CHAPTER XXI.

Concerning Metals free by Nature, Perfect and Imperfect ; and
FIRST concerning SaTURN, OR LeAD.
Saturn has obtained a body the blackest and densest of all (though white, yellow, and red inhere therein), Mercury a similar one, and Salt one
* A^ in the generation of marcasites, so in cachimiae. The superfluity Is ejected from the prime principles. Some times mercury, sometimes sulphur, sometimes salt, will predominate, and that which predominates forms a mineral^ In marcasites sulphur and mercury prevail, as two very light things which first fly away, then coagulate, and become very heavy. After the superfluity more completely departs", there is more salt and less of the other principles, though they are not altogether absent. Thus originate cachimis, tabulated and fissile, out of the nature of salt, which in sulphur and such mercury is of this property. It has all colours, white and red, receiving them from sulphur and mercury as one or the other predominates. But cachimia is more fixed and solid than marcasite, by reason of its fixed salt. Colours, also, are fixed in it, so that it may receive no injury from the fi)-e. Thus marcasite is the superfluity abounding in the first matter of metals in Arcs, which is separated by Archeus into Yliadum, whence afterwards are generated about thirty forms of marcasite and cachimis, all of which are, nevertheless, comprehended under two names. The multiplicity of these genera, which are all derived from one matter, is owing to the imequal manner in which the three prime principles are combined. —Ibid.^ c. a.
The Economy of Minerals,
III
above all others fusible. By corruption It is easily reduced to its spirit, to white or yellow cerussa, to minium, and lastly, to g^Iass, like the rest. Tin is made up of white fixed Sulphur and fixed Salt but of Mercury not fixed. And because it is fixed in body, not in Mercury, it easily loses its metallic fusion, the spirit passing" away by the fire ; and when this is absent it is no longer a metal but an evanescent body* Iron and steel are not of the Hque* fiable Sulphur, Salt, and Mercury', contrary to tin and lead. Iron is coagulated into the hardest metal of all, and it marries itself : that is, two metals are found in one, steel the male, and the female iron. These can be separated one from the other, each for its special use. Gold is generated from the very ' purest Sulphur^ perfectly sublimated by Nature, purged from all its dregs and spurious admixtures » and exalted to such a transparency that no metal can corporeally ascend higher. This Sulphur is one part of the primal element, and if Alchemists could have this as something easily discoverable in its tree and root, they wou!d be able with due cause to rejoice ; for it is the true Sulphur of the philosophers out of which gold is made, not that other gold out of which is made iron, copper, etc. This is its universal test. Its Mercur>\ too, is by Nature perfectly separated from all terrestrial and accidental super- fluity, transmuted separately into its mercurial part, and into extreme perspicuity, which Mercury of the Philosphers is the second part of the primal matter of gold, from which gold is generated. Lastly, Salt is the third part of| the primal essence of gold, and of the tree from which gold is to be produced, as roses from rose-seeds — gold which is brought to its supreme crj^stalline brightness, and purified from all the acridity, acerbity, bitterness, darkness, and vitriolic nature of Salt, so that nothing of this kind appertains to it, now that it rejoices in its lucidity and transparency. [
When these three meet together in one, the gold is decocted into a mass, not, however, always of one and the same condition or degree. Nature exhibits thirty-two grains of gold, and these in Art become twenty-four grains in the highest grade of perfection. The cause of this is that the gold is nourished in its tree as a cow in its pastures, or an epicurean in his cook-shop and eating-house. Directly one of these leaves his feeding-place he grows lean, and so is it with gold ; it is diminished by eight degrees. And as some of these feeding-places are occasionally inferior, it happens that the degrees of the gold are deteriorated or diminished too ; so that Nature's sum total of twenty-six is reduced in Art to ten. The accidents, or rather the incidents, of the stars or of the elements sometimes hinder the generation of gold, so that it becomes ruder and less tractable in its nature. But it is especially in- equality in the weights of the three primals which has effect. Too great a portion of Salt renders it too pale. With too much Mercury it grows yellow, and with a too plentiful supply of Sulphur it is rendered red. In Nature, just as much as in the work of man, errors occur by means of these hindrances ; but these can be removed by means of antimony, cements, and quartations. In Sulphur nothing should be looked for but a body, in Salt confirmation, but
1 1 2 The Hernutic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus,
in Merciii*)' all virtue, property, essence, and nnedicine, which do not exist anywhere else as it does therein ; but rather as in a dead body from which the spirit has departed, in which, however, we try to keep some of the elementary powers, as, for instance, the remains of the fire of wine in Acetum, though these are corrosive rather than nutritive or strengthening. Natural objects clearly shew that they are compounded of the four elements ; but beyond that the matter is occult. They are made up only of the three we have spoken about I which possess a magnet common to them all* This, in the decoction oi the preparation, attracts to itself the Irinitj^ of essence- The old philoso- phers called this state esse, because the trinity acquires a condition of unity in which the natural motion reposes and settles the degree. But that magnetic virtue should deservedly be called a fourth esse{nQl element) since it attracts the medicine to the Mercur>' in which It is found. In the ultimate separation, however, the Mercurj' loses most of its weight. All these matters being thus arranged by Nature, the gold grows up to a tree, spreading forth first from the root by the trunk to its branches and twigs, on which flowers are produced (as we see on the earth), and when these fade the fruit is not always found at the extremities of the twigs, but sometimes a hundred paces farther off in the tree, occasionally in its very midst, or some degrees towards the surface of the earth* It will sometimes happen that nothing but Mercury is produced, when by its superfluity it has suppressed the other ingredients. If, however, the Salts preponderate, their corrosive nature, like so many worms, consumes the flowers of the tree. By the preponderance of Sulphur everything is burnt up, just as on earth by the too great heat of the sun. Copper is produced by the brow^n Sulphur, red Salt, and yellow Mercury decocted into a metal. This contains within itself its masculine element, that is, the scoria ; and if it be again reduced to a metal after separation, it returns to masculine copper, which can no longer be corrupted ; and the female will afford no scoriae at all. On malleation and fusion they differ from each other only as steel and iron, and can be separated in the same way, so that two different metals are thence pro- duced. Silver is composed of white Sulphur, Salt, and Mercury, naturally prepared and fixed to the highest degree of purity and transparency, next after gold, in ashes, not in antimony, or in royal cement, or in quartation. The dif- ference of fixation between gold and silver can easily be learnt by considering that gold is masculine, and has the male virtues ver)^ strongly fixed, while silver, as the female, has them weaken They are of one and the same primal matter, and dilTer as to colour and fixing in no other way than as the male and the female. The metals, then, are seven in number, exclusive of Mercur)% namely gold, silver, tin, lead, iron, steel, and copper. The last contains within itself the male and female, when both are welded for use, and are not separated by Nature, as steel and iron are ; so that they are held as one, and since they possess the same malleability and power of being wrought, they are not com- monly separated, except when this is done chemically for purposes of the Art. It should be remarked, loo, that metals are not always found with their mascu-
The Ecofiomy of Minerals. 1 1 3
line and feminine portions separated by Nature, as is the case with gold, silver, iron, and steel, each by itself. Often the two are found together, as gold and silver in one metal, also steel and iron together, or tin and lead, the one not hindering the other, or being separated one from the other. Sometimes two adulterated metals are found, as gold and silver naturally mixed with others, on account of their subtlety, especially when several of diverse primal nature meet in one body, just as we see on the earth diflferent fruits engrafted on the trunk of one tree.
