The Philosophical epitaph of W.C. Esquire for a memento mori on his tomb-stone, vvith three hieroglyphical scutcheons and their philosophical motto's and explanation : with the philosophical Mercury, nature of seed and life, and growth of metalls, and a discovery of the immortal liquor alchahest : the salt of tartar volatized and other elixirs with their differences. Also, A brief of the golden calf, the worlds idol : discovering the rarest miracle in nature, ... / by Jo. Fr. Helvetius. And, The golden ass well managed and Midas restor'd to reason, or, A new chymical light : demonstrating to the blind world that good gold may be found as well in cold as hot regions, and be profitably extracted out of sand, stones, gravel and flints &c. .../ written by Jo. Rod. Glauber. With Jehior, aurora sapientiae, or, The day dawning or light of wisdom : containing the three principles or original of all things whereby are discovered the great and many mysteries of God, nature and the elements, hitherto hid, now revealed / all published by W.C. Esquire. : with a catalogue of chymical books.

CHAP. II. The Testimony of divers illustrious Authors of this Arcanum. (Book 2)

FIrst, Paracelsus in the Signature of Natural things, fol. 358 This is a true sign of the tin∣cture of Philosophers. That by its transmuting force, all imperfect metals are changed, viz. (the white) into Silver, and (the red) into the best Gold, if but the smallest part of it be cast into a Crusible upon mel∣ted metal, &c.

Item, For the invincible Astrum of metalls con∣quereth all things and changeth them into a nature like to its self, &c. And this Gold and Silver is no∣bler and better then that brought out of the Metal∣lick Mines; and out of it may be prepared better Me∣dicinal Arcana's.

Item, Therefore ever Alchymist who hath the A∣strum of the Sun, can transmute all red Metals into Gold, &c.

Item, Cur Tincture of Gold hath Astral Stars within it: It is a most fixt substance and immutable in the Multiplication. It is a powder having the red∣dest

colour, almost like Saffron, yet the whole cor∣poreal substance is liquid like Rosin, transparent like Christal, frangible like glass. It is of a Ruby colour and of the greatest weight, &c.

Read more of this in Paracelsus Heaven of Phi∣losophers.

Item, Paracelsus in his seventh book of Transmuta∣tion of natural things saith, The Transmutation of Metals is a great natural mistery, not against natures course, nor against Gods order, as many falsely judge. For the imperfect Metals are transmuted into Gold, nor into Silver, without the Philosophers Stone.

Item, Paracelsus In his Manual of the Medicinal Stone of Philosophers saith, Our Stone is a heaven∣ly Medicine, and more then perfect, because it cleanseth all filth from the Metals, &c.

Secondly, Henry Khunrade, in his Amphitheater of the eternal wisdom.

I have travelled much and visited those esteemed to know somewhat by experience, and not in vain, &c. (Amongst whom, I call God to witness) I got of one the universal Green Lyon, and the blood of the Lyon: That is Gold, not vulgar but of the Philo∣sophers. I have seen it, touched it, tasted it, and smelt it: O how wonderful is God in his works▪ I say they gave me the prepared Medicine, which I most fruicfully used towards my poor neighbour in most desperate cases, and they did sincerely reveal to me the true manner of preparing their medi∣cine.

Item, This is the wonderful method which God only hath given me immediately & mediately, yet sub∣ordinately

through Nature, Fire, Art and masters help (as well living as silent) corporal and spiritua•• watching and sleeping.

Item, Fol. 202. I write not Fables, with thine own hands shalt thou handle, and with thine eyes see the Azoth, viz. the Universal Mercury of the Philosophers, which alone, with its internal and ex∣ternal fire, is sufficient for thee to get our Stone; ne∣vertheless with a sympathetick Harmony, being Ma∣gick-physically united with the Olympick fire, by an inevitable necessity, &c.

Item, Thou shalt see the Stone of the Philosophers (our King) go forth of the bed-chamber of his Glassie Sepulchre, in his glorified body, like a Lord of Lords, from his Throne into this Theater of the world: That is to say, regenerated and more then perfect; a Shining Carbuncle; a most temperate splen∣dour, whose most subtile and depurated parts are inse∣perably united into one, with a concordial mixture exceedingly equal, Transparent like a Chrystal, Com∣pact and most ponderous, easily fusible in fire, like rosin, or Wax▪ before the flight of quick silver: yet flowing without smoak, entring into solid bodies, and penetrating them like oyle through Paper, dissoluble in every liquor, and comiscible with it, fryable like glass, in a powder like Saffron: but in the whole Mass shining red like a Rubie (which redness is a sign of a perfect fixation and fixed perfection) Perma∣nently colouring or tinging; fixt in all temptations and tryals, yea in the examination of the burning Sul∣phur its self, and the devouring waters, and in the most vehement persecution of the fire, always incom∣bustible, and permanent as a Salamander, &c.

Item, The Philosophers Stone being fermented in its parts in the great world, transforms it self into

whatsoever it will by the fire; hence a Son of art may perceive, why the Philosophers have given their Azoth the name of Mercury, which adheres to bo∣dies, &c.

And further, in the same place it is fermented with Metals, viz. The Stone being in its highest whiteness, ••s fermented with pure Silver to the white. But the Sanguine Stone, with pure Gold to the red. And this is the work of three days, &c.

Thirdly, Helmont in the Book of Eternal Life, Fol. 590.

I have oft seen the Stone and handled it, and have projected the fourth part of one grain wrapped in paper, upon eight ounces of quink silver boyling in a crusible, and the quicksilver with a small noise pre∣sently stood still from its Flux, and was congealed like to yellow wax, and after a flux by blast, we found eight ounces wanting, eleven grains of the purest Gold; Therefore one grain of this powder would transmute nineteen thousand, one hundred and eighty six parts ••f Quicksilver into the best Gold: so that this powder is found to be of Similary parts amongst Terrestrials, and doth transmute infinite plenty of impure metal into the best Gold, uniting with it, and so defends it from Canker, rust, rottenness, and death; and makes it in a manner immortal against all tor∣tures of fire and art, and transfers it to a Virgi∣nean purity of Gold, requiring only a fervent heat,

Item, In his Tree of Life, fol. 630. I am con∣strained to believe there is a Gold and Silver making Stone or powder; for that I have divers times made projection of one grain thereof, upon some thousand

grains of boyling quicksilver, to a tickling admirati∣on of a great multitude. And further as before is re∣hearsed in the first Chapter. He also saith,

He who gave me that powder had so much at least as would transmute two hundred thousand pounds worth of Gold.

Item, He gave me about half a grain and thence were transmuted nine ounces and three quarters of quicksilver into gold▪ and he who gave it me was but of one evenings acquaintance, &c. Besides,

The most noble expert man in the art of Fire, Do∣ctor Theodor. Retius of Amsterdam, gave me John Helvetius a large medal with this inscription, Theo-Divine Metamorphosis, &c. It was of Count Russ his making of Styria, and Carynthia in Germany, of which one grain transmuted three pound of quicksil∣ver into pure Gold at all assayes.

Item, It is written that sixty years since Alexander Scotus made such a projection at Hanaw in high Ger∣many, &c.

I cannot here pass by Dr. Kufler in an extract of his Epistle.

First •• found (in my Laboratory) an Aqua fortis, and another in the Laboratory of Charles de Roy; I poured that Aqua Fortis, upon the Calx of gold prepared after the vulgar manner, and after its third Cohobation, The Tincture of that gold did rise and sub∣limed into the neck of the retort, which I mixed with two ounces of silver precipitated in a common way, and I found that ounce in an ordinary Flux trans∣muted an ounce and half of the said Silver into the best gold, and a third of the remainder into white gold, and the rest was the purest silver fixt in all examinations of the Fire; but after that time I could never find more of that Aqua∣fortis.

And I Helvetius saw this white gold.

Item, Another rare Experiment done at the Hague.

There lived at the Hague 1664. a Silver Smith, named Grill, well exercised in Alkymy, but poor according to the custome of Chymists. This Grill got some Spirit of Salt, not of a vulgar preparation, from one Caspar Knotner a Cloth Dyer, to use as he said for metals. The which afterwards he poured upon one pound of common Lead in an open glass, dish or platter, usual for confections or conditures; and af∣ter two weeks there appeared a most curious Star of Silver, swimming upon it, as if it had been delineated with a Pensel and pair of Compasses by some ingeni∣ous Artist. Whereupon the said Grill told us with joy he had seen the Signat Star of the Philosophers, whereof by chance he had read in Basilius: I with many others saw the same to our great admiration. The Lead in the interim remaining in the bottom of an ashy colour. After seven or nine days in July, the Spirit of Salt being exhaled by the heat of the air, the Star setled on the Lead or Feces in the bottome, and spread it self upon it, which many people saw. At last the said Grill took a part thereof, and out of that pound of Lead, he found by computation twelve oun∣ces of cupelled Silver; and out of that twelve ounces, two ounces of the best Gold; and I Helvetius can shew some part of that spongeous Lead with part of ••he Star upon it, and also some of the said Silver and Gold. Now whilst this envious Silly Grill, conceal∣••ng the use, endeavoured to get more of that spirit of Salt from Knotner, the said Knotner having for∣got what sort it was or else not finding it sudden∣••y; was shortly after drowned, and Grill with his fa∣mily dyed of the Plague; so that none could make

further benefit or tryal of the said Progress afterwar•• Indeed it would move admiration, that the Leads i•• ward nature should appear in such a noble outwar•• form by the simple maturation of the said spir•• of Salt; neither is it less wonderful, that the Phil••∣sophers Stone should so suddenly transmute all M••∣tals to Gold or Silver, having its vertue potenti••∣ly implanted within its self, and raised into an ••∣ctive power; as is manifest in Iron toucht with th•• Load Stone.

But enough of this.