of the second matter, and putrefaction of things.

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ee have spoken of the first matter of things, and how things are produced by nature without seed, that is, how nature receives matter from the elements, out of which she makes seed: but now we intend to treat of the seed it selfe, and things generated of seed. for every thing that hath seed is multiplyed in it, but without the help of nature it is not done: for the seed is nothing else but the air congealed in some body: or it is a moist vapour; and unlesse this be resolved by a warm vapour, it is of no use. let therefore the searchers of the art understand what seed is, lest they seek after a thing that is not: and let them know that that is threefold, which is brought forth by the foure elements. the first is minerall, and is that which we now speak of; the second is vegetable; the third animall. the minerall seed is known by philosophers alone: the vegetable is common, and vulgar, as we may see in fruits: the animall is known by imagination. the vegetable doth shew to us, how nature made it of the four elements. for wee must know that the winter is the cause of putrefaction, seeing it congeals the vitall spirits in trees; and when those by the heat of the sun (in which there is a mag[pg 18]netick vertue, attractive of al manner of moisture) are resolved; then the heat of nature, stirred up by motion drives, or forceth the subtill vapour of the water to the circumference, and this vapour openeth the pores of the tree, and makes drops distill, alwaies separating the pure from the impure. yet the pure sometimes goeth before the impure; the pure stayes, and is congealed into flowers, the impure goes into leaves, the grosse, and thick into the bark: the bark of the tree remains fast, and firm, the leaves fall with cold, or heat, when the pores thereof are stopt: the flowers in congealing receive their colour according to the heat whereby the colour is made, and bring with them fruit, and seed (as an apple, in which there is sperm out of which a tree is not brought forth; but in the inside of that sperme is a seed or kernell, out of which even without the sperm is brought forth a tree, for multiplication is not in the sperm, but in the seed.) so wee see with our eyes, that nature creates a seed out of the four elements, lest wee should labour in vain about it; for what is created already need not a creator. let this by way of example bee sufficient for the advertisement of the reader; but now i return to my purpose concerning the mineralls. nature creates the mineral seed, or the seed of metalls in the bowels of the earth: wherefore it is not beleeved that there is any such seed in rerum natura, because it is invisible. but it is no wonder if ignorant men doubt of it, seeing they cannot perceive that which is before their eys, much less that which is hid from their eyes: but it is most true that that which is superiour, is but as that which is inferior, and so on the contrary. also that which is brought forth above is brought[pg 19] forth of the same fountaine, as that beneath in the bowells of the earth. and what prerogative should vegetables have before metalls, that god should put a seed into them, and without cause withhold it from these? are not metalls of as much esteem with god as trees? let this be granted for a truth, that nothing grows without seed: for where there is no seed, the thing is dead. it is necessary therefore that four elements should make the seed of metalls, or bring them forth without a seed: if they are produced without seed, then they cannot be perfect; seeing every thing without seed is imperfect, by the rule of composition: hee which gives no credit to this undoubted truth, is not worthy to search into the secrets of nature; for there is nothing made in the world, that is destitute of seed. the seed of metalls is truely, and really put into them: and the generation of it is thus. the foure elements in the first operation of nature doe by the help of the archeus of nature distill into the center of the earth a ponderous, or heavy vapour of water, which is the seed of metalls, and is called mercury by reason of its fluxibility, and its conjunction with every thing, not for its essence; and for its internall heat it is likened to sulphur, and after congealation becomes to be the radicall moisture. and although the body of metalls be procreated of mercury (which is to bee understood of the mercury of philosophers) yet they are not bee hearkned to, that think the vulgar mercury is the seed of metalls, and so take the body in stead of the seed, not considering that the vulgar mercury spoken of hath its own seed in it self. the errors, and mistakes of all these men will be made apparent by the following exam[pg 20]ple. it is manifest that men have seed, in which they are multiplyed: the body of man is mercury; but the seed is hid in the body, and in comparison to the body is but little, and light: he therefore that will beget a man, let him not take mercury, which is the body, but the seed, which is the congealed vapour of water. so in the regeneration of metalls, the vulgar chymists goe preposterously to work: they dissolve metallick bodies, whether it be mercury, or gold, or lead, or silver, and corrode them with sharp waters, and other heterogeneous things not requisite to the true art, and afterward joine them together again, not knowing that a man is not generated of a mans body cut to pieces, because by this means the body is marred, and the seed before-hand is destroyed. every thing is multiplyed in male and female, as i have already mentioned in the treatise of the twofold matter: the division of the sexes causeth, or produceth nothing, but a due joining of them together, brings forth a new forme: the seeds therefore, or spermes, not bodies are to bee taken. take therefore a living male, and a living female; joine these together, that betwixt them there may be conceived a sperm for the bringing forth of fruit after its kind: there is no man living can beleeve that he can make the first matter: the first matter of man is earth, and no man can of that make a man; only god knows how to doe this; but of the second matter, which is already made, if it be put into its due place, may easily by the operation of nature be generated a thing of that species, or kind, which the seed was of. the artist here need doe nothing, onely to separate the thin from the thick, and to put it into its due[pg 21] vessell. for this is to be considered, that as a thing is begun, so it ends: of one are made two, of two one, and then you have done. there is one god; of this one god the son is begotten: one produceth two, two have produced one holy spirit proceeding from both: so the world is made, and so shall be the end thereof. consider the four former points most exactly: thou hast in them the father, the father and the son, and lastly the holy spirit: thou hast the four elements: thou hast four great lights, two celestiall, and two centrall: this is all that is, hath been, or shall be, that is made plain by this forenamed similitude. if i might lay down all the mysteries that might be raised from hence, they would amount to a great volume. i return to my purpose, and i tell thee true, my son! one is not made of one naturally, for thus to doe is proper to god alone: let it suffice thee that thou art able out of two to make one, which wil be profitable to thee. know therefore that the sperm doth multiply the second matter, and not the first: for the first matter of all things is not seen, but is hid either in nature, or in the elements; but the second matter sometimes appeares to the sons of wisdome.