of the supernaturall generation of the son of the sun.

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ee have treated of things, which nature makes, and which god hath made; that the searchers of art might the more easily understand the possibility of nature. but to delay no longer, i will now enter upon the manner, and art how to make the philosophers stone. the philosophers stone, or tincture is nothing else, but gold digested to the highest degree: for vulgar gold is like an herb without seed, when it is ripe it brings forth seed; so gold when it is ripe yeelds seed, or tincture. but, will some ask, why doth not gold, or any other metall bring forth seed? the reason given is this, because it cannot bee ripe, by reason of the crudity of the air, it hath not sufficient heat, and it happens, that in some places there is found pure gold, which nature would have perfected, but was[pg 29] hindred by the crude aire. as for example, wee see that orenge trees in polonia doe indeed flourish as other trees; in italie, and elsewhere, where their naturall soil is, they yeeld, and bring forth fruit, because they have sufficient heat; but in these cold places they doe otherwise, for when they begin to ripen, they are at a stand, because they are oppressed with cold; and so in these places we never have their fruit naturally: but if at any time nature be sweetly, and wittily helped, then art may perfect that, which nature could not. the same happens in metalls: gold may yeeld fruit, and seed, in which it multiplyes it self by the industry of the skilfull artificer, who knows how to exalt nature, but if he will attempt to do it without nature, he will be mistaken. for not only in this art, but also in every thing else, we can doe nothing but help nature; and this by no other medium then fire, or heat. but seeing this cannot be done, since in a congealed metallick body there appear no spirits; it is necessary that the body be loosed, or dissolved, and the pores thereof opened, whereby nature may work. but what that dissolution ought to be, here i would have the reader take notice, that there is a twofold dissolution, although there be many other dissolutions, but to little purpose; there is onely one that is truely naturall, the other is violent, under which all the rest are comprehended. the naturall is this, that the pores of the body bee opened in our water, whereby the seed, that is digested, may bee sent forth, and put into its proper matrix: now our water is heavenly, not wetting the hands, not vulgar, but almost rain water: the body is gold, which yeelds seed; our lune or silver, (not common silver)[pg 30] is that which receives the seed of the gold: afterwards it is governed by our continual fire, for seven months, and sometimes ten, untill our water consume three, and leave one; and that in duplo, or a double. then it is nourished with the milk of the earth, or the fatnesse thereof, which is bred in the bowells of the earth, and is governed, or preserved from putrefaction by the salt of nature. and thus the infant of the second generation is generated. now let us passe from the theorie to the praxis.