But alas! the Life has many greater and more powerful Enemies; especially the four Elements and the Constellations [or Stars.] As soon as [any] one Element becomes too strong, the Tincture flies from it, and then the Life has its End: if it be overwhelmed with Water, it grows cold, and the Fire goes out, then the Flash flies away like a Glance or Shadow: If it be overwhelmed with Earth, viz. with impure Matter, then the Flash grows dark, and flies away: If it be overwhelmed with Air, that it be stopt, then the Tincture is stifled, and the springing Essences, and the Flash breaks into a Glance, and goes into its Ether. But if it be overwhelmed with Fire or Heat, the Flash is inflamed, and burns up the Tincture, from whence the Blood becomes dark, and swarthy, or black, and the Flash goes out in the Meekness.

Then that flash retireth back, and the sweet water catcheth it, and riseth up in that fierceness, and in that rising and terrifying changeth itself...

Behold, without the flash all the seven spirits were a dark valley, but when the flash riseth up between the astringent and bitter qualities, in the...

But yet the dead water and earth comprehend no more than the flash or terror or crack of the fire, through which their mobility existeth: But the ligh...

After this flash the power of the light shot nimbly after it, like a meek elevated life, and overtook the fire-crack, and mitigated it, so that it...

Now the flash in the power of these four goeth forth in the heat, and riseth up in the sweet spring water or fountain; the bitter makes it...

For when the flash riseth up in the centre, one seeth through and through, but cannot well apprehend or lay hold on it; for it happeneth to such a one...

For the flash, as a crack, penetrateth suddenly, whereby joy existeth, and then the stock of the kindled light in the sweet water abideth standing, an...

When the flash riseth up in the heat, then first the sweet water catcheth or captivateth it, for therein it becometh shining. Now when the water...

But thus it is; the flash is the mother of the light; for the flash generateth the light, and is the father of the fierceness, for the fierceness abid...

But in our corrupted flesh it [the rising up] is only like a tempest of lightning: for if I could in my flesh comprehend the flash (which I very well ...

But it is caught in the hard quality, so that it subsists in a bodily manner, and must shine so eternally, and the flash trembleth in the body, like a...

This spirit taketh its original in the fire-flash, that is, in the bitter quality, and riseth up in the flash through the sweet water, wherein it...

Now behold: the fierceness which riseth up in the light consists not in the water of the wood, but when the heat riseth up in the hardness, then is...

So the sweet water being dried up, the bitter quality (which existed and was generated by the first flash, when the light kindled itself) rose up in t...

Now this spirit subsisteth in its colour like azure or heaven-blue, for it is generated out of all the six spirits; and when the flash, which stands...

It ever persists unchanged and unaltered in its Essence, yet constantly manifesting itself through and in countless material forms which come and go a...

Now these four spirits move themselves in the flash, for all the four become living therein, and so now the power of these four riseth up in the...

Now when the astringent quality, which is very cold, catcheth the heat and the flash, then it is terrified, as in a tempest of lightning; for when...

III. Thirdly, the bitter quality, which existeth in the kindling of the water in the fire-flash, is melted away, for that is a rager, raver, tyrant...