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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 + + +Title: Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions + Volume 3 (of 3) + +Author: Charles Mackay + +Release Date: April, 1997 [EBook #884] +Last Updated: February 6, 2013 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POPULAR DELUSIONS *** + + + + +Produced by An Anonymous Project Gutenberg Volunteer and David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + <div style="height: 8em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h1> + MEMOIRS OF <br />EXTRAORDINARY POPULAR DELUSIONS + </h1> + <h3> + Volume III (of III) + </h3> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Charles Mackay + </h2> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h4> + Author Of The "Thames And Its Tributaries," "The Hope Of The World," Etc. + </h4> + <p> + "Il est bon de connaitre les delires de l'esprit humain. Chaque peuple a + ses folies plus ou moins grossieres." + </p> + <p> + Millot + </p> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> PHILOSOPHICAL DELUSIONS. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0005"> BOOK I.—THE ALCHYMISTS </a> + </p> + <p class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_PART"> PART I.—HISTORY OF ALCHYMY FROM THE EARLIEST + PERIODS TO THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc2"> + <a href="#link2H_PART2"> PART II.—PROGRESS OF THE INFATUATION DURING + THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0009"> BOOK II.—FORTUNE TELLING. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0010"> BOOK III.—THE MAGNETISERS. </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + Detailed Contents: + </h2> + <p> + BOOK I.;THE ALCHYMISTS; or, Searchers for the Philosopher's Stone and the + Water of Life + </p> + <p> + PART I.—History of Alchymy from the earliest periods to the + Fifteenth Century.—Pretended Antiquity of the Art.—Geber.—Alfarabi.—Avicenna.—Albertus + Magnus.—Thomas Aquinas.—Artephius.—Alain de Lisle.—Arnold + de Villeneuve.—Pietro d'Apone.—Raymond Lulli.—Roger + Bacon.—Pope John XXII.—Jean de Meung.—Nicholas Flamel.—George + Ripley.—Basil Valentine.—Bernard of Treves.—Trithemius.—The + Marechal de Rays.—Jacques Coeur.—Inferior Adepts. + </p> + <p> + PART II.—Progress of the Infatuation during the Sixteenth and + Seventeenth Centuries.—Augurello.—Cornelius Agrippa.—Paracelsus.—George + Agricola.—Denys Zachaire.—Dr. Dee and Edward Kelly.—The + Cosmopolite.—Sendivogius.—The Rosicrucians.—Michael + Mayer.—Robert Fludd.—Jacob Bohmen.—John Heydn.—Joseph + Francis Borri.—Alchymical Writers of the Seventeenth Century.—De + Lisle.—Albert Aluys.—Count de St. Germains.—Cagliostro.—Present + State of the Science. + </p> + <p> + BOOK II. FORTUNE TELLING + </p> + <p> + BOOK III. THE MAGNETISERS + </p> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + PHILOSOPHICAL DELUSIONS. + </h2> + <p> + Dissatisfaction with his lot seems to be the characteristic of man in all + ages and climates. So far, however, from being an evil, as at first might + be supposed, it has been the great civiliser of our race; and has tended, + more than anything else, to raise us above the condition of the brutes. + But the same discontent which has been the source of all improvement, has + been the parent of no small progeny of follies and absurdities; to trace + these latter is the object of the present volume. Vast as the subject + appears, it is easily reducible within such limits as will make it + comprehensive without being wearisome, and render its study both + instructive and amusing. + </p> + <p> + Three causes especially have excited our discontent; and, by impelling us + to seek for remedies for the irremediable, have bewildered us in a maze of + madness and error. These are death, toil, and ignorance of the future—the + doom of man upon this sphere, and for which he shows his antipathy by his + love of life, his longing for abundance, and his craving curiosity to + pierce the secrets of the days to come. The first has led many to imagine + that they might find means to avoid death, or, failing in this, that they + might, nevertheless, so prolong existence as to reckon it by centuries + instead of units. From this sprang the search, so long continued and still + pursued, for the elixir vitae, or water of life, which has led thousands + to pretend to it and millions to believe in it. From the second sprang the + absurd search for the philosopher's stone, which was to create plenty by + changing all metals into gold; and from the third, the false sciences of + astrology, divination, and their divisions of necromancy, chiromancy, + augury, with all their train of signs, portents, and omens. + </p> + <p> + In tracing the career of the erring philosophers, or the wilful cheats, + who have encouraged or preyed upon the credulity of mankind, it will + simplify and elucidate the subject, if we divide it into three classes:—the + first comprising alchymists, or those in general who have devoted + themselves to the discovering of the philosopher's stone and the water of + life; the second comprising astrologers, necromancers, sorcerers, + geomancers, and all those who pretended to discover futurity; and the + third consisting of the dealers in charms, amulets, philters, + universal-panacea mongers, touchers for the evil, seventh sons of a + seventh son, sympathetic powder compounders, homeopathists, animal + magnetizers, and all the motley tribe of quacks, empirics, and charlatans. + </p> + <p> + But, in narrating the career of such men, it will be found that many of + them united several or all of the functions just mentioned; that the + alchymist was a fortune-teller, or a necromancer—that he pretended + to cure all maladies by touch or charm, and to work miracles of every + kind. In the dark and early ages of European history, this is more + especially the case. Even as we advance to more recent periods, we shall + find great difficulty in separating the characters. The alchymist seldom + confined himself strictly to his pretended science—the sorcerer and + necromancer to theirs, or the medical charlatan to his. Beginning with + alchymy, some confusion of these classes is unavoidable; but the ground + will clear for us as we advance. + </p> + <p> + Let us not, in the pride of our superior knowledge, turn with contempt + from the follies of our predecessors. The study of the errors into which + great minds have fallen in the pursuit of truth can never be + uninstructive. As the man looks back to the days of his childhood and his + youth, and recalls to his mind the strange notions and false opinions that + swayed his actions at that time, that he may wonder at them, so should + society, for its edification, look back to the opinions which governed the + ages fled. He is but a superficial thinker who would despise and refuse to + hear of them merely because they are absurd. No man is so wise but that he + may learn some wisdom from his past errors, either of thought or action, + and no society has made such advances as to be capable of no improvement + from the retrospect of its past folly and credulity. And not only is such + a study instructive: he who reads for amusement only, will find no chapter + in the annals of the human mind more amusing than this. It opens out the + whole realm of fiction—the wild, the fantastic, and the wonderful, + and all the immense variety of things "that are not, and cannot be; but + that have been imagined and believed." + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0005" id="link2H_4_0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK I.—THE ALCHYMISTS + </h2> + <h3> + OR, SEARCHERS FOR THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE AND THE WATER OF LIFE. + </h3> + <p> + "Mercury (loquitur).—The mischief a secret any of them know, above + the consuming of coals and drawing of usquebaugh! Howsoever they may + pretend, under the specious names of Geber, Arnold, Lulli, or bombast of + Hohenheim, to commit miracles in art, and treason against nature! As if + the title of philosopher, that creature of glory, were to be fetched out + of a furnace! I am their crude, and their sublimate, their precipitate, + and their unctions; their male and their female, sometimes their + hermaphrodite—what they list to style me! They will calcine you a + grave matron, as it might be a mother of the maids, and spring up a young + virgin out of her ashes, as fresh as a phoenix; lay you an old courtier on + the coals, like a sausage or a bloat-herring, and, after they have broiled + him enough, blow a soul into him, with a pair of bellows! See! they begin + to muster again, and draw their forces out against me! The genius of the + place defend me!"—Ben Jonson's Masque "Mercury vindicated from the + Alchymists." + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_PART" id="link2H_PART"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + PART I.—HISTORY OF ALCHYMY FROM THE EARLIEST PERIODS TO THE + FIFTEENTH CENTURY. + </h2> + <p> + PRETENDED ANTIQUITY OF THE ART.—GEBER.—ALFARABI.—AVICENNA.—ALBERTUS + MAGNUS.—THOMAS AQUINAS.—ARTEPHIUS.—ALAIN DE LISLE.—ARNOLD + DE VILLENEUVE.—PIETRO D'APONE.—RAYMOND LULLI.—ROGER + BACON.—POPE JOHN XXII.—JEAN DE MEUNG.—NICHOLAS FLAMEL.—GEORGE + RIPLEY.—BASIL VALENTINE.—BERNARD OF TREVES.—TRITHEMIUS.—THE + MARECHAL DE RAYS.—JACQUES COEUR.—INFERIOR ADEPTS. + </p> + <p> + For more than a thousand years the art of alchymy captivated many noble + spirits, and was believed in by millions. Its origin is involved in + obscurity. Some of its devotees have claimed for it an antiquity coeval + with the creation of man himself; others, again, would trace it no further + back than the time of Noah. Vincent de Beauvais argues, indeed, that all + the antediluvians must have possessed a knowledge of alchymy; and + particularly cites Noah as having been acquainted with the elixir vitae, + or he could not have lived to so prodigious an age, and have begotten + children when upwards of five hundred. Lenglet du Fresnoy, in his "History + of the Hermetic Philosophy," says, "Most of them pretended that Shem, or + Chem, the son of Noah, was an adept in the art, and thought it highly + probable that the words chemistry and alchymy were both derived from his + name." Others say, the art was derived from the Egyptians, amongst whom it + was first founded by Hermes Trismegistus. Moses, who is looked upon as a + first-rate alchymist, gained his knowledge in Egypt; but he kept it all to + himself, and would not instruct the children of Israel in its mysteries. + All the writers upon alchymy triumphantly cite the story of the golden + calf, in the 32nd chapter of Exodus, to prove that this great lawgiver was + an adept, and could make or unmake gold at his pleasure. It is recorded, + that Moses was so wroth with the Israelites for their idolatry, "that he + took the calf which they had made, and burned it in the fire, and ground + it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of + Israel drink of it." This, say the alchymists, he never could have done, + had he not been in possession of the philosopher's stone; by no other + means could he have made the powder of gold float upon the water. But we + must leave this knotty point for the consideration of the adepts in the + art, if any such there be, and come to more modern periods of its history. + The Jesuit, Father Martini, in his "Historia Sinica," says, it was + practised by the Chinese two thousand five hundred years before the birth + of Christ; but his assertion, being unsupported, is worth nothing. It + would appear, however, that pretenders to the art of making gold and + silver existed in Rome in the first centuries after the Christian era, and + that, when discovered, they were liable to punishment as knaves and + impostors. At Constantinople, in the fourth century, the transmutation of + metals was very generally believed in, and many of the Greek ecclesiastics + wrote treatises upon the subject. Their names are preserved, and some + notice of their works given, in the third volume of Lenglet du Fresnoy's + "History of the Hermetic Philosophy." Their notion appears to have been, + that all metals were composed of two substances; the one, metallic earth; + and the other, a red inflammable matter, which they called sulphur. The + pure union of these substances formed gold; but other metals were mixed + with and contaminated by various foreign ingredients. The object of the + philosopher's stone was to dissolve or neutralize all these ingredients, + by which iron, lead, copper, and all metals would be transmuted into the + original gold. Many learned and clever men wasted their time, their + health, and their energies, in this vain pursuit; but for several + centuries it took no great hold upon the imagination of the people. The + history of the delusion appears, in a manner, lost from this time till the + eighth century, when it appeared amongst the Arabians. From this period it + becomes easier to trace its progress. A master then appeared, who was long + looked upon as the father of the science, and whose name is indissolubly + connected with it. + </p> + <p> + GEBER. + </p> + <p> + Of this philosopher, who devoted his life to the study of alchymy, but few + particulars are known. He is thought to have lived in the year 730. His + true name was Abou Moussah Djafar, to which was added Al Soft, or "The + Wise," and he was born at Hauran, in Mesopotamia. ["Biographie + Universelle."] Some have thought he was a Greek, others a Spaniard, and + others, a prince of Hindostan: but, of all the mistakes which have been + made respecting him, the most ludicrous was that made by the French + translator of Sprenger's "History of Medicine," who thought, from the + sound of his name, that he was a German, and rendered it as the + "Donnateur," or Giver. No details of his life are known; but it is + asserted, that he wrote more than five hundred works upon the + philosopher's stone and the water of life. He was a great enthusiast in + his art, and compared the incredulous to little children shut up in a + narrow room, without windows or aperture, who, because they saw nothing + beyond, denied the existence of the great globe itself. He thought that a + preparation of gold would cure all maladies, not only in man, but in the + inferior animals and plants. He also imagined that all the metals laboured + under disease, with the exception of gold, which was the only one in + perfect health. He affirmed, that the secret of the philosopher's stone + had been more than once discovered; but that the ancient and wise men who + had hit upon it, would never, by word or writing, communicate it to men, + because of their unworthiness and incredulity. [His "sum of perfection," + or instructions to students to aid them in the laborious search for the + stone and elixir, has been translated into most of the languages of + Europe. An English translation, by a great enthusiast in alchymy, one + Richard Russell, was published in London in 1686. The preface is dated + eight years previously, from the house of the alchymist, "at the Star, in + Newmarket, in Wapping, near the Dock." His design in undertaking the + translation was, as he informs us, to expose the false pretences of the + many ignorant pretenders to the science who abounded in his day.] But the + life of Geber, though spent in the pursuit of this vain chimera, was not + altogether useless. He stumbled upon discoveries which he did not seek, + and science is indebted to him for the first mention of corrosive + sublimate, the red oxide of mercury, nitric acid, and the nitrate of + silver. [Article, Geber, "Biographie Universelle."] + </p> + <p> + For more than two hundred years after the death of Geber, the Arabian + philosophers devoted themselves to the study of alchymy, joining with it + that of astrology. Of these the most celebrated was + </p> + <p> + ALFARABI. + </p> + <p> + Alfarabi flourished at the commencement of the tenth century, and enjoyed + the reputation of being one of the most learned men of his age. He spent + his life in travelling from country to country, that he might gather the + opinions of philosophers upon the great secrets of nature. No danger + dismayed him; no toil wearied him of the pursuit. Many sovereigns + endeavoured to retain him at their courts; but he refused to rest until he + had discovered the great object of his life—the art of preserving it + for centuries, and of making gold as much as he needed. This wandering + mode of life at last proved fatal to him. He had been on a visit to Mecca, + not so much for religious as for philosophical purposes, when, returning + through Syria, he stopped at the court of the Sultan Seifeddoulet, who was + renowned as the patron of learning. He presented himself in his travelling + attire, in the presence of that monarch and his courtiers; and, without + invitation, coolly sat himself down upon the sofa, beside the Prince. The + courtiers and wise men were indignant; and the Sultan, who did not know + the intruder, was at first inclined to follow their example. He turned to + one of his officers, and ordered him to eject the presumptuous stranger + from the room; but Alfarabi, without moving, dared them to lay hands upon + him; and, turning himself calmly to the prince, remarked, that he did not + know who was his guest, or he would treat him with honour, not with + violence. The Sultan, instead of being still further incensed, as many + potentates would have been, admired his coolness; and, requesting him to + sit still closer to him on the sofa, entered into a long conversation with + him upon science and divine philosophy. All the court were charmed with + the stranger. Questions for discussion were propounded, on all of which he + showed superior knowledge. He convinced every one that ventured to dispute + with him; and spoke so eloquently upon the science of alchymy, that he was + at once recognised as only second to the great Geber himself. One of the + doctors present inquired whether a man who knew so many sciences was + acquainted with music? Alfarabi made no reply, but merely requested that a + lute should be brought him. The lute was brought; and he played such + ravishing and tender melodies, that all the court were melted into tears. + He then changed his theme, and played airs so sprightly, that he set the + grave philosophers, Sultan and all, dancing as fast as their legs could + carry them. He then sobered them again by a mournful strain, and made them + sob and sigh as if broken-hearted. The Sultan, highly delighted with his + powers, entreated him to stay, offering him every inducement that wealth, + power, and dignity could supply; but the alchymist resolutely refused, it + being decreed, he said, that he should never repose till he had discovered + the philosopher's stone. He set out accordingly the same evening, and was + murdered by some thieves in the deserts of Syria. His biographers give no + further particulars of his life beyond mentioning, that he wrote several + valuable treatises on his art, all of which, however, have been lost. His + death happened in the year 954. + </p> + <p> + AVICENNA. + </p> + <p> + Avicenna, whose real name was Ebn Cinna, another great alchymist, was born + at Bokhara, in 980. His reputation as a physician and a man skilled in all + sciences was so great, that the Sultan Magdal Douleth resolved to try his + powers in the great science of government. He was accordingly made Grand + Vizier of that Prince, and ruled the state with some advantage: but, in a + science still more difficult, he failed completely. He could not rule his + own passions, but gave himself up to wine and women, and led a life of + shameless debauchery. Amid the multifarious pursuits of business and + pleasure, he nevertheless found time to write seven treatises upon the + philosopher's stone, which were for many ages looked upon as of great + value by pretenders to the art. It is rare that an eminent physician, as + Avicenna appears to have been, abandons himself to sensual gratification; + but so completely did he become enthralled in the course of a few years, + that he was dismissed from his high office, and died shortly afterwards, + of premature old age and a complication of maladies, brought on by + debauchery. His death took place in the year 1036. After his time, few + philosophers of any note in Arabia are heard of as devoting themselves to + the study of alchymy; but it began shortly afterwards to attract greater + attention in Europe. Learned men in France, England, Spain, and Italy + expressed their belief in the science, and many devoted their whole + energies to it. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries especially, it was + extensively pursued, and some of the brightest names of that age are + connected with it. Among the most eminent of them are + </p> + <p> + ALBERTUS MAGNUS and THOMAS AQUINA. + </p> + <p> + The first of these philosophers was born in the year 1193, of a noble + family at Lawingen, in the duchy of Neuburg, on the Danube. For the first + thirty years of his life, he appeared remarkably dull and stupid, and it + was feared by every one that no good could come of him. He entered a + Dominican monastery at an early age; but made so little progress in his + studies, that he was more than once upon the point of abandoning them in + despair; but he was endowed with extraordinary perseverance. As he + advanced to middle age, his mind expanded, and he learned whatever he + applied himself to with extreme facility. So remarkable a change was not, + in that age, to be accounted for but by a miracle. It was asserted and + believed that the Holy Virgin, touched with his great desire to become + learned and famous, took pity upon his incapacity, and appeared to him in + the cloister where he sat, almost despairing, and asked him whether he + wished to excel in philosophy or divinity. He chose philosophy, to the + chagrin of the Virgin, who reproached him in mild and sorrowful accents + that he had not made a better choice. She, however, granted his request + that he should become the most excellent philosopher of the age; but set + this drawback to his pleasure, that he should relapse, when at the height + of his fame, into his former incapacity and stupidity. Albertus never took + the trouble to contradict the story, but prosecuted his studies with such + unremitting zeal that his reputation speedily spread over all Europe. In + the year 1244, the celebrated Thomas Aquinas placed himself under his + tuition. Many extraordinary stories are told of the master and his pupil. + While they paid all due attention to other branches of science, they never + neglected the pursuit of the philosopher's stone and the elixir vitae. + Although they discovered neither, it was believed that Albert had seized + some portion of the secret of life, and found means to animate a brazen + statue, upon the formation of which, under proper conjunctions of the + planets, he had been occupied many years of his life. He and Thomas + Aquinas completed it together, endowed it with the faculty of speech, and + made it perform the functions of a domestic servant. In this capacity it + was exceedingly useful; but, through some defect in the machinery, it + chattered much more than was agreeable to either philosopher. Various + remedies were tried to cure it of its garrulity, but in vain; and one day + Thomas Aquinas was so enraged at the noise it made, when he was in the + midst of a mathematical problem, that he seized a ponderous hammer and + smashed it to pieces. [Naude, "Apologie des Grands Hommes accuses de + Magie;" chap. xviii.] He was sorry afterwards for what he had done, and + was reproved by his master for giving way to his anger, so unbecoming in a + philosopher. They made no attempt to re-animate the statue. + </p> + <p> + Such stories as these show the spirit of the age. Every great man who + attempted to study the secrets of nature was thought a magician; and it is + not to be wondered at that, when philosophers themselves pretended to + discover an elixir for conferring immortality, or a red stone which was to + create boundless wealth, that popular opinion should have enhanced upon + their pretensions, and have endowed them with powers still more + miraculous. It was believed of Albertus Magnus that he could even change + the course of the seasons; a feat which the many thought less difficult + than the discovery of the grand elixir. Albertus was desirous of obtaining + a piece of ground on which to build a monastery, in the neighbourhood of + Cologne. The ground belonged to William, Count of Holland and King of the + Romans, who, for some reason or other, did not wish to part with it. + Albertus is reported to have gained it by the following extraordinary + method:—He invited the Prince, as he was passing through Cologne, to + a magnificent entertainment prepared for him and all his court. The Prince + accepted it, and repaired with a lordly retinue to the residence of the + sage. It was in the midst of winter; the Rhine was frozen over, and the + cold was so bitter that the knights could not sit on horseback without + running the risk of losing their toes by the frost. Great, therefore, was + their surprise, on arriving at Albert's house, to find that the repast was + spread in his garden, in which the snow had drifted to the depth of + several feet. The Earl, in high dudgeon, remounted his steed; but Albert + at last prevailed upon him to take his seat at the table. He had no sooner + done so, than the dark clouds rolled away from the sky—a warm sun + shone forth—the cold north wind veered suddenly round, and blew a + mild breeze from the south—the snows melted away—the ice was + unbound upon the streams, and the trees put forth their green leaves and + their fruit—flowers sprang up beneath their feet, while larks, + nightingales, blackbirds, cuckoos, thrushes, and every sweet song-bird, + sang hymns from every tree. The Earl and his attendants wondered greatly; + but they ate their dinner, and in recompence for it, Albert got his piece + of ground to build a convent on. He had not, however, shown them all his + power. Immediately that the repast was over, he gave the word, and dark + clouds obscured the sun—the snow fell in large flakes—the + singing-birds fell dead—the leaves dropped from the trees, and the + winds blew so cold, and howled so mournfully, that the guests wrapped + themselves up in their thick cloaks, and retreated into the house to warm + themselves at the blazing fire in Albert's kitchen. [Lenglet, "Histoire de + la Philosophie Hermetique." See also, Godwin's "Lives of the + Necromancers."] + </p> + <p> + Thomas Aquinas also could work wonders as well as his master. It is + related of him, that he lodged in a street at Cologne, where he was much + annoyed by the incessant clatter made by the horses' hoofs, as they were + led through it daily to exercise by their grooms. He had entreated the + latter to select some other spot where they might not disturb a + philosopher, but the grooms turned a deaf ear to all his solicitations. In + this emergency he had recourse to the aid of magic. He constructed a small + horse of bronze, upon which he inscribed certain cabalistic characters, + and buried it at midnight in the midst of the highway. The next morning, a + troop of grooms came riding along as usual; but the horses, as they + arrived at the spot where the magic horse was buried, reared and plunged + violently—their nostrils distended with terror—their manes + grew erect, and the perspiration ran down their sides in streams. In vain + the riders applied the spur—in vain they coaxed or threatened, the + animals would not pass the spot. On the following day, their success was + no better. They were at length compelled to seek another spot for their + exercise, and Thomas Aquinas was left in peace. [Naude, "Apologie des + Grands Hommes accuses de Magie;" chap. xvii.] + </p> + <p> + Albertus Magnus was made Bishop of Ratisbon in 1259; but he occupied the + See only four years, when he resigned, on the ground that its duties + occupied too much of the time which he was anxious to devote to + philosophy. He died in Cologne in 1280, at the advanced age of + eighty-seven. The Dominican writers deny that he ever sought the + philosopher's stone, but his treatise upon minerals sufficiently proves + that he did. + </p> + <p> + ARTEPHIUS. + </p> + <p> + Artephius, a name noted in the annals of alchymy, was born in the early + part of the twelfth century. He wrote two famous treatises; the one upon + the philosopher's stone, and the other on the art of prolonging human + life. In the latter he vaunts his great qualifications for instructing + mankind on such a matter, as he was at that time in the thousand and + twenty-fifth year of his age! He had many disciples who believed in his + extreme age, and who attempted to prove that he was Apollonius of Tyana, + who lived soon after the advent of Jesus Christ, and the particulars of + whose life and pretended miracles have been so fully described by + Philostratus. He took good care never to contradict a story, which so much + increased the power he was desirous of wielding over his fellow-mortals. + On all convenient occasions, he boasted of it; and having an excellent + memory, a fertile imagination, and a thorough knowledge of all existing + history, he was never at a loss for an answer when questioned as to the + personal appearance, the manners, or the character of the great men of + antiquity. He also pretended to have found the philosopher's stone; and + said that, in search of it, he had descended to hell, and seen the devil + sitting on a throne of gold, with a legion of imps and fiends around him. + His works on alchymy have been translated into French, and were published + in Paris in 1609 or 1610. + </p> + <p> + ALAIN DE LISLE. + </p> + <p> + Contemporary with Albertus Magnus was Alain de Lisle, of Flanders, who was + named, from his great learning, the "universal doctor." He was thought to + possess a knowledge of all the sciences, and, like Artephius, to have + discovered the elixir vitae. He became one of the friars of the abbey of + Citeaux, and died in 1298, aged about one hundred and ten years. It was + said of him, that he was at the point of death when in his fiftieth year; + but that the fortunate discovery of the elixir enabled him to add sixty + years to his existence. He wrote a commentary on the prophecies of Merlin. + </p> + <p> + ARNOLD DE VILLENEUVE. + </p> + <p> + This philosopher has left a much greater reputation. He was born in the + year 1245, and studied medicine with great success in the University of + Paris. He afterwards travelled for twenty years in Italy and Germany, + where he made acquaintance with Pietro d'Apone; a man of a character akin + to his own, and addicted to the same pursuits. As a physician, he was + thought, in his own lifetime, to be the most able the world had ever seen. + Like all the learned men of that day, he dabbled in astrology and alchymy, + and was thought to have made immense quantities of gold from lead and + copper. When Pietro d'Apone was arrested in Italy, and brought to trial as + a sorcerer, a similar accusation was made against Arnold; but he managed + to leave the country in time and escape the fate of his unfortunate + friend. He lost some credit by predicting the end of the world, but + afterwards regained it. The time of his death is not exactly known; but it + must have been prior to the year 1311, when Pope Clement V. wrote a + circular letter to all the clergy of Europe who lived under his obedience, + praying them to use their utmost efforts to discover the famous treatise + of Arnold on "The Practice of Medicine." The author had promised, during + his lifetime, to make a present of the work to the Holy See, but died + without fulfilling it. + </p> + <p> + In a very curious work by Monsieur Longeville Harcouet, entitled "The + History of the Persons who have lived several centuries, and then grown + young again," there is a receipt, said to have been given by Arnold de + Villeneuve, by means of which any one might prolong his life for a few + hundred years or so. In the first place, say Arnold and Monsieur Harcouet, + "the person intending so to prolong his life must rub himself well, two or + three times a week, with the juice or marrow of cassia (moelle de la + casse). Every night, upon going to bed, he must put upon his heart a + plaster, composed of a certain quantity of Oriental saffron, red + rose-leaves, sandal-wood, aloes, and amber, liquified in oil of roses and + the best white wax. In the morning, he must take it off, and enclose it + carefully in a leaden box till the next night, when it must be again + applied. If he be of a sanguine temperament, he shall take sixteen + chickens—if phlegmatic, twenty-five—and if melancholy, thirty, + which he shall put into a yard where the air and the water are pure. Upon + these he is to feed, eating one a day; but previously the chickens are to + be fattened by a peculiar method, which will impregnate their flesh with + the qualities that are to produce longevity in the eater. Being deprived + of all other nourishment till they are almost dying of hunger, they are to + be fed upon broth made of serpents and vinegar, which broth is to be + thickened with wheat and bran." Various ceremonies are to be performed in + the cooking of this mess, which those may see in the book of M. Harcouet, + who are at all interested in the matter; and the chickens are to be fed + upon it for two months. They are then fit for table, and are to be washed + down with moderate quantities of good white wine or claret. This regimen + is to be followed regularly every seven years, and any one may live to be + as old as Methuselah! It is right to state, that M. Harcouet has but + little authority for attributing this precious composition to Arnold of + Villeneuve. It is not to be found in the collected works of that + philosopher; but was first brought to light by a M. Poirier, at the + commencement of the sixteenth century, who asserted that he had discovered + it in MS. in the undoubted writing of Arnold. + </p> + <p> + PIETRO D'APONE. + </p> + <p> + This unlucky sage was born at Apone, near Padua, in the year 1250. Like + his friend Arnold de Villeneuve, he was an eminent physician, and a + pretender to the arts of astrology and alchymy. He practised for many + years in Paris, and made great wealth by killing and curing, and telling + fortunes. In an evil day for him, he returned to his own country, with the + reputation of being a magician of the first order. It was universally + believed that he had drawn seven evil spirits from the infernal regions, + whom he kept enclosed in seven crystal vases, until he required their + services, when he sent them forth to the ends of the earth to execute his + pleasure. One spirit excelled in philosophy; a second, in alchymy; a + third, in astrology; a fourth, in physic; a fifth, in poetry; a sixth, in + music; and the seventh, in painting: and whenever Pietro wished for + information or instruction in any of these arts, he had only to go to his + crystal vase, and liberate the presiding spirit. Immediately, all the + secrets of the art were revealed to him; and he might, if it pleased him, + excel Homer in poetry, Apelles in painting, or Pythagoras himself in + philosophy. Although he could make gold out of brass, it was said of him, + that he was very sparing of his powers in that respect, and kept himself + constantly supplied with money by other and less creditable means. + Whenever he disbursed gold, he muttered a certain charm, known only to + himself; and next morning the gold was safe again in his own possession. + The trader to whom he gave it, might lock it in his strong box, and have + it guarded by a troop of soldiers; but the charmed metal flew back to its + old master. Even if it were buried in the earth, or thrown into the sea, + the dawn of the next morning would behold it in the pockets of Pietro. Few + people, in consequence, liked to have dealings with such a personage, + especially for gold. Some, bolder than the rest, thought that his power + did not extend over silver; but, when they made the experiment, they found + themselves mistaken. Bolts and bars could not restrain it, and it + sometimes became invisible in their very hands, and was whisked through + the air to the purse of the magician. He necessarily acquired a very bad + character; and, having given utterance to some sentiments regarding + religion which were the very reverse of orthodox, he was summoned before + the tribunals of the Inquisition to answer for his crimes as a heretic and + a sorcerer. He loudly protested his innocence, even upon the rack, where + he suffered more torture than nature could support. He died in prison ere + his trial was concluded, but was afterwards found guilty. His bones were + ordered to be dug up, and publicly burned. He was also burned in effigy in + the streets of Padua. + </p> + <p> + RAYMOND LULLI. + </p> + <p> + While Arnold de Villeneuve and Pietro d'Apone flourished in France and + Italy, a more celebrated adept than either appeared in Spain. This was + Raymond Lulli, a name which stands in the first rank among the alchymists. + Unlike many of his predecessors, he made no pretensions to astrology or + necromancy; but, taking Geber for his model, studied intently the nature + and composition of metals, without reference to charms, incantations, or + any foolish ceremonies. It was not, however, till late in life that he + commenced his study of the art. His early and middle age were spent in a + different manner, and his whole history is romantic in the extreme. He was + born of an illustrious family, in Majorca, in the year 1235. When that + island was taken from the Saracens by James I, King of Aragon, in 1230, + the father of Raymond, who was originally of Catalonia, settled there, and + received a considerable appointment from the Crown. Raymond married at an + early age; and, being fond of pleasure, he left the solitudes of his + native isle, and passed over with his bride into Spain. He was made Grand + Seneschal at the court of King James, and led a gay life for several + years. Faithless to his wife, he was always in the pursuit of some new + beauty, till his heart was fixed at last by the lovely, but unkind + Ambrosia de Castello. This lady, like her admirer, was married; but, + unlike him, was faithful to her vows, and treated all his solicitations + with disdain. Raymond was so enamoured, that repulse only increased his + flame; he lingered all night under her windows, wrote passionate verses in + her praise, neglected his affairs, and made himself the butt of all the + courtiers. One day, while watching under her lattice, he by chance caught + sight of her bosom, as her neckerchief was blown aside by the wind. The + fit of inspiration came over him, and he sat down and composed some tender + stanzas upon the subject, and sent them to the lady. The fair Ambrosia had + never before condescended to answer his letters; but she replied to this. + She told him, that she could never listen to his suit; that it was + unbecoming in a wise man to fix his thoughts, as he had done, on any other + than his God; and entreated him to devote himself to a religious life, and + conquer the unworthy passion which he had suffered to consume him. She, + however, offered, if he wished it, to show him the fair bosom which had so + captivated him. Raymond was delighted. He thought the latter part of this + epistle but ill corresponded with the former, and that Ambrosia, in spite + of the good advice she gave him, had, at last, relented, and would make + him as happy as he desired. He followed her about from place to place, + entreating her to fulfil her promise: but still Ambrosia was cold, and + implored him with tears to importune her no longer; for that she never + could be his, and never would, if she were free to-morrow. "What means + your letter, then?" said the despairing lover. "I will show you!" replied + Ambrosia, who immediately uncovered her bosom, and exposed to the eyes of + her horror-stricken admirer, a large cancer, which had extended to both + breasts. She saw that he was shocked; and, extending her hand to him, she + prayed him once more to lead a religious life, and set his heart upon the + Creator, and not upon the creature. He went home an altered man. He threw + up, on the morrow, his valuable appointment at the court, separated from + his wife, and took a farewell of his children, after dividing one-half of + his ample fortune among them. The other half he shared among the poor. He + then threw himself at the foot of a crucifix, and devoted himself to the + service of God, vowing, as the most acceptable atonement for his errors, + that he would employ the remainder of his days in the task of converting + the Mussulmans to the Christian religion. In his dreams he saw Jesus + Christ, who said to him, "Raymond! Raymond! follow me!" The vision was + three times repeated, and Raymond was convinced that it was an intimation + direct from Heaven. Having put his affairs in order, he set out on a + pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James of Compostello, and afterwards lived + for ten years in solitude amid the mountains of Aranda. Here he learned + the Arabic, to qualify himself for his mission of converting the + Mahometans. He also studied various sciences, as taught in the works of + the learned men of the East, and first made acquaintance with the writings + of Geber, which were destined to exercise so much influence over his + future life. + </p> + <p> + At the end of this probation, and when he had entered his fortieth year, + he emerged from his solitude into more active life. With some remains of + his fortune, which had accumulated during his retirement, he founded a + college for the study of Arabic, which was approved of by the Pope, with + many commendations upon his zeal and piety. At this time he narrowly + escaped assassination from an Arabian youth whom he had taken into his + service. Raymond had prayed to God, in some of his accesses of fanaticism, + that he might suffer martyrdom in his holy cause. His servant had + overheard him; and, being as great a fanatic as his master, he resolved to + gratify his wish, and punish him, at the same time, for the curses which + he incessantly launched against Mahomet and all who believed in him, by + stabbing him to the heart. He, therefore, aimed a blow at his master, as + he sat one day at table; but the instinct of self-preservation being + stronger than the desire of martyrdom, Raymond grappled with his + antagonist, and overthrew him. He scorned to take his life himself; but + handed him over to the authorities of the town, by whom he was afterwards + found dead in his prison. + </p> + <p> + After this adventure Raymond travelled to Paris, where he resided for some + time, and made the acquaintance of Arnold de Villeneuve. From him he + probably received some encouragement to search for the philosopher's + stone, as he began from that time forth to devote less of his attention to + religious matters, and more to the study of alchymy. Still he never lost + sight of the great object for which he lived—the conversion of the + Mahometans—and proceeded to Rome, to communicate personally with + Pope John XXI, on the best measures to be adopted for that end. The Pope + gave him encouragement in words, but failed to associate any other persons + with him in the enterprise which he meditated. Raymond, therefore, set out + for Tunis alone, and was kindly received by many Arabian philosophers, who + had heard of his fame as a professor of alchymy. If he had stuck to + alchymy while in their country, it would have been well for him; but he + began cursing Mahomet, and got himself into trouble. While preaching the + doctrines of Christianity in the great bazaar of Tunis, he was arrested + and thrown into prison. He was shortly afterwards brought to trial, and + sentenced to death. Some of his philosophic friends interceded hard for + him, and he was pardoned, upon condition that he left Africa immediately, + and never again set foot in it. If he was found there again, no matter + what his object might be, or whatever length of time might intervene, his + original sentence would be carried into execution. Raymond was not at all + solicitous of martyrdom when it came to the point, whatever he might have + been when there was no danger, and he gladly accepted his life upon these + conditions, and left Tunis with the intention of proceeding to Rome. He + afterwards changed his plan, and established himself at Milan, where, for + a length of time, he practised alchymy, and some say astrology, with great + success. + </p> + <p> + Most writers who believed in the secrets of alchymy, and who have noticed + the life of Raymond Lulli, assert, that while in Milan, he received + letters from Edward King of England, inviting him to settle in his states. + They add, that Lulli gladly accepted the invitation, and had apartments + assigned for his use in the Tower of London, where he refined much gold; + superintended the coinage of "rose-nobles;" and made gold out of iron, + quicksilver, lead, and pewter, to the amount of six millions. The writers + in the "Biographie Universelle," an excellent authority in general, deny + that Raymond was ever in England, and say, that in all these stories of + his wondrous powers as an alchymist, he has been mistaken for another + Raymond, a Jew, of Tarragona. Naude, in his "Apologie," says, simply, + "that six millions were given by Raymond Lulli to King Edward, to make war + against the Turks and other infidels:" not that he transmuted so much + metal into gold; but, as he afterwards adds, that he advised Edward to lay + a tax upon wool, which produced that amount. To show that Raymond went to + England, his admirers quote a work attributed to him, "De Transmutatione + Animae Metallorum," in which he expressly says, that he was in England at + the intercession of the King. [Vidimus omnia ista dum ad Angliam + transiimus, propter intercessionem Domini Regis Edoardi illustrissimi.] + The hermetic writers are not agreed whether it was Edward I, or Edward II, + who invited him over; but, by fixing the date of his journey in 1312, they + make it appear that it was Edward II. Edmond Dickenson, in his work on the + "Quintessences of the Philosophers," says, that Raymond worked in + Westminster Abbey, where, a long time after his departure, there was found + in the cell which he had occupied, a great quantity of golden dust, of + which the architects made a great profit. In the biographical sketch of + John Cremer, Abbot of Westminster, given by Lenglet, it is said, that it + was chiefly through his instrumentality that Raymond came to England. + Cremer had been himself for thirty years occupied in the vain search for + the philosopher's stone, when he accidentally met Raymond in Italy, and + endeavoured to induce him to communicate his grand secret. Raymond told + him that he must find it for himself, as all great alchymists had done + before him. Cremer, on his return to England, spoke to King Edward in high + terms of the wonderful attainments of the philosopher, and a letter of + invitation was forthwith sent him. Robert Constantinus, in the + "Nomenclatore Scriptorum Medicorum," published in 1515, says, that after a + great deal of research, be found that Raymond Lulli resided for some time + in London, and that he actually made gold, by means of the philosopher's + stone, in the Tower; that he had seen the golden pieces of his coinage, + which were still named in England the nobles of Raymond, or rose-nobles. + Lulli himself appears to have boasted that he made gold; for, in his + well-known "Testamentum," he states, that he converted no less than fifty + thousand pounds weight of quicksilver, lead, and pewter into that metal. + [Converti una vice in aurum ad L millia pondo argenti vivi, plumbi, et + stanni.—Lullii Testamentum.] It seems highly probable that the + English King, believing in the extraordinary powers of the alchymist, + invited him to England to make test of them, and that he was employed in + refining gold and in coining. Camden, who is not credulous in matters like + these, affords his countenance to the story of his coinage of nobles; and + there is nothing at all wonderful in the fact of a man famous for his + knowledge of metals being employed in such a capacity. Raymond was, at + this time, an old man, in his seventy-seventh year, and somewhat in his + dotage. He was willing enough to have it believed that he had discovered + the grand secret, and supported the rumour rather than contradicted it. He + did not long remain in England; but returned to Rome, to carry out the + projects which were nearer to his heart than the profession of alchymy. He + had proposed them to several successive Popes with little or no success. + The first was a plan for the introduction of the Oriental languages into + all the monasteries of Europe; the second, for the reduction into one of + all the military orders, that, being united, they might move more + efficaciously against the Saracens; and, the third, that the Sovereign + Pontiff should forbid the works of Averroes to be read in the schools, as + being more favourable to Mahometanism than to Christianity. The Pope did + not receive the old man with much cordiality; and, after remaining for + about two years in Rome, he proceeded once more to Africa, alone and + unprotected, to preach the Gospel of Jesus. He landed at Bona in 1314; and + so irritated the Mahometans by cursing their prophet, that they stoned + him, and left him for dead on the sea-shore. He was found some hours + afterwards by a party of Genoese merchants, who conveyed him on board + their vessel, and sailed towards Majorca. The unfortunate man still + breathed, but could not articulate. He lingered in this state for some + days, and expired just as the vessel arrived within sight of his native + shores. His body was conveyed with great pomp to the church of St. + Eulalia, at Palma, where a public funeral was instituted in his honour. + Miracles were afterwards said to have been worked at his tomb. + </p> + <p> + Thus ended the career of Raymond Lulli, one of the most extraordinary men + of his age; and, with the exception of his last boast about the six + millions of gold, the least inclined to quackery of any of the professors + of alchymy. His writings were very numerous, and include nearly five + hundred volumes, upon grammar, rhetoric, morals, theology, politics, civil + and canon law, physics, metaphysics, astronomy, medicine, and chemistry. + </p> + <p> + ROGER BACON. + </p> + <p> + The powerful delusion of alchymy seized upon a mind still greater than + that of Raymond Lulli. Roger Bacon firmly believed in the philosopher's + stone, and spent much of his time in search of it. His example helped to + render all the learned men of the time more convinced of its + practicability, and more eager in the pursuit. He was born at Ilchester, + in the county of Somerset, in the year 1214. He studied for some time in + the university of Oxford, and afterwards in that of Paris, in which he + received the degree of doctor of divinity. Returning to England in 1240, + he became a monk of the order of St. Francis. He was by far the most + learned man of his age; and his acquirements were so much above the + comprehension of his contemporaries, that they could only account for them + by supposing that he was indebted for them to the devil. Voltaire has not + inaptly designated him "De l'or encroute de toutes les ordures de son + siecle;" but the crust of superstition that enveloped his powerful mind, + though it may have dimmed, could not obscure the brightness of his genius. + To him, and apparently to him only, among all the inquiring spirits of the + time, were known the properties of the concave and convex lens. He also + invented the magic-lantern; that pretty plaything of modern days, which + acquired for him a reputation that embittered his life. In a history of + alchymy, the name of this great man cannot be omitted, although, unlike + many others of whom we shall have occasion to speak, he only made it + secondary to other pursuits. The love of universal knowledge that filled + his mind, would not allow him to neglect one branch of science, of which + neither he nor the world could yet see the absurdity. He made ample amends + for his time lost in this pursuit by his knowledge in physics and his + acquaintance with astronomy. The telescope, burning-glasses, and + gunpowder, are discoveries which may well carry his fame to the remotest + time, and make the world blind to the one spot of folly—the + diagnosis of the age in which he lived, and the circumstances by which he + was surrounded. His treatise on the "Admirable Power of Art and Nature in + the Production of the Philosopher's Stone" was translated into French by + Girard de Tormes, and published at Lyons in 1557. His "Mirror of Alchymy" + was also published in French in the same year, and in Paris in 1612, with + some additions from the works of Raymond Lulli. A complete list of all the + published treatises upon the subject may be seen in Lenglet du Fresnoy. + </p> + <p> + POPE JOHN XXII. + </p> + <p> + This Prelate is said to have been the friend and pupil of Arnold de + Villeneuve, by whom he was instructed in all the secrets of alchymy. + Tradition asserts of him, that he made great quantities of gold, and died + as rich as Croesus. He was born at Cahors, in the province of Guienne, in + the year 1244. He was a very eloquent preacher, and soon reached high + dignity in the Church. He wrote a work on the transmutation of metals, and + had a famous laboratory at Avignon. He issued two Bulls against the + numerous pretenders to the art, who had sprung up in every part of + Christendom; from which it might be inferred that he was himself free from + the delusion. The alchymists claim him, however, as one of the most + distinguished and successful professors of their art, and say that his + Bulls were not directed against the real adepts, but the false pretenders. + They lay particular stress upon these words in his Bull, "Spondent, quas + non exhibent, divitias, pauperes alchymistae." These, it is clear, they + say, relate only to poor alchymists, and therefore false ones. He died in + the year 1344, leaving in his coffers a sum of eighteen millions of + florins. Popular belief alleged that he had made, and not amassed, this + treasure; and alchymists complacently cite this as a proof that the + philosopher's stone was not such a chimera as the incredulous pretended. + They take it for granted that John really left this money, and ask by what + possible means he could have accumulated it. Replying to their own + question, they say triumphantly, "His book shows it was by alchymy, the + secrets of which he learned from Arnold de Villeneuve and Raymond Lulli. + But he was as prudent as all other hermetic philosophers. Whoever would + read his book to find out his secret, would employ all his labour in vain; + the Pope took good care not to divulge it." Unluckily for their own + credit, all these gold-makers are in the same predicament; their great + secret loses its worth most wonderfully in the telling, and therefore they + keep it snugly to themselves. Perhaps they thought that, if everybody + could transmute metals, gold would be so plentiful that it would be no + longer valuable, and that some new art would be requisite to transmute it + back again into steel and iron. If so, society is much indebted to them + for their forbearance. + </p> + <p> + JEAN DE MEUNG + </p> + <p> + All classes of men dabbled in the art at this time; the last mentioned was + a Pope, the one of whom we now speak was a poet. Jean de Meung, the + celebrated author of the "Roman de la Rose," was born in the year 1279 or + 1280, and was a great personage at the courts of Louis X, Philip the Long, + Charles IV, and Philip de Valois. His famous poem of the "Roman de la + Rose," which treats of every subject in vogue at that day, necessarily + makes great mention of alchymy. Jean was a firm believer in the art, and + wrote, besides his, "Roman," two shorter poems, the one entitled, "The + Remonstrance of Nature to the wandering Alchymist," and "The Reply of the + Alchymist to Nature." Poetry and alchymy were his delight, and priests and + women were his abomination. A pleasant story is related of him and the + ladies of the court of Charles IV. He had written the following libellous + couplet upon the fair sex:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Toutes etes, serez, ou futes + De fait ou de volonte, putains, + Et qui, tres bien vous chercherait + Toutes putains, vous trouverait." +</pre> + <p> + [These verses are but a coarser expression of the slanderous line of Pope, + that "every woman is at heart a rake."] + </p> + <p> + This naturally gave great offence; and being perceived one day, in the + King's antechamber, by some ladies who were waiting for an audience, they + resolved to punish him. To the number of ten or twelve, they armed + themselves with canes and rods; and surrounding the unlucky poet, called + upon the gentlemen present to strip him naked, that they might wreak just + vengeance upon him, and lash him through the streets of the town. Some of + the lords present were in no wise loth, and promised themselves great + sport from his punishment. But Jean de Meung was unmoved by their threats, + and stood up calmly in the midst of them, begging them to hear him first, + and then, if not satisfied, they might do as they liked with him. Silence + being restored, he stood upon a chair, and entered on his defence. He + acknowledged that he was the author of the obnoxious verses, but denied + that they bore reference to all womankind. He only meant to speak of the + vicious and abandoned, whereas those whom he saw around him, were patterns + of virtue, loveliness, and modesty. If, however, any lady present thought + herself aggrieved, he would consent to be stripped, and she might lash him + till her arms were wearied. It is added, that by this means Jean escaped + his flogging, and that the wrath of the fair ones immediately subsided. + The gentlemen present were, however, of opinion, that if every lady in the + room, whose character corresponded with the verses, had taken him at his + word, the poet would, in all probability, have been beaten to death. All + his life long he evinced a great animosity towards the priesthood, and his + famous poem abounds with passages reflecting upon their avarice, cruelty, + and immorality. At his death he left a large box, filled with some weighty + material, which he bequeathed to the Cordeliers, as a peace-offering, for + the abuse he had lavished upon them. As his practice of alchymy was + well-known, it was thought the box was filled with gold and silver, and + the Cordeliers congratulated each other on their rich acquisition. When it + came to be opened, they found to their horror that it was filled only with + slates, scratched with hieroglyphic and cabalistic characters. Indignant + at the insult, they determined to refuse him Christian burial, on pretence + that he was a sorcerer. He was, however, honourably buried in Paris, the + whole court attending his funeral. + </p> + <p> + NICHOLAS FLAMEL. + </p> + <p> + The story of this alchymist, as handed down by tradition, and enshrined in + the pages of Lenglet du Fresnoy, is not a little marvellous. He was born + at Pontoise of a poor but respectable family, at the end of the + thirteenth, or beginning of the fourteenth, century. Having no patrimony, + he set out for Paris at an early age, to try his fortune as a public + scribe. He had received a good education, was well skilled in the learned + languages, and was an excellent penman. He soon procured occupation as a + letter-writer and copyist, and used to sit at the corner of the Rue de + Marivaux, and practise his calling: but he hardly made profits enough to + keep body and soul together. To mend his fortunes he tried poetry; but + this was a more wretched occupation still. As a transcriber he had at + least gained bread and cheese; but his rhymes were not worth a crust. He + then tried painting with as little success; and as a last resource, began + to search for the philosopher's stone, and tell fortunes. This was a + happier idea; he soon increased in substance, and had wherewithal to live + comfortably. He, therefore, took unto himself his wife Petronella, and + began to save money; but continued to all outward appearance as poor and + miserable as before. In the course of a few years, he became desperately + addicted to the study of alchymy, and thought of nothing but the + philosopher's stone, the elixir of life, and the universal alkahest. In + the year 1257, he bought by chance an old book for two florins, which soon + became the sole study and object of his life. It was written with a steel + instrument upon the bark of trees, and contained twenty-one, or as he + himself always expressed it, three times seven, leaves. The writing was + very elegant and in the Latin language. Each seventh leaf contained a + picture and no writing. On the first of these was a serpent swallowing + rods; on the second, a cross with a serpent crucified; and on the third, + the representation of a desert, in the midst of which was a fountain with + serpents crawling from side to side. It purported to be written by no less + a personage than "Abraham, patriarch, Jew, prince, philosopher, priest, + Levite, and astrologer;" and invoked curses upon any one who should cast + eyes upon it, without being a sacrificer or a scribe. Nicholas Flamel + never thought it extraordinary that Abraham should have known Latin, and + was convinced that the characters on his book had been traced by the hands + of that great patriarch himself. He was at first afraid to read it, after + he became aware of the curse it contained; but he got over that difficulty + by recollecting that, although he was not a sacrificer, he had practised + as a scribe. As he read he was filled with admiration, and found that it + was a perfect treatise upon the transmutation of metals. All the process + was clearly explained; the vessels, the retorts, the mixtures, and the + proper times and seasons for the experiment. But as ill-luck would have + it, the possession of the philosopher's stone or prime agent in the work + was presupposed. This was a difficulty which was not to be got over. It + was like telling a starving man how to cook a beefsteak, instead of giving + him the money to buy one. But Nicholas did not despair; and set about + studying the hieroglyphics and allegorical representations with which the + book abounded. He soon convinced himself that it had been one of the + sacred books of the Jews, and that it was taken from the temple of + Jerusalem on its destruction by Titus. The process of reasoning by which + he arrived at this conclusion is not stated. + </p> + <p> + From some expression in the treatise, he learned that the allegorical + drawings on the fourth and fifth leaves, enshrined the secret of the + philosopher's stone, without which all the fine Latin of the directions + was utterly unavailing. He invited all the alchymists and learned men of + Paris to come and examine them, but they all departed as wise as they + came. Nobody could make anything either of Nicholas or his pictures; and + some even went so far as to say that his invaluable book was not worth a + farthing. This was not to be borne; and Nicholas resolved to discover the + great secret by himself, without troubling the philosophers. He found on + the first page, of the fourth leaf, the picture of Mercury, attacked by an + old man resembling Saturn or Time. The latter had an hourglass on his + head, and in his hand a scythe, with which he aimed a blow at Mercury's + feet. The reverse of the leaf represented a flower growing on a mountain + top, shaken rudely by the wind, with a blue stalk, red and white blossoms, + and leaves of pure gold. Around it were a great number of dragons and + griffins. On the first page of the fifth leaf was a fine garden, in the + midst of which was a rose tree in full bloom, supported against the trunk + of a gigantic oak. At the foot of this there bubbled up a fountain of + milk-white water, which forming a small stream, flowed through the garden, + and was afterwards lost in the sands. On the second page was a King, with + a sword in his hand, superintending a number of soldiers, who, in + execution of his orders, were killing a great multitude of young children, + spurning the prayers and tears of their mothers, who tried to save them + from destruction. The blood of the children was carefully collected by + another party of soldiers, and put into a large vessel, in which two + allegorical figures of the Sun and Moon were bathing themselves. + </p> + <p> + For twenty-one years poor Nicholas wearied himself with the study of these + pictures, but still he could make nothing of them. His wife Petronella at + last persuaded him to find out some learned Rabbi; but there was no Rabbi + in Paris learned enough to be of any service to him. The Jews met but + small encouragement to fix their abode in France, and all the chiefs of + that people were located in Spain. To Spain accordingly Nicholas Flamel + repaired. He left his book in Paris for fear, perhaps, that he might be + robbed of it on the road; and telling his neighbours that he was going on + a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James of Compostello, he trudged on foot + towards Madrid in search of a Rabbi. He was absent two years in that + country, and made himself known to a great number of Jews, descendants of + those who had been expelled from France in the reign of Philip Augustus. + The believers in the philosopher's stone give the following account of his + adventures:—They say that at Leon he made the acquaintance of a + converted Jew, named Cauches, a very learned physician, to whom he + explained the title and the nature of his little book. The Doctor was + transported with joy as soon as he heard it named, and immediately + resolved to accompany Nicholas to Paris, that he might have a sight of it. + The two set out together; the Doctor on the way entertaining his companion + with the history of his book, which, if the genuine book he thought it to + be, from the description he had heard of it, was in the handwriting of + Abraham himself, and had been in the possession of personages no less + distinguished than Moses, Joshua, Solomon, and Esdras. It contained all + the secrets of alchymy and of many other sciences, and was the most + valuable book that had ever existed in this world. The Doctor was himself + no mean adept, and Nicholas profited greatly by his discourse, as in the + garb of poor pilgrims they wended their way to Paris, convinced of their + power to turn every old shovel in that capital into pure gold. But, + unfortunately, when they reached Orleans, the Doctor was taken dangerously + ill. Nicholas watched by his bedside, and acted the double part of a + physician and nurse to him; but he died after a few days, lamenting with + his last breath that he had not lived long enough to see the precious + volume. Nicholas rendered the last honours to his body; and with a + sorrowful heart, and not one sous in his pocket, proceeded home to his + wife Petronella. He immediately recommenced the study of his pictures; but + for two whole years he was as far from understanding them as ever. At + last, in the third year, a glimmer of light stole over his understanding. + He recalled some expression of his friend, the Doctor, which had hitherto + escaped his memory, and he found that all his previous experiments had + been conducted on a wrong basis. He recommenced them now with renewed + energy, and at the end of the year had the satisfaction to see all his + toils rewarded. On the 13th January 1382, says Lenglet, he made a + projection on mercury, and had some very excellent silver. On the 25th + April following, he converted a large quantity of mercury into gold, and + the great secret was his. + </p> + <p> + Nicholas was now about eighty years of age, and still a hale and stout old + man. His friends say that, by the simultaneous discovery of the elixir of + life, he found means to keep death at a distance for another quarter of a + century; and that he died in 1415, at the age of 116. In this interval he + had made immense quantities of gold, though to all outward appearance he + was as poor as a mouse. At an early period of his changed fortune, he had, + like a worthy man, taken counsel with his old wife Petronella, as to the + best use he could make of his wealth. Petronella replied, that as + unfortunately they had no children, the best thing he could do, was to + build hospitals and endow churches. Nicholas thought so too, especially + when he began to find that his elixir could not keep off death, and that + the grim foe was making rapid advances upon him. He richly endowed the + church of St. Jacques de la Boucherie, near the Rue de Marivaux, where he + had all his life resided, besides seven others in different parts of the + kingdom. He also endowed fourteen hospitals, and built three chapels. + </p> + <p> + The fame of his great wealth and his munificent benefactions soon spread + over all the country, and he was visited, among others, by the celebrated + Doctors of that day, Jean Gerson, Jean de Courtecuisse, and Pierre + d'Ailli. They found him in his humble apartment, meanly clad, and eating + porridge out of an earthen vessel; and with regard to his secret, as + impenetrable as all his predecessors in alchymy. His fame reached the ears + of the King, Charles VI, who sent M. de Cramoisi, the Master of Requests, + to find out whether Nicholas had indeed discovered the philosopher's + stone. But M. de Cramoisi took nothing by his visit; all his attempts to + sound the alchymist were unavailing, and he returned to his royal master + no wiser than he came. It was in this year, 1414, that he lost his + faithful Petronella. He did not long survive her; but died in the + following year, and was buried with great pomp by the grateful priests of + St. Jacques de la Boucherie. + </p> + <p> + The great wealth of Nicholas Flamel is undoubted, as the records of + several churches and hospitals in France can testify. That he practised + alchymy is equally certain, as he left behind several works upon the + subject. + </p> + <p> + Those who knew him well, and who were incredulous about the philosopher's + stone, give a very satisfactory solution of the secret of his wealth. They + say that he was always a miser and a usurer; that his journey to Spain was + undertaken with very different motives from those pretended by the + alchymists; that, in fact, he went to collect debts due from Jews in that + country to their brethren in Paris, and that he charged a commission of + fully cent. per cent. in consideration of the difficulty of collecting and + the dangers of the road; that when he possessed thousands, he lived upon + almost nothing; and was the general money-lender, at enormous profits, of + all the dissipated young men at the French court. + </p> + <p> + Among the works written by Nicholas Flamel on the subject of alchymy, is + "The Philosophic Summary," a poem, reprinted in 1735, as an appendix to + the third volume of the "Roman de la Rose." He also wrote three treatises + upon natural philosophy, and an alchymic allegory, entitled "Le Desir + desire." Specimens of his writing, and a fac-simile of the drawings in his + book of Abraham, may be seen in Salmon's "Bibliotheque des Philosophes + Chimiques." The writer of the article, "Flamel," in the "Biographie + Universelle," says that, for a hundred years after the death of Flamel, + many of the adepts believed that he was still alive, and that he would + live for upwards of six hundred years. The house he formerly occupied, at + the corner of the Rue de Marivaux, has been often taken by credulous + speculators, and ransacked from top to bottom, in the hopes that gold + might be found. A report was current in Paris, not long previous to the + year 1816, that some lodgers had found in the cellars several jars filled + with a dark-coloured ponderous matter. Upon the strength of the rumour, a + believer in all the wondrous tales told of Nicholas Flamel bought the + house, and nearly pulled it to pieces in ransacking the walls and + wainscotting for hidden gold. He got nothing for his pains, however, and + had a heavy bill to pay to restore his dilapidations. + </p> + <p> + GEORGE RIPLEY. + </p> + <p> + While alchymy was thus cultivated on the continent of Europe, it was not + neglected in the isles of Britain. Since the time of Roger Bacon, it had + fascinated the imagination of many ardent men in England. In the year + 1404, an act of parliament was passed, declaring the making of gold and + silver to be felony. Great alarm was felt at that time lest any alchymist + should succeed in his projects, and perhaps bring ruin upon the state, by + furnishing boundless wealth to some designing tyrant, who would make use + of it to enslave his country. This alarm appears to have soon subsided; + for, in the year 1455, King Henry VI, by advice of his council and + parliament, granted four successive patents and commissions to several + knights, citizens of London, chemists, monks, mass-priests, and others, to + find out the philosopher's stone and elixir, "to the great benefit," said + the patent, "of the realm, and the enabling of the King to pay all the + debts of the Crown in real gold and silver." Prinn, in his "Aurum + Reginae," observes, as a note to this passage, that the King's reason for + granting this patent to ecclesiastics was, that they were such good + artists in transubstantiating bread and wine in the Eucharist, and + therefore the more likely to be able to effect the transmutation of baser + metals into better. No gold, of course, was ever made; and, next year, the + King, doubting very much of the practicability of the thing, took further + advice, and appointed a commission of ten learned men, and persons of + eminence, to judge and certify to him whether the transmutation of metals + were a thing practicable or no. It does not appear whether the commission + ever made any report upon the subject. + </p> + <p> + In the succeeding reign, an alchymist appeared who pretended to have + discovered the secret. This was George Ripley, the canon of Bridlington, + in Yorkshire. He studied for twenty years in the universities of Italy, + and was a great favourite with Pope Innocent VIII, who made him one of his + domestic chaplains, and master of the ceremonies in his household. + Returning to England in 1477, he dedicated to King Edward IV. his famous + work, "The Compound of Alchymy; or, the Twelve Gates leading to the + Discovery of the Philosopher's Stone." These gates he described to be + calcination, solution, separation, conjunction, putrefaction, congelation, + cibation, sublimation, fermentation, exaltation, multiplication, and + projection! to which he might have added botheration, the most important + process of all. He was very rich, and allowed it to be believed that he + could make gold out of iron. Fuller, in his "Worthies of England," says + that an English gentleman of good credit reported that, in his travels + abroad, he saw a record in the island of Malta, which declared that Ripley + gave yearly to the knights of that island, and of Rhodes, the enormous sum + of one hundred thousand pounds sterling, to enable them to carry on the + war against the Turks. In his old age, he became an anchorite near Boston, + and wrote twenty-five volumes upon the subject of alchymy, the most + important of which is the "Duodecim Portarum," already mentioned. Before + he died, he seems to have acknowledged that he had misspent his life in + this vain study, and requested that all men, when they met with any of his + books, would burn them, or afford them no credit, as they had been written + merely from his opinion, and not from proof; and that subsequent trial had + made manifest to him that they were false and vain. [Fuller's "Worthies of + England."] + </p> + <p> + BASIL VALENTINE. + </p> + <p> + Germany also produced many famous alchymists in the fifteenth century, the + chief of whom are Basil Valentine, Bernard of Treves, and the Abbot + Trithemius. Basil Valentine was born at Mayence, and was made prior of St. + Peter's, at Erfurt, about the year 1414. It was known, during his life, + that he diligently sought the philosopher's stone, and that he had written + some works upon the process of transmutation. They were thought, for many + years, to be lost; but were, after his death, discovered enclosed in the + stone work of one of the pillars in the Abbey. They were twenty-one in + number, and are fully set forth in the third volume of Lenglet's "History + of the Hermetic Philosophy." The alchymists asserted, that Heaven itself + conspired to bring to light these extraordinary works; and that the pillar + in which they were enclosed was miraculously shattered by a thunderbolt; + and that, as soon as the manuscripts were liberated, the pillar closed up + again of its own accord! + </p> + <p> + BERNARD of TREVES. + </p> + <p> + The life of this philosopher is a remarkable instance of talent and + perseverance misapplied. In the search of his chimera nothing could daunt + him. Repeated disappointment never diminished his hopes; and, from the age + of fourteen to that of eighty-five, he was incessantly employed among the + drugs and furnaces of his laboratory, wasting his life with the view of + prolonging it, and reducing himself to beggary in the hopes of growing + rich. + </p> + <p> + He was born at either Treves or Padua, in the year 1406. His father is + said by some to have been a physician in the latter city; and by others, + to have been Count of the Marches of Treves, and one of the most wealthy + nobles of his country. At all events, whether noble or physician, he was a + rich man, and left his son a magnificent estate. At the age of fourteen he + first became enamoured of the science of alchymy, and read the Arabian + authors in their own language. He himself has left a most interesting + record of his labours and wanderings, from which the following particulars + are chiefly extracted:—The first book which fell into his hands, was + that of the Arabian philosopher, Rhazes, from the reading of which he + imagined that he had discovered the means of augmenting gold a hundred + fold. For four years he worked in his laboratory, with the book of Rhazes + continually before him. At the end of that time, he found that he had + spent no less than eight hundred crowns upon his experiment, and had got + nothing but fire and smoke for his pains. He now began to lose confidence + in Rhazes, and turned to the works of Geber. He studied him assiduously + for two years; and, being young, rich, and credulous, was beset by all the + chymists of the town, who kindly assisted him in spending his money. He + did not lose his faith in Geber, or patience with his hungry assistants, + until he had lost two thousand crowns—a very considerable sum in + those days. + </p> + <p> + Among all the crowd of pretended men of science who surrounded him, there + was but one as enthusiastic and as disinterested as himself. With this + man, who was a monk of the order of St. Francis, he contracted an intimate + friendship, and spent nearly all his time. Some obscure treatises of + Rupecissa and Sacrobosco having fallen into their hands, they were + persuaded, from reading them, that highly rectified spirits of wine was + the universal alkahest, or dissolvent, which would aid them greatly in the + process of transmutation. They rectified the alcohol thirty times, till + they made it so strong as to burst the vessels which contained it. After + they had worked three years, and spent three hundred crowns in the liquor, + they discovered that they were on the wrong track. They next tried alum + and copperas; but the great secret still escaped them. They afterwards + imagined that there was a marvellous virtue in all excrement, especially + the human, and actually employed more than two years in experimentalizing + upon it, with mercury, salt, and molten lead! Again the adepts flocked + around him from far and near, to aid him with their counsels. He received + them all hospitably, and divided his wealth among them so generously and + unhesitatingly, that they gave him the name of the "good Trevisan," by + which he is still often mentioned in works that treat on alchymy. For + twelve years he led this life, making experiments every day upon some new + substance, and praying to God night and morning that he might discover the + secret of transmutation. + </p> + <p> + In this interval he lost his friend the monk, and was joined by a + magistrate of the city of Treves, as ardent as himself in the search. His + new acquaintance imagined that the ocean was the mother of gold, and that + sea-salt would change lead or iron into the precious metals. Bernard + resolved to try; and, transporting his laboratory to a house on the coast + of the Baltic, he worked upon salt for more than a year, melting it, + sublimating it, crystalizing it, and occasionally drinking it, for the + sake of other experiments. Still the strange enthusiast was not wholly + discouraged, and his failure in one trial only made him the more anxious + to attempt another. + </p> + <p> + He was now approaching the age of fifty, and had as yet seen nothing of + the world. He, therefore, determined to travel through Germany, Italy, + France, and Spain. Wherever he stopped he made inquiries whether there + were any alchymists in the neighbourhood. He invariably sought them out; + and, if they were poor, relieved, and, if affluent, encouraged them. At + Citeaux he became acquainted with one Geoffrey Leuvier, a monk of that + place, who persuaded him that the essence of egg-shells was a valuable + ingredient. He tried, therefore, what could be done; and was only + prevented from wasting a year or two on the experiment by the opinions of + an attorney, at Berghem, in Flanders, who said that the great secret + resided in vinegar and copperas. He was not convinced of the absurdity of + this idea until he had nearly poisoned himself. He resided in France for + about five years, when, hearing accidentally that one Master Henry, + confessor to the Emperor Frederic III, had discovered the philosopher's + stone, he set out for Germany to pay him a visit. He had, as usual, + surrounded himself with a set of hungry dependants, several of whom + determined to accompany him. He had not heart to refuse them, and he + arrived at Vienna with five of them. Bernard sent a polite invitation to + the confessor, and gave him a sumptuous entertainment, at which were + present nearly all the alchymists of Vienna. Master Henry frankly + confessed that he had not discovered the philosopher's stone, but that he + had all his life been employed in searching for it, and would so continue, + till he found it;—or died. This was a man after Bernard's own heart, + and they vowed with each other an eternal friendship. It was resolved, at + supper, that each alchymist present should contribute a certain sum + towards raising forty-two marks of gold, which, in five days, it was + confidently asserted by Master Henry, would increase, in his furnace, five + fold. Bernard, being the richest man, contributed the lion's share, ten + marks of gold, Master Henry five, and the others one or two a piece, + except the dependants of Bernard, who were obliged to borrow their quota + from their patron. The grand experiment was duly made; the golden marks + were put into a crucible, with a quantity of salt, copperas, aquafortis, + egg-shells, mercury, lead, and dung. The alchymists watched this precious + mess with intense interest, expecting that it would agglomerate into one + lump of pure gold. At the end of three weeks they gave up the trial, upon + some excuse that the crucible was not strong enough, or that some + necessary ingredient was wanting. Whether any thief had put his hands into + the crucible is not known, but it is certain that the gold found therein + at the close of the experiment was worth only sixteen marks, instead of + the forty-two, which were put there at the beginning. + </p> + <p> + Bernard, though he made no gold at Vienna, made away with a very + considerable quantity. He felt the loss so acutely, that he vowed to think + no more of the philosopher's stone. This wise resolution he kept for two + months; but he was miserable. He was in the condition of the gambler, who + cannot resist the fascination of the game while he has a coin remaining, + but plays on with the hope of retrieving former losses, till hope forsakes + him, and he can live no longer. He returned once more to his beloved + crucibles, and resolved to prosecute his journey in search of a + philosopher who had discovered the secret, and would communicate it to so + zealous and persevering an adept as himself. From Vienna he travelled to + Rome, and from Rome to Madrid. Taking ship at Gibraltar, he proceeded to + Messina; from Messina to Cyprus; from Cyprus to Greece; from Greece to + Constantinople; and thence into Egypt, Palestine, and Persia. These + wanderings occupied him about eight years. From Persia he made his way + back to Messina, and from thence into France. He afterwards passed over + into England, still in search of his great chimera; and this occupied four + years more of his life. He was now growing both old and poor; for he was + sixty-two years of age, and had been obliged to sell a great portion of + his patrimony to provide for his expenses. His journey to Persia had cost + upwards of thirteen thousand crowns, about one-half of which had been + fairly melted in his all-devouring furnaces: the other half was lavished + upon the sycophants that he made it his business to search out in every + town he stopped at. + </p> + <p> + On his return to Treves he found, to his sorrow, that, if not an actual + beggar, he was not much better. His relatives looked upon him as a madman, + and refused even to see him. Too proud to ask for favours from any one, + and still confident that, some day or other, he would be the possessor of + unbounded wealth, he made up his mind to retire to the island of Rhodes, + where he might, in the mean time, hide his poverty from the eyes of all + the world. Here he might have lived unknown and happy; but, as ill luck + would have it, he fell in with a monk as mad as himself upon the subject + of transmutation. They were, however, both so poor that they could not + afford to buy the proper materials to work with. They kept up each other's + spirits by learned discourses on the Hermetic Philosophy, and in the + reading of all the great authors who had written upon the subject. Thus + did they nurse their folly, as the good wife of Tam O'Shanter did her + wrath, "to keep it warm." After Bernard had resided about a year in + Rhodes, a merchant, who knew his family, advanced him the sum of eight + thousand florins, upon the security of the last-remaining acres of his + formerly large estate. Once more provided with funds, he recommenced his + labours with all the zeal and enthusiasm of a young man. For three years + he hardly stepped out of his laboratory: he ate there, and slept there, + and did not even give himself time to wash his hands and clean his beard, + so intense was his application. It is melancholy to think that such + wonderful perseverance should have been wasted in so vain a pursuit, and + that energies so unconquerable should have had no worthier field to strive + in. Even when he had fumed away his last coin, and had nothing left in + prospective to keep his old age from starvation, hope never forsook him. + He still dreamed of ultimate success, and sat down a greyheaded man of + eighty, to read over all the authors on the hermetic mysteries, from Geber + to his own day, lest he should have misunderstood some process, which it + was not yet too late to recommence. The alchymists say, that he succeeded + at last, and discovered the secret of transmutation in his eighty-second + year. They add, that he lived three years afterwards to enjoy his wealth. + He lived, it is true, to this great age, and made a valuable discovery—more + valuable than gold or gems. He learned, as he himself informs us, just + before he had attained his eighty-third year, that the great secret of + philosophy was contentment with our lot. Happy would it have been for him + if he had discovered it sooner, and before he became decrepit, a beggar, + and an exile! + </p> + <p> + He died at Rhodes, in the year 1490, and all the alchymists of Europe sang + elegies over him, and sounded his praise as the "good Trevisan." He wrote + several treatises upon his chimera, the chief of which are, the "Book of + Chemistry," the "Verbum dimissum," and an essay "De Natura Ovi." + </p> + <p> + TRITHEMIUS. + </p> + <p> + The name of this eminent man has become famous in the annals of alchymy, + although he did but little to gain so questionable an honour. He was born + in the year 1462, at the village of Trittheim, in the electorate of + Treves. His father was John Heidenberg, a vine-grower, in easy + circumstances, who, dying when his son was but seven years old, left him + to the care of his mother. The latter married again very shortly + afterwards, and neglected the poor boy, the offspring of her first + marriage. At the age of fifteen he did not even know his letters, and was, + besides, half starved, and otherwise ill-treated by his step-father; but + the love of knowledge germinated in the breast of the unfortunate youth, + and he learned to read at the house of a neighbour. His father-in-law set + him to work in the vineyards, and thus occupied all his days; but the + nights were his own. He often stole out unheeded, when all the household + were fast asleep, poring over his studies in the fields, by the light of + the moon; and thus taught himself Latin and the rudiments of Greek. He was + subjected to so much ill-usage at home, in consequence of this love of + study, that he determined to leave it. Demanding the patrimony which his + father had left him, he proceeded to Treves; and, assuming the name of + Trithemius, from that of his native village of Trittheim, lived there for + some months, under the tuition of eminent masters, by whom he was prepared + for the university. At the age of twenty, he took it into his head that he + should like to see his mother once more; and he set out on foot from the + distant university for that purpose. On his arrival near Spannheim, late + in the evening of a gloomy winter's day, it came on to snow so thickly, + that he could not proceed onwards to the town. He, therefore, took refuge + for the night in a neighbouring monastery; but the storm continued several + days, the roads became impassable, and the hospitable monks would not hear + of his departure. He was so pleased with them and their manner of life, + that he suddenly resolved to fix his abode among them, and renounce the + world. They were no less pleased with him, and gladly received him as a + brother. In the course of two years, although still so young, he was + unanimously elected their Abbot. The financial affairs of the + establishment had been greatly neglected, the walls of the building were + falling into ruin, and everything was in disorder. Trithemius, by his good + management and regularity, introduced a reform in every branch of + expenditure. The monastery was repaired, and a yearly surplus, instead of + a deficiency, rewarded him for his pains. He did not like to see the monks + idle, or occupied solely between prayers for their business, and chess for + their relaxation. He, therefore, set them to work to copy the writings of + eminent authors. They laboured so assiduously, that, in the course of a + few years, their library, which had contained only about forty volumes, + was enriched with several hundred valuable manuscripts, comprising many of + the classical Latin authors, besides the works of the early fathers, and + the principal historians and philosophers of more modern date. He retained + the dignity of Abbot of Spannheim for twenty-one years, when the monks, + tired of the severe discipline he maintained, revolted against him, and + chose another abbot in his place. He was afterwards made Abbot of St. + James, in Wurtzburg, where he died in 1516. + </p> + <p> + During his learned leisure at Spannheim, he wrote several works upon the + occult sciences, the chief of which are an essay on geomancy, or + divination by means of lines and circles on the ground; another upon + sorcery; a third upon alchymy; and a fourth upon the government of the + world by its presiding angels, which was translated into English, and + published by the famous William Lilly in 1647. + </p> + <p> + It has been alleged by the believers in the possibility of transmutation, + that the prosperity of the abbey of Spannheim, while under his + superintendence, was owing more to the philosopher's stone than to wise + economy. Trithemius, in common with many other learned men, has been + accused of magic; and a marvellous story is told of his having raised from + the grave the form of Mary of Burgundy, at the intercession of her widowed + husband, the Emperor Maximilian. His work on steganographia, or cabalistic + writing, was denounced to the Count Palatine, Frederic II, as magical and + devilish; and it was by him taken from the shelves of his library and + thrown into the fire. Trithemius is said to be the first writer who makes + mention of the wonderful story of the devil and Dr. Faustus, the truth of + which he firmly believed. He also recounts the freaks of a spirit, named + Hudekin, by whom he was at times tormented. [Biographie Universelle] + </p> + <p> + THE MARECHAL DE RAYS. + </p> + <p> + One of the greatest encouragers of alchymy in the fifteenth century was + Gilles de Laval, Lord of Rays and a Marshal of France. His name and deeds + are little known; but in the annals of crime and folly, they might claim + the highest and worst pro-eminence. Fiction has never invented anything + wilder or more horrible than his career; and were not the details but too + well authenticated by legal and other documents which admit no doubt, the + lover of romance might easily imagine they were drawn to please him from + the stores of the prolific brain, and not from the page of history. + </p> + <p> + He was born about the year 1420, of one of the noblest families of + Brittany. His father dying when Gilles had attained his twentieth year, he + came into uncontrolled possession, at that early age, of a fortune which + the monarchs of France might have envied him. He was a near kinsman of the + Montmorencys, the Roncys, and the Craons; possessed fifteen princely + domains, and had an annual revenue of about three hundred thousand livres. + Besides this, he was handsome, learned, and brave. He distinguished + himself greatly in the wars of Charles VII, and was rewarded by that + monarch with the dignity of a marshal of France. But he was extravagant + and magnificent in his style of living, and accustomed from his earliest + years to the gratification of every wish and passion; and this, at last, + led him from vice to vice, and from crime to crime, till a blacker name + than his is not to be found in any record of human iniquity. + </p> + <p> + In his castle of Champtoce, he lived with all the splendour of an Eastern + Caliph. He kept up a troop of two hundred horsemen to accompany him + wherever he went; and his excursions for the purposes of hawking and + hunting were the wonder of all the country around, so magnificent were the + caparisons of his steeds and the dresses of his retainers. Day and night, + his castle was open all the year round to comers of every degree. He made + it a rule to regale even the poorest beggar with wine and hippocrass. + Every day an ox was roasted whole in his spacious kitchens, besides sheep, + pigs, and poultry sufficient to feed five hundred persons. He was equally + magnificent in his devotions. His private chapel at Champtoce was the most + beautiful in France, and far surpassed any of those in the richly-endowed + cathedrals of Notre Dame in Paris, of Amiens, of Beauvais, or of Rouen. It + was hung with cloth of gold and rich velvet. All the chandeliers were of + pure gold, curiously inlaid with silver. The great crucifix over the altar + was of solid silver, and the chalices and incense-burners were of pure + gold. He had, besides, a fine organ, which he caused to be carried from + one castle to another, on the shoulders of six men, whenever he changed + his residence. He kept up a choir of twenty-five young children of both + sexes, who were instructed in singing by the first musicians of the day. + The master of his chapel he called a bishop, who had under him his deans, + archdeacons, and vicars, each receiving great salaries; the bishop four + hundred crowns a year, and the rest in proportion. + </p> + <p> + He also maintained a whole troop of players, including ten dancing-girls + and as many ballad-singers, besides morris-dancers, jugglers, and + mountebanks of every description. The theatre on which they performed was + fitted up without any regard to expense; and they played mysteries, or + danced the morris-dance, every evening, for the amusement of himself and + household, and such strangers as were sharing his prodigal hospitality. + </p> + <p> + At the age of twenty-three, he married Catherine, the wealthy heiress of + the house of Touars, for whom he refurnished his castle at an expense of a + hundred thousand crowns. His marriage was the signal for new extravagance, + and he launched out more madly than ever he had done before; sending for + fine singers or celebrated dancers from foreign countries to amuse him and + his spouse, and instituting tilts and tournaments in his great court-yard + almost every week for all the knights and nobles of the province of + Brittany. The Duke of Brittany's court was not half so splendid as that of + the Marechal de Rays. His utter disregard of wealth was so well known that + he was made to pay three times its value for everything he purchased. His + castle was filled with needy parasites and panderers to his pleasures, + amongst whom he lavished rewards with an unsparing hand. But the ordinary + round of sensual gratification ceased at last to afford him delight: he + was observed to be more abstemious in the pleasures of the table, and to + neglect the beauteous dancing-girls who used formerly to occupy so much of + his attention. He was sometimes gloomy and reserved; and there was an + unnatural wildness in his eye which gave indications of incipient madness. + Still, his discourse was as reasonable as ever; his urbanity to the guests + that flocked from far and near to Champtoce suffered no diminution; and + learned priests, when they conversed with him, thought to themselves that + few of the nobles of France were so well-informed as Gilles de Laval. But + dark rumours spread gradually over the country; murder, and, if possible, + still more atrocious deeds were hinted at; and it was remarked that many + young children, of both sexes, suddenly disappeared, and were never + afterwards heard of. One or two had been traced to the castle of + Champtoce, and had never been seen to leave it; but no one dared to accuse + openly so powerful a man as the Marechal de Rays. Whenever the subject of + the lost children was mentioned in his presence, he manifested the + greatest astonishment at the mystery which involved their fate, and + indignation against those who might be guilty of kidnapping them. Still + the world was not wholly deceived; his name became as formidable to young + children as that of the devouring ogre in fairy tales; and they were + taught to go miles round, rather than pass under the turrets of Champtoce. + </p> + <p> + In the course of a very few years, the reckless extravagance of the + Marshal drained him of all his funds, and he was obliged to put up some of + his estates for sale. The Duke of Brittany entered into a treaty with him + for the valuable seignory of Ingrande; but the heirs of Gilles implored + the interference of Charles VII. to stay the sale. Charles immediately + issued an edict, which was confirmed by the Provincial Parliament of + Brittany, forbidding him to alienate his paternal estates. Gilles had no + alternative but to submit. He had nothing to support his extravagance but + his allowance as a Marshal of France, which did not cover the one-tenth of + his expenses. A man of his habits and character could not retrench his + wasteful expenditure and live reasonably; he could not dismiss without a + pang his horsemen, his jesters, his morris-dancers, his choristers, and + his parasites, or confine his hospitality to those who really needed it. + Notwithstanding his diminished resources, he resolved to live as he had + lived before, and turn alchymist, that he might make gold out of iron, and + be still the wealthiest and most magnificent among the nobles of Brittany. + </p> + <p> + In pursuance of this determination he sent to Paris, Italy, Germany, and + Spain, inviting all the adepts in the science to visit him at Champtoce. + The messengers he despatched on this mission were two of his most needy + and unprincipled dependants, Gilles de Sille and Roger de Bricqueville. + The latter, the obsequious panderer to his most secret and abominable + pleasures, he had intrusted with the education of his motherless daughter, + a child but five years of age, with permission, that he might marry her at + the proper time to any person he chose, or to himself if he liked it + better. This man entered into the new plans of his master with great zeal, + and introduced to him one Prelati, an alchymist of Padua, and a physician + of Poitou, who was addicted to the same pursuits. The Marshal caused a + splendid laboratory to be fitted up for them, and the three commenced the + search for the philosopher's stone. They were soon afterwards joined by + another pretended philosopher, named Anthony of Palermo, who aided in + their operations for upwards of a year. They all fared sumptuously at the + Marshal's expense, draining him of the ready money he possessed, and + leading him on from day to day with the hope that they would succeed in + the object of their search. From time to time new aspirants from the + remotest parts of Europe arrived at his castle, and for months he had + upwards of twenty alchymists at work—trying to transmute copper into + gold, and wasting the gold, which was still his own, in drugs and elixirs. + </p> + <p> + But the Lord of Rays was not a man to abide patiently their lingering + processes. Pleased with their comfortable quarters, they jogged on from + day to day, and would have done so for years, had they been permitted. But + he suddenly dismissed them all, with the exception of the Italian Prelati, + and the physician of Poitou. These he retained to aid him to discover the + secret of the philosopher's stone by a bolder method. The Poitousan had + persuaded him that the devil was the great depositary of that and all + other secrets, and that he would raise him before Gilles, who might enter + into any contract he pleased with him. Gilles expressed his readiness, and + promised to give the devil anything but his soul, or do any deed that the + arch-enemy might impose upon him. Attended solely by the physician, he + proceeded at midnight to a wild-looking place in a neighbouring forest; + the physician drew a magic circle around them on the sward, and muttered + for half an hour an invocation to the Evil Spirit to arise at his bidding, + and disclose the secrets of alchymy. Gilles looked on with intense + interest, and expected every moment to see the earth open, and deliver to + his gaze the great enemy of mankind. At last the eyes of the physician + became fixed, his hair stood on end, and he spoke, as if addressing the + fiend. But Gilles saw nothing except his companion. At last the physician + fell down on the sward as if insensible. Gilles looked calmly on to see + the end. After a few minutes the physician arose, and asked him if he had + not seen how angry the devil looked? Gilles replied, that he had seen + nothing; upon which his companion informed him that Beelzebub had appeared + in the form of a wild leopard, growled at him savagely, and said nothing; + and that the reason why the Marshal had neither seen nor heard him, was + that he hesitated in his own mind as to devoting himself entirely to the + service. De Rays owned that he had indeed misgivings, and inquired what + was to be done to make the devil speak out, and unfold his secret? The + physician replied, that some person must go to Spain and Africa to collect + certain herbs which only grew in those countries, and offered to go + himself, if De Rays would provide the necessary funds. De Rays at once + consented; and the physician set out on the following day with all the + gold that his dupe could spare him. The Marshal never saw his face again. + </p> + <p> + But the eager Lord of Champtoce could not rest. Gold was necessary for his + pleasures; and unless, by supernatural aid, he had no means of procuring + many further supplies. The physician was hardly twenty leagues on his + journey, before Gilles resolved to make another effort to force the devil + to divulge the art of gold making. He went out alone for that purpose, but + all his conjurations were of no effect. Beelzebub was obstinate, and would + not appear. Determined to conquer him if he could, he unbosomed himself to + the Italian alchymist, Prelati. The latter offered to undertake the + business, upon condition that De Rays did not interfere in the + conjurations, and consented besides to furnish him with all the charms and + talismans that might be required. He was further to open a vein in his + arm, and sign with his blood a contract that he would work the devil's + will in all things, and offer up to him a sacrifice of the heart, lungs, + hands, eyes, and blood of a young child. The grasping monomaniac made no + hesitation; but agreed at once to the disgusting terms proposed to him. On + the following night, Prelati went out alone; and after having been absent + for three or four hours, returned to Gilles, who sat anxiously awaiting + him. Prelati then informed him that he had seen the devil in the shape of + a handsome youth of twenty. He further said, that the devil desired to be + called Barron in all future invocations; and had shown him a great number + of ingots of pure gold, buried under a large oak in the neighbouring + forest, all of which, and as many more as he desired, should become the + property of the Marechal de Rays if he remained firm, and broke no + condition of the contract. Prelati further showed him a small casket of + black dust, which would turn iron into gold; but as the process was very + troublesome, he advised that they should be contented with the ingots they + found under the oak tree, and which would more than supply all the wants + that the most extravagant imagination could desire. They were not, + however, to attempt to look for the gold till a period of seven times + seven weeks, or they would find nothing but slates and stones for their + pains. Gilles expressed the utmost chagrin and disappointment, and at once + said that he could not wait for so long a period; if the devil were not + more prompt, Prelati might tell him, that the Marechal de Rays was not to + be trifled with, and would decline all further communication with him. + Prelati at last persuaded him to wait seven times seven days. They then + went at midnight with picks and shovels to dig up the ground under the + oak, where they found nothing to reward them but a great quantity of + slates, marked with hieroglyphics. It was now Prelati's turn to be angry; + and he loudly swore that the devil was nothing but a liar and a cheat. The + Marshal joined cordially in the opinion, but was easily persuaded by the + cunning Italian to make one more trial. He promised at the same time that + he would endeavour, on the following night, to discover the reason why the + devil had broken his word. He went out alone accordingly, and on his + return informed his patron that he had seen Barron, who was exceedingly + angry that they had not waited the proper time ere they looked for the + ingots. Barron had also said, that the Marechal de Rays could hardly + expect any favours from him, at a time when he must know that he had been + meditating a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to make atonement for his sins. + The Italian had doubtless surmised this, from some incautious expression + of his patron, for De Rays frankly confessed that there were times when, + sick of the world and all its pomps and vanities, he thought of devoting + himself to the service of God. + </p> + <p> + In this manner the Italian lured on from month to month his credulous and + guilty patron, extracting from him all the valuables he possessed, and + only waiting a favourable opportunity to decamp with his plunder. But the + day of retribution was at hand for both. Young girls and boys continued to + disappear in the most mysterious manner; and the rumours against the owner + of Champtoce grew so loud and distinct, that the Church was compelled to + interfere. Representations were made by the Bishop of Nantes to the Duke + of Brittany, that it would be a public scandal if the accusations against + the Marechal de Rays were not inquired into. He was arrested accordingly + in his own castle, along with his accomplice Prelati, and thrown into a + dungeon at Nantes to await his trial. + </p> + <p> + The judges appointed to try him were the Bishop of Nantes Chancellor of + Brittany, the Vicar of the Inquisition in France, and the celebrated + Pierre l'Hopital, the President of the Provincial Parliament. The offences + laid to his charge were sorcery, sodomy, and murder. Gilles, on the first + day of his trial, conducted himself with the utmost insolence. He braved + the judges on the judgment seat, calling them simoniacs and persons of + impure life, and said he would rather be hanged by the neck like a dog + without trial, than plead either guilty or not guilty to such contemptible + miscreants. But his confidence forsook him as the trial proceeded, and he + was found guilty on the clearest evidence of all the crimes laid to his + charge. It was proved that he took insane pleasure in stabbing the victims + of his lust, and in observing the quivering of their flesh, and the fading + lustre of their eyes as they expired. The confession of Prelati first made + the judges acquainted with this horrid madness, and Gilles himself + confirmed it before his death. Nearly a hundred children of the villagers + around his two castles of Champtoce and Machecoue, had been missed within + three years the greater part, if not all, of whom were immolated to the + lust or the cupidity of this monster. He imagined that he thus made the + devil his friend, and that his recompence would be the secret of the + philosopher's stone. + </p> + <p> + Gilles and Prelati were both condemned to be burned alive. At the place of + execution they assumed the air of penitence and religion. Gilles tenderly + embraced Prelati, saying, "Farewell, friend Francis! In this world we + shall never meet again; but let us place our hopes in God; we shall see + each other in Paradise." Out of consideration for his high rank and + connections, the punishment of the Marshal was so far mitigated, that he + was not burned alive like Prelati. He was first strangled, and then thrown + into the flames: his body, when half consumed, was given over to his + relatives for interment; while that of the Italian was burned to ashes, + and then scattered in the winds. [For full details of this extraordinary + trial, see "Lobineau's Nouvelle Histoire de Bretagne;" and D'Argentre's + work on the same subject.] + </p> + <p> + JACQUES COEUR. + </p> + <p> + This remarkable pretender to the secret of the philosopher's stone, was + contemporary with the last mentioned. He was a great personage at the + court of Charles VII, and in the events of his reign played a prominent + part. From a very humble origin he rose to the highest honours of the + state, and amassed enormous wealth, by peculation and the plunder of the + country which he should have served. It was to hide his delinquencies in + this respect, and to divert attention from the real source of his riches, + that he boasted of having discovered the art of transmuting the inferior + metals into gold and silver. + </p> + <p> + His father was a goldsmith in the city of Bourges; but so reduced in + circumstances towards the latter years of his life, that he was unable to + pay the necessary fees to procure his son's admission into the guild. + Young Jacques became, however, a workman in the Royal Mint of Bourges, in + 1428, and behaved himself so well, and showed so much knowledge of + metallurgy, that he attained rapid promotion in that establishment. He had + also the good fortune to make the acquaintance of the fair Agnes Sorel, by + whom he was patronized and much esteemed. Jacques had now three things in + his favour—ability, perseverance, and the countenance of the King's + mistress. Many a man succeeds with but one of these to help him forward: + and it would have been strange indeed, if Jacques Coeur, who had them all, + should have languished in obscurity. While still a young man he was made + Master of the Mint, in which he had been a journeyman, and installed at + the same time into the vacant office of Grand Treasurer of the royal + household. + </p> + <p> + He possessed an extensive knowledge of finance, and turned it wonderfully + to his own advantage as soon as he became intrusted with extensive funds. + He speculated in articles of the first necessity, and made himself very + unpopular by buying up grain, honey, wines, and other produce, till there + was a scarcity, when he sold it again at enormous profit. Strong in the + royal favour, he did not hesitate to oppress the poor by continual acts of + forestalling and monopoly. As there is no enemy so bitter as the estranged + friend, so of all the tyrants and tramplers upon the poor, there is none + so fierce and reckless as the upstart that sprang from their ranks. The + offensive pride of Jacques Coeur to his inferiors was the theme of + indignant reproach in his own city, and his cringing humility to those + above him was as much an object of contempt to the aristocrats into whose + society he thrust himself. But Jacques did not care for the former, and to + the latter he was blind. He continued his career till he became the + richest man in France, and so useful to the King that no important + enterprise was set on foot until he had been consulted. He was sent in + 1446 on an embassy to Genoa, and in the following year to Pope Nicholas V. + In both these missions he acquitted himself to the satisfaction of his + sovereign, and was rewarded with a lucrative appointment, in addition to + those which he already held. + </p> + <p> + In the year 1449, the English in Normandy, deprived of their great + general, the Duke of Bedford, broke the truce with the French King, and + took possession of a small town belonging to the Duke of Brittany. This + was the signal for the recommencemerit of a war, in which the French + regained possession of nearly the whole province. The money for this war + was advanced, for the most part, by Jacques Coeur. When Rouen yielded to + the French, and Charles made his triumphal entry into that city, + accompanied by Dunois and his most famous generals, Jacques was among the + most brilliant of his cortege. His chariot and horses vied with those of + the King in the magnificence of their trappings; and his enemies said of + him that he publicly boasted that he alone had driven out the English, and + that the valour of the troops would would have been nothing without his + gold. + </p> + <p> + Dunois appears, also, to have been partly of the same opinion. Without + disparaging the courage of the army, he acknowledged the utility of the + able financier, by whose means they had been fed and paid, and constantly + afforded him his powerful protection. + </p> + <p> + When peace returned, Jacques again devoted himself to commerce, and fitted + up several galleys to trade with the Genoese. He also bought large estates + in various parts of France; the chief of which were the baronies of St. + Fargeau, Meneton, Salone, Maubranche, Meaune, St. Gerant de Vaux, and St. + Aon de Boissy; the earldoms or counties of La Palisse, Champignelle, + Beaumont, and Villeneuve la Genet, and the marquisate of Toucy. He also + procured for his son, Jean Coeur, who had chosen the Church for his + profession, a post no less distinguished than that of Archbishop of + Bourges. + </p> + <p> + Everybody said that so much wealth could not have been honestly acquired; + and both rich and poor longed for the day that should humble the pride of + the man, whom the one class regarded as an upstart and the other as an + oppressor. Jacques was somewhat alarmed at the rumours that were afloat + respecting him, and of dark hints that he had debased the coin of the + realm and forged the King's seal to an important document, by which he had + defrauded the state of very considerable sums. To silence these rumours, + he invited many alchymists from foreign countries to reside with him, and + circulated a counter-rumour, that he had discovered the secret of the + philosopher's stone. He also built a magnificent house in his native city, + over the entrance of which he caused to be sculptured the emblems of that + science. Some time afterwards, he built another, no less splendid, at + Montpellier, which he inscribed in a similar manner. He also wrote a + treatise upon the hermetic philosophy, in which he pretended that he knew + the secret of transmuting metals. + </p> + <p> + But all these attempts to disguise his numerous acts of peculation proved + unavailing; and he was arrested in 1452, and brought to trial on several + charges. Upon one only, which the malice of his enemies invented to ruin + him, was he acquitted; which was, that he had been accessory to the death, + by poison, of his kind patroness, Agnes Sorel. Upon the others, he was + found guilty; and sentenced to be banished the kingdom, and to pay the + enormous fine of four hundred thousand crowns. It was proved that he had + forged the King's seal; that, in his capacity of Master of the Mint of + Bourges, he had debased, to a very great extent, the gold and silver coin + of the realm; and that he had not hesitated to supply the Turks with arms + and money to enable them to carry on war against their Christian + neighbours, for which service he had received the most munificent + recompences. Charles VII. was deeply grieved at his condemnation, and + believed to the last that he was innocent. By his means the fine was + reduced within a sum which Jacques Coeur could pay. After remaining for + some time in prison, he was liberated, and left France with a large sum of + money, part of which, it was alleged, was secretly paid him by Charles out + of the produce of his confiscated estates. He retired to Cyprus, where he + died about 1460, the richest and most conspicuous personage of the island. + </p> + <p> + The writers upon alchymy all claim Jacques Coeur as a member of their + fraternity, and treat as false and libellous the more rational explanation + of his wealth which the records of his trial afford. Pierre Borel, in his + "Antiquites Gauloises," maintains the opinion that Jacques was an honest + man, and that he made his gold out of lead and copper by means of the + philosopher's stone. The alchymic adepts in general were of the same + opinion; but they found it difficult to persuade even his contemporaries + of the fact. Posterity is still less likely to believe it. + </p> + <p> + INFERIOR ADEPTS OF THE FOURTEENTH AND FIFTEENTH CENTURIES. + </p> + <p> + Many other pretenders to the secrets of the philosopher's stone appeared + in every country in Europe, during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. + The possibility of transmutation was so generally admitted, that every + chemist was more or less an alchymist. Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain, + Poland, France, and England produced thousands of obscure adepts, who + supported themselves, in the pursuit of their chimera, by the more + profitable resources of astrology and divination. The monarchs of Europe + were no less persuaded than their subjects of the possibility of + discovering the philosopher's stone. Henry VI. and Edward IV. of England + encouraged alchymy. In Germany, the Emperors Maximilian, Rodolph, and + Frederic II. devoted much of their attention to it; and every inferior + potentate within their dominions imitated their example. It was a common + practice in Germany, among the nobles and petty sovereigns, to invite an + alchymist to take up his residence among them, that they might confine him + in a dungeon till he made gold enough to pay millions for his ransom. Many + poor wretches suffered perpetual imprisonment in consequence. A similar + fate appears to have been intended by Edward II. for Raymond Lulli, who, + upon the pretence that he was thereby honoured, was accommodated with + apartments in the Tower of London. He found out in time the trick that was + about to be played him, and managed to make his escape, some of his + biographers say, by jumping into the Thames, and swimming to a vessel that + lay waiting to receive him. In the sixteenth century, the same system was + pursued, as will be shown more fully in the life of Seton the Cosmopolite, + in the succeeding chapter. + </p> + <p> + The following is a catalogue of the chief authors upon alchymy, who + flourished during this epoch, and whose lives and adventures are either + unknown or are unworthy of more detailed notice. John Dowston, an + Englishman, lived in 1315, and wrote two treatises on the philosopher's + stone. Richard, or, as some call him, Robert, also an Englishman, lived in + 1330, and wrote a work entitled "Correctorium Alchymiae," which was much + esteemed till the time of Paracelsus. In the same year lived Peter of + Lombardy, who wrote what he called a "Complete Treatise upon the Hermetic + Science," an abridgement of which was afterwards published by Lacini, a + monk of Calabria. In 1330 the most famous alchymist of Paris was one + Odomare, whose work "De Practica Magistri" was, for a long time, a + hand-book among the brethren of the science. John de Rupecissa, a French + monk of the order of St. Francis, flourished in 1357, and pretended to be + a prophet as well as an alchymist. Some of his prophecies were so + disagreeable to Pope Innocent VI, that the Pontiff determined to put a + stop to them, by locking up the prophet in the dungeons of the Vatican. It + is generally believed that he died there, though there is no evidence of + the fact. His chief works are the "Book of Light," the "Five Essences," + the "Heaven of Philosophers," and his grand work "De Confectione Lapidis." + He was not thought a shining light among the adepts. Ortholani was another + pretender, of whom nothing is known, but that he exercised the arts of + alchymy and astrology at Paris, shortly before the time of Nicholas + Flamel. His work on the practice of alchymy was written in that city in + 1358. Isaac of Holland wrote, it is supposed, about this time; and his son + also devoted himself to the science. Nothing worth repeating is known of + their lives. Boerhaave speaks with commendation of many passages in their + works, and Paracelsus esteemed them highly: the chief are "De Triplici + Ordine Elixiris et Lapidis Theoria," printed at Berne in 1608; and + "Mineralia Opera, seu de Lapide Philosophico," printed at Middleburg in + 1600. They also wrote eight other works upon the same subject. Koffstky, a + Pole, wrote an alchymical treatise, entitled "The Tincture of Minerals," + about the year 1488. In this list of authors a royal name must not be + forgotten. Charles VI. of France, one of the most credulous princes of the + day, whose court absolutely swarmed with alchymists, conjurers, + astrologers, and quacks of every description, made several attempts to + discover the philosopher's stone, and thought he knew so much about it, + that he determined to enlighten the world with a treatise. It is called + the "Royal Work of Charles VI. of France, and the Treasure of Philosophy." + It is said to be the original from which Nicholas Flamel took the idea of + his "Desir Desire." Lenglet du Fresnoy says it is very allegorical, and + utterly incomprehensible. For a more complete list of the hermetic + philosophers of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the reader is + referred to the third volume of Lenglet's History already quoted. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_PART2" id="link2H_PART2"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + PART II.—PROGRESS OF THE INFATUATION DURING THE SIXTEENTH AND + SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES. + </h2> + <p> + AUGURELLO.—CORNELIUS AGRIPPA.—PARACELSUS.—GEORGE + AGRICOLA.—DENYS ZACHAIRE.—DR. DEE AND EDWARD KELLY.—THE + COSMOPOLITE.—SENDIVOGIUS.—THE ROSICRUCIANS.—MICHAEL + MAYER.—ROBERT FLUDD.—JACOB BOHMEN.—JOHN HEYDN.—JOSEPH + FRANCIS BORRI.—ALCHYMICAL WRITERS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.—DE + LISLE.—ALBERT ALUYS.—COUNT DE ST. GERMAINS.—CAGLIOSTRO.—PRESENT + STATE OF THE SCIENCE. + </p> + <p> + During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the search for the + philosopher's stone was continued by thousands of the enthusiastic and the + credulous; but a great change was introduced during this period. The + eminent men who devoted themselves to the study, totally changed its + aspect, and referred to the possession of their wondrous stone and elixir, + not only the conversion of the base into the precious metals, but the + solution of all the difficulties of other sciences. They pretended that by + its means man would be brought into closer communion with his Maker; that + disease and sorrow would be banished from the world; and that "the + millions of spiritual beings who walk the earth unseen" would be rendered + visible, and become the friends, companions, and instructors of mankind. + In the seventeenth century more especially, these poetical and fantastic + doctrines excited the notice of Europe; and from Germany, where they had + been first disseminated by Rosencreutz, spread into France and England, + and ran away with the sound judgment of many clever, but too enthusiastic, + searchers for the truth. Paracelsus, Dee, and many others of less note, + were captivated by the grace and beauty of the new mythology, which was + arising to adorn the literature of Europe. Most of the alchymists of the + sixteenth century, although ignorant of the Rosicrucians as a sect, were, + in some degree, tinctured with their fanciful tenets: but before we speak + more fully of these poetical visionaries, it will be necessary to resume + the history of the hermetic folly where we left off in the former chapter, + and trace the gradual change that stole over the dreams of the adepts. It + will be seen that the infatuation increased rather than diminished as the + world grew older. + </p> + <p> + AUGURELLO. + </p> + <p> + Among the alchymists who were born in the fifteenth, and distinguished + themselves in the sixteenth century, the first, in point of date, is John + Aurelio Augurello. He was born at Rimini in 1441, and became Professor of + the belles lettres at Venice and Trevisa. He was early convinced of the + truth of the hermetic science, and used to pray to God that he might be + happy enough to discover the philosopher's stone. He was continually + surrounded by the paraphernalia of chemistry, and expended all his wealth + in the purchase of drugs and metals. He was also a poet, but of less merit + than pretensions. His "Chrysopeia," in which lie pretended to teach the + art of making gold, he dedicated to Pope Leo X, in the hope that the + Pontiff would reward him handsomely for the compliment; but the Pope was + too good a judge of poetry to be pleased with the worse than mediocrity of + his poem, and too good a philosopher to approve of the strange doctrines + which it inculcated: he was, therefore, far from gratified at the + dedication. It is said, that when Augurello applied to him for a reward, + the Pope, with great ceremony and much apparent kindness and cordiality, + drew an empty purse from his pocket, and presented it to the alchymist, + saying, that since he was able to make gold, the most appropriate present + that could be made him, was a purse to put it in. This scurvy reward was + all that the poor alchymist ever got either for his poetry or his alchymy. + He died in a state of extreme poverty, in the eighty-third year of his + age. + </p> + <p> + CORNELIUS AGRIPPA. + </p> + <p> + This alchymist has left a more distinguished reputation. The most + extraordinary tales were told and believed of his powers. He could turn + iron into gold by his mere word. All the spirits of the air, and demons of + the earth, were under his command, and bound to obey him in everything. He + could raise from the dead the forms of the great men of other days, and + make them appear "in their habit as they lived," to the gaze of the + curious who had courage enough to abide their presence. + </p> + <p> + He was born at Cologne in 1486, and began, at an early age, the study of + chemistry and philosophy. By some means or other which have never been + very clearly explained, he managed to impress his contemporaries with a + great idea of his wonderful attainments. At the early age of twenty, so + great was his reputation as an alchymist, that the principal adepts of + Paris wrote to Cologne, inviting him to settle in France, and aid them + with his experience in discovering the philosopher's stone. Honours poured + upon him in thick succession; and he was highly esteemed by all the + learned men of his time. Melancthon speaks of him with respect and + commendation. Erasmus also bears testimony in his favour; and the general + voice of his age proclaimed him a light of literature and an ornament to + philosophy. Some men, by dint of excessive egotism, manage to persuade + their contemporaries that they are very great men indeed: they publish + their acquirements so loudly in people's ears, and keep up their own + praises so incessantly, that the world's applause is actually taken by + storm. Such seems to have been the case with Agrippa. He called himself a + sublime theologian, an excellent jurisconsult, an able physician, a great + philosopher, and a successful alchymist. The world, at last, took him at + his word; and thought that a man who talked so big, must have some merit + to recommend him—that it was, indeed, a great trumpet which sounded + so obstreperous a blast. He was made secretary to the Emperor Maximilian, + who conferred upon him the title of Chevalier, and gave him the honorary + command of a regiment. He afterwards became Professor of Hebrew and the + belles lettres, at the University of Dole, in France; but quarrelling with + the Franciscan monks upon some knotty point of divinity, he was obliged to + quit the town. He took refuge in London, where he taught Hebrew and cast + nativities, for about a year. From London he proceeded to Pavia, and gave + lectures upon the writings, real or supposed, of Hermes Trismegistus; and + might have lived there in peace and honour, had he not again quarrelled + with the clergy. By their means his position became so disagreeable, that + he was glad to accept an offer made him by the magistracy of Metz, to + become their Syndic and Advocate-General. Here, again, his love of + disputation made him enemies: the theological wiseacres of that city + asserted, that St. Anne had three husbands, in which opinion they were + confirmed by the popular belief of the day. Agrippa needlessly ran foul of + this opinion, or prejudice as he called it, and thereby lost much of his + influence. Another dispute, more creditable to his character, occurred + soon after, and sank him for ever in the estimation of the Metzians. + Humanely taking the part of a young girl who was accused of witchcraft, + his enemies asserted, that he was himself a sorcerer, and raised such a + storm over his head, that he was forced to fly the city. After this, he + became physician to Louisa de Savoy, mother of King Francis I. This lady + was curious to know the future, and required her physician to cast her + nativity. Agrippa replied, that he would not encourage such idle + curiosity. The result was, he lost her confidence, and was forthwith + dismissed. If it had been through his belief in the worthlessness of + astrology, that he had made his answer, we might admire his honest and + fearless independence; but, when it is known that, at the very same time, + he was in the constant habit of divination and fortunetelling; and that he + was predicting splendid success, in all his undertakings, to the Constable + of Bourbon, we can only wonder at his thus estranging a powerful friend + through mere petulance and perversity. + </p> + <p> + He was, about this time, invited both by Henry VIII. of England, and + Margaret of Austria, Governess of the Low Countries, to fix his residence + in their dominions. He chose the service of the latter, by whose influence + he was made historiographer to the Emperor Charles V. Unfortunately for + Agrippa, he never had stability enough to remain long in one position, and + offended his patrons by his restlessness and presumption. After the death + of Margaret, he was imprisoned at Brussels, on a charge of sorcery. He was + released after a year; and, quitting the country, experienced many + vicissitudes. He died in great poverty in 1534, aged forty-eight years. + </p> + <p> + While in the service of Margaret of Austria, he resided principally at + Louvain, in which city he wrote his famous work on the Vanity and + Nothingness of human Knowledge. He also wrote, to please his Royal + Mistress, a treatise upon the Superiority of the Female Sex, which he + dedicated to her, in token of his gratitude for the favours she had heaped + upon him. The reputation he left behind him in these provinces was + anything but favourable. A great number of the marvellous tales that are + told of him, relate to this period of his life. It was said, that the gold + which he paid to the traders with whom he dealt, always looked remarkably + bright, but invariably turned into pieces of slate and stone in the course + of four-and-twenty hours. Of this spurious gold he was believed to have + made large quantities by the aid of the devil, who, it would appear from + this, had but a very superficial knowledge of alchymy, and much less than + the Marechal de Rays gave him credit for. The Jesuit Delrio, in his book + on Magic and Sorcery, relates a still more extraordinary story of him. One + day, Agrippa left his house, at Louvain; and, intending to be absent for + some time, gave the key of his study to his wife, with strict orders that + no one should enter it during his absence. The lady herself, strange as it + may appear, had no curiosity to pry into her husband's secrets, and never + once thought of entering the forbidden room: but a young student, who had + been accommodated with an attic in the philosopher's house, burned with a + fierce desire to examine the study; hoping, perchance, that he might + purloin some book or implement which would instruct him in the art of + transmuting metals. The youth, being handsome, eloquent, and, above all, + highly complimentary to the charms of the lady, she was persuaded, without + much difficulty, to lend him the key, but gave him strict orders not to + remove anything. The student promised implicit obedience, and entered + Agrippa's study. The first object that caught his attention, was a large + grimoire, or book of spells, which lay open on the philosopher's desk. He + sat himself down immediately, and began to read. At the first word he + uttered, he fancied he heard a knock at the door. He listened; but all was + silent. Thinking that his imagination had deceived him, he read on, when + immediately a louder knock was heard, which so terrified him, that he + started to his feet. He tried to say, "come in;" but his tongue refused + its office, and he could not articulate a sound. He fixed his eyes upon + the door, which, slowly opening, disclosed a stranger of majestic form, + but scowling features, who demanded sternly, why he was summoned? "I did + not summon you," said the trembling student. "You did!" said the stranger, + advancing, angrily; "and the demons are not to be invoked in vain." The + student could make no reply; and the demon, enraged that one of the + uninitiated should have summoned him out of mere presumption, seized him + by the throat and strangled him. When Agrippa returned, a few days + afterwards, he found his house beset with devils. Some of them were + sitting on the chimneypots, kicking up their legs in the air; while others + were playing at leapfrog, on the very edge of the parapet. His study was + so filled with them that he found it difficult to make his way to his + desk. When, at last, he had elbowed his way through them, he found his + book open, and the student lying dead upon the floor. He saw immediately + how the mischief had been done; and, dismissing all the inferior imps, + asked the principal demon how he could have been so rash as to kill the + young man. The demon replied, that he had been needlessly invoked by an + insulting youth, and could do no less than kill him for his presumption. + Agrippa reprimanded him severely, and ordered him immediately to reanimate + the dead body, and walk about with it in the market-place for the whole of + the afternoon. The demon did so: the student revived; and, putting his arm + through that of his unearthly murderer, walked very lovingly with him, in + sight of all the people. At sunset, the body fell down again, cold and + lifeless as before, and was carried by the crowd to the hospital, it being + the general opinion that he had expired in a fit of apoplexy. His + conductor immediately disappeared. When the body was examined, marks of + strangulation were found on the neck, and prints of the long claws of the + demon on various parts of it. These appearances, together with a story, + which soon obtained currency, that the companion of the young man had + vanished in a cloud of flame and smoke, opened people's eyes to the truth. + The magistrates of Louvain instituted inquiries; and the result was, that + Agrippa was obliged to quit the town. + </p> + <p> + Other authors besides Delrio relate similar stories of this philosopher. + The world in those days was always willing enough to believe in tales of + magic and sorcery; and when, as in Agrippa's case, the alleged magician + gave himself out for such, and claimed credit for the wonders he worked, + it is not surprising that the age should have allowed his pretensions. It + was dangerous boasting, which sometimes led to the stake or the gallows, + and therefore was thought to be not without foundation. Paulus Jovius, in + his "Eulogia Doctorum Virorum," says, that the devil, in the shape of a + large black dog, attended Agrippa wherever he went. Thomas Nash, in his + adventures of Jack Wilton, relates, that at the request of Lord Surrey, + Erasmus, and some other learned men, Agrippa called up from the grave many + of the great philosophers of antiquity; among others, Tully, whom he + caused to re-deliver his celebrated oration for Roscius. He also showed + Lord Surrey, when in Germany, an exact resemblance in a glass of his + mistress the fair Geraldine. She was represented on her couch weeping for + the absence of her lover. Lord Surrey made a note of the exact time at + which he saw this vision, and ascertained afterwards that his mistress was + actually so employed at the very minute. To Thomas Lord Cromwell, Agrippa + represented King Henry VIII. hunting in Windsor Park, with the principal + lords of his court; and to please the Emperor Charles V. he summoned King + David and King Solomon from the tomb. + </p> + <p> + Naude, in his "Apology for the Great Men who have been falsely suspected + of Magic," takes a great deal of pains to clear Agrippa from the + imputations cast upon him by Delrio, Paulus Jovius, and other such + ignorant and prejudiced scribblers. Such stories demanded refutation in + the days of Naude, but they may now be safely left to decay in their own + absurdity. That they should have attached, however, to the memory of a + man, who claimed the power of making iron obey him when he told it to + become gold, and who wrote such a work as that upon magic, which goes by + his name, is not at all surprising. + </p> + <p> + PARACELSUS. + </p> + <p> + This philosopher, called by Naude, "the zenith and rising sun of all the + alchymists," was born at Einsiedeln, near Zurich, in the year 1493. His + true name was Hohenheim; to which, as he himself informs us, were prefixed + the baptismal names of Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastes Paracelsus. The + last of these he chose for his common designation while he was yet a boy; + and rendered it, before he died, one of the most famous in the annals of + his time. His father, who was a physician, educated his son for the same + pursuit. The latter was an apt scholar, and made great progress. By chance + the work of Isaac Hollandus fell into his hands, and from that time he + became smitten with the mania of the philosopher's stone. All his thoughts + henceforth were devoted to metallurgy; and he travelled into Sweden that + he might visit the mines of that country, and examine the ores while they + yet lay in the bowels of the earth. He also visited Trithemius at the + monastery of Spannheim, and obtained instructions from him in the science + of alchymy. Continuing his travels, he proceeded through Prussia and + Austria into Turkey, Egypt, and Tatary, and thence returning to + Constantinople, learned, as he boasted, the art of transmutation, and + became possessed of the elixir vitae. He then established himself as a + physician in his native Switzerland at Zurich, and commenced writing works + upon alchymy and medicine, which immediately fixed the attention of + Europe. Their great obscurity was no impediment to their fame; for the + less the author was understood, the more the demonologists, fanatics, and + philosopher's-stone-hunters seemed to appreciate him. His fame as a + physician kept pace with that which he enjoyed as an alchymist, owing to + his having effected some happy cures by means of mercury and opium; drugs + unceremoniously condemned by his professional brethren. In the year 1526, + he was chosen Professor of Physics and Natural Philosophy in the + University of Basle, where his lectures attracted vast numbers of + students. He denounced the writings of all former physicians as tending to + mislead; and publicly burned the works of Galen and Avicenna, as quacks + and impostors. He exclaimed, in presence of the admiring and + half-bewildered crowd, who assembled to witness the ceremony, that there + was more knowledge in his shoestrings than in the writings of these + physicians. Continuing in the same strain, he said all the universities in + the world were full of ignorant quacks; but that he, Paracelsus, over + flowed with wisdom. "You will all follow my new system," said he, with + furious gesticulations, "Avicenna, Galen, Rhazis, Montagnana, Meme—you + will all follow me, ye professors of Paris, Montpellier, Germany, Cologne, + and Vienna! and all ye that dwell on the Rhine and the Danube—ye + that inhabit the isles of the sea; and ye also, Italians, Dalmatians, + Athenians, Arabians, Jews—ye will all follow my doctrines, for I am + the monarch of medicine!" + </p> + <p> + But he did not long enjoy the esteem of the good citizens of Basle. It is + said that he indulged in wine so freely, as not unfrequently to be seen in + the streets in a state of intoxication. This was ruinous for a physician, + and his good fame decreased rapidly. His ill fame increased in still + greater proportion, especially when he assumed the airs of a sorcerer. He + boasted of the legions of spirits at his command; and of one especially, + which he kept imprisoned in the hilt of his sword. Wetterus, who lived + twenty-seven months in his service, relates that he often threatened to + invoke a whole army of demons, and show him the great authority which he + could exercise over them. He let it be believed, that the spirit in his + sword had custody of the elixir of life, by means of which he could make + any one live to be as old as the antediluvians. He also boasted that he + had a spirit at his command, called "Azoth," whom he kept imprisoned in a + jewel; and in many of the old portraits he is represented with a jewel, + inscribed with the word "Azoth," in his hand. + </p> + <p> + If a sober prophet has little honour in his own country, a drunken one has + still less. Paracelsus found it at last convenient to quit Basle, and + establish himself at Strasbourg. The immediate cause of this change of + residence was as follows:—A citizen lay at the point of death, and + was given over by all the physicians of the town. As a last resource + Paracelsus was called in, to whom the sick man promised a magnificent + recompence, if by his means he were cured. Paracelsus gave him two small + pills, which the man took and rapidly recovered. When he was quite well, + Paracelsus sent for his fee; but the citizen had no great opinion of the + value of a cure which had been so speedily effected. He had no notion of + paying a handful of gold for two pills, although they had saved his life, + and he refused to pay more than the usual fee for a single visit. + Paracelsus brought an action against him, and lost it. This result so + exasperated him, that he left Basle in high dudgeon. He resumed his + wandering life, and travelled in Germany and Hungary, supporting himself + as he went on the credulity and infatuation of all classes of society. He + cast nativities—told fortunes—aided those who had money to + throw away upon the experiment, to find the philosopher's stone—prescribed + remedies for cows and pigs, and aided in the recovery of stolen goods. + After residing successively at Nuremburg, Augsburg, Vienna, and + Mindelheim, he retired in the year 1541 to Saltzbourg, and died in a state + of abject poverty in the hospital of that town. + </p> + <p> + If this strange charlatan found hundreds of admirers during his life, he + found thousands after his death. A sect of Paracelsists sprang up in + France and Germany, to perpetuate the extravagant doctrines of their + founder upon all the sciences, and upon alchymy in particular. The chief + leaders were Bodenstein and Dorneus. The following is a summary of his + doctrine, founded upon supposed existence of the philosopher's stone; it + is worth preserving from its very absurdity, and altogether unparalleled + in the history of philosophy:— + </p> + <p> + First of all, he maintained that the contemplation of the perfection of + the Deity sufficed to procure all wisdom and knowledge; that the Bible was + the key to the theory of all diseases, and that it was necessary to search + into the Apocalypse to know the signification of magic medicine. The man + who blindly obeyed the will of God, and who succeeded in identifying + himself with the celestial intelligences, possessed the philosopher's + stone—he could cure all diseases, and prolong life to as many + centuries as he pleased; it being by the very same means that Adam and the + antediluvian patriarchs prolonged theirs. Life was an emanation from the + stars—the sun governed the heart, and the moon the brain. Jupiter + governed the liver, Saturn the gall, Mercury the lungs, Mars the bile, and + Venus the loins. In the stomach of every human being there dwelt a demon, + or intelligence, that was a sort of alchymist in his way, and mixed, in + their due proportions, in his crucible, the various aliments that were + sent into that grand laboratory the belly.