George Ripley, The Compound of Alchymie, part 3 of 4

OF PUTREFACTION. The fift Gate.

NOw begynnyth the Chapter of Putrefaccion,
Wythout whych Pole no sede may multyply,
Whych must be done only by contynuall accyon
Of hete in the body, moyst, not manually,
For Bodies ells may not be alterat naturally:
Syth Chryst do it wytnes, wythowt the grayne of Whete
Dye in the ground, encrese may thou not gete.

And in lykewyse wythout thy Matter do Putrefye,
It may in no wyse trewly be alterate,
Nor thyne Elements may be devyded kyndly;
Nor thy Conjunccion of them perfytly celebrat:
That thy labor therfore be not frustrate,
The prevyte of Putrefying well understond,
Or ever thou take thys Warke in hond.

And Putrefaccyon may thus defyned be,
After Phylosophers sayings it ys of Bodyes the fleyng,
And in our Compound a dyvysyon of thyngs thre,
The kyllyng Bodyes into corrupcyon forth ledyng,
And after unto Regeneratyon them ablyng:
For thyngs beyng in Erth wythowt dowte
Be engendryd of rotacyon of the Hevyns aboute.

And therfore as I have seyd afore
Theyn Elements comyxt and wysely coequat,
Thou keepe intemperat heate, eschuyng evermore,
That they by violent hete be never incynerat;
To powder dry unprofytably Rubyfycate,
But into powder blacke as a Crowes byll
Wyth hete of Balne, or ells of our Dounghyll.

To tyme that Nyghts be past nynty,
In moyst hete kepe them fro eny thyng;
Sone after by blacknes thow shalt espy
That they draw fast to putrefying,
Whych thow shalt after many colers bryng
To perfyt Whytenes wyth Pacyence esyly,
And so thy sede in hys nature shall multeply.

Make ech on other to hawse and kysse,
And lyke as Chyldren to play them up and downe,
And when ther sherts be fylyd wyth pysse,
Then lat the Woman to wash be bound,
Whych oftyn for fayntnes wyll fall in a sound:
And dye at the last wyth her Chyldren all,
And go to Purgatory to purg ther fylth orygynall.

When they be there, by lyttyll and lyttyll encrese
Ther paynys by hete ay more and more,
The Fyre from them lat never cese:
And se thy Fornace be apt therfore,
Whych wyse men do call Athenor:
Conservyng hete requyryd most temperately,
By whych the Water doth kyndly putrefy.

Of thys Pryncypull spekyth Sapyent Guydo,
And seyth by rottyng dyeth the Compound corporall,
And then after Moryen and other mo,
Uprysyth agayne Regenerat, Sympill, and Spyrytuall,
And were not hete and moysture contynuall,
Sperme in the wombe myght have now abydyng,
And so ther shold therof no frute upspryng.

Therfore at the begynnyng our Stonys thou take,
And bery ech on wyth other wythin ther Grave;
Then equally a Marryage betwyxt them make
To ly together six wekys; then lat them have
Ther sede consevyd kyndly to norysh and save;
From the ground of ther grave not rysyng that while,
Whych secret poynt doth many on begyle.

Thys tyme of Conceptyon wyth esye hete abyde,
The Blacknes showing shall tell the when they dye;
For they together lyke lyquyd Pyche that tyde,
Shall swell and burbyll, setyll, and Putrefye,
Shyning Golors therin thou shalt espye:
Lyke to the Raynbow mervelose unto syght,
The Water then begynnyth to dry upryght.

For in moyst Bodys hete noryshyng temperate,
Ingendryth Blacknes fyrst of all which ys
Of kyndly Commyxyon to the tokyn assygnate;
And of trew Putrefying, remember thys,
For then to alter perfytly thou may not mysse;
And thus by the Gate of Blacknes thou must cum in
To lyght of Paradyce in Whytenes yf thou wylt wyn.

For fyrst the Son in hys uprysyng obscurate
Shalbe, and passe the Waters of Noyes flud
On Erth, whych were a hundred dayes contynuate
And fyfty, away or all thys Waters yode,
Ryght so our Waters as wyse men understode
Shall passe, that thou wyth Davyd may say
Abierunt in sicco fluminae: bare thys away.

Sone after that Noe plantyd hys Vyneyard,
Whych really floryshed and brought forth Graps anon:
After whych space thou shalt not be aserd;
For in lykewyse shall follow the floryshyng of our Stone:
And sone uppon that thyrty dayes overgone,
Thou shalt have Graps ryght as the Ruby red,
Whych ys our Adrop, our Ulyfer red and our Lede.

For lyke as Sowles after paynys transytory
Be brought into paradyce where ever ys yoyfull lyfe;
So shall our Stone after hys darknes in Purgatory
Be purged and joynyd in Elements wythoute stryfe,
Rejoyse the whytenes and bewty of hys wyfe:
And passe fro the darknes of Purgatory to lyght
Of paradyce, in Whytnes Elyxer of gret myght.

And that thou may the rather to Putrefaccyon wyn
Thys Exampull thou take to the for a trew conclusyon,
For all the secrett of Putrefaccyon restyth therein;
The heart of Oke that hath of Water contynuall infusyon
Wyll not sone putrefy, I tell the wythout delusyon:
For though yt in Water ly a hundred yeres and more,
Yet shold thou fynd it sound as ever it was afore.

But and thou kepe hyt somtyme wete, & sometyme dry,
As thow many se in Tymber by usuall experyment,
By prosses of tyme that Oke shall utterly Putrefy:
And soe in lykewyse accordyng to our entent,
Sometyme our Tre must wyth the Son be brent:
And then wyth Water sone after we must hyt kele,
That by thys menes thou shalt to rottyng bryng hyt wele

For nowe in wete and nowe agayne in dry,
Now in grete hot and now agayne in cold
To be, shall cause yt sone for to putrefy:
And so shalt thow bryng to rottyng thy Gold,
Entrete thy Bodys therfore as I have thee told:
And in thy Putrefying wyth hete be not so swyft,
Lest in the Askys thou seke after thy thryft.

Therfore thy Water out of the Erth thow draw,
And make the soule therwyth for to assend;
Then downe agayne into the Erth hyt throw,
That they oft tymes so assend and dessend,
From vyolent hete and sodayne cold defend
Thy Glasse, and make thy fyre so temperat,
That by the sydys thy Water be never vytryfycate.

And be thou wyse in chesing of thy Water,
Medyll with no Salt, Sulphure, nor mene Minerall,
For whatsoever any Water to the do clatter;
Our Sulphure and Mercury be only in Mettall,
Which Oylys and Waters som men call:
Fowlys, and Byrds wyth other namys many one,
Because that folys shold never know our Stone.

For of thys World our Stone ys callyd the sement,
Whych mevyd by craft as Nature doth requyre;
In hys encrese shall be full opulent,
And multeply hys kynd of thyne owne desyre:
Therfore yf God vouchsafe thee to enspyre
To know the trewth, and fancies to eschew,
Lyke unto the shalbe in ryches but few.

But many be mevyd to worke after ther fantasy
In many subjects in whych be Tynctors gay,
Both Whyte and Red, devydyd manually
To syght, but in the Fyre they fle away,
Such brekyth Potts and Glassys day by day:
Enpoysonyng themfelfs, and losyng of theyr syghts
Wyth Odors and smoks and wakeyng up by nyghts.

Their Clothes be bawdy and woryn threde-bare,
Men may them smell for Multyplyers where they go;
To fyle theyr fyngers wyth Corrosyves they do not spare
Theyr Eyes be bleryd, & theyr Chekys both lene & bloe:
And thus for (had I wyst) they suffer losse an d wo;
Such when they have lost that was in theyr purse,
Then do they chyd and Phylosophers sore accurse.

For all the whyle that they have Phylosophers ben,
Yet cowde they never know our Stone.
Som sought in Soote, Dung, Uryne, som in Wyne:
Som in Sterr slyme, for thyng yt ys but one;
In Blood, Eggs; Som tyll theyr thryst was gone:
Devydyng Elements, and brekyng many a pott,
Multyplying the sherds, but yet they hyt yt not.

