Basilius Valentinus

“ Those Children which are subject to the influence of Saturn, are melancholy, churlish, continually murmuring, as old covetous people, who do no good to their own Bodies, and yet never have enough; they put their Bodies to much labour, torment themselves with thoughts and whimsies, seldom recreate themselves, or are merry with other people, nor do they greatly regard the natural love of fair Women. ”

“ The great World, as Heaven and Earth, was first, then was Man, the Little World, taken out of the greater; the Water was separated from the Earth, the Water was the Matter whereon the everlasting Spirit of God moved; the Little World was formed of the noblest Earth, as its Quintessence, by the Aquosity which yet was in the Earth, and all was only Natural; but after the breathing in of the Divine heating Breath, immediately the Supernatural was added; so then the Natural and Supernatural were knit and united. The great World is perishable, yet there will be a New Earth or World ”

“ It is evident, that the Celestial Light of the Sun is of a fiery Quality and Essence, given unto it by a Celestial, fixt and permanent sulphurous Spirit, by the most High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, to preserve its substance, form, and body; which Creature, by its swift motion and course, is enflamed and kindled by the Air through that swiftness in a continued manifestation of it ”

“ The Tincture of Coral expels all poison, and evil Spirits which fly from the good. So can the Soul of Gold in a Water turn the spiritual Essence of the Pearl, and the Sulphur of the Coral united in one, perform such a thing which otherwise Nature could not be intrusted with, but seeing that Experience hath manifested it, and confirmed the undeniable Truth, therefore this Cordial in this temporal Life is, and ought in reason to precede all other Cordials with admiration and admirable Effects, be they called by what name soever. ”

“ Spirit of Wine remains behind with the Tartar, but the Spirit of Mercury ascends over. If this Spirit of Mercury be mixt with the Spirit of Sulphur, together with its Salt, and so brought over jointly together, that they can never be separated, you have such a work which if it come over, and it get its ferment with Gold by solution according to a just measure and time appointed, and be brought to a perfect ripeness, unto the Plusquam perfection, nothing may compare therewith, for prevention of Diseases, and poverty, and to a rich excessive recreation of the Body and Goods. ”

“ I undertake to certifie of the first Tincture, Root, and Generation of Metals and Minerals: Know that the first Tincture and Root of all Metals, is likewise a supernatural, flying, fiery Spirit; which preserves it self in the Air, seeking its habitation naturally in the Earth and Water, wherein it can rest and operate: This Spirit is found in all Metals, more abundant in other Metals than in Gold, because [Pg 34] Gold, by reason of its well digested, ripened, and fixt body, is tight, close, and compact, and therefore no more can enter into its body than is just requisite ”

“ How should the Body be brought to an Oil, or yield its pleasant Oil, if it be brought to the last being of its degree, for [Pg 157] Glass is in all things the utmost and last.
You shall likewise know that you shall not obtain that perfect noble Oil in the least, if it be extracted with corrected Vinegar poured upon the Antimony, nor yet by Reverberation; and although its various colours may appear, yet is it not the right way; you may indeed get an Oil, but you must know that it hath no part of the Tincture, or power of transmutation in it. ”

“ The grosser sort of foolish Wits, who imagine themselves to be wise Philosophers, and all others who are not in their perfect senses, know no difference in this case, but the wise and truly discreet well know how to distinguish betwixt that which is natural and that which is supernatural. ”

“ Let us consider the third part of Natural & Supernatural things in Physick, the Virtues and Powers of each; this Medicine of every thing must first be driven out of a visible, tangible, natural Body, and be brought into a spiritual, meliorated, supernatural operation, that the Spirit which at the first was infused and given to the Body to live, might be released, that it should operate and penetrate as a Spiritual Essence, and Fire, having its Vent-holes left that it might burn and have no opposition, which might suffocate, suppress, or hinder the burning Life ”

“ All the strange Parables which the Philosophers have spoken mystically, of a Stone, a Moon, a Furnace, a Vessel, all this is Saturn; for you must not put any strange thing unto it, only what comes from it, therefore there, is none so poor in this [Pg 188] world, which cannot operate and promote this work; for Luna may be easily made of Saturn, in a short time, and in a little longer time Sol may be made out of it. And though a man be poor, yet may he very well attain unto it, and may be employed to make the Philosophers Stone. ”

“ Most people overpass, that natural custom which yet is supernatural, as also monstrous Births, and those that bring signs and marks with them into the world; which may all be natural, but manifest themselves supernaturally, by the imagination which caused them: These supernatural forms and customs, the Mother of the Child caused by intervening [Pg 31] thoughts, which unexpectedly happened to her, as it were by accident: Even as we often see and find, that many Men naturally are born with some gestures, which he can never leave, though he endevour with all his might to do it. ”

“ I moreover admonish, that the finder of this gift of God, above all things give thanks unto God day and night without ceasing, with all reverence and due obedience, from the bottom of his heart; because no Creature can yield sufficient praise which may recompense so great a benefit; but Diligence is known by a right and true industry according to our capacity. ”

“ But if the Spirit of Mercury be intended and qualified from above upon Animals, it becomes an Animal Substance; if it goes upon Vegetables by order, it becomes a Vegetable Work; but if, by reason of its infused nature, it fall on Minerals, it becomes Minerals and Metals, yet each one hath its distinction as they are wrought, the Animals for themselves, the Vegetables, on another manner and form by themselves, and so likewise the Minerals, each one a several way, whereof to write particularly would be too tedious, and yield large and various Narrations. ”

“ But whatsoever is contrary to God and his Word, ought justly to be rejected, and not to be tollerated, because they are not Godly, but Diabolical. But those Supernatural things which oppose not God and his Holy Word, belong unto Magick, and do the Soul no prejudice. ”

“ The Soul of Lead consists in a sweet quality, as also doth the Soul of Tin, and sweeter yet, that nothing almost may be compared to it, being first of all purified to the highest by separation, that the pure be well separated from the impure, that a perfect accomplishment may succeed in the Operation: Otherwise the Spirit of Lead is by nature cold and dry, wherefore I advise, that [Pg 144] it be not much used by Men and Women, because it over cools Nature, so that the Seed of both cannot perform their Natural Function ”

“ O thou valid substance of Metals, how great is thy power, how uninventive is thy virtue, how durable is thy constancy? happy is that man on Earth who knows thy Light in truth, which all the world takes no notice of ”

“ You must not therefore quite reject Saturn, nor in all points scornfully neglect him, because its Natures and Virtues are known yet but unto few; for the Stone of the wise hath the first beginning of its Celestial, high-shining Colour only out of this Metal, and from the influence of this Planet, the Key of Constancy is delivered unto him by putrefaction, because the red cannot be made out of the yellow, except before-hand a white be made out of the beginning of the black. ”

“ When the Philosophers find our Antimony thus secretly prepared, they say then that its external nature and virtue is inverted internally, and the internal cast forth externally, henceforth becoming an Oil, which is concealed in its innermost and profoundest part, till it be well prepared, and cannot any more be brought into its first Essence, untill the last Judgment ”

“ Now my Child, you may take the half of your Powder, put it into a Glass and melt it, have in readiness a Mould made hollow, of Box-wood, great or small as you please, it must be made smooth and even within with an Instrument, anoint it with Oil Olive, and when your red Powder is flux'd, poure it into the Mould, it will be a precious Stone, red as a Ruby, clear and transparent, take it out of the Mould, and make projection upon the imperfect Metals, and in the Body of Man. ”