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Réfer. : AL2401D
Auteur : Mehung, John A.
Titre : A demonstration of Nature.
S/titre : Philosophical Summary By Nicholas Flamell.

Editeur : J. Elliot and Co., London.
Date éd. : 1893 .
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A
D E M O N S T R A T I O N
O F
N A T U R E.


MADE TO THE ERRING ALCHEMISTS, AND COMPLAINING OF THE SOPHISTS AND OTHER FALSE TEACHERS.



SET FORTH BY
JOHN A. MEHUNG.
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NATURE: (speaks).
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G OOD heavens, how deeply I am often saddened at seeing the human race, which God created perfect, in His own image, and appointed to be the lords of the earth, depart so far away from me! I allude more particularly to you, O stolid philosophaster, who presume to
style yourself a practical chemist, a good philosopher, and yet are
entirely destitute of all knowledge of me, of the true Matter, and
of the whole Art which you profess ! For, behold, you
break vials, and consume coals, only to soften your brain still
more with the vapours. You also digest alum, salt, orpiment,
and atrament; you melt metals, build small and large
furnaces, and use many vessels: nevertheless, I am sick of
your folly, and you suffocate me with your sulphurous smoke.
With most intense heat you seek to fix your quicksilver, which is
the vulgar volatile substance, and not that out of which I make
metals; therefore you effect nothing. For you do not follow my
guidance, or strive to imitate my methods, rather mistaking my
whole artifice. You would do better to mind your own business,
than to dissolve and distil so many absurd substances, and
then to pass them through alembics, cucurbitas, stills, and
pelicans. By this method you will never succeed in congealing
quicksilver. For the revivification you use a reverberatory fire,
and make it so hot as to render everything liquid -- thus do you
finish your work, and in the end ruin yourself and others. You
will never discover anything unless you first enter my workshop,
where, in the inmost bowels of the earth I ceaselessly forge
metals: there you may find the substance which I use, and
discover the method of my work.
Do not suppose that I will reveal my secret to you unless you first find the growing seed of all metals (resembling that of

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124 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.
the animals and vegetables). I preserve in the bosom of the
earth both that which is used for their generation, and that with
which they are nourished up.
Metals Exist, vegetables Live and Grow, and animals Feel, which is more than merely to grow. I make metals, stones, and
the atramental substances out of certain elements, which I mix
and compound in a certain way. These elements you must seek
in the heart of the earth, and nowhere else. Vegetables contain
their own seed, and image; in like manner, animals are propagated,
and by the same means do generate their own likeness.
Everything proceeds by the laws laid down for it. Only you,
wicked man, who try to usurp my office, have departed further
from me than any other creature. Metals have no life, or
principle of generation and growth, if they lack their own proper
seed. The first is accomplished by the four elements in nine
days; the Moon goes through the twelve heavenly signs in
twenty-nine and a half days.
By the aforesaid laws, winter and summer relieve each other, the elements are changed, generations take place in the earth --
through my working, through the working of God and the
heavens, do all things subsist, the perceptible, the visible, and the
invisible. Thus all things in heaven which are comprehended
under the Moon, do work, and impart their influence to the
substance, which, like a woman, longs to conceive seed. Each
star influences its own substance, and according to their peculiar
nature, they produce different things. They work first in heaven
above, then in the earth beneath in the elements, each according
to its own peculiar virtue; and hence arise species and individual
things.
You are to know that these manifold influences do not pour themselves fruitlessly upon the earthly elements. For though
their working is invisible, yet it is a most certain and real
thing. The earth is surrounded by heaven, and from it obtains
her best influences and substances. Every sphere is ready to
communicate its truth, and therewith to pervade her centre.
Through this motion and heat, there arise upon earth vapours,
which are the first substances. If the vapour is cold and moist,
it sinks down again to the earth, and is there preserved; that
which is moist and warm ascends to the clouds. That which is

