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CONCERNING THE PHILOSOPHICAL STONE.
and generating things, according to the natural oriter appotia ted by the Most High at the beginning of the wori l. The metalS, thCn,
derive their origin froni the earth, and are specificalty COmpoundedos the four qualities, or the properties of the four elementS their peculiar metallic character is stam ped upon them by the influences of the stars and planeis. So we are informed by Aristolle, in the fourth book of his Meteor. , where he SayS that qui ct silver is the common substance of ali metals. The firstthing in Nature, as we s id bes ore, is the substance Whi Chres reSentS a Particular conglomeration of the Mur elementS, Whicli the Sages cali Mercury, or qui ct silver. But thi Squici Silver i S as 3 et imperfeci, on account of iis grOSS and Carthy Sulphureotis nature, whicli renderes it tOO eaSily CombuStible, and on' account of iis superfluous watery elementS, whi Chliave ali been collected together out of the four elements by the action of the heavenly planeis. This substance is Composed of Ahot SulphureouS earth, and a watery essen Ce, in Such a Way that the Sages have called it imper Ct sulphur.
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Now, since Nature is a vays stri Ving to attain persectiori, andio reach the goal set bes ore her by the Creator os ali things, she is continuatly at work upon the qualities of the Mur elements of eaCh substance ; and So Stirs up and rouses the in vard action os the elements by the accidental heat os the Suia, and by naturalwarnith, that there ariSes a kind of Vapour or Steam in the velias of the earth. This Vapour cannot mal e iis way Out, but is
closed in ; in penetrating through sat, earthy, Oily, and impure
sulphureous substances it attracis to itself more or less os theses reign and external impurities. This is the reason that thereare Seen in it so great a Vari ely of colours bes Ore it attains topiari ty and itS OWn Proper Col OUr. Those minerat and metallic substances whicli contain thelargest proportion Os emcactous sulphureolis and mercurialVapour are the best; and each quali ty of the four elements hasitS own peculiar operation and transmuting influence in such a Conglomeration of Vari Ous SubStanCeS-their action being roused
by the sulphur of the earth and the outward heat of the Sun. Through these agencies the Malter is osten dissolved and coagulated, tili that whicli is pure, or impure, is borne up vard ;and this is the work not os a sew years, but os a great tengili osti me. Nature has to purge aWay the peculiar Characteristi Cs ofali other metalS bes Ore She Cara malae gold ; aS 3 Ou may See by the faci that different kincis of metat are found in the fame metallic Vein. This faci may be eXplained in the following
they are miXed, and uni ted by Coction, with the a resaid SubStan Ce. Is those Sulphureous vaporars are earthy, thi Ck, and impure, and the heat of the Sura, Or their own natural heat, havetoo Suciden and violent an effeci, the substance hardens, with ali iis sulphureolis impurities, bes Ore it Can he purged of itS groSSneSS, and it hecomes more lilce metallic sulphur. I f the qui ct silver is harde neci, the whole mass tal es the form of Some motat,aCCOrding to the influence of the particular planet with whicli itis penetraled. For Nature first combines the Mur elements into Some SubStan Ce or bocly, whicli then receives iis specificProperties through the influence of some planet. Such is the Origin Of COpper, tin, lead, iron, and qui ct silven Eut it is notessentiat that I should here describe at tength the specific
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Is, howeVer, thi S pure qui ct silver floats upward in a pure minerat earth, without any gross alloy, it is hardened into the pure and white sulphur of Nature by being subjected to a very moderate degree of gentie heat, and at lengili assumes the specific form of silver. I ike ali the other metals it may stili bedeveloped into gold, is it remain under the influence of iis natural heat. But is the Same pure, unalloyed qui ct silvor besubjected to a higher degree of natural heat, it is transmuted in to the pure red Sulphur os Nature, and becomes gold without firSt PasSing through the stage of silver. In this forni itre mains, becauSe gold is the highest possibie stage of metallic
There is, then, in alI metal S true mercury, and good Sulphur, in the imperfeci as weli as in the perfeci metals. Eut in the
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method of preparing this Aledicine, by whicli the impersection is remOVed frona imperfeci metales through the mediation os persectinerCury, and the mode of gold and silver is developed in them. I find that the writings of the Sages are ali abolit gold, Silver, and quici silver, Whi Ch, it is sald, must be reduced to thes Orm whicli they wore be re they became metals : that is to
