A Discovrse of Fire and Salt Discovering Many Secret...

Which Macrobius also toucheth in his second of Saturnals, 12. chap. The first day of March the Vestals lighted a new fire on the Altar of the Goddesse; that by the renewing of the year, they should renew in themselves their care of keeping it from going out. Saint Augustine in his third Book of the City of God, 18 ch. In what reputation (saith he) this sacred fire was at Rome, men may know by this, that when the City was a fire, the grand Pontifex Metellus, for fear that this strange fire should not mingle with the other, put himselfe in danger to be consumed by the flames, to make it retire. So that there is nothing more conformable to the tenth of Leviticus. That if these poor blind people, which took the Symbols and Mysteries of Religion but superficially, and from the bark, as do also the Jewes, from whom they borrowed all their important Traditions, had known that which was covered and prefigured thereunder, what accompt is there to beleeve that they made thereof? Some do alledge that this sacred fire of the Vestals, was illuminated by means of fusil, bruising two pieces of wood one against another, or in piercing them with a borrier as Festus would have it, and Simplicius upon the third Book of Heaven, according to Aristotle. Plinie in the 16. Book, 4. chap. Men rub two woods one against another, from whence fire is forced; which is received in by a bait made of dryed leaves and put in powder, or in the match of the touchwood of a tree.

But there is nothing, which doth better conduce thereunto, then Ivy beaten or bruised with Laurell; the same is of late more practiced by the Savages of the West Indies, as Gonzale d’Ovidiedo in his natural History of those quarters, lib. 6. cap. 5. binding (saith he) two dry slicks hard one against another, and putting betwixt their juncture the point of a rod well rounded, which they rub thick and thin betwixt the hands, so long till the fire by rubbing, and the rarefaction of the air that followes them may lighten them. Of this new relightning, to shew us, that we must renew and be borne again to a better and more praisable life, not farre different from the Ceremonies of the Christian Church, when on the Eves of Easter, and Whitsontide, at the Benediction of Springs and Fountains, they make a new great wax Taper, wherewith all the other luminaries are set on fire.

Touching Moses fire, it was first sent from Heaven, and lasted to the construction of Solomons Temple, which was again renewed from Heaven; and maintained to King Manasses his time, when the Jewes were carryed captives into Babylon, which the Levites kept in the bottome of a Well, where it was found again at their return 70 years after, in the form of a gluish and white water, as hath been said heretofore. Pausanias to the Corinthians, sets down, that in the dayes of Antigonus son of Demetrius, there appeared a fountain of warm water near to the City of Mathana, but from the beginning it appeared not in water, but in great flames of Fire which were resolved into hot and salt water. Saint Ambrose yet discoursing upon this water of the Levites, in the third of his offices, sets down, that this doth sufficiently demonstrate, that this was a perpetual fire which could not be taken from another place, to shew that they must not acknowledge any other God, or other religion, and ceremonies then those that were established by the inspiration of the holy Spirit designed by fire; for we may see what the children of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, found in the 10 of Leviticus, being willing to take upon them to offer strange fire unto God.

Then all false doctrine, idolatry, heresie, and impiety, may be called strange fire, that devours the soul as a feaver doth the body, with the life that maintains it; there where this true fire sent from Heaven, is that of the holy Spirit, which salteth our hearts and consciences, that is to say, preserves them from corruption, according whereunto the Prophet Jeremie spake in his 20. chapter when he had received it. Then it was made as a burning fire in my heart, and shut up in my bones, and I was weary in forbearing and could not stay. That the Holy Spirit should not be only light, but very fire, Esay doth manifest chap. 10. 17. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his holy one for a flame. For even so as the burnings, which are a potentiall fire, composed of igneal and burning salts, work not upon a dead part, insensible, and deprived of Natures heat; so the holy Spirit doth not exercise its actions upon cold languishing hearts, that make no account of its ticklings, and invitations, but shew themselves contumacious and refractary; just so as the heat of the Sun, and of the fire, but more and more hardens earth, and clay, in stead of softening it, and melts it as they do wax, butter, and grease.

For the acts of Actives are in the disposition of the Patient, where we see fire does divers effects in disagreeable subjects, but not wholly contrary, and directly opposite; as when it blacks a coal, and white chalk where its vertue is imprinted, but all to the contrary; for fire by custome is extinguished by water, it is it, that in this respect inflames and renewes that which was imprinted and hidden in the chalk: whence a fair meditation is presented; that as fire is the symboll of life; water (that is its contrary) and extinguisheth it, must be of consequence the symboll of death; water naturally tending downwards, and fire upwards, wherein consisteth life.

