Preface.

judge it necessary to provide these
writings with a special adornment through
elegant, splendid words, or to prepare
a commendation through elaborate
narration. Among these writings of
Basilius, a particularly short treatise
was also found, concerning natural
and supernatural things.
Likewise, concerning the first tincture In alchemy, a tincture is a potent substance or "medicine" capable of transmuting base metals into gold or healing the human body., the root of the metals,
and how it is born and produced through
its three principles original: "tria principia." These are the three fundamental substances of alchemical theory: Sulfur (the soul/flammability), Mercury (the spirit/volatility), and Salt (the body/solidity)..

Although I previously had the
first part printed at my own
expense, along with the Twelve Keys The "Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine" is one of the most famous alchemical texts, using allegorical "keys" to describe the process of creating the Philosopher's Stone.
belonging to it, it was soon
afterwards falsified by the removal
of my dedicatory writing, and
reprinted in Leipzig, and
subsequently also in Frankfurt,

A iij