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Of the Spirit of Copper

Venus is clothed with a heavenly Sulphur, which doth far exceed the Splendour of the Sun, because there is found much more Sulphur in her than in Gold. But learn what the matter is of the said Sulphur of Gold, which dwelleth and reigneth abundantly in Venus. It is a flying and very hot Spirit, which can search and penetrate all, as also digest, ripen and bring to maturity, namely bring the imperfect metals into the perfect. If you ask how the Spirit of Copper can ripen and bring to perfection other imperfect metals, it being itself, in its body, imperfect and not fixed, I answer that this Spirit cannot have or hold in Copper a fixed body for an habitation; therefore the habitation being burned by the fire the guest goeth out of it likewise and must leave his habitation with impatience, for he dwelleth therein like an hireling. But in the fixed body of Gold he hath a protection that nothing can drive him out without the sentence of a peculiar Judge, because he hath taken possession like an heir and hath taken root in that fixed body so that he cannot be cast out so easily. The tincture which Venus hath obtained is likewise to be found in Mars, yea much more powerful, higher and more excellent for Mars is the husband, Venus the wife. This tincture is likewise to be found in Verdigris and Vitriol as in a mineral. of which a volume might be writ; and in all things there is found a Sulphur which doth burn and yet another Sulphur which doth not burn, which is a wonderful work. The one is white, the other red in the operating birth, but the right and true Sulphur is incombustible, for it is a mere and true Spirit, out of which is prepared an incombustible oil and it is indeed the Sulphur out of which the Sulphur of Gold, out of one and the same root, is made and prepared.

This Sulphur may be very well called and christened the Sulphur of the Wise, because in it is found all wisdom, if you except the Mercurial Spirit, which is to be preferred, and with which it, together with the Salt of Mars must be united through a spiritual copulation and these three may be brought to a correspondency and be exalted into one operation.

This Spiritual Sulphur doth likewise and in the same manner derive its original from the Upper Region, as the Spirit of Mercury doth, but with another form and fashion, whereby the Stars do show a separation in fixed and unfixed, in tinged and not tinged things. The tincture doth consist only in the Spirit of Copper and chiefly of its consort and is a mere steam, stinking and of a very ill scent in the beginning. And this must be resolved in a liquid manner, that the stinking, incombustible oil may be prepared out of it. This oil is easily joined with the Spirit of Mercury and do soon take up all metallic bodies, being first prepared according to the account I formerly declared. Venus hath much Sulphur; she hath been, together with Mars, digested and ripened sooner than any other metals, but because they have had but little help from the inconsistent Mercury, being he had no room left him to work harder, by reason of superabundant Sulphur, they could not receive or obtain a melioration of their unfixed bodies. Now I will discover a mystery to you, that Gold, Venus and Mars have in them one and the same Sulphur, one tincture and the same matter of their tincture, which matter of the tincture is a Spirit, a Mist and a Fume, which hath penetrated and doth penetrate all bodies. If you can bring it into captivity and do accuate it with the Spirit which is found in the Salt of Mars and then do join with the same the Spirit of Mercury according to their weight and do separate them from all impurity, that they become sweet and sweet-smelling, without any corrosive, you have then a Medicine to which nothing in the world may be compared. If you ferment this Medicine with the shining Sun you have made an ingress which is penetrant to work and to transmute all metals.

Lastly take notice that the root of the philosophical Sulphur, which is an heavenly Spirit, together with the root of the spiritual, supernatural Mercury and the principle of the supernatural Salt, is in one and is found in one matter, out of which the Stone, which hath been found before me, is made, and not in many things although the Mercury be drawn by itself by all the philosophers and the Sulphur by itself, besides the Salt apart, that so it may appear that Mercury is found in one and the Sulphur in one and the Salt in one. Notwithstanding all this do I tell you that this is to be understood of the superfluity, which is found most in every one --- and particularly in many ways may be used profitably and prepared to a Medicine and for the transmutation of metals. But the universal, as the greatest treasure of terrestrial knowledge and wisdom and of all the three principles, is one only thing and is found in one only thing and is drawn out of it, which can reduce all metals into one only thing and is the true Spirit of Mercury and the Soul of Sulphur, joined together with the spiritual Salt, enclosed under one heaven and dwelling in one body; and it is the Dragon and the Eagle; it is the King and the Lion; it is the Spirit and the body, which must tinge the body of Gold to be a Medicine, whereby it getteth abundant power to tinge others its consorts.

Concerning the generation of Copper, observe that Copper is generated out of much Brimstone, but its Mercury and Salt are equal in the same, for there is neither more nor less in quantity of one and the other to be found. Now because the Brimstone doth exceed in quantity the Salt and Mercury, there ariseth from thence a great tingeing redness, which great redness hath so possessed the metal that the Mercury could not perfect its fixedness, that a more fixed body might have been produced out of it. You are further to know that the form of Venus' body is of the same condition that a tree is which hath and doth yield abundance of Gum, as in the pine and fir-tree, with other sorts of trees, which Gum is the Sulphur of the tree, which drives out sometimes this Gum at the sides of it by reason of its too great abundance and because it cannot harbour it all. Such a tree now, that is tinged with so much fatness by Nature and the ripening of the elements, burneth and taketh fire immediately; neither is it heavy and it is never so durable as oak and the like hard wood, which is solid and compact and hath not his pores so open as that sort of light wood, that the Brimstone might abundantly reign in it. But therefore hath the oak wood more Mercury and a better Salt than the pine or fir-tree. And such wood is never so much apt to swim upon the water as the fir-tree is, because it is so close, solid and compact that the air in it cannot bear it up. The same is to understood of metals, but especially of Gold, which, by reason of its much fixed and well ripened Quicksilver, hath a most solid, compact, close, fixed and invincible body, to which neither fire nor water, neither air nor any putrefaction of the earth can do any hurt because its pores are closed up and the corrupting power of the elements cannot injure it. Which fixedness and solid and compact conjunction do demonstrate its natural ponderosity, which is not to be found or proved in other metals, which may be discerned not only by weighing it in a pair of scales, but you will find it likewise if you put but a scruple of pure Gold upon a hundred pound weight of Quicksilver, it will fall presently to the bottom, whereas all other ponderous metals laid upon Quicksilver swim upon it and do not sink to the bottom because their pores are more largely extended that the air or wind may pass through them to bear them up.

