THE TRUEST

AND IIOSTI{OBLESECRET

THE RE V ERE NDT E A CHE RA ND P RE B Y T E R:

JODUCUSGREYERUS

E x r n r c r e o F R o rT
{ HEAT RUI.I vol,L . IIL . p AGE6 9 9
CHEl,llCUl'
Translated from Latin by: PattLeia Tahil

To the honour of the holy and undivided Trinity, and of blessed

Mother Maryr ever virgin, to console the pious, help the poor, and

direct philosopheSs, I, Jody Grever, presbyter and least of Philo-

sophers, with great error, expense and labour and passing of my life

in th e quest, not despairin g of Div in e g ra c e a n d me rc y , s t ren g t h e n e d

by the help of God hj:nself start to describe to you the true and

perfect work, not in parts, nor in ambiguous and obscure words, for

He who alone has the power to pass on and impart this most secret

art to whom He wiIl, has given it to me of his goodness.

, Therefore, to the glory of Him who has given so much to mer dD

unworthy sinner. f celebrate and proclaim with all my power those

whom he has called and chosen to these wonderful mysteries of Philo-

sophy, and I shall make the matter plain in proper order, without

learned obfuscation, in speech clear and open but nevertheless con-

firming to the methods and customs of the Philosophers.

I know well enough that no one can seize this knowledge for him-

se lf unless God confers it o n h im. Wh o a lo n e ma k e s p la in the dark-

ne ss of this mystery, o r d a rk e n s it s c la rit y , for none can understand

th e plainest things if not illu min a t e d b y G o d , n o r c a n h e fo 1 1 o . ; ' t h e

m o st obscure if God does n o t lig h t e n t h e m. Ho we v e r, f a d ju r e all of

you who have my writingsr not to communicate them to the unworthy,

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or the greedy, or those who are unkind to their neighbours, or opp-

r e ss them, such as tyrann o u s me n , t h e u n ju s t , a d u lt e re rs , the weak.

a n d those whose God is th e ir b e lI y . P la c e y o u r t ru s t , t h e ref o r e , in

the Lord God Creator of all and work in fear of hirn, using what you

have to hand according to what I have writtenr dnd awaiting the ble-

ssing of our heavenly Lord.

Fi r st of all, O best b e lo v e d r. t o u s h o u ld know that our art imit-

ates nature; and where nature produces plants and trees by herself,

which the gardener then increases, by sowing their seedsr of grafting

their twigsr so she generates metals in the. depths of the mountains

of the earth, which the a rt if ic e r in c re a s e s b y g ra f t in g or sowing them

in the proper soil or a suitable stock. What you must know above all
is what the seeds of gold and silver are, what their soiI, and what

their stock. We tell you. Therefore, that Sol and Luna contain their

own seeds in themselves, that saturn, Jupiter, Mars and venus are

their stocks, and the proper soil for aII of them is Mercury; it is

'the stable foundation to which you should direct your whole attention,

accommodating the appearance of the one so that is suitable for the

nature of the other, because God the author of nature wishes us to

understand and perfect this area of philosophy by this sort of contem-

plation; by means of these writings we conrmunicate it to the worthy

and the chosenr so that I and others with me may offer perpetual praisr

and glory to God, giving due thanks for his grace.

Just as the Philosophers, therefore, when contemplating the works

of n a ture, are accustomed t o seek the lik e n e s s of the Stone in plants,

a n im a ls, treesr eg9s, foe t u s e s , the jo in in g of ma s c u lin e a nd f e m i n i n e

a n d an almost infinite n u mb e r o f the s a me s o rt of t h in g s , so we too

p a ve the way to a clearer u n d e rs t a n d in g of t h is p a rt ic u la r operation,

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 vrte follow naturers tracks and choose thence the true and necessary

a d a p tations.

However, even if this is a special operation, neyertheless there

is truth in itr so that anyone who looks deeply into the causes of

things, is close to observation of the great triumphal gtone in cer-

tain truth and power. By ttre aforementioned sirnile I have alread.y

indeed shown the wise what is the rnaterial that should be taken to

start the work \{ith; and that I may furth.er uncover it to your eyes,

I say that just as a man comes from a man, an ass from an ass, a hen

from a,hen'" Rnd corn from cornr so everything is mad.e from its
"ggr
likeness, gold from gold. and silver from silver.

You wiII therefore understand from this what material you should

take and bring into the work; here you should also know that a man

cannot always be produced from any man, ner a dog from any dog nor a

plant from any plant of its own species; for a boy of twelve years

o1d' or a person of either sex who is languishing in sickness will

,not bring forth a human foetus from their mutual intercoursei neither

will a pup a dog, nor young or rotten plants a (new) plant. But a

mature and healthy man and a woman who is similarly mature and strong

will procreate a hunan foetus; likewise other animals after their own

kind and ripe seed from mature plants. Therefore we say that as far-

m e r s carefully select the seeds of f ru it s , p la n t s a n d t re e s , and do

not take them unless they are ripe, and do the same when they take

the strongest shoots from the trees for graftingr so in this way you

will be able to judge wh a t y o u t a k e for t h is b u s in e s s .

For common gold does not enter into the work, nor common lvlercury,

nor vulgar si.lver, nor any other conrmon thing, but rather philosoph-

ical things; what you may take these to be is clearly shown from the

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afor e said. However, wh a t h a s b e e n s a ld of thc seeds tnusL alscl bc.

said of the soil, tor no t a l1 s o ils a re s u it a b le for t h is or that

pla n tr E S V irgil himself wa rn s u s in t h e G e o rg ic s r and as we see far-

m er s and gardeners alway s o b s e rv in g . Y o u mu s t t h e re f o re 1 oo k , O best

beloved, and see that the soil is suitable for growing the seeds of

So l or Luna, for if you c h o o s e f o o lis h ly , y o u will mis e ra b ly lose

you r seedr |our labours and your expense.

Se eds and soil must t h e re f o re b e c h o s e n wit h g re a t c a re , and the

ch o se n soil must be cult iv a t e d in the s a me wa y a s t h e e a rt h of the

fie ld s and gardens is cu lt iv a t e d , wit h p lo u g h in g o r d ig g in g , manuring.

ha r r o wing, watering, and a lL that s o rt of t h in g . Geber and the work-

er s in this divine task c a ll c h o o s in g a n d c u lt u rin g the seeds and the

soil preparation, and without it one cannot have either Sol or Luna

of the P hilosophers, nor c a n o n e f in d a c le a r wa y in to Lhe secrets

of th is great art.

