Fundamenta chymica: or, A sure guide into the high and rare mysteries of alchymie; L.C. Philmedico Chymicus.

CHAP. 1. That the Spirit of the World assumes Body; and how it is incorporated.

WE have I hope sufficiently e••¦plicated in the former Boo•• ••hat all things were not o••¦ly produced; but also made corpor••

by the universal Spirit. We now come to declare what kinde of Body this Spi∣rit assumes, and how it self both is, and makes all things corporeal: for that must needs be corporeal which makes all other things such, seeing nothing can give what it self hath not. Let us therefore see with what, and how it is vested with a Body: not that we will here dispute of the incorporation of ce∣lestial and supernatural beings, but onely of Physical and Sublunary Gene∣rations, and of the body of the Earth, which is the sole vessel and true matrix, where the prime and most general Incorporator of things, is it self incor∣porated.

I say then, That no body can be made without a precedent Mover, that may diduce potency to act: that which exists not in save potency, may be produced into light, and according to Natures intent, reach its final term; which is, to make that a body which it would produce. Now this mover can be no other then fire or heat, which moves it self first in the Air; for all Generati∣ons begin there, because fire is the most

active Element, and consequently mo•• subtile and light: whence it is mor•• prompt for motion.

Fire therefore, whose propriety i•• through its levity to ascend, and mak•• unknown things visible, doth requ••¦sitely receive the beginning of its mot••¦on and action from inferiour Bodies that is, from the centre of the Earth where, as we said before, the ol•• Demogorgon, and Progenitor of al•• things, inhabits; sitting there in hi•• Throne, and midst of his Empire: tha•• thence he may govern, command, pre¦serve, and divide the essence of Life t•• all the parts of that great Spherical Bo¦dy expanded about him; and that h•• may more easily and from equal di¦stance, receive from every Member wha•• he wants. The root of Fire is im¦planted in the fruitful bowels of thi•• old Parent: which thence emits a va∣porous breath, which Hermes calls th•• humid Nature: for vapour is the prim•• and next action of fire; with which it is so conjoyned, that it cannot be imagine•• without it.

But some may say, If vapour come

from fire, how can it be moist, seeing fire is hot and dry? whence acquires it this contrary quality? And here we finde nothing absurd, if we do but con∣sider, That fire cannot live and subsist without moisture, which is its aliment, support and subject; without which, fire cannot be conceived: for being by Nature active, and its action indefati∣gable, it must needs have something to act upon, and never be destitute of this thing.

Fire then, and co-essential moisture, are like Male and Female in all Gene∣rations, and are the first Parents of cor∣porification of the Spirit of the World; as hereafter we shall make appear. But Fire is the first Operator, because a∣ction precedes passion, though the Pa∣tient be inseparably co-existent with the Agent; as the old Stoick Zenon asserts, who thought that the substance of Fire was by Air turned into Water, and there conserved, as the general Sperm, and first universal matter, whence all things were first generated. Thales Milesius, whom the Greeks surnamed the wise, perceiving the matter patient,

said, That Water was the first matter: which Heraclitus attributed to the Sea: and Moses, more illuminated then both, saith, That before the heaven and earth were created, the Spirit of the Lord moved on the face of the waters: calling Fire, because of its noble and pure essence, The Spirit of God. In saying therefore, That Fire is the first princi∣ple of beings, I transgress not the limits of Reason and Verity: for it is without doubt, the first Operator, and the last Destroyer and Changer of forms, whose cause it is, even till it hath brought them to their period and first matter, beyond which there is no progress, but onely a transformation, as I shall by and by de∣clare, by comparison with visible and familiar beings: the first active potency, which begins to operate in the produ∣ction of man, is the agitation or motion of heat: which imitating the action of fire (whose Nature is chiefly separative) draws Sperm from the whole Body (wherein Man's seed is potentially in∣cluded) and cocts and digests it: there∣by rendring it apt for expulsion, and afterwards for Generation and Aug∣mentation;

which Generation and Augmentation is alwayes helped by Fire, which is the sole Actor: so that if it should attain the end of its exal∣tation, being inflamed by the Sulphur of Excrements, and impurity of Ali∣ments, it would absume the radical Moisture, which is the Seat and Pre∣server of Life: which done, the fire remits not of its power and action, till by resolution and corruption, it brings the Body to Ashes; which nothing can do but fire.

But that we may make this more pal∣pable, and finde out the first matter by the knowledge of the last, let us impose a Body on a common Fire: and we shall see, that what is inflammable in it, will be totally consumed, and redacted to a few Ashes; which Ashes also will par∣ticipate of a fiery Nature; and for their last subject and matter, turn into a certain Salt, whose sole Parent and Mul∣tiplier, Fire must needs be. And though these should be further turned, yet Salt would alwayes be left, in whose inter∣nals we may finde Fire, which is de∣lighted with its like.

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

And by this means, Alchymists finde, that there is something in Salt that is incombustible, or secret Elementary Fire, which hath the same actions with primitive Fire: upon which account they call it the Balsam of the Body, because it contains that that gives life; as also, that conserves and augments it; which is nothing else but a moist vapour, accom∣panied with moderate heat. Johannes Fontanus in his Philosophical Narrati∣ons, (En son Romant Philosophi{que}.) shews, That he was not ignorant of this Se∣cret, where he brings in Nature speaking thus:

Aucuns disent que feu n'engendre De son naturel fors que cendre: Mais leur reverence sauvee Nature est dans le feu autee: Et si prover, je le vou loye Le sel a Tesmoing je prendoye.

