CHAPTER III.

Concerning the Spirit or Tincture of Sol. Let us now come to the spirits of the planets, or of the metals. The spirit or tincture of Sol took its beginning from a pure, subtle, and perfect fire,
* That fire, tbeOf b mamifoicl which b varied according to the divenlty of the subject wlit»^to it Dow«, and by means whereof it is aftcrwaunds kindled in other &ubjeci:s, oa th« fire of Ashe^, sand, th« bath, filings, etc., lias a medi- ated heat flowing from an immediate source into the subject-matter of the instrument, oiul from hence tnto the matter iitulcrlying the Art> In that manifold fire there is a dtfTcrence of position* This h, for the reason that nothing in the riatarc of things can be: seen which is In all respects like to any other thing, though boih come under the same species, nay« though both may be members in ihe same imlividuaU One metal produces gold from that which generates silver ; another brings forth the metal of Saturn, of Venu^ or of Man. Each OfW Of these is varied according to the diffetence of the place whence it proceeded and was created. No two men, no two members of the same body, no two leavcft of the satne tree, are found exactly alike : and so of the rtsx. B'u>imilarity proceeds not from the jfimt fire of created things, but from the di£fcrijig rule over the elements by means of the planets, and not by ijie sun. Ever)' moment, by iixl* dispoaitton of things, the heat in the elemcntiti ^ivHca, and at the same time the form of decompoAed things from their compounds^ though not from the dimples. Where the ifiiAturc of the dements is not *u grtat» there is generated Sol ; where it is a little greater, and, Ics* pure, is generated Luna ; from that which U still more imperfect, Venus ; and &o of the rest, according to the mixture of the dements, the mineral of each metal is not like another, nor do the spirits of them in all respects agree one with the other. If they were generated from the simple fire aloue, with* but the interventioo of the manifold, no distinction of forms could occur either in metals or in any other created thitig»« Why there are in use no more than se^-en metals, of whicli six are solid and the seventh fluid and thin, is explained in adept pbilc»iophy but not in Alchemy.— />* Tratummtttiiffhi^HS MtitUifirum^ c, 3, But this statement concerning the seventh Huidic metal seems to be at variance with other teaching of Paracelsus, to which a congeries that has been subrtect to editing must naturally defer.
76 The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus.
for which reason it far surpasses all the other spirits and tinctures of the metals* It remains constantly and fixed in the fire, nor does it fly therefrom, nor is consumed by it, but rather by its ag^ency it becomes clearer, purer, and more beautiful. Nothing either hot or cold can injure it, or any other accident, as they can injure the other spirits or tinctures oi metals, and for this reason : that the body which it once assumes it defends from all accidents and diseases, and enables it to sustain the fire without injur}^ This body has not such power and virtue in itself; but derives it from the spirit afone which is shut up within it. For we know with reg'ard to the body of Mercun' that it cannot sustain or endure the hre, but flies from it ; but when in Sol it does not fly ofl' but remains hxed and constant, this affords a most certain proof that it receives such a constancy from the spirit or tincture of SoL* If, therefore, this spirit can be in Mercury, any one can infer that it would have some similar effect in the bodies of men when it is received thereiii. \n our Chirurgia Magna we have said concerning the tincture oi So! that it will not only restore and preserve from weaknesses one who uses it, but also conserve him for a long and healthy life.t In like manner^ the strength and virtue of other metals may be known from true experience, not from the w^isdom of men and of the world, which is foolishness with God, and with His trutli ; and all who build and rest their hope on that wisdom are miserably deceived,