William Wynn Westcott: Premium Collection. William Wynn Westcott

no more than a thing can be separated from itself.

      20. For if he that makes be nothing else, but that which makes alone, Simple, Uncompounded, it is of necessity, that he makes the same thing to himself, to whom it is the Generation of him that maketh to be also All that is made.

      21. For that which is generated or made, must necessarily be generated or made by another, but without the Maker that which is made, neither is made, nor is; for the one of them without the other, hath lost his proper Nature by the privation of the other.

      22. So if these Two be confessed, That which maketh, and that which is made, then they are One in Union, this going before, and that following.

      23. And that which goeth before, is, God the Maker, and that which follows is, that which is made, be it what it will.

      24. And let no man be afraid because of the variety of things that are made or done, lest he should cast an aspersion of baseness, or infamy upon God, for it is the only Glory of him to do, or make All things.

      25. And this making, or facture is as it were the Body of God, and to him that maketh or doth, there is nothing evil, or filthy to be imputed, or There is Nothing thought Evil or Filthy.

      26. For these are Passions that follow Generation as Rust doth Copper, or as Excrements do the Body.

      27. But neither did the Copper-smith make the Rust, nor the Maker the Filth, nor God the Evilness.

      28. But the vicissitude of Generation doth make them, as it were to blossom out; and for this cause did make Change to be, as one should say, The Purgation of Generation.

      29. Moreover, is it lawful for the same Painter to make both Heaven, and the Gods, and the Earth, and the Sea, and Men, and brute Beasts, and inanimate Things, and Trees; and is it impossible for God to make these things? O the great madness, and ignorance of men in things that concern God!

      30. For men that think so, suffer that which is most ridiculous of all; for professing to bless and praise God yet in not ascribing to him the making or doing of All things, they know him not.

      31. And besides their not knowing him, they are extremely impious against him, attributing unto him Passions, as Pride, or Oversight, or Weakness, or Ignorance, or Envy.

      32. For if he do not make or do all things, he is either proud or not able, or ignorant, or envious, which is impious to affirm.

      33. For God hath only one Passion, namely Good and he that is good is neither proud, nor impotent, nor the rest, but God is Good itself.

      34. For Good is all power, to do or make all things, and every thing that is made, is made by God, that is by the Good and that can make or do all things.

      35. See then how he maketh all things, and how the things are done, that are done, and if thou wilt learn, thou mayest see an Image thereof, very beautiful, and like.

      36. Look upon the Husbandman, how he casteth Seeds into the Earth, here Wheat, there Barley, and elsewhere some other Seeds.

      37. Look upon the same Man, planting a Vine, or an Apple-Tree, or a Fig-Tree, or some other Tree.

      38. So doth God in Heaven sow Immortality, in the Earth Change in the whole Life, and Motion.

      39. And these things are not many, but few, and easily numbered for they are all but four, God and Generation, in which are all things.

      The Hermetic Art

       Table of Contents

      This Art, of bringing all Imperfect Metals to Perfection, hath been asserted for Truth, by Men of almost every Degree, in most Ages of the World; many of whose Books are extant.

      They have declared, that they have made and possessed this great Treasure, which not only brings all Imperfect Metals to the Perfection of Sol and Luna (according to the Quality of the Medicine), but healeth all manner of Diseases in Human Bodies, even renewing Youth and prolonging Life.

      Those Authors, from Age to Age, have justified one another's Testimony; alledging, as a farther Proof of the Art, that all that have understood it, have written most agreeingly of it, though contemporary, and unknown to one another in Person, or by Writing.

      How far these Men's Writings have obtain'd, a very little Enquiry may serve; for most men look upon these (Alchymic) Books only as Cunningly devised Fables, and the Art itself as altogether impossible.

      To which the (Alchymic) Authors answer, That it is not Lawful, nor Commendable to reprobate an Art, by Judges who are ignorant of its Laws as well as the Facts; and that the Ignorant Negative of such, is by no means sufficient to set aside the Affirmative Knowledge of so many Men of Unquestionable Credit, Piety, and Virtue, supported by Arguments and Circumstances of Uncontestible Force.

      From which, together with the Excellency of the Things themselves (viz., Long Life and Riches, vide the 'Way to Bliss'), many have been induced to believe and seek after this Art.

      Tis the Melancholy View that I have taken of these Men, that have occasioned the putting my own Thoughts into the Order you find them, hoping no Master will be offended, nor any Inquirer displeased.

      When I compare, I say, the variety of these Men's Fortunes, Capacities and other Qualifications, with those the Philosophers have laid down for men like to succeed, it fills me with Pity, and makes me almost tremble to rehearse the words of Norton, viz.:-

      "That of a Million hardly three,

       Were e'er ordain'd for Alchymy."

      O sad Tidings to such Men! whose impair'd Healths, injured Fortunes and barren Practice, renders them more unfit every day than other, and instead of attaining that which should crown their Labours with success, are at length in danger of denying, if not cursing the Art itself.

      I would pretty thoroughly enquire from whence this ill success, which attends the generality of Enquirers, proceeds, and accordingly shall mention a few chief Impediments, in my Opinion.

      First; But few of those that seek this Art, are qualified according to the Philosophers for attaining it; for they assert, That to find it requires the whole Man; as well as that, when found, it possesses him: Also that it is never found of any by Chance or by accidental Tryals, and casual Experiments; and that unless the Mind be kindled with a Beam of Divine Light, it will not be able to penetrate this most hidden Science.

      These with many more Cautions, are plentifully set down in their Books, on purpose to inform and reform a great many Persons too rashly concern'd in these things; and yet how few take their Advice! undertaking this Study with much less than half the Man; constantly trying Experiments that have no Authority but their own idle Fancy; and consequently have Minds, in respect to this Science, as dark as Midnight.

      Then add to these an almost Insuperable Difficulty, (hard enough to be overcome by those that can spare even the whole Man and are very cautious in their Practice, as having a pretty good Understanding of Natural Things in general, and of the Mineral Kingdom in particular) and that is the Subtilty of Stile so peculiar to Hermetick Philosophers.

      Of this they often warn us, telling us also, that if it were not for this, they could not disclose, and at the same time hide their Secret. And though this be a Paradox, that at the same time they give light, they darken, yet they affirm it for Truth, with many other things hard enough to be understood; which yet must be understood before any one can profit by them, witness Geber, Sendivo, &c.

      Also Norton has given a hint of this mysterious way of writing, and which indeed sufficiently shews that it will obscure, whether we can discern its Instruction or not, viz.:-

      "If you consider how the Parts of Works

       Be out of Order set by the Old Clerks.”

      This breaking to pieces of the several Works, makes it almost impossible for a Tyro to make their Writings Tally; any one part not being rightly apply'd, the whole is incompleat.

      Another