Thomas Norton, The Ordinall of Alchimy, part 4 of 5

Ruby colour is of a thinn fume succended
In a cleere Body, which alsoe is amended
When in that Body reyneth plenty of light,
For more or les thereof maketh more or les bright:
As the Amatist followeth the Ruby in dignity,
In less Cleerenes and more Obscuritie:
And a Calcedonie in Slymy substance,
Followeth the Berill in degrees of variance.
Greene as a Smaragde is of Water cleere,
With Erthy substance Combust mixt full neere:
And the cleerer substance that the Erth be,
The cleerer greeness thereof ye shall see.
Tawney is of Cleerenes terminate,
Infused with thick Fumosity congregate
Of Water, and alsoe of Erth succended,
Whereby the cleerenes of Aier is suspended.
Wann or leady Colour ingendred is
Of Waterie and Erthy parts without amisse;
And where such parts be cold and thick,
Ever Wann Colour theron shall stick;
As it appeareth in old layen Lead,
And in Men that be wellneere dead:
This Wann Colour called Lividitie,
In Envious Men useth much to be;
Naturall heate and blood done resorte,
To the Hert, them to comfort,
And leaveth Cold and Dry the Face,
For heate and blood is parted fro that place.
Likewise when Fevers be in extremitie,
The Nailes of Hands of this Colour wilbe.
The Saphire Colour, that Orient Blewe,
Like in Colour to the heavenlie hue,
Is much fairer than Wann Colour to sight,
For therein is more of Aier Water and Light
Than is in Wann Colour, and that by manifold,
Wherefore such Colour is more deerer solde;
All other Blewes the sadder that they be,
Thei have lesse of Aier and more of Terrestriety.
Silver to Azure soone broght will be;
The cause thereof is perspicuitie,
Which is in Silver caused of Ayer,
Wherefore it turneth to hevenly Colour faire;
And Quicksilver plenty within him is,
Causeth in Silver all this brightnes:
Subtiler Erth, pure Water, with cleerenes of Air,
Causeth such brightnes to Quicksilver to repaire.
Citrine Colour Yellowe as ye see in Gould,
Is Colour most liking for some men to behould:
Caused of mighty and strong digestion,
For humor in him have strong decoction;
Such Colour with Heate ingendred be shall,
As it in Honey, Urine, Lye, and Gall:
The shining of Gould is caused as I tell,
Of pure and subtile Water termined full well,
Perspicuously condensed; for Water pure and fine,
The more it is Condensed, the better it woll shine;
For of a Mirrour the cause none other is,
But moisture termined, as all Clerks gesse,
Soe that it be polible withall;
For Aier Figures receive never shall;
For Aier maie not be terminate in his kinde;
So cause of shining in Water ye shall finde.
With White and Red well medled pure and fine
Woll be ingendred faire Colour Citrine.
Soe divers Comixtions of Elements,
Maketh divers Colours, for divers intents:
With divers Digestions, and divers degrees,
All Colours be made which your Eyen sees.
Of Elements ye must the proper Colour lerne,
Whereby of Colours ye maie better discerne;
Phisitians saie of good Herbs and soote,
Some be colde outward and hot within the roote;
Example hereof if ye list to gett,
Behold the working of the gentle Violet:
Common Philosophie the cause doth disclose,
Whie colde is within and red without the Rose:
Anaxagoras said in his Coversions naturall,
Inward and Outward be contrary in things all,
Which is trewe except such things as be
Of little composition, and nigh simplicitie;
As is Scammonye, and Lawrell the Laxative,
Which be not nourishing to vegetative.
Remember how in every mixt thinge,
Evermore one Element defireth to be Kinge:
Which proude appetite of Elements and vicious,
Moveth men to be Ambitious:
Wherefore our Lord that best dispose cann,
Hath made Ordeynance for sinfull Man,
All proude appetites to equalitie to bringe;
When Requiem aeternam the Church shall singe,
Than shall everie ambitious thought,
Plainely appeare how that it was nought:
Lords, and Beggars, and all shall be
In the Charnell brought to equalitie.
