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 ...

Yet to my Doctrine furthermore attend, Beware thy Glass thou never open ne meeve, From the beginning till thou have made an end; If thou do otherwise thy Work may never cheeve. Thus in this Chapter which is but brief, &c.

ANd that this is according to the ••ence of all Wise men, is evident by their testimony in general, and the following words of Ripley; See (saith he) that thou open not thy Glass, nor move it, from the beginning to the end of the Work. So then this feeling of the Glass, it must be such as may be without opening or moving of the same; for if the Seed be disturb'd in its beginning to vegetate, the Work is undoubtedly spoiled, or at least it will be so notably weakned, that it will hard∣ly afford thee thy true Signs in thy due time.

Therefore when thou settest in thy Egg in thy Nest, take heed of meddling with it until the Mastery be attain'd, but with a Wyre or some such thing, or with

a hole in thy Cover, stay the neck of thy Glass from jogging this way or that, which otherwise it will be very sub∣ject to.

Thus have I briefly run through this second Gate of Dissolution, which is in∣deed one with Calcination and Separa∣tion; for by a constant Sublimation, is made a Solution of the Body, and at length a Congelation of Spirits, for they by oft ascending, come to that pass that they will ascend no more, but remain at the bottom of the Vessel together, which is Conjunction: in which Con∣junction they swell, bubble and boil, till they calcine and putrefie. The black Earth, impalpable like Atoms of the Sun, being the highest degree of Putrefacti∣on: and this is a secret not so clearly dis∣covered by any before.