Mirror of Lights.

It consists of this, because in this book he shows how the luminous stone The Philosopher's Stone, often described as a source of light or a transformative "projection" powder. miraculously illuminates dark bodies and so forth. Because in this book he teaches how to perfectly make the two great lights original: "duo luminaria magna", namely, the greater light of the Sun Gold and the lesser light of the Moon Silver. This book is rightly named the Mirror of Lights because he divided this "mirror" into three parts:

In the first part, alchemy is said to be diligently investigated.
In the second part, the conditions pertaining to alchemy are more frequently noted.
In the third part, the true and perfect works of alchemy are more clearly declared.

Every building requires and demands a firm foundation. Since they wish the work of the transmutation The changing of one metal into another, usually base metals like lead into gold. of metals through alchemy to be set upon a solid and well-grounded base, it is expedient for investigators to see if this science is firm and true. Therefore, in this first part, the form proceeds as follows: First, the reasons of the philosophers are premised; second, authorities and objections are brought forward; and third, the solutions to doubts are placed, from which both the firmness and the truth of this art become clear.

Wherefore, regarding this science, all the writers of alchemy—namely Aristotle, Avicenna, Anaxagoras, Hermes, Alquinus, Dansin, Rusinus, Morienus, Geber, Rhazes, and Albertus A list of the "Authorities" of medieval alchemy, blending Greek, Arabic, and Scholastic thinkers.—are of one mind and in agreement. However, they first proposed certain reasons, the first of which is this: Every metal is generated and composed from sulfur and quicksilver original: "sulphure et argento vivo", just as the matter of herbs is generated from the earth. So it is

that the aforesaid philosophers and experts agree: every mixture, generation, and corruption arises from those principles into which it can be resolved. All metallic things are of this sort; for all metals are generated and composed of three parts. But experience sufficiently teaches that all metals can be most immediately resolved into sulfur and quicksilver Mercury. In alchemy, "Sulfur" and "Quicksilver" often refer to philosophical principles (Soul and Spirit) rather than the raw chemical substances., just as a metal is generated and composed from the same.

And Quicksilver is the source and origin of all metals through itself; in the principal region it is dominant in the metal in a greater excess, acting as the source and origin of any quicksilver of this kind. Because in noble quicksilver, sulfur exceeds in the metal; sulfur provides the hardness, that is, the excessive hardness of metals is from the region of sulfur. However, without it, no metal would be malleable or liquefiable; to those states, the quicksilver overcomes the sulfur itself. Because it is through the earth, due to the destruction of the quicksilver, that the species is changed; and the earth is joined with the quicksilver, and by a very temperate decoction A slow heating or "cooking" process intended to mature the substance. over a long time, it is hardened and becomes the mined stone from which the metal is extracted.

In the beginning of the generation of metals, Nature always intends to produce pure gold through quicksilver by itself. Nature always intends to produce the perfect, and produces the species accordingly. But since the two aforesaid metals Gold and Silver are perfect, nature—when not hindered—always intends them; however, according to the aforementioned philosophers, this intention of nature can be diverted or altered by other metals.