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

for Luna may be easily made of Saturn, in a short time, and in a little longer time Sol may be made out of it. And though a man be poor, yet may he very well attain unto it, and may be employed to make the Philosophers Stone.

Wherefore my Child, all is concealed in Saturn, which we have need of, for in it is a perfect Mercury, in it are all the Colours of the world, which may be discovered in it; in it are the true black, white and red Colours, in it is the weight, it is our Lattin.

Example.

The eye of a man cannot endure any thing that is imperfect, how little soever it be, though it be the least Atome of Dust, it would cause much pain, that he can rest no where. But if you take the quantity of a Bean of Saturn, shave it smooth and round, put it into the Eye, it will cause no pain at all; the reason is, because it is internally perfect, even as Gold and Precious Stones. By these and other Speeches you may observe, that Saturn is our Philosophers Stone, and our Latten, out of which our Mercury and our Stone is extracted with small Labour, little Art and Expence, and in a short time.

Wherefore I admonish you, my Child, and all those who know its name, that you conceal it from people, by reason of the evil which might thence arise; and you shall call the Stone our Laton, and call the Vinegar Water, wherein our Stone is to be wash'd; this is the Stone and the Water whereof the Philosophers have wrote so many great Volumes.

There are many and different works in the Mineral Stone, and especially in that Stone which God hath given us gratis, whereof many strange Parables are written in the Mineral Book.

But this is the true Stone, which the Philosophers have sought, because it makes projection upon all the imperfect Metals, especially upon quick Mercury, and moreover it makes projection upon all diseases whatsoever, which may come into mans Body, as likewise upon all Wounds, Cancer, Fistulaes, open Sores, Buboes, Imposthumes, and all whatsoever can come externally upon mans Body, therefore this Stone is not under the Mineral work, but under the Vegetable.

It is the beginning of the Vegetable Book, and the principal; this Stone is called Lapis Philosophorum, the Mineral Stone is called Lapis Mineralis, and the third Stone is called Lapis Animalis. This Stone is the true Aurum potabile, the true Quinessence which we seek, and no other thing else in this world but this Stone. Therefore the Philosophers say, whosoever knows our Stone, and can prepare it, needs no more, wherefore they sought this thing and no other.

My Child shall take 10, 12, or 15 pound of Saturn, wherein is no mixture of any other Metal; laminate it thin, have in readiness a great Stone Jugg, half full of Vinegar, stop the Jugg very close, set it in a Lukewarm Bath, every three or four days scrape off the calcin'd Saturn from the Plates, and reserve it apart, thus do so long till you have 5 or 6 l. of the calcin'd Saturn, then grind it very well on a Stone with good distilled Wine-Vinegar, so as you may paint therewith, then take two or three great Stone-pots, therein put the Calx of Saturn which you ground, poure good distilled Wine-Vinegar upon it, that two parts of the Pot be full, stir it well together, stop the Pot close with a polished Glass or Pebble-stone, set the Pots in a Bath, stir it four or five times in a day with a wooden Ladle, lay the Glass or Stone Stopple again over it, make the Bath no hotter than that you may well endure your hand therein, that is, lukewarm; so let it stand fourteen days and nights, then decant that which is clear into another Stone-pot, poure other distilled Vinegar upon the Calx which is not well dissolved, mix them well together, set it 14 days in the Bath, again decant it, and poure other Vinegar upon it as before. This decantation and pouring on continue so long till all the Calx of Saturn be dissolved, then take all the dissolved Saturn, set it in a Bath, evaporate the Vinegar by a small fire, the Saturn will become a powder or lump. Or stir it about until it be dry, you have a mass or powder of a dark yellow, or honey colour, then grind the powder again very finely upon a Stone with distilled Vinegar; put it into a stone-pot, stir and mix it well together, set it again into a Bath, which is but lukewarm so let it stand five or six dayes, stir it every day from the top to the bottom with a wooden Ladle, cover it again with the glass-Stopple, then let it cool, poure off that which is dissolved into a great stone pot, poure other Vinegar upon it, mix and stir them well together, set it into the Bath as before, reiterate this decantation and pouring on so often, till no more will dissolve, which try with your tongue, if it be sweet, it is not enough dissolved, or put some of it into a glass-gourd, let it evaporate, if any thing remain, it is not yet all dissolved which would be Gold, and then what remaines in the pot are Fæces, and sweet upon the Tongue; if you find any thing in the Gourd, it is not yet all dissolved, then may you poure fresh Vinegar upon it, till all be dissolved, then coagulate it as before, poure other Vinegar upon it, stir it, set it again into the Bath, reiterate this operation of solution and coagulation so long till you find no more Fæces at the bottom, but all be dissolved into a pure clear water, then is Saturn freed from all its Leprousness, Melancholy, Fæces, and blackness, being pure and white as Snow, for it is cleansed from all its uncleanness, because its coldness stands outwards as Luna doth, and its heat is internal, fluxible as wax, and sweet as sugar Candy.

