combustible, without any mixture of earthly Aquosity; it is that
Celestial water, whereof very much hath been written; for by this Spirit
of _Mercury_ all Metals, may if need require, be broken, opened, and
resolved into their first Matter, without Corrosive; it renews the age
of Man or Beast, even as the Eagles; it consumes all evil, and conducts
a long Age to long Life. This Spirit of _Mercury_ is the Master-Key of
my Second Key, whereof I wrote in the beginning; wherefore I will call;
_Come ye Blessed of the Lord, be anointed, and refreshed with water, and
embalm your Bodies, that they may not putrefie or stink_; for this
Celestial Water is the beginning, the Oyl, and the means, seeing it
burns not, because it is made of a spiritual Sulphur, the Salt Balsam is
corporal, which is united with the Water by the Oyl, whereof I will
afterwards treat more at large, when I shall write of them, and mention
them.

And that I may further declare what is the Essence, Matter and Form of
the Spirit of _Mercury_, I say, that its Essence is blessed, its Matter
spiritual and its form earthly, which yet must be understood by an
incomprehensible way; these are indeed harsh Expressions, many will
think, thy Proposals are all vain, strange Effusions, raising wonderful
Imaginations, and true it is that they are strange, and require strange
people to understand these Sayings; it is not written for Peasants, how
they should grease Cart-wheels, nor is it written unto those who have no
knowledge of the Art, though they be never so learned, or think
themselves so; for I only account them Learned, who next unto Gods Word,
learn to know Earthly things, which must be pondered and judged by the
Understanding, founded upon a true Knowledge, to distinguish Light from
Darkness, who chuse that which is good, and reject the evil.

It is needless for you to know what the beginning of this Spirit of
_Mercury_ requires, because it can in no wise help nor advantage you,
only take notice of this, that its beginning is supernatural, out of the
Celestial, Sydereal and Elementary, bestowed on it from the beginning
of the first Creation, that it may enter further into an Earthly
Substance. But because this is necessary which hath been declared to
you, leave the Celestial to the Soul, apprehend it by Faith, and let the
Sydereal likewise alone, because these Sydereal Impressions are
invisible and intangible, the Elements have already brought forth the
Spirit per