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Having finished these two secrets we now come to the Electrum, but whether it is to be reckoned amongst stones or amongst bodies it may be doubted because in the West Indies it is found writ in Spanish Decads of the virtue thereof, for it is affirmed to be the greatest antidote against all poison and far more noble than Gold; but if it be a metal it must necessarily be the chief and supreme of all metals, for other metals have their origin from Sulphur and Mercury, but this metal consisteth of seven metals and is the best of all those which grow by the Ideas of the earth. For where Gold is taken for the most noble of all metals by reason of its perfect digestion and colour, this hath a greater degree of digestion and colour having a higher colour, that is to say, clear red, approaching nearer to the true colour of the Sun. For as Gold is the Sun of other metals, so this Electrum is to Gold as the heaven is to the Sun, wherein nature, as it were, in heaven hath created certain stars shining with clear beams of a silver colour, showing plain to the eye that it consisteth of red and white metals mixed in the highest degree of digestion.
On the contrary it may be objected:
Object 1. That there are only six metallic bodies, amongst which this is not to be found, therefore it is a rather Spirit than a body.
Also that:
Object 2. The minere of every body or metal is converted into metal by fusion, but the minere of Electrum in melting always remaineth, therefore it is no metal.
Object 3. There is nothing generated in the earth but stones, Spirits, metals or mean minerals. But Electrum is none of these, therefore it seems to be no mineral.
1. To the first objection it is thus answered. We say that it is not apparent out of the books of any of the ancient philosophers that they even dreamed of this natural and mineral Electrum. But more to the purpose: those that are called Spirits which fly from the fire; but the Electrum flieth not from the fire; therefore it is no Spirit as Quicksilver and the rest and also mean minerals.
2. We now come to the next. We grant that the minere of every metal is converted into metal by the fire, which consists of Mercury and Sulphur. This axiom is evident in those metals which are imperfect and fly from the fire either in their minere or in themselves after they be reduced to metal; and also the Gold minere, although before melting it fly from the fire, before the Gold be molten, but is fixed in all probation, therefore it is accounted the worthiest of all metals which consist of Sulphur and Mercury.
3. Now the third. I say that I think it rather is of a stony and metallic nature joined together, by which mixture it differs from a stone and also from a metal; but because it consisteth of Mercury, earthly Salt and Sulphur mixed, therefore it gets unto it a mixed nature of them, so that it is half stone, half metal.
Wherefore it is to be judged that it consisteth of three natures mixed together; that is to say mineral, metallic and stony, and is the best of all those which grow in the Ideas of the earth, for it exceeds mean minerals in fixation and constancy, because they pass away in fume by long melting and vanish to nothing, or else they melt easily in moisture as Salts, etc. But this Electrum or Amber remaineth fixed and constant as well in the fire as water.
It exceeds metals in digestion, colour and dignity. In digestion because it is endowed with the sign of greater and more perfect digestion. For as gold is more yellow by reason of his greater heat and more perfect digestion, so the Electrum, because it hath a higher colour than Gold hath, therefore it is more digested in colour; for as Gold exceeds other metals in colour, so Electrum exceeds Gold; for Gold is yellow but Electrum is red, which is a higher colour than yellow. And as Silver is the Luna of white metals, so Gold is the Sol of red metals: so Electrum is to Gold as the heaven is to Sol in dignity and value. For by how much more Gold is more noble than Silver, so much this Electrum is more noble than Gold.
Lastly it exceeds stones in shining and virtue; in shining because these shine by reason of their hardness; so this Electrum showeth many sparks, not by reason of its hardness, but by reason of this completeness. And as the heaven is adorned with stars, so this Electrum is with sparkling, because it hath the clearness and brightness of all metals. And as the heaven containeth all the stars and planets, so this Electrum, which is the heaven of metals, containeth the Sun and Moon and the rest of the planets in itself, Gold and Silver as it were the greater luminaries, the other bodies or metals as the rest of the planets, mean minerals as stars in virtue.
For although many stones have singular properties and virtues, so that some help the sight, others the spleen, some the heart, some stop blood, some hinder abortiveness, some hasten childbirth, some resist poison, yet there is no one found which takes away all infirmities, as Electrum does more than all mean minerals, metals or stones, according to the three-fold conjunction, that is to mineral, metallic and lapifidic.
Therefore, whatsoever others please to think of this natural Electrum, this seemeth most probable to me, that it is not simply a metal, but of a nature exceeding metal; for whereas stones, mean minerals and metals are generated of Salt, Sulphur and Mercury, this Electrum takes his original from stones, minerals and metals. From stones it takes Salt, from minerals Mercury and from Metals Sulphur. These three being brought into one by the Ideas of Nature are its elements, from a greater virtue and power of nature; which elements have formed a higher degree of perfection than in any other stone, mineral or metal, as it were by the command of God, nature should ascribe a crown of virtue and dignity above all minerals.
