Hollandus - A Work of Saturn

My child shall know, that the Stone called the Philosopher's Stone, comes out of Saturn. And therefore when it is perfected, it makes projection as well in mans' Body from all Diseases, which may assault them either within or without, be they what they will, or called by what name soever, as also in the imperfect Metals.

And know, my Child, for a Truth, that in the whole vegetable work there is no higher nor greater Secret than in Saturn; for we do not find that perfection in Gold which is in Saturn; for internally it is good Gold, herein all Philosophers agree, and it wants nothing else, but that first you remove what is superfluous in it, that is, it's impurity, and make it clean, and then that you turn it's inside outwards, which is it's redness, then will it be good Gold; for Gold cannot be made so easily, as you can of Saturn, for Saturn is easily dissolved and congealed, and it's Mercury may be easily extracted, and this Mercury which is extracted from Saturn, being purified and sublimed, as Mercury is usually sublimed, I tell thee, my Child that the same Mercury is as good as the Mercury which is extracted out of Gold, in all operations; for if Saturn be Gold internally as in truth it is, then must it's Mercury be as good as the Mercury of Gold, therefore I tell you that Saturn is better in our work than Gold; for if you should extract the Mercury out of Gold, it would require a year's space to open the body of Gold, before you can extract the Mercury out of the Gold, and you may extract the Mercury out of Saturn in 14 days, both being alike good.
[...]
My Child shall take 10, 12, or 15 pounds of Saturn, wherein is no mixture of any other Metal; laminate it thin, have in readiness a great Stone Jug, half full of Vinegar, stop the Jug very close, set it in a Lukewarm Bath, every three or four days scrape off the calcined Saturn from the Plates, and reserve it apart, thus do so long till you have 5 or 6 (l.?) of the calcined Saturn, then grind it very well on a Stone with good distilled Wine Vinegar, so as you may paint therewith, then take two or three great Stone pots, therein put the Calx of Saturn which you ground, pour good distilled Wine Vinegar upon it, that two parts of the Pot be full, stir it well together, stop the Pot close with a polished Glass or Pebble stone, set the Pots in a Bath, stir it four or five times a day with a wooden Ladle, lay the Glass or Stone Stopple again over it, make the bath no hotter than that you may well endure your hand therein, that is, lukewarm; so let it stand fourteen days and nights, then decant that which is clear into another Stone pot, pour other distilled Vinegar upon the Calx which is not well dissolved, mix them well together, set it 14 days in the Bath, again decant it, and pour other Vinegar upon it as before. This decantation and pouring on continue so long till all the Calx of Saturn be dissolved, then take all the dissolved Saturn, set it in a Bath, evaporate the Vinegar by a small fire, the Saturn will become a powder or lump.

 Or stir it about until it be dry, you have a mass or powder of a dark yellow, or honey colour, then grind the powder again very finely upon a Stone with distilled Vinegar; put it into a stone pot, stir and mix it well together, set it again into a Bath, which is but lukewarm, so let it stand five or six days, stir it every day from the top to the bottom with a wooden Ladle, cover it again with the glass Stopple, then let it cool, pour off that which is dissolved into a great stone pot, pour other Vinegar upon it, mix and stir them well together, set it into the Bath as before, reiterate this decantation and pouring on so often, till no more will dissolve, which try with your tongue, if it be sweet, it is not enough dissolved, or put some of it into a glass gourd, let it evaporate, if anything remain, it is not yet all dissolved which would be Gold, and then what remains in the pot are Faeces, and sweet upon the Tongue; if you find anything in the Gourd, it is not yet all dissolved, then may you pour fresh Vinegar upon it, till all be dissolved, then coagulate it as before, pour other Vinegar on it, stir it, set it again into the Bath, reiterate this operation of solution and coagulation so long till you find no more Faeces at the bottom, but all be dissolved into a pure clear water, then is Saturn freed from all it’s Leprousness, Melancholy, Faeces, and blackness, being pure and white as Snow, for it is cleansed from all it’s uncleanness, because it’s coldness stands outwards as Luna doth, and its’ heat is internal, fluxible as wax, and sweet as sugar Candy.
[...]
You have now Saturn washed and cleansed from all its' impurity, and made as white as Snow, fusible as Wax, but it is not fixed yet; we will make it fix the Mercury and Sulphur with its' Earth.

