William Wynn Westcott: Premium Collection. William Wynn Westcott

etc. Sendivogius calls this Matter, as well by the Name of Magnet, as Chalibs, viz., To speak more plainly, says he, 'tis our Magnet, which, in our foregoing Treatises, I called Chalibs, or Steel. The Air generates this Magnet, and the Magnet generates or makes out Air to appear and come forth: I have here intirely shewed thee the Truth.

      This Author has comprized in few Words what the Author of 'Intro. Apert.' has divided into Three Chapters, viz., Chalibs, Magnet, and Air; all which he has Concentrated in a Fourth, viz., Chaos; The Earth, says he, is a heavy Body, the Matrix of Minerals, because it keeps them occultly in itself; altho' it brings to light Trees and animals. The Heaven is that wherein the great Lights, together with the Stars, are rowled about; and it sends down its Virtues through the Air into inferior things.

      When he has gone thus far, he, in Imitation of Sendivogius's Skill and Candor, adds, But in the Beginning, all being confounded together, made a Chaos.

      Behold ! I have faithfully opened to you the Truth; for our Chaos, etc.

      O the Harmony and Skill, as well as Candor of these two great Masters! Beg of God that he would make you Discerners and Partakers of these things. Nor let me forget most candid Ripley, who exactly corresponds with these, viz.:

      "For as of one Mass was made all thing

       Right; so must in our Practice be.

       In Philosophers Books therefore, who lifts to see,

       Our Stone is called the less World One and Three:

       Magnesia also of Sulphur, and Mercury,

       Proportionate by Nature most perfectly.”

      Thus we see Ripley's One Mass, Philalethes's Chaos, and Sendivogius's Matter of the Antient Philosophers, are the same; containing Three, viz., Magnet, Chalibs, Air, or Magnesia, Sulphur and Mercury: which also are called by abundance of other Names in Philosophers' Books, e.g., Artephius speaking of the Compound, Magnesia, says, That 'tis compounded, like a Man of Body, Soul and Spirit; which he thus expounds, viz.,

      "For the Body is the fixed Earth of the Sun, which is more than most fine, ponderously lifted up by the force of our Divine Water: The Soul is the Tincture of the Sun and Moon, proceeding from the Conjunction or Communication of these two: But the Spirit is the Mineral Virtue of the Two Bodies and the Water, which carries the Soul, etc. Again, the Spirit therefore pierceth, the Body fixeth, the Soul coupleth, coloureth and whiteneth. Of these three united together, is our Stone made; that is, of the Sun, and Moon, and Mercury. Flammel says he could easily give very clear Comparisons and Expositions of this Body, Soul and Spirit: But then he must of necessity speak things which God reserves to reveal unto them that fear and love him, and consequently ought not to be written”; yet he is not wanting to concur with Artephius, in calling them the Sun, Moon and Mercury, and agreeing exactly with him in his Exposition.

      It would be as it were endless, and indeed needless, to recite all the different Expressions used by Philosophers, who confirm and constantly maintain this Doctrine of Trinity in Unity, under various Modes of Speech, and hard-to-be- understood Similes.

      But to keep a little to that of the Green Lion, which is worth our Enquiry: Ripley speaking of its Blood, asserts this Secret to be hid by all Philosophers, viz.:

      "The said Menstrual is (I say to thee in counsel)

       The Blood of our Green Lion, and not of Vitriol:

       Dame Venus can the Truth of this thee tell

       At the beginning, to Counsel if thou her call.

       This Secret is hid by Philosophers great and small.

       Which blood drawn out of the Green Lion,

       For lack of Heat, had not perfect Digestion.”

      So the Author of 'Arcanum Hermeticae' saith, the most precious Substance is Venus, the Hermaphrodite of the Antients, glorious (or powerful) in both Sexes.

      The Author of 'Aesch Mezareph', speaking of Venus, under the Names Nogah and Hod, which is a necessary Instrument to promote the Metalick Splendor, says, It has more a part of a Male, than Female; and speaking of the Green Lion, he saith, Which, I pray thee, do not think is called so from any other Cause but its Colour: For unless thy Matter shall be green, not only in that immediate State before 'tis reduced into Water, but also after the Water of Gold is made of it. Why 'tis called a Lion, is hinted by another, viz., Having Power to overcome, and reduce Bodies to their first Matter, and to make fixed things volatile and spiritual; whence 'tis fitly called a Lion.

      Some are who derive the Name Green from the Rawness or Unripeness of the Subject, and not from the Colour, viz.:-

      "Whose Colour doubtless is not so,

       And that your Wisdom do well know;

       But our Lion wanting Maturity,

       Is called Green, from Unripeness, trust me."

       - The Hunting of the Green Lion.

      Another says:-

      "For it is because of its transcendent Force

       It hath, and for the Rawness of its Source,

       Of which the liice is no where to be seen,

       That it of them is named their Lion green.

       Our subject is no ways malleable;

       It is metalline, and its Colour sable."

       - Sophic Feast.

      These are some more of the seeming Contradictions, which Philosophers warn us not to be deceived with, but to learn to Reconcile. These Difficulties are to be overcome by Meditation only.

      Now, let us try whether, or how far, 'tis possible to Reconcile these Contradictions concerning the Green Lion. The Cabalist (much admired by me) says, the Matter is actually green, both before 'tis dissolved and afterwards also: This doth not deny, but confirm, that 'tis Spoke of, and considered, in divers States; and then it may not be absurd to suppose, that it may be, and is, described by one in one state and degree of Perfection, and by others in another: By one in its Impurity; by another in its Passage from thence to its Purity (for Ripley says 'tis unclean); and by a third when 'tis Purified. For as Matters, when more or less pure or mature, are of a different Texture, so they also differ in Colour. And 'tis in this Sense, I make no doubt the Philosophers are to be understood not only with relation to this Subject, but 'Tis not therefore every Matter which is foul or, green (as vitriol is, which Ripley says, Fools take to be their Green Lion) that intitles it to this wonderful Name; no, but it must have all the other Virtues and Powers in it, that are assigned by Philosophers: Which thing lies very obscure, and seemingly base, but it is, in its Purity and exalted Virtue, their Subject of Wonders. To Produce which, this fond Minera, they tell us, must be dissolved and exactly purified, in a pure Homogeneal Water, which is its own Blood, as White as Milk; which Name some have rather imposed. This Leprous Body, Sendivo and others have called Saturn, and Saturn's Child and what some have called flood and Milk, he calls Urine.

      Thus the Masters of this Science take the liberty to express themselves by different Similes, in order to disguise their Secret, which a mental man will discover and improve by, as soon as he shall discern any one of their Intentions; the rest follow in course, tho' varied ever so many ways, as they themselves testifie.

      What some have called Blood, Wine, etc., the Author of the Learned 'Sophic Feast' calls fiery Water, etc., viz.:

      "Their Lion green they suffer'd him to prey

       On Cadmus Sociates; and when the Fray

       Was over, they with Dian's charms him ty'd

       And made him under Waters to abide,

       And washed him clean; and after gave him Wings

       To fly, much like a Dragon, whose sharp springs

       Of fiery Water, the only way was found

       To cause Apollo his Harp-strings to sound.

       This is the true Nymph's Bath, which we did try,

       And proved to be the Wise Men's Mercury.”

      Here