Laton or Laiton has always constituted a puzzling symbol for many researchers. Dom Pernety here wants to make a point and goes beyond putrefaction.
Pernety’s Dictionnaire Mytho-Hermétique 1758 must be scrutinized since a good percentage of obscure hermetic allegories may be enlightened by his reading.
Let’s start: “Laton ou Laiton, ou Leton des Philosophes. Mercure des Sages, ou leur matière considérée pendant la putréfaction.” Laton or Laiton, or Philosophers Leton. Mercurius of Wises or Mercurius Philosophorum, or matter considered during putrefaction.
But let’s take a look at the Opus Magnum scheme. We already know that there’s Main Work out of Labors of Hercules ( see Kamala Janana, introduction to a live secret). So we have already reached Mercurius/Solvent, made it less volatile ( Mercurius Philosophorum), and then duplicated it or put some raw matter inside to be dissolved (of course, what Universal Solvent is for).
During Main Work, alchemists stand by observing Secret Fire performance: once extracted from Materia Tertia or raw matter, this strange ineffable, and undetectable substance begins operating on itself. And Matter turns black. This phase is known as the second Putrefaction. Let’s hear from Pernety now: “ Ce terme de laton s’entend plus généralement du fixe dissous avec le volatil”. This term Laton refers more generally to fixed dissolved by volatile. This is precisely what Solve et Coagula means and what Putrefaction is about. Retaking the Opus Magnum scheme, we acquire knowledge of a solve et coagula movement taking place inside black matter. Or better inside the vessel. Since the last one is being stopped during this operation. The whole process is being done by itself. Solve et Coagula, up and down movements, have been dramatically performed by alchemists in Labors of Hercules and, detected only by an apparent color black, operated by Secret Fire in the Main Work.
Pernety: “C’est pourquoi ils disent : blanchissez, le laton, et déchirez, vos livres, de peur que vos cœurs ne soient déchirés par l’inquiétude”. That’s why they say: whiten Laton and tear your books, don’t let your hearts be torn by anxiety. After this not perceptible up and down time, revealed by black color, whiteness begins to appear. Of course to get this vision manifested, alchemists must “help” matter to free itself. removing an obstructing plug. Caput Corvi.
Pernety: “ Le mercure, qui est le volatil et leur azoth, est ce qui blanchit le laton”. Mercurius, which is volatile as well as being their Azoth, is what whitens the Laton. It seems not so easily understandable. What “operates” inside matter is Secret Fire in all its manifestations or density stairs. One of these steps is called Mercurius, or very volatile substance. Mercurius is, in turn, subjected to be fixed and transformed into Azoth (see Basilius Valentinus) or Mercurius Philosophorum. The problem here is the rule of three, by which every allegory may represent at least three concepts.
Pernety’s talking about Mercurius and Azoth together is somewhat disconcerting. Azoth is Salt, and Mercurius/Solvent is … Salt, too, to an extent. Salt or Azoth is the result of dissolving ( Mercurius), sublimating ( Sulphur), and Mercurius/Solvent/Secret Fire. Mercurius, together with Sulphur, has a lot of meanings. Here Pernety states that Azoth is performing the coming out of the blackness. In this excerpt, volatility is involved. I repeat: blackness is produced by a tiny self-dissolving and sublimating operation. At the very end, the matter is to become white. Pernety here decides to be too much stylish and alludes to a Mercurius inside Azoth. That’s to say, of a self-dissolving movement inside Mercurius Philosophorum. This is true, of course. Here you may understand how disorienting it can be trying to follow a precise recipe! You may find yourself inside a maze. Try to understand what you are up to instead.
Pernety: “Lorsqu’il est devenu blanc, on est assuré de réussir. Il prend alors les noms de laton blanc, or blanc, terre feuillée, dans laquelle il faut semer l’or, c’est-à-dire, la couleur rouge. Quand il a acquis cette couleur rouge, c’est leur laton rouge, leur soufre aurifique, leur Salamandre, leur Apollon”. When it becomes white, one is assured of success. It takes the names of Laton white, white gold, foliage earth, in which he must sow the gold, that is to say, the color red. When he acquired this red color, it was their red Laton, sulfur foil, Salamander, and Apollo. Here Pernety is either very interesting or very confusing. First: one can not understand if the whiteness he mentioned is the Mercurius/Solvent directly out of the Labors of Hercules or the first whiteness out of Main Work ( see Kamala Jnana). Apparently, Pernety makes metallic gold sowing after the first Main Work phase. In my opinion, one can not add anything after Main Work whiteness. Indeed, the vessel is open. Secondly, pay close attention: according to Pernety, gold to be sowed may be metallic gold as well as red matter.
But let’s go back to our putrefaction and get help from Arnaldus de Villa Nova and his Semita Semitae: “Azoth and fire clean Laton, that is to say, wash it and remove it completely her blackness. For Laton is an impure body, ” Villanoviensis informs us that Azoth is accompanied by fire, not by Mercurius. Well, they are synonymous, indeed. But we want to understand simply: “ Have we to add something, like soap, to wash this Laton, or not?” Laton seems like a woman who has decided to take a shower.
Laton is a woman and soap too. Look up the term “Shower” in a dictionary: an enclosure in which a person stands under a spray of water to wash. Laton is that too. As for washing, the operation is cleaning with water and soap or detergent. Not till soap discovery, yet. In the eighteenth century, Pernety should have seen groups of women washing clothes at rivers or ditches sides. They did not use soap; they simply soaked, lifted, and flapped clothes. Just what Solve et Coagula imperceptibly does in Main Work. And what is Putrefaction? Secret Fire by itself.
Pernety gives us hints, sometimes real clues, but only the examination of Kamala Jnana, from Black to White pictures, will be able to enlighten this washing, or up and down movement or Solve et Coagula. The whole is performed by the very Secret Fire/Mercurius/Virgin’s Milk which we should have set apart from preparatory work since Laton can only be whitened by our Mercurius.