English translation of the Rosarium philosophorum

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unless it be so digested and decocted, that the better may better the worse, because the intent of all the Philosophers
is to effect it with the better, which the ignorant sort understand contrarily, because they endeavour to bring to pass
the better with the worse, and this they seek in a thing which never was in it, that Gold and Silver in adustible things
as hath been before explained.
That it is not profitable to seek this Sulphur in some sick bodies because it is not there.
It may worthily be demanded, whether this white and red Sulphur to tinct Mercury, may be chosen out of some sick
bodies. I say that it cannot, because it has been before said, that there is not any thing of a greater temporancy, than
is found in these two bodies, in which the tincting beams are. Whereas it has been said that sick bodies contain in
themselves stinking and adustible Sulphur, and not of a virtuous nature as in those. Whereas every art is not of force,
but by what nature had before, from which it follows, you may purge metals by the lesser minerals. Which being
purged yet they should not have that golden and silvery nature in themselves, because golden digestion and
decoction have not been in them as in others, nor Sulphur so ripe. And therefore we must help these which be unripe
with those that are ripe, that they may be ripened. Therefore they tinct not but they are tincted, because the tinctures
of gold and silver have a proportionable nature with them, that is with the unripe and the imperfect, because they
have drawn their original from Mercury. By this it manifestly appears that the lesser minerals cannot tinct, because
the imperfect metallic bodies, which agree not with Gold or Silver of the part of ripe Mercury, cannot tinct nor
receive the nature of Gold or Silver, and therefore is not to be tincted, but in those, in which the virtue of tincting is
tincted therefore with Gold and Silver, because Gold gives a golden colour and nature and Silver a silvery colour
and nature. Wherefore neglect all other things which have not naturally the virtue of tincting, as there is no fruit in
them, but only destruction of things and gnashing of teeth.
Fermentation
Here Sol is again included,
And is circumpassed with the Mercury of Philosophers.
Hermes in his Second Treatise of Sol: 0 Sons, there are seven bodies of Philosophers of which their gold is the
chief, the king and head, which neither the earth corrupts, nor any burning thing burns, nor water alters, because his
complexion is temperate and his nature direct in heat, cold, moisture and dryness. Neither is there anything in it that
is superfluous, nor any thing too little. Wherefore, the Philosophers have brought it forth and magnified it, and they
have said that Gold is in the same sort in bodies, as Sol in the stars with his glorious light and shining, for by it
vegetables spring in the earth and all fruit is brought forth by the will of God. In like sort, gold in bodies contains
every body with itself and receives them, because it is the ferment of the Elixir, without which nothing is done. For
as dough without a leaven cannot be leavened nor seasoned, so when you will make white, sublime, mundify and
extract the faeces and filthiness from them, and [you] will make them fit, conjoin and mingle them together, then put
ferment to them, and look in what sort the ferment of dough is, so in the same sort is this ferment. Meditate
therefore, and contemplate whether the ferment be of the thing or else of its nature. This is the key of all the
Philosophers, and we must note that ferment whitens confection, forbids combustion, and holds tincture that it flies
not away, it softens bodies and makes them enter by course and conjoins them.
Raimund says in his Apertory: Now by the second part the Stone will colour itself, it is fixed and fermented, but
the ferment of the stone for white is Silver, and for red it is Gold, as the Philosophers declare, because without
ferment neither Sol nor Luna cometh, nor anything else that is of his nature. Join, therefore, ferment with his
sulphur, that it may engender its colour, and likewise come to its nature, weight, sound and savour, because every
like engendereth its like, and ferment tincteth as Sol and changeth his Sulphur into a permanent and penetrating
medicine. Therefore the Philosopher says, he that knows to tinct Sulphur and Argent vive, attaineth the greatest
secret, for this cause it is meet that Sol and Luna be in the tincture and the ferment of that spirit, and of the
permanent water of Argent vive. And by that water these natures ought to be fixed and nourished with natural heat
until they shall have fixation and melting perfect. After this is made the Regimen of the Conjunction of the Stone
with its ferment, that is until the work is come to its full accomplishment and this is not done at one time all
together, because this is not of the intent of nature but to have it well by coupling, that is a little, and then a little
again, and also by coagulation the true unformal medicine is made. And for this, that copulation is caused of the
subtle parts transmuted and altered into a spiritual form and essence, because it is written that the thick and gross
body with the subtle, and the subtle with the thick and gross, cannot conjoin themselves by reason of their
contrariety, unless that which is gross be converted into his subtleness by his subtle spirit, and then they are to be
mingled together. And this the Philosophers notify by declaring to a follower of the truth, and they say that perfect
mixture is the union of mingled and altered bodies joined to themselves by things not to be divided, because these
things are here required by manifest reason. Because mixture or union cannot be done or made without alteration
which is subtlization of the body and reduction of it into spiritual form.
And concerning that part the Philosophers do say that now the medicine is finished from one manner into another
crystalline manner, and then it will appear, because that plate is without division of those parts, by little and little.
For that, such a cause cannot be done or made without the subtlization and homogeneity of nature, and for this cause
it is meet that this matter may become so subtle, that all parts in nature may be equally mixed with water. And, this
you may see by your understanding, when one body is made transparent and continuated into one by conjunction or
commixtion of many parts without division, discontinuation and termination, into one thickness and transparent
figure throughout all its parts.
Now, my Son, thou hast no small secret. Therefore, first illuminate the body before thou put the soul into it, because
otherwise it will never receive it or retain the spirit in it. Thus for Raimund.
Calidus: No man yet ever could, and hereafter never shall tinct foliated earth but with gold, therefore Hermes
teaches us saying, sow your gold into white foliated earth, which by calcination is made fiery, subtle and airy.
Therefore let us sow gold into that earth, when we put tincture of gold to it, but gold can never tinct any other body
perfectly than itself. Surely this cannot be done unless it be brought to pass by art.
Gold is the ferment of the work without which nothing is done, because it is as the leaven of dough, the curd of milk
in cheese and as musk in good sweet things, and with it the composition of the greater Elixir is made, because it doth
illustrate and preserve from burning, which is a sign of perfection. Know that without gold the work cannot be done, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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