THE NEW PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. A TREATISE CONCERNING THE TREASURE AND MOST PRECIOUS STONE OF THE PHILOSOPHERS. OR THE METHOD AND PROCEDURE OK THIS DIVINE ART ; WITH OBSERVATIONS DRAWN FROM THE WORKS OF ARNOLDUS, RAYMONDUS, RHASIS, ALBERTUS, AND MICHAEL SCOTUS, FIRST PUBLISHED BY JANUS LACINIUS, THE CALABRIAN, WITH A COPIOUS INDEX. The Original Alpine Edition translated into English. ICtmiimt : JAMES ELLIOTT and CO., Temple Chambers, Falcon Court, Fleet Street, E.C. ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS. PAGE. Preface to the English Translation vii. The Epigrams of Pierius Rosf.us and Hippolytus Fantolius Delphicus i The Greeting of Janus Lacinius, the Calabrian Minorite Friar ... 4 Nuncupatory Discourse... ... ... 8 A Form and Method of Perfecting Base Metals, by Janus Lacinius... 21 The New Pearl of Great Price ... 49 The Epistle of Bonus ... ... ••• 298 Extracts made by Lacinius from the Works of Arnoldus de Villa Nova 305 Epitome of the Work of Raymondus Lullius 35 ° Extracts from the Light of Lights by Rhasis ... ••• 3^5 Extracts from Albertus Magnus, S. Thomas, and other Sages ... ... 389 Curious Investigation concerning the Nature of the Sun and Moon, from Michael Scotus ... ... ••• 4*7 Analytical Table of Contents ... 429 V - PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION. WO features of special interest Ferrara, and edited by Janus Lacinius. I n the first place, it is one of the earliest works printed on alchemy, and the original is a very beautiful specimen of typography. Concerning the latter point, it is only necessary to say that it was issued from the press of Aldus, ap- pearing in 1 546. with the privilege of Pope Paul III. and the Senate of Venice for the space of ten years. This edition is, of course, exceedingly rare, and is highly prized by collectors. In the second place, it is a very clear, method- ical, and well-reasoned treatise, com- paring favourably in these respects with the bulk of alchemical literature. A reader who is unacquainted with alchemy attach to the “ Pearl of Great Price,” as written by Bonus of viii. The New Pearl of Great Price. will probably not appreciate these points, but any one who, like the present editor, has had occasion to become widely familiar with Hermetic authors, will do honour to the lucidity of Bonus. Concerning the adept himself, no biographical materials whatsoever are forthcoming, nor, as in most other cases, is there even a legend to fall back on. He is supposed to have been a native of Lombardy, and to have performed his alchemical labours at Pola, a maritime town of Istria, about 1330. He is some- times described as Bonus of Ferraria,* and on this and other grounds Tira- boschi t identifies him with the “monk Ferarius,” who about the same period * And also of Traguria in Dalmatia, Mantua, and other places. tStoria della Letturatura Italiana, Tom. V., Part I., p. 332. This work attacks Lenglet du Fresnoy, the his- torian of alchemy, as an inexact writer, but Tiraboschi had no acquaintance whatsoever with alchemy, and does not seem to have read the authors whom he endeavours to identify. Imaginative persons might, perhaps, be more inclined to question the equivocal name of Janus, the Calabrian Minorite Friar, and to suspect that his master Bonus was possibly his alter ego. Preface to the English Translation, ix. produced two treatises, namely, De JLapide P kilo sophor tan and Thesaurus Philosophies , which are printed in the Theatrum Chemicum. A comparison of these works, which, unlike the Pretiosa Margarita , are exceedingly obscure, and have been at no time esteemed by students,* does not seem to justify this course. The original manuscript upon which the monk of Calabria laboured, does not seem to have been published. The work which is attributed to Bonus, under the title of Introductio in Divinam Chernies Artem Integrant , which ap- peared in quarto at Basle, and is reprinted * Nous avons aussi le Traite du Moine Efferari ou Ferrari, mais ce dernier est peu lu par les connoisseurs : quoiqu'au milieu de beaucoup d’obscurite on y trouve quelques rayons de lumiere, mais qu’il faut y savoir decouvrir. On le croit de la fin du treizieme siecle, ou du moins du commencement du quatorzieme, parce qu’en citant Geber, La Tourbe, et le solitaire Morien, il ne dit pas un mot d’Arnaud de Villeneuve, ni de Raymond Lulle ; e’etoient cependant deux grands maitres, qui meritoient bien d'etre citees, s’il avoit vecu apres eux . — Histone de la Philosophie Hermetique . — It may also be noted that these authors are not cited by Bonus, who quotes incessantly, but at the same time from a very limited circle of the most ancient Sages. 2 A x. The New Pearl of Great Price. in the Thcatrum Chemicum as well as in the collection of Mange tus, is simply the Pearl of Great Price * under another title ; but we have also Petri Boni de Secreto Omnium Secretorum Dei Dono Liber , in 8vo, Venitiis, 1564. The abridgment of the Pretiosa Margarita , made by Janus Lacinius, has received the reputation of fidelity on the faith of the editor’s claim, and, in the absence of the original, it would be neither wise nor benevolent to dispute it. It is, however, of unmanageable length, and abounds, after the fashion of the period, in prolix disquisitions upon side issues, so that in the present trans- lation it has been found necessary to abridge the abridgment, and to present the English reader with a faithful digest which omits nothing of importance, but presents it in an accessible form, by a * There are various editions of the Pretiosa Margarita Novella, under one or other of its titles— as, for example, that of Basle, 4to, 1572; that of A rgentoratum, 8vo, 1608 ; an 8vo is catalogued by bibliographers, without name of place, under date 1692. A German translation appeared at Leipsic, in 1714. Preface to the English Translation, xi. reasonable and patient pruning of mere repetitions and irrelevances. Those who are unskilled in the Latin that was written by alchemists will, it is hoped, take this statement on trust, and will ex- tend to the present editor the courtesy that was dispensed to Lacinius by bib- liographers like Lengletdu Fresnoy. On the other hand, the student who will be at the pains to compare this version with the Aldine original, will, it is also hoped, be justified in endorsing the claim. Arthur Edward Waite. EPIGRAM, Addressed to the Gentle Reader BY PlERIUS RoSEUS. T his work casts out cruel disease from the human body, disease produced by malignant humours ; and thus you are preserved. It will teach you how to regain the beautilul flower of youth, and how to secure a green and placid old age. All this may be yours, by the favour of the gods. Poverty will be triumphantly put to flight ; your treasure-house will be filled; you will be