THE SIXTH TREATISE.

 Of the second matter, and putrefaction¹ of things.

W

ee have spoken of the first matter of things, and how things are produced by Nature without seed, that is, how Nature receives matter from the Elements, out of which she makes seed: But now we intend to treat of the seed it selfe, and things generated of seed. For every thing that hath seed is multiplyed in it, but without the help of Nature it is not done: for the seed is nothing else but the air congealed² in some body: or it is a moist vapour; and unlesse this be resolved by a warm vapour, it is of no use. Let therefore the searchers of the Art understand what Seed is, lest they seek after a thing that is not: and let them know that that is threefold, which is brought forth³ by the foure Elements. The first is Minerall, and is that which we now speak of; the second is Vegetable; the third Animall. The Minerall seed is known by Philosophers alone: the Vegetable is common, and vulgar, as we may see in fruits: the Animall is known by imagination. The Vegetable doth shew to us, how Nature made it of the four Elements. For wee must know that the winter is the cause of putrefaction, seeing it congeals⁴ the Vitall spirits in trees; and when those by the heat of the Sun (in which there is a mag[Pg 18]netick vertue, attractive of al manner of moisture) are resolved; then the heat of nature, stirred up by motion drives, or forceth the subtill Vapour of the water to the circumference⁵, and this vapour openeth the pores of the tree, and makes drops distill⁶, alwaies separating the pure from the impure⁷. Yet the pure sometimes goeth before the impure; the pure stayes, and is congealed into flowers, the impure goes into leaves, the grosse, and thick into the bark: the bark of the tree remains⁸ fast, and firm, the leaves fall with cold, or heat, when the pores thereof are stopt: the flowers in congealing⁹ receive their colour according to the heat whereby the colour is made, and bring with them fruit, and seed (as an Apple, in which there is sperm¹⁰ out of which a tree is not brought forth; but in the inside of that sperme is a seed or kernell, out of which even without the sperm is brought forth a tree, for multiplication¹¹ is not in the sperm, but in the seed.) So wee see with our eyes, that Nature creates a seed out of the four Elements, lest wee should labour in vain about it; for what is created already need not a Creator. Let this by way of example bee sufficient for the advertisement of the Reader; but now I return to my purpose concerning the Mineralls. Nature creates the Mineral seed, or the seed of Metalls in the bowels¹² of the earth: wherefore it is not beleeved that there is any such seed in rerum natura, because it is invisible. But it is no wonder if ignorant men doubt of it, seeing they cannot perceive that which is before their eys, much less that which is hid from their eyes: but it is most true that that which is superiour, is but as that which is inferior, and so on the contrary. Also that which is brought forth above is brought[Pg 19] forth of the same fountaine, as that beneath in the bowells of the earth. And what prerogative¹³ should Vegetables have before Metalls, that God should put a seed into them, and without cause withhold¹⁴ it from these? Are not Metalls of as much esteem¹⁵ with God as Trees? Let this be granted for a truth, that nothing grows without seed: for where there is no seed, the thing is dead. It is necessary therefore that four Elements should make the seed of Metalls, or bring them forth without a seed: if they are produced without seed, then they cannot be perfect; seeing every thing without seed is imperfect, by the rule of composition: hee which gives no credit to this undoubted truth, is not worthy¹⁶ to search into the secrets of nature; for there is nothing made in the world, that is destitute¹⁷ of seed. The seed of Metalls is truely, and really put into them: and the generation of it is thus. The foure Elements in the first operation of Nature doe by the help of the Archeus of Nature distill into the center of the earth a ponderous¹⁸, or heavy Vapour of water, which is the seed of Metalls, and is called Mercury by reason of its fluxibility, and its conjunction with every thing, not for its essence; and for its internall heat it is likened to Sulphur, and after congealation becomes to be the radicall moisture. And although the body of Metalls be procreated of Mercury (which is to bee understood of the Mercury of Philosophers) yet they are not bee hearkned to, that think the vulgar Mercury is the seed of Metalls, and so take the body in stead of the seed, not considering that the vulgar Mercury spoken of hath its own seed in it self. The errors, and mistakes of all these men will be made apparent by the following exam[Pg 20]ple. It is manifest that men have seed, in which they are multiplyed: the body of man is Mercury; but the seed is hid in the body, and in comparison to the body is but little, and light: he therefore that will beget¹⁹ a man, let him not take Mercury, which is the body, but the seed, which is the congealed Vapour of water. So in the regeneration of Metalls, the vulgar Chymists goe preposterously²⁰ to work: They dissolve Metallick bodies, whether it be Mercury, or Gold, or Lead, or Silver, and corrode²¹ them with sharp waters, and other Heterogeneous²² things not requisite²³ to the true Art, and afterward²⁴ joine them together again, not knowing that a man is not generated of a mans body cut to pieces, because by this means the body is marred²⁵, and the seed before-hand is destroyed. Every thing is multiplyed in Male and Female, as I have already mentioned in the Treatise²⁶ of the twofold Matter: The division of the sexes causeth, or produceth nothing, but a due joining of them together, brings forth a new forme: the seeds therefore, or spermes, not bodies are to bee taken. Take therefore a living Male, and a living Female; joine these together, that betwixt them there may be conceived a sperm for the bringing forth of fruit after its kind: There is no man living can beleeve that he can make the first matter: The first matter of Man is earth, and no man can of that make a man; only God knows how to doe this; but of the second matter, which is already made, if it be put into its due place, may easily by the operation of Nature be generated a thing of that species, or kind, which the seed was of. The Artist here need doe nothing, onely to separate the thin from the thick, and to put it into its due[Pg 21] vessell. For this is to be considered, that as a thing is begun, so it ends: Of one are made two, of two one, and then you have done. There is one God; of this one God the Son is begotten²⁷: One produceth two, two have produced one holy Spirit proceeding²⁸ from both: so the world is made, and so shall be the end thereof. Consider the four former points most exactly: thou hast in them the Father, the Father and the Son, and lastly the holy Spirit: thou hast the four Elements: thou hast four great Lights, two Celestiall, and two Centrall: This is all that is, hath been, or shall be, that is made plain by this forenamed similitude. If I might lay down all the mysteries that might be raised from hence, they would amount to a great volume. I return to my purpose, and I tell thee true, my son! one is not made of one naturally, for thus to doe is proper to God alone: let it suffice thee that thou art able out of two to make one, which wil be profitable to thee. Know therefore that the sperm doth multiply the second matter, and not the first: for the first matter of all things is not seen, but is hid either in nature, or in the Elements; but the second matter sometimes appeares to the sons of wisdome.

