A-Chymicall-treatise-of-the-Ancient-and-highly-illuminated-Philosopher.pdf

A Chymicall treatise of the Ancient and highly illuminated

Philosopher, Devine and Physitian, Arnoldus de Nova Villa

who lived 400 years agoe, never seene in print before, but

now by a Lover of the Spagyrick art made publick for the

use of Learners, printed in the year 1611.

Transcribed from Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 1415, pp.130-146, by Hereward Tilton.

Here Beginns Mr. Arnold de Nova Villa's treatise.

He speakes to his Scholars thus, Know my deare Sonne that this is a Booke of the Secrets

of nature, and I shall devide it into six parts. In the first discourse what the stone is,

secondly why the Stone is naturall, thirdly why the Stone is animal like our blood,

fourthly why it is called herball or Radicall, fifthly I'le relate its true and constant

preparation, and sixtly I shall truly and without lies give you an account of the

augmentaion of our growing stone, to the end that fooles may bee derided, and wise and

understanding men taught. This art is nothing else but a knowing of the secret and hid

things of naturall masterrs and Lovers of the naturall art and wisdome, therefore no body

should approach to this art, unlesse he has heard before some Logick, which teaches to

distinguish truth from falsehood, and withall the naturall art which teaches the things of

nature, and the property of the elements, otherwise he troubles his minde and body and

life in vaine, it is a Stone and no Stone, and is found by every body in plane fields, on

Mountaines, and in the water, and is called Albida, heerein all physitians agree, for they

say that Albida is called Rebio, they name it in hid and secret words, because they

perfectly understand the materiam, some say it is blood, others say it is mans hair, others

say it is eggs, which has made many fooles and unwise men, that understand no more

then the letter, and the meere sound of words, seeke this art in blood, in eggs, in hair, in

the Gaull, in Allum , in salt, but they have found nothing for they did not rightly

understand the sayings of naturalists, who spake their words in hid language, should they

have spoken out plainly, they would have done very ill for divers reason, for all men

would have used this art and the whole world would have been spoiled, and all

agriculture perisht; seeing it is so that a man must give an account of his workes, I desire

god, that he would give me reason, and wisdome, and direct me how I may estrange or

conceale this noble art from fooles, which made me say what this stone is; Know my

sonne that our Stone as Hermes speakes is in a living thing, out of which saying the true

attempt of this art may bee knowne, and because of this saying some according to their

folly have sought this stone in beasts, in herbs, in Allum, but they have remained fooles;

now I'le tell you what our stone is, Sol, Luna, Azoth, now there are three stones and they

are dead upon earth, and end the thing afore in Lunam by the carefull understanding and

preparation of man; out of this stone is made true gold and silver the same with naturall;

the Scholar sayd how can this bee, for the philosophers say that art is weaker then nature,

and you say, out of that stone is made gold and Silver the same with naturall. The Master

answerr'd wee doe not make it, as nature makes it, but we helpe nature with our art, in

which respect it is naturall and not artificiall; there are three things in the naturall art and

wisdome as Hermes says, when the Stone is in a thing that has a Soule, as the Soule is

spirituall when it goes away in Smoak, for which cause its call'd a fugitive servant, and a

finite Spirit, for in the world there is no other spirit to this art, and it is of an Ayry nature,

which is a sign of perfection, and that it is not in Salt or Allum; he is not wise that seekes

in a thing what is not in it, and because neither gold nor Silver is in Allum or Salt, wee

must not seek them there but in such things where gold and silver is to bee found.