able to succour the needy, and to render the sacrifice of praise to great Jupiter. ANOTHER EPIGRAM, By the Same. Those who, for the sake of gain, have endured all manner of toil, our Calabrian bids be of a good heart. Do B 2 The New Pearl of Great Price. you love the goldmaker’s art ? Surprise and ecstasy are in store for you ! But if any man do not possess this book, let him not dream that he can attain anything. AN EPIGRAM IN HENDECASYLLABIC LINES, by Hippolytus Fantotius Delphicus, of Perusinus. I, the Divine Art, having long- suffered indignity at the hands of foolish impostors, lay sorrowing in thick dark- ness. Then did I imploringly beseech illustrious men of learning to pity my doleful plight, and to succour my distress ; but my suppliant hands were uplifted in vain. At last one of them was filled with compassion because of my moans and tears ; Lacinius flung wide my prison doors, and set a lordly crown on my head. By the flashing light of genius, he shewed to all what glorious rewards I had to bestow on my followers ; and every reader may see what stores of To the Gentle Reader. e> wisdom and learning I showered upon him. All the knowledge of Geber, of Bonus, and all which Raymond signified in so many books, the power of his genius focussed in one small treatise. W orthy of the highest honour is this illustrious Master, whose teaching - renders me accessible to all men. Janus Lacinius, the Calabrian Minorite Friar (of Psychronea), to the Gentle Reader sends greeting. T HE philosophers inform us that opposites belong to the same category, and therefore they throw light on each other by being brought into juxtaposition. The illustri- ous character of liberality and generosity only intensifies the disgrace of avarice and selfish greed. Those who know that life was bestowed on them for the sake of their friends and their country, whose years also are spent in the service of others, are worthy of the most dis- tinguished honour. Those, on the other hand, who, by the pride of life and the greed of gain, are led to bury their talents, and to turn a deaf ear to the appeals of justice and humanity, while they avariciously and relentlessly pursue their own selfish pleasure, are such vile, To the Gentle Reader. 5 abandoned, and harpy-like creatures that they are justly branded with the con- tempt and execration of mankind. The desipicable avarice of those who, so far from doing - any good with their money to others, do not even enjoy it themselves, by its hateful and repulsive want of social kindness sets off to the greatest advantage the overflowing generosity and liberality of opposite natures. Hence, after my return from Cisalpine Gaul to Padua, I was greatly attracted by a most lucid discourse of Bonus, a profound scholar of Ferrara, on the possibility and truth of the Alchemistic Art. Concerning this subject, he expressed himself with such profound, subtle, copious, and accurate learning that I cannot remember any obscure point which was not touched upon with unprecedented clearness and definiteness. This dissertation must be of the greatest utility, not only to ardent students of Alchemy, but even to its detractors. I should, therefore, be justly chargeable with meanness and illiberality if I refused to do all in my 6 The New Pearl of Great Price. power to make it accessible to the general public. Such an accusation 1 should be loth indeed to incur, and I have, therefore, arranged for the publication of the aforesaid memorable discourse of Bonus of Ferrara, together with copious extracts from the works of Raymondus Lullius, Arnold of Villanova, Michael Scotus, Rhasis, Albertus, and other men of light and leading. In this synopsis you will find nothing that is not profound, excellent, and positively re- liable. The Sages whom I have quoted possess so remarkable an insight into the nature of things, so abundant and in- credible a store of learning, that solemn importance attaches to every word they utter ; but it is my opinion that Bonus excels them all, and I am sure that the reader will agree with me when he sees the golden current of philosophy issue from his lips. He is more profound than all the rest in laying the foundations of his system, more subtle in his manner of expressing truth, more lucid in setting forth the secret working of Nature. It To the Gentle Reader. is my admiration for his genius that has induced me to describe his discourse as a “Pearl of Great Price.” The pearls which we find here are indeed precious, without an obscuring spot, but clear and pure, utterly unlike the writings of those who only embarrass and bewilder the enquirer by their dark and hopelessly perplexing phraseology. Our Bonus sheds noonday brightness where they dispense only darkness as of Egypt : he shews to all students not only the truth and possibility, but the actual necessity of our Art. His utterances I have, with great industry, collected, elucidated, and expurgated, and I here present them to the student in an accessible form. Accept my gift with a joy proportioned to its worth ; fold it close to your heart ; thank God for it ; read it diligently, day and night ; and accept my best wishes that it may lead you onward to success. If this book be well received, I intend to follow it up with an explanatory synopsis of all the works of Raymondus Lullius. Farewell. Nuncupatory Discourse, the Interlocutors being Lacinius and Bonus, of Ferrara. Bonus. It is both customary and right, O Lacinius, that those who have accomplished anything worth mentioning in any art or science should make known their discoveries to the world, in order that mankind at large may be benefited by them. This office I have not been able to perform for myself ; but as you have collected and studied my works, I earnestly hope that you will not suffer them to remain covered with the dust of forgetfulness, but that you will send me forth, in company with Arnold, Ray- mond, and others, to deliver my message to mankind. Lacinius. I will gladly do what you ask. But there is a time-honoured custom amongst authors of dedicating Nuncupatory Discourse. 