The Booke of the Secrets of Alchimie, composed by Galid the sonne of Iazich, translated out of Hebrew into Arabick, and out of Arabick into Latine, and out of Latin into English.

The Preface of the difficultie of the Art.

Thankes be giuen to God the Creator of all things, who hath conducted vs, beautified vs, instructed vs, and giuen vs knowledge and vnderstanding: Except the Lorde should keepe and guide vs, wee should bee like vagabonds, without guide or teacher: yea, we shuld know nothing in the world, vnlesse he taught vs: that is, the beginning, and knowledge it selfe of all things, by his power and goodnes ouer his people. He directeth and instructeth whom he wil, and with mercie reduceth into the way of iustice: for hee hath sent his messengers into the darke places, and made plaine the wayes, and with his mercy replenished such as loue him. Know brother, that this our mastery and honourable office of the secret Stone, is a secret of the secrets of God, which hee hath concealed from his people, neither would he reueale it to any, saue to those, who like sonnes haue faythfully deserued it, knowing both his goodnesse and greatnesse: for to him that desireth a secret of God, this secret masterie is more necessary then any other. And those wise men who haue attained to the knowledge herof, haue concealed part therof, and part therof they haue reuealed: for so haue I found my wise predecessors agreeing in this point in their worthie bookes: wherby thou shalt knowe that my disciple Musa, (more honorable in my eies then all other) hath diligently studied their bookes, & labored much in the worke of the mastery, wherin he hath bin greatly troubled, & much perplexed, not knowing the natures of things belonging to this work: the explanation whereof, and direction wherein, he hath humbly begged at my handes: yet I would afford him no answere therin, nor determine it, but commaunded him to reade ouer the Philosophers bookes, & therin to seke y^t which he craued of me, & he going his way, read aboue a hundreth bookes, as hee found them euen the true and secret bookes of noble Philosophers: but in thẽ he could not find that which he desired: so he remained astonished, & almost distracted, though by the space of a yeare he continually sought it. If therfore my scholler Musa (that hath deserued to be accoũted among y^e Philosophers) haue beene so doubtfull in the composition hereof, and that this hath hapned vnto him: what shall the ignorant and vnlearned doo, that vnderstandeth not the nature of things, nor is acquainted with their complections? But when I behelde this in my choysest and dearest disciple, moued with pitty and compassion toward him, or rather by the will and appointment of God, I made this book at the houre of my death, wherin I haue pretermitted many things, that my predecessors haue made mention of in their bookes: and againe, I haue touched some things which they concealed, & would by no meanes open & discouer: yea, I haue expounded and laide open certain things, that they haue hidden vnder dark & figuratiue speeches. And this my book I haue called the Secrets of Alchimy: in which I haue spoken of whatsoeuer is necessarie, to him that is studious of this Art or masterie, in a language befitting his sence & vnderstanding. And I haue named foure masteries far greater and better, thẽ other Philosophers haue done: of which number is Elixir, one Mineral, the other Animall: but the other two are minerals, and not the one Elixir: whose office is to washe that, which they call the bodies: and another is to make gold of Azot-viue, whose composition or generatiõ, is according to the generation or order of generation in the mynes, being in the heart and bowels of the earth. And these foure masteries or works, the Philosophers haue declared in their bookes of the composition of this mastery: but they want much: neyther would they shew the operation of it in their bookes: and though by chaunce he found it out, yet could hee not vnderstand it: so that hee found out nothing that was more troublesome to him. I wil therefore in this my booke declare it, together with the maner how to make it: but let him that will reade it, first learne Geometry, and her measures, that so he may rightly frame his furnaces, not passing a meane, either by excesse or defect: and withall, he must know the quantitie of his fire, and the forme of the vessell fit for his worke. Moreouer, lette him consider what is the ground-worke and beginning of the mastery, beeing to it, as the matrice is to liuing creatures, which are fashioned in the wombe, and therin receiue their createõ & nourishment: for if the thing of this mastery finde not that which is conuenient for it, the worke is marred, and the workmen shall not find that which they looke for, neither shal the thing it self be brought to the effect of generation: for where one cannot meete with the cause of generation, or the roote, and heate it selfe, it will fall out, that the labour shall be lost, and the worke nought worth. The like mischiefe will happen in respect of weight, which if it be not aright in the compound, the partes of the same nature, passing their boundes by augmentation, or diminution, the propertie of the compound is destroyed, & the effect therof voyd and without fruit, whereof I will giue you an example. Doo not you see that in Sope (with which cloathes are washed cleane and made white) there is this property if it be rightly made, by reason of equalitie, & one proportion, which participate in length and breadth? wherupon through this participation they agree, and then it appeareth, because it was truely made, and so the vertue which before lay hid, is nowe made known, which they cal a property, being the vertue of washing engendred in the compound: but when the grauity of the compound passeth his bounds, either by addition or diminution, y^e vertue itself breaketh the limits of equality, & becõmeth contrary, according to y^e distẽperãce of the cõpound. And this thou must vnderstãd to happen in the cõposition of our mastery.

