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I. HERMES. Behold, I have Exposed to you that which was hidden, and the work is both with you and for you: that which is within, is quickly taken out, and is Permanent or fixt; and you may have it either in the Earth, or in the Sea.
Salmon. This secret Work commends it self to its Chil∣dren; and the series of the Operation demonstrate, that the Regenerating Spirit is within the Matter, but ad∣hears to it invisibly. In Ele∣mentary and Gross Bodies, it is not manifest, except they be reduced into their first Essential Nature or Be∣ing; for so this Spirit of Regeneration which is the Seed of the Promise, the Heaven of the Philosophers, out shining the Glory of the Stars, is brought forth to View. That which is Sown is not quickned except it Die, it is Sown in Corrup∣tion, it Rises in Incorrupti∣on, it is Sown in Dishonour, it is Raised in Glory. The Sea is the Aqua Philosophica, which entring into, and Opening the Terra Philosophi∣ca, brings forth the Gold bear∣ing Vine of the Philosophers
II. Hermes. Keep there∣fore your Argent Vive, which is prepared in the innermist Chamber of the Bridegroom, in which it is Coagulated; for that is the Argent Vive it self, which is spoken of the remaining Earth.
Salmon. Argent Vive is indeed the Prima Materia of the Philosophick Work, but (say the Philosophers) beware that you use not the Vulgar Argent Vive, or Quick-Silver; for if you do, you will be deceived. Our Silver is not Vulgar, for that is Dead, and unfit for Our Work; you must have that which is Living, which is rightly Prepared by Art for the perfection of Nature. Our Mercury is Philoso∣phick, Fiery, Vital, Run∣ning, which may be mixed with all the other Metals, and separated again from them. It is prepared in the innermost Chamber, there it is Coagulated: Now, where Metals grow, there they must be found: If you have found this Argent Vi∣ve, the residence of the Phi∣losophick Earth, keep it safe∣ly, for it is worthy: If you have brought your Argent Vive to Ashes, or Burnt it by the Power of the Fire, you have an incomparable Treasure, a thing much
more Pretious than Gold. This is that which Gene∣rarates the Stone, and it is Born of it, it is the whole Secret, which Converts all the other Metalline Bodies into Sol and Luna, making Hard Soft; and the Soft Hard, putting Tincture and Fixity upon them.
III. Hermes. He there∣fore that now hears my Words, let him search into, and inquire, from them; it is not for the justification of the Work of any Evil Doer, but to give to every good Man a Reward, that I have laid Open or Dis∣covered all things which were bid, relating to this Science; and Disclosed and made Plain and Open to you the greatest of Secrets, even the Intellectual knowledg.
Salmon. The Philoso∣phers ever Discourse in Pa∣rables and Figures; nor is it fit that all things should be revealed to every Body; the matter is to be enquired after, and diligently Searcht into; without Labour and Pains, nothing is to be ob∣tained; but Wisdom enters not in to profane Souls, nor dwells in a Body subject to sin, as the Wise Man affirms. And altho' Hermes has spo∣ken in this Book many things concerning this most noble Arcanum, and has over-past nothing, yet he has not spoken so plainly as that every profane and unwor∣thy Person may under∣stand it, but has left the Mystery to be unfolded by the Sons of Wisdom.
IV. Hermes. Know there∣fore ye Children of Wisdom, and ye seekers after the Fame thereof, that the Vulture stand∣ing upon the Mountain, cries out with a great Voice; say∣ing, I am the White of the Black, and the Yellow of the White, and the Citrine of the Yellow, and behold I speak the very Truth.
Salmon. The Mountain up∣on which the Vulture stands, is a fit Vessel placed in a well Built Fornace, encompassed with a Wall of Fire; at the foot of which Mountain is a watchful Dragon, who is full of Eyes, and can see before him and behind him,
who is Vigilant and Careful in keeping the Entrance or Passage into the Mountain, lest the unworthy should Ascend to the height their∣of, where is hid the Secret Stone of the Philosophers: It is unpossible for any to enter here, unless the Dra∣gon be laid a Sleep; Hoc opus, hic Labor est, to find out the means how this is to be done, how this Beast is to be circumvented, that we may obtain this so desi∣rable Treasure is the Work of the Philosopher. Three things are commended for this purpose, first Crude Ar∣gent Vive made into Pills, and Gilded with Gold. Se∣cond, a Sulphur of Mars extracted with Sol. Third, The water of the Philoso∣phers. These things being rightly given, will so lay him a Sleep, that Night and Day you may continually have Egress and Regress. Being once entred, and As∣cended the Mountain, the Vulture or Crow will shew you the way where the Co∣lors appear. 1. Black which is the beginning of the Art. 2. White which is the mid∣dle. 3. Red which is the end of the whole Work.
V. Hermes. Now the chief principle of Art is the Crow, which in the Blackness of the Night, and Clearness of the Day, flys without Wings. From the bitterness existing in the Throat, the Tincture or Tinging matter is taken: But the Red goes forth of its Body, and a meer Water is taken from its back parts.
