stayes, and is congealed into flowers, the impure goes into leaves, the grosse, and thick into the bark: the bark of the tree remains fast, and firm, the leaves fall with cold, or heat, when the pores thereof are stopt: the flowers in congealing receive their colour according to the heat whereby the colour is made, and bring with them fruit, and seed (as an Apple, in which there is sperm out of which a tree is not brought forth; but in the inside of that sperme is a seed or kernell, out of which even without the sperm is brought forth a tree, for multiplication is not in the sperm, but in the seed.) So wee see with our eyes, that Nature creates a seed out of the four Elements, lest wee should labour in vain about it; for what is created already need not a Creator. Let this by way of example bee sufficient for the advertisement of the Reader; but now I return to my purpose concerning the Mineralls. Nature creates the Mineral seed, or the seed of Metalls in the bowels of the earth: wherefore it is not beleeved that there is any such seed _in rerum naturâ_, because it is invisible. But it is no wonder if ignorant men doubt of it, seeing they cannot perceive that which is before their eys, much less that which is hid from their eyes: but it is most true that that which is superiour, is but as that which is inferior, and so on the contrary. Also that which is brought forth above is brought forth of the same fountaine, as that beneath in the bowells of the earth. And what prerogative should Vegetables have before Metalls, that God should put a seed into them, and without cause withhold it from these? Are not Metalls of as much esteem with God as Trees? Let this be granted for a truth, that nothing grows without seed: for where there is no seed, the thing is dead. It is necessary therefore that four Elements should make the seed of Metalls, or bring them forth without a seed: if they are produced without seed, then they cannot be perfect; seeing every thing without seed is imperfect, by the rule of composition: hee which gives no credit to this undoubted truth, is not worthy to search into the secrets of nature; for there is nothing made in the world, that is destitute of seed. The seed of Metalls is truely, and really put into them: and the generation of it is thus. The foure Elements in the first operation of Nature doe by the help of the Archeus of Nature distill into the center of the earth a ponderous, or heavy Vapour of water, which is the seed of Metalls, and is called Mercury by reason of its fluxibility, and its conjunction with every thing, not for its essence; and for its internall heat it is likened to Sulphur, and after congealation becomes to be the radicall moisture. And although the body of Metalls be procreated of Mercury (which is to bee understood of the Mercury of Philosophers) yet they are not bee hearkned to, that think the vulgar Mercury is the seed of Metalls, and so take the body in stead of the seed, not considering