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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..098787e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68687 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68687) diff --git a/old/68687-0.txt b/old/68687-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3a6950c..0000000 --- a/old/68687-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11961 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Lives of alchemystical philosophers, -by Arthur Edward Waite - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Lives of alchemystical philosophers - -Author: Arthur Edward Waite - -Release Date: August 5, 2022 [eBook #68687] - -Language: English - -Produced by: deaurider, Amber Black and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIVES OF ALCHEMYSTICAL -PHILOSOPHERS *** - - - -LIVES OF ALCHEMYSTICAL PHILOSOPHERS. - - - - - LIVES - - OF - - ALCHEMYSTICAL PHILOSOPHERS - - _BASED ON MATERIALS COLLECTED IN 1815_ - - _AND_ - - _SUPPLEMENTED BY RECENT RESEARCHES_ - - WITH A PHILOSOPHICAL DEMONSTRATION OF THE TRUE - PRINCIPLES OF THE MAGNUM OPUS, OR GREAT WORK - OF ALCHEMICAL RE-CONSTRUCTION, AND SOME - ACCOUNT OF THE SPIRITUAL CHEMISTRY - - BY - - ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE - - AUTHOR OF - - “THE REAL HISTORY OF THE ROSICRUCIANS;” “THE MYSTERIES OF MAGIC: - A DIGEST OF THE WRITINGS OF ÉLIPHAS LÉVI,” ETC. - - TO WHICH IS ADDED - - _A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ALCHEMY AND - HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY_ - - LONDON - GEORGE REDWAY, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN - 1888 - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The foundation of this work will be found in “The Lives of -Alchemystical Philosophers; with a Critical Catalogue of Books in -Occult Chemistry, and a Selection of the most celebrated Treatises on -the Theory and Practice of the Hermetic Art,” which was published in -the year 1815 by Lackington, Allen, & Company, of Finsbury Square, -London. This anonymous book has been attributed by certain collectors -to Francis Barrett, author of the notorious treatise entitled “The -Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer;” but it may be safely affirmed -that, alike in matter and treatment, it far transcends the extremely -meagre capacities of that credulous amateur in occultism. It is indeed -a work of much sense and unpretentious discrimination, and is now a -bibliographical rarity which is highly prized by its possessors. - -The independent researches which have supplemented the biographical -materials of the original compilation have produced in the present -volume what is practically a new work under an old title; those lives -which have been left substantially untouched as to facts have been more -or less rewritten with a view to the compression of prolixities and the -elimination of archaic forms, which would be incongruous in a work so -extensively modified by the addition of new details. The “Alphabetical -Catalogue of Works on Hermetic Philosophy” has been considerably -enlarged from such sources as Langlet du Fresnoy’s _Histoire de la -Philosophie Hermétique_. The preliminary account of the “Physical -Theory and Practice of the Magnum Opus” is a slight original sketch -which, to readers unacquainted with alchemy, will afford some notion -of the processes of accredited adepts. The introductory essay on the -object of alchemical philosophy advocates new and important views -concerning the great question of psychal chemistry, and appreciates -at their true worth the conflicting theories advanced by the various -schools of Hermetic interpretation. - - -IMPORTANT NOTE. - - I am forced to append to this Preface a correction of one or two - errors of absolutely vital importance, which were unfortunately - overlooked in the text. On page 188, line 18, the date was intended - to read 1643; on page 189, line 5, read _anno trigesimo tertio_ for - _trigesimo anno_; and on line 6, _anno vigesimo tertio_ instead of - _vigesimo anno_. But if these emendations restore the passage to its - original integrity, a discovery which I have made while this work was - passing through the press has entirely cancelled its value. I have - been gratified with a sight of the original edition of Philalethes’ - _Introitus Apertus_--a small octavo pamphlet in the original paper - cover as it was published at Amsterdam in the year 1667. It definitely - establishes that its mysterious author was born in or about the - year 1623, or two years later than the Welsh adept, Thomas Vaughan, - with whom he has so long been identified. This original edition - is excessively scarce; I believe I am the only English mystic who - has seen it during the present generation. The reader must please - understand that the calculation in the pages referred to was based on - the date 1643; this date, in the light of the original edition, has - proved erroneous, and by a curious chance, that which was accidentally - printed, turns out to be correct at the expense of the calculation. - - - - -ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - PREFACE 5 - - INTRODUCTORY ESSAY ON THE TRUE PRINCIPLES AND - NATURE OF THE MAGNUM OPUS, AND ON ITS RELATION - TO SPIRITUAL CHEMISTRY 9 - - ON THE PHYSICAL THEORY AND PRACTICE OF THE MAGNUM - OPUS 38 - - - LIVES OF THE ALCHEMISTS. - - GEBER 44 - - RHASIS 46 - - ALFARABI 48 - - AVICENNA 51 - - MORIEN 53 - - ALBERTUS MAGNUS 57 - - THOMAS AQUINAS 61 - - ROGER BACON 63 - - ALAIN OF LISLE 67 - - RAYMOND LULLY 68 - - ARNOLD DE VILLANOVA 88 - - JEAN DE MEUNG 90 - - THE MONK FERARIUS 92 - - POPE JOHN XXII. 93 - - NICHOLAS FLAMEL 95 - - PETER BONO 118 - - JOHANNES DE RUPECISSA 119 - - BASIL VALENTINE 120 - - ISAAC OF HOLLAND 123 - - BERNARD TRÉVISAN 124 - - JOHN FONTAINE 129 - - THOMAS NORTON 130 - - THOMAS DALTON 133 - - SIR GEORGE RIPLEY 134 - - PICUS DE MIRANDOLA 136 - - PARACELSUS 137 - - DENIS ZACHAIRE 140 - - BERIGARD OF PISA 148 - - THOMAS CHARNOCK 148 - - GIOVANNI BRACCESCO 151 - - LEONARDI FIORAVANTI 153 - - JOHN DEE 153 - - HENRY KHUNRATH 159 - - MICHAEL MAIER 160 - - JACOB BÖHME 161 - - J. B. VAN HELMONT 166 - - BUTLER 168 - - JEAN D’ESPAGNET 170 - - ALEXANDER SETHON 171 - - MICHAEL SENDIVOGIUS 175 - - GUSTENHOVER 181 - - BUSARDIER 182 - - ANONYMOUS ADEPT 184 - - ALBERT BELIN 186 - - EIRENÆUS PHILALETHES 187 - - PIERRE JEAN FABRE 200 - - JOHN FREDERICK HELVETIUS 201 - - GUISEPPE FRANCESCO BORRI 208 - - JOHN HEYDON 210 - - LASCARIS 211 - - DELISLE 216 - - JOHN HERMANN OBEREIT 219 - - TRAVELS, ADVENTURES, AND IMPRISONMENTS OF JOSEPH - BALSAMO 220 - - - AN ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE OF WORKS ON HERMETIC - PHILOSOPHY AND ALCHEMY 274 - - APPENDIX 307 - - INDEX 313 - - - - -INTRODUCTORY ESSAY - -ON THE TRUE PRINCIPLES AND NATURE OF THE MAGNUM OPUS, AND ON ITS -RELATION TO SPIRITUAL CHEMISTRY. - - -Those unfamiliar with modern alchemical criticism, even if they -have some acquaintance with the mystical labyrinth of the _turba -philosophorum_, will probably learn with astonishment that the opinions -of competent judges are divided not only upon the methods of the -mysterious Hermetic science, but upon the object of alchemy itself. -That it is concerned with transmutation is granted, but with the -transmutation of metals, or of any physical substance, into material -gold, is strenuously denied by a select section of reputable students -of occultism. The transcendental theory of alchemy which they expound -is steadily gaining favour, though the two text-books which at present -represent it are both out of print and both exceedingly scarce. - -In the year 1850 “A Suggestive Inquiry concerning the Hermetic Mystery -and Alchemy, being an attempt to recover the Ancient Experiment -of Nature,” was published anonymously in London by a lady of high -intellectual gifts, but was almost immediately withdrawn for reasons -unknown, and which have given occasion, in consequence, to several idle -speculations. This curious and meritorious volume, quaintly written -in the manner of the last century, originated the views which are in -question and opened the controversy. - -Fifteen years after the appearance of the “Suggestive Inquiry,” -an American writer, named Hitchcock, after apparently independent -researches arriving at parallel conclusions, made public, also -anonymously, in the year 1865, some “Remarks on Alchemy and the -Alchemists,” in a small octavo volume of very considerable interest. -A psychic interpretation was placed by the previous author on the -arcana of Hermetic typology, and Mr Hitchcock, by adopting a moral -one, brought the general subject within the reach of the most ordinary -readers, and attracted considerable attention in consequence. - -The views thus enunciated have filtered slowly through, and, combined -with the Paracelsian theory of the psychic manufacture of material -gold by the instrumentality of the interior magnes, have considerably -influenced the revived occultism of the present day. The question in -itself, taken at its lowest standpoint, is one of the most curious -to be found within the whole circle of esoteric archæology; and -for students whose interest in the great alchemical mystery is of -another than antiquarian kind, it is truly of palmary interest, -and of supreme importance. In an account of the lives and labours -of the Hermetic adepts, it calls for adequate consideration; and, -after careful researches, I believe myself to have discovered a true -alchemical theory which will be equally acceptable to all schools of -interpretation. - -The supreme and avowed object of every hierophant, as well as of every -postulant and pretender, in the _ars magna_ discovered by Hermes -Trismegistus, has been commonly supposed to be the chemical manufacture -of material gold from commercially inferior substances. On the other -hand, Hitchcock, marshalling an impressive series of verbatim -citations from writers of all ages and all nationalities, undertakes -to demonstrate that the concealed subject of every veritable adept is -one only--namely, MAN, the triune, and that “the object also is one, -to wit, his improvement, while the method itself is no less one, to -wit, nature directed by art in the school of nature, and acting in -conformity therewith; for the art is nothing but ‘nature acting through -man.’” Again, “the genuine alchemists were not in pursuit of worldly -wealth or honours. Their real object was the perfection, or, at least, -the improvement of man. According to this theory, such perfection lies -in a certain unity, a living sense of the unity of the human with the -divine nature, the attainment of which I can liken to nothing so well -as to the experience known in religion as the NEW BIRTH. The desired -perfection, or unity, is a state of the soul, _a condition of Being_, -and not a mere condition of KNOWING. This condition of Being is a -development of the nature of man from within, the result of a process -by which whatever is evil in our nature is cast out or suppressed, -under the name of superfluities, and the good thereby allowed -opportunities for free activity. As this result is scarcely accessible -to the unassisted natural man, and requires the concurrence of divine -power, it is called _Donum Dei_.” - -When the individual man, by a natural and appropriate process, devoid -of haste or violence, is brought into unity with himself by the -harmonious action of intelligence and will, he is on the threshold of -comprehending that transcendent Unity which is the perfection of the -totality of Nature, “for what is called the ‘absolute,’ the ‘absolute -perfection,’ and the perfection of Nature, are one and the same.” - -In the symbolism of the alchemists this writer tells us that _sulphur_ -signifies Nature, and _mercury_ the supernatural. The inseparable -connection of the two in man is called _Sol_, but “as these three are -seen to be indissolubly one, the terms may be used interchangeably.” -According to Hitchcock, the mystical and mysterious instrument of -preparation in the work of alchemy is the conscience, which is called -by a thousand misleading and confessedly incongruous names. By means -of this instrument, quickened into vital activity under a sense of the -presence of God, the matter of the stone, namely, Man, is, in the first -place, purged and purified, to make possible the internal realisation -of Truth. “By a metonymy, the conscience itself is said to be purified, -though, in fact, the conscience needs no purification, but only the -man, to the end that the conscience may operate freely.”[A] - -One of the names given by the alchemists to the conscience, on this -theory, is that of a middle substance which partakes of an azurine -sulphur--that is, of a celestial spirit--the Spirit of God. “The still -small voice is in alchemy, as in Scripture, compared to a _fire_, which -prepares the way for what many of the writers speak of as a _Light_.” - -Hitchcock elsewhere more emphatically asserts that there is but one -subject within the wide circle of human interests that can furnish an -interpretation of the citations which he gives, and it is that which -is known under the theological name of spiritual Regeneration. This -gift of God the alchemists investigated as a work of Nature within -Nature. “The repentance which in religion is said to begin conversion, -is the ‘philosophical contrition’ of Hermetic allegory. It is the -first step of man towards the discovery of his whole being. They also -called it the black state of the matter, in which was carried on the -work of dissolution, calcination, separation, &c., after which results -purification, the white state, which contains the red, as the black -contained the white.” The evolution of the glorious and radiant red -state resulted in the fixation or perfection of the matter, and then -the soul was supposed to have entered into its true rest in God. - -As this interpretation is concerned chiefly with the conscience, I -have called it the moral theory of alchemy; but Hitchcock, as a man -of spiritual insight, could not fail to perceive that his explanatory -method treated of the way only, and the formless light of an “End,” -which he could not or would not treat of, is, upon his own admission, -continually glimmering before him. - -For the rest, when the alchemists speak of a long life as one of the -endowments of the Stone, he considers that they mean immortality; when -they attribute to it the miraculous properties of a universal medicine, -it is their intention to deny any positive qualities to evil, and, by -inference, any perpetuity. When they assert that the possession of the -Stone is the annihilation of covetousness and of every illicit desire, -they mean that all evil affections disappear before the light of the -unveiled Truth. By the transmutation of metals they signified the -conversion of man from a lower to a higher order of existence, from -life natural to life spiritual, albeit these expressions are inadequate -to convey the real meaning of the adepts. The powers of an ever active -nature must be understood by such expressions as “fires,” “menstruums,” -&c., which work in unison because they work in Nature, the alchemists -unanimously denying the existence of any disorder in the creation of -God. - -In conclusion, Hitchcock states once more that his object is to -point out the _subject_ of alchemy. He does not attempt to make its -practical treatment plain to the _end_ of the sublime operation. It -is, therefore, evident that he, at any rate, suspected the existence of -more transcendent secrets which he distrusted his ability to discuss, -and declined to speak of inadequately. - -The author of the “Suggestive Inquiry” had already taken the higher -standpoint of psychic interpretation, and developed her remarkable -principles, which I must endeavour to reproduce as briefly as possible. - -According to this work, the modern art of chemistry has no connection -with alchemy except in its terminology, which was made use of by -the adepts to veil their divine mysteries. The process of the whole -Hermetic work is described with at least comparative plainness in -the writings of the philosophers, with the exception of the _vessel_ -which is a holy arcanum, but without the knowledge of it no one can -attain to the magistery. Now, the publication of the writings of Jacob -Böhme caused the alchemists who were his contemporaries to fear that -their art could not much longer remain a secret, and that the mystic -vase in particular would be shortly revealed to all. This vase is the -_vas insigne electionis_, namely, MAN, who is the only all-containing -subject, and who alone has need to be investigated for the eventual -discovery of all. The modern adepts describe the life of man as a pure, -naked, and unmingled fire of illimitable capability. Man, therefore, is -the true laboratory of the Hermetic art; his life is the subject, the -grand distillery, the thing distilling, and the thing distilled; and -self-knowledge is at the root of all alchemical tradition. - -“Modern discoveries are now tending to the identification of light, -the common vital sustenant, as in motive accord throughout the -human circulatory system with the planetary spheres, and harmonious -dispositions of the occult medium in space; and as human physiology -advances with the other sciences, the notion of our natural -correspondency enlarges, till at length the conscious relationship -would seem to be only wanting to confirm the ancient tradition.” - -In addition to the faculties which he commonly exerts to communicate -with the material universe, man possesses within him the germ of a -higher faculty, the revelation and evolution of which give intuitive -knowledge of the hidden springs of nature. This Wisdom-faculty operates -in a magical manner, and constitutes an alliance with the Omniscient -Nature, so that the illuminated understanding of its possessor -perceives the structure of the universe, and enjoys free perspicacity -of thought in universal consciousness. - -In support of this statement it is argued that the evidence of natural -reason, even in the affairs of common life, is intuition, that -intuitive faith has a certainty above and independent of reason, that -the subsistence of universals in the human mind includes a promise far -beyond itself, and is stable proof of another subsistence, however -consciously unknown. - -The true methods and conditions of self-knowledge are to be learned -from the ancient writers. The discovery of the veritable Light of -alchemy is the reward of an adequate scrutiny of true psychical -experience. Alchemy proposes “such a reducation of nature as shall -discover this latex without destroying her vehicle, but only the modal -life; and professes that this has not alone been proved possible, but -that man by rationally conditionating has succeeded in developing into -action the Recreative Force.” - -The One Thing needful, the sole act which must be perfectly -accomplished that man may know himself, is the exaltation, by the -adequately purified spirit, of the cognising faculty into intellectual -reminiscence. The transcendental philosophy of the mysteries entirely -hinges on the purification of the whole understanding, without which -they promise nothing. - -The end in view is identical with Hermetists, Theurgists, and with -the ancient Greek mysteries alike. It is the conscious and hypostatic -union of the intellectual soul with Deity, and its participation in the -life of God; but the conception included in this divine name is one -infinitely transcendental, and in Hermetic operations, above all, it -must ever be remembered that God is within us. “The initiated person -sees the Divine Light itself, without any form or figure--that light -which is the true _astrum solis_, the mineral spiritual sun, which -is the Perpetual Motion of the Wise, and that Saturnian Salt, which -developed to intellect and made erect, subdues all nature to His will. -It is the Midnight Sun of Apuleius, the Ignited Stone of Anaxagoras, -the Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, the Armed Magnet of Helvetius, the -Fiery Chariot of Mercaba, and the Stone with the new name written on it -which is promised to him that overcometh, by the initiating Saviour of -mankind.” - -This method of interpreting the Hermetic allegories is calculated to -exalt the alchemists indefinitely in the estimation of all thinking -minds. From possibly avaricious investigators of a by-way of physical -science, they are transfigured into dreamers of the sublimest -imaginable dream, while if that which they conceived was accomplished, -they are divine and illuminated monarchs who are throned on the -pinnacles of eternity, having dominion over their infinite souls. - -A theory so attractive, devised in the interests of men whom romance -has already magnified in the auriferous cloud of mystery which -envelopes both their claims and their persons, is eminently liable -to be accepted on insufficient grounds, because of its poetical -splendour, so it will be well to ascertain the facts and arguments on -which it is actually based. - -Both Hitchcock and the unparalleled woman to whom we are indebted for -the “Suggestive Inquiry” appeal to alchemical writings in support of -their statements. A few of their quotations and commentaries must -therefore be submitted to the reader. - -The first point which strikes the alchemical student is the unanimous -conviction of all the philosophers that certain initiatory exercises -of a moral and spiritual kind are an indispensable preliminary to -operations which are commonly supposed to be physical. Here the -incongruity is evident, and it is therefore urged that the process -itself is spiritual, and that it was materialised in the writings of -the adepts to confuse and mislead the profane, as well as for the -protection of esoteric psychologists in the days of the Inquisition and -the stake. - -The following preparation for the study of Antimony is recommended by -Basil Valentin. “First, Invocation to God, with a certain heavenly -intention, drawn from the bottom of a sincere heart and conscience, -pure from all ambition, hypocrisy, and all other vices which have any -affinity with these; as arrogance, boldness, pride, luxury, petulancy, -oppression of the poor, and other similar evils, all of which are to -be eradicated from the heart; that when a man desires to prostrate -himself before the throne of grace, for obtaining health, he may do -so with a conscience free from unprofitable weeds, that his body -may be transmuted into a holy temple of God, and be purged from all -uncleanness. For God will not be mocked (of which I would earnestly -admonish all), as worldly men, pleasing and flattering themselves -with their own wisdom, think. God, I say, will not be mocked, but the -Creator of all things will be invoked with reverential fear, and -acknowledged with due obedience.... Which is so very true that I am -certainly assured no impious man shall ever be partaker of the true -medicine, much less of the eternal, heavenly bread. Therefore place -your whole intention and trust in God; call upon him, and pray that he -may impart his blessing to you. Let this be the beginning of your work, -that by the same you may obtain your desired end, and at length effect -what you intended. For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” - -The second qualification is contemplation, by which, says Basil, “I -understand an accurate attention to the business itself, under which -will fall these considerations first to be noted. As, what are the -circumstances of anything; what the matter; what the form; whence its -operations proceed; whence it is infused and implanted; how generated -... also how the body of everything may be ... resolved into its -first matter or essence. This contemplation is celestial, and to be -understood with spiritual reason; for the circumstances and depths -of things cannot be conceived in any other way than by the spiritual -cogitation of man: and this contemplation is two-fold. One is called -possible, the other impossible. The latter consists in copious -cogitations which never proceed to effects, nor exhibit any form of -matter which falls under the touch, as if any should endeavour to -comprehend the Eternity of the Most High, which is vain and impossible; -yea, it is a sin against the Holy Ghost, so arrogantly to pry into -the Divinity itself, which is immense, infinite, and eternal; and to -subject the incomprehensible counsel of the secrets of God to human -inquisition. The other part of contemplation which is possible is -called theory. This contemplates that which is perceived by touch and -sight, and hath a nature formed in time; this considers how that -nature may be helped and perfected by resolution of itself; how every -body may give forth from itself the good or evil, venom or medicine, -latent in it; how destruction and confection are to be handled, -whereby, under a right proceeding, without sophistical deceits, the -pure may be severed and separated from the impure. This separation is -made and instituted by divers manual operations ... some of which are -vulgarly known by experience, others remote from vulgar experience. -These are calcination, sublimation, reverberation, circulation, -putrefaction, digestion, distillation, cohobation, fixation, and -the like of these; all the degrees of which are found in operating, -learned, and perceived, and manifested by the same. Whence will clearly -appear what is movable, what is fixed, what is white, what red, black, -blue, green, namely, when the operation is rightly instituted by the -artificer; for possibly the operation may err, and turn aside from -the right way; but that Nature should err, when rightly handled, -is not possible. Therefore if you shall err, so that nature cannot -be altogether free, and released from the body in which it is held -captive, return again unto your way; learn the theory more perfectly, -and inquire more practically into the method of your operating, that -you may discover the foundation and certainty in the separation of all -things; which is a matter of great concern. And this is the second -foundation of philosophy which follows prayer; for in that the sum -of the matter lies, and is contained in these words:--Seek first the -kingdom of God and his righteousness by prayer, and all other things -shall be added unto you.” - -Perhaps it will be thought, even at this preliminary stage of citation, -that there is much to be said for the physical theory of alchemy. -A particular appeal is, however, made to the celebrated “Canons of -Espagnet,” and to the following passage:--“The light of this knowledge -is the gift of God, which by his freeness he bestoweth upon whom he -pleaseth. Let none, therefore, set himself to the study hereof, until, -having cleared and purified his heart, he devote himself wholly unto -God, and be emptied of all affection to things impure. Those that -are in public honours and offices, or be always busied with private -and necessary occupations, let them not strive to attain to the top -of this philosophy; for it requireth the whole man; and being found, -possesseth him, and being possessed, challengeth him from all long and -serious employments, esteeming all other things as strange unto him, -and of no value. Let him that is desirous of this knowledge clear his -mind from all evil motions, especially pride, which is abomination -to heaven, and the gate of hell. Let him be frequent at prayers and -charitable; have little to do with the world; abstain from too much -company-keeping, and enjoy constant tranquillity, that the mind may be -able to reason more freely in private, and be more highly lifted up; -for unless it be kindled with a beam of divine light, it will hardly -be able to penetrate the hidden mysteries of truth.... A studious Tyro -of a quick wit, constant mind, inflamed with the love of philosophy, -very quick in natural philosophy, of a pure heart, perfect in manner, -mightily devoted to God, even though ignorant of chemistry, may enter -with confidence the highway of Nature, and peruse the books of the best -philosophers. Let him seek out an ingenious companion for himself, and -not despair of accomplishing his desire.” - -Here Hitchcock points out that the operation is obviously not chemical, -for the chief instrument is determined and concentrated thinking on -the loftiest intellectual planes. The inference that skill in natural -philosophy is indispensable, is contradicted by the counter-statement -that ignorance of chemistry is not necessarily a source of failure. -In this connection, it must be remembered that the distinction between -alchemy and chemistry can scarcely be said to have existed at the -period of Espagnet, and the statement would at first sight seem almost -equivalent to asserting that it was unnecessary to be versed in the -properties of metals to accomplish the _magnum opus_. - -“Let a lover of truth,” continues the author of the Canons, “make use -of but a few philosophers, but of best note and experienced truth; let -him suspect things that are quickly understood, especially in mystical -names and secret operations, for truth lies hid in obscurity; nor do -philosophers ever write more deceitfully than when plainly, nor ever -more truly than when obscurely.” - -In the same manner, “The New Light of Alchemy,” falsely ascribed to -Sendivogius, and which is in high appreciation among Hermetic students, -declares that “the most commendable art of alchemy is the gift of God, -and truly it is not to be attained but by the alone favour of God -enlightening the understanding, together with a patient and devout -humility, or by an ocular demonstration from some experienced master.” - -In _Anima Magica Abscondita_, Eugenius Philalethes gives the following -advice to the student, whether of magic or alchemy:--“Attempt not -anything rashly. Prepare thyself till thou art conformable to Him whom -thou wouldst entertain. Thou hast Three that are to receive, and there -are three that give. Fit thy house to thy God in what thou canst, and -in what thou canst not, He will help thee. When thou hast set thy house -in order, do not think thy guest will come without invitation. Thou -must tyre Him out with pious importunities. This is the way in which -thou must walk, in which thou shalt perceive a sudden illustration, -_eritque in te cum Lumine Ignis, cum Igne Ventus, cum Vento Potestas, -cum Potestate Scientia, cum Scientiâ sanæ mentis integritas_. This -is the chain that qualifies a magician. This is the place (viz., the -abode of the Archetype) where if thou canst but once ascend, and then -descend-- - - “_Tunc ire ad Mundum Archetypum sæpe atque redire, - Cunctarumque Patrem rerum spectare licebit_’-- - -thou hast got that spirit _Qui quicquid portentosi Mathematici, -quicquid prodigiosi Magi, quicquid invidentes Naturæ persecutores -Alchymistæ, quicquid Dæmonibus deteriores malefici Necromantes -promittere audent. Ipse novit discernere et efficere idque sine omni -crimine, sine Dei offensâ, sine Religionis injuria._ Such is the power -he shall receive, who from the clamorous tumults of this world ascends -to the supernaturall still voice, from this base earth and mind whereto -his body is allyed, to the spirituall, invisible elements of his Soul.” - -After the same fashion, the still greater Eirenæus Philalethes -declares that God alone communicates the whole secret of the _aqua -philosophorum_, that all untaught by Him must wander in mists and -error, but that it is revealed to those who labour in study and prayer. - -Quotation might be continued indefinitely. The _Centrum Naturæ -Concentratum_, ascribed to Alipili, and a treatise of some reputation, -declares that “The highest wisdom consists in this, for man to know -himself, because in him God has placed his eternal word, by which all -things were made and upheld, to be his Light and Life, by which he is -capable of knowing all things in time and eternity.... Therefore let -the high inquirers and searchers into the deep mysteries of nature, -learn first what they have in themselves, before they seek in foreign -matters without them; and by the divine power within them, let them -first heal themselves and transmute their own souls; then they may go -on prosperously and seek with good success the mysteries and wonders of -God in all natural things.” - - * * * * * - -These quotations, some of which are unknown to, or, at any rate, -uncited by Hitchcock, do not by any means establish the points which -are debated in his book. If the philosophers from whom they are -selected were in possession of the whole secret of wealth, they saw fit -to conceal it from the profane, and their works, full of practically -insoluble enigmas, are proclamations of the fact of their success, -rather than lights for those who sought to follow in their steps. Under -these circumstances, they saw that in the blind guess-work which their -symbols created of necessity, no student would ever attain to the true -light of alchemy except by pure chance--in other words, by the favour -of Heaven, which, accordingly, they counselled him to supplicate. None -of the passages in question are inconsistent with the physical object -of alchemy, and in the citation from Alipili, it is evident that the -mysteries and wonders referred to include metallic transmutation in the -mind of the writer. The investigator of natural secrets was advised to -take counsel with the Author of natural secrets after the only possible -manner. - -“Whoever attempteth the search of our glorious stone, he ought, -in the first place, to implore the assistance of the all-powerful -Jehova, at the throne of his mercy, who is the true and sole author -of all mysteries of nature; the monarch of heaven and earth, the King -of kings, omnipotent, most true and most wise; who not only maketh -manifest in the microcosm, the truth of every science to worthy -philosophers, and liberally bestoweth both natural and divine knowledge -on the deserving and faithful; but also layeth open his treasures -of wealth and riches which are locked up in the abyss of nature to -those who devoutly worship him. And forasmuch as none are permitted to -touch the mysteries of nature with foul fingers, therefore it behoveth -all who attempt such matters, to lay aside their natural blindness -from which, by the light of the holy Scripture and a stedfast faith, -they may be freed, that being the means by which the Holy Spirit doth -clearly make manifest the most profoundly hidden light of nature, which -light alone lays open the way to the wisdom of nature, and to unlock -the most abstruse mysteries thereof.” - -Even the subdued imagination which is claimed by the author of -“Remarks on Alchemy and the Alchemists,” is likely to go astray in the -labyrinth of alchemical symbolism, and some of the interpretations -of Hitchcock are exceedingly forced and unnatural. His citations -are indiscriminately gathered from the most transcendental writers, -and from those who, like George Starkey, have exhausted language in -emphatic declarations that their subject and their object are actual -metallic gold. - -“Zoroaster’s Cave, or the philosopher’s intellectual echo to one -another from their caves,” is the title of a small work quoted by -Hitchcock. It opens thus:--“Dry water from the Philosophers’ Clouds! -Look for it and be sure to have it, for it is the key to inaccessibles -and to those locks that would otherwise keep thee out. It is a middle -nature between fixed and not fixed, and partakes of a sulphureous -azurine. It is a raw, cool, feminine fire, and expects its impregnation -from a masculine solar sulphur.” Hitchcock’s interpretation is this:--a -pure conscience! Look for it and be sure that you have it, &c. It is -of a middle nature between soul and body, and partakes of a heavenly -spirit. It expects its life from God. - -It is needless to say that with this method any meaning could be -extracted from any allegorical writings. The author of the “Suggestive -Inquiry” is far more profound and evinces a far keener insight. It -is evident, however, that the truth (or the fallacy) of both methods -of interpretation depends on the connection of the alchemists with -practical chemistry. On this vital question, the uniocular condition of -both writers is utterly astounding. - -“No modern art or chemistry has anything to do with alchemy, beyond the -borrowed terms which were made use of in continuance chiefly to veil -the latter.” That is to say, the alchemists did not lay the foundations -of the science, the beginnings of which are attributed to them, and -in this matter we are not by any means indebted to them. This extreme -statement is qualified by the later commentator, who gives a more -detailed expression to his views. - -“That chemistry is indebted for its introduction among the sciences -indirectly to the alchemists is certainly true; at least I have -no disposition to question it; but not to the immediate labours -of the alchemists themselves, whose peculiar work was one of -contemplation and not of the hands. Their alembic, furnace, cucurbit, -retort, philosophical egg, &c., in which the work of fermentation, -distillation, extraction of essence and spirits, and the preparation of -salts is said to have taken place, was man--yourself, friendly reader; -and if you will take yourself into your own study, and be candid and -honest, acknowledging no other guide or authority but Truth, you -may easily discover something of Hermetic philosophy; and if at the -beginning there should be ‘fear and trembling,’ the end may be a more -than compensating peace. - -“It is a plain case, that, for the most part, the experiments which -led the way to chemistry were made by men who were misled by the -alchemists, and sought gold instead of truth; but this class of men -wrote no books upon alchemy. Many of them no doubt died over their -furnaces, ‘_uttering no voice_,’ and none of them wrote books upon the -philosopher’s stone, for the simple reason that they never discovered -anything to write about. I know that some impostors purposely wrote of -mysteries to play upon the credulity of the ignorant, but their works -have nothing alchemical about them. It is true also that many books -were written by men who really imagined that they had discovered the -secret, and were nevertheless mistaken. But this imaginary success -could never have had place when gold was the object, because in the -_bald fact_ no man was ever deceived: no man ever believed that he had -discovered a method of making gold out of inferior metals. The thing -speaks for itself. It is impossible that any man can ever be deluded -upon this bare fact; but it is quite otherwise with the real object -of alchemy, in which men have been deceived in all ages ... for the -_subject_ is always in the world, and hence the antiquity claimed for -the art by the alchemists.” - - * * * * * - -This passage is a long series of simply incredible misstatements. The -history of chemistry and the lives of the adepts alike bear witness -against it. My object in publishing this book is to establish the true -nature of the Hermetic experiment by an account of those men who have -undertaken it, and who are shewn by the plain facts of their histories -to have been in search of the transmutation of metals. There is no need -for argument; the facts speak sufficiently. It is not to the blind -followers of the alchemists that we owe the foundation of chemistry; it -is to the adepts themselves, to the illustrious Geber, to that grand -master Basilius Valentinus, to Raymond Lully, the supreme hierophant. -What they discovered will be found in the following pages; here it -will be sufficient for my purpose to quote the views of a French -scientist who has made a speciality of alchemy, and who is also a high -authority on the subject of modern chemistry. - -“It is impossible to disown that alchemy has most directly contributed -to the creation and the progress of modern physical sciences. The -alchemists were the first to put the experimental method in practice, -that is, the faculty of observation and induction in its application to -scientific researches; moreover, by uniting a considerable number of -facts and discoveries in the order of the molecular actions of bodies, -they have introduced the creation of chemistry. This fact ... is beyond -every doubt. Before the eighth century, Geber put in practice the rules -of that experimental school, the practical code and general principles -of which were merely developed later on by Galileo and Francis Bacon. -The works of Geber, the ‘Sum of all Perfection,’ and the ‘Treatise -on Furnaces,’ contain an account of processes and operations wholly -conformed to the methods made use of to-day in chemical investigations; -while Roger Bacon, in the thirteenth century, applying the same order -of ideas to the study of physics, was led to discoveries which, for his -time, were astounding. It is impossible, therefore, to contest that -the alchemists were the first to inaugurate the art of experience. -They prepared the arrival of the positive sciences by basing the -interpretation of phenomena on the observation of facts, and openly -breaking with the barren metaphysical traditions which had so long -checked the progress of the human mind.”[B] - -With all their mystery, their subterfuges, and their symbolism, the -testimony of the alchemists themselves to the physical nature of their -object is quite unequivocal and conclusive. One of the most celebrated -experimental treatises in the English language is that entitled -“The Marrow of Alchemy.” It professes to discover the secrets and -most hidden mystery of the philosopher’s elixir, both in theory and -practice. It was published by Eirenæus Philoponos Philalethes, that -is George Starkey, and is generally supposed to be the work of the -true Philalethes; at any rate it develops his principles, and derives -its inspiration from the author of the _Introitus Apertus._ Now, -this little book testifies over and over again, and that in the most -emphatic manner, to the physical object of the alchemists, and to the -fact that they operated on common gold. - -“The first matter which we take for our work is gold, and with it -mercury, which we decoct till neither will forsake the other, in which -work both die, rot by putrefaction, and after that are regenerate in -glory. _It is actual gold and nothing else._ What does not equal a -metal in weight will never enter it in flux. Nothing but the metalline -will dwell with metals.” A severe criticism is passed on the blind -folly of those who endeavour to reap the secret stone from strange -material subjects. “Gold is the subject of our art alone, since by it -we seek gold.” Those who, like the noble son of art, Morien, advise -students to descend into themselves to find the true matter, only -intended to point out how kind begets kind:-- - - “As then himself his likeness did beget, - So gold must gold, this law’s to Nature set.” - -Morien adds that the secret stone must be sought in the dunghill, which -signifies, says the “Marrow of Alchemy,” that the metal must be brought -to putrefaction. “Those who assert that common gold is not the matter -are in error. Gold is one. No other substance under Heaven can compare -with it. Gold is the noble seed of our art. Yet it is dead. It needs -to be unloosed, and must go to water. It must be tempered with its -own humidity; it must be blent with our true water, disposed in a due -vessel, closed with all caution, settled in a due nest, and with due -fire inclined to motion.” It becomes the true gold of the philosophers -when by a retrograde motion it tends to resolution. “Then it is our -Sun, our Marchasite, and, joined with our Moon, it becomes our bright -crystal Fountain.” - - * * * * * - -But if the lives and the writings of the alchemists so clearly -establish the physical nature of the Hermetic aim and _opus_, it may -well be demanded how a psychical or moral interpretation could be -reasonably set upon the symbols and the ambition of all the adepts. -Such interpretations can never be wholly exonerated from the charge -of extravagance, and of a purblind indifference to the most plain -and notorious facts, but they may be to some extent justified by a -consideration of the allegorical methods of the alchemists and by the -nature of the Hermetic theory. - -The profound subtleties of thought seldom find adequate expression -even when the whole strength of a truly intellectual nature is brought -to bear upon the resources of language, and where the force of direct -appeal is unwillingly acknowledged to be insufficient, the vague -generalities of allegory can scarcely be expected to succeed. It is -the province of symbolism to suggest thought, and the interpretation -of any sequence of typology inevitably varies in direct proportion -with the various types of mind. Each individual symbol embodies a -definite conception existing in the mind of its inventor, and in -that symbol more or less perfectly expressed, but every student of -allegory out of every individual symbol extracts his own meaning, so -that the significance of typology is as infinite as the varieties of -interpreting intelligence. For this reason, the best and truest adepts -have always insisted on the necessity of an initiated teacher, or of -a special intellectual illumination which they term the grace of God, -for the discovery of the actual secret of the Hermetic art. Without -this light or guidance the unelected student is likely to be adrift for -ever on a chaotic sea of symbols, and the _prima materia_, concealed -by innumerable names and contradictory or illusory descriptions, will -for ever escape him. It is in this way that a thousand unassisted -investigators have operated upon ten thousand material substances, -and have never remotely approached the manufacture of the Grand -Magisterium, and, after the same manner, outwearied by perpetual -failures in the physical process, that others have rejected the common -opinion concerning the object of alchemy, and with imaginations at -work upon the loftier aspirations expressed by Hermetic adepts, have -accredited them with an exclusively spiritual aim, and with the -possession of exclusively spiritual secrets. - -If the authors of the “Suggestive Inquiry” and of “Remarks on Alchemy -and the Alchemists” had considered the lives of the symbolists, -as well as the nature of the symbols, their views would have been -very much modified; they would have found that the true method of -Hermetic interpretation lies in a middle course; but the errors which -originated with merely typological investigations were intensified -by a consideration of the great alchemical theorem, which, _par -excellence_, is one of universal development, which acknowledges that -every substance contains undeveloped resources and potentialities, and -can be brought outward and forward into perfection. They applied their -theory only to the development of metallic substances from a lower to a -higher order, but we see by their writings that the grand hierophants -of Oriental and Western alchemy alike were continually haunted by -brief and imperfect glimpses of glorious possibilities for man, if -the evolution of his nature were accomplished along the lines of their -theory. - -Eugenius Philalethes enlarges on the infinite capacity of our spiritual -nature and on the power of our soul’s imagination. “She has an -absolute power in miraculous and more than natural transmutations,” -and he clothes his doctrine of human evolution in the terminology of -alchemical adepts. - -In one of the twelve treatises attributed to Sendivogius, there are the -following remarkable passages:--“We know the composition of man in all -respects, yet we cannot infuse the soul, which is out of the course -of nature. Nature does not work before there be material given unto -her....” The problem that all composites are subject to dissolution, -and that man is composed of the four elements, and how, therefore, he -could have been immortal in Paradise, is considered thus. “Paradise -was and is a place created of the most pure elements, and of these -man also was formed, and thus was consecrated to perpetuity of life. -After his fall, he was driven into the corruptible elementated world, -and nourished by corruptible elementated elements, which infected his -past nature and generated disease and death. To the original creation -of man in state immortal the ancient philosophers have likened their -stone, and this immortality caused them to seek the stone, desiring -to find the incorruptible elements which entered into the Adamic -constitution. To them the Most High God revealed that a composition of -such elements was in gold, for in animals it could not be had, seeing -they must preserve their lives by corrupt elements; in vegetables also -it is not, because in them is an inequality of the elements. And seeing -all created things are inclined to multiplication, the philosophers -propounded to themselves that they would make tryal of the possibility -of nature in this mineral kingdom, which being discovered, they saw -that THERE WERE INNUMERABLE OTHER SECRETS IN NATURE, OF WHICH, AS OF -DIVINE SECRETS, THEY WROTE SPARINGLY.” - -Here the reference probably intended is to the possibilities which -their theory revealed for other than the mineral kingdoms, a theory -the truth of which they believed themselves to have demonstrated by -accomplishing metallic transmutation. In this connection, it should -be noticed that the philosophical stone was generally considered a -universal medicine--a medicine for metals and man, the latter, of -course, by inference. - -The occasional presence of these possibilities in the minds of adepts, -and the comprehensive nature of the Hermetic theory, fully explain -the aberrations of mystical commentators, who have mistaken the side -issues for the end in view, not altogether inexcusably, because the -end in view sinks into complete unimportance when compared with the -side issues, and all that is of value in alchemy for the modern -student of occultism is comprised in these same possibilities, in the -application of the Hermetic theory to the supreme subject, Man. It is -impossible within the limits of a brief introduction to do justice -to an illimitable subject, to the art of psychic transmutation, to -the spiritual alchemistry, the principles of which are contained in -the arcane theory of the adepts, and which principles are by no means -dependent for their truth on the actuality of metallic transmutation, -so I must confine myself to a few general observations. - -The admirable lesson which we may learn of the alchemists is the -exaltation of things in virtue beyond the unassisted ability of Nature. -Such exaltation is possible, according to the adepts, both within and -without the metallic kingdom. Man and the animals are alike included -by this comprehensive theory of development, and it is therefore -conceivable that a few of the Hermetic symbolists taught in their -secret and allegorical fashion the method of alchemical procedure when -man was the subject, and revealed the miraculous results of this labour -in the typewritten books which they bequeathed to posterity. That Henry -Khunrath was in search of the transmutation of metals up to a certain -point and period is, I think, very clearly indicated by his visit to -Dr Dee. That the _Amphitheatrum Sapientiæ Æternæ_, which was published -in 1609, treats of a spiritual alchemy, is, however, evidenced by -the nature of its symbols and by the general tenor of the strange -esoteric commentary on some of the Hebrew psalms. Those who worked -in metals may, or may not, have failed; it is by no means a point of -importance to the discriminating student of occultism; but they have -left behind them a theory which is wholly true in its application to -that one substance in Nature which we know to be capable of indefinite -perfectibility, and the splendour and glory of the accomplished _Magnum -Opus_, when the young King issues from the Everlasting East, from the -land of the Morning and of Paradise, - - “Bearing the crescent moon upon his crest,” - -though it be a dream--say even, which no one can actually -affirm--though it be an impossibility for the metal, is true for the -man; and all that is beautiful and sublime in alchemical symbolism may -be rigorously applied to the divine flower of the future, the young -King of Humanity, the perfect youth to come, when he issues from the -Spiritual East, in the dawn of the genuine truth, bearing the Crescent -Moon, the woman of the future, upon his bright and imperial crest. - -I am of opinion, from the evidence in hand, that metallic -transmutations did occur in the past. They were phenomena as rare as a -genuine “materialisation” of so-called spirits is generally considered -at the present day among those believers in physical mediumship who -have not been besotted by credulity and the glamour of a world of -wonders. Like modern spiritualism, the isolated facts of veritable -alchemy are enveloped in a crowd of discreditable trickery, and the -trade of an adept in the past was as profitable, and as patronised by -princes, as that of modern dealers with familiar spirits. - -But the fact of an occasional transmutation gives little reason to -suppose that the _praxis alchemiæ_ in metallic subjects is ever -likely to succeed with modern students of the _turba philosophorum_. -The enigmas of the alchemists admit, as I have said, of manifold -interpretations. Their recipes are too vague and confused to be -followed. They insist themselves that their art can only be learned -by a direct revelation from God, or by the tuition of a master. -Their fundamental secrets have not only been never revealed in their -multitudinous treatises, but they scarcely pretend to reveal them, -despite the magnificent assurances which are sometimes contained in -their titles. The practical side of alchemy must be surrendered to -specialists in chemistry, working quite independently of the books -or the methods of the philosophers. Only the theory is of value to -neophytes, or initiates, or to any student of the higher occultism; and -it is of value, as I have said, because it can be applied outside the -kingdom of metals, as the alchemists themselves acknowledge, and as -some of them seem to have attempted. - -The psychic method of interpretation as propounded in the “Suggestive -Inquiry” exalted the seekers for the philosophical stone into -hierophants of the mystery of God; it endowed them with the _altitudo -divitiarum sapientiæ et scientiæ Dei_. They had crossed the threshold -of eternity; they had solved the absolute; they had seen Diana -unveiled; they had raised the cincture of Isis, and had devoured -her supernatural beauties--that is, they had accomplished the -manifestation of the incarnate spirit of man, and had invested it with -deific glory. They did not grope after physical secrets; they did -not investigate, with Paracelsus, the properties of ordure and other -matter in putrefaction; they did not work with mercury and sulphur; -they did not distil wine; they did not decoct egg-shells. They were -soul seekers, and they had found the soul; they were artificers, and -they had adorned the soul; they were alchemists, and had transmuted -it. Sublime and romantic hypothesis! But we know that they worked in -metals; we know that they manipulated minerals; we know that they -ransacked every kingdom of nature for substances which, by a bare -possibility, through some happy guess, might really transform the baser -metals into gold. They were often extravagant in their views, they were -generally absurd in their methods; they seldom found their end, but, -judged as they actually were, stripped of all glamour and romance, -self-educated seekers into Nature at the dawn of a physical science, -they are eminently entitled to our respect, because, in the first -place, unenlightened and unequipped, with their bare hands, they laid -the foundations of a providential and life-saving knowledge, and in the -second, because their furnaces were erected, intellectually, “on a peak -in Darien”--that is, they worked in accordance with a theory which had -an unknown field of application, and through the smoke of their coals -and their chemicals they beheld illimitable vistas where the groaning -totality of Nature developed its internal resources, and advanced -by degrees to perfection, upon lines which were quite in accordance -with their vision of mineral culture. “A depth beyond the depth, and -a height beyond the height,” were thus revealed to them, and their -glimpses of these glorious possibilities transfigured their strange -terminology, and illuminated their barbarous symbolism. - -Eliminating obviously worthless works, the speculations of needy -impostors and disreputable publishers, it is from those who have -least contributed to the advancement of chemical science that we must -seek information concerning the spiritual chemistry--those who have -elaborated the theory rather than those who exclusively expound the -practice. In all cases, we shall do well to reflect that the object -in view was metals, except in such rare instances as are presented by -Henry Khunrath and the anonymous author of the treatise concerning Mary -of Alexandria, with a few Rosicrucian philosophers. We must read them -for what they suggest, and not for what they had in view. - -The dream of the psycho-chemistry is a grand and sublime scheme -of absolute reconstruction by means of the Paracelsian _Orizon -Æternitatis_, or supercelestial virtue of things, the divinisation, or -deification, in the narrower sense, of man the triune by an influx from -above. It supposes that the transmutation or transfiguration of man -can be accomplished while he is on this earth and in this body, which -then would be magically draped _in splendoribus sanctorum_. The Morning -Star is the inheritance of every man, and the woman of the future will -be clothed with the sun, and Luna shall be set beneath her feet. The -blue mantle typifies the mystical sea, her heritage of illimitable -vastness. These marvels may be really accomplished by the cleansing -of the two-fold human tabernacle, the holy house of life, and by the -progressive evolution into outward and visible manifestation of the -infinite potencies within it. - -In the facts and possibilities of mesmerism and in the phenomena of -ecstatic clairvoyance, in ancient magic and modern spiritualism, in -the doctrines and experiences of religious regeneration, we must seek -the _raison d’être_ of the sublime dream of psycho-chemistry--that, -namely, there is a change, a transmutation, or a new birth, possible -to embodied man which shall manifestly develop the esotoric potencies -of his spiritual being, so that the flesh itself shall be purged, -clarified, glorified, and clothed upon by the essential light of the -divine pneuma. Those of my readers who are interested in this absorbing -subject I must refer to a work entitled, “AZOTH, OR THE STAR IN THE -EAST,” which, I trust, will be ready for publication early in 1889, -and which will treat of the First Matter of the _Magnum Opus_, of the -evolution of Aphrodite Urania, of the supernatural generation of the -Son of the Sun, and of the alchemical transfiguration of humanity. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[A] There is no need to suppose a metonymy. The conscience is a guide -which education easily perverts. Therefore, supposing it to be really -the _instrument_ of the alchemists, it may eminently stand in need of -purification, and, except in the most general matters, is at best an -uncertain guide. - -[B] “L’Alchimie et les Alchimistes,” p. 93. - - - - -ON THE PHYSICAL THEORY AND PRACTICE OF THE MAGNUM OPUS. - - -The physical theory of transmutation is based on the composite -character of metals, on their generation in the bowels of the earth, -and on the existence in nature of a pure and penetrating matter which -applied to any substance exalts and perfects it after its own kind. -This matter is called THE LIGHT by Eugenius Philalethes and by numerous -other writers. In its application to animals, it exalts animals; in -its application to vegetables, it exalts vegetables, while metals and -minerals, after the same manner, are refined and translated from the -worst to the best condition. - -All the elements which enter into the composition of metals are -identical, but they differ in proportion and in purity. In the metallic -kingdom, the object of nature is invariably to create gold. The -production of the baser metals is an accident of the process, or the -result of an unfavourable environment. - -The generation of metals in the earth is a point of great importance, -and must be well studied by the amateur, for without this, and -the faithful imitation of Nature, he will never achieve anything -successful. It is by means of the seed of metals that their -generation takes place. Their composite character indicates their -transmutable quality. Such transmutation is accomplished by means of -the philosophical stone, and this stone is, in fact, the combination -of the male and female seeds which beget gold and silver. Now the -matters or elements of this stone, and the _prima materia_ above -all, are concealed by a multitude of symbols, false and allegorical -descriptions, and evasive or deceptive names. - -According to Baron Tschoudy, all who have written on the art have -concealed the true name of the _prima materia_ because it is the chief -key of chemistry. Its discovery is generally declared to be impossible -without a special illumination from God, but the sages who receive -this divine favour and distinction have occasionally perpetuated its -knowledge by the instruction of suitable pupils under the pledge of -inviolable secresy. The author of _L’Étoile Flamboyante_ supplies an -immense list of the names which have been applied to this mysterious -substance under one or other of its phases. “As those that sail between -Scylla and Charybdis are in danger on both sides,” says D’Espagnet, -“unto no less hazard are they subject, who, pursuing the prey of -the golden fleece, are carried between the uncertain rocks of the -philosophers’ sulphur and mercury. The more acute, by their constant -reading of grave and credible authors, and by the irradiant sun, have -attained unto the knowledge of sulphur, but are at a stand in the -entrance of the philosophers’ mercury, for writers have twisted it with -so many windings and meanders, and involved it with so many equivocal -names, that it may be sooner met with by the force of the seeker’s -intellect than be found by reason or toil.” - -The _prima materia_ has been defined as a fifth element, or -quintessence, the material alpha and omega, the soul of the elements, -living mercury, regenerated mercury, a metallic soul, &c. It is -designated by such allegorical names as the Bird of Hermes, the -Virgin’s Son, the Son of the Sun and Moon, the Virgin’s Head, Azoth, &c. - -Where it appears to be seriously described the adepts are in continual -contradiction, but it is generally allowed to be a substance found -everywhere and continually seen and possessed by those who are ignorant -of its virtues. “Although some persons,” says Urbiger, “possessed with -foolish notions, dream that the first matter is to be found only in -some particular places, at such and such times of the year, and by the -virtue of a magical magnet, yet we are most certain, according to our -divine master, Hermes, that all these suppositions being false, it is -to be found everywhere, at all times, and only by our science.”[C] - -In similar terms, we are told by the “Commentary on the Ancient War of -the Knights,” that the matter of the art, so precious by the excellent -gifts wherewith Nature has enriched it, is truly mean with regard to -the substances from which it derives its original. “Its price is not -above the ability of the poor. Tenpence is more than sufficient to -purchase the Matter of the Stone.... The matter is mean, considering -the foundation of the art, because it costs very little; it is no -less mean if one considers exteriorly that which gives it perfection, -since in that regard it costs nothing at all, in as much as _all the -world has it in its power_, says Cosmopolite, so that it is a constant -truth that the stone is a thing mean in one sense but most precious in -another, and that there are none but fools that despise it, by a just -judgment of God.” - -The same authority assures us, with regard to the actual nature of the -_prima materia_, that it is one only and self-same thing, although it -is a natural compound of certain substances from one root and of one -kind, forming together one whole complete homogeneity. The substances -that make up the philosophical compound differ less among themselves -than sorrel water differs from lettuce water. Urbiger asserts that the -true and real matter is only “a vapour impregnated with the metallic -seed, yet undetermined, created by God Almighty, generated by the -concurrence and influence of the astrums, contained in the bowels of -the earth, as the matrix of all created things.” In conformity with -this, one earlier writer, Sir George Ripley, describes the stone as -the potential vapour of metals. It is normally invisible, but may be -made to manifest as a clear water. So also Philalethes cries in his -inspired way:--“Hear me, and I shall disclose the secret, which like -a rose has been guarded by thorns, so that few in past times could -pull the flower. There is a substance of a metalline species, which -looks so cloudy that the universe will have nothing to do with it. -Its visible form is vile; it defiles metalline bodies, and no one can -readily imagine that the pearly drink of bright Phœbus should spring -from thence. Its components are a most pure and tender mercury, a dry -incarcerate sulphur, which binds it and restrains fluxation.... Know -this subject, it is the sure basis of all our secrets.... To deal -plainly, it is the child of Saturn, of mean price and great venom.... -It is not malleable, though metalline. Its colour is sable with, with -intermixed argent, which mark the sable field with veins of glittering -argent.”[D] - -The poisonous nature of the stone is much insisted on by numerous -philosophers. “Its substance and its vapour are indeed a poison -which the philosophers should know how to change into an antidote by -preparation and direction.”[E] - -No descriptions, supplied _ad infinitum_ by the numberless adepts who -were moved by unselfish generosity to expound the arcana of alchemy, -for the spiritual, intellectual, and physical enrichment of those who -deserved initiation, expose the true nature of the _prima materia_, -while the _vas philosophorum_ in which it is contained and digested is -described in contradictory terms, and is by some writers declared a -divine secret. - -Given the matter of the stone and also the necessary vessel, the -processes which must be then undertaken to accomplish the _magnum opus_ -are described with moderate perspicuity. There is the Calcination or -purgation of the stone, in which kind is worked with kind for the space -of a philosophical year. There is Dissolution which prepares the way -for congelation, and which is performed during the black state of the -mysterious matter. It is accomplished by water which does not wet the -hand. There is the Separation of the subtle and the gross, which is to -be performed by means of heat. In the Conjunction which follows, the -elements are duly and scrupulously combined. Putrefaction afterwards -takes place, - - “Without which pole no seed may multiply.” - -Then in the subsequent Congelation the white colour appears, which is -one of the signs of success. It becomes more pronounced in Cibation. In -Sublimation the body is spiritualised, the spirit made corporeal, and -again a more glittering whiteness is apparent. Fermentation afterwards -fixes together the alchemical earth and water, and causes the mystic -medicine to flow like wax. The matter is then augmented with the -alchemical spirit of life, and the Exaltation of the philosophic earth -is accomplished by the natural rectification of its elements. When -these processes have been successfully completed, the mystic stone -will have passed through three chief stages characterised by different -colours, black, white, and red, after which it is capable of infinite -multiplication, and when projected on mercury, it will absolutely -transmute it, the resulting gold bearing every test. The base metals -made use of must be purified to insure the success of the operation. -The process for the manufacture of silver is essentially similar, but -the resources of the matter are not carried to so high a degree. - -According to the “Commentary on the Ancient War of the Knights,” the -transmutations performed by the perfect stone are so absolute that no -trace remains of the original metal. It cannot, however, destroy gold, -nor exalt it into a more perfect metallic substance; it, therefore, -transmutes it into a medicine a thousand times superior to any virtues -which can be extracted from it in its vulgar state. This medicine -becomes a most potent agent in the exaltation of base metals. - -Among the incidental properties of the perfect mineral agent is -the conversion of flints into precious stones, but the manufacture -of gold and of jewels is generally declared to be the least of the -philosophical secrets, for the spirit which informs the mysterious -_prima materia_ of the great and sublime work can be variously used and -adapted to the attainment of absolute perfection in all the “liberal -sciences,” the possession of the “whole wisdom of nature, and of things -more secret and extraordinary than is the gift of prophecy which Rhasis -and Bono assert to be contained in the red stone.” - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[C] Baro Urbigerus--“One Hundred Aphorisms demonstrating the -preparation of the Grand Elixir.” - -[D] Aphorismi Urbigerani. - -[E] Commentary on the “Ancient War of the Knights.” - - - - -LIVES OF THE ALCHEMISTS. - - - - -GEBER. - - -The first, and, according to the general concensus of Hermetic -authorities, the prince of those alchemical adepts who have appeared -during the Christian era, was the famous Geber, Giaber, or Yeber, whose -true name was Abou Moussah Djafar al Sofi, and who was a native of -Haman, in Mesopotamia, according to the more probable opinion. He is -also said to have been a Greek, a Spanish Arabian born at Seville, and -a Persian of Thus. Romance represents him as an illuminated monarch -of India. According to Aboulfeda, he flourished during the eighth -century, but later and earlier periods have been also suggested. His -life is involved in hopeless obscurity; but his experiments upon -metals, undertaken with a view to the discovery of their constituent -elements and the degrees of their fusibility, led him to numerous -discoveries both in chemistry and in medicine, including suroxydised -muriate of mercury, red oxyde of mercury, and nitric acid. “It is -thus that Hermetic philosophy gave rise to chemistry,” says a writer -in the _Biographie Universelle_, “and that the reputation of Geber is -permanently established, not upon his search for an impossible chimera, -but for his discovery of truths founded on actual experience.” - -With the characteristic prodigality of the Middle Ages, no less -than five hundred treatises have been attributed to the Arabian -adept. They are supposed to have embraced the whole circle of the -physical sciences, including astronomy and medicine. A few fragments, -comparatively, alone remain of all these colossal achievements. Cardan -included their author among the twelve most penetrating minds of the -whole world, and Boerhave spoke of him with consideration and respect -in his celebrated _Institutiones Chemicæ_. According to M. Hoefer, -he deserves to be ranked first among the chemists and alchemists -who flourished prior to Van Helmont. “He is the oracle of mediæval -chemists, who frequently did nothing in their writings but literally -reproduce their master. Geber for the history of chemistry is what -Hippocrates is for the history of medicine.” - -The name of Geber has been borne or assumed by several writers -subsequent to the Hermetic adept; in this way the few extant facts -concerning his life have been variously distorted, and books of later -date and less value falsely ascribed to him. An astronomical commentary -on the _Syntaxis Magna_ of Ptolemy, in nine books, must be included in -this number. It is a work of the twelfth century, as may be proved by -internal evidence. - -The extant works of Geber are, for the most part, in Latin, and are all -open to more or less legitimate suspicion. In the library at Leyden -there are said to be several Arabic manuscripts which have never been -translated, and there is one in the Imperial Library at Paris, together -with a _Fragmentum de Triangulis Sphæricis_ which is still unprinted. -The most complete edition of Geber is that of Dantzich, published -in 1682, and reproduced in the Collection of Mangetus.[F] First in -importance among the works of the Arabian adept must be ranked his “Sum -of Perfection”--_Summæ Perfectionis magisterii in suâ naturâ Libri -IV._ The next in value is the treatise entitled _De Investigatione -perfectionis Metallorum_, with his Testament, and a tract on the -construction of furnaces. - - * * * * * - -The “Sum of Perfection, or the Perfect Magistery,” claims to be a -compilation from the works of the ancients, but with the doubtful -exception of pseudo-Hermes, we are acquainted with no alchemical -authors previous to the supposed period of Geber. A knowledge of -natural principles is declared to be necessary to success in the art. -The natural principles in the work of nature are a potent spirit, and -a living or dry water. The disposition of the philosophical furnace -and of the _vas philosophorum_ is clearly described; the latter is a -round glass vessel with a flat round bottom, and has several elaborate -arrangements. A marginal note, however, declares that the account of it -is hard to be understood. Among all the obscurities of the treatise, -it is absolutely plain that it is concerned with metals and minerals. -The properties of sulphur, mercury, arsenick, gold, silver, lead, tin, -copper, iron, magnesia, lut, marchasite, are discussed in such a manner -that it is impossible to establish an allegory, or to interpret the -words of the writer in other than a physical sense. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[F] J. J. Mangeti, “Bib. Chem. Curiosa,” 2 v. fol. 1702. - - - - -RHASIS. - - -Rhazes, or Rasi, whose true name was Mohammed-Ebn-Secharjah Aboubekr -Arrasi, was a celebrated Arabian physician and chemist, who was born -about the year 850 at Ray in Irâk, upon the frontiers of Khorassan. -In his youth he was passionately devoted to music and to frivolous -amusements; he did not begin the study of medicine till he was thirty -years of age, but he soon surpassed, both in skill and in knowledge, -all the physicians of his time. He devoted himself with equal zeal -to philosophy, is said to have journeyed into Syria, Egypt, and -even into Spain, and successively took charge of the famous hospital -at Bagdad, and of another in his native town. He was naturally good -and generous, and he devoted himself to the service of the poor. His -oriental panegyrists call him the Imam among the scholars of his time, -and western writers describe him as the Galen of the Arabians. By -his assiduous attention to the multitudinous varieties of disease he -obtained the appellation of the experimenter, or the experienced. No -less than two hundred and twenty-six treatises are said to have been -composed by him. To some of these Avicenna was largely indebted, and -even in Europe he exercised considerable influence, for his writings on -medicine were the basis of university teaching up to the seventeenth -century. - -Of the twelve books of chemistry which have been attributed to Rhasis -several are probably spurious, and few have been printed. He was an -avowed believer in the transmutation of metals, and, having composed a -treatise on the subject, he presented it in person to Emir Almansour, -Prince of Khorassan, who was highly delighted, and ordered one thousand -pieces of gold to be paid to the author as a recompense. However, -he desired to witness the marvellous experiments and the prolific -auriferous results with which the work abounded. Rhasis replied that he -might certainly be gratified in his sublime curiosity if he provided -the necessary instruments and materials for the accomplishment of the -_magnum opus_. The Emir consented; neither pains nor expenses were -spared over the preliminary preparations, but when the time came the -adept failed miserably in his performance, and was severely belaboured -about the head by the enraged potentate with the unprofitable -alchemical treatise. Rhasis was old at the time, and this violence is -by some declared to have been the cause of his subsequent blindness. -He died in poverty and obscurity, a point which is not supposed to -disprove his possession of the powerful metallic medicine. The date of -his death is uncertain, but it was probably in the year 932. - - * * * * * - -The writings of Rhasis, like those of Geber, enlarge on the planetary -correspondences, or on the influence exerted by the stars in the -formation of metallic substances beneath the surface of the earth. The -explicit nature of the recipes which he gives may be judged by such -directions as _Recipe aliquid ignotum, quantum volueris_. It is to -him, nevertheless, that we owe the preparation of brandy and several -pharmaceutic applications of alcohol. He was the first to mention -orpiment, realgar, borax, certain combinations of sulphur, iron, -and copper, certain salts of mercury indirectly obtained, and some -compounds of arsenic.[G] He was also a zealous promoter of experimental -methods. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[G] Figuier, _L’Alchimie et les Alchimistes_, pp. 95, 96. - - - - -ALFARABI. - - -The middle of the tenth century was made illustrious by one of those -celebrated men who do honour to the sciences in which they engage. -This was Abou-Nasr-Mohammed-Ibn-Tarkan, commonly called Farabi and -Alfarabi--a man of universal genius, who penetrated all subjects with -equal facility, fathoming the most useful and interesting sciences, and -passing for the greatest philosopher of his time. - -He was born at Farab, now known as Othrar, in Asia Minor. He was of -Turkish origin, but repaired to Bagdad to acquire a more perfect -knowledge of Arabic; there he devoted himself with zeal and enthusiasm -to the study of the Greek philosophers under Abou Bachar Maltey, an -expounder of Aristotle. From Bagdad he proceeded to Harran, where John, -a Christian physician, was teaching logic. In a short time Alfarabi -surpassed all his other scholars, but he left Harran and visited Damas, -thence penetrating into Egypt. Early attracted towards the secrets of -nature, he spent a great portion of his life in incessant wanderings, -collecting the opinions of all the philosophers he could meet with -on these and on kindred subjects. He despised the world, and took no -pains to acquire wealth, though he wrote upon alchemy, that is, if the -Hermetic works which are attributed to him be genuine. His erudition -and indefatigable activity are attested by his other writings, -which variously treat of philosophy, logic, physics, astronomy, and -mathematics. His chief reputation is based on a sort of encyclopædia, -where he gives a description, with an exact definition, of all the -arts and sciences; and on a celebrated musical treatise, wherein he -ridicules the pythagorean speculations upon the music of the spheres, -and proves the connection of sound with atmospheric vibrations. - -According to several authorities, he was protected and supported in -his later years by the cultured and enlightened Seïf Eddoula, who is -represented as Prince of Damas, but who seems to have been Sultan -of Syria, and to have made the acquaintance of the scholar in the -following curious manner. - -Alfarabi was returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, when, passing -through Syria, he stopped at the Court of the Sultan, and entered his -presence while he was surrounded by numerous sage persons, who were -discoursing with the monarch on the sciences. - -Alfarabi, ignorant of, or else wholly ignoring, the usages of society, -presented himself in his travelling attire; and when the Sultan desired -that he should be seated, with astonishing philosophical freedom, he -planted himself at the end of the royal sofa. The prince, aghast at his -boldness, called one of his officers, and in a tongue generally unknown -commanded him to eject the intruder. The philosopher, however, promptly -made answer in the same tongue: “Oh, Lord, he who acts hastily is -liable to hasty repentance!” The prince was equally astounded to find -himself understood by the stranger as by the manner in which the reply -was given. Anxious to know more of his guest, he began to question him, -and soon discovered that he was acquainted with seventy languages. -Problems for discussion were then propounded to the philosophers who -had witnessed the discourteous intrusion with considerable indignation -and disgust, but Alfarabi disputed with so much eloquence and vivacity -that he reduced all the doctors to silence, and they began writing -down his discourse. The Sultan then ordered his musicians to perform -for the diversion of the company. When they struck up, the philosopher -accompanied them on a lute with such infinite grace and tenderness, -that he elicited the unmeasured admiration of the whole distinguished -assembly. At the request of the Sultan he produced a piece of his own -composing, sung it, and accompanied it with great force and spirit to -the delight of all his hearers. The air was so sprightly that even the -gravest philosopher could not resist dancing, but by another tune he as -easily melted them to tears, and then by a soft unobtrusive melody he -lulled the whole company to sleep. - -Great was the anxiety of the Sultan to retain so accomplished a person -about him, and some say that he succeeded, others that the philosopher -declined the most brilliant offers, declaring that he should never -rest till he had discovered the whole secret of the philosopher’s -stone of which he had been in search for years, and to which, from -his discourse, he appeared to be on the point of attaining. According -to these biographers, he set out, but it was to perish miserably. He -was attacked by robbers in the woods of Syria, and, in spite of his -courage, was overpowered by numbers and killed. This occurred in the -year 954. Others say that he died at Damas, enjoying the munificence of -the Sultan to the last. - - - - -AVICENNA. - - -Khorassan produced another celebrated adept at the end of the tenth, -or, according to an alternative opinion, about the middle of the -eleventh century. This was the illustrious Ebn Sina, commonly called -Avicenna, who was born at Bacara, the principal city of that province -of Persia. The exact date of his birth has been fixed, but in the -absence of sufficient authority, at the year 980. He is equally -celebrated for the multiplicity of his literary works and for his -adventurous life. At an early age he had made unusual progress in -mathematics, and his gifted mind soon penetrated the mysteries of -transcendental philosophy. He was only sixteen when he passed from -the preparatory sciences to that of medicine, in which he succeeded -with the same celerity; and great is the sagacity attributed to -him in the knowledge of diseases. He is praised in particular for -having discovered that the illness of the King of Gordia’s nephew was -occasioned by an amorous passion which he had carefully concealed, and -for the stratagem by which he discovered the object of the young man’s -affections. - -His credit as a physician and philosopher became so great that the -Sultan Magdal Doulet determined to place him at the head of his -affairs, and appointed him to the distinguished position of Grand -Vizier; but, notwithstanding the religion of Mohammed, which Avicenna -professed, he drank so freely, and his intemperance led to so much -immorality and disorder, that he was deprived of his dignities in the -State, and died in comparative obscurity at the age of fifty-six. He -was buried at Hamadan, a city of Persia, which was the ancient Ecbatana. - -Though his history gave rise to the saying that he was a philosopher -devoid of wisdom, and a physician without health, the Arabs long -believed that he commanded spirits, and was served by the Jinn. As he -sought the philosophic stone, several oriental peoples affirm him to -be still alive, dwelling in splendid state, invested with spiritual -powers, and enjoying in an unknown retreat the sublime nectar of -perpetual life and the rejuvenating qualities of the _aurum potabile_. - -Six or seven treatises on Hermetic philosophy are ascribed to Avicenna; -some of them are undoubtedly spurious. There is a treatise on the -“Congelation of the Stone” and a _Tractatulus de Alchimia_, which may -be found in the first volumes of the _Ars Aurifera_, Basle, 1610. -In 1572 the _Ars Chimica_ was printed at Berne. Two Hermetic tracts -are also attributed to Avicenna by the compilers of the _Theatrum -Chimicum_, and an octavo volume _Porta Elementorum_, appeared under his -name at Basle during the third quarter of the sixteenth century. - -The grimoires and magical rituals frequently appeal to Avicenna as the -authority for their supernatural secrets. - -The _Tractatulus Alchimiæ_ treats of the nature of the sophic mercury, -which contains the sophic sulphur, and wherefrom every mineral -substance was originally created by God. This mercury is the universal -vivific spirit; there is nothing in the world to compare with it; it -penetrates, exalts, and develops everything; it is a ferment to every -body with which it is united chemically; it is the grand metallic -elixir, both to the white, or silver, and red, or gold producing, -degrees. Its potencies develop under the action of fire. Though found -in all minerals, it is a thing of the earth. It possesses lucidity, -fluidity, and a silverine colour. The perfection and the praise of gold -are elaborately celebrated in succeeding pages. The _prima materia_ -is declared to be of a duplex nature, and the duplex elixir, which -is the result of successful operation, has powers that are beyond -nature, because it is eminently spiritual. The strength of the perfect -magisterium is one upon a thousand. - -The chemical knowledge of Avicenna is derived from Geber, as his -medical erudition was borrowed from Galen, Aristotle, and other -anterior writers. He describes several varieties of saltpetre, and -treats of the properties of common salt, vitriol, sulphur, orpiment, -sal ammoniac, &c. - - - - -MORIEN, - - -or Morienus, was a recluse born at Rome in the twelfth century, and who -took up his habitation in Egypt, where he became profoundly versed in -the chemistry and physics of the period. While his education was still -progressing in his native city, and under the eyes of a father and -mother who tenderly cherished him, he heard of the reputation of Adfar, -the Arabian philosopher of Alexandria, and contrived to get a sight of -his writings, when he was immediately seized with a desperate desire to -understand their meaning. The first impressions of youth carried him -away; he abandoned his home, and set out for Alexandria, where, after -some difficulty, he discovered the abode of the philosopher. He made -known to him his name, his country, and his religion, and both appeared -well contented with each other--Adfar at having found a young man -whose docility he could depend on, and Morien that he was under the -discipline of a master who promised to unveil to him the source of all -treasures. - -They studied together; the amiability of the pupil encouraged his -instructor to make known to him all his secrets, after which, according -to one account, Morien went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and then -turned hermit. It seems more probable that he tarried with Adfar till -his death, which in spite of his immense treasures, his illumination, -and his acquirements in arcane philosophy, eventually occurred, -and that then Morien, having paid the last duties to his deceased -initiator, quitted Alexandria, and proceeded on his pilgrimage. He -purchased a retreat near the city of Jerusalem, where he settled in the -company of a pupil, whom he doubtless intended to form for science. - -In the meantime, the papers of the adept Adfar appear to have fallen -into the hands of Kalid, the Soldan of Egypt, a wise and curious -prince. On the title-page of these manuscripts it was stated that -they contained the priceless secret of the philosophical stone. The -Soldan studied them with avidity, but made no progress towards their -comprehension, and not being able to accomplish the _magnum opus_ in -his own person, he instituted a careful search for some one who was -qualified to interpret the unintelligible mysteries of the manuscripts. -He convened all the philosophers to Cairo, promised to maintain them, -and to provide them with all the materials and machinery required for -the success of alchemical processes, and guaranteed a magnificent -reward to any person who succeeded. As it might happen even at this -day, many persons presented themselves who had their minds fixed upon -the profits to be derived from such transactions. - -Morien, hearing with pain how much Kalid was deceived by worthless -pretenders, quitted his retreat and repaired in all haste to Egypt, -with the ultimate conversion of the Soldan quite as much at heart -as the communication of the mysteries of Adfar. The labours of the -pretended alchemists had produced nothing, as the initiated hermit -had expected, but something in the manner of Morien impressed the -prince, who appointed him a house in which he might remain until he -had finished the process. The work in due course was brought to its -absolute perfection; the philosopher inscribed these words on the vase -in which he placed the elixir:--“He who possesses all has no need of -others,” and, immediately quitting Alexandria, he returned to his -hermitage. - -Possessed though he now was of the great and supreme elixir, Kalid -had no notion how to make use of it for the transmutations he desired -to accomplish. He was equally penetrated with regret at the loss of a -veritable artist, and filled with indignation at the false alchemists -who had promised him all things, but had accomplished nothing, he -ordained by an edict the capital punishment of every exposed pretender. -Some years passed away, during which the Soldan vainly sought the -possessor of the potent secret. At length one day, being at the chase, -and accompanied by a favourite slave, an incident occurred which led -to the eventual fulfilment of his ambition. The slave, whose name was -Galip, riding a little apart, discovered an aged man at prayer in -a solitary place. He questioned him, and learned that he came from -Jerusalem, where he had been abiding in the hermitage of a holy man. He -had heard of the anxiety of Kalid to accomplish the mystery of Hermes, -and knowing that the hermit in question was a man of unparalleled skill -in the sacred, supernal science, he had quitted Palestine to inform the -prince thereof. - -“Oh! my brother, what do you say?” exclaimed Galip. “No more! I do not -wish you to die like those impostors who have vaunted themselves to my -master.” - -“I fear nothing,” returned the hermit. “If you be able to present me to -the prince, I will at once go before him with confidence.” - -Galip accordingly presented him, and the old man informed Kalid that -he could enable him to accomplish the Hermetic work, that he was -acquainted with an adept hermit of the solitudes of Jerusalem, who, by -illumination from the Deity, had received supernatural wisdom, and by -his own admission was in possession of the precious gift. The quantity -of gold and silver which he brought each year to Jerusalem was a -conclusive proof of the fact. - -The Soldan represented the danger of false promises to the venerable -man, and warned him how many deceptive and boasting adventurers -had already met their death. The hermit, however, persisted in his -confident assertions, and Kalid, hearing the description of Morien, -commanded Galip, his slave, to accompany the old man with a sufficient -escort to Jerusalem, where they eventually arrived after many -labours, and were rejoiced by the discovery of Morien, who beneath -his hair-cloth shirt is declared to have preserved a perpetually -youthful frame. Galip recognised him at once, saluted him on the -part of his master, and persuaded him to return to the prince, who -received him with unbounded satisfaction, and would have engaged him -in a worldly situation at his court. Morien, however, was intent -only on the conversion of Kalid; he made known to him the mysteries -of Christianity, but in spite of his wisdom was unable to effect the -desired end. He appears, notwithstanding, to have discovered to him the -secret of the transcendent science, and the conversation of Morien and -Kalid has been written in Arabic, and translated into Latin and French. - -The subsequent history of Morien is not recorded. In the collections of -Hermetic philosophy there are some small tracts attributed to Kalid, -and also to Galip, who appears to have participated in the secret. -Morien himself is cited as the author of three works, said to have -been translated from the Arabic, but their authenticity is, of course, -very doubtful. The first is entitled _Liber de Distinctione Mecurii -Aquarum_, of which a manuscript copy existed in the library of Robert -Boyle. The second is the _Liber de Compositione Alchemiæ_, printed -in the first volume of the _Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa_. Finally, -several editions have appeared of a treatise entitled _De Re Metallica, -metallorum Transmutatione, et occulta summaque antiquorum medicina -libellus_. It was first printed at Paris in the year 1559. - -Bacon and Arnold, who appeared one at the beginning, and the other at -the end of the thirteenth century, have cited Morien as an authority -among the Hermetic philosophers, and Robertus Castrensis assures us -that he translated Morien’s book from the Arabic language in the year -1182. - -The _Liber de Compositione Alchemiæ_ contains a Hermetic conversation -between Morien, Kalid, and Galip. It appeals to the authority of -Hermes, whom it states to have been the first who discovered the grand -magisterium, the secret of which he transmitted to his disciples. It -declares the _prima materia_ to be one, quoting the testimony of the -wise king and philosopher Hercules and the adept Arsicanus, with other -pseudo authorities, which discredit the date of the dialogue far more -than they support the alchemical theory in question. - - - - -ALBERTUS MAGNUS. - - -The universal genius of Albert, joined to a laudable curiosity in -so great a philosopher, say the original “Lives of Alchemysticall -Philosophers,” did not allow him to pass by the Hermetic science -without giving it due attention. - -Counter authorities, while admitting that in things scientific he -must be counted the most curious and investigating of the children -of men, emphatically assert that he has been erroneously included -by demonographers among the number of magicians, and that in the -twenty-one goodly folio volumes which comprise his _opera omnia_, -there is no trace of sorcery. In one place he declares formally that -“all those stories of demons prowling in the regions of the air, and -from whom the secrets of futurity may be ascertained, are absurdities -which can never be admitted by sober reason.” The works on incredible -secrets, so numerously attributed to him, are, therefore, condemned -as spurious, Albertus Magnus having no more hand in their production -than in the invention of the cannon and the pistol, which has been -attributed to him by Matthias de Luna. - -So early, however, as the year 1480 the Great Chronicle of Belgium -records him _magnus in magia, major in philosophia, maximus in -theologia_. It is futile for the historians of his order to argue that -Albert never applied himself to the Hermetic art, says an anonymous -writer. His books alone--those which are his incontestably--bear -witness to his alchemical erudition, and as a physician he carefully -examined what regards Natural History, and above all the minerals -and metals. His singular experiments are recorded in the _Secretum -Secretorum_, which first appeared at Venice in 1508. - -Michael Maier declares that he received from the disciples of St -Dominic the secret of the philosophical stone, and that he communicated -it in turn to St Thomas Aquinas; that he was in possession of a stone -naturally marked with a serpent, and endowed with so admirable a virtue -that on being set down in a place infested with such reptiles, it would -attract them from their hiding places; that for the space of thirty -years he employed all his knowledge as a magician and astrologer to -construct, out of metals carefully chosen under appropriate planetary -influences, an automaton endowed with the power of speech, and -which served him as an infallible oracle, replying plainly to every -kind of question which could possibly be proposed to it. This was -the celebrated Androïd, which was destroyed by St Thomas under the -impression that it was a diabolical contrivance. - -The most marvellous story of his magical abilities is extant in the -history of the University of Paris. He invited William II., Count of -Holland and King of the Romans, to a supper in his monastic house at -Cologne. Although it was midwinter Albertus had tables prepared in -the garden of the convent; the earth was covered with snow, and the -courtiers who accompanied William murmured at the imprudence and folly -of the philosopher in exposing the prince to the severity of such -weather. As they sat down, however, the snow suddenly disappeared, and -they felt not only the softness of spring, but the garden was filled -with odoriferous flowers; the birds flew about as in summer, singing -their most delightful notes, and the trees appeared in blossom. Their -surprise at this metamorphosis of nature was considerably heightened -when, at the end of the repast, these wonders disappeared in a moment, -and the cold wind began to blow with its accustomed rigour. - -The life of Albertus belongs to the history of theology. He was born -in Suabia, at Larvigen, on the Danube, in 1205. He is accredited with -excessive stupidity in his youth, but his devotion to the Virgin -was rewarded by a vision, which was accompanied by an intellectual -illumination, and he became one of the greatest doctors of his time. -He was made provincial of the Dominicans, and was appointed to the -bishopric of Ratisbon, which he subsequently resigned to pursue his -scientific and philosophic studies in a delightful conventual retreat -at Cologne. In his old age he relapsed into the mediocrity of his -earlier years, which gave rise to the saying that from an ass he was -transformed into a philosopher, and from a philosopher he returned into -an ass. - -The term Magnus, which has been applied to him, is not the consequence -of his reputation. It is the Latin equivalent of his family name, -Albert de Groot. - -Among the spurious works attributed to him is that entitled _Les -Admirables Secrets d’Albert le Grand_, which is concerned with the -virtues of herbs, precious stones, and animals, with an abridgment of -physiognomy, methods for preservation against the plague, malignant -fevers, poisons, &c. The first book treats of the planetary influences -in their relation to nativities, of the magical properties possessed by -the hair of women, of the infallible means of ascertaining whether a -child still in the womb is male or female, &c. In the others there is a -curious chaos of remarkable superstitions concerning urine, vermin, old -shoes, putrefaction, the manipulation of metals, &c. - -A magical grimoire entitled _Alberti Parvi Lucii Liber de Mirabilibus -Naturæ Arcanis_, adorned with figures and talismans, appeared at Lyons, -bearing the Kabbalistic date 6516. The composition of philtres, the -interpretation of dreams, the discovery of treasures, the composition -of the hand of glory, the ring of invisibility, the sympathetic -powder, the sophistication of gold, and other marvels, are familiarly -explained; but this work is another forgery, and an insult to the -memory of a really illustrious man. - -In the treatise which he wrote upon minerals, Albert informs us that he -personally tested some gold and silver which had been manufactured by -an alchemist, and which resisted six or seven exceptionally searching -fusions, but the pretended metal was reduced into actual scoriæ by -an eighth. He recognises, however, the possibility of transmutation -when performed upon the principles of Nature. He considers that all -metals are composed of an unctuous and subtle humidity, intimately -incorporated with a subtle and perfect matter. - -If the purely alchemical works which are ascribed to Albertus have -any claim to authenticity, he must be ranked as a skilful practical -chemist for the period in which he flourished. He employed alembics for -distillation, and aludels for sublimation; he also made use of various -lutes, the composition of which he describes. He mentions alum and -caustic alkali, and seems to have been aware of the alkaline basis of -cream of tartar. He knew the method of purifying the precious metals -by means of lead and of gold, by cementation, likewise the method of -testing the purity of gold. He mentions red lead, metallic arsenic, -and liver of sulphur. He was acquainted with green vitriol and iron -pyrites. He knew that arsenic renders copper white, and that sulphur -attacks all the metals except gold.[H] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[H] Thomson, “Hist. of Chemistry,” vol. i., pp. 32, 33. - - - - -THOMAS AQUINAS. - - -If Albertus Magnus must be considered an adept in possession of the -philosophic stone, there is little doubt that he discovered it to -his favourite pupil, St Thomas, the most illustrious of the kings -of intelligence who glorified the scholastic period of Christian -philosophy. There are some alchemical treatises ascribed to the angel -of the schools which he certainly did not write. “That of the ‘Nature -of Minerals’ is unworthy of so great a philosopher,” says a certain -anonymous authority, “and so is the ‘Comment on the _Turba_.’ But his -_Thesaurus Alchemiæ_, addressed to Brother Regnauld, his companion -and friend, is genuine. He cites Albert in this as his master in all -things, especially in Hermetic philosophy. He addressed other books -to Regnauld on the curious sciences, amongst which is a treatise on -Judicial Astrology.” - -This opinion deserves due consideration, yet in all his theological -works St Thomas carefully avoided every suspicion of alchemy, -persuaded, says the same writer, that it would bring dishonour to his -name as the height of human folly. Moreover, in one of his treatises -he distinctly states that “it is not lawful to sell as good gold that -which is made by Alchemy,” proof positive that he considered the -transmutatory art to be simply the sophistication of the precious metal. - -On the other hand, the _Thesaurus Alchemiæ_, generally attributed -to him by adepts, testifies that “the aim of the alchemist is to -change imperfect metal into that which is perfect,” and asserts -the possibility of the thing. These contradictions scarcely afford -convincing proof of a common authorship; but spurious or otherwise, -the works on the Hermetic science which are attributed to the angelic -doctor are of importance in the history of alchemy. Their leading -character is secrecy, and they insist on the preservation of the -sublime operation from unworthy men, only the children of light, who -live as in the presence of God, being fit for the knowledge or custody -of so supernal a mystery. - -The _Thesaurus Alchemiæ_ has the brevity which characterised St Thomas, -for it is comprised in a very few leaves. The other works attributed -to him are _Secreta Alchymiæ Magnalia_ and _De Esse et Essentia -Mineralium_, together with the comment on the _Turba_. Some of the -terms still employed by modern chemists occur for the first time in -these supposititious writings of Thomas Aquinas--_e.g._, the word -amalgam, which is used to denote a compound of mercury and some other -metal. - -In the tractates addressed to Brother Regnauld, we learn that the -students of alchemy are in search of a single substance which -absolutely resists the fierce action of fire, which itself penetrates -everything, and tinges mercury. The work is a work of the hands, and -great patience is required in it. Instruments are necessary, but in the -true Hermetic operation there is but one vase, one substance, one way, -and one only operation. - - - - -ROGER BACON. - - -Roger Bacon was the first Englishman who is known to have cultivated -alchemical philosophy. This learned man was born in 1214, near -Ilcester, in Somerset. He made extraordinary progress in the -preliminary studies of boyhood; when his age permitted he entered the -order of St Francis, and passed from Oxford to Paris, where he learned -mathematics and medicine. On his return he applied himself to languages -and philosophy, and made such progress that he wrote grammars of the -Latin, Greek, and Hebrew tongues. - -Pronouncing the panegyric of Bacon, Figuier calls him the greatest -intellect which has arisen in England, a student of nature who was more -physician than chemist, and a scientist to whom the world owes many -extraordinary discoveries. He was almost the only astronomer of his -time, and to him we are indebted for the rectification of the Julian -Calendar, in regard to the solar year, which in 1267 he submitted to -Clement IV., but which was not put in practice till the pontificate -of Gregory. The physical analysis of the properties of lenses and -convex glasses, the invention of spectacles and achromatic lenses, the -theory, and possibly the first construction, of the telescope, are all -due to the superior and penetrating genius of Bacon. - -An adequate notion of his schemes in mechanical science may be gathered -from one of his own letters--_Epistola Fratris Rogerii Baconis de -Secretis Operibus Artis et Naturæ et de nullitate Magiæ_, Hambourg, -1618. Having undertaken to demonstrate that by the help of natural -science it is possible to actually perform the pretended prodigies -of magic, he further assures us that machines may be constructed for -navigation without the aid of rowers, in such a manner that vessels -will be borne through the water with extraordinary velocity, under the -direction of a single man. “It is equally possible to construct cars -which may be set in motion with marvellous rapidity, independently of -horses or other animals. Flying machines may also be made, the man -seated in the centre, and by means of certain contrivances beating -the air with artificial wings.” In the same way Bacon anticipated the -invention of the crane, diving apparatus, suspension bridges, &c. These -things, he declares, were known to the ancients, and may still be -recovered. - -“Should we be surprised,” demands one of his biographers, “if all -these prodigies obtained for him the name of magician in an age of -superstition and ignorance? the friars of his own order refused to -let his works into their library, as if he were a man who ought to be -proscribed by society. His persecution increased till, in 1278, he -was imprisoned and forced to confess his repentance of his pains in -the arts and sciences. He was constrained to abandon the house of his -order, and to form a retreat where he might work in quiet.” - -The reputation of Bacon as a magician spread over Western Europe. He -was supposed to be indebted for his wisdom to incessant communication -with demons. Wierus accuses him of goëtic magic, and erudite persons -affirm that Antichrist will make use of his enchanted mirrors for -the performance of lying miracles. He really believed in judicial -astrology and in the philosophical stone. “By neglecting the lights of -experience,” he says, “alchemy can seldom produce gold of twenty-four -carats. Few persons have carried the science to so high a point. But -with the help of Aristotle’s ‘Secret of Secrets,’ experimental science -has manufactured not only gold of twenty-four degrees, but of thirty, -forty, and onward according to pleasure.” - -The application of alchemy to the extension of life was another subject -of study with Roger Bacon. The grand secret, he assures us, does not -only ensure the welfare of the commonwealth and of the individual, but -it may be used to prolong life, for that operation by which the most -inferior metals is purged from the corrupt elements which they contain -till they are exalted into the purest gold and silver, is considered by -every adept to be eminently calculated to eliminate so completely the -corrupt particles of the human body, that the life of mortality may be -extended to several centuries. - -A citation by Franciscus Picus from Bacon’s “Book of the Six Sciences” -recounts how a man may become a prophet and predict the future by means -of a mirror which Bacon calls _Almuchefi_, composed in accordance with -the laws of perspective under the influence of a benign constellation, -_and after the body of the individual has been modified by alchemy_. - -On the word of a man who enjoyed his full confidence, he tells us how -a celebrated Parisian savant, after cutting a serpent into fragments, -taking care to preserve intact the skin of its belly, subsequently let -loose the animal, which began immediately to roll upon certain herbs, -and their virtues speedily healed him. The experimenter examined these -herbs, and found them of a remarkably green colour. On the authority -of Artephius, he relates how a certain magician, named Tantalus, and -who was attached to the person of the King of India, had discovered -by his proficiency in planetary lore, a method of preserving life -over several centuries. He enlarges on the potency of theriac in the -excessive prolongation of life. He lauds the flesh of winged serpents -as a specific against senility in mankind. By the hygiene of Artephius -he informs us that that adept lived over a thousand years. If Plato and -Aristotle failed to prolong their existence it is not surprising, for -they were ignorant even of the quadrature of the circle, which Bacon -declares to have been well known at his time, and which is indefinitely -inferior to the grand medical doctrine of Artephius.[I] - -The chemical investigations of the great English Franciscan have -proved valuable to the science which he loved. He studied carefully -the properties of saltpetre, and if he did not discover gunpowder, he -contributed to its perfection by teaching the purification of saltpetre -by its dissolution in water and by crystallisation. He also called -attention to the chemical rôle played by the air in combustion.[J] - -Many of Bacon’s works still remain in manuscript, but his _Speculum -Alchimiæ_ was done into French by Girard de Tourmes, and published at -Lyons in duodecimo and octavo in 1557. _De Potestate Mirabili Artis et -Naturæ_, which is merely a chapter of the Epistle already cited, was -translated by the same hand. - -In another work, entitled _Radix Mundi_, the supreme secret of Hermetic -philosophy is said to be hidden in the four elements. This treatise, -which quotes Paracelsus, is, however, an impudent forgery. - -The “Mirror of Alchemy,” like other works of the philosophers, appeals -to Hermes as to a master-initiate, whose authority is not only -sufficient but final. The natural principles of all metals are argent -vive, that is, sophic mercury, and sulphur. The various proportions in -which these principles are combined, together with their degrees of -purity, constitute the sole difference between the best and the basest -metal. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[I] Nam quadraturam circuli se ignorasse confitetur, quod his diebus -scitur veraciter. - -[J] Figuier, _L’Alchimie et les Alchimistes_, p. 97. - - - - -ALAIN OF LISLE. - - -An alchemical treatise, entitled _Dicta de Lapide Philosophico_, -appeared in octavo at Leyden during the year 1600. It was attributed -to Alanus Insulensis, and was reprinted in the _Theatrum Chimicum_, -Argentorati, 1662. It is denied that this work is the production of -that Alain de Lisle who was called the universal doctor, and who, -after a brilliant period passed in the University of Paris, retired to -a cloister as a lay brother, in order to be master of his time, and -to devote himself entirely to philosophy. Migne’s _Dictionnaire des -Sciences Occultes_ asserts that another Alanus flourished at the same -period, but the existence of the alchemical volume is the sole ground -for this statement. It cannot be shown, on the other hand, that Alain -practised the Hermetic Science, but he was the author of a “Commentary -on the Prophecies of Merlin.” He was made bishop of Auxerre, and died -in 1278. The publishers of alchemical treatises were accustomed to -trade upon brilliant reputations of the past by attributing worthless -works to great authorities. The name of Alanus Insulensis appearing on -the title-page of the _Dicta de Lapide Philosophico_ may perhaps be -accounted for in this manner. - -The treatise itself is short and not of abnormal value. It represents -the Hermetic art as the gift of God, and counsels the neophyte to -love Him with all his heart and soul. It describes the mysteries of -sublimation, and follows preceding authorities on the problem of the -_prima materia_. Its generally indefinite and unprofitable character -from any practical standpoint should make it an exceptional field for -every species of fanciful interpretation. - - - - -RAYMOND LULLY. - - -The comparison of a brilliant but ephemeral reputation to “the comet -of a season” has been transferred from the region of poetry into that -of proverb, and is certainly applicable to no figure in the history -of literature or science more completely than to the subject of this -memoir. The name of Raymond Lully has indeed passed so completely -into oblivion that it awakes no recollections whatever except in -the minds of certain specialists in history and philosophy. Yet he -exercised no small influence on his generation, while for a century -after his death all intellectual Europe was acquainted with his method -for the acquisition of the sciences and his voluminous literary and -evangelistic labours. Raymond Lully united the saint and the man -of science, the philosopher and the preacher, the apostle and the -itinerant lecturer, the dialectician and the martyr; in his youth he -was a courtier and a man of pleasure; in mature age he was an ascetic -who had discovered the universal science through a special revelation -from God; after his death he was denounced as a heretic, and then -narrowly escaped beatification as a saint. While his relics worked -miracles in Majorca, colleges were founded in various parts of Europe -for teaching the _Ars Lulliana_, which was to replace the scholastic -method; but the miracles ceased, the universal science fell into -neglect, and, as the last scene in this eventful history, Raymond Lully -appears in popular legends as an adept in alchemy, whose age was -prolonged through centuries by the discovery of the elixir of life. - -Having succeeded in rescuing from oblivion and misrepresentation this -singular man, whose sanctity was as eminent as his attainments were -unique, I shall here present the first true history of his life and -works to the reading public of England; the romantic narrative will be -as interesting to the general student as to the occultist and the man -of letters. - -The father of Raymond Lully was a gentleman of Barcelona, who, having -served under the banner of John I., King of Arragon, at the conquest -of the Balearic Isles from the Mohammedans, was gifted with lands in -Majorca, and there settled. He was of an old and noble Catalonian -family, and was wedded to a lady whose name is not known. Though -possessed of considerable wealth, his happiness was marred by the -sterility of his wife; but, addressing themselves to the goodness of -God, the lady was eventually delivered of a son, who was named, like -his father, Raymond Lully. He was born, according to Ségui, in 1229, -but according to Jean Marie de Vernon, and other authorities, in 1235, -which, on the whole, is the more probable date. When the young Raymond -had attained the use of reason, his parents endeavoured to imbue -him with love for the liberal arts, but his mercurial and impetuous -disposition was unsuited to serious study, and he was permitted to -follow his father’s profession of arms. He was made page to the King, -with whom he acquired such high favour that he was installed as Grand -Prevôt, or Master of the Palace, and subsequently as Seneschal of the -Isles; but he employed the advantages of these distinguished positions -in the dissipations of a youth without curb or restraint. The flower of -his manhood was wasted in the gaieties of court life, in winning the -favours of ladies, and in composing amorous verses in their honour. He -spared no pains to make himself pleasing to those who were beautiful, -and his excesses were so glaring that his parents, and King James II. -himself, were forced to make great complaints to him. As a remedy for -the irregularities of his life, it was proposed that he should marry, -and a wife at once beautiful, virtuous, and wealthy was selected by -his advisers and friends. She was named Catherine de Sabots. Though he -became much attached to this lady, the bond of marriage did not prove -strong enough to confine his errant inclinations, and there was one -person in particular for whom he conceived a great passion, though he -was already the father of two male children and of one girl. This was -the Signora Ambrosia Eleonora de Castello de Gênes, whose virtue was -superior to her personal attractions, though she eclipsed in loveliness -all the beauties of the Court. She was married to a man whom she loved, -but such was the infatuation of Raymond Lully that he paid her the -most marked attentions, and on one occasion, lost to all around him -except the object of his admiration, he is said to have followed her on -horseback into the church of Palma, a town in Majorca, where she had -gone one morning to mass. So outrageous an act could not fail to cause -great scandal, more particularly on account of the high rank of both -parties concerned. The lady, thus suddenly raised to such undesirable -notoriety, took counsel with her husband as to the course which she -should pursue to put an end to the persecutions of her admirer. In the -meantime, Raymond Lully, conscious no doubt that he had exceeded all -bounds of moderation, wrote an incoherent apology, accompanied with -a sonnet, in which he particularly described the beauty of her neck. -To this the lady replied by a letter, written in the presence of her -husband, and which is here copied _verbatim_ from the old French writer -who relates this portion of the story. - - LETTER from the SIGNORA DI CASTELLO DE GÊNES to - RAYMOND LULLY, which is a civil reply to a lover to - dissuade him from profaning love. - - “SIR,--The sonnet which you have sent me is evidence of the - superiority of your genius and the imperfection, or, rather, the - perversity of your judgment. With what vivacity would you depict true - beauty since by your verses you even embellish ugliness! But how can - you employ such exalted talents in the laudation of a little clay - briefly tinged with vermilion? Your industry should be employed in - eradicating and not in publishing your passion. - - “’Tis not that you are unworthy of the affection of the noblest woman - in the world, but you become unworthy of it by devoting yourself to - the service of one who is the least of all. Is it possible that an - intelligence created for God alone, and illuminated as it is, can be - so blind on this point? - - “Abandon then a passion which deprives you of your native nobility. Do - not tarnish your reputation by the pursuit of an object which you can - never possess. I could terribly disillusion you by showing you that - what you so much admire should rather be held in aversion. Yet rest - well assured that I love you all the more truly because I appear to - have no regard for you.” - -This letter served only to feed the flame in the breast of Raymond -Lully, till, other means having failed, the lady, still acting under -the advice of her husband, called her lover into her presence, and -exposed to him her breast which was almost eaten away by a cancer, -whence an offensive odour issued. - -“Look on what thou lovest, Raymond Lully,” she cried, with tears in her -eyes, “Consider the condition of this wretched body in which thy spirit -centres all its hopes and pleasures, and then repent of thy useless -attempts; mourn for the time which thou hast wasted in persecuting a -being whom thou didst fondly deem perfect, but who has so dreadful -a blemish! Change this useless and criminal passion into holy love, -direct thine affections to the Creator, not to the creature, and in the -acquisition of eternal bliss take now the same pains which thou hast -hitherto vainly spent to engage me in thy foolish passion!” - -The sight had already melted the heart of Raymond Lully and restored -him to reason. After expressing to the noble-hearted lady how deeply -he felt for her misfortune, he withdrew from the house, ashamed of -the passion he had conceived, and reaching home, overwhelmed with -confusion, he cast himself at the feet of a crucifix, and vowed to -consecrate himself henceforth to the service of God alone. He passed -a more than usually tranquil night, being filled with this zealous -resolution, and the vision of Christ is said to have appeared to him, -saying, “Raymond Lully, from henceforth do thou follow me!” This vision -was repeated several times, and he judged it to be an indication -of the Divine Will. Raymond was at this period about thirty years -old; he filled one of the most noble situations at court, and might -have aspired to any honour for himself or his family. He resolved, -nevertheless, to renounce the world, and soon arranged his affairs, -dividing so much of his estate among his family as would enable -them to live honourably, retaining a small portion for his personal -necessities, and distributing the rest among the poor. His plans in the -matter were so punctually fulfilled, that he was accused of plunging -from one folly to another. - -At this period he is said to have made a pilgrimage to St John in -Galicia, and a retreat thereat. He returned in due course to Majorca, -and took the habit of religion, but did not, however, embrace the -religious life. He retired to a small dwelling on the mountain of -Randa, a possession which had not been included in the general sale of -his estate. Here he fell ill, and was consoled by two visions of the -Saviour. - -After his change of life, the first boon which he asked of God was -so to illuminate his mind that he might compose a book capable of -completely annihilating the errors of Mahomet, and of forcing the -infidels, by good and solid reasoning, to embrace the faith of Jesus -Christ. In answer to this prayer, he was conscious, it is asserted, of -a perfect spiritual illumination, and became instantaneously capable -of reasoning powerfully on all subjects, so that he passed henceforth -for a great and subtle doctor both in human and divine sciences. A -more sober account informs us that “he prepared himself to labour -for the conversion of the Mahometans, by studying their books in the -Arabic language,” and that his preparation continued for the space -of six years. According to another authority, this missionary zeal -did not date from an earlier period than 1268--three years after his -reformation--when in another of his visions he beheld upon the leaves -of a myrtle or a mastic tree, certain marks which resembled Turkish -or Arabic characters. On awaking, he regarded himself as called to a -mission among the heathen. - -Convinced, says one of his biographers, that the Spirit of God had not -inspired him with the Celestial Science to let it rest idle, and that -he would be betraying his vocation if his light were hidden under a -bushel, he resolved to journey to Paris and there publish the eternal -truths which had been revealed to him. Others have supposed that in -undertaking this journey he was simply seeking instruction in the Latin -tongue at one of the centres of learning. Several of his treatises on -Philosophy, Theology, Medicine, and Astronomy are, however, referred -to this period, as well as some works on alchemy, but this point will -receive adequate consideration hereafter. - -Still imbued with his evangelistic and missionary zeal, he engaged a -young Arab as his valet, that he might perfect himself in colloquial -Arabic; but he, discovering that his master intended to demolish the -divine principles of the Koran, and preach against the holy law of -Mahomet, piously resolved to assassinate him, and one day plunged a -dagger into his breast. He sought to repeat the blow, but Raymond -Lully, wounded and bleeding as he was, contrived to disarm him, perhaps -with the assistance of a holy and opportune anchorite, who is advanced -at this critical moment by one of the biographers. The young Arab was -imprisoned with the reluctant consent of his over magnanimous master, -who does not appear to have proceeded further against him; but the -unhappy Mohammedan enthusiast was so overwhelmed with vexation at the -failure of his heroic design to destroy, at all costs, the implacable -foe of the prophet, that he strangled himself in his dungeon in a -paroxysm of impotent fury. - -It was after this episode, and after the recovery of Raymond Lully -from the violence of his valet, that, according to another historian, -he retired to Mount Randa, and that then, and then only, he received -from the Father of Lights that new illumination with which others have -accredited him at a much earlier period. This was probably a second -visit paid to his Balearic solitude; he tarried there seven months, -“always absorbed in prayer, and conversing, as it seemed to him, -continually with angels, whose consolations he received--consolations,” -says the pious writer, “which the soul can indeed realise, but which -the lips cannot worthily describe.” - -Having left his retreat, he determined to travel to Rome, to exhort -his Holiness to establish in Europe several monasteries, where monks -should be occupied in acquiring and teaching languages, in order to -spread everywhere the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to labour for the -conversion of the infidels. But Honorius IV., from whose piety he -had everything to hope, died as soon as Lully reached Rome, and he -therefore returned to Paris, where he explained publicly his General -or Universal Art for the acquisition of all sciences. From Paris he -went to Mont Pelin, where he also taught and wrote; thence to Genoa, -where he translated his _Art Inventif_ into Arabic. From Genoa he -again proceeded to Rome, but seeing that it was impossible to attain -his ends on account of the obstacles which presented themselves in the -Sacred Court, he returned to Genoa, intending to start for Africa, and -personally labour in the conversion of the infidels. He made terms -with the owner of a vessel, shipped his books on board, with the other -necessities of his journey, but, when he was himself on the point -of embarking, a vision of all the dangers he was about to encounter -so worked upon his mind, that he was deprived even of the power of -walking, and was obliged to renounce his intention. His effects were -consequently returned to him, and with these he re-entered Genoa in -the midst of a crowd of vagabonds, who derided his weakness. Whether -consequent on this raillery, or through shame at his cowardice, he -became dangerously ill.[K] On the Vigil of Pentecost, 1291, he was -carried to the Convent of Friars Preachers, and received the care which -his condition required. He received the last sacraments, and dictated -his last will and testament; nevertheless, he was destined to recover, -and had scarcely regained his strength when, to repair his previous -fault, he embarked upon the first vessel bound for Tunis. During the -voyage he composed his “General Tabulation of the Sciences.” - -Immediately on his arrival at Tunis, he held conferences with those who -were most erudite in the law of Mahomet. He proved, at least to his own -satisfaction, that they were in error and darkness, and that truth was -on the side of Jesus Christ. He was accused before the King of Tunis -of seducing the people, was arrested, cast into prison, and ultimately -condemned to death. But a learned Arabian priest, overcome by his -arguments, obtained his pardon on condition of his instant departure. -He left the town amidst the insults and opprobrium of the populace, -prohibited to return, on pain of certain death. - -In 1293 he arrived at Genoa from this disastrous mission, and he -appears to have proceeded immediately to Naples, where he remained till -the pontificate of Celestin V., teaching publicly his _Ars Magna_ and -_Arbor Scientiarum_. In December 1294, he repaired to Rome to persuade -the Pope to send missionaries to the infidels, and he appears to -have obtained the establishment of several colleges for the study of -oriental languages. Moreover, the University of Paris, by an authentic -act, adopted and recommended the use of his short method of acquiring -knowledge, and some of his more important philosophical doctrines. -Still, his missionary efforts were not generally successful, and he -again wandered from place to place, confuting heretics. He travelled -to Montpellier, where he was received with distinction by Raymond -Gauffredy, General of the Order of St Francis. He obtained letters of -association, as a benefactor to the order, the superiors of which were -put under his direction, and he taught his method in their houses. He -preached in Cyprus against the Nestorians and Georgians, striving to -bring them back to the bosom of the Church. He addressed himself for -assistance in his manifold enterprises to the Kings of France, Sicily, -Majorca, and Cyprus, but generally in vain. - -In 1308 he returned to Paris, where he conversed with the celebrated -Johannes Scotus, who is known as the subtle doctor. He had the -satisfaction to find that King Philip le Bel had directed the oriental -languages to be taught in the University of Paris. This induced Raymond -to proceed in the following year to Ferdinand IV., King of Castile, -to engage him to unite with the King of France for the recovery of -the Holy Land, but this oft-repeated and invariably disastrous and -futile enterprise was fortunately not undertaken. He ventured again to -Africa, landed at Bona, that ancient Hippo which was the diocese of St -Augustine, and despite the opposition of its Mohammedan inhabitants he -succeeded in converting seventy followers of the philosopher Averroës. -Thence he travelled to Algiers and converted many, which brought down -on him the persecution of the authorities. A bridle was put into his -mouth, as if he were a horse, and he was deprived by this means of the -free use of speech for the space of forty days; he was then publicly -beaten, and expelled from the kingdom. He had no other road open to -him but to return to Tunis, where sentence of death awaited him, but -he remained concealed, and shortly after proceeded to Bugia. There -he confounded the doctrines of the Mohammedan priests, successfully -avoiding innumerable deadly snares prepared by the people against him -at the suggestion of their religious teachers. He was at length cast -into a miserable dungeon, where he might well have perished, but the -solicitations of certain Genoese merchants obtained him a better -prison, in which he was confined for six months. Here the Mohammedan -doctors came to him in troops, to persuade him to embrace their law, -promising him the most alluring recompences--slaves, palaces, wealth, -beautiful women, and the King’s friendship. “The result,” says one of -Lully’s biographers, “was that they were almost persuaded to embrace -_His_ law, Who alone could promise them eternal beatitude.” - -The gates of Raymond’s prison were at length thrown open, and, as a -disturber of the public peace, he was enjoined to quit those parts at -once. The illustrious wanderer embarked in a Genoese vessel with his -books and papers, but he was wrecked ten miles from the town of Pisa, -escaping hardly with the loss of all his effects. At Pisa he fell -sick, and was carefully attended by the Dominicans. On his recovery -he resumed his public teaching. The conversion of the Mohammedans and -the conquest of the Holy Land were still his chief ends, and he so -eloquently solicited the inhabitants of Pisa to institute an order of -Christian Knights for the deliverance of Judea, that they sent him with -letters to the Holy Father; he was entrusted by the inhabitants of -Genoa with similar documents, and bore also the voluntary offer of the -ladies in that town to contribute towards such a pious and praiseworthy -purpose a considerable sum of money. With these assurances he sought -the Pope at Avignon, presented his letters, and added the most powerful -reasons of his own to persuade him to proclaim another crusade. -Naturally, he obtained nothing from the Papal Court, and he retired to -Paris, sorrowful at his failure and at the coldness of the prelates of -the Church. He continued writing and teaching, and in October 1311, -hearing that a general council would be held at Vienna, he considered -this a favourable opportunity and presented himself before it to demand -three things:--1. The establishment of several monasteries composed -of learned and courageous men, who, willing to expose their lives in -the quarrel of Christ, would take pleasure in acquiring languages in -order to publish the Gospel more effectually. 2. The reduction of all -the Military Orders in the Christian world into a single order, so that -living under one religious rule, and inspired with the same desires, -they might all do battle with the Saracens, and, suppressing all seeds -of jealousy, all selfish interests, by a laudable emulation, with -true Christian piety, seek to deliver the Holy Place from the hands -of the miscreants. 3. The condemnation, by authority of the Pope and -the Council, of all the works of Averroës used in Christian colleges -and schools, because they were distinctly and directly opposed to -the doctrines of true religion. In order to throw more light on this -last point he composed a treatise entitled _De Natale Pueri_. He was -again unsuccessful, and returned to Paris without having accomplished -anything. With unconquerable perseverance he again set himself more -diligently than ever to the composition of books in Latin, Spanish, and -Arabic, for the edification of the Faithful and the instruction of the -Saracens. He became indeed one of the most voluminous authors in the -world, and when weary of the repose of letters he returned to Majorca, -far advanced in years, he embarked, despite the peril, for Tunis, -hoping to work secretly in the conversion of its inhabitants. - -According to another account, he publicly proclaimed his return, -crying, “Do you not remember that I am the man whom your princes -formerly hunted from this country and from Tunis in dread that I -should illuminate your souls with the truths of our holy religion, -towards which you already had some disposition? The single hope of your -salvation, and the resolution I have taken to suffer all the torments -of the world for the love of my God, lead me back among you, to do with -me as you please.” - -In either case his return was discovered; as one man the people rose -in tumult against him, and having covered him with opprobrium and -atrocious injuries, they chased him with stones from the town to the -port, where he fell miserably overwhelmed. - -According to numerous biographers, certain merchants, either of -Majorca or Genoa, passing Tunis, saw a great light, in the shape of -a pyramid, near to the port, on the night of this catastrophe. This -light seemed to issue from a heap of stones, and, curious to discover -its cause, they put ashore in a boat, and thus came upon the precious -body of Raymond Lully, whom, in spite of his disfigured condition, they -immediately recognised. - -But M. E. J. Delécleuze, writing in the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, gives -us the same narrative unadorned by the veneer of the miraculous. “The -night fell, and the body of Raymond Lully remained on the sea-shore. -During the whole of this terrible scene none of the converts, and still -less the European Christians then sojourning in the town, had dared -to defend the missionary, or even to intercede in his favour. Certain -Genoese merchants, however, desiring to pay the last honours to his -corpse, came in a boat, under cover of the darkness, to bear it away. -In the accomplishment of this pious duty they perceived that Raymond -Lully was still breathing. They carried him in haste to their ship, and -immediately set sail for Majorca, in sight of which island that holy -and learned man expired on the 29th of June 1315, at the age of eighty -years.”[L] - -It has already been stated that Raymond Lully was one of the most -prolific writers of his own or of any age. The following list of his -works is given by Alfonso de Proaza in 1515, and is reproduced by A. -Perroquet:-- - - Names of Subjects. No. of Treatises. - On the _Ars Veritatis Demonstrativus_, 60 - Grammar and Rhetoric, 7 - Logic, 22 - On the Understanding, 7 - On Memory, 4 - On Will, 8 - On Moral and Political Philosophy, 12 - On Law, 8 - Philosophy and Physics, 32 - Metaphysics, 26 - Mathematics, 19 - Medicine and Anatomy, 20 - Chemistry, 49 - Theology, 212 - --- - Total number of treatises, 486 - -This list is accepted without suspicion or criticism by M. Delécleuze, -but as Raymond Lully did not begin writing till 1270, and as he died -in 1318 at latest, this calculation requires us to suppose that he -produced ten treatise every year without intermission for the space -of eight and forty years, which would have been perfectly impossible -for the most cloistered, book-devoted student, and Raymond Lully was a -man of indefatigable activity, as the facts of his itinerant existence -abundantly reveal. A writer in the _Biographie Universelle_, Paris, -1820, has the following pertinent remarks on this subject:--“Some of -his biographers have extended the number of his treatises to several -thousand.[M] The more moderate have reduced them from five hundred to -three hundred, which lie scattered among the libraries of Majorca, -Rome, Barcelona, the Sorbonne, St Victor, and the Chatreux at Paris; -but scarcely two hundred can be found distinguished by their titles -and the first words of the work; and this number must be still further -diminished as the difference between some of them is very slight, as -chapters have been given for the titles of separate works, and as the -explanations of professors or disciples have often been mistaken by -uncritical writers for the lessons of the master.” - - * * * * * - -Now, the great problem in the chequered life of the illuminated -theosophist and possessor of the universal science who died thus -violently at Tunis, or Bugia, in the cause of his Master, is -this--whether or not he is to be identified with that Raymond Lully -whom Éliphas Lévi terms “a grand and sublime adept of Hermetic -science,” who is said to have made gold and Rose nobles for one -Edward, King of England, and who left behind him, as monuments of his -unparalleled alchemical proficiency, those world-famous treatises, -testaments, and codicils which, rightly or wrongly, are attributed, -under the title “chemistry, 49 treatises,” to the heroic martyr of -Majorca. On this important point, the writer, already quoted, in the -_Bibliothèque Universelle_, testifies that “the works on alchemy must -be referred to another Raymond, of Ferrago, a Jewish neophyte, who -lived after 1315, and with whom Abraham Bzovius confounded the first -in attributing to him some propositions condemned by Gregory XI.” And -again:--“The works on alchemy attributed to him are too opposed to -the evangelical poverty of a man who had renounced everything in his -zeal for the religion of Jesus Christ, and who protests in many places -against the chimera of the philosopher’s stone, sought in his time -by Arnaud de Villeneuve, whose disciple he was supposed to be. The -circumstances and the dates even in several of these books--of which -that on natural wisdom is addressed to Edward III.--prove, moreover, -that they must be referred to a later epoch.” - -The problem is eminently difficult of solution, and must be considered -at some length. - -Raymond Lully repaired to Vienna to be present at a general council of -the Church in the year 1311. While in this city it is alleged that he -received letters from Edward, King of England, who had ascended the -throne in 1307, and from Robert, King of Scotland, who both invited -him with much persuasion to visit their realms. Hoping to encourage -these princes to assist him in his plans against the infidels, he soon -arrived in London in the company of John Cremer, Abbot of Westminster. - -This ecclesiastic is said to have been one of the most celebrated -Hermetic artists of his age. He worked thirty years to attain the end -of alchemy, but the obscurities of the Hermetic writers, which he -could not clear up, cast him into a labyrinth of errors. The more he -read, the more he wondered; at last, tired of the loss of his money, -and much more of his precious time, he set out to travel, and had the -good fortune to meet with Raymond Lully in Italy. With him he formed -a strict friendship, remaining some time in his company, edified by -his penitent life, and illuminated by his philosophical conversations. -The adept, though he spoke upon alchemy, would not, however, entirely -discover the essential points of the operation. Cremer was insinuating -and affectionate; he perceived that Lully’s zeal for the conversion -of the infidels extended to the false enthusiasm of exciting open war -against the Mohammedans, and easily persuaded him to visit England, in -the hope of King Edward’s assistance. The adept lodged with his friend -in the Abbey of Westminster, where he worked, and perfected the stone -which Cremer had so long unsuccessfully sought. He was duly presented -to the King, who, previously informed of the talents of the illustrious -stranger, received him with regard and attention. - -When he “communicated his treasures,” the single condition which he -made was that they should not be expended in the luxuries of a court or -in war with a Christian prince, but that the King should go in person -with an army against the infidels. - -Edward, under pretence of doing honour to Raymond, gave him an -apartment in the Tower of London, where the adept repeated his process. -He transmuted base metal into gold, which was coined at the mint into -six millions of nobles, each worth three pounds sterling at the present -day. These coins are well known to antiquarians by the name of Rose -Nobles. They prove in the assay of the test to be a purer gold than the -Jacobus, or any other gold coin made in those times. Lully in his last -testament declares that in a short time, while in London, he converted -twenty-two tons weight of quicksilver, lead, and tin into the precious -metal. - -His lodging in the Tower proved only an honourable prison, and when -Raymond had satisfied the desires of the King, the latter disregarded -the object which the adept was so eager to see executed, and to regain -his own liberty Lully was obliged to escape surreptitiously, when he -quickly departed from England. - -Cremer, whose intentions were sincere, was not less grieved than -Raymond at this issue of the event, but he was subject to his -sovereign, and could only groan in silence. He declares his extreme -affliction in his testament, and his monastery daily offered up prayers -to God for the success of Raymond’s cause. The Abbot lived long after -this, and saw part of the reign of King Edward III. The course of -operations which he proposes in his testament, with apparent sincerity, -is not less veiled than are those in the most obscure authors.[N] - -Now, in the first place, this story is not in harmony with itself. If -Raymond Lully were at Vienna in 1311, how did John Cremer contrive -to meet him in Italy at or about the same time? In the second place, -the whole story concerning the manufacture of Rose Nobles is a series -of blunders. The King who ascended the throne of England in 1307 -was Edward II., and the Rose Nobles first appear in the history of -numismatics during the reign of Edward IV., and in the year 1465. - -“In the King’s fifth year, by another indenture with Lord Hastings, -the gold coins were again altered, and it was ordered that forty-five -nobles only, instead of fifty, as in the last two reigns, should be -made of a pound of gold. This brought back the weight of the noble to -one hundred and fifty grains, as it had been from 1351 to 1412, but its -value was raised to 10s. At the same time, new coins impressed with -angels were ordered to be made, sixty-seven and a half to be struck -from one pound of gold, and each to be of the value of 6s. 8d.--that is -to say, the new angel which weighed eighty grains was to be of the same -value as the noble had been which weighed one hundred and eight grains. -_The new nobles to distinguish them from the old ones were called Rose -Nobles_, from the rose which is stamped on both sides of them, or -ryals, or royals, a name borrowed from the French, who had given it to -a coin which bore the figure of the King in his royal robes, which the -English ryals did not. Notwithstanding its inappropriateness, however, -the name of royal was given to these 10s. pieces, not only by the -people, but also in several statutes of the realm.”[O] - -In the third place, the testament ascribed to John Cremer, Abbot of -Westminster, and to which we are indebted for the chief account of -Lully’s visit to England, is altogether spurious. No person bearing -that name ever filled the position of Abbot at any period of the -history of the Abbey. - -The only coinage of nobles which has been attributed to alchemy was -that made by Edward III. in 1344. The gold used in this coinage is -supposed to have been manufactured in the Tower; the adept in question -was not Raymond Lully, but the English Ripley. - -Whether the saint of Majorca was proficient in the Hermetic art or not, -it is quite certain that he did not visit the British Isles. It is also -certain that in the _Ars Magna Sciendi_, part 9, chapter on Elements, -he states that one species of metal cannot be changed into another, and -that the gold of alchemy has only the semblance of that metal; that is, -it is simply a sophistication. - -As all the treatises ascribed to Raymond Lully cannot possibly be his, -and as his errant and turbulent life could have afforded him few -opportunities for the long course of experiments which are generally -involved in the search for the _magnum opus_, it is reasonable to -suppose that his alchemical writings are spurious, or that two authors, -bearing the same name, have been ignorantly confused. With regard to -“the Jewish neophyte,” referred to by the _Biographie Universelle_, -no particulars of his life are forthcoming. The whole question is -necessarily involved in uncertainty, but it is a point of no small -importance to have established for the first time the fabulous nature -of the Cremer Testament. This production was first published by Michael -Maier, in his _Tripus Aureus_, about the year 1614. The two treatises -which accompany it appear to be genuine relics of Hermetic antiquity. - - * * * * * - -The “Clavicula, or Little Key” of Raymond Lully is generally considered -to contain the arch secrets of alchemical adeptship; it elucidates the -other treatises of its author, and undertakes to declare the whole art -without any fiction. The transmutation of metals depends upon their -previous reduction into volatile sophic argent vive, and the only -metals worth reducing, for the attainment of this _prima materia_, are -silver and gold. This argent vive is said to be dryer, hotter, and more -digested than the common substance, but its extraction is enveloped in -mystery and symbolism, and the recipes are impossible to follow for -want of the materials so evasively and deceptively described. At the -same time, it is clear that the operations are physical, and that the -materials and objects are also physical, which points are sufficient -for our purpose, and may be easily verified by research. - -Moreover, the alchemist who calls himself Raymond Lully was acquainted -with nitric acid and with its uses as a dissolvent of metals. He could -form _aqua regia_ by adding sal ammoniac, or common salt, to nitric -acid, and he was aware of its property of dissolving gold. Spirit of -wine was well known to him, says Gruelin; he strengthened it with dry -carbonate of potash, and prepared vegetable tinctures by its means. -He mentions alum from Rocca, marcasite, white and red mercurial -precipitate. He knew the volatile alkali and its coagulations by -means of alcohol. He was acquainted with cupellated silver, and first -obtained rosemary oil by distilling the plant with water.