Salmon. The Vulture and the Crow, are both but one thing, but in differing States, it is the Vulture while it is Active and devouring; and the Crow when it lies in a more passive Nature. The Vulture is the Mercury of the Philosophers prepared by help of Vulgar Argent Vi∣ve: And the Crow is the Infancy of the Work, where∣in the said Philosophick Mercury is United with its Solar Ferment. The black∣ness of the Night is the Pu∣trefaction thereof, and the clearness of the Day, its Re∣surrection into a State of Purity. It flies without Wings, being Born or carried by
the fixt Nature; and the bit∣terness in the Throat, is the Death of the first Life, whence is Educed the Soul, which is the Red and Liv∣ing Tincture taken from the Body: And the Water is the Viscous Humidity, made of the Philosophers Argent Vive, which radically dis∣solves all Metals, and redu∣ces them into their first Ens or Water; and also reduces common Quick-Silver into the same, by a Simple Im∣bibition, for ever.
VI. Hermes. Understand and accept of this gift of God, which is hidden from Ignorant and Foolish Men. This hidden Secret which is the Venerable Stone, splendid in Color, a sub∣lime Spirit, an Open Sea, is hid in theCaverns of the Metals: Behold I have exposed it to you; and give thanks to the Almigh∣ty God, who teaches you this knowledge: If you be grateful, be will return you the Tribute of your Love.
Salmon. Fools, and un∣learned, are excluded from the knowledge of this My∣stery, viz. Such as are un∣acquainted with the gift of God; which is a measure of his Holy Spirit. He calls it a Stone, yet says, it is a Spirit; for was it not a Spirit, it could not Penetrate and Tinge other Bodies by an absolute Unity and Con∣junction: Bodies and Mat∣ter cannot do this, the most that they can do is but to touch one another in their Superficies; for all matter is Dead, and no Dead thing can penetrate into the pro∣perty of another, but only (at most) lie side by side with it. And to make the matter the more sensible to your understanding, he compares it to an open Sea, for that this Spirit peirces Bodies, and is joyned to them, even as Water is joyn∣ed to Water, or as the Salt Body thereof is joyned with its Aqueous parts. It is hid∣den in the Caverns of the Me∣tals, that is, if you seek for it in any thing that is not Metalline, you stumble at the Threshold.
VII. Hermes. You must put the matter into a moist fire, and make it to Boil, which Augments the Heat of the Hu∣mour
or Matter, and destroys the Dryness of the incombusti∣ble Sulphur; continue Boiling till the Radix may appear then Extract the Redness and the light parts, till only about a third remains.
Salmon. There are said to be three Species of Decocti∣on. 1. An external Fiery heat in Humido, and is called Elix∣ation. 2. An external heat in Sicco, which is called Assation. 3. An internal natural heat in Humido, called by the Greeks 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 i. e. Ma∣turity, or the Ripening and perfecting heat. Now which of these it is, that Hermes speaks of is the que∣stion. The first, and the third differ in this. The first is an external Fiery Heat. The latter an In∣ternal Natural Heat. In my Opinion both are to be admitted. The Natural Heat Internal, is the Cause of Generation and without that, the External Heat can do nothing: Hence we con∣clude the Heat to be two∣fold. 1. External to excite. 2. Internal to perfect, both which ought to be made in humido: for all Genera∣tion is naturally made in Calido Humido, in a moist Heat, which Hermes calls Ignem Humidum: as if he should say the Fire is two∣fold, which you must use, viz. External and Internal. He seems to make his Co∣ction double, 1. In the time of Augmentation. 2. In the Ultimate perfection or Maturity, and so long this Fire is to be continued, till the Radix does appear, i. e. the Seed of Metals. The same method that Nature takes in Generating Herbs and Plants, she takes in Ge∣nerating Metals, whose Seed is extracted by the help of Art, which Seed is only and truly the Philosophers Mer∣cury, in which all the Me∣tals are resolved into their first principles, and in which is imprest the Character or Power of Transmutation. They all err who think to reduce Metals only into Crude Mercury, and not into their Radix, as Hermes speaks, viz. into their Seeds, which is the first Matter living in Metals: and from thence Nature ever goes for∣ward, never back-ward till
she comes to perfection.
VIII. Hermes. For this Cause-sake, the Philosophers are said to be Envious or Obscure, not for that they Grudg∣ed the thing to the honest or just Man, to the Religious or Wise; or to the Legitimate Sons of Art? but to the Ig∣norant, the Vitious, the Dis∣honest: lest evil Persons should be made powerful to perpetrate sinful things: for such a fault the Philosophers must render an account to God. Evil Men are not worthy of this Wisdom.
Salmon. It appears that neither Hermes, nor any of the other Philosophers did Envy or Grutch the true knowledge of the matter to the Pious, Just, and good Man, but only to the Pro∣fane and Wicked, they did not think it fit to give the Childrens Bread to Dogs, for which Cause-sake, they always keep the Prima Ma∣teria Secret, and left it as a Legacy to the Legitimate Sons of Art; but the man∣ner and way of working it, through all its various Ope∣rations, they have faithfully and plainly declared to the least Iota, or Tittle.