The Wayfarer

Whether, however, immediately as if on the spot, as soon as these two smokes have embraced each other, they are an imperfect metal, such as lead, or whether they mature over a longer time to become this, that can be doubted. Although these things are without the secret works of nature, which works wonderfully beyond the grasp of the human mind—as in the formation of man in the womb and the rest of animals and vegetables—yet I shall say what I think, guided by the experience of others as well as my own. Just as the conception of a man is said to happen in a moment, and so is every generation or introduction of a new form into matter, so one must think that this transmutation of metals happens according to nature. Hence it is clear that as soon as these two smokes are joined and congealed, as mentioned, they represent some metallic species, albeit raw. For this reason, it has never happened that miners, who search for metals, have fallen into some composite substance that was sulfur and quicksilver together, yet not a metal—that is, lead or tin. By this argument, some ineptly try to demonstrate that quicksilver and sulfur are not the principles of metals, because they have never been found together in one mine, nor any substance intermediate between a metal and their mixture. But those very people reasoning in this way are mistaken and refuted by themselves, if they notice it. For if the introduction of the new metallic form happens on the very same day and hour that the conjunction of these smokes occurs, or if the work takes a whole year or more, it is the same. Just as they report about man, that in the first seven days the species of the embryo is formed from the seed and in the following time it is increased. Yet it is probable that this should be understood concerning a sensible mutation, insofar as it can be discerned by us. Since these physical axioms remain unshaken: