othe and protect himself before with mirrors? I advise
no one but I wish to give sufficient warning. [Many fables about the
Basilisk were then current. The belief, too, was general that this
terrible animal was produced from a hen's egg. Herein lies, again, the
idea of unnatural procreation.] ... Now the generation of the homunculus
is not to be forgotten. For there is something in it, notwithstanding that
it has till now been kept in mystery and concealed, and that not a little
doubt and question there was among some of the old philosophers, whether
it was possible for art and nature that a man should be born outside a
woman's body and a natural mother. To which I give the answer that it is
in no way contrary to the spagiric art and nature, but is quite possible;
but how such accomplishment and occurrence may be, is by the following
procedure: Namely that the semen of a man is putrefied in a closed
cucurbit per se, with the greatest putrefaction in a horse's belly for 40
days or until it comes to life and moves and stirs, which is easily to be
seen. [Horse's belly by metonomy for horse's dung. Horse manure or dung
was an easily procured material that served the purpose of keeping warm at
an even mild and moist heat a vessel that was put into it. Horse manure is
then finally the gentle "moist heat" in general engendered by any means.
In the preceding case surely the narrower meaning of animal belly or dung
should not be overlooked. Here indeed this belly with its moist warmth has
to act as an equivalent for a uterus.] After such a time it will look
something like a man but transparent without a body. So after this it is
daily fed whitish (weisslich) with the Arcano sanguinis humani [the water
of life that nourishes the foetus] and nourished about 40 weeks and kept in
the even warmth of a horse's belly. A real live human child will come
forth with all members like another child that is born of a woman but much
smaller. We call it homunculus and it should then be brought up just like
another child with great diligence and care till it comes to its days of
understanding. That is now the highest and greatest mystery that God has
let mortal and sinful man know. For it is a miracle and magnale Dei, and a
mystery above all mystery and should also be kept a mystery fairly till
the judgment day, as then nothing will stay hidden, but all will be
revealed.

"And although such a thing has hitherto been hidden from natural man, it
ha