The Signature of All Things — trans. John Ellistone (1651)
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The translator’s English as printed (John Ellistone). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
16. The Essence remains in the Impression, and becomes Material; that is not God, but Gold, or any other Metal, according to the Property of the first Conception, in the Sulphur, or Stone, or Earth, out of the Desire's own peculiar Property, all according to the first Sude or Seething in Mercury; for no Metal can be generated without Salniter, which is the Flagrat in Mercury; which also becomes Material in the astringent Impression, and divides itself in the Separation, one Part into Brimstone, another into Salniter, and a third into a Salt Sharpness; whereas yet there cannot be any corporeal Essence in all these, but only the Spirit of the Essence; the Essence proceeds wholly out of the Death thro' Mortification, which is effected in the great Anguish of the Impression, where there is a Dying Source, which is the Mercurial Life, where the Salnitral Flagrat arises as an opening, displaying Flash: For the Liberty, viz. the Property of the eternal Lubet, does there separate itself, and yet the attracted Essence out of the Lubet of the Liberty continues all along in the Comprehension of the Attraction in the astringent austere dark Anguish: Now if the Wrath enters so vehemently into itself as to raise up the Salnitral Flagrat, then it apprehends the Essentiality of the free Lubet in itself, from, whence arises the Flagrat; for the Wrath there apprehends the Meekness, which is even as if Water were poured into Fire, which gives a Flagrat; and then the Wrath of the great Anguish dies, and with the Flagrat the Joy ascends, and the Flagrat is out of Mercury, or out of the Anguish of Death, and becomes also Material, but by Reason of the Liberty it changes itself into white, which is Salniter: Now if the Fire, viz. the horrible anxious Sharpness, does again come into it, then the Salniter is dismayed, and gives a Repulse; for the first Property [which was] before the Death is again enkindled with the Brimstone Spirit; a sufficient Resemblance of which you have in Gunpowder, which is the Matter of these Properties.
17. Further, we are to know the Dying with the Enkindling of the Fire, all which is done in the Flagrat; for it is a Flagrat to Death, and to Life; one Part immerses itself into the Property of Death, viz. into. the Wrath of the austere Desire; and the other Part, which is from the Lubet or Love-Essentiality, arises up in the Kingdom of Joy: But seeing there happens also a Mortifying in the free Materia (though it is no Mortifying, but a Redeeming from the Wrath, for the Materia of the Liberty will be free from the Wrath) thereupon this Materia falls downwards, which is Water; and it is not of the Property of the Wrath, but the Wrath holds it captive in itself; but they are separated from one another in the Essence and Source; the Wrath's Essence gives Earth and Stones, and the Essence of the Liberty is Water, which arises with the Enkindling of the Fire through the Mortification out of the Meekness of the Light.
18. But seeing this Water does also separate itself in the Salnitral Flagrat, and before the Salniter was all mutually enwrapt together, thereupon it obtains different Properties in the Separation, and there is a Diversity of Water; and this various Diversity of Properties gives in each Property also a bodily or corporeal Essence, all according to the first Separation of Mercury in Sulphur, for in the Mortification in the Salnitral Flagrat two Things are effected and come forth, viz. a Life, and a Body of the Life; understand an essential, and a lifeless senseless Body, whose Materia is mortified in the Flagrat: Thus there is a Diversity of Water, and a Diversity of the Life, and a Diversity of the Body, or of the Materia; as each Body is, so is also its essential Spirit.
19. Now we must consider this from the first Original, as, 1. from the Lubet of the Liberty; and 2. from the Desire to Nature, or the Manifestation of the Abyss.
20. First, in the Salnitral Flagrat there is produced through the anxious Mortification a Sulphureous Water from the Anguish, which affords a Brimstone, as we plainly see, and all whatever is of the like Sort and Resemblance.
21. Secondly, There is generated from the astringent, austere, attractive Property, which draws in to itself, a Salt Water; its Materia is Salt; if it be again impressed through the Fire or Heat, then it turns into Salt; and all whatever is sharp and attractive, be it either in Herbs or Trees, proceeds from thence; for there is as much Diversity of Brimstone and Salt, as there is Variety of Taste and Fire to be found in all Creatures, Herbs, and Trees; also all whatever lives and grows has Brimstone and Salt; for the Saltish Property attracts, and preserves the Body; and the Brimstone has in it the Oil or Light, wherein the free Lubet to Manifestation consists, whence the Growth arises.