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.
This I also say, that if the spirit of common salt be joined to the spirit of wine, and distilled together with it, it becomes sweet, and loses its acidity. "This prepared spirit does not dissolve gold bodily, but if it be poured on prepared calx of gold, it extracts the essence of its colour and redness. If this be rightly done, it reduces the white and pure moon to the colour of that body from which it was itself extracted. "The old body may also receive back its former colour through the love of
BS THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.
alluring Venus, from whose blood it, in the first instance, derived its origin.
But observe, likewise, that the spirit of salt also destroys the moon, arid reduces it to a spiritual essence, according to my teaching, out of which the * potable moon " may be prepared. This spirit of the moon belongs to the spirit of the sup, as the female answers to the male, by the copulation or conjunction of
. the spirit of mercury or its oil.
'The spirit lies hid in mercury, the colour you must seek in sulphur, and their coagulation in salt; then you have three things which together are capable of once more generating a perfect thing. The spirit is fermented in the gold with its own proper oil ; the sulphur is found in abundance in the property of precious Venus. This kindles the fixed blood which is sprung from it, the spirit of the salt of the Sages imparts strength and firmness, though the spirit of tartar and the spirit of urine, together with true vinegar, have great virtue. For the spirit of vinegar is cold, and the spirit of lime is intensely hot, and thus the two spirits are found to be of opposite natures. I do not here speak according to the customary manner of the Sages. But I must not say too openly how the inner gates are to be unlocked.
In bidding farewell,let me impart to you a faithful word. Seek your material in a metallic substance. . Thence prepare mercury. his ferment with the mercury. of. its own proper sulphur, and coagulate them with salt. Distil them together ; mix allaccording to weight. Then you will obtain oe ZZzzg, consisting of elements sprung from one Z£zug. Coagulate and fix it by means of continuous warmth. 'Thereupon augment and ferment it a third time, according to the teaching of my two last - Keys, and you will find the object and goal of your desire. The uses of the Tincture are set forth plainly in my twelfth Key.
JISEIVASNIESS UISIRNSII EK (9)IOS
As a parting kindness to you, I am constrained to add that the spirit may also be extracted from black Saturn and benevolent Jupiter. When it has been reduced to a sweet oil, we have a means of robbing the common liquid quicksilver of its vivacity, or rendering it firm and solid, as is also set forth in my book.
IDEAE OQ DEA TIeLPOD. 357
Postscript.
When you have thus obtained the material, the regimen of the fire is the only thing on which you need bestow. much attention. This is the sum and the goal of our search. ' For our fire is a common fire, and our furnace a common furnace. And though some of my predecessors have left it in writingsthat our fire is not common fire, I may tell you that it was only one of their devices for hiding the mysteries of our Art. For the. materialis common, and its treatment consists chiefly in the proper adjustment of the heat to which it is exposed.
'TFhe fire of a spirit lamp is useless for our purpose. Nor is there any profit in * horse-dung," nor in the other kinds of heat in the providing of which so much expense is incurred.
Neither do we want many kinds of furnaces. Only our threefold furnace affords facilities for properly regulating the heat of the fire. Therefore do not let any babbling sophist induce you to set up a great variety of expensive furnaces. Our furnace is cheap, our fire is cheap, and our material is cheap—and he who has the material will also find a furnace in which to prepare it, just as he who has flour will not be at a loss for an oven in which it may be baked. Itis unnecessary to write a special book concerning this part of the subject. You cannot go wrong, so long as you observe the proper degree of heat, which holds a middle place between hot and cold. If you discover this, you are in possession of the secret, and can practise the Art, for whichthe CREATOR of all nature be praised world without end. AMEN.
ENIDOOR VOILDUMNME T,
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