9 their works to some Pope or Prince whose favour they wish to gain, or whose patronage they desire to acknow- ledge. To whom shall your book be dedicated ? Bonus. I am aware of the custom which you mention. Some adopt this device in order to save their work from the obscurity and neglect which they may have good reason to fear. Others, by placing the name of some illustrious person on the title-page, desire to safe- guard themselves against the supercilious carelessness of critics, who at once throw aside any book of which the author is as yet unknown to fame. Thus, in dedi- cating their writings to great men, most authors are impelled by motives of self- interest, for they know very well that their patrons will probably never so much as look at their production. For this and other reasons, I do not wish my book to be dedicated to either Pope or Prince. Lacinius. But are you not afraid of the insolence of the envious, the io The New Pearl of Great Price. abuse of the greedy, the sneers of sciolists, the calumnies of merchants — in short, the opposition of all who think that nobody is wise but themselves ? Will not their enmity shroud you in Cimmerian darkness ? Bonus. It is the nature of curs to bark, and they will do so while they live, especially when they see any one better than themselves. I do not care what fools say, but only what honest men, and what truth itself, may utter. Lacinius. But if I dedicate you to some illustrious Prince they will perhaps cease to bark. Bonus. You take too favourable a view of these men. If their mouths are filled with blasphemy against God, we cannot expect them to reverence any- thing. No, do not let any hope of propitiating them change your purpose. Lacinius. But, perhaps, a patron might reward me for my labour, and thus enable me to live. Bonus. So thought Aurelius Aug- urellus, who dedicated his work on Nuncapatory Discourse. 1 1 gold-making to Pope Leo X., and re- ceived from that prelate, whose gener- osity was well-known, a gown of green silk, the colour of hope. Lacinius. He was right. For how could he give anything more costly to a man who professed to be an adept in the art of gold-making ? Might I not at least shew my gratitude to some old and dear friends and benefactors by inscribing the work to them ? Bonus . By such a course you would be more likely to convert your friends into enemies. Do you not know that all who practise this art are very anxious to keep it a secret from the whole world ? Lacinius. Alas ! Is it, then, a profane pursuit ? Bonus. That is the opinion of the vulgar. But the art is sacred, and all its adepts are sanctified and pure. For “ men either discover it because they are holy, or it makes them holy.” Lacinius. That is not the opinion of the present age. People say that this 12 The Nezv Pearl of Great Price. art is unbecoming not only a godly but even an honest man. Bonus. And do you also echo the ignorant babble of the vulgar ? Lacinius. Would it were of the vulgar only ! But I know that it is the opinion of all classes, both high and low, learned and ignorant. Bonus. Can it be true ? Surely they must be thinking of those sophis- tical impostors who are a disgrace to our science. Such men are not philosophers, but thieves and robbers : between us and them there is all the difference of day and night, good and evil, God and mammon. But, nevertheless, by their wicked and shameless practices, they have succeeded in making our blessed Art a byword among the vul- gar. Yet it is essentially an art which can never become known to any but honest and god-fearing persons. Was not the inventor of this Art, the thrice-great Hermes, a person of signal sanctity ? Are there not among the professors of the great magistery holy Nuncupatory Discourse. 13 divines like John of Damascus, Albertus Magnus, S. Thomas, Roger Bacon, Haymon, Raymond, Godfrey, John, the most reverend Bishop of Ticina, Cardinal Garsia, Friar Helyas, Friar William, Friar Richard, Peter of Iliacum, Morienus, and many other monks, nay, as Vincentius, the historian, tells us, S. John the Evangelist himself? Of the latter it is said that when the two youths, who had given all their goods to the poor for the sake of Christ, were heavy at heart because they saw their slaves arrayed in gorgeous robes, while they themselves were poorly clad, he bade them bring him bundles of rods and pebbles from the seashore, and changed them all into pure gold. I his, however, I regard as a miracle, rather than a proof of our Art, for the substance was too unlike that which we use, and “one action does not make an artist.” But what shall I say of Raymond, whose life and genius are the admiration of all ? Raymond was first opposed to this magistery, and attempted to convince 14 The New Pearl of Great Price. Arnold de Villanova of its impossibility, but was himself overcome, not so much in argument as by the evidence of his senses. By this discomfiture, Raymond was induced to study the Art ; and when his search was crowned with success, he became the foremost champion of Alchemy, writing 500 volumes in its defence. He was also the first to dis- cover the method of evolving precious stones out of the metallic principles ; nay, he was able, not only to change lead into gold, but he transmuted gold into lead, and thus turned back the course of Nature. It is also related of him that he performed the almost in- credible task of transmuting a tiny bar of metal partly into gold, partly into silver, brass, tin, iron, and lead. Are these things of no account ? Are they absurd or ridiculous ? And is it not wicked and unworthy of a refined and cultivated mind to suppose that the knowledge and practice of our Art is un- becoming a religious and god-fearing man? If Paul wove tents, if Luke Nuncupatory Discourse. 15 painted, and Peter and John pursued the calling of fishermen, honest and useful work cannot be unworthy the attention of a godly person. Surely, it is more re- ligious to do something than to be idle ! Lacmius. Your argument is un- answerable, for you appeal to the practice of those whose words and deeds were the standard of truth, justice, faith, innocence, religion, and holiness for all mankind : as the sky is illumined with stars, so they were appointed as the lights of the world. Bonus. Why, then, are you so fear- ful of launching our little book without any dedicatory inscription ? Lacmius. I fear most that this book may make the matter too clear to the vulgar herd, thus bestowing God’s most precious earthly gift upon the wicked and undeserving, in defiance of the ancient precept. Bonus. That rule was more appli- cable to men of old than to our present state of Christian liberty. Heathen Sages might be fearful of spreading this 1 6 The New Pearl of Great Price. knowledge too commonly, but Christ has taught us the true use of riches — to relieve the wants of the poor and needy. Lacinius. Why, then, do our masters follow in the footsteps of the ancients, and predict ruin to mankind from the “profanation” of this mystery? John de Rupescissa conjures his readers not to make the Art known to the wicked and unbelieving, as such a course would ruin the Christian faith. Bonus. Do you imagine that the faith of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can be overthrown by these means ? H as it not always grown most rapidly, precisely where it has been most severely opposed ? But Christ Himself has given us a sovereign rule for our guidance in this matter : “ Freely ye have received, freely give.” What is the use of con- cealed diamonds, or a hidden treasure, to the world ? What is the use of a lighted candle if it be placed under a bushel ? It is the innate selfishness of the human heart which makes these Nimcupatory Discourse. 