(26) Go into a Meadow, and look upon the Herbs and Flowers which grow all out of the Earth, and always one is fairer and more fragrant in Smell than the other, and the most contemptible [Herb] has many Times the greatest Virtue. Now then the Physician comes and seeks, and often turns his Mind to the lustiest and fairest, because they thrive so in their Growing, and smell strong; then thinks he, these are the best; whereas many Times a small regardless Herb will serve his Turn better in his Physick for his Patient, whom he has under cure.

(35) The herbs of the fields were sacred to the early pagans, who believed that the gods had made plants for the cure of human ills. When properly prepared and applied, each root and shrub could be used for the alleviation of suffering, or for the development of spiritual, mental, moral, or physical powers. In The Mistletoe and Its Philosophy, P. Davidson pays the following beautiful tribute to the plants: "Books have been written on the language of flowers and herbs, the poet from the earliest ages has held the sweetest and most loving converse with them, kings are even glad to obtain their essences at second hand to perfume themselves; but to the true physician--Nature's High-Priest--they speak in a far higher and more exalted strain. There is not a plant or mineral which has disclosed the last of its properties to the scientists. How can they feel confident that for every one of the discovered properties there may not be many powers concealed in the inner nature of the plant? Well have flowers been called the 'Stars of Earth,' and why should they not be beautiful? Have they not from the time of their birth smiled in the splendor of the sun by day, and slumbered under the brightness of the stars by night? Have they not come from another and more spiritual world to our earth, seeing that God made 'every plant of the field BEFORE it was in the earth, and every herb of the field BEFORE IT GREW'?"

(11) For although many thousand several Herbs stand one by another in one and the same Meadow, and one of them is fairer and has more Virtue than another, yet one of them does not grudge at the Form of another, but there is a pleasant Refreshment in one Mother: So also there is a distinct Variety in Paradise, where every Creature has its greatest Joy in the Virtue and Beauty of another; and the eternal Virtue and Wisdom of God is without Number and End; as you found before in the third Chapter concerning the Opening of the Centers of the eternal Life. You shall find no Book wherein the divine Wisdom may be more searched into, and found, than when you walk in a flowery fresh springing Meadow, there you shall see, smell, and taste the wonderful Power and Virtue of God; though this be but material; and God has manifested himself in a Similitude. But [this Similitude] is a loving Schoolmaster to him that seeks, he shall there find many of them.

(24) Though the Doctor, it may be, knows what the Tincture is, yet the Simple and Unlearned do not, who many Times (if they had the Art) have better Gifts and Understanding than the Doctor, therefore I write for those that seek; though indeed I hold, that neither the Doctor, nor the Alchemist, has the Ground of the Tincture, unless he be born again in the Spirit; such a One sees through all, whether he be learned or unlearned; with God the Peasant is as acceptable as the Doctor.

(24) The Tincture is the pleasant Sweetness and Softness in a fragrant Herb and Flower, and the Spirit thereof is bitter and harsh, and if the Tincture were not, the Herb would get neither Blossom nor Smell; it gives to all Essences Virtue to grow. It is also in Metals and Stones; it makes that the Silver and Gold grow, and without it [the Tincture,] there is nothing in this World could grow. Among all the Children in Nature, [it only] is a Virgin, and has never generated any Thing out of itself; neither can it generate, and yet it makes that all Things impregnate. It is the most hidden Thing, and also the most manifest; it is a Friend of God, and a Play-fellow of Virtue; it suffers itself to be detained by nothing, and yet it is in all Things; but if any Thing be done to it against the Right of Nature, then it flies [away] and that very easily: It stands not fast, and yet it continues immoveable; it continues in no Kind of Decaying of any Thing; all the while that it stands in the Root of Nature, not altered nor destroyed, so long it continues. It lays no Burden upon any Thing, but it eases the Burden in all Things; it makes that all Things rejoice, and yet it generates no shouting i Noise; but the Voice comes out of the Essences, and becomes loud in the Spirit.

(26) And thirdly, you find in all Things a glorious Power and Virtue, which is the Life, Growing and Springing of every Thing, and you find that therein lies its Beauty and pleasant Welfare, from whence it stirs. Now look upon an Herb or Plant, and consider it, what is its Life which makes it grow? And you shall find in the Original, Harshness, Bitterness, Fire, and Water, and if you should separate these four Things one from another, and put them together again, yet you shall neither see nor find any Growing; but if it were severed from its own Mother that generated it at the Beginning, then it remains dead; much less can you bring the pleasant Smell, or Colours into it.