Your Principall Agent so rebate shall ye,
When he usurpeth above equality;
Therefore Aristotle said Compound ye our Stone
Equall, that in him repugnance be none;
Neither division as ye proceede;
Take heede thereto, for it is greate neede;
And when it falleth that ye shall see
All Colours at once that named maie be;
Than suffer Nature with her operation,
At her owne leasure to make Generation:
Soe that amonge so manie Colours all,
Nature maie shew one principall:
Such as shall draw towards your intent,
According to your desired Element.

This wise by Colours yee maie provide
How in your workes yee shall yee guide.
Manie moe things of Colours I maie write,
But this is sufficient my promise to acquite,
As farr forth as Colours maie serve your intent,
By them to know your principall agent.
But manie Clerks wonder why you may see
Soe manie Colours as in our Stone woll be,
Before that perfect White and Cleere,
And unchaungeable woll appeare,
Considering the fewnes of the ingredients;
I woll that answer to please their intents,
And teach them the trewth of that greate doubte.
By kinde of Magnesia such Colours passe out,
Whose nature is of such Convertibilitie,
To everie proportion, and to everie degree,
As Christall to his Subject is founde;
For of everie thing that is upon the grounde,
Which that ye woll Christall set under,
Such Colour hath Christall, therefore cease to wonder:
Wherefore Hermes said not untruly ne Envious,
Ad perpetranda miracula rei unius:
God hath so ordeyned saith Hermes the Kinge,
To fulfill the miracles of one thinge:
Common Philosophers thereof cannot finde
The vertues of our Stone exceeding far their minde.

SMelling maie helpe forth your intente,
To know your reigning Elemente;
And be with Colour a Testimony,
To know your principall Agent thereby;
And ye which would by smelling lerne
Of your principall Agent trewly to discerne.
As White, and Black, be Colours in extremitie,
Soe of Odors, soote and stinking be:
But like as Fishes know not by sight
Noe meane Colours, because their Eyne bright
Have none Eyelidds for their sight closinge,
Soe meane Odors shall not by smellinge
Be knowne of you, this is the cause whie,
For Nostrills be open as the fishes Eye:
Therefore meane Odors be not in certaine
Smelled by the Nose, as meane Colours be seene.
Heavie Smell is not as Clerks thinke
The midle Odor, but only the lesse Stinke.
Old Fathers wrote by their Doctrine,
Of their Experience which is maturine,
That if ye medle sweete Savour and redolente
Equally with stinking to prove your intent;
The soote shall be smelled, the stinking not soe,
The cause ye may lerne now ere ye goe;
All sweete smelling things have more puritie,
And are more spirituall than stinking maie be:
Wherefore it is in Aier more penetrative,
And is more extendible, and is alsoe to life
More acceptable, as friend to Nature,
And therefore rather received be ye sure.

ODor is a smokish vapour resolved with heate,
Out of substance, by an invisible sweate;
Which in the Aier hath free entringe,
And chaungeth the Aier and your Smellinge;
As Sapor of Meates chaungeth your Tastinge,
And as Sounds chaungeth your Hearinge,
And as Colour chaungeth your Sight,
Soe Odor chaungeth Smelling by might.
The cause of Odours to know if you delight,
Foure things thereto be requisite;
First that suttill matter be Obedient
To the working of Heate, for to present
By a fume the liknes of the same thinge,
From whome that fume had his beginninge;
Also to beare forth that pure fume and faire,
There is required a cleere thinn Aier:
For thick Aier woll not beare it farr,
But it woll reteyne it much faster;
And soe thick matter Obedience hath none,
To the working of Heate, as it sheweth in Stone:
Heate maketh Odours, Cold shrinketh, by reason
Dunghills in Summer stink more than in Winter season;
Pleasant Odours ingendered be shall
Of cleane and Pure substance and fumigale,
As it appeareth in Amber, Narde, and Mirrhe,
Good for a Woman, such things pleaseth her;
But of Pure substance with a Meane heate,
Be temperate Odours, as in the Violet;
Of a Meane heate with substance Impure,
Is Odours misliking, as Aloes and Sulphure:
But when Naturall heate beginneth to spill,
Then thereof ariseth heavie smell;
As Fish smelleth that is kept too longe,
Naturall heate rotteth, soe the smell is stronge;

STinch is a Vapour, a resolved fumositie
Of things which of Evill Complexions be.
And when Humor onlie is in Corruption,
Soe that the Substance be not in Destruction,
Thereof shall onlie heavie smell arise,
But not verie Stinch come in that wise.
Of everie Stinch the cause of that Chaunce
Is only corruption of the selfe substance;
And when Evill substance shall putrifie,
Horrible Odour is gendred thereby:
As of Dragons and Men that long dead be,
Their stench maie cause greate Mortalitie.
It is not wholsome to smell to some Cole,
For quenching of some Snuffe a Mare woll cast her Foale.
When the Qualities of a thing according is
To your Nature, good Odour will not misse:
But when the substance is contrary to your kinde,
The Odours thereof odious you shall finde.
Fishes love Soote smell, also it is trewe,
Thei love not old Kydles as thei doe the new.
All things that are of good Odour,
Have naturall Heate for their succour;
Though Camphire, Roses, and things colde,
Have soote Odours, yet Auctors tould,
How Heate virtually inclosed is the skell,
With Purenes of substance, whie they so smell:
This olde opinion you maie teach your Brother,
How noe good Odour is contrary to another;
But it is not soe of stinking smells,
For stinch of Garlick voydeth stinch of Dunghills.
Of Odours this Doctrine is sufficiente,
As in Alkimy to serve your intente,
Your Warks to understonde thereby,
When things begin to purrifie;
Alsoe by Odours this you maie lerne,
Suttilnes and grosnes of Matters to discerne:
Alsoe of Meane substance knowledge ye may get,
With knowledge of Corruption of Naturall heate;
And knowledge of Diversitie by good attendance,
When Humour corrupteth and when the Substance.
But our Substance was made so pure and cleane,
And is conserved by vertue of the meane,
That ye no stinke thereof shall finde,
Albeit that it putrifie fro his owne kinde.

THe third signe and the third Testimony
To understand your principall Agent by,
Is Sapor called, of Mouth the Taste,
Which evermore is cause of waste
Of the substance of the same thinge
Whereof ye make proofe by Tastinge
Sapor shulde be much better Judge
Then Colour or Odour, and more refuge,
Were not Taste a perillous thinge,
While our Stone is in workinge;
For it is hurting to health and life,
It is so greatly penetrative;
Above all subtill things it hath Victory,
And peirceth solid things hastily,
Wherefore it is perill and not good,
Much or oft to Tast of that foode:
It Comforteth Mettalls as we well finde,
But it is Perillous for all Mankinde,
Till perfect Red thereof be made,
Such as in Fier woll never fade.
A lewde Man late that served this Arte,
Tasted of our white Stone a parte,
Trusting thereby to find releefe
Of all sicknes and of all greefe,
Whereby the Wretch was sodenly,
Smitt with a strong Paralisie;
Whom my Master with great Engine,
Cured with Bezoars of the Mine.
Therefore though Tast by Common reason,
Shulde be best judge at every season,
Yet for that Tast is abominable
Sapor is heere not profitable.