CHAP. I. Of the foure Masteries, or principall works of the Art, to wit, solution, congelation, albification, and rubification.

NOy, wherein I will confirme my woordes, without concealing ought, or keeping backe any thing, saue that which is not conuenient to bee vttered or named. We say then that the great work contained in it foure masteries (as the Philosophers before vs haue affirmed) that is to say, to dissolue, to congeale, to make white and red. And these foure quantities are partakers, whereof two of them are partakers betweene themselues, and so likewise are the other two. And either of these double quãtities hath another quantity partaker, which is a greater quantity partaker after these two. I vnderstand by these quantities, the quantitie of the natures, and weight of the medicines which are orderly dissolued and congealed, wherin neither addition nor diminution haue any place. But these two, to wit, solution and congelation, shal be in one operation, and shall make but one worke, and that before composition: but after composition, their works shall bee diuers. And this solution and congelation which wee haue spoken of, are the solution of the bodie, and the congelation of the Spirite, and they are two, yet haue but one operation. For the Spirites are not congealed, except the bodies bee dissolued, as likewise the bodies is not dissolued, vnlesse the spirit be cõgealed: & when the soule & the body are ioyned togither, either of them worketh in his companion made like vnto him: as for example, when water is put to earth, it striueth to dissolue the earth by the moisture, vertue and propertie which it hath, making it more subtile then it was before, and bringing it to be like it selfe: for the water was more subtile then the earth: and thus doth the soule worke in the bodie, and after the same manner is the water thickened with the earth, and becommeth like vnto the earth in thicknesse, for the earth is more thicke then the water. And thou must knowe that betweene the solution of the bodie, and congelation of the spirit, there is no distance of time or diuerse work, as though one should be without the other, as there is no difference of time in the coniunction of the earth, and water, that one might be knowne & discerned from the other in their operations: but they haue both one instant, and one fact, and one and the same worke conteineth them both at once before composition: I say before composition, least he that shall read this booke, and heare the names of resolution and congelation, shoulde suppose it to be the composition which the Philosophers entreat of, for so he should sowly erre in his worke and iudgement: because composition in this worke or masterie, is a coniunction or marriage of the congealed spirit, with the dissolued bodie, and this conjunction or passion is vpon the fire. For heate is his nourishment, and the soule forsaketh not the bodie, neither is it otherwise knit vnto it, then by the alteration of both from their owne vertue and properties, and after the conuersion of their natures: and this is the solution and congelation, which the Philosophers first spake of; which neuerthelesse they haue hidden in their subtile discourses with darke & obscure words, that so they might alienate and estrange the mind of the reader frõ the true vnderstanding thereof: whereof thou maist take this for an example. Annoynt the leafe with poyson, and ye shall approue thereby the beginning of the worke and mastery of the same. And againe, labour the strong bodies with one solution, til either of them be turned to his subtilitie. So likewise in these folowing, except ye conuert the bodies into such subtilitie that they may bee impalbable, yee shall not find that ye looke for: and if you haue not ground them, returne backe to worke till they bee ground, and made subtill: which if you do, you shall haue your wish. And many other such sayings haue they of the same matter. The which none that euer proued this Art could vnderstand, til he hath had a plaine demonstration thereof, the former doubt being remoued. And in like maner haue they spoken of that cõposition, which is after solution & congelation. And afterward they haue said, that Cõposition is not perfect without marriage, and putrifaction: yet againe they teach solution, congelation, diuision, mariage, putrifaction, and composition, because composition is the beginning, and verie life of the thing. For vnlesse there were composition, the thing should neuer be brought to passe. Diuision is a separatiõ of the parts of the cõpound, & so separation hath bin his coniunction. I tell you againe, that the spirit wil not dwel with the body, nor be in it, nor by any meanes abide with it vntill the body be made subtil & thin as the spirit is. But when it is attenuate and subtill, and hath cast off his thicknes, & put on thinnes, hath forsaken his grosnesse & corpority, & is become spirituall, then shall he be mingled with the subtill spirits, & imbibed in them, so that both shall become one and the same, & they shall not be seuered, like as water put to water cannot be diuided. Suppose that of two like quantities, that are in solution and congelation, the larger is the soule, the lesser is the body: adde afterward to the quantitie which is the soule, that quãtity which is in the body, & it shall participate with the first quantity in vertue only: then worke them as we haue wrought them, and so thou shalt obtaine thy desire, and Euclide his line shall bee verified vnto thee. Afterwarde take his quantity, and know his waight, and giue him as much moysture as he will drink, the weight of which moysture we haue not here determined. Then againe worke them with an operation vnlike the former, first imbibing and subliming it, and this operation is that which they call Albification, and they name it Yarit, that is, Siluer, and and white Leade. And when thou hast made this compounde white, adde to him so much of the Spirit, as maketh halfe of the whole, and set it to working, till it waxe redde, and then it shall be of the colour Alsulfir, which is verie red, and the Philosophers haue likened it to golde, the effect hereof, leadeth thee to that which Aristotle saide to his Disciple Arda: wee call the claye when it is white, Yarit, that is Siluer: and when it is red, wee name it Temeynch, that is Golde. Whitenesse is that which tincteth Copper, and maketh it Yarit, and that is rednesse, which tincteth Yarit, that is siluer, & maketh it Temeynch, that is Gold. He therefore that is able to dissolue these bodies, to subtiliate thẽ, to make them white and red, and (as I haue said) to compound them by imbibing, and conuert them to the same, shall without all doubt attaine the masterie, and performe the worke whereof I haue spoken vnto thee.