1 putrefaction   

n.腐坏，腐败

参考例句：

• Putrefaction is the anaerobic degradation of proteinaceous materials.腐败作用是蛋白性物质的厌氧降解作用。
• There is a clear difference between fermentation and putrefaction.发酵与腐败有明显区别。

2 congealed   

v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的过去式和过去分词 )；（指血）凝结

参考例句：

• The cold remains of supper had congealed on the plate. 晚餐剩下的冷饭菜已经凝结在盘子上了。
• The oil at last is congealed into a white fat. 那油最终凝结成了一种白色的油脂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

4 congeals   

v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的第三人称单数 )；（指血）凝结

参考例句：

• Water congeals to ice. 水凝结成冰。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blood congeals to form a clot. 血凝结成块。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 circumference   

n.圆周，周长，圆周线

参考例句：

• It's a mile round the circumference of the field.运动场周长一英里。
• The diameter and the circumference of a circle correlate.圆的直径与圆周有相互关系。

6 distill   

vt.蒸馏，用蒸馏法提取，吸取，提炼

参考例句：

• This standard set determine the method of petroleum products distill.本标准规定了测定石油产品蒸馏的方法。
• Distill the crucial points of the book.从书中提炼出关键的几点。

7 impure   

adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的

参考例句：

• The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。
• Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 congealing   

v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的现在分词 )；（指血）凝结

参考例句：

• Vague European uneasiness was congealing into panic. 欧洲各国先是隐约不安，后来逐渐惊慌失措起来。 来自辞典例句
• The process of congealing or the state of being congealed. 凝结的过程或被凝结后的状态。 来自互联网

10 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

11 multiplication   

n.增加，增多，倍增；增殖，繁殖；乘法

参考例句：

• Our teacher used to drum our multiplication tables into us.我们老师过去老是让我们反覆背诵乘法表。
• The multiplication of numbers has made our club building too small.会员的增加使得我们的俱乐部拥挤不堪。

12 bowels   

n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处

参考例句：

• Salts is a medicine that causes movements of the bowels. 泻盐是一种促使肠子运动的药物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cabins are in the bowels of the ship. 舱房设在船腹内。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 prerogative   

n.特权

参考例句：

• It is within his prerogative to do so.他是有权这样做的。
• Making such decisions is not the sole prerogative of managers.作这类决定并不是管理者的专有特权。

14 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

15 esteem   

n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• The veteran worker ranks high in public love and esteem.那位老工人深受大伙的爱戴。

16 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

17 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。

18 ponderous   

adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的

参考例句：

• His steps were heavy and ponderous.他的步伐沉重缓慢。
• It was easy to underestimate him because of his occasionally ponderous manner.由于他偶尔现出的沉闷的姿态，很容易使人小看了他。

19 beget   

v.引起；产生

参考例句：

• Dragons beget dragons,phoenixes beget phoenixes.龙生龙，凤生凤。
• Economic tensions beget political ones.经济紧张导致政治紧张。

20 preposterously   

adv.反常地；荒谬地；荒谬可笑地；不合理地

参考例句：

• That is a preposterously high price! 那价格高得出奇！ 来自辞典例句

21 corrode   

v.使腐蚀，侵蚀，破害；v.腐蚀，被侵蚀

参考例句：

• The tools will corrode with rust if never used.这些工具如长期不用会长铁锈而损坏。
• It will pollute people's aesthetic taste and corrode social spirit.它污染人们的审美趣味，腐蚀社会精神。

22 heterogeneous   

adj.庞杂的；异类的

参考例句：

• There is a heterogeneous mass of papers in the teacher's office.老师的办公室里堆满了大批不同的论文。
• America has a very heterogeneous population.美国人口是由不同种族组成的。

23 requisite   

adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the requisite qualifications for the job.他不具备这工作所需的资格。
• Food and air are requisite for life.食物和空气是生命的必需品。

24 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

25 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

26 treatise   

n.专著；(专题)论文

参考例句：

• The doctor wrote a treatise on alcoholism.那位医生写了一篇关于酗酒问题的论文。
• This is not a treatise on statistical theory.这不是一篇有关统计理论的论文。

27 begotten   

v.为…之生父( beget的过去分词 )；产生，引起

参考例句：

• The fact that he had begotten a child made him vain. 想起自己也生过孩子，他得意了。 来自辞典例句
• In due course she bore the son begotten on her by Thyestes. 过了一定的时候，她生下了堤厄斯式斯使她怀上的儿子。 来自辞典例句

28 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。