Of the true first matter of Metalls. T
he first matter of Metalls is twofold, but the one cannot make a metall without the other. The first and principall is the humidity of the aire mixed with heat; and this the Philosophers called Mercury, which is governed by the beams of the Sunne, and Moon in the Philosophicall sea: the second is the dry heat of the earth, which they called Sulphur. But because all true Philosophers chiefly concealed this, wee will a little more cleerly explain it; especially the weight or poise, which being unknown, all things are spoiled. Thence it is, that many bring forth an abortive out of that which is good; for there bee some that take the whole body for the matter, or seed, or sperme; and some that take a piece, and all these go beside the right way. As for example, if any one should take the foot of a man, and the hand of a woman, and would by mixing these two together make a man, it were not possible to be done. For there is in every body a Center, and a place or the point of the seed or sperme, and is alwaies the 8200th. part, yea even in every wheat corne; and this cannot bee otherwise. For not the whole corne, or body is turned into seed, but only a spark, or some certain small necessary part in the body, which is preserved by its body from all excessive heat and cold. If thou hast eares, or any[Pg 10] sense, mark well what is here said, and thou shalt be safe, and out of the number not only of those who are ignorant of the place of the sperm, and endeavour to convert the whole corn into seed; but also of them all, who are employed in the fruitlesse dissolution of metalls, and are desirous to dissolve the whole of metalls, that afterwards by their mutuall commixtion they may make a new metall. But these men, if they considered the processe of Nature, should see that the case is far otherwise; for there is no metall so pure, which hath not its impurities, yet one more, or fewer then another. But thou, friendly Reader, shalt observe the first point of nature, as is abovesaid, and thou hast enough: but take this caution along with thee; that thou dost not seek for this point in the metalls of the vulgar, in which it is not. For these metalls, especially the gold of the vulgar, are dead, but ours are living, full of spirit, and these wholly must be taken: for know, that the life of metalls is fire whilst they are yet in their mines; and their death is the fire, viz. of melting. Now the first matter of metals is a certaine humidity mixed with warm aire, and it resembles fat water, sticking to every thing pure, or impure, but in one place more abundantly then in another, by reason the earth is more open, and porous in one place then in another, having also an attractive power. It comes forth into the light somtimes by it self, with some kind of covering, especially in such places where there was nothing that it could well stick to; it is known thus, because every thing is compounded of 3 principles: but in reference to the matter of metalls is but one, without any conjunction to any thing, excepting to its covering or shadow, viz. sulphur, &c.