George Ripley, The Compound of Alchymie, part 1 of 4

THE COMPOVND OF ALCHYMIE.

A most excellent, learned, and worthy worke, written by Sir George Ripley, Chanon of Bridlington in Yorkeshire, Conteining twelve Gates.

Titulus Operis.

HEre begynneth The Compound of Alchymie,
Made by a Chanon of Bridlington,
After his learning in Italy
At Yxning for tyme he there did wonne:
In which be declared openly
The secrets both of Sunne and Moone,
How they their kinde to multiplye,
In one body togeder must wonne.

Which Chanon Sir George Ripley hight,
Exempt from Claustrall observance,
For whom pray ye both day and night,
Sith he did labour you to advance.
He turned darknes into light,
Intending to helpe you to happy chaunce,
Gyving Counsell that ye live right,
Doeing to God no displeasaunce.

GEORGE RIPLEY UNTO King EDWARD the fourth.

O Honorable Lord, and most victoryous Knyght,
With Grace and Fortune abundantly endewed,
The savegard of England, & maynteyner of right;
That God you loveth indeede he hath well shewed:
Wherefore I trust thys Lond shalbe renewed
With Joy and Riches, with Charyty and Peace,
So that old ranckors understrewed,
Tempestuous troubles and wretchednes shall cease.

And now syth I see by tokens right evident,
That God you guydeth, and that ye be vertuous,
Hating synne, and such as be insolent,
How that also Manslaughter to you is odious,
Upon the Indygent also that ye be piteous,
Greate ruth it were if ye should not lyve longe:
For of your great fortune ye be not presumptuous,
Nor vengeable of mynde to wreke every wrong.

Theis considered, with others, in your most noble Estate,
Like as God knoweth, and people doe witnesse beare,
So entyrely me meveth, that I must algate
Recorde the same, and therein be no flatterer:
And that not onely, but also to write here,
And to your Highnes humbly for to present
Great Secretts which I in farre Countryes did lert,
And which by grace to me most unworthy are lent.

Once to your Lordship such thyngs I did promise,
What tyme ye did command to send unto me;
And since that I wrote in full secret wise,
Unto your Grace from the Universitie
Of Lovayne, when God fortuned me by Grace to see
Greater secretts and moch more profyte,
Which onely to you I wyll disclosed to be:
That is to say the great Elixirs both Red and White.

For like it you to trust that trewlie I have found
The perfect waye of most secrete Alchimy,
Which I wyll never tr[…]wly for M[…]rke ne for Pounde
Make common but to you, and that conditionally
That to your selfe ye shall keepe it full secretly,
And onely it use as may be to Gods pleasure,
Els in tyme comming, of God I should abye
For my discovering of his secrete treasure.

Therefore advise you well wyth good delyberation,
For of this Secrete shall know none other Creature
But onely you, as I make faithfull Protestation,
For all the tyme that I here in lyfe endure:
Whereto I wyll your Lordship me to ensure,
To my desyre in thys by othe to agree,
Least I should to me the wrath of God procure;
For my revealing his greate gift and previtie.

And yet moreover I wyll your Hyghnes to pardon me,
For openly wyth pen I wyll it never wryte,
But when that ye list by practice ye shall se[…];
By Mouth also this pr[…]tious secret most of delyght,
How may be made Elixirs Red and Whyte,
Playne unto your Hyghnes it shall declared be,
And if it please you with easy expence and respyte
To help, I wyll them make by helpe of the Trinitie.

But notwythstanding for perill that might befall,
Though I dare not here plainly the knot unbinde,
Yet in my writeing I wyll not be so Mysticall,
But that ye may by studie the knowleige finde:
How that eche thing multiplicable is in hys kinde,
And that likenes of bodies Metalline be transmutable
I wyll deelare, that if ye feele me in your minde
Ye shall prove my wryting true and noe fayned fable.

And if God graunt you by me to wynne thys treasure,
Serve him devoutly with more Laud and thanking,
Praying his Godhead in lyfe ye may so endure,
His gifts of grace and fortune to use to his pleasing,
Most specially intending over all thing,
To your power and connyng his precepts tenne
So to keep, that into no daunger your selfe ye bring;
But that ye may in glorie see him hereafter, Amen.

As the Philosopher in the boke of Meteors doth wryte,
That the lykenesse of bodyes Metalline be not transmutable,
But after he added theis words of more delyte,
Without they be reduced to theyr beginning materiable.
Wherefore such bodies which in nature be liquable,
Minerall and Mettaline may be Mercurizate,
Conceave ye may that this Scyence is not opinable,
But very true by Raymond and others determynate.

In the said Boke the Philosopher speaketh also,
Therein if it please your Highnes for to reade,
Of divers Sulphurs, but especially of two;
And of two Mercuryes Joyned to them indede:
Whereby he doth true understanders leade
To the knowledge of the principles which be true;
Both Red most pure, and White, as have I spede,
Which be neverthelesse founden but of right few.

And these two things be best he addeth anone
For them that worketh the Alchimy to take,
Our Gold and our Silver therewith to make alone;
Wherefore I say, who will our Pearle and Ruby make,
The said principles looke that he not forsake:
For at the beginning if his principles be trewe,
And that he can by crafte them so bake;
Trewly at the end his Worke shall him not rewe.

But one greate secret ryght nedefull it is to knowe,
That though the Philosophers speake plurally,
All is but one Thing, ye may me trowe,
In kinde, which is our Base principally,
Whereof doth spring both Whyte and Red naturally;
And yet the Whyte must come fyrst of the Red:
Which thyng is not wrought manually,
But naturally, Craft helping oute of our Leade.

For all the parts of our most precious Stone,
As I can preve, be Coessentiall and concrete;
Moreover there is no true principle but one;
Full longe it was er I therwith could mete:
Who can reduce it, and knoweth his Heate,
And only kinde with kinde can redresse,
Till filth originall be clensed from his Seat,
Likely he is to finde our secrets both more and lesse,

Onlie therefore worke Kynde, with his owne Kynde,
And all your Elements Ioyne that they not strive,
This poynte also for any thing beare in mynde;
That passive natures ye tourne into active,
Of Water, Fire, and Winde, of Erthe make blive;
And of the Quadrangle make ye a Figure round,
Then have ye honie of our bene hive;
One ounce well worth a thousand pound.

The principall secrete of secretes all
Is true Proportion which may not be behinde,
Wherein I councell yow be not superficiall,
The true conclusion if ever ye thinke to fynde,
Turne Erth to Water, and Water into Wynde,
Therof make Fire, and beware of the Floode
Of Noe, wherein many one be blinde;
That by this Science thei get but little good.

I councell you to eate and drinke temperatly,
And be well ware that Iposarcha come not in place;
Nesh not your Wombe by drinking ymmoderatly,
Lest ye quench your naturall Heate in lyttle space;
The colour wyll tell appearing in your Face:
Drinke no more therefore, then ye may eate;
Walke up and downe after an easie pace,
Chafe not your Body too sore for to sweate.

With easy Fire after meving when ye sweate,
Warme your Body and make it dry againe;
By Rivers and Fountaines walke after meate:
At morrowe tymely visit the high Mountaine,
That Phisicke so byddeth I reade certeyne:
So hygh the Mountaine nevertheles ye not ascende,
But that ye may downeward the way have plaine,
And with your Mantell from cold ye yow defende.

Such labour is holsome, your sweat if ye wyll drie
With a napkin, and after it take no cold,
For grosse humors be purged by Sweat kindly;
Use Diacameron, then confect with perfect Gold
Hermodactilus for watrie humors good I hold,
Use Hipericon Perforate with mylke of Tithimall;
And Sperma Cete ana with redd Wyne when ye wax old,
And Gotes Mylke soddē with Gold nourisheth moisture radical.

But a good Phisytian who so intendeth to be,
Our lower Astronomy him nedeth well to knowe
And after that to lerne, well, Urine in a glasse to see,
And if it nede to be chafed, the Fyre to blowe,
Then wyttily, it, by divers wayes to throwe,
And after the cause to make a Medicine blive,
Truly telling the ynfirmities all on a rowe:
Who thus can doo by his Physicke is like to thrive.

We have an Heauen yncorruptible of the Quintessence,
Ornate with Elements, Signes, Planetts, and Starrs bright,
Which moisteth our Erthe by Suttile influence:
And owt thereof a Secrete Sulphure hid from sight,
It fetteth by vertue of his attractive might;
Like as the Bee fetcheth Hony out of the Flowre
Which thing can doo none other Erthly wight;
Therefore to God only be glory and honour.