[P] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[K] This illness is referred to by another writer, with details of a -miraculous kind. “About 1275 (the chronology of all the biographers is -a chaos of confusion) he fell ill a second time, and was reduced to -such an extremity that he could take neither rest nor nourishment. On -the feast of the Conversion of St Paul, the crucified Saviour again -appeared to him, glorified, and surrounded by a most exquisite odour, -which surpassed musk, amber, and all other scents. In remembrance of -this miracle, on the same day, in the same bed and place where he lived -and slept, the same supernal odour is diffused.” - -[L] The following variation is also related:--“Finding him still alive -when they bore him to the ship, the merchants put back towards Genoa -to get help, but they were carried miraculously to Majorca, where the -martyr expired in sight of his native island. The merchants resolved to -say nothing of their precious burden, which they embalmed and preserved -religiously, being determined to transport it to Genoa. Three times -they put to sea with a wind that seemed favourable, but as often they -were forced to return into port, which proved plainly the will of God, -and obliged them to make known the martyrdom of the man whom they -revered, who was stoned for the glory of God in the town of Bugia (?) -in the year of grace 1318.” From this account it will be seen that -the place of Lully’s violent death, as well as the date on which it -occurred, are both involved in doubt. He was born under the pontificate -of Honorius IV., and died, according to Genebrand, about 1304; but -the author of the preface to the meditations of the Hermit Blaquerne -positively fixes his decease on the feast of the martyrdom of SS. Peter -and Paul, June 29, 1315, and declares that he was eighty-six years old. - -[M] _E.g._, Jean-Marie de Vernon, who extends the lists to about three -thousand, and, following the Père Pacifique de Provence, prolongs his -life by the discovery of the universal medicine. - -[N] “Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers,” ed. 1815. - -[O] Kenyon, “Gold Coins of England,” pp. 57, 58. - -[P] Gruelin, _Geschichte der Chemie_, i. 74. - - - - -ARNOLD DE VILLANOVA. - - -The date and the birthplace of this celebrated adept are alike -uncertain. Catalonia, Milan, and Montpellier have been severally named -for the locality, and 1245 is, on the whole, the probable period. - -Arnold studied medicine at Paris for twenty years, after which for ten -more he perambulated Italy, visiting the different universities. He -subsequently penetrated into Spain, but hearing that Peter d’Apono, his -friend, was in the hands of the Inquisition, he prudently withdrew, -and abode under the patronage of Frederick, King of Naples and Sicily, -writing his tracts on medicine and his “Comment on the School of -Salerno.” He is said to have perished in a storm during the year 1314, -but a circular letter written by Pope Clement V. in 1311 conjures -those living under his authority to discover, if possible, and send to -him, the “Treatise on Medicine,” written by Arnold, his physician, who -promised it to the Holy Father, but died before he could present it. In -this case the date of his decease may be more accurately fixed at 1310. - -Arnold was, according to the custom of the period, charged with -magical practices. François Pegna declares that all his erudition in -alchemy was derived from the demon. Mariana accuses him of attempting -to create a man by means of certain drugs deposited in a pumpkin. But -he is justified by Delrio from these imputations, and the orthodox -_Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes_ considers that Clement V. would -not have chosen an initiate of magical arts as his physician. In 1317 -the Inquisition of Tarragona condemned his books to be burned, but -this was for the heretical sentiments which they contained. He wrote -strictures on the monastic state and the service of religion, and -maintained that works of divine faith and charity were more agreeable -to God than the Sacrifice of the Mass. - -His skill in Hermetic philosophy has been generally recognised. -His contemporary, the celebrated Jurisconsult, John Andre, says of -him:--“In this time appeared Arnold de Villeneuve, a great theologian, -a skilful physician, and wise alchymist, who made gold, which he -submitted to all proofs.” Arnold has also the character of writing with -more light and clearness than the other philosophers. His alchemical -works were published in 1509, in one folio volume. His _Libellus de -Somniorum Interpretatione et Somnia Danielis_ is excessively rare in -its original quarto edition. Several alchemical and magical works -are gratuitously ascribed to him. Among these must be classed the -book called _De Physicis Ligaturis_, supposed to be translated from -the Arabic--_De Sigillis duodecim Signorum_, which is concerned with -the zodiacal signs--and the book of the “Three Impostors,” which the -_Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes_ denominates “stupid and infamous.” - -The _Thesaurus Thesaurorum_ and the _Rosarium Philosophorum_, the -_Speculum Alchemiæ_ and the _Perfectum Magisterium_, are the most -notable of all his alchemical treatises. To these the student should -add his _Scientia Scientiæ_ and brief _Testamentum_. The editions -are various, but the tracts will be found in collected form in the -_Bibliotheca Chemicæ Curiosa_ of J. J. Mangetus. - -Arnold asserts that argent vive is the medicine of all the metals, that -vulgar sulphur is the cause of all their imperfections, that the stone -of the philosophers is one, and that it is to be extracted from that in -which it exists. It exists in all bodies, including common argent vive. -The first physical work is the dissolution of the stone in its own -mercury to reduce it to its _prima materia_. All the operations of the -_magnum opus_ are successively described, including the composition of -the white and the red elixirs, and the multiplication of the metallic -medicine. - -The marcasite frequently mentioned by Arnold is thought to be identical -with bismuth. He was acquainted with the preparation of oil of -turpentine, oil of rosemary, and performed distillations in a glazed -earthen vessel with a glass top and helm. - - - - -JEAN DE MEUNG. - - -Poet, alchemist, and astrologer, a man of some fortune, and issued -from an ancient family, Jean de Meung was one of the chief figures -at the Court of King Philippe le Bel. He was born, according to the -latest authorities, about the middle of the thirteenth century, and -his continuation of the _Roman de la Rose_, which Guillaume de Lorris -had begun some time before the year 1260, was undertaken not in his -nineteenth year, as generally stated, but about or a little before the -age of thirty, and at the instance of the French King. - -The Romance of the Rose, “that epic of ancient France,” as Éliphas -Lévi calls it, has been generally considered by alchemists a poetic -and allegorical presentation of the secrets of the _magnum opus_. -It professes, at any rate, the principles of Hermetic Philosophy, -and Jean de Meung was also the author of “Nature’s Remonstrances -to the Alchemist” and “The Alchemist’s Answer to Nature.” Hermetic -commentaries have been written upon the romance-poem, and tradition -has ascribed to the author the accomplishment of great transmutations. -The sermon of Genius, chaplain and confessor to Dame Nature, in the -Romance, is an exhibition of the principles of chemistry, as well as -a satire on the bombastic and unintelligible preaching which was in -vogue at that period. From verse 16,914 to verse 16,997 there is much -chemical information. - -The year 1216 is the probable period of the poet’s death. The story -told of his testament has only a foundation in legend, but it is -worth repeating as evidence of the general belief in his skill as an -alchemist. - -He chose by his will, says the story, to be buried in the Church of the -Jacobins, and, as an acknowledgment, left them a coffer that appeared, -at least by its weight, to be filled with things precious, probably -with the best gold which could be manufactured by the skill of the -Hermetists. He ordered, however, that this coffer should not be opened -till after his funeral, when, touched with the piety of the deceased, -the monks assembled in great numbers to be present at its opening, and -to offer up thanks to God. They found to their great disappointment -that the coffer was filled with large pieces of slates beautifully -engraved with figures of geometry and arithmetic. The indignation of -the fathers was excited by the posthumous imposture, and they proposed -to eject the body of Jean de Meung from their consecrated precincts; -but the Parliament being informed of this inhumanity, obliged the -Jacobins, by a decree, to leave the deceased undisturbed in the -honourable sepulchre of their conventual cloisters. - -In “Nature’s Remonstrance to the Alchemist,” who is described as a -foolish and sophistical souffleur, making use of nothing but mechanical -arts, the complainant bitterly abuses the fanatical student who -diffuses over her beautiful domain the rank odours of sulphur, which -he tortures in vain over his furnaces, for by such a method he will -assuredly attain nothing. The alchemist in his “Reply” figures as a -repentant being, convinced of his errors, which he ascribes to the -barbarous allegories, parabolic sentences, and delusive precepts -contained in the writings of the adepts. - - - - -THE MONK FERARIUS. - - -About the beginning of the fourteenth century, this Italian artist gave -to the world two treatises--_De Lapide Philosophorum_ and _Thesaurus -Philosophiæ_, which are printed in the _Theatrum Chimicum_. - -The “admirable spectacle” of the palingenesis of plants is described by -this Jesuit. “Immediately consequent on exposing to the rays of the sun -the phial, filled with quintessence of the rose, there is discovered -within the narrow compass of the vase a perfect world of miracles. The -plant which lay buried in its ashes awakes, uprises, and unfolds. In -the space of half-an-hour the vegetable phœnix is resuscitated from -its own dust. The rose issues from its sepulchre and assumes a new -life. It is the floral symbol of that resurrection by which mortals -lying in darkness and in the shadow of death will pass into beautiful -immortality.” - -The treatise on the philosophical stone very pertinently remarks -that in alchemy the first thing to be ascertained is what is really -signified by the myrionimous _argentum vivum sapientum_, a point -on which the author gracefully declines information. Both works -are exceedingly obscure and vexatious. The _Thesaurus Philosophiæ_ -testifies that the plain speaking of the philosophers is completely -illusory, and that it is only in their incomprehensible profundities -that we must seek the light of Hermes. - -Alchemy is the science of the four elements, which are to be found -in all created substances, but are not of the vulgar kind. The whole -practice of the art is simply the conversion of these elements into -one another. The seed and matter of every metal is mercury, as it -is decocted and otherwise prepared in the bowels of the earth, and -each of them can be reduced into this _prima materia_, by the help -of which they are also, one and all, susceptible of augmentation and -multiplication, even to infinity. - - - - -POPE JOHN XXII. - - -This pontiff is claimed as an adept by the alchemists, a fact which -is denied, but not disproved, by his orthodox biographers. That he -believed in the power of magic is shown by the accusation which he -directed against Géraud, Bishop of Cahors, whom he accredited with -the design of poisoning him, together with the entire college of -cardinals, and with having in particular contrived sorceries and -diabolical enchantments against all of them. He was the contemporary -of Raymond Lully and Arnold de Villanova, and is said to have been the -pupil and friend of the latter. Nevertheless, the mischief occasioned -at that period by the impostures of pretended alchemists led him to -issue a bull condemning the traders in this science as charlatans who -promised what they were unable to perform. Hermetic writers assert -that this bull was not directed against veritable adepts, and his -devotion to his laboratory at Avignon seems a fairly established fact. -Franciscus Pagi, in his _Breviarum de Gestis Romanorum Pontificum_, -has the following passage:--_Joannes scripsit quoque latino sermone -artem metallorum transmutorium; quod opus prodiit Gallici incerto -translatore Lugduni, anno 1557 in 8vo_. It is allowed that he was a -writer on medicine. His _Thesaurus Pauperum_, a collection of recipes, -was printed at Lyons in 1525, and he was the author of a treatise on -diseases of the eye, and of another on the formation of the fœtus. -He was born at Cahors, according to the general opinion, of poor but -reputable parents; he showed at an early period his skill in law and -in the sciences. The circumstances of his life are exceedingly obscure -until his consecration as Bishop of Fréjus in 1300. Subsequently -he was promoted to the see of Avignon, and Clement V. created him -cardinal-bishop of Porto. He was raised to the pontificate at Lyons, -and reigned at Avignon till his death in 1334. He left behind him in -his coffers the sum of eighteen million florins in gold and seven -millions in jewels, besides valuable consecrated vessels. Alchemists -attribute these vast treasures to his skill in their science, and -assert in addition that he manufactured two hundred ingots, apparently -on a single occasion. By a calculation of one of his biographers, this -quantity of the precious metal was equivalent to £660,000, British -sterling. A treatise entitled “The Elixir of the Philosophers, or the -Transmutatory Art of Metals,” is attributed to him. It was translated -from the Latin into French, and published in duodecimo at Lyons in -1557. It is written _ad clerum_, and for this reason is probably the -more misleading. It represents the constituents of the perfect medicine -to be vinegar, salt, urine, and sal ammoniac, with the addition of an -undescribed substance called sulphur vive. - - - - -NICHOLAS FLAMEL. - - -The name of this alchemical adept has been profoundly venerated not -only in the memory of the Hermetists but in the hearts of the French -people, among whom he is the central figure of many marvellous legends -and traditions. “Whilst in all ages and nations the majority of -hierophants have derived little but deception, ruination, and despair -as the result of their devotion to alchemy, Nicholas Flamel enjoyed -permanent good fortune and serenity. Far from expending his resources -in the practice of the _magnum opus_, he added with singular suddenness -a vast treasure to a moderate fortune. These he employed in charitable -endowments and in pious foundations that long survived him and long -sanctified his memory. He built churches and chapels which were adorned -with statues of himself, accompanied by symbolical characters and -mysterious crosses, which subsequent adepts long strove to decipher, -that they might discover his secret history, and the kabbalistic -description of the process by which he was conducted to the realisation -of the Grand Magisterium.” - -Whether Flamel was born at Paris or Pontoise is not more uncertain -than the precise date of his nativity. This occurred some time during -the reign of Philippe le Bel, the spoliator of the grand order of -the Temple, and, on the whole, the most probable year is 1330. His -parents were poor, and left him little more than the humble house -in Paris which he continued to possess till his death, and which he -eventually bequeathed to the Church. It stood in Notary Street, at the -corner of Marivaux Street, opposite the Marivaux door of the Church of -Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie. - -Authorities disagree as to the amount of education that Flamel -obtained in his youth, but it was sufficient to qualify him for -the business of a scrivener, which, in spite of his wealth and his -accredited wisdom, he continued to follow through life. He was -proficient in painting and poetry, and had a taste for architecture and -the mathematical sciences; yet he applied himself steadily to business, -and contracted a prudent marriage, his choice falling on a widow, named -Pernelle, who, though handsome, was over forty years, but who brought a -considerable dowry to her second husband. - -In his capacity as a copyist before the age of printing, books of all -classes fell into the hands of Flamel, and among them were many of -those illuminated alchemical treatises which are reckoned among the -rarest treasures of mediæval manuscripts. Acquainted with the Latin -language, he insensibly accumulated an exoteric knowledge of the aims -and theories of the adepts. His interest and curiosity were awakened, -and he began studying them in his leisure moments. Now tradition -informs us that, whether his application was great, his desire intense, -or whether he was super-eminently fitted to be included by divine -election among the illuminated Sons of the Doctrine, or for whatever -other reason, the mystical Bath-Kôl appeared to him under the figure -of an angel, bearing a remarkable book bound in well-wrought copper, -the leaves of thin bark, graven right carefully with a pen of iron. An -inscription in characters of gold contained a dedication addressed to -the Jewish nation by Abraham the Jew, prince, priest, astrologer, and -philosopher. - -“Flamel,” cried the radiant apparition, “behold this book of which thou -understandest nothing; to many others but thyself it would remain for -ever unintelligible, but one day thou shalt discern in its pages what -none but thyself will see!” - -At these words Flamel eagerly stretched out his hands to take -possession of the priceless gift, but book and angel disappeared in an -auriferous tide of light. The scrivener awoke to be ravished henceforth -by the divine dream of alchemy; but so long a time passed without any -fulfilment of the angelic promise, that the ardour of his imagination -cooled, the great hope dwindled gradually away, and he was settling -once more into the commonplace existence of a plodding scribe, when, -on a certain day of election in the year 1357, an event occurred which -bore evidence of the veracity of his visionary promise-maker, and -exalted his ambition and aspirations to a furnace heat. This event, -with the consequences it entailed, are narrated in the last testament -of Nicholas Flamel, which begins in the following impressive manner, -but omits all reference to the legendary vision:-- - -“The Lord God of my life, who exalts the humble in spirit out of the -most abject dust, and makes the hearts of such as hope in Him to -rejoice, be eternally praised. - -“Who, of His own grace, reveals to the believing souls the springs of -His bounty, and subjugates beneath their feet the crowns of all earthly -felicities and glories. - -“In Him let us always put our confidence, in His fear let us place our -happiness, and in His mercy the hope and glory of restoration from our -fallen state. - -“And in our supplications to Him let us demonstrate or show forth a -faith unfeigned and stable, an assurance that shall not for ever be -shaken. - -“And Thou, O Lord God Almighty, as Thou, out of Thy infinite and most -desirable goodness, hast condescended to open the earth and unlock Thy -treasures unto me, Thy poor and unworthy servant, and hast given into -my possession the fountains and well-springs of all the treasures and -riches of this world. - -“So, O Lord God, out of Thine abundant kindness, extend Thy mercies -unto me, that when I shall cease to be any longer in the land of the -living, Thou mayst open unto me the celestial riches, the divine -treasures, and give me a part or portion in the heavenly inheritance -for ever. - -“Where I may behold Thy divine glory and the fulness of Thy Heavenly -Majesty, a pleasure, so ineffable, and a joy, so ravishing, which no -mortal can express or conceive. - -“This I entreat of Thee, O Lord, for our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy -well-beloved Son’s sake, who in the unity of the Holy Spirit liveth -with Thee, world without end. Amen. - -“I, _Nicholas Flamel_, Scrivener, living at _Paris_, anno 1399, in the -_Notary Street_, near _St James_, of the _Bouchery_, though I learned -not much Latin, because of the poorness and meanness of my parents, who -were notwithstanding (by them that envy me most) accounted honest and -good people. - -“Yet, by the blessing of God, I have not wanted an understanding of the -books of the philosophers, but learned them and attained to a certain -kind of knowledge, even of their hidden secrets. - -“For which cause sake there shall not any moment of my life pass, -wherein remembering this so vast a good, I will not on my bare knees, -if the place will permit of it, or otherwise in my heart, with all the -entireness of my affections, render thanks to this my most good and -precious God. - -“Who never forsakes the righteous generation, or suffers the children -of the just to beg their bread, nor deceives their expectations, but -supports them with blessings who put their trust in Him. - -“After the death of my parents, I, _Nicholas Flamel_, got my living by -the art of writing, engrossing inventories, making up accounts, keeping -of books, and the like. - -“In this course of living there fell by chance into my hands a gilded -book, very old and large, which cost me only two _florins_. - -“It was not made of paper or parchment, as other books are, but of -admirable rinds (as it seemed to me) of young trees. The cover of it -was of _brass_; it was well bound, and graven all over with a strange -kind of letters, which I take to be Greek characters, or some such like. - -“This I know that I could not read them, nor were they either Latin or -French letters, of which I understand something. - -“But as to the matter which was written within, it was engraven (as -I suppose) with an iron pencil or graver upon the said bark leaves, -done admirably well, and in fair and neat Latin letters, and curiously -coloured. - -“It contained thrice seven leaves, for so they were numbered in the top -of each folio, and every seventh leaf was without any writing, but in -place thereof there were several images or figures painted. - -“Upon the first seventh leaf was depicted--1. A Virgin. 2. Serpents -swallowing her up. On the second seventh, a serpent crucified; and on -the last seventh, a desert or wilderness, in midst whereof were seen -many fair fountains, whence issued out a number of serpents here and -there. - -“Upon the first of the leaves was written in capital letters of gold, -Abraham the Jew, Priest, Prince, Levite, Astrologer, and Philosopher, -to the nation of the Jews dispersed by the wrath of God in France, -wisheth health. - -“After which words, it was filled with many execrations and curses, -with this word MARANATHA, which was oft repeated against any one that -should look in to unfold it, except he were either Priest or Scribe. - -“The person that sold me this book was ignorant of its worth as well -as I who bought it. I judge it might have been stolen from some of the -Jewish nation, or else found in some place where they anciently abode. - -“In the second leaf of the book he consoled his nation, and gave them -pious counsel to turn from their wickedness and evil ways, but above -all to flee from idolatry, and to wait in patience for the coming of -the Messiah, who, conquering all the kings and potentates of the earth, -should reign in glory with his people to eternity. Without doubt, this -was a very pious, wise, and understanding man. - -“In the third leaf, and in all the writings that followed, he taught -them, in plain words, the transmutation of metals, to the end that he -might help and assist his dispersed people to pay their tribute to the -Roman Emperors, and some other things not needful here to be repeated. - -“He painted the vessels by the side or margin of the leaves, and -discovered all the colours as they should arise or appear, with all the -rest of the work. - -“But of the _prima materia_ or first matter, or agent, he spake not -so much as one word; but only he told them that in the fourth and -fifth leaves he had entirely painted or decyphered it, and depicted or -figured it, with a desirable dexterity and workmanship. - -“Now though it was singularly well and materially or intelligibly -figured and painted, yet by that could no man ever have been able to -understand it without having been well skilled in their Cabala, which -is a series of old traditions, and also to have been well studied in -their books. - -“The fourth and fifth leaf thereof was without any writing, but full of -fair figures, bright and shining, or, as it were, enlightened, and very -exquisitely depicted. - -“First, there was a young man painted, with wings at his ankles, having -in his hand a caducean rod, writhen about with two serpents, wherewith -he stroke upon an helmet covering his head. - -“This seemed in my mean apprehension to be one of the heathen gods, -namely, Mercury. Against him there came running and flying with open -wings, a great old man with an hour-glass fixed upon his head, and a -scythe in his hands, like Death, with which he would (as it were in -indignation) have cut off the feet of Mercury. - -“On the other side of the fourth leaf he painted a fair flower, on the -top of a very high mountain, which was very much shaken by the north -wind. Its footstalk was blue, its flowers white and red, and its leaves -shining like fine gold, and round about it the dragons and griffins of -the north made their nests and habitations. - -“On the fifth leaf was a fair rose-tree, flowered, in the midst of a -garden, growing up against a hollow oak, at the foot whereof bubbled -forth a fountain of pure white water, which ran headlong down into the -depths below. - -“Yet it passed through the hands of a great number of people who digged -in the earth, seeking after it, but, by reason of their blindness, none -of them knew it, except a very few, who considered its weight. - -“On the last side of the leaf was depicted a king, with a faulchion, -who caused his soldiers to slay before him many infants, the mothers -standing by, and weeping at the feet of their murderers. - -“These infants’ blood being gathered up by other soldiers, was put into -a great vessel wherein Sol and Luna came to bathe themselves. - -“And because this history seemed to represent the destruction of the -Innocents by Herod, and that I learned the chiefest part of the art in -this book, therefore I placed in their churchyard these hieroglyphic -figures of this learning. Thus have you that which was contained in the -first five leaves. - -“As for what was in all the rest of the written leaves, which was wrote -in good and intelligible Latin, I must conceal, lest God being offended -with me should send His plague and judgments upon me. It would be a -wickedness much greater than he who wished that all men in the world -had but one head, that he might cut it off at a blow. - -“Having thus obtained this delicate and precious book, I did nothing -else day and night but study it; conceiving very well all the -operations it pointed forth, but wholly ignorant of the _prima materia_ -with which I should begin, which made me very sad and discontented. - -“My wife, whose name was Perrenelle, whom I loved equally with myself, -and whom I had but lately married, was mightily concerned for me, and, -with many comforting words, earnestly desired to know how she might -deliver me from this trouble. - -“I could no longer keep counsel, but told her all, shewing her the -very book, which, when she saw, she became as well pleased with it -as myself, and with great delight beheld the admirable cover, the -engraving, the images, and exquisite figures thereof, but understood -them as little as I. - -“Yet it was matter of consolation to me to discourse and entertain -myself with her, and to think what we should do to find out the -interpretation and meaning thereof. - -“At length I caused to be painted within my chamber, as much to the -life or original as I could, all the images and figures of the said -fourth and fifth leaves. - -“These I showed to the greatest scholars and most learned men in Paris, -who understood thereof no more than myself: I told them they were found -in a book which taught the philosophers’ stone. - -“But the greatest part of them made a mock both of me and that most -excellent secret, except one whose name was Anselm, a practiser of -physic and a deep student in this art. - -“He much desired to see my book, which he valued more than anything -else in the world, but I always refused him, only making him a large -demonstration of the method. - -“He told me that the first figure represented Time, which devours all -things, and that, according to the number of the six written leaves, -there was required a space of six years to perfect the stone; and then, -said he, we must turn the glass and see it no more. - -“I told him this was not painted, but only to show the teacher the -_prima materia_, or first agent, as was written in the book. He -answered me that this digestion for six years was, as it were, a second -agent, and that certainly the first agent was there painted, which was -a white and heavy water. - -“This, without doubt, was _argent vive_, which they could not fix; that -is, cut off his feet, or take away his volubility, save by that long -digestion in the pure blood of young infants. - -“For in that this _argent vive_ being joined with Sol and Luna was -first turned with them into a plant, like that there painted, and -afterwards by corruption into serpents, which serpents, being perfectly -dried and digested, were made a fine powder of gold, which is the stone. - -“This strange or foreign discourse to the matter was the cause of my -erring, and that made me wander for the space of one and twenty years -in a perfect meander from the verity; in which space of time I went -through a thousand labyrinths or processes, but all in vain; yet never -with the blood of infants, for that I accounted wicked and villainous. - -“For I found in my book that the philosophers called blood the mineral -spirit which is in the metals, chiefly in Sol, Luna, and Mercury, -to which sense I always, in my own judgment, assented. Yet these -interpretations were, for the most part, not more subtle than true. - -“Not finding, therefore, in my operation or course of the process, the -signs, at the time written in my book, I was ever to begin again. - -“In the end, having lost all hope of ever understanding those symbols -or figures, I made a vow to God to demand their interpretation of some -Jewish priest belonging to some synagogue in Spain. - -“Whereupon, with the consent of my wife Perrenelle, carrying with me -the extract or copy of the figures or pictures, I took up a pilgrim’s -habit and staff, in the same manner as you see me figured without the -said arch, in the said churchyard in which I put these Hieroglyphic -Figures. - -“Whereupon also I have set on the wall, on both hands, the process, -representing in order all the colours of the stone, as they rise and go -away again. - -“This is, as it were, the very beginning of Hercules his book, entitled -‘Iris, or the Rainbow,’ which treats of the stone in these words:--_The -process of the work is very pleasing unto nature_. - -“And these words I also put there expressly, for the sake of great -scholars and learned men, who may understand to what they allude. - -“In this same manner, I say, I put myself upon my journey to Spain, -and so much I did that I, in a short time, arrived at Mountjoy, and, a -while after, at St James, where, with much devotion, I accomplished my -vow. - -“This done, in Leon, I, at my return, met with a merchant of Boulogne, -who brought me acquainted with a physician, M. Canches, a Jew by -nation, but now a Christian, dwelling at Leon aforesaid. - -“I showed him the extract or copy of my figures, by which he was, as it -were, ravished with great astonishment and joy. He desired immediately -if I could tell him any news of the book whence they were drawn. - -“I answered him in Latin (in which language he asked me the question) -that I doubted not of obtaining the sight of the book, if I could meet -with any one who could unfold the enigmas. Hearing this, and being -transported with great earnestness and joy, he began to decypher unto -me the beginning. To be short, he was much pleased that he was in hopes -to hear tidings of the book, and I as much pleased to hear him speak -and interpret it. And, doubtless, he had heard much talk of the book, -but it was, as he said, of a thing which was believed to be utterly -lost. Upon this, we resolved for our voyage, and from Leon we passed to -Oviedo, and thence to Sareson, where we took shipping, and went to sea -in order to go into France. - -“Our voyage was prosperous and happy, and, being arrived in the kingdom -of France, he most truly interpreted unto me the greatest part of my -figures, in which, even to the points and pricks, he could decypher -great mysteries, which were admirable to me. Having attained Orleans, -this learned man fell sick, even to death, being afflicted with extreme -vomitings, which still continued with him, as being first caused by -sea-sickness. Notwithstanding which, he was in continual fear lest I -should leave or forsake him, which was a great trouble to him. And -although I was continually by his side, yet he would be almost always -calling for me. At the end of the seventh day of his sickness he -died, which was no small grief to me, and I buried him, as well as my -condition would permit me, in a church at Orleans. - -“He that would see the manner of my arrival and the joy of Perrenelle, -let him look upon us two in the city of Paris, upon the door of the -chapel of James of the Boucherie, close by the one side of my house, -where we are both painted, kneeling and giving thanks to God. For -through the grace of God it was that I attained the perfect knowledge -of all I desired. - -“Well, I had now the _prima materia_, the first principles, yet not -their first preparation, which is a thing most difficult above all -other things in the world; but in the end I had that also, after a -long aberration, and wandering in a labyrinth of errors for the space -of three years, or thereabouts, during which time I did nothing but -study and search and labour, so as you see me depicted without this -arch where I have placed my process; praying also continually unto -God, and reading attentively in my book, pondering the words of the -philosophers, and then trying and proving the various operations, which -I thought to myself they might mean by their words. At length I found -that which I desired, which I also soon knew by the scent and odour -thereof. Having this, I easily accomplished the magistery. For knowing -the preparations of the prime agents, and then literally following the -directions in my book, I could not then miss the work if I would. - -“Having attained this, I come now to projection; the first time I -made projection was upon mercury, a pound and a half whereof, or -thereabouts, I turned into pure silver, better than that of the mine, -as I proved by assaying of it myself, and also causing others to assay -it for me several times. This was done in the year of our Lord 1382, -January 17, about noon, being Monday, in my own house, Perrenelle only -present. - -“Again, following exactly the directions in my book, literally and word -by word, I made projection of the red stone, on the like quantity, -Perrenelle only being present, and in the same house, which was done -in the same year of our Lord, namely, 1382, April 25, at five in the -afternoon. This mercury I truly transmuted into almost as much gold, -much better, indeed, than common gold, more soft also, and more pliable. - -“I speak it in all truth: I have made it three times, with the help -of Perrenelle, who understood it as well as myself, because she -assisted me in my operations. And without doubt, if she would have -done it alone, she would have brought it to the same, or full as -great, perfection as I had done. I had truly enough when I had once -done it; but I found exceeding great pleasure and delight in seeing -and contemplating _the admirable works of Nature within the vessels_, -and to show to you that I had thus done it three times, I caused to be -depicted under the same arch, three furnaces, like to those which serve -for the operations of this work. - -“I was much concerned for a long time lest Perrenelle, by reason of -extreme joy, should not hide her felicity, which I measured by my own, -and lest she should let fall some words among her relations concerning -the great treasure we possessed. For an extremity of joy takes away -the understanding as well as an extremity of grief and sorrow. But the -goodness of the most great God had not only given and filled me with -this blessing, to give me a chaste and sober wife, but she was also -a wise and prudent woman, not only capable of reason but also to do -what was reasonable, and was more discreet and secret than ordinarily -other women are. Above all, she was exceedingly religious and devout: -and therefore seeing herself without hope of children, and now well -stricken in years, she made it her business, as I did, to think of God, -and to give ourselves to the works of charity and mercy. - -“Before the time wherein I wrote this discourse, which was at the -latter end of the year of our Lord 1413, after the death of my faithful -companion, whose loss I cannot but lament all the days of my life, -she and I had already founded, and endowed with revenues, fourteen -hospitals, three chapels, and seven churches, in the city of Paris, all -which we had new built from the ground, and enriched with great gifts -and revenues, with many reparations in their churchyards. We also have -done at Boulogne about as much as we have done at Paris, not to speak -of the charitable acts which we both did to particular poor people, -principally to widows and orphans, whose names should I divulge, with -the largeness of the charity, and the way and manner of doing it, as -my reward would then be only in this world, so neither could it be -pleasing to the persons to whom we did it. - -“Building, therefore, these hospitals, chapels, churches, and -churchyards in the city, I caused to be depicted under the said -fourth arch the most true and essential marks or signs of this art, -yet under veils, types, and hieroglyphic covertures, in imitation of -those things which are contained in the gilded book of Abraham the -Jew; demonstrating to the wise, and men of understanding, the direct -and perfect way of operation, and lineary work of the philosophers’ -stone. Which being perfected by any one, takes away from him the -root of all sin and evil, which is covetousness, changing his evil -into good, and making him liberal, courteous, religious, devout, and -fearing God, however wicked he was before. For from thenceforward he -is continually ravished with the goodness of God, and with His grace -and mercy, which he has obtained from the fountain of Eternal Goodness, -with the profoundness of His divine and adorable power, and with the -consideration of His admirable works.” - -According to Langlet du Fresnoy, the evidence of these things remained -in the year 1742. In the cemetery of the Holy Innocents stood the -arch built by Flamel with the hieroglpyhic figures upon it. In two -niches, without the arch and on the cemetery side, were statues of -St James and St John. Below that of St John was the figure of Flamel -himself, reading in a book, with a Gothic N. F. to mark his name. The -progression of the colours in the order of the process, originally -represented on the wall, was, however, effaced. - -In the same cemetery was a charnel house, or receptacle for the -skulls and bones disinterred in the digging of new graves. Upon one -of the pillars of this charnel there was a Gothic N. F., with this -inscription:-- - - _Ce charnier fut fait & donné à l’Eglise, - Pour l’amour de Dieu, l’an 1399._ - -The second of these evidences was upon the Marivaux door of the Church -of Saint Jacques-la-Boucherie, where on the left side at entering was -the figure of Flamel, kneeling at the feet of St James, with a Gothic -N. upon the pedestal. The figure of Perrenelle was represented on the -opposite side, kneeling at the feet of St John, the pedestal bearing a -Gothic P. - -The third evidence was in the street of Notre Dame, at the portal of -Genevieve of Arden. There Flamel’s statue was to be seen in a niche, -kneeling with a desk at his side, looking towards St James. There was a -Gothic N. F. below and the inscription, “This portal was built in 1402, -by the alms of many.” Flamel is supposed to have concealed in this -manner that he was the principal donor, but the figure may have been -erected to his memory. - -The fourth and final evidence was in the street of the cemetery of -St Nicholas of the Fields, where there was the wall of an unfinished -hospital with figures engraven on the stone and the initials of Flamel. - -After the death of Perrenelle the bereaved adept is supposed to have -prepared for posterity several works on the supreme science which had -enriched him:--_Le Livre des Figures Hieroglyphiques_; _Le Sommaire -Philosophique_, written in verse after the manner of the _Roman de -la Rose_; _Trois Traités de la Transformation Metallique_, also in -rhymed verse; _Le Desir Désiré, ou Trésor de Philosophie_; _Le Grand -Eclaircissement de la Pierre Philosophale pour la Transmutation de tous -Métaux_; _La Musique Chimique_; _Annotationes in D. Zacharmin_, &c. - -Approaching near the end of his life, and having no children, he chose -his burial place in the parish church of St Jacques-la-Boucherie, -before the crucifix. To this end he made a contract with the wardens of -the church, which is mentioned in his testament. He then disposed of -his property and goods to the church and to the poor, as may be seen in -his will, which is lodged in the archives of St Jacques. It is dated -the 22nd November 1416, and begins thus:--“To all those to whom these -present letters shall come, I, Annegny du Castel, chevalier, counsellor -chambellan of the King, our Sire, Keeper of the Prevot of Paris, -greeting: Know ye, that before Hugues de la Barre and Jean de la Noe, -notary clerks of the King, at the Chatelet, was established personally, -Nicholas Flamel, scrivener, sound in body and mind, speaking clearly, -with good and true understanding,” &c. It fills four sheets of -parchment, which are sewed one to the end of the other, like the rolls -of ancient writing. It contains thirty-four articles; in the twentieth -he bequeaths to his relations the sum of forty livres. He lived three -years after making this will, dying about 1419. - - * * * * * - -Hostile criticism has endeavoured to destroy the testimony which -the history of Flamel affords to the reality of transmutation, and -has adopted various means. It has attempted to disprove his wealth -by reducing his munificence, representing him simply as an honest -bourgeois, who, thanks to his economy and his assiduity, acquired a -comfortable competence, which a childless condition enabled him to -devote to works of benevolence, and to the erection of public buildings -on a moderate scale. The alchemical testaments and treatises attributed -to him are condemned one and all as absolutely spurious. The chief -expositor of this view is the Abbé L. Vilain in his _Essai sur une -Histoire de Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie_, published in duodecimo at -Paris, in 1758, and again in a _Histoire Critique de Nicolas Flamel et -de Pernel sa Femme_, Paris, 1782, &c. - -It must be granted out of hand that all the alchemical compositions -which have passed under the name of Flamel are open to more or less -suspicion, and some are undoubtedly forgeries. The work on metallic -transmutation, which is the earliest traceable treatise, was unheard of -till a hundred and forty-three years after the death of its accredited -author. It was published in the year 1561 by Jacques Goharry. _Le Grand -Eclaircissement_ first saw the light in 1628, when the editor, who -apparently abounded in Flamel manuscripts, promised the publication in -addition of _La Joie Parfaite de Moi, Nicolas Flamel, et de Pernelle, -ma Femme_, which has not, however, appeared. - -On the other hand, there are strong arguments for the genuineness of -the _Trésor de Philosophie_. “There exists in the _Bibliothèque du -Roi_” says M. Auguste Vallet, “a small manuscript book, _grossement -relié_, according to all appearance belonging to the end of the -fourteenth century, and which treats of alchemical operations. It -commences with these words:-- - -“‘Excipit the True Practice of the Noble Science of Alchemy, the -desired desire, and the prize unappraisable, compiled from all the -philosophers, and drawn out of ancient works.’ - -“It teaches the manner of accomplishing the _Magnum Opus_ by the -aid of successive operations, which are termed _Lavures_ in this -treatise. On the last leaf of the manuscript is the following -inscription written by the same hand as the rest of the text:--‘The -present book is of and belonging to Nicolas Flamel, of the Parish -Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, who has written and illuminated it with -his own hand.’” - -With regard to the extent of the scrivener’s resources, the genuine -testament of Pernelle, dated 1399, and the endowments of hospitals and -churches which undoubtedly took place on a scale of great munificence, -are a sufficient evidence that he was an exceedingly wealthy man. - -Other critics, including Louis Figuier, admit the fact of his riches, -but enlarge upon the remunerative nature of a scrivener’s occupation -previous to the invention of printing, and upon the careful frugality -of the supposed alchemist; but in the teeth of their own theory they -are obliged to admit that Flamel did become a student of alchemy, -that the hieroglyphics, figures, and emblems in the Cemetery of the -Holy Innocents are evidence of this fact; that, unlike most followers -of Hermes, he was not impoverished by his experiments; and that he -fostered the report that his wealth was in the main a result of his -possession of the mysterious book of Abraham, by which he had been able -to compose the philosophical stone. - -Gabriel Naudé, who detested magic, and seems to have despised alchemy, -vilifying the possessors of both of these sciences alike, accounts -for the riches of Flamel by asserting that he managed affairs for the -Jews, and upon their banishment from the kingdom of France, and the -confiscation of their property for the king, “he, knowing the sums due -by several individuals, compromised, by receiving a part, which they -paid him to prevent his giving information which would oblige them to -surrender it entirely.” - -This explanation of the source of Flamel’s riches is a purely unfounded -assertion. If we carefully examine history, there were three expulsions -of the Jews from France between 1300 and 1420. They were banished in -1308, were soon after allowed to return, and were again banished in -1320. These persecutions occurred before the birth of Flamel. The Jews -were re-established by Charles V. in 1364, and they remained in quiet -until the riots which occurred in Paris in 1380, at the beginning of -the reign of Charles VI., when the people rose up against the Jews, -committing great outrages and demanding their expulsion. The sedition, -however, was quelled, and the Jews protected until 1393, when, upon -several charges preferred against them, they were enjoined to quit -France, or else become Christians. The historian Mezeray says that -some of them chose rather to quit their religion than the kingdom, -but others sold their goods and retired. Thus it appears that the -only expulsion of the Jews which could agree with Naudé’s surmise was -without the confiscation of their property, and, therefore, could not -give Flamel the opportunity alleged, if, indeed, it were reasonable to -suppose that all the Parisian Israelites entrusted their affairs to a -single person, when it does not appear that necessity required such -an agency. There is, therefore, no reason to suppose that Flamel was -enriched by the property of the Jews, or that those who owed them money -compounded with Flamel, lest he should denounce them to the king.[Q] - -Thus the theories of hostile criticism break down before impartial -examination, and to whatever source we may choose to ascribe the wealth -of Nicholas Flamel, we have no reason to question his integrity, nor -to deny the explanation of the alchemists, except upon the _à priori_ -ground of the impossibility of transmutation. - -The divine gift which was so fortunate a possession to Flamel is -supposed to have been a curse to his descendants. He is reported to -have given some of the transmuting powder to M. Perrier, a nephew of -Perrenelle. From him it descended to Dr Perrier, and was found among -his effects at his death by his grandson, Dubois. The prudence and -moderation that accompanied the gift to the Perriers was not found in -Dubois. He exhibited the sacred miracle to improper persons, says an -anonymous writer on alchemy, and was brought before Louis XIII., in -whose presence he made gold of base metal, and this gold augmented its -weight in the cupel. The consequence of this generosity was an infamous -death. The vanity of Dubois was in proportion to his imprudence. He -fancied that he could make or augment the powder, and promised to do -so, but without success. It seems that he was, consequently, suspected -of withholding the art from the king, a circumstance sufficient in -politics to justify strong measures, lest the possessor of the sinews -of war should go over to the enemy. - -Whatever were the charges against Dubois, he was hanged, and his fate -should be a proof, says the writer already quoted, that a science -producing unbounded riches is the greatest misfortune to those who are -unfitted and unprepared to manage the dangerous trust with discretion. - -After the death of Flamel, many persons supposed that there must be -doubtless some buried treasures in the house which he had inhabited -during so many years, and in which all his Hermetical triumphs had -been performed. This opinion existed in all its strength, at least in -the mind of one individual, so late as the year 1576, when a stranger -applied to the Prévôt of Paris, and stated that he had been entrusted -by a deceased friend with certain sums for the restoration of Flamel’s -house. As the building was exceedingly dilapidated, the magistrates -availed themselves of the opportunity, and repairs were begun under the -direction of delegates of the works of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie. -The true object of the stranger soon became evident by the -determination with which he sought to lay bare the whole foundations -of the house, which was ransacked from top to bottom in search of the -treasures it was supposed to conceal. No discoveries rewarded the zeal -of the investigation, which ended in the sudden disappearance of the -stranger, without paying for the operations which he had caused to be -set on foot. - -As a completion to the history of Flamel, it may be entertaining to -quote an extraordinary account which is seriously narrated by Paul -Lucas in his “Journey through Asia Minor.” - -“I was at Bronosa, in Natolia, and going to take the air with a person -of distinction, came to a little mosque, which was adorned with -gardens and fountains for a public walk; we were quickly introduced -into a cloister, where we found four dervishes, who received us with -all imaginable civility, and desired us to partake of what they were -eating. We were told, what we soon found to be true, that they were -all persons of the greatest worth and learning; one of them, who said -he was of Usbec Tartary, appeared to be more accomplished than the -rest, and I believe verily he spoke all the principal languages of the -world. After we had conversed in Turkish, he asked me if I could speak -Latin, Spanish, or Italian. I told him, if he pleased, to speak to -me in Italian; but he soon discovered by my accent that it was not my -mother-tongue, and asked me frankly what country I came from? As soon -as he knew that I was a native of France, he spoke to me in as good -French as if he had been brought up at Paris. ‘How long, sir,’ said I, -‘did you stay in France?’ He replied he had never been there, but that -he had a great inclination to undertake the journey. - -“I did all in my power to strengthen that resolution, and to convince -him that France was the nursery of the learned, and its king a patron -of the sciences, who defrayed the expense of my travels for collecting -notices of antiquities, drawings of monuments, correcting maps, and -making a collection of ancient coins, manuscripts, &c., all of which he -seemed to approve civilly. Our conversation being ended, the dervishes -brought us to their house, at the foot of the mountain, where, having -drank coffee, I took my leave, but with a promise, however, that I -would shortly come and see them again. - -“On the 10th, the dervish whom I took for an Usbec came to pay me a -visit. I shewed him all the manuscripts I had bought, and he assured -me they were very valuable, and written by great authors. He was a -man every way extraordinary in learning; and in external appearance -he seemed to be about thirty years old, but from his discourse I was -persuaded he had lived a century. - -“He told me he was one of seven friends, who travelled to perfect their -studies, and, every twenty years, met in a place previously appointed. -I perceived that Bronosa was the place of their present meeting, and -that four of them had arrived. Religion and natural philosophy took up -our thoughts by turns; and at last we fell upon chemistry, alchemy, -and the Cabala. I told him all these, and especially the philosophers’ -stone, were regarded by most men of sense as mere fictions. - -“‘That,’ replied he, ‘should not surprise you; the sage hears the -ignorant without being shocked, but does not for that reason sink his -understanding to the same level. When I speak of a sage, I mean one -who sees all things die and revive without concern: he has more riches -in his power than the greatest king, but lives temperately, above the -power of events.’ - -“Here I stopped him:--‘With all these fine maxims, the sage dies -as well as other people.’ ‘Alas!’ said he, ‘I perceive you are -unacquainted with sublime science. Such a one as I describe dies -indeed, for death is inevitable, but he does not die before the utmost -limits of his mortal existence. Hereditary disease and weakness reduce -the life of man, but the sage, by the use of the true medicine, can -ward off whatever may hinder or impair the animal functions for a -thousand years.’ - -“Surprised at all I heard, ‘And would you persuade me,’ said I, ‘that -all who possessed the philosophers’ stone have lived a thousand years?’ -He replied gravely:--‘Without doubt every one might; it depends -entirely on themselves.’ At last I took the liberty of naming the -celebrated Flamel, who, it was said, possessed the philosophers’ stone, -yet was certainly dead. He smiled at my simplicity, and asked with an -air of mirth:--‘Do you really believe this? No, no, my friend, Flamel -is still living; neither he nor his wife are dead. It is not above -three years since I left both the one and the other in the Indies; he -is one of my best friends.’ Whereupon he told me the history of Flamel, -as he heard it from himself, the same as I had read in his book, -until at last when Charles VI., who was then upon the throne, sent M. -Cramoisi, a magistrate, and his master of requests, to enquire from -Flamel the origin of his riches, when the latter at once saw the danger -he was in. Having sent her into Switzerland to await his coming, he -spread a report of his wife’s death, had her funeral celebrated, and in -a few years ordered his own coffin to be interred. Since that time they -have both lived a philosophic life, sometimes in one country, sometimes -in another. This is the true history, and not that which is believed at -Paris, where there are very few who ever had the least glimpse of true -wisdom.’” - - * * * * * - -According to the “Treasure of Philosophy,” alchemy as a science -consists in the knowledge of the four elements of philosophers, which -are not to be identified with the vulgar so-called elements, and which -are convertible one into another. The true _prima materia_ is mercury, -prepared and congealed in the bowels of the earth by the mediation of -the heat of sulphur. This is the sperm and semen of all metals, which, -like other created things, are capable of a growth and multiplication -that may be continued even to infinity. The first step in transmutation -is the reduction of the metals worked upon into their first mercurial -matter, and this reduction is the subject of the whole treatise. - -It does not appear that the alchemical works attributed to Nicholas -Flamel have added anything to our knowledge of chemistry. On the other -hand, it is perfectly clear from his history that the physical object -of Alchemy was the end which he kept in view, and that also which he is -supposed to have attained. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Q] According to Louis Figuier, there were two minor persecutions of -the Jews, one in 1346, when Flamel was merely a boy, and the other in -1354, when he was scarcely established in business. - - - - -PETER BONO. - - -This adept, born in Lombardy, was an inhabitant of Pola, a seaport of -Istria, where he affirms that he made the much desired transmuting -metal of the sages, in the year 1330. He wrote and published a -complete treatise on the art under the title _Margarita Pretiosa_. -Lacinius, a monk of Calabria, has printed a faithful abridgment of it, -which appeared at Venice in 1546. An _Introductio in Artem Divinam -Alchimiæ_, 1602, and _De Secreto Omnium Secretorum_, Venet. 1546, are -ascribed to this adept. - -The first of these works is an exceedingly comprehensive, conscientious -treatise on the history, the theory, and the practice of alchemy, -written after the manner of the scholastics, and naturally containing -much irrelevant matter, but for all this very useful and even -interesting. The difficulties of the art are manfully faced, the -sophistications, deceptions, and contradictions of its professors are -reproved, and the author attempts to show that alchemy is in reality a -short art and a slight practice, though full of truth and nobility. His -other opinions are also of a revolutionary character. - - - - -JOHANNES DE RUPECISSA. - - -This writer is considered one of the most remarkable of the Hermetic -philosophers. He abounds with prophetic passages, and denounces -the fate of nations, but in his alchemical explanation of things -physical is obscure even for an adept. Nothing is known of his -life,[R] beyond the nobility of his origin and his imprisonment in -1357, by Pope Innocent VI., whom he had reprehended. The illustrious -Montfauçon was one of his descendants, and he poses as an initiate of -the secret chemistry in the following works:--“The Book of Light,” -“The Five Essences,” _Cœlum Philosophorum_, and his most celebrated -treatise _De Confectione Lapidis_. There he declares that the matter -of the philosophical stone is a viscous water which is to be found -everywhere, but if the stone itself should be openly named, the whole -world would be revolutionised. The divine science possessed by the wise -is somewhat poetically celebrated as an incomparable treasure. Its -initiates are enriched with an infinite wealth beyond all the kings of -the earth; they are just before God and men, and in enjoyment of the -special favour of Heaven. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[R] He is said to have been a French monk of the order of St Francis. - - - - -BASIL VALENTINE. - - -One of the most illustrious of the adept philosophers is unquestionably -Basilius Valentinus, born at Mayence, and made prior of St Peter’s at -Erfurt in 1414. His name was supposed to be fictitious and adopted for -the purpose of concealing some accomplished artist, but the history -of the city of Erfurt, published by J. M. Gudemus assures us of the -existence and name of the philosopher, on the authority of the public -records, and shows us that in 1413 he was an inmate of the monastic -house already mentioned, and that he distinguished himself by a -profound knowledge of nature.[S] As the work of Gudemus was printed -in 1675, the veracity of the _Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes_, -written in the interests of religion and for the blackening of the -secret sciences, may be judged by the following passage:--“His life is -so mixed up with fables that some have disbelieved in his existence. He -is represented flourishing in the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and -fifteenth centuries; it is even added, _without the smallest proof_, -that he was a benedictine at Erfurt.” - -According to Olaus Borrichius, he enclosed his writings in one of -the pillars of the abbey church; they remained for many years in -this hiding-place, but were at length discovered by the fortunate -violence of a thunderbolt. He was the first who introduced antimony -into medicine, and it is said that he originally tried the effects of -antimonial medicines upon the monks of his convent, upon whom they -acted with such undue violence “that he was induced to distinguish the -mineral from which these medicines had been extracted by the name of -_antimoine_--hostile to monks.” But Thomson, who relates this anecdote -in his “History of Chemistry,” shows the improbability of it, for the -works of Basil Valentine, and in particular his _Currus Triumphalis -Antimonii_, were written in the German language. Now the German name -for antimony is _speissglas_ and not antimoine, which is French. - -Basil Valentine denounces the physicians of his time with the fury -of Paracelsus. The most ancient systems of chemical philosophy are -preserved in his experiments. He exalts antimony as an excellent -medicine for those who are acquainted with alchemical secrets. To -others it is a poison of the most powerful nature. - -No further particulars of the life of Basil Valentine have descended -to posterity. Numerous works have been printed in his name, and the -authenticity of several is questionable. He wrote in high Dutch, -and comparatively few of his treatises have been translated into -other languages. The best are as follows:--1. _De Microcosmo deque -Magno Mundi Mysterio et Medecina Hominis_, Marpurg, 1609, 8vo; -2. _Azoth, sive Aurelia Philosophorum_, Francfurt, 1613, 4to; 3. -_Practica, unà cum duodecim Clavibus et Appendice_, Francfurt, 1611, -4to; 4. _Apocalypsis Chymica_, Erfurt, 1624, 8vo; 5. _Manifestatio -Artificiorum_, Erfurt, 1624, 8vo; 6. _Currus Triumphalis Antimonii_, -Lipsiæ, 1624, 8vo; 7. _Tractatus Chimico-Philosophicus de Rebus -Naturalibus et Prœternaturalibus metallorum et mineralium_, Francfurt, -1676, 8vo; 8. _Haliographia, de præparatione, usu, ac virtutibus -omnium Salium Mineralium, Animalium, ac Vegetabilium, ex manuscriptis -Basilii Valentini collecta ab Ant. Salmincio_, Bologna, 1644, 8vo. - -Every letter and syllable of the “Triumphal Chariot of Antimony” -is declared to have its special significance. “Even to the pointes -and prickes” it bristles with divine meanings and mysteries. The -metrical treatise on the first matter of the philosophers declares -that this stone is composed of white and red, that it is a stone, -and yet scarcely a stone; one nature operates therein. Those who -desire to attain it, Basil elsewhere informs us, must labour in -much prayer, confess their sins, and do good. Many are called, but -few chosen to this supreme knowledge. The study of the works of the -philosophers and practical experiment are both recommended. There -is much in the writings of Basil, in his suggestive if impenetrable -allegories, in his curious Kabbalistical symbols, and in his earnest -spirituality, to suggest a psychic interpretation of his aims and his -principles. This is particularly noticeable in the “Triumphal Chariot -of Antimony,” and yet it is clear from this remarkable work, which is -the masterpiece of its author, that Basil Valentine was one of the -most illustrious physical chemists of his age. He was the first to -describe the extraction of antimony from the sulphuret, though it does -not appear that he was the inventor of this process. Previous to his -investigations the properties of antimony were almost unknown. He was -also acquainted with the method of obtaining chlorohydric acid from -sea-salt and sulphuric acid, with the method of obtaining brandy by the -distillation of beer and wine, and the rectification of the result by -means of carbonate of potassium, and with many other operations which -eminently assisted the progress of chemistry. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[S] Eadem ætate (scilicet anno 1413) Basilius Valentinus in divi Patri -monasteris vixit arte medica _et naturale indagatione admirabilis_. - - - - -ISAAC OF HOLLAND. - - -Contemporary with Basilius Valentinus were Isaac the Hollander and his -son, who are supposed to have worked with success. They were the first -alchemists of Holland, and their operations were highly esteemed by -Paracelsus, Boyle, and Kunckel. In practical chemistry they followed -the traditions of Geber, and their alchemical experiments are the most -plain and explicit in the whole range of Hermetic literature. They -worked principally in metals, describing minutely the particulars of -every process. Their lives are almost unknown. “Buried in the obscurity -necessary to adepts, they were occupied in the practice of the Hermetic -science, and their study or laboratory was the daily scene of their -industrious existence.”[T] - -They are placed in the fifteenth century by conjecture, from the fact -that they do not cite any philosophers subsequent to that period. They -speak of Geber, Dastin, Morien, and Arnold, but not of more modern -authorities, while, on the other hand, their references to aquafortis -and aqua-regiæ, which were discovered in the fourteenth century, -prevent us from assigning their labours to an anterior epoch. - -The two Isaacs were particularly skilful in the manufacture of enamels -and of artificial gem-stones. They taught that the Grand Magisterium -could convert a million times its own weight into gold, and declared -that any person taking weekly a small portion of the philosophical -stone will be ever preserved in perfect health, and his life will be -prolonged to the very last hour which God has assigned to him. - -The _Opera Mineralia Joannis Isaaci Hollandi, sive de Lapide -Philosophico_ is a long and elaborate treatise on the one method of -exalting the dead and impure metals into true _Sol_ and _Luna_. The -first matter is said to be Saturn, or lead, and the vessels in which it -is to be calcined and otherwise adapted to the purposes of aurific art, -are plainly figured in illustrations introduced into the text. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[T] “Lives of Alchemysticall Philosophers.” Ed. of 1815. - - - - -BERNARD TRÉVISAN. - - -Bernard Compte de la Marche Trévisane is accredited by the popular -legends of France with the powers of a sorcerer in possession of a -devil’s bird or familiar spirit; nevertheless, he is called “the good,” -and enjoyed a particular reputation for benevolence. - -Descendant of a distinguished Paduan family, Bernard Trévisan began to -study the time-honoured science of alchemy about the time that Basil in -Germany, and the two Isaacs in Holland were prosecuting their labours -with supposed success. His father was a physician of Padua, where he -himself was born in the year 1406. The account of his alchemical errors -must rank among the most curious anecdotes in the annals of occult -chemistry. - -At the age of fourteen years, under the auspices of a grandfather, -and with the full consent of his family, he devoted his attention to -alchemy, which henceforth was the absorbing occupation of his life. -Seeking initiation into the first principles of the art, he began by -the study of Geber and Rhasis, believing they would supply him with a -method of multiplying his patrimony a hundred fold. The experiments -which he undertook during his costly tuition by these oracular masters -resulted in the futile dissipation of eight hundred, or, according -to another account, of three thousand crowns. He was surrounded by -pretended philosophers, who, finding him wealthy and eager in the -penetration of tantalising mysteries, proffered the secrets which they -neither possessed nor understood, obtaining a fraudulent subsistence at -the expense of the boy alchemist. - -Disappointed, but not discouraged, he dismissed these impostors -at length, and devoted his concentrated attention to the works of -Rupecissa and Archelaus Sacrobosco, whom he literally followed for a -time in all his practical operations. Hoping to profit by the help of -a prudent companion, he associated himself with a good monk with whom -he experimented in concert for the space of three years. They rectified -spirits of wine more than thirty times “till they could not find -glasses strong enough to hold it.” These operations cost nearly three -hundred crowns. - -For fifteen years he continued his preliminary experiences, and at -the end of that time he had purchased a perfect knowledge of all -the highways and byways of alchemical rogueries, and was intimately -acquainted with an enormous variety of substances, mineral, metallic, -and otherwise, which did not apparently enter into the composition of -the stone philosophical. He calculates the cost of these experiences -to have been roughly six thousand crowns. He had laboured in vain -to congeal, dissolve, and sublime common salt, sal ammoniac, every -variety of alum, and copperas. He even proceeded upon ordure, both of -man and beasts, by distillation, circulation, and sublimation. These -experiments, based on the literal interpretation of the allegories -of the _turba philosophorum_, again resulted in failure, and at last -discouraged beyond words at the loss of his time and his fortune, he -betook himself to prayer, hoping to discover the aim of the alchemists -by the grace and favour of God. In conjunction with a magistrate of his -country, he subsequently endeavoured to compose the philosophical stone -with sea salt as the chief ingredient. He rectified it fifteen times -during the space of a year and a half without finding any alteration -in its nature, whereupon he abandoned the process for another proposed -by the magistrate, namely, the dissolution of silver and mercury by -means of aquafortis. These dissolutions, undertaken separately, were -left to themselves for a year, and then combined and concentrated over -hot ashes to reduce their original volume to two-thirds. The residuum -of this operation, placed in a narrow crucible, was exposed to the -action of the solar rays, and afterwards to the air, in the hopes that -it would crystallize. Twenty-two phials were filled with the mixture, -and five years were devoted to the whole operation, but at the end -of that period no crystallization had taken place, and thus was this -operation abandoned, like the rest, as a failure. - -Bernard Trévisan was now forty-six years old, and at the end of his -experimental resources he determined to travel in search of true -alchemists. In this manner he met with a monk of Citeaux, Maître -Geofroi de Lemorier, who was in possession of a hitherto unheard of -process. They purchased two thousand hens’ eggs, hardened them in -boiling water, and removed the shells, which they calcined in a fire. -They separated the whites from the yolks, which they putrified in -horse manure. The result was distilled thirty several times for the -extraction of a white and red water. These operations were continually -repeated with many variations, and vainly occupied eight years more of -the toil-worn seeker’s life. - -Disappointed, disheartened, but still pertinaciously adhering to -his search after the Grand Secret, Trévisan now set to work with a -protonotary of Bruges, whom he describes as a great theologian, and -who pretended to extract the stone from sulphate of iron (copperas) by -distillation with vinegar. They began by calcining the sulphate for -three months, when it was soaked in the vinegar, which had been eight -times distilled. The mixture was placed in an alembic, and distilled -fifteen times daily for a year, at the end of which the seeker was -rewarded by a quartan fever which consumed him for fourteen months, and -which almost cost him his life. - -He was scarcely restored to health when he heard from a clerk that -Maître Henry, the confessor of the German Emperor, Frederick III., -was in possession of the philosophical stone. He immediately set out -for Germany, accompanied by some baffled sons of Hermes like himself. -They contrived, _par grands moyens et grands amis_, to be introduced -to the confessor, and began to work in conjunction with him. Bernard -contributed ten marks of silver, and the others thirty-two, for -the indispensable expenses of the process, which consisted in the -combination of mercury, silver, oil of olives, and sulphur. The whole -was dissolved over a moderate fire, and continually stirred. In two -months it was placed in a glass phial, which they covered with clay, -and afterwards with hot ashes. Lead, dissolved in a crucible, was -added after three weeks, and the product of this fusion was subjected -to refinement. At the end of these operations the imperial confessor -expected that the silver which had entered into the combination would -be augmented at least by a third, but, on the contrary, it was reduced -to a fourth. - -Bernard Trévisan in utter despair determined to abandon all further -experiments. The resolution was applauded by his family, but in two -months the Circean power of the secret chemistry had asserted its -former dominion over the whole being of its martyr, who, in a fever of -eagerness, recommenced his travels, and visited Spain, Italy, England, -Scotland, Holland, Germany, and France. Then, anxious to drink at -the oriental fountains of alchemy, he spent several years in Egypt, -Persia, and Palestine, after which he passed into southern Greece, -visiting remote convents and experimenting in conjunction with monks -of reputation in the science. In every country he found there were -alchemists at work, but of those who were successful he could hear -no account. The true philosophers declined to make themselves known, -while impostors, in search of the credulous, presented themselves on -all sides. Bernard expended in these travels, and in false operations -connected with them, about thirteen thousand crowns, and was forced -to sell an estate which yielded eight thousand German florins per -annum. He was now sixty-two years of age, and as he had been deaf to -the remonstrances of his family, he saw himself despised and on the -threshold of want and misery. He endeavoured to conceal his poverty, -and fixed on the Isle of Rhodes, wherein to live entirely unknown. Now, -at Rhodes he became acquainted with _un grand clerc et religieux_, -who was addicted to philosophy, and commonly reported to be enjoying -the philosophical stone. He managed to borrow eight thousand florins, -and laboured with this monk in the dissolution of gold, silver, and -corrosive sublimate; he accomplished so much in the space of three -years that he expended the funds he had raised, and was again at the -end of his resources. Thus, effectually prevented from continuing the -practice, he returned to the study of the philosophers, and after eight -years, at the age of seventy-three, he professes to have discovered -their secret. By comparing the adepts and examining in what things they -agree, and in what they differ, he judged that the truth must lie in -those maxims wherein they were practically unanimous. He informs us -that it was two years before he put his discovery to the test; it was -crowned with success, and notwithstanding the infirmities of old age, -he lived for some time in the enjoyment of his tardy reward. - -The chief work of Trévisan is _La Philosophie Naturelle des Métaux_. -He insists on the necessity of strong and discreet meditation in all -students of Hermetic philosophy. Their operations must wait on nature, -and not nature on their arbitrary processes. Mercury is said to be -the water of metals, “in which, by a mutual alteration, it assumes -in a convertible manner their mutations.” Gold is simply quicksilver -coagulated by the power of sulphur. The secret of dissolution is the -whole mystery of the art, and it is to be accomplished not by means -of fire, as some have supposed, but, with the help of mercury, in -an abstruse manner, which is not really indicated by the adept. The -work of nature is assisted by alchemy, which mingles ripe gold with -quicksilver, the gold comprising in itself a well-digested sulphur, -by which it matures the mercury to the “anatide proportion” of gold, -subtilising the elements and wonderfully abbreviating the natural -process for producing the precious metal of the mines. - - - - -JOHN FONTAINE. - - -The life of this artist is buried in the obscurity of his closet or -laboratory, where he divided his time between attention to his furnaces -and the composition of curious verses. He was alive at Valenciennes -in the year 1413. His Hermetic poem, _Aux Amoureux de Science_, has -been printed several times. The author announces that he is an adept, -and describes in an allegorical manner, after the fashion of the -“Romance of the Rose,” and in the same quaint and beautiful tongue, -the different processes which enter into the art of transmutation. His -little work may be profitably studied by the neophytes of practical -alchemy, though its benefits are of a negative kind, but its paradise -of dainty devices and its old world nature pictures are better suited -to the poet and the poetic interpretation of symbols. - - - - -THOMAS NORTON. - - -The scientific methods of Ripley were followed by this alchemist, who -was born in the city of Bristol. He wrote anonymously, but the initial -syllables in the six first lines, and the first line in the seventh -chapter of his “Ordinall of Alchemy,” compose the following couplet:-- - - “Thomas Norton of Briseto, - A parfet master you may him trow.” - -At the age of twenty-eight, and in the brief space of forty days, he -is recorded to have mastered “the perfection of chymistry,” obtaining -his knowledge from a contemporary adept, who appears to have been -Ripley himself. He describes his initiator as a person of noble mind, -worthy of all praise, loving justice, detesting fraud, reserved when -surrounded by a talkative company, quite unassuming, and if ever the -conversation turned upon the Great Art, preserving complete silence. -For a long time Norton sought him in vain; the adept proved him by -various trials, but when he was satisfied of his disposition, manners, -and habits, as well as of his strength of mind, his love yielded to the -fidelity and perseverance of his postulant, and in answer to one of his -letters he addressed him as follows:-- - -“MY TRUSTY AND WELL-BELOVED BROTHER,--I shall not any longer delay; -the time is come; you shall receive this grace. Your honest desire and -approved virtue, your love of truth, wisdom, and long perseverance, -shall accomplish your sorrowful desires. - -“It is necessary that, as soon as convenient, we speak together face -to face, lest I should by writing betray my trust. I will make you my -heir and brother in this art, as I am setting out to travel in foreign -countries. Give thanks to God, Who, next to His spiritual servants, -honours the sons of this sacred science.” - -Norton lost no time in undertaking a journey to his instructor, and -rode upwards of a hundred miles on horseback to reach the abode of the -adept. During the forty days already mentioned he received the advice -and directions of his friend. He was already to a great extent prepared -for initiation by a long course of natural philosophy, as well as by -the study of the occult and curious sciences. The “disclosure of the -bonds of nature” took place, and he became convinced of the truth -and certainty of the art by the rationality of its theorems. He felt -confident of success in the practice, but the adept, on account of his -youth, refused to instruct him in the process from the white to the red -powder, lest the divine gift should be misused in a moment of passion. -In due time, and after further proofs of his capacity and integrity, he -would communicate the work of the medicinal stone. This, the supreme -desire of the neophyte, was afterwards accomplished. - -The chemical operations of Norton were destined, however, to meet with -two signal disappointments. He had almost perfected the tincture, when -his own servant, who was employed in the care of the furnace, believing -that the prize was complete, carried it away. He again undertook the -process and succeeded in making the elixir, but he complains that it -was stolen by the wife of a merchant, said to be William Canning, Mayor -of Bristol, who suddenly started into great wealth, and who built the -splendid and lofty steeple of St Mary’s, Radcliffe, besides enlarging -Westbury College. - -It is doubtful whether Thomas Norton ever enjoyed the fruits of his -supposed knowledge. He does not speak of his own transmutations, and -if he is called by one of his contemporaries _alchemista suo tempore -peritissimus_, by others he is termed _Nugarum opifex in frivola -scientia_. The latter declare that he undid himself by his labours, -and that all his friends who trusted him with their money were as much -ruined as himself. According to Fuller, he lived and died very poor; -nevertheless his family appears to have been held in high repute under -King Henry VIII. There were nine brothers of the name of Norton. One -anonymous writer asserts that they were all of them knights. The tomb -of Sampson Norton, master of the king’s ordnance, and buried in Fulham -Church, was adorned with Hermetic paintings, according to one account, -but Faulkner, in his historical account of Fulham, describes it as -a rich Gothic monument, ornamented with foliage and oak-leaves, and -bearing an obliterated inscription. - -Thomas Norton died in 1477. His grandson Samuel followed in his steps -as an alchemist, and was the author of several Hermetic treatises, -which are not very highly esteemed. - - * * * * * - -“The Ordinal of Alchemy” testifies that the stone is one. In appearance -it is a subtle earth, brown, and opaque; it stands the fire, and is -considered to be of no value. There is also another and glorious stone, -which is termed the philosophical magnesia. Alchemy is a wonderful -science, a secret philosophy, a singular grace and free gift of the -Almighty, which was never discovered by independent human labour, but -only by revelation or the instruction of one of the adepts. - - “It helpeth a man when he hath neede, - It voideth vaine Glory, Hope, and also Dreade: - It voideth Ambitiousnesse, Extorcion, and Excesse, - It fenceth Adversity that shee doe not oppresse. - He that thereof hath his full intent, - Forsaketh Extremities, with Measure is content.” - -A certain mineral virtue is said to be the efficient cause in -the production of metals in the bowels of the earth; it is in -correspondence with the virtues of the celestial spheres. The red stone -lengthens life, but it is vain to seek it till after the confection of -the white. - - - - -THOMAS DALTON. - - -The only account of this English adept is preserved by Thomas Norton. -He was alive in the year 1450, and is described as a religious man, who -enjoyed a good reputation till, upon suspicion that he had a large mass -of transmuting powder, he was taken from his abbey in Gloucestershire -by Thomas Herbert, one of the squires of King Edward, and being brought -into the royal presence he was confronted by Debois, another of the -king’s squires, to whom Dalton was formerly a chaplain. Debois alleged -that Dalton, in less than twelve hours, made him a thousand pounds of -good gold, and he attested the fact upon oath. Then Dalton, looking -at Debois, said, “Sir, you are forsworn.” Debois acknowledged that -he had vowed never to reveal the benefit which he had received, but -for the king’s sake and the good of the commonwealth he ought not to -keep his oath. Dalton now addressed the king, and informed him that he -had received the powder of projection from a canon of Lichfield, on -condition that he forbore to make use of it till after the death of the -donor. Since that event he had been in so much danger and disquietude -on account of its possession that he had destroyed it in secret. -The king dismissed Dalton, giving him four marks for his travelling -expenses; but Herbert lay in wait for him brought him from Stepney, -and thence conveyed him to the castle of Gloucester, where every means -were vainly tried to induce him to make the philosophers’ tincture. - -After four years’ imprisonment, Dalton was brought out to be beheaded -in the presence of Herbert. He obeyed with resignation and joy, saying: -“Blessed art thou, Lord Jesus! I have been too long from you; the -science you gave me I have kept without abusing it; I have found no one -apt to be my heir, wherefore, sweet Lord, I will render Thy gift to -Thee again.” - -Then, after some devout prayer, with a smiling countenance he desired -the executioner to proceed. Tears gushed from the eyes of Herbert when -he beheld him so willing to die, and saw that no ingenuity could wrest -his secret from him. He gave orders for his release. His imprisonment -and threatened execution were contrived without the king’s knowledge to -intimidate him into compliance. The iniquitous devices having failed, -Herbert did not dare to take away his life. Dalton rose from the block -with a heavy countenance and returned to his abbey, much grieved at -the further prolongation of his earthly sojourn. Herbert died shortly -after this atrocious act of tyranny, and Debois also came to an -untimely end. His father, Sir John Debois, was slain at the battle -of Tewksbury, May 4, 1471, and two days after, as recorded in Stow’s -_Annales_, he himself, James Debois, was taken, with several others of -the Lancastrian party, from a church where they had fled for sanctuary, -and was beheaded on the spot.[U] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[U] Stow, “Annales of England,” p. 424, ed. 1615. - - - - -SIR GEORGE RIPLEY. - - -This illustrious alchemical philosopher, whose works paved the royal -road to the initiation, in after times, of his still more illustrious -pupil, the sublime and mysterious Philalethes, entered, at an early -age, among the regular canons of Bridlington, in the diocese of York. -The tranquillity of monastic life afforded him a favourable opportunity -for the study of the great masters in transcendental chemistry, but he -found himself notwithstanding incompetent for their full comprehension, -and in considerable consequent disappointment he determined to travel, -persuading himself that he should discover in the conversations of -philosophers what he could not glean from books. - -In Italy, Germany, and France he became acquainted with various men of -learning, and was present at a transmutation which was performed in -Rome. He proceeded afterwards to the island of Rhodes, where a document -is supposed to exist testifying that he gave £100,000 to the Knights -of St John of Jerusalem. He was dignified by the Pope, which fact, on -his return to Bridlington, excited the jealousy of his brethren, and -in consequence of their hostility he entered the Carmelite order at -Butolph, in Lincolnshire, and, by an indulgence from Innocent VIII., -had permission to live in solitude, exempt from cloistral observances, -and in his now uninterrupted leisure he wrote twenty-four books, -some scientific, and others on devout subjects. The “Twelve Gates -of Alchemy” he composed in 1471, and he declares that any of his -experiments recorded from 1450 to 1470 should be entirely discredited, -as he wrote them from theory, and found afterwards by practice that -they were untrue. Hence it may be concluded that he employed twenty -years in mastering the secrets of the science. He died at Butolph in -1490. - - * * * * * - -“The Twelve Gates of Alchemy” describe the stone as a triune microcosm, -whence Ripley has been cited as an adept of the spiritual chemistry. -He insists upon the necessity of proportion in its composition, -and declares that the principle, or _prima materia_, may be found -everywhere. It flies with fowls in the air, swims with fishes in the -sea, it may be discerned by the reason of angels, and it governs man -and woman. An astronomical year is required for the manufacture of the -stone. - - - - -PICUS DE MIRANDOLA. - - -John Picus, Earl of Mirandola, was born on the 24th February 1463. He -is equally celebrated for his precocity, the extent of his learning, -his prodigious memory, and his penetrating intellect. As the pupil -of Jochanum, a Jew, he became early initiated in the Kabbalistic -interpretation of Scripture, and at the age of twenty-four years he -published nine hundred propositions in logic, mathematics, physics, -divinity, and Kabbalism, collected from Greek, Latin, Jewish, and -Arabian writers. In his treatise _De Auro_, he records his conviction -of the success of Hermetic operations, and gives us the following -narrations:-- - -“I come now to declare that which I have beheld of this prodigy, -without veil or obscurity. One of my friends, who is still living, has -made gold and silver over sixty times in my presence. I have seen it -performed in divers manners, but the expense of making the silver with -a metallic water exceeded the produce.” - -In another place he tells us that “a good man who had not a sufficiency -to support his family, was reduced to the last extremity of distress; -with an agitated mind he went one night to sleep, and in a dream he -beheld a blessed angel, who, by means of enigmas, instructed him in -the method of making gold, and indicated to him, at the same time, the -water he should use to ensure success. At his awaking he proceeded to -work with this water, and made gold, truly in small quantity, yet -sufficient to support his family. Twice he made gold of iron and four -times of orpiment. He convinced me by the evidence of my own eyes that -the art of transmutation is no fiction.” - - - - -PARACELSUS. - - -Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim was born in -the year 1493, at Maria Einsiedeln, in the canton of Zurich, in -Switzerland. He was descended from the ancient and honourable family -of Bombast, which had abode during many generations at the castle of -Hohenheim near Stuttgart, Würtemberg. His father was a physician of -repute, and in possession of a large collection of curious books. His -mother had been the matron of a hospital, and Theophrastus, their only -child, was born one year after their marriage. He is said to have been -emasculated in his infancy, a tradition which may have been invented to -account for his beardless and feminine appearance, and for his hatred -of women. - -Paracelsus received the first rudiments of education from his father, -and, as he advanced in his studies and capacity, he was instructed in -alchemy, surgery, and medicine. One of the works of Isaac Holland fell -into his hands, and from that moment he was inflamed with the ambition -of curing diseases by medicine superior to the _materia_ at that time -in use. He performed several chemical operations, according to the -books of the celebrated Hollander, and adopted from his writings the -ancient principles that a salt, mercury, and sulphur form a trinity -in every substance. This system he enlarged and explained by his own -intellectual illumination. He imbibed much of his father’s extensive -learning, and then continued his studies under the guidance of monks -in the convent of St Andrew of Savon, afterwards at the University -of Basel, and finally devoted himself to the occult sciences with the -illustrious Johann Trithemius, Abbot of Spanheim, for his teacher and -director. In this way he acquired “the Kabbalah of the spiritual, -astral, and material worlds.” He was afterwards placed under the care -of Sigismond Hagger or Fagger, to be improved in medicine, surgery, and -chemistry. At twenty years of age he started on his travels through -Germany, Hungary, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, -and Russia. In Muscovy he is said to have been taken prisoner by -the Tartars, who brought him before “the great Cham.” His knowledge -of medicine and chemistry made him a favourite at the court of this -potentate, who sent him in company with his son on an embassy to -Constantinople. It was here, according to Helmont, that he was taught -the supreme secret of alchemistry by a generous Arabian, who gave him -the universal dissolvent, the Azoth of western adepts, the alcahest or -sophic fire. Thus initiated, he is said to have proceeded to India. On -his return to Europe he passed along the Danube into Italy, where he -served as an army surgeon, performing many wonderful cures. - -At the age of thirty-two he re-entered Germany, and was soon after -invited to take a professorship of physic, medicine, and surgery at the -University of Basel, then illuminated by the presence of Erasmus and -Oporinus. There, in his lectures, he professed “internal medicine,” -denounced the antiquated systems of Galen and other authorities, and -began his instruction by burning the works of these masters in a brass -pan with sulphur and nitre. He created innumerable enemies by his -arrogance and his innovations, but the value of his mineral medicines -was proved by the cures which he performed. These cures only increased -the hatred of his persecutors, and Paracelsus with characteristic -defiance invited the faculty to a lecture, in which he promised to -teach the greatest secret in medicine. He began by uncovering a dish -which contained excrement. The doctors, indignant at the insult, -departed precipitately, Paracelsus shouting after them:--“If you will -not hear the mysteries of putrefactive fermentation, you are unworthy -of the name of physicians.” Subsequently, he came into conflict with -the municipal authorities, and was forced to flee from Basel. He -resumed his strolling life, lodging at public inns, drinking to excess, -but still performing admirable cures. Oporinus testifies that even -during the period of his professorship he never seemed sober. - -In 1528, Paracelsus proceeded to Colmar. In 1530 he was staying at -Nuremberg, where the faculty denounced him as an impostor, but he -transfixed his opponents by curing in a few days some desperate cases -of elephantiasis. “Testimonials to this effect,” says Hartmann, his -latest biographer, “may still be found in the archives of the city of -Nuremberg.” He continued his wanderings and his intemperate manner of -life, dying on the 24th of September 1541. - -The actual manner of his death has been variously recounted. The -original “Lives of Alchemysticall Philosophers” says that it occurred -on a bench of the kitchen fire of the inn at Strasburg. Dr Hartmann, on -the other hand, tells us that he “went to Maehren, Kaernthen, Krain, -and Hongary, and finally landed in Salzburg, to which place he was -invited by the Prince Palatine, Duke Ernst of Bavaria, who was a great -lover of the secret arts. In that place, Paracelsus obtained at last -the fruits of his long labours and of a wide-spread fame. But he was -not destined to enjoy a long time the rest he so richly deserved.... -He died, after a short sickness (at the age of forty-eight years and -three days), in a small room of the ‘White Horse’ Inn, near the quay, -and his body was buried in the graveyard of St Sebastian.” His death is -supposed to have been hastened by a scuffle with assassins in the pay -of the orthodox medical faculty. - -The last commentator on Paracelsus, Dr Franz Hartmann, has devoted a -chapter to the alchemical and astrological teachings of the seer of -Hohenheim. The first art, according to Paracelsus, separates the pure -from the impure, and develops species out of primordial matter. It -perfects what Nature has left imperfect, and, therefore, its principles -are of universal application, and are not restricted to the metallic -and mineral kingdoms. Gold can be made by physical chemistry, but the -process is poor and unproductive in comparison with the gold which can -be produced by an exercise of the occult powers which exist in the soul -of man. Actual and material gold can be psycho-chemically manufactured. -By this amazing theory, Paracelsus created a new school of alchemy, -which abandoned experimental research, and sought within themselves the -secret, subject, and end of alchemystical philosophy. - - - - -DENIS ZACHAIRE. - - -It appears that the true name of this persevering and indefatigable -seeker after the end and truth of alchemy has not in reality come down -to us, that which is placed at the head of his _Opusculum Chimicum_ -being simply pseudonymous. It is to this little work that we are -indebted for one of the most singular histories in the annals of the -Hermetic art. - -Denis Zachaire was born of a noble family, in an unmentioned part of -Guienne, during the year 1510. He was sent, as a youth, to Bordeaux, -under the care of a tutor, to prosecute the study of philosophy and -_belles lettres_. His preceptor, however, had a passion for alchemy, -and inoculated his pupil with the fatal fever of the sages. They -speedily abandoned the common academical courses for the thorny -pathways of the _magnum opus_, and Denis, in particular, devoted -himself to the assiduous compilation of a vast volume of Hermetic -receipts, indicating a thousand processes, with a thousand various -materials, for the successful manufacture of gold. From Bordeaux he -proceeded to Toulouse, still in the society of his tutor, and for the -ostensible study of law, but in reality for the experimental practice -of alchemy. Two hundred crowns with which they were supplied for their -maintenance during the next two years were speedily expended in the -purchase of furnaces, instruments, and drugs, for the literal execution -of the processes contained in the books of the adepts. - -“Before the end of the year,” as he himself informs us, “my two hundred -crowns were gone in smoke, and my tutor died of a fever he took in -summer from his close attention to the furnace, which he erected in -his chamber, and stayed there continually in extreme heat. His death -afflicted me much, and still more as my parents refused to supply -me with money, except what was just necessary for my support. I was -therefore unable to proceed in my grand work. - -“To overcome these difficulties I went home in 1535, being of age, to -put myself out of guardianship; and I disposed of some of my property -for four hundred crowns. This sum was necessary to execute a process -which was given me in Toulouse, by an Italian, who said he saw it -proved. I kept him living with me, to see the end of his process. - -“We dissolved gold and silver in various sorts of strong waters, but -it was all in vain; we did not recover from the solution one half of -the gold and silver which we had put into it. My four hundred crowns -were reduced to two hundred and thirty, of which I gave twenty to the -Italian, to proceed to Milan, where, he said, the author of the process -lived, and whence he would return with his explanations. I remained at -Toulouse all the winter, awaiting him, and I might have tarried there -still, as I never have heard of him since. - -“In the ensuing summer the city being visited by the plague, I went -to Cahors, and there continued for six months. I did not lose sight -of my work, and became acquainted with an old man who was called -the philosopher, a name given in the country to any one of superior -information. I communicated to him my practices and asked his advice. -He mentioned ten or twelve processes which he thought better than -others. I returned to Toulouse when the plague ceased, and renewed my -labours accordingly. The only consequence was that my money was all -spent, except one hundred and seventy crowns. To continue my operations -with more certainty, I made acquaintance with an abbé, who dwelt in -the neighbourhood of this city. He was taken with a passion for the -same pursuit as myself, and he informed me that one of his friends, who -lived with Cardinal Armanac, had sent him a process from Rome which -he believed genuine, but it would cost two hundred crowns. I agreed -to furnish one half of this sum, and he gave the rest, so we began to -work together. Our process required a large supply of spirits of wine. -I purchased a cask of excellent wine, from which I drew the spirit and -rectified it many times. We took two pounds weight of it and half a -pound weight of gold, which we had calcined for a month. These were -included in a pelican and placed in a furnace. This work lasted a year, -but, not to remain idle, we made some other experiments to amuse -ourselves, and from which we expected to draw sufficient profit to pay -the cost of our great work. - -“The year 1537 passed over without any change appearing in the subject -of our labours. We might have remained through our whole lives in -the same state, for we should have known that the perfect metals are -unaltered by vegetable or animal substances. We took out our powder and -made projection upon hot quicksilver, but it was in vain! Judge then of -our grief, especially as the abbé had notified to all his monks that -they would have to melt the lead cistern of their house in order that -he might convert it into gold as soon as our operations were finished. - -“My bad success could not make me desist. I again raised four hundred -crowns on my property; the abbé did the same, and I set out for Paris, -a city containing more alchemists than any other in the world. I -resolved to remain there as long as the eight hundred crowns lasted, or -until I succeeded in my object. This journey drew on me the displeasure -of my relations, and the censure of my friends, who imagined I was a -studious lawyer. However, I made them believe that the design of my -sojourn in Paris was the purchase of a situation in the law courts. - -“After travelling for fifteen days I arrived at Paris in January -1539. I remained a month almost unknown, but no sooner had I visited -the furnace makers and conversed with some amateurs than I became -acquainted with more than a hundred artists, who were all at work in -different ways. Some laboured to extract the mercury of metals and -afterwards to fix it. A variety of systems were held by others, and -scarcely a day passed in which some of them did not visit me, even on -Sundays and the most sacred festivals of the Church, to hear what I had -done. - -“In these conversations one said:--‘If I had the means to begin again, -I should produce something good.’ Another--‘Would that my vessel -had been strong enough to resist the force of what it contained.’ -Another--‘If I had possessed a round copper vessel well closed, I would -have fixed mercury with silver.’ There was not one without a reasonable -excuse for his failure, but I was deaf to all their discourses, -recollecting my experience as the dupe of similar expectations. - -“I was tempted, nevertheless, by a Greek who had a process with -cinnabar, which failed. At the same time I became acquainted with a -strange gentleman, newly arrived, who often, in my presence, sold -the fruit of his operations to the goldsmiths. I was a long time -frequenting his company, but he did not consent to inform me of his -secret. At last I prevailed over him, but it was only a refinement -of metals more ingenious than the rest. I failed not to write to the -abbé, at Toulouse, enclosing a copy of the process of the stranger, and -imagining that I had attained some useful knowledge, he advised me to -remain another year at Paris, since I had made so good a beginning. - -“After all, as to the philosophers’ stone, I succeeded no better than -before. I had been three years at Paris, and my money was nearly -expended, when I had a letter from the abbé, informing me that he -had something to communicate, and that I should join him as soon as -possible. - -“On my arrival at Toulouse, I found that he had a letter from King -Henry of Navarre, who was a lover of philosophy, and who requested -that I should proceed to Pau, in Berne, to teach him the secret I -had received from the stranger at Paris. He would recompense me with -three or four thousand crowns. The mention of this sum exhilarated the -abbé, and he never let me rest till I set out to wait on the prince. -I arrived at Pau in May 1542. I found the prince a very curious -personage. By his command I went to work, and succeeded according -to the process I knew. When it was finished I obtained the expected -recompense, but although the king wished to serve me further, he was -dissuaded by the lords of his court, even by those who had engaged me -to come to him. He dismissed me with great acknowledgments, desiring -me to see if there was anything in his estates which would gratify me, -such as confiscations or the like, and that he would give them to me -with pleasure. These promises, which meant nothing, did not lead me -to entertain the hopes of a courtier, and I returned to the abbé at -Toulouse. - -“On my road I heard of a religious man, who was very skilful in natural -philosophy. I went to visit him; he lamented my misfortunes, and said, -with a friendly zeal, that he advised me to amuse myself no longer -with these various particular operations, which were all false and -sophistical, but that I should rather peruse _the best books of the -ancient philosophers_, as well to know _the true matter_ as the _right -order that should be pursued_ in the practice of this science. - -“I felt the truth of this safe counsel, but before I put it in -execution, I went to see my friend at Toulouse, to give him an account -of the eight hundred crowns that we had put in common, and to divide -with him the recompense I had received from the King of Navarre. If -he proved not content with all I told him, he was still less so at -the resolution I had taken to discontinue my operations. Of our eight -hundred crowns, we had but eighty-six left. I departed from him, and -returned home, intending to go to Paris, and there remain until I was -fixed in my theory of reading the works of the adepts. I reached Paris -in 1546, and remained there a year, assiduously studying the _Turba -Philosophorum_, the good Trévisan, the “Remonstrance of Nature,” and -some other of the best books. But as I had no _first principles_, I -knew not on what to determine. - -“At length I went out of my solitude, not to see my old acquaintances, -the searchers after particular tinctures and minor works, but to -frequent those who proceeded in the great process by the books of -the genuine adepts. I was, nevertheless, disappointed herein, by -the confusion and disagreement of their theories, by the variety of -their works, and of their different operations. Excited by a sort of -inspiration, I gave myself up to the study of Raymond Lully and Arnold -de Villa Nova. My reading and meditation continued another year. I -then _formed my plan_, and only waited to sell the remainder of my -land to enable me to go home, and put my resolution into practice. -I commenced at Christmas, 1549, and after some preparations, having -procured everything that was necessary, I began my process, not without -inquietude and difficulty. A friend said to me:--“What are you going -to do? have you not lost enough by this delusion?” Another assured me -that if I continued to purchase so much coal, I should be suspected of -counterfeiting coin, of which he had already heard a rumour. Another -said I ought to follow my business of a lawyer. But I was chiefly -tormented by my relations, who reproached me bitterly with my conduct, -and threatened to bring the officers of justice into my house to break -my furnaces in pieces. - -“I leave you to judge my trouble and grief at this opposition. I -found no consolation but in my work, which prospered from day to day, -and to which I was very attentive. The interruption of all commerce, -which was occasioned by the plague, gave me the opportunity of great -solitude, in which I could examine with undisturbed satisfaction the -success of the three colours which mark the true work. I thus arrived -at the perfection of the tincture, and made an essay of its virtue on -common quicksilver, on Easter Monday, 1550. In less than an hour it -was converted into pure gold. You may guess how joyful I was, but I -took care not to boast. I thanked God for the favour he shewed me, and -prayed that I should be permitted to use it but for His glory. - -“The next day I set out to find the abbé, according to the promise we -gave each other, to communicate our discoveries. On my way, I called at -the house of the religious man who had assisted me by his good advice. -I had the grief to find that both he and the abbé had been dead about -six months. I did not go back to my house, but sought another place, -to await the arrival of one of my relations whom I had left at my -dwelling. I sent him a procuration to sell all that I possessed, both -house and furniture, to pay my debts, and to distribute the remainder -among those of my relations who were in want. He soon after rejoined -me, and we set out for Lausanne, in Switzerland, resolved to pass our -days without ostentation in some of the celebrated cities of Germany.” - -In his unknown retreat[V] the adept recorded his adventures and -experiences when in search of the philosophical stone, _ut divertarem -bonos piosque vivos, à sophisticationibus, ad viam rectam perfectionis -in hoc opere divino_. His little work is entitled simply _Opusculum -Chemicum_; it opens with the romantic narrative which I have cited -almost _in extenso_. It calls Hermes _magnus propheta noster_, insists -that the art is the gift of God alone on the authority of all the -initiates, and quotes so largely from previous writers that it can -scarcely be considered an original work on the Hermetic philosophy. - -The life of Bernard Trévisan has abundantly testified to the physical -nature of his object, which is amply confirmed by this treatise. The -methods of projection upon metals, the composition of precious stones, -and the application of the tincture as a medicine for the human body, -are successively considered. One grain of the _divinum opus_, dissolved -in white wine, transmutes that liquor into a rich citron colour, and -has innumerable hygienic uses. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[V] See Appendix I. - - - - -BERIGARD OF PISA. - - -The following account of a transmutation performed by himself, is -recorded by the celebrated Italian philosopher, Claude Berigard, and -will be found on the twenty-fifth page of his _Circulus Pisanus_, -published at Florence in 1641. - -“I did not think that it was possible to convert quicksilver into gold, -but an acquaintance thought proper to remove my doubt. He gave me about -a drachm of a powder nearly of the colour of the wild poppy, and having -a smell like calcined sea-salt. To avoid all imposition, I purchased a -crucible, charcoal, and quicksilver, in which I was certain that there -was no gold mixed. Ten drachms of quicksilver which I heated on the -fire were on projection transmuted into nearly the same weight of good -gold, which stood all tests. Had I not performed this operation in the -most careful manner, taking every precaution against the possibility of -doubt, I should not have believed it, but I am satisfied of the fact.” - - - - -CHARNOCK. - - -Thomas Charnock was born in the Isle of Thanet, in the year 1524. -He calls himself an unlettered scholar, and student in astronomy -and philosophy. He practised surgery, and, though he knew only the -rudiments of Latin, it appears that he was famous in the neighbourhood -of Salisbury, where he had established himself, for his accomplishments -in the liberal sciences. He had two masters in alchemy, the first -being Sir James S----, a priest, dwelling in the cloisters, near -Salisbury, who informed Charnock that he did not derive his knowledge -from any living adept, but that by meditation upon the words of the -philosophers, he had mastered the principal secrets of alchemy as he -lay in his bed, and had accordingly succeeded in making the silver -powder. - -The other master who instructed Charnock was a blind man, led by -a boy, whom the neophyte accidentally discovered at an inn among -other travellers, by a few words of the occult chemistry, which he -perceived in his conversation. As soon as the company had retired, -Charnock questioned the speaker, and requested instruction in natural -philosophy. To this the adept objected that he was unacquainted with -his interrogator, saying he would render up his knowledge to God who -gave it, if he did not meet with a certain Master Charnock, the fame of -whose learning and charity had reached him. - -At these words Charnock made himself known, and the old man discoursed -with him for an hour, during which time he found him expert in many -mysteries of the sacred science. He promised Charnock that if he made a -vow not to reveal the secret for gold, preferment, or through affection -for great men, but only at death to one who was truly devoted to the -search into nature, he would make him the heir of his knowledge. -Accordingly, on the following Sunday they received the Eucharist -together, and then, withdrawing into the middle of a large field, the -boy was sent away out of hearing, and, in a few words, the blind man -uttered “the mystery of mineral prudence.” Their conversations were -continued for nine days. The secrets of alchemy were disclosed, and -the adept also related his own private history, acquainting Charnock -that his name was William Bird, that he had been a prior of Bath, and -had defrayed the expense of repairing the abbey church from treasure -which he had acquired by means of the red and white elixirs. At the -suppression of the abbey, he concealed the inestimable powder in the -wall, and returning in ten days it was gone. He found a few rags in the -place where he had left it. This misfortune almost deprived him of his -senses; he wandered about, and lost his sight. He was therefore unable -to repeat his process, and continued to travel over the country, led by -a boy. He had received his Hermetic knowledge from a servant of Ripley. - -At the time of this communication, Charnock was twenty-eight years -old, and two years after his first master fell sick while attending -his furnace for the completion of the red stone. He sent for Charnock, -made him the heir of his work, and died after giving him instructions -how to proceed. Charnock began his operations on the materials left by -his leader, and was much perplexed by the difficulty of keeping the -fire equal. He often started out of his sleep to examine the fuel; but -after all his care, which continued during the space of several months, -the frame of wood that covered the furnace took fire during a short -period of his absence, and when, smelling the burning, he ran up to his -laboratory, he discovered that his work was completely destroyed. This -occurred on January 1, 1555. To repair the mischief he was obliged to -recommence at the first part of the process, and he hired a servant to -assist in taking care of the fire. In the course of two months certain -signs filled him with hopes of success, when his dependence on his -servant proved the ruin of his work. He discovered that this unfaithful -assistant would let the fire nearly out, and then, to conceal his -neglect, would rekindle it with grease till it was so hot as to scorch -the matter beyond recovery. - -In the third attempt, Charnock resolved to proceed without help. His -fire cost him three pounds a week, and he was obliged to sell some -rings and jewels to maintain it. He made good progress in the course -of eight months, and expected to be rewarded in a little time for all -his labours; but at this critical period he was impressed to serve as -a soldier at the siege of Calais. Furious with disappointment, he took -a hatchet, smashed his glasses, furnace, and apparatus, and threw them -out of the house. - -He wrote his “Breviary of Philosophy” in 1557, and the “Enigma of -Alchemy” in 1572, with a memorandum, dated 1574, when he was fifty -years old. Therein he declares his attainment of the gold-producing -powder when his hairs were white. The “Breviary” claims to describe -all the vessels and instruments which are required in the science; a -potter, a joiner, and a glassmaker must lend their several services. -The address of one of these artificers, specially recommended by the -author, is said to be Chiddinfold in Sussex; he could manufacture -egg-shaped glasses which opened and shut “as close as a hair.” The -regulation of the philosophical fire is described in this curious poem, -but the rest of its information is of a purely autobiographical kind. - - - - -GIOVANNI BRACCESCO. - - -This alchemist of Brescia flourished in the sixteenth century. He was -the author of a commentary on Geber, which is not supposed to cast -much light on the obscurities of the Arabian philosopher. The most -curious of his original treatises is _Legno della Vita, vel quale -si dichiara la medecina per la quale i nostri primi padri vivevano -nove cento anni_, Rome, 1542, 8vo.--“The Wood of Life, wherein is -revealed the medicine by means of which our Primeval Ancestors lived -for Nine Hundred Years.” This work, together with _La Esposizione -di Geber Filosophe_, Venice, 1544, 8vo, was translated into Latin, -and may be found in the collections of Gratarole and Mangetus. They -were also published separately under the title _De Alchimia dialogi -duo_, Lugd., 1548, 4to. The Wood of Life is one of the innumerable -names given by the alchemists to the matured and perfected stone, the -composition whereof is the accomplishment of the _magnum opus_. It is -more generally denominated the Universal Balsam or Panacea, which cures -all diseases and insures to its most blessed possessor an unalterable -youth. The name Wood of Life is bestowed by the Jews on the two sticks -which confine the scroll of the Law. They are convinced that a simple -contact with these sacred rods strengthens the eyesight and restores -health. They also hold that there is no better means of facilitating -the _accouchement_ of females than to cause them to behold these -vitalising sticks, which, however, they are in no wise permitted to -touch.[W] - -The work of Braccesco is written in the form of a dialogue, and is -explanatory of the Hermetic principles of Raymond Lully, one of the -interlocutors, who instructs an enthusiastic disciple in the arcane -principles of the divine art, the disciple in question being in -search of a safeguard against the numerous infirmities and weaknesses -of the “humid radical.” Such a medicine is declared by the master -to be extracted from a single substance, which is the sophic _aqua -metallorum_. The dialogue is of interest, as it shows the connection in -the mind of the writer between the development of metallic perfection -and the physical regeneration of humanity. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[W] _Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes_, i. p. 232. - - - - -LEONARDI FIORAVANTI. - - -Doctor, surgeon, and alchemist of the sixteenth century, this Italian -was a voluminous author, who is best known by his “Summary of the -Arcana of Medicine, Surgery, and Alchemy,” published in octavo at -Venice in 1571, and which has been reprinted several times. It contains -an application of Hermetic methods and principles to the science -of medicine, but the author’s account of the _petra philosophorum_ -shows the designation to be of a purely arbitrary kind, for it is a -mixture of mercury, nitre, and other substances, intended to act on -the stomach, and has no connection with the transmuting _lapis_ of the -alchemical sages. - - - - -JOHN DEE. - - -The life of this pseudo-adept, and of Edward Kelly, his companion in -alchemy, is involved in a cloud of necromancy and magico-Hermetical -marvels, so that the fabulous and historical elements are not to be -easily separated. - -The true name of Edward Kelly is supposed to have been Talbot. He is -said to have been born at Worcester in 1555, and to have followed the -profession of a lawyer in London. His talents in penmanship appear to -have been utilised in the falsification of deeds. He was prosecuted at -Lancaster, according to a narrative of his enemies, for an offence of -this nature, and was condemned to lose his ears. By some he is said to -have suffered this punishment,[X] by others to have evaded it, seeking -safety in Wales, where he lodged at an obscure inn, and concealed his -identity by adopting a new name. During this sojourn an old manuscript -was shown him by the innkeeper, which was indecipherable by himself -or his neighbours. The so-called Edward Kelly, being initiated into -the mysteries of ancient writing, discovered it to be a treatise on -transmutation, and his curiosity was highly excited. He inquired as to -its history, and was told that it had been discovered in the tomb of -a bishop who had been buried in a neighbouring church, and whose tomb -had been sacrilegiously uptorn by some wretched heretical fanatics at -that epoch of furious religiomania and rampant Elizabethan persecution. -The object of this desecration was the discovery of concealed treasures -in the resting-place of the prelate, to whom immense riches were -attributed by popular tradition. The impiety was, however, rewarded by -nothing but the manuscript in question, and two small ivory bottles, -respectively containing a ponderous red and white powder. These pearls -beyond price were rejected by the pigs of apostasy; one of them was -shattered on the spot, and its ruddy, celestine contents for the most -part lost. The remnant, together with the remaining bottle and the -unintelligible manuscript, were speedily disposed of to the innkeeper -in exchange for a skinful of wine. The unbroken bottle was transferred -by the new owner as a plaything to his children, but the providence -which in the main overwatches the accomplishment of the sublime act -preserved its contents intact. When Edward Kelly, with an assumed -antiquarian indifference about objects which were more curious than -valuable, offered a pound sterling for all the articles, a bargain was -promptly effected. The lawyer was by no means an alchemist, but he -believed himself possessed of a Hermetic treasure; he determined, at -all risks, to return to London, and consult with his friend Dr Dee, -who abode in a cottage at Mortlake, and who, in matters of magical -devilment, and in the tortuosities of the occult, was considered a man -of men. - -Whether he had been accused of forgery, whether he had lost his ears, -or not, the discovery of Edward Kelly caused the necromantic doctor to -be blind to his faults or his crimes; he at once set to work in his -company, in the year 1579, and in the month of December a stupendous -success was the crown of their labour in common. The richness of -Kelly’s tincture proved to be one upon two hundred and seventy-two -thousand two hundred and thirty; but they lost much gold in experiments -before they knew the extent of its power. In Dr Dee’s “Diary in -Germany” he mentions the book of St Dunstan, which is probably the -manuscript of Kelly, and also the powder “found at the digging in -England,” which indicates some foundation for the narrative just given. -The place where the treasure was obtained is reported to have been the -ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, founded by St Dunstan. The last abbot was -hanged by Henry VIII. for his adherence to the Papal cause. - -Kelly appears to have taken up his quarters at Islington. In June -1583 an attachment was issued against him for coining, of which his -companion declares him guiltless. In the following September, Dr Dee, -his wife and children, and Edward Kelly, with his wife, accompanied -by a certain Lord Albert Alasco, of Siradia, in Poland, departed from -London for Cracow. As soon as they had arrived in the north of Germany, -Dr Dee received a letter from one of his friends in England, informing -him that his library at Mortlake had been seized and partially -destroyed, on the vulgar report of his unlawful studies, and that his -rents and property were sequestered. Despite the possession of the -Donum Dei, all parties appear to have been in considerable penury in -consequence. - -In 1585 we find them at Prague, then the metropolis of alchemy, and -the headquarters of adepts and adeptship. Edward Kelly and his -companions presently abounded in money, and the owner of the Hermaic -Benediction made no secret of his prize or his powers, indulged -in all kinds of extravagance, performed continual projections for -himself and his friends, as well as for many persons of distinction -who sought his acquaintance. Much of the result was distributed. The -transmutations of Kelly at this period are attested by several writers, -including Gassendus. The most authenticated and remarkable, according -to Figuier, is that which took place in the house of the imperial -physician, Thaddeus de Hazek, when, by the mediation of a single drop -of a red oil, Kelly transmuted a pound of mercury into excellent -gold, the superabundant virtue of the agent leaving in addition at -the bottom of the crucible a small ruby. Dr Nicholas Barnaud, the -assistant of Hazek, and an alchemical writer, whose works are as rare -as they are reputable, was a witness of this wonder, and subsequently -himself manufactured the precious metal, the _désir désiré_, with the -assistance of Edward Kelly. - -The report spread, and the adept was invited by the Emperor Maximilian -II. to the Court of Germany, where his transmutations raised him into -highest favour; he was knighted, and created Marshal of Bohemia. Now -perfectly intoxicated, he posed as a veritable adept, who was able to -compose the inestimable projecting powder. This gave a handle to the -enemies whom his exaltation had made him; they persuaded the Emperor to -practically imprison this living philosophical treasure, and to extract -his alchemical secret. His misfortunes now began. Absolute inability to -obey the imperial mandate and compose a considerable quantity of the -stone philosophical, was interpreted as a contumacious refusal; he was -cast into a dungeon, but on engaging to comply with the demand if he -had the liberty to seek assistance, he was speedily set free, whereupon -he rejoined Dr Dee, and they again set to work in concert. The Book -of St Dunstan indicated the use but not the preparation of the powder, -and their experiments, vigilantly overwatched to prevent the escape -of Kelly, proved entirely futile. In the desperation which succeeded -their failure, the outrageous disposition of Kelly broke out, and he -murdered one of his guards. He was again imprisoned, his companion, for -the most part, remaining unmolested, and employing his opportunities, -it is said, to interest Queen Elizabeth in the fate of the Emperor’s -prisoner. She claimed the alchemist as her subject, but his recent -crime had rendered him obnoxious to the laws of the empire, and he was -still detained in his dungeon. - -In 1589, Dr Dee set out himself for England. He halted at Bremen, and -was there visited by Henry Khunrath, one of the greatest adepts of -the age. The Landgrave of Hesse sent him a complimentary letter, and -was presented in return with twelve Hungarian horses. Dr Dee arrived -in England after an absence of six years; he was received by the -Queen, who subsequently visited him at his house, presented him with -two hundred angels to keep his Christmas, and gave him a license in -alchemy. Sir Thomas Jones offered him his Castle of Emlin, in Wales, -for a dwelling; he was made Chancellor of St Paul’s, and in 1595, -Warden of Manchester College. He repaired thither with his wife and -children, and was installed in February 1596. He does not appear to -have accomplished any transmutation after his return to England. In -1607 we again find him at Mortlake, living on the revenue which he -derived from Manchester, but subject to much persecution by the Fellows -of that College. He died in 1608, at the age of eighty years. - -The Hermetic abilities of Kelly were always believed in by the Emperor; -he continued to detain him, hoping to extract his secret. Some friends -of the unfortunate alchemist endeavoured, in the year 1597, to effect -his escape by means of a rope, but he fell from the window of his -prison, and died of the injuries which he received. - -During his confinement he composed a treatise on the philosophical -stone, and the Diary of Dr Dee was published from a genuine Ashmolean -manuscript in 1604. The son of John Dee became physician to the Czar -at Moscow, and in his _Fasciculus Chemicus_, he states that, in early -youth, he witnessed transmutation repeatedly for the space of seven -years. - -The metrical account of Sir Edward Kelly’s work in the _Theatrum -Chemicum Britannicum_ informs all who are broiling in the kitchen of -Geber to burn their books “and come and learn of me,” for they can no -more compound the _Elixir Vitæ_ and the precious stone than they can -manufacture apples. The progenitor of magnesia, wife to the gold of -the philosophers, is not a costly thing. The philosophical gold is not -common but Hermetic sulphur, and magnesia is essential mercury. - -The _Testamentum Johannis Dee Philosophi Summi ad Johannem Gwynn, -transmissum 1568_, is lucidly worded as follows in its reference to the -_magnum opus_:-- - - “Cut that in Three which Nature hath made one, - Then strengthen yt, even by it self alone; - Wherewith then cutte the powdered sonne in twayne, - By length of tyme, and heale the wounde againe. - The self same sonne troys yet more, ye must wounde, - Still with new knives, of the same kinde, and grounde; - Our monas trewe thus use by Nature’s Law, - Both binde and lewse, only with rype and rawe, - And aye thank God who only is our Guyde, - All is ynough, no more then at this tyde.” - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[X] Morhof, _Epistola ad Langlelotum de Metallorun Transmutatione_. - - - - -HENRY KHUNRATH. - - -This German alchemist, who is claimed as a hierophant of the psychic -side of the _magnum opus_, and who was undoubtedly aware of the -larger issues of Hermetic theorems, must be classed as a follower of -Paracelsus. He was a native of Saxony, born about the year 1560. He -perambulated a large portion of Germany, and at the age of twenty-eight -received the degree of medical doctor at the University of Basle. He -practised medicine at Hamburg and afterwards at Dresden, where he died -in obscurity and poverty, on the 9th of September 1601, aged about -forty-five years. The _Amphitheatrum Sapientiæ Æternæ solius veræ, -Christiano Kabbalisticum divino magicum_, &c., published in folio in -1609, is the most curious and remarkable of his works, some of which -still remain in manuscript.[Y] It was left unfinished by its author, -appearing four years after his decease, with a preface and conclusion -by his friend Erasmus Wohlfahrt. - -The prologue directs the aspirant to the supreme temple of everlasting -wisdom to know God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent, to know also -himself, and the mysteries of the macrocosmos. The whole treatise is -purely mystical and magical. The seven steps leading to the portals -of universal knowledge are described in an esoteric commentary on -some portions of the Wisdom of Solomon. The _lapis philosophorum_ is -declared to be identical with the Ruach Elohim who brooded over the -face of the waters during the first period of creation. The Ruach -Elohim is called _vapor virtutis Dei_, and the internal form of all -things. The perfect stone is attained through Christ, and, conversely, -the possession of that treasure gives the knowledge of Christ. The -_Amphitheatrum Sapientiæ Æternæ_ seems to be the voice of the ancient -chaos, but its curious folding plates are exceedingly suggestive. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Y] Chausepié, _Dictionnaire_. - - - - -MICHAEL MAIER. - - -This celebrated German alchemist, one of the central figures of the -Rosicrucian controversy in Germany, and the greatest adept of his age, -was born at Ruidsburg, in Holstein, towards the year 1568. In his youth -he applied himself closely to the study of medicine, and establishing -himself at Rostock, he practised that art with so much success that he -became physician to the Emperor Rudolph II., by whom he was ennobled -for his services. Some adepts, notwithstanding, succeeded in enticing -him from the practical path which he had followed so long into the -thorny tortuosities of alchemical labyrinths. _Il se passionna pour le -grand œuvre_ and scoured all Germany to hold conferences with those -whom he imagined to be in possession of transcendent secrets. The -_Biographie Universelle_ declares that he sacrificed his health, his -fortune, and his time to these “ruinous absurdities.” According to -Buhle,[Z] he travelled extensively; and on one occasion paid a visit to -England, where he made the acquaintance of the Kentish mystic, Robert -Fludd. - -He appears as an alchemical writer a little before the publication of -the Rosicrucian manifestoes. In the controversy which followed their -appearance, and which convulsed mystic Germany, he took an early and -enthusiastic share, defending the mysterious society in several books -and pamphlets. He is supposed to have travelled in search of genuine -members of the “College of Teutonic Philosophers R.C.,” and, failing -to meet with them, is said to have established a brotherhood of his -own on the plan of the _Fama Fraternitatis_. These statements rest on -inadequate authority, and there is better ground for believing that -he was initiated, towards the close of his life, into the genuine -order. A posthumous tract of Michael Maier, entitled “Ulysses,” was -published in 1624 by one of his personal friends, who added to the same -volume the substance of two pamphlets which had already appeared in -German, but which, by reason of their importance, were now translated -into Latin for the benefit of the literati of Europe. The first was -entitled _Colloquium Rhodostauroticum trium personarum, per Famam et -Confessionem quodamodo revelatam de Fraternitate Roseæ Crucis_. The -second was an _Echo Colloquii_, by Benedict Hilarion, writing in the -name of the Rosicrucian Fraternity. It appears from these pamphlets -that Maier was admitted into the mystical order, but when or where -is uncertain. He became the most voluminous alchemical writer of his -period, publishing continually till his death in the year 1622. - -Many of his works are Hermetic elaborations of classical mythology, -and are adorned with most curious plates. They are all hopelessly -obscure, if his Rosicrucian apologies be excepted; the latter are not -deficient in ingenuity, but they are exceedingly laboured, and, of -course, completely unsatisfactory. He does not appear to have been -included among the adepts, and he is now almost forgotten. His chemical -knowledge is buried in a multitude of symbols and insoluble enigmas, -and believers in spiritual chemistry will not derive much comfort or -profit from his writings. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Z] See De Quincey’s “Rosicrucians and Freemasons.” - - - - -JACOB BÖHME. - - -After the publication of the psycho-chemical philosophy of the -illuminated shoemaker of Görlitz, the adepts are believed to have -despaired of any longer retaining their secrets, and in their own -writings they began to speak more freely. In this way the mystery of -the _vas philosophorum_ is said to have become less impenetrable than -previously, when it was considered a divine secret in the keeping of -God and his elect. - -Jacob Böhme, who may perhaps be considered as the central figure of -Christian mysticism, was born in the year 1575, at Old Seidenberg, -a village near Görlitz, in what was then called German Prussia. His -parents were poor but honest and sober peasants, and were unable to -procure him more than the usual religious schooling and the most simple -elements of common education. In his spare time he tended cattle with -other boys of the village. “He was a quiet, introspective lad,” says -one of his latest biographers, “whose face bore somewhat of the dreamy -expression which is frequent in poetic natures.” Even at this early age -he was rich in inward visions. On one occasion he retired into a cave, -in the rock called Land’s Crown, and discovered a large wooden vessel -full of money, from which he precipitately retired without touching it, -as though it were something diabolical. He told his companions, but -there was no such cavern to be found at the place in question, though -they often visited the spot in search of the concealed treasure. - -On leaving school, Jacob was apprenticed to a shoemaker, and while -he was one day serving in the shop during the absence of his master, -an old man, of remarkable and benevolent mien, entered and asked for -some shoes, for which the lad, fearing to conclude a bargain without -his employer, demanded an extravagant price to deter the stranger from -buying. The latter, however, paid the sum asked, and then calling him -by his name, beckoned him into the street, when taking him by the hand, -with sparkling eyes and earnest, angelical countenance, he said:-- - -“Jacob, thou art as yet but little; nevertheless, the time will -come when thou shalt be great, and the world shall marvel at thee. -Therefore, be pious, fear God, and reverence the Word. Read the Holy -Scriptures diligently; in these thou shalt have comfort and instruction -through the misery, poverty, and persecution which are in store for -thee. Be courageous and persevere; God loves thee, and is gracious unto -thee.” - -The stranger then disappeared, or departed, leaving Jacob more serious -and devotional than ever. The words of instruction and inspired -admonition which he was frequently prompted to give to his fellow -apprentices brought him into disputes with his master, and eventually -led to his dismissal. He became a journeyman shoemaker, but returned to -Görlitz in 1594, where he married the daughter of a tradesman, by whom -he had four children. - -In 1598 he imagined himself to be surrounded with the divine light -for several consecutive days; he beheld the virtue and nature of the -vegetable world, gazing into the very heart of creation, and learning -the secrets of the physical cosmos by means of the self-interpreting -“signatures” which seemed to be impressed on all around him. A similar -experience recurred in 1600, when he passed into the hypnotic state -by accidentally fixing his eye on a burnished pewter dish. These -visions did not interfere with his capacity for work, or with his -attention to his domestic affairs. Ten years passed away, and his -psychic perceptions became suddenly clearer. “What he had previously -seen only chaotically, fragmentarily, and in isolated glimpses, he now -beheld as a coherent whole and in more definite outlines.” He wrote -what he experienced under a fervour of inspiration, and in this way -his first book was produced--“Aurora, the Day Spring, or Dawning of -the Day in the East, or Morning Redness in the Rising of the Sun.” It -was not originally intended for publication, but manuscript copies -were circulated by one of his friends, and he suffered much consequent -persecution from the ecclesiastical authorities of Görlitz. He was -forbidden to write any more books, and was commanded to stick to his -trade. For five years he meekly obeyed the tyrannous mandate, and -afterwards contented himself with writing simply for his intimate -friends. From 1619 to 1624 he produced a number of voluminous -treatises, of which the book of the “True Principles,” the “Mysterium -Magnum,” and the “Signatura Rerum” are perhaps the most characteristic -and important. The publication, apparently surreptitious, of his -“Way to Christ” again brought him into conflict with the orthodoxy -of Görlitz, and led to his temporary exile. He was invited to the -electoral court at Dresden, where a conference of eminent theologians -examined him, and was so greatly impressed by the man that they -declared themselves incompetent to judge him. - -In 1624 he was attacked by a fever at the house of a friend in Silesia, -was carried at his own request to his native town, and there on the -22nd November he expired in a semi-ecstatic condition. - -While serving his apprenticeship at Görlitz, Jacob Böhme acquired -some knowledge of chemistry, and he subsequently made use of Hermetic -terminology in a transfigured and spiritual sense. His example was -followed by his disciples, including the illustrious Saint Martin, -Dionysius Andreas Freher, and William Law. The second-named writer has -treated of the analogy in the process of the philosophic work to the -Redemption of man through Christ Jesus, as unfolded by Jacob Böhme. - -A treatise on metallurgy is ascribed to the theosophist himself, -and there are several alchemical references in his numerous private -epistles. The Holy Ghost is stated to be the key to alchemy; there -is no need of hard labour and seeking (presumably among physical -substances). “Seek only Christ, _and you will find all things_.” He -describes the philosophers’ stone as dark, disesteemed, and grey in -colour. It contains the highest tincture. Like Henry Khunrath before -him, he deprecates any expenditure beyond that of the time and cost -of the operator’s maintenance. “It doth not cost any money, but what -is spent upon the time and the maintenance, else it might be prepared -with four shillings. The work is easy, the act simple. A boy of sixteen -years might make it, but the wisdom therein is great, and it is -greatest mystery.” - -The seal of God is elsewhere declared to be set on the secret of -alchemy, “to conceal the true ground of the same upon pain of eternal -punishments, unless a man know for certain that it shall not be -misused. There is also no power to attain it, no skill or art availeth; -unless one give the tincture into the hands of another, he cannot -prepare it, except he be certainly in the new birth.” - - * * * * * - -The following lines, copied from a manuscript inserted in a volume -of his works, are included in the original edition of the “Lives of -Alchemysticall Philosophers”:-- - - “Whate’er the Eastern Magi sought, - Or Orpheus sung, or Hermes taught, - Whate’er Confucius could inspire, - Or Zoroaster’s mystic fire; - The symbols that Pythagoras drew, - The wisdom God-like Plato knew; - What Socrates debating proved, - Or Epictetus lived and loved; - The sacred fire of saint and sage - Through every clime, in every age, - In Bohmen’s wondrous page we view - Discovered and revealed anew. - ‘Aurora’ dawned the coming day: - Succeeding books meridian light display. - Ten thousand depths his works explore, - Ten thousand truths unknown before. - Through all his books profound we trace - The abyss of nature, GOD, and grace; - The seals are broke, the mystery’s past, - And all is now revealed at last. - The trumpet sounds, the Spirit’s given, - And Bohmen is the voice from Heaven.” - - - - -J. B. VAN HELMONT. - - -In the year 1557, at Bois le Duc, in Brabant, John Baptist van Helmont -was born of a noble family. He studied at Louvain, and became eminent -in mathematics, algebra, the doctrines of Aristotle and Galen, and the -medicine of Vopiscus and Plempius. At seventeen he lectured on physics -as prælector, and took his degree of medical doctor in 1599. He read -Hippocrates and the Greek and Arabian authors before he was twenty-two -years old. He then passed ten years in the unsuccessful practice of -physic, until he met a Paracelsian chemist, who discovered various -chemical medicines to him. He retired thereupon to the castle of -Vilvord, near Brussels, and laboured with unremitting diligence in the -chemico-experimental analysis of bodies of every class. He passed his -life in retirement, and was almost unknown to his neighbours, whom he, -nevertheless, attended in illness, without accepting a fee. He declined -an invitation and flattering offers from the Emperor and the Elector -Palatine, and after writing several tracts, which even at this day are -held in considerable estimation, he died in the sixty-seventh year of -his age. - -This author, so illustrious throughout Europe for his scientific -knowledge, and no less celebrated for his noble rank than by the -probity of his character, testifies in three different places that -he has beheld, and himself performed, transmutation. In his treatise, -_De Vita Eterna_, he declares himself as follows:--“I have seen and I -have touched the philosophers’ stone more than once; the colour of it -was like saffron in powder, but heavy and shining like pounded glass. -I had once given me the fourth part of a grain--I call a grain that -which takes six hundred to make an ounce. I made projection therewith, -wrapped in paper, upon eight ounces of quicksilver, heated in a -crucible, and immediately all the quicksilver, having made a little -noise, stopped and congealed into a yellow mass. Having melted it in -a strong fire, I found within eleven grains of eight ounces of most -pure gold, so that a grain of this powder would have transmuted into -very good gold, nineteen thousand one hundred and fifty-six grains of -quicksilver.” - -Had Helmont possessed the art of making the transmuting powder, his -testimony might be open to suspicion. He says, on another occasion, -that an adept, after a few days of acquaintance, presented him with -half a grain of the powder of projection, with which he transmuted nine -ounces of quicksilver into pure gold. He tells us further, that he many -times performed a similar operation in the presence of a large company, -and always with success. On these grounds he believed in the certainty -and in the prodigious resources of the art, citing his acquaintance -with an artist who had so much of the red stone as would make gold to -the weight of two hundred thousand pounds. - -Though ignorant of the nature of this powder of projection, Helmont -professed the knowledge of the alcahest, and the methods of preparing -medicines of transcendent efficacy by its means. - - - - -BUTLER. - - -In the reign of James the First the attention of the curious was -attracted by a report of several transmutations performed in London -by an artist of the above name. He was an Irish gentleman, who had -recently returned from his travels. It was said that he was not -himself acquainted with the secret of the stone, so far as regards its -manufacture. To account for possessing it, the following story was -related:--The ship in which he took passage during one of his voyages -was captured by an African pirate, and on arriving in port he was sold -as a slave to an Arabian, who was an alchemical philosopher. Butler, -appearing to his master skilful and ingenious, was employed in most -difficult operations in the laboratory. Having a perfect knowledge of -the importance of the process, as soon as it was finished he bargained -with an Irish merchant for his ransom, and made his escape, taking with -him a large portion of the red powder. - -The performers of public transmutations generally found it necessary -to conceal their real knowledge by similar inventions. A physician, -who was a countryman of Butler, however formed a plan for discovering -his secret. He presented himself as a servant in search of a place, -and was hired in that capacity by Butler. He found the philosopher so -circumspect that he sought in vain for some circumstance to justify the -public report of his treasures, until at last Butler sent him into the -city to purchase a large quantity of lead and quicksilver. - -The disguised doctor now hoped to make a discovery. He executed his -commission with dispatch, and prepared a little hole in the wall of his -master’s room, through which, from the adjoining apartment he could -see what was going on. He soon perceived Butler taking something out -of a box, which he put on the melted lead, and deposited the box in a -concealed place under the floor of his room. At this moment the table -and chair on which the doctor was elevated to the spy-hole, gave way, -and he fell with a loud noise to the ground. Butler rushed out of -his room to learn the cause of this disturbance, and perceiving the -spy-hole, he with difficulty refrained from running his servant through -the body with his sword. - -Finding there was no hope of obtaining anything from Butler, the doctor -expected to surprise his treasures by reporting to the officers of -justice that he was a coiner of false money. A vigilant search was made -according to his directions, but nothing was found, for Butler had -already removed whatever could betray him--his furnace, crucibles, and -eighty marks of gold were all he appeared to possess. He was therefore -liberated from the prison in which he had been confined during the -investigation. - -Butler was afterwards entombed in the Castle of Vilvord, in Flanders, -where he is said to have performed wonderful cures by means of Hermetic -medicine. A monk of Brittany, who was one of his fellow-prisoners, -having a desperate erysipelas in his arm, was restored to health in -an hour by drinking almond milk in which Butler had merely dipped the -stone. The next day at the rumour of this circumstance, the celebrated -Helmont, who abode in the neighbourhood, went with several noblemen to -the prison, where Butler cured, in their presence, an aged woman of a -megrim by dipping the stone into oil of olives and then anointing her -head. An abbess, whose arm was swelled, and whose fingers had been -stiff for eighteen years, was also cured by a few applications of the -same stone to her tongue. - -These cases are attested by the illustrious van Helmont in his works. - - - - -JEAN D’ESPAGNET. - - -This Hermetic philosopher is known to us by two treatises--_Enchiridion -Physicæ Restitutæ_ and _Arcanum Philosophiæ Hermeticæ_, which, however, -has also been claimed as the production of an unknown individual who -called himself the _Chevalier Impérial_.[AA] “The Secret of Hermetical -Philosophy” comprises the practical part of the _magnum opus_ and -the Enchiridion, the physical theory on which the possibility of -transmutation is founded. D’Espagnet is also the author of the preface -to the _Tableau de l’Inconstance des Démons_, by Pierre Delancre. - -“The Arcanum of Hermetic Philosophy” is better known under the title of -the “Canons of Espagnet,” and, as I have shown in the Introduction, it -is claimed as a treatise on mystical alchemy. The author, however, very -plainly states that “the science of producing Nature’s grand Secret -is a perfect knowledge of Nature universally and of art, concerning -the realm of metals; the practice whereof is conversant in finding the -principles of metals by analysis.” Moreover, the authors whom Espagnet -recommends as a guide to the student include those who, like Trévisan, -are known to have spent their existence in practical alchemy. The -Sethon-Sendivogius treatises are also respectfully cited. At the same -time, it may be freely granted that much of the matter in the canons, -though treating of a physical object, may be extended to the psychic -side of the Hermetic art. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[AA] Ce chevalier, très-révérée des alchimistes, est mentionnée souvent -dans la _Trompette Française_, petit volume, contenant une _Prophétic -de Bombast sur la Naissance de Louis XIV._ On a, du Chevalier Impérial, -le _Miroir des Alchimistes_, avec instructions aux dames pour -dorénavant être belles sans plus user de leurs dards venimeux, 1609, -16mo. _Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes._ - - - - -ALEXANDER SETHON. - - -None of the adepts suffered from imprudent exposure of their power more -than the subject of this article. He was a native of Scotland, and -is supposed to have inhabited a mansion at a village in the vicinity -of Edinburgh, and close to the sea-shore.[AB] In the summer of 1601 -a Dutch vessel was wrecked upon the coast, and some of the crew were -saved through the instrumentality of Sethon, who received them into his -house, treated them with great humanity, and provided them with the -means to return to Holland. One year later he visited James Haussen, -the pilot of the ship, one of the rescued persons, at Erkusen, in that -country. The sailor received him with joy, and detained him for several -weeks in his house, during which period he beheld with astonishment -several transmutations performed by his guest, who confessed that he -was an alchemical adept. He was bound in gratitude and friendship to -the most inviolable secrecy, but he could not refrain from confiding -the wonder which he had witnessed to Venderlinden, the physician of -Enkhuysen, who was a man of integrity and prudence, and to whom he -presented a piece of gold, which had been transmuted in his presence -from lead on the 13th March 1602. This curiosity came into the hands of -the doctor’s grandson, who showed it to the celebrated George Morhoff, -by whom it was mentioned, with its history, to Langlet du Fresnoy, in -an epistle on the transmutation of metals. - -From Enkhuysen, Sethon proceeded to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, -subsequently embarking for Italy, where, after a short stay, he -passed into Switzerland, and so entered Germany, accompanied by -Wolfgang Dienheim, an adversary of Hermetic philosophy, whom by ocular -demonstration he convinced of his error, in presence of several -distinguished persons of Basle. - -To this adversary we are indebted for a description of Sethon, whom he -declared eminently spiritual in appearance, short in stature, but very -stout, having a high colour, and a beard of the French style. He calls -him Alexander Sethonius, and states that he was a native of Molier, “in -an island of the ocean.” - -The lead required for the transmutation was brought by Jacob Zwinger -from his own house, a crucible was borrowed from a goldsmith, and -common sulphur was purchased on the road to the house where the -operation was to be performed. During the whole course of the -experiment, Sethon touched nothing, simply supplying the small packet -which contained the powder of projection, and which transformed the -base metal into gold of the purest quality, equivalent in weight to the -original lead. - -The experiment was repeated on another occasion with the same brilliant -success, and, in addition to the testimony of Dienheim, we have also -that of Zwinger, a name highly respected by the Germans in the history -of medicine.[AC] - -Alexander Sethon departed from Basle, and went under an assumed name -to Strasbourg, whence he proceeded to Cologne, and abode with an -amateur alchemist named Anton Bordemann, by whom he was brought into -acquaintance with the other souffleurs of that city. He began a kind -of alchemical crusade among them, imprudently exposing his knowledge -to credulous and sceptical alike, and producing on one occasion six -ounces of the precious metal by means of a single grain of his great -philosophical tincture.[AD] - -Leaving Cologne altogether petrified by his marvellous operations, the -illustrious hierophant of the art Hermetic betook himself to Hamburg, -where his further amazing projections are described by George Morhoff. -At Munich, the next stage in his alchemical pilgrimage, he performed no -transmutations, suddenly disappearing with the daughter of one of its -citizens, whom he appears to have legally married, and to whom he was -henceforth most devotedly attached. - -The renown of Sethon about this time attracted the attention of -Christian II., the young Elector of Saxony. He sent for the alchemist, -but the latter, absorbed by his passion, had merged the Hermetic -propagandist in the lover, and sent William Hamilton, his apparent -domestic, but in reality a confidant and friend, to convince the -Elector of the verity of alchemical operations by ocular evidence. -A projection was performed by Hamilton with perfect success in the -presence of the whole court, and the gold then manufactured resisted -every test.[AE] - -The Elector, previously a sceptic, was now more desirous than ever -to behold the adept. Sethon reluctantly consented, and at this -juncture seems to have been deserted by Hamilton. He was received with -distinction and favour, and presented a small quantity of the powder -to Christian II., who soon endeavoured to possess himself of the whole -secret of the philosopher. Sethon refused to gratify him, and was -deaf to persuasions and menaces; but the Elector, convinced that he -was in possession of a living treasure, determined to overcome his -reluctance, whatever the means employed. He imprisoned him in a tower, -which was guarded by forty soldiers, who had strict orders to keep a -constant watch on him. The unfortunate adept was subjected to every -torment which covetousness and cruelty could suggest. He was pierced -with pointed iron, scorched with molten lead, burnt by fire, beaten -with rods, racked from head to foot, yet his constancy never forsook -him. At length he outwearied his torturers, and was left in solitary -confinement. - -At this time Michael Sendivogius, a Moravian gentleman, generally -resident at Cracovia, in Poland, chanced to be tarrying at Dresden. He -was a skilful chemist, who, like others of his period, was in search of -the philosophical stone, and who naturally took interest in the case of -Alexander Sethon. Having some influence at the court of the Elector, -he obtained permission to see him; and after several interviews, at -which the adept was exceedingly reserved on all subjects connected with -the divine science, he proposed to contrive his escape. The tortured -alchemist gladly consented to his plans, and promised to assist him -in his Hermetic pursuits. As soon as the resolution was formed, -Sendivogius departed to Cracovia, sold his house in order to raise -money, and returning to Dresden, established himself in the vicinity -of the prison, gaining the favour of its warders by his prodigality -and indirect bribes. At length the day came for the execution of his -plan; he regaled the guards better than usual, and when they were all -drunk, he carried Sethon, who was unable to walk, on his back to a -post-chaise, in which they proceeded without discovery. They called at -the house of Sethon for his wife, who was in possession of a quantity -of the transmuting powder, and then made all haste to reach Cracovia. -There Sendivogius required from the alchemist the fulfilment of his -promise, but was blankly refused by the adept, who referred him to God, -saying that the revelation of so awful a mystery would be a heinous -iniquity. - -“You see what I have endured,” he continued, “my nerves are shrunk, my -limbs dislocated; I am emaciated to the last extremity, and my body is -almost corrupted; even to avoid all this I did not disclose the secrets -of philosophy.” - -Sendivogius was not, however, destined to be deprived of all recompense -for his pains and self-sacrifice. Alexander Sethon did not long enjoy -the liberty which his friend had obtained for him, and on his death, -which occurred two years after his escape, he presented his preserver -with the remains of his transmuting powder. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[AB] The names Seton or Seatoun have been given as that of the village -in question, but in Camden’s “Britannia” it appears as the name of -the house itself. The alchemist himself is sufficiently myrionimous, -being variously denominated Sethon, Sidon, Sethonius, Scotus, Sitonius, -Sidonius, Suthoneus, Suethonius, and even Seehthonius. - -[AC] _Epistola ad doctorem Schobinger_, printed by Emmanuel Konig in -his _Ephemerides_. - -[AD] Théobald de Hoghelande, _Historiæ aliquot Transmutationis -Mettalicæ pro defensione Alchemiæ contra Hostium Rabrein_. Cologne, -1604. - -[AE] Galdenfalk, “Alchemical Anecdotes.” - - - - -MICHAEL SENDIVOGIUS. - - -Sendivogius, whose true name was Sensophax, was born at Moravia in -1566, and was therefore about thirty-eight years of age on the death -of his taciturn master. He is said by some of his biographers to have -been the natural son of a Polish nobleman, named Jacob Sendimir. His -life has been written at some length by his advocate, an anonymous -German, who, however, produced a romance rather than a history, among -other fictions representing his hero to have been sent by the Emperor -Rodolph II. to the east, where he received from a Greek patriarch the -revelation of the grand mystery. As a matter of fact, Sendivogius had -made no progress in alchemy before his acquaintance with Sethon. - -Having almost exhausted his fortune to obtain the liberation of that -adept, and having a taste for extravagant living, he was dissatisfied -with the mere possession of a portion of the transmuting powder, and -was more eager than ever to penetrate the mysteries of the Hermetic -art. He married the widow of Sethon, but she was wholly unacquainted -with the process, and her only possession was the manuscript of that -celebrated treatise, “The New Light of Alchemy,” with the dialogue -of Mercury and the alchemist, which Sendivogius appropriated and -eventually published as his own composition. From this work the -uninitiated inquirer believed himself to have discovered a method of -augmenting the powder, but he only succeeded in diminishing it. - -Foiled in this attempt, he was still anxious at any rate to appear as -an adept, and acquired an immense reputation by incessant projections, -which, assisted by his sumptuous living, made him pass for a great -hierophant. At Prague he presented himself to the Emperor Rodolph II., -and, in presence of several nobles, the king himself made gold by -projection, and overjoyed at the success of the operation he appointed -Sendivogius as one of his counsellors of state. A marble tablet with -the inscription-- - - _Faciat hoc quispiam alius - Quod fecit Sendivogius Polonus_, - -was set up in the chamber where the transmutation had been performed, -and the occasion was celebrated in verse by the court poet, Mardochie -de Delle. - -This achievement Sendivogius followed by printing at Prague the -treatise written by Sethon under the name of Cosmopolita. It passes -for the work of its editor, as he included his name anagrammatically -on the title-page, in the motto--_Divi Leschi genus amo_, and gave -no information concerning the real author. Some time after he issued -a tract on sulphur, which was probably his own composition. The -motto on the title-page--_Angelus doce mihi jus_--is another anagram -of his name. There are discrepancies between this tract and the -twelve treatises which comprise the work of Sethon. This Sendivogius -perceived, and in the second edition of the latter work he made -alterations in its text. - -From the Court of Rodolph II. the alchemist proceeded to that of -Poland. As he passed on his way through Moravia, a lord of the country, -who had heard of his transmutations at Prague, and suspected that he -had abundance of the transmuting powder, laid an ambush for him on the -road, seized him, and secretly imprisoned him, with the threat that -he should never be liberated until he communicated the secret of his -treasure. Sendivogius, dreading the fate of Sethon, cut through the -iron bar that crossed the window of his dungeon, and making a rope -of his clothes, he escaped almost naked from the power of the little -tyrant, whom he summoned to the emperor’s court, where he was condemned -to be fined, a village on his estate was confiscated and transferred to -Sendivogius, who afterwards gave it as dower with his daughter at her -marriage. - -Sendivogius made several transmutations at Varsovia, but his powder was -visibly diminishing. Duke Frederick of Würtemberg invited him to visit -him, and two projections took place in the presence of this noble, who, -to place him on the footing of a prince of the blood, gave him the -territory of Nedlingen. - -He was destined, however, to meet with a severe reverse at Würtemberg -through the machinations of an envious alchemist already attached to -the Court, and who persuaded him that the Duke Frederic had formed -plans which menaced the freedom of his guest and the safety of his -transmuting treasure. Sendivogius, once more vividly reminded of the -fate of his master, precipitately fled, only to be pursued by his -treacherous brother in science, who overtook him with twelve armed men, -well mounted, arrested him in the name of the prince, robbed him of -the philosophical treasure, and caused him to be cast into prison. Then -this infamous souffleur, whose star had been overwhelmed by the sun of -Sendivogius, proceeded to perform transmutations, more than regaining -his lost reputation; but the report of this discreditable transaction -spread, public opinion decided that the duke was a party to it, and the -wife of the victim applying to the King of Poland, soon obtained the -liberty of alchemist. - -Once more Sendivogius appealed for redress to the Emperor Rodolph, who -demanded the person of the souffleur from the Duke of Würtemberg. The -possessions of Sendivogius were at once restored, with the exception of -the powder, all knowledge of which was denied. The souffleur was hanged -by the duke, but from this time the pupil of Sethon perceived his sign -descending. He had but an infinitesimal quantity of the powder in his -possession, which, ever in search of notoriety, he dissolved in spirits -of wine, carefully rectified, and began to astonish the physicians -of Cracovia, whither he had again repaired, by the marvellous cures -which he performed with this for a medicine. Desnoyers, secretary to -the Queen of Poland, and one of the alchemist’s biographers, was in -possession of a crown piece which Sendivogius dipped red-hot into the -same spirit, in the presence of Sigismund III., King of Poland, and -which was partially transformed into gold.