But that our Stone is not in beasts, heare how Hermes saith. All things are made

according to their nature. Out of man another man is made, and out of a living creature

another living Creature is produced, and one thing produceth another like it selfe. How

then can the medicine helpe man, it being not fit for man? The Master answeres thus,

Understand the Sayings of Wise men. The Medicines which are given to man doe not

make man, but drive away his distempers, and so it is here. Our Medicine given to him to

whom wee ought to give it, makes true gold and Silver which is subject to no defect, and

changes the man into the Woman, and the Woman into the man, and the man into an

angell; how can that bee saith the Scholar? Thou hast heard it in the preparation only,

perceive well the words of the Naturalists and bee wise and not unwise, it being

necessary that our Stone must bee of an incombustible nature and matter it is evident, that

it is not found in salt, or animals, or any of the other mentioned, but that Mercury is alone

an incombustible spirit, and therefore necessarily must bee an object of our science; so

then it is manifest what the Stone is, and how much, and how it is not. Know my Son,

that our Stone is naturall, for many reasons; first it is naturall because nature in the like

manner makes man and woman as the wise may know, but the unwise doth not

understand this. Secondly it is called naturall by Hermes the father of all Naturalists, a

man who is to bee beleived. Thirdly the medicine is found naturally, the things which are

under the Circle of the Moone being foure elements. And therefore our Stone is joyned

together by the 4 elements, and among the 4 elements one is cold, another drye, some

warme, some moist. The Scholar here saith, Then our Stone is cold, moist, dry and hot.

The Master answeres: Understand plainly. The Seven planets are Stones. Mercury is

warm and dry because of the Sunne, cold and moist because of the Moone, for he is of

the nature of water, of aire, of earth and of Fire. Therefore he is as the thing to which you

joined him, Good with the good, and bad with the bad, which makes Aristotle say, when

thou hast Water out of the aire, and aire out of the fire, and fire out of the earth (open thy

eares and understand the sayings of the wise) Then thou hast the whole Art.

Know my sonne that our Stone is animal-like. The Scholar saith, what is the reason of

this? The Master replyes, because hee hath a Spirit, and therefore a soul which makes it

animal-like. The Scholar: how hath it a Soule? The Master: dost not thou know that there

are 4 Spirits, Sulphur, Arcenicum, Salmoniac, and Mercurius, you see it is under the

number of these 4 spirits and therefore it is a Spirit, and the Soule, and because it is a

Soule it must needs bee animal-like, for animals have soules, here abouts marke well as I

have told thee of spirits and of the Soule and of the animal-like to the animal-like, this is

the reason why our Stone is animal-like, and Hermes in Libro Senator saith, our Stone is

of a thing that hath a Soule that is of a Spirit or fugitive thing, but the fooles and unwise

men who thought, as some yet think that it is in beasts, finde and loose tyme and labour

and spoil both their bodies and goods. The Scholar sayes: why is our Stone blood?

Because Arcaglaus sayes take the Stone which the ancients bid you take and rub him so

long till he be rub'd to blood, that is, till he become red, and because of the rednesse he is

called blood, and when our Stone becomes red, then he has in him the nature of fire, and

out of it all secrets may be drawn, mark and perceive what I say, and thou wilt have the

whole art, fools who thought that he was blood, did labour in blood and found nothing,

for things are made according to their nature. The naturall Master says: make out of the

Stone flesh and blood, that he may bee red and thou wilt have the whole art, Make of the

Milk that is of white Stone flesh and blood, that it may bee white like milke and may

flow. The Scholar saith: how is this stone made white, and how is it made red? The

Master answeres, Take the Stone and rubb him with blood, and it will bee red, However I

declare the Art to thee otherwise, and clearer. Take the small and inconsiderable and rub

it with the most amiable and the best, and it will be made red by the help of the Fire,

Observe here that the fire causes them to joyne and purgeth them, and adornes them. But

the unwise, who perceive not the Speeches of the Naturall Masters, try the art according

to the outward Letter, and finde nothing and then cry It's a Lye, and the art is false, for

wee have tryed it and found nothing. Thus they despaire, and raile against the books and

the Art. The Scholar saith, why is this Stone Herball? The Master answers: because as the

herbe hath a moveable soule, so our stone hath a Soule, for Hermes saith our Stone is of a

thing having a Soule, but the unwise thought it was in herbs yet did not finde it there, and

so have renounced the art. Some say that Mercury should bee compounded or coagulated

with the herbs and so have sought him in the herbs and found nothing, Yet this I doe not

say as if the Mercurius could not bee compounded or coagulated with the herbs, but I say

that the coagulation is good for nothing, and when they have thus coagulated him, they

think they have done great matters, yet have done nothing that's worth anything, nor

finished any thing; it being inconstant they talke, I can coagulate the Mercurius, but they

might rather say, I can spoile the Mercurius. And what is it that Mercurius is to bee

coagulated with? They make him of herbes, and make so fragil, that he is worth nothing.

