Page 16 - Compound of Compounds

She obtains by this process a pure Mercury, completely devoid of its earthy
substance and containing no heterogeneous parts. Then she unites it with a pure
Sulphur and produces at last in the bosom of the earth pure and perfect metals. If the
two principles are impure the metals are imperfect. Consequently, in the mines we find
different metals, owing to the variable purification and digestion of their principles. It
depends on coction.

Of Arsenic

Arsenic is of an identical nature to Sulphur and both tinge in red and in white. But
there is more humidity in arsenic, and by fire it sublimates slower than Sulphur.

We know how Sulphur sublimes quickly and consumes all the bodies, except for
gold. Arsenic can unite its dry principle to that of Sulphur, they temper one another
and once united, they are hard to separate. Their tincture was made milder by this
union.

“Arsenic”, states Geber, “contains a lot of Mercury, also may it be prepared like
it”. Know that the spirit hidden in Sulphur, Arsenic and animal oil is called by the
philosophers the White Elixir. It is unique, miscible with the igneous substance, from
which is extracted the Red Elixir; according to our experience, it unites to the melted
metals and purifies them, not only because of its aforesaid properties, but also because
there is a common ratio between its elements.

The metals differ amongst themselves by the purity or impurity of the first matter,
viz. of Sulphur and Mercury and also by the degree of the fire that generated them.

According to the philosopher, the elixir is named Medicine as well , for the
assimilation of the bodies of the metals to the bodies of the animals. We also affirm
that there is a spirit concealed in Sulphur, Arsenic and the oil extracted from animal
substances. Here is the spirit that we seek and by its aid we will tinge all the imperfect
bodies into perfect ones. This spirit is called Water and Mercury by the Philosophers.
“Mercury”, states Geber, “is a medicine composed of the dry and the moist, the moist
and the dry”. You understand the order of the operations: extract earth from fire, air
from earth, water from air, seeing that water can resist fire. Pay heed to these
teachings for they are universal arcana.

None of the principles that enter into the Opus has any power in itself, for they are

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