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A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 125
shut up in the earth I change, after a long time, into the
substance of sulphur, which is the active, and into quicksilver,
which is the passive principle. The metals are another mixture
of this first composition. The whole is obtained from the four
elements, which I form into one mass. This process I repeat so
often that you have no excuse for a mistake.
After the putrefaction comes the generation, which is brought about by the internal incombustible warmth heating the
coldness of the quicksilver, which gladly submits to this heat
because it wishes to be united to its sulphur. All these things,
fire, air, and water, I have in one alembic in the earth. There I
digest, dissolve, and sublime them, without any hammer, tongs,
file, coals, vapour, fire, " bath of S. Mary," or other sophisticated
contrivances. For I have my own heavenly fire which excites
the elemental according as the matter desires to put on a suitable
and comely form. Thus I extract my quicksilver from the four
elements, or their substance. This is always accompanied by its
sulphur, which is its second self, and warms it gradually, gently,
and pleasantly. Thus the cold becomes warm, and the dry moist
and oily. But the moist is not without its dry substance, nor is
the dry without its moist: one is conserved by the other in its
first essence (which is the elementary spirit of the essence, or the
quintessence) from which proceeds the generation of our child.
The fire brings it forth, and nourishes it in the air, but before
that, it is decomposed in virgin earth; then water flows forth (or
it flows forth from the water), which we must seek, since it is my
first Matter, and the source of my mineral. For contrary resists
strenuously to contrary, and doth in such wise fortify itself, lest
perchance it be carried away in operating; then does it suffer
transmutation, and is stripped of its form by the concupiscence
of matter, which incessantly attracts a new form.
By my wisdom I govern the first principle of motion. My hands are the eighth sphere, as my Father ordained; my
hammers are the seven planets, with which I forge beautiful
things The substance out of which I fashion all my works,
and all things under heaven, I obtain from the four elements
alone Chaos, or Hyle, is the first substance. This is the
Mistress that maintains the King, the Queen, and the whole
court. A horseman is always ready to do her bidding, and a

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126 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.
virgin performs her office in the chambers. The more beautiful
she is, the more beautiful do I appear in her. Know also that
I have power to give their essence to all essences, that it is I who
preserve them, and mould them into shape. Moreover, observe
the three parts into which God has divided the first substance.
Of the first and purest part He created the Cherubin, Seraphin,
Archangels, and all the other angels. Out of the second, which
was not so pure, He created the heavens and all that belongs to
them; of the third, impure part, the elements and their properties.
First and best of these is Fire. Fire admits of no
corruption, and contains the purest part of the quintessence.
After Fire, He made the subtle Air, and put into it a part (but
not so large a part) of the quintessence. Then came the
visible element of Water, which has as much of the quintessence
as it needs. Last of all comes the Earth. All these (like all
the rest of Nature) He created in a moment of time. The earth
is gross and dark, and though it is fruitful, yet it contains the
smallest part of the quintessence. At first the elements remained
as they were in their separate spheres. So Air is really
moist, but is properly tempered by Fire. Water is really warm,
but obtains its moisture from the air. The Earth is really dry,
but it is also cold; its great dryness renders it akin to fire. Fire,
however, is the first of elements which causes life and growth by
its heat.
Now all these elements influence and qualify each other, so that each in its turn is now active, now passive. For instance,
Fire works upon air and earth. Earth is the mother and nurse
of all things, and sustains all that is liable to decay under
heaven. Now God has given me power to resolve the four
elements into their quintessence; this is that first substance
which in every element is generically qualified. I resolve them
for my own purpose, and thereby bring about all generation.
But no one will be able to resolve me into my first substance, as
he strives to resolve the elements. For I alone can transmute
the elements and their forms, and he who thinks otherwise
deceives himself. For you will never be able to assign to each
substance its proper influence, or to find the correct proportions
of the elements which are required by that substance. I alone,
I say, can form created things, and give to them their peculiar

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A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 127
properties and substance. By my heavenly mysteries I produce
perfect works, which are justly called miracles, as may be seen
in the Elixir which has such marvellous virtue, and is of my own
forming. No art upon earth can add anything to, or improve
upon, my workmanship. Every sane person must see that
nothing can be accomplished without a perfect knowledge of the
heavenly bodies, or apart from the efficacy which abides in them;
without these everything is error and misuse; and yet, whence
is a mere man to obtain this influence, and how is he to apply it
to the substance ? How can he mingle the elements in their
right proportions ? Even if a man were to spend a long life in
the investigation of this secret (says Avicenna, De Vir. Cord.,
cp. ii.), he would not get any nearer to its solution. It is
entrusted to my keeping alone, and can never be known to any
man. By my virtue and efficacy I make the imperfect perfect,
whether it be a metal or a human body. I mix its ingredients,
and temper the four elements. I reconcile opposites, and calm
their discord.
This is the golden chain which I have linked together of my heavenly virtues and earthly substances. I accomplish my works
with such unerring accuracy that in them all my power is shewn
forth, and with so much skill that the wisest of men cannot attain
to my perfection. Go forth then, and behold my works, you who
think yourself so skilled a workman, and (without any knowledge
of me), with your coal fires and your S. Mary's bath, strive
to make gold potable in my alembics -- and know that I cannot
bear the sight of your folly. Are you not ashamed, after considering
my works, to attempt to rival them with your malodorous
decoctions in your coloured and painted vials, and thus
lose both your time and your money ? I am at a loss to conceive
what you can be thinking. Have pity upon yourself,
and consider my teaching. Try to understand rightly what I tell
you, for I cannot lie. Consider how that most glorious metal,
gold, has received its beautiful form from heaven and its precious
substance from the earth. The generation of the precious stones,
such as carbuncles, amethysts, and diamonds, takes place in the
same manner. The substance itself is composed of the four
elements; its form and qualities it receives through heavenly influences,
although the capacity of being thus wrought upon

