Page 31 - Scottish Alchemists

opere, and this I conioyne with one of sol in secundo opere, and so Luna is
his medium coniungendi betwixt crud mercury and Sol, and heerof cometh
three Mercuries, to wite, the first which is Mercurius crudus, and is called
Mercurius frigidus, acetum, Mercurius Mineralis, the seconde which is
Luna dissolved in crud mercury ad albedinem, and this is called Mercurius
tepidus, acetum acerrimum, Mercurius vegetabilis, quia Luna est planta.
The third, which is Sol dissolued in the seconde, is called Mercurius calidus,
Mercurius animalis. Farder, sayed he, the letle sipher table intituled
‘Medulla philosophiae Hermeticae,’ it is myne, for I made it. Also, he added
manie discourses, citinge texts out of Clangor Buccinae, Marsilius Ficinus,
Riplie, and Arnold, to proue the premises, and especially de terra nigra
oculosa, terra Hispanica; and in Comes Treuirensis, nostrum opus fit ex
vna radice (scilicet mercurio crudo) et duabus substantiis Mercurialibus
crudis; e minera sumptis (Luna et Sole). Farder, he sayed, that the variante
hewed glass that I did see was so ad intima litted with the stuffe wliich he
made in that same. glass. Farder, he spake de triplici usu lapidis after
Paracelsus: first, in transmutations of metals; secondly, in curinge diseases;
thirdly, it is Lapis Divinus for magicall vses. Now when I hard thir thinges
and had sayed vnto him, My Lord, that matter is marvailous, if you be sure
of the treuthe therof by practice. He answered with earnestness, in treuthe I
have practised it to the ende and made proiectione, and found it true. Againe
when I demanded him how it fortuned that he did not multiplie his stuffe and
keeped the same; he answeared, I laiked crud mercury without which it can
not be multiplied againe. Vpon the 9 of Nouember I conferred with him
againe, anainte some doubtes, quod fons trahit Regem et non Rex fotem, and
so doeth aqua Regis, but vulgar Mercurie contrarily, non trahit Solem, sed
Sol eum. He answeared that whatsoeuer vulgar mercury or crud mercury
doe, yeat this mercury philosophicall of crud mercury and silver will instantly
drink up gould, and drawe it in, initio secundi operis. Then I demanded,
when should the second worke begine, and what was the signe befor punctus
periculosus, he answeared that after perfite whitnes in opere primo, ther
walde appear in ane instant parvus circulus capillaris circa materiam ad
latera vasis subcitrinus, then instantly ferment with limell of goulde, and it
will presently eate up all the gould, and that circle will evanishe, but if you
staye longer in fermentinge, the worke will become all citrine, and mor drye
then that it can dissolue the goulde, for the gould must be sowen in terram
albam foliatum. Then I demanded what terra alba foliata was, he
answeared that in prima albedine, the matter of mercurie and luna became
lyke the smal skales of ane fishe; when I remembered that my father shew
me that he made ane worke which became terra alba foliata, most lyke the

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