Five treatises of the philosophers stone. Two of Alphonso King of Portugall, as it was written with his own hand, and taken out of his closset: translated out of the Portugez into English. One of John Sawtre a Monke, translated into English. Another written by Florianus Raudorff, a German philosopher, and translated out of the same language, into English. Also a treatise of the names of the philosophers stone, by William Gratacolle, translated into English. To which is added the Smaragdine Table. / By the paines and care of H.P.

The names of the Philosophers Stone, Collected by WILLIAM GRATACOLLE.

GOld, Sol, Sun, Brasse of Philosophers, the body of Magnesia, a pure body, clean, ferment of Elixir, Masculine, Argent vive fixt, Sulphur incombustible, Sul∣phur red, fixed, the rubine stone, ky∣brik, a man, greene vitrioll, burnt brasse, red earth: the water that is distilled from

these things, is named of the Philosophers, the taile of the Dragon, a pure wind, ayre, life, lightning, the house, the afternoone light, virgins milke, sal armo∣niack, sal ni••e••, the wind of the belly, white fume, red water of sulphur, tartar, saffron, water, the white compound, stinking water, the filthinesse of the dead bloud, Argent vive, a Cucurbite with his Alimbeck, the vessell of the Philosophers, a high man with a Sallet, the belly of a man in the midst, but in the end it is called the foot, or the feet, or on the which feet, or earth is calcined, rosted, congealed, distilled, or made still and quiet: the shaddow of the Sun, a dead body, a crowne overcomming a cloud, the bark of the Sea, Magnesia, black, a Dragon which eateth his tayle, the dregs of the belly, earth found on the dunghill putrified, or in horse dung, or in soft fire, Sulphur, Mercury, secondly in number, and one in essence, name, in name, a stone, body, spirit, and soule; it is called earth, fire, aire, all things, because he containes in him foure Elements; it is called a man or beast, that hath soule, life, body, and spirit, and yet some Philosophers do not thinke the matter to have a soule.

But as it is a stone, it is called the water of Sulphur, the water of the world, the spittle of Lune, the shad∣dow of the Sun, a denne, Sol, Elephas, white Jayre, eyes of fishes, Beyia, Sulphur, vine sharpe, water, milke, vineger of life, tears, joyning water, Urine, the light of lights, a marvelous Father, Father of Mine∣rals, a fruitfull tree, a living spirit, a fugitive servant, certore of the earth, venome, most strong vineger, white gumme, everlasting water, a woman, a femi∣nine,

a thing of vile price, Azot, menstruous, Brazill, in nature Azot, water, the first matter, the beginning of the world; and mark this, that Argent vive, Mer∣cury, Azot, the full moone, Hypostasis, white lead, or red, do all of them signifie but one thing, our stone, our brasse, our water, Iron, Silver, Lime, whitenesse, Jupiter, Vermilion white, after divers times and de∣gr••es of operation.

And note, that the Philosophers washing is to bring againe the whole soule into his body, wherefore you may not understand thereby, the common white washing is convenient to be done with vineger, and salt, and such like.

Also note, that when blackness doth appeare, then it is called dispensation of the man and woman be∣tween them, and that the body hath gotten a spirit, which is the tears of the vertues of the soule upon the body, and the body doth revive the action of the soule and spirit, and is made an Eagle and the meane of na∣tures.

And note, that white earth, white Sulphur, white fume, Auripigmentum Magnesia, and Ethell, do sig∣nifie all one thing.

Also the stone is called Chaos, a Dragon, a Serpent, a Toad, the green Lion, the quintessence, our stone Lunare, Camelion, most vild black, blacker than black, Virgins milke, radicall humidity, unctuous moysture, liquor, seminall, Salarmoniack, our Sul∣phur, Naptha, a soule, a Basilisk, Adder, Secundine, Bloud, Spearne, Metteline, haire, urine, poyson, wa∣ter of wise men, minerall water, Antimony, stinking menstrues, Lead of Philosophers, Sal, Mercury, our

Gold, Lune, a bird, our ghost, dun Salt, Alome of Spaine, attrament, dew of heavenly grace, the stinking spirit, Borax, Mercury corporall, wine, dry water, wa∣ter metelline, an Egge, old water, perminent, Hermes bird, the lesse world, Campher, water of life, Auri∣pigment, a body cynaper, and almost with other infi∣nite names of pleasure.

The Secret of Secrets, and Stone of Philosophers.

IF thou desirest to bee so lucky, as that thou mayest obtaine the blessing of Philosophers, as God doth live for ever, so let this verity live with thee.

The Philosophers do very properly say, it tarrieth in the shell, and containeth in himselfe both white and red, the one is called masculine, the other feminine, Animall, Vegetable, and Minerall; there is no such o∣ther thing found in this world, that hath both power active, and passive in it, and also hath within him a substance, dead, and quick, spirit and soule, which to the ignorant, the Philosophers do call it the most vile thing, it holdeth in him the foure Elements, contai∣ned in his skirts where he is found, and commonly of all men, it may be bought for a small price, it doth as∣cend by it selfe, he waxeth black, he descendeth and waxeth white, increaseth and decreaseth by himselfe.

