The Hermetic Museum, Vol. I — trans. A. E. Waite (1893)
The text is shown on its own: no facing layer is held for this issue.
The translator’s English as printed (A. E. Waite). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
ix. ARISTEUS, in his Second Table, says: Beat the body which I have made known to you into thin plates; pour thereon our salt water, Ze, water of life, and heat it with a gentle fire until its blackness disappears, and it becomes first white, and then red.
Xx. PARMENIDES : The Sages have written about many
waters, stones, and metals, for the purpose of deceiving you.
You that desire a knowledge of our Art, relinquish Sun, Moon,
Saturn, and Venus, for our ore, and our earth, and why so?
Every thing is of the nature of no thing.
xi LUCas: Take the living water of the Moon, and coagulate it, according to our custom. By those last words I mean thatit is already coagulated. Take the living water of the Moon, and put it on our carth, till it becomes white: here, then, is our magnesia, and the natures of natures rejoice.
xii ETHEL: Subjectour Stone to coction till it becomes as bright as white marble. "Then it is madea great and effectual Stone, sulphur having been added to sulphur, and preserving its property.
xiii, PYTHAGORAS: We exhibit unto you the regimen concerning these things. The substance must drink its water, like the fire of the Moon, which you have prepared. It must continue drinking its own water and moisture, till it turns white.
xiv. PHILETUS: Know, ye sons of philosophy, that the substance, the search after which reduces so many to beggary, is not more than one thing of most effectual properties. It is looked down upon by the ignorant, but held in great esteem by the Sages. Oh, how great is the folly, and how great also is the presumptuous ignorance of the vulgar herd! If you knew the virtue of this substance, kings, princes, and nobles would envy you. We Sages call it the most sharp acid, and without this acid nothing can be obtained, neither blackness, whiteness, nor the Tincture.
xv. METHUSALEM : With air, vapour, and spirit we shall have vulgar mercury changed into as good a silver as the nature of minerals will allow in the absence of heat.
xvi SIXION: Ye sons of philosophy, if you would make our substance red, you must first make it white. Its three natures are summed up in whiteness and redness. Take, therefore, our Saturn, subject it to coction in aqua vite until it turns white, becomes thick, and is coagulated, and then again till it becomes red. "Then it is 7ed /ead, and without this lead of the Sages nothing can be effected.
xvi. MUNDINUS: Learn, O imitators of this Art, that the philosophers have written variously of many gums in their books, but the substance they refer to is nothing but fixed and living water, out of which alone our noble Stone can be prepared. Many seek what they call the essential "* gum," and cannot find it. I reveal unto you the knowledge of this gum and the mystery which abides therein. Know that our gum is better than Sun and Moon. Therefore it is highly esteemed by the Sages, though it is very cheap ; and they say : Take care that you do not waste any of our *gum." But in their books they do not call it by its common name, and that is the reason why it is hidden from the many, according to the command which God gave to Adam.
xvii. DARDANIUS: Know, my sons, that the Sages take a living and indestructible water. Do not, then, set your hands to this task until you know the power and efficacy of this water. For nothing can be done in our Art without this indestructible water. For the Sages have described its power and efficacy as being that of spiritual blood. "Transmute this water into body and spirit, and then, by the grace of God, you will have the spirit firmly fixed in the body. I xix. PYTHAGORAS, in his Second Book, delivers himself as follows : The Sages have used different names for the substance, and have told us to make the indestructible water white and red. 'They have also apparently indicated various methods, but they really agree with each other in regard to all essentials, and it is only their mystic language that causes a semblance of disagreement. Our Stone is a stone, and not a stone. It has neither the appearance nor the properties of stone, and yet it is a stone. Many have called it after the place where it is found ; others after its colour.