Four books of Johannes Segerus Weidenfeld concerning the secrets of the adepts, or, of the use of Lully's spirit of wine : a practical work, with very great study collected out of the ancient as well as modern fathers of adept philosophy : reconciled together by comparing them one with another, otherwise disagreeing, and in the newest method so aptly digested, that even young practitioners may be able to discern the counterfeit or sophistical preparations of animals, vegetables and minerals, whether for medicines or metals, from true, and so avoid vagabound imposters, and imaginary processes, together with the ruine of estates.

From the Receipts we observe.

1. That these Menstruums are stronger than all the antecedent, as being acuated with better arids, or dry things, and therefore do not extract the Essences, but dissolve the whole Body into a Magistery.

2. That these Menstruums are the Magisteries of Metals and Minerals, and therefore Medecines.

3. That they are made many several ways now known to us.

4. That the Sal Armoniacks of Metals are made the same ways as Vegetable Sal Armoniacks.

5. That every one of them is properly called Philosophers Mercury, or Mercury of the Mercury of Gold, Silver, Iron, &c. sublimed; the Mercury of Antimony, common Sulphur, &c. sublimed, because like common Mercury sublimed, it is most easily resuscitated by hot Water or Vinegar, into the running Mercury of Gold, Silver, Iron, Antimo∣ny, &c. as we shall be better assured by Examples of the following Books.

6. That simple Vegetable Menstruums, do as being permanent Wa∣ters, continue also with things Metallick, and stick most perfectly to them, not for Medicines only, but also for the making of precious Stones, yea Tinctures, as well particular as universal: As to the simple Vegeta∣ble Menstruums, extract the Essences of Vegetables, and the same com∣pounded, that they do make Magisteries for a Medicinal use, we shall ea∣sily agree; but for the unctuous, and most inflamable Spirit of Philosophi∣cal Wine, made of combustible Vegetables and Animals, to be a con∣stitutive to any Chymical Tincture, seems to be an assertion altogether Paradoxical; for which cause are we to be admonished that the Adepts rejected every Combustible Vegetable and Animal, as a thing useless

for their Tinctures, but never despised the purify'd Elements of Ve∣getables and Animals, made incombustible, or acquiring incombusti∣bility in the process it self, though they have declared them to be (without the ferment of the Stone) insufficient, as also Metals alone without these Menstruums, being therefore mix'd with Metals, they make Tinctures as well particular as universal for Metals, Witness Ripley, saying: If you have a mind to make Gold and Silver by the Philosophical Art, you must for that purpose take neither Eggs nor Blood, but Gold and Silver, which are Naturally and Prudently, and not Manually calcined, for they produce a new Generation increasing their Kind, as all other Natural Things: But suppose a Man might with benefit effect it in things not Metallick, in which are Colours found in Aspect pleasant, as in Blood, Urine, Eggs, and Wine, or in half Minerals taken out of Mines, yet would it be necessary for the Elements of them to be first putrifyed, and joyn'd in Matrimony with the Elements of perfect Bodies. Libro. 12. portar. portu. 1. The Elixir, he proceeds, is not to be made of Wine, as Wine, nor of Eggs, Hair, or Blood, as meerly Eggs, Hair, or Blood, but of the Elements only, and therefore we are to seek, in order to obtain the Ele∣ments in the excellency of their simplicity and rectification; for the Elements, saies the Philosopher Bacon in his Speculum, are the Roots and Mothers of all things living: But the Elements of the things aforesaid are not Ingredients to the making of Elixirs, but by the Virtue and Commixtion with the Elements of Spirits (whereof he recites four, Argent vive, Sulphur, Arsenick, and com∣mon Sal Armoniack,) and Metallick Bodies, and so, as Roger Bacon saies, they are Ingredients, and do make the great Elixir. Mid. Phil. Chym. Cap. 3. We, saith he further, take neither of the first Principles, they being too simple, nor of the last, they being too gross and fecualent, but only the middle, in which is the tincture and true Oyl, separated from any unclean Terrestreity, and Phlegmatick Water; therefore saith Raymund thus: The uncti∣ous Liquor is the near Matter of our Physical Argent vive: And though those Bodies, in which those Mercuries are hidden, be sold openly by Apothecaries at a low Price, according to the saying of the Philosopher in this manner: Our Sulphurs we have from the Apothecaries at a mean Price, yet if you understand not the Art of separating the Elements, according to the Do∣ctrine

