Page 29 - Book of Crates

require the life of it in order to be able to resist the action of fire:
thanks to it the metallic bodies solidify and form themselves into
ingots.”

Addressing myself then to the firmament of Venus, I said to her, “I
return thanks to your creator. This unique nature which vivifies the
bodies thus and who allows them to fight against fire, is this the gum?”

“Yes,” she answered, “it is the gum, not the gum of the vulgar, but
a purified, imperishable gum.”

“I want,” I retorted, while addressing myself to Venus, “to make
those who are ignorant of its secret, know this substance clearly. How
can you say a similar thing about lead, whereas all books teach us that
it is necessary to transform it into a volatile spirit? You did not
understand the words of Democritus, in the passage of his book,
therefore: ‘If he hopes to get what he searches for.’ If it were not thus,
he would have said: ‘Lead, mixes it and tests it in bubbling fusion.’ Do
not make him say false things.”

Then Venus added: “If you wish that I tell more of it to you, leave
by the South door, by which you entered, and go into my home.”

I left by the South door and I met a great number of women. Some
were entering into the home of Venus, others leaving from it. There
were some that sold jewelry, others that bought some and others finally
who manufactured some. It seemed to me that I was in a highly
frequented bazaar. I was surprised at the quantity of jewelry that was
the subject of the traffic, whose major part consisted in bracelets,
coloured of mixed purple, and in which had been set some stones. After
having examined all of these, I also saw women’s caskets of various
colours, formed of gold and precious stones, and a number of rings,
also decorated with precious stones and pearls.

This being done, I headed towards the home of Venus and I entered
there. This residence was such that a description could not be made of
it. Venus was in the middle of the sanctuary, her beauty challenged all
description, and she was decorated with much jewelry, as I had never

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