Preface.

...of business affairs and other cares, does not permit it; meanwhile, I content myself with the knowledge of the Matter In alchemy, "the Matter" refers to the base substance—often called the Prima Materia—used to begin the Great Work.

It is a beautiful curiosity, dear reader, if one extracts living mercury original: "Mercurium vivum"; common quicksilver or the "living" spirit of mercury from our solvent original: "Menstruo"; a liquid substance used to dissolve solids, named after the lunar cycle in an easy manner, and also now and then, some gold, vitriol A sulfate of a metal, often iron or copper, used in various chemical reactions, etc., about which you can read in my philosophical letters.

Much depends, however, on the influence of the heavens literally "the Above", so that the Above may be properly linked with the Below by means of a magnet In this context, a "magnet" is a substance or force believed to attract celestial or spiritual influences into physical matter. The more one reflects and applies their hand—for whoever has the time—the more one finds. I can say this sincerely, that several of my gentlemen correspondents have discovered various things which I myself admire and greatly rejoice in. I can also boast that, although I maintain various correspondences even with far-distant places, with both great and small individuals, these gentlemen correspondents have dealt with me sincerely and continue to do so, except for one or another. Rarely is a flock of sheep found where there are not some mangy ones among them, and it is far too difficult, once the rot has set in, to set things right again. It is just as if one were to wash a Moor white A common historical idiom used to describe an impossible task or an attempt to change someone's inherent nature, or take away a raven's blackness and give it instead a silver or gold color...