Alchemists on ‘The Egg’

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1 Introduction

**2 About the Egg, translation**

About the Egg, the Ancients Speak as Follows.

Some (say that it is) coppery stone, others brain stone, some again annual stone; different people, the stone that is not a stone; others, Egyptian stone; different people, the imitation (mímēma) of the cosmos.

Its shell they say is …

They said that the baked shell …

Its liquid parts …

Its white they call gum, and fig juice, and mulberry juice, and spurge juice.

Its yolk (lit. ‘saffron’) they say is Cyprian copper (mísy), copper, copper sulphate, forged(?) copper sulphate, Attich ochre, Pontic Sinope, lapis lazuli, Armenian stone (copper carbonate), Cilician saffron, and elýdrion (a certain reddish-yellowish gem).

The mixture of egg shells and water by quicklime they said to be magnesia, and bodies of magnesia, and lead-copper alloy, and our silver, common silver, and white lead.

[magnesia? ‚bodies‘ metal?]

The white, sea water, because the egg is round like Oceanus; water of ferrous sulphate(?), water of quicklime, water of potash, the ‘goat water’ of the ancients – take ‘water’ in the sense of ‘milk’.

The yolk (lit. ‘yellow’) they say is water, virgin sulphur, the so-called quicksilver from cinnabar, water of red sodium carbonate, water of yellow sodium carbonate, moonless (? amēnaîon) wine.

The yellow mixture (?) they call gold and fermented gold-electrum, gold ferment and silver ferment which is from citron-wood(?), the (ferment) from arsenic, and that from the water of unfired sulphur. Just as citron has yellow outside, and sourness (tò oxôdes) inside, so also (that) from arsenic. Water of unfired sulphur is the ‘vinegar’ (tò óxos) of the ancients.

The white of the same egg they call quicksilver, silvery water, white copper, white vapor, volatile (matter), good sulphur, water of virgin sulphur, foam of the sea, river water, dew, Attic honey, virginal milk, self-flowing milk, water of lead, equal of copper, new yeast, cloud, teasel, suspended star of vapor.

But do you take this meaning in these things: that nature delights in nature, and nature rules nature, and nature conquers nature, and something mixed together completes the mystery sought for out of one – that is, sulphureous things are ruled by sulphureous, and liquid by other liquid ones. And if the bodies are not decorporated, and the bodies corporated, nothing will be (as) expected.

[bodies = metals?]

And there are two mixtures with metallic bodies, and with divine waters, and plants, which alter the material (or ‘matter’) which you may find in accordance with the object of investigation. And if the two do not become one, and the three one, and the whole mixture one, then nothing will be (as) expected.

End of The Egg.

**3 About the Egg, Greek text**

ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΩΟΥ ΟΙ ΠΑΛΑΙΟΙ ΦΑΣΙΝ ΟΥΤΩΣ.

οἱ μὲν λίθον χάλκιον, οἱ δὲ λίθον ἐγκέφαλον, οἱ δὲ λίθον ἐτήσιον· ἕτεροι λίθον τὸν οὐ λίθον· ἄλλοι λίθον αἰγύπτιον· ἕτεροι τὸ τοῦ κόσμου μίμημα.

Τὸ δὲ ὄστρακον τούτου τὸ ὠμὸν λέγουσιν, χαλκὸν καὶ σιδηρόχαλκον, καὶ μολυβδόχαλκον, καὶ σώματα στερεά.

Τὸ δὲ κεκαυμένον ὄστρακον εἶπον ἄσβεστον, ἀρρενικὸν, σανδαράχην, γῆν χείαν, ἀστερίτην, ἀφροσέληνον, ἀργυρὸν ὀπτὸν, στί-μην κοπτικὴν, γῆν σαμίαν, καιρικὴν, κιμωλίαν, στιλβάδα, κυανὸν 2.18.10καὶ στυπτηρίαν.