Why is it as white as Snow?

Because it is purified from all its impurities, and because its coldness stands external as Luna doth, and its heat is internal.

Why is it sweet?

Because the four Elements in it are pure, and separated from all sulphurous stink and blackness, which Saturn received in the Mine; it is almost Medicinal, and like unto Nature: And because it is so pure, it affords some of its internal virtue outwardly, as that of Sweetness; but the heat is so covered with the cold, that it cannot put forth its power externally by reason of the cold which is external (the heat of Saturn lies internal, even as in Salt-Nitre) as doth the Taste, the Spirit of Tasting is the most subtile in all things, as is taught more at large in the Book of Vegetables, how the Air doth dilate it self from all Herbs and Flowers externally; for the Spirit of the Air lies in the inward part of all things; for God created nothing in this world but it hath its peculiar Taste or Air, the Air and the Taste are one Spirit, the Taste goes out of the Air, as Smoke from the Fire.

But how comes it to pass, that a thing which hath a sweet Air, is bitter in Taste? The cause is, because the Fæces of that thing are putrid and stinking in the Elements, that is the Choler or Heat; for whatsoever is unnaturally hot, hath a bitter Taste; the Air and the Taste are both one Spirit, and as the Spirit of the Air presses outwards through a hot thing, so doth the Air embrace the Taste about, and descends the subtile Taste, that it should not be burnt by the vehement burning Choler, as in the Herbal is at large express'd.

But the cause why Saturn is sweet in Taste is, that it is almost pure and clean, having scarce any unnatural heat in it, which can burn the subtile Tast, therefore it hath the Taste externally, and the Taste hath the Spirit of the Air lock'd up in it.

My Child, know what I said before, that a thing wherein is much burning heat, the Air locks up the Taste therein, because the Taste shall not be corrupted by the unnatural heat. So the Taste includes the Air in it, when it issues forth from a thing which is externally cold; for the subtil Spirits of the Air or Sent of a thing can endure no Cold, as we see daily in Herbs and Flowers that they yield no Sent in the Winter, as they do in the Summer; but they hide themselves in the Winter, and the Spirit hath the Sent inclosed in it, and the Spirit of Sent or Air. Behold a man that hath taken Cold, immediately he loses his Sent, and his Tasting is diminished. Even so it is here with Saturn; it is quite cold, so that the Taste manifests it self with the Spirit of Sent; for the Spirit of the Taste hath the Smell in it. Look upon Sugar which is well clarified from its Fæces, how sweet it is in Taste, yet it yields no Sent, yet there is an extraordinary sweetness in Sugar. What is the reason of this? Sugar is very cold externally, therefore is it white as Snow, and of a sweet Taste; yet Sugar internally is hot and moist, of the temper of Gold, and of such great virtue that it is called the Philosophers Stone, as it is approved, and very prevalent to cure all the Distempers of mans Body, as appears by its operation. The reason why I say this, my Child, is, that you should altogether understand its internal & external, and the Spirits which are in these things, whereof we discourse; that thereby you should know Gods wonderful works, and what wonders he works in these inferiour things, which are all made for our use.

What hath God in us, for whose sake he hath created all these Wonders, and all these things?

Wherefore, my Child, believe in God, love him, and follow him, for he loves you, as he makes it appear, and manifests himself in all things, as well in their Internals as in their Externals. O how wonderful is our Lord and God, from whom all Wonders proceed!

Now, my Child, why is Saturn fluxible as Wax?

By reason of its abounding Sulphur, which is therein; for I find no fluxibleness or fusibleness in any thing saving in Sulphur, Mercury and Arsenick, and all these three are in Saturn; so that Saturn is quickly fluxible, but all these three are cleansed with it from their uncleanness. And do you not know, that the Philosophers call their Stone Arsenick, and a white thing; and they say their Sulphur is incombustible; they call it likewise a red thing, all this is Saturn, in it is Arsenick; for Luna is principally generated of a white Sulphur, as is plainly taught in the Book of Sulphurs, and all Arsenick is internally red as Bloud, if its inward part be brought outwards, as is demonstrated in the Book of Colours, &c. Saturn stands almost in the degree of fix'd Luna. So that in it there is a red Sulphur, as you see, when its internal is placed outwards, it will be red as a Ruby; there are no Colours but in