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128 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.
slumbers in the element and is only brought out and purified in
the course of time. All this is accomplished by my hands alone.
I am the architect, and no one else knows the secret of life. For,
however wise he may think himself, he does not know how much
to take of each element, or where to obtain it, or how to mingle
hostile elements so as to allay their discord, or how to bring the
heavenly influences to bear on these essences. He cannot even
make iron, or lead, or the very basest of metal; how then should
he be able to make gold except by stealing my treasure ? The
object which he desires can be accomplished by my art alone --
an art which it is impossible for man to know.
And even though we allow gold to be the most precious of metals, yet gold by itself cannot cure diseases, or heal the
imperfections of other metals, or change them into gold. In the
same way glass (which might otherwise be the Philosopher's
Stone) can never become so soft as to be rendered malleable.
Gold alone is the most precious and the most perfect of all
the metals. But if you cannot even make lead, or the minutest
grain of any metals, or produce the fruit of any herb, how hopeless
must your search after the art of making gold appear !
Again if you say that you wish to produce some chemical result,
even if it do not turn out to be gold, I answer that you thereby
only give a fresh proof of your folly. Can you not understand
that the secret of my innermost working must always remain a
sealed book to you ? What Nature does can never be successfully
imitated by any created being. Nay, if I made gold
out of seven metals, and you do not understand my method, how
can you ever hope to prepare the substance which itself changes
all metals into the purest gold, and is the most precious treasure
that God has given me ? You are foolish and ignorant, if you
do not know that this precious thing which you seek is, to the
created mind, the greatest mystery of Nature, and that it is compounded
by heavenly influences -- and thus has power to heal
and deliver men from all diseases, and to remove the imperfection
of the base metals. If, therefore, it is in itself so perfect
that it has not its like upon earth, it must surely be the workmanship
of the highest Intelligence, since no one else can even
make gold, and certainly not produce a thing which has itself
the power of making gold. Surely, to maintain that you are

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A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 129
able to prepare such a thing, is like saying that you cannot carry
ten pounds, but that you are strong enough to carry a hundred
pounds. Put to heart, therefore, the true scope and responsibility
of your intent.
I, myself, again, receive all my wisdom, virtue, and power from heaven, and my Matter, in its simplest form, is the four
elements. This is the first principle and the quintessence of the
elements, which I bring forth by reductions, time, and circulations,
by which I transmute the inferior into the more perfect,
the cold and dry into the moist and warm, and thus I preserve
stones and metals in their natural state of moisture. This is
brought about by the movements of the celestial bodies, for by
them the elements are ruled; by their controlling influence like
is brought to like. The purer my substance is, the more excellent
are the results produced by the heavenly influence. And
do you think that there in your alembic, where you have your
earth and water, I will be induced by your fire and heat, and
by your white and red colour, to bend my neck to your yoke,
and to do your will and pleasure ? Do you think that you can
move the heavens, and force them to shed their influence upon
your work. Do you think that that is an organic instrument
which gives forth sweet music only when it is touched by the
musician's fingers ? You take too much upon yourself, you
foolish man. Do you not know that the revolutions of the
heavens are governed by a mighty Mind, which, by its influence,
imparts power to all things ?
I beseech you to remember that all great things proceed from me, and, in the last instance, from God; and not to
suppose that the skill of your hands can be as perfect as the
operation of Nature. For it is void and vain, and, ape-like,
must imitate me in all things. Nor must you suppose that
your distilling, dissolving, and condensing of your substance
in your vessel, or your eliciting of water out of oil, is the
right way of following me. Far from it, my son. All your
mixing and dissolving of elements never has produced, and
never can produce, any good result. Do you wish to know
the reason? Your substance cannot stand the heat of the
furnace for a single half-hour, but must evaporate in smoke, or
be consumed by the fire. But the substance with which I