1 7 persons seek a pious pretext for keeping this knowledge from mankind. Lacinius. I know some men who are so jealous of the preservation of this secret that they will hardly read their own books, and would not for all the world allow any one else to look at them, just as if they feared that the Stone would at once leap forth from the book, if it were only opened, and that it would soon lie about in every gutter. These persons are such skinflints withal that they would rather remain in ignor- ance than spend a single penny in search of the Stone. I suppose they expect the knowledge to be showered down upon them from heaven. Surely we have reason to pray that such people may be delivered from their own blinding meanness and illiberality. Bonus. Would that a ray of Divine light might illumine the gross darkness of their understandings ! But I am afraid that their folly is past praying for. If indeed they could be brought to see that this world is under Divine rule and 1 8 The New Pearl of Great Price. governance, that no mortal can approach God but by God, that even the light cannot be perceived without light, they might come to understand that, without the special grace of God, this ineffable gift is not bestowed on any man. Lacinius. How can those harpies reply to that argument ? Bonus. They are in a state of frenzied ignorance, which prevents them from perceiving the difficulties of the task ; and so the Stone which they find is the Stone of Sisyphus. For “they are few whom Jupiter loves, or whom their manly perfection exalts to the stars.” When, indeed, the Stone is found, our friends, who now laugh and sneer at us, will be at a loss how to express their love. Lacinius. Alas, that this glorious and heavenly magistery should be re- garded by many as a mere fraud and imposture ! Bonus. No wonder, if overweening and ignorant persons such as carpenters, weavers, smiths, take upon them- N uncup at ory Discourse. 19 selves to set up laboratories, and to pre- tend to a knowledge of our Art. The universal prevalence of impostors natur- ally makes people think that our whole Art is a fraud from beginning to end. Lacinius. But is this knowledge not also sought by learned men, nobles, princes, and even by kings ? Bonus. Yes, but the motive which prompts them all is an illiberal love of g;old. Their hearts are as hard as the flints which they wish to change into the precious metals, and they are as ignorant withal of the elementary facts of Nature as the poorest labourer. The con- sequence is that they fall an easy prey to impostors and itinerant charlatans, and spend their lives in foolishly ex- perimenting with arsenic, sulphur, and all manner of solvents. Thus, instead of learning to prepare the Stone, they dissipate their money, and have empty pockets for their pains. Lacinius. It is a just reward for their folly ; for what have those sub- stances to do with metals ? 20 The New Pearl of Great Price. Bonus. We will then send forth our little book, not protected with the name of any prince or noble, but equipped only with the strength of virtue and truth, after the manner of those Egyptian kings who dedicated all things to Mercury, the giver of virtue and genius, and to the Sun, the generator of all things. We will dedicate our book to Mercury and the Sun, and to all who love righteousness and truth. But those wise people who do not approve of any- thing that they do not understand must listen to the book, and let it speak for itself. It is well for an author if he has no need to commend himself, because his book commends him. He were a vain workman who looked for praise and preferment from anything but the value of his work. Farewell. A Form and Method of Perfecting Base Metals, by Janus Lacinius Therapus, the Calabrian. The art of Generating M or Q. S OME of the principles of our Art are apprehended mentally or intellectually, such as Chaos, Alteration, Power, Operation, Genera- tion, and Digestion. Others are per- ceived by the senses, as wine, or the First Matter, body or form, elements, the perfect being, the forming ferment, colours, fermentation, separation. Some are apprehended both by mind and sense, e.g., Sky, or Heaven. A. Ffom CHAOS goes forth an intelligent Master, who, amidst the rude, confused, and undigested mass of the elements, perceives himself advancing 22 The New Pearl of Great Price. towards M or Q, until by B, C, D, and by the primordial elements, which follow from Nature herself, he arrives thither. B. The SUBSTANCE is that from which D arises when the Artificer works extrinsically. We also apply it to the imperfect metals which are to be changed into M or Q. C. The FORM is the intelligent outward influence (the Master), which, sets in motion these Principles. It is that also which gives being to M or Q, and by which T, S, V, Z are changed into X or Y. D. The Sky is the female principle, by which that which is received of the male is nourished and increased until it is wholly changed into M or Q. E. The ELEMENTS are changed from B into D, and by way of C, on the other hand, F, G, H, I, are intermingled. F. CONVERSION takes place, first of C into D, and then of D into C, finally of both in turn into M or O. F also indicates the potency of which A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 23 D is the Act, and through which pearls are made and generated artificially. G. PERMIXTION is the union of the male and the female principle (e.g . , C with D). H. DISSOLUTION is the hermaphroditic conception which takes place in either C or D. I. GENERATION is partly that by which C and D produce M, and partly that by which M and D produce Q. If we place the Substance in a closed vessel, it is brought about by Nature rather than by the aid of art. K. Of COLOURS, the first is black, which is more difficult to bring about than the rest, from the fact that it is the first. It shews that C and D have united, and that conception has taken place, i.e., that M or Q will ultimately be produced. Then comes white, by which we gradually progress from C to M, and thence to Q ; then saffron, which indi- cates that the conjunction of the sub- stances is in progress, because the seed is diffused through the whole of D ; the 24 The New Pearl of Great Price. fourth colour is red, indicating the actual accomplishment of M or O. L. DIGESTION is the gradual development of that which is conceived, by gentle outward hea:, e.g., the evolution of M out of C and D, or of Q out of M and D. O. SEPARATION is the sever- ing of elements, which, originating from B and D, are also separated from the same. P. OPERATION is either the whole process of change by which B and