Take a Glass Vial, put half of your purified Saturn into it, reserve the other half till you have occasion to use it; lay a polished Glass upon the mouth of the Glass, set it in a Cupel with sifted Ashes upon a Furnace; or set it upon the Tripod of Secrets, or in the Furnace wherein you calcine Spirits; give it Fire so hot as the heat of the Sun at MidSummer, and no hotter, either a very little hotter, or a very little cooler, as you can best hit it. But if you give it a greater heat, such as you may keep Lead in flux, then your Matter would melt as if it were Oil; and having stood so, ten or twelve days, its' Sulphur would fly away, and your Matter would be all spoiled, for the Sulphur which is in your Matter is not yet fixed, but is in the external. Wherefore the Matter melts presently, and though it be clean, yet it is most fixed; wherefore give so gentle fire to it, that it may not flux; so keep it six weeks, then take out a little of it, lay it on a glowing hot Plate, if it immediately melts and fumes, it is not yet fixed, but if the Matter remain unmelted, the Sulphur is then fixed which is therein; then strengthen the Fire notably, till the Matter in the Glass begins to look yellow, and continually more and more yellow, like to powdered Saffron, then augment the Fire yet stronger, till the Matter begin to be red, then prosecute your Fire from one degree to another, even as the Powder becomes redder and redder by degrees, so hold on your Fire, till the Matter be red as a Ruby, then augment the Fire yet more, that the Matter may be glowing hot, then is it fixed, and ready to pour the curious Water of Paradise upon it.

My Child must know, that there are two ways of pouring on the Water of Paradise; I will teach you to make and prepare both, then you may take which you will; for the one is half as good again as the other.

My Child, you may remember, that I ordered you to reserve the one half of the purified Saturn, which take and put into a Stone pot, pour upon it a bottle or more of distilled Wine Vinegar, set a head on, distill the Vinegar again from it in a Bath, the head must have a hole at the top to pour fresh Vinegar upon the Matter, and abstract the Vinegar again from it, pour fresh Vinegar again on, and again abstract it; this pouring on , and abstracting or distilling off must continue so long, till the Vinegar be drawn off as strong as it was when it was put in, then is it enough, and the Matter hath in it as much of the Spirit of Vinegar as it can contain; then take the Pot out of the Bath, take off the head, and take the Matter out, and put it into a thick glass which can endure the Fire, set a head on it, put it in a Cupel with Ashes, which set on a Furnace, first make a small Fire, and so continually a little stronger, till your Matter come over as red as Blood, thick as Oil, and sweet as Sugar, with a Celestial Scent, then keep it in that heat so long as it distills, and when it begins to slack, then increase your Fire till the Glass begins to glow, continue this heat till no more will distill, then let it cool of itself, take the Receiver off, stop it very close with Wax, take the Matter out of the Glass, beat it to powder in an Iron Mortar, with a steel Pestle; and then grind it on a Stone with good distilled Vinegar, put this Matter so ground into a Pot, pour good distilled Vinegar upon it, that two parts be full, set the Pot into a Bath with a head upon it, distill the Vinegar off, pour fresh Vinegar again upon it, distill it off again: thus do so long, that the Vinegar be as strong as it was when it was first poured upon it, then let it cool, take the Matter out of the Bath, take the head off, take the Matter out of the Pot, put it into a stronger round Glass which can endure the Fire, as you did before, set it upon a Furnace in a Cupel with sifted Ashes, set a head, and a Receiver luted to it, then distill it, first with a small fire, which augment by degrees, till a Matter come over red as Blood, and thick as Oil, as aforesaid; give it fire till no more will distill, then let it cool of itself, take off the head, break the glass pot, and take the Matter out, powder it again, and grind it on a Stone with distilled Vinegar, put it again into the Stone pot, pour fresh Vinegar upon it, set it into the Bath, and its' head on, distill the Vinegar from it, pour it on again as hath been taught, till the Vinegar remain strong as it was.

