Exaltation

We proceed now to the chapter of Exaltation,
Of which truly you must have pure knowledge,
But little is different from Sublimation,
If you conceive it right I you ensure,
Hereto accords the holy scripture,
Christ saying thus - “if I exalted be,
Then shall I draw all things unto me".

Our medicine if we exalt so,
It shall be thereby ennobled,
That must be done in two manners,
From time the parties be disposed,
Which must be crucified and examined,
And then bury together both man and wife,
To be after revived by the spirit of life.

Then up to heaven they must be exalted,
There to be in body and soul glorified,
For you must bring them to such subtlety,
That they ascend together to enter,
In clouds of clearness uniting together with Angels,
Then shall they draw as you shall see,
All other bodies to their own dignity.

If you therefore will exalt the bodies,
First you augment them with the spirit of life,
Till in time the earth be well subtilized,
By natural rectifying of every Element,
Exalting them up into the firmament,
Then much more precious shall they be than gold,
Because of the quintessence which they do hold.

For when the cold has overcome the heat,
Then into water the air shall be turned,
And so two contraries together shall meet,
Till either with the other right well agree,
So into air the water as I tell thee,
When heat of cold has got domination,
Shall be converted by craft of our circulation.

And of the air then fire you shall have,
By loosening, putrefying and subliming,
And fire you have of the earth material,
Thus by craft dissevering your elements,
Most especially well calcining your earth,
And when they be each one made pure,
Then do they hold all of the first nature.

In this way therefore make them be circulated,
Each into other exalting by and by,
And all in this one glass surely sigillate,
Not with thine hands, but as I teach you naturally,
Fire into water, then turn first hardly,
For fire is in Air, which is in water existent,
And this conversion accords to our intent.

Then furthermore turn on your wheel,
That into earth the air converted be,
Which will be done also right well,
For Air is in water being earth, trust me,
The water into fire, contrary in her quality,
Soon turn you may, for water is in earth,
Which is in fire, convertion true is this.

The wheel is now near turned about,
Into air turn earth which is the proper nest,
Of other Elements there is no doubt,
For earth is in fire, which in air takes rest,
This circulation begin you in the west,
Then into the south, till they exalted be,
Proceed duly, as I have taught you in the figure *.

In which process clearly you may see,
From one extreme how to another you may not go,
But by a mean, since they in qualities contrary be,
And reason will show that it be so,
As heat into cold, with other contraries more,
Without their means, as moist to heat and and cold,
Examples sufficient before this I have told.

Thus I have taught you how to make,
Of all your Elements a perfect circulation,
And at the figure example to take,
How you shall make this foresaid Exaltation,
And of your medicine in the Elements true graduation,
Till it be brought to a generative temperate,
And then you have conquered the tenth gate.

The end of the tenth gate.