the rest of the principles become M or Q, or the use of M and Q in transmuting base metals into silver or gold. M. The PERFECT BEING is the efficient cause, or the form of that into which C and D are changed by way of E, F, G, H, I, K, L, O, P, and has power to perfect imperfect metals. N. FERMENTATION is the wonderful principle bj which M is de- veloped into Q. It is brought about by the bland warmth of a gentle fire. Thus M is still wanting in some of the most A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 25 potent properties of Q, which is the perfect Tincture. Q is capable of un- limited extension, not only quantitatively, but qualitatively. If you can change M into Q, you can multiply and perfect Q indefinitely. Q, then, is the formative tincture, consummately perfect, and consisting of the equilibrium of all the elements. Hence its virtue is far greater and more potent than that of M. It changes imperfect metals into silver or gold (X or Y), and it is an efficacious remedy for all mental and bodily disease in man, seeing that it expels all disturbing- elements ; it also makes and keeps men good and kindly disposed towards others. It is, finally, a sovereign cure of the weakness of old age. Mix one part of gold (X) with twelve parts of Our Water ; pound them small ; place them in a moderately deep jar ; set over it an alembic in the ordinary- way ; stop up the jar and the apertures of the alembic, up to the beak, with clay ; let it dry thoroughly ; place it on the oven 2 6 The New Pearl of Great Price. (not immediately over the coals, but on the iron) in such a way that the whole jar shall be covered by it as far as the alembic, and let the aperture between jar and furnace be also sealed with clay. Then light the fire, and there will come oil into the alembic, together with the water, and will float on the water with an orange colour. Continue the fire till all the water is distilled ; let it cool ; remove the recipient ; separate the oil from the water, and open the jar : you will find a hard, brittle, and pulverisable body. If you like, repeat the whole process, pouring the same or other water over the body ; distil as before. The water that comes out will not be so much as at first, and if you repeat the process a third time, there will be hardly any water at all. The body that re- mains will be a blackish powder, which you calcine in the following way : If the body be one ounce, pour over it three ounces of Mercury, and pound them together, thus producing an amal- gam like butter. Then place it in a A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 27 glass vessel, and stop up the apertures with clay on the outer side. Set it on a trivet over a gentle fire of three or four coals, stirring it all the time with a small wooden rod, and be careful to shut your mouth and nose, because the fumes are destructive to the teeth. Continue to stir till all the Mercury has disappeared, and there remains a subtle body of more intense blackness. Repeat this even to the third time, till the body is pulverised and intensely black. Then take it, place it in a smaller vessel, and pour on it as much of the aforesaid oil as will moisten it ; close the vessel, and let it stand over a lamp ; in three days the body will be dried, and it will begin to assume a whitish appearance. Pour on more oil as before ; dry by the same fire, and the substance will exhibit an increased whiteness. Repeat the process up to the fourth time ; the substance will then have turned of a dazzling whiteness, delicate as an orient pearl of the purest water. Then proceed with our ore, salt, and gum, which must become one. A 28 The New Pea- l of Great Price. gentle fire can cb no harm, but the warmth of horsedmg is better. The blackness of the substance, when it appears, is not the blackness of ink, but a bright ebony colour. When it has been changed into whiteness, we must then look out for the appearance of the saffron hue, which will in no long' time be followed by a most glorious ruby colour. Between die appearance of M (the white colour and Q (the ruby colour) there shodd be an interval of thirty days, duringwhich the heat of the fire should be slightly increased, and the vessel kept carefully closed. The substance will thea be perfect, and you should carefully preserve it for your own use and that of yoar friends. One part of it will transmute 2,000 parts of any base metal into its iwn glorious nature. To change ore drachm of M into O, add to it three rnnces of D and one ounce of C. Subject the whole to gentle coction for thirty days, till it passes through K, after which you will behold perfect Q, round ;nd red: When you A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 29 have performed and accomplished all this, you may consider yourself as a great master ; and you should render to the great and good God fervent and constant thanks for His unspeakable benefit. Thus I have bestowed upon you a gift, gentle reader, the vast value of which will be understood by genera- tions to come. S = lead. T = tin. V = iron. X — gold. Y = silver. Z = bronze. A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 3 1 We have drawn the composition of the trees of the grove together ; we will now describe their natures one by one, according to the best of our ability. We will, in the first place, begin with those trees upon the left, the scrolls whereof simply encircle the bark, and with their purgation as follows : — The first tree is hot, dry, red, like red-hot bronze. It becomes moist, dry, and black, like lead ; cold and humid, like quicksilver ; hot, humid, and saffron-coloured. 32 The Nezv Pearl of Great Price. The second tree is hot and dry, like glow- ing brass ; it becomes humid and black, like quicksilver ; dry and white, like lead ; hot, humid, and saffron-coloured, like blood-red gold. A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 33 The third tree is hot, dry, and red. It becomes dry and black, like lead; humid "and white, like tin or quicksilver ; hot, humid, and saffron, like blood-red g-old. D 34 The New Pearl of Great Price. The first tree on the right-hand side has a scroll which enters the front and comes out on the other side ; it is hot, humid, and saffron- coloured, like red-hot gold. It becomes dry and black, like earthy silver ; humid, like silver; hot, dry, and red, like red-hot bronze. A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 35 The second tree, which is pierced by its scroll, is dry and red, like red-hot bronze. It becomes dry and black, like lead; humid and white, like quicksilver ; hot, humid, and saffron- coloured, like blood-red gold. 3 6 The New Pearl of Great Price. The third tree, which is pierced by its scroll, is hot, dry, and red, like red-hot bronze. It becomes dry and black, like lead; humid and white, like