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OF this Operation Philosophers make a great Mystery, and speak of it
very hiddenly, in respect to the terminus of it, which they call the hour of the Stones Nativity, in which they say many mar∣vels will appear, for all the colours that can be invented in the World will be then apparent.
Some say their Conjunction is our re∣conciliation of Contraries, a making friendship between Enemies, because in that time the volatile is still ascending and descending upon the fixt: this is by them ascribed to Contrariety.
Others measuring all sublunary things by the rules of Symmetry and Ametry, do ascribe this Operation (which they for similitude sake compare to a Duel) to the over-prevailing of one principles qualities above the qualities of the other, and therefore they define Auriety to be the Anaticalness of the four Elements in mixture, each in his quality acting pro∣portionable to the resistance of its con∣trary, & vice versa. But this is but an Entanglement, in which the Chymists stumble upon School Academical Princi∣ples: I had rather embrace their Secret, as for Operation; but for Philosophy,
jump with that noble Bruxellian, whose promised Treatises when the World shall enjoy, I suppose they will be the pro∣foundest piece of Philosophy that ever was revealed to the World: which I ad∣mire not so much for his Experiments, of none of which I am ignorant, nor Para∣celsus to boot, many, yea most of which are far harder (though sooner wrought) than the Elixir, and the Alchahest is a hundred times more difficult; but what I most ho∣nour in that noble Naturalist is, that he did search out the Occulta Naturae, more accurately then ever any did in the World. So that (setting aside the skill of this Mastery, of which I cannot find any footsteps in what of his is extant) I am confident he was without flattery Natures Privy-Counsellor, and for Phi∣losophical verity might have comman∣ded this Secret; but God doth not re∣veal all to all men, yet who knows what he may live to be Master of in this point too.
This I speak not to flatter him, who (besides what is evident to the whole World in his Writings) have no other
character of him, and to him I am like to remain a perpetual Stranger; yet could as heartily desire his acquaintance, as any mans I know in the World, and if the Fates prevent not mine intentions, by mine or his death, I shall endeavour familiarity with him. But this by the way.
To return whence I digressed; our final secret is first to unite the Spirit and Soul of our dissolving Water, that by the mediation of the Soul, the Spirit and Body may be conjoyned, and then after several Sublimations and Precipitations made for that end, that the Body may be spiritualized, and the Spirit corporalized, so fix together the Soul, Body and Spirit, the flying and the fixt, that all the Ele∣ments (to use Philosophers terms) may acquiesce and rest in this Nest of Earth, in which all the virtue of the superiours and inferiours is contained, both in power and act.
From what hath been said may appear, the strong passive delusion that hath ta∣ken many men of our Age, and former∣ly, who with the Chymist in Sendivogius,
cannot dream of any other Mercury, then that Mercury which is to be bought at Druggists, which they take and sublime variously to make it clean, and then with Hogheland mix it with Gold, applying all the words and sayings of Philosophers to this their mixture: But when the time comes that they should see the signs spe∣cified of the Philosophers, there they fail, it may be by reason of something exter∣nal to the Gold, (which it gets in folia∣ting, or the Mercury, which it gets in washing and purging, which though it be but little, yet it is enough in heat to give a light Tincture to the Superficies) they may with Hogheland, see a discolou∣red outside, which is nothing; for our Operation is not so trivial, that a man had need of Spectacles, and a most clear light to discern it: but it is so apparent, that a half blind man would be amazed at it, for our Body, even the perfect Body is divided, which common Mercury can never do, though a man bless himself ne∣ver so much in his mock-purgations.
But when as such Work-men have waited their time out, and it may be out
again, and see not blackness, then they run into another extreme, and share the fault of their errour (which was only in their Mercury, or withall in their propor∣tion for pondus and heat of external Fire) between both principles, and then say with Hogheland, our Mercury and our Gold are not vulgar, but they are some∣thing (no man knows what) which the Philosophers have called Gold and Mer∣cury; which yet are some strange thing which man never heard of, or some com∣mon thing, or some vile thing. Thus they vanish into smoak, and all for want of knowledge of our true Mercury.