"All things are concealed in all. One of them all is the concealer of the rest - their corporeal vessel, external, visible, and movable. All liquefactions are manifested in that vessel."
— Coelum philosophorum by Paracelsus
“the Earth which remaines in the ground, thou must not at all despise nor villify, understand the earth of the body, and that same earth is the right end of the permanent and constant things, after that with a good water thou must annoint and errigate the Leaven, and the Leaven is called by the Philosophers a Soul; they call also the prepared body a Leaven, for as a Leaven does make other bread sowre, so does this thing, and I tell thee freely, that there is no other Leaven but Gold and Silver, of necessity must the Leaven bee Leavened in the body, for the Leaven is the Soule of the body” - Morienus. Chymicall treatise of the Ancient and highly illuminated Philosopher
“Therefore with this our golden water, a natural substance is extracted, exceeding all natural substances; and so, except the bodies be broken and destroyed, imbibed, made subtile and fine, thriftily, and diligently managed, till they are abstracted from, or lose their grossness or solid substance, and be changed into a subtile spirit, all our labor will be in vain. And unless the bodies be made no bodies or incorporeal, that is converted into the philosophers mercury, there is no rule of art yet found out to work by. The reason is, because it is impossible to draw out of the bodies all that most thin and subtile spirit, which has in itself the tincture, except it first be resolved in our water. Dissolve then the bodies in this our golden water, and boil them until all the tincture is brought forth by the water, in a white color and a white oil; and when you see this whiteness upon the water, then know that the bodies are melted, liquified or dissolved. Continue then this boiling, till the dark, black, and white cloud is brought forth, which they have conceived.” - Artephius. The Secret Book of Artephius
“The object of your search should be to find a hidden thing from which, by a marvellous artifice, there is obtained a liquid by whose means gold is dissolved as gently and naturally as ice is melted in warm water. If you can find this substance, you have that out of which Nature produced gold, and though all metals and all things are derived from it, yet it takes most kindly to gold.” - Michael Sendivogius. The New Chemical Light
“without the Spirit of Mercury, which is the only true Key, you can never make Corporal Gold potable, nor the Philosophers Stone. Let it remain by this Conclusion, be silent” - Basil Valentine. Of Natural and Supernatural Things
“Our work is performed by means of one root, and two crude mercurial substances, drawn and extracted from a mineral, pure and clear, being conjoined by the heat of friendship, as this matter requires, and carefully cooked until the two things become one thing” - Bernard, Count of Trevisan and the March. The Golden Tract Concerning The Stone of the Philosophers
“gold of the Sages, which, though derived from common gold, is yet very different from it.” - Anonymous. The Golden Tract Concerning The Stone of the Philosophers
“You must operate prudently and expressly, because neither Sol nor Luna can be without ferment, and any other seed or ferment is not proper and useful, but Gold to the red, and silver to the white, which bodies being first subtiliated under weight, must then be sowed, that they may putrefy and be corrupted, where one form being destroyed, another more noble is put on, and this is done by the means of our Water alone” - Clangor Buccine Clangor. Buccine Book
“The strength of the sulfur of the Mercury is like the seed of the father and Luna the mother, that is the actual - The substance of Mercury, namely the watery subtle mixed with the earthly subtle is equal to the menstruum, and that is Argentum vivum, which is called Mercurius by the Philosophis . But because Mercurius is the Argentum vivum, the root of the art is Alchemy, then out of him through it and in him are all metals, as the philosophers say. Versus: Everything the Wise are looking for is in the Mercurio. Then under his shadow this substance lives and grows, which is why its middle substance is incombustible, as Geber says: Then every thing of this art is from him and with him every tincture is composed of its likeness, namely Mercurio .” - Anonymous Clangor Buccinae - The Sound of Trumpets
“Quick-silver is the Matter of all Metals, and is as it were Water, (in the Analogy betwixt it, and Vegetables or Animals) and receives into it the virtue of those things which in decoction adhere to it, and are throughly mingled with it; which being most cold, may yet in a short time be made most hot: and in the same man∣ner with temperate things may be made temperate, by a most subtle artificial invention. And no Metal adheres better to it than Gold, as you say, and therefore as some think Gold is nothing but Quick-silver, coagulated by the power of Sulphur” - Bernard Trevisan The Answer of Bernardus Trevisanus, to the Epistle of Thomas of Bononia
“Let therefore the spirit of our living water be, with all care and industry, fixed with sol and luna; for they being converted into the nature of water become dead, and appear like to the dead; from thence afterwards being revived, they increase and multiply, even as do all sorts of vegetable substances; it suffices then to dispose the matter sufficiently without, because that within, it sufficiently disposes itself for the perfection of its work. For it has in itself a certain and inherent motion, according to the true way and method, and a much better order than it is possible for any man to invent or think of. For this cause it is that you need only prepare the matter, nature herself will perfect it; and if she be not hindered by some contrary thing, she will not overpass her own certain motion, neither in conceiving or generating, nor in bringing forth.” - Artephius. The Secret Book of Artephius 1,149 Alchemical Books 274 Audio Books
“patiently continuing decoction until such time the tincture be come out in black colour upon the water, and when thou seest the blackness appear in the said water, know thou all the body to be liquefieth, and then it behoveth to continue an easy fire upon it, until such time it hath conceived the dark cloud which it hath brought forth. The intent of the philosophers is that now the body dissolveth into black powder, may enter into this water and all may be made one. For then the water taketh the whiter as his own nature. Therefore without all be turned into water, thou shalt never come by any means to perfect perfection.” - Georgius Aurach de Argentina Donum Dei
“Who doth not mollify and harden againe doth erre, therefore make the earth black, and separate her Soule from her, and the water, after that make it white that it may become as a naked Sword and when it growes white, give it to the Covetous fire so long till it growes large, and doth not fly away; Hee that can doe this may well be called happy and exalted in this World, and let him doe it in the love of God and in his feare. Amen.” - Arnold de Villa Nova Chymicall treatise of the Ancient and highly illuminated Philosopher
“Know that unless you take my body [sulphur] without the spirit [mercury] ye will not obtain what ye desire. Cease to think of many things. Nature is satisfied with one thing, and he who does not know it is lost.” Agadmon The Golden Tract Concerning The Stone of the Philosophers
“Let therefore the spirit of our living water be, with all care and industry, fixed with sol and luna; for they being converted into the nature of water become dead, and appear like to the dead; from thence afterwards being revived, they increase and multiply, even as do all sorts of vegetable substances; it suffices then to dispose the matter sufficiently without, because that within, it sufficiently disposes itself for the perfection of its work. For it has in itself a certain and inherent motion, according to the true way and method, and a much better order than it is possible for any man to invent or think of. For this cause it is that you need only prepare the matter, nature herself will perfect it; and if she be not hindered by some contrary thing, she will not overpass her own certain motion, neither in conceiving or generating, nor in bringing forth.” Artephius. The Secret Book of Artephius
"Crave wisdom of God, the sense to understand, Else meddle not herewith, nor take it in hand. For it will cost thee much worldly wealth; But trust not to other, but do it thyself. Learn, therefore, first to cleanse, purify and sublime, To dissolve, congeal, distill and sometime To conjoin and separate, and how to do all, That when you think to rise, thou do not fall, Trust to thyself and not to another; I can say no more to thee if thou were my brother." — Simon Forman, 1597