and prepared by the most ancient cook of the planets?” [Vaughan’s English:] do you think, he says, to eat oysters, shells and all? Must they not first be opened and prepared by the most ancient cook of the planets? The excellent Flamel agrees. Speaking of solar and lunar Mercury and the planting of one within the other, he says: “Let them therefore be taken and continually cherished over a fire in the alembic, by night and by day. Let this be no fire of charcoal or wood, but a clear, transparent fire, like the sun itself. It must never be hotter or more burning than is proper, but must remain at the same heat at every time.” [Vaughan’s English:] take them, he says, and cherish them over a fire in your alembic. But it must be no fire of coals or wood, but a bright, shining fire, like the sun itself, whose heat must never be excessive but always of one and the same degree. This is enough, and too much. The secret itself is not great, but its consequences are, which made the philosophers conceal it. Reader, you now have the external agent described most fully and faithfully. It is, in truth, a very simple mystery, and would seem ridiculous if I told it openly. Nevertheless, by this, and never without it, the magicians unlocked the chaos. Certainly there is nothing new in an iron key opening a treasury of gold. In this universal

subject they found the natures of all particular things, as the maxim tells us: “Whoever does not know Proteus should approach Pan.” This Pan is their chaos or Mercury, which explains Proteus: the particular creatures commonly called individuals. For Pan transforms himself into Proteus—that is, into every variety of species, into animals, plants and minerals. All these are made from universal Nature or the first matter, and Pan possesses their properties within himself. Hence Mercury is called the interpreter or expositor of things below and things above. In this capacity the ancient Orpheus invokes him:

“Hear me, Hermes, messenger of Zeus, son of Maia, interpreter of all.”

[Vaughan’s English:] “Hear me, Mercury, messenger of Jove and son of Maia, expositor of all things.”