Pandora: The Noblest Gift of God

altogether served no purpose, and for this reason, those who wanted to learn and inquire about this noble art were either deceived or became deceivers, or wandered far from their goal, fell away, and strayed far from it.

I, however, setting aside all deceit and darkness, will place the truest experience plainly and completely before your eyes, with the addition of the opinions of the philosophers, which best serves the right purpose, so that this thing of which we treat may be understood more plainly and clearly.

Therefore, we first make known that all those who work outside of nature are deceivers, and act and labor in an unsuitable thing. Furthermore, nothing is born from a human but a human, from an animal an animal, and each like brings forth its like. Therefore, what does not have something of its own within it cannot have something foreign according to its pleasure or likeness. We say this so that no one loses their money: for some who are deceived by the slowness of their understanding, and come to poverty, also lead others astray and drive them to poverty and toil. I advise, however, that no one let themselves enter into this art to be found: for it has made fools of many and led them into great folly. This invention does not need many things, only one thing. It also does not require great expense: for it is only one stone, one medicine, one vessel, one regimen, and one order, and know that it is a true, and the truest, art. Also, the philosophers would never have exerted themselves to print out so many and various kinds and orders of colors...