Qun t Essence

8/13/2019 Qun t Essence

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1982

THEODORUS MUNDANUS

His answer to W. Dickinson concerning:


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Quintessence of the hi!oso"hersAlthough very many letters relating both to business and

Civillity, as is most agreeable to a man of my character, and

continually written by me, arid no Time does more please and

truly delight me, than that which is spent in philosophical

reading, and contemplation; yet sometimes I am constrained togive Answers to philosophical letters very unlike the mariner

of philosophers; because for some reasons (which they cannot

but conjecture I would not appear in the dress of a

philosopher; but rather to write in such a form, which may

deserve the name of imprudence or ignorance! "owever my very

learned friend, so greatly was I delighted, and as it were

ravished, with your most ingenious, elegant, and e#cellent

philosophic letters, dated the last of $uly %&', that had

not your most courteous and friendly deportment, Chymical

Industry, candour of behaviour, and all kind of )earninge#torted from me a promise, I could not but at this time give

an Answer to them and your demands with so much clearness as

may agree with former obligations, and the *ules of +ecret

hilosophy-

And I ingeniously profess, so far as those *ules will beare

an Amplification, without a rupture, I shall for your sake,

dilate arid e#tend them-

About ./ years ago in my travels through all 0ngland, where

in my passage and short stay at that harmonious and splendid

1niversity of 2#ford, I had the favour and happiness to cometo your ac3uaintance and be an eye witness of your great

)abour and Cost bestowed on the Chymical Art-

I was filled with great joy that I found to meet together

in one man, probity of behavious, variety of ingenuity, a

+tudious genius of yrotechny, with the true principles of

philosophy! that I had a mind in my letters to promote and

illustrate the principles

I-

of my philosophy to you, to confirm your earnest and diligent

search of the True +cience! And if you will remember I gavemy councel in this Thing in a letter from )ondon, wherein I

payed my Thanks for that most courteous entertainment I

received from you at o#ford; which undoubtedly I had

performed, had I now afterwards heard that your weighty

employ in 4edicine, and great esteem would not hereafter

permit you 5to be at leasure, for chymical e#periments- 6or

this cause I altered my purpose, of having further

ac3uaintance and commerce with; although I can never recruit

the 7eneration I have towards your signal 0minency- 8ut when

on my return to 0ngland in %&9:, I heard again of your ameand fame at )ondon; and at that thme when meeting together

with my friend 8eckett, I found your )ove of Chymistry, not


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altogether e#tinct, but contracted, and covered over with

business, like fire with hot ashes- And perceived by the

furnaces newly built by which, your Chymical desire, like

fire afresh stirred up, I greatly rejoiced at this +ight,

both for your own sake, (being well persuaded that by the

blessing of angers, Imprisonments,

and untimely deaths, which philosophers have brought upon

.-

themselves, to the knowledge of others- If other arguments were

wanting, the things which have of late happened to my friends thephilosophers ?f 6rance, would give me sufficient admonition and

what happened in times past to *aymond )ully in 0ngland, they may

also teach you to be wary, if at any time the Almighty


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I shall only produce . e#amples of their magnifience; first,

that which was done by a philosopher of your own land! The .nd-

because it was done in your own country, for a *egint of unblaina5

ble credit, hath noted that your countryman *ipley for many years

successively sent %//,/// pounds annually to the @nights of

*hodes, to sustaine the ar against the Turks-

And *aymund )ully gave to 0dward 7th- @ing of 0ngland, si#

minards (?) of gold, to be spent in the holy ar, waged in the "oly)and, which he made in +t- Cathariries Church near the Tower of

)ondon-

-

8ut it may clearly appear how little the philosophersesteemed vain glory, or popular applause, very many of them

who set forth books have not affi#ed their names to the

writings; and those that founded Convents, 4onestarys,

"ospitals, Temples, and other public "ouses (many among them

having taken care that such places should be erected have

not suffered their +tatues to be seen in the frontispiece of

the 8uildings, or their names to be read or @nown, they were

greatly pleased with *eligious words at their own proper

costs, although they were built in the name of others, and

serving to propagate the fame (of other men, beingabundantly content with that private applause which they had

in the Theatre of their own conscience-

6or this my dear friend, I would have you know, that this

4ystical (and to speak with other philosophers divine

science, doth indowe and replenish the breasts of the happy

Adepts, with cogitations and affections aspiring far above

the basis of this world, so that Ambition, Avarice, with

other passions torturing and corrupting the minds of other

mens have little or no dominion in them and therefore theymore esteem the virtues of the great 0li#ir for the perfect

vigour of body, and most high Tran3uility of mind, joined to

a wonderful perspicuity which it doth stedfastly produce;

than for those immence riches which at their pleasure they

may obtain from it-

Bet do not so interprete my sayings as tho I would have it

believed that the hilosophers did altogether dispise the

Treasures of the earth, so as to employ no part of silver or

gold lawfully possessed, by them from this blessed science totheir own proper uses, D etc-