of Aristotle, in is Epistle to Alexander, in the Book of the Secrets of Secrets, where he saith, Separate the subtil from the gross, the thin from the thick, and when you have drawn Wa∣ter out of Air, Air out of Fire, and Fire out of Earth, then have you the full Art: except, I say, you understand this, you will do little or nothing in my Work. Pupilla Alchym. Pag. 298. It appertains not to this place to prove these things by more Examples, it is enough to have instanced these few by way of anticipation, the following Books treating more copiously of this Truth.

7. That the Name (Hell Fire) the Menstruum of Trismosinus, is the proper and common Name of Mercurial Menstruums: for most of the Adepts do affirm Mercury to be of a most hot, yea Fiery Nature: some few deny, accounting it the coldest Metal.

Amongst the Affirmers was the great Paracelsus, saying: We find Mercury to be inwardly of the greatest heat, and no way to be coagulated, but by the greatest cold. Libro. 6. Archid. magic. Whoever think Mercury to be of a moist and cold Nature, are convinced of an open Error, it being of its Nature most hot and moist, by reason of which it always and perpetually sloweth; for if it was of a moist and cold Nature, it would be like frozen Water, and be alwaies hard and solid, and it would be necessa∣ry to melt it by the heat of Fire, as other Metals, which indeed it requires not, having a Natural Liquation and Flux through its own heat, which keeps it in a perpetual Fluxion, and makes it quick, that it can neither dye, nor be congealed. Coelum Phil. Sect. de calore merc. pag. 124. No Name can be found for this Liquesaction (Fluxion of Argent vive) much less the Original of it, by which it may be called, and no heat being so vehement, as to be equivalent to it, Hell Fire ought to be compared to it. Coelum Phil. can.. 1.121. Basilius taught the same, saying: The Fiery Spirit of Sulphur being invisibly incorporated in Mercury, therefore it prefers it self in Fluxion, not to be coagulated, &c. For Mercury is a meer Fire, and therefore cannot be burned by any Fire; no Fire toucheth it so, as to destroy it, for either, &c. Currus triumph. Antimonii, Pag. 40.

And Sendivogius: I Mercury am Fire, &c. My Spirit and the Spirit of Fire love one another, and so far as able, one accompa∣nies the other, &c. If any Man knows the Fire of my Heart, he sees Fire is my Food, and the longer the Spirit of my Heart eats

Fire, the fatter it will be, the Death of which is afterward the Life of all things, &c. I am Fire within, Fire is my Food. Dialog. Mercurii Pag. 515. Volum. 4. Theat. Chym.

Ripley did by the most hot things of Lully (acuating the Vegeta∣ble Menstruum, without the Virtue of which things, it would not be able to dissolve Metals, but in a long time) understand Mercury: I am, saith he, forc'd to say, that all these things which Raymond speaks (of things most hot) are covered with a Philosophical Veil, for his Saying is, That dissolution must be made with Spirit of Wine, but his intention also is, that in this Spirit (of Philsophi∣cal Wine) may be had another resoluble Menstruum, which is only of the Metallick Kind. Medul. Phil, Pag. 168. For that is Raymund's Water, which Mary the Prophetess speaks of, saying, Make your Water as a running Water, by Divine Inspiration extracted out of the two Mineral and Vegetable Zaiboth (Mer∣curies) that is, circulated together into a Cristalline Water, &c. because, as saith Raymund, there being in Mercury a Point of Igneity, by the power of which is dissolution made, it is requi∣site to animate it with the Water of Vegetable Mercury, other∣wise it can dissolve nothing: And this is the Water containing all those things which you want, and by Virtue thereof are Pearls made. And this Vegetable Water being compounded, doth by Virtue of the Mercury (Mineral) presently dissolve all Bo∣dies, and by reason of its Vegetability (Vegetable Menstruum) revivify every Body, and by its attractive Virtue, (Symbolical Nature) produce an Oyl from every Body, and Mercury draws to it self its like, that is, the Mercury of a Body. Of this Wa∣ter, saith Raymund, in Compendio Art. Transm. ad Regem Rober∣tum: You know, most Serene Prince, that our Stone is made of nothing but Argent vive alone, that is, compounded of Vegeta∣ble and Mineral: And therefore said the ancient Philosophers, the Stone is made of one thing only, that is, Argent vive, Viatic. pag. 345.