To se theyr Howsys it ys a noble sport,
What Fornaces, what Glassys there be of divers shape;
What Salts, what Powders, what Oyles, and waters fort,
How eloquently, de materia prima they clape,
And yet to fynde the trewth they have no hap:
Of our Mercury they medle and of our Sulphur vyve,
Wherein they dote, and more and more unthryve.

They take of the Red Man and hys whyte Wyfe,
That ys a speciall thyng and of Elixers two,
Of the Quintessence and of the Elixers of lyfe,
Of Hony, Celydony, and of Secundyns also,
These they devyde into Elements wyth other mo;
No Multeplyers but Phylosophers callyd wyll they be,
Whych naturall Phylosophye dyd never rede nor see.

Thys felyshyp knowyth our Stone ryght wele,
They thynke them rycher then ys the Kyng;
They wyll hym helpe, he shall not fayle
Fraunce for to wyn, a wonders thyng;
The holy Crosse home wyll they bryng:
And yf the King were prysoner I take,
Anon hys Raunsome would they make.

A mervell yt ys that Westminster Church,
To whych these Phylosophers do haunte;
Syth they so much ryches can woorche,
As they make boste of and avaunte,
Drynkyng dayly the wyne a due taunte,
Ys not made up perfytly at ons,
For truly hyt lackyth yet many Stonys.

Folys doe folow them at the tayle,
Promotyd to ryches wenyng to be;
But wyll ye here what worshyp and avayle,
They wyn in London that nobyll cyte,
Wyth Sylver Macys as ye may se:
Sarjaunts awayting on them every owre,
So be they men of great honour.

Sarjaunts sekyth them fro Strete to Strete,
Marchaunts and Goldsmyths leyeth after them watch;
That well ys he that wyth them do mete,
For the great advantage that they doe cache,
They hunt about as doth a Rache:
Wenyng to wyn so grete tresure,
That ever in ryches they shall endure.

Som wold cache theyr goods agayne,
And some more good would aventure;
Som for to have wold be full fayne,
Of Ten pound one I you ensuer:
Som whych hath lent wythout mesure
Theyr goods, and be with powerte bestad,
To cache a Nobyll wold be full glad.

But when the Sarjaunts do them arest,
Ther Paukeners be stuffed wyth Parrys balls;
Or wyth Sygnetts of Seynt Martynes at the lest,
But as for Mony yt ys pyssyd on the walls:
Then be they led as well for them befalls
To Newgate or Ludgate as I you tell,
Because they shall in safegard dwell.

Where ys my Mony becom seyth one,
And where ys myne seyth he and he?
But wyll ye here how suttell they be anon,
In answeryng, that they excused may be,
Saying, Of our Elyxers robbyd we be:
Ells myght we have payd you all your Gold,
Yf yt had been more by ten folde.

And then theyer Creditors they begyn to flatter,
Promysyng to worke for them agayne;
The Elyxers two in short space after,
Dotyng the Merchaunts that they be fayne
To let them go, but ever in vayne:
They worke so long, tyll at the last
They be agayne in Pryson cast.

Yf any then aske them why they be not ryche,
They sey they make fyne Gold of Tynn;
But he they sey may surely swym in dyche,
Whych ys upholden by the chyn,
We have no stock, therefore may we nought wyn:
Whych yf we had we wold some worche,
I now to fynysh up Westmynster Churche.

And some of them be so Devowte,
They wyll not dwell out of that place;
For there they may wythowten dowte,
Do what them lyft to their Solace,
The Archedeacon ys so full of grace:
Yf that they please hym wyth the Crosse,
He forsyth lyttyll of other menys losse.

And when they there syt at the wyne,
These Monkys they sey have many a pound,
Wolde God (seyth one) that som were myne;
Hay hoe, careaway, lat the cup go rounde:
Drynk on, seyth another, the mene ys founde:
I am a Master of that Arte,
I warrant us we shall have parte.

Such causyth the Monkys then evyll to don,
To wast ther Wagys thorow theyr dotage;
Som bryngeth a Mazer and som a Spone;
There Phylosophers gevyth them such corage,
Behotyng them wynnyng wythout damage:
A pound for a peny at the lest agayne,
And so fayre promys makyth folys fayne.