Strabo to this purpose in his 15. Book, speaking of the Brachmans, sets down, that which we call death, to be renewing of life, and that this temporall is but a conception as it were, and a carriage which comes about the end of its term, to bring forth to death, to passe from thence to eternall life. Which Seneca imitates in the 103 Epistle. The day that we fear so much, as the last of our life, is a renascence of an eternall day; let us then chearfully leave behind that which serves for nothing but a tedious charge. Why do we so much turn our backs, as if we had not been before this first frail body, in which we remain included and hid? we struggle and temporize therein, to the best of our power, and not without cause, for we have been forced out by a endeavour of our mother in bearing us; and we weep and lament when we arrive to this, which we think to be the last day, but to complaine, cry, and weep, are they not marks and tokens of one that is to be borne? And a little more Christian-like, although a little before; I will lay down this body where I have found it, and clothed it, and will render my self above to the immortall Gods, although I am not without them at this present, but whilest I am detained here within this grievous masse of earth, in the low abode of mortality, my sensuality will fight and combat against this other better and longer life.

Now as we have been for nine or ten months, shut up within our mothers belly, not to prepare therein for it selfe, but at last, to come to this place, whither we ought to be sent, when we should be perfectly accomplished and made fit to breath, and remain openly out of this closet, where we were formed. In like manner during the space that we have run through from our infancy to old age, we dye to go whither another originall attends us, and a new state of things. All this doth in nothing derogate from the Traditions of our Church, who celebrated for the nativity of Martyrs the day of their death and martyrdom.

To conclude then, that which was heretofore said of fire, and of the four worlds; that of the Intelligible is all luminous; of the Celestiall, shining, and hot, by reason of its motion; of the Elementary here below, shining, hot, and burning; and of Hell nothing but burning. So these three proprieties of fire, to light, to warm, and to burn, though the effects be divers and strange, and the operations almost infinite, only of the elementary to begin with that which is nearest to our senses. Rabbi Elchana greatly honoured amongst the Hebrewes, sets forth, that out of the 10 fingers of the hand, being addressed and conducted, by the understanding, may proceed more different sorts of works then there are stars in Heaven, the most part whereof come from the action of fire, on which almost all labouring instruments do depend. Fire principally served the first men, who had nothing but it for all working instruments. In regard of its motion, we may sufficiently see, that there is nothing more glistring and moving then the fire, which is the very cause of all motion. Take away heat, there will be no motion, saith the Chymicall Philosopher Alphidius, and this motion is accompanied with depuration, for fire will have none but pure things, according to Raymond Lullius. For it is not only the pure substance of all others, but it purgeth, mundifieth, and cleaneth all that, upon which it can have Action, of that which therein may be corruptible.

The Lord will wash away the filth of the children of Israel, by the spirit of burning, Esay. 4.4. wherefore the Greeks call ἁγνισικὸς, Purging. So that the Καθαρμὸς or Κάθαρσις purifying, was not made but by fire, as the solemn annuall feast of Candlemasse witnesseth. And in all the Eastern Churches, when they would say the Evangel they burn great Tapers, as we do upon the day of Purification, and that for token of joy and rejoicing, whereof fire is a symbole; and according to that, we make two fires upon the feast of Saint John Baptist, conformable to that, in the first of Luk. 14. Many shall rejoyce at his birth; and fires of joy, in some happy successes of victories, at the birth of Kings children, and the like occasions of alacrity.

We have alledged heretofore, out of the 31. of Numbers 23 that which is said of fire and water, the two purifying Elements, whereby in our baptisms we are accustomed to put a little piece of wax light or match, which they make the Creature to hold when they hold it over the font, the Church being thereby regulated by the pillar of fire which garded the Israelites, and the cloud (baptismall water) by day, whereunto sutes that of Saint John, in the 3. of Matthew, That in respect of himselfe he baptized with Water unto repentance, but he that commeth after, shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with Fire, to the remission of sinnes; for fire is a mark of the Holy Spirit, by which grace is conferred, and descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, in the form of fiery tongues, Act. 2.3. The Stoicks, although too superstitious therein, made great account of this Element, which they said, was I know not what living thing, the most wise Fabricator of the whole universe, and of all that which is contained therein; to which purpose, as I alledged before out of the 7. of Wisdome 24. that Wisdome the Artist of all things taught me, that it is more moving then motion, for she passeth through all things by her purenesse. Wherein two properties of fire are attributed to Wisdome, Motion, and Purity: And in summe esteemed it to be a God, according to which Saint Augustine in his