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6or this only reason they have endeavoured carefully, by

what means and methods they might, to conseale the first

matter and cover and darken the verity of it, with obscure

appolations! and so they do affleict, and confound the

curious searchers, with "yroglyphics, traps, Allegories,

windings, and divers feigned

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names, which are taken from the various forms seen in its

preparation-

As from the 8lackness seen in the beginning, they call it a

crow, 8lack lead, itch, and any other thing that is under a

black colour- 6rom the hiteness which from a further coction

it ac3uires to itself the name of the +wan, hite )ead and

other things that by nature are hiteish, from the diverscolours which by intermediate vicisitudes appear, it is

called the eacocks Tail, the rainbow and the tide- 6rom the

redness which at the last it is cloathed withall, it is noted

by the names of the *ed )ion, 4inium, and other things of a

red colour! 4oreover from the stink it sendeth forth in the

beginning of its preparation its distinguished by the tittle

of Asafoedita, and other bodies of a stinking odour-

8ut under these coverings the truth is veiled with artifice

that it may shine to the studious and wise searchers if so bethey observe these rules which you before hath propounded,

and heartily implore the >ivine


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and well weighed daily e#periment (which are to be accounted

the best comments of their 8ooks to obtain the

interpretation of them- As to the contradictions which

fre3uently seem to occur in chymical writings, they are not

so really if well understood, for first, when the

hilosophers +tone is by some assumed to be a natural thing;

everywhere to be had, and of mean price; by others an

artificial thing, no where to be found, nor to be obtained

without great cost; nevertheless they speak true on either

side, if they be descretely and with different grains of salt

apprehended-

6or when the original stone is taken for a concrete matter

of which it does consist, it is rightly called natural and

everywhere to be found, as well in things of small as of a

great moment- 8ut when it si considered in the +tate of

erfection for the immediate proper object of the hilosophicork it is e3ually said to be the effort of Art, nowhere in

nature to be had, nor to be possessed without great cost- 8y

the same distinction the Contradictions used by divers

philosophers concerning their 4ercury are made perspicuous,

and reduced to harmony-

+econdly- There are some that say the +tone is made only of one

matter, viE- Argent 7ive; some of two; others of three; yet

neither do these sentenaces oppose one another- 6or it is com5

pounded of +ulphur and 4ercury, both which are one Thing! Andalthough it is said to consist of 3 things, viE, individuals of

+A), +1)"1*, D 40*C1*B, in the purity of its nature it is simple

4ercury, of a 3 fold form only in its e#ternal shape-

Although many things are brought together for our use, yet all

these things ought to come into one, before they are fit ingred5

ients for our ork-

Thirdly- There are hilosophers that declare the ork to be

short and easily done; there are some that say it is a long bus5

iness, and "urculean )abour, they record not from the truth whoaffirm the first preparation of the natural matter to be painfull

and very Tedious; nor they who say the Coction of the prepared

&-

subject to be easily and e#peditions, but the different progress

of the operations makes the work short to these and long to

others-

6ourthly- +ome d2 determine the matter of the hilosophic +tone

to be meerly metalline; others both 7egetable and Animal, which

diversity is to be taken in and showing in reality there is nodifference- 6or all the true and general searchers of ature agree

in this, that the stone may be made of any subject of those kinds;


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and thus it is best of all made of the 3 conjoined in one; but

because it is necessary that the +ulphur and 4ercury of the other

two bodies are to be reduced into a pure "omogenious and unctuous

substance, (which is the condition of a metallic nature before

they can be accomodated to the great work, therefore the matter

may rightly be called metalline55a metal-

6ifthly- +ome report the 0li#ir to be made only of 7itriol;

others declare that of 7itriol alone it is by no means to be made-

The same possibility of divers other subjects, both Animal sen5

sitive (vegetableG or 4ineral, is alledged and decryed, yet an

easy distinction will bring these different positions into

concord!

6or it being supposed, that 7itriol is that general substance, out

of whose inward parts our 4ercury may be copiously drawn, and of

which alone the hilosophers +tone may be made- Bet 7itriol, as

7IT*I2) cannot effect this; nor +ulphur as +1)"1*; nor blood as8)22>; nor oil as 2I), nor )ead as )0A>, nor


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)et a >isciple know for certain that it behoves him to play the

7ulcan, and to work out his own )ot for himself- To read, to

meditate, with the highest study, to spend very much labour, and

(which is a harder Task to many who thus desire philosophical

daintys to pray fre3uently and beseech the


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difficult so many and great the turnings between purification and

fi#ation- That even they who understand everything to be so aptly

e#plained to render the work probably easy, and clear, are at

length compelled to confess, that without the help of a 4aster

:-

or the special favour of the >iety, it cannot be performed-

I readily grant (what before is said the matter of our

ork to be natural, and that nature does daily teach and

show the manner of preparing our Tincture, by distillations,

sublimations, solutions, purifications, and fi#ations which

she continually forms, but ?-ant how occult the mediate

matter is which is inclosed in the Casket of ature, which is

the Center of all things, and how greatly the way to come to

it is observed by the most subtile endeavours and wit of the

hilosophers-

This also being granted, with which great labours, e#perices,

and dangers is encompassed, and are with me persuaded without

without the help of much elo3uence to this belief, that "eavenhath the chief dispossing of this precious matter, and )ays it up

for the use of the ious and prudent yea; truly the evils which

would be perpetuated by this Art, were it more common, are of that

nature for its 3uantity and 3uality that its publication would by

no means conduce to the benefit of mankind, nor connist with the

duty of a philosopher; Bea, I am persuaded that although an

imprudent, and rash 4aster of this Art, should too openly make

known his great 4ystery (which certainly hath been done by some,

nevertheless by the difficulties on the one hand, and the

Incredulity of men on the other, it would be hidden and it seems

to happen out not withour a certain special providence, that notonly the rude, and illiterate vulgar, but the )earned and most

Ingenious part of men, do stiffly deny and the thing itself and

deride the Art as the most vague and foolish of the orld, without

any e#amination, or search of the fact, whether the matter be

according to nature and any way profitable- In other controvercies

sober men, and endued with $udgement endeavour to apprehend what

may be understood by the thing itself before they begin- 8ut here

diffidence and denial for the most part proceed the 0?camen of the

3uestion- This prejudice and incrudulity hath deferred Thousands

from the search and scrutiny of this +ecret; for why, would they

who believe that


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%/-

in India no gold is to be found, take so long and dangerous a

journey thither to fetch gold from thenceG Certainly such obst5

acles will cast them in a doubtfull circumstance in their journey,

who set upon this work before they understand the nature of the

thing, or the *ight manner of proceeding, which may make void theindeavours of the hesitant- 6or how can any one of a weak and

unstable faith keep constant in undergoing )abours, Cost, +tudy,

atchings, whilst he sees no other effort, but troublesome

doubtings, and discourageing misfortunes, which are to be e#pected

by all that are not well instructed in the true matter, and right

manner of working-

oritanus does e#pressly affirm that after he knew the true

matter; yet he had erred .// times, before he had compleated the

work itself-

8ut I have enough harped on this string; And your Aenigmatical

+tinubigavi (?) And your 0#! +arcastical 0pistle; which newly, and

on purpose coyness by them, or you, to upbraid the sublime and

4ystical isdom of the ise, I could easily pardon! They, in the

mean time no less disdain such words then the trabing of


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contradictions may be found in the writings of some Adepts, which

deserve your 0#5reproach, because they do not only disturb the

candidates of this Art, but also are Injurious to nature, and

derogate from her in making her less large D bountifull than

indeed she is- 6or some do confidently assert that the secret

matter is to be found in no subject but gold and 4ercury! 2thers

profess that it is hid only in 7itriol, in which subject they havewrought with success- And there are some who determine Antimony to

be the only subject of the "ermetical +cience and 2peration- Bea

almost everything which is positively affirmed by some to be the

matter of this 4ajestery, is with the same confidence, and show of

reason too, stifly derided by others, each one thinking that there

is no other way to Corinth but that which himself hath gone-

8ut this comes to pass (as you yourself hath wisely observed,

and very acutely e#pressed because they were so shut up within

such narrow bounds of knowledge that they have plainly been ignor5

ant, what 1niversal ature can produce, and what affinity there isbetween the essences of all things, especially of 4inerals; and

how eagerly ature herself hath laid the most solid foundation of

making gold- 6rom whence it is evident that not only the subtile

endeavours of very many; but also the ignorance of some Adepts,

hath obscured the Art; and rendered it so difficult, as not to be

ac3uired without a 4aster, or by revelation-

There is no need for me longer to swell on this Theme, of which,

as well as other things we have so accurately discoursed and cer5

tainly above all other that ever I have known; and therefore I had

l%- 8-

here made a conclusion, if we had not obtained particular solut5

ions to some 3uestions anne#ed to your 0pistle, which now I shall

subjoin, with all the clearness I may-

2f the 4atter of the +tone-

As to the 4atter of the +tone, you yourself who have made so

fair a description of it, and so sagaciously searched it out, then

to its original, cannot be altogether unable to answer your own

3uestion, because, as you have well known; It is the 7irtue of the

"eaven and 0arth, and all the 0lements, and so diffused through

the whole world, and essential to everything, that nothing can

remain one moment without it, 8y it the +un rejoices as a


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to you- Adam brought it into the orld with him; and dying,

brought it into his +epulchre; neither can the 7ilest creature of

the orld; nor any element be without this fiery essence and this

subtile 0arth; which joined together make a viscous and oily

water, which is the matter of the 4ajistery- +o that it may

rightly be called a Thing of small price, because it is so common;

and at the same time esteemed most precious, for its wonderfulpower and difficult As3uisition; for it is covered and locked up

in the Center of all the Concretes; so that neither human Art

without Industry and Cost; nor riches and labour, without the

>ivine 8lessing, can find or obtain it; nevertheless without much

difficulty it is e#tracted out of many things of the 1niverse, by

a common distillation, as oil out of 7egetables, and Animals- 8ut

unless the Art of separating the elements be well understood, and

unless the way of e#tracting water out of Air, air out of fire,

fire out

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of earth, be known, you will effect little or nothing in

chymistry- 8ut if you are skilled in the Art; 7iE, to divide the 4elements according to the doctrine of the wise, you may easily

purify them and with a germetrical proportion join them and digest

them so that they make a viscous fiery water which is the matterof which you state the 3uestion-

I say this fiery water is found in every one of those compounds

which are called elements; for, as you rightly assert, after the

division of the matter of which constitute the Chaos, and first

compaction of all things which constitute this Adorned orld,

there was no simple element e#tant, every one containing it itself

more or less the other 3; but this our matter, seeing it is anAetherial and celestial substance, joined with a most subtile