Moreover, common gold is very impure, contaminated by admixture

with other metals, sick, d is e a s e d , a n d t h e re f o re s t e rile , and so is

con r m on silver, while on t h e c o n t ra ry SoI and Luna of the Philosophers

ar e very pure, not besm irc h e d by the a d d it j-o n of a n y f o re ig n mixture,

healthy, strong and abounding in reproductive seed. Common earth is

a lso uncultivated and un p lo u g h e d , but t h e P h ilo s o p h e rs ' earth is cul-

tivated by fire-breathing bullsr ES it says in the fable of the GoId-

en Fleece.

And so, O best beloved, find out the true meaning of my words, and

u n d e r stand that the P hilo s o p h e rs a re lik e f a rme rs a n d g a rd en e r s , who

fir st choose certaj-n see d s a n d h a v in g s e le c t e d them do not sow them

in common earth, nor in u n c u lt iv a t e d f ie ld s , but in g a rd e n ridges, anc

once they have sown them they commit them to the heat of the Sun and

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 th e goodness of earth and sky, a n d a wa it t h c ir d u o f ru it io n nfLor n
suitab le tine. The P hilo s o p h e rs e mp lo y s imit a r re a s o n in g , for before

they begin to work they must decide to take in hand vulgar gold and

silver, whether sick or healthy; for if they are found to be sick,

the right medicine will render them healthy as necessary, which is

th e p reparation itself. T h is d o c t e re d go1d, h e a lt h y a n d p ur i f i e d ,

is the Philosophers" So1, and the same is to be understood of Luna.

'iowever' when you have philosophical SoI and Luna, like good seeds

th e soil must be cleanse d of it s d irt a n d u s e le s s we e d s , a nd i m p r o -

vedi by careful cultivation; and in this improved earth you must sow

the aforesaid seed of SoI and Luna, and commit them to continuous

heap. and the goodness of earth and sky; nothing radical will happen

before the right time, but you must wait for the ripe fruits after

th e leaves and flowers.

From this it is clear thaL even if the Philosopher takes vulgar

gold, silverr ot Mercury, he does not bring them into the work until

he has raised them from coilrmon earth to the grade of a medicine.

There are some who wrap these things up in great obscurity, and throw

th e Philosopher's soul in t o g re a t doubt, a ll of wh ic h you will be

able to resolve if you observe the general rule that I give: - nothin,

must enter the medicared work without the proper preparation, whose

ability is to make medj-cines of conmon substances. And so nothing

filty' nor diseased, nor u n c u lt iv a t e d s h o u ld enter o u r wo rk; before

the work itself we may take the sick, the filthy and the uncultivated

So the Philosopher should take the material given by nature, pre-

pare it properly, choose a n d c u lL iv a t e t h e p ro p e r s o il, then put in

th e seed and apply the c o rre c t c o n t in u o u s heat. It is , however,

Na tur e's part to rot and d is s o lv e the s e e d p la c e d in the ground, make

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 'no o ts ,draw up the drynes s of e a rt h , p ro d u c e shoots, le a v e s qnd flow-
ers in succession, conc e iv e , p e rf e c t a n d rip e n the seed, Having req_
ched this stage nature comes. to a stop, and goes no further unless
stirred by the Philosopher, who must know how to make nature progress
b y ce rtain correct signs . not b y f a ls e o p in lo n s .
Now when he sees that the fruit is exactly ripe, he must not delay,
but at once corlect the mature seeds of the fruit, separated from any
excess matte they mqy have and immedl.ately fresh soil must be cul-
ti vated, and when it has b e e n we rr t irle d , he puts the s e e ds i n it,
and appries continuous heat as before, whereupon nature again takes
up h e r task, finishes the wo rk a n d lit t le b y lit t le mu lt ip lie s peren_
nia l fruit and seed.
I
From this,f consideration it arises as a conclusion that natural
things require different lengths of time to complete their generat-
ions, for certain plants grow and mature in about a year. trees mat-
u r e m ore quickly, others mo re s lo wly . s o it is wit h me t a rs , some
'r i pe n guickly, others are s lo we r.
Furthermore, just as we see farmers at once disturb and cover the
seeds by harrowing, and b.ind the grafts inserted in stocks with wax
or clay, which are not tree-like by nature, but are helpful intermed-
iaries, (making sure) that the sap of the stock enters the graft onry,
so in this work a certain clay or wax must be taken that forbids the
juice of the earth to exhale, and contains it within; moreover farmers
customarily bind this wax with straw so that the onslought of rain
and wind may not tear out the inserted graft from the stock at the
jo in t' so we do in our wo rk s u c h t h in g s a s we o b s e rv e in t he every-
da y wo rId, and if you con s id e r t h is c a re f u lly , y o u wirr b e ea s i J . y f r -
eed from many errors, and pursue the work to its desired end.

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 But let us datly no more, but come to the practice in its proper

or d e r ; and let us first speak of the t o o ls a n d ma t e ria ls re q u i s i t e

for this work, then of the preparations, next of the seeds and the

r ip e n ing, and finally of the re p e t it io n of the s o win g , wh ic h is the

complement of the work.

THE TOOLS FOR THIS TASK

The tools required for this ta'sk are as follows: - I. A subliming

fu r n a ce. 2. A digesting f u rn a c e wh ic h c a n a ls o b e a n a t h a no r and

b e u sed for ashes or san d . 3. A cupel or ja r for ashes or sand.

4. Sieved ashes or sand. 5. A s u b limin g ja r. 6. S ix or seven

sm all subliming aludels. 7. Cla y s h a k e n wit h h o rs e -d u n g . 8. A ob-

l on g piece of iron curve d a t o n e e n d in t o a s p a t u la . 9. BeIIows.

I0. T ongs for lighted coa1s. II. Co a ls . T.2. A ro u n d g la s s cucur-

bit. 13. S ome crucibles . 14. Cu p e ls o r s h a llo w d . is h e s m a d e o f bone

'a sh . 15. A n anvil. 16 . A h a mme r.

The materials are lead , a n t imo n y , g o ld , s ilv e r, b ro n z e , quicksilver

Al so y ellow wax, vitriol, sal n it ru m, a 1 u m, q u ic k lime , b ro n ze , glass,

a urinal with a wooden spatula. And so the total number of tools and

materials comprises the number four times seven, which is a mystery.

The athanor furnace is almost the same as the subliming furnacer €X-

cept that a cupel containing ashes or sand is placed on it, and in

th is is placed the round g la s s c u c u rb it wit h t h e ma t e ria l, and it is

closed from above with an empty cupel, so that no draught nor air can

to u ch the glass.

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 PREPARATI ON OF THE IlATER I ALS: GOLD F I RST

Choose fresh gold for this task that has not been used by'the

craftsman for many operations, but has come recently from the mine

and has not been much worked, of the best color, about twenty-four

caratsr or nearly; and the bes+ of this sort is that which is found

in small pieces in the groundr Ers if cooked and semi-liquified. If

you can have thisr no other preparation for the work is necessary bey-

ond hammering it into the thinnest flakes.

But i-f you cannot get it, take gold from Hungarian florins, and

purge it, or have it purged by melting it into a regulus with anti-

mony, as the workers who make gold-Ieaf do, for antimony has the pro-

perty of purifying gold from all superfluities. If perchance you do

not know the purification by antimony, you can cement it by heating

for twenty-four hours, reduce it to a mass, and hammer it into the

thin n e st flakes.

In order to give you a complete account, however, we shall describe

to you the method of purifying gold with anti4rony, which is as follows:

Take one ounce of goldr or any reasonable quantity, and five times as

much antimony as gold, and put the gold and the antimony in a crucible,

and place it on burning coals, and allow it to flux for an hour t ot

half an hour, then take an implement of iron or brass shaped like a

pyramid and hollow within, very smooth inside and heated by the fire,

and grease the interior with wax or a candle and after you have taken

the gold and the antimony off the heat, pour it from the crucible into

this funnel, and by striking the bottom of the funnel gently, the gold

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will fall down separatel y . T h e n a llo w it ' : g e cool a n d in v e rt the

funnel, and take out the pyramidal mass from the funnel. Its apex

will contain the regulus of goId, wh ic h is s e p a ra t e d f ro m the rest

of the material by hittin g it ju s t b e lo w t h e a p e x , and keep the reg-

u lu s of gold aside-

Now take the mass of antimony and add to it one third of its wei-

ght of fresh antimony and liquify in the crucible again and pour ag-

ain into the funnel, separate this reg.rlus in its turn, if there is

dDy, and add it to the previously separated regulus.You can do it a

third time, if necessary, or not, as you will know from the amount

of second regulus (obta in e d ); if it v e ry lit t le , le a v e it . Keep this

aside also, and proceed with the re

Ta ke a piece of tile ma d e o f t ile

be on the roofs of the towers of ar

i
hole in it to hold your reguli. Placei it in a dry spot, and surround

it w ith coals, putting t h e re g u li in t h e h o le , then lig h t the coals

and allow the antimony to exhale from the reguli in smoke; when the

fuming ceases, cover it carefully with coals, and blow on it from

above with a bellows until you can see no spot or speck on your gold'

bu t it is beautiful and g re e n s lik e g ra s s in the f ire ; t h is usually

hppens in two or three hours.

Having then taken out the piece of brick with the gold that was

purged j.n it, quench it in clear urine, and so your gold will be per-

fectl y cleansed, and re a d y r so that it c a n b e h a mme re d in t o the fin-

e st sheets, which are to b e k e p t wra p p e d in paper t ill the proper

ti m e. If you can find a s u f f j-c ie n t q u a n t it y of f in e g o ld -lea f among

th e druggists or paj-nters , that ma y b e u s e d a s p u re g o ld , needing no

fur ther preparation. If they h a v e e n o u g h P u re s ilv e r-I e a f , do the

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 sa m e; if not, purify it a s f o I lo ws .

PREPARATION OF SILVER

L ike gold, the best s ilv e r h a s c o me f re s h f ro m t h e min e, and has

not been much worked by the craftsman, but has been cupelled with

lead in a dish or cupel. If, howeyer, you do not have such silver,

take what you have, and if you suspect that cofDer: is mixed with it.

or any other impurity, purify in the cupel with two or three times

its weight of black lead, until it is cleansed of all impurity. Then

make fine sheets of it, and, keep pure in clean paper until it is

ne e d ed.

P R E P A RAITO N O F I , I E RCURY

You should choose argent vive which has not been made by artifice

, from lead or any other metal, but has come from its own mineral, such

as mountain cinnabar or marcasite. However, you should prepare such

m er cury for our work like t h is : -

Take a pound of it, three ounces of vitriol, three ounces of quick

l i m e, yellow wax one po u n d , a n d g rin d t h e v it rio l, sal n it r u m , alum,

and quickljrne in a mortar and mix them. Then place the wax in a glas

urinal, the bottom of which has been luted with clay mixed and sie-

ved with horse dung, an d p u t t h e u rin a l in a d is h c o n t a in in g sand on

a small furnace, and sub je c t it to heat, g e n t le at f irs t , so that the

gla ss does not break fr o m s u d d e n h e a t , u n t il t h e wa x me 1 t s .

Meantime, shake up t h e me rc u ry in a g la s s d is h wit h the aforesaid

sub stances, in order to mix t h e m t h o ro u g h ly , h a v in g p o u re d in a lit-

tIe acid from strong wine. When the wax in the urinal- has melted,

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add the mercury with the aforementioned powders little, and heat in

the wax for three hours over a medium heat, constantly stirring and

turning with a wooden spatula.

When the three hours are up, Iet it cool in the urinal, and make

a hole in the wax with a clean rod before it hardens, and this is

how you keep your Mercury, well prepared for this work and ready to

have SoI and Luna sown in it.

P RE P A RAITO N O F A T I TI I , I O NY
(T h e Un it in g Me d . iu m)

Prepare the antimony, which enters into this work as a tie betw-

e e n two substances, by s u b limin g in t h is wa y . : -

Take a pound of it, and grind to a powder in a mortar, then prace

in a subriming jar, and prace upon it an aluder with a hole in the

side; this aludel must be open both at the wider part and at the nar-

rower, and so must the rest of the a1udels.

N ow apply firm clay mix e d wit h h o rs e d u n g t o the jo in t s , and join

all six aludels in a row like thisr so that the lowgr narrower part

enters the wider upper part from beneath, all the joints having been

firmly luted. However, the last aludel should have a smaller hole th

the o thers, as big as a f in g e rr rro wid e r, that c a n e a s ily be closed

by a dry wooden p1ug.

When the joints have dried, put this subliming tower on your fur-

nace, and secure it with a strong luter so that it does not wobble

to and fro, and leave four holes around it to Iet out the smoke from

the furnace, then light the c o a ls in the f u rn a c e , and. stoke up the

fi r e by stages, until th e p o wd e re d a n t imo n y liq u e f ie s ; t h is you will

kn o w for certain if you p u t a n iro n s p a t u la o b liq u e ly in t o the sub-

lim in g jar through the la t e ra l h o le in the lo we s t a lu d e l.

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 When you feel that the powdered antimony in the jar has liquefied,

then constantly turn and move the antimony with your iron spatula,

applying a strong fire beneath it, until the bottom of the sublimat-

ory jar that is in the furnace reddens. Continue the heating and

the stirring of the antimony until you feel that aII the antimony

has sublimed and no more is coming off.

