Library of the Sages — Valentine, Khunrath, Hollandus, Bernard

reign of the Star or in its magnet, from which
even all metals have received their gifts,
now I will proceed and make my way
to the species of birth and to the generation:
how the archée Archaeus; the vital formative force in nature extends and shows its virtue
and makes it evident, by which every
metallic and mineral form is represented
visibly, and they are formed, made palpable
and natural by the mineral spirits, fiery,
impalpable, and volatile. Therefore, understand
more and take good care that
you do not let the principal part slip away through forgetfulness,
nor bypass the profitable, and that you follow
and observe the writing simply to the word,
not bypassing the capital point. For what
I write here will undoubtedly be held and understood
by many as the greatest secret, and by others
the least, and the least for the greatest.

Firstly, you must therefore know that
all metals and minerals of the earth have
a single matter and a single mother by whom
they were generally conceived and acquired
a complete bodily birth. Such matter,
which comes from the center, is first separated
into three things to acquire a body and a
fixed form for each metal. These three

things, then, are nourished by the elements
within the earth and fed from its body
until their perfection. But the matter
which comes from the center is formed by the stars original: "astrow", likely "astres",
operated by the elements, and formed by the
terrestrial. It is a known matter, and the
true mother of metals and minerals. It
is such a matter and mother from which man
himself was conceived, born, and maintained, and made
bodily. It is entirely to be compared to the
moyen monde middle world; humanity as the intermediary between the macrocosm and microcosm, for what is in the small is
also in the great world. Also, what is
in the great and small world together is
also found in the middle world, which joins
together the great and small world. It is
a soul which joins and assembles the spirit
with the body. Such a soul is compared to
water and is also truly a true
water, however, not such that it wets
like another water, but a eau Celesta Celestial water; a spiritualized solvent
found in a substance of dry metallic liquor.
It is an animated water that gives life to all
spirits and joins them with their bodies,
and leads them into a perfect life. By this,
it has been found and verified by reason that water
is the mother of all metals, which has