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I. HERMES. But by Negligence and an ill Opinion of the matter the Ope∣rations may be spoiled and de∣stroyed; as in a Mass of Le∣vened Paste: Or Milk turned with Rennet for Cheese; and Musk among Aromaticks.
Salmon. Without doubt an error may easily be com∣mitted in the Work of Fer∣mentation, if you have a a false Conception thereof, or be ignorant of its Power, whereby you may miss the
end; and be frustrate of your Expectations, losing all your cost and time; as is seen in the Levening of Bread; if you trouble the Mass of Meal and Water too soon, it will not be Le∣vened: If it lies too long, it will be over done; so in our Work, if you be too hasty, you will perform nothing at all: If too long, and with too Violent a Fire, you will hazard the breaking of your Vessel, and by an over Vo∣latility, frustrate the fixity of your Medicine: The making of Cheese is Famous, for almost every Housewife can tell you how easie it is to ruin or spoil all, (how good soever your Milk and Rennet may be,) if you be unskilful in the Art: If the Milk be too hot, or too cold, or the Rennet be too much or too little, or the Coagu lum lies too short a time, or too long, you may spoil your Cheese, and miss the Perfection, or Goodness, which therein you seek af∣ter. These are Familiar ex∣amples, and need no farther exposition. The Matter therefore is, first by our Fer∣ment corrupted, and brought into a blackness by Death, but not such a blackness, out of which it cannot be recovered; but so that in the Course of the Fermen∣tation, the Mass of the Con∣fection may pass through the mutation or changes of all the Colors. Now Heat working at the first in hu∣midity brings forth the blackness; but Heat work∣ing in the dryness, causeth Whiteness, and in the White the Citrinity and wonder∣ful deep Redness. These Va∣rieties of Colors are caused only by the Ferment in a pro∣per and fit heat, so that the Corruption of one is the Generation of another; and the Ferment becomes the Ferment of the Ferment, as the Philosophers speak. He who cannot taste the Sapor of Salt, will never attain to this desired Ferment of Ferments, which is the Soul, even before Fermentation. If therefore this Ferment be not well prepared, your Magistery will be nothing worth: and know, that this Fermentum is taken only 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 and Luna, that is,
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from Gold and Silver, and converts the other Bodies into its own Nature: There∣fore it behoves you to know how to introduce this Ferment into Dead and imperfect Bo∣dys, (that is, to make Ingression) because it is the Soul; and this Soul gives to them Life and Perfection; so that to∣gether with this living and perfect Soul, they are made alive and perfect, and one perfect Body.
II. Hermes. The certain Color of the Golden matter for the Red; and the Nature there∣of is not sweetness, therefore of them we make Sericum, which is Ixir, [the Ferment:] and of them we make Enamel, of which we have Written.
Salmon. Altho' it does not here sufficiently appear what our Author means by Sweetness and Sericum, yet afterwards he so explains himself that we may guess at it; and that it is the Gol∣den Ferment for the Red; the adumbration whereof he gives us under the Mask of Encaustum or Enamel; and truly by Figures. 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and Tropical ways of speak∣ing, he has been pleased to deliver himself through this whole Work. I suppose he uses the Similitude of Sweet∣ness here in respect of Le∣ven; for that Leven is not Sweet.
III. Hermes. And with the King's Seal we have tinged the Clay, and in that we have put or placed the color of Hea∣ven, which augments the sight of them, who can already in some measure see:
Salmon. By the King's Seal is meant the Virtue, Power, Character, or Tin∣cture of Gold, which tin∣ges Lutum the Clay, that is, the Mercurial Mass, or Earth, which is now but one thing, and a Secret drawn out of the Fountains of the Wise, for which rea∣son it is by some called Si∣gillum Sapientum: Also Si∣gillum Hermetis, and Sigil∣lum Mercurii. This is the thing which many have sought after in vain, and could never find, that is, the outward turned inward, and the inward parts turn∣ed
outwards; that which was below raised up, and that which was above, laid down below; the Superi∣ors and Inferiors, the Hea∣vens and the Earth joyned together in one Globe or Mass, and digested toge∣ther in one, till they pro∣duce the heavenly color, the light of Sol, which gives such as have Eyes to see, the happiness of seeing a Foun∣tain inexhaustible, an Eter∣nal Spring, the permanent and endless Treasure.
IV. Hermes. Gold there∣fore is the most pretious Stone without Spots, also temperate, which neither Fire, nor Air, nor Water, nor Earth, is able to corrupt or destroy, the uni∣versal ferment, rectifying all things, in a middle or tempe rate Composition, which is of a Yellow, or true Citrine co∣lour.
Salmon. Our Hermes here confesses plainly, that the Philosophick Gold, is this most pretious Stone, with∣out blemish and incorrupti∣ble, and differs as much from vulgar Gold, as Le∣ven does from the Paste, or Yest from the Ale or Beer which is made by it: For as clear, well-wrought Ale, cannot change other Wort into Ale, nor Levened Paste leven another Mass of Meal and Water, (till it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 brought to the perfection of Leven,) so neither can vulgar Gold (which is the product of Mercury and Sulphur) transmute, or change any other body in∣to its own Purity, Tincture, and Fixity. No: This is only the work of our Stone, Elixir, Tincture, the true Philosophick Gold.
V. Hermes. The Gold of the Wise Men, boiled and well digested, with a fiery Water makes Ixir.
Salmon. The Gold is to be exquisitely boiled, as much as you please with a fiery water, and digested: This fire is found no where more perfect, better, or more powerful than in Mi∣nerals and their Roots, which Roots the Philoso∣phers say, are in the Air: And the Gold is Spiritual
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Gold, not the body of vul∣gar Gold unprepared. This Aqua Ignea, is nothing else, but the Mercury of the Philosophers, drawn from its Mineral Root. This Water is the Mother, which does dissolve the Gold con∣ceived in its Belly, being digested and nourished there for forty Weeks, at the end of which digestion, like as in the hour of a mans Nativity, the Soul [i. e. the Tincture arises] but not first nor quickly. In this point is all the hazard; but this being past, there is no more peril, the danger is wholly over.
VI. Hermes. For the Gold of the Wise Men is more weighty or heavy than Lead, which in a Temperate [or due] composition, is the fer∣ment of Ixir: and contrari∣wise, in a distemperature [or undue] Composition; the di∣stemperature, or hurt of the whole Work or Matter.
Salmon. Our Gold, the Off-spring of this great Work, is much heavier than Lead, because of its Weakness, Volatility, and Intemperature: Our Infant is of a most strong and tem∣perate Composition, heal∣ing the Infirmities of its proper Parents, and tinging the Mercury of all Bodies whatsoever, into the best and most pure fine Gold. By this is understood the Vital Roots of the Minerals, into which, if the Bodies be reduced, they are made apt, or fit for a new Rege∣neration, so that from the same you may have the true Tincture of the Philo∣sophers.
VII. Hermes. For the work is first made from the Vegetable: Secondly from the Animal, in a Hens Egg; in which is the greatest assistance, and the constancy of the Ele∣ments. And Gold is our Earth; of all which, we make Sericum, which is our Ferment, or Ixir.
Salmon. He here divides the great Work into two parts, viz. Vegetable and Animal, which is a Philo∣sophical fiction: But the true Work is but one, con∣sisting
of an equal and tem∣perate mixtion of the Ele∣ments, to a perfect fixity. The Foundation. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 this Work, is laid in the Earth of the Gold of which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ixir, Elixir, or Ferment is made, which is two fold. 1. For Luna, 2. For Sol. By the Ferment of Sol is understood the Seed of the Male: and by that of Luna, the Seed of the Female: of these there must be made, 1. A Conjunction 2. A Generation. The Ferment of Sol, is from Sol; as Lea∣ven is made of the substance of the Bread; and as a little Leaven, Ferments, or Lea∣vens, a great quantity of Paste (at least 〈◊〉〈◊〉. times its quantity;) so likewise a little Portion of this our Earth suffices to nourish and perfect the whole Stone. The Ferment, saith Avi∣cenna, reduces the Matter to its own Nature, Color, Sa∣por, and Form reducing Pow∣er into Act. For it Whitens the Confection, Multipies it, makes it Spiritual, Strength∣ens it makes it resist the Fire, makes it contain the Tincture, that it shall not fly away, opens the Bo∣dies and makes them, with it, to enter one into ano∣ther, and to be perfectly 〈◊〉〈◊〉, as Water with Water, which cannot be 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and is the end of the Work. Without this Ferment, no Elixir can be made, no more than Paste or Dough can be Levened without Leven. And this Elixir is the Ferment of Fer∣ments and the Coagulum of the Coagulum. For, it not only, Ferments the Inferior and imperfect Bodies, but also Gold: it self; making it from a perfect Body, much more than perfect. It is the most 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Mother which by how much the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it is impregnated, by so much the more it conveives and brings forth propagating its Off-Spring to an 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Generations. It is the only Key which opens and shuts the Gates leading to the Kingdom of the Mine∣ral Treasure, the Golden Mountain, the Gardens of the Hespenides, where all the Trees perpetually bear Gol∣den Fruit. Without this Key, it is not possible for any Man to attain to the perfection of this Art.