You can be sure of this if upon opening the stopper of the top-

most arudel you see no fumes exhaling from the opening. Then red-

uce the heat gradually and carefully put a moist cloth round the
joint of the lowest aludel, and when the joint has absorbed the mois-

ture remove the lute from all the aludels carefully, and collect the

white sulphur of antimony from them which has sublimed on to their

si de s like a white flour. T h is s u lp h u r is wo n d e rf u lt y e f f e ct i v e in

our work, for it is the friend of lr{ercury, SoI and tuna, the bond

of bo dy and spirit, the ma rria g e of s p irit a n d s o u l; it is , I say,

the vehicle of the tincture and the wax that holds in the vital sap

of the stock, so that it f lo ws o n ly in t o the g ra f t you have inserted

i nto it.

Collect this sulphur carefully, therefore, and keep it like prec-

ious treasurer by its use you will attain the desired end of your

work. And so we complete our discourse on the preparation of all

th e materials necessary a n d s u f f ic ie n t for t h is p re c io u s secret work,

nor have we altered the order of what we have said. Now it remains

to speak of the sowing.

PUTT I NG THE SEEDS I N THE GROUND

Beloved worker, you have already completed a great part of your

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 ta sk; it remains for yo u t o p re p a re your g ro u n d for p u t re f a c t i o n ,

so that it may give the d e s ire d f ru it , t wo f o ld , t h re e f o ld , a hun-

dr e d fold and a thousandf o ld , for u n le s s a g ra in of c o rn is thrown

i nto the soil and dies, it will b e a r n o f ru it .

In the name of the holy and undiyided Trinity, therefore, take

an ounce of your gold leafr or whatever reasonable quantity you

wish, and four times that amount of the well-cultivated earth that

is in the glass urinal, c o v e re d b y a b e e -h iv e . If, h o we v e r , you

are Poor and cannot obtain so much gold, then take the weight ment-

ioned of silver-Ieaf and six times the amount of cultivated earth-

So divide whichever luminary you have into pieces, and add it to

the aforesaid earth in a c o ld c iu c ib le , s t irrin g c o n t in u a lly with

you r fingersr or a woode n o r g la s s p e s t . le u n t il a ll the f la k e s are

mixed with our earth. Then have ready another clean crucible, put

it on burning coals, an d wh e n it b e g in s to g lo w t a k e it off the fire

an d place it in a safe p la c e b e t we e n t wo o r t h re e b ric k s r so t h a t it

, can n o t easily be overturn e d , a n d h a v e re a d y a c le a n g la s s di s h with

pure water in it, and then throw your flakes mingled with earth on

to the hot crucible. Stop up your mouth so as not to breathe the

fumes of the earth, and stir the flakes with a wooden stickr so that

th e y enter the earth, wh ic h u s u a lly o c c u rs q u ic k ly , a n d wh en t h e

earth has taken them up, which you will know because there are no

more lumps or globules under your stick, immediately pour it into

the dish of pure cord water, and thus you have sohrn your seed in
yo u r earth.

The P hilosophers commo n ly c a ll t h is mix t u re " a ma lg a m" , which is

th e same as saying "soft e n e d " , b e c a u s e t h e h a rd seed of gold or sil-

ver is softened in your e a rt h . T h is mix t u re mu s t , h o we v e r, be washed

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 and rubbed with the purest $tater and the whitest purest salt until
no further blackness aPPears in it, and the water that enters and
reaves it is clear. Then dry the moisture adhering to it with a
clean cloth- This then is the beginning of the work, which philo-
sophers have unworthily tried to conceal by calling it by rnany dif-
ferent n€rmes. such as our bronze, earth of magnesia, the whole con-
position, etc. Now r.rreproceed to the harrowing.

I NG THE SOWN F I ELD .

HARROV{

You must recognize, O best beloved, that this part of the oper_
ation is called impregnation by some Philosophers, and the perpetual
disposition by others; but we do not fear to call it harrowing, fo1-
lowing our simile at the beginning. For just as the sown field is
turned over by harrowing, and its large:i crods broken up, so that
the seeds which have been sown in it are covered,, so in our wofk,
our Mercuriar earth, which has accepted the seeds of whichever rum-
inary it may be, is ground and turned over, and the seeds are wholly
h id d e n in it.

so when you have sown your field, that is to sdy, made your amar-
9dIIl, and washed and dried it, then take the white flour of sublirned
antimony, and sprinkle a little of it on the amalgam on a flat piece
of marble, and grind the whole until the said amalgam has taken up
the white antimony. When you have done this, add more of the said
white antimony, and again grind them together until it takes up no
more of the white sulphur of antimony. This is the sign intend.ed to
show that the harrowing is finished.

Collect your amalgam now ready for impregnation, and carefully

-1 6 3 -
pla ce it in a round glas s v e s s e l, wh ic h is la rg e enough for your

sown and harrowed earth to occupy one third of it, leaving two thirds

empty. Then close the opening of your round vessel with a clever

Iu te made from white of e g g , b ric k dust a n d q u ic k lime , s p re a d o n a

cloth moistened with egg-white. Allow it to dry, and you will haye

the perfect Philosophers' Egg, which fulfirls the saying of the

Philo sophers. In one v e s s e l o n ly , one stone, o n e d ig e s t io n . But this

belongs to the business of ripenirg, of which j.t is now time to

sp e a k.

G RO WT HO F T HE S E E D

Philosophers employing the simil-e of an egg, as we did that of

the sowing of plants, taught that the first state of the egg was

putrefaction, and this they extended, not only to the formation of

the chick in the egg, but to its hatchingi and appended feeding to

h a tching. We, employing. a s imil-e that is c le a re r' t o the int e t l e c t ,

sp e a k of these things d if f e re n t ly , lik e t h is : We s e e t h a t th e seeds

of plants do not rot entirely, nor are they completely mixed with

earth, but softened and moistened by the wet juice of the earth,

first they put out a shoot, then a tuft grows, and umbels come forth,

so o n it flowers, then se t s s e e d , wh ic h f in a lly rip e n s ; so we are of

the opinion that the same stages must be observed in this task, and

we advise you to adjust the heat e a c h mo n t h r so to say.

For when you have clo s e d t h e P h ilo s o p h ic eg9, and you can still

see the snowy whiteness of the earth over everything, I warn you that

you ought to use the gen t le s t heat of Ma rc h . No w b y t h e application

of this heat, that snow y wh it e t u rn s in t o a g re y is h or c in d e r coIor,

-I64-
which indicates that the shoot risen from the earth has begun to

and that A pril rs in f lu e n c e h a s a rriv e d . Then the

9 r o w, ris e n shoot
grows by degrees in Mayts heat and power, and leaves and twigs in-
cr ea se together.

Then afterwards with the heat of June it puts forth shoots and

umbels and swells them; from these come flowers in burning July. In
the heat of August it forms and joins up the seeds, which are ripen-

ed partly in the same month, but mostly by the heat present in Sept-
ember.