(22) Seeing then the Mystery presents itself to us, therefore we will open the Blossom of the Sprout: Yet we would not have our Labour given to the Wolves, Dogs, or Swine, which root in our Garden of Delight, like [wild] Boars, but to those that seek, that the sick Adam may be comforted.

(31) The good Smell in the Herb, which you should now look for in the many Opinions, is only the new Regeneration out of the old corrupted Adamical mixt Man in the Body of Jesus Christ, in the Power of the Holy Ghost, viz. a new Mind towards God in Love and Meekness; which is not set upon Pride, Covetousness, and seeking his own Honour, Credit, and Esteem, nor upon War, or any Manner of Stir, or Insurrection of Inferiors against their Superiors, but grows in Patience and Meekness, as a Grain of Wheat among Thorns, and brings forth Fruit in its Season. And consider, that where there is such Fruit [in thy Mind,] that is born of God; and it is the noble Virtue in that [Man.] Go out from the other Fruit, which teaches Uproars and Dissension between Inferiors and Superiors, for such [Fruits] are Thistles, and will prick and sting [like Nettles.] God will fan his Wheat himself.

(11) And there the noble Grain of Mustard-Seed is sown, of which Christ says; That it is at first small, and afterwards groweth to be like a great Tree; so far [or so long] as the Mind perseveres in the Will. But the noble Virgin stays not continually, for her Birth is [of a] higher [Descent;] and therefore she dwells not in earthly Vessels; but she sometimes visits her Bridegroom at a Time when he is desirous of her: Although she always with Observance prevents and calls him, before he [calls] her, which is only understood in the Lily. This the Spirit speaks in a high and worthy Seriousness, therefore observe it, ye Children of God, the Angel of the great Council comes in the Valley of Jehosaphat with a golden Charter, which he sells for Oil without Money; W7hosoever comes shall have it.

(25) The Way to it is very near; whosoever finds that [Way] dares not to reveal it, neither can he, for there is no Language that can express it: And although any seek long after kit, if the Tincture will not, he cannot find it; nevertheless it meets them that seek after it right, in its own Way [or Manner,] as its Nature is, with a virgin-like Mind, not being [prone] to Covetousness and [Wantonness or] Voluptuousness; it suffers itself to be imprinted [represented or imagined] in a Thing, (where it was not before) by Faith, if it be right in a virgin-like Manner: It is powerful, and yet does nothing; when it goes out of a Thing, it comes not into it again, but it stays in its Ether, it never breaks [or corrupts] more, and yet does grow.

(23) Now if we will search after the Tincture, what it is in its highest Degree, we shall find the a Spirit: For we cannot say, that the Fire is the Tincture, nor the Air neither. For the Fire is wholly contrary to the Tincture; and the Air stifles it; it is a very pleasant Refreshment; its Root, out of which is generated, is indeed the Fire: But if I may rightly mention the Seat where it sits, I cannot say otherwise, but that it is between the three Principles, viz. [between] the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Hell, and the Kingdom of this World, in the Midst, and [it] has none [of the three] for its own, and yet it is generated from all three: And it has as it were a several Principle, which yet is no Principle, but a bright pleasant Habitation. Neither is itself the Spirit, but the Spirit dwells in it, and it so renews the Spirit, that fit becomes clear and visible. Its true Name is Wonderful, and none can name [that Name,] but he to whom it is given, he names it only in himself, and not without [or outwardly,] it has no Place of its Rest in the Substance, and yet rests continually in itself, and gives Virtue and Beauty to all Things, as the in this World; and it is not the Thing itself, though indeed it works in the Thing, and makes the Thing grow and blossom, and yet it is found really [to be] in all Things, and it is the Life and Heart of all Things, but it is not the Spirit which is generated out of the Essences.

(4) Here now stand the great Secrets (which we cannot see with our earthly Eyes) wholly naked and plain, and there is no Vail before it, only we are blind to the Kingdom of God; for God cursed the Earth, and said, it should now bear Thorns and Thistles, and Man should eat the Fruit of the accursed Earth. This indeed is a new Thing. He allowed them not in Paradise to eat of the earthly Herbs, but of the pleasant Fruit. And if he had eaten of the Herbs of the Fields, yet that which he had eaten, was heavenly; and when the Lord cursed the Earth, then all became earthly; and the holy Element was withdrawn, and the Fruit did grow in the Proceeding-forth of the four Elements, in the Kindling of the Fierceness, out of which Thorns and Thistles grew.

