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thy Majesty for ever for the same. More, O my Father and Lord, I neither can, nor am able to desire in this perishing
World.
[ANTIMONY, ITS ORIGINAL AND ROOT]
Now, that we may write of Antimony, and begin our Discourse from the very Foundation, whence Antimony acquires
its Empire, Triumph and Glory, by which it is exalted to perfect Operation, we must before all Things discover the
certain Original of its Root: how it is generated in the Earth, to the Dominion of what Stars it is subjected, and what
Elements have throughly digested it, and which tehy be, that have brought it to Maturity. Antimony is no other than a
Fume, or (as I may otherwise call it) a Mineral Vapour, which is genited from above by the Stars, and afterward by
the Elements deduced and digested to formal Coagulation and Maturity. Here it is to be noted, that Antimony hath
acquired its Essence, Virtue, Power, Operation and Quality, from the same Principle, Root and Essence, whence
Vulgar Mercury is produced; yet with more firm Coagulation, so that it is brought to an harder Essence, than the
living or running Mercury of the Vulgar hath. The Reason of this is, because it hath assumed from the three
Principles, a little more of the Substance of Salt, than Common Mercury. For although of all the three Principles, it
hath the least part of Salt, yet it hath assumed more of the Essence of Salt, than common Mercury, whence unto it
hath happened such a Coagulation. Hardness in everything is from Salt, which vulgar Mercury hath not. For it hath a
very small part of Salt, but in it, in a spiritual manner, is insited a certain more hot Spirit of Sulphur; therefore it
always flows, and cannot be brought to Coagulation, unless by the help of other Metallick Spirits, which endued
with a very great Virtues, are chiefly found in the Matrix of Saturn, without which it cannot be fixed, unless by him,
who possesseth the Stone of Philosophers, by which its three Principles may be brought to a concordant Equality,
and then it acquires such a Body, as will melt, flow, and abide the Hammer, like all other Metals: other wise Mercuy
is and will be fluid Mercury, until its volatility be this way taken away. [MERCURY, NOT FIXED BY ANIMALS
AND VEGETABLES] Hence it is known, that all Animals and all Vegetables are too weak to fix Mercury into a
malleable Substance (as many have in vain endeavoured) because all these have not a Metallick Nature.
[MERCURY, WITHIN AND WITHOUT MERE FIRE] Mercury, within and without, is no other than meer Fire;
therefore it is not combustible by any Fire, no Fire can apprehend it so, as to alter its Essence, but it suddenly flies
and resolves itself into a incombustible Oil Spiritually; [MERCURY UNVARIABLE AFTER FIXATION] or after
its fixation it remains so invariable, as no strength or power of men is sufficient again to alter it. And whatsoever can
now be made of Gold may then also be made of it by Art; because after Coagulation it is altogether like Gold: for it
with Gold hath one and the same Root, Stock, or Production originally.
But since I purpose not in this place to discourse more largely of Mercury, and intend only simply (yet truly) to
describe the very Foundation of Antimony, from true and certain Principles, I will cease to speak of Mercury, and
proceed to a further Declaration of Antimony. Yet, whatsoever I have proposed by way of Similitude touching
Mercury*, for an Introduction and further Consideration, is not written in vain, or to no purpose; but to the end, that
the very Beginning of Antimony may be more clearly understood, which (as I before shewed) received its original,
as it were Mercurially, with it.
*Which so miserably perplexeth all the Students of this Art: what our Mercury is, which is the Matter of the Stone,
which is found every where and in all Things, is here briefly and clearly manifested. Therefore our Author Basilius
doth not in Vain invite your Attention. All the Light I am able to add to this Clearness, would rather obscure, than
illustrate the same: therefore, with him, I admonish you to attend.
[MATTER, OF ALL METALS AND MINERALS, ONE]
Wherefore most diligently think on this; often bear in mind, observe and understand, that all Minerals and Metals
together, in the same Time, and after the same manner, and of one and the same principal Matter, are produced and
genited. That Matter is no other, than a meer Vapour, which is extracted from the Elementary Earth by the Superior
Stars, as by a Sidereal Distillation of the Macrocosm: which Sidereal hot infusion, with any Airy-Sulphureous
Property descending upon Inferiors, so acts and operates, as in those Metals and Minerals is implanted spiritually
and invisibly a certain Power and Virtue, which Fume afterward resolves itself in the Earth, into a certain Water,
from which Mineral Water all Metals are thenceforth generated and ripened to their Perfection; and thence proceeds
this or that Metal or Mineral, according as one of the three Principles acquires Dominion, and tehy have much or
little of Sulphur and Salt, or an unequal Mixture of the weight of them, whence some Metals are fixed; that is, some
constant and stable, some volatile and easily mutable, as is seen in Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, Tin and Lead. Besides
these Metals, other Minerals also are generated of the three Principles, according to the Communication and
Participation of the unequal weight of them: as are Vitriol, Antimony, and many other Marchasites, or other
Electrums, and Minerals, which for brevity sake we here omit.
But Gold, in its Astrum and Beginning was imbibed with a much more perfect Sulphur, and a much more perfect
Mercury, than all other Metals and Minerals, and therefore its operative Virtue is much more potent and more
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