I am sure that the regulation of the heat is plain to any dilig-

ent man from what I have already said, but so that the crasser may
also be catered for, we make it clear by laying it,out in order a
l i ttl e more openly.

when you have closed your Philosophicar e99, you will have the

oven of your athanor read.y with a dish of glass and copper, about

six or seven finger-breadt h s deep. rn t h is put a ra y e r of fresh

horse-dung or softest h.y, two fingers deepr or a littre more, upon
which you are to prace your grass egg. pack it round with dung or
hay carefulry, so that it cannot move, but do not pack any higher

than the depth of the material in the round vessel.

If you observe that the glass does not stand firmly enough, do

not be ashamed to make a circular piece from a plank, and to make a

ho le in it of the size that will best f it the g la s s . rn an o t h e r

pa r t of it, away from t h e mid d le , ma k e a n o t h e r f in g e r-s iz e d hole,

thr o u gh which you will b e a b le t o p o u r wa t e r as often a s ne c e s s a r y .

Then put the plank on the dung surrounding the round vessel, so that

part of the vessel appears through the middle of the hole, and place

tw o or three pieces of b ric k on the ptankr so that it is held firmty.

-r65-
 When yeu have done th is , p o u r in a s mu c h c le a r wa t e r as will

co ve r the surface of the p la n k no deeper than the t h ic k n e s s of a

reed. Then close your oven with the cl,osure of the athanor, and

put a gentle heat underneath that warms as much as the water-bath

or horse-dungr ds much as feels like the touch of a hot needle, but

always without boiling. This you must watch carefully' frequently

removing and replacing the cover of the athanor.

Continue this heat of early Spring, or the first grade, or the

month of March, for seven days and nights, taking the precaution

that when you see the water evaporate with the continual and gen-

tle heat you immediately put a funnel in the hole in the plank, and

again pour in warm waterr or even cold waterr so that the water does

not b egin to boil from n e g le c t .

When the required number of days has elapsed, take out the round

vessel, and see whether the original color has yet turned from white

to d a rk cinder colorr o E b la c k d ilu t e d wit h wh it e , and put it back

in its place before it gets co1d. B e c a re f u l that your h a nd i s not

ve r y cold when it touches t h e v e s s e l, o t h e rwis e it will b re a k .

If you see the color I have spoken of, re jo ic e , for you have

supplied the correct color, and you are looking at the true sign

that the seed has already germinated. Do you not see that all shoots

ar e y eltow when they fir s t b u rs t f ro m t h e e a rt h ? Y o u mu s t a l s o know,

dir e st investigator of s o g re a t a s e c re t , that in t h is wo rk n o t h i n g

equals observing with great care the color and the amount of mois-

ture; these are the two things that lead the worker wi-thout error

from the beginning to the end of the task.

It is for this reason that G e b e r o rd e rs t h e wo rk e r c a re f u l l y to

fi x in his mind the pecu lia rit ie s of e a c h d ig e s t io n , and to inquire

-1 6 6 -
w ha t causes them. B ut t h is will not h e lp the s t if f -n e c k e d worker,

nor the greedy, nor the weak, nor any who is enmeshed in the vanit-

i es of this world. If the s ig n does not a p p e a r b e f o re y o ur eyes,

continue the same degree of heating for four more ordinary days,

and then look at it again, and replace it again if the signs do not

yet appear, and do this every four days until the signs we have told

you of do appear.

During ;his digestion a certain rnercury-Iike yapour ascends from

the earth like a cloud and wi]l stick to the sides of the upper

empty part of. your egg. This you are to leave intact until you have

learnt from its meaning what to do next. Do you not see a sown field

giving off many and various vapours both before and after germinat-

ion? (Do you not see) how some of them are turned into rain and

water the field. again and supply useful nourishment to the shoots,

while others disappear into the air and carry nothing useful to the

sho o ts? Consider carefu lly , t h e re f o re , wh a t is to be done here,

and do not rashly convert these exhalations into rain that turns

back of its own accord and waters your fie1d.

When you have plain evidence that your seeds have germinated you

will know that March has gone and that it is the beginning of the

mild Spring of April, and that you should replace the color that

hardly differs from that of March with great care, without boiling

the water on- the dungr so that the shoot born of the seed begins to

grow, and strengthen. The sign that the shoot is sprouting is a more

plentiful exhalation of moisture, and a change in the aforesaid color

in to a dark one, with a s c a rc e ly n o t ic e a b le re d n e s s . You are to ex-

pe ct the appearence of t h is s ig n on the seventh or e ig h t h day after

you have begun to apply the heat of early Spring. And you are to

-1 6 7 -
 maintain such a regimen d u rin g these t wo in t e rv a ls of t ime that the

germination of the seed by putrefaction and the sprouting of the

sho o t by application of a d ig e s t iv e heat a re b o t h a c c o mp lis he d .

GROl''|THOF THE SHOOT

With the end of early Springr w€ cone to late Spring, when the

sh o o t has already h -com e a p la n t , b e g in s to ra is e it s t wig s, and

shows its proper green color. You are therefore to imitate Maytime

by applying the greatest heat that water is capable of, without boil-

itg, however, but with the shiver of boiling; this you are to contin-

ue until the following signs appear.

First the *.t"ti{f s h o ws a d u ll re d d is h c o lo r on the s id e , almost

b la ck, neither black, n o r re d , n o r b ro wn , b u t wh a t y o u wiI I recognize

as a mixture of all: these. Secondly there is the dryness of the

earth, from which fJpu will see if you have properly judged the quan-
' tity of the previoqs exh a la t io n s . F o r if y o u h a v e c le a rly seen that

there are fewer exhalations with this heat, and that those which are

already adhering to the sides of your vessel are not increasing, but

remain the same in quantity, you may judge that your earth is dry.

Upon seeing the signs mentioned, you will immediately understand

that your shoot has developed and grown and become firm with the

hardness proper for grass or reeds. Remember however, son, in case

the Philosophers' method of speaking should deceive your that we are

no t describing multiplicat io n , but t h e d e v e lo p me n t of the sh o o t i for

th e r e is no multiplication of the shoot u n t il after t h e mul t i p l i e d

se e d has been sown afres h . De v e lo p e me n t o f the shoot occurs before

the seed can multiply in it. Have you not considered the progress

of a ll natural things? _16g_

 Where have you seen the individual member of any species multi-
p 1 y before its seed has g e rmin a t e d , s p ro u t e d , a n d d iv id e d into its

parts? And put forth stemsr 4nd unrbels or clusters, which flower

at length, and seeds and fruit are formed from the flowers, and

when formed ripen under the influence of the right heat? Are not

these many seeds formed from one seed, and when they haye ripened

properly must you not collect them, cleanse then of their husks,

remove their chaff, take ttu.n from thbir shellsr ind the.n sow them

again, and wait for ripening through the same steps of growth as

nature put them through before, and then do you not expect the first

m ulti plication, and fina lly see and have the f irs t mu lt ip lic a t i o n

of the individual?

o fools, what madness : Will y o u d is mis s rie a s o n a n d t h e w o r k s o f

nature and follow the irrational fantasies of your brain? Does not

Geber tell us that all'the actions of nature have their predetermin-

ed timer and that that which produces an effect is Limited to a gre-

ater or lesser extent? B u t in d e e d , if y o u a re s o la c k in g in reason

and intelligence that you cannot understand these things from nat-
ur e herself and her wor k in g s , Ieave off t h is mo s t s e c re t art, and
fl ee to the countrymanrs p lo u g h h a n d le a n d p lo u g h , or at le a s t learn

from them by imitating nature|s ways.

For you indeed, my son, initiated into the study of Philosophy,

have already long understood our words where we have not written

clearly or intelligibly enough; we have hidden nothing but two things,

which no philosopher has ever dared to write openly of, because they

a r e only passed on privit e ly to sons of t h e d o c t rin e . And when we

le a r n ed them privitely f ro m a v e ry v e rn e ra b le p rie s t advanced in age,

we were sworn and bound by oath never to betray them to anyone in

-1 6 9 -
w r i tin g, and we were sh o wn t h e p lq c e in t h e writ in g s of Ca l i d the

Philosopher where he attempted to describe them, but God forbade

him . The desired effect of t h is h id d e n a rt is o b t a in e d f rom t h e s e

two things and in no other hray.

Therefore, my son, when you labor to:lfsf1gw our words, which are
perfectry true, and in no way ambiguous, proceed along this royal

road that we have shown you in such a way that you deserve to under-
stand and rook upon these two things -ry the inspiration of God, as
if someone had told you in secret. For if your heart is truly right-
eous and open to Him, H€ will bring these two matters to you at the
right timer ds He did me, an unworthy priest: r will pass them on
to you privatery, like a father leaving a bequest to his son. From
the beginning of the work, tfierefore, remember those two things,

which are only passed on by those to whom God the creator has grant-

ed a natural death; and mindful of this, proceed carefurry, in great

fe a r of God and reverenc e of n a t u re , e x a lt in g your ma t e ria l step by

stepr so that your shoot may grow, and be brought from its white

color to a red one, and your earth be duly dried.

Soon you will hasten to the end of late Spring and turn all the
clouds that were in vapor form into rain so that they water your

go ld ' lest the growing p la n t s d ie f ro m t o o mu c h d ry n e s s . For four

ordinary days after the rain maintain the same degree of heat on the

watered earth in your egg in the bath on the dung, and note care-

fully how much vapor as c e n d s a g a in a n d o f wh a t k in d it is .

O n the fifth day, howe v e r, h a v e re a d y c le a n s ie v e d c in d er s in a

new jar, about the same amount as there was dung in the bath, and

pla ce three or four folds of we t c lo t h a ro u n d t h e jo in t that joins

the di-sh to the oven of the athanor to loosen the adherent lute more

-1 7 0 -
 easily, and when it has softened, take the whole warm b.ath out of

the oven, and immediately put in your dish of sieyed cinders. Join

it carefully as before to the walls of the furnace with a suitable

lute, and apply a heat like that of Juner or the. second grade, hav-

.ing the cinders well warmed, but not sufficiently hot as to burn

your hand if you touch-.them.

While the glass is still warm from the bath and when the cinders

are hot' place it on the hot cindersr so that :here is three fingers

depth of well compacted cinders beneath the bottom, and pack it round

about with compacted cinders to the depth of its contentsr or a lit-

tle more; so early sunmer has its beginning, and the heat making the

new shoots glad requires skillful management. Be careful that the

heat of the cinders is the same day and night, so that they do not

burn your hand if you touch them, as we have said, nor should the

bottom of the dish ever become glowing hot from the fire.

This is the heat, of hottest June, of which Maria the prophetess

and the Turba Philosophorum speak, saying Digest with a slow fire,

that is like the heat of hottest June. And when you have regulated

the heat like this for four to seven ordinary days, you should know

that your crop is now at the stage where twigs come from shoots, and

u m b e ls and clusters from g ra s s , p la n t s and other k in d s of ve g e t a b l e .

The signs by which you will know that the umbels or twigs are

be in g produced are these: - T h e re d t h a t wa s p re v io u s ly b la ck i s h be-

comes a clearer red, appearing before the blackness is covered by

redness, and very little vapor ascends from the earth. Remember, how

ever, to observe the aforesaid rule that you should not convert your

clouds into rain until you see that no more ascend from your earth,

and that those that have already risen increase no further. Then

-1 7 1 -
you must continue the heat for no more than two days, then convert
your clouds into rain that will water your fieldr so that it may
be a r fruit in due seaso n .

OF F L O I { E RSA ND . F O RI . I A T I O N
A P P E A RA NCE O F S E E DS

My son' let us give thanks to God the ruler of nature, for al-
ready our seed has produced a shoot, increased, grown, and brought
forth umbels and clusters. Let us give Him thanks for at His nod
our clouds have arisen and given timely rain that has made our field
more fruitful. Let us give Him thanks, for the harvesting of the
first seed is near, and the vintage approaches. For the field bris-
tles with awns, stalks and ears as if armed wj-th steel, and will soon
yield the expected heaps of corn, and the vine has given clusters that
will soon be turned into flowers and grapes.

O my son, give thanks to God who has deigned to bestow such won-
d e r ful secrets upon us. But I t e l1 y o u r my s o n , that u n le s s you fol-

low the light of nature, and him who has shown you those two matters,
you are close to error and straying. For what we have just called
the conversion of clouds in t o ra in , the a n c ie n t P h ilo s o p h e rs called
the tail of the dragon, and some said it meant multiplication and
others the addition of fresh lttercury, not having studied the works
of na ture correctly.

Some have called our earth water, and when they told us to water
our earth frequently, and even submerge it, they did not welt under-

stan d that this watering mu s t b e d o n e b y t h e n a t u ra l e x h a lat i o n s of

the e arth, and not by the a d d it io n o f f o re ig n wa t e rs ; n o r, although

aII the P hilosophers crie d it a lo u d , d id they u n d e rs t a n d t he i r words,

-r72-
Be careful not to submerge ou4 earth., lest the seeds perish in the

flo o d .