Conclusion.
. A fitting treatise on the natural generation of metals was absolutely necessary in order that it might be understood what is meant by the regeneration of metals brought about through Alchemical Art. The opinion of all those who philosophise on this Art is that the Artist in this profession ought in all things exactly to imitate Nature. So, then, it was necessary to say and to understand how Nature works in the innermost parts of the earth, and what instruments she employs. Whoever has not understood in this way will be little likely to get at the knowledge by his own unaided endeavours. Let him who investigates this difficult and abstruse matter be not so much the disciple of Art as of Nature.
Here ends the Economy of Minerals.
THE COMPOSITION OF METALS*
T F any one denies that there is great efficaqr in the Composition of ^f etats I so far as relates to supernatural affairs, we will answer him, and hring^ forward so many proofs as shall support our own opinion and force him to subscribe thereto. For if the seven metals were, in just and due order, compounded, mixed together, and united in the fire, you must certainly hold that in one body were conjoined and linked together all the virtues of the seven metals. It has been seen good to call this body electrum. Its efficacj-, power, and operations, moreover, shew themselves to be much greater, even supernaturally so, than exist in a latent form grafted by Nature on metals in their rude condition. In those solid and rude metals are only those powers wherewith God and Nature herself have endowed them. Go1d» indeed, is the noblest of all, the most precious and primar^^ metal, if we rightly consider it; and we are not prepared to deny that leprosy, in all its forms, can be thereby removed from the human frame. Nor are we unaware that exterior ulcers and wounds are ctxred by copper and mercury. The other metals, too, have each their own excellences, and these not by any means to be despised ; but we%\ill pass over these for the moment, since you will hear of them when we come to treat concerning the Life ol the Metals. f But metals cannot be used in medicine without injury, unless they be first comminuted, altered, and, after being deprived of their metallic nature, transmuted into another essence. Vou can hope for little result from them unless the preparation which Alchemy teaches shall have preceded their administration ; that is, if you have not pre* viously reduced them to their arcana, oils, balsams, quintessences, tinctures, calces, salts, crocuses or the like, and then administered them to the patient. Moreover, the supernatural force or effect of the metals, even though it be pre- sent in them, will be of no avail unless you first prepare them according to our method in which we will instruct you. But we greatly desire that our electrum should be compounded, since it can afford great and mar%'ellous results in proportion as it is revealed by practice. If we consented to pass
* A considcmble poitioD of tbu tract belongs more properly to tbe lecUoo concerned «dtb Hermetk Medicine, but U U intcrted nt thU point for the further illustration of the subject of electrum, which is somewhat shortly discussed in the foreKoing treatUe, The work Dr Com^ctitionf Mttathrum \h printed in separate form in the Easle Svo^ hut jt really conttituie« the sixth book of the Arxkid^jtii Ma^um^ && they Are found in the Geneva folio.
t So f;ur as the Archidoxi$ Mtigka: are concerned, this promiic b not fulfilled. Possibly Poracdjius intended to cany his subject further than the seventh book, which is devoted to the sigils of the planets, and has nothing of a cbemioU nature. But possibly, also, a reference Is intended to the first book C^nctrmng th* Nainrt m/ Tkingi.
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over its praises in silence, we should consider that we were doing it an injurj^ : but since its operation and mighty power surpass belief, we deem it necessary to pronounce an culogiiim on its virtues and efficacy. We will defer for the moment any mention of the rude and solid metals, since they admit of no comparison with our electrum* If any appliance used for food or drink be made of this material and diligently w*atched» it will be impossible for any poison or drug to be placed in it, because in our electrum there is so much sympathy towards man through the force, efficacy, and influence of the planets and the stars of Olympus » that for very pity, and as though in difficulty , directly it is taken in hand it betrays the poison by breaking out into a sweat and projecting spots. For this reason our ancestors used to have their drinking-cups, dishesi and other utensils made of the said material* There still remain in our age many necklaces and ornaments, such as rings^ bracelets, remarkable coins, seals, figures, bells, shekels, made out of this, which of old w*ere hidden in the earth. When they were dug up nobody, or very few, under- stood them, and in their ignorance they gilded them over or tinged them with silver. It is just a mark of the ignorance of our age that it cares nothing for such objects as these. But God would not have it that such a mystex*y of Nature and such a great treasure of His ow^n should be hid any longer, but that what had been hidden by the more than Cimmerian darkness of the sophists should now, after a long season, come to light again. We do not assume to exhaust the virtues of our electrum. The ribald genius of the sophists would be hurt ; the crowd o^ fools would be offended, and would receive w^hat we said with idiotic laughter. Over and over again we have been on our guard against scandalising this impious crowd ; so to avoid such a result it will be safest to pass over these matters in silence. Not, however, that we can altogether pass unnoticed certain stupendous effects of our electrum ; since they came under our own eyes we shall be able to speak the more freely concerning them, without any suspicion that we are romancing or making up a story. We have seen rings, for instance, which removed all fear of paralysis or spasm from those who wore them on their fingers. These people, too, never suffered from apoplexy or epilepsy. If an epileptic patient put such a ring on the third finger, even though he be so overcome by the violence of the paroxysm as to be prostrated on the ground, he comes to him- self and gets up-
Here, too, should be added something which we do not give from the report of others, for the same we have seen with our own ^y^s and know by experience. If the abovemcntioned ring be worn on the third finger by a man in whom any ailment is latent and growing, so that it would presently break forth in an eruption, the ring would forthwith give an indication by bursting out in a sweat, and as if seized with a sudden sympathy would put forth spots and become depraved in appearance, as we shall shew more fully in our book entitled *' Sympathy."
I 2
[i6 The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus,
Lastly, since I would not pass over or omit any word in favour of electrum, it is a preservation and an antidote against evil spirits. There is latent m it an operation and a conjunction of planetary influence which make us the more easily believe that the old Magi in Persia and Chaldsea attempted and accomplished much by its aid. If we sought to enumerate all the cases specifically, we should indeed enter upon a marvellous chronicle. Not, however, to g^ive any occasion of olTence or allow persons to make a handle of this* it will suffice to have touched the subject In few words. The Sophists, who are my deadliest enemies, would not hesitate to proclaim me Arch-Necromancer. But I cannot refrain from telling a miracle which I saw in Spain when I was at the house of a certain necromancer. He had a bell weighing, perhaps, two pounds, and by a stroke of this bell he used to summon, and to bring, too, visions of many different spectres and spirits. In the interior of the bell he had engraved certain words and characters, and as soon as the sound and tinkle were heard^ spirits appeared in any form he desired. Moreover, the stroke of this bell was so powerful that he produced in the midst many visions of spirits^ of men, and even of cattle, whatever he wished, and then drove them away again. I saw many instances of this, but what I particuaJarly noticed was that when he was going to do anything new, he renewed and changed the characters and the names. I did not, however, get so far as to induce this man to impart to me the secret and mystery of the names and characters. At length I began to speculate more thoroughly about this circumstance ; and there came Into my mind— ideas which we will pass over in silence here. There was more in that bell than one can put into words; and of this be ver^^ sure, that the material of which it was composed was this electrum of ours. You will therefore have no difficulty in believing that Virgirs bell (Nola) was of such a kind as this. At its stroke all the adulterers and adulteresses in the king's palace were so excited and alarmed that suddenly, as if struck with lightning, they rushed over the bridge into the river. Think not this story a mere fable : the thing really happened. Nor be so dense as to hesitate as to whether such properties can exist. For if, as you know to be the case, a visible man can call another visible man to him by a word, and force him to do what he wants— when a mere word, without the aid of arms, can effect so much, much more can it be that an invisible man can do this, since he commands both the visible and the invisible man, not by the aid of a word, but by the direction of his thought The inferior always obeys the superior, and stands to him in the light of a subject. So, then, you will easily come round to our opinion if you settle it that the interior or invisible man is a kind of constellation or firmament. For he remains latent in the senses and thoughts of the exterior, visible man, and discloses or reveals himself only by imagination. You will concede^ therefore, that there are stars in man and that their constellation is so arranged by the Olympian spirit that the man can be led and changed into quite another man. So, then, I say that
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the same thing occurs with metals, namely, that things may be so constellated by celestial impression as to make the operation and virtue which Nature originally determined, really arise from the good aspect of the higher stars, and thus unfold itself, as is shewn in other books of the Archidoxis Magica,* I will subjoin, if you wish, an illustration. Let any one reduce to an amalgam gold and mercury, making a conjunction of Sol and Mercury, but with a pre- ponderance of SoL Let him mix and blend them, and soon, with little labour, the two metals will become fixed. With these, if you wtlh you can make a tincture on Mercuriusvivm. That, again, can afterwards be increased and aug- mented with other Mercurius vivus under the same constellation* This is, indeed, a great arcanum of Nature, There will be a similar composition and union of gold or silver with mercury without this conjunction. For if gold be placed above mercury, so that the white fume of the mercury touch and penetrate the body of the gold, the gold w*ill be rendered fragile^ and will melt with the greatest ease like w^ax, The process Is the same with silver.
This is the Magnesia of the Philosophers, In the finding of which Thomas of Aquinum and Rupescissa and their disciples, though they worked hard, were unsuccessfu!. And let nobody think it an easy matter so to blend Mercurius vivHS in the fire with harder metals and those of tardier solution— as silver,
* Moreover, it is altogether ccrtAin, and exprn mentally proved, that the mutaiiosu of time bave singuJar foirce and opemnon, and tht* U especially the case when certain mctaU are melted and elaboratttl logelher. Further, no one caa prove thill the metaU are de%'oid of life* Their oili, sutphurst saU*, and quintessences, which arc the best reservative^, ha>* cnontious power In nourkhlng and su^iLunlng human life, and herein altogether surpais in strength all other simpler, asi indeed, 15 entirely the ca&e with all our remedies. How, if they were devoid of \\it^ could they awaken in the diseased and half-dead membei-s and bodies of men a fresh and vital strength^ and at the very oiitwt re^itore ihem 7 ... I therefore boldly assert that Dietali and clones, equally with root;;, hcrbst and fniitSii have a life of their own, with this distinction, however, inasmuch as metaSs are t>f«:{>ared and elaborated according to time* The efBcacy of time i^ welMcnown, but we wit! apeak onty of tho«e things which ore difficult, and not to be grasped by the 5ienses, but, indeed, axe almost contrary to their evidence. Further, even xigns, characters, and lettej^ have their virtues and eificadcs. Now, if the nature and property of the melal, aft also the influence and operation of the heaven and of the sphere of the planets, the sigiufication and fomution of the character^, ^igns, and letterii, together with the observation of the timeft, days, and houra, harmanisie and agree, why should not a sign or seal compoM^I after this manner have ii bcnei^t the liead, another the vision, or a third the veins T And especLallj'^ in the ca»e of thos^e who dislike to take other remedies into the body. Yet none of these results are possible without the air_of the Father of Medicine Himself, JesuA Christ, the one and true Phj'sician. Objectors may say that words or characten^ have no force, since they arc mere signs or figure*, and that none at least can compare in eflicacy with the cro*5. But how is it that the serpent in Ilelvetia, Algovia, or Suavia, undenptand^ the Greek phrase Cj/, Otytt^ Osi , although in none oftheiw countries ii Greek so common that venomous reptiles can acquire it ? How is it that, the moment they hear the wordv they draw in their tails, »top up their ears, and, contrary to their nature, lie motion! a-ss, without doing harm to any man ? . , . By this it ts shewn that characters, words, and si^lu have a recondite and latent force, not in the lex%t opposed to Nature, nor ajoything to do with superstition. It L^ found that these words have th« same eflfect when they are written on paper, and not uttered. So, also, let it not be considered incredible that a man should be cured by medicine, even when he docs not take it internally, but carries it suspended like a seal from his neck. That even in dead things there is a certain force, I prove by the example of the kingfisher, for if, when it is dead, you remove its skin, atki hang it up, you will see that, although it Li dry, it will annually cast its old feathers and produce fresh ones of the same colour- ^AtrA/dijjtn Mag-icfft Lib. h For it h certain that in the very signs themselves of the planets, if they are harmonised and carried about in the required mar.ncr, according to a favourable hour and time, as regards their course, there reside great force and virtue. For none can deny that the superior stars and inllucncea of hcas-en ha^e very great weight in transient and mortal aifairs. If the superior stars and planets are able to control, rule, and sway according to their will the animal man, although he be made according to the image of God, and be endowed with life and reason, how much more ought threy to rule an inferior thing, th»t is to say. metals, stones, and images, upon which they^ impress themselves, or which ihey to occupy, with all their virtue and efficac>', after the manner of aJi influence, as though they were subataniially present, even as they arc in the firmament T It i* possible to man himself to bring these into a certain medium, wherein ihey may efiTectually operate, whether this medium be a metal, a stone, or an image. But this is most important of all : 10 know that the seven planets have greater force in nothing than they possess in their proper metals. —y^j'#^, UK VII
1 1 8 The Hertnetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus.
