_The maner how to make the Stone white._
Nowe therefore when thou wilt enterprise this worthy worke, thou shalt
take the precious stone, and put it in a Cucurbite, couering it with
an Alembicke, being well closed with the lute of wisdome, and set it
in verie hote dung, then shalt thou distill it, putting a receiuer
vnder it, whereinto the water may distill, and thus thou shalt leaue
it, till all the water be distilled, and moysture dryed vp, and
that drynesse preuaile ouer it: then shalt thou take it out drie,
reseruing the water that is distilled, vntill thou hast neede of it:
thou shalt take (I say) the drie bodie that remayned in the bottome of
the Cucurbite, and grinde it, and put it in a vessel, in greatnesse
answerable to the quantitie of the medicine, and burie it in verie
hote horse-dung as thou canst get, the Vessell beeing well shut with
the lute of Wisedome, and so let it rest. But when thou perceyuest the
dung to waxe colde, thou shalt get thee other that is fresh, and very
hot, and therein put thy Vessell. Thus shalt thou do by the space of
fortie dayes, renuing thy dung so often as occasion shall serue, and
the Medicine shall dissolue of it selfe, and become a thicke white
water: which when thou beholdest to be so, thou shalt weigh it, & put
thereto so much of the water which thou hast kept, as will make the
halfe of his weight, closing thy Vessell with the lute of Wisedome,
and put it againe in hote horse-dung, for that is hote and moyst,
and thou shalt not omit (as I haue sayde) to renue the dung, when it
beginneth to coole, till the tearme of fortie dayes be expired: for
the Medicine shall be congealed in the like number of dayes, as before
it was dissolued in. Again, take it, and note the iust weight of it,
and according to his quantitie, take of the water which thou madest
before, grind the body, and subtiliate it, and poure the water vpon it,
and set it againe in hot hors-dung, for a weeke and a halfe, that is
to say, ten daies, then take it out, and thou shalt see that the bodie
hath already drunk vp the water. Afterward grinde it againe, and put
thereto the like quantitie of that water, as thou didst before: bury
it in dung, and leaue it there for ten dayes more: take it out againe,
and thou shalt find that the body hath already drunke vp the water.
Then (as before) grinde it, putting thereto of the foresayd water, the
foresayd quantitie, and bury it in the foresayd dung, and let it rest
there ten dayes longer, and afterward draw it out, so shalt thou do
the fourth time also: which being done, thou shalt drawe it forth, and
grinde it, and burie it in dung till it bee dissolued. Afterward, take
it out, and reiterate it yet once more, for then the birth is perfect,
and his worke ended. Now when this is done, and that thou hast brought
this thing to this honourable estate, thou shalt take two hundred and
fiftie drams of Lead, or Steele, and melt it: which beeing molten,
thou shalt cast thereon one dramme of _Cinnabarus_: that is, of this
Medicine, which thou hast brought to this honourable estate, and high
degree, and it shall retaine the Steele or Leade, that it fly not from
the fire: it shall make it white, and purge it from his drosse and
blacknesse, and conuert it into a tincture perpetually abiding. Then
take a dramme of these two hundred and fiftie, and proiect it vpon two
hundred and fiftie drammes of Steele or Copper, and it shall conuert
it into Siluer, better then that of the Myne. This is the greatest and
last worke that it can effect, if God will.