(90) The word Water [Water] is thrust forth from the Heart, and closes the Teeth together, and passes over the astringent and bitter Qualities, and touches them not, but goes forth through the Teeth, and the Tongue contracts and rouzes up itself together with the Spirit, and helps to hiss, and so qualifies, mixes, or unites with the Spirit, and the Spirit presses very forcibly through the Teeth. But when the Spirit is almost quite gone forth, then the astringent and bitter Spirit contracts and rouzes up itself, and afterwards first qualifies with the Word, but yet sits still in its Seat, and afterwards jars mightily and strongly in the Syllable-ter.

(148) In this rising up of the Heart, the Mercurius in the Heart is stirred up or awakened, as also in the whole Salitter of Heaven there rises up in the Deity the miraculous, wonderful and fair beautiful Imaging of Heaven, in several manifold various Colours and Manners, and each Spirit presents itself in its own peculiar Form.

(78) The Word or Syllable (Er-) signifies the kindled, astringent and bitter Quality, the earnest severe Wrath of God, which trembles at the hinder Part of the Gums, before which the Tongue is as it were afraid, and crouches at the nether Gums, and flies as it were from an Enemy.

(100) Against which the Wrath, with its Snarling in the astringent and bitter Quality, at the hinder Gums in the Hollow on the Tongue, struggles, and keeps its Right to itself, and keeps its Seat in its Place, and lets the meek Spirit come forth from the Heart, through it, and thunders with its snarling after it, and so helps to form or frame the Word, yet with its thundering cannot get away from its Seat, but abides in its hollow Hole, as a captive Prisoner, and looks terribly. This is a great Mystery.

(65) Horfolcus saith:t You must know, O all ye who love wisdom, that whereas Mundus hath been teaching this Art, and placing before you most lucid syllogisms, he that does not understand what he has said is a brute animal! But I will explain the regimen of this small thing, in order that any one, being introduced into this Art, may become bolder,} may more assuredly consider it, and although it be small, may compose the common with that which is dear, and the dear with that which is common. Know ye that in the beginning of the mixing, it behoves you to commingle elements which are crude, gentle, sincere, and not cooked or governed, over a gentle fire. Beware of intensifying the fire until the elements are conjoined, for these should follow one another, and be embraced in a complexion, whereby they are gradually burnt, until they be dessicated in the said gentle fire. And know that one spirit burns one thing and destroys one thing, and one body strengthens one spirit, and teaches the same to contend with the fire. But, after the first combustion, it is necessary that it should be washed, cleansed, and dealbated on the fire until all things become one colour; with which, afterwards, it behoves you to mix the residuum of the whole humour, and then its colour will be exalted. For the elements, being diligently cooked in the fire, rejoice, and are changed into different natures, because the liquefied, which is the lead, becomes not-liquefied,* the humid becomes dry, the thick body becomes a spirit, and the fleeing spirit becomes strong and fit to do battle against the fire. Whence the

Philosopher saith: Convert the elements and thou shalt find what thou seekest. But to convert the elements is to make the moist dry and the fugitive fixed. These things being accomplished by the disposition, let the operator leave it in the fire until the gross be made subtle, and the subtle remain as a tingeing spirit. Know ye, also, that the death and life of the elements proceed from fire, and that the composite germinates itself, and produces that which ye desire, God favouring. But when the colours begin ye shall behold the miracles of the wisdom ‘of God, until the Tyrian colour be accomplished. O wonder-working Nature, tingeing other natures! O heavenly Nature, separating and converting the elements by regimen! Nothing, therefore, is more precious than these Natures in that Nature which multiplies the composite, and makes fixed and scarlet.

(99) there the Tongue is terrified, trembles, and crouches to the nether Gums, and then the Spirit comes forth from the Heart, and closes the Word, which conceives itself at the hinder Gums in the astringent and bitter Quality, in the Wrath, and goes forth mightily and strongly through the Fierceness, as a King and a Prince, and also opens the Mouth, and rules with a strong Spirit from the Heart through the whole Mouth within, and also without the Mouth, and makes a mighty and long Syllable, as a Spirit which has broken the Wrath.

(113) It is with Mercurius in this Manner or Form also; thou must not think that there is any hard beating, striking, toning, or founding, or whistling and tuning, in the Deity, as when one takes a great Trumpet, and blows in it, and makes it to sound.

(9) The Tone or Mercurius takes its Original in the First, that is, in the astringent and hard Quality. Observe in the Depth,

(52) Ixumprus satih: You will have treated most excellently, O MHorfolcus, concerning the regimen of copper and the humid spirit, provided you proceed therewith. And he: Perfect, therefore, what I have omitted, O Ixumdrus!