Yet of some parts seperable,
A Tast maie well be Convenable
Before Conjunctions to make assay,
Whether they be well wrought or nay;
Howbeit a Wiseman hath helpe sufficient,
By Colour and Odour to have his intent:
For manie Men can chuse good Wine,
By Colour and Odour when it is fine;
But for new Wine not fined in generall,
The trew Tast is most suertie of all;
For Smelling hath Organalls but one,
Nothing discerning but fumous things alone;
But Tast hath six Organalls without doubt,
To feele qualitie of things within and without,
Which Nature ordain'd against perill and strife,
For more suertie of things haveing life:
An Ape chuseth her Meate by Smelling,
Men and Popinjayes trusten to Tasting:
For manie things be of good Smell,
Which to Tast be found full ill:
For they maie be abhominable sower,
Over-sharpe, too bitter, or of greate horrour,
Or Venamous, stinking, or over-stronge,
The Tast is judge and voideth such wronge.
Old men wrote in antient time,
How that of Sapors there be fully Nyne;
Which ye maie lerne in halfe an hower,
As Sharpe tast, Unctuous, and Sower,
Which three doe suttill matter signifie;
And other three doe meane matter testifie,
As Bitinge tast, Saltish and Weerish also,
Other three come thicke substances fro,
As Bitter tast, under Sower, and Douce;
Thes Nyne be found in manie a Noble House;
Five of these Nyne be ingendred by Heat,
Unctuons, Sharpe, Salt, Bitter, and Doulcet;
But of the Nyne the remnant all fower,
Be made with cold, as is the Sapor Sower,
And so is Sowerish tast called Sapor Pontick,
And lesse Sower allso called Sapor Stiptick,
Also is Weerish tast called Unsavoury,
With Cold ingendered effectually.
Sapor of two things hath his Conception,
Of divers Substance and of divers Complection.

OF Hot and Moyst in the Second degree,
With a Thick substance, Doulcet Tast will be;
The same degrees of the same Complexion,
To a Meane substance knit by connexion,
Unctuous Sapor ingender ever shall;
But where it is Hott and Dry withall,
With a Meane substance in the Second degree,
The Tast thereof must needs Saltish be;
When a thing in the Third degree Hot and Dry is,
With a substance Thick, there is Bitternes;
But in the Fowerth degree matter Hot and Dry,
With a Suttill substance, Sharpe Tast is thereby;
So five Tasts, as I said before,
Be ingendered with Heat, and not one more.
Of Cold and Dry in the Second degree by kinde,
With a Suttill substance, full Sower ye shall it finde;
As by Faces of People ye maie Deeme,
When thei tast Crabs while thei be greene:
The same Complexion in the same degree,
In a thing which of Meane substance shall be,
Of that is ingendred ye maie well suppose,
A Bitinge Tast as is of the Roase,
But Sower, and Sowrish, and least Sower, all three
Be of Cold and Dry in High and Low degree:
And Cold and Moyst in the First degree of all,
A Weerish Tast ingender ever shall,
As of an Egg it showeth in the glaere,
And in pale Women over White and Fayer:
For such be Cold, and of Humiditye
Thei have trewly greate superfluity,
Therefore to Men thei have lesse delight;
Cold rebateth luxurious appetite.
Isaac said there be but Tastes seaven,
For Sower and lesse Sower was one but uneven,
But in Complexion thei were of one foundation,
For Unsavoury was but of Tast privation;
Compound Tasts be found also,
As Doulce Eger and others manie mo;
So by Tast men maie Craftily know
Divers complexions and degrees high and low;
And when ye doubt by Tast to make report,
Than to your other testimonies resort.
As in Phisicke trust not to Urine
Onely, but also take witnes and Doctrine
Of your Pulses, and wisely considering
Six things not naturall the Body concerning,
Having respect also therewithall,
Unto these Seaven things naturall;
And take heed if ye woll be fure,
Of Three things contrary to nature:
Compleat theis Sixteene wisely to your ground,
A lewd Phisition least that ye be found:
For so of (had I wist) ye maie beware,
And helpe the Sick man from his care:
So fo this Science if ye woll advaunce,
Your works, take heed of everie Circumstance,
Wisely Considering your testimonyes fower,
Three be now passed, the fowerth is Liquor.

