Of Natural and Supernatural Things by Basilius Valentinus (classic literature books .TXT) 📖

like manner; it allaies all pain the first day how great soever it be, and prevents Swelling; the second day it causes Sweat, which is very nasty, tough and thick, very soure in taste, and of an evil sent, and most of all in those parts where the Members are united and joined together by the Joints; and if you should give none in the third day, yet will there be a purgation of the Veins, and of the Excrements, without any molestation or pain; is not this a great power of Nature? In the Leprosie.

At the first time take six drops fasting, and cause the impure party to be alone, free from sound people, in a place far distant, and commodious; for all his Body will begin to send forth Fumes and Steams, like unto a stinking Fog, and Vapours abundantly; the next will Scales and much Uncleanness fall from his Body; then let him have three drops of this Medicine, and let him take it in on the fourth day, afterwards on the eighth or ninth day by the assistance of Gods Grace and Blessing, he will be quite clean.

In the Apoplexie.

Let one drop fall upon the tongue of the Patient, it will attract it forth immediately like unto a Mist or Fume, and restore the party again; but if he were taken in the Body, or in the Members and Limbs, then give him three drops at once in good wine, as you have been taught in the Gout.

In the Dropsie.

Give one drop in baulm water, or Valerian water six days together, the seventh day give three drops in good wine, and it is sufficient.

In the Falling Sickness, and its kinds, as Epilepsie, Catalepsie, and Analepsie.

In the beginning of the Fit give the Patient two drops in Sage-water, after three hours, give him three drops more, and it is sufficient. But if in case any thing should stir again, give him two drops, as hath been said.

In a Hectick.

Give the party two drops the first day in water of Violets, the second day two drops more in good Wine.

In Agues.

Give the party three drops in the beginning of the Fit, early in a morning, in good distilled water of St. John's wort, or of Succory, and the next day two drops more fasting.

In the Plague.

Give the Patient seven drops in good Wine, let the infected party be alone, and let him sweat well upon it, by the Divine Assistance that poison will not prejudice him as to his Life.

For a prolongation of a healthful Life.

Take and give two drops at the beginning and entrance of the Spring, and in the beginning or entrance of Autumn likewise two drops; every one that so takes it, is freed, and well preserved from unhealthful and infectious Air, except the Disease were by Almighty God ordained for the death of the party.

We will now step further to the Oil, and its Power, and shew how by it the Diseases of the impure Bodies of the Metals may be cured.

In the Name of God, take very pure, fine, refined Gold, as much as you will, or think to be sufficient, dissolve it in a rectified Wine, as is usual to make Aqua vitæ; after solution of the Gold, set it a Moneth in digestion; this distil in a Bath very slow and gently, distil the Spirit of Wine divers times from it, so long till you see your Gold lie at the bottom like a Juice: This is the true way and meaning of some of the Ancients, to prepare Gold. But I will shew and teach you a way much readier, better, and more beneficial; that in stead of this prepared Gold, you take one part of the Mercury of Gold, as I have taught the making of it in another place; abstract from it its water of Airiness, that it may be a subtle Dust, and take two parts of our blessed Oil, poure the Oil very slowly upon the Dust of the Mercury of Gold, till all be in it, set it in a Vial well sealed, in the heat of the first degree of the secret Furnace; therein let it stand ten dayes and nights, your Powder and Oil will be quite dry, of a black gray colour. After ten days give it the heat of the second degree, the gray and black colour will by little and little become white, till at last it will be of a heavenly white, and at the end of the ten days it will begin to be of a pure red, but let not this trouble you; for all these Colours proceed only from the Mercury of Gold, which swallowed up our blessed Oil, and now conceals in the innermost part of its Body; but our Oil will conquer this Mercury of Gold by the power of the fire, and cast it forth from within, and the Oil will predominate over it with its hot red Colour, and be continually outwards. And therefore it will be time, after the expiration of twenty days, that you open the window of the third degree, wherein the external white Colour and Power will by little and little enter in into the inward part, and the internal red Colour will turn outward by the force of the fire. Keep this degree of heat ten days without diminution or augmentation of it, you will see a Powder which before was white, to be now very red, but let not redness trouble you, for 'tis yet unfix'd and volatile. And after these ten days are ended, thirty days being in all expired, then open the last window of the last degree of fire, keep it ten days in this degree, this high red pouder will then begin to flux, let it stand so in flux the ten days, then take it out, you will find at the bottom a very high, red, transparent stone of a Ruby Colour, flux'd according to the form of the Glass, as is taught in the Treatise of Vitriol, wherewith you may make projection. Praise God for such his high Revelation, and thank him for ever, Amen.