[AF] The elixir relieved the -same king from the effects of a serious accident. - -When every particle of his powder was expended, Sendivogius appears -to have degenerated into a mere charlatan, obtaining large sums on the -pretence of manufacturing the powder of projection. On one occasion he -so far descended as to silver a piece of gold, and pretending that he -possessed the elixir, he caused the silver to disappear by a chemical -process, which he imposed on the ignorant as a projection of the -tincture and a conversion of silver into gold. - -His confidential servant, Bodowski, explains this deception as a -finesse to conceal his real character, having learned from experience -the necessity of defending himself from the violence of covetous men. -He sometimes feigned poverty, or lay in bed as one attacked with -the gout or other sickness. By these means he diverted the general -suspicion that he possessed the philosophers’ stone, preferring to pass -for an impostor than for one in the enjoyment of illimitable wealth. He -frequently travelled in a servant’s livery, concealing most of his red -powder in the footstep of his chariot, and causing one of his servants -to sit inside. He kept some of the powder in a small gold box, and with -a single grain of it would convert so much mercury into gold as would -sell for five hundred ducats.[AG] - -He was at his castle of Groverna, on the frontiers of Poland and -Silesia, when he was visited by two strangers, one of whom was old -while the other was young. They presented him with a letter bearing -twelve seals, and addressed to Sendivogius. He declared that he was not -the person whom they sought, but was at length persuaded to open the -document, and learned that they were a deputation from the Rosicrucian -Society, who wished to initiate him. He pretended not to understand -them when they spoke of the stone of the philosophers, but they drew -him into conversation on several abstruse subjects, he, however, -declining to the last the initiation which was offered him. - -Michael Sendivogius died at Parma in 1646, aged eighty-four years, -having been counsellor of state to four emperors successively. His only -daughter had married an army captain against her father’s wish. He left -her nothing but a “Treatise on the Salt of the Philosophers,” which -has never been printed, and, therefore, must not be confused with a -spurious work which has been ascribed to him under a similar title. - - * * * * * - -The Sethon-Sendivogius treatises are generally known under the -collective title, “A New Light of Alchemy.” They were written to -counteract the many adulterated and false receipts composed through -the fraud and covetousness of impostors. The procedure they indicate -is declared to be the result of manual experience. “Many men, both of -high and low condition, in these last years past, have to my knowledge -seen Diana unveiled. The extraction of the soul out of gold or silver, -by what vulgar way of alchymy soever, is but a mere fancy. On the -contrary, he which, in a philosophical way, can, without any fraud and -colourable deceit, make it that it shall really tinge the basest metal, -whether with gain or without gain, with the colour of gold or silver -(abiding all requisite tryals whatever), hath the gates of Nature -opened to him for the enquiring into further and higher secrets, and -with the blessing of God to obtain them.” - -It is thus in the writings of the alchemists that we are continually -glimpsing or hearing of altitudes beyond transmutation, of regions of -achievement which nothing in the pages of the adepts prove them to have -actually explored, but which in possession of a comprehensive theory -of organic and inorganic development they beheld as a Promised Land. - -The “New Light of Alchemy” insists on the existence of a sperm in -everything, and that all Nature originated at the beginning from one -only seed. It treats of the generation of metals and the manner of -their differentiation, of the extraction of their seed, and of the -manufacture of the stone or tincture. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[AF] See Desnoyer’s Letter in Langlet du Fresnoy’s _Histoire de la -Philosophie Hermétique_. Borel, in his Gallic Antiquities, recounts -that he, with many others at Paris, saw this crown-piece. He describes -it as partly gold, so far only as it was steeped in the elixir. -The gold part was porous, being specifically more compact than in -its silver state. There was no appearance of soldering, or of the -possibility of deception. - -[AG] See _Vie de Sendivogius, tirée de la Rélation de Jean Bodowski_. - - - - -GUSTENHOVER. - - -A respectable goldsmith, named Gustenhover, resided at Strasburg -in 1603. In a time of great peril he gave shelter to a certain M. -Hirschborgen, who is described as good and religious. On leaving his -house after a considerable stay, this person presented his humane host -with some powder of projection, and then, departing on his journey, was -heard of no more. - -Gustenhover imprudently made transmutations before numerous people, -and the fact was reported to the Emperor Rodolph II., himself an -amateur in alchemy. He wrote to the magistrates of Strasburg, directing -that the goldsmith should be forthwith sent to him. The order was -zealously obeyed, the man arrested, and guarded with vigilance from -all possibility of escape. When he discovered that the intention -of his imprisonment was to send him to the Emperor at Prague, he -divined the whole of the business, and invited the magistrates to meet -together, desiring them to bring a crucet and charcoal, and without -his approaching to melt some lead. Musket balls were used for the -purpose, and when the metal was molten, he handed them a small portion -of red powder, which they cast into the crucet, and the result of their -calcination was a considerable quantity of pure gold. - -When he was brought into the presence of the gold-seeking Emperor, -Gustenhover was forced to admit that he had not himself prepared -the miraculous powder, and that he was in total ignorance about its -nature and composition. The monarch regarded this merely as one of the -subterfuges which were common in his experience of jealous adepts. -The goldsmith reiterated his protestations in vain; the whole of his -powder was speedily exhausted, yet he found himself still set to the -now impossible task of making gold. He sought a refuge from the fury of -the avaricious wretch, who has been denominated the German Hermes by -an alchemical blasphemy accursed by all sons of the doctrine; but he -was pursued, dragged back, and immured in the White Tower, where the -imperial dragon, blindly and obstinately convinced that the alchemist -was concealing his secret, detained him for the rest of his life. - -The adept who presented the goldsmith with the auriferous gift of -misery, the so-called Hirschborgen, is supposed to be identical with -Alexander Sethon, at that period errant, under various disguises, in -Germany. - - - - -BUSARDIER. - - -Few particulars are recorded of this adept. He dwelt at Prague with a -lord of the Court, and, falling sick, he perceived that his immediate -death was inevitable. In this extremity he wrote a letter to his chosen -friend Richtausen, at Vienna, begging him to come and abide with him -during his last moments. On the receipt of this letter, Richtausen set -out, travelling with all expedition, but, on arriving at Prague, he -had the mortification to find that the adept was no more. He inquired -diligently if he had left anything behind him, and he was informed -by the steward of the nobleman with whom he had lodged that a powder -alone had been left, which the nobleman seemed anxious to preserve, -but which the steward did not know how to use. Upon this information, -Richtausen adroitly got possession of the powder, and then departed. -The nobleman, hearing of the transaction, threatened to hang his -steward if he did not recover the powder, and the latter, judging that -no one but Richtausen could have taken it, pursued him, well-armed. He -overtook him on the road and presented a pistol to his head, saying -he would shoot him if he did not return the powder. Richtausen, -seeing there was no other way to preserve his life, acknowledged his -possession of the treasure, and pretended to surrender it, but, by an -ingenious contrivance, he abstracted a considerable quantity. - -He was now the owner of a substance the value of which was fully known -to him. He presented himself to the Emperor Ferdinand III., who was an -alchemist, and who, aided by his mine-master, Count Russe, took every -precaution in making projection with some of the powder given him by -Richtausen. He converted three pounds of mercury into gold with one -grain. The force of this tincture was one upon 19,470. The emperor is -said to have caused a medal to be struck, bearing the effigy of Apollo -with the caduceus of Mercury, and the motto--_Divina metamorphosis -exhibita Praguæ, Jan. 15, anno 1648, in præsentia Sac. Cæs. Majest. -Ferdinandi Tertii_. The reverse bore another inscription--_Raris hæc ut -hominibus est ars; ita raro in lucem prodit, laudetur Deus in æternum, -qui partem suæ infinitæ potentiæ novis suis abjectissimis creaturis -communicat_. - -Richtausen was ennobled by the title of Baron Chaos. - -Among many transformations performed by the same powder was one by the -Elector of Mayence in 1651. He made projection with all the precautions -possible to a learned and skilful philosopher. The powder, enclosed -in gum tragacanth to retain it effectually, was put into the wax of a -taper, which was lighted, the wax being then placed at the bottom of -a crucet. These preparations were undertaken by the Elector himself. -He poured four ounces of quicksilver on the wax, and put the whole -into a fire covered with charcoal, above, below, and around. Then they -began blowing to the utmost, and in about half an hour, on removing -the coals, they saw that the melted gold was over red, the proper -colour being green. The baron said that the matter was yet too high, -and it was necessary to put some silver into it. The Elector took -some coins out of his pocket, put them into the melting-pot, combined -the liquefied silver with the matter in the crucet, and having poured -out the whole when in perfect fusion into a lingot, he found, after -cooling, that it was very fine gold, but rather hard, which was -attributed to the lingot. On again melting, it became exceedingly soft, -and the master of the mint declared to his highness that it was more -than twenty-four carats, and that he had never seen so fine a quality -of the precious metal. - - - - -ANONYMOUS ADEPT. - - -Athanasius Kircher, the illustrious German Jesuit, records, in his -_Mundus Subterraneus_, that one of his friends, whose veracity he could -not doubt, made him the following relation:-- - -“From my youth I made a peculiar study of alchemy, without ever -attaining the object of that science. In my course of experiments I -received a visit from a man who was entirely unknown to me. He asked -very politely what was the object of my labours, and said, without -giving me time to reply, ‘I see very well by these glasses and this -furnace that you are engaged in a search after something very great in -chemistry, but, believe me, you never will in that way attain to the -object of your desire.’ - -“I said to him--‘Sir, if you have better instructions, I flatter myself -that you will give them.’ - -“‘Willingly,’ replied this generous unknown. - -“Immediately I took a pen and wrote down the process he dictated. - -“‘To show you the result,’ said the stranger, ‘let us both work -together according to what you have written.’ - -“We proceeded, and our operation being finished, I drew from the -chemical vessel a brilliant oil; it congealed into a mass, which I -broke into a powder. I took part of this powder and projected it on -three hundred pounds of quicksilver; it was in a little time converted -into pure gold, much more perfect than that of the mines; it endured -all the proofs of the goldsmiths. - -“A prodigy so extraordinary struck me with surprise and astonishment. -I became almost stupid, and, as another Crœsus, fancied I possessed -all the riches in the universe. My gratitude to my benefactor was more -than I could express. He told me that he was on his travels and wanted -nothing whatever; ‘but it gratifies me,’ said he, ‘to counsel those -who are unable to complete the Hermetic work.’ I pressed him to remain -with me, but he retired to his inn. Next day I called there, but what -was my surprise at not finding him in it, or at any place in the town! -I had many questions to ask him which left me in doubt. I returned to -work according to the receipt, but failed in the result. I repeated -the process with more care; it was all in vain! Yet I persevered until -I had expended all the transmuted gold and the greater part of my own -property.” - -“We see,” remarks Kircher, very gravely, “by this true history, how -the devil seeks to deceive men who are led by a lust of riches. This -alchemist was convinced he had an infernal visitor, and he destroyed -his books, furnace, and apparatus, by the timely advice of his -confessor.” - - - - -ALBERT BELIN. - - -Of this Benedictine, who was born at Besançon in 1610, the amateurs -of alchemy and the occult sciences have much prized the following -opuscula:--“A Treatise on Talismans or Astral figures, demonstrating -the exclusively natural origin of their no less admirable virtues, -with the manner of their composition and their practical utility;” -“Justification of the Sympathetic Powder,” published together -at Paris, 1671, 12mo; and, in particular, “The Adventures of an -Unknown Philosopher in the search after and on the discovery of the -Philosophical Stone.” This is divided into four books, and the manner -of accomplishing the _magnum opus_ is indicated with perspicacity -in the fourth. It was published in duodecimo at Paris in 1664, and -has since been reprinted. In the dedicatory epistle the authorship -is disclaimed by Belin, who remarks that, in accordance with his -profession, he should be occupied with the great work of divine grace -rather than with the natural _magnum opus_. The adventures are the -production of a young man with whom he was once well acquainted, and -who was then lately deceased. In the fourth book, the narrator of the -story relates how, with a copy of Raymond Lully in his hand, he went -by himself into a wood, and there he was interrupted in his studies -by a wonderful lady, in a wonderful silverine dress, embroidered with -flowers of gold. She proves to be Wisdom, and is greeted by the student -as his adorable mistress. In her infinite grace and condescension, -the divine incarnation of philosophy instructs her ravished listener, -during three several discourses, in the nature, effects, and -excellences of the rich and fruitful stone, of the matter whereof it -is composed, and of its development into absolute perfection. - -The story is suggestive and curious, but in literary and romantic merit -it will bear no comparison with the “Chemical Nuptials of Christian -Rosencreutz.” - - - - -EIRENÆUS PHILALETHES. - - -In “The Real History of the Rosicrucians,” having no space for an -adequate discussion of the question, I followed the more general -opinion of Hermetic writers by identifying the author of the _Introitas -Apertus_ with the author of the _Lumen de Lumine_, Thomas Vaughan, and -concluded that he wrote indifferently under the pseudonyms of Eugenius -Philalethes and Eirenæus Philalethes. - -Certain misleading references in great but fallible bibliographies, -and one piece of inextricable confusion in the text of the _Introitus -Apertus_, made this view appear to be fairly reasonable. However, in -the course of a somewhat detailed notice, a writer in the _Saturday -Review_ has taken me to task, by no means discourteously, be it said, -for inaccuracy in my account of Vaughan. - -On the authority of Ashmole and Wood, he states that this personage -was the brother of the Silurist poet, Henry Vaughan, that he was born -at Llansaintfraid, in Brecknockshire, during the year 1621, that he -graduated at Jesus College, Oxford, took orders, and returned to hold -the living of his native parish. Under the Commonwealth he was ejected -as a Royalist, and then betook himself to chemical experiments, one of -which cost him his life on the 27th of February 1665. - -Now, it is clear that these facts do not correspond with the life, -such as we know it, of the author of the _Introitus Apertus_, and the -identification of the two Philalethes, a habit which is apparently -unknown to the Saturday Reviewer, must be therefore abandoned. Why this -identification has hitherto taken place, and why, with some misgivings, -it was continued in my work on the Rosicrucians, may be very easily -explained. - -The grounds of the confusion are these:--First, the similarity of the -assumed name, half of which was common to them both, while the other -half appears to have been interchangeable in the minds of historians -and bibliographers alike, including the compilers of the Catalogue in -the Library of the British Museum, which attributes the _Introitus -Apertus_ indiscriminately to both Philalethes. Second, the fact that -almost every edition and translation of this treatise contains the -following passage in the initial paragraph of the preface:-- - -“I being an adept, anonymous, and lover of learning, decreed to write -this little Treatise of physical secrets in the year 1645, in the -twenty-third year of my age, to pay my duty to the sons of art, and -lend my hand to bring them out of the labyrinth of error, to show -the adepts that I am a brother equal to them. I presage that many -will be enlightened by these my labours. They are no fables, but real -experiments, which I have seen, made, and know, as any adept will -understand. I have often in writing laid aside my pen, because I was -willing to have concealed the truth under the mask of envy; but God -compelled me to write, Whom I could not resist: He alone knows the -heart--to Him only be glory for ever. I undoubtedly believe that many -will become blessed in this last age of the world with this arcanum. -May the will of God be done! I confess myself unworthy of effecting -such things--I adore the holy will of God, to Whom all things are -subjected! He created and preserves them to this end.” - -A simple arithmetical operation will show that the author was -consequently born in the year 1621, when also Eugenius Philalethes, -otherwise Thomas Vaughan, first saw the light. This would remain -unchallenged, but for the fact that the original edition[AH] of the -_Introitus_ is asserted to read _trigesimo anno_, in the thirty-third -year, instead of _vigesimo anno_. There is no copy of this original -edition in the British Museum, and my knowledge of it is derived -from the reprint in Langlet du Fresnoy’s _Histoire de la Philosophie -Hermétique_. Eirenæus, in accordance with the later impressions, is -venerated by the faithful of Hermes as the adept who accomplished the -grand and sublime act at the age of twenty-two. - -These grounds, which in themselves are considerable, may be -supplemented by the fact that there is much similarity in the style and -methods of the two writers. - -Eugenius Philalethes wrote _Anthroposophia Theomagica_; _Anima Magica -Abscondita_, published together in 1650; _Magia Adamica_, 1650; “The -Man-Mouse” (a satire on Henry More, the Platonist); “The Second Wash, -or The Moore (_i.e._, Henry More) Scoured once more,” 1651; _Lumen de -Lumine_, 1651; “The Fame and Confession of the Fraternity R.C.,” 1652; -_Aula Lucis_, 1652; “Euphrates, or The Waters of the East,” 1655. “A -Brief Natural History,” published in 1669, also bears his name, and in -1679 his poetical remains were published by Henry, his brother, along -with some effusions of his own, entitled _Thalia Rediviva_. - -Some idea of the confusion which exists in the minds of biographers -and bibliographers alike on this point may be gathered from the fact -that some authorities represent Thomas Vaughan as dying in 1656, while -Chalmers’ Biographical Dictionary attributes all the works of Eugenius -Philalethes to Henry the Silurist, whom he terms a Rosicrucian fanatic. - -If much be confusion which concerns Thomas Vaughan, all is chaos in -respect of Eirenæus Philalethes. He would appear to have emigrated -to America at a comparatively early period. The Amsterdam original -edition of his _Experimenta de Præparatione Mercurii Sophici_, which -was issued by Daniel Elzevir in 1668, describes that work as _ex -manuscripto philosophi Americani, alias Æyrenæi Philalethes, natu -Angli, habitatione Cosmopolitæ_. In this way, those who have refrained -from identifying him with Thomas Vaughan, carefully confuse him -with George Starkey, also an Anglo-American, who claimed a familiar -acquaintance with Philalethes, and who, owing his initiation to him, -may be considered his philosophical son, but not his _alter ego_. -Starkey returned to London, and wrote several chemical books, some -of which detail the transmutations performed by Philalethes in the -apothecary’s trans-atlantic laboratory. He died of the plague in London -in 1665, while Eirenæus continued publishing for many years after that -date, and lived for some time on intimate terms with the illustrious -Robert Boyle, who, however, has given us no biographical particulars -concerning him. - -Not the least curious fact in the history of this mysterious adept is -the apparently complete disappearance of numbers of his printed works, -which an authentic list extends to some forty volumes, some of which -seem perfectly unknown and unheard of by bibliographers and collectors -alike. Langlet du Fresnoy enumerates several manuscript treatises, but -gives no clue to their whereabouts. - -It is from the books of Philalethes himself that we must be contented -to glean the scanty facts of his life. The thirteenth chapter of the -_Introitus Apertus ad Occlusum Regis Palatium_ contains the following -remarkable account of its author:-- - -“All alchemical books abound with obscure enigmas and sophistical -operations. I have not written in this style, having resigned my will -to the Divine pleasure. I do not fear that the art will be disesteemed -because I write plainly, for true wisdom will defend its own honour. -I wish gold and silver were as mean in esteem as earth, that we need -not so strictly conceal ourselves. For we are like Cain, driven from -the pleasant society we formerly had without fear; now we are tossed -up and down as if beset with furies; nor can we suppose ourselves safe -in any one place long. We weep and sigh, complaining to the Lord, -‘Behold, whosoever shall find me will slay me!’ We travel through many -nations like vagabonds, and dare not take upon us the care of a family, -neither do we possess any certain habitation. Although we possess all -things we can use but a few; what, therefore, do we enjoy except the -speculations of our minds? Many strangers to this art imagine that -if they enjoyed it they would do great good; so I believed formerly, -but the danger I have experienced has taught me otherwise. Whoever -encounters the eminent peril of his life will act with more caution -thenceforward. I found the world in a most wicked state, scarce a man -but is guided by some selfish and unworthy motive, however honest -or upright he is judged in public. An adept cannot effect the works -of mercy to an uncommon extent without in some degree confiding to -the secrecy of others, and this is at the hazard of imprisonment and -death. I lately had a proof of it; for, being in a foreign place, I -administered the medicine to some distressed poor persons who were -dying, and they having miraculously recovered, there was immediately -a rumour spread abroad of the elixir of life, insomuch that I was -forced to fly by night with exceeding great trouble, having changed my -clothes, shaved my head, put on other hair, and altered my name, else -I would have fallen into the hands of wicked men that lay in wait for -me, merely on suspicion, excited by the thirst of gold. I could mention -other dangers which would seem ridiculous to those who did not stand -in a similar situation. They think they would manage their affairs -better, but they do not consider that all those intelligent people, -whose society is chiefly desirable, are extremely discerning, and a -slight conjecture is enough to produce a conspiracy; for the iniquity -of men is so great that I have known a person to have been strangled -with a halter on suspicion; although he did not possess the art, it was -sufficient that a desperate man had report of it. This age abounds with -ignorant alchemists; however ignorant of science, they know sufficient -to discover an adept, or to suspect him. An appearance of secresy will -cause them to search and examine every circumstance of your life. -If you cure the sick, or sell a large quantity of gold, the news is -circulated all through the neighbourhood. The goldsmith knows that the -metal is too fine, and it is contrary to law for any one to alloy it -who is not a regular metallurgist. I once sold pure silver worth £600 -in a foreign country. The goldsmith, notwithstanding I was dressed as a -merchant, told me ‘this silver was made by art.’ I asked the reason he -said so. He replied, ‘I know the silver that comes from Spain, England, -&c. This is purer than any of them.’ Hearing this I withdrew. There is -no better silver in trade than the Spanish, but if I had attempted to -reduce my silver from its superior purity, and was discovered, I would -be hanged for felony. I never called again for either the silver or the -price of it. The transmission of gold and silver from one country to -another is regulated by strict laws, and this is enough to condemn the -adept who appears to have a quantity of it. Thus, being taught by these -difficulties, I have determined to lie hid, and will communicate the -art to thee who dreamest of performing public good, that we may see -what you will undertake when you obtain it. - -“The searcher of all hearts knows that I write the truth; nor is there -any cause to accuse me of envy. I write with an unterrified quill in an -unheard of style, to the honour of God, to the profit of my neighbours, -with contempt of the world and its riches; because ELIAS the artist is -already born, and now glorious things are declared of the city of God. -I dare affirm that I do possess more riches than the whole known world -is worth, but I cannot make use of it because of the snares of knaves. -I disdain, loathe, and detest the idolizing of silver and gold, by -which the pomps and vanities of the world are celebrated. Ah, filthy -evil! Ah, vain nothingness? Believe ye that I conceal the art out of -envy? No, verily I protest to you, I grieve from the very bottom of -my soul that we are driven like vagabonds from the face of the Lord -throughout the earth. But what need many words? The thing we have seen, -taught, and made, which we have, possess, and know, that we do declare; -being moved with compassion for the studious, and with indignation of -gold, silver, and precious stones, not as they are creatures of God, -far be it from us, for in that respect we honour them, and think them -worthy of esteem, but the people of God adore them as well as the -world. Therefore let them be ground to powder like the golden calf! I -do hope and expect that within a few years money will be as dross; and -that prop of the anti-Christian beast will be dashed to pieces. The -people are mad, the nations rave, an unprofitable wight is set up in -the place of God. At our long expected and approaching redemption, the -New Jerusalem shall abound with gold in the streets, the gates thereof -shall be made with entire stones, most precious ones, and the tree of -life in the midst of Paradise shall give leaves for the _healing_ of -the nations. I know these my writings will be to men as pure gold; and -through them gold and silver will become vile as dirt. Believe me, the -time is at the door, I see it in spirit, when we, adeptists, shall -return from the four corners of the earth, nor shall we fear any snares -that are laid against our lives, but we shall give thanks to the Lord -our God. I would to God that every ingenious man in the whole earth -understood this science; then it would only be valued for its wisdom, -and virtue only would be had in honour. I know many adepts who have -vowed a most secret silence. I am of another judgment because of the -hope I have in my God; therefore I consulted not with my brethren, or -with flesh and blood, in these my writings: God grant that it be to the -glory of His name!” - -We are told in the preface to “Ripley Revived” the authors to whom -he was at any rate chiefly indebted. “For my own part, I have cause -to honour Bernard Trévisan, who is very ingenious, especially in the -letter to Thomas of Boulogne, where I seriously confess I received -the main light in the hidden secret. I do not remember that ever I -learned anything from Raymond Lully. Some who are not adepts give -more instruction to a beginner than one whom perfect knowledge makes -cautious. I learned the secret of the _magnet_ from one, the _chalybs_ -from another, the use of _Diana’s Doves_ from a third, the _air_ or -_cameleon_ from another, the gross preparation of the dissolvent in -another, the number of _eagles_ in another; but for _operations_ on -the _true matter_ and signs of the _true mercury_, I know of none like -Ripley, though Flamel be eminent. I know what I say, having learned by -experience what is truth and what is error. - -“I have read misleading, sophistical writers, and made many toilsome, -laborious experiments, though but young; and having at length, -through the undeserved mercy of God, arrived at my haven of rest, I -shall stretch out my hand to such as are behind. I have wrote several -treatises, one in English, very plain but not perfected--unfortunately, -it slipped out of my hand. I shall be sorry if it comes abroad into -the world--two in Latin, _Brevis Manuductio ad Rubinem Cœlestem_, and -_Fons Chymicæ Philosophiæ_--these, for special reasons, I resolve to -suppress. Two others I lately wrote, which, perhaps, you may enjoy, -namely, _Ars Metallorum Metamorphoses_, and _Introitus Apertus ad -Occlusum Regis Palatium_. I wrote two poems in English, which are -lost; also, in English, an Enchiridion of experiments, a diurnal of -meditations, with many receipts declaring the whole secret, and an -Enigma annexed. These also fell into the hands of one who, I conceive, -will never restore them.” - -The delinquent in question was undoubtedly George Starkey, who -published the “Marrow of Alchemy” under the name of Eirenæus Philoponos -Philalethes; this metrical account of the Hermetic theory and practice -is apparently the vanished verse of the adept, but it contains in -addition an account of the editor’s own initiation, which is certainly -worth transcribing. - -“I have now to assert, from my own experience, facts of transmutation -of which I was an eye-witness. I was well acquainted with an artist -with whom I have often conversed on the subject, and I saw in his -possession the white and the red elixir in very large quantity. He gave -me upwards of two ounces of the white medicine, of sufficient virtue -to convert 120,000 times its weight into the purest virgin silver. -With this treasure I went to work ignorantly upon multiplication, -and was caught in the trap of my own covetousness, for I expended or -wasted all this tincture. However, I made projection of part of it, -which is sufficient for my present purpose, enabling me to assert the -possibility of the art from ocular demonstration. I have tinged many -times hundreds of ounces into the best silver. Of a pound of mercury -I have made within less than a scruple of a pound of silver; of lead, -little more waste; but ’tis wondrous to see tin--although a dross was -burnt from it, yet its weight increased in the fire. I essayed the -medicine on copper, iron, even on brass and pewter, on spelter, solder, -tinglass, mercury, and on regulus of antimony; and I can say with truth -it conquers all metallic things, and brings them all to perfection. I -found there was nothing akin to it but it would tinge into pure silver. -Even perfect gold was penetrated and changed into a white glass, that -would transmute, but in small quantity, inferior metals into silver; -but when this silver was assayed it was found to abide _aquafortis_, -cupel of antimony, and weighed as gold, so that it was _white gold_. -This was because the white tincture had fermented with red earth, and -both virtues coming into projection, produced silver-coloured gold, -or silver equalling gold in perfection, but wanting its hue. I did -not know the value of this silver till my medicine was nearly gone, -and sold eighty ounces of it at the common price, though it was as -valuable as gold. I projected the medicine on pure silver, and had a -chrystalline metal, like burnished steel or mirror, but there was no -increase of virtue in this; it tinged only so much as it would if it -had not been projected on silver. - -“The artist who gave me this is still living; I prize him as my own -life; I wish his happiness, for he has been a sure friend. He is at -present on his travels, visiting artists and collecting antiquities as -a citizen of the world. He is an Englishman of an ancient, honourable -family, who now live in the place wherein he was born. He is scarcely -thirty-three years of age, and is rarely learned. You cannot know more -of him from me, nor can you be acquainted with him; his acquaintance -with me is as unexpected as his love was cordial. I had often seen by -experiment that he was master of the white and red before he would -vouchsafe to trust me with a small bit of the stone, nor would I press -him, trusting for his courtesy soon or late, which I shortly received, -by what I have said of the white medicine, and also a portion of his -mercury. - -“He told me this mercury was a matchless treasure, if God would open -my eyes to the use of it, else I might grope in blindness. With this -dissolvent, which is the hidden secret of all masters, he exceedingly -multiplied his red stone. I saw him put a piece of the red, by weight, -into that same mercury, which then digested, dissolved it, and made -it change colour, and in three days it passed through the process of -black, white, and red. - -“I thought that if the red and white could be multiplied that one -lineal progress led to either, and on this false ground I destroyed ten -parts in twelve of my medicine. This loss did not suffice me, for I -mixed the remaining two parts with ten times their weight of Luna, and -fell to work again, hoping to make up for my first error. I then began -to think upon the maxims of the old books, revolved in my mind the -agreement of my work with the laws of Nature, and at length I concluded -that each thing is to be disposed according to its condition. - -“When I found that my vain attempts only threw away the tincture, I -stopped my hand, resolving to keep the few grains left for some urgent -necessity, which for its preservation I mixed with ten parts of Luna. - -“I tried some of the mercury before mentioned on gold, my desire -being to see the work carried forward and brought to Luna, if not to -Sol. This, then, I projected on mercury. After having alloyed it with -silver it tinged fifty parts, and I strove to imbibe it, but in vain, -because I had let it cool. I foolishly supposed to obtain the oil by -imbibition. However, Nature carried on the work into blackness, the -colours, and whiteness, which yet was far short of what I looked for. - -“In these trials I wasted nearly all my mercury likewise; but I -had for my consolation the witnessing of transmutations, and those -extraordinary processes which I beheld with mine own eyes, and blessed -God for seeing. - -“In some time I met my good friend and told all my mishaps, hoping that -he would supply me as before; but he, considering that my failures had -made me wise, would not trust me with more, lest I should pluck the -Hesperian tree as I chose for my own and other men’s hurt. He said to -me, ‘Friend, if God elects you to this art, He will in due time bestow -the knowledge of it; but if in His wisdom He judge you unfit, or that -you would do mischief with it, accursed be that man who would arm a -maniac to the harm of his fellow-creatures. While you were ignorant, -I gave you a great gift, so that, if Heaven ordained, the gift should -destroy itself. I see it is not right you should enjoy it at present; -what providence denies I cannot give you, or I should be guilty of your -misconduct.’ - -“I confess this lesson of divinity did not please me; as I hoped so -much from him, his answer was a disappointment. He further said that -God had granted me knowledge, but withheld the fruit of it for the -present. - -“Then I gave him to understand how I had discovered the skill of the -water, ‘by which, in time, I may obtain what you deny, and which I am -resolved to attempt.’ - -“‘If so, then,’ he replied, ‘attend to what I say, and you may bless -God for it. Know that we are severely bound by strong vows never to -supply any man by our art who might confound the world, if he held it -at will; and all the evil he does is left at the door of that adept -who is so imprudent. Consider what a prize you had both of the _stone_ -and of the _mercury_. Would not any one say that he must be mad that -would throw it all away without profit? - -“‘Had you been guided by reason you might have enough of what I gave -you. Your method was to add to the purest _gold_ but a grain of the -_stone_; in fusion it would unite to it, and then you might go about -the work with your _mercury_, which would speedily mix with that gold -and greatly shorten the work, which you might easily govern to the -_red_; and as you saw how I wedded new _gold_ to _such sulphur_ and -_mercury_, you saw the weight, time, and heat, what more could you have -wished? And seeing you know the art of preparing the _fiery mercury_, -you might have as much store as any one. - -“‘But you do not perceive by this that God is averse to you, and caused -you to waste the treasure I gave you. He sees perhaps that you would -break His holy laws and do wrong with it; and though He has imparted so -much knowledge, I plainly see that He will keep you some years without -the enjoyment of that which no doubt you would misuse. Know, that -if you seek this art without a ferment, you must beware of frequent -error; you will err and stray from the right path, notwithstanding all -your care, and perhaps may not in the course of your life attain this -treasure, which is the alone gift of God. If you pursue the straightest -course it will take a year to arrive at perfection; but if you take -wrong ways, you shall be often left behind, sometimes a year, and -must renew your charge and pains, repenting of your loss and error, -in much distraction, care, and perils, with an expense you can hardly -spare. Attend therefore to my counsel, and I shall disclose the secret -conditionally. Swear before the mighty God that you will, for such a -time, abstain from the attempt or practice; nor shall you at that -time, even if you are at the point of death, disclose some few points -that I will reveal to you in secrecy.’ - -“I swore, and he unlocked his mind to me, and proved that he did not -deceive by showing me those lights which I shall honestly recount, as -far as my oath will admit.” - - * * * * * - -Eirenæus Philalethes has the credit of unexampled perspicuity, and -his _Introitus Apertus_, in particular, is an abridgement or digest -of the whole _turba philosophorum_. Those who are in search of the -physical secret should begin by the careful study of his works; thence -they should proceed to a consideration of the authors whom he himself -recommends, after which the best Hermetic writers, from the days of -Geber downward, should be taken in their chronological order, carefully -analysed, and their points of difference and agreement duly noted. - -The physical nature of the alchemical arcana in the custody of the -true Philalethes are best seen by the narratives and commentaries -of his pupil, George Starkey. The mystery which surrounds the adept -stimulates unbalanced imaginations, and dilates into Titanic stature -the projects which he cherished and the wonders he is supposed to have -accomplished. The _Introitus Apertus_, amid much that is mystical -and much that suggests an exceedingly romantic interpretation, is a -treatise of practical alchemy, and further elaborates the principles, -evidently physical, that are expounded in the metrical essays which -were preserved and made public by Starkey. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[AH] It was published at Amsterdam in 1667, and is supposed to have -been free from the numerous typographical errors of the later editions. - - - - -PIERRE JEAN FABRE. - - -This physician of Montpellier, to whom chemistry is indebted for -some steps in its progress, flourished at the beginning of the -seventeenth century. He believed in the transmutation of metals, but -is not considered as an adept, though he wrote seventeen treatises -on this subject, and on the Spagiric Medicine. His most curious -work is _Alchimista Christianus_. Toulouse, 1632, 8vo. In _Hercules -Piochymicus_, published at the same place two years later, he maintains -that the labours of Hercules are allegories, which contain the arcana -of Hermetic philosophy. - -He defines the philosophical stone as the seed out of which gold and -silver are generated. It is three and yet one; it may be found in all -compounded substances, and is formed of salt, mercury, and sulphur, -which, however, are not to be confounded with the vulgar substances so -denominated. - - - - -HELVETIUS. - - -The following singularly impressive and even convincing testimony to -the alleged fact of metallic transmutation was published by the eminent -Dutch physician, John Frederick Helvetius, at the Hague in 1667, and -was dedicated to his friends, Dr Retius of Amsterdam, Dr Hansius of -Heidelberg, and Dr Menzelin of Brandeburg. - -“On the 27th December 1666, in the afternoon, a stranger, in a plain, -rustic dress, came to my house at the Hague. His manner of address was -honest, grave, and authoritative; his stature was low, with a long -face and hair black, his chin smooth. He seemed like a native of the -north of Scotland, and I guessed he was about forty-four years old. -After saluting me, he requested me most respectfully to pardon his rude -intrusion, but that his love of the pyrotechnic art made him visit -me. Having read some of my small treatises, particularly that against -the sympathetic powder of Sir Kenelm Digby, and observed therein my -doubt of the Hermetic mystery, it caused him to request this interview. -He asked me if I still thought there was no medicine in Nature which -could cure all diseases, unless the principal parts, as the lungs, -liver, &c., were perished, or the time of death were come. To which -I replied, I never met with an adept, or saw such a medicine, though -I read much of it, and often wished for it. Then I asked if he was -a physician. He said he was a founder of brass, yet from his youth -learned many rare things in chemistry, particularly of a friend--the -manner to extract out of metals many medicinal arcana by the use of -fire. After discoursing of experiments in metals, he asked me, Would -I know the philosophers’ stone if I saw it? I answered, I would not; -though I read much of it in Paracelsus, Helmont, Basil, and others, yet -I dare not say I could know the philosophers’ matter. In the interim -he drew from his breast pocket a neat ivory box, and out of it took -three ponderous lumps of the stone, each about the size of a small -walnut. They were transparent and of a pale brimstone colour, whereto -some scales of the crucible adhered when this most noble substance -was melted. The value of it I since calculated was twenty tons weight -of gold. When I had greedily examined and handled the stone almost -a quarter of an hour, and heard from the owner many rare secrets of -its admirable effects in human and metallic bodies, also its other -wonderful properties, I returned him this treasure of treasures, truly -with a most sorrowful mind, like those who conquer themselves, yet, as -was just, very thankfully and humbly. I further desired to know why -the colour was yellow, and not red, ruby colour, or purple, as the -philosophers write. He answered, that was nothing, for the matter was -mature and ripe enough. Then I humbly requested him to bestow a little -piece of the medicine on me, in perpetual memory of him, though but of -the size of a coriander or hemp seed. He presently answered, ‘Oh no, -this is not lawful, though thou wouldst give me as many ducats in gold -as would fill this room, not for the value of the metal, but for some -particular consequences. Nay, if it were possible,’ said he, ‘that fire -could be burnt by fire, I would rather at this instant cast all this -substance into the fiercest flames.’ He then demanded if I had a more -private chamber, as this was seen from the public street. I presently -conducted him into the best furnished room backward, not doubting but -he would bestow part thereof or some great treasure on me. He entered -without wiping his shoes, although they were full of snow and dirt. He -asked me for a little piece of gold, and, pulling off his cloak, opened -his vest, under which he had five pieces of gold. They were hanging to -a green silk ribbon, and were of the size of breakfast plates. This -gold so far excelled mine that there was no comparison for flexibility -and colour. The inscriptions engraven upon them he granted me to write -out; they were pious thanksgivings to God, dated 20th August 1666, with -the characters of the Sun, Mercury, the Moon, and the signs of Leo and -Libra. - -“I was in great admiration, and desired to know where and how he -obtained them. He answered, ‘A foreigner, who dwelt some days in my -house, said he was a lover of this science, and came to reveal it to -me. He taught me various arts--first, of ordinary stones and chrystals, -to make rubies, chrysolites, sapphires, &c., much more valuable than -those of the mine; and how in a quarter of an hour to make an oxide -of iron, one dose of which would infallibly cure the pestilential -dysentery, or bloody flux; also how to make a metallic liquor to -cure all kinds of dropsies most certainly and in four days; as also -a limpid, clear water, sweeter than honey, by which in two hours of -itself, in hot sand, it would extract the tincture of garnets, corals, -glasses, and such like.’ He said more, which I, Helvetius, did not -observe, my mind being occupied to understand how a noble juice could -be drawn out of minerals to transmute metals. He told me his said -master caused him to bring a glass of rain-water, and to put some -silver leaf into it, which was dissolved therein within a quarter of -an hour, like ice when heated. ‘Presently he drank to me the half, and -I pledged him the other half, which had not so much taste as sweet -milk, but whereby, methought, I became very light-headed. I thereupon -asked if this were a philosophical drink, and wherefore we drank this -potion; but he replied, I ought not to be so curious.’ By the said -master’s directions, a piece of a leaden pipe being melted, he took a -little sulphureous powder out of his pocket, put a little of it on the -point of a knife into the melted lead, and after a great blast of the -bellows, in a short time he poured it on the red stones of the kitchen -chimney. It proved most excellent pure gold, which the stranger said -brought him into such trembling amazement that he could hardly speak; -but his master encouraged him saying, ‘Cut for thyself the sixteenth -part of this as a memorial, and give the rest away among the poor,’ -which the stranger did, distributing this alms, as he affirmed, if my -memory fail not, at the Church of Sparenda. ‘At last,’ said he, ‘the -generous foreigner taught me thoroughly this divine art.’ - -“As soon as his relation was finished, I asked my visitor to show me -the effect of transmutation and so confirm my faith; but he declined -it for that time in such a discreet manner that I was satisfied, he -promising to come again in three weeks, to show me some curious arts -in the fire, provided it were then lawful without prohibition. At the -three weeks end he came, and invited me abroad for an hour or two. In -our walk we discoursed of Nature’s secrets, but he was very silent on -the subject of the great elixir gravely asserting that it was only to -magnify the sweet fame and mercy of the most glorious God; that few men -endeavoured to serve Him, and this he expressed as a pastor or minister -of a church; but I recalled his attention, entreating him to show me -the metallic mystery, desiring also that he would eat, drink, and lodge -at my house, which I pressed, but he was of so fixed a determination -that all my endeavours were frustrated. I could not forbear to tell him -that I had a laboratory ready for an experiment, and that a promised -favour was a kind of debt. ‘Yes, true,’ said he, ‘but I promised to -teach thee at my return, with this proviso, if it were not forbidden.’ - -“When I perceived that all this was in vain, I earnestly requested a -small crumb of his powder, sufficient to transmute a few grains of -lead to gold; and at last, out of his philosophical commiseration, he -gave me as much as a turnip seed in size, saying, ‘Receive this small -parcel of the greatest treasure of the world, which truly few kings or -princes have ever seen or known.’ ‘But,’ I said, ‘this perhaps will not -transmute four grains of lead,’ whereupon he bid me deliver it back -to him, which, in hopes of a greater parcel, I did; but he, cutting -half off with his nail, flung it into the fire, and gave me the rest -wrapped neatly up in blue paper, saying, ‘It is yet sufficient for -thee.’ I answered him, indeed with a most dejected countenance, ‘Sir, -what means this? The other being too little, you give me now less.’ -He told me to put into the crucible half an ounce of lead, for there -ought to be no more lead put in than the medicine can transmute. I gave -him great thanks for my diminished treasure, concentrated truly in the -superlative degree, and put it charily up into my little box, saying I -meant to try it the next day, nor would I reveal it to any. ‘Not so, -not so,’ said he, ‘for we ought to divulge all things to the children -of art which may tend alone to the honour of God, that so they may -live in the theosophical truth.’ I now made a confession to him, that -while the mass of his medicine was in my hands, I endeavoured to scrape -away a little of it with my nail, and could not forbear; but scratched -off so very little, that, it being picked from my nail, wrapped in a -paper, and projected on melted lead, I found no transmutation, but -almost the whole mass of lead sublimed, while the remainder was a -glassy earth. At this unexpected account he immediately said, ‘You are -more dexterous to commit theft than to apply the medicine, for if you -had only wrapped up the stolen prey in yellow wax, to preserve it from -the fumes of the lead, it would have sunk to the bottom, and transmuted -it to gold; but having cast it into the fumes, the violence of the -vapour, partly by its sympathetic alliance, carried the medicine quite -away.’ I brought him the crucible, and he perceived a most beautiful -saffron-like tincture sticking to the sides. He promised to come next -morning at nine o’clock, to show me that this tincture would transmute -the lead into gold. Having taken his leave, I impatiently awaited his -return, but the next day he came not, nor ever since. He sent an excuse -at half-past nine that morning, and promised to come at three in the -afternoon, but I never heard of him since. I soon began to doubt the -whole matter. Late that night my wife, who was a most curious student -and inquirer after the art, came soliciting me to make an experiment -of that little grain of the stone, to be assured of the truth. ‘Unless -this be done,’ said she, ‘I shall have no rest or sleep this night.’ -She being so earnest, I commanded a fire to be made, saying to myself, -‘I fear, I fear indeed, this man hath deluded me.’ My wife wrapped the -said matter in wax, and I cut half an ounce of lead, and put it into a -crucible in the fire. Being melted, my wife put in the medicine, made -into a small pill with the wax, which presently made a hissing noise, -and in a quarter of an hour the mass of lead was totally transmuted -into the best and finest gold, which amazed us exceedingly. We could -not sufficiently gaze upon this admirable and miraculous work of -nature, for the melted lead, after projection, showed on the fire the -rarest and most beautiful colours imaginable, settling in green, and -when poured forth into an ingot, it had the lively fresh colour of -blood. When cold it shined as the purest and most splendid gold. Truly -all those who were standing about me were exceedingly startled, and -I ran with this aurified lead, being yet hot, to the goldsmith, who -wondered at the fineness, and after a short trial by the test, said it -was the most excellent gold in the world. - -“The next day a rumour of this prodigy went about the Hague and -spread abroad, so that many illustrious and learned persons gave me -their friendly visits for its sake. Amongst the rest, the general -Assay-master, examiner of coins of this province of Holland, Mr -Porelius, who with others earnestly besought me to pass some part of -the gold through all their customary trials, which I did, to gratify my -own curiosity. We went to Mr Brectel, a silversmith, who first mixed -four parts of silver with one part of the gold, then he filed it, put -_aquafortis_ to it, dissolved the silver, and let the gold precipitate -to the bottom; the solution being poured off and the calx of gold -washed with water, then reduced and melted, it appeared excellent gold, -and instead of a loss in weight, we found the gold was increased, and -had transmuted a scruple of the silver into gold by its abounding -tincture. - -“Doubting whether the silver was now sufficiently separated from the -gold, we mingled it with seven parts of antimony, which we melted and -poured out into a cone, and blew off the regulus on a test, where we -missed eight grains of our gold; but after we blew away the red of the -antimony, or superfluous _scoria_, we found nine grains of gold for our -eight grains missing, yet it was pale and silver-like, but recovered -its full colour afterwards, so that in the best proof of fire we lost -nothing at all of this gold, but gained, as aforesaid. These tests I -repeated four times and found it still alike, and the silver remaining -out of the _aquafortis_ was of the very best flexible silver that could -be, so that in the total the said medicine or elixir had transmuted six -drams and two scruples of the lead and silver into most pure gold.” - - - - -GUISEPPE FRANCESCO BORRI. - - -“The Rape of the Lock” and the graceful romance of “Undine” have -familiarised every one with the doctrine of elementary spirits; but -the chief philosophical, or pseudo-philosophical, account of these -unseen but not extra-mundane intelligences has been the little book -of the Comte de Gabalis, a series of conversations on the secret -sciences. It is generally unknown that this work is little more than an -unacknowledged translation of “The Key to the Cabinet of the Chevalier -Borri, wherein may be found various epistles--curious, scientific, -and chemical--with politic instructions, matters which deserve well -of the curious, and a variety of magnificent secrets.”[AI] Borri, who -appears to have been a microcosmic precursor of Cagliostro, was born -at Milan in 1627. Some proceedings of an equivocal nature caused him, -in his earlier years, to seek sanctuary in a church, but subsequently, -like Joseph Balsamo, he underwent a complete transformation, announced -that he was inspired of Heaven, that he was elected by the omnipotent -God to accomplish the reformation of mankind, and to establish the -_Regnum Dei_. There should be henceforth but a single religion, with -the Pope as its head, and a vast army, with Borri as general, for the -extermination of all anti-catholics. He exhibited a miraculous sword -which St Michael had deigned to present him, declared that he had -beheld in the empyrean a luminous palm-branch reserved for his own -celestial triumph, announced that the Holy Virgin was divine by nature, -that she conceived by inspiration, that she was equal with her Son, and -was present in the Eucharist with him, that the Holy Spirit had taken -flesh in her person, that the second and third persons of the Trinity -are inferior to the Divine Father, that the fall of Lucifer involved -that of a vast number of angels, who now inhabit the regions of the -air, that it was by the intervention of these rebellious spirits that -God created the world and gave life to all beasts, but that men were -in possession of a Divine soul which God made in spite of himself. -Finally, with a contradiction more French than Italian, he gave out -that he was himself the Holy Spirit incarnate. - -Needless to say, this novel gospel, according to mystical imposture, -brought him into conflict with hierarchic authority. He was arrested, -and, on the 3d of January 1661, he was condemned as a heretic, and -as guilty of various misdeeds. He managed to escape, took flight -northward, and by the expectation of the stone philosophical contrived -to cheat Christina, Queen of Sweden, out of a large sum of money. -He perambulated various parts of Germany, making many supposed -projections, visited the Low Countries, and in 1665 entered as a -professional alchemist into the service of the King of Denmark. -He announced that he was the master of a demon, who responded to -his magical evocations, and dictated the operations required for -the successful transmutation of metals. The name of this spook was -Homunculus, which, according to Paracelsus, signifies a minute human -being generated unnaturally without the assistance of the female -organism, from the sperm of a man or a boy. - -The monarch, determined to monopolise the talents of his adept, -decided that the laboratory of Borri should be transferred to his own -palace. The alchemist, with an eye to his freedom, objected that the -power of his imp would be destroyed on the first attempt to divide -him from a certain vast iron furnace, which was the sulphureous abode -of Homunculus; but his royal patron was a man of resources, and the -furnace was also transported. Five years passed away, and Frederick -III. having died, his successor determined on a closer investigation -of the transmutatory secrets of Borri, who took flight at the rumour, -but was arrested on the frontiers of Hungary, and imprisoned at Vienna, -where he was claimed by the Papal Nuncio as a fugitive condemned for -his heresies. He was sent to Rome, and entombed in the Castle of St -Angelo. There he was permitted to continue his alchemical processes, -which were pursued unsuccessfully till his death in the year 1695. - -“The Key to the Cabinet of the Chevalier Borri” has never been actually -translated; the adaptation by the Abbé de Villars is, of course, -of European celebrity. As to the chemical secrets contained in the -original letters, it may be safely concluded that they are few and -unimportant. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[AI] La Chiave del Gabinetto del Cavagliere G. F. Borri, col favor -della quella si vedono varie lettere scientifiche, chimice, e -curiosissime, con varie istruzioni politiche, ed altre cose degne da -curiosita e molti segreti bellissimi. Cologne (Genève), 1681, 12mo. - - - - -JOHN HEYDON. - - -This mountebank royalist mystic has no claim to be included among -alchemical philosophers, and is only noticed here to advise students -that everything relating to alchemy in the whole of his so-called works -was impudently stolen from Philalethes. He practised wholesale piracy -on his contemporaries and on ancient authors with equal effrontery. -The account of his voyage to the land of the Rosicrucians is a mangled -version of Bacon’s “Atlantis;” his apologues, epilogues, enigmas, &c., -are also stolen goods; in short, whatever is of value in his books is -matter borrowed from the highways and byways of occultism, and heaped -indiscriminately together. Everything emanating from his own weakly -intelligence is utterly contemptible; he was grossly superstitious and -pitiably credulous, as may be seen by his medical recipes. He claimed a -familiar acquaintance with the most arcane Rosicrucian mysteries, and -pretended that he had visited the temples, holy houses, castles, and -invisible mountains of the Fraternity. Of all the alchemical liars and -of all mystical charlatans who have flourished in England since the -first days of Anglo-occultism, John Heydon is chief. - - - - -LASCARIS. - - -German writers have principally occupied themselves with the -transmutations of this singular personage, who so successfully shrouded -himself in mystery, that his name, his age, his birthplace, and -everything which concerns his private life are completely unknown. - -He called himself Lascaris, but also adopted other appellations. He -claimed an Oriental origin, and as he spoke Greek fluently, he has -passed for a descendant of the royal house of Lascaris. He represented -himself as the archimandrite of a convent in the Island of Mytilena, -and bore letters from the Greek patriarch of Constantinople. His -mission in the West was the solicitation of alms for the ransom of -Christian prisoners in the East. He appeared for the first time in -Germany at the beginning of the eighteenth century, a man seemingly -some forty or fifty years old, of attractive mien, agreeable in -manner, and fluent in his conversation. Finding himself indisposed -at Berlin, he sent for a certain apothecary, who for some reason was -unable to attend, and on several occasions was represented by a pupil -at the bedside of the stranger. With this youth Lascaris fell into -conversation, and a sort of friendship sprung up between them. The -apothecary’s pupil had studied Basil Valentine, and had attempted -experiments on the principles of this adept. Lascaris recovered, and -at the moment of departing from Berlin he took the youth aside, and -presented him with a quantity of the transmuting powder, commanding him -to be silent as to whence he had derived it, and while forbidding him -to make use of it till some time after his departure, assured him that -when Berlin unbelievers beheld its amazing effects, no one would be -able to tax the alchemists with madness. - -The name of this young man was John Frederick Bötticher. Intoxicated -at the possession of such an unexpected treasure, he determined to -devote himself entirely to alchemy. The apothecary, his master, -vainly endeavoured to dissuade him from a pursuit which he considered -chimerical, for he astonished both him and his friends by changing -silver into gold in their presence. - -The experiment was repeated with mercury for the benefit of a friend of -Bötticher, the tale spread, and the apothecary’s pupil became the lion -of Berlin, more especially as he spread the report that he was able to -compose himself the philosophical tincture. - -He was summoned before the King, Frederick William I., who wished to -witness his performances, but he fled to an uncle at Wittenburg. He -was claimed from the authorities of that town as a Prussian subject, -but he was now a prize of value, and the Elector of Saxony opposed a -counter claim for the possession of his person, and to him Bötticher -decided to proceed. He was warmly welcomed, and when his transmutations -had been witnessed, the title of baron was conferred on him. He took up -his residence at Dresden, living in a style of great magnificence and -prodigality, till every particle of his powder was expended, when his -extravagance involved him in debt. His servants, whom he was unable to -repay, spread the report that it was his intention to take flight, and -the purblind Elector, refusing to perceive in this sudden failure of -resources a proof that Bötticher was unable to compose or increase the -philosophers’ stone, surrounded his house with guards, and detained him -practically as a prisoner. - -At this juncture, Lascaris, who was still wandering in Germany, took -pity on the misfortunes of his young neophyte, and endeavoured to -extricate him from his embarrassing position by means of a young doctor -named Pasch, who was a personal friend of the ennobled apothecary’s -boy. Their manœuvres resulted in the imprisonment of Pasch at the -fortress of Sonneinstein, while Bötticher was closely confined in -another castle at Kœnigstein. - -Two years and a half passed away. At the end of that time Pasch -succeeded in escaping at the expense of his limbs, and died after a few -months, bitterly complaining of the treachery of the adept Lascaris, -who had deserted him completely in his danger. - -Bötticher remained in confinement with every opportunity to manufacture -the philosophical stone, which, however he failed to accomplish; but -what with his apothecary’s training and his prison experiments, he had -become skilled in several departments of chemistry. He discovered the -process for the production of red porcelain, and afterwards that of -white, very superior in quality to the substances already known by that -name. These inventions proved as valuable to the tyrannical Elector as -the accomplishment of the _magnum opus_. Bötticher was restored to his -favour, and again enjoyed his baronial title, but in his liberty he -surrendered himself to an immoderately luxurious life, and died in 1719 -at the age of thirty-seven years. - -Bötticher was by no means the only apothecary’s boy who was enriched -with the powder of Lascaris, and despatched to preach the gospel of -alchemy with practical demonstrations. Godwin, Hermann, Braun, and -Martin of Fitzlar are mentioned among these half-initiated labourers, -who shone till their stock-in-trade was exhausted, and then disappeared -in succession. - -In the meantime, Lascaris himself was not idle. On the 16th February -1609 he is believed to have changed mercury into gold and gold into -silver, a double transmutation, considered by alchemical connoisseurs -to be the evidence of an unparalleled adeptship. Liebkneck, counsellor -of Wertherbourg, was a witness of this transmutation. - -In the same year a goldsmith of Leipsic was visited by a mysterious -stranger, who is unanimously identified with Lascaris, and who showed -him a lingot, which he declared was manufactured by art, and which -proved in assaying to be gold of twenty-two carats. It was purified by -the goldsmith with antimony, and part of it was presented to him by the -unknown as a memorial of the alleged transmutation. - -Shortly after, a lieutenant-colonel in the Polish army, whose name was -Schmolz de Dierbach, and who had inherited from his father a belief -in alchemical science, was conversing on the subject at a café, when -he was accosted by a stranger, who presented him with some powder of -projection. It was of a red colour, and a microscopic examination -revealed its crystalline nature. It increased the weight of the -metals which it was supposed to transmute to an extent which chemical -authorities declare to be physically impossible. The recipient made -use of it generously, distributing to his friends and acquaintance the -gold it produced in projection. The unknown donor is identified in the -imagination of German historians with the mysterious Lascaris, who -is supposed, in the same anonymous and unaccountable manner, to have -enriched the Baron de Creux with a box of the precious powder, and to -have gratified the amateur Hermetic ambition of the Landgrave of Hesse -Darmstadt through the commonplace medium of the post. In a word, every -anonymous adept who appeared at this period in or about Germany is -supposed to be Lascaris. - -The last of his debtors or victims was the son of a Neapolitan mason, -Domenico Manuel, who claims to have been mysteriously initiated into -the transmutatory art in the year 1695. He was put in possession of a -small quantity both of the white and red tinctures. Being insufficient -to really enrich himself, he determined to trade upon the wonders -they produced, and obtained large sums from wealthy amateurs for -the privilege of beholding the consummation of the great work. He -perambulated Spain, Belgium, and Austria, obtaining large sums, -under the pretence of preparing the tincture, not only from private -individuals, but from the Emperor Leopold and the Palatine Elector. -In different places he assumed names that were different. Now he was -Count Gaëtano, now Count de Ruggiero; at other times he called himself -Field Marshal to the Duke of Bavaria, Commandant of Munich, a Prussian -major-general, and by other titles. In 1705 he appeared at Berlin, -where he imposed on the King himself for a brief period, after which, -unable to ratify his transmutatory engagements, he was convicted of -treason and hanged. This occurred on the 29th of August 1709. - - - - -DELISLE. - - -This artist, whose Christian name is unmentioned by his biographers, -is included by Figuier among the emissaries or disciples of Lascaris, -and much information concerning him will be found in the _Histoire de -la Philosophic Hermétique_ by his contemporary, Langlet du Fresnoy. -He was a rustic of low birth in Provence, and he became acquainted -with alchemical experiments by entering the service of a gentleman -who was believed to be in possession of the stone. This gentleman is -supposed to have received the prize from Lascaris. His operations, -however, fell under suspicion, and he was forced to quit France. He -retired into Switzerland, accompanied by Delisle, who is said to have -assassinated him in the mountains, and to have thus got possession of -a considerable quantity of the transmuting powder. However this may -be, the servant, re-entered France in disguise, and about the year -1708 attracted general attention by changing lead and iron into silver -and gold. He perambulated Languedoc, the Dauphiné, and Provence. At -Sisteron he connected himself with the wife of a certain Alnys, who -eventually shared his fortunes for the space of three years. His renown -was increased by the apparent simplicity of his operations. He spread -powder and oil over iron, thrust it into the fire, and brought it -out a bar of gold. He distributed nails, knives, and rings partially -transmuted, and was particularly successful in his experiments with -common steel. - -Cerisy, prior of New Castel, was employed by the Bishop of Senez -to collect evidence concerning the truth of these marvels. An old -gentleman offered Delisle a retreat at his castle of La Palud, where -the alchemist, surrounded by admirers, received the daily visits of -the curious. In Lenglet’s “History of Hermetic Philosophy,” there -is a letter from the Bishop of Senez to the Minister of State and -Comptroller-General of the Treasury at Paris, in which the prelate, -who at first was incredulous, professes his inability to resist the -evidence of actual transformation performed before himself and several -vigilant witnesses, who took every precaution against deception. There -is also the Report of M. de Saint-Maurice, President of the Mint at -Lyons, who testifies to the following facts. That he was accompanied -by Delisle into the grounds of the Chateau de Saint Auban in May 1710, -where he uncovered a basket that was sunk in the ground. In the middle -of this basket there was an iron wire, at the end of which he perceived -a piece of linen with some object tied up in it. He took possession -of this parcel, carried it into the dining-room of the Chateau, and -by the direction of Delisle he exposed its contents--a blackish earth -about half a pound in weight--to the rays of the sun. After a quarter -of an hour the earth was distilled in a retort of a portable furnace, -and when a yellow liquor was perceived to flow into the receiver, -Delisle recommended that the recipient should be removed before a -viscous oil then rising should flow into it. Two drops of this yellow -liquor, projected on hot quicksilver, produced in fusion three ounces -of gold, which were presented to the Master of the Mint. Afterwards -three ounces of pistol bullets were melted and purified with alum and -saltpetre. Delisle handed Saint-Maurice a small paper, desiring him to -throw in a pinch of the powder and two drops of the oil used in the -first experiment. This done, the matter was covered with saltpetre, -kept fifteen minutes in fusion, and then poured out on a piece of iron -armour, which reappeared pure gold, bearing all assays. The conversion -to silver was made in the same manner with white powder, and the -certificate which testifies to these occurrences was officially signed -on the 14th December 1760. - -A part of the gold manufactured in this manner by Delisle was subjected -to refinement at Paris, where three medals were struck from it; one -of them was deposited in the king’s cabinet. It bore the inscription -_Aurum Arte Factum_. - -With all his alchemical skill, Delisle was unable to read or write, and -in disposition he was untractable, rude, and fanatical. He was invited -to Court, but he pretended that the climate he lived in was necessary -to the success of his experiments, inasmuch as his preparations were -vegetable. The Bishop of Senez, suspecting him of unwillingness rather -than inability, obtained a _lettre de cachet_, after two years of -continual subterfuge on the part of the alchemist, who was thereupon -arrested and taken on the road to Paris. During the journey, his -guards, after endeavouring to extort his supposed riches, wounded him -severely on the head, in which state, on his arrival at the Bastille, -he was forced to begin his alchemical operations, but after a short -time he persistently refused to proceed, tore continually the bandages -from his wound in the frenzy of his desperation, and in the year -following his imprisonment he poisoned himself. - -His illegitimate son, Alnys, by some means inherited a portion of -the powder from his mother. He wandered through Italy and Germany -performing transmutations. On one occasion he made projection before -the Duke of Richlieu, then French ambassador at Vienna, and who assured -the Abbé Langlet that he not only saw the operation performed, but -performed it himself, twice on gold and forty times on silver. - -Alnys made a considerable collection of gold coins, ancient and modern, -while on a journey through Austria and Bohemia. On his return to Aix -he presented himself to the President of Provence, who desired him to -call the next day. Alnys, suspecting an intention to arrest him, fled -in the interim. He was afterwards imprisoned at Marseilles, whence -he contrived to escape to Brussels. It was here, in 1731, that he -gave some philosophic mercury to M. Percell, the brother of Langlet -de Fresnoy, which mercury the recipient fermented imperfectly, but -succeeded so far as to convert an ounce of silver into gold. The death -of a certain M. Grefier shortly after some operations on corrosive -sublimate, by which Alnys proposed to instruct him in alchemy, made it -necessary for him to depart, and he was heard of no more. - - - - -JOHN HERMANN OBEREIT. - - -This writer, as much mystic as alchemist, was born at Arbon at -Switzerland in 1725, and died in 1798. He inherited from his father a -taste for transcendental chemistry, and the opinion that metals could -be developed to their full perfection, but that the chief instrument -was the grace of God, working in the soul of the alchemist. He laboured -unceasingly at the physical processes, hoping thereby to restore the -fallen fortunes of his family, but his laboratory was closed by the -authorities as endangering the public safety. He contrived to make -evident the harmless nature of his employment, and was received into -the house of a brother of the physiognomist Lavater. He celebrated, -he informs us, a mystical marriage with a seraphic and illuminated -shepherdess named Theantis, the ceremony taking place in a castle on -the extreme summit of a cloud-encompassed mountain. His bride after -thirty-six days of transcendental union, which was neither platonic -nor epicurean, but of a perfectly indescribable character, departed -this life, and the bereaved husband, during the whole night of her -decease, bewailed her in a mystical canticle. _La Connexion Originaire -des Esprits et des Corps, d’apres les principes de Newton_, Augsbourg, -1776, and _Les Promenades de Gamaliel, juif Philosophe_, were -bequeathed by Obereit to a neglectful posterity. - - - - -TRAVELS, ADVENTURES, AND IMPRISONMENTS OF JOSEPH BALSAMO. - - -The notorious Count Cagliostro appears from an impartial review of his -history and phenomenal exploits, to have been one of those characters -not uncommonly met with in the chequered annals of occultism. Even as -the modern “mediums,” who outrage the confidence of their believers by -leavening the supernatural bread, whereof the ghastly patent is their -prerogative and birthright, with the unrighteous mammon of material -conjuring, and even as those conjurors who are sometimes supposed to -still further perplex their audience by supplementary compacts with -“spooks,” this high priest of transcendental trickery would seem to -have possessed, perhaps unconsciously, a certain share of occult gifts, -which assisted no little his unparalleled rogueries. Mystical knowledge -beyond that of the age in which he lived was undoubtedly his, and -though it was still superficial, he had a genius for making the most of -it. - -Joseph Balsamo, whatever has been advanced to the contrary by -himself[AJ] or his admirers, was the son of Peter Balsamo and Felicia -Bracconieri, both of humble extraction. He was born at Palermo, -in Sicily, on the 8th of June 1743. His parents are authentically -described as honest tradespeople and good Catholics, who were careful -in the education of their offspring, and solicitous for their spiritual -welfare. Their shop drew much custom in the populous neighbourhood -which divided the handsome _Rue del Cæsaro_. While his children were -still young, Peter Balsamo died, and, left under the inadequate control -of a widowed mother, Joseph betrayed, even in his earliest years, -a selfish and indolent disposition, greatly neglecting the scanty -educational advantages which were afforded him. According to other -accounts, he was taken under the protection of his maternal uncle, -who endeavoured to instruct him in the principles of religion, and to -give him an education suitable to his age and prospects; but, even -from his infancy, he showed himself uniformly averse to a virtuous -course of life. His uncle was a worthy _bourgeois_ of Palermo, who -foresaw, by the vivacity and penetration of his nephew, that he might -easily become proficient in letters and the sciences.[AK] By him he -was desired to embrace an ecclesiastical career, as the royal road -to distinction in those days. Accordingly, at the age of thirteen he -was placed in the Seminary of St Roch di Palermo, where he proved -his independence and aversion to discipline by continually running -away. Recaptured in vagabond company, he was committed, with no very -favourable character, to a certain father-general of the Bon Fratelli, -who was passing through Palermo. The father-general took charge of him -and straightway carried him to a Benedictine convent on the outskirts -of Cartagirone. There the walls were high, and the caged dove was in -the keeping of an inflexible _frère tourier_. He assumed perforce the -habit of a novice, and the father-general discovering his aptitude for -natural history and, more especially, his herbalistic tastes, placed -him under the tuition of the conventual apothecary, from whom, as he -afterwards acknowledged, he learned the first principles of chemistry -and medicine. Figuier states that in a short time he was able to -manipulate the drugs with astonishing sagacity; but even then it was -remarked that he seemed eager to discover those secrets which would -further the interests of charlatanry.[AL] In strict accordance with -his natural perversity, he did not fail to give various instances -of his innate viciousness, and drew down upon himself the continual -chastisements of his superiors. One day the involuntary novice, whose -irregularities were to some extent excusable on the ground of the -constraint that was put on him, but who often outstripped all bounds, -was set to read during dinner in the refectory a certain portion of an -exceedingly edifying martyrology, and yielding, says one writer with -pious indignation, to an inspiration of Belial, he substituted for -the sacred text a blasphemous version suggested by his own dissolute -imagination, perverting the sense and the incidents, and pushed his -audacity so far as to substitute for the saintly names those of the -most notorious courtesans of the period. A severe penance was imposed -on the insolent offender; but one night he found means to evade the -vigilance of his guardians, escaped from the convent, crossed the -intervening country, and after some days of joyous gipsying and -vagabond wanderings, he arrived at Palermo. Some knowledge of the -principles of chemistry and medicine was about the total of the -advantages he had derived from the discipline of conventual life. His -uncle began to despair of him, but advice and remonstrances were alike -lost upon the young reprobate, who derided them all, and employing -a certain portion of his time in the cultivation of a natural taste -for drawing, he otherwise abandoned himself to unbridled excesses. He -associated with rascals and ne’er-do-wells; his drunkenness, gambling, -and general libertinage, led him into perpetual brawling; and he -was frequently in the hands of the police, whom he is said to have -taken special pleasure in resisting, frequently delivering by force -the prisoners whom they had arrested. He has been also accused of -forging tickets of admission to the theatres, and selling them with -characteristic effrontery. One of his uncles coaxed him back for a -time into his house, and was rewarded by the robbery of a considerable -quantity of money and some valuable effects. He became an intermediary -in the amorous intercourse of a female cousin with one of his friends. -He carried _billets-doux_ to and fro between them, and made the entire -transaction personally profitable by extorting money from his friend, -persuading him that the fair cousin had a partiality for presents, -including both money and jewellery, and, of course, appropriating the -funds which were entrusted to him. Graver crimes were soon laid to his -charge. There was a certain dissolute Marquis Maurigi in Palermo who -coveted an inheritance which had been willed to a pious establishment, -and knowing Balsamo, to him were his projects confided, and an -expedient was presently forthcoming. Joseph had a relative who was a -notary, and by frequenting his office he found means to forge a will, -bearing every mark of authenticity, in favour of the Marquis, who made -good his claim to the estate, and no doubt liberally recompensed the -skill and pains of his confederate. The falsification was discovered -many years after, but the guilty parties were both of them far away. -It was also rumoured that Balsamo was a party to the assassination of -a wealthy canon, but the matter is exceedingly doubtful. He was many -times arrested on various charges, but eluded justice, either by the -absence of direct proof against him, or by the credit of his relations, -and the exertions of reputable persons of Palermo, who took interest in -his family. It will scarcely be credited that at this period Balsamo -was only fourteen years of age. Naturally endowed with artistic -aptitudes, he soon began to give lessons in drawing, and seems to have -been many times on a fair way to reformation. His skill in arms is also -acknowledged, but, conscious of his superiority, his street brawls -frequently ended in duels; his impetuosity even prompted him to take up -the gauntlet for his companions, and he scorned danger. - -The most notorious of his youthful exploits, and that which caused -him to commence his life-long wanderings, was the adventure of the -concealed treasure, which has been variously related. - -An avaricious goldsmith, named Marano, resided at Palermo. He was -a weak, superstitious man--a believer in magic, says M. Louis -Figuier--and he was much attracted by the mystery which, even at -this period, is declared by Figuier to have surrounded the life and -escapades of Balsamo, who already posed as an initiate of the occult -sciences. Joseph was now seventeen years of age, of handsome mien and -haughty carriage, speaking little, but holding his hearers spell-bound -by the magnetic fascination of his glance. He had been seen evoking -spirits; he was believed to converse with angels, and to obtain by -their agency an insight into the most interesting secrets. He had, -in fact, radically changed; the common rogue was developing into the -transcendental impostor. Marano lent an attentive ear to the stories -concerning him, and burned with anxiety to behold “the friend of the -celestial spirits.” The first interview took place in the lodging of -Balsamo; the goldsmith fell on his knees before him, and Balsamo, after -receiving his homage, raised him condescendingly from the ground, and -demanded in a solemn manner why he had come to him. - -“Thanks to your daily communion with spirits, you will easily know,” -answered Marano, “and you should have no difficulty in assisting me to -recover the money which I have wasted among false alchemists, or even -to procure me more.” - -“I can perform this service for you, provided you believe,” said -Balsamo, with composure. - -“Provided I believe!” cried the goldsmith; “I believe, indeed.” - -An appointment was made for the next day in a meadow beyond the town, -and the interview ended without another word. - -This version of the story is more romantic than probable, and we owe -it to the vivacity of a Frenchman’s imagination, which is never more -brilliant than when employed in the perversion or embellishment of -history. According to the more sober _Aventures de Cagliostro_, Marano -had for some time been acquainted with the youthful charlatan, who -sought him one day at his own residence, and said to him: “You are -aware of my communications with the supernal spirits; you are aware of -the illimitable potency of the incantations to which I devote myself. -Listen! In an olive field, at no great distance from Palermo, there is -a buried treasure according to my certain knowledge, and by the help of -a ceremonial evocation I can discover the precise spot where the spade -of the seeker should be driven in. The operation, however, requires -some expensive preliminaries; sixty ounces of gold are absolutely -needed. Will you place them at my disposal?” - -Marano declaimed against the preposterous extravagance of the demand, -maintaining that the herbs and drugs utilised in alchemical experiments -were exceedingly moderate in their price. - -“’Tis well,” said Balsamo, coldly. “The matter is soon settled; I shall -enjoy the vast treasure alone. A blessing when shared is but half a -blessing for those who participate in it.” - -On the morrow, however, Marano sought out the enchanter, having been -agonised by the gold fever the whole night. - -“I am furnished with the sum you require,” he said. “But I pray you to -bargain a little with the spirits, and endeavour to beat them down.” - -“Do you take them for sordid speculators?” cried the magician, -indignant. “The devil is no Jew, though he abode full long in Judea. He -is a magnificent seigneur, living generously in every country of the -world. Treat him with respect, he returns a hundredfold. I shall find -elsewhere the sixty ounces of gold, and can afford to dispense with -your assistance.” - -“It is here,” said Marano, drawing quickly a leather bag from his -pocket, and the arrangements were soon made. - -At moonlight they repaired to the olive field, where Balsamo had -secretly made preparations for the approaching evocation. The -incantatory preliminaries were sufficiently protracted, and Marano -panted with terror under the influence of the magical charms, till -it seemed to him that the very earth shivered beneath his feet and -phantoms issued from the ground. Marano fell prostrate on his face, an -action apparently foreseen, for there and then the wretched goldsmith -was belaboured unmercifully with sticks by the infernal spirits, who -left him at length for dead, taking flight in the company of the -enchanter, and fortified by the possession of the sixty ounces of gold. -On the morrow, the goldsmith, fortunately discovered by muleteers, was -carried disconsolately home, and forthwith denounced Balsamo to the -law. The adventure spread everywhere, but the magician had sailed for -Messina. - -These are the facts of the case, but the mendacious chronicle of -Louis Figuier, alchemical critic and universal manufacturer of light -scientific literature, offers us a far more ornate and attractive -version. There the adept and his miserable dupe repair to a place -appointed at six o’clock in the morning, Balsamo in dignified -silence motioning the goldsmith to follow him, and proceeding with a -pre-occupied aspect along the road to the chapel of Saint Rosalia for -the space of a whole hour. They stopped at length in the middle of a -wild meadow, and in front of a grotto, before which Balsamo extended -his hand, and solemnly declared that a treasure was buried within it -which he himself was forbidden to touch, which was guarded by devils of -hell, which devils might, however, be bound for a brief period by the -angels who commonly responded to his potent magical call. - -“It only remains to be ascertained,” he remarked in conclusion, -“whether you will scrupulously fulfil the conditions which must be -imposed on you. At that price, the treasure may be yours.” - -The credulous goldsmith impetuously implored him to name them. - -“They cannot be learned from my lips,” said Balsamo loftily. “On your -knees, in the first place!” - -He himself had already assumed the posture of adoration. Marano -hastened to imitate him, and immediately a clear, harmonious voice in -the celestial altitude pronounced the following words--words, says the -Frenchman, more delicious in the ears of the covetous miser than all -the symphonies of aërial choirs. - -“Sixty ounces of pearls, sixty ounces of rubies, sixty ounces of -diamonds, in a coffer of enchased gold, weighing one hundred and twenty -ounces. The infernal genii who protect this treasure will place it in -the hands of the worthy man whom our friend has brought, if he be fifty -years of age, if he be no Christian--if--if--if--” and a series of -conditions followed which Marano perfectly united in his own penurious -person, even to the last, which was thus formulated:--“And if he -deposit at the entrance of the grotto, before setting foot therein, -sixty ounces of gold to propitiate the guardians.” - -“You have heard,” said Balsamo, who, already on his feet, began to -retrace his steps, completely ignoring the utter stupefaction of his -companion. - -“Sixty ounces of gold!” ejaculated the miser with a dismal groan, and -torn by the internal conflict of avarice and cupidity; but Balsamo -heeded the exclamation as little as the groan, and regained the town in -silence. - -When they were on the point of separating, Marano appeared to have -resolved. - -“Grant me one instant!” he cried in a piteous voice. “Sixty ounces of -gold? Is that the irrevocable condition?” - -“Undoubtedly,” said Balsamo, carelessly. - -“Alas! alas! And at what hour to-morrow?” - -“At six o’clock in the morning and, mark, at the same spot.” - -“I will be there.” - -This was the parting speech of the goldsmith, and, as it were, the -last gasp of his conquered avarice. On the morrow, punctual to the -appointed time, they met as before, Balsamo with his habitual coolness, -Marano with his gold. They arrived in due course at the grotto, where -the angels, consulted as on the previous day, returned the same -oracles. Balsamo assumed ignorance of what would take place. With a -terrific struggle, Marano deposited his gold and prepared to cross the -threshold. He took one step forward, then started back, inquired if -there were no danger in penetrating into the depths of the cavern, was -assured of safety if the gold had been faithfully weighed, entered with -more confidence, and again returned, these manœuvres being repeated -several times, under the eyes of the adept, whose expression indicated -the most uninterested indifference. At length, Marano took courage -and proceeded so far that a return was impossible, for three black, -muscular devils started out from the shadows and barred his path, -giving vent to the most alarming growls. They seized him, forced him -to whirl round and round for a long time, and then while the unhappy -creature vainly invoked the assistance of Balsamo, they proceeded to -cudgel him lustily till he dropped overwhelmed to the ground, when a -clear voice bade him remain absolutely silent and motionless, for he -would be instantaneously despatched if he stirred either hand or foot. -The wretched man did not dare to disobey, but after a long swoon the -complete stillness encouraged him to raise his head; he dragged himself -as best he could to the mouth of the terrible grotto, looked round him, -and found that the adept, the demons, and the gold had alike vanished. - - * * * * * - -When Balsamo arrived at Messina he was furnished with a very handsome -sum to support the expenses of his sojourn therein, for the lion’s -share of the booty obtained from the goldsmith had, of course, fallen -to himself. He lodged in one of the chief inns near the port, and had -prepared himself for further adventures, when he suddenly remembered -that he had an old and affluent aunt in the town whom he took occasion -to visit, but only to discover that she had recently died, leaving the -bulk of her fortune to different churches of Messina, and distributing -the rest to the poor. Doubtless the dutiful nephew paid to the memory -of this ultra-Christian relation a just tribute of regrets, and anxious -to inherit at least something from a person so eminent in sanctity, he -determined to assume her family name, joined to a title of nobility, -and from that time forward he commonly called himself the Count -Alessandro Cagliostro. His penetrating and calculating mind, says one -of his biographers, understood the prestige which attached to a title -at a period when the privileges of birth still exercised an almost -undisputed influence. - -It was in the town of Messina that Balsamo first met with the -mysterious alchemist Altotas, whom in his fabulous autobiography he -represented as the oriental tutor of his infancy. As he was promenading -one day near the jetty at the extremity of the port, he encountered -an individual singularly habited, and possessed of a most remarkable -countenance. This person, aged apparently about fifty years, seemed -to be an Armenian, though, according to other accounts, he was a -Spaniard or Greek. He wore a species of caftan, a silk bonnet, and the -extremities of his breeches were concealed in a pair of wide boots. In -his left hand he held a parasol, and in his right the end of a cord, to -which was attached a graceful Albanian greyhound. - -Whether from curiosity or by presentiment, Cagliostro saluted this -grotesque being, who bowed slightly, but with satisfied dignity. - -“You do not reside in Messina, signor?” he said in Sicilian, but with a -marked foreign accent. - -Cagliostro replied that he was tarrying for a few days, and they -began to converse on the beauty of the town and on its advantageous -situation, a kind of oriental imagery individualising the eloquence of -the stranger, whose remarks were, moreover, adroitly adorned with a few -appropriate compliments. He eluded inquiries as to his own identity, -but offered to unveil the past of the Count Cagliostro, and to reveal -what was actually passing in his mind at that moment. When Cagliostro -hinted at sorcery, the Armenian smiled somewhat scornfully, and dilated -on the ignorance of a nation which confused science with witchcraft, -and prepared faggots for discoverers. - -His hearer, much interested, ventured to ask the address of the -illustrious stranger, who graciously invited him to call. They walked -past the cathedral and halted in a small quadrilateral street shaded by -sycamores, and having a charming fountain in the centre. - -“Signor,” said the stranger, “there is the house I inhabit. I receive -no one; but as you are a traveller, as you are young and courteous, -as, moreover, you are animated by a noble passion for the sciences, I -permit you to visit me. I shall be visible to you to-morrow a little -before midnight. You will rap twice on the hammer”--he pointed as he -spoke to the door of a low-storied house--“then three times more -slowly, and you will be admitted. Adieu! Hasten at once to your inn. A -Piedmontese is trying to possess himself of the seven and thirty ounces -of gold that are secured in your valise, and which is itself shut up -in a press, the key of which is in your pocket at this moment. Your -servant, signor!” and he departed rapidly. - -Cagliostro, returning in all haste, discovered the thief in the act, -and, as a lawful and righteously indignant proprietor, he forthwith -delivered him to justice. - -On the morrow, at the time appointed, he knocked at the door of the -little house inhabited by the Armenian. It was opened at the fifth -blow without any visible agency, and closed as soon as the visitor -had entered. Cagliostro cautiously advanced along a narrow passage, -illuminated by a small iron lamp in a niche of the wall. At the -extremity of the passage a spacious door sprang open, giving admittance -into a ground-floor parlour which was illuminated by a four-branched -candelabra, holding tapers of wax, and was, in fact, a laboratory -furnished with all the apparatus in use among practical alchemists. The -Armenian, issuing from a neighbouring cabinet, greeted the visitor, -inquired after the safety of the gold, had intelligence of the truth -of his clairvoyance, and of the deserved fate of the malefactor, but -cut short the expressed astonishment and admiration of Cagliostro -by declaring that the art of divination was simply the result of -scientific combinations and close observations. He ended by asking his -hearer if he denied the infallible certitude of judicial astrology, but -the self-constituted count denied nothing except the superior power of -virtue over self-interest, whereat the Armenian inquired to whom he was -indebted for his training. - -“I was about to say to the solicitude of my uncles and to the -apothecary in the Convent of the Bon Fratelli,” said Cagliostro; “but -to what purpose? You undoubtedly know.” - -“I know,” replied the strange individual, “that you have trained -yourself; that the apothecary, equally with your uncles, has but opened -for you the door to knowledge. What are your plans?” - -“I intend to enrich myself.” - -“That is,” said the other, grandiloquently, “you would make yourself -superior to the imbecile mob--a laudable project, my son! Do you -propose to travel?” - -“Certainly, so far as my thirty-seven ounces of gold will take me.” - -“You are very young,” said the Armenian. “How is bread manufactured?” - -“With flour.” - -“And wine?” - -“By means of the grape.” - -“But gold?” - -“I come to inquire of yourself.” - -“We will solve that problem hereafter. Listen to me, young man. I -propose to depart for Grand Cairo, in Egypt. Will you accompany me?” - -“With all my heart!” exclaimed Cagliostro, overjoyed, and they sat down -in large oak chairs, each at one end of the table where the candelabra -was placed. - -“Egypt,” said the Armenian, “is the birthplace of all human science. -Astronomy alone had Chaldea for its fatherland; there the shepherds -first studied the courses of the stars. Egypt availed itself of -the astro-Chaldean initiations, and soon surpassed the methods and -increased the discoveries of the shepherds. Since the reign of the -Pharaoh Manes, and of his successors, Busiris, Osymandyas, Uchoreas, -and Moeris, Egyptian knowledge has advanced with giant strides. Joseph, -the dream-reader, established the basis of chiromancy; the priests -of Osiris and Isis invented the Zodiac; the Cosmogonies of Phre and -Horus revealed agriculture and other physical sciences; the priestesses -of Ansaki unveiled the secrets of philtres; the priests of Serapis -taught medicine. I might proceed with the sublime enumeration, but to -what end? Will you faithfully follow me to Egypt? I hope to embark -to-morrow, and we shall touch at Malta on the way--possibly also at -Candia--reaching the port of Phare in eight days.” - -“’Tis settled!” cried the delighted Cagliostro. “I have my thirty-seven -ounces of gold for the journey.” - -“And I not a single crown.” - -“The devil!” ejaculated Cagliostro. - -“What matters it? What need to have gold when one knows how to make -gold? What need to possess diamonds when one can extract them from -carbon more beautifully than from the mines of Golconda? Go to! you are -excessively simple.” - -“Therefore, by your leave, I intend to become your disciple.” - -The Armenian extended his hand, and their departure was fixed for the -morrow. - -This Altotas, or Althotes, we are assured by Figuier, was no imaginary -character. The Roman Inquisition collected many proofs of his -existence, without, however, ascertaining where it began or ended, -for the mysterious personage vanished like a meteor. According to -the Italian biography of Joseph Balsamo, Altotas was in possession -of several Arabic manuscripts, and assumed great skill in chemistry. -According to Figuier, he was a magician and doctor as well, though -others represent him despising and rejecting the abused name of -physician. As to his divinatory abilities, he had already given a -signal proof of their extent to his pupil, but he showed him that he -was acquainted with all his Palermese antecedents. - -They embarked on board a Genoese vessel, sailed along the Archipelago, -landed at Alexandria, where they tarried for forty days, performing -several operations in chemistry, by which they are said to have -produced a considerable sum of money, but whether by transmutation or -by imposture is not apparently clear. Cagliostro’s respect for his -master did not prevent him, with true Sicilian subtlety, inquiring as -to his own antecedents, till Altotas, weary of resorting to the same -stratagems of evasion, declared to him once for all that he was himself -in complete ignorance as to his birth and parentage. - -“This may surprise you,” he said, “but science, which can enlighten us -on the part of another, is almost invariably impotent to instruct us -concerning ourselves.” - -He declared himself to be much older than would appear, but that he -was in possession of certain secrets for the conservation of strength -and health. He had discovered the scientific methods of producing gold -and precious stones, spoke ten or twelve languages fluently, and was -acquainted with almost the entire circle of human sciences. “Nothing -astonishes me,” he said, “nothing grieves me, save the evils which I -am powerless to prevent, and I trust to reach in peace the term of my -protracted existence.” - -He confessed that his name of Altotas was self-chosen, yet was it truly -his. His early years had been passed on the coast of Barbary, near -Tunis, where he belonged to a Mussulman privateer, who was a rich and -humane man, and who had purchased him from pirates, by whom he had -been stolen from his family. At twelve years of age he spoke Arabic -like a native, read the Koran to his master, who was a true believer, -studied botany under his direction, and learned the best methods for -making sherbet and coffee. A post of honour was in store for him in -the household of his master; but destiny decreed that when Altotas -was sixteen, the worthy Mussulman should be gathered to his fathers. -In his will he gave the young slave his liberty, and bequeathed him a -sum which was equivalent to six thousand _livres_, wherewith Altotas -quitted Tunis to indulge his passion for travelling. - -Cagliostro represented that he had followed his instructor into -Africa and the heart of Egypt, that he visited the pyramids, making -the acquaintance of the priests of different temples, and penetrating -into the arcana of their mysterious sanctuaries. Moreover, he declares -himself to have visited, during the space of three years, all the -principal kingdoms of Africa and Asia. These statements are identical -in their value with the romantic story of his education in the -palace of the muphti at Medina. It is altogether doubtful whether he -ever visited Arabia, which was in any case the extreme limit of his -wanderings, and he is subsequently discovered at Rhodes still in the -society of Altotas, and pursuing, in common with that mysterious being, -his doubtful chemical operations. - -At Malta they had letters of introduction to the Grand Master, Pinto, -and tarried for some time to work in his laboratory, for the “supreme -chief of Maltese chivalry” was infatuated with alchemical experiments, -and, after the fashion of that extravagant period, had a strong bias -towards the marvellous. The history of the failure or success of the -errant adepts remains in the laboratory of the Grand Master; but -from this moment Altotas, the chemist and alchemist--Altotas, the -phenomenal, the wise man, the scientist--disappears completely. “Malta -was his sepulchre, or haply the place of his apotheosis.” “There,” says -the Count, in his Memoir, “it was my misery to lose my best friend, the -most wise, the most illuminated of mortals, the venerable Altotas. -He clasped my hands shortly before his death. ‘My son,’ he said, in a -failing voice, ‘keep ever before thine eyes the fear of the Eternal and -the love of thy neighbour. Thou wilt soon learn the truth of all which -I have taught thee.’” - -With every mark of respect on the part of the Grand Master, and -accompanied by the Chevalier d’Aquino, of the illustrious house of -Caramania, and himself a Knight of Malta, Cagliostro repaired to -Naples, where he supported himself for some time with money which -had been presented to him by Pinto, and perhaps by loans from his -possibly opulent companion, who, however, eventually quitted him to -proceed into France. In Naples Cagliostro met with a Sicilian prince -who was infected by the prevalent gold fever, and was so enraptured -with the high-sounding theories of Cagliostro that he invited him to -his chateau in the neighbourhood of Palermo, where they might pursue -their operations in common. It was imprudent, but the pupil of the -great Altotas could not resist the desire to revisit his native land. -He tarried a certain period with his companion, but going one day -into Messina, he encountered an old acquaintance, a certain dissolute -priest, his confederate in the affair of Marano, and who had, in -fact, acted as one of the sable fiends whose stout clubs had agonised -the unfortunate goldsmith. The adventurer warned Cagliostro not to -enter Palermo, where justice was highly offended at his youthful -indiscretions. He persuaded him to join fortunes with himself, return -to Naples, and there open a gaming-house for the benefit, or rather for -the bleeding, of the wealthy foreigners who visited Italy. This method -of gold-making was quite after the heart of his hearer, who soon took -his leave of the Sicilian prince, but they were regarded with so much -suspicion by the Neapolitan Government that they retired into the Papal -states. Cagliostro’s companion had, however, received the tonsure, -and he trembled for his safety on the consecrated ground which was -the stronghold of the Holy Inquisition, so he hastened his departure -to less orthodox places, and does not figure further in the chequered -history of his brother in chicanery. - -Cagliostro remained, and is said to have assumed several different -characters, occasionally including the sacerdotal habit. According -to some accounts, he made himself remarkable for his extreme piety, -visiting all the churches, fulfilling the duties of religion, and -frequenting the palaces of cardinals. By means of some letters of -recommendation which he had brought with him from Naples, he obtained -access to several persons of distinction, among others to the Seneschal -de Breteuil, at that time Ambassador from Malta to Rome, and who, -hearing of his former connection with the Grand Master, received him -with much warmth, and procured him other honourable connections. One -illustrious dupe ensured others, and we find him in a short time -established in the Holy City, retailing wonderful recipes and specifics -for all the diseases which afflict fallen humanity in Rome and the -universe. Crowns and ducats flowed in upon him; he lived in some state -and luxury, refraining, however, from scandalous enjoyments. - -The Italian biography which represents the opinions, embodies the -researches, and champions the cause of the Inquisition, draws, however, -a different picture to those of Saint-Felix and Louis Figuier. -“He employed himself at this period,” says this doubtful, because -indisputably biassed, authority, “in making drawings on paper, the -outlines of which were produced by means of a copperplate engraving, -and afterwards were filled up with Indian ink. These he sold as designs -made by means of the pen alone. Having taken up his abode at the Sign -of the Sun, in the neighbourhood of the Rotunda, he quarrelled with -one of the waiters and suffered imprisonment for three days.” - -Whatever these statements are worth, there is no doubt hanging over the -most important incident of his Roman career. It was in that place and -at this period that he first beheld the young and beautiful Lorenza -Feliciani, and having in two days fallen violently in love with her, -he demanded her in marriage from her father, who, fascinated by his -birth, his aristocratic name, and opulent appearance, consented, -together with the lady. The marriage took place, not without _éclat_, -says one section of the witnesses, and the pair resided in the house -of the father-in-law. The Italian life, minimising to the uttermost -the success of Cagliostro, says that he received as a dower a trifling -fortune proportionate to their condition. - -According to the testimony of all the biographers, inquisitorial or -otherwise, Lorenza was not only young and beautiful, but “rich in every -quality of the heart, being tender, devoted, honest, and modest;” but -her husband conceived the diabolical design of advancing his fortunes -at the expense of her honour, and in private conversation took occasion -to rally her notions of virtue, which he sought to undermine. The first -lesson which the young bride received from her husband, according -to her own confession, was intended to instruct her in the means of -attracting and gratifying the passions of the opposite sex. The most -wanton coquetry and the most lascivious arts were the principles with -which he endeavoured to inspire her. The mother of Lorenza, scandalised -at his conduct, had such frequent altercations with her son-in-law, -that he resolved to remove from her house, and in other quarters found -it a simpler task to corrupt the mind and morals of his wife. Then, -according to the Italian author, he presented her to two persons well -qualified for the exercise of her talents, having instructed her to -entangle them both by her allurements. With one of these she did not -succeed, but over the other she acquired a complete victory. Cagliostro -himself conducted her to the house destined for the pleasure of the -lover, left her alone in his company, and retired to another chamber. - -The interview and the offers made to her were such as entirely -corresponded to the wishes of the husband, but the wife on this -occasion did not exhibit a proper instance of conjugal obedience, and -upon imparting the whole affair confidentially to her husband, received -the most bitter reproach and the most violent and dreadful menaces. -He also repeatedly assured her that adultery was no crime when it -was committed by a woman to advance her interests, and not through -affection for other men. He even added example to precept, by showing -how little he himself respected the ties of conjugal fidelity--that is, -apparently, he sold himself to lascivious females of advanced age, and -on these occasions aroused his dormant passions by drinking a certain -Egyptian wine, composed of aromatics which possessed the necessary -qualities for the completion of his intention. His wife, hearkening -at length to his instructions, was conducted several times to the -place where she had formerly proved so disobedient to his orders. She -sometimes received, says the same witness, either clothes or trinkets, -and sometimes a little money, as the reward of her condescension. One -day her husband wrote a letter, in the name of his wife, in which he -begged the loan of a few crowns; these were immediately sent. In return -for them an interview was promised during the course of the next day, -and the lady was faithful to the appointment. - -Such is the version of this disgraceful business given by the -enemies of Cagliostro, but all biographers agree that he corrupted -the morals of his wife. Indeed, the only question is whether the -transaction took place on the sordid scale described by the Italian -writer. Other authorities tell us that his success tempted “a -beautiful Roman--Lorenza Feliciani--to share his rising fortunes. -Unscrupulous, witty, and fascinating, Lorenza was an admirable partner -for Cagliostro, who speedily made her an adept in all his pretended -mysteries.” Whatever were her natural virtues or failings, it is highly -improbable that she sold her uncommon attractions for such paltry and -miserable advantages. - -The house which was taken by Cagliostro became the resort of sharpers, -two of whom, Ottavio Nicestro, who was eventually hanged, and a -so-called Marquis d’Agriata, both Sicilians, became intimate associates -of their host. With the latter he was frequently closeted for hours -together. Their occupation is uncertain; but as Cagliostro’s wealth -increased at no ordinary rate, and as the Marquis was an unparalleled -proficient in the production of counterfeit writing, they are supposed -to have succeeded in forging numerous bills of exchange; and it is, at -any rate, certain that the letters patent by which the great charlatan -was authorised to assume the uniform of a Prussian colonel, which he -subsequently did to his definite advantage, were the production of this -skilful miscreant. But a quarrel arose between the three confederates; -Nicastro betrayed his accomplices, the Marquis fled from Rome, -Cagliostro and the unhappy Lorenza incontinently following his example. - -Our three fugitives took the road to Venice, reached Bergamo, and there -practised several unparticularised rogueries, till their identity was -discovered by the Government. The marquis again managed to escape, -the others after a short imprisonment were expelled from the town, -and being stripped of all their resources, undertook a pilgrimage -into Galicia, hoping to cross Spain, through the charity of the clergy -and conventual communities. They travelled through the territories of -the King of Sardinia, through Genoa, and so arrived at Antibes. From -this moment the life of the Count Cagliostro was for several years -one of incessant wandering. According to the Italian biographer, as -beggary proved unprofitable, Lorenza was again forced by her husband -to augment their resources through the sale of her charms. In this way -they arrived at Barcelona, where they tarried for six months, the same -course of infamous prostitution, followed by Lorenza with the most -manifest reluctance, contributing in the main to their support. - -From Barcelona they proceeded to Madrid, where also certain noble -Spaniards proved sensible to the charms of Lorenza. From Madrid they -journeyed to Lisbon, and thence sailed to England, where Cagliostro -is said to have adopted the profession of a common quack, to have -fallen into prison, to have been bought out by his wife, in whose -person he still continued to traffic, bartering her charms to every -opulent man who wished to become a purchaser; but the frequency of her -prostitutions has probably been grossly exaggerated. - -An English Life of the Count Cagliostro, dedicated, in 1787, to Madame -la Comtesse, and written in the interests of the charlatan, gives a -singular account of his misfortunes in London, showing that when he -arrived there he was in possession of plate, jewels, and specie to the -amount of three thousand pounds, that he hired apartments in Whitcomb -Street, where he dedicated a large portion of his time to his favourite -studies of chemistry and physics, and that all he suffered must be -entirely attributed to the profuse generosity and charity of himself -and his lady. - -In 1772, Cagliostro and his wife crossed over to France, accompanied by -one M. Duplaisir, who lodged with them at Paris, and seems to have been -intimate with Lorenza. But Cagliostro was insatiable, says St Felix. He -sold his honour at a high price, and the fortune of Duplaisir melted -in the crucible of another’s follies and extravagances. At length, -in alarm, the victim took leave of his rapacious guests, not without -strongly warning Lorenza to return to her parents, for he had learned -to esteem the natural good qualities which she possessed. According to -one account, she attempted to follow this advice, but others say that -she sought refuge from incessant prostitution with Duplaisir himself. -In either case, Cagliostro had recourse to the authority of the king, -and obtaining an order for her arrest, she was imprisoned in the -penitentiary of Sainte Pélagie, and was detained there several months, -during which Cagliostro abandoned himself to a life of congenial -dissipation. The sale of a certain wash for beautifying the complexion -appears to have procured him a considerable revenue about this period. - -The imprisonment of Lorenza did not prevent a reconciliation with her -husband immediately after her release, which occurred on December -21, 1772, on which date, having obtained under false pretences some -magnificent dresses from the _costumiers_, Cagliostro appeared at the -ball of a dancing-master in a peculiarly brilliant costume. - -It is from this period that our adventurer’s success as an alchemist -must be dated. Here he found means to form an acquaintance with two -persons of distinction, who carried their love of chemistry to a -ridiculous excess. He pretended to have discovered some miraculous -secrets in the transcendent science, proclaimed himself publicly a -depository of the Hermetic Mystery, and posing as a supernatural -personage in possession of the great arcanum of the philosophers’ -stone and of the glorious life-elixir. This also was the epoch of -mesmerism, of which novel science Cagliostro decided to avail himself. -After a time, according to the Italian biography, his two dupes -entertained suspicions of his veracity, and being in fear of arrest, -he obtained a passport under a fictitious name, fled with great -precipitation to Brussels, traversed Germany and Italy, and once more -arrived at his native city Palermo.[AM] - -At Palermo he was speedily arrested by the implacable Marano, but -the protection of a noble, to whom he had obtained a powerful -recommendation while at Naples, ensured his speedy release, and he -embarked with his wife for Malta, where, according to the Italian -biographer, he ostensibly supported himself by the sale of his pomade -for the improvement of the complexion, but his more certain income -appears to have been his wife. Monsieur Saint-Félix, however, declares, -and this, on the whole, is most probable, that they were received with -the most marked distinction by the Grand Master. In either case, they -soon retired to Naples, when Cagliostro professed in public for three -months both chemistry and the Kabbalah. At Naples they were joined by a -younger brother of Feliciani, a lad named Paolo, who was remarkable for -his extraordinary loveliness. Cagliostro, seeing that he might prove -useful, persuaded him to share their fortunes. They embarked with a -great train for Marseilles, and thence proceeded to Barcelona. The star -of the great adventurer was now fairly in the ascendant, and from this -time he seems always to have travelled in considerable state. He met, -however, with no dupes of importance in the peninsula till he reached -its extremity, where he cheated a fanatical alchemist of a hundred -thousand crowns, under the pretence of a colossal accomplishment of the -_magnum opus_. After this signal success he incontinently departed for -England, while Paolo, with whom he had quarrelled, returned to Rome, -much to the grief of his sister. - -The commencement of the grandeur of Cagliostro is to be dated from -his second visit to London. It was then that he was initiated into -masonry, and conceived his titanic project of the mysterious Egyptian -rite. Saint Félix accredits him even from the moment of his admission -into the order with an unavowed object. Cagliostro, he informs us, -was resolved one day to seat himself on the throne of the grand -master of a rival and more potent institution, and he appears to have -lived henceforth in the light of his high aspiration, and to have -eschewed--theoretically at least--all petty rogueries. - -He incessantly visited the various London lodges, and a correspondence -printed in English at Strasburg during the year 1788, relates that by -a pure chance he picked up a curious manuscript at an obscure London -bookstall. This manuscript appears to have belonged to a certain George -Gaston, who is absolutely unknown. It treated of Egyptian masonry, and -abounded in magical and mystical notions which excited the curiosity -of its purchaser, nourished both his ambition and his imagination, -and in a short time he developed his own system from its suggestive -hints. The source of his inspiration, of course, remained concealed. -He pretended to have received his masonic tradition by succession from -Enoch and Elias. Privately, however, he pursued his former rogueries, -and his sojourn in London was not infrequently disturbed by his -squabbles with the police. Those who are interested in this part of the -Cagliostro controversy will do well to refer to the English biography, -dedicated to the countess, and which contains much curious information. - -When all his plans were matured he departed for the Hague, and thence -proceeded to Venice, where some of his English creditors seem to have -disturbed his serenity, and prompted him in consequence to retire -through Germany into Holstein, where he is supposed to have visited the -renowned Count de St Germain. - -According to the _Mémoires Authentiques pour servir à l’Histoire du -Comte de Cagliostro_, published in 1785, he demanded an audience -with this man of inscrutable mystery, in order that he might -prostrate himself before the _dieu des croyants_. With characteristic -eccentricity the Count de St Germain appointed two in the morning -as the hour for the interview, which moment being arrived, say the -“Memoirs,” Cagliostro and his wife, clothed in white garments, clasped -about the waist with girdles of rose-colour, presented themselves at -the castellated temple of mystery, which was the abode of the dubious -divinity whom they desired to adore. The drawbridge was lowered, a -man six feet in height, clothed in a long grey robe, led them into -a dimly-lighted chamber. Therein some folding doors sprang suddenly -open, and they beheld a temple illuminated by a thousand wax lights, -with the Count de Saint-Germain enthroned upon the altar; at his -feet two acolytes swung golden thuribles, which diffused sweet and -unobtrusive perfumes. The divinity bore upon his breast a diamond -pentagram of almost intolerable radiance. A majestic statue, white and -diaphanous, upheld on the steps of the altar a vase inscribed, “Elixir -of Immortality,” while a vast mirror was on the wall, and before it -a living being, majestic as the statue, walked to and fro. Above the -mirror were these singular words--“Store House of Wandering Souls.” The -most solemn silence prevailed in this sacred retreat, but at length a -voice, which seemed hardly a voice, pronounced these words--“Who are -you? Whence come you? What would you?” Then the Count and Countess -Cagliostro prostrated themselves, and the former answered after a long -pause, “I come to invoke the God of the faithful, the Son of Nature, -the sire of truth. I come to demand of him one of the fourteen thousand -seven hundred secrets which are treasured in his breast, I come to -proclaim myself his slave, his apostle, his martyr.” - -The divinity did not respond, but after a long silence, the same voice -asked:--“What does the partner of thy long wanderings intend?” - -“To obey and to serve,” answered Lorenza. - -Simultaneously with her words, profound darkness succeeded the glare of -light, uproar followed on tranquillity, terror on trust, and a sharp -and menacing voice cried loudly:--“Woe to those who cannot stand the -tests!” - -Husband and wife were immediately separated to undergo their respective -trials, which they endured with exemplary fortitude, and which are -detailed in the text of the memoirs. When the romantic mummery was -over, the two postulants were led back into the temple, with the -promise of admission to the divine mysteries. There a man mysteriously -draped in a long mantle cried out to them:--“Know ye that the arcanum -of our great art is the government of mankind, and that the one means -to rule them is never to tell them the truth. Do not foolishly -regulate your actions according to the rules of common sense; rather -outrage reason and courageously maintain every unbelievable absurdity. -Remember that reproduction is the palmary active power in nature, -politics, and society alike; that it is a mania with mortals to be -immortal, to know the future without understanding the present, and to -be spiritual while all that surrounds them is material.” - -After this harangue the orator genuflected devoutly before the divinity -of the temple and retired. At the same moment a man of gigantic stature -led the countess to the feet of the immortal Count de Saint-German, who -thus spoke:-- - -“Elected from my tenderest youth to the things of greatness, I -employed myself in ascertaining the nature of veritable glory. -Politics appeared to me nothing but the science of deception, tactics -the art of assassination, philosophy the ambitious imbecility of -complete irrationality; physics fine fancies about Nature and the -continual mistakes of persons suddenly transplanted into a country -which is utterly unknown to them; theology the science of the misery -which results from human pride; history the melancholy spectacle of -perpetual perfidy and blundering. Thence I concluded that the statesman -was a skilful liar, the hero an illustrious idiot, the philosopher -an eccentric creature, the physician a pitiable and blind man, the -theologian a fanatical pedagogue, and the historian a word-monger. -Then did I hear of the divinity of this temple. I cast my cares upon -him, with my incertitudes and aspirations. When he took possession of -my soul he caused me to perceive all objects in a new light; I began -to read futurity. This universe so limited, so narrow, so desert, was -now enlarged. I abode not only with those who are, but with those who -were. He united me to the loveliest women of antiquity. I found it -eminently delectable to know all without studying anything, to dispose -of the treasures of the earth without the solicitation of monarchs, -to rule the elements rather than men. Heaven made me liberal; I have -sufficient to satisfy my taste; all that surrounds me is rich, loving, -predestinated.” - -When the service was finished the costume of ordinary life was resumed. -A superb repast terminated the ceremony. During the course of the -banquet the two guests were informed that the Elixir of Immortality was -merely Tokay coloured green or red according to the necessities of the -case. Several essential precepts were enjoined upon them, among others -that they must detest, avoid, and calumniate men of understanding, but -flatter, foster, and blind fools, that they must spread abroad with -much mystery the intelligence that the Count de Saint-Germain was five -hundred years old, that they must make gold, but dupes before all. - -The truth of this singular episode is not attested by any sober -biographer. If it occurred as narrated, it doubtless served to confirm -Cagliostro in his ambitious projects. The change which had taken place -in the adventurer since his second visit to England is well described -by Figuier. “His language, his mien, his manners, all are transformed. -His conversation turns only on his travels in Egypt, to Mecca, and in -other remote places, on the sciences into which he was initiated at the -foot of the Pyramids, on the arcana of Nature which his ingenuity has -discovered. At the same time, he talks little, more often enveloping -himself in mysterious silence. When interrogated with reiterated -entreaties, he deigns at the most to draw his symbol--a serpent with -an apple in its mouth and pierced by a dart, meaning that human wisdom -should be silent on the mysteries which it has unravelled.... Lorenza -was transfigured at the same time with her husband. Her ambitions and -deportment became worthy of the new projects of Cagliostro. She aimed, -like himself, at the glory of colossal successes.” - -The initiates of the Count de Saint-Germain passed into Courland, -where they established Masonic lodges, according to the sublime rite -of Egyptian Freemasonry. The countess was an excellent preacher to -captivate hearts and enchant imaginations, her beauty fascinated a -large number of Courlandaise nobility. At Mittau, Cagliostro attracted -the attention of persons of high rank, who were led by his reputation -to regard him as an extraordinary person. By means of his Freemasonry -he began to obtain an ascendency over the minds of the nobles, some of -whom, discontented with the reigning duke, are actually said to have -offered him the sovereignty of the country, as to a divine man and -messenger from above. The Italian biography represents him plotting -with this end in view. “He pretends,” say the documents of the Holy -Inquisition, “that he had virtue enough to resist the temptation, and -that he refused the proffered boon from the respect due to sovereigns. -His wife has assured us that his refusal was produced by the reflection -that his impostures would soon be discovered.” He collected, however, a -prodigious number of presents in gold, silver, and money, and repaired -to St Petersburg, provided with regular passports. But the prophet soon -found that a sufficiently brilliant reputation had not preceded him, -and he, therefore, simply announced himself as a physician and chemist, -by his retired life and air of mystery soon attracting attention. - -His assumption of the _rôle_ of physician leads to a brief -consideration of the miraculous cures which have been attributed -to him. They are generally referred to a broad application of the -principles and methods of Mesmer, his contemporary. They were performed -without passes, iron rods, or any of the cumbrous paraphernalia of his -rival in the healing art; he trusted simply to the laying on of hands. -Moreover, he did not despoil his patients, but rather dispensed his -wealth, which now appeared unlimited, among the poor, who flocked to -him in great numbers as his reputation increased. The source of this -wealth is not accurately known, but it is supposed to have been derived -from the Masonic initiates, whose apostle and propagandist he was. - -Many of the miraculous cures which Cagliostro performed in Germany -spread widely, and in Russia he was soon surrounded by the curious. -Lorenza played her own part admirably; she answered discreetly and -naturally, making the most outrageous statements with apparently -complete unconsciousness. The physician-chemist, besides his healing -powers, had his reputation as an alchemist and adept of the arcane -sciences. The supposed restoration in a miraculous manner of the infant -child of an illustrious nobleman to health exalted him to the pinnacle -of celebrity, and his extravagant pretensions, assisted, as they -powerfully were, by the naïve beauty of his wife, were beginning to be -taken seriously, but the combined result of an amour between Lorenza -and Prince Poternki, Prime Minister and favourite of the Czarina, -Catherine, and the discovery that the nobleman’s child had been -apparently changed, caused them to depart hastily with immense spoils -towards the German frontier. - -They tarried at Warsaw for a time, and there the Italian biographer -tells us that Cagliostro made use of all his artifices to deceive a -prince to whom he was introduced, and who was exceedingly anxious -to obtain, with the help of the pretended magician, the permanent -command of a devil. Cagliostro puffed him up for a long time with the -expectation of gratifying this preposterous ambition, and actually -procured presents from him to the amount of several thousand crowns. -The prince at length perceiving that there was no hope of retaining one -of the infernal spirits in his service, wished to make himself master -of the earthly affections of the countess, but in this too he was -disappointed, the lady positively refusing to comply with his desires. -Finding himself thus balked in both his attempts, he abandoned every -sentiment but revenge, and intimidated our adventurer and his wife so -much by his menaces that they were obliged to restore his presents. - -The veracity of this account is not, however, beyond suspicion, and -other of his biographers represent Cagliostro proceeding directly -to Francfurt and thence to Strasbourg, into which, more wealthy and -successful than ever, he made a triumphal entry. The distinguished -visitor, the Rosicrucian, the alchemist, the physician, the sublime -count, had been expected since early morning by the bourgeois of the -old town, and the following extraordinary account in the _Dictionnaire -des Sciences Occultes_ has been given by an anonymous biographer. - -“On the 19th of September 1780, in a public-house just outside -Strasburg, surrounded by a group of humble tipplers, who stared from -the little window at the vast crowd collected below them, there might -have been remarked the countenance of a bald and wrinkled man, some -eighty years of age, and evidently of southern origin; this was the -goldsmith Marano. Successive failures, and debts which he did not -see fit to liquidate, had forced him to leave Palermo, and he had -established himself in his former trade at Strasbourg. Like the rest -of the townsfolk he had come out to behold the phenomenal personage -whose arrival was expected, and who made a greater sensation than -many a powerful monarch. He had come by way of Germany from Varsovia, -where he had amassed immense riches, said popular rumour, by the -transmutation of base metals into gold, for he was possessed of the -secret of the philosophic stone, and had all the incalculable talents -of an alchemist.” - -“By my faith,” said a hatter, “I am indeed happy since I am destined to -behold this illustrious mortal, if indeed he be a mortal.” - -“’Tis asserted,” added a druggist, “that he is a son of the Princess of -Trebizond, and that he has withal the fine eyes of his mother.” - -“Also that he is a lineal descendant of Charles Martel,” said a town -clerk. - -“He dates still further back,” put in a rope-maker, “for he took part -in the marriage feast of Cana.” - -“Beyond doubt then, he is the wandering Jew!” exclaimed Marano. - -“Still better, some credible persons assert that he was born before the -deluge.” - -“What hardihood! Yet suppose he is the devil.” - -These notions here reproduced with fidelity, and which were adorned -by the most extravagant commentaries, were actually at that period in -general circulation among the crowd. Some regarded the mysterious Count -Cagliostro as an inspired saint, a performer of miracles, a phenomenal -personage outside the order of Nature. The cures attributed to him were -equally innumerable and unexplainable. Others regarded him merely as -an adroit charlatan. Cagliostro himself boldly asserted that all his -prodigies were performed under the special favour and help of heaven. -He added that the Supreme Being had deigned to accord him the beatific -vision, that it was his mission to convert unbelievers and reinstate -catholicism, but in spite of this exalted vocation he told fortunes, -taught the art of winning at lotteries, interpreted dreams, and held -séances of transcendental phantasmagoria. - -“But,” contended the rope-maker with much animation, “a man who -converses with angels is never the devil.” - -“Is he in communication with angels?” cried Marano, struck by the -circumstances. “In that case I must see him at all costs. How old is -he?” - -“Bah!” said the druggist, “as if such a being could have an age! He -looks about thirty-six.” - -“Oh!” muttered the goldsmith. “What if he were my rascal? My rascal -should now be thirty-seven.” - -As the hoary Sicilian ruminated over his lamentable past, he was -roused by a tumult of voices. The supernal being had arrived, and he -passed presently in the road, surrounded by a numerous cortege of -couriers, lacqueys, valets, &c., all in magnificent liveries. By his -side, in the open carriage, sat Lorenza or Seraphina Feliciani, his -wife, who seconded with all her ability the intrigues of her husband, -whom reasonable people regarded as a wandering member and emissary of -the masonic templars, his opulence insured by contributions from the -different lodges of the order. - -A great shout rose up when Count Cagliostro passed before the inn. -Marano had recognised his man, and flying out had contrived to stop the -carriage, shouting as he did so--“Joseph Balsamo! It is Joseph! Coquin, -where are my sixty ounces of gold?” - -Cagliostro scarcely deigned to glance at the furious goldsmith; but -in the middle of the profound silence which the incident occasioned -among the crowd, a voice, apparently in the clouds, uttered with -great distinctness the following words: “Remove this lunatic, who is -possessed by infernal spirits!” - -Some of the spectators fell on their knees, others seized the -unfortunate goldsmith, and the brilliant cortege passed on. - -Entering Strasburg in triumph, Cagliostro paused in front of a large -hall, where the equerries who had preceded him had already collected -a considerable concourse of the sick. The famous empiric entered and -cured them all, some simply by touch, others apparently by words or -by a gratuity in money, the rest by his universal panacea; but the -historian who records these things asserts that the sick persons thus -variously treated had been carefully selected, the physician preferring -to treat the more serious cases at the homes of the patients. - -Cagliostro issued from the hall amidst universal acclamations, and was -accompanied by the immense crowd to the doors of the magificent lodging -which had been prepared against his arrival. The élite of Strasburg -society was invited to a sumptuous repast, which was followed by a -séance of transcendental magnetism, when he produced some extraordinary -manifestations by the mediation of clairvoyant children of either sex, -and whom he denominated his doves or pupils. The unspotted virginity -and innocence of these children were an indispensable condition -of success. They were chosen by himself, and received a mystical -consecration at his hands. Then he pronounced over a crystal vessel, -filled with water, the magical formulæ for the evocation of angelic -intelligences as they are written in the celestial rituals. Supernal -spirits became visible in the depths of the water, and responded to -questions occasionally in an intelligible voice, but more often in -characters which appeared on the surface of the water, and were visible -to the pupils alone, who interpreted them to the public. - -Contemporary testimony establishes that these manifestations, as -a whole, were genuine, and there is little doubt of the mesmeric -abilities of Cagliostro, who had probably become acquainted in the East -with the phenomena of virginal lucidity, especially in boys, and had -supplemented the oriental methods by the discoveries of Puséygur, which -were at that time sufficiently notorious. - -For three years Cagliostro remained at Strasburg and was fêted -continually. Here he obtained a complete ascendency over the mind -of the famous cardinal-archbishop, the Prince de Rohan. His first -care, on taking up his abode in the town, was to prove his respect -for the clergy by his generosity and zeal. He visited the sick in the -hospitals, deferentially participated in the duties of the regular -doctors, proposed his new remedies with prudence, did not condemn the -old methods, but sought to unite new science with the science which was -based on experience. He obtained the reputation of a bold experimenter -in chemistry, of a sagacious physician, and a really enlightened -innovator. The inhabitants of the crowded quarters regarded him as a -man sent from God, operating miraculous cures, and dispensing riches -from an inexhaustible source with which he was alone acquainted. -Unheard-of cures were cited, and alchemical operations which surpassed -even the supposed possibilities of the transmutatory art. - -Anything which savoured of the marvellous was an attraction for the -cardinal-archbishop, and he longed to see Cagliostro. An anonymous -writer states that he sought an interview with him again and again -unsuccessfully; for the cardinal-prince of trickery divined even -at a distance the character of the prince-cardinal, and enveloped -himself in a reserve which, to the imagination of his dupe, was like -the loadstone to the magnet. Others represent him, however, courting -the favour of the great ecclesiastic’s secretary, and so obtaining -an introduction. At the first interview he showed some reserve, but -permitted certain dazzling ideas to be glimpsed through the more -ordinary tenour of his discourse. After a judicious period he admitted -that he possessed a receipt for the manufacture of gold and diamonds. A -supposed transmutation completed his conquest of the cardinal, and the -Italian historian confesses that he accordingly lavished immense sums -upon the virtuous pair, and to complete his folly, agreed to erect a -small edifice, in which he was to experience a physical regeneration by -means of the supernal and auriferous elixir of Cagliostro. The sum of -twenty thousand francs was actually paid the adept to accomplish this -operation. - -Doubtless during his sojourn at Strasburg he propagated with zeal -the mysteries of his Egyptian Freemasonry, and at length, laden with -spoils, he repaired to Bordeaux, where he continued his healing in -public, and then proceeded to Lyons, where for the space of three -months he occupied himself with the foundation of a mother-lodge, -and, according to the Italian biographer, here as elsewhere, in less -creditable pursuits. At length he arrived at Paris, where, says the -same authority, he soon became the object of general conversation, -regard, and esteem. His curative powers were now but little exercised, -for Paris abounded with mesmerists and healers, and the prodigies -of simple magnetism were stale and unprofitable in consequence. He -assumed now the _rôle_ of a practical magician, and astonished the -city by the evocation of phantoms, which he caused to appear, at the -wish of the inquirer, either in a mirror or in a vase of clear water. -These phantoms equally represented dead and living beings, and as -occasionally collusion appears to have been well-nigh impossible, -and as the theory of coincidence is preposterous, there is reason to -suppose that he produced results which must sometimes have astonished -himself. All Paris at any rate was set wondering at his enchantments -and prodigies, and it is seriously stated that Louis XVI. was so -infatuated with _le divin Cagliostro_, that he declared anyone who -injured him should be considered guilty of treason. At Versailles, and -in the presence of several distinguished nobles, he is said to have -caused the apparition in mirrors, vases, &c., not merely of the spectra -of absent or deceased persons, but animated and moving beings of a -phantasmal description, including many dead men and women selected by -the astonished spectators. - -The mystery which surrounded him abroad was deepened even when he -received visitors at home. He had lived in the Rue Saint Claude, -an isolated house surrounded by gardens and sheltered from the -inconvenient curiosity of neighbours. There he established his -laboratory, which no one might enter. He received in a vast and -sumptuous apartment on the first floor. Lorenza lived a retired life, -only being visible at certain hours before a select company, and in -a diaphanous and glamourous costume. The report of her beauty spread -through the city; she passed for a paragon of perfection, and duels -took place on her account. Cagliostro was now no longer young, and -Lorenza was in the flower of her charms. He is said for the first time -to have experienced the pangs of jealousy on account of a certain -Chevalier d’Oisemont, with whom she had several assignations. Private -vexations did not, however, interfere with professional thaumaturgy, -and the evocation of the illustrious dead was a common occurrence at -certain magical suppers which became celebrated through all Paris. -These were undoubtedly exaggerated by report, but as they all occurred -within the doubtful precincts of his own house of mystery, they were -in all probability fraudulent, for it must be distinctly remembered -that in his normal character he was an unparalleled trickster, that -the genuine phenomena which he occasionally produced were simply -supplements to charlatanry, and not that his deceptions were aids to -normally genuine phenomena. - -On one occasion, according to the _Mémoires authentiques pour servir -à l’histoire du Comte de Cagliostro_, the distinguished thaumaturgist -announced that at a private supper, given to six guests, he would -evoke the spirits of any dead persons whom they named to him, and -that the phantoms, apparently substantial, should seat themselves at -the banquet. The repast took place with the knowledge and, it may be -supposed, with the connivance of Lorenza. At midnight the guests were -assembled; a round table, laid for twelve, was spread, with unheard-of -luxury, in a dining-room, where all was in harmony with the approaching -Kabbalistic operation. The six guests, with Cagliostro, took their -seats, and thus the ominous number thirteen were designed to be present -at table. - -The supper was served, the servants were dismissed with threats of -immediate death if they dared to open the doors before they were -summoned. Each guest demanded the deceased person whom he desired -to see. Cagliostro took the names, placed them in the pocket of his -gold-embroidered vest, and announced that with no further preparation -than a simple invocation on his part the evoked spirits would appear -in flesh and blood, for, according to the Egyptian dogma, there were -in reality no dead. These guests of the other world, asked for and -expected with trembling anxiety, were the Duc de Choiseul, Voltaire, -d’Alembert, Diderot, the Abbé de Voisenon, and Montesquieu. Their names -were pronounced slowly in a loud voice, and with all the concentrated -determination of the adept’s will; and after a moment of intolerable -doubt, the evoked guests appeared very unobtrusively, and took their -seats with the quiet courtesy which had characterised them in life. - -The first question put to them when the awe of their presence had -somewhat worn off was as to their situation in the world beyond. - -“There is no world beyond,” replied d’Alembert. “Death is simply -the cessation of the evils which have tortured us. No pleasure is -experienced, but, on the other hand, there is no suffering. I have -not met with Mademoiselle Lespinasse, but I have not seen Lorignet. -There is marked sincerity, moreover. Some deceased persons who have -recently joined us inform me that I am almost forgotten. I am, however, -consoled. Men are unworthy of the trouble we take about them. I never -loved them, now I despise them.” - -“What has become of your learning?” said M. de ---- to Diderot. - -“I was not learned, as people commonly supposed. My ready wit adapted -all that I read, and in writing I borrowed on every side. Thence comes -the desultory character of my books, which will be unheard of in half -a century. The Encyclopædia, with the merit of which I am honoured, -does not belong to me. The duty of an editor is simply to set in order -the choice of subjects. The man who showed most talent in the whole -of the work was the compiler of its index, yet no one has dreamed of -recognising his merits.” - -“I praised the enterprise,” said Voltaire, “for it seemed well fitted -to further my philosophical opinions. Talking of philosophy, I am none -too certain that I was in the right. I have learned strange things -since my death, and have conversed with half a dozen Popes. Clement -XIV. and Benedict, above all, are men of infinite intelligence and good -sense.” - -“What most vexes me,” said the Duc de Choiseul, “is the absence of sex -where we dwell. Whatever may be said of this fleshly envelope, ’twas -by no means so bad an invention.” - -“What is truly a pleasure to me,” said the Abbé Voisenon, “is that -amongst us one is perfectly cured of the folly of intelligence. You -cannot conceive how I have been bantered about my ridiculous little -romances. I had almost confessed that I appreciated these puerilities -at their true value, but whether the modesty of an academician is -disbelieved in, or whether such frivolity is out of character with my -age and profession, I expiate almost daily the mistakes of my mortal -existence.” - - * * * * * - -Amid these marvels, Cagliostro proceeded with the dearest of all his -projects, namely, the spread of his Egypto-masonic rite,[AN] into which -ladies were subsequently admitted, a course of magic being opened for -the purpose by Madame Cagliostro. The postulants admitted to this -course were thirty-six in number, and all males were excluded. Thus -Lorenza figured as the Grand Mistress of Egyptian Masonry, as her -husband was himself the grand and sublime Copt. The fair neophytes -were required to contribute each of them the sum of one hundred louis -to abstain from all carnal connection with mankind, and to submit to -everything which might be imposed on them. A vast mansion was hired -in the Rue Verte, Faubourg Saint Honoré, at that period a lonely part -of the city. The building was surrounded with gardens and magnificent -trees. The séance for initiation took place shortly before midnight on -the 7th of August 1785. - -On entering the first apartment, says Figuier, the ladies were obliged -to disrobe and assume a white garment, with a girdle of various -colours. They were divided into six groups, distinguished by the tint -of their cinctures. A large veil was also provided, and they were -caused to enter a temple lighted from the roof, and furnished with -thirty-six arm-chairs covered with black satin. Lorenza, clothed -in white, was seated on a species of throne, supported by two tall -figures, so habited that their sex could not be determined. The light -was lowered by degrees till surrounding objects could scarcely be -distinguished, when the Grand Mistress commanded the ladies to uncover -their left legs as far as the thigh, and raising the right arm to rest -it on a neighbouring pillar. Two young women then entered sword in -hand, and with silk ropes bound all the ladies together by the arms and -legs. Then after a period of impressive silence, Lorenza pronounced -an oration, which is given at length, but on doubtful authority, by -several biographers, and which preached fervidly the emancipation of -womankind from the shameful bonds imposed on them by the lords of -creation. - -These bonds were symbolised by the silken ropes from which the fair -initiates were released at the end of the harangue, when they were -conducted into separate apartments, each opening on the Garden, where -they made the most unheard-of experiences. Some were pursued by men -who unmercifully persecuted them with barbarous solicitations; others -encountered less dreadful admirers, who sighed in the most languishing -postures at their feet. More than one discovered the counterpart of -her own lover, but the oath they had all taken necessitated the most -inexorable inhumanity, and all faithfully fulfilled what was required -of them. The new spirit infused into regenerated woman triumphed along -the whole line of the six and thirty initiates, who with intact and -immaculate symbols re-entered triumphant and palpitating the twilight -of the vaulted temple to receive the congratulations of the sovereign -priestess. - -When they had breathed a little after their trials, the vaulted roof -opened suddenly, and, on a vast sphere of gold, there descended a man, -naked as the unfallen Adam, holding a serpent in his hand, and having a -burning star upon his head. - -The Grand Mistress announced that this was the genius of Truth, the -immortal, the divine Cagliostro, issued without procreation from the -bosom of our father Abraham, and the depositary of all that hath been, -is, or shall be known on the universal earth. He was there to initiate -them into the secrets of which they had been fraudulently deprived. -The Grand Copt thereupon commanded them to dispense with the profanity -of clothing, for if they would receive truth they must be as naked -as itself. The sovereign priestess setting the example unbound her -girdle and permitted her drapery to fall to the ground, and the fair -initiates following her example exposed themselves in all the nudity of -their charms to the magnetic glances of the celestial genius, who then -commenced his revelations. - -He informed his daughters that the much abused magical art was the -secret of doing good to humanity. It was initiation into the mysteries -of Nature, and the power to make use of her occult forces. The -visions which they had beheld in the Garden where so many had seen -and recognised those who were dearest to their hearts, proved the -reality of hermetic operations. They had shewn themselves worthy to -know the truth; he undertook to instruct them by gradations therein. It -was enough at the outset to inform them that the sublime end of that -Egyptian Freemasonry which he had brought from the very heart of the -Orient was the happiness of mankind. This happiness was illimitable in -its nature, including material enjoyments as much as spiritual peace, -and the pleasures of the understanding. - -The Marquis de Luchet, to whom we are indebted for this account, -concludes the nebulous harangue of Cagliostro by the adept bidding -his hearers abjure a deceiving sex, and to let the kiss of friendship -symbolise what was passing in their hearts. The sovereign priestess -instructed them in the nature of this friendly embrace. - -Thereupon the Genius of Truth seated himself again upon the sphere -of gold, and was borne away through the roof. At the same time the -floor opened, the light blazed up, and a table splendidly adorned and -luxuriously spread rose up from the ground. The ladies were joined by -their lovers _in propria persona_; the supper was followed by dancing -and various diversions till three o’clock in the morning. - -About this time the Count Cagliostro was unwillingly compelled to -concede to the continual solicitations of the poor and to resume -his medical _rôle_. In a short time he was raised to the height of -celebrity by a miraculous cure of the Prince de Soubise, the brother -of the Cardinal de Rohan, who was suffering from a virulent attack of -scarlet fever. From this moment the portrait of the adept was to be -seen everywhere in Paris. - -In the meantime, the cloud in his domestic felicity, to which a -brief reference has been made already, began to spread. A certain -adventuress, by name Madame de la Motte, surprised Lorenza one day in -a _tête-à-tête_ with the Chevalier d’Oisemont. The count at the time -was far away from Paris, and the adventuress promised to keep the -secret on condition that Lorenza should in turn do all in her power to -establish her as an intimate friend in the house, having free entrance -therein, and should persuade Cagliostro to place his knowledge and -skill at her disposal, if ever she required it. The result of this -arrangement was the complicity of Cagliostro in the extraordinary and -scandalous affair of the Diamond Necklace. When the plot was exposed, -Cagliostro was arrested with the other alleged conspirators, including -the principal victim, the Cardinal de Rohan. He was exonerated, not -indeed without honour, from the charge of which he was undoubtedly -guilty, but his wife had fled to Rome at his arrest, and had rejoined -her family. He himself began to tremble at his own notoriety, and grew -anxious to leave France. He postponed till a more favourable period -his grand project concerning the metropolitan lodge of the Egyptian -rite.