Some dare t' affirm, that fire can generate Nothing but ashes; but those seem to relate The truth thereof, who say, that in fires brest All Natures operations are imprest. And if hereof a proof you do require, Salt gives you proof enough what is in fire.

And that it participates of moisture, is plain enough from its easie resoluti∣on; as also its fulness of heat is de∣monstrable, from its ready congelation: from which we may observe, That Fire acts, and is united with Fire; as in li∣quefaction Air acts, and is joyned with Air: for how in one subject could the dry imbibe the moist, if there were no innate heat, seeing driness, as it pro∣ceeds from heat, doth naturally imbibe moisture?

And hence we may easily understand, That the Demogorgon or central Fire, cannot be destitute of moisture on which it may act, and thence elevate a vapour mixed of two qualities, which I call, The Spirit of the World; but many Philosophers Mercury of Mer∣ries, because all other proceed from this naturally: but this elevated vapour is not yet a Body, but a mean betwixt a Body and a Spirit, participating of both Natures; which, whilst it remains in that state, can generate nothing. It is therefore necessary, That it either as∣sume or form a Body, which it thus

doth: This subtile vapour, proceeding from dry and moist principles, when it is elevated, penetrates the spungyness of the Earth, wherein it is gradually turned into Mercurial Water by the occurse of the ambient Air, and of the Earth it self; whose surface is far distant from its Centre, where the Fire resides, whence this heat arises. After the like manner, as we see in an Alem∣bick, where the vapour or Spirit to be distilled, runs out. But this vapour and its water, partaking of two prin∣ciples, heat and moisture, it is ingrossed; and by moderate and continued cocti∣on, condensed. The principal cause and mean of which action, is innate Fire, which contains this very vapour; and by its continual action, stimulates and compels it to imbibe this moisture, and to coagulate this Water: not in all parts with a like solidity and hardness, nor yet altogether; but first with a mu∣cilaginous and different solidity. Now that which Nature assayes to do in the information of Idea's, is, to begin their induration and solidity, which must ne∣cessarily hold on in Natures way, which

is a progress from one extream to ano∣ther, by intermediate disposition. And Nature thus continuing its digestion, this Mucilage stays, of whose grosser matter Metals are generated in the veins of the Earth, or cavities of Rocks; which differ not in substance, being produced by one and the same seed, but onely in accidents, which they take from the diversities of the places and matrixes where they are generated. But the more subtile part of this vapour, ascends to the surface of the Earth, where it stays by compulsion; and being in conti∣nual agitation, though it can neither re∣grede nor ascend higher, and finding no solid matter to carry it with it, it is compelled to continue Natures inten∣tion; and therefore serves for the Ge∣neration and Corporification of indivi∣duals. But that what I have said may be better understood, let us take some one individual, and let us see how it is produced: for this will ascertain us, that the Spirit of the World assumes a Body, and shew us how it is incorporated. An Acorn may be long enough set or sown in the Earth, and consume without ger∣mination,

unless some Agent be neer it, that may deduce its occult potency na∣turally within it, into act. And whence can any one imagine this action to pro∣ceed, unless from the central Fire issuing out of Demogorgon's brest? Which Fire attracted and fomented by the Solar Rayes, will redouble its force, vertue, and efficacy. Does not then this ger∣mination derive its original from Na∣tures Fire; which elevating and mul∣tiplying its vapour, excites the in∣nate heat of the Acorn, which is of its own side resolved into a vapour by the mediation of Air? and this raised vapour is nourished and augmented by the first vapour, which never ceases to act on the matter of the Acorn, till it have brought it to the period of that perfection to which Nature destined it, which is, to make it an Oak: which, when it hath acquired its perfect mag∣nitude, begins, not indeed to die, but to decline, and gradually to return to its first form, even to the Earth; where the same vapour is not idle or deficient: for of the putritude of this Tree, certain Animals, called Horse-lice, with abun∣dance

of Worms, are thereby gene∣rated; yea, when the Oak is turned into perfect Earth, it causes a new vege∣tation.

But if any should say, That the Acorn is augmented and multiplied to this magnitude, he erres: for it is manifest, That in this germination, the Acorn remains whole without diminution; yea, separates it self from the Tree when it is germinated. The Oak then grows not from the augmentation and multi∣plication of the Acorn; neither is it from addition and abstraction from the adjacent Earth: for then so much of the Earth would be exhausted, as the Trees magnitude is: it must therefore necessari∣ly proceed from some other way & mat∣ter, seeing by these wayes it cannot. This Spirit then, or Vapour, which is ordained for no other end, is that which is in∣corporated, and produces this indivi∣dual, from which the creation, augmen∣tation, and preservation of all things, proceed; and not from the Mass of the Earth, which is nothing but the Excre∣ment of the spirituous and primaeve mat∣ter, as it appears by the digestion of the

stomach, which rejects Excrements in the same weight and quantity almost that it assumed Meat in, when never∣theless, it hath extracted its proper nutriment from it, which is onely the Spirit included in that Mass; which by its siccity, makes it self a Body; and by its humidity, dilates and augments it self.