A ryall Medycyne one upon twelve
They promys them thereof to have,
Whych they could never for themselfe
Yet bryng abowte, so God me save:
Beware such Phylosophers, no man deprave:
Whych helpyth these Monkys to ryches so,
Wyth thread bare Cowlys that they do go.

The Abbot well ought to cherysh thys Company,
For they can tech hys Monkys to leve in poverte,
And to go clothyd and monyed relygyously,
As dyd Seynt Benet, eschuyng superfluyte,
Esyng them also of the ponderosyte
Of theyr pursys, wyth pounds so aggravate,
Whych by Phylosophy be now allevyat.

Lo who so medlyth wyth thys rych Company,
Gret bost of ther wynnyng may they make,
For they shall have as much by ther Phylosophy,
As they of the tayle of an Ape can take;
Beware therfore for Jesus sake:
And medyll wyth nothyng of gret cost,
For and thou do, yt ys but lost.

These Phylosophers (of whych I spake afore)
Medlyth and blondryth wyth many a thyng,
Renuyng in errors more and more,
For lac of trew understandyng,
But lyke must lyke alway ferth bryng:
So God hath ordeyned in every kynde,
Wold Jesus they wold thys bere in mynde.

Wene they of a Nettyll to have a Rose
Or of an Elder an Apple swete,
Alas that wyse men ther goods shold lose:
Trustyng such Losells when they them mete,
Whych seyth our Stone ys trodyn under fete:
And makyth them therfore vyle thyngs for to styll
Tyll at theyr howsys wyth stench they fyll.

Som of them never lernyd a word in Scolys,
Such thynk by reason to understond Phylosophy:
Be they Phylosophers? nay, they be folys:
Therfore ther Warkes provyth unwytty;
Medyll not wyth them yf thou be happy:
Lest wyth theyr flatteryng they so the tyll
That thou agre unto ther wyll.

Spend not thy Mony away in waste,
Geve not to every speche credence;
But fyrst examyn, grope and taste;
And as thou provyst, so put thy confydence,
And ever beware of grete expence:
But yf thy Phylosopher lyve vertuosely,
Trust the better to hys Phylosophy.

Prove hym fyrst and hym oppose
Of all the Secretts of our Stone,
Whych yf he know not thou nedyth not to lose;
Medyll thou not ferther, but let hym gone,
Make he never so pytyose a mone:
For than the Fox can fagg and fayne
When he wold faynyst hys prey attayne.

Yf he can answer as ought a Clarke,
How be hyt he hath not provyd indede;
And yf thou wylt helpe hym to hys Warke,
Yf he be vertuose I hold hyt mede,
For he wyll the quyte yf ever he spede:
And thou shalt weete by a lytyll anon
Yf he have knowledge of our Stone.

One thyng, one Glasse, one Furnace and no mo,
Behold thys pryncypyll yf he take,
And yf he do not, then lat hym go;
For he shall never thee rych man make:
Trewly yt ys better thou hym forsake,
Then after wyth losse and varyaunce,
And other manner of dysplesaunce.

But and God fortune the for to have
Thys Scyence by doctrine whych I have told;
Dyscover yt not whoever thee crave,
For Favor, Fere, Sylver, nor Gold:
Be none Oppressor, Lecher, nor boster bold;
Serve thy God, and helpe the powre among,
Yf thou thys lyfe lyst to continew long.

Unto thy selfe thy secretts kepe
From synners whych hath not God in dred;
But wyll the cast in Pryson depe,
Tyll thou them tech to do hyt in dede,
Then slander on the sholde spryng and sprede,
That thou dyd coyne then wold they sey,
And so undo the for ever and aye.

And yf thou teche them thys conyng,
Their synfull levyng for to mayntayne;
In Hell therfore myght be thy wonnyng,
For God of the then would disdayne,
As thow nought cowd for thy selfe sayne:
That Body and Soule you may bothe save,
And here in pece thy levyng have.

Now in thys Chapter I have the tought,
How thou the bodys must Putrefy:
And so to guide the thou be not cawght,
And put in duraunce, losse, and vylanye:
My doctryne therefore remember wyttyly,
And passe forth toward the Syxth Gate,
For thys the Fyfthe ys tryumphate,

OF CONGELATION. The sixt Gate.

