尼古拉的这条朝圣路线也很可能就是炼金术传入法国的途径。
西班牙的阿拉伯人把他们从埃及带来的炼金术文献转抄为拉丁文。12世纪，这些文献就在教会控制下的欧洲秘密流传开来，当然，只有学者才可能具备理解这些深奥学说的能力。而这门学说最奇特的一点是，要实践它似乎需要投入很多的金钱。不成功的炼金术士甚至可以为此倾家荡产。因为“炼金术实验”需要一种特殊的成分，金子。
所以，渊博的知识和足够多的财富，是成为一名“炼金术士”最基本的两个条件。
而这两点都限制了普通人的参与，他们买不起入场券。因此“炼金术”一开始就被称为“高贵的艺术”，只有富有的贵族和他们所资助的学者才有资格进行的一种“特殊游戏”。
学者也许总是有探索未知的好奇心，他们试图通过炼金术来探寻“创世”的秘密。但大多数从事炼金术的贵族们想的却是，“魔法石”能为他们变出更多的金子，最好还能让他们获得永生，然后他们就可以永远享受那些令人心旷神怡的财富。
最早传入欧洲的炼金术文献之一就是那篇只有13句话的《翠玉录》。
有人认为，公元前332年，当亚历山大大帝征服埃及以后，他从“赫尔墨斯法老”的坟墓里发现了它，然后把它带回了希腊。
这里是《翠玉录》的一个英文版本，由斯笛尔等现代学者根据一份12世纪拉丁文手稿译出。
When I entered into the cave,I received the tablet zaradi,which was inscribed,from between the hands of Hermes,in which I discovered these words:
Ture,without falsehood,certain,most certain.
What is above is like what is below,and what is below is like that which is above.To make the miracle of the one thing.
And as all things were made from contemplation of one,so all things were born from one adaptation.
Its father is the Sun,its mother is the Moon.
The wind carried it in its womb,the earth breast fed it.
It is the father of all works of wonder in the world.Its power is complete.
If cast to earth,it will separate earth from fire,the subtile from the gross.
With great capacity it ascends from earth to heaven.Again it descends to earth,and takes back the power of the above and the below.
Thus you will receive the glory of the distinctiveness of the world.All obscurity will flee from you.
This is the whole most strong strength of all strength,for it overcomes all subtle things,and penetrates all solid things.
Thus was the world created.
From this comes marvelous adaptations of which this is the procedure.
Therefore I am called Hermes,because I have three parts of the wisdom of the whole world.And complete is what I had to say about the work of the Sun.
大意：“当我走进洞穴，我看到了一块翠玉，上面写着字，那是从赫尔墨斯的双手间被书写出来。从那里我发现了以下这些文字：
这是真理，没有丝毫的虚假，是确凿之最确凿的真理。
要造出“惟一之物”的奇迹，须明白，那上界之物与下界相同，而下界之物也与上界无异。
那惟一的“造物主”创造了万物，所以万物皆诞生于这同一之源。
太阳是它（惟一之物）的父亲，月亮是母亲。
它在风的子宫里孕育，大地的乳房滋养了它。
它是世界上所有奇迹之父，它有全能的力量。
把它撒在泥土里，它能将泥土从火中隔离，也能让精妙之物从粗物中呈现出来。
它能从地面飞升到天空。然后，它还能再降落到地面。积聚上界和下界的所有力量。
由此你将获得全世界最卓绝的荣光。所有的阴暗都将从你身边消散。
这是强大力量中的最强者，它能超越所有的精妙之物，也能渗透入所有坚固之体。
宇宙就是这样被创造出来。
按照这一过程，从这“惟一之物”中产生了众多非凡的变化。
我之所以被称为赫尔墨斯，是因为我承担了全宇宙智慧的三重角色。关于“太阳的工作”，这就是我要说的全部。
欧洲的炼金术士们认为《翠玉录》是炼金术诞生以来最原初、也是最权威的著作。所以，它也最接近他们所要寻找的“真理”。
这神秘的13句话成为所有炼金术士的神圣指引，写在纸上，挂在他们的实验室里，被反复诵读和揣摩。
1612年以后，在炼金术文献史上，另一本书将会获得同样的荣誉和神圣之光--《犹太人亚伯拉罕之书》。因为直到那一年，欧洲人才会第一次从《解说尼古拉的符号》的作者那里知道这本神秘之书的存在。
英国人牛顿1680年也曾将《翠玉录》从拉丁文转译为英文（该手稿收藏编号为Keynes MS 18，Kings College,Cambridge.）。
以下是牛顿的版本，如果你仔细对比，就能发现两种英译文版本之间存在着很大的差异。很显然，对于同样一部文献，牛顿有不同的理解：
1.Tis true without lying,certain & most true.
2.That wch is below is like that wch is above & that wch is above is like yt wch is below to do ye miracles of one only thing.
3.And as all things have been & arose from one by ye meditation of one:so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation.
4.The Sun is its father,the moon its mother.
5.The wind hath carried it in its belly,the earth its nurse.
6.The father of all perfection in ye whole world is here.Its force or power is entire if it be converted into earth.
7.Seperate thou ye earth from ye fire,ye subtile from the gross sweetly wth great indoustry.
8.It ascends from ye earth to ye heaven & again it descends to ye earth and receives ye force of things superior & inferior.
9.By this means you shall have ye whole world & thereby all obscurity shall fly from you.
10.Its force is above all force,for it vanquishes every subtile thing and penetrates every solid thing.
11.So was ye world created.
12.From this are & do come admirable adaptations whereof ye means(Or process) is here in this.
13．Hence I am called Hermes Trismegist,having the three parts of ye philosophy of ye whole world.That wch I have said of ye operation of ye Sun is accomplished & ended.
http://bbs7.xilu.com/cgi-bin/bbs/view?forum=54321&message=987作者: 大尉 时间: 2007-9-23 14:07 标题: 西方传说中最古老的炼金术典籍《翠玉录》 炼金术出自中华。炼金、炼金。丹靠金炼。作者: 东华门生 时间: 2007-9-23 16:03 标题: 西方传说中最古老的炼金术典籍《翠玉录》 最早传入欧洲的炼金术文献之一就是那篇只有13句话的《翠玉录》。
有人认为，公元前332年，当亚历山大大帝征服埃及以后，他从“赫尔墨斯法老”的坟墓里发现了它，然后把它带回了希腊。
这里是《翠玉录》的一个英文版本，由斯笛尔等现代学者根据一份12世纪拉丁文手稿译出。
When I entered into the cave,I received the tablet zaradi,which was inscribed,from between the hands of Hermes,in which I discovered these words:
Ture,without falsehood,certain,most certain.
What is above is like what is below,and what is below is like that which is above.To make the miracle of the one thing.
And as all things were made from contemplation of one,so all things were born from one adaptation.
Its father is the Sun,its mother is the Moon.
The wind carried it in its womb,the earth breast fed it.
It is the father of all works of wonder in the world.Its power is complete.
If cast to earth,it will separate earth from fire,the subtile from the gross.
With great capacity it ascends from earth to heaven.Again it descends to earth,and takes back the power of the above and the below.
Thus you will receive the glory of the distinctiveness of the world.All obscurity will flee from you.
This is the whole most strong strength of all strength,for it overcomes all subtle things,and penetrates all solid things.
Thus was the world created.
From this comes marvelous adaptations of which this is the procedure.
Therefore I am called Hermes,because I have three parts of the wisdom of the whole world.And complete is what I had to say about the work of the Sun.
大意：“当我走进洞穴，我看到了一块翠玉，上面写着字，那是从赫尔墨斯的双手间被书写出来。从那里我发现了以下这些文字：
这是真理，没有丝毫的虚假，是确凿之最确凿的真理。
要造出“惟一之物”的奇迹，须明白，那上界之物与下界相同，而下界之物也与上界无异。
那惟一的“造物主”创造了万物，所以万物皆诞生于这同一之源。
太阳是它（惟一之物）的父亲，月亮是母亲。
它在风的子宫里孕育，大地的乳房滋养了它。
它是世界上所有奇迹之父，它有全能的力量。
把它撒在泥土里，它能将泥土从火中隔离，也能让精妙之物从粗物中呈现出来。
它能从地面飞升到天空。然后，它还能再降落到地面。积聚上界和下界的所有力量。
由此你将获得全世界最卓绝的荣光。所有的阴暗都将从你身边消散。
这是强大力量中的最强者，它能超越所有的精妙之物，也能渗透入所有坚固之体。
宇宙就是这样被创造出来。
按照这一过程，从这“惟一之物”中产生了众多非凡的变化。
我之所以被称为赫尔墨斯，是因为我承担了全宇宙智慧的三重角色。关于“太阳的工作”，这就是我要说的全部。
欧洲的炼金术士们认为《翠玉录》是炼金术诞生以来最原初、也是最权威的著作。所以，它也最接近他们所要寻找的“真理”。
这神秘的13句话成为所有炼金术士的神圣指引，写在纸上，挂在他们的实验室里，被反复诵读和揣摩。
