The Treasure of Treasures

The Treasure of Treasures, by Theophrastus Paracelsus.

NAture hath produced in the bowels of the earth one kind of Mineral, the which is wonderfull, and twofold; and this is to be found in sundry places of Europe. The best that ever came to my hand, and that was proved so by experience, of [or according to] the figure of the greater world, is in the East, of the Astrum of the Sphear of the Sun; the other doth consist in the Meridional [or Southern] Astrum; in its first budding forth, it is the Viscus [or gum] of the earth, produced [or brought forth] by its [own] Astrum into light; and is (in its first Coagulation) adorned with a redness; in it are included all the flowers and colours of the Minerals, of the which much hath been spoken by the Philosophers: And as to what appertains to the cold and moist nature, it hath been (by a kind of comparison) adapted [or suited] to water: But verily the perfect experimental knowledge thereof, hath hitherto lain hidden from very many, yea almost all the Philosophers that have (afore my time) hitherto shot their Arrows towards the Mark, and having used vain Attempts have most widely declined [and erred] from the true and compleat scope. They have thought that Mercury and Sulphur are the mother and father of all Mettals; but verily they have not remembred [or minded] the third: yea (which is more) there's none of these that could yet take [or get] that Net pertaining to [this] Fishing into [their] hands, because [this net] is agreeable to [or resembling] a true Water, the Mother of Mettals, the which [water] being separated by a Spagyrical Artifice, lays open its Fishes, but such Fishes, as neither the Galenical Fishing, nor Avicens broken and torn net can ever be able to catch or lay hold of. Should I but demonstrate to our Modern Physitians, even the bare name only of the Conjunction, Solution, and Coagulation, which Nature it self in the beginning of the World hath laid open and demonstrated in this its [own] created [Subject] a year would hardly suffice; no, nor all the Paper that can be got, would be enough to instruct or inform them: Verily, I say, that in this Mineral, [there are three substances to be had, as Mercury, Sulpur and a Mineral Water, of which [three] it is composed; and being separated Spagyrically is dissolved in its Own proper [and] not yet ripe Liquor, and is hidden as a Pear in its proper Tree. The hider of the Pear is the Tree, upon the which as the Stars and Nature do agree [and work] together, it gives forth green bows, and afterwards in March yields Buds, and manifesteth Flowers, and so proceeds on even to the production of the fruit of the Pear; then at Autumn the fruits depart [or are ripe.] Not unlike hereto, is is to be considered of, as to the Minerals in the bowels of the earth, which are thrust or brought forth by the Astrum's or Stars; the which thing those Alchymists must chiefly consider of, that breathe or pant after the Treasure of Nature: The manner of which Artifice, as to its beginning, middle and end, I shall lay open in the following Treatise, and also its Water, Sulphur and Balsom. By the Solution of which three, and their Conjunction again into One, is the whole business of the thing finished after this manner. Take the Mineral of Cinnatre, the which wash and purge with a Celestial Water for three hours; then strain it and dissolve it in Aq. Regis, made of Vitriol, Salt-Peter and common Salt; Let it be abstracted by an Alembick, be again poured on, and care taken by Cohovation, that the pure be separated from the impure, as followeth beneath. Let it putrifie in Horse-dung for a moneth, then afterwards let the Elements be separated; and when they discover their Signs, let them be distilled by an Alembick in a fire of the first degree, whereby the water and the ayr do ascend first, and then the fire, and that [is done] by the other degrees [of the Fire] the which may be discerned by an expert Operatour: In the bottom of the Vessel remains the earth, in the which lyes hid [even] all that which many have sought for, and but most few have found. This earth thou must shut up in a Reverberatory, and Aritificially Calcine it, proceeding from the first to the fifth degree, and in each degree the space of five hours; by this 'twill come to pass that thou wilt have a Volatile Salt, exceeding subtle like an Alcool, and the Stable and constant Astrum of the Fire and the Earth, the which thou shalt separate by the Elements of the water and the ayr which thou keptst afore. Then put it in digestion of a B. M. for eight hours, and thou shalt see that which is hitherto unknown unto, and not at all considered by many Alchymists. Separate [them or it] according to thy experience artificially, and after a Spagyrical manner, the earth it self will be rendred white in a wonderful manner, out of which the Tincture hath been extracted. Conjoyn the Element of the Fire with the Alcolizated Salt of the earth by digestion, and a Pellicanick Artifice, [then] that substance will yet again put [down] another Sediment, the which thou shalt separate from the pure: Then at length take the Pellicanated Lyon which at the beginning was sound out and obtained: [And] when thou seest the Tincture thereof, and the Element of the Fire above [or at top of] the water, ayr, and earth, separate it by a Tritory or Separating-glass, and strain the Sun thereof by inclination; for it is Aurum potabile. Moisten it over with the sweet Alcoole of Wine, and let it be again abstracted until the Acuity and sharpness of the Aq. Reg. be no more perceived: Separate this Oil of Sol, and put it in a Retort, closed with an Hermetical Seal for its elevation, that is, its exaltation, that it may be doubled in its degree: Take this Glass [thus] shut, and put it in a cold place, it will not be there dissolved but will be Coagulated; this is to be repeated three times, by Solution and Coagulation. By this Artifice the Tincture of the Sun is perfected in its degree. Then at length take twice as much of this Verus (most highly prepared after a Spagyrical manner) to which pour the elements of the Water and Ayr which thou keptst; dissolve and putrifie it for a moneth as afore: And when 'tis come to its perfection, thou shalt see the sign of the Elements, separate the one from the other (for there will be an ocular appearance) viz. of the red secret from the white; This then thou shalt separate from the white, for it is the red Tincture, so potent, that it can tinge all white bodies into redness, or red [bodies] into whiteness, which is very wonderful; urge this Tincture by a Retort, thou shalt see a blackness to arise up, the which urge again by a Retort, and that so often untill it be white; Prosecute this thy work, neither despair in thy minde, because of the very much labour. Rectifie it so often until you see the green Lyon true and clear, ponderous and heavy, which tingeth into perfect Gold: Do not desist from the work which we have now mentioned, until thou hast the signs [or marks] and seest the Lyon and Treasure, not to be bought with [at] the the Treasure of the Tenth Lion [or Leo the Tenth] the Pope of Rome. 'Tis well for him that hath found it, and knows how to apply it for Tincture. This is the true Balsom of the Celestial Astrum[…], or Stars, the which suffers not any body to go into putrefaction, nor doth it leave either Lepry, Gout, or Dropsie unexpelled, by (or in) the administration of one grain; if it shall be fermented with the Sulphur of Sol: O thou German Charles, Where's thy Treasure? Where be thy Doctors and Physicians? Where are thy Boylers of Lignum Guaicum? who do purge only and make Laxative. What! Is thy Heaven thus provoked, & thy Stars [thus] wandred from the right course, and thy straight Line declined unto another way? What! are thine eyes transmuted into Glass and Carbuncle that they see those things only which pertain to ornament, and to a superficial Spectacle, disdain and pride? Verily, if thy Doctors did but know, that their Prince, whom they call Galen, did live with the Infernal [Spirits] and that he wrote back from thence hither, whereby he might make evidently known to the whole world the deserved Condemnation of himself, they would (out of meer astonishment) flap themselves with the Foxes tail: Nor is Avicen to be otherwise thought of, but that he sits in the Porch of Hell, with whom I have had some Disputation and Controversie about his Aurum potabile, Philosophers Stone, and Triacle. O ye troop of Sophisters, who plainly counterfeit the Medicinal Art, whereas tis born from God, and commited to Nature, and not to you ye most unworthy men; for ye do too too unworthily despise her. Look to it, O ye Cheaters of Mankinde, Ye who love the upper Seats, in the earth, whereupon ye also sit: After my decease shall my Disciples arise, who shall lay you open ye Hypocrites, and bring you abroad to the Light, together with your most unclean Cooks; ye miserably deceive your Princes and Christian Potentates, and bring them to the grave by your Medicine: Wo be unto you at the last Judgement day. I hope that my Monarchy will triumph with the honour due unto me; not that I extoll my self, but Nature her self doth extoll me; for 'tis from her that I am born a Physitian; her I follow; she knows me, and I her, because I have seen the Light that is in her, and have approved [or made it good] in the Figure of the Microcosm, and have found it so in her world, the which is true. But to return to what I began, I shall do enough for my Disciples, on whom also I bestow my Doctrine, & do much favour them, as long as they seek it in the light of nature, so that they do make experience, do get the knowledge of the Stars, and become Learned in Philosophy; the nature of the water and every thing that I have written will make apparent, and teach all things unto them.

