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So resolve our Stone must be used, I thou intend to have it putrefie kindly;our Wheel for Putrefaction must go round, in a constant Elevation orExtraction of the Water or Humidity from the Body, by which Operationour Man the Sun is helped in his acting; and this Water must as constantlyreturn to the Earth, to moisten it, by which the Woman the Moon is helpedin her acting.And then with Water we must it keel,That so to rotting we may being it weel.Between these two various Operations which one and the same Fireproduceth, our Body is both heated and cooled, his sweat is drawn forthand returned upon him again, by the which means it is triturated, ground,softned, and made weak even unto death; and dying, it rots and putrefies,changing colours from one into another, until at the length it becomes blackas Ink or Pitch, which is our Toad, our Crow, our Tomb filled withrottenness, our Golgotha or place of dead bones, our Terra foliata or Earthof Leaves.For now in wet, &c.To be shall cause it soon to putrefie.And so shall thou bring to rotting thy Gold,Intreat thy Bodies, &c.And in thy putrefying with heat be not too swift,Lest in the Ashes thou seek after thy thrift.Our Operation then, saith Morien, is noting else but extracting Water fromthe Earth, and returning it again upon the Earth, and returning it again uponthe earth, so long and so often till the Earth putrefie; for by elevation of themoisture the Body is heated and dried, and by returning it again it is cooledand moistned, by the continuation of which successive Operation, it isbrought to corrupt and rot, to lose its form, and for a season to remain asdead.This is the true intention and manner of our working, and there is no othermanner of working that can be invented, that can give thee the effect of thisour Operation; for this is the true way and means by which thy Body ofGold will be destroyed, and no other way profitable for our Art: Proceedtherefore as I have directed thee, and swerve not either to the right hand orto the left. Take this Body which I have shewed thee, and joyn it with theSpirit which is proper to it, which the Wise men have called their Venus, orGoddess of Love, and circulate these two Natures one upon the other, untilthe one have conceived by the other.166