Reiterate this distillation in the Bath until the Matter hath no more Spirit of the Vinegar in it, then take it out, set it in a glass pot, distill all that will distill forth in ashes, till the Matter become a red Oil, then have you the most noble water of Paradise, to pour upon all fixed stones, to perfect the Stone; this is one way. This water of Paradise thus distilled, the Ancients called their sharp, clear Vinegar, for they conceal its' name.

My Child, I will now teach you other ways to make the water of Paradise; this is an easy way, but not so good, nor doth it that high projection in humane Medicines, yet it cures all Diseases within and without, but the other cures miraculously in a short time.

The second way of preparing the Water of Paradise. My Child, if you would make it after this manner, you must take the half of your prepared Saturn which I ordered you to keep, upon which pour the half of your fixed and prepared Water of Paradise, take the half, put it into a Stone pot, pour weak Wine Vinegar upon it, mix it well together, then take two pounds of calcined Tartar, which is well clarified by solution and coagulation, so that it leaves no more Faeces behind it, Salt Armoniac one pound, which is likewise so clearly sublimed, that no Faeces remain after its sublimation, pound both together to a Powder, put them speedily into a pot, and stop it close immediately, or else it will run out; for so soon as the Tartar and Salt Armoniac come to the Vinegar, they lift themselves up, and would immediately run out of the mouth of the pot, wherefore stop the pot presently, set the pot in a Vessel of Water, they will cool speedily, otherwise if the cold and hot matter should come together suddenly, they would contest together, rise up, and become so hot, that the pot would break for heat, if it were not set in cold water; therefore take heed, when you put the powders in, that you stop it immediately, and set it in cold Water before you put the other Powder to it, then they will unite, let them stand a day and a night in that Vessel, then take them out, set them into a lukewarm Bath two days and nights, let it cool of itself, take the Stopple off from the pot, and set a head on, set the pot in sifted Ashes upon a Furnace, distill with a small fire, and continually greater till all the Vinegar be over, then augment your Fire notably, till you see quick Mercury drop out of the Pipe, when it ceases to drop, then augment the Fire by little and little and drive it so long as it drops; you may observe when it will leave dropping, if in the space of one or two Pater-nosters (Lord's prayer) one drop doth fall, then augment the Fire till the pot glows at the bottom, for twelve hours and when the Mercury is over, then should the Salt Armoniac sublime up into the head, and the Tartar remain with the Body of Saturn at the bottom of the Pot, which take out, put into a Linen bag, hang it in a moist cellar, the Tartar will dissolve, receive it in a Glass, the Body of Saturn remains in the Bag, take it out and calcine it in a reverberating Furnace three days and nights, with a great heat, as is taught elsewhere, then extract the Salt out as is taught in the Mineral Book. You may make projection with the Salt, and coagulate your Tartar again, it will be as good or better than it was, likewise take your Salt Armoniac out of the Head, it is good again, and if you have no Salt Armoniac, then take three pound of calcined Tartar, likewise so clarified that it leave no Faeces behind, you then need no Salt Armoniac, therewith may you likewise extract the Mercury out of Luna and Jupiter, wherewith you may do wonders, as is taught in the Mineral Book, where is spoken of the Quintessence of Metals.

Now my Child must know, that this Mercury or Quintessence of Saturn is as good in all works as the Mercury of Sol, they are both alike good, and herein all the Philosophers agree. My Child, take this Mercury of Saturn, so drawn out of the Receiver, put it into a Glass Box.