copper, gold, iron, and steel — that they may quickly liquefy. Many tinctures and Elyxeria {sc) of metals are prepared thus for transmuting metals, as will be more copiously described in other books on Metallic Transmutations.*
The same is the case with common mercury, which with its fume penetrates all other metals, and, as it were, breaks through them, calcines them, and dis- poses them to its own nature, Metals will coagulate this by their fume. We assert that the most extreme heat resides in Mercury, and that it cannot be co- agulated except by extreme cold, which is seen to exhale copiously irom metals in the fire. Nothing aflfects metals in the fire save what is of extreme cold and unable to bear the vehemence of the fire. Such a metal is arsenic, which being liquefied ascends as a spirit from metals while they are in a state of flux.
Moreover, do not lose sight of the fact that Mercury is a metallic spirit, and that every spirit is more powerful than a body. So is it w^ith Mercury in reference to the other metals* Just as it is easy for a spirit to penetrate walls, so it is not difficult for Mercur}^ to penetrate metals.
How many are the wonderful operations and effects of Mercurj^ on the metals ! We cannot detail them all. But shall w-e send you away empty to some other source? We know from experiment that if Afercuru/s vivas be sublimated from some one of the metals which'has been several times calcined, and if then the calcinated metal which remains at the bottom be again reduced to its metal, it is melted in the fire as easily as lead, though it were gold, silver, copper, iron, or steel, even if it be only applied to the flame of a candle like so much wax ; or as snow and ice melt before the sun. Afterwards by digestion for a certain time it can be changed into Mercury. We have mentioned this
• The fourth Tliook of ihc AtxhtdeisU Mag^iar U eaUiled, Cifitceming tht Traiumtttatiam »f Atttalt and tJuir Time* It \% litenJIy a* follows :— If you se«k to chiuige gold into silvett or any given metal into any other metzJ. have regard to the following tahulation. Nor is it of small moment so that yo« may be able to arrive at the end of your ptLrpO!se more quickly and thoroughly. Scheme op the TiSANSMUTATtON ok MerAL&— To utuismute Sol tfito Luna, Venus, Man. Jupiter, Saturn» or Mercury, begin with Luna occupying the sixth grade of Cancer^, Taurus, Arieif Pisces, Aquarius, or Virgo, as the ca^ may be^, and alwa^'s in the hour of that planet into which you i»ish to convert gold or any of the other mctal^K, namely, Luna, Venu4, Mars Jupiter, Sotum, Mercury. To tnuumute Saturn into SoJ, Luna, Mai^, Vcnu*, Jupiter, or Mercury, begin with Luna occupying the twentieth grade of Lea, ScoqJto, Canoer, Taurus, Places, or Virgo, as the case may be, in the hour of Sol, Luna, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, or Mercury, according to the metal into which you would convert Saturn- To transmute Mercury into Sol, Luna, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn, begin with the Moon in the first grade of t*eo, Virgo, Cancer, Taurus, Pisces, or Aquarius, as the case may be, In the hour of Sol, Luna, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn, according to the metal uito which you would convert Met* curjf. To transmute Luna into Sol, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, or Mercury, begin with tbc Moon in the twelfth grade of Leo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittariu.^, Aries, or Gemini, as the case may be„ hnd in the hour of Sol, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, SaUira, or Mercury, according to the metal into which you would convert Lunnu To iran^mnte Venus into Sol, Luna, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, or Mercury, begin with the Mcjon in the nindi grade of Leo, Cancer, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisce*, or Sagittarius, as th*^ case may be, and in the hour of Sol, Luna^ Mars, Jupitnr, Saturn, or Mercury, according to the metzd into which you would convert Venus. To convert Mars into Sol, Luna, Venus, Jupiter. Saturn, or Mercury, begin with the Moon in the eighty-first grade of Leo, Cancer, Taurus, Sagittarius, Scoq>io, or Virgo, as llie case may be, and in the hour of Sol, Luna, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, or Mercury, according to the metal into which you would convert KCars. To tran.sjnule Jupicer into Sol, Luna, Venus, Mars, Saturn, or Mercury^ begin with the Moon in the third grade of Leo, Cancer, Libra, Virgo, Aquarius, or Pieces, as the case may be, and in the hour of Sol, Luna, Venus, Mars, Saturn, or Mercury, according to the metal into which you would convert Jupiter. For example : If you wish to change gold into silver, make a beginning in the hour of the Moon, wlicn the Moon occupies the sixth grade of Cancer. And so, likewise, understand the rest of this scheme for the conversion of metals* For all terrestrial alTairs, occupations, and matters of butioe^, are most conveniently and happily executed in harmony with the motions of the heavens and the planets. For all men, by the dispensations of Almighty God, arc ruled and led by the power and operation of the Urmament, both as to health and disease. So is it necessary before fiJl things to have regard to this operation in the healing art Simples very frequently push forth their virtues according to a certain rule of time.
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fact in our book on the Resuscitation of Natural Things. This is the Mercury of the PhiloLSophers. In this way you will prepare the Mercury of Gold, of Luna» of Venus, of Mars, of Jupiter, and of Saturn. AUhough in their books Arnold, Aristotle, and other philosophers boast about this, yet I am well assured that it was never prepared or seen by them. It will now be for you to keep this great secret and mystery of Nature, and to take care that it does not fall into the hands of my adversaries ; since it would be an indignity for them to get to know it. A pearl or a precious stone will not please a goose, because the goose does not know its price and value. It w^ould infinitely prefer a turnip. We may fitly say the same of the sophists. It is no injustice to conceal secret mysteries from them* Let us not seem to cast pearls before swine or give that which is holy to dogSi since God sternly forbids us so to do.
