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And as the Key of all our Operations is Separation, so the Key to it is ourtrue Mercury, truly prepared and proportioned as it ought to be. Now theproportion of thy Water, is in reference to its internal additional Sulphur,which is added by the PhilosopherAnd as the Key of all our Operations is Separation, so the Key to it is ourtrue Mercury, truly prepared and proportioned as it ought to be. Now theproportion of thy Water, is in reference to its internal additional Sulphur,which is added by the Philosopher; which is done by successive Eagles,which are made by our Philosophical Arsnick, the number of which oughtto be seven. The darkness vanishing, and the light appearing, after manyshowers, before the flight of each Eagle, our Water being thus actuated, isby Acuation purged, and then it becomes powerful in dissolving the Body,which will be done with a fewer number of eagles, or a greater, but with 7or 9 most desiredly.This actuated Water is also the Instrument which doth move the Gold toputrefie, which no other Agent in the World can do; for by this the Body isground, softened and mollified, the pores of it are softened, and the Sulphurinvisible is set at liberty, which causeth the Body to rot, change colours,and at length become black like unto melted Pitch.But if thou omit any of the number of Eagles, or fail in the goodness of thyArsnick, or err in the preparation of the Water with thy Arsnick, either inConjunction, or Purification, or Digestion, or any other errour, of whichexperience will warn thee, do not then expect that the most exact Regimenof heat of thy external Furnace will do the Work.Four Fires there be, which thou must understand,Natural, against Nature, unnatural also,And the Elemental, which doth burn the brand;These four Fires use we and no moe,Fire against Nature must do thy Body woe.It is our Dragon as I thee tell,Fiercely burning as the Fire in Hell.Now to give thee a touch concerning our Fire, which he that knows maywell be accounted a Master of our Secrets: We have indeed four Fires,which is one more than Artpehius numbred, which yet he intended toinclude. The most noble Fire is Natural, which is that which we seek tohave multiplied, and that is the Sulphur of Gold, or rather its FieryTincture; it is that which we seek for, and we use Mercury for Sol his sake.Our next Fire is our Fire against Nature, and that is the Fire of our Waterwhich is to be corrupted, and by this corruption Multiplication is made.124