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MY beloved Son, I here before opened unto thee the Truth, without leaving any thing needful to be known of the Composition of the Elixirs, the which is the beginning and entrance into the Great Stone of the Philosophers; and this Stone doth con∣vert all Metals unperfect, into perfect Metals of Sol, of twenty four Caracks fine; the Metal be∣ing melted that you will transform: and then
cast upon him his Leaven, that is, Gold, when that your Stone is made in the red work, and that Gold must be cemented as aforesaid in the other Book, and augmented in colour; that is, if you will melt a hundred ounces of unperfect Metal, then cast upon it Ferment or Leaven, which is Gold; stir it well together, and put no more but one ounce of Gold to the Mass of Metal; and then being well molten, and incor∣porated together, cast no more but the quantity of a Pease or Fitch of the red Stone upon it: so shall you see, that this Stone shall turn this Mass of Metal, or hundred ounces, into the finest Gold that may be in the World, of twenty four caracts fine, and shall pass all the proofs that men can do upon it, for better then that that doth come out of the Mines. And you shall understand that our Elixirs that we have before mentioned, are not come to their full perfecti∣on, but it is the beginning of the white and red stone of the Philosophers: but if you will make it perfect, as hereafter I shall learn you, the white shall transform all Metals into Silver, like as of the red is declared; that is to say, when you have melten the Metal that you will transform, then you must cast into it one ounce of fine Capel Luna, that you have made deaf of sound, and heavy of weight, as it is before de∣clared in the other Book; and when you have well mingled them together with a stick, then cast in to the greatness of a Pease of your white Stone, and you shall finde it transformed into very fine Luna, better then any that comes out
of the Earth: and if in case you did cast one ounce of your white Stone or of your red upon a hundred ounces of unperfect Metals; so shall that be transformed into the Elixir or Medi∣cine, wherewith you may tran••form all unper∣fect Metals into perfect Luna or Sol, after the beginning of your work: for your white doth engender nothing but Luna, andyour red no∣thing but Sol, and his projection one upon a thousand: that is to say, if you will melt a thou∣sand ounces of unperfect Metals, you need put to it no more then one ounce of this same last Medicine, and it shall set it over into perfect Luna or Sol, better then any that comes out of the Earth, to pass all proofs and examinations that may be done upon it. And herein now fol∣lowing, I will learn thee the composition of both these Stones to the red and white: and I will first begin with the red, and then with the white, which is called Lunaris.
THou shalt take (my beloved Son) the red E∣lixir here before written, and set it in pu∣trefaction the time of forty dayes; so that your fire be alwayes of one heat, and not hotter one time then another, night and day: and the same must be done in Balneo Mariae: this time being
ended, you shall finde your Elixir to be dis∣solved into cleer Water, if that you have kept the fire all the time of one heat: and your Elixir being dissolved into cleer Water, then shall you dissolve therein Mercury that is sublimed, as I will learn thee hereafter; and dissolve therein as much of the sublimed Mercury, as the Elixir doth weigh: and see well hereto, that the Spirits fly not out as neer as you can: then shake it soft∣ly between your hands, without opening the Glass; and take heed that your Glass break not through the force of the Spirits; and lute the mouth of the Glass fast with Lutement that is strong, that it may endure the warmth of Bal∣neum, without opening: the which I will learn thee hereafter in a Chapter a part; and when the Lutement is very dry, then set the Glass in Balneo, to putrefie the time of forty dayes, as aforesaid, holding the fire of one heat continually the time of forty dayes and nights as aforesaid. The forty dayes being ended, look if all be dissolved; if it be not, let it stand longer till it be dissolved; and being all dissolved, let the Balneum cool: and in any case, see you take it not out hot, lest your Glass break: then take it our, and dry your Glass, and set it upon Ashes to congeal, and make your Ashes no hotter then you can suffer your finger to thrust it down to the bottom; and let it so stand the time of twelve dayes, without taking any thing out of it; but let it remain alwayes in that Glass wherein it was putrefied: and see well to it, that the Lutement be not broken in any place; if it be, lure it well again, that the Spirits
flie not out: and the twelve hours being ended, it ought to be congealed, if your fire be well governed; if it be not, let it stand longer, till it be congealed: and when it is congealed, then is the Stone fully made, and perfectly ended, and it is the riches of the whole world. God grant that you may obtain it, and give unto Almighty God a good reckning of the health of thy Soul, &c.
My Son, thou shalt understand that Mercury is called a Fountain, and the first matter of all Metals, as in Truth it is, and therefore cannot be done any great Transmutation, without Mer∣cury be joyned therewith: there may be made small Augmentations and Transmutations, like as we have spoken before in our Elixir; but they cannot do any high projection, for they do but one upon seven: but when Mercury is put thereto, and so perfectly made, it doth projection in infini∣tum, as here before is written: whereby it doth appear, that the Mercury is, as aforesaid, the be∣ginning & off-spring of all Metals. And therefore, my Son, we take the Elixir, and mingle therewith our purified Mercury, and conjoyn these toge∣ther with our purified Salt, which is our Sperm: so be they so fast bound together, that now, nor never, can they be parted asunder, for they do claspe and inclose together, so friendly as doth the Body and the Soul, if so be ye do it as we have written it. And when these three, to say, Sol, that is, Ferment, with the Salt and the Mercury, be joyned together, then do they make perfect all things they be cast upon, not onely it doth take away the sickness of the Me∣tal
and doth heal it; but it heals all Incon∣veniencies of mens Bodies; as one grain of this Stone, being drunk with Wine, being made hot, and then the party to go to a warm bed, and to sweat, which shall be incontinent, like as though he did lie in Water, and in three dayes he shall be made whole of what sickness soever be have. Therefore, he may think him∣self happy in this world, that hath gotten him this Treasure, and well can keep it secret, and use it godly to the help of the poor; for they be not all Masters, that do advance themselves in this Science to do many things: for many are cal∣led, but few are chosen.
There be many that busie themselves in this Science, but very few that do bring it to a right end: for it may be that it is not God's will: but thou, my Son, have thou no doubt, so long as thou followest these Precepts that I have left thee written in this Treatise, and continue thy self alwayes in labour and exercise, and thou shalt soon come to a perfect end of it, if it please Almighty God: for I have written thee in this Science, the right Treatise and Truth, as I have wrought it with my own hands, and brought it to a perfect end, as many people do know it in this City of Paris, although I have alwayes kept it from thee till now: that have I done for cer∣tain causes that I will not open. Therefore comfort thy self, and be patient, and think not thy labour long; for by diligent labour thou shalt come to the end sooner: with studying and reading there can come none of the knowledge
of this Science; but onely by labour: the study doth give a man how to work, and how he shall follow Nature in his working: for the end and profit of this Science, is the handy-work: for a Cobler cannot set a piece on his shooe with reading, but he must put his hands to it, and labour to bring it to a perfect end.
MY beloved Son, take one pound of Mer∣cury, one pond of Roman Vitriol, and break the Vitriol to powder; and then take one pound of common Salt that is two times dis∣solved and distilled by Filter, and vapoured and calcined as aforesaid is learned; and then break them to powder in a stone-Morter: occupy no Iron or Metal in this work; for if you shall, it will mar it: and when that your Mercury is mingled with the other water, with continual stirring, that you see the Mercury no more, but that he is wholly lost in the other substance, then shall you make moist with red-wine-vinegar, but not too much; and dry it then by the fire, or by the Sun; then put the same in a Glass to sublime, that is well luted beneath, and set it on warm ashes, and so long let your Glass remain open: and when you see the mouth of your Glass to look white in the sublimation, or
that your Mercury begin to flie up, then take a linen cloath filled with Cotten-wool, and therewith you shall stop the hole above, as surely as you can; but your Glass must be somewhat high, that the clout with the Cotten that is in the mouth of the Glass do not burn, for then you shall consume your stopple: and then the Glass is well stopped: so augment your fire a lit∣tle two hours long: and then four hours greater; and at the last so great as your Glass will bear without melting; and so hold your fire in that degree four hours long: then let it cool; and when your Oven and Glass is cooled, then take it out, and break it open, and you shall finde your Mercury above in the Helm as white as Snow; and some part shall lie below upon the Feces, very fair and white: then take it up as clean as you can, both that which is flown up, and that that lies in the bottom on the Feces.