And like as Yse to Water doth relente,
Whereof congealed it was by violence of greate Cold,
Whence Phebus it smiteth with his Heate influent:
Right so to Water mynerall, reduced is our Gold,
(As writeth playnly Albert, Raymond, and Arnold)
With heate and moisture by craft occasionate,
With congelation of the Spyrite, Lo! now have I told
Howe our materialls togeather must be proportionate.

Att the Dyers craft ye may lerne this Science,
Beholding with Water how they decoctions make
Uppon theyr Woad and Maddre easyly and with patience,
Till the Tinctures appeare which the Cloath doth take
Therein so fixed that they wyll never forsake
The Cloth for washing after they joyned be;
Right so our Tinctures with Water of our Lake
We draw by boyling with Ashes of Hermes tree.

Which Tinctures when they by craft are made parfite,
So dieth Mettalls with Colours evermore permanent,
After the qualitie of the Medycine Red or White;
That never away by eny Fire, will be brente:
To this Example, if you take good tent
Unto your purpose the rather shall ye wynne,
And see your Fire be easy and not fervent;
Where Nature did leave off, what tyme look ye begynn.

First Calcine, and after that Putrefye,
Dyssolve, Dystill, Sublyme, Descende, and Fyxe,
With Aquavite oft times, both wash and drie,
And make a marriage the Body and Spirit betwixt;
Which thus togeather naturally if ye can myxe,
In losinge the Body the Water shall congealed bee,
Then shall the Body dy utterly of the Flixe,
Bleeding and chaunging Colours as ye shall see.

The third daye againe to Life he shall uprise,
And devour Byrds, and Beasts of the Wildernes,
Crowes, Popingayes, Pyes, Pekocks, and Mavies;
The Phenix, the Egle whyte, the Griffon of fearfulnes,
The Greene Lyon and the Red Dragon he shall destres;
The white Dragon also, the Antlope, Unicorne Panther,
With other Byrds, and Beasts both more and lesse;
The Basiliske also which allmost eche one doth feare.

In Bus and Nubi he shall arise and ascend
Up to the Moone, and sith up to the Sonne,
Through the Ocean Sea, which round is without end:
Only Shypped within a little glasen Tonne,
When he commeth thither, then is the Maistrie Wonne:
About which Iourney greate good shall ye not spend,
And yet ye shall be glad that ever it was begonne;
Patiently if ye liste to your worke attend.

For then both Body and Spirit also both Oyle and Water,
Sowle and Tincture one thing both White and Red,
After Colours variable it conteyneth what so men clatter;
Which also called is when he hath once bene Dedd:
And is revived our Marchasite, our Magnete, and our Lead,
Our Sulphure, our Arsenicke, and our true Calcevive:
Our Sonne, our Moone, our Ferment of our Bread:
Our Toade, our Basiliske, our unknowne Body, our Man, our Wife.

Our Body thus naturally by crafte when it is renovate
Of the first ordre is Medicine called in our Philosophy,
Which oftentimes must againe be Spiritualizate:
The rounde Whele turning of our foresaid Astronomy:
And so to the Elixir of Spirites must ye come, for why
Till the same of the fixed by the same of the flier be overgone
Elixir of Bodyes named it is only;
And this secrete poynt truly deceaveth many one.

This naturall processe by helpe of craft thus consummate
Dissolveth the Elixir spirituall in our unctuous Humiditie;
Then in Balneo of Mary togeather let them be Circulat,
Like new Hony or Oyle till they perfectly thicked be,
Then will that Medicine heale all manner Infirmitie,
And turne all Mettalls to Sonne & Moone most perfectly:
Thus shall ye have both greate Elixir, and Aurum Potabile,
By the grace and will of God, to whom be lawd eternally.

[Figure: Here followeth the Figure conteyning all the secrets of the Treatise both great & small — Iohn Goddard sculpsit — summary of information in treatise]

Incipit Prologus.

CHyld of thys Dyssyplyne incline to me thyne Ere,
And harkyn to my doctryne with all thy dylygence;
Thes words of wysdome in mynde doe thou bare,
Which of old Fathers be trew in sentence;
Live clene in soule, to God doe none offence:
Exalt thee not but rather keepe thee Lowe,
Ells wyll thy God in thee no Wysdome sowe.

