Verily
I much wonder, that this should be the Gold of the Philosophers, I
am extraordinarily desirous of seeing, by what means so excellent
a Medicament, and so noble a Tincture can arise out of so base and
venemous a Body. I should rather adhere to that old and common Proverb,
and say, Who can wash the =Blackmoore= white, which Nature hath
generated Black? This now seems unto me more estranged from the Truth,
than that which you propounded last week of the common Gold. For how
could it seem at all likely to any ones bare reason, that such a Body
could be brought into a nothing, and again reduced unto a certain
Body: But time will instruct, whether this be possible or not. I will
therefore very patiently wait for the Event of those things, which you
shall shew unto me._
_B._ What? Still more incredulity, and do you anew produce [and
Practise] the Faith of unbelieving _Thomas_ [_viz._ to see and feel
afore you believe?] What do you think, I would go about to persuade
you, that you have a wooden Nose sticking on to your Face? Alas,
Sir! my time is a little more precious than so, to spend it in an
unprofitable Tattling. And that time which I now bestow upon this our
Conference, is spent to this end, to free you from your unbelief, and
to bring you unto a true and evident Credency; to the performance of
which, I am stirred up by the Authority of the Sacred Writ, which
Commands, that we reclaim such as err, into the right way, and that
we shall receive from God this reward for our Labour, _viz._ our
Star shall shine in Heaven brighter than others. Besides Christian
love requires the same at our hands, that we do good to others. And
forasmuch as I have well known your Christian like Conversation,
and Godly way of living these many years past, why should I deny you
the things you demand, or wind you into the Intricacies of a greater
Labyrinth, seeing you have but too long stuck in them already? The
things which you cannot at first understand or believe, the end will at
last constrain you thereunto. Your part is to listen very attentively
to all the words, I am about to speak. For I can easily take away
from you all incredulity, and remove out of your mind every Scruple
of doubting. How sourely you look upon this black Mineral, well, but
you shall presently find, that all the most delicate Colours of the
whole World are most abundantly found therein; and by the help of an
Art described by the Philosophers, they will appear one after the
other in Operation, even from the Black head of the _Crow_, to the Red
_Salamander_.