PREFACE.

2 But what the Philosophers' STONE original Latin: "LAPIS Philosophorum" actually is, will be established by me on firm grounds, both from its DEFINITION and further DESCRIPTION in the aforementioned AMPHITHEATER [of Eternal Wisdom], scattered throughout; 3 as it may also be sufficiently understood from this, my present Philosophical CONFESSION or PROFESSION original German: "BEKENTNÜS", which is divided into ten distinct chapters: 4 This is confirmed by the testimony of many good philosophical writings; by (praise God) un- 5 wavering Reason; by the Cabalistic Traditions of experienced people; and 6 partly also by the confirmation of my own practice, both Theosophical in the ORATORY original Latin: "ORATORIO," a dedicated space for prayer and spiritual meditation, essential to the "Christian Alchemist." and naturally Alchemical in the LABORATORY original Latin: "LABORATORIO," the physical workspace where chemical experiments were performed.. 7 And so, based on the true ground of the LIGHT of NATURE, it is not 8 only TRUE, but also—concerning the properties of Divine and Natural Secrets—in ev-

You said, my
Claude Aubery
of Triuncuria, 3

(page 80 of The
Concord of
Physicians) Claude Aubery (ca. 1545–1596) was a French physician whose work attempted to reconcile different medical and philosophical schools. that since
no one
has yet been able
to provide a
conceptual DEFINITION original Greek: ἐννοηματική (ennoematikē), referring to a definition based on the internal concept or essential idea of a thing. 4

of the Philosophical
STONE, it is
necessary that the
causal reasons original Greek: διότι (dioti), a term used in logic to describe the "why" or the underlying cause of a fact. 5

of this admirable
Stone have not
yet been able 6

to be explained by
anyone. Behold! The
conceptual
Definition,
which the Philoso- 7

phers indeed
could have
provided, but
would not, I
have provided: the 8

causal reasons,
which they [would
have], if they
had wished.