To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
The reason that moved the Author to handle this matter: The different blessings betwixt the Indi∣ans and Christians: the definition of the Philoso∣phicall Stone; the generall way and matter where∣of it is made.
THe History, I say, of this unfortunate man, and rich couzener, made me the more curi∣ous and desirous to know the nature of so rare a thing as that which they call the Philoso∣phicall Stone, which if men might attaine to, the West Indes should not bee so much frequented as
they are; but O how great is the wisedome and power of the Creator of all, who reserveth the per∣fect knowledge of so high a secret to himselfe, and imparteth it but to very few, knowing the insatia∣blenesse of the heart of man; and to these who know not the worth of gold, hee doth bestow it in such plenty,* 1.1 that their ordinary houshold-stuffe, as Tongs, Chuffles, Pots, Tables, and Cupbords, &c. are made of it whereas they starve in a manner for that whereof we have such store; and which they esteeme asmuch above their gold as we prize their gold above our other necessaries.
So far as I can learn, I find that the Philosophicall stone (by the Arabes called Elixir )is the very true and just seed that engendereth and begetteth gold: For gold is not procreated (as I may say) either of Brimstone, nor of Mercurie, nor of any such thing as fraudulently some suppose and give forth; but it is to be search't and found out of gold it selfe, and that most purified: for there is nothing in Nature which hath not of it, or rather in it the seede of its owne kinde, whereby it may be multiplied; but yet hardly by Art may it be drawne out, by reason that the greatest and most vigorous strength of that seede consisteth in a certaine oylie substance,* 1.2 or ra∣ther adhereth to it; which, whensoever by fire wee goe about to draw out, or segregate from the substance it selfe, it consumeth away; which not being so in gold, because by the violence of no fire it can be so burnt away, but that it may abide the whole strength and force of Art; therefore out of
it onely that seede or Elixir may bee extracted, whereto it seemeth the Poet alludeth, when hee saith,
—Vni quoniam nil deperit auro Igne, velut solum consumit nulla vetustas, Ac neque rubigo, aut aerugo conficit ulla Cuncta adeò firmis illic compagibus haerent.
The plenty of gold which the West In∣dians have.
The true matter of gold.