I have now taught you to make two sorts of the Water of Paradise; and know my Child, that the first way is the best; though it be made with some danger, longer time, and more charge; for the Vinegar is all good, yet the red Oil is the best; its time is alike unto the end, and though t be more tedious before you obtain the red Oil, yet it fixes itself in a short time, if it come to the Matter or fixed Stone, into a simple Essence in greater redness; but when the Mercury comes to the fixed Stone, it holds on a long time in ascending and descending before it die, and when it is quite dead, it makes the red fixed Stone again into a fixed colour, so covering the red Stone with its coldness, that the red Stone becomes white again, then you must boil it again gently with a small Fire, till it begin to be yellow, prosecuting the Fire from one degree to another, as the Colour is higher and stronger, and that so long till it attain to a perfect redness, which requires a long time before it be done, which is not requisite in the red Oil; for the red Oil dies or coagulates forthwith the Stone, the one fixing itself with the other into a simple Essence, in a short time. Therefore I tell thee, my Child, that the time of the Oil is alike long in the end, though it appear to be of a shorter time with the Mercury, but it is equally long at the end of the Work, therefore I tell you the Art of both Works, that you may the better understand the Art to make the Oil from the innermost nature of the Stone, which is found afterwards. The Oil was unknown to the Ancients, for my Grandfather with his companions found it with great labour and length of time.

So there are two ways to dissolve the Stone, and to pour upon it the clear water of Paradise. Our Ancestors called the Oil their sharp Vinegar; therefore, my Child, keep the Name private, and I will teach you first of all how you shall join the Mercury to your Stone, which you extracted out of Saturn, to dissolve it; afterwards I will teach you to bring over the helm that red Oil which you extracted out of your prepared Saturn, into a fixed stone, to dissolve your stone.

My Child, weigh your fixed stone, take half as much of your Mercury, pour it upon the stone in the Glass, cover the Glass again with a polished Glass which may just fit it, set it in a Cupel with sifted Ashes, make a small Fire like the Sun's heat at Midsummer, and give no more Fire to it, until the Water of Paradise or Mercury become all a dead Powder. And know, my Child, that the red or fixed Stone, which before was darkened, when it hath drunk up the Water of Paradise, or Mercury, or how you will call it, that it be a Powder between black and grey, then augment the Fire from one degree to another, till the Matter be perfect white, and when it is white, strengthen the Fire yet more, from one degree to another, till it be of a dark yellow Colour, then make it yet stronger, till it be of a perfect red; then rejoice, for your Stone is perfect, and fluxible as Wax.

 The Multiplication of the Stone now perfected. Now my Child, you may take the half of your Powder, put it into a Glass and melt it, have in readiness a Mould made hollow, of Box-wood, great or small as you please, it must be made smooth and even within with an Instrument, anoint it with Olive Oil, and when your red Powder is fluxed, pour it into the Mould, it will be a precious Stone, red as a Ruby, clear and transparent, take it out of the Mould, and make projection upon the imperfect Metals, and in the Body of Man.
 
Take ten times as much of prepared Saturn as I taught you before, by Coagulation and Solution, till it leave no Faeces behind, then take your precious red Powder out of the Glass, that two parts be full, set it into your warm Bath, and let it dissolve: when any thing is dissolved, decant off that which is clear on the top into another Glass, pour other Vinegar upon it, let it dissolve again as before; decant and pour fresh Vinegar upon it so often, till all be dissolved into a clear Water, which is done usually in ten or twelve days, then set all that which is dissolved into a Bath, and a head upon it, distill the Vinegar, distill the Vinegar from it again, and coagulate the Matter so long till it be dry and shine, then put it into another Glass, which set upon a Furnace in a Cupel with sifted Ashes, laying a polished Glass upon the Mouth of the Glass.

