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

of Gold, whence no man can expel it, without the Warrant of an especial Judge; for it is put into the inheritance as an Heir, and taken Root by her permanent Body, that she cannot easily be expelled. The Tincture which Venus hath obtained, is in like manner found in Mars, more powerful, high and Noble; for Mars is the Man, and Venus the Woman, which I speak more of, seeing I write of them. This Tincture is delivered in Verdigreece, and likewise it is found in Vitriol, as in a Mineral whereof a peculiar Book might be wrote. In all these things a combustible Sulphur is found, and yet a Sulphur which is incombustible, this is a strange thing, one is a white Sulphur, the other is red in the operative generation; but the true Sulphur is incombustible, for it is a pure true Spirit, whereof an incombustible Oil is prepared, and it is the same Sulphur which is made out of one Root from the Gold-Sulphur.

I open many Mysteries, which ought not to be; but what should I do? to conceal all is not answerable, but a measure is good in all things, as you may observe in my last Advice of protestation; forget not my desire therein.

This Sulphur may well be called the Sulphur of the Wise; for all Wisdom is found therein, unto the Mercurial Spirit; which excels it, which together with the Salt of Mars must be put together by a spiritual Conjunction, that three may come into one understanding, and be advanced to equal operations. This spiritual Sulphur proceeds in the same manner and form out of the upper Region, as doth the Spirit of Mercury, but in another manner and kind, whereby the Stars manifest a separation in fix'd and unfix'd, in colour'd and uncolour'd things.

The Tincture consists only in the Spirit of Copper, and most of all in that of his Bed-fellow; it is a meer Vapour, stinking and ill-sented in its beginning; this Mist must be dissolved in the manner of a Liquor, that the stinking, incombustible Oil may be prepared thereof; but yet it must have and take its beginning out of Mars; this Oil unites freely with the Spirit of Mercury, assuming all Metallick Bodies speedily unto them, if they be first prepared in all points as I have advised in my Keys.

I observe not the Order of the Planets, and not without just grounds; for I observe the order of their Birth, by which I am directed; for because Venus hath much Sulphur, she is sooner digested and ripened together with Mars, before other Metals; but because unconstant Mercury shewed them both too little assistance, therefore no room is left him to work harder, by reason of the superfluous Sulphur, so that they could obtain no melioration of their unfixt Bodies. Now I will reveal a Secret unto thee, that Gold, Copper, and Iron have one Sulphur, one Tincture, and one Matter of their Colour; this Matter of the Tincture is a Spirit, a Mist and Fume; as aforesaid, which can penetrate and pass through all Bodies, if you can take it, and acuate it by the Spirit which is in the Salt of Mars, and then conjoin the Spirit of Mercury therewith in a just weight, purging them from all impurity, that they be pleasant and well sented, without all Corrosives, you have then such a Medicine, whereunto none in the world may compare, being fermented with the bright shining Sun, you have made an entrance penetrating to work, and to transmute all Metals.

O Eternal Wisdom from the beginning! how shall we thank thee for such great Mysteries, which the Children of Men do no wayes regard, but are despised by the greater number, to know what thou hast concealed in Nature, which they see before their Eyes, and know it not; they have it in their Hands, and comprehend it not; they deal with it, and know not what they have, nor what they do, because the Internal is concealed. I will yet reveal this unto thee in truth, and by the Love of God, that the root of the Philosophical Sulphur, which is a Celestial Spirit, is found with the root of the spiritual supernatural Mercury, as also the beginning of the spiritual Salt, are in one, and found in one Matter, out of which the Stone is made, which was before me, and not in many things, though all Philosophers speak as if the Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt were each one a part by themselves and distinct, that the Mercury is found in one, the Sulphur in another, and the Salt in a third; yet I tell you, this is only to be understood of their superfluity, which is found to abound most in each, and may be used and prepared divers ways particularly with profit, both for Physick and transmutation of Metals; but the Universal, which is the supreamest Treasure of Earthly Wisdom, and of all the three Principles, is one only thing, and is founded and extracted out of one only thing, which can make all Metals into one, it is the true Spirit of Mercury, and Soul of Sulphur, together with the spiritual Salt, united together, inclosed under one Heaven, and dwelling in one Body, it is the Dragon and the Eagle, the King and the Lion, the Spirit and the Body, which must tinge the Body of Gold to a Medicine, that it may gain power plentifully to tinge his other Companions.