tin; hot, humid, saffron-coloured, and of a bloody red. 38 The New Pearl of Great Price. Exposition of the Typical Figures. Three rules must be carefully observed in our art : first prepare the right substance ; then carry on the work continuously, so that it may not be marred by interruption ; thirdly, be patient, and follow always in the footsteps of Nature. Get (as your substance) highly purified Water of Life, and keep it ; but do not sup- pose that the liquid which moistens all things, is the bright and limpid liquid of Bacchus, for while you anxiously look about in out-of-the- way places for extraordinary events, you pass by the sparkling waves of the blessed stream. Enter the Palace in which are fifteen mansions, where the king, his brow circled with the diadem, sits on a lofty throne, holding in his hand the sceptre of the whole world ; before him, his son and five servants kneel in robes of different colours, imploring him to A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 39 bestow upon his son and his servants a share of his power ; but he does not even reply to their request. The son, incited by the servants, stabs the father as he sits on the throne. (Let an amal- gam be made with highly purified water, etc.) In the third picture we see the son catching his father’s blood in his robe (which is the second process of our art, already explained in the method). k k k 40 The New Pearl of Grea Price. A grave is dug in the fourth mansion (which is the furnace). Its depth is two handbreadths, and its width four inches. In the fifth mansion the son thought to throw his father into the grave, and to leave him there ; but (by means of our art) both fell in together. A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 41 The sixth mansion is that in which the son still strives to get out, but one (who sprang from them in the second operation) comes, and prevents him from so doing. While the father and son are in the tomb, which is called the seventh mansion, there follows putrefaction in their ashes, or a very hot bath. 42 The New Pearl of Great Price. In the eighth mansion, that which happened during the putrefaction is inspected, the vase having become cold, etc. In the ninth mansion the bones are taken from the tomb. This happens when the whole body has been dissolved by successive solution, which, being done, keep it carefully. A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 43 In the tenth mansion, the bones are divided Into nine parts, the dissolved substance being subjected to gentle coction for nine days, till a portion of it turns black. Remove this latter, and keep it in another vessel in a hot place. Subject the water to gentle heat for another nine days. Again remove that which has turned black, and put it with the rest. Con- tinue the operation till the water is clear and pure. Let its Water of Life be poured over the black substance in a small glass vessel, so that it shall float over it to the height of an inch, and let it stand nine days over a gentle fire, renewing the water every day. if necessary. (Thus the earth will become clear and white, according to the teaching of the philosophers ; for this earth is putrefied and purified with its water.) 44 The New Pearl of Great Price. An angel is sent, who casts the bones on the purified and whitened earth (which is now mixed with its seed, and let the whole be placed in a closed jar with its alembic. Let the thicker substance be divided from the water by a more violent fire, and remain as a hard substance at the bottom). In the eleventh mansion the servants pray God to restore their king. Henceforth the whole work is concerned with his restoration. A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 45 For this purpose a second angel is sent in the twelfth mansion, who places the other part of those bones on the earth (till they are all thickened : then a wonderful thing happens). 4 6 The New Pearl of Great Price. Thus, a succession of angels is sent, who cast the first, second, third, and fourth part ot the bones on the earth, where they become white, transparent, and firm. The fifth and sixth parts are changed into yellow, and so also with the seventh, eighth, and ninth ; the earth of the bones becomes as red as blood or rubies. Then the king rises from the tomb, full of the grace of God. His body is now all spiritual and heavenly, and he has power to make all his servants kings. A Method of Perfecting Base Metals. 47 At last he exercises his power upon his ^servants and his son, placing crowns of gold uipon their heads, and making them kings by 1 his grace, since God had given him great power .and majesty. Let no impostor, greedy or wicked person, itouch this glorious work with his unclean Ihands. Let the honest man and him of a wise Iheart come hither, and him who is capable of ^exploring the most hidden causes of things. THE NEW PEARL OF GREAT PRICE, Being a Concordance of the Sages on the Great Treasure , the Stone of the Philosophers , the Arcanum , the Secret of all Secrets , and the Gift of God. By PETER BONUS, of Ferrara. B OTH among ancients and mod- erns the question whether Alchemy be a real Art or a mere imposture has exercised many heads and pens ; nor is it possible for us entirely to ignore the existence of such a dispute. A multiplicity of arguments has been advanced against the truth of our Art ; but men like Geber and Morienus, who were best fitted to come forward in its defence, have disdained to answer the cavilling attacks of the vulgar. They have not, as a matter of fact, furnished us with anything beyond the bare assertion that the truth of E 50 The Nezv Pearl of Great Price. Alchemy is exalted beyond the reach of doubt. We will not follow their example, but, in order to get at the foundation of the matter, we will pass in review the arguments which have been, or may be, set forth on both sides of the question. In the case of a science which is familiarly known to a great body of learned men, the mere fact that they all believe in it supersedes the necessity of proof. But this rule does not apply to the Art of Alchemy, whose pretensions, therefore, need to be carefully and jealously sifted. The arguments which make against the justice of those claims must be fairly stated, and it will be for the professors of the Art to turn back the edge of all adverse reasoning. Every ordinary art (as we learn in the second book of the Physics) is either dispositive of substance, or productive of form, or it teaches the use of some- thing. Our Art, however, does not belong to any one of these categories ; it may be described indeed as both 5i A Concordance of the Sages. dispositive and productive, but it does not teach the use of anything - . It truly instructs us how to know the one sub- stance exclusively designed by Nature for a