Τὰ δὲ ὑγρὰ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀναπεμπόμενά φησιν· ἰὸν καὶ ἰὸν χαλ-κοῦ καὶ ὕδωρ χάλκεον χλωρὸν, ὕδωρ θείου ἄθικτον, καὶ χάλκεον ὑδατῶδες, καὶ χάλκεον μελιτῶδες φάρμακον, καὶ αἰθάλην, καὶ σώματα πνεύματα, καὶ πανσπέρμιον, καὶ πολλοῖς 2.18.15ἄλλοις ὀνόμασι κέκληνται.

Τὸ δὲ λευκὸν αὐτοῦ φησι κόμι, καὶ ὀπὸν συκῆς, καὶ ὀπὸν συκαμίνου, καὶ ὀπὸν τιθυμάλου.

Τὸ δὲ κρόκον λέγουσι μίσυ, χαλκὸν, καλακάνθην χαλκοῦ, 2.19.1χάλκανθον ὀπτὴν, ὤχραν ἀττικὴν, σινώπην ποντικὴν, κυανὸν, λίθον ἀρμένιον, κρόκον κιλίκιον, καὶ ἐλύδριον.

Τὸ δὲ μίγμα τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀστράκων τῶν ὠῶν καὶ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ διὰ τῆς ἀσβέστου ἔφησαν εἶναι μαγνησίαν, καὶ μαγνησίας σώ-2.19.5ματα, καὶ μολυβδόχαλκον, καὶ ἄργυρον τὸν ἡμῶν, ἄργυρον κοινὸν, ψιμμύθιον.

Τὸ δὲ λευκὸν, ὕδωρ θαλάττιον διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὸ ὠὸν στρογγύ-λον ὥσπερ Ὠκεανός· ὕδωρ στυπτηρίας, ὕδωρ ἀσβέστου, ὕδωρ σπο-δοκράμβης, τὸ τῶν ἀρχαίων ὕδωρ αἰγός· (ὕδωρ νόει ἀντὶ γάλακτος.)

Τὸ δὲ ξανθὸν ὕδωρ λέγουσιν, θεῖον ἄθικτον, ὑδράργυρος ἡ ἀπὸ κινναβάρεως λεγομένη, ὕδωρ νίτρου πυροῦ, ὕδωρ νίτρου ξανθοῦ, οἶνον ἀμηναῖον.

Τὸ δὲ ξανθὸν σύνθεμά, φησιν, χρυσὸν καὶ τὸν διασαπέντα χρυσήλεκτρον (?), χρυσοζώμιον, καὶ ἀργυροζώμιον τὸ τῶν κιτρίων ἐστὶν, τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀρσενίκου, καὶ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ θείου ἀπύρου. Ὥσπερ τὸ κίτρον ἔξωθεν ἔχει τὸ ξανθὸν, καὶ ἔσωθεν ἔχει τὸ ὀξῶδες, οὕτως καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀρσενίκου. Θείου ἀπύρου ὕδωρ ἐστὶ τὸ ὄξος τῶν ἀρχαίων.

Τὸ δὲ λευκὸν τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὠοῦ καλοῦσιν ὑδράργυρον, ὕδωρ ἀργυρικὸν, λευκόχαλκον, λευκὴν αἰθάλην, πυρίφευκτον, θεῖον ἀγαθὸν, 2.20.1ὕδωρ θείου ἀθίκτου, ἀφρὸν θαλάσσης, ὕδωρ ποτάμιον, δρόσον, μέλι ἀττικὸν, γάλα παρθενικὸν, γάλα αὐτόρρευστον, ὕδωρ μολύβδου, ἰσο-χάλκιον, τὸ ἀφόρητον ζυμάριον, νεφέλην, διψάκιον, κρεμαστὸν ἄστρον αἰθάλης.

Σὺ δὲ ἐν τούτοις ἔχε τὸν νοῦν· ἡ γὰρ φύσις τὴν φύσιν τέρπει, καὶ ἡ φύσις τὴν φύσιν κρατεῖ, καὶ ἡ φύσις τὴν φύσιν νικᾷ, ἥ τις καταμιγεῖσα ἀποτελεῖ τὸ ἐξ ἑνὸς ζητούμενον μυστήριον, ὅ ἐστι, τὰ θειώδη ὑπὸ τῶν θειωδῶν κρατοῦνται, καὶ τὰ ὑγρὰ ὑπὸ τῶν καταλ-λήλων ὑγρῶν. Καὶ ἐὰν μὴ τὰ σώματα ἀσωματωθῶσι καὶ τὰ σώματα 2.20.10σωματωθῶσιν, οὐδὲν ἔσται τὸ προσδοκώμενον.

