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 ...

AN EXPOSITION UPON THE Sixth Gate, Which is CONGELATION.

The Sixth Gate Opened, Which is CONGELATION.

Congelation, &c. It is of soft things in duration of colour white, &c. How to congeal he needeth not much to care for Elements: But Congelations be made in divers wise of Spirits, &c. Of Salts dissolved, &c. and then congeal'd, And some dissolveth congealing manu∣ally, &c. But such congealing is not, &c.

HAving largely run through the first five Gates, in which is all the difficulty, pre-supposing now that you have passed the shades of the Night, and are now come to the approaching of the Day, whose dawning is to be seen soon after the darkness of the Night,

and is discovered by variety of gay Clouds, which run before the Sun in its up-rising.

The first remarkable way mark that you are to meet with, is the whiteness of the Compound, for the Peacocks tail though with its gayness it refresheth and delights the beholder, yet those colours are but transient; but the white is a sta∣ble colour, and it is thy first Harvest, in which the moisture is vanquished▪ and volatile Natures are fixed.

The Work as it is the long-wished Haven, so it is performed without any help of the Artist, any more then to con∣tinue a due degree of outward heat; for know that thou hast not so great a desire after this sight, but Nature hath as great an appetite to obtain it, for it is the end of all her former Operations, from the attaining whereof thou canst not hinder her, if the external heat be continued as it ought.

Yet about this the whole company of Alchymists do mightily busie themselves, who have nothing more in their hopes then to make our great Elixir; do main∣ly

labour after Congelation, though in their Solution, in which the Key of our Coagulation resteth, they are as stupid as Blocks.

Some dissolve Metals with Corrosives, others Salts, and afterwards filter them, which they think graduates them, with which trumpery they intend no less a Coagulate, then the true permanent Tin∣cture: but alas they are deceived▪ for they work not upon the right Matter.

Others although they happen to stum∣ble in part upon the right Matter, yet herein they erre, that they understand our Operations preposterously, and in∣terpret our meaning contrary to our true intent; for all that they dream of, is such Operations which are to be performed by hand: thus they dissolve and congeal, but stumble in operandi modo.

For our Congelation is no such thing as this, but in every point it is contrary to it; for in our Operation Nature only works, who therefore doth bring forth a true, and not a Sophistical Operation.

Our Congelation dreadeth not the Fir••, For it must ever in it stand unctuous; And it is also a Tincture so bounteous, Which in the Air, &c. Moreover congeal not, &c. But that like Wax it will melt anon with∣outen blast, For such congealing accordeth not, &c. Which Congelation availeth us not.

FOr as in our Solution we do not make our Gold volatile as to shew, as Fools may do, but actually it is made fugitive, so as that by no Art of man it can ever be fixt again, but only by that Nature which made it volatile; so also our Fixa∣tion doth make our flying Spirits so Fire-abiding, that they by no Art of man can ever be burnt away, yet it will flow like Wax.

Nor is it fixed in manner of flying Spirits in Vegetables, which are fixed by burning into an Al••ali, for it will never relent neither in the Air nor Water, like to a congealed Salt.

Nor yet is our Congelation a formal

Transmutation of a thing by another se∣minal virtue, for then it would become of a Stony, Flinty, or Adamantine na∣ture; but by its own internal virtue, the Mercury is changed into Sulphur incom∣bustible, yet so as that the Mercuriality retains some of its qualities in a very no∣ble remarkable way, furnishing the Com∣pound with a fusible unctuosity, when at the same time the Sulphur retains that fluxibility with a most noble incombu∣stibility.

So then take this for the Touch-stone of all thy Alchymical endeavours, if ever thou intend any thing commendable in our Art; see that thy Medicine be of an easie fusion, so that when it is cast on a plate of Metal heated, it may enter it, and flow on it like Wax or melted Pitch; yea let the flux be so easie, that it may flow upon Mercury, and enter it before its flight, otherwise brag not of thy skill, for thou art yet in a way of Sophistry, out of which thou shalt never escape, without a more then ordinary provi∣dence of God.

If thou therefore list to do weel, Sith the Medicine shall never else flow kindly, Neither congeal without thou first it putrefie, First purge, then fix the Elements of our Stone, Till they together congeal and flow anon.

THat thou therefore mayst be sure of thy Work, and not repent thy cost and pains, as many do when it is too late, take my counsel, and know that thy Medicine never can nor shall flow as it ought, except thy Solution be Philoso∣phical.

Know then that our Solution is not an ordinary vulgar dissolving of Bodies, either by Corrosives, or any other way; but our true dissolving is nothing else then putrefying, that is, a destroying of the Compaction wholly with a preserva∣tion of the Species. This Operation be sure to make before thou dream of Con∣gelation, for then thy Spirits will natu∣rally fix and flow together, congealing and relenting so long until they come to

a perfect Powder impalpable, which then hath ingress into all Metals, penetrating their very profundity, and altering them radically.

For when the Matter is made perfectly white, Then, &c. But of such time thou mayst have long re∣spite, Ere it congeal, &c. And after into grains red as bloud, Richer, &c.

SO then our Congelation is nothing else but the whitening of the Bodies, of which the Philosopher speaketh, when he saith, Whiten thy Body, and burn thy Books, lest our hearts be broken.

This is the Haven at which after many a nights watching, and days labour, thou mayst with Gods blessing hope at length to arrive; but in the mean season be patient, and expect the Harvest in its season.

First thou shalt have thy Body white∣ned, and all become a white living Wa∣ter, which being moved on the Fire con∣tinually,

will turn first into greater, and after that into smaller grains, till all at length become a Calx of an exquisite fineness, and transcendent brightness, which is our Lilly Candent, which in the end of thy Operations by continual de∣coction will be turned into a purple red∣ness, which is our wonderful Secret.

The Earthly grossness therefore first morti∣fied in moisture, &c. This principle may not be denied, &c. Which had, of whiteness thou mayst not miss, &c. And if, &c.

THe cause of all these strange altera∣tions in one Glass, on one subject, with one decoction, without laying on of hands, is from the internal disposition of the Compound, which at the first is gross and Earthy, therefore in decoction it becomes very black, it being the na∣ture of all moist gross things, by the Fire to acquire such a colour. And this is ac∣cording to the intention of all Philoso∣phers, that although thou seekest white

and red, yet thou must at first make black, before thou canst make white pro∣fitably.

But when once thy Matter is become truly black, rejoyce, for this death of the Body will be the quickning of the Spirit, and then both Soul and Body will unite into a perfect whiteness, which is our Kingly Diadem.

The end of the sixth Gate.