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I. SUfficit ergo tibi corpora in vase, & in aqua se∣mel ponere, & diligenter clau∣dere vas, quousque vero sepa∣ratio sit facta.
II. Quae vocatur ab invidis conjunctio, sublimatio, assatio, extractio, putrefactio, ligatio,
desponsatio, subtiliatio, gene∣ratio, &c.
III. Et totum perficiatur magisterium, Fac igitur sicut ad generationem hominis, & omnis vegetabilis, imponito se∣mel matrici semen, & bene claude.
IV. Vides ergo quomodo plu∣ribus rebus non indiges, & quod opus nostrum magnas non requiret expensas, quoniam unus est lapis, una medicina, unum vas, unum regimen, una di∣spositio ad album. & rubeum successivè faciendum.
V. Et quamvis dicamus in pluribus locis ponito hoc, ponito istud, tamen non intelligimus nos opportere, nisi unam rem accipere, & semel ponere, & claudere vas usque ad operis complementum.
VI. Quia haec tantum po∣nuntur à philosophis invidis, ut decipiant, ut dictum est, incautos. Nunquid enim etiam haec ars est Cabalistica? arca∣nis
plena? & tu fatue credis nos docere apertè arcana arca∣norum, verbaque accipis secun∣dum sonum verborum?
VII. Scito verè, [nullo mo∣do sum ego invidus ut caeteri] qui verba aliorum philosopho∣rum accipit secundum prolatio∣nem, ac significationem vulga∣rem nominum, jam ille absque filo Ariadnae, in medio amfra∣ctuam Labyrinthi multipliciter errat, pecuniamque suam desti∣navit perditioni.
VIII: Ego vero Artephius postquam adeptus sum veram ac completam sapientiam in li∣bris veridici Hermetis, fui ali∣quando 〈◊〉〈◊〉 caeteri om∣nes.
IX. Sed cum per mille an∣nos, aut circiter [quae jam transierunt super me à nativi∣tate mea, gratia Soli Dei om∣nipotentis,
& usu hujus mira∣bilis quintae essentiae.]
X. Cum per haec, inquam, longissima tempora, viderem ne∣minem magisterium Hermeti∣cum obtinere posse, propter ob∣scuritatem verborum philoso∣phorum.
XI. Pietate motus ac pro∣bitate boni viri, decrevi in his ultimis temporibus vitae meae, omnia scribere sineere ac vera∣citer, ut nihil ad perficiendum lapidem philosophorum possis de∣siderare.
XII. (Dempto aliquo, quod nemini licet scribere, quia re∣velatur per Deum, aut magi∣strum, & tamen in hoc libro, ille qui non erit durae cervicis, cum pauca experientia faciliter addiscet.)
XIII. Scripsi ergo in hoc li∣bro nudam veritatem, quia paucis coloribus vestivi, ut om∣nis bonus & sapiens, mala He∣speridum mirabilia feliciter pos sit ex arbore hac philosophica de∣cerpere.
XIV. Quare laudetur Deus altissimus, qui posuit in anima nostra hanc benignitatem, & cum senectute longinquissima dedit nobis veram cordis dile∣ctionem, qua omnes simul ho mines (ut mihi videtur) am∣plector, diligo & verè amo.
XV. Sed ad artem rede∣undum Sanè opus nostrum citò persicitur, nani quod calor So∣lis in 100. annis coquit in mi∣nerij terrae ad generandum unum metallum (ut sepissime vidi) Ignis noster secretus, id est, aqua nostra ignea, sulphu∣rea, quae dicitur Balneum Mariae, operatur brevi tem∣pere.
I. IT sufficeth thee then to put the Bodies in the Vessel, and into the Wa∣ter once for all, and to close the Vessel well, until a true separation be made.
II. This the Obscure Artist calls Conjunction, Sublima∣tion, Assation, Extraction,
Putrefaction, Ligation, Des∣ponsation, Subtilization, Generation, &c.
III. Now that the whole Magistery may be perfected, Work, as in the Generation of Man, and of every Ve∣getable; put the Seed once into the Womb, and shut it up well.
IV. Thus you may see, that you need not many things, and that this our work requires no great Charges, for that as there is but one Stone, there is but one Me∣dicine, one Vessel, one or∣der of working, and one successive Disposition to the White and the Red.
V. And altho we say in many places, take this, and take that; yet we under∣stand, that it behoves us to take but one thing, and put it once into the Vessel, until the Work be perfected.
VI. But these things are so set down by the Obscure Philosophers, to deceive the unwary, as we have before spoken; for is not this Ars
Cabalistica, or a secret and hidden Art? Is it not an Art full of Secrets? And believest thou O Fool that we plainly teach this Secret of Secrets, taking out Words according to their litteral Signification?
VII. Truly, I tell thee, (that as for my Self I am no ways self-seeking or envious as others are; but) he that takes the Words of the other Philosophers, according to their common Signification; he even already (having lost Ariadnes clue of Thread) wanders in the midst of the Labyrinth, multiplies Errors, and casts away his Money for nought.
VIII. And I Artephius, af∣ter I became an Adept, and had attained to the true and compleat Wisdom, by stu∣dying the Books of the most faithful Hermes, the speaker of Truth, was sometimes Ob∣scure also, as the others were.
IX. But when I had for the space of a Thousand Years, or there abouts (which are now passed over
my Head, since the time I was born to this day, through the alone goodness of God Almighty, by the use of this wonderful Quintessence.)
X. When I say for so very long a time (as a Thousand Years) I found no Man that had found out or obtained this Hermetick Secret, be∣cause of the obscurity of the Philosophers Words.
XI. Being moved with a Generous Mind, and the integrity of a good Man, I have determined in these latter days of my Life, to declare all things truly and sincerely, that you may not want any thing for the per∣fecting of this Stone of the Philosophers.
XII. (Excepting one cer∣tain thing, which is not law∣ful for me to discover to any, because it is either revealed or made known, by God himself, or taught by some Master, which notwith∣standing he that can bend himself to the search of, by the help of little Experience, may easily learn in this Book.)
XIII. And in this Book I have therefore written the naked Truth, altho clothed or disguised with a few Co∣lours; yet so that every good and wise Man may happily gather those desirable Ap∣ples of the Hesperides from this our Philosophers Tree.
XIV. Wherefore Praises be given to the most high God, who has poured into our Soul of his goodness, and through a good old Age, e∣ven an almost infinite num∣ber of Years, has truly fill'd our Heart with his Love, in which (methinks) I em∣brace, cherish, and truly love all Mankind together.
XV. But to return to our business. Truly our Work is presently performed; for that which the heat of the Sun is an hundred Years in doing of, for the Generation of one Mettal in the bowels of the Earth; our Secret Fire, that is, our Fiery and Sulphurous Water, which is called Bal∣neum Mariae, doth (as I have often seen) in a very short time.