0arth, is chiefly found in the element of fire, whence the

philosophers ought to fetch it, It is indeed a )uminous substance,

yea, truly a fire to be kindled by >istillation-

Bet it is necessary, that by a manual and artifical operation,

you reduce this fiery water into the condition of a metalline

sulphur, which being highly purified from all faeces, and freed

from all watery and Airy redundency, will be Inseperable united to

gold and dilate and multiply its Tincture, this +ulphur is the hot

and dry part of our Argent 7ive, so far as it is considered

distinct from its oleaginous humidity, although both are really

one and the same thing, and only one matter to be had (as I said

before as well from 7egetables and Animals as from 4inerals!

"owever we must add that this 4ercury cannot be usefull in

Alchemy, so long as it remains in its 7egetable and Animal +tate!


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herefore the sulphur or 2leyness ought to be made metalline,

e#actly pure and unctuous, which the Chymist may performe, by

repeated, putrefactions, distillations, and separations- 6or by

these means Artifically performed it is brought to the highest

degree of purity and perfection and then the first work of the

philosophers and primitive preparation of the matter is performed-

%-

And here I would admonish you, that the Confection of this pure

2iliness is the great and hidden 4ystery of this Art, yet it is

performed by setting of it free from all 0arthy and atery fecul5

ency, and e#cess-

In all Corrosive aters, which are called AH1A 62*TI+ is some5

thing of pure 2iliness, by which they can add vigour to gold, and

increase its Tincture; for this end the philosophers use them; for

the acute and penetrable parts of AH1A 62*TI+, being most fit to

enter into, and penetrate gold, carry that oily and unctuous

essence into the inner parts, and so performe the first

resolutions of it, which when it is (by distillation again drawn

off from the gold leaves this oiliness behind it, which makes it

more fit for an intimate dissolution by a mild, homogeneous, and

permanent 4enstruum, which truly is a vegatative li3uor, endued

form hence, with a mighty power to encrease and multiply theTincture of 4etals; for the vegetable and animal dissolvents owe

their vegetable force to a corrosive and many of the philosophers

do attribute the 3uick dispatch of their great ork to it; 6or the

Ancients, being ignorant of the use of AH1A 62*TI+, performed

their works slowly, and troublesomely, but after they understood

the force and use of AH1A 62*TI+, they performed them in a few

days, which before they could not under a years time- And for this

the >isciples of Chymis5try are more abliged to aracelsus then

the Ignorant and ungrateful are wont to acknowledge! 8ut this

digestion I hope will not be unseasonable, to those, who would

willingly know, what is the pure oily ature, and how it may begotten-

8ut the desire to know, where the matter of the hilosophers

+tone may be found in such a disposition and 3uantity, which may

invite the labours and Industry of the +tudents in this Art- Bou

have very well observed out of the writings of the "ermetic Chy5

mists that man is the richest mine of this 4ercurial +ulphur, and

physical matter; you may also learn from them in what part of the

mine the best and most plentifull +ulphur is contained- 8A+I)


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%=-

7A)0TI0, that skillfull philosopher, saith! There is a )imbus

or viscous globe of 0arth in the 4icrocosm which issues out of a

certain permanent water, which hath in itself, all e#trincicals,

being removed whatsoever is necessary to the Compleating of theorkJ- And your Countryman *ipley, doth dogmatically relate, that

our +tone, or 4atter, which is generated in an Ingenious 0arth,

and in the +pring, when the +un is in Aries, does grow and 7eget5

ate and begin to fly, out to be e#tracted in its own minera

entire, not corrupted by a 4artial man- "AI42, that he might show

the place with that clearness as is lawfull, thus speaking to the

+ons of Art, that they might easily, and with a small price

obtaine the desirable matter of the hilosophers-


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2f the 4ercury of the hilosophers-

8ut I know that you cannot imagine that I now speak of common

4ercury, or Argent 7ive; for our 4ercury, whether it be considered

in its natural +tate and Condition, or as it is prepared to our

4ajestery, and made fit by the hand of the Artist, differs verymuch from common 4ercury- 6irst the 7ulgar is found only in some

places, and mines of our 0arth; 2urs is everywhere, because no

Concrete 8ody in the hole orld, or 0lement is without it-

+econdly; The vulgar is the +on of ature, generated, and produced

under the dominion and influences of the planet 4ercury, of an

unctuous 4oistness, and subtile 0arth- 2urs is the +on of Art,

born and produced of . +aline substances, which have the same root

and stock, by the helping hand of the Chymist-

Thirdly! The common when it is joined by Amalgamation to the

substances of other metals, receives not into itself the naturesand 3ualities of the different metals, nor retains properties so

communicable as are agreeable to the lanet 4ercury- 6or he, viE-

the planet 4ercury assumes the nature and 3uality of all the

planets with whom he is aspected in Conjunction-

8ut ours admits the nature of every one of the minerals (for

these are the Inferiour planets and mi#ed bodys, with whom it is

mi#ed-

6ourthly! The Common is a fluid substance, which will move and

run upon a plain superficies-

2urs, (in whose composition the 3uality of the 0arth transcends

the 3uality of the water is a dry thing, or, as the philosophers

%&-

term it, a dry and coagulated ater, of a +alt ature-

6ifthly! The 7ulgar is cold and moist; 2urs is hot and dry-

+i#thly! The common, the more it is distilled the more

subtile, and volatile it is made- 2urs by coction and distillation

is made thicker and less fluid-+eventhly! The Common after distillation, remains the same

