Now you must first know, that all Metals and Minerals of the Earth have one only Matter and Mother, whereby in general they all received Conception, gaining a compleat and corporal Birth. This Matter which comes out of the Center, first of all divides it self into three parts, to procure one corporal or certain form of each Metal. These three parts are only fed in the Earth by the Elements, out of their Bodies, and nourish'd till they be perfect. But the Matter which comes out of the Center is imagined by the Stars, operated by the Elements, and formed by the Earth: It is a Matter to be known, and the true Mother of Metals and Minerals: It is such a Matter and Mother, whereof Man himself is conceived, born, nourish'd, and made corporal: It may be compared to the middle World, for what is in the great World is in the little World, and what is in the little World is also in the greater; and what is jointly in the great and little World is likewise found in the middle World, which unites and conjoins the great and little world; it is a Soul which unites and copulates the Spirit with the Body. This Soul is compared unto water, and it is a right true water, but not so that it wets as other water doth, but it is a Celestial water, dry, found in a Metallick Liquorish substance; it is a Soulish water, which loves all Spirits, and unites them with their Bodies, conducting them to a compleat Life; therefore it is reasonably found out, and evidently proved, that Water is the Mocker of all Metals, which are heated by the warm aerial Fire, or Spirit of _Sulphur_, which by its digestion makes the Earthly Body lively, wherein the Salt is evidently found, which preserves from putrefaction so that nothing might be consumed by Corruption. At the beginning and birth _Quick-silver_ is first operated, which stands yet open with a subtile coagulation, because little Salt is imparted to it, whereby he manifests a more spiritual than corporal Body; but all the other Metals which follow out of its Essence, and have more Salt, whereby they become corporal, do all follow this; so that I now begin first with the Spirit of _Mercury_. CHAP. III. _Of the Spirit of_ Mercury.