hee fell upon this saying——_that it is found in the dung-hill_. He began to worke upon Mercury with divers sorts of dung, together, and asunder: And when hee was weary, and full of thoughts he fell into a sleep. And in his sleep there appeared to him a vision: there came to him an old man, who saluted him, and said; Friend, Why art thou sad? Hee answered, I would willingly make the Philosophers Stone. Then said he, Friend, Of what wilt thou make the Philosophers Stone? _Alchymista._ Of Mercury, Sir. _Senex._ Of what Mercury? _Alch._ There is but one Mercury. _Sen._ It is true, there is but one Mercury, but altered variously, according to the variety of places; one is purer then another. _Alch._ O Sir, I know how to purifie it very well with vineger and salt, with nitre and vitriall. _Sen._ I tell thee this is not the true purifying of it, neither is this, thus purifyed, the true Mercury: Wise men have another Mercury, and another manner of purifying of it, and so he vanished away. The Alchymist being raised from sleep thought with himselfe what vision this should be, as also what this Mercury of Philosophers should be: hee could bethinke himselfe of no other but the vulgar Mercury. But yet hee desired much that hee might have had a longer discourse with the old man: but yet hee worked continually, sometimes in the dung of living creatures, as boyes dung, and sometimes in his own. And every day hee went to the place, where hee saw the vision, that he might speak with the old man again: sometimes hee counterfeited a sleep, and lay with his eyes shut expecting the old man. But when he would not come he thought he was afraid of him, and would not beleeve that he was asleep, he swore therefore saying, My good old Master be not afraid, for truly I am asleep; look upon my eyes, see if I be not: And the poor Alchymist after so many labours, and the spending of all his goods, now at last fel mad, by alwaies thinking of the old man. And when hee was in that strong imagination, there appeared to him in his sleep a false vision, in the likenesse of the old man, and said to him, Doe not despaire, my friend, thy Mercury is good, and thy matter, but if it will not obey thee, conjure it, that it bee not volatile; Serpents are used to be conjured, and then why not Mercury? and so the old man would leave him. But the Alchymist asked of him, saying, Sir, expect, &c. And by reason of a noise this poore Alchymist was raised from sleep, yet not without great comfort. He took then a vessell full of Mercury, and began to conjure it divers wayes, as his dream taught him. And hee remembred the words of the old man, in that hee said, _Serpents are conjured_, and Mercury is painted with Serpents, hee thought, so it must bee conjured as the Serpents. And taking a vessell with Mercury hee began to say, _Ux, Vx, Ostas, &c._ And where the name of the Serpent should be put, he put the name of Mercury, saying: And thou wicked beast Mercury, &c.