History of Alchymy. 231 



AsHMOLi^s' Theatrum Chemicum Brittanicuvi, will e^fford a fair 

 idea of Ripley's merits as a poet and philosopher : 



" But into Chapters thys Treatis I shall deTyde, 

 In number twelve, with dew recapytulatyop ; 

 Superfluous rehearsalls I lay asyde, 

 Intendyng only to give trew informatyon. 

 Both of the theory ke and practycall operatyon : 

 That by my wrytyng whoso wyll guyded be, 

 Of hys intente perfyctly speed shall he. 



" The fyrst chapter shall be of naturall Calcirmtioni 

 The second of Dyssolution, secret and phylosophycall ; 

 The third of our elemental! Se'paration ; 

 The fourth of Conjiinction raatrimoniall ; 

 The fyfth of Putrefaction then foUowe shall ; 

 Of Congelation Albyjicative shall be the sixt, 

 Then of Cybation, the seaventh, shall follow next. 



" The secret of our Sublymatim the eyght shall show ; 

 The nynth shall be of Fermentatyon ; 

 The tenth of our Exaltation I trow. 

 The elevent of our mervelose multiplycatyon, 

 The twelfth of Projection, then RecapituUUym, 

 And so this treatise shall take an end, 

 By the help of God, as I entend. 



" Thus here the Tract of Alchemy doth end ; 



Which tract was by George Ripley, Chanon, penn'd. 

 It was composed, writt, and signed his owne, 

 In anno twice seaven hundred seaventy one. . 

 Reader, assist him, make it thy desire 

 That after lyfe he may have gentle fire ! 



Amen." 



The degree of faith placed in alchymy was of course much 

 shaken by the multiplied experiments that were undertaken 

 during the seventeenth century ; in general, however, those 

 who failed attributed their ill success to any rather than the 

 real cause. Salmon's creed is that of most of his contem- 

 poraries. " As to the great and philosophic work," says he, 

 (meaning transmutation,) " it is my opinion and belief that 

 there is such a thing in nature. I know the matter of fact to 

 be true, though the way and manner of doing it is as yet hid 

 from me. I have been eye-witness of so much as is able to 



