Metals, planets and correspondences

Use in the book

The first mobile supplies first movement and existence, the starry heaven contains confused formative ideas, and Saturn's sphere concerns the separation and concretion of forms. Jupiter is linked to vital, animal, sensory and nutritive functions; Mars to elemental powers for nourishment, vegetation and increase (54v–55r; scans 136–137). The Sun distributes vital spirits, Venus forms the diverse organic parts, and Mercury presides over elemental moistures.

The later natural-spirit scheme places analogous functions in the world of the stone. It explicitly says Saturn's sphere and the third angelic order have a counterpart in lead, and tin acts among metals as Jupiter does among planets and fourth-order intelligences (56v–57r; scans 140–141). These are direct textual alignments, not an editorial reconstruction.

The discussion then turns toward harmful central spirits. In the lead-associated account, sulfurous parts participate in antimony's nature and quicksilver's character. They examine metals like accusers examining crimes and reduce other bodies to ash, with Sun and Moon excepted through their sovereign property (60r; scan 147). The named metal's position does not make every part belonging to it beneficial.

Saturnian destructive powers oppose good Saturnian spirits that corporify seminal forms, while niter-associated aerial powers imitate Jupiter's authority and disturb the life-giving air (60v–61v; scans 148–150). The natural opposition is built within the correspondence, rather than appearing as a separate list unrelated to the favorable order.

Mars then appears covered in iron, contesting Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury and attacking lead, tin and quicksilver in the family of metals. It enslaves Vulcan and the Cyclopes and loses itself in sulfurous destruction (62r; scan 151). The parallel list of gods and metals makes the analogy especially visible without erasing the conflict among their powers.

Copper is subsequently named with Venus and copper-participating marcasites. Its harmful spirits oppose fortunate celestial Venus and good copper spirits, while the generous Venus of generation remains separately praised (63v–64r; scans 154–155). The source thus distinguishes the metal-name, its spirits and opposed conditions of action.

Gold's relation to the sevenfold family is exceptional. The apocalyptic golden lamps and stars signify fixed gold containing the seven metals virtually and eminently, as their first roots or parents (78v; scan 186). The text does not say that seven visibly separate metals can be read off the figure as ordinary ingredients.⁷⁷

At the conclusion the stone is called mineral and even metal because it possesses metallic nature, forces and faculties and is allegedly a mine or matrix of further gold (137r; scan 311). The final claim that one matter is plant, stone, metal, mineral, body, soul and celestial principle without contradiction extends the correspondence into unity. It is the book's culminating assertion, not a reason to suppress the differentiations on which its earlier arguments depend.

Places to read

1. Manuscript 54v · Scan 136First mobile, starry heaven and Saturn in the ordered scheme.
2. Manuscript 55r · Scan 137Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus and Mercury's assigned functions.
3. Manuscript 56v · Scan 140Lead/Saturn and the beginning of the explicit tin/Jupiter alignment.
4. Manuscript 57r · Scan 141Completion of the metal/intelligence correspondence and its adverse counterparts.
5. Manuscript 60r · Scan 147Lead-associated spirits, metal-testing and the Sun/Moon exception.
6. Manuscript 62r · Scan 151Mars/iron contests planets and their metallic counterparts.
7. Manuscript 63v · Scan 154Copper/Venus and good versus harmful copper spirits.
8. Manuscript 78v · Scan 186Gold contains the seven metals virtually and eminently.

Translation

The names plomb, étain, fer, cuivre and argent are translated lead, tin, iron, copper and silver where those nouns occur. Vif-argent remains quicksilver and must not be counted as an independent silver occurrence merely because it contains argent in its spelling.

The book's actual ordinals are preserved. Its ninefold organization of functions includes first mobile and starry heaven, and cannot be silently replaced by an uncomplicated seven-row scheme. The distinction of virtual/eminent from actual possession likewise remains important.⁷⁸

plomb

Attested: H001-S140; H001-S147; H001-S151. Lead in Saturnian and contested metallic contexts.

étain

Attested: H001-S140; H001-S151. Tin aligned with Jupiter and later attacked by Mars.

fer

Attested: H001-S151. Iron as Mars's martial covering.

cuivre

Attested: H001-S154. Copper explicitly associated with Venus and its spirits.

argent

Attested: H001-S105. Silver, distinguished from the compound name vif-argent.

métaux

Attested: H001-S141; H001-S151; H001-S186. The material family whose ordered and hostile powers are compared.