the glittering speculation of an exalted mind, that may please and dazzle for a time, but can produce no real or lasting advantage; men who value themselves upon a perpetual scepticism, and have, consequently, been the most formidable enemies of the great benefactors of the world.-We, on the contrary, entirely agree with one of the most enlightened writers of our days, who remarks, that "the attempts to discover the philosopher's stone, and the quadrature of the circle, have led to many useful discoveries in mathematics."

To the partially enlightened spirits of a dark age, the study of alchymy naturally presented many charms, and was as naturally pursued from many motives :-laudable curiosity, affected superiority, fascinating love of mystery, had, each, their share; and, to crown all, cupidity and self-interest: and yet, though we fear it must be allowed that the latter were predominant, in many cases, we know not how far it is either just or fair to overwhelm its professors with the load of vituperation, heaped on them by those who look only at the follies of which they were guilty; for, with all their failings, we are inclined, generally speaking, to absolve them from the guilt of hypocrisy, and to believe that, in thought, word, and deed, they were consistent self-deceivers, instead of artful impostors. Of their sincerity, diligence, and piety, indeed, we find ample proof scattered over their works, with a gratuitous profusion quite unnecessary for persons whose sole object it was to enrich themselves, and fatten upon the credulity of their dupes. Of course, in saying this, we would confine ourselves to the professors and founders of the art, not to the low pretenders, who, availing themselves of human weakness, profited by this popular infirmity. We would wish them to speak in their own defence thus, then, closes the life of Johannes Strangunere, a profound student in the "celestial sciences," in an address to his son." But I desire thee, upon the salvation of thy soul, that thou do not forget the poor; and, in any case, to look well to thyself, that thou do not disclose the secrets of this science to any covetous, worldly man; for, if thou do, it will turn to thy hurt; for I have declared to thee, as I trust to be saved, upon my salvation, the things that my eyes have seen, and my hands have wrought, and my fingers have pulled forth; and I have written this book with my own hand, and set to my name, as I did lie on my death-bed, in the year 1432." Again, that great adept, Peter John Faber, author of the Propugnaculum," thus speaks of the disposition and qua

*Stewart on the Mind," 464.

66

Supremum sapientiæ

lities essential to a true alchymist. gradum habere tentant et cupiunt qui ad lapidem philosophorum aspirant: Deum potissimum ergo timere, in primis habent, cum initium sapientiæ et scientiæ, sit timor Dei; ad supremum enim sapientiæ et scientia culmen evehi nequeunt, nisi Deo ducente elevante ac sublimante, sapientia enim sola a Deo est nec auro ullo pacto et argento erui potest," &c. Propugnaculum, p. 103.

So much for their piety, (implying also sincerity;) in further corroboration of which, we are unwilling to multiply quotations, which will, more properly, be introduced in our comments upon the works themselves; but, in addition, we beg leave to give the picture of a true alchymist, in the words of the renowned Paracelsus himself; after which, it would be quite superfluous to offer a syllable more in proof of their diligence.

"In the mean time, I will give to Spagiricall Physitians their due praise; for they are not given to idlenesse and sloth, nor goe in a proud habit, or plush and velvet garments, often shewing their rings upon their fingers or wearing swords with silver hilts by their sides, or fine and gay gloves upon their hands, but diligently follow their labours, sweating whole nights and dayes by their furnaces. These doe not spend their time abroad for recreation, but take delight in their laboratory. They wear leather garments, with a pouch and apron, wherewith they wipe their hands. They put their fingers amongst coales, into clay and dung, not into gold rings. They are sooty and black, like smithes, or colliers, and doe not pride themselves with clean and beautiful faces; but, laying aside all these kinds of vanities, they delight to bee busied about the fire, and to learn the degrees of the science of Alchymie. Of this order are distillation, resolution, putrefaction, extraction, calcination, recerberation, sublimation, fixation, separation, reduction, coagulation, tincture," &c.

Having said this much for the operators, we would extend the favourable feeling to the object of their pursuit, and remind our readers of the degree of gratitude due to the art itself, from all classes of society now revelling in full possession and enjoyment of fruits matured from alchymical seeds, unwittingly and casually scattered over the soil of science. What saith Cornelius Agrippa, that " portentous witt," as Paulus Jovius styles him; or that "miracle of learning and learned men," as he is, with equal propriety, termed by his biographer, Ludovicus Vivus, a philosopher of no mean repute, and a dabbler in the occult sciences, though, as we shall see, a devout eschewer of the alchymic art, who thus, in his curious work

"Paracelsus, of the Nature of Things," 92.

on" the vanitie of sciences," is compelled, nevertheless, to do justice, if not to the cause, at least to the effects of alchymy?"

"This onely I will say, that the Alcumister be, of all men, the naughtiest for, whereas God commandeth that man should eate breade with the sweate of his browes, &c. these men. being despisers of God's commandment, and of the promised blessednesse, farre from labour and (as it is sayd) in womens worke, and in boyes pastime, they go about to make mountaines of golde. I doe not denie that, of this arte, many most excellent workemanshippes had theyr beginning: From hence came the temperatures of asure, of cinnabar, of sinople, of purple, and of that which they call musicall golde, and other colours: wee are bounde to this arte for latten mettall, for the mixtions of all mettals, for the fastenings of them togither, for the tryings of them, and for their separation. The invention of the gunnę, a fearfull instrument, belongeth to this arte: from this came the most noble art of glasse making," &c.*

And Lord Bacon has a remark, in his History of Marvails, which, mutato nomine, is very applicable to the question. He is speaking of sorceries, witchcrafts, dreams, divinations, and the like, concerning which he says, "howsoever the practice of such things is to be condemned, yet, from the speculation and consideration of them, light may be taken, not only for the discerning of the offences, but for the further disclosing of nature. Neither ought a man to make scruple of entering into these things, for the inquisition of truth."+

We perfectly agree with these learned men; convinced, as we are, that, to the persevering labours of alchymy, experimental science owes, if not its rise, certainly much of its progress and success.-These subtle divers into the penetralia of Nature, in the absence of rational and sound principles, were compelled to search for facts, as the only sure mode of investigation, and passed days and nights, as we have seen, in obscure laboratories, amidst their crucibles, extorting, if we may so speak, from nature the materials wherewith they intended to exalt themselves, and astonish the world, by imaginary discoveries.