Th erefore, my sonr yo u s h o u ld b e c a re f u l. a n d f o llo w the lead of

nature in all things, and when you have seen a clearer red colour

as the sure sign of the fou::th. stqge when the ears e$ergef as we

said, apply the same heatr or a littl-e more, for the next four to

seven days and nights, so that attractive flowers swell out frorn the

ears and umbels, and show to what species they belong. For the sure

sign of those flowers will be a red rnineral colour. showing a met-

allic brilliance, and. the vapours that previously ascended in quan-

tity will be much diminish e d .

Considerr ffiy son, have you ever seen a flower of the field that

did not bear witness to its genus and species? Is not the rose known

by its flowers, and the eyebright by its? Therefore. will not a met-

allic red signify the flower of a metal, and promise that a metal is

to co me? Of course.

This is the sign of early summer, producing both flowers fr:om ears,

an d n ew ears from growin g s t e ms r B Dd wit h t h e c o n t in u e d h e at of JuIy,

the seed-forming operation, moving and setting in order, brings flow-

er s to perfection.

Come then, my son, when you see the flowers of plants and veget-

ables, they are a sure sign of, f:iuits and seed to come, according to

the course of nature (for we d o n o t speak of mo n s t e rs ); ra ise (tne

he a t) to that of a fine August, and after y o u r me t a llic f lo w e r s you

m ay b e sure of seeing the s e e d o f me t a ls a n d min e ra ls ; but do not

increase the heat much, only to that appropriate to the beginning of

Aug u st.

When you have seen the flowers of your crop appear, apply the same

-tt5-
h e a t with the cinders fo r t h re e d a y s a n d n ig h t s , a n d c o n v e rt what-

ever vapors you see ascend into rain, but not so copiously as to

destroy the flowers before the seeds have formed. On the fourth

day have clean washed sieved sand ready, heat it on a gentle fire,

and having taken the cinders out of the dish in the oven of your

athanor, put this sand into it, not too hot, and into this place

your glass vessel, not cold, but as hot as the sand, and surround

it with sand to the depth of its contents, and have three fingers'

de p th of sand beneath it.

' Having done this, heat the sand for one week, or until you see the

r ed of your material shi n e g o ld e n y e llo w, wit h v e ry lit t 1 e or no vap-

ou r r ising. When you se e t h is , g iv e thanks to G o d wit h h a nd s r a i s e d

to Heaven that late summer has given its fruit, and that your seeds

are furnished with stems, the two signs of this beingr Els we have

said, very litt1e exhalation of vapor, and an almost golden yellow

colo r in your material. B u t if s o me mo is t v a p o rs s t ill a rise , do

not be concerned. Do you not know that when fruit and seeds are

formed, they are not to be plucked at once, but that one must await

their ripening, which perfects them? Do not the figs formed in one

yea r ripen in the next? Do n o t g ra p e s , f o rme d in , J u n e r or sometimes

May, finally ripen in the month of September? Therefore restrain the

ha sti ness of your desire, fty son, a n d d o b re a k off t h e wo rk b e f o r e

it is perfectly ripe. Be patient and magnamimous, and await the de-

termined time.

COLLECTION OF THE SEED

Behold, my dearest son, your lo n g e d -f o r h a rv e s t a p p ro a c h e s .

-I 7 4 -
glad and give immortal thanks to immortal God, who allowed us to
understand these thingsr dnd directed my words to true and open

speech on the matter. And you, my son, adore Him as a suppliant,

so that when you begin the work, He may consent to show you those
two hidden mat,tersr so that you too, a student of this exalted philo-

sophy, IIIdY be worthy to come to the precious banquets of this sec-

ret feast, and be able to pluck the golden apples of the Hesperides
in tht garden of Tantalus, having firstr ds the fables warn us, put
the watchful dragon to sleep.

But since the garden is surrounded by a solid wall, how will you
enter? How will you recognize the tree that bears the golden apples?
How will you pruck them? o my dearest son, do you not see that the
garden has been made on a high and barren mountain, whose bottom part
is ever loud with the warring powers of discordant winds, where a kind
of insatiable chaos nurtures the perpetual fight of heat and cold,
and the middle part contains red and black dragons, that war contin-
uaIly with the insatiable chaos and the winds, and when the fury of
the red dragons has been increased by the stimulation of contrary
winds, they perish in their own heat, and chaos receives their corpse?
Nor does the eternal battle ever cease, for once the red dragons
have died, black ones succeed them, that blaze up and take fire with
their fury, and when they die like the red dragons, others at once
follow, as !.te said. And this battle never finishes, for chaos and
th e winds never cease, no r d o t h e b la c k d ra g o n s ever la c k issue.
Th e lord and guardian of t h e mo u n t a in , c o n q u e rin g the offspring of
the black dragons, enters t h e mid d le of t h e mo u n t a in at c e rt a i n times.
The mountain peak appears in three different ways during a single
year , for in winter it blazes up like l'lount Etna with hot sparks, in

-r75-
spr in g, the fire being f irs t e x t in g u is h e d , it is f lo o d e d with stag-

nant hot waters and reedy marshes. fn sunner, when the hot waters

have been completely absorbed, there are lrarm ashes here, which are

sometimes so hot that you might believe they are being burned by

w i nterrs fire. In autu mn t h e a s h e s in t h e ir t u rn d is a p p e a r , and

fine sand, very hot, sometimes to red heat, takes their place, which

I ta ke to be the remains r or at le a s t the base, of those hot stag-

nant waters of spring.

It is in this mountain, rny son, that I think you will see the

royal gardens of the Hesperides, where there are golden and silver

r ose s, and golden and s ilv e r o ra n g e s , b e a rin g t h e ir f ru it each year.

However, the way to this garden is difficult, to enter more diffic-

ult still and to pluck the golden and silver apples by far the most

difficult of all.

For the mountain's practice is to admit no one except in the cold

of w inter. A pproach the re f o re in win t e r t ime , and do not shiver in

the cold, for you will h a rd ly b e a b le to bear the heat of the fire

that is at the entrance to the garden. On the summit of the moun-

tain you will also see a high tower guard.ing the garden, with two

ramparts that are all ablaze. You must be willing to enter the gar-

den, especially to tame the bulls breathing fj-re through their nos-

trils, and pass through the fiery ramparts. It may be achieved with

gr e a t labour and loss of t ime . It is c e rt a in ly s u c h a g re at task

th a t you will not be able t o p a s s b e f o re the end of win t e r. More-

over, danger from the flames of the huge fires and the heat threat-

en s greatly.

At this entrance are to be acquired the medicines that Medea gave

to Jason when he tried to enter t h e g a rd e n in f o rme r t ime s . But if,

-1 7 6 -
de a r son, you cannot find t h is me d ic in e , wo rk d ilig e n t ly to find a

way to pass unharmed through the fortifications mentioned, for if

you pass them by without going through them, you will never be able

to enter the garden.

