Fountain of Wisdom — Anonymus von Schwartzfuss, 1706

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An ornamental initial letter E is decorated with floral and leaf patterns.

Nature uses no other way or manner in the generation of iron than how she works with other metals and minerals. She does the same here with iron.

2. For she takes the fatty moisture of all elements that are made active with the heavenly spirit. She boils these in stone-like vessels and leads them through putrefaction rot or decomposition. Because no proper separation of the impure, stinking, earthly sulfur the active, combustible principle occurs, an iron-like mass original: "Massa" results from continued boiling.

3. Nature cannot separate this impure sulfur, nor can she set aside other excrements waste products, simply due to a lack of time. For the boiling and purification of the perfect metals, a long time is required. This is because the heat of the earth, as well as the internal heat of the metals by which they are matured, is very slight and gentle.

4. Even if nature unceasingly strives to separate the sulfuric and combustible waste, she is hindered by humans so that she cannot