The New Olympic and Blessed Rosary

RED LION.

Take this Red Lion, rub it to the smallest and most subtile, and putrefy it again with the upper water of the spirit of wine, as before; yet every five days, renewed with fresh; let that happen for the third time with fresh spirit of wine; so it is converted into the volatile spirituality. And when the spirit of wine is gently drawn off in a water bath until it becomes oily, a blood-red liquor remains; that is called the blood of the Red Lion. This is now the greatest and most powerful treasure of the whole world, to which nothing is equal.

FERMENTATION OF THE RED LION.

Now pay attention to the tincturing essence of the Red Lion. Take Hungarian gold leaf rubbed small in three hours on a smooth marble, four lots; put it after the rubbing into a glass rightfully belonging to it—provided that it is qualified for four lots, not too small nor too large. Set it in placed ashes with mild warmth; pour the blood of the Red Lion onto it, as prepared above, so that it covers it well, one straw’s height when it lies crosswise. Let the glass thus remain open with one helmet a distillation cap; so a moisture will show itself in the glass near the helmet. Keep mild fire for so long until no wateriness is seen and everything has become dry. Afterward, seal the glass up in the neck, and set the glass together with the matter again in the subtile ashes, so that it is seen to be halfway up, and make a subtile fire under it, so that the glass is as hot as the sun shines in the dog days. Let it stand in this heat until the matter begins to turn blackish; then keep it at an equal heat until the blackness slowly loses itself. Then you should strengthen the fire yet with half heat, yet so that nothing rises from the matter; take great care of this. Then manifold beautiful colors will show themselves.

Now you should govern the fire from degree to degree so understandingly until you come to white-gray, and finally entirely to white; so this treasure has become entirely fixed and incombustible. Thus hold now the fire in great heat; so it will begin to turn yellow, and finally, slowly and with very great wonder, attain the highest, most excellent Salamandrine redness. And thus this work is brought to an end, and requires no other labor after that, other than just to tincture with it, as follows.