Adulteration and impurity

Meaning

The description of unsuitable gold combines three faults that should not be collapsed: it may be mixed with inappropriate things, left unpurified, or fraudulently adulterated. The printed gefelschet carries the accusation of falsification; the other forms describe condition or compatibility. Prolonged use and weakened inward sulphur are further reasons why common gold fails the work’s requirement. Thus purity is not merely an ethical compliment, nor does commercial genuineness alone establish a living spirit. The aligned translation’s “fraudulently adulterated” usefully retains the deliberate deception expressed by the German reference to fraud. The passage demands a body capable of admitting the other matter’s spirit and power, not a modern assay specification.