Norton, of Bristol; a man of high repute;
whose family lived in great esteem under
Henry the Eighth. He died in fifteen hundred
and sixty-two, at the age of one hundred
and thirteen. There were nine brothers
named Norton, who lived much respected;
one of them, Sir Sampson Norton, lies buried
in Fulham Church; his tomb is adorned
with Hermetic paintings. He was master
of the horse to Henry the Eighth. "The
Ordinal," Thomas Norton's chief work, which
was written in fourteen hundred and
seventy-seven, opens thus:

Maistryeful, mervelous, and Archimaistrye
Is the tincture of holy alkimy.
A wonderful science, secrete philosophie,
A singular gift and grace of the Almightie,
Which never was found by the labour of mann;
But by teaching or revelacion begann.
It was never for money sold nor bought,
By any man which for it hath sought,
But given to an able man by grace,
Wrought with great cost, by long laisir and space,
It helpeth a man when he hath neede;
It voideth vain-glory, hope, and also dreade;
It voideth ambitiousness, extortion and excesse;
It fenceth adversity that shee doe not oppresse.

             *   *   *   *   *

This science was never tought to man,
But he were proved perfectly with space
"Whether he were able to receive this grace,
For his trewth, vertue, and for his stable witt,
Which if he fault he shall never have it,—
Also no man could yet this science reach
But if God send a master him to teach;
For it is so wonderful, and so selcouth,
That it must needs be tought from mouth to mouth.
Also he must (be he never so loath)
Receive it with a most secret dreadfull oath,
That as we refuse great dignities and fame,
So we must needs refuse the same.
Also that he shall not be so wilde
To teach this secret to his owne childe,
For nighness of blood, nor consanguinity
May not accepted be to this dignity.

                 *   *   *   *   *

So that noe man may leave this arte behind,
But he an able and approved man can finde
When age shall grieve him to ride or goe,
One, he may teach, but then never no moe.
For this science must ever secret be,
The cause whereof is this, as ye may see:
All Christian pease he might hastily spill,
And with his pride he might pull downe
Rightful kings and princes of renowne.
Wherefore the sentence of perill and jeopardy
Upon the teacher resteth dreadfully.

The following lines are curious. What
mines of treasure there would be in old
marine store shops if Raymond Lully had
only left his secret, if he had a secret, plainly
written:

  —- In a city of Catilony
William Raymond Lully, knight, men suppose,
Made in seven images the trewth to disclose;
Three were good silver, in shape like ladies bright,
Everie each of four were gold, and like a knight,
In borders of their clothing letters did appear,
Signifying in sentences as it showeth here:

1. Of old hobnails (said one) I was yre,
Now I am good silver as good as ye desire.
2. I was (said another) iron, set from the mine,
But now I am gold, pure, perfect, and fine.
3. Whilome was I copper, of an old red pann,
Now am I good silver, said the third woman.
4. The fourth said, I was copper grown in the filthy
place,
Now am I perfect, God made by God's grace.
5. The fifth said, I was silver, perfect thro' fine,
Now am I perfect gold, excellent, better than the,
prime.
6. I was a pipe of lead nigh two hundred year,
And now, to all men, good silver I appeare,
7. The seventh said, I leade, am gould made for the
maistrie,
But trewly my fellows are nearer thereto than I.
Covetize and cunning, have discorde by kinde,
Who lucre coveteth, this science shall not find.

Norton is eloquent about the piety, prudence,
and temperance a man must possess
to study the science with any probability of
success— which may perhaps account for the
fact that

         Amongst millions millions of mankinde,
         Scarcelie seven men may this science find.

The seven planets (all that were known in
those days) had each an especial influence
over the corresponding seven metals.
Whether any of the more recently-discovered
planets have accepted the character of
presiding spirits to the newly-discovered metals,
we do not know. The stone passed through
many phases during the progress of the great
work—the adepts are eloquent in their
description of the " great pleasure and delight"
it was to watch the "admirable works of
Nature within the vessels." We are sorry
that we cannot tell the reader what the
matter, or substance was, upon which the
masters set to work, at once so difficult and
so indispensable; but the truth is, that this
First Principle was the citadel of the great
secret of nature,— the resting point upon
which the lever might be fixed, which would
be able to move the whole natural world.
This secret each master religiously guarded;
they all speak of it under different names
—almost innumerable— as, The Green Lion,
Litharge, Heavy Water, Dry Water, Burning
Water, The Son blessed of the Fire,
The Brother of the Serpent, The Egg,
Mizadir, The Tears of the Eagle, Mozhacumia,
Xit, Zaaf, Life, Mercury, and so
forth. The masters speak freely of the subsequent
processes to which this matter was
subjected, but upon the method of acquiring
this secret of secrets they maintained a silence
like death. In a treatise that bears the
candid title, of Secrets Revealed, this
encouraging sentence is found at the onset:
"Having prepared our Sol and our Mercury,
shut them in our vessel, and govern them
with our fire, and within forty days thou
shalt see, &c. * * but if thou be yet ignorant
both of our Sol, and of our Mercury,
meddle not in this our work, for expense only