Ripley reviv'd: or, an exposition upon sir George Ripley's hermetico-poetical works

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true attainment of this mystery, both in the theory and practice original: "Theory and Practick" of it, which is not fully taught in this short letter. This, then, I intend as a key to all my former writings; and I assure you on my faithful word that I shall not speak one word doubtfully or mystically, as I have in all my other writings—where I seemed to assert some things which, if taken literally original: "without a Figure"; meaning without understanding the metaphorical or symbolic language, are utterly false. We did this only to conceal this art Alchemy was known as "the Art".

Therefore, we do not intend to make this key common knowledge; and I shall entreat you to keep it secret to yourself and not to communicate it, except to a trusted friend who you are confident will not make it public. We make this request for very good reasons, knowing that all our other writings together are nothing compared to this one, because of the contradictions which we have woven into them—which is not done here in the slightest measure.

I shall, therefore, in this letter original: "Epistle" adopt a new method, different from my former ones: I shall first summarize the substance of the philosophy contained in this letter into several conclusions, and afterward explain original: "elucidate" them.