John Rudolph Glauber

“ First, This green liquor, only by its external aspect, cheereth the Heart, Brain, and all the vital Spirits, seeing that of all colours there is none superiour to the Green in pleasantness, of which all men are witness, who have overcome the intense cold of a sharp Winter, behold the renewing greenness of the Trees half dead, and Herbs extinct, in the Spring time, with great delight and pleasure, and feel all the Blood in their Body to be renewed and revived. ”

“ How can a mans soul be taken from him, and yet the body live still? Some will say, that for all that, this may be counted a true tincture, although the body still remain gold, and have kept its life: even as man may spare some blood out of his body, which though it will make him somewhat pale, yet he liveth still, and the lost blood may be supplyed again by good meat and drink. But what lame and senseless objections are these? Who would be so simple as to think, that a handful of blood may be compared to a mans life? I believe no wise man will do it. ”

“ Why stand you so much for the Art? Did you ever see or perform any thing in it? I reply, though I never made projections to perfect metals, nor saw transmutations; yet I am sure of this, I have often from metals with metals, leaving no gold and silver in the cupel, extracted gold and silver by the help of fire: But I will not have you think that one imperfect metal will perfect another, or turn it into gold or silver, impure and drossy without, in comparison of gold and silver; for how can such metals perfect another imperfect? ”

“ My Scope or end is only this, That every man may see and consider how many wonderful things may be effected with wood and shrubs, which are every where found in great quantity, and nevertheless are of no use or profit.
Who would credit any man, affirming, that it might be effected, that not only Grain, but all sorts of Trees, and excellent Vines should grow in any hard and naked Rock, without the addition of any Earth or Dung? Truly, I believe that there is no man in the World, to whom this will seem likely. This will more amaze Farnner, with his whole Crew, than my Miraculum Mundi did. ”

“ Look I pray you on the Elementary Sun, as also on the fire of woods, and the virtues of light, and the virtue of both, the which all creatures, and especially mankind it self, is constrained to make use of for their own safety; could even the least grass bewray itself? or any small worm be bred and live without the Sun? could any workmanship or artifice be exercised without the help of common fire? ”

“ A true Philosopher wanteth not so much gold for his Medicine, inasmuch as if he bringeth but one half ounce to perfection, it may suffice for his whole life, and may be in his own power to do the same again as often as necessity shall require, so that he will have no need to run up and down from one to another who are greedy of gold, to blemish the noble art of Chymistry, and bring it into hatred with the whole World. ”

“ I do what I am able, I offer my self to all good Men: If they will not listen to me, I am not to be blamed but am void of fault. Man’s Life is too short, than for one Man to be able to describe all the things that may be done by the help of Salt-petre; neither indeed is it to be wished that many should know it.
But seeing I but now treated of the precipitation of Metals and Minerals, I think it worth while, to shew the cause of that precipitation, that so the studious of Art may have a more certain foundation of this thing. ”

“ But to return to my concentration of Wood, I can with truth affirm and will experimentally demonstrate it, that the greatest Treasure of the World; yea, as great or greater than is in Wine or Corn, lies hidden in Wood. Wine and Corn do require the Labour of Man for its growth out of the Earth; but Leaves, Grass, Briars or Bushes, Shrubs, Twigs, all sorts of Trees great and small, do come forth out of their seeds and sprouts and grow up and encrease infinitely without any help of man at all. ”

“ Many Philosophers, besides Paracelsus, have predicted the Coming of Elias the Artist, who coming from the North, attended with a strong Lion, shall teach Arts, find out and manifest the secret Treasures of Nature, and dispose the various mutations of mundane things for the benefit of Mankind. These have many men in vain believed to be spoken touching some one man; for if we consult the Writings of those men, who have set down this Prediction, we shall find them not to have intended a Man, but Salt-petre only, and his Brother the Salt of Art: Hence it is that they cry out, O our Salt! ”

“ To such an one I answer, That in the whiteness is a redness hidden, which is not discernable in its tender Infancy; but when by the help of the fire it arrives to a greater age, then it discovers it self, and shews forth its comeliness and excellency together with most eminent strength and efficacy: For thus say the Philosophers, Unless you make our Gold white, you cannot make it red. And in another place, If any one knows how to destroy Gold, so as it shall be Gold no more, he hath arrived to a most great Secret. ”

