(19) Herein lies the pith or kernel; for gold, silver, and precious stones, and all bright ores of minerals, have their original from the light, which shone before the times of wrath in the outermost birth or geniture of nature, that is, in the seventh nature-spirit: So now, seeing every man is as the whole house of this world, therefore all his qualifying or fountain spirits love the kernel, or the best thing that is in the corrupted nature, and that they use for the defence, protection and maintenance [livelihood] of themselves.

(13) Though Men must not cast the Pearl in the Way that the Beasts may tread it under Foot, much less must Men throw it among the Grains [or Husks] to be devoured by the Swine; (for that would not be beneficial to the wanton World, because that seeks nothing thereby but to misuse itself therewith; for the Devil whom the World serves teaches it, when it learns the Ground of the Heaven, and of the Stars, to will presently to be a God, as Lucifer did:) Yet I will write somewhat of the Beginning and Virtue or Power of the Stars, (because Man and all Or the wise Men's Masters, or Teachers. Creatures live in the Virtue, Working, and Essences of them, and that every Creature receives its Property from them,) for the Sake of him that seeks, who would willingly fly from the bestial Man, and would fain live in the true Man, who is the Image and Similitude of God; for to such it is very highly necessary to be known; also for the Lily's Sake which grows in the Tree of the sour Wrath towards the North in the Matrix.

(48) Of which you have a similitude in the precious gold ore, or a goldstone unseparated. First there is the matter, that is, the Salitter and Mercurius, which is the mother or the whole stone, which generateth the gold everywhere in the whole stone; and in the gold is the glorious power or virtue of the stone.

(82) But silver and gold in the dead palpability or tangibility are but as a dark stone, in comparison with the root of the heavenly generating; but I set it down here only that thou may know from whence it has its original.

(53) a a ExumeENust! saith: The envious have laid waste the whole Art with the multiplicity of names, but the entire work must be the Art of the Coin. For the Philosophers have ordered the doctors of this art to make coin-like gold, which also the same Philosophers have called by all manner of names.

The Turba answereth: Inform, therefore, posterity, O Exumenus, concern- ’ 161 ing a few of these names, that they may take warning! And he: They have named it salting, sublimating, washing, and pounding Ethelias, whitening in the fire, frequently cooking vapour and coagulating, turning into rubigo, the confection of Ethel, the art of the water of sulphur and coagula. By all these names is that operation called which has pounded and whitened copper. And know ye, that quicksilver is white to the sight, but when it is possessed by the smoke of sulphur, it reddens and becomes Cambar. Therefore, when quicksilver is cooked with its confections it is turned into red, and hence the

Philosopher saith that the nature of lead is swiftly converted. Do you not see that the Philosophers have spoken without envy? Hence we deal in many ways with pounding and reiteration, that ye may extract the spirits existing in the vessel, which the fire did not cease to burn continuously. But the M water placed with those things prevents the fire from burning, and it befalls those things that the more they are possessed by the flame of fire, the more they are hidden in the depths of the water, lest they should be injured by the heat of the fire; but the water receives them in its belly and repels the flame of fire from them.

The Turba answereth: Unless ye make bodies not-bodies ye achieve nothing. But concerning the sublimation of water the Philosophers have treated not a little. And know that unless ye diligently pound the thing in the fire, the Ethelia does not ascend, but when that does not ascend ye achieve nothing. When, however, it ascends it is an instrument for the intended tincture with which ye tinge, and concerning this Ethelia

Hermes saith:

Sift the things which ye know; but another: Liquefy the things. Therefore,

Arras saith: Unless ye pound the thing diligently in the fire, Ethelia does not ascend. The Master hath put forth a view whichI shall now explain to the reasoners. Know ye that a very great wind of the south, when it is stirred up, sublimates clouds and elevates the vapours of the sea.

The Turba answereth: Thou hast dealt obscurely. And he: I will explain the testa,* and the vessel wherein is incombustible sulphur. But I order you to congeal fluxible quicksilver out of many things, that two may be made three, and four one, and two one.