Δύο δέ εἰσι συνθέματα διὰ σωμάτων μεταλλικῶν, καὶ διὰ τῶν θείων ὑδάτων, καὶ βοτανῶν, ἃ μεταλλοιοῦσι τὴν ὕλην, ἣν εὕροις ἂν κατὰ τὸ ζητούμενον. Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ γένωνται τὰ δύο ἓν, καὶ τὰ τρία ἕν, καὶ ὅλον τὸ σύνθεμα ἓν, οὐδὲν ἔσται τὸ προσδο-2.20.15κώμενον.

Τέλος τοῦ ὠοῦ.

**4 Naming of the Egg, translation**

[…]

**5 Naming of the Egg, Greek text**

ΟΝΟΜΑΤΟΠΟΠΑ ΤΟΥ ΩΟΥ· ΑΥΤΟ ΓΑΡ ΕΣΤΙΝ ΤΟ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΤΕΧΝΗΣ.

Τὸ ὠὸν ἐκάλεσαν τετράστοιχον διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸ κόσμου μίμησιν, περιέχον τὰ τέσσαρα στοιχεῖα ἐν ἑαυτῷ· ὃν καὶ λίθον ἐκάλεσαν, ὃν κυλίει ἡ σελήνη, καὶ λίθον τὸν οὐ λίθον, καὶ λίθον ἀετίτην, καὶ ἀλαβάστρινον ἐγκέφαλον.

Καὶ τὸ μὲν ὄστρακον αὐτοῦ ᾧπέρ ἐστι στοιχεῖον ὅμοιον τῆς γῆς, ψυχρὸν καὶ ξηρὸν, ἐκάλεσαν χαλκὸν, σίδηρον καὶ κασσίτερον καὶ μόλυβδον· τὸ δὲ λευκὸν ὕδωρ θεῖον· τὸν δὲ κρόκον χάλκανθον· τὸ δὲ ἔλαιον αὐτοῦ πῦρ.

Τὸ ὠὸν ἐκάλεσαν σπόρον· καὶ τὸ μὲν ὄστρακον αὐτοῦ ἐκάλεσαν δοράν· σάρκα δὲ τὸ λευκὸν καὶ ξανθόν· ψυχὴν τὸ ἔλαιον· πνοὴν ἤγουν ἀέρα τὸ ὕδωρ.

Τὸ ὄστρακον τοῦ ὠοῦ ἐστιν ὅ τι ἀναφέρει ταῦτα ἐκ τῆς κόπρου κατὰ ἡμέρας ιʹ· καὶ λειοῖ σὺν Θεῷ μετὰ ὄξους, ὅσον πλέον τρίβῃς πλέον ὠφελεῖς· ὅταν δὲ κόψῃς τὸ σύνθεμα ἡμέρας ηʹ καὶ ἀνασήψεις, καὶ ξηρίον ποιήσεις· ὅταν δὲ τελειώσῃς, ἐπίβαλλε τῆς ὑδραργύρου καὶ ἂν εἰς πρῶτον οὐ βάψῃς, ποίησον δεύτερον καὶ τρίτον.

Ὅτι πρῶτον ἐκάλεσαν τὸν κρόκον τοῦ ὠοῦ, ὤχραν ἀττικὴν, σινώπην ποντικὴν, νίτρον αἰγύπτιον, κυανὸν ἀρμενιακὸν, κρόκον κιλίκιον, ἐλύδριον· τὸ δὲ λευκὸν, τοῦ θείου ὕδατος ἀπολελυμένον, ὄξος, ὕδωρ στυπτηρίας, ὕδωρ ἀσβέστου, ὕδωρ σποδοκράμβης, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.