Fro fayned Doctryne and wycked thought,
The holy spryt doth hym wythdraw;
Nylling to dwell where Syn is wrought,
Dred God therefore and obay his Lawe,
A ryghteous Man forsooke I never sawe:
Nether hys seed begg bread for need,
In holy Scrypture thus doe I rede.

Make Wysdome therefore thy Sister to be,
And call on Prudence to be thy Frynd,
By pathes of truth they wyll gyde thee,
Wyth love and honesty wher so thou wend:
Both vertuose to be, curteous and hend:
Pray God therefore that thou may fynde
Wysdome and Prudence with mouth and mynde.

All manner good cum wyth them shall,
And honestie by ther hands innumerable,
Then into combraunce shall thou not fall;
Soe be they in ryches Incomparable:
To worshyp and profyt they wyll thee able,
To conyng and to all manner of grace,
Both here and after thy lyvys space.

For these benefyts which they don bryng,
In parte ynnumeryd by sapyence,
To them I can compare no thyng;
No rychys, no spyces of redolence:
Above all tresure such is ther exellence,
That whatsoever erthly that precyous ys,
To them comparyd ys but as cley ywys.

Infynyte treasure to Man they be,
Who usyth them shall fryndshyp have
With God in Heven, and there hym se,
After them vyvelyche therefor thou crave,
For Body and Soule both wyll they save;
And herein Goods doth multiplye,
And afore Prynces they dygnyfy.

Thynke how Adam lost hys wysdome,
Sampson hys myght that was soe strong,
Kyng Saule also lost hys Kyngdome;
And Davyd was punnyshed soare for hys wrong:
In the Oake by the here fayre Absolon hong,
Kyng Ezeky by sycknesse had punishment,
And many one moe for synne was shent.

But see how other that livyd well,
And to their God did none offence,
Such chastysment did never fele,
But God shewed ever to them benevolence;
Enok and Ely were caryed hence,
To Paradyse, and other good livers were
Of God rewarded in dyvers manner.

Sum had gret Fortune, sum gret Cunnynge,
Sum had gret Peace, sum gret Ryches,
Sum conquered Londs to ther wonyng;
Sum were exalted for ther gret mekenes,
Sum other were saved fro the cruelnes
Of Tyrants, Lyons, and hot Fornacys,
As Danyell and other in many places.

Thus to good Livers God send gret grace,
And unto Synners sore ponishment;
Sum to amend in thys lyfe had space,
Sum sodenly with fyre fro Heavyn were brent,
Synfull Sodomyts for ever were shent;
With Dathan and Abyron and other moe,
Which sank for Syn to endles wo.

Thus ever syth the World was wrought,
God hath rewardyd both evyll and good;
Thus yf it maye rest in thy thought,
Fro synfull livyng wyll chaung thy moode.
Yf synfull people thys understood,
They ought to be aferd God to offend,
And soone ther synfull lyfes to amend.

Therefore with God looke thou begyne,
That he by grace may dwell with thee,
So shall thou best to Wysdom wyn,
And knowledge of our grete prevyte;
Norysh Vertues, and Vices looke thou flee,
And trustyng thou wylt thee well dispose,
Our secrets to thee I wyll dysclose.

Keep thou them secret and for me pray,
Looke that you use them to Gods pleasure;
Do good wyth them what ever thou may,
For tyme thou shalt thys lyfe endure,
That after thy endyng thou may be sure
In Hevyn for to rewardyd be,
Whych God graunt both to thee and me.

The Preface.

O Hygh Yncomprehensyble and gloryous Mageste,
Whose Luminos Bemes obtundyth our speculation;
One-hode in Substance, O Tryne hode in Deite,
Of Hierarchycall Jubylestes the gratulant gloryfycation;
O pytewouse puryfyer of Soules and puer perpetuation;
O deviaunt fro danger, O drawer most deboner;
Fro thys envyos valey of vanyte, O our Exalter.

O Power, O Wysdom, O Goodnes inexplycable;
Support me, Tech me, and be my Governour,
That never my lyvyng be to thee dysplycable,
But that I aquyte me to thee as a trew professor:
Att thys begynnyng good Lord here my prayer;
Be nygh with Grace for to enforce my wyll,
Graunt well that I may my entent fulfyll.

Most curyose Coffer and copyose of all tresure
Thou art, fro whom all goodnes doth dessend,
(To Man) and also to every-ech Creature;
Thyne Handy-warke therefore vouchsafe to defend,
That we no tyme in lyvying here myspend,
With truth thou graunt us our lyvelode to wyn
That in no daunger of Synfulnes we renne.

And for soe much as we have for thy sake
Renowncyd the World, our Wylls, and the Fleshys Lust,
As thyne owne wylfull professyors us take;
Syth in thee only dependyth all our trust,
We can no ferther, to thee enclyne we must:
Thy secret Tresorars, vouchsafe to make us,
Show us thy Secrets, and to us be bounteous.

Among other which be professyd to thee
I me present, as one wyth humble Submyssyon,
Thy Servant besechyng that I may bee,
And trew in levyng acording to my professyon:
In order Chanon reguler of Brydlyngton;
Besechyng the Lord that thou wylt me spare,
To thy trew Servaunts thy secretts to declare.

In the begynnyng when thou madyst all of nought,
A globose Mater and darke under confusyon,
By thee Begynner mervelously was wrought,
Conteynyng naturally all thyngs withoute dyvysyon,
Of whych thou madyst in six Dayes dere dystynction;
As Genesys apertly doth recorde
Then Heavyn and Erth perfeytyd were wyth thy word.

So thorow thy Wyll and Power owte of one Mase
Confusyd was made all thyngs that being ys;
But yn thy glory afore as maker thou was,
Now ys and shall be wythout end I wys:
And puryfyed Sowls upp to thy blys
Shall come a pryncyple, thys may be one,
For the declaryng of our Stone.

For as of one Mase was made all thyng,
Ryght soe must hyt in our practyse be,
All our secrets of one Image must spryng:
In Phylosophers Bokes therefore who lust to se,
Our Stone ys callyd the lesse World one and three,
Magnesia also of Sulphure and Mercury,
Propotionat by Nature most perfytly.

But many one mervelyth whych mervel may,
And muse on such a mervelous thyng,
What ys our Stone syth Phylosophers doth say,
To such as ever be hyt sechyng:
Yet Fowles and Fyshys to us doth yt bryng,
Every-ech Man yt hath, and ys in every place,
In thee, in me, in every tyme and space.

To thys I answer, that Mercury it ys I wys
But not the comyn callyd Quicksylver by name,
But Mercury withoute whych nothyng beyng ys;
All true Phylosophers record and say the same:
But symple serchers puttyth them in blame,
Saying they hyd hyt, but they beblame worthy,
Which be no Clerks, and medlyth with Phylosophy.

But though hyt Mercury be yett wysely understond,
Wherein it ys, where thou shalt it seech,
Ells I thee Councell take not this warke in hond,
For Philosophers flattryth Foolys with fayre Speche:
But lyst to me, for trewly I wyll thee teche,
Whych ys thy Mercury most profyttable,
Beyng to thee nothing dysseveable.
It ys more nythe in sum things than in sum,
Therefore take tent what I unto the wryt,
For yf thou never to the knowledge cum,
Therof yet shalt thou me not twytt:
For I wyll trewly now thee excite,
To understand well Mercurys three,
The keys which of our Scyens be.

Raymond hys Menstrues doth them call,
Without which trewly no truth ys done,
But two of them are Superfycyall:
The third essentyall of Soon and Moone;
Theyr propertyes I wyll declare ryght soone,
And Mercury of other Mettalls essencyall,
Ys the pryncipall of our Stone materyall.

In Soon and Moone our Menstrue ys not sene
Hyt not appeareth but by effect to syght,
That ys the Stone of whych we mene;
Who so our wrytyng concevyth aryght,
Hyt ys a Soule, a substance bryght:
Of Soon and Moone, a subtyll influence,
By whych the Erth receyveth resplendence.

For what ys Gold and Sylver sayth Avycen,
But Erth whych ys pure Whyte and Red,
Take fro that the sayd clernes, and then
That Erth wyll stond but lyttyll in stede;
The hole compound ys called our Lede,
The qualyte of clernes fro Soon and Moone doth com
These be our Menstrues both all and sum.