Thing it was before, viE- 4ercury- 2urs, by a gentle distillation

is formed into a watery +pirit and fi#ed 0arth-

0ighthly! The Common is dissolved with a black and combustible

+ulphur- 2urs hath in it a most white, most red fi#ed and incom5

bustible +ulphur-

inthly! 8y the Common the 4etalline bodys are made black- 8y

2urs they are hitened, and brought to a metalline brightness-

Tenthly! The Common defiles and destroys everything- 2urs

produces and vivifyes all Things, and is truly the *adical 4oist5

ure of all Things-0leventhly! The Common, unless it first may putrify and be

reduced into its first matter, will afford no salt from its body-


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2urs contains in its bowels both a white and red salt; and is

really altogether salt flowing from a salt 6ountain-

Twelvely! The Common is of a 4etalline ature and truly a fluid

and )i3uid 4etal- 2urs, although it may, is not to be called

4etafljne, by reason of its principles of which it consists; yetindeed is no more so than a vegetable or Animal; for it is Airy,

atery, fiery and 0arthy-

Thirteenly! The 7ulgar is not the seed of 4etals, but is pro5

duced from the same or like metalline seed of which the other

metals are produced; and is a metalline fruit, like all other

4etals-

6ourteen5thly! The Common can neither dissolve gold, nor silver,

nor be incorporated with them otherwise but that it may remain

separable from them by Art- 8ut 2urs doth throughly and radicallydissolve both gold and silver, and is so intimately united with

them as to be made one individual, for ever inseparable; for which

%9-

cause it is called a permanent ater-

6ifteenthly! 2ut of the 7ulgar, by itself, gold or silver by

no artificial or artifice can be drawn- 2ut of 2urs having in

itself both a hite and *ed Tincture, both by the ork of yro5techny is made-

+i#teenthly! The Common will not dissolve nor congeal itself,

nor by itself be brought to the perfection of the 0li#ir- 8ut 2urs

dissolves itself, Coagulates itself, and without any addition, by

a simple Coction ascends to the +uper 0minency of the 0li#ir, and

true Tincture of the Ancient hilosophers, fit to impart per5

fection, not only to other 4etals, but to 4ercury itself- The

Catholic and mutable ature, and attributes and various appear5

ances of this 4ercury, were the cause why the Ancients compared it

to very many things, and gave to it divers names, whence manyerrors, and daily deceptions arise to the searchers of it and much

loss of time, and money did insue for which cause perhaps it may

seem 4ercury hath not undeservedly suffered the Animadvertion of

your wit- Bet +ir, I would admonish you, that the Ancients

assigned those different appellations put on it, not without great

reason taken from the ature of the thing; and for just cause

taken from its emminent force and power indeavoured to render the

attainment of it difficult and abstruse, which truly they did

effectually-

"owever, that I might satisfy your desire in this description,both of the vulgar and sophic 4ercury, I have sufficiently

e#plained the nature of that thing we call 4ercury, so that, there


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is no need of more words, although I cannot speak too much of that

which is the chiefiest part of every thing necessary to the

e#istence and life of all the Creatures, because most certainly it

is the *adical 4oisture of all things- A moisture it is that no

fire will consume; an oil that will not burn, an Air produced from

the 0arth, a real 0arth, not such as we tread upon, but such as is

above your heads, which no heat can dry, for it is a sulphureousli3uor which

%'-

increases our fire, and is of that same matter, as the oil of a

lamp in the matter of )ight-

A )i3uor made of the most subtile parts of nature, a )i3uor

which cleansing and nourishing all things, will consume nothing; a

fat5salt and so truly dry; as it will not wet your hands, withall

so moist, that it is the fountain of all salt li3uors of the 1ni5

verse, a li3uor which is properly called 2ur +tone-

2f which, if you would make the great 0li#ir, or 4edicine for

4en and 4etals, it is necessary that you first turn it into a sub5

stance like to an "omogenious 2il; then after you have putrified

this luminous body, it is needftfl that it be turned into the =

humours, and lastly these humours must be turned into a pure +ul5phur; viE, a sulphur whose moisture increaseth in the fire, and is

made a more cocted and mature 4ercury- 6or our 4ercury and +ulphur

are one and the same thing, (as you have very well observed

differing in such a manner, as the fiery moistness of the body, I+

distinguished from its heat and dryness; This +ulphur or 4ercury

(call it which you please is hidden in the belly or center of all

things, and whenever anything is brought to its perfection it

appears, and is called not improperly the


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thither by the effluviums of those stars through the whole firma5

ment-

%:-

The 0lementary is that pure and fi#ed salt, which by the name of

the +on is generated in every body Compounded of elements; yea,

and is generated in every element-

The 4etalline known to every one; is more loved by the Ambituous

and Covetious than the philosophers; for although they can open

common gold and make it crude, so that it may be made the matter

of the work; yet they always chiefly desire the other two, as more

fit subject for their operations, and more capable of effects more

stupendous than common


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golden +alt may be most plentifully diggedG