LIquor is the Comfort of this Werke;
Liquor giveth evidence to a Clerke
Thereby to fasten his Elements,
And also to loose them for some intents;
Liquor conjoyneth Male with Female Wife,
And causeth dead things to resort to Life;
Liquors clenseth with theire ablution,
Liquors to our Stone be Cheefe nutrition;
Without Liquor no Meate is good;
Liquors conveieth all Aliment and Food
To every part of Mans Body,
And so thei doe with us in Alkimy.
Ye must consider the puritie
Of all your Liquors and quantitie;
And how thick thei be or thinn,
Or else thereof shall ye litle winn;
But not as Phisitions maketh mention,
For Elixir is a thing of a second intention;
Wherefore ye shall more Wondrous natures find
In his working, than in all other kind;
Phisitions say the thicker Urine be,
The more it signifieth Humidity,
Where thick Liquor with us hath siccity,
And suttill Liquor betokneth Humidity:

MAnie Liquors be requisit
To our Stone for his appetite.
In the Booke of Turba Aristeus deposed,
How Ayre in Water was secreatly inclosed,
Which bare up Erth with his Aierly might.
Pithagoras said that was spoke with right.
Aristotle Craftilye his words set he,
Saying, cum habueris aquam ab Aere.
Plato wrote full sapiently,
And named it stilla roris madidi:
Which was kindly spoken for Alkimy.
But common Students in first Philosophie,
Say Ayre condensed is turned into Raine,
And Water rarified becomes Ayre againe.
Some said how May was first season and faire
To take such Water as is made of Ayre.
Some said such Waters come heaven fro,
When the Sunn entereth into Scorpio.
Some said all Liquors shulde be refused;
Which Frost infected shulde not be used:
The cause whie as telleth Autors old,
Is that theire accuity is duld with cold.
Some Philosophers said that ye shulde take
Milke for the Liquor Elixir to make:
And other sort said after their intent,
No Liquor so good for the Complement,
As Water of Litharge which would not misse,
With Water of Azot to make lac virginis:
But Democrit said best Liquor to present
Elixir withall was Water permanent:
Whose naturall vertue and propertie,
Was fier to abide and never to flye:
Rupiscissa said that cheefe Liquor
Was Aqua-vitae Elixir to succour;
For she was spirituall, and would revive
Dead things fro death to live,
Shee was Quintessence, the fift thing,
Whereof Aristotle by his writing
In his Boke of Secrets saith soe,
How that all perfection was in quinario.
Rupiscissa called it best Liquor of all,
For it maketh grosse matter spirituall:
But of Pithagoras ye maie finde,
Our Aqua-vitae of another kinde;
He saith it was Vivificans in his sentence,
Fac fugiens fixum & fixum fugiens,
For in such wise with strong Coaction,
Fixt matters were made of light liquefaction.
Another sort said no Liquor was above
The Liquor which Congers most desier and love:
Therefore such Liquors are best found,
Nigh to Islands, and to such ground
Which the Ocean Sea hath compassed about,
For there such Liquors be soonest fet out.
Of another Liquor wise men tell,
Which is fresher than Water of the Well;
Fresher Liquor there is none in tast,
Yet it woll never consume ne waste;
Though it be occupied evermore,
It will never be lesse in store;
Which Democrit named for his intent,
Lux umbra carens, Water most Orient;
Hermes said no Liquor so necessarie,
As was Water of crude Mercury:
For he shall stand said that Noble Clerke,
For the Water within our werke.
Now lerne ye which for this Science have sought,
By all these Liquors our Stone must be wrought.

LIquor is a thing moveable,
Of fleeting substance and unstable.
All such things follow the Moone,
More then standing kindes doone;
And that appeareth to a Clerke,
In working of the white Werke;
Liquors washen and maken cleane
Both Extremities and the Meane;
God made Liquors for Mans use,
To clense foule things in everie howse;
Liquor bringeth without doubt,
Hidden things in Bodyes out,
As Landres witnes evidently,
When of Ashes thei make their Lye;
Liquor comforteth the roots of Grasse,
And of Trees such as drye was;
For Liquors of Nature woll restore
Humors that were lost before.