“ Wherefore the Ancient Philosophers more esteemed this Coloration of Stones, than the Art of tinging Silver into Gold; For such a Stone not onely amends Metals, but also graduates small Stones noble and ignoble, and tingeth them into better shapes and colours. For more excellency and good lies hid in despicable Lead, than any unskilfull man is able to imagine or can perswade himself to believe; because the Inside of it is no other than mere Gold, insomuch as Philosophers have called it Leprous Gold. ”

“ And now, may it please the Omnipotent GOD, who is the beginning and the end of all things, to inspire us, out of His meer Grace and Mercy, and implant in our cold hearts, which are stopt up with darkness, the warming heating spark of His Holy, Eternal, Infinite, and all-correcting Light, that it may therein, as in some saltish and sulphureous Earth, be nourished, and grow up like a little Seed, and bring forth Fruit a Thousand fold, to the Salvation of all our Souls. ”

“ Thus may those who have long before been blind, receive sight, profess themselves to have been Opposers of Truth, and strenuously labour to suppress and amend what’s amiss. In such a time not only true Medicine, and the most noble Art of Chymistry would begin to flourish, but also all Arts would ascend to a greater degree of perfection; and so one Age will exhibit it self much more excellent than others. ”

“ In the mean time, I wish all Honest and Ingenious Lovers of the Spagyrick Art, good success in their Studies and Labours, that thence the Penuries and Miseries of Mankind, especially of the sick, may be effectually remedied; that they may Cooperate as Instruments with the great ends and providences of the Almighty, to bring about that time, in which God shall be Glorified all the World over, and Men live in a more serene and tranquil condition than yet they have done, which shall always be the Desire and Prayers of him that is a Lover of Pyrotechny, and Honourer of all true Artists. ”

“ Hither must you all, Philosophers, Astronomers, and Spagyrists, how high soever you be, come after me. I by my own immense Labours, will shew and open to you, Alchymists and Doctors, that corporeal Regeneration. I will teach you that Tincture, Arcanum, or Quintessence, in which the Foundations of all Mysteries and Works are latent: For every man may and ought to give credit to another in those things only, which he hath experienced by Fire. ”

“ Wherefore as I before said, and always shall say, I believe that a Medicine and Tincture more sublime than the fixed and red Mercury of Wine, hath never been known by Philosophers. In the mean while, let every other Man believe as he listeth, it sufficeth me that I have written the Truth, and refused to carry hence with me into the Kingdom of Darkness the greatest Secret of the whole World. ”

“ Sustain thy life by the works of thy hands, and let thy light shine before the blind, neither bury the same enviously in the Earth. Do good to every one, that it may be discerned and appear what Tree thou art. Entertain not too great an opinion of thy self, but remember that thou art a Man and mai’st err and fail. ”

“ Now to the end I may not bury the Talent God has been pleased to bestow upon me, but improve it for the good of the World, I shall here discover the melioration of Jupiter and Saturn to the glory of God the Author of all good, and for the use of all mankind, without respect of Persons, whether they be Friends or Enemies: the good and virtuous will without doubt thankfully accept this my communication, and to the ungratefull and unworthy, this my well-meaning discovery of such profitable secrets will but heap Coals on their Heads. ”

“ There is no man that can deny, that the true and ancient Philosophers did study long life, and the conservation of their health. Whence it came to pass that they did diligently seek out the subject of preserving health, and prolonging life: wherefore by the help of fire they did practise the separations, and proofs of all vegetables, animals, and minerals, seeking out their powers and vertues: Who found out the greatest harmony of all things as well in the heavens, as on earth, betwixt the Sun, Gold, Man and wine. ”

“ Master, and entreat thee by God and by the most laudable charity thou owest thy Neighbours, to write more obscurely for the time to come, nay, and if it may be, to wrap over the Books thou hast already published with some new cloudings, lest that celestial treasure fall into the hands of the unworthy, and so become hurtfull to pious Men. Pardon Sir the liberty of my complaint, for there is no other cause thereof save piety to God, and a Zeal to the most Learned, most upright Man, and one that too well deserves from ungratefull mankind. ”

