Read Ebook: Alchemy: Ancient and Modern Being a Brief Account of the Alchemistic Doctrines and Their Relations to Mysticism on the One Hand and to Recent Discoveries in Physical Science on the Other Hand; Together with Some Particulars Regarding the Lives and Teachin by Redgrove H Stanley Herbert Stanley

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Beneath and within all these coverings of outward properties, taught the alchemists, is hidden the secret essence of all material things. ". . . the elements and compounds," writes one alchemist, "in addition to crass matter, are composed of a subtle substance, or intrinsic radical humidity, diffused through the elemental parts, simple and wholly incorruptible, long preserving the things themselves in vigour, and called the Spirit of the World, proceeding from the Soul of the World, the one certain life, filling and fathoming all things, gathering together and connecting all things, so that from the three genera of creatures, Intellectual, Celestial, and Corruptible, there is formed the One Machine of the whole world." It is hardly necessary to point out how nearly this approaches modern views regarding the Ether of Space.

The Growth of the Metals.

"Thus the power of growth that I speak of is imparted not by the earth, but by the life-giving spirit that is in it. If the earth were deserted by this spirit, it would be dead, and no longer able to afford nourishment to anything. For its sulphur or richness would lack the quickening spirit without which there can be neither life nor growth."

Alchemy and Astrology.

Moreover, it was thought by some alchemists that a due observance of astrological conditions was necessary for successfully carrying out important alchemistic experiments.

This supposed connection between the metals and planets also played an important part in Talismanic Magic.

Alchemistic View of the Nature of Gold.

The Philosopher's Stone.

The Nature of the Philosopher's Stone.

The Theory of Development.

The Powers of the Philosopher's Stone.

The Elixir of Life.

The Practical Methods of the Alchemists.

"Besides these decretory signs which firmly inhere in the matter, and shew its essential mutations, almost infinite colours appear, and shew themselves in vapours, as the Rainbow in the clouds, which quickly pass away and are expelled by those that succeed, more affecting the air than the earth: the operator must have a gentle care of them, because they are not permanent, and proceed not from the intrinsic disposition of the matter, but from the fire painting and fashioning everything after its pleasure, or casually by heat in slight moisture" . Very probably this is not without a mystical meaning as well as a supposed application in the preparation of the physical Stone.

THE ALCHEMISTS

Hermes Trismegistos.

The Smaragdine Table.

These sentences clearly teach the doctrine of the alchemistic essence or "One Thing," which is everywhere present, penetrating even solids , and out of which all things of the physical world are made by adaptation or modification. The terms Sun and Moon in the above passage probably stand for Spirit and Matter respectively, not gold and silver.

Zosimus of Panopolis.

Geber.

Other Arabian Alchemists.

The teachings of the Arabian alchemists gradually penetrated into the Western world, in which, during the thirteenth century, flourished some of the most eminent of the alchemists, whose lives and teachings we must now briefly consider.

PORTRAIT OF ALBERTUS MAGNUS.

Albertus Magnus .

Thomas Aquinas .

Roger Bacon .

Arnold de Villanova .

Raymond Lully .

Peter Bonus .

Nicolas Flamel .

"Basil Valentine" and "The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony."

Isaac of Holland .

Bernard Tr?visan .

Sir George Ripley .

At the conclusion of the work he tells us that in all that he wrote before he was mistaken; he says:--

Thomas Norton .

THE ALCHEMISTS

Paracelsus

Paracelsus combined in himself such opposite characteristics that it is a matter of difficulty to criticise him aright. As says Professor Ferguson: "It is most difficult . . . to ascertain what his true character really was, to appreciate aright this man of fervid imagination, of powerful and persistent conviction, of unbated honesty and love of truth, of keen insight into the errors of his time, of a merciless will to lay bare these errors and to reform the abuses to which they gave rise, who in an instant offends by his boasting, his grossness, his want of self-respect. It is a problem how to reconcile his ignorance, his weakness, his superstition, his crude notions, his erroneous observations, his ridiculous inferences and theories, with his grasp of method, his lofty views of the true scope of medicine, his lucid statements, his incisive and epigrammatic criticisms of men and motives." It is also a problem of considerable difficulty to determine which of the many books attributed to him are really his genuine works, and consequently what his views on certain points exactly were.

Views of Paracelsus.

Iatro-Chemistry.

The Rosicrucian Society.

Thomas Charnock .

Thomas Charnock married in 1562 a Miss Agnes Norden. He died in 1581. It is, perhaps, unnecessary to say that his name does not appear in the history of Chemistry.

Andreas Libavius

Edward Kelley and John Dee

An English translation of Kelley's alchemistic works were published under the editorship of Mr. A. E. Waite, in 1893.

Henry Khunrath .

Alexander Sethon and Michael Sendivogius .

PORTRAIT OF MICHAEL MAIER.

Michael Maier .

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