[See the article "Paracelsus," + by the learned Renaudin, in the "Biographie Universelle."] He was proud of + the title of magician, and boasted that he kept up a regular + correspondence with Galen from hell; and that he often summoned Avicenna + from the same regions to dispute with him on the false notions he had + promulgated respecting alchymy, and especially regarding potable gold and + the elixir of life. He imagined that gold could cure ossification of the + heart, and, in fact, all diseases, if it were gold which had been + transmuted from an inferior metal by means of the philosopher's stone, and + if it were applied under certain conjunctions of the planets. The mere + list of the works in which he advances these frantic imaginings, which he + called a doctrine, would occupy several pages. + </p> + <p> + GEORGE AGRICOLA. + </p> + <p> + This alchymist was born in the province of Misnia, in 1494. His real name + was Bauer, meaning a husbandman, which, in accordance with the common + fashion of his age, he Latinized into Agricola. From his early youth, he + delighted in the visions of the hermetic science. Ere he was sixteen, he + longed for the great elixir which was to make him live for seven hundred + years, and for the stone which was to procure him wealth to cheer him in + his multiplicity of days. He published a small treatise upon the subject + at Cologne, in 1531, which obtained him the patronage of the celebrated + Maurice, Duke of Saxony. After practising for some years as a physician at + Joachimsthal, in Bohemia, he was employed by Maurice as superintendent of + the silver mines of Chemnitz. He led a happy life among the miners, making + various experiments in alchymy while deep in the bowels of the earth. He + acquired a great knowledge of metals, and gradually got rid of his + extravagant notions about the philosopher's stone. The miners had no faith + in alchymy; and they converted him to their way of thinking, not only in + that but in other respects. From their legends, he became firmly convinced + that the bowels of the earth were inhabited by good and evil spirits, and + that firedamp and other explosions sprang from no other causes than the + mischievous propensities of the latter. He died in the year 1555, leaving + behind him the reputation of a very able and intelligent man. + </p> + <p> + DENIS ZACHAIRE. + </p> + <p> + Autobiography, written by a wise man who was once a fool, is not only the + most instructive, but the most delightful of reading. Denis Zachaire, an + alchymist of the sixteenth century, has performed this task, and left a + record of his folly and infatuation in pursuit of the philosopher's stone, + which well repays perusal. He was born in the year 1510, of an ancient + family in Guienne, and was early sent to the university of Bordeaux, under + the care of a tutor to direct his studies. Unfortunately, his tutor was a + searcher for the grand elixir, and soon rendered his pupil as mad as + himself upon the subject. With this introduction, we will allow Denis + Zachaire to speak for himself, and continue his narrative in his own + words:— + </p> + <p> + "I received from home," says he, "the sum of two hundred crowns for the + expenses of myself and master; but before the end of the year, all our + money went away in the smoke of our furnaces. My master, at the same time, + died of a fever, brought on by the parching heat of our laboratory, from + which he seldom or never stirred, and which was scarcely less hot than the + arsenal of Venice. His death was the more unfortunate for me, as my + parents took the opportunity of reducing my allowance, and sending me only + sufficient for my board and lodging, instead of the sum I required to + continue my operations in alchymy. + </p> + <p> + "To meet this difficulty and get out of leading-strings, I returned home + at the age of twenty-five, and mortgaged part of my property for four + hundred crowns. This sum was necessary to perform an operation of the + science, which had been communicated to me by an Italian at Toulouse, and + who, as he said, had proved its efficacy. I retained this man in my + service, that we might see the end of the experiment. I then, by means of + strong distillations, tried to calcinate gold and silver; but all my + labour was in vain. The weight of the gold I drew out of my furnace was + diminished by one-half since I put it in, and my four hundred crowns were + very soon reduced to two hundred and thirty. I gave twenty of these to my + Italian, in order that he might travel to Milan, where the author of the + receipt resided, and ask him the explanation of some passages which we + thought obscure. I remained at Toulouse all the winter, in the hope of his + return; but I might have remained there till this day if I had waited for + him, for I never saw his face again. + </p> + <p> + "In the succeeding summer there was a great plague, which forced me to + quit the town. I did not, however, lose sight of my work. I went to + Cahors, where I remained six months, and made the acquaintance of an old + man, who was commonly known to the people as 'the Philosopher;' a name + which, in country places, is often bestowed upon people whose only merit + is, that they are less ignorant than their neighbours. I showed him my + collection of alchymical receipts, and asked his opinion upon them. He + picked out ten or twelve of them, merely saying that they were better than + the others. When the plague ceased, I returned to Toulouse, and + recommenced my experiments in search of the stone. I worked to such effect + that my four hundred crowns were reduced to one hundred and seventy. + </p> + <p> + "That I might continue my work on a safer method, I made acquaintance, in + 1537, with a certain Abbe, who resided in the neighbourhood. He was + smitten with the same mania as myself, and told me that one of his + friends, who had followed to Rome in the retinue of the Cardinal + d'Armagnac, had sent him from that city a new receipt, which could not + fail to transmute iron and copper, but which would cost two hundred + crowns. I provided half this money, and the Abbe the rest; and we began to + operate at our joint expense. As we required spirits of wine for our + experiment, I bought a tun of excellent vin de Gaillac. I extracted the + spirit, and rectified it several times. We took a quantity of this, into + which we put four marks of silver, and one of gold, that had been + undergoing the process of calcination for a month. We put this mixture + cleverly into a sort of horn-shaped vessel, with another to serve as a + retort; and placed the whole apparatus upon our furnace, to produce + congelation. This experiment lasted a year; but, not to remain idle, we + amused ourselves with many other less important operations. We drew quite + as much profit from these as from our great work. + </p> + <p> + "The whole of the year 1537 passed over without producing any change + whatever: in fact, we might have waited till doomsday for the congelation + of our spirits of wine. However, we made a projection with it upon some + heated quicksilver; but all was in vain. Judge of our chagrin, especially + of that of the Abbe, who had already boasted to all the monks of his + monastery, that they had only to bring the large pump which stood in a + corner of the cloister, and he would convert it into gold; but this ill + luck did not prevent us from persevering. I once more mortgaged my + paternal lands for four hundred crowns, the whole of which I determined to + devote to a renewal of my search for the great secret. The Abbe + contributed the same sum; and, with these eight hundred crowns, I + proceeded to Paris, a city more abounding with alchymists than any other + in the world, resolved never to leave it until I had either found the + philosopher's stone, or spent all my money. This journey gave the greatest + offence to all my relations and friends, who, imagining that I was fitted + to be a great lawyer, were anxious that I should establish myself in that + profession. For the sake of quietness, I pretended, at last, that such was + my object. + </p> + <p> + "After travelling for fifteen days, I arrived in Paris, on the 9th of + January 1539. I remained for a month, almost unknown; but I had no sooner + begun to frequent the amateurs of the science, and visited the shops of + the furnace-makers, than I had the acquaintance of more than a hundred + operative alchymists, each of whom had a different theory and a different + mode of working. Some of them preferred cementation; others sought the + universal alkahest, or dissolvent; and some of them boasted the great + efficacy of the essence of emery. Some of them endeavoured to extract + mercury from other metals to fix it afterwards; and, in order that each of + us should be thoroughly acquainted with the proceedings of the others, we + agreed to meet somewhere every night, and report progress. We met + sometimes at the house of one, and sometimes in the garret of another; not + only on week days, but on Sundays, and the great festivals of the Church. + 'Ah!' one used to say, 'if I had the means of recommencing this + experiment, I should do something.' 'Yes,' said another, 'if my crucible + had not cracked, I should have succeeded before now:' while a third + exclaimed, with a sigh, 'If I had but had a round copper vessel of + sufficient strength, I would have fixed mercury with silver.' There was + not one among them who had not some excuse for his failure; but I was deaf + to all their speeches. I did not want to part with my money to any of + them, remembering how often I had been the dupe of such promises. + </p> + <p> + "A Greek at last presented himself; and with him I worked a long time + uselessly upon nails, made of cinabar, or vermilion. I was also acquainted + with a foreign gentleman newly arrived in Paris, and often accompanied him + to the shops of the goldsmiths, to sell pieces of gold and silver, the + produce, as he said, of his experiments. I stuck closely to him for a long + time, in the hope that he would impart his secret. He refused for a long + time, but acceded, at last, on my earnest entreaty, and I found that it + was nothing more than an ingenious trick. I did not fail to inform my + friend, the Abbe, whom I had left at Toulouse, of all my adventures; and + sent him, among other matters, a relation of the trick by which this + gentleman pretended to turn lead into gold. The Abbe still imagined that I + should succeed at last, and advised me to remain another year in Paris, + where I had made so good a beginning. I remained there three years; but, + notwithstanding all my efforts, I had no more success than I had had + elsewhere. + </p> + <p> + "I had just got to the end of my money, when I received a letter from the + Abbe, telling me to leave everything, and join him immediately at + Toulouse. I went accordingly, and found that he had received letters from + the King of Navarre (grandfather of Henry IV). This Prince was a great + lover of philosophy, full of curiosity, and had written to the Abbe, that + I should visit him at Pau; and that he would give me three or four + thousand crowns, if I would communicate the secret I had learned from the + foreign gentleman. The Abbe's ears were so tickled with the four thousand + crowns, that he let me have no peace, night or day, until he had fairly + seen me on the road to Pau. I arrived at that place in the month of May + 1542. I worked away, and succeeded, according to the receipt I had + obtained. When I had finished, to the satisfaction of the King, he gave me + the reward that I expected. Although he was willing enough to do me + further service, he was dissuaded from it by the lords of his court; even + by many of those who had been most anxious that I should come. He sent me + then about my business, with many thanks; saying, that if there was + anything in his kingdom which he could give me—such as the produce + of confiscations, or the like—he should be most happy. I thought I + might stay long enough for these prospective confiscations, and never get + them at last; and I therefore determined to go back to my friend, the + Abbe. + </p> + <p> + "I learned, that on the road between Pau and Toulouse, there resided a + monk, who was very skilful in all matters of natural philosophy. On my + return, I paid him a visit. He pitied me very much, and advised me, with + much warmth and kindness of expression, not to amuse myself any longer + with such experiments as these, which were all false and sophistical; but + that I should read the good books of the old philosophers, where I might + not only find the true matter of the science of alchymy, but learn also + the exact order of operations which ought to be followed. I very much + approved of this wise advice; but, before I acted upon it, I went back to + my Abbe, of Toulouse, to give him an account of the eight hundred crowns, + which we had had in common; and, at the same time, share with him such + reward as I had received from the King of Navarre. If he was little + satisfied with the relation of my adventures since our first separation, + he appeared still less satisfied when I told him I had formed a resolution + to renounce the search for the philosopher's stone. The reason was, that + he thought me a good artist. Of our eight hundred crowns, there remained + but one hundred and seventy-six. When I quitted the Abbe, I went to my own + house, with the intention of remaining there, till I had read all the old + philosophers, and of then proceeding to Paris. + </p> + <p> + "I arrived in Paris on the day after All Saints, of the year 1546, and + devoted another year to the assiduous study of great authors. Among + others, the 'Turba Philosophorum' of the 'Good Trevisan,' 'The Remonstance + of Nature to the wandering Alchymist,' by Jean de Meung; and several + others of the best books: but, as I had no right' principles, I did not + well know what course to follow. + </p> + <p> + "At last I left my solitude; not to see my former acquaintances, the + adepts and operators, but to frequent the society of true philosophers. + Among them I fell into still greater uncertainties; being, in fact, + completely bewildered by the variety of operations which they showed me. + Spurred on, nevertheless, by a sort of frenzy or inspiration, I threw + myself into the works of Raymond Lulli and of Arnold de Villeneuve. The + reading of these, and the reflections I made upon them, occupied me for + another year, when I finally determined on the course I should adopt. I + was obliged to wait, however, until I had mortgaged another very + considerable portion of my patrimony. This business was not settled until + the beginning of Lent, 1549, when I commenced my operations. I laid in a + stock of all that was necessary, and began to work the day after Easter. + It was not, however, without some disquietude and opposition from my + friends who came about me; one asking me what I was going to do, and + whether I had not already spent money enough upon such follies. Another + assured me that, if I bought so much charcoal, I should strengthen the + suspicion already existing, that I was a coiner of base money. Another + advised me to purchase some place in the magistracy, as I was already a + Doctor of Laws. My relations spoke in terms still more annoying to me, and + even threatened that, if I continued to make such a fool of myself, they + would send a posse of police-officers into my house, and break all my + furnaces and crucibles into atoms. I was wearied almost to death by this + continued persecution; but I found comfort in my work and in the progress + of my experiment, to which I was very attentive, and which went on bravely + from day to day. About this time, there was a dreadful plague in Paris, + which interrupted all intercourse between man and man, and left me as much + to myself as I could desire. I soon had the satisfaction to remark the + progress and succession of the three colours which, according to the + philosophers, always prognosticate the approaching perfection of the work. + I observed them distinctly, one after the other; and next year, being + Easter Sunday, 1550, I made the great trial. Some common quicksilver, + which I put into a small crucible on the fire, was, in less than an hour, + converted into very good gold. You may judge how great was my joy, but I + took care not to boast of it. I returned thanks to God for the favour he + had shown me, and prayed that I might only be permitted to make such use + of it as would redound to his glory. + </p> + <p> + "On the following day, I went towards Toulouse to find the Abbe, in + accordance with a mutual promise that we should communicate our + discoveries to each other. On my way, I called in to see the sage monk who + had assisted me with his counsels; but I had the sorrow to learn that they + were both dead. After this, I would not return to my own home, but retired + to another place, to await one of my relations whom I had left in charge + of my estate. I gave him orders to sell all that belonged to me, as well + movable as immovable—to pay my debts with the proceeds, and divide + all the rest among those in any way related to me who might stand in need + of it, in order that they might enjoy some share of the good fortune which + had befallen me. There was a great deal of talk in the neighbourhood about + my precipitate retreat; the wisest of my acquaintance imagining that, + broken down and ruined by my mad expenses, I sold my little remaining + property that I might go and hide my shame in distant countries. + </p> + <p> + "My relative already spoken of rejoined me on the 1st of July, after + having performed all the business I had intrusted him with. We took our + departure together, to seek a land of liberty. We first retired to + Lausanne, in Switzerland, when, after remaining there for some time, we + resolved to pass the remainder of our days in some of the most celebrated + cities of Germany, living quietly and without splendour." + </p> + <p> + Thus ends the story of Denis Zachaire, as written by himself. He has not + been so candid at its conclusion as at its commencement, and has left the + world in doubt as to his real motives for pretending that he had + discovered the philosopher's stone. It seems probable that the sentence he + puts into the months of his wisest acquaintances was the true reason of + his retreat; that he was, in fact, reduced to poverty, and hid his shame + in foreign countries. Nothing further is known of his life, and his real + name has never yet been discovered. He wrote a work on alchymy, entitled + "The true Natural Philosophy of Metals." + </p> + <p> + DR. DEE and EDWARD KELLY. + </p> + <p> + John Dee and Edward Kelly claim to be mentioned together, having been so + long associated in the same pursuits, and undergone so many strange + vicissitudes in each other's society. Dee was altogether a wonderful man, + and had he lived in an age when folly and superstition were less rife, he + would, with the same powers which he enjoyed, have left behind him a + bright and enduring reputation. He was born in London, in the year 1527, + and very early manifested a love for study. At the age of fifteen he was + sent to Cambridge, and delighted so much in his books, that he passed + regularly eighteen hours every day among them. Of the other six, he + devoted four to sleep and two for refreshment. Such intense application + did not injure his health, and could not fail to make him one of the first + scholars of his time. Unfortunately, however, he quitted the mathematics + and the pursuits of true philosophy to indulge in the unprofitable + reveries of the occult sciences. He studied alchymy, astrology, and magic, + and thereby rendered himself obnoxious to the authorities at Cambridge. To + avoid persecution, he was at last obliged to retire to the university of + Louvain; the rumours of sorcery that were current respecting him rendering + his longer stay in England not altogether without danger. He found at + Louvain many kindred spirits who had known Cornelius Agrippa while he + resided among them, and by whom he was constantly entertained with the + wondrous deeds of that great master of the hermetic mysteries. From their + conversation he received much encouragement to continue the search for the + philosopher's stone, which soon began to occupy nearly all his thoughts. + </p> + <p> + He did not long remain on the Continent, but returned to England in 1551, + being at that time in the twenty-fourth year of his age. By the influence + of his friend, Sir John Cheek, he was kindly received at the court of King + Edward VI, and rewarded (it is difficult to say for what) with a pension + of one hundred crowns. He continued for several years to practise in + London as an astrologer; casting nativities, telling fortunes, and + pointing out lucky and unlucky days. During the reign of Queen Mary he got + into trouble, being suspected of heresy, and charged with attempting + Mary's life by means of enchantments. He was tried for the latter offence, + and acquitted; but was retained in prison on the former charge, and left + to the tender mercies of Bishop Bonner. He had a very narrow escape from + being burned in Smithfield, but he, somehow or other, contrived to + persuade that fierce bigot that his orthodoxy was unimpeachable, and was + set at liberty in 1555. + </p> + <p> + On the accession of Elizabeth, a brighter day dawned upon him. During her + retirement at Woodstock, her servants appear to have consulted him as to + the time of Mary's death, which Circumstance, no doubt, first gave rise to + the serious charge for which he was brought to trial. They now came to + consult him more openly as to the fortunes of their mistress; and Robert + Dudley, the celebrated Earl of Leicester, was sent by command of the Queen + herself to know the most auspicious day for her coronation. So great was + the favour he enjoyed that, some years afterwards, Elizabeth condescended + to pay him a visit at his house in Mortlake, to view his museum of + curiosities, and, when he was ill, sent her own physician to attend upon + him. + </p> + <p> + Astrology was the means whereby he lived, and he continued to practise it + with great assiduity; but his heart was in alchymy. The philosopher's + stone and the elixir of life haunted his daily thoughts and his nightly + dreams. The Talmudic mysteries, which he had also deeply studied, + impressed him with the belief, that he might hold converse with spirits + and angels, and learn from them all the mysteries of the universe. Holding + the same idea as the then obscure sect of the Rosicrucians, some of whom + he had perhaps encountered in his travels in Germany, he imagined that, by + means of the philosopher's stone, he could summon these kindly spirits at + his will. By dint of continually brooding upon the subject, his + imagination became so diseased, that he at last persuaded himself that an + angel appeared to him, and promised to be his friend and companion as long + as he lived. He relates that, one day, in November 1582, while he was + engaged in fervent prayer, the window of his museum looking towards the + west suddenly glowed with a dazzling light, in the midst of which, in all + his glory, stood the great angel Uriel. Awe and wonder rendered him + speechless; but the angel smiling graciously upon him, gave him a crystal, + of a convex form, and told him that, whenever he wished to hold converse + with the beings of another sphere, he had only to gaze intently upon it, + and they would appear in the crystal and unveil to him all the secrets of + futurity. [The "crystal" alluded to appears to have been a black stone, or + piece of polished coal. The following account of it is given in the + Supplement to Granger's "Biographical History."—"The black stone + into which Dee used to call his spirits was in the collection of the Earls + of Peterborough, from whence it came to Lady Elizabeth Germaine. It was + next the property of the late Duke of Argyle, and is now Mr. Walpole's. It + appears upon examination to be nothing more than a polished piece of + cannel coal; but this is what Butler means when he says, 'Kelly did all + his feats upon The devil's looking-glass—a stone.'"] This saying, + the angel disappeared. Dee found from experience of the crystal that it + was necessary that all the faculties of the soul should be concentrated + upon it, otherwise the spirits did not appear. He also found that he could + never recollect the conversations he had with the angels. He therefore + determined to communicate the secret to another person, who might converse + with the spirits while he (Dee) sat in another part of the room, and took + down in writing the revelations which they made. + </p> + <p> + He had at this time in his service, as his assistant, one Edward Kelly, + who, like himself, was crazy upon the subject of the philosopher's stone. + There was this difference, however, between them, that, while Dee was more + of an enthusiast than an impostor, Kelly was more of an impostor than an + enthusiast. In early life he was a notary, and had the misfortune to lose + both his ears for forgery. This mutilation, degrading enough in any man, + was destructive to a philosopher; Kelly, therefore, lest his wisdom should + suffer in the world's opinion, wore a black skull-cap, which, fitting + close to his head, and descending over both his cheeks, not only concealed + his loss, but gave him a very solemn and oracular appearance. So well did + he keep his secret, that even Dee, with whom he lived so many years, + appears never to have discovered it. Kelly, with this character, was just + the man to carry on any piece of roguery for his own advantage, or to + nurture the delusions of his master for the same purpose. No sooner did + Dee inform him of the visit he had received from the glorious Uriel, than + Kelly expressed such a fervour of belief that Dee's heart glowed with + delight. He set about consulting his crystal forthwith, and on the 2nd of + December 1581, the spirits appeared, and held a very extraordinary + discourse with Kelly, which Dee took down in writing. The curious reader + may see this farrago of nonsense among the Harleian MSS. in the British + Museum. The later consultations were published in a folio volume, in 1659, + by Dr. Meric Casaubon, under the title of "A True and Faithful Relation of + what passed between Dr. John Dee and some Spirits; tending, had it + succeeded, to a general Alteration of most States and Kingdoms in the + World." [Lilly, the astrologer, in his Life written by himself, frequently + tells of prophecies delivered by the angels in a manner similar to the + angels of Dr. Dee. He says, "The prophecies were not given vocally by the + angels, but by inspection of the crystal in types and figures, or by + apparition the circular way; where, at some distance, the angels appear, + representing by forms, shapes, and creatures what is demanded. It is very + rare, yea, even in our days," quoth that wiseacre, "for any operator or + master to hear the angels speak articulately: when they do speak, it is + like the Irish, much in the throat!"] + </p> + <p> + The fame of these wondrous colloquies soon spread over the country, and + even reached the Continent. Dee, at the same time, pretended to be in + possession of the elixir vitae, which he stated he had found among the + ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, in Somersetshire. People flocked from far and + near to his house at Mortlake to have their nativities cast, in preference + to visiting astrologers of less renown. They also longed to see a man who, + according to his own account, would never die. Altogether, he carried on a + very profitable trade, but spent so much in drugs and metals to work out + some peculiar process of transmutation, that he never became rich. + </p> + <p> + About this time there came into England a wealthy polish nobleman, named + Albert Laski, Count Palatine of Siradz. His object was principally, he + said, to visit the court of Queen Elizabeth, the fame of whose glory and + magnificence had reached him in distant Poland. Elizabeth received this + flattering stranger with the most splendid hospitality, and appointed her + favourite Leicester to show him all that was worth seeing in England. He + visited all the curiosities of London and Westminster, and from thence + proceeded to Oxford and Cambridge, that he might converse with some of the + great scholars whose writings shed lustre upon the land of their birth. He + was very much disappointed at not finding Dr. Dee among them, and told the + Earl of Leicester that he would not have gone to Oxford if he had known + that Dee was not there. The Earl promised to introduce him to the great + alchymist on their return to London, and the Pole was satisfied. A few + days afterwards, the Earl and Laski being in the antechamber of the Queen, + awaiting an audience of her Majesty, Dr. Dee arrived on the same errand, + and was introduced to the Pole. [Albert Laski, son of Jaroslav, was + Palatine of Siradz, and afterwards of Sendomir, and chiefly contributed to + the election of Henry of Valois, the Third of France, to the throne of + Poland, and was one of the delegates who went to France in order to + announce to the new monarch his elevation to the sovereignty of Poland. + After the deposition of Henry, Albert Laski voted for Maximilian of + Austria. In 1585 he visited England, when Queen Elizabeth received him + with great distinction. The honours which were shown him during his visit + to Oxford, by the especial command of the Queen, were equal to those + rendered to sovereign princes. His extraordinary prodigality rendered his + enormous wealth insufficient to defray his expenses, and he therefore + became a zealous adept in alchymy, and took from England to Poland with + him two known alchymists.—Count Valerian Krasinski's "Historical + Sketch of the Reformation in Poland."] An interesting conversation ensued, + which ended by the stranger inviting himself to dine with the astrologer + at his house at Mortlake. Dee returned home in some tribulation, for he + found he had not money enough, without pawning his plate, to entertain + Count Laski and his retinue in a manner becoming their dignity. In this + emergency he sent off an express to the Earl of Leicester, stating frankly + the embarrassment he laboured under, and praying his good offices in + representing the matter to her Majesty. Elizabeth immediately sent him a + present of twenty pounds. + </p> + <p> + On the appointed day, Count Laski came, attended by a numerous retinue, + and expressed such open and warm admiration of the wonderful attainments + of his host, that Dee turned over, in his own mind, how he could bind + irretrievably to his interests a man who seemed so well inclined to become + his friend. Long acquaintance with Kelly had imbued him with all the + roguery of that personage; and he resolved to make the Pole pay dearly for + his dinner. He found out, before many days, that he possessed great + estates in his own country, as well as great influence; but that an + extravagant disposition had reduced him to temporary embarrassment. He + also discovered, that he was a firm believer in the philosopher's stone + and the water of life. He was, therefore, just the man upon whom an + adventurer might fasten himself. Kelly thought so too; and both of them + set to work, to weave a web, in the meshes of which they might firmly + entangle the rich and credulous stranger. They went very cautiously about + it; first throwing out obscure hints of the stone and the elixir; and, + finally, of the spirits, by means of whom they could turn over the pages + of the Book of Futurity, and read the awful secrets inscribed therein. + Laski eagerly implored that he might be admitted to one of their + mysterious interviews with Uriel and the angels; but they knew human + nature too well to accede at once to the request. To the Count's + entreaties they only replied by hints of the difficulty or impropriety of + summoning the spirits in the presence of a stranger; or of one who might, + perchance, have no other motive than the gratification of a vain + curiosity: but they only meant to whet the edge of his appetite by this + delay, and would have been sorry indeed if the Count had been discouraged. + To show how exclusively the thoughts both of Dee and Kelly were fixed upon + their dupe, at this time, it is only necessary to read the introduction to + their first interview with the spirits, related in the volume of Dr. + Casaubon. The entry made by Dee, under the date of the 25th of May 1583, + says, that when the spirit appeared to them, "I, [John Dee], and E. K. + [Edward Kelly], sat together, conversing of that noble Polonian Albertus + Laski, his great honour here with us obtained, and of his great liking + among all sorts of the people." No doubt they were discussing how they + might make the most of the "noble Polonian," and concocting the fine story + with which they afterwards excited his curiosity, and drew him firmly + within their toils. "Suddenly," says Dee, as they were thus employed, + "there seemed to come out of the oratory, a spiritual creature, like a + pretty girl, of seven or nine years of age, attired on her head, with her + hair rolled up before, and hanging down behind; with a gown of silk, of + changeable red and green, and with a train. She seemed to play up and + down, and seemed to go in and out behind the books; and, as she seemed to + go between them, the books displaced themselves, and made way for her." + </p> + <p> + With such tales as these they lured on the Pole from day to day; and at + last persuaded him to be a witness of their mysteries. Whether they played + off any optical delusions upon him; or whether, by the force of a strong + imagination, he deluded himself, does not appear; but certain it is, that + he became a complete tool in their hands, and consented to do whatever + they wished him. Kelly, at these interviews, placed himself at a certain + distance from the wondrous crystal, and gazed intently upon it; while Dee + took his place in corner, ready to set down the prophecies as they were + uttered by the spirits. In this manner they prophesied to the Pole, that + he should become the fortunate possessor of the philosopher's stone; that + he should live for centuries, and be chosen King of Poland; in which + capacity he should gain many great victories over the Saracens, and make + his name illustrious over all the earth. For this pose it was necessary, + however, that Laski should leave England, and take them with him, together + with their wives and families; that he should treat them all sumptuously, + and allow them to want for nothing. Laski at once consented; and very + shortly afterwards they were all on the road to Poland. + </p> + <p> + It took them upwards of four months to reach the Count's estates, in the + neighbourhood of Cracow. In the mean time, they led a pleasant life, and + spent money with an unsparing hand. When once established in the Count's + palace, they commenced the great hermetic operation of transmuting iron + into gold. Laski provided them with all necessary materials, and aided + them himself with his knowledge of alchymy: but, somehow or other, the + experiment always failed at the very moment that it ought to have + succeeded; and they were obliged to recommence operations on a grander + scale. But the hopes of Laski were not easily extinguished. Already, in + idea, the possessor of countless millions, he was not to be cast down for + fear of present expenses. He thus continued from day to day, and from + month to month, till he was, at last, obliged to sell a portion of his + deeply-mortgaged estates, to find aliment for the hungry crucibles of Dee + and Kelly, and the no less hungry stomachs of their wives and families. It + was not till ruin stared him in the face, that he awoke from his dream of + infatuation—too happy, even then, to find that he had escaped utter + beggary. Thus restored to his senses, his first thought was how to rid + himself of his expensive visiters. Not wishing to quarrel with them, he + proposed that they should proceed to Prague, well furnished with letters + of recommendation to the Emperor Rudolph. Our alchymists too plainly saw + that nothing more was to be made of the almost destitute Count Laski. + Without hesitation, therefore, they accepted the proposal, and set out + forthwith to the Imperial residence. They had no difficulty, on their + arrival at Prague, in obtaining an audience of the Emperor. They found him + willing enough to believe that such a thing as the philosopher's stone + existed, and flattered themselves that they had made a favourable + impression upon him; but, from some cause or other—perhaps the look + of low cunning and quackery upon the face of Kelly—the Emperor + conceived no very high opinion of their abilities. He allowed them, + however, to remain for some months at Prague, feeding themselves upon the + hope that he would employ them: but the more he saw of them, the less he + liked them; and, when the Pope's Nuncio represented to him, that he ought + not to countenance such heretic magicians, he gave orders that they should + quit his dominions within four-and-twenty hours. It was fortunate for them + that so little time was given them; for, had they remained six hours + longer, the Nuncio had received orders to procure a perpetual dungeon, or + the stake, for them. + </p> + <p> + Not knowing well where to direct their steps, they resolved to return to + Cracow, where they had still a few friends; but, by this time, the funds + they had drawn from Laski were almost exhausted; and they were many days + obliged to go dinnerless and supperless. They had great difficulty to keep + their poverty a secret from the world; but they managed to bear privation + without murmuring, from a conviction that if the fact were known, it would + militate very much against their pretensions. Nobody would believe that + they were possessors of the philosopher's stone, if it were once suspected + that they did not know how to procure bread for their subsistence. They + still gained a little by casting nativities, and kept starvation at arm's + length, till a new dupe, rich enough for their purposes, dropped into + their toils, in the shape of a royal personage. Having procured an + introduction to Stephen, King of Poland, they predicted to him, that the + Emperor Rudolph would shortly be assassinated, and that the Germans would + look to Poland for his successor. As this prediction was not precise + enough to satisfy the King, they tried their crystal again; and a spirit + appeared, who told them that the new sovereign of Germany would be Stephen + of Poland. Stephen was credulous enough to believe them, and was once + present when Kelly held his mystic conversations with the shadows of his + crystal. He also appears to have furnished them with money to carry on + their experiments in alchymy: but he grew tired, at last, of their broken + promises, and their constant drains upon his pocket; and was on the point + of discarding them with disgrace, when they met with another dupe, to whom + they eagerly transferred their services. This was Count Rosenberg, a + nobleman of large estates, at Trebona, in Bohemia. So comfortable did they + find themselves in the palace of this munificent patron, that they + remained nearly four years with him, faring sumptuously, and having an + almost unlimited command of his money. The Count was more ambitious than + avaricious: he had wealth enough, and did not care for the philosopher's + stone on account of the gold, but of the length of days it would bring + him. They had their predictions, accordingly, all ready framed to suit his + character. They prophesied that he should be chosen King of Poland; and + promised, moreover, that he should live for five hundred years to enjoy + his dignity; provided always, that he found them sufficient money to carry + on their experiments. + </p> + <p> + But now, while fortune smiled upon them; while they revelled in the + rewards of successful villany, retributive justice came upon them in a + shape they had not anticipated. Jealousy and mistrust sprang up between + the two confederates, and led to such violent and frequent quarrels, that + Dee was in constant fear of exposure. Kelly imagined himself a much + greater personage than Dee; measuring, most likely, by the standard of + impudent roguery; and was displeased that on all occasions, and from all + persons, Dee received the greater share of honour and consideration. He + often threatened to leave Dee to shift for himself; and the latter, who + had degenerated into the mere tool of his more daring associate, was + distressed beyond measure at the prospect of his desertion. His mind was + so deeply imbued with superstition, that he believed the rhapsodies of + Kelly to be, in a great measure, derived from his intercourse with angels; + and he knew not where, in the whole world, to look for a man of depth and + wisdom enough to succeed him. As their quarrels every day became more and + more frequent, Dee wrote letters to Queen Elizabeth, to secure a + favourable reception on his return to England; whither he intended to + proceed, if Kelly forsook him. He also sent her a round piece of silver, + which he pretended he had made of a portion of brass cut out of a + warming-pan. He afterwards sent her the warming-pan also, that she might + convince herself that the piece of silver corresponded exactly with the + hole which was cut into the brass. While thus preparing for the worst, his + chief desire was to remain in Bohemia with Count Rosenberg, who treated + him well, and reposed much confidence in him. Neither had Kelly any great + objection to remain; but a new passion had taken possession of his breast, + and he was laying deep schemes to gratify it. His own wife was + ill-favoured and ill-natured; Dee's was comely and agreeable: and he + longed to make an exchange of partners, without exciting the jealousy or + shocking the morality of Dee. This was a difficult matter; but, to a man + like Kelly, who was as deficient in rectitude and right feeling as he was + full of impudence and ingenuity, the difficulty was not insurmountable. He + had also deeply studied the character and the foibles of Dee; and he took + his measures accordingly. The next time they consulted the spirits, Kelly + pretended to be shocked at their language, and refused to tell Dee what + they had said. Dee insisted, and was informed that they were henceforth to + have their wives in common. Dee, a little startled, inquired whether the + spirits might not mean that they were to live in common harmony and + good-will? Kelly tried again, with apparent reluctance, and said the + spirits insisted upon the literal interpretation. The poor fanatic, Dee, + resigned himself to their will; but it suited Kelly's purpose to appear + coy a little longer. He declared that the spirits must be spirits, not of + good, but of evil; and refused to consult them any more. He thereupon took + his departure, saying that he would never return. + </p> + <p> + Dee, thus left to himself, was in sore trouble and distress of mind. He + knew not on whom to fix as the successor to Kelly for consulting the + spirits; but at last chose his son Arthur, a boy of eight years of age. He + consecrated him to this service with great ceremony, and impressed upon + the child's mind the dignified and awful nature of the duties he was + called upon to perform; but the poor boy had neither the imagination, the + faith, nor the artifice of Kelly. He looked intently upon the crystal, as + he was told; but could see nothing and hear nothing. At last, when his + eyes ached, he said he could see a vague indistinct shadow; but nothing + more. Dee was in despair. The deception had been carried on so long, that + he was never so happy as when he fancied he was holding converse with + superior beings; and he cursed the day that had put estrangement between + him and his dear friend Kelly. This was exactly what Kelly had foreseen; + and, when he thought the Doctor had grieved sufficiently for his absence, + he returned unexpectedly, and entered the room where the little Arthur was + in vain endeavouring to distinguish something in the crystal. Dee, in + entering this circumstance in his journal, ascribes this sudden return to + a "miraculous fortune," and a "divine fate;" and goes on to record that + Kelly immediately saw the spirits, which had remained invisible to little + Arthur. One of these spirits reiterated the previous command, that they + should have their wives in common. Kelly bowed his head, and submitted; + and Dee, in all humility, consented to the arrangement. + </p> + <p> + This was the extreme depth of the wretched man's degradation. In this + manner they continued to live for three or four months, when, new quarrels + breaking out, they separated once more. This time their separation was + final. Kelly, taking the elixir which he had found in Glastonbury Abbey, + proceeded to Prague, forgetful of the abrupt mode in which he had + previously been expelled from that city. Almost immediately after his + arrival, he was seized by order of the Emperor Rudolph, and thrown into + prison. He was released after some months' confinement, and continued for + five years to lead a vagabond life in Germany, telling fortunes at one + place, and pretending to make gold at another. He was a second time thrown + into prison, on a charge of heresy and sorcery; and he then resolved, if + ever he obtained his liberty, to return to England. He soon discovered + that there was no prospect of this, and that his imprisonment was likely + to be for life. He twisted his bed-clothes into a rope, one stormy night + in February 1595, and let himself down from the window of his dungeon, + situated at the top of a very high tower. Being a corpulent man, the rope + gave way, and he was precipitated to the ground. He broke two of his ribs, + and both his legs; and was otherwise so much injured, that he expired a + few days afterwards. + </p> + <p> + Dee, for a while, had more prosperous fortune. The warming-pan he had sent + to Queen Elizabeth was not without effect. He was rewarded, soon after + Kelly had left him, with an invitation to return to England. His pride, + which had been sorely humbled, sprang up again to its pristine dimensions; + and he set out for Bohemia with a train of attendants becoming an + ambassador. How he procured the money does not appear, unless from the + liberality of the rich Bohemian Rosenberg, or perhaps from his plunder. He + travelled with three coaches for himself and family, and three waggons to + carry his baggage. Each coach had four horses, and the whole train was + protected by a guard of four and twenty soldiers. This statement may be + doubted; but it is on the authority of Dee himself, who made it on oath + before the commissioners appointed by Elizabeth to inquire into his + circumstances. On his arrival in England he had an audience of the Queen, + who received him kindly as far as words went, and gave orders that he + should not be molested in his pursuits of chemistry and philosophy. A man + who boasted of the power to turn baser metals into gold, could not, + thought Elizabeth, be in want of money; and she, therefore, gave him no + more substantial marks of her approbation than her countenance and + protection. + </p> + <p> + Thrown thus unexpectedly upon his own resources, Dee began in earnest the + search for the philosopher's stone. He worked incessantly among his + furnaces, retorts, and crucibles, and almost poisoned himself with + deleterious fumes. He also consulted his miraculous crystal; but the + spirits appeared not to him. He tried one Bartholomew to supply the place + of the invaluable Kelly; but he being a man of some little probity, and of + no imagination at all, the spirits would not hold any communication with + him. Dee then tried another pretender to philosophy, of the name of + Hickman; but had no better fortune. The crystal had lost its power since + the departure of its great high-priest. From this quarter then Dee could + get no information on the stone or elixir of the alchymists, and all his + efforts to discover them by other means were not only fruitless but + expensive. He was soon reduced to great distress, and wrote piteous + letters to the Queen, praying relief. He represented that, after he left + England with Count Laski, the mob had pillaged his house at Mortlake, + accusing him of being a necromancer and a wizard; and had broken all his + furniture, burned his library, consisting of four thousand rare volumes, + and destroyed all the philosophical instruments and curiosities in his + museum. For this damage he claimed compensation; and furthermore stated, + that, as he had come to England by the Queen's command, she ought to pay + the expenses of his journey. Elizabeth sent him small sums of money at + various times; but, Dee still continuing his complaints, a commission was + appointed to inquire into his circumstances. He finally obtained a small + appointment as Chancellor of St. Paul's cathedral, which he exchanged, in + 1595, for the wardenship of the college at Manchester. He remained in this + capacity till 1602 or 1603, when, his strength and intellect beginning to + fail him, he was compelled to resign. He retired to his old dwelling at + Mortlake, in a state not far removed from actual want, supporting himself + as a common fortune-teller, and being often obliged to sell or pawn his + books to procure a dinner. James I. was often applied to on his behalf, + but he refused to do anything for him. It may be said to the discredit of + this King, that the only reward he would grant the indefatigable Stowe, in + his days of old age and want, was the royal permission to beg; but no one + will blame him for neglecting such a quack as John Dee. He died in 1608, + in the eighty-first year of his age, and was buried at Mortlake. + </p> + <p> + THE COSMOPOLITE. + </p> + <p> + Many disputes have arisen as to the real name of the alchymist who wrote + several works under the above designation. The general opinion is that he + was a Scotsman, named Seton; and that by a fate very common to alchymists, + who boasted too loudly of their powers of transmutation, he ended his days + miserably in a dungeon, into which he was thrown by a German potentate + until he made a million of gold to pay his ransom. By some he has been + confounded with Michael Sendivog, or Sendivogius, a Pole, a professor of + the same art, who made a great noise in Europe at the commencement of the + seventeenth century. Lenglet du Fresnoy, who is in general well-informed + with respect to the alchymists, inclines to the belief that these + personages were distinct; and gives the following particulars of the + Cosmopolite, extracted from George Morhoff, in his "Epistola ad + Langelottum," and other writers. + </p> + <p> + About the year 1600, one Jacob Haussen, a Dutch pilot, was shipwrecked on + the coast of Scotland. A gentleman, named Alexander Seton, put off in a + boat, and saved him from drowning, and afterwards entertained him + hospitably for many weeks at his house on the shore. Haussen saw that he + was addicted to the pursuits of chemistry, but no conversation on the + subject passed between them at the time. About a year and a half + afterwards, Haussen being then at home at Enkhuysen, in Holland, received + a visit from his former host. He endeavoured to repay the kindness that + had been shown him; and so great a friendship arose between them, that + Seton, on his departure, offered to make him acquainted with the great + secret of the philosopher's stone. In his presence the Scotsman transmuted + a great quantity of base metal into pure gold, and gave it him as a mark + of his esteem. Seton then took leave of his friend, and travelled into + Germany. At Dresden he made no secret of his wonderful powers; having, it + is said, performed transmutation successfully before a great assemblage of + the learned men of that city. The circumstance coming to the ears of the + Duke or Elector of Saxony, he gave orders for the arrest of the alchymist. + He caused him to be imprisoned in a high tower, and set a guard of forty + men to watch that he did not escape, and that no strangers were admitted + to his presence. The unfortunate Seton received several visits from the + Elector, who used every art of persuasion to make him divulge his secret. + Seton obstinately refused either to communicate his secret, or to make any + gold for the tyrant; on which he was stretched upon the rack, to see if + the argument of torture would render him more tractable. The result was + still the same,—neither hope of reward nor fear of anguish could + shake him. For several months he remained in prison, subjected alternately + to a sedative and a violent regimen, till his health broke, and he wasted + away almost to a skeleton. + </p> + <p> + There happened at that time to be in Dresden a learned Pole, named Michael + Sendivogius, who had wasted a good deal of his time and substance in the + unprofitable pursuits of alchymy. He was touched with pity for the hard + fate, and admiration for the intrepidity of Seton; and determined, if + possible, to aid him in escaping from the clutch of his oppressor. He + requested the Elector's permission to see the alchymist, and obtained it + with some difficulty. He found him in a state of great wretchedness,—shut + up from the light of day in a noisome dungeon, and with no better couch or + fare than those allotted to the worst of criminals. Seton listened eagerly + to the proposal of escape, and promised the generous Pole that he would + make him richer than an Eastern monarch if by his means he were liberated. + Sendivogius immediately commenced operations. He sold some property which + he possessed near Cracow, and with the proceeds led a merry life at + Dresden. He gave the most elegant suppers, to which he regularly invited + the officers of the guard, and especially those who did duty at the prison + of the alchymist. He insinuated himself at last into their confidence, and + obtained free ingress to his friend as often as he pleased; pretending + that he was using his utmost endeavours to conquer his obstinacy and worm + his secret out of him. When their project was ripe, a day was fixed upon + for the grand attempt; and Sendivogius was ready with a postchariot to + convey him with all speed into Poland. By drugging some wine which he + presented to the guards of the prison, he rendered them so drowsy that he + easily found means to scale a wall unobserved, with Seton, and effect his + escape. Seton's wife was in the chariot awaiting him, having safely in her + possession a small packet of a black powder, which was, in fact, the + philosopher's stone, or ingredient for the transmutation of iron and + copper into gold. They all arrived in safety at Cracow; but the frame of + Seton was so wasted by torture of body and starvation, to say nothing of + the anguish of mind he had endured, that he did not long survive. He died + in Cracow in 1603 or 1604, and was buried under the cathedral church of + that city. Such is the story related of the author of the various works + which bear the name of the Cosmopolite. A list of them may be found in the + third volume of the "History of the Hermetic Philosophy." + </p> + <p> + SENDIVOGIUS. + </p> + <p> + On the death of Seton, Sendivogius married his widow, hoping to learn from + her some of the secrets of her deceased lord in the art of transmutation. + The ounce of black powder stood him, however, in better service; for the + alchymists say that, by its means, he converted great quantities of + quicksilver into the purest gold. It is also said that he performed this + experiment successfully before the Emperor Rudolph II, at Prague; and that + the Emperor, to commemorate the circumstance, caused a marble tablet to be + affixed to the wall of the room in which it was performed, bearing this + inscription, "Faciat hoc quispiam alius, quod fecit Sendivogius Polonus." + M. Desnoyers, secretary to the Princess Mary of Gonzaga, Queen of Poland, + writing from Warsaw in 1651, says that he saw this tablet, which existed + at that time, and was often visited by the curious. + </p> + <p> + The after-life of Sendivogius is related in a Latin memoir of him by one + Brodowski, his steward; and is inserted by Pierre Borel in his "Treasure + of Gaulish Antiquities." The Emperor Rudolph, according to this authority, + was so well pleased with his success, that he made him one of his + counsellors of state, and invited him to fill a station in the royal + household and inhabit the palace. But Sendivogius loved his liberty, and + refused to become a courtier. He preferred to reside on his own + patrimonial estate of Gravarna, where, for many years, he exercised a + princely hospitality. His philosophic powder, which, his steward says, was + red, and not black, he kept in a little box of gold; and with one grain of + it he could make five hundred ducats, or a thousand rix-dollars. He + generally made his projection upon quicksilver. When he travelled, he gave + this box to his steward, who hung it round his neck by a gold chain next + his skin. But the greatest part of the powder he used to hide in a secret + place cut into the step of his chariot. He thought that, if attacked at + any time by robbers, they would not search such a place as that. When he + anticipated any danger, he would dress himself in his valet's clothes, + and, mounting the coach-box, put the valet inside. He was induced to take + these precautions, because it was no secret that he possessed the + philosopher's stone; and many unprincipled adventurers were on the watch + for an opportunity to plunder him. A German Prince, whose name Brodowski + has not thought fit to chronicle, served him a scurvy trick, which ever + afterwards put him on his guard. This prince went on his knees to + Sendivogius, and entreated him in the most pressing terms to satisfy his + curiosity by converting some quicksilver into gold before him. + Sendivogius, wearied by his importunity, consented, upon a promise of + inviolable secrecy. After his departure, the Prince called a German + alchymist, named Muhlenfels, who resided in his house, and told him all + that had been done. Muhlenfels entreated that he might have a dozen + mounted horsemen at his command, that he might instantly ride after the + philosopher, and either rob him of all his powder or force from him the + secret of making it. The Prince desired nothing better; and Muhlenfels, + being provided with twelve men well mounted and armed, pursued Sendivogius + in hot haste. He came up with him at a lonely inn by the road-side, just + as he was sitting down to dinner. He at first endeavoured to persuade him + to divulge the secret; but, finding this of no avail, he caused his + accomplices to strip the unfortunate Sendivogius and tie him naked to one + of the pillars of the house. He then took from him his golden box, + containing a small quantity of the powder; a manuscript book on the + philosopher's stone; a golden medal with its chain, presented to him by + the Emperor Rudolph; and a rich cap ornamented with diamonds, of the value + of one hundred thousand rix-dollars. With this booty he decamped, leaving + Sendivogius still naked and firmly bound to the pillar. His servants had + been treated in a similar manner; but the people of the inn released them + all as soon as the robbers were out of sight. + </p> + <p> + Sendivogius proceeded to Prague, and made his complaint to the Emperor. An + express was instantly sent off to the Prince, with orders that he should + deliver up Muhlenfels and all his plunder. The Prince, fearful of the + Emperor's wrath, caused three large gallows to be erected in his + court-yard; on the highest of which he hanged Muhlenfels, with another + thief on each side of him. He thus propitiated the Emperor, and got rid of + an ugly witness against himself. He sent back, at the same time, the + bejewelled hat, the medal and chain, and the treatise upon the + philosopher's stone, which had been stolen from Sendivogius. As regarded + the powder, he said he had not seen it, and knew nothing about it. + </p> + <p> + This adventure made Sendivogius more prudent; he would no longer perform + the process of transmutation before any strangers, however highly + recommended. He pretended, also, to be very poor; and sometimes lay in bed + for weeks together, that people might believe he was suffering from some + dangerous malady, and could not therefore by any possibility be the owner + of the philosopher's stone. He would occasionally coin false money, and + pass it off as gold; preferring to be esteemed a cheat rather than a + successful alchymist. + </p> + <p> + Many other extraordinary tales are told of this personage by his steward + Brodowski, but they are not worth repeating. He died in 1636, aged upwards + of eighty, and was buried in his own chapel at Gravarna. Several works + upon alchymy have been published under his name. + </p> + <p> + THE ROSICRUCIANS. + </p> + <p> + It was during the time of the last-mentioned author that the sect of the + Rosicrucians first began to create a sensation in Europe. The influence + which they exercised upon opinion during their brief career, and the + permanent impression which they have left upon European literature, claim + for them especial notice. Before their time, alchymy was but a grovelling + delusion; and theirs is the merit of having spiritualised and refined it. + They also enlarged its sphere, and supposed the possession of the + philosopher's stone to be, not only the means of wealth, but of health and + happiness; and the instrument by which man could command the services of + superior beings, control the elements to his will, defy the obstructions + of time and space, and acquire the most intimate knowledge of all the + secrets of the universe. Wild and visionary as they were, they were not + without their uses; if it were only for having purged the superstitions of + Europe of the dark and disgusting forms with which the monks had peopled + it, and substituted, in their stead, a race of mild, graceful, and + beneficent beings. + </p> + <p> + They are said to have derived their name from Christian Rosencreutz, or + "Rose-cross," a German philosopher, who travelled in the Holy Land towards + the close of the fourteenth century. While dangerously ill at a place + called Damcar, he was visited by some learned Arabs, who claimed him as + their brother in science, and unfolded to him, by inspiration, all the + secrets of his past life, both of thought and of action. They restored him + to health by means of the philosopher's stone, and afterwards instructed + him in all their mysteries. He returned to Europe in 1401, being then only + twenty-three years of age; and drew a chosen number of his friends around + him, whom he initiated into the new science, and bound by solemn oaths to + keep it secret for a century. He is said to have lived eighty-three years + after this period, and to have died in 1484. + </p> + <p> + Many have denied the existence of such a personage as Rosencreutz, and + have fixed the origin of this sect at a much later epoch. The first + dawning of it, they say, is to be found in the theories of Paracelsus, and + the dreams of Dr. Dee, who, without intending it, became the actual, + though never the recognised founders of the Rosicrucian philosophy. It is + now difficult, and indeed impossible, to determine whether Dee and + Paracelsus obtained their ideas from the then obscure and unknown + Rosicrucians, or whether the Rosicrucians did but follow and improve upon + them. Certain it is, that their existence was never suspected till the + year 1605, when they began to excite attention in Germany. No sooner were + their doctrines promulgated, than all the visionaries, Paracelsists, and + alchymists, flocked around their standard, and vaunted Rosencreutz as the + new regenerator of the human race. Michael Mayer, a celebrated physician + of that day, and who had impaired his health and wasted his fortune in + searching for the philosopher's stone, drew up a report of the tenets and + ordinances of the new fraternity, which was published at Cologne, in the + year 1615. They asserted, in the first place, "that the meditations of + their founders surpassed everything that had ever been imagined since the + creation of the world, without even excepting the revelations of the + Deity; that they were destined to accomplish the general peace and + regeneration of man before the end of the world arrived; that they + possessed all wisdom and piety in a supreme degree; that they possessed + all the graces of nature, and could distribute them among the rest of + mankind according to their pleasure; that they were subject to neither + hunger, nor thirst, nor disease, nor old age, nor to any other + inconvenience of nature; that they knew by inspiration, and at the first + glance, every one who was worthy to be admitted into their society; that + they had the same knowledge then which they would have possessed if they + had lived from the beginning of the world, and had been always acquiring + it; that they had a volume in which they could read all that ever was or + ever would be written in other books till the end of time; that they could + force to, and retain in their service the most powerful spirits and + demons; that, by the virtue of their songs, they could attract pearls and + precious stones from the depths of the sea or the bowels of the earth; + that God had covered them with a thick cloud, by means of which they could + shelter themselves from the malignity of their enemies, and that they + could thus render themselves invisible from all eyes; that the eight first + brethren of the "Rose-cross had power to cure all maladies; that, by means + of the fraternity, the triple diadem of the Pope would be reduced into + dust; that they only admitted two sacraments, with the ceremonies of the + primitive Church, renewed by them; that they recognised the Fourth + Monarchy and the Emperor of the Romans as their chief and the chief of all + Christians; that they would provide him with more gold, their treasures + being inexhaustible, than the King of Spain had ever drawn from the golden + regions of Eastern and Western Ind." This was their confession of faith. + Their rules of conduct were six in number, and as follow:— + </p> + <p> + First. That, in their travels, they should gratuitously cure all diseases. + </p> + <p> + Secondly. That they should always dress in conformity to the fashion of + the country in which they resided. + </p> + <p> + Thirdly. That they should, once every year, meet together in the place + appointed by the fraternity, or send in writing an available excuse. + </p> + <p> + Fourthly. That every brother, whenever he felt inclined to die, should + choose a person worthy to succeed him. + </p> + <p> + Fifthly. That the words "Rose-cross" should be the marks by which they + should recognise each other. + </p> + <p> + Sixthly. That their fraternity should be kept secret for six times twenty + years. + </p> + <p> + They asserted that these laws had been found inscribed in a golden book in + the tomb of Rosencreutz, and that the six times twenty years from his + death expired in 1604. They were consequently called upon, from that time + forth, to promulgate their doctrine for the welfare of mankind. [The + following legend of the tomb of Rosencreutz, written by Eustace Budgell, + appears in No. 379 of the Spectator:—"A certain person, having + occasion to dig somewhat deep in the ground where this philosopher lay + interred, met with a small door, having a wall on each side of it. His + curiosity, and the hope of finding some hidden treasure, soon prompted him + to force open the door. He was immediately surprised by a sudden blaze of + light, and discovered a very fair vault. At the upper end of it was a + statue of a man in armour, sitting by a table, and leaning on his left + arm. He held a truncheon in his right hand, and had a lamp burning before + him. The man had no sooner set one foot within the vault, than the statue, + erecting itself from its leaning posture, stood bolt upright; and, upon + the fellow's advancing another step, lifted up the truncheon in his right + hand. The man still ventured a third step; when the statue, with a furious + blow, broke the lamp into a thousand pieces, and left his guest in sudden + darkness. Upon the report of this adventure, the country people came with + lights to the sepulchre, and discovered that the statue, which was made of + brass, was nothing more than a piece of clock-work; that the floor of the + vault was all loose, and underlaid with several springs, which, upon any + man's entering, naturally produced that which had happened. Rosicreucius, + say his disciples, made use of this method to show the world that he had + re-invented the ever-burning lamps of the ancients, though he was resolved + no one should reap any advantage from the discovery."] + </p> + <p> + For eight years these enthusiasts made converts in Germany; but they + excited little or no attention in other parts of Europe. At last they made + their appearance in Paris, and threw all the learned, all the credulous, + and all the lovers of the marvellous into commotion. In the beginning of + March 1623, the good folks of that city, when they arose one morning, were + surprised to find all their walls placarded with the following singular + manifesto:— + </p> + <p> + "We, the deputies of the principal College of the Brethren of the + Rose-cross, have taken up our abode, visible and invisible, in this city, + by the grace of the Most High, towards whom are turned the hearts of the + just. We show and teach without books or signs, and speak all sorts of + languages in the countries where we dwell, to draw mankind, our fellows, + from error and from death." + </p> + <p> + For a long time this strange placard was the sole topic of conversation in + all public places. Some few wondered; but the greater number only laughed + at it. In the course of a few weeks two books were published, which raised + the first alarm respecting this mysterious society, whose dwelling-place + no one knew, and no members of which had ever been seen. The first was + called a history of "The frightful Compacts entered into between the Devil + and the pretended 'Invisibles;' with their damnable Instructions, the + deplorable Ruin of their Disciples, and their miserable End." The other + was called an "Examination of the new and unknown Cabala of the Brethren + of the Rose-cross, who have lately inhabited the City of Paris; with the + History of their Manners, the Wonders worked by them, and many other + Particulars." + </p> + <p> + These books sold rapidly. Every one was anxious to know something of this + dreadful and secret brotherhood. The badauds of Paris were so alarmed that + they daily expected to see the arch-enemy walking in propria persona among + them. It was said in these volumes, that the Rosicrucian society consisted + of six-and-thirty persons in all, who had renounced their baptism and hope + of resurrection. That it was not by means of good angels, as they + pretended, that they worked their prodigies; but that it was the devil who + gave them power to transport themselves from one end of the world to the + other with the rapidity of thought; to speak all languages; to have their + purses always full of money, however much they might spend; to be + invisible, and penetrate into the most secret places, in spite of + fastenings of bolts and bars; and to be able to tell the past and future. + These thirty-six brethren were divided into bands or companies:— + </p> + <p> + Six of them only had been sent on the mission to Paris, six to Italy, six + to Spain, six to Germany, four to Sweden, and two into Switzerland; two + into Flanders, two into Lorraine, and two into Franche Comte. It was + generally believed that the missionaries to France resided somewhere in + the Marais du Temple. That quarter of Paris soon acquired a bad name; and + people were afraid to take houses in it, lest they should be turned out by + the six invisibles of the Rose-cross. It was believed by the populace, and + by many others whose education should have taught them better, that + persons of a mysterious aspect used to visit the inns and hotels of Paris, + and eat of the best meats and drink of the best wines, and then suddenly + melt away into thin air when the landlord came with the reckoning. That + gentle maidens, who went to bed alone, often awoke in the night and found + men in bed with them, of shape more beautiful than the Grecian Apollo, who + immediately became invisible when an alarm was raised. It was also said + that many persons found large heaps of pure gold in their houses, without + knowing from whence they came. All Paris was in alarm. No man thought + himself secure of his goods, no maiden of her virginity, or wife of her + chastity, while these Rosicrucians were abroad. In the midst of the + commotion, a second placard was issued to the following effect:—"If + any one desires to see the brethren of the Rose-cross from curiosity only, + he will never communicate with us. But if his will really induces him to + inscribe his name in the register of our brotherhood, we, who can judge of + the thoughts of all men, will convince him of the truth of our promises. + For this reason we do not publish to the world the place of our abode. + Thought alone, in unison with the sincere will of those who desire to know + us, is sufficient to make us known to them, and them to us." + </p> + <p> + Though the existence of such a society as that of the Rose-cross was + problematical, it was quite evident that somebody or other was concerned + in the promulgation of these placards, which were stuck up on every wall + in Paris. The police endeavoured in vain to find out the offenders, and + their want of success only served to increase the perplexity of the + public. The church very soon took up the question; and the Abbe Gaultier, + a Jesuit, wrote a book to prove that, by their enmity to the Pope, they + could be no other than disciples of Luther, sent to promulgate his heresy. + Their very name, he added, proved that they were heretics; a cross + surmounted by a rose being the heraldic device of the arch-heretic Luther. + One Garasse said they were a confraternity of drunken impostors; and that + their name was derived from the garland of roses, in the form of a cross, + hung over the tables of taverns in Germany as the emblem of secrecy, and + from whence was derived the common saying, when one man communicated a + secret to another, that it was said "under the rose." Others interpreted + the letters F. R. C. to mean, not Brethren of the Rose-cross, but Fratres + Roris Cocti, or Brothers of Boiled Dew; and explained this appellation by + alleging that they collected large quantities of morning dew, and boiled + it, in order to extract a very valuable ingredient in the composition of + the philosopher's stone and the water of life. + </p> + <p> + The fraternity thus attacked defended themselves as well as they were + able. They denied that they used magic of any kind, or that they consulted + the devil. They said they were all happy; that they had lived more than a + century, and expected to live many centuries more; and that the intimate + knowledge which they possessed of all nature was communicated to them by + God himself as a reward for their piety and utter devotion to his service. + Those were in error who derived their name from a cross of roses, or + called them drunkards. To set the world right on the first point, they + reiterated that they derived their name from Christian Rosencreutz, their + founder; and, to answer the latter charge, they repeated that they knew + not what thirst was, and had higher pleasures than those of the palate. + They did not desire to meddle with the politics or religion of any man or + set of men, although they could not help denying the supremacy of the + Pope, and looking upon him as a tyrant. Many slanders, they said, had been + repeated respecting them; the most unjust of which was, that they indulged + in carnal appetites, and, under the cloak of their invisibility, crept + into the chambers of beautiful maidens. They asserted, on the contrary, + that the first vow they took on entering the society was a vow of + chastity; and that any one among them who transgressed in that particular + would immediately lose all the advantages he enjoyed, and be exposed once + more to hunger, woe, disease, and death, like other men. So strongly did + they feel on the subject of chastity, that they attributed the fall of + Adam solely to his want of this virtue. Besides defending themselves in + this manner, they entered into a further confession of their faith. They + discarded for ever all the old tales of sorcery and witchcraft, and + communion with the devil. They said there were no such horrid, unnatural, + and disgusting beings as the incubi and succubi, and the innumerable + grotesque imps that men had believed in for so many ages. Man was not + surrounded with enemies like these, but with myriads of beautiful and + beneficent beings, all anxious to do him service. The air was peopled with + sylphs, the water with undines or naiads, the bowels of the earth with + gnomes, and the fire with salamanders. All these beings were the friends + of man, and desired nothing so much as that men should purge themselves of + all uncleanness, and thus be enabled to see and converse with them. They + possessed great power, and were unrestrained by the barriers of space or + the obstructions of matter. But man was in one particular their superior. + He had an immortal soul, and they had not. They might, however, become + sharers in man's immortality, if they could inspire one of that race with + the passion of love towards them. Hence it was the constant endeavour of + the female spirits to captivate the admiration of men; and of the male + gnomes, sylphs, salamanders, and undines, to be beloved by a woman. The + object of this passion, in returning their love, imparted a portion of + that celestial fire the soul; and from that time forth the beloved became + equal to the lover, and both, when their allotted course was run, entered + together into the mansions of felicity. These spirits, they said, watched + constantly over mankind by night and day. Dreams, omens, and presentiments + were all their works, and the means by which they gave warning of the + approach of danger. But, though so well inclined to befriend man for their + own sakes, the want of a soul rendered them at times capricious and + revengeful: they took offence on slight causes, and heaped injuries + instead of benefits on the heads of those who extinguished the light of + reason that was in them, by gluttony, debauchery, and other appetites of + the body. + </p> + <p> + The excitement produced in Paris by the placards of the brotherhood, and + the attacks of the clergy, wore itself away after a few months. The + stories circulated about them became at last too absurd even for that age + of absurdity, and men began to laugh once more at those invisible + gentlemen and their fantastic doctrines. Gabriel Naude at that conjuncture + brought out his "Avis a la France sur les Freres de la Rose-croix," in + which he very successfully exposed the folly of the new sect. This work, + though not well written, was well timed. It quite extinguished the + Rosicrucians of France; and, after that year, little more was heard of + them. Swindlers, in different parts of the country, assumed the name at + times to cloak their depredations; and now and then one of them was + caught, and hanged for his too great ingenuity in enticing pearls and + precious stones from the pockets of other people into his own, or for + passing off lumps of gilded brass for pure gold, made by the agency of the + philosopher's stone. With these exceptions, oblivion shrouded them. + </p> + <p> + The doctrine was not confined to a sphere so narrow as France alone; it + still flourished in Germany, and drew many converts in England. The latter + countries produced two great masters, in the persons of Jacob Bohmen and + Robert Fludd; pretended philosophers, of whom it is difficult to say which + was the more absurd and extravagant. It would appear that the sect was + divided into two classes,—the brothers Roseae Crucis, who devoted + themselves to the wonders of this sublunary sphere; and the brothers + Aureae Crucis, who were wholly occupied in the contemplation of things + Divine. Fludd belonged to the first class, and Bohmen to the second. Fludd + may be called the father of the English Rosicrucians, and as such merits a + conspicuous niche in the temple of Folly. + </p> + <p> + He was born in the year 1574, at Milgate, in Kent; and was the son of Sir + Thomas Fludd, Treasurer of War to Queen Elizabeth. He was originally + intended for the army; but he was too fond of study, and of a disposition + too quiet and retiring to shine in that sphere. His father would not, + therefore, press him to adopt a course of life for which he was unsuited, + and encouraged him in the study of medicine, for which he early manifested + a partiality. At the age of twenty-five he proceeded to the Continent; and + being fond of the abstruse, the marvellous, and the incomprehensible, he + became an ardent disciple of the school of Paracelsus, whom he looked upon + as the regenerator, not only of medicine, but of philosophy. He remained + six years in Italy, France, and Germany; storing his mind with fantastic + notions, and seeking the society of enthusiasts and visionaries. On his + return to England, in 1605, he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine + from the University of Oxford, and began to practice as a physician in + London. + </p> + <p> + He soon made himself conspicuous. He Latinized his name from Robert Fludd + into Robertus a Fluctibus, and began the promulgation of many strange + doctrines. He avowed his belief in the philosopher's stone, the water of + life, and the universal alkahest; and maintained that there were but two + principles of all things,—which were, condensation, the boreal or + northern virtue; and rarefaction, the southern or austral virtue. A number + of demons, he said, ruled over the human frame, whom he arranged in their + places in a rhomboid. Every disease had its peculiar demon who produced + it, which demon could only be combated by the aid of the demon whose place + was directly opposite to his in the rhomboidal figure. Of his medical + notions we shall have further occasion to speak in another part of this + book, when we consider him in his character as one of the first founders + of the magnetic delusion, and its offshoot, animal magnetism, which has + created so much sensation in our own day. + </p> + <p> + As if the doctrines already mentioned were not wild enough, he joined the + Rosicrucians as soon as they began to make a sensation in Europe, and + succeeded in raising himself to high consideration among them. The + fraternity having been violently attacked by several German authors, and + among others by Libavius, Fludd volunteered a reply, and published, in + 1616, his defence of the Rosicrucian philosophy, under the title of the + "Apologia, compendiaria, Fraternitatem de Rosea-cruce, Suspicionis et + Infamiae maculis aspersam, abluens." This work immediately procured him + great renown upon the Continent, and he was henceforth looked upon as one + of the high-priests of the sect. Of so much importance was he considered, + that Keppler and Gassendi thought it necessary to refute him; and the + latter wrote a complete examination of his doctrine. Mersenne also, the + friend of Descartes, and who had defended that philosopher when accused of + having joined the Rosicrucians, attacked Dr. a Fluctibus, as he preferred + to be called, and showed the absurdity of the brothers of the Rose-cross + in general, and of Dr. a Fluctibus in particular. Fluctibus wrote a long + reply, in which he called Mersenne an ignorant calumniator, and reiterated + that alchymy was a profitable science, and the Rosicrucians worthy to be + the regenerators of the world. This book was published at Frankfort, and + was entitled "Summum Bonum, quod est Magiae, Cabalae, Alchimiae, Fratrum + Roseae-Crucis verorum, et adversus Mersenium Calumniatorem." Besides this, + he wrote several other works upon alchymy, a second answer to Libavius + upon the Rosicrucians, and many medical works. He died in London in 1637. + </p> + <p> + After his time there was some diminution of the sect in England. They + excited but little attention, and made no effort to bring themselves into + notice. Occasionally, some obscure and almost incomprehensible work made + its appearance, to show the world that the folly was not extinguished. + Eugenius Philalethes, a noted alchymist, who has veiled his real name + under this assumed one, translated "The Fame and Confession of the + Brethren of the Rosie Cross," which was published in London in 1652. A few + years afterwards, another enthusiast, named John Heydon, wrote two works + on the subject: the one entitled "The Wise Man's Crown, or the Glory of + the Rosie Cross;" and the other, "The Holy Guide, leading the way to unite + Art and Nature, with the Rosie Crosse uncovered." Neither of these + attracted much notice. A third book was somewhat more successful: it was + called "A New Method of Rosicrucian Physic; by John Heydon, the servant of + God and the secretary of Nature." A few extracts will show the ideas of + the English Rosicrucians about this period. Its author was an attorney, + "practising (to use his own words) at Westminster Hall all term times as + long as he lived, and in the vacations devoting himself to alchymical and + Rosicrucian meditation." In his preface, called by him an Apologue for an + Epilogue, he enlightens the public upon the true history and tenets of his + sect. Moses, Elias, and Ezekiel were, he says, the most ancient masters of + the Rosicrucian philosophy. Those few then existing in England and the + rest of Europe, were as the eyes and ears of the great King of the + universe, seeing and hearing all things; seraphically illuminated; + companions of the holy company of unbodied souls and immortal angels; + turning themselves, Proteus-like, into any shape, and having the power of + working miracles. The most pious and abstracted brethren could slack the + plague in cities, silence the violent winds and tempests, calm the rage of + the sea and rivers, walk in the air, frustrate the malicious aspect of + witches, cure all diseases, and turn all metals into gold. He had known in + his time two famous brethren of the Rosie Cross, named Walfourd and + Williams, who had worked miracles in his sight, and taught him many + excellent predictions of astrology and earthquakes. "I desired one of + these to tell me," says he, "whether my complexion were capable of the + society of my good genius. 'When I see you again,' said he, (which was + when he pleased to come to me, for I knew not where to go to him,) 'I will + tell you.' When I saw him afterwards, he said, 'You should pray to God; + for a good and holy man can offer no greater or more acceptable service to + God than the oblation of himself—his soul.' He said, also, that the + good genii were the benign eyes of God, running to and fro in the world, + and with love and pity beholding the innocent endeavours of harmless and + single-hearted men, ever ready to do them good and to help them." + </p> + <p> + Heydon held devoutly true that dogma of the Rosicrucians which said that + neither eating nor drinking was necessary to men. He maintained that any + one might exist in the same manner as that singular people dwelling near + the source of the Ganges, of whom mention was made in the travels of his + namesake, Sir Christopher Heydon, who had no mouths, and therefore could + not eat, but lived by the breath of their nostrils; except when they took + a far journey, and then they mended their diet with the smell of flowers. + He said that in really pure air "there was a fine foreign fatness," with + which it was sprinkled by the sunbeams, and which was quite sufficient for + the nourishment of the generality of mankind. Those who had enormous + appetites he had no objection to see take animal food, since they could + not do without it; but he obstinately insisted that there was no necessity + why they should eat it. If they put a plaster of nicely-cooked meat upon + their epigastrium, it would be sufficient for the wants of the most robust + and voracious! They would by that means let in no diseases, as they did at + the broad and common gate, the mouth, as any one might see by example of + drink; for, all the while a man sat in water, he was never athirst. He had + known, he said, many Rosicrucians, who, by applying wine in this manner, + had fasted for years together. In fact, quoth Heydon, we may easily fast + all our life, though it be three hundred years, without any kind of meat, + and so cut off all danger of disease. + </p> + <p> + This "sage philosopher" further informed his wondering contemporaries that + the chiefs of the doctrine always carried about with them to their place + of meeting their symbol, called the R.C. which was an ebony cross, + flourished and decked with roses of gold; the cross typifying Christ's + sufferings upon the Cross for our sins, and the roses of gold the glory + and beauty of his Resurrection. This symbol was carried alternately to + Mecca, Mount Calvary, Mount Sinai, Haran, and to three other places, which + must have been in mid-air, called Cascle, Apamia, and Chaulateau Virissa + Caunuch, where the Rosicrucian brethren met when they pleased, and made + resolution of all their actions. They always took their pleasures in one + of these places, where they resolved all questions of whatsoever had been + done, was done, or should be done, in the world, from the beginning to the + end thereof. "And these," he concludes, "are the men called Rosicrucians." + </p> + <p> + Towards the end of the seventeenth century, more rational ideas took + possession of the sect, which still continued to boast of a few members. + They appear to have considered that contentment was the true philosopher's + stone, and to have abandoned the insane search for a mere phantom of the + imagination. Addison, in "The Spectator," [No. 574. Friday, July 30th, + 1714.] gives an account of his conversation with a Rosicrucian; from which + it may be inferred that the sect had grown wiser in their deeds, though in + their talk they were as foolish as ever. "I was once," says he, "engaged + in discourse with a Rosicrucian about the great secret. He talked of the + secret as of a spirit which lived within an emerald, and converted + everything that was near it to the highest perfection that it was capable + of. 'It gives a lustre,' says he, 'to the sun, and water to the diamond. + It irradiates every metal, and enriches lead with all the properties of + gold. It heightens smoke into flame, flame into light, and light into + glory.' He further added 'that a single ray of it dissipates pain, and + care, and melancholy from the person on whom it falls. In short,' says he, + 'its presence naturally changes every place into a kind of heaven.' After + he had gone on for some time in this unintelligible cant, I found that he + jumbled natural and moral ideas together into the same discourse, and that + his great secret was nothing else but content." + </p> + <p> + JACOB BOHMEN. + </p> + <p> + It is now time to speak of Jacob Bohmen, who thought he could discover the + secret of the transmutation of metals in the Bible, and who invented a + strange heterogeneous doctrine of mingled alchymy and religion, and + founded upon it the sect of the Aurea-crucians. He was born at Gorlitz, in + Upper Lusatia, in 1575; and followed, till his thirtieth year, the + occupation of a shoemaker. In this obscurity he remained, with the + character of a visionary and a man of unsettled mind, until the + promulgation of the Rosicrucian philosophy in his part of Germany, toward + the year 1607 or 1608. From that time he began to neglect his leather, and + buried his brain under the rubbish of metaphysics. The works of Paracelsus + fell into his hands; and these, with the reveries of the Rosicrucians, so + completely engrossed his attention that be abandoned his trade altogether, + sinking, at the same time, from a state of comparative independence into + poverty and destitution. But he was nothing daunted by the miseries and + privations of the flesh; his mind was fixed upon the beings of another + sphere, and in thought he was already the new apostle of the human race. + In the year 1612, after a meditation of four years, he published his first + work, entitled "Aurora; or, The Rising of the Sun;" embodying the + ridiculous notions of Paracelsus, and worse confounding the confusion of + that writer. The philosopher's stone might, he contended, be discovered by + a diligent search of the Old and New Testaments, and more especially of + the Apocalypse, which alone contained all the secrets of alchymy. He + contended that the Divine Grace operated by the same rules, and followed + the same methods, that the Divine Providence observed in the natural + world; and that the minds of men were purged from their vices and + corruptions in the very same manner that metals were purified from their + dross, namely, by fire. + </p> + <p> + Besides the sylphs, gnomes, undines, and salamanders, he acknowledged + various ranks and orders of demons. He pretended to invisibility and + absolute chastity. He also said that, if it pleased him, he could abstain + for years from meat and drink, and all the necessities of the body. It is + needless, however, to pursue his follies any further. He was reprimanded + for writing this work by the magistrates of Gorlitz, and commanded to + leave the pen alone and stick to his wax, that his family might not become + chargeable to the parish. He neglected this good advice, and continued his + studies; burning minerals and purifying metals one day, and mystifying the + Word of God on the next. He afterwards wrote three other works, as + sublimely ridiculous as the first. The one was entitled "Metallurgia," and + has the slight merit of being the least obscure of his compositions. + Another was called "The Temporal Mirror of Eternity;" and the last his + "Theosophy revealed," full of allegories and metaphors, + </p> + <p> + "All strange and geason, Devoid of sense and ordinary reason." + </p> + <p> + Bohmen died in 1624, leaving behind him a considerable number of admiring + disciples. Many of them became, during the seventeenth century, as + distinguished for absurdity as their master; amongst whom may be mentioned + Gifftheil, Wendenhagen, John Jacob Zimmermann, and Abraham Frankenberg. + Their heresy rendered them obnoxious to the Church of Rome; and many of + them suffered long imprisonment and torture for their faith. One, named + Kuhlmann, was burned alive at Moscow, in 1684, on a charge of sorcery. + Bohmen's works were translated into English, and published, many years + afterwards by an enthusiast, named William Law. + </p> + <p> + MORMIUS. + </p> + <p> + Peter Mormius, a notorious alchymist, and contemporary of Bohmen, + endeavoured, in 1630, to introduce the Rosicrucian philosophy into + Holland. He applied to the States-General to grant him a public audience, + that he might explain the tenets of the sect, and disclose a plan for + rendering Holland the happiest and richest country on the earth, by means + of the philosopher's' stone and the service of the elementary spirits. The + States-General wisely resolved to have nothing to do with him. He + thereupon determined to shame them by printing his book, which he did at + Leyden the same year. It was entitled "The Book of the most Hidden Secrets + of Nature," and was divided into three parts; the first treating of + "perpetual motion," the second of the "transmutation of metals," and the + third of the "universal medicine." He also published some German works + upon the Rosicrucian philosophy, at Frankfort, in 1617. + </p> + <p> + Poetry and Romance are deeply indebted to the Rosicrucians for many a + graceful creation. The literature of England, France, and Germany contains + hundreds of sweet fictions, whose machinery has been borrowed from their + day-dreams. The "delicate Ariel" of Shakspeare stands pre-eminent among + the number. From the same source Pope drew the airy tenants of Belinda's + dressing-room, in his charming "Rape of the Lock;" and La Motte Fouque, + the beautiful and capricious water-nymph, Undine, around whom he has + thrown more grace and loveliness, and for whose imaginary woes he has + excited more sympathy, than ever were bestowed on a supernatural being. + Sir Walter Scott also endowed the White Lady of Avenel with many of the + attributes of the undines, or water-sprites. German romance and lyrical + poetry teem with allusions to sylphs, gnomes, undines, and salamanders; + and the French have not been behind in substituting them, in works of + fiction, for the more cumbrous mythology of Greece and Rome. The sylphs, + more especially, have been the favourites of the bards, and have become so + familiar to the popular mind as to be, in a manner, confounded with that + other race of ideal beings, the fairies, who can boast of an antiquity + much more venerable in the annals of superstition. Having these + obligations to the Rosicrucians, no lover of poetry can wish, however + absurd they were, that such a sect of philosophers had never existed. + </p> + <p> + BORRI. + </p> + <p> + Just at the time that Michael Mayer was making known to the world the + existence of such a body as the Rosicrucians, there was born in Italy a + man who was afterwards destined to become the most conspicuous member of + the fraternity. The alchymic mania never called forth the ingenuity of a + more consummate or more successful impostor than Joseph Francis Borri. He + was born in 1616 according to some authorities, and in 1627 according to + others, at Milan; where his father, the Signor Branda Borri, practised as + a physician. At the age of sixteen, Joseph was sent to finish his + education at the Jesuits' College in Rome, where he distinguished himself + by his extraordinary memory. He learned everything to which he applied + himself with the utmost ease. In the most voluminous works no fact was too + minute for his retention, and no study was so abstruse but that he could + master it; but any advantages he might have derived from this facility, + were neutralized by his ungovernable passions and his love of turmoil and + debauchery. He was involved in continual difficulty, as well with the + heads of the college as with the police of Rome, and acquired so bad a + character that years could not remove it. By the aid of his friends he + established himself as a physician in Rome, and also obtained some + situation in the Pope's household. In one of his fits of studiousness he + grew enamoured of alchymy, and determined to devote his energies to the + discovery of the philosopher's stone. Of unfortunate propensities he had + quite sufficient, besides this, to bring him to poverty. His pleasures + were as expensive as his studies, and both were of a nature to destroy his + health and ruin his fair fame. At the age of thirty-seven he found that he + could not live by the practice of medicine, and began to look about for + some other employment. He became, in 1653, private secretary to the + Marquis di Mirogli, the minister of the Archduke of Innspruk at the court + of Rome. He continued in this capacity for two years; leading, however, + the same abandoned life as heretofore, frequenting the society of + gamesters, debauchees, and loose women, involving himself in disgraceful + street quarrels, and alienating the patrons who were desirous to befriend + him. + </p> + <p> + All at once a sudden change was observed in his conduct. The abandoned + rake put on the outward sedateness of a philosopher; the scoffing sinner + proclaimed that he had forsaken his evil ways, and would live thenceforth + a model of virtue. To his friends this reformation was as pleasing as it + was unexpected; and Borri gave obscure hints that it had been brought + about by some miraculous manifestation of a superior power. He pretended + that he held converse with beneficent spirits; that the secrets of God and + nature were revealed to him; and that he had obtained possession of the + philosopher's stone. Like his predecessor, Jacob Bohmen, he mixed up + religious questions with his philosophical jargon, and took measures for + declaring himself the founder of a new sect. This, at Rome itself, and in + the very palace of the Pope, was a hazardous proceeding; and Borri just + awoke to a sense of it in time to save himself from the dungeons of the + Castle of St. Angelo. He fled to Innspruck, where he remained about a + year, and then returned to his native city of Milan. + </p> + <p> + The reputation of his great sanctity had gone before him; and he found + many persons ready to attach themselves to his fortunes. All who were + desirous of entering into the new communion took an oath of poverty, and + relinquished their possessions for the general good of the fraternity. + Borri told them that he had received from the archangel Michael a heavenly + sword, upon the hilt of which were engraven the names of the seven + celestial Intelligences. "Whoever shall refuse," said he, "to enter into + my new sheepfold, shall be destroyed by the papal armies, of whom God has + predestined me to be the chief. To those who follow me, all joy shall be + granted. I shall soon bring my chemical studies to a happy conclusion by + the discovery of the philosopher's stone, and by this means we shall all + have as much gold as we desire. I am assured of the aid of the angelic + hosts, and more especially of the archangel Michael's. When I began to + walk in the way of the spirit, I had a vision of the night, and was + assured by an angelic voice that I should become a prophet. In sign of it + I saw a palm-tree, surrounded with all the glory of Paradise. The angels + come to me whenever I call, and reveal to me all the secrets of the + universe. The sylphs and elementary spirits obey me, and fly to the + uttermost ends of the world to serve me, and those whom I delight to + honour." By force of continually repeating such stories as these, Borri + soon found himself at the head of a very considerable number of adherents. + As he figures in these pages as an alchymist, and not as a religious + sectarian, it will be unnecessary to repeat the doctrines which he taught + with regard to some of the dogmas of the Church of Rome, and which exposed + him to the fierce resentment of the papal authority. They were to the full + as ridiculous as his philosophical pretensions. As the number of his + followers increased, he appears to have cherished the idea of becoming one + day a new Mahomet, and of founding, in his native city of Milan, a + monarchy and religion of which he should be the king and the prophet. He + had taken measures, in the year 1658, for seizing the guards at all the + gates of that city, and formally declaring himself the monarch of the + Milanese. Just as he thought the plan ripe for execution, it was + discovered. Twenty of his followers were arrested, and he himself managed, + with the utmost difficulty, to escape to the neutral territory of + Switzerland, where the papal displeasure could not reach him. + </p> + <p> + The trial of his followers commenced forthwith, and the whole of them were + sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. Borri's trial proceeded in his + absence, and lasted for upwards of two years. He was condemned to death as + a heretic and sorcerer in 1661, and was burned in effigy in Rome by the + common hangman. + </p> + <p> + Borri, in the mean time, lived quietly in Switzerland, indulging himself + in railing at the Inquisition and its proceedings. He afterwards went to + Strasbourg, intending to fix his residence in that town. He was received + with great cordiality, as a man persecuted for his religious opinions, and + withal a great alchymist. He found that sphere too narrow for his aspiring + genius, and retired in the same year to the more wealthy city of + Amsterdam. He there hired a magnificent house, established an equipage + which eclipsed in brilliancy those of the richest merchants, and assumed + the title of Excellency. Where he got the money to live in this expensive + style was long a secret: the adepts in alchymy easily explained it, after + their fashion. Sensible people were of opinion that he had come by it in a + less wonderful manner; for it was remembered that, among his unfortunate + disciples in Milan, there were many rich men, who, in conformity with one + of the fundamental rules of the sect, had given up all their earthly + wealth into the hands of their founder. In whatever manner the money was + obtained, Borri spent it in Holland with an unsparing hand, and was looked + up to by the people with no little respect and veneration. He performed + several able cures, and increased his reputation so much that he was + vaunted as a prodigy. He continued diligently the operations of alchymy, + and was in daily expectation that he should succeed in turning the + inferior metals into gold. This hope never abandoned him, even in the + worst extremity of his fortunes; and in his prosperity it led him into the + most foolish expenses: but he could not long continue to live so + magnificently upon the funds he had brought from Italy; and the + philosopher's stone, though it promised all for the wants of the morrow, + never brought anything for the necessities of to-day. He was obliged in a + few months to retrench, by giving up his large house, his gilded coach, + and valuable blood-horses, his liveried domestics, and his luxurious + entertainments. With this diminution of splendour came a diminution of + renown. His cures did not appear so miraculous, when he went out on foot + to perform them, as they had seemed when "his Excellency" had driven to a + poor man's door in his carriage with six horses. He sank from a prodigy + into an ordinary man. His great friends showed him the cold shoulder, and + his humble flatterers carried their incense to some other shrine. Borri + now thought it high time to change his quarters. With this view he + borrowed money wherever he could get it, and succeeded in obtaining two + hundred thousand florins from a merchant, named De Meer, to aid, as he + said, in discovering the water of life. He also obtained six diamonds, of + great value, on pretence that he could remove the flaws from them without + diminishing their weight. With this booty he stole away secretly by night, + and proceeded to Hamburgh. + </p> + <p> + On his arrival in that city, he found the celebrated Christina, the + ex-Queen of Sweden. He procured an introduction to her, and requested her + patronage in his endeavour to discover the philosopher's stone. She gave + him some encouragement; but Borri, fearing that the merchants of + Amsterdam, who had connexions in Hamburgh, might expose his delinquencies + if he remained in the latter city, passed over to Copenhagen, and sought + the protection of Frederic III, the King of Denmark. + </p> + <p> + This Prince was a firm believer in the transmutation of metals. Being in + want of money, he readily listened to the plans of an adventurer who had + both eloquence and ability to recommend him. He provided Borri with the + means to make experiments, and took a great interest in the progress of + his operations. He expected every month to possess riches that would buy + Peru; and, when he was disappointed, accepted patiently the excuses of + Borri who, upon every failure, was always ready with some plausible + explanation. He became, in time, much attached to him; and defended him + from the jealous attacks of his courtiers, and the indignation of those + who were grieved to see their monarch the easy dupe of a charlatan. Borri + endeavoured, by every means in his power, to find aliment for this good + opinion. His knowledge of medicine was useful to him in this respect, and + often stood between him and disgrace. He lived six years in this manner at + the court of Frederic; but that monarch dying in 1670, he was left without + a protector. + </p> + <p> + As he had made more enemies than friends in Copenhagen, and had nothing to + hope from the succeeding sovereign, he sought an asylum in another + country. He went first to Saxony; but met so little encouragement, and + encountered so much danger from the emissaries of the Inquisition, that he + did not remain there many months. Anticipating nothing but persecution in + every country that acknowledged the spiritual authority of the Pope, he + appears to have taken the resolution to dwell in Turkey, and turn + Mussulman. On his arrival at the Hungarian frontier, on his way to + Constantinople, he was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the + conspiracy of the Counts Nadasdi and Frangipani, which had just been + discovered. In vain he protested his innocence, and divulged his real name + and profession. He was detained in prison, and a letter despatched to the + Emperor Leopold to know what should be done with him. The star of his + fortunes was on the decline. The letter reached Leopold at an unlucky + moment. The Pope's Nuncio was closeted with his Majesty; and he no sooner + heard the name of Joseph Francis Borri, than he demanded him as a prisoner + of the Holy See. The request was complied with; and Borri, closely + manacled, was sent under an escort of soldiers to the prison of the + Inquisition at Rome. He was too much of an impostor to be deeply tinged + with fanaticism, and was not unwilling to make a public recantation of his + heresies if he could thereby save his life. When the proposition was made + to him, he accepted it with eagerness. His punishment was to be commuted + into the hardly less severe one of perpetual imprisonment; but he was too + happy to escape the clutch of the executioner at any price, and he made + the amende honorable in face of the assembled multitudes of Rome on the + 27th of October 1672. He was then transferred to the prisons of the Castle + of St. Angelo, where he remained till his death, twenty-three years + afterwards. It is said that, towards the close of his life, considerable + indulgence was granted him; that he was allowed to have a laboratory, and + to cheer the solitude of his dungeon by searching for the philosopher's + stone. Queen Christina, during her residence at Rome, frequently visited + the old man, to converse with him upon chemistry and the doctrines of the + Rosicrucians. She even obtained permission that he should leave his prison + occasionally for a day or two, and reside in her palace, she being + responsible for his return to captivity. She encouraged him to search for + the great secret of the alchymists, and provided him with money for the + purpose. It may well be supposed that Borri benefited most by this + acquaintance, and that Christina got nothing but experience. It is not + sure that she gained even that; for, until her dying day, she was + convinced of the possibility of finding the philosopher's stone, and ready + to assist any adventurer either zealous or impudent enough to pretend to + it. + </p> + <p> + After Borri had been about eleven years in confinement, a small volume was + published at Cologne, entitled "The Key of the Cabinet of the Chevalier + Joseph Francis Borri; in which are contained many curious Letters upon + Chemistry and other Sciences, written by him; together with a Memoir of + his Life." This book contained a complete exposition of the Rosicrucian + philosophy, and afforded materials to the Abbe de Villars for his + interesting "Count de Gabalis," which excited so much attention at the + close of the seventeenth century. + </p> + <p> + Borri lingered in the prison of St. Angelo till 1695, when he died in his + eightieth year. Besides "The Key of the Cabinet," written originally in + Copenhagen, in 1666, for the edification of King Frederic III, he + published a work upon alchymy and the secret sciences, under the title of + "The Mission of Romulus to the Romans." + </p> + <p> + INFERIOR ALCHYMISTS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. + </p> + <p> + Besides the pretenders to the philosopher's stone whose lives have been + already narrated, this and the preceding century produced a great number + of writers, who inundated literature with their books upon the subject. In + fact, most of the learned men of that age had some faith in it. Van + Helmont, Borrichius, Kirchen, Boerhaave, and a score of others, though not + professed alchymists, were fond of the science, and countenanced its + professors. Helvetius, the grandfather of the celebrated philosopher of + the same name, asserts that he saw an inferior metal turned into gold by a + stranger, at the Hague, in 1666. He says that, sitting one day in his + study, a man, who was dressed as a respectable burgher of North Holland, + and very modest and simple in his appearance, called upon him, with the + intention of dispelling his doubts relative to the philosopher's stone. He + asked Helvetius if he thought he should know that rare gem if he saw it. + To which Helvetius replied, that he certainly should not. The burgher + immediately drew from his pocket a small ivory box, containing three + pieces of metal, of the colour of brimstone, and extremely heavy; and + assured Helvetius, that of them he could make as much as twenty tons of + gold. Helvetius informs us, that he examined them very attentively; and + seeing that they were very brittle, he took the opportunity to scrape off + a very small portion with his thumb-nail. He then returned them to the + stranger, with an entreaty that he would perform the process of + transmutation before him. The stranger replied, that he was not allowed to + do so, and went away. After his departure, Helvetius procured a crucible + and a portion of lead, into which, when in a state of fusion, he threw the + stolen grain from the philosopher's stone. He was disappointed to find + that the grain evaporated altogether, leaving the lead in its original + state. + </p> + <p> + Some weeks afterwards, when he had almost forgotten the subject, he + received another visit from the stranger. He again entreated him to + explain the processes by which he pretended to transmute lead. The + stranger at last consented, and informed him, that one grain was + sufficient; but that it was necessary to envelope it in a ball of wax + before throwing it on the molten metal; otherwise its extreme volatility + would cause it to go off in vapour. They tried the experiment, and + succeeded to their heart's content. Helvetius repeated the experiment + alone, and converted six ounces of lead into very pure gold. + </p> + <p> + The fame of this event spread all over the Hague, and all the notable + persons of the town flocked to the study of Helvetius to convince + themselves of the fact. Helvetius performed the experiment again, in the + presence of the Prince of Orange, and several times afterwards, until he + exhausted the whole of the powder he had received from the stranger, from + whom, it is necessary to state, he never received another visit; nor did + he ever discover his name or condition. In the following year Helvetius + published his "Golden Calf," ["Vitulus Aureus quem Mundus adorat et orat, + in quo tractatur de naturae miraculo transmutandi metalla."—Hagae, + 1667.] in which he detailed the above circumstances. + </p> + <p> + About the same time, the celebrated Father Kircher published his + "Subterranean World," in which he called the alchymists a congregation of + knaves and impostors, and their science a delusion. He admitted that he + had himself been a diligent labourer in the field, and had only come to + this conclusion after mature consideration and repeated fruitless + experiments. All the alchymists were in arms immediately, to refute this + formidable antagonist. One Solomon de Blauenstein was the first to grapple + with him, and attempted to convict him of wilful misrepresentation, by + recalling to his memory the transmutations by Sendivogius, before the + Emperor Frederic III. and the Elector of Mayence; all performed within a + recent period. Zwelfer and Glauber also entered into the dispute, and + attributed the enmity of Father Kircher to spite and jealousy against + adepts who had been more successful than himself. + </p> + <p> + It was also pretended that Gustavus Adolphus transmuted a quantity of + quicksilver into pure gold. The learned Borrichius relates, that he saw + coins which had been struck of this gold; and Lenglet du Fresnoy deposes + to the same circumstance. In the Travels of Monconis the story is told in + the following manner:—"A merchant of Lubeck, who carried on but + little trade, but who knew how to change lead into very good gold, gave + the King of Sweden a lingot which he had made, weighing, at least, one + hundred pounds. The King immediately caused it to be coined into ducats; + and because he knew positively that its origin was such as had been stated + to him, he had his own arms graven upon the one side, and emblematical + figures of Mercury and Venus on the other." "I," continued Monconis, "have + one of these ducats in my possession; and was credibly informed, that, + after the death of the Lubeck merchant, who had never appeared very rich, + a sum of no less than one million seven hundred thousand crowns was found + in his coffers." [Voyages de Monconis, tome ii. p. 379.] + </p> + <p> + Such stories as these, confidently related by men high in station, tended + to keep up the infatuation of the alchymists in every country of Europe. + It is astonishing to see the number of works which were written upon the + subject during the seventeenth century alone, and the number of clever men + who sacrificed themselves to the delusion. Gabriel de Castaigne, a monk of + the order of St. Francis, attracted so much notice in the reign of Louis + XIII, that that monarch secured him in his household, and made him his + Grand Almoner. He pretended to find the elixir of life; and Louis + expected, by his means, to have enjoyed the crown for a century. Van + Helmont also pretended to have once performed with success the process of + transmuting quicksilver; and was, in consequence, invited by the Emperor + Rudolph II. to fix his residence at the court of Vienna. Glauber, the + inventor of the salts which still bear his name, and who practised as a + physician at Amsterdam about the middle of the seventeenth century, + established a public school in that city for the study of alchymy, and + gave lectures himself upon the science. John Joachim Becher, of Spire, + acquired great reputation at the same period; and was convinced that much + gold might be made out of flint stones by a peculiar process, and the aid + of that grand and incomprehensible substance, the philosopher's stone. He + made a proposition to the Emperor Leopold of Austria, to aid him in these + experiments; but the hope of success was too remote, and the present + expense too great to tempt that monarch; and he therefore gave Becher much + of his praise, but none of his money. Becher afterwards tried the + States-General of Holland, with no better success. + </p> + <p> + With regard to the innumerable tricks by which impostors persuaded the + world that they had succeeded in making gold, and of which so many stories + were current about this period, a very satisfactory report was read by M. + Geoffroy, the elder, at the sitting of the Royal Academy of Sciences, at + Paris, on the 15th of April, 1722. As it relates principally to the + alchymic cheats of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the following + abridgment of it may not be out of place in this portion of our history:—The + instances of successful transmutation were so numerous, and apparently so + well authenticated, that nothing short of so able an exposure as that of + M. Geoffroy could disabuse the public mind. The trick to which they + oftenest had recourse, was to use a double-bottomed crucible, the under + surface being of iron or copper, and the upper one of wax, painted to + resemble the same metal. Between the two they placed as much gold or + silver dust as was necessary for their purpose. They then put in their + lead, quicksilver, or other ingredients, and placed their pot upon the + fire. Of course, when the experiment was concluded, they never failed to + find a lump of gold at the bottom. The same result was produced in many + other ways. Some of them used a hollow wand, filled with gold or silver + dust, and stopped at the ends with wax or butter. With this they stirred + the boiling metal in their crucibles, taking care to accompany the + operation with many ceremonies, to divert attention from the real purpose + of the manoeuvre. They also drilled holes in lumps of lead, into which + they poured molten gold, and carefully closed the aperture with the + original metal. Sometimes they washed a piece of gold with quicksilver. + When in this state they found no difficulty in palming it off upon the + uninitiated as an inferior metal, and very easily transmuted it into fine + sonorous gold again, with the aid of a little aquafortis. + </p> + <p> + Others imposed by means of nails, half iron and half gold or silver. They + pretended that they really transmuted the precious half from iron, by + dipping it in a strong alcohol. M. Geoffroy produced several of these + nails to the Academy of Sciences, and showed how nicely the two parts were + soldered together. The golden or silver half was painted black to resemble + iron, and the colour immediately disappeared when the nail was dipped into + aquafortis. A nail of this description was, for a long time, in the + cabinet of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Such also, said M. Geoffroy, was the + knife presented by a monk to Queen Elizabeth of England; the blade of + which was half gold and half steel. Nothing at one time was more common + than to see coins, half gold and half silver, which had been operated upon + by alchymists, for the same purposes of trickery. In fact, says M. + Geoffroy, in concluding his long report, there is every reason to believe + that all the famous histories which have been handed down to us, about the + transmutation of metals into gold or silver, by means of the powder of + projection, or philosophical elixirs, are founded upon some successful + deception of the kind above narrated. These pretended philosophers + invariably disappeared after the first or second experiment, or their + powders or elixirs have failed to produce their effect, either because + attention being excited they have found no opportunity to renew the trick + without being discovered, or because they have not had sufficient gold + dust for more than one trial. + </p> + <p> + The disinterestedness of these would-be philosopher looked, at first + sight, extremely imposing. Instances were not rare, in which they + generously abandoned all the profits of their transmutations—even + the honour of the discovery! But this apparent disinterestedness was one + of the most cunning of their manoeuvres. It served to keep up the popular + expectation; it showed the possibility of discovering the philosopher's + stone, and provided the means of future advantages, which they were never + slow to lay hold of—such as entrances into royal households, + maintenance at the public expense, and gifts from ambitious potentates, + too greedy after the gold they so easily promised. + </p> + <p> + It now only remains to trace the progress of the delusion from the + commencement of the eighteenth century until the present day. It will be + seen, that until a very recent period, there were but slight signs of a + return to reason. + </p> + <p> + JEAN DELISLE. + </p> + <p> + In the year 1705, there was much talk in France of a blacksmith, named + Delisle, who had discovered the philosopher's stone, and who went about + the country turning lead into gold. He was a native of Provence, from + which place his fame soon spread to the capital. His early life is + involved in obscurity; but Longlet du Fresnoy has industriously collected + some particulars of his later career, which possess considerable interest. + He was a man without any education, and had been servant in his youth to + an alchymist, from whom he learned many of the tricks of the fraternity. + The name of his master has never been discovered; but it is pretended that + he rendered himself in some manner obnoxious to the government of Louis + XIV, and was obliged, in consequence, to take refuge in Switzerland. + Delisle accompanied him as far as Savoy, and there, it is said, set upon + him in a solitary mountain-pass, and murdered and robbed him. He then + disguised himself as a pilgrim, and returned to France. At a lonely inn, + by the road-side, where he stopped for the night, he became acquainted + with a woman, named Aluys; and so sudden a passion was enkindled betwixt + them, that she consented to leave all, follow him, and share his good or + evil fortune wherever he went. They lived together for five or six years + in Provence, without exciting any attention, apparently possessed of a + decent independence. At last, in 1706, it was given out that he was the + possessor of the philosopher's stone; and people, from far and near, came + flocking to his residence, at the Chateau de la Palu, at Sylanez, near + Barjaumont, to witness the wealth he could make out of pumps and fire + shovels. The following account of his operations is given in a letter + addressed by M. de Cerisy, the Prior of Chateauneuf, in the Diocese of + Riez, in Provence, to the Vicar of St. Jacques du Hautpas, at Paris, and + dated the 18th of November 1706:— + </p> + <p> + "I have something to relate to you, my dear cousin, which will be + interesting to you and your friends. The philosopher's stone, which so + many persons have looked upon as a chimera, is at last found. It is a man + named Delisle, of the parish of Sylanez, and residing within a quarter of + a league of me, that has discovered this great secret. He turns lead into + gold, and iron into silver, by merely heating these metals red hot, and + pouring upon them, in that state, some oil and powder he is possessed of; + so that it would not be impossible for any man to make a million a day, if + he had sufficient of this wondrous mixture. Some of the pale gold which he + had made in this manner, he sent to the jewellers of Lyons, to have their + opinion on its quality. He also sold twenty pounds weight of it to a + merchant of Digne, named Taxis. All the jewellers say they never saw such + fine gold in their lives. He makes nails, part gold, part iron, and part + silver. He promised to give me one of them, in a long conversation which I + had with him the other day, by order of the Bishop of Sends, who saw his + operations with his own eyes, and detailed all the circumstances to me. + </p> + <p> + "The Baron and Baroness de Rheinwald showed me a lingot of gold made out + of pewter before their eyes by M. Delisle. My brother-in-law Sauveur, who + has wasted fifty years of his life in this great study, brought me the + other day a nail which he had seen changed into gold by Delisle, and fully + convinced me that all his previous experiments were founded on an + erroneous principle. This excellent workman received, a short time ago, a + very kind letter from the superintendent of the royal household, which I + read. He offered to use all his influence with the ministers to prevent + any attempts upon his liberty, which has twice been attacked by the agents + of government. It is believed that the oil he makes use of, is gold or + silver reduced to that state. He leaves it for a long time exposed to the + rays of the sun. He told me that it generally took him six months to make + all his preparations. I told him that, apparently, the King wanted to see + him. He replied that he could not exercise his art in every place, as a + certain climate and temperature were absolutely necessary to his success. + The truth is, that this man appears to have no ambition. He only keeps two + horses and two men-servants. Besides, he loves his liberty, has no + politeness, and speaks very bad French; but his judgment seems to be + solid. He was formerly no more than a blacksmith, but excelled in that + trade without having been taught it. All the great lords and seigneurs + from far and near come to visit him, and pay such court to him, that it + seems more like idolatry than anything else. Happy would France be if this + man would discover his secret to the King, to whom the superintendent has + already sent some lingots! But the happiness is too great to be hoped for; + for I fear that the workman and his secret will expire together. There is + no doubt that this discovery will make a great noise in the kingdom, + unless the character of the man, which I have just depicted to you, + prevent it. At all events, posterity will hear of him." + </p> + <p> + In another letter to the same person, dated the 27th of January 1707, M. + de Cerisy says, "My dear cousin, I spoke to you in my last letter of the + famous alchymist of Provence, M. Delisle. A good deal of that was only + hearsay, but now I am enabled to speak from my own experience. I have in + my possession a nail, half iron and half silver, which I made myself. That + great and admirable workman also bestowed a still greater privilege upon + me—he allowed me to turn a piece of lead which I had brought with me + into pure gold, by means of his wonderful oil and powder. All the country + have their eyes upon this gentleman: some deny loudly, others are + incredulous; but those who have seen acknowledge the truth. I have read + the passport that has been sent to him from Court, with orders that he + should present himself at Paris early in the spring. He told me that he + would go willingly, and that it was himself who fixed the spring for his + departure; as he wanted to collect his materials, in order that, + immediately on his introduction to the King, he might make an experiment + worthy of his Majesty, by converting a large quantity of lead into the + finest gold. I sincerely hope that he will not allow his secret to die + with him, but that he will communicate it to the King. As I had the honour + to dine with him on Thursday last, the 20th of this month, being seated at + his side, I told him in a whisper that he could, if he liked, humble all + the enemies of France. He did not deny it, but began to smile. In fact, + this man is the miracle of art. Sometimes he employs the oil and powder + mixed, sometimes the powder only, but in so small a quantity that, when + the lingot which I made was rubbed all over with it, it did not show at + all." + </p> + <p> + This soft-headed priest was by no means the only person in the + neighbourhood who lost his wits in hopes of the boundless wealth held out + by this clever impostor. Another priest, named De Lions, a chanter in the + cathedral of Grenoble, writing on the 30th January 1707, says,—"M. + Mesnard, the curate of Montier, has written to me, stating that there is a + man, about thirty-five years of age, named Delisle, who turns lead and + iron into gold and silver; and that this transmutation is so veritable and + so true, that the goldsmiths affirm that his gold and silver are the + purest and finest they ever saw. For five years, this man was looked upon + as a madman or a cheat; but the public mind is now disabused with respect + to him. He now resides with M. de la Palu, at the chateau of the same + name. M. de la Palu is not very easy in his circumstances, and wants money + to portion his daughters, who have remained single till middle age, no man + being willing to take them without a dowry. M. Delisle has promised to + make them the richest girls in the province before he goes to Court, + having been sent for by the King. He has asked for a little time before + his departure, in order that he may collect powder enough to make several + quintals of gold before the eyes of his Majesty, to whom he intends to + present them. The principal matter of his wonderful powder is composed of + simples, principally the herbs Lunaria major and minor. There is a good + deal of the first planted by him in the gardens of La Palu; and he gets + the other from the mountains, that stretch about two leagues from Montier. + What I tell you now is not a mere story invented for your diversion: M. + Mesnard can bring forward many witnesses to its truth; among others, the + Bishop of Senes, who saw these surprising operations performed; and M. de + Cerisy, whom you know well. Delisle transmutes his metals in public. He + rubs the lead or iron with his powder, and puts it over burning charcoal. + In a short time it changes colour; the lead becomes yellow, and is found + to be converted into excellent gold: the iron becomes white, and is found + to be pure silver. Delisle is altogether an illiterate person. M. de St. + Auban endeavoured to teach him to read and write, but he profited very + little by his lessons. He is unpolite, fantastic, and a dreamer, and acts + by fits and starts." + </p> + <p> + Delisle, it would appear, was afraid of venturing to Paris. He knew that + his sleight of hand would be too narrowly watched in the royal presence; + and upon some pretence or other, he delayed the journey for more than two + years. Desmarets, the Minister of Finance to Louis XIV, thinking the + "philosopher" dreaded foul play, twice sent him a safe conduct under the + King's seal; but Delisle still refused. Upon this, Desmarets wrote to the + Bishop of Sends for his real opinion as to these famous transmutations. + The following was the answer of that prelate:— + </p> + <p> + "Copy of a report addressed to M. Desmarets, Comptroller-General of the + Finances to His Majesty Louis XIV, by the Bishop of Senes, dated March + 1709. + </p> + <p> + "SIR, + </p> + <p> + "A twelvemonth ago, or a little more, I expressed to you my joy at hearing + of your elevation to the ministry; I have now the honour to write you my + opinion of the Sieur Delisle, who has been working at the transmutation of + metals in my diocese. I have, during the last two years, spoken of him + several times to the Count de Pontchartrain, because he asked me; but I + have not written to you, sir, or to M. de Chamillart, because you neither + of you requested my opinion upon the subject. Now, however, that you have + given me to understand that you wish to know my sentiments on the matter, + I will unfold myself to you in all sincerity, for the interests of the + King and the glory of your ministry. + </p> + <p> + "There are two things about the Sieur Delisle which, in my opinion, should + be examined without prejudice: the one relates to his secret; the other, + to his person; that is to say, whether his transmutations are real, and + whether his conduct has been regular. As regards the secret of the + philosopher's stone, I deemed it impossible, for a long time; and for more + than three years, I was more mistrustful of the pretensions of this Sieur + Delisle than of any other person. During this period I afforded him no + countenance; I even aided a person, who was highly recommended to me by an + influential family of this province, to prosecute Delisle for some offence + or other which it was alleged he had committed. But this person, in his + anger against him, having told me that he had himself been several times + the bearer of gold and silver to the goldsmiths of Nice, Aix, and Avignon, + which had been transmuted by Delisle from lead and iron, I began to waver + a little in my opinions respecting him. I afterwards met Delisle at the + house of one of my friends. To please me, the family asked Delisle to + operate before me, to which he immediately consented. I offered him some + iron nails, which he changed into silver in the chimney-place before six + or seven credible witnesses. I took the nails thus transmuted, and sent + them by my almoner to Irabert, the jeweller of Aix, who, having subjected + them to the necessary trial, returned them to me, saying they were very + good silver. Still, however, I was not quite satisfied. M. de + Pontchartrain having hinted to me, two years previously, that I should do + a thing agreeable to his Majesty if I examined into this business of + Delisle, I resolved to do so now. I therefore summoned the alchymist to + come to me at Castellane. He came; and I had him escorted by eight or ten + vigilant men, to whom I had given notice to watch his hands strictly. + Before all of us he changed two pieces of lead into gold and silver. I + sent them both to M. de Pontchartrain; and he afterwards informed me by a + letter, now lying before me, that he had shown them to the most + experienced goldsmiths of Paris, who unanimously pronounced them to be + gold and silver of the very purest quality, and without alloy. My former + bad opinion of Delisle was now indeed shaken. It was much more so when he + performed transmutation five or six times before me at Senes, and made me + perform it myself before him without his putting his hand to anything. You + have seen, sir, the letter of my nephew, the Pere Berard, of the Oratoire + at Paris, on the experiment that he performed at Castellane, and the truth + of which I hereby attest. Another nephew of mine, the Sieur Bourget, who + was here three weeks ago, performed the same experiment in my presence, + and will detail all the circumstances to you personally at Paris. A + hundred persons in my diocese have been witnesses of these things. I + confess to you, sir, that, after the testimony of so many spectators and + so many goldsmiths, and after the repeatedly successful experiments that I + saw performed, all my prejudices vanished. My reason was convinced by my + eyes; and the phantoms of impossibility which I had conjured up were + dissipated by the work of my own hands. + </p> + <p> + "It now only remains for me to speak to you on the subject of his person + and conduct. Three suspicions have been excited against him: the first, + That he was implicated in some criminal proceeding at Cisteron, and that + he falsified the coin of the realm; the second, That the King sent him two + safe-conducts without effect; and the third, That he still delays going to + court to operate before the King. You may see, sir, that I do not hide or + avoid anything. As regards the business at Cisteron, the Sieur Delisle has + repeatedly assured me that there was nothing against him which could + reasonably draw him within the pale of justice, and that he had never + carried on any calling injurious to the King's service. It was true that, + six or seven years ago, he had been to Cisteron to gather herbs necessary + for his powder, and that he had lodged at the house of one Pelouse, whom + he thought an honest man. Pelouse was accused of clipping Louis d'ors; and + as he had lodged with him, he was suspected of being his accomplice. This + mere suspicion, without any proof whatever, had caused him to be condemned + for contumacy; a common case enough with judges, who always proceed with + much rigour against those who are absent. During my own sojourn at Aix, it + was well known that a man, named Andre Aluys, had spread about reports + injurious to the character of Delisle, because he hoped thereby to avoid + paying him a sum of forty Louis that he owed him. But permit me, sir, to + go further, and to add that, even if there were well-founded suspicions + against Delisle, we should look with some little indulgence on the faults + of a man who possesses a secret so useful to the state. As regards the two + safe-conducts sent him by the King, I think I can answer certainly that it + was through no fault of his that he paid so little attention to them. His + year, strictly speaking, consists only of the four summer months; and when + by any means he is prevented from making the proper use of them, he loses + a whole year. Thus the first safe-conduct became useless by the irruption + of the Duke of Savoy in 1707; and the second had hardly been obtained, at + the end of June 1708, when the said Delisle was insulted by a party of + armed men, pretending to act under the authority of the Count de Grignan, + to whom he wrote several letters of complaint, without receiving any + answer, or promise that his safety would be attended to. What I have now + told you, sir, removes the third objection, and is the reason why, at the + present time, he cannot go to Paris to the King, in fulfilment of his + promises made two years ago. Two, or even three, summers have been lost to + him, owing to the continual inquietude he has laboured under. He has, in + consequence, been unable to work, and has not collected a sufficient + quantity of his oil and powder, or brought what he has got to the + necessary degree of perfection. For this reason also he could not give the + Sieur de Bourget the portion he promised him for your inspection. If the + other day he changed some lead into gold with a few grains of his powder, + they were assuredly all he had; for he told me that such was the fact long + before he knew my nephew was coming. Even if he had preserved this small + quantity to operate before the King, I am sure that, on second thoughts, + he would never have adventured with so little; because the slightest + obstacles in the metals (their being too hard or too soft, which is only + discovered in operating) would have caused him to be looked upon as an + impostor, if, in case his first powder had proved ineffectual, he had not + been possessed of more to renew the experiment and surmount the + difficulty. + </p> + <p> + "Permit me, sir, in conclusion, to repeat that such an artist as this + should not be driven to the last extremity, nor forced to seek an asylum + offered to him in other countries, but which he has despised, as much from + his own inclinations as from the advice I have given him. You risk nothing + in giving him a little time, and in hurrying him you may lose a great + deal. The genuineness of his gold can no longer be doubted, after the + testimony of so many jewellers of Aix, Lyons, and Paris in its favour. As + it is not his fault that the previous safe-conducts sent to him have been + of no service, it will be necessary to send him another; for the success + of which I will be answerable, if you will confide the matter to me, and + trust to my zeal for the service of his Majesty, to whom I pray you to + communicate this letter, that I may be spared the just reproaches he might + one day heap upon me if he remained ignorant of the facts I have now + written to you. Assure him, if you please, that, if you send me such a + safe-conduct, I will oblige the Sieur Delisle to depose with me such + precious pledges of his fidelity, as shall enable me to be responsible + myself to the King. These are my sentiments, and I submit them to your + superior knowledge; and have the honour to remain, with much respect, + &c. + </p> + <p> + "JOHN, Bishop of Senes." + </p> + <p> + "To M. Desmarets, Minister of State, and + </p> + <p> + "Comptroller-General of the Finances, at Paris." + </p> + <p> + That Delisle was no ordinary impostor, but a man of consummate cunning and + address, is very evident from this letter. The Bishop was fairly taken in + by his clever legerdemain, and when once his first distrust was conquered, + appeared as anxious to deceive himself as even Delisle could have wished. + His faith was so abundant that he made the case of his protege his own, + and would not suffer the breath of suspicion to be directed against him. + Both Louis and his minister appear to have been dazzled by the brilliant + hopes he had excited, and a third pass, or safe-conduct, was immediately + sent to the alchymist, with a command from the King that he should + forthwith present himself at Versailles, and make public trial of his oil + and powder. But this did not suit the plans of Delisle: in the provinces + he was regarded as a man of no small importance; the servile flattery that + awaited him wherever he went was so grateful to his mind that he could not + willingly relinquish it and run upon certain detection at the court of the + Monarch. Upon one pretext or another he delayed his journey, + notwithstanding the earnest solicitations of his good friend the Bishop. + The latter had given his word to the minister, and pledged his honour that + he would induce Delisle to go, and he began to be alarmed when he found he + could not subdue the obstinacy of that individual. For more than two years + he continued to remonstrate with him, and was always met by some excuse, + that there was not sufficient powder, or that it had not been long enough + exposed to the rays of the sun. At last his patience was exhausted; and + fearful that he might suffer in the royal estimation by longer delay, he + wrote to the King for a lettre de cachet, in virtue of which the alchymist + was seized at the castle of La Palu, in the month of June 1711, and + carried off to be imprisoned in the Bastille. + </p> + <p> + The gendarmes were aware that their prisoner was supposed to be the lucky + possessor of the philosopher's stone, and on the road they conspired to + rob and murder him. One of them pretended to be touched with pity for the + misfortunes of the philosopher, and offered to give him an opportunity of + escape whenever he could divert the attention of his companions. Delisle + was profuse in his thanks, little dreaming of the snare that was laid for + him. His treacherous friend gave notice of the success of the stratagem so + far; and it was agreed that Delisle should be allowed to struggle with and + overthrow one of them while the rest were at some distance. They were then + to pursue him and shoot him through the heart; and after robbing the + corpse of the philosopher's stone, convey it to Paris on a cart, and tell + M. Desmarets that the prisoner had attempted to escape, and would have + succeeded, if they had not fired after him and shot him through the body. + At a convenient place the scheme was executed. At a given signal from the + friendly gendarme Delisle fled, while another gendarme took aim and shot + him through the thigh. Some peasants arriving at the instant, they were + prevented from killing him as they intended; and he was transported to + Paris, maimed and bleeding. He was thrown into a dungeon in the Bastille, + and obstinately tore away the bandages which the surgeons applied to his + wound. He never afterwards rose from his bed. + </p> + <p> + The Bishop of Senes visited him in prison, and promised him his liberty if + he would transmute a certain quantity of lead into gold before the King. + The unhappy man had no longer the means of carrying on the deception; he + had no gold, and no double-bottomed crucible or hollow wand to conceal it + in, even if he had. He would not, however, confess that he was an + impostor; but merely said he did not know how to make the powder of + projection, but had received a quantity from an Italian philosopher, and + had used it all in his various transmutations in Provence. He lingered for + seven or eight months in the Bastille, and died from the effects of his + wound, in the forty-first year of his age. + </p> + <p> + ALBERT ALUYS. + </p> + <p> + This pretender to the philosopher's stone, was the son, by a former + husband, of the woman Aluys, with whom Delisle became acquainted at the + commencement of his career, in the cabaret by the road side, and whom he + afterwards married. Delisle performed the part of a father towards him, + and thought he could show no stronger proof of his regard, than by giving + him the necessary instructions to carry on the deception which had raised + himself to such a pitch of greatness. The young Aluys was an apt scholar, + and soon mastered all the jargon of the alchymists. He discoursed + learnedly upon projections, cimentations, sublimations, the elixir of + life, and the universal alkahest; and on the death of Delisle gave out + that the secret of that great adept had been communicated to him, and to + him only. His mother aided in the fraud, with the hope they might both + fasten themselves, in the true alchymical fashion, upon some rich dupe, + who would entertain them magnificently while the operation was in + progress. The fate of Delisle was no inducement for them to stop in + France. The Provencals, it is true, entertained as high an opinion as ever + of his skill, and were well inclined to believe the tales of the young + adept on whom his mantle had fallen; but the dungeons of the Bastille were + yawning for their prey, and Aluys and his mother decamped with all + convenient expedition. They travelled about the Continent for several + years, sponging upon credulous rich men, and now and then performing + successful transmutations by the aid of double-bottomed crucibles and the + like. In the year 1726, Aluys, without his mother, who appears to have + died in the interval, was at Vienna, where he introduced himself to the + Duke de Richelieu, at that time ambassador from the court of France. He + completely deceived this nobleman; he turned lead into gold (apparently) + on several occasions, and even made the ambassador himself turn an iron + nail into a silver one. The Duke afterwards boasted to Lenglet du Fresnoy + of his achievements as an alchymist, and regretted that he had not been + able to discover the secret of the precious powder by which he performed + them. + </p> + <p> + Aluys soon found that, although he might make a dupe of the Duke de + Richelieu, he could not get any money from him. On the contrary, the Duke + expected all his pokers and fire shovels to be made silver, and all his + pewter utensils gold; and thought the honour of his acquaintance was + reward sufficient for a roturier, who could not want wealth since he + possessed so invaluable a secret. Aluys seeing that so much was expected + of him, bade adieu to his Excellency, and proceeded to Bohemia, + accompanied by a pupil, and by a young girl who had fallen in love with + him in Vienna. Some noblemen in Bohemia received him kindly, and + entertained him at their houses for months at a time. It was his usual + practice to pretend that he possessed only a few grains of his powder, + with which he would operate in any house where he intended to fix his + quarters for the season. He would make the proprietor a present of the + piece of gold thus transmuted, and promise him millions, if he could only + be provided with leisure to gather his lunaria major and minor on their + mountain tops, and board, lodging, and loose cash for himself, his wife, + and his pupil in the interval. + </p> + <p> + He exhausted in this manner the patience of some dozen of people, when, + thinking that there was less danger for him in France, under the young + king Louis XV, than under his old and morose predecessor, he returned to + Provence. On his arrival at Aix, he presented himself before M. le Bret, + the President of the province, a gentleman who was much attached to the + pursuits of alchymy, and had great hopes of being himself able to find the + philosopher's stone. M. le Bret, contrary to his expectation, received him + very coolly, in consequence of some rumours that were spread abroad + respecting him; and told him to call upon him on the morrow. Aluys did not + like the tone of the voice, or the expression of the eye of the learned + President, as that functionary looked down upon him. Suspecting that all + was not right, he left Aix secretly the same evening, and proceeded to + Marseilles. But the police were on the watch for him; and he had not been + there four-and-twenty hours, before he was arrested on a charge of + coining, and thrown into prison. + </p> + <p> + As the proofs against him were too convincing to leave him much hope of an + acquittal, he planned an escape from durance. It so happened that the + gaoler had a pretty daughter, and Aluys soon discovered that she was + tender-hearted. He endeavoured to gain her in his favour, and succeeded. + The damsel, unaware that he was a married man, conceived and encouraged a + passion for him, and generously provided him with the means of escape. + After he had been nearly a year in prison he succeeded in getting free, + leaving the poor girl behind, to learn that he was already married, and to + lament in solitude that she had given her heart to an ungrateful vagabond. + </p> + <p> + When he left Marseilles, he had not a shoe to his foot, or a decent + garment to his back, but was provided with some money and clothes by his + wife in a neighbouring town. They then found their way to Brussels, and by + dint of excessive impudence, brought themselves into notice. He took a + house, fitted up a splendid laboratory, and gave out that he knew the + secret of transmutation. In vain did M. Percel, the brother-in-law of + Lenglet du Fresnoy, who resided in that city, expose his pretensions, and + hold him up to contempt as an ignorant impostor: the world believed him + not. They took the alchymist at his word, and besieged his doors, to see + and wonder at the clever legerdemain by which he turned iron nails into + gold and silver. A rich greffier paid him a large sum of money that he + might be instructed in the art, and Aluys gave him several lessons on the + most common principles of chemistry. The greffier studied hard for a + twelvemonth, and then discovered that his master was a quack. He demanded + his money back again; but Aluys was not inclined to give it him, and the + affair was brought before the civil tribunal of the province. In the mean + time, however, the greffier died suddenly; poisoned, according to the + popular rumour, by his debtor, to avoid repayment. So great an outcry + arose in the city, that Aluys, who may have been innocent of the crime, + was nevertheless afraid to remain and brave it. He withdrew secretly in + the night, and retired to Paris. Here all trace of him is lost. He was + never heard of again; but Lenglet du Fresnoy conjectures, that he ended + his days in some obscure dungeon, into which he was cast for coining, or + other malpractices. + </p> + <p> + THE COUNT DE ST. GERMAIN + </p> + <p> + This adventurer was of a higher grade than the last, and played a + distinguished part at the court of Louis XV. He pretended to have + discovered the elixir of life, by means of which he could make any one + live for centuries; and allowed it to be believed that his own age was + upwards of two thousand years. He entertained many of the opinions of the + Rosicrucians; boasted of his intercourse with sylphs and salamanders; and + of his power of drawing diamonds from the earth, and pearls from the sea, + by the force of his incantations. He did not lay claim to the merit of + having discovered the philosopher's stone; but devoted so much of his time + to the operations of alchymy, that it was very generally believed, that, + if such a thing as the philosopher's stone had ever existed, or could be + called into existence, he was the man to succeed in finding it. + </p> + <p> + It has never yet been discovered what was his real name, or in what + country he was born. Some believed, from the Jewish cast of his handsome + countenance, that he was the "wandering Jew;" others asserted, that he was + the issue of an Arabian princess, and that his father was a salamander; + while others, more reasonable, affirmed him to be the son of a Portuguese + Jew, established at Bourdeaux. He first carried on his imposture in + Germany, where he made considerable sums by selling an elixir to arrest + the progress of old age. The Marechal de Belle-Isle purchased a dose of + it; and was so captivated with the wit, learning, and good manners of the + charlatan, and so convinced of the justice of his most preposterous + pretensions, that he induced him to fix his residence in Paris. Under the + Marshal's patronage, he first appeared in the gay circles of that capital. + Every one was delighted with the mysterious stranger; who, at this period + of his life, appears to have been about seventy years of age, but did not + look more than forty-five. His easy assurance imposed upon most people. + His reading was extensive, and his memory extraordinarily tenacious of the + slightest circumstances. His pretension to have lived for so many + centuries naturally exposed him to some puzzling questions, as to the + appearance, life, and conversation of the great men of former days; but he + was never at a loss for an answer. Many who questioned him for the purpose + of scoffing at him, refrained in perplexity, quite bewildered by his + presence of mind, his ready replies, and his astonishing accuracy on every + point mentioned in history. To increase the mystery by which he was + surrounded, he permitted no person to know how he lived. He dressed in a + style of the greatest magnificence; sported valuable diamonds in his hat, + on his fingers, and in his shoe-buckles; and sometimes made the most + costly presents to the ladies of the court. It was suspected by many that + he was a spy, in the pay of the English ministry; but there never was a + tittle of evidence to support the charge. The King looked upon him with + marked favour, was often closeted with him for hours together, and would + not suffer anybody to speak disparagingly of him. Voltaire constantly + turned him into ridicule; and, in one of his letters to the King of + Prussia, mentions him as "un comte pour fire;" and states, that he + pretended to have dined with the holy fathers, at the Council of Trent! + </p> + <p> + In the "Memoirs of Madame du Hausset," chamber-woman to Madame du + Pompadour, there are some amusing anecdotes of this personage. Very soon + after his arrival in Paris, he had the entree of her dressing-room; a + favour only granted to the most powerful lords at the court of her royal + lover. Madame was fond of conversing with him; and, in her presence, he + thought fit to lower his pretensions very considerably: but he often + allowed her to believe that he had lived two or three hundred years, at + least. "One day," says Madame du Hausset, "Madame said to him, in my + presence, 'What was the personal appearance of Francis I? He was a King I + should have liked.' 