Its Multiplication.

The Ancient Wise, having found the Stone, and prepared it to a perfect power, and mutation of the imperfect Metals into Gold, have a long time enquired whether a thing were not to be found to augment the power of the Stone; and they found two kinds of Augmentation, one of the power of it, so that the Stone may be brought much higher; of this multiplication you will find direction in the Treatise of Gold. The other Augmentation is an augmentation of the quantity of the Stone, in its former power, so that it receives no more, nor loses any thing of its power, though it increase in weight, and augment more and more, that out of one Ounce many Ounces arise and increase.

The Augmentation or Multiplication is done as followeth; Take your Stone in Gods Name, grind it to a subtile powder, add to it as much of the Mercury of Gold, as is taught before, put them together into a fine round Vial, seal it hermetically, set it into the fiery Furnace, proceeding as you have been instructed before, only this time is shorter, for whereas before you had ten (thirty) days, now you need no more than four (ten) days, otherwise the work is one and the same.

Praise and give thanks to Almighty God for his high Revelation, continue in Prayer for his Grace and Divine Blessing in this Art and Operation, as likewise for continuance of Health and Prosperity; withal let the poor be recommended to your Help and Charity.

Glory be to Almighty God.

A Work of Saturn, of Mr. John Isaac Holland. The PREFACE.

Courteous Reader,

The Philosophers have written much of their Lead which is prepared out of Antimony, as Basilius hath taught; and I am of the opinion, that this Saturnine Work of the most excellent Philosopher M. John Isaac Holland is not to be understood of common Lead, (if the Matter of the Stone be not much more thereby intended) but of the Philosophers Lead. But whether the Vulgar Saturn be the Matter of the Philosophers Stone, thereof you will receive sufficient satisfaction from the subsequent 17 Considerations or Documents. This is published for the benefit of all the Lovers of this Art, because it expounds and declares the Stone of Fire. Vale.

A Work of Saturn In the Name of the Lord, Amen.

My Child shall know, that the Stone called the Philosophers Stone, comes out of Saturn. And therefore when it is perfected, it makes projection, as well in mans Body from all Diseases, which may assault them either within or without, be they what they will, or called by what name soever, as also in the imperfect Metals.

And know, my Child, for a Truth, that in the whole vegetable work there is no higher nor greater Secret than in Saturn; for we do not find that perfection in Gold which is in Saturn; for internally it is good Gold, herein all Philosophers agree, and it wants nothing else, but that first you remove what is superfluous in it, that is, its impurity, and make it clean, and then that you turn its inside outwards, which is its redness, then will it be good Gold; for Gold cannot be made so easily, as you can of Saturn, for Saturn is easily dissolved and congealed, and its Mercury may be easily extracted, and this Mercury which is extracted from Saturn, being purified and sublimed, as Mercury is usually sublimed, I tell thee, my Child, that the same Mercury is as good as the Mercury which is extracted out of Gold, in all operations; for if Saturn be Gold internally, as in truth it is, then must its Mercury be as good as the Mercury of Gold, therefore I tell you, that Saturn is better in our work than Gold; for if you should extract the Mercury out of Gold, it would require a years space to open the body of Gold, before you can extract the Mercury out of the Gold, and you may extract the Mercury out of Saturn in 14 days, both being alike good.

Would you make a work out of Gold alone, you must labour two whole years upon it, if it shall be well done: and you may finish a work of Saturn in 30 or 32 weeks at the most. And being both well made, they are both alike good; Saturn costs nothing or very little, it requires a short time, and small labour; this I tell you in truth.

My Child, lock this up in thy heart and understanding, this ♄ is the Stone which the Philosophers will not name, whose name is concealed unto this day; for if its name were known, then many would operate, and the Art would be common, because this work is short, and without charge, a small and mean work.

Therefore doth the name remain concealed; for the evils sake which might thence proceed. All the strange Parables which the Philosophers have spoken mystically, of a Stone, a Moon, a Furnace, a Vessel, all this is Saturn; for you must not put any strange thing unto it, only what comes from it, therefore there, is none so poor in this world, which cannot operate and promote this work;