(29) For when the Matrix became dthin again, dead and vanquished from the risen Light, then the material [Matrix] turned to Water, as we may perceive; and in this Kindling before the Light of the Sun (when the Matrix was still in the harsh Fierceness) the Matrix attracted that which was wrought together into the dark Earth, which before the Time of the Creation was but fiery Heaven, in the fifth Form in the Matrix, by the Fiat which the Father spoke through his Heart or Son, by and in the going forth of his Spirit, who there, upon the Matrix in the fifth Form, framed the fiery Heaven, as the highly worthy Moses has clearly written of it. For the Matrix is the Water-Spirit in the Original, in the first Form; and now when it became material in the Place of this World, then the Spirit moved upon the Water in the heavenly Matrix, which is immaterial, (from whence the material Water is generated), and so formed the Creatures.

(28) Now when God had severed the Matrix with [or from] its fiery Form, and would manifest himself with this World, then he put the Fiat into the Matrix, and spoke out of himself, [saying,] Let there be Herbs, Grass, Trees, and Beasts, every one according to their Kind: This Speaking, was the Heart, or the Virtue [or Power] of the Eternal Father: But the Spirit which had the Fiat, went from the Eternal Father (in the Virtue of the Heart of God) forth with the Will (and the Will was the Fiat) and made the Out-Birth in the third Principle material, visible, and comprehensible, each according to its Essence; as the Virtue was, so was also its Body. For there the fiery Matrix, or the Constellation, gave its Virtue to the Fiat; and the watery Matrix, with the Elements, received the Virtue, and so were impregnated, and each Element generated its own Creatures out of itself; as also each Form in the fiery and watery Nature out of themselves; and yet it became no separable Essence, but only every Creature was separated according to its Kind, according to the eternal Virtue, which arose in the Longing by the Lust, and became the third Principle, which was not before Time [begun.]

(14) Yet here I do not altogether [mean or] understand the Mercurius [Mercury or Quicksilver] which is the third Principle of this created World, which the Apothecaries use, (although that has the same Virtue or Power, and is of the same Essence,) but I speak [of that] in the first Principle, viz. of the Originality of the Essence of all Essences, of God, and of the eternal unbeginning Nature, from whence the Nature of this World is generated. Although in the Originality of both of them there is no Separation; but only the outward and third Principle, the syderial and elementary Kingdom [Region or Dominion] is generated out of the first Principle by the Word and Spirit of God out of the eternal Father, out of the holy Heaven.

(8) For when the Fiat kindled the Element in the Out-Birth, then the kindled Materia [or Matter] became palpable [or comprehensible,] this was not now fit for Paradise, but it was created outward, [or made external.] Yet that the Element with its Out-Birth might no more generate thus, therefore God created the Heaven out of the Element, and [caused or] suffered out of the Element, (which is the heavenly Limbus) the third Principle to spring up; where the Spirit of God again discovered [or revealed] itself in the Virgin, viz. in the eternal Wisdom, and found out, in the Out-Birth, in the corruptible Substance, the Similitude again. And the Discovering stood in the sharp Attraction of the Fiat, and the Fiat created it so, that it became essential [or substantial;] and the same are the Stars, a mere Quinta Essentia, an Extract of the Fiat's, out of the Limbus of God, wherein the hidden Element stands.

(17) Therefore the eternal Word, or Heart of God, wrought thus in the dark and spiritual Matrix, which in itself, in the Originality without the Light, would be [as it were] dumb [or senseless,] and has generated a corporeal and palpable, [or comprehensible] Similitude of its Essence, in which all the Forms were brought forth out of the eternal Formation, and brought into Essence. For out of the spiritual Form, the corporeal [Form] is generated, and the eternal Word has created it by the Fiat, to stand thus. Or unknown.

(48) And out of this Limbus (at the Time when the Earth was corporised) went forth the four Elements, as out of a Fountain; and that which was discovered [or manifested] by the Virgin (the Wisdom of God) in the Innumerability, were the Stars, as are the Quintessence zof the four Elements, not separated from the four Elements, but qualifying [or mixing Virtues] one with another, a and yet extracted from the four Productions, with their sharp Essences; and they are the Seeking [Longing or Hunger] of the four Elements, or, as I may express it by a Similitude, [they are] the Man, and the Elements are the Woman; and the Heart of these Things is the Element, in one only Substance, and the Essences in that [one Element] are the Virtues [or Power] of the Wonders of the Wisdom of God, and are called Paradise, an exulting Joy.

(18) Now then, out of these Forms, out of the Matrix of the Earth, by the Fiat, in the Word, went forth all the Creatures of this World; also Trees, Herbs, and Grass, every one according to its Kind; as also Worms, evil and good, as every Form in the Matrix of the Genetrix had its Original. And thus it was also with the Fruits in the Paradise of this World in the Garden of Eden; when the Word was spoken, Let there come forth all Sorts of Trees and Herbs, then out of all Forms, [or the Genetrix or Womb,] Trees and Herbs came forth and grew, which were altogether good and pleasant; for the Word in the Fiat had imprinted itself in all the Forms.

(5) [Thereon] out of the Light [...] a Holy Word (Logos) descended on that Nature. And upwards to the height from the Moist Nature leaped forth pure Fire; light was it, swift and active too. The Air, too, being light, followed after the Fire; from out of the Earth-and-Water rising up to Fire so that it seemed to hang therefrom. But Earth-and-Water stayed so mingled with each other, that Earth from Water no one could discern. Yet were they moved to hear by reason of the Spirit-Word (Logos) pervading them.

