The Commixtion of Metals, The drawing forth their seed

Praxis is how metals should be mixed together, and what their correspondency, or agreement is one with another.

A Woman does not vary from a Man.

Both are bred of the same Seed, and in one Matrix.

There was nothing besides digestion.

The Matrix had in it purer bloud, and salt so that Silver is made of the same Seed as Gold, and in the same Matrix.

But the Matrix had more water in it then digested blood, according to the season of the Moon in the heavens.

How do metals couple together so that their Seed may be sent forth, and received?

In the heavens, Saturn is placed the uppermost, or highest sphere. Next to it is Jupiter, then Mars, then the Sun, then Venus, then Mercury, and last of all the Moon.

Tthe virtues of the Planets descend.

• The virtue of Venus, or Copper is not made Mars, or Iron, but of Mars is made Venus, as being an inferiour sphere.
• So also Jupiter, or Tin is easily changed into Mercury or Quicksilver, because Iupiter is the second from the firmament, and Mercury the second from the earth.
• Saturn is the first from the heavens, and Luna the first from the earth.
• Sol mixes itself with all, but is never bettered by its inferiors.

There is a great agreement betwixt Saturn, or Lead, and Luna, or Silver, in midst of which the Sun is placed, as also betwixt Iupiter and Mercury, in midst of which Sol is also placed: and in the same manner between Mars and Venus, which also have Sol placed in the midst of them.

Chemists know how to change Iron into Copper without Gold. They know also to make Quicksilver out of Tin. There are some that make Silver out of Lead:

But if they knew by these mutations to give or minister to them the nature of Gold, they would certainly find out a thing more pretious then any treasure.

We should know what metals are to be joined to each other, whose nature is agreable one to the others.

Moreover there is granted to us one Metal, which has a power to consume the rest, for it is almost as their water, & mother: yet there is one thing, and that alone, the radicall moisture, viz. of the Sunne, and Moon that withstands it, and is bettered by it;

But that I may disclose it to you, it is called Chalybs, or Steel.

If Gold couples 11 times with it, it sends forth its seed, and is debilitated almost unto death; the Chalybs conceives. It bears a son, more excellent then his father.

Then when the Seed of that which is now brought forth is put into its own Matrix, it purifies it, and makes it a thousand times more fit, and apt to bring forth the best, and most excellent fruits.

There is another Chalybs, which is like to this, created by it self of Nature, which knows how to draw forth by virtue of the sun beams (through a wonderfull power, and virtue) that which so many men have sought after, and is the beginning of our work.