But let us proceed to the practical work of our electnim, as we promised at the outset. We would have it prepared, compounded, and conjoined according to the revolution of the heaven and the conjunctions of the planets. We will proceed in this way. First, you must diligently observe the conjunction of Saturn and Mercury ; and, before this occurs, have ready the appliances you require. These are, fire, a cauldron, lead cut up into minute pieces, and Mercurius vivus^ Take care that nothing be wanting which the work in hand requires, or for lack of which the action may be hindered or retarded. Then when the conjunction is just going to take place, let the lead be melted in the fire, and be .not quite hot when it shall have fused, lest the Mercury which you pour in escape, or, if the heat be too great, pass oflf in smoke. Let this be done at the very moment of conjunction. Take out suddenly the cauldron with the liquid lead J pour in the Mercury, and afterwards let them both be coagulated.
Then there will be need of attention when the conjunction of Jupiter with Mercury or Saturn is about to take place, so that you may not be ignorant of the time or pass it by. Let everything you will want be ready to hand as I before admonished you. You must take care, before the actual moment of conjunction, to melt in one vessel fine English tin, and in the other lead with Mercury. At the moment of conjunction move the metals from the fire, slackening the heat a little, and pour al! into one crucible* When they have coagulated into one body you will have three metals softer and more easily melting over the fire. When they are united let it not escape your notice that in the very first place these are to be dissolved and conjoined. Then notice when there is a con- junction of any of the other four planets — Sol, Luna, Venus, or Mars — with one of the three former, Saturn, Mercur\% or Jupiter, Have all instruments and materials ready. Let them be dissolved singly first ; then when liquefied pour them into one at the very point of conjunction, and keep them. In a like way proceed with other metals which are to be joined and copulated with the former, until you have reduced and united all the seven according to the due conjunctions of the planets. So will you have prepared our electrum, concerning which enough has now been said.
CONCERNING THE NATURE OF THINGS.
BOOK THE FIRST.
Concerning the Generation of Natural Things.
THE generation of all natural things is twofold* : one which takes place by Nature without Art, the other which is brought about by Art, that is to say, by Alchemy, though, generally, it might be said that all things are generated from the earth by the help of putrefaction. For putrefaction is the highest grade, and the first initiative to generation. But putrefaction originates .from a moist heat. For a constant moist heat produces putrefaction and transmutes all natural things from their first form and essence, as well as their force and efficacy, into something else. For as putrefaction in the bowels transmutes and reduces all foods into dung, so, also, without the belly, putrefaction in glass transmutes all things from one form to another, from one essence to another, from one colour to another, from one odour to another, from one virtue to another, from one force to another, from one set of properties to another, and, in a word, from one quality to another. For it is known and proved by daily experience that many good things which are healthful and a medicine, become, after their putrefaction, bad, unwholesome, and mere poison. So, on the other hand, many things are bad, unwholesome, poisonous, and hurtful, which after their putrefaction become good, lose all their evil effect, and make notable medicines. For putrefaction brings forth great effects, as we have a good example in the sacred gospel, where Christ says, ** Unless a grain of wheat be cast forth into a field and putrefy, it cannot bear fruit a hundred fold.'* Hence it may be known that many things are multiplied by putrefaction so that they produce excellent fruit. For putrefaction is the change and death of all things, and the destruction of the first essence of all natural objects, from whence there issues forth for us regeneration and a new birth ten thousand times better than before.
Since, then, putrefaction is the first step and commencement of generation, it is in the highest degree necessary that we should thoroughly
* There is another aspect in which generation is also twofold, as, for example, that of wood and other things takes place naturally out of seed. But the worms which destroy wood are the product of a monstrous sperrn. Hence there are two generations - natural and monstrous. -Every sperm in living things has within it another sperm which is mon* strous, and can promote its likeness. There Is also a monstrous Par. IV.
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understand this process. But there are many kinds of putrefaction » and one produces its generation better than another, one more quickly than another. We have also said that what is moist and warm constitutes the first grade and the beginning of putrefaction, which procreates all things as a hen procreates her ^gg^- Wherefore by and in putrefaction everything becomes mucilaginous phlegm and living matter, whatever it eventually turns out to be. You see an example in eggs, wherein is mucilaginous moisture, which by continuous heat put re lies and is quickened into the living chicken, not only by the heat which comes from the hen, but by any similar heat. For by such a degree of heat e^gs can be brought to maturity in glass, and by the heat of ashes, so that they become living birds. Any man, too, can bring the Qgg to maturity under his own arm and procreate the chicken as well as the hen. And here something more is to be noticed. If the living bird be burned to dust and ashes in a sealed cucurbite with the third degree of fire, and then, still shut up, be putrefied with the highest degree of putrefaction in a venter equin us so as to become a mucilaginous phlegm, then that phlegm can again be brought to maturity, and so, renovated and restored, can become a living bird, provided the phlegm be once more enclosed in its jar or receptacle. This is to revive the dead by regeneration and clan6cation, which is indeed a great and profound miracle of Nature. By this process all birds can be killed and again made to live, to be renovated and restored* This is the very greatest and highest miracle and mystery of God, which God has disclosed to mortal man. For you must know that in this way men can be generated without natural father and mother j that is to say; not in the natural way from the woman, but by the art and industry of a skilled Spag)Tist a man can be born and grow, as will hereafter be described.
It is also possible to Nature that men should be born from animals, and this result has natural causes, but still it cannot be produced without heresy and impiety. If a man have connection with an animal, and that animal, like a woman, receives the seed of the man with appetite and lust into its womb, and shuts it up there, then the seed necessarily putrefies, and, through the continuous heat of the body, a man, and not an animal, is born from it. For always, whatever seed is sown, such a fruit is produced from it. If this were not so it would be against the light of Nature and contrary^ to philosophy. Whatever the seed is, such is the herb which springs from it. From the seed of an onion an onion springs up, not a rose, a nut, or a lettuce. So, too, from corn comes corn ; from barley, barley ; from oats, oats. Thus it is, too, with all other fruits which have seeds and are sown.
