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I. OPortet ergo ut de terra [inquiebat Sybilla] exaltetur filius Virginis, & quinta substantia alba post re∣surrectionem elevetur versus coelos, & in fundo vasis, & aquae, remaneat grossum & spissum.
II. Vase de hinc infrigida∣to, reperies in fundo ipsius fae∣ces nigras, arsas, & combu∣stas, separatas ab spiritu, & quintaessentia alba, quas pro∣jice.
III. In his temporibus ar∣gentum vivum pluit ex aere nostro super terram novam, quod vocatur argentum vi∣vum ex aêre sublimatum, ex quo fiat aqùa viscosa. munda, & alba.
IV. Quae est vera tinctura separata ab omni faece nigra, & sic aes nostrum regitur cum aqua nostra, purificatur, & albo colore decoratur.
V. Quae dealbatio non fit nisi decoctione, & aquae coa∣gulatione. Decoque ergo con∣tinuò, ablue nigredinem à la∣tone, non manu, sed lapide, sive igne, sive aqua Mercuri∣ali nostra secunda, quae est ve∣ra tinctura.
VI. Nam non manibus fit haec separatio puri ab impuro, sed ipsa natura sola, circula∣riter ad perfectionem operan∣do,
verè perficit.
VII. Ergo patet quod haec compositio non est manualis o∣peratio, sed naturarum muta∣tio, quia nature seipsam dis∣soluit & copulat, seipsam sub∣limat elevat, & albescit, se∣paratis faecibus.
VIII. Et in tali sublima∣tione conjunguntur partes sub∣tiliores magis purae & essenti∣ales; quia natura ignea cum elevat partes subtisiores, ma∣gis puras semper elevat, ergo dimittit grossiores.
IX. Quare oportet igne me∣diocri continuo in vapore sub∣limare, ut inspiretur ab aêre & possit vivere.
X. Nam omnium rerum natura, vitam ex aêris inspi∣rationerecipit, sic etiam totum magisterium nostrum consistit in vapore, & aquae sublimatione.
XI. Oportet igitur aes no∣strum per gradus ignis elevari, & quod per se sine violentia ascendat libere, ideoque nisi corpus igne & aqua diruatur, ac attenuetur quosque ascendat ut spiritus, aut ut argentum vivum scandens, vel etiam ut anima alba à corpore sepa∣rata, & in spirituum subli∣matione delata, nihil fit.
XII. Eo tamen ascendente in aêre nascitur, & in aêre vertitur, fitque vita cum vi∣ta, & omnino spirituale & incorruptibile.
XIII. Et sic in tali regimi∣ne corpus fit spiritus de subtili natura, & spiritus incorpora∣tur cum corpore, & fit unum cum eo, & in tali sublimatio∣ne, conjunctione, & elevatio∣ne omnia fiunt alba.
I. IT ought to be therefore (as one of the Sybills said) that the Son of the Virgin be exalted from the Earth, and that the white Quintessence after its rising out of the dead Earth, be raised up towards Heaven; the gross and thick remain∣ing in the bottom of the Vessel and of the Water.
II. Afterwards the Vessel being cooled, you will find in the bottom the black Faeces, scorcht and burnt, which separate from the Spirit and Quintessence of
Whiteness, and cast them away.
III. Then will the Argent vive fall down from our Air or Spirit, upon the new Earth, which is called Ar∣gent vive sublimed by the Air or Spirit, whereof is made a viscous Water, pure and white.
IV. This Water is the true Tincture separated from all its black Faeces, and our Brass or Latten is prepared with our Water, purified, and brought to a white Co∣lour.
V. Which white Colour is not obtained but by de∣coction, and coagulation of the Water: Decoct there∣fore continually, wash away the Blackness from the Lat∣ten, not with your Hands, but with the Stone, or the Fire, or our second Mer∣curial Water, which is the true Tincture.
VI. This separation of the pure from the impure is not done with hands; but Na∣ture her self does it, and
brings it to perfection by a circular Operation.
VII. It appears then, that this Composition is not a work of the Hands, but a change of the Natures; be∣cause Nature dissolves and joyns it self, sublimes and lifts it self up, and grows white, being separate from the Faeces.
VIII. And in such a Subli∣mation, the more subtil, pure, and essential parts are conjoyned; for that with the fiery nature or property lifts up the subtil parts, it separates alwaies the more pure, leaving the grosser at bottom.
IX. Wherefore your Fire ought to be a gentle and a continual Vapour, with which you sublime, that the matter may be filled with Spirit from the Air, and live.
X. For naturally all things take Life from the inbrea∣thing of the Air; and so also our Magistery receives in the Vapour or Spirit, by the
sublimation of the Water.
XI. Our Brass or Laten then, is to be made to a∣scend by the degrees of Fire, but of its own accord, free∣ly, aand without violence; except the body therefore be by the Fire and the Wa∣ter broken, or dissolved, and attenuated, until it a∣scends as a Spirit, or climbs like Argent vive, or rather as the white Soul, separated from the Body, and by su∣blimation delated or brought into a Spirit, nothing is or can be done.
XII. But when it ascends on high, it is born in the Air or Spirit, and is changed into Spirit; and becomes Life with Life, being only Spiritual and Incorruptible.
XIII. And by such an O∣peration it is, that the Body is made Spirit, of a subtil nature, and the Spirit is in∣corporated with the Body, and made one with it; and by such a sublimation, con∣junction, and raising up, the whole, both Body and Spi∣rit are made white.