Natural Philosophy of Three Ancient Philosophers: Artephius, Flamel, and Synesius

...[matte]r, that is to say, into earth and viscous powder,
that is to say, into sulfur and quicksilver original: "fouphre & argent vif". If you then put into this water
any metal whatsoever, whether filed or thinned The metal is physically prepared to increase its surface area for the chemical reaction., and leave it for a certain
time in a soft and slow heat, it will dissolve entirely, and change
into viscous water, and into white oil, as has already been said. And thus
it softens the body, and prepares it for fusion and liquefaction; indeed,
it makes all things fusible, such as stones and me-
tals, and then it gives them spirit and life. Therefore it dissolves all
things by an admirable In this context, "admirable" means wondrous or miraculous—a solution that exceeds the natural laws of common chemistry. solution, converting the perfect body The "perfect body" usually refers to gold, the highest form of metal in the alchemical hierarchy. into a me-
dicine that is fusible, flowing original: "fundante", penetrating, and more fixed In alchemy, "fixed" describes a substance that is stable and no longer evaporates or changes when exposed to fire., increasing the
weight and color.