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

by the Nutriment, therefore let that alone likewise; for man cannot make the Elements, but only the Creator, and remain by thy made Spirit which is already formal and unformal, tangible and intangible, and yet is presented visibly. So have you enough of the first Matter, out of which all Metals and Minerals grow, and is one only thing, and such a matter which unites it self with the Sulphur in the following Chapter, and enters into a Coagulation with the Salt of the fifth Chapter, that it may be one Body, and a perfect Medicine of all Metals, not only to bring forth in the Earth at the beginning, as in the great World, but also by help of the vaporous Body to transmute and change, together with the augmentation in the lesser World: Let not this seem strange to you, seeing the Most High hath permitted, and Nature undertaken it.

Many will not believe this, esteeming it impossible, despise and vilifie these Mysteries, which they understand not in the least, they may remain Fools and Idiots till an illumination follows, which cannot be without Gods Will; but remains till the time predestinate. But wise and discreet, men who have truly shed the sweat of their Brows, will be my sufficient witnesses, and confirm the Truth, and indeed believe and hold for a truth all that which I write in this case, as true as Heaven and Hell are preordained, and proposed as Rewards of good and evil to the Elect and Reprobate. Now I write not only with my hands, but my Mind, Will and heart constrain me to it: Those who are highly conceited, illuminated, and world-wise, hate, envy, scandalize, defame and persecute this Mystery to the utmost Rind, or innermost Kernel, which hath its beginning out of the Center; but I know assuredly, there will come a time, when my Marrow is wasted, and my Bones dried up, that some will take my part heartily, after I am in the Pit; and if God would permit it, they would willingly raise me from the dead; but that cannot be; wherefore I have left them my Writings, that their Faith and Hope may have a Seal of Certainty and Truth, to testifie of me what my last Will and Testament was, which I ordained for the poor, and all the Lovers of Mysteries, though it did not behove me to have wrote so much, yet I could not refrain without prejudice to my Soul, but to drive a Light or Flash through a Cloud, that the Day might be observed, and the dark Night, thick and gloomy, rainy Weather expelled.

Now how the Archæus operates further by the Spirit of Mercury in the Earth, or Veins of the Earth, take this Advice, that after the spiritual Seed is formed by the impression of the Stars from above, and fed by the Elements, it is a Seed, and turns it self into a Mercurial Water, as first of all the great World was made of nothing, for when the Spirit moved upon the Water, the Celestial Heat must needs raise a Life in the cold watrish and earthly Creatures; in the great World it was Gods Power, and the Operation of the Celestial Lights; in the little World it is likewise Gods Power, and the Operation to work into the Earth by his Divine and Holy Breath. Moreover the Almighty gave and Ordained means to accomplish it, that one Creature had obtained power to operate in the other, and the one to help and assist the other, to perform and fulfil all the Works of the Lord; and so an influence was permitted the Earth to bring forth by the Lights of Heaven, as also an internal Heat, to warm and digest that which was too cold for the Earth, by reason of its humidity, as unto every Creature a peculiar fashion according to its kind; so that a subtile sulphurous Vapour, is stired up by the Starry Heaven, not the common, but another more clarified and pure Vapour, distinct from others, which unites it self with the Mercurial Substance; by whose warm property, in process of time, the superfluous Moisture is dryed up, and then when the foulish property comes to it, which gives a preservation to the Body and Balsam, operating first into the Earth by a spiritual and sydereal influence, then are Metals generated of it, as it pleaseth the Mixture of the three Principles, the Body being formed according as it assumes unto it the greatest part of those three. But if the Spirit of Mercury be intended and qualified from above upon Animals, it becomes an Animal Substance; if it goes upon Vegetables by order, it becomes a Vegetable Work; but if, by reason of its infused nature, it fall on Minerals, it becomes Minerals and Metals, yet each one hath its distinction as they are wrought, the Animals for themselves, the Vegetables, on another manner and form by themselves, and so likewise the Minerals, each one a several way, whereof to write particularly would be too tedious, and yield large and various Narrations.

Many one may here demand and not without cause, how such a Spirit of Mercury may be procured, how to be made, and after what manner it is to be prepared to expel Diseases, and change all the kinds of the meaner and baser Metals, as if they were born in a little world, by transmutation and augmentation of their Seed; many expect this with impatience. I answer without concealing any thing, but will truly discover as much as is permitted me by Gods Command, in manner and form following.

In the Name of the Lord, Take a Red Quick-silver Ore which is like unto Sinople (or Vermilion) and the best Gold Ore you can get; grind of each a like quantity both together, before they partake of any fire, poure an Oyl of Mercury, upon it made per se, of common, purified and sublimed Quicksilver, set it a month to digest, you have an Extract rather Celestial than Terrestrial; distil this Extract gently, as in Balneum Mariæ, the Flegme ascends over, the Oyl remaining at bottom, being heavy, which in a moment receives all Metals into it poure thrice as much Spirit of Wine to it, circulate it in a Pellican, till it be as red as Bloud, and become so sweet that nothing may compare with it; decant the Spirit of Wine to a Liquidness, poure fresh Spirit of Wine upon it, this reiterate so often, till the Matter be exceeding sweet, and transparent red as a a Ruby, then put all together, poure that which ascended over upon white calcined Tartar, and distil it strongly in Ashes, the Spirit of Wine remains behind with the Tartar, but the Spirit of Mercury ascends over. If this Spirit of Mercury be mixt with the Spirit of Sulphur, together with its Salt, and so brought over jointly together, that they can never be separated, you have such a work which if it come over, and it get its ferment with Gold by solution according to a just measure and time appointed, and be brought to a perfect ripeness, unto the Plusquam perfection, nothing may compare therewith, for prevention of Diseases, and poverty, and to a rich excessive recreation of the Body and Goods. This is the way to obtain the Spirit of Mercury, which I have revealed as far as it is permitted me to do, by the Supremest Emperour; the Manual Operations are found in the Work which I have revealed; you must wisely observe, that you may not endure a Bath in Hell for me, by my true admonition to thee, forasmuch as a true opening of the Door which leads to the Royal Palace, is performed but with one Key, which cures all Diseases, be it Dropsie, Consumption, Gout, Stone, Falling Sickness, Apoplexy, Leprosie, or howsoever called in general: This Medicine likewise cures all kinds of the French Pox, and all old Sores of long standing, be it Wolf, Noli me tangere, Tetter, Ring-worm, Cancer, Fistula, and corroding hollow Sores; all which I have declared, and concealed nothing. Last of all, observe, that you do not discover too much, or no more, because all Art hath its Original or Source out of the Spirit of Mercury, which is refreshed and raised to Life by the spiritual Sulphur, that it becomes Celestial, & with and by the Salt they are made corporal and formal; but the beginning of the Soul, of the Spirit, and of the Body, let it be and remain a Magnet, even as it is, and can be acknowledged to be nothing else. This is the summe in brief, that without the Spirit of Mercury, which is the only true Key, you can never make Corporal Gold potable, nor the Philosophers Stone. Let it remain by this Conclusion, be silent; for I my self will at present say no more, because Silence is enjoyned thee and me by the orderly Judge, recommending the Execution and further Search thereof to another, who hath not as yet reduced the Matter into a right Order.

Chap. IV. Of the Spirit of Copper.

The Star of Venus is very difficult, and not well to be calculated, as all Mathematicians and Astronomers will bear me witness; for its course is found to be otherwise than that of the other six Planets, and therefore its Birth is otherwise; for the Birth of Venus possesses the First Table, after Mercury, as for what concerns the Generation of Metals. Mercury makes active, but Venus provokes, giving Lust and Desire, together with the Beauty which gave occasion thereunto; though I am accounted no Astronomer, nor do I give my self out for one, who knows to calculate the Course of the Heavens; for I should spend my time in my Cell in Prayer, but that the spare hours after my Devotion is ended, may not be spent in vain, I have ordered and proposed it as my aim and intent to exercise my self, and to spend those hours in the knowledge of Natural things. So likewise it is not well to be reckoned what arises, grows or proceeds from Venus or whence she arose, grew, or proceeded; for she is superfluously cloathed more than she needs, and yet must want that which she needs most of all in her Constancy.

But you must be advertised, that Venus is cloathed with a Celestial sulphur which far surpasses the brightness of the Sun; for there is more and more abundant Sulphur in her than in Gold; but it requires a knowledge what the Matter of that Gold Sulphur may be, which is, and rules so plentifully in Copper, and whereof I make so great a Cry: know then that it is likewise a flying very hot Spirit, which can pass through and penetrate, as also ripen and digest all things, as the imperfect Metals into perfect, which the inexpert will not believe. And here a Question presents it self at hand; How the Spirit of Copper can make other imperfect Metals perfect, and make them ripe, whereas in its own Body it is imperfect and inconstant? For Answer, I say as I have often said, that this Spirit cannot possess or inhabit a permanent Body in Copper; for when the habitation is burnt by Fire, the Spirit goes away with it, and must with impatience leave its Lodging, for it dwells therein as a Sojourner; but it hath protection in the permanent fix'd Body