Bodyes wyth the fyrst we Calcene naturally
Perfyt, but none whych be unclene,
Except one whych usually
Namyd by Phylosophers the Lyon Greene,
He ys the meane the Soon and Moone betweene:
Of joynyng Tynctures wyth perfytnes,
As Geber thereto beryth wytnes.

Wyth the Second whych ys an Humydyte
Vegetable revyvyng that earst was dede,
Both pryncyples materyalls must loosed be;
And formalls, els standyth they lytle in stead:
The Menstrues therefore know I the rede:
Wythout whych neyther trew Calcynatyon,
Don may be, nether yet naturall Dyssolutyon.

Wyth the thyrd humydyty most permanent
Incombustyble and unctuous in hys nature,
Hermes Tre to ashes must be brent:
Hyt is our Naturall Fyre most sure,
Our Mercury, or Sulphure, or Tyncture pure:
Our Soule, our Stone, borne up wyth wynd
In the E[…]the ingendered, bere thys in thy mynde.

Thys Stone alsoe tell thee I dare,
Is the vapor of Mettalls potentyall,
How thou shall gett hyt thou must beware:
For invysible ys truly thys Menstruall:
Howbehytt with the second Water phylosophycall,
By seperatyon of Elements yt may appeare,
To syght in forme of Water cleere.

Of our Menstrue by labour exuberate
And wyth hyt may be made Sulphure of nature
If itt be well and kyndly acuate;
And cyrculate into a Spryt pure:
Then to dyssolve thou must be sure
Thy Base wyth hyt in dyvers wyse,
As thou shalt know by thy practyse.

That poynt therefore in hys dew place
I wyll declare wyth other mo,
If God wyll graunt me space and grace:
And me preserve in lyfe from wo;
As I thee teche loke thou doe so,
And for thy fyrst ground pryncypall
Understond thy Water menstruall.

And when thou hast made true Calcination,
Encresyng and not Wastyng moysture radycall,
Tyll thy Base by ofter subtylyatyon
Wyll lyghtly flow as Wex uppon Mettall;
Then lowse hyt wyth thy vegetable Menstruall,
Tyll thou have Oyle thereof in Colour bryght,
Then ys your Menstrue visible to syght.

And Oyle is drawne owte in colour of Gold,
Or lyke thereto out of our fine Red Lead,
Whych Raymond sayd when he was old,
Much more then Gold wold stond hym in stede,
For whan he was for age nygh dede,
He made thereof Aurum Potabile,
Whych hym revyvyd as Men myght see.

For so together may they be Cyrculate,
That ys to say, Oyle and the vegetable Menstruall,
Ether so by labour exuberate,
And made by Crafte a Stone Celestyall:
Of Nature so fyrye that we yt call
Our Baselysk, otherwyse our Cokatryse,
Our great Elixir most of pryse.

Whych as the syght of a Basylysk hys object
Kylyth, so sleyth it crude Mercury,
When thereon itt ys project,
In twynke of an Eye most sodenly,
That Mercury teynyth permanently;
All bodyes to Son and Moone perfyt,
Thus gyde thy base both Red and Whyte.

Aurum potabile thus ys made,
Of Gold, not comyn calcynat;
But of our Tyncture whych wyll not vade,
Out of our Base drawen wyth the Menstrue circulate,
But naturall Calcynatyon must Algate
Be made, ere thy Gold dyssolved be,
That Pryncypall fyrst I wyll tell thee.

But into Chapters thys Treatis I shall devyde,
In number Twelve with dew Recapytulatyon;
Superfluous rehearsalls I ley asyde,
Intendyng only to geve trew Informatyon,
Both of the Theoryke and Practycall operatyon:
That by my wrytyng who so wyll guyded be,
Of hys intente perfytly speed shall he.

The Fyrst Chapter shalbe of naturall Calcination;
The Second of Dyssolution secret and Phylosophycall;
The Thyrd of our Elementall Separation;
The Fourth of Conjunction matrymonyall;
The Fyfthe of Putrefaction then followe shall;
Of Congelatyon, albyfycative shall be the Syxt,
Then of Cybatyon the Seaventh shall follow next.

The secret of our Sublymation the eyght shall shew;
The nynth shall be of Fermentation,
The Tenth of our Exaltation I trow;
The Eleventh of our mervelose Multyplycatyon;
The Twelfth of Projectyon; then Recapytulatyon;
And so thys Treatyse shall take an end,
By the help of God as I entend.