Ixumprus saith: You must know that this Ethelia* which you have previously mentioned and notified, which also the envious have called by many names, doth. whiten, and tinge when it is whitened; then truly the Philosophers have called it the Flower of Gold, because it is a certain natural thing.

Do you not remember what the Philosophers have said, that before it arrives at this terminus, copper does not tinge?* But when it is tinged it tinges, because quicksilver tinges when it is combined with its tincture. But when it is mixed with those ten things which the Philosophers have denominated fermented urines, then have they called all these things Multiplication. But some have termed their mixed bodies Corsufle and Gum of Gold.t Therefore, those names which are found in the books of the Philosophers, and are thought superfluous and vain, are true and yet are fictitious, because they are one thing, one opinion, and one way. This is the quicksilver which is indeed extracted from all things,* out of which all things are produced, which also is pure water that destroys the shade of copper. And know ye that this quicksilver, when it is whitened, becomes a sulphur which contains sulphur, and is a venom that has a brilliance lke marble; this the envious call Ethelia, orpiment and sandarac, out of which a tincture and pure spirit ascends with a mild fire, and the whole pure flower is sublimated, which flower becomes wholly quicksilver. It is, therefore, a most great arcanum which the Philosophers have thus described, because sulphur alone whitens copper. Ye, O investigators of this Art, must know that the said sulphur cannot whiten copper until it is whitened in the work! And know ye also that it is the habit of this sulphur to escape. When, therefore, it flees from its own thick bodies, and is sublimated as a vapour, then it behoves you to retain it otherwise with quicksilver of its own kind, lest it vanish altogether. Wherefore the Philosophers have said, that sulphurs are contained by sulphurs. Know, further, that sulphurs tinge, and then are they certain to escape unless they are united to quicksilver of its own kind. Do not, therefore, think that because it tinges* and afterwards escapes, it is the coin of the Vulgar, for what the Philosophers are seeking is the coin of the Philosophers, which, unless it be mixed with white or red, which is quicksilver of its own kind, would doubtless escape. I direct you, therefore, to mix quicksilver with quicksilver (of its kind) until together they become one clean water composed out oftwo. This is, therefore, the great arcanum, the confection of which is with its own gum; it is cooked with flowers in a gentle fire and with earth;

it is made red with mucra and with vinegar, salt, and nitre,* and with mutal is turned into rubigo, or by any of the select tingeing agents existing in our coin.

(36) By that Sound in Heaven all Powers are moved, so that all Things grow joyfully, and generate very beautifully: And as the Divine Power is manifold and various, so also the Sound or Mercurius is manifold and various. [Mercurius]

(23) And this Stirring in the Hardness, is the Tone, so that it sounds, and the Light or Flash makes the Ringing, and the sweet Water mitigates the Ringing: So that a Man can use it to the Distinction of Speech, or Articulation of Syllables. Here observe the Nativity or Birth of the bitter Quality, yet more plainly.

(76) The Word (Etten) is thrust forth from the Heart, and is conceived on the binder Part upon the Tongue, at the binder Gums, and trembles; the Tongue is used about the first Syllable (Er), yet not steadily, but it recoils inward at the nether Gums, and crouches as it were before an Enemy trembling. [Or flaggers.]

(51) Horrotcos* saith: Thou hast narrated nothing, O Pandolphus, save the last regimen of this body! Thou hast, therefore, composed an ambiguous description for readers. Butif its regimen were commenced from the beginning, you would destroy this obscurity. Saith the Turba: Speak, therefore, concerning this to posterity, so far as it may please you. And he: It behoves you, investigators of this Art, first to burn copper in a gentle fire, like that required in the hatching of eggs. For it behoves you to burn it with its humidity lest its spirit be burnt, and let the vessel be closed on all sides, so that its colour [? heat] may be increased, the body of copper be destroyed, and its tingeing spirit be extracted,} concerning which the envious have said: Take quicksilver out of the Flower of Copper, which also they have called the water of our copper, a fiery venom, and a substance extracted from all things, which further they have termed Ethelia, extracted out of many things.* Again, some have said that when all things become one, bodies are made notbodies, but not-bodies bodies. And know, all ye investigators of this Art, that every body is dissolved with the spirit with which it is mixed, with which without doubt it becomes a similar spiritual thing, and that every spirit which has a tingeing colour of spirits, and is constant against fire, is altered and coloured by bodies. Blessed then be the name of Him who hath inspired the Wise with the idea of turning a body into a spirit having strength and colour, unalterable and incorruptible, so that what formerly was volatile sul-. phur is now made sulphur not-volatile, and incombustible! Know, also, all ye sons of learning, that he who is able to make your fugitive spirit red by the body mixed with it, and then from that body and that spirit can extract the tenuous nature hidden in the belly thereof, by a most subtle regimen, tinges every body, if only he is patient in spite of the tedium of extracting. Wherefore the envious have said: Know that out of copper, after it is humectated by the moisture thereof, is pounded in its water, and is cooked in sulphur, if ye extract a body having Ethelia, ye will find that which is suitable as a tincture for anything. Wherefore the envious have said: Things that are diligently pounded in the fire, with sublimation of the Ethelia, become fixed tinctures. For whatsoever words ye find in any man’s book signify quicksilver, which we call water of sulphur,* which also we sometimes say is lead and copper and copulated coin.

