we have found him and his, at all times, disposed most rigidly to adhere. They reasoned, that whereas every variety of character, from imperfection to purity, existed in creation, it was the evident object of nature to attain perfection; and the object of alchymy, by the imitation of nature, to follow the same rule; "For there is given to nature from the beginning a certain kind of grant, or permission, still to attain to things better and better through her whole progress, and to come to her full rest, towards which she tends with all her might, and rejoiceth in his end, as a pismire doth in her old age, at which time nature makes her wings."* Again, "nature is not visible, though she acts visibly, for it is a volatile spirit, which executes its office in bodies, and is placed and seated in the will and mind of God, and serves us for no other purpose, than to understand her places, that is, to understand how to join one thing to another," &c. This idea, though sufficiently extravagant and preposterous, was productive, nevertheless, of a rationally religious feeling, leading the operator to a more intimate communion with his Maker. "Thou, therefore, that desirest to attain to this art, in the first place, put thy whole trust in God thy Creator, and urge him by thy prayers, and, assuredly, believe that he will not forsake thee; for if God shall know that thy heart is sincere, and thy whole trust is put in him, he will, by one means or another, shew thee a way, and assist thee in it, that thou shalt obtain thy desire." And, in the following passage from Paracelsus, there is much truth and orthodox. reasoning. "Philosophy is nothing but the study of wisdom, considered in created nature, as well subject to sense as invisible, and, consequently, material; and wisdom's central body is the shadow of wisdom's central essence; and the moral interpretation can never exclude the real effects from ocular demonstration; but where reason hath experience, faith hath no mind; and without faith there is no knowledge of any excellent thing, for the end of faith is understanding."§ But to return to transmutation, preparatory to the success of which, it was indispensably requisite that the metals should be reduced to their elementary principles, "sine qua reductione, non possunt inter se transmutari ex chymicorum omnium sententia et ratâ opinione." This, however, being accomplished, the rest is pronounced to be mere woman's work, ("opus mulierum;") for the right performance of which, neither wit, wisdom, nor talent, were essential: we doubt whether our fair readers will be much flattered with the compliment, (thus "New Light," 2. + Ibid. 4. + lbid. 122. expressed in the original language) "in qua peregenda, non est opus ingenio, et summa industria, nec doctrinâ." This is followed up by a mass of utterly incomprehensible jargon, in which we are unable to discover the shadow of a clue to conduct us to the real meaning, but which nevertheless, with all the audacity and effrontery of a true alchymist, is pronounced to be a clear revelation of the whole mystery; and then, with equal perspicuity, the author proceeds to give an explanation of the chymica coagulatio," by which the decomposed elements are to be reunited in their requisite proportions, of which, transmutation is the natural and necessary consequence; and thus ends the story, for" in hac unione totum completur arcanum."+ But extraordinary effects extend beyond the mere business of transmutation; for the reunited elements now assume a higher character: "sunt immortalia et potentissimas habent actiones,. et virtutes, ita ut, et cætera corpora mortua, suscitari in novam vitam et actionem possint." This, as we have shewn, is made clear as a pike-staff to all but the "mysochymici," to whom (and amongst such we are constrained to include ourselves) these plain facts, "incredibili factu videntur," and in spite of all that has been said or written by the "sapientes artis," their explanation still appears to our dull wits "stultitiæ plenum." We have spoken, before, of some unpleasant effects from taking a dose of this "coagulatio," or elixir arabicum; but it may be as well to add some other equally powerful, and perhaps more extraordinary consequences of a full dose; for by it "separantur omnia excrementa vitæ ; et umbræ et tenebræ mortis, sic discutiuntur, et a vitali substantia procul eleminantur;"§ and the great estimation in which it was held, becomes apparent, since "absque ipsa, in alchymia nulla est utilitatis." There is a minor preparation of this invaluable decoction, a sort of sub-sulphurated mercurial mixture, by name Oleum Tabis, which we would strongly recommend to our fair readers particularly, albeit possessing qualities very beneficial and salutary to both sexes and all classes; for females it is, however, invaluable, since "mulieres formosissimas reddit," imparting a bloom "vividus et florens ;" in addition to which, it purifies the blood, and keeps the blue devils in a proper state of subordination, "impurum sanguinem, et melancholiam crassam et terrestrem, valde attenuat." Rhubarb, jalap, and the whole host cathartic, must, indeed, hide their diminished heads before a draught imparting to the "terrestria excrementa" an immediate gaseous and sulphureous form at the moment of expulsion, "subtiliat atque depurat omnia terrestria excrementa et sulphuris vitalis sconas foras projiciendo !"* " There are also several other essences, of whose virtues, had we space and time, we would gladly speak; but we must satisfy ourselves with merely a slight allusion. Thus we have a "Solar Tincture, derived of subtil pure and most perfect fire," an admirable specific against "all accidents, corruptions, and diseases." Then we have a "Lunar Tincture," possessed of nearly the same qualities.-Then we have the "Spirit of Venus," or Tinctura Veneris, defending "humane bodies from wounds and ulcers, and dispersing the root thereof." Next comes the "Tincture of Mars," an "adustible and crass permixtion of the elements," a very moral sort of medicine, in as much as it tormenteth the body, if applied to any disease other than becometh its nature.' Then there is "Spirit of Jupiter," created of a white pally substance of fire," a sort of essential extract, we should conceive, of Ignis fatuus, and productive of what might, we also conceive, be the probable consequence of swallowing a Jack-o'-lanthorn, namely, gripings of "cruel passions and pains, gnawing with such burnings," as to deprive the swallower of the use of his natural faculties. However, by way of compensation, if outwardly applied to fistulas, cancers, carbuncles,† and such like, it proves an admirable plaster or spasmadrap. Before we take our leave of the Propugnaculum, it is but fair to add Peter John Faber's opinion of his own home-made gold, which he pronounces to be essentially distinct from that in which the joint stock Rio del Monte and Potosi Companies expect to share so largely. He speaks of it as very different (doubtless superior) to "aurum commune," from which it is" separatum et omnino distinctum," an assertion in which we quite agree with him, regretting, at the same time, that the gold in common use does not always shew itself (by its effects) possessed of the same moral qualities as the gold of the alchymists, "virtute turgidum," and gifted, as Paracelsus has it, with spiritual and elemental virtue. Be it, however, what it may, gold is gold,-and must, therefore, be ever an object of demand. Whether, indeed, the happy moment will arrive when the hidden mystery of its manufacture shall be revealed, remains to be known; but "where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise," a sentiment of which we are reminded by the very apt and just remark of our author, expressive of alarm at the probable consequences of a general knowledge of so important a secret; for, adds he, "Si omnes lapidem philosophorum haberent quis illorum servire vellet, et aliis obsequi, * "Propug." 95. + "Paracelsus," 335, &c. omnes reges et rerum domini fieri vellent, cum supremas et inexhaustas haberent divitias et sanitatem inalterabilem et inviolabilem cursu naturali et rerum serie: non est ergo opus ut omnes credant lapidem philosophorum, nec etiam est necessarium ut omnes possideant ipsum, sed ut pauci credant et perpauci adhuc habeant illud supremum Dei et naturæ donum." We come now to the second work at the head of our article, the New Light of Alchymie, taken out of the fountain of nature by Michael Sandivogius, who, if he had filled his whole book with sentiments so sound and rational as those with which his preface abounds, would have bequeathed no insignificant gift to posterity, more valuable, by far, than all his golden dreams and alchymical hints. To the "judicious reader" he thus addresses himself. "There is abundance of knowledge, yet but little truth known. The generality