But I was seized by great lust and desire for the garden, and

when I saw that I could not pass through the flames unscathed, I

was unwilling to leave, e*pecting someone to come who would tell me

h o w to passr oE that pe-h a p s the heat of the f ire wo u ld le ss e n . Now

nobody came to me, and bye and bye winter ended at the entrance, and

behold, suddenly there r'rras a great commotion in the tower, and the

flames began to diminish, and shortly afterwards they were exting-

uished, and the tower and the ramparts were partly swallowed up.

When this occured, dt that very moment when the tower stood still,

I ran towards the garden, somewhat astonished at what I had seen

happening.

When I had got near the garden f was prevented from entering it

by hot stagnant waters everywhere, for the garden was in the middle

of the hot stagnant waters, surrounded by a hard transparent wall,

and the garden and the waters themselves were surrounded by a brick

wall. However, I saw three narrow steps in a footpath, whereby there

was hope of access, so I began to follow it without delay, and the

brick wall opened for me. When I was on the fj.rst step a certain

evil-smelling and offensive rottenness forced me to delay.

The heat was also conducive to putrefaction, nevertheless, when

I fi nally overcame itrit gave access to the s e c o n d a n d t h ird steps,

upon each of which something occured to hinder me; but when I began

to think I was near the garden, the mountain was suddenly shaken by

a tremor, the waters were swallowed up, and a deep ditch around the

-r77 -
 br ick wall was left, the b o t t o m o f wh ic h wa s s e e t h in g a ll oyer with

hot ashes. Three lines of channels i.rere around the ga,rden in the

m id d le of the ashes, of d if f e re n t heatsr So that t h e o n e n ea r e s t the

garden was much hotter than the others. f struggled, however, until

I reached the bank of the third channel, when the mountain was again

shaken by a tremor, and covered in a dark layer of ashes, then hot

sand appeared in their place, surrounding the garden on aII sides

in a single heap.

At this r began to have great hope that the end of my toil was

near, and it, soon happened, for as I was looking from the heap at

th e beautiful flowers in t h e g a rd e n , I s a w ma n y wo n d e rf u l things, of

which it is not proper to speak, and I was astonished and feII into

such a stupor that an old man who had entered the garden could scar-

cely rescue me from it. I also saw that he had seven keys in his

hand, with which I thought he then opened the locks of the doors,

while I stood amazed on the mound.

' Th is venerable old m a n t h e n 1 e d me t o a t re e of g o ld e n ap p l e s ,

near which a dragon that had been recently kilted lay dead, and the

g o ld e n apples were staine d wit h h is b lo o d . My s o u l b u rn e d w i t h des-

ir e to pluck the golden a p p le s . T h e o ld ma n , re c o g n iz e d t hi s , looked

at m e calmIy and said. L a y a s id e , my s o n , the e n t ic e me n t s of earthly

d e sir e s, for these fruits a re g iv e n o n ly to those of d iv in e disposit-

io n . A t his words f sho o k a ll o v e r, for I had not h e a rd s uc h a v o i c e

be for e , and at it I beca me a s it we re c h a n g e d , a n d it s e e med t o m e

tha t I understood many m o re t h in g s .

His appearance also s e e me d t o me t o change to s o me t h in g else aug-

u st and terrible, and I re c o g n iz e d h im a s t h e lo rd of the ga r d e n , not

the gardener. S uddenly I wa s g re a t ly a f ra id that my ra s h n e s s in thinl

ing that I could ever furtively enter the garden of so great a lord
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would be punished. But whil-e I was anxiougly turning these things

o ve r in my mind, hel-d b y f e q r, d e s ire and hope, he put out his hand

and plucked some golden apples, and looked at me and the. apples by

tur n s said, This is the g a rd e n o f g o o d f o rt u n e a n d wis d o m t h a t we

planted for the delight of men; to keep out wild beasts we surround

it by a strong wall; and when $te saw that men sought it by fraud

and guile, we allowed no intelligent beings to enter, unless they

w er e the just, pure, ho n e s t a n d g o o d wh o r we h a d a t t ra c t e d ourself;

and if we judge them to be constant we bring them here after nany

la b o u rs, and send them g e n t ly a wa y . e n ric h e d b y g if t s of t hi s kind.

So saying he gave me the apples

falling down before him, took up w:

as I could, and hid in my bosom, r<

ing to render him the thanks that :

is not the endr my son, but fo1low

where the golden apples that requi:

the dragon had been washed and purified; he took a certain white

sparkling powder from a wooden box and gave me some, saying, This

is the powder that cleanses all stains, and revives the dead, gor

an d hide it secretly, p u rif y t h e b e s mirc h e d (a p p le s ) wit h fire and

this powder, cultivate your earth, and sow the purified (seed) and

it w ill grow, and your e a rt h will y ie ld y o u mu c h f ru it .

With these words he disappeared from my sight. I was amazed and

astonished and when I had come to my senses I thought I had been rou-

sed from a dream, and tired and weary as if from a long journey and

m u ch labour, I felI j-nt o b e d , a n d it wo u ld a ll h a v e s e e me d l i k e a

dream to me, except that I held the golden apples and the powder in

my hand, and remembered all that had been said so exactly. But

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whether I truly entered the garden, or whether I was carried thither

in a visionr or whether I s a w it in a d re a m, b le s s e d b e His n a m e f o r

ever Who saw fit to open to me the great mysteries of nature, and

did not withhold His gifts from me. an unworthy sinner. Praised,

blessed and exalted be Father Son and HoIy Spirit, one God for ever

and ever, Amen.

CO NCL US
I ON

' You have, ily son, the whole process of our work, without any

abridgement or any superfluity, rendered in an accomplished style of

narration. Prepare your heait, therefore, that you may find favour

in the sight of God, for it is the gift of God, partaking of the

myst,ery of the oneness of the HoIy Trinity. O most famous science,

that is the theater of universal nature, and its anatomy, earthly

astrology, argument for the omnipotence of God, testimony to the

r e su r r ection of the dead , e x a mp le o f the re mis s io n of s in s , infa}l-

ible foreshadowing of the judgement to come, and. mirror of eternal

b le ssedness.

There is no undertaking more excellent than this, seeing that it

contains and embraces all the sciences, and is itself contained by

n o n e of them. To your in e f f a b le l{ a je s t y , b e g iv e n e v e rla s t i n g thanks

praise and benediction, for You have not hidden your favours from me,

You have revealed to me t h e my s t e rie s of t h is s e c re t a rt , therefore,

b le ssed by Y our name for e t e rn a l ages. A me n .

Th e foolish man will not re c o g n iz e it , nor the s imp le t o n un d e r s t a n d

it, S ugor to the P arrot , hay to t h e Co w.

E ND
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