Seuenthly, there is yet a more cunning sleight of occultation behind by the helpe of Art notory: an art wherby a man may write or note any thing, as briefly as he will, & as swiftly as he can desire. And in this sort haue the Latine authours hidden many secretes. I deemed it necessary to touch these tricks of obscurity, because happily my self may be constrained through the greatnesse of the secrets, which I shal handle, to vse some of them, that so at the least I might helpe thee to my power. I giue thee therefore to vnderstand, that my purpose is orderly to proceed in the exposition of those things, whereof I made mention before: as to dissolue the Philosophers egge, and search out the partes of a philosophicall man. And this shall serue for a beginning to the rest. Take salt, and rub it diligently in water, and purifie it in other waters, after by diuerse contritions, rub it with Salts, and burne it with sundry assations, that it may bee made a pure earth, separated from the other Elements, which I esteeme worthy of thee for the stature of my length. Vnderstand me if thou art able: for it shall vndoubtedly bee composed of the Elements, and therefore it shall be a part of the stone, which is no stone, and is in euery man, which thou shalt finde at all tymes of the yeare in his owne place. This done thou shalt take oyle after the maner of a searecloath, and of viscous cheese, not able to be cut at the first, wherevnto all the fierie vertue must bee diuided, and separated by dissolution (now it must bee dissolued in a sharpe water of an indifferent sharpenesse, with a light fire) and decocted vntill his fatnesse be seuered, as the fat in flesh, by distillation, that no part of the oylinesse and blacke virtue, wherein the vrine is distilled, may get out. Afterward let it bee decocted in Vineger, till it be dryed into a coale (which is the cause of addustion) and that his blacke vertue do appeare. But if it be not cured therof, let it be done againe: be watchfull and attentiue, for my speech is difficult. The oyle will dissolue, both in sharpe waters, and in common oyle, that worketh more apparauntly, or in a tart oyle of Almondes ouer the fire, so that the oyle may bee sundred, and the hidden spirite remaine, both in the partes of liuing creatures, and in Sulphur, and Arsenicke. For the Stones (wherein there is an Oyle of a superfluous humiditie) haue certaine boundes of their humours: partly because there is no strong vnion, sithens one may be dissolued from the other, by reason of the nature of the water, which is put to liquefaction in the Spirite, which is the meane betweene his parts and the oyle. Dissolution therefore being finished, there will remaine a certaine pure humiditie in the spirit, which though it bee throughly mixt with the dry parts, which are mooued to and fro in it, yet is the fire able to resolue it, beeing called by the Philosopher a melting Sulphur, and sometime Oyle, sometime an ayrie humour, sometime a coniunctiue substaunce, which the fire dooth not separate, sometime Camphora, and wash it. This is the Philosophers Egge, or rather the ende and accomplishment of the Egge. And let so much of the Oyles as commeth to our hands bee reckoned among Seeny seede, which must bee separated from the water, or Oyle wherein it is purged.