'He was, indeed, very captivating,' replied St. + Germain; and he proceeded to describe his face and person, as that of a + man whom he had accurately observed. 'It is a pity he was too ardent. I + could have given him some good advice, which would have saved him from all + his misfortunes: but he would not have followed it; for it seems as if a + fatality attended princes, forcing them to shut their ears to the wisest + counsel.' 'Was his court very brilliant?' inquired Madame du Pompadour. + 'Very,' replied the Count; 'but those of his grandsons surpassed it. In + the time of Mary Stuart and Margaret of Valois, it was a land of + enchantment—a temple sacred to pleasures of every kind.' Madame + said, laughing, 'You seem to have seen all this.' 'I have an excellent + memory,' said he, 'and have read the history of France with great care. I + sometimes amuse myself, not by making, but by letting, it be believed that + I lived in old times.' + </p> + <p> + "'But you do not tell us your age,' said Madame du Pompadour to him on + another occasion; 'and yet you pretend you are very old. The Countess de + Gergy, who was, I believe, ambassadress at Vienna some fifty years ago, + says she saw you there, exactly the same as you now appear.' + </p> + <p> + "'It is true, Madam,' replied St. Germain; 'I knew Madame de Gergy many + years ago.' + </p> + <p> + "'But, according to her account, you must be more than a hundred years + old?' + </p> + <p> + "'That is not impossible,' said he, laughing; 'but it is much more + possible that the good lady is in her dotage.' + </p> + <p> + "'You gave her an elixir, surprising for the effects it produced; for she + says, that during a length of time, she only appeared to be eighty-four; + the age at which she took it. Why don't you give it to the King?' + </p> + <p> + "'O Madam!' he exclaimed, 'the physicians would have me broken on the + wheel, were I to think of drugging his Majesty.'" + </p> + <p> + When the world begins to believe extraordinary things of an individual, + there is no telling where its extravagance will stop. People, when once + they have taken the start, vie with each other who shall believe most. At + this period all Paris resounded with the wonderful adventures of the Count + de St. Germain; and a company of waggish young men tried the following + experiment upon its credulity:-A clever mimic, who, on account of the + amusement he afforded, was admitted into good society, was taken by them, + dressed as the Count de St. Germain, into several houses in the Rue du + Marais. He imitated the Count's peculiarities admirably, and found his + auditors open-mouthed to believe any absurdity he chose to utter. NO + fiction was too monstrous for their all-devouring credulity. He spoke of + the Saviour of the world in terms of the greatest familiarity; said he had + supped with him at the marriage in Canaan of Galilee, where the water was + miraculously turned into wine. In fact, he said he was an intimate friend + of his, and had often warned him to be less romantic and imprudent, or he + would finish his career miserably. This infamous blasphemy, strange to + say, found believers; and, ere three days had elapsed, it was currently + reported that St. Germain was born soon after the deluge, and that he + would never die! + </p> + <p> + St. Germain himself was too much a man of the world to assert anything so + monstrous; but he took no pains to contradict the story. In all his + conversations with persons of rank and education, he advanced his claims + modestly, and as if by mere inadvertency; and seldom pretended to a + longevity beyond three hundred years; except when he found he was in + company with persons who would believe anything. He often spoke of Henry + VIII, as if he had known him intimately; and of the Emperor Charles V, as + if that monarch had delighted in his society. He would describe + conversations which took place with such an apparent truthfulness, and be + so exceedingly minute and particular as to the dress and appearance of the + individuals, and even the weather at the time, and the furniture of the + room, that three persons out of four were generally inclined to credit + him. He had constant applications from rich old women for an elixir to + make them young again; and, it would appear, gained large sums in this + manner. To those whom he was pleased to call his friends, he said, his + mode of living and plan of diet were far superior to any elixir; and that + anybody might attain a patriarchal age, by refraining from drinking at + meals, and very sparingly at any other time. The Baron de Gleichen + followed this system, and took great quantities of senna leaves, expecting + to live for two hundred years. He died, however, at seventy-three. The + Duchess de Choiseul was desirous of following the same system; but the + Duke her husband, in much wrath, forbade her to follow any system + prescribed by a man who had so equivocal a reputation as M. de St. + Germain. + </p> + <p> + Madame du Hausset says, she saw St. Germain, and conversed with him + several times. He appeared to her to be about fifty years of age, was of + the middle size, and had fine expressive features. His dress was always + simple, but displayed much taste. He usually wore diamond rings of great + value; and his watch and snuff-box were ornamented with a profusion of + precious stones. One day, at Madame du Pompadour's apartments, where the + principal courtiers were assembled, St. Germain made his appearance in + diamond knee and shoe buckles, of so fine a water, that Madame said, she + did not think the King had any equal to them. He was entreated to pass + into the antechamber, and undo them; which he did, and brought them to + Madame, for closer inspection. M. de Gontant, who was present, said their + value could not be less than two hundred thousand livres, or upwards of + eight thousand pounds sterling. The Baron de Gleichen, in his "Memoirs," + relates, that the Count one day showed him so many diamonds, that he + thought he saw before him all the treasures of Aladdin's lamp; and adds, + that he had had great experience in precious stones, and was convinced + that all those possessed by the Count were genuine. On another occasion, + St. Germain showed Madame du Pompadour a small box, containing topazes, + emeralds, and diamonds, worth half a million of livres. He affected to + despise all this wealth, to make the world more easily believe that he + could, like the Rosicrucians, draw precious stones out of the earth by the + magic of his song. He gave away a great number of these jewels to the + ladies of the court; and Madame du Pompadour was so charmed with his + generosity, that she gave him a richly-enamelled snuff-box, as a token of + her regard; on the lid of which was beautifully painted a portrait of + Socrates, or some other Greek sage, to whom she compared him. He was not + only lavish to the mistresses, but to the maids. Madame du Hausset says,—"The + Count came to see Madame du Pompadour, who was very ill, and lay on the + sofa. He showed her diamonds enough to furnish a king's treasury. Madame + sent for me to see all those beautiful things. I looked at them with an + air of the utmost astonishment; but I made signs to her, that I thought + them all false. The Count felt for something in a pocket-book about twice + as large as a spectacle-case; and, at length, drew out two or three little + paper packets, which he unfolded, and exhibited a superb ruby. He threw on + the table, with a contumptuous air, a little cross of green and white + stones. I looked at it, and said it was not to be despised. I then put it + on, and admired it greatly. The Count begged me to accept it. I refused. + He urged me to take it. At length, he pressed so warmly, that Madame, + seeing it could not be worth more than a thousand livres, made me a sign + to accept it. I took the cross, much pleased with the Count's politeness." + </p> + <p> + How the adventurer obtained his wealth remains a secret. He could not have + made it all by the sale of his elixir vitae in Germany; though, no doubt, + some portion of it was derived from that source. Voltaire positively says, + he was in the pay of foreign governments; and in his letter to the King of + Prussia, dated the 5th of April 1758, says, that he was initiated in all + the secrets of Choiseul, Kaunitz, and Pitt. Of what use he could be to any + of those ministers, and to Choiseul especially, is a mystery of mysteries. + </p> + <p> + There appears no doubt that he possessed the secret of removing spots from + diamonds; and, in all probability, he gained considerable sums by buying, + at inferior prices, such as had flaws in them, and afterwards disposing of + them at a profit of cent. per cent. Madame du Hausset relates the + following anecdote on this particular:—"The King," says she, + "ordered a middling-sized diamond, which had a flaw in it, to be brought + to him. After having it weighed, his Majesty said to the Count, 'The value + of this diamond, as it is, and with the flaw in it, is six thousand + livres; without the flaw, it would be worth, at least, ten thousand. Will + you undertake to make me a gainer of four thousand livres?' St. Germain + examined it very attentively, and said, 'It is possible; it may be done. I + will bring it you again in a month.' At the time appointed, the Count + brought back the diamond, without a spot, and gave it to the King. It was + wrapped in a cloth of amianthos, which he took off. The King had it + weighed immediately, and found it very little diminished. His Majesty then + sent it to his jeweller, by M. de Gonrant, without telling him of anything + that had passed. The jeweller gave nine thousand six hundred livres for + it. The King, however, sent for the diamond back again, and said he would + keep it as a curiosity. He could not overcome his surprise; and said M. de + St. Germain must be worth millions; especially if he possessed the secret + of making large diamonds out of small ones. The Count neither said that he + could, or could not; but positively asserted, that he knew how to make + pearls grow, and give them the finest water. The King paid him great + attention, and so did Madame du Pompadour. M. du Quesnoy once said, that + St. Germain was a quack; but the King reprimanded him. In fact, his + Majesty appears infatuated by him; and sometimes talks of him as if his + descent were illustrious." + </p> + <p> + St. Germain had a most amusing vagabond for a servant, to whom he would + often appeal for corroboration, when relating some wonderful event that + happened centuries before. The fellow, who was not without ability, + generally corroborated him in a most satisfactory manner. Upon one + occasion, his master was telling a party of ladies and gentlemen, at + dinner, some conversation he had had in Palestine, with King Richard I. of + England, whom he described as a very particular friend of his. Signs of + astonishment and incredulity were visible on the faces of the company; + upon which St. Germain very coolly turned to his servant, who stood behind + his chair, and asked him if he had not spoken truth? "I really cannot + say," replied the man, without moving a muscle; "you forget, sir, I have + only been five hundred years in your service!" "Ah! true," said his + master; "I remember now; it was a little before your time!" Occasionally, + when with men whom he could not so easily dupe, he gave utterance to the + contempt with which he could scarcely avoid regarding such gaping + credulity. "These fools of Parisians," said he, to the Baron de Gleichen, + "believe me to be more than five hundred years old; and, since they will + have it so, I confirm them in their idea. Not but that I really am much + older than I appear." + </p> + <p> + Many other stories are related of this strange impostor; but enough have + been quoted to show his character and pretensions. It appears that he + endeavoured to find the philosopher's stone; but never boasted of + possessing it. The Prince of Hesse Cassel, whom he had known years before, + in Germany, wrote urgent letters to him, entreating him to quit Paris, and + reside with him. St. Germain at last consented. Nothing further is known + of his career. There were no gossipping memoir-writers at the court of + Hesse Cassel to chronicle his sayings and doings. He died at Sleswig, + under the roof of his friend the Prince, in the year 1784. + </p> + <p> + CAGLIOSTRO, + </p> + <p> + This famous charlatan, the friend and successor of St. Germain, ran a + career still more extraordinary. He was the arch-quack of his age, the + last of the great pretenders to the philosopher's stone and the water of + life, and during his brief season of prosperity one of the most + conspicuous characters of Europe. + </p> + <p> + His real name was Joseph Balsamo. He was born at Palermo about the year + 1743, of humble parentage. He had the misfortune to lose his father during + his infancy, and his education was left in consequence to some relatives + of his mother, the latter being too poor to afford him any instruction + beyond mere reading and writing. He was sent in his fifteenth year to a + monastery, to be taught the elements of chemistry and physic; but his + temper was so impetuous, his indolence so invincible, and his vicious + habits so deeply rooted, that he made no progress. After remaining some + years, he left it with the character of an uninformed and dissipated young + man, with good natural talents but a bad disposition. When he became of + age, he abandoned himself to a life of riot and debauchery, and entered + himself, in fact, into that celebrated fraternity, known in France and + Italy as the "Knights of Industry," and in England as the "Swell Mob." He + was far from being an idle or unwilling member of the corps. The first way + in which he distinguished himself was by forging orders of admission to + the theatres. He afterwards robbed his uncle, and counterfeited a will. + For acts like these, he paid frequent compulsory visits to the prisons of + Palermo. Somehow or other he acquired the character of a sorcerer—of + a man who had failed in discovering the secrets of alchymy, and had sold + his soul to the devil for the gold which he was not able to make by means + of transmutation. He took no pains to disabuse the popular mind on this + particular, but rather encouraged the belief than otherwise. He at last + made use of it to cheat a silversmith, named Marano, of about sixty ounces + of gold, and was in consequence obliged to leave Palermo. He persuaded + this man that he could show him a treasure hidden in a cave, for which + service he was to receive the sixty ounces of gold, while the silversmith + was to have all the treasure for the mere trouble of digging it up. They + went together at midnight to an excavation in the vicinity of Palermo, + where Balsamo drew a magic circle, and invoked the devil to show his + treasures. Suddenly there appeared half a dozen fellows, the accomplices + of the swindler, dressed to represent devils, with horns on their heads, + claws to their fingers, and vomiting apparently red and blue flame. They + were armed with pitchforks, with which they belaboured poor Marano till he + was almost dead, and robbed him of his sixty ounces of gold and all the + valuables he carried about his person. They then made off, accompanied by + Balsamo, leaving the unlucky silversmith to recover or die at his leisure. + Nature chose the former course; and soon after daylight he was restored to + his senses, smarting in body from his blows and in spirit for the + deception of which he had been the victim. His first impulse was to + denounce Balsamo to the magistrates of the town; but on further reflection + he was afraid of the ridicule that a full exposure of all the + circumstances would draw upon him: he therefore took the truly Italian + resolution of being revenged on Balsamo by murdering him at the first + convenient opportunity. Having given utterance to this threat in the + hearing of a friend of Balsamo, it was reported to the latter, who + immediately packed up his valuables and quitted Europe. + </p> + <p> + He chose Medina, in Arabia, for his future dwelling-place, and there + became acquainted with a Greek named Altotas, a man exceedingly well + versed in all the languages of the East, and an indefatigable student of + alchymy. He possessed an invaluable collection of Arabian manuscripts on + his favourite science, and studied them with such unremitting industry + that he found he had not sufficient time to attend to his crucibles and + furnaces without neglecting his books. He was looking about for an + assistant when Balsamo opportunely presented himself, and made so + favourable an impression that he was at once engaged in that capacity. But + the relation of master and servant did not long subsist between them; + Balsamo was too ambitious and too clever to play a secondary part, and + within fifteen days of their first acquaintance they were bound together + as friends and partners. Altotas, in the course of a long life devoted to + alchymy, had stumbled upon some valuable discoveries in chemistry, one of + which was an ingredient for improving the manufacture of flax, and + imparting to goods of that material a gloss and softness almost equal to + silk. Balsamo gave him the good advice to leave the philosopher's stone + for the present undiscovered, and make gold out of their flax. The advice + was taken, and they proceeded together to Alexandria to trade, with a + large stock of that article. They stayed forty days in Alexandria, and + gained a considerable sum by their venture. They afterwards visited other + cities in Egypt, and were equally successful. They also visited Turkey, + where they sold drugs and amulets. On their return to Europe, they were + driven by stress of weather into Malta, and were hospitably received by + Pinto, the Grand Master of the Knights, and a famous alchymist. They + worked in his laboratory for some months, and tried hard to change a + pewter-platter into a silver one. Balsamo, having less faith than his + companions, was sooner wearied; and obtaining from his host many letters + of introduction to Rome and Naples, he left him and Altotas to find the + philosopher's stone and transmute the pewter-platter without him. + </p> + <p> + He had long since dropped the name of Balsamo on account of the many ugly + associations that clung to it; and during his travels had assumed at least + half a score others, with titles annexed to them. He called himself + sometimes the Chevalier de Fischio, the Marquis de Melissa, the Baron de + Belmonte, de Pelligrini, d'Anna, de Fenix, de Harat, but most commonly the + Count de Cagliostro. Under the latter title he entered Rome, and never + afterwards changed it. In this city he gave himself out as the restorer of + the Rosicrucian philosophy; said he could transmute all metals into gold; + that he could render himself invisible, cure all diseases, and administer + an elixir against old age and decay. His letters from the Grand Master + Pinto procured him an introduction into the best families. He made money + rapidly by the sale of his elixir vitae; and, like other quacks, performed + many remarkable cures by inspiring his patients with the most complete + faith and reliance upon his powers; an advantage which the most impudent + charlatans often possess over the regular practitioner. + </p> + <p> + While thus in a fair way of making his fortune he became acquainted with + the beautiful Lorenza Feliciana, a young lady of noble birth, but without + fortune. Cagliostro soon discovered that she possessed accomplishments + that were invaluable. Besides her ravishing beauty, she had the readiest + wit, the most engaging manners, the most fertile imagination, and the + least principle of any of the maidens of Rome. She was just the wife for + Cagliostro, who proposed himself to her, and was accepted. After their + marriage, he instructed his fair Lorenza in all the secrets of his calling—taught + her pretty lips to invoke angels, and genii, sylphs, salamanders, and + undines, and, when need required, devils and evil spirits. Lorenza was an + apt scholar: she soon learned all the jargon of the alchymists and all the + spells of the enchanters; and thus accomplished the hopeful pair set out + on their travels, to levy contributions on the superstitious and the + credulous. + </p> + <p> + They first went to Sleswig on a visit to the Count de St. Germain, their + great predecessor in the art of making dupes, and were received by him in + the most magnificent manner. They no doubt fortified their minds for the + career they had chosen, by the sage discourse of that worshipful + gentleman; for immediately after they left him, they began their + operations. They travelled for three or four years in Russia, Poland, and + Germany, transmuting metals, telling fortunes, raising spirits, and + selling the elixir vitae wherever they went; but there is no record of + their doings from whence to draw a more particular detail. It was not + until they made their appearance in England in 1776, that the names of the + Count and Countess di Cagliostro began to acquire a European reputation. + They arrived in London in the July of that year, possessed of property in + plate, jewels, and specie to the amount of about three thousand pounds. + They hired apartments in Whitcombe-street, and lived for some months + quietly. In the same house there lodged a Portuguese woman named Blavary, + who, being in necessitous circumstances, was engaged by the Count as + interpreter. She was constantly admitted into his laboratory, where he + spent much of his time in search of the philosopher's stone. She spread + abroad the fame of her entertainer in return for his hospitality, and + laboured hard to impress everybody with as full a belief in his + extraordinary powers as she felt herself. But as a female interpreter of + the rank and appearance of Madame Blavary did not exactly correspond with + the Count's notions either of dignity or decorum, he hired a person named + Vitellini, a teacher of languages, to act in that capacity. Vitellini was + a desperate gambler; a man who had tried almost every resource to repair + his ruined fortunes, including among the rest the search for the + philosopher's stone. Immediately that he saw the Count's operations, he + was convinced that the great secret was his, and that the golden gates of + the palace of fortune were open to let him in. With still more enthusiasm + than Madame Blavary, he held forth to his acquaintance, and in all public + places, that the Count was an extraordinary man, a true adept, whose + fortune was immense, and who could transmute into pure and solid gold, as + much lead, iron, and copper as he pleased. The consequence was, that the + house of Cagliostro was besieged by crowds of the idle, the credulous, and + the avaricious, all eager to obtain a sight of the "philosopher," or to + share in the boundless wealth which he could call into existence. + </p> + <p> + Unfortunately for Cagliostro, he had fallen into evil hands; instead of + duping the people of England as he might have done, he became himself the + victim of a gang of swindlers, who, with the fullest reliance on his + occult powers, only sought to make money of him. Vitellini introduced to + him a ruined gambler like himself, named Scot, whom he represented as a + Scottish nobleman, attracted to London solely by his desire to see and + converse with the extraordinary man whose fame had spread to the distant + mountains of the north. Cagliostro received him with great kindness and + cordiality; and "Lord" Scot thereupon introduced a woman named Fry, as + Lady Scot, who was to act as chaperone to the Countess di Cagliostro, and + make her acquainted with all the noble families of Britain. Thus things + went swimmingly. "His lordship," whose effects had not arrived from + Scotland, and who had no banker in London, borrowed two hundred pounds of + the Count; they were lent without scruple, so flattered was Cagliostro by + the attentions they paid him, the respect, nay, veneration they pretended + to feel for him, and the complete deference with which they listened to + every word that fell from his lips. + </p> + <p> + Superstitious, like all desperate gamesters, Scot had often tried magical + and cabalistic numbers, in the hope of discovering lucky numbers in the + lottery, or at the roulette tables. He had in his possession a cabalistic + manuscript, containing various arithmetical combinations of the kind, + which he submitted to Cagliostro, with an urgent request that he would + select a number. Cagliostro took the manuscript and studied it; but, as he + himself informs us, with no confidence in its truth. He however predicted + twenty as the successful number for the 6th of November following. Scot + ventured a small sum upon this number, out of the two hundred pounds he + had borrowed, and won. Cagliostro, incited by this success, prognosticated + number twenty-five for the next drawing. Scot tried again, and won a + hundred guineas. The numbers fifty-five and fifty-seven were announced + with equal success for the 18th of the same month, to the no small + astonishment and delight of Cagliostro, who thereupon resolved to try + fortune for himself, and not for others. To all the entreaties of Scot and + his lady that he would predict more numbers for them, he turned a deaf + ear, even while he still thought him a lord and a man of honour. But when + he discovered that he was a mere swindler, and the pretended Lady Scot an + artful woman of the town, he closed his door upon them and on all their + gang. + </p> + <p> + Having complete faith in the supernatural powers of the Count, they were + in the deepest distress at having lost his countenance. They tried by + every means their ingenuity could suggest, to propitiate him again; they + implored, they threatened, and endeavoured to bribe him. But all was vain. + Cagliostro would neither see nor correspond with them. In the mean time + they lived extravagantly; and in the hope of future, exhausted all their + present gains. They were reduced to the last extremity, when Miss Fry + obtained access to the Countess, and received a guinea from her on the + representation that she was starving. Miss Fry, not contented with this, + begged her to intercede with her husband, that for the last time he would + point out a lucky number in the lottery. The Countess promised to exert + her influence, and Cagliostro thus entreated, named the number eight, at + the same time reiterating his determination to have no more to do with any + of them. By an extraordinary hazard, which filled Cagliostro with surprise + and pleasure, number eight was the greatest prize in the lottery. Miss Fry + and her associates cleared fifteen hundred guineas by the adventure; and + became more than ever convinced of the occult powers of Cagliostro, and + strengthened in their determination never to quit him until they had made + their fortunes. Out of the proceeds, Miss Fry bought a handsome necklace + at a pawnbrokers for ninety guineas. She then ordered a richly chased gold + box, having two compartments, to be made at a jeweller's, and putting the + necklace in the one, filled the other with a fine aromatic snuff. She then + sought another interview with Madame di Cagliostro, and urged her to + accept the box as a small token of her esteem and gratitude, without + mentioning the valuable necklace that was concealed in it. Madame di + Cagliostro accepted the present, and was from that hour exposed to the + most incessant persecution from all the confederates, Blavary, Vitellini, + and the pretended Lord and Lady Scot. They flattered themselves they had + regained their lost footing in the house, and came day after day to know + lucky numbers in the lottery; sometimes forcing themselves up the stairs, + and into the Count's laboratory, in spite of the efforts of the servants + to prevent them. Cagliostro, exasperated at their pertinacity, threatened + to call in the assistance of the magistrates; and taking Miss Fry by the + shoulders, pushed her into the street. + </p> + <p> + From that time may be dated the misfortunes of Cagliostro. Miss Fry, at + the instigation of her paramour, determined on vengeance. Her first act + was to swear a debt of two hundred pounds against Cagliostro, and to cause + him to be arrested for that sum. While he was in custody in a sponging + house, Scot, accompanied by a low attorney, broke into his laboratory, and + carried off a small box, containing, as they believed, the powder of + transmutation, and a number of cabalistic manuscripts and treatises upon + alchymy. They also brought an action against him for the recovery of the + necklace; and Miss Fry accused both him and his Countess of sorcery and + witchcraft, and of foretelling numbers in the lottery by the aid of the + devil. This latter charge was actually heard before Mr. Justice Miller. + The action of trover for the necklace was tried before the Lord Chief + Justice of the Common Pleas, who recommended the parties to submit to + arbitration. In the mean time Cagliostro remained in prison for several + weeks, till having procured bail, he was liberated. He was soon after + waited upon by an attorney named Reynolds, also deep in the plot, who + offered to compromise all the actions upon certain conditions. Scot, who + had accompanied him, concealed himself behind the door, and suddenly + rushing out, presented a pistol at the heart of Cagliostro, swearing he + would shoot him instantly, if he would not tell him truly the art of + predicting lucky numbers, and of transmuting metals. Reynolds pretending + to be very angry, disarmed his accomplice, and entreated the Count to + satisfy them by fair means, and disclose his secrets, promising that if he + would do so, they would discharge all the actions, and offer him no + further molestation. Cagliostro replied, that threats and entreaties were + alike useless; that he knew no secrets; and that the powder of + transmutation of which they had robbed him, was of no value to anybody but + himself. He offered, however, if they would discharge the actions, and + return the powder and the manuscripts, he would forgive them all the money + they had swindled him out of. These conditions were refused; and Scot and + Reynolds departed, swearing vengeance against him. + </p> + <p> + Cagliostro appears to have been quite ignorant of the forms of law in + England, and to have been without a friend to advise him as to the best + course he should pursue. While he was conversing with his Countess on the + difficulties that beset them, one of his bail called, and invited him to + ride in a hackney coach to the house of a person who would see him + righted. Cagliostro consented, and was driven to the King's Bench prison, + where his friend left him. He did not discover for several hours that he + was a prisoner, or in fact understand the process of being surrendered by + one's bail. + </p> + <p> + He regained his liberty in a few weeks; and the arbitrators between him + and Miss Fry, made their award against him. He was ordered to pay the two + hundred pounds she had sworn against him, and to restore the necklace and + gold box which had been presented to the Countess. Cagliostro was so + disgusted, that he determined to quit England. His pretensions, besides, + had been unmercifully exposed by a Frenchman, named Morande, the Editor of + the Courier de l'Europe, published in London. To add to his distress, he + was recognised in Westminster Hall, as Joseph Balsamo, the swindler of + Palermo. Such a complication of disgrace was not to be borne. He and his + Countess packed up their small effects, and left England with no more than + fifty pounds, out of the three thousand they had brought with them. + </p> + <p> + They first proceeded to Brussels, where fortune was more auspicious. They + sold considerable quantities of the elixir of life, performed many cures, + and recruited their finances. They then took their course through Germany + to Russia, and always with the same success. Gold flowed into their + coffers faster than they could count it. They quite forgot all the woes + they had endured in England, and learned to be more circumspect in the + choice of their acquaintance. + </p> + <p> + In the year 1780, they made their appearance in Strasbourg. Their fame had + reached that city before them. They took a magnificent hotel, and invited + all the principal persons of the place to their table. Their wealth + appeared to be boundless, and their hospitality equal to it. Both the + Count and Countess acted as physicians, and gave money, advice, and + medicine to all the necessitous and suffering of the town. Many of the + cures they performed, astonished those regular practitioners who did not + make sufficient allowance for the wonderful influence of imagination in + certain cases. The Countess, who at this time was not more than + five-and-twenty, and all radiant with grace, beauty, and cheerfulness, + spoke openly of her eldest son as a fine young man of eight-and-twenty, + who had been for some years a captain in the Dutch service. The trick + succeeded to admiration. All the ugly old women in Strasbourg, and for + miles around, thronged the saloon of the Countess to purchase the liquid + which was to make them as blooming as their daughters; the young women + came in equal abundance that they might preserve their charms, and when + twice as old as Ninon de L'Enclos, be more captivating than she; while men + were not wanting fools enough to imagine, that they might keep off the + inevitable stroke of the grim foe, by a few drops of the same incomparable + elixir. The Countess, sooth to say, looked like an incarnation of immortal + loveliness, a very goddess of youth and beauty; and it is possible that + the crowds of young men and old, who at all convenient seasons haunted the + perfumed chambers of this enchantress, were attracted less by their belief + in her occult powers than from admiration of her languishing bright eyes + and sparkling conversation. But amid all the incense that was offered at + her shrine, Madame di Cagliostro was ever faithful to her spouse. She + encouraged hopes, it is true, but she never realised them; she excited + admiration, yet kept it within bounds; and made men her slaves, without + ever granting a favour of which the vainest might boast. + </p> + <p> + In this city they made the acquaintance of many eminent persons, and among + others, of the Cardinal Prince de Rohan, who was destined afterwards to + exercise so untoward an influence over their fate. The Cardinal, who seems + to have had great faith in him as a philosopher, persuaded him to visit + Paris in his company, which he did, but remained only thirteen days. He + preferred the society of Strasbourg, and returned thither, with the + intention of fixing his residence far from the capital. But he soon found + that the first excitement of his arrival had passed away. People began to + reason with themselves, and to be ashamed of their own admiration. The + populace, among whom he had lavished his charity with a bountiful hand, + accused him of being the Antichrist, the Wandering Jew, the man of + fourteen hundred years of age, a demon in human shape, sent to lure the + ignorant to their destruction; while the more opulent and better informed + called him a spy in the pay of foreign governments, an agent of the + police, a swindler, and a man of evil life. The outcry grew at last so + strong, that he deemed it prudent to try his fortune elsewhere. + </p> + <p> + He went first to Naples, but that city was too near Palermo; he dreaded + recognition from some of his early friends, and after a short stay, + returned to France. He chose Bordeaux as his next dwelling-place, and + created as great a sensation there as he had done in Strasbourg. He + announced himself as the founder of a new school of medicine and + philosophy, boasted of his ability to cure all diseases, and invited the + poor and suffering to visit him, and he would relieve the distress of the + one class, and cure the ailings of the other. All day long the street + opposite his magnificent hotel was crowded by the populace; the halt and + the blind, women with sick babes in their arms, and persons suffering + under every species of human infirmity flocked to this wonderful doctor. + The relief he afforded in money more than counterbalanced the failure of + his nostrums; and the affluence of people from all the surrounding country + became so great, that the jurats of the city granted him a military guard, + to be stationed day and night before his door, to keep order. The + anticipations of Cagliostro were realised. The rich were struck with + admiration of his charity and benevolence, and impressed with a full + conviction of his marvellous powers. The sale of the elixir went on + admirably. His saloons were thronged with wealthy dupes who came to + purchase immortality. Beauty, that would endure for centuries, was the + attraction for the fair sex; health and strength for the same period were + the baits held out to the other. His charming Countess in the meantime + brought grist to the mill, by telling fortunes and casting nativities, or + granting attendant sylphs to any ladies who would pay sufficiently for + their services. What was still better, as tending to keep up the credit of + her husband, she gave the most magnificent parties in Bordeaux. + </p> + <p> + But as at Strasbourg the popular delusion lasted for a few months only, + and burned itself out; Cagliostro forgot, in the intoxication of success, + that there was a limit to quackery, which once passed, inspired distrust. + When he pretended to call spirits from the tomb, people became + incredulous. He was accused of being an enemy to religion—of denying + Christ, and of being the Wandering Jew. He despised these rumours as long + as they were confined to a few; but when they spread over the town—when + he received no more fees—when his parties were abandoned, and his + acquaintance turned away when they met him in the street, he thought it + high time to shift his quarters. + </p> + <p> + He was by this time wearied of the provinces, and turned his thoughts to + the capital. On his arrival, he announced himself as the restorer of + Egyptian Freemasonry and the founder of a new philosophy. He immediately + made his way into the best society by means of his friend the Cardinal de + Rohan. His success as a magician was quite extraordinary: the most + considerable persons of the time visited him. He boasted of being able, + like the Rosicrucians, to converse with the elementary spirits; to invoke + the mighty dead from the grave, to transmute metals, and to discover + occult things, by means of the special protection of God towards him. Like + Dr. Dee, he summoned the angels to reveal the future; and they appeared, + and conversed with him in crystals and under glass bells. [See the Abbe + Fiard, and "Anecdotes of the Reign of Louis XVI." p. 400.] "There was + hardly," says the Biographie des Contemporains, "a fine lady in Paris who + would not sup with the shade of Lucretius in the apartments of Cagliostro—a + military officer who would not discuss the art of war with Cesar, + Hannibal, or Alexander; or an advocate or counsellor who would not argue + legal points with the ghost of Cicero." These interviews with the departed + were very expensive; for, as Cagliostro said, the dead would not rise for + nothing. The Countess, as usual, exercised all her ingenuity to support + her husband's credit. She was a great favourite with her own sex; to many + a delighted and wondering auditory of whom she detailed the marvellous + powers of Cagliostro. She said he could render himself invisible, traverse + the world with the rapidity of thought, and be in several places at the + same time. ["Biographie des Contemporains," article "Cagliostro." See also + "Histoire de la Magie en France," par M. Jules Garinet, p. 284.] + </p> + <p> + He had not been long at Paris before he became involved in the celebrated + affair of the Queen's necklace. His friend, the Cardinal de Rohan, + enamoured of the charms of Marie Antoinette, was in sore distress at her + coldness, and the displeasure she had so often manifested against him. + There was at that time a lady, named La Motte, in the service of the + Queen, of whom the Cardinal was foolish enough to make a confidant. Madame + de la Motte, in return, endeavoured to make a tool of the Cardinal, and + succeeded but too well in her projects. In her capacity of chamber-woman, + or lady of honour to the Queen, she was present at an interview between + her Majesty and M. Boehmer, a wealthy jeweller of Paris, when the latter + offered for sale a magnificent diamond necklace, valued at 1,600,000 + francs, or about 64,000 pounds sterling. The Queen admired it greatly, but + dismissed the jeweller, with the expression of her regret that she was too + poor to purchase it. Madame de la Motte formed a plan to get this costly + ornament into her own possession, and determined to make the Cardinal de + Rohan the instrument by which to effect it. She therefore sought an + interview with him, and pretending to sympathise in his grief for the + Queen's displeasure, told him she knew a way by which he might be restored + to favour. She then mentioned the necklace, and the sorrow of the Queen + that she could not afford to buy it. The Cardinal, who was as wealthy as + he was foolish, immediately offered to purchase the necklace, and make a + present of it to the Queen. Madame de la Motte told him by no means to do + so, as he would thereby offend her Majesty. His plan would be to induce + the jeweller to give her Majesty credit, and accept her promissory note + for the amount at a certain date, to be hereafter agreed upon. The + Cardinal readily agreed to the proposal, and instructed the jeweller to + draw up an agreement, and he would procure the Queen's signature. He + placed this in the hands of Madame de la Motte, who returned it shortly + afterwards, with the words, "Bon, bon—approuve—Marie + Antoinette," written in the margin. She told him at the same time that the + Queen was highly pleased with his conduct in the matter, and would appoint + a meeting with him in the gardens of Versailles, when she would present + him with a flower, as a token of her regard. The Cardinal showed the + forged document to the jeweller, obtained the necklace, and delivered it + into the hands of Madame de la Motte. So far all was well. Her next object + was to satisfy the Cardinal, who awaited impatiently the promised + interview with his royal mistress. There was at that time in Paris a young + woman named D'Oliva, noted for her resemblance to the Queen; and Madame de + la Motte, on the promise of a handsome reward, found no difficulty in + persuading her to personate Marie Antoinette, and meet the Cardinal de + Rohan at the evening twilight in the gardens of Versailles. The meeting + took place accordingly. The Cardinal was deceived by the uncertain light, + the great resemblance of the counterfeit, and his own hopes; and having + received the flower from Mademoiselle D'Oliva, went home with a lighter + heart than had beat in his bosom for many a day. [The enemies of the + unfortunate Queen of France, when the progress of the Revolution + embittered their animosity against her, maintained that she was really a + party in this transaction; that she, and not Mademoiselle D'Oliva, met the + Cardinal and rewarded him with the flower; and that the story above + related was merely concocted between her, La Motte, and others to cheat + the jeweller of his 1,600,000 francs.] + </p> + <p> + In the course of time the forgery of the Queen's signature was discovered. + Boehmer the jeweller immediately named the Cardinal de Rohan and Madame de + la Motte as the persons with whom he had negotiated, and they were both + arrested and thrown into the Bastille. La Motte was subjected to a + rigorous examination, and the disclosures she made implicating Cagliostro, + he was seized, along with his wife, and also sent to the Bastille, A story + involving so much scandal necessarily excited great curiosity. Nothing was + to be heard of in Paris but the Queen's necklace, with surmises of the + guilt or innocence of the several parties implicated. The husband of + Madame de la Motte escaped to England, and in the opinion of many took the + necklace with him, and there disposed of it to different jewellers in + small quantities at a time. But Madame de la Motte insisted that she had + entrusted it to Cagliostro, who had seized and taken it to pieces, to + "swell the treasures of his immense unequalled fortune." She spoke of him + as "an empiric, a mean alchymist, a dreamer on the philosopher's stone, a + false prophet, a profaner of the true worship, the self-dubbed Count + Cagliostro!" She further said that he originally conceived the project of + ruining the Cardinal de Rohan; that he persuaded her, by the exercise of + some magic influence over her mind, to aid and abet the scheme; and that + he was a robber, a swindler, and a sorcerer! + </p> + <p> + After all the accused parties had remained for upwards of six months in + the Bastille, the trial commenced. The depositions of the witnesses having + been heard, Cagliostro, as the principal culprit, was first called upon + for his defence. He was listened to with the most breathless attention. He + put himself into a theatrical attitude, and thus began:—"I am + oppressed!—I am accused!—I am calumniated! Have I deserved + this fate? I descend into my conscience, and I there find the peace that + men refuse me! I have travelled a great deal—I am known over all + Europe, and a great part of Asia and Africa. I have everywhere shown + myself the friend of my fellow-creatures. My knowledge, my time, my + fortune have ever been employed in the relief of distress! I have studied + and practised medicine, but I have never degraded that most noble and most + consoling of arts by mercenary speculations of any kind. Though always + giving, and never receiving, I have preserved my independence. I have even + carried my delicacy so far as to refuse the favours of kings. I have given + gratuitously my remedies and my advice to the rich: the poor have received + from me both remedies and money. I have never contracted any debts, and my + manners are pure and uncorrupted." After much more self-laudation of the + same kind, he went on to complain of the great hardships he had endured in + being separated for so many months from his innocent and loving wife, who, + as he was given to understand, had been detained in the Bastille, and + perhaps chained in an unwholesome dungeon. He denied unequivocally that he + had the necklace, or that he had ever seen it; and to silence the rumours + and accusations against him, which his own secrecy with regard to the + events of his life had perhaps originated, he expressed himself ready to + satisfy the curiosity of the public, and to give a plain and full account + of his career. He then told a romantic and incredible tale, which imposed + upon no one. He said he neither knew the place of his birth nor the name + of his parents, but that he spent his infancy in Medina in Arabia, and was + brought up under the name of Acharat. He lived in the palace of the Great + Muphti in that city, and always had three servants to wait upon him, + besides his preceptor, named Althotas. This Althotas was very fond of him, + and told him that his father and mother, who were Christians and nobles, + died when he was three months old, and left him in the care of the Muphti. + He could never, he said, ascertain their names, for whenever he asked + Althotas the question, he was told that it would be dangerous for him to + know. Some incautious expressions dropped by his preceptor gave him reason + to think they were from Malta. At the age of twelve he began his travels, + and learned the various languages of the East. He remained three years in + Mecca, where the Cherif, or governor, showed him so much kindness, and + spoke to him so tenderly and affectionately, that he sometimes thought + that personage was his father. He quitted this good man with tears in his + eyes, and never saw him afterwards; but he was convinced that he was, even + at that moment, indebted to his care for all the advantages he enjoyed. + Whenever he arrived in any city, either of Europe or Asia, he found an + account opened for him at the principal bankers' or merchants'. He could + draw upon them to the amount of thousands and hundreds of thousands; and + no questions were ever asked beyond his name. He had only to mention the + word Acharat, and all his wants were supplied. He firmly believed that the + Cherif of Mecca was the friend to whom all was owing. This was the secret + of his wealth, and he had no occasion to resort to swindling for a + livelihood. It was not worth his while to steal a diamond necklace when he + had wealth enough to purchase as many as he pleased, and more magnificent + ones than had ever been worn by a Queen of France. As to the other charges + brought against him by Madame de la Motte, he had but a short answer to + give. She had called him an empiric. He was not unfamiliar with the word. + If it meant a man who, without being a physician, had some knowledge of + medicine, and took no fees—who cured both rich and poor, and took no + money from either, he confessed that he was such a man, that he was an + empiric. She had also called him a mean alchymist. Whether he were an + alchymist or not, the epithet mean could only be applied to those who + begged and cringed, and he had never done either. As regarded his being a + dreamer about the philosopher's stone, whatever his opinions upon that + subject might be, he had been silent, and had never troubled the public + with his dreams. Then, as to his being a false prophet, he had not always + been so; for he had prophesied to the Cardinal de Rohan that Madame de la + Motte would prove a dangerous woman, and the result had verified the + prediction. He denied that he was a profaner of the true worship, or that + he had ever striven to bring religion into contempt; on the contrary, he + respected every man's religion, and never meddled with it. He also denied + that he was a Rosicrucian, or that he had ever pretended to be three + hundred years of age, or to have had one man in his service for a hundred + and fifty years. In conclusion, he said every statement that Madame de la + Motte had made regarding him was false, and that she was mentiris + impudentissime, which two words he begged her counsel to translate for + her, as it was not polite to tell her so in French. + </p> + <p> + Such was the substance of his extraordinary answer to the charges against + him; an answer which convinced those who were before doubtful that he was + one of the most impudent impostors that had ever run the career of + deception. Counsel were then heard on behalf of the Cardinal de Rohan and + Madame de la Motte. It appearing clearly that the Cardinal was himself the + dupe of a vile conspiracy; and there being no evidence against Cagliostro, + they were both acquitted. Madame de la Motte was found guilty, and + sentenced to be publicly whipped, and branded with a hot iron on the back. + </p> + <p> + Cagliostro and his wife were then discharged from custody. On applying to + the officers of the Bastille for the papers and effects which had been + seized at his lodgings, he found that many of them had been abstracted. He + thereupon brought an action against them for the recovery of his MSS. and + a small portion of the powder of transmutation. Before the affair could be + decided, he received orders to quit Paris within four-and-twenty hours. + Fearing that if he were once more inclosed in the dungeons of the Bastille + he should never see daylight again, he took his departure immediately and + proceeded to England. On his arrival in London he made the acquaintance of + the notorious Lord George Gordon, who espoused his cause warmly, and + inserted a letter in the public papers, animadverting upon the conduct of + the Queen of France in the affair of the necklace, and asserting that she + was really the guilty party. For this letter Lord George was exposed to a + prosecution at the instance of the French Ambassador—found guilty of + libel, and sentenced to fine and a long imprisonment. + </p> + <p> + Cagliostro and the Countess afterwards travelled in Italy, where they were + arrested by the Papal Government in 1789, and condemned to death. The + charges against him were, that he was a freemason, a heretic, and a + sorcerer. This unjustifiable sentence was afterwards commuted into one of + perpetual imprisonment in the Castle of St. Angelo. His wife was allowed + to escape severer punishment by immuring herself in a nunnery. Cagliostro + did not long survive. The loss of liberty preyed upon his mind—accumulated + misfortunes had injured his health and broken his spirit, and he died + early in 1790. His fate may have been no better than he deserved, but it + is impossible not to feel that his sentence for the crimes assigned was + utterly disgraceful to the government that pronounced it. + </p> + <p> + PRESENT STATE OF ALCHYMY. + </p> + <p> + We have now finished the list of the persons who have most distinguished + themselves in this foolish and unprofitable pursuit. Among them are men of + all ranks, characters, and conditions; the truthseeking, but erring + philosopher; the ambitious prince and the needy noble, who have believed + in it; as well as the designing charlatan, who has not believed in it, but + has merely made the pretension to it the means of cheating his fellows, + and living upon their credulity. One or more of all these classes will be + found in the foregoing pages. It will be seen, from the record of their + lives, that the delusion, humiliating as it was to human intellect, was + not altogether without its uses. Men, in striving to gain too much, do not + always overreach themselves: if they cannot arrive at the inaccessible + mountain-top, they may, perhaps, get half way towards it, and pick up some + scraps of wisdom and knowledge on the road. The useful science of + chemistry is not a little indebted to its spurious brother of alchymy. + Many valuable discoveries have been made in that search for the + impossible, which might otherwise have been hidden for centuries yet to + come. Roger Bacon, in searching for the philosopher's stone, discovered + gunpowder, a still more extraordinary substance. Van Helmont, in the same + pursuit, discovered the properties of gas; Geber made discoveries in + chemistry which were equally important; and Paracelsus, amidst his + perpetual visions of the transmutation of metals, found that mercury was a + remedy for one of the most odious and excruciating of all the diseases + that afflict humanity. + </p> + <p> + In our day, no mention is made in Europe of any new devotees of the + science. The belief in witchcraft, which is scarcely more absurd, still + lingers in the popular mind: but none are so credulous as to believe that + any elixir could make man live for centuries, or turn all our iron and + pewter into gold. Alchymy, in Europe, may be said to be wholly exploded; + but in the East it still flourishes in as great repute as ever. Recent + travellers make constant mention of it, especially in China, Hindostan, + Persia, Tartary, Egypt, and Arabia. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0009" id="link2H_4_0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK II.—FORTUNE TELLING. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + And men still grope t' anticipate + The cabinet designs of Fate; + Apply to wizards to foresee + What shall and what shall never be. + Hudibras, part iii. canto 3. +</pre> + <p> + In accordance with the plan laid down in the introduction to this volume, + we proceed to the consideration of the follies into which men have been + led by their eager desire to pierce the thick darkness of futurity. God + himself, for his own wise purposes, has more than once undrawn the + impenetrable veil which shrouds those awful secrets; and, for purposes + just as wise, he has decreed that, except in these instances, ignorance + shall be our lot for ever. It is happy for man that he does not know what + the morrow is to bring forth; but, unaware of this great blessing, he has, + in all ages of the world, presumptuously endeavoured to trace the events + of unborn centuries, and anticipate the march of time. He has reduced this + presumption into a study. He has divided it into sciences and systems + without number, employing his whole life in the vain pursuit. Upon no + subject has it been so easy to deceive the world as upon this. In every + breast the curiosity exists in a greater or less degree, and can only be + conquered by a long course of self-examination, and a firm reliance that + the future would not be hidden from our sight, if it were right that we + should be acquainted with it. + </p> + <p> + An undue opinion of our own importance in the scale of creation is at the + bottom of all our unwarrantable notions in this respect. How flattering to + the pride of man to think that the stars in their courses watch over him, + and typify, by their movements and aspects, the joys or the sorrows that + await him! He, less in proportion to the universe than the all but + invisible insects that feed in myriads on a summer's leaf, are to this + great globe itself, fondly imagines that eternal worlds were chiefly + created to prognosticate his fate. How we should pity the arrogance of the + worm that crawls at our feet, if we knew that it also desired to know the + secrets of futurity, and imagined that meteors shot athwart the sky to + warn it that a tom-tit was hovering near to gobble it up; that storms and + earthquakes, the revolutions of empires, or the fall of mighty monarchs, + only happened to, predict its birth, its progress, and its decay! Not a + whit less presuming has man shown himself; not a whit less arrogant are + the sciences, so called, of astrology, augury, necromancy, geomancy, + palmistry, and divination of every kind. + </p> + <p> + Leaving out of view the oracles of pagan antiquity and religious + predictions in general, and confining ourselves solely to the persons who, + in modern times, have made themselves most conspicuous in foretelling the + future, we shall find that the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were + the golden age of these impostors. Many of them have been already + mentioned in their character of alchymists. The union of the two + pretensions is not at all surprising. It was to be expected that those who + assumed a power so preposterous as that of prolonging the life of man for + several centuries, should pretend, at the same time, to foretell the + events which were to mark that preternatural span of existence. The world + would as readily believe that they had discovered all secrets, as that + they had only discovered one. The most celebrated astrologers of Europe, + three centuries ago, were alchymists. Agrippa, Paracelsus, Dr. Dee, and + the Rosicrucians, all laid as much stress upon their knowledge of the days + to come, as upon their pretended possession of the philosopher's stone and + the elixir of life. In their time, ideas of the wonderful, the diabolical, + and the supernatural, were rifer than ever they were before. The devil or + the stars were universally believed to meddle constantly in the affairs of + men; and both were to be consulted with proper ceremonies. Those who were + of a melancholy and gloomy temperament betook themselves to necromancy and + sorcery; those more cheerful and aspiring, devoted themselves to + astrology. The latter science was encouraged by all the monarchs and + governments of that age. In England, from the time of Elizabeth to that of + William and Mary, judicial astrology was in high repute. During that + period flourished Drs. Dee, Lamb, and Forman; with Lilly, Booker, Gadbury, + Evans, and scores of nameless impostors in every considerable town and + village in the country, who made it their business to cast nativities, aid + in the recovery of stolen goods, prognosticate happy or unhappy marriages, + predict whether journeys would be prosperous, and note lucky moments for + the commencement of any enterprise, from the setting up of a cobler's shop + to the marching of an army. Men who, to use the words of Butler, did + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Deal in Destiny's dark counsel, + And sage opinion of the moon sell; + To whom all people far and near + On deep importance did repair, + When brass and pewter pots did stray, + And linen slunk out of the way." +</pre> + <p> + In Lilly's Memoirs of his Life and Times, there are many notices of the + inferior quacks who then abounded, and upon whom he pretended to look down + with supreme contempt; not because they were astrologers, but because they + debased that noble art by taking fees for the recovery of stolen property. + From Butler's Hudibras and its curious notes, we may learn what immense + numbers of these fellows lived upon the credulity of mankind in that age + of witchcraft and diablerie. Even in our day how great is the reputation + enjoyed by the almanac-makers, who assume the name of Francis Moore. But + in the time of Charles I. and the Commonwealth, the most learned, the most + noble, and the most conspicuous characters did not hesitate to consult + astrologers in the most open manner. Lilly, whom Butler has immortalized + under the name of Sydrophel, relates, that he proposed to write a work + called "An Introduction to Astrology," in which he would satisfy the whole + kingdom of the lawfulness of that art. Many of the soldiers were for it, + he says, and many of the Independent party, and abundance of worthy men in + the House of Commons, his assured friends, and able to take his part + against the Presbyterians, who would have silenced his predictions if they + could. He afterwards carried his plan into execution, and when his book + was published, went with another astrologer named Booker to the + headquarters of the parliamentary army at Windsor, where they were + welcomed and feasted in the garden where General Fairfax lodged. They were + afterwards introduced to the general, who received them very kindly, and + made allusion to some of their predictions. He hoped their art was lawful + and agreeable to God's word; but he did not understand it himself. He did + not doubt, however, that the two astrologers feared God, and therefore he + had a good opinion of them. Lilly assured him that the art of astrology + was quite consonant to the Scriptures; and confidently predicted from his + knowledge of the stars, that the parliamentary army would overthrow all + its enemies. In Oliver's Protectorate, this quack informs us that he wrote + freely enough. He became an Independent, and all the soldiery were his + friends. When he went to Scotland, he saw a soldier standing in front of + the army, with a book of prophecies in his hand, exclaiming to the several + companies as they passed by him, "Lo! hear what Lilly saith: you are in + this month promised victory! Fight it out, brave boys! and then read that + month's prediction!" + </p> + <p> + After the great fire of London, which Lilly said he had foretold, he was + sent for by the committee of the House of Commons appointed to inquire + into the causes of the calamity. In his "Monarchy or no Monarchy," + published in 1651, he had inserted an hieroglyphical plate, representing + on one side persons in winding sheets digging graves; and on the other a + large city in flames. After the great fire some sapient member of the + legislature bethought him of Lilly's book, and having mentioned it in the + house, it was agreed that the astrologer should be summoned. Lilly + attended accordingly, when Sir Robert Brooke told him the reason of his + summons, and called upon him to declare what he knew. This was a rare + opportunity for the vain-glorious Lilly to vaunt his abilities; and he + began a long speech in praise of himself and his pretended science. He + said, that after the execution of Charles I, he was extremely desirous to + know what might from that time forth happen to the parliament and to the + nation in general. He, therefore, consulted the stars and satisfied + himself. The result of his judgment he put into emblems and hieroglyphics, + without any commentary, so that the true meaning might be concealed from + the vulgar, and made manifest only to the wise; imitating in this the + example of many wise philosophers who had done the like. + </p> + <p> + "Did you foresee the year of the fire?" said a member. "No!" quoth Lilly, + "nor was I desirous: of that I made no scrutiny." After some further + parley the house found they could make nothing of the astrologer, and + dismissed him with great civility. + </p> + <p> + One specimen of the explanation of a prophecy given by Lilly, and related + by him with much complacency, will be sufficient to show the sort of trash + by which he imposed upon the million. "In the year 1588," says he, "there + was a prophecy printed in Greek characters, exactly deciphering the long + troubles of the English nation from 1641 to 1660;" and it ended thus:—"And + after him shall come a dreadful dead man, and with him a royal G, of the + best blood in the world, and he shall have the crown, and shall set + England on the right way, and put out all heresies." The following is the + explanation of this oracular absurdity:— + </p> + <p> + "Monkery being extinguished above eighty or ninety years, and the Lord + General's name being Monk, is the dead man. The royal G. or C, [it is + gamma in the Greek, intending C. in the Latin, being the third letter in + the Alphabet] is Charles II, who for his extraction may be said to be of + the best blood of the world." + </p> + <p> + In France and Germany astrologers met even more encouragement than they + received in England. In very early ages, Charlemagne and his successors + fulminated their wrath against them in common with sorcerers. Louis XI, + that most superstitious of men, entertained great numbers of them at his + court; and Catherine de Medicis, that most superstitious of women, hardly + ever took any affair of importance without consulting them. She chiefly + favoured her own countrymen; and during the time she governed France, the + land was overrun by Italian conjurors, necromancers, and fortune-tellers + of every kind. But the chief astrologer of that day, beyond all doubt, was + the celebrated Nostradamus, physician to her husband, King Henry II. He + was born in 1503, at the town of St. Remi, in Provence, where his father + was a notary. He did not acquire much fame till he was past his fiftieth + year, when his famous "Centuries," a collection of verses, written in + obscure and almost unintelligible language, began to excite attention. + They were so much spoken of in 1556, that Henry II. resolved to attach so + skilful a man to his service, and appointed him his physician. In a + biographical notice of him prefixed to the edition of his "Vraies + Centuries," published at Amsterdam in 1668, we are informed that he often + discoursed with his royal master on the secrets of futurity, and received + many great presents as his reward, besides his usual allowance for medical + attendance. After the death of Henry, he retired to his native place, + where Charles IX. paid him a visit in 1564, and was so impressed with + veneration for his wondrous knowledge of the things that were to be, not + in France only, but in the whole world for hundreds of years to come, that + he made him a counsellor of state, and his own physician, besides treating + him in other matters with a royal liberality. "In fine," continues his + biographer, "I should be too prolix were I to tell all the honours + conferred upon him, and all the great nobles and learned men that arrived + at his house, from the very ends of the earth, to see and converse with + him as if he had been an oracle. Many strangers, in fact, came to France + for no other purpose than to consult him." + </p> + <p> + The prophecies of Nostradamus consist of upwards of a thousand stanzas, + each of four lines, and are to the full as obscure as the oracles of They + take so great a latitude, both as to time and space, that they are almost + sure to be fulfilled somewhere or other in the course of a few centuries; + A little ingenuity like that evinced by Lilly, in his explanation about + General Monk and the dreadful dead man, might easily make events to fit + some of them. + </p> + <p> + Let us try. In his second century, prediction 66, he says,—' + </p> + <p> + "From great dangers the captive is escaped. A little time, great fortune + changed. In the palace the people are caught. By good augury the city is + besieged." + </p> + <p> + "What is this," a believer might exclaim, "but the escape of Napoleon from + Elba—his changed fortune, and the occupation of Paris by the allied + armies?"—Let us try again. In his third century, prediction 98, he + says,— "Two royal brothers will make fierce war on each other; So + mortal shall be the strife between them, That each one shall occupy a fort + against the other; For their reign and life shall be the quarrel." + </p> + <p> + Some Lillius Redivivus would find no difficulty in this prediction. To use + a vulgar phrase, it is as clear as a pikestaff. Had not the astrologer in + view Don Miguel and Don Pedro when he penned this stanza, so much less + obscure and oracular than the rest? + </p> + <p> + He is to this day extremely popular in France and the Walloon country of + Belgium, where old farmer-wives consult him with great confidence and + assiduity. + </p> + <p> + Catherine di Medicis was not the only member of her illustrious house who + entertained astrologers. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, there + was a man named Basil, residing in Florence, who was noted over all Italy + for his skill in piercing the darkness of futurity. It is said that he + foretold to Cosmo di Medicis, then a private citizen, that he would attain + high dignity, inasmuch as the ascendant of his nativity was adorned with + the same propitious aspects as those of Augustus Caesar and the Emperor + Charles V. [Hermippus Redivivus, p. 142.] Another astrologer foretold the + death of Prince Alexander di Medicis; and so very minute and particular + was he in all the circumstances, that he was suspected of being chiefly + instrumental in fulfilling his own prophecy; a very common resource with + these fellows, to keep up their credit. He foretold confidently that the + Prince should die by the hand of his own familiar friend, a person of a + slender habit of body, a small face, a swarthy complexion, and of most + remarkable taciturnity. So it afterwards happened; Alexander having been + murdered in his chamber by his cousin Lorenzo, who corresponded exactly + with the above description. [Jovii Elog. p. 320.] The author of Hermippus + Redivivus, in relating this story, inclines to the belief that the + astrologer was guiltless of any participation in the crime, but was + employed by some friend of Prince Alexander, to warn him of his danger. + </p> + <p> + A much more remarkable story is told of an astrologer, who lived in + Romagna, in the fifteenth century, and whose name was Antiochus Tibertus. + [Les Anecdotes de Florence ou l'Histoire secrete de la Maison di Medicis, + p. 318.] At that time nearly all the petty sovereigns of Italy retained + such men in their service; and Tibertus having studied the mathematics + with great success at Paris, and delivered many predictions, some of + which, for guesses, were not deficient in shrewdness, was taken into the + household of Pandolfo di Malatesta, the sovereign of Rimini. His + reputation was so great, that his study was continually thronged, either + with visitors who were persons of distinction, or with clients who came to + him for advice, and in a short time he acquired a considerable fortune. + Notwithstanding all these advantages he passed his life miserably, and + ended it on the scaffold. The following story afterwards got into + circulation, and has been often triumphantly cited by succeeding + astrologers as an irrefragable proof of the truth of their science. It was + said, that long before he died he uttered three remarkable prophecies; one + relating to himself, another to his friend, and the third to his patron, + Pandolfo di Malatesta. The first delivered was that relating to his + friend, Guido di Bogni, one of the greatest captains of the time. Guido + was exceedingly desirous to know his fortune, and so importuned Tibertus, + that the latter consulted the stars, and the lines on his palm, to satisfy + him. He afterwards told him with a sorrowful face, that according to all + the rules of astrology and palmistry, he should be falsely suspected by + his best friend, and should lose his life in consequence. Guido then asked + the astrologer if he could foretell his own fate; upon which Tibertus + again consulted the stars, and found that it was decreed from all eternity + that he should end his days on the scaffold. Malatesta, when he heard + these predictions, so unlikely, to all present appearance, to prove true, + desired his astrologer to predict his fate also; and to hide nothing from + him, however unfavourable it might be. Tibertus complied, and told his + patron, at that time one of the most flourishing and powerful princes of + Italy, that he should suffer great want, and die at last, like a beggar, + in the common hospital of Bologna: and so it happened in all three cases. + Guido di Bogni was accused by his own father-in-law, the Count di + Bentivoglio, of a treasonable design to deliver up the city of Rimini to + the papal forces, and was assassinated afterwards, by order of the tyrant + Malatesta, as he sat at the supper-table, to which he had been invited in + all apparent friendship. The astrologer was, at the same time, thrown into + prison, as being concerned in the treason of his friend. He attempted to + escape, and had succeeded in letting himself down from his dungeon window + into a moat, when he was discovered by the sentinels. This being reported + to Malatesta, he gave orders for his execution on the following morning. + </p> + <p> + Malatesta had, at this time, no remembrance of the prophecy; and his own + fate gave him no uneasiness: but events were silently working its + fulfilment. A conspiracy had been formed, though Guido di Bogni was + innocent of it, to deliver up Rimini to the Pope; and all the necessary + measures having been taken, the city was seized by the Count de + Valentinois. In the confusion, Malatesta had barely time to escape from + his palace in disguise. He was pursued from place to place by his enemies, + abandoned by all his former friends, and, finally, by his own children. He + at last fell ill of a languishing disease, at Bologna; and, nobody caring + to afford him shelter, he was carried to the hospital, where he died. The + only thing that detracts from the interest of this remarkable story is the + fact, that the prophecy was made after the event. + </p> + <p> + For some weeks before the birth of Louis XIV, an astrologer from Germany, + who had been sent for by the Marshal de Bassompierre and other noblemen of + the court, had taken up his residence in the palace, to be ready, at a + moment's notice, to draw the horoscope of the future sovereign of France. + When the Queen was taken in labour, he was ushered into a contiguous + apartment, that he might receive notice of the very instant the child was + born. The result of his observations were the three words, diu, dure, + feliciter; meaning, that the new-born Prince should live and reign long, + with much labour, and with great glory. No prediction less favourable + could have been expected from an astrologer, who had his bread to get, and + who was at the same time a courtier. A medal was afterwards struck in + commemoration of the event; upon one side of which was figured the + nativity of the Prince, representing him as driving the chariot of Apollo, + with the inscription "Ortus solis Gallici,"—the rising of the Gallic + sun. + </p> + <p> + The best excuse ever made for astrology was that offered by the great + astronomer, Keppler, himself an unwilling practiser of the art. He had + many applications from his friends to cast nativities for them, and + generally gave a positive refusal to such as he was not afraid of + offending by his frankness. In other cases he accommodated himself to the + prevailing delusion. In sending a copy of his "Ephemerides" to Professor + Gerlach, he wrote that they were nothing but worthless conjectures; but he + was obliged to devote himself to them, or he would have starved. "Ye + overwise philosophers," he exclaimed, in his "Tertius Interveniens;" "ye + censure this daughter of astronomy beyond her deserts! Know ye not that + she must support her mother by her charms? The scanty reward of an + astronomer would not provide him with bread, if men did not entertain + hopes of reading the future in the heavens." + </p> + <p> + NECROMANCY was, next to astrology, the pretended science most resorted to, + by those who wished to pry into the future. The earliest instance upon + record is that of the Witch of Endor and the spirit of Samuel. Nearly all + the nations of antiquity believed in the possibility of summoning departed + ghosts to disclose the awful secrets that God made clear to the + disembodied. Many passages in allusion to this subject, will at once + suggest themselves to the classical reader; but this art was never carried + on openly in any country. All governments looked upon it as a crime of the + deepest dye. While astrology was encouraged, and its professors courted + and rewarded, necromancers were universally condemned to the stake or the + gallows. Roger Bacon, Albertus Magnus, Arnold of Villeneuve, and many + others, were accused, by the public opinion of many centuries, of meddling + in these unhallowed matters. So deep-rooted has always been the popular + delusion with respect to accusations of this kind, that no crime was ever + disproved with such toil and difficulty. That it met great encouragement, + nevertheless, is evident from the vast numbers of pretenders to it; who, + in spite of the danger, have existed in all ages and countries. + </p> + <p> + GEOMANCY, or the art of foretelling the future by means of lines and + circles, and other mathematical figures drawn on the earth, is still + extensively practised in Asiatic countries, but is almost unknown in + Europe. + </p> + <p> + AUGURY, from the flight or entrails of birds, so favourite a study among + the Romans, is, in like manner, exploded in Europe. Its most assiduous + professors, at the present day, are the abominable Thugs of India. + </p> + <p> + DIVINATION, of which there are many kinds, boasts a more enduring + reputation. It has held an empire over the minds of men from the earliest + periods of recorded history, and is, in all probability, coeval with time + itself. It was practised alike by the Jews, the Egyptians, the Chaldeans, + the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans; is equally known to all modern + nations, in every part of the world; and is not unfamiliar to the + untutored tribes that roam in the wilds of Africa and America. Divination, + as practised in civilized Europe at the present day, is chiefly from + cards, the tea-cup, and the lines on the palm of the hand. Gipsies alone + make a profession of it; but there are thousands and tens of thousands of + humble families in which the good-wife, and even the good-man, resort to + the grounds at the bottom of their teacups, to know whether the next + harvest will be abundant, or their sow bring forth a numerous litter; and + in which the young maidens look to the same place to know when they are to + be married, and whether the man of their choice is to be dark or fair, + rich or poor, kind or cruel. Divination by cards, so great a favourite + among the moderns, is, of course, a modern science; as cards do not yet + boast an antiquity of much more than four hundred years. Divination by the + palm, so confidently believed in by half the village lasses in Europe, is + of older date, and seems to have been known to the Egyptians in the time + of the patriarchs; as well as divination by the cup, which, as we are + informed in Genesis, was practised by Joseph. Divination by the rod was + also practised by the Egyptians. In comparatively recent times, it was + pretended that by this means hidden treasures could be discovered. It now + appears to be altogether exploded in Europe. Onomancy, or the foretelling + a man's fate by the letters of his name, and the various transpositions of + which they are capable, is a more modern sort of divination; but it + reckons comparatively few believers. + </p> + <p> + The following list of the various species of Divination formerly in use, + is given by Gaule, in his "Magastromancer," and quoted in Hone's "Year + Book," p. 1517. + </p> + <p> + Stareomancy, or divining by the elements. Aeromancy, or divining by the + air. Pyromancy, by fire. Hydromancy, by water. Geomancy, by earth. + Theomancy, pretending to divine by the revelation of the Spirit, and by + the Scriptures, or word of God. Demonomancy, by the aid of devils and evil + spirits. Idolomancy, by idols, images, and figures. Psychomancy, by the + soul, affections, or dispositions of men. Antinopomancy, by the entrails + of human beings. Theriomancy, by beasts. Ornithomancy, by birds. + Icthyomancy, by fishes. Botanomancy, by herbs. Lithomancy, by stones. + Kleromancy, by lots. Oneiromancy, by dreams. Onomancy, by names. + Arithmancy, by numbers. Logarithmancy, by logarithms. Sternomancy, by the + marks from the breast to the belly. Gastromancy, by the sound of, or marks + upon, the belly. Omphelomancy, by the navel. Chiromancy, by the hands. + Paedomancy, by thee feet. Onchyomancy, by the nails. Cephaleonomancy, by + asses' heads. Tuphramancy, by ashes. Kapnomancy, by smoke. Livanomancy, by + the burning of incense. Keromancy, by the melting of wax. Lecanomancy, by + basins of water. Katoxtromancy, by looking-glasses. Chartomancy, by + writing in papers, and by Valentines. Macharomancy, by knives and swords. + Crystallomancy, by crystals. Dactylomancy, by rings. Koseinomancy, by + sieves. Axinomancy, by saws. Kaltabomancy, by vessels of brass, or other + metal. Spatalamancy, by skins, bones, &c. Roadomancy, by stars. + Sciomancy, by shadows. Astragalomancy, by dice. Oinomancy, by the lees of + wine. Sycomancy, by figs. Tyromancy, by cheese. Alphitomancy, by meal, + flour, or bran. Krithomancy, by corn or grain. Alectromancy, by cocks. + Gyromancy, by circles. Lampadomancy, by candles and lamps. + </p> + <p> + ONEIRO-CRITICISM, or the art of interpreting dreams, is a relic of the + most remote ages, which has subsisted through all the changes that moral + or physical revolutions have operated in the world. The records of five + thousand years bear abundant testimony to the universal diffusion of the + belief, that the skilful could read the future in dreams. The rules of the + art, if any existed in ancient times, are not known; but in our day, one + simple rule opens the whole secret. Dreams, say all the wiseacres in + Christendom, are to be interpreted by contraries. Thus, if you dream of + filth, you will acquire something valuable; if you dream of the dead, you + will hear news of the living; if you dream of gold and silver, you run a + risk of being without either; and if you dream you have many friends, you + will be persecuted by many enemies. The rule, however, does not hold good + in all cases. It is fortunate to dream of little pigs, but unfortunate to + dream of big bullocks. If you dream you have lost a tooth, you may be sure + that you will shortly lose a friend; and if you dream that your house is + on fire, you will receive news from a far country. If you dream of vermin, + it is a sign that there will be sickness in your family; and if you dream + of serpents, you will have friends who, in the course of time, will prove + your bitterest enemies; but, of all dreams, it is most fortunate if you + dream that you are wallowing up to your neck in mud and mire. Clear water + is a sign of grief; and great troubles, distress, and perplexity are + predicted, if you dream that you stand naked in the public streets, and + know not where to find a garment to shield you from the gaze of the + multitude. + </p> + <p> + In many parts of Great Britain, and the continents of Europe and America, + there are to be found elderly women in the villages and country-places + whose interpretations of dreams are looked upon with as much reverence as + if they were oracles. In districts remote from towns it is not uncommon to + find the members of a family regularly every morning narrating their + dreams at the breakfast-table, and becoming happy or miserable for the day + according to their interpretation. There is not a flower that blossoms, or + fruit that ripens, that, dreamed of, is not ominous of either good or evil + to such people. Every tree of the field or the forest is endowed with a + similar influence over the fate of mortals, if seen in the night-visions. + To dream of the ash, is the sign of a long journey; and of an oak, + prognosticates long life and prosperity. To dream you strip the bark off + any tree, is a sign to a maiden of an approaching loss of a character; to + a married woman, of a family bereavement; and to a man, of an accession of + fortune. To dream of a leafless tree, is a sign of great sorrow; and of a + branchless trunk, a sign of despair and suicide. The elder-tree is more + auspicious to the sleeper; while the fir-tree, better still, betokens all + manner of comfort and prosperity. The lime-tree predicts a voyage across + the ocean; while the yew and the alder are ominous of sickness to the + young and of death to the old. + </p> + <p> + It is quite astonishing to see the great demand there is, both in England + and France, for dream-books, and other trash of the same kind. Two books + in England enjoy an extraordinary popularity, and have run through upwards + of fifty editions in as many years in London alone, besides being + reprinted in Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dublin. One is "Mother + Bridget's Dream-book and Oracle of Fate;" the other is the "Norwood + Gipsy." It is stated on the authority of one who, is curious in these + matters, that there is a demand for these works, which are sold at sums + varying from a penny to sixpence, chiefly to servant-girls and + imperfectly-educated people, all over the country, of upwards of eleven + thousand annually; and that at no period during the last thirty years has + the average number sold been less than this. The total number during this + period would thus amount to 330,000. + </p> + <p> + Among the flowers and fruits charged with messages for the future, the + following is a list of the most important, arranged from approved sources, + in alphabetical order:— + </p> + <p> + Asparagus, gathered and tied up in bundles, is an omen of tears. If you + see it growing in your dreams, it is a sign of good fortune. + </p> + <p> + Aloes, without a flower, betoken long life: in flower, betoken a legacy. + </p> + <p> + Artichokes. This vegetable is a sign that you will receive, in a short + time, a favour from the hands of those from whom you would least expect + it. + </p> + <p> + Agrimony. This herb denotes that there will be sickness in your house. + </p> + <p> + Anemone, predicts love. + </p> + <p> + Auriculas, in beds, denote luck; in pots, marriage: while to gather them, + foretells widowhood. + </p> + <p> + Bilberries, predict a pleasant excursion. + </p> + <p> + Broom-flowers, an increase of family. + </p> + <p> + Cauliflowers, predict that all your friends will slight you, or that you + will fall into poverty and find no one to pity you. + </p> + <p> + Dock-leaves, a present from the country. + </p> + <p> + Daffodils. Any maiden who dreams of daffodils is warned by her good angel + to avoid going into a wood with her lover, or into any dark or retired + place where she might not be able to make people hear her if she cried + out. Alas! for her if she pay no attention to the warning! She shall be + rifled of the precious flower of chastity, and shall never again have + right to wear the garland of virginity. + </p> + <p> + "Never again shall she put garland on; Instead of it, she'll wear sad + cypress now, And bitter elder broken from the bough." + </p> + <p> + Figs, if green, betoken embarrassment; if dried, money to the poor and + mirth to the rich. + </p> + <p> + Heart's-ease, betokens heart's pain. + </p> + <p> + Lilies, predict joy; water-lilies, danger from the sea. + </p> + <p> + Lemons, betoken a separation. + </p> + <p> + Pomegranates, predict happy wedlock to those who are single, and + reconciliation to those who are married and have disagreed. + </p> + <p> + Quinces, prognosticate pleasant company. + </p> + <p> + Roses, denote happy love, not unmixed with sorrow from other sources. + </p> + <p> + Sorrel, To dream of this herb is a sign that you will shortly have + occasion to exert all your prudence to overcome some great calamity. + </p> + <p> + Sunflowers, show that your pride will be deeply wounded. + </p> + <p> + Violets, predict evil to the single and joy to the married. + </p> + <p> + Yellow-flowers of any kind predict jealousy. + </p> + <p> + Yew-berries, predict loss of character to both sexes. + </p> + <p> + It should be observed that the rules for the interpretation of dreams are + far from being universal. The cheeks of the peasant girl of England glow + with pleasure in the morning after she has dreamed of a rose, while the + paysanne of Normandy dreads disappointment and vexation for the very same + reason. The Switzer who dreams of an oaktree does not share in the + Englishman's joy; for he imagines that the vision was a warning to him + that, from some trifling cause, an overwhelming calamity will burst over + him. Thus do the ignorant and the credulous torment themselves; thus do + they spread their nets to catch vexation, and pass their lives between + hopes which are of no value and fears which are a positive evil. + </p> + <p> + OMENS.—Among the other means of self-annoyance upon which men have + stumbled, in their vain hope of discovering the future, signs and omens + hold a conspicuous place. There is scarcely an occurrence in nature which, + happening at a certain time, is not looked upon by some persons as a + prognosticator either of good or evil. The latter are in the greatest + number, so much more ingenious are we in tormenting ourselves than in + discovering reasons for enjoyment in the things that surround us. We go + out of our course to make ourselves uncomfortable; the cup of life is not + bitter enough to our palate, and we distil superfluous poison to put into + it, or conjure up hideous things to frighten ourselves at, which would + never exist if we did not make them. "We suffer," says Addison, + ["Spectator," No. 7, March 8th, 1710-11.] "as much from trifling accidents + as from real evils. I have known the shooting of a star spoil a night's + rest, and have seen a man in love grow pale and lose his appetite upon the + plucking of a merrythought. A screech-owl at midnight has alarmed a family + more than a band of robbers; nay, the voice of a cricket has struck more + terror than the roaring of a lion. There is nothing so inconsiderable + which may not appear dreadful to an imagination that is filled with omens + and prognostics. A rusty nail or a crooked pin shoot up into prodigies." + </p> + <p> + The century and a quarter that has passed away since Addison wrote has + seen the fall of many errors. Many fallacies and delusions have been + crushed under the foot of time since then; but this has been left + unscathed, to frighten the weakminded and embitter their existence. A + belief in omens is not confined to the humble and uninformed. A general, + who led an army with credit, has been known to feel alarmed at a + winding-sheet in the candle; and learned men, who had honourably and + fairly earned the highest honours of literature, have been seen to gather + their little ones around them, and fear that one would be snatched away, + because, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "When stole upon the time the dead of night, + And heavy sleep had closed up mortal eyes," +</pre> + <p> + a dog in the street was howling at the moon. Persons who would acknowledge + freely that the belief in omens was unworthy of a man of sense, have yet + confessed at the same time that, in spite of their reason, they have been + unable to conquer their fears of death when they heard the harmless insect + called the death-watch ticking in the wall, or saw an oblong hollow coal + fly out of the fire. + </p> + <p> + Many other evil omens besides those mentioned above alarm the vulgar and + the weak. If a sudden shivering comes over such people, they believe that, + at that instant, an enemy is treading over the spot that will one day be + their grave. If they meet a sow when they first walk abroad in the + morning, it is an omen of evil for that day. To meet an ass, is in like + manner unlucky. It is also very unfortunate to walk under a ladder; to + forget to eat goose on the festival of St. Michael; to tread upon a + beetle, or to eat the twin nuts that are sometimes found in one shell. + Woe, in like manner, is predicted to that wight who inadvertently upsets + the salt; each grain that is overthrown will bring to him a day of sorrow. + If thirteen persons sit at table, one of them will die within the year; + and all of them will be unhappy. Of all evil omens, this is the worst. The + facetious Dr. Kitchener used to observe that there was one case in which + he believed that it was really unlucky for thirteen persons to sit down to + dinner, and that was when there was only dinner enough for twelve. + Unfortunately for their peace of mind, the great majority of people do not + take this wise view of the matter. In almost every country of Europe the + same superstition prevails, and some carry it so far as to look upon the + number thirteen as in every way ominous of evil; and if they find thirteen + coins in their purse, cast away the odd one like a polluted thing. The + philosophic Beranger, in his exquisite song, "Thirteen at Table," has + taken a poetical view of this humiliating superstition, and mingled, as is + his wont, a lesson of genuine wisdom in his lay. Being at dinner, he + overthrows the salt, and, looking round the room, discovers that he is the + thirteenth guest. While he is mourning his unhappy fate, and conjuring up + visions of disease and suffering, and the grave, he is suddenly startled + by the apparition of Death herself, not in the shape of a grim foe, with + skeleton ribs and menacing dart, but of an angel of light, who shows the + folly of tormenting ourselves with the dread of her approach, when she is + the friend, rather than the enemy, of man, and frees us from the fetters + which bind us to the dust. + </p> + <p> + If men could bring themselves to look upon Death in this manner, living + well and wisely till her inevitable approach, how vast a store of grief + and vexation would they spare themselves! + </p> + <p> + Among good omens, one of the most conspicuous is to meet a piebald horse. + To meet two of these animals is still more fortunate; and if on such an + occasion you spit thrice, and form any reasonable wish, it will be + gratified within three days. It is also a sign of good fortune if you + inadvertently put on your stocking wrong side out. If you wilfully wear + your stocking in this fashion, no good will come of it. It is very lucky + to sneeze twice; but if you sneeze a third time, the omen loses its power, + and your good fortune will be nipped in the bud. If a strange dog follow + you, and fawn on you, and wish to attach itself to you, it is a sign of + very great prosperity. Just as fortunate is it if a strange male cat comes + to your house and manifests friendly intentions towards your family. If a + she eat, it is an omen, on the contrary, of very great misfortune. If a + swarm of bees alight in your garden, some very high honour and great joys + await you. + </p> + <p> + Besides these glimpses of the future, you may know something of your fate + by a diligent attention to every itching that you may feel in your body. + Thus, if the eye or the nose itches, it is a sign you will be shortly + vexed; if the foot itches you will tread upon strange ground; and if the + elbow itches, you will change your bedfellow. Itching of the right-hand + prognosticates that you will soon have a sum of money; and of the left, + that you will be called upon to disburse it. + </p> + <p> + These are but a few of the omens which are generally credited in modern + Europe. A complete list of them would fatigue from its length, and sicken + from its absurdity. It would be still more unprofitable to attempt to + specify the various delusions of the same kind which are believed among + Oriental nations. Every reader will remember the comprehensive formula of + cursing preserved in "Tristram Shandy:"—curse a man after any + fashion you remember or can invent, you will be sure to find it there. The + Oriental creed of omens is not less comprehensive. Every movement of the + body, every emotion of the mind, is at certain times an omen. Every form + and object in nature, even the shape of the clouds and the changes of the + weather; every colour, every sound, whether of men or animals, or birds or + insects, or inanimate things, is an omen. Nothing is too trifling or + inconsiderable to inspire a hope which is not worth cherishing, or a fear + which is sufficient to embitter existence. + </p> + <p> + From the belief in omens springs the superstition that has, from very + early ages, set apart certain days, as more favourable than others, for + prying into the secrets of futurity. The following, copied verbatim from + the popular "Dream and Omen Book" of Mother Bridget, will show the belief + of the people of England at the present day. Those who are curious as to + the ancient history of these observances, will find abundant aliment in + the "Every-day Book." + </p> + <p> + "The 1st of January.—If a young maiden drink, on going to bed, a + pint of cold spring-water, in which is beat up an amulet, composed of the + yolk of a pullet's egg, the legs of a spider, and the skin of an eel + pounded, her future destiny will be revealed to her in a dream. This charm + fails of its effect if tried any other day of the year. + </p> + <p> + "Valentine Day.—Let a single woman go out of her own door very early + in the morning, and if the first person she meets be a woman, she will not + be married that year: if she meet a man, she will be married within three + months. + </p> + <p> + "Lady Day.—The following charm may be tried this day with certain + success:—String thirty-one nuts on a string, composed of red worsted + mixed with blue silk, and tie it round your neck on going to bed, + repeating these lines— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 'Oh, I wish! oh, I wish to see + Who my true love is to be!' +</pre> + <p> + Shortly after midnight, you will see your lover in a dream, and be + informed at the same time of all the principal events of your future life. + </p> + <p> + "St. Swithin's Eve.—Select three things you most wish to know; write + them down with a new pen and red ink on a sheet of fine-wove paper, from + which you must previously cut off all the corners and burn them. Fold the + paper into a true-lover's knot, and wrap round it three hairs from your + head. Place the paper under your pillow for three successive nights, and + your curiosity to know the future will be satisfied. + </p> + <p> + "St. Mark's Eve.—Repair to the nearest churchyard as the clock + strikes twelve, and take from a grave on the south-side of the church + three tufts of grass (the longer and ranker the better), and on going to + bed place them under your pillow, repeating earnestly three several times, + </p> + <p> + 'The Eve of St. Mark by prediction is blest, Set therefore my hopes and my + fears all to rest: Let me know my fate, whether weal or woe; Whether my + rank's to be high or low; Whether to live single, or be a bride, And the + destiny my star doth provide.' + </p> + <p> + Should you have no dream that night, you will be single and miserable all + your life. If you dream of thunder and lightning, your life will be one of + great difficulty and sorrow. + </p> + <p> + "Candlemas Eve.—On this night (which is the purification of the + Virgin Mary), let three, five, seven, or nine, young maidens assemble + together in a square chamber. Hang in each corner a bundle of sweet herbs, + mixed with rue and rosemary. Then mix a cake of flour, olive-oil, and + white sugar; every maiden having an equal share in the making and the + expense of it. Afterwards, it must be cut into equal pieces, each one + marking the piece as she cuts it with the initials of her name. It is then + to be baked one hour before the fire, not a word being spoken the whole + time, and the maidens sitting with their arms and knees across. Each piece + of cake is then to be wrapped up in a sheet of paper, on which each maiden + shall write the love part of Solomon's Songs. If she put this under her + pillow, she will dream true. She will see her future husband and every one + of her children, and will know, besides, whether her family will be poor + or prosperous—a comfort to her, or the contrary. + </p> + <p> + "Midsummer.—Take three roses, smoke them with sulphur, and exactly + at three in the day, bury one of the roses under a yew tree; the second in + a newly-made grave, and put the third under your pillow for three nights, + and at the end of that period burn it in a fire of charcoal. Your dreams + during that time will be prophetic of your future destiny, and, what is + still more curious and valuable (Mother Bridget loquitur), the man whom + you are to wed, will know no peace till he comes and visits you. Besides + this, you will perpetually haunt his dreams. + </p> + <p> + "St. John's Eve.—Make a new pincushion of the very best black velvet + (no inferior quality will answer the purpose), and on one side stick your + name in full length with the very smallest pins that can be bought (none + other will do). On the other side, make a cross with some very large pins, + and surround it with a circle. Put this into your stocking when you take + it off at night, and hang it up at the foot of the bed. All your future + life will pass before you in a dream. + </p> + <p> + "First New Moon of the Year.—On the first new moon in the year, take + a pint of clear springwater and infuse into it the white of an egg laid by + a white hen, a glass of white wine, three almonds peeled white, and a + tablespoonful of white rose-water. Drink this on going to bed, not making + more nor less than three draughts of it; repeating the following verses + three several times in a clear distinct voice, but not so loud as to be + overheard by anybody:— + </p> + <p> + 'If I dream of water pure Before the coming morn, 'Tis a sign I shall be + poor, And unto wealth not born. + </p> + <p> + If I dream of tasting beer, Middling then will be my cheer— + Chequer'd with the good and bad, Sometimes joyful, sometimes sad; But + should I dream of drinking wine, Wealth and pleasure will be mine. + </p> + <p> + The stronger the drink, the better the cheer— Dreams of my destiny, + appear, appear!' + </p> + <p> + "Twenty-ninth of February.—This day, as it only occurs once in four + years, is peculiarly auspicious to those who desire to have a glance at + futurity, especially to young maidens burning with anxiety to know the + appearance and complexion of their future lords. The charm to be adopted + is the following: Stick twenty-seven of the smallest pins that are made, + three by three, into a tallow candle. Light it up at the wrong end, and + then place it in a candlestick made out of clay, which must be drawn from + a virgin's grave. Place this on the chimney-place, in the left-hand + corner, exactly as the clock strikes twelve, and go to bed immediately. + When the candle is burnt out, take the pins and put them into your + left-shoe; and before nine nights have elapsed your fate will be revealed + to you." + </p> + <p> + We have now taken a hasty review of the various modes of seeking to + discover the future, especially as practised in modern times. The main + features of the folly appear essentially the same in all countries. + National character and peculiarities operate some difference of + interpretation. The mountaineer makes the natural phenomena which he most + frequently witnesses prognosticative of the future. The dweller in the + plains, in a similar manner, seeks to know his fate among the signs of the + things that surround him, and tints his superstition with the hues of his + own clime. The same spirit animates them all—the same desire to know + that which Infinite Mercy has concealed. There is but little probability + that the curiosity of mankind in this respect will ever be wholly + eradicated. Death and ill-fortune are continual bugbears to the + weak-minded, the irreligious, and the ignorant; and while such exist in + the world, divines will preach upon its impiety and philosophers discourse + upon its absurdity in vain. Still, it is evident that these follies have + greatly diminished. Soothsayers and prophets have lost the credit they + formerly enjoyed, and skulk in secret now where they once showed their + faces in the blaze of day. So far there is manifest improvement. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0010" id="link2H_4_0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK III.—THE MAGNETISERS. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Some deemed them wondrous wise, and some believed them mad. + —Beattie's Minstrel. +</pre> + <p> + The wonderful influence of imagination in the cure of diseases is well + known. A motion of the hand, or a glance of the eye, will throw a weak and + credulous patient into a fit; and a pill made of bread, if taken with + sufficient faith, will operate a cure better than all the drugs in the + pharmacopoeia. The Prince of Orange, at the siege of Breda, in 1625, cured + all his soldiers who were dying of the scurvy, by a philanthropic piece of + quackery, which he played upon them with the knowledge of the physicians, + when all other means had failed. [See Van der Mye's account of the siege + of Breda. The garrison, being afflicted with scurvy, the Prince of Orange + sent the physicians two or three small phials, containing a decoction of + camomile, wormwood, and camphor, telling them to pretend that it was a + medicine of the greatest value and extremest rarity, which had been + procured with very much danger and difficulty from the East; and so + strong, that two or three drops would impart a healing virtue to a gallon + of water. The soldiers had faith in their commander; they took the + medicine with cheerful faces, and grew well rapidly. They afterwards + thronged about the Prince in groups of twenty and thirty at a time, + praising his skill, and loading him with protestations of gratitude.] Many + hundreds of instances, of a similar kind, might be related, especially + from the history of witchcraft. The mummeries, strange gesticulations, and + barbarous jargon of witches and sorcerers, which frightened credulous and + nervous women, brought on all those symptoms of hysteria and other similar + diseases, so well understood now, but which were then supposed to be the + work of the devil, not only by the victims and the public in general, but + by the operators themselves. + </p> + <p> + In the age when alchymy began to fall into some disrepute, and learning to + lift up its voice against it, a new delusion, based upon this power of + imagination, suddenly arose, and found apostles among all the alchymists. + Numbers of them, forsaking their old pursuits, made themselves + magnetisers. It appeared first in the shape of mineral, and afterwards of + animal, magnetism, under which latter name it survives to this day, and + numbers its dupes by thousands. + </p> + <p> + The mineral magnetisers claim the first notice, as the worthy predecessors + of the quacks of the present day. The honour claimed for Paracelsus of + being the first of the Rosicrucians has been disputed; but his claim to be + considered the first of the magnetisers can scarcely be challenged. It has + been already mentioned of him, in the part of this work which treats of + alchymy, that, like nearly all the distinguished adepts, he was a + physician; and pretended, not only to make gold and confer immortality, + but to cure all diseases. He was the first who, with the latter view, + attributed occult and miraculous powers to the magnet. Animated apparently + by a sincere conviction that the magnet was the philosopher's stone, + which, if it could not transmute metals, could soothe all human suffering + and arrest the progress of decay, he travelled for many years in Persia + and Arabia, in search of the mountain of adamant, so famed in oriental + fables. When he practised as a physician at Basle, he called one of his + nostrums by the name of azoth—a stone or crystal, which, he said, + contained magnetic properties, and cured epilepsy, hysteria, and spasmodic + affections. He soon found imitators. His fame spread far and near; and + thus were sown the first seeds of that error which has since taken root + and flourished so widely. In spite of the denial of modern practitioners, + this must be considered the origin of magnetism; for we find that, + beginning with Paracelsus, there was a regular succession of mineral + magnetisers until Mesmer appeared, and gave a new feature to the delusion. + </p> + <p> + Paracelsus boasted of being able to transplant diseases from the human + frame into the earth, by means of the magnet. He said there were six ways + by which this might be effected. One of them will be quite sufficient, as + a specimen. "If a person suffer from disease, either local or general, let + the following remedy be tried. Take a magnet, impregnated with mummy + [Mummies were of several kinds, and were all of great use in magnetic + medicines. Paracelsus enumerates six kinds of mummies; the first four only + differing in the composition used by different people for preserving their + dead, are the Egyptian, Arabian, Pisasphaltos, and Lybian. The fifth mummy + of peculiar power was made from criminals that had been hanged; "for from + such there is a gentle siccation, that expungeth the watery humour, + without destroying the oil and spirituall, which is cherished by the + heavenly luminaries, and strengthened continually by the affluence and + impulses of the celestial spirits; whence it may be properly called by the + name of constellated or celestial mummie." The sixth kind of mummy was + made of corpuscles, or spiritual effluences, radiated from the living + body; though we cannot get very clear ideas on this head, or respecting + the manner in which they were caught.—"Medicina Diatastica; or, + Sympathetical Mummie, abstracted from the Works of Paracelsus, and + translated out of the Latin, by Fernando Parkhurst, Gent." London, 1653. + pp. 2.7. Quoted by the "Foreign Quarterly Review," vol. xii. p. 415.] and + mixed with rich earth. In this earth sow some seeds that have a congruity + or homogeneity with the disease: then let this earth, well sifted and + mixed with mummy, be laid in an earthen vessel; and let the seeds + committed to it be watered daily with a lotion in which the diseased limb + or body has been washed. Thus will the disease be transplanted from the + human body to the seeds which are in the earth. Having done this, + transplant the seeds from the earthen vessel to the ground, and wait till + they begin to sprout into herbs: as they increase, the disease will + diminish; and when they have arrived at their full growth, it will + disappear altogether." + </p> + <p> + Kircher the Jesuit, whose quarrel with the alchymists was the means of + exposing many of their impostures, was a firm believer in the efficacy of + the magnet. Having been applied to by a patient afflicted with hernia, he + directed the man to swallow a small magnet reduced to powder, while he + applied, at the same time, to the external swelling a poultice, made of + filings of iron. He expected that by this means the magnet, when it got to + the corresponding place inside, would draw in the iron, and with it the + tumour; which would thus, he said, be safely and expeditiously reduced. + </p> + <p> + As this new doctrine of magnetism spread, it was found that wounds + inflicted with any metallic substance could be cured by the magnet. In + process of time the delusion so increased, that it was deemed sufficient + to magnetise a sword, to cure any hurt which that sword might have + inflicted! This was the origin of the celebrated "weapon-salve," which + excited so much attention about the middle of the seventeenth century. The + following was the recipe given by Paracelsus for the cure of any wounds + inflicted by a sharp weapon, except such as had penetrated the heart, the + brain, or the arteries. "Take of moss growing on the head of a thief who + has been hanged and left in the air; of real mummy; of human blood, still + warm—of each, one ounce; of human suet, two ounces; of linseed oil, + turpentine, and Armenian bole—of each, two drachms. Mix all well in + a mortar, and keep the salve in an oblong, narrow urn." With this salve + the weapon, after being dipped in the blood from the wound, was to be + carefully anointed, and then laid by in a cool place. In the mean time, + the wound was to be duly washed with fair clean water, covered with a + clean, soft, linen rag, and opened once a day to cleanse off purulent or + other matter. Of the success of this treatment, says the writer of the + able article on Animal Magnetism, in the twelfth volume of the "Foreign + Quarterly Review," there cannot be the least doubt; "for surgeons at this + moment follow exactly the same method, except anointing the weapon! + </p> + <p> + The weapon salve continued to be much spoken of on the Continent, and many + eager claimants appeared for the honour of the invention. Dr. Fludd, or A + Fluctibus, the Rosicrucian, who has been already mentioned in a previous + part of this volume, was very zealous in introducing it into England. He + tried it with great success in several cases; and no wonder; for, while he + kept up the spirits of his patients by boasting of the great efficacy of + the salve, he never neglected those common, but much more important + remedies, of washing, bandaging, &c. which the experience of all ages + had declared sufficient for the purpose. Fludd, moreover, declared, that + the magnet was a remedy for all diseases, if properly applied; but that + man having, like the earth, a north and a south pole, magnetism could only + take place when his body was in a boreal position! In the midst of his + popularity, an attack was made upon him and his favourite remedy, the + salve; which, however, did little or nothing to diminish the belief in its + efficacy. One "Parson Foster" wrote a pamphlet, entitled "Hyplocrisma + Spongus; or, a Spunge to wipe away the Weapon-Salve;" in which he + declared, that it was as bad as witchcraft to use or recommend such an + unguent; that it was invented by the devil, who, at the last day, would + seize upon every person who had given it the slightest encouragement. "In + fact," said Parson Foster, "the devil himself gave it to Paracelsus; + Paracelsus to the Emperor; the Emperor to the courtier; the courtier to + Baptista Porta; and Baptista Porta to Dr. Fludd, a doctor of physic, yet + living and practising in the famous city of London, who now stands tooth + and nail for it." Dr. Fludd, thus assailed, took up the pen in defence of + his unguent, in a reply called "The Squeezing of Parson Foster's Spunge; + wherein the Spunge-Bearer's immodest Carriage and Behaviour towards his + Brethren is detected; the bitter Flames of his slanderous Reports are, by + the sharp Vinegar of Truth, corrected and quite extinguished; and, lastly, + the virtuous Validity of his Spunge in wiping away the Weapon-Salve, is + crushed out and clean abolished." + </p> + <p> + Shortly after this dispute a more distinguished believer in the + weapon-salve made his appearance, in the person of Sir Kenelm Digby, the + son of Sir Everard Digby, who was executed for his participation in the + Gunpowder Plot. This gentleman, who, in other respects, was an + accomplished scholar and an able man, was imbued with all the extravagant + notions of the alchymists. He believed in the philosopher's stone, and + wished to engage Descartes to devote his energies to the discovery of the + elixir of life, or some other means by which the existence of man might be + prolonged to an indefinite period. He gave his wife, the beautiful Venetia + Anastasia Stanley, a dish of capons, fed upon vipers, according to the + plan supposed to have been laid down by Arnold of Villeneuve, in the hope + that she might thereby preserve her loveliness for a century. If such a + man once took up the idea of the weapon-salve, it was to be expected that + he would make the most of it. In his hands, however, it was changed from + an unguent into a powder, and was called the powder of sympathy. He + pretended that he had acquired the knowledge of it from a Carmelite friar, + who had learned it in Persia or Armenia, from an oriental philosopher of + great renown. King James, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Buckingham, and + many other noble personages, believed in its efficacy. The following + remarkable instance of his mode of cure was read by Sir Kenelm to a + society of learned men at Montpellier. Mr. James Howell, the well-known + author of the "Dendrologia," and of various letters, coming by chance as + two of his best friends were fighting a duel, rushed between them, and + endeavoured to part them. He seized the sword of one of the combatants by + the hilt, while, at the same time, he grasped the other by the blade. + Being transported with fury one against the other, they struggled to rid + themselves of the hindrance caused by their friend; and in so doing, the + one whose sword was held by the blade by Mr. Howell, drew it away roughly, + and nearly cut his hand off, severing the nerves and muscles, and + penetrating to the bone. The other, almost at the same instant, disengaged + his sword, and aimed a blow at the head of his antagonist, which Mr. + Howell observing, raised his wounded hand with the rapidity of thought, to + prevent the blow. The sword fell on the back of his already wounded hand, + and cut it severely. "It seemed," said Sir Kenelm Digby, "as if some + unlucky star raged over them, that they should have both shed the blood of + that dear friend, for whose life they would have given their own, if they + had been in their proper mind at the time." Seeing Mr. Howell's face all + besmeared with blood from his wounded hand, they both threw down their + swords and embraced him, and bound up his hand with a garter, to close the + veins, which were cut, and bled profusely. They then conveyed him home, + and sent for a surgeon. King James, who was much attached to Mr. Howell, + afterwards sent his own surgeon to attend him. We must continue the + narrative in the words of Sir Kenelm Digby:— + </p> + <p> + "It was my chance," says he, "to be lodged hard by him: and, four or five + days after, as I was making myself ready, he came to my house, and prayed + me to view his wounds; 'for I understand,' said he, 'that you have + extraordinary remedies on such occasions; and my surgeons apprehend some + fear, that it may grow to a gangrene, and so the hand must be cut off.' In + effect, his countenance discovered that he was in much pain, which, he + said, was insupportable, in regard of the extreme inflammation. I told him + I would willingly serve him; but if, haply, he knew the manner how I could + cure him, without touching or seeing him, it might be that he would not + expose himself to my manner of curing; because he would think it, + peradventure, either ineffectual or superstitious. He replied, 'The many + wonderful things which people have related unto me of your way of + medicinement, makes me nothing doubt at all of its efficacy; and all that + I have to say unto you is comprehended in the Spanish proverb, Hagase el + milagro y hagalo Mahoma—Let the miracle be done, though Mahomet do + it.' + </p> + <p> + "I asked him then for anything that had the blood upon it: so he presently + sent for his garter, wherewith his hand was first bound; and, as I called + for a basin of water, as if I would wash my hands, I took a handful of + powder of vitriol, which I had in my study, and presently dissolved it. As + soon as the bloody garter was brought me, I put it in the basin, + observing, in the interim, what Mr. Howell did, who stood talking with a + gentleman in a corner of my chamber, not regarding at all what I was + doing. He started suddenly, as if he had found some strange alteration in + himself. I asked him what he ailed? 'I know not what ails me; but I find + that I feel no more pain. Methinks that a pleasing kind of freshness, as + it were a wet cold napkin, did spread over my hand, which hath taken away + the inflammation that tormented me before.' I replied, 'Since, then, you + feel already so much good of my medicament, I advise you to cast away all + your plasters; only keep the wound clean, and in a moderate temper, + betwixt heat and cold.' This was presently reported to the Duke of + Buckingham, and a little after, to the King, who were both very curious to + know the circumstances of the business; which was, that after dinner, I + took the garter out of the water, and put it to dry before a great fire. + It was scarce dry before Mr. Howell's servant came running, and saying + that his master felt as much burning as ever he had done, if not more; for + the heat was such as if his hand were betwixt coals of fire. I answered, + that although that had happened at present, yet he should find ease in a + short time; for I knew the reason of this new accident, and would provide + accordingly; for his master should be free from that inflammation, it + might be, before he could possibly return to him: but, in case he found no + ease, I wished him to come presently back again; if not, he might forbear + coming. Thereupon he went; and, at the instant, I did put the garter again + into the water; thereupon he found his master without any pain at all. To + be brief, there was no sense of pain afterwards; but within five or six + days, the wounds were cicatrised and entirely healed." + </p> + <p> + Such is the marvellous story of Sir Kenelm Digby. Other practitioners of + that age were not behind him in absurdity. It was not always necessary to + use either the powder of sympathy, or the weapon-salve, to effect a cure. + It was sufficient to magnetise the sword with the hand (the first faint + dawn of the animal theory), to relieve any pain the same weapon had + caused. They pretended, that if they stroked the sword upwards with their + fingers, the wounded person would feel immediate relief; but if they + stroked it downwards, he would feel intolerable pain.[Reginald Scott, + quoted by Sir Walter Scott, in the notes to the "Lay of the Last + Minstrel," c. iii. v. xxiii.] + </p> + <p> + Another very strange notion of the power and capabilities of magnetism was + entertained at the same time. It was believed that a sympathetic alphabet + could be made on the flesh, by means of which persons could correspond + with each other, and communicate all their ideas with the rapidity of + volition, although thousands of miles apart. From the arms of two persons + a piece of flesh was cut, and mutually transplanted, while still warm and + bleeding. The piece so severed grew to the new arm on which it was placed; + but still retained so close a sympathy with its native limb, that its old + possessor was always sensible of any injury done to it. Upon these + transplanted pieces were tattooed the letters of the alphabet; so that, + when a communication was to be made, either of the persons, though the + wide Atlantic rolled between them, had only to prick his arm with a + magnetic needle, and straightway his friend received intimation that the + telegraph was at work. Whatever letter he pricked on his own arm pained + the same letter on the arm of his correspondent. ["Foreign Quarterly + Review," vol. xii. p. 417.] Who knows but this system, if it had received + proper encouragement, might not have rendered the Post-Office unnecessary, + and even obviated much of the necessity for railroads? Let modern + magnetisers try and bring it to perfection. It is not more preposterous + than many of their present notions; and, if carried into effect, with the + improvement of some stenographical expedient for diminishing the number of + punctures, would be much more useful than their plan of causing persons to + read with their great toes, [Wirth's "Theorie des Somnambulismes," p. 79.] + or seeing, with their eyes shut, into other people's bodies, and counting + the number of arteries therein. ["Report of the Academic Royale de + Medicine,"—case of Mademoiselle Celine Sauvage, p. 186.] + </p> + <p> + Contemporary with Sir Kenelm Digby, was the no less famous Mr. Valentine + Greatraks who, without mentioning magnetism, or laying claim to any + theory, practised upon himself and others a deception much more akin to + the animal magnetism of the present day, than the mineral magnetism it was + then so much the fashion to study. He was the son of an Irish gentleman, + of good education and property, in the county of Cork. He fell, at an + early age, into a sort of melancholy derangement. After some time, he had + an impulse, or strange persuasion in his mind, which continued to present + itself, whether he were sleeping or waking, that God had given him the + power of curing the king's evil. He mentioned this persuasion to his wife, + who very candidly told him that he was a fool! He was not quite sure of + this, notwithstanding the high authority from which it came, and + determined to make trial of the power that was in him. A few days + afterwards, he went to one William Maher, of Saltersbridge, in the parish + of Lismore, who was grievously afflicted with the king's evil in his eyes, + cheek, and throat. Upon this man, who was of abundant faith, he laid his + hands, stroked him, and prayed fervently. He had the satisfaction to see + him heal considerably in the course of a few days; and, finally, with the + aid of other remedies, to be quite cured. This success encouraged him in + the belief that he had a divine mission. Day after day he had further + impulses from on high, that he was called upon to cure the ague also. In + the course of time he extended his powers to the curing of epilepsy, + ulcers, aches, and lameness. All the county of Cork was in a commotion to + see this extraordinary physician, who certainly operated some very great + benefit in cases where the disease was heightened by hypochondria and + depression of spirits. According to his own account, [Greatraks' Account + of himself, in a letter to the Honourable Robert Boyle.] such great + multitudes resorted to him from divers places, that he had no time to + follow his own business, or enjoy the company of his family and friends. + He was obliged to set aside three days in the week, from six in the + morning till six at night, during which time only he laid hands upon all + that came. Still the crowds which thronged around him were so great, that + the neighbouring towns were not able to accommodate them. He thereupon + left his house in the country, and went to Youghal, where the resort of + sick people, not only from all parts of Ireland, but from England, + continued so great, that the magistrates were afraid they would infect the + place by their diseases. Several of these poor credulous people no sooner + saw him than they fell into fits, and he restored them by waving his hand + in their faces, and praying over them. Nay, he affirmed, that the touch of + his glove had driven pains away, and, on one occasion, cast out from a + woman several devils, or evil spirits, who tormented her day and night. + "Every one of these devils," says Greatraks, "was like to choke her, when + it came up into her throat." It is evident, from this, that the woman's + complaint was nothing but hysteria. + </p> + <p> + The clergy of the diocese of Lismore, who seem to have had much clearer + notions of Greatraks' pretensions than their parishioners, set their faces + against the new prophet and worker of miracles. He was cited to appear in + the Dean's Court, and prohibited from laying on his hands for the future: + but he cared nothing for the church. He imagined that he derived his + powers direct from Heaven, and continued to throw people into fits, and + bring them to their senses again, as usual, almost exactly after the + fashion of modern magnetisers. His reputation became, at last, so great, + that Lord Conway sent to him from London, begging-that he would come over + immediately, to cure a grievous head-ache which his lady had suffered for + several years, and which the principal physicians of England had been + unable to relieve. + </p> + <p> + Greatraks accepted the invitation, and tried his manipulations and prayers + upon Lady Conway. He failed, however, in affording any relief. The poor + lady's head-ache was excited by causes too serious to allow her any help, + even from faith and a lively imagination. He lived for some months in Lord + Conway's house, at Ragley, in Warwickshire, operating cures similar to + those he had performed in Ireland. He afterwards removed to London, and + took a house in Lincoln's Inn Fields, which soon became the daily resort + of all the nervous and credulous women of the metropolis. A very amusing + account of Greatraks at this time (1665), is given in the second volume of + the "Miscellanies of St. Evremond," under the title of the Irish prophet. + It is the most graphic sketch ever made of this early magnetiser. Whether + his pretensions were more or less absurd than those of some of his + successors, who have lately made their appearance among us, would be hard + to say. + </p> + <p> + "When M. de Comminges," says St. Evremond, "was ambassador from his most + Christian Majesty to the King of Great Britain, there came to London an + Irish prophet, who passed himself off as a great worker of miracles. Some + persons of quality having begged M. de Comminges to invite him to his + house, that they might be witnesses of some of his miracles, the + ambassador promised to satisfy them, as much from his own curiosity as + from courtesy to his friends; and gave notice to Greatraks that he would + be glad to see him. + </p> + <p> + "A rumour of the prophet's coming soon spread all over the town, and the + hotel of M. de Comminges was crowded by sick persons, who came full of + confidence in their speedy cure. The Irishman made them wait a + considerable time for him, but came at last, in the midst of their + impatience, with a grave and simple countenance, that showed no signs of + his being a cheat. Monsieur de Comminges prepared to question him + strictly, hoping to discourse with him on the matters that he had read of + in Van Helmont and Bodinus; but he was not able to do so, much to his + regret, for the crowd became so great, and cripples and others pressed + around so impatiently to be the first cured, that the servants were + obliged to use threats, and even force, before they could establish order + among them, or place them in proper ranks. + </p> + <p> + "The prophet affirmed that all diseases were caused by evil spirits. Every + infirmity was with him a case of diabolical possession. The first that was + presented to him was a man suffering from gout and rheumatism, and so + severely that the physicians had been unable to cure him. 'Ah,' said the + miracle-worker, 'I have seen a good deal of this sort of spirits when I + was in Ireland. They are watery spirits, who bring on cold shivering, and + excite an overflow of aqueous humours in our poor bodies.' Then addressing + the man, he said, 'Evil spirit, who hast quitted thy dwelling in the + waters to come and afflict this miserable body, I command thee to quit thy + new abode, and to return to thine ancient habitation!' This said, the sick + man was ordered to withdraw, and another was brought forward in his place. + This new comer said he was tormented by the melancholy vapours. In fact, + he looked like a hypochondriac; one of those persons diseased in + imagination, and who but too often become so in reality. 'Aerial spirit,' + said the Irishman, 'return, I command thee, into the air!—exercise + thy natural vocation of raising tempests, and do not excite any more wind + in this sad unlucky body!' This man was immediately turned away to make + room for a third patient, who, in the Irishman's opinion, was only + tormented by a little bit of a sprite, who could not withstand his command + for an instant. He Pretended that he recognized this sprite by some marks + which were invisible to the company, to whom he turned with a smile, and + said, 'This sort of spirit does not often do much harm, and is always very + diverting.' To hear him talk, one would have imagined that he knew all + about spirits—their names, their rank, their numbers, their + employment, and all the functions they were destined to; and he boasted of + being much better acquainted with the intrigues of demons than he was with + the affairs of men. You can hardly imagine what a reputation he gained in + a short time. Catholics and Protestants visited him from every part, all + believing that power from Heaven was in his hands." + </p> + <p> + After relating a rather equivocal adventure of a husband and wife, who + implored Greatraks to cast out the devil of dissension which had crept in + between them, St. Evremond thus sums up the effect he produced on the + popular mind:—"So great was the confidence in him, that the blind + fancied they saw the light which they did not see—the deaf imagined + that they heard—the lame that they walked straight, and the + paralytic that they had recovered the use of their limbs. An idea of + health made the sick forget for a while their maladies; and imagination, + which was not less active in those merely drawn by curiosity than in the + sick, gave a false view to the one class, from the desire of seeing, as it + operated a false cure on the other from the strong desire of being healed. + Such was the power of the Irishman over the mind, and such was the + influence of the mind upon the body. Nothing was spoken of in London but + his prodigies; and these prodigies were supported by such great + authorities, that the bewildered multitude believed them almost without + examination, while more enlightened people did not dare to reject them + from their own knowledge. The public opinion, timid and enslaved, + respected this imperious and, apparently, well-authenticated error. Those + who saw through the delusion kept their opinion to themselves, knowing how + useless it was to declare their disbelief to a people filled with + prejudice and admiration." + </p> + <p> + About the same time that Valentine Greatraks was thus magnetising the + people of London, an Italian enthusiast, named Francisco Bagnone, was + performing the same tricks in Italy, and with as great success. He had + only to touch weak women with his hands, or sometimes (for the sake of + working more effectively upon their fanaticism) with a relic, to make them + fall into fits and manifest all the symptoms of magnetism. + </p> + <p> + Besides these, several learned men, in different parts of Europe, directed + their attention to the study of the magnet, believing it might be rendered + efficacious in many diseases. Van Helmont, in particular, published a work + on the effects of magnetism on the human frame; and Balthazar Gracian, a + Spaniard, rendered himself famous for the boldness of his views on the + subject. "The magnet," said the latter, "attracts iron; iron is found + everywhere; everything, therefore, is under the influence of magnetism. It + is only a modification of the general principle, which establishes harmony + or foments divisions among men. It is the same agent which gives rise to + sympathy, antipathy, and the passions." ["Introduction to the Study of + Animal Magnetism," by Baron Dupotet de Sennevoy, p. 315.] + </p> + <p> + Baptista Porta, who, in the whimsical genealogy of the weapon-salve, given + by Parson Foster in his attack upon Dr. a Fluctibus, is mentioned as one + of its fathers, had also great faith in the efficacy of the magnet, and + operated upon the imagination of his patients in a manner which was then + considered so extraordinary that he was accused of being a magician, and + prohibited from practising by the Court of Rome. Among others who + distinguished themselves by their faith in magnetism, Sebastian Wirdig and + William Maxwell claim especial notice. Wirdig was professor of medicine at + the University of Rostock in Mecklenburgh, and wrote a treatise called + "The New Medicine of the Spirits," which he presented to the Royal Society + of London. An edition of this work was printed in 1673, in which the + author maintained that a magnetic influence took place, not only between + the celestial and terrestrial bodies, but between all living things. The + whole world, he said, was under the influence of magnetism: life was + preserved by magnetism; death was the consequence of magnetism! + </p> + <p> + Maxwell, the other enthusiast, was an admiring disciple of Paracelsus, and + boasted that he had irradiated the obscurity in which too many of the + wonder-working recipes of that great philosopher were enveloped. His works + were printed at Frankfort, in 1679. It would seem, from the following + passage, that he was aware of the great influence of imagination, as well + in the production as in the cure of diseases. "If you wish to work + prodigies," says he, "abstract from the materiality of beings—increase + the sum of spirituality in bodies—rouse the spirit from its + slumbers. Unless you do one or other of these things—unless you can + bind the idea, you can never perform anything good or great." Here, in + fact, lies the whole secret of magnetism, and all delusions of a similar + kind: increase the spirituality—rouse the spirit from its slumbers, + or in other words, work upon the imagination—induce belief and blind + confidence, and you may do anything. This passage, which is quoted with + approbation by M. Dupotet in a recent work ["Introduction to the Study of + Animal Magnetism," p. 318.] as strongly corroborative of the theory now + advanced by the animal-magnetists, is just the reverse. If they believe + they can work all their wonders by the means so dimly shadowed forth by + Maxwell, what becomes of the universal fluid pervading all nature, and + which they pretend to pour into weak and diseased bodies from the tips of + their fingers? + </p> + <p> + Early in the eighteenth century, the attention of Europe was directed to a + very remarkable instance of fanaticism, which has been claimed by the + animal magnetists, as a proof of their science. The convulsionaries of St. + Medard, as they were called, assembled in great numbers round the tomb of + their favourite saint, the Jansenist priest Paris, and taught one another + how to fall into convulsions. They believed that St. Paris would cure all + their infirmities; and the number of hysterical women and weak-minded + persons of all descriptions that flocked to the tomb from far and near was + so great, as daily to block up all the avenues leading to the spot. + Working themselves up to a pitch of excitement, they went off one after + the other into fits, while some of them, still in apparent possession of + all their faculties, voluntarily exposed themselves to sufferings, which + on ordinary occasions would have been sufficient to deprive them of life. + The scenes that occurred were a scandal to civilization and to religion—a + strange mixture of obscenity, absurdity, and superstition. While some were + praying on bended knees at the shrine of St. Paris, others were shrieking + and making the most hideous noises. The women especially exerted + themselves. On one side of the chapel there might be seen a score of them, + all in convulsions, while at another as many more, excited to a sort of + frenzy, yielded themselves up to gross indecencies. Some of them took an + insane delight in being beaten and trampled upon. One in particular, + according to Montegre, whose account we quote [Dictionnaire des Sciences + Medicales—Article "Convulsionnaires," par Montegre.] was so + enraptured with this ill usage, that nothing but the hardest blows would + satisfy her. While a fellow of herculean strength was beating her with all + his might with a heavy bar of iron, she kept continually urging him to + renewed exertion. The harder he struck the better she liked it, exclaiming + all the while, "Well done, brother; well done; oh, how pleasant it is! + what good you are doing me! courage, my brother, courage; strike harder; + strike harder still!" Another of these fanatics had, if possible, a still + greater love for a beating. Carre de Montgeron, who relates the + circumstance, was unable to satisfy her with sixty blows of a large sledge + hammer. He afterwards used the same weapon, with the same degree of + strength, for the sake of experiment, and succeeded in battering a hole in + a stone wall at the twenty-fifth stroke. Another woman, named Sonnet, laid + herself down on a red-hot brazier without flinching, and acquired for + herself the nickname of the salamander; while others, desirous of a more + illustrious martyrdom, attempted to crucify themselves. M. Deleuze, in his + critical history of Animal Magnetism, attempts to prove that this + fanatical frenzy was produced by magnetism, and that these mad enthusiasts + magnetised each other without being aware of it. As well might he insist + that the fanaticism which tempts the Hindoo bigot to keep his arms + stretched in a horizontal position till the sinews wither, or his fingers + closed upon his palms till the nails grow out of the backs of his hands, + is also an effect of magnetism! + </p> + <p> + For a period of sixty or seventy years, magnetism was almost wholly + confined to Germany. Men of sense and learning devoted their attention to + the properties of the loadstone; and one Father Hell, a jesuit, and + professor of astronomy at the University of Vienna, rendered himself + famous by his magnetic cures. About the year 1771 or 1772, he invented + steel plates of a peculiar form, which he applied to the naked body, as a + cure for several diseases. In the year 1774, he communicated his system to + Anthony Mesmer. The latter improved upon the ideas of Father Hell, + constructed a new theory of his own, and became the founder of ANIMAL + MAGNETISM. + </p> + <p> + It has been the fashion among the enemies of the new delusion to decry + Mesmer as an unprincipled adventurer, while his disciples have extolled + him to the skies as a regenerator of the human race. In nearly the same + words, as the Rosicrucians applied to their founders, he has been called + the discoverer of the secret which brings man into more intimate connexion + with his Creator; the deliverer of the soul from the debasing trammels of + the flesh; the man who enables us to set time at defiance, and conquer the + obstructions of space. A careful sifting of his pretensions—and + examination of the evidence brought forward to sustain them, will soon + show which opinion is the more correct. That the writer of these pages + considers him in the light of a man, who deluding himself, was the means + of deluding others, may be inferred from his finding a place in these + volumes, and figuring among the Flamels, the Agrippas, the Borris, the + Boehmens, and the Cagliostros. + </p> + <p> + He was born in May 1734, at Mersburg, in Swabia, and studied medicine at + the University of Vienna. He took his degrees in 1766, and chose the + influence of the planets on the human body as the subject of his inaugural + dissertation. Having treated the matter quite in the style of the old + astrological physicians, he was exposed to some ridicule both then and + afterwards. Even at this early period some faint ideas of his great theory + were germinating in his mind. He maintained in his dissertation, "that the + sun, moon, and fixed stars mutually affect each other in their orbits; + that they cause and direct in our earth a flux and reflux not only in the + sea, but in the atmosphere, and affect in a similar manner all organized + bodies through the medium of a subtile and mobile fluid, which pervades + the universe and associates all things together in mutual intercourse and + harmony." This influence, he said, was particularly exercised on the + nervous system, and produced two states which he called intension and + remission, which seemed to him to account for the different periodical + revolutions observable in several maladies. When in after-life he met with + Father Hell, he was confirmed by that person's observations in the truth + of many of his own ideas. Having caused Hell to make him some magnetic + plates, he determined to try experiments with them himself for his further + satisfaction. + </p> + <p> + He tried accordingly, and was astonished at his success. The faith of + their wearers operated wonders with the metallic plates. Mesmer made due + reports to Father Hell of all he had done, and the latter published them + as the results of his own happy invention, and speaking of Mesmer as a + physician whom he had employed to work under him. Mesmer took offence at + being thus treated, considering himself a far greater personage than + Father Hell. He claimed the invention as his own, accused Hell of a breach + of confidence, and stigmatized him as a mean person, anxious to turn the + discoveries of others to his own account. Hell replied, and a very pretty + quarrel was the result, which afforded small talk for months to the + literati of Vienna. Hell ultimately gained the victory. Mesmer, nothing + daunted, continued to promulgate his views, till he stumbled at last upon + the animal theory. + </p> + <p> + One of his patients was a young lady named Oesterline, who suffered under + a convulsive malady. Her attacks were periodical, and attended by a rush + of blood to the head, followed by delirium and syncope. These symptoms he + soon succeeded in reducing under his system of planetary influence, and + imagined he could foretell the periods of accession and remission. Having + thus accounted satisfactorily to himself for the origin of the disease, + the idea struck him that he could operate a certain cure, if he could + ascertain beyond doubt what he had long believed, that there existed + between the bodies which compose our globe, an action equally reciprocal + and similar to that of the heavenly bodies, by means of which he could + imitate artificially the periodical revolutions of the flux and reflux + beforementioned. He soon convinced himself that this action did exist. + When trying the metallic plates of Father Hell, he thought their efficacy + depended on their form; but he found afterwards that he could produce the + same effects without using them at all, merely by passing his hands + downwards towards the feet of the patient—even when at a + considerable distance. + </p> + <p> + This completed the theory of Mesmer. He wrote an account of his discovery + to all the learned societies of Europe, soliciting their investigation. + The Academy of Sciences at Berlin was the only one that answered him, and + their answer was anything but favourable to his system or flattering to + himself. Still he was not discouraged. He maintained to all who would + listen to him that the magnetic matter, or fluid, pervaded all the + universe—that every human body contained it, and could communicate + the superabundance of it to another by an exertion of the will. Writing to + a friend from Vienna, he said, "I have observed that the magnetic is + almost the same thing as the electric fluid, and that it may be propagated + in the same manner, by means of intermediate bodies. Steel is not the only + substance adapted to this purpose. I have rendered paper, bread, wool, + silk, stones, leather, glass, wood, men, and dogs—in short, + everything I touched, magnetic to such a degree that these substances + produced the same effects as the loadstone on diseased persons. I have + charged jars with magnetic matter in the same way as is done with + electricity." + </p> + <p> + Mesmer did not long find his residence at Vienna as agreeable as he + wished. His pretensions were looked upon with contempt or indifference, + and the case of Mademoiselle Oesterline brought him less fame than + notoriety. He determined to change his sphere of action, and travelled + into Swabia and Switzerland. In the latter country he met with the + celebrated Father Gassner, who, like Valentine Greatraks, amused himself + by casting out devils, and healing the sick by merely laying hands upon + them. At his approach puling girls fell into convulsions, and the + hypochondriac fancied themselves cured. His house was daily besieged by + the lame, the blind, and the hysteric. Mesmer at once acknowledged the + efficacy of his cures, and declared that they were the obvious result of + his own newly-discovered power of magnetism. A few of the Father's + patients were forthwith subjected to the manipulations of Mesmer, and the + same symptoms were induced. He then tried his hand upon some paupers in + the hospitals of Berne and Zurich, and succeeded, according to his own + account, but no other person's, in curing an opththalmia and a gutta + serena. With memorials of these achievements he returned to Vienna, in the + hope of silencing his enemies, or at least forcing them to respect his + newly-acquired reputation, and to examine his system more attentively. + </p> + <p> + His second appearance in that capital was not more auspicious than the + first. He undertook to cure a Mademoiselle Paradis, who was quite blind, + and subject to convulsions. He magnetised her several times, and then + declared that she was cured; at least, if she was not, it was her fault, + and not his. An eminent oculist of that day, named Birth, went to visit + her, and declared that she was as blind as ever; while her family said she + was as much subject to convulsions as before. Mesmer persisted that she + was cured. Like the French philosopher, he would not allow facts to + interfere with his theory. [An enthusiastic philosopher, of whose name we + are not informed, had constructed a very satisfactory theory on some + subject or other, and was not a little proud of it. "But the facts, my + dear fellow," said his friend, "the facts do not agree with your theory."—"Don't + they," replied the philosopher, shrugging his shoulders, "then, taut pis + pour les faits;"—so much the worse for the facts.] He declared that + there was a conspiracy against him; and that Mademoiselle Paradis, at the + instigation of her family, feigned blindness in order to injure his + reputation! + </p> + <p> + The consequences of this pretended cure taught Mesmer that Vienna was not + the sphere for him. Paris, the idle, the debauched, the pleasure-hunting, + the novelty-loving, was the scene for a philosopher like him, and thither + he repaired accordingly. He arrived at Paris in 1778, and began modestly, + by making himself and his theory known to the principal physicians. At + first, his encouragement was but slight; he found people more inclined to + laugh at than to patronise him. But he was a man who had great confidence + in himself, and of a perseverance which no difficulties could overcome. He + hired a sumptuous apartment, which he opened to all comers who chose to + make trial of the new power of nature. M. D'Eslon, a physician of great + reputation, became a convert; and from that time, Animal Magnetism, or, as + some called it, Mesmerism, became the fashion in Paris. The women were + quite enthusiastic about it, and their admiring tattle wafted its fame + through every grade of society. Mesmer was the rage; and high and low, + rich and poor, credulous and unbelieving, all hastened to convince + themselves of the power of this mighty magician, who made such magnificent + promises. Mesmer, who knew as well as any man living the influence of the + imagination, determined that, on that score, nothing should be wanting to + heighten the effect of the magnetic charm. In all Paris, there was not a + house so charmingly furnished as Monsieur Mesmer's. Richly-stained glass + shed a dim religious light on his spacious saloons, which were almost + covered with mirrors. Orange blossoms scented all the air of his + corridors; incense of the most expensive kinds burned in antique vases on + his chimney-pieces; aeolian harps sighed melodious music from distant + chambers; while sometimes a sweet female voice, from above or below, stole + softly upon the mysterious silence that was kept in the house, and + insisted upon from all visitors. "Was ever anything so delightful?" cried + all the Mrs. Wittitterley's of Paris, as they thronged to his house in + search of pleasant excitement; "so wonderful!" said the + pseudo-philosophers, who would believe anything if it were the fashion; + "so amusing!" said the worn-out debauchees, who had drained the cup of + sensuality to its dregs, and who longed to see lovely women in + convulsions, with the hope that they might gain some new emotions from the + sight. + </p> + <p> + The following was the mode of operation:—In the centre of the saloon + was placed an oval vessel, about four feet in its longest diameter, and + one foot deep. In this were laid a number of wine-bottles, filled with + magnetised water, well corked-up, and disposed in radii, with their necks + outwards. Water was then poured into the vessel so as just to cover the + bottles, and filings of iron were thrown in occasionally to heighten the + magnetic effect. The vessel was then covered with an iron cover, pierced + through with many holes, and was called the baquet. From each hole issued + a long moveable rod of iron, which the patients were to apply to such + parts of their bodies as were afflicted. Around this baquet the patients + were directed to sit, holding each other by the hand, and pressing their + knees together as closely as possible to facilitate the passage of the + magnetic fluid from one to the other. + </p> + <p> + Then came in the assistant magnetisers, generally strong, handsome young + men, to pour into the patient from their finger-tips fresh streams of the + wondrous fluid. They embraced the patients between the knees, rubbed them + gently down the spine and the course of the nerves, using gentle pressure + upon the breasts of the ladies, and staring them out of countenance to + magnetise them by the eye! All this time the most rigorous silence was + maintained, with the exception of a few wild notes on the harmonica or the + piano-forte, or the melodious voice of a hidden opera-singer swelling + softly at long intervals. Gradually the cheeks of the ladies began to + glow, their imaginations to become inflamed; and off they went, one after + the other, in convulsive fits. Some of them sobbed and tore their hair, + others laughed till the tears ran from their eyes, while others shrieked + and screamed and yelled till they became insensible altogether. + </p> + <p> + This was the crisis of the delirium. In the midst of it, the chief actor + made his appearance, waving his wand, like Prospero, to work new wonders. + Dressed in a long robe of lilac-coloured silk, richly embroidered with + gold flowers, bearing in his hand a white magnetic rod; and, with a look + of dignity which would have sat well on an eastern caliph, he marched with + solemn strides into the room. He awed the still sensible by his eye, and + the violence of their symptoms diminished. He stroked the insensible with + his hands upon the eyebrows and down the spine; traced figures upon their + breast and abdomen with his long white wand, and they were restored to + consciousness. They became calm, acknowledged his power, and said they + felt streams of cold or burning vapour passing through their frames, + according as he waved his wand or his fingers before them. + </p> + <p> + "It is impossible," says M. Dupotet, "to conceive the sensation which + Mesmer's experiments created in Paris. No theological controversy, in the + earlier ages of the Catholic Church, was ever conducted with greater + bitterness." His adversaries denied the discovery; some calling him a + quack, others a fool, and others, again, like the Abbe Fiard, a man who + had sold himself to the devil! His friends were as extravagant in their + praise, as his foes were in their censure. Paris was inundated with + pamphlets upon the subject, as many defending as attacking the doctrine. + At court, the Queen expressed herself in favour of it, and nothing else + was to be heard of in society. + </p> + <p> + By the advice of M. D'Eslon, Mesmer challenged an examination of his + doctrine by the Faculty of Medicine. He proposed to select twenty-four + patients, twelve of whom he would treat magnetically, leaving the other + twelve to be treated by the faculty according to the old and approved + methods. He also stipulated, that to prevent disputes, the government + should nominate certain persons who were not physicians, to be present at + the experiments; and that the object of the inquiry should be, not how + these effects were produced, but whether they were really efficacious in + the cure of any disease. The faculty objected to limit the inquiry in this + manner, and the proposition fell to the ground. + </p> + <p> + Mesmer now wrote to Marie Antoinette, with the view of securing her + influence in obtaining for him the protection of government. He wished to + have a chateau and its lands given to him, with a handsome yearly income, + that he might be enabled to continue his experiments at leisure, + untroubled by the persecution of his enemies. He hinted the duty of + governments to support men of science, and expressed his fear, that if he + met no more encouragement, he should be compelled to carry his great + discovery to some other land more willing to appreciate him. "In the eyes + of your Majesty," said he, "four or five hundred thousand francs, applied + to a good purpose, are of no account. The welfare and happiness of your + people are everything. My discovery ought to be received and rewarded with + a munificence worthy of the monarch to whom I shall attach myself." The + government at last offered him a pension of twenty thousand francs, and + the cross of the order of St. Michael, if he had made any discovery in + medicine, and would communicate it to physicians nominated by the King. + The latter part of the proposition was not agreeable to Mesmer. He feared + the unfavourable report of the King's physicians; and, breaking off the + negotiation, spoke of his disregard of money, and his wish to have his + discovery at once recognised by the government. He then retired to Spa, in + a fit of disgust, upon pretence of drinking the waters for the benefit of + his health. + </p> + <p> + After he had left Paris, the Faculty of Medicine called upon M. D'Eslon, + for the third and last time, to renounce the doctrine of animal magnetism, + or be expelled from their body. M. D'Eslon, so far from doing this, + declared that he had discovered new secrets, and solicited further + examination. A royal commission of the Faculty of Medicine was, in + consequence, appointed on the 12th of March 1784, seconded by another + commission of the Academie des Sciences, to investigate the phenomena and + report upon them. The first commission was composed of the principal + physicians of Paris; while, among the eminent men comprised in the latter, + were Benjamin Franklin, Lavoisier, and Bailly, the historian of astronomy. + Mesmer was formally invited to appear before this body, but absented + himself from day to day, upon one pretence or another. M. D'Eslon was more + honest, because he thoroughly believed in the phenomena, which it is to be + questioned if Mesmer ever did, and regularly attended the sittings and + performed experiments. + </p> + <p> + Bailly has thus described the scenes of which he was a witness in the + course of this investigation. "The sick persons, arranged in great numbers + and in several rows around the baquet, receive the magnetism by all these + means: by the iron rods which convey it to them from the baquet—by + the cords wound round their bodies—by the connection of the thumb, + which conveys to them the magnetism of their neighbours—and by the + sounds of a pianoforte, or of an agreeable voice, diffusing the magnetism + in the air. The patients were also directly magnetised by means of the + finger and wand of the magnetiser moved slowly before their faces, above + or behind their heads, and on the diseased parts, always observing the + direction of the holes. The magnetiser acts by fixing his eyes on them. + But above all, they are magnetised by the application of his hands and the + pressure of his fingers on the hypochondres and on the regions of the + abdomen; an application often continued for a long time-sometimes for + several hours. + </p> + <p> + "Meanwhile the patients in their different conditions present a very + varied picture. Some are calm, tranquil, and experience no effect. Others + cough, spit, feel slight pains, local or general heat, and have sweatings. + Others again are agitated and tormented with convulsions. These + convulsions are remarkable in regard to the number affected with them, to + their duration and force. As soon as one begins to be convulsed, several + others are affected. The commissioners have observed some of these + convulsions last more than three hours. They are accompanied with + expectorations of a muddy viscous water, brought away by violent efforts. + Sometimes streaks of blood have been observed in this fluid. These + convulsions are characterized by the precipitous, involuntary motion of + all the limbs, and of the whole body: by the construction of the throat—by + the leaping motions of the hypochondria and the epigastrium—by the + dimness and wandering of the eyes—by piercing shrieks, tears, + sobbing, and immoderate laughter. They are preceded or followed by a state + of languor or reverie, a kind of depression, and sometimes drowsiness. The + smallest sudden noise occasions a shuddering; and it was remarked, that + the change of measure in the airs played on the piano-forte had a great + influence on the patients. A quicker motion, a livelier melody, agitated + them more, and renewed the vivacity of their convulsions. + </p> + <p> + "Nothing is more astonishing than the spectacle of these convulsions. One + who has not seen them can form no idea of them. The spectator is as much + astonished at the profound repose of one portion of the patients as at the + agitation of the rest—at the various accidents which are repeated, + and at the sympathies which are exhibited. Some of the patients may be + seen devoting their attention exclusively to one another, rushing towards + each other with open arms, smiling, soothing, and manifesting every + symptom of attachment and affection. All are under the power of the + magnetiser; it matters not in what state of drowsiness they may be, the + sound of his voice—a look, a motion of his hand—brings them + out of it. Among the patients in convulsions there are always observed a + great many women, and very few men." [Rapport des Commissaires, redige par + M. Bailly.—Paris, 1784.] + </p> + <p> + These experiments lasted for about five months. They had hardly commenced, + before Mesmer, alarmed at the loss both of fame and profit, determined to + return to Paris. Some patients of rank and fortune, enthusiastic believers + in his doctrine, had followed him to Spa. One of them named Bergasse, + proposed to open a subscription for him, of one hundred shares, at one + hundred louis each, on condition that he would disclose his secret to the + subscribers, who were to be permitted to make whatever use they pleased of + it. Mesmer readily embraced the proposal; and such was the infatuation, + that the subscription was not only filled in a few days, but exceeded by + no less a sum than one hundred and forty thousand francs. + </p> + <p> + With this fortune he returned to Paris, and recommenced his experiments, + while the royal commission continued theirs. His admiring pupils, who had + paid him so handsomely for his instructions, spread the delusion over the + country, and established in all the principal towns of France, "Societies + of Harmony," for trying experiments and curing all diseases by means of + magnetism. Some of these societies were a scandal to morality, being + joined by profligate men of depraved appetites, who took a disgusting + delight in witnessing young girls in convulsions. Many of the pretended + magnetisers were notorious libertines, who took that opportunity of + gratifying their passions. An illegal increase of the number of French + citizens was anything but a rare consequence in Strasburg, Nantes, + Bourdeaux, Lyons, and other towns, where these societies were established. + </p> + <p> + At last the Commissioners published their report, which was drawn up by + the illustrious and unfortunate Bailly. For clearness of reasoning and + strict impartiality it has never been surpassed. After detailing the + various experiments made, and their results, they came to the conclusion + that the only proof advanced in support of Animal Magnetism was the + effects it produced on the human body—that those effects could be + produced without passes or other magnetic manipulations—that all + these manipulations, and passes, and ceremonies never produce any effect + at all if employed without the patient's knowledge; and that therefore + imagination did, and animal magnetism did not, account for the phenomena. + </p> + <p> + This report was the ruin of Mesmer's reputation in France. He quitted + Paris shortly after, with the three hundred and forty thousand francs + which had been subscribed by his admirers, and retired to his own country, + where he died in 1815, at the advanced age of eighty-one. But the seeds he + had sown fructified of themselves, nourished and brought to maturity by + the kindly warmth of popular credulity. Imitators sprang up in France, + Germany, and England, more extravagant than their master, and claiming + powers for the new science which its founder had never dreamt of. Among + others, Cagliostro made good use of the delusion in extending his claims + to be considered a master of the occult sciences. But he made no + discoveries worthy to be compared to those of the Marquis de Puysegur and + the Chevalier Barbarin, honest men, who began by deceiving themselves + before they deceived others. + </p> + <p> + The Marquis de Puysegur, the owner of a considerable estate at Busancy, + was one of those who had entered into the subscription for Mesmer. After + that individual had quitted France, he retired to Busancy with his brother + to try Animal Magnetism upon his tenants, and cure the country people of + all manner of diseases. He was a man of great simplicity and much + benevolence, and not only magnetised but fed the sick that flocked around + him. In all the neighbourhood, and indeed within a circumference of twenty + miles, he was looked upon as endowed with a power almost Divine. His great + discovery, as he called it, was made by chance. One day he had magnetised + his gardener; and observing him to fall into a deep sleep, it occurred to + him that he would address a question to him, as he would have done to a + natural somnambulist. He did so, and the man replied with much clearness + and precision. M. de Puysegur was agreeably surprised: he continued his + experiments, and found that, in this state of magnetic somnambulism, the + soul of the sleeper was enlarged, and brought into more intimate communion + with all nature, and more especially with him, M. de Puysegur. He found + that all further manipulations were unnecessary; that, without speaking or + making any sign, he could convey his will to the patient; that he could, + in fact, converse with him, soul to soul, without the employment of any + physical operation whatever! + </p> + <p> + Simultaneously with this marvellous discovery he made another, which + reflects equal credit upon his understanding. Like Valentine Greatraks, he + found it hard work to magnetise all that came—that he had not even + time to take the repose and relaxation which were necessary for his + health. In this emergency he hit upon a clever expedient. He had heard + Mesmer say that he could magnetise bits of wood—why should he not be + able to magnetise a whole tree? It was no sooner thought than done. There + was a large elm on the village green at Busancy, under which the peasant + girls used to dance on festive occasions, and the old men to sit, drinking + their vin du pays on the fine summer evenings. M. de Puysegur proceeded to + this tree and magnetised it, by first touching it with his hands and then + retiring a few steps from it; all the while directing streams of the + magnetic fluid from the branches toward the trunk, and from the trunk + toward the root. This done, he caused circular seats to be erected round + it, and cords suspended from it in all directions. When the patients had + seated themselves, they twisted the cords round the diseased parts of + their bodies, and held one another firmly by their thumbs to form a direct + channel of communication for the passage of the fluid. + </p> + <p> + M. de Puysegur had now two hobbies—the man with the enlarged soul, + and the magnetic elm. The infatuation of himself and his patients cannot + be better expressed than in his own words. Writing to his brother, on the + 17th of May 1784, he says, "If you do not come, my dear friend, you will + not see my extraordinary man, for his health is now almost quite restored. + I continue to make use of the happy power for which I am indebted to M. + Mesmer. Every day I bless his name; for I am very useful, and produce many + salutary effects on all the sick poor in the neighbourhood. They flock + around my tree; there were more than one hundred and thirty of them this + morning. It is the best baquet possible; not a leaf of it but communicates + health! all feel, more or less, the good effects of it. You will be + delighted to see the charming picture of humanity which this presents. I + have only one regret—it is, that I cannot touch all who come. But my + magnetised man—my intelligence—sets me at ease. He teaches me + what conduct I should adopt. According to him, it is not at all necessary + that I should touch every one; a look, a gesture, even a wish, is + sufficient. And it is one of the most ignorant peasants of the country + that teaches me this! When he is in a crisis, I know of nothing more + profound, more prudent, more clearsighted (clairvoyant) than he is." + </p> + <p> + In another letter, describing his first experiment with the magnetic tree, + he says, "Yester evening I brought my first patient to it. As soon as I + had put the cord round him he gazed at the tree; and, with an air of + astonishment which I cannot describe, exclaimed, 'What is it that I see + there?' His head then sunk down, and he fell into a perfect fit of + somnambulism. At the end of an hour, I took him home to his house again, + when I restored him to his senses. Several men and women came to tell him + what he had been doing. He maintained it was not true; that, weak as he + was, and scarcely able to walk, it would have been scarcely possible for + him to have gone down stairs and walked to the tree. To-day I have + repeated the experiment on him, and with the same success. I own to you + that my head turns round with pleasure to think of the good I do. Madame + de Puysegur, the friends she has with her, my servants, and, in fact, all + who are near me, feel an amazement, mingled with admiration, which cannot + be described; but they do not experience the half of my sensations. + Without my tree, which gives me rest, and which will give me still more, I + should be in a state of agitation, inconsistent, I believe, with my + health. I exist too much, if I may be allowed to use the expression." + </p> + <p> + In another letter, he descants still more poetically upon his gardener + with the enlarged soul. He says, "It is from this simple man, this tall + and stout rustic, twenty-three years of age, enfeebled by disease, or + rather by sorrow, and therefore the more predisposed to be affected by any + great natural agent,—it is from this man, I repeat, that I derive + instruction and knowledge. When in the magnetic state, he is no longer a + peasant who can hardly utter a single sentence; he is a being, to describe + whom I cannot find a name. I need not speak; I have only to think before + him, when he instantly understands and answers me. Should anybody come + into the room, he sees him, if I desire it (but not else), and addresses + him, and says what I wish him to say; not indeed exactly as I dictate to + him, but as truth requires. When he wants to add more than I deem it + prudent strangers should hear, I stop the flow of his ideas, and of his + conversation in the middle of a word, and give it quite a different turn!" + </p> + <p> + Among other persons attracted to Busancy by the report of these + extraordinary occurrences was M. Cloquet, the Receiver of Finance. His + appetite for the marvellous being somewhat insatiable, he readily believed + all that was told him by M. de Puysegur. He also has left a record of what + he saw, and what he credited, which throws a still clearer light upon the + progress of the delusion. ["Introduction to the Study of Animal + Magnetism," by Baron Dupotet, p. 73.] He says that the patients he saw in + the magnetic state had an appearance of deep sleep, during which all the + physical faculties were suspended, to the advantage of the intellectual + faculties. The eyes of the patients were closed; the sense of hearing was + abolished, and they awoke only at the voice of their magnetiser. "If any + one touched a patient during a crisis, or even the chair on which he was + seated," says M. Cloquet, "it would cause him much pain and suffering, and + throw him into convulsions. During the crisis, they possess an + extraordinary and supernatural power, by which, on touching a patient + presented to them, they can feel what part of his body is diseased, even + by merely passing their hand over the clothes." Another singularity was, + that these sleepers who could thus discover diseases—see into the + interior of other men's stomachs, and point out remedies, remembered + absolutely nothing after the magnetiser thought proper to disenchant them. + The time that elapsed between their entering the crisis and their coming + out of it was obliterated. Not only had the magnetiser the power of making + himself heard by the somnambulists, but he could make them follow him by + merely pointing his finger at them from a distance, though they had their + eyes the whole time completely closed. + </p> + <p> + Such was Animal Magnetism under the auspices of the Marquis de Puysegur. + While he was hibiting these fooleries around his elm-tree, a magnetiser of + another class appeared in Lyons, in the person of the Chevalier de + Barbarin. This person thought the effort of the will, without any of the + paraphernalia of wands or baquets, was sufficient to throw patients into + the magnetic sleep. He tried it and succeeded. By sitting at the bedside + of his patients, and praying that they might be magnetised, they went off + into a state very similar to that of the persons who fell under the notice + of M. de Puysegur. In the course of time, a very considerable number of + magnetisers, acknowledging Barbarin for their model, and called after him + Barbarinists, appeared in different parts, and were believed to have + effected some remarkable cures. In Sweden and Germany, this sect of + fanatics increased rapidly, and were called spiritualists, to distinguish + them from the followers of M. de Puysegur, who were called + experimentalists. They maintained that all the effects of Animal + Magnetism, which Mesmer believed to be producible by a magnetic fluid + dispersed through nature, were produced by the mere effort of one human + soul acting upon another; that when a connexion had once been established + between a magnetiser and his patient, the former could communicate his + influence to the latter from any distance, even hundreds of miles, by the + will! One of them thus described the blessed state of a magnetic patient:—"In + such a man animal instinct ascends to the highest degree admissible in + this world. The clairvoyant is then a pure animal, without any admixture + of matter. His observations are those of a spirit. He is similar to God. + His eye penetrates all the secrets of nature. When his attention is fixed + on any of the objects of this world—on his disease, his death, his + well-beloved, his friends, his relations, his enemies,—in spirit he + sees them acting; he penetrates into the causes and the consequences of + their actions; he becomes a physician, a prophet, a divine!" [See "Foreign + Review, Continental Miscellany," vol. v. 113.] + </p> + <p> + Let us now see what progress these mysteries made in England. In the year + 1788, Dr. Mainauduc, who had been a pupil, first of Mesmer, and afterwards + of D'Eslon, arrived in Bristol, and gave public lectures upon magnetism. + His success was quite extraordinary. People of rank and fortune hastened + from London to Bristol to be magnetised, or to place themselves under his + tuition. Dr. George Winter, in his History of Animal Magnetism, gives the + following list of them:—"They amounted to one hundred and + twenty-seven, among whom there were one duke, one duchess, one + marchioness, two countesses, one earl, one baron, three baronesses, one + bishop, five right honourable gentlemen and ladies, two baronets, seven + members of parliament, one clergyman, two physicians, seven surgeons, + besides ninety-two gentlemen and ladies of respectability." He afterwards + established himself in London, where he performed with equal success. + </p> + <p> + He began by publishing proposals to the ladies for the formation of a + Hygeian Society. In this paper he vaunted highly the curative effects of + Animal Magnetism, and took great credit to himself for being the first + person to introduce it into England, and thus concluded:—"As this + method of cure is not confined to sex, or college education, and the fair + sex being in general the most sympathising part of the creation, and most + immediately concerned in the health and care of its offspring, I think + myself bound in gratitude to you, ladies, for the partiality you have + shown me in midwifery, to contribute, as far as lies in my power, to + render you additionally useful and valuable to the community. With this + view, I propose forming my Hygeian Society, to be incorporated with that + of Paris. As soon as twenty ladies have given in their names, the day + shall be appointed for the first meeting at my house, when they are to pay + fifteen guineas, which will include the whole expense." + </p> + <p> + Hannah More, in a letter addressed to Horace Walpole, in September 1788, + speaks of the "demoniacal mummeries" of Dr. Mainauduc, and says he was in + a fair way of gaining a hundred thousand pounds by them, as Mesmer had + done by his exhibitions in Paris. + </p> + <p> + So much curiosity was excited by the subject that, about the same time, a + man, named Holloway, gave a course of lectures on Animal Magnetism in + London, at the rate of five guineas for each pupil, and realised a + considerable fortune. Loutherbourg, the painter, and his wife followed the + same profitable trade; and such was the infatuation of the people to be + witnesses of their strange manipulations, that, at times, upwards of three + thousand persons crowded around their house at Hammersmith, unable to gain + admission. The tickets sold at prices varying from one to three guineas. + Loutherbourg performed his cures by the touch, after the manner of + Valentine Greatraks, and finally pretended to a Divine mission. An account + of his miracles, as they were called, was published in 1789, entitled "A + List of New Cures performed by Mr. and Mrs. de Loutherbourg of Hammersmith + Terrace, without Medicine; by a Lover of the Lamb of God. Dedicated to his + Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury." + </p> + <p> + This "Lover of the Lamb of God" was a half-crazy old woman, named Mary + Pratt, who conceived for Mr. and Mrs. de Loutherbourg a veneration which + almost prompted her to worship them. She chose for the motto of her + pamphlet a verse in the thirteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles: + "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish! for I will work a work in + your days which ye shall not believe though a man declare it unto you." + Attempting to give a religious character to the cures of the painter, she + thought a woman was the proper person to make them known, since the + apostle had declared that a man should not be able to conquer the + incredulity of the people. She stated that, from Christmas 1788 to July + 1789, De Loutherbourg and his wife had cured two thousand people, "having + been made proper recipients to receive Divine manuductions; which heavenly + and Divine influx, coming from the radix God, his Divine Majesty had most + graciously bestowed upon them to diffuse healing to all, be they deaf, + dumb, blind, lame, or halt." + </p> + <p> + In her dedication to the Archbishop of Canterbury, she implored him to + compose a new form of prayer to be used in all churches and chapels, that + nothing might impede this inestimable gift from having its due course. She + further entreated all the magistrates and men of authority in the land to + wait on Mr. and Mrs. de Loutherbourg, to consult with them on the + immediate erection of a large hospital, with a pool of Bethesda attached + to it. All the magnetisers were scandalised at the preposterous jabber of + this old woman, and De Loutherbourg appears to have left London to avoid + her; continuing, however, in conjunction with his wife, the fantastic + tricks which had turned the brain of this poor fanatic, and deluded many + others who pretended to more sense than she had. + </p> + <p> + From this period until 1798, magnetism excited little or no attention in + England. An attempt to revive the doctrine was made in that year, but it + was in the shape of mineral rather than of animal magnetism. One Benjamin + Douglas Perkins, an American, practising as a surgeon in Leicestersquare, + invented and took out a patent for the celebrated "Metallic Tractors." He + pretended that these tractors, which were two small pieces of metal + strongly magnetised, something resembling the steel plates which were + first brought into notice by Father Hell, would cure gout, rheumatism, + palsy, and in fact, almost every disease the human frame was subject to, + if applied externally to the afflicted part, and moved about gently, + touching the surface only. The most wonderful stories soon obtained + general circulation, and the press groaned with pamphlets, all vaunting + the curative effects of the tractors, which were sold at five guineas the + pair. Perkins gained money rapidly. Gouty subjects forgot their pains in + the presence of this new remedy; the rheumatism fled at its approach; and + toothache, which is often cured by the mere sight of a dentist, vanished + before Perkins and his marvellous steel plates. The benevolent Quakers, of + whose body he was a member, warmly patronised the invention. Desirous that + the poor, who could not afford to pay Mr. Perkins five guineas, or even + five shillings, for his tractors, should also share in the benefits of + that sublime discovery, they subscribed a large sum, and built an + hospital, called the "Perkinean Institution," in which all comers might be + magnetised free of cost. In the course of a few months they were in very + general use, and their lucky inventor in possession of five thousand + pounds. + </p> + <p> + Dr. Haygarth, an eminent physician at Bath, recollecting the influence of + imagination in the cure of disease, hit upon an expedient to try the real + value of the tractors. Perkins's cures were too well established to be + doubted; and Dr. Haygarth, without gainsaying them, quietly, but in the + face of numerous witnesses, exposed the delusion under which people + laboured with respect to the curative medium. He suggested to Dr. Falconer + that they should make wooden tractors, paint them to resemble the steel + ones, and see if the very same effects would not be produced. Five + patients were chosen from the hospital in Bath, upon whom to operate. Four + of them suffered severely from chronic rheumatism in the ankle, knee, + wrist, and hip; and the fifth had been afflicted for several months with + the gout. On the day appointed for the experiments, Dr. Haygarth and his + friends assembled at the hospital, and with much solemnity brought forth + the fictitious tractors. Four out of the five patients said their pains + were immediately relieved; and three of them said they were not only + relieved, but very much benefited. One felt his knee warmer, and said he + could walk across the room. He tried and succeeded, although on the + previous day he had not been able to stir. The gouty man felt his pains + diminish rapidly, and was quite easy for nine hours, until he went to bed, + when the twitching began again. On the following day the real tractors + were applied to all the patients, when they described their symptoms in + nearly the same terms. + </p> + <p> + To make still more sure, the experiment was tried in the Bristol + Infirmary, a few weeks afterwards, on a man who had a rheumatic affection + in the shoulder, so severe as to incapacitate him from lifting his hand + from his knee. The fictitious tractors were brought and applied to the + afflicted part, one of the physicians, to add solemnity to the scene, + drawing a stop-watch from his pocket to calculate the time exactly, while + another, with a pen in his hand, sat down to write the change of symptoms + from minute to minute as they occurred. In less than four minutes the man + felt so much relieved, that he lifted his hand several inches without any + pain in the shoulder! + </p> + <p> + An account of these matters was published by Dr. Haygarth, in a small + volume entitled, "Of the Imagination, as a Cause and Cure of Disorders, + exemplified by fictitious Tractors." The exposure was a coup de grace to + the system of Mr. Perkins. His friends and patrons, still unwilling to + confess that they had been deceived, tried the tractors upon sheep, cows, + and horses, alleging that the animals received benefit from the metallic + plates, but none at all from the wooden ones. But they found nobody to + believe them; the Perkinean Institution fell into neglect; and Perkins + made his exit from England, carrying with him about ten thousand pounds, + to soothe his declining years in the good city of Pennsylvania. + </p> + <p> + Thus was magnetism laughed out of England for a time. In France, the + revolution left men no leisure for such puerilities. The "Societes de + l'Harmonie," of Strasburg, and other great towns, lingered for a while, + till sterner matters occupying men's attention, they were one after the + other abandoned, both by pupils and professors. The system thus driven + from the first two nations of Europe, took refuge among the dreamy + philosophers of Germany. There the wonders of the magnetic sleep grew more + and more wonderful every day; the patients acquired the gift of prophecy—their + vision extended over all the surface of the globe—they could hear + and see with their toes and fingers, and read unknown languages, and + understand them too, by merely having the book placed on their bellies. + Ignorant clodpoles, when once entranced by the grand Mesmeric fluid, could + spout philosophy diviner than Plato ever wrote, descant upon the mysteries + of the mind with more eloquence and truth than the profoundest + metaphysicians the world ever saw, and solve knotty points of divinity + with as much ease as waking men could undo their shoe-buckles! + </p> + <p> + During the first twelve years of the present century, little was heard of + Animal Magnetism in any country of Europe. Even the Germans forgot their + airy fancies; recalled to the knowledge of this every-day world by the + roar of Napoleon's cannon and the fall or the establishment of kingdoms. + During this period, a cloud of obscurity hung over the science, which was + not dispersed until M. Deleuze published, in 1813, his "Histoire Critique + du Magnetisme Animal." This work gave a new impulse to the half-forgotten + delusion; newspapers, pamphlets, and books again waged war upon each other + on the question of its truth or falsehood; and many eminent men in the + profession of medicine recommenced inquiry, with an earnest design to + discover the truth. + </p> + <p> + The assertions made in the celebrated treatise of Deleuze are thus summed + up: [See the very calm, clear, and dispassionate article upon the subject + in the fifth volume (1830) of "The Foreign Review," page 96, et seq.]—"There + is a fluid continually escaping from the human body," and "forming an + atmosphere around us," which, as "it has no determined current," produces + no sensible effects on surrounding individuals. It is, however, "capable + of being directed by the will;" and, when so directed, "is sent forth in + currents," with a force corresponding to the energy we possess. Its motion + is "similar to that of the rays from burning bodies;" "it possesses + different qualities in different individuals." It is capable of a high + degree of concentration, "and exists also in trees." The will of the + magnetiser, "guided by a motion of the hand, several times repeated in the + same direction," can fill a tree with this fluid. Most persons, when this + fluid is poured into them, from the body and by the will of the + magnetiser, "feel a sensation of heat or cold" when he passes his hand + before them, without even touching them. Some persons, when sufficiently + charged with this fluid, fall into a state of somnambulism, or magnetic + ecstasy; and, when in this state, "they see the fluid encircling the + magnetiser like a halo of light, and issuing in luminous streams from his + mouth and nostrils, his head, and hands; possessing a very agreeable + smell, and communicating a particular taste to food and water." + </p> + <p> + One would think that these absurdities were quite enough to be insisted + upon by any physician who wished to be considered sane, but they only form + a small portion of the wondrous things related by M. Deleuze. He further + said, "When magnetism produces somnambulism, the person who is in this + state acquires a prodigious extension of all his faculties. Several of his + external organs, especially those of sight and hearing, become inactive; + but the sensations which depend upon them take place internally. Seeing + and hearing are carried on by the magnetic fluid, which transmits the + impressions immediately, and without the intervention of any nerves or + organs directly to the brain. Thus the somnambulist, though his eyes and + ears are closed, not only sees and hears, but sees and hears much better + than he does when awake. In all things he feels the will of the + magnetiser, although that will be not expressed. He sees into the interior + of his own body, and the most secret organization of the bodies of all + those who may be put en rapport, or in magnetic connexion, with him. Most + commonly, he only sees those parts which are diseased and disordered, and + intuitively prescribes a remedy for them. He has prophetic visions and + sensations, which are generally true, but sometimes erroneous. He + expresses himself with astonishing eloquence and facility. He is not free + from vanity. He becomes a more perfect being of his own accord for a + certain time, if guided wisely by the magnetiser, but wanders if he is + ill-directed." + </p> + <p> + According to M. Deleuze, any person could become a magnetiser and produce + these effects, by conforming to the following conditions, and acting upon + the following rules:— + </p> + <p> + Forget for a while all your knowledge of physics and metaphysics. + </p> + <p> + Remove from your mind all objections that may occur. + </p> + <p> + Imagine that it is in your power to take the malady in hand, and throw it + on one side. + </p> + <p> + Never reason for six weeks after you have commenced the study. + </p> + <p> + Have an active desire to do good; a firm belief in the power of magnetism, + and an entire confidence in employing it. In short, repel all doubts; + desire success, and act with simplicity and attention. + </p> + <p> + That is to say, "be very credulous; be very persevering; reject all past + experience, and do not listen to reason," and you are a magnetiser after + M. Deleuze's own heart. + </p> + <p> + Having brought yourself into this edifying state of fanaticism, "remove + from the patient all persons who might be troublesome to you: keep with + you only the necessary witnesses—a single person, if need be; desire + them not to occupy themselves in any way with the processes you employ and + the effects which result from them, but to join with you in the desire of + doing good to your patient. Arrange yourself so as neither to be too hot + nor too cold, and in such a manner that nothing may obstruct the freedom + of your motions; and take precautions to prevent interruption during the + sitting. Make your patient then sit as commodiously as possible, and place + yourself opposite to him, on a seat a little more elevated, in such a + manner that his knees may be betwixt yours, and your feet at the side of + his. First, request him to resign himself; to think of nothing; not to + perplex himself by examining the effects which may be produced; to banish + all fear; to surrender himself to hope, and not to be disturbed or + discouraged if the action of magnetism should cause in him momentary + pains. After having collected yourself, take his thumbs between your + fingers in such a way that the internal part of your thumbs may be in + contact with the internal part of his, and then fix your eyes upon him! + You must remain from two to five minutes in this situation, or until you + feel an equal heat between your thumbs and his. This done, you will + withdraw your hands, removing them to the right and left; and at the same + time turning them till their internal surface be outwards, and you will + raise them to the height of the head. You will now place them upon the two + shoulders, and let them remain there about a minute; afterwards drawing + them gently along the arms to the extremities of the fingers, touching + very slightly as you go. You will renew this pass five or six times, + always turning your hands, and removing them a little from the body before + you lift them. You will then place them above the head; and, after holding + them there for an instant, lower them, passing them before the face, at + the distance of one or two inches, down to the pit of the stomach. There + you will stop them two minutes also, putting your thumbs upon the pit of + the stomach and the rest of your fingers below the ribs. You will then + descend slowly along the body to the knees, or rather, if you can do so + without deranging yourself, to the extremity of the feet. You will repeat + the same processes several times during the remainder of the sitting. You + will also occasionally approach your patient, so as to place your hands + behind his shoulders, in order to descend slowly along the spine of the + back and the thighs, down to the knees or the feet. After the first + passes, you may dispense with putting your hands upon the head, and may + make the subsequent passes upon the arms, beginning at the shoulders, and + upon the body, beginning at the stomach." + </p> + <p> + Such was the process of magnetising recommended by Deleuze. That delicate, + fanciful, and nervous women, when subjected to it, should have worked + themselves into convulsions will be readily believed by the sturdiest + opponent of Animal Magnetism. To sit in a constrained posture—be + stared out of countenance by a fellow who enclosed her knees between his, + while he made passes upon different parts of her body, was quite enough to + throw any weak woman into a fit, especially if she were predisposed to + hysteria, and believed in the efficacy of the treatment. It is just as + evident that those of stronger minds and healthier bodies should be sent + to sleep by the process. That these effects have been produced by these + means there are thousands of instances to show. But are they testimony in + favour of Animal Magnetism?—do they prove the existence of the + magnetic fluid? Every unprejudiced person must answer in the negative. It + needs neither magnetism, nor ghost from the grave, to tell us that + silence, monotony, and long recumbency in one position must produce sleep, + or that excitement, imitation, and a strong imagination, acting upon a + weak body, will bring on convulsions. It will be seen hereafter that + magnetism produces no effects but these two; that the gift of prophecy—supernatural + eloquence—the transfer of the senses, and the power of seeing + through opaque substances, are pure fictions, that cannot be substantiated + by anything like proof. + </p> + <p> + M. Deleuze's book produced quite a sensation in France; the study was + resumed with redoubled vigour. In the following year, a journal was + established devoted exclusively to the science, under the title of + "Annales du Magnetisme Animal;" and shortly afterwards appeared the + "Bibliotheque du Magnetisme Animal," and many others. About the same time, + the Abbe Faria, "the man of wonders," began to magnetise; and the belief + being that he had more of the Mesmeric fluid about him, and a stronger + will, than most men, he was very successful in his treatment. His + experiments afford a convincing proof that imagination can operate all, + and the supposed fluid none, of the resuits so confidently claimed as + evidence of the new science. He placed his patients in an arm-chair; told + them to shut their eyes; and then, in a loud commanding voice, pronounced + the single word, "Sleep!" He used no manipulations whatever—had no + baquet, or conductor of the fluid; but he nevertheless succeeded in + causing sleep in hundreds of patients. He boasted of having in his time + produced five thousand somnambulists by this method. It was often + necessary to repeat the command three or four times; and if the patient + still remained awake, the Abbe got out of the difficulty by dismissing him + from the chair, and declaring that he was incapable of being acted on. And + here it should be remarked that the magnetisers do not lay claim to a + universal efficacy for their fluid; the strong and the healthy cannot be + magnetised; the incredulous cannot be magnetised; those who reason upon it + cannot be magnetised; those who firmly believe in it can be magnetised; + the weak in body can be magnetised, and the weak in mind can be + magnetised. And lest, from some cause or other, individuals of the latter + classes should resist the magnetic charm, the apostles of the science + declare that there are times when even they cannot be acted upon; the + presence of one scorner or unbeliever may weaken the potency of the fluid + and destroy its efficacy. In M. Deleuze's instructions to a magnetiser, he + expressly says, "Never magnetise before inquisitive persons!" ["Histoire + Critique du Magnetisme Animal," p. 60.] Yet the followers of this delusion + claim for it the rank of a science! + </p> + <p> + The numerous writings that appeared between the years 1813 and 1825 show + how much attention was excited in France. With every succeeding year some + new discovery was put forth, until at last the magnetisers seemed to be + very generally agreed that there were six separate and distinct degrees of + magnetisation. They have been classed as follow:— + </p> + <p> + In the first stage, the skin of the patient becomes slightly reddened; and + there is a feeling of heat, comfort, and lightness all over the body; but + there is no visible action on the senses. + </p> + <p> + In the second stage, the eye is gradually abstracted from the dominion of + the will (or, in other words, the patient becomes sleepy). The drooping + eyelids cannot be raised; the senses of hearing, smelling, feeling, and + tasting are more than usually excited. In addition, a variety of nervous + sensations are felt, such as spasms of the muscles and prickings of the + skin, and involuntary twitchings in various parts of the body. + </p> + <p> + In the third stage, which is that of magnetic sleep, all the senses are + closed to external impressions; and sometimes fainting, and cataleptic or + apoplectic attacks may occur. + </p> + <p> + In the fourth stage, the patient is asleep to all the world; but he is + awake within his own body, and consciousness returns. While in this state, + all his senses are transferred to the skin. He is in the perfect crisis, + or magnetic somnambulism; a being of soul and mind—seeing without + eyes—hearing without ears, and deadened in body to all sense of + feeling. + </p> + <p> + In the fifth stage, which is that of lucid vision, the patient can see his + own internal organisation, or that of others placed in magnetic + communication with him. He becomes, at the same time, possessed of the + instinct of remedies. The magnetic fluid, in this stage, unites him by + powerful attraction to others, and establishes between them an + impenetration of thought and feeling so intense as to blend their + different natures into one. + </p> + <p> + In the sixth stage, which is at the same time the rarest and the most + perfect of all, the lucid vision is not obstructed by opaque matter, or + subject to any barriers interposed by time or space. The magnetic fluid, + which is universally spread in nature, unites the individual with all + nature, and gives him cognizance of coming events by its universal + lucidity. + </p> + <p> + So much was said and written between the years 1820 and 1825, and so many + converts were made, that the magnetisers became clamorous for a new + investigation. M. de Foissac, a young physician, wrote to the Academie + Royale du Medicine a letter, calling for inquiry, in which he complained + of the unfairness of the report of Messrs. Bailly and Franklin in 1784, + and stating that, since that time, the science had wholly changed by the + important discovery of magnetic somnambulism. He informed the Academy that + he had under his care a young woman, whose powers of divination when in + the somnambulic state were of the most extraordinary character. He invited + the members of that body to go into any hospital, and choose persons + afflicted with any diseases, acute or chronic, simple or complex, and his + somnambulist, on being put en rapport, or in magnetic connexion, with + them, would infallibly point out their ailings and name the remedies. She, + and other somnambulists, he said, could, by merely laying the hand + successively on the head, the chest, and the abdomen of a stranger, + immediately discover his maladies, with, the pains and different + alterations thereby occasioned. They could indicate, besides, whether the + cure were possible, and, if so, whether it were easy or difficult, near or + remote, and what means should be employed to attain this result by the + surest and readiest way. In this examination they never departed from the + sound principles of medicine. "In fact," added M. de Foissac, "I go + further, and assert that their inspirations are allied to the genius which + animated Hippocrates!" + </p> + <p> + In the mean time experiments were carried on in various hospitals of + Paris. The epileptic patients at the Salpetriere were magnetised by + permission of M. Esquirol. At the Bicetre also the same resuits were + obtained. M. de Foissac busied himself with the invalids at the Hospice de + la Charite, and M. Dupotet was equally successful in producing sleep or + convulsions at Val de Grace. Many members of the Chamber of Deputies + became converts, and M. Chardel, the Comte de Gestas, M. de Laseases, and + others, opened their saloons to those who were desirous of being + instructed in animal magnetism. [Dupotet's Introduction to the Study of + Animal Magnetism, page 23.] Other physicians united with M. de Foissac in + calling for an inquiry; and ultimately the Academy nominated a preliminary + committee of five of its members, namely, Messrs Adelon, Burdin, Marc, + Pariset, and Husson, to investigate the alleged facts, and to report + whether the Academy, without any compromise of its dignity, could appoint + a new commission. + </p> + <p> + Before this committee, M. de Foissac produced his famous somnambulist; but + she failed in exhibiting any one of the phenomena her physician had so + confidently predicted: she was easily thrown into the state of sleep, by + long habit and the monotony of the passes and manipulations of her + magnetiser; but she could not tell the diseases of persons put en rapport + with her. The committee of five framed excuses for this failure, by + saying, that probably the magnetic fluid was obstructed, because they were + "inexperienced, distrustful, and perhaps impatient." After this, what can + be said for the judgment or the impartiality of such a committee? They + gave at last their opinion, that it would be advisable to appoint a new + commission. On the 13th of December 1825, they presented themselves to the + Academie to deliver their report. A debate ensued, which occupied three + days, and in which all the most distinguished members took part. It was + finally decided by a majority of ten, that the commission should be + appointed, and the following physicians were chosen its members:—They + were eleven in number, viz. Bourdois de la Motte, the President; Fouquier, + Gueneau de Mussy, Guersent, Husson, Itard, Marc, J. J. Leroux, Thillay, + Double, and Majendie. + </p> + <p> + These gentlemen began their labours by publishing an address to all + magnetisers, inviting them to come forward and exhibit in their presence + the wonders of animal magnetism. M. Dupotet says that very few answered + this amicable appeal, because they were afraid of being ridiculed when the + report should be published. Four magnetisers, however, answered their + appeal readily, and for five years were busily engaged in bringing proofs + of the new science before the commission. These were M. de Foissac, M. + Dupotet, M. Chapelain, and M. de Geslin. It would be but an unprofitable, + and by no means a pleasant task to follow the commissioners in their + erratic career, as they were led hither and thither by the four lights of + magnetism above mentioned; the four "Wills-o'-the-Wisp" which dazzled the + benighted and bewildered doctors on that wide and shadowy region of + metaphysical inquiry—the influence of mind over matter. It will be + better to state at once the conclusion they came to after so long and + laborious an investigation, and then examine whether they were warranted + in it by the evidence brought before them. + </p> + <p> + The report, which is exceedingly voluminous, is classed under thirty + different heads, and its general tenor is favourable to magnetism. The + reporters expressly state their belief in the existence of the magnetic + fluid, and sum up the result of their inquiries in the four assertions + which follow:— + </p> + <p> + 1. Magnetism has no effect upon persons in a sound state of health, nor + upon some diseased persons. + </p> + <p> + 2. In others its effects are slight. + </p> + <p> + 3. These effects are sometimes produced by weariness or ennui, by + monotony, and by the imagination. + </p> + <p> + 4. We have seen these effects developed independently of the last causes, + most probably as the effects of magnetism alone. + </p> + <p> + It will be seen that the first and second of these sentences presuppose + the existence of that magnetic power, which it is the object of the + inquiry to discover. The reporters begin, by saying, that magnetism + exists, when after detailing their proofs, they should have ended by + affirming it. For the sake of lucidity, a favourite expression of their + own, let us put the propositions into a new form and new words, without + altering the sense. + </p> + <p> + 1. Certain effects, such as convulsions, somnambulism, &c. are + producible in the human frame, by the will of others, by the will of the + patient himself, or by both combined, or by some unknown means, we wish to + discover, perhaps by magnetism. + </p> + <p> + 2. These effects are not producible upon all bodies. They cannot be + produced upon persons in a sound state of health, nor upon some diseased + persons; while in other eases, the effects are very slight. + </p> + <p> + 3. These effects were produced in many cases that fell under our notice, + in which the persons operated on were in a weak state of health, by + weariness or ennui, by monotony, and by the power of imagination. + </p> + <p> + 4. But in many other eases these effects were produced, and were clearly + not the result of weariness or ennui, of monotony, or of the power of the + imagination. They were, therefore, produced by the magnetic processes we + employed:—ergo—Animal Magnetism exists. + </p> + <p> + Every one, whether a believer or disbeliever in the doctrine, must see + that the whole gist of the argument will be destroyed, if it be proved + that the effects which the reporters claimed as resulting from a power + independent of weariness, monotony, and the imagination, did, in fact, + result from them, and from nothing else. The following are among the + proofs brought forward to support the existence of the magnetic fluid, as + producing those phenomena:— + </p> + <p> + "A child, twenty-eight months old, was magnetised by M. Foissac, at the + house of M. Bourdois. The child, as well as its father, was subject to + attacks of epilepsy. Almost immediately after M. Foissac had begun his + manipulations and passes, the child rubbed its eyes, bent its head to one + side, supported it on one of the cushions of the sofa where it was + sitting, yawned, moved itself about, scratched its head and its ears, + appeared to strive against the approach of sleep, and then rose, if we may + be allowed the expression, grumbling. Being taken away to satisfy a + necessity of nature, it was again placed on the sofa, and magnetised for a + few moments. But as there appeared no decided symptoms of somnolency this + time, we terminated the experiment." + </p> + <p> + And this in all seriousness and sobriety was called a proof of the + existence of the magnetic fluid! That these effects were not produced by + the imagination may be granted; but that they were not produced by + weariness and monotony is not so clear. A child is seated upon a sofa, a + solemn looking gentleman, surrounded by several others equally grave, + begins to play various strange antics before it, moving his hands + mysteriously, pointing at his head, all the while preserving a most + provoking silence. And what does the child? It rubs its eyes, appears + restless, yawns, scratches its head, grumbles, and makes an excuse to get + away. Magnetism, forsooth! 