OF Congelacyon I nede not much to wryte,
But what yt ys now I wyll fyrst declare:
It ys of soft thyngs Induracyon of Colour Whyte,
And confyxacyon of Spyrits whych fleyng are:
How to congele thee nedyth not much to care,
For Elements wyll knyt together sone,
So that Putrefaccyon be kyndly done.

But Congelacyons be made in dyvers wyse,
And Spyryts and Bodys dyssolvyd to water clere,
Of Salts also dyssolvyd ons or twyse,
And then to congele in a fluxyble Mater;
Of such Congelyng folys do clatter:
And some dyssolvyth devydyng manually
Elements, them after congelyng to powder dry.

But such Congelyng ys not to our desyre:
For unto owers yt ys contraryose.
Our Congelacion dredyth not the fire:
For yt must ever stond in yt unctuos,
And also in hys Tincture be full bounteous,
Whych in the Ayre congelyd wyll not relent
To Water, for then our Worke were shent.

Moreover Congele not into so hard a Stone
As Glasse or Crystall whych meltyth by fusyon;
But so that hyt lyke wax wyll melt anon
Wythouten blast: and beware of Delusyon;
For such Congelyng longyth not to our Conclusyon
As wyll not flow and ren to water agen,
Lyke Salts congelyd, then laboryst thou in vayne.

Whych Congelacyon avaylyth us never a dell,
Hyt longyth to Multyplyers whych Congele vulgarly;
Yf thow therefore lyst to do well,
(Syth thy Medcyne shall never flow kyndly,
Nether Congele, wythout thow fyrst yt Putrefye)
Fyrst Purge and Fyx the Elements of our Stone,
Tyll they together Congele and flow anone.

For when the Matter ys made parfyt Whyte,
Then wyll thy Spryte wyth the Body Congelyd be;
But of that tyme thou must have long respyte,
Yer yt appere Congelyd lyke Pearles unto the,
Such Congelacyon be glad for to see;
And after lyke graynys red as blod,
Rychyr then any worldly good.

The erthly Grosnes therefore fyrst mortyfyed
In Moystnes, Blacknes ingend[…]yd ys;
Thys pryncypell may not be denyed,
For naturall Phylosophers so seyth I wys,
Whych had, of Whytenes thou may not mys:
And into Whytenes yf thou Congele hyt ons,
Thou hast a Stone most presyose of all Stonys.

And by the Dry lyke as the Moyst dyd putrefy,
Whych causyd in colors Blacknes to appere;
Ryght so the Moyst Congelyd by the Dry,
Ingendryth Whytenes shyneyng with myght sull clere,
And Drynes procedyth as Whytyth the matter:
Lyke as in Blackyng Moysture doth hym show,
By colors varyante aye new and new.

The cause of all thys ys Hett most temperate,
Workyng and mevyng the Mater contynually;
And thereby also the Mater ys alterate,
Both inward and outward substancyally,
And not to as doth folys to syght sophystycally:
But every parte all fyre for to endure,
Fluxybly fyxe and stabull in tyncture.

And Physycke determyneth of eche Dygestyon,
Fyrst don in the Stomack in whych ys Drynes,
Causyng Whytnes wythout questyon,
Lyke as the second Dygestyon causyth Rednes,
Complet in the Lyver by Hete and temperatnes;
And so our Stone by Drynes and by Hete,
Dygestyd ys to Whyte and Red complete.

But here thou must another secret knowe,
How the Phylosophers Chyld in the Ayre ys borne:
Besy thee not to fast at the Cole to blowe,
And take that nether for mock nor skorne,
But trust me truly else thy work ys all forlorne:
Wythout thyne Erth wyth Water revyvyd be,
Our trew Congelyng shalt thou never see.

A sowle betwyxt Hevyn and Erth beyng,
Arysyng fro the Erth as Ayre wyth Water pure,
And causyng lyfe in every lyvely thyng,
Incessably runnyng uppon our foresayd Nature,
Enforsyng to better them wyth all hys cure;
Whych Ayre ys the Fyre of our Phylosophy,
Namyd now Oyle, now Water mystyly.