(63) PuiLosopHus* saith: I notify to posterity that the nature is male and female, wherefore the envious have called it the body of Magnesia, because therein is the most great arcanum! Accordingly, O all ye seekers after this Art, place Magnesia in its vessel, and cook diligently! Then, opening it after some days, ye shall find the whole changed into water. Cook further until it be coagulated, and contain itself. But, when ye hear of the sea in the books of the envious, know that they signify humour, while by the basket they signify the vessel, and by the medicines they mean Nature, because it germinates and flowers.* But when the envious say: Wash until the blackness of the copper passesaway, certain people name this blackness coins. But Agadimon has clearly demonstrated when he boldly put forth these words: It is to be noted, O all ye demonstrators of this art, that the things [or the copper] being first mixed and cooked once, ye shall find the prescribed blackness! That is to say, they all become black. This, therefore, is the lead of the Wise, concerning which they have treated very frequently in their books. Some also call it [the lead] of our black coins.

(22) For now there are many that seek, and they find also: One Gold, another Silver, another Copper, another Tin; but this must not be understood of Metals, but of the Spirit, in the Power, in the great Wonders of God, in the Spirit of the eternal Power.

(21) But adepts can only use the means of overthrowing the abysmal and the adhering (Li) when their purposes are sincerely in the work, otherwise a pure mixture is not produced. The true purpose is subject to the Earth. The colour of the Earth is yellow; therefore in books on the Life Elixir, it is symbolized by the yellow germ. When the abysmal and the adhering (Li) unite, the Golden Flower appears; the golden colour is white, and therefore white snow is used as a symbol. But worldly people who do not understand the secret words of the books of the Life Elixir, have misunderstood yellow and white in that they have taken it as a means of making gold out of stones. Is not that foolish?

(50) In a goldstone men find also a little piece of it in some place, wherein there is more and purer gold, than in another not discerned, though there is gold in the whole stone or ore.

(1) I HAVE perused many Master- Pieces of Writing, hoping to find the Pearl of the Ground of Man; but I could find nothing of that which my Soul lusted after. I have also found very many contrary Opinions. And partly I have found some who forbid me to search, [or seek,] but I cannot know with what Ground or Understanding, except it be that the Blind grudge at the Eyes of them that see. With all this my Soul is become very disquiet within, and has been as full of [Pain and] Anguish as a Woman at her Travail, and yet nothing was found in it, till I followed the Words of Christ, when he said; You must be born anew, if you will see the Kingdom of God: Which at first stopped up my Heart, and I supposed that such a Thing could not be done in this World, but [that it should first be done] at my Departure out of this World. And then my Soul first was in Anguish to the Birth, and would very willingly have tasted the Pearl; and gave itself up in this Way more vehemently to the Birth, till at last it obtained a Jewel. According to which [received Jewel] I will write, for a Memorial to myself, and for a Light to them that seek. For Christ said; None lights a Candle and puts it under a Bushel, but sets it upon a Table, that all that are in the House may see by the Light of it. And to this End he gives the Pearl to them that seek, that they should impart it to the Poor for their Health, as he has very earnestly commanded.

(18) But concerning precious stones, as carbuncles, rubies, diamonds, smaragdines or emeralds, onyxes and the like, which are of the best sort, they have their original where the flash of the light rose up in the love. For that flash becometh generated in the meekness, and is the heart in the centre of the qualifying or fountain spirits; therefore those stones are also meek, full of virtue, delightful, pleasant and lovely. Now it might be asked, Why in this world is man so in love with gold, silver and precious stones, above all other things, and useth them for a defence or protection, and for the maintenance of his body? [Eccles. vii. 12] Answer.

(32) Thus that noble Jewel (and in it the Pearl) is sown. But observe it well; it is not instantly become a Tree; O how often does the Devil rush upon it, and would fain root up the Grain of Mustard- seed! How many hard Storms must the Soul undergo and endure! How often is it covered with Sins! For all that is in this World is against it, it is as it were left alone and forsaken; even the Children of God themselves rush upon it; for the Devil does plague the poor Soul thus, to try if he can lead it astray, either with Flattery and Hypocrisy, that the Soul might flatter itself, or else with Sins in the Conscience. He never ceases, and thou must always strive against him; for so the Tree of Pearl grows, as Corn does in the tempestuous Storms and Winds; but if it grows high, and comes to blossom, then thou wilt enjoy the Fruit well enough, and understand better what this Pen has written, and where it was born. For it was a long Time in this Condition, many Storms went over its Head; and therefore this shall be for a lasting Memorial, and continual Remembrance to it; seeing we must sit here in the murdering Den of the Devil; if we do but overcome, our great Reward will soon follow us.

(81) The metals have the same substance, condition and birth or geniture as the vegetables upon the earth. For the metals or mineral ores, at the time of the kindling of the wrath in the innate, wheel of the seventh nature-spirit, stood in the fabric, work or operation of the love, wherein the meek beneficence or welldoing generateth itself behind the fire-flash; wherein the holy heaven stands, which in this birth or geniture, when the love is predominant, presents or sheweth forth itself in such a gracious, amiable and blessed clarity or brightness, and in such beauteous colours, like gold, silver and precious stones.

(1) NO Money, nor goods, nor Art, nor Power, can bring you to the eternal Rest of the eternal soft Meekness of Paradise, but only the noble Knowledge; into that you may wrap up your Soul. That is the Pearl which no Moth can eat, nor Thief can steal away; therefore seek after it, and then you will find the noble Treasure.

(2) "The first thought hath arisen in me concerning the word which thou hast spoken: 'Now, therefore, the soul giveth the apology and seal unto all the rulers who are in the region of the king, the Adamas, and giveth the apology and the honour and the glory of all their seals and the songs of praise to the region of the Light,'--concerning this word then thou hast spoken unto us aforetime, when they brought thee the piece of money and thou didst see that it was of silver and copper and didst ask: 'Whose is this image?' They said: 'The king's.' And when thou sawest that it was of silver and copper mixed, thou saidst: 'Give therefore the king's unto the king and God's unto God,'--that is: If the soul receiveth mysteries, it giveth the apology to all the rulers and to the region of the king, the Adamas; and the soul giveth the honour and the glory to all those of the region of the Light. And the word: 'It hath glistened, when thou didst see that it is made up of silver and copper,'--it is the type thereof, that in it [ sc. the soul] is the power of the Light, which is the refined silver, and that in it is the counterfeiting spirit, which is the material copper. This, my Lord, is the first thought.

(26) Also within the earth grow curious precious stones, silver and gold; and these are a type of the heavenly generating or production.

(5) 'And as, my dear, by one nugget of gold all that is made of gold is known, the difference being only a name, arising from speech, but the truth being that all is gold?

(45) Make me no Absence of the Body and Blood of Christ, the Soul needs not run far for it; and besides, the Body of Christ in his Blood (in this Testament) is not the Food of the Soul; but the mere Deity is the Food of the Soul; and the Body of Christ is the Food of the new Man, which the Soul has put on from the Body of Jesus Christ, and the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ feeds the new Man; and if the new Man abides faithful in the Body of Jesus Christ, then the noble Pearl of the Light of God is given to him, so that he can see the noble Virgin of the Wisdom of God; and that Virgin takes the Pearl into her Bosom, and goes continually with the Soul into the new Body, and warns the Soul of the false [or evil] Way. But what Manner of Pearl this is, I would that all Men might know it. But how much it is known, is plain before our Eyes. It is brighter than the splendor of the Sun, and of more Worth than the whole World; but how clear soever it is, yet it is also secret.

(84) There are many several sorts of mineral ores, according as the Salitter in nature's heaven was predominant at its rising up in the light of love: For every qualifying or radical spirit in the heavenly nature containeth the property or kind of all the qualifying or fountain spirits, for it is ever infected or affected with the other, from whence the life and the unsearchable birth or geniture of the Deity existeth: But yet it is predominant as to its own power, and that is its own body, from whence it has the name.

(7) Out of the earth sprang up grass, herbs and trees; and in the earth, silver, gold, and all manner of ores came to be; and in the deep above the earth sprang up the wonderful forming of power and virtue.