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130 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.
work, can stand any degree of heat, without being injured.
My water is dry, and does not moisten what it touches; it
does not evaporate, or become less, neither is its oil consumed.
So perfect are my elements; but yours are worse than
useless.
In conclusion, let me tell you that your artificial fire will never impart my heavenly warmth, nor will your water, oil,
and earth supply you with any substitute for my substance.
It is the gift of God, shed upon the elements from heaven,
and upon one more than upon another; but how, is known
only to me, and to the Great Artist who entrusted me with
this knowledge. One thing more let me tell you, my son.
If you would imitate me, you must prepare all out of one
simple, self-contained Matter, in one well-closed vessel, and in
one alembic. The substance contains all that is needed for
its perfect development, and must be prepared with a warmth
that is always kept at the same gentle temperature. Let me
ask you to consider the birth and development of man, my
noblest work. You cannot make a human body out of any
substance whatsoever. Of my method in forming so subtle a
body neither Aristotle nor Plato had the remotest knowledge.
I harden the bones and the teeth, I make the flesh soft, the
muscles cold, the brain moist, the heart, into which God has
poured the life, warm, and fill all the veins with red blood.
And in the same way, I make of one quicksilver, and of one
active male sulphur, one maternal vessel, the womb of which is
the alembic. It is true that man aids me with his art, by
shedding external heat into the matrix; more than this,
however, he cannot do. He, then, that knows the true Matter,
and prepares it properly in a well-closed vessel, and puts the
whole in an alembic, and keeps up the fire at the proper
degree of warmth, may safely leave the rest to me. Upon
the fire all depends, and much, therefore, does it behove you
to see thereto. Consider, therefore, the fire, which they call
epesin, pepsin, pepausin, and optesin, or natural, preternatural,
and infranatural fire, which burns not. Without the true
Matter and the proper fire, no one can attain the end of his
labour. I give you the substance; you must provide the
mere outward conditions. Take, then, a vessel, and an alembic

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A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 131
of the right kind and of the right size. Be wise, and perform
the experiment in accordance with my laws. Help me, and
I will help you. I will deal with you as you deal with me.
To my other sons, who have treated me well, have obeyed
their father and mother, and submitted themselves to my
precepts, I have given a great reward, as John de Mehung,
for instance, will tell you. His testimony is also borne out
by Villanova, Raymond, Morienus the Roman, Hermes (whom
they call Father, and who has not his like among the Sages),
Geber, and others who have written about this Art, and know
by experience that it is true.
If you, my son, wish to prepare this precious Stone, you need not put yourself to any great expense. All that you want
is leisure, and some place where you can be without any fear of
interruption. Reduce the Matter (which is one), to powder, put
it, together with its water, in a well-closed vessel, and expose it
to continuous, gentle heat, which will then begin to operate,
while the moisture favours the decomposition. The presence of
the moisture prevents the dryness of the quicksilver from retarding
its assimilation. Meanwhile, you must diligently observe what
I do, and remember the words of Aristotle (Meteor iii. and iv.),
who says: " Study Nature, and carefully peruse the book concerning
Generation and Corruption." You must also read the
book concerning heaven and the world, in which you will find
indicated the beautiful and pure substance. If you neglect this
study, you will fail. On this subject consult Albertus Magnus,
De Mineralibus. But if your eyes are opened by such studies,
you will discover the secret of the growth of minerals, viz., that
they are all produced from the elements.
First learn to know me, before you call yourself Master. Follow me, that am the mother of all things created, which have
one essence, and which can neither grow, nor receive a living
soul, without the heavenly and elementary influences. When
you have learned by persevering study to understand the virtues
of the heavenly bodies, their potent operations, and the passive
condition of the elements, and its reason -- if you further know
the media of transmutation, the cause of generation, nutrition,
and decay, and the essence and substance of the elements -- you
are already acquainted with the Art, notwithstanding that a

