CHAP. II. The Epistle of John Pontanus, before∣mentioned in Thea∣trum Chymicum, Vol. 6. Pag. 487.

I. I John Pontanus have travelled through ma∣ny Countries, that I might know the certainty of the Philosophers Stone; and passing through the Uni∣verse, I found many De∣ceivers, but no true Philo∣sophers, which put me upon incessant Studying, and ma∣king many doubts, 'till at length I found out the Truth.

II. When I attained the knowledge of the Matter in general, yet I erred at least two hundred times, before I could attain to know the singular thing it self, with the work and practice there∣of.

Page  438 III First, I began with the putrefaction of the Matter, which I continued for nine Months together, and ob∣tained nothing. I then for some certain time proved a Balneum Mariae, but in vain: After that, I used a Fire of Calcination for threemonths space, and still found my self out of the way.

IV. I essayed all sorts of Distillations and Sublimati∣ons, as the Philosophers, Geber, Archelaus, and all the rest of them have prescri∣bed, and yet found nothing: In sum, I attempted to per∣fect the whole work of Al∣chymy by all imaginable and likely means, as by Horse∣dung, Baths, Ashes, and other heats of divers kinds, all which are found in the Philosophers Books, yet without any success.

V. I yet continually for three Years together studi∣ed the Books of Philoso∣phers, and that chiefly in Hermes, (whose concise Words comprehend the sum of the whole Matter, viz. Page  439 the Secret of the Philoso∣phers Stone, by an obscure way of Speaking, of what is Superior, and what is Infe∣rior, to wit, of Heaven and of Earth.)

VI. Therefore our Ope∣ration which brings the Mat¦ter into being, in the first, second, and third Work, is not the heat of a Bath, nor Horse-dung, nor Ashes, nor of the other Fires, which Philosophers excogitate in their Books: Shall I demand then, what it is that perfects the Work, since the Wise∣men have thus concealed it? Truly, being moved with a generous Spirit, I will de∣clare it, with the comple∣ment of the whole Work.

VII. The Lapis Philoso¦phorum therefore is but one, though it has many Names, which before you conceive them, will be very difficult. For it is Watery, Airey, Fiery, Earthy: It is Salt, Sulphur, Mercury, and Phlegm: It is Sulphureous yet is Argent vive; it has many Superfluities, which are turned into the true Es∣sence, Page  440 by the help of our Fire.

VIII. He which separates any thing from the Subject or Matter, thinking it to be necessary, wholly Errs in his Philosophy: That which is superfluous, un∣clean, filthy, feculent, and in a word, the whole sub∣stance of the subject is tran∣smuted or changed into a perfect, fixt, and spiritual Body, by the help of our Fire, which the Wise Men never revealed; and there∣fore it is, that few attain to this Art, as thinking that to be superfluous and impure, which is not.

IX. It behoves us now to enquire after the properties of our Fire, and how it a∣grees with our Matter, ac∣cording to that which I have said, viz. That a Transmu∣tation may be made, though the Fire is not such as to burn the Matter, separating nothing from it, nor divi∣ding the pure parts from the impure, as the Philoso∣phers teach, but transmu∣ting and changing the whole Page  441 Subject iuto Purity: Nor does it sublime after the manner of Geber's Sublima∣tion, nor the Sublimations or Distillations of Arnoldus, or others; but it is perfected in a short time.

X. It is a Matter Mine∣ral, equal, continuous, va∣pours or fumes not, unless too much provoked; par∣takes of Sulphur, and is ta∣ken otherwise than from Matter; it destroys all things, dissolves, congeals, coagu∣lates and calcines, adapted to penetrate, and is a com∣pendium, without any great cost.

XI. And that is the Fire, with a gentle heat, soft or remiss, by which the whole Work is perfected, together with all the proper Subli∣mations. They who read Geber, with all the rest of the Philosophers, though they should survive an hun∣dred thousand Years, yet would they not be able to comprehend it, for that this Fire is found by a profound cogitation only, which be∣ing once apprehended, may Page  442 be gathered out of Books, and not before.

XII. The error therefore in this Work proceeds chiefly from a not knowing, or un∣derstanding of the true Fire, which is one of the moving Principles that Transmutes the whole Matter into the true Philosophers Stone; and therefore diligently find it out: Had I found that first, I had never been two hundred times mistaken in the pursuit of the Matter I so long sought after.

XIII. For which cause sake, I wonder not that so many, and so great Men, have not attained unto the Work: They have erred, they do err, and they will err; because the Philoso∣phers (Artephius only excep∣ted) have concealed the principal or proper Agent. And unless I had read Ar∣tephius, and sensibly under∣stood his Speech, I had ne∣ver arrived to the comple∣ment of the Work.

XIV. Now the practical Part is this: Let the Matter Page  443 be taken and dilligently ground with a Philosophi∣cal Contrition, put it upon the Fire, with such a pro∣portion of heat, that it only excite or stir up the Matter; and in a short time that Fire, without any laying on of hands, will compleat the whole Work, because it pu∣trefies, corrupts, generates, and perfects, and makes the three principal Colours, viz. the Black, White, and Red to appear.

XV. And by the means of this our Fire, the Medi∣cine will be multiplied, (by addition of the crude Mat∣ter,) not only in Quantity, but also in Quality or Vir∣tue: Therefore seek out this Fire with all thy Industry, for having once found it, thou shalt accomplish thy desire, because it performs the whole Work, and is the true Key of all the Philoso∣phers, which they never yet revealed. Consider well of what I have spoken concer∣ning the Properties of this Fire, and thou must know it, otherwise it will be hid from thine Eyes.

Page  444 XVI. Being moved with Generosity, I have written these things, but that I might speak plainly, this Fire is not Transmuted with the Matter, because it is nothing of the Matter, as I have be∣fore declared. And these things I thought fit to speak, as a warning to the prudent Sons of Art, that they spend not their Money unprofita∣bly, but may know what they ought to look after, for by this only they may attain to the perfection of this Se∣cret, and by no other means. Farewel.