The Emerald Tablet of Hermes as translated by Sir Isaac Newton (circa 1680 CE)
Tis true without lying, certain & most true. That which is below is like that which is above & that which is above is like that which is below to ye miracles of one only thing.
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.
The father is the sun, the moon its mother, the wind [air] hath carried it in its belly, the earth its nurse.
The father of all perfection on ye whole world is here, its force or power is entire if it be converted to earth. Separate thou ye earth from ye fire, ye subtle from the gross sweetly and with great industry.
It ascends from ye earth to ye heaven & again it descends to ye earth and recieves ye forces of things superior & inferior.
By this means you shall have ye glory of ye whole world & thereby all obscurity shall fly from you.
Its force is above all forces. For it vanquishes every subtle thing & penetrates every solid thing. So was ye world created.
From this are & do come admirable adaptations whereof ye means [or process] is here in this. Hence I am called Hermes Trismegistus [the thrice illustrious], having the three parts of ye philosophy of ye whole world.
That which I have said of ye operation of ye sun is accomplished & ended.
This has long been one of my favorite translations. Interestingly, nearly all of the translations add to overall understanding of the tablet.
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