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This plant distillation section seems to be inspired by the distillation of wine. From which LeBreton derives the eternal lamps. We will learn how distillation is subject to the lunar and terrestrial phases and also to the philosophical laws of ordinary water. The mineral distillation section seems to be inspired by the distillation of mineral waters. However, never as in this section on distillation, LeBreton does prove to be a man of the early eighteenth century. My translation from the original French edition of 1722.

Watery bodies, heavy water, waterborne spirits and fixed salt. The roots of the seeds are different due to the different characteristics of the salts in the waters which cause them to dissolve. And salts are important because spirits dwell there. LeBreton anatomizes the alchemical operation of the solution in its smallest details. My translation from the original French edition of 1722.

Putrefaction, or destruction of the previous form. The stage where everything degenerates and prepares for transmutation or the arrival of spirits. My translation from the original french edition of 1722.

Les Clefs de la Philosophie Spagyrique, by the elusive french physician LeBreton, would be a must to read book even if Fulcanelli and Canseliet didn’t mention it. My translation from the original french edition of 1722.