Alchemiae Gebri Arabis philosophi solertissimi, libri, cum reliquis, ut versa pagella indicabit

perfection of each. The second, however, in these four, namely, tin, lead, copper, and iron, according to the imperfection of each. And because these imperfect bodies are not reducible to health and perfection unless a contrary thing operates in them, that is, that the manifest is hidden, and the hidden is manifested: which operation or contrariation is done through preparation, therefore preparation must be applied to them. Therefore, to prepare is to remove the superfluous, and to supply the absent, and thus to impart to them the noted perfection: but perfect bodies do not need this preparation. They do, however, need such a preparation by which their parts are more subtiliated, and reduced from their corporality to a fixed spirituality. The intention of which is to make from them a fixed spiritual body, that is, to attenuate and subtiliate them much more than it was before. Concerning the preparations of all these, we will treat sufficiently in their own place in this book according to our investigation. After they have been sufficiently prepared, they will be suitable so that the great white or red elixir transformative catalyst may be made from them.

Chapter III.

We have found, however, that those modern to us write of only a single stone, complete for the white or the red, which we concede to be true. For from whatever [substance] the white or red elixir is made, there is nevertheless nothing there other than quick-silver and sulphur, of which one does not act without the other, nor can it exist. And therefore it is called one stone by the philosophers, although it is extracted from many bodies or things. For to extract from a thing in which it is not, would be foolish and vain to think, as certain fools