Hermetic Philosophy and Alchemy - A Bardon Companion

variety, and returning into herself manifestly the life and all phenomena which she as constantly
supplies, the great Identity is as herself unchanged;
Et, quanto illa magis formas se vertet in omnes,
Tanto, nate, magis tenacia vincla (37).
Adepts have taken advantage of the mutable nature of their subject, to baffle the blind searcher, as well
to confound false premises as to led the intelligent to a discovery of the simple truth; and where we
find them speaking confusedly of elements, colors, and operations, it is very requisite to bear in mind
the idiosyncracy of their ground, and that it is to the qualities and changes which take place during the
preparation, and multiplying the Mercury by its proper Light, they allude, and not to any superficial
phenomena or those elements which the moderns have so triumphantly decomposed. The three
principles, the Salt, Sulfur, and Mercury, are merely different as modes of being of the same thing, and
the many names arising out of the action and passion of these, do but indicate the stages of progress
and development, as of a tree, which with its leaves, trunk, flowers, buds, fruit and branches, all
differing, is nevertheless one individual, of one original, and of one root.
In the common estate, as the Spirit is in nature, said to be everywhere, it is called a thing vile and
cheap; in its perfectly prepared form, a medicine the most potent and precious in the whole world; and
the intermediate stages partake of the predominance of either extreme; being sublimed at first, it is
called a serpent, dragon, or green lion, on account of its strength and crude vitality, which putrefying,
becomes a stronger poison, and their venomous toad; which afterwards appearing calcined by its
proper fire, is called magnesia and lead of the wise; which again dissolving, becomes their vitriolic
solvent and most sharp acetum; and this afterwards is changed into an oil, which, whitening, is called
milk, dew, quintessence, and by may other names; until raised to the final perfection, it is henceforth a
phoenix, salamander, their royal essence and Red Stone.
Our great Elixir most high of price,
Our Azot, our Basiliske, and our Adrop, our Cockatrice.
Some call it also a substance exuberate,
Some call it Mercury of metalline essence,
Some limus derti from his body evacuate,
Some the Eagle flying fro’ the northwith violence,
Some call it a Toade for his great vehemence,
But few or none at all doe name it in its kinde,
It is a privy quintessence; keepe it well in minde (38).
Some speaking of it thus in metaphor, others in abstract terms, and all ambiguously; one regarding
only certain properties, which another as entirely passes by, now describing in the natural state, then in
its purified condition, or otherwise in any one of the intermediate stages through which it passes,
without note of order in the art; altogether it passes, without note of order in the art; altogether it is by
no means wonderful that so many erroneous conclusions have arisen respecting it, ingenuity having
been rather directed to obscure than reveal the truth, which indeed can hardly be well conceived,
without an insight into the experimental ground. And there are other difficulties which beset an
exoteric theory of occult science, and inconsistencies will continually appear betwixt the sound of
alchemical writings and their true sense, until the initial ground is understood. Practice in the
beginning is required, therefore, to interrogate and discern, from amongst so many shadowy
representatives, the true light. Constantly holding in mind the simplicity of the Substance, whence
these images are all derived, we may nevertheless be enabled to thread in comparative security this
Hermetic labyrinth of birds and wild beasts: and when Geber says, that the thing which perfects in
minerals, is the substance of argent vive and sulfur, proportionally commixt in the bowels of clean
inspissate earth (39); or Sendivogius, that the matter of the metals is twofold (40);or Lully, or Ripley,
or Basil, calls it a third thing; we shall not understand them, or any others so speaking, as of a variety