Great Throughts Treasury

"There are hosts of men, of the profoundest thought, who find nothing in the disclosures of science to shake their faith in the eternal virtues of reason and religion."

"It is not he who searches for praise who finds it."

"Mind is the partial side of man; the heart is everything."

"To lose one's self in reverie, one must be either very happy, or very unhappy. Reverie is the child of extremes."

"Vices are often habits rather than passions."

"Also there is a similitude of a Trinity shining in the body, soul and spirit."

"As also what is man's blood, our aqua vitae, our burning water, and what are many other things, which in this our art are metaphorically, or figuratively named to deceive the foolish and unwary."

"But in the Secret Work of the conjunction of our Elements, both Nature and Art, hand in hand accompanying each other, for there the artist Findeth and imbibeth, and Nature fixeth and congealeth, which we will show hereafter, when we handle that work."

"As for our other Arie and fiery Waters, they are so fixed and permanent, that no fire will again elevate their substances, and they would stand in the fire, till Doomsday without any wasting or exhalation."

"But in this Second Work if thou extract our Air and our Fire with the phlegm water, they will the more naturally and easily be drawn out of their infernal prison, and with less losse of their Spirits, than by the former way before described."

"Every pulsation of our being vibrates in sympathy with the wrongs of the toiling millions; and every wise effort for their speedy enfranchisement will find in us resolute and indomitable advocates."

"The body is the substance of the stone."

"The soul is the ferment which cannot be had, but from the most perfect body: and the spirit is that which raiseth up the natures from death and corruption to life, perfection and glory."

"This is our mercury, our lunary, but whosoever thinks of any other water besides this, is ignorant and foolish, never attaining to the desired effects."

"To that movement, consecrated by religious principle, sustained by an awful sense of justice, and cheered by the brightest hopes of future good, all our powers, talents, and attainments are devoted."

"In sulphur, there is an earthiness for the body; in mercury, there is an aerialness for the spirit, and in them both a natural unctuosity for the soul or ferment; all which are inseparably united in their least parts for ever."

"If any imagine from the literary tone of the preceding remarks that we are indifferent to the radical movement for the benefit of the masses which is the crowning glory of the nineteenth century, they will soon discover their egregious mistake."

"For if we had not in our Work a triune aspect of these Planets, and did not begin it with a Trinity, all would be lost labor and inutilous profile."

"Take notice, when first the liquor riseth white, another receiver must be put to, because that element is wholly distilled."

"Whosoever then shall obtain these Medicines, he shall have incomparable Treasures, above all the Treasures of this World."

"We shall suffer no attachment to literature, no taste for abstract discussion, no love of purely intellectual theories, to seduce us from our devotion to the cause of the oppressed, the down trodden, the insulted and injured masses of our fellow men."

"When the present white color shall begin to appear like the eyes of fishes, then may you know that Summer is near at hand, after which Autumn or Harvest will happily follow with ripe fruit, which is in the long looked-for redness; this is after the pale, ashy, and citrine color."