The Chaos the Matter of the World

In the Creation of the world, the first separation began from the foure Elements, seeing the first matter of the world was one Chaos.

Of this Chaos God made the greater world, being divided into four distinct Elements, viz. Fire, Aire, Water, and Earth. Fire is the hot part, air the moist, Water the cold, and Earth the dry part of the greater world.

What separation shall be here spoken of

But that you may in brief understand the reason of our purpose in this 8th. book, you must know, that we doe not purpose to treat here of the Elements of all Naturall things, seeing wee have sufficiently discoursed of those Arcana in the Archidoxis of the separation of Naturall things: whereby every one of them is apart, and distinctly separated, and divided materially, and substantially, viz. seeing that two, three, or foure, or more things are mixed into one body, and yet there is seen but one matter. Where it often falls out, that the corporeall matter of that thing cannot bee known by any, or signified by any expresse name, untill there bee a separation made. Then sometimes two, three, four, five or more things come forth out of one matter: as is manifest by daily experience, in the Art of Alchymie.

What Electrum is.

As for example, you have an Electrum, which of it self is no Metall, but yet it hides all metals in one Metall. That if it be anatomized by the industry of Alchymie, and separated: all the seven metals, viz. Gold, Silver, Copper, Tinne, Lead, Iron, and Quicksilver come out of it, and that pure, and perfect.

What Separation is.

But that you may understand what Separation is, note, that it is nothing else then the severing of one thing from another, whether of two, three, four, or more things mixed together: I say a separation of the three Principles, as of Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, and the extraction of pure out of the impure, or the pure, excellent spirit, and quintessence, from a[Pg 81] grosse, and elementary body; and the preparation of two, three, four, or more out of one: or the dissolution, and setting at liberty things that are bound, and compact, which are of a contrary nature, acting one against the other, untill they destroy one the other.

How many kinds of Separation.

Now there are many kinds of separation, many of which are unknown to us; those, which wee have experienced out of elementary, dissoluble naturall things, shall in this place, according to their kinds, be described.

The separation of the Microcosme. The first separation of which wee speake, must begin from man, because he is the Microcosme, or little world, for whose sake the Macrocosme or greater world was made, viz. that he might be the separator of it.

The body of man after death is twofold. Now the separation of the Microcosme begins at his death. For in death the two bodies of Man are separated the one from the other, viz. his Celestial and Terrestial body; i.e. Sacramental, and Elementary: one of which ascends on high like an Eagle; the other falls downward to the earth like lead.