The 4th Chapter.

...differently, and many hundreds of opinions are to be found regarding its explanation. I understand Spirit here only from the first day of the creation of the present world, up to the things brought forth thereafter. This

Where it has its origin. original Latin: "Unde suam habeat orig."

Spirit is born out of the Light, and is the body of the created light, hovering in all things, according to the number of its parts, and according to how the matrixIn alchemical thought, the 'matrix' is the receptive environment or 'womb' of nature that receives spiritual seeds to give them physical form. is prepared to receive much or little of it. It brings with it into every thing the Light according to the measure of its radiance; and because the Divine Word moves and enlivens all things through the Light within it, the nature of all things arises from it. When it is grasped or covered, it gives birth to the Salt of Nature'Salt' here refers to the alchemical principle of 'fixity'—the process by which energy becomes solid matter or a physical body. or self-movement, from which every thing comes, grows, and

How Light becomes Spirit; how Spirit becomes Salt. original Latin: "Lux quomodo fiat Spiritus. Spiritus quomodo fiat Sal."

is maintained. When the Light becomes coarser, it becomes Spirit; when the Spirit thickens, it becomes Salt. Thus, the vehiculumA 'vehicle' is a carrier or medium that allows a higher, more subtle force to act upon a lower, denser one. of the Divine Word is the Light; [the vehicle] of the Light is the Spirit; [the vehicle] of the Spirit is the Salt; but of the Salt—as I shall consider more extensively in the chapter on Salt—are Air, Water, and Earth, although it is to be found more in one than in the other.

Of the general Spirit of the World.

I should here tell much more of the Light and Spirit, and present this exceedingly hidden and subtle doctrine with deeper knowledge and not so crudely as I have just done to the human mind; however, few would grasp it, and it does not serve the purpose at this time. Therefore, I will speak of the Spirit, as it is commonly understood and sought by those working toward the metallic tinctureThe 'tincture' is the alchemical elixir or 'Philosopher's Stone' capable of perfecting metals and healing the human body., in the chapter on Salt. For such a Spirit, when it is called MercuryIn alchemy, 'Mercury' represents the principle of the soul, volatility, and the transformative power within matter. by the wise, no longer exists in a clear, light-like form, but is a subtle—though coarse in relation to its first state—salt, which was born from the Spirit of the Light, of which I have just thought, through the thickening and contraction of the spiritual parts; and as Salt, it has submitted itself to weight, so that it may be tangible and manageable, and might serve as a scepter for man’s dominion over the world.

Subtle doctrine of Light and Spirit. original Latin: "Subtilis doctrina de Luce & Spiritu."

CHAPTER V.

Of the Element.

Chap. 5. Of the Element.

The word Element is Latin and signifies the beginning of a matter...