Now to know whether that you have done right or no, take the Mercury so sublimed, and weigh it, and see what is diminished of the first weight: for if it be truely done, it will lack but one ounce in the pound weight; if it want more, it is not well done: for you have made your fire at the first too great, or at the last too small.
And if at the first your fire were too strong, then is there of your Mercury flown away with the moisture, so that the weight comes short: and if at the later end your fire were too great, it may be that your Glass is molten or
crackt with the force of the fire, and then is your sublimation lost: and if at the last your fire were too small, then is there of your Mer∣cury on the Feces, and thereby is your weight diminished.
Thus shall you understand, that I have found it, that there is but one ounce lacking in a pound weight, being rightly sublimed.
Then take fresh powder of Vitriol, &c. and mingle your sublimated Mercury herewith, as you have done before, and sublime it again: and this must you do seven times in all points, as before, or at the first; and in every sublimation after the first, it shall diminish one quarter of an ounce, if you have done it right as aforesaid, and no more: and when it is sublimed in this man∣ner as aforesaid, then it is ready to put into the red Elixir, to make the Philosophers stone therewith.
MY beloved Son, you shall understand, that the Sublimation of Mercury, serving to the white Stone, is done as the other before in the third Chapter: for the red Stone, there is no other difference, but that you must put in the place of Vitriol, Roch-Allom, Saltpeter, and prepared Salt, as aforesaid and written; and do
in all points as in the third Chapter, unto seven times: and then is your Mercury ready and per∣fect to put to your Elixir, to make the white Stone of the Philosophers.
MY beloved Son, you shall take, in the Name of God, your white Elixir, and set it in Balneo to putrefie, the space of fourteen dayes and nights; and in that space, your Elixir shall be dissolved into cleer Water, if that you have governed your fire all the while in like warmth, or else it must stand longer until it be dissolved without Feces: then put of your sub∣limated Mercury thereto, so much as your Elixir doth weigh.
Then take it, and shake it properly between your hands, that your Glass breaks not by the force of the Spirit; and look well to your Glass before you do shake it, that it be well luted or stopped, that the Spirits by no means fly out; for if they do, it will mar your work.
This done, you shall set it well luted with the Lutement I have spoken of in the red Elixir, and set it to putrefie in Balneo forty days, as you have done in the third Elixir or Stone, and in that time it will be dissolved, if that your fire be all that time well governed; for it lieth much in
the government of the fire: and when it is well dissolved, set it to congeal as you had in the red Stone, & it shall be congealed in twelve days into the white Stone of the Philosophers: the which will transmute all imperfect bodies into perfect Luna, to pass all proofs and examinations; and it shall be better and more finer Luna, then any that comes out of the Mines.
NOw to make the Lutement, so often spoken of before, that shall not untemper in the moisture and warmth of Water, and also another Lutement that shall keep your Glasses from breaking in the fire; for it must hold against the heat of the fire; and in the first place you shall take the white of Eggs so much as you shall need, and beat them till they be all thin as water; then let it through a spunge with your hand, till that it be cleer as Fountain-water: of this same take as much as shall be needful to temper the powders hereafter; take the Flower or the Meal that hang∣eth or sticketh about the walls of the Mill or Backhouse, commonly called in places beyond the Seas, Stuff-Meal, eleven ounces, Bol-Armo∣niack one quarter of an ounce, Sanguis Dragonis an half quarter of an ounce, white hard Cheese, the parings being done off, one ounce; break all these into powder, and searse them finely
through a Sieve of Hair, & temper them with the whites of Eggs, and therewithal lute your Glasses with Linen-clouts dipped in this Lutement, in form of a plaister, & so bound about the helm and mouth of your Glasses, & let it dry by it self. This Lutement doth serve to lute the Helms upon the distilling-Pots; and also to lute the Glasses that you do putrefie in, and dissolve; & also to congeal.