CHAP. II. Of the things and instruments necessarie and fit for this worke.

IT behoueth thee to knowe the vessels in this masterie, to wit Aludela, which the Philosophers haue called Church-yards, or Cribbles: because in them the parts are diuided, and cleansed, and in them is the matter of the masterie made compleat, perfect, and depured. And euery one of these must haue a Furnace fit for it, and let either of them haue a similitude and figure agreeable to the worke. Mezleme, and many other Philosophers, haue named all these things in their bookes, teaching the maner and forme thereof. And thou must know, that herein the Philosophers agree togither in their wrytings, concealing it by signes, and making many books thereof, & instruments which are necessarie in these foure foresaid things. As for the instruments, they are two in number. One is a Cucurbit, with his Alembick: the other is Aludel, that is well made. There are also foure things necessarie to these: that is to say, Bodies, Soules, Spirites, and Waters: of these foure dooth the masterie, and minerall worke consist. These are made plaine in the Philosophers Bookes, I haue therefore omitted them in mine, and onely touched those things, which they passed ouer with silence: which he shall easily discerne, that is but of indifferent iudgement. And this booke I haue not made for the ignorant and vnlearned, but for the wise and prudent.

CHAP. III. Of the nature of things appertaining to this worke.

KNow thou that the Philosophers haue giuen them diuerse names: for some haue called them Mynes, some Animal, some Herball, and some by the name of Natures, that is Natural: some other haue called them by certaine other names at their pleasures, as seemed good vnto them. Thou must also know, that their Medicines are neere to Natures, according as the Philosophers haue said in their bookes, that Nature commeth nigh to nature, and Nature is like to nature, and Nature is ioyned to nature, and Nature is drowned in nature, and Nature maketh nature white, & Nature doth make nature red, and generation is retained with generation, & generation conquereth with generation.

CHAP. IIII. Of Decoction, and the effect thereof.

KNow thou that the Philosophers haue named Decoction in their Bookes, saying, that they make Decoction in thinges: and that is it that engendreth them, and changeth them from their substances and colours, into other substãces and colours. If thou transgresse not, I tell thee in this booke, thou shalt proceed rightly. Consider brother, the seed of the earth, wheron men liue, how the heate of the Sunne worketh in it, till it be ripe, when men and other creatures feede vpon it, and that afterwarde Nature worketh on it by her heate within man, conuerting it into his flesh and blood. For like hereto is our operation of the masterie: the seed whereof (as the learned haue sayde) is such, that his perfection and proceeding consisteth in the fire, which is the cause of his life and death, without somwhat comming betweene, and his spiritualtie, which are not mingled but with the fire. Thus haue I tolde thee the truth, as I haue seene and done it.

CHAP. V. Of Subtiliation, Solution, Coagulation, and commistion of the Stone, and of their cause and end.

KNow, that except thou subtiliate the bodie till all become water, it will not rust and putrifie, and then it cannot congeale the flitting soules, when the fire toucheth them: for the fire is that which congealeth them by the ayd therof vnto them. And in like maner haue the Philosophers commanded to dissolue the bodies, to the end y^t heat might enter into their bowels. Again we returne to dissolue those bodies, & congeale them after their solution, with that thing which cõmeth nigh to it, vntil we ioyne all those things which haue beene mingled togither, by an apt and fit commixtion, which is a temperate quantitie. Whereupon we ioyne fire and water, earth and ayre togither: when the thick hath bin mingled with the thin, & the thinner with the thick, the one abydeth with the other, and their natures are changed and made like, wheras before they were simple, because that part which is generatiue, bestoweth his vertue vpon the subtill, and that is the ayre: for it cleaueth vnto his like, and is a part of the generation from whence it receyueth power to moue and ascend vpward. Cold hath power ouer the thick, because it hath lost his heate, and the water is gone out of it, and the thing appeared vpõ it. And the moisture departed by ascending, & the subtil part of y^e aire, and mingled it selfe with it, for it is like vnto it, and of the same nature. And when the thicke bodie hath lost his heat and moysture, and that cold and drinesse hath power ouer him, and that their parts haue mingled themselues, and be diuided, and that there is no moysture to ioyne the partes diuided, the parts withdraw themselues. And afterwards the part which is contrary to colde, by reason that it hath continued, & sent his heat and decoction, to the parts of y^e earth, hauing power ouer them, and exercising such dominion ouer the cold, that where before it was in the thicke body, it now lurketh and lieth hid, his part of generation is changed, becomming subtil and hot; and striuing to dry vp by his heat. But afterward the subtill part (that causeth natures to ascende) when it hath lost his accidentall heat, & waxeth cold, then the natures are changed, and become thicke, and descend to the center, where y^e earthly natures are ioyned togither, which were subtiliate and conuerted in their generation, and imbibed in them: and so the moysture coupleth togither the parts diuided: but the earth endeuoureth to drie vp that moysture, cõpassing it about, and hindring it from going out: by means wherof, that which before lay hid, doth now appear: neither can the moysture be separated, but is retained by the drinesse. And in like maner we see, that whosoeuer is in the worlde, is retained by or with his contrarie, as heate with colde, and drinesse with moysture. Thus when each of them hath besieged his Companion, the thin is mingled with the thicke, and those things are made one substance: to wit, their soule hote and moyst, and their body colde and drie: then it laboureth to dissolue and subtiliate by his heate and moysture, which is his soule, and striueth to enclose and retaine with his body that is colde and drie. And in this maner, is his office changed and altered from one thing to another. Thus haue I tolde thee the truth, which I haue both seene & done, giuing thee in charge to conuert natures from their subtilitie and substances, with heate and moysture, into their substances and colours. Now if thou wouldst proceed aright in this mastery, to obtaine thy desire, passe not the boundes that I haue set thee in this booke.