In like manner, it is possible, and not contrary to Nature, that from a woman and a man an irrational animal should be born. Neither on this account should the same judgment be passed on a w^oman as on a man, that is, she should not on this account be deemed heretical, as if she had acted contrary to Nature ; but the result must be assigned to imagination. Imagin- ation is very frequently the cause of this : and the imagination of a pregnant
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woman is so active that in conceiving seed into her body she can transmute the fcBtus in different ways : since her interior stars are so strongly directed to the fcetus that they produce impression and influence. Wherefore an infant in the mother's womb is, during its formation, as much in the hand and under the %vill of the mother as clay in the hand of the potter, who from it forms and makes what he likes and whatever pleases him. So the pregnant mother forms the fruit in her own body according to her imagination, and as her stars are. Thus it often happens that from the seed of a man are begotten cattle or other horrible monsters, as the imagination of the mother was strongly directed towards the embrj^o.*
But as you have already heard that many and various things are gener- ated and quickened out of putrefaction, so you should know that from dilTerent herbs, by a process of putrefaction, animals are produced, as those who have experience of such matters are aware. Here, too, you should learn that such animals as are produced in and by putrefaction do all of them contain some poison and are venomous ; but one contains far more and more potent virus than another, and one is in one form, another in another, as you see in the case of serpents, toads, frogs, basilisks, spiders, bees, ants, and many worms» such as canker-worms, in locusts, and other creatures, all of which are pro- duced out of putrefaction. For many monsters are produced amongst animals. There are those monsters, too, which are not produced by putrefaction, but are made by art in the glass, as has been said, since they often appear in very wonder- ful form and horrible aspect ; frequently, for instance, with many heads, many feet, or many tails, and o^ diverse colours j sometimes worms with fishes' tails or birds* wings, and other unwonted shapes, the like of which one had never before seen. It is not, therefore, only animals which have no parents, or are born from parents unlike themselves, that are called monsters, but those which are produced in other ways. Thus you see with regard to the basilisk, which is a monster above all others, and than which none is to be more dreaded, since a man can be killed by the very sight and appearance of it, for It pos- sesses a poison more virulent than all others, with which nothing else in the world can be compared. This poison, by some unknown means, it carries in
* Here, as elsewhere throughout his writingSi, Paracelsus lay^ «pecidl stress on the power cxerd>i«d by the itnagin- alion.— It is necessary that you should know what can be accomplUhed by a strong imaginalion. It i» the pdnciplc of all magical action.—/?* P*st*^ Lib. L The imagination of man is an expulsive virtue- ~-/^V Pnte^ s. v. Addiinmrnta %H Lib. L The imagination dwelling in the brain is the moon of the microcosm*—/?/ Fesfiiitatt^ Tract !!.» c. a, D* PyromaHiku Ptti*, AU our sufTering^* all our vices are notlting els,e than imaginatioru , . . And this im- agination is such thai It penetrates and asccntJs into the 5U|>erior heaven^ and pa.sj.cs from iitar to star. This same heaven il overcome*^ and mtxieratcs. . , » Whatsoever there ii in us of immodcmte and inhuniant all ihat is an imaginAttvc nature, which can impress ilsel Ton heaven, and, this done, heaven has, on the other hand, the power of reftuxliiig that imprecision. — Dt Puti^ Addifamruta in Lib. L, ProL So, also, a strong imagwation is the f^ource of both good and evil fortune.— Z>r Ptstt^ Lib. IL, c s. Any strong appetite^, desire^ or incliimUon nourished by the
ijtiagination of a pregnant woman can be and is ohtn impressed upon the fu^tuii. It is alito possible for such a woman, by pcTsis-temly thinking upon a wise and great man, such as Plato or Aristotte ; an illustrious soldier, such as Julius CsBfiar or Dajrbajpofisa ; a great musician, Itkc HofThammer ; or a paintert tike Durcr ; so to work upon the plastic ten* dencicsof her oHi^pring, that it will exliibit .similar qualiiiei. But there must be something also in the mother wlttch shall correspond to ihe special talents which she has imagined-— Z?# Oriiine M9rb0ruM Invhibiiinm^ Lib. IIL Imagination can distort and deform the fostos, and in this manner many wonders ar« produced, when there are no physical peculiarities In the parent. -'/^fVi^
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Its eyes, and it is a poison that acts on the imagination, not altogether unlike a menstruous woman, who aliso carries poison in her eyes, in such a way that from her very glance the mirror becomes spotted and stained. So, too, if she looks at a wound or a sore, she affects it in a similar way, and prevents its cure* By her breath, too, as well as by her look, she affects many objects, ren- dering them corrupted and weak, and also by her touch* You see that if she handles wine during her monthly courses it soon turns and becomes thick* Vinegar which she handles perishes and becomes useless. Generous wine loses its potency. In like manner, amber, civet, musk, and other strongly smelling substances being carried and handled by such a woman lose their odoun Gold, corals, and many gems are deprived of their colour, just as the mirrors are affected In this way* But — to return to my proposal of writing about the basilisk — how it carries its poison in its eye. You must know that it gets that power and that poison from unclean women, as has been said above. For the basilisk is produced and grows from the chief impurity of a woman, namely, from the menstrual blood. So, too, from the blood of the semen ; if it be placed in a glass receptacle and allowed to putrefy in horse dung, from that putrefaction a basilisk is produced* But who would be so bold and daring as to wish to produce it, even to take it and at once kill it, unless he had first clothed and protected himself with mirrors ? I would persuade no one to do so, and wish to advise everj* one to be cautious* But, to go on with our treatise about monsters, know that monstous growths amongst animals, which are pro- duced by other methods than propagation from those like themselves, rarely live long, especially near or amongst other animals, since by their engrafted nature, and by the divine arrangement, all monsters are hateful to animals duly begotten from their own likeness. So, too, monstrous human growths seldom Il%^e long. The more wonderful and worthy of regard they are, the sooner death comes upon them ; so much so that scarcely any one of them exceeds the third day in the presence of human beings, unless it be at once carried into a secret place and segregated from all men. It should be known, forsooth, that God abhors monsters of this kind. They displease Him, and none of them can be saved when they do not bear the likeness of God, 0\m^ can only conjecture that they are shapen by the Devil, and born for the service of the Devi! rather than of God ; since from no monster was any good work ever derived, but, on the contrary, evil and sin, and all kinds of diabolical craft. For as the executioner marks his sons when he cuts off their ears, gouges out their eyes, brands their cheeks, cuts off their fingers, hands, or head, so the Devil, too, marks his own sons, through the imagination of the mother, which they derh^e from her evil desires, lusts, and thoughts in conception. All men, therefore, should be avoided who have more or less than the usual numbers of any member, or have any member duplicated- For that is a presage of the Devil, and a certain sign of hidden wickedness and craft,*
• A special IrcAtiwe on tbk subject and cugnatc matters is found diewhere in tlie Geneva folio- It is, briefly,, aa foJJtnrs. There iltc many monsters in the «ca which are not products of the original crciLtion, but are born frotn the
1 24 The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus,
But neither must we by any means forget the generation of homunculi. For there is some truth in this thing, although for a long time it was held in a most occult manner and with secrecy, while there was no little doubt and question among some of the old Philosophers, whether it was possible to Nature and Art, that a man should be begotten without the female body and the natural womb, I answer hereto, that this is in no way opposed to Spagyric Art and to Nature, nay, that it is perfectly possible. In order to accomplish It, you must proceed thus. Let the semen of a man putrefy by itself in a sealed cucurbite with the highest putrefaction of the venter eqttinus for forty days, or until it begins at last to live, move, and be agitated, which can easily be seen. After this time it will be in some degree like a human being, but, nevertheless, transparent and without body. If now, after this, it be every day nourished and fed cautiously and prudently with the arcanum of human bloody and kept for forty weeks in the perpetual and equal heat of a venter equinits, it becomes, thenceforth a true and living infant, having all the members of a child that is born from a woman, but much smaller. This we call a homunculus ; and it should be afterwards educated with the greatest care and zeal, until it grows up and begins to display intelligence. Now, this is one of the greatest secrets which God has revealed to mortal and fallible man. It is a miracle and marvel of God, an arcanum above all arcana, and deserves to be kept secret until the last
sperm of fUhes of unlike spedes coming togetlier contrary to tbc genuine order of Nature- Thus mon^ten are some- times found in the sea exhibiting the form of miin, which yet have not been generated ex SMi^fmr'a from men, hut ci4ru>e by the conjunction of diverse fishes. . . * Even among metj moasters are someiimes, found that remind its portly of a human being, and partly of an animal. This is a repellent subject, but re(|uire» to be fully explmued, that the (ir^t birth may be the tipprr parts arc thoM of a woman and the lower those of a fish* This docs not form part of the original creation, but it a Hybrid oJTspting from ibt union of two fishes of the same kind, hut of difiercnt forois. Other marine animals are also found, which, without corresponding exactly to man. yet resemble him more than any other Aninuih However, like the rest of the brutes, they lack mind or souh They have the Aairte Teblions to man Vks the ape» and are nothing but the apes of the sea. As ofien as they unite, marine moa&ier^ of i\\\s kind are produced. Another such monstrous generation li the monachus or monk-like fish. But there are many genera of fishe 'Ts result from the sperm familiar or customary to them, hut happen in various other %^'nys. For example, certain monsters ore drowned in the sea, and are devoured by the fishes. Now, if a spcnut constituted in exaltation, were to perish by immentOG, and, having liieen consumed by a fi?-h, were again exalted within it, a certain operation would undoubtedly follow ftiQcn the nature of the fish and the sperm, whence it may be gathered that the majonty of cnarine animals which recall the human form are in this manner produced. Vett having the ruiture of a fish, they live in the waters and rejoice therein. The marine dog, the marine spider, and the marine man are of this class. If they are generated in any other way^ It most be set down to Aodomia. But there may be a third causey namely, when spermatica ofthi^s kind acquire diges- tion, and by reason of this conjunction a birth ukes pbce. . . . Monsters are likewise generated in the air, from the droppings of the stars from above. For a sperm falls from the stars. The winds nho in their counM^s bring many strange things from other regions to which they arc indigenous. The sperm of spiders, toads, and other creatutne!^ floating in the air are resolved, and hence other living things are produced. In this way grasshoppers and other monsters are begot* ten, their generation being of one only and not of two. Such births are more venomous and impure than are other worm^ There fore* houses ovight to be scrupulously cleaned, or else so constructed as not to fa%'Our the accumulation of much filtb. For the air is efficadous ag;Eutut seeds dispersed in this manner. The earth Is, however, the most fruitful matrix of monstrous growths. Tl>ere the animals both of land and sea congregate. The basilUk is generated from the sperm of a toad and a cock- The sperm of the cock uniting with that of the hen produces an egg. Bui if the cock emit his sperm without the hen doing likewise, the egg witl be imperfect, and something will lie generated unn&tumJIy, There is another kind of basilisk, produced by die union, itfaetnidcf., of a cock and a toad. After the same maJineTt lizards unite with geckoes, and the copulation produces a peculiar worm, partaking of the nature of each, and known as a_ dragon. The asp is another instance of this unuatuml generation. . . « From all that has been set down we may leom thai whoever lives for his body alone U a basilisk, a dragon, and an asp, not, indeed, generated as yet, but meim- while moving alive until he dies. You can now understand tlie ftbomlnalJe manner wherein unnatural monsicr^ are generated. For if a man live* in sperm, his very sperms turn into worms, and remain worms, and in the day of the resurrection shall they be buried in the deepest parts of the earth, over which shall walk tho?ie who have riseru — Dt AmmalfSttt mattM tje S&damhw.
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timeSi when there shall be nothing hidden, but all things shall be made manifest. fAnd although up to this time it has not been known to men, it was, neverthe- less, known to the wood-sprites and nymphs and giants long ago^ because they themselves w^ere sprung from this source ; since from such homunculi when they come to manhood are produced giants, pigmies, and other marvellous people, who are the instruments of great things, who get great victories over their enemies, and know all secret and hidden niatters*j^ As by Art they reacquire their life, by Art acquire their body, flesh, bones and blood, and are I born by Art, therefore Art is incorporated in them and born with them, and I there is no need for them to learn, but others are compelled to learn from them, since they are sprung from Art and live by it, as a rose or a flower in a garden, and are called the children of the w*ood-sprites and the nymphs, because in their ^irtue they are not like men, but like spirits.