And thus mene Ayre, whych Oyle, or Water we call,
Our Fyre, our Oyntment, our Spryte, and our Stone,
In whych one thyng we grownd our wysdomes all,
Goyth nether out nor yn alone,
Nether the Fyer but the Water anone;
Fyrst yt outeledyth, and after bryngyth yt yn,
As Water with Water whych wyll not lyghtly twyn.

And so may Water only our Water meve,
Whych mevyng causyth both Deth and Lyfe,
And Water doth kyndly to Water cleve
Wythout repugnance, or any stryfe,
Whych Water to Folys ys nothyng ryfe;
Beyng of the kynd wythowten dowte
Of the Spryte, callyd Water and leder owte.

And Water ys the secret and lyfe of every thyng
That ys of substance in thys world y found;
For of the Water eche thyng hath begynnyng,
As showyth in Woman when she shallbe unbound
By water whych passyth afore, if all be sound,
Callyd Albyen, fyrst from them rennyng,
Wyth grevose throwys afore ther chyldyng.

And truly that ys the cause pryncypall,
Why Phylosophers chargyd us to be pacyent
Tyll tyme the Water were dryed to powder all,
Wyth nurryshyng hete contynuall but not vyolent,
For qualytes be contrarious of every element,
Tyll after Black in Whyte be made a unyon,
And then forever congelyd wythout dyvysyon.

And furthermore the preparacion of thys conversyon
Fro thyng to thyng, fro one state to another,
Ys done only by kyndly and descrete operacion
Of Nature, as ys of Sperme wythin the Mother:
For Sperme and Hete as Syster be and Brother,
Whych be converted wythin themself as Nature can
By accion, and passyon, and at the last to parfyt Man.

For as the bodely part by Nature whych ys consumate
Into Man, ys such as the begynner was,
Whych though yt thus fro thyng to thyng was alterat,
Not owt of kynd to menge with other kynds dyd yt pas;
And so our Mater spermatycall wythin one Glas,
Wythin hyt selfe must turne fro thyng to thyng,
By hete most temperate only hyt noryshyng.

Another example naturall I may thee tell,
How the substance of an Egg by nature ys wrought
Into a Chyk, not pasyng out of the shell,
A playner example cowd I not have thought,
And there conversions be made tyll forth be brought
Fro state to state the lyke by lyke yn kynd,
Wyth nurryshyng hete: only bere thys yn mynd.

Another example here may you also rede,
Of Vegetable thyngs takyng consyderacyon;
How every Plant growyth of hys owne sede,
Thorow Here and Moysture by naturall operacyon,
And therefore Mineralls be nurryshyd by mynystracyon;
Of Moysture radycall, whych theyr begynnyng was,
Not passiyng theyer kynd wythin one Glas.

There we them turne fro thyng to thyng agayne,
Into ther Moder the Water when they go;
Whych pryncyple unknowen thou labourest in vayne:
Then ys all Sperme, and thyngs ther be no mo,
But kynd wyth kynd in number two;
Male and Female, Agent and Pacyent,
Wythin the matryce of the Erth most oryent.

And these be turnyd by Hete fro thyng to thyng
Wythin one Glas, and so fro state to state,
Tyll tyme that Nature do them bryng
Into one substance of the Water regenerate,
And so the Sperme wythin hys kynde ys alterate,
Abyll in lykenes hys kynde for to Multeplye,
As doth in kynde all other thyngs naturally.

In the tyme of thys seyde processe naturall,
Whyle that the Sperme consevyd ys growyng,
The substance ys nurryshed wyth hys owne Menstruall,
Whych Water only out of the Erth dyd bryng,
Whose colour ys Greene in the fyrst showing,
And for that tyme the Son hydyth hys lyght,
Taking hys course thorow owte the North by nyght.

The seyd Menstrue ys, (I say to the in councell)
The blod of our Grene Lyon, and not of Vytrioll,
Dame Venus can the trewth of thys the tell,
At thy begynnyng to councell and yf thou her call:
Thys secret ys hyd by Phylosophers grete and small;
Whych blode drawen owte of the seyd Lyon,
For lac of Hete had not perfyt Dygestyon.