Concerning the Spirit of Venus or Copper in physick, you are, in fine, to observe that it is found very necessary and wholesome in its virtue and efficacy; not only that Spirit that lieth in primo Ente, but that Spirit likewise which is found in the last matter. Its virtue, power and operation is such that in the rising of the Mother it is to be preferred before any Medicine whatsoever: also against the falling sickness, the dropsy, the stone. If you have a special care of this Spirit of Copper it will work such wonders both inwardly and outwardly as will be accounted of all incredible and supernatural.

To conclude, the Spirit of Copper is a hot Spirit, penetrant and searching, consuming all the bad humours and phlegm both in men and metals and may justly be accounted the Crown of physick. It is very fiery and piercing, incombustible yet spiritual and without form and, therefore, is capable, like a Spirit, to further in particular the ignition, digestion and ripening of things without a form.

Of the Generation of Mars, Its Spirit and Tincture

Mars and Venus have one and the same Spirit and tincture as the Gold and other metals have. Though this Spirit be found in every metal, in some there is a greater, in some a smaller quantity. It is undeniable and confessed of all that there are divers men and divers opinions, although men in the beginning are made out of one first matter and generated and born out of one seed, yet there is a manifold difference of their opinions because the operation of the Stars hath occasioned this and not without a cause. For the influence of the Great World worketh the other (namely the difference of opinions) after itself in the Little World, because all the opinions, nature and thoughts, together with the whole complexion of man, do derive their original from the influence of the Stars of Heaven and do show themselves according to the Planets and Stars, where nothing can withstand nor obstruct such an influence because the generation of their perfection is already performed and brought to a period or finished. For example, a man is naturally inclined to study, one hath a mind in Divinity, another for the study of the Law, the third for Physick, the fourth will be a Philosopher. Besides all this, there are many wits that have a natural inclination for mechanical arts, as one turneth a limner, another a goldsmith, this man a shoemaker, that man a tailor, another a carver and so forth. All this happeneth by the influence of the Stars, whereby the imagination is strengthened and founded supernaturally, wherein it resolveth to continue; as we do find if a man hath once taken up a resolution in his mind and laid a foundation upon it, that no man is able to bring or keep him from it, that he should not so obstinately stand upon it, death only excepted, which at last closeth up all. The same is understood of chemists and Alchemists, who, having got once into the secrets of Nature, do not intend to give them over so easily except they have more exactly searched Nature and wholly absorbed and finished the study thereof, which yet is no easy matter. Thus you are likewise to understand of metals that according as the infusion and imagination happeneth from above, so happeneth the form likewise; although metals are altogether called metals and are indeed metals, yet as you have understood by divers opinions of men, which are altogether men out of one matter, there may be manifold and divers metals, of which one hath got an hot and dry, another a cold and moist, another a mixed complexion and nature. Therefore because the metal of Mars hath before others been ordered by a gross Salt in the greatest quantity in its degree, its body is the hardest, most inflexible, strongest and coarsest which Nature hath thus appropriated to it. It containeth the least part of Mercury and little more it hath of Sulphur but the greatest part of Salt; and from this mixture is sprung its corporeal being and it is thus born into the world with the help of the elements. Its Spirit is an operation equal to other Spirits, but if the true and right Spirit of Iron can be discerned, I assure you one grain of its Spirit or quintessence, taken and administered in Spirit of Wine, comforteth and strengtheneth a man's heart, mind and courage not to fear his enemies. It stirreth up a lion-like heart within to fight Venus' battles. If the conjunction of Mars and Venus doth rightly happen in a certain constellation, they have success, victory and conquest both in love and sorrow, in fight and peace and will continue of one mind though the whole world should bear a spleen and enmity against them. This spirit cureth wonderfully all martial distempers.

This Spirit of Iron, being rightly discerned, hath a secret affinity with the Spirit of Copper, that they may be so joined together that there riseth one only matter from them, of one and the same operation, form, substance and being, which will cure the same distempers and transmute the particulars of metals with profit and honour.

But Iron, together with its virtue, ought properly to be considered in the manner following, that it hath a terrestrial body only in its corporeal form, which body may be used to a great many things, to alter the blood, to outward wounds, to a graduation of Silver and inwardly to the constipation of the body, which yet is not always beneficial to use, neither in a man's body inwardly and outwardly, nor yet as concerning metals, because there is no great advantage to be made per se without the known right means, which do belong to Nature's secret knowledge. Observe one thing more, that the Loadstone and the true Iron are almost of one and the same nature, even as it is according to a divine, spiritual and elemental sense betwixt the body, its Soul and the Chaos out of which the Soul and Spirit are gone; the body is framed last of all out of this composition.

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