O thou blessed Medicine given by God thy Creator! O thou Celestial Magnet of great attractive Love! O thou valid substance of Metals, how great is thy power, how uninventive is thy virtue, how durable is thy constancy? happy is that man on Earth who knows thy Light in truth, which all the world takes no notice of; he shall not see poverty, no Disease shall touch him, nor no sickness hurt him, till the appointed time of death, and till the last hour predestinated for him by his Heavenly King. It is impossible for all the tongues of Men to utter the Wisdom which is laid in this Treasure of the Fountain, all Orators must be silent and ashamed at it, yea terrified and not able to speak a word, when they shall behold and discern this supernatural Glory, and I my self am afraid when I consider that I have discovered too much. But I hope to prevail with God by Prayer, that he will not charge it on me as a deadly Sin, because I began the Work in his Fear, obtained it by his Grace, and revealed it for his Glory.

O thou holy everlasting Trinity! I praise, honour, and magnifie thee with Heart and Mouth, that thou hast revealed unto me the great wisdom of this earthly World, next unto thy Divine Word, whereby I have known thy Almighty Power, and supernatural Wonders, which Man will not discern; I heartily beseech thee to give me more understanding and wisdom, that I may bestow the use and profit thereof with a continual Sacrifice of Praise before thee, unto the Christian-like Love of my Neighbour, and to my own welfare both spiritual and corporal, in power and virtue, that thy Name may be made glorious, honoured, and praised, for all thy works in Heaven and Earth; and that my Enemies may know, that thou art the Lord full of eternal Wonders, that they may repent and be converted, and not be drowned in the falshood of Darkness. God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost help me, and all of us, from his heavenly Throne, exalted above all Glory, Might, and Majesty, whose Wisdom hath neither beginning nor end, and before whom all Celestial, Earthly, and Hellish Creatures must tremble with fear, to him be Glory forever, Amen.

O Seraphin! O Cherubin! how great are thy Wonders and Actions, look graciously upon thy servant, and be entreated to be pacified that he hath manifested this.

The Reader must moreover know concerning the Generation of Copper, and observe, that it is generated of much Sulphur, but its Mercury and Salt are in an equality, for there is found to be no more or less of the one than of the other, seeing then that the Sulphur in quantity excels the Mercury and the Salt, thence arises a great coloured redness, which possesses the Metal, that the Mercury cannot perform its fixation, that a fixt Body should be generated thereof. Observe and understand it so of Copper, that the form of Venus Body is so stated as that of a Tree, which abounds in Rosen, as the Larch Tree, the Firr, the Pine, Deal Tree, and other sorts of Trees more, the Rosen of the Tree is its Sulphur, which it evacuates at sometimes by reason of its superfluity, for it cannot bear it all; such a Tree which is tinged with abundance of fatness, by the digestion of Nature and the Elements, burns quickly and freely, and is not ponderous, nor so durable as is the Oak, or other hard wood which is close and compact, whose Pores are not so open, as those sorts of light wood, and wherein the Sulphur doth not so predominate, but the Oak hath therefore the more Mercury, and a better Salt than the Pine, Firr, and Deal trees have, and such wood doth not float so well above the water, as the Deal, being bound & closed up compactly, so that the Air is easily prevented in bearing it up. So is it to be observed of Metals, and especially of Gold, which by reason of its abundant, fixt, digested and ripe Mercury, hath a very close, fast and compact, fixt and invincible Body, which neither Fire nor Water, Air, nor any Corruption of the Earth can prejudice, that the consuming power of the Elements can do them no harm; this fixedness & close compacted Conjunction gives evidence of its natural ponderosity, which cannot be evidenced in other Metals, which is to be observed, not only by weighing it in the scales, but likewise you will find it thus: if you lay but a scruple of pure Gold upon a hundred weight of Quicksilver, it immediately sinks to the bottom, whereas all other Metals being laid upon Quicksilver in like manner, float on the top of it, and sink not to the bottom, because they are more open, that the Air or Wind can penetrate them and bear them up.

Now what further concerns the Spirit of Venus or Copper in Physick, you must last of all take notice and observe, that it is throughout in its virtue and power discerned to be very wholsom and beneficial, not only that Spirit which lies in the first Ens, but also that very Spirit which is found in the last Matter, its virtue, power and operation is, that it is preferred before all other Medicines in the Rising of the Matrix: It's like is not yet found particularly against the Falling Sickness. This Spirit hath also received an especial gift to dry the Dropsie up; it preserves the Bloud from putrefaction, digests all which is adverse to the Stomach, breaks the Stone, of what kind soever it be. Externally in Wounds, this Spirit lays a ground to heal: Noli me tangere and all other Sores cannot defend themselves, nor their ill Qualities, but this Spirit doth assault them, and prepares a good ground for their Cure; externally it mundifies and searches out that whereby the Medicine may operate, fasten, and make a beginning of the Cure. Internally this Spirit penetrates through