PROLOGUE.

Concerning the Book of ISAAC HOLLANDUS, regarding the Philosophers' Stone original: "Lapide Philosophorum".

In this prologue, you shall be taught which works everyone should guard themselves against.

My child, you should know that in this Art The "Art" refers to alchemy. there are very many errors, especially in the Vegetable Work Vegetable Work: Alchemical processes involving plants or plant-based substances, aimed at extracting their "essences" or "spirits.", and even more so in the Animal Work Animal Work: Alchemical processes involving materials derived from living creatures, such as blood, hair, or urine.. The reason is this: in the vegetable work original: "vegetabili opere" there is much coagulating, dissolving, and rectifying original: "rectificirens"; the process of purifying a liquid through repeated distillation.; preparing the spirits Spirit: In alchemy, a "spirit" is a volatile substance that easily evaporates or "flies away" when heated. well so that they do not fly away, and also making many kinds of "strong water" original: "starck Wasser"; usually refers to acids or powerful solvents like nitric acid., and fixing Fixing: The process of making a volatile substance stable so it no longer evaporates or changes when exposed to heat. many watery spirits. To this belongs much governance original: "Regiments"; refers to the "regimen" or the careful control and regulation of the heat of the furnace. with various cares, to be so cautious that the spirits do not break the vessels; for through their fatty moisture original: "feiste Feuchtigkeiten"; in alchemy, "fatty" or "oily" qualities were often associated with the sulfurous or flammable components of a substance. they often cause the glasses to shatter if one gives them too much and too strong a fire when they are nearly fixed, and then they rise up,