CCXI sociable letters written by the thrice noble, illustrious, and excellent princess, the Lady Marchioness of Newcastle.

CCVI.

Madam Eleonora Duarti,

THe last time I was to Visit you, we fell in∣to a Discourse of the Elixar, and the Phi∣losophers Stone, you being of the Opinion that Gold might be made by the Art of Chymistry, I of the Opinion, it could not be made any other wayes than by the Natural way, as in the Earth. But it may be questionable, whether Gold is made by an Increasable way, or whether it was made all at first, and that there is no more than what was made when the World was made, for I cannot find a Reason against it, but that Gold may be as the Sun, which is Undecayable, and not Increasable, for it is to be Observed, that what is not Decayable, is not Increasable, other∣wise it would be Infinite in this World, or Uni∣verse, which World, or Universe, hath no Room, or Place for Infinite, and the Sun which is Undecayable, Produces no other Suns, nei∣ther doth it Multiply it self, nor Alter from it self; the like of Gold, we cannot make Gold to be no Gold, for Pure Gold cannot be turned into Dross, or into other Dust, whereas all o∣ther Creatures, as Minerals, and so Vegetables, and Animals, may, and do Transmigrate, except the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and I do verily be∣lieve, it is as Impossible to Fix the Elixar, as to

Fix the Sun. But the Difference betwixt the Sun and Gold, for the matter of Outward Form, as well as Several Effects, is, that the Sun is one Entire Body, which is Spherical, and Gold is in many several Parts, which lies in many se∣veral Places in the Earth; but Stars which are of the like Undecayable Nature as the Sun, are al∣so in Several Bodies, and at Several Distances, and yet they are Stars nevertheless, and all seem to be as of one Kind or Sort, only some are Fix'd, and others Moveable; so Gold is Gold though in Several Parts, and Several Distances, only I think none is Fix'd, but what cannot be found, for though Gold is not Moveable in it self, yet it is subject to be Moved, and so may the Fix'd Stars, for any Reason to the contrary that ever I heard; And as for Effects and In∣fluences, as the Sun and Stars have several Ef∣fects and Influences upon other Creatures, yet we cannot perceive that other Creatures have Effects or Influences upon the Stars or Sun; so Gold hath an Influence, and Works several Ef∣fects upon other Creatures, but none upon Gold, I mean in Altring or Changing its Nature, so that Gold seems to me to be the Sun, or Stars of the Earth, which Men in these Ages Adore, as the Heathen did the Sun, and by their Pra∣ctice one may believe men Commit Idolatry to it; and in comparison to Gold, all other Metals are like Meteors, which do Shine like Stars, but their Light goes oftentimes out, leaving a Jel∣ly, or Slime, as Dross. So other Metals may be

Changed from what they were, as from one Metal into another, or from being Metal, but Gold cannot, at least could not as yet, be Altred by the Art of Man, so as it seems that Gold is of as Durable a Nature as the Sun or Stars; nei∣ther can I readily believe Gold can Increase, or Multiply it self, no more than the Sun or Stars, for any thing we can perceive; neither can I readily believe, that Gold can be Increased by the Art of Man, as by Chimistry, by reason Artificial Limbicks are not like the Natural Limbick of the Earth, nor the Fire that Chy∣mists use is not like the Fire of the Sun, or the Constant Fire in the Centre of the Earth; wherefore it is not Probable, that Art should Increase Gold by a Small Artificial Limbick, and a Wasting, Uncertain Fire, which must be alwayes Renewed, and Blown, and if it be Im∣probable that Art can Increase, or Multiply Gold, it is less Probable that Art can Create Gold or any other Creature, though Chymists Pretend they can, they may Imitate Nature by Art, but not Create as Nature doth; as for Natural Poets, who are far beyond Artificial Chymists, their Creation of Fancies is by a Natural way, not an Artificial, and if Gold could be Created as Fancies, Chymists would be Rich, and not so Poor as Poets are, but surely it is impossible for Art to do as Nature doth, for Art neither Knows, nor can Comprehend, at least not put in Practice, the Subtil, and Intricate Mo∣tions, Divers Temperaments and Substances

