The craftsman, as well as the alchemist, knows that his central task is the creation of himself;  and it is above all for this aim that he strives with endless patience--as it is said in the emerald Tablets of Trismegistus, separating "the subtle from the gross, softly and with great care," to make what his hands touch turn to gold. [p.3]

Those visible marks, know as the Roman letter, are used for the purpose of recoding speech.  Each one of the twenty-six letters of the alphabet stands for a sound.  The connection between sounds and visual symbols has to be known--and sounds when uttered in an established order are spoken language.  In written language, therefore, letters have to follow one another in the same sequence as do sounds in speech.  While speech sounds, once uttered, leave no trace, written letters remain visible.  [p. 30]