CHAP. VI. The manner how to fixe the Spirit.

KNowe also, that when the bodie is mingled with moysture, and that the heate of the fire meeteth therewith, the moysture is conuerted on the body, and dissolueth it, and then the spirite cannot issue forth, because it is imbibed with the fire. The Spirits are fugitiue, so long as the bodies are mingled with them, and striue to resist the fire & his flame: and yet these parts can hardly agree without a good operation and continuall labour: for the nature of the soule is to ascend vpward, whereas the center of the soule is. And who is hee that is able to ioyne two or diuers things togither, where their centers are diuers: vnlesse it be after the conuersion of theyr natures, and change of the substance and thing, from his nature, which is difficult to finde out? Whosoeuer therefore can conuert the soule into the bodie, the bodie into the soule, and therewith mingle the subtile spirites, shall be able to tinct any body.

CHAP. VII. Of the Decoction, Contrition, and washing of the stone.

THou art moreouer to vnderstand, that Decoction, contrition, cribatiõ, mundification, and ablution, with sweet waters is very necessary to this secret and mastery: so that he who will bestow any paines herein, must cleanse it very well, and wash the blacknesse from it, and darknes that appeareth in his operation, and subtiliate the bodie as much as hee can, and afterwarde mingle therwith the soules dissolued, and spirits cleansed, so long as he thinke good.

CHAP. VIII. Of the quantitie of the Fire, and of the commoditie and discommoditie of it.

FVrthermore, thou must bee acquainted with the quantity of the fire, for the benefit and losse of this thing, proceedeth from the benefit of the fire. Wherupon Plato said in his booke: The fire yeeldeth profit to that which is perfect, but domage and corruption to that which is corrupt: so that when his quantitie shal be meete & conuenient, it shal prosper, but if it shall exceed measure in things, it shal without measure corrupt both: to wit, the perfect and corrupt: and for this cause it was requisite that the learned should poure their medicines vpon Elixir, to hinder and remoue from them the burning of the fire, & his heate. Hermes also said to his father. I am afraide Father of the enemie in my house: to whom he made answer, Son take the dog Corascene, & the bitch of Armenia, put them together, and they shal bring a dog of the colour of heauen, and dip him once in the sea water: for he shall keepe thy friend, and defend thee from thy enemie, and shall helpe thee whersoeuer thou become, alwaies abiding with thee, both in this world, and in the world to come. Now Hermes meant by the dog & bitch, such things as preserue bodies from the scorching heate of the fire. And these things are waters of Calces and Salts, the composition whereof, is to be found in the Philosophers books, that haue written of this mastery, among whome, some haue named them Sea-waters, and Birdes milke, and such like.

CHAP. IX. Of the Separation of the Elements of the Stone.

THou must afterward bother, take this precious Stone, which the Philosophers haue named, magnified, hiddẽ & concealed, & put it in a Cucurbit with his Alembick, & diuide his natures: that is, the foure elemẽts, the Earth, the Water, the Aire, and the Fire. These are the body and soule, the spirit and tincture. When thou hast diuided the water from the earth, and the aire from the fire, keepe both of them by themselues, and take that which descendeth to the bottom of the glasse, beeing the lees, and wash it with a warme fire, til his blacknesse be gone, and his thicknesse departed: then make him very white, causing the superfluous moysture to flie away, for then hee shall bee changed and become a white calx, wherein there is no cloudie darkenesse, nor vncleannesse, and contrarietie. Afterward returne back to the first natures, which ascended from it, and purifie thẽ likewise from vncleannes, blacknesse, and contrarietie: and reiterate these works vpon thẽ so often, vntil they be subtiliate, purified, and made thin: which when thou hast done, thou shalt acknowledge that God hath bin gracious vnto thee. Know brother, that this work is one stone, into which Gatib may not enter, that is to say, any strange thing. The learned work with this, and from hence proceedeth a medicine that giueth perfection. There must nothing be mingled herewith, either in part or whole. This Stone is to be found at all times, in euerie place, and about euery man, the search whereof is not troublesome to him that seeketh it, wheresoeuer he be. This Stone is vile, blacke, and stinking: It costeth nothing: it must bee taken alone: it is somewhat heauie, and it is called the Originall of the world, because it riseth vp like things that bud forth. This is his reuelation and apparence to him that maketh inquirie after it.