9. The Throne of the ancient of dayes, was flames of fire, and a River of fire running lightly issued from his face, his vestment white as snow; saith, that within this shining river of fire, were washed the vestments of the souls that mounted on high, and repurged themselves there from the old scum of the Serpent without consuming it selfe, which did but clear it self from the old filth that it had there gathered. And this is very properly said because we see by experience, that greases are not cleansed, but by other grease, which carries one the other, as doth Soap and Lees, which consists all of grosse and unctuous salts; for if those were not, they would not bite upon unctuosity and fatnesse; witnesse simple water, which doth nothing, by reason of the contrarieties of their natures, which do not suffer them to be able to joine and unite. And where there is no mixtion, there is also no alteration, because that which doth not enter, doth not change (saith Geber:) So that Salts being in the nature of Fires, have from them their proprieties and effects, that is to say, to purifie and cleanse all ordures and uncleanness.

For as Salt (the same Zohar pursues it) hinders putrefaction, to which every corruptible thing is subject; so the Fire of Gods love, and of Gods knowledge, which is illightned in the soul, repurging it from all corporall coinquinations, causeth, that after it hath been duly purged and cleansed, it remaines for ever in its purity, for as much as fire devours and consumes the filthy scumme thereunto fastned, cloathing it selfe with a new and pure fire, which it could not otherwise do. For if it were not so assisted with this pure fire, the Cherubin which is committed to the keeping of the Gate of the City of Delices, with a fiery sword, to forbid the approach to the tree of Life, would not permit it to enter therein; from whence the curiosity of tasting of the knowledg of good and evill excluded our forefathers, and us with them hereditarily.

Hitherto Zohar, then which nothing could seem more conformable, nor which carryed it selfe better to our subject. Every man shall be salted with Fire, and every Sacrifice with Salt. For to salt, in this regard, to cleanse, and purifie, are but one thing, as also to salt, and to burn, because of their consemblable effects. Burne my reines and my heart; where burning, is put for repurging and cleansing, according to the Hebrew, and the Chaldee; and in the 13 of Zachary 9. I will burn them, as silver is burned. To which sutes also that which the Apostle writ in the 1 Cor. 3.12. If any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, pretious stones, or wood, hay, stubble; Every mans work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is. If any mans work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any mans work shall be burnt, he shall suffer losse, but he himself shall be saved, yet so, as by fire. Saint Augustine, citing this place throughout the whole scope of his works interpreteth it in the 21. of the City of God, 26. chap. for the vanities which men have too narrowly embraced in this age, which we shall not enjoy in another, but they must be abolished and defaced by the repurgation of fire; for that which he had not without provoking love, he shall not lose without burning grief. And at length shall be saved as by fire, because nothing shall be able to remove it from this foundation upon which it shall be built. S.

Ambrose to the same purpose, in his third Sermon upon the 118. Psal. As good gold, even the very Church when it is burnt, receives not detriment, but its lustre and resplendency encrease more and more. The Persians esteemed that when they voluntarily burned themselves, the soul remained thereby repurged from all iniquities & misdoings, which consumed by the flames as touching the body, which had power to move the Indian Calanus and some others to come from thence, (for God would not that we should advance our dayes by one moment) who, at the time they receive him, he washeth us, and cleanseth us from all preceding faults. Whereby some abusing themselves thereby, attended to receive it as slowly as they could; and others baptized themselves for those which were already deceased. In Æthiopia one who had conspired against the proper person of their Neguz, or Emperour, by baptizing himself thereupon, before he was imprisoned, remained quit.

