As three essentiallessential things, which are the foundation, walls, and rooferoof, are
required to the building of every ædificeedifice, whereof one being absent, there
can be noeno perfection of it, soeso are soeso many desired in order to -
complete the Philosophers compound, which are here named by their
proper names: The author of Aurora, chapt. 20. speaking of the Se=
paration of the Elements, SaythSays, Earth is left in the same place, that
the other three Elements may be radicated in it; if it were not for
that, the Elements could have noeno foundation to build upon it a new
jewelljewel house: This foundation is here called Aqua fœtidafoetida, which is
the mother of all the Elements, wittnessewitness Rosarius, from which, and
by which, and with which the Philosophers doedo præpareprepare it, that is,
the Elixir in the beginingbeginning, and the end: It is called Aqua fœtidafoetida,
because it sends forth a Sulphureous stinkestink, and the smell of Sepulchers: -
This is that water, which Pegasus struckestruck out of Parnassus with his hoofehoof, -
which Nonacris a mountainemountain of Arcadia producethproduces springing out of a -
rockerock at the top, which can onelyonly be contained in the hoofehoof of a horse by
reason of its most excessive strength: This is that Dragons water, as Rosa=
rius calls it, which ought to be made by an AlembickeAlembic, without adding -
any other thing, in the making of which there is an extraordinary stinkestink:
Which words some having heard betookebetook themselves to distill the dung of
men or other animallsanimals, in which operation they did indeed feelefeel a most -
vehement stinkestink, but found dung in the dung: But thinkethink not the Phi=
losophers to be Beetles, which operate in dung, you must know that the stinkestink,
if there be any, is presently changed into great fragrancy, as Lully asserts
of his Quintessence, to which heehe ascribes such a sweetnessesweetness of savoursavor, if
it be rightly made, that being placed at the top of a house, it allures -
birds flying to it, and causethcauses them to stand: But heehe puts his Quintessence
in dung, by the most temperate heat of which that fragrancy followesfollows, -
which some men having tryedtried with strong wine, but in vainevain, did there=
fore accuse Lully of vanity, whereas themselves ought rather to be -
reproved of folly, who never tasted Lullye'sLully's wine; but that golden Po=
et better understood Lully, who in his first bookebook of Aurifaction thus sings:

After Aqua fœtidafoetida comes the green LyonLion: concerning which saythsays Ro=
sarius; you have sought for greennessegreenness, supposing, that brassebrass was a -
leprous body, because of that greenessegreenness which it hathhas: and therefore -
I declare to you, that whatsoever is perfect in brassebrass, is that greenessegreenness
alone, which is in it: because that greenessegreenness is by our Magistery suddenly
turned into our most true gold, and this weewe have had experience of:
yet you can noeno way præpareprepare the Stone without Duenech green and
liquid, which is seen to spring in our MynesMines: O blessed greenessegreenness, -
which dostdoes generate all things: From whence you must know, that -
noeno vegetable, and noeno fruit appears to germinate without a green -
colourcolor: in like manner you must know, that the generation of this thing is
green, wherefore the Philosophers call it the bud. These are the words of
Rosarius: This is the Philosophers gold, and brassebrass, and Stone noted in -
the Chapters, a fume, vapourvapor and water, the Spittle of Luna, which is joyndjoined
to the light of Sol; This green LyonLion fights with the Dragon, but is by him
overcome, and in length of time devoured; and the LyonLion being putrefyedputrefied
sweetnessesweetness is expected to proceed from his mouth, as being SlayneSlain by Sampson:
The Dragon getting the upper hand soeso fills himselfehimself with the LyonsLions -
flesh, as to burst a little and dyedie: Of which, the fattfat alone of a LyonLion curing
quotidian FeaversFevers, and grace and favourfavor being obtained between Kings -
and people anoyntedanointed therewith, a most excellent medicine may be made,
very coḿodiouscommodious for many maladyesmaladies. In the third place followesfollows -
the white fume, which, if it be coagulated, becomes water,
and performs the office of water in washing, dissolving, and
taking away spots like SoapeSoap: This is that fire against na=
ture, which see that you find, soeso called, because it is -
contrary to nature undoing and destroying that, which She
with diligent care compounded: This fire is not kindled as
the Spirit of wind or oyleoil, but as an incombustible matter, of -
æquallequal duration and heat, and is a fire without light and combusti=
on of great virtue and efficacy, which to find in darkenessedarkness is a
thing of noeno little difficulty, because it shines not, but of much
greater to apply rightly to the workework; the circumstances and -
propertyesproperties of which weewe have sufficiently in severallseveral places de=
scribed . . . . . . . . . . . . . .