Before we enter upon an analysis of the books at the head of our article, we shall endeavour to give a sketch of the history, characteristic peculiarities, and principles, of this singular delusion, which, during certain periods of its prevalence, occupied the minds of some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals of the world, and spread its influence over the wide surface of civilised society to a much greater degree than those, who have given little heed to its operations, can

"Cornelius Agrippa,” 159.

+ "Bacon," vol ii., p. 103.

imagine possible. With the high pretensions, ever associated with presumptuous quackery, its origin is lost in the shades of the most remote antiquity.-It does not, indeed, presume to rival the chronicles of the Chinese and other Eastern nations, who date their commencement some thousands of years before the creation, but, according to some of its professors, it stands first and foremost on the list of sciences cultivated, in the shady groves of Paradise, by no less a person than Adam himself, who, it is said, taught it to Enech; from whom it descended, doubtless, with valuable emendations and improvements, to Moses and others. We are not fond of over-bold assertions without book. For Adam's knowledge, therefore, we beg leave to give the authority of the Propugnaculum.* "Certissimum est, hoc naturæ arcanum arcanorum omnium secretissimum, revelatum potius esse mortalibus ab ipsomet Deo, quam fuisse ab iisdem hominibus vi mentis humanæ excogitatum. Et si generalis et universalis naturæ creatæ cognitio fuit data et concessa Protoplasto Adamo nostro, nullo pacto dubitandum est, quin secretum istud naturæ etiam illi concessum sit,—ex qua tamen poterat ipse Adamus vi mentis suæ colligere tantum et secretissimum arcanum et deinde filiis suis tradere et communicare."-In fact, he seems to have been indebted to alchymy, solely, for the power which enabled him to bear up against the overwhelming evils incident to his transgression, and under the excitement of a sort of spiritual dram-drinking of the precious Elixir of Alchymism, undergo the labour of entailing existence in future generations. "Non poterat enim Adamus noster primus parens ex Paradiso ejectus et miser et nudus in vitæ humanæ calamitates omnes projectus se tam diu ab ipsa morte conservare ;" and that, "absque divina illa medicina, quam existimo illi fuisse concessum, Adamus et uxor ejus Eva," would never have been able to endure the fatiguing routine of common life, or genus humanum propagare et multiplicare!* Further, indeed, its good effects extended; for, thereby, we find an easy explanation of the protracted lives of the antediluvian world, both man and beast. The patriarchs themselves, indeed, preferred the Elixir, in its pure unadulterated state; but, by administering it in minor diluted doses, to their dogs, horses, and cattle," diluendo illud aqua communi et in potu præbendo," they could, even at the point of death, again set them on their legs, and thus keep up a farming establishment in admirable working order, coeval and coextensive with their own vitality. Nay more, by a subsolution of this same medicated syrop (eadem medicina) applied to the roots, trees, in the last stage

* "Propugnaculum," ch. 29., p. 89. +"Propugnaculum," 91.

of decay, became sound to the core, and our patriarchal woodsmen were thus supplied with a perpetuity of vigorous and flourishing forests, for, by persevering with this alchymical fomentation, " tali fotu, adeo roboratæ fuerunt arbores illæ, ut illo frondescere, vigere, florere, et fructus inde ferre, visæ sunt!*-That Tubal Cain, the acknowledged instructor of every artificer in brass and iron, should have made considerable progress in the art, is natural enough; we ought not, therefore, to be surprised that some did "hold this skill contained the whole and perfect decoction of the metallick virtue, wherein the central virtue was most abundant;" but although this may follow, as a matter of course, we doubt whether all our readers are aware, the light, which Noah was commanded to make, was "a precious stone hanged in the ark," (the true Philosopher's,) giving light to all living creatures therein; upon which Paracelsus properly remarks, that this "the greatest carbuncle could not do, nor any precious stone that is only natural." We know that, notwithstanding all this information, some will still remain impracticable sceptics, unassailable by any arguments we might presume to urge: to such, we can only address the words of the great and good Michael Sandivogius: "If any man doubt of the truth of the art, let him read the voluminous writings of ancient philosophers, verified by reason and experience, whom we may deservedly give credit to in their own art; but if any will not give credit to them, then we know not how to dispute with them, as denying principles: for deaf and dumb men cannot speak."+

Having thus, as in duty bound, given our authorities for the high and undoubted antiquity of the art, we shall proceed to offer a few humble remarks in corroboration of its having been studied, if not by our ancestors before the flood, which we take the unpardonable liberty of doubting, at least, by those who lived a few centuries subsequent to that event. Of its antiquity, indeed, seriously speaking, there can be no doubt. Whether it was, however, an importation from Egypt, by the Greek philosophers, must remain a questionable point; but we are inclined to think, from the extraordinary degree of information and learning combined with the practical knowledge of metallurgy, possessed by the Egyptians, that the supposition is not without some foundation. Moses, who was deeply skilled in all the sciences of that country, evinced a very considerable knowledge of the nature of metals, particularly gold; and, although there is some obscurity and ambiguity in his details

* "Propugnaculum," 92.

"New Light," 36.

"Paracelsus," 48.