Mercurius, if hee bee rightly coagulated hee must bee as heavy in weight as gold though

hee bee white in colour, for the Whitenesse is a Signe of perfection. This done, there

needs no more but only to give him the color, and so it is gold. The Scholar saith, why is

our Stone called the red Servant? The Master answeres: because hee soon turnes red. The

Scholar: why doe the philosophers say, that Mercury doth not dye, unlesse it be killed

with its Brother? The Master: Hermes saith That the Dragon dyes not, unlesse you kill

him with its Brother the Sun, or Sister the Moone. Therefore saith Avicenna, Make the

blind to see, and the seeing blind, and thou wilt have the Art. Another saith, in the

Herball Stone are Haire, Blood, Eggs, and this hee said to shew in these words, the 4

Elements, beleeve not mee but the naturall philosophers, who may bee beleeved, nor give

an credit to common foolish recipes. For those that have made recipes found nothing of

this art, but they had some books of the philosophers, who speake in riddles of this art

(For they framed these bookes with such hid words as with allum and Salt, and with other

things unintelligible to the simple, though intelligible enough to the prudent) that they

have deceived the whole world. I saw a Monck who had laboured in this Art very neere

twenty yeares, and could finde nothing notwithstanding of this, however like a base

raskall hee made a booke which hee called, The Flowers of Paradise, in which were

above 100 recipes, and this booke he suffered to come into every man’s hand, and by

these meanes much people was deceived, for hee was a Coxcomb and knew nothing.

In this Chapter I will teach the preparation of the Philosophers Stone, but the way of its

preparation which I know, I have not of myselfe, but a part of this Labor, I have of one of

my brethren, and a part of a German Moncke. Therefor I desire God that he take away

from mee the sin of envy, that I may bring every body into the way of truth. In the

beginning of this labour, I'le say, that the most excellent Hermes teaches the way in plain

words to rationall men, but in occult and hid speeches to the unwise and fools. I say that

the father son and holy ghost are one, and yet three, so speaking of our Stone I say three

are one, and yet are divided. Mark well, the World was lost by a Woman, therefore

necessarily must it bee restored by a Woman. Take therefore the mother very pure and

lay her into a bed with the Servant, and putt them up close into a Prison, till they bee

purified of their sins, and shee'le beare a son, which will bee a blessing to all people.

Signes have been manifested in the sun and in the moone. Then take the son and beate

him that he may be punished and its pride may come down, and he forsake his pride, and

abide in humility. Therefore, saith Geber, out of Mercury everything is made. The same

Chapter saith further, The common Sulphur is found in Sol and Luna, in Mercury more

fugitive, in the body water. And the same in another chapter saith, Afterward the Tincture

becomes Water, that it may become better in its nature. Therefore take the punished son

and lay him into a bed and there hee'le begin to delight himselfe, then take him and give

him to the Jewes to bee crucified. Being crucifyed hee growes pale, then take him, and

turne him, and if you cannot see him well, you take away the vaile from the Temple,

whereupon a great earth quake ariseth and you'le see various changes, and hee'le leape up

and downe because of his great tortures, then hee'le fall downe; therefore stirr him below

more, and hee'le give up the ghost. Thus all necessary things are accomplished, and many

Workmen have erred in this.

The Scholar said, these words I understand not. The Master answered, I must necessarily

hide the Secrets of Secrets of the naturall art, as other Natural Masters have done, for it is

not with this art as it is with others. Hence it is said, whatsoever is written, is written for

our Learning, that through patience and comfort of the holy ghost, wee may have the

Scripture. Amen.

