CHAP. LXIX. Of the Vegetable Stone.

I. THe Vegetable Stone is gotten by Virtue of the Fire of Nature, of the Composition of which fire we now intend plainly to treat, and of the way how to work with it, in every respect.

II. [Its Composition is of four things, as Raymundus saith, in his Book of Quintes∣sences: It is a Composition of Sal Amarum, which is Ignis adeptus, a fire that is gotten without Wood or Coal, and by an easie working, does work against all manner of sharpness of Action of the Visible Fire, like as if it were the fire of Hell; and therefore, altho' Wine be hot, yet this water of Mercury is hotter: for it is able to dissolve all Bodies, to putrefie, and also to divide the Elements, which neither common Fire nor Wine can do.]

III. Some think that this Fire of Nature is extracted or drawn from Wine, ac∣cording to the common way, and that it must be rectified by often Distilla∣tions, until its Flegm is wholly abstracted, which hinders its Heat, Virtue, Page  675 Strength and Burning. But this, when it is done to all advantages, and its highest perfection (which Fools call the pure Spirit) and then put to the Calx of the Body never so well prepared, yet will it be weak and ineffe∣ctual to Our purpose, for Dissolution, Conservation, &c.

IV. [ The true and Pure Spirit is Our Silverish Spirit of Wine, which is our Vege∣table Mercury, and the true water of the Philosophers. Con∣cerning which, see in Ripley's secret Concord.]

V. Wherefore since the vulgar Spirit or Wine is such, it is evident that there is an Error in choosing of this Principle: for the true Principle, (which is the be∣ginning) is the Resolutive Menstruum [which is the Soul of Mercury, and this Tincture is a very Oyl, separate from its foul Earth and faint Wa∣ter] which, as we know, and according to the tradi∣tions of the Wise Philoso∣phers, is an Unctuous moi∣sture, which is the near∣est Matter of Our Vege∣table and Philosophick Mercury.

VI. The which Princi∣ple, Resolutive Menstruum, Near Matter, or Unctuous Moisture, Raymundus [in Cap. 6. and Cap. 8. of his Cla∣vis] does call Black, Black∣er than Black: The which Black thing or Matter I certainly know.

VII. But since Raymun∣dus saith, that this Resolu∣tive Menstruum, does come from Wine, or the Lees, or Tartar thereof, how is he to be understood? Truly, he himself unfolds the My∣stery: Our Water or Men∣struum, is a Metalline Water, generated of a Metalline Matter only: So that Ray∣mundus speaks, either of the Resolutive Menstruum or of the Resoluble Menstruum.

VIII. [This Menstruum springs from a Silver Wine, which does Naturally make a dissolution of its own Sulphur. It is apparent in the 11. Cap. of Raymundus, that Our Mercurial and Radical moi∣sture Page  676 is not only Congealed in∣to perfect Metal, by Vapour of its hot and dry Sulphur, but that also the same Metal∣line Water, being so termina∣ted in the form of a Me∣tal, after its Resolution in Ashes has power naturally of a Menstruum to dissolve Our Stone or Sulphur, and change it to its Vegetable Na∣ture, without prejudice or hurt to its own Nature.

IX. [Wherefore he says, that from whatsoever any thing does spring or grow by Na∣ture, that into the same it may again be resolved.]

X. If he (viz. Raymun∣dus) speaks of the first water or Resolutive Men∣struum; you are to under∣stand that it is (so as he speaks) not a Metalline Water, but after a certain manner: for this water of the Resolutive Menstruum, is both a Sulphurous and a Mercurial Vapour [Ignis and Azoth] and by reason of its Sulphurity, it burns with the fire.

XI. [This Resolutive Menstruum is our Vegetable Mercury, which is our Va∣pourous Menstruum, and eve∣ry burning water of Life, Aqua Vitae ardens, by whose attractive Virtue, the Body of the Volatile Spirit, being fixed by the fire against Nature, is dissolved naturally into the wa∣ter of Philosophers, and ex∣alted and lifted up from its Salt and Combustible Dregs into 〈◊〉 Mercurial and Natural substance, which must be Fermented with the Oyl of Sol and Luna, and then is made there of the great Elixir; with which Mercu∣rial substance we also coun∣terfeit Pearls and Pretious Stones.]

XII. We see also, that in Tartar dryed only in the Sun, there are certain Mer∣curial Qualities shining and giving of light to the Eye, but the kind of Metals is a Composition of Sulphur and Argent Vive. And there∣fore, if he means after this sort, then the Resolutive Menstruum, may be taken for a Metalline water; for Page  677 otherwise it is not Answer∣ed.

