The Golden Fleece

Now take this water into a Venetian glass Venetian glass was renowned for its clarity and strength, making it the preferred vessel for delicate alchemical operations.; upon it, place seven-fold Venetian paper and a helm The upper part or "cap" of a distilling apparatus. on top. Place it in clean ashes A common method for providing indirect, steady heat to a vessel. over very gentle warmth. Draw it over into the receiving vessel, and if it still leaves a residue, draw it over once more through seven-fold paper in a Bain-marie original: "Balneo Mariæ". A warm water bath used to maintain a constant, moderate temperature.. Thus the water has reached the four elements and is the true spiritual water. It should be well-guarded in Venetian glass and very well-sealed at the top, for it is quite swift and volatile. Now you must know that this Mercurial water does not dissolve the gold in the same way that a common parting-water original: "Scheidwasser". Nitric acid or aqua fortis, used to separate silver from gold. dissolves silver into a cloud; rather, the gold melts within it like butter or lard, and thus remains lying there spiritually, yet not destroyed into the four elements as the water itself is. For the true Art requires nothing more than the first matter original: "primam materiam". The primal, undifferentiated substance from which all things are created..

Thus dissolve the gold with this water

as follows.

Take six lots An old unit of weight; six lots is approximately 90 grams or 3 ounces. of the best Hungarian gold, called leaf gold original: "Foliat". Extremely thin sheets of gold used by goldsmiths. by the gold-beaters; put it into a glass, bowl, or flask. Pour the spiritual water over it so that the water well covers it. Seal the glass well at the top and place it in very gentle warmth. Then the spiritual water begins to work and dissolves the gold into the first matter, and leaves it lying like clarified butter. Pour the water off from it, and know that this water can be used again, for it remains a virgin without any blemish A metaphor meaning the water is not chemically altered or "stained" by the reaction and retains its full potency.; it becomes neither stronger nor weaker, which is truly a wonder. Now take the first matter out of the glass and divide it in half. Take one part in a glass and pour a proper spirit of wine original: "Spiritum vini". Highly distilled alcohol or ethanol. over it. Let it putrefy original: "putrificieren". In alchemy, this refers to a period of slow digestion or fermentation in gentle heat to break down a substance. for fifteen days and nights in a Bain-marie, and it will become a blood-red liquid; that is the Blood of the Red Lion. Now take the other part of the aforementioned first matter, put it into a glass that is suited for it, and pour the Blood of the Red Lion upon it. Seal the glass with the Seal of Hermes original: "Sigillo Hermetis". An airtight seal, usually created by melting the glass neck of the vessel shut. and place it in the regulated fire, in swept