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132 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.
most subtle mind is still needed for the studying of my operations.
But if you do not possess part at least of this knowledge, you
will be fortunate indeed if you succeed in discovering my
secret. I t is a secret that is read not by those that are wise in their
own conceits, but by those that humbly and patiently listen to
my teaching Therefore, if you desire to own this treasure,
which has been the reward of the truly wise in all ages, you must
do as I bid you. For my treasure has such virtue and potency
that the like of it is to be found neither in heaven nor upon
earth. It holds an intermediate position between Mercury and
the Metal which I take for the purpose of extracting from it by
your art and my knowledge that most precious essence It is
pure and potable gold, and its radical principle is active
humidity. Moreover, it is the universal Medicine described by
Solomon (Eccles. xxxviii.); the same also is taken from the
earth, and honoured by the wise. God has assigned it a place
among my mysteries, and reveals it to the Sages, although
many who call themselves learned doctors of Theology and
Philosophy, hold it in ignorant contempt -- as Alchemy is also
despised by the doctors of Medicine, because they do not know
me, and are ignorant of that which they profess to teach. They
must be insufficiently furnished with brains, or they would not
direct their foolish scorn against the panacea which renders all
other medicines unnecessary. Happy is the man, even though
he be sinking under the weight of years, whose days God prolongs
until he has come to the knowledge of this secret ! For (as
Geber says) many to whom this gift was imparted late in life,
have, nevertheless, been refreshed and delighted by it in
extreme old age.
He that has this secret possesses all good things and great riches. One ounce of it will ensure to him both wealth and
health. It is the only source of strength and recreation, and far
excels the golden tincture. It is the elixir and water of life,
which includes all other things. In my treasure are concealed
quicksilver, sulphur, incombustible oil, white, indestructible, and
fusible salt. I tell you, frankly, that you will never be able to
accomplish its preparation without me, just as I can do nothing
without your help. But if you understand my teaching, and cooperate
with me, you can accomplish the whole thing in a short
time.

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A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 133
Have done with the charlatans, and their foolish writings; have done with all their various alembics, and phials; have done
with their excrements of horses, and all the variety of their coal-
fires, since all these things are of no use whatever. Do not
perplex yourself with metals, or other things of a like nature:
rather change the elements into a mutable form. For this is the
most excellent substance of the Sages, and is rejected only by
the foolish. Its substance is like, but its essence unlike, that of
gold. Transmute the elements and you will have what you
seek. Sublime that which is the lowest, and make that which is
the highest, the lowest. Take quicksilver which is mixed with
its active sulphur; put it into a well-closed vial, and one alembic,
plunge one-third of it into the earth, kindle the fire of the Sages,
and watch it well so that there may be no smoke. The rest you
may leave to me. I ask you to do no more, but only bid you
follow my unerring guidance.

THE ANSWER OF THE CHEMIST, In which he confesses his errors, asks pardon for them, and
returns thanks to Nature.
Dearest Mother Nature, who, next to the angels, art the most perfect of all God's creatures, I thank thee for thy kindly
instruction. I acknowledge and confess that thou art the
Mother and Empress of the great world, made for the little world
of man's mind. Thou movest the bodies above, and transmutest
the elements below. At the bidding of thy Lord thou dost
accomplish both small things and great, and renewest, by ceaseless
decay and generation, the face of the earth and of the
heavens. I confess that nothing can live without a soul, and that
all that exists and is endued with being flows forth from thee by
virtue of the power that God has given to thee. All matter is
ruled by thee, and the elements are under thy governance.
From them thou takest the first substance, and from the heavens
thou dost obtain the form. That substance is formless and void
until it is modified and individualized by thee. First thou givest
it a substantial, and then an individual form. In thy great
wisdom thou dost cunningly mould all thy works through the
heavenly influences, so that no mortal hand can utterly destroy
them. Under thy hands God has put all things that are necessary

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134 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.
to man, and through thee, He has divided them into four kingdoms,
namely, those that have being and essence, like the metals
and stones; those that have essence and growth, like the
vegetables; those that have feeling and sensation, like the beasts,
birds, and fishes. These are the first three classes; in the fourth
it pleased God to place only the noblest and most perfect of His
works, namely, man, to whom He also gave a rational and immortal
soul. This soul is obscured by the defilement which
found its way into the body through the senses, and, but for the
grace and mercy of God, would have become involved in its
condemnation. Hence the chief perfection of man is not
derived from thee, nor dost thou impart to us our humanity.
Nevertheless, the material part of man is the work of thy hands
alone.
And, surely, our bodies are cunningly and wonderfully made, and, in every part of them, bear witness to the masterly skill of
the workman. How marvellous are the uses of our various
members! How wonderful that the soul can move them and
set them to work at will! But, alas! oftener still the body is
master of the soul, and forces it to do many things which pure
reason condemns. If we consider the matter from this point of
view, it seems as though thou hadst begun well, and yet thy
work had, after all, turned out an abortion. Wert thou wanting
in wisdom, or knowledge, or couldst thou not do otherwise?
Pardon me if I speak too presumptuously about thy wisdom, I
only desire to be rightly and truly informed. For, indeed, even
now thy stern rebuke has made many things clear to me. I have
spent my whole life in attending to thy lessons; and the more
closely I have listened, the more clearly have I understood my
mistakes and the depth of thy wisdom. Now, whether I lie, or
stand, or walk, I can think of nothing but thy great mystery.
And yet I am unable to conceive what substance and form I must
take for it. Thou didst sternly rebuke me for not following thy
way; but thou knowest that, if I do not obey thee, it is only because
I do not know what thou wouldst have me do. I shall
never be able to attain any satisfactory result in this Art, unless
thou wilt enlighten my blindness. Thou hast rightly said that it
is not for man to know the mystery of thy working: how then
can I be guided to this knowledge, unless thou wilt take me by

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A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 135
the hand? Thou sayest that I must follow thee; and I am
willing to do so. But tell me what I must do, and what books I
must study for that purpose. Of the bocks which I have read,
one says, " Do this," and the other, " No, do that "; and they are
full of unintelligible expressions and of dark parables. At last I
see that I cannot learn anything from them. Therefore I take
refuge with thee, and instantly beseech thee to advise and to tell
me how to set about this difficult task. On my kness I implore
thee to show me the way by which I can penetrate into the lower
parts of the earth, and by what subtle process I am to obtain the
perfect mercury of the metals. And yet I doubt whether any
man, even after obtaining this mercury, can really make gold.
That is thy work, and not the work of man; as thy words and
my own experience most clearly shew.
We see that the cold and moist mercury needs the assistance of its sulphur, which is its seed after its kind, or its
homogeneous sperm, out of which the metal or Stone must be
produced. But thou sayest only: Take the proper substance, the
proper vessel, the proper mineral, the proper place, and the
proper fire; then form, colour, and life will grow and spring forth
from thence. Thou art the Architect; thou knowest the glorious
properties of the Matter. The active principle can do nothing
unless there be a passive principle prepared to receive its
influence. Thou knowest how to mix the warm and the cold,
the dry and the moist; by reconciling hostile elements, thou
canst produce new substances and forms. For I did indeed
understand all that thou didst tell me, but am unable to express
it so well as thou. This thou hast firmly impressed on my
mind, that the Elixir is composed by the reconciling and mutual
transmutation of the four elements. But what man is sufficient
for such a task? For who knows how earth can have its
essence in common with air, or how it can be changed into
moisture which is contrary to its nature ? For humidity will not
leave a cold and humid element, not even under the influence of
fire. This, too, is the work of Nature, that it becomes black, and
white, and red. These three visible colours correspond to the
three elements, earth, water, and fire, and are pervaded by the air.
Then, again, thou sayest that the Stone is prepared of one thing, of one substance, in one vessel, the four (elements)

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136 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.
composing one essence in which is one agent which begins and
completes the work; man, thou sayest, need do nothing but add
a little heat, and leave the rest to thy wisdom. For all that
is needed is already contained in the substance, in perfection,
beginning, middle, and end, as the whole man, the whole
animal, the whole flower is contained each in its proper seed.
Now, in the human seed the human specific-substance is also
included, as flesh, blood, hair, &c.; and thus every seed contains
all the peculiar properties of its species. In the whole world
men spring from human seed, plants from plants, animals from
animals. Now I know that when once the seed is enclosed
in the female vessel, no further trouble or work of any kind is
required -- everything is brought to perfection by thy gradual
and silent working. And the generation of the Stone, thou
sayest, is performed in a similar manner. Only one substance
is required, which contains within itself air, water, and fire -- in
short, everything that is needed for the completion of this work.
No further handling of any kind is necessary, and a gentle
fire is sufficient to rouse the internal warmth, just as an infant in
the womb is cherished by natural heat. The only thing in
which man must aid thee, is, by preparing the substance,
removing all that is superfluous, enclosing this simple earth,
which is combined with its water, in a vessel, and subjecting
it to the action of gentle heat in a suitable alembic. This,
thou sayest, is all that needs to be done by man; when all has
been prepared for thee, thou dost begin thy part of the work.
Thou dissolvest the substance, and makest the dry watery; then
thou sublimest it, and bearest it upward into the air, and thus,
without any further aid, bringest that to perfection which can
itself impart perfection to all imperfect things. Therefore, thou,
Nature, art the first mother, since thou dost cunningly combine
the four elements into an essence by a process of which none
but thou has any knowledge. Thus far have I understood thee,
and do not quite despair, if it be pleasing unto God and to thee,
of seeing thy great reward with my own eyes.
But at present I earnestly desire to know but one thing: and that is, how can that substance be obtained, what are its
qualities, and what its powers to impart perfection to imperfect
things?

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A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 137
I am well aware that gold is the most precious of the metals; but I cannot see that it has any capacity of becoming more
potent than it already is. For whatever man may do with it,
it will never be able to perfect anything but itself. If any one
told me to dissolve it and extract from it its quicksilver, I should
regard that as a very foolish direction; for nothing can be got
out of gold but what is in it. These philosophasters betray
their ignorance by saying that they can reduce gold to its first
substance; but thy instruction has made it clear to me that
the first substance cannot be obtained, except by destroying the
specific properties of a thing, nor can any new species be brought
forth by such a destruction, unless the species be first universalized
into the genus. Moreover, I make bold to affirm that no
man can first resolve gold into its generic substance, and then
restore it again; for when it has once lost its specific properties,
no mere human skill can change it back into what it was before.
Nor can any one really reduce gold to the first form imparted to
it by the elements. For gold is not transmuted either by heat
or by cold, and is so perfect in its kind that fire only renders it
purer. It does not admit of any further development, and therefore
no other metal or quicksilver can be obtained from it.
It is true that plants and animals are constantly producing their like by means of their seed, and their capacity of organic
nutrition. But I do not see how the same can be said of metals,
seeing that at the expiration of any given period they still retain
the same size and weight which they had at the beginning.
Through thee they receive their being out of the elements without
any sowing, planting, or development of any kind. Moreover,
I know that no credit is to be attached to the fanciful notions of
the old Sages who would prepare our Stone out of a crude
metallic substance, and do not understand that the form and
substance of a thing are conditioned by its essential nature.
Now, I remember a certain juggling charlatan, who was looked
upon as a great philosopher, telling me that the only true
material was common quicksilver, which must be well mingled
with gold, since in such an union the one brought the other to
perfection. If I did this, continued that impostor, I should be
able to prepare the Elixir. First, however, the four elements
must be separated from each other, then, after each had been

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138 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.
purified, they must be reunited, the great being combined with the
small, and the subtile with the gross. This, he said, was the right
way of making the Stone. But I know that all this is sheer nonsense,
and that such men are only deceiving themselves and others.
I am also aware that only God can produce anything out of the elements. He alone knows how to mingle and combine them
in their due proportions. For He alone is the Creator and
Author of all good things, and there is nothing in the world that
He has not made. Therefore, let the charlatans cease their vainglorious
talk, and remember that they can never hope to gather
where they cannot sow; let them make an end of their false calcinations,
sublimations, distillations, by which they extract the
spirit in a vaporous form, and of their juggling coagulations and
congelations, by which they pretend, even among the initiated, to
be able rightly to separate the elements of gold and quicksilver.
It is certainly true that all things under heaven are composed of
the four elements, and mixed of them according to the due proportion
of their genus and species; but it is not simply the union
of the four elements, but their being combined in a certain way,
which constitutes the substance of the Philosophical Stone.
I also understand that in the red quicksilver and perfect body, which is called the Sun, the four elements are combined in
a peculiar way, and so inseparably conjoined, that no mere human
art can divide them. For all ancient and true Sages say that
fire and air are enclosed in earth and water, and contend so
violently with each other that none but God and Nature can loosen
their grappling embrace. This I can truly affirm and also prove.
For we can neither see the fire nor grasp the air; and if any one
says that the several elements can be seen he is an imposter,
seeing that they are inseparably and inextricably conjoined.
For, although the Sophists pretend, and confidently affirm, that
they can divide gold and quicksilver into the four elements, yet
for all that they speak not the truth. If two elements, fire and
air, were thus taken away, all the rest must vanish into nothing.
They may say that those two are retained, but they are, nevertheless,
densely ignorant as to what becomes of them; for air
and fire cannot be seen or perceived. Again, that extract which
they call fire and air renders humid, which is not the property
either of fire or of air.

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A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 139
Moreover, as thou hast said, even the most learned Doctor cannot know the proportion of each element in any given
substance. For God has entrusted this knowledge to thee alone.
Nor is any Sage wise enough to be able to mingle and put
together the elements so as to produce any natural object If
then he dissolves anything into its elements, how, I pray thee,
is he to put them together again into any abiding form, since
he is ignorant of their proportionate quantity and quality, and
of the method of their composition? Yet it is of no use to
separate them, if they cannot be put together again. To thee,
O Nature, we must entrust this task, since thou knowest the
art of preparing the Philosopher's Stone, and of combining the
elements without first separating them. Nevertheless, for the
preparation of the true Elixir, thou needest the aid of a wise and
truly learned man. Aristotle says: " Where the physicist ends,
there the physician begins." Nor can we attain to true alchemy,
until we begin to follow Nature, and to be guided by a knowledge
of her principles. Where the study of Alchemy is rightly
carried on, it is mightily advanced by Nature. But, for all that,
we must not suppose that every natural substance must be useful
to the alchemist. We must remember that Alchemy has a
threefold aim: First, to quicken and perfect the metal,
and so to digest its spirit that none of it is lost; secondly,
so to digest and heat the substance in a small phial that
(without the addition of anything else) the body and
spirit are changed into one. The mingling of the elements is
performed, not by the artist, but by thee. Thirdly, it (alchemy)
proves that the process of preparing the Stone does not include
any separation of the four elements (of the quicksilver
and the Sun, which is called red and glorious gold). To
believe that such a separation must take place is a great
mistake, and contradicts the fundamental principles of philosophy
Again, it is an undoubted fact, that every elementary substance is fed by the elements themselves. If, then, that which
now forms one object is dissolved, the object as such is
destroyed, the bond which held the elements together being
violently broken, and each returning to that from which it was
first taken. A father that begets a son must not be destroyed

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140 THE HERMETIC MUSEUM.
for that purpose; it suffices that the generating spirit shall go
forth with the seed, and be conceived by the female seed, and
cherished with its warmth. Such a generating spirit has power
to beget an infant of the same species, as Avicenna says. Now,
it is the same with pure gold, which is the true matter of the
Philosophical Stone. For the father is the active principle, and
must not be destroyed, or resolved into its elements, but it is
sufficient for the paternal Sun (gold) to breathe its virtue and
strength through the mother into the son. When the mother
(who is of the earth) brings forth, the son is seen to have the
father's substance.
Thus, I have learnt from thee, O Nature, that Alchemy is a true science, and that the deep red gold, which is called Sun, is
the true father of the Stone or Elixir, from which this great and
precious treasure proceeds; which heats, digests, and cunningly
tinges (without the least diminution or corruption) the other
principle of that gold, and thus brings forth so glorious a son.
It is worse than useless, therefore, to meddle with the composition,
or to separate the elements, which Nature has so skilfully
combined in the quicksilver, and in the perfect body of the gold.
All we have to do is to imitate Nature, and use the instruments
with which she combines the elements, and which she uses in
moulding minerals, and in giving its form to the quicksilver.
lf we act otherwise, we destroy thy works, and sever the golden
chain which thou hast forged. Nevertheless, we must, as
Aristotle says, transmute the elements that we may obtain the
object of our search.
Thus thou hast wisely led me into thy way, and hast shown me the utter folly of my own doings. Unto thee I
render the most heartfelt thanks for that thou hast delivered
me from my own ignorance, and from the disgrace and ruin
to which all my endless alembics, quicksilvers, aquæ fortes,
dissolutions, excrements of horses, and coal fires, must at length
have brought me.
In future, I will read thy book more diligently, and obey thee more implicitly. For this is the surest and safest way
that a man can go, because the Art is entirely in thy hands,
although, by reason of its gigantic aim, its progress must
necessarily be slow. Therefore, I will lose no more time, and

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A DEMONSTRATION OF NATURE. 141
first begin to think about the substance, the active principle
of which shall yield me most potent quicksilver. That I will
enclose in a clean, air-tight phial, and under it I will place an
alembic; thereupon thou wilt wait upon thine office. From
the bottom of my heart I once more render unto thee the
debt of unspeakable gratitude, for that thou hast deigned to
vi si t me, and to bestow upon me so precious an inheritance.
In token of my gratitude I will now do thy bidding, and let
it be my ceaseless aim to attain to this most glorious Tincture
of the Elements, feeling assured that with the help of the
thrice great and good God, I shall succeed.

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