Preface

Making gold and silver—or even the Blessed Philosopher’s Stone original Latin: Lapis Philosophorum Benedictus; the legendary substance capable of turning base metals into gold and granting long life—is nothing to them. They do not value it highly because it requires too much effort. Instead, they claim to possess Particulars original: Particularia; in alchemy, these were "short-cut" processes that allegedly transformed specific metals in small amounts, rather than the "Universal" transformation of the Stone, which they say accomplish the same thing with much less labor. They claim to be able to prepare the most precious Medicines original: Medicinalia, yet when it comes down to it, it is all for nothing; one always hears that it vanishes like a phantom original: "auf eine Lami aufgehet"; likely referring to a Lamia, a deceptive spirit or a delusive vision that disappears upon closer inspection.

Every honest man should consider how to guard himself against such people and be all the more cautious. For someone who has truly wrought original: elaboriret; to have painstakingly completed a complex chemical or "alchymical" process such a great work, and by God’s grace-filled help and blessing has brought it to its conclusion, would not run about like a peddler original: Kramer; a traveling merchant selling trinkets at a fair at a fair, selling it for money (which he would not value, given the flowing and rich abundance provided by this Art The "Art" refers to Alchemy), nor would he beg others for his livelihood for God’s sake. To this end, the reading of this old rhyme can serve very well and be quite useful: