The Alchemist

Signed at upper left: Brueghel inve[nit]; at lower left: H COCK EXCUD CUM PRIVILEGIO; inscribed at upper right, above the entrance: lospital; on the book in front of the man seated on the right: ALGHE MIST [and some illegible words]; on the pots under his book: keve; sulfer; on the paper pinned to the mantel: misero; in the margin: DEBENT IGNARI RES FERRE ET POST OPERARI/ IUS LAPIDIS CARI VILIS SED DENIQ[UE] RARI / UNICA RES CERTA VILIS SED UBIQ[UE] REPERTA // QUATUOR INSERTA NATURIS IN NUBE REFERTA / NULLA MINERALIS RES EST UBI PRINCIPALIS / SED TALIS QUALIS REPERTITUR UBIQ[UE] LOCALIS. [The ignorant should suffer things and labour accordingly. The law of the precious, cheap but at the same time rare stone is the only certain, worthless but everywhere discovered thing. With four natures stuffed into the cloud it is no mineral that is unique somewhere but is of such a kind as to be found everywhere]