Closed-Palace of the King
1669
Cap. XI
«…When therefore they observed a little Sulphur in the mercury and that only passive, they found now in this Child of Saturn no actual sulphur, but only potential; and therefore it entered in friendship with a burning Arsenical Sulphur, and foolish as it is, it cannot subsist in a coagulated form without this Sulphur; and yet notwithstanding it is so stupid, that it had rather dwell with the Enemy, by whom it is so exceeding straightly imprisoned, and commit Fornication, than renounce him and appear under a Mercurial form. Therefore they sought further for active sulphur, and that most thoroughly, and at length the said Magi (alchemists) sought it, and found it hidden in the house of Aries. This sulphur is most greedily received by the son of Saturn; which Metallic matter is most pure, most tender, and most near to the first Metallic Ens, void of all actual Sulphur, but yet in power or capacity to receive the sulphur. It doth therefore draw this to it self like a Magnet, and swallows it up in its own belly, and hides it; and the Omnipotent, that he might most highly adorn this Work, hath imprinted his Royal Seal thereon…»
Here is a text extracted from a well-known Philalethes book as related above, where he describes allegorically the two matters to start his Work.
There is a correlation with the description that Fulcanelli does of the said matters in The Dwellings of Philosophers. Philalethes still does it with more mastery and subtlety than Fulcanelli who is a little more difficult to understand being less instructed in our Art.
In CAP VIII, it says that the common mercury has very little sulphur and that it is passive (not actual) but that the Magi (alchemists) also had not found actual sulphur (alchemic) but only potential sulphur (chemical) in the Child of Saturn as we already know from other books like the Breviary of Flamel.
Now, look well in the Master style where it says that the (matter) has entered in friendship with a burning Arsenical Sulphur, and foolish as it is, it cannot subsist in a coagulated form without this Sulphur; and yet notwithstanding it is so stupid, that it had rather dwell with the Enemy, by whom it is so exceeding straightly imprisoned, and commit Fornication, than renounce him and appear under a Mercurial form.
It is such a subtle allegorical language that it is necessary to be understood by the children of the Art because it describes perfectly not only the first matter as also its identification.
He says to us, in first place, that our matter is the Child of Saturn and after, to complete its identification, says that it entered in friendship with a burning Arsenical Sulphur and foolish as it is, it cannot subsist in a coagulated form without this Sulphur than renounce him and appear under a Mercurial form.
Indeed it is like this. The matter, as you will be able to notice, is a sulphide ore that, if known, has a burning Arsenical Sulphur that imprisons the mercury and of which it does not want itself to be free (hypothetically). Effectively, in a sulphide mineral without the presence of a burning hot sulphur (chemical) we would have a pure metal without having the necessity of its physical Separation.
Evidently, this does not correspond to the reality but is a descriptive subtlety because, as it is obvious, the matter (a sulphide) " per se " never if could be exempt of its sulphur without the intervention of the Artist.
As he relates in CAP IX, the magi (alchemists) knowing that his matter had no alchemic sulphur but a burning hot sulphur (chemical) it was necessary to introduce an exterior (alchemic) sulphur to it which was found hidden deeply in the house of Aries (the metallic correspondence of Aries is the same one of Mars). The son of Saturn most greedily receives this sulphur because to make the Work it needs to have the alchemic sulphur that is lacking in it.
It doth therefore draw this to it self like a Magnet, and swallows it up in its own belly, and hides it; and the Omnipotent, that he might most highly adorn this Work, hath imprinted his Royal Seal.
In this operation, Mars will be placed first into crucible and warmed to red orange and it is absorbed (dissolved) almost immediately by the son of Saturn provoking an intense reaction for what it is necessary to place the cover immediately on the crucible.
We want, however, to remind you that the " absorption " will be in such a way faster how much it will be the antiquity of Mars.
Philalethes in this text describe parabolicaly the matters but in other parts of the book gives complete details on the modus operandi.
Here it is in a very subtle language the description of the two matters and, the sign of the happy result of that operation, is the " star " this is, the martial starring regulus.
Some will think that in this operation the Mars purpose is only to make the Separation snatching the chemical sulphur from the matter and after combining with it in an iron sulphide, called Caput. Pure deceit. As Filaleto says, Mars supplied them to our matter the alchemic sulphur of that it needed to be able to make his Work.
And in part, it is like this. The starring martial regulus in the antimony dry way until the mercurial Purifications contains iron particles in the mass that will only show later in Vitriol or Green Lion.
If the mercury (regulus) did not have Mars in its " womb " it would not be possible to get philosophical Vitriol later necessary to make the Sublimations or Eagles.
This text not agrees in all with the following English edition translated from Musaeum Hermeticum, 1678.
CHAPTER XI
«…They found that that which should be active in the Mercury was passive; and that its infirmity could not be remedied by any means, except the introduction of some kindred principle from without. Such a principle they discovered in metallic sulphur, which stirred up the passive sulphur in the Mercury, and by allying itself with it, expelled the aforesaid impurities. But in seeking to accomplish this practically, they were met by another great difficulty. In order that this sulphur might be effectual in purifying the Mercury, it was indispensable that it should itself be pure. All their efforts to purify it, however, were doomed to failure. At length they bethought them that it might possibly be found somewhere in Nature in a purified condition - and their search was crowned with success. They sought active sulphur in a pure state, and found it cunningly concealed in the House of the Ram. This sulphur mingled most eagerly with the offspring of Saturn, and the desired effect was speedily produced-…»
It is never excessive to tell you to be careful with the some translations that does not always correspond to the originals ones.
And to finish and confirm our assertion, one day, some years ago, but we still remember them perfectly, when we visited the Solazaref Filiation in France, we saw the Master touch with the tip of the tongue a piece of martial regulus recently made in our presence for one disciple and to say: this regulus has too much Mars!
Rubellus Petrinus