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NOw to give thee a touch concerning our Fire, which he that knows may
well be accounted a Master of our Se∣crets: We have indeed four Fires, which is one more than Artephius numbred, which yet he intended to include. The most noble Fire is Natural, which is that which we seek to have multiplied, and that is the Sulphur of Gold, or rather its Fiery Tincture; it is that which we seek for, and we use Mercury for Sol his sake.
Our next Fire is our Fire against Na∣ture, and that is the Fire of our Water which is to be corrupted, and by this corruption Multiplication is made.
The third Fire is Unnatural, which is the mixture of these two Fires, while they are in their action and passion, and neither doth actually predominate.
Now for to give you a reason of these Fires denomination, know that Mineral Fire is Sulphur, which is hot and dry, and it is the death of the Mineral Tree, that is, it is the cause of coagulating, that is, taking away the flux of the Mercury which is cold and moist; this in Gold is apparent, for it is a coagulated perfect Body, fixed and permanent in all tryals:
this it hath from, its Fire or Sulphur, and this is Natural.
But now our Water hath an actual and active Sulphur in it, and yet quick and fluid, a Fire in Water which yet is not burned; this Sulphur is true Gold, and yet it is volatile; this is a Riddle, the Philosophers Mystery, and yet true; this is contrary to Natures ordinary opera∣tion in Mineral Bodies.
Now Nature will always care and pro∣vide for her own Child, before a Stran∣ger; Gold is her own Son, and is accor∣ding to her own Rules: but this Mercury is the Son of the Philosopher, to whose nativity though Nature contribute her help, yet he is out of her ordinary road, and through the co-operation of Art and Nature, he is for his qualifications an astonishment to Nature, hot and dry in∣ternally, and that actually; for it is im∣pregnated with real Sulphur, and yet not coagulated, but in one word Ignis aqua, Gold truly so called, and that most pure, yet volatile and crude, and no abortive; not perfect, yet left in the way to per∣fection, and yet its virtue active, not
extinguished. This subject Nature find∣ing mixed with her Son, the King, even Gold, by it she endeavours to mend his Constitution, and to multiply his virtue; for though living Gold be a thing of ad∣mirable force, yet being out of the ordi∣nary channel of Natures operations, Na∣ture doth not mind its preservation, much less its propagation.
These three forenamed Fires are inter∣nal, secret and invisible, but there is one more which we use, which is not ours properly; for every Sophister hath it and useth it as well as we, and that is Culi∣nary Fire, which yet is so necessary that without it we can do nothing, nor yet without the true knowledge of its due proportion. So then we use no Fires of Dung, nor of the Sun, or of Baths, at some Sophisters perswade themselves and others, for these are all the Fires which we use.
With the secret Sulphur that is in our Water, which we proportion exactly in the beginning, we open our Body, for this Fire can do and doth that which no other Fire can do, for it destroys and
conquers the Body, and makes it no Body but a Spirit.
So that whatever any Sophisters may suggest, our Fire is Mineral, it is Sulphur, and that pure; it is united to the Water in one form, and yet hinders not its flux, nor corrupts its form.
This is the true Ignis Gehennae, for it Eclipseth the light of the Bodies, and makes them become black as Pitch; which is a symbol of Hell, and for its Cimmerian darkness is by many of the Wise men called Hell.