But however it be, it is taken two manner of ways among the later Magicians and Rosie Crucians, and that is to say, that which is made naturally and artificially. Naturally is that which groweth in the natural Ideas of the earth; the artificial is that which is made by art above the earth in imitation of nature.
Whence Paracelsus, a worthy Master in Magic, seeing fully the nature and the utility of Alchemy, commanding to make the Elixir thereof, when as its natural body cannot anywhere be had, in his Book of the Vexations of Philosophers and the sixth of his Magical Archidoxes, teacheth to compound an Artificial Electrum that the Elixir must be made thereof, as appears more at large in the said books, which I like not at all. He teacheth how to make the Elixir out of Electrum; I contrarily, the Electrum out of Elixir; he would make the Elixir out of the virtue of the Elixir. I leave his way to his own followers, but I desire mine not to weary and vex themselves in such a weak, but in a more strong principle.
I make two kinds of Electrum one way, the first whereof is spiritual, the other corporeal. First of the former. After you have made your red corporeal Elixir by projection, in the same crucible melt one ounce of Lead and likewise another of Tin; and when they are hot, take the crucible from the fire and pass therein one ounce of Silver melted in another crucible. And when these three white metals begin to be cold, take two ounces of Mercury well purged and put these two ounces of Quicksilver upon the molten metal by drops, then increase the fire gently so that too much of the Mercury do not fume away. Then in three other several crucibles melt Iron, Copper and Gold, of each one ounce, which you must have in readiness molten. And first put your molten Gold into the crucible where your four white metals stand molten, and pour upon them the Copper and last of all your Iron, stirring the whole mass with a stick, that is may mix together, and let it stand in a melting heat the space of an hour. Then take all out that it may mix together and let it stand in melting in the crucible and consider well the weight of it and according to the goodness of the Elixir make projection for Medicine. And then you have created and compounded spiritual Electrum of the weight of seven ounces, consisting of seven metals, which metals so converted into Medicine, will be the Elixir of Electrum and an universal Medicine, for you need not after regard upon what body (or metal) you project it. It is also the choicest of Medicine for man's body; for although three or four of all the diseases of the Microcosm were united together, yet they may be cured with this one Medicine. If you dissolve part of this in Spirit of Wine and distil away the same Spirit in Balneo and the oil of the Medicine of Elixir remain in the bottom, you shall have a most noble Rosie Crucian Medicine of Life.
Note that if your Iron melt not well, then dissolve your Electrum in the oil or tincture of Mars, dissolving and congealing until it have imbibed a sufficient quantity.
But if you desire to make corporeal Electrum, when your Medicine beginneth to fail to convert metals any more into Medicine, then in like manner project your Medicine upon your melted metals or bodies and they will be converted into corporeal Electrum, metallic and malleable. Of the abuse of this Electrum Paracelsus writeth that Virgil Hispanus and Trithemius made a diabolical bell of this Artificial Electrum, upon which, when they would invocate Spirits (which they called by a more decent name of Intelligences) they writ the character of what Spirit they desired and at the third ring of the bell the Spirits obeyed their desires so long as they desired to talk with them; and when they would talk no more, they hid the character, and by the reverse ringing of the bell the Spirits departed. This supernatural Magic is altogether infamous and unlawful.
Before I come to the Particularia, or the preparations of the seven metals, I will discover some Arcanums belonging to Vitriol, Sulphur and the Magnet.
There is a subterranean mineral Salt called Vitriol, which for dyeing of cloths and many other uses we cannot want. It is distinguished from other Salts in its sharpness and quality in eating through. The mineral of this Salt is strange and of a very hot and fiery quality as is apparent in its Spirit, the like of which is not found in other Salts. It is white and red and hath an extraordinary medicinal quality. This Salt containeth a combustible Sulphur, which is not in other Salts. Therefore in metalline affairs, touching their transmutation, it performeth more than others. It not only opens some, but helpeth the generation of others by reason of its innate heat. When Vitriol is separated by fire, then its Spirit at first comes in a white form; after that there comes from its earth a Spirit of a red condition. Staying in the earth, the Salt, being united with its expelled Mercury and Sulphur, can sharpen them; the remainder that stayeth behind is a dead earth of no efficacy. Consider well this now kindled Ternary, for as you find in Vitriol's body three distinct things, as Spirit, Oil and Salt, even so you may expect from its own Spirit again (which without the mingling of its oil is driven from its matter) three distinct things as you did formerly from the body of Vitriol, which well deserveth the name of Speculum Sapientiae Physicae. Separate this Spirit of Vitriol as it ought, then that affords again unto you three principles, out of which only, without any addition, since the beginning of the world the Philosophers' Stone hath been made. From that you have to expect again a Spirit of a white form, an oil of a red quality and after these two a crystalline Salt. These three being duly joined in their perfection generate no less than the Philosophers' great Stone, for that white Spirit is merely Philosophers' Mercury and the red oil is the Soul and the Salt is the true Magnetic Body. As from the Spirit of Vitriol is brought to light the red and white tinctures, so from its oil there is made Venus, her tincture, and in the centre they are much distinct assunder, though they dwell in one body. In this knowledge lieth hid an irrecoverable error; worldly wit cannot conceive of it that the Spirit of Vitriol and the remaining oil should be of so great distinction in their virtue. Touching their properties, the Spirit being well dissolved and brought into its three principles, Gold and Silver only can be made of it, and out of its oil only Copper, which will be apparent in a proof made.
The condition of the Spirit of Vitriol and its remaining oil is this, that where there is Copper and Iron, the Solar Seed is not far from it commonly; and again where there is Seed of Gold at hand, Copper and Iron are not far from it, by reason of its attractive magnetic quality and love, which they, as tingeing Spirits in a visible manner continually bear one to another. Therefore Venus and Mars are penetrated and tinged with the superabounding tincture of Gold, and in them there is found much more the root of the red tincture than in Gold itself, unto which there belongeth also the minera of Vitriol, which goeth beyond these in many degrees, because its Spirit is mere Gold and rubedo, a crude, indigested tincture, and in very truth is not found out otherwise.
But this Spirit must be divided into certain distinct parts, as into Spirit, Soul and Body. The Spirit is the Philosophic Water, which, though visibly parted assunder, yet can never be separated radically (because of their unavoidable affinity they bear and have one to another) as it appeareth plainly when afterward they are joined, for the one, in their mixture, embraceth the other, even as a magnet draweth Iron, but in a meliorated essence better than they had before their dissolution. This Spirit (I can prove) is the essence of Vitriol, because this Spirit and oil do differ so much and were never united radically; and because the oil cometh after the Spirit, each can be received apart. This fiery Spirit may rather and more fitly be called an essence, Sulphur and substance of Gold, and it is so, though it lieth lurking in Vitriol as a Spirit.
This golden Water, or Spirit drawn from Vitriol;, contains again a Sulphur and a Magnet; its Sulphur is the anima, an incombustible fire; the Magnet is its own Salt, which in the conjunction attracteth its Sulphur and Mercury, uniteth with the same and are inseparable companions. First in a gentle heat is dissolved the undigested Mercurial Spirit; by this is further extracted after a magnetic way by the Mercurial Spirit; so still the one is a Magnet unto the other, bearing magnetic love one to another, as such things whether the last together with the medium is drawn forth by the first, and are thereby generated and thus take their beginning. In this separation and dissolution the Spirit or Mercury is the first Magnet, showing its magnetic virtue towards the Sulphur and Soul which it, quasi magnes, attracteth. This Spirit, per modem distillationis, being absolved and freed, showeth again its magnetic power towards the Salt, which it attracteth from the dead earth; after the Spirit is separated from it, then the Salt appeareth in its purity. If that process be further followed, and after a true order and measure the conjunction be undertaken and the Spirit and Salt be set together into the philosophic furnace, then it appears again how the heavenly Spirit striveth in a magnetic way to attract its own Salt, for it dissolveth the same within forty days, bringeth it to an uniform water with itself, even as the Salt hath been before its coagulation. In that destruction and dissolution appeareth the highest blackness and eclipse and darkness of the earth that was ever seen. But in the exchange thereof a bright, glittering whiteness appearing, then the case is altered and the dissolved, fluid, waterish Salt turns into a Magnet; for in that dissolution it layeth hold on its own Spirit, which is the Spirit of Mercury, attracteth the same powerfully like a Magnet, hiding it under a form of a dry, clear body, bringing the same by way of uniting into a deep coagulation and firm fixedness by means of a continued fire and the certain degrees thereof.
Note that from all metals, especially from Mars and Venus, which are very hard and almost fixed metals, of each part can be made Vitriol. This is the reduction of a metal into its mineral. For minerals grow to metals and metals were at first minerals, and so minerals are proxima materia of metals, but not prima. From these Vitriols may be made other reductions, namely a Spirit is drawn from them by the virtue of the fire.
This Spirit being driven over, then there is again a reduction of a mineral into its spiritual essence, and each Spirit in its reduction keepeth a metalline property; but this Spirit is not the prima materia.
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