)et *ipley answer for me, who declares that our best 4ercury, or

which is all one, our best gold is brought to us in +kins from the

4ountain assebauus; 8ut that I may speak to the comfort of the

dilignet searchers, not only India, (or to bring them nearer home

"ungary; 8ut your 8ritania also abounds with most rich mines ofit; but the divinatory *od, by which these 4ines are to be sought

out ought to be of a 4etalline ature! I understand that some

physicans have tarsely written, of golden teeth which grow in the

mouth of a +ilecian boy; but they might with greater truth, large5

ness and elegancy discourse of our


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through Kall things, as it is the *adical 4oisture of all the con5

cretes of the 1niverse- Bou may fitly, and Ingeniously enough call

it the 4editeranjan +ea because it passes through the Center of

our 0arth, or +alt 4ountain; the possession of this vast +ea is

esteemed of great moment by the hilosophers, therefore it is

counted by them of the highest price, because it abounds with a

kind of fat fishes (well observed and described by you which somedo call +ea )A40*I0+, or *042*A0+, because they can hinder the

motions of the tall and towering ships which swim in our +ea and

destroy them- These tall ships (that I may speak plainly are the

volatile spirits of the orld, which fluctuate in our +ea, and by

the +alt which is in that 8riny ater, are retained and fi#ed and

for that cause, that fish is in so great honour among the

philosophers, because from it they distill their vegetable

4enstruum, or AH1A 7ITA0-

2f the AH1A 7ITA0 of the hilosophers-

Indeed our AH1A 7ITA0, or vegetable dissolvant is drawn from a

fat and unctuous matter, and although it may be made of the common

..-

+pirit of ine, yet it will never be made, unless it be joined,

and united with another vegetable nature which bears the Character

of a trefoyle, and therefore by some it is called our Trefoyle, by

others our IAA-

2f the >iana of the hilosophers-

I perceive you earnestly desire to have this presented to your


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7iew, naked and bathing in her fountain; but you have known how

all the ymphes in the fable did stand about her, to guard her,

least Actean (?) should thus behold her- The same thing do all thephilosophers, who with great might and study endeavour so to 7eil

her that she may not be e#posed to any, much less the )acivious

and effeminate- As to you (my friend I have before told you, with

what obligations I am bound, by which I am made unable to give youthat demonstration which my great opinion of your 7irtues, and

good will towards your Courteous and generous good disposition

would prompt me to gratify your honest desire- 8ut I clearly per5

ceive that from your diligent reading of the philosophic writers,

wise observations and e#perimental operations, you have already

known so great a part of this 4ystery that I can scarce doubt that

if you persist in the search of the Chymical isdom, and iana doth bath, and wash

herself, is nothing else but our AH1A 7ITA0, in which the +alt,

and hite +ulphur of ature that is our >iana is dissolved, and by

digestion made wonderfully pure and potent-

This AH1A 7ITA0 is thus made-

Take the choicest +ulphur, which is very Acid, and the best

4ercury, which is very oleous, accurately remove all earthly fae5

culency, by sublimation or distillation, make the 4ercury very

pure and subtile, with common +alt, 7itriol, or both together;

when they are so purified resolve them, and unite them by the

means of a distilled water- Afterwards by due firmenta5tion and

digestion, you shall have a clear and uniform )i3uor which is 21*

I0-

Th-ke this wine and putrify it in horse dung / days, or in a

good vaporous bath that the elements may the sooner and better be

separated; Afterwards, put it into a fit glass vessel and distil

an Ardent ater from it, which ought to be rectified till the

whole burn away, or inflame any particle of linnen or cotton

dipped in it! Then proceed thus with the wine distilling the flegm

from it, till there only remains a certain substance like li3uid

pitch; cohobate the phelgm upon this li3uid pitch, distilling it

with a moderate heat in 8alneo, then take the remaining matter,

pour upon it so great a 3uantity of rectified Ardent ater as may


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rise 3 or = fingers above it, and strongly shake the mattertogether that they may be well united-

Then distill the +pirit in a gentle heat in 8alneo, leaving the

moist matter in the bottom like mud- That moist matter put in a

putrifying heat for si# days, then distill the remaining spirit

.=-

in ashes; then add fresh spirit to the matter in the bottom and

lastly put it in a putrifying heat for si# days as before, after

that distill the animating +pirit in 8alneo and repeat the former

course, till the +pirit has e#tracted the soul from the body;

which you may judge to be done if you find the earth hard and dry-

Take this earth after you have weighed it, and put it into a fit

vessel for digestion or circulation, and add to it the 0I?T" A*T

of the Animated +pirit, and then circulate till you see all the

+pirit e#hausted by the earth; then open the circulatory vessel,and put in an Almbick, and e#tract a little 3uantity of the moist5

ure, which will proceed from it, and have the taste of common

water- Then pour in a 9th- part of the animated spirit, and again

put on a blind head, and digest as before, till you perceive all

the spirit e#hausted, then do as before and pour in a &th- part,

then do as before; then a Fth- part; after that a =th- part;

observing the same method till the earthy matter be made white by

the Imbitations by the Animated +pirit; Then take this white

matter or 0arth and put it into a fit vessel, which must be coated

as high as the 4atter Ascends, and sublime that which rises from

the foeces-

This +ublimate is the hite +ulphur of ature, 2ur +A) A*42IAC@

2ur 6air and fat >IAA-

hich if you behold her in her bath, take her and weigh her, and

to every pound of her body, take of the *ectified spirit or water

of the 8ath 3 pounds, and put her in it, that she may sweat in the

vaporous bath .= hours; then distill the humidity in Ashes by a

heat like that of the +un, and weigh the remaining sublimate andadd to it 3 parts of the rectified spirit as before and putrify,

