and dry it, just as with the gold, keeping yourself concerned with the regulation of the fires and colors as in the composition of gold. Afterward, break the glass and you will find that your stone has conjoined into one body and the color of earth. —

Chapter 5

Therefore, beloved son, take care to have a small furnace built for yourself. Place a basin on it, pour water into it, and add hay (well-cut). Place the glass on this hay, and know that the water should reach up to the middle of the glass, and the water in the basin should be level with that in the glass. Place an alembic over the glass, and under the alembic, another glass, and lute it very well, for strong winds will pass through this opening. Afterward, make a fire in the furnace so that it distills very slowly. When you have extracted all the humidity so that only the Stone remains, extinguish the fire and take off the alembic. Pour the water over it again, taking care of its vapor, put the alembic back on as before, and distill the humidity three times as before. By pouring it again over the Stone and luting the alembic well with the other glass, and after the fourth distillation, extinguish the fire so that it cools. Afterward, take an earthenware bowl with sand and place it in the position of the basin. Place the glass on this sand and make a gentle fire, just enough so that it can be distilled; distill the water to dryness, afterward...