[AO] A personage, calling himself Thomas Ximenes, and claiming -descent from the cardinal of that name, sought to reanimate his former -masonic enthusiasm; but the vision of the Bastile seemed to be ever -before his eyes, and neither this person, nor the great dignitaries of -the Parisian lodges, could prevail with him. In spite of his acquittal -he nourished vengeance against the Court of France, and more than once -he confided to his private friends that he should make his voice heard -when he had passed the frontier. He prepared to depart, and one day -his disconsolate adepts learned that he was on the road to England. - -Once in London he recovered his energy. He was received with great -honour; many of his disciples from Lyons and Paris followed him. The -English masons invited him to the metropolitan lodge, and gave him -the first place, that of grand orient. He was entreated to convene a -masonic lodge of the Egyptian rite, and consented with some sadness, -for the memory of the brilliant Paris lodge which he had been on the -point of founding was incessantly before him. He could not console -himself for the fall of that beautiful and long-cherished plan, which -had cost him so much study, pains, and preaching. - -It was from this discreet distance that Cagliostro addressed his famous -Letter to the People of France, which was translated into a number -of languages, and circulated widely through Europe. It predicted the -French Revolution, the demolishment of the Bastile, and the rise of -a great prince who would abolish the infamous _lettres de cachet_, -convoke the States-General, and re-establish the true religion. - -The publication was intemperate in its language and revolutionary -in its sentiments, and close upon its heels followed his well-known -quarrel with the _Courrier de l’Europe_, which resulted in the exposure -of the real life of Cagliostro from beginning to end. - -Dreading the rage of his innumerable dupes, and extreme measures on -the part of his creditors, he hastened to quit London, disembarked in -Holland, crossed Germany, took refuge in Basle, where the patriarchal -hospitality of the Swiss cantons to some extent reassured the unmasked -adept. From the moment, however, of this exposure, the descent of -Cagliostro was simply headlong in its rapidity. Nevertheless, he was -followed by some of his initiates, who pressed him to return to -France, assuring him of the powerful protection of exalted masonic -dignitaries. In his hesitation he wrote to the Baron de Breteuil, the -king’s minister of the house, but, as it chanced, a personal enemy of -the Cardinal de Rohan. Considering Cagliostro as a _protégé_ of the -prince, he replied that if he had sufficient effrontery to set foot -within the limits of the kingdom, he should be arrested and transferred -to a prison in Paris, there to await prosecution as a common swindler, -who should answer to the royal justice for his criminal life. - -From this moment Cagliostro saw that he was a perpetual exile from -France, and feeling in no sense assured of his safety even in -Switzerland, he left Basle for Aix, in Savoy. He was ordered to -quit that town in eight and forty hours. At Roveredo, a dependency -of Austria, the same treatment awaited him. He migrated to Trent, -and announced himself as a practitioner of lawful medicine, but the -prince-bishop who was sovereign of the country discerned the cloven -hoof of the sorcerer beneath the doctor’s sober dress, and showed -him in no long space of time his hostility to magical practices. The -wandering hierophant of Egyptian masonry, somewhat sorely pressed, took -post to Rome, and reached the Eternal City after many vicissitudes. -Here, according to Saint-Félix and Figuier, he was rejoined by his -wife; according to the Italian biographer, Lorenza had accompanied him -in his wanderings, and persuaded him to seek refuge in Rome, being sick -unto death of her miserable course of life. The former statement is, -on the whole, the most probable, as it is difficult to suppose that -she left Italy to rejoin Cagliostro at Passy, and she appears to have -returned to him with marked repugnance. She endeavoured to lead him -back to religion, which had never been eradicated from her heart. He -lived for some time with extraordinary circumspection, and consented -at last to see a Benedictine monk, to whom he made his confession. The -Holy Inquisition, which doubtless had scrutinised all his movements, is -said to have been deceived for a time, and he was favourably received -by several cardinals. He lived for a year in perfect liberty, occupied -with the private study of medicine. During this time he endeavoured to -obtain loans from the initiates of his Egyptian rite who were scattered -over France and Germany, but they did not arrive, and the sublime Copt, -the illuminated proprietor of the stone philosophical and the medicine -yclept metallic, came once more, to the eternal disgrace of Osiris, -Isis, and Anubis, on the very verge of want. - -His extremity prompted him to renew his relations with the masonic -societies within the area of the Papal States. A penalty of death -hung over the initiates of the superior grades, and their lodges were -in consequence surrounded with great mystery, and were convened in -subterranean places. He was persuaded to found a lodge of Egyptian -Freemasonry in Rome itself, from which moment Lorenza reasonably -regarded him as lost. One of his own adepts betrayed him; he was -arrested on the 27th of September 1789, by order of the Holy Office, -and imprisoned in the Castle of St Angelo. An inventory of his papers -was taken, and all his effects were sealed up. The process against him -was drawn up with the nicest inquisitorial care during the long period -of eighteen months. When the trial came on he was defended by the Count -Gætano Bernardini, advocate of the accused before the sacred and august -tribunal, and to this pleader in ordinary the impartial and benign -office, of its free grace and pleasure, did add generously, as counsel, -one Monsignor Louis Constantini, “whose knowledge and probity,” saith -an unbought and unbuyable witness (inquisitorially inspired), “were -generally recognised.” They did not conceal from him the gravity of his -position, advised him to refrain from basing his defence on a series of -denials, promising to save him from the capital forfeit, and so he was -persuaded to confess everything, was again reconciled to the church; -and being almost odoriferous with genuine sanctity, on the 21st of -March 1791 he was carried before the general assembly of the purgers of -souls by fire, before the Pope on the 7th of the following April, when -the advocates pleaded with so much eloquence that they retired in the -agonies of incipient strangulation, Cagliostro repeated his avowal, and -as a natural consequence of the unbought eloquence and the purchased -confession, the penalty of death was pronounced. - -When, however, the shattered energies of the advocates were a little -recruited, a recommendation of mercy was addressed to the Pope, the -sentence was commuted to perpetual imprisonment, and the condemned man -was consigned to the Castle of St Angelo. After an imprisonment of two -years, he died, God knows how, still in the prime of life, at the age -of fifty. - -Lorenza, whose admissions had contributed largely towards the -condemnation of her husband, was doomed to perpetual seclusion in a -penitentiary. The papers of Cagliostro were burned by the Holy Office, -and the phantom of that institution keeps to the present day the secret -of the exact date of its victim’s death. It carefully circulated the -report that on one occasion he attempted to strangle a priest whom he -had sent for on the pretence of confessing, hoping to escape in his -clothes; and then it made public the statement that he had subsequently -strangled himself. When the battalions of the French Revolution entered -Rome, the commanding officers, hammering at the doors of Saint-Angelo, -determined to release the entombed adept, but they were informed that -Cagliostro was dead, “at which intelligence,” says Figuier, “they -perceived plainly that the former _Parlement de France_ was not to -be compared with the Roman Inquisition, and without regretting the -demolished Bastile, they could not but acknowledge that it disgorged -its prey more easily than the Castle of Saint Angelo.” - - * * * * * - -The personal attractions of Cagliostro appear to have been exaggerated -by some of his biographers. “His splendid stature and high bearing, -increased by a dress of the most bizarre magnificence, the extensive -suite which invariably accompanied him in his wanderings, turned all -eyes upon him, and disposed the minds of the vulgar towards an almost -idolatrous admiration.” - -With this opinion of Figuier may be compared the counter-statement -of the Italian biographer:--“He was of a brown complexion, a bloated -countenance, and a severe aspect; he was destitute of any of those -graces so common in the world of gallantry, without knowledge and -without abilities.” But the Italian biographer was a false witness, -for Cagliostro was beyond all question and controversy a man of -consummate ability, tact, and talent. The truth would appear to lie -between these opposite extremes. “The Count de Cagliostro,” says -the English life, published in 1787, “is below the middle stature, -inclined to corpulency; his face is a round oval, his complexion and -eyes dark, the latter uncommonly penetrating. In his address we are -not sensible of that indescribable grace which engages the affections -before we consult the understanding. On the contrary, there is in -his manner a self-importance which at first sight rather disgusts -than allures, and obliges us to withhold our regards, till, on a more -intimate acquaintance, we yield it the tribute to our reason. Though -naturally studious and contemplative, his conversation is sprightly, -abounding with judicious remarks and pleasant anecdotes, yet with an -understanding in the highest degree perspicuous and enlarged, he is -ever rendered the dupe of the sycophant and the flatterer.” - -The persuasive and occasionally overpowering eloquence of Cagliostro -is also dwelt upon by the majority of his biographers, but, according -to the testimony of his wife, as extracted under the terror of the -Inquisition and adduced in the Italian life:--“His discourse, instead -of being eloquent, was composed in a style of the most wearisome -perplexity, and abounded with the most incoherent ideas. Previous to -his ascending the rostrum he was always careful to prepare himself for -his labours by means of some bottles of wine, and he was so ignorant as -to the subject on which he was about to hold forth, that he generally -applied to his wife for the text on which he was to preach to his -disciples. If to these circumstances are added a Sicilian dialect, -mingled with a jargon of French and Italian, we cannot hesitate a -single moment as to the degree of credibility which we are to give -to the assertions that have been made concerning the wonder-working -effects of his eloquence.” - -But the Inquisition was in possession of documents which bore -irrefutable testimony to the extraordinary hold which Cagliostro -exercised over the minds of his numerous followers, and it is -preposterous to suppose it could have been possessed by a man who was -ignorant, unpresentable, and ill-spoken. Moreover, the testimony of -Lorenza, given under circumstances of, at any rate, the strongest moral -intimidation is completely worthless on all points whatsoever, and the -biassed views of our inquisitorial apologists are of no appreciable -value. - -I have given an almost disproportionate space to the history of Joseph -Balsamo, because it is thoroughly representative of the charlatanic -side of alchemy, which during two centuries of curiosity and credulity -had developed to a deplorable extent. There is no reason to suppose, -despite the veil of mystery which surrounded Altotas, that he was an -adept in anything but the sophistication of metals, and his skill -in alchemical trickery descended to his pupil. That Balsamo was a -powerful mesmerist, that he could induce clairvoyance with facility in -suitable subjects, that he had dabbled in Arabic occultism, that he -had the faculty of healing magnetically, are points which the evidence -enables us to admit, and these genuine phenomena supported his titanic -impostures, being themselves supplemented wherever they were weak or -defective by direct and prepared fraud. Thus his miraculous prophecies, -delineations of absent persons, revelations of private matters, &c., -may to some extent be accounted for by the insatiable curiosity and -diligence which he made use of to procure knowledge of the secrets of -any families with which he came into communication. Lorenzo declared -upon oath during her examination that many of the pupils had been -prepared beforehand by her husband, but that some had been brought to -him unawares, and that in regard to them she could only suppose he had -been assisted by the marvels of magical art. - -His powers, whatever they were, were imparted to some at least of -his Masonic initiates, as may be seen in a genuine letter addressed -to him from Lyons, and which describes in enthusiastic language -the consecration in that town of the Egyptian lodge called Wisdom -Triumphant. This letter fell into the hands of the Inquisition. -It relates that at the moment when the assembly had entreated of -the Eternal some explicit sign of his approval of their temple and -their offerings, “and whilst our master was in mid air,” the first -philosopher of the New Testament appeared uninvoked, blessed them after -prostration before the cloud, by means of which they had obtained the -apparition, and was carried upwards upon it, the splendour being so -great that the young pupil or dove was unable to sustain it. - -The same letter affirms that the two great prophets and the legislator -of Israel had given them palpable signs of their goodwill and of their -obedience to the commands of the august founder, the sieur Cagliostro. -A similar communication testifies that the great Copt, though absent, -had appeared in their lodge between Enoch and Elias.[AP] - - -CONCLUSION. - -It has now been made plain beyond all reasonable doubt by the certain -and abundant evidence of the lives and labours of the alchemists, -that they were in search of a physical process for the transmutation -of the so-called baser metals into silver and gold. The methods and -processes by which they endeavoured to attain this _désir désiré_, and -the secrets which they are supposed to have discovered, are embodied -in allegorical writings, and their curious symbolism in the hands -of ingenious interpreters is capable of several explanations, but -the facts in their arduous and generally chequered careers are not -allegorical, and are not capable of any mystical interpretations; -consequently, the attempt to enthrone them upon the loftiest pinnacles -of achievement in the psychic world, however attractive and dazzling -to a romantic imagination, and however spiritually suggestive, must -be regretfully abandoned. Their less splendid but substantial and -permanent reputation is based on their physical discoveries and on -their persistent enunciation of a theory of Universal Development, -which true and far-sighted adepts well perceived, had an equal -application to the triune man as to those metals which in their -conception had also a triune nature. - -As stated in the Introduction to this work, I have little personal -doubt, after a careful and unbiassed appreciation of all the evidence, -that the _Magnum Opus_ has been performed, at least occasionally, -in the past, and that, therefore, the alchemists, while laying -the foundations of modern chemistry, had already transcended its -highest results in the metallic kingdom. Now, the Hermetic doctrine -of correspondences which is, at any rate, entitled to the sincere -respect of all esoteric thinkers, will teach us that the fact of -their success in the physical subject is analogically a substantial -guarantee of the successful issue of parallel methods when applied -in the psychic world with the subject man. But the revelations of -mesmerism, and the phenomena called spiritualism, have discovered -thaumaturgic possibilities for humanity, which in a wholly independent -manner contribute to the verification of the alchemical hypothesis -of development in its extension to the plane of intelligence. These -possibilities I believe to be realizable exclusively along the lines -indicated in Hermetic parables. I am not prepared to explain how the -alchemical theory of Universal Development came to be evolved in the -scientific and psychological twilight of the middle ages, but the -fact remains. Nor am I prepared to explain how and why the method of -a discredited science which is not commonly supposed to have attained -its end, should not only be consistent within its own sphere, but -should have a vast field of application without it; yet, again, the -fact remains. I have brought a wide acquaintance with the history of -modern supernaturalism to bear on the serious study of alchemy, and -have found the old theories illustrated by the novel facts, while novel -facts coincided with old theories. As all this has occurred, in the -words of the alchemists, “by a natural process, devoid of haste or -violence,” I may trust that it is no illusory discovery, and that its -future enunciation may give a new impulse to the study of the Hermetic -writings among the occultists of England and America. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[AJ] In the Memoir written by Joseph Balsamo during his imprisonment -in the Bastille, he surrounds his origin and infancy with romantic -and glamorous mystery. “I am ignorant,” he asserts, “not only of my -birthplace, but even of the parents who bore me. All my researches on -these points have afforded me nothing but vague and uncertain, though, -in truth, exalted, notions. My earliest infancy was passed in the -town of Medina, in Arabia, where I was brought up under the name of -Acharat--a name which I afterwards used during my Asiatic and African -travels--and was lodged in the palace of the muphti. I distinctly -recollect having four persons continually about me--a tutor, between -fifty-five and sixty years of age, named Altotas, and three slaves, one -of whom was white, while the others were black. My tutor invariably -told me that I had been left an orphan at the age of three months, and -that my parents were noble, and Christians as well, but he preserved -the most absolute silence as to their name and as to the place where I -was born, though certain chance words led me to suspect that I first -saw the light at Malta. Altotas took pleasure in cultivating my natural -taste for the sciences; he himself was proficient in all, from the most -profound even to the most trivial. It was in botany and physics that I -made most progress. Like my instructor I wore the dress of a Mussulman, -and outwardly we professed the Mohammedan law. The principles of the -true religion were, however, engraven in our hearts. I was frequently -visited by the muphti, who treated me with much kindness and had great -respect for my instructor, through whom I became early proficient in -most oriental languages.” - -[AK] “Life of the Count Cagliostro, compiled from the original -Proceedings published at Rome by order of the Apostolic Chamber. With -an engraved Portrait.” London, 1791. - -[AL] _L’Histoire du Merveilleux dans les Temps Modernes_, tom. iv. - -[AM] “At a later period, when Cagliostro, uplifted by notoriety -and fortune, returned in state to Paris with a sumptuous equipage, -he strenuously denied his first sojourn in our capital, and the -disgraceful episode of Sainte-Pélagie. He maintained that his wife, -to whom he now gave the name of Seraphina, had no connection with the -imprisoned Lorenza Feliciani, nor he, the Count Cagliostro, with the -quack who at this epoch was prohibited from continuing his rogueries. -But certain legal documents of irrefutable authenticity substantiate -the contrary assertion of his enemies. It is interesting to know that, -as a fact, during the incarceration of Lorenza, depositions were made -before the tribunal of police by M. Duplaisir, who stated that, in -addition to supporting Balsamo and his wife for the space of three -months, they had contracted debts to the amount of two hundred crowns, -chiefly for clothes, for the perruquier, and the dancing-master.” These -depositions, with others, will be found in a pamphlet entitled, _Ma -Correspondence avec le Comte de Cagliostro_. Figuier. _Histoire du -Merveilleux dans les Temps Modernes_, t. iv. pp. 83, 84. - -[AN] “It was his ambition to inaugurate a mother-lodge at Paris, -to which the rest should be entirely subordinate. He proclaimed -himself as the bearer of the mysteries of Isis and Anubis from the -far East. Though he threatened common masonry with a radical reform, -his innovations triumphed over all obstacles. He obtained numerous -and distinguished followers, who on one occasion assembled in great -force to hear Joseph Balsamo expound to them the doctrines of Egyptian -freemasonry. At this solemn convention he is said to have spoken -with overpowering eloquence, and such was his signal success that -his auditors departed in amazement and completely converted to his -regenerated and purified masonry. None of them doubted that he was an -initiate of the arcana of Nature, as preserved in the temple of Apis -at the epoch when Cambyses belaboured that capricious divinity. From -this moment the initiations into the new masonry were numerous, albeit -they were limited to the aristocracy of society. There are reasons -to believe that the grandees who were deemed worthy of admission -paid exceedingly extravagantly for the honour.”--Figuier, _Hist. du -Merveilleux_, t. iv. pp. 23, 24. - -[AO] These projects included a determination to force the royal -government to recognise the new order, and to obtain its recognition -in Rome as an institution constituted on the same basis, and therefore -to be endowed with the same great privileges which had belonged to the -order of St John of Jerusalem. - -[AP] See Appendix II. - - - - -AN ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE OF WORKS ON HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY AND ALCHEMY. - - -Antonius de Abbatia--Epistolæ duæ. (_German._) Hamburg, 1672. - -Abrahamus è Porta Leonis--De Auro, dialogi tres. Venice, -1514-1584-1586. (_Disesteemed._) - -D’Acqueville (Le Sieur)--Les effets de la Pierre Divine. 12mo. Paris, -1681. - -Ægidius de Vadis--Dialogus inter Naturam et Filium Artis. Francfurt, -1595. - ----- Tabula Diversorum Metallorum. (Printed in the Theatrum Chymicum.) - -F. Aggravio--Sourano Medicina. 8vo. Venice, 1682. - -Georgius Agricola--De Re Metallica, libri xii. Fol. Basiliæ, 1546-1621. -(_Curious, and embellished with figures and diagrams._) - ----- De Ortu et Causis Subterraneorum, libri v. De Natura eorum quæ -effluunt Terra, libri v. De Natura Fossilium, libri x. De Veteribus et -Novis Metallis, libri ii. Bermannus, sive De Re Metallici. Fol. Basil, -1546. - ----- Lapis Philosophorum. (_Rare._) 16mo. Coloniæ, 1531. - -Johannes Agricola--Of Antimony. (_German._) 4to. Leipsic, 1639. - -Luigi Alamanni--Girone il Cortese, Poema. 4to. In Parigi, 1548. (_Rare -chymical romance._) - -Alani Philosophi Germani, Dicta de Lapide Philosophorum. Lugduni -Batavorum. 8vo. 1599. - -Albertus Magnus--Opera Omnia, 21 v. Folio. Lugduni, 1653. - ----- Libellus de Alchymia. (Theatrum Chemicum, v. 2.) - ----- De Rebus Metallicis et Mineralibus, libri v. 4to. Augustæ -Vindelicor, 1519. - -Alchimia Denudata, adept Naxagoras (_pseud_). (_In German._) 8vo. -Breslaw, 1708. - -Alchemia Opuscula, nine scarce tracts. 4to. Franco, 1550. - -Alchymia vera lapidis philos. (_German._) 8vo. Magd., 1619. - -A Revelation of the Secret Spirit of Alchemy. Anon. 8vo. London, 1523. - -Alchemia--Volumen Tractatum, 10. (_Esteemed._) 4to. Norim., 1541. - -Oder Alchymischer particular Zeiger: id est. Unterricht von Gold, und -Silbermachen. 8vo. Rostoch, 1707. - -Alkahest (Bedencken von). 8vo. Frank., 1708. - -Alcaest--Merveilles de l’Art et de la Nature. 12mo. Paris, 1678. - -Alstedii (Joh. Henric.)--Philosophia dignè restituta. 8vo. Herbornæ, -1612. - ----- Panacæa Philosophica cum critico de infinito Harmonico Philosophiæ -Lullianæ. 8vo. Herb., 1610. - -La Ruine des Alchimistes. 16mo. Paris, 1612. - -Alvetanno (Cornelius)--De Conficiendo Divino Elixire sive Lapide -Philosophico. _Theatri Chimici_, t. 5. - -Amelungii (D. Petri)--Tractatus Nobilis, in quo de Alchimiæ Inventione, -necessitate et utilitate agitur. 8vo. Lipsiæ, 1607. - ----- Apologia, seu Tractatus Nobilis Secundus pro defensione Alchimiæ. -8vo. Lipsiæ, 1601. - -Amelungs (J. C.)--Stein Tinctur. 4to. 1664. - -Anthoris (Caspar)--Chrysoscopion, sive Aurilogium. (_A treatise on the -extension of life by auriferous preparations._) 4to. Jenal, 1632. - -Andaloro (Andrea)--La Miniera dell’ Argento Vivo. Messina, 1672. - -Angelique (Le Sieur d’)--La Vraye Pierre Philosophale de Médecine. 12 -mo. Paris, 1622. - -Altus Mutus Liber, in quo tota Philosophia Hermetica figuris -Hieroglyphicis depingitur. Fol. Rupellæ, 1677. - -Apocalypses Hermeticorum. 4to. Gedani, 1683. - -Apologie du Grand Œuvre, ou Elixir des Philosophes. 12 mo. Paris, 1657. - -Avantures du Philosophe Inconnu en la recherche et Invention du Pierre -Philosophale, divisées en quatre livres, au dernier desquels il est -parlé si clairement de la façon de la faire, que jamais on n’en a parlé -avec tant de canduer. 12mo. Paris, 1646. (_Attributed to the celebrated -Abbé Bebris._) - -Aurifontana Chimiæ incomparabilis. 4to. Lugd. Batav., 1696. - -Vier Ausserlesene Chymische Buchlein. 8vo. Ham., 1697. - -Aureum Seculum Patefactum, oder Entdeckung dess Menstrivi Universal. -8vo. Nurnberg, 1706. - -L’Ayman Mystique. 12mo. Paris, 1659. - -Arludes--Mystères de la Grace et de la Nature. 1646. - -Arca--Artificiosissimi Arcani Arca. (_German._) 18mo. Franc., 1617. - -Arcana--Antiquorum Philosophorum Arcana, 8vo. Leip., 1610. - ----- Magni Philosophi Arcani Revelator. 12mo. Hamb., 1672. (_Rare._) - -A Strange Letter of the Treasure of an Adept. 24mo. London, 1680. - -Ars Transmutationis Metallicæ. 8vo. 1550. - -Aristoteles--De Perfecto Magisterio. In Theatrum Chymicum. t. 3. - -Arnaud, _see_ Villeneuve. - -Ancient War of the Knights, _by an adept_. 12mo. London, 1723. - -Aphorisms. 153 Chemical APHORISMS. (_Esteemed._) London, 1680. - -Artephius (_adept, 12th cent._)--Secret Book of the Occult Art and -Metallic Transmutation. 24mo. London, 1657. - ----- La Clef majeure de Sapience et Science des Secrets de la Nature. -8vo. (_Without date or place of printing._) - ----- De Vita Proroganda, aitque se anno 1025 ætatis suae scripsisse -libum suum. - -Alphonso (King)--Of the Philos. Stone. 4to. Lond., 1657. - -Pseudo ATHENAGORAS--Du Vrai et Parfait Amour. 12mo. Paris, 1599. _Very -curious._ - -Artis AURIFERÆ, 47 treatises. 3 vols. 8vo. Basil, 1610. - -Alciata, Andreæ, Emblemata. Patav., 1618. - -Aurifontina, chym., 14 tracts on the Philosophical Mercury. - -Arrais (G. M.)--Tree of Life. 8vo. London, 1683. - -Ashmole (Elias)--Theatrum Chemicum Britanicum. (_Esteemed._) 25 tracts. -English adepts. - -Avicenna--De Tinctura Metallorum. 4to. Franc., 1530. - ----- Porta Elementorum. 8vo. Basiliæ, 1572. - ----- Epistola ad Regem Hasen. Theatrum Chymicum, t. 4. - ----- De Mineralibus. Dantzick, 1687. Printed with Geber. - -(_All these treatises of Avicenna are doubtful._) - -Bacon (Roger)--Art of Chemistry, 16mo. London. - ----- Mirror of Alchemy. 4to. 1597. - ----- Admirable power of Art and Nature. (Alchemical.) - ----- Opus Majus, ad Clementum IV. Fol. Dublin, 1733. - ----- Care of Old Age and Preservation of Youth. 8vo. London, 1683. - ----- Radix Mundi (alchemical, English). 12mo. 1692. - ----- Opus Minus. M.S. Lambeth Library. - ----- Thesaurus Chimicus. De Utilitate Scientiarum. Alchimia Major. -Breviarum de Dono Dei. Verbum abbreviarum de Leone Viridi. Secretum -Secretorum. Trium Verborum. Speculum Secretorum. Seven Treatises. 8vo. -Francof., 1603. - ----- De Secretis Operibus Artis et Naturæ. 8vo. Hamb., 1598. - ----- (Fr. Lord Verulam)--History of Metals. Fol. Lond., 1670. - -Baker (Geo.)--New Jewel of Health. 4to. London, 1576. - -Balbian (J.)--Tractatus Septem de Lapide Philosophico. (_Rare._) 8vo. -Lug., 1599. - ----- Specchio Chimico. 8vo. Roma., 1624. - -Balduini (C. A.)--Aurum Superius et Inferius. 12mo. Lipsiæ, 1674. - ----- Phosphorus Hermeticus, sive magnes luminaris. Lipsiæ, 1674. - ----- Hermes Curiosus. 12mo. Lips., 1680. - ----- De Auro Auræ et ipsum hoc Aurum Auræ. 12mo. 1674. - ----- Venus Auræ--_See_ Miscellanea Curiosa. 4to. Lips., 1678. - -Barchusen (J. C.)--Elementa Chemiæ. (_Contains seventy-eight alchemical -emblems._) Lug. Bat., 1718. - -Barlet (A.)--L’Ouvrage de l’Univers. 12mo. Paris, 1653. - -Barnaudi (N.)--Triga Chimica. 8vo. Lug. Bat., 1600. - ----- Brevis Elucidatio Arcani Philosophorum. 8vo. Lugd. Batav., 1599. - -Bartoleti (Fabr.)--Encyclopedia Hermetico-Medica. 4to. Bononiæ, 1619. - -Batfdorff (Henric à)--Filum Ariadnes. 8vo. 1636. - -Bazio (Antonia)--Florida Corona. Lug., 1534. - -Beato (G.)--Azoth, seu Aureliæ Occultæ Philosophorum, materiam primam -et decantatum illum Lapidem Philosophorum, filiis Hermetis solide -explicantes. 4to. Franc., 1613. - -Beausoleil (Baron)--De Materia Lapidis. (_Esteemed._) 8vo. 1627. - ----- De Sulphure Philosophorum Libellus. - -Becher (J. J.)--Transmutations at Vienna. London, 1681. - ----- Physica Subterranea. (_Esteemed._) 8vo. Franc., 1669. - ----- Institutiones Chimicæ. 4to. Moguntiæ, 1662. - ----- Oedipus Chimicus. Franc., 1664. - ----- Laboratium Chimicum. 8vo. Francfurt, 1680. - ----- Opera Omnia. 2 v. fol. (_In German._) - -Beguinus--Tyrocinium Chimicum. (_In English._) London, 1669. - -Benedictus--Liber Benedictus, Nucleus Sophicus. (_Allegorical._) 8vo. -Franc., 1623. - -Benzius (A. C.)--Philosopische Schanbuhne nebst einen, Anhaug der -Weisen. 8vo. Hamb., 1690. - ----- Tractatlein von Menstruo Universali. 8vo. Nurem., 1709. - ----- Lapis Philosophorum, seu Medicina Universalis. 8vo. Franc., 1714. - ----- Thesaurus Processuum Chemicorum. 4to. Nurem., 1715. - -Bergeri--Catalogus Medicamentorum Spagirice præparatorum. 4to. 1607. - -Bericht--Von Universal Arts Neyen. 8vo. 1709. - -Berle (John de)--Opuscule de Philosophie. - -Berlichius--De Medicina Universali. 4to. Jena, 1679. - -Bernardi (Comitis, _an adept_)--Libèr de Chimia. 12mo. Geismariæ, 1647. - ----- De Chimico Miraculo. 8vo. Basil, 1600. - ----- La Turbe des Philosophes. 8vo. Paris, 1618. - ----- Opus de Chimia. (_Curious._) 8vo. Argent, 1567. - ----- Traité de l’Œuf des Philosophes. 8vo. Paris, 1659. - ----- La Parole Delaissée. 12mo. 1672. - ----- Epistle to Thomas of Bononia. 24mo. London, 1680. - ----- Trevisan’s Fountain. Lond. - -Bernard--Le Bernard d’Alemagne, cum Bernardo Trevero. 8vo. 1643. - -Beroalde (P.)--Histoire des Trois Princes. 2 v. 8vo. 1610. -(_Disesteemed._) - -Beroalde (P.)--Le Palais des Curieux. (_Poem._) 12mo. Paris, 1584. - ----- Le Cabinet de Minerva. Rouen, 1601. - -Berteman (M.)--Dame de Beau Soliel--Restitution de Pluton. 8vo. Paris, -1640. - -Besardi (J. B.)--Antrum Philosophicum, De Lapide Physico, &c. 4to. -Aug., 1617. - -Beuther (D.)--Universale et Particularia. 8vo. Hamb., 1718. - -Bickeri (O.)--Hermes Redivivus. 8vo. Hanov., 1620. - -Billikius (A. G.)--De Tribus Principiis. 8vo. Bremen, 1621. - ----- Deliria Chimica Laurenbergii. 8vo. Bremæ, 1625. - ----- Assertionem Chymicarum Sylloge Opposita Laurenbergio. 8vo. -Helmestadii, 1624. - -Birelli (G. B.)--De Alchimia. 4to. Firenze, 1602. - -Birrius (Martinus)--Tres Tractatus de Metallorum Transmutatione. 8vo. -Amsterdam, 1668. - -Blarvenstein (Sol.)--Contra Kircherum. 4to. Vienna, 1667. - -Boerhave (H.)--De Chimia Expurgante suos errores. 4to. Lugduni -Batavorum, 1718. - -Böhme (Jacob)--“Teutonicus Theosophus.” Works. Containing The -Aurora, Three Principles, Threefold Life of Man, Answers to Forty -Questions concerning the Soul, Treatise of the Incarnation, Clavis -Mysterium Magnum, Four Tables of Divine Revelation, Signatura Rerum, -Predestination, Way to Christ, Discourse between Souls, The Four -Complexions, Christ’s Testaments, &c. Fol. London, 1764-81. - ----- Works, by Elliston and Sparrow. 10 vols. 4to. Lond., 1659. - ----- Miroir Temporel de l’Éternité. 8vo. Franc., 1669. - ----- Idæa Chimiæ Adeptæ Bohmianæ. 12mo. Amst., 1690. - -Bolnesti (Edw.)--Aurora Chimica. Lond., 1672. - -Bolton (Samuel)--Magical but Natural Physic. 8vo. Lond., 1656. - -Bonardo (G. M.)--Minera del Mondo. 8vo. Mantua, 1591. - -Bono (P., _an adept_)--Margarita Novella. 4to. Basil, 1572. - ----- Introductio in Divinam Artem Alchemiæ. 8vo. 1692. - ----- De Secreto Omnium Secretorum. 8vo. Venet., 1546. - -Bonveau (J. D.)--De l’Astronomie Inférieure. 4to. Paris, 1636. - -Bade (---- de la)--De l’Énigme trouvé à Pillier. 4to. Paris, 1636. - -Borelli (Petri)--Hermetic Catalogue. 12mo. Paris, 1654. - -Bornetti (D.)--Jatrochimicus. Franc., 1621. - -Borri (G. F.)--La Chiave del Cabinetto. 12mo. Colon., 1681. - -Borrichius (O.)--De Ortu et Progressu Chemiæ. 4to. Hafnia, 1668. - -Borro (Tomaso)--Ze Fieriele Tomaso Borro Opere. Venez., 1624. - -Boyle (Hon. Robert)--Works, _useful_, many editions. - -Braceschi (J.)--Gebri Explicatio. 4to. Lugd., 1548. - -Bradley (Richard)--Work of Nature. (_Rare._) 8vo. Dub., 1721. - -Brachel (P.)--On Spurious Potable Gold. (_German._) 8vo. Col., 1607. - -Brandaw (M. Erbineusà)--12 Columnæ Naturæ et Artis. 8vo. Lip., 1689. - -Brebil (J. F.)--Concursus Philosophorum. 8vo. Jena, 1726. - -Brendelius (Zac.)--De Chimia in Artis Formam Redacta, ubi de Auro -Potabile Agit. 8vo. Jenæ, 1630. - -Brentzius (Andrew)--Farrago Philos. 8vo. Ambergæ, 1611. - -Breton (L.)--Clefs de la Philosophie Spagirique. 12mo. Paris, 1726. - -Broault (T. D.)--Abrégé de l’Astronomie Inferieure ... Des Planetes -Hermétiques. 4to. Paris, 1644. - -Brown (Thomas)--Nature’s Cabinet. 12mo. Lond., 1657. - -Buchlein (----)--Von Farben, und Künsten, auch der Alchimisten. 8vo. -1549. - -Burchelati (B.)--Dialogicum Septem Philosophorum. 4to. Trevisis, 1603. - -Burgavii (J. Ernest)--Balneum Dianæ. Lud., 1600-1612. - ----- Introductio in Philosophiam Vitalem. 4to. Franc., 1623. - -Cæsar (T.)--Alchemiæ Speculum. (_German._) 8vo. Franco, 1613. - -Cæsii (B.)--Mineralogia. (_Rare._) Fol. Lug., 1636. - -Calid--Regis Calid Liber Secretorum. 8vo. Franc., 1615. - -Campegii (M.)--De Transmutatione Metallorum. 4to. Lud., 1503. - -Carellis (J. de)--De Auri Essentia ejusque Facultate in Medendis -Morbis. 8vo. Venet., 1646. - -Carerius (A.)--Quæstio an Metalla Artis Beneficio permutari possint. -4to. Patavii, 1579. - -Casi (Jo.)--Lapis Philosophicus. 4to. Oxonii, 1599. - -Castagne (Gabriel de)--Œuvres Medicinales et Chimiques--1. Le Paradis -Terrestre. 2. Le Miracle de la Nature Métallique. 3. L’Or Potable. 4. -La Médecine Métallique. 8vo. Paris, 1661. - -Cato--Chemicus. 12mo. Lypsiæ, 1690. - -Cephali (Ar.)--Mercurius Triumphans. 4to. Magdeburgi, 1600. - -Charles VI.--Trésor de Philosophie. 8vo. Paris. - -Chartier (J.)--Antimoine, Plomb Sacré. 4to. Paris, 1651. - -Chesne (J.)--De Plus Curieuses Etrares. Paris, 1648. - -Chevalier Impérial--Miroir des Alchimistes. 16mo. 1609. - -Chiaramonte (G.)--Elixir Vitæ. 4to. Genoa, 1590. - -Christop--Paris. (_Adept, 13th age._) Chimica. 8vo. Paris, 1649. - -Chymia Philosophica. 8vo. Norimberg, 1689. - -Cicollini (Barab.)--Via Brevis. Romæ, 1696. - -Claf (E. Lucii)--De Lapide Christo Sophico. 4to. Ingol., 1582. - -Claves (E. de)--Des Principes de la Nature. 8vo. Paris, 1633. - -Clavei (Gas., _adept_.)--Apologia Argyropœiæ. 8vo. Niverius, 1590. - ----- De Ratione Proginendi Lap. Philosophorum. 8vo. Nivers, 1592. - ----- Philosophia Chimica, Prep. Auri. 8vo. Frank., 1602-1612. - -Clinge (F.)--Philosophia Hermetica. (_German._) 4to. 1712. - -Cogitationes Circa Alchæst. (_German._) 8vo. Fran., 1708. - -Collectanea Chimica. _Ten tracts._ 16mo. Lond., 1684. - -Collesson (J.)--De la Philosophie Hermétique. (_Disesteemed._) 8vo. -Paris, 1630. - -Colletel (G.)--Clavicule et Vie de Raymond Lulle. 8vo. Paris, 1642. - -Colson (L.)--Philosophia Maturata. (_German._) 8vo. Hamb., 1696. - -Combachius (L.)--Salt and Secret of Philosophy. 16mo. Lond., 1657. - -Comenius (J. A.)--Natural Philosophy Reformed. 16mo. London, 1651. - -Commentatio--De Lapide Philosoph. 8vo. Cologne, 1595. - -Couringii (Herm.)--De Hermetica Ægyptiorum vetere et Paracelsicorum -nova Medecina. 4to. Helmstadii, 1648. - -Cooper (N.)--Catalogue of Alchemical Books. 8vo. Lond., 1675. - -Cosmopolita--Novum Lumen. (_Adept._) Twelve Treatises, Enigma, -Dialogue, &c. By Alexander Sethon. 8vo. Prague, 1604. - ----- Ses Lettres. (_Spurious._) 2 v. 12mo. Paris, 1691. - -Cozzandi (L.)--De Magisterio Antiq. Colon., 1684. - -Crameri (J. A.)--Fossilium. 2 v. 8vo. Lug. Bat., 1730. - -Creilingius (J. C.)--De Transmutatione Metallorum. 4to. Tubing. - -Cremeri (Gaspar)--De Transmutatione Metallorum. 8vo. - -Crollii (Osw.)--Philosophy Reformed. 12mo. Lond., 1657. - ----- Basilica Chimica. (_English._) Fol. Lond., 1670. - -Crollius Redivivus. Stein Tinchtur. 4to. Fran., 1635. - -Culpeper (Nic.)--Three-Fold World. 8vo. Lond., 1656. - -Curiosities of Chemistry. Lond., 1691. - -Dammy (Mathieu)--Observations sur La Chimie. 8vo. Amst., 1739. - -Dastinii (Johan.)--Visio, seu de Lapide Philosophico. (_English -adept._) 8vo. Franc., 1625. - ----- Rosarium Correctius. 8vo. Geismar, 1647. - -Deani (E.)--Tractatus Varii de Alchimia. (_Rare._) 4to. Fran., 1630. - -Dee (Dr Arthur)--Fasciculus Chimicus. 12mo. Lond., 1650. - ----- (Dr Joannes)--Monas Hieroglyphica. 1564. - ----- Propædemnata Aphoristica de Naturæ Virtutibus. 4to. Lond., 1568. - -Democritus--De Arte Sacra. (_Adept._) 8vo. Patav., 1573. - -Deodato (C.)--Pantheum Hygiasticum. Brunstruti, 1628. - -Dichiaratione, di Enimoni de gl’ Antichi Filosifi Alchimisti. 4to. -Rome, 1587. - -Dickinson (E.)--De Chrysopœia. 8vo. Oxon., 1686. - -Disputatio Solis et Mercurii cum Lapide Philos. (_The Ancient War of -the Knights._) 8vo. Tolos., 1646. - -Donato (Fra., Eremita). (_Adept._) Elixir Vitæ. Napoli, 1624. - -Dorneus (Gerard)--Clavis Philosophiæ. 12mo. Lugd., 1567. - -Doux (Gaston le)--Dictionnaire Hermétique. 12mo. Paris, 1695. - -Drebellius (C.)--Quinta Essentia. (_Not an adept._) 8vo. Hamb., 1621. - -Dubourg (Jacques)--Saint Saturne de la Chimie. - -Duchesne--Les Œuvres diverses de M. Duchesne sieur de la Violette. 6 v. -8vo. Paris, 1635. - -Dumbelei (J.)--Hortus Amoris Arboris Philosophicæ. 8vo. Fran., 1625. - -Dunstan (Saint)--On the Philosopher’s Stone. Lond. - -Eclaircissement de la Pierre Philosophale. 8vo. Paris, 1628. - -Efferarius (_an adept_.)--De Lapide Philos. 8vo. Argent., 1659. - ----- Thesaurus Philosophicus. (_Esteemed and scarce._) 8vo. Argent., -1659. - -Elmulleri (M.)--Opera Omnia. Venet., 1727. - -Emblemata de Secretis Naturæ Chimicæ. 4to. Oppen., 1618. - -Epistola, cujusdam Patris ad Filium. 8vo. Lugd. Lyons, 1601. - -Epistolarum philos. Chemicarum. Fol. Francofurti, 1598. - -Erasti (Thomæ.)--De Auro Potabili. 8vo. Basil, 1578-1584. - -Erkern (Laz.)--De Re Metallica. (_English and excellent._) Fol. -Francof., 1629. - -L’Escalier des Sages, avec figures. (_Curious and scarce._) Fol. -Gronigen, 1689. - -Espagnet (John)--Enchyridion Physicæ Restitutæ. Paris, 1601. - ----- Enchyridion Philosophiæ Hermeticæ. (_The anonymous works of this -esteemed adept in English._) 16mo. Lond., 1651. - -Euchiontis (A.)--De Aquis, Oleis, et Salibus Philos. 8vo. Francof., -1567. - -Examen des Principes des Alchimistes. 12mo. Paris, 1711. - -L’Expositione de Geber Filosofo. (_Disesteemed._) 12mo. Venet., 1544. - -Eygeum (M.)--Le Pilote de l’Onde vive, ou le Secret du Flux et Reflux -de la Mer et du Point Fixe. (_Scarce._) 12mo. Paris, 1678. - -Fabri (P. J., _not an adept_)--Alchimista Christianus. 8vo. Tolv., 1632. - -Fabricius (G.)--De Rebus Metallicis. 8vo. Tiguri, 1565. - -Fallopius (G.)--Secreti Diversi Raccolti del G. F. 8vo. Venet., 1578. - -Faniani (J. C.)--De Arte Alchimiæ. 8vo. Basil, 1576. - -Faniani (J. C.)--Metamorphosis Metallica. 8vo. Basil, 1660. - -Faustia (J. M.)--Philalethæ Illustratus. 8vo. Francofruts, 1706. - ----- Pandora Chemica. (_Hermetic Extracts._) 1706. - -Fenton (Ed.)--Secrets and Wonders of Nature. Lond., 1659. - -Fernelius (J.)--De Abditis Rerum Causis. (_Doubtful._) 8vo. Paris, 1560. - -Fernel (Phil.)--Soliloquium Salium. Neapoli, 1649. - -Ferarius--Fratris Ferarii--Tractatus Integer. 12mo. 1647. - -Ferro (Josua)--Trattato de Meravigliosi Secreti. 8vo. Venet., 1606. - -Figuli (B.)--Paradisus Aureolus Hermeticus. 4to. Fran., 1600. - ----- Auriga Benedictus Spagiricus. 12mo. Norimbergæ, 1609. - ----- (G.)--Medicina Universalis. 12mo. Brux., 1660. - -Filareto Racolto di Secreti. 8vo. Fioren., 1573. - -Le Filet d’Ariadne. (_Hermetic._) 8vo. Paris, 1693. - -Fincki (T. V.)--Enchiridion Hermetico. 16mo. Lip., 1626. - -Flamel (Nicholas, _an adept_)--Explanation of his Hieroglyphics. 8vo. -Lond., 1624. - ----- Le Grand Eclaircissement. 8vo. Paris, 1628. - ----- Summary. 24mo. Lond., 1680. - ----- Le Désir Désiré, ou Trésor de Philosophie. 8vo. Paris, 1629. - ----- La Musique Chimique. - ----- Annotationes in D. Zacharia. (_Spurious._) _See_ Theatrum Chemicum. - -Fludd (Robert)--Clavis Philosophiæ et Alchimiæ. 2 v. Fol. Francof. - -La Fontaine des Amoureux de Science. 16mo. Paris, 1561. - -La Fontaine Perilleuse. (_Reputed._) 8vo. Paris, 1572. - -Fradin (P.)--Histoire Fabuleuse. (_Scarce._) 8vo. Lyons, 1560. - -Frankenberg (Von)--Gemma Magica. 8vo. Amstelodami. - -Freind (J.)--Prelectiones Chemicæ. 8vo. Amst., 1710. - -Frickius (J.)--De Auro Potabile Sophorum et Sophistarum. 4to. Ham., -1702. - -Frischi (D. G.)--Anatomiá Alchimiæ. 8vo. Parma, 1696. - -Frundeck (L.)--De Elixire Arboris Vitæ. 8vo. Hague, 1660. - -Furichius (J. N.)--De Lapide Philosophico. 4to. Argentorati, 1631. - -Gabella (Phil. à)--De Lapide Philos. 4to. Cassel., 1615. - ----- Secretioris Philosophiæ Consideratio. 4to. Cassel., 1616. - -Gamon (C.)--Trésor des Trésors. 2 v. 12mo. Lyons, 1610. - -Garlandii (J.)--Dictionarium Alchimiæ. 8vo. Basil, 1571. - -Gault--Les Erreurs de l’Art Refutées. 4to. Paris, 1588. - -Geber, Works (_Adept of Chorasan in the Eighth Age_). 1. Sum of -Perfection. 2. Investigation of Perfection. 3. Invention of Verity. 4. -Furnaces. 8vo. Gedani, 1682. - -Gerhardi (J. C.)--Panacea Hermetica. 8vo. Ulm., 1640. - ----- In Apertorium Lullii. 8vo. Tabing., 1641. - -Germanni (D.)--Judicium Philosophicum. 8vo. 1682. - -Gerzan (François de Soucy sieur de Gerzan)--Le Vrai Trésor de la Vie -Humaine. 8vo. 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It contains 133 -alchemical tracts, of which 33 are reprinted from Theatrum Chemicum, -viz., Arisleus, Artephius, Aristotle, Avicenna, Arnold, Altus Liber -Mutus, Angenelli, Albinus, Bacon, Becher, Blawenstein, Borrichius, -Brachesky, Bono, Bernard, Basil, Bernaud, Balduinus, Cato, Clauder, -Chortalasseus, Cuoffelius, Dornea, Dastin, Espagnet, Faber, Fanianus, -Ficinus, Friben, Geber, Gerard, Guido, Hermes, Hogheland, Helvetius, -Icon, Johnson, Kalid, Kircher, Kuigman, Libavius, Lewis, Lully, Massa -Solis, Merlin, Morhoff, Morien, Malvisius, F. Mirandola, T. Norton, -Orthelius, Paracelsus, Philalethes, Pantaleon, Ripley, Richard, -Rupescissa, Sachs, Sendivogius, Stoleius, Todenfeld, Zadith, Zacharia. -Col, 1702. - -Manna--Of the Blessed Manna of the Philosophers. Lond., 1680. - -Margarita Philosophica. 4to. Basil, 1583. - -Maria Egypti Dialogues. (_An adept._) A. M. 3630. 8vo. Leip., 1708. - -Mark (B.)--Hermetischen Philos. Herren. 8vo. 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Par., -1651. - -Valentine (Basil, _adept_)--Last Will, Practica, Twelve Keys, Manual, -Natural and Supernatural Things, Microcosm, &c. 8vo. Lond., 1671. - ----- Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 8vo. 1656. - ----- Scripta Chimica. 8vo. Hamburgi, 1700. - -Vallerlis (V.)--Lulliam Explicano. 4to. August., 1589. - -Vanderlinden--De Scriptis Medecis. 4to. Norim., 1686. - -Vanner (T.)--Way to Long Life. 4to. Lond., 1623. - -Vannucio Pyrotecnia della Minere. 4to. Venet., 1540. - -Vargas (B. P.)--De Re Metallica. 8vo. Madrid, 1569. - -Vigam of Verona--Medulla Chymiæ. Lond., 1683. - -Vigenerus (B.)--Of True Fire and Salt. Lond., 1649. - -Vigani (J. A.)--Medulla Chymiæ. Lug. Bat., 1693. - -Villanova (Arnoldus de)--Opera Omnia--Conversion of Metals, Rosary, -Speculum, Questions, Flos Florum, &c. Fol. Lugd., 1520. - -Villanovani (Petri), _compiler_--Speculum. Duæ, 1626. - -Vittestein--De Quinta Essentia. 8vo. Basil, 1582. - -Vogelii (Ewal.)--De Lapide Physici. Colon., 1575. - -Vonderbeet (D.)--Experimenta. Ferrariæ, 1688. - -Wallerus--Chemia Physica. 8vo. Lond. - -Water--The Water Stone of the Wise. 8vo. Lond., 1659. - -Webster’s History of Metals. 4to. Lond., 1671. - -Wecker (Dr, of Basle)--Secrets. 8vo. Lyons, 1643. - -Weidenfeld (J. J.)--Secrets of the Adepts. 4to. Lond., 1685. - -Weidnerus (J.)--De Arte Chimica. 4to. Basil, 1610. - -Wickffbain (J. P.)--Salamandra. Norimb., 1683. - -Williams (W.)--Occult Physics. 8vo. Lond., 1660. - -Willis (T.)--Theophisical Alchemy. 8vo. Lond., 1616. - ----- Opera Omnia Medicin. 2 v. Lugd., 1681. - -Wilson (G.)--Three Hundred Unknown Experiments. Lond., 1699. - -Wirdig (Sebas.)--Medicina Spiritum. Norimberg, 1675. - -Wittestein (C.)--De Quinta Essentia. 8vo. Basil, 1583. - -Wittichius (J.)--De Lapide Philos. 8vo. Francof., 1625. - -Zacharia--Clavis Spagirica. 4to. Venet., 1611. - -Zacharii (D., _adept_)--La Vraie Philosophie des Metaux. 8vo. Anvers., -1567. - ----- De Chimico Miracule. 8vo. Basil, 1583. - -Zadith--Antiquissimi Philos. 8vo. Argent., 1566. - -Zelator (J.)--Alchemistici. 8vo. Basil, 1606. - - * * * * * - -_Note._--The titles of some of the treatises enumerated above have been -mutilated by the original bibliographers, and owing to the extreme -rarity of most alchemical books, it has been impossible to correct all -errors. - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -I. - -The life of Denis Zachaire has been made the subject of an interesting -and well-written novel--“A Professor of Alchemy”--by “Percy Ross,” -recently published by Mr George Redway. The life of the great adept, -after his accomplishment of the Magnum Opus, is detailed at some -length, M. Louis Figuier being apparently the authority for the bare -facts of the case. The alchemist is represented by the French writer -as having travelled to Lausanne, where he became enamoured of a young -and beautiful lady, whom he carried from Switzerland into Germany, and -then abandoned himself completely to a life of dissipation and folly, -which closed tragically at Cologne in the year 1556. He was strangled -in the middle of a drunken sleep by the cousin who had accompanied -him in his travels, and who coveted his wealth and his mistress. The -murderer effected his escape with the lady, who appears to have been -his accomplice. The sole authority for this narrative appears to be a -poem by Mardoché de Delle, who was attached, as a sort of laureate, to -the court of Rodolph II. It is not improbably a mere invention of the -versifier; there is nothing in the sober treatise of Denis Zachaire, -written at the period in question, to give colour to the account of his -extravagance. - - -II. - -The manuscript volume entitled “Egyptian Freemasonry” fell, with -the other papers of Cagliostro, into the hands of the Inquisition, -and was solemnly condemned in the judgment as containing rites, -propositions, a doctrine and a system which opened a broad road to -sedition and were calculated to destroy the Christian religion. The -book was characterised as superstitious, blasphemous, impious, and -heretical. It was publicly burnt by the hands of the executioner, with -the instruments belonging to the sect. Some valuable particulars -concerning it are, however, preserved in the Italian life; they are -reproduced from the original proceedings published at Rome by order of -the Apostolic Chamber. - -“It may be necessary to enter into some details concerning Egyptian -Masonry. We shall extract our facts from a book compiled by himself, -and now in our possession, by which he owns he was always directed in -the exercise of his functions, and from which those regulations and -instructions were copied, wherewith he enriched many mother lodges. In -this treatise, which is written in French, he promises to conduct his -disciples to perfection by means of physical and moral regeneration, -to confer perpetual youth and beauty on them, and restore them to that -state of innocence which they were deprived of by means of original -sin. He asserts that Egyptian Masonry was first propagated by Enoch -and Elias, but that since that time it has lost much of its purity -and splendour. Common masonry, according to him, has degenerated into -mere buffoonery, and women have of late been entirely excluded from -its mysteries; but the time was now arrived when the grand Copt was -about to restore the glory of masonry, and allow its benefits to be -participated by both sexes. - -“The statutes of the order then follow in rotation, the division of -the members into three distinct classes, the various signs by which -they might discover each other, the officers who are to preside over -and regulate the society, the stated times when the members are to -assemble, the erection of a tribunal for deciding all differences that -may arise between the several lodges or the particular members of each, -and the various ceremonies which ought to take place at the admission -of the candidates. In every part of this book the pious reader is -disgusted with the sacrilege, the profanity, the superstition, and the -idolatry with which it abounds--the invocations in the name of God, the -prostrations, the adorations paid to the Grand Master, the fumigations, -the incense, the exorcisms, the emblems of the Divine Triad, of the -moon, of the sun, of the compass, of the square, and a thousand other -scandalous particulars, with which the world is at present well -acquainted. - -“The Grand Copt, or chief of the lodge, is compared to God the Father. -He is invoked upon every occasion; he regulates all the actions of -the members and all the ceremonies of the lodge, and he is even -supposed to have communication with angels and with the Divinity. In -the exercise of many of the rites they are desired to repeat the _Veni_ -and the _Te Deum_--nay, to such an excess of impiety are they enjoined, -that in reciting the psalm _Memento Domine David_, the name of the -Grand Master is always to be substituted for that of the King of Israel. - -“People of all religions are admitted into the society of Egyptian -Masonry--the Jew, the Calvinist, the Lutheran, are to be received into -it as well as the Catholic--provided they believe in the existence of -God and the immortality of the soul, and have been previously allowed -to participate in the mysteries of the common masonry. When men are -admitted, they receive a pair of garters from the Grand Copt, as is -usual in all lodges, for their mistresses; and when women are received -into the society, they are presented by the Grand Mistress with a -cockade, which they are desired to give to that man to whom they are -most attached. - -“We shall here recount the ceremonies made use of on admitting a female. - -“The candidate having presented herself, the Grand Mistress (Madame -Cagliostro generally presided in that capacity) breathes upon her face -from the forehead to the chin, and then says, ‘I breathe upon you on -purpose to inspire you with the virtues which we possess, so that -they may take root and flourish in your heart, I thus fortify your -soul, I thus confirm you in the faith of your brethren and sisters, -according to the engagements which you have contracted with them. We -now admit you as a daughter of the Egyptian lodge. We order that you be -acknowledged in that capacity by all the brethren and sisters of the -Egyptian lodges, and that you enjoy with them the same prerogatives as -with ourselves.’ - -“The Grand Master thus addresses the male candidate: ‘In virtue of the -power which I have received from the Grand Copt, the founder of our -order, and by the particular grace of God, I hereby confer upon you the -honour of being admitted into our lodge in the name of Helios, Mene, -Tetragrammaton.’ - -“In a book, said to be printed at Paris in 1789, it is asserted that -the last words were suggested to Cagliostro, as sacred and cabalistical -expressions by a pretended conjuror, who said that he was assisted -by a spirit, and that this spirit was no other than the soul of a -cabalistical Jew, who by means of the magical art had murdered his own -father before the incarnation of Jesus Christ. - -“Common masons have been accustomed to regard St John as their patron, -and to celebrate the festival of that saint. Cagliostro also adopted -him as his protector, and it is not a little remarkable that he was -imprisoned at Rome on the very festival of his patron. The reason for -his veneration of this great prophet was, if we are to believe himself, -the great similarity between the Apocalypse and the rites of his -institution. - -“We must here observe that when any of his disciples were admitted into -the highest class, the following execrable ceremony took place. A young -boy or girl, in the state of virgin innocence and purity, was procured, -who was called the pupil, and to whom power was given over the seven -spirits that surround the throne of the divinity and preside over the -seven planets. Their names according to Cagliostro’s book are Anaël, -Michaël, Raphaël, Gabriel, Uriel, Zobiachel, and Anachiel. The pupil -is then made use of as an intermediate agent between the spiritual and -physical worlds, and being clothed in a long white robe, adorned with a -red ribbon, and blue silk festoons, he is shut up in a little closet. -From that place he gives response to the Grand Master, and tells -whether the spirits and Moses have agreed to receive the candidates -into the highest class of Egyptian masons.... - -“In his instructions to obtain the moral and physical regeneration -which he had promised to his disciples, he is exceedingly careful -to give a minute description of the operations to which they are to -submit. Those who are desirous of experiencing the moral regeneration -are to retire from the world for the space of forty days, and to -distribute their time into certain proportions. Six hours are to be -employed in reflection, three in prayer to the Deity, nine in the holy -operations of Egyptian Masonry, while the remaining period is to be -dedicated to repose. At the end of the thirty-three days a visible -communication is to take place between the patient and the seven -primitive spirits, and on the morning of the fortieth day his soul will -be inspired with divine knowledge, and his body be as pure as that of a -new-born infant. - -“To procure a physical regeneration, the patient is to retire into the -country in the month of May, and during forty days is to live according -to the most strict and austere rules, eating very little, and then -only laxative and sanative herbs, and making use of no other drink -than distilled water, or rain that has fallen in the course of the -month. On the seventeenth day, after having let blood, certain white -drops are to be taken, six at night and six in the morning, increasing -them two a day in progression. In three days more a small quantity of -blood is again to be let from the arm before sunrise, and the patient -is to retire to bed till the operation is completed. A grain of the -_panacea_ is then to be taken; this panacea is the same as that of -which God created man when He first made him immortal. When this is -swallowed the candidate loses his speech and his reflection for three -entire days, and he is subject to frequent convulsions, struggles, and -perspirations. Having recovered from this state, in which, however, he -experiences no pain whatever, on the thirty-sixth day, he takes the -third and last grain of the panacea, which causes him to fall into a -profound and tranquil sleep; it is then that he loses his hair, his -skin, and his teeth. These again are all reproduced in a few hours, and -having become a new man, on the morning of the fortieth day he leaves -his room, enjoying a complete rejuvenescence, by which he is enabled -to live 5557 years, or to such time as he, of his own accord, may be -desirous of going to the world of spirits.” - - -CONCERNING THE LODGE OF FREEMASONS DISCOVERED AT ROME. - -The final chapter of the Italian life of Cagliostro, which appeared -before the death of its subject, contains a curious and interesting -account under the above title. The lodge was situated in the quarter -of the city called the Holy Trinity of the Mountain. It was visited on -the night of Cagliostro’s capture, but the members had been evidently -forewarned; they had taken precautions as to their personal safety, -had removed the symbols of their craft and the greater part of their -books and papers, which perhaps, says the writer, contained secrets -of great importance. The Inquisition claims to have a true insight, -notwithstanding, into the origin, establishment, and other particulars -of this lodge, drawn in part from the depositions of “a multitude of -well-informed persons.” - -The founders were seven in number, five Frenchmen, an American, and -a Pole, all of whom had been previously initiated into other lodges. -It assumed the title of the Lodge of the Reunion of True Friends, -and the first meeting took place on November 1, 1787. Proselytes -were immediately made, and included candidates who had not been -received into any other society. Its numbers rapidly increased, and -to establish it with all the necessary formalities approbation was -procured from the Mother Lodge at Paris, and a deputy was sent to -reside in that city as its representative. Its letters were transported -by special messengers. Mention is made in the register of archives -kept under three locks, in which the statutes, the mysteries, and -the symbols transmitted from Paris were preserved, with all the most -interesting speeches delivered within the lodge. However, the Egyptian -lodge is affirmed to have been in this instance devoid of special -characteristics. The list of its officers was as follows:-- - -1. The Venerable, or Grand Master. - -2. The Superintendent, or Deputy Grand Master. - -3. The Terrible. - -4. The Master of the Ceremonies. - -5. The Treasurer. - -6. The Almoner. - -7. The Secretary. - -8. The Orator, or Export Broker. - -The entire Lodge was composed of two chambers, or halls. The first -was called the Chamber of Reflections. A death’s head was placed on a -table, and above it were two inscriptions in French, which contained -an arcane significance. The second apartment was called the Temple; -it was adorned according to the various rites performed in it. On -all occasions it was provided with a throne, on which the Venerable -constantly sat. Some emblems of masonry adorned the walls--among them -were the sun, moon, and planets. On the two sides of the throne several -magnificent pillars were placed, and opposite to these the brotherhood -were arranged in order, each of them wearing his leathern apron, and -a black ribbon in the form of a deacon’s stole about his neck, while -in his hands, which were covered with a pair of white gloves, he -brandished a naked sword, a hammer, or a compass, according to the -different formalities prescribed by the institution. - -With the secret signs and passports, the Inquisition does not seem to -have been acquainted. - - - - -INDEX. - - - Abraham the Jew, 99 - - Adfar, an Arabian adept of Alexandria, 53 - - Alain of Lisle, 67 - - Albertus Magnus, 57 - - Alcahest, 157 - - Alchemy--Diversity of opinion on the object of alchemical science, 9; - the avowed object, 10; - the aim said to be concealed, 11; - symbolism of the science, 11; - distinction between alchemy and chemistry, 21; - alchemy as a factor in the progress of the physical sciences, 27; - physical nature of the alchemical aim established by the lives and - writings of the adepts, 29; - side issues of alchemical theories, 32; - application of alchemy to the extension of life, 65; - modification of the human body by alchemy, 65; - alchemy the science of the four elements, 93; - the Seal of God set on the secret of alchemy, 165 - - Alfarabi, 48 - - Alipili, 22, 23 - - Altotas, 221, 234 - - Ancient War of the Knights, 43 - - Anima Magica Abscondita, 21 - - Anonymous adept, 184 - - Antimony, Basil Valentine’s preparation for the study of, 17; - the Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, 121 - - Aphrodite Urania, 37 - - Apono, Peter d’, 88 - - Aquinas, St Thomas, 61 - - Argent Vive--Reduction of metals into sophic Argent Vive, 87; - the Medicine of all Metals, 90; - the first thing to be ascertained in alchemy is the significance of - this term, 92 - - Arnold de Villanova, 88 - - Ars Lulliana, 68 - - Avicenna, 51 - - Azoth, or The Star in the East, a forthcoming work on the psychic - potencies which enter into the higher act of transmutation, on the - mysteries of spiritual chemistry, and on the possibilities of - practical transcendentalism, 37 - - - Bacon, Roger, 63 - - Balsamo, Joseph, Travels, Adventures, and Imprisonments, 220 - - Basil, Valentine, 120 - - Belin, Albert, 186 - - Berigard of Pisa, 148 - - Bird, William, unknown adept, 150 - - Böhme, Jacob, 161 - - Bono, Peter, 118 - - Borri, Guiseppe Francesco, 208 - - Botticher, John Frederich, neophyte, 212 - - Braccesco, Giovanni, 151 - - Busardier, unknown adept, 182 - - Butler, 168 - - - Cagliostro, Count Allesandro, name assumed by Balsamo, 230 - - Calcination, an alchemical process, 13, 19 - - Canons of Espagnet, 19 - - Charnock, Thomas, 148 - - Chemistry, said to have no connection with alchemy, 14; - distinction between alchemy and chemistry, 21, 25; - a counter view, 44 - - Contemplation, a preparation for alchemical practices, 18 - - Cremer, John, pseudo-abbot of Westminster, 83 - - - Dalton, Thomas, 133 - - Dee, John, 153 - - Delisle, 216 - - D’Espagnet, Jean, 170; - on the obstacles which beset the alchemist, 39 - - Diana Unveiled, 180 - - Dissolution, an alchemical process, 12 - - Dominic, St, said to have been an adept, 58 - - Dubois, descendant of Flamel, 114 - - Dunstan, St, Book of, 154, 155 - - - Egyptian Masonry, 245, 250, and Appendix II. - - Elias the Artist, 193 - - Eliphas Lévi, 82 - - Elixir, the White and Red, 195 - - _Étoile Flamboyante_, 59 - - Eugenius Philalethes, 21, 31, 189 - - Exaltation, an alchemical process, 32 - - - Fabre, Pierre Jean, 200 - - Ferarius, 92 - - Figuier, Louis, alchemical critic, 27, 63 - - Fioravanti, Leonardi, 153 - - Flamel, Nicholas, 95 - - Fontaine, John, 129 - - - Galip, 55 - - Geber, 44 - - Generation of Metals, 38, 48, 133 - - Goëtic magic, 65 - - Gold, 10, 28, 140 - - Grand Magisterium, 57, 123 - - Grand Secret and Grand Act, 170, 189 - - Great Art, 130 - - Grimoire, 60 - - Gustenhover, 181 - - - Helmont, J. B. Van, 166 - - Helvetius, John Frederick, 201 - - Hermetic--Aim of Hermetic science, 29; - true method of Hermetic interpretation, 30; - supreme secret of Hermetic philosophy, 66; - the Hermetic art a gift of God, 68 - - Heydon, John, 210 - - Hitchcock--His Remarks on Alchemy and the Alchemists, 10, 14, 23, 30 - - - Interpretation of Hermetic theories, &c.--Hermetic typology, 10; - the moral method, 13; - the Psychic method, 122 - - Invocation as a preparation for the practice of alchemy, 17 - - Isaac of Holland, 123 - - - Jean de Meung, 90 - - Johannes de Rupecissa, 119 - - John XXII., Pope, 93 - - - Kalid, an initiated monarch, 54 - - Khunrath, Henry, 159; - treats of spiritual alchemy, 33, 36 - - - Lascaris, 211 - - Lavures, alchemical operations, 112 - - Light--Veritable light of alchemy, 15; - vision in the Divine Light, 16; - light the First Matter of the Magnum Opus, 38 - - - Magic Chain, 22 - - Magnum Opus--The first Matter of the Magnum Opus in its psychic aspect - to be revealed in a forthcoming work, AZOTH, OR THE STAR IN THE - EAST, 37; - processes for the accomplishment of the Magnum Opus, 42; - these described by Arnold, 90; - the composition of the Stone is the accomplishment of the Magnum - Opus, 152; - manner of the accomplishment of the Magnum Opus described in “The - Adventures of an Unknown Philosopher,” 186 - - Maier, Michael, 58, 87, 160 - - Man--The concealed subject of every adept, 11; - the mystic vase of election, 14 - - Manuel, Domenico, 215 - - Mary of Alexandria, 36 - - Matter, the first matter of the Magnum Opus, said to be gold, 28; - defined as a fifth element, 39; - one only and self-same thing, 40; - its true nature not disclosed by the adepts, 41; - its informing spirit variously adaptable, 43; - a duplex nature, 53; - contained in silver and gold, 87; - the seed of every metal can be reduced into the first matter, 93; - figured in the book of Rabbi Abraham, 103; - found by Nicholas Flamel, 106; - mercury the true first matter, 118; - the matter of the philosophical stone a viscous water, 119; - said to be Saturn, or lead, 124; - is found everywhere, 136; - may be discovered by studying the best books of the philosophers, - 145 - - Medicine--Properties of a universal medicine attributed to the Stone, - 13; - the Stone a medicine for metals and man, 32; - life is prolonged by the stone, 123; - application of the tincture as a medicine for the human body, 148 - - Mercury--Identified with the supernatural, 11; - obstacles to its discovery, 39; - sophic mercury described by Avicenna, 52; - mercury the water of metals, 129; - a matchless treasure, 197 - - Morien, 53 - - Morning Star, 36 - - - New Birth, 11, 12 - - Norton, Thomas, 130 - - - Obereit, John Hermann, 219 - - One Thing Needful--The exaltation of the cognising faculty, 15 - - Orizon Æternitatis, mystical term of Paracelsus, 36 - - - Palingenesis, 92 - - Philalethes, Eirenæus, 187; - on the Aqua Philosophorum, 22 - - Picus de Mirandola, 136 - - Psychic Chemistry--A Scheme of Absolute Reconstruction, 36; - accomplished by the Divine Power in the Soul, 22; - general observations on spiritual alchemistry, 32-37 - - - Regnauld, Brother, 63 - - Rhasis, 46 - - Richthausen, his transmutations with stolen powder, 183 - - Ripley, George, 134; - his description of the Stone, 41; - supposed to have initiated Thomas Norton, 130 - - Romance of the Rose, 90 - - Rose Nobles, 82, 84, 86 - - Rosicrucians--Had other alchemical objects than metallic - transmutations, 36; - the associates defended by Michael Maier, 160; - initiation offered by the Rosicrucians to Sendivogius, 179 - - - Sendivogius, Michael, 175; - “The New Light of Alchemy” falsely ascribed to this neophyte, 21, 31 - - Separation an alchemical process, 12, 17 - - Sethon, Alexander, 171 - - Son of the Sun, 37 - - Sophistication of metals, 62 - - Starkey, George, 165, 195, 197, &c. - - Stone of the Philosophers--Said to be a symbol of immortality, 13; - analogous in its nature to the state of primeval man, 31; - Transmutation accomplished by its means, 38; - in appearance a subtle, brown, and opaque earth, 132; - dark, disesteemed, and grey in colour, 165; - the seed out of which gold and silver are generated, 201 - - Subject of Alchemy--According to Hitchcock, 13; - according to George Starkey, 24 - - Suggestive inquiry concerning the Hermetic Mystery, 9, 14, 17, 24, 30, - 34 - - Sulphur (Sophic)--Said to symbolise Nature, 11; - sophic sulphur and the conscience, 12; - difficulties in its discovery, 39; - described by Avicenna, 52 - - - Transmutation--Doubts as to the significance of the term, 9; - identified with spiritual conversion, 13; - the physical theory of Transmutation, 38, &c.; - possibility of the fact, 33 - - Transmutations performed by adepts and their emissaries, 84, 94, 106, - 118, 133, 136, 148, 156, 167, 168, 177, 178, 181, 183, 184, 185, - 196, 201-208, 212-216, 217, 218 - - Trévisan, Bernard, 124; - honoured by Philalethes, 194 - - Tschoudy, Baron, 39 - - Typology--Possibility of an infinite variety of interpretations of any - sequence of typology, 29 - - - Urbigerus--His alchemical aphorisms, 40 - - - Vase of the Philosophers--Identified with man, 14; - its true nature unexplained by adepts, 41; - described by Geber, 46 - - Vaughan, Thomas, 187 - - - Wisdom Faculty, 15 - - Wood of Life, 152 - - - Zachaire, Denis, 140 - - -_Turnbull & Spears, Printers, Edinburgh._ - - - - -PUBLISHED BY MR GEORGE REDWAY. - - -_With Illustrations. Crown 8vo. Historico-Symbolical Binding. 454 pp, -price 7s. 6d._ - - =THE REAL HISTORY OF THE ROSICRUCIANS.= Founded on their own - Manifestoes, and on Facts and Documents collected from the Writings of - Initiated Brethren. By ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE. - - “We desire to speak of Mr Waite’s work with the greatest respect on - the points of honesty, impartiality, and sound scholarship. Mr Waite - has given, for the first time, the documents with which Rosicrucianism - has been connected _in extenso_.”--_Literary World._ - - “There is something mysterious and fascinating about the history of - the Virgin Fraternity of the Rose.”--_Saturday Review._ - - “A curious and interesting story of the doings of a mysterious - association in times when people were more ready to believe in - supernatural phenomena than the highly-educated, matter-of-fact people - of to-day.”--_Morning Post._ - - -_Crown 8vo, cloth, with Frontispiece, price 7s. 6d. Third Edition, -revised and enlarged._ - - =MAGIC, WHITE AND BLACK; or, The Science of= Finite and Infinite - Life, containing Practical Hints for Students of Occultism. By FRANZ - HARTMANN, M.D. - - “Dr Hartmann’s ‘Magic,’ as compared with ‘Light on the Path,’ is a - bulky tome; and in its closely-printed pages students of occultism - will find hints, ‘practical’ and otherwise, likely to be of great - service to them in the pursuit of their studies and researches. It was - not the author’s ‘object, in composing this book, to write merely a - code of Ethics, and thereby to increase the already existing enormous - mountain of unread moral precepts, but to assist the student of - occultism in studying the elements of which his own soul is composed, - and to learn to know his own physical organism. I want to give an - impulse to the study of a science which may be called the “anatomy and - physiology of the Soul,” which investigates the elements of which the - soul is composed, and the source from which man’s desires and emotions - spring.’ Dr Hartmann’s compendium is ‘an attempt to show the way how - man may become a co-operator of the Divine Power, whose product is - Nature,’ and his pages, as described by himself, ‘constitute a book - which may properly have the title of “Magic,” for if the readers - succeed in practically following its teaching, they will be able to - perform the greatest of all magical feats, the spiritual regeneration - of Man.’ Dr Hartmann’s book has also gone into a third edition, and - has developed from an insignificant pamphlet, ‘written originally for - the purpose of demonstrating to a few inexperienced inquirers that the - study of the occult side of nature was not identical with the vile - practices of sorcery,’ into a compendious volume, comprising, we are - willing to believe, the entire philosophic system of occultism. There - are abundant evidences that the science of theosophy has made vast - strides in public estimation of late years, and that those desirous - of experimenting in this particular and in many respects fascinating, - branch of ethics, have leaders whose teaching they can follow with - satisfaction to themselves.”--_Saturday Review._ - - -_Crown 8vo, Cloth, price 7s. 6d._ - - =POSTHUMOUS HUMANITY; A Study of Phantoms.= By ADOLPHE D’ASSIER, - Member of the Bordeaux Academy of Sciences. Translated and Annotated - by HENRY S. OLCOTT, President of the Theosophical Society. To which - is added an Appendix shewing the Popular Beliefs current in India - respecting the Post-mortem Vicissitudes of the Human Entity. - - _Truth_ says--“If you care for ghost stories, duly accredited, - excellently told, and scientifically explained, you should read the - translation by Colonel Olcott of M. Adolphe d’Assier’s ‘Posthumous - Humanity,’ a study of phantoms. There is no dogmatism so dogged and - offensive as that of the professed sceptic--of the scientific sceptic - especially--who _ex vi termini_ ought to keep the doors of his mind - hospitably open; and it is refreshing, therefore, to find such - scientists as Wallace, Crookes, and M. d’Assier, who is a Positivist, - in the ranks of the Psychical Research host. For my own part, though - I have attended the séance of a celebrated London medium, and there - convinced myself beyond all doubt of his imposture, I no more think - that the detection of a medium fraud disposes of the whole question - of ghosts, &c., than that the detection of an atheist priest disposes - of the whole question of Christianity. Whatever view you take of this - controversy, however, I can promise you that you will find the book - interesting at least if not convincing.” - - -_Pott 8vo, Cloth, Limp, price 1s. 6d._ - - =LIGHT ON THE PATH. A Treatise written for the= Personal Use of those - who are ignorant of the Eastern Wisdom, and who desire to enter within - its influence. Written down by M. C., Fellow of the Theosophical - Society. New Edition, with Notes, by the Author. - - “So far as we can gather from the mystic language in which it is - couched, ‘Light on the Path’ is intended to guide the footsteps of - those who have discarded the forms of religion while retaining the - moral principle to its fullest extent. It is in harmony with much - that was said by Socrates and Plato, although the author does not use - the phraseology of those philosophers, but rather the language of - Buddhism, easily understood by esoteric Buddhists, but difficult to - grasp by those without the pale. ‘Light on the Path’ may, we think, - be said to be the only attempt in this language and in this century - to put practical occultism into words; and it may be added, by way of - further explanation, that the character of Gautama Buddha, as shown in - Sir Edwin Arnold’s ‘Light of Asia,’ is the perfect type of the being - who has reached the threshold of Divinity by this road. That it has - reached a third edition speaks favourably for this _multum in parvo_ - of the science of occultism; and ‘M. C.’ may be expected to gather - fresh laurels in future.”--_Saturday Review._ - - -_Crown 8vo, cloth, price 6s._ - -_A BIOGRAPHICAL ROMANCE._ - - =A PROFESSOR OF ALCHEMY (Denis Zachaire).= By PERCY ROSS, Author of “A - Comedy without Laughter” and “A Misguidit Lassie.” - - “A clever story.... The hero is an alchemist who actually succeeds in - manufacturing pure gold.”--_Court Journal._ - - “Shadowy and dream-like.”--_Athenæum._ - - “An interesting and pathetic picture.”--_Literary World._ - - “The story is utterly tragical, and is powerfully told.”--_Westminster - Review._ - - “A vivid picture of those bad old times.”--_Knowledge._ - - “Sure of a special circle of readers with congenial - tastes.”--_Graphic._ - - “This is a story of love--of deep, undying, refining love--not without - suggestions of Faust. The figure of Berengaria, his wife, is a noble - and touching one, and her purity and sweetness stand out in beautiful - relief from the gloom of the alchemist’s laboratory and the horrors - of the terrible Inquisition into whose hands she falls. The romance - of the crucible, however, is not all permeated by sulphurous vapours - and tinged with tartarean smoke. There is often a highly dramatic - element.”--_Glasgow Herald._ - - -_Demy 8vo, bevelled cloth, gilt, price 10s. 6d._ - - =THE MYSTERIES OF MAGIC: A Digest of the= Writings of Eliphas Lévi. - With Biographical and Critical Essay, by ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE. - - _The Morning Post_ says:--“Of the many remarkable men who have gained - notoriety by their proficiency, real or imaginary, in the Black Arts, - probably none presents a more strange and irreconcilable character - than the French magician, Alphonse Louis Constant. Better known under - the Jewish pseudonym of Eliphas Lévi Zahed, this enthusiastic student - of forbidden art made some stir in France, and even in London, and was - frequently consulted by those who were inclined to place some credit - in his reputation as a magician. His works on magic are those of an - undoubted genius, and divulge a philosophy beautiful in conception if - totally opposed to common sense principles. There is so great a fund - of learning and of attractive reasoning in these writings that Mr - Arthur Waite has published a digest of them for the benefit of English - readers. This gentleman has not attempted a literal translation in - every case, but has arranged a volume which, while reproducing with - sufficient accuracy a great portion of the more interesting works, - affords an excellent idea of the scope of entire literary remains of - an enthusiast for whom he entertains a profound admiration. - - “With regard to the contents of the present volume, there is nothing - in it very suggestive of sulphur. No apprehension need be felt if - the book be left about the house that the adventurous members of the - family circle will commence incantations in mystic robes with the - aid of Abracadabra, the Pentagram and incense. In fact, Eliphas over - and over again sets his face against amateur attempts at magical - practices. The reader may, however, with profit peruse carefully - the learned dissertations penned by M. Constant upon the Hermetic - art treated as a religion, a philosophy, and a natural science. As - a religion, Eliphas holds it to be that of the ancient Magi and the - initiates of all ages; as a philosophy its principles are traced - in the Alexandrian school, and in the theories of Pythagoras; as a - science, he indicates the methods to be ascertained from Paracelsus, - Nicholas Flamel, and Raymond Lully. In view of the remarkable - exhibitions of mesmeric influence and thought-reading which have - recently been given, it is not improbable that the thoughtful reader - may find a clue in the writings of this cultured and amiable magician - to the secret of many of the manifestations of witchcraft that - formerly struck wonder and terror into the hearts of simple folks - eager to behold and ready to believe in supernatural powers.” - - -_Fcap. 8vo, cloth, price, including the pack of cards 78 in number, 5s._ - - =FORTUNE-TELLING CARDS.--THE TAROT; Its= Occult Signification, Use in - Fortune-Telling, and Method of Play, &c. By S. L. MACGREGOR MATHERS. - - “The designs of the twenty-one trump cards are extremely singular; in - order to give some idea of the manner in which Mr Mather uses them in - fortune-telling it is necessary to mention them in detail, together - with the general signification which he attaches to each of them. The - would-be cartomancer may then draw his own particular conclusions, - and he will find considerable latitude for framing them in accordance - with his predilections. It should further be mentioned that each of - the cards when reversed conveys a meaning the contrary of its primary - signification. No. 1 is the Bateleur or Juggler, called also Pagad; - the latter designation is adduced by Count de Gebelin in proof of - the Oriental origin of Tarots, it being derived from PAG, chief or - master, and GAD, fortune. The Juggler symbolizes Will. 2. The High - Priestess, or female Pope, represents Science, Wisdom, or Knowledge. - 3. The Empress, is the symbol of Action or Initiative. 4. The Emperor, - represents Realization or Development. 5. The Hierophant or Pope is - the Symbol of Mercy and Beneficence. 6. The Lovers, signify Wise - Disposition and Trials surmounted. 7. The Chariot, represents Triumph, - Victory over Obstacles. 8. Themis or Justice, symbolizes Equilibrium - and Justice. 9. The Hermit, denotes Prudence. 10. The Wheel of - Fortune, represents Fortune, good or bad. 11. Fortitude, symbolizes - Power or Might. 12. The Hanged Man--a man suspended head downwards - by one leg--means Devotion, Self-Sacrifice. 13. Death, signifies - Transformation or Change. 14. Temperance, typifies Combination. 15. - The Devil, is the image of Fate or Fatality. 16. The Lightning-struck - Tower, called also Maison-Dieu, shows Ruin, Disruption. 17. The Star, - is the Emblem of Hope. 18. The Moon, symbolises Twilight, Deception, - and Error. 19. The Sun, signifies Earthly Happiness. 20. The Last - Judgment, means Renewal, Determination of a matter. 21. The Universe, - represents Completion and Reward. 0. The Foolish Man, signifies - Expiation or Wavering. Separate meanings, with their respective - converses, are also attached to each of the other cards in the pack, - so that when they have been dealt out and arranged in any of the - combinations recommended by the author for purposes of divination, the - inquirer has only to use this little volume as a dictionary in order - to read his fate.”--_Saturday Review._ - - -GEORGE REDWAY, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes: - -Minor errors and omissions in punctuation have been fixed. - -Inconsistent hyphenations have been maintained from the text. - -Inconsistencies and errors in spelling have been maintained from - the text. - -Please note that small caps have been transformed into ALL CAPS - in this text. - -Page 288: “Guinaldi (J.)--Dell’ Alchimia Opera. 4to. Palermo, - 1645.” placed in alphabetical order. - -Corrections related in the Preface by specific page and line refer to -the following corrections in the chapter on Eirenæus Philalethes: - -“secrets in the year 1643” was intended to read “secrets in the year -1645”. - -“asserted to read _trigesimo anno_” was intended to read “asserted to -read _anno trigesimo tertio_”. - -“instead of _vigesimo anno_” was intended to read “instead of _anno -vigesimo tertio_”. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIVES OF ALCHEMYSTICAL -PHILOSOPHERS *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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- text-indent: 0em;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -.allsmcap {font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;} - -.big {font-size: 1.2em;} - -.small {font-size: 0.8em;} - -.vsmall {font-size: 0.7em;} - -.vbig {font-size: 1.6em;} - -abbr[title] {text-decoration: none;} - -.title-page -{ - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -/* Images */ - -img { - max-width: 100%; - height: auto; -} - -/* Poetry */ -.poetry-container {text-align: center;} -.poetry {text-align: left; margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%;} -.poetry {display: inline-block;} -.poetry .stanza {margin: 1em auto;} -.poetry .verse {text-indent: -3em; padding-left: 3em;} -@media print { .poetry {display: block;} } -.x-ebookmaker .poetry { -margin-left: 2em; -display: block;} - -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes {border: 1px dashed; margin-top: 1em;} - -.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} - -.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - - /* ]]> */ </style> -</head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Lives of alchemystical philosophers, by Arthur Edward Waite</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Lives of alchemystical philosophers</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Arthur Edward Waite</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: August 5, 2022 [eBook #68687]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: deaurider, Amber Black and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIVES OF ALCHEMYSTICAL PHILOSOPHERS ***</div> - - - -<h1>LIVES OF ALCHEMYSTICAL PHILOSOPHERS.</h1> - - - -<hr class="r65" /> -<div class="title-page"> -<p class="center vbig">LIVES</p> -<p class="center vsmall">OF</p> -<p class="center vbig"><span class="smcap">Alchemystical Philosophers</span></p> - -<p class="center p4 small"><i>BASED ON MATERIALS COLLECTED IN 1815</i></p> -<p class="center small"><i>AND</i></p> -<p class="center small"><i>SUPPLEMENTED BY RECENT RESEARCHES</i></p> - -<p class="center p4 small">WITH A PHILOSOPHICAL DEMONSTRATION OF THE TRUE<br /> -PRINCIPLES OF THE MAGNUM OPUS, OR GREAT WORK<br /> -OF ALCHEMICAL RE-CONSTRUCTION, AND SOME<br /> -ACCOUNT OF THE SPIRITUAL CHEMISTRY</p> - -<p class="center p4 small">BY</p> -<p class="center">ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE</p> - -<p class="center vsmall">AUTHOR OF<br /> -“THE REAL HISTORY OF THE ROSICRUCIANS;” “THE MYSTERIES OF MAGIC:<br /> -A DIGEST OF THE WRITINGS OF ÉLIPHAS LÉVI,” ETC.</p> - -<p class="p2 center small">TO WHICH IS ADDED</p> -<p class="center"><i>A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ALCHEMY AND</i><br /> -<i>HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY</i></p> - -<p class="center p6">LONDON<br /> -GEORGE REDWAY, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN<br /> -1888</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PREFACE">PREFACE.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The foundation of this work will be found in “The Lives of -Alchemystical Philosophers; with a Critical Catalogue of Books in -Occult Chemistry, and a Selection of the most celebrated Treatises on -the Theory and Practice of the Hermetic Art,” which was published in -the year 1815 by Lackington, Allen, & Company, of Finsbury Square, -London. This anonymous book has been attributed by certain collectors -to Francis Barrett, author of the notorious treatise entitled “The -Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer;” but it may be safely affirmed -that, alike in matter and treatment, it far transcends the extremely -meagre capacities of that credulous amateur in occultism. It is indeed -a work of much sense and unpretentious discrimination, and is now a -bibliographical rarity which is highly prized by its possessors.</p> - -<p>The independent researches which have supplemented the biographical -materials of the original compilation have produced in the present -volume what is practically a new work under an old title; those lives -which have been left substantially untouched as to facts have been more -or less rewritten with a view to the compression of prolixities and the -elimination of archaic forms, which would be incongruous in a work so -extensively modified by the addition of new details. The “Alphabetical -Catalogue of Works<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</span> on Hermetic Philosophy” has been considerably -enlarged from such sources as Langlet du Fresnoy’s <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Histoire de la -Philosophie Hermétique</i>. The preliminary account of the “Physical -Theory and Practice of the Magnum Opus” is a slight original sketch -which, to readers unacquainted with alchemy, will afford some notion -of the processes of accredited adepts. The introductory essay on the -object of alchemical philosophy advocates new and important views -concerning the great question of psychal chemistry, and appreciates -at their true worth the conflicting theories advanced by the various -schools of Hermetic interpretation.</p> - - -<p class="center">IMPORTANT NOTE.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>I am forced to append to this Preface a correction of one or two -errors of absolutely vital importance, which were unfortunately -overlooked in the text. On page 188, line 18, the date was intended -to read 1643; on page 189, line 5, read <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">anno trigesimo tertio</i> -for <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">trigesimo anno</i>; and on line 6, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">anno vigesimo tertio</i> -instead of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">vigesimo anno</i>. But if these emendations restore -the passage to its original integrity, a discovery which I have made -while this work was passing through the press has entirely cancelled -its value. I have been gratified with a sight of the original edition -of Philalethes’ <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Introitus Apertus</i>—a small octavo pamphlet -in the original paper cover as it was published at Amsterdam in the -year 1667. It definitely establishes that its mysterious author was -born in or about the year 1623, or two years later than the Welsh -adept, Thomas Vaughan, with whom he has so long been identified. -This original edition is excessively scarce; I believe I am the -only English mystic who has seen it during the present generation. -The reader must please understand that the calculation in the pages -referred to was based on the date 1643; this date, in the light of the -original edition, has proved erroneous, and by a curious chance, that -which was accidentally printed, turns out to be correct at the expense -of the calculation.</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ANALYSIS_OF_CONTENTS">ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS.</h2> -</div> - -<table class="autotable"> -<tr> -<td></td> -<td class="tdr"><span class="small">PAGE</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Preface</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Introductory Essay on the True Principles and Nature of the Magnum Opus, and on its Relation to Spiritual Chemistry</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">On the Physical Theory and Practice of the Magnum - Opus</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_38">38</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="r50" /> - -<p class="center">LIVES OF THE ALCHEMISTS.</p> - -<table class="autotable"> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Geber</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#GEBER">44</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Rhasis</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#RHASIS">46</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Alfarabi</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ALFARABI">48</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Avicenna</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#AVICENNA">51</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Morien</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#MORIEN">53</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Albertus Magnus</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ALBERTUS_MAGNUS">57</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Thomas Aquinas</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#THOMAS_AQUINAS">61</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Roger Bacon</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ROGER_BACON">63</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Alain of Lisle</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ALAIN_OF_LISLE">67</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Raymond Lully</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#RAYMOND_LULLY">68</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Arnold de Villanova</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ARNOLD_DE_VILLANOVA">88</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Jean de Meung</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#JEAN_DE_MEUNG">90</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">The Monk Ferarius</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_MONK_FERARIUS">92</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Pope John XXII.</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#POPE_JOHN_XXII">93</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Nicholas Flamel</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#NICHOLAS_FLAMEL">95</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Peter Bono</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#PETER_BONO">118</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Johannes de Rupecissa</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#JOHANNES_DE_RUPECISSA">119</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Basil Valentine</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#BASIL_VALENTINE">120</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Isaac of Holland</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ISAAC_OF_HOLLAND">123</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Bernard Trévisan</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#BERNARD_TREVISAN">124</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">John Fontaine</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#JOHN_FONTAINE">129</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Thomas Norton</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#THOMAS_NORTON">130</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Thomas Dalton</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#THOMAS_DALTON">133</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Sir George Ripley</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#SIR_GEORGE_RIPLEY">134</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Picus de Mirandola</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#PICUS_DE_MIRANDOLA">136</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Paracelsus</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#PARACELSUS">137</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Denis Zachaire</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#DENIS_ZACHAIRE">140</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Berigard of Pisa</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#BERIGARD_OF_PISA">148</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Thomas Charnock</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHARNOCK">148</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Giovanni Braccesco</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#GIOVANNI_BRACCESCO">151</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Leonardi Fioravanti</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#LEONARDI_FIORAVANTI">153</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">John Dee</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#JOHN_DEE">153</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Henry Khunrath</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#HENRY_KHUNRATH">159</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Michael Maier</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#MICHAEL_MAIER">160</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Jacob Böhme</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#JACOB_BOHME">161</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">J. B. van Helmont</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#J_B_VAN_HELMONT">166</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Butler</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#BUTLER">168</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Jean D’Espagnet</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#JEAN_DESPAGNET">170</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Alexander Sethon</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ALEXANDER_SETHON">171</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Michael Sendivogius</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#MICHAEL_SENDIVOGIUS">175</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Gustenhover</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#GUSTENHOVER">181</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Busardier</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#BUSARDIER">182</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Anonymous Adept</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ANONYMOUS_ADEPT">184</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Albert Belin</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ALBERT_BELIN">186</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Eirenæus Philalethes</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#EIREN_US_PHILALETHES">187</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Pierre Jean Fabre</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#PIERRE_JEAN_FABRE">200</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">John Frederick Helvetius</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#HELVETIUS">201</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Guiseppe Francesco Borri</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#GUISEPPE_FRANCESCO_BORRI">208</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">John Heydon</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#JOHN_HEYDON">210</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Lascaris</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#LASCARIS">211</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Delisle</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#DELISLE">216</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">John Hermann Obereit</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#JOHN_HERMANN_OBEREIT">219</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Travels, Adventures, and Imprisonments of Joseph Balsamo</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#JOSEPH_BALSAMO">220</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="r50" /> - -<table class="autotable"> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">An Alphabetical Catalogue of Works on Hermetic Philosophy and Alchemy</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CATALOGUE_OF_WORKS">274</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Appendix</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#APPENDIX">307</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><span class="smcap">Index</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#INDEX">313</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</span> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="INTRODUCTORY_ESSAY">INTRODUCTORY ESSAY</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">ON THE TRUE PRINCIPLES AND NATURE OF THE MAGNUM OPUS, AND ON ITS -RELATION TO SPIRITUAL CHEMISTRY.</p> - - -<p>Those unfamiliar with modern alchemical criticism, even if they -have some acquaintance with the mystical labyrinth of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">turba -philosophorum</i>, will probably learn with astonishment that the -opinions of competent judges are divided not only upon the methods of -the mysterious Hermetic science, but upon the object of alchemy itself. -That it is concerned with transmutation is granted, but with the -transmutation of metals, or of any physical substance, into material -gold, is strenuously denied by a select section of reputable students -of occultism. The transcendental theory of alchemy which they expound -is steadily gaining favour, though the two text-books which at present -represent it are both out of print and both exceedingly scarce.</p> - -<p>In the year 1850 “A Suggestive Inquiry concerning the Hermetic Mystery -and Alchemy, being an attempt to recover the Ancient Experiment -of Nature,” was published anonymously in London by a lady of high -intellectual gifts, but was almost immediately withdrawn for reasons -unknown, and which have given occasion, in consequence, to several idle -speculations. This curious and meritorious volume, quaintly written -in the manner of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</span> last century, originated the views which are in -question and opened the controversy.</p> - -<p>Fifteen years after the appearance of the “Suggestive Inquiry,” -an American writer, named Hitchcock, after apparently independent -researches arriving at parallel conclusions, made public, also -anonymously, in the year 1865, some “Remarks on Alchemy and the -Alchemists,” in a small octavo volume of very considerable interest. -A psychic interpretation was placed by the previous author on the -arcana of Hermetic typology, and <abbr title="mister">Mr</abbr> Hitchcock, by adopting a moral -one, brought the general subject within the reach of the most ordinary -readers, and attracted considerable attention in consequence.</p> - -<p>The views thus enunciated have filtered slowly through, and, combined -with the Paracelsian theory of the psychic manufacture of material -gold by the instrumentality of the interior magnes, have considerably -influenced the revived occultism of the present day. The question in -itself, taken at its lowest standpoint, is one of the most curious -to be found within the whole circle of esoteric archæology; and -for students whose interest in the great alchemical mystery is of -another than antiquarian kind, it is truly of palmary interest, -and of supreme importance. In an account of the lives and labours -of the Hermetic adepts, it calls for adequate consideration; and, -after careful researches, I believe myself to have discovered a true -alchemical theory which will be equally acceptable to all schools of -interpretation.</p> - -<p>The supreme and avowed object of every hierophant, as well as of every -postulant and pretender, in the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">ars magna</i> discovered by Hermes -Trismegistus, has been commonly supposed to be the chemical manufacture -of material gold from commercially inferior substances. On the other -hand, Hitchcock, marshalling an impressive series of verbatim<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</span> -citations from writers of all ages and all nationalities, undertakes -to demonstrate that the concealed subject of every veritable adept is -one only—namely, <span class="smcap">Man</span>, the triune, and that “the object also is one, -to wit, his improvement, while the method itself is no less one, to -wit, nature directed by art in the school of nature, and acting in -conformity therewith; for the art is nothing but ‘nature acting through -man.’” Again, “the genuine alchemists were not in pursuit of worldly -wealth or honours. Their real object was the perfection, or, at least, -the improvement of man. According to this theory, such perfection lies -in a certain unity, a living sense of the unity of the human with the -divine nature, the attainment of which I can liken to nothing so well -as to the experience known in religion as the <span class="smcap">New Birth</span>. The -desired perfection, or unity, is a state of the soul, <em>a condition of -Being</em>, and not a mere condition of <span class="smcap">Knowing</span>. This condition -of Being is a development of the nature of man from within, the result -of a process by which whatever is evil in our nature is cast out or -suppressed, under the name of superfluities, and the good thereby -allowed opportunities for free activity. As this result is scarcely -accessible to the unassisted natural man, and requires the concurrence -of divine power, it is called <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Donum Dei</i>.”</p> - -<p>When the individual man, by a natural and appropriate process, devoid -of haste or violence, is brought into unity with himself by the -harmonious action of intelligence and will, he is on the threshold of -comprehending that transcendent Unity which is the perfection of the -totality of Nature, “for what is called the ‘absolute,’ the ‘absolute -perfection,’ and the perfection of Nature, are one and the same.”</p> - -<p>In the symbolism of the alchemists this writer tells us that -<i>sulphur</i> signifies Nature, and <i>mercury</i> the supernatural. -The inseparable connection of the two in man is called <i>Sol</i>,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</span> but -“as these three are seen to be indissolubly one, the terms may be used -interchangeably.” According to Hitchcock, the mystical and mysterious -instrument of preparation in the work of alchemy is the conscience, -which is called by a thousand misleading and confessedly incongruous -names. By means of this instrument, quickened into vital activity -under a sense of the presence of God, the matter of the stone, namely, -Man, is, in the first place, purged and purified, to make possible -the internal realisation of Truth. “By a metonymy, the conscience -itself is said to be purified, though, in fact, the conscience needs -no purification, but only the man, to the end that the conscience may -operate freely.”<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></p> - -<p>One of the names given by the alchemists to the conscience, on this -theory, is that of a middle substance which partakes of an azurine -sulphur—that is, of a celestial spirit—the Spirit of God. “The still -small voice is in alchemy, as in Scripture, compared to a <i>fire</i>, -which prepares the way for what many of the writers speak of as a -<i>Light</i>.”</p> - -<p>Hitchcock elsewhere more emphatically asserts that there is but one -subject within the wide circle of human interests that can furnish an -interpretation of the citations which he gives, and it is that which -is known under the theological name of spiritual Regeneration. This -gift of God the alchemists investigated as a work of Nature within -Nature. “The repentance which in religion is said to begin conversion, -is the ‘philosophical contrition’ of Hermetic allegory. It is the -first step of man towards the discovery of his whole being. They also -called it the black state of the matter, in which was carried on the -work of dissolution, calcination, separation, &c., after which results -purification, the white state, which contains the red, as the black -contained the white.” The evolution of the glorious and radiant red -state resulted in the fixation or perfection of the matter, and then -the soul was supposed to have entered into its true rest in God.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</span></p> - -<p>As this interpretation is concerned chiefly with the conscience, I -have called it the moral theory of alchemy; but Hitchcock, as a man -of spiritual insight, could not fail to perceive that his explanatory -method treated of the way only, and the formless light of an “End,” -which he could not or would not treat of, is, upon his own admission, -continually glimmering before him.</p> - -<p>For the rest, when the alchemists speak of a long life as one of the -endowments of the Stone, he considers that they mean immortality; when -they attribute to it the miraculous properties of a universal medicine, -it is their intention to deny any positive qualities to evil, and, by -inference, any perpetuity. When they assert that the possession of the -Stone is the annihilation of covetousness and of every illicit desire, -they mean that all evil affections disappear before the light of the -unveiled Truth. By the transmutation of metals they signified the -conversion of man from a lower to a higher order of existence, from -life natural to life spiritual, albeit these expressions are inadequate -to convey the real meaning of the adepts. The powers of an ever active -nature must be understood by such expressions as “fires,” “menstruums,” -&c., which work in unison because they work in Nature, the alchemists -unanimously denying the existence of any disorder in the creation of -God.</p> - -<p>In conclusion, Hitchcock states once more that his object is to point -out the <em>subject</em> of alchemy. He does not attempt to make its -practical treatment plain to the <em>end</em> of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</span> the sublime operation. -It is, therefore, evident that he, at any rate, suspected the existence -of more transcendent secrets which he distrusted his ability to -discuss, and declined to speak of inadequately.</p> - -<p>The author of the “Suggestive Inquiry” had already taken the higher -standpoint of psychic interpretation, and developed her remarkable -principles, which I must endeavour to reproduce as briefly as possible.</p> - -<p>According to this work, the modern art of chemistry has no connection -with alchemy except in its terminology, which was made use of by -the adepts to veil their divine mysteries. The process of the whole -Hermetic work is described with at least comparative plainness in the -writings of the philosophers, with the exception of the <em>vessel</em> -which is a holy arcanum, but without the knowledge of it no one can -attain to the magistery. Now, the publication of the writings of Jacob -Böhme caused the alchemists who were his contemporaries to fear that -their art could not much longer remain a secret, and that the mystic -vase in particular would be shortly revealed to all. This vase is the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">vas insigne electionis</i>, namely, <span class="smcap">Man</span>, who is the only -all-containing subject, and who alone has need to be investigated for -the eventual discovery of all. The modern adepts describe the life of -man as a pure, naked, and unmingled fire of illimitable capability. -Man, therefore, is the true laboratory of the Hermetic art; his life -is the subject, the grand distillery, the thing distilling, and the -thing distilled; and self-knowledge is at the root of all alchemical -tradition.</p> - -<p>“Modern discoveries are now tending to the identification of light, -the common vital sustenant, as in motive accord throughout the -human circulatory system with the planetary spheres, and harmonious -dispositions of the occult medium in space; and as human physiology -advances with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</span> the other sciences, the notion of our natural -correspondency enlarges, till at length the conscious relationship -would seem to be only wanting to confirm the ancient tradition.”</p> - -<p>In addition to the faculties which he commonly exerts to communicate -with the material universe, man possesses within him the germ of a -higher faculty, the revelation and evolution of which give intuitive -knowledge of the hidden springs of nature. This Wisdom-faculty operates -in a magical manner, and constitutes an alliance with the Omniscient -Nature, so that the illuminated understanding of its possessor -perceives the structure of the universe, and enjoys free perspicacity -of thought in universal consciousness.</p> - -<p>In support of this statement it is argued that the evidence of natural -reason, even in the affairs of common life, is intuition, that -intuitive faith has a certainty above and independent of reason, that -the subsistence of universals in the human mind includes a promise far -beyond itself, and is stable proof of another subsistence, however -consciously unknown.</p> - -<p>The true methods and conditions of self-knowledge are to be learned -from the ancient writers. The discovery of the veritable Light of -alchemy is the reward of an adequate scrutiny of true psychical -experience. Alchemy proposes “such a reducation of nature as shall -discover this latex without destroying her vehicle, but only the modal -life; and professes that this has not alone been proved possible, but -that man by rationally conditionating has succeeded in developing into -action the Recreative Force.”</p> - -<p>The One Thing needful, the sole act which must be perfectly -accomplished that man may know himself, is the exaltation, by the -adequately purified spirit, of the cognising faculty into intellectual -reminiscence. The transcendental<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</span> philosophy of the mysteries entirely -hinges on the purification of the whole understanding, without which -they promise nothing.</p> - -<p>The end in view is identical with Hermetists, Theurgists, and with -the ancient Greek mysteries alike. It is the conscious and hypostatic -union of the intellectual soul with Deity, and its participation in the -life of God; but the conception included in this divine name is one -infinitely transcendental, and in Hermetic operations, above all, it -must ever be remembered that God is within us. “The initiated person -sees the Divine Light itself, without any form or figure—that light -which is the true <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">astrum solis</i>, the mineral spiritual sun, which -is the Perpetual Motion of the Wise, and that Saturnian Salt, which -developed to intellect and made erect, subdues all nature to His will. -It is the Midnight Sun of Apuleius, the Ignited Stone of Anaxagoras, -the Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, the Armed Magnet of Helvetius, the -Fiery Chariot of Mercaba, and the Stone with the new name written on it -which is promised to him that overcometh, by the initiating Saviour of -mankind.”</p> - -<p>This method of interpreting the Hermetic allegories is calculated to -exalt the alchemists indefinitely in the estimation of all thinking -minds. From possibly avaricious investigators of a by-way of physical -science, they are transfigured into dreamers of the sublimest -imaginable dream, while if that which they conceived was accomplished, -they are divine and illuminated monarchs who are throned on the -pinnacles of eternity, having dominion over their infinite souls.</p> - -<p>A theory so attractive, devised in the interests of men whom romance -has already magnified in the auriferous cloud of mystery which -envelopes both their claims and their persons, is eminently liable -to be accepted on insufficient<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</span> grounds, because of its poetical -splendour, so it will be well to ascertain the facts and arguments on -which it is actually based.</p> - -<p>Both Hitchcock and the unparalleled woman to whom we are indebted for -the “Suggestive Inquiry” appeal to alchemical writings in support of -their statements. A few of their quotations and commentaries must -therefore be submitted to the reader.</p> - -<p>The first point which strikes the alchemical student is the unanimous -conviction of all the philosophers that certain initiatory exercises -of a moral and spiritual kind are an indispensable preliminary to -operations which are commonly supposed to be physical. Here the -incongruity is evident, and it is therefore urged that the process -itself is spiritual, and that it was materialised in the writings of -the adepts to confuse and mislead the profane, as well as for the -protection of esoteric psychologists in the days of the Inquisition and -the stake.</p> - -<p>The following preparation for the study of Antimony is recommended by -Basil Valentin. “First, Invocation to God, with a certain heavenly -intention, drawn from the bottom of a sincere heart and conscience, -pure from all ambition, hypocrisy, and all other vices which have any -affinity with these; as arrogance, boldness, pride, luxury, petulancy, -oppression of the poor, and other similar evils, all of which are to -be eradicated from the heart; that when a man desires to prostrate -himself before the throne of grace, for obtaining health, he may do -so with a conscience free from unprofitable weeds, that his body -may be transmuted into a holy temple of God, and be purged from all -uncleanness. For God will not be mocked (of which I would earnestly -admonish all), as worldly men, pleasing and flattering themselves -with their own wisdom, think. God, I say, will not be mocked, but the -Creator of all<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</span> things will be invoked with reverential fear, and -acknowledged with due obedience.... Which is so very true that I am -certainly assured no impious man shall ever be partaker of the true -medicine, much less of the eternal, heavenly bread. Therefore place -your whole intention and trust in God; call upon him, and pray that he -may impart his blessing to you. Let this be the beginning of your work, -that by the same you may obtain your desired end, and at length effect -what you intended. For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”</p> - -<p>The second qualification is contemplation, by which, says Basil, “I -understand an accurate attention to the business itself, under which -will fall these considerations first to be noted. As, what are the -circumstances of anything; what the matter; what the form; whence its -operations proceed; whence it is infused and implanted; how generated -... also how the body of everything may be ... resolved into its -first matter or essence. This contemplation is celestial, and to be -understood with spiritual reason; for the circumstances and depths -of things cannot be conceived in any other way than by the spiritual -cogitation of man: and this contemplation is two-fold. One is called -possible, the other impossible. The latter consists in copious -cogitations which never proceed to effects, nor exhibit any form of -matter which falls under the touch, as if any should endeavour to -comprehend the Eternity of the Most High, which is vain and impossible; -yea, it is a sin against the Holy Ghost, so arrogantly to pry into -the Divinity itself, which is immense, infinite, and eternal; and to -subject the incomprehensible counsel of the secrets of God to human -inquisition. The other part of contemplation which is possible is -called theory. This contemplates that which is perceived by touch and -sight, and hath a nature formed in time; this considers how that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</span> -nature may be helped and perfected by resolution of itself; how every -body may give forth from itself the good or evil, venom or medicine, -latent in it; how destruction and confection are to be handled, -whereby, under a right proceeding, without sophistical deceits, the -pure may be severed and separated from the impure. This separation is -made and instituted by divers manual operations ... some of which are -vulgarly known by experience, others remote from vulgar experience. -These are calcination, sublimation, reverberation, circulation, -putrefaction, digestion, distillation, cohobation, fixation, and -the like of these; all the degrees of which are found in operating, -learned, and perceived, and manifested by the same. Whence will clearly -appear what is movable, what is fixed, what is white, what red, black, -blue, green, namely, when the operation is rightly instituted by the -artificer; for possibly the operation may err, and turn aside from -the right way; but that Nature should err, when rightly handled, -is not possible. Therefore if you shall err, so that nature cannot -be altogether free, and released from the body in which it is held -captive, return again unto your way; learn the theory more perfectly, -and inquire more practically into the method of your operating, that -you may discover the foundation and certainty in the separation of all -things; which is a matter of great concern. And this is the second -foundation of philosophy which follows prayer; for in that the sum -of the matter lies, and is contained in these words:—Seek first the -kingdom of God and his righteousness by prayer, and all other things -shall be added unto you.”</p> - -<p>Perhaps it will be thought, even at this preliminary stage of citation, -that there is much to be said for the physical theory of alchemy. -A particular appeal is, however, made to the celebrated “Canons of -Espagnet,” and to the following<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</span> passage:—“The light of this knowledge -is the gift of God, which by his freeness he bestoweth upon whom he -pleaseth. Let none, therefore, set himself to the study hereof, until, -having cleared and purified his heart, he devote himself wholly unto -God, and be emptied of all affection to things impure. Those that -are in public honours and offices, or be always busied with private -and necessary occupations, let them not strive to attain to the top -of this philosophy; for it requireth the whole man; and being found, -possesseth him, and being possessed, challengeth him from all long and -serious employments, esteeming all other things as strange unto him, -and of no value. Let him that is desirous of this knowledge clear his -mind from all evil motions, especially pride, which is abomination -to heaven, and the gate of hell. Let him be frequent at prayers and -charitable; have little to do with the world; abstain from too much -company-keeping, and enjoy constant tranquillity, that the mind may be -able to reason more freely in private, and be more highly lifted up; -for unless it be kindled with a beam of divine light, it will hardly -be able to penetrate the hidden mysteries of truth.... A studious Tyro -of a quick wit, constant mind, inflamed with the love of philosophy, -very quick in natural philosophy, of a pure heart, perfect in manner, -mightily devoted to God, even though ignorant of chemistry, may enter -with confidence the highway of Nature, and peruse the books of the best -philosophers. Let him seek out an ingenious companion for himself, and -not despair of accomplishing his desire.”</p> - -<p>Here Hitchcock points out that the operation is obviously not chemical, -for the chief instrument is determined and concentrated thinking on -the loftiest intellectual planes. The inference that skill in natural -philosophy is indispensable, is contradicted by the counter-statement -that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</span> ignorance of chemistry is not necessarily a source of failure. -In this connection, it must be remembered that the distinction between -alchemy and chemistry can scarcely be said to have existed at the -period of Espagnet, and the statement would at first sight seem almost -equivalent to asserting that it was unnecessary to be versed in the -properties of metals to accomplish the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>.</p> - -<p>“Let a lover of truth,” continues the author of the Canons, “make use -of but a few philosophers, but of best note and experienced truth; let -him suspect things that are quickly understood, especially in mystical -names and secret operations, for truth lies hid in obscurity; nor do -philosophers ever write more deceitfully than when plainly, nor ever -more truly than when obscurely.”</p> - -<p>In the same manner, “The New Light of Alchemy,” falsely ascribed to -Sendivogius, and which is in high appreciation among Hermetic students, -declares that “the most commendable art of alchemy is the gift of God, -and truly it is not to be attained but by the alone favour of God -enlightening the understanding, together with a patient and devout -humility, or by an ocular demonstration from some experienced master.”</p> - -<p>In <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Anima Magica Abscondita</i>, Eugenius Philalethes gives the -following advice to the student, whether of magic or alchemy:—“Attempt -not anything rashly. Prepare thyself till thou art conformable to Him -whom thou wouldst entertain. Thou hast Three that are to receive, -and there are three that give. Fit thy house to thy God in what thou -canst, and in what thou canst not, He will help thee. When thou hast -set thy house in order, do not think thy guest will come without -invitation. Thou must tyre Him out with pious importunities. This is -the way in which thou must walk, in which thou shalt perceive a sudden -illustration, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">eritque in te cum Lumine Ignis, cum Igne<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</span> Ventus, -cum Vento Potestas, cum Potestate Scientia, cum Scientiâ sanæ mentis -integritas</i>. This is the chain that qualifies a magician. This is -the place (viz., the abode of the Archetype) where if thou canst but -once ascend, and then descend—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container" lang="la" xml:lang="la"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse"><i>Tunc ire ad Mundum Archetypum sæpe atque redire,</i></div> - <div class="verse"><i>Cunctarumque Patrem rerum spectare licebit</i>’—</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class="i0">thou hast got that spirit <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Qui quicquid portentosi Mathematici, -quicquid prodigiosi Magi, quicquid invidentes Naturæ persecutores -Alchymistæ, quicquid Dæmonibus deteriores malefici Necromantes -promittere audent. Ipse novit discernere et efficere idque sine omni -crimine, sine Dei offensâ, sine Religionis injuria.</i> Such is the -power he shall receive, who from the clamorous tumults of this world -ascends to the supernaturall still voice, from this base earth and mind -whereto his body is allyed, to the spirituall, invisible elements of -his Soul.”</p> - -<p>After the same fashion, the still greater Eirenæus Philalethes -declares that God alone communicates the whole secret of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">aqua -philosophorum</i>, that all untaught by Him must wander in mists and -error, but that it is revealed to those who labour in study and prayer.</p> - -<p>Quotation might be continued indefinitely. The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Centrum Naturæ -Concentratum</i>, ascribed to Alipili, and a treatise of some -reputation, declares that “The highest wisdom consists in this, for -man to know himself, because in him God has placed his eternal word, -by which all things were made and upheld, to be his Light and Life, -by which he is capable of knowing all things in time and eternity.... -Therefore let the high inquirers and searchers into the deep mysteries -of nature, learn first what they have in themselves, before they seek -in foreign matters without them; and by the divine power within them, -let them first heal themselves and transmute their own souls; then they -may<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</span> go on prosperously and seek with good success the mysteries and -wonders of God in all natural things.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>These quotations, some of which are unknown to, or, at any rate, -uncited by Hitchcock, do not by any means establish the points which -are debated in his book. If the philosophers from whom they are -selected were in possession of the whole secret of wealth, they saw fit -to conceal it from the profane, and their works, full of practically -insoluble enigmas, are proclamations of the fact of their success, -rather than lights for those who sought to follow in their steps. Under -these circumstances, they saw that in the blind guess-work which their -symbols created of necessity, no student would ever attain to the true -light of alchemy except by pure chance—in other words, by the favour -of Heaven, which, accordingly, they counselled him to supplicate. None -of the passages in question are inconsistent with the physical object -of alchemy, and in the citation from Alipili, it is evident that the -mysteries and wonders referred to include metallic transmutation in the -mind of the writer. The investigator of natural secrets was advised to -take counsel with the Author of natural secrets after the only possible -manner.</p> - -<p>“Whoever attempteth the search of our glorious stone, he ought, -in the first place, to implore the assistance of the all-powerful -Jehova, at the throne of his mercy, who is the true and sole author -of all mysteries of nature; the monarch of heaven and earth, the King -of kings, omnipotent, most true and most wise; who not only maketh -manifest in the microcosm, the truth of every science to worthy -philosophers, and liberally bestoweth both natural and divine knowledge -on the deserving and faithful; but also layeth open his treasures -of wealth and riches which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</span> are locked up in the abyss of nature to -those who devoutly worship him. And forasmuch as none are permitted to -touch the mysteries of nature with foul fingers, therefore it behoveth -all who attempt such matters, to lay aside their natural blindness -from which, by the light of the holy Scripture and a stedfast faith, -they may be freed, that being the means by which the Holy Spirit doth -clearly make manifest the most profoundly hidden light of nature, which -light alone lays open the way to the wisdom of nature, and to unlock -the most abstruse mysteries thereof.”</p> - -<p>Even the subdued imagination which is claimed by the author of -“Remarks on Alchemy and the Alchemists,” is likely to go astray in the -labyrinth of alchemical symbolism, and some of the interpretations -of Hitchcock are exceedingly forced and unnatural. His citations -are indiscriminately gathered from the most transcendental writers, -and from those who, like George Starkey, have exhausted language in -emphatic declarations that their subject and their object are actual -metallic gold.</p> - -<p>“Zoroaster’s Cave, or the philosopher’s intellectual echo to one -another from their caves,” is the title of a small work quoted by -Hitchcock. It opens thus:—“Dry water from the Philosophers’ Clouds! -Look for it and be sure to have it, for it is the key to inaccessibles -and to those locks that would otherwise keep thee out. It is a middle -nature between fixed and not fixed, and partakes of a sulphureous -azurine. It is a raw, cool, feminine fire, and expects its impregnation -from a masculine solar sulphur.” Hitchcock’s interpretation is this:—a -pure conscience! Look for it and be sure that you have it, &c. It is -of a middle nature between soul and body, and partakes of a heavenly -spirit. It expects its life from God.</p> - -<p>It is needless to say that with this method any meaning could be -extracted from any allegorical writings. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</span> author of the “Suggestive -Inquiry” is far more profound and evinces a far keener insight. It -is evident, however, that the truth (or the fallacy) of both methods -of interpretation depends on the connection of the alchemists with -practical chemistry. On this vital question, the uniocular condition of -both writers is utterly astounding.</p> - -<p>“No modern art or chemistry has anything to do with alchemy, beyond the -borrowed terms which were made use of in continuance chiefly to veil -the latter.” That is to say, the alchemists did not lay the foundations -of the science, the beginnings of which are attributed to them, and -in this matter we are not by any means indebted to them. This extreme -statement is qualified by the later commentator, who gives a more -detailed expression to his views.</p> - -<p>“That chemistry is indebted for its introduction among the sciences -indirectly to the alchemists is certainly true; at least I have -no disposition to question it; but not to the immediate labours -of the alchemists themselves, whose peculiar work was one of -contemplation and not of the hands. Their alembic, furnace, cucurbit, -retort, philosophical egg, &c., in which the work of fermentation, -distillation, extraction of essence and spirits, and the preparation of -salts is said to have taken place, was man—yourself, friendly reader; -and if you will take yourself into your own study, and be candid and -honest, acknowledging no other guide or authority but Truth, you -may easily discover something of Hermetic philosophy; and if at the -beginning there should be ‘fear and trembling,’ the end may be a more -than compensating peace.</p> - -<p>“It is a plain case, that, for the most part, the experiments which -led the way to chemistry were made by men who were misled by the -alchemists, and sought gold instead<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</span> of truth; but this class of -men wrote no books upon alchemy. Many of them no doubt died over -their furnaces, ‘<em>uttering no voice</em>,’ and none of them wrote -books upon the philosopher’s stone, for the simple reason that they -never discovered anything to write about. I know that some impostors -purposely wrote of mysteries to play upon the credulity of the -ignorant, but their works have nothing alchemical about them. It is -true also that many books were written by men who really imagined that -they had discovered the secret, and were nevertheless mistaken. But -this imaginary success could never have had place when gold was the -object, because in the <em>bald fact</em> no man was ever deceived: no -man ever believed that he had discovered a method of making gold out of -inferior metals. The thing speaks for itself. It is impossible that any -man can ever be deluded upon this bare fact; but it is quite otherwise -with the real object of alchemy, in which men have been deceived in all -ages ... for the <em>subject</em> is always in the world, and hence the -antiquity claimed for the art by the alchemists.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>This passage is a long series of simply incredible misstatements. The -history of chemistry and the lives of the adepts alike bear witness -against it. My object in publishing this book is to establish the true -nature of the Hermetic experiment by an account of those men who have -undertaken it, and who are shewn by the plain facts of their histories -to have been in search of the transmutation of metals. There is no need -for argument; the facts speak sufficiently. It is not to the blind -followers of the alchemists that we owe the foundation of chemistry; it -is to the adepts themselves, to the illustrious Geber, to that grand -master Basilius Valentinus, to Raymond Lully, the supreme hierophant. -What they discovered will be found<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</span> in the following pages; here it -will be sufficient for my purpose to quote the views of a French -scientist who has made a speciality of alchemy, and who is also a high -authority on the subject of modern chemistry.</p> - -<p>“It is impossible to disown that alchemy has most directly contributed -to the creation and the progress of modern physical sciences. The -alchemists were the first to put the experimental method in practice, -that is, the faculty of observation and induction in its application to -scientific researches; moreover, by uniting a considerable number of -facts and discoveries in the order of the molecular actions of bodies, -they have introduced the creation of chemistry. This fact ... is beyond -every doubt. Before the eighth century, Geber put in practice the rules -of that experimental school, the practical code and general principles -of which were merely developed later on by Galileo and Francis Bacon. -The works of Geber, the ‘Sum of all Perfection,’ and the ‘Treatise -on Furnaces,’ contain an account of processes and operations wholly -conformed to the methods made use of to-day in chemical investigations; -while Roger Bacon, in the thirteenth century, applying the same order -of ideas to the study of physics, was led to discoveries which, for his -time, were astounding. It is impossible, therefore, to contest that -the alchemists were the first to inaugurate the art of experience. -They prepared the arrival of the positive sciences by basing the -interpretation of phenomena on the observation of facts, and openly -breaking with the barren metaphysical traditions which had so long -checked the progress of the human mind.”<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a></p> - -<p>With all their mystery, their subterfuges, and their symbolism, the -testimony of the alchemists themselves to the physical nature of their -object is quite unequivocal and conclusive. One of the most celebrated -experimental<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</span> treatises in the English language is that entitled -“The Marrow of Alchemy.” It professes to discover the secrets and -most hidden mystery of the philosopher’s elixir, both in theory and -practice. It was published by Eirenæus Philoponos Philalethes, that -is George Starkey, and is generally supposed to be the work of the -true Philalethes; at any rate it develops his principles, and derives -its inspiration from the author of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Introitus Apertus.</i> Now, -this little book testifies over and over again, and that in the most -emphatic manner, to the physical object of the alchemists, and to the -fact that they operated on common gold.</p> - -<p>“The first matter which we take for our work is gold, and with it -mercury, which we decoct till neither will forsake the other, in which -work both die, rot by putrefaction, and after that are regenerate in -glory. <em>It is actual gold and nothing else.</em> What does not equal a -metal in weight will never enter it in flux. Nothing but the metalline -will dwell with metals.” A severe criticism is passed on the blind -folly of those who endeavour to reap the secret stone from strange -material subjects. “Gold is the subject of our art alone, since by it -we seek gold.” Those who, like the noble son of art, Morien, advise -students to descend into themselves to find the true matter, only -intended to point out how kind begets kind:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“As then himself his likeness did beget,</div> - <div class="verse">So gold must gold, this law’s to Nature set.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>Morien adds that the secret stone must be sought in the dunghill, which -signifies, says the “Marrow of Alchemy,” that the metal must be brought -to putrefaction. “Those who assert that common gold is not the matter -are in error. Gold is one. No other substance under Heaven can compare -with it. Gold is the noble seed of our art. Yet it is dead. It needs -to be unloosed, and must go to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</span> water. It must be tempered with its -own humidity; it must be blent with our true water, disposed in a due -vessel, closed with all caution, settled in a due nest, and with due -fire inclined to motion.” It becomes the true gold of the philosophers -when by a retrograde motion it tends to resolution. “Then it is our -Sun, our Marchasite, and, joined with our Moon, it becomes our bright -crystal Fountain.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>But if the lives and the writings of the alchemists so clearly -establish the physical nature of the Hermetic aim and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">opus</i>, it -may well be demanded how a psychical or moral interpretation could be -reasonably set upon the symbols and the ambition of all the adepts. -Such interpretations can never be wholly exonerated from the charge -of extravagance, and of a purblind indifference to the most plain -and notorious facts, but they may be to some extent justified by a -consideration of the allegorical methods of the alchemists and by the -nature of the Hermetic theory.</p> - -<p>The profound subtleties of thought seldom find adequate expression -even when the whole strength of a truly intellectual nature is brought -to bear upon the resources of language, and where the force of direct -appeal is unwillingly acknowledged to be insufficient, the vague -generalities of allegory can scarcely be expected to succeed. It is -the province of symbolism to suggest thought, and the interpretation -of any sequence of typology inevitably varies in direct proportion -with the various types of mind. Each individual symbol embodies a -definite conception existing in the mind of its inventor, and in -that symbol more or less perfectly expressed, but every student of -allegory out of every individual symbol extracts his own meaning, so -that the significance of typology is as infinite as the varieties of -interpreting intelligence. For this reason, the best and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</span> truest adepts -have always insisted on the necessity of an initiated teacher, or of a -special intellectual illumination which they term the grace of God, for -the discovery of the actual secret of the Hermetic art. Without this -light or guidance the unelected student is likely to be adrift for ever -on a chaotic sea of symbols, and the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i>, concealed -by innumerable names and contradictory or illusory descriptions, will -for ever escape him. It is in this way that a thousand unassisted -investigators have operated upon ten thousand material substances, -and have never remotely approached the manufacture of the Grand -Magisterium, and, after the same manner, outwearied by perpetual -failures in the physical process, that others have rejected the common -opinion concerning the object of alchemy, and with imaginations at -work upon the loftier aspirations expressed by Hermetic adepts, have -accredited them with an exclusively spiritual aim, and with the -possession of exclusively spiritual secrets.</p> - -<p>If the authors of the “Suggestive Inquiry” and of “Remarks on Alchemy -and the Alchemists” had considered the lives of the symbolists, -as well as the nature of the symbols, their views would have been -very much modified; they would have found that the true method of -Hermetic interpretation lies in a middle course; but the errors which -originated with merely typological investigations were intensified -by a consideration of the great alchemical theorem, which, <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">par -excellence</i>, is one of universal development, which acknowledges -that every substance contains undeveloped resources and potentialities, -and can be brought outward and forward into perfection. They applied -their theory only to the development of metallic substances from a -lower to a higher order, but we see by their writings that the grand -hierophants of Oriental and Western alchemy alike were continually -haunted by brief<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</span> and imperfect glimpses of glorious possibilities for -man, if the evolution of his nature were accomplished along the lines -of their theory.</p> - -<p>Eugenius Philalethes enlarges on the infinite capacity of our spiritual -nature and on the power of our soul’s imagination. “She has an -absolute power in miraculous and more than natural transmutations,” -and he clothes his doctrine of human evolution in the terminology of -alchemical adepts.</p> - -<p>In one of the twelve treatises attributed to Sendivogius, there are the -following remarkable passages:—“We know the composition of man in all -respects, yet we cannot infuse the soul, which is out of the course -of nature. Nature does not work before there be material given unto -her....” The problem that all composites are subject to dissolution, -and that man is composed of the four elements, and how, therefore, he -could have been immortal in Paradise, is considered thus. “Paradise -was and is a place created of the most pure elements, and of these -man also was formed, and thus was consecrated to perpetuity of life. -After his fall, he was driven into the corruptible elementated world, -and nourished by corruptible elementated elements, which infected his -past nature and generated disease and death. To the original creation -of man in state immortal the ancient philosophers have likened their -stone, and this immortality caused them to seek the stone, desiring -to find the incorruptible elements which entered into the Adamic -constitution. To them the Most High God revealed that a composition of -such elements was in gold, for in animals it could not be had, seeing -they must preserve their lives by corrupt elements; in vegetables also -it is not, because in them is an inequality of the elements. And seeing -all created things are inclined to multiplication, the philosophers -propounded to themselves that they would<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</span> make tryal of the possibility -of nature in this mineral kingdom, which being discovered, they saw -that <span class="smcap">there were innumerable other secrets in Nature, of which, as -of Divine secrets, they wrote sparingly</span>.”</p> - -<p>Here the reference probably intended is to the possibilities which -their theory revealed for other than the mineral kingdoms, a theory -the truth of which they believed themselves to have demonstrated by -accomplishing metallic transmutation. In this connection, it should -be noticed that the philosophical stone was generally considered a -universal medicine—a medicine for metals and man, the latter, of -course, by inference.</p> - -<p>The occasional presence of these possibilities in the minds of adepts, -and the comprehensive nature of the Hermetic theory, fully explain -the aberrations of mystical commentators, who have mistaken the side -issues for the end in view, not altogether inexcusably, because the -end in view sinks into complete unimportance when compared with the -side issues, and all that is of value in alchemy for the modern -student of occultism is comprised in these same possibilities, in the -application of the Hermetic theory to the supreme subject, Man. It is -impossible within the limits of a brief introduction to do justice -to an illimitable subject, to the art of psychic transmutation, to -the spiritual alchemistry, the principles of which are contained in -the arcane theory of the adepts, and which principles are by no means -dependent for their truth on the actuality of metallic transmutation, -so I must confine myself to a few general observations.</p> - -<p>The admirable lesson which we may learn of the alchemists is the -exaltation of things in virtue beyond the unassisted ability of Nature. -Such exaltation is possible, according to the adepts, both within and -without the metallic kingdom. Man and the animals are alike included -by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</span> this comprehensive theory of development, and it is therefore -conceivable that a few of the Hermetic symbolists taught in their -secret and allegorical fashion the method of alchemical procedure -when man was the subject, and revealed the miraculous results of this -labour in the typewritten books which they bequeathed to posterity. -That Henry Khunrath was in search of the transmutation of metals up to -a certain point and period is, I think, very clearly indicated by his -visit to <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Dee. That the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Amphitheatrum Sapientiæ Æternæ</i>, which -was published in 1609, treats of a spiritual alchemy, is, however, -evidenced by the nature of its symbols and by the general tenor of -the strange esoteric commentary on some of the Hebrew psalms. Those -who worked in metals may, or may not, have failed; it is by no means -a point of importance to the discriminating student of occultism; -but they have left behind them a theory which is wholly true in its -application to that one substance in Nature which we know to be capable -of indefinite perfectibility, and the splendour and glory of the -accomplished <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Magnum Opus</i>, when the young King issues from the -Everlasting East, from the land of the Morning and of Paradise,</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Bearing the crescent moon upon his crest,”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class="i0">though it be a dream—say even, which no one can actually -affirm—though it be an impossibility for the metal, is true for the -man; and all that is beautiful and sublime in alchemical symbolism may -be rigorously applied to the divine flower of the future, the young -King of Humanity, the perfect youth to come, when he issues from the -Spiritual East, in the dawn of the genuine truth, bearing the Crescent -Moon, the woman of the future, upon his bright and imperial crest.</p> - -<p>I am of opinion, from the evidence in hand, that metallic -transmutations did occur in the past. They were phenomena<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</span> as rare as a -genuine “materialisation” of so-called spirits is generally considered -at the present day among those believers in physical mediumship who -have not been besotted by credulity and the glamour of a world of -wonders. Like modern spiritualism, the isolated facts of veritable -alchemy are enveloped in a crowd of discreditable trickery, and the -trade of an adept in the past was as profitable, and as patronised by -princes, as that of modern dealers with familiar spirits.</p> - -<p>But the fact of an occasional transmutation gives little reason -to suppose that the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">praxis alchemiæ</i> in metallic subjects -is ever likely to succeed with modern students of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">turba -philosophorum</i>. The enigmas of the alchemists admit, as I have -said, of manifold interpretations. Their recipes are too vague and -confused to be followed. They insist themselves that their art can -only be learned by a direct revelation from God, or by the tuition of -a master. Their fundamental secrets have not only been never revealed -in their multitudinous treatises, but they scarcely pretend to reveal -them, despite the magnificent assurances which are sometimes contained -in their titles. The practical side of alchemy must be surrendered to -specialists in chemistry, working quite independently of the books -or the methods of the philosophers. Only the theory is of value to -neophytes, or initiates, or to any student of the higher occultism; and -it is of value, as I have said, because it can be applied outside the -kingdom of metals, as the alchemists themselves acknowledge, and as -some of them seem to have attempted.</p> - -<p>The psychic method of interpretation as propounded in the “Suggestive -Inquiry” exalted the seekers for the philosophical stone into -hierophants of the mystery of God; it endowed them with the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">altitudo -divitiarum sapientiæ et scientiæ Dei</i>. They had crossed the -threshold of eternity;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</span> they had solved the absolute; they had -seen Diana unveiled; they had raised the cincture of Isis, and had -devoured her supernatural beauties—that is, they had accomplished -the manifestation of the incarnate spirit of man, and had invested it -with deific glory. They did not grope after physical secrets; they did -not investigate, with Paracelsus, the properties of ordure and other -matter in putrefaction; they did not work with mercury and sulphur; -they did not distil wine; they did not decoct egg-shells. They were -soul seekers, and they had found the soul; they were artificers, and -they had adorned the soul; they were alchemists, and had transmuted -it. Sublime and romantic hypothesis! But we know that they worked in -metals; we know that they manipulated minerals; we know that they -ransacked every kingdom of nature for substances which, by a bare -possibility, through some happy guess, might really transform the baser -metals into gold. They were often extravagant in their views, they were -generally absurd in their methods; they seldom found their end, but, -judged as they actually were, stripped of all glamour and romance, -self-educated seekers into Nature at the dawn of a physical science, -they are eminently entitled to our respect, because, in the first -place, unenlightened and unequipped, with their bare hands, they laid -the foundations of a providential and life-saving knowledge, and in the -second, because their furnaces were erected, intellectually, “on a peak -in Darien”—that is, they worked in accordance with a theory which had -an unknown field of application, and through the smoke of their coals -and their chemicals they beheld illimitable vistas where the groaning -totality of Nature developed its internal resources, and advanced -by degrees to perfection, upon lines which were quite in accordance -with their vision of mineral culture. “A depth beyond the depth, and -a height beyond the height,” were thus revealed to them, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</span> their -glimpses of these glorious possibilities transfigured their strange -terminology, and illuminated their barbarous symbolism.</p> - -<p>Eliminating obviously worthless works, the speculations of needy -impostors and disreputable publishers, it is from those who have -least contributed to the advancement of chemical science that we must -seek information concerning the spiritual chemistry—those who have -elaborated the theory rather than those who exclusively expound the -practice. In all cases, we shall do well to reflect that the object -in view was metals, except in such rare instances as are presented by -Henry Khunrath and the anonymous author of the treatise concerning Mary -of Alexandria, with a few Rosicrucian philosophers. We must read them -for what they suggest, and not for what they had in view.</p> - -<p>The dream of the psycho-chemistry is a grand and sublime scheme -of absolute reconstruction by means of the Paracelsian <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Orizon -Æternitatis</i>, or supercelestial virtue of things, the divinisation, -or deification, in the narrower sense, of man the triune by an influx -from above. It supposes that the transmutation or transfiguration of -man can be accomplished while he is on this earth and in this body, -which then would be magically draped <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">in splendoribus sanctorum</i>. -The Morning Star is the inheritance of every man, and the woman of the -future will be clothed with the sun, and Luna shall be set beneath -her feet. The blue mantle typifies the mystical sea, her heritage of -illimitable vastness. These marvels may be really accomplished by the -cleansing of the two-fold human tabernacle, the holy house of life, and -by the progressive evolution into outward and visible manifestation of -the infinite potencies within it.</p> - -<p>In the facts and possibilities of mesmerism and in the phenomena of -ecstatic clairvoyance, in ancient magic and modern spiritualism, in the -doctrines and experiences of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</span> religious regeneration, we must seek the -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">raison d’être</i> of the sublime dream of psycho-chemistry—that, -namely, there is a change, a transmutation, or a new birth, possible -to embodied man which shall manifestly develop the esotoric potencies -of his spiritual being, so that the flesh itself shall be purged, -clarified, glorified, and clothed upon by the essential light of the -divine pneuma. Those of my readers who are interested in this absorbing -subject I must refer to a work entitled, “<span class="smcap">Azoth, or The Star in -the East</span>,” which, I trust, will be ready for publication early -in 1889, and which will treat of the First Matter of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Magnum -Opus</i>, of the evolution of Aphrodite Urania, of the supernatural -generation of the Son of the Sun, and of the alchemical transfiguration -of humanity.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[A]</a> There is no need to suppose a metonymy. The conscience is -a guide which education easily perverts. Therefore, supposing it to be -really the <em>instrument</em> of the alchemists, it may eminently stand -in need of purification, and, except in the most general matters, is at -best an uncertain guide.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[B]</a> “L’Alchimie et les Alchimistes,” p. 93.</p> - -</div> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ON_THE_PHYSICAL_THEORY_AND_PRACTICE_OF_THE_MAGNUM_OPUS">ON THE PHYSICAL THEORY AND PRACTICE OF THE MAGNUM OPUS.