“ And here we rest and conclude this little Book of the Rules of the Seven Metals.
GOD and Nature make nothing in vain. The Eternal City of all things (there’s an Eternal place in all things) without time, without beginning, and without end, is every where essentially. It operates in that wherein is no hopes, and that which is accounted impossible, unexpected, incredible, and plainly deplorable, will be true even to admiration. ”

“ In few words, ’tis of all others a most excellent Universal Medicine, very profitable to both old and young, and also very safe; but warily to be ministred, by reason of its strength with which it is endued, which is most powerful, for it is as a great fire, which extinguisheth the lesser. Truly a better medicine cannot be desired than this, which is extracted of a very mean thing, in a short space of time, and with very small cost and pains. ”

“ Now, thou Sophister, behold Theophrastus Paracelsus, and consider how your Apollo, Machaon, and Hippocrates, natural Physicians, sought this Tincture for resisting Diseases, because all Physicians aim at long Life, and by this Universal, they, for the most part, obtained it, and that very efficaciously; and according to their own Arbitriment, named it the Tincture of Naturalists. For in all Medicine, what can be greater, than such a cleansing of the Body, by which every Superfluity in it, is totally eradicated, and transmuted? The Seed being found, all things are perfect. ”

“ But that more Gold may not be had in Germany, which is temperate, than in cold Norway, or Sweden, and less in Germany than in France or Spain, I will not deny. Therefore we need no Commerce with thirsty Africa, or America, as that with great peril of body and mind, we should seek Gold thence, seeing that we have it in every Countrey of Europe, and that not onely under ground in the Veins of the Earth, whence it is to be digged out with great trouble, cost and labour; but it is also every where manifest upon the Earth, where it is much more largely and easily acquired. ”

“ For Mars with his Magnet onely loads and perswades to War and Blood-shed, whereas the friendly and peace-loving Jupiter, with his benign Magnet stirs up none to evil but onely to good, and directs us to a Land much more abounding with Gold than America, whence we may fetch the same in peace and quiet without fear of War or Blood-shed, and to the glory of God make known his Works of wonder to the ignorant. ”

“ But in few words, ’Tis a subject of an inexhaustible wonder, the which I alwaies found the most stubborn of all the metals, that I have bestowed grievous pains about; but yet do believe, that he that knows rightly to deal with him, will reap a benefit from him not to be contemned. But who is there that discovers the Way? Wonders must alwaies remain unknown unto us, and albeit we know not all things, yet let us acknowledge the great Mercy of GOD, and give Thanks to Him for that which we do know. ”

“ Therefore the love of my Neighbour constrains me to publish this Universal Medicine for the sake of the Great ones of the World, seeing it is so much conducive to the perpetual felicity and happiness of a sound and good Government; for no man can be said to be a sound man, if he be not of a sound constitution of Body. What benefit, I pray, can a sick man bring to himself, or to other men? ”

“ For to prostrate a work of such great moment to every ones view, whereby those that are unworthy, should partake of such great Secrets, and by which a thing of so much value should be obnoxious to a common Abuse, is not verily, either necessary, profitable, or laudable. Let not any one therefore take it amiss, that I have so careful a regard of things so considerable. Let it suffice, that I have detected the thing, wherein such great Treasures have hidden themselves, which hitherto are profitable to no body, but are easily acquirable, or to be had. ”

“ Happy is he that can say with the Philosopher, All that is mine do I carry with me: How injuriously do they speak of the most bountiful Lord God, who accuse Him for that He hath forborn the bestowing of Wine, plenty of Corn, Pome-Citrons, and Gold on some Countries, and yet fully as great Treasures are to be found there, if the Eyes of the Inhabitants were not darkened? If there were nothing else, yet certainly there is Wood to be found, which without any labour, costs, or trouble of Rich or Poor, doth grow night and day, and offers it self unto us, and as it were, saith unto us in these words ”