I came one day into a great Master’s house to recreate my selfe with him in this art for

sport, yet with magisteriall words, and I sat at his right side; There were two men with

him. The one I knew, but the other I did not know. These two began to speake of this art,

neither being ashamed of mee, nor taking any care of mee. Then understood I by their

speeches that which I had sought a great while. Yet did they wonder what I sought there

and were amazed at the speech, which they had had together. Then turned the honest old

man his face towards mee and said, The wise and prudent Mercurius (to speake the

common way) is comprehended in these words. Take leade and whatsoever is like lead,

and take Azoth. This is the right ordering of the art, which the Egyptians have

acknowledged and that's their riddle, their reason, their vertue, and their meeknesse. Here

are foure things, two are manifest which hee named the lead, and that which is like lead.

Then said one of the men, how many are the things, to which the other said, there are

foure, and said moreover: These art words of the prudent and wise, and have a darke

obscurity in them, and are taken out of the apparent sentences of the wise. Then the one

asked, how is this? to which the other answering said the wise man understands but two.

The one asked againe, which are they two? The man answered and said, The hidden thing

after this hee adds two words and they signifie foure, and foure signifie but two, and hee

changed the words of the wise before mentioned and said foure. And the wise men say

but two. Then he answered and said as it was said before, In these words is a hidden

obscurity and they are taken out of the illustrious sayings of the wise. Hereby meanes the

Master nothing else then that out of the foure things two should bee set together, man and

wife. And having thus used diverse words among the rest he said, Take Fire and water,

and mingle these two together, and there will bee one thing out of it. After this he said,

Take Lead and that which resembles lead, and he changed these words and said, Take

Azoth and that which resembles Azoth; with such hidden words doe they hide their words

to all unwise men. Perceive therefore and trust God, that thou mayst perceive the better

the aforesaid saying of the wise. Of this I’le give thee an example when the Master saith,

Take Lead, according to a philosophicall sense or meaning. The word lead is a manly

name and word, and so one of the number of the names of men. Hereby mayst thou truly

know the name of the man. And he saith further, That which resembles lead, that is, that

which resembles the man. So hee hides the name of the Woman, and the reason why he

mentions the man’s name first is because shee is of him, and not hee of her. Therefore

said the master, That which resembles Lead. After this one said, Take Azoth and that

which resembles Azoth. The Masters hereby meane the wife. Here he names the Woman,

and mentions not the name of the man, for hee had named him before in the beginning of

these words, where he saith, Take Adam and what resembles Adam. Afterwards hee

changeth this Speeche againe, to make it more occult to him that is not altogether wise,

and said, Take Eva, and what resembles Eva, here thou namest Eva and not the man, and

this thou doest, because thou didst begin in the first speech with the man. That these

Speeches doe not at all hinder a wise man in his reason, but make him more ingenious,

and more intelligent.

When they had talk'd together a great while, they began againe in a great feare another

way and language. Mingle the warm with the cold, for so an equall mixture will arise out

of it, which is neither warme nor cold, and mix the moist with the dry, and you'le have an

equall mixture, which is neither moist nor dry. The Speech now uttered, is manifest from

4 things, and out of these foure are numbered and terminated Man and Wife. The man is

hot and dry, the wife cold and moist, but when they come together, and unite themselves

naturally, there is made an equall mixture of the warme and the cold, of the moist with

the dry. And of this a wise Philosopher doth not doubt, and the artificiall conjunction

cannot bee unlesse the things belonging thereunto be totally prepared, every one

according to its kind. For as Joseph saith, Mix together fire and water, and there will be

two, Mix together aire and earth, and there will bee foure, Afterward of foure make one,

then thou art come to what thou wouldst bee att. And when this is done make out of that

body a non-corpus, that is a Spirit, as out of the non-corpus or Spirit make a body againe,

which may bee constant on the fire, and not remove any way from it. Already, thou hast

comprehended the Wisdom. Doe in this as Joseph hath said. Before thou beginnest the

labour of this Artificiall treasure which is true, prepare all things, each in their kind and

nature, begin thence to the end, and when thou hast done this thou hast made a water

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