(1) Note. "I advertise the Reader, who loves God, that this Book, the Aurora or Morning Redness, was not finished. For the Devil intended to put a Stop to it, and suppress it, when he perceived that the Day would break forth therein. And the Day has clearly made haste after the Morning Redness, so that it is become very Light. There wants about Thirty Sheets to the End of it. But seeing the Storm has broken them off, therefore it was not finished; and in the mean while it is come to be Day, so that the Morning Redness is passed away, and since that Time, the Work has gone on by Day. And it shall so stand, for an eternal Remembrance, seeing the Defect herein is supplied in the other Books." Jacob Behmen, 1620. [ [Three Principles. Three-fold Life. 40 Questions.] See the Collection of Letters. Letter 10. v. 30.] Note. The Dawning or Morning-Redness rises up from the Infancy and Child-hood, and shows or demonstrates the Creation of all Beings, but very Mystically, and not sufficiently clear, but full of magical Understanding, for there are some Mysteries therein which are yet to come to pass. [Collection of Letters. Letter 12. v. 66.] Note. This is the deep hidden magical Book, which the Author at that Time might not make clearer, but may now do it through the Grace of God. 1621. Note. This Book is wrote in a magical Sense or Understanding, for the Author himself only, who knew of no other Readers; he supposed he made this Work only for himself, but God has disposed it otherwise. Note. The Author expressed the first Syllable MER, in the Word MERCURIUS, with the first Vowel A, as MAR, MARCURIUS, not without a special mystical Cause. But because the self-conceited Wise in Reason dislike it, accounting it but a country, vulgar Expression, therefore it is wrote according to the common received Word, MERCURIUS. The Corn grows against the Will of the Enemy. For that which is sown by God, no Man can prevent or hinder the Growing of it. [Collection of Letters. Letter 10. v. 32.]

(128) Observe, * the Word BARM- is chiefly formed upon thy Lips, and when thou pronouncest BARM- then thou shutteth thy Mouth, and snarlest in the hinder Part of the Mouth; and this is the astringent Quality, which environs or incloses the Word; that is, it figures, compass, or contracts the Word together, that it becomes hard, or sounds, and the bitter Quality separates or distinguishes it;

(23) Cerrus* saith: Understand, all ye Sons of the Doctrine, that which Theophilus hath told you, namely, that there exists an affinity between the magnet and the iron, by the alliance of composites existing between the magnet and the iron, while the copper is fitly ruled for one hundred days:* what statement can be more useful to you than that there is no affinity between tint and quicksilver?} The Turpva answereih: Thou hast ill spoken, having disparaged the true disposition. And he: I testify that I say nothing but what is true; why are you incensed against me? Fear the Lord, all ye Turba, that your Master may believe you!

The Turba answereth: Say what youwill. <Andhe: I direct you to take quicksilver, in which is the male potency§ or strength;

cook the same with its body until it becomes a fluxible water; cook the masculine together with the vapour, until each shall be coagulated and become a stone. Then take the water which you had divided into two parts, of which one is for liquefying and cooking the body, but the second is for cleansing that which is already burnt, and its companion, which [two] are made one. Imbue the stone seven times, and cleanse, until it be disintegrated, and its body be purged from all defilement, and become earth. Know also that in the time of forty-two days the whole is changed into earth; by cooking, therefore, liquefy the same until it become as true water, which is quicksilver. Then wash with water of nitre until it become as a liquefied coin. Then cook until it be congealed and become like to tin, when it is a most great arcanum; that is to say, the stone which is out of two things. Rule the same by cooking and pounding, until it becomes a most excellent crocus. Know also that unto water desiccated with its companion we have given the name of crocus. Cook it, therefore, and imbue with the residual water reserved by you until you attain your purpose.

(6) Now that Voice, or that WORD, which the Father speaks, goes forth from the Father's Saltiter or Powers, and from the Father's Mercurius, Sound or Tune: And the Father speaks this forth in himself, and that WORD is the very Splendor or Glance proceeding from all his Powers.