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The physical theory of transmutation is based on the composite -character of metals, on their generation in the bowels of the earth, -and on the existence in nature of a pure and penetrating matter which -applied to any substance exalts and perfects it after its own kind. -This matter is called <span class="smcap">The Light</span> by Eugenius Philalethes and -by numerous other writers. In its application to animals, it exalts -animals; in its application to vegetables, it exalts vegetables, while -metals and minerals, after the same manner, are refined and translated -from the worst to the best condition.</p> - -<p>All the elements which enter into the composition of metals are -identical, but they differ in proportion and in purity. In the metallic -kingdom, the object of nature is invariably to create gold. The -production of the baser metals is an accident of the process, or the -result of an unfavourable environment.</p> - -<p>The generation of metals in the earth is a point of great importance, -and must be well studied by the amateur, for without this, and -the faithful imitation of Nature, he will never achieve anything -successful. It is by means of the seed of metals that their -generation takes place. Their composite character indicates their -transmutable quality. Such transmutation is accomplished by means of -the philosophical stone, and this stone is, in fact, the combination -of the male and female seeds which beget gold and silver. Now the -matters or elements of this stone, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</span> the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i> above -all, are concealed by a multitude of symbols, false and allegorical -descriptions, and evasive or deceptive names.</p> - -<p>According to Baron Tschoudy, all who have written on the art have -concealed the true name of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i> because it is -the chief key of chemistry. Its discovery is generally declared to -be impossible without a special illumination from God, but the sages -who receive this divine favour and distinction have occasionally -perpetuated its knowledge by the instruction of suitable pupils -under the pledge of inviolable secresy. The author of <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">L’Étoile -Flamboyante</i> supplies an immense list of the names which have been -applied to this mysterious substance under one or other of its phases. -“As those that sail between Scylla and Charybdis are in danger on -both sides,” says D’Espagnet, “unto no less hazard are they subject, -who, pursuing the prey of the golden fleece, are carried between the -uncertain rocks of the philosophers’ sulphur and mercury. The more -acute, by their constant reading of grave and credible authors, and by -the irradiant sun, have attained unto the knowledge of sulphur, but are -at a stand in the entrance of the philosophers’ mercury, for writers -have twisted it with so many windings and meanders, and involved it -with so many equivocal names, that it may be sooner met with by the -force of the seeker’s intellect than be found by reason or toil.”</p> - -<p>The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i> has been defined as a fifth element, or -quintessence, the material alpha and omega, the soul of the elements, -living mercury, regenerated mercury, a metallic soul, &c. It is -designated by such allegorical names as the Bird of Hermes, the -Virgin’s Son, the Son of the Sun and Moon, the Virgin’s Head, Azoth, &c.</p> - -<p>Where it appears to be seriously described the adepts are in continual -contradiction, but it is generally allowed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</span> to be a substance found -everywhere and continually seen and possessed by those who are ignorant -of its virtues. “Although some persons,” says Urbiger, “possessed with -foolish notions, dream that the first matter is to be found only in -some particular places, at such and such times of the year, and by the -virtue of a magical magnet, yet we are most certain, according to our -divine master, Hermes, that all these suppositions being false, it is -to be found everywhere, at all times, and only by our science.”<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[C]</a></p> - -<p>In similar terms, we are told by the “Commentary on the Ancient War of -the Knights,” that the matter of the art, so precious by the excellent -gifts wherewith Nature has enriched it, is truly mean with regard to -the substances from which it derives its original. “Its price is not -above the ability of the poor. Tenpence is more than sufficient to -purchase the Matter of the Stone.... The matter is mean, considering -the foundation of the art, because it costs very little; it is no less -mean if one considers exteriorly that which gives it perfection, since -in that regard it costs nothing at all, in as much as <em>all the world -has it in its power</em>, says Cosmopolite, so that it is a constant -truth that the stone is a thing mean in one sense but most precious in -another, and that there are none but fools that despise it, by a just -judgment of God.”</p> - -<p>The same authority assures us, with regard to the actual nature of the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i>, that it is one only and self-same thing, although -it is a natural compound of certain substances from one root and of one -kind, forming together one whole complete homogeneity. The substances -that make up the philosophical compound differ less among themselves -than sorrel water differs from lettuce water. Urbiger asserts that the -true and real matter is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</span> only “a vapour impregnated with the metallic -seed, yet undetermined, created by God Almighty, generated by the -concurrence and influence of the astrums, contained in the bowels of -the earth, as the matrix of all created things.” In conformity with -this, one earlier writer, Sir George Ripley, describes the stone as -the potential vapour of metals. It is normally invisible, but may be -made to manifest as a clear water. So also Philalethes cries in his -inspired way:—“Hear me, and I shall disclose the secret, which like -a rose has been guarded by thorns, so that few in past times could -pull the flower. There is a substance of a metalline species, which -looks so cloudy that the universe will have nothing to do with it. -Its visible form is vile; it defiles metalline bodies, and no one can -readily imagine that the pearly drink of bright Phœbus should spring -from thence. Its components are a most pure and tender mercury, a dry -incarcerate sulphur, which binds it and restrains fluxation.... Know -this subject, it is the sure basis of all our secrets.... To deal -plainly, it is the child of Saturn, of mean price and great venom.... -It is not malleable, though metalline. Its colour is sable with, with -intermixed argent, which mark the sable field with veins of glittering -argent.”<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[D]</a></p> - -<p>The poisonous nature of the stone is much insisted on by numerous -philosophers. “Its substance and its vapour are indeed a poison -which the philosophers should know how to change into an antidote by -preparation and direction.”<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[E]</a></p> - -<p>No descriptions, supplied <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">ad infinitum</i> by the numberless -adepts who were moved by unselfish generosity to expound the arcana -of alchemy, for the spiritual, intellectual, and physical enrichment -of those who deserved<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</span> initiation, expose the true nature of the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i>, while the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">vas philosophorum</i> in which it is -contained and digested is described in contradictory terms, and is by -some writers declared a divine secret.</p> - -<p>Given the matter of the stone and also the necessary vessel, the -processes which must be then undertaken to accomplish the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum -opus</i> are described with moderate perspicuity. There is the -Calcination or purgation of the stone, in which kind is worked with -kind for the space of a philosophical year. There is Dissolution which -prepares the way for congelation, and which is performed during the -black state of the mysterious matter. It is accomplished by water which -does not wet the hand. There is the Separation of the subtle and the -gross, which is to be performed by means of heat. In the Conjunction -which follows, the elements are duly and scrupulously combined. -Putrefaction afterwards takes place,</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Without which pole no seed may multiply.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>Then in the subsequent Congelation the white colour appears, which is -one of the signs of success. It becomes more pronounced in Cibation. In -Sublimation the body is spiritualised, the spirit made corporeal, and -again a more glittering whiteness is apparent. Fermentation afterwards -fixes together the alchemical earth and water, and causes the mystic -medicine to flow like wax. The matter is then augmented with the -alchemical spirit of life, and the Exaltation of the philosophic earth -is accomplished by the natural rectification of its elements. When -these processes have been successfully completed, the mystic stone -will have passed through three chief stages characterised by different -colours, black, white, and red, after which it is capable of infinite -multiplication, and when projected on mercury, it will absolutely -transmute it, the resulting gold<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</span> bearing every test. The base metals -made use of must be purified to insure the success of the operation. -The process for the manufacture of silver is essentially similar, but -the resources of the matter are not carried to so high a degree.</p> - -<p>According to the “Commentary on the Ancient War of the Knights,” the -transmutations performed by the perfect stone are so absolute that no -trace remains of the original metal. It cannot, however, destroy gold, -nor exalt it into a more perfect metallic substance; it, therefore, -transmutes it into a medicine a thousand times superior to any virtues -which can be extracted from it in its vulgar state. This medicine -becomes a most potent agent in the exaltation of base metals.</p> - -<p>Among the incidental properties of the perfect mineral agent is -the conversion of flints into precious stones, but the manufacture -of gold and of jewels is generally declared to be the least of the -philosophical secrets, for the spirit which informs the mysterious -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i> of the great and sublime work can be variously -used and adapted to the attainment of absolute perfection in all the -“liberal sciences,” the possession of the “whole wisdom of nature, and -of things more secret and extraordinary than is the gift of prophecy -which Rhasis and Bono assert to be contained in the red stone.”</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[C]</a> Baro Urbigerus—“One Hundred Aphorisms demonstrating the -preparation of the Grand Elixir.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">[D]</a> Aphorismi Urbigerani.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">[E]</a> Commentary on the “Ancient War of the Knights.”</p> - -</div> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="LIVES_OF_THE_ALCHEMISTS">LIVES OF THE ALCHEMISTS.</h2> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="GEBER">GEBER.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The first, and, according to the general concensus of Hermetic -authorities, the prince of those alchemical adepts who have appeared -during the Christian era, was the famous Geber, Giaber, or Yeber, whose -true name was Abou Moussah Djafar al Sofi, and who was a native of -Haman, in Mesopotamia, according to the more probable opinion. He is -also said to have been a Greek, a Spanish Arabian born at Seville, and -a Persian of Thus. Romance represents him as an illuminated monarch -of India. According to Aboulfeda, he flourished during the eighth -century, but later and earlier periods have been also suggested. His -life is involved in hopeless obscurity; but his experiments upon -metals, undertaken with a view to the discovery of their constituent -elements and the degrees of their fusibility, led him to numerous -discoveries both in chemistry and in medicine, including suroxydised -muriate of mercury, red oxyde of mercury, and nitric acid. “It is thus -that Hermetic philosophy gave rise to chemistry,” says a writer in the -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Biographie Universelle</i>, “and that the reputation of Geber is -permanently established, not upon his search for an impossible chimera, -but for his discovery of truths founded on actual experience.”</p> - -<p>With the characteristic prodigality of the Middle Ages, no less -than five hundred treatises have been attributed to the Arabian -adept. They are supposed to have embraced<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</span> the whole circle of the -physical sciences, including astronomy and medicine. A few fragments, -comparatively, alone remain of all these colossal achievements. Cardan -included their author among the twelve most penetrating minds of the -whole world, and Boerhave spoke of him with consideration and respect -in his celebrated <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Institutiones Chemicæ</i>. According to M. Hoefer, -he deserves to be ranked first among the chemists and alchemists -who flourished prior to Van Helmont. “He is the oracle of mediæval -chemists, who frequently did nothing in their writings but literally -reproduce their master. Geber for the history of chemistry is what -Hippocrates is for the history of medicine.”</p> - -<p>The name of Geber has been borne or assumed by several writers -subsequent to the Hermetic adept; in this way the few extant facts -concerning his life have been variously distorted, and books of later -date and less value falsely ascribed to him. An astronomical commentary -on the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Syntaxis Magna</i> of Ptolemy, in nine books, must be -included in this number. It is a work of the twelfth century, as may be -proved by internal evidence.</p> - -<p>The extant works of Geber are, for the most part, in Latin, and are all -open to more or less legitimate suspicion. In the library at Leyden -there are said to be several Arabic manuscripts which have never been -translated, and there is one in the Imperial Library at Paris, together -with a <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Fragmentum de Triangulis Sphæricis</i> which is still -unprinted. The most complete edition of Geber is that of Dantzich, -published in 1682, and reproduced in the Collection of Mangetus.<a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">[F]</a> -First in importance among the works of the Arabian adept must be ranked -his “Sum of Perfection”—<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Summæ Perfectionis magisterii in suâ -naturâ Libri IV.</i> The next in value is the treatise entitled<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</span> <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De -Investigatione perfectionis Metallorum</i>, with his Testament, and a -tract on the construction of furnaces.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The “Sum of Perfection, or the Perfect Magistery,” claims to be a -compilation from the works of the ancients, but with the doubtful -exception of pseudo-Hermes, we are acquainted with no alchemical -authors previous to the supposed period of Geber. A knowledge of -natural principles is declared to be necessary to success in the art. -The natural principles in the work of nature are a potent spirit, and a -living or dry water. The disposition of the philosophical furnace and -of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">vas philosophorum</i> is clearly described; the latter is a -round glass vessel with a flat round bottom, and has several elaborate -arrangements. A marginal note, however, declares that the account of it -is hard to be understood. Among all the obscurities of the treatise, -it is absolutely plain that it is concerned with metals and minerals. -The properties of sulphur, mercury, arsenick, gold, silver, lead, tin, -copper, iron, magnesia, lut, marchasite, are discussed in such a manner -that it is impossible to establish an allegory, or to interpret the -words of the writer in other than a physical sense.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="label">[F]</a> J. J. Mangeti, “Bib. Chem. Curiosa,” 2 v. fol. 1702.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="RHASIS">RHASIS.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Rhazes, or Rasi, whose true name was Mohammed-Ebn-Secharjah Aboubekr -Arrasi, was a celebrated Arabian physician and chemist, who was born -about the year 850 at Ray in Irâk, upon the frontiers of Khorassan. -In his youth he was passionately devoted to music and to frivolous -amusements; he did not begin the study of medicine till he was thirty -years of age, but he soon surpassed, both in skill and in knowledge, -all the physicians of his time. He devoted himself with equal zeal -to philosophy, is said to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</span> have journeyed into Syria, Egypt, and -even into Spain, and successively took charge of the famous hospital -at Bagdad, and of another in his native town. He was naturally good -and generous, and he devoted himself to the service of the poor. His -oriental panegyrists call him the Imam among the scholars of his time, -and western writers describe him as the Galen of the Arabians. By -his assiduous attention to the multitudinous varieties of disease he -obtained the appellation of the experimenter, or the experienced. No -less than two hundred and twenty-six treatises are said to have been -composed by him. To some of these Avicenna was largely indebted, and -even in Europe he exercised considerable influence, for his writings on -medicine were the basis of university teaching up to the seventeenth -century.</p> - -<p>Of the twelve books of chemistry which have been attributed to Rhasis -several are probably spurious, and few have been printed. He was an -avowed believer in the transmutation of metals, and, having composed a -treatise on the subject, he presented it in person to Emir Almansour, -Prince of Khorassan, who was highly delighted, and ordered one thousand -pieces of gold to be paid to the author as a recompense. However, -he desired to witness the marvellous experiments and the prolific -auriferous results with which the work abounded. Rhasis replied that he -might certainly be gratified in his sublime curiosity if he provided -the necessary instruments and materials for the accomplishment of the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>. The Emir consented; neither pains nor expenses were -spared over the preliminary preparations, but when the time came the -adept failed miserably in his performance, and was severely belaboured -about the head by the enraged potentate with the unprofitable -alchemical treatise. Rhasis was old at the time, and this violence is -by some declared to have been the cause of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</span> his subsequent blindness. -He died in poverty and obscurity, a point which is not supposed to -disprove his possession of the powerful metallic medicine. The date of -his death is uncertain, but it was probably in the year 932.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The writings of Rhasis, like those of Geber, enlarge on the planetary -correspondences, or on the influence exerted by the stars in the -formation of metallic substances beneath the surface of the earth. The -explicit nature of the recipes which he gives may be judged by such -directions as <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Recipe aliquid ignotum, quantum volueris</i>. It is to -him, nevertheless, that we owe the preparation of brandy and several -pharmaceutic applications of alcohol. He was the first to mention -orpiment, realgar, borax, certain combinations of sulphur, iron, -and copper, certain salts of mercury indirectly obtained, and some -compounds of arsenic.<a id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">[G]</a> He was also a zealous promoter of experimental -methods.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="label">[G]</a> Figuier, <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">L’Alchimie et les Alchimistes</i>, <abbr title="pages">pp.</abbr> 95, 96.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ALFARABI">ALFARABI.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The middle of the tenth century was made illustrious by one of those -celebrated men who do honour to the sciences in which they engage. -This was Abou-Nasr-Mohammed-Ibn-Tarkan, commonly called Farabi and -Alfarabi—a man of universal genius, who penetrated all subjects with -equal facility, fathoming the most useful and interesting sciences, and -passing for the greatest philosopher of his time.</p> - -<p>He was born at Farab, now known as Othrar, in Asia Minor. He was of -Turkish origin, but repaired to Bagdad to acquire a more perfect -knowledge of Arabic; there he devoted himself with zeal and enthusiasm -to the study of the Greek philosophers under Abou Bachar Maltey, an<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</span> -expounder of Aristotle. From Bagdad he proceeded to Harran, where John, -a Christian physician, was teaching logic. In a short time Alfarabi -surpassed all his other scholars, but he left Harran and visited Damas, -thence penetrating into Egypt. Early attracted towards the secrets of -nature, he spent a great portion of his life in incessant wanderings, -collecting the opinions of all the philosophers he could meet with -on these and on kindred subjects. He despised the world, and took no -pains to acquire wealth, though he wrote upon alchemy, that is, if the -Hermetic works which are attributed to him be genuine. His erudition -and indefatigable activity are attested by his other writings, -which variously treat of philosophy, logic, physics, astronomy, and -mathematics. His chief reputation is based on a sort of encyclopædia, -where he gives a description, with an exact definition, of all the -arts and sciences; and on a celebrated musical treatise, wherein he -ridicules the pythagorean speculations upon the music of the spheres, -and proves the connection of sound with atmospheric vibrations.</p> - -<p>According to several authorities, he was protected and supported in -his later years by the cultured and enlightened Seïf Eddoula, who is -represented as Prince of Damas, but who seems to have been Sultan -of Syria, and to have made the acquaintance of the scholar in the -following curious manner.</p> - -<p>Alfarabi was returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, when, passing -through Syria, he stopped at the Court of the Sultan, and entered his -presence while he was surrounded by numerous sage persons, who were -discoursing with the monarch on the sciences.</p> - -<p>Alfarabi, ignorant of, or else wholly ignoring, the usages of society, -presented himself in his travelling attire; and when the Sultan desired -that he should be seated, with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</span> astonishing philosophical freedom, he -planted himself at the end of the royal sofa. The prince, aghast at his -boldness, called one of his officers, and in a tongue generally unknown -commanded him to eject the intruder. The philosopher, however, promptly -made answer in the same tongue: “Oh, Lord, he who acts hastily is -liable to hasty repentance!” The prince was equally astounded to find -himself understood by the stranger as by the manner in which the reply -was given. Anxious to know more of his guest, he began to question him, -and soon discovered that he was acquainted with seventy languages. -Problems for discussion were then propounded to the philosophers who -had witnessed the discourteous intrusion with considerable indignation -and disgust, but Alfarabi disputed with so much eloquence and vivacity -that he reduced all the doctors to silence, and they began writing -down his discourse. The Sultan then ordered his musicians to perform -for the diversion of the company. When they struck up, the philosopher -accompanied them on a lute with such infinite grace and tenderness, -that he elicited the unmeasured admiration of the whole distinguished -assembly. At the request of the Sultan he produced a piece of his own -composing, sung it, and accompanied it with great force and spirit to -the delight of all his hearers. The air was so sprightly that even the -gravest philosopher could not resist dancing, but by another tune he as -easily melted them to tears, and then by a soft unobtrusive melody he -lulled the whole company to sleep.</p> - -<p>Great was the anxiety of the Sultan to retain so accomplished a person -about him, and some say that he succeeded, others that the philosopher -declined the most brilliant offers, declaring that he should never -rest till he had discovered the whole secret of the philosopher’s -stone of which he had been in search for years, and to which,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</span> from -his discourse, he appeared to be on the point of attaining. According -to these biographers, he set out, but it was to perish miserably. He -was attacked by robbers in the woods of Syria, and, in spite of his -courage, was overpowered by numbers and killed. This occurred in the -year 954. Others say that he died at Damas, enjoying the munificence of -the Sultan to the last.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="AVICENNA">AVICENNA.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Khorassan produced another celebrated adept at the end of the tenth, -or, according to an alternative opinion, about the middle of the -eleventh century. This was the illustrious Ebn Sina, commonly called -Avicenna, who was born at Bacara, the principal city of that province -of Persia. The exact date of his birth has been fixed, but in the -absence of sufficient authority, at the year 980. He is equally -celebrated for the multiplicity of his literary works and for his -adventurous life. At an early age he had made unusual progress in -mathematics, and his gifted mind soon penetrated the mysteries of -transcendental philosophy. He was only sixteen when he passed from -the preparatory sciences to that of medicine, in which he succeeded -with the same celerity; and great is the sagacity attributed to -him in the knowledge of diseases. He is praised in particular for -having discovered that the illness of the King of Gordia’s nephew was -occasioned by an amorous passion which he had carefully concealed, and -for the stratagem by which he discovered the object of the young man’s -affections.</p> - -<p>His credit as a physician and philosopher became so great that the -Sultan Magdal Doulet determined to place him at the head of his -affairs, and appointed him to the distinguished position of Grand -Vizier; but, notwithstanding<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</span> the religion of Mohammed, which Avicenna -professed, he drank so freely, and his intemperance led to so much -immorality and disorder, that he was deprived of his dignities in the -State, and died in comparative obscurity at the age of fifty-six. He -was buried at Hamadan, a city of Persia, which was the ancient Ecbatana.</p> - -<p>Though his history gave rise to the saying that he was a philosopher -devoid of wisdom, and a physician without health, the Arabs long -believed that he commanded spirits, and was served by the Jinn. As -he sought the philosophic stone, several oriental peoples affirm -him to be still alive, dwelling in splendid state, invested with -spiritual powers, and enjoying in an unknown retreat the sublime nectar -of perpetual life and the rejuvenating qualities of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">aurum -potabile</i>.</p> - -<p>Six or seven treatises on Hermetic philosophy are ascribed to Avicenna; -some of them are undoubtedly spurious. There is a treatise on the -“Congelation of the Stone” and a <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Tractatulus de Alchimia</i>, -which may be found in the first volumes of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ars Aurifera</i>, -Basle, 1610. In 1572 the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ars Chimica</i> was printed at Berne. -Two Hermetic tracts are also attributed to Avicenna by the compilers -of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Theatrum Chimicum</i>, and an octavo volume <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Porta -Elementorum</i>, appeared under his name at Basle during the third -quarter of the sixteenth century.</p> - -<p>The grimoires and magical rituals frequently appeal to Avicenna as the -authority for their supernatural secrets.</p> - -<p>The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Tractatulus Alchimiæ</i> treats of the nature of the sophic -mercury, which contains the sophic sulphur, and wherefrom every mineral -substance was originally created by God. This mercury is the universal -vivific spirit; there is nothing in the world to compare with it; it -penetrates, exalts, and develops everything; it is a ferment to every -body with which it is united chemically; it is the grand<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</span> metallic -elixir, both to the white, or silver, and red, or gold producing, -degrees. Its potencies develop under the action of fire. Though found -in all minerals, it is a thing of the earth. It possesses lucidity, -fluidity, and a silverine colour. The perfection and the praise of -gold are elaborately celebrated in succeeding pages. The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima -materia</i> is declared to be of a duplex nature, and the duplex -elixir, which is the result of successful operation, has powers that -are beyond nature, because it is eminently spiritual. The strength of -the perfect magisterium is one upon a thousand.</p> - -<p>The chemical knowledge of Avicenna is derived from Geber, as his -medical erudition was borrowed from Galen, Aristotle, and other -anterior writers. He describes several varieties of saltpetre, and -treats of the properties of common salt, vitriol, sulphur, orpiment, -sal ammoniac, &c.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="MORIEN">MORIEN,</h2> -</div> - - -<p>or Morienus, was a recluse born at Rome in the twelfth century, and who -took up his habitation in Egypt, where he became profoundly versed in -the chemistry and physics of the period. While his education was still -progressing in his native city, and under the eyes of a father and -mother who tenderly cherished him, he heard of the reputation of Adfar, -the Arabian philosopher of Alexandria, and contrived to get a sight of -his writings, when he was immediately seized with a desperate desire to -understand their meaning. The first impressions of youth carried him -away; he abandoned his home, and set out for Alexandria, where, after -some difficulty, he discovered the abode of the philosopher. He made -known to him his name, his country, and his religion, and both appeared -well contented with each other—Adfar at having found a young man -whose docility he could depend on, and Morien that he was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</span> under the -discipline of a master who promised to unveil to him the source of all -treasures.</p> - -<p>They studied together; the amiability of the pupil encouraged his -instructor to make known to him all his secrets, after which, according -to one account, Morien went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and then -turned hermit. It seems more probable that he tarried with Adfar till -his death, which in spite of his immense treasures, his illumination, -and his acquirements in arcane philosophy, eventually occurred, -and that then Morien, having paid the last duties to his deceased -initiator, quitted Alexandria, and proceeded on his pilgrimage. He -purchased a retreat near the city of Jerusalem, where he settled in the -company of a pupil, whom he doubtless intended to form for science.</p> - -<p>In the meantime, the papers of the adept Adfar appear to have fallen -into the hands of Kalid, the Soldan of Egypt, a wise and curious -prince. On the title-page of these manuscripts it was stated that -they contained the priceless secret of the philosophical stone. The -Soldan studied them with avidity, but made no progress towards their -comprehension, and not being able to accomplish the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i> -in his own person, he instituted a careful search for some one who was -qualified to interpret the unintelligible mysteries of the manuscripts. -He convened all the philosophers to Cairo, promised to maintain them, -and to provide them with all the materials and machinery required for -the success of alchemical processes, and guaranteed a magnificent -reward to any person who succeeded. As it might happen even at this -day, many persons presented themselves who had their minds fixed upon -the profits to be derived from such transactions.</p> - -<p>Morien, hearing with pain how much Kalid was deceived by worthless -pretenders, quitted his retreat and repaired in all haste to Egypt, -with the ultimate conversion of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</span> Soldan quite as much at heart -as the communication of the mysteries of Adfar. The labours of the -pretended alchemists had produced nothing, as the initiated hermit -had expected, but something in the manner of Morien impressed the -prince, who appointed him a house in which he might remain until he -had finished the process. The work in due course was brought to its -absolute perfection; the philosopher inscribed these words on the vase -in which he placed the elixir:—“He who possesses all has no need of -others,” and, immediately quitting Alexandria, he returned to his -hermitage.</p> - -<p>Possessed though he now was of the great and supreme elixir, Kalid -had no notion how to make use of it for the transmutations he desired -to accomplish. He was equally penetrated with regret at the loss of a -veritable artist, and filled with indignation at the false alchemists -who had promised him all things, but had accomplished nothing, he -ordained by an edict the capital punishment of every exposed pretender. -Some years passed away, during which the Soldan vainly sought the -possessor of the potent secret. At length one day, being at the chase, -and accompanied by a favourite slave, an incident occurred which led -to the eventual fulfilment of his ambition. The slave, whose name was -Galip, riding a little apart, discovered an aged man at prayer in -a solitary place. He questioned him, and learned that he came from -Jerusalem, where he had been abiding in the hermitage of a holy man. He -had heard of the anxiety of Kalid to accomplish the mystery of Hermes, -and knowing that the hermit in question was a man of unparalleled skill -in the sacred, supernal science, he had quitted Palestine to inform the -prince thereof.</p> - -<p>“Oh! my brother, what do you say?” exclaimed Galip. “No more! I do not -wish you to die like those impostors who have vaunted themselves to my -master.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</span></p> - -<p>“I fear nothing,” returned the hermit. “If you be able to present me to -the prince, I will at once go before him with confidence.”</p> - -<p>Galip accordingly presented him, and the old man informed Kalid that -he could enable him to accomplish the Hermetic work, that he was -acquainted with an adept hermit of the solitudes of Jerusalem, who, by -illumination from the Deity, had received supernatural wisdom, and by -his own admission was in possession of the precious gift. The quantity -of gold and silver which he brought each year to Jerusalem was a -conclusive proof of the fact.</p> - -<p>The Soldan represented the danger of false promises to the venerable -man, and warned him how many deceptive and boasting adventurers -had already met their death. The hermit, however, persisted in his -confident assertions, and Kalid, hearing the description of Morien, -commanded Galip, his slave, to accompany the old man with a sufficient -escort to Jerusalem, where they eventually arrived after many -labours, and were rejoiced by the discovery of Morien, who beneath -his hair-cloth shirt is declared to have preserved a perpetually -youthful frame. Galip recognised him at once, saluted him on the -part of his master, and persuaded him to return to the prince, who -received him with unbounded satisfaction, and would have engaged him -in a worldly situation at his court. Morien, however, was intent -only on the conversion of Kalid; he made known to him the mysteries -of Christianity, but in spite of his wisdom was unable to effect the -desired end. He appears, notwithstanding, to have discovered to him the -secret of the transcendent science, and the conversation of Morien and -Kalid has been written in Arabic, and translated into Latin and French.</p> - -<p>The subsequent history of Morien is not recorded. In the collections of -Hermetic philosophy there are some<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</span> small tracts attributed to Kalid, -and also to Galip, who appears to have participated in the secret. -Morien himself is cited as the author of three works, said to have -been translated from the Arabic, but their authenticity is, of course, -very doubtful. The first is entitled <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Liber de Distinctione Mecurii -Aquarum</i>, of which a manuscript copy existed in the library of -Robert Boyle. The second is the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Liber de Compositione Alchemiæ</i>, -printed in the first volume of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa</i>. -Finally, several editions have appeared of a treatise entitled <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De Re -Metallica, metallorum Transmutatione, et occulta summaque antiquorum -medicina libellus</i>. It was first printed at Paris in the year 1559.</p> - -<p>Bacon and Arnold, who appeared one at the beginning, and the other at -the end of the thirteenth century, have cited Morien as an authority -among the Hermetic philosophers, and Robertus Castrensis assures us -that he translated Morien’s book from the Arabic language in the year -1182.</p> - -<p>The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Liber de Compositione Alchemiæ</i> contains a Hermetic -conversation between Morien, Kalid, and Galip. It appeals to the -authority of Hermes, whom it states to have been the first who -discovered the grand magisterium, the secret of which he transmitted to -his disciples. It declares the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i> to be one, quoting -the testimony of the wise king and philosopher Hercules and the adept -Arsicanus, with other pseudo authorities, which discredit the date -of the dialogue far more than they support the alchemical theory in -question.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ALBERTUS_MAGNUS">ALBERTUS MAGNUS.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The universal genius of Albert, joined to a laudable curiosity in -so great a philosopher, say the original “Lives of Alchemysticall -Philosophers,” did not allow him to pass by the Hermetic science -without giving it due attention.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</span></p> - -<p>Counter authorities, while admitting that in things scientific he -must be counted the most curious and investigating of the children -of men, emphatically assert that he has been erroneously included -by demonographers among the number of magicians, and that in the -twenty-one goodly folio volumes which comprise his <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">opera omnia</i>, -there is no trace of sorcery. In one place he declares formally that -“all those stories of demons prowling in the regions of the air, and -from whom the secrets of futurity may be ascertained, are absurdities -which can never be admitted by sober reason.” The works on incredible -secrets, so numerously attributed to him, are, therefore, condemned -as spurious, Albertus Magnus having no more hand in their production -than in the invention of the cannon and the pistol, which has been -attributed to him by Matthias de Luna.</p> - -<p>So early, however, as the year 1480 the Great Chronicle of Belgium -records him <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnus in magia, major in philosophia, maximus -in theologia</i>. It is futile for the historians of his order -to argue that Albert never applied himself to the Hermetic art, -says an anonymous writer. His books alone—those which are his -incontestably—bear witness to his alchemical erudition, and as a -physician he carefully examined what regards Natural History, and above -all the minerals and metals. His singular experiments are recorded in -the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Secretum Secretorum</i>, which first appeared at Venice in 1508.</p> - -<p>Michael Maier declares that he received from the disciples of St -Dominic the secret of the philosophical stone, and that he communicated -it in turn to <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Thomas Aquinas; that he was in possession of a stone -naturally marked with a serpent, and endowed with so admirable a virtue -that on being set down in a place infested with such reptiles, it would -attract them from their hiding places; that for the space of thirty -years he employed all his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</span> knowledge as a magician and astrologer to -construct, out of metals carefully chosen under appropriate planetary -influences, an automaton endowed with the power of speech, and -which served him as an infallible oracle, replying plainly to every -kind of question which could possibly be proposed to it. This was -the celebrated Androïd, which was destroyed by <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Thomas under the -impression that it was a diabolical contrivance.</p> - -<p>The most marvellous story of his magical abilities is extant in the -history of the University of Paris. He invited William II., Count of -Holland and King of the Romans, to a supper in his monastic house at -Cologne. Although it was midwinter Albertus had tables prepared in -the garden of the convent; the earth was covered with snow, and the -courtiers who accompanied William murmured at the imprudence and folly -of the philosopher in exposing the prince to the severity of such -weather. As they sat down, however, the snow suddenly disappeared, and -they felt not only the softness of spring, but the garden was filled -with odoriferous flowers; the birds flew about as in summer, singing -their most delightful notes, and the trees appeared in blossom. Their -surprise at this metamorphosis of nature was considerably heightened -when, at the end of the repast, these wonders disappeared in a moment, -and the cold wind began to blow with its accustomed rigour.</p> - -<p>The life of Albertus belongs to the history of theology. He was born -in Suabia, at Larvigen, on the Danube, in 1205. He is accredited with -excessive stupidity in his youth, but his devotion to the Virgin -was rewarded by a vision, which was accompanied by an intellectual -illumination, and he became one of the greatest doctors of his time. -He was made provincial of the Dominicans, and was appointed to the -bishopric of Ratisbon, which he subsequently<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</span> resigned to pursue his -scientific and philosophic studies in a delightful conventual retreat -at Cologne. In his old age he relapsed into the mediocrity of his -earlier years, which gave rise to the saying that from an ass he was -transformed into a philosopher, and from a philosopher he returned into -an ass.</p> - -<p>The term Magnus, which has been applied to him, is not the consequence -of his reputation. It is the Latin equivalent of his family name, -Albert de Groot.</p> - -<p>Among the spurious works attributed to him is that entitled <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Les -Admirables Secrets d’Albert le Grand</i>, which is concerned with the -virtues of herbs, precious stones, and animals, with an abridgment of -physiognomy, methods for preservation against the plague, malignant -fevers, poisons, &c. The first book treats of the planetary influences -in their relation to nativities, of the magical properties possessed by -the hair of women, of the infallible means of ascertaining whether a -child still in the womb is male or female, &c. In the others there is a -curious chaos of remarkable superstitions concerning urine, vermin, old -shoes, putrefaction, the manipulation of metals, &c.</p> - -<p>A magical grimoire entitled <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Alberti Parvi Lucii Liber de Mirabilibus -Naturæ Arcanis</i>, adorned with figures and talismans, appeared -at Lyons, bearing the Kabbalistic date 6516. The composition of -philtres, the interpretation of dreams, the discovery of treasures, -the composition of the hand of glory, the ring of invisibility, the -sympathetic powder, the sophistication of gold, and other marvels, are -familiarly explained; but this work is another forgery, and an insult -to the memory of a really illustrious man.</p> - -<p>In the treatise which he wrote upon minerals, Albert informs us that he -personally tested some gold and silver which had been manufactured by -an alchemist, and which resisted six or seven exceptionally searching -fusions, but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</span> the pretended metal was reduced into actual scoriæ by -an eighth. He recognises, however, the possibility of transmutation -when performed upon the principles of Nature. He considers that all -metals are composed of an unctuous and subtle humidity, intimately -incorporated with a subtle and perfect matter.</p> - -<p>If the purely alchemical works which are ascribed to Albertus have -any claim to authenticity, he must be ranked as a skilful practical -chemist for the period in which he flourished. He employed alembics for -distillation, and aludels for sublimation; he also made use of various -lutes, the composition of which he describes. He mentions alum and -caustic alkali, and seems to have been aware of the alkaline basis of -cream of tartar. He knew the method of purifying the precious metals -by means of lead and of gold, by cementation, likewise the method of -testing the purity of gold. He mentions red lead, metallic arsenic, -and liver of sulphur. He was acquainted with green vitriol and iron -pyrites. He knew that arsenic renders copper white, and that sulphur -attacks all the metals except gold.<a id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">[H]</a></p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="label">[H]</a> Thomson, “Hist. of Chemistry,” <abbr title="volume">vol.</abbr> i., <abbr title="pages">pp.</abbr> 32, 33.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THOMAS_AQUINAS">THOMAS AQUINAS.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>If Albertus Magnus must be considered an adept in possession of the -philosophic stone, there is little doubt that he discovered it to -his favourite pupil, <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Thomas, the most illustrious of the kings -of intelligence who glorified the scholastic period of Christian -philosophy. There are some alchemical treatises ascribed to the angel -of the schools which he certainly did not write. “That of the ‘Nature -of Minerals’ is unworthy of so great a philosopher,” says a certain -anonymous authority, “and so is the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</span> ‘Comment on the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Turba</i>.’ -But his <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Thesaurus Alchemiæ</i>, addressed to Brother Regnauld, his -companion and friend, is genuine. He cites Albert in this as his master -in all things, especially in Hermetic philosophy. He addressed other -books to Regnauld on the curious sciences, amongst which is a treatise -on Judicial Astrology.”</p> - -<p>This opinion deserves due consideration, yet in all his theological -works <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Thomas carefully avoided every suspicion of alchemy, -persuaded, says the same writer, that it would bring dishonour to his -name as the height of human folly. Moreover, in one of his treatises -he distinctly states that “it is not lawful to sell as good gold that -which is made by Alchemy,” proof positive that he considered the -transmutatory art to be simply the sophistication of the precious metal.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Thesaurus Alchemiæ</i>, generally attributed -to him by adepts, testifies that “the aim of the alchemist is to -change imperfect metal into that which is perfect,” and asserts -the possibility of the thing. These contradictions scarcely afford -convincing proof of a common authorship; but spurious or otherwise, -the works on the Hermetic science which are attributed to the angelic -doctor are of importance in the history of alchemy. Their leading -character is secrecy, and they insist on the preservation of the -sublime operation from unworthy men, only the children of light, who -live as in the presence of God, being fit for the knowledge or custody -of so supernal a mystery.</p> - -<p>The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Thesaurus Alchemiæ</i> has the brevity which characterised St -Thomas, for it is comprised in a very few leaves. The other works -attributed to him are <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Secreta Alchymiæ Magnalia</i> and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De -Esse et Essentia Mineralium</i>, together with the comment on the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Turba</i>. Some of the terms still employed by modern chemists -occur for the first time in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</span> these supposititious writings of Thomas -Aquinas—<i>e.g.</i>, the word amalgam, which is used to denote a -compound of mercury and some other metal.</p> - -<p>In the tractates addressed to Brother Regnauld, we learn that the -students of alchemy are in search of a single substance which -absolutely resists the fierce action of fire, which itself penetrates -everything, and tinges mercury. The work is a work of the hands, and -great patience is required in it. Instruments are necessary, but in the -true Hermetic operation there is but one vase, one substance, one way, -and one only operation.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ROGER_BACON">ROGER BACON.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Roger Bacon was the first Englishman who is known to have cultivated -alchemical philosophy. This learned man was born in 1214, near -Ilcester, in Somerset. He made extraordinary progress in the -preliminary studies of boyhood; when his age permitted he entered the -order of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Francis, and passed from Oxford to Paris, where he learned -mathematics and medicine. On his return he applied himself to languages -and philosophy, and made such progress that he wrote grammars of the -Latin, Greek, and Hebrew tongues.</p> - -<p>Pronouncing the panegyric of Bacon, Figuier calls him the greatest -intellect which has arisen in England, a student of nature who was more -physician than chemist, and a scientist to whom the world owes many -extraordinary discoveries. He was almost the only astronomer of his -time, and to him we are indebted for the rectification of the Julian -Calendar, in regard to the solar year, which in 1267 he submitted to -Clement IV., but which was not put in practice till the pontificate -of Gregory. The physical analysis of the properties of lenses and -convex glasses, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</span> invention of spectacles and achromatic lenses, the -theory, and possibly the first construction, of the telescope, are all -due to the superior and penetrating genius of Bacon.</p> - -<p>An adequate notion of his schemes in mechanical science may be gathered -from one of his own letters—<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Epistola Fratris Rogerii Baconis de -Secretis Operibus Artis et Naturæ et de nullitate Magiæ</i>, Hambourg, -1618. Having undertaken to demonstrate that by the help of natural -science it is possible to actually perform the pretended prodigies -of magic, he further assures us that machines may be constructed for -navigation without the aid of rowers, in such a manner that vessels -will be borne through the water with extraordinary velocity, under the -direction of a single man. “It is equally possible to construct cars -which may be set in motion with marvellous rapidity, independently of -horses or other animals. Flying machines may also be made, the man -seated in the centre, and by means of certain contrivances beating -the air with artificial wings.” In the same way Bacon anticipated the -invention of the crane, diving apparatus, suspension bridges, &c. These -things, he declares, were known to the ancients, and may still be -recovered.</p> - -<p>“Should we be surprised,” demands one of his biographers, “if all -these prodigies obtained for him the name of magician in an age of -superstition and ignorance? the friars of his own order refused to -let his works into their library, as if he were a man who ought to be -proscribed by society. His persecution increased till, in 1278, he -was imprisoned and forced to confess his repentance of his pains in -the arts and sciences. He was constrained to abandon the house of his -order, and to form a retreat where he might work in quiet.”</p> - -<p>The reputation of Bacon as a magician spread over Western Europe. He -was supposed to be indebted for his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</span> wisdom to incessant communication -with demons. Wierus accuses him of goëtic magic, and erudite persons -affirm that Antichrist will make use of his enchanted mirrors for -the performance of lying miracles. He really believed in judicial -astrology and in the philosophical stone. “By neglecting the lights of -experience,” he says, “alchemy can seldom produce gold of twenty-four -carats. Few persons have carried the science to so high a point. But -with the help of Aristotle’s ‘Secret of Secrets,’ experimental science -has manufactured not only gold of twenty-four degrees, but of thirty, -forty, and onward according to pleasure.”</p> - -<p>The application of alchemy to the extension of life was another subject -of study with Roger Bacon. The grand secret, he assures us, does not -only ensure the welfare of the commonwealth and of the individual, but -it may be used to prolong life, for that operation by which the most -inferior metals is purged from the corrupt elements which they contain -till they are exalted into the purest gold and silver, is considered by -every adept to be eminently calculated to eliminate so completely the -corrupt particles of the human body, that the life of mortality may be -extended to several centuries.</p> - -<p>A citation by Franciscus Picus from Bacon’s “Book of the Six Sciences” -recounts how a man may become a prophet and predict the future by -means of a mirror which Bacon calls <i>Almuchefi</i>, composed in -accordance with the laws of perspective under the influence of a -benign constellation, <em>and after the body of the individual has been -modified by alchemy</em>.</p> - -<p>On the word of a man who enjoyed his full confidence, he tells us how -a celebrated Parisian savant, after cutting a serpent into fragments, -taking care to preserve intact the skin of its belly, subsequently let -loose the animal, which began immediately to roll upon certain herbs, -and their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</span> virtues speedily healed him. The experimenter examined these -herbs, and found them of a remarkably green colour. On the authority -of Artephius, he relates how a certain magician, named Tantalus, and -who was attached to the person of the King of India, had discovered -by his proficiency in planetary lore, a method of preserving life -over several centuries. He enlarges on the potency of theriac in the -excessive prolongation of life. He lauds the flesh of winged serpents -as a specific against senility in mankind. By the hygiene of Artephius -he informs us that that adept lived over a thousand years. If Plato and -Aristotle failed to prolong their existence it is not surprising, for -they were ignorant even of the quadrature of the circle, which Bacon -declares to have been well known at his time, and which is indefinitely -inferior to the grand medical doctrine of Artephius.<a id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">[I]</a></p> - -<p>The chemical investigations of the great English Franciscan have -proved valuable to the science which he loved. He studied carefully -the properties of saltpetre, and if he did not discover gunpowder, he -contributed to its perfection by teaching the purification of saltpetre -by its dissolution in water and by crystallisation. He also called -attention to the chemical rôle played by the air in combustion.<a id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">[J]</a></p> - -<p>Many of Bacon’s works still remain in manuscript, but his <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Speculum -Alchimiæ</i> was done into French by Girard de Tourmes, and published -at Lyons in duodecimo and octavo in 1557. <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De Potestate Mirabili -Artis et Naturæ</i>, which is merely a chapter of the Epistle already -cited, was translated by the same hand.</p> - -<p>In another work, entitled <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Radix Mundi</i>, the supreme secret of -Hermetic philosophy is said to be hidden in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</span> four elements. This -treatise, which quotes Paracelsus, is, however, an impudent forgery.</p> - -<p>The “Mirror of Alchemy,” like other works of the philosophers, appeals -to Hermes as to a master-initiate, whose authority is not only -sufficient but final. The natural principles of all metals are argent -vive, that is, sophic mercury, and sulphur. The various proportions in -which these principles are combined, together with their degrees of -purity, constitute the sole difference between the best and the basest -metal.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="label">[I]</a> Nam quadraturam circuli se ignorasse confitetur, quod his -diebus scitur veraciter.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="label">[J]</a> Figuier, <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">L’Alchimie et les Alchimistes</i>, p. 97.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ALAIN_OF_LISLE">ALAIN OF LISLE.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>An alchemical treatise, entitled <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Dicta de Lapide Philosophico</i>, -appeared in octavo at Leyden during the year 1600. It was attributed to -Alanus Insulensis, and was reprinted in the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Theatrum Chimicum</i>, -Argentorati, 1662. It is denied that this work is the production of -that Alain de Lisle who was called the universal doctor, and who, -after a brilliant period passed in the University of Paris, retired -to a cloister as a lay brother, in order to be master of his time, -and to devote himself entirely to philosophy. Migne’s <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Dictionnaire -des Sciences Occultes</i> asserts that another Alanus flourished at -the same period, but the existence of the alchemical volume is the -sole ground for this statement. It cannot be shown, on the other hand, -that Alain practised the Hermetic Science, but he was the author of -a “Commentary on the Prophecies of Merlin.” He was made bishop of -Auxerre, and died in 1278. The publishers of alchemical treatises -were accustomed to trade upon brilliant reputations of the past by -attributing worthless works to great authorities. The name of Alanus -Insulensis appearing on the title-page of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Dicta de Lapide -Philosophico</i> may perhaps be accounted for in this manner.</p> - -<p>The treatise itself is short and not of abnormal value.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</span> It represents -the Hermetic art as the gift of God, and counsels the neophyte to -love Him with all his heart and soul. It describes the mysteries of -sublimation, and follows preceding authorities on the problem of -the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i>. Its generally indefinite and unprofitable -character from any practical standpoint should make it an exceptional -field for every species of fanciful interpretation.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="RAYMOND_LULLY">RAYMOND LULLY.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The comparison of a brilliant but ephemeral reputation to “the comet -of a season” has been transferred from the region of poetry into that -of proverb, and is certainly applicable to no figure in the history -of literature or science more completely than to the subject of this -memoir. The name of Raymond Lully has indeed passed so completely -into oblivion that it awakes no recollections whatever except in -the minds of certain specialists in history and philosophy. Yet he -exercised no small influence on his generation, while for a century -after his death all intellectual Europe was acquainted with his method -for the acquisition of the sciences and his voluminous literary and -evangelistic labours. Raymond Lully united the saint and the man -of science, the philosopher and the preacher, the apostle and the -itinerant lecturer, the dialectician and the martyr; in his youth -he was a courtier and a man of pleasure; in mature age he was an -ascetic who had discovered the universal science through a special -revelation from God; after his death he was denounced as a heretic, -and then narrowly escaped beatification as a saint. While his relics -worked miracles in Majorca, colleges were founded in various parts of -Europe for teaching the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ars Lulliana</i>, which was to replace the -scholastic method; but the miracles ceased, the universal science fell -into neglect, and, as the last scene in this eventful history, Raymond -Lully appears in popular<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</span> legends as an adept in alchemy, whose age was -prolonged through centuries by the discovery of the elixir of life.</p> - -<p>Having succeeded in rescuing from oblivion and misrepresentation this -singular man, whose sanctity was as eminent as his attainments were -unique, I shall here present the first true history of his life and -works to the reading public of England; the romantic narrative will be -as interesting to the general student as to the occultist and the man -of letters.</p> - -<p>The father of Raymond Lully was a gentleman of Barcelona, who, having -served under the banner of John I., King of Arragon, at the conquest -of the Balearic Isles from the Mohammedans, was gifted with lands in -Majorca, and there settled. He was of an old and noble Catalonian -family, and was wedded to a lady whose name is not known. Though -possessed of considerable wealth, his happiness was marred by the -sterility of his wife; but, addressing themselves to the goodness of -God, the lady was eventually delivered of a son, who was named, like -his father, Raymond Lully. He was born, according to Ségui, in 1229, -but according to Jean Marie de Vernon, and other authorities, in 1235, -which, on the whole, is the more probable date. When the young Raymond -had attained the use of reason, his parents endeavoured to imbue -him with love for the liberal arts, but his mercurial and impetuous -disposition was unsuited to serious study, and he was permitted to -follow his father’s profession of arms. He was made page to the King, -with whom he acquired such high favour that he was installed as Grand -Prevôt, or Master of the Palace, and subsequently as Seneschal of the -Isles; but he employed the advantages of these distinguished positions -in the dissipations of a youth without curb or restraint. The flower of -his manhood was wasted in the gaieties of court life, in winning the -favours of ladies, and in composing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</span> amorous verses in their honour. He -spared no pains to make himself pleasing to those who were beautiful, -and his excesses were so glaring that his parents, and King James II. -himself, were forced to make great complaints to him. As a remedy for -the irregularities of his life, it was proposed that he should marry, -and a wife at once beautiful, virtuous, and wealthy was selected by -his advisers and friends. She was named Catherine de Sabots. Though he -became much attached to this lady, the bond of marriage did not prove -strong enough to confine his errant inclinations, and there was one -person in particular for whom he conceived a great passion, though he -was already the father of two male children and of one girl. This was -the Signora Ambrosia Eleonora de Castello de Gênes, whose virtue was -superior to her personal attractions, though she eclipsed in loveliness -all the beauties of the Court. She was married to a man whom she loved, -but such was the infatuation of Raymond Lully that he paid her the -most marked attentions, and on one occasion, lost to all around him -except the object of his admiration, he is said to have followed her on -horseback into the church of Palma, a town in Majorca, where she had -gone one morning to mass. So outrageous an act could not fail to cause -great scandal, more particularly on account of the high rank of both -parties concerned. The lady, thus suddenly raised to such undesirable -notoriety, took counsel with her husband as to the course which she -should pursue to put an end to the persecutions of her admirer. In the -meantime, Raymond Lully, conscious no doubt that he had exceeded all -bounds of moderation, wrote an incoherent apology, accompanied with -a sonnet, in which he particularly described the beauty of her neck. -To this the lady replied by a letter, written in the presence of her -husband, and which is here copied <em>verbatim</em> from the old French -writer who relates this portion of the story.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Letter</span> from the <span class="smcap">Signora di Castello de Gênes</span> to<br /> -<span class="smcap">Raymond Lully</span>, which is a civil reply to a lover to<br /> -dissuade him from profaning love.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—The sonnet which you have sent me is evidence of the -superiority of your genius and the imperfection, or, rather, the -perversity of your judgment. With what vivacity would you depict true -beauty since by your verses you even embellish ugliness! But how can -you employ such exalted talents in the laudation of a little clay -briefly tinged with vermilion? Your industry should be employed in -eradicating and not in publishing your passion.</p> - -<p>“’Tis not that you are unworthy of the affection of the noblest woman -in the world, but you become unworthy of it by devoting yourself to -the service of one who is the least of all. Is it possible that an -intelligence created for God alone, and illuminated as it is, can be -so blind on this point?</p> - -<p>“Abandon then a passion which deprives you of your native nobility. Do -not tarnish your reputation by the pursuit of an object which you can -never possess. I could terribly disillusion you by showing you that -what you so much admire should rather be held in aversion. Yet rest -well assured that I love you all the more truly because I appear to -have no regard for you.”</p> -</div> - -<p>This letter served only to feed the flame in the breast of Raymond -Lully, till, other means having failed, the lady, still acting under -the advice of her husband, called her lover into her presence, and -exposed to him her breast which was almost eaten away by a cancer, -whence an offensive odour issued.</p> - -<p>“Look on what thou lovest, Raymond Lully,” she cried, with tears in her -eyes, “Consider the condition of this wretched body in which thy spirit -centres all its hopes and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</span> pleasures, and then repent of thy useless -attempts; mourn for the time which thou hast wasted in persecuting a -being whom thou didst fondly deem perfect, but who has so dreadful -a blemish! Change this useless and criminal passion into holy love, -direct thine affections to the Creator, not to the creature, and in the -acquisition of eternal bliss take now the same pains which thou hast -hitherto vainly spent to engage me in thy foolish passion!”</p> - -<p>The sight had already melted the heart of Raymond Lully and restored -him to reason. After expressing to the noble-hearted lady how deeply -he felt for her misfortune, he withdrew from the house, ashamed of -the passion he had conceived, and reaching home, overwhelmed with -confusion, he cast himself at the feet of a crucifix, and vowed to -consecrate himself henceforth to the service of God alone. He passed -a more than usually tranquil night, being filled with this zealous -resolution, and the vision of Christ is said to have appeared to him, -saying, “Raymond Lully, from henceforth do thou follow me!” This vision -was repeated several times, and he judged it to be an indication -of the Divine Will. Raymond was at this period about thirty years -old; he filled one of the most noble situations at court, and might -have aspired to any honour for himself or his family. He resolved, -nevertheless, to renounce the world, and soon arranged his affairs, -dividing so much of his estate among his family as would enable -them to live honourably, retaining a small portion for his personal -necessities, and distributing the rest among the poor. His plans in the -matter were so punctually fulfilled, that he was accused of plunging -from one folly to another.</p> - -<p>At this period he is said to have made a pilgrimage to <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> John in -Galicia, and a retreat thereat. He returned in due course to Majorca, -and took the habit of religion, but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</span> did not, however, embrace the -religious life. He retired to a small dwelling on the mountain of -Randa, a possession which had not been included in the general sale of -his estate. Here he fell ill, and was consoled by two visions of the -Saviour.</p> - -<p>After his change of life, the first boon which he asked of God was -so to illuminate his mind that he might compose a book capable of -completely annihilating the errors of Mahomet, and of forcing the -infidels, by good and solid reasoning, to embrace the faith of Jesus -Christ. In answer to this prayer, he was conscious, it is asserted, of -a perfect spiritual illumination, and became instantaneously capable -of reasoning powerfully on all subjects, so that he passed henceforth -for a great and subtle doctor both in human and divine sciences. A -more sober account informs us that “he prepared himself to labour -for the conversion of the Mahometans, by studying their books in the -Arabic language,” and that his preparation continued for the space -of six years. According to another authority, this missionary zeal -did not date from an earlier period than 1268—three years after his -reformation—when in another of his visions he beheld upon the leaves -of a myrtle or a mastic tree, certain marks which resembled Turkish -or Arabic characters. On awaking, he regarded himself as called to a -mission among the heathen.</p> - -<p>Convinced, says one of his biographers, that the Spirit of God had not -inspired him with the Celestial Science to let it rest idle, and that -he would be betraying his vocation if his light were hidden under a -bushel, he resolved to journey to Paris and there publish the eternal -truths which had been revealed to him. Others have supposed that in -undertaking this journey he was simply seeking instruction in the Latin -tongue at one of the centres of learning. Several of his treatises on -Philosophy, Theology, Medicine,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</span> and Astronomy are, however, referred -to this period, as well as some works on alchemy, but this point will -receive adequate consideration hereafter.</p> - -<p>Still imbued with his evangelistic and missionary zeal, he engaged a -young Arab as his valet, that he might perfect himself in colloquial -Arabic; but he, discovering that his master intended to demolish the -divine principles of the Koran, and preach against the holy law of -Mahomet, piously resolved to assassinate him, and one day plunged a -dagger into his breast. He sought to repeat the blow, but Raymond -Lully, wounded and bleeding as he was, contrived to disarm him, perhaps -with the assistance of a holy and opportune anchorite, who is advanced -at this critical moment by one of the biographers. The young Arab was -imprisoned with the reluctant consent of his over magnanimous master, -who does not appear to have proceeded further against him; but the -unhappy Mohammedan enthusiast was so overwhelmed with vexation at the -failure of his heroic design to destroy, at all costs, the implacable -foe of the prophet, that he strangled himself in his dungeon in a -paroxysm of impotent fury.</p> - -<p>It was after this episode, and after the recovery of Raymond Lully -from the violence of his valet, that, according to another historian, -he retired to Mount Randa, and that then, and then only, he received -from the Father of Lights that new illumination with which others have -accredited him at a much earlier period. This was probably a second -visit paid to his Balearic solitude; he tarried there seven months, -“always absorbed in prayer, and conversing, as it seemed to him, -continually with angels, whose consolations he received—consolations,” -says the pious writer, “which the soul can indeed realise, but which -the lips cannot worthily describe.”</p> - -<p>Having left his retreat, he determined to travel to Rome,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</span> to exhort -his Holiness to establish in Europe several monasteries, where monks -should be occupied in acquiring and teaching languages, in order to -spread everywhere the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to labour for the -conversion of the infidels. But Honorius IV., from whose piety he -had everything to hope, died as soon as Lully reached Rome, and he -therefore returned to Paris, where he explained publicly his General -or Universal Art for the acquisition of all sciences. From Paris he -went to Mont Pelin, where he also taught and wrote; thence to Genoa, -where he translated his <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Art Inventif</i> into Arabic. From Genoa he -again proceeded to Rome, but seeing that it was impossible to attain -his ends on account of the obstacles which presented themselves in the -Sacred Court, he returned to Genoa, intending to start for Africa, and -personally labour in the conversion of the infidels. He made terms -with the owner of a vessel, shipped his books on board, with the other -necessities of his journey, but, when he was himself on the point -of embarking, a vision of all the dangers he was about to encounter -so worked upon his mind, that he was deprived even of the power of -walking, and was obliged to renounce his intention. His effects were -consequently returned to him, and with these he re-entered Genoa in -the midst of a crowd of vagabonds, who derided his weakness. Whether -consequent on this raillery, or through shame at his cowardice, he -became dangerously ill.<a id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">[K]</a> On the Vigil of Pentecost, 1291, he was -carried to the Convent of Friars Preachers, and received the care which -his condition<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</span> required. He received the last sacraments, and dictated -his last will and testament; nevertheless, he was destined to recover, -and had scarcely regained his strength when, to repair his previous -fault, he embarked upon the first vessel bound for Tunis. During the -voyage he composed his “General Tabulation of the Sciences.”</p> - -<p>Immediately on his arrival at Tunis, he held conferences with those who -were most erudite in the law of Mahomet. He proved, at least to his own -satisfaction, that they were in error and darkness, and that truth was -on the side of Jesus Christ. He was accused before the King of Tunis -of seducing the people, was arrested, cast into prison, and ultimately -condemned to death. But a learned Arabian priest, overcome by his -arguments, obtained his pardon on condition of his instant departure. -He left the town amidst the insults and opprobrium of the populace, -prohibited to return, on pain of certain death.</p> - -<p>In 1293 he arrived at Genoa from this disastrous mission, and he -appears to have proceeded immediately to Naples, where he remained till -the pontificate of Celestin V., teaching publicly his <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ars Magna</i> -and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Arbor Scientiarum</i>. In December 1294, he repaired to Rome to -persuade the Pope to send missionaries to the infidels, and he appears -to have obtained the establishment of several colleges for the study of -oriental languages. Moreover, the University of Paris, by an authentic -act, adopted and recommended the use of his short method of acquiring -knowledge, and some of his more important philosophical doctrines. -Still, his missionary efforts were not generally successful, and he -again wandered from place to place, confuting heretics. He travelled -to Montpellier, where he was received with distinction by Raymond -Gauffredy, General of the Order of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Francis. He obtained letters of -association, as a benefactor to the order, the superiors of which were -put under his direction,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</span> and he taught his method in their houses. He -preached in Cyprus against the Nestorians and Georgians, striving to -bring them back to the bosom of the Church. He addressed himself for -assistance in his manifold enterprises to the Kings of France, Sicily, -Majorca, and Cyprus, but generally in vain.</p> - -<p>In 1308 he returned to Paris, where he conversed with the celebrated -Johannes Scotus, who is known as the subtle doctor. He had the -satisfaction to find that King Philip le Bel had directed the oriental -languages to be taught in the University of Paris. This induced Raymond -to proceed in the following year to Ferdinand IV., King of Castile, -to engage him to unite with the King of France for the recovery of -the Holy Land, but this oft-repeated and invariably disastrous and -futile enterprise was fortunately not undertaken. He ventured again to -Africa, landed at Bona, that ancient Hippo which was the diocese of St -Augustine, and despite the opposition of its Mohammedan inhabitants he -succeeded in converting seventy followers of the philosopher Averroës. -Thence he travelled to Algiers and converted many, which brought down -on him the persecution of the authorities. A bridle was put into his -mouth, as if he were a horse, and he was deprived by this means of the -free use of speech for the space of forty days; he was then publicly -beaten, and expelled from the kingdom. He had no other road open to -him but to return to Tunis, where sentence of death awaited him, but -he remained concealed, and shortly after proceeded to Bugia. There -he confounded the doctrines of the Mohammedan priests, successfully -avoiding innumerable deadly snares prepared by the people against him -at the suggestion of their religious teachers. He was at length cast -into a miserable dungeon, where he might well have perished, but the -solicitations of certain Genoese merchants obtained him<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</span> a better -prison, in which he was confined for six months. Here the Mohammedan -doctors came to him in troops, to persuade him to embrace their law, -promising him the most alluring recompences—slaves, palaces, wealth, -beautiful women, and the King’s friendship. “The result,” says one of -Lully’s biographers, “was that they were almost persuaded to embrace -<em>His</em> law, Who alone could promise them eternal beatitude.”</p> - -<p>The gates of Raymond’s prison were at length thrown open, and, as a -disturber of the public peace, he was enjoined to quit those parts at -once. The illustrious wanderer embarked in a Genoese vessel with his -books and papers, but he was wrecked ten miles from the town of Pisa, -escaping hardly with the loss of all his effects. At Pisa he fell -sick, and was carefully attended by the Dominicans. On his recovery -he resumed his public teaching. The conversion of the Mohammedans and -the conquest of the Holy Land were still his chief ends, and he so -eloquently solicited the inhabitants of Pisa to institute an order of -Christian Knights for the deliverance of Judea, that they sent him with -letters to the Holy Father; he was entrusted by the inhabitants of -Genoa with similar documents, and bore also the voluntary offer of the -ladies in that town to contribute towards such a pious and praiseworthy -purpose a considerable sum of money. With these assurances he sought -the Pope at Avignon, presented his letters, and added the most powerful -reasons of his own to persuade him to proclaim another crusade. -Naturally, he obtained nothing from the Papal Court, and he retired to -Paris, sorrowful at his failure and at the coldness of the prelates of -the Church. He continued writing and teaching, and in October 1311, -hearing that a general council would be held at Vienna, he considered -this a favourable opportunity and presented himself before it to demand -three<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</span> things:—1. The establishment of several monasteries composed -of learned and courageous men, who, willing to expose their lives in -the quarrel of Christ, would take pleasure in acquiring languages in -order to publish the Gospel more effectually. 2. The reduction of all -the Military Orders in the Christian world into a single order, so that -living under one religious rule, and inspired with the same desires, -they might all do battle with the Saracens, and, suppressing all seeds -of jealousy, all selfish interests, by a laudable emulation, with -true Christian piety, seek to deliver the Holy Place from the hands -of the miscreants. 3. The condemnation, by authority of the Pope and -the Council, of all the works of Averroës used in Christian colleges -and schools, because they were distinctly and directly opposed to the -doctrines of true religion. In order to throw more light on this last -point he composed a treatise entitled <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De Natale Pueri</i>. He was -again unsuccessful, and returned to Paris without having accomplished -anything. With unconquerable perseverance he again set himself more -diligently than ever to the composition of books in Latin, Spanish, and -Arabic, for the edification of the Faithful and the instruction of the -Saracens. He became indeed one of the most voluminous authors in the -world, and when weary of the repose of letters he returned to Majorca, -far advanced in years, he embarked, despite the peril, for Tunis, -hoping to work secretly in the conversion of its inhabitants.</p> - -<p>According to another account, he publicly proclaimed his return, -crying, “Do you not remember that I am the man whom your princes -formerly hunted from this country and from Tunis in dread that I -should illuminate your souls with the truths of our holy religion, -towards which you already had some disposition? The single hope of your -salvation, and the resolution I have taken to suffer all<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</span> the torments -of the world for the love of my God, lead me back among you, to do with -me as you please.”</p> - -<p>In either case his return was discovered; as one man the people rose -in tumult against him, and having covered him with opprobrium and -atrocious injuries, they chased him with stones from the town to the -port, where he fell miserably overwhelmed.</p> - -<p>According to numerous biographers, certain merchants, either of -Majorca or Genoa, passing Tunis, saw a great light, in the shape of -a pyramid, near to the port, on the night of this catastrophe. This -light seemed to issue from a heap of stones, and, curious to discover -its cause, they put ashore in a boat, and thus came upon the precious -body of Raymond Lully, whom, in spite of his disfigured condition, they -immediately recognised.</p> - -<p>But M. E. J. Delécleuze, writing in the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Revue des Deux Mondes</i>, -gives us the same narrative unadorned by the veneer of the miraculous. -“The night fell, and the body of Raymond Lully remained on the -sea-shore. During the whole of this terrible scene none of the -converts, and still less the European Christians then sojourning in the -town, had dared to defend the missionary, or even to intercede in his -favour. Certain Genoese merchants, however, desiring to pay the last -honours to his corpse, came in a boat, under cover of the darkness, to -bear it away. In the accomplishment of this pious duty they perceived -that Raymond Lully was still breathing. They carried him in haste to -their ship, and immediately set sail for Majorca, in sight of which -island that holy and learned man expired on the 29th of June 1315, at -the age of eighty years.”<a id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">[L]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</span></p> - -<p>It has already been stated that Raymond Lully was one of the most -prolific writers of his own or of any age. The following list of his -works is given by Alfonso de Proaza in 1515, and is reproduced by A. -Perroquet:—</p> - -<table class="autotable"> -<tr> -<td class="tdc"><span class="small">Names of Subjects.</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><span class="small"><abbr title="number">No.</abbr> of Treatises.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>On the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ars Veritatis Demonstrativus</i>,</td> -<td class="tdr">60</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>Grammar and Rhetoric,</td> -<td class="tdr">7</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>Logic,</td> -<td class="tdr">22</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>On the Understanding,</td> -<td class="tdr">7</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>On Memory,</td> -<td class="tdr">4</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>On Will,</td> -<td class="tdr">8</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>On Moral and Political Philosophy,</td> -<td class="tdr">12</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>On Law,</td> -<td class="tdr">8</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>Philosophy and Physics,</td> -<td class="tdr">32</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>Metaphysics,</td> -<td class="tdr">26</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>Mathematics,</td> -<td class="tdr">19</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>Medicine and Anatomy,</td> -<td class="tdr">20</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>Chemistry,</td> -<td class="tdr">49</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td>Theology,</td> -<td class="tdr"><u>212</u></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc">Total number of treatises,</td> -<td class="tdr">486</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p>This list is accepted without suspicion or criticism by M. Delécleuze, -but as Raymond Lully did not begin writing till 1270, and as he died -in 1318 at latest, this calculation requires us to suppose that -he produced ten treatise every year without intermission for the -space of eight and forty<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</span> years, which would have been perfectly -impossible for the most cloistered, book-devoted student, and Raymond -Lully was a man of indefatigable activity, as the facts of his -itinerant existence abundantly reveal. A writer in the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Biographie -Universelle</i>, Paris, 1820, has the following pertinent remarks on -this subject:—“Some of his biographers have extended the number of -his treatises to several thousand.<a id="FNanchor_13" href="#Footnote_13" class="fnanchor">[M]</a> The more moderate have reduced -them from five hundred to three hundred, which lie scattered among the -libraries of Majorca, Rome, Barcelona, the Sorbonne, <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Victor, and the -Chatreux at Paris; but scarcely two hundred can be found distinguished -by their titles and the first words of the work; and this number must -be still further diminished as the difference between some of them is -very slight, as chapters have been given for the titles of separate -works, and as the explanations of professors or disciples have often -been mistaken by uncritical writers for the lessons of the master.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Now, the great problem in the chequered life of the illuminated -theosophist and possessor of the universal science who died thus -violently at Tunis, or Bugia, in the cause of his Master, is -this—whether or not he is to be identified with that Raymond Lully -whom Éliphas Lévi terms “a grand and sublime adept of Hermetic -science,” who is said to have made gold and Rose nobles for one -Edward, King of England, and who left behind him, as monuments of his -unparalleled alchemical proficiency, those world-famous treatises, -testaments, and codicils which, rightly or wrongly, are attributed, -under the title “chemistry, 49 treatises,” to the heroic martyr of -Majorca. On this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</span> important point, the writer, already quoted, in the -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Bibliothèque Universelle</i>, testifies that “the works on alchemy -must be referred to another Raymond, of Ferrago, a Jewish neophyte, who -lived after 1315, and with whom Abraham Bzovius confounded the first -in attributing to him some propositions condemned by Gregory XI.” And -again:—“The works on alchemy attributed to him are too opposed to -the evangelical poverty of a man who had renounced everything in his -zeal for the religion of Jesus Christ, and who protests in many places -against the chimera of the philosopher’s stone, sought in his time -by Arnaud de Villeneuve, whose disciple he was supposed to be. The -circumstances and the dates even in several of these books—of which -that on natural wisdom is addressed to Edward III.—prove, moreover, -that they must be referred to a later epoch.”</p> - -<p>The problem is eminently difficult of solution, and must be considered -at some length.</p> - -<p>Raymond Lully repaired to Vienna to be present at a general council of -the Church in the year 1311. While in this city it is alleged that he -received letters from Edward, King of England, who had ascended the -throne in 1307, and from Robert, King of Scotland, who both invited -him with much persuasion to visit their realms. Hoping to encourage -these princes to assist him in his plans against the infidels, he soon -arrived in London in the company of John Cremer, Abbot of Westminster.</p> - -<p>This ecclesiastic is said to have been one of the most celebrated -Hermetic artists of his age. He worked thirty years to attain the end -of alchemy, but the obscurities of the Hermetic writers, which he -could not clear up, cast him into a labyrinth of errors. The more he -read, the more he wondered; at last, tired of the loss of his money, -and much more of his precious time, he set out to travel,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</span> and had the -good fortune to meet with Raymond Lully in Italy. With him he formed -a strict friendship, remaining some time in his company, edified by -his penitent life, and illuminated by his philosophical conversations. -The adept, though he spoke upon alchemy, would not, however, entirely -discover the essential points of the operation. Cremer was insinuating -and affectionate; he perceived that Lully’s zeal for the conversion -of the infidels extended to the false enthusiasm of exciting open war -against the Mohammedans, and easily persuaded him to visit England, in -the hope of King Edward’s assistance. The adept lodged with his friend -in the Abbey of Westminster, where he worked, and perfected the stone -which Cremer had so long unsuccessfully sought. He was duly presented -to the King, who, previously informed of the talents of the illustrious -stranger, received him with regard and attention.</p> - -<p>When he “communicated his treasures,” the single condition which he -made was that they should not be expended in the luxuries of a court or -in war with a Christian prince, but that the King should go in person -with an army against the infidels.</p> - -<p>Edward, under pretence of doing honour to Raymond, gave him an -apartment in the Tower of London, where the adept repeated his process. -He transmuted base metal into gold, which was coined at the mint into -six millions of nobles, each worth three pounds sterling at the present -day. These coins are well known to antiquarians by the name of Rose -Nobles. They prove in the assay of the test to be a purer gold than the -Jacobus, or any other gold coin made in those times. Lully in his last -testament declares that in a short time, while in London, he converted -twenty-two tons weight of quicksilver, lead, and tin into the precious -metal.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</span></p> - -<p>His lodging in the Tower proved only an honourable prison, and when -Raymond had satisfied the desires of the King, the latter disregarded -the object which the adept was so eager to see executed, and to regain -his own liberty Lully was obliged to escape surreptitiously, when he -quickly departed from England.</p> - -<p>Cremer, whose intentions were sincere, was not less grieved than -Raymond at this issue of the event, but he was subject to his -sovereign, and could only groan in silence. He declares his extreme -affliction in his testament, and his monastery daily offered up prayers -to God for the success of Raymond’s cause. The Abbot lived long after -this, and saw part of the reign of King Edward III. The course of -operations which he proposes in his testament, with apparent sincerity, -is not less veiled than are those in the most obscure authors.<a id="FNanchor_14" href="#Footnote_14" class="fnanchor">[N]</a></p> - -<p>Now, in the first place, this story is not in harmony with itself. If -Raymond Lully were at Vienna in 1311, how did John Cremer contrive -to meet him in Italy at or about the same time? In the second place, -the whole story concerning the manufacture of Rose Nobles is a series -of blunders. The King who ascended the throne of England in 1307 -was Edward II., and the Rose Nobles first appear in the history of -numismatics during the reign of Edward IV., and in the year 1465.</p> - -<p>“In the King’s fifth year, by another indenture with Lord Hastings, -the gold coins were again altered, and it was ordered that forty-five -nobles only, instead of fifty, as in the last two reigns, should be -made of a pound of gold. This brought back the weight of the noble to -one hundred and fifty grains, as it had been from 1351 to 1412, but its -value was raised to 10s. At the same time, new coins impressed with -angels were ordered to be made, sixty-seven<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</span> and a half to be struck -from one pound of gold, and each to be of the value of 6s. 8d.—that is -to say, the new angel which weighed eighty grains was to be of the same -value as the noble had been which weighed one hundred and eight grains. -<em>The new nobles to distinguish them from the old ones were called -Rose Nobles</em>, from the rose which is stamped on both sides of them, -or ryals, or royals, a name borrowed from the French, who had given it -to a coin which bore the figure of the King in his royal robes, which -the English ryals did not. Notwithstanding its inappropriateness, -however, the name of royal was given to these 10s. pieces, not only by -the people, but also in several statutes of the realm.”<a id="FNanchor_15" href="#Footnote_15" class="fnanchor">[O]</a></p> - -<p>In the third place, the testament ascribed to John Cremer, Abbot of -Westminster, and to which we are indebted for the chief account of -Lully’s visit to England, is altogether spurious. No person bearing -that name ever filled the position of Abbot at any period of the -history of the Abbey.</p> - -<p>The only coinage of nobles which has been attributed to alchemy was -that made by Edward III. in 1344. The gold used in this coinage is -supposed to have been manufactured in the Tower; the adept in question -was not Raymond Lully, but the English Ripley.</p> - -<p>Whether the saint of Majorca was proficient in the Hermetic art or not, -it is quite certain that he did not visit the British Isles. It is -also certain that in the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ars Magna Sciendi</i>, part 9, chapter on -Elements, he states that one species of metal cannot be changed into -another, and that the gold of alchemy has only the semblance of that -metal; that is, it is simply a sophistication.</p> - -<p>As all the treatises ascribed to Raymond Lully cannot possibly be his, -and as his errant and turbulent life could<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</span> have afforded him few -opportunities for the long course of experiments which are generally -involved in the search for the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>, it is reasonable -to suppose that his alchemical writings are spurious, or that two -authors, bearing the same name, have been ignorantly confused. With -regard to “the Jewish neophyte,” referred to by the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Biographie -Universelle</i>, no particulars of his life are forthcoming. The whole -question is necessarily involved in uncertainty, but it is a point of -no small importance to have established for the first time the fabulous -nature of the Cremer Testament. This production was first published -by Michael Maier, in his <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Tripus Aureus</i>, about the year 1614. -The two treatises which accompany it appear to be genuine relics of -Hermetic antiquity.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The “Clavicula, or Little Key” of Raymond Lully is generally considered -to contain the arch secrets of alchemical adeptship; it elucidates the -other treatises of its author, and undertakes to declare the whole art -without any fiction. The transmutation of metals depends upon their -previous reduction into volatile sophic argent vive, and the only -metals worth reducing, for the attainment of this <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i>, -are silver and gold. This argent vive is said to be dryer, hotter, -and more digested than the common substance, but its extraction is -enveloped in mystery and symbolism, and the recipes are impossible -to follow for want of the materials so evasively and deceptively -described. At the same time, it is clear that the operations are -physical, and that the materials and objects are also physical, which -points are sufficient for our purpose, and may be easily verified by -research.</p> - -<p>Moreover, the alchemist who calls himself Raymond Lully was acquainted -with nitric acid and with its uses as a dissolvent of metals. He could -form <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">aqua regia</i> by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</span> adding sal ammoniac, or common salt, to -nitric acid, and he was aware of its property of dissolving gold. -Spirit of wine was well known to him, says Gruelin; he strengthened it -with dry carbonate of potash, and prepared vegetable tinctures by its -means. He mentions alum from Rocca, marcasite, white and red mercurial -precipitate. He knew the volatile alkali and its coagulations by -means of alcohol. He was acquainted with cupellated silver, and first -obtained rosemary oil by distilling the plant with water.<a id="FNanchor_16" href="#Footnote_16" class="fnanchor">[P]</a></p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="label">[K]</a> This illness is referred to by another writer, with -details of a miraculous kind. “About 1275 (the chronology of all the -biographers is a chaos of confusion) he fell ill a second time, and -was reduced to such an extremity that he could take neither rest nor -nourishment. On the feast of the Conversion of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Paul, the crucified -Saviour again appeared to him, glorified, and surrounded by a most -exquisite odour, which surpassed musk, amber, and all other scents. In -remembrance of this miracle, on the same day, in the same bed and place -where he lived and slept, the same supernal odour is diffused.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="label">[L]</a> The following variation is also related:—“Finding him -still alive when they bore him to the ship, the merchants put back -towards Genoa to get help, but they were carried miraculously to -Majorca, where the martyr expired in sight of his native island. The -merchants resolved to say nothing of their precious burden, which they -embalmed and preserved religiously, being determined to transport it to -Genoa. Three times they put to sea with a wind that seemed favourable, -but as often they were forced to return into port, which proved plainly -the will of God, and obliged them to make known the martyrdom of the -man whom they revered, who was stoned for the glory of God in the town -of Bugia (?) in the year of grace 1318.” From this account it will be -seen that the place of Lully’s violent death, as well as the date on -which it occurred, are both involved in doubt. He was born under the -pontificate of Honorius IV., and died, according to Genebrand, about -1304; but the author of the preface to the meditations of the Hermit -Blaquerne positively fixes his decease on the feast of the martyrdom of -SS. Peter and Paul, June 29, 1315, and declares that he was eighty-six -years old.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_13" href="#FNanchor_13" class="label">[M]</a> <i>E.g.</i>, Jean-Marie de Vernon, who extends the lists -to about three thousand, and, following the Père Pacifique de Provence, -prolongs his life by the discovery of the universal medicine.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_14" href="#FNanchor_14" class="label">[N]</a> “Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers,” ed. 1815.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_15" href="#FNanchor_15" class="label">[O]</a> Kenyon, “Gold Coins of England,” <abbr title="pages">pp.</abbr> 57, 58.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_16" href="#FNanchor_16" class="label">[P]</a> Gruelin, <i lang="de" xml:lang="de">Geschichte der Chemie</i>, i. 74.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ARNOLD_DE_VILLANOVA">ARNOLD DE VILLANOVA.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The date and the birthplace of this celebrated adept are alike -uncertain. Catalonia, Milan, and Montpellier have been severally named -for the locality, and 1245 is, on the whole, the probable period.</p> - -<p>Arnold studied medicine at Paris for twenty years, after which for ten -more he perambulated Italy, visiting the different universities. He -subsequently penetrated into Spain, but hearing that Peter d’Apono, his -friend, was in the hands of the Inquisition, he prudently withdrew, -and abode under the patronage of Frederick, King of Naples and Sicily, -writing his tracts on medicine and his “Comment on the School of -Salerno.” He is said to have perished in a storm during the year 1314, -but a circular letter written by Pope Clement V. in 1311 conjures -those living under his authority to discover, if possible, and send to -him, the “Treatise on Medicine,” written by Arnold, his physician, who -promised it to the Holy Father, but died before he could present it. In -this case the date of his decease may be more accurately fixed at 1310.</p> - -<p>Arnold was, according to the custom of the period,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</span> charged with -magical practices. François Pegna declares that all his erudition in -alchemy was derived from the demon. Mariana accuses him of attempting -to create a man by means of certain drugs deposited in a pumpkin. But -he is justified by Delrio from these imputations, and the orthodox -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes</i> considers that Clement V. -would not have chosen an initiate of magical arts as his physician. In -1317 the Inquisition of Tarragona condemned his books to be burned, -but this was for the heretical sentiments which they contained. He -wrote strictures on the monastic state and the service of religion, and -maintained that works of divine faith and charity were more agreeable -to God than the Sacrifice of the Mass.</p> - -<p>His skill in Hermetic philosophy has been generally recognised. -His contemporary, the celebrated Jurisconsult, John Andre, says of -him:—“In this time appeared Arnold de Villeneuve, a great theologian, -a skilful physician, and wise alchymist, who made gold, which he -submitted to all proofs.” Arnold has also the character of writing with -more light and clearness than the other philosophers. His alchemical -works were published in 1509, in one folio volume. His <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Libellus de -Somniorum Interpretatione et Somnia Danielis</i> is excessively rare -in its original quarto edition. Several alchemical and magical works -are gratuitously ascribed to him. Among these must be classed the book -called <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De Physicis Ligaturis</i>, supposed to be translated from -the Arabic—<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De Sigillis duodecim Signorum</i>, which is concerned -with the zodiacal signs—and the book of the “Three Impostors,” which -the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes</i> denominates “stupid and -infamous.”</p> - -<p>The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Thesaurus Thesaurorum</i> and the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Rosarium Philosophorum</i>, -the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Speculum Alchemiæ</i> and the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Perfectum Magisterium</i>, are -the most notable of all his alchemical treatises. To these the student -should add his <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Scientia Scientiæ</i> and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</span> brief <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Testamentum</i>. -The editions are various, but the tracts will be found in collected -form in the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Bibliotheca Chemicæ Curiosa</i> of J. J. Mangetus.</p> - -<p>Arnold asserts that argent vive is the medicine of all the metals, that -vulgar sulphur is the cause of all their imperfections, that the stone -of the philosophers is one, and that it is to be extracted from that in -which it exists. It exists in all bodies, including common argent vive. -The first physical work is the dissolution of the stone in its own -mercury to reduce it to its <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i>. All the operations -of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i> are successively described, including the -composition of the white and the red elixirs, and the multiplication of -the metallic medicine.</p> - -<p>The marcasite frequently mentioned by Arnold is thought to be identical -with bismuth. He was acquainted with the preparation of oil of -turpentine, oil of rosemary, and performed distillations in a glazed -earthen vessel with a glass top and helm.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="JEAN_DE_MEUNG">JEAN DE MEUNG.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Poet, alchemist, and astrologer, a man of some fortune, and issued -from an ancient family, Jean de Meung was one of the chief figures -at the Court of King Philippe le Bel. He was born, according to the -latest authorities, about the middle of the thirteenth century, and his -continuation of the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Roman de la Rose</i>, which Guillaume de Lorris -had begun some time before the year 1260, was undertaken not in his -nineteenth year, as generally stated, but about or a little before the -age of thirty, and at the instance of the French King.</p> - -<p>The Romance of the Rose, “that epic of ancient France,” as Éliphas Lévi -calls it, has been generally considered by alchemists a poetic and -allegorical presentation of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</span> secrets of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>. -It professes, at any rate, the principles of Hermetic Philosophy, -and Jean de Meung was also the author of “Nature’s Remonstrances -to the Alchemist” and “The Alchemist’s Answer to Nature.” Hermetic -commentaries have been written upon the romance-poem, and tradition -has ascribed to the author the accomplishment of great transmutations. -The sermon of Genius, chaplain and confessor to Dame Nature, in the -Romance, is an exhibition of the principles of chemistry, as well as -a satire on the bombastic and unintelligible preaching which was in -vogue at that period. From verse 16,914 to verse 16,997 there is much -chemical information.</p> - -<p>The year 1216 is the probable period of the poet’s death. The story -told of his testament has only a foundation in legend, but it is -worth repeating as evidence of the general belief in his skill as an -alchemist.</p> - -<p>He chose by his will, says the story, to be buried in the Church of the -Jacobins, and, as an acknowledgment, left them a coffer that appeared, -at least by its weight, to be filled with things precious, probably -with the best gold which could be manufactured by the skill of the -Hermetists. He ordered, however, that this coffer should not be opened -till after his funeral, when, touched with the piety of the deceased, -the monks assembled in great numbers to be present at its opening, and -to offer up thanks to God. They found to their great disappointment -that the coffer was filled with large pieces of slates beautifully -engraved with figures of geometry and arithmetic. The indignation of -the fathers was excited by the posthumous imposture, and they proposed -to eject the body of Jean de Meung from their consecrated precincts; -but the Parliament being informed of this inhumanity, obliged the -Jacobins, by a decree, to leave the deceased undisturbed in the -honourable sepulchre of their conventual cloisters.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</span></p> - -<p>In “Nature’s Remonstrance to the Alchemist,” who is described as a -foolish and sophistical souffleur, making use of nothing but mechanical -arts, the complainant bitterly abuses the fanatical student who -diffuses over her beautiful domain the rank odours of sulphur, which -he tortures in vain over his furnaces, for by such a method he will -assuredly attain nothing. The alchemist in his “Reply” figures as a -repentant being, convinced of his errors, which he ascribes to the -barbarous allegories, parabolic sentences, and delusive precepts -contained in the writings of the adepts.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_MONK_FERARIUS">THE MONK FERARIUS.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>About the beginning of the fourteenth century, this Italian artist -gave to the world two treatises—<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De Lapide Philosophorum</i> and -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Thesaurus Philosophiæ</i>, which are printed in the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Theatrum -Chimicum</i>.</p> - -<p>The “admirable spectacle” of the palingenesis of plants is described by -this Jesuit. “Immediately consequent on exposing to the rays of the sun -the phial, filled with quintessence of the rose, there is discovered -within the narrow compass of the vase a perfect world of miracles. The -plant which lay buried in its ashes awakes, uprises, and unfolds. In -the space of half-an-hour the vegetable phœnix is resuscitated from -its own dust. The rose issues from its sepulchre and assumes a new -life. It is the floral symbol of that resurrection by which mortals -lying in darkness and in the shadow of death will pass into beautiful -immortality.”</p> - -<p>The treatise on the philosophical stone very pertinently remarks -that in alchemy the first thing to be ascertained is what is really -signified by the myrionimous <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">argentum vivum sapientum</i>, a point -on which the author gracefully<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</span> declines information. Both works are -exceedingly obscure and vexatious. The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Thesaurus Philosophiæ</i> -testifies that the plain speaking of the philosophers is completely -illusory, and that it is only in their incomprehensible profundities -that we must seek the light of Hermes.</p> - -<p>Alchemy is the science of the four elements, which are to be found -in all created substances, but are not of the vulgar kind. The whole -practice of the art is simply the conversion of these elements into -one another. The seed and matter of every metal is mercury, as it is -decocted and otherwise prepared in the bowels of the earth, and each -of them can be reduced into this <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i>, by the help -of which they are also, one and all, susceptible of augmentation and -multiplication, even to infinity.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="POPE_JOHN_XXII">POPE JOHN XXII.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This pontiff is claimed as an adept by the alchemists, a fact which -is denied, but not disproved, by his orthodox biographers. That he -believed in the power of magic is shown by the accusation which he -directed against Géraud, Bishop of Cahors, whom he accredited with the -design of poisoning him, together with the entire college of cardinals, -and with having in particular contrived sorceries and diabolical -enchantments against all of them. He was the contemporary of Raymond -Lully and Arnold de Villanova, and is said to have been the pupil and -friend of the latter. Nevertheless, the mischief occasioned at that -period by the impostures of pretended alchemists led him to issue a -bull condemning the traders in this science as charlatans who promised -what they were unable to perform. Hermetic writers assert that this -bull was not directed against veritable adepts, and his devotion to -his laboratory at Avignon seems a fairly established fact.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</span> Franciscus -Pagi, in his <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Breviarum de Gestis Romanorum Pontificum</i>, has the -following passage:—<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Joannes scripsit quoque latino sermone artem -metallorum transmutorium; quod opus prodiit Gallici incerto translatore -Lugduni, anno 1557 in <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr></i>. It is allowed that he was a writer on -medicine. His <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Thesaurus Pauperum</i>, a collection of recipes, -was printed at Lyons in 1525, and he was the author of a treatise on -diseases of the eye, and of another on the formation of the fœtus. -He was born at Cahors, according to the general opinion, of poor but -reputable parents; he showed at an early period his skill in law and -in the sciences. The circumstances of his life are exceedingly obscure -until his consecration as Bishop of Fréjus in 1300. Subsequently -he was promoted to the see of Avignon, and Clement V. created him -cardinal-bishop of Porto. He was raised to the pontificate at Lyons, -and reigned at Avignon till his death in 1334. He left behind him in -his coffers the sum of eighteen million florins in gold and seven -millions in jewels, besides valuable consecrated vessels. Alchemists -attribute these vast treasures to his skill in their science, and -assert in addition that he manufactured two hundred ingots, apparently -on a single occasion. By a calculation of one of his biographers, this -quantity of the precious metal was equivalent to £660,000, British -sterling. A treatise entitled “The Elixir of the Philosophers, or the -Transmutatory Art of Metals,” is attributed to him. It was translated -from the Latin into French, and published in duodecimo at Lyons in -1557. It is written <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">ad clerum</i>, and for this reason is probably -the more misleading. It represents the constituents of the perfect -medicine to be vinegar, salt, urine, and sal ammoniac, with the -addition of an undescribed substance called sulphur vive.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="NICHOLAS_FLAMEL">NICHOLAS FLAMEL.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The name of this alchemical adept has been profoundly venerated not -only in the memory of the Hermetists but in the hearts of the French -people, among whom he is the central figure of many marvellous legends -and traditions. “Whilst in all ages and nations the majority of -hierophants have derived little but deception, ruination, and despair -as the result of their devotion to alchemy, Nicholas Flamel enjoyed -permanent good fortune and serenity. Far from expending his resources -in the practice of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>, he added with singular -suddenness a vast treasure to a moderate fortune. These he employed -in charitable endowments and in pious foundations that long survived -him and long sanctified his memory. He built churches and chapels -which were adorned with statues of himself, accompanied by symbolical -characters and mysterious crosses, which subsequent adepts long strove -to decipher, that they might discover his secret history, and the -kabbalistic description of the process by which he was conducted to the -realisation of the Grand Magisterium.”</p> - -<p>Whether Flamel was born at Paris or Pontoise is not more uncertain -than the precise date of his nativity. This occurred some time during -the reign of Philippe le Bel, the spoliator of the grand order of -the Temple, and, on the whole, the most probable year is 1330. His -parents were poor, and left him little more than the humble house -in Paris which he continued to possess till his death, and which he -eventually bequeathed to the Church. It stood in Notary Street, at the -corner of Marivaux Street, opposite the Marivaux door of the Church of -Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie.</p> - -<p>Authorities disagree as to the amount of education that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</span> Flamel -obtained in his youth, but it was sufficient to qualify him for -the business of a scrivener, which, in spite of his wealth and his -accredited wisdom, he continued to follow through life. He was -proficient in painting and poetry, and had a taste for architecture and -the mathematical sciences; yet he applied himself steadily to business, -and contracted a prudent marriage, his choice falling on a widow, named -Pernelle, who, though handsome, was over forty years, but who brought a -considerable dowry to her second husband.</p> - -<p>In his capacity as a copyist before the age of printing, books of all -classes fell into the hands of Flamel, and among them were many of -those illuminated alchemical treatises which are reckoned among the -rarest treasures of mediæval manuscripts. Acquainted with the Latin -language, he insensibly accumulated an exoteric knowledge of the aims -and theories of the adepts. His interest and curiosity were awakened, -and he began studying them in his leisure moments. Now tradition -informs us that, whether his application was great, his desire intense, -or whether he was super-eminently fitted to be included by divine -election among the illuminated Sons of the Doctrine, or for whatever -other reason, the mystical Bath-Kôl appeared to him under the figure -of an angel, bearing a remarkable book bound in well-wrought copper, -the leaves of thin bark, graven right carefully with a pen of iron. An -inscription in characters of gold contained a dedication addressed to -the Jewish nation by Abraham the Jew, prince, priest, astrologer, and -philosopher.</p> - -<p>“Flamel,” cried the radiant apparition, “behold this book of which thou -understandest nothing; to many others but thyself it would remain for -ever unintelligible, but one day thou shalt discern in its pages what -none but thyself will see!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</span></p> - -<p>At these words Flamel eagerly stretched out his hands to take -possession of the priceless gift, but book and angel disappeared in an -auriferous tide of light. The scrivener awoke to be ravished henceforth -by the divine dream of alchemy; but so long a time passed without any -fulfilment of the angelic promise, that the ardour of his imagination -cooled, the great hope dwindled gradually away, and he was settling -once more into the commonplace existence of a plodding scribe, when, -on a certain day of election in the year 1357, an event occurred which -bore evidence of the veracity of his visionary promise-maker, and -exalted his ambition and aspirations to a furnace heat. This event, -with the consequences it entailed, are narrated in the last testament -of Nicholas Flamel, which begins in the following impressive manner, -but omits all reference to the legendary vision:—</p> - -<p>“The Lord God of my life, who exalts the humble in spirit out of the -most abject dust, and makes the hearts of such as hope in Him to -rejoice, be eternally praised.</p> - -<p>“Who, of His own grace, reveals to the believing souls the springs of -His bounty, and subjugates beneath their feet the crowns of all earthly -felicities and glories.</p> - -<p>“In Him let us always put our confidence, in His fear let us place our -happiness, and in His mercy the hope and glory of restoration from our -fallen state.</p> - -<p>“And in our supplications to Him let us demonstrate or show forth a -faith unfeigned and stable, an assurance that shall not for ever be -shaken.</p> - -<p>“And Thou, O Lord God Almighty, as Thou, out of Thy infinite and most -desirable goodness, hast condescended to open the earth and unlock Thy -treasures unto me, Thy poor and unworthy servant, and hast given into -my possession the fountains and well-springs of all the treasures and -riches of this world.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</span></p> - -<p>“So, O Lord God, out of Thine abundant kindness, extend Thy mercies -unto me, that when I shall cease to be any longer in the land of the -living, Thou mayst open unto me the celestial riches, the divine -treasures, and give me a part or portion in the heavenly inheritance -for ever.</p> - -<p>“Where I may behold Thy divine glory and the fulness of Thy Heavenly -Majesty, a pleasure, so ineffable, and a joy, so ravishing, which no -mortal can express or conceive.</p> - -<p>“This I entreat of Thee, O Lord, for our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy -well-beloved Son’s sake, who in the unity of the Holy Spirit liveth -with Thee, world without end. Amen.</p> - -<p>“I, <i>Nicholas Flamel</i>, Scrivener, living at <i>Paris</i>, anno -1399, in the <i>Notary Street</i>, near <i><abbr title="saint">St</abbr> James</i>, of the -<i>Bouchery</i>, though I learned not much Latin, because of the -poorness and meanness of my parents, who were notwithstanding (by them -that envy me most) accounted honest and good people.</p> - -<p>“Yet, by the blessing of God, I have not wanted an understanding of the -books of the philosophers, but learned them and attained to a certain -kind of knowledge, even of their hidden secrets.</p> - -<p>“For which cause sake there shall not any moment of my life pass, -wherein remembering this so vast a good, I will not on my bare knees, -if the place will permit of it, or otherwise in my heart, with all the -entireness of my affections, render thanks to this my most good and -precious God.</p> - -<p>“Who never forsakes the righteous generation, or suffers the children -of the just to beg their bread, nor deceives their expectations, but -supports them with blessings who put their trust in Him.</p> - -<p>“After the death of my parents, I, <i>Nicholas Flamel</i>, got<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</span> my -living by the art of writing, engrossing inventories, making up -accounts, keeping of books, and the like.</p> - -<p>“In this course of living there fell by chance into my hands a gilded -book, very old and large, which cost me only two <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">florins</i>.</p> - -<p>“It was not made of paper or parchment, as other books are, but of -admirable rinds (as it seemed to me) of young trees. The cover of it -was of <em>brass</em>; it was well bound, and graven all over with a -strange kind of letters, which I take to be Greek characters, or some -such like.</p> - -<p>“This I know that I could not read them, nor were they either Latin or -French letters, of which I understand something.</p> - -<p>“But as to the matter which was written within, it was engraven (as -I suppose) with an iron pencil or graver upon the said bark leaves, -done admirably well, and in fair and neat Latin letters, and curiously -coloured.</p> - -<p>“It contained thrice seven leaves, for so they were numbered in the top -of each folio, and every seventh leaf was without any writing, but in -place thereof there were several images or figures painted.</p> - -<p>“Upon the first seventh leaf was depicted—1. A Virgin. 2. Serpents -swallowing her up. On the second seventh, a serpent crucified; and on -the last seventh, a desert or wilderness, in midst whereof were seen -many fair fountains, whence issued out a number of serpents here and -there.</p> - -<p>“Upon the first of the leaves was written in capital letters of gold, -Abraham the Jew, Priest, Prince, Levite, Astrologer, and Philosopher, -to the nation of the Jews dispersed by the wrath of God in France, -wisheth health.</p> - -<p>“After which words, it was filled with many execrations and curses, -with this word <span class="smcap">Maranatha</span>, which was oft repeated against any -one that should look in to unfold it, except he were either Priest or -Scribe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</span></p> - -<p>“The person that sold me this book was ignorant of its worth as well -as I who bought it. I judge it might have been stolen from some of the -Jewish nation, or else found in some place where they anciently abode.</p> - -<p>“In the second leaf of the book he consoled his nation, and gave them -pious counsel to turn from their wickedness and evil ways, but above -all to flee from idolatry, and to wait in patience for the coming of -the Messiah, who, conquering all the kings and potentates of the earth, -should reign in glory with his people to eternity. Without doubt, this -was a very pious, wise, and understanding man.</p> - -<p>“In the third leaf, and in all the writings that followed, he taught -them, in plain words, the transmutation of metals, to the end that he -might help and assist his dispersed people to pay their tribute to the -Roman Emperors, and some other things not needful here to be repeated.</p> - -<p>“He painted the vessels by the side or margin of the leaves, and -discovered all the colours as they should arise or appear, with all the -rest of the work.</p> - -<p>“But of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i> or first matter, or agent, he spake -not so much as one word; but only he told them that in the fourth and -fifth leaves he had entirely painted or decyphered it, and depicted or -figured it, with a desirable dexterity and workmanship.</p> - -<p>“Now though it was singularly well and materially or intelligibly -figured and painted, yet by that could no man ever have been able to -understand it without having been well skilled in their Cabala, which -is a series of old traditions, and also to have been well studied in -their books.</p> - -<p>“The fourth and fifth leaf thereof was without any writing, but full of -fair figures, bright and shining, or, as it were, enlightened, and very -exquisitely depicted.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</span></p> - -<p>“First, there was a young man painted, with wings at his ankles, having -in his hand a caducean rod, writhen about with two serpents, wherewith -he stroke upon an helmet covering his head.</p> - -<p>“This seemed in my mean apprehension to be one of the heathen gods, -namely, Mercury. Against him there came running and flying with open -wings, a great old man with an hour-glass fixed upon his head, and a -scythe in his hands, like Death, with which he would (as it were in -indignation) have cut off the feet of Mercury.</p> - -<p>“On the other side of the fourth leaf he painted a fair flower, on the -top of a very high mountain, which was very much shaken by the north -wind. Its footstalk was blue, its flowers white and red, and its leaves -shining like fine gold, and round about it the dragons and griffins of -the north made their nests and habitations.</p> - -<p>“On the fifth leaf was a fair rose-tree, flowered, in the midst of a -garden, growing up against a hollow oak, at the foot whereof bubbled -forth a fountain of pure white water, which ran headlong down into the -depths below.</p> - -<p>“Yet it passed through the hands of a great number of people who digged -in the earth, seeking after it, but, by reason of their blindness, none -of them knew it, except a very few, who considered its weight.</p> - -<p>“On the last side of the leaf was depicted a king, with a faulchion, -who caused his soldiers to slay before him many infants, the mothers -standing by, and weeping at the feet of their murderers.</p> - -<p>“These infants’ blood being gathered up by other soldiers, was put into -a great vessel wherein Sol and Luna came to bathe themselves.</p> - -<p>“And because this history seemed to represent the destruction of the -Innocents by Herod, and that I learned the chiefest part of the art in -this book, therefore I placed in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</span> their churchyard these hieroglyphic -figures of this learning. Thus have you that which was contained in the -first five leaves.</p> - -<p>“As for what was in all the rest of the written leaves, which was wrote -in good and intelligible Latin, I must conceal, lest God being offended -with me should send His plague and judgments upon me. It would be a -wickedness much greater than he who wished that all men in the world -had but one head, that he might cut it off at a blow.</p> - -<p>“Having thus obtained this delicate and precious book, I did nothing -else day and night but study it; conceiving very well all the -operations it pointed forth, but wholly ignorant of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima -materia</i> with which I should begin, which made me very sad and -discontented.</p> - -<p>“My wife, whose name was Perrenelle, whom I loved equally with myself, -and whom I had but lately married, was mightily concerned for me, and, -with many comforting words, earnestly desired to know how she might -deliver me from this trouble.</p> - -<p>“I could no longer keep counsel, but told her all, shewing her the -very book, which, when she saw, she became as well pleased with it -as myself, and with great delight beheld the admirable cover, the -engraving, the images, and exquisite figures thereof, but understood -them as little as I.</p> - -<p>“Yet it was matter of consolation to me to discourse and entertain -myself with her, and to think what we should do to find out the -interpretation and meaning thereof.</p> - -<p>“At length I caused to be painted within my chamber, as much to the -life or original as I could, all the images and figures of the said -fourth and fifth leaves.</p> - -<p>“These I showed to the greatest scholars and most learned men in Paris, -who understood thereof no more than myself: I told them they were found -in a book which taught the philosophers’ stone.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</span></p> - -<p>“But the greatest part of them made a mock both of me and that most -excellent secret, except one whose name was Anselm, a practiser of -physic and a deep student in this art.</p> - -<p>“He much desired to see my book, which he valued more than anything -else in the world, but I always refused him, only making him a large -demonstration of the method.</p> - -<p>“He told me that the first figure represented Time, which devours all -things, and that, according to the number of the six written leaves, -there was required a space of six years to perfect the stone; and then, -said he, we must turn the glass and see it no more.</p> - -<p>“I told him this was not painted, but only to show the teacher the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i>, or first agent, as was written in the book. He -answered me that this digestion for six years was, as it were, a second -agent, and that certainly the first agent was there painted, which was -a white and heavy water.</p> - -<p>“This, without doubt, was <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">argent vive</i>, which they could not fix; -that is, cut off his feet, or take away his volubility, save by that -long digestion in the pure blood of young infants.</p> - -<p>“For in that this <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">argent vive</i> being joined with Sol and Luna -was first turned with them into a plant, like that there painted, and -afterwards by corruption into serpents, which serpents, being perfectly -dried and digested, were made a fine powder of gold, which is the stone.</p> - -<p>“This strange or foreign discourse to the matter was the cause of my -erring, and that made me wander for the space of one and twenty years -in a perfect meander from the verity; in which space of time I went -through a thousand labyrinths or processes, but all in vain; yet never -with the blood of infants, for that I accounted wicked and villainous.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</span></p> - -<p>“For I found in my book that the philosophers called blood the mineral -spirit which is in the metals, chiefly in Sol, Luna, and Mercury, -to which sense I always, in my own judgment, assented. Yet these -interpretations were, for the most part, not more subtle than true.</p> - -<p>“Not finding, therefore, in my operation or course of the process, the -signs, at the time written in my book, I was ever to begin again.</p> - -<p>“In the end, having lost all hope of ever understanding those symbols -or figures, I made a vow to God to demand their interpretation of some -Jewish priest belonging to some synagogue in Spain.</p> - -<p>“Whereupon, with the consent of my wife Perrenelle, carrying with me -the extract or copy of the figures or pictures, I took up a pilgrim’s -habit and staff, in the same manner as you see me figured without the -said arch, in the said churchyard in which I put these Hieroglyphic -Figures.</p> - -<p>“Whereupon also I have set on the wall, on both hands, the process, -representing in order all the colours of the stone, as they rise and go -away again.</p> - -<p>“This is, as it were, the very beginning of Hercules his book, -entitled ‘Iris, or the Rainbow,’ which treats of the stone in these -words:—<em>The process of the work is very pleasing unto nature</em>.</p> - -<p>“And these words I also put there expressly, for the sake of great -scholars and learned men, who may understand to what they allude.</p> - -<p>“In this same manner, I say, I put myself upon my journey to Spain, -and so much I did that I, in a short time, arrived at Mountjoy, and, a -while after, at <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> James, where, with much devotion, I accomplished my -vow.</p> - -<p>“This done, in Leon, I, at my return, met with a merchant of Boulogne, -who brought me acquainted with a physician, M. Canches, a Jew by -nation, but now a Christian, dwelling at Leon aforesaid.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</span></p> - -<p>“I showed him the extract or copy of my figures, by which he was, as it -were, ravished with great astonishment and joy. He desired immediately -if I could tell him any news of the book whence they were drawn.</p> - -<p>“I answered him in Latin (in which language he asked me the question) -that I doubted not of obtaining the sight of the book, if I could meet -with any one who could unfold the enigmas. Hearing this, and being -transported with great earnestness and joy, he began to decypher unto -me the beginning. To be short, he was much pleased that he was in hopes -to hear tidings of the book, and I as much pleased to hear him speak -and interpret it. And, doubtless, he had heard much talk of the book, -but it was, as he said, of a thing which was believed to be utterly -lost. Upon this, we resolved for our voyage, and from Leon we passed to -Oviedo, and thence to Sareson, where we took shipping, and went to sea -in order to go into France.</p> - -<p>“Our voyage was prosperous and happy, and, being arrived in the kingdom -of France, he most truly interpreted unto me the greatest part of my -figures, in which, even to the points and pricks, he could decypher -great mysteries, which were admirable to me. Having attained Orleans, -this learned man fell sick, even to death, being afflicted with extreme -vomitings, which still continued with him, as being first caused by -sea-sickness. Notwithstanding which, he was in continual fear lest I -should leave or forsake him, which was a great trouble to him. And -although I was continually by his side, yet he would be almost always -calling for me. At the end of the seventh day of his sickness he -died, which was no small grief to me, and I buried him, as well as my -condition would permit me, in a church at Orleans.</p> - -<p>“He that would see the manner of my arrival and the joy of Perrenelle, -let him look upon us two in the city of Paris,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</span> upon the door of the -chapel of James of the Boucherie, close by the one side of my house, -where we are both painted, kneeling and giving thanks to God. For -through the grace of God it was that I attained the perfect knowledge -of all I desired.</p> - -<p>“Well, I had now the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i>, the first principles, yet -not their first preparation, which is a thing most difficult above all -other things in the world; but in the end I had that also, after a -long aberration, and wandering in a labyrinth of errors for the space -of three years, or thereabouts, during which time I did nothing but -study and search and labour, so as you see me depicted without this -arch where I have placed my process; praying also continually unto -God, and reading attentively in my book, pondering the words of the -philosophers, and then trying and proving the various operations, which -I thought to myself they might mean by their words. At length I found -that which I desired, which I also soon knew by the scent and odour -thereof. Having this, I easily accomplished the magistery. For knowing -the preparations of the prime agents, and then literally following the -directions in my book, I could not then miss the work if I would.</p> - -<p>“Having attained this, I come now to projection; the first time I -made projection was upon mercury, a pound and a half whereof, or -thereabouts, I turned into pure silver, better than that of the mine, -as I proved by assaying of it myself, and also causing others to assay -it for me several times. This was done in the year of our Lord 1382, -January 17, about noon, being Monday, in my own house, Perrenelle only -present.</p> - -<p>“Again, following exactly the directions in my book, literally and word -by word, I made projection of the red stone, on the like quantity, -Perrenelle only being present, and in the same house, which was done -in the same year<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</span> of our Lord, namely, 1382, April 25, at five in the -afternoon. This mercury I truly transmuted into almost as much gold, -much better, indeed, than common gold, more soft also, and more pliable.</p> - -<p>“I speak it in all truth: I have made it three times, with the help of -Perrenelle, who understood it as well as myself, because she assisted -me in my operations. And without doubt, if she would have done it -alone, she would have brought it to the same, or full as great, -perfection as I had done. I had truly enough when I had once done -it; but I found exceeding great pleasure and delight in seeing and -contemplating <em>the admirable works of Nature within the vessels</em>, -and to show to you that I had thus done it three times, I caused to be -depicted under the same arch, three furnaces, like to those which serve -for the operations of this work.</p> - -<p>“I was much concerned for a long time lest Perrenelle, by reason of -extreme joy, should not hide her felicity, which I measured by my own, -and lest she should let fall some words among her relations concerning -the great treasure we possessed. For an extremity of joy takes away -the understanding as well as an extremity of grief and sorrow. But the -goodness of the most great God had not only given and filled me with -this blessing, to give me a chaste and sober wife, but she was also -a wise and prudent woman, not only capable of reason but also to do -what was reasonable, and was more discreet and secret than ordinarily -other women are. Above all, she was exceedingly religious and devout: -and therefore seeing herself without hope of children, and now well -stricken in years, she made it her business, as I did, to think of God, -and to give ourselves to the works of charity and mercy.</p> - -<p>“Before the time wherein I wrote this discourse, which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</span> was at the -latter end of the year of our Lord 1413, after the death of my faithful -companion, whose loss I cannot but lament all the days of my life, -she and I had already founded, and endowed with revenues, fourteen -hospitals, three chapels, and seven churches, in the city of Paris, all -which we had new built from the ground, and enriched with great gifts -and revenues, with many reparations in their churchyards. We also have -done at Boulogne about as much as we have done at Paris, not to speak -of the charitable acts which we both did to particular poor people, -principally to widows and orphans, whose names should I divulge, with -the largeness of the charity, and the way and manner of doing it, as -my reward would then be only in this world, so neither could it be -pleasing to the persons to whom we did it.</p> - -<p>“Building, therefore, these hospitals, chapels, churches, and -churchyards in the city, I caused to be depicted under the said -fourth arch the most true and essential marks or signs of this art, -yet under veils, types, and hieroglyphic covertures, in imitation of -those things which are contained in the gilded book of Abraham the -Jew; demonstrating to the wise, and men of understanding, the direct -and perfect way of operation, and lineary work of the philosophers’ -stone. Which being perfected by any one, takes away from him the -root of all sin and evil, which is covetousness, changing his evil -into good, and making him liberal, courteous, religious, devout, and -fearing God, however wicked he was before. For from thenceforward he -is continually ravished with the goodness of God, and with His grace -and mercy, which he has obtained from the fountain of Eternal Goodness, -with the profoundness of His divine and adorable power, and with the -consideration of His admirable works.”</p> - -<p>According to Langlet du Fresnoy, the evidence of these<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</span> things remained -in the year 1742. In the cemetery of the Holy Innocents stood the -arch built by Flamel with the hieroglpyhic figures upon it. In two -niches, without the arch and on the cemetery side, were statues of -<abbr title="saint">St</abbr> James and <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> John. Below that of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> John was the figure of Flamel -himself, reading in a book, with a Gothic N. F. to mark his name. The -progression of the colours in the order of the process, originally -represented on the wall, was, however, effaced.</p> - -<p>In the same cemetery was a charnel house, or receptacle for the -skulls and bones disinterred in the digging of new graves. Upon one -of the pillars of this charnel there was a Gothic N. F., with this -inscription:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container" lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse"><i>Ce charnier fut fait & donné à l’Eglise,</i></div> - <div class ="verse"><i>Pour l’amour de Dieu, l’an 1399.</i></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>The second of these evidences was upon the Marivaux door of the Church -of Saint Jacques-la-Boucherie, where on the left side at entering was -the figure of Flamel, kneeling at the feet of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> James, with a Gothic -N. upon the pedestal. The figure of Perrenelle was represented on the -opposite side, kneeling at the feet of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> John, the pedestal bearing a -Gothic P.</p> - -<p>The third evidence was in the street of Notre Dame, at the portal of -Genevieve of Arden. There Flamel’s statue was to be seen in a niche, -kneeling with a desk at his side, looking towards <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> James. There was a -Gothic N. F. below and the inscription, “This portal was built in 1402, -by the alms of many.” Flamel is supposed to have concealed in this -manner that he was the principal donor, but the figure may have been -erected to his memory.</p> - -<p>The fourth and final evidence was in the street of the cemetery of -<abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Nicholas of the Fields, where there was the wall of an unfinished -hospital with figures engraven on the stone and the initials of Flamel.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</span></p> - -<p>After the death of Perrenelle the bereaved adept is supposed to have -prepared for posterity several works on the supreme science which had -enriched him:—<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Le Livre des Figures Hieroglyphiques</i>; <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Le -Sommaire Philosophique</i>, written in verse after the manner of -the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Roman de la Rose</i>; <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Trois Traités de la Transformation -Metallique</i>, also in rhymed verse; <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Le Desir Désiré, ou Trésor de -Philosophie</i>; <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Le Grand Eclaircissement de la Pierre Philosophale -pour la Transmutation de tous Métaux</i>; <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">La Musique Chimique</i>; -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Annotationes in D. Zacharmin</i>, &c.</p> - -<p>Approaching near the end of his life, and having no children, he chose -his burial place in the parish church of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Jacques-la-Boucherie, -before the crucifix. To this end he made a contract with the wardens of -the church, which is mentioned in his testament. He then disposed of -his property and goods to the church and to the poor, as may be seen in -his will, which is lodged in the archives of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Jacques. It is dated -the 22nd November 1416, and begins thus:—“To all those to whom these -present letters shall come, I, Annegny du Castel, chevalier, counsellor -chambellan of the King, our Sire, Keeper of the Prevot of Paris, -greeting: Know ye, that before Hugues de la Barre and Jean de la Noe, -notary clerks of the King, at the Chatelet, was established personally, -Nicholas Flamel, scrivener, sound in body and mind, speaking clearly, -with good and true understanding,” &c. It fills four sheets of -parchment, which are sewed one to the end of the other, like the rolls -of ancient writing. It contains thirty-four articles; in the twentieth -he bequeaths to his relations the sum of forty livres. He lived three -years after making this will, dying about 1419.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Hostile criticism has endeavoured to destroy the testimony which -the history of Flamel affords to the reality of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</span> transmutation, and -has adopted various means. It has attempted to disprove his wealth -by reducing his munificence, representing him simply as an honest -bourgeois, who, thanks to his economy and his assiduity, acquired a -comfortable competence, which a childless condition enabled him to -devote to works of benevolence, and to the erection of public buildings -on a moderate scale. The alchemical testaments and treatises attributed -to him are condemned one and all as absolutely spurious. The chief -expositor of this view is the Abbé L. Vilain in his <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Essai sur une -Histoire de Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie</i>, published in duodecimo at -Paris, in 1758, and again in a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Histoire Critique de Nicolas Flamel -et de Pernel sa Femme</i>, Paris, 1782, &c.</p> - -<p>It must be granted out of hand that all the alchemical compositions -which have passed under the name of Flamel are open to more or less -suspicion, and some are undoubtedly forgeries. The work on metallic -transmutation, which is the earliest traceable treatise, was unheard of -till a hundred and forty-three years after the death of its accredited -author. It was published in the year 1561 by Jacques Goharry. <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Le -Grand Eclaircissement</i> first saw the light in 1628, when the editor, -who apparently abounded in Flamel manuscripts, promised the publication -in addition of <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">La Joie Parfaite de Moi, Nicolas Flamel, et de -Pernelle, ma Femme</i>, which has not, however, appeared.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, there are strong arguments for the genuineness of -the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Trésor de Philosophie</i>. “There exists in the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Bibliothèque -du Roi</i>” says M. Auguste Vallet, “a small manuscript book, -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">grossement relié</i>, according to all appearance belonging to -the end of the fourteenth century, and which treats of alchemical -operations. It commences with these words:—</p> - -<p>“‘Excipit the True Practice of the Noble Science of Alchemy, the -desired desire, and the prize unappraisable,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</span> compiled from all the -philosophers, and drawn out of ancient works.’</p> - -<p>“It teaches the manner of accomplishing the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Magnum Opus</i> by -the aid of successive operations, which are termed <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Lavures</i> in -this treatise. On the last leaf of the manuscript is the following -inscription written by the same hand as the rest of the text:—‘The -present book is of and belonging to Nicolas Flamel, of the Parish -Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, who has written and illuminated it with -his own hand.’”</p> - -<p>With regard to the extent of the scrivener’s resources, the genuine -testament of Pernelle, dated 1399, and the endowments of hospitals and -churches which undoubtedly took place on a scale of great munificence, -are a sufficient evidence that he was an exceedingly wealthy man.</p> - -<p>Other critics, including Louis Figuier, admit the fact of his riches, -but enlarge upon the remunerative nature of a scrivener’s occupation -previous to the invention of printing, and upon the careful frugality -of the supposed alchemist; but in the teeth of their own theory they -are obliged to admit that Flamel did become a student of alchemy, -that the hieroglyphics, figures, and emblems in the Cemetery of the -Holy Innocents are evidence of this fact; that, unlike most followers -of Hermes, he was not impoverished by his experiments; and that he -fostered the report that his wealth was in the main a result of his -possession of the mysterious book of Abraham, by which he had been able -to compose the philosophical stone.</p> - -<p>Gabriel Naudé, who detested magic, and seems to have despised alchemy, -vilifying the possessors of both of these sciences alike, accounts -for the riches of Flamel by asserting that he managed affairs for the -Jews, and upon their banishment from the kingdom of France, and the -confiscation of their property for the king, “he, knowing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</span> the sums due -by several individuals, compromised, by receiving a part, which they -paid him to prevent his giving information which would oblige them to -surrender it entirely.”</p> - -<p>This explanation of the source of Flamel’s riches is a purely unfounded -assertion. If we carefully examine history, there were three expulsions -of the Jews from France between 1300 and 1420. They were banished in -1308, were soon after allowed to return, and were again banished in -1320. These persecutions occurred before the birth of Flamel. The Jews -were re-established by Charles V. in 1364, and they remained in quiet -until the riots which occurred in Paris in 1380, at the beginning of -the reign of Charles VI., when the people rose up against the Jews, -committing great outrages and demanding their expulsion. The sedition, -however, was quelled, and the Jews protected until 1393, when, upon -several charges preferred against them, they were enjoined to quit -France, or else become Christians. The historian Mezeray says that -some of them chose rather to quit their religion than the kingdom, -but others sold their goods and retired. Thus it appears that the -only expulsion of the Jews which could agree with Naudé’s surmise was -without the confiscation of their property, and, therefore, could not -give Flamel the opportunity alleged, if, indeed, it were reasonable to -suppose that all the Parisian Israelites entrusted their affairs to a -single person, when it does not appear that necessity required such -an agency. There is, therefore, no reason to suppose that Flamel was -enriched by the property of the Jews, or that those who owed them money -compounded with Flamel, lest he should denounce them to the king.<a id="FNanchor_17" href="#Footnote_17" class="fnanchor">[Q]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</span></p> - -<p>Thus the theories of hostile criticism break down before impartial -examination, and to whatever source we may choose to ascribe the wealth -of Nicholas Flamel, we have no reason to question his integrity, nor to -deny the explanation of the alchemists, except upon the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">à priori</i> -ground of the impossibility of transmutation.