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deprived of it by decoction, and mercury because it has never had it.
Q. In seeking this auriferous seed elsewhere than in gold itself, is there no danger of producing a species of monster,
since one appears to be departing from Nature?
A. It is undoubtedly true that in gold is contained the auriferous seed, and that in a more perfect condition than it is
found in any other body; but this does not force us to make use of vulgar gold, for such a seed is equally found in
each of the other metals, and is nothing else but that fixed grain which Nature has infused in the first congelation of
mercury, all metals having one origin and a common substance, as will be ultimately unveiled to those who become
worthy of receiving it by application and assiduous study.
Q. What follows from this doctrine?
A. It follows that, although the seed is more perfect in gold, it may be extracted much more easily from another
body than from gold itself, other bodies being more open, that is to say, less digested, and less restricted in their
humidity.
Q. Give me an example taken from Nature.
A. Vulgar gold may be likened to a fruit which, having come to a perfect maturity, has been cut off from its tree, and
though it contains a most perfect and well-digested seed, notwithstanding, should anyone set it in the ground, with a
view to its multiplication, much time, trouble, and attention will be consumed in the development of its vegetative
capabilities. On the other hand, if a cutting, or a root, be taken from the same tree, and similarly planted, in a short
time, and with no trouble, it will spring up and produce much fruit.
Q. Is it necessary that an amateur of this science should understand the formation of metals in the bowels of the
earth if he wishes to complete his work ?
A. So indispensable is such a knowledge that should anyone fail, before all other studies, to apply himself to its
attainment, and to imitate Nature point by point therein, he will never succeed in accomplishing anything but what is
worthless.
Q. How, then, does Nature deposit metals in the bowels of the earth, and of what does she compose them ?
A. Nature manufactures them all out of sulphur and mercury, and forms them by their double vapour.
Q. What do you mean by this double vapour, and how can metals be formed thereby?
A. In order to a complete understanding of this question, it must first be stated that mercurial vapour is united to
sulphureous vapour in a cavernous place which contains a saline water, which serves as their matrix. Thus is formed,
firstly, the Vitriol of Nature; secondly, by the commotion of the elements, there is developed out of this Vitriol of
Nature a new vapour, which is neither mercurial nor sulphureous, yet is allied to both these natures, and this, passing
through places to which the grease of sulphur adheres, is joined therewith, and out of their union a glutinous
substance is produced, otherwise, a formless mass, which is permeated by the vapour that fills these cavernous
places. By this vapour, acting through the sulphur it contains, are produced the perfect metals, provided that the
vapour and the locality are pure. If the locality and the vapour are impure, imperfect metals result. The terms
perfection and imperfection have reference to various degrees of concoction.
Q. What is contained in this vapour?
A. A spirit of light and a spirit of fire, of the nature of the celestial bodies, which properly should be considered as
the form of the universe.
Q. What does this vapour represent?
A. This vapour, thus impregnated by the universal spirit, represents, in a fairly complete way, the original Chaos,
which contained all that was required for the original creation, that is, universal matter and universal form.
Q. And one cannot, notwithstanding, make use of vulgar mercury in the process?
A. No, because vulgar mercury, as already made plain, is devoid of external agent.
Q. Whence comes it that common mercury is without its external agent?
A. Because in the exaltation of the double vapour, the commotion has been so great and searching, that the spirit, or
agent, has evaporated, as occurs, with very close similarity, in the fusion of metals. The result is that the unique
mercurial part is deprived of its masculine or sulphureous agent, and consequently can never be transmuted into gold
by Nature.
Q. How many species of gold are distinguished by the Philosophers?
A. Three sorts :--Astral Gold, Elementary Gold, and Vulgar Gold.
Q. What is astral gold?
A. Astral Gold has its centre in the sun, which communicates it by its rays to all inferior beings. It is an igneous
substance, which receives a continual emanation of solar corpuscles that penetrate all things sentient, vegetable, and
mineral.
Q. What do you refer to under the term Elementary Gold ?
A. This is the most pure and fixed portion of the elements, and of all that is composed of them. All sublunary beings
included in the three kingdoms contain in their inmost centre a precious grain of this elementary gold.
Q. Give me some description of Vulgar Gold ?
A. It is the most beautiful metal of our acquaintance, the best that Nature can produce, as perfect as it is unalterable
in itself.
Q. Of what species of gold is the Stone of the Philosophers ?
A. It is of the second species, as being the most pure portion of all the metallic elements after its purification, when
it is termed living philosophical gold. A perfect equilibrium and equality of the four elements enter into the Physical
Stone, and four things are indispensable for the accomplishment of the work, namely, composition, allocation,
mixture, and union, which, once performed according to the rules of art, will beget the lawful Son of the Sun, and
the Phoenix which eternally rises out of its own ashes.
Q. What is actually the living gold of the Philosophers?
A. It is exclusively the fire of Mercury, or that igneous virtue, contained in the radical moisture, to which it has
already communicated the fixity and the nature of the sulphur, whence it has emanated, the mercurial character of
the whole substance of philosophical sulphur permitting it to be alternatively termed mercury.
Q. What other name is also given by the Philosophers to their living gold ?
A. They also term it their living sulphur, and their true fire; they recognize its existence in all bodies, and there is
nothing that can subsist without it.
Q. Where must we look for our living gold, our living sulphur, and our true fire ?
A. In the house of Mercury.
Q. By what is this fire nourished?
A. By the air.
Q. Give me a comparative illustration of the power of this fire ?
A. To exemplify the attraction of this interior fire, there is no better comparison than that which is derived from the
thunderbolt, which originally is simply a dry, terrestrial exhalation, united to a humid vapour. By exaltation, and by
assuming the igneous nature, it acts on the humidity which is inherent to it; this it attracts to itself, transmutes it into
its own nature, and then rapidly precipitates itself to the earth, where it is attracted by a fixed nature which is like
unto its own.
Q. What should be done by the Philosopher after he has extracted his Mercury ?
A. He should develop it from potentiality into activity.
Q. Cannot Nature perform this of herself?
A. No; because she stops short after the first sublimation, and out of the matter which is thus disposed do the metals
engender.
Q. What do the Philosophers understand by their gold and silver?
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