So the proprieties of fire, are in the first place to shine and lighten, and that is, by it, common to the Sunne, but it is thereby much surmounted. And afterwards to warm, digest and bake, which this luminary doth also primitively, as we may see in that the Earth produceth, but for that the naturall heat doth not bring them wholly for our use, to the last and perfect degree of maturity, fire for the most part supplyes its wants, and defaults; for the regard of the concocting of what we eat, for we hardly thereby make our profit being raw, there where it is baked in the fire, it becomes of more facil digestion, and lesse corruptible, as having lesse of crudities; afterwards the fire separates strange things, and not alike, and after, having taken away the corrupting superfluities, namely the waterish humidity, which it driveth out, and the oily unctuosity, which it burns and consumes with the terrestrieties that remain, at last it doth gather together in a new composure, the pure homogenealities; which composure, then consisteth of soul, body, and spirit, from now forwards inseparable, and incorruptible, which relates to the three worlds, the soul to the intelligible, the spirit to the celestiall, and the body to the elementary; but this is not a reasonable soul, or sensitive, nor a vitall spirit, such as is in animals; but substances equipollent unto them: which may be seen in glass, which is an image of the Philosophicall Stone.

Whereupon Raymond Lullius enquiring of the confection of the said Stone, and how men may attain thereunto, made answer, hee that knoweth to make glasse, because their manner of proceeding are alike; and such ought that pretious substance to be, which Hermolaus Barbarus in his Annotations upon Plinie, and Appian, in his disquisition of antiquities, alledgeth to have been found in an old Sepulchre, in the Territory of Padua, not above a hundred years since, having this Distique with two others.

The Roman Morienes to Calid King of Ægypt on his Treatise of Metallick transmutation. Whosoever shall know well how to neatify, and whiten the soul, and make it mount on high, and can well preserve its body, and take therefrom all obscurity and blacknesse, with the evill smell, she may then replace it in its body and in the hour of their rejunction great marvels will appear: yet Rhases in his Epistle. So every soul doth reconjoin to its first body: which in any other manner cannot be reunited to another, and from thence forwards shall never separate; for then the body shall be glorified, and reduced to incorruption, and to a subtilty and brightnesse unspeakable. So that it will penetrate all solid things what soever they be; because its nature shall be such, as of a Spirit: that which he borrowed out of Hermes, it shall penetrate every subtill thing. An admirable thing that these Chymicall Philosophers under the vaile and curtain of this Art, treating wholly about things so materiall as are metals, and that which depends thereon, with their transmutations by fire, have comprized the most high secrets of Intelligibles and even of the resurrection, whereunto it seems this would seem to strike, wherein bodyes shall be glorified and reduced as into a spirituall Nature, against which no spirituall obstacle can contradict, nor hinder its actions; from this the Apostle in the 15. of the 1. to the Corinthians doth not much vary, It is sown a naturall body, it is raised a spirituall body.

There is a naturall body, and there is a spirituall body: howbeit, that was not first which is spirituall, but that which is naturall, and afterwards that which is spirituall. I know moreover, an Artifice whereunto I have obtained in divers subjects, that burning an herb, the salt extracted from these ashes and sowed in the earth, a like herb will grow therefrom. But this burning must be made in a very close vessel, wherein we shall say more hereafter about Salt, and yet we will yet bring further another of our experiments which ought not bee disregarded. Of three liquors swimming one above another without either mingling or confounding together, what mingling soever they be; that they may not return into their residence and separated: to represent the four Elements in a little vessel of glass, or a little black enammill grossly beaten will hold place of earth in the bottom, water will do thus, Take calcined Tartar, or gravelled ashes, which is almost the very same thing, and let them go to the moist air taking the dissolution that shall be made thereof, the clearest that you can, and mingle therewith a little blew stone, to give it the colour of Sea water. Note here a maxim, and let this be said by the by, for those that exercise themselves in the Spagirique, that in one of these resolutions into moisture, which are made by themselves, all salts and alums, do depure and subtiliate, more then 12, or 15. dissolutions made with vineger and other like dissolvants.

Every thing that dissolveth it selfe, is of the nature of Salt and Alum, as Geber saith, For air, take fine aqua vitæ which you shall turn into a Celestiall blew, with a little turnsol; and for fire, the oil of Been, but for that it is more rare, take of Turpentine oil, which is made thus, Distill common Turpentine in Balneo Marie, there will mount up together both water and oil, so white and transparent, the one as the other: but the oil will swim above the water; separate them by a glasse fonnell, and dye this oil, into a fire colour, with Orchanet and with Saffern. The three liquors will never mingle, what ever trouble you use to them; but will separate themselves distinctly, into lesse then nothing, by swimming one above another: Of the Turpentine, that remains in the Alembique, you shall extract it by Sand, in a Cornue with a stronger fire, then by the bath, a thick red oil, which is most excellent balm: water and oil extracted by the bath are very serviceable also, in many accidents of Medicine and Chirurgery; only the white oil will make scars quickly fall away without pain, or evill impression. But if with the water of the said Turpentine, you dissolve salt of lead, you shall have yet a more Soveraign balm. But we must a little better clear this: for sith we treat here of fire, and of its effects, what hinders but that we may extend our selves at length upon many things which our long labour and experience have acquired?

