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 ...

But yet I trow thou understandst not utterly, The very secret of Philosophers Dissolution, Therefore understand me, I counsel thee wit∣tily, For the truth I will tell thee without delusion, Our Solution is caused of our Congelation; For Dissolution on the one side corporal, Causeth Congelation on the other side spiri∣tual.

WHen once thou hast the true mastery of our Dissolution, thou needest take no care for Congelation, for go∣verning it on with thy Fire, thou shalt attain Coagulation without any laying on of hands. Therefore saith Ricardus, above all things it is wonderful, that in our work, Calcination, Dissolution, Subli∣mation, Putrefaction, Separation, Con∣junction, Death and Purification, should be performed in one Vessel, and one linear decoction, without laying on of hands: for verily the Dissolution of the Body thickens the Spirit, as it is in Water in which Gum or such a thing is dissol∣ved; for by how much the one is dissol∣ved,

the other is congealed: this proves the naturality of our Work, for as a grain of Corn is in the bowels of the Earth softned with the moist Vapour, and swel∣leth thereby, this Vapour is also termina∣ted by the fermental odour of the Grain, and so both grow up together into Stalks and Ears.