Take therefore as much as thou wilt of the Liquor of the Minerals, of the Salt of the red earth two parts, of the Sulphur of Sol one part; let them be put in a Pellican, be dissolved and Coagulated, and that the third time: By this way shalt thou have the tincture of the Alchymists, the weight of which is not at all to be described in this place, but in the book of transmutations: Whosoever hath one ounce of the Astrum of the Sun, and shall project it upon some ounce of Gold, it shall tinge its own proper body. If he hath the Astrum of ☿︎, he shall likewise tinge the whole body of Common Mercury. If the Astrum of ☿︎, it shall in like manner tinge the whole body of Venus into the best Gold, and into the highest and durable perfection. The like is to be supposed of the Stars of the other Mettals, as ♄︎, ♃︎, ♂︎, &c. Out of [all] which also are the Tinctures to be extracted by the same reason or way, and which we shall not at all describe here, because they are to be had in the Book of the nature of things, and of the Archidoxis: In these few words, I have abundantly enough declared to the true Alchymist, the first Ens of the Mettals and Minerals of the Earth, together with the Tincture of the Alchymists: Nor is there [any Cause] why any Operator should be deterred with the space of nine moneths time, but let him proceed on without tediousness in a Spagyrical way, by which he shall be able in the space of fourty Alchymical days to fix, extract, exalt, putrifie, ferment, and Coagulate the Stone of the Alchymists, to the honour of God, and profit of his Neighbour.

To GOD alone be Praise, Honour and Glory for evermore, Amen.