.= hours as before in a vapourous bath, repeating the whole a =th-

time as before, in which space of time the whole sublimate will be

distilled over, united with the spirit; then take this spirit

.F-

thus accuated with the +al Armoniack, and put it in the heat of

horse dung or a vaporous bath, at the least ' or : weeks; thus if

you perceive in the bottom of the glass a sediment, like the


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24/32

more occult than the manner of ordering and governing it-

ontanus, after he knew the true matter (as himself confesses

erred above .// times, before he could perfect the work, because

he knew not this fire- The knowledge yet is so necessary, that,

when on a Time, a +ociety of the +ons of Art met together on pur5

pose to debate on the


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great ork and finish it; this may not be prophetical of you, the

Circumstances considered which accompany you- Therefore I would

admonish you that whosoever


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Thing most friendly to our nature and the most wholesome of the

whole world, never the less, in its previous preparations it is

very ni#ious, That it is so, I very well know, but for what reason

I would have you

.:-

learn, whose accute ingeniosity, can penetrate the highest depths

of nature, and e#plicate the causes of the most hidden effects- I

do the more earnestly desire this instruction of you, for your new

and ingenious e#cogitation of the nature of +alt, I shall be

greatly obliged to you if you send me your conceptions on that

Argument a little more large! Also of the ature of blood; the

facts which you have already given of these things makes me surethey will be very acceptable to me, and will abundantly satisfy my

friends, which are a +ociety of good Ingeunities, and who have

long since conceived a great opinion of you; for an e#celling Idea

of a most good, most Ingenious and most learned man, as your

letters have shewed you to be; which most accurate letters, which

the anne#ed papers truly have so e#plained the original of the

1niversal 4ercury, indeed the basis of true hilosophy, and have

so well e#pounded the Conditions re3uisite in him who would apply

himself to this hilosophy, and have given cautions, and

directions so sagacious in reading the hilosophic writers, that

they may be of great benefit to the +tudents of this Art; andmoreover they vindicate Chemistry in the estimation of men, 6irst

by showing that the labours about it are not irrational; nor the

effects accidental, uncertain, and sophistical, but that its

operations are e#actly conformed to the operations of nature,

whose conduct it follows till it finds her languishing and

deficient, and then it e#cells, and goes beyond her-

+econdly; by demonstrating the sublimety of its subject or

matter, and proving by evident means and inference, in what, and

by what means that matter may be made so transcendently more black

and efficacious than other things!

Thirdly; by taking away that >ung of contempt and oblo3uy which

you learn as well as unlearned and malevolent men have cast upon

it; which you do e#cellently perform, by transferring the blame in

some physicans, too much disdained and idle (whose ignorance is

too ancient and ostentations, too arogant for them to receive

/-


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instructions and on others more credulous than as is meet in rash

chymists, who at length hated fair >iana they were ambituous of,

because she would not admit of their unworthy addresses- 2r as

some poor smattering and vainly boasting >istiller; for all these

have either malignately, or unwittingly contributed to the Infamy

of this most e#cellent and most profitable science in the whole

orld- 8ut your 0pistle as to the notions aforesaid, hath defendedher with so clear reason, wit, and so ingenious phantasy and with

the structures of all kinds of )earning that I never met with

anything among the Chemical writings, that may so allure, and

delight the studious *eader; Therefore I do importunately desire

that as soon as you can, you will get it printed; as to the Ampli5

fication of your thoughts of the ature of +alt and blood, pray at

leasure send it me not with greater haste than your business will

admit of-

The hilosophers arable, or *omance called the $ourney of hal5

erius to the 4ountains of 4ercurius, which came to my hands withyour most learned 0pistle, I read with great delight! It is a most

ingenious design, and his purpose e#cellently well e#pressed by

you in the following words- 6or as much as a great part of 4ankind

are for following the genious of our Age, which admits of no kind

of speaking or teaching, but that which tickles your minds and

flows and slides with pleasure unto themL

That is the reason why I treat of grave and physical Things ac5

cording to the mode, that I might the more easily pass acceptance,

for serious Things by merry Things, for true Things by feigned

Things, and that I might +ecretly introduce the +tudents ofisdom, unto the more hidden 4ysteries of ature; by known and

familiar things, readily insinuating themselves into our senses

that so perhaps I may with a certain new Allurement hereafter

intice those very men into the )ove of Chemistry, and at length

bring them unawares to true hilosophy, who do start back at the

tittle of this book, as at the sight of an "obgoblin or ghost, and

after

%-

the reading of some pages full perhaps of hard crabbed speaking,

afterwards reject the whole writing as Inchantments; The Authors

name is not to it; but this eriod I guess may be attributed to

you for all if it does savour of >ickinson; without doubt it will

delight and entertain the reader that is given to the +tudy of

hilosophy, and therefore it will attain the same effect (as I

believe on the Candidates of atural +cience, which you Aim at,namely the increase of Chemic and true hilosophy-