CHAP. X. Of the nature of the Stone, and his birth.

TAke it therefore and worke it as the Philosopher hath told you in his booke, when he named it after this maner. Take the Stone, no Stone, or that is not a Stone, neither is of the nature of a Stone. It is a Stone whose myne is in the top of the mountaines: and here by mountaines, the Philosopher vnderstandeth liuing creatures, wherupon he saide. Sonne, go to the mountaines of India, and to his caues, & pull out thence precious stones which will melt in the water when they are putte into it. And this water is that which is taken from other mountaines and hollow places. They are stones Sonne, and they are not stones, but we call them so for a Similitude which they haue to stones. And thou must know, that the rootes of their mynes are in the ayre, and their tops in the earth, and it wil easily be heard when they are pluckt out of their places, for there will be a great noyse. Goe with them my sonne, for they will quickly vanish away.

CHAP. XI. Of the commistion of the Elements that were seperated.

BEgin composition, which is the circuite of the whole worke, for there shall be no composition without marriage and putrefaction. The Marriage is to mingle the thinne with the thicke, and Putrefaction, is to rost, grinde, and water, so long till all be mingled together and become one, so that there should bee no diuersitie in them, nor separation from water mingled with water. Then shall the thicke labour to retaine the thinne: then shall the soule striue with the fire, and endeuour to beare it: then shall the Spirite labour to be drowned in the bodyes, and poured foorth into them. And this must needes bee, because the bodye dissolued, when it is commixt with the Soule, it is likewise commixt with euerie part therof: & other things enter into other things, according to theyr similitude and likenesse, and are changed into one and the same thing. And for this cause the soule must partake with the commoditie, durablenesse, and permanencie, which the body receiued in his commixtion. The like also must befall the Spirite in this state or permanencie of the soule and body: for when the Spirit shall bee commixt with the soule by laborious operation, and all his partes with all the partes of the other two, to wit, the soule and bodie, then shall the Spirite and the other two, bee conuerted into one indiuisible thing, according to their entire substance, whose natures haue beene preserued, and their partes haue agreed and come together: whereby it hath come to passe, that when this compounde hath met with a body dissolued, and that heate hath got hold of it, and that the moysture which was in it appeareth, and is molten in the dissolued body, and hath passed into it, and mixt it selfe with that which was of the nature of moysture, it is inflamed, and the fire defendeth it self with it. Then when the fire would be enflamed with it, it will not suffer the fire to take holde of it, that is to say: to cleaue vnto it with the Spirit mingled with his water. The fire will not abide by it vntill it be pure. And in like manner doth the water naturally flie from the fire, wherof when the fire hath taken hold, it doth forth with by little and little euaporate. And thus hath the body beene the meanes to retaine the water, and the water to retaine the oyle, that it should not burne nor consume away, and the oyle to retaine tincture, and tincture the precise cause to make the colour appear and shew forth the tincture, wherein there is neither light nor life. This then is the true life and perfection of the worke and masterie which thou soughtest for. Be wise therefore and vnderstande, and thou shalt find what thou lookest for, if it please God.

CHAP. XII. Of the solution of the Stone compounded.

