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

of agent is again separated entire, both in weight and virtue, from the things it is applied to. "They saw that the digestion of Mercury was prevented by certain aqueous crudities and earthy dross ; and that the zadzca/ nature of these impurities rendered their elimination impossible, except by the complete inversion of the whole compound. "They knew that Mercury would become fixed if it could be freed from their defiling presence—as it contains fermenting sulphur, which is only hindered by these impurities from coagulating the whole mercurial body. At length they discovered that Mercury, in the bowels of the earth, was intended to become a metal, and that the process of development was only stopped by the impurities with which it had become tainted. They found that that which should be active in the Mercury was passive; and that its infirmity could not be remedied by any means, except the introduction of some kindred principle from without. Such a principle they discovered in metallic sulphur, which stirred up the passive sulphur in the Mercury, and by allying itself with it, expelled the aforesaid impurities. But in seeking to accomplish this practically, they were met by another great difficulty. In order that this sulphur might be effectual in purifying the Mercury, it was indispensable that it should itself be pure. All their efforts to purify it, however, were doomed to failure. At length they bethought them that it might possibly be found somewhere in Nature in a purified condition—and their search was crowned with success. They sought active sulphur in a pure state, and found it cunningly concealed in the House of the Ram. This sulphur mingled most eagerly with the offspring of Saturn, and the desired effect was speedily produced—after the malignant venom of the *' air " of Mercury had been tempered (as already set forth at some length) by the Doves of Venus. Then life was joined to life by means of theliquid ; the dry was moistened ; the passive was stirred into action by the active; the dead was revived by the living. The heavens were indeed temporarily clouded over, but after a copious downpour of rain, serenity was restored. Mercury emerged in a hermaphroditic state. Then they placed it in the fire; in no long time they succeeded in coagulating it, and in its coagulation they found the Sun and the Moon in a most pure state. Then they considered that, before its coagulation, 2this Mercury was not a metal, since, on being volatilised, it left no residue at the bottom of the distilling vessel ; hence they called it unmatured gold and their living (or quick) silver. [t also occurred to them that if gold were sown, as it were, in the soil of its own first substance, its excellence would probably be enhanced ; and when they placed gold therein, the fixed was volatilised, the hard softened, the coagulated dissolved, to the amazement of Nature herself For this reason they wedded these two to each other, put them in a still over the fire, and for many days regulated the heat in accordance with the requirements of Nature. "Thus the dead was revived, the body decayed, and a glorified spirit rose from the grave; the soul was exalted into the Quintessence,——the Universal Medicine for animals, vegetables, and minerals.

The greatest secret of our operation is no other than a cohobation of the nature of one thing above the other, until the most digested virtue be extracted out of the digested body of the crude one. But there are hereto requisite: Firstly, an exact measurement and preparation of the ingredients required ; secondly, an. exact fulfilment of all external conditions ; thirdly a proper regulation of the fire; fourthly, a good knowledge of the natural properties of the substances ; and fifthly, patience, in order that the work may not be marred by overgreat haste. Of all these points we will now speak in their proper order.