This oil of lead, was one of Raymond Lullius, his great secrets: & of many other excellent personages, who have as it were made conscience to remember it: for this hath been to them an entry of more admirable works. Some, as Riply, & others, have taken the minium of lead, but it is too easie, & of an uneasie resolution, as also ceruse & calcined lead. For my part I have found litharge, which is nothing else but lead, for a pound of litharge, you shall extract 14. or 15. ounces of lead: put them into powder, and poure thereon distilled boiling vinegar, stirring it strongly with a staffe, and sodainly the vinegar will charge it self, with the dissolution of litharge: Evacuate the clear, and reiterate with new vinegar, so long till all the litharge be dissolved: Evaporate the vinegar, which shall be unsavory as the water, untill the salt shall remain congealed in the bottom. Take thereof a good quantity, and put thereof within your Cornue, as much as it will hold half full: and put it on the furnace with an open breech: in the beginning with an easie fire chasing away that which therein may appear a remainder of strange humidity:

And when the white fumes shall begin to appear apply thereunto a Recipient big enough, and lute it well in the Jointures; after reinforcing your fire by little and little untill it become a very great one, and the Cornue buried in the ashes, you shal see issue as a little continued torrent after the fashion of a filet of oil, but white as milk, and could as ice, which will come within the Recipient to resolve into an oil of the colour of an Hyacinth, and odoriferous, as that of Aspic. Continue the fire till there comes no more out of the Cornue, and leave it there to settle, al the night long. So now this secret oil, whereof that which Raimond Lullius never more expresly said was towards the end of his short Epistle, in these very terms. Out of black lead is extracted the Philosophers oil, of a golden color, or as it were: and know that there is nothing in the world more secret then it. That which remains in the Cornue, put burning charcoals upon it, and that will take fire as the match of a fusee: whence you may draw a fair secret: for as long as it feels not the air, it will not flame, and it may dissolve againe with vinegar, to doe as before. But salt of lead dissolved in water, and yet better then Turpentine, oil will resolve to a greater quantity of oil; and thereof may see more ample marvailes. Take this oil, which Raimond Lullius calleth his wine, and put it into a small Alembic of glasse; in Balneo Mariæ, and distill therein aqua vitæ, which will come in vains even as that of wine.

Draw all out so long till the drops and tears come to appear in the Chap, which is a signe that there is no more flegm: which being out in the bottome, there will remain a pretious oil that dissolves gold and is admirable against wounds, and great accidents, from within, for it holds the same place with potable gold: Lead having great affinity with gold, as Geber saith, with which it agrees in Surdity, in weight, and in that it cannot rust: And George Riplay the most learned English Philosopher, in his book of the 12. portes.

In regard of the burning water therout extracted, more inflameable then the most fine powder of a harguebuze, it dissolves silver into subtill Crystalline flakes, which melt at the fire of a lampe, as easily as butter, and are fix as silver in the same proofs of fire: further see that which the said Riplay sets down in his marrow of Alchymie: The body being prepared, put upon this water to the thickness of your thumb which wil straight boil above chalks of the body, without other external fire, by dissolving the body, and by elevating it, in the shape of ice, with the drying of the said water: and so let it bee reiterated, by removing that which was elevated. But to abbridge (for this Aqua vitæ is in very small quantity and very uneasy to make) if you passe two parties of water of the departure, that dissolves the silver upon one party of the salt of lead, this will do the same effect for the transmutation of metals, but not within a mans body, where it must not in any case bee applyed, except after great sweetning, that is to say, a demi sextier of the dissolution of strong water, to make evaporate three or four pails of water, running down within by a filter to the measure that elevates the strong water with the spirits and malignity of this fire against Nature.

