of the stone, and its vertue.

i

n the foregoing treatises it hath been sufficiently spoken concerning the production of naturall things, concerning the elements, the first matter, and second matter, bodies, seeds, and concerning the use and vertue of them: i wrote also the praxis of making the philosophers stone. now i will discover so much of the vertue of it, as nature hath granted to me, and experience taught me. but to comprehend the argument of all these treatises briefly, and in few words, that the reader which fears god may understand my mind and meaning, the thing is this. if any man doubt of the truth of the art, let him read the voluminous writings of [pg 37]ancient philosophers, verified by reason, and experience; whom wee may deservedly give credit to in their own art: but if any will not give credit to them, then we know not how to dispute with them, as denying principles: for deaf, and dumbe men cannot speak. what prerogative should all things in this world have before metalls? why should these alone by having seed without cause denyed to them, be excluded from gods universall blessing of multiplication, which holy writ affirms was put in, and bestowed on all created things presently after the world was made? now if they have seed, who is so sottish to think that they cannot bee multiplyed in their seed? the art of alchymie in its kind is true, nature also is true, but the artificer is seldome true: there is one nature, one art, but many artificers. now what things nature makes out of the elements, she generates them by the will of god out of the first matter, which god onely knowes: nature makes and multiplies those things of the second matter, which the philosophers know. nothing is done in the world without the pleasure of god, and nature. every element is in its own sphere; but one cannot be without the other; one lives by vertue of the other, and yet being joined together they doe not agree; but water is of more worth then all the elements, because it is the mother of all things: upon this swims the spirit of fire. by reason of fire water is the first matter, viz. by the striving together of fire, and water, and so are generated winds, and vapours apt, and easy to bee congealed with the earth, by the help of the crude aire, which from the[pg 38] beginning was separated from it. and this is done without cessation, by a perpetuall motion; because fire, or heat is stirred up no otherwise then by motion, which thing you may easily conceive by a smith filing iron, which through vehement motion waxeth hot in that manner, as if it were heated in the fire. motion therefore causeth heat, heat moves the water, the motion of the water causeth aire, the life of all living things. things therefore grow after this manner (as i said before) viz. out of water; for out of the subtill vapour of it, subtil and light things proceed; out of the oylinesse of it, things that are heavy, and of greater price; but of the salt things far more excellent then the former. now because nature is sometimes hindred, that it cannot produce pure things; seeing the vapour, fatnesse, and salt are fouled or stained, and mixe themselves with the places of the earth: moreover, experience teacheth us to separate the pure from the impure. therefore if thou wilt have nature be bettered, or mended in her actings, dissolve what body you please, and that which was added or joined to nature, as heterogeneous, separate, cleanse, joine pure things with pure, ripe to ripe, crude to crude, according to the poise of nature, and not of matter. and know that the centrall salt nitre doth not receive more of the earth then it hath need of, whether it be pure or impure: but the fatnesse of the water is otherwise, for it is never to be had pure; art purifies it by a twofold heat, and then conjoins it.