The Chemical Hippocrates

TO THE READER.

ᵃ See The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony original: "curru Triumph: Antim:" Referring to Currus Triumphalis Antimonii, a famous alchemical text attributed to Basil Valentine..

these Continuing from the previous page: these "instruments of nature" or secrets. he points out, under the operation of various arts, to at least a few disciples in the manner of the Pythagoreans The followers of Pythagoras were famous for their vow of silence and for only sharing their core doctrines with a narrow circle of initiates.; so Basil [Valentine], following the master, wished them to be made known under the guise of brewing beer (and other rustic labors).

ᵇ "One spirit pulls, the other pushes, yet each does the same thing, etc." Hippocrates, On Diet, book 1.

Paracelsus, however, scorning common things—although condemned for heresy by the Church—nevertheless agrees with Hippocrates in the Most Ancient Doctrine, and has brought the aforementioned instruments of nature onto the stage under the names of various spirits (b).

The remaining crowd of ancient philosophers hid the aforementioned Architectural instruments under the fabricated name RE-BIS Literally "two-thing" or "double-matter." In alchemy, the Rebis represents the end product of the "Great Work," often depicted as a hermaphroditic being signifying the union of opposites., {as if they were showing two things}; from this arose that saying:

others [hid them] under other veils, etc. To whom I respond, that I have weighed not only these but very many other things, and revolved them in my deep mind; and I can in no way be called away from this undertaking of mine (for a reason to be stated below), especially while [serving] the Republic original: "Reipublicæ." In this context, likely the "Republic of Letters" or the common good of the state., to which all—