A Work Of Saturn
In the Name of the Lord, Amen.
My Child shall know, that the Stone called the Philosophers Stone,
comes out of Saturn. And therefore when it is perfected, it makes
projection, as well in mans Body from all Diseases, which may assault
them either within or without, be they what they will, or called by what
name soever, as also in the imperfect Metals.
And know, my Child, for a Truth, that in
he whole vegetable work there
is no higher nor greater Secret than in Saturn; for we do not find
that perfection in Gold which is in Saturn; for internally it is good
Gold, herein all Philosophers agree, and it wants nothing else, but that
first you remove what is superfluous in it, that is, its impurity, and
make it clean, and then that you turn its inside outwards, which is its
redness, then will it be good Gold; for Gold cannot be made so easily,
as you can of Saturn, for Saturn is easily dissolved and congealed,
and its Mercury may be easily extracted, and this Mercury which is
extracted from Saturn, being purified and sublimed, as Mercury is
usually sublimed, I tell thee, my Child, that the same Mercury is as
good as the Mercury which is extracted out of Gold, in all operations;
for if Saturn be Gold internally, as in truth it is, then must its
Mercury be as good as the Mercury of Gold, therefore I tell you,
that Saturn is better in our work than Gold; for if you should extract
the Mercury out of Gold, it would require a years space to open the
body of Gold, before you can extract the Mercury out of the Gold, and
you may extract the Mercury out of Saturn in 14 days, both being
alike good.
Would you make a work out of Gold alone, you must labour two whole years
upon it, if it shall be well done: and you may finish a work of Saturn
in 30 or 32 weeks at the most. And being both well made, they are both
alike good; Saturn costs nothing or very little, it requires a short
time, and small labour; this I tell you in truth.
My Child, lock this up in thy heart and understanding, this [Symbol:
Saturn] is the Stone which the Philosophers will not name, whose name is
concealed unto this day; for if its name were known, then many would
operate, and the Art would be common, because this work is short, and
without charge, a small and mean work.
Therefore doth the name remain concealed; for the evils sake which might
thence proceed. 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 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.
Wherefore my Child, all is concealed in Saturn, which we have need of,
for in it is a perfect Mercury, in it are all the Colours of the
world, which may be discovered in it; in it are the true black, white
and red Colours, in it is the weight, it is our Lattin.
Example.
The eye of a man cannot endure any thing that is imperfect, how little
soever it be, though it be the least Atome of Dust, it would cause much
pain, that he can rest no where. But if you take the quantity of a Bean
of Saturn, shave it smooth and round, put it into the Eye, it will
cause no pain at all; the reason is, because it is internally perfect,
even as Gold and Precious Stones. By these and other Speeches you may
observe, that Saturn is our Philosophers Stone, and our Latten,
out of which our Mercury and our Stone is extracted with small Labour,
little Art and Expence, and in a short time.
Wherefore I admonish you, my Child, and all those who know its name,
that you conceal it from people, by reason of the evil which might
thence arise; and you shall call the Stone our Laton, and call the
Vinegar Water, wherein our Stone is to be wash'd; this is the Stone and
the Water whereof the Philosophers have wrote so many great Volumes.
There are many and different works in the Mineral Stone, and especially
in that Stone which God hath given us gratis, whereof many strange
Parables are written in the Mineral Book.
But this is the true Stone, which the Philosophers have sought, because
it makes projection upon all the imperfect Metals, especially upon quick
Mercury, and moreover it makes projection upon all diseases
whatsoever, which may come into mans Body, as likewise upon all Wounds,
Cancer, Fistulaes, open Sores, Buboes, Imposthumes, and all
whatsoever can come externally upon mans Body, therefore this Stone is
not under the Mineral work, but under the Vegetable.
It is the beginning of the Vegetable Book, and the principal; this Stone
is called Lapis Philosophorum, the Mineral Stone is called Lapis
Mineralis, and the third Stone is called Lapis Animalis. This Stone
is the true Aurum potabile, the true Quinessence which we seek, and no
other thing else in this world but this Stone. Therefore the
Philosophers say, whosoever knows our Stone, and can prepare it, needs
no more, wherefore they sought this thing and no other.
My Child shall take 10, 12, or 15 pound of Saturn, wherein is no
mixture of any other Metal; laminate it thin, have in readiness a great
Stone Jugg, half full of Vinegar, stop the Jugg very close, set it in a
Lukewarm Bath, every three or four days scrape off the calcin'd Saturn
from the Plates, and reserve it apart, thus do so long till you have 5
or 6 l. of the calcin'd Saturn, then grind it very well on a Stone
with good distilled Wine-Vinegar, so as you may paint therewith, then
take two or three great Stone-pots, therein put the Calx of Saturn
which you ground, poure good distilled Wine-Vinegar upon it, that two
parts of the Pot be full, stir it well together, stop the Pot close with
a polished Glass or Pebble-stone, set the Pots in a Bath, stir it four
or five times in a day with a wooden Ladle, lay the Glass or Stone
Stopple again over it, make the Bath no hotter than that you may well
endure your hand therein, that is, lukewarm; so let it stand fourteen
days and nights, then decant that which is clear into another Stone-pot,
poure other distilled Vinegar upon the Calx which is not well
dissolved, mix them well together, set it 14 days in the Bath, again
decant it, and poure other Vinegar upon it as before. This decantation
and pouring on continue so long till all the Calx of Saturn be
dissolved, then take all the dissolved Saturn, set it in a Bath,
evaporate the Vinegar by a small fire, the Saturn will become a powder
or lump. Or stir it about until it be dry, you have a mass or powder of
a dark yellow, or honey colour, then grind the powder again very finely
upon a Stone with distilled Vinegar; put it into a stone-pot, stir and
mix it well together, set it again into a Bath, which is but lukewarm
so let it stand five or six dayes, stir it every day from the top to the
bottom with a wooden Ladle, cover it again with the glass-Stopple, then
let it cool, poure off that which is dissolved into a great stone pot,
poure other Vinegar upon it, mix and stir them well together, set it
into the Bath as before, reiterate this decantation and pouring on so
often, till no more will dissolve, which try with your tongue, if it be
sweet, it is not enough dissolved, or put some of it into a glass-gourd,
let it evaporate, if any thing remain, it is not yet all dissolved which
would be Gold, and then what remaines in the pot are Faeces, and sweet
upon the Tongue; if you find any thing in the Gourd, it is not yet all
dissolved, then may you poure fresh Vinegar upon it, till all be
dissolved, then coagulate it as before, poure other Vinegar upon it,
stir it, set it again into the Bath, reiterate this operation of
solution and coagulation so long till you find no more Faeces at the
bottom, but all be dissolved into a pure clear water, then is Saturn
freed from all its Leprousness, Melancholy, Faeces, and blackness,
being pure and white as Snow, for it is cleansed from all its
uncleanness, because its coldness stands outwards as Luna doth, and
its heat is internal, fluxible as wax, and sweet as sugar Candy.