The Hermetic Museum, Vol. I — trans. A. E. Waite (1893)

it always lay hid in them) may appear by the mediation of the said Art with Nature. And thisthey confess cannot be done unless the body be resolved into its First Matter, which is quicksilver, out of which it was made in the beginning, without admixture of any outward things ; since foreign matter cannot improve the nature of our Stone. **For no water," says Bernard, ** dissolves our bodies, but that which is of their kind, and may be inspissated by them." (Ep. to Thom. of Bonon) And in the same Epistle he writes : * The solution should be permanent, so that from both elements, viz, the male and female seed, a new species may result. Amen, I say unto you that no natural water can dissolve metals, except that which is always in them substantially and formally, and which the metals themselves, being dissolved, may again consolidate." ^ Thus Morfoleus, in * 'The Crowd " says: * Every body is dissolved with the spirit that is joined to it, and doubtless also becomes spiritual. ^ And every spirit is modified and coloured by bodies, to which spirit is thus added a tinging colour which stands the test of fire." Hence the student of our art must diligently enquire what that water is. * For the knowledge of the menstruum;," says Raymond (Comp. An., p.i.) *isathing without which nothing can be done in the magisteryof this Art. Nothing preserves the metals while it dissolves them, but our menstruum," which, as he further states in his 'Codicilj is *the water by which the metals are ' solved, while all their essential properties are conserved." Though this is the Great Arcanum which our Sages have always kept secret, and have forbidden us to reveal, yet, as far as we may, we will put you on the right track by two quotations. The first is found in the abridged Rosary, and runs as follows: * The first preparation and foundation of this Art, is the solution [ze., reduction] of the body into water, Ze., into quicksilver, and this they call the solution, when they say : Let the gold be dissolved, which is hid in the body of magnesia, that it may be reduced to its First Matter, that thence it may become sulphur and quicksilver, and not be again liquefied into water. The object of our solution is to make it liquid, and resolve it into the substance of . quicksilver that the saltness of its sulphur may be diminished, which divine sulphur is prepared by extraction from two sulphurs, when the spirit meets the body." The second quota2tion is from the ** Prooemium of the Twelve Gates, by Ripley : * [ will straightway teach thee that thou mayest know that there are three mercuries, which are the keys of knowledge [which Raymond calls his menstrua], without which nothing is properly done. But two of them are superficial The third is of the essence of the Sun and Moon, the properties of which I will describe to thee. For mercury, the essence of other metals, is the principal substance of our Stone. In Gold and Silver our menstrua are not visible to the eye, and are only perceived by their effect. This is the Stone of which we speak, if anyone understand our books aright. It is the soul and shining substance of the Sun and Moon, that subtile influence from which the earth derives its splendour. For what are gold and silver (says Avicenna) but pure red and white earth? Take away from it the aforesaid splendour, and it will be nothing but worthless earth. The whole compound we call our lead. The quality of splendour comes from the Sun and Moon. And, in brief, these are our solvents. Perfect bodies we naturally calcine with the first, without adding any impure body but oxe, commonly called by philosophers the green lion, and this is the medium for perfectly combining the tinctures of theSunand Moon. With the second, which is a vegetable liquid, reviving what before was dead, the two principles [both material and formal] must be solved ; else they would be of little value. "With the third, which is a permanent, incombustible liquid, of unctuous quality, the tree of Hermes is burnt to ashes. This is our natural, most sure fire, our mercury, our sulphur, our pure tincture, our soul,our Stone raised with the wind, born in the earth. These things take to heart. This Stone, I dare to tell thee, is the powerful essence of the metal, and thou must be careful how thou dost obtain it. For this solvent is invisible, although with the secondary philosophic water it may, by the separation of elements, become visible in the form of pure water. Out of this solvent, and with it, thou mayst obtain the sulphur of Nature, if it be naturally turned into a pure spirit. Then thou mayst with it dissolve thy fundamental mass [Ze. gold and silver]."