Liquors departeth Qualities asunder,
Substance resolving in Attomes with wonder;
Liquors also bringeth into one
Many things to be one Stone.
Liquors helpeth to flux and to flowe
Manie things, and lerne ye maie now
How Liquor is in manie manners found
Out of things that be on the ground,
Some by cutting, as Turpentine;
Some with Pressing, as Sider and Wine;
Some with grinding, as Oyle is had;
Some with stilling, as Waters be made;
Some with Brenning, as Colophonie;
And some with Water, as Women make Lye;
Some be otherwise brought about,
And by naturall working fet out,
As Urin, Sweat, Milk, and also Blood,
And Renniet which for Cheese is good:
By as manie manners and moe by one,
We seek Liquors for our Stone.
Every of the forenamed woll cleave
To that thei touch, and some deale leave:
But Quicksilver albeit it is fleeting,
Yet he woll never cleave to any thinge,
But to a Mettall of one kinde or other,
For there he findeth Sister or Brother.
Medling with suttill Erth doth him let,
To cleave to things such as he meet:
All the said Liquors which rehearsed be,
Conteyne fower Elements as well as he;
As Milke conteyneth Whey, Butter, and Cheese,
So done trewly every-each of all these:
Which fower maie be departed a twinn,
And after conjoynd to make ye winn.
But much more craftily they be heere sought,
Then Cheese, and Butter, and Whey be wrought;
And drawe neerer to simplicitie,
Then Cheese, Butter, or Whey maie be.
Of all Liquors which be in our Stone,
None is called simple but Water alone.
Of every Liquor which to our Stone shall goe,
Ye must know complexion and degree allso,
And than with Liquor ye maie abate
The principall Agent from his Estate,
If he permanent and abiding be,
In any point of superfluitye:
As if the reigning qualitie be Driness,
Ye maie amend it with humour of Moistnes.
Now more, now lesse, as ye see need,
And so in all qualities proceede:
And in such wise order at your will,
The principall Agent, your purpose to fulfill:
With knowledge of diversity, contrarietie, and accord,
Ye maie chuse which quality shall be Lord.
Your Liquors be ordained to add and subtray,
To make equalitie by wisdome of assay;
But trust not that any thing maie be
Hot and Moist both in one Degree:
For all that trust two qualities to be soe,
Shall be deceived where ever thei goe.
Common Schooles (so teaching) be not true,
Leave that Opinion, and lerne this of new
All Old men in that were oversecne,
To set in one degree anie qualities twaine:
Else thei said so that Schollers shulde not finde
The secret mixtures of Elementall kind.
Therefore who cannot his graduations,
Maie not be perfect in our operations:
For in true Number God made every thing;
Without true Number no Man trulie maie sing;
Who faileth of his Number faileth of his Song,
Who faileth with us must doe Nature wrong.

COnsider also the nature of the meane,
When it is in the Third degree made cleane;
The purer that your meanes be,
The more perfection thereof ye shall see.
The meanes reteyne a great part
Of the vertues of this Arte:
For the Principle maie not give influence
To the Finall end, neither the refluence
Unto his Principall without succour and aid
Of meanes conteyning the extremities aforesaid:
For like as by meanes of a treble Spirit,
The Soule of Man is to his Body knit,
Of which three Spirits one is called Vitall,
The second is called the Spirit Naturall.
The third Spirit is Spirit Animall,
And where they dwell now lerne ye shall:
The Spirit Vitall in the Hert doth dwell,
The Spirit Naturall as old Auctors tell
To dwell in the Liver is thereof faine,
But Spirit Animall dwelleth in the Braine:
And as long as these Spirits three
Continue in Man in there prosperitie:
So long the Soule without all strife
Woll dwell with the Body in prosperous life,
But when theis Spirits in Man maie not abide,
The Soule forthwith departeth at that tide:
For the suttill Soule pure and immortall,
With the grosse Body maie never dwell withall,
He is so heavie, and She so light and cleane,
Were not the suttilnesse of this Spirit meane.
