Ripley reviv'd, or, An exposition upon Sir George Ripley's hermetico-poetical works containing the plainest and most excellent discoveries of the most hidden secrets of the ancient philosophers, that were ever yet published / written by Eirenæus Philalethes ...

With the third Humidity most permanent.

THe third Menstrue is by Artephius cal∣led the second Water, for our se∣cond he doth joyn together with the first; although where he doth particularize the three Fires, he doth then distinguish three Menstruums.

The like course many Philosophers have used in the description of their Ope∣rations, some omitting the first, or at least confounding it with the second, for the greater obscuring of the Art.

But we have (beyond what any have hitherto performed) particularly insisted upon the three in order, and have taken more pains in the discovery of the first, because the wise Ancients have taken such pains to conceal that most; and after that we have made an orderly proceed∣ing to the second, which we have in like sort handled, and this being performed, we do now address our selves to the third.

This is called by Ripley a most perma∣nent Humidity: and note by the way, that the first Water is called by Authors a permanent Water likewise; but take notice that there is a different reason for each denomination; for first of all, all Mercury is Water permanent, that is, the parts have no Heterogeneity, they will not leave one another in the examen of the Fire, but either all flyes and is uncon∣stant, or else all abides and is constant in the tryal of Vulcan: and so is our first Menstruum. And in this our Mercury and Common Mercury agree, besides the iden∣tity of matter, for it is the form only that distinguisheth them. But in the next place, our Water is permanent with the Body, which Common Mercury is not; that is, it by digestion doth unite, not only adhere to it, so that both together do make one Individuum, which is done by our secret Conjunction. But lastly, when the Body is thus by our Water re∣duced, at last it comes that the four Ele∣ments are united in this Water. After Putrefaction and Purification, which is the last most laudable Tetraptive Con∣junction,

and now the Tincture is the Spirit, and the Spirit is the Soul, and the Soul is the Body, and all these are one.