It is a matter which the earth bringeth forth, and descends from heaven, waxeth pale and red, is born, is dead, riseth againe, and after liveth for ever: by ma∣ny wayes it comes to his end, but his proper decoction is upon a fire, soft, meane, strong, it is augmented un∣till they be sure it resteth quietly with red in the fire;

this is according to the vow of all good Philosophers, (called the Philosophers Stone) read and read againe, and every thing more cleare thou shalt never find, and if hereby thou understandest not the matter, thou shalt never otherwise know it, or learne this Art.

Hermes saith, the Dragon is not dead, but with his Brother, and his sister, not by one, but by both toge∣ther: note these things, three heads and one body, one nature, and one Minerall; and this is sufficient for them which have any aptnesse of understanding in this Science: the Dragon is not mortified nor made fixed, but with Sol and Luna, and by none other, as saith Hor∣tulanus by mountaines in bodies, in the plaine of Mer∣cury, and in these looke for it, and this water is crea∣ted, and by concourse of these two, is called water per∣manent of Philosophers.

Our sublimation is to seeth the bodies with golden water, to dissolve, to liquefie, and to sublime them; Our calcination is to putrifie and digest by foure days, and to do no other wayes, wherefore many be decei∣ved in sublimation.

Thou mayest know that brasse which is the Philo∣sophers Gold, is their Gold, and that is true, but thou hast searched for greennesse, thinking that brasse is a Leprous body, which he hath for his greennesse, wherefore I say unto thee, that all that is perfect in brasse, is that greennesse only that is in him, because that that greennesse (by our mastry) is turned shortly into gold, and of this thing we have experience, and if thou wilt prove it we will give thee a rule.

Take therefore burnt brasse, and perfectly rubified, and breake and imboyle him with drinke seaven

times, as much as he is able to drinke in all the wayes of rubifying and roasting him againe, afterward make him to discend, and his greene colour will be made red, as cleare graynes, and thou mayst know that so much redness wil descend with him, that it wil tinckt, Argent vive in some part with the very colour of gold, and all this we approved, for it doth worke very great operations; yet thou canst not prepare the Stone by any meanes with any drinke greene and moist, which is seene to be borne in our Minerals. O blessed great∣nesse! which doth ingender all things, whereby thou mayst be informed that no vegetable or fruit in bud∣ding will appeare, except there be a greene colour; wherefore Philosophers call it their bud, and likewise they call it the water of purifying or putrifaction, and they say the truth heerin; for with his water he is pu∣rified & washed from his blackness, and made white, and afterwards he is so made red, whereby thou mayst learne to know that no true tincture is made, but of our brasse; seeth him therefore with his soule, till the spirit be joyned with his body, and be made one, and thou shalt have thy desire. Wife men have spoken of this in many names, but know thou right well, that it is but one matter which doth sticke unto Argent vive, and to bodies, and thou shalt have the true signes; yet left thou shouldest be deceived heereby thou mayst know what Argent vive is to stick unto: Argent vive doth stick to the bodies, which is false; for they think that they do understand that Chapter of Gebar, of Ar∣gent vive, wherein he saith, when in searching in o∣ther things, he doth not find by our invention any mat∣ter to be more agreeable unto nature then Argent vive

of the bodies; for this place is to be understood of Argent vive Philosophicall, for that Argent vive only sticketh and tarrieth in, and with the bodies: and the old Philosophers could find no other matter, nor can those which be Philosophers now invent any other matter which will abide with the bodies, but Argent vive of the Philosophers; for common Argent vive doth not stick to the bodies, but the bodies do stick to that Argent vive, and this is certaine by experience; for if the Argent vive common be joyned with any bo∣dies, the Argent vive abides in his proper nature, or flies away, and doth not turne the body into his pro∣per nature, and therefore he doth not cleave unto the bodies; and for this cause many be deceived in working in common Argent vive, for our Stone, that is to say, Argent vive accidentall which doth advance himselfe far above Gold, and doth overcome it, and he doth kill, and he doth quicken; for thou must know that Argent vive, father of all marvellous things of this our mastery is congealed, and is both spirit and body; and this is that Argent vive which Gebar did speake of, the consideration of a very matter which doth make per∣fect, is the consideration of a chosen pure substance of Argent vive, but chiefly out of whom the substance of Argent vive may be drawne out is to be inquired of: and we making answer do say, that in them in whom it is, out of them it may be drawne; therefore Sonne, consider well, and see from whence that substance is, and take that and none other: if thou desire to come to knowledge I say unto thee, for love of Christ that by no other means we can it finde; now the Philoso∣phers never might finde any other matter that would

continue in the fire, but that only which is unctuous, perfect, and incombustible, and that matter, when it is prepared as it ought, will turne all bodes Minerall which it toucheth rightly unto most perfect Sol com∣pleat and above all bodies Lune.

Seeth first with wind, and afterwards without winde, untill thou hast drawne out of thy subject or matter the venome (which is called the soule;) that is it which thou seekest, called the everlasting aqua∣vitae for alldiseases, the whole mastery is in the va∣por. Avicen.

Let the body be put in a fire kindled for forty dayes by elementall heat; then in that decoction of forty dayes, the body will rejoyce with the soule, and the soule will rejoyce with the body and spirit, and the spirit will rejoyce with the body and soule, and they are made immortall and perpetuall without separa∣tion.

FINIS.