THE NINTH TREATISE.

 Of the Commixtion of Metalls, or the drawing forth¹ their seed.

W

e have spoken of Nature, of Art, of the Body, of Sperm², and of Seed, now let us descend³ to Praxis, viz. how Metalls ought to be mixed together, and what their correspondency, or agreement is one with another. Know therefore that a Woman doth not vary from a Man; both are bred of the same Seed, and in one Matrix, there was nothing besides digestion⁴, and that the Matrix had in it purer bloud, and salt: so Silver is made of the same Seed as Gold is, and in the same Matrix; but the Matrix had more water in it then digested blood, according to the season of the Moon in the heavens. But that thou maist the more easily imagine with thy self how Metalls couple together, that their Seed may be sent forth, and received; behold⁵ and see the heavens, and the spheres of the Planets: thou seest that Saturne is placed the uppermost, or highest, next to that Iupiter, then Mars, then Sol, or the Sun, then Venus, then Mercury, and last of all Luna, or the Moon. Consider also that the vertues of the Planets doe not ascend⁶, but descend: Experience teacheth as much, viz. that of Venus, or Copper⁷ is not made Mars, or Iron, but[Pg 27] of Mars is made Venus, as being an inferiour sphere: So also Iupiter, or Tin is easily changed into Mercury or Quicksilver, because Iupiter is the second from the firmament⁸, and Mercury the second from the earth: Saturne is the first from the heavens, and Luna the first from the earth: Sol mixeth it self with all, but is never bettered by its inferiors. Now know that there is a great agreement betwixt Saturne, or Lead, and Luna, or Silver, in midst of which the Sun is placed: as also betwixt Iupiter and Mercury, in midst of which Sol is also placed: and in the same manner betwixt Mars and Venus, which also have Sol placed in the midst of them. Chymists know how to change Iron into Copper without Gold: they know also to make Quicksilver out of Tin: and there are some that make Silver out of Lead: But if they knew by these mutations to give or minister to them the nature of Gold, they would certainly find out a thing more pretious then any treasure. Wherefore I say we must not bee ignorant what Metalls are to be joined to each other, whose nature is agreable one to the others. Moreover there is granted to us one Metall, which hath a power to consume the rest, for it is almost as their water, & mother: yet there is one thing, and that alone, the radicall moisture, viz. of the Sunne, and Moon that withstands it, and is bettered by it; but that I may disclose it to you, it is called Chalybs, or Steel. If Gold couples eleven times with it, it sends forth its seed, and is debilitated⁹ almost unto death; the Chalybs conceives, and bears a son, more excellent then his father: then when the Seed of that which is now brought forth is put into its own Matrix, it purifies it, and makes it a thousand times[Pg 28] more fit, and apt to bring forth the best, and most excellent fruits. There is another Chalybs, which is like to this, created by it selfe of Nature, which knows how to draw forth by vertue of the sun beams (through a wonderfull power, and vertue) that which so many men have sought after, and is the beginning of our work.

1 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。

2 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。

3 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

4 digestion   

n.消化，吸收

参考例句：

• This kind of tea acts as an aid to digestion.这种茶可助消化。
• This food is easy of digestion.这食物容易消化。

5 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

6 ascend   

vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上

参考例句：

• We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。
• We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。

7 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

8 firmament   

n.苍穹；最高层

参考例句：

• There are no stars in the firmament.天空没有一颗星星。
• He was rich,and a rising star in the political firmament.他十分富有，并且是政治高层一颗冉冉升起的新星。

9 debilitated   

adj.疲惫不堪的，操劳过度的v.使（人或人的身体）非常虚弱( debilitate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Prolonged strike action debilitated the industry. 长时间的罢工削弱了这个行业的活力。
• This is especially important when dealing with the geriatric or debilitated patient. 这对老年和虚弱病人尤其重要。 来自互联网