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 Putrefaction may thus defined be, After Philosophers definition to be of Bo∣dies the slaying, And in our Compound a division of things three, The killed Bodies into Corruption forth lea∣ding, And after unto Regeneration them ableing; For things being in the Earth, without doubt Be engendred of Rotation of the Heavens about.

THe definition that the Philosophers give of this Operation, is perpetually Allegorical, for this Gate they have named by all Metaphors almost in the World, especially from death, and dead men: therefore they allegorize the Vessel in this station, to Grave, or Tomb, and

emblematically discover this Operation by the types of Skuls, dead Bones, and rotten Carcasses; according to which Metaphors they call Putrefaction, the death of the Compound.

For when they saw the Body with the Water to melt in the Fire, to flow and to boyl, they called this Magnesia; when they saw the Water partly to ascend, and partly to descend, and partly to remain below, so that at once there was both a Sublimation in vapour, and a Motion of what was below, they said that it was the Spirit of the Water that ascended, or more Airy part; and the more Fiery part, which rejoyceth most to be united to, and hidden in Earth, remained be∣low, for that was more capable of the Fire, and did better agree with it, as with its like: which because it did so unces∣santly swell and boyl, and rage at the bottom, and make the Body begin to change its colour, they said it was Fire against Nature. Again, when they saw the ascending Vapour to change colour, they said it was the Soul of the Bodies was mixed with the Spirit, which because

it was green, they said it was a vegetative Soul, and Fire of Nature.

Now when the Body below began to thicken, they said this was an Herma∣phroditical Body, because part of the Water always remained below, and made the Body to boyl, and bubble, and flow; and therefore this they called a new Body compounded of two Bodies, the Sun and the Moon, the Man and the Wife, which because it grew to a slimy consistence, they named it Limus, or Limbus, Hyle, and a Chaos, or Terra Adamica.

When this Body began to grow very black, and to send up foul Exhalations, yellowish, blewish, and black, they said this was Death and Corruption, which followed the separation of the Soul from the Body.

Now when they see the Souls to be again united, and to remain below toge∣ther, they knew that the Soul and Spirit were Immortal, that is, the Tincture or Vital Balsam was Incorruptible; and be∣cause they see them again unite, they knew the Soul and Spirit would renew

the Bodies, and this seeming Corrupti∣on, was but the natural step to a glori∣ous Regeneration; for if the Souls be again united to the Bodies, they will surely regenerate them, and renew them, and make them incorruptible; for if the Spirits had not returned to this union, they might only have expected the Ex∣halation of them: for Spiritual Tinctures or Essences, cannot be destroyed by cor∣ruption in many Vegetals, much less in the most perfect of Minerals and Metals. The union then of the Souls with the Bo∣dies, argues evidently a hidden purity, under the apparent rottenness, which will after Purification be exalted to transcen∣dent Glory.

Hereupon they said, that the Spirit and Soul which were above, were the Heavenly Quintessence, and the Body below was the Earth; and this Circula∣tion of Spirits, were but as the Circu∣lation of the Heavens round about the Earth; and the falling drops, were but as the influential dew, which did cause the Earth to fructifie; and the blackness and darkness, were but the Winter Latitude,

which with its Clouds and droppings do mellow and fertilize the Earth, to shoot forth with the more beautiful varieties in the Spring••••▪