Mr. Culpepper's Treatise of aurum potabile Being a description of the three-fold world, viz. elementary celestial intellectual containing the knowledge necessary to the study of hermetick philosophy. Faithfully written by him in his life-time, and since his death, published by his wife.

Proemium

BEfore we begin, we desire to pre∣mise these few things to all such as are studious in Philosophy, and in∣deed they shall finde them very neces∣sary.

1. That these inferiour Elemen•• which we have treated of in the for¦mer Section, have a mutuall sympath•• with the Coelestiall bodies, viz. th•• Sun, Moon, and Stars, and must need have, because they are all made out 〈◊〉〈◊〉 one and the same Chaos.

2. That they are governed by th•• superiour as the more worthy, and th•• we prove by this argument, becau•••• this thing which we call obedience is to be found onely in the Elementa•• world.

3. We desire you to consider ser¦••ously, that motion is the cause of a change, both of growing and with••¦ring, both of being born and dying and although the action of movin•• shall continue in the generall, yet ev••¦ry particular motion begins and en•• in its proper time.

4. We also finde out, and it is a truth, that time it selfe is measured out by motion, and that the originall of all motion is in the Heavens, and parti∣cularly in the Sun; by which motion in the Heavens, the constant change and conversion of all things out of one thing into another proceeds; he hath not lived a Philosopher a Sum∣mer and a Winter, nay indeed not a day and a night, which ignorant of this.

5. Consider also that there is no way from the beginning to the end without a mean; for there is no pas∣sage from Spring to Autumne but by Summer, nor from Winter to Summer but by Spring; and if you heed it by the eye of reason, you shall finde that all changes follow these conversions of time and yeers; these conversions of times increase heat and drynesse, coldnesse and moysture, and both life and death, generation and corruption

increase and decrease of living crea∣tures, comes by reason of heat, cold nesse, drynesse and moysture.

6. If you consider it well, you sha•••• finde that the Coelestiall bodies tal•• them, quatenus bodies, are not change•• nor capable of change till the fina•• dissolution, but these Elementary b••∣dies are alwayes changing continually either increase or decrease, and neve•• stand at a stay; and if so, as is mo•••• certain, then of necessity the Coelesti•••••• bodies are by nature active, and the•••• Elementary bodies by nature passive•••• and it is that which is active whi•••• causeth or produceth alterations in th•••• which is passive; then it will follo•••• the Coelestiall bodies give the form 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all things, the Elementary world su•••••• ministers matter for this form.

7. The truth of this will appear 〈◊〉〈◊〉 we may make such a comparison) 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all Handy crast Trades; in a Carpe••∣ter in building houses, a Brick-mak••

in making bricks, a Tailor in stitching garments; the Carpenter by his motion hews the timber-log into its proper form, the log subministers matter for the Carpenter to work upon; the Brick-maker makes the clay into the form of a brick, the clay subministers matter to this form; the Tailor cuts out and sows the cloth into the form of a garment, the cloth administers matter to this form: Just so for all the world it is between the Coelestiall and Elementary bodies, and can be denyed by none, unlesse any be so frantick to deny that to be in the Heavens, which is conspicuous upon the Earth; or that to be higher in dignity, which God hath made higher in place. We cannot but admire to see any should be so sottish to deny it, as ever saw it rain, or knew that the rain which comes from above made the Earth fruitfull.

8. All things are moved by the Sun, who by moving his owne body, moves the Creation, and thence comes a con∣tinual

acting and procreating faculty from thence comes that inbred he•••••• both in Animals and Seeds, and cause•••• them to produce their like; which pro∣duction is either good or bad, pure o•••• impure, small or great, according 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Luminaries receive good or bad•• friendly or inimicall Aspects or Raye•• from the five Planets; for as a Key 〈◊〉〈◊〉 formed either well or ill by a Smith according to the measure of heat, mag∣nitude, number, and manner of th•••• strokes and fi••ings, viz. according to the quan••ity of motion and skill o•••• him that moveth, and the goodnesse o•• the thing moved: Just so for all th•• world is the operation of the Coelestia•••• world upon the Elementary world; the•••• Sun and Moon form things either good or bad, perfect or imperfect, accor∣ding as they receive pure or impur•• Rayes from the five Planets, and ac∣cor••ing as they finde fit matter in the Elem••nts to work upon.

9. Consider, that as in the genera∣tion of Man; (for we confesse inge∣nuously we have much bettered our knowledge by the due consideration of that)

The first principle of Mans genera∣tion, is the first kindling of the Mi∣crocosmicall Sun in the midst of the Seed, even as the Sun is in the midst of the Creation, (of which we shall speak more in the next Section) and this Microcosmicall Sun procreateth and disposeth the rest of the parts of the body, according to his owne in∣ward force and power, according as he is supplyed with radicall mysture from the Microcosmall Moon, and fit matter from the Parents: so the Coele∣stiall Sun, which is the centrall Fire of the Creation, according as he is affected by the Moon and the five Planets moves and disposeth these in∣feriour and obedient bodies, whose

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office is to subminister matter for him and the Moon to work upon.

10. Here by the way, you see the errors of almost all Writers in Ana∣tomy; some hold the heart of man is first formed, and that forms all the rest of the parts; others hold, the Liver is first formed, and performs the same office; when indeed the one is as true as the other, yet both of them false, for it is the Microcosmical Sun is first formed in the body; and doth all.

Again; some hold the Heart moves the body of man; others hold, the Brain moves the Body and Heart also; a third holds, it is a force of the vi∣tall Blood in the Arteries: But if you let Reason be Judge, and that will quickly tell you, that if it be the Coe∣lestiall Sun that moves the Macro∣cosme, it must of necessity be the Mi∣crocosimicall Sun which moves the Microcosme.

11. To conclude, for we hate tedi∣ousnesse; We conceive the influence of the Heavens to conduce to the pro∣creation of all things here below after this manner.

1. The Elementary world is the wombe of all living creatures, both Minerals, Animals, and Vegetables; (we desire you once more to take notice, that we never include Man under the name of Animall, for we hold him to be a more noble creature, and made for another end and purpose, being an Epitome both of the Intellectuall, Coelestiall, and Elementary world, and therefore capable of the knowledge of either) it conceiveth them, nou∣risheth and cherisheth them being con∣ce••ved.

2. This Wombe is alwayes full of matter and usefull menstrues, fit for the forming, increasing, and conser∣ving bodies of all sorts, whether

they be Animals, Minerals, or Vege∣tables.

3. The Coelestiall Sun gives a vital Seed, and stirs up all to motion and action, dryeth, cherisheth, quickeneth, defendeth, and preserveth what it hath quickened, neither suffers he that which dyes, everlastingly to dye, nor that which is killed, never to live again.

4. The Moon subministers moysture to perfect and finish all this, and this is that which is called radicall moysture in the body of man, viz. the Micro∣cosmicall Moon. We confesse many have talked and written of radicall moysture, but few understand what it is; this preserveth the Elements and Elementary bodies from the scorching heat which motion causeth, and so temperateth the beams of the Sun, that they may not be extreme, that they may serve for conservation, and not for destruction.

5. Because the beams of the Coele∣stiall Sun and Moon, cannot passe to the Elementary world, but by a Me∣dium, viz. the Air, that's the reason Animals must needs breath, and all Vegetables and Minerals have an Ae∣riall spirit in them.

6. For as this Nature of ours makes use of the Microcosmicall Sun, to che∣rish, and quicken, and move the whole body; and of the Microcosmicall Moon, to feed the body, and all parts of the body, with radicall moysture, that so they may be conserved and not burnt up; so the Coelestiall Nature quickeneth and cherisheth things by the Coelestiall Sun, moystens them by the Moon, and preserves them by both.

7. Then consider, that as the Mi∣crocosmicall Sun and Moon make use of other parts of the body to assist them in their office, as the ventricles of the

Brain to apprehend, judge, and remem∣ber things; the Spleen to help the re∣tentive faculty, the Liver to make blood, and the Gall to clarifie it, be∣ing made; the Testicles, instruments of generation, and seminall vessels for procreation, &c. So the Macrocosmicall Sun and Moon make use of the five Planets for the effecting and varying things below, and tempering them di∣vers wayes, which is performed by their divers and various motions, else all the things that are generated in the world, would be of one nature and quality, and then the World could not subsist, nor Man neither; for he having all qualities in himself, can∣not subsist without any one of them.

Thus much shall suffice to have been spoken in generall, concerning what knowledge of the Coelestiall world is requisite to a Philosopher that stu∣dies this Art.

We come now to shew particularly what the office of the Sun, and Moon, and five Planets is; and we shall afford each of them a Chapter by it self.