My Child, know that your Matter is become fixed with the Stone in the solution, make an indifferent hot fire in the furnace so hot as the heat of the Sun in Midsummer, or somewhat hotter, till the Matter begin to be yellow, then go on with the Fire from one degree to another, till you have a perfect yellow, then increase the Fire from one degree to another, till you have a perfect redness, which is quickly done, in half the time for the colour to come, and in the multiplication, but operate as before in the beginning, and pour Paradise water upon the Stone, as was taught you before in this Work, boil and mortify it in every point to a perfect redness as hath been taught. Then may you again take half of it out, and make projection therewith, and multiply the other half again in all points as above said, so may you always continue working.

Now I will teach you the other way, and the best that is to water your red fixed Stone or powder with the red Oil, that it be fusible; you must know how much your red powder weighs, then take half the weight of your red Oil, to the full weight of the Stone, and pour it upon the red powder, and when the Oil is poured into the Glass, you may set a small head on, upon a Furnace in sifted Ashes, joining a Receiver to the Nose of the head, make a small fire under it, as the heat of the Sun in March, and no hotter; for there is yet some moisture of the Vinegar in the Oil, that it may be abstracted, continue it in that heat, that you can perceive no moisture in the head, then augment the fire a little, as the heat of the Sun at Midsummer, and if there be yet more moisture in it, you will perceive it in the head, but it you perceive it not in 6 or 8 days, then take the head off, and lay the polished Glass again upon the mouth of your Glass, increase the fire, that you can scarce endure your hand or finger in the Ashes an Ave-Mary while, continue the fire in that heat till the red Oil be all fixed with the Powder in the Glass, which you may know thus;

Take a little of the powder out of the Glass, lay it on a glowing Silver plate, if the powder malts as wax, and penetrates through the Plate as Oil doth through a dry Leather, and makes it Gold throughout as far as the powder went, then is the Stone finished, and if it do not this, you must then let it stand in that heat till it do so without fuming.

Now, my Child, when the Stone is finished, take half of it out of the Glass, put it into a Glass melting-pot, and melt the powder gently, which should be done presently, for it melts as Wax; and being melted, pour it into the Mould of Box-wood as aforesaid, it will be a red stone, clear and transparent as Crystal, red as a Ruby, then make projection therewith, and set the other half again to multiply.

Then take in God's Name twenty parts of Saturn, which is prepared by Solution and Coagulation, till it leave no more Faeces behind, as hath been said at the beginning. Dissolve these twenty parts of Saturn, dissolve by itself in a Glass with distilled Vinegar; likewise dissolve the powder of your Stone alone by itself in a Glass with distilled Vinegar, and when both are dissolved into clear water, pour both the Solutions together into a great Glass, set it into a Bath, a head on, and a Receiver to it, distill the Vinegar from it in the boiling Bath, till the Matter be dry, then let it cool of itself, put it into a Glass, lay a polished Glass over the mouth of the Glass, and set it into a Furnace in a Cupel with sifted Ashes, make a fire under it like to the Sun's heat in March, till the powder be perfect white, which is quickly done.

Then augment your fire from one degree to another, till the Matter become yellower and yellower, to a perfect yellow, then increase it yet stronger, from one degree to another, till it be redder and redder, to a perfect redness; then pour your water upon the red powder with the red Oil, or with the Water of Paradise, or with the clear sharp Vinegar, or call it how you will, doing in all points as hath been taught, till the red powder flux like Wax upon a Silver Plate, without fuming, penetrating it as Oil doth dry leather, that it become good Gold within and without; then render thanks unto God, be obedient to him for his Gifts and Graces.

You may again take one half out of the Glass, and make projection, setting the other half in again, as hath been taught, so may you work all your Lifetime for the poor, and perform other duties to God's Glory, and the Salvation of your Soul, as I have said before; enough to the wise.