And now to the other Lutement spoken of before, that doth serve to lute your Glasses, to defend them from great heat of fire, that they shall not break nor melt; for then were your work lost: you shall take to this Lutement good fat Pot-earth, whereof the Potter doth make his Pots, and mix with it a little Sanguis Dra∣gonis, Bol-Armoniack, as much as the half of the Earth of the Potter doth come unto; and un∣sleked Lime as much as half the Potters Earth; make all these into fine powder apart by them∣selves, and then temper them all together with whites of Eggs well beaten; & the blood of Oxen alike much, or if you cannot get Ox-blood, you may take Sheeps-blood; then take Linen-clouts, and scrape off the Lint, till you have as much as the Bol-Armoniack doth weigh, and then mingle them, and temper them all together, and beat them with a piece of board, till that it be as soft as fine Paste or dough; and with this Lutement, you shall lute your sublimations under that part that standeth in the fire; and also your Glasses wherein you distil your strong Waters; for it will defend them from melting and break∣ing; and use it to all things that you do occupy
in great fire: for you cannot have a better then this, to defend you Glasses against the force of the fire. Now I have written you enough of the Lutements: and in this Chapter I will write in brief a part of Philosophy as well moral as na∣tural.
MY Son, I have given thee to understand in this Book, and declared all the Philoso∣phy, as well to the red as to the white, so right and simple as possibly I may: for if I could have left to thee any briefer, I would not: for if that I should, thou couldst never have understood it: and therefore I have thought it good to shew it thee in plain Words and Reasons, to declare the same, to make thee perfectly to understand to make this work, that thou shouldst impute no fault to me, if that thou shouldst not come to the right knowledge of this Science; but the fault should be in thy self, and in no man else: for I have written it in right and plain Words and Reasons: but take heed that thou be not as many men be, that do think themselves Masters of all Sciences, when that they never saw the Door wherein the Science was learned: but I would have thee use thy self to reading and stu∣dying of this Book, and print all these Reasons in thy heart, and then thou maist go to work with
a good and glad courage, and God will bless thy proceeding, if thou wilt serve him and pray to him, as it is thy duty to do; and also thou must have a diligent care to keep God's Command∣ments: for as I have often said, with bodily pains taking, and diligent labour, both of thy body and minde, thou shalt bring this Stone to a perfect end: for the Philosophers have hidden this Science, and have written it very darkly, and have coloured it over with many parables & dark sentences, that it is almost impossible to come to the understanding of them, without great instructions of others, Masters of this Science, or else through the great gift of God. Therefore I have written this Book, that thou maist learn the Words and Reasons that I do leave after me, to the end, that thou shalt not fall into any error, but to come to the right end of this Science.
My Son, thou shalt understand, that there be many Books (written by the Philosophers) re∣maining after their deaths; of the which they have written the Truth, but in a very dark sense; here in one word, there in another: the which have brought divers men unto great errors, thinking they did understand the meaning very well, when they were furthest from it. Therefore, my beloved Son, through the great love I have to thee, I have thought it good to open this Sci∣ence unto thee, that thou mayst take heed of the dark sayings of the Philosophers, & that thou do exercise thy self in this Book: for if thou do ob∣serve these my precepts, you shall not come to
any error. But I desire thee upon the salvation of thy Soul, that thou do not forget the poor; and in any case to look well to thy self, that thou do not disclose the secrets of this Science to any covetous worldly man; for if thou do, it will turn to thy hurt: for I have declared to thee, as I trust to be saved, upon my Salvation, the thing that my eyes have seen, and my hands have wrought, and my fingers have pulled forth:
and I have written this Book with my own hand, and set to my name, as I did lie on my death in the yeer 1432. May 7th.
Johannes Strangunere.
MAke a great many plates of new Lead of the quantity of Groats, as thin as a peny; and hang them on a thred, or small Wyre, and fill a Body of Glass full of them, and fasten the Thred above the mouth of the Vessel: set there∣on a Head, and lute it fast and surely, and put thereto a Receptory, and put it in a Furnace with as easie a heat, that you may alwayes suffer your hand under the bottom thereof, and water shall distil every day from it, fait and cleer as Rose∣water: and at the last, the said Plates will wax soft,
as they were mire, and fall down to the bot∣tom: and then take the Glass, set it in Balneo or Fimo Equino, until the mire be dissolved into black Pitch Liquor: then put it into your Philo∣sophers Vessel, and mix it, and continue it in easie fire, that it may by Circulation become a dry earth as black as a Raven, which afterwards shall wax as white as Snow; the which is the white Elixir; the which you shall take from the Feces that lie there-under: for as Philosophers say, Totum quod subtile est ascendit sursum in vase, quod spissum manet in fundo.