certain purpose, and it also ac- quaints us with the natural method of treating and manipulating this substance, a knowledge which may be either prac- tically or speculatively present in the mind of the master. There are other crafts which are not artificial, but natural, such as the arts of medicine, of horti- culture, and glass-blowing. They are arts in so far as they require an operator ; but they are natural in so far as they are based upon facts of Nature. Such is the Art of Alchemy. Some arts systematise the creations of the human mind, as, for instance, those of grammar, logic, and rhetoric ; but Alchemy does not belong to this class. Yet Alchemy resembles • other arts in the following respect, that jits practice must be preceded by theory ;and investigation ; for before we can know how to do a thing-, we must under- stand all the conditions and circumstances 52 The New Pearl of Great Price. under which it is produced. If we rightly apprehend the cause or causes of a thing (for there often is a multiplicity or complication of causes), we also know how to produce that thing. But it must further be considered that no one can claim to be heard in regard to the truth or falsity of this Art who does not clearly understand the matter at issue ; and we may lay it down as a rule that those who set up as judges of this question without a clear insight into the conditions of the controversy should be regarded as persons who are talking wildly and at random. Reasons apparently Militating AGAINST THE REALITY of our Art. I T was usual among the ancients to begin with a destructive argument. This custom we will now follow. Reason First. Whoever is ignorant of the elements of which any given substance is com- posed, and of the quantities of each element in such composition, cannot know how to produce that substance. Now, the alchemists are necessarily ignorant of the exact composition of metals : therefore, as the metals are composite substances, it is not possible that the alchemists should know how to produce them. Reason Second. Again, if you are unacquainted with the determinate proportion of the elements entering into the composition 54 The New Pearl of Great Price. of any given substance, you cannot pos- sibly produce that substance. I allude to the exact degree of digestion which has taken place in, and the peculiar manner and mode of composition which constitute the specific essence, or form, of any assigned substance, and make it what it is. This specific form of metals can never become known to a human artist. It is one of Nature’s own secrets, and the Art of Alchemy must, therefore, be pronounced not only unknowable, but utterly impossible. Reason Third. We are also ignorant of the proper or specific instrument, or means, which Nature uses to produce those peculiar substances defined as metals. We are aware that Nature, in the production of every different substance, uses a certain modified form of digestive heat. But in the case of metals, this digestive heat is not derived either from the sun, or, exclusively, from any central fire, for it is inextricably mixed and compounded of the two, and this in a manner which Reasons against the Art. 55 no man can imitate. Therefore, Al- chemy is impossible. Reason Fourth. Moreover, we know that the gener- ation of metals occupies thousands of years. This is the case in Nature’s workshop in the bowels of the earth : hence we see that even if this Art were possible, man’s life would not be long- enough for its exercise. Everything requires for its generation a certain predetermined period of time ; and we find in the case of animals and vegetables that this period of generation and de- velopment cannot be hastened to any considerable extent. It might indeed be said that Art can do in a month what Nature requires a thousand years to accomplish — by intensifying and ex- alting the temperature of the digestive warmth. But such a course would defeat its own object, since a greater degree of heat than is required for the development of metals (?>., an unnatural temperature) would hinder rather than accelerate that development. 56 The New Pearl of Great Price. Reason Fifth. Again, the generation of metals, as of all things else, can only be accom- plished in a certain place specially adapted to the purpose. Definite peculiar local conditions must be fulfilled if a seed is to spring up and grow ; an animal can only be generated and deve- loped in its own proper womb. Now 7 , glass, stone, and earthenware jars and vessels can never take the place of the natural womb of metals in the bosom of the earth. Hence, Alchemy is nothing but a fraudulent pretence. Reason Sixth. Once more, that which is effected by Nature alone, cannot be produced artificially ; and metals belong to this class of substances. Generation and corruption are the effect of an inward principle, and this inward principle is Nature, which creates the substantial forms of things. Art, on the other hand, is an outward principle, which can only bring about superficial changes. Reasons against the Art. 5 7 Reason Seventh. If Art cannot produce that which is of easy separation, and, therefore, of easy composition, it cannot produce that the separation and composition of which are more difficult. Now, a horse or a dog are easily decomposed, while the putrefaction of metals requires a great length of time. But yet Art cannot produce a horse or a dog ; hence it can still less produce metals. Reason Eighth. Metals do indeed belong to the same genus or kind ; they are all metals, just as a horse and a man are both animals. But as horse and man are specifically different, and as one species cannot be changed into another, so the various metals are specifically different ; and as a dog can never become a man, so neither can one metal be changed into another. This reason and its solu- tion are advanced by Geber. Reason R r inth. The principles which stir up the vital spark slumbering in metals are 58 The New Pearl of Great Price. necessarily unknown to the student of Nature. For these principles are sup- plied by the movements and influences of the stars and heavenly bodies, which are overruled by the Supreme Intelli- gence, and preside over the generation, corruption, and conservation of species, imparting to everything its own peculiar form and perfection. These influences which determine whether a certain metallic substance shall be gold, silver, etc., no human mind can possibly fix or direct to any given spot. Therefore, etc. Reason Tenth. Artificial things bear the same re- lation to natural things which Art bears to Nature. But as Art is not Nature, neither are artificial things the same as natural things : and artificial gold, even if produced, would not be the same thing as natural gold. For the methods of Nature are inward, they are always