ork.]

He whose eyes are open needs no special hints to see, in reading, that the
so-called alchemistic prescriptions did not center upon a chemical
process. A faint notion of the circumstance that even in their beginnings,
alchemistic theories were blended with cosmogonic and religious ideas,
must make it quite evident that, for example, in the famous Smaragdine
Tablet of Hermes [Its real author is unknown.] a noble pillar of alchemy,
something more must be contained than a mere chemical recipe. The language
of the Smaragdine tablet is notoriously the most obscure that the hermetic
literature has produced; in it there are no clear recommendations to
belief or righteousness; and yet I think that an unprejudiced reader, who
was not looking specially for a chemical prescription, would perceive at
least a feeling for something of philosophy or theology.

[1.] Verum, sine mendacio, certum et [verissimum]: [2.] Quod est inferius
est sicut quod est superius, et quod est superius est sicut quod est
inferius, ad perpetranda [also: penetranda, praeparanda] miracula rei
unius. [3.] Et sicut res omnes fuerunt ab uno, meditatione unius: sic
omnes res natae fuerunt ab hac una re, adaptatione [adoptione.]. [4.]
Pater ejus est Sol, mater ejus est Luna. [5.] Portavit illud ventus in
ventre suo. [6.] Nutrix ejus terra est. [7.] Pater omnis Telesmi totius
mundi est hic. [8.] Virtus ejus integra est, si versa fuerit in terram.
[9.] Separabis terram ab igne, subtile ab spisso, suaviter, magno cum
ingenio. [10.] Ascendit a terra in coelum, iterumque descendit in terram,
et recipit vim superiorum et inferiorum. [11.] Sic habebis Gloriam totius
mundi. Ideo fugiet a te omnis obscuritas. Haec est totius fortitudinis
fortitudo fortis, quia vincet omnem rem subtilem, omnemque solidam
[solidum] penetrabit. [12.] Sic mundus creatus est. [13.] Hinc erunt
adaptationes mirabiles, quarum modus est hic. [14.] Itaque vocatus sum
Hermes Trismegistus, habens tres partes philosophiae totius mundi. [15.]
Completum est quod dixi de operatione Solis.

Translation: [1.] It is true, without lies and quite certain. [2.] What is
lower is just like what is higher, and what is higher is just like what is
lower, for the accomplishment of the miracle of a thing. [3.] And just as
all things come from one and by mediation of one, thus all things have
been derived from this one thing by adoption. [4.] The father of it is the
sun, the mother is the moon. [5.] The wind ha