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Hollandus, De Lapide Philosophico. First Book 1

By Iulia Millesima

……superinfunde, (6) translation: introduce over.

……move & sine residere, translation: shake incessantly without fixing,

donec aqua pura defluat, translation: so long as pure water flows,

gustumque salis non amplius retineat, translation: and it ( pure water nominative-subject)  does not fully return the sample or taste of Salt.

Hollandus  does  not mentioned if lid has been previously lifted up so to allow introducing something inside.Therefore what is “aqua pura” and where does it come from? This term is often an allegory for our Mercurius or Secret Fire extracted from salts sublimation. And what is this taste of salt? Hollandus has here in mind a product of a salt sublimation? But furnace is surely not translucent like a glass. Of course following sentences are even more difficult to understand, since Hollandus has surely  skipped important passages.

translation:..…then chopping mache over the stone with water pure enough to paint thinner with a brush….

A water so pure that can be used as an enamel paint, but  after being  previously chopped? Definitely not common sense water.

translation:…again wet your “calces” in pure and fiery (calida) water, several times, so long as your pure water flows…..

So there we are at last: this pure water is “ pure fire”, our Mercurius/Secret Fire. In Latin aqua did not simply mean water, but moreover spring, sea, ocean, rain, fountain and source.

translation:…..then  dessicate it in pan ( sartago) with a moderate (lentus) fire, to powder. Having done, put your “calces” in distilled vinegar into a stoned or glass cleaned bowl-shaped vessel (cantharus): and if it is not all calcinated, put it with Salt over the aforementioned for three days,  as afore said:……

Be aware  here that Aqua and Salt are often synonyms for Mercurius Philosophorum (5) or a Mercurius less volatile and more fixed. Even Salt here seems  being no more common ashes salts.

….ibus exactis iterum solvendas pone in aceto, ac brevi solventur …… translation: these days passed  put in vinegar for dissolving  once again, and  they dissolve in short time. Mind here if Hollandus, at this point,  alludes to common vinegar or “acetum”, that’s to say to our Mercurius or “pure water, pure fire”.  They plural, if you remember, are referred  to  aforementioned Pure Water and Salt.

....tum congela aut acetum decola, translation: then  make “acetum” solidify  otherwise  may disappear,

translation: and a subtle power will remain to you, which does not dissolve in water. And then you have prepared your Saturn.

Hollandus does not say how and when opening the furnace. How and when he realizes pure water/ Mercurius begin to flow. How and when Mercurius fixation has begun. And, moreover, if we have passed preparatory work and perhaps some duplication (7) begins to be involved. The Opus Magnum scheme afore linked might be essential.

To be continued at De Lapide Philosophico Chapter 2

  1. See Basilius Valentinus Azoth ;
  2. See Basilius Valentinus Solve et Coagula ;
  3. In italian residual salts are still called ceneri or ashes;
  4. Libra,ae  grams 327,4
  5. Since Hollandus omits stress marks, Luteus-a-um has consequently two meanings:  egg-yellow color, and made of mud, clay;
  6. Infundo-di. Sadly, latin verbs are not precise and show many different meanings: in the case of infundo we have: pour, shed, spill, scatter, bestrew, introduce. We are not allowed to clearly understand the real state of matter to be introduced;
  7. Atalanta Fugiens & Mercurius Duplicatus ;
  8. Phillalethes dedicated his Introitus Apertus chapter 2 to Mercurius Philosophorum;
Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Filed Under: Alchemic Authors 641-1597 Tagged With: Hollandus Johannes Isaac, Opera Mineralia-De Lapide Philosophico, Vinegar

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