</p> - -<p>The divine gift which was so fortunate a possession to Flamel is -supposed to have been a curse to his descendants. He is reported to -have given some of the transmuting powder to M. Perrier, a nephew of -Perrenelle. From him it descended to <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Perrier, and was found among -his effects at his death by his grandson, Dubois. The prudence and -moderation that accompanied the gift to the Perriers was not found in -Dubois. He exhibited the sacred miracle to improper persons, says an -anonymous writer on alchemy, and was brought before Louis XIII., in -whose presence he made gold of base metal, and this gold augmented its -weight in the cupel. The consequence of this generosity was an infamous -death. The vanity of Dubois was in proportion to his imprudence. He -fancied that he could make or augment the powder, and promised to do -so, but without success. It seems that he was, consequently, suspected -of withholding the art from the king, a circumstance sufficient in -politics to justify strong measures, lest the possessor of the sinews -of war should go over to the enemy.</p> - -<p>Whatever were the charges against Dubois, he was hanged, and his fate -should be a proof, says the writer already quoted, that a science -producing unbounded riches is the greatest misfortune to those who are -unfitted and unprepared to manage the dangerous trust with discretion.</p> - -<p>After the death of Flamel, many persons supposed that there must be -doubtless some buried treasures in the house which he had inhabited -during so many years, and in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</span> which all his Hermetical triumphs had -been performed. This opinion existed in all its strength, at least in -the mind of one individual, so late as the year 1576, when a stranger -applied to the Prévôt of Paris, and stated that he had been entrusted -by a deceased friend with certain sums for the restoration of Flamel’s -house. As the building was exceedingly dilapidated, the magistrates -availed themselves of the opportunity, and repairs were begun under the -direction of delegates of the works of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie. -The true object of the stranger soon became evident by the -determination with which he sought to lay bare the whole foundations -of the house, which was ransacked from top to bottom in search of the -treasures it was supposed to conceal. No discoveries rewarded the zeal -of the investigation, which ended in the sudden disappearance of the -stranger, without paying for the operations which he had caused to be -set on foot.</p> - -<p>As a completion to the history of Flamel, it may be entertaining to -quote an extraordinary account which is seriously narrated by Paul -Lucas in his “Journey through Asia Minor.”</p> - -<p>“I was at Bronosa, in Natolia, and going to take the air with a person -of distinction, came to a little mosque, which was adorned with -gardens and fountains for a public walk; we were quickly introduced -into a cloister, where we found four dervishes, who received us with -all imaginable civility, and desired us to partake of what they were -eating. We were told, what we soon found to be true, that they were -all persons of the greatest worth and learning; one of them, who said -he was of Usbec Tartary, appeared to be more accomplished than the -rest, and I believe verily he spoke all the principal languages of the -world. After we had conversed in Turkish, he asked me if I could speak -Latin, Spanish, or Italian. I told him, if he pleased, to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</span> speak to -me in Italian; but he soon discovered by my accent that it was not my -mother-tongue, and asked me frankly what country I came from? As soon -as he knew that I was a native of France, he spoke to me in as good -French as if he had been brought up at Paris. ‘How long, sir,’ said I, -‘did you stay in France?’ He replied he had never been there, but that -he had a great inclination to undertake the journey.</p> - -<p>“I did all in my power to strengthen that resolution, and to convince -him that France was the nursery of the learned, and its king a patron -of the sciences, who defrayed the expense of my travels for collecting -notices of antiquities, drawings of monuments, correcting maps, and -making a collection of ancient coins, manuscripts, &c., all of which he -seemed to approve civilly. Our conversation being ended, the dervishes -brought us to their house, at the foot of the mountain, where, having -drank coffee, I took my leave, but with a promise, however, that I -would shortly come and see them again.</p> - -<p>“On the 10th, the dervish whom I took for an Usbec came to pay me a -visit. I shewed him all the manuscripts I had bought, and he assured -me they were very valuable, and written by great authors. He was a -man every way extraordinary in learning; and in external appearance -he seemed to be about thirty years old, but from his discourse I was -persuaded he had lived a century.</p> - -<p>“He told me he was one of seven friends, who travelled to perfect their -studies, and, every twenty years, met in a place previously appointed. -I perceived that Bronosa was the place of their present meeting, and -that four of them had arrived. Religion and natural philosophy took up -our thoughts by turns; and at last we fell upon chemistry, alchemy, -and the Cabala. I told him all these, and especially the philosophers’ -stone, were regarded by most men of sense as mere fictions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</span></p> - -<p>“‘That,’ replied he, ‘should not surprise you; the sage hears the -ignorant without being shocked, but does not for that reason sink his -understanding to the same level. When I speak of a sage, I mean one -who sees all things die and revive without concern: he has more riches -in his power than the greatest king, but lives temperately, above the -power of events.’</p> - -<p>“Here I stopped him:—‘With all these fine maxims, the sage dies -as well as other people.’ ‘Alas!’ said he, ‘I perceive you are -unacquainted with sublime science. Such a one as I describe dies -indeed, for death is inevitable, but he does not die before the utmost -limits of his mortal existence. Hereditary disease and weakness reduce -the life of man, but the sage, by the use of the true medicine, can -ward off whatever may hinder or impair the animal functions for a -thousand years.’</p> - -<p>“Surprised at all I heard, ‘And would you persuade me,’ said I, ‘that -all who possessed the philosophers’ stone have lived a thousand years?’ -He replied gravely:—‘Without doubt every one might; it depends -entirely on themselves.’ At last I took the liberty of naming the -celebrated Flamel, who, it was said, possessed the philosophers’ stone, -yet was certainly dead. He smiled at my simplicity, and asked with an -air of mirth:—‘Do you really believe this? No, no, my friend, Flamel -is still living; neither he nor his wife are dead. It is not above -three years since I left both the one and the other in the Indies; he -is one of my best friends.’ Whereupon he told me the history of Flamel, -as he heard it from himself, the same as I had read in his book, -until at last when Charles VI., who was then upon the throne, sent M. -Cramoisi, a magistrate, and his master of requests, to enquire from -Flamel the origin of his riches, when the latter at once saw the danger -he was in. Having sent her into Switzerland<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</span> to await his coming, he -spread a report of his wife’s death, had her funeral celebrated, and in -a few years ordered his own coffin to be interred. Since that time they -have both lived a philosophic life, sometimes in one country, sometimes -in another. This is the true history, and not that which is believed at -Paris, where there are very few who ever had the least glimpse of true -wisdom.’”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>According to the “Treasure of Philosophy,” alchemy as a science -consists in the knowledge of the four elements of philosophers, which -are not to be identified with the vulgar so-called elements, and which -are convertible one into another. The true <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i> is -mercury, prepared and congealed in the bowels of the earth by the -mediation of the heat of sulphur. This is the sperm and semen of all -metals, which, like other created things, are capable of a growth and -multiplication that may be continued even to infinity. The first step -in transmutation is the reduction of the metals worked upon into their -first mercurial matter, and this reduction is the subject of the whole -treatise.</p> - -<p>It does not appear that the alchemical works attributed to Nicholas -Flamel have added anything to our knowledge of chemistry. On the other -hand, it is perfectly clear from his history that the physical object -of Alchemy was the end which he kept in view, and that also which he is -supposed to have attained.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_17" href="#FNanchor_17" class="label">[Q]</a> According to Louis Figuier, there were two minor -persecutions of the Jews, one in 1346, when Flamel was merely a boy, -and the other in 1354, when he was scarcely established in business.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PETER_BONO">PETER BONO.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This adept, born in Lombardy, was an inhabitant of Pola, a seaport of -Istria, where he affirms that he made the much desired transmuting -metal of the sages, in the year 1330.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</span> He wrote and published a -complete treatise on the art under the title <i>Margarita Pretiosa</i>. -Lacinius, a monk of Calabria, has printed a faithful abridgment of it, -which appeared at Venice in 1546. An <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Introductio in Artem Divinam -Alchimiæ</i>, 1602, and <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De Secreto Omnium Secretorum</i>, Venet. -1546, are ascribed to this adept.</p> - -<p>The first of these works is an exceedingly comprehensive, conscientious -treatise on the history, the theory, and the practice of alchemy, -written after the manner of the scholastics, and naturally containing -much irrelevant matter, but for all this very useful and even -interesting. The difficulties of the art are manfully faced, the -sophistications, deceptions, and contradictions of its professors are -reproved, and the author attempts to show that alchemy is in reality a -short art and a slight practice, though full of truth and nobility. His -other opinions are also of a revolutionary character.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="JOHANNES_DE_RUPECISSA">JOHANNES DE RUPECISSA.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This writer is considered one of the most remarkable of the Hermetic -philosophers. He abounds with prophetic passages, and denounces the -fate of nations, but in his alchemical explanation of things physical -is obscure even for an adept. Nothing is known of his life,<a id="FNanchor_18" href="#Footnote_18" class="fnanchor">[R]</a> beyond -the nobility of his origin and his imprisonment in 1357, by Pope -Innocent VI., whom he had reprehended. The illustrious Montfauçon was -one of his descendants, and he poses as an initiate of the secret -chemistry in the following works:—“The Book of Light,” “The Five -Essences,” <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Cœlum Philosophorum</i>, and his most celebrated treatise -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De Confectione Lapidis</i>. There he declares that the matter of -the philosophical stone is a viscous water which is to be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</span> found -everywhere, but if the stone itself should be openly named, the whole -world would be revolutionised. The divine science possessed by the wise -is somewhat poetically celebrated as an incomparable treasure. Its -initiates are enriched with an infinite wealth beyond all the kings of -the earth; they are just before God and men, and in enjoyment of the -special favour of Heaven.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_18" href="#FNanchor_18" class="label">[R]</a> He is said to have been a French monk of the order of St -Francis.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BASIL_VALENTINE">BASIL VALENTINE.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>One of the most illustrious of the adept philosophers is unquestionably -Basilius Valentinus, born at Mayence, and made prior of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Peter’s at -Erfurt in 1414. His name was supposed to be fictitious and adopted for -the purpose of concealing some accomplished artist, but the history -of the city of Erfurt, published by J. M. Gudemus assures us of the -existence and name of the philosopher, on the authority of the public -records, and shows us that in 1413 he was an inmate of the monastic -house already mentioned, and that he distinguished himself by a -profound knowledge of nature.<a id="FNanchor_19" href="#Footnote_19" class="fnanchor">[S]</a> As the work of Gudemus was printed in -1675, the veracity of the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes</i>, -written in the interests of religion and for the blackening of the -secret sciences, may be judged by the following passage:—“His life is -so mixed up with fables that some have disbelieved in his existence. -He is represented flourishing in the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, -and fifteenth centuries; it is even added, <em>without the smallest -proof</em>, that he was a benedictine at Erfurt.”</p> - -<p>According to Olaus Borrichius, he enclosed his writings in one of -the pillars of the abbey church; they remained for many years in -this hiding-place, but were at length<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</span> discovered by the fortunate -violence of a thunderbolt. He was the first who introduced antimony -into medicine, and it is said that he originally tried the effects of -antimonial medicines upon the monks of his convent, upon whom they -acted with such undue violence “that he was induced to distinguish -the mineral from which these medicines had been extracted by the name -of <i>antimoine</i>—hostile to monks.” But Thomson, who relates this -anecdote in his “History of Chemistry,” shows the improbability of -it, for the works of Basil Valentine, and in particular his <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Currus -Triumphalis Antimonii</i>, were written in the German language. Now the -German name for antimony is <i lang="de" xml:lang="de">speissglas</i> and not antimoine, which -is French.</p> - -<p>Basil Valentine denounces the physicians of his time with the fury -of Paracelsus. The most ancient systems of chemical philosophy are -preserved in his experiments. He exalts antimony as an excellent -medicine for those who are acquainted with alchemical secrets. To -others it is a poison of the most powerful nature.</p> - -<p>No further particulars of the life of Basil Valentine have descended -to posterity. Numerous works have been printed in his name, and the -authenticity of several is questionable. He wrote in high Dutch, -and comparatively few of his treatises have been translated into -other languages. The best are as follows:—1. <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">De Microcosmo deque -Magno Mundi Mysterio et Medecina Hominis</i>, Marpurg, 1609, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>; 2. -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Azoth, sive Aurelia Philosophorum</i>, Francfurt, 1613, <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>; 3. -<i>Practica, unà cum duodecim Clavibus et Appendice</i>, Francfurt, -1611, <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>; 4. <i>Apocalypsis Chymica</i>, Erfurt, 1624, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>; 5. -<i>Manifestatio Artificiorum</i>, Erfurt, 1624, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>; 6. <i>Currus -Triumphalis Antimonii</i>, Lipsiæ, 1624, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>; 7. <i>Tractatus -Chimico-Philosophicus de Rebus Naturalibus et Prœternaturalibus -metallorum et mineralium</i>, Francfurt, 1676, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>; 8. <i>Haliographia, -de præparatione,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</span> usu, ac virtutibus omnium Salium Mineralium, -Animalium, ac Vegetabilium, ex manuscriptis Basilii Valentini collecta -ab Ant. Salmincio</i>, Bologna, 1644, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>.</p> - -<p>Every letter and syllable of the “Triumphal Chariot of Antimony” -is declared to have its special significance. “Even to the pointes -and prickes” it bristles with divine meanings and mysteries. The -metrical treatise on the first matter of the philosophers declares -that this stone is composed of white and red, that it is a stone, -and yet scarcely a stone; one nature operates therein. Those who -desire to attain it, Basil elsewhere informs us, must labour in -much prayer, confess their sins, and do good. Many are called, but -few chosen to this supreme knowledge. The study of the works of the -philosophers and practical experiment are both recommended. There -is much in the writings of Basil, in his suggestive if impenetrable -allegories, in his curious Kabbalistical symbols, and in his earnest -spirituality, to suggest a psychic interpretation of his aims and his -principles. This is particularly noticeable in the “Triumphal Chariot -of Antimony,” and yet it is clear from this remarkable work, which is -the masterpiece of its author, that Basil Valentine was one of the -most illustrious physical chemists of his age. He was the first to -describe the extraction of antimony from the sulphuret, though it does -not appear that he was the inventor of this process. Previous to his -investigations the properties of antimony were almost unknown. He was -also acquainted with the method of obtaining chlorohydric acid from -sea-salt and sulphuric acid, with the method of obtaining brandy by the -distillation of beer and wine, and the rectification of the result by -means of carbonate of potassium, and with many other operations which -eminently assisted the progress of chemistry.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_19" href="#FNanchor_19" class="label">[S]</a> Eadem ætate (scilicet anno 1413) Basilius Valentinus in -divi Patri monasteris vixit arte medica <i>et naturale indagatione -admirabilis</i>.</p> - -</div> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ISAAC_OF_HOLLAND">ISAAC OF HOLLAND.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Contemporary with Basilius Valentinus were Isaac the Hollander and his -son, who are supposed to have worked with success. They were the first -alchemists of Holland, and their operations were highly esteemed by -Paracelsus, Boyle, and Kunckel. In practical chemistry they followed -the traditions of Geber, and their alchemical experiments are the most -plain and explicit in the whole range of Hermetic literature. They -worked principally in metals, describing minutely the particulars of -every process. Their lives are almost unknown. “Buried in the obscurity -necessary to adepts, they were occupied in the practice of the Hermetic -science, and their study or laboratory was the daily scene of their -industrious existence.”<a id="FNanchor_20" href="#Footnote_20" class="fnanchor">[T]</a></p> - -<p>They are placed in the fifteenth century by conjecture, from the fact -that they do not cite any philosophers subsequent to that period. They -speak of Geber, Dastin, Morien, and Arnold, but not of more modern -authorities, while, on the other hand, their references to aquafortis -and aqua-regiæ, which were discovered in the fourteenth century, -prevent us from assigning their labours to an anterior epoch.</p> - -<p>The two Isaacs were particularly skilful in the manufacture of enamels -and of artificial gem-stones. They taught that the Grand Magisterium -could convert a million times its own weight into gold, and declared -that any person taking weekly a small portion of the philosophical -stone will be ever preserved in perfect health, and his life will be -prolonged to the very last hour which God has assigned to him.</p> - -<p>The <i>Opera Mineralia Joannis Isaaci Hollandi, sive de Lapide -Philosophico</i> is a long and elaborate treatise on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</span> one method -of exalting the dead and impure metals into true <i>Sol</i> and -<i>Luna</i>. The first matter is said to be Saturn, or lead, and -the vessels in which it is to be calcined and otherwise adapted to -the purposes of aurific art, are plainly figured in illustrations -introduced into the text.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_20" href="#FNanchor_20" class="label">[T]</a> “Lives of Alchemysticall Philosophers.” Ed. of 1815.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BERNARD_TREVISAN">BERNARD TRÉVISAN.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Bernard Compte de la Marche Trévisane is accredited by the popular -legends of France with the powers of a sorcerer in possession of a -devil’s bird or familiar spirit; nevertheless, he is called “the good,” -and enjoyed a particular reputation for benevolence.</p> - -<p>Descendant of a distinguished Paduan family, Bernard Trévisan began to -study the time-honoured science of alchemy about the time that Basil in -Germany, and the two Isaacs in Holland were prosecuting their labours -with supposed success. His father was a physician of Padua, where he -himself was born in the year 1406. The account of his alchemical errors -must rank among the most curious anecdotes in the annals of occult -chemistry.</p> - -<p>At the age of fourteen years, under the auspices of a grandfather, -and with the full consent of his family, he devoted his attention to -alchemy, which henceforth was the absorbing occupation of his life. -Seeking initiation into the first principles of the art, he began by -the study of Geber and Rhasis, believing they would supply him with a -method of multiplying his patrimony a hundred fold. The experiments -which he undertook during his costly tuition by these oracular masters -resulted in the futile dissipation of eight hundred, or, according -to another account, of three thousand crowns. He was surrounded by -pretended philosophers, who, finding him wealthy and eager in the -penetration of tantalising mysteries, proffered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</span> the secrets which they -neither possessed nor understood, obtaining a fraudulent subsistence at -the expense of the boy alchemist.</p> - -<p>Disappointed, but not discouraged, he dismissed these impostors -at length, and devoted his concentrated attention to the works of -Rupecissa and Archelaus Sacrobosco, whom he literally followed for a -time in all his practical operations. Hoping to profit by the help of -a prudent companion, he associated himself with a good monk with whom -he experimented in concert for the space of three years. They rectified -spirits of wine more than thirty times “till they could not find -glasses strong enough to hold it.” These operations cost nearly three -hundred crowns.</p> - -<p>For fifteen years he continued his preliminary experiences, and at -the end of that time he had purchased a perfect knowledge of all -the highways and byways of alchemical rogueries, and was intimately -acquainted with an enormous variety of substances, mineral, metallic, -and otherwise, which did not apparently enter into the composition of -the stone philosophical. He calculates the cost of these experiences -to have been roughly six thousand crowns. He had laboured in vain -to congeal, dissolve, and sublime common salt, sal ammoniac, every -variety of alum, and copperas. He even proceeded upon ordure, both of -man and beasts, by distillation, circulation, and sublimation. These -experiments, based on the literal interpretation of the allegories of -the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">turba philosophorum</i>, again resulted in failure, and at last -discouraged beyond words at the loss of his time and his fortune, he -betook himself to prayer, hoping to discover the aim of the alchemists -by the grace and favour of God. In conjunction with a magistrate of his -country, he subsequently endeavoured to compose the philosophical stone -with sea salt as the chief ingredient. He rectified it fifteen times -during the space of a year and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</span> a half without finding any alteration -in its nature, whereupon he abandoned the process for another proposed -by the magistrate, namely, the dissolution of silver and mercury by -means of aquafortis. These dissolutions, undertaken separately, were -left to themselves for a year, and then combined and concentrated over -hot ashes to reduce their original volume to two-thirds. The residuum -of this operation, placed in a narrow crucible, was exposed to the -action of the solar rays, and afterwards to the air, in the hopes that -it would crystallize. Twenty-two phials were filled with the mixture, -and five years were devoted to the whole operation, but at the end -of that period no crystallization had taken place, and thus was this -operation abandoned, like the rest, as a failure.</p> - -<p>Bernard Trévisan was now forty-six years old, and at the end of his -experimental resources he determined to travel in search of true -alchemists. In this manner he met with a monk of Citeaux, Maître -Geofroi de Lemorier, who was in possession of a hitherto unheard of -process. They purchased two thousand hens’ eggs, hardened them in -boiling water, and removed the shells, which they calcined in a fire. -They separated the whites from the yolks, which they putrified in -horse manure. The result was distilled thirty several times for the -extraction of a white and red water. These operations were continually -repeated with many variations, and vainly occupied eight years more of -the toil-worn seeker’s life.</p> - -<p>Disappointed, disheartened, but still pertinaciously adhering to -his search after the Grand Secret, Trévisan now set to work with a -protonotary of Bruges, whom he describes as a great theologian, and -who pretended to extract the stone from sulphate of iron (copperas) by -distillation with vinegar. They began by calcining the sulphate for -three months, when it was soaked in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</span> vinegar, which had been eight -times distilled. The mixture was placed in an alembic, and distilled -fifteen times daily for a year, at the end of which the seeker was -rewarded by a quartan fever which consumed him for fourteen months, and -which almost cost him his life.</p> - -<p>He was scarcely restored to health when he heard from a clerk that -Maître Henry, the confessor of the German Emperor, Frederick III., was -in possession of the philosophical stone. He immediately set out for -Germany, accompanied by some baffled sons of Hermes like himself. They -contrived, <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">par grands moyens et grands amis</i>, to be introduced -to the confessor, and began to work in conjunction with him. Bernard -contributed ten marks of silver, and the others thirty-two, for -the indispensable expenses of the process, which consisted in the -combination of mercury, silver, oil of olives, and sulphur. The whole -was dissolved over a moderate fire, and continually stirred. In two -months it was placed in a glass phial, which they covered with clay, -and afterwards with hot ashes. Lead, dissolved in a crucible, was -added after three weeks, and the product of this fusion was subjected -to refinement. At the end of these operations the imperial confessor -expected that the silver which had entered into the combination would -be augmented at least by a third, but, on the contrary, it was reduced -to a fourth.</p> - -<p>Bernard Trévisan in utter despair determined to abandon all further -experiments. The resolution was applauded by his family, but in two -months the Circean power of the secret chemistry had asserted its -former dominion over the whole being of its martyr, who, in a fever of -eagerness, recommenced his travels, and visited Spain, Italy, England, -Scotland, Holland, Germany, and France. Then, anxious to drink at -the oriental fountains of alchemy, he spent several years in Egypt, -Persia, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</span> Palestine, after which he passed into southern Greece, -visiting remote convents and experimenting in conjunction with monks -of reputation in the science. In every country he found there were -alchemists at work, but of those who were successful he could hear -no account. The true philosophers declined to make themselves known, -while impostors, in search of the credulous, presented themselves on -all sides. Bernard expended in these travels, and in false operations -connected with them, about thirteen thousand crowns, and was forced -to sell an estate which yielded eight thousand German florins per -annum. He was now sixty-two years of age, and as he had been deaf to -the remonstrances of his family, he saw himself despised and on the -threshold of want and misery. He endeavoured to conceal his poverty, -and fixed on the Isle of Rhodes, wherein to live entirely unknown. Now, -at Rhodes he became acquainted with <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">un grand clerc et religieux</i>, -who was addicted to philosophy, and commonly reported to be enjoying -the philosophical stone. He managed to borrow eight thousand florins, -and laboured with this monk in the dissolution of gold, silver, and -corrosive sublimate; he accomplished so much in the space of three -years that he expended the funds he had raised, and was again at the -end of his resources. Thus, effectually prevented from continuing the -practice, he returned to the study of the philosophers, and after eight -years, at the age of seventy-three, he professes to have discovered -their secret. By comparing the adepts and examining in what things they -agree, and in what they differ, he judged that the truth must lie in -those maxims wherein they were practically unanimous. He informs us -that it was two years before he put his discovery to the test; it was -crowned with success, and notwithstanding the infirmities of old age, -he lived for some time in the enjoyment of his tardy reward.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</span></p> - -<p>The chief work of Trévisan is <i>La Philosophie Naturelle des -Métaux</i>. He insists on the necessity of strong and discreet -meditation in all students of Hermetic philosophy. Their operations -must wait on nature, and not nature on their arbitrary processes. -Mercury is said to be the water of metals, “in which, by a mutual -alteration, it assumes in a convertible manner their mutations.” -Gold is simply quicksilver coagulated by the power of sulphur. The -secret of dissolution is the whole mystery of the art, and it is to -be accomplished not by means of fire, as some have supposed, but, -with the help of mercury, in an abstruse manner, which is not really -indicated by the adept. The work of nature is assisted by alchemy, -which mingles ripe gold with quicksilver, the gold comprising in -itself a well-digested sulphur, by which it matures the mercury to the -“anatide proportion” of gold, subtilising the elements and wonderfully -abbreviating the natural process for producing the precious metal of -the mines.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="JOHN_FONTAINE">JOHN FONTAINE.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The life of this artist is buried in the obscurity of his closet or -laboratory, where he divided his time between attention to his furnaces -and the composition of curious verses. He was alive at Valenciennes -in the year 1413. His Hermetic poem, <i>Aux Amoureux de Science</i>, -has been printed several times. The author announces that he is an -adept, and describes in an allegorical manner, after the fashion of the -“Romance of the Rose,” and in the same quaint and beautiful tongue, -the different processes which enter into the art of transmutation. His -little work may be profitably studied by the neophytes of practical -alchemy, though its benefits are of a negative kind, but its paradise -of dainty devices and its old world<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</span> nature pictures are better suited -to the poet and the poetic interpretation of symbols.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THOMAS_NORTON">THOMAS NORTON.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The scientific methods of Ripley were followed by this alchemist, who -was born in the city of Bristol. He wrote anonymously, but the initial -syllables in the six first lines, and the first line in the seventh -chapter of his “Ordinall of Alchemy,” compose the following couplet:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container" lang="ang" xml:lang="ang"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Thomas Norton of Briseto,</div> - <div class="verse">A parfet master you may him trow.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class="i0">At the age of twenty-eight, and in the brief space of forty days, he -is recorded to have mastered “the perfection of chymistry,” obtaining -his knowledge from a contemporary adept, who appears to have been -Ripley himself. He describes his initiator as a person of noble mind, -worthy of all praise, loving justice, detesting fraud, reserved when -surrounded by a talkative company, quite unassuming, and if ever the -conversation turned upon the Great Art, preserving complete silence. -For a long time Norton sought him in vain; the adept proved him by -various trials, but when he was satisfied of his disposition, manners, -and habits, as well as of his strength of mind, his love yielded to the -fidelity and perseverance of his postulant, and in answer to one of his -letters he addressed him as follows:—</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">My trusty and well-beloved Brother</span>,—I shall not any longer -delay; the time is come; you shall receive this grace. Your honest -desire and approved virtue, your love of truth, wisdom, and long -perseverance, shall accomplish your sorrowful desires.</p> - -<p>“It is necessary that, as soon as convenient, we speak<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</span> together face -to face, lest I should by writing betray my trust. I will make you my -heir and brother in this art, as I am setting out to travel in foreign -countries. Give thanks to God, Who, next to His spiritual servants, -honours the sons of this sacred science.”</p> - -<p>Norton lost no time in undertaking a journey to his instructor, and -rode upwards of a hundred miles on horseback to reach the abode of the -adept. During the forty days already mentioned he received the advice -and directions of his friend. He was already to a great extent prepared -for initiation by a long course of natural philosophy, as well as by -the study of the occult and curious sciences. The “disclosure of the -bonds of nature” took place, and he became convinced of the truth -and certainty of the art by the rationality of its theorems. He felt -confident of success in the practice, but the adept, on account of his -youth, refused to instruct him in the process from the white to the red -powder, lest the divine gift should be misused in a moment of passion. -In due time, and after further proofs of his capacity and integrity, he -would communicate the work of the medicinal stone. This, the supreme -desire of the neophyte, was afterwards accomplished.</p> - -<p>The chemical operations of Norton were destined, however, to meet with -two signal disappointments. He had almost perfected the tincture, when -his own servant, who was employed in the care of the furnace, believing -that the prize was complete, carried it away. He again undertook the -process and succeeded in making the elixir, but he complains that it -was stolen by the wife of a merchant, said to be William Canning, Mayor -of Bristol, who suddenly started into great wealth, and who built the -splendid and lofty steeple of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Mary’s, Radcliffe, besides enlarging -Westbury College.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</span></p> - -<p>It is doubtful whether Thomas Norton ever enjoyed the fruits of his -supposed knowledge. He does not speak of his own transmutations, and -if he is called by one of his contemporaries <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">alchemista suo tempore -peritissimus</i>, by others he is termed <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Nugarum opifex in frivola -scientia</i>. The latter declare that he undid himself by his labours, -and that all his friends who trusted him with their money were as much -ruined as himself. According to Fuller, he lived and died very poor; -nevertheless his family appears to have been held in high repute under -King Henry VIII. There were nine brothers of the name of Norton. One -anonymous writer asserts that they were all of them knights. The tomb -of Sampson Norton, master of the king’s ordnance, and buried in Fulham -Church, was adorned with Hermetic paintings, according to one account, -but Faulkner, in his historical account of Fulham, describes it as -a rich Gothic monument, ornamented with foliage and oak-leaves, and -bearing an obliterated inscription.</p> - -<p>Thomas Norton died in 1477. His grandson Samuel followed in his steps -as an alchemist, and was the author of several Hermetic treatises, -which are not very highly esteemed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>“The Ordinal of Alchemy” testifies that the stone is one. In appearance -it is a subtle earth, brown, and opaque; it stands the fire, and is -considered to be of no value. There is also another and glorious stone, -which is termed the philosophical magnesia. Alchemy is a wonderful -science, a secret philosophy, a singular grace and free gift of the -Almighty, which was never discovered by independent human labour, but -only by revelation or the instruction of one of the adepts.</p> - -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</span> -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“It helpeth a man when he hath neede,</div> - <div class="verse">It voideth vaine Glory, Hope, and also Dreade:</div> - <div class="verse">It voideth Ambitiousnesse, Extorcion, and Excesse,</div> - <div class="verse">It fenceth Adversity that shee doe not oppresse.</div> - <div class="verse">He that thereof hath his full intent,</div> - <div class="verse">Forsaketh Extremities, with Measure is content.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>A certain mineral virtue is said to be the efficient cause in -the production of metals in the bowels of the earth; it is in -correspondence with the virtues of the celestial spheres. The red stone -lengthens life, but it is vain to seek it till after the confection of -the white.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THOMAS_DALTON">THOMAS DALTON.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The only account of this English adept is preserved by Thomas Norton. -He was alive in the year 1450, and is described as a religious man, who -enjoyed a good reputation till, upon suspicion that he had a large mass -of transmuting powder, he was taken from his abbey in Gloucestershire -by Thomas Herbert, one of the squires of King Edward, and being brought -into the royal presence he was confronted by Debois, another of the -king’s squires, to whom Dalton was formerly a chaplain. Debois alleged -that Dalton, in less than twelve hours, made him a thousand pounds of -good gold, and he attested the fact upon oath. Then Dalton, looking -at Debois, said, “Sir, you are forsworn.” Debois acknowledged that -he had vowed never to reveal the benefit which he had received, but -for the king’s sake and the good of the commonwealth he ought not to -keep his oath. Dalton now addressed the king, and informed him that he -had received the powder of projection from a canon of Lichfield, on -condition that he forbore to make use of it till after the death of the -donor. Since that event he had been in so much danger and disquietude -on account of its possession that he had destroyed it in secret. -The king dismissed Dalton, giving him four marks for his travelling -expenses; but Herbert lay in wait for him<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</span> brought him from Stepney, -and thence conveyed him to the castle of Gloucester, where every means -were vainly tried to induce him to make the philosophers’ tincture.</p> - -<p>After four years’ imprisonment, Dalton was brought out to be beheaded -in the presence of Herbert. He obeyed with resignation and joy, saying: -“Blessed art thou, Lord Jesus! I have been too long from you; the -science you gave me I have kept without abusing it; I have found no one -apt to be my heir, wherefore, sweet Lord, I will render Thy gift to -Thee again.”</p> - -<p>Then, after some devout prayer, with a smiling countenance he desired -the executioner to proceed. Tears gushed from the eyes of Herbert when -he beheld him so willing to die, and saw that no ingenuity could wrest -his secret from him. He gave orders for his release. His imprisonment -and threatened execution were contrived without the king’s knowledge to -intimidate him into compliance. The iniquitous devices having failed, -Herbert did not dare to take away his life. Dalton rose from the block -with a heavy countenance and returned to his abbey, much grieved at the -further prolongation of his earthly sojourn. Herbert died shortly after -this atrocious act of tyranny, and Debois also came to an untimely end. -His father, Sir John Debois, was slain at the battle of Tewksbury, May -4, 1471, and two days after, as recorded in Stow’s <i>Annales</i>, -he himself, James Debois, was taken, with several others of the -Lancastrian party, from a church where they had fled for sanctuary, and -was beheaded on the spot.<a id="FNanchor_21" href="#Footnote_21" class="fnanchor">[U]</a></p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_21" href="#FNanchor_21" class="label">[U]</a> Stow, “Annales of England,” p. 424, ed. 1615.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="SIR_GEORGE_RIPLEY">SIR GEORGE RIPLEY.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This illustrious alchemical philosopher, whose works paved the royal -road to the initiation, in after times, of his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</span> still more illustrious -pupil, the sublime and mysterious Philalethes, entered, at an early -age, among the regular canons of Bridlington, in the diocese of York. -The tranquillity of monastic life afforded him a favourable opportunity -for the study of the great masters in transcendental chemistry, but he -found himself notwithstanding incompetent for their full comprehension, -and in considerable consequent disappointment he determined to travel, -persuading himself that he should discover in the conversations of -philosophers what he could not glean from books.</p> - -<p>In Italy, Germany, and France he became acquainted with various men of -learning, and was present at a transmutation which was performed in -Rome. He proceeded afterwards to the island of Rhodes, where a document -is supposed to exist testifying that he gave £100,000 to the Knights -of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> John of Jerusalem. He was dignified by the Pope, which fact, on -his return to Bridlington, excited the jealousy of his brethren, and -in consequence of their hostility he entered the Carmelite order at -Butolph, in Lincolnshire, and, by an indulgence from Innocent VIII., -had permission to live in solitude, exempt from cloistral observances, -and in his now uninterrupted leisure he wrote twenty-four books, -some scientific, and others on devout subjects. The “Twelve Gates -of Alchemy” he composed in 1471, and he declares that any of his -experiments recorded from 1450 to 1470 should be entirely discredited, -as he wrote them from theory, and found afterwards by practice that -they were untrue. Hence it may be concluded that he employed twenty -years in mastering the secrets of the science. He died at Butolph in -1490.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>“The Twelve Gates of Alchemy” describe the stone as a triune microcosm, -whence Ripley has been cited as an adept of the spiritual chemistry. -He insists upon the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</span> necessity of proportion in its composition, and -declares that the principle, or <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">prima materia</i>, may be found -everywhere. It flies with fowls in the air, swims with fishes in the -sea, it may be discerned by the reason of angels, and it governs man -and woman. An astronomical year is required for the manufacture of the -stone.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PICUS_DE_MIRANDOLA">PICUS DE MIRANDOLA.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>John Picus, Earl of Mirandola, was born on the 24th February 1463. He -is equally celebrated for his precocity, the extent of his learning, -his prodigious memory, and his penetrating intellect. As the pupil -of Jochanum, a Jew, he became early initiated in the Kabbalistic -interpretation of Scripture, and at the age of twenty-four years he -published nine hundred propositions in logic, mathematics, physics, -divinity, and Kabbalism, collected from Greek, Latin, Jewish, and -Arabian writers. In his treatise <i>De Auro</i>, he records his -conviction of the success of Hermetic operations, and gives us the -following narrations:—</p> - -<p>“I come now to declare that which I have beheld of this prodigy, -without veil or obscurity. One of my friends, who is still living, has -made gold and silver over sixty times in my presence. I have seen it -performed in divers manners, but the expense of making the silver with -a metallic water exceeded the produce.”</p> - -<p>In another place he tells us that “a good man who had not a sufficiency -to support his family, was reduced to the last extremity of distress; -with an agitated mind he went one night to sleep, and in a dream he -beheld a blessed angel, who, by means of enigmas, instructed him in -the method of making gold, and indicated to him, at the same time, the -water he should use to ensure success. At his awaking he proceeded to -work with this water, and made<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</span> gold, truly in small quantity, yet -sufficient to support his family. Twice he made gold of iron and four -times of orpiment. He convinced me by the evidence of my own eyes that -the art of transmutation is no fiction.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PARACELSUS">PARACELSUS.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim was born in -the year 1493, at Maria Einsiedeln, in the canton of Zurich, in -Switzerland. He was descended from the ancient and honourable family -of Bombast, which had abode during many generations at the castle of -Hohenheim near Stuttgart, Würtemberg. His father was a physician of -repute, and in possession of a large collection of curious books. His -mother had been the matron of a hospital, and Theophrastus, their only -child, was born one year after their marriage. He is said to have been -emasculated in his infancy, a tradition which may have been invented to -account for his beardless and feminine appearance, and for his hatred -of women.</p> - -<p>Paracelsus received the first rudiments of education from his father, -and, as he advanced in his studies and capacity, he was instructed in -alchemy, surgery, and medicine. One of the works of Isaac Holland fell -into his hands, and from that moment he was inflamed with the ambition -of curing diseases by medicine superior to the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">materia</i> at that -time in use. He performed several chemical operations, according to the -books of the celebrated Hollander, and adopted from his writings the -ancient principles that a salt, mercury, and sulphur form a trinity -in every substance. This system he enlarged and explained by his own -intellectual illumination. He imbibed much of his father’s extensive -learning, and then continued his studies under the guidance of monks -in the convent of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Andrew of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</span> Savon, afterwards at the University -of Basel, and finally devoted himself to the occult sciences with the -illustrious Johann Trithemius, Abbot of Spanheim, for his teacher and -director. In this way he acquired “the Kabbalah of the spiritual, -astral, and material worlds.” He was afterwards placed under the care -of Sigismond Hagger or Fagger, to be improved in medicine, surgery, and -chemistry. At twenty years of age he started on his travels through -Germany, Hungary, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, -and Russia. In Muscovy he is said to have been taken prisoner by -the Tartars, who brought him before “the great Cham.” His knowledge -of medicine and chemistry made him a favourite at the court of this -potentate, who sent him in company with his son on an embassy to -Constantinople. It was here, according to Helmont, that he was taught -the supreme secret of alchemistry by a generous Arabian, who gave him -the universal dissolvent, the Azoth of western adepts, the alcahest or -sophic fire. Thus initiated, he is said to have proceeded to India. On -his return to Europe he passed along the Danube into Italy, where he -served as an army surgeon, performing many wonderful cures.</p> - -<p>At the age of thirty-two he re-entered Germany, and was soon after -invited to take a professorship of physic, medicine, and surgery at the -University of Basel, then illuminated by the presence of Erasmus and -Oporinus. There, in his lectures, he professed “internal medicine,” -denounced the antiquated systems of Galen and other authorities, and -began his instruction by burning the works of these masters in a brass -pan with sulphur and nitre. He created innumerable enemies by his -arrogance and his innovations, but the value of his mineral medicines -was proved by the cures which he performed. These cures only increased -the hatred of his persecutors, and Paracelsus<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</span> with characteristic -defiance invited the faculty to a lecture, in which he promised to -teach the greatest secret in medicine. He began by uncovering a dish -which contained excrement. The doctors, indignant at the insult, -departed precipitately, Paracelsus shouting after them:—“If you will -not hear the mysteries of putrefactive fermentation, you are unworthy -of the name of physicians.” Subsequently, he came into conflict with -the municipal authorities, and was forced to flee from Basel. He -resumed his strolling life, lodging at public inns, drinking to excess, -but still performing admirable cures. Oporinus testifies that even -during the period of his professorship he never seemed sober.</p> - -<p>In 1528, Paracelsus proceeded to Colmar. In 1530 he was staying at -Nuremberg, where the faculty denounced him as an impostor, but he -transfixed his opponents by curing in a few days some desperate cases -of elephantiasis. “Testimonials to this effect,” says Hartmann, his -latest biographer, “may still be found in the archives of the city of -Nuremberg.” He continued his wanderings and his intemperate manner of -life, dying on the 24th of September 1541.</p> - -<p>The actual manner of his death has been variously recounted. The -original “Lives of Alchemysticall Philosophers” says that it occurred -on a bench of the kitchen fire of the inn at Strasburg. <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Hartmann, on -the other hand, tells us that he “went to Maehren, Kaernthen, Krain, -and Hongary, and finally landed in Salzburg, to which place he was -invited by the Prince Palatine, Duke Ernst of Bavaria, who was a great -lover of the secret arts. In that place, Paracelsus obtained at last -the fruits of his long labours and of a wide-spread fame. But he was -not destined to enjoy a long time the rest he so richly deserved.... -He died, after a short sickness (at the age<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</span> of forty-eight years and -three days), in a small room of the ‘White Horse’ Inn, near the quay, -and his body was buried in the graveyard of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Sebastian.” His death is -supposed to have been hastened by a scuffle with assassins in the pay -of the orthodox medical faculty.</p> - -<p>The last commentator on Paracelsus, <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Franz Hartmann, has devoted a -chapter to the alchemical and astrological teachings of the seer of -Hohenheim. The first art, according to Paracelsus, separates the pure -from the impure, and develops species out of primordial matter. It -perfects what Nature has left imperfect, and, therefore, its principles -are of universal application, and are not restricted to the metallic -and mineral kingdoms. Gold can be made by physical chemistry, but the -process is poor and unproductive in comparison with the gold which can -be produced by an exercise of the occult powers which exist in the soul -of man. Actual and material gold can be psycho-chemically manufactured. -By this amazing theory, Paracelsus created a new school of alchemy, -which abandoned experimental research, and sought within themselves the -secret, subject, and end of alchemystical philosophy.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="DENIS_ZACHAIRE">DENIS ZACHAIRE.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>It appears that the true name of this persevering and indefatigable -seeker after the end and truth of alchemy has not in reality come -down to us, that which is placed at the head of his <i>Opusculum -Chimicum</i> being simply pseudonymous. It is to this little work that -we are indebted for one of the most singular histories in the annals of -the Hermetic art.</p> - -<p>Denis Zachaire was born of a noble family, in an unmentioned part of -Guienne, during the year 1510. He was sent, as a youth, to Bordeaux, -under the care of a tutor, to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</span> prosecute the study of philosophy and -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">belles lettres</i>. His preceptor, however, had a passion for -alchemy, and inoculated his pupil with the fatal fever of the sages. -They speedily abandoned the common academical courses for the thorny -pathways of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>, and Denis, in particular, devoted -himself to the assiduous compilation of a vast volume of Hermetic -receipts, indicating a thousand processes, with a thousand various -materials, for the successful manufacture of gold. From Bordeaux he -proceeded to Toulouse, still in the society of his tutor, and for the -ostensible study of law, but in reality for the experimental practice -of alchemy. Two hundred crowns with which they were supplied for their -maintenance during the next two years were speedily expended in the -purchase of furnaces, instruments, and drugs, for the literal execution -of the processes contained in the books of the adepts.</p> - -<p>“Before the end of the year,” as he himself informs us, “my two hundred -crowns were gone in smoke, and my tutor died of a fever he took in -summer from his close attention to the furnace, which he erected in -his chamber, and stayed there continually in extreme heat. His death -afflicted me much, and still more as my parents refused to supply -me with money, except what was just necessary for my support. I was -therefore unable to proceed in my grand work.</p> - -<p>“To overcome these difficulties I went home in 1535, being of age, to -put myself out of guardianship; and I disposed of some of my property -for four hundred crowns. This sum was necessary to execute a process -which was given me in Toulouse, by an Italian, who said he saw it -proved. I kept him living with me, to see the end of his process.</p> - -<p>“We dissolved gold and silver in various sorts of strong waters, but -it was all in vain; we did not recover from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</span> the solution one half of -the gold and silver which we had put into it. My four hundred crowns -were reduced to two hundred and thirty, of which I gave twenty to the -Italian, to proceed to Milan, where, he said, the author of the process -lived, and whence he would return with his explanations. I remained at -Toulouse all the winter, awaiting him, and I might have tarried there -still, as I never have heard of him since.</p> - -<p>“In the ensuing summer the city being visited by the plague, I went -to Cahors, and there continued for six months. I did not lose sight -of my work, and became acquainted with an old man who was called -the philosopher, a name given in the country to any one of superior -information. I communicated to him my practices and asked his advice. -He mentioned ten or twelve processes which he thought better than -others. I returned to Toulouse when the plague ceased, and renewed my -labours accordingly. The only consequence was that my money was all -spent, except one hundred and seventy crowns. To continue my operations -with more certainty, I made acquaintance with an abbé, who dwelt in -the neighbourhood of this city. He was taken with a passion for the -same pursuit as myself, and he informed me that one of his friends, who -lived with Cardinal Armanac, had sent him a process from Rome which -he believed genuine, but it would cost two hundred crowns. I agreed -to furnish one half of this sum, and he gave the rest, so we began to -work together. Our process required a large supply of spirits of wine. -I purchased a cask of excellent wine, from which I drew the spirit and -rectified it many times. We took two pounds weight of it and half a -pound weight of gold, which we had calcined for a month. These were -included in a pelican and placed in a furnace. This work lasted a year, -but, not to remain idle, we made some other<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</span> experiments to amuse -ourselves, and from which we expected to draw sufficient profit to pay -the cost of our great work.</p> - -<p>“The year 1537 passed over without any change appearing in the subject -of our labours. We might have remained through our whole lives in -the same state, for we should have known that the perfect metals are -unaltered by vegetable or animal substances. We took out our powder and -made projection upon hot quicksilver, but it was in vain! Judge then of -our grief, especially as the abbé had notified to all his monks that -they would have to melt the lead cistern of their house in order that -he might convert it into gold as soon as our operations were finished.</p> - -<p>“My bad success could not make me desist. I again raised four hundred -crowns on my property; the abbé did the same, and I set out for Paris, -a city containing more alchemists than any other in the world. I -resolved to remain there as long as the eight hundred crowns lasted, or -until I succeeded in my object. This journey drew on me the displeasure -of my relations, and the censure of my friends, who imagined I was a -studious lawyer. However, I made them believe that the design of my -sojourn in Paris was the purchase of a situation in the law courts.</p> - -<p>“After travelling for fifteen days I arrived at Paris in January -1539. I remained a month almost unknown, but no sooner had I visited -the furnace makers and conversed with some amateurs than I became -acquainted with more than a hundred artists, who were all at work in -different ways. Some laboured to extract the mercury of metals and -afterwards to fix it. A variety of systems were held by others, and -scarcely a day passed in which some of them did not visit me, even on -Sundays and the most sacred festivals of the Church, to hear what I had -done.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</span></p> - -<p>“In these conversations one said:—‘If I had the means to begin again, -I should produce something good.’ Another—‘Would that my vessel -had been strong enough to resist the force of what it contained.’ -Another—‘If I had possessed a round copper vessel well closed, I would -have fixed mercury with silver.’ There was not one without a reasonable -excuse for his failure, but I was deaf to all their discourses, -recollecting my experience as the dupe of similar expectations.</p> - -<p>“I was tempted, nevertheless, by a Greek who had a process with -cinnabar, which failed. At the same time I became acquainted with a -strange gentleman, newly arrived, who often, in my presence, sold -the fruit of his operations to the goldsmiths. I was a long time -frequenting his company, but he did not consent to inform me of his -secret. At last I prevailed over him, but it was only a refinement -of metals more ingenious than the rest. I failed not to write to the -abbé, at Toulouse, enclosing a copy of the process of the stranger, and -imagining that I had attained some useful knowledge, he advised me to -remain another year at Paris, since I had made so good a beginning.</p> - -<p>“After all, as to the philosophers’ stone, I succeeded no better than -before. I had been three years at Paris, and my money was nearly -expended, when I had a letter from the abbé, informing me that he -had something to communicate, and that I should join him as soon as -possible.</p> - -<p>“On my arrival at Toulouse, I found that he had a letter from King -Henry of Navarre, who was a lover of philosophy, and who requested -that I should proceed to Pau, in Berne, to teach him the secret I -had received from the stranger at Paris. He would recompense me with -three or four thousand crowns. The mention of this sum exhilarated the -abbé, and he never let me rest till I set out to wait on the prince. -I arrived at Pau in May 1542. I found the prince<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</span> a very curious -personage. By his command I went to work, and succeeded according -to the process I knew. When it was finished I obtained the expected -recompense, but although the king wished to serve me further, he was -dissuaded by the lords of his court, even by those who had engaged me -to come to him. He dismissed me with great acknowledgments, desiring -me to see if there was anything in his estates which would gratify me, -such as confiscations or the like, and that he would give them to me -with pleasure. These promises, which meant nothing, did not lead me -to entertain the hopes of a courtier, and I returned to the abbé at -Toulouse.</p> - -<p>“On my road I heard of a religious man, who was very skilful in natural -philosophy. I went to visit him; he lamented my misfortunes, and said, -with a friendly zeal, that he advised me to amuse myself no longer -with these various particular operations, which were all false and -sophistical, but that I should rather peruse <em>the best books of the -ancient philosophers</em>, as well to know <em>the true matter</em> as -the <em>right order that should be pursued</em> in the practice of this -science.</p> - -<p>“I felt the truth of this safe counsel, but before I put it in -execution, I went to see my friend at Toulouse, to give him an account -of the eight hundred crowns that we had put in common, and to divide -with him the recompense I had received from the King of Navarre. If -he proved not content with all I told him, he was still less so at -the resolution I had taken to discontinue my operations. Of our eight -hundred crowns, we had but eighty-six left. I departed from him, and -returned home, intending to go to Paris, and there remain until I -was fixed in my theory of reading the works of the adepts. I reached -Paris in 1546, and remained there a year, assiduously studying the -<i>Turba Philosophorum</i>, the good Trévisan, the “Remonstrance of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</span> -Nature,” and some other of the best books. But as I had no <em>first -principles</em>, I knew not on what to determine.</p> - -<p>“At length I went out of my solitude, not to see my old acquaintances, -the searchers after particular tinctures and minor works, but to -frequent those who proceeded in the great process by the books of -the genuine adepts. I was, nevertheless, disappointed herein, by -the confusion and disagreement of their theories, by the variety of -their works, and of their different operations. Excited by a sort of -inspiration, I gave myself up to the study of Raymond Lully and Arnold -de Villa Nova. My reading and meditation continued another year. I -then <em>formed my plan</em>, and only waited to sell the remainder of -my land to enable me to go home, and put my resolution into practice. -I commenced at Christmas, 1549, and after some preparations, having -procured everything that was necessary, I began my process, not without -inquietude and difficulty. A friend said to me:—“What are you going -to do? have you not lost enough by this delusion?” Another assured me -that if I continued to purchase so much coal, I should be suspected of -counterfeiting coin, of which he had already heard a rumour. Another -said I ought to follow my business of a lawyer. But I was chiefly -tormented by my relations, who reproached me bitterly with my conduct, -and threatened to bring the officers of justice into my house to break -my furnaces in pieces.</p> - -<p>“I leave you to judge my trouble and grief at this opposition. I -found no consolation but in my work, which prospered from day to day, -and to which I was very attentive. The interruption of all commerce, -which was occasioned by the plague, gave me the opportunity of great -solitude, in which I could examine with undisturbed satisfaction the -success of the three colours which mark the true work. I thus arrived -at the perfection of the tincture,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</span> and made an essay of its virtue on -common quicksilver, on Easter Monday, 1550. In less than an hour it -was converted into pure gold. You may guess how joyful I was, but I -took care not to boast. I thanked God for the favour he shewed me, and -prayed that I should be permitted to use it but for His glory.</p> - -<p>“The next day I set out to find the abbé, according to the promise we -gave each other, to communicate our discoveries. On my way, I called at -the house of the religious man who had assisted me by his good advice. -I had the grief to find that both he and the abbé had been dead about -six months. I did not go back to my house, but sought another place, -to await the arrival of one of my relations whom I had left at my -dwelling. I sent him a procuration to sell all that I possessed, both -house and furniture, to pay my debts, and to distribute the remainder -among those of my relations who were in want. He soon after rejoined -me, and we set out for Lausanne, in Switzerland, resolved to pass our -days without ostentation in some of the celebrated cities of Germany.”</p> - -<p>In his unknown retreat<a id="FNanchor_22" href="#Footnote_22" class="fnanchor">[V]</a> the adept recorded his adventures and -experiences when in search of the philosophical stone, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">ut -divertarem bonos piosque vivos, à sophisticationibus, ad viam rectam -perfectionis in hoc opere divino</i>. His little work is entitled -simply <i>Opusculum Chemicum</i>; it opens with the romantic narrative -which I have cited almost <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">in extenso</i>. It calls Hermes <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnus -propheta noster</i>, insists that the art is the gift of God alone on -the authority of all the initiates, and quotes so largely from previous -writers that it can scarcely be considered an original work on the -Hermetic philosophy.</p> - -<p>The life of Bernard Trévisan has abundantly testified to the physical -nature of his object, which is amply<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</span> confirmed by this treatise. The -methods of projection upon metals, the composition of precious stones, -and the application of the tincture as a medicine for the human body, -are successively considered. One grain of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">divinum opus</i>, -dissolved in white wine, transmutes that liquor into a rich citron -colour, and has innumerable hygienic uses.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_22" href="#FNanchor_22" class="label">[V]</a> See Appendix I.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BERIGARD_OF_PISA">BERIGARD OF PISA.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The following account of a transmutation performed by himself, is -recorded by the celebrated Italian philosopher, Claude Berigard, and -will be found on the twenty-fifth page of his <i>Circulus Pisanus</i>, -published at Florence in 1641.</p> - -<p>“I did not think that it was possible to convert quicksilver into gold, -but an acquaintance thought proper to remove my doubt. He gave me about -a drachm of a powder nearly of the colour of the wild poppy, and having -a smell like calcined sea-salt. To avoid all imposition, I purchased a -crucible, charcoal, and quicksilver, in which I was certain that there -was no gold mixed. Ten drachms of quicksilver which I heated on the -fire were on projection transmuted into nearly the same weight of good -gold, which stood all tests. Had I not performed this operation in the -most careful manner, taking every precaution against the possibility of -doubt, I should not have believed it, but I am satisfied of the fact.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHARNOCK">CHARNOCK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Thomas Charnock was born in the Isle of Thanet, in the year 1524. -He calls himself an unlettered scholar, and student in astronomy -and philosophy. He practised surgery, and, though he knew only the -rudiments of Latin,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</span> it appears that he was famous in the neighbourhood -of Salisbury, where he had established himself, for his accomplishments -in the liberal sciences. He had two masters in alchemy, the first -being Sir James S——, a priest, dwelling in the cloisters, near -Salisbury, who informed Charnock that he did not derive his knowledge -from any living adept, but that by meditation upon the words of the -philosophers, he had mastered the principal secrets of alchemy as he -lay in his bed, and had accordingly succeeded in making the silver -powder.</p> - -<p>The other master who instructed Charnock was a blind man, led by -a boy, whom the neophyte accidentally discovered at an inn among -other travellers, by a few words of the occult chemistry, which he -perceived in his conversation. As soon as the company had retired, -Charnock questioned the speaker, and requested instruction in natural -philosophy. To this the adept objected that he was unacquainted with -his interrogator, saying he would render up his knowledge to God who -gave it, if he did not meet with a certain Master Charnock, the fame of -whose learning and charity had reached him.</p> - -<p>At these words Charnock made himself known, and the old man discoursed -with him for an hour, during which time he found him expert in many -mysteries of the sacred science. He promised Charnock that if he made a -vow not to reveal the secret for gold, preferment, or through affection -for great men, but only at death to one who was truly devoted to the -search into nature, he would make him the heir of his knowledge. -Accordingly, on the following Sunday they received the Eucharist -together, and then, withdrawing into the middle of a large field, the -boy was sent away out of hearing, and, in a few words, the blind man -uttered “the mystery of mineral prudence.” Their conversations were -continued for nine days. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</span> secrets of alchemy were disclosed, and -the adept also related his own private history, acquainting Charnock -that his name was William Bird, that he had been a prior of Bath, and -had defrayed the expense of repairing the abbey church from treasure -which he had acquired by means of the red and white elixirs. At the -suppression of the abbey, he concealed the inestimable powder in the -wall, and returning in ten days it was gone. He found a few rags in the -place where he had left it. This misfortune almost deprived him of his -senses; he wandered about, and lost his sight. He was therefore unable -to repeat his process, and continued to travel over the country, led by -a boy. He had received his Hermetic knowledge from a servant of Ripley.</p> - -<p>At the time of this communication, Charnock was twenty-eight years -old, and two years after his first master fell sick while attending -his furnace for the completion of the red stone. He sent for Charnock, -made him the heir of his work, and died after giving him instructions -how to proceed. Charnock began his operations on the materials left by -his leader, and was much perplexed by the difficulty of keeping the -fire equal. He often started out of his sleep to examine the fuel; but -after all his care, which continued during the space of several months, -the frame of wood that covered the furnace took fire during a short -period of his absence, and when, smelling the burning, he ran up to his -laboratory, he discovered that his work was completely destroyed. This -occurred on January 1, 1555. To repair the mischief he was obliged to -recommence at the first part of the process, and he hired a servant to -assist in taking care of the fire. In the course of two months certain -signs filled him with hopes of success, when his dependence on his -servant proved the ruin of his work. He discovered that this unfaithful -assistant would let the fire nearly out, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</span> then, to conceal his -neglect, would rekindle it with grease till it was so hot as to scorch -the matter beyond recovery.</p> - -<p>In the third attempt, Charnock resolved to proceed without help. His -fire cost him three pounds a week, and he was obliged to sell some -rings and jewels to maintain it. He made good progress in the course -of eight months, and expected to be rewarded in a little time for all -his labours; but at this critical period he was impressed to serve as -a soldier at the siege of Calais. Furious with disappointment, he took -a hatchet, smashed his glasses, furnace, and apparatus, and threw them -out of the house.</p> - -<p>He wrote his “Breviary of Philosophy” in 1557, and the “Enigma of -Alchemy” in 1572, with a memorandum, dated 1574, when he was fifty -years old. Therein he declares his attainment of the gold-producing -powder when his hairs were white. The “Breviary” claims to describe -all the vessels and instruments which are required in the science; a -potter, a joiner, and a glassmaker must lend their several services. -The address of one of these artificers, specially recommended by the -author, is said to be Chiddinfold in Sussex; he could manufacture -egg-shaped glasses which opened and shut “as close as a hair.” The -regulation of the philosophical fire is described in this curious poem, -but the rest of its information is of a purely autobiographical kind.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="GIOVANNI_BRACCESCO">GIOVANNI BRACCESCO.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This alchemist of Brescia flourished in the sixteenth century. He was -the author of a commentary on Geber, which is not supposed to cast -much light on the obscurities of the Arabian philosopher. The most -curious of his original treatises is <i>Legno della Vita, vel quale -si dichiara la<span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</span> medecina per la quale i nostri primi padri vivevano -nove cento anni</i>, Rome, 1542, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>.—“The Wood of Life, wherein is -revealed the medicine by means of which our Primeval Ancestors lived -for Nine Hundred Years.” This work, together with <i>La Esposizione -di Geber Filosophe</i>, Venice, 1544, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>, was translated into Latin, -and may be found in the collections of Gratarole and Mangetus. They -were also published separately under the title <i>De Alchimia dialogi -duo</i>, Lugd., 1548, <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. The Wood of Life is one of the innumerable -names given by the alchemists to the matured and perfected stone, the -composition whereof is the accomplishment of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>. -It is more generally denominated the Universal Balsam or Panacea, -which cures all diseases and insures to its most blessed possessor an -unalterable youth. The name Wood of Life is bestowed by the Jews on -the two sticks which confine the scroll of the Law. They are convinced -that a simple contact with these sacred rods strengthens the eyesight -and restores health. They also hold that there is no better means of -facilitating the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">accouchement</i> of females than to cause them to -behold these vitalising sticks, which, however, they are in no wise -permitted to touch.<a id="FNanchor_23" href="#Footnote_23" class="fnanchor">[W]</a></p> - -<p>The work of Braccesco is written in the form of a dialogue, and is -explanatory of the Hermetic principles of Raymond Lully, one of the -interlocutors, who instructs an enthusiastic disciple in the arcane -principles of the divine art, the disciple in question being in search -of a safeguard against the numerous infirmities and weaknesses of -the “humid radical.” Such a medicine is declared by the master to -be extracted from a single substance, which is the sophic <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">aqua -metallorum</i>. The dialogue is of interest, as it shows the connection -in the mind of the writer between the development of metallic -perfection and the physical regeneration of humanity.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_23" href="#FNanchor_23" class="label">[W]</a> <i>Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes</i>, i. p. 232.</p> - -</div> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="LEONARDI_FIORAVANTI">LEONARDI FIORAVANTI.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Doctor, surgeon, and alchemist of the sixteenth century, this Italian -was a voluminous author, who is best known by his “Summary of the -Arcana of Medicine, Surgery, and Alchemy,” published in octavo at -Venice in 1571, and which has been reprinted several times. It contains -an application of Hermetic methods and principles to the science of -medicine, but the author’s account of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">petra philosophorum</i> -shows the designation to be of a purely arbitrary kind, for it is a -mixture of mercury, nitre, and other substances, intended to act on the -stomach, and has no connection with the transmuting <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">lapis</i> of the -alchemical sages.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="JOHN_DEE">JOHN DEE.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The life of this pseudo-adept, and of Edward Kelly, his companion in -alchemy, is involved in a cloud of necromancy and magico-Hermetical -marvels, so that the fabulous and historical elements are not to be -easily separated.</p> - -<p>The true name of Edward Kelly is supposed to have been Talbot. He is -said to have been born at Worcester in 1555, and to have followed the -profession of a lawyer in London. His talents in penmanship appear to -have been utilised in the falsification of deeds. He was prosecuted at -Lancaster, according to a narrative of his enemies, for an offence of -this nature, and was condemned to lose his ears. By some he is said to -have suffered this punishment,<a id="FNanchor_24" href="#Footnote_24" class="fnanchor">[X]</a> by others to have evaded it, seeking -safety in Wales, where he lodged at an obscure inn, and concealed his -identity by adopting a new name. During this sojourn an old manuscript -was shown him by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</span> the innkeeper, which was indecipherable by himself -or his neighbours. The so-called Edward Kelly, being initiated into -the mysteries of ancient writing, discovered it to be a treatise on -transmutation, and his curiosity was highly excited. He inquired as to -its history, and was told that it had been discovered in the tomb of -a bishop who had been buried in a neighbouring church, and whose tomb -had been sacrilegiously uptorn by some wretched heretical fanatics at -that epoch of furious religiomania and rampant Elizabethan persecution. -The object of this desecration was the discovery of concealed treasures -in the resting-place of the prelate, to whom immense riches were -attributed by popular tradition. The impiety was, however, rewarded by -nothing but the manuscript in question, and two small ivory bottles, -respectively containing a ponderous red and white powder. These pearls -beyond price were rejected by the pigs of apostasy; one of them was -shattered on the spot, and its ruddy, celestine contents for the most -part lost. The remnant, together with the remaining bottle and the -unintelligible manuscript, were speedily disposed of to the innkeeper -in exchange for a skinful of wine. The unbroken bottle was transferred -by the new owner as a plaything to his children, but the providence -which in the main overwatches the accomplishment of the sublime act -preserved its contents intact. When Edward Kelly, with an assumed -antiquarian indifference about objects which were more curious than -valuable, offered a pound sterling for all the articles, a bargain was -promptly effected. The lawyer was by no means an alchemist, but he -believed himself possessed of a Hermetic treasure; he determined, at -all risks, to return to London, and consult with his friend <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Dee, -who abode in a cottage at Mortlake, and who, in matters of magical -devilment, and in the tortuosities of the occult, was considered a man -of men.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</span></p> - -<p>Whether he had been accused of forgery, whether he had lost his ears, -or not, the discovery of Edward Kelly caused the necromantic doctor to -be blind to his faults or his crimes; he at once set to work in his -company, in the year 1579, and in the month of December a stupendous -success was the crown of their labour in common. The richness of -Kelly’s tincture proved to be one upon two hundred and seventy-two -thousand two hundred and thirty; but they lost much gold in experiments -before they knew the extent of its power. In <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Dee’s “Diary in -Germany” he mentions the book of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Dunstan, which is probably the -manuscript of Kelly, and also the powder “found at the digging in -England,” which indicates some foundation for the narrative just given. -The place where the treasure was obtained is reported to have been the -ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, founded by <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Dunstan. The last abbot was -hanged by Henry VIII. for his adherence to the Papal cause.</p> - -<p>Kelly appears to have taken up his quarters at Islington. In June -1583 an attachment was issued against him for coining, of which his -companion declares him guiltless. In the following September, <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Dee, -his wife and children, and Edward Kelly, with his wife, accompanied -by a certain Lord Albert Alasco, of Siradia, in Poland, departed from -London for Cracow. As soon as they had arrived in the north of Germany, -Dr Dee received a letter from one of his friends in England, informing -him that his library at Mortlake had been seized and partially -destroyed, on the vulgar report of his unlawful studies, and that his -rents and property were sequestered. Despite the possession of the -Donum Dei, all parties appear to have been in considerable penury in -consequence.</p> - -<p>In 1585 we find them at Prague, then the metropolis of alchemy, and the -headquarters of adepts and adeptship.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</span> Edward Kelly and his companions -presently abounded in money, and the owner of the Hermaic Benediction -made no secret of his prize or his powers, indulged in all kinds of -extravagance, performed continual projections for himself and his -friends, as well as for many persons of distinction who sought his -acquaintance. Much of the result was distributed. The transmutations -of Kelly at this period are attested by several writers, including -Gassendus. The most authenticated and remarkable, according to Figuier, -is that which took place in the house of the imperial physician, -Thaddeus de Hazek, when, by the mediation of a single drop of a red -oil, Kelly transmuted a pound of mercury into excellent gold, the -superabundant virtue of the agent leaving in addition at the bottom -of the crucible a small ruby. <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Nicholas Barnaud, the assistant of -Hazek, and an alchemical writer, whose works are as rare as they are -reputable, was a witness of this wonder, and subsequently himself -manufactured the precious metal, the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">désir désiré</i>, with the -assistance of Edward Kelly.</p> - -<p>The report spread, and the adept was invited by the Emperor Maximilian -II. to the Court of Germany, where his transmutations raised him into -highest favour; he was knighted, and created Marshal of Bohemia. Now -perfectly intoxicated, he posed as a veritable adept, who was able to -compose the inestimable projecting powder. This gave a handle to the -enemies whom his exaltation had made him; they persuaded the Emperor to -practically imprison this living philosophical treasure, and to extract -his alchemical secret. His misfortunes now began. Absolute inability to -obey the imperial mandate and compose a considerable quantity of the -stone philosophical, was interpreted as a contumacious refusal; he was -cast into a dungeon, but on engaging to comply with the demand if he -had the liberty to seek assistance, he was speedily set free, whereupon -he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</span> rejoined <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Dee, and they again set to work in concert. The Book -of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Dunstan indicated the use but not the preparation of the powder, -and their experiments, vigilantly overwatched to prevent the escape -of Kelly, proved entirely futile. In the desperation which succeeded -their failure, the outrageous disposition of Kelly broke out, and he -murdered one of his guards. He was again imprisoned, his companion, for -the most part, remaining unmolested, and employing his opportunities, -it is said, to interest Queen Elizabeth in the fate of the Emperor’s -prisoner. She claimed the alchemist as her subject, but his recent -crime had rendered him obnoxious to the laws of the empire, and he was -still detained in his dungeon.</p> - -<p>In 1589, <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Dee set out himself for England. He halted at Bremen, and -was there visited by Henry Khunrath, one of the greatest adepts of -the age. The Landgrave of Hesse sent him a complimentary letter, and -was presented in return with twelve Hungarian horses. <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Dee arrived -in England after an absence of six years; he was received by the -Queen, who subsequently visited him at his house, presented him with -two hundred angels to keep his Christmas, and gave him a license in -alchemy. Sir Thomas Jones offered him his Castle of Emlin, in Wales, -for a dwelling; he was made Chancellor of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Paul’s, and in 1595, -Warden of Manchester College. He repaired thither with his wife and -children, and was installed in February 1596. He does not appear to -have accomplished any transmutation after his return to England. In -1607 we again find him at Mortlake, living on the revenue which he -derived from Manchester, but subject to much persecution by the Fellows -of that College. He died in 1608, at the age of eighty years.</p> - -<p>The Hermetic abilities of Kelly were always believed in by the Emperor; -he continued to detain him, hoping<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</span> to extract his secret. Some friends -of the unfortunate alchemist endeavoured, in the year 1597, to effect -his escape by means of a rope, but he fell from the window of his -prison, and died of the injuries which he received.</p> - -<p>During his confinement he composed a treatise on the philosophical -stone, and the Diary of <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Dee was published from a genuine Ashmolean -manuscript in 1604. The son of John Dee became physician to the Czar at -Moscow, and in his <i>Fasciculus Chemicus</i>, he states that, in early -youth, he witnessed transmutation repeatedly for the space of seven -years.</p> - -<p>The metrical account of Sir Edward Kelly’s work in the <i>Theatrum -Chemicum Britannicum</i> informs all who are broiling in the kitchen of -Geber to burn their books “and come and learn of me,” for they can no -more compound the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Elixir Vitæ</i> and the precious stone than they -can manufacture apples. The progenitor of magnesia, wife to the gold of -the philosophers, is not a costly thing. The philosophical gold is not -common but Hermetic sulphur, and magnesia is essential mercury.</p> - -<p>The <i>Testamentum Johannis Dee Philosophi Summi ad Johannem Gwynn, -transmissum 1568</i>, is lucidly worded as follows in its reference to -the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Cut that in Three which Nature hath made one,</div> - <div class="verse">Then strengthen yt, even by it self alone;</div> - <div class="verse">Wherewith then cutte the powdered sonne in twayne,</div> - <div class="verse">By length of tyme, and heale the wounde againe.</div> - <div class="verse">The self same sonne troys yet more, ye must wounde,</div> - <div class="verse">Still with new knives, of the same kinde, and grounde;</div> - <div class="verse">Our monas trewe thus use by Nature’s Law,</div> - <div class="verse">Both binde and lewse, only with rype and rawe,</div> - <div class="verse">And aye thank God who only is our Guyde,</div> - <div class="verse">All is ynough, no more then at this tyde.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_24" href="#FNanchor_24" class="label">[X]</a> Morhof, <i>Epistola ad Langlelotum de Metallorun -Transmutatione</i>.</p> - -</div> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="HENRY_KHUNRATH">HENRY KHUNRATH.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This German alchemist, who is claimed as a hierophant of the psychic -side of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>, and who was undoubtedly aware of the -larger issues of Hermetic theorems, must be classed as a follower of -Paracelsus. He was a native of Saxony, born about the year 1560. He -perambulated a large portion of Germany, and at the age of twenty-eight -received the degree of medical doctor at the University of Basle. He -practised medicine at Hamburg and afterwards at Dresden, where he died -in obscurity and poverty, on the 9th of September 1601, aged about -forty-five years. The <i>Amphitheatrum Sapientiæ Æternæ solius veræ, -Christiano Kabbalisticum divino magicum</i>, &c., published in folio in -1609, is the most curious and remarkable of his works, some of which -still remain in manuscript.<a id="FNanchor_25" href="#Footnote_25" class="fnanchor">[Y]</a> It was left unfinished by its author, -appearing four years after his decease, with a preface and conclusion -by his friend Erasmus Wohlfahrt.</p> - -<p>The prologue directs the aspirant to the supreme temple of everlasting -wisdom to know God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent, to know also -himself, and the mysteries of the macrocosmos. The whole treatise is -purely mystical and magical. The seven steps leading to the portals of -universal knowledge are described in an esoteric commentary on some -portions of the Wisdom of Solomon. The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">lapis philosophorum</i> is -declared to be identical with the Ruach Elohim who brooded over the -face of the waters during the first period of creation. The Ruach -Elohim is called <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">vapor virtutis Dei</i>, and the internal form -of all things. The perfect stone is attained through Christ, and, -conversely, the possession of that treasure gives the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</span> knowledge of -Christ. The <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Amphitheatrum Sapientiæ Æternæ</i> seems to be the voice -of the ancient chaos, but its curious folding plates are exceedingly -suggestive.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_25" href="#FNanchor_25" class="label">[Y]</a> Chausepié, <i>Dictionnaire</i>.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="MICHAEL_MAIER">MICHAEL MAIER.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This celebrated German alchemist, one of the central figures of the -Rosicrucian controversy in Germany, and the greatest adept of his age, -was born at Ruidsburg, in Holstein, towards the year 1568. In his youth -he applied himself closely to the study of medicine, and establishing -himself at Rostock, he practised that art with so much success that he -became physician to the Emperor Rudolph II., by whom he was ennobled -for his services. Some adepts, notwithstanding, succeeded in enticing -him from the practical path which he had followed so long into the -thorny tortuosities of alchemical labyrinths. <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Il se passionna pour -le grand œuvre</i> and scoured all Germany to hold conferences with -those whom he imagined to be in possession of transcendent secrets. The -<i>Biographie Universelle</i> declares that he sacrificed his health, -his fortune, and his time to these “ruinous absurdities.” According to -Buhle,<a id="FNanchor_26" href="#Footnote_26" class="fnanchor">[Z]</a> he travelled extensively; and on one occasion paid a visit to -England, where he made the acquaintance of the Kentish mystic, Robert -Fludd.</p> - -<p>He appears as an alchemical writer a little before the publication of -the Rosicrucian manifestoes. In the controversy which followed their -appearance, and which convulsed mystic Germany, he took an early and -enthusiastic share, defending the mysterious society in several books -and pamphlets. He is supposed to have travelled in search of genuine -members of the “College of Teutonic Philosophers R.C.,” and, failing -to meet with them, is said to have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</span> established a brotherhood of his -own on the plan of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Fama Fraternitatis</i>. These statements -rest on inadequate authority, and there is better ground for believing -that he was initiated, towards the close of his life, into the genuine -order. A posthumous tract of Michael Maier, entitled “Ulysses,” was -published in 1624 by one of his personal friends, who added to the same -volume the substance of two pamphlets which had already appeared in -German, but which, by reason of their importance, were now translated -into Latin for the benefit of the literati of Europe. The first was -entitled <i>Colloquium Rhodostauroticum trium personarum, per Famam et -Confessionem quodamodo revelatam de Fraternitate Roseæ Crucis</i>. The -second was an <i>Echo Colloquii</i>, by Benedict Hilarion, writing in -the name of the Rosicrucian Fraternity. It appears from these pamphlets -that Maier was admitted into the mystical order, but when or where -is uncertain. He became the most voluminous alchemical writer of his -period, publishing continually till his death in the year 1622.</p> - -<p>Many of his works are Hermetic elaborations of classical mythology, -and are adorned with most curious plates. They are all hopelessly -obscure, if his Rosicrucian apologies be excepted; the latter are not -deficient in ingenuity, but they are exceedingly laboured, and, of -course, completely unsatisfactory. He does not appear to have been -included among the adepts, and he is now almost forgotten. His chemical -knowledge is buried in a multitude of symbols and insoluble enigmas, -and believers in spiritual chemistry will not derive much comfort or -profit from his writings.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_26" href="#FNanchor_26" class="label">[Z]</a> See De Quincey’s “Rosicrucians and Freemasons.”</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="JACOB_BOHME">JACOB BÖHME.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>After the publication of the psycho-chemical philosophy of the -illuminated shoemaker of Görlitz, the adepts are<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</span> believed to have -despaired of any longer retaining their secrets, and in their own -writings they began to speak more freely. In this way the mystery of -the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">vas philosophorum</i> is said to have become less impenetrable -than previously, when it was considered a divine secret in the keeping -of God and his elect.</p> - -<p>Jacob Böhme, who may perhaps be considered as the central figure of -Christian mysticism, was born in the year 1575, at Old Seidenberg, -a village near Görlitz, in what was then called German Prussia. His -parents were poor but honest and sober peasants, and were unable to -procure him more than the usual religious schooling and the most simple -elements of common education. In his spare time he tended cattle with -other boys of the village. “He was a quiet, introspective lad,” says -one of his latest biographers, “whose face bore somewhat of the dreamy -expression which is frequent in poetic natures.” Even at this early age -he was rich in inward visions. On one occasion he retired into a cave, -in the rock called Land’s Crown, and discovered a large wooden vessel -full of money, from which he precipitately retired without touching it, -as though it were something diabolical. He told his companions, but -there was no such cavern to be found at the place in question, though -they often visited the spot in search of the concealed treasure.</p> - -<p>On leaving school, Jacob was apprenticed to a shoemaker, and while -he was one day serving in the shop during the absence of his master, -an old man, of remarkable and benevolent mien, entered and asked for -some shoes, for which the lad, fearing to conclude a bargain without -his employer, demanded an extravagant price to deter the stranger from -buying. The latter, however, paid the sum asked, and then calling him -by his name, beckoned him into the street, when taking him by the hand, -with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</span> sparkling eyes and earnest, angelical countenance, he said:—</p> - -<p>“Jacob, thou art as yet but little; nevertheless, the time will -come when thou shalt be great, and the world shall marvel at thee. -Therefore, be pious, fear God, and reverence the Word. Read the Holy -Scriptures diligently; in these thou shalt have comfort and instruction -through the misery, poverty, and persecution which are in store for -thee. Be courageous and persevere; God loves thee, and is gracious unto -thee.”</p> - -<p>The stranger then disappeared, or departed, leaving Jacob more serious -and devotional than ever. The words of instruction and inspired -admonition which he was frequently prompted to give to his fellow -apprentices brought him into disputes with his master, and eventually -led to his dismissal. He became a journeyman shoemaker, but returned to -Görlitz in 1594, where he married the daughter of a tradesman, by whom -he had four children.</p> - -<p>In 1598 he imagined himself to be surrounded with the divine light -for several consecutive days; he beheld the virtue and nature of the -vegetable world, gazing into the very heart of creation, and learning -the secrets of the physical cosmos by means of the self-interpreting -“signatures” which seemed to be impressed on all around him. A similar -experience recurred in 1600, when he passed into the hypnotic state -by accidentally fixing his eye on a burnished pewter dish. These -visions did not interfere with his capacity for work, or with his -attention to his domestic affairs. Ten years passed away, and his -psychic perceptions became suddenly clearer. “What he had previously -seen only chaotically, fragmentarily, and in isolated glimpses, he now -beheld as a coherent whole and in more definite outlines.” He wrote -what he experienced under a fervour of inspiration, and in this way -his first book<span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</span> was produced—“Aurora, the Day Spring, or Dawning of -the Day in the East, or Morning Redness in the Rising of the Sun.” It -was not originally intended for publication, but manuscript copies -were circulated by one of his friends, and he suffered much consequent -persecution from the ecclesiastical authorities of Görlitz. He was -forbidden to write any more books, and was commanded to stick to his -trade. For five years he meekly obeyed the tyrannous mandate, and -afterwards contented himself with writing simply for his intimate -friends. From 1619 to 1624 he produced a number of voluminous -treatises, of which the book of the “True Principles,” the “Mysterium -Magnum,” and the “Signatura Rerum” are perhaps the most characteristic -and important. The publication, apparently surreptitious, of his -“Way to Christ” again brought him into conflict with the orthodoxy -of Görlitz, and led to his temporary exile. He was invited to the -electoral court at Dresden, where a conference of eminent theologians -examined him, and was so greatly impressed by the man that they -declared themselves incompetent to judge him.</p> - -<p>In 1624 he was attacked by a fever at the house of a friend in Silesia, -was carried at his own request to his native town, and there on the -22nd November he expired in a semi-ecstatic condition.</p> - -<p>While serving his apprenticeship at Görlitz, Jacob Böhme acquired -some knowledge of chemistry, and he subsequently made use of Hermetic -terminology in a transfigured and spiritual sense. His example was -followed by his disciples, including the illustrious Saint Martin, -Dionysius Andreas Freher, and William Law. The second-named writer has -treated of the analogy in the process of the philosophic work to the -Redemption of man through Christ Jesus, as unfolded by Jacob Böhme.</p> - -<p>A treatise on metallurgy is ascribed to the theosophist<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</span> himself, -and there are several alchemical references in his numerous private -epistles. The Holy Ghost is stated to be the key to alchemy; there -is no need of hard labour and seeking (presumably among physical -substances). “Seek only Christ, <em>and you will find all things</em>.” -He describes the philosophers’ stone as dark, disesteemed, and grey in -colour. It contains the highest tincture. Like Henry Khunrath before -him, he deprecates any expenditure beyond that of the time and cost -of the operator’s maintenance. “It doth not cost any money, but what -is spent upon the time and the maintenance, else it might be prepared -with four shillings. The work is easy, the act simple. A boy of sixteen -years might make it, but the wisdom therein is great, and it is -greatest mystery.”</p> - -<p>The seal of God is elsewhere declared to be set on the secret of -alchemy, “to conceal the true ground of the same upon pain of eternal -punishments, unless a man know for certain that it shall not be -misused. There is also no power to attain it, no skill or art availeth; -unless one give the tincture into the hands of another, he cannot -prepare it, except he be certainly in the new birth.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The following lines, copied from a manuscript inserted in a volume -of his works, are included in the original edition of the “Lives of -Alchemysticall Philosophers”:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Whate’er the Eastern Magi sought,</div> - <div class="verse">Or Orpheus sung, or Hermes taught,</div> - <div class="verse">Whate’er Confucius could inspire,</div> - <div class="verse">Or Zoroaster’s mystic fire;</div> - <div class="verse">The symbols that Pythagoras drew,</div> - <div class="verse">The wisdom God-like Plato knew;</div> - <div class="verse">What Socrates debating proved,</div> - <div class="verse">Or Epictetus lived and loved;</div> - <div class="verse">The sacred fire of saint and sage</div> - <div class="verse">Through every clime, in every age,</div> - <div class="verse">In Bohmen’s wondrous page we view</div> - <span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</span> - <div class="verse">Discovered and revealed anew.</div> - <div class="verse">‘Aurora’ dawned the coming day:</div> - <div class="verse">Succeeding books meridian light display.</div> - <div class="verse">Ten thousand depths his works explore,</div> - <div class="verse">Ten thousand truths unknown before.</div> - <div class="verse">Through all his books profound we trace</div> - <div class="verse">The abyss of nature, GOD, and grace;</div> - <div class="verse">The seals are broke, the mystery’s past,</div> - <div class="verse">And all is now revealed at last.</div> - <div class="verse">The trumpet sounds, the Spirit’s given,</div> - <div class="verse">And Bohmen is the voice from Heaven.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="J_B_VAN_HELMONT">J. B. VAN HELMONT.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>In the year 1557, at Bois le Duc, in Brabant, John Baptist van Helmont -was born of a noble family. He studied at Louvain, and became eminent -in mathematics, algebra, the doctrines of Aristotle and Galen, and the -medicine of Vopiscus and Plempius. At seventeen he lectured on physics -as prælector, and took his degree of medical doctor in 1599. He read -Hippocrates and the Greek and Arabian authors before he was twenty-two -years old. He then passed ten years in the unsuccessful practice of -physic, until he met a Paracelsian chemist, who discovered various -chemical medicines to him. He retired thereupon to the castle of -Vilvord, near Brussels, and laboured with unremitting diligence in the -chemico-experimental analysis of bodies of every class. He passed his -life in retirement, and was almost unknown to his neighbours, whom he, -nevertheless, attended in illness, without accepting a fee. He declined -an invitation and flattering offers from the Emperor and the Elector -Palatine, and after writing several tracts, which even at this day are -held in considerable estimation, he died in the sixty-seventh year of -his age.</p> - -<p>This author, so illustrious throughout Europe for his scientific -knowledge, and no less celebrated for his noble rank than by the -probity of his character, testifies in three<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</span> different places that -he has beheld, and himself performed, transmutation. In his treatise, -<i>De Vita Eterna</i>, he declares himself as follows:—“I have seen -and I have touched the philosophers’ stone more than once; the colour -of it was like saffron in powder, but heavy and shining like pounded -glass. I had once given me the fourth part of a grain—I call a grain -that which takes six hundred to make an ounce. I made projection -therewith, wrapped in paper, upon eight ounces of quicksilver, heated -in a crucible, and immediately all the quicksilver, having made a -little noise, stopped and congealed into a yellow mass. Having melted -it in a strong fire, I found within eleven grains of eight ounces of -most pure gold, so that a grain of this powder would have transmuted -into very good gold, nineteen thousand one hundred and fifty-six grains -of quicksilver.”</p> - -<p>Had Helmont possessed the art of making the transmuting powder, his -testimony might be open to suspicion. He says, on another occasion, -that an adept, after a few days of acquaintance, presented him with -half a grain of the powder of projection, with which he transmuted nine -ounces of quicksilver into pure gold. He tells us further, that he many -times performed a similar operation in the presence of a large company, -and always with success. On these grounds he believed in the certainty -and in the prodigious resources of the art, citing his acquaintance -with an artist who had so much of the red stone as would make gold to -the weight of two hundred thousand pounds.</p> - -<p>Though ignorant of the nature of this powder of projection, Helmont -professed the knowledge of the alcahest, and the methods of preparing -medicines of transcendent efficacy by its means.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BUTLER">BUTLER.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>In the reign of James the First the attention of the curious was -attracted by a report of several transmutations performed in London -by an artist of the above name. He was an Irish gentleman, who had -recently returned from his travels. It was said that he was not -himself acquainted with the secret of the stone, so far as regards its -manufacture. To account for possessing it, the following story was -related:—The ship in which he took passage during one of his voyages -was captured by an African pirate, and on arriving in port he was sold -as a slave to an Arabian, who was an alchemical philosopher. Butler, -appearing to his master skilful and ingenious, was employed in most -difficult operations in the laboratory. Having a perfect knowledge of -the importance of the process, as soon as it was finished he bargained -with an Irish merchant for his ransom, and made his escape, taking with -him a large portion of the red powder.</p> - -<p>The performers of public transmutations generally found it necessary -to conceal their real knowledge by similar inventions. A physician, -who was a countryman of Butler, however formed a plan for discovering -his secret. He presented himself as a servant in search of a place, -and was hired in that capacity by Butler. He found the philosopher so -circumspect that he sought in vain for some circumstance to justify the -public report of his treasures, until at last Butler sent him into the -city to purchase a large quantity of lead and quicksilver.</p> - -<p>The disguised doctor now hoped to make a discovery. He executed his -commission with dispatch, and prepared a little hole in the wall of his -master’s room, through which, from the adjoining apartment he could -see what<span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</span> was going on. He soon perceived Butler taking something out -of a box, which he put on the melted lead, and deposited the box in a -concealed place under the floor of his room. At this moment the table -and chair on which the doctor was elevated to the spy-hole, gave way, -and he fell with a loud noise to the ground. Butler rushed out of -his room to learn the cause of this disturbance, and perceiving the -spy-hole, he with difficulty refrained from running his servant through -the body with his sword.</p> - -<p>Finding there was no hope of obtaining anything from Butler, the doctor -expected to surprise his treasures by reporting to the officers of -justice that he was a coiner of false money. A vigilant search was made -according to his directions, but nothing was found, for Butler had -already removed whatever could betray him—his furnace, crucibles, and -eighty marks of gold were all he appeared to possess. He was therefore -liberated from the prison in which he had been confined during the -investigation.</p> - -<p>Butler was afterwards entombed in the Castle of Vilvord, in Flanders, -where he is said to have performed wonderful cures by means of Hermetic -medicine. A monk of Brittany, who was one of his fellow-prisoners, -having a desperate erysipelas in his arm, was restored to health in -an hour by drinking almond milk in which Butler had merely dipped the -stone. The next day at the rumour of this circumstance, the celebrated -Helmont, who abode in the neighbourhood, went with several noblemen to -the prison, where Butler cured, in their presence, an aged woman of a -megrim by dipping the stone into oil of olives and then anointing her -head. An abbess, whose arm was swelled, and whose fingers had been -stiff for eighteen years, was also cured by a few applications of the -same stone to her tongue.</p> - -<p>These cases are attested by the illustrious van Helmont in his works.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="JEAN_DESPAGNET">JEAN D’ESPAGNET.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This Hermetic philosopher is known to us by two -treatises—<i>Enchiridion Physicæ Restitutæ</i> and <i>Arcanum -Philosophiæ Hermeticæ</i>, which, however, has also been claimed as the -production of an unknown individual who called himself the <i>Chevalier -Impérial</i>.<a id="FNanchor_27" href="#Footnote_27" class="fnanchor">[AA]</a> “The Secret of Hermetical Philosophy” comprises the -practical part of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i> and the Enchiridion, the -physical theory on which the possibility of transmutation is founded. -D’Espagnet is also the author of the preface to the <i>Tableau de -l’Inconstance des Démons</i>, by Pierre Delancre.</p> - -<p>“The Arcanum of Hermetic Philosophy” is better known under the title of -the “Canons of Espagnet,” and, as I have shown in the Introduction, it -is claimed as a treatise on mystical alchemy. The author, however, very -plainly states that “the science of producing Nature’s grand Secret -is a perfect knowledge of Nature universally and of art, concerning -the realm of metals; the practice whereof is conversant in finding the -principles of metals by analysis.” Moreover, the authors whom Espagnet -recommends as a guide to the student include those who, like Trévisan, -are known to have spent their existence in practical alchemy. The -Sethon-Sendivogius treatises are also respectfully cited. At the same -time, it may be freely granted that much of the matter in the canons, -though treating of a physical object, may be extended to the psychic -side of the Hermetic art.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_27" href="#FNanchor_27" class="label">[AA]</a> Ce chevalier, très-révérée des alchimistes, est -mentionnée souvent dans la <i>Trompette Française</i>, petit volume, -contenant une <i>Prophétic de Bombast sur la Naissance de Louis -XIV.</i> On a, du Chevalier Impérial, le <i>Miroir des Alchimistes</i>, -avec instructions aux dames pour dorénavant être belles sans plus user -de leurs dards venimeux, 1609, <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. <i>Dictionnaire des Sciences -Occultes.</i></p> - -</div> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ALEXANDER_SETHON">ALEXANDER SETHON.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>None of the adepts suffered from imprudent exposure of their power more -than the subject of this article. He was a native of Scotland, and -is supposed to have inhabited a mansion at a village in the vicinity -of Edinburgh, and close to the sea-shore.<a id="FNanchor_28" href="#Footnote_28" class="fnanchor">[AB]</a> In the summer of 1601 -a Dutch vessel was wrecked upon the coast, and some of the crew were -saved through the instrumentality of Sethon, who received them into his -house, treated them with great humanity, and provided them with the -means to return to Holland. One year later he visited James Haussen, -the pilot of the ship, one of the rescued persons, at Erkusen, in that -country. The sailor received him with joy, and detained him for several -weeks in his house, during which period he beheld with astonishment -several transmutations performed by his guest, who confessed that he -was an alchemical adept. He was bound in gratitude and friendship to -the most inviolable secrecy, but he could not refrain from confiding -the wonder which he had witnessed to Venderlinden, the physician of -Enkhuysen, who was a man of integrity and prudence, and to whom he -presented a piece of gold, which had been transmuted in his presence -from lead on the 13th March 1602. This curiosity came into the hands of -the doctor’s grandson, who showed it to the celebrated George Morhoff, -by whom it was mentioned, with its history, to Langlet du Fresnoy, in -an epistle on the transmutation of metals.</p> - -<p>From Enkhuysen, Sethon proceeded to Amsterdam and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</span> Rotterdam, -subsequently embarking for Italy, where, after a short stay, he -passed into Switzerland, and so entered Germany, accompanied by -Wolfgang Dienheim, an adversary of Hermetic philosophy, whom by ocular -demonstration he convinced of his error, in presence of several -distinguished persons of Basle.</p> - -<p>To this adversary we are indebted for a description of Sethon, whom he -declared eminently spiritual in appearance, short in stature, but very -stout, having a high colour, and a beard of the French style. He calls -him Alexander Sethonius, and states that he was a native of Molier, “in -an island of the ocean.”</p> - -<p>The lead required for the transmutation was brought by Jacob Zwinger -from his own house, a crucible was borrowed from a goldsmith, and -common sulphur was purchased on the road to the house where the -operation was to be performed. During the whole course of the -experiment, Sethon touched nothing, simply supplying the small packet -which contained the powder of projection, and which transformed the -base metal into gold of the purest quality, equivalent in weight to the -original lead.</p> - -<p>The experiment was repeated on another occasion with the same brilliant -success, and, in addition to the testimony of Dienheim, we have also -that of Zwinger, a name highly respected by the Germans in the history -of medicine.<a id="FNanchor_29" href="#Footnote_29" class="fnanchor">[AC]</a></p> - -<p>Alexander Sethon departed from Basle, and went under an assumed name -to Strasbourg, whence he proceeded to Cologne, and abode with an -amateur alchemist named Anton Bordemann, by whom he was brought into -acquaintance with the other souffleurs of that city. He began a kind -of alchemical crusade among them, imprudently exposing his knowledge -to credulous and sceptical<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</span> alike, and producing on one occasion six -ounces of the precious metal by means of a single grain of his great -philosophical tincture.<a id="FNanchor_30" href="#Footnote_30" class="fnanchor">[AD]</a></p> - -<p>Leaving Cologne altogether petrified by his marvellous operations, the -illustrious hierophant of the art Hermetic betook himself to Hamburg, -where his further amazing projections are described by George Morhoff. -At Munich, the next stage in his alchemical pilgrimage, he performed no -transmutations, suddenly disappearing with the daughter of one of its -citizens, whom he appears to have legally married, and to whom he was -henceforth most devotedly attached.</p> - -<p>The renown of Sethon about this time attracted the attention of -Christian II., the young Elector of Saxony. He sent for the alchemist, -but the latter, absorbed by his passion, had merged the Hermetic -propagandist in the lover, and sent William Hamilton, his apparent -domestic, but in reality a confidant and friend, to convince the -Elector of the verity of alchemical operations by ocular evidence. -A projection was performed by Hamilton with perfect success in the -presence of the whole court, and the gold then manufactured resisted -every test.<a id="FNanchor_31" href="#Footnote_31" class="fnanchor">[AE]</a></p> - -<p>The Elector, previously a sceptic, was now more desirous than ever -to behold the adept. Sethon reluctantly consented, and at this -juncture seems to have been deserted by Hamilton. He was received with -distinction and favour, and presented a small quantity of the powder -to Christian II., who soon endeavoured to possess himself of the whole -secret of the philosopher. Sethon refused to gratify him, and was -deaf to persuasions and menaces; but the Elector, convinced that he -was in possession of a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</span> living treasure, determined to overcome his -reluctance, whatever the means employed. He imprisoned him in a tower, -which was guarded by forty soldiers, who had strict orders to keep a -constant watch on him. The unfortunate adept was subjected to every -torment which covetousness and cruelty could suggest. He was pierced -with pointed iron, scorched with molten lead, burnt by fire, beaten -with rods, racked from head to foot, yet his constancy never forsook -him. At length he outwearied his torturers, and was left in solitary -confinement.</p> - -<p>At this time Michael Sendivogius, a Moravian gentleman, generally -resident at Cracovia, in Poland, chanced to be tarrying at Dresden. He -was a skilful chemist, who, like others of his period, was in search of -the philosophical stone, and who naturally took interest in the case of -Alexander Sethon. Having some influence at the court of the Elector, -he obtained permission to see him; and after several interviews, at -which the adept was exceedingly reserved on all subjects connected with -the divine science, he proposed to contrive his escape. The tortured -alchemist gladly consented to his plans, and promised to assist him -in his Hermetic pursuits. As soon as the resolution was formed, -Sendivogius departed to Cracovia, sold his house in order to raise -money, and returning to Dresden, established himself in the vicinity -of the prison, gaining the favour of its warders by his prodigality -and indirect bribes. At length the day came for the execution of his -plan; he regaled the guards better than usual, and when they were all -drunk, he carried Sethon, who was unable to walk, on his back to a -post-chaise, in which they proceeded without discovery. They called at -the house of Sethon for his wife, who was in possession of a quantity -of the transmuting powder, and then made all haste to reach Cracovia. -There Sendivogius required from the alchemist the fulfilment<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</span> of his -promise, but was blankly refused by the adept, who referred him to God, -saying that the revelation of so awful a mystery would be a heinous -iniquity.</p> - -<p>“You see what I have endured,” he continued, “my nerves are shrunk, my -limbs dislocated; I am emaciated to the last extremity, and my body is -almost corrupted; even to avoid all this I did not disclose the secrets -of philosophy.”</p> - -<p>Sendivogius was not, however, destined to be deprived of all recompense -for his pains and self-sacrifice. Alexander Sethon did not long enjoy -the liberty which his friend had obtained for him, and on his death, -which occurred two years after his escape, he presented his preserver -with the remains of his transmuting powder.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_28" href="#FNanchor_28" class="label">[AB]</a> The names Seton or Seatoun have been given as that of the -village in question, but in Camden’s “Britannia” it appears as the name -of the house itself. The alchemist himself is sufficiently myrionimous, -being variously denominated Sethon, Sidon, Sethonius, Scotus, Sitonius, -Sidonius, Suthoneus, Suethonius, and even Seehthonius.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_29" href="#FNanchor_29" class="label">[AC]</a> <i>Epistola ad doctorem Schobinger</i>, printed by -Emmanuel Konig in his <i>Ephemerides</i>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_30" href="#FNanchor_30" class="label">[AD]</a> Théobald de Hoghelande, <i>Historiæ aliquot -Transmutationis Mettalicæ pro defensione Alchemiæ contra Hostium -Rabrein</i>. Cologne, 1604.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_31" href="#FNanchor_31" class="label">[AE]</a> Galdenfalk, “Alchemical Anecdotes.”</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="MICHAEL_SENDIVOGIUS">MICHAEL SENDIVOGIUS.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Sendivogius, whose true name was Sensophax, was born at Moravia in -1566, and was therefore about thirty-eight years of age on the death -of his taciturn master. He is said by some of his biographers to have -been the natural son of a Polish nobleman, named Jacob Sendimir. His -life has been written at some length by his advocate, an anonymous -German, who, however, produced a romance rather than a history, among -other fictions representing his hero to have been sent by the Emperor -Rodolph II. to the east, where he received from a Greek patriarch the -revelation of the grand mystery. As a matter of fact, Sendivogius had -made no progress in alchemy before his acquaintance with Sethon.</p> - -<p>Having almost exhausted his fortune to obtain the liberation of that -adept, and having a taste for extravagant living, he was dissatisfied -with the mere possession of a portion of the transmuting powder, and -was more eager<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</span> than ever to penetrate the mysteries of the Hermetic -art. He married the widow of Sethon, but she was wholly unacquainted -with the process, and her only possession was the manuscript of that -celebrated treatise, “The New Light of Alchemy,” with the dialogue -of Mercury and the alchemist, which Sendivogius appropriated and -eventually published as his own composition. From this work the -uninitiated inquirer believed himself to have discovered a method of -augmenting the powder, but he only succeeded in diminishing it.</p> - -<p>Foiled in this attempt, he was still anxious at any rate to appear as -an adept, and acquired an immense reputation by incessant projections, -which, assisted by his sumptuous living, made him pass for a great -hierophant. At Prague he presented himself to the Emperor Rodolph II., -and, in presence of several nobles, the king himself made gold by -projection, and overjoyed at the success of the operation he appointed -Sendivogius as one of his counsellors of state. A marble tablet with -the inscription—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container" lang="la" xml:lang="la"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse"><i>Faciat hoc quispiam alius</i></div> - <div class="verse"><i>Quod fecit Sendivogius Polonus</i>,</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class="i0">was set up in the chamber where the transmutation had been performed, -and the occasion was celebrated in verse by the court poet, Mardochie -de Delle.</p> - -<p>This achievement Sendivogius followed by printing at Prague the -treatise written by Sethon under the name of Cosmopolita. It passes for -the work of its editor, as he included his name anagrammatically on -the title-page, in the motto—<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Divi Leschi genus amo</i>, and gave -no information concerning the real author. Some time after he issued -a tract on sulphur, which was probably his own composition. The motto -on the title-page—<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Angelus doce mihi jus</i>—is another anagram -of his name. There are<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</span> discrepancies between this tract and the -twelve treatises which comprise the work of Sethon. This Sendivogius -perceived, and in the second edition of the latter work he made -alterations in its text.</p> - -<p>From the Court of Rodolph II. the alchemist proceeded to that of -Poland. As he passed on his way through Moravia, a lord of the country, -who had heard of his transmutations at Prague, and suspected that he -had abundance of the transmuting powder, laid an ambush for him on the -road, seized him, and secretly imprisoned him, with the threat that -he should never be liberated until he communicated the secret of his -treasure. Sendivogius, dreading the fate of Sethon, cut through the -iron bar that crossed the window of his dungeon, and making a rope -of his clothes, he escaped almost naked from the power of the little -tyrant, whom he summoned to the emperor’s court, where he was condemned -to be fined, a village on his estate was confiscated and transferred to -Sendivogius, who afterwards gave it as dower with his daughter at her -marriage.</p> - -<p>Sendivogius made several transmutations at Varsovia, but his powder was -visibly diminishing. Duke Frederick of Würtemberg invited him to visit -him, and two projections took place in the presence of this noble, who, -to place him on the footing of a prince of the blood, gave him the -territory of Nedlingen.</p> - -<p>He was destined, however, to meet with a severe reverse at Würtemberg -through the machinations of an envious alchemist already attached to -the Court, and who persuaded him that the Duke Frederic had formed -plans which menaced the freedom of his guest and the safety of his -transmuting treasure. Sendivogius, once more vividly reminded of the -fate of his master, precipitately fled, only to be pursued by his -treacherous brother in science, who overtook him with twelve armed men, -well mounted,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</span> arrested him in the name of the prince, robbed him of -the philosophical treasure, and caused him to be cast into prison. Then -this infamous souffleur, whose star had been overwhelmed by the sun of -Sendivogius, proceeded to perform transmutations, more than regaining -his lost reputation; but the report of this discreditable transaction -spread, public opinion decided that the duke was a party to it, and the -wife of the victim applying to the King of Poland, soon obtained the -liberty of alchemist.</p> - -<p>Once more Sendivogius appealed for redress to the Emperor Rodolph, who -demanded the person of the souffleur from the Duke of Würtemberg. The -possessions of Sendivogius were at once restored, with the exception of -the powder, all knowledge of which was denied. The souffleur was hanged -by the duke, but from this time the pupil of Sethon perceived his sign -descending. He had but an infinitesimal quantity of the powder in his -possession, which, ever in search of notoriety, he dissolved in spirits -of wine, carefully rectified, and began to astonish the physicians -of Cracovia, whither he had again repaired, by the marvellous cures -which he performed with this for a medicine. Desnoyers, secretary to -the Queen of Poland, and one of the alchemist’s biographers, was in -possession of a crown piece which Sendivogius dipped red-hot into the -same spirit, in the presence of Sigismund III., King of Poland, and -which was partially transformed into gold.<a id="FNanchor_32" href="#Footnote_32" class="fnanchor">[AF]</a> The elixir relieved the -same king from the effects of a serious accident.</p> - -<p>When every particle of his powder was expended,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</span> Sendivogius appears -to have degenerated into a mere charlatan, obtaining large sums on the -pretence of manufacturing the powder of projection. On one occasion he -so far descended as to silver a piece of gold, and pretending that he -possessed the elixir, he caused the silver to disappear by a chemical -process, which he imposed on the ignorant as a projection of the -tincture and a conversion of silver into gold.</p> - -<p>His confidential servant, Bodowski, explains this deception as a -finesse to conceal his real character, having learned from experience -the necessity of defending himself from the violence of covetous men. -He sometimes feigned poverty, or lay in bed as one attacked with -the gout or other sickness. By these means he diverted the general -suspicion that he possessed the philosophers’ stone, preferring to pass -for an impostor than for one in the enjoyment of illimitable wealth. He -frequently travelled in a servant’s livery, concealing most of his red -powder in the footstep of his chariot, and causing one of his servants -to sit inside. He kept some of the powder in a small gold box, and with -a single grain of it would convert so much mercury into gold as would -sell for five hundred ducats.<a id="FNanchor_33" href="#Footnote_33" class="fnanchor">[AG]</a></p> - -<p>He was at his castle of Groverna, on the frontiers of Poland and -Silesia, when he was visited by two strangers, one of whom was old -while the other was young. They presented him with a letter bearing -twelve seals, and addressed to Sendivogius. He declared that he was not -the person whom they sought, but was at length persuaded to open the -document, and learned that they were a deputation from the Rosicrucian -Society, who wished to initiate him. He pretended not to understand -them when they spoke of the stone of the philosophers, but they drew<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</span> -him into conversation on several abstruse subjects, he, however, -declining to the last the initiation which was offered him.</p> - -<p>Michael Sendivogius died at Parma in 1646, aged eighty-four years, -having been counsellor of state to four emperors successively. His only -daughter had married an army captain against her father’s wish. He left -her nothing but a “Treatise on the Salt of the Philosophers,” which -has never been printed, and, therefore, must not be confused with a -spurious work which has been ascribed to him under a similar title.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Sethon-Sendivogius treatises are generally known under the -collective title, “A New Light of Alchemy.” They were written to -counteract the many adulterated and false receipts composed through -the fraud and covetousness of impostors. The procedure they indicate -is declared to be the result of manual experience. “Many men, both of -high and low condition, in these last years past, have to my knowledge -seen Diana unveiled. The extraction of the soul out of gold or silver, -by what vulgar way of alchymy soever, is but a mere fancy. On the -contrary, he which, in a philosophical way, can, without any fraud and -colourable deceit, make it that it shall really tinge the basest metal, -whether with gain or without gain, with the colour of gold or silver -(abiding all requisite tryals whatever), hath the gates of Nature -opened to him for the enquiring into further and higher secrets, and -with the blessing of God to obtain them.”</p> - -<p>It is thus in the writings of the alchemists that we are continually -glimpsing or hearing of altitudes beyond transmutation, of regions of -achievement which nothing in the pages of the adepts prove them to have -actually explored, but which in possession of a comprehensive theory -of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</span> organic and inorganic development they beheld as a Promised Land.</p> - -<p>The “New Light of Alchemy” insists on the existence of a sperm in -everything, and that all Nature originated at the beginning from one -only seed. It treats of the generation of metals and the manner of -their differentiation, of the extraction of their seed, and of the -manufacture of the stone or tincture.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_32" href="#FNanchor_32" class="label">[AF]</a> See Desnoyer’s Letter in Langlet du Fresnoy’s <i>Histoire -de la Philosophie Hermétique</i>. Borel, in his Gallic Antiquities, -recounts that he, with many others at Paris, saw this crown-piece. -He describes it as partly gold, so far only as it was steeped in the -elixir. The gold part was porous, being specifically more compact than -in its silver state. There was no appearance of soldering, or of the -possibility of deception.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_33" href="#FNanchor_33" class="label">[AG]</a> See <i>Vie de Sendivogius, tirée de la Rélation de Jean -Bodowski</i>.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="GUSTENHOVER">GUSTENHOVER.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>A respectable goldsmith, named Gustenhover, resided at Strasburg -in 1603. In a time of great peril he gave shelter to a certain M. -Hirschborgen, who is described as good and religious. On leaving his -house after a considerable stay, this person presented his humane host -with some powder of projection, and then, departing on his journey, was -heard of no more.</p> - -<p>Gustenhover imprudently made transmutations before numerous people, -and the fact was reported to the Emperor Rodolph II., himself an -amateur in alchemy. He wrote to the magistrates of Strasburg, directing -that the goldsmith should be forthwith sent to him. The order was -zealously obeyed, the man arrested, and guarded with vigilance from -all possibility of escape. When he discovered that the intention -of his imprisonment was to send him to the Emperor at Prague, he -divined the whole of the business, and invited the magistrates to meet -together, desiring them to bring a crucet and charcoal, and without -his approaching to melt some lead. Musket balls were used for the -purpose, and when the metal was molten, he handed them a small portion -of red powder, which they cast into the crucet, and the result of their -calcination was a considerable quantity of pure gold.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</span></p> - -<p>When he was brought into the presence of the gold-seeking Emperor, -Gustenhover was forced to admit that he had not himself prepared -the miraculous powder, and that he was in total ignorance about its -nature and composition. The monarch regarded this merely as one of the -subterfuges which were common in his experience of jealous adepts. -The goldsmith reiterated his protestations in vain; the whole of his -powder was speedily exhausted, yet he found himself still set to the -now impossible task of making gold. He sought a refuge from the fury of -the avaricious wretch, who has been denominated the German Hermes by -an alchemical blasphemy accursed by all sons of the doctrine; but he -was pursued, dragged back, and immured in the White Tower, where the -imperial dragon, blindly and obstinately convinced that the alchemist -was concealing his secret, detained him for the rest of his life.</p> - -<p>The adept who presented the goldsmith with the auriferous gift of -misery, the so-called Hirschborgen, is supposed to be identical with -Alexander Sethon, at that period errant, under various disguises, in -Germany.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BUSARDIER">BUSARDIER.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Few particulars are recorded of this adept. He dwelt at Prague with a -lord of the Court, and, falling sick, he perceived that his immediate -death was inevitable. In this extremity he wrote a letter to his chosen -friend Richtausen, at Vienna, begging him to come and abide with him -during his last moments. On the receipt of this letter, Richtausen set -out, travelling with all expedition, but, on arriving at Prague, he -had the mortification to find that the adept was no more. He inquired -diligently if he had left anything behind him, and he was informed -by the steward of the nobleman with whom he had lodged that a powder -alone<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</span> had been left, which the nobleman seemed anxious to preserve, -but which the steward did not know how to use. Upon this information, -Richtausen adroitly got possession of the powder, and then departed. -The nobleman, hearing of the transaction, threatened to hang his -steward if he did not recover the powder, and the latter, judging that -no one but Richtausen could have taken it, pursued him, well-armed. He -overtook him on the road and presented a pistol to his head, saying -he would shoot him if he did not return the powder. Richtausen, -seeing there was no other way to preserve his life, acknowledged his -possession of the treasure, and pretended to surrender it, but, by an -ingenious contrivance, he abstracted a considerable quantity.</p> - -<p>He was now the owner of a substance the value of which was fully known -to him. He presented himself to the Emperor Ferdinand III., who was an -alchemist, and who, aided by his mine-master, Count Russe, took every -precaution in making projection with some of the powder given him by -Richtausen. He converted three pounds of mercury into gold with one -grain. The force of this tincture was one upon 19,470. The emperor is -said to have caused a medal to be struck, bearing the effigy of Apollo -with the caduceus of Mercury, and the motto—<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Divina metamorphosis -exhibita Praguæ, Jan. 15, anno 1648, in præsentia Sac. Cæs. Majest. -Ferdinandi Tertii</i>. The reverse bore another inscription—<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Raris -hæc ut hominibus est ars; ita raro in lucem prodit, laudetur Deus in -æternum, qui partem suæ infinitæ potentiæ novis suis abjectissimis -creaturis communicat</i>.</p> - -<p>Richtausen was ennobled by the title of Baron Chaos.</p> - -<p>Among many transformations performed by the same powder was one by the -Elector of Mayence in 1651. He made projection with all the precautions -possible to a learned and skilful philosopher. The powder, enclosed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</span> -in gum tragacanth to retain it effectually, was put into the wax of a -taper, which was lighted, the wax being then placed at the bottom of -a crucet. These preparations were undertaken by the Elector himself. -He poured four ounces of quicksilver on the wax, and put the whole -into a fire covered with charcoal, above, below, and around. Then they -began blowing to the utmost, and in about half an hour, on removing -the coals, they saw that the melted gold was over red, the proper -colour being green. The baron said that the matter was yet too high, -and it was necessary to put some silver into it. The Elector took -some coins out of his pocket, put them into the melting-pot, combined -the liquefied silver with the matter in the crucet, and having poured -out the whole when in perfect fusion into a lingot, he found, after -cooling, that it was very fine gold, but rather hard, which was -attributed to the lingot. On again melting, it became exceedingly soft, -and the master of the mint declared to his highness that it was more -than twenty-four carats, and that he had never seen so fine a quality -of the precious metal.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ANONYMOUS_ADEPT">ANONYMOUS ADEPT.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Athanasius Kircher, the illustrious German Jesuit, records, in his -<i>Mundus Subterraneus</i>, that one of his friends, whose veracity he -could not doubt, made him the following relation:—</p> - -<p>“From my youth I made a peculiar study of alchemy, without ever -attaining the object of that science. In my course of experiments I -received a visit from a man who was entirely unknown to me. He asked -very politely what was the object of my labours, and said, without -giving me time to reply, ‘I see very well by these glasses and this -furnace that you are engaged in a search after something<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</span> very great in -chemistry, but, believe me, you never will in that way attain to the -object of your desire.’</p> - -<p>“I said to him—‘Sir, if you have better instructions, I flatter myself -that you will give them.’</p> - -<p>“‘Willingly,’ replied this generous unknown.</p> - -<p>“Immediately I took a pen and wrote down the process he dictated.</p> - -<p>“‘To show you the result,’ said the stranger, ‘let us both work -together according to what you have written.’</p> - -<p>“We proceeded, and our operation being finished, I drew from the -chemical vessel a brilliant oil; it congealed into a mass, which I -broke into a powder. I took part of this powder and projected it on -three hundred pounds of quicksilver; it was in a little time converted -into pure gold, much more perfect than that of the mines; it endured -all the proofs of the goldsmiths.</p> - -<p>“A prodigy so extraordinary struck me with surprise and astonishment. -I became almost stupid, and, as another Crœsus, fancied I possessed -all the riches in the universe. My gratitude to my benefactor was more -than I could express. He told me that he was on his travels and wanted -nothing whatever; ‘but it gratifies me,’ said he, ‘to counsel those -who are unable to complete the Hermetic work.’ I pressed him to remain -with me, but he retired to his inn. Next day I called there, but what -was my surprise at not finding him in it, or at any place in the town! -I had many questions to ask him which left me in doubt. I returned to -work according to the receipt, but failed in the result. I repeated -the process with more care; it was all in vain! Yet I persevered until -I had expended all the transmuted gold and the greater part of my own -property.”</p> - -<p>“We see,” remarks Kircher, very gravely, “by this true history, how -the devil seeks to deceive men who are led by a lust of riches. This -alchemist was convinced he had an<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</span> infernal visitor, and he destroyed -his books, furnace, and apparatus, by the timely advice of his -confessor.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ALBERT_BELIN">ALBERT BELIN.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Of this Benedictine, who was born at Besançon in 1610, the amateurs -of alchemy and the occult sciences have much prized the following -opuscula:—“A Treatise on Talismans or Astral figures, demonstrating -the exclusively natural origin of their no less admirable virtues, -with the manner of their composition and their practical utility;” -“Justification of the Sympathetic Powder,” published together -at Paris, 1671, <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>; and, in particular, “The Adventures of an -Unknown Philosopher in the search after and on the discovery of the -Philosophical Stone.” This is divided into four books, and the manner -of accomplishing the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i> is indicated with perspicacity -in the fourth. It was published in duodecimo at Paris in 1664, and -has since been reprinted. In the dedicatory epistle the authorship -is disclaimed by Belin, who remarks that, in accordance with his -profession, he should be occupied with the great work of divine grace -rather than with the natural <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>. The adventures are the -production of a young man with whom he was once well acquainted, and -who was then lately deceased. In the fourth book, the narrator of the -story relates how, with a copy of Raymond Lully in his hand, he went -by himself into a wood, and there he was interrupted in his studies -by a wonderful lady, in a wonderful silverine dress, embroidered with -flowers of gold. She proves to be Wisdom, and is greeted by the student -as his adorable mistress. In her infinite grace and condescension, -the divine incarnation of philosophy instructs her ravished listener, -during three several discourses, in the nature, effects, and -excellences of the rich and fruitful stone, of the matter<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</span> whereof it -is composed, and of its development into absolute perfection.</p> - -<p>The story is suggestive and curious, but in literary and romantic merit -it will bear no comparison with the “Chemical Nuptials of Christian -Rosencreutz.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="EIREN_US_PHILALETHES">EIRENÆUS PHILALETHES.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>In “The Real History of the Rosicrucians,” having no space for an -adequate discussion of the question, I followed the more general -opinion of Hermetic writers by identifying the author of the -<i>Introitas Apertus</i> with the author of the <i>Lumen de Lumine</i>, -Thomas Vaughan, and concluded that he wrote indifferently under the -pseudonyms of Eugenius Philalethes and Eirenæus Philalethes.</p> - -<p>Certain misleading references in great but fallible bibliographies, and -one piece of inextricable confusion in the text of the <i>Introitus -Apertus</i>, made this view appear to be fairly reasonable. However, in -the course of a somewhat detailed notice, a writer in the <i>Saturday -Review</i> has taken me to task, by no means discourteously, be it -said, for inaccuracy in my account of Vaughan.</p> - -<p>On the authority of Ashmole and Wood, he states that this personage -was the brother of the Silurist poet, Henry Vaughan, that he was born -at Llansaintfraid, in Brecknockshire, during the year 1621, that he -graduated at Jesus College, Oxford, took orders, and returned to hold -the living of his native parish. Under the Commonwealth he was ejected -as a Royalist, and then betook himself to chemical experiments, one of -which cost him his life on the 27th of February 1665.</p> - -<p>Now, it is clear that these facts do not correspond with the life, such -as we know it, of the author of the <i>Introitus Apertus</i>, and the -identification of the two Philalethes, a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</span> habit which is apparently -unknown to the Saturday Reviewer, must be therefore abandoned. Why this -identification has hitherto taken place, and why, with some misgivings, -it was continued in my work on the Rosicrucians, may be very easily -explained.</p> - -<p>The grounds of the confusion are these:—First, the similarity of the -assumed name, half of which was common to them both, while the other -half appears to have been interchangeable in the minds of historians -and bibliographers alike, including the compilers of the Catalogue in -the Library of the British Museum, which attributes the <i>Introitus -Apertus</i> indiscriminately to both Philalethes. Second, the fact that -almost every edition and translation of this treatise contains the -following passage in the initial paragraph of the preface:—</p> - -<p>“I being an adept, anonymous, and lover of learning, decreed to write -this little Treatise of physical secrets in the year 1645, in the -twenty-third year of my age, to pay my duty to the sons of art, and -lend my hand to bring them out of the labyrinth of error, to show -the adepts that I am a brother equal to them. I presage that many -will be enlightened by these my labours. They are no fables, but real -experiments, which I have seen, made, and know, as any adept will -understand. I have often in writing laid aside my pen, because I was -willing to have concealed the truth under the mask of envy; but God -compelled me to write, Whom I could not resist: He alone knows the -heart—to Him only be glory for ever. I undoubtedly believe that many -will become blessed in this last age of the world with this arcanum. -May the will of God be done! I confess myself unworthy of effecting -such things—I adore the holy will of God, to Whom all things are -subjected! He created and preserves them to this end.”</p> - -<p>A simple arithmetical operation will show that the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</span> author was -consequently born in the year 1621, when also Eugenius Philalethes, -otherwise Thomas Vaughan, first saw the light. This would remain -unchallenged, but for the fact that the original edition<a id="FNanchor_34" href="#Footnote_34" class="fnanchor">[AH]</a> of the -<i>Introitus</i> is asserted to read <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">trigesimo anno</i>, in the -thirty-third year, instead of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">vigesimo anno</i>. There is no copy -of this original edition in the British Museum, and my knowledge of -it is derived from the reprint in Langlet du Fresnoy’s <i>Histoire de -la Philosophie Hermétique</i>. Eirenæus, in accordance with the later -impressions, is venerated by the faithful of Hermes as the adept who -accomplished the grand and sublime act at the age of twenty-two.</p> - -<p>These grounds, which in themselves are considerable, may be -supplemented by the fact that there is much similarity in the style and -methods of the two writers.</p> - -<p>Eugenius Philalethes wrote <i>Anthroposophia Theomagica</i>; -<i>Anima Magica Abscondita</i>, published together in 1650; <i>Magia -Adamica</i>, 1650; “The Man-Mouse” (a satire on Henry More, the -Platonist); “The Second Wash, or The Moore (<i>i.e.</i>, Henry More) -Scoured once more,” 1651; <i>Lumen de Lumine</i>, 1651; “The Fame -and Confession of the Fraternity R.C.,” 1652; <i>Aula Lucis</i>, -1652; “Euphrates, or The Waters of the East,” 1655. “A Brief Natural -History,” published in 1669, also bears his name, and in 1679 his -poetical remains were published by Henry, his brother, along with some -effusions of his own, entitled <i>Thalia Rediviva</i>.</p> - -<p>Some idea of the confusion which exists in the minds of biographers -and bibliographers alike on this point may be gathered from the fact -that some authorities represent Thomas Vaughan as dying in 1656, while -Chalmers’ Biographical Dictionary attributes all the works of Eugenius -Philalethes to Henry the Silurist, whom he terms a Rosicrucian fanatic.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</span></p> - -<p>If much be confusion which concerns Thomas Vaughan, all is chaos in -respect of Eirenæus Philalethes. He would appear to have emigrated -to America at a comparatively early period. The Amsterdam original -edition of his <i>Experimenta de Præparatione Mercurii Sophici</i>, -which was issued by Daniel Elzevir in 1668, describes that work as -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">ex manuscripto philosophi Americani, alias Æyrenæi Philalethes, -natu Angli, habitatione Cosmopolitæ</i>. In this way, those who have -refrained from identifying him with Thomas Vaughan, carefully confuse -him with George Starkey, also an Anglo-American, who claimed a familiar -acquaintance with Philalethes, and who, owing his initiation to him, -may be considered his philosophical son, but not his <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">alter ego</i>. -Starkey returned to London, and wrote several chemical books, some -of which detail the transmutations performed by Philalethes in the -apothecary’s trans-atlantic laboratory. He died of the plague in London -in 1665, while Eirenæus continued publishing for many years after that -date, and lived for some time on intimate terms with the illustrious -Robert Boyle, who, however, has given us no biographical particulars -concerning him.</p> - -<p>Not the least curious fact in the history of this mysterious adept is -the apparently complete disappearance of numbers of his printed works, -which an authentic list extends to some forty volumes, some of which -seem perfectly unknown and unheard of by bibliographers and collectors -alike. Langlet du Fresnoy enumerates several manuscript treatises, but -gives no clue to their whereabouts.</p> - -<p>It is from the books of Philalethes himself that we must be contented -to glean the scanty facts of his life. The thirteenth chapter of the -<i>Introitus Apertus ad Occlusum Regis Palatium</i> contains the -following remarkable account of its author:—</p> - -<p>“All alchemical books abound with obscure enigmas and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</span> sophistical -operations. I have not written in this style, having resigned my will -to the Divine pleasure. I do not fear that the art will be disesteemed -because I write plainly, for true wisdom will defend its own honour. -I wish gold and silver were as mean in esteem as earth, that we need -not so strictly conceal ourselves. For we are like Cain, driven from -the pleasant society we formerly had without fear; now we are tossed -up and down as if beset with furies; nor can we suppose ourselves safe -in any one place long. We weep and sigh, complaining to the Lord, -‘Behold, whosoever shall find me will slay me!’ We travel through many -nations like vagabonds, and dare not take upon us the care of a family, -neither do we possess any certain habitation. Although we possess all -things we can use but a few; what, therefore, do we enjoy except the -speculations of our minds? Many strangers to this art imagine that -if they enjoyed it they would do great good; so I believed formerly, -but the danger I have experienced has taught me otherwise. Whoever -encounters the eminent peril of his life will act with more caution -thenceforward. I found the world in a most wicked state, scarce a man -but is guided by some selfish and unworthy motive, however honest -or upright he is judged in public. An adept cannot effect the works -of mercy to an uncommon extent without in some degree confiding to -the secrecy of others, and this is at the hazard of imprisonment and -death. I lately had a proof of it; for, being in a foreign place, I -administered the medicine to some distressed poor persons who were -dying, and they having miraculously recovered, there was immediately -a rumour spread abroad of the elixir of life, insomuch that I was -forced to fly by night with exceeding great trouble, having changed my -clothes, shaved my head, put on other hair, and altered my name, else -I would have fallen into the hands of wicked men that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</span> lay in wait for -me, merely on suspicion, excited by the thirst of gold. I could mention -other dangers which would seem ridiculous to those who did not stand -in a similar situation. They think they would manage their affairs -better, but they do not consider that all those intelligent people, -whose society is chiefly desirable, are extremely discerning, and a -slight conjecture is enough to produce a conspiracy; for the iniquity -of men is so great that I have known a person to have been strangled -with a halter on suspicion; although he did not possess the art, it was -sufficient that a desperate man had report of it. This age abounds with -ignorant alchemists; however ignorant of science, they know sufficient -to discover an adept, or to suspect him. An appearance of secresy will -cause them to search and examine every circumstance of your life. -If you cure the sick, or sell a large quantity of gold, the news is -circulated all through the neighbourhood. The goldsmith knows that the -metal is too fine, and it is contrary to law for any one to alloy it -who is not a regular metallurgist. I once sold pure silver worth £600 -in a foreign country. The goldsmith, notwithstanding I was dressed as a -merchant, told me ‘this silver was made by art.’ I asked the reason he -said so. He replied, ‘I know the silver that comes from Spain, England, -&c. This is purer than any of them.’ Hearing this I withdrew. There is -no better silver in trade than the Spanish, but if I had attempted to -reduce my silver from its superior purity, and was discovered, I would -be hanged for felony. I never called again for either the silver or the -price of it. The transmission of gold and silver from one country to -another is regulated by strict laws, and this is enough to condemn the -adept who appears to have a quantity of it. Thus, being taught by these -difficulties, I have determined to lie hid, and will communicate the -art to thee who dreamest of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</span> performing public good, that we may see -what you will undertake when you obtain it.</p> - -<p>“The searcher of all hearts knows that I write the truth; nor is there -any cause to accuse me of envy. I write with an unterrified quill in an -unheard of style, to the honour of God, to the profit of my neighbours, -with contempt of the world and its riches; because <span class="smcap">Elias</span> the -artist is already born, and now glorious things are declared of the -city of God. I dare affirm that I do possess more riches than the whole -known world is worth, but I cannot make use of it because of the snares -of knaves. I disdain, loathe, and detest the idolizing of silver and -gold, by which the pomps and vanities of the world are celebrated. Ah, -filthy evil! Ah, vain nothingness? Believe ye that I conceal the art -out of envy? No, verily I protest to you, I grieve from the very bottom -of my soul that we are driven like vagabonds from the face of the Lord -throughout the earth. But what need many words? The thing we have seen, -taught, and made, which we have, possess, and know, that we do declare; -being moved with compassion for the studious, and with indignation of -gold, silver, and precious stones, not as they are creatures of God, -far be it from us, for in that respect we honour them, and think them -worthy of esteem, but the people of God adore them as well as the -world. Therefore let them be ground to powder like the golden calf! I -do hope and expect that within a few years money will be as dross; and -that prop of the anti-Christian beast will be dashed to pieces. The -people are mad, the nations rave, an unprofitable wight is set up in -the place of God. At our long expected and approaching redemption, the -New Jerusalem shall abound with gold in the streets, the gates thereof -shall be made with entire stones, most precious ones, and the tree of -life in the midst of Paradise shall give leaves for the <em>healing</em> -of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</span> the nations. I know these my writings will be to men as pure gold; -and through them gold and silver will become vile as dirt. Believe me, -the time is at the door, I see it in spirit, when we, adeptists, shall -return from the four corners of the earth, nor shall we fear any snares -that are laid against our lives, but we shall give thanks to the Lord -our God. I would to God that every ingenious man in the whole earth -understood this science; then it would only be valued for its wisdom, -and virtue only would be had in honour. I know many adepts who have -vowed a most secret silence. I am of another judgment because of the -hope I have in my God; therefore I consulted not with my brethren, or -with flesh and blood, in these my writings: God grant that it be to the -glory of His name!”</p> - -<p>We are told in the preface to “Ripley Revived” the authors to whom -he was at any rate chiefly indebted. “For my own part, I have cause -to honour Bernard Trévisan, who is very ingenious, especially in the -letter to Thomas of Boulogne, where I seriously confess I received -the main light in the hidden secret. I do not remember that ever I -learned anything from Raymond Lully. Some who are not adepts give -more instruction to a beginner than one whom perfect knowledge makes -cautious. I learned the secret of the <em>magnet</em> from one, the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">chalybs</i> from another, the use of <i>Diana’s Doves</i> from -a third, the <em>air</em> or <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">cameleon</i> from another, the gross -preparation of the dissolvent in another, the number of <em>eagles</em> -in another; but for <em>operations</em> on the <em>true matter</em> and -signs of the <em>true mercury</em>, I know of none like Ripley, though -Flamel be eminent. I know what I say, having learned by experience what -is truth and what is error.</p> - -<p>“I have read misleading, sophistical writers, and made many toilsome, -laborious experiments, though but young;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</span> and having at length, -through the undeserved mercy of God, arrived at my haven of rest, I -shall stretch out my hand to such as are behind. I have wrote several -treatises, one in English, very plain but not perfected—unfortunately, -it slipped out of my hand. I shall be sorry if it comes abroad into the -world—two in Latin, <i>Brevis Manuductio ad Rubinem Cœlestem</i>, and -<i>Fons Chymicæ Philosophiæ</i>—these, for special reasons, I resolve -to suppress. Two others I lately wrote, which, perhaps, you may enjoy, -namely, <i>Ars Metallorum Metamorphoses</i>, and <i>Introitus Apertus -ad Occlusum Regis Palatium</i>. I wrote two poems in English, which -are lost; also, in English, an Enchiridion of experiments, a diurnal -of meditations, with many receipts declaring the whole secret, and an -Enigma annexed. These also fell into the hands of one who, I conceive, -will never restore them.”</p> - -<p>The delinquent in question was undoubtedly George Starkey, who -published the “Marrow of Alchemy” under the name of Eirenæus Philoponos -Philalethes; this metrical account of the Hermetic theory and practice -is apparently the vanished verse of the adept, but it contains in -addition an account of the editor’s own initiation, which is certainly -worth transcribing.</p> - -<p>“I have now to assert, from my own experience, facts of transmutation -of which I was an eye-witness. I was well acquainted with an artist -with whom I have often conversed on the subject, and I saw in his -possession the white and the red elixir in very large quantity. He gave -me upwards of two ounces of the white medicine, of sufficient virtue -to convert 120,000 times its weight into the purest virgin silver. -With this treasure I went to work ignorantly upon multiplication, -and was caught in the trap of my own covetousness, for I expended or -wasted all this tincture. However, I made projection of part of it, -which is sufficient<span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</span> for my present purpose, enabling me to assert the -possibility of the art from ocular demonstration. I have tinged many -times hundreds of ounces into the best silver. Of a pound of mercury -I have made within less than a scruple of a pound of silver; of lead, -little more waste; but ’tis wondrous to see tin—although a dross -was burnt from it, yet its weight increased in the fire. I essayed -the medicine on copper, iron, even on brass and pewter, on spelter, -solder, tinglass, mercury, and on regulus of antimony; and I can say -with truth it conquers all metallic things, and brings them all to -perfection. I found there was nothing akin to it but it would tinge -into pure silver. Even perfect gold was penetrated and changed into -a white glass, that would transmute, but in small quantity, inferior -metals into silver; but when this silver was assayed it was found to -abide <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">aquafortis</i>, cupel of antimony, and weighed as gold, so -that it was <i>white gold</i>. This was because the white tincture had -fermented with red earth, and both virtues coming into projection, -produced silver-coloured gold, or silver equalling gold in perfection, -but wanting its hue. I did not know the value of this silver till my -medicine was nearly gone, and sold eighty ounces of it at the common -price, though it was as valuable as gold. I projected the medicine on -pure silver, and had a chrystalline metal, like burnished steel or -mirror, but there was no increase of virtue in this; it tinged only so -much as it would if it had not been projected on silver.</p> - -<p>“The artist who gave me this is still living; I prize him as my own -life; I wish his happiness, for he has been a sure friend. He is at -present on his travels, visiting artists and collecting antiquities as -a citizen of the world. He is an Englishman of an ancient, honourable -family, who now live in the place wherein he was born. He is scarcely -thirty-three years of age, and is rarely learned. You cannot<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</span> know more -of him from me, nor can you be acquainted with him; his acquaintance -with me is as unexpected as his love was cordial. I had often seen by -experiment that he was master of the white and red before he would -vouchsafe to trust me with a small bit of the stone, nor would I press -him, trusting for his courtesy soon or late, which I shortly received, -by what I have said of the white medicine, and also a portion of his -mercury.</p> - -<p>“He told me this mercury was a matchless treasure, if God would open -my eyes to the use of it, else I might grope in blindness. With this -dissolvent, which is the hidden secret of all masters, he exceedingly -multiplied his red stone. I saw him put a piece of the red, by weight, -into that same mercury, which then digested, dissolved it, and made -it change colour, and in three days it passed through the process of -black, white, and red.</p> - -<p>“I thought that if the red and white could be multiplied that one -lineal progress led to either, and on this false ground I destroyed ten -parts in twelve of my medicine. This loss did not suffice me, for I -mixed the remaining two parts with ten times their weight of Luna, and -fell to work again, hoping to make up for my first error. I then began -to think upon the maxims of the old books, revolved in my mind the -agreement of my work with the laws of Nature, and at length I concluded -that each thing is to be disposed according to its condition.</p> - -<p>“When I found that my vain attempts only threw away the tincture, I -stopped my hand, resolving to keep the few grains left for some urgent -necessity, which for its preservation I mixed with ten parts of Luna.</p> - -<p>“I tried some of the mercury before mentioned on gold, my desire -being to see the work carried forward and brought to Luna, if not to -Sol. This, then, I projected on mercury. After having alloyed it with -silver it tinged fifty<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</span> parts, and I strove to imbibe it, but in vain, -because I had let it cool. I foolishly supposed to obtain the oil by -imbibition. However, Nature carried on the work into blackness, the -colours, and whiteness, which yet was far short of what I looked for.</p> - -<p>“In these trials I wasted nearly all my mercury likewise; but I -had for my consolation the witnessing of transmutations, and those -extraordinary processes which I beheld with mine own eyes, and blessed -God for seeing.</p> - -<p>“In some time I met my good friend and told all my mishaps, hoping that -he would supply me as before; but he, considering that my failures had -made me wise, would not trust me with more, lest I should pluck the -Hesperian tree as I chose for my own and other men’s hurt. He said to -me, ‘Friend, if God elects you to this art, He will in due time bestow -the knowledge of it; but if in His wisdom He judge you unfit, or that -you would do mischief with it, accursed be that man who would arm a -maniac to the harm of his fellow-creatures. While you were ignorant, -I gave you a great gift, so that, if Heaven ordained, the gift should -destroy itself. I see it is not right you should enjoy it at present; -what providence denies I cannot give you, or I should be guilty of your -misconduct.’</p> - -<p>“I confess this lesson of divinity did not please me; as I hoped so -much from him, his answer was a disappointment. He further said that -God had granted me knowledge, but withheld the fruit of it for the -present.</p> - -<p>“Then I gave him to understand how I had discovered the skill of the -water, ‘by which, in time, I may obtain what you deny, and which I am -resolved to attempt.’</p> - -<p>“‘If so, then,’ he replied, ‘attend to what I say, and you may bless -God for it. Know that we are severely bound by strong vows never to -supply any man by our art who might confound the world, if he held -it at will; and all<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</span> the evil he does is left at the door of that -adept who is so imprudent. Consider what a prize you had both of the -<em>stone</em> and of the <em>mercury</em>. Would not any one say that he -must be mad that would throw it all away without profit?</p> - -<p>“‘Had you been guided by reason you might have enough of what I gave -you. Your method was to add to the purest <em>gold</em> but a grain of -the <em>stone</em>; in fusion it would unite to it, and then you might -go about the work with your <em>mercury</em>, which would speedily mix -with that gold and greatly shorten the work, which you might easily -govern to the <em>red</em>; and as you saw how I wedded new <em>gold</em> -to <em>such sulphur</em> and <em>mercury</em>, you saw the weight, time, -and heat, what more could you have wished? And seeing you know the art -of preparing the <em>fiery mercury</em>, you might have as much store as -any one.</p> - -<p>“‘But you do not perceive by this that God is averse to you, and caused -you to waste the treasure I gave you. He sees perhaps that you would -break His holy laws and do wrong with it; and though He has imparted so -much knowledge, I plainly see that He will keep you some years without -the enjoyment of that which no doubt you would misuse. Know, that -if you seek this art without a ferment, you must beware of frequent -error; you will err and stray from the right path, notwithstanding all -your care, and perhaps may not in the course of your life attain this -treasure, which is the alone gift of God. If you pursue the straightest -course it will take a year to arrive at perfection; but if you take -wrong ways, you shall be often left behind, sometimes a year, and -must renew your charge and pains, repenting of your loss and error, -in much distraction, care, and perils, with an expense you can hardly -spare. Attend therefore to my counsel, and I shall disclose the secret -conditionally. Swear before the mighty God that you will, for such a -time, abstain from the attempt or practice;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</span> nor shall you at that -time, even if you are at the point of death, disclose some few points -that I will reveal to you in secrecy.’</p> - -<p>“I swore, and he unlocked his mind to me, and proved that he did not -deceive by showing me those lights which I shall honestly recount, as -far as my oath will admit.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Eirenæus Philalethes has the credit of unexampled perspicuity, and his -<i>Introitus Apertus</i>, in particular, is an abridgement or digest of -the whole <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">turba philosophorum</i>. Those who are in search of the -physical secret should begin by the careful study of his works; thence -they should proceed to a consideration of the authors whom he himself -recommends, after which the best Hermetic writers, from the days of -Geber downward, should be taken in their chronological order, carefully -analysed, and their points of difference and agreement duly noted.</p> - -<p>The physical nature of the alchemical arcana in the custody of the -true Philalethes are best seen by the narratives and commentaries -of his pupil, George Starkey. The mystery which surrounds the adept -stimulates unbalanced imaginations, and dilates into Titanic stature -the projects which he cherished and the wonders he is supposed to have -accomplished. The <i>Introitus Apertus</i>, amid much that is mystical -and much that suggests an exceedingly romantic interpretation, is a -treatise of practical alchemy, and further elaborates the principles, -evidently physical, that are expounded in the metrical essays which -were preserved and made public by Starkey.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_34" href="#FNanchor_34" class="label">[AH]</a> It was published at Amsterdam in 1667, and is supposed -to have been free from the numerous typographical errors of the later -editions.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PIERRE_JEAN_FABRE">PIERRE JEAN FABRE.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This physician of Montpellier, to whom chemistry is indebted for -some steps in its progress, flourished at the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</span> beginning of the -seventeenth century. He believed in the transmutation of metals, but -is not considered as an adept, though he wrote seventeen treatises on -this subject, and on the Spagiric Medicine. His most curious work is -<i>Alchimista Christianus</i>. Toulouse, 1632, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. In <i>Hercules -Piochymicus</i>, published at the same place two years later, he -maintains that the labours of Hercules are allegories, which contain -the arcana of Hermetic philosophy.</p> - -<p>He defines the philosophical stone as the seed out of which gold and -silver are generated. It is three and yet one; it may be found in all -compounded substances, and is formed of salt, mercury, and sulphur, -which, however, are not to be confounded with the vulgar substances so -denominated.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="HELVETIUS">HELVETIUS.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The following singularly impressive and even convincing testimony to -the alleged fact of metallic transmutation was published by the eminent -Dutch physician, John Frederick Helvetius, at the Hague in 1667, and -was dedicated to his friends, <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Retius of Amsterdam, <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Hansius of -Heidelberg, and <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Menzelin of Brandeburg.</p> - -<p>“On the 27th December 1666, in the afternoon, a stranger, in a plain, -rustic dress, came to my house at the Hague. His manner of address was -honest, grave, and authoritative; his stature was low, with a long -face and hair black, his chin smooth. He seemed like a native of the -north of Scotland, and I guessed he was about forty-four years old. -After saluting me, he requested me most respectfully to pardon his rude -intrusion, but that his love of the pyrotechnic art made him visit -me. Having read some of my small treatises, particularly that against -the sympathetic powder of Sir Kenelm Digby, and observed therein my<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</span> -doubt of the Hermetic mystery, it caused him to request this interview. -He asked me if I still thought there was no medicine in Nature which -could cure all diseases, unless the principal parts, as the lungs, -liver, &c., were perished, or the time of death were come. To which -I replied, I never met with an adept, or saw such a medicine, though -I read much of it, and often wished for it. Then I asked if he was -a physician. He said he was a founder of brass, yet from his youth -learned many rare things in chemistry, particularly of a friend—the -manner to extract out of metals many medicinal arcana by the use of -fire. After discoursing of experiments in metals, he asked me, Would -I know the philosophers’ stone if I saw it? I answered, I would not; -though I read much of it in Paracelsus, Helmont, Basil, and others, yet -I dare not say I could know the philosophers’ matter. In the interim -he drew from his breast pocket a neat ivory box, and out of it took -three ponderous lumps of the stone, each about the size of a small -walnut. They were transparent and of a pale brimstone colour, whereto -some scales of the crucible adhered when this most noble substance -was melted. The value of it I since calculated was twenty tons weight -of gold. When I had greedily examined and handled the stone almost -a quarter of an hour, and heard from the owner many rare secrets of -its admirable effects in human and metallic bodies, also its other -wonderful properties, I returned him this treasure of treasures, truly -with a most sorrowful mind, like those who conquer themselves, yet, as -was just, very thankfully and humbly. I further desired to know why -the colour was yellow, and not red, ruby colour, or purple, as the -philosophers write. He answered, that was nothing, for the matter was -mature and ripe enough. Then I humbly requested him to bestow a little -piece of the medicine on me, in perpetual memory of him, though but of -the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</span> size of a coriander or hemp seed. He presently answered, ‘Oh no, -this is not lawful, though thou wouldst give me as many ducats in gold -as would fill this room, not for the value of the metal, but for some -particular consequences. Nay, if it were possible,’ said he, ‘that fire -could be burnt by fire, I would rather at this instant cast all this -substance into the fiercest flames.’ He then demanded if I had a more -private chamber, as this was seen from the public street. I presently -conducted him into the best furnished room backward, not doubting but -he would bestow part thereof or some great treasure on me. He entered -without wiping his shoes, although they were full of snow and dirt. He -asked me for a little piece of gold, and, pulling off his cloak, opened -his vest, under which he had five pieces of gold. They were hanging to -a green silk ribbon, and were of the size of breakfast plates. This -gold so far excelled mine that there was no comparison for flexibility -and colour. The inscriptions engraven upon them he granted me to write -out; they were pious thanksgivings to God, dated 20th August 1666, with -the characters of the Sun, Mercury, the Moon, and the signs of Leo and -Libra.</p> - -<p>“I was in great admiration, and desired to know where and how he -obtained them. He answered, ‘A foreigner, who dwelt some days in my -house, said he was a lover of this science, and came to reveal it to -me. He taught me various arts—first, of ordinary stones and chrystals, -to make rubies, chrysolites, sapphires, &c., much more valuable than -those of the mine; and how in a quarter of an hour to make an oxide -of iron, one dose of which would infallibly cure the pestilential -dysentery, or bloody flux; also how to make a metallic liquor to -cure all kinds of dropsies most certainly and in four days; as also -a limpid, clear water, sweeter than honey, by which in two hours of -itself, in hot sand, it would extract the tincture of garnets, corals, -glasses,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</span> and such like.’ He said more, which I, Helvetius, did not -observe, my mind being occupied to understand how a noble juice could -be drawn out of minerals to transmute metals. He told me his said -master caused him to bring a glass of rain-water, and to put some -silver leaf into it, which was dissolved therein within a quarter of -an hour, like ice when heated. ‘Presently he drank to me the half, and -I pledged him the other half, which had not so much taste as sweet -milk, but whereby, methought, I became very light-headed. I thereupon -asked if this were a philosophical drink, and wherefore we drank this -potion; but he replied, I ought not to be so curious.’ By the said -master’s directions, a piece of a leaden pipe being melted, he took a -little sulphureous powder out of his pocket, put a little of it on the -point of a knife into the melted lead, and after a great blast of the -bellows, in a short time he poured it on the red stones of the kitchen -chimney. It proved most excellent pure gold, which the stranger said -brought him into such trembling amazement that he could hardly speak; -but his master encouraged him saying, ‘Cut for thyself the sixteenth -part of this as a memorial, and give the rest away among the poor,’ -which the stranger did, distributing this alms, as he affirmed, if my -memory fail not, at the Church of Sparenda. ‘At last,’ said he, ‘the -generous foreigner taught me thoroughly this divine art.’</p> - -<p>“As soon as his relation was finished, I asked my visitor to show me -the effect of transmutation and so confirm my faith; but he declined -it for that time in such a discreet manner that I was satisfied, he -promising to come again in three weeks, to show me some curious arts -in the fire, provided it were then lawful without prohibition. At the -three weeks end he came, and invited me abroad for an hour or two. In -our walk we discoursed of Nature’s secrets, but he was very silent on -the subject of the great elixir<span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</span> gravely asserting that it was only to -magnify the sweet fame and mercy of the most glorious God; that few men -endeavoured to serve Him, and this he expressed as a pastor or minister -of a church; but I recalled his attention, entreating him to show me -the metallic mystery, desiring also that he would eat, drink, and lodge -at my house, which I pressed, but he was of so fixed a determination -that all my endeavours were frustrated. I could not forbear to tell him -that I had a laboratory ready for an experiment, and that a promised -favour was a kind of debt. ‘Yes, true,’ said he, ‘but I promised to -teach thee at my return, with this proviso, if it were not forbidden.’</p> - -<p>“When I perceived that all this was in vain, I earnestly requested a -small crumb of his powder, sufficient to transmute a few grains of -lead to gold; and at last, out of his philosophical commiseration, he -gave me as much as a turnip seed in size, saying, ‘Receive this small -parcel of the greatest treasure of the world, which truly few kings or -princes have ever seen or known.’ ‘But,’ I said, ‘this perhaps will not -transmute four grains of lead,’ whereupon he bid me deliver it back -to him, which, in hopes of a greater parcel, I did; but he, cutting -half off with his nail, flung it into the fire, and gave me the rest -wrapped neatly up in blue paper, saying, ‘It is yet sufficient for -thee.’ I answered him, indeed with a most dejected countenance, ‘Sir, -what means this? The other being too little, you give me now less.’ -He told me to put into the crucible half an ounce of lead, for there -ought to be no more lead put in than the medicine can transmute. I gave -him great thanks for my diminished treasure, concentrated truly in the -superlative degree, and put it charily up into my little box, saying I -meant to try it the next day, nor would I reveal it to any. ‘Not so, -not so,’ said he, ‘for we ought to divulge all things to the children -of art which may tend<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</span> alone to the honour of God, that so they may -live in the theosophical truth.’ I now made a confession to him, that -while the mass of his medicine was in my hands, I endeavoured to scrape -away a little of it with my nail, and could not forbear; but scratched -off so very little, that, it being picked from my nail, wrapped in a -paper, and projected on melted lead, I found no transmutation, but -almost the whole mass of lead sublimed, while the remainder was a -glassy earth. At this unexpected account he immediately said, ‘You are -more dexterous to commit theft than to apply the medicine, for if you -had only wrapped up the stolen prey in yellow wax, to preserve it from -the fumes of the lead, it would have sunk to the bottom, and transmuted -it to gold; but having cast it into the fumes, the violence of the -vapour, partly by its sympathetic alliance, carried the medicine quite -away.’ I brought him the crucible, and he perceived a most beautiful -saffron-like tincture sticking to the sides. He promised to come next -morning at nine o’clock, to show me that this tincture would transmute -the lead into gold. Having taken his leave, I impatiently awaited his -return, but the next day he came not, nor ever since. He sent an excuse -at half-past nine that morning, and promised to come at three in the -afternoon, but I never heard of him since. I soon began to doubt the -whole matter. Late that night my wife, who was a most curious student -and inquirer after the art, came soliciting me to make an experiment -of that little grain of the stone, to be assured of the truth. ‘Unless -this be done,’ said she, ‘I shall have no rest or sleep this night.’ -She being so earnest, I commanded a fire to be made, saying to myself, -‘I fear, I fear indeed, this man hath deluded me.’ My wife wrapped the -said matter in wax, and I cut half an ounce of lead, and put it into a -crucible in the fire. Being melted, my wife put in the medicine, made -into a small<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</span> pill with the wax, which presently made a hissing noise, -and in a quarter of an hour the mass of lead was totally transmuted -into the best and finest gold, which amazed us exceedingly. We could -not sufficiently gaze upon this admirable and miraculous work of -nature, for the melted lead, after projection, showed on the fire the -rarest and most beautiful colours imaginable, settling in green, and -when poured forth into an ingot, it had the lively fresh colour of -blood. When cold it shined as the purest and most splendid gold. Truly -all those who were standing about me were exceedingly startled, and -I ran with this aurified lead, being yet hot, to the goldsmith, who -wondered at the fineness, and after a short trial by the test, said it -was the most excellent gold in the world.</p> - -<p>“The next day a rumour of this prodigy went about the Hague and -spread abroad, so that many illustrious and learned persons gave me -their friendly visits for its sake. Amongst the rest, the general -Assay-master, examiner of coins of this province of Holland, Mr -Porelius, who with others earnestly besought me to pass some part of -the gold through all their customary trials, which I did, to gratify -my own curiosity. We went to <abbr title="mister">Mr</abbr> Brectel, a silversmith, who first -mixed four parts of silver with one part of the gold, then he filed -it, put <em>aquafortis</em> to it, dissolved the silver, and let the -gold precipitate to the bottom; the solution being poured off and the -calx of gold washed with water, then reduced and melted, it appeared -excellent gold, and instead of a loss in weight, we found the gold was -increased, and had transmuted a scruple of the silver into gold by its -abounding tincture.</p> - -<p>“Doubting whether the silver was now sufficiently separated from the -gold, we mingled it with seven parts of antimony, which we melted and -poured out into a cone, and blew off the regulus on a test, where we -missed eight<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</span> grains of our gold; but after we blew away the red of -the antimony, or superfluous <em>scoria</em>, we found nine grains of -gold for our eight grains missing, yet it was pale and silver-like, but -recovered its full colour afterwards, so that in the best proof of fire -we lost nothing at all of this gold, but gained, as aforesaid. These -tests I repeated four times and found it still alike, and the silver -remaining out of the <em>aquafortis</em> was of the very best flexible -silver that could be, so that in the total the said medicine or elixir -had transmuted six drams and two scruples of the lead and silver into -most pure gold.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="GUISEPPE_FRANCESCO_BORRI">GUISEPPE FRANCESCO BORRI.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>“The Rape of the Lock” and the graceful romance of “Undine” have -familiarised every one with the doctrine of elementary spirits; but -the chief philosophical, or pseudo-philosophical, account of these -unseen but not extra-mundane intelligences has been the little book -of the Comte de Gabalis, a series of conversations on the secret -sciences. It is generally unknown that this work is little more than an -unacknowledged translation of “The Key to the Cabinet of the Chevalier -Borri, wherein may be found various epistles—curious, scientific, -and chemical—with politic instructions, matters which deserve well -of the curious, and a variety of magnificent secrets.”<a id="FNanchor_35" href="#Footnote_35" class="fnanchor">[AI]</a> Borri, who -appears to have been a microcosmic precursor of Cagliostro, was born -at Milan in 1627. Some proceedings of an equivocal nature caused him, -in his earlier years, to seek sanctuary in a church, but subsequently, -like Joseph Balsamo, he underwent a complete transformation, announced -that he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</span> was inspired of Heaven, that he was elected by the omnipotent -God to accomplish the reformation of mankind, and to establish the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Regnum Dei</i>. There should be henceforth but a single religion, -with the Pope as its head, and a vast army, with Borri as general, for -the extermination of all anti-catholics. He exhibited a miraculous -sword which <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Michael had deigned to present him, declared that he -had beheld in the empyrean a luminous palm-branch reserved for his own -celestial triumph, announced that the Holy Virgin was divine by nature, -that she conceived by inspiration, that she was equal with her Son, and -was present in the Eucharist with him, that the Holy Spirit had taken -flesh in her person, that the second and third persons of the Trinity -are inferior to the Divine Father, that the fall of Lucifer involved -that of a vast number of angels, who now inhabit the regions of the -air, that it was by the intervention of these rebellious spirits that -God created the world and gave life to all beasts, but that men were -in possession of a Divine soul which God made in spite of himself. -Finally, with a contradiction more French than Italian, he gave out -that he was himself the Holy Spirit incarnate.</p> - -<p>Needless to say, this novel gospel, according to mystical imposture, -brought him into conflict with hierarchic authority. He was arrested, -and, on the 3d of January 1661, he was condemned as a heretic, and -as guilty of various misdeeds. He managed to escape, took flight -northward, and by the expectation of the stone philosophical contrived -to cheat Christina, Queen of Sweden, out of a large sum of money. -He perambulated various parts of Germany, making many supposed -projections, visited the Low Countries, and in 1665 entered as a -professional alchemist into the service of the King of Denmark. -He announced that he was the master of a demon, who responded to -his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</span> magical evocations, and dictated the operations required for -the successful transmutation of metals. The name of this spook was -Homunculus, which, according to Paracelsus, signifies a minute human -being generated unnaturally without the assistance of the female -organism, from the sperm of a man or a boy.</p> - -<p>The monarch, determined to monopolise the talents of his adept, -decided that the laboratory of Borri should be transferred to his own -palace. The alchemist, with an eye to his freedom, objected that the -power of his imp would be destroyed on the first attempt to divide -him from a certain vast iron furnace, which was the sulphureous abode -of Homunculus; but his royal patron was a man of resources, and the -furnace was also transported. Five years passed away, and Frederick -III. having died, his successor determined on a closer investigation -of the transmutatory secrets of Borri, who took flight at the rumour, -but was arrested on the frontiers of Hungary, and imprisoned at Vienna, -where he was claimed by the Papal Nuncio as a fugitive condemned for -his heresies. He was sent to Rome, and entombed in the Castle of St -Angelo. There he was permitted to continue his alchemical processes, -which were pursued unsuccessfully till his death in the year 1695.</p> - -<p>“The Key to the Cabinet of the Chevalier Borri” has never been actually -translated; the adaptation by the Abbé de Villars is, of course, -of European celebrity. As to the chemical secrets contained in the -original letters, it may be safely concluded that they are few and -unimportant.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_35" href="#FNanchor_35" class="label">[AI]</a> La Chiave del Gabinetto del Cavagliere G. F. Borri, col -favor della quella si vedono varie lettere scientifiche, chimice, e -curiosissime, con varie istruzioni politiche, ed altre cose degne da -curiosita e molti segreti bellissimi. Cologne (Genève), 1681, <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>.</p> - -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="JOHN_HEYDON">JOHN HEYDON.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This mountebank royalist mystic has no claim to be included among -alchemical philosophers, and is only<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</span> noticed here to advise students -that everything relating to alchemy in the whole of his so-called works -was impudently stolen from Philalethes. He practised wholesale piracy -on his contemporaries and on ancient authors with equal effrontery. -The account of his voyage to the land of the Rosicrucians is a mangled -version of Bacon’s “Atlantis;” his apologues, epilogues, enigmas, &c., -are also stolen goods; in short, whatever is of value in his books is -matter borrowed from the highways and byways of occultism, and heaped -indiscriminately together. Everything emanating from his own weakly -intelligence is utterly contemptible; he was grossly superstitious and -pitiably credulous, as may be seen by his medical recipes. He claimed a -familiar acquaintance with the most arcane Rosicrucian mysteries, and -pretended that he had visited the temples, holy houses, castles, and -invisible mountains of the Fraternity. Of all the alchemical liars and -of all mystical charlatans who have flourished in England since the -first days of Anglo-occultism, John Heydon is chief.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="LASCARIS">LASCARIS.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>German writers have principally occupied themselves with the -transmutations of this singular personage, who so successfully shrouded -himself in mystery, that his name, his age, his birthplace, and -everything which concerns his private life are completely unknown.</p> - -<p>He called himself Lascaris, but also adopted other appellations. He -claimed an Oriental origin, and as he spoke Greek fluently, he has -passed for a descendant of the royal house of Lascaris. He represented -himself as the archimandrite of a convent in the Island of Mytilena, -and bore letters from the Greek patriarch of Constantinople. His -mission in the West was the solicitation of alms for the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</span> ransom of -Christian prisoners in the East. He appeared for the first time in -Germany at the beginning of the eighteenth century, a man seemingly -some forty or fifty years old, of attractive mien, agreeable in -manner, and fluent in his conversation. Finding himself indisposed -at Berlin, he sent for a certain apothecary, who for some reason was -unable to attend, and on several occasions was represented by a pupil -at the bedside of the stranger. With this youth Lascaris fell into -conversation, and a sort of friendship sprung up between them. The -apothecary’s pupil had studied Basil Valentine, and had attempted -experiments on the principles of this adept. Lascaris recovered, and -at the moment of departing from Berlin he took the youth aside, and -presented him with a quantity of the transmuting powder, commanding him -to be silent as to whence he had derived it, and while forbidding him -to make use of it till some time after his departure, assured him that -when Berlin unbelievers beheld its amazing effects, no one would be -able to tax the alchemists with madness.</p> - -<p>The name of this young man was John Frederick Bötticher. Intoxicated -at the possession of such an unexpected treasure, he determined to -devote himself entirely to alchemy. The apothecary, his master, -vainly endeavoured to dissuade him from a pursuit which he considered -chimerical, for he astonished both him and his friends by changing -silver into gold in their presence.</p> - -<p>The experiment was repeated with mercury for the benefit of a friend of -Bötticher, the tale spread, and the apothecary’s pupil became the lion -of Berlin, more especially as he spread the report that he was able to -compose himself the philosophical tincture.</p> - -<p>He was summoned before the King, Frederick William I., who wished to -witness his performances, but he fled to an uncle at Wittenburg. He -was claimed from the authorities<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</span> of that town as a Prussian subject, -but he was now a prize of value, and the Elector of Saxony opposed a -counter claim for the possession of his person, and to him Bötticher -decided to proceed. He was warmly welcomed, and when his transmutations -had been witnessed, the title of baron was conferred on him. He took up -his residence at Dresden, living in a style of great magnificence and -prodigality, till every particle of his powder was expended, when his -extravagance involved him in debt. His servants, whom he was unable to -repay, spread the report that it was his intention to take flight, and -the purblind Elector, refusing to perceive in this sudden failure of -resources a proof that Bötticher was unable to compose or increase the -philosophers’ stone, surrounded his house with guards, and detained him -practically as a prisoner.</p> - -<p>At this juncture, Lascaris, who was still wandering in Germany, took -pity on the misfortunes of his young neophyte, and endeavoured to -extricate him from his embarrassing position by means of a young doctor -named Pasch, who was a personal friend of the ennobled apothecary’s -boy. Their manœuvres resulted in the imprisonment of Pasch at the -fortress of Sonneinstein, while Bötticher was closely confined in -another castle at Kœnigstein.</p> - -<p>Two years and a half passed away. At the end of that time Pasch -succeeded in escaping at the expense of his limbs, and died after a few -months, bitterly complaining of the treachery of the adept Lascaris, -who had deserted him completely in his danger.</p> - -<p>Bötticher remained in confinement with every opportunity to manufacture -the philosophical stone, which, however he failed to accomplish; but -what with his apothecary’s training and his prison experiments, he had -become skilled in several departments of chemistry. He discovered the -process for the production of red porcelain, and afterwards<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</span> that of -white, very superior in quality to the substances already known by that -name. These inventions proved as valuable to the tyrannical Elector as -the accomplishment of the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>. Bötticher was restored to -his favour, and again enjoyed his baronial title, but in his liberty he -surrendered himself to an immoderately luxurious life, and died in 1719 -at the age of thirty-seven years.</p> - -<p>Bötticher was by no means the only apothecary’s boy who was enriched -with the powder of Lascaris, and despatched to preach the gospel of -alchemy with practical demonstrations. Godwin, Hermann, Braun, and -Martin of Fitzlar are mentioned among these half-initiated labourers, -who shone till their stock-in-trade was exhausted, and then disappeared -in succession.</p> - -<p>In the meantime, Lascaris himself was not idle. On the 16th February -1609 he is believed to have changed mercury into gold and gold into -silver, a double transmutation, considered by alchemical connoisseurs -to be the evidence of an unparalleled adeptship. Liebkneck, counsellor -of Wertherbourg, was a witness of this transmutation.</p> - -<p>In the same year a goldsmith of Leipsic was visited by a mysterious -stranger, who is unanimously identified with Lascaris, and who showed -him a lingot, which he declared was manufactured by art, and which -proved in assaying to be gold of twenty-two carats. It was purified by -the goldsmith with antimony, and part of it was presented to him by the -unknown as a memorial of the alleged transmutation.</p> - -<p>Shortly after, a lieutenant-colonel in the Polish army, whose name was -Schmolz de Dierbach, and who had inherited from his father a belief -in alchemical science, was conversing on the subject at a café, when -he was accosted by a stranger, who presented him with some powder of -projection. It was of a red colour, and a microscopic<span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</span> examination -revealed its crystalline nature. It increased the weight of the -metals which it was supposed to transmute to an extent which chemical -authorities declare to be physically impossible. The recipient made -use of it generously, distributing to his friends and acquaintance the -gold it produced in projection. The unknown donor is identified in the -imagination of German historians with the mysterious Lascaris, who -is supposed, in the same anonymous and unaccountable manner, to have -enriched the Baron de Creux with a box of the precious powder, and to -have gratified the amateur Hermetic ambition of the Landgrave of Hesse -Darmstadt through the commonplace medium of the post. In a word, every -anonymous adept who appeared at this period in or about Germany is -supposed to be Lascaris.</p> - -<p>The last of his debtors or victims was the son of a Neapolitan mason, -Domenico Manuel, who claims to have been mysteriously initiated into -the transmutatory art in the year 1695. He was put in possession of a -small quantity both of the white and red tinctures. Being insufficient -to really enrich himself, he determined to trade upon the wonders -they produced, and obtained large sums from wealthy amateurs for -the privilege of beholding the consummation of the great work. He -perambulated Spain, Belgium, and Austria, obtaining large sums, -under the pretence of preparing the tincture, not only from private -individuals, but from the Emperor Leopold and the Palatine Elector. -In different places he assumed names that were different. Now he was -Count Gaëtano, now Count de Ruggiero; at other times he called himself -Field Marshal to the Duke of Bavaria, Commandant of Munich, a Prussian -major-general, and by other titles. In 1705 he appeared at Berlin, -where he imposed on the King himself for a brief period, after which, -unable to ratify his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</span> transmutatory engagements, he was convicted of -treason and hanged. This occurred on the 29th of August 1709.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="DELISLE">DELISLE.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This artist, whose Christian name is unmentioned by his biographers, -is included by Figuier among the emissaries or disciples of Lascaris, -and much information concerning him will be found in the <i>Histoire de -la Philosophic Hermétique</i> by his contemporary, Langlet du Fresnoy. -He was a rustic of low birth in Provence, and he became acquainted -with alchemical experiments by entering the service of a gentleman -who was believed to be in possession of the stone. This gentleman is -supposed to have received the prize from Lascaris. His operations, -however, fell under suspicion, and he was forced to quit France. He -retired into Switzerland, accompanied by Delisle, who is said to have -assassinated him in the mountains, and to have thus got possession of -a considerable quantity of the transmuting powder. However this may -be, the servant, re-entered France in disguise, and about the year -1708 attracted general attention by changing lead and iron into silver -and gold. He perambulated Languedoc, the Dauphiné, and Provence. At -Sisteron he connected himself with the wife of a certain Alnys, who -eventually shared his fortunes for the space of three years. His renown -was increased by the apparent simplicity of his operations. He spread -powder and oil over iron, thrust it into the fire, and brought it -out a bar of gold. He distributed nails, knives, and rings partially -transmuted, and was particularly successful in his experiments with -common steel.</p> - -<p>Cerisy, prior of New Castel, was employed by the Bishop of Senez -to collect evidence concerning the truth of these marvels. An old -gentleman offered Delisle a retreat at his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</span> castle of La Palud, where -the alchemist, surrounded by admirers, received the daily visits of -the curious. In Lenglet’s “History of Hermetic Philosophy,” there -is a letter from the Bishop of Senez to the Minister of State and -Comptroller-General of the Treasury at Paris, in which the prelate, -who at first was incredulous, professes his inability to resist the -evidence of actual transformation performed before himself and several -vigilant witnesses, who took every precaution against deception. There -is also the Report of M. de Saint-Maurice, President of the Mint at -Lyons, who testifies to the following facts. That he was accompanied -by Delisle into the grounds of the Chateau de Saint Auban in May 1710, -where he uncovered a basket that was sunk in the ground. In the middle -of this basket there was an iron wire, at the end of which he perceived -a piece of linen with some object tied up in it. He took possession -of this parcel, carried it into the dining-room of the Chateau, and -by the direction of Delisle he exposed its contents—a blackish earth -about half a pound in weight—to the rays of the sun. After a quarter -of an hour the earth was distilled in a retort of a portable furnace, -and when a yellow liquor was perceived to flow into the receiver, -Delisle recommended that the recipient should be removed before a -viscous oil then rising should flow into it. Two drops of this yellow -liquor, projected on hot quicksilver, produced in fusion three ounces -of gold, which were presented to the Master of the Mint. Afterwards -three ounces of pistol bullets were melted and purified with alum and -saltpetre. Delisle handed Saint-Maurice a small paper, desiring him to -throw in a pinch of the powder and two drops of the oil used in the -first experiment. This done, the matter was covered with saltpetre, -kept fifteen minutes in fusion, and then poured out on a piece of iron -armour, which reappeared pure gold,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</span> bearing all assays. The conversion -to silver was made in the same manner with white powder, and the -certificate which testifies to these occurrences was officially signed -on the 14th December 1760.</p> - -<p>A part of the gold manufactured in this manner by Delisle was subjected -to refinement at Paris, where three medals were struck from it; one -of them was deposited in the king’s cabinet. It bore the inscription -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Aurum Arte Factum</i>.</p> - -<p>With all his alchemical skill, Delisle was unable to read or write, and -in disposition he was untractable, rude, and fanatical. He was invited -to Court, but he pretended that the climate he lived in was necessary -to the success of his experiments, inasmuch as his preparations were -vegetable. The Bishop of Senez, suspecting him of unwillingness rather -than inability, obtained a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">lettre de cachet</i>, after two years of -continual subterfuge on the part of the alchemist, who was thereupon -arrested and taken on the road to Paris. During the journey, his -guards, after endeavouring to extort his supposed riches, wounded him -severely on the head, in which state, on his arrival at the Bastille, -he was forced to begin his alchemical operations, but after a short -time he persistently refused to proceed, tore continually the bandages -from his wound in the frenzy of his desperation, and in the year -following his imprisonment he poisoned himself.</p> - -<p>His illegitimate son, Alnys, by some means inherited a portion of -the powder from his mother. He wandered through Italy and Germany -performing transmutations. On one occasion he made projection before -the Duke of Richlieu, then French ambassador at Vienna, and who assured -the Abbé Langlet that he not only saw the operation performed, but -performed it himself, twice on gold and forty times on silver.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</span></p> - -<p>Alnys made a considerable collection of gold coins, ancient and modern, -while on a journey through Austria and Bohemia. On his return to Aix -he presented himself to the President of Provence, who desired him to -call the next day. Alnys, suspecting an intention to arrest him, fled -in the interim. He was afterwards imprisoned at Marseilles, whence -he contrived to escape to Brussels. It was here, in 1731, that he -gave some philosophic mercury to M. Percell, the brother of Langlet -de Fresnoy, which mercury the recipient fermented imperfectly, but -succeeded so far as to convert an ounce of silver into gold. The death -of a certain M. Grefier shortly after some operations on corrosive -sublimate, by which Alnys proposed to instruct him in alchemy, made it -necessary for him to depart, and he was heard of no more.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="JOHN_HERMANN_OBEREIT">JOHN HERMANN OBEREIT.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This writer, as much mystic as alchemist, was born at Arbon at -Switzerland in 1725, and died in 1798. He inherited from his father a -taste for transcendental chemistry, and the opinion that metals could -be developed to their full perfection, but that the chief instrument -was the grace of God, working in the soul of the alchemist. He laboured -unceasingly at the physical processes, hoping thereby to restore the -fallen fortunes of his family, but his laboratory was closed by the -authorities as endangering the public safety. He contrived to make -evident the harmless nature of his employment, and was received into -the house of a brother of the physiognomist Lavater. He celebrated, -he informs us, a mystical marriage with a seraphic and illuminated -shepherdess named Theantis, the ceremony taking place in a castle on -the extreme summit of a cloud-encompassed mountain. His bride<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</span> after -thirty-six days of transcendental union, which was neither platonic nor -epicurean, but of a perfectly indescribable character, departed this -life, and the bereaved husband, during the whole night of her decease, -bewailed her in a mystical canticle. <i>La Connexion Originaire des -Esprits et des Corps, d’apres les principes de Newton</i>, Augsbourg, -1776, and <i>Les Promenades de Gamaliel, juif Philosophe</i>, were -bequeathed by Obereit to a neglectful posterity.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="JOSEPH_BALSAMO">TRAVELS, ADVENTURES, AND IMPRISONMENTS OF JOSEPH BALSAMO.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The notorious Count Cagliostro appears from an impartial review of his -history and phenomenal exploits, to have been one of those characters -not uncommonly met with in the chequered annals of occultism. Even as -the modern “mediums,” who outrage the confidence of their believers by -leavening the supernatural bread, whereof the ghastly patent is their -prerogative and birthright, with the unrighteous mammon of material -conjuring, and even as those conjurors who are sometimes supposed to -still further perplex their audience by supplementary compacts with -“spooks,” this high priest of transcendental trickery would seem to -have possessed, perhaps unconsciously, a certain share of occult gifts, -which assisted no little his unparalleled rogueries. Mystical knowledge -beyond that of the age in which he lived was undoubtedly his, and -though it was still superficial, he had a genius for making the most of -it.</p> - -<p>Joseph Balsamo, whatever has been advanced to the contrary by -himself<a id="FNanchor_36" href="#Footnote_36" class="fnanchor">[AJ]</a> or his admirers, was the son of Peter<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</span> Balsamo and Felicia -Bracconieri, both of humble extraction. He was born at Palermo, -in Sicily, on the 8th of June 1743. His parents are authentically -described as honest tradespeople and good Catholics, who were careful -in the education of their offspring, and solicitous for their spiritual -welfare. Their shop drew much custom in the populous neighbourhood -which divided the handsome <i>Rue del Cæsaro</i>. While his children -were still young, Peter Balsamo died, and, left under the inadequate -control of a widowed mother, Joseph betrayed, even in his earliest -years, a selfish and indolent disposition, greatly neglecting the -scanty educational advantages which were afforded him. According to -other accounts, he was taken under the protection of his maternal -uncle, who endeavoured to instruct him in the principles of religion, -and to give him an education suitable to his age and prospects; but, -even from his infancy, he showed himself uniformly averse to a virtuous -course of life. His uncle was a worthy <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bourgeois</i> of Palermo, -who foresaw, by the vivacity and penetration of his nephew,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</span> that he -might easily become proficient in letters and the sciences.<a id="FNanchor_37" href="#Footnote_37" class="fnanchor">[AK]</a> By -him he was desired to embrace an ecclesiastical career, as the royal -road to distinction in those days. Accordingly, at the age of thirteen -he was placed in the Seminary of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Roch di Palermo, where he proved -his independence and aversion to discipline by continually running -away. Recaptured in vagabond company, he was committed, with no very -favourable character, to a certain father-general of the Bon Fratelli, -who was passing through Palermo. The father-general took charge of him -and straightway carried him to a Benedictine convent on the outskirts -of Cartagirone. There the walls were high, and the caged dove was in -the keeping of an inflexible <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">frère tourier</i>. He assumed perforce -the habit of a novice, and the father-general discovering his aptitude -for natural history and, more especially, his herbalistic tastes, -placed him under the tuition of the conventual apothecary, from whom, -as he afterwards acknowledged, he learned the first principles of -chemistry and medicine. Figuier states that in a short time he was -able to manipulate the drugs with astonishing sagacity; but even then -it was remarked that he seemed eager to discover those secrets which -would further the interests of charlatanry.<a id="FNanchor_38" href="#Footnote_38" class="fnanchor">[AL]</a> In strict accordance -with his natural perversity, he did not fail to give various instances -of his innate viciousness, and drew down upon himself the continual -chastisements of his superiors. One day the involuntary novice, whose -irregularities were to some extent excusable on the ground of the -constraint that was put on him, but who often outstripped all bounds, -was set to read during dinner in the refectory a certain portion of an -exceedingly edifying martyrology, and yielding,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</span> says one writer with -pious indignation, to an inspiration of Belial, he substituted for -the sacred text a blasphemous version suggested by his own dissolute -imagination, perverting the sense and the incidents, and pushed his -audacity so far as to substitute for the saintly names those of the -most notorious courtesans of the period. A severe penance was imposed -on the insolent offender; but one night he found means to evade the -vigilance of his guardians, escaped from the convent, crossed the -intervening country, and after some days of joyous gipsying and -vagabond wanderings, he arrived at Palermo. Some knowledge of the -principles of chemistry and medicine was about the total of the -advantages he had derived from the discipline of conventual life. His -uncle began to despair of him, but advice and remonstrances were alike -lost upon the young reprobate, who derided them all, and employing -a certain portion of his time in the cultivation of a natural taste -for drawing, he otherwise abandoned himself to unbridled excesses. He -associated with rascals and ne’er-do-wells; his drunkenness, gambling, -and general libertinage, led him into perpetual brawling; and he -was frequently in the hands of the police, whom he is said to have -taken special pleasure in resisting, frequently delivering by force -the prisoners whom they had arrested. He has been also accused of -forging tickets of admission to the theatres, and selling them with -characteristic effrontery. One of his uncles coaxed him back for a -time into his house, and was rewarded by the robbery of a considerable -quantity of money and some valuable effects. He became an intermediary -in the amorous intercourse of a female cousin with one of his friends. -He carried <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">billets-doux</i> to and fro between them, and made the -entire transaction personally profitable by extorting money from -his friend, persuading him that the fair cousin had a partiality -for presents, including both<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</span> money and jewellery, and, of course, -appropriating the funds which were entrusted to him. Graver crimes -were soon laid to his charge. There was a certain dissolute Marquis -Maurigi in Palermo who coveted an inheritance which had been willed to -a pious establishment, and knowing Balsamo, to him were his projects -confided, and an expedient was presently forthcoming. Joseph had a -relative who was a notary, and by frequenting his office he found -means to forge a will, bearing every mark of authenticity, in favour -of the Marquis, who made good his claim to the estate, and no doubt -liberally recompensed the skill and pains of his confederate. The -falsification was discovered many years after, but the guilty parties -were both of them far away. It was also rumoured that Balsamo was -a party to the assassination of a wealthy canon, but the matter is -exceedingly doubtful. He was many times arrested on various charges, -but eluded justice, either by the absence of direct proof against him, -or by the credit of his relations, and the exertions of reputable -persons of Palermo, who took interest in his family. It will scarcely -be credited that at this period Balsamo was only fourteen years of -age. Naturally endowed with artistic aptitudes, he soon began to give -lessons in drawing, and seems to have been many times on a fair way to -reformation. His skill in arms is also acknowledged, but, conscious -of his superiority, his street brawls frequently ended in duels; -his impetuosity even prompted him to take up the gauntlet for his -companions, and he scorned danger.</p> - -<p>The most notorious of his youthful exploits, and that which caused -him to commence his life-long wanderings, was the adventure of the -concealed treasure, which has been variously related.</p> - -<p>An avaricious goldsmith, named Marano, resided at Palermo. He was -a weak, superstitious man—a believer<span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</span> in magic, says M. Louis -Figuier—and he was much attracted by the mystery which, even at -this period, is declared by Figuier to have surrounded the life and -escapades of Balsamo, who already posed as an initiate of the occult -sciences. Joseph was now seventeen years of age, of handsome mien and -haughty carriage, speaking little, but holding his hearers spell-bound -by the magnetic fascination of his glance. He had been seen evoking -spirits; he was believed to converse with angels, and to obtain by -their agency an insight into the most interesting secrets. He had, -in fact, radically changed; the common rogue was developing into the -transcendental impostor. Marano lent an attentive ear to the stories -concerning him, and burned with anxiety to behold “the friend of the -celestial spirits.” The first interview took place in the lodging of -Balsamo; the goldsmith fell on his knees before him, and Balsamo, after -receiving his homage, raised him condescendingly from the ground, and -demanded in a solemn manner why he had come to him.</p> - -<p>“Thanks to your daily communion with spirits, you will easily know,” -answered Marano, “and you should have no difficulty in assisting me to -recover the money which I have wasted among false alchemists, or even -to procure me more.”</p> - -<p>“I can perform this service for you, provided you believe,” said -Balsamo, with composure.</p> - -<p>“Provided I believe!” cried the goldsmith; “I believe, indeed.”</p> - -<p>An appointment was made for the next day in a meadow beyond the town, -and the interview ended without another word.</p> - -<p>This version of the story is more romantic than probable, and we owe -it to the vivacity of a Frenchman’s imagination, which is never more -brilliant than when employed in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</span> the perversion or embellishment of -history. According to the more sober <i>Aventures de Cagliostro</i>, -Marano had for some time been acquainted with the youthful charlatan, -who sought him one day at his own residence, and said to him: “You are -aware of my communications with the supernal spirits; you are aware of -the illimitable potency of the incantations to which I devote myself. -Listen! In an olive field, at no great distance from Palermo, there is -a buried treasure according to my certain knowledge, and by the help of -a ceremonial evocation I can discover the precise spot where the spade -of the seeker should be driven in. The operation, however, requires -some expensive preliminaries; sixty ounces of gold are absolutely -needed. Will you place them at my disposal?”</p> - -<p>Marano declaimed against the preposterous extravagance of the demand, -maintaining that the herbs and drugs utilised in alchemical experiments -were exceedingly moderate in their price.</p> - -<p>“’Tis well,” said Balsamo, coldly. “The matter is soon settled; I shall -enjoy the vast treasure alone. A blessing when shared is but half a -blessing for those who participate in it.”</p> - -<p>On the morrow, however, Marano sought out the enchanter, having been -agonised by the gold fever the whole night.</p> - -<p>“I am furnished with the sum you require,” he said. “But I pray you to -bargain a little with the spirits, and endeavour to beat them down.”</p> - -<p>“Do you take them for sordid speculators?” cried the magician, -indignant. “The devil is no Jew, though he abode full long in Judea. He -is a magnificent seigneur, living generously in every country of the -world. Treat him with respect, he returns a hundredfold. I shall find -elsewhere the sixty ounces of gold, and can afford to dispense with -your assistance.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</span></p> - -<p>“It is here,” said Marano, drawing quickly a leather bag from his -pocket, and the arrangements were soon made.</p> - -<p>At moonlight they repaired to the olive field, where Balsamo had -secretly made preparations for the approaching evocation. The -incantatory preliminaries were sufficiently protracted, and Marano -panted with terror under the influence of the magical charms, till -it seemed to him that the very earth shivered beneath his feet and -phantoms issued from the ground. Marano fell prostrate on his face, an -action apparently foreseen, for there and then the wretched goldsmith -was belaboured unmercifully with sticks by the infernal spirits, who -left him at length for dead, taking flight in the company of the -enchanter, and fortified by the possession of the sixty ounces of gold. -On the morrow, the goldsmith, fortunately discovered by muleteers, was -carried disconsolately home, and forthwith denounced Balsamo to the -law. The adventure spread everywhere, but the magician had sailed for -Messina.</p> - -<p>These are the facts of the case, but the mendacious chronicle of -Louis Figuier, alchemical critic and universal manufacturer of light -scientific literature, offers us a far more ornate and attractive -version. There the adept and his miserable dupe repair to a place -appointed at six o’clock in the morning, Balsamo in dignified -silence motioning the goldsmith to follow him, and proceeding with a -pre-occupied aspect along the road to the chapel of Saint Rosalia for -the space of a whole hour. They stopped at length in the middle of a -wild meadow, and in front of a grotto, before which Balsamo extended -his hand, and solemnly declared that a treasure was buried within it -which he himself was forbidden to touch, which was guarded by devils of -hell, which devils might, however, be bound for a brief period by the -angels who commonly responded to his potent magical call.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</span></p> - -<p>“It only remains to be ascertained,” he remarked in conclusion, -“whether you will scrupulously fulfil the conditions which must be -imposed on you. At that price, the treasure may be yours.”</p> - -<p>The credulous goldsmith impetuously implored him to name them.</p> - -<p>“They cannot be learned from my lips,” said Balsamo loftily. “On your -knees, in the first place!”</p> - -<p>He himself had already assumed the posture of adoration. Marano -hastened to imitate him, and immediately a clear, harmonious voice in -the celestial altitude pronounced the following words—words, says the -Frenchman, more delicious in the ears of the covetous miser than all -the symphonies of aërial choirs.</p> - -<p>“Sixty ounces of pearls, sixty ounces of rubies, sixty ounces of -diamonds, in a coffer of enchased gold, weighing one hundred and twenty -ounces. The infernal genii who protect this treasure will place it in -the hands of the worthy man whom our friend has brought, if he be fifty -years of age, if he be no Christian—if—if—if—” and a series of -conditions followed which Marano perfectly united in his own penurious -person, even to the last, which was thus formulated:—“And if he -deposit at the entrance of the grotto, before setting foot therein, -sixty ounces of gold to propitiate the guardians.”</p> - -<p>“You have heard,” said Balsamo, who, already on his feet, began to -retrace his steps, completely ignoring the utter stupefaction of his -companion.</p> - -<p>“Sixty ounces of gold!” ejaculated the miser with a dismal groan, and -torn by the internal conflict of avarice and cupidity; but Balsamo -heeded the exclamation as little as the groan, and regained the town in -silence.</p> - -<p>When they were on the point of separating, Marano appeared to have -resolved.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</span></p> - -<p>“Grant me one instant!” he cried in a piteous voice. “Sixty ounces of -gold? Is that the irrevocable condition?”</p> - -<p>“Undoubtedly,” said Balsamo, carelessly.</p> - -<p>“Alas! alas! And at what hour to-morrow?”</p> - -<p>“At six o’clock in the morning and, mark, at the same spot.”</p> - -<p>“I will be there.”</p> - -<p>This was the parting speech of the goldsmith, and, as it were, the -last gasp of his conquered avarice. On the morrow, punctual to the -appointed time, they met as before, Balsamo with his habitual coolness, -Marano with his gold. They arrived in due course at the grotto, where -the angels, consulted as on the previous day, returned the same -oracles. Balsamo assumed ignorance of what would take place. With a -terrific struggle, Marano deposited his gold and prepared to cross the -threshold. He took one step forward, then started back, inquired if -there were no danger in penetrating into the depths of the cavern, was -assured of safety if the gold had been faithfully weighed, entered with -more confidence, and again returned, these manœuvres being repeated -several times, under the eyes of the adept, whose expression indicated -the most uninterested indifference. At length, Marano took courage -and proceeded so far that a return was impossible, for three black, -muscular devils started out from the shadows and barred his path, -giving vent to the most alarming growls. They seized him, forced him -to whirl round and round for a long time, and then while the unhappy -creature vainly invoked the assistance of Balsamo, they proceeded to -cudgel him lustily till he dropped overwhelmed to the ground, when a -clear voice bade him remain absolutely silent and motionless, for he -would be instantaneously despatched if he stirred either hand or foot. -The wretched man did not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</span> dare to disobey, but after a long swoon the -complete stillness encouraged him to raise his head; he dragged himself -as best he could to the mouth of the terrible grotto, looked round him, -and found that the adept, the demons, and the gold had alike vanished.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When Balsamo arrived at Messina he was furnished with a very handsome -sum to support the expenses of his sojourn therein, for the lion’s -share of the booty obtained from the goldsmith had, of course, fallen -to himself. He lodged in one of the chief inns near the port, and had -prepared himself for further adventures, when he suddenly remembered -that he had an old and affluent aunt in the town whom he took occasion -to visit, but only to discover that she had recently died, leaving the -bulk of her fortune to different churches of Messina, and distributing -the rest to the poor. Doubtless the dutiful nephew paid to the memory -of this ultra-Christian relation a just tribute of regrets, and anxious -to inherit at least something from a person so eminent in sanctity, he -determined to assume her family name, joined to a title of nobility, -and from that time forward he commonly called himself the Count -Alessandro Cagliostro. His penetrating and calculating mind, says one -of his biographers, understood the prestige which attached to a title -at a period when the privileges of birth still exercised an almost -undisputed influence.</p> - -<p>It was in the town of Messina that Balsamo first met with the -mysterious alchemist Altotas, whom in his fabulous autobiography he -represented as the oriental tutor of his infancy. As he was promenading -one day near the jetty at the extremity of the port, he encountered -an individual singularly habited, and possessed of a most remarkable -countenance. This person, aged apparently about fifty years, seemed -to be an Armenian, though, according to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</span> other accounts, he was a -Spaniard or Greek. He wore a species of caftan, a silk bonnet, and the -extremities of his breeches were concealed in a pair of wide boots. In -his left hand he held a parasol, and in his right the end of a cord, to -which was attached a graceful Albanian greyhound.</p> - -<p>Whether from curiosity or by presentiment, Cagliostro saluted this -grotesque being, who bowed slightly, but with satisfied dignity.</p> - -<p>“You do not reside in Messina, signor?” he said in Sicilian, but with a -marked foreign accent.</p> - -<p>Cagliostro replied that he was tarrying for a few days, and they -began to converse on the beauty of the town and on its advantageous -situation, a kind of oriental imagery individualising the eloquence of -the stranger, whose remarks were, moreover, adroitly adorned with a few -appropriate compliments. He eluded inquiries as to his own identity, -but offered to unveil the past of the Count Cagliostro, and to reveal -what was actually passing in his mind at that moment. When Cagliostro -hinted at sorcery, the Armenian smiled somewhat scornfully, and dilated -on the ignorance of a nation which confused science with witchcraft, -and prepared faggots for discoverers.</p> - -<p>His hearer, much interested, ventured to ask the address of the -illustrious stranger, who graciously invited him to call. They walked -past the cathedral and halted in a small quadrilateral street shaded by -sycamores, and having a charming fountain in the centre.</p> - -<p>“Signor,” said the stranger, “there is the house I inhabit. I receive -no one; but as you are a traveller, as you are young and courteous, -as, moreover, you are animated by a noble passion for the sciences, I -permit you to visit me. I shall be visible to you to-morrow a little -before midnight. You will rap twice on the hammer”—he pointed as he -spoke to the door of a low-storied house—“then three<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</span> times more -slowly, and you will be admitted. Adieu! Hasten at once to your inn. A -Piedmontese is trying to possess himself of the seven and thirty ounces -of gold that are secured in your valise, and which is itself shut up -in a press, the key of which is in your pocket at this moment. Your -servant, signor!” and he departed rapidly.</p> - -<p>Cagliostro, returning in all haste, discovered the thief in the act, -and, as a lawful and righteously indignant proprietor, he forthwith -delivered him to justice.</p> - -<p>On the morrow, at the time appointed, he knocked at the door of the -little house inhabited by the Armenian. It was opened at the fifth -blow without any visible agency, and closed as soon as the visitor -had entered. Cagliostro cautiously advanced along a narrow passage, -illuminated by a small iron lamp in a niche of the wall. At the -extremity of the passage a spacious door sprang open, giving admittance -into a ground-floor parlour which was illuminated by a four-branched -candelabra, holding tapers of wax, and was, in fact, a laboratory -furnished with all the apparatus in use among practical alchemists. The -Armenian, issuing from a neighbouring cabinet, greeted the visitor, -inquired after the safety of the gold, had intelligence of the truth -of his clairvoyance, and of the deserved fate of the malefactor, but -cut short the expressed astonishment and admiration of Cagliostro -by declaring that the art of divination was simply the result of -scientific combinations and close observations. He ended by asking his -hearer if he denied the infallible certitude of judicial astrology, but -the self-constituted count denied nothing except the superior power of -virtue over self-interest, whereat the Armenian inquired to whom he was -indebted for his training.</p> - -<p>“I was about to say to the solicitude of my uncles and to the -apothecary in the Convent of the Bon Fratelli,” said<span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</span> Cagliostro; “but -to what purpose? You undoubtedly know.”</p> - -<p>“I know,” replied the strange individual, “that you have trained -yourself; that the apothecary, equally with your uncles, has but opened -for you the door to knowledge. What are your plans?”</p> - -<p>“I intend to enrich myself.”</p> - -<p>“That is,” said the other, grandiloquently, “you would make yourself -superior to the imbecile mob—a laudable project, my son! Do you -propose to travel?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly, so far as my thirty-seven ounces of gold will take me.”</p> - -<p>“You are very young,” said the Armenian. “How is bread manufactured?”</p> - -<p>“With flour.”</p> - -<p>“And wine?”</p> - -<p>“By means of the grape.”</p> - -<p>“But gold?”</p> - -<p>“I come to inquire of yourself.”</p> - -<p>“We will solve that problem hereafter. Listen to me, young man. I -propose to depart for Grand Cairo, in Egypt. Will you accompany me?”</p> - -<p>“With all my heart!” exclaimed Cagliostro, overjoyed, and they sat down -in large oak chairs, each at one end of the table where the candelabra -was placed.</p> - -<p>“Egypt,” said the Armenian, “is the birthplace of all human science. -Astronomy alone had Chaldea for its fatherland; there the shepherds -first studied the courses of the stars. Egypt availed itself of -the astro-Chaldean initiations, and soon surpassed the methods and -increased the discoveries of the shepherds. Since the reign of the -Pharaoh Manes, and of his successors, Busiris, Osymandyas, Uchoreas, -and Moeris, Egyptian knowledge has advanced with giant strides. Joseph, -the dream-reader, established<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</span> the basis of chiromancy; the priests -of Osiris and Isis invented the Zodiac; the Cosmogonies of Phre and -Horus revealed agriculture and other physical sciences; the priestesses -of Ansaki unveiled the secrets of philtres; the priests of Serapis -taught medicine. I might proceed with the sublime enumeration, but to -what end? Will you faithfully follow me to Egypt? I hope to embark -to-morrow, and we shall touch at Malta on the way—possibly also at -Candia—reaching the port of Phare in eight days.”</p> - -<p>“’Tis settled!” cried the delighted Cagliostro. “I have my thirty-seven -ounces of gold for the journey.”</p> - -<p>“And I not a single crown.”</p> - -<p>“The devil!” ejaculated Cagliostro.</p> - -<p>“What matters it? What need to have gold when one knows how to make -gold? What need to possess diamonds when one can extract them from -carbon more beautifully than from the mines of Golconda? Go to! you are -excessively simple.”</p> - -<p>“Therefore, by your leave, I intend to become your disciple.”</p> - -<p>The Armenian extended his hand, and their departure was fixed for the -morrow.</p> - -<p>This Altotas, or Althotes, we are assured by Figuier, was no imaginary -character. The Roman Inquisition collected many proofs of his -existence, without, however, ascertaining where it began or ended, -for the mysterious personage vanished like a meteor. According to -the Italian biography of Joseph Balsamo, Altotas was in possession -of several Arabic manuscripts, and assumed great skill in chemistry. -According to Figuier, he was a magician and doctor as well, though -others represent him despising and rejecting the abused name of -physician. As to his divinatory abilities, he had already given a -signal proof of their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</span> extent to his pupil, but he showed him that he -was acquainted with all his Palermese antecedents.</p> - -<p>They embarked on board a Genoese vessel, sailed along the Archipelago, -landed at Alexandria, where they tarried for forty days, performing -several operations in chemistry, by which they are said to have -produced a considerable sum of money, but whether by transmutation or -by imposture is not apparently clear. Cagliostro’s respect for his -master did not prevent him, with true Sicilian subtlety, inquiring as -to his own antecedents, till Altotas, weary of resorting to the same -stratagems of evasion, declared to him once for all that he was himself -in complete ignorance as to his birth and parentage.</p> - -<p>“This may surprise you,” he said, “but science, which can enlighten us -on the part of another, is almost invariably impotent to instruct us -concerning ourselves.”</p> - -<p>He declared himself to be much older than would appear, but that he -was in possession of certain secrets for the conservation of strength -and health. He had discovered the scientific methods of producing gold -and precious stones, spoke ten or twelve languages fluently, and was -acquainted with almost the entire circle of human sciences. “Nothing -astonishes me,” he said, “nothing grieves me, save the evils which I -am powerless to prevent, and I trust to reach in peace the term of my -protracted existence.”</p> - -<p>He confessed that his name of Altotas was self-chosen, yet was it truly -his. His early years had been passed on the coast of Barbary, near -Tunis, where he belonged to a Mussulman privateer, who was a rich and -humane man, and who had purchased him from pirates, by whom he had -been stolen from his family. At twelve years of age he spoke Arabic -like a native, read the Koran to his master, who was a true believer, -studied botany under his direction, and learned the best methods for -making sherbet and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</span> coffee. A post of honour was in store for him in -the household of his master; but destiny decreed that when Altotas was -sixteen, the worthy Mussulman should be gathered to his fathers. In -his will he gave the young slave his liberty, and bequeathed him a sum -which was equivalent to six thousand <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">livres</i>, wherewith Altotas -quitted Tunis to indulge his passion for travelling.</p> - -<p>Cagliostro represented that he had followed his instructor into -Africa and the heart of Egypt, that he visited the pyramids, making -the acquaintance of the priests of different temples, and penetrating -into the arcana of their mysterious sanctuaries. Moreover, he declares -himself to have visited, during the space of three years, all the -principal kingdoms of Africa and Asia. These statements are identical -in their value with the romantic story of his education in the -palace of the muphti at Medina. It is altogether doubtful whether he -ever visited Arabia, which was in any case the extreme limit of his -wanderings, and he is subsequently discovered at Rhodes still in the -society of Altotas, and pursuing, in common with that mysterious being, -his doubtful chemical operations.</p> - -<p>At Malta they had letters of introduction to the Grand Master, Pinto, -and tarried for some time to work in his laboratory, for the “supreme -chief of Maltese chivalry” was infatuated with alchemical experiments, -and, after the fashion of that extravagant period, had a strong bias -towards the marvellous. The history of the failure or success of the -errant adepts remains in the laboratory of the Grand Master; but -from this moment Altotas, the chemist and alchemist—Altotas, the -phenomenal, the wise man, the scientist—disappears completely. “Malta -was his sepulchre, or haply the place of his apotheosis.” “There,” says -the Count, in his Memoir, “it was my misery to lose my best friend, the -most wise, the most illuminated of mortals, the venerable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</span> Altotas. -He clasped my hands shortly before his death. ‘My son,’ he said, in a -failing voice, ‘keep ever before thine eyes the fear of the Eternal and -the love of thy neighbour. Thou wilt soon learn the truth of all which -I have taught thee.’”</p> - -<p>With every mark of respect on the part of the Grand Master, and -accompanied by the Chevalier d’Aquino, of the illustrious house of -Caramania, and himself a Knight of Malta, Cagliostro repaired to -Naples, where he supported himself for some time with money which -had been presented to him by Pinto, and perhaps by loans from his -possibly opulent companion, who, however, eventually quitted him to -proceed into France. In Naples Cagliostro met with a Sicilian prince -who was infected by the prevalent gold fever, and was so enraptured -with the high-sounding theories of Cagliostro that he invited him to -his chateau in the neighbourhood of Palermo, where they might pursue -their operations in common. It was imprudent, but the pupil of the -great Altotas could not resist the desire to revisit his native land. -He tarried a certain period with his companion, but going one day -into Messina, he encountered an old acquaintance, a certain dissolute -priest, his confederate in the affair of Marano, and who had, in -fact, acted as one of the sable fiends whose stout clubs had agonised -the unfortunate goldsmith. The adventurer warned Cagliostro not to -enter Palermo, where justice was highly offended at his youthful -indiscretions. He persuaded him to join fortunes with himself, return -to Naples, and there open a gaming-house for the benefit, or rather for -the bleeding, of the wealthy foreigners who visited Italy. This method -of gold-making was quite after the heart of his hearer, who soon took -his leave of the Sicilian prince, but they were regarded with so much -suspicion by the Neapolitan Government that they retired into the Papal -states. Cagliostro’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</span> companion had, however, received the tonsure, -and he trembled for his safety on the consecrated ground which was -the stronghold of the Holy Inquisition, so he hastened his departure -to less orthodox places, and does not figure further in the chequered -history of his brother in chicanery.</p> - -<p>Cagliostro remained, and is said to have assumed several different -characters, occasionally including the sacerdotal habit. According -to some accounts, he made himself remarkable for his extreme piety, -visiting all the churches, fulfilling the duties of religion, and -frequenting the palaces of cardinals. By means of some letters of -recommendation which he had brought with him from Naples, he obtained -access to several persons of distinction, among others to the Seneschal -de Breteuil, at that time Ambassador from Malta to Rome, and who, -hearing of his former connection with the Grand Master, received him -with much warmth, and procured him other honourable connections. One -illustrious dupe ensured others, and we find him in a short time -established in the Holy City, retailing wonderful recipes and specifics -for all the diseases which afflict fallen humanity in Rome and the -universe. Crowns and ducats flowed in upon him; he lived in some state -and luxury, refraining, however, from scandalous enjoyments.</p> - -<p>The Italian biography which represents the opinions, embodies the -researches, and champions the cause of the Inquisition, draws, however, -a different picture to those of Saint-Felix and Louis Figuier. -“He employed himself at this period,” says this doubtful, because -indisputably biassed, authority, “in making drawings on paper, the -outlines of which were produced by means of a copperplate engraving, -and afterwards were filled up with Indian ink. These he sold as designs -made by means of the pen alone. Having taken up his abode at the Sign -of the Sun,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</span> in the neighbourhood of the Rotunda, he quarrelled with -one of the waiters and suffered imprisonment for three days.”</p> - -<p>Whatever these statements are worth, there is no doubt hanging over the -most important incident of his Roman career. It was in that place and -at this period that he first beheld the young and beautiful Lorenza -Feliciani, and having in two days fallen violently in love with her, he -demanded her in marriage from her father, who, fascinated by his birth, -his aristocratic name, and opulent appearance, consented, together -with the lady. The marriage took place, not without <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">éclat</i>, says -one section of the witnesses, and the pair resided in the house of -the father-in-law. The Italian life, minimising to the uttermost the -success of Cagliostro, says that he received as a dower a trifling -fortune proportionate to their condition.</p> - -<p>According to the testimony of all the biographers, inquisitorial or -otherwise, Lorenza was not only young and beautiful, but “rich in every -quality of the heart, being tender, devoted, honest, and modest;” but -her husband conceived the diabolical design of advancing his fortunes -at the expense of her honour, and in private conversation took occasion -to rally her notions of virtue, which he sought to undermine. The first -lesson which the young bride received from her husband, according -to her own confession, was intended to instruct her in the means of -attracting and gratifying the passions of the opposite sex. The most -wanton coquetry and the most lascivious arts were the principles with -which he endeavoured to inspire her. The mother of Lorenza, scandalised -at his conduct, had such frequent altercations with her son-in-law, -that he resolved to remove from her house, and in other quarters found -it a simpler task to corrupt the mind and morals of his wife. Then, -according to the Italian author, he presented her to two persons well -qualified for the exercise of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</span> her talents, having instructed her to -entangle them both by her allurements. With one of these she did not -succeed, but over the other she acquired a complete victory. Cagliostro -himself conducted her to the house destined for the pleasure of the -lover, left her alone in his company, and retired to another chamber.</p> - -<p>The interview and the offers made to her were such as entirely -corresponded to the wishes of the husband, but the wife on this -occasion did not exhibit a proper instance of conjugal obedience, and -upon imparting the whole affair confidentially to her husband, received -the most bitter reproach and the most violent and dreadful menaces. -He also repeatedly assured her that adultery was no crime when it -was committed by a woman to advance her interests, and not through -affection for other men. He even added example to precept, by showing -how little he himself respected the ties of conjugal fidelity—that is, -apparently, he sold himself to lascivious females of advanced age, and -on these occasions aroused his dormant passions by drinking a certain -Egyptian wine, composed of aromatics which possessed the necessary -qualities for the completion of his intention. His wife, hearkening -at length to his instructions, was conducted several times to the -place where she had formerly proved so disobedient to his orders. She -sometimes received, says the same witness, either clothes or trinkets, -and sometimes a little money, as the reward of her condescension. One -day her husband wrote a letter, in the name of his wife, in which he -begged the loan of a few crowns; these were immediately sent. In return -for them an interview was promised during the course of the next day, -and the lady was faithful to the appointment.</p> - -<p>Such is the version of this disgraceful business given by the -enemies of Cagliostro, but all biographers agree that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</span> he corrupted -the morals of his wife. Indeed, the only question is whether the -transaction took place on the sordid scale described by the Italian -writer. Other authorities tell us that his success tempted “a -beautiful Roman—Lorenza Feliciani—to share his rising fortunes. -Unscrupulous, witty, and fascinating, Lorenza was an admirable partner -for Cagliostro, who speedily made her an adept in all his pretended -mysteries.” Whatever were her natural virtues or failings, it is highly -improbable that she sold her uncommon attractions for such paltry and -miserable advantages.</p> - -<p>The house which was taken by Cagliostro became the resort of sharpers, -two of whom, Ottavio Nicestro, who was eventually hanged, and a -so-called Marquis d’Agriata, both Sicilians, became intimate associates -of their host. With the latter he was frequently closeted for hours -together. Their occupation is uncertain; but as Cagliostro’s wealth -increased at no ordinary rate, and as the Marquis was an unparalleled -proficient in the production of counterfeit writing, they are supposed -to have succeeded in forging numerous bills of exchange; and it is, at -any rate, certain that the letters patent by which the great charlatan -was authorised to assume the uniform of a Prussian colonel, which he -subsequently did to his definite advantage, were the production of this -skilful miscreant. But a quarrel arose between the three confederates; -Nicastro betrayed his accomplices, the Marquis fled from Rome, -Cagliostro and the unhappy Lorenza incontinently following his example.</p> - -<p>Our three fugitives took the road to Venice, reached Bergamo, and there -practised several unparticularised rogueries, till their identity was -discovered by the Government. The marquis again managed to escape, -the others after a short imprisonment were expelled from the town, -and being stripped of all their resources, undertook a pilgrimage<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</span> -into Galicia, hoping to cross Spain, through the charity of the clergy -and conventual communities. They travelled through the territories of -the King of Sardinia, through Genoa, and so arrived at Antibes. From -this moment the life of the Count Cagliostro was for several years -one of incessant wandering. According to the Italian biographer, as -beggary proved unprofitable, Lorenza was again forced by her husband -to augment their resources through the sale of her charms. In this way -they arrived at Barcelona, where they tarried for six months, the same -course of infamous prostitution, followed by Lorenza with the most -manifest reluctance, contributing in the main to their support.</p> - -<p>From Barcelona they proceeded to Madrid, where also certain noble -Spaniards proved sensible to the charms of Lorenza. From Madrid they -journeyed to Lisbon, and thence sailed to England, where Cagliostro -is said to have adopted the profession of a common quack, to have -fallen into prison, to have been bought out by his wife, in whose -person he still continued to traffic, bartering her charms to every -opulent man who wished to become a purchaser; but the frequency of her -prostitutions has probably been grossly exaggerated.</p> - -<p>An English Life of the Count Cagliostro, dedicated, in 1787, to Madame -la Comtesse, and written in the interests of the charlatan, gives a -singular account of his misfortunes in London, showing that when he -arrived there he was in possession of plate, jewels, and specie to the -amount of three thousand pounds, that he hired apartments in Whitcomb -Street, where he dedicated a large portion of his time to his favourite -studies of chemistry and physics, and that all he suffered must be -entirely attributed to the profuse generosity and charity of himself -and his lady.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</span></p> - -<p>In 1772, Cagliostro and his wife crossed over to France, accompanied by -one M. Duplaisir, who lodged with them at Paris, and seems to have been -intimate with Lorenza. But Cagliostro was insatiable, says <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Felix. He -sold his honour at a high price, and the fortune of Duplaisir melted -in the crucible of another’s follies and extravagances. At length, -in alarm, the victim took leave of his rapacious guests, not without -strongly warning Lorenza to return to her parents, for he had learned -to esteem the natural good qualities which she possessed. According to -one account, she attempted to follow this advice, but others say that -she sought refuge from incessant prostitution with Duplaisir himself. -In either case, Cagliostro had recourse to the authority of the king, -and obtaining an order for her arrest, she was imprisoned in the -penitentiary of Sainte Pélagie, and was detained there several months, -during which Cagliostro abandoned himself to a life of congenial -dissipation. The sale of a certain wash for beautifying the complexion -appears to have procured him a considerable revenue about this period.</p> - -<p>The imprisonment of Lorenza did not prevent a reconciliation with her -husband immediately after her release, which occurred on December -21, 1772, on which date, having obtained under false pretences some -magnificent dresses from the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">costumiers</i>, Cagliostro appeared at -the ball of a dancing-master in a peculiarly brilliant costume.</p> - -<p>It is from this period that our adventurer’s success as an alchemist -must be dated. Here he found means to form an acquaintance with two -persons of distinction, who carried their love of chemistry to a -ridiculous excess. He pretended to have discovered some miraculous -secrets in the transcendent science, proclaimed himself publicly a -depository of the Hermetic Mystery, and posing as a supernatural -personage in possession of the great arcanum<span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</span> of the philosophers’ -stone and of the glorious life-elixir. This also was the epoch of -mesmerism, of which novel science Cagliostro decided to avail himself. -After a time, according to the Italian biography, his two dupes -entertained suspicions of his veracity, and being in fear of arrest, -he obtained a passport under a fictitious name, fled with great -precipitation to Brussels, traversed Germany and Italy, and once more -arrived at his native city Palermo.<a id="FNanchor_39" href="#Footnote_39" class="fnanchor">[AM]</a></p> - -<p>At Palermo he was speedily arrested by the implacable Marano, but -the protection of a noble, to whom he had obtained a powerful -recommendation while at Naples, ensured his speedy release, and he -embarked with his wife for Malta, where, according to the Italian -biographer, he ostensibly supported himself by the sale of his pomade -for the improvement of the complexion, but his more certain income -appears to have been his wife. Monsieur Saint-Félix, however, declares, -and this, on the whole, is most probable, that they were received with -the most marked distinction by the Grand Master. In either case, they -soon retired to Naples, when Cagliostro professed in public for three -months both chemistry and the Kabbalah. At Naples they were joined by a -younger brother of Feliciani, a lad named Paolo, who was remarkable for -his extraordinary<span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</span> loveliness. Cagliostro, seeing that he might prove -useful, persuaded him to share their fortunes. They embarked with a -great train for Marseilles, and thence proceeded to Barcelona. The star -of the great adventurer was now fairly in the ascendant, and from this -time he seems always to have travelled in considerable state. He met, -however, with no dupes of importance in the peninsula till he reached -its extremity, where he cheated a fanatical alchemist of a hundred -thousand crowns, under the pretence of a colossal accomplishment of the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">magnum opus</i>. After this signal success he incontinently departed -for England, while Paolo, with whom he had quarrelled, returned to -Rome, much to the grief of his sister.</p> - -<p>The commencement of the grandeur of Cagliostro is to be dated from -his second visit to London. It was then that he was initiated into -masonry, and conceived his titanic project of the mysterious Egyptian -rite. Saint Félix accredits him even from the moment of his admission -into the order with an unavowed object. Cagliostro, he informs us, -was resolved one day to seat himself on the throne of the grand -master of a rival and more potent institution, and he appears to have -lived henceforth in the light of his high aspiration, and to have -eschewed—theoretically at least—all petty rogueries.</p> - -<p>He incessantly visited the various London lodges, and a correspondence -printed in English at Strasburg during the year 1788, relates that by -a pure chance he picked up a curious manuscript at an obscure London -bookstall. This manuscript appears to have belonged to a certain George -Gaston, who is absolutely unknown. It treated of Egyptian masonry, and -abounded in magical and mystical notions which excited the curiosity -of its purchaser, nourished both his ambition and his imagination, -and in a short time he developed his own system from its suggestive -hints. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</span> source of his inspiration, of course, remained concealed. -He pretended to have received his masonic tradition by succession from -Enoch and Elias. Privately, however, he pursued his former rogueries, -and his sojourn in London was not infrequently disturbed by his -squabbles with the police. Those who are interested in this part of the -Cagliostro controversy will do well to refer to the English biography, -dedicated to the countess, and which contains much curious information.</p> - -<p>When all his plans were matured he departed for the Hague, and thence -proceeded to Venice, where some of his English creditors seem to have -disturbed his serenity, and prompted him in consequence to retire -through Germany into Holstein, where he is supposed to have visited the -renowned Count de <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Germain.</p> - -<p>According to the <i>Mémoires Authentiques pour servir à l’Histoire du -Comte de Cagliostro</i>, published in 1785, he demanded an audience -with this man of inscrutable mystery, in order that he might prostrate -himself before the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dieu des croyants</i>. With characteristic -eccentricity the Count de <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Germain appointed two in the morning -as the hour for the interview, which moment being arrived, say the -“Memoirs,” Cagliostro and his wife, clothed in white garments, clasped -about the waist with girdles of rose-colour, presented themselves at -the castellated temple of mystery, which was the abode of the dubious -divinity whom they desired to adore. The drawbridge was lowered, a -man six feet in height, clothed in a long grey robe, led them into -a dimly-lighted chamber. Therein some folding doors sprang suddenly -open, and they beheld a temple illuminated by a thousand wax lights, -with the Count de Saint-Germain enthroned upon the altar; at his -feet two acolytes swung golden thuribles, which diffused sweet and -unobtrusive perfumes. The divinity bore upon his breast a diamond -pentagram of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</span> almost intolerable radiance. A majestic statue, white and -diaphanous, upheld on the steps of the altar a vase inscribed, “Elixir -of Immortality,” while a vast mirror was on the wall, and before it -a living being, majestic as the statue, walked to and fro. Above the -mirror were these singular words—“Store House of Wandering Souls.” The -most solemn silence prevailed in this sacred retreat, but at length a -voice, which seemed hardly a voice, pronounced these words—“Who are -you? Whence come you? What would you?” Then the Count and Countess -Cagliostro prostrated themselves, and the former answered after a long -pause, “I come to invoke the God of the faithful, the Son of Nature, -the sire of truth. I come to demand of him one of the fourteen thousand -seven hundred secrets which are treasured in his breast, I come to -proclaim myself his slave, his apostle, his martyr.”</p> - -<p>The divinity did not respond, but after a long silence, the same voice -asked:—“What does the partner of thy long wanderings intend?”</p> - -<p>“To obey and to serve,” answered Lorenza.</p> - -<p>Simultaneously with her words, profound darkness succeeded the glare of -light, uproar followed on tranquillity, terror on trust, and a sharp -and menacing voice cried loudly:—“Woe to those who cannot stand the -tests!”</p> - -<p>Husband and wife were immediately separated to undergo their respective -trials, which they endured with exemplary fortitude, and which are -detailed in the text of the memoirs. When the romantic mummery was -over, the two postulants were led back into the temple, with the -promise of admission to the divine mysteries. There a man mysteriously -draped in a long mantle cried out to them:—“Know ye that the arcanum -of our great art is the government of mankind, and that the one means -to rule them is never to tell them the truth. Do not foolishly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</span> -regulate your actions according to the rules of common sense; rather -outrage reason and courageously maintain every unbelievable absurdity. -Remember that reproduction is the palmary active power in nature, -politics, and society alike; that it is a mania with mortals to be -immortal, to know the future without understanding the present, and to -be spiritual while all that surrounds them is material.”</p> - -<p>After this harangue the orator genuflected devoutly before the divinity -of the temple and retired. At the same moment a man of gigantic stature -led the countess to the feet of the immortal Count de Saint-German, who -thus spoke:—</p> - -<p>“Elected from my tenderest youth to the things of greatness, I -employed myself in ascertaining the nature of veritable glory. -Politics appeared to me nothing but the science of deception, tactics -the art of assassination, philosophy the ambitious imbecility of -complete irrationality; physics fine fancies about Nature and the -continual mistakes of persons suddenly transplanted into a country -which is utterly unknown to them; theology the science of the misery -which results from human pride; history the melancholy spectacle of -perpetual perfidy and blundering. Thence I concluded that the statesman -was a skilful liar, the hero an illustrious idiot, the philosopher -an eccentric creature, the physician a pitiable and blind man, the -theologian a fanatical pedagogue, and the historian a word-monger. -Then did I hear of the divinity of this temple. I cast my cares upon -him, with my incertitudes and aspirations. When he took possession of -my soul he caused me to perceive all objects in a new light; I began -to read futurity. This universe so limited, so narrow, so desert, was -now enlarged. I abode not only with those who are, but with those who -were. He united me<span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</span> to the loveliest women of antiquity. I found it -eminently delectable to know all without studying anything, to dispose -of the treasures of the earth without the solicitation of monarchs, -to rule the elements rather than men. Heaven made me liberal; I have -sufficient to satisfy my taste; all that surrounds me is rich, loving, -predestinated.”</p> - -<p>When the service was finished the costume of ordinary life was resumed. -A superb repast terminated the ceremony. During the course of the -banquet the two guests were informed that the Elixir of Immortality was -merely Tokay coloured green or red according to the necessities of the -case. Several essential precepts were enjoined upon them, among others -that they must detest, avoid, and calumniate men of understanding, but -flatter, foster, and blind fools, that they must spread abroad with -much mystery the intelligence that the Count de Saint-Germain was five -hundred years old, that they must make gold, but dupes before all.</p> - -<p>The truth of this singular episode is not attested by any sober -biographer. If it occurred as narrated, it doubtless served to confirm -Cagliostro in his ambitious projects. The change which had taken place -in the adventurer since his second visit to England is well described -by Figuier. “His language, his mien, his manners, all are transformed. -His conversation turns only on his travels in Egypt, to Mecca, and in -other remote places, on the sciences into which he was initiated at the -foot of the Pyramids, on the arcana of Nature which his ingenuity has -discovered. At the same time, he talks little, more often enveloping -himself in mysterious silence. When interrogated with reiterated -entreaties, he deigns at the most to draw his symbol—a serpent with -an apple in its mouth and pierced by a dart, meaning that human wisdom -should be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</span> silent on the mysteries which it has unravelled.... Lorenza -was transfigured at the same time with her husband. Her ambitions and -deportment became worthy of the new projects of Cagliostro. She aimed, -like himself, at the glory of colossal successes.”</p> - -<p>The initiates of the Count de Saint-Germain passed into Courland, -where they established Masonic lodges, according to the sublime rite -of Egyptian Freemasonry. The countess was an excellent preacher to -captivate hearts and enchant imaginations, her beauty fascinated a -large number of Courlandaise nobility. At Mittau, Cagliostro attracted -the attention of persons of high rank, who were led by his reputation -to regard him as an extraordinary person. By means of his Freemasonry -he began to obtain an ascendency over the minds of the nobles, some of -whom, discontented with the reigning duke, are actually said to have -offered him the sovereignty of the country, as to a divine man and -messenger from above. The Italian biography represents him plotting -with this end in view. “He pretends,” say the documents of the Holy -Inquisition, “that he had virtue enough to resist the temptation, and -that he refused the proffered boon from the respect due to sovereigns. -His wife has assured us that his refusal was produced by the reflection -that his impostures would soon be discovered.” He collected, however, a -prodigious number of presents in gold, silver, and money, and repaired -to <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Petersburg, provided with regular passports. But the prophet soon -found that a sufficiently brilliant reputation had not preceded him, -and he, therefore, simply announced himself as a physician and chemist, -by his retired life and air of mystery soon attracting attention.</p> - -<p>His assumption of the <i>rôle</i> of physician leads to a brief -consideration of the miraculous cures which have been attributed -to him. They are generally referred to a broad<span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</span> application of the -principles and methods of Mesmer, his contemporary. They were performed -without passes, iron rods, or any of the cumbrous paraphernalia of his -rival in the healing art; he trusted simply to the laying on of hands. -Moreover, he did not despoil his patients, but rather dispensed his -wealth, which now appeared unlimited, among the poor, who flocked to -him in great numbers as his reputation increased. The source of this -wealth is not accurately known, but it is supposed to have been derived -from the Masonic initiates, whose apostle and propagandist he was.</p> - -<p>Many of the miraculous cures which Cagliostro performed in Germany -spread widely, and in Russia he was soon surrounded by the curious. -Lorenza played her own part admirably; she answered discreetly and -naturally, making the most outrageous statements with apparently -complete unconsciousness. The physician-chemist, besides his healing -powers, had his reputation as an alchemist and adept of the arcane -sciences. The supposed restoration in a miraculous manner of the infant -child of an illustrious nobleman to health exalted him to the pinnacle -of celebrity, and his extravagant pretensions, assisted, as they -powerfully were, by the naïve beauty of his wife, were beginning to be -taken seriously, but the combined result of an amour between Lorenza -and Prince Poternki, Prime Minister and favourite of the Czarina, -Catherine, and the discovery that the nobleman’s child had been -apparently changed, caused them to depart hastily with immense spoils -towards the German frontier.</p> - -<p>They tarried at Warsaw for a time, and there the Italian biographer -tells us that Cagliostro made use of all his artifices to deceive a -prince to whom he was introduced, and who was exceedingly anxious -to obtain, with the help of the pretended magician, the permanent -command<span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</span> of a devil. Cagliostro puffed him up for a long time with the -expectation of gratifying this preposterous ambition, and actually -procured presents from him to the amount of several thousand crowns. -The prince at length perceiving that there was no hope of retaining one -of the infernal spirits in his service, wished to make himself master -of the earthly affections of the countess, but in this too he was -disappointed, the lady positively refusing to comply with his desires. -Finding himself thus balked in both his attempts, he abandoned every -sentiment but revenge, and intimidated our adventurer and his wife so -much by his menaces that they were obliged to restore his presents.</p> - -<p>The veracity of this account is not, however, beyond suspicion, and -other of his biographers represent Cagliostro proceeding directly -to Francfurt and thence to Strasbourg, into which, more wealthy and -successful than ever, he made a triumphal entry. The distinguished -visitor, the Rosicrucian, the alchemist, the physician, the sublime -count, had been expected since early morning by the bourgeois -of the old town, and the following extraordinary account in the -<i>Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes</i> has been given by an -anonymous biographer.</p> - -<p>“On the 19th of September 1780, in a public-house just outside -Strasburg, surrounded by a group of humble tipplers, who stared from -the little window at the vast crowd collected below them, there might -have been remarked the countenance of a bald and wrinkled man, some -eighty years of age, and evidently of southern origin; this was the -goldsmith Marano. Successive failures, and debts which he did not -see fit to liquidate, had forced him to leave Palermo, and he had -established himself in his former trade at Strasbourg. Like the rest -of the townsfolk he had come out to behold the phenomenal personage<span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</span> -whose arrival was expected, and who made a greater sensation than -many a powerful monarch. He had come by way of Germany from Varsovia, -where he had amassed immense riches, said popular rumour, by the -transmutation of base metals into gold, for he was possessed of the -secret of the philosophic stone, and had all the incalculable talents -of an alchemist.”</p> - -<p>“By my faith,” said a hatter, “I am indeed happy since I am destined to -behold this illustrious mortal, if indeed he be a mortal.”</p> - -<p>“’Tis asserted,” added a druggist, “that he is a son of the Princess of -Trebizond, and that he has withal the fine eyes of his mother.”</p> - -<p>“Also that he is a lineal descendant of Charles Martel,” said a town -clerk.</p> - -<p>“He dates still further back,” put in a rope-maker, “for he took part -in the marriage feast of Cana.”</p> - -<p>“Beyond doubt then, he is the wandering Jew!” exclaimed Marano.</p> - -<p>“Still better, some credible persons assert that he was born before the -deluge.”</p> - -<p>“What hardihood! Yet suppose he is the devil.”</p> - -<p>These notions here reproduced with fidelity, and which were adorned -by the most extravagant commentaries, were actually at that period in -general circulation among the crowd. Some regarded the mysterious Count -Cagliostro as an inspired saint, a performer of miracles, a phenomenal -personage outside the order of Nature. The cures attributed to him were -equally innumerable and unexplainable. Others regarded him merely as -an adroit charlatan. Cagliostro himself boldly asserted that all his -prodigies were performed under the special favour and help of heaven. -He added that the Supreme Being had deigned to accord him the beatific -vision, that it was his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</span> mission to convert unbelievers and reinstate -catholicism, but in spite of this exalted vocation he told fortunes, -taught the art of winning at lotteries, interpreted dreams, and held -séances of transcendental phantasmagoria.</p> - -<p>“But,” contended the rope-maker with much animation, “a man who -converses with angels is never the devil.”</p> - -<p>“Is he in communication with angels?” cried Marano, struck by the -circumstances. “In that case I must see him at all costs. How old is -he?”</p> - -<p>“Bah!” said the druggist, “as if such a being could have an age! He -looks about thirty-six.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” muttered the goldsmith. “What if he were my rascal? My rascal -should now be thirty-seven.”</p> - -<p>As the hoary Sicilian ruminated over his lamentable past, he was -roused by a tumult of voices. The supernal being had arrived, and he -passed presently in the road, surrounded by a numerous cortege of -couriers, lacqueys, valets, &c., all in magnificent liveries. By his -side, in the open carriage, sat Lorenza or Seraphina Feliciani, his -wife, who seconded with all her ability the intrigues of her husband, -whom reasonable people regarded as a wandering member and emissary of -the masonic templars, his opulence insured by contributions from the -different lodges of the order.</p> - -<p>A great shout rose up when Count Cagliostro passed before the inn. -Marano had recognised his man, and flying out had contrived to stop the -carriage, shouting as he did so—“Joseph Balsamo! It is Joseph! Coquin, -where are my sixty ounces of gold?”</p> - -<p>Cagliostro scarcely deigned to glance at the furious goldsmith; but -in the middle of the profound silence which the incident occasioned -among the crowd, a voice, apparently in the clouds, uttered with -great distinctness the following words: “Remove this lunatic, who is -possessed by infernal spirits!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</span></p> - -<p>Some of the spectators fell on their knees, others seized the -unfortunate goldsmith, and the brilliant cortege passed on.</p> - -<p>Entering Strasburg in triumph, Cagliostro paused in front of a large -hall, where the equerries who had preceded him had already collected -a considerable concourse of the sick. The famous empiric entered and -cured them all, some simply by touch, others apparently by words or -by a gratuity in money, the rest by his universal panacea; but the -historian who records these things asserts that the sick persons thus -variously treated had been carefully selected, the physician preferring -to treat the more serious cases at the homes of the patients.</p> - -<p>Cagliostro issued from the hall amidst universal acclamations, and was -accompanied by the immense crowd to the doors of the magificent lodging -which had been prepared against his arrival. The élite of Strasburg -society was invited to a sumptuous repast, which was followed by a -séance of transcendental magnetism, when he produced some extraordinary -manifestations by the mediation of clairvoyant children of either sex, -and whom he denominated his doves or pupils. The unspotted virginity -and innocence of these children were an indispensable condition -of success. They were chosen by himself, and received a mystical -consecration at his hands. Then he pronounced over a crystal vessel, -filled with water, the magical formulæ for the evocation of angelic -intelligences as they are written in the celestial rituals. Supernal -spirits became visible in the depths of the water, and responded to -questions occasionally in an intelligible voice, but more often in -characters which appeared on the surface of the water, and were visible -to the pupils alone, who interpreted them to the public.</p> - -<p>Contemporary testimony establishes that these manifestations, as -a whole, were genuine, and there is little doubt<span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</span> of the mesmeric -abilities of Cagliostro, who had probably become acquainted in the East -with the phenomena of virginal lucidity, especially in boys, and had -supplemented the oriental methods by the discoveries of Puséygur, which -were at that time sufficiently notorious.</p> - -<p>For three years Cagliostro remained at Strasburg and was fêted -continually. Here he obtained a complete ascendency over the mind -of the famous cardinal-archbishop, the Prince de Rohan. His first -care, on taking up his abode in the town, was to prove his respect -for the clergy by his generosity and zeal. He visited the sick in the -hospitals, deferentially participated in the duties of the regular -doctors, proposed his new remedies with prudence, did not condemn the -old methods, but sought to unite new science with the science which was -based on experience. He obtained the reputation of a bold experimenter -in chemistry, of a sagacious physician, and a really enlightened -innovator. The inhabitants of the crowded quarters regarded him as a -man sent from God, operating miraculous cures, and dispensing riches -from an inexhaustible source with which he was alone acquainted. -Unheard-of cures were cited, and alchemical operations which surpassed -even the supposed possibilities of the transmutatory art.</p> - -<p>Anything which savoured of the marvellous was an attraction for the -cardinal-archbishop, and he longed to see Cagliostro. An anonymous -writer states that he sought an interview with him again and again -unsuccessfully; for the cardinal-prince of trickery divined even -at a distance the character of the prince-cardinal, and enveloped -himself in a reserve which, to the imagination of his dupe, was like -the loadstone to the magnet. Others represent him, however, courting -the favour of the great ecclesiastic’s secretary, and so obtaining -an introduction. At the first<span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</span> interview he showed some reserve, but -permitted certain dazzling ideas to be glimpsed through the more -ordinary tenour of his discourse. After a judicious period he admitted -that he possessed a receipt for the manufacture of gold and diamonds. A -supposed transmutation completed his conquest of the cardinal, and the -Italian historian confesses that he accordingly lavished immense sums -upon the virtuous pair, and to complete his folly, agreed to erect a -small edifice, in which he was to experience a physical regeneration by -means of the supernal and auriferous elixir of Cagliostro. The sum of -twenty thousand francs was actually paid the adept to accomplish this -operation.</p> - -<p>Doubtless during his sojourn at Strasburg he propagated with zeal -the mysteries of his Egyptian Freemasonry, and at length, laden with -spoils, he repaired to Bordeaux, where he continued his healing in -public, and then proceeded to Lyons, where for the space of three -months he occupied himself with the foundation of a mother-lodge, -and, according to the Italian biographer, here as elsewhere, in less -creditable pursuits. At length he arrived at Paris, where, says the -same authority, he soon became the object of general conversation, -regard, and esteem. His curative powers were now but little exercised, -for Paris abounded with mesmerists and healers, and the prodigies -of simple magnetism were stale and unprofitable in consequence. He -assumed now the <i>rôle</i> of a practical magician, and astonished -the city by the evocation of phantoms, which he caused to appear, at -the wish of the inquirer, either in a mirror or in a vase of clear -water. These phantoms equally represented dead and living beings, and -as occasionally collusion appears to have been well-nigh impossible, -and as the theory of coincidence is preposterous, there is reason to -suppose that he produced results<span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</span> which must sometimes have astonished -himself. All Paris at any rate was set wondering at his enchantments -and prodigies, and it is seriously stated that Louis XVI. was so -infatuated with <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">le divin Cagliostro</i>, that he declared anyone who -injured him should be considered guilty of treason. At Versailles, and -in the presence of several distinguished nobles, he is said to have -caused the apparition in mirrors, vases, &c., not merely of the spectra -of absent or deceased persons, but animated and moving beings of a -phantasmal description, including many dead men and women selected by -the astonished spectators.</p> - -<p>The mystery which surrounded him abroad was deepened even when he -received visitors at home. He had lived in the Rue Saint Claude, -an isolated house surrounded by gardens and sheltered from the -inconvenient curiosity of neighbours. There he established his -laboratory, which no one might enter. He received in a vast and -sumptuous apartment on the first floor. Lorenza lived a retired life, -only being visible at certain hours before a select company, and in -a diaphanous and glamourous costume. The report of her beauty spread -through the city; she passed for a paragon of perfection, and duels -took place on her account. Cagliostro was now no longer young, and -Lorenza was in the flower of her charms. He is said for the first time -to have experienced the pangs of jealousy on account of a certain -Chevalier d’Oisemont, with whom she had several assignations. Private -vexations did not, however, interfere with professional thaumaturgy, -and the evocation of the illustrious dead was a common occurrence at -certain magical suppers which became celebrated through all Paris. -These were undoubtedly exaggerated by report, but as they all occurred -within the doubtful precincts of his own house of mystery, they were -in all probability fraudulent, for it must be distinctly remembered -that in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</span> his normal character he was an unparalleled trickster, that -the genuine phenomena which he occasionally produced were simply -supplements to charlatanry, and not that his deceptions were aids to -normally genuine phenomena.</p> - -<p>On one occasion, according to the <i>Mémoires authentiques pour -servir à l’histoire du Comte de Cagliostro</i>, the distinguished -thaumaturgist announced that at a private supper, given to six guests, -he would evoke the spirits of any dead persons whom they named to him, -and that the phantoms, apparently substantial, should seat themselves -at the banquet. The repast took place with the knowledge and, it may be -supposed, with the connivance of Lorenza. At midnight the guests were -assembled; a round table, laid for twelve, was spread, with unheard-of -luxury, in a dining-room, where all was in harmony with the approaching -Kabbalistic operation. The six guests, with Cagliostro, took their -seats, and thus the ominous number thirteen were designed to be present -at table.</p> - -<p>The supper was served, the servants were dismissed with threats of -immediate death if they dared to open the doors before they were -summoned. Each guest demanded the deceased person whom he desired -to see. Cagliostro took the names, placed them in the pocket of his -gold-embroidered vest, and announced that with no further preparation -than a simple invocation on his part the evoked spirits would appear -in flesh and blood, for, according to the Egyptian dogma, there were -in reality no dead. These guests of the other world, asked for and -expected with trembling anxiety, were the Duc de Choiseul, Voltaire, -d’Alembert, Diderot, the Abbé de Voisenon, and Montesquieu. Their names -were pronounced slowly in a loud voice, and with all the concentrated -determination of the adept’s will; and after a moment of intolerable -doubt, the evoked guests appeared very unobtrusively, and took their -seats with the quiet courtesy which had characterised them in life.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</span></p> - -<p>The first question put to them when the awe of their presence had -somewhat worn off was as to their situation in the world beyond.</p> - -<p>“There is no world beyond,” replied d’Alembert. “Death is simply -the cessation of the evils which have tortured us. No pleasure is -experienced, but, on the other hand, there is no suffering. I have -not met with Mademoiselle Lespinasse, but I have not seen Lorignet. -There is marked sincerity, moreover. Some deceased persons who have -recently joined us inform me that I am almost forgotten. I am, however, -consoled. Men are unworthy of the trouble we take about them. I never -loved them, now I despise them.”</p> - -<p>“What has become of your learning?” said M. de —— to Diderot.</p> - -<p>“I was not learned, as people commonly supposed. My ready wit adapted -all that I read, and in writing I borrowed on every side. Thence comes -the desultory character of my books, which will be unheard of in half -a century. The Encyclopædia, with the merit of which I am honoured, -does not belong to me. The duty of an editor is simply to set in order -the choice of subjects. The man who showed most talent in the whole -of the work was the compiler of its index, yet no one has dreamed of -recognising his merits.”</p> - -<p>“I praised the enterprise,” said Voltaire, “for it seemed well fitted -to further my philosophical opinions. Talking of philosophy, I am none -too certain that I was in the right. I have learned strange things -since my death, and have conversed with half a dozen Popes. Clement -XIV. and Benedict, above all, are men of infinite intelligence and good -sense.”</p> - -<p>“What most vexes me,” said the Duc de Choiseul, “is the absence of sex -where we dwell. Whatever may be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</span> said of this fleshly envelope, ’twas -by no means so bad an invention.”</p> - -<p>“What is truly a pleasure to me,” said the Abbé Voisenon, “is that -amongst us one is perfectly cured of the folly of intelligence. You -cannot conceive how I have been bantered about my ridiculous little -romances. I had almost confessed that I appreciated these puerilities -at their true value, but whether the modesty of an academician is -disbelieved in, or whether such frivolity is out of character with my -age and profession, I expiate almost daily the mistakes of my mortal -existence.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Amid these marvels, Cagliostro proceeded with the dearest of all his -projects, namely, the spread of his Egypto-masonic rite,<a id="FNanchor_40" href="#Footnote_40" class="fnanchor">[AN]</a> into which -ladies were subsequently admitted, a course of magic being opened for -the purpose by Madame Cagliostro. The postulants admitted to this -course were thirty-six in number, and all males were excluded. Thus -Lorenza figured as the Grand Mistress of Egyptian Masonry, as her -husband was himself the grand and sublime Copt. The fair neophytes -were required to contribute each of them the sum of one hundred louis -to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</span> abstain from all carnal connection with mankind, and to submit to -everything which might be imposed on them. A vast mansion was hired -in the Rue Verte, Faubourg Saint Honoré, at that period a lonely part -of the city. The building was surrounded with gardens and magnificent -trees. The séance for initiation took place shortly before midnight on -the 7th of August 1785.</p> - -<p>On entering the first apartment, says Figuier, the ladies were obliged -to disrobe and assume a white garment, with a girdle of various -colours. They were divided into six groups, distinguished by the tint -of their cinctures. A large veil was also provided, and they were -caused to enter a temple lighted from the roof, and furnished with -thirty-six arm-chairs covered with black satin. Lorenza, clothed -in white, was seated on a species of throne, supported by two tall -figures, so habited that their sex could not be determined. The light -was lowered by degrees till surrounding objects could scarcely be -distinguished, when the Grand Mistress commanded the ladies to uncover -their left legs as far as the thigh, and raising the right arm to rest -it on a neighbouring pillar. Two young women then entered sword in -hand, and with silk ropes bound all the ladies together by the arms and -legs. Then after a period of impressive silence, Lorenza pronounced -an oration, which is given at length, but on doubtful authority, by -several biographers, and which preached fervidly the emancipation of -womankind from the shameful bonds imposed on them by the lords of -creation.</p> - -<p>These bonds were symbolised by the silken ropes from which the fair -initiates were released at the end of the harangue, when they were -conducted into separate apartments, each opening on the Garden, where -they made the most unheard-of experiences. Some were pursued by men -who unmercifully persecuted them with barbarous solicitations;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</span> others -encountered less dreadful admirers, who sighed in the most languishing -postures at their feet. More than one discovered the counterpart of -her own lover, but the oath they had all taken necessitated the most -inexorable inhumanity, and all faithfully fulfilled what was required -of them. The new spirit infused into regenerated woman triumphed along -the whole line of the six and thirty initiates, who with intact and -immaculate symbols re-entered triumphant and palpitating the twilight -of the vaulted temple to receive the congratulations of the sovereign -priestess.</p> - -<p>When they had breathed a little after their trials, the vaulted roof -opened suddenly, and, on a vast sphere of gold, there descended a man, -naked as the unfallen Adam, holding a serpent in his hand, and having a -burning star upon his head.</p> - -<p>The Grand Mistress announced that this was the genius of Truth, the -immortal, the divine Cagliostro, issued without procreation from the -bosom of our father Abraham, and the depositary of all that hath been, -is, or shall be known on the universal earth. He was there to initiate -them into the secrets of which they had been fraudulently deprived. -The Grand Copt thereupon commanded them to dispense with the profanity -of clothing, for if they would receive truth they must be as naked -as itself. The sovereign priestess setting the example unbound her -girdle and permitted her drapery to fall to the ground, and the fair -initiates following her example exposed themselves in all the nudity of -their charms to the magnetic glances of the celestial genius, who then -commenced his revelations.</p> - -<p>He informed his daughters that the much abused magical art was the -secret of doing good to humanity. It was initiation into the mysteries -of Nature, and the power to make use of her occult forces. The -visions<span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</span> which they had beheld in the Garden where so many had seen -and recognised those who were dearest to their hearts, proved the -reality of hermetic operations. They had shewn themselves worthy to -know the truth; he undertook to instruct them by gradations therein. It -was enough at the outset to inform them that the sublime end of that -Egyptian Freemasonry which he had brought from the very heart of the -Orient was the happiness of mankind. This happiness was illimitable in -its nature, including material enjoyments as much as spiritual peace, -and the pleasures of the understanding.</p> - -<p>The Marquis de Luchet, to whom we are indebted for this account, -concludes the nebulous harangue of Cagliostro by the adept bidding -his hearers abjure a deceiving sex, and to let the kiss of friendship -symbolise what was passing in their hearts. The sovereign priestess -instructed them in the nature of this friendly embrace.</p> - -<p>Thereupon the Genius of Truth seated himself again upon the sphere -of gold, and was borne away through the roof. At the same time the -floor opened, the light blazed up, and a table splendidly adorned and -luxuriously spread rose up from the ground. The ladies were joined by -their lovers <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">in propria persona</i>; the supper was followed by -dancing and various diversions till three o’clock in the morning.</p> - -<p>About this time the Count Cagliostro was unwillingly compelled to -concede to the continual solicitations of the poor and to resume his -medical <i>rôle</i>. In a short time he was raised to the height of -celebrity by a miraculous cure of the Prince de Soubise, the brother -of the Cardinal de Rohan, who was suffering from a virulent attack of -scarlet fever. From this moment the portrait of the adept was to be -seen everywhere in Paris.</p> - -<p>In the meantime, the cloud in his domestic felicity, to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</span> which a -brief reference has been made already, began to spread. A certain -adventuress, by name Madame de la Motte, surprised Lorenza one day in -a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">tête-à-tête</i> with the Chevalier d’Oisemont. The count at the -time was far away from Paris, and the adventuress promised to keep the -secret on condition that Lorenza should in turn do all in her power to -establish her as an intimate friend in the house, having free entrance -therein, and should persuade Cagliostro to place his knowledge and -skill at her disposal, if ever she required it. The result of this -arrangement was the complicity of Cagliostro in the extraordinary and -scandalous affair of the Diamond Necklace. When the plot was exposed, -Cagliostro was arrested with the other alleged conspirators, including -the principal victim, the Cardinal de Rohan. He was exonerated, not -indeed without honour, from the charge of which he was undoubtedly -guilty, but his wife had fled to Rome at his arrest, and had rejoined -her family. He himself began to tremble at his own notoriety, and grew -anxious to leave France. He postponed till a more favourable period -his grand project concerning the metropolitan lodge of the Egyptian -rite.<a id="FNanchor_41" href="#Footnote_41" class="fnanchor">[AO]</a> A personage, calling himself Thomas Ximenes, and claiming -descent from the cardinal of that name, sought to reanimate his former -masonic enthusiasm; but the vision of the Bastile seemed to be ever -before his eyes, and neither this person, nor the great dignitaries of -the Parisian lodges, could prevail with him. In spite of his acquittal -he nourished vengeance against the Court of France, and more than once -he confided to his private friends that he should make his voice heard -when he had passed the frontier. He prepared to depart, and one day<span class="pagenum" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</span> -his disconsolate adepts learned that he was on the road to England.</p> - -<p>Once in London he recovered his energy. He was received with great -honour; many of his disciples from Lyons and Paris followed him. The -English masons invited him to the metropolitan lodge, and gave him -the first place, that of grand orient. He was entreated to convene a -masonic lodge of the Egyptian rite, and consented with some sadness, -for the memory of the brilliant Paris lodge which he had been on the -point of founding was incessantly before him. He could not console -himself for the fall of that beautiful and long-cherished plan, which -had cost him so much study, pains, and preaching.</p> - -<p>It was from this discreet distance that Cagliostro addressed his famous -Letter to the People of France, which was translated into a number -of languages, and circulated widely through Europe. It predicted the -French Revolution, the demolishment of the Bastile, and the rise of a -great prince who would abolish the infamous <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">lettres de cachet</i>, -convoke the States-General, and re-establish the true religion.</p> - -<p>The publication was intemperate in its language and revolutionary -in its sentiments, and close upon its heels followed his well-known -quarrel with the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Courrier de l’Europe</i>, which resulted in the -exposure of the real life of Cagliostro from beginning to end.</p> - -<p>Dreading the rage of his innumerable dupes, and extreme measures on -the part of his creditors, he hastened to quit London, disembarked in -Holland, crossed Germany, took refuge in Basle, where the patriarchal -hospitality of the Swiss cantons to some extent reassured the unmasked -adept. From the moment, however, of this exposure, the descent of -Cagliostro was simply headlong in its rapidity. Nevertheless, he was -followed by some of his initiates, who<span class="pagenum" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</span> pressed him to return to -France, assuring him of the powerful protection of exalted masonic -dignitaries. In his hesitation he wrote to the Baron de Breteuil, the -king’s minister of the house, but, as it chanced, a personal enemy of -the Cardinal de Rohan. Considering Cagliostro as a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">protégé</i> of -the prince, he replied that if he had sufficient effrontery to set foot -within the limits of the kingdom, he should be arrested and transferred -to a prison in Paris, there to await prosecution as a common swindler, -who should answer to the royal justice for his criminal life.</p> - -<p>From this moment Cagliostro saw that he was a perpetual exile from -France, and feeling in no sense assured of his safety even in -Switzerland, he left Basle for Aix, in Savoy. He was ordered to -quit that town in eight and forty hours. At Roveredo, a dependency -of Austria, the same treatment awaited him. He migrated to Trent, -and announced himself as a practitioner of lawful medicine, but the -prince-bishop who was sovereign of the country discerned the cloven -hoof of the sorcerer beneath the doctor’s sober dress, and showed -him in no long space of time his hostility to magical practices. The -wandering hierophant of Egyptian masonry, somewhat sorely pressed, took -post to Rome, and reached the Eternal City after many vicissitudes. -Here, according to Saint-Félix and Figuier, he was rejoined by his -wife; according to the Italian biographer, Lorenza had accompanied him -in his wanderings, and persuaded him to seek refuge in Rome, being sick -unto death of her miserable course of life. The former statement is, -on the whole, the most probable, as it is difficult to suppose that -she left Italy to rejoin Cagliostro at Passy, and she appears to have -returned to him with marked repugnance. She endeavoured to lead him -back to religion, which had never been eradicated from her heart. He -lived for some time with extraordinary circumspection,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</span> and consented -at last to see a Benedictine monk, to whom he made his confession. The -Holy Inquisition, which doubtless had scrutinised all his movements, is -said to have been deceived for a time, and he was favourably received -by several cardinals. He lived for a year in perfect liberty, occupied -with the private study of medicine. During this time he endeavoured to -obtain loans from the initiates of his Egyptian rite who were scattered -over France and Germany, but they did not arrive, and the sublime Copt, -the illuminated proprietor of the stone philosophical and the medicine -yclept metallic, came once more, to the eternal disgrace of Osiris, -Isis, and Anubis, on the very verge of want.</p> - -<p>His extremity prompted him to renew his relations with the masonic -societies within the area of the Papal States. A penalty of death -hung over the initiates of the superior grades, and their lodges were -in consequence surrounded with great mystery, and were convened in -subterranean places. He was persuaded to found a lodge of Egyptian -Freemasonry in Rome itself, from which moment Lorenza reasonably -regarded him as lost. One of his own adepts betrayed him; he was -arrested on the 27th of September 1789, by order of the Holy Office, -and imprisoned in the Castle of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Angelo. An inventory of his papers -was taken, and all his effects were sealed up. The process against him -was drawn up with the nicest inquisitorial care during the long period -of eighteen months. When the trial came on he was defended by the Count -Gætano Bernardini, advocate of the accused before the sacred and august -tribunal, and to this pleader in ordinary the impartial and benign -office, of its free grace and pleasure, did add generously, as counsel, -one Monsignor Louis Constantini, “whose knowledge and probity,” saith -an unbought and unbuyable witness (inquisitorially inspired),<span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</span> “were -generally recognised.” They did not conceal from him the gravity of his -position, advised him to refrain from basing his defence on a series of -denials, promising to save him from the capital forfeit, and so he was -persuaded to confess everything, was again reconciled to the church; -and being almost odoriferous with genuine sanctity, on the 21st of -March 1791 he was carried before the general assembly of the purgers of -souls by fire, before the Pope on the 7th of the following April, when -the advocates pleaded with so much eloquence that they retired in the -agonies of incipient strangulation, Cagliostro repeated his avowal, and -as a natural consequence of the unbought eloquence and the purchased -confession, the penalty of death was pronounced.</p> - -<p>When, however, the shattered energies of the advocates were a little -recruited, a recommendation of mercy was addressed to the Pope, the -sentence was commuted to perpetual imprisonment, and the condemned man -was consigned to the Castle of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Angelo. After an imprisonment of two -years, he died, God knows how, still in the prime of life, at the age -of fifty.</p> - -<p>Lorenza, whose admissions had contributed largely towards the -condemnation of her husband, was doomed to perpetual seclusion in a -penitentiary. The papers of Cagliostro were burned by the Holy Office, -and the phantom of that institution keeps to the present day the secret -of the exact date of its victim’s death. It carefully circulated the -report that on one occasion he attempted to strangle a priest whom he -had sent for on the pretence of confessing, hoping to escape in his -clothes; and then it made public the statement that he had subsequently -strangled himself. When the battalions of the French Revolution entered -Rome, the commanding officers, hammering at the doors of Saint-Angelo, -determined<span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</span> to release the entombed adept, but they were informed that -Cagliostro was dead, “at which intelligence,” says Figuier, “they -perceived plainly that the former <i>Parlement de France</i> was not -to be compared with the Roman Inquisition, and without regretting the -demolished Bastile, they could not but acknowledge that it disgorged -its prey more easily than the Castle of Saint Angelo.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The personal attractions of Cagliostro appear to have been exaggerated -by some of his biographers. “His splendid stature and high bearing, -increased by a dress of the most bizarre magnificence, the extensive -suite which invariably accompanied him in his wanderings, turned all -eyes upon him, and disposed the minds of the vulgar towards an almost -idolatrous admiration.”</p> - -<p>With this opinion of Figuier may be compared the counter-statement -of the Italian biographer:—“He was of a brown complexion, a bloated -countenance, and a severe aspect; he was destitute of any of those -graces so common in the world of gallantry, without knowledge and -without abilities.” But the Italian biographer was a false witness, -for Cagliostro was beyond all question and controversy a man of -consummate ability, tact, and talent. The truth would appear to lie -between these opposite extremes. “The Count de Cagliostro,” says -the English life, published in 1787, “is below the middle stature, -inclined to corpulency; his face is a round oval, his complexion and -eyes dark, the latter uncommonly penetrating. In his address we are -not sensible of that indescribable grace which engages the affections -before we consult the understanding. On the contrary, there is in -his manner a self-importance which at first sight rather disgusts -than allures, and obliges us to withhold our regards, till, on a more -intimate acquaintance, we yield it the tribute to our reason.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</span> Though -naturally studious and contemplative, his conversation is sprightly, -abounding with judicious remarks and pleasant anecdotes, yet with an -understanding in the highest degree perspicuous and enlarged, he is -ever rendered the dupe of the sycophant and the flatterer.”</p> - -<p>The persuasive and occasionally overpowering eloquence of Cagliostro -is also dwelt upon by the majority of his biographers, but, according -to the testimony of his wife, as extracted under the terror of the -Inquisition and adduced in the Italian life:—“His discourse, instead -of being eloquent, was composed in a style of the most wearisome -perplexity, and abounded with the most incoherent ideas. Previous to -his ascending the rostrum he was always careful to prepare himself for -his labours by means of some bottles of wine, and he was so ignorant as -to the subject on which he was about to hold forth, that he generally -applied to his wife for the text on which he was to preach to his -disciples. If to these circumstances are added a Sicilian dialect, -mingled with a jargon of French and Italian, we cannot hesitate a -single moment as to the degree of credibility which we are to give -to the assertions that have been made concerning the wonder-working -effects of his eloquence.”</p> - -<p>But the Inquisition was in possession of documents which bore -irrefutable testimony to the extraordinary hold which Cagliostro -exercised over the minds of his numerous followers, and it is -preposterous to suppose it could have been possessed by a man who was -ignorant, unpresentable, and ill-spoken. Moreover, the testimony of -Lorenza, given under circumstances of, at any rate, the strongest moral -intimidation is completely worthless on all points whatsoever, and the -biassed views of our inquisitorial apologists are of no appreciable -value.</p> - -<p>I have given an almost disproportionate space to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</span> history of Joseph -Balsamo, because it is thoroughly representative of the charlatanic -side of alchemy, which during two centuries of curiosity and credulity -had developed to a deplorable extent. There is no reason to suppose, -despite the veil of mystery which surrounded Altotas, that he was an -adept in anything but the sophistication of metals, and his skill -in alchemical trickery descended to his pupil. That Balsamo was a -powerful mesmerist, that he could induce clairvoyance with facility in -suitable subjects, that he had dabbled in Arabic occultism, that he -had the faculty of healing magnetically, are points which the evidence -enables us to admit, and these genuine phenomena supported his titanic -impostures, being themselves supplemented wherever they were weak or -defective by direct and prepared fraud. Thus his miraculous prophecies, -delineations of absent persons, revelations of private matters, &c., -may to some extent be accounted for by the insatiable curiosity and -diligence which he made use of to procure knowledge of the secrets of -any families with which he came into communication. Lorenzo declared -upon oath during her examination that many of the pupils had been -prepared beforehand by her husband, but that some had been brought to -him unawares, and that in regard to them she could only suppose he had -been assisted by the marvels of magical art.