'Twas a decided case of botheration! + </p> + <p> + The next proof (so called), though not so amusing, is equally decisive of + the mystification of the Commissioners. A deaf and dumb lad, eighteen + years of age, and subject to attacks of epilepsy, was magnetised fifteen + times by M. Foissac. The phenomena exhibited during the treatment were a + heaviness of the eyelids, a general numbness, a desire to sleep, and + sometimes vertigo:—the epileptic attacks were entirely suspended, + and did not return till eight months afterwards. Upon this case and the + first mentioned, the Committee reasoned thus:—"These cases appear to + us altogether worthy of remark. The two individuals who formed the subject + of the experiment, were ignorant of what was done to them. The one, + indeed, was not in a state capable of knowing it; and the other never had + the slightest idea of magnetism. Both, however, were insensible of its + influence; and most certainly it is impossible in either case to attribute + this sensibility to the imagination." The first case has been already + disposed of. With regard to the second, it is very possible to attribute + all the results to imagination. It cannot be contended, that because the + lad was deaf and dumb he had no understanding, that he could not see the + strange manipulations of the magnetiser, and that he was unaware that his + cure was the object of the experiments that were thus made upon him. Had + he no fancy merely because he was dumb? and could he, for the same reason, + avoid feeling a heaviness in his eyelids, a numbness, and a sleepiness, + when he was forced to sit for two or three hours while M. Foissac pointed + his fingers at him? As for the amelioration in his health, no argument can + be adduced to prove that he was devoid of faith in the remedy; and that, + having faith, he should not feel the benefit of it as well as thousands of + others who have been cured by means wholly as imaginary. + </p> + <p> + The third case is brought forward with a still greater show of authority. + Having magnetised the child and the dumb youth with results so + extraordinary, M. Foissac next tried his hand upon a Commissioner. M. + Itard was subjected to a course of manipulations; the consequences were a + flow of saliva, a metallic savour in the mouth, and a severe headach. + These symptoms, say the reporters, cannot be accounted for by the + influence of imagination. M. Itard, it should be remarked, was a confirmed + valetudinarian; and a believer, before the investigation commenced, in the + truth of magnetism. He was a man, therefore, whose testimony cannot be + received with implicit credence upon this subject. He may have repeated, + and so may his brother Commissioners, that the results above stated were + not produced by the power of the imagination. The patients of Perkins, of + Valentine Greatraks, of Sir Kenelm Digby, of Father Gassner, were all + equally positive: but what availed their assertions? Experience soon made + it manifest, that no other power than that of imagination worked the + wonders in their case. M. Itard's is not half so extraordinary; the only + wonder is, that it should ever have been insisted upon. + </p> + <p> + The Commissioners having, as they thought, established beyond doubt the + existence of the magnetic fluid, (and these are all their proofs,) next + proceeded to investigate the more marvellous phenomena of the science; + such as the transfer of the senses; the capability of seeing into one's + own or other people's insides, and of divining remedies; and the power of + prophecy. A few examples will suffice. + </p> + <p> + M. Petit was magnetised by M. Dupotet, who asserted that the somnambulist + would be able to choose, with his eyes shut, a mesmerised coin out of + twelve others. The experiment was tried, and the somnambulist chose the + wrong one. [Report of the Commissioners, p. 153.] + </p> + <p> + Baptiste Chamet was also magnetised by M. Dupotet, and fell into the + somnambulic state after eight minutes. As he appeared to be suffering + great pain, he was asked what ailed him, when he pointed to his breast, + and said he felt pain there. Being asked what part of his body that was, + he said his liver. [Ibid, p. 137.] + </p> + <p> + Mademoiselle Martineau was magnetised by M. Dupotet, and it was expected + that her case would prove not only the transfer of the senses, but the + power of divining remedies. Her eyes having been bandaged, she was asked + if she could not see all the persons present? She replied, no; but she + could hear them talking. No one was speaking at the time. She said she + would awake after five or ten minutes sleep. She did not awake for sixteen + or seventeen minutes. She announced that on a certain day she would be + able to tell exactly the nature of her complaint, and prescribe the proper + remedies. On the appointed day she was asked the question, and could not + answer. [Report of the Commissioners, p. 139.] + </p> + <p> + Mademoiselle Couturier, a patient of M. de Geslin, was thrown into the + state of somnambulism, and M. de Geslin said she would execute his mental + orders. One of the Committee then wrote on a slip of paper the words "Go + and sit down on the stool in front of the piano." He handed the paper to + M. de Geslin, who having conceived the words mentally, turned to his + patient, and told her to do as he required of her. She rose up, went to + the clock, and said it was twenty minutes past nine. She was tried nine + times more, and made as many mistakes. [Idem, p. 139.] + </p> + <p> + Pierre Cazot was an epileptic patient, and was said to have the power of + prophecy. Being magnetised on the 22nd of April, he said that in nine + weeks he should have a fit, in three weeks afterwards go mad, abuse his + wife, murder some one, and finally recover in the month of August. After + which he should never have an attack again. [Idem, p. 180] In two days + after uttering this prophecy, he was run over by a cabriolet and killed. + [Foreign Quarterly Review, vol. xii. p. 439] A post mortem examination was + made of his body, when it was ascertained beyond doubt, that even had he + not met with this accident, he could never have recovered. [At the + extremity of the plexus choroides was found a substance, yellow within, + and white without, containing small hydatids.—Report oltre + Commissioners, p. 186.] + </p> + <p> + The inquest which had been the means of eliciting these, along with many + other facts, having sat for upwards of five years, the magnetisers became + anxious that the report should be received by the solemn conclave of the + Academie. At length a day (the 20th of June 1831) was fixed for the + reading. All the doctors of Paris thronged around the hall to learn the + result; the street in front of the building was crowded with medical + students; the passages were obstructed by philosophers. "So great was the + sensation," says M. Dupotet, "that it might have been supposed the fate of + the nation depended on the result." M. Husson, the reporter, appeared at + the bar and read the report, the substance of which we have just + extracted. He was heard at first with great attention, but as he proceeded + signs of impatience and dissent were manifested on all sides. The + unreasonable inferences of the Commissioners—their false conclusions—their + too positive assertions, were received with repeated marks of + disapprobation. Some of the academicians started from their seats, and + apostrophising the Commissioners, accused them of partiality or stolidity. + The Commissioners replied; until, at last, the uproar became so violent + that an adjournment of the sitting was moved and carried. On the following + day the report was concluded. A stormy discussion immediately ensued, + which certainly reflected no credit upon the opponents of Animal + Magnetism. Both sides lost temper—the anti-magnetists declaring that + the whole was a fraud and a delusion; the pro-magnetists reminding the + Academy that it was too often the fate of truth to be scorned and + disregarded for a while, but that eventually her cause would triumph. "We + do not care for your disbelief," cried one, "for in this very hall your + predecessors denied the circulation of the blood!"—"Yes," cried + another, "and they denied the falling of meteoric stones!" while a third + exclaimed "Grande est veritas et praevalebit!" Some degree of order being + at last restored, the question whether the report should be received and + published was decided in the negative. It was afterwards agreed that a + limited number of copies should be lithographed, for the private use of + such members as wished to make further examination. + </p> + <p> + As might have been expected, magnetism did not suffer from a discussion + which its opponents had conducted with so much intemperance. The followers + of magnetism were as loud as ever in vaunting its efficacy as a cure, and + its value, not only to the science of medicine, but to philosophy in + general. By force of repeated outcries against the decision of the + Academie, and assertions that new facts were discovered day after day, its + friends, six years afterwards, prevailed upon that learned and influential + body to institute another inquiry. The Academie, in thus consenting to + renew the investigation after it had twice solemnly decided (once in + conjunction with, and once in opposition to a committee of its own + appointment) that Animal Magnetism was a fraud or a chimera, gave the most + striking proof of its own impartiality and sincere desire to arrive at the + truth. + </p> + <p> + The new Commission was composed of M. Roux, the President; and Messieurs + Bouillard, Cloquet, Emery, Pelletier, Caventon, Oudet, Cornac, and Dubois + d'Amiens. The chief magnetiser upon the occasion was M. Berna, who had + written to the Academie on the 12th of February 1837, offering to bring + forward the most convincing proofs of the truth of the new "science." The + Commissioners met for the first time on the 27th of February, and + delivered their report, which was drawn up by M. Dubois d'Amiens, on the + 22nd of August following. After a careful examination of all the evidence, + they decided, as Messieurs Bailly and Franklin had done in 1784, that the + touchings, imagination, and the force of imitation would account + satisfactorily for all the phenomena; that the supposed Mesmeric fluid + would not; that M. Berna, the magnetiser, laboured under a delusion; and + that the facts brought under their notice were anything but conclusive in + favour of the doctrine of Animal Magnetism, and could have no relation + either with physiology or with therapeutics. + </p> + <p> + The following abridgment of the report will show that the Commissioners + did not thus decide without abundant reason. On the 3rd of March they met + at the house of M. Roux, the President, when M. Berna introduced his + patient, a young girl of seventeen, of a constitution apparently nervous + and delicate, but with an air sufficiently cool and self-sufficient. M. + Berna offered eight proofs of Animal Magnetism, which he would elicit in + her case, and which he classed as follow:— + </p> + <p> + 1. He would throw her into the state of somnambulism. + </p> + <p> + 2. He would render her quite insensible to bodily pain. + </p> + <p> + 3. He would restore her to sensibility by his mere will, without any + visible or audible manifestation of it. + </p> + <p> + 4. His mental order should deprive her of motion. + </p> + <p> + 5. He would cause her, by a mental order, to cease answering in the midst + of a conversation, and by a second mental order would make her begin + again. + </p> + <p> + 6. He would repeat the same experiment, separated from his patient by a + door. + </p> + <p> + 7. He would awake her. + </p> + <p> + 8. He would throw her again into the somnambulic state, and by his will + successively cause her to lose and recover the sensibility of any part of + her body. + </p> + <p> + Before any attempt at magnetisation was made by M. Berna, the + Commissioners determined to ascertain how far, in her ordinary state, she + was sensible to pricking. Needles of a moderate size were stuck into her + hands and neck, to the depth of half a line, and she was asked by + Messieurs Roux and Caventon whether she felt any pain. She replied that + she felt nothing; neither did her countenance express any pain. The + Commissioners, somewhat surprised at this, repeated their question, and + inquired whether she was absolutely insensible. Being thus pressed, she + acknowledged that she felt a little pain. + </p> + <p> + These preliminaries having been completed, M. Berna made her sit close by + him. He looked steadfastly at her, but made no movements or passes + whatever. After the lapse of about two minutes she fell back asleep, and + M. Berna told the Commissioners that she was now in the state of magnetic + somnambulism. He then arose, and again looking steadfastly at her from a + short distance, declared, after another minute, that she was struck with + general insensibility. + </p> + <p> + To ascertain this, the girl's eyes having been previously bandaged, + Messieurs Bouillard, Emery, and Dubois pricked her one after the other + with needles. By word she complained of no pain; and her features, where + the bandage allowed them to be seen, appeared calm and unmoved. But M. + Dubois having stuck his needle rather deep under her chin, she immediately + made with much vivacity a movement of deglutition. + </p> + <p> + This experiment having failed, M. Berna tried another, saying that he + would, by the sole and tacit intervention of his will, paralyze any part + of the girl's body the Commissioners might mention. To avoid the + possibility of collusion, M. Dubois drew up the following conditions:— + </p> + <p> + "That M. Berna should maintain the most perfect silence, and should + receive from the hands of the Commissioners papers, on which should be + written the parts to be deprived of motion and sensibility, and that M. + Berna should let them know when he had done it by closing one of his eyes, + that they might verify it. The parts to be deprived of sensibility were + the chin, the right thumb, the region of the left deltoid, and that of the + right patella." M. Berna would not accept these conditions, giving for his + reason that the parts pointed out by the Commissioners were too limited; + that, besides, all this was out of his programme, and he did not + understand why such precautions should be taken against him. + </p> + <p> + M. Berna had written in his programme that he would deprive the whole body + of sensibility, and then a part only. He would afterwards deprive the two + arms of motion—then the two legs—then a leg and an arm—then + the neck, and lastly the tongue. All the evidence he wished the + Commissioners to have was after a very unsatisfactory fashion. He would + tell the somnambulist to raise her arm, and if she did not raise it, the + limb was to be considered paralyzed. Besides this, the Commissioners were + to make haste with their observations. If the first trials did not + succeed, they were to be repeated till paralysis was produced. "These," as + the Commissioners very justly remarked, "were not such conditions as men + of science, who were to give an account of their commission, could exactly + comply with." After some time spent in a friendly discussion of the point, + M. Berna said he could do no more at that meeting. Then placing himself + opposite the girl, he twice exclaimed, "Wake!" She awakened accordingly, + and the sitting terminated. + </p> + <p> + At the second meeting, M. Berna was requested to paralyze the right arm + only of the girl by the tacit intervention of his will, as he had + confidently assured the Commissioners he could. M. Berna, after a few + moments, made a sign with his eye that he had done so, when M. Bouillard + proceeded to verify the fact. Being requested to move her left arm, she + did so. Being then requested to move her right leg, she said the whole of + her right side was paralyzed—she could neither move arm nor leg. On + this experiment the Commissioners remark: "M. Berna's programme stated + that he had the power of paralyzing either a single limb or two limbs at + once, we chose a single limb, and there resulted, in spite of his will, a + paralysis of two limbs." Some other experiments, equally unsatisfactory, + were tried with the same girl. M. Berna was soon convinced that she had + not studied her part well, or was not clever enough to reflect any honour + upon the science, and he therefore dismissed her. Her place was filled by + a woman, aged about thirty, also of very delicate health; and the + following conclusive experiments were tried upon her:— + </p> + <p> + The patient was thrown into the somnambulic state, and her eyes covered + with a bandage. At the invitation of the magnetiser, M. Dubois d'Amiens + wrote several words upon a card, that the somnambule might read them + through her bandages, or through her occiput. M. Dubois wrote the word + Pantagruel, in perfectly distinct roman characters; then placing himself + behind the somnambule, he presented the card close to her occiput. The + magnetiser was seated in front of the woman and of M. Dubois, and could + not see the writing upon the card. Being asked by her magnetiser what was + behind her head, she answered, after some hesitation, that she saw + something white—something resembling a card—a visiting-card. + It should be remembered that M. Berna had requested M. Dubois aloud to + take a card and write upon it, and that the patient must have heard it, as + it was said in her presence. She was next asked if she could distinguish + what there was on this card. She replied "Yes; there was writing on it."—"Is + it small or large, this writing?" inquired the magnetiser. "Pretty large," + replied she. "What is written on it?" continued the magnetiser. "Wait a + little-I cannot see very plain. Ah! there is first an M. Yes, it is a word + beginning with an M." [The woman thought it was a visiting-card, and + guessed that doubtless it would begin with the words Monsieur or Madame.] + M. Cornac, unknown to the magnetiser, who alone put the questions, passed + a perfectly blank card to M. Dubois, who substituted it quietly for the + one on which he had written the word Pantagruel. The somnambule still + persisted that she saw a word beginning with an M. At last, after some + efforts, she added doubtingly that she thought she could see two lines of + writing. She was still thinking of the visiting-card, with a name in one + line and the address on the other. + </p> + <p> + Many other experiments of the same kind, and with a similar result, were + tried with blank cards; and it was then determined to try her with + playing-cards. M. Berna had a pack of them on his table, and addressing M. + Dubois aloud, he asked him to take one of them and place it at the occiput + of the somnambule. M. Dubois asked him aloud whether he should take a + court card. "As you please," replied the magnetiser. As M. Dubois went + towards the table, the idea struck him that he would not take either a + court or a common card, but a perfectly blank card of the same size. + Neither M. Berna nor the somnambule was aware of the substitution. He then + placed himself behind her as before, and held the card to her occiput so + that M. Berna could not see it. M. Berna then began to magnetise her with + all his force, that he might sublimate her into the stage of extreme + lucidity, and effectually transfer the power of vision to her occiput. She + was interrogated as to what she could see. She hesitated; appeared to + struggle with herself, and at last said she saw a card. "But what do you + see on the card?" After a little hesitation, she said she could see black + and red (thinking of the court card). + </p> + <p> + The Commissioners allowed M. Berna to continue the examination in his own + way. After some fruitless efforts to get a more satisfactory answer from + the somnambule, he invited M. Dubois to pass his card before her head, + close against the bandage covering her eyes. This having been done, the + somnambule said she could see better. M. Berna then began to put some + leading questions, and she replied that she could see a figure. Hereupon, + there were renewed solicitations from M. Berna. The somnambule, on her + part, appeared to be making great efforts to glean some information from + her magnetiser, and at last said that she could distinguish the Knave. But + this was not all; it remained for her to say which of the four knaves. In + answer to further inquiries, she said there was black by the side of it. + Not being contradicted at all, she imagined that she was in the right + track; and made, after much pressing, her final guess, that it was the + Knave of Clubs. + </p> + <p> + M. Berna, thinking the experiment finished, took the card from the hands + of M. Dubois, and in presence of all the Commissioners saw that it was + entirely blank. Blank was his own dismay. + </p> + <p> + As a last experiment, she was tried with a silver medal. It was with very + great difficulty that any answers could be elicited from her. M. Cornac + held the object firmly closed in his hand close before the bandage over + her eyes. She first said she saw something round; she then said it was + flesh-coloured—then yellow—then the colour of gold. It was as + thick as an onion: and, in answer to incessant questions, she said it was + yellow on one side, white on the other, and had black above it. She was + thinking, apparently, of a gold watch, with its white dial and black + figures for the hours. Solicited, for the last time, to explain herself + clearly—to say, at least, the use of the object and its name, she + appeared to be anxious to collect all her energies, and then uttered only + the word "hour." Then, at last, as if suddenly illumined, she cried out + that "it was to tell the hour." + </p> + <p> + Thus ended the sitting. Some difficulties afterwards arose between the + Commissioners and M. Berna, who wished that a copy of the proces verbal + should be given him. The Commissioners would not agree; and M. Berna, in + his turn, refused to make any fresh experiments. It was impossible that + any investigation could have been conducted more satisfactorily than this. + The report of the Commissioners was quite conclusive; and Animal Magnetism + since that day lost much of its repute in France. M. Dupotet, with a + perseverance and ingenuity worthy a better cause, has found a satisfactory + excuse for the failure of M. Berna. Having taken care in his work not to + publish the particulars, he merely mentions, in three lines, that M. Berna + failed before a committee of the Royal Academy of Medicine in an endeavour + to produce some of the higher magnetic phenomena. "There are a variety of + incidental circumstances," says that shining light of magnetism, "which it + is difficult even to enumerate. An over-anxiety to produce the effects, or + any incidental suggestions that may disturb the attention of the + magnetiser, will often be sufficient to mar the successful issue of the + experiment." ["Introduction to the Study of Animal Magnetism," by Baron + Dupotet de Sennevoy, London, 1838, p. 159.] Such are the miserable shifts + to which error reduces its votaries! + </p> + <p> + While Dupotet thus conveniently forbears to dwell upon the unfavourable + decision of the committee of 1837, let us hear how he dilates upon the + favourable report of the previous committee of 1835, and how he praises + the judgment and the impartiality of its members. "The Academie Royale de + Medicine," says he, "put upon record clear and authenticated evidence in + favour of Animal Magnetism. The Commissioners detailed circumstantially + the facts which they witnessed, and the methods they adopted to detect + every possible source of deception. Many of the Commissioners, when they + entered on the investigation, were not only unfavourable to magnetism, but + avowedly unbelievers; so that their evidence in any court of justice would + be esteemed the most unexceptionable that could possibly be desired. They + were inquiring too, not into any speculative or occult theory, upon which + there might be a chance of their being led away by sophistical + representations, but they were inquiring into the existence of facts only—plain + demonstrable facts, which were in their own nature palpable to every + observer." ["Introduction to the Study of Animal Magnetism," p. 27.] M. + Dupotet might not unreasonably be asked whether the very same arguments + ought not to be applied to the unfavourable report drawn up by the able M. + Dubois d'Amiens and his coadjutors in the last inquiry. If the question + were asked, we should, in all probability, meet some such a reply as this:—"True, + they might; but then you must consider the variety of incidental + circumstances, too numerous to mention! M. Berna may have been over + anxious; in fact, the experiments must have been spoiled by an incidental + suggestion!" + </p> + <p> + A man with a faith so lively as M. Dupotet was just the person to + undertake the difficult mission of converting the English to a belief in + magnetism. Accordingly we find that, very shortly after the last decision + of the Academie, M. Dupotet turned his back upon his native soil and + arrived in England, loaded with the magnetic fluid, and ready to re-enact + all the fooleries of his great predecessors, Mesmer and Puysegur. Since + the days of Perkinism and metallic tractors, until 1833, magnetism had + made no progress, and excited no attention in England. Mr. Colquhoun, an + advocate at the Scottish bar, published in that year the, till then, + inedited report of the French commission of 1831, together with a history + of the science, under the title of "Isis Revelata; or, an Inquiry into the + Origin, Progress, and present State of Animal Magnetism." Mr. Colquhoun + was a devout believer, and his work was full of enthusiasm. It succeeded + in awakening some interest upon a subject certainly very curious, but it + made few or no converts. An interesting article, exposing the delusion, + appeared in the same year in the "Foreign Quarterly Review;" and one or + two medical works noticed the subject afterwards, to scout it and turn it + into ridicule. The arrival of M. Dupotet, in 1837, worked quite a + revolution, and raised Animal Magnetism to a height of favour, as great as + it had ever attained even in France. + </p> + <p> + He began by addressing letters of invitation to the principal philosophers + and men of science, physicians, editors of newspapers, and others, to + witness the experiments, which were at first carried on at his own + residence, in Wigmore-street, Cavendish-square. Many of them accepted the + invitation; and, though not convinced, were surprised and confounded at + the singular influence which he exercised over the imagination of his + patients. Still, at first, his success was not flattering. To quote his + own words, in the dedication of his work to Earl Stanhope, "he spent + several months in fruitless attempts to induce the wise men of the country + to study the phenomena of magnetism. His incessant appeals for an + examination of these novel facts remained unanswered, and the press began + to declare against him." With a saddened heart, he was about to renounce + the design he had formed of spreading magnetism in England, and carry to + some more credulous people the important doctrines of which he had made + himself the apostle. Earl Stanhope, however, encouraged him to remain; + telling him to hope for a favourable change in public opinion, and the + eventual triumph of that truth of which he was the defender. M. Dupotet + remained. He was not so cruel as to refuse the English people a sight of + his wonders. Although they might be ungrateful, his kindness and patience + should be long enduring. + </p> + <p> + In the course of time his perseverance met its reward. Ladies in search of + emotions—the hysteric, the idle, the puling, and the + ultra-sentimental crowded to his saloons, as ladies similarly predisposed + had crowded to Mesmer's sixty years before. Peers, members of the House of + Commons, philosophers, men of letters, and physicians came in great + numbers—some to believe, some to doubt, and a few to scoff. M. + Dupotet continued his experiments, and at last made several important + converts. Most important of all for a second Mesmer, he found a second + D'Eslon. + </p> + <p> + Dr. Elliotson, the most conspicuous among the converts of Dupotet, was, + like D'Eslon, a physician in extensive practice—a thoroughly honest + man, but with a little too much enthusiasm. The parallel holds good + between them in every particular; for, as D'Eslon had done before him, Dr. + Elliotson soon threw his master into the shade, and attracted all the + notice of the public upon himself. He was at that time professor of the + principles and practice of medicine at the University College, London, and + physician to the hospital. In conjunction with M. Dupotet, he commenced a + course of experiments upon some of the patients in that institution. The + reports which were published from time to time, partook so largely of the + marvellous, and were corroborated by the evidence of men whose learning, + judgment, and integrity it was impossible to call in question, that the + public opinion was staggered. Men were ashamed to believe, and yet afraid + to doubt; and the subject at last became so engrossing that a committee of + some of the most distinguished members of the medical profession undertook + to investigate the phenomena, and report upon them. + </p> + <p> + In the mean time, Dr. Elliotson and M. Dupotet continued the public + exhibition at the hospital; while the credulous gaped with wonder, and + only some few daring spirits had temerity enough to hint about quackery + and delusion on the part of the doctors, and imposture on the part of the + patients. The phenomena induced in two young women, sisters, named + Elizabeth and Jane Okey, were so extraordinary that they became at last + the chief, if not the only proofs of the science in London. We have not + been able to meet with any reports of these experiments from the pen of an + unbeliever, and are therefore compelled to rely solely upon the reports + published under the authority of the magnetisers themselves, and given to + the world in "The Lancet" and other medical journals. + </p> + <p> + Elizabeth Okey was an intelligent girl, aged about seventeen, and was + admitted into the University College hospital, suffering under attacks of + epilepsy. She was magnetised repeatedly by M. Dupotet in the autumn of + 1837, and afterwards by Dr. Elliotson at the hospital, during the spring + and summer of 1838. By the usual process, she was very easily thrown into + a state of deep unconscious sleep, from which she was aroused into + somnambulism and delirium. In her waking state she was a modest + well-behaved girl, and spoke but little. In the somnambulic state, she + appeared quite another being; evinced considerable powers of mimicry; sang + comic songs; was obedient to every motion of her magnetiser; and was + believed to have the power of prophesying the return of her illness—the + means of cure, and even the death or recovery of other patients in the + ward. + </p> + <p> + Mesmer had often pretended in his day that he could impart the magnetic + power to pieces of metal or wood, strings of silk or cord, &c. The + reader will remember his famous battery, and the no less famous tree of M. + de Puysegur. During the experiments upon Okey, it was soon discovered that + all the phenomena could be produced in her, if she touched any object that + had been previously mesmerised by the will or the touch of her magnetiser. + At a sitting, on the 5th of July 1838, it was mentioned that Okey, some + short time previously, and while in the state of magnetic lucidity, had + prophesied that, if mesmerised tea were placed in each of her hands, no + power in nature would be able to awake her until after the lapse of a + quarter of an hour. The experiment was tried accordingly. Tea which had + been touched by the magnetiser was placed in each hand, and she + immediately fell asleep. After ten minutes, the customary means to awaken + her were tried, but without effect. She was quite insensible to all + external impressions. In a quarter of an hour, they were tried with + redoubled energy, but still in vain. She was left alone for six minutes + longer; but she still slept, and it was found quite impossible to wake + her. At last some one present remarked that this wonderful sleep would, in + all probability, last till the tea was removed from her bands. The + suggestion was acted upon, the tea was taken away, and she awoke in a few + seconds. ["Lancet," vol. ii. 1837-8, p. 585.] + </p> + <p> + On the 12th of July, just a week afterwards, numerous experiments as to + the capability of different substances for conveying the magnetic + influence were tried upon her. A slip of crumpled paper, magnetised by + being held in the hand, produced no effect. A penknife magnetised her + immediately. A piece of oilskin had no influence. A watch placed on her + palm sent her to sleep immediately, if the metal part were first placed in + contact with her; the glass did not affect her so quickly. As she was + leaving the room, a sleeve-cuff made of brown-holland, which had been + accidentally magnetised by a spectator, stopped her in mid career, and + sent her fast to sleep. It was also found that, on placing the point of + her finger on a sovereign which had been magnetised, she was immediately + stupified. A pile of sovereigns produced sleep; but if they were so placed + that she could touch the surface of each coin, the sleep became intense + and protracted. + </p> + <p> + Still more extraordinary circumstances were related of this patient. In + her state of magnetic sleep, she said that a tall black man, or negro, + attended her, and prompted the answers she was to give to the various + perplexing questions that were put to her. It was also asserted that she + could use the back of her hand as an organ of vision. The first time this + remarkable phenomenon was said to have been exhibited was a few days prior + to the 5th of July. On the latter day, being in what was called a state of + loquacious somnambulism, she was asked by Dr. Elliotson's assistant + whether she had an eye in her hand. She replied that "it was a light + there, and not an eye." "Have you got a light anywhere else?"—"No, + none anywhere else."—"Can you see with the inside as well as the + out?"—"Yes; but very little with the inside." + </p> + <p> + On the 9th of July bread with butter was given to her, and while eating it + she drank some magnetised water, and falling into a stupor dropped her + food from her hand and frowned. The eyes, partially closed, had the + abstracted aspect that always accompanies stupefaction. The right-hand was + open, the palm upwards; the left, with its back presented anteriorly, was + relaxed and curved. The bread being lost, she moved her left-hand about + convulsively until right over the bread, when a clear view being obtained, + the hand turned suddenly round and clutched it eagerly. Her hand was + afterwards wrapped in a handkerchief; but then she could not see with it, + and laid it on her lap with an expression of despair. + </p> + <p> + These are a few only of the wonderful feats of Elizabeth Okey. Jane was + not quite so clever; but she nevertheless managed to bewilder the learned + men almost as much as her sister. A magnetised sovereign having been + placed on the floor, Jane, then in the state of delirium, was directed to + stoop and pick it up. She stooped, and having raised it about three + inches, was fixed in a sound sleep in that constrained position. Dr. + Elliotson pointed his finger at her, to discharge some more of the + mesmeric fluid into her, when her hand immediately relaxed its grasp of + the coin, and she re-awoke into the state of delirium, exclaiming, "God + bless my soul!" + </p> + <p> + It is now time to mention the famous gold-chain experiment which was + performed at the hospital upon Elizabeth Okey, in the presence of Count + Flahault, Dr. Lardner, Mr. Knatchbull the professor of Arabic in the + University of Oxford, and many other gentlemen. The object of the + experiment was to demonstrate that, when Okey held one end of a gold + chain, and Dr. Elliotson, or any other magnetiser, the other, the magnetic + fluid would travel through the chain, and, after the lapse of a minute, + stupify the patient. A long gold chain having been twice placed around her + neck, Dr. Elliotson at once threw her into a state of stupor. It was then + found that, if the intermediate part of the chain were twisted around a + piece of wood, or a roll of paper, the passage of the fluid would be + checked, and stupor would not so speedily ensue. If the chain were + removed, she might be easily thrown into the state of delirium; when she + would sing at the request of her magnetiser; and, if the chain were then + unrolled, her voice would be arrested in the most gradual manner; its + loudness first diminishing—the tune then becoming confused, and + finally lost altogether. The operations of her intellect could be checked, + while the organs of sound would still continue to exert themselves. For + instance, while her thoughts were occupied on the poetry and air of Lord + Byron's song, "The Maid of Athens," the chain was unrolled; and when she + had reached the line, "My life, I love you!" the stupor had increased; a + cold statue-like aspect crept over the face—the voice sank—the + limbs became rigid—the memory was gone—the faculty of + forecasting the thoughts had departed, and but one portion of capacity + remained—that of repeating again and again, perhaps twenty times, + the line and music which had last issued from her lips, without pause, and + in the proper time, until the magnetiser stopped her voice altogether, by + further unrolling the chain and stupifying her. On another trial, she was + stopped in the comic song, "Sir Frog he would a wooing go," when she came + to the line, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Whether his mother would let him or no;" +</pre> + <p> + while her left hand outstretched, with the chain in it, was moving up and + down, and the right toe was tapping the time on the floor; and with these + words and actions she persevered for fifty repetitions, until the winding + of the chain re-opened her faculties, when she finished the song. + ["Lancet," vol. ii. 1837-8, p.617.] + </p> + <p> + The report from which we have extracted the above passage further informed + the public and the medical profession, and expected them to believe, that, + when this species of stupefaction was produced while she was employed in + any action, the action was repeated as long as the mesmeric influence + lasted. For instance, it was asserted that she was once deprived of the + motion of every part of her body, except the right forefinger, with which + she was rubbing her chin; and that, when thrown into the trance, she + continued rubbing her chin for several minutes, until she was + unmagnetised, when she ceased. A similar result was obtained when she was + smoothing down her hair; and at another time when she was imitating the + laughter of the spectators, excited beyond control by her clever mimicry. + At another time she was suddenly thrown into the state of delirious stupor + while pronouncing the word "you," of which she kept prolonging the sound + for several minutes, with a sort of vibrating noise, until she was + awakened. At another time, when a magnetised sovereign was given to her, + wrapped up in paper, she caught it in her hand, and turned it round + flatwise between her fingers, saying that it was wrapped up "very neatly + indeed." The mesmeric influence caught her in the remark, which she kept + repeating over and over again, all the while twirling the sovereign round + and round until the influence in the coin had evaporated. + </p> + <p> + We are also told of a remarkable instance of the force of the magnetic + power. While Elizabeth Okey was one day employed in writing, a sovereign + which had been imbued with the fluid was placed upon her boot. In half a + minute her leg was paralyzed—rooted to the floor—perfectly + immovable at the joints, and visited, apparently, with pain so intense + that the girl writhed in agony. "The muscles of the leg were found," says + the report, "as rigid and stiff as if they had been carved in wood. When + the sovereign was removed, the pain left her in a quarter of a minute. On + a subsequent day, a mesmerised sovereign was placed in her left hand as it + hung at her side, with the palm turned slightly outwards. The hand and arm + were immediately paralyzed—fixed with marble-like firmness." No + general stupor having occurred, she was requested to move her arm; but she + could not lift it a hair's-breadth from her side. On another occasion, + when in a state of delirium, in which she had remained three hours, she + was asked to describe her feelings when she handled any magnetised object + and went off into the stupor. She had never before, although several times + asked, given any information upon the subject. She now replied that, at + the moment of losing her senses through any manipulations, she experienced + a sensation of opening in the crown of her head; that she never knew when + it closed again; but that her eyes seemed to become exceedingly large;—three + times as big as before. On recovering from this state, she remembered + nothing that had taken place in the interval, whether that interval were + hours or days; her only sensation was that of awakening, and of something + being lifted from her eyes. + </p> + <p> + The regular publication of these marvellous experiments, authenticated as + they were by many eminent names, naturally excited the public attention in + an extreme degree. Animal Magnetism became the topic of discussion in + every circle—politics and literature were for a time thrown into the + shade, so strange were the facts, or so wonderful was the delusion. The + public journals contented themselves in many instances with a mere + relation of the results, without giving any opinion as to the cause. One + of them which gave a series of reports upon the subject, thus described + the girl, and avowed its readiness to believe all that was related of her. + [Morning Post, March 2, 1838.] "Her appearance as she sits, as pale and + almost as still as a corpse, is strangely awful. She whistles to oblige + Dr. Elliotson: an incredulous bystander presses his fingers upon her lips; + she does not appear conscious of the nature of the interruption; but when + asked to continue, replies in childish surprise, 'it can't.' This state of + magnetic semi-existence will continue we know not how long. She has + continued in it for twelve days at a time, and when awakened to real life + forgets all that has occurred in the magnetic one. Can this be deception? + We have conversed with the poor child her ordinary state as she sat by the + fire in her ward, suffering from the headach, which persecutes her almost + continually when not under the soothing fluence of the magnetic operation, + and we confess we never beheld anybody less likely to prove an impostor. + We have seen Professor Faraday exerting his acute and sagacious powers for + an hour together, in the endeavour to detect some physical discrepancy in + her performance, or elicit some blush of mental confusion by his naive and + startling remarks. But there was nothing which could be detected, and the + professor candidly confessed that the matter was beyond his philosophy to + unravel." + </p> + <p> + Notwithstanding this sincere, and on the point of integrity, unimpeachable + evidence in her favour; notwithstanding that she appeared to have no + motives for carrying on so extraordinary and long-continued a deception, + the girl was an impostor, and all these wise, learned, and contemplative + men her dupes. It was some time, however, before this fact was clearly + established, and the delusion dissipated by the clear light of truth. In + the mean time various other experiments on the efficacy of the supposed + magnetic power were tried in various parts of England; but the country did + not furnish another epileptic girl so clever as Elizabeth Okey. An + exhibition of the kind was performed on a girl named Sarah Overton, at the + workhouse of the parish of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. The magnetiser on + this occasion was Mr. Bainbridge, the parish surgeon. It is but justice to + him to state, that he conducted the experiments with the utmost fairness, + and did not pretend to produce any of the wondrous and incredible + phenomena of other practitioners. This girl, whose age was about twenty, + had long been subject to epileptic fits, and appeared remarkably simple + and modest in her manners and appearance. She was brought into the room + and placed in a chair. About twenty gentlemen were present. Mr. Bainbridge + stationed himself behind, and pointed his fingers at her brain, while his + assistant in front made the magnetic passes before her eyes, and over her + body. It cannot be said that her imagination was not at work; for she had + been previously magnetised, and was brought in with her eyes open, and in + complete possession of all her faculties. No means had been taken to + prevent interruption during the sitting; new visiters continually arrived, + and the noise of the opening and shutting of the door repeatedly called + from Mr. Bainbridge a request that all should be kept silent. The girl + herself constantly raised her head to see who was coming in; but still, in + direct contradiction to M. Dupotet, and, indeed, all the magnetisers, who + have repeated over and over again, that interruption destroys the magnetic + power, she fell into a deep sleep at the end of about twelve minutes. In + this state, which is that called "Mesmeric Coma," she was quite + insensible. Though pulled violently by the hair, and pricked on the arm + with a pin, she showed no signs of consciousness or feeling. In a short + time afterwards, she was awakened into the somnambulic or delirious state, + when she began to converse freely with the persons around her, but more + especially with her magnetiser. She would sing if required, and even dance + in obedience to his command, and pretended to see him although her eyes + were closely blindfolded with a handkerchief. She seemed to have a + constant tendency to fall back into the state of coma, and had to be + aroused with violence every two or three minutes to prevent a relapse. A + motion of the hand before her face was sufficient to throw her, in the + middle of a song, into this insensible state; but it was observed + particularly that she fell at regular intervals, whether any magnetic + passes were made at her or not. It was hinted aloud to a person present + that he should merely bend his body before her, and she would become + insensible, and fall to the ground. The pass was made, and she fell + accordingly into the arms of a medical gentleman, who stood behind ready + to receive her. The girl having been again aroused into the state of + delirium, another person, still audibly, was requested to do the same. He + did not; but the girl fell as before. The experiments were sufficient to + convince the author that one human being could indubitably exercise a very + wonderful influence over another; but that imagination only, and not the + mesmeric fluid, was the great agent by which these phenomena could be + produced in persons of strong faith and weak bodies. + </p> + <p> + Some gentlemen present were desirous of trying whether any of the higher + mesmeric states, such as that of lucidity and clairvoyance could be + produced. Mr. Bainbridge was willing to allow the experiment to be made, + but previously expressed his own doubts upon the subject. A watch was then + put into her bosom, the dial plate and glass against her skin, to + ascertain whether she could see without the intervention of the organs of + sight. She was asked what hour it was; and was promised a shilling if she + would tell by the watch which had been placed in her bosom. She held out + her hand for the shilling, and received it with great delight. She was + then asked if she could see the watch? She said "no—not a watch; she + could see something—something that was very pretty indeed." "Come, + come, Sally," said Mr. Bainbridge, "you must not be so stupid; rouse up, + girl, and tell us what o'clock it is, and I'll give you another shilling!" + The girl at this time seemed to be relapsing into a deep sleep; but on + being shaken, aroused herself with a convulsive start. In reply to further + questions, she said, "she could see a clock, a very pretty clock, indeed!" + She was again asked, five or six times, what the hour was: she at last + replied that "it was ten minutes to two." The watch being then taken out + of her bosom, it was found to be on the stroke of two. Every one present, + including the magnetiser, confessed that there was nothing wonderful in + the conjecture she had hazarded. She knew perfectly well what hour it was + before she was brought into the ward, as there was a large clock in the + workhouse, and a bell which rang at dinner time; she calculated mentally + the interval that had since elapsed, and guessed accordingly. The same + watch was afterwards advanced four or five hours, and put into her bosom + without a word being said in her hearing. On being again asked what + o'clock it was by that watch, and promised another shilling if she would + tell, she still replied that it was near two—the actual time. Thus, + as Mr. Bainbridge had predicted, the experiment came to nothing. The whole + case of this girl offered a striking instance of the power of imagination, + but no proof whatever of the supposed existence of the magnetic fluid. + </p> + <p> + The Medical Committee of the University College Hospital took alarm at a + very early period at the injury which might be done to that Institution, + by the exhibitions of Okey and her magnetisers. A meeting was held in June + 1838, at which Dr. Elliotson was not present, to take into consideration + the reports of the experiments that had been published in the Medical + Journals. Resolutions were then passed to the effect, that Dr. Elliotson + should be requested to refrain from further public exhibitions of + mesmerism; and, at the same time, stating the wish of the Committee not to + interfere with its private employment as a remedial agent, if he thought + it would be efficacious upon any of the patients of the Institution. Dr. + Elliotson replied, that no consideration should prevent him from pursuing + the investigation of Animal Magnetism; but that he had no desire to make a + public exhibition of it. He had only given lectures and demonstrations + when numbers of scientific gentlemen were present; he still continued to + receive numerous letters from learned and eminent men, entreating + permission to witness the phenomena; but if the Committee willed it, he + should admit no person without their sanction. He shortly afterwards sent + a list of the names of individuals who were anxious to witness the + experiments. The Committee returned it to him unread, with the reply that + they could not sanction any exhibition that was so entirely foreign to the + objects of the Hospital. In answer to this, Dr. Elliotson reiterated his + full belief in the doctrines of Animal Magnetism, and his conviction that + his experiments would ultimately throw a light upon the operations of + nature, which would equal, if not exceed, that elicited by the greatest + discoveries of by-gone ages. The correspondence dropped here; and the + experiments continued as usual. + </p> + <p> + The scene, however, was drawing to a close. On the 25th of August, a + notice was published in the Lancet, to the effect, that some experiments + had been performed on the girls Elizabeth and Jane Okey, at the house of + Mr. Wakley, a report of which was only withheld in the hope that the + Committee of Members of the Medical Profession, then sitting to + investigate the phenomena of mesmerism, would publish their report of what + they had witnessed. It was further stated, that whether that Committee did + or did not publish their report, the result of the experiments at Mr. + Wakley's house should certainly be made known in the next number of that + journal. Accordingly, on the 1st of September appeared a statement, which + overthrew, in the most complete manner, the delusion of mesmerism. Nothing + could have been better conducted than these experiments; nothing could be + more decisive of the fact, that all the phenomena were purely the results + of the excited imaginations of the girls, aided in no slight degree by + their wilful deception. + </p> + <p> + The first experiments were performed on the 16th of August, in the + presence of Mr. Wakley, M. Dupotet, Dr. Elliotson, Dr. Richardson, Mr. + Herring, Mr. Clarke, and Mr. G. Mills the writer of the published reports + of the experiments at the University College Hospital. Dr. Elliotson had + said, that nickel was capable of retaining and transmitting the magnetic + fluid in an extraordinary degree; but that lead possessed no such virtues. + The effects of the nickel, he was confident, would be quite astounding; + but that lead might always be applied with impunity. A piece of nickel was + produced by the Doctor, about three quarters of an ounce in weight, + together with a piece of lead of the same shape and smoothness, but + somewhat larger. Elizabeth Okey was seated in a chair; and, by a few + passes and manipulations, was thrown into the state of "ecstatic + delirium." A piece of thick pasteboard was then placed in front of her + face, and held in that situation by two of the spectators, so that she + could not see what was passing either below or in front of her. Mr. Wakley + having received both the nickel and the lead, seated himself opposite the + girl, and applied the lead to each hand alternately, but in such a manner + as to lead her to believe that both metals had been used. No effect was + produced. The nickel magnetised by Dr. Elliotson was, after a pause, + applied in a similar manner. No results followed. After another pause, the + lead was several times applied, and then again the nickel. After the last + application of the nickel, the face of the patient became violently + flushed, the eyes were convulsed into a startling squint, she fell back in + the chair, her breathing was hurried, her limbs rigid, and her back bent + in the form of a bow. She remained in this state for a quarter of an hour. + </p> + <p> + This experiment was not considered a satisfactory proof of the magnetic + powers of the nickel; and Dr. Elliotson suggested that, in the second + experiment, that metal should alone be tried. Mr. Wakley was again the + operator; but, before commencing, he stated privately to Mr. Clarke, that + instead of using nickel only, he would not employ the nickel at all. Mr. + Clarke, unseen by any person present, took the piece of nickel; put it + into his waistcoat pocket; and walked to the window, where he remained + during the whole of the experiment. Mr. Wakley again sat down, employing + both hands, but placing his fingers in such a manner, that it was + impossible for any person to see what substance he held. Presently, on + applying his left hand, the girl's vision being still obstructed by the + pasteboard, Mr. Herring, who was standing near, said in a whisper, and + with much sincerity, "Take care, don't apply the nickel too strongly." + Immediately the face of the girl became violently red, her eyes were fixed + in an intense squint, she fell back convulsively in her chair, and all the + previous symptoms were produced more powerfully than before. Dr. Elliotson + observed that the effects were most extraordinary; that no other metal + than nickel could produce them, and that they presented a beautiful series + of phenomena. This paroxysm lasted half an hour. Mr. Wakley retired with + Dr. Elliotson and the other gentlemen into an adjoining room, and + convinced them that he had used no nickel at all, but a piece of lead and + a farthing. + </p> + <p> + This experiment was twice repeated with the same results. A third trial + was made with the nickel, but no effect was produced. + </p> + <p> + On the succeeding day the experiments were repeated upon both the sisters, + chiefly with mesmerised water and sovereigns. The investigation occupied + about five hours, and the following were the results:— + </p> + <p> + 1. Six wine glasses, filled with water unmesmerised, were placed on a + table, and Jane Okey being called in, was requested to drink from each of + them successively. She did so, and no effect was produced. + </p> + <p> + 2. The same six glasses stood on the table, the water in the fourth having + been subjected for a long time to the supposed magnetic influence. She was + requested in like manner to drink of these. She did so, and again no + effect was produced, although, according to the doctrine of the + magnetisers, she ought to have been immediately fixed on drinking of the + fourth. + </p> + <p> + 3. In this experiment the position of the glasses was changed. There was + no result. + </p> + <p> + 4. Was a repetition of the foregoing. No result. + </p> + <p> + 5. The water in all the glasses was subjected to the supposed magnetic + influence from the fingers of Dr. Elliotson, until, in his opinion, it was + strongly magnetised. Still no result. + </p> + <p> + 6. The glasses were filled up with fresh water unmesmerised. No result. + </p> + <p> + 7. The water was strongly magnetised in each glass, and the girl emptied + them all. No result. + </p> + <p> + It would be needless to go through the whole series of experiments. The + results may be briefly stated. Sovereigns unmesmerised threw the girls + into convulsions, or fixed them. Mesmerised sovereigns sometimes did and + sometimes did not produce these symptoms. Elizabeth Okey became repeatedly + fixed when drinking unmagnetised water; while that which had been + subjected to the powers of a supposed magnetic battery, produced no + results. Altogether twenty-nine experiments were tried, which convinced + every one present, except Dr. Elliotson, that Animal Magnetism was a + delusion, that the girls were of very exciteable imaginations, and arrant + impostors. + </p> + <p> + Their motives for carrying on so extraordinary a deception have often been + asked. The question is easily answered. Poor girls, unknown and unnoticed, + or, if noticed, perhaps despised, they found themselves all at once the + observed of all observers, by the really remarkable symptoms of their + disease, which it required no aid from magnetism to produce. Flattered by + the oft-repeated experiments and constant attentions of doctors and + learned men, who had begun by deluding themselves, they imagined + themselves persons of vast importance, and encouraged by degrees the whims + of their physicians, as the means of prolonging the consideration they so + unexpectedly enjoyed. Constant practice made them at last all but perfect + in the parts they were performing; and they failed at last, not from a + want of ingenuity, or of a most wonderful power over their own minds, and + by their minds upon their bodies, but from the physical impossibility of + seeing through a thick pasteboard, or into the closed hands of Mr. Wakley. + The exposure that was made was complete and decisive. From that day forth, + magnetism in England has hid its diminished head, and affronted no longer + the common sense of the age. M. Dupotet is no more heard of, the girls + Okey afford no more either wonder or amusement by their clever acting, and + reason has resumed her sway in the public mind. + </p> + <p> + A few more circumstances remain to be stated. Elizabeth Okey left the + hospital; but was re-admitted some weeks afterwards, labouring under + ischuria, a fresh complaint, unconnected with her former malady. As + experiments in magnetism were still tried upon her privately, + notwithstanding the recent exposure and the all but universal derision of + the public, the House Committee of the hospital, early in December, met to + consider the expediency of expelling the girl. Dr. Elliotson, on that + occasion, expressed his opinion that it was necessary to retain her in the + hospital, as she was too ill to be discharged. It was then elicited from + the nurse, who was examined by the Committee, that Okey, when in the state + of "magnetic delirium," was in the habit of prophesying the death or + recovery of the patients in the ward; that, with the consent of Dr. + Elliotson, she had been led in the twilight into the men's ward, and had + prophesied in a similar manner; her predictions being taken down in + writing, and given in a sealed paper to the apothecary, to be opened after + a certain time, that it might be seen whether they were verified. Dr. + Elliotson did not deny the fact. The nurse also stated more particularly + the manner in which the prophecies were delivered. She said that, on + approaching the bed of a certain patient, Okey gave a convulsive shudder, + exclaiming that "Great Jacky was sitting on the bedclothes!" On being + asked to explain herself, she said that Great Jacky was the angel of + death. At the bedside of another patient she shuddered slightly, and said + "Little Jacky was there!" Dr. Elliotson did not altogether discredit the + predictions; but imagined they might ultimately be verified by the death + or recovery of the patient. Upon the minds of the patients themselves, + enfeebled as they were by disease and suffering, the worst effects were + produced. One man's death was accelerated by the despondency it + occasioned, and the recovery of others was seriously impeded. + </p> + <p> + When these facts became known, the Council of the College requested the + Medical Committee to discharge Okey and prevent any further exhibitions of + Animal Magnetism in the wards. The latter part of this request having been + communicated to Dr. Elliotson, he immediately sent in his resignation. A + successor was afterwards appointed in the person of Dr. Copland. At his + inaugural lecture the students of the college manifested a riotous + disposition, called repeatedly for their old instructor, and refused to + allow the lecture to proceed; but it appears the disturbance was caused by + their respect and affection for Dr. Elliotson individually, and not from + any participation in his ideas about magnetism. + </p> + <p> + Extravagant as the vagaries of the English professors of magnetism may + appear, they are actual common sense in comparison with the aberrations of + the Germans. The latter have revived all the exploded doctrines of the + Rosicrucians; and in an age which is called enlightened, have disinterred + from the rubbish of antiquity, the wildest superstitions of their + predecessors, and built upon them theories more wild and startling than + anything before attempted or witnessed among mankind. Paracelsus and + Bohmen, Borri and Meyer, with their strange heterogeneous mixture of + alchymy and religion, but paved the way for the stranger, and even more + extravagant mixture of magnetism and religion, as now practised in + Germany. Magnetism, it is believed, is the key of all knowledge, and opens + the door to those forbidden regions where all the wonders of God's works + are made clear to the mind of man. The magnetic patient is possessed of + all gifts—can converse with myriads of spirits, and even with God + himself—be transported with greater rapidity than the lightning's + flash to the moon or the stars, and see their inhabitants, and hold + converse with them on the wonders and beauties of their separate spheres, + and the power and goodness of the God who made them. Time and space are to + them as if annihilated—nothing is hidden from them—past, + present, or future. They divine the laws by which the universe is upheld, + and snatch the secrets of the Creator from the darkness in which, to all + other men, it is enveloped. For the last twenty or thirty years these + daring and blasphemous notions have flourished in rank luxuriance; and men + of station in society, learning, and apparent good sense in all the usual + affairs of life, have publicly given in their adhesion, and encouraged the + doctrine by their example, or spread it abroad by their precepts. That the + above summary of their tenets may not be deemed an exaggeration we enter + into particulars, and refer the incredulous that human folly in the + present age could ever be pushed so far, to chapter and verse for every + allegation. + </p> + <p> + In a work published in Germany in 1817, by J. A. L. Richter, entitled + "Considerations on Animal Magnetism," the author states that in magnetism + is to be found the solution of the enigmas of human existence, and + particularly the enigmas of Christianity, on the mystic and obscure parts + of which it throws a light which permits us to gaze clearly on the secrets + of the mystery. Wolfart's "Annals of Animal Magnetism" abound with similar + passages; and Kluge's celebrated work is written in the same spirit. "Such + is the wonderful sympathy," says the latter, "between the magnetiser and + the somnambulist that he has known the latter to vomit and be purged in + consequence of medicine which the former had taken. Whenever he put pepper + on his tongue, or drank wine, the patient could taste these things + distinctly on her palate." But Kerner's history of the case of Madame + Hauffe, the famous magnetic woman, "Seer" or "Prophetess of Prevorst," + Will give a more complete and melancholy proof of the sad wanderings of + these German "men of science," than any random selections we might make + from their voluminous works. This work was published in two volumes, and + the authenticity of its details supported by Gorres, Eschenmeyer, and + other men of character and reputation in Germany: it is said to have had + an immense sale. She resided in the house of Kerner, at Weinsberg; and + being weak and sickly, was very easily thrown into a state of + somnambulism. "She belonged," says Kerner, "to a world of spirits; she was + half spirit herself; she belonged to the region beyond death, in which she + already half existed. * * * Her body clothed her spirit like a thin veil. + * * * She was small and slightly made, had an Oriental expression of + countenance, and the piercing eyes of a prophet, the gleams of which were + increased in their power and beauty by her long dark eyebrows and + eyelashes. She was a flower of light, living upon sunbeams. * * * Her + spirit often seemed to be separated from her frame. The spirits of all + things, of which mankind in general have no perception, were perceptible + to and operated upon her, more particularly the spirits of metals, herbs, + men, and animals. All imponderable matters, even the rays of light, had an + effect upon her when she was magnetised." The smell of flint was very + agreeable to her. Salt laid on her hand caused a flow of saliva: rock + crystal laid on the pit of her stomach produced rigidity of the whole + body. Red grapes produced certain effects, if placed in her hands; white + grapes produced different effects. The bone of an elk would throw her into + an epileptic fit. The tooth of a mammoth produced a feeling of + sluggishness. A spider's web rolled into a ball produced a prickly feeling + in the hands, and a restlessness in the whole body. Glow-worms threw her + into the magnetic sleep. Music somnambulised her. When she wanted to be + cheerful, she requested Kerner to magnetise the water she drank, by + playing the Jew's-harp. She used to say in her sleep, "Magnetise the water + by seven vibrations of the harp." If she drank water magnetised in this + manner, she was constrained involuntarily to pour forth her soul in song. + The eyes of many men threw her into the state of somnambulism. She said + that in those eyes there was a spiritual spark, which was the mirror of + the soul. If a magnetised rod were laid on her right eye, every object on + which she gazed appeared magnified. + </p> + <p> + It was by this means that she was enabled to see the inhabitants of the + moon. She said, that on the left side of the moon, the inhabitants were + great builders, and much happier than those on the right side. "I often + see," said she to her magnetiser, "many spirits with whom I do not come + into contact. Others come to me, and I speak to them; and they often spend + months in my company. I hear and see other things at the same time; but I + cannot turn my eyes from the spirits; they are in magnetic rapport with + me. They look like clouds, thin, but not transparent; though, at first, + they seem so. Still, I never saw one which cast a shadow. Their form is + similar to that which they possessed when alive; but colourless, or grey. + They wear clothing; and it appears as if made of clouds, also colourless + and misty grey. The brighter and better spirits wear long garments, which + hang in graceful folds, with belts around their waists. The expression of + their features is sad and solemn. Their eyes are bright, like fire; but + none of them that I ever saw had hair upon their heads. They make noises + when they wish to excite the attention of those who have not the gift of + seeing them. These noises consist of sounds in the air, sometimes sudden + and sharp, and causing a shock. Sometimes the sounds are plaintive and + musical; at other times they resemble the rustling of silk, the falling of + sand, or the rolling of a ball. The better spirits are brighter than the + bad ones, and their voice is not so strong. Many, particularly the dark, + sad spirits, when I uttered words of religious consolation, sucked them + in, as it were; and I saw them become brighter and quite glorious in + consequence: but I became weaker. Most of the spirits who come to me are + of the lowest regions of the spiritual world, which are situated just + above our atmosphere. They were, in their life, grovelling and low-minded + people, or such as did not die in the faith of Jesus; or else such as, in + expiring, clung to some earthly thought or affection, which now presses + upon them, and prevents them from soaring up to heaven. I once asked a + spirit whether children grew after death? 'Yes,' replied the spirit,' the + soul gradually expands, until it becomes as large as it would have been on + earth. I cannot effect the salvation of these spirits; I am only their + mediator. I pray ardently with them, and so lead them by degrees to the + great Saviour of the world. It costs an infinity of trouble before such a + soul turns again to the Lord.'" + </p> + <p> + It would, however, serve no good purpose to extend to greater length the + reveries of this mad woman, or to set down one after the other the names + of the magnetisers who encouraged her in her delusions—being + themselves deluded. To wade through these volumes of German mysticism is a + task both painful and disgusting—and happily not necessary. Enough + has been stated to show how gross is the superstition even of the learned; + and that errors, like comets, run in one eternal cycle—at their + apogee in one age, at their perigee in the next, but returning in one + phase or another for men to wonder at. + </p> + <p> + In England the delusion of magnetism may for the present be considered as + fairly exploded. Taking its history from the commencement, and tracing it + to our own day, it can hardly be said, delusion though it was, that it has + been wholly without its uses. To quote the words of Bailly, in 1784, + "Magnetism has not been altogether unavailing to the philosophy which + condemns it: it is an additional fact to record among the errors of the + human mind, and a great experiment on the strength of the imagination." + Over that vast inquiry of the influence of mind over matter,—an + inquiry which the embodied intellect of mankind will never be able to + fathom completely,—it will, at least, have thrown a feeble and + imperfect light. It will have afforded an additional proof of the strength + of the unconquerable will, and the weakness of matter as compared with it; + another illustration of the words of the inspired Psalmist, that "we are + fearfully and wonderfully made." If it serve no other purpose than this, + its history will prove useful. Truth ere now has been elicited by means of + error; and Animal Magnetism, like other errors, may yet contribute its + quota towards the instruction and improvement of mankind. + </p> + <p> + THE END. + </p> + <div style="height: 6em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular +Delusions, by Charles Mackay + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POPULAR DELUSIONS *** + +***** This file should be named 884-h.htm or 884-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/8/8/884/ + +Produced by An Anonymous Project Gutenberg Volunteer and David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions 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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