Therefore in our worke as Auctors teach us,
There must be Corpus Anima & Spiritus:
Also in our worke ye shall so finde,
That our meanes must accord in every kinde
Of both extremities with wisdome sought,
Els all our worke shall turne cleere to nought:
For prudent Nature maie not by workinge,
Make Complement of appetite of a thing,
And so passe betweene extremities,
But if she first passe by all degrees
Of everie meane, this is truth unfained,
Wherefore Nature manie meanes ordained.

NOw after all this to lerne ye had need,
Of seven Circulations of Elements for your speede,
According to number of the Planets seaven;
Which no man knoweth but he have grace from heaven.
Old Philosophers, men of great engine,
Said how of Circulations there shulde be Nine;
It is the […]urer to doe by their advice,
Nethles Seaven maie your worke suffice,
By inventions late found of new,
Of later Philosophers whos workes be trewe.
But for Circulations of Elements,
Some Clerks ween to have their intents.
When they fro Fier ordaine to descend,
To Aire (thei ween not to offend)
If thei to Water doe then proceed,
And thens to Erth when thei see need,
And in such wise by order fall,
From the highest to the lowest of all:
Upon these words they tooke their ground,
That Aer est cibus ignis found.
But trust me that such Circulation,
Is but only a rectification,
Better serving for separation,
And for correction than for transmutation
But the truth is that appetite of the Fier,
Hath to worke in Erth his cheefe desire,
As upon his cheefe foode materiall,
For Fier with Erth hath most concord of all;
Because that siccitie is the lyme of heate,
But Ayre of her kind is most wet;
Yet Fire without Ayre worketh not,
For Faces of Elements be knit with a knot
Of Gods hand that they maie not depart,
By noe engine ne craft of Mans art;
As in Plomps ye have example faire,
Where heavie Water ariseth after Ayre;
Whereof noe cause reasonable ye shall finde,
But Connexion of faces of Elementall kinde.
But our Circulation is from Fier on high,
Which endeth with Water his most contrary.
Another Circulation beginneth with Ayre,
Ending with his Contrary cleane Erth and faier.
Fro Fier to Erth, fro thence to Water cleane,
Fro thence to Ayre, then fro thence by a meane,
Passing to Erth, then eftsoones to Fier,
To such Circulations the Red worke hath desire.
Other Circulations be better for the White,
That be rehearsed for her appetite.
Every Circulation hath her proper season,
As her lightnesse accordeth with reason.
For as one Planet is more ponderous
Then is another and slower, in his course:
So some Circulations which Clerks seeks,
Must for her time have full thirtie Weeks;
Other Circulations shall oft time have lesse,
As one Planet is lighter then another was:
But the time of one with another will amount
To twenty six Weekes proved by accompt.
After all grosse workes made before hand,
And after all Circumstances had I understande;
Ignorance hereof deceiveth manie a Man,
Causing them to cease where Wisemen began.
Common People which for this Science have sought,
Ween how in forty dayes it mought be wrought.
They know not how Nature and things of Arte,
Have a proper time assigned for their part,
As it appeareth by this Similitude,
The Elephant for that she is great and rude,
Goeth with Foale years full twayne,
And fifty yeares ere that Foale gender againe.
Anaxagoras said in his Consideration,
That Mettals had for their generation
A thousand Yeares, wherefore him list to say,
In respect thereof our Worke is but one Day.
Also ye must worke by good advice,
When ye see Erth above Water rise;
For as Water beareth Erth which we goe on,
So woll it doe in working of our Stone:
Wherefore Well-springs with strokes soft,
Soberly make ye must in tymes oft;
Whereby Water maie soberly flowe,
For violent Fluxes be perilous as nowe.