of things amongst themselves, and the efficacy of the Sun, and Moon, and Stars; for the wise need not this instruction. Our subject is presented to the eyes of the whole world, and it is not known. O our Heaven! O our Water! O our Mercury! O our Salt-nitre abiding in the sea of the world! O our Vegetable! O our Sulphur fixed, and volatill! O our _Caput Mortuum_, or dead head, or feces of our Sea! Our Water that wets not our hands, without which no mortall can live, and without which nothing grows, or is generated in the whole world! And these are the Epithites of _Hermes_ his bird, which never is at rest. It is of very small account, yet no body can bee without it: and so thou hast a thing discovered to thee more pretious then the whole world, which I plainly tell thee is nothing else but our Sea water, which is congealed in Silver, and Gold, and extracted out of Gold, and Silver by the help of our Chalybs, by the Art of Philosophers in a wonderfull manner, by a prudent son of Art. It was not my purpose for some reasons before mentioned in the Preface, to publish this book, but a desire to deserve well of those that are studiously given to liberall, and Philosophical Arts, prevailed with me, that I might hold forth to them, that I bear an honest mind; also that I might declare my self to them, that understand the Art, to be their equal and fellow, and to have attained their knowledge. I doubt not but many men of good consciences, and affections do enjoy this gift of God secretly; these being warned by my example, and dangers are made more cautious, and wise, having that commendable silence of _Harpocrates_. For as often as I would discover my selfe to great men, it alwaies turned to my losse and danger. By this my writing I make my self known to the adopted sons of _Hermes_, I instruct the ignorant, and them that are misled, and bring them back into the right way. And let the heirs of wisdome know, that they shall never have a better way, then that, which is here demonstrated to them; for I have spoken all things cleerly: Only I have not so cleerly shewed the extraction of our Salt Armoniacke, or the Mercury of Philosophers, out of our Sea water, and the use thereof, because I had from the Master of Nature no leave to speake any further, and this only God must reveale, who knows the hearts, and minds of men. He will haply upon thy constant, and earnest prayers, and the frequent reading over of this booke, open the eyes of thy understanding. The vessell, as I said before, is but one from the beginning to the end, or at most two are sufficient: the fire is continuall in both operations; for the sake of which let the ignorant read the tenth, and eleventh Treatise. If thou shalt operate in a third matter, thou shalt effect nothing: they medle with this, whoever work not in our Salt, which is Mercury, but in Herbs, Animals, Stones, and all Minerals, excepting our Gold, and Silver covered over with the sphere of _Saturne_. And whosoever desires