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Silver to Chemicat processes. Neverthel ess, that Whicli 3 oti readin the books of the Sages is most trite; and we shali see in the solio ving pages in Q hat sense it is to be understood, that our ArtiS in gold, Silver, and qui ct silver. Eut it is clear that our Art caninat e no use of qui Cl silver Such as may be obtained frona themetals by means of any kind of artificiat process, Such aS dissolution in aqua sortis, Or amnigamation, Or any Other method Oschemicat purification. I f then, this is not the right Substance, Or Original morCUry, it is clear that it is not to be found in the metat s. For even is yOu meit two, three, Or four metals together, 3 et not One of themcan give the otherS any aid towariis attaining persection, Seeing that itfel f stancis in need of eX ternat at d. Anci even though you
O via persection for the purpose of su CCOuring the other for ithas nothing to spare whicli it might impari to the imperfectaietat. Anci even is the imperfeci metat could assume the virtve and efflaacy of the gold, it could only do so at the eXpense of thegotii itself. In Vatia, thon, Ahali u e seeli in metals the Medicine whicli has power to liberate the perfeci mei Cury Contained in im
Again, we reaci in the bookS of the Sages that qui ct silverand mercury are the original substance of ali metales. These vor is are true in a Certain SenSe. But by many be in ners theyare supposed to mean ordinary qui CkSit Ver. Such an interpretation, hoWCVer, mal es nonsense of the dictum of the Sages. Forordinary qui ct silver is an imperfeci metal, and itself derived frona the original substance of ali metal S. The Sages, in deed, Sayli ille abolit the ori tu of their merCury but that is eXaCtly be-CauSe they use the nn me of mercury, Or Sulphur, for the fit si substance of their persect metal S. Is Common merCUry vero nota metat, there would be no metat correSponcling to the celestialin fluence of the planet Mercury, as gold and sit Ver receive their specific properties frona the influence of the Stin and MOOn. No v as it is one of the metales, the Other metuis Cannot be derived si omit, much less caia their properties be derived frona ii or si omthenaseives, although the real persect mercury is qui te as abundant
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Again, the Sages amrm that qui ct Silver, or mercu , is the spirit of the specific nature of metais, collected out os the Murelements by the influen Ce of the Planeis, and the Operation Os Nature in the earth and that frona it is developed ei ther gold, Sit Vor, Or Somo Other of SOVen metal S, according to the peculiaremecis of the predo minant planetary influenCO. Hence ignorant alchemisis have supposed that ait this istrue of tho Common qui ct silver, beCause it amalgamates Withali metales, and is sos i and Volatile. But why should iis volatile properties prove it to be no metat 3 According to this definition we might deny the metallic character of tin, lead, and Other metais, beCause they do not remalia fixed in a fierce fire thoughone Can Stand a greater degree of heat than another. I f, again, any substance is to be called the firsi substance of metals because of the facility with whicli it amalgamates With them, COPPerwould have a better Claim to be so regarded, Since it enters into acloser union with gold and Silver than mercii , and shares boththeir fusi bie and malleable nature. But that is no final union, for it admits of separation ; and qui Cl silver may, with thegreatOSt OASe, be separated fro in the metals with whicli it hasam algamaled. A true union of metalS Can Only take place in the Original substance whicli is common to all. Wo do find
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how it may truly be assii med that our Art is concerneri u illi quicksiluer, Silver, and go id, or ut illi qui Cl sit Ver and sulphur, and in
So long as it is palpabie and visibi e it is also called hody :when subjected to external co id it is congealed into a fi Xed hody anci then these three, bocly, SOul, and Spirit, are One thing, and contain the properties of ali the four elements. That oui vard part whicli is moisi and coid is Called mater, or qui ct Silver Onaccount of iis in ard heat it is calleci ais: is without it appear holand dry it is sire, or sulphur ; and on account of iis internalcoldness it is also styled ea M. In this way qui Cl silver and Sulphur are the original substance of ali metals ; biit, of Course, I donot mean that the substance is prepared by mi Xing Commonsulphur anci qui Ct Silver. The sulphur and qui ct silver of the Sages are One and the fame thing, whicli is first of the nature os qui CkSilVer, Or moisi and watery, and is then, by Constant COCtion, transmuted in to the nature Os sulphur, which may most justly bedescribed as dry and igneOUS.