The Secret Work of the Hermetic Philosophy

119You have everything necessary for the first work, whose end is the generation of the twofold sulphur. Let the composition and perfection of both be accomplished as follows. Take a red Dragon, spirited and warlike, lacking none of its native strength. Then choose seven or nine noble, virgin eagles whose keen sight is not dulled by the sun’s rays. Cast the birds with the beast into a clear, firmly closed prison, and set a bath beneath it, so that its warm vapour may inflame them for battle. Soon they will enter a long and hard contest, until at last, about the forty-fifth or fiftieth day, the Eagles begin to plunder and tear the beast apart. As it dies it will infect the whole prison with putrid discharge and black poison, by which the wounded Eagles too will be forced to expire. From the putrefaction of the corpses a crow will be generated. Its head gradually emerging and the bath being somewhat increased, it will soon begin to spread its wings and fly. Yet for a long time it will be driven about by winds and clouds, seeking cracks: take care that it finds none. At last, whitened by slow and prolonged rain and heavenly dew, it will change into a dazzling white swan. Let the newborn crow be your sign that the Dragon is dead. In whitening the crow, extract the elements and distil them in the prescribed order until they are fixed in their own earth and end as snowy, exceedingly fine powders. This accomplished, you will attain your first wish, the white.