Think not that I would stay my self here so precisely, nor restrain to the Text of Saint Mark, nor upon that, which dependeth upon the religion in this regard, although our principall aim tends thitherward, that wee would not enlarge by the same means to the works and progresse of nature, whose principall key is Alchymie, to mount from thence to the Architype the Creator by means of the Caballe. But we would not likewise here so reveal occasions to abuse this divine Art, to the ill turnings of perverse ignorants, who to gain a piece of silver would make no difficulty to deceive the world one way or other, as wee could do in revealing unto the means of blanching copper, to the likenesse of silver, with Iscicles accompanied with a Metalline of Orpiment, the which, as yellow gilded as it is, and its red elevations as rubies, being notwithstanding bruised in a copper morter, and sublimed upon burned brasse, passeth within the head of the Cornue, white as silver; But if it be well governed, with the foresaid Isicles would make indeed great alterations upon the Copper which men may wel misuse, wherefore we will forbear to speak thereof any further. We may too well say, that the preparation of this body, that Riplay intends silver, is to calcine and reduce it into salt, which is done after this manner. But if in the dissolving there be aqua fortis, it sufficeth to calcine it.

Take then silver plates of the bignesse and thicknesse of a riall and put them in a Cruset, or a little pot of Paris earth, not leaded, bed upon bed, with prepared Salt, that is to say, dissolved in common water, afterwards filtred, congealed, and decrepited, and leave it 10. or 12. houres with burning coals, (it would be better in an oven of reverberation) draw it from the fire and cast it yet all hot into an earthen vessell, leaded, full of water, salt will dissolve it self therein, and that of the silver which shall be calcined will goe to the bottome: Let them reside well; and separate them warily, by inclination: after put again the plates to bee recalcined with new salt, and reiterated as before, evaporate the water, or the salt if it be dissolved, and that which remains shall be as good as new, to the third or fourth reiteration, all your plates will find themselves reduced into chalk: which you shall easily dissolve in distilled vinegar, for silver, lead, and iron, are not of hard resolution, nor also Copper to take it in Roche of azur: Tin much more, and Gold more then all the rest, for that its calcination, is very uneasie. Which Geber knew very well: the compleat calcination of Sol, is most difficult: He renders the causes thereof. But it would be too long to dilace upon all these things: wee will content our selves, to trace some shadows of that which our perquisition and labour hath enabled us to acquire, by the space of 50. years of one side, and another, and proved more then once, not to speake unadvisedly:

All which secrets are revealed as is said; by the Fire. And not by mervails, since it analogically discovers the spirituall: Thou hast tried me with fire, and in mee, there is found no iniquity; said the Prophet, Psal. 16. There where you see, how hee couples fire with iniquities, as if it were it, that revealed them as well as hee did the impurities of mettalls, where it doth the same operation, and effect, as salt doth, in corruptible things; for although metalls, bee the permanent substance of all others, by reason of their most strong composition which doth not permit them easily to cast away out of their radicall form any alteration which men may make them indure in powder, chalk, salt, water, oil, glasse, Isicles, and infinite others: which happeneth not to one of the other elementaries, Minerals, Vegetables, Animals; the which being once changed from their primitive form, they cannot again reintegrate or be put together. By means whereof, to speak of fire without metals, which are its true subject, it would bee as to propose to an Artist furnished with necessaries and instruments, but had no stuffes proper to imploy them, so that would remain to him unprofitable. In metalls then there may be revealed and considered the fairest secrets of nature, by the help of fires action. Which if in some more particularly then in others, she hath shewed a will to recreat, yea to put in evidence her greater knowledge.

It seems this was in stones and metals, then which nothing could be presented more fair or agreeable to the sight, nor more profitable and necessary, at least in regard of Iron without which mans life would irksomely passe away, shee receiving so many commodities thereby. But pretious stones beyond the simple contentment and pleasure of the eye, have nothing wherewith men may know to draw out profit or succours in any one of our businesses. And if they be once deprived of their naturall shining form, they never return thereto again, as mettals doe, so puissant and indissoluble is the assembling of their elementarie parties, and their mixtion one with another. Wherefore wee must not marvail if so many good spirits have travelled all their time to meditate upon this subject, and their divers transmutations, having been there unto drawn rather out of those fair considerations which they found therein for their spirits contentation, then for any sordid and greedy desire of gain, which hath made the ignorant so obstinate, who have so cried down this divine Art, sister germane to the Caballe: for that which the Caballe is divine and intelligible things, into the profound secrets whereof, shee penetrates, Alchymie is in naturall and elementary, which shee reveals unto us. Geber saith some man cannot know the composition of a thing, that is ignorant of its destruction; which destruction is perfected by the separations caused by fire.