Here, too, it would be necessary to speak about the generation of metals, but since we have written sufficiently of these in our book on The Generation of Metals, we will treat the matter very briefly here; and only in a short space point out what we there omitted. KnoWi then, that all the seven metals are born from a threefold matter, namely, Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, but with distinct and peculiar colourings. In this way, Hermes truly said that aJt the seven metals were made and compounded of three substances, and in like manner also tinctures and the Philosophers* Stone. These three substances he names Spirit, Soul, and Body» But he did not point out how this was to be understood, or what he meant by it, though possibly he might also have known the three principles, but he makes no mention of them. I do not therefore say that he was in error, but that he was silent. Now% in order that these three dis- tinct substances may be rightly understood, namely, spirit, soul, and body, it should be known that they signify nothing else than the three principles, Mercur>', Sulphur, and Salt, from which all the seven metals are generated. For Mercur}* is the spirit, Sulphur is the soul, and Salt is the body. The metal between the spirit and the body, concerning %vhich Hermes speaks, is the soul, which indeed is Sulphur. It unites those two contraries, the body and the spirit, and changes them into one essence. But it must not be understood that from any Mercury, and any Sulphur, and any Salt, these seven metals can be generated, or, in like manner, the Tincture or the Philosophers' Stone by the Art and the industry of the Alchemist in the fire ; but all these seven metals must be generated in the mountains by the Archeus of the earth, t The
* Elsewhere Pxiracclsus state:^ that infants a}« bom from S)iphx^ and dwarfs from plgtnles. Of these monsters are producetl, ASt for example, nymphs ."md syrens. Albck these o.re rare, they have appeared with Mifficient frequency, and in such a ntarr-elloa^ manncTt that there can be no doubt of their existence. - D^ Ny»*^kit, f^f/^miis^ Saiatftatuirts^ tie. With regard to the generation of homunculi there b al^o the following passage r— Borro hoc etiam .sciendittn e^t, sodom* itas hujusomodi sperma quandoquc etiam in o& eja£tiLari« Quod si in «tomachum tanquoni in matricem redpiatur, ex ipso ibi monstrum, aui homunculu^, aut simile aliud geDeratur, ac inde morbi multi, iique diJSciles surgunt, taxndiv ssyientes, donee generatumexcernatur. — /)^ Homttmnlu
t As a sure and fundaroentaJ conclusion to those things which have been advanced, let it be notJ^«tj to tho^e who desire to be acquainted with the true essence and origin of metals^ that our metals are nothing else than the most poteiit iU)d beat p«tl of comtnoa ttocia-^tbe spirit, glt(t«n, greasef butter^ oil, and fatnos of staDCSf whicb« while still combined
1 26 The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus,
alchemist will more easily transmute metals than gfenerate or make them. Nevertheless^ live Mercurj^ is the mother of all the seven metals, and desei^^es to be called the Mother of Metals. For it is an open metal and, as it were, contains in itself all the colours which it renders up from itself in the fire ; and so also, in an occult manner, it contains in itself all metals w^hich without fire it does not yield up from itself. But the regeneration and renovation of metals takes place thus : As man can return to the womb of his mother, that is, to the earth from which the first man sprang-, and thus can be born again anew at the last day, so also all metals can return to quick mercury, can be- come Mercury, and be regenerated and clarified by fire, if they remain for forty weeks in perpetual heat» like a child in its mother's womb. Now^ they are born, however, not as common metals, but as metals w^hich tinge ; for if, as has been said, Luna is regenerated, It will afterwards tinge all metals to Luna. So gold tinges other metals to Sol, and in like manner it must be understood of all other metals. Now, when Hermes said that the soul was the on!y medium which joins the spirit to the body, he had no inadequate con- ception of the truth. And since Sulphur is that soul, and, like fire, it hastens on and prepares all things, it can also link together the spirit and the body, incorporate and unite them, so that a most noble body shall be produced. Yet it is not common combustible sulphur which is to be esteemed the soul of metals ; but thai soul is another combustible and corruptible body. It cannot, therefore, be burnt wnth any fire, since it is itself entirely fire, and, in truth, it is nothing but the Quintessence of Sulphur, which is extracted by the spirit of wine from Reverberated Sulphur, and is ruby coloured and clear as the ruby itself. This is indeed a mighty and excellent arcanum for transmuting white metals, and for coagulating quick mercury into fixed and approved gold. Hold this in commendation as a treasure for making you rich ; and you should be contented with this secret alone m the transmutation of metals. Con- cerning the generation of minerals and semi-metals, no more need be known than we stated at the beginning concerning the metals, namely, that they are produced, in like manner, from those three principles, Mercurj', Sulphur, and Salt, though notj like the metals, from these principles in their perfection, but from the more imperfect and weaker Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, yet still with their distinct colours.
The generation of gems takes place by, and flows out from, the subtlety of the earth, from the clear and crj^stalline Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, also
in the ttone, are not good, not pure, not clean, and are altogetber wanting in perfect Lon. For this reaston they ajre lo be sought, found, and known in atones, and thencCt also, mtist be separated and extracted by pounding and liquefaction. When this has been effected ihcy are no longer itones, but prepared and complete metaK agreelnfi; with the celestial Stan I which stoneSt indeed, are secreted from the terrciitnal stars. Furthermore, if anyone desire to invcstiEate and to know mineraU arid metals, he should clearly realLse that they are not alwajii lo be sought in the common and familiaj- minerar, nor in the depths of mountains, because they are very often found more easily, and in greater abundisnce, upon the surface of the earth than in its IjoweU. For this rea^sn, any stone that may oflTer Itself to the eye, Mhethcr great or small, rock or ilint» should be diligently examined as to its property and nature, for very often a small fijul despised pebble tSi of greater value than a cow. So, also, there is common dust and sand which are abounding in Sol and \,VkX\7^—Chirurgia. Min^r^ Dt C^ntracthriA^ Tract 11. , tanctniio*
Concerning the Nature of Things. 127
according to their own distinct colours.* The generation of common stones is from the subtlety of water, by the mucilaginous Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt. For all stones are produced by the mucilage of w^ater, as also pebbles and sand are coagulated from the same source into stones, t This is patent to the eyes : for every stone placed in water soon draws the mucilage to itself. If, now, that mucilaginous matter be taken from such stones and coagulated in a cucurbite, a stone will be produced of the same kind as would of itself be produced and coagulated in the water, but after a long period of time.
* The generation of gems in Ares occurs after this manner : When the gross genera of stones have heen all extracted out of Ares, a certain subtlety remains, more diaphanoas in its nature than are other stones, and out of this the Archeus subsequently procreates gems after such a manner that hardness and very great transparency are first prepared. Hence the gems are afterwards developed, each according to its own form and essence. Very great subtlety and artifice are employed over this generation. — Dt EUmento Aqutt^ Tract IV., c la
t The body of every kind of stone is sulphur, as that of metals is mercury. The hardness is from salt, and the density from mercury.— /^f
CONCERNING THE NATURE OF THINGS.