Divers Ilustrious men have written touching the Verity of this Arcanum, among these, take the Sayings of some of them, as follows.

Paracelsus
In his Book Of the Signature of Natural things.

The Tincture of Naturalists, is a, true sign, that by the transmutative virtue thereof, all imperfect Metals are changed, viz. the White into Silver, and the Red into the best Gold, if an exceeding small part of this Medicine well prepared, be injected upon the Metal, while in flux in a Crucible, &c.

The same.

For the invincible Astrum of Metals overcomes all things, and changeth into a Nature like it self, &c. This Gold and Silver is more noble, and better, than those, which are dug out of Metallick Mines; for Medicinal Arcanums to be prepared therefrom.

The same.

Therefore, I say every Alchimist, which hath the Astrum of Gold, is able to tinge all Red Metals into Gold, &c.

The same.

Our Tincture of Gold hath Astrums in it self, is a Substance most fixed, and in multiplication immutable. It is a Powder, haveing a colour most red, almost like Saffron, yet its whole Corporal Substance, is liquid as Rosin, perspicuous as Crystal, brittle as Glass, of the colour of a Rubie, and exceeding poaderous, &c.

Also read Paracelsus his Heaven of Philosophers.

Likewise, Paracelsus his Seventh Book, Of the Transmutation of Natural things.

Transmutation is a great natural Mystery, Metallick, and not contrary to the Course of Nature, nor repugnant to the Order of god, as many men of it do falsly judge. For imperfect Metals, are changed neither into Gold, nor into Silver, without this Stone of Philosophers.

Paracelsus, in his Manual of the
Medicinal Stone of philosophers.

Our Stone is a Celestial, and more than perfect Medicine, because it cleanseth all the impurities of Metals, &c.

HENRY KHUNRADUS

In his Amphitheatre of Eternal Sapience.

I travelled long, invited others, who knew somewhat by experience, and could with very firm judgement conjecture; and this not alwayes in vain. Among which, I call God to witness, by his wonderful ordination, I, from one, received the Green Catholick Lyon, and the Blood of the Lyon, viz. Gold, not the Vulgar, but of Philosophers, with my Eyes I saw the same, with my hands, I handled it, and with my Nostrils, smelt the odour thereof. O how wonderful is God in his Works! They, I say, gave those Gifts prepared, which I in most desperate Cases, used with admirable success to the benefit of my needy Neighbour. And (by Instinct of Jehovah’s mercy) they sincerely revealed to me, the wayes of preparing, &c.

The same.

This wonderful Method, the wonderful God gave me. In this way, in which I walked, God alone, I say, immediately, and mediately; yet subdelegately, Nature, Fire, and Art, of my Master, as well living as mute, corporally, and spiritually good, sleeping and waking, gave the same to me, &c,

The same.

I write not Fables; with your hands you shall handle, and with, your eyes you shall see Azoth, viz. the Catholick [or Universal] Mercury of Philosophers; which alone, with the Internal and External Fire, yet with Sympathetick Harmony, with Olympick Fire (by reason of inevitable necessity) Physico-magically united, will suffice thee for obtaining our Stone, &c.

The same.

You shall see, the Stone of Philosophers; our King, and Lord of those that bare rule, coming from his Bridal Throne of the Glassy Sepulchre, into this Mundane Scene, in his glorified body, viz, regenerate, and more then perfect: namely, a shining Carbuncle, a most temperate Splendour; and of which, tire most Subtile, and Depurated parts, are by the concordant peace of Mixtion, inseparably united into One, and perfectly equallized, clear as Crystal, compact, and most ponderous, as fluid in fire, as Rosin, and before the flight of Mercury, as Wax flowing, yet without fume, entring and penetrating, solid and close bodies, as Oyl, Paper; resolvable in every Liquor, melting, and commiscible therewith; brittle as Glass, in Powder, of the colour of Saffron, but in the intire Mass, like a blushing Rubie; (which Redness is a sign of perfect Fixation, and fixed Perfection) permanently Colouring, or Tinging; in all Examens whatsoever, even of Sulphur adurtive, and in Tryals of corroding Waters, and in the most vehement persecution of Fire, fixed, alwayes during, and unburnable; permanent as the Salamander, &c.

The same.

The Stone of Philosophers in the greater World, is in the parts thereof, fermented; by reason of the Ferment, it transforms it self into whatsoever it will &c. Hence you may learn the reason, why Philosophers on their Azoth imposed the name of Mercury which adheres to bodies, &c.

The same.

It is fermented with Metals, viz, the White existant in the highest Whiteness, with pure Silver for the White; but the Sanguineous Stone, with Gold Obrizon for the Red. And this is the Work of three dayes, &c.

HELMONT, Of Eternal Life

For I have oftentimes seen it, and with, my hands handled the same, &c. See in the same place further. Then I projected this quarter of one Grane, wrapt up in Paper, upon eight Ounces of Argentvive, hot in a Crucible, and immediately the whole Hydrargyry, with some little noise ceased to flow, and remained congealed like yellow Wax: after fusion thereof, by blowing the bellows, there were found eight Ounces of Gold, wanting eleven Grane. Therefore, one Grane of this Powder, transmutes 19186 equal parts of Argentvive, into the best Gold.

