Through such movement and heat, ascending vapours are born in the earth, belonging to the first composition. The vapour is cold and moist so that it may condense again, and it is retained within the earth. If it passes into a cloud, however, it may well be moist and warm. Whatever remains earthly and enclosed in the earth I bring, over a long time, into a sulphur, which is the agent, and into a quicksilver, which is the patient. This is then the second mixture from the first composition. Yet the whole is drawn from the four elements, which I bring into one mass, as I told you before. I repeat this so often so that you do not err or enter into practice too soon. After putrefaction, generation takes place through the inward incombustible warmth, heating the coldness of quicksilver, which undergoes so much that it becomes one with its sulphur. All this is contained in one vessel: fire, air and water, which I take in their earthly vessel and leave in a single furnace. Then I cook, dissolve and sublime them without hammer, tongs or file, without charcoal, smoke, fire or a water bath, and without the sophists’ furnaces. For I have my heavenly fire, which awakens the elemental fire as matter desires an appropriate form. Thus I draw my quicksilver from the four elements and their matter. Its sulphur follows it at the same time, as though the two were one, warming it gradually, gently and according to its appetite. Then the cold becomes warm and the dry becomes moist and unctuous. But observe that the moist is not without its dry, nor the dry without its moist, for each is preserved by the other in its first essence. In the elemental essence this is the spirit and fifth being from which our child takes its birth. Fire begets and nourishes it in the air; but first it putrefies in the virgin earth. Afterwards the water we must seek comes forth, the first matter from which I begin my ore. For one contrary forcibly opposes the other and strengthens itself so that it is not taken away by the agent. Then the patient is transmuted and stripped of its form through the desire of matter, which continually draws a new form to itself.

Through my wisdom I govern the first mover. My hands are the eighth sphere, as my Father ordained; my hammers are the seven planets, with which I forge such beautiful things. The matter from which I make my work—stones, metals, trees, herbs, rational and irrational animals, and in general all things enclosed by heaven—I take solely from the four elements. Chaos, or hyle, is first matter. This is the ruler who leads the king, queen and entire household. The knight is always ready in service, and the chambermaid performs what is entrusted to her. The more noble the form, the more nobly I show myself within it. Know that I have power to give being to every essence, preserve it in constancy, and awaken a form within matters. Mark well, further, the three parts into which God divided first matter in the beginning. From the first and purest part he created cherubim, seraphim, archangels and all angels. From the second, less pure part he created the heavens and what they enclose; from the third and impure part, the elements with their properties. First came fire, surpassing the others in virtue, which he placed on high beneath the Moon. It has no corruption but contains the purer part of the quintessence. After it he made subtle air and placed quintessence within it too, although not as much as in fire. After this followed the visible element of water, which has as much of the fifth being as it needs, and after water, finally, earth. All this and the whole of Nature—I, who am the first creature—he created in an instant. He made earth thick and dark, yet fruitful; it contains the smallest share of the fifth being. In the beginning, too, the elements stood simply and unmixed in their spheres. Air is thus properly and in itself only moist, but by appropriation fire assists it. Water is properly cold but moist by appropriation, receiving that moisture from air. Earth is properly dry and cold by appropriation, receiving its coldness from water; because of its great dryness, however, it approaches fire. Fire is the foremost element: it gives life and causes growth through its warmth. I must also tell you that no element fails to act upon another, so that one is agent and the other patient. Fire acts upon air, air upon water, and water upon air and earth when fire arouses the operation. Earth is a mother and nourisher of all things. Whatever beneath heaven may enter putrefaction and gives her warmth continually into her belly, she experiences after birth. God has given me such power that I bring the four elements back into the fifth being, which is then called first matter and is generically mingled within our elements. Through my art I reduce them, whence generations arise; the species or forms brought back are contained within the reduced mass.

Therefore, even if someone undertook the trouble and tormented himself severely in order to reduce the elements in this way, he would certainly not bring them into first matter without me. For the power to transmute the elements and their forms resides in me alone; whoever thinks otherwise deceives himself. You would never know how to assign a substance its proper influence, proportion the elements, or give them the form required by matter. I alone form creatures and give them nature, property and matter. Through my heavenly secrets I make perfect works, rightly regarded as wonders, as can be seen in the elixir, from which so much splendid good flows and within which I have enclosed virtues and qualities. Nor is there any art on earth that can increase anything and perform such excellent works as I. Let every intelligent person therefore consider whether such works and sciences can be brought to completion without the assistance of our heavenly bodies or accomplished without their power. Everything else is misuse and error. If someone wished to attempt anything in this matter, where would he obtain the influence to give it substance? How could he mix and proportion the elements correctly? It is impossible for anyone to attain this even if he had ten lives of such length, as Avicenna attests in chapter two of his book On the Powers of the Heart. For this secret has been given to me alone and to no human being. By my power I make the imperfect perfect: whether metal or human body, I perfect it and make it healthy. I impart temperament, and since I join the four elements and contrary things, I unite them so that they become united at once. This is the golden chain, where I am adorned in a circle with my heavenly virtues and substantial forms. I sweeten my works so well that all my power is revealed within them, and so splendidly that without me it is impossible for any person, however rational, or for their art. Now come forward, you who profess skill and suppose that, according to my knowledge, you can make potable gold with charcoal fire and a water bath in my furnace. Know that I am appalled at your error. Are you not ashamed when you consider my works and compare them with your messy cooking in your stained phials and vessels, wasting time and money? I do not know what you are thinking. Have pity on yourself, I beg you, and consider me. Understand correctly what I tell you, for I will lie to you in nothing. Observe how splendid gold has received its beautiful form from heaven and its good matter from earth. A precious stone such as ruby or diamond does likewise.