Lumen de Lumine

For a Close to this Section, I say it is impossible to generat in the patient, without a vitall generating Agent. This Agent is the Philosophical fire, a certain moyst, heavenly, invisible Heat; but let us heare Raymund Lullie describe it, Quando dicimus (saith hee) quod lapis per ignem generatur, non vident alium ignem, nec alium ignem credunt, nisi ignem communem: nec aliud Sulphur, nec aliud argentum vivum, nisi sit vulgare. Ideo manent decepti per eorum caecas estimationes, inferentes quod causa sumus suae Deceptionis, & quod dedimus illis intelligere rem unam pro alia. Sed non est verum salva eorum pace, sicut probabimus per illa, quae Philosophi posuerunt in scriptis. Solem enim appellamus ignem, & vicarium suum vocamus Calorem naturalem. Nam illud quod agit Calor Solis in Mineris Metallorum per mille annos, ipse Calor naturalis facit in una hora supra Terram. Nos vero, & multi alii, vocamus eum Filium solis, nam primo per solis influentiam fuit generatus per naturam sine adjutorio Scientiae, vel artis. When wee say the stone is generated by fire, Men neither see, neither doe they believe there is any other fire, but the common fire; nor any other Sulphur or Mercury, but the common Sulphur and Mercury. Thus are they deceived by their own opinions, saying that we are the Cause of their Error, having made them to mistake one thing for another. But by their leave it is not so, as we shall prove by the Doctrine of the Philosophers. For wee call the Sun a fire, and the natural Heat we call his Substitute, or Deputy; for that which the heat of the Sun performes in a thousand years in the Mines, the Heat of Nature performes it above the earth in one houre. But wee, and many other Philosophers have call’d this Heat, the Child of the Sun, for at first it was generated naturally by the influence of the Sun, without the Help of our Art or Knowledge. Thus Lullie: