The Hermetic Museum, Vol. II — 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.
it is sown in the field, and is then called seedcorn ; so our gold, while it is in the form of rings, plate, and coins, is called cozzzoz gold, because in that state it is likely to remain unchanged to the end of the world ; but ozezzza//y it is even then the gold of the Sages, because if sown in its own proper element, it would in a few days become the Chaos of the Sages. — Hence the Sages bid you revive the dead (Ze. the gold which already appeared doomed to a living death) and mortify the living, ze, the Mercury which, imparting life to the gold, is itself deprived of the vital principle. "Their gold is taken in a dead, their water in a living, state, and by their composition and brief coction, the dead gold revives and the living Mercury dies, Ze, the spirit is coagulated, the body is dissolved, and thus both putrefy together, until all the members of the compound are torn into atoms. 'The mystery of our Art, which we conceal with so great care, is the preparation of the Mercury, which above ground is not to be found made ready to our hand. But when it is prepared, it is *our water" in which gold is dissolved, whereby the latent life of the gold is set free, and receives the life of the dissolving Mercury, which is to gold what good earth is to the grain of wheat. When the gold has putrefied in the Mercury, there arises out of the decomposition of death a new body, of the same essence, but of a glorified substance. Here you have the whole of our Philosophy in a nutshell There is no secret about it,except the preparation of Mercury, its mingling with the gold in the right proportions, and the regulation of the fire in accordance with its requirements. Gold by itself does not fear the fire ; hence the great point is, to temper the heat to the capacity of the Mercury. Ifthe Mercury is not properly prepared, the gold remains common gold, being joined with an improper agent ; it continues unchanged, and no degree of heat will help it to put off its corporeal nature. Without our Mercury the seed (Ze. gold) cannot be sown ; and if gold is not sown in its proper element, it cannot be quickened any more than the corn which the West Indians keep underground, in air-tight stone jars, can germinate. I know that some self-constituted * Sages" will take exception to this teaching, and say that common gold and running Mercury are not the substance of our Stone. But one question will suffice to silence their objections: Have they ever actually VOL, II. M prepared our Tincture? I have prepared it more than once, and daily have it in my power ; hence I1 may perhaps be permitted to speak as one having authority. Go on babbling about your rain water collected in May, your Salts, your sperm * which is more potent than the foul fiend himself," ye self-styled philosophers; rail at me, if you like; all you say is conclusively refuted by this one fact—you cannot make the Stone. When I say that gold and Mercury are the only substances of our Stone, I know what I am writing about ; and the Searcher of all hearts knows also that I say true. The time has arrived when we may speak more freely about this Art. For Elias the artist is at hand, and glorious things are already spoken of the City of God. I possess wealth sufficient to buy the whole world —but as yet I may not use it on account of the craft and cruelty of wicked men. [It is not from jealousy that I conceal as much as I do: God knows that I am weary of this lonely, wandering life, shut out from the bonds of friendship, and almost from the face of God. ] do not worship the golden calf, before which our Israelites bow low to the ground; let it be ground to powder like the brazen serpent. I hope that in a few years gold (not as given by God, but as abused by man) will be so common that those who are now so mad after it, shall contemptuously spurn aside this bulwark of Antichrist. Then will the day of our deliverance be at hand when the streets of the new Jerusalem are paved with gold, and its gates are made of great diamonds. The day is at hand when, by means of this my Book, gold will have become as common as dirt; when we Sages shall find rest for the soles of our feet, and render fervent thanks to God. My heart conceives unspeakable things, and is enlarged for the good of the Israel of God. These words I utter forth with a herald's clarion tones. My Book is the precursor of Elias, designed to prepare the Royal way of the Master ; and would to God that by its means all men might become adepts in our Art—íor then gold, the great idol of mankind, would lose its value, and we should prize it only for its scientific teaching. "Virtue would be loved for its own sake. I am familiar with many possessors of this Art who regard silence as the great point of bonour. But I have been enabled by God to take a different view of the matter ; and I firmly believe that [ can best serve the Israel of
God, and put my talent out at usury, by making this secret knowledge the common property of the whole world. Hence I have not conferred with flesh and blood, nor attempted to obtain the consent of my Brother Sages. If the matter succeeds according to my desire and prayer, they will all rejoice that I have published this Book.
(OEIVASPATERAREC ONSE
Of the Circumstantial aud |. Accidental Reguasites of our Art.
We have weeded out all vulgar errors concerning our Art, and have shewn that gold and Mercury are the only substances required. We have shewn that this gold is to be understood, not metaphorically, but in a truly philosophical sense. We have also declared our Mercury to be true quicksilver, without any ambiguity of acceptation. "The latter, we have told you, must be made by art, and be a key to the former. We have made everything as clear as noonday ; and our teaching is based, not on hearsay, or on the writings of others, but on our own personal and oft repeated experience. The things we faithfully declare are what we have both seen and known. We have made and do possess the Stone—the great Elixir. Moreover, we do not grudge you this knowledge, but wish you to attain it out of this Book. We have spopen out more plainly than any of our predecessors ; and our Receipt, apart from the fact that we have not called things by their proper names, is perfectly trustworthy. It remains for us to give you some practical tests by which the goodness or unsuitableness of your Mercury may be known, and some directions for amending its defects. When you have living Mercury and gold, there remains to be accomplished, first, the purging of the Mercury and the gold, then their espousal, and finally the regulation of the fire
CHAPTER XV.