(57) The Mysterium [or Mystery] which we knew not before, meets us, nor did we know the Ground of it; neither did we ever esteem ourselves worthy of such a Revelation; but seeing it appears unto us of Grace, through the Mercy of the gracious Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore we must not be so lazy, but labour in the Garden of the Lily, in Love to our Neighbour, and for the Sake of the Children of Hope, especially for the Sake of the poor sick Lazarus, who lies wounded in Babel; who (after his painful Sickness) shall be healed, bin the Smell of the Lily; and when he shall begin to go out from Babel, we will set a Root before him in Hebron, which shall afford him Strength, to get quite out of

The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. MUCH-nam'd, and best of dæmons, hear my pray'r, The desart-loving, deck'd with tender hair; Joy to diffuse, by all desir'd is thine, Much form'd, Eubulus; aliment divine Female and Male, all charming to the sight, Adonis ever flourishing and bright; At stated periods doom'd to set and rise, With splendid lamp, the glory of the skies. 8 Two-horn'd and lovely, reverenc'd with tears, Of beauteous form, adorn'd with copious hairs. Rejoicing in the chace, all-graceful pow'r, Sweet plant of Venus, Love's delightful flow'r: Descended from the secret bed divine, Of lovely-hair'd, infernal Proserpine. 'Tis thine to fink in Tartarus profound, And shine again thro' heav'ns illustrious round, With beauteous temp'ral orb restor'd to sight; Come, with earth's fruits, and in these flames delight.

(59) "Prescription. 5 Drops of this Water taken inwardly strengthens the understanding and memory, and opens to us most wonderful and sweet things, of which no man hath heard, and of which I dare not further write, because of the Oath I made God to the contrary. Time and the holy use of this blessed Water will teach us, as soon as you have taken it inwardly such influence will happen to thee as if the whole heavens and all the stars with their powers are working in thee. All Knowledge and secret Arts will be opened to thee as in a dream, but the most excellent of all is, you will perfectly learn rightly to know all creatures in their Nature, and by means thereof, the true understanding of God, the Creator of us, Heaven and Earth, like David and Moses and all the Saints of God, for the wisdom of our fountain of living Water will instruct thee as it did Solomon and the Brethren of our fraternity."

(31) For none knows what it is, but he that has found it by Experience. It is a most precious Guest; when it enters into the Soul, there is a very wonderful Triumph there; the Bridegroom there embraces his beloved Bride, and the Hallelujah of Paradise sounds. O! must not the earthly Body needs tremble and shake at it? and though it knows not what it is, yet all its Members rejoice at it. O what beauteous Knowledge does the Virgin of the divine Wisdom bring with her! She makes learned indeed; and though one were dumb, yet the Soul would be crowned in God's Works of Wonder, and must speak of his Wonders; there is nothing in the Soul but longing to do so; the Devil must be gone, he is quite weary and faint.

(10) Every plant with fragrant leaves, which is cultivated by the hand-labour of men, and is perennial (hamvâr), they call an aromatic herb (siparam).

(4) Whence, "Seek, and ye shall find," holding on by the truly royal road, and not deviating. As we might expect, then, the generative power of the seeds of the doctrines comprehended in this treatise is great in small space, as the "universal herbage of the field," as Scripture saith. Thus the Miscellanies of notes have their proper title, wonderfully like that ancient oblation culled from all sorts of things of which Sophocles writes: "For there was a sheep's fleece, and there was a vine, And a libation, and grapes well stored; And there was mixed with it fruit of all kinds, And the fat of the olive, and the most curious Wax-formed work of the yellow bee."

(35) Now I shall fall into the School of the Master in his uPontificalibus, who will ask out of what the Beasts, Fowls, Fishes, and Worms were made; for he will have it, that all of them were made out of the Earth, and will prove it out of Moses, and he understands as much of Moses as of Paradise, which he will have to be altogether corporeal. Therefore there is a gross Deadness in the Understanding; and though I write plain enough, yet I shall be still dumb to that deadened Soul which is void of Understanding, and yet I cannot help it; for it is said, You must be born anew, if you will see the Kingdom of God. Would you know [out of what the Beasts are made,] then lay aside your Bonnet of Pride that is in your Mind, and walk along into the paradisical Garden of Roses, and there you shall find an Herb; if you eat of it, your Eyes will be opened, so that you shall see and know what Moses has wrote.

(20) For the Spirit of Knowledge intimates this, that there are Fruits and Things that grow in Paradise, as well as in this World, in such a Form or Figure, but not in such a Source [or Property,] and Palpability. For the Matter or Body of it is Power, and it grows in the heavenly yLimbus; its Root stands in the Matrix, wherein there is neither Earth nor Stone; for it is in another Principle. The Fire in that [Principle] is God the Father; and the Light is God the Son; and the Air is God the Holy Ghost; and the Virtue [or Power] out of which all springs is Heaven and Paradise.