CHAP. VII. Of the Spirit of Silvor

THE Tincture and spirit of Silver manifests its Colour of a Watchet or Sky-colour, o∣therwise it is a waterish Spirit, cold and moist, not so hot in its degree as that which is found in Gold, Mars, and Venus; for Luna is more phlegmatick than fiery, though it be brought by the Fire out of its waterish Substance into a coagulation; and even as the Metals gain their tinging Spirits and Coagulation, in like manner do stones get their fixedness, and colour, as out of one Influ∣ence. A fix'd coagulated Mercury is found in the Diamond, there∣fore Page  113 it is fixeder and harder than the other stones, and cannot be so broken; so the tincture of Mars, or the Sulphur of Iron is found in the Ruby, the Sulphur of Venus in the Emerald, the Soul of Saturn in the Granate; in Tin the tincture which is found in the To∣paz; and Crystal is appropria∣ted to common Mercury; in the Saphir is found the Sulphur and Tincture of Luna, but each one according to a peculiar under∣standing, and according to its kind, and in Metals according to their form and gender; for when the blew Colour is taken and ex∣tracted out of the Saphire, its Rayment is gone, and its other Body is white as a Diamond, wanting only the hardness that is in a Diamond; even so when Gold hath lost its Soul, it yields a fix'd white Gold Body, which Page  114 by searching Students and young Artists is called fix'd Luna.

Wherefore you must now un∣derstand and observe, that even as I have declared unto you con∣cerning the Saphire, for your ap∣prehension, even so on the other side, you must learn to what pur∣pose my Speech is intended, for your Instruction concerning Me∣tals.

For this blew Spirit is the Sul∣phur and the Soul, whence the Silver receiveth its Life, both in and above the Earth, by Art, and the white Tincture of the Silver upon white stands in the Magne∣tick form of an everlasting thing, or Creature, wherein is likewise found the first Ens of Gold.

O ye high qualified Orators! where is your voice in this case to explain this Mystery? And you conceited Naturalists, where is Page  115 your Writings and Advice of Reason? And you Physicians, Whither is your Opinion flown, to fetch somewhat afar off over the Seas for to cure the Dropsie, and all Lunary Distempers? You will say, that this my speech is too dark for you; is it so? then kindle the terrestrial Light, seek, and be not ashamed to make ac∣quaintance with Vulcan; and let nothing be irksome unto you, so will you find by the assistance of the Eternal God, that the Spirit of Silver contains in it to cure and expel the Dropsie quite alone, as the Spirit of Gold, and as that of Mercury can expel the Con∣sumption radically, or in the root, even so that the Center of those Diseases cannot be found any more. But that Luna in the veins of the Earth is not furnished with such a hot substance or qua∣lity Page  116 in its degree, but is subject∣ed to a Waterish Nature; this fault lies upon that great Light of Heaven, which by reason of its Waterish influence, hath im∣planted such qualities in the other Creatures, and Planets of the Earth, than it hath in Silver. And albeit that Silver contains a fix'd Mercury, which is generated in it, yet it wants a hot, fix'd Sulphur, truly to dry up and consume its Phlegme, whereby it hath not obtained a compact Body, unless it be done afterwards by the art of the Little World. And see∣ing that its Body is not compact by reason of the abounding wa∣tery substance, its Pores there∣fore are not rightly defended, nor closed to undergo the weight and endure a Battel with the E∣nemies; all which Virtues are to be found in Gold, if it shall over∣come Page  117 all Enemies, and endure all trials without defect.

All things are difficult in the beginning, but wben they are brought to an end they are easie to be understood and apprehend∣ed. If you do truly observe the Spirit and the Soul of Luna, and learn to know it truly, you may quickly compass the midst of the Work, how it shall afford the end with profit; wherefore I will now propose to you an Ex∣ample, and instruct you by a Countrey-Rule, that you may apprehend it, and consider of it, as Childrens Play, in a high and weighty Matter, that you may search it out with advantage; as followeth:

A common Peasant casts forth (or sows) his Seed in a Field well dunged and prepared, this Seed after putrefaction, sprouts forth Page  118 of the Earth by the operation and furtherance of the Elements, and sets before our Eyes the Matter of Flax together with its Seed which it brings with it aug∣mented; this Flax is pluck'd up, and separated from its Seed; but this Flax cannot be used and pre∣pared for any work profitably, except it be first putrefied and rotted in water, whereby the Body is opened, and gains an in∣gress of its doing good; after this putrefaction and opening, it is again dried in the Air and Sun, and by this coagulation it is again brought into a Formal Being, that it may do future service. This prepared Flax is afterwards buck'd, beaten, broken, peel'd, and last of all dress'd, that the pure may be separated from the impure, the clean from the filth, and the fine from the course; Page  119 which otherwise could not b done at all, or brought to pass without the preceding preparati∣on; this done, they spin Yarn of it, which they boil in water over the Fire, or else with Ashes set in a warm place, whereby it is pu∣rified afresh, whereby the filth and superfluities are fully separa∣ted from it, and after a due wash∣ing the Yarn is dried again, deli∣vered to the Workmen, and Cloth weaved of it; this Cloth is purified or whitened by a fre∣quent casting of water upon it, cut in pieces by Taylors, and o∣ther people, so converted to fu∣ture services in houshold affairs; and when this Linnen is quite worn out, and torn, the old Rags are gathered together, and sent to the Paper-Mills, whereof they make Paper, which is put unto divers uses.

Page  120 If you lay Paper upon a Me∣tal or Glass, kindle and burn it, the vegetable Mercury comes forth and flies away into the Air, the Salt remaines in the ashes and the combustible Sulphur which is not so quickly consumed in the burning, dissolves to an Oil, which is a good Medicine for dim and defective Eyes. This Oil hath in it a great fatness, which is the Matter of the Paper, contained originally in the Seed of the Flax; so that the last Mat∣ter of the Flax which is Paper, must again be dissolved into the first Matter, which is the fat Sul∣phurous Oyliness of the Flax∣seed, together with the separa∣tion of its Mercury and Salt, that so the first may be made of the last, and the ground-work re∣vealed, so the Virtues and Ope∣rations known by the first.

Page  121 And though this Discourse be gross and not subtil, yet you may learn thereby to know what is subtile and secret; for that which is subtile must be infused into the ignorant by course Examples, that thereby they may be taught to reject the gross, and to em∣brace that which is subtile.

In like manner understand, that the first Matter of Metals must be observed, known, and found out by the revelation of their last Matter, which last Matter, as there are the perfect Metals, must be separated and divided asun∣der, that it may plainly appear singly before the Eyes of men. Out of which separation may be judged and learnt what the first Matter was at the beginning, out of which the last was made. Ac∣cept of this Advice concerning Luna at present. I could have Page  122 said more, but I must desist at this time until another opportu∣nity; and intreat you heartily, admonishing you by your Con∣science, that you observe all that which I have revealed unto you, of all those Letters which are contained in the middle between Alpha & Omega, & that you keep all the Speeches & Writings, that you may not undergo a denial of pardon for your Sins, & a conti∣nued perpetual Vengeance for Eternity; which I at last reveal unto you thus:

Take the Sky-coloured Sul∣phur extracted out of Silver, rectified with Spirit of Wine, dissolve it according to its Quantity in the White Spirit of Vitriol, and in the sweet-sented Spirit of Mercury, coa∣gulate them together by the fixation of the Fire, you have Page  123 the White Tincture in your Hands with all its Medicines; but if you can get all their primum Mobile's, it is then need∣less, because you can perfect the Work at once.