A New Light of Alchymie Taken out of the Fountaine of...

But that you may in brief understand the reason of our purpose in this 8th. book, you must know, that we doe not purpose to treat here of the Elements of all Naturall things, seeing wee have sufficiently discoursed of those Arcana in the Archidoxis of the separation of Naturall things: whereby every one of them is apart, and distinctly separated, and divided materially, and substantially, viz. seeing that two, three, or foure, or more things are mixed into one body, and yet there is seen but one matter. Where it often falls out, that the corporeall matter of that thing cannot bee known by any, or signified by any expresse name, untill there bee a separation made. Then sometimes two, three, four, five or more things come forth out of one matter: as is manifest by daily experience, in the Art of Alchymie.

As for example, you have an Electrum, which of it selfe is no Metall, but yet it hides all Metalls in one Metall. That if it be anatomized by the industry of Alchymie, and separated: all the seven Metalls, viz. Gold, Silver, Copper, Tinne, Lead, Iron, and Quicksilver come out of it, and that pure, and perfect.

But that you may understand what Separation is, note, that it is nothing else then the severing of one thing from another, whether of two, three, four, or more things mixed together: I say a separation of the three Principles, as of Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, and the extraction of pure out of the impure, or the pure, excellent spirit, and quintessence, from a grosse, and elementary body; and the preparation of two, three, four, or more out of one: or the dissolution, and setting at liberty things that are bound, and compact, which are of a contrary nature, acting one against the other, untill they destroy one the other.

Now the separation of the Microcosme begins at his death. For in death the two bodies of Man are separated the one from the other, viz. his Celestial and Terrestial body; i.e. Sacramental, and Elementary: one of which ascends on high like an Eagle; the other falls downward to the earth like lead.

After this separation is made, then after the death of the Man three substances, viz. Body, Soule, and Spirit are divided the one from the other, every one going to its own place, viz. its own fountaine, from whence it had its originall, viz. the body to the Earth, to the first matter of the Elements: the soul into the first matter of Sacraments, and lastly, the spirit into the first matter of the Airy Chaos.

What now hath been spoken of the separation of the Macrocosme, the same also may bee understood in the greater world which the great Ocean hath divided into three parts, Three parts of the World.so that the universall world is severed into three parts, viz. Europe, Asia, and Africa, which separation is a certain representation of three Principles, which can be separated from any Terrene, or Elementary thing. These three Principles are Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, of which three the world was made, and composed.

By vertue of this separation many things come forth out of one matter, as you see out of Mineralls come forth, The drosse of Metalls, Glasse, Sand, Piipitis, Marcasite, Granatus, Cobaltum, Talke, Cachinna, Zinetum, Bisemutum, Antimony, Litharge, Sulphur, Vitriall, Verdegrease, Chrysocolla, the Azure Stone, Auripigmentum, Arsenicke, Realgar, Cinnabar, Clay of Iron, Spathus, Gyphus, Ocree, and many more like to these, as also the Waters, Oyles, Resines, Calxes, Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, &c.

Moreover, hee must bee a skilfull, and well practised Alchymist, that hee may know what is combustible, and what not; what is fixt, and what not; what wil flow, and what not; and what things are more ponderous one then another: also he must be experienced in the naturall colour, smell, acidity, harshnesse, sowrenesse, bitternesse, sweetnesse, the degree, complexion, and quality of every thing.