Chapter II

That supreme God and master of nature has surely bestowed upon us the greatest and incomprehensible gifts, which, in our ignorance, we should love, worship, and admire with all our hearts day and night. Indeed, it has been revealed to us by the Divine Light that man himself possesses all virtues, whether animal, vegetable, or mineral. We have proven this truth by this wonderful experiment, as the following method will clearly teach you.

Take, therefore, in the name of the Lord, urine from a boy who is between eight and twelve years old. Collect this urine from the boys themselves when they rise in the morning, along with vinegar. You must have a large quantity of it, for from it your burning solvent (menstruum) for dissolving the bodies of metals must be made for you—called by many by the name of Alkahest a universal solvent, as I shall now teach you. This must be putrefied in a glass vessel, which must be very well closed so that it cannot breathe. The vessel must be two parts full and the rest empty. Once this is done, it must be placed inside horse manure to putrefy until it turns black, which usually happens within 40 or 50 days. But we have a secret for the urine to blacken in a shorter space of time, which we have proven by true experiment: by mixing and joining a little aqua vitae distilled alcohol (which has first been rectified) with the aforementioned urine. By this means, you will accelerate the putrefaction. When the putrefaction is done, place the urine in a urinal with a receiver and an alembic, sealed as well as possible. The vessel must be two parts full and the third empty, and in a bath with a slow fire, you will distill one of the three parts, or until...