To the Students in Magic, for Astrall Secrets:

FOr to those who look upon this Sa∣cred Science, (so the wise De∣mocritus calls it) as on the Poet's 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉- Aristo∣phan's Cuccow-Town in the Clowds, and name it our Sparta; I have no∣thing to say but only this: That they are such as are shut up, by a wonderfull, and neces∣sary providence of God, under the vast, hea∣vie cloud of the vulgar, from which they are never like to escape: And to the Gyant of Conceipt, him that comes up boldly to lay his hands on this Vestal, without the Ordinary Dignifications, competent Learning, Wit, & Manners, only, two words—〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; utrum homo, an Priapus? And so, I bid them both Farewell.

It is to you that I send this Golden Ma∣nuall; a pretious discourse on the Magicall Gold: Aurum enim nostrum non est au∣rum vulgi; and I shall give you an account of my Election of This out of some hundreds that I have readd, after a short Introit.

It is not unknown to you, that there is a certaine Tongue, that is the Tongue of My∣steries, call'd by Ficinus, Lingua Magica, and sometimes Lingua Angelorum; and indeed, it is Lingua Ipsius Ternarii San∣cti; for almost all the Hagiography is in it; all the Cabalism of the Hebrews; and with∣out the ambit of that, nothing that's Admi∣rable. This Tongue is not only absolutely necessary, and wisely fitted to vail her Secrets from the unworthy and prophane: but is also bravely proportion'd to the Olympus, or the Intellectuall Imaginations of Man (to speak the language while I praise it; and withall interpret the sublime Demonstrations) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉—.That Man, who is discended from God; has in him∣selfe a sense of him; and turnes his mind towards him; might, like a generous Page  [unnumbered] Scholler be taught by Mystic words.—And yet it is not every Artist who has offer'd at this Tongue, that has the right felicity to it; nay indeed, not very many out of the whole Sacra Corona, can be shown, who have offe∣red so much as a Rose to the true Venus of the Language, the sweet and secret Cytherea! 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Cytherea! Their words are often barbarous, their clauses and periods rude and harsh, their whole composure so carelesse and loose; that the common Dignity of a man, who comes to read, is utterly forgot and lost with the dignity of the Argument it selfe. Then again, their most industrious Involu∣tions; their Inversions of Method; their confusions of the Works; their perversions of the sense of one place by another, makes all so dark and intricate, that Lycophron's Cas∣sandra, where she beginns, and holds on, her heavie I ambics over Troy

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. From the top of Ate, whither the Cow wan∣dred; to theirs is meere transient, & pervious Reading. But this Anonymus, whosoever he was, is so far from such unskilfulnesse, & need∣less envie, that in an endeavour to give us Page  [unnumbered] more frequent, and brighter strictures of the Light, he has runne himselfe almost out of the Magic Tongue. And is not that somwhat raru? Besides the Discourse, a Charta Lacera of his sayes it, Scripta est igitur horis subcisi∣vis Aperta haec Tractatio à nobis, de Au∣ro Philosophico, nec dum cognito, non Chymicorum Stylo (ut solent) allegori∣co, sed plano, ut Intelligatur Tinctura Solis, hactenus occultata, additis alijs, &c. And yet, you need not fear but that he had a spark in him of that Custodia Theo∣maga which comes from God, and holds to him; of which the learned Frier Bachon, Ubi Deus magnam posuit virtutem, ibi etiam magnam posuit Custodiam; uti patet in Viperis, & Magorum Lapi∣de: for he has writt to the only fixt law of the Tongue—Nil apertè, nil operté; of which more in his Programma to the Book.—And This I name the first, though not the greatest of many Incitements, that made me choose it for you, and bring it forth out of that Lethe where it has layen un-observed.

The second is, That in an extraordinarie manner, and to some peculiarity too, it treats Page  [unnumbered] de Ente primo Universalissimi Minera∣lis; Or, of the Universal most universal. Atque haec est anceps Sententia!

The Third; That under the Most Univer∣sall, it represents and asserts to us, severall Tinctures particular; A thing somewhat doubted by an able Philosopher of my acquain∣tance, who is now at the Greater Pyrotechny; and I was desirous to give him my Authori∣ties, from These Great Names, as well as my reasons, from our Electricall Compositions.

The Fourth; That there are in it so many and such open glances at the Keyes of Art and Nature, as are not to be spied, and catcht, in any other that I know.

The Fifth, That two of the particular Tinctures, that of Saturne and Jupiter Con∣flate; and of Jupiter Single; are apparent∣ly short, and profitable works: And those I would recommend to such as know the Ini∣tiall mother to all Tinctures, and are not yet able to beare the charge (though not much) or wait the time of the great Work.

The Sixt, That it is a little golden Tripos, readie to move it selfe, and give answers to Enquiries concerning the Mineral & Metal∣lic Page  [unnumbered] Tinctures of Isaac Flander, Basil Va∣lentine, and Theophrastus Paracelsus; and so may serve as a brief Complex of all, or most of their Astral Learning.

The Seventh; That by Citations, it touches upon certaine Curious Manuscripts, no where else to be seen in their Sparks, and such Semantics to what they are. Cum enim (sayes his Charta to This) perlongo Tem∣pore hanc Artem sectatus fuerim, nec tantum perpetuis Cogitationibus, & Studio Theoretico, multorumque Ma∣nuscriptorum Inspectione, quorum mentio passim à nobis fit; sed manuali insuper labore, & experientia propriâ, & attentaverim & compererim plurima; li∣cebit mihi hujus Rei conditionem, &c.

And these are the Reasons why you should highly Accept of it, as well as they were to me to make the Choice.

The Second Tractate (collected from various reading, and not without some experience of my own) is an Echo to this, and within it selfe; as on the other hand, to old Pontan's Minerall Fire. I call it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, The Cave of Mitra, and render it Zoroaster's Page  [unnumbered] Cave; because in the Solitarie horror of a huge Cave, the ceremonies of Mitra, that is, of the Sun, were anciently erected by that great Chaldean, and those no doubt of Magical In∣stitute: such as were the Sacra Eleusinia, the Holyes of Ceres Eleusina; concerning which, Eschylus was thought to have spoken too much, and Sophocles has his Scintilla∣tions.

ANd now upon the view of this litle Astro∣magic Trias, & its in auguration to the publick light, I cannot let it passe without its own Aucile, That Scutcheon that it weares from Heaven, that by its Stature it may not be taken for a Parvus Daemon Minorum Gentium. For a Genius of a lower order, or of the lesser Nations. I say therefore, It has in it, the Green Salina; The viriditie of Na∣ture to Mineral Starrs in Our Mercurie, the spinging Emerald, analogous to the Univer∣sall Page  [unnumbered] Spirit. And whosoever reads this book, though indeed but a small volum to that Idea that it is ready to make, shall have no reason to, lament the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉- the losse of those bookes- The Sacred Cōmentaries of the Egyptians, named to us by the Greeks: For by this, in a short time, he may not onely become a learned Initiant; but, by the favour of heaven upon his practice, a perfect Hiero∣phant to the best of Secrets.

Other curious Pieces I have in my eye, for those who are carious, and of a various rea∣ding; those I resolve to draw out as I fit at my Athanar this winter, and send them a∣broad with the same subscription to your ser∣vice.