Bibliothèque de l'Arsénal - Concerning the Material of the Stone

PART THE FIRST OF THE WORK

Of the very pure menstruum of a prostitute woman, take 12 parts, of the perfectly washed lower body 1 part, in a long- necked and oval vessel, mix well all together until the whole materia be amalgamated. But let first there be added to the body 2 or 4 parts of the menstruum, and allow the whole to lie for 15 days or thereabouts, during which time the dissolution of the body shall take place.

Take then this materia, and press it that there comes from it the menstruum which you shall keep. Upon the body remaining after expression, place one or two parts of fresh menstruum, and let it stand it again eight days, after which time you may proceed as you did at the beginning, and continue in the same fashion until the body in its entirety has transformed into water.

All such operation is performed with the gentle fire of ashes, the vessel well sealed and corked with pasteboard.

PART THE SECOND OF THE WORK

Take all of the aqua vitae and place it in a sealed vessel like unto the one above, and at the same degree which is the first degree of the fire of ashes, for 8 days and 8 days it shall form upon its surface a black skin, which is the head of the crow and this you shall gather with the black powder which is beneath it, drawing off first the aqua vitae by inclination.

Again place this water in the vessel and continue in like manner, until blackness no longer forms.

PART THE THIRD OF THE WORK

Take all of the dead head you have gathered, and place it upon a fire of the ashes of oak, in the Philosophic Egg which same seal hermetically at the orifice, but with paste only at the joining of the two sections of the Egg, that it may the more easily he opened.

For the first 8 days more or less shall you give unto your black and moribund earth nothing to drink, in that it is yet full drunk of humidity. Then, when it be dehydrated and parched, you shall give it to drink in equal weight. Opening the vessel to this end, mix well and then close it again and leave it thus, until it be not quite entirely dried out, but only well coagulate; continue imbibition in like manner until the materia has drunk off all of the water.

PART THE FOURTH OF THE WORK

Take now this materia and place it within an Egg upon a fire of the second degree, leaving it there for several months until finally, having passed through divers colours, it becomes white.

PART THE FIFTH OF THE WORK

The EARTH being white, is near ready to receive the seed, and this because of the fecundity it has acquired through the preceding operations. Take therefore this earth after having weighed it, and divide it into three parts. Take of the ferment one part equal in weight to one of the three parts of your divided materia, and four parts of the menstruum of a prostitute woman, make of the ferment laminated as before and the menstruum an amalgam, and work the dissolution at slow heat for 14 days, until the body be reduced to a subtle lime; for we seek not here the aqua vitae.

Take now the menstruum with the lime of the body, and the three parts of your white earth, make of all this an amalgam in a marble mortar, and in a vessel of glass upon a fire of the second degree, for a period of one month.

Finally, give it the fire of the third degree until the materia become quite white, which shall be like unto a mass, gross and hard like a pumice stone, but weighty.

Thus for the operation of the white Stone. For the red, you shall operate the same, save that at the end you are to apply the fire of the third degree for longer time and more vehemently than for the white.

PART THE SIXTH
CONCERNING THE PREPARATION OF THE STONE FOR THE EFFECTING OF PROJECTION

Many have made the stone without however knowing how to prepare it so as to effect the projection. Also, the Stone although prepared and achieved will make no transmutation if one does not make it have ingress into the body. To this end, break up your Stone, grind and place in a vessel well sealed with lute right up to the neck, that it my suffer great fire such as that of the fourth degree, give it fire of charcoal so strong that the sand be that hot that when one cast upon it drops of water these last make sound, and that one dare not touch with the hand the neck of the vessel placed upon the sand, by cause of its great heat.

Keep your vessel upon this degree of heat until your material becomes a most subtle and light powder; the which occurs usually within the space of one month and a half.

PART THE SEVENTH AND LAST
OF THE AUGMENTATION AND MULTIPLICATION OF THE STONE

Once made, you may multiply the Stone unto infinity, without needing to make it again.

When you have the Stone made and achieved at the fifth step of the operation, one half shall you take to serve for yourself and this prepare to effect projection, and the other shall you keep for multiplication.

Weigh then that part, and if it weigh three parts, take one part not of the menstruum but of the aqua vitae; you shall then have four parts the which you shall place within the Egg and upon a fire of the second degree for the space of one month, following which you shall give it the fire of the third degree until the end, as above taught by ourselves in the fifth part of the operation.