(58) And the bitter quality penetrateth into the body, into the astringent or sour and into the sweet qualities, and frameth all sorts of colours according to that quality to which the body is most eagerly inclined, or according to that quality which is strongest in the body, according to that [strongest quality] the bitter quality frameth the body, with its colours, and according to that [same] quality the creature has its greatest impulse and inclination, motion, boiling and will. IV. Of the Fourth Circumstance or Species.

(24) The original of the bitter quality is when the flash of life in the heat riseth up in the astringent quality; and now when the flash of fire in the mixture of the water cometh into the astringent quality, then the spirit of the fiery flash catcheth the astringent and hard spirit, and both these together are an earnest severe fierce quality, which rageth and teareth vehemently, like a fiery violent fierceness.

(74) Now when these are imaged or formed, there it [the astringent quality] lies as a corporeal, springing, boiling mobility, for it moveth or boileth through and in the bitter quality in itself, as in its own imaged, formed or framed body; but without the heat, which is the spirit of nature [or nature-spirit], it has as yet no life to growing, vegetation, springing or spreading abroad.

(23) First there is the astringent quality, then the sweet, and next the bitter: The sweet is in the midst between the astringent and the bitter. Now the astringent causes things to be hard, cold and dark; and the bitter teareth, driveth, rageth and divideth or distinguished. These two qualities rub and drive each other so hard, and move so eagerly, that they generate the heat, which now in these two qualities is dark, even as heat in a stone is.

(25) The astringent quality permitted this tearing, or else it was very well able to have staid and captivated the bitter spirit, and to bathe or steep it in the sweet water, till its high mind had been allayed and gone: But the astringent quality would needs have such a little brother, because such little brother was so serviceable to its turn; else, seeing the bitter spirit taketh its original from the astringent quality, as it were from its father, the astringent quality could well have stopped or hindered that.

(71) There the bitter quality penetrateth in the heat through the astringent, and the sweet in the water letteth it easily or gently through; and there the bitter in the heat goeth through the sweet water forth from the body and makes two open gates, which are the eyes, the first sense or sensibility.

(79) Now when the astringent or harsh and the bitter qualities get their light from the heat, then they see the sweet quality, and taste of its sweet water, and then they continually make haste after the sweet water, and drink it up, for they are very hard, rough and thirsty, and the heat drieth them quite up.

(41) The saltish quality is a good temperature [or temper] in the bitter, the sweet and the sour, making every thing pleasant; it opposeth the rising of the bitter quality, as also of the sweet and the sour, lest they should be inflamed: it is a sharp quality, a delight in the taste, a source of life and joy.

(105) The first three, viz. the astringent, the sweet, and the bitter, belong to the imaging or forming of the body; and therein stands the mobility, and the body or corporeity. And these now have the comprehensibility or palpability, and are the birth of the outermost nature.

(12) For in that place wherein the astringent quality was predominant, there the Salitter was attracted together and dried, so that hard dry stones came to be; but in those places where the astringent spirit and the bitter were equally alike predominant, there sharp small gravel and sand came to be, for the raging bitter spirit brake the Salitter all to pieces.

(82) When the sweet quality thus flies from the bitter, and from the sour and astringent, then the astringent and the bitter make all the haste they can after it, as their best treasure; and the sweet presseth vehemently from them, and striveth so much that it driveth and penetrateth through the astringent or harsh quality, and rends the body, and goeth forth from the body, out above the earth, and hasteneth so fast, till a long stalk grows up.

(25) Now the astringent and the bitter qualities, without the sweet water, rub and drive themselves so hard the one against the other, that they generate the dark heat, and so are kindled in themselves.

(14) Acsubofen* saith: Master, thou hast spoken without envy, even as became thee, and for the same may God reward thee!

