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all things are turned into their confused Chaos, or first Matter, in which theElements with their qualities are hurried together.One in Gender they be, and in Number two,Whose Father is the Sun, and the Moon the Mother;The mover is Mercury: These and no more beOur Magnesia, our Adrop, and none otherThings here be, but only Sister and Brother:That is to mean, Agent and Patient,Sulphur and Mercury co-essential to our intent.The cause of this is the Homogeneity of the matter, wherein they agree inessence, together with the difference which is between them in Sex, theybeing in the Glass as Male and Female; and in ripeness of years one beingmore mature, and by consequent more active, (to wit, the Sun, whotherefore is the Father) the other more crude (in comparison of the Sun) andso more passive, viz. the Moon, which therefore is the Mother of our Stone.This Mother is our Mercury (which for its eminent difference from anyother Mercury, is called the Moon) with its internal true Sulphur, which ishidden under its Mercurial form, doth first move; for at first our Body,which is Gold, is dead, and liveth not till it be quickned by our Mercury,then it lives: it behooveth thee then to put in thy Body and thy Water, andlet them stand together, and add nothing to them. This Composition dulymade we call our Magnesia, and our Adrop, and nothing entreth, neitherPowder nor Liquor, save only these two species, which species are theperfect Body and Argent vive.These two sprung out of one Root, for as I told you, the Soul of thyanimated Mercury is perfect true Gold, yet volatile, which by Art may bemade to appear in a fixed form: so then we joyn Consanguinity withConsanquinity, Brother with Sister, and make them become together Manand Wife. These two by continual Fire do act and re-act, the Woman first,and then the man, several, which then are joined and make oneHermaphrodite, acting one half of each Circulation as a Woman or Spirit,and the other half as a Man or Body.For each of the two principles have a Sulphur and a Mercuriality; the Goldor Body hath its Sulphur external and apparent, the Mercury the Spirit hathit internally hidden, yet both these are co-essential to each other, and in thatrespect they are the only subjects in the World for our Art.Between these two in quality contrarious.Ingendred is a mean most marvelous,Which is our Mercury and Menstrue unctuous;Our secret Sulphur working invisibly,99