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

...volatiles, spiritual, and tinging water original: eau tingente, a liquid capable of imparting color or "tincture" to a substance to transform its nature, having entry over other bodies.
For it makes of the bodies a true spirit, because it softens The original term incere refers to "inceration," an alchemical process of adding liquid to a dry substance until it reaches a soft, wax-like consistency. hard and dry bodies and prepares them for fusion—that is to say, it converts them into permanent water. It thus creates from the bodies a most precious and benign oil, which is a true tincture and a white permanent water of a warm and moist nature. It is tempered, subtle, and as fusible as wax; it penetrates, deepens, tints, and perfects. In this manner, our water immediately dissolves gold and silver, creating an incombustible oil that can then be mixed with other imperfect bodies Base metals like lead, tin, or copper..
This is because our water converts bodies into a fusible salt, which the Philosophers then call Salt Albrot Salt Albrot: Also known as Sal Albroth or Sal Armoniac, this refers to a highly purified salt used as a universal solvent or "key" in alchemical operations., which is the best and noblest of salts, being fixed during the regime The "regime" refers to the specific, controlled stages of heating and processing in the alchemical Work. and not fleeing from the fire. And truly, it is an oil of a warm and subtle nature—penetrating, deep, and entering—called the complete Elixir and the hidden secret of the wise Alchemists. Therefore, he who knows this salt of the Sun and the Moon In alchemical symbolism, the Sun represents gold and the Moon represents silver., its generation or preparation, and how to subsequently mix and harmonize it with other imperfect metals, truly knows one of the greatest secrets of nature and a path to perfection.

These bodies thus dissolved by our water are called quicksilver Mercury, which is not without sulfur, nor sulfur without the nature of the luminaries. This is because the luminaries—the Sun and the Moon—are the primary means and the medium of the form through which nature passes to perfect and accomplish its generation. This quicksilver is called the honored and animated salt; it carries generation and fire, seeing as it is nothing but fire—yet not fire, for it is nothing but sulfur—yet not sulfur, for it is nothing but quicksilver. It is drawn by our water from the Sun and the Moon and reduced into a stone of great price. This is to say, this quicksilver is the material of the luminaries, altered, changed, and raised from vileness to nobility.
Note that this white sulfur is the father and mother of metals; it is also our Mercury, the mine of gold, the soul, the ferment, the mineral virtue, the living body, the perfect medicine, our sulfur and our quicksilver—that is, it is the "sulfur of sulfur," the "quicksilver of quicksilver," and the "Mercury of Mercury." Therefore, the property of our water is that it liquefies gold and silver and increases their natural color. It converts bodies from their physical state into spirituality. It is this water that sends into the body the white smoke, which is the white soul—subtle, warm, and of great igneity Igneity: A state of being fiery or containing the essence of fire.. This water is also called the bloodstone original: pierre sanguinaire; here used symbolically to describe the "life-force" or spiritual essence of the metal., as it contains the power of spiritual blood without which nothing is accomplished. It is the subject of all things capable of being liquefied, suiting and adhering perfectly to the Sun and the Moon...