Mercurial Waters are called Ignes Gehennae, by reason of this Fiery Nature of Argent vive, the corrosive Specifick was because of the Mercurial Water call'd by Paracelsus Ignis Gehennae. Libro. de Specif. Pag. 29. The Circulatum majus, prepared from Mercury, he calls a living Fire, most extream Fire, and coelestial Fire.

If you would bring into action, saith he, (the Life of Antimo∣ny hidden in its Regulus) you must resuscitate that Life with its like living Fire, or Metallick Vinegar, with which Fire many of the Philosophers proceeded several ways, but agreeing in the Foundation, they all hit the intended Mark, &c. Yet that Fire, or Corporal Life in common Mercury is found much more per∣fect and sublime, which manifestly proves by its flowing, that there is a most absolute Fire, and coelestial Life hidden in it; wherefore whoever desires to graduate his Metallick Heaven (the Arcanum Lapidis, or Antimonii) to the highest, and reduce it to action, he must first extract the first liquid Being, as the coelestial Fire, Quintessence, and Metallick Acetum acerrimum out of the Corporal Life, (common Mercury) &c. Libro. 10. Archid. Cap. 6. Pag. 39.

Amongst the Deniers, who judge Mercury to be of a cold Nature, is first Bernhard, illustrious for Learning as well as Linage, saying: Whereas Mercury is compounded of the four Elements, they therefore being heated by the common and general Causes, the Natural heat is excited by its own motion, by such motion as this are the Fire and Air in Mercury moved likewise, and by lit∣tle and little elevated, these Elements being more worthy than the Water and Earth of Mercury, nevertheless moistness and coldness are predominant, &c. Lib. Alchym. Pag. 766. Volum. 1. Theat. Chym. Argent vive being most cold, may in a short time be made most hot, and may the same way be made temperate with things temperate by the Ingenuity of an Artist. Epist. ad Thomam, Pag. 57. Art. Aurif. Arnoldus de Villa Nova in the Book, call'd Rosarium, is observed to have declared, that crude Mercury, that is, Argent vive, which is by its Nature cold and moist, may by sublimation be made hot and dry, then by revivi∣fication made hot and moist like the Complexion of Men, &c. The said Arnold, though a Reverend Doctor, and Ingeni••us in other Sciences, yet perhaps handled Experiments in this Art without the Doctrine of Causes; but he saith, that in the first Purgation, the crude Spirit (Argent vive) is sublimed with the less Minerals and Salts, and that Mercury it self, which is in its Nature cold and moist, may be made a Powder by Nature hot and dry, as he saith, this is indeed of no benefit to our Philoso∣phical Work: but suppose a Man may make such a Powder, as

he speaks of, out of Mercury, namely, dry and hot by sublima∣tion with saline Things, yet these Purgations are vain and im∣pertinent, yea hurtful as to the perfecting of our Work, &c. And if it be said by way of instance, that as by Purging the impuri∣ties of Mercury, the said Arnold dryed it by sublimation, so also, as you say Thomas, moistened it by revivification, and made the Mercury hot and moist, suitable to his own (humane) Body in Nature, this indeed impedes not my Reverend Doctor, nor im∣pugnes the Truth of the Philosophical Art; yea rather the Error appears in this Natural Art: For, as it is clear, Arnold teach∣eth, (if you regard the sound of Words) that Mercury being thus dryed, by hot Water, into which it is cast, is revivifyed, and he saith, made hot and moist, whereas when first sublimed, it was hot and dry: But what Philosopher can truly say, that Mercu∣ry, or any other Metal, is by simple Water, though never so hot and boyling, changed as to its internal quality in Nature, acquires moistness Natural to it self, and so is revivifyed? In this revivification therefore Mercury requires nothing, forasmuch as common Water decocts not, nor alters it, because it enters it not, and that which enters not, alters not, because every thing to be alter'd must first be mixed: Some superficial impurities of Mercury, such Water may indeed wash away from it, but can∣not infuse a new quality into it: For such a Nature as Mercury had when reduced into Powder, and mortified by sublimations, such a Nature exactly will it keep being revivifyed by Water: This I am willing to say with Reverence and Honour to the said Arnold, but I consider and defend the Truth of Nature and Experiment. About the end of his Epistle to Thomas.

But be it what it will, it consists not with our Prudence to adhere to any Opinions, of what Authority soever, but to Truth alone; in which respect we say Argent vive is neither cold, nor hot, yet that being of easier dissolution than the rest of the Metals, it is most fit for this kind of Menstruums; and that the Mercurial Waters prepared from it, may by Chymical Liberty be called Hell-Fires, though besides these Waters the Adepts call also other Menstruums Infernal Fire, of which sort is the acetum acerrimum of Ripley in the Fifth Kind: But the following Arguments taken out of the Text it self do prove, that Arnold, Lully's Master, was as to his reducing of Argent vive into the first Matter or Essence, not sufficiently understood, and mis∣observed

by Bernhard, taking Aqua servens for common boyling Wa∣ter: Arnold divided the Second Book of his Rosary into four Principal Works; which are, Solution, Ablution, Reduction, and Fixion, as appears by the first Chapter of the aforesaid Book: Of the first Work, namely, the Dissolution of the Stone, in the second Chapter, thus: You must dissolve the Stone (Gold or Silver) being dry and thick, into Argent vive, that it may be reduced into its first Matter; and all this is done by Argent vive only, it alone having the Power of converting Sol and Luna into their first Matter; but Argent vive having a terrestrial and adustible seculency in it without inflammation, and substance of aqueity, you must of necessity take away that which is superfluous, and supply what is wanting, if you desire a compleat Medicine; but the Earthly feculency is to be wholly taken away by sublimati∣on, &c. This sublimation or depuration of Mercury he describes in the third Chapter following: The Craft (Way) therefore of re∣moving the Earthy superfluous substance from it, is to sublime it once or twice with Vitrum (Vitriol formerly so called) and Salt, till the substance of it becomes most white, having ascended most white, cast it into Aqua fervens, till it returns into Argent vi∣ve; then take the Water from it, and Work with it, because it is not good to operate with it, except it be first purifyed this way: and therefore saith Avicen, The first things to begin with, is the sublimation of Mercury, after that, the solution of it, that it may return into its first Matter, and sublime it wholly: Then put clean Bodies in the same, weighed into this clean Mer∣cury, &c.

If we respect the sound of the Words, Bernard in his long Argumen∣tation corrected Arnold deservedly, but if the Sense of the Words, here is nothing deserving Correction: Aqua fervens, the Name of Arnolds Menstruum, is the chief and almost only thing concealed by Arnold in the whole Practice of his Book, which had he manifested, he would have prostituted all the more secret Chymy; but that he meant not common boyling Water, is proved by the following considera∣tions.

1. Gold or Silver must be dissolved into Argent vive, or the first matter, first Being, Essence, &c. by Argent vive, not common, but Philosophically prepared: Nothing reduceth Gold into a first Matter, but a first Matter; as here the first Matter of common Mercury, clean

Mercury, or the Mercury of Mercury. The Adepts have a Rule, That a first Matter prepares a first Matter; Therefore as Mercu∣ry prepares Mercury; an Essence an Essence; a Magistery a Magi∣stery; so the Philosophers Mercury, or the primum Ens, Essence, &c. of Sol or Luna, cannot be prepared but by the Philosophers Mercury, primum Ens, or some Essence; wherefore by Aqua fervens in this Receipt, we understand the Essence of Mercury, but not in the least common boyling Water.

2. Clean Argent vive, or the first Matter of Mercury, made of Argent vive sublimed by Aqua fervens, cannot be running Mercu∣ry, because it is in the Form of a Liquor: For,

First, The dissolution of Gold made with this clean Mercury is to be filtred. Grind time after time, and imbibe, and boyl-in-Bal∣neo, then distil through a Filter, till it (meaning the Metal dissol∣ved in the Menstruum, Chap. 3.) goes through.

Secondly, In the Dissolution of Gold, the Tincture only is extract∣ed, the Body being left. Be patient, saith he, and extract not the Tincture hastily, nor seek to have things perfect hastily or swift∣ly, for the first Error in this Art is haste, &c. Bodies dissolved are reduced to the Nature of a Spirit, and are never separated, as neither Water mixed with Water, and that because Nature re∣joyceth in Nature, as the Spouse is joyned with the Bridegroom; but those things which are not dissolved, have not pure parts, except they be mollified. Therefore, my dearest, you want wherewith to operate in the dissolution of the Stone, that is, you must separate their purer parts from them, that the Work may be effected with lighter, the heavier parts being cast away. Cap. 3.

Thirdly, Mercury, or the first Matter of Gold prepared with clean Mercury, is also liquid. Chap. 3. The beginning of our Work is to dissolve our Stone (Gold or Silver) into Mercury, or into a Mercurial Water, Chap. 4. No wonder therefore if Mercury pre∣pared by Aqua fervens be called Water: It is saith he, expedient to dissolve Bodies by Water, that is, by Argent vive. Cap. 3.

Fourthly, Because it extracts an Oyl from every thing. Put, saith he, of the purest Mercury so much as to swim four Fingers, or more, which is better upon the substance of the Body, from which you would extract an Oyl, then kindle a gentle Fire un∣der it till you see the Oyl, that is, the Air of it, by little and lit∣tle

ascend, or be elevated upon the Mercury; gather it warily, and keep it apart, &c. Cap. 10.

3. This Process of Arnold is ordinary, and call'd by the Adepts, The way of separating the Elements, which cannot be done with∣out either a Vegetable or Mineral Menstruum.

4. Aqua fervens among the Adepts is the usual Name of Men∣struum. Dissolve, saith Lully, the purest Sol in its own Aqua fervens, then separate the Phlegm, and the Sol will remain be∣low, &c. Codicil. cap. 43. Pag. 203. That Fire burns Gold more than Elemental Fire, because it contains heat of a terre∣strial Nature, and resolves without any fortitude (force, efferves∣cence, or corrosion) which common Fire cannot do; we therefore enjoyn you to make the Magistery of the hottest things you can get, and you will have an Aqua calida, which resolves every strong thing. Vade mecum. Pag. 272.

Which Form of Speech Bernhard himself knew, out of Mori∣enus: Saying, Know that our Laton is red, but of no benefit to us, till it be made white: Know also, that Aqua tepida: calida, and fervens, Synonima's of one Menstruum) penetrates and whitens, even as it self is (white,) and a moist vaporous Fire ef∣fects all things: Again Bendegid, Johannes Mehungus, and Haly: You that seeking Day and Night spend your Mony, waste your Wealth, and Time, tormenting your Wits in vain about the subtilties of Books, I admonish you out of Charity, through Compassion, as a Father moved toward his Son, that you would, I say, whiten the red Laton by a white odoriferous Aqua tepida, but tear so many Sophistical Books, so many Methods, and leave such great subtilties; believe me, that it may be well with you. Lib. Alchym. 770. Vol. Theat. 11. Chym.

5. It is by the blackness of the dissolution proved, that Arnold's Aqua fervens was a simple Vegetable Menstruum; the black ap∣pearing above, saith he, gather apart, because that is the Oyl, and the true sign of dissolution, because this which is dissolved, attains to the end of sublimity, and is therefore separated from the lower parts, ascending upwards, and aspiring to higher pla∣ces. Cap. 3. Rofarii.

These things we are willing to say, not impeaching the Reverence and Honour of Bernhard, but we contemplate and defend the Truth and Experiment of Arnold.