PyTHacoras saith: May God also deliver thee, Acsubofen, from envy! Then he: Ye must know, O Assembly of the Wise, that sulphurs are contained in sulphurs, and humidity in humidity.t

The Turba answereth: The envious, O Acsubofen, have uttered something like unto this! Tell us, therefore, what is this humidity? And he: Humidity is a venom, and when venom} penetrates a body, it tinges it with an invariable colour, and in no wise permits the soul to be separated from the body, because it is equal thereto. Concerning this, the envious have said: When one flies and the other pursues, then one seizes upon the other, and afterwards they no longer flee, because Nature has laid hold of its equal, after the manner of an enemy, and they destroy one another. For this reason, out of the sulphureous mixed sulphur is produced a most precious colour, which varies not, nor flees from the fire, when the soul enters into the interior of the body and holds the body together and tinges it. I will repeat my words in Tyrian dye.* Take the Animal which is called Kenckel, since all its water is a Tyrian colour, and rule the same with a gentle fire, as is customary, until it shall become earth, in which there will be a little colour. But if you wish to obtain the Tyrian tincture, take the humidity which that thing has ejected, and place it therewith gradually in a vessel, adding that tincture whereof the colour was disagreeable to you. Then cook with that same marine water* until itshall becomedry.t Afterwards moisten with that humour, dry gradually, and cease not to imbue it, to cook, and to dry, until it be imbued with all its humour. Then leave it for several days in its own vessel, until the most precious Tyrian colour shall come out from it to the surface. Observe how I describe the regimen to you! Prepare it with the urine of boys, with gigt water of the sea, and with permanent clean water, so that it may be tinged, and decoct with a gentle fire, until the blackness altogether shall depart from it, and it be easily pounded. Decoct, therefore, in its own humour until it clothe itself with a red colour. But if ye wish to bring it to the Tyrian colour, imbue the same with continual* water, and mix, as ye know to be sufficient, according to the rule of sight; mix the same with permanent water sufficiently, and decoct until rust absorb the water. Then wash with the water of the sea which thou hast prepared, which is water of desiccated calx;+ cook until it imbibe its own moisture; and do this day by day. I tell you thata colour will thence appear to you the like of which the Tyrians have never made. And if ye wish that it should be a still more exalted colour, place the gum in the permanent water, with which ye shall dye it alternately, and afterwards desiccate in the sun. Then restore to the aforesaid water and the black Tyrian colour is intensified. But know that ye do not tinge the purple colour except by cold.

Take, therefore, water which is of the nature of cold, and steep wool* therein until it extract the force of the tincture from the water.

Know also that the Philosophers have called the force which proceeds from that water the Flower. Seek, therefore, your intent in the said water; therein place what is in the vessel for days and nights, until it be clothed with a most precious Tyrian colour.

(32) And then the bitter quality trembleth, and dissolveth the hardness in the astringent quality, and the light becometh dry in the astringent, and shineth clear, much brighter than the light of the sun.

(28) The bitter quality is the heart in every life; for as it attracteth together the water in the air, and also dissipateth the same, so that it [the water] becometh separable; so also in other creatures, and in the vegetables of the earth. For leaves and grass have their green colour from the bitter quality.

(14) And the bitter quality is now impregnated with the light, and trembleth in the astringent and hard quality, and stirreth therein, and is captivated in the astringent quality, as in a body.

(149) There the bitter quality raveth and rageth, and seeketh for rest and food, and finds it not, and moveth or boileth in the body as a lingering poison.

(28) Moreover, its fruits are altogether fierce or biting, bitter, sour, astringent or harsh and hot, also cold, hard and naught; they have scarce any spark or spice of goodness in them.

(94) But now the wrath-fire is in all three; for the astringent is much too cold, and contracteth or draweth the body too hard together; and the sweet is much too thick and dark, which the astringent soon catcheth, and holdeth it captive, and drieth it too much; and then the bitter is too stinging, murderous and raging; and so they cannot be reconciled to agree.

(60) The astringent or harsh and sour quality, and the sweet, are the Salitter, which belongeth to the body, out of which the body is framed.