 Projection upon Metal. Know, my Child, how and in what manner you must use this Stone, which makes projection upon Mercury, and all imperfect Metals and Bodies of Mars, Jupiter and Venus, whereof make Plates glowing hot, whereon straw the Stone, and lay Coals on for a season, that the Stone may penetrate, but the Stones must be made quick with Gold, and Jupiter also, which is very laborious, as is taught in the projection. But you must project upon Saturn or Luna, which need not be made quick, only flux them, and cast one part upon a thousand parts, it will be a Medicine, cast one part of these thousand parts upon ten parts, it will be the best Gold that ever was seen on Earth.

 It's Use in Physicks. This Stone cures all Leprous people, Plague, and all Diseases which may reign upon Earth, or befall Mankind; this is the true Aurum potable, and the true Quintessence which the Ancients sought; this is that thing whereof the whole Troop of Philosophers speak so wondrously, using all possible skill to conceal it's Name and Operation, as aforesaid.

Take of this Stone the quantity of a Wheat-corn, lay it in a little good Wine in a small Glass, half full, or a quarter full, make the Wine warm, the Stone will melt like Butter, and the Wine will be red as Blood, and very sweet in your mouth, as ever you tasted; for to speak comparatively, it is so sweet in taste that Honey and Sugar may be compared as Gall to it; give this unto the Patient to drink, lay him in Bed, but lay not too many clothes upon him, the Stone hastens forthwith to the heart, expelling thence all ill humours, thence dilating itself through all the Arteries and Veins of the whole Body, rousing up all humours, the party will sweat, for the Stone opens all the pores of the Body, and drives forth all humours thereby, so that the Patient will seem to have been in the Water, yet will this sweating not make him sicker, for the Stone expels only what is adverse to Nature, preserving what is consonant unto it in it's being, therefore the Patient is not sicker or weaker; but the more he sweats the stronger and lustier will he be, the Veins will be lighter, and the sweat continues till all evil humours be driven out of the Body, and then it ceases.

The next day you shall take of it the quantity of a Wheat-corn, in warm Wine again, you will go to stool immediately, and that will not cease so long as you have anything in your Body which is contrary to Nature, and the more Stools the Patient hath, the stronger and lighter at heart will he be; for the Stone drives nothing forth but what is adverse and prejudicial to Nature.

The third day give the like quantity in warm Wine, as aforesaid; it will so fortify the Veins and Heart, that the party will not think himself to be a Man, but rather a Spirit, all his members will be so light and lively, & if the party will take the like quantity of a Wheat-corn every day for the space of nine days, I tell you, his Body will be as spiritual as if he had been nine days in the terrestrial Paradise, eating every day of the Fruit, making him fair, lusty and young; therefore use this Stone weekly, the quantity of a Wheat-corn with warm Wine, so shall you live in health unto the last hour of the time appointed for you by God.

It's Use in External Diseases. My Child, there are some people who have external Distempers on their Bodies, as Fistulas, Cancers, Wolf, or evil Biles, or Holes, be they what or how they will, etc, give him the weight of one Wheat-corn to drink in warm Wine two days, as is taught before, the whole body within and without shall be freed from all which is adverse to Nature, and you shall deal with the open Sores thus;

Take a Drachm of the Stone, seeth it in a pottle of Wine in a Glass, the space of two or three Pater-nosters, that the Stone may melt, the Wine will be as red as Blood, therewith wash the Sores morning and evening, laying a thin Plate of Lead over, in a short time, as in twelve days the Sores will be whole; and give him every day the quantity of a Wheat-corn, in warm Wine till he be well. If they be Fistulas or other concave Holes, that you cannot come at them to wash them, then take a Silver Syringe, and inject of that wine into them, it will heal them as aforesaid.

And if one had a pound of the rankest Poison in the world in his Body, and immediately drink a Drachm thereof in warm Wine, the poison shall forthwith evacuate by siege, together with all the evil Humours in his Body.

My Child, here ends the most noble and precious Work which is in the Vegetable Book; on whomsoever God bestows this Stone, needs no other thing in this World, therefore keep it as close and well as you can, to God's Glory, who grant that we may walk in his obedience, Amen.

God is blessed in all his works