V.I.T.R.I.O.L Vista Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem “Visit the interior of the earth and through purification thou shall find the hidden stone.”
"Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectifying, you will find the hidden stone, the true medicine, in which, even in the hidden part of vitriol, lies a subtle, noble, and most fragrant juice, and pure oil, whose perfection cannot be attained through calcination or distillation, for it must by no means be deprived of its own virtue." — Compendiolum de praeparatione auri potabilis, by Marcus Eugenius Bonacina. 1700s
"Ut tentes interiora terrae, rectificando invenies occultum lapidem veram Medicinam.": "That you may explore the inner parts of the Earth; by rectifying, you will find the hidden stone, the true medicine."
Ohne Ort: 1700, Handschrift; 168 Bll.
Partial translation:
"There are three marvels of God: Man, Nature, and Matter.
Three and One. God is Man. Body, Spirit, Soul. There are three marvels. The Secret of the Philosophers.
By rectifying (purifying), you will find the hidden stone. By separating the inner parts. Watch the Chaos. The Philosophers' Mercury. The hidden foundation of the elements. You will find the elements.
Let there be a firmament... philosophical sublimation. And let the birds appear... it ascends from the sky to the earth... The kingdom of the earth (has) green herbs... so has this circle of the whole world.
Known to its kind.
And enclosed in dark shadows...
From darkness, light..."