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Mercury, whenas all such ways indeed are but Sophisms; and yet Mercuryso abused is one and the same vulgar Mercury.So that upon this Rock more have stumbled than upon any other, & yet willstumble, till they know how to distinguish our Mercury from Common, andour preparations from that of the vulgar Sophisters, which have no likenessone to another.But Mercury, without which nothing being is.For our Mercury is Essential and Radical to our Body, and partakes of thenature of it intirely, and therefore it is said to be that Mercury withoutwhich nothing is; for all things are distinguished by Philosophers by threePrinciples (although some Simples have not three, but only by Analogy)among which the most essential is Mercury, for the humidity of all thingsconcrete is called their Mercury, which is most intire to all things,forasmuch as all things owe their beginning unto Water.So then as the proper specifick Mercury of all things is so Essential untothem that nothing is without it, so our Mercury is so co-substantial with ourBody, that it is one in kind with that Mercury of which it was bycoagulation concrete, which vulgar Mercury is not, and therefore the Bodyis incrudate by this Mercury, and sends forth its Seed by mixture with it,through the co-operation of requisite temperate external heat.All Philosophers record and truly fain the same.Truly this I could confirm by infinite Testimonies of Philosophers, sincethere never wrote any who was indeed a true Artist, but he hath affirmedthe same: Geber, Artephius, Haly, Rotinus, Flammel, Sendivogius, theAuthor of the Rosary, Trevisan, with many others, which would be verytedious to name.So that indeed this Work of mine I wrote not because enough hath not beenwritten before; for I do but echo to the Voice of all Philosophers, who haveleft upon record such clear Testimonies of the co-operation of Art andNature herein, that if Wit were capable of this attainment, the Art wouldhave been common ere now; and I do verily admiringly adore the Wisdomof God herein, that an Art so true, so natural, so easie, so much desired andsought after, should yet be so rarely found, that the generality of Men,Learned and Unlearned, do laugh at it as a Fable: it is therefore mostcertainly the Gift of God, who is and ever will be the Dispenser of it,according to his good pleasure.32