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 ...

And that thou mayst the rather to Putre∣faction, Win this example, thou take, &c. The heart of an Oak which hath of Water continual infusion; For though it in Water lay an hundred years and more, Yet shouldest thou find it sound as ever it was before.

O Happy Gate of blackness, which art the passage to this so glorious a change! study therefore, whoever ap∣plyest thy self to this Art, only to know this Secret; for know this, and know all, and contrarywise be ignorant of this, and be ignorant of all.

Therefore if that possible thou mayst attain the depth of this Mystery, I shall endeavour to unfold it to thy capacity by similitudes and examples.

Thou knowest that if a solid piece of Wood lie in water perpetually, it will tire the patience of the most patient ex∣pecter to see it rot, for it will abide many Generations, and in the end be as

sound as when it was first laid in. Yea some contend, that in our days Pine-Trees are dug up in their intire propor∣tion, which have been buried ever since the Floud, being found in such places in which no Histories ever mentioned that such Trees grew, and so deep under ground as it is almost incredible; which certainly have layn at least many hun∣dred years, and yet the Wood as sound as any other Tree of that sort, which hath not been cut down above a year or two: such is the force of constant Hume-faction, to prevent the ordinary corrup∣tion of Timber.