Verses from the Ripley Scrowle

The verses from the Ripley Scrowle are included in Elias Ashmole's Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum, 1652.
Back to Ripley's works . Information on Ripley.

Verses belonging to an emblematicall scrowle:
Supposed to be invented by Geo: Ripley.

I shall you tell with plaine declaracion,
Where, how, and what is my generacion:
Omogeni is my Father,
And Magnesia is my Mother:
And Azot truly is my Sister:
And Kibrick forsooth is my Brother:
The Serpent of Arabia is my name,
The which is leader of all this game:
That sometyme was both wood and wild,
And now I am both meeke and mild;
The Sun and the Moone with their might,
Have chastised me that was so light:
My Wings that me brought,
Hither and thither where I thought
Now with their might they downe me pull,
And bring me where they woll,
The Blood of myne heart I wiss,
Now causeth both Joy and blisse:
And dissolveth the very Stone,
And knitteth him ere he have done;
Now maketh hard that was lix,
And causeth him to be fix.
Of my blood and water I wis,
Plenty in all the World there is.
It runneth in every place;
Who it findeth he hath grace:
In the World it runneth over all,
And goeth round as a ball:
But thou understand well this,
Of the worke thou shalt miss.
Therefore know ere thou begin,
What he is and all his kin,
Many a Name he hath full sure,
And all is but one Nature:
Thou must part him in three,
And then knit him as the Trinity:
And make them all but one,
Loe here is the Philosophers Stone.

The Bird of Hermes is my name,
Eating my wings to make me tame.

In the Sea withouten lesse,
Standeth the Bird of Hermes:
Eating his Wings variable,
And thereby maketh himself more stable;
When all his Fethers be agon,
He standeth still there as a stone;
Here is now both White and Red,
And also the Stone to quicken the dead,
All and sume withouten fable,
Both hard, and nesh and malliable
Understand now well aright,
And thanke God of this sight.

Take thou Phoebus that is so bright,
That sitteth so high in Majesty;
With his beames that shineth soe light,
In all places where ever that he be,
For he is Father to all living things,
Maynteyner of Lyfe to Crop and Roote,
And causeth Nature forth to spring;
With his wife being soote,
For he is salve to every sore,
To bring about thys precious worke;
Take good hede unto his lore,
I say to learned and to Clerk,
And Omogeny is my Name:
Which God shaped with his owne hand,
And Magnesia is my Dame;
Thou shalt verily understand,
Now heere I shall begin,
For to teach thee a ready way:
Or else litle shalt thou wyn,
Take good heed what I say;
Devide thou Phoebus in many a parte;
With his beames that byn so bright,
And thus with Nature him Coarte,
The which is mirrour of all light:
This Phoebus hath full many a Name,
Which that is full hard for to know;
And but thou take the very same,
The Philosophers Stone thou shalt not know,
Therefore I councell ere thou begin:
Know him well what it be,
And that is thick make it thin;
For then it shall full well like the.
Now understand well what I meane,
And take good heed thereunto,
The worke shall else litle be seen:
And tourne thee unto mikle woe,
As I have said in this our Lore,
Many a Name I wiss it have,
Some behinde, and some before;
As Philosophers of yore him gave.

On the Ground there is a Hill,
Also a Serpent within a Well:
His Tayle is long with Wings wide,
All ready to fly on every side,
Repaire the Well round about,
That the Serpent pas not out;
For if that he be there agone,
Thou loosest the vertue of the Stone,
What is the Ground thou mayst know heere,
And also the Well that is so cleere:
And eke the Serpent with his Tayle
Or else the worke shall litle availe,
The Well must brenne in Water cleare,
Take goog heede for this thy Fyre,
The Fire with Water brent shalbe,
And Water with Fire wash shall he;
Then Earth on Fire shalbe put,
And Water with Air shalbe knit,
Thus ye shall go to Putrefaccion,
And bring the Serpent to reduction.
First he shalbe Black as any Crow,
And downe in his Den shall lye full lowe:
Iswel'd as a Toade that lyeth on ground,
Burst with bladders fitting so round,
They shall to brast and lye full plaine,
And thus with craft the Serpent is slaine:
He shall shew Collours there many a one,
And tourne as White as wilbe the bone,
With the water that he was in,
Wash him cleane from his sin:
And let him drink a litle and a lite,
And that shall make him faire and white,
The which Whitnes is ever abiding,
Lo here is the very full finishing:
Of the White Stone and the Red,
Lo here is the true deed.

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