Matrices

A Philosopher should know the generation and corruption of all things, to whom not only the Creation of the Heavens is manifest, but also the composition, and mixture of all things: but although they know all things, yet they cannot doe all things.

We know the composition of Man in all respects. Yet we cannot infuse the soul. This is because this mystery belongs only to God. He exceeds all things by these kind of infinite mysteries.

Seeing these are out of the course of Nature, they are not as yet in the disposition of Nature.

Nature does not work before there be matter given unto her to work upon.

The first matter is given to her by God, the second by the Philosopher.

In the operation of the Philosophers, Nature has a power to stir up the fire, which by the Creator is secretly included in the Center of everything.

This stirring up of the fire is done by the will of Nature, sometimes by the will of the skilfull Artificer disposing of Nature.

For naturally all impurities, and pollutions of things are purged by Fire.

All things that are compounded, are dissolved by Fire.

Water washes and purges all things imperfect and not fixed just as Fire purges all things that are fixed. By Fire they are perfected.

Water conjoins all things that are dissolved just as fire separates all things that are conjoined.

Fire purges and augments very well, not in quantity but in virtue, what is natural and of affinity with it.

This element secretly works on other Elements in several ways.

The Animal soul is of the purest of this Element. So the Vegetable is of the Elementary part of it which is governed by Nature.

This Element acts on the Center of everything in this way.

Nature causes Motion. Motion stirs up Air. The Air stirs the Fire.

Fire separates, cleanses, digests, colours, and makes all seed to ripen.

Being ripe, Fire expells it by the sperm into places, and matrixes, into places pure or impure, more or lesse hot, dry or moist.

According to the disposition of the matrix, or places, diverse things are brought forth in the earth.

The book 12 Treatises on Matrixes mentions that there are as many Matrixes, as there are places.

God ordained that one shall be contrary to the other. Yet so that the death of the one be the life of the other: that which produceth one, consumeth another, and another thing from this is naturally produced.

Such a thing which is more noble then the former. This preserves an equality of the Elements, and so also of the compositum.

Separation is of all things, especially of living things the natural death. Wherefore man must naturally die because he is compounded of 4 Elements. He is subject to separation, seing every thing that is compounded is separated naturally.

But this separation of Man’s composition must have been done in the day of judgement, i.e. the first judgement, when the sentence of a naturall death was passed upon him.

For in Paradise, Man was immortal.

But a sufficient reason of this immortality no Philosopher hitherto hath shown.

Every compound thing in this world is subject to corruption, and separation. In the Animal Kingdom, this separation is called death.

How can Man be immortal if he is made up of the 4 Elements?

This is done above Nature.

Yet God hath inspired it into Philosophers that were good men many ages since, that this is so naturally.

Which take to be thus. Paradise was, and is such a place, which was created by the great Maker of all things, of true Elements, not elementated, but most pure, temperate, equally proportioned in the highest perfection; and all things that were in Paradise were created of the same Elements, and incorrupt;

there also was Man created and framed of the same incorrupted Elements, proportioned in equality, that he could in no wise be corrupted, therefore he was consecrated to immortality: for without all doubt God created this Paradise for men only, of which and where it is wee have largely treated in our book of Harmony.

But when afterwards Man by his sin of disobedience had transgressed the comandement of the most High God, he was driven forth to beasts into the corruptible world elementated, which God created only for beasts: who of necessity, seeing he cannot live without nutriment, must from corrupt elementated Elements receive nutriment.

By which nutriment those pure Elements of which he was created, were infected; and so by little[Pg 108] and little declined into corruption, untill one quality exceeded another, and destruction, infirmity, and last of all separation, and death of the whole compound followed.

So that now they are neer unto corruption and death, who are procreated in corrupt Elements, of corrupt Seed, and not in Paradise; for Seed produced out of corrupt nutriments cannot be durable.

By how much the longer it is since the driving forth of man out of Paradise, so much the neerer men are to corruption; and by consequence their lives are so much shorter, and it will come to this passe, that even generation it self by reason of the shortnesse of life shall cease.

Yet there are some places where the Air is more favourable, and the Stars more propitious, and there their Natures are not so soon corrupted, because also they live more temperately:

Our countrymen by reason of gluttony, and inordinate living make quick hast to corruption.

This experience teaches that they that are born of the seed of infirme Parents doe not live long.

But if man had continued in Paradise, a place sutable to his Nature, where all the Elements were as incorrupt, and pure as a virgin, he had been immortall for ever. For it is certain that when pure Elements are joined together equally in their virtues, such a subject must be incorrupted, and such must the Philosophers Stone bee: To this Creation of Man the ancient Philosophers have likened this Stone, but Modern Philosophers understanding all things according to the letter doe apply it to the corrupt generation of this age.

This Immortality was the chief cause that Philosophers exercised their wits to find out this Stone, for they knew that man was created of such Elements which were sound and pure.

They therefore meditated upon that Creation, which, when they knew to bee naturall, began to search further into it, whether such uncorrupted Elements could bee had, or if they could be joined together, and infused into any subject.

Now to these the most High God, and Maker of all things revealed, that a composition of such Elements was in Gold:

For in Animals it could not be had, seing they must preserve their lives by corrupt Elements; in Vegetables also it is not, because in them is found an inequality of the Elements.

Seeing all created things are inclined to multiplication, the Philosophers propounded to themselves that they would make tryall of the possibility of Nature in this Minerall Kingdome; which being discovered, they saw that there were innumerable other secrets in Nature, of which, as of Divine secrets, they have wrote sparingly.

So now you seest how corrupt Elements come to bee in a subject, and how they are separated; when one exceeds the other, and because then putrefaction is made by the first separation, and by putrefaction is made a separation of the pure from the impure, if then there be a new conjunction of them by virtue of Fire, it doth acquire a form much more noble then the first was.

For in its first state, corruption was by reason of grosse matter mixed with it, which is not purged away but by putrefaction, the subject thereby being bettered; and this could not be but by the virtues of the foure Elements, which are in every compound thing, being joined together: for when a Compositum must perish, it perisheth by the Element of Water; and whilest they lie thus confusedly,[Pg 110] the Fire together with the Earth, and air which it is in potentially, agree together, and by their united forces do afterward overcome the Water, which they digest, boile, and lastly congeal; and after this manner Nature helps Nature.

For if the hidden Central Fire, which is the life of all things overcomes, and works upon that which is neerer to it, and purer, as it self is most pure, and is joined with it: so it overcomes its contrary, and separates the pure from the impure, and there is a new form generated, and if it bee yet a little helped, much more excellent then the former. Sometimes by the wit of a skilfull Artificer there are made things immortall, especially in the Minerall Kingdome. So all things are done by Fire alone, and the government of Fire, and are brought forth into a being, if you hast understood mee.