which it first of all came forth: the body to the earth, as the first matter of the elements; the soul to the first matter of the sacraments; and, lastly, the spirit to the first matter of the aërial chaos.
What has now been said concerning the separation of the Microcosm should also be understood of the greater world, which the mighty ocean has separated into three parts, so that the universal world is thus divided into three portions, Europe, Asia, and Africa. This separation is a sort of prefiguration of the three principles, because they, too, can be separated from every terrestrial and elemental thing. These principles are Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt. Of these three the world is built up and composed.
From this should be known the separation of the metals from their mountains, that is to say, the separation of metals and minerals. By the separation which is instituted in these, many come forth from one matter. You see that from minerals come forth metal, scoriæ, glass, sand, pyrites, marchasite, granite, cobalt, talc, cachimia, zinctum, bismuth, antimony, litharge, sulphur, vitriol, verdigris, chrysocolla, cœruleum or lazulum, auripigment, arsenic, realgar, cinnabar, fireclay, spathus, gyphus, tripolis, red earth, and other like things; and then of each one of these the water, the oils, the resins, the calx or ash, the Mercury, Sulphur, Salt, etc.
Vegetables in their separation give waters, oils, juices, resins, gums, electuaries, powders, ashes, Mercury, Sulphur, Salt, etc.
Animals in their separation give water, blood, flesh, fat, bones, skin, body, hair, Mercury, Sulphur, Salt, etc.
Whoever, therefore, boasts to be a separator of such natural things, needs long experience, and perfect knowledge of all natural objects. Besides this, he must be a skilled and practised alchemist, to know what is or is not