put together; neither doth Art know the Ti∣ming of Motions and Mixtures, to Create so as Nature doth, for some Creatures in Nature re∣quire more Curiosity than others, and some more Several, and Subtil Mixtures than others, and some require Longer Time and Pains than others, so as Man may as well believe he can Create a World, as Create Gold, or any other Creature, as Animals and Vegetables, as Chy∣mists believe they can do by their Art; Men like Painters, may Draw to the Life the Figures of Creatures, but not Create Living Figures, or Real Creatures; 'tis true, Art may Hinder, or Oppose, or Hasten Nature's Works, to a more Sudden Maturity, but not in an Unnatural way; and as for Opposing, or Hindring Nature, Man may Set a Slip, or Kernel, or Seed, and when it is Fix'd, or hath taken Root, Man can Pull it up, and Dissolve it, so as not to be capable to Grow and Increase, nay, man can Dissolve it from its Nature, and Turn it into some other Nature, yet it is Natural for such Dissolvable Creatures to be Transformed into other things, so as it is but a Natural way; but Man cannot Create by Art, for that were an Unnatural way, Man may Increase and Multiply, not only his own Kind, but all In∣creasable things, but they must be done after their Natural way, or else Man cannot Increase and Multiply. Some, as Chymists, Conceive, or Imagine (for it is but Imaginable) that there are Seeds, or Slips, or Branches of Gold, which may be Producible as Plants are, but I know not

where they should find them, nor do I believe if they should Search for them, they would find them, first, as not knowing where they lie, for what Man can Search all the Earth, or Fathom the Earth, or Dig to the Centre of the Earth? next, they do not Know those Branches, Slips, or Seeds to be such; thirdly, if they did Know them, and Had them, yet they Know not how, or when, or where to Set, or Ingraft those Slips or Branches, or to Sow those Seeds, or to Order them in their Limbicks; but I perceive they would make their Limbicks their Increasable Grounds, and every Limbick should be as an Acre of Ground, or a Field, indeed every Still would be worth a Lordship, nay, a Kingdom; fourthly, Man knows not the Time those Slips, Branches, or Seeds, require to be brought to Ma∣turity, for all Creatures are not brought to Ma∣turity in the same distance of Time; as for Ex∣ample, Animal Creatures, some are Produced in a Month, some in no less time than a Year; so for Plants, some are at Maturity in a Few Hours, at least Dayes, and others not under an Hundred Years, as Oaks; so for any thing we know, Gold could not be brought to Maturity under an Hun∣dred Years, nay a Thousand, Hasten Nature what they can, and nothing can be Hastened in an Un∣natural way; nay, in some Creatures Art can∣not Hasten Nature, as Animals cannot be Hasten∣ed to Perfection sooner than their Natural Time, Art may cause Abortion, as to make the Womb cast forth the Burden before the Natural

Time of Birth, but not to bring it to Perfection, and if Man, which is Decayable and Increasable, yet is Ten Months, or say Seven, e're he comes to Maturity, well may Gold, which seems of an Unalterable, or Undecayable Nature, be Seven Ages; and though the Elements seem to be both Decayable and Increasable as Mankind is, yet not the Fix'd, or Celestial Elements, for though Fire Begets Fire, when Fuel is put to it, and goes out for want of Fuel, or may be Quenched out, (for if it did Increase and not Decrease, it would Burn all the World) and though Water be In∣creasable (although not so Increasing as Fire) as also Decayable, as to Evaporate from its Nature, for else it would Drown the World, yet I do not perceive the Sun or the Earth to be Increasable or Decayable, for if the Sea and Earth did Mul∣tiply, the Terrestrial Globe would grow so Big, as the Sun could not Compass it in a Year, and it might grow so Big as not to be Compassed in Many Years; but we observe by the Motion of the Sun, that it is neither Decayable nor In∣creasable, for if it were Decayable, the Compass of the Sun would be in a Less Circle, as to Com∣pass the Terrestrial Globe in Less than a Year, but whatsoever is not Decayable, is not Increas∣able, and whatsoever is Increasable is Decayable; and since we find by Experience that Gold is not Decayable, as not to be Changed from its Prin∣cipal Nature, viz. from being Gold, it may be faithfully believed it is not Increasable, other∣wise there would be a Word, nay Worlds of

Gold. Thus, Madam Eleonora, I cannot perceive in my Reason, that Gold can be either Created, or Multiplied by Art, wherefore in my Opini∣on, Chymists may Break their Limbicks, and Quench out their Fire, and Endeavour to get Natural Gold a Provident way, and not to Im∣poverish themselves with Art. But leaving them to their Brittle Limbicks, and Quenchable, or Decayable Fire, their Great Expences, and Lit∣tle Profit, I rest,

Your very Loving Fr. and S.