THe Philosophers moreouer haue taken great paines in dissoluing, that the body and soule might the better be incorporate, for all those things that are together in contrition, assation, and rigation, haue a certaine affinitie and alliance betweene themselues, so that the fire may spoyle the weaker of nature, till it vtterly fade and vanish away, as also it again returneth vpon the stronger parts, vntil the bodie remaine without the Soule. But when they are thus dissolued and congealed, they take the parts one with another, as well great as small, and incorporate them well together, till they be conuerted and changed into one and the same thing. And when this is done, the fire taketh from the Soule as much as from the body, neither more nor lesse, and this is the cause of perfection. For this cause it is necessary (teaching the composition of Elixir) to afford one chapter for expounding the solution of simple bodyes and soules, because bodyes doo not enter into soules, but do rather withhold and hinder them from sublimatiõ, fixation, retention, commistion, and the like operations, except mundification go before. And thou shalt know, that solution is after one of these two wayes: for either it extracteth the inward parts of things vnto their Superficies, and this is solution (an example whereof thou hast in Siluer that seemeth cold and drie, but being dissolued, and that his inwards appeare, it is found hot and moyst) or else it is to purchase to a body an accidentall moysture, which it had not before, and to adde hereunto his owne humiditie, whereby his parts may be dissolued, and this likewise is called solution.

CHAP. XIII. Of the coagulation of the Stone dissolued.

SOme among the learned haue said, Congeale in a bath with a good congelation as I haue tolde thee, and this is Sulphur shining in darknesse, a red Hiasinth, a firy & deadly poyson, the Elixir that abideth vppon none, a victorious Lion, a malefactor, a sharpe sworde, a precious Triacle, healing euery infirmitie. And Geber the sonne of Hayen sayd, that all the operations of this masterie are contained vnder sixe things: to put to flight, to melt, to incerate, to make as white as Marble, to dissolue and congeale. That putting to flight, is to driue away and remoue blacknesse, from the spirit and soule: the melting is the liquefaction of the body: to incerate belongeth properly to the body, and is the subtiliation thereof: to whiten, is properly to melt speedily: to congeale, is to congeale the body with the soule alreadie prepared. Againe, flight appertaineth to the body and soule: to melt, whiten, incerate, and dissolue, belong vnto the body, and congelation to the soule. Bee wise and vnderstand.

CHAP. XIIII. That there is but one Stone, and of his nature.

BAuzan a Greeke Philosopher, when it was demaunded of him, whether a stone may be made of a thing that buddeth, made answere, yea, to wit, the two first stones, the stone Alkali, and our stone, which is the life and workmanship of him that knoweth it: but he that is ignorant of it, and hath not made it, and knoweth not how it is engendred, supposing it to be no stone, or that conceiueth not with himselfe whatsoeuer I haue spoken of it, and yet will make a tryall of it, prepareth himselfe for death, and casteth away his money: for if he cannot finde out this precious stone, another shall not arise in his place, neither shall natures triumph ouer him. His nature is great heate with moderation. He that now knoweth it, hath profited by reading this booke, but he that remaineth ignorant, hath lost his labour. It hath many properties and vertues, for it cureth bodies of their accidentall diseases, and preserueth sound substances, in such sort, that their appeareth in them no perturbations of contraries, nor breach of their bond and vnion. For this is the sope of bodies, yea their spirit and soule, which when it is incorporate with them, dissolueth them without any losse. This is the life of the dead, and their resurrection, a medicine preseruing bodies, and purging superfluities. He that vnderstandeth, let him vnderstand, and he that is ignorant, let him bee ignorant stil: for it is not to be bought with mony, it is neither to be bought nor sold. Conceiue his vertue, value, and worth, and then begin to worke: wherof a learned man hath said: God giueth thee not this masterie for thy sole audacity, fortitude & subtilitie, without all labour, but men labor, and God giueth them good successe. Adore thẽ God the creator, that hath vouchsafed thee so great fauor in his blessed works.

CHAP. XV. The maner how to make the Stone white.