XIII. Again, Raymun∣dus proves clearly to the contrary, where he answers him who demanded of him; in what is the Vegeta∣ble Mercury, in Gold or in Silver? It is (saith he) a simple Coessential substance, the which is brought from its own Concrete parts and proper Veins, to such a pass or point by the Dissolutive Menstruum, that by Virtue of the simple and Co-essen∣tial substance, they are able to multiply their similitudes in Mercuries, which have none in themselves, and are also apt Medicines for Mens Bodies, and to expel and put away from them many Diseases, & to restore to the Old and Aged, their former Youth, and preserve them in Health so long a time as God has designed them to Live.

XIV. [This Coessential sub∣stance is Our White and Red Tincture by whom these Earths that are wanting, are multi∣plyed in Tincture, whereby they are made Elixirs, to purge Metals, and a Medicine for Man's Body.]

XV. Therefore, Our true Metalline Water is an Uctu∣ous humidity of the Body dissolved to the similitude of Black Pitch, Liquid and Melted; and this Unctuous and Black humidity is called the true Resoluble Menstruum. And because we shall af∣terwards demonstrate the true Resolutive Menstruum, required in this Work, we will here only declare from what principles, and how the said Resolutive Menstru∣um is drawn.

XVI. [Our Metalline Wa∣ter is separated from the Body of Lunaria, which is its termi∣nated and Radical humidity in the kind and Color of White shining Silver, and its Body, is Our black Sulphur: There∣fore see Chap. 63. in the Lu∣nary Branch, and in his Clavis where you will find the Radi∣cal humidity to be the true Mer struum wherewith the solemn dissolution of its own black. Body is made.]

Page  678 XVII. Raymundus doth say, that an Unctuous Hu∣midity is the last comfort and support to the Humane Body, which what it is, is manifest to the Philosophers, it makes a noise or sound in the Vessel, and is Distilled with a great deal of Art. He also saith, that Our Stone is made of the hottest Matter or substance in Na∣ture: And I say that Wine is hot; but there is another thing which is much hotter than Wine, whose sub∣stance, by reason of its ex∣ceeding Airyness or Spiritu∣osity is most quickly inflam∣ed by the Fire.

XVIII. And the Lees, or Tartar, and Dregs of this Unctuous humidity, is gross, like the Rinde or Bark of a Tree: and the same Tartar is blacker than the Tartar of the black Grape of Cata∣lonia, for which cause it is called by Raymundus, a Black, more Black than Black. [By these Lees, or Tartar and Dregs, is meant the Lees of our Silver Wine, sepa∣rated from the Lunary Body.]

XIX. And because that this humidity is Unctuous, therefore it better agrees with the Unctuosity of Me∣tals, than the Spirit drawn from Common Wine; for through its Liquefactive Vir∣tue, Metals do Melt, and are made flowing and moist in the Fire; the which Opera∣tion truly the Spirit of Common Wine cannot do.

XX. For the Spirit of Wine, how strong soever it be, is (comparatively) but clear Flegm or Water: whereas contrariwise, in Our Unctuous Distilled Spi∣rit, there is no watrishness at all. But this thing being rare in our parts, as well as other Countries, Guido Mon∣tanor found out another Un∣tuous humidity, which swims upon other Liquors, which humidity proceeds from Wine, which Raymundus, & Arnoldus knew, with some others, but they taught not how it should be obtained.

XXI. [Our Tincture in Di∣stilling, is separated both from the Flegm and its gross Faeces, till it be like an Oyl, and that is the Soul of Mercury, which is Air and Fire, separate from Page  679 its two extreams; and so it be∣ing an Unctuous moisture, is the mean. See the first and last Chapter of Raymund's Codicil.]

XXII. Notwithstanding, Raymundus saith, it must be drawn from Death, and from the Faeces of Wine by rectification, that it may be acuated in Di∣stillation by hot Vegetable substances, thereunto apper∣taining, as Pepper, Euphor∣bium, &c. for without these things he saith, the Virtue thereof is not sufficient, but by long time to dissolve Metals.

XXIII. [Raymundus saith in the end of his natural Ma∣gick, that there is a Salt made of the Lees or Tartar of Wine, or Aquae Vitae, called the Salt of Art and Mercury, without which Salt (saith he) there is nothing can be done: Also he begins his Practice with this Salt in the first and last Chap∣ter of his Codicil.]

XXIV. Wherefore as the same Philosopher affirms, among these things is this Menstruum one of the Se∣crets of this Art, whose Virtue must be increased by a wise management of the Matter: you must circulate this Menstruum in the Un∣ctuous humidity in a Vessel of Circulation, by rotation continually, an hundred and twenty days, in the hottest Fornace.