Then put the white in a Fixatory luted up, and continue it with more Fire or heat, till it be first gray, and after that citrine as a yellow Flower; and finally, purple-red, the which is the great Elixir that fixeth all Amalgems into Medicine, which altereth all Bodies into Sol and Luna.
UNderstand, That out of Lead comes the Stone called Lapis Philosophorum: and therefore, when he is throughly made, he doth projection as well in a mans body as without, of all diseases that come to man, as upon Me∣tals; and in many vegetable Books, is no greater secret then this is: for we finde not in
Gold a like perfection as we finde in Lead: for Lead is in his inner part Sol; and therefore do all Philosophers agree: for he lacketh nothing else, but that his superfluity be taken away from him, and that is his uncleanness: therefore make him clean, and turn his inward part out, and that is his crudeness; and then is he Sol: for vulgar Sol cannot be so lightly as Lead; for Lead will quick∣ly be dissolved and congealed, and he suffers his Mercury quickly to be drawn from him; & that Mercury which is drawn from him, if it be well clarified and sublimed, as the use is to sublime Mercury; I tell you, That that Mercury is as good as the Mercury drawn from the Sun in all manner of works, and it is better in our work then the Mercury of Sol. Also, if you should take Mer∣cury out of Sol, you should be constrained to o∣pen the body of Sol for the space of one whole yeer, before the said Mercury of a body could be drawn or come out of Le••d: you may draw out this Mercury in fourteen dayes, and it is as good as the other: and if you should come to make a work of Sol, alwayes you must be two yeers about it, to do it well; but of Lead you may perfect it in thirty or two and thirty weeks at the most, and then be fully ended; the one is as good as the other, and Lead costs little or nothing, and is a shorter work, and is less la∣bor, and of one goodness, and is truth: therefore print this in thy heart, and serve God. The same Lead is called of the Philosophers Sol, whereof they had the name until this day, and have kept it secret: for if the thing were known, many
would work it, and the thing would be com∣mon: for the work is short, and easie, and little of value; and therefore was it kept secret, that the name might be known, lest it might have come to the hands of wicked men, and so much harm might have come thereby, and this holy Science which God hath given to those that love and serve him, should to wicked persons be a means of greater wickedness. As concerning the Lead of Sol and Luna, they have set three Glasses, and all is Lead, but there is no need to joyne any strange thing, but that onely which cometh from him; neither is there any man so poor, but that he may be able to compass this work: for you make of the Salt of Lead with little labour Luna, and with a little longer time Sol, and then they may proceed to make the Philosophers Lead. And this is altogether concluded in Lead, as much as is necessary for us; for in him is the perfect Mer∣cury, and in him are all the colours in the world, which shall shew it self openly; for in him is the true blackness, whiteness and redness: he is ponderous, and in him is the perfect red and white bodies: look and take example, of all im∣perfect things the eye of man cannot abide or bear, how little soever, though smaller then a mote, yet it will trouble a mans eye terribly: but if you take Lead clean scraped, and made the bigness of a Bean, and put it in your eye, it will neither pain you, or harm you at all; and that is, because its uttermost is not perfect like Sol or other pretious Stones, that come out of Paradise, running in the stream: and in like manner Sol,
that in him is, you may well perceive by the si∣militude and many other more, That Lead is our Philosophers Mercury, our Laton: for out of it is drawn in short time, our Mercury, and our Philo∣sophers Mercury, that is, our golden Mercury, with little labor, little cunning, and little charge. And therefore I charge you, and all of you, that know his name, to keep his name secret: for if men knew it, much mischief and trouble would be done. And therefore you shall know our Lead by its hidden name, and you shall know that the water wherein our Lead shall be washed vinegar. This is the Philosophers Stone whereof all the Philosophers have written many dark Books, but there are divers and many works in the Mineral Lead.