Now proceed with the astral eagle as follows.

Now take a measure of Austrian brandy, put therein a good obscured symbol, put it all together in a glass cucurbit distillation vessel, on top of that a six-fold Venetian paper, and a helmet on it; let it rise very gently in the sand into a receiving glass until the spiritus spirits come over, so the water is prepared. Now take four lots of the glistening mountain vapor, which one finds in gold mountains, put such into a cucurbit glass with a long neck, as a knowledgeable person well knows, pour the above-mentioned sp. vini spirit of wine onto it, sealed well on top, set in the gentle warmth of the ashes for an hour; so the vapor dissolves into a black oil, and is entirely destroyed as a spiritual essence; thereafter set a helmet on the glass, on top a four-fold Venetian paper, let it go slowly, so the spirit rises away from it, and the astral vapor remains as a liquor and volatility; that is one of the greatest mysteries in the art of tincture; note that well.

AUGMENTATIO.

Now take one lot of aurum foliatum gold leaf from gold-beaters, that put thus to the astral eagle, luted with sigillo hermetis Hermetic seal; let it stand in subtly sifted ashes, inserted halfway, in gentle warmth for fourteen days; so this astral eagle has made the gold entirely volatile into a volatile essence, and watch well that nothing rises. For this astral bird flies with its like, hidden in itself, and swings its wings in its earth in many colors, at which one is to be highly astonished. Now let it stand in its own vessel, only with a small increase of the fire for fourteen days; so you will see the black, shifting eagle, as then the colors follow one after another, and are orderly described, and continue until the end.

The first color will appear in the neck of the glass with mixed redness. The second and third with increase of the fire; therein appears the color blue, and in the neck glass green. The fourth and fifth colors appear at the bottom of the glass blackish, thereafter equal to liver-color. The sixth, seventh, and eighth transformation according to the regiment of the fire, so the blackness loses itself, and becomes blue and red, with streaks, as if they were worms; thereafter one sees yellow and also green streaks. The ninth, tenth, and eleventh transformation with the regiment of the fire, so the neck of the glass becomes black on top; therein appear red, yellow, green, and white drops.