NOwe therefore when thou wilt enterprise this worthy worke, thou shalt take the precious stone, and put it in a Cucurbite, couering it with an Alembicke, being well closed with the lute of wisdome, and set it in verie hote dung, then shalt thou distill it, putting a receiuer vnder it, whereinto the water may distill, and thus thou shalt leaue it, till all the water be distilled, and moysture dryed vp, and that drynesse preuaile ouer it: then shalt thou take it out drie, reseruing the water that is distilled, vntill thou hast neede of it: thou shalt take (I say) the drie bodie that remayned in the bottome of the Cucurbite, and grinde it, and put it in a vessel, in greatnesse answerable to the quantitie of the medicine, and burie it in verie hote horse-dung as thou canst get, the Vessell beeing well shut with the lute of Wisedome, and so let it rest. But when thou perceyuest the dung to waxe colde, thou shalt get thee other that is fresh, and very hot, and therein put thy Vessell. Thus shalt thou do by the space of fortie dayes, renuing thy dung so often as occasion shall serue, and the Medicine shall dissolue of it selfe, and become a thicke white water: which when thou beholdest to be so, thou shalt weigh it, & put thereto so much of the water which thou hast kept, as will make the halfe of his weight, closing thy Vessell with the lute of Wisedome, and put it againe in hote horse-dung, for that is hote and moyst, and thou shalt not omit (as I haue sayde) to renue the dung, when it beginneth to coole, till the tearme of fortie dayes be expired: for the Medicine shall be congealed in the like number of dayes, as before it was dissolued in. Again, take it, and note the iust weight of it, and according to his quantitie, take of the water which thou madest before, grind the body, and subtiliate it, and poure the water vpon it, and set it againe in hot hors-dung, for a weeke and a halfe, that is to say, ten daies, then take it out, and thou shalt see that the bodie hath already drunk vp the water. Afterward grinde it againe, and put thereto the like quantitie of that water, as thou didst before: bury it in dung, and leaue it there for ten dayes more: take it out againe, and thou shalt find that the body hath already drunke vp the water. Then (as before) grinde it, putting thereto of the foresayd water, the foresayd quantitie, and bury it in the foresayd dung, and let it rest there ten dayes longer, and afterward draw it out, so shalt thou do the fourth time also: which being done, thou shalt drawe it forth, and grinde it, and burie it in dung till it bee dissolued. Afterward, take it out, and reiterate it yet once more, for then the birth is perfect, and his worke ended. Now when this is done, and that thou hast brought this thing to this honourable estate, thou shalt take two hundred and fiftie drams of Lead, or Steele, and melt it: which beeing molten, thou shalt cast thereon one dramme of Cinnabarus: that is, of this Medicine, which thou hast brought to this honourable estate, and high degree, and it shall retaine the Steele or Leade, that it fly not from the fire: it shall make it white, and purge it from his drosse and blacknesse, and conuert it into a tincture perpetually abiding. Then take a dramme of these two hundred and fiftie, and proiect it vpon two hundred and fiftie drammes of Steele or Copper, and it shall conuert it into Siluer, better then that of the Myne. This is the greatest and last worke that it can effect, if God will.

CHAP. XVI. The conuersion of the foresaid stone into red.

ANd if thou desirest to conuert this masterie into Golde, take of this medicine (which as I saide, thou hast brought to this honourable estate and excellencie) the waight of one dramme (and this after the manner of thy former example) and put it in a vessell, and bury it in hors-dung for fortie dayes, and it shall be dissolued: then thou shalt giue it water of the dissolued body to drink, first as much as amounteth to halfe his waight, afterward vntill it bee congealed, thou shalt bury it in moyst hot dung, as is aboue sayd. Then thou shalt orderly proceed in this Chapter of Gold, as thou hast done in the former Chapter of Siluer: and it shall be Golde, and make Golde God willing. My Sonne keepe this most secret Booke, and commit it not vnto the handes of ignorant men, being a secret of the secretes of God: For by this meanes thou shalt attaine thy desire. Amen.

Here endeth the secrets Alchimy, written in Hebrew by Calid, the sonne of Iarich.