one and the same, and never vary ; but the methods of Art, on the other hand, vary with the idiosyncrasies of the artist. Reasons against the Art. 59 Reason Eleventh. It is easier to destroy than to make things : but we can hardly destroy gold : how then can we make it ? Reason E welfth. The ancient philosophers were in the habit of teaching all the arts and sciences they knew to their disciples, and of declaring them in their books ; but of this Art they never mention a word, which proves that it was unknown to them. Moreover, Aristotle tells us that if a man knows a thing he can teach it : but the books of the so-called Alchemistic Sages are full of obscurities and a wantonly perplexing phraseology. This shews that their boasted know- ledge was an impudent pretence. Reason Thirteenth. Many ancient Sages, as well as kings and princes, who had hundreds of profound scholars at their beck and call, have sought the knowledge of this Art in vain ; now, this would not have been the case if it had any real existence. 60 The New Pearl of Great Price. Reason Fourteenth. Alchemists say that their one Stone changes all metals into gold ; this would mean that it hardens lead and tin, which are softer than gold, and that it softens silver, iron, and bronze, which are harder than gold. But it is impossible that one and the same thing should produce opposite effects. If, indeed, it could produce two such mutually exclu- sive effects, it would have to do the one per se and the other per accidens — and either that which is hardened or that which is softened would not be true gold. We should thus have to assume the existence of two Stones, one which hardens and colours per se , and one which softens and colours per se ; but this would be in flat contradiction to one of the few clear statements of the Alchemists themselves. And even if there were two different Stones, their difference would be reproduced in their effects, and there would thus result two different kinds of gold, which is im- possible. Reasons against the Art. 6 1 Reason Fifteenth. If gold and silver could be evolved out of any metallic substance, they could be prepared most easily out of that which is most closely akin to them ; but as it is impossible to prepare them out of their very first principles, viz., quick- silver and sulphur, they cannot be evolved out of metals specifically dif- ferent from them. For it is clear that out of these two matters all metals are derived and generated ; orpiment, sal armoniac, and secondary spirits like marcasite, magnesia, and tutia, being all reducible to these two primary forms. There are seven spirits of Alchemy, the four principal ones, quicksilver, sulphur, orpiment, and sal armoniac, and the three secondary and composite spirits, marcasite, magnesia, and tutia ; but sulphur and quicksilver include them all. The Stone would have to be obtained either from the metals or from these spirits. But the Sages represent the Stone as bearing the same relation to the metals which is borne by form to 62 The New Pearl of Great Price. substance, or, soul to body : hence, it cannot be extracted from such gross things as metals. They do indeed say that by calcining, dissolving, distilling, and coagulating those bodies they purge out all that is gross, and render the metals spiritual and subtle. But they know well enough that any fire violent enough to perform this would kill or destroy the vital germ of the metal. Nor can so highly spiritual a sub- stance as the Philosopher’s Stone is represented be obtained from the me- tallic spirits (sulphur and quicksilver). For they must either be fixed or volatile. If they are volatile they are useless : they evaporate when exposed to the action of fire, and leave bodies still more impure and defiled than they were before ; or they even cause other bodies to evaporate along with them. If, on the other hand, the spirits in a fixed state are to represent the Stone, they will not be able to accomplish any of those things which the Stone is supposed to encompass. For, in that case, they Reasons against the Art. 63 are hard and petrine, like earth or flint, and thus are unable to enter other bodies and pervade them with their own essence. If they are subjected to the violent action of fire, they become like glass, i.e., they undergo a process of vitrification, and, with their metallic humour, they lose their malleability and all their other metallic properties. Even lead and tin become glass when their metallic humour is burnt out of them, and it is rank absurdity to say that the vitreous substance is malleable, or ever can become so ; for it is the metallic humour which renders metals malleable and fusible. Moreover, glass, or anything vitrified, in melting does not amalgamate with other metals, but floats on the surface like oil. Besides, quicksilver in its natural state adheres to all metals, but it does not adhere either to marcasite (which resembles it too closely for such a purpose), nor to glass : this shews, incontrovertibly, that glass is no metal, whether such glass be natural, or some other substance vitri- 64 The New Pearl of Great Price. fied. Again, glass, or any vitrified substance, when it has been dipped in cold water, or otherwise refrigerated, can be broken, pounded, and converted into powder ; but all metals will bend rather than break, because of their greater malleability and the metallic humour which is in them. You can also either engrave or stamp any image upon cold metals and it will retain that image ; but glass (unless in a state of fusion) will do nothing of the kind. Thus, it appears that malleability is a property which belongs to metals, and to metals only ; and in the various metals this property, with the property of fusibility, exists in different degrees, according to the grade of their digestion and sulphureous admixtion. In glass, too, there are different proportions of fusibility, perspicuity, opacity, and col- ouring, which depend upon differences of the material used in its manufacture. Only metals in a cold state are capable of a certain degree of liquefaction ; glass, on account of its great viscosity, may be Reasons against the Art. 65 liquefied when it is melted in a fiercely heated furnace, but not after refrigera- tion, because then the aforesaid viscosity disappears. When metal is cold or red hot its viscosity is greatest, and in such a state it can be expanded ; but fusion separates its different parts, and then much of this viscosity is lost. With glass the very opposite is the case. Therefore, if by calcination a metallic spirit becomes vitrified, it is not capable of any further change ; and, being fixed, it cannot enter other bodies, or convert ithem. Therefore, also, if metallic spirits, which are the very vital principles of igold and silver, cannot evolve them out