</p> - -<p>His powers, whatever they were, were imparted to some at least of -his Masonic initiates, as may be seen in a genuine letter addressed -to him from Lyons, and which describes in enthusiastic language -the consecration in that town of the Egyptian lodge called Wisdom -Triumphant. This letter fell into the hands of the Inquisition. -It relates that at the moment when the assembly had entreated of -the Eternal some explicit sign of his approval of their temple and -their offerings, “and whilst our master was in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</span> mid air,” the first -philosopher of the New Testament appeared uninvoked, blessed them after -prostration before the cloud, by means of which they had obtained the -apparition, and was carried upwards upon it, the splendour being so -great that the young pupil or dove was unable to sustain it.</p> - -<p>The same letter affirms that the two great prophets and the legislator -of Israel had given them palpable signs of their goodwill and of their -obedience to the commands of the august founder, the sieur Cagliostro. -A similar communication testifies that the great Copt, though absent, -had appeared in their lodge between Enoch and Elias.<a id="FNanchor_42" href="#Footnote_42" class="fnanchor">[AP]</a></p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CONCLUSION">CONCLUSION.</h2> -</div> - -<p>It has now been made plain beyond all reasonable doubt by the certain -and abundant evidence of the lives and labours of the alchemists, -that they were in search of a physical process for the transmutation -of the so-called baser metals into silver and gold. The methods and -processes by which they endeavoured to attain this <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">désir désiré</i>, -and the secrets which they are supposed to have discovered, are -embodied in allegorical writings, and their curious symbolism in the -hands of ingenious interpreters is capable of several explanations, -but the facts in their arduous and generally chequered careers are -not allegorical, and are not capable of any mystical interpretations; -consequently, the attempt to enthrone them upon the loftiest pinnacles -of achievement in the psychic world, however attractive and dazzling -to a romantic imagination, and however spiritually suggestive, must -be regretfully abandoned. Their less splendid but substantial and -permanent reputation is based on their physical discoveries and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</span> on -their persistent enunciation of a theory of Universal Development, -which true and far-sighted adepts well perceived, had an equal -application to the triune man as to those metals which in their -conception had also a triune nature.</p> - -<p>As stated in the Introduction to this work, I have little personal -doubt, after a careful and unbiassed appreciation of all the evidence, -that the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Magnum Opus</i> has been performed, at least occasionally, -in the past, and that, therefore, the alchemists, while laying -the foundations of modern chemistry, had already transcended its -highest results in the metallic kingdom. Now, the Hermetic doctrine -of correspondences which is, at any rate, entitled to the sincere -respect of all esoteric thinkers, will teach us that the fact of -their success in the physical subject is analogically a substantial -guarantee of the successful issue of parallel methods when applied -in the psychic world with the subject man. But the revelations of -mesmerism, and the phenomena called spiritualism, have discovered -thaumaturgic possibilities for humanity, which in a wholly independent -manner contribute to the verification of the alchemical hypothesis -of development in its extension to the plane of intelligence. These -possibilities I believe to be realizable exclusively along the lines -indicated in Hermetic parables. I am not prepared to explain how the -alchemical theory of Universal Development came to be evolved in the -scientific and psychological twilight of the middle ages, but the -fact remains. Nor am I prepared to explain how and why the method of -a discredited science which is not commonly supposed to have attained -its end, should not only be consistent within its own sphere, but -should have a vast field of application without it; yet, again, the -fact remains. I have brought a wide acquaintance with the history of -modern supernaturalism to bear<span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</span> on the serious study of alchemy, and -have found the old theories illustrated by the novel facts, while novel -facts coincided with old theories. As all this has occurred, in the -words of the alchemists, “by a natural process, devoid of haste or -violence,” I may trust that it is no illusory discovery, and that its -future enunciation may give a new impulse to the study of the Hermetic -writings among the occultists of England and America.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"><div class="big center p1"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_36" href="#FNanchor_36" class="label">[AJ]</a> In the Memoir written by Joseph Balsamo during his -imprisonment in the Bastille, he surrounds his origin and infancy -with romantic and glamorous mystery. “I am ignorant,” he asserts, -“not only of my birthplace, but even of the parents who bore me. All -my researches on these points have afforded me nothing but vague and -uncertain, though, in truth, exalted, notions. My earliest infancy -was passed in the town of Medina, in Arabia, where I was brought up -under the name of Acharat—a name which I afterwards used during my -Asiatic and African travels—and was lodged in the palace of the -muphti. I distinctly recollect having four persons continually about -me—a tutor, between fifty-five and sixty years of age, named Altotas, -and three slaves, one of whom was white, while the others were black. -My tutor invariably told me that I had been left an orphan at the age -of three months, and that my parents were noble, and Christians as -well, but he preserved the most absolute silence as to their name and -as to the place where I was born, though certain chance words led me -to suspect that I first saw the light at Malta. Altotas took pleasure -in cultivating my natural taste for the sciences; he himself was -proficient in all, from the most profound even to the most trivial. -It was in botany and physics that I made most progress. Like my -instructor I wore the dress of a Mussulman, and outwardly we professed -the Mohammedan law. The principles of the true religion were, however, -engraven in our hearts. I was frequently visited by the muphti, who -treated me with much kindness and had great respect for my instructor, -through whom I became early proficient in most oriental languages.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_37" href="#FNanchor_37" class="label">[AK]</a> “Life of the Count Cagliostro, compiled from the original -Proceedings published at Rome by order of the Apostolic Chamber. With -an engraved Portrait.” London, 1791.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_38" href="#FNanchor_38" class="label">[AL]</a> <i>L’Histoire du Merveilleux dans les Temps Modernes</i>, -tom. iv.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_39" href="#FNanchor_39" class="label">[AM]</a> “At a later period, when Cagliostro, uplifted by -notoriety and fortune, returned in state to Paris with a sumptuous -equipage, he strenuously denied his first sojourn in our capital, and -the disgraceful episode of Sainte-Pélagie. He maintained that his wife, -to whom he now gave the name of Seraphina, had no connection with the -imprisoned Lorenza Feliciani, nor he, the Count Cagliostro, with the -quack who at this epoch was prohibited from continuing his rogueries. -But certain legal documents of irrefutable authenticity substantiate -the contrary assertion of his enemies. It is interesting to know that, -as a fact, during the incarceration of Lorenza, depositions were made -before the tribunal of police by M. Duplaisir, who stated that, in -addition to supporting Balsamo and his wife for the space of three -months, they had contracted debts to the amount of two hundred crowns, -chiefly for clothes, for the perruquier, and the dancing-master.” These -depositions, with others, will be found in a pamphlet entitled, <i>Ma -Correspondence avec le Comte de Cagliostro</i>. Figuier. <i>Histoire du -Merveilleux dans les Temps Modernes</i>, t. iv. <abbr title="pages">pp.</abbr> 83, 84.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_40" href="#FNanchor_40" class="label">[AN]</a> “It was his ambition to inaugurate a mother-lodge at -Paris, to which the rest should be entirely subordinate. He proclaimed -himself as the bearer of the mysteries of Isis and Anubis from the -far East. Though he threatened common masonry with a radical reform, -his innovations triumphed over all obstacles. He obtained numerous -and distinguished followers, who on one occasion assembled in great -force to hear Joseph Balsamo expound to them the doctrines of Egyptian -freemasonry. At this solemn convention he is said to have spoken -with overpowering eloquence, and such was his signal success that -his auditors departed in amazement and completely converted to his -regenerated and purified masonry. None of them doubted that he was an -initiate of the arcana of Nature, as preserved in the temple of Apis -at the epoch when Cambyses belaboured that capricious divinity. From -this moment the initiations into the new masonry were numerous, albeit -they were limited to the aristocracy of society. There are reasons to -believe that the grandees who were deemed worthy of admission paid -exceedingly extravagantly for the honour.”—Figuier, <i>Hist. du -Merveilleux</i>, t. iv. <abbr title="pages">pp.</abbr> 23, 24.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_41" href="#FNanchor_41" class="label">[AO]</a> These projects included a determination to force the -royal government to recognise the new order, and to obtain its -recognition in Rome as an institution constituted on the same basis, -and therefore to be endowed with the same great privileges which had -belonged to the order of <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> John of Jerusalem.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_42" href="#FNanchor_42" class="label">[AP]</a> See Appendix II.</p> - -</div> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CATALOGUE_OF_WORKS">AN ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE <br /> OF WORKS ON HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY AND ALCHEMY.</h2> -</div> - -<ul class="biblio"> -<li>Antonius de Abbatia—Epistolæ duæ. (<i>German.</i>) Hamburg, 1672.</li> - -<li>Abrahamus è Porta Leonis—De Auro, dialogi tres. Venice, -1514-1584-1586. (<i>Disesteemed.</i>)</li> - -<li>D’Acqueville (Le Sieur)—Les effets de la Pierre Divine. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, -1681.</li> - -<li>Ægidius de Vadis—Dialogus inter Naturam et Filium Artis. Francfurt, -1595.</li> - -<li>—— Tabula Diversorum Metallorum. (Printed in the Theatrum Chymicum.)</li> - -<li>F. Aggravio—Sourano Medicina. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venice, 1682.</li> - -<li>Georgius Agricola—De Re Metallica, libri xii. Fol. Basiliæ, 1546-1621. -(<i>Curious, and embellished with figures and diagrams.</i>)</li> - -<li>—— De Ortu et Causis Subterraneorum, libri v. De Natura eorum quæ -effluunt Terra, libri v. De Natura Fossilium, libri x. De Veteribus et -Novis Metallis, libri ii. Bermannus, sive De Re Metallici. Fol. Basil, -1546.</li> - -<li>—— Lapis Philosophorum. (<i>Rare.</i>) <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Coloniæ, 1531.</li> - -<li>Johannes Agricola—Of Antimony. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Leipsic, 1639.</li> - -<li>Luigi Alamanni—Girone il Cortese, Poema. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. In Parigi, 1548. -(<i>Rare chymical romance.</i>)</li> - -<li>Alani Philosophi Germani, Dicta de Lapide Philosophorum. Lugduni -Batavorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1599.</li> - -<li>Albertus Magnus—Opera Omnia, 21 v. Folio. Lugduni, 1653.</li> - -<li>—— Libellus de Alchymia. (Theatrum Chemicum, v. 2.)</li> - -<li>—— De Rebus Metallicis et Mineralibus, libri v. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Augustæ -Vindelicor, 1519.</li> - -<li>Alchimia Denudata, adept Naxagoras (<i>pseud</i>). (<i>In German.</i>) -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Breslaw, 1708.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</span></li> - -<li>Alchemia Opuscula, nine scarce tracts. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franco, 1550.</li> - -<li>Alchymia vera lapidis philos. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Magd., 1619.</li> - -<li>A Revelation of the Secret Spirit of Alchemy. Anon. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1523.</li> - -<li>Alchemia—Volumen Tractatum, 10. (<i>Esteemed.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Norim., 1541.</li> - -<li>Oder Alchymischer particular Zeiger: id est. Unterricht von Gold, und -Silbermachen. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Rostoch, 1707.</li> - -<li>Alkahest (Bedencken von). <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Frank., 1708.</li> - -<li>Alcaest—Merveilles de l’Art et de la Nature. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1678.</li> - -<li>Alstedii (Joh. Henric.)—Philosophia dignè restituta. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Herbornæ, -1612.</li> - -<li>—— Panacæa Philosophica cum critico de infinito Harmonico Philosophiæ -Lullianæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Herb., 1610.</li> - -<li>La Ruine des Alchimistes. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Paris, 1612.</li> - -<li>Alvetanno (Cornelius)—De Conficiendo Divino Elixire sive Lapide -Philosophico. <i>Theatri Chimici</i>, t. 5.</li> - -<li>Amelungii (D. Petri)—Tractatus Nobilis, in quo de Alchimiæ Inventione, -necessitate et utilitate agitur. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lipsiæ, 1607.</li> - -<li>—— Apologia, seu Tractatus Nobilis Secundus pro defensione Alchimiæ. -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lipsiæ, 1601.</li> - -<li>Amelungs (J. C.)—Stein Tinctur. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. 1664.</li> - -<li>Anthoris (Caspar)—Chrysoscopion, sive Aurilogium. (<i>A treatise on -the extension of life by auriferous preparations.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Jenal, 1632.</li> - -<li>Andaloro (Andrea)—La Miniera dell’ Argento Vivo. Messina, 1672.</li> - -<li>Angelique (Le Sieur d’)—La Vraye Pierre Philosophale de Médecine. 12 -mo. Paris, 1622.</li> - -<li>Altus Mutus Liber, in quo tota Philosophia Hermetica figuris -Hieroglyphicis depingitur. Fol. Rupellæ, 1677.</li> - -<li>Apocalypses Hermeticorum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Gedani, 1683.</li> - -<li>Apologie du Grand Œuvre, ou Elixir des Philosophes. 12 mo. Paris, 1657.</li> - -<li>Avantures du Philosophe Inconnu en la recherche et Invention du Pierre -Philosophale, divisées en quatre livres, au dernier desquels il est -parlé si clairement de la façon de la faire, que jamais on n’en a -parlé avec tant de canduer. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1646. (<i>Attributed to the -celebrated Abbé Bebris.</i>)</li> - -<li>Aurifontana Chimiæ incomparabilis. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lugd. Batav., 1696.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</span></li> - -<li>Vier Ausserlesene Chymische Buchlein. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Ham., 1697.</li> - -<li>Aureum Seculum Patefactum, oder Entdeckung dess Menstrivi Universal. -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Nurnberg, 1706.</li> - -<li>L’Ayman Mystique. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1659.</li> - -<li>Arludes—Mystères de la Grace et de la Nature. 1646.</li> - -<li>Arca—Artificiosissimi Arcani Arca. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="eighteenmo">18mo</abbr>. Franc., 1617.</li> - -<li>Arcana—Antiquorum Philosophorum Arcana, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Leip., 1610.</li> - -<li>—— Magni Philosophi Arcani Revelator. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Hamb., 1672. -(<i>Rare.</i>)</li> - -<li>A Strange Letter of the Treasure of an Adept. <abbr title="twenty-fourmo">24mo</abbr>. London, 1680.</li> - -<li>Ars Transmutationis Metallicæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1550.</li> - -<li>Aristoteles—De Perfecto Magisterio. In Theatrum Chymicum. t. 3.</li> - -<li>Arnaud, <i>see</i> Villeneuve.</li> - -<li>Ancient War of the Knights, <i>by an adept</i>. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. London, 1723.</li> - -<li>Aphorisms. 153 Chemical <span class="smcap">Aphorisms</span>. (<i>Esteemed.</i>) London, -1680.</li> - -<li>Artephius (<i>adept, <abbr title="twelfth">12th</abbr> cent.</i>)—Secret Book of the Occult Art and -Metallic Transmutation. <abbr title="twenty-fourmo">24mo</abbr>. London, 1657.</li> - -<li>—— La Clef majeure de Sapience et Science des Secrets de la Nature. -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. (<i>Without date or place of printing.</i>)</li> - -<li>—— De Vita Proroganda, aitque se anno 1025 ætatis suae scripsisse -libum suum.</li> - -<li>Alphonso (King)—Of the Philos. Stone. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1657.</li> - -<li>Pseudo <span class="smcap">Athenagoras</span>—Du Vrai et Parfait Amour. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, -1599. <i>Very curious.</i></li> - -<li>Artis <span class="smcap">Auriferæ</span>, 47 treatises. 3 <abbr title="volumes">vols.</abbr> <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1610.</li> - -<li>Alciata, Andreæ, Emblemata. Patav., 1618.</li> - -<li>Aurifontina, chym., 14 tracts on the Philosophical Mercury.</li> - -<li>Arrais (G. M.)—Tree of Life. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1683.</li> - -<li>Ashmole (Elias)—Theatrum Chemicum Britanicum. (<i>Esteemed.</i>) 25 -tracts. English adepts.</li> - -<li>Avicenna—De Tinctura Metallorum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1530.</li> - -<li>—— Porta Elementorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basiliæ, 1572.</li> - -<li>—— Epistola ad Regem Hasen. Theatrum Chymicum, t. 4.</li> - -<li>—— De Mineralibus. Dantzick, 1687. Printed with Geber.</li> - -<li>(<i>All these treatises of Avicenna are doubtful.</i>)</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</span></li> - -<li>Bacon (Roger)—Art of Chemistry, <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. London.</li> - -<li>—— Mirror of Alchemy. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. 1597.</li> - -<li>—— Admirable power of Art and Nature. (Alchemical.)</li> - -<li>—— Opus Majus, ad Clementum IV. Fol. Dublin, 1733.</li> - -<li>—— Care of Old Age and Preservation of Youth. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1683.</li> - -<li>—— Radix Mundi (alchemical, English). <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. 1692.</li> - -<li>—— Opus Minus. M.S. Lambeth Library.</li> - -<li>—— Thesaurus Chimicus. De Utilitate Scientiarum. Alchimia Major. -Breviarum de Dono Dei. Verbum abbreviarum de Leone Viridi. Secretum -Secretorum. Trium Verborum. Speculum Secretorum. Seven Treatises. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Francof., 1603.</li> - -<li>—— De Secretis Operibus Artis et Naturæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1598.</li> - -<li>—— (Fr. Lord Verulam)—History of Metals. Fol. Lond., 1670.</li> - -<li>Baker (Geo.)—New Jewel of Health. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. London, 1576.</li> - -<li>Balbian(J.)—Tractatus Septem de Lapide Philosophico. (<i>Rare.</i>) -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lug., 1599.</li> - -<li>—— Specchio Chimico. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Roma., 1624.</li> - -<li>Balduini (C. A.)—Aurum Superius et Inferius. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lipsiæ, 1674.</li> - -<li>—— Phosphorus Hermeticus, sive magnes luminaris. Lipsiæ, 1674.</li> - -<li>—— Hermes Curiosus. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lips., 1680.</li> - -<li>—— De Auro Auræ et ipsum hoc Aurum Auræ. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. 1674.</li> - -<li>—— Venus Auræ—<i>See</i> Miscellanea Curiosa. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lips., 1678.</li> - -<li>Barchusen (J. C.)—Elementa Chemiæ. (<i>Contains seventy-eight -alchemical emblems.</i>) Lug. Bat., 1718.</li> - -<li>Barlet (A.)—L’Ouvrage de l’Univers. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1653.</li> - -<li>Barnaudi (N.)—Triga Chimica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lug. Bat., 1600.</li> - -<li>—— Brevis Elucidatio Arcani Philosophorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lugd. Batav., 1599.</li> - -<li>Bartoleti (Fabr.)—Encyclopedia Hermetico-Medica. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Bononiæ, 1619.</li> - -<li>Batfdorff (Henric à)—Filum Ariadnes. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1636.</li> - -<li>Bazio (Antonia)—Florida Corona. Lug., 1534.</li> - -<li>Beato (G.)—Azoth, seu Aureliæ Occultæ Philosophorum, materiam<span class="pagenum" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</span> primam -et decantatum illum Lapidem Philosophorum, filiis Hermetis solide -explicantes. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1613.</li> - -<li>Beausoleil (Baron)—De Materia Lapidis. (<i>Esteemed.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1627.</li> - -<li>—— De Sulphure Philosophorum Libellus.</li> - -<li>Becher (J. J.)—Transmutations at Vienna. London, 1681.</li> - -<li>—— Physica Subterranea. (<i>Esteemed.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1669.</li> - -<li>—— Institutiones Chimicæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Moguntiæ, 1662.</li> - -<li>—— Oedipus Chimicus. Franc., 1664.</li> - -<li>—— Laboratium Chimicum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Francfurt, 1680.</li> - -<li>—— Opera Omnia. 2 v. fol. (<i>In German.</i>)</li> - -<li>Beguinus—Tyrocinium Chimicum. (<i>In English.</i>) London, 1669.</li> - -<li>Benedictus—Liber Benedictus, Nucleus Sophicus. (<i>Allegorical.</i>) -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1623.</li> - -<li>Benzius (A. C.)—Philosopische Schanbuhne nebst einen, Anhaug der -Weisen. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1690.</li> - -<li>—— Tractatlein von Menstruo Universali. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Nurem., 1709.</li> - -<li>—— Lapis Philosophorum, seu Medicina Universalis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1714.</li> - -<li>—— Thesaurus Processuum Chemicorum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Nurem., 1715.</li> - -<li>Bergeri—Catalogus Medicamentorum Spagirice præparatorum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. 1607.</li> - -<li>Bericht—Von Universal Arts Neyen. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1709.</li> - -<li>Berle (John de)—Opuscule de Philosophie.</li> - -<li>Berlichius—De Medicina Universali. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Jena, 1679.</li> - -<li>Bernardi (Comitis, <i>an adept</i>)—Libèr de Chimia. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Geismariæ, -1647.</li> - -<li>—— De Chimico Miraculo. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1600.</li> - -<li>—— La Turbe des Philosophes. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1618.</li> - -<li>—— Opus de Chimia. (<i>Curious.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Argent, 1567.</li> - -<li>—— Traité de l’Œuf des Philosophes. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1659.</li> - -<li>—— La Parole Delaissée. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. 1672.</li> - -<li>—— Epistle to Thomas of Bononia. <abbr title="twenty-fourmo">24mo</abbr>. London, 1680.</li> - -<li>—— Trevisan’s Fountain. Lond.</li> - -<li>Bernard—Le Bernard d’Alemagne, cum Bernardo Trevero. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1643.</li> - -<li>Beroalde (P.)—Histoire des Trois Princes. 2 v. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1610. -(<i>Disesteemed.</i>)</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</span></li> - -<li>Beroalde (P.)—Le Palais des Curieux. (<i>Poem.</i>) <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1584.</li> - -<li>—— Le Cabinet de Minerva. Rouen, 1601.</li> - -<li>Berteman (M.)—Dame de Beau Soliel—Restitution de Pluton. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, -1640.</li> - -<li>Besardi (J. B.)—Antrum Philosophicum, De Lapide Physico, &c. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. -Aug., 1617.</li> - -<li>Beuther (D.)—Universale et Particularia. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1718.</li> - -<li>Bickeri (O.)—Hermes Redivivus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hanov., 1620.</li> - -<li>Billikius (A. G.)—De Tribus Principiis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Bremen, 1621.</li> - -<li>—— Deliria Chimica Laurenbergii. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Bremæ, 1625.</li> - -<li>—— Assertionem Chymicarum Sylloge Opposita Laurenbergio. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Helmestadii, 1624.</li> - -<li>Birelli (G. B.)—De Alchimia. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Firenze, 1602.</li> - -<li>Birrius (Martinus)—Tres Tractatus de Metallorum Transmutatione. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Amsterdam, 1668.</li> - -<li>Blarvenstein (Sol.)—Contra Kircherum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Vienna, 1667.</li> - -<li>Boerhave (H.)—De Chimia Expurgante suos errores. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lugduni -Batavorum, 1718.</li> - -<li>Böhme (Jacob)—“Teutonicus Theosophus.” Works. Containing The -Aurora, Three Principles, Threefold Life of Man, Answers to Forty -Questions concerning the Soul, Treatise of the Incarnation, Clavis -Mysterium Magnum, Four Tables of Divine Revelation, Signatura Rerum, -Predestination, Way to Christ, Discourse between Souls, The Four -Complexions, Christ’s Testaments, &c. Fol. London, 1764-81.</li> - -<li>—— Works, by Elliston and Sparrow. 10 <abbr title="volumes">vols.</abbr> <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1659.</li> - -<li>—— Miroir Temporel de l’Éternité. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1669.</li> - -<li>—— Idæa Chimiæ Adeptæ Bohmianæ. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Amst., 1690.</li> - -<li>Bolnesti (Edw.)—Aurora Chimica. Lond., 1672.</li> - -<li>Bolton (Samuel)—Magical but Natural Physic. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1656.</li> - -<li>Bonardo (G. M.)—Minera del Mondo. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Mantua, 1591.</li> - -<li>Bono (P., <i>an adept</i>)—Margarita Novella. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Basil, 1572.</li> - -<li>—— Introductio in Divinam Artem Alchemiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1692.</li> - -<li>—— De Secreto Omnium Secretorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venet., 1546.</li> - -<li>Bonveau (J. D.)—De l’Astronomie Inférieure. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Paris, 1636.</li> - -<li>Bade (—— de la)—De l’Énigme trouvé à Pillier. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Paris, 1636.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</span></li> - -<li>Borelli (Petri)—Hermetic Catalogue. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1654.</li> - -<li>Bornetti (D.)—Jatrochimicus. Franc., 1621.</li> - -<li>Borri (G. F.)—La Chiave del Cabinetto. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Colon., 1681.</li> - -<li>Borrichius (O.)—De Ortu et Progressu Chemiæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Hafnia, 1668.</li> - -<li>Borro (Tomaso)—Ze Fieriele Tomaso Borro Opere. Venez., 1624.</li> - -<li>Boyle (Hon. Robert)—Works, <i>useful</i>, many editions.</li> - -<li>Braceschi (J.)—Gebri Explicatio. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lugd., 1548.</li> - -<li>Bradley (Richard)—Work of Nature. (<i>Rare.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Dub., 1721.</li> - -<li>Brachel (P.)—On Spurious Potable Gold. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Col., -1607.</li> - -<li>Brandaw (M. Erbineusà)—12 Columnæ Naturæ et Artis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lip., 1689.</li> - -<li>Brebil (J. F.)—Concursus Philosophorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Jena, 1726.</li> - -<li>Brendelius (Zac.)—De Chimia in Artis Formam Redacta, ubi de Auro -Potabile Agit. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Jenæ, 1630.</li> - -<li>Brentzius (Andrew)—Farrago Philos. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Ambergæ, 1611.</li> - -<li>Breton (L.)—Clefs de la Philosophie Spagirique. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1726.</li> - -<li>Broault (T. D.)—Abrégé de l’Astronomie Inferieure ... Des Planetes -Hermétiques. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Paris, 1644.</li> - -<li>Brown (Thomas)—Nature’s Cabinet. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lond., 1657.</li> - -<li>Buchlein (——)—Von Farben, und Künsten, auch der Alchimisten. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -1549.</li> - -<li>Burchelati (B.)—Dialogicum Septem Philosophorum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Trevisis, 1603.</li> - -<li>Burgavii (J. Ernest)—Balneum Dianæ. Lud., 1600-1612.</li> - -<li>—— Introductio in Philosophiam Vitalem. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1623.</li> - -<li>Cæsar (T.)—Alchemiæ Speculum. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franco, 1613.</li> - -<li>Cæsii (B.)—Mineralogia. (<i>Rare.</i>) Fol. Lug., 1636.</li> - -<li>Calid—Regis Calid Liber Secretorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1615.</li> - -<li>Campegii (M.)—De Transmutatione Metallorum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lud., 1503.</li> - -<li>Carellis (J. de)—De Auri Essentia ejusque Facultate in Medendis -Morbis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venet., 1646.</li> - -<li>Carerius (A.)—Quæstio an Metalla Artis Beneficio permutari possint. -<abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Patavii, 1579.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</span></li> - -<li>Casi (Jo.)—Lapis Philosophicus. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Oxonii, 1599.</li> - -<li>Castagne (Gabriel de)—Œuvres Medicinales et Chimiques—1. Le Paradis -Terrestre. 2. Le Miracle de la Nature Métallique. 3. L’Or Potable. 4. -La Médecine Métallique. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1661.</li> - -<li>Cato—Chemicus. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lypsiæ, 1690.</li> - -<li>Cephali (Ar.)—Mercurius Triumphans. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Magdeburgi, 1600.</li> - -<li>Charles VI.—Trésor de Philosophie. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris.</li> - -<li>Chartier (J.)—Antimoine, Plomb Sacré. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Paris, 1651.</li> - -<li>Chesne (J.)—De Plus Curieuses Etrares. Paris, 1648.</li> - -<li>Chevalier Impérial—Miroir des Alchimistes. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. 1609.</li> - -<li>Chiaramonte (G.)—Elixir Vitæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Genoa, 1590.</li> - -<li>Christop—Paris. (<i>Adept, <abbr title="thirteenth">13th</abbr> age.</i>) Chimica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1649.</li> - -<li>Chymia Philosophica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Norimberg, 1689.</li> - -<li>Cicollini (Barab.)—Via Brevis. Romæ, 1696.</li> - -<li>Claf (E. Lucii)—De Lapide Christo Sophico. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Ingol., 1582.</li> - -<li>Claves (E. de)—Des Principes de la Nature. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1633.</li> - -<li>Clavei (Gas., <i>adept</i>.)—Apologia Argyropœiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Niverius, 1590.</li> - -<li>—— De Ratione Proginendi Lap. Philosophorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Nivers, 1592.</li> - -<li>—— Philosophia Chimica, Prep. Auri. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Frank., 1602-1612.</li> - -<li>Clinge (F.)—Philosophia Hermetica. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. 1712.</li> - -<li>Cogitationes Circa Alchæst. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1708.</li> - -<li>Collectanea Chimica. <i>Ten tracts.</i> <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Lond., 1684.</li> - -<li>Collesson (J.)—De la Philosophie Hermétique. (<i>Disesteemed.</i>) -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1630.</li> - -<li>Colletel (G.)—Clavicule et Vie de Raymond Lulle. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1642.</li> - -<li>Colson (L.)—Philosophia Maturata. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1696.</li> - -<li>Combachius (L.)—Salt and Secret of Philosophy. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Lond., 1657.</li> - -<li>Comenius (J. A.)—Natural Philosophy Reformed. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. London, 1651.</li> - -<li>Commentatio—De Lapide Philosoph. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Cologne, 1595.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</span></li> - -<li>Couringii (Herm.)—De Hermetica Ægyptiorum vetere et Paracelsicorum -nova Medecina. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Helmstadii, 1648.</li> - -<li>Cooper (N.)—Catalogue of Alchemical Books. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1675.</li> - -<li>Cosmopolita—Novum Lumen. (<i>Adept.</i>) Twelve Treatises, Enigma, -Dialogue, &c. By Alexander Sethon. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Prague, 1604.</li> - -<li>—— Ses Lettres. (<i>Spurious.</i>) 2 v. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1691.</li> - -<li>Cozzandi (L.)—De Magisterio Antiq. Colon., 1684.</li> - -<li>Crameri (J. A.)—Fossilium. 2 v. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lug. Bat., 1730.</li> - -<li>Creilingius (J. C.)—De Transmutatione Metallorum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Tubing.</li> - -<li>Cremeri (Gaspar)—De Transmutatione Metallorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>.</li> - -<li>Crollii (Osw.)—Philosophy Reformed. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lond., 1657.</li> - -<li>—— Basilica Chimica. (<i>English.</i>) Fol. Lond., 1670.</li> - -<li>Crollius Redivivus. Stein Tinchtur. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Fran., 1635.</li> - -<li>Culpeper (Nic.)—Three-Fold World. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1656.</li> - -<li>Curiosities of Chemistry. Lond., 1691.</li> - -<li>Dammy (Mathieu)—Observations sur La Chimie. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Amst., 1739.</li> - -<li>Dastinii (Johan.)—Visio, seu de Lapide Philosophico. (<i>English -adept.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1625.</li> - -<li>—— Rosarium Correctius. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Geismar, 1647.</li> - -<li>Deani (E.)—Tractatus Varii de Alchimia. (<i>Rare.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Fran., -1630.</li> - -<li>Dee (Dr Arthur)—Fasciculus Chimicus. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lond., 1650.</li> - -<li>—— (Dr Joannes)—Monas Hieroglyphica. 1564.</li> - -<li>—— Propædemnata Aphoristica de Naturæ Virtutibus. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1568.</li> - -<li>Democritus—De Arte Sacra. (<i>Adept.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Patav., 1573.</li> - -<li>Deodato (C.)—Pantheum Hygiasticum. Brunstruti, 1628.</li> - -<li>Dichiaratione, di Enimoni de gl’ Antichi Filosifi Alchimisti. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. -Rome, 1587.</li> - -<li>Dickinson (E.)—De Chrysopœia. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Oxon., 1686.</li> - -<li>Disputatio Solis et Mercurii cum Lapide Philos. (<i>The Ancient War of -the Knights.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Tolos., 1646.</li> - -<li>Donato (Fra., Eremita). (<i>Adept.</i>) Elixir Vitæ. Napoli, 1624.</li> - -<li>Dorneus (Gerard)—Clavis Philosophiæ. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lugd., 1567.</li> - -<li>Doux (Gaston le)—Dictionnaire Hermétique. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1695.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</span></li> - -<li>Drebellius (C.)—Quinta Essentia. (<i>Not an adept.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., -1621.</li> - -<li>Dubourg (Jacques)—Saint Saturne de la Chimie.</li> - -<li>Duchesne—Les Œuvres diverses de M. Duchesne sieur de la Violette. 6 v. -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1635.</li> - -<li>Dumbelei (J.)—Hortus Amoris Arboris Philosophicæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1625.</li> - -<li>Dunstan (Saint)—On the Philosopher’s Stone. Lond.</li> - -<li>Eclaircissement de la Pierre Philosophale. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1628.</li> - -<li>Efferarius (<i>an adept</i>.)—De Lapide Philos. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Argent., 1659.</li> - -<li>—— Thesaurus Philosophicus. (<i>Esteemed and scarce.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Argent., 1659.</li> - -<li>Elmulleri (M.)—Opera Omnia. Venet., 1727.</li> - -<li>Emblemata de Secretis Naturæ Chimicæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Oppen., 1618.</li> - -<li>Epistola, cujusdam Patris ad Filium. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lugd. Lyons, 1601.</li> - -<li>Epistolarum philos. Chemicarum. Fol. Francofurti, 1598.</li> - -<li>Erasti (Thomæ.)—De Auro Potabili. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1578-1584.</li> - -<li>Erkern (Laz.)—De Re Metallica. (<i>English and excellent.</i>) Fol. -Francof., 1629.</li> - -<li>L’Escalier des Sages, avec figures. (<i>Curious and scarce.</i>) Fol. -Gronigen, 1689.</li> - -<li>Espagnet (John)—Enchyridion Physicæ Restitutæ. Paris, 1601.</li> - -<li>—— Enchyridion Philosophiæ Hermeticæ. (<i>The anonymous works of this -esteemed adept in English.</i>) <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Lond., 1651.</li> - -<li>Euchiontis (A.)—De Aquis, Oleis, et Salibus Philos. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Francof., -1567.</li> - -<li>Examen des Principes des Alchimistes. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1711.</li> - -<li>L’Expositione de Geber Filosofo. (<i>Disesteemed.</i>) <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Venet., -1544.</li> - -<li>Eygeum (M.)—Le Pilote de l’Onde vive, ou le Secret du Flux et Reflux -de la Mer et du Point Fixe. (<i>Scarce.</i>) <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1678.</li> - -<li>Fabri (P. J., <i>not an adept</i>)—Alchimista Christianus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Tolv., -1632.</li> - -<li>Fabricius (G.)—De Rebus Metallicis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Tiguri, 1565.</li> - -<li>Fallopius (G.)—Secreti Diversi Raccolti del G. F. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venet., 1578.</li> - -<li>Faniani (J. C.)—De Arte Alchimiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1576.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</span></li> - -<li>Faniani (J. C.)—Metamorphosis Metallica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1660.</li> - -<li>Faustia (J. M.)—Philalethæ Illustratus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Francofruts, 1706.</li> - -<li>—— Pandora Chemica. (<i>Hermetic Extracts.</i>) 1706.</li> - -<li>Fenton (Ed.)—Secrets and Wonders of Nature. Lond., 1659.</li> - -<li>Fernelius (J.)—De Abditis Rerum Causis. (<i>Doubtful.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, -1560.</li> - -<li>Fernel (Phil.)—Soliloquium Salium. Neapoli, 1649.</li> - -<li>Ferarius—Fratris Ferarii—Tractatus Integer. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. 1647.</li> - -<li>Ferro (Josua)—Trattato de Meravigliosi Secreti. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venet., 1606.</li> - -<li>Figuli (B.)—Paradisus Aureolus Hermeticus. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Fran., 1600.</li> - -<li>—— Auriga Benedictus Spagiricus. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Norimbergæ, 1609.</li> - -<li>—— (G.)—Medicina Universalis. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Brux., 1660.</li> - -<li>Filareto Racolto di Secreti. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fioren., 1573.</li> - -<li>Le Filet d’Ariadne. (<i>Hermetic.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1693.</li> - -<li>Fincki (T. V.)—Enchiridion Hermetico. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Lip., 1626.</li> - -<li>Flamel (Nicholas, <i>an adept</i>)—Explanation of his Hieroglyphics. -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1624.</li> - -<li>—— Le Grand Eclaircissement. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1628.</li> - -<li>—— Summary. <abbr title="twenty-fourmo">24mo</abbr>. Lond., 1680.</li> - -<li>—— Le Désir Désiré, ou Trésor de Philosophie. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1629.</li> - -<li>—— La Musique Chimique.</li> - -<li>—— Annotationes in D. Zacharia. (<i>Spurious.</i>) <i>See</i> -Theatrum Chemicum.</li> - -<li>Fludd (Robert)—Clavis Philosophiæ et Alchimiæ. 2 v. Fol. Francof.</li> - -<li>La Fontaine des Amoureux de Science. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Paris, 1561.</li> - -<li>La Fontaine Perilleuse. (<i>Reputed.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1572.</li> - -<li>Fradin (P.)—Histoire Fabuleuse. (<i>Scarce.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lyons, 1560.</li> - -<li>Frankenberg (Von)—Gemma Magica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Amstelodami.</li> - -<li>Freind (J.)—Prelectiones Chemicæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Amst., 1710.</li> - -<li>Frickius (J.)—De Auro Potabile Sophorum et Sophistarum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Ham., -1702.</li> - -<li>Frischi (D. G.)—Anatomiá Alchimiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Parma, 1696.</li> - -<li>Frundeck (L.)—De Elixire Arboris Vitæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hague, 1660.</li> - -<li>Furichius (J. N.)—De Lapide Philosophico. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Argentorati, 1631.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</span></li> - -<li>Gabella (Phil. à)—De Lapide Philos. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Cassel., 1615.</li> - -<li>—— Secretioris Philosophiæ Consideratio. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Cassel., 1616.</li> - -<li>Gamon (C.)—Trésor des Trésors. 2 v. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lyons, 1610.</li> - -<li>Garlandii (J.)—Dictionarium Alchimiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1571.</li> - -<li>Gault—Les Erreurs de l’Art Refutées. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Paris, 1588.</li> - -<li>Geber, Works (<i>Adept of Chorasan in the Eighth Age</i>). 1. Sum of -Perfection. 2. Investigation of Perfection. 3. Invention of Verity. 4. -Furnaces. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Gedani, 1682.</li> - -<li>Gerhardi (J. C.)—Panacea Hermetica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Ulm., 1640.</li> - -<li>—— In Apertorium Lullii. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Tabing., 1641.</li> - -<li>Germanni (D.)—Judicium Philosophicum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1682.</li> - -<li>Gerzan (François de Soucy sieur de Gerzan)—Le Vrai Trésor de la Vie -Humaine. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1653.</li> - -<li>—— L’Histoire Africaine. (<i>Chemical.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1634.</li> - -<li>—— Historie Asiatique Mystique. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1634.</li> - -<li>Giangi (Rinaldo)—Istruzione Speziele. Roma., 1715.</li> - -<li>Girolani (Flavio)—La Pietro Philosophica. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Venet., 1590.</li> - -<li>Givry (P.)—Arcanum Acidularum. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Amst., 1682.</li> - -<li>Glauber (J. R.)—Works. (<i>Chemistry.</i>) Fol. Lond., 1689.</li> - -<li>Glissenti (Fabio)—Della Pietra de Filosofi. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Venet., 1596.</li> - -<li>Gloria Mundi. Hamb., 1692.</li> - -<li>Glutten—Minerale de Mercurio Philos. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lips., 1705.</li> - -<li>Godfrey (B.)—Miscellaneous Experiments. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond.</li> - -<li>Gonelli (Jos.)—Thesaurus Philos. Neapoli, 1702.</li> - -<li>Gohory (J.)—Ancien Poeme, science minerale. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1572.</li> - -<li>Grand Œuvre—Apologie pour le G. O. par D. B. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Par., 1659.</li> - -<li>Granger (G.)—Paradox que les Metaux out Vie. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Par., 1640.</li> - -<li>Gratarole (William)—Vera Alchimia. Twenty-three tracts. 2 v. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Bas., 1572.</li> - -<li>—— On the Philosopher’s Stone. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1652.</li> - -<li>Greveri (Jod.)—Secretum Magnum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lugd., 1588.</li> - -<li>Grevin (Jac.)—De L’Antimoine Contre Launay. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Par., 1567.</li> - -<li>Groschedeli (J. B.)—Proteus Mercurialis. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Francof., 1629.</li> - -<li>—— Hermetisches Kleebat, weisheit. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1629.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</span></li> - -<li>Groschedeli (J. B.)—Mineralis, seu Physici Metallorum Lapidis -Descriptio. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1706.</li> - -<li>Guiberto (Mi.)—De Alchimiæ Ratione et Experientia. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Arg., 1603.</li> - -<li>—— De Interitu Alchymiæ. Tulli, 1614.</li> - -<li>Guide to Alchemy. Lond.</li> - -<li>Guidi (J.)—De Mineralibus, De Alchimisticis, De Thesauris. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. -Venet., 1625.</li> - -<li>Guissonius (P.)—De Tribus Principiis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1686.</li> - -<li>Gulielmi (Dom)—De Salibus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lugd. Batav., 1707.</li> - -<li>Guinaldi (J.)—Dell’ Alchimia Opera. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Palermo, 1645.</li> - -<li>Hadrianeum—De Aureo Philosophorum Lapide. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Rothomagi, 1651.</li> - -<li>Haffeurefferi (J.)—Officina Hermetico Paracelsica, <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Ulmmæ, -<span class="allsmcap">N.D.</span></li> - -<li>Hagedon (E.)—Secreta Spagirica. Jena, 1676.</li> - -<li>Hannemanni (J. L.)—Ovum Hermetico Trismegistum. Franc., 1694.</li> - -<li>Hapelius (N. N.)—Chieragogia Heliana. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Marpurgi, 1612.</li> - -<li>Hartman (J.)—Opera omnia Medico-Chimica. Fol. Franc., 1684.</li> - -<li>Haumerie (C.)—Les Secrets les Plus Cachés. Par., 1722.</li> - -<li>Helbegii (J. O.)—Introitus in veram, atque Inauditam Phisicam. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Ham., 1680.</li> - -<li>—— Centrum Naturæ Concentratum. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Gedani, 1682.</li> - -<li>—— Judicium de Viribus Hermetecis. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Amst., 1683.</li> - -<li>—— Salt of Nature, by Alipili. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Lond., 1696.</li> - -<li>Heliæ (A Franciscan)—Speculum Alchemiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fra., 1614.</li> - -<li>Helmont (J. B.)—Works, translated. Fol. Lond., 1664.</li> - -<li>Helvetius (J. E.)—Of a Transmutation. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1670.</li> - -<li>Helwig (J. O.)—Curiositates Alchemiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Leip., 1710.</li> - -<li>Hermetis Trismegisti, 7 capitula. (<i>Adept.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lips., 1600.</li> - -<li>—— Seven Chapters, Tablet and Second Book. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1692.</li> - -<li>Hermetical Banquet. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1652.</li> - -<li>Hermophile—Canones Hermetici. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Marpurgh, 1608.</li> - -<li>Heydon (John)—Theomagia, or the Temple of Wisdome. In three -parts—spirituall, celestiall, and elementall. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1262-3-4.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</span></li> - -<li>Heydon (John)—The Wise Man’s Crown ... With the Full Discovery of the -true Cœlum Terræ, or First Matter of the Philosophers, with the Regio -Lucis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1664.</li> - -<li>—— Saphiric Medicine. Fol. Lond., 1665.</li> - -<li>Hieroglyphica Egyptio-Græca (de Lapide). <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Basil, 1571.</li> - -<li>Hoffmann (F.)—Dissertationes Phisico-Medico-Chimicæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Haf., 1726.</li> - -<li>Hoghelande (Ewald)—Historia Transmutat. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Colon., 1604.</li> - -<li>—— (Theo.)—De Alchimiæ Difficultatibus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Colon., 1594.</li> - -<li>Holland (Isaac, <i>adept</i>)—Mineralia Opera de Lapide Phil. Middl., -1600.</li> - -<li>—— De Triplici Ordine Elixiris et Lapidis Theoria. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Bernæ, 1608.</li> - -<li>—— Opera Universalia et Vegetabilia. Amh., 1617.</li> - -<li>—— Vegetable Work. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. London, 1659.</li> - -<li>—— Universali Opere. (<i>Sicut filio suo M. Johanni, Isaaco Hollando -e Flandria Paterno animo.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1669.</li> - -<li>Hornei (C.)—De Metallis Medecis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Helm., 1624.</li> - -<li>Hortulanus Hemeticus. (<i>Cum <abbr title="figure">fig.</abbr></i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1627.</li> - -<li>—— Reign of Saturn Revived. Lond., 1698.</li> - -<li>Hydropyrographum, true Fire-Water. <abbr title="twenty-fourmo">24mo</abbr>. London, 1680.</li> - -<li>Hylealischen, Natural Chaos. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1708.</li> - -<li>Icon Phil. Occultæ. (<i>Esteemed.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Par., 1672.</li> - -<li>Imperial—Chevalier Impérial. Le Miroir d’Alchimie. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Paris, 1607.</li> - -<li>Inconnu—Chevalier Inconnu. La Nature au Découvert. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Aix., 1669.</li> - -<li>Isabella—Secreti della Isabella. Venet., 1665.</li> - -<li>Isagoge—Triunus Dei et Naturæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Ham., 1674.</li> - -<li>Isnard (Abel)—La Médecine Universelle. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Par., 1655.</li> - -<li>Jean—Pope John XXII. L’Art Transmutatoire. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lyons, 1557.</li> - -<li>Jebsenii (J.)—De Lapide Philosophorum Discursus. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Rostochii, 1645.</li> - -<li>Johnsoni (Guil.)—Lexicon Hemeticarum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1652.</li> - -<li>Jonstoni (J.)—Notilia Regni Mineralis. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lips., 1661.</li> - -<li>Jungkin (J. H.) Chimia Experimentalis Curiosa. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1687.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</span></li> - -<li>Kalid (<i>Arabian adept</i>). Secreta Alchimiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1692.</li> - -<li>Kelleus (Edw.)—De Lapide Philos. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Ham., 1673.</li> - -<li>Kergeri (M.)—De Fermentatione. Wittenb., 1663.</li> - -<li>Kerneri (A.)—De Auro Mercurio Antimonio. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Erfurt., 1618.</li> - -<li>Khunrath (H. Conrad)—Symbolum. (<i>Esteemed.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Magd., 1599.</li> - -<li>—— Magnesia Catholica. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Argen., 1599.</li> - -<li>—— Amphitheatrum Sapientiæ Æternæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Mag., 1608.</li> - -<li>Kieseri (F.)—Azoth Solificatum. Mulhusit, 1666.</li> - -<li>Kircheri (Athan.)—Mundus Subterraneus. 2 v. Fol. Amst., 1678.</li> - -<li>Kircmayer (G.)—De Natura Lucis, de Igne Philos. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Vittebergæ, 1680.</li> - -<li>Keickringii (T.)—Commentarius in Currum Triumphalem Antimonii. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Amst., 1671.</li> - -<li>Kleinold—Oder Schatz der Philosophen, &c. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1714.</li> - -<li>Knorr (L. G.)—Basil Redivivus. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lip. 1716.</li> - -<li>Koffski (V.)—Vonder Ehrste Tinctur Burtzel. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Dan., 1687.</li> - -<li>Kriegsmanni (G. C.)—Commentariolus interpres Tabulæ Hermetis. (<i>Sine -loco.</i>)</li> - -<li>Kruger (A. A.)—De Sol. Chemicorum. Brunswici, 1713.</li> - -<li>Kunckel (J.)—Experiments. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1705.</li> - -<li>Kunst (J. C.)—De Menstruo Universali. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Hal., 1737.</li> - -<li>Lacinium (J.)—Pretiosa Margarita. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venet., 1546.</li> - -<li>Lagnei (D.)—Consensus Philosophorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1601.</li> - -<li>—— Harmonie Mystique, ou Accord des Philosophes Chimiques. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Paris, 1636.</li> - -<li>Lambye (S. B.)—Revelation of the Secret Spirit. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1623.</li> - -<li>—— An Italian Comment on the above work, by Agnelli. 1665.</li> - -<li>Lamy (Guillaume)—Sur L’Antimoine. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris.</li> - -<li>Lancilotti (C.)—Guida alla Chimia. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Modene, 1672.</li> - -<li>—— Triumfo del Mercurio. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Modene, 1677.</li> - -<li>—— Triumfo D’ell Antimonio. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Modene, 1683.</li> - -<li>Langlet du Fresnoy—Histoire de la Philosophie Hermétique, avec -Catalogue des Livres Hermétiques. 3 v. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hay, 1742.</li> - -<li>—— The Hermetic Catalogue separately. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1762.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</span></li> - -<li>Lanis (Francisie Tertii de)—Magisterium. 3 v. Fol. Brix., 1684.</li> - -<li>Lampas Vitæ et Mortis. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Ludg. Bat., 1678.</li> - -<li>Lapis Philosophicus—Lapis Metaphisicus. (<i>Rare.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, -1570.</li> - -<li>—— De Lapidis Physici Conditionibus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Colon., 1595.</li> - -<li>—— De Lapide Philosophico. —— 1618.</li> - -<li>—— Disceptatio de Lapide Philos. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Col., 1671.</li> - -<li>Lasnioro (J.)—Tractatus Aureus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1612.</li> - -<li>Lavini (Ven.)—De Cœlo Terrestre. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Marp., 1612.</li> - -<li>Lazarel (Louis)—Le Basin D’Hermes. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1577.</li> - -<li>Lee (Thomas)—Of the Sovereign Balsam. Lond., 1665.</li> - -<li>Lemery (Nic.)—De L’Antimoine. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1707.</li> - -<li>Lemnius (Lav.)—Secret Miracles of Nature. Fol. London, 1658.</li> - -<li>Lettre sur le Secret du Grand Œuvre. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Hay, 1606.</li> - -<li>Leonardi (Camilla)—Speculum Lapidem. Paris, 1610.</li> - -<li>Libavius (And.) of Halle in Saxony—44 works on the various branches of -Alchemy. Fol. Franc., 1595.</li> - -<li>Liberii (B.)—Explanatio in Tincturam Physicorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1623.</li> - -<li>Locatelli (Lud.)—Theatro D’Arcani Chimici. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venet., 1648.</li> - -<li>Locques (J.)—Philosophie Naturelle. (<i>Scarce.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Par., 1665.</li> - -<li>Longino (C.)—Trinum Magicum. (<i>Rare.</i>) <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Fran., 1616.</li> - -<li>Long Livers. Folio. Lond., 1722.</li> - -<li>Lossii (F.)—De Martis Curationibus. Lip., 1685.</li> - -<li>Lucerna Salis Philos. (<i>Curious. It is by John Harprecht of Tubingen, -a professed adept.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Amst., 1658.</li> - -<li>Lucii (C.)—De Lapide Christo Sophico. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Ingold., 1582.</li> - -<li>Ludovicus Comitibus—Practicæ Manualis. Francof.</li> - -<li>Lulli (Raymundi, <i>an adept</i>)—Opera Alchemia. 2 v. Lond., 1673.</li> - -<li>—— Opera Omnia. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Argent., 1677.</li> - -<li>—— Practica Artis. Fol. Lug., 1523.</li> - -<li>—— De Secretis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Aug., 1541.</li> - -<li>—— De Aquis Super Accurtationes. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Aug., 1541.</li> - -<li>—— Alchimia Magia Naturalis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Norimb., 1546.</li> - -<li>—— Tertia Distinctio Transmutatione. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Norimb., 1546.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</span></li> - -<li>—— Cantilena ad Regem Anglorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Colon., 1553.</li> - -<li>—— Summaria Lapidis Abbreviationes. Fol. Basil, 1561.</li> - -<li>—— Mercuriorum Repertorium Apertorium. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Colon., 1566.</li> - -<li>—— De Aquis Mineral Epist. Rupert. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Colon., 1567.</li> - -<li>—— Testamentum Novissimum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1572.</li> - -<li>—— De Secretis Medicina Magna. Basil, 1600.</li> - -<li>—— Secreta Magnalia Alchimia. Lugd. Bat., 1602.</li> - -<li>—— Le Vade Mecum. Abrège de l’Art. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1613.</li> - -<li>—— De Conservatione Vitæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Argent., 1616.</li> - -<li>—— Testament and Codicil. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1680.</li> - -<li>—— Clavicule, or Little Key. <abbr title="twenty-fourmo">24mo</abbr>. Lond., 1680.</li> - -<li>—— Blaquerna in Lullium—De Amico et Amate. <abbr title="thirty-twomo">32mo</abbr>. Paris.</li> - -<li>—— Lullius Redivivus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Norim., 1703.</li> - -<li>—— Histoire R. L. par Vernon. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1668.</li> - -<li>Lumière—La Lumière sortant des Tenébres. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1687.</li> - -<li>Maffei (G. E.)—Scala Naturale. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venet., 1564.</li> - -<li>Magni Philosophorum Arcani Revelator. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Geneva, 1688.</li> - -<li>Majeri (M.)—Lusus Serius. 50 Figs. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Fran., 1617.</li> - -<li>—— Simbola Aureæ Mensæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1617.</li> - -<li>—— Tripus Aureus. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 16—.</li> - -<li>—— Septimana Philosophica. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1620.</li> - -<li>—— De Circuito Physico Quadrato. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1616.</li> - -<li>—— Arcana Arcanissima. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Londini, 1614.</li> - -<li>—— Atalanta Fugiens. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Oppenheimii, 1618.</li> - -<li>—— Silentium Post Clamores. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1617.</li> - -<li>—— Themis Aurea. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1618.</li> - -<li>—— Jocus Severus. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1617.</li> - -<li>—— Maieri Viatorium. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1618.</li> - -<li>—— De Rosea Cruce. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1618.</li> - -<li>—— Cantilenæ Intellectuales. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Roma., 1622.</li> - -<li>—— Quatuor Anguli Mundi.</li> - -<li>—— Ulyssus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1628.</li> - -<li>—— Verum Inventum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1619.</li> - -<li>—— Civitas Corporis Humani. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1621.</li> - -<li>—— Museum Chimicum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1708.</li> - -<li>(<i>Some of these rare works are embellished with curious and beautiful -copperplates.</i>)</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</span></li> - -<li>Mangeti (J. J.)—Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa. 2 v. Fol. It contains 133 -alchemical tracts, of which 33 are reprinted from Theatrum Chemicum, -viz., Arisleus, Artephius, Aristotle, Avicenna, Arnold, Altus Liber -Mutus, Angenelli, Albinus, Bacon, Becher, Blawenstein, Borrichius, -Brachesky, Bono, Bernard, Basil, Bernaud, Balduinus, Cato, Clauder, -Chortalasseus, Cuoffelius, Dornea, Dastin, Espagnet, Faber, Fanianus, -Ficinus, Friben, Geber, Gerard, Guido, Hermes, Hogheland, Helvetius, -Icon, Johnson, Kalid, Kircher, Kuigman, Libavius, Lewis, Lully, Massa -Solis, Merlin, Morhoff, Morien, Malvisius, F. Mirandola, T. Norton, -Orthelius, Paracelsus, Philalethes, Pantaleon, Ripley, Richard, -Rupescissa, Sachs, Sendivogius, Stoleius, Todenfeld, Zadith, Zacharia. -Col, 1702.</li> - -<li>Manna—Of the Blessed Manna of the Philosophers. Lond., 1680.</li> - -<li>Margarita Philosophica. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Basil, 1583.</li> - -<li>Maria Egypti Dialogues. (<i>An adept.</i>) <span class="allsmcap">A.M.</span> 3630. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Leip., 1708.</li> - -<li>Mark (B.)—Hermetischen Philos. Herren. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Strasb., 1701.</li> - -<li>Mars Philosophische, vel Azoth. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1656.</li> - -<li>Martinière (La)—Le Tombeau de la Folie. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris.</li> - -<li>Massin (P.)—De la Pierre Philosophale.</li> - -<li>Mazotta (B.)—De Triplici Philosophia. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Banoniæ, 1653.</li> - -<li>Medices (C. de)—Concursus Philosophorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1706.</li> - -<li>Medicina Metallorum, seu Transmutatio. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lip., 1723.</li> - -<li>Medicinesche, Universal-Sonne. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1706.</li> - -<li>Meerheim (T. G.)—Discours Curieuser Sachen, &c. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Leip., 1708.</li> - -<li>Melceri (N.)—Lapis Philosophorum. Fol. 1449.</li> - -<li>Menneus (G.)—Sacræ Philosophiæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Antwerp, 1604.</li> - -<li>Mercurii Trismegisti—Sapientia Dei. Basil, 1532.</li> - -<li>Mercurius Redivivus. (<i>Scarce.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1630.</li> - -<li>Mercurius Triumphans. (<i>Scarce.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Magd., 1600.</li> - -<li>Mercury’s Caducean Rod, by Cleidophorus. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Lond., 1704.</li> - -<li>Meresini (Thi.)—Metal Transubstant. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Han., 1593.</li> - -<li>Meun (Jean de)—Ses Œuvres. 3 tomes. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1735.</li> - -<li>—— Le Miroir d’Alchimie. <abbr title="eighteenmo">18mo</abbr>. Paris, 1613.</li> - -<li>Meurdrack (Maria)—Light of Chemistry. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Fran., -1712.</li> - -<li>Meysonnier (L.)—La Belle Magie. Lyons, 1669.</li> - -<li>Milii (J. D.)—Opus Medico-Chemicum, cum Fig. (<i>Disesteemed.</i>) -<abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1620.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</span></li> - -<li>Milii (J. D.)—Philosophia Reformata. (<i>Curious.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Fran., -1622.</li> - -<li>Minderii (R.)—Disquisido Jatrochimica. Aug., 1618.</li> - -<li>Minera del Mondo, Secreti di Natura. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Ven., 1659.</li> - -<li>Minzicht (H.)—Thesaurus Medico-Chimicus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1638.</li> - -<li>Mizaldi (A.)—Memorabilium IX. Centuriæ. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Coloniæ, 1572.</li> - -<li>—— De Lapide Aureo Philosophico. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Hamb., 1631.</li> - -<li>Mollii (H.)—Physica Hermetica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1619.</li> - -<li>Montani (J. B.)—De Arte Alchemia, libri xviii.</li> - -<li>Monte (J.)—De Medicina Universali. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1678.</li> - -<li>—— Hermetis, Erlauterung dess Hermetischen Guldenen Fluss. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Ulmæ, -1680.</li> - -<li>Morestel (P.)—De La Pierre Naturelle. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Rouen, 1667.</li> - -<li>Morhoffi (D. G.)—De Metal Transmut. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1673.</li> - -<li>Morienus (<i>adept</i>)—De Transfiguratione Metallorum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Han., -1565.</li> - -<li>Morleii (C. L.)—Collectanea Chemica. (<i>Esteemed.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Ant., -1702.</li> - -<li>Mormii (P.)—Arcana Naturæ. Lugd., 1630.</li> - -<li>Mortii (J.)—Opera Varia. Lug. Bat., 1696.</li> - -<li>Mose (Der Von)—Urtheilende Alchymist. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Chern., 1706.</li> - -<li>Motren (M.)—Amadis de Gaule Livre. 14<sup>me</sup>. (<i>Various editions.</i>)</li> - -<li>Moüilhet (P.)—La Vie de P. M. de Carcassonne, avec figs. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Par., -1613.</li> - -<li>Muller (A.)—Paradiess-Spiegel. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Leips., 1704.</li> - -<li>—— (J. E.)—Des Steins der Wéisen. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1707.</li> - -<li>Mulleri (P.)—Miracula Chemica. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Regio, 1614.</li> - -<li>Mutus Liber (<i>Altus</i>)—The Process in Fifteen Views. Fol. Rup., -1677.</li> - -<li>Museum Hermeticum—21 tracts, by the following authors: Alze, Cremer, -Flamel, Hydrolitus, Helvetius, Lampspring, De Meun, Mynsicht, Maierus, -T. Norton, Philalethes, Pansophus, Sendivogus. Franc., 1677.</li> - -<li>Mylii (J. D.)—Philosophia Reformata. Fran., 1622.</li> - -<li>Mysii (F.)—De Secretis Antimonii. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1575.</li> - -<li>Nabre (G. B.)—Il Metamorfosi Metallicoe Humano. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Brescia, 1564.</li> - -<li>Nadasti (Teodo.)—Teorica Prattica. Cosmop., 1718.</li> - -<li>Nasari (J. B.)—Della Transmutat. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Bresc., 1599.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</span></li> - -<li>Nasari (J. B.)—Concordanza dei Filosofi. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Bresc., 1599.</li> - -<li>Nature—History of Nature Confirmed by Experience. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1678.</li> - -<li>Naxagoras (J. Equitis von)—Veritas Hermetica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Vratislau, 1712.</li> - -<li>—— Alchimia Denudata. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Vratislàu, 1716.</li> - -<li>—— Aurea Catena Homeri. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lipsiæ, 1728.</li> - -<li>—— Concorda Philosophica.</li> - -<li>Neander (Theop.)—Heptas Alchimica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hallæ, 1621.</li> - -<li>Nehusi (Henr.)—Tres Tractatu de Lapide. (<i>Curious.</i>) <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. -Hanoviæ, 1618.</li> - -<li>Nollius (H.)—Theoria Philosophiæ Hermeticæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hanov., 1617.</li> - -<li>—— Corruption and Generation. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1657.</li> - -<li>Nortoni (Samuelis)—Septem Tractatus Chimici, cum Figuris. 1. Catholic -Physic. 2. Elixir Vitriol. 3. Mercury Revived. 4. Medicine of Life. 5. -Saturn Saturated. 6. Gems of Pebbles. 7. Alchemy. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Fran., 1630.</li> - -<li>Norton (Thomas)—Ordinall of Alchemy. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1652.</li> - -<li>Nuysement (Dom)—True Salt of Philosophers. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1657.</li> - -<li>Ohacan (D. A., <i>Spaniard</i>)—Commentum in Parabolas Arnoldi. Fol. -Hisp., 1514.</li> - -<li>Olympe—Le Grand Olympe, ou Explication de 79 Metamorphoses. (<i>The -author of this treatise is said mendaciously to have been a friend of -Flamel.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1614.</li> - -<li>Opuscula Diversorum Authorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1614.</li> - -<li>Opus Tripartitum de Philosophorum Arcanis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1678.</li> - -<li>Orontii (Finei)—De Philosophorum Lapide. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Paris, 1542.</li> - -<li>Or Potable—Discours des Vertus de l’Or Potable. 12 mo. Paris, 1575.</li> - -<li>Ortholanus—Practica Vera Alkimik. Parisiis, 1358.</li> - -<li>Padua (J.)—Sapientia Consummata.</li> - -<li>Pagez (J.)—Les Miracles de la Création. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1632.</li> - -<li>Palissy (B.)—Les Moyens de devenir Riche. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1636.</li> - -<li>—— Du Jardinage et de la Chimie. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1580.</li> - -<li>Palladis Chimicæ Arcana Detecta, J. B. Marnigue. (<i>Rare.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Genev., 1674.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</span></li> - -<li>Palladium Spagiricum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1624.</li> - -<li>Palmarii (Petri, M.D., Paris)—Lapis Philosophicus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1609.</li> - -<li>Pamphilus (Lucidas)—Theatri Alchymistico-Medici breve et jucundum -spectaculum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1681.</li> - -<li>Pansæ (Mart.)—Libellus Aureus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lips., 1615.</li> - -<li>Pantaleonis—Bifolium Metallicum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Norimbérgæ, 1676.</li> - -<li>Pantheus (J. A.)—Sacerdos Venetus, de Arte et Theoria Transmutationis -Metallicis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1550.</li> - -<li>Paracelsi Theophrasti Opera Omnia. 3 v. Fol. Gen., 1662.</li> - -<li>—— Compendium Vitæ et Catalogus. Basil, 1568.</li> - -<li>—— Pyrophilia Vexationem. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1568.</li> - -<li>—— Septem Libri de Gradibus Philosophiæ Magnæ.</li> - -<li>—— De Tartaro. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1570.</li> - -<li>—— Archidoxorum, lib. x. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Colon., 1570.</li> - -<li>—— Aurora. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1577.</li> - -<li>—— Key of Philosophy. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1580.</li> - -<li>—— De Mercuriis Metallorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Colon., 1582.</li> - -<li>—— Medico-Chimico Chirurgica. 12 t. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1603.</li> - -<li>—— Sympathy. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1656.</li> - -<li>—— Chemical Transmutation. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1657.</li> - -<li>—— Philosophy to the Athenians. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lond., 1657.</li> - -<li>—— Prescription of 114 Cures. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. 1659.</li> - -<li>—— Archidoxis of Arcana and Elixirs. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1663.</li> - -<li>—— Philosophiæ Adeptæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil.</li> - -<li>Parkhurst’s Sympathetic Mummy. Lond., 1653.</li> - -<li>Partricii (F.)—Magia Philos. Zoroastris. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1593.</li> - -<li>Partridge (John)—Treasury of Secrets. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1591.</li> - -<li>Paysan—Le Petit Paysan. Alchemical. (<i>German, rare.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Strasb., 1619.</li> - -<li>Pellagii Greci, In Democritum Abderitam, de Arte Sacra, sive de Rebus -Mysticis, et Naturalibus comment. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Coloniæ, 1574.</li> - -<li>Pelletier, L’Alcæst de Helmont. (<i>Esteemed.</i>) <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Rouen, 1704.</li> - -<li>Penotus (B.)—Alchemist’s Enchiridion. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lond., 1692.</li> - -<li>—— De Materia Lapidis Philosophorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Bern., 1608.</li> - -<li>Persons (David)—Salamandra. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1636.</li> - -<li>Petrei (H.)—Nosologia Hermetica. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Marpurg, 1614.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</span></li> - -<li>Petty (John)—Mine Laws of England. Fol. Lond., 1610.</li> - -<li>Pharmundi (J. P.)—Compendium Hermeticum. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Fran., 1635.</li> - -<li>Philadelphia, or Brotherly Love. Lond.</li> - -<li>Philalethes (Eirenæus)—Introitus Apertus ad Occlusum Regis Palatium, -edente Joanne Langio. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Amstelodami, 1667.</li> - -<li>—— Medulla Alchymiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1664. (<i>In verse and in -English.</i>)</li> - -<li>—— Ripley Revised. With the Commentaries of Philalethes. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., -1678.</li> - -<li>—— Experimenta de Præparatione Mercurii Sophici. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Amstel., 1668.</li> - -<li>—— Enarratio Methodica trium Gebri Medicinarum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Amstel., 1668.</li> - -<li>—— Tractatus Tres ... edente Martino Birrio. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Amstel., 1668.</li> - -<li>—— Vera Confectio Lapidis Philosophici. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Amstel., 1678.</li> - -<li>—— (Eugenius)—Anthroposophia Theomagica. Anima Magica Abscondita. -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1650.</li> - -<li>—— Magia Adamica. Whereunto is added a perfect and full Discovery of -the <i>Cœlum Terræ</i>. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1650.</li> - -<li>—— Lumen de Lumine. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1651.</li> - -<li>—— Aula Lucis. 1652.</li> - -<li>—— Euphrates; or, The Waters of the East. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1655.</li> - -<li>—— Fame and Confession of the Fraternity of R. C. With a Declaration -of their Physicall Work. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1659.</li> - -<li>—— (Eirenæus Philoponos, <i>i.e.</i>, George Starkey)—Marrow of -Alchemy. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lond., 1709.</li> - -<li>—— (B. P.)—Enchiridion Alchemiæ. Lond., 1692.</li> - -<li>Philalethæ—Tractätlein von Verwandelung der Metallen, &c. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Ham., -1675.</li> - -<li>Philaleta (T.)—Theosophischer Wunder Saal. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1709.</li> - -<li>Philosophus Gallus—De Arbore Solari. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Arg., 1659.</li> - -<li>Picus de Mirandola (J. F.)—De Auro. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Venet., 1586.</li> - -<li>Pietra de Philosopha Catala. Ascoli, 1737.</li> - -<li>Pinæus (V.)—De Concordia Hipoc et Parcels. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Arg., 1569.</li> - -<li>Pittore (M. G.)—Dialogi. Venet., 1550.</li> - -<li>Plan—Projet du Plan de la Création. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1653.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</span></li> - -<li>Planis Campi (D.)—L’École Transmutatoire. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1633.</li> - -<li>—— De la Médecine Universelle. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1633.</li> - -<li>Platt (H.)—Jewel House of Art. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1594.</li> - -<li>Politii (A.)—Libri duo de Quinta Essentia Solutiva. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Panormi, 1613.</li> - -<li>Pontanus (John, <i>adept</i>)—Sophic Fire. <abbr title="twenty-fourmo">24mo</abbr>. Lond., 1624.</li> - -<li>—— De Rebus Celestibus. Fiorenza, 1520.</li> - -<li>Poppii (J.)—Hodogeticus Chemicus. (<i>German.</i>) 1627.</li> - -<li>Poppius (H.)—Basilica Antimonii. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Fran., 1618.</li> - -<li>Porta (J. B.)—De Æris Transmutationibus. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Romæ, 1610.</li> - -<li>—— Magia Naturale. Napo., 1611.</li> - -<li>Potier (M.)—Apologia Hermetico-Philosophica. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1630.</li> - -<li>—— De Vera Materia et Processu Lapidis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1617.</li> - -<li>—— Philosophia Pura. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Francof., 1617.</li> - -<li>—— Fons Chimicus, <i>id est</i>, Vera Auri Conficienda. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Col., -1637.</li> - -<li>—— (P.)—Opera Omnia. (<i>Disesteemed.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1692.</li> - -<li>Privy Seal of Secrets, or First Matter. Lond., 1680.</li> - -<li>Processes for the Philosophical Stone. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Jena, 1704.</li> - -<li>Prudhomme (P.)—Deux Merveilles. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1669.</li> - -<li>Pruggmayr (M.)—De Vero Elixire Vitæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Salisburgi, 1687.</li> - -<li>Quercetan (J.)—Hermetical Physic. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. London, 1605.</li> - -<li>Rabbard’s (Raphael) Book of Alchemy. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1591.</li> - -<li>Ramsaia (C. A.)—Observationes, J. Kunkell. Rott., 1678.</li> - -<li>Rantæ (Mariani), <i>English Prophetess</i>—Apocaliptica Clavis Auri -Facturum Brevi Promittens. (<i>Rare.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Tolosæ.</li> - -<li>Raphælis (S.)—De Sale, Sulphure, et Mercurio. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>.</li> - -<li>Rattri (Silv.)—Theatrum Sympatheticum. Norim., 1658.</li> - -<li>Reconditiorum Opulentiæ, sapientæque mundi magni, &c. -(<i>Esteemed.</i>) Amst., 1666.</li> - -<li>Regio Salutifera—Prima Materia. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1708.</li> - -<li>Reinecerri Thesaurus Chimicus. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lipsiæ, 1609.</li> - -<li>Renaudot (E.)—De L’Antimoine Justifié. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Paris, 1653.</li> - -<li>Respom—Sur L’Esprit Minérale. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1668.</li> - -<li>Reyheri (S.)—De Juridice Philosophica. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Kibiæ, 1692.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</span></li> - -<li>Rhenani (J.)—Aureus Tractatus. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., 1612.</li> - -<li>—— Decades Duæ, seu Syntagma harmoniæ Chimicorum—Rhasis, Merlin, -Guido, Saure, Wittich, Dumbel, Gratian, Antonio, Aquinas, Dastin, -Salamon, Small Rosary. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1625.</li> - -<li>—— De Solutione Materiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1635.</li> - -<li>Rhodagiri (L.)—De Solutione Philosophica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lugd., 1566.</li> - -<li>Richebourg (J. M.)—Bibliothèque. Eighteen tracts. Artephius, Azot, -Ancient War, Bernard, Basil, Flamel, Geber, Hermes, Hortulain, Morien, -Mary, Turba, Zachary. 3 <abbr title="volumes">vols.</abbr> <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1741.</li> - -<li>Riplei (Georgii, <i>adept</i>)—Opera Omnia. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Casselis, 1649.</li> - -<li>—— Treatise of Mercury. Lond., 1680.</li> - -<li>—— Bosom Book, Accurtations. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1680.</li> - -<li>Riviere (Cesare della)—Il Mondo Magico. Milano, 1605.</li> - -<li>Robertus (Valensis)—De Antiquitate Artis Chemiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lugd., 1602.</li> - -<li>Rochas (H.)—La Physique Demonstrative. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1643.</li> - -<li>Rodostanticum Speculum. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. 1618.</li> - -<li>Rodocanacis (C.)—Of Antimony. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1664.</li> - -<li>Rolfincius (G.)—Mercurius Metallorum et Mineralium. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Jena, 1670.</li> - -<li>Rosarium Novum—De Lapide Benedicto. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Germ., 1668.</li> -</ul> -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Rosicrucians.</span></p> -<ul class="biblio"> -<li>Communis et Generalis Reformatio Totius Mundi. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Casselis, 1614.</li> - -<li>Fama Fraternitatis of the meritorious order of the R. C. -(<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Casselis, 1614.</li> - -<li>Secretioris Philosophiæ Consideratio Brevis à Philippo à Gabella, -Philosophiæ studioso, conscripta; et nunc primum unà cum -<span class="smcap">Confessione Fraternitatis</span> R. C., in lucem edita. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. -Cassellis, 1615.</li> - -<li>Exercitatio Paracelsica Nova de Notandis ex Scripto Fraternitatis de -Rosea Cruce. (<i>See</i> Andreas Libavius’ Examen Philosophiæ Novæ, quæ -veteri abrogandæ opponitur.) Fol. 1615.</li> - -<li>Analysis Confessionis Fraternitatis de Rosea Cruce pro admonitione et -instructione eorum, qui, quia judicandum sit de ista nova factione -scire cupiant. Fol. 1615.</li> - -<li>Chymische Hochzeit: Christiani Rosencreutz. Anno 1459. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Strasbourg, -1616.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</span></li> - -<li>Echo of the God-illuminated Brotherhood of the Worthy Order R. C. (? By -Julius Sperber). <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Dantzig, 1615.</li> - -<li>Julianus de Campis—An Open Letter or Report addressed to all who -have read anything concerning the new Brotherhood of the R. C. -(<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1616.</li> - -<li>Andreas Libavius—Well wishing Objections concerning the Fame and -Confessions of the Brotherhood of the R. C. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Francfurt, 1616.</li> - -<li>Fama Remissa ad Fratres Roseæ Crucis. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1616.</li> - -<li>Radtichs Brotoffer—Elucidarius Major, oder Ekleuchterunge über die -Reformatio der Ganzen Weiten Welt. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1617.</li> - -<li>Fraternitatis Rosatæ Crucis Confessio Recepta. (Written by A. O. M. T. -W.) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1617.</li> - -<li>Fredericus G. Menapius (<i>i.e.</i>, Johann Valentin Alberti)—Epitimia -F. R. C. The Final Manifestation or Discovery of the worthy and -worshipful Order R. C.... Written by command of the above-mentioned -Society by Irenæus Agnostus (Menapius). <i>An attack on the -Society.</i> (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1619.</li> - -<li>—— I. Menapius Roseæ Crucis, to wit: Objections on the part of the -Unanimous Brotherhood against the obscure and unknown writer, F. G. -Menapius. (<i>With other matters. Is also a covert attack written by -Menapius.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1619. (<i>German.</i>)</li> - -<li>Florentinus de Valentia—Rosa Florescens contra F. G. Menapii -Calumniis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1617.</li> - -<li>Judicia de Statu Fraternitatis de Rosea Cruce. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. 1617.</li> - -<li>Responsum ad Fratres Rosaceæ Crucis Illustres. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. 1618.</li> - -<li>F. R. C.—Fama e Scanzia Redux. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. 1618.</li> - -<li>φλενοθιονρεδας.—Hoc est Redintegratio. (<i>Addressed to the -Brotherhood of the Rose Cross.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1619.</li> - -<li>Johann Valentin Andreas—Turris Babel, sive Judicium de Fraternitatis -Roseæ Crucis Chaos. <abbr title="twenty-fourmo">24mo</abbr>. Argentorati, 1619.</li> - -<li>S. R. (<i>i.e.</i>, Sincerus Renatus, a pseudonym of Sigmund -Richter)—Perfect and True Preparation of the Philosophical Stone, -according to the Secret of the Brotherhood of the Golden and Rosy -Cross. With the Rules of the above-mentioned Order for the Initiation -of New Members. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Breslau, 1710.</li> - -<li>Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth -Centuries. Fol. Altona, 1785-88.</li> - -<li>Joachim Fritz (? Robert Fludd)—Summum Bonum, quod est<span class="pagenum" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</span> verum subjectum -veræ magicæ, cabalæ, alchymiæ Fratrum Roseæ Crucis verorum in dictarum -scientiarum laudem, et insignis calumniatoris ... M. Mersenni dedecus -publicatum. Fol. Francfurt, 1629.</li> - -<li>Thomas Vaughan (Eugenius Philalethes)—The Fame and Confession of -the Fraternity of R. C., with a Preface annexed thereto, and a short -declaration of their Physicall Work. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1652.</li> - -<li>John Heydon—The Rosie Crucian Infallible Axiomata. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. London, 1660.</li> - -<li>—— The Holy Guide, leading the Way to the Wonder of the World. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -London, 1662.</li> - -<li>—— Theomagia; or, The Temple of Wisdome. In three parts—spirituall, -celestiall, and elementall. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1662-3-4.</li> - -<li>—— The Wise Man’s Crown, or The Glory of the Rosy Cross. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, -1664.</li> - -<li>—— El Havarevna; or The English Physitian’s Tutor in the -Astrobolismes of Mettals Rosie Crucian. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1665.</li> - -<li>Hargrave Jennings—The Rosicrucians: Their Rites and Mysteries. With -chapters on the Ancient Fire and Serpent Worshippers, and Explanations -of the Mystic Symbols Represented on the Monuments and Talismans of the -Primeval Philosophers. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1870.</li> - -<li>Arthur Edward Waite—The Real History of the Rosicrucians. Founded on -their own Manifestoes and on Facts and Documents collected from the -writings of Initiated Brethren. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London, 1887.</li> -</ul> -<hr class="tb" /> -<ul class="biblio"> -<li>Rosnel (P.)—Le Mercure Indien. (<i>Curious.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Paris, 1672.</li> - -<li>Rossello (T.)—Secreti Universali. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venet., 1574.</li> - -<li>Rossinus (H.)—De Opera Dei Creationis. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Fran., 1597.</li> - -<li>Rothscoltzii (F.)—Bibliotheca Chimica. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. 1719.</li> - -<li>—— Bibliotheca Chemia Curiosa Adornata. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Noren., 1720.</li> - -<li>Rouillac (P.)—Practica Operis Magni. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lugd., 1582.</li> - -<li>Rousselet—La Chrysospagirie. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lyons, 1582.</li> - -<li>Rudenius (M.)—Bendencten Von der Alchimistichen Artzen Kunst. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Lip., 1605.</li> - -<li>Ruelli (J.)—De Natura Stribium. 2 <abbr title="volumes">vols.</abbr> <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venet., 1538.</li> - -<li>Rullandi (M.)—Progymnasmata Alchimiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1607.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</span></li> - -<li>Rullandi (M.)—Lexicon Alchimiæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Fran., 1612.</li> - -<li>Rupecissa (Johan, <i>adept</i>)—Cœlum Philosophorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Parisiis, -1543.</li> - -<li>—— De Quinta Essentia Rerum Omnium. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1561.</li> - -<li>—— De Secretis Alchemiæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Col. Agi., 1579.</li> - -<li>—— Livre de Lumière. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Paris.</li> - -<li>Sabor (Chr. Fer.)—Practica Naturæ vera Preparatio Lapidis Mineralis de -Antimonio. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1721.</li> - -<li>Saignier (J.)—Magni Lapidis Naturalis Philosophia. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Brem., 1664.</li> - -<li>Saint Romain—Effets de la Pierre Divine. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris, 1679.</li> - -<li>Salæ (Angeli)—Opera Medico-Chymica Omnia. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Rothomagi, 1650.</li> - -<li>Sale (De)—De Secreto Philosophorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Cass., 1651.</li> - -<li>Salmon (William, M.D.)—Hermes, Kalid, Pontanus, Artephius, Geber, -Flamel, Bacon, Ripley. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1692.</li> - -<li>—— Bibliothèque. Containing twelve tracts by reputed adepts. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. -Paris, 1672.</li> - -<li>Saltzhal (S.)—De Potentissima Medicina Univali. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Argent., 1659.</li> - -<li>Sapientia—Clavis Majoris Sapientiæ (Artephius). <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1609.</li> - -<li>Sawtree (John)—Of the Philosopher’s Stone. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1652.</li> - -<li>Schennemannus (H.)—De Medecina Reformata seu denario -Hermetico-Chemico. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Fran., 1617.</li> - -<li>Schleron (H.)—De Lapide Philosophorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Marpus, 1612.</li> - -<li>Schlussel—Zur Findung dess Steins der Weissen. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Leip., 1706.</li> - -<li>Scholzii (L.)—Summum Philosophiæ. Fol. Hano., 1610.</li> - -<li>Schotti (C.)—Physica Curiosa cum Figuris. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Herb., 1667.</li> - -<li>—— Mirabilia Artis. 2 v. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Norim., 1664.</li> - -<li>Schuleri (C.)—De Miraculo Chemico. 1616.</li> - -<li>Schwertzer (Sibald)—Chrysopœiæ. (<i>Esteemed.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1618.</li> - -<li>Scientia Exemplar (<i>ex Lagneo</i>). <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Ulm., 1641.</li> - -<li>Scot (Patrick)—Tillage of Light. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1623.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</span></li> - -<li>Scoti (Michael)—De Secretis Naturæ. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Fran., 1614.</li> - -<li>Sebilista (W.)—Manuale Hermeticum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Wolf., 1655.</li> - -<li>Secrets Disclosed of the Philosopher’s Stone. <abbr title="twenty-fourmo">24mo</abbr>. 1680.</li> - -<li>Seilerus—Of a Transmuting Powder Found. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1633.</li> - -<li>Sel—Du Sel de Sapience. (<i>Disesteemed</i>). <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1619.</li> - -<li>Semita Rectitudinis de Alchemia. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Gratianopoli, 1614.</li> - -<li>Sendivogius (Mich.)—De Vero Sale. (<i>Spurious.</i>) Franc., 1651.</li> - -<li>—— New Light of Alchymy.</li> - -<li>Senfrid (J. H.)—Medulla Naturæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Taltzlach, 1679.</li> - -<li>Sennertus (D.)—Institutions of Chemistry. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. London.</li> - -<li>Severini (Petri)—Totius Philos. Adeptæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1572.</li> - -<li>Severino (Scipione)—Triomfo d’Ell Alchimia. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Venet., 1691.</li> - -<li>—— Filosofia Alchemia. Venet., 1695.</li> - -<li>—— Commentary on Lully. (<i>Italian.</i>) 1684.</li> - -<li>Seyfarti (A.)—Klar und Deutliche Luorterung. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Leypsich, 1723.</li> - -<li>Sferza (La)—De Gli Alchemisti. Lion., 1665.</li> - -<li>Sidrach—Le Grand Fontaine de Science. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Paris, 1514.</li> - -<li>Simpson—Of Fermentation. Lond., 1675.</li> - -<li>Snoyus (R.)—De Arte Alchimiæ. Fol. Francof., 1620.</li> - -<li>Sol Sine Vesta (<i>anonymous adept</i>). Amst., 1684.</li> - -<li>Spacheri (S.)—Alchimia, cum Figuris. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. 1616.</li> - -<li>Sperberi (J.)—Argumentum in Veram Triunius Dei et Naturæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., -1672.</li> - -<li>—— De Materia Lapidis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1674.</li> - -<li>Stahli (G. E.)—Fundamenta Chimiæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Norim., 1723.</li> - -<li>Starky (G.)—Pyrotechny Asserted. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lond., 1658.</li> - -<li>—— Nature’s Explication. 1658.</li> - -<li>—— Marrow of Chemical Physic. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. 1661.</li> - -<li>Steebe (I. S.)—Elixir Solis. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Francof., 1672.</li> - -<li>—— Cœlum Sephiroticum. Fol. Moguntiæ, 1679.</li> - -<li>Stisseri (J. A.)—Acta Laboratorii Jesiæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Helen., 1701.</li> - -<li>Stolcii (D.)—Viridiarium Chimicum, cum Figuris. Franc., 1624.</li> - -<li>—— Hortulus Hermeticus, cum Figuris. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Franc., 1627.</li> - -<li>Struthius (J.)—Medecina Priscorum. Lugd., 1600.</li> - -<li>Struvius (E. G.)—Chimicum sine Igne. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Jenæ, 1715.</li> - -<li>Surmiti (J.)—Physica Electiva. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Nor., 1697.</li> - -<li>—— In Collegium Experimentale Curiosum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Norim., 1701.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</span></li> - -<li>Suchten (Alex.)—Clavis Alchemiæ. (<i>German.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Montis., 1614.</li> - -<li>—— Secrets of Antimony. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1670.</li> - -<li>Sudum Philosophicum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamb., 1660.</li> - -<li>Swedenburgii (Em.)—Regnum Minerale. 3 v. Fol. Liq., 1734.</li> - -<li>Synes—De Sapientia Divina. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lutet., 1635.</li> - -<li>T. W.—Marrow of Chemical Physic. Lond., 1659.</li> - -<li>Tabulæ Septem Synopsim Lapidis. Erph., 1598.</li> - -<li>Tachemius (Oth)—De Liquore Alkæst. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Hamb., 1655.</li> - -<li>—— Hippocrates’ Viperine Salt. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. London, 1677.</li> - -<li>Tackii (J.)—Triplex Phasis Sophicus Solis arbe expiditus. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Franc., -1673.</li> - -<li>Tankins (J.)—Collection of Alchemy in German. Leipsic, 1610.</li> - -<li>Teichmeyeri (H. F.)—Institutiones. Jenæ, 1729.</li> - -<li>Tenzelius (A.)—Medecina Diastatica. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Jenæ, 1629.</li> - -<li>Theatrum Chimicum. Two hundred and nine treatises by Arnold, Albert, -Augmelli, Aristotle, Aquinas, Alanus, Alvetanus, Alphonso, Avicenna, -Artephius, Aphorisms, Bacon, Balbius, Bernard, Bernaud, Bona, -Brentzius, Brosse, Blawenstein, Caravantis, Colleson, Christopher, Dee, -Dornea, Democritus, Egidius, Eck, Ficinus, Fanian, Flamel, Ferarius, -Gaston, Greverius, Grossius, Haymonis, Hermes, Hogheland, Hornius, -Isaac, Kalid, Lagneus, Lasinoro, Lavinius, Lacinius, Lampsprink, Lully, -Muffetus, Mary, P. Mirandola, Micreris, Meneus, Monachus, Nigrius, -Orthelius, Odomar, Ortholan, Ponlanus, Penotus, Pantheus, Plato, -Phedio, Quercetan, Rhedargii, Rupecissa, Ripley, Richard, Rosary, -Phasis, Sendivogius, Silento, M. Scott, Trithemius, Turba, Troginani, -Vogelius, Ventma, Vallensis, Vigenerus, Zacharia, Zonetus, Zadith. 6 v. -<abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Argent., 1662.</li> - -<li>Theobaldi (Zach.)—Arcana Naturæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Norin., 1628.</li> - -<li>Thomæ Aquinatis—Secreta Alchemiæ. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Colon., 1579.</li> - -<li>—— Thesaurus Alchemiæ. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lugd., 1602.</li> - -<li>—— De Esse et Essentia Mineralium. (<i>Spurious.</i>) <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Venet., -1488.</li> - -<li>Thor (G.)—Cheiragogia Heliana. (<i>English.</i>) <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1659.</li> - -<li>Thornburgh (John)—Nihil, aliquid, omnia in gratiam eorum qui artem -auriferam Phisico-chimice et pie profitentur. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>., Oxon., 1621.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</span></li> - -<li>Thurneyssers (Leo.)—Hoechste sublilitad der Alchimia. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Munst., -1569.</li> - -<li>Tombeau de la Pauvreté, par Atramont. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Par., 1673.</li> - -<li>Tombeau de Semiramis. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Par., 1689.</li> - -<li>Tractat—Gulden Rose Chit der Natur, &c. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1706.</li> - -<li>Tractatus Antiquorum Arcanorum. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1612.</li> - -<li>Tractat. 7 Von Stein der Weissen. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Ham.</li> - -<li>Tranas Facilis ad Hermetis Artem. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Corolopili, 1686.</li> - -<li>Transformation Métallique. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Paris, 1651.</li> - -<li>Transfiguratione Metallorum (De). <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hanov., 1593.</li> - -<li>Treasure of Treasures. <abbr title="twenty-fourmo">24mo</abbr>. Lond., 1680.</li> - -<li>Tres Tractatus de Metallorum Transmutatione. Amst., 1668.</li> - -<li>Trinum—Koffski, Alphidius, and Lully. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Arg., 1699.</li> - -<li>Triomphe Hermétique (<i>i.e.</i>, Ancient War of the Knights). <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. -Amst., 1689.</li> - -<li>Trifolium Hermeticum. (<i>German.</i>) 1629.</li> - -<li>Trimosin (S., <i>adept</i>)—La Toison d’Or. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1611.</li> - -<li>Trithemius (J.)—De Lapide Phil. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1611.</li> - -<li>Trinum Magicum Opus Secretorum. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Tran., 16, 1809.</li> - -<li>Trompette de Philosophie Hermétique. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Paris.</li> - -<li>Tubicum Conviviale Hermeticum. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Gedani, 1682.</li> - -<li>Tymme (J.)—Nature’s Closet Opened. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1612.</li> - -<li>Ulstadii (P.)—Cœlum Philosophorum. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lugd., 1553.</li> - -<li>Untzerus (M.)—Anatomia Mercurii. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Hale Sax., 1620.</li> - -<li>Urbigero (Baro., <i>adept</i>)—Aphorisms. <abbr title="duodecimo">12mo</abbr>. Lond., 1690.</li> - -<li>Vallensis (R.)—De Veritate et Antiquitate Artis Chemicæ. <abbr title="sixteenmo">16mo</abbr>. Par., -1651.</li> - -<li>Valentine (Basil, <i>adept</i>)—Last Will, Practica, Twelve Keys, -Manual, Natural and Supernatural Things, Microcosm, &c. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., -1671.</li> - -<li>—— Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. 1656.</li> - -<li>—— Scripta Chimica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Hamburgi, 1700.</li> - -<li>Vallerlis (V.)—Lulliam Explicano. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. August., 1589.</li> - -<li>Vanderlinden—De Scriptis Medecis. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Norim., 1686.</li> - -<li>Vanner (T.)—Way to Long Life. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1623.</li> - -<li>Vannucio Pyrotecnia della Minere. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Venet., 1540.</li> - -<li>Vargas (B. P.)—De Re Metallica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Madrid, 1569.</li> - -<li>Vigam of Verona—Medulla Chymiæ. Lond., 1683.</li> - -<li>Vigenerus (B.)—Of True Fire and Salt. Lond., 1649.</li> - -<li>Vigani (J. A.)—Medulla Chymiæ. Lug. Bat., 1693.</li> - -<li>Villanova (Arnoldus de)—Opera Omnia—Conversion of Metals,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</span> Rosary, -Speculum, Questions, Flos Florum, &c. Fol. Lugd., 1520.</li> - -<li>Villanovani (Petri), <i>compiler</i>—Speculum. Duæ, 1626.</li> - -<li>Vittestein—De Quinta Essentia. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1582.</li> - -<li>Vogelii (Ewal.)—De Lapide Physici. Colon., 1575.</li> - -<li>Vonderbeet (D.)—Experimenta. Ferrariæ, 1688.</li> - -<li>Wallerus—Chemia Physica. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond.</li> - -<li>Water—The Water Stone of the Wise. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1659.</li> - -<li>Webster’s History of Metals. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1671.</li> - -<li>Wecker (Dr, of Basle)—Secrets. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lyons, 1643.</li> - -<li>Weidenfeld (J. J.)—Secrets of the Adepts. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Lond., 1685.</li> - -<li>Weidnerus (J.)—De Arte Chimica. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Basil, 1610.</li> - -<li>Wickffbain (J. P.)—Salamandra. Norimb., 1683.</li> - -<li>Williams (W.)—Occult Physics. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1660.</li> - -<li>Willis (T.)—Theophisical Alchemy. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Lond., 1616.</li> - -<li>—— Opera Omnia Medicin. 2 v. Lugd., 1681.</li> - -<li>Wilson (G.)—Three Hundred Unknown Experiments. Lond., 1699.</li> - -<li>Wirdig (Sebas.)—Medicina Spiritum. Norimberg, 1675.</li> - -<li>Wittestein (C.)—De Quinta Essentia. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1583.</li> - -<li>Wittichius (J.)—De Lapide Philos. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Francof., 1625.</li> - -<li>Zacharia—Clavis Spagirica. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Venet., 1611.</li> - -<li>Zacharii (D., <i>adept</i>)—La Vraie Philosophie des Metaux. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. -Anvers., 1567.</li> - -<li>—— De Chimico Miracule. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1583.</li> - -<li>Zadith—Antiquissimi Philos. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Argent., 1566.</li> - -<li>Zelator (J.)—Alchemistici. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Basil, 1606.</li> - -</ul> - -<hr class="tb" /> -<ul class="biblio"> -<li><i>Note.</i>—The titles of some of the treatises enumerated above have -been mutilated by the original bibliographers, and owing to the extreme -rarity of most alchemical books, it has been impossible to correct all -errors.</li> -</ul> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="APPENDIX">APPENDIX.</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="center">I.</p> - -<p>The life of Denis Zachaire has been made the subject of an interesting -and well-written novel—“A Professor of Alchemy”—by “Percy Ross,” -recently published by <abbr title="mister">Mr</abbr> George Redway. The life of the great adept, -after his accomplishment of the Magnum Opus, is detailed at some -length, M. Louis Figuier being apparently the authority for the bare -facts of the case. The alchemist is represented by the French writer -as having travelled to Lausanne, where he became enamoured of a young -and beautiful lady, whom he carried from Switzerland into Germany, and -then abandoned himself completely to a life of dissipation and folly, -which closed tragically at Cologne in the year 1556. He was strangled -in the middle of a drunken sleep by the cousin who had accompanied -him in his travels, and who coveted his wealth and his mistress. The -murderer effected his escape with the lady, who appears to have been -his accomplice. The sole authority for this narrative appears to be a -poem by Mardoché de Delle, who was attached, as a sort of laureate, to -the court of Rodolph II. It is not improbably a mere invention of the -versifier; there is nothing in the sober treatise of Denis Zachaire, -written at the period in question, to give colour to the account of his -extravagance.</p> - - -<p class="center"><span id="APPENDIX_II">II.</span></p> - -<p>The manuscript volume entitled “Egyptian Freemasonry” fell, with -the other papers of Cagliostro, into the hands of the Inquisition, -and was solemnly condemned in the judgment as containing rites, -propositions, a doctrine and a system which opened a broad road to -sedition and were calculated to destroy the Christian religion. The -book was characterised as superstitious, blasphemous, impious, and -heretical. It was publicly burnt by the hands of the executioner, with -the instruments belonging to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</span> sect. Some valuable particulars -concerning it are, however, preserved in the Italian life; they are -reproduced from the original proceedings published at Rome by order of -the Apostolic Chamber.</p> - -<p>“It may be necessary to enter into some details concerning Egyptian -Masonry. We shall extract our facts from a book compiled by himself, -and now in our possession, by which he owns he was always directed in -the exercise of his functions, and from which those regulations and -instructions were copied, wherewith he enriched many mother lodges. In -this treatise, which is written in French, he promises to conduct his -disciples to perfection by means of physical and moral regeneration, -to confer perpetual youth and beauty on them, and restore them to that -state of innocence which they were deprived of by means of original -sin. He asserts that Egyptian Masonry was first propagated by Enoch -and Elias, but that since that time it has lost much of its purity -and splendour. Common masonry, according to him, has degenerated into -mere buffoonery, and women have of late been entirely excluded from -its mysteries; but the time was now arrived when the grand Copt was -about to restore the glory of masonry, and allow its benefits to be -participated by both sexes.</p> - -<p>“The statutes of the order then follow in rotation, the division of -the members into three distinct classes, the various signs by which -they might discover each other, the officers who are to preside over -and regulate the society, the stated times when the members are to -assemble, the erection of a tribunal for deciding all differences that -may arise between the several lodges or the particular members of each, -and the various ceremonies which ought to take place at the admission -of the candidates. In every part of this book the pious reader is -disgusted with the sacrilege, the profanity, the superstition, and the -idolatry with which it abounds—the invocations in the name of God, the -prostrations, the adorations paid to the Grand Master, the fumigations, -the incense, the exorcisms, the emblems of the Divine Triad, of the -moon, of the sun, of the compass, of the square, and a thousand other -scandalous particulars, with which the world is at present well -acquainted.</p> - -<p>“The Grand Copt, or chief of the lodge, is compared to God the Father. -He is invoked upon every occasion; he regulates all the actions of -the members and all the ceremonies of the lodge,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</span> and he is even -supposed to have communication with angels and with the Divinity. -In the exercise of many of the rites they are desired to repeat the -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Veni</i> and the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Te Deum</i>—nay, to such an excess of impiety -are they enjoined, that in reciting the psalm <i>Memento Domine -David</i>, the name of the Grand Master is always to be substituted for -that of the King of Israel.</p> - -<p>“People of all religions are admitted into the society of Egyptian -Masonry—the Jew, the Calvinist, the Lutheran, are to be received into -it as well as the Catholic—provided they believe in the existence of -God and the immortality of the soul, and have been previously allowed -to participate in the mysteries of the common masonry. When men are -admitted, they receive a pair of garters from the Grand Copt, as is -usual in all lodges, for their mistresses; and when women are received -into the society, they are presented by the Grand Mistress with a -cockade, which they are desired to give to that man to whom they are -most attached.</p> - -<p>“We shall here recount the ceremonies made use of on admitting a female.</p> - -<p>“The candidate having presented herself, the Grand Mistress (Madame -Cagliostro generally presided in that capacity) breathes upon her face -from the forehead to the chin, and then says, ‘I breathe upon you on -purpose to inspire you with the virtues which we possess, so that -they may take root and flourish in your heart, I thus fortify your -soul, I thus confirm you in the faith of your brethren and sisters, -according to the engagements which you have contracted with them. We -now admit you as a daughter of the Egyptian lodge. We order that you be -acknowledged in that capacity by all the brethren and sisters of the -Egyptian lodges, and that you enjoy with them the same prerogatives as -with ourselves.’</p> - -<p>“The Grand Master thus addresses the male candidate: ‘In virtue of the -power which I have received from the Grand Copt, the founder of our -order, and by the particular grace of God, I hereby confer upon you the -honour of being admitted into our lodge in the name of Helios, Mene, -Tetragrammaton.’</p> - -<p>“In a book, said to be printed at Paris in 1789, it is asserted that -the last words were suggested to Cagliostro, as sacred and cabalistical -expressions by a pretended conjuror, who said that he was assisted -by a spirit, and that this spirit was no other than the soul of a -cabalistical Jew, who by means of the magical art had murdered his own -father before the incarnation of Jesus Christ.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</span></p> - -<p>“Common masons have been accustomed to regard <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> John as their patron, -and to celebrate the festival of that saint. Cagliostro also adopted -him as his protector, and it is not a little remarkable that he was -imprisoned at Rome on the very festival of his patron. The reason for -his veneration of this great prophet was, if we are to believe himself, -the great similarity between the Apocalypse and the rites of his -institution.</p> - -<p>“We must here observe that when any of his disciples were admitted into -the highest class, the following execrable ceremony took place. A young -boy or girl, in the state of virgin innocence and purity, was procured, -who was called the pupil, and to whom power was given over the seven -spirits that surround the throne of the divinity and preside over the -seven planets. Their names according to Cagliostro’s book are Anaël, -Michaël, Raphaël, Gabriel, Uriel, Zobiachel, and Anachiel. The pupil -is then made use of as an intermediate agent between the spiritual and -physical worlds, and being clothed in a long white robe, adorned with a -red ribbon, and blue silk festoons, he is shut up in a little closet. -From that place he gives response to the Grand Master, and tells -whether the spirits and Moses have agreed to receive the candidates -into the highest class of Egyptian masons....</p> - -<p>“In his instructions to obtain the moral and physical regeneration -which he had promised to his disciples, he is exceedingly careful -to give a minute description of the operations to which they are to -submit. Those who are desirous of experiencing the moral regeneration -are to retire from the world for the space of forty days, and to -distribute their time into certain proportions. Six hours are to be -employed in reflection, three in prayer to the Deity, nine in the holy -operations of Egyptian Masonry, while the remaining period is to be -dedicated to repose. At the end of the thirty-three days a visible -communication is to take place between the patient and the seven -primitive spirits, and on the morning of the fortieth day his soul will -be inspired with divine knowledge, and his body be as pure as that of a -new-born infant.</p> - -<p>“To procure a physical regeneration, the patient is to retire into the -country in the month of May, and during forty days is to live according -to the most strict and austere rules, eating very little, and then -only laxative and sanative herbs, and making use of no other drink -than distilled water, or rain that has fallen in the course of the -month. On the seventeenth day, after having let blood, certain white -drops are to be taken, six at night and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</span> six in the morning, increasing -them two a day in progression. In three days more a small quantity of -blood is again to be let from the arm before sunrise, and the patient -is to retire to bed till the operation is completed. A grain of the -<i>panacea</i> is then to be taken; this panacea is the same as that -of which God created man when He first made him immortal. When this is -swallowed the candidate loses his speech and his reflection for three -entire days, and he is subject to frequent convulsions, struggles, and -perspirations. Having recovered from this state, in which, however, he -experiences no pain whatever, on the thirty-sixth day, he takes the -third and last grain of the panacea, which causes him to fall into a -profound and tranquil sleep; it is then that he loses his hair, his -skin, and his teeth. These again are all reproduced in a few hours, and -having become a new man, on the morning of the fortieth day he leaves -his room, enjoying a complete rejuvenescence, by which he is enabled -to live 5557 years, or to such time as he, of his own accord, may be -desirous of going to the world of spirits.”</p> - - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Concerning the Lodge of Freemasons discovered at Rome.</span></p> - -<p>The final chapter of the Italian life of Cagliostro, which appeared -before the death of its subject, contains a curious and interesting -account under the above title. The lodge was situated in the quarter -of the city called the Holy Trinity of the Mountain. It was visited on -the night of Cagliostro’s capture, but the members had been evidently -forewarned; they had taken precautions as to their personal safety, -had removed the symbols of their craft and the greater part of their -books and papers, which perhaps, says the writer, contained secrets -of great importance. The Inquisition claims to have a true insight, -notwithstanding, into the origin, establishment, and other particulars -of this lodge, drawn in part from the depositions of “a multitude of -well-informed persons.”</p> - -<p>The founders were seven in number, five Frenchmen, an American, and -a Pole, all of whom had been previously initiated into other lodges. -It assumed the title of the Lodge of the Reunion of True Friends, -and the first meeting took place on November 1, 1787. Proselytes -were immediately made, and included candidates who had not been -received into any other<span class="pagenum" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</span> society. Its numbers rapidly increased, and -to establish it with all the necessary formalities approbation was -procured from the Mother Lodge at Paris, and a deputy was sent to -reside in that city as its representative. Its letters were transported -by special messengers. Mention is made in the register of archives -kept under three locks, in which the statutes, the mysteries, and -the symbols transmitted from Paris were preserved, with all the most -interesting speeches delivered within the lodge. However, the Egyptian -lodge is affirmed to have been in this instance devoid of special -characteristics. The list of its officers was as follows:—</p> - -<ol> -<li>The Venerable, or Grand Master.</li> - -<li>The Superintendent, or Deputy Grand Master.</li> - -<li>The Terrible.</li> - -<li>The Master of the Ceremonies.</li> - -<li>The Treasurer.</li> - -<li>The Almoner.</li> - -<li>The Secretary.</li> - -<li>The Orator, or Export Broker.</li> -</ol> - -<p>The entire Lodge was composed of two chambers, or halls. The first -was called the Chamber of Reflections. A death’s head was placed on a -table, and above it were two inscriptions in French, which contained -an arcane significance. The second apartment was called the Temple; -it was adorned according to the various rites performed in it. On -all occasions it was provided with a throne, on which the Venerable -constantly sat. Some emblems of masonry adorned the walls—among them -were the sun, moon, and planets. On the two sides of the throne several -magnificent pillars were placed, and opposite to these the brotherhood -were arranged in order, each of them wearing his leathern apron, and -a black ribbon in the form of a deacon’s stole about his neck, while -in his hands, which were covered with a pair of white gloves, he -brandished a naked sword, a hammer, or a compass, according to the -different formalities prescribed by the institution.</p> - -<p>With the secret signs and passports, the Inquisition does not seem to -have been acquainted.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="INDEX">INDEX.</h2> -</div> - - -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Abraham the Jew, <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Adfar, an Arabian adept of Alexandria, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Alain of Lisle, <a href="#Page_67">67</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Albertus Magnus, <a href="#Page_57">57</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Alcahest, <a href="#Page_157">157</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Alchemy—Diversity of opinion on the object of alchemical science, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the avowed object, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the aim said to be concealed, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">symbolism of the science, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">distinction between alchemy and chemistry, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">alchemy as a factor in the progress of the physical sciences, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">physical nature of the alchemical aim established by the lives and writings of the adepts, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">side issues of alchemical theories, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">application of alchemy to the extension of life, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">modification of the human body by alchemy, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">alchemy the science of the four elements, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the Seal of God set on the secret of alchemy, <a href="#Page_165">165</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Alfarabi, <a href="#Page_48">48</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Alipili, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>, <a href="#Page_23">23</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Altotas, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>, <a href="#Page_234">234</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ancient War of the Knights, <a href="#Page_43">43</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Anima Magica Abscondita, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Anonymous adept, <a href="#Page_184">184</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Antimony, Basil Valentine’s preparation for the study of, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, <a href="#Page_121">121</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Aphrodite Urania, <a href="#Page_37">37</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Apono, Peter d’, <a href="#Page_88">88</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Aquinas, <abbr title="saint">St</abbr> Thomas, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Argent Vive—Reduction of metals into sophic Argent Vive, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the Medicine of all Metals, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the first thing to be ascertained in alchemy is the significance of this term, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Arnold de Villanova, <a href="#Page_88">88</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ars Lulliana, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Avicenna, <a href="#Page_51">51</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Azoth, or The Star in the East, a forthcoming work on the psychic potencies which enter into the higher act of transmutation, on the mysteries of spiritual chemistry, and on the possibilities of practical transcendentalism, <a href="#Page_37">37</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Bacon, Roger, <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Balsamo, Joseph, Travels, Adventures, and Imprisonments, <a href="#Page_220">220</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Basil, Valentine, <a href="#Page_120">120</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Belin, Albert, <a href="#Page_186">186</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Berigard of Pisa, <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bird, William, unknown adept, <a href="#Page_150">150</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Böhme, Jacob, <a href="#Page_161">161</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bono, Peter, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Borri, Guiseppe Francesco, <a href="#Page_208">208</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Botticher, John Frederich, neophyte, <a href="#Page_212">212</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Braccesco, Giovanni, <a href="#Page_151">151</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Busardier, unknown adept, <a href="#Page_182">182</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Butler, <a href="#Page_168">168</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Cagliostro, Count Allesandro, name assumed by Balsamo, <a href="#Page_230">230</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Calcination, an alchemical process, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_19">19</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Canons of Espagnet, <a href="#Page_19">19</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Charnock, Thomas, <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Chemistry, said to have no connection with alchemy, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">distinction between alchemy and chemistry, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_25">25</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">a counter view, <a href="#Page_44">44</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Contemplation, a preparation for alchemical practices, <a href="#Page_18">18</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cremer, John, pseudo-abbot of Westminster, <a href="#Page_83">83</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Dalton, Thomas, <a href="#Page_133">133</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dee, John, <a href="#Page_153">153</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Delisle, <a href="#Page_216">216</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">D’Espagnet, Jean, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">on the obstacles which beset the alchemist, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Diana Unveiled, <a href="#Page_180">180</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dissolution, an alchemical process, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dominic, St, said to have been an adept, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dubois, descendant of Flamel, <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dunstan, St, Book of, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>, <a href="#Page_155">155</a></li> -</ul> -<br /><span class="pagenum" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</span> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Egyptian Masonry, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>, and <a href="#APPENDIX_II">Appendix II</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Elias the Artist, <a href="#Page_193">193</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Eliphas Lévi, <a href="#Page_82">82</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Elixir, the White and Red, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Étoile Flamboyante</i>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Eugenius Philalethes, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Exaltation, an alchemical process, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Fabre, Pierre Jean, <a href="#Page_200">200</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ferarius, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Figuier, Louis, alchemical critic, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Fioravanti, Leonardi, <a href="#Page_153">153</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Flamel, Nicholas, <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Fontaine, John, <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Galip, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Geber, <a href="#Page_44">44</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Generation of Metals, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Goëtic magic, <a href="#Page_65">65</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gold, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_28">28</a>, <a href="#Page_140">140</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Grand Magisterium, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Grand Secret and Grand Act, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Great Art, <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Grimoire, <a href="#Page_60">60</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gustenhover, <a href="#Page_181">181</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Helmont, J. B. Van, <a href="#Page_166">166</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Helvetius, John Frederick, <a href="#Page_201">201</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Hermetic—Aim of Hermetic science, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">true method of Hermetic interpretation, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">supreme secret of Hermetic philosophy, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the Hermetic art a gift of God, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Heydon, John, <a href="#Page_210">210</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Hitchcock—His Remarks on Alchemy and the Alchemists, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_30">30</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Interpretation of Hermetic theories, &c.—Hermetic typology, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the moral method, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the Psychic method, <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Invocation as a preparation for the practice of alchemy, <a href="#Page_17">17</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Isaac of Holland, <a href="#Page_123">123</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Jean de Meung, <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Johannes de Rupecissa, <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">John XXII., Pope, <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Kalid, an initiated monarch, <a href="#Page_54">54</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Khunrath, Henry, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">treats of spiritual alchemy, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Lascaris, <a href="#Page_211">211</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Lavures, alchemical operations, <a href="#Page_112">112</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Light—Veritable light of alchemy, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">vision in the Divine Light, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">light the First Matter of the Magnum Opus, <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Magic Chain, <a href="#Page_22">22</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Magnum Opus—The first Matter of the Magnum Opus in its psychic aspect to be revealed in a forthcoming work, <span class="smcap">Azoth, or The Star in the East</span>, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">processes for the accomplishment of the Magnum Opus, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">these described by Arnold, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the composition of the Stone is the accomplishment of the Magnum Opus, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">manner of the accomplishment of the Magnum Opus described in “The Adventures of an Unknown Philosopher,” <a href="#Page_186">186</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Maier, Michael, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_160">160</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Man—The concealed subject of every adept, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the mystic vase of election, <a href="#Page_14">14</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Manuel, Domenico, <a href="#Page_215">215</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mary of Alexandria, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Matter, the first matter of the Magnum Opus, said to be gold, <a href="#Page_28">28</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">defined as a fifth element, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">one only and self-same thing, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">its true nature not disclosed by the adepts, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">its informing spirit variously adaptable, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">a duplex nature, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">contained in silver and gold, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the seed of every metal can be reduced into the first matter, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">figured in the book of Rabbi Abraham, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">found by Nicholas Flamel, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">mercury the true first matter, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the matter of the philosophical stone a viscous water, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">said to be Saturn, or lead, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">is found everywhere, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">may be discovered by studying the best books of the philosophers, <a href="#Page_145">145</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Medicine—Properties of a universal medicine attributed to the Stone, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the Stone a medicine for metals and man, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">life is prolonged by the stone, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">application of the tincture as a medicine for the human body, <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mercury—Identified with the supernatural, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">obstacles to its discovery, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">sophic mercury described by Avicenna, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">mercury the water of metals, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">a matchless treasure, <a href="#Page_197">197</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Morien, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Morning Star, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> -</ul> -<br /><span class="pagenum" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</span> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">New Birth, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Norton, Thomas, <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Obereit, John Hermann, <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">One Thing Needful—The exaltation of the cognising faculty, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Orizon Æternitatis, mystical term of Paracelsus, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Palingenesis, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Philalethes, Eirenæus, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">on the Aqua Philosophorum, <a href="#Page_22">22</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Picus de Mirandola, <a href="#Page_136">136</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Psychic Chemistry—A Scheme of Absolute Reconstruction, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">accomplished by the Divine Power in the Soul, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">general observations on spiritual alchemistry, <a href="#Page_32">32-37</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Regnauld, Brother, <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Rhasis, <a href="#Page_46">46</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Richthausen, his transmutations with stolen powder, <a href="#Page_183">183</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ripley, George, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">his description of the Stone, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">supposed to have initiated Thomas Norton, <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Romance of the Rose, <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Rose Nobles, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_86">86</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Rosicrucians—Had other alchemical objects than metallic transmutations, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the associates defended by Michael Maier, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">initiation offered by the Rosicrucians to Sendivogius, <a href="#Page_179">179</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Sendivogius, Michael, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">“The New Light of Alchemy” falsely ascribed to this neophyte, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Separation an alchemical process, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_17">17</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sethon, Alexander, <a href="#Page_171">171</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Son of the Sun, <a href="#Page_37">37</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sophistication of metals, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Starkey, George, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>, &c.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Stone of the Philosophers—Said to be a symbol of immortality, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">analogous in its nature to the state of primeval man, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Transmutation accomplished by its means, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">in appearance a subtle, brown, and opaque earth, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">dark, disesteemed, and grey in colour, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the seed out of which gold and silver are generated, <a href="#Page_201">201</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Subject of Alchemy—According to Hitchcock, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">according to George Starkey, <a href="#Page_24">24</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Suggestive inquiry concerning the Hermetic Mystery, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sulphur (Sophic)—Said to symbolise Nature, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">sophic sulphur and the conscience, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">difficulties in its discovery, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">described by Avicenna, <a href="#Page_52">52</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Transmutation—Doubts as to the significance of the term, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">identified with spiritual conversion, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">the physical theory of Transmutation, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>, &c.;</li> -<li class="isub1">possibility of the fact, <a href="#Page_33">33</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Transmutations performed by adepts and their emissaries, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_94">94</a>, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>, <a href="#Page_177">177</a>, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>, <a href="#Page_201">201-208</a>, <a href="#Page_212">212-216</a>, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>, <a href="#Page_218">218</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Trévisan, Bernard, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">honoured by Philalethes, <a href="#Page_194">194</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Tschoudy, Baron, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Typology—Possibility of an infinite variety of interpretations of any sequence of typology, <a href="#Page_29">29</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Urbigerus—His alchemical aphorisms, <a href="#Page_40">40</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Vase of the Philosophers—Identified with man, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">its true nature unexplained by adepts, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">described by Geber, <a href="#Page_46">46</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Vaughan, Thomas, <a href="#Page_187">187</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Wisdom Faculty, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Wood of Life, <a href="#Page_152">152</a></li> -</ul> -<br /> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Zachaire, Denis, <a href="#Page_140">140</a></li> -</ul> - - -<p class="center"><i>Turnbull & Spears, Printers, Edinburgh.</i></p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</span></p> - -<div class="vbig center"><b>PUBLISHED BY MR GEORGE REDWAY.</b></div> -</div> - -<hr class="r50" /> - -<p class="center"><i>With Illustrations. Crown <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>. Historico-Symbolical Binding. 454 pp, -price 7<abbr title="shilling">s.</abbr> 6<abbr title="pence">d.</abbr></i></p> - - -<div class="advert"> -<span class="center big"><b>THE REAL HISTORY OF THE ROSICRUCIANS.</b> </span> -Founded on their own -Manifestoes, and on Facts and Documents collected from the Writings of -Initiated Brethren. By ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE. -</div> - -<div class="advert2"> -<p>“We desire to speak of <abbr title="mister">Mr</abbr> Waite’s work with the greatest respect on -the points of honesty, impartiality, and sound scholarship. <abbr title="mister">Mr</abbr> Waite -has given, for the first time, the documents with which Rosicrucianism -has been connected <i>in extenso</i>.”—<i>Literary World.</i></p> - -<p>“There is something mysterious and fascinating about the history of -the Virgin Fraternity of the Rose.”—<i>Saturday Review.</i></p> - -<p>“A curious and interesting story of the doings of a mysterious -association in times when people were more ready to believe in -supernatural phenomena than the highly-educated, matter-of-fact people -of to-day.”—<i>Morning Post.</i></p> -</div> - -<hr class="r50" /> - -<p class="center"><i>Crown <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>, cloth, with Frontispiece, price 7<abbr title="shilling">s.</abbr> 6<abbr title="pence">d.</abbr> Third Edition, -revised and enlarged.</i></p> - -<div class="advert"> -<span class="center big"><b>MAGIC, WHITE AND BLACK; or, The Science of</b></span> Finite and Infinite -Life, containing Practical Hints for Students of Occultism. By FRANZ -HARTMANN, M.D. -</div> - -<div class="advert2"> -<p>“Dr Hartmann’s ‘Magic,’ as compared with ‘Light on the Path,’ is a -bulky tome; and in its closely-printed pages students of occultism -will find hints, ‘practical’ and otherwise, likely to be of great -service to them in the pursuit of their studies and researches. It was -not the author’s ‘object, in composing this book, to write merely a -code of Ethics, and thereby to increase the already existing enormous -mountain of unread moral precepts, but to assist the student of -occultism in studying the elements of which his own soul is composed, -and to learn to know his own physical organism. I want to give an -impulse to the study of a science which may be called the “anatomy and -physiology of the Soul,” which investigates the elements of which the -soul is composed, and the source from which man’s desires and emotions -spring.’ <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Hartmann’s compendium is ‘an attempt to show the way how -man may become a co-operator of the Divine Power, whose product is -Nature,’ and his pages, as described by himself, ‘constitute a book -which may properly have the title of “Magic,” for if the readers -succeed in practically following its teaching, they will be able to -perform the greatest of all magical feats, the spiritual regeneration -of Man.’ <abbr title="doctor">Dr</abbr> Hartmann’s book has also gone into a third edition, and -has developed from an insignificant pamphlet, ‘written originally for -the purpose of demonstrating to a few inexperienced inquirers that the -study of the occult side of nature was not identical with the vile -practices of sorcery,’ into a compendious volume, comprising, we are -willing to believe, the entire philosophic system of occultism. There -are abundant evidences that the science of theosophy has made vast -strides in public estimation of late years, and that those desirous -of experimenting in this particular and in many respects fascinating, -branch of ethics, have leaders whose teaching they can follow with -satisfaction to themselves.”—<i>Saturday Review.</i></p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</span></p> - -<hr class="r50" /> - -<p class="center"><i>Crown <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>, Cloth, price 7<abbr title="shilling">s.</abbr> 6<abbr title="pence">d.</abbr></i></p> - -<div class="advert"> -<span class="center big"><b>POSTHUMOUS HUMANITY; A Study of Phantoms.</b></span> -By ADOLPHE D’ASSIER, -Member of the Bordeaux Academy of Sciences. Translated and Annotated -by HENRY S. OLCOTT, President of the Theosophical Society. To which -is added an Appendix shewing the Popular Beliefs current in India -respecting the Post-mortem Vicissitudes of the Human Entity. -</div> - -<div class="advert2"> -<p><i>Truth</i> says—“If you care for ghost stories, duly accredited, -excellently told, and scientifically explained, you should read the -translation by Colonel Olcott of M. Adolphe d’Assier’s ‘Posthumous -Humanity,’ a study of phantoms. There is no dogmatism so dogged and -offensive as that of the professed sceptic—of the scientific sceptic -especially—who <i>ex vi termini</i> ought to keep the doors of his -mind hospitably open; and it is refreshing, therefore, to find such -scientists as Wallace, Crookes, and M. d’Assier, who is a Positivist, -in the ranks of the Psychical Research host. For my own part, though -I have attended the séance of a celebrated London medium, and there -convinced myself beyond all doubt of his imposture, I no more think -that the detection of a medium fraud disposes of the whole question -of ghosts, &c., than that the detection of an atheist priest disposes -of the whole question of Christianity. Whatever view you take of this -controversy, however, I can promise you that you will find the book -interesting at least if not convincing.”</p> -</div> - -<hr class="r50" /> - -<p class="center"><i>Pott <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>, Cloth, Limp, price 1<abbr title="shilling">s.</abbr> 6<abbr title="pence">d.</abbr></i></p> - -<div class="advert"> -<span class="center big"><b>LIGHT ON THE PATH. A Treatise written for the</b></span> -Personal Use -of those who are ignorant of the Eastern Wisdom, and who desire to -enter within its influence. Written down by M. C., Fellow of the -Theosophical Society. New Edition, with Notes, by the Author. -</div> - -<div class="advert2"> -<p>“So far as we can gather from the mystic language in which it is -couched, ‘Light on the Path’ is intended to guide the footsteps of -those who have discarded the forms of religion while retaining the -moral principle to its fullest extent. It is in harmony with much -that was said by Socrates and Plato, although the author does not use -the phraseology of those philosophers, but rather the language of -Buddhism, easily understood by esoteric Buddhists, but difficult to -grasp by those without the pale. ‘Light on the Path’ may, we think, -be said to be the only attempt in this language and in this century -to put practical occultism into words; and it may be added, by way of -further explanation, that the character of Gautama Buddha, as shown -in Sir Edwin Arnold’s ‘Light of Asia,’ is the perfect type of the -being who has reached the threshold of Divinity by this road. That it -has reached a third edition speaks favourably for this <i>multum in -parvo</i> of the science of occultism; and ‘M. C.’ may be expected to -gather fresh laurels in future.”—<i>Saturday Review.</i></p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</span></p> - -<hr class="r50" /> - -<p class="center"><i>Crown <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>, cloth, price 6s.</i></p> - -<p class="center"><i>A BIOGRAPHICAL ROMANCE.</i></p> - -<div class="advert"> -<p class="center big"><b>A PROFESSOR OF ALCHEMY (Denis Zachaire).</b></p> -By PERCY ROSS, Author -of “A Comedy without Laughter” and “A Misguidit Lassie.” -</div> - -<div class="advert2"> -<p>“A clever story.... The hero is an alchemist who actually succeeds in -manufacturing pure gold.”—<i>Court Journal.</i></p> - -<p>“Shadowy and dream-like.”—<i>Athenæum.</i></p> - -<p>“An interesting and pathetic picture.”—<i>Literary World.</i></p> - -<p>“The story is utterly tragical, and is powerfully -told.”—<i>Westminster Review.</i></p> - -<p>“A vivid picture of those bad old times.”—<i>Knowledge.</i></p> - -<p>“Sure of a special circle of readers with congenial -tastes.”—<i>Graphic.</i></p> - -<p>“This is a story of love—of deep, undying, refining love—not without -suggestions of Faust. The figure of Berengaria, his wife, is a noble -and touching one, and her purity and sweetness stand out in beautiful -relief from the gloom of the alchemist’s laboratory and the horrors -of the terrible Inquisition into whose hands she falls. The romance -of the crucible, however, is not all permeated by sulphurous vapours -and tinged with tartarean smoke. There is often a highly dramatic -element.”—<i>Glasgow Herald.</i></p> -</div> - -<hr class="r50" /> - -<p class="center"><i>Demy <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>, bevelled cloth, gilt, price 10<abbr title="shilling">s.</abbr> 6<abbr title="pence">d.</abbr></i></p> - -<div class="advert"> -<span class="center big"><b>THE MYSTERIES OF MAGIC: A Digest of the</b></span> -Writings of Eliphas -Lévi. With Biographical and Critical Essay, by ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE. -</div> - -<div class="advert2"> -<p><i>The Morning Post</i> says:—“Of the many remarkable men who have -gained notoriety by their proficiency, real or imaginary, in the -Black Arts, probably none presents a more strange and irreconcilable -character than the French magician, Alphonse Louis Constant. Better -known under the Jewish pseudonym of Eliphas Lévi Zahed, this -enthusiastic student of forbidden art made some stir in France, -and even in London, and was frequently consulted by those who were -inclined to place some credit in his reputation as a magician. His -works on magic are those of an undoubted genius, and divulge a -philosophy beautiful in conception if totally opposed to common sense -principles. There is so great a fund of learning and of attractive -reasoning in these writings that <abbr title="mister">Mr</abbr> Arthur Waite has published a -digest of them for the benefit of English readers. This gentleman has -not attempted a literal translation in every case, but has arranged -a volume which, while reproducing with sufficient accuracy a great -portion of the more interesting works, affords an excellent idea of -the scope of entire literary remains of an enthusiast for whom he -entertains a profound admiration.</p> - -<p>“With regard to the contents of the present volume, there is nothing -in it very suggestive of sulphur. No apprehension need be felt if -the book be left about the house that the adventurous members of the -family circle will commence incantations in mystic robes with the -aid of Abracadabra, the Pentagram and incense. In fact, Eliphas over -and over again sets his face against amateur attempts at magical -practices. The reader may, however, with profit peruse carefully -the learned dissertations penned by M. Constant upon the Hermetic -art treated as a religion, a philosophy, and a natural science. As -a religion, Eliphas holds it to be that of the ancient Magi and the -initiates of all ages; as a philosophy its principles are traced -in the Alexandrian school, and in the theories of Pythagoras; as a -science, he indicates the methods to be ascertained from Paracelsus, -Nicholas Flamel, and Raymond Lully. In view of the remarkable -exhibitions of mesmeric influence and thought-reading which have -recently been given, it is not improbable that the thoughtful reader -may find a clue in the writings of this cultured and amiable magician -to the secret of many of the manifestations of witchcraft that -formerly struck wonder and terror into the hearts of simple folks -eager to behold and ready to believe in supernatural powers.”</p> -</div> - -<hr class="r50" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</span></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Fcap. <abbr title="octavo">8vo</abbr>, cloth, price, including the pack of cards 78 in number, -5s.</i></p> - -<div class="advert"> -<span class="big center"><b>FORTUNE-TELLING CARDS.—THE TAROT; Its</b></span> -Occult Signification, -Use in Fortune-Telling, and Method of Play, &c. By S. L. MACGREGOR -MATHERS. -</div> - -<div class="advert2"> -<p>“The designs of the twenty-one trump cards are extremely singular; in -order to give some idea of the manner in which <abbr title="mister">Mr</abbr> Mather uses them in -fortune-telling it is necessary to mention them in detail, together -with the general signification which he attaches to each of them. The -would-be cartomancer may then draw his own particular conclusions, -and he will find considerable latitude for framing them in accordance -with his predilections. It should further be mentioned that each of -the cards when reversed conveys a meaning the contrary of its primary -signification. <abbr title="number">No.</abbr> 1 is the Bateleur or Juggler, called also Pagad; -the latter designation is adduced by Count de Gebelin in proof of -the Oriental origin of Tarots, it being derived from <span class="allsmcap">PAG</span>, -chief or master, and <span class="allsmcap">GAD</span>, fortune. The Juggler symbolizes -Will. 2. The High Priestess, or female Pope, represents Science, -Wisdom, or Knowledge. 3. The Empress, is the symbol of Action or -Initiative. 4. The Emperor, represents Realization or Development. -5. The Hierophant or Pope is the Symbol of Mercy and Beneficence. -6. The Lovers, signify Wise Disposition and Trials surmounted. 7. -The Chariot, represents Triumph, Victory over Obstacles. 8. Themis -or Justice, symbolizes Equilibrium and Justice. 9. The Hermit, -denotes Prudence. 10. The Wheel of Fortune, represents Fortune, good -or bad. 11. Fortitude, symbolizes Power or Might. 12. The Hanged -Man—a man suspended head downwards by one leg—means Devotion, -Self-Sacrifice. 13. Death, signifies Transformation or Change. 14. -Temperance, typifies Combination. 15. The Devil, is the image of Fate -or Fatality. 16. The Lightning-struck Tower, called also Maison-Dieu, -shows Ruin, Disruption. 17. The Star, is the Emblem of Hope. 18. -The Moon, symbolises Twilight, Deception, and Error. 19. The Sun, -signifies Earthly Happiness. 20. The Last Judgment, means Renewal, -Determination of a matter. 21. The Universe, represents Completion -and Reward. 0. The Foolish Man, signifies Expiation or Wavering. -Separate meanings, with their respective converses, are also attached -to each of the other cards in the pack, so that when they have been -dealt out and arranged in any of the combinations recommended by the -author for purposes of divination, the inquirer has only to use this -little volume as a dictionary in order to read his fate.”—<i>Saturday -Review.</i></p> -</div> - -<hr class="r50" /> - -<p class="center">GEORGE REDWAY, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter transnote"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="TranscribersNotes">Transcriber’s Notes:</h2> -<p>Minor errors and omissions in punctuation have been fixed.</p> -<p>Inconsistent hyphenations have been maintained from the text.</p> -<p>Inconsistencies and errors in spelling have been maintained from the text.</p> -<p><a href="#Page_288">Page 288</a>: “Guinaldi (J.)—Dell’ Alchimia Opera. <abbr title="quarto">4to</abbr>. Palermo, 1645.” placed in alphabetical order.</p> - -<p>Corrections related in the Preface by specific page and line refer to -the following corrections in the chapter on Eirenæus Philalethes:</p> -<p>“secrets in the year 1643” was intended to read “secrets in the year 1645”</p> -<p>“asserted to read <i>trigesimo anno</i>” was intended to read “asserted to read <i>anno trigesimo tertio</i>”</p> -<p>“instead of <i>vigesimo anno</i>” was intended to read “instead of <i>anno vigesimo tertio</i>”</p> -</div> - - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIVES OF ALCHEMYSTICAL PHILOSOPHERS ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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