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

The philosopher, Morienus, calls our Stone, water: and he had good reasons for the name. .O water of bitter taste, that preservest the elements! (O glorious nature, that overcomest Nature herself! ^O thou that resemblest Nature, which dissolvest her tractable nature, that exaltest Nature—that art crowned with light, and preservest in thyself the four elements, out of which the quintessence is made! Thou art for the simple, seeing that thou art most simple in thy operation. Having conceived by a natural process, thou bringest forth vapour, and art a good mother. "Thou needest no outward help ; nature preserves nature, and is not separated from nature by the operation of nature. The thing is easy to find, the knowledge is easy, altogether familiar, yet it is as a miracle to many. Thy solution is great glory, and all thy lovers are named above. Thou art a great arcanum and to the many thou appearest impossible !

Explanation.

Know, my son, that our Stone is such that it cannot adequately be described in writing. For it is a stone, and 2becomes water through evaporation ; yet it is no stone, and it by a chemical process it receives a watery form it is at first like any other liquid water, being a thin fluid ; yet its nature is not like that of any other water upon earth. "There is only one spring in all the world from which this water may be obtained. That spring is in Judaea, and is called, the Spring of the Saviour, or of beatitude. By the grace of God its situation was revealed to the Sages. [t issues in a secret place, and its waters flow over all the world. It is familiar to all, yet none knows the principle, reason, or way to find the spring, or discover the way to Judaa. But whoever does not know the right spring will never attain to a knowledge of our Art. For this reason, that Sage might well exclaim, * O water of a harsh and bitter taste!" For, in truth, the spring is difficult to find ; but he who knows it may reach it easily, without any expense, labour, or trouble. The water is, of its own nature, harsh and bitter, so that no one can partake of it ; and, because it is of little use to the majority of mankind, the Sage doth also exclaim, * O water, that art lightly esteemed by the vulgar, who .do not perceive thy great virtues, in thee lie, as it were, hid the four elements. "Thou hast power to dissolve, and conserve, and join nature, such as is possessed by no other thing upon earth." If you would know the properties and appearance of this Stone, know that its appearance is aqueous, and that the water is first changed into a stone, then the stone into water, and the water at length into the Medicine. If you know the Stone without the method of its preparation, your knowledge can be of no more use to you than if you knew the right method without being acquainted with the true Matter. Therefore our hearts are filled with gratitude to God for both kinds of ' knowledge.