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8ut to return to 4ercury, from which I have made a long e#curs5

ion, seeing its first preparation is very obscure, troublesome and

dangerous; therefore many of the later hilosophers have applyed

themselves to other ways of working- +ome to the making of 4ercury

without separation of the 0lements; some have prepared this

4ercury out of common gold, and common 4ercury; of whom also they

who know how to putrefy the bodies make a great work, tho muchinferior to those which can be made by our more general 4ercury,

and of a +ulphur of a certain well chosen 0arth-

Common 4ercury but pure and 7irgin5like, may be animated, that

it can readily and radically dissolve gold without any heat, which

being so united nothing is wanting but a hilosophical coction,

that they may be made an 0li#ir, and perfect Tincture and our

division of the various manners by which the philosophers made the

4ercury, yea, if it be understood with some grains of hilo5

sophical +alt (according to our way of speaking is sufficiently

true; of which the "eavenly manner was used by some more Ancient,and also later, which made it very secure and produced signal

effects; yet notwithstanding the ill savour and danger of the

reparation the philosophers generally made their mercuries of a

matter of an Airy and aterish kind; because they, being well in5

structed by 4edea, know the Art of avoid the Callomitjes of the

>ragon 4ercury, as also because the 0li#ir made of those matters

yields the most powerful and general 4edicine for men-

.-

2f the 1niversal 4edicine-

That there is such a 4edicine the Adept hilosophers well know

by e#perience therefore they have just cause to assert the verity

of it! 8ut wherefore this is accounted possible, and how it pro5

duces such general and contraty effects, you have given sagaciousand manifest reasons, which become an Accute philosopher, and

deserves credit from all 4en, but those who will consent to

nothing out of the common path of ature, without a demonstration-

Bet this I may freely speak; that although your reasons drawn from

the intrinsick nature of the great panacea of the philosophers,

most e#cellently resolves the 3uestion, yet there remains an inM

trinsick argument taken from the death of the philosophers them5

selves, wanting our consideration and worthy of an apposite

answer-

6or the 3uestion is, wherefore are not the Ancient and Adepthilosophers yet aliveG +trongG BouthfullG And why any Adepts

after them have sickened and died, no less untimely than other


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mortals; if so be they have got a 4edicine that can cure all dis5

eases, and keep and restore the hot and radical moistureG

The Answer is not difficult! 8ecause it is certain that


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atriarchs of old were very long lived-

Concerning the )ong life of the atriarchs-

Although the "oly +cripture hath hidden in silence the cause of

=-

that long life; yet Tradition which flourishes among us hath not

been silent of it, and not only from that, but from *ational In5

ference we conclude that this great and universal *emedy was the

only instrument of their long life and that so great a long life

was not common to all before the flood, but only to the

atriarchs, and perhaps a few others! If long life was grantedonly to the atriarchs for the sake of 4ultiplication, that so the

orld might the sooner be filled with inhabitants, it would seem

necessary that others besides the atriarchs, seeing they were but

few, should have been long livers; but that long life was not

granted to them for this end is reasonably inferred because each

one of them consumed many years, as Adam above a hundred and '/

years before they begot children, whereas before the terme of so

many years they might have generated a sufficient number of

Children to inhabit many *egions-

Therefore the rovidence of


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35."ence it is why I am bold enough to give such credit to our Tra5

ditions, as to believe only the atriarchs, or a few others were

so very long lived; 8ut that this long life was procured to themby the benefit of the


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this 4ystery to gold making, and in that work instructed his

children, from whom it is propagated this day in 0gypt, Arabia and

)ybia-

0noch in after Ages was known by the ame of "ermes, and was the

first of 3 so called, and left some monuments of his >ivine +cience

to posterity- 6rom Cham this +cience is so divided and dispersedamong the 0gyptians that the whole region took its name from him,

yea and the Art itself also, which from him is called Chemia, or

Chamia; so that the studious of divers countrys round about, went

to 0gypt to be instructed in the 4ysteries of this and other

+ciences 4oses and +oloman obtained this Art from that ation!

"ere 2rpheus, 0upedocles, >emocratus, 2sus, lato, ythagoras,

"esod, "omer and 2sthanes the 4ede, and 4orian the *oman obtained

the knowledge of this great 4ystery- 8ut this is from my taske,

which was to render an Answer by the what means the lives of the

atriarchs were so long continued, which verily I have performed as I was able- And if I

have not sent pleuary satisfaction to your Chiefest 3uestions, I intreate you ofyour Candour and charity to believe that this arises either from

the defect of knowledge, or want of any )iberty; and you may in no

wise doubt, but I am not only a great admirer of yours but also

sincerely your most )oving friend, a most humble servent-

Theodorus 4undanus-

aris the %/ of the Calander

of 2ctober, %&'=-

)iber ichola "inckley- %&:.-

(8ritish 4useum 4++- +lone 9&.-

9-

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