Natures way of operating in all individuallsindividuals of the universe is to use one
single processeprocess to complete and perfect one single motion, as appears in the
Anatomy of mans body, in which one muscle serves onelyonly for one motion, -
that is, the attractive, but for the expansive another opposite to the first, soeso
that if any part or member be to be brought into a circular formeform, it must
be effected by various muscles placed circle=-wisecircle-wise: soeso the operation of fire -
is one and single, that is to say, to heat and fire, yea assimilate to itselfeitself, and
burneburn all things, to which it is applyedapplied, if they be combustible: Hereupon -
SaythSays AvicenneAvicenna in his bookebook of the congelation of stones: That which falls into Salt=
pittsSaltpits, becomes Salt, and that which into fire, becomes fire, but somethings sooner, -
some Slower, according to the power of ativesactives, and the resistenceresistance of passives: And -
there is a place in Arabia, which colourethcolors all bodyesbodies in it of its owneown colourcolor: SoeSo
every naturallnatural thing possessethpossesses the virtue infusdinfused into it by nature, by which
it acts upon things mixdmixed or applyedapplied to it, assimilating and altering their nature
and formeform: That which is generation in vegetables and animallsanimals by the pro=
pagation of seeds, is the infusion of virtue and assimilation in single bodyesbodies -
or singly mixdmixed: the SunneSun, the light of heaven, projects its rayesrays upon the
earth, which, being gathered together in concavous or burning glasses, doedo demon=
strate themselves to be produced from such a cause, as to appear to be the -
projectible formesforms of the SunneSun: Whereby it is manifest that the rayesrays of the
SunneSun are nothing elselse, but a fiery flame extended and dispersed into an ample
latitude, which being dilated and againeagain contracted by concavous, diaphanous -
and circular or repercussive instruments, dothdoes in concavous and steelesteel mirrors
Shine as a flame, and burneburn things obvious to it: after the same manner, a -
certainecertain virtue is as a vapourvapor dispersed in a certainecertain elemented body, which,
if it be gathered together, and attracted into one, turnesturns into water, and that
water into earth: For this reason saythsays Avicenne in the bookebook before alleadgedalleged,
Earth is made of water, when the qualityesqualities of earth overcome it, and soeso on
the contrary: But there is a certainecertain thing, which some ingenious men doedo
use when they have a mind to coagulate a dry substance, which is com=
pounded of two waters, and is called Lac virginis, which is the most certainecertain -
effect of it: thus SaythSays heehe: Some are there are that assure themselves -
able to increase or multiply virtues in the Load=-stoneLoadstone, as the like weewe have
seen settset in Silver, which being scarce one pound weight attracted and held up an
iron anchor of 28 pounds, which would have been impossible, if the virtue -
had not been increasdincreased and made stronger

in it, which without doubt was -
done by revocation of the dispersed virtues as it were into one point or pole, -
or by the attraction of the same out of a great body into a lesseless: Others are
found, who say that a plumbifying Stone may be made by the Sulphurous
breath of SaturneSaturn, infused and retained, till it be thereby converted into
coḿoncommon Mercury, which continually converts coḿoncommon Mercury into lead. -
Some boast that they can by Antimony, or the stellated Regulus there=
of make Copper from the fume of Copper, in that time wherein a -
man may eat an eggeegg, yea that they have made all metallsmetals: but
I will not detract from their reputation, though to meeme it seems not
likely to be true: I know not whether they are more confident or -
successefullsuccessful, who endeavourendeavor to deduce gold from gold, according to the
saying of the golden PoettPoet: HeeHe that desires barley sowessows onelyonly barley,
in gold is the seed of gold: Every naturallnatural thing hathhas indeed a certainecertain
virtue of multiplying itselfeitself, but these things are brought into action
in Vegetables and animallsanimals onelyonly, not at all in MetallsMetals, MinerallsMinerals, things
duggedug out of the earth, or Meteors: Some plants sprung from a small
grainegrain of seed doedo oftentimes yeildyield a thousand or more grains of seed,
and soeso multiply and propagate themselves, and that yearly; Ani=
mallsAnimals allsoalso have their Products of greater or lesseless number, according -
to the nature of every one: But gold, Silver, lead, tinnetin, iron, copper, or
Argent vive are never found to have multiplydmultiplied themselves or their species -
after that manner, though one may be very often found commuted and
nobilitated into another: NeverthelesseNevertheless the Philosophers affirmeaffirm that the
principle of ignifying is in fire, soeso of aurifying in gold: but where is
the tincture, by which gold must be made? This must be sought in -
its owne principles and generations, not in things of another nature: For
if fire producethproduces fire, a Pear a Pear, a horse a horse, then lead must
generate lead and not Silver, gold gold and not the tincture: Moreover
the Philosophers have a peculiar gold, which they doedo not onelyonly not -
deny that it ought (but allsoalso affirmeaffirm it necessarily requisite) to be -
added to the aurifickeaurific Stone as a ferment as the end of the workework. The
ferment, converting the thing fermented into its owneown nature, without
which the whole composition would never come to perfection . . . .