(26) But if we search what it is in Essence and Property, and how it is generated, then we find a very worthy [precious] noble the Fountain of the Deity, which has imprinted itself in all Things. And therefore it is so secret and hidden, and is imparted to the Knowledge of none of the Ungodly, to find it, or to know it. And although it be there, yet a vain, false, [or evil] Mind is not worthy of it, and therefore it remains hidden to him; And God rules all in all incomprehensibly and imperceptibly to the Creature; the Creature passes away it knows not how; and the Shadow and the Figure of the Tincture continues eternally; for it is generated out of the eternal Will: But the Spirit is given to it by the Fiat, according to the Kind of every Creature; also in the Beginning of the Creation it was implanted and incorporated in Jewels, Stones, and Metals, according to the Kind of every One.

(10) Which is a Similitude of that which is in the Original of the Generating of Nature: Yet it must be set down more intelligibly [and plainly.] Mark what Mercurius is, it is Harshness, Bitterness, Fire, and Brimstone- water, the most horrible P Essence; yet you must understand hereby no Materia, Matter, or comprehensible Thing; but all no other than Spirit, and the Source of the original Nature. Harshness is the first Essence, which attracts itself; but it being a hard cold Virtue or Power, the Spirit is altogether prickly [stinging] and sharp. Now the Sting and Sharpness cannot endure attracting, but moves and resists [or opposes] and is a contrary Will, an Enemy to the Harshness, and from that Stirring comes the first Mobility, which is the third Form. Thus the Harshness continually attracts harder and harder, and so it becomes hard and tart, [strong or fierce,] so that the Virtue or Power is as hard as the hardest Stone, which the Bitterness [that is, the Harshness's own Sting or Prickle] cannot endure; and then there is great Anguish in it, like the horrible brimstone Spirit, and the Sting of the Bitterness, which rubs itself so hard, that in the Anguish there comes to be a twinkling Flash, which flies up terribly, and breaks the Harshness: But it finding no Rest, and being so continually generated from beneath, it is as a turning Wheel, which turns anxiously and terribly with the twinkling Flash furiously, and so the Flash is changed into a pricking [stinging] Fire, which yet is no burning Fire, but like the Fire in a Stone. 1 1. But seeing there is no Rest there, and that the turning Wheel runs as fast as a swift Thought, for the Prickle drives it so fast, the Prickle kindles itself so much, that the Flash (which is generated between the Astringency and Bitterness) becomes horribly fiery, and flies up like a horrible Fire, from whence the whole Materia or Matter is terrified, and falls back as dead, or overcome, and does not attract so strongly to itself any more, but each yields itself to go out one from another, and so it becomes thin. For the Fire-flash is now predominant, and the Materia, or Matter, which was so very harsh [astringent or attracting] in the Originality, is now feeble, and as it were dead, and the Fire-flash henceforth gets Strength therein, for it is its Mother; and the Bitterness goes forth up in the Flash together with the Harshness, and kindles the Flash, for it is the Father of the Flash, or Fire, and the turning Wheel henceforth stands in the Fire-flash, and the Harshness remains overcome and feeble, which is now the Water-spirit; and the Materia, or Matter of the Harshness, henceforth is like the Brimstone- spirit, very thin, raw, aching, vanquished, and the Sting in it is trembling; and it dries and sharpens itself in the Flash; and being so very dry in the Flash, it becomes continually more horrible and fiery, whereby the Harshness or Astringency is still more overcome, and the Water- spirit continually greater. And so it continually refreshes itself in the Waterspirit, and continually brings more Matter to the Fire-flash, whereby it is the more kindled; for (in a Similitude) that is the ufuel of the Flash or Fire-spirit.

(33) Thus on the fourth Day, by the Fiat, out of the Virtue, he prepared the Similitude of his Substance [and fitted it] to be a Matrix, which should generate all whatsoever was a Similitude of his Substance, and of the Wisdom which was in him from Eternity; that so all Forms might be brought forth and become visible, which were from Eternity in the Matrix. And the Similitude of the unsearchable manifold Varieties and Virtues are the Stars, which altogether give [or send] their Virtue into the Matrix of the Heaven, and the Heaven gives that same Spirit to the Creatures. This is the course of all Creatures after the same Essence, [or Substance,] and they are formed after the same Spirit, which is their Virtue, Spirit, and Life.

(29) Its Essence is the Flash in the Circle [or Circumference] of the Springing of the Life, which in the Water makes the Glance and Shining; and its Root is the Fire; and the Stock is the [sour] Harshness. Now the Flash separates the Bitterness and Harshness from the Water; so that the Water becomes soft, [fluid] and clear, wherein then the Sight of all Creatures does consist, so that the Spirit in the Flash in the Matrix of the Water does see; and the Flash stands therein like a Glance, [or Luster,] and fills the Spirit of the Essences; from which the Essence draws vehemently to itself; for it is the [sour] Harshness, and the Flash continually separates the Darkness from the Light, and the Impure from the Pure; and there now stands the divine Virtue [or Power:] And the divine Glance continually imagines [or imprints] itself in the pure, from which the [sour] strong [Property] is separated out from Nature; and the divine Glance makes the Pure Sweet; for it mingles itself, [or infects] there.