But thys blode our secret Menstruall,
Wherewyth our Sperme ys nurryshed temperatly,
When it ys turnyd into the fecys Corporall,
And becom Whyte perfytly and very Dry,
Congelyd and Fyxyd into hys owne body;
Then brustyn blod to syght yt may well seme,
Of thys warke namyd the mylke whyte Dyademe.

Understonde now that our fyery Water thus acuate,
Is called our Menstruall water, wherein
Our Erth ys losyd and naturally Calcenat
By Congelacyon that they may never twyne:
Yet to Congele more water thou may not blyn
Into thre parts of the acuate water seyd afore,
Wyth the 4th part of the Erth congelyd & no more.

Unto that substance therefore so congelat,
The fowerth part put of water Crystallyn
And make them then together to be Dysponsat
By Congelacyon into a myner metallyne,
Whych lyke a sworde new slypyd then wyll shyne,
After the Blacknes whych fyrst wyll showe,
The fowerth parte geve yt them of water new.

Mo Inbybycyons many must we have yett;
Geve yt the second, and after the thyrd also,
The seyd proportyon kepe well in thy wyt;
Then to another the fowerth tyme loke thou go,
The fyfth tyme and the syxth, passe not there fro:
But put two parts at eche tyme of them three,
And at the seventh tyme fyve parts let there bee.

When thou hast made thus seven tymes Inbybycion,
Ageyne then must thow turne thy Whele,
And Putrefy all that Matter wythowte addycyon:
Fyrst Blacknesse abydyng yf thow wylt do well,
Then into Whytenes congele yt up eche dele,
And by Rednes into the Sowth assend,
Then hast thou brought thy Base unto an end.

Thus ys thy Water then devydyd in partyes two,
Wyth the fyrst party the Bodys be Putryfycat,
And to thyne Inbybycions the second part must go,
Wyth whych the Matter ys afterwards Denygrat,
And sone uppon by esy Decoccyon Albyfycate:
Then yt ys namyd by Phylosophers our Sterry Stone,
Bryng that to Rednes, then ys the syxth Gate woon.

OF CIBATION. The seventh Gate.

NOw of Cibacion I turne my pen to wryte,
Syth yt must here the seventh place occupye;
But in few words yt wylbe expedyte,
Take tent therto, and understond me wyttyly;
Cibacion ys callyd a fedyng of our Matter dry
Wyth Mylke, and Mete, whych moderatly they do,
Tyll yt be brought the thyrd order unto.

But geve yt not so much that thou hyt glut,
Beware of the Dropsy, and also of Noyes Flood;
By lyttyll and lyttyll therfore thou to hyt put
Of Mete and Drynke as semyth to do hyt good,
That watry humors not overgrow the blood:
The Drynke therfore let hyt be mesuryd so,
That kyndly appetyte thou never quench therfro.

For yf yt drynke to much, then must yt have
A Vomyte, ells wyll yt be syk to long;
Fro the Dropsy therfore thy Wombe thou save,
And fro the Flux, ells wyll hyt be wrong,
Whych rather lat yt thyrst for drynke amonge:
Then thou shold geve yt overmuch at ons
Whych must in youth be dyattyd for the nons.

And yf thou dyatt hyt (as Nature doth requyre)
Moderatly tyll hyt be growen to age,
Fro Cold hyt kepyng and nurryshyng wyth moyst Fyre;
Than shall yt grow and wax full of corrage,
And do to thee both plesure and advauntage:
For he shall make darke Bodys hole and bryght,
Clensyng theyer Leprosenes thorow hys myght.

Thre tymes thus must thou turne about thy Whele
Abowte kepyng the rewle of the seyd Cibacyon,
And then as sone as yt the Fyre doth fele,
Lyke Wax yt wylbe redy unto Lyquacyon;
Thys Chapter nedyth not longer protestacion:
For I have told thee the dyatory most convenyent
After thyne Elements be made equypolent.

And also how thou to Whytnes shalt bryng thy Gold,
Most lyke in fygure to the lenys of an hawthorn tre,
Callyd Magnesya afore as I have told;
And our Whyte Sulfur wythowte conbustebyllyte,
Whych fro the fyer away wyll never fle:
And thus the seventh Gate as thow desyred,
In the upspryng of the Son ys conqueryd.