Within the Earth, the aforesaid Powder is found, or what is in a sort like thereunto, which transmutes almost an infinite Mass of impure Metal into perfect Gold, by uniting the same to it self, it defends from Rust, and AErugo, from Cankring, and Death, and maketh the same, as it were, immortal, against all torture of Fire, and Art, and transfers it into the Virgin-purity of Gold; it requires only heat.

The same Helmont, Of the Tree of Life.

I am compelled to believe the Aurifick, and Argentifick Stone; because at several distinct: times, with my own hand, made projection of one Grane of this Powder, upon some thousands of Granes of Argentvive hot in a Crucible; and in the presence of our principal friends, the business, with a pleasing admiration, succeeded well in the Fire: as our books promise Thee, &c.

The same.

He, who first gave me the Powder, had at least, so much thereof, as would be sufficient for transmuting two hundred thousand pound weight of Metal, into Gold, &c..

The same.

For he gave to me not so much as half a grane of that Powder, and with that were transmuted nine ounces, and three quarters of an ounce of Argetitvive. That was given me one Evening by a strange Friend, &c

The same

So also it is written, that sixty years since, Alexander Scotus, made projection of that kinde, in the trust: famous City of Colonia and Hanovia, &c..

I cannot in this place over-pass, some Examples worthy of note, touching the possibility of Transmutation.

Read the following true Extract out of an Epistle written by Doctor Kufflerus.

Kufflerus: Artist, I found-in my own Laboratory, an Aqua-fortis. Secondly, I again found another in the Laboratory, Caroli de Roy; this Aqua-Fortis I poured upon the Calx of Sol, prepared of Gold, in the Vulgar manner, and after the third Cohobation, it sublimed the Tincture of Gold with it self in the Neck of the Retort; this Tincture I mixed with Silver, precipited in the vulgar manner, and I saw that one ounce of the sublimed Tincture of Gold, with ordinary Flux in a Crucible, had transmuted one ounce, and halfe of the two ounces of precipitate Silver, into the best Gold: but a third part of the Silver yet remaining, was a white and fixed Gold: the other two parts thereof were perfect Silver, fixed in every examen of Fire. This is my experience, after this time, we could never find the like Aqua-fortis. I Helvetius saw this Gold white, and without Tincture.

The same.

There is yet one other Example very rare; of what was done at the Hague by a Silver-Smith, whose name was Grill: how he in the year 1664. by Spirit of Salt, not prepared in the Vulgar manner, transmuted Lead so, as from one pound, he received three parts of the best Silver, and two ounces of most fixed Gold.

At the Hague, a certain Silver-Smith, and a much exercised Disciple of Alchimy, but according to the nature of Alchimy, a very poor man; did sometime since require Spirit of Salt, not vulgarly prepared, of a loving Friend of Mine, a Cloath-Dyer, by name, John Casparus Knottnerus. My Friend giving the same to him; demanded, whether he would use that Spirit of Salt, he now had, for Metals, or not? Grill made answer; for Metalls. And accordingly he afterward powred this Spirit of Salt upon Lead, which he had put into a Glass Dish, usual for Conditures and Confections. The space of two Weeks being elapsed, supernatant on the Spirit of Salt, appeared a most splendid Silver-Starre, so exceeding curious, as if it had been made With an Instrument by a most ingenious Artist. At the sight of which, the said Grill, filled with Exceeding Joy, signified to us, that he had seen the Signate Star of Philosophers, touching which he had read in Basilius, as he thought. I, and many other honest Men, did behold this Star supernatant on the Spirit of Salt, the lead in the mean while remaining in the bottom of an ash colour, and swollen like a Sponge. But in the space of seven or nine dayes, that humidity of the Spirit of Salt, being absumed by the exceeding heat of the Aire, in July, did vanish; but the Star settled down, and still stood above that Earthly Spongeous Lead. That was a thing worthy of admiration, and beheld by not a few Spectators. At length Grill himself having taken part of Cinereous, or Ash-like Lead, with the Star adhering, cupellated in a Test, and found from one ounce of this Lead, twelve ounces of Cupellate Silver, and from these twelve ounces, he also had two ounces of the best Gold. And I Helvetius am able to shew some of this Spongeous Lead with part of the Star yet adhering, & besides the pieces of the Star the Silver and Gold made thereof. Which when this Subtile (and Likewise Foolish) Grill understood, he would not be known to Knottterus, whether he had used the Spirit of Salt, or not; but thenceforth attempted to learn of him the Art how to make it; yet some time being Elapsed, the worthy Knottnerus had for got what Spirit of salt (for he was expert in various kinds thereof) he had given him; not being able to call the same to mind so suddenly: in the mean while, he and his Family were visited with the Pestilence and dyed: the other falling into the Water was drowned. After the death of these two, none could find out the way of either of their Operations.

Certainly here is cause of Admiration, that the Internal Nature of Lead, by the simple maturation of Spirit of Salt, should appear in an external form so noble. No less admirable and wonderful to the mind is this, viz. that the mirifick Stone of Philosophers can so exceeding swiftly transmute Metals; having virtue potentially insited in it self, so as it is deduced into Art, as in Iron by contact of the Magnet. But touching These enough for the Sons of Art.