The Heaven of the Philosophers, or the Book of Vexations

one ounce, and as much ☾ silver as there is of the latter: let them be liquefied in a Crucible with Arsenic.

5 Since the reception of Signs, Stars, planets, and heavenly characters, along with other names, materials, and instruments, is well known to those skilled in the art, it would be superfluous to review it again in this little book: although the use of such signs, names, and characters is not useless in its proper time.

6 Another method of treating Alchemy, than that which was handled before, is to be observed here, derived through seven Canons from the series of seven Metals; which, although they do not adopt a pompous elegance of words, nevertheless contain in their consideration everything that is to be looked for in Alchemy, and very many Arcana of other things: from which also certain admirable and new works result through speculation, which have often been found to be different from the writings and opinions of ancient practitioners and natural philosophers, indeed by proof and experiment.

7 First, there is nothing in this Art more true than that which is least known, and to which the least faith is given: the occasion and sole cause of the difficulty in everything in Alchemy, on account of which many are reduced to poverty, others labor in vain, and the inexperience of the practitioners, and the excessive or insufficient quantity or quality of the materials: from all of which, things in operations are either destroyed or reduced to nothing.

8 But if the true erudition of study proceeds, the thing itself, changing daily, approaches closer to perfection: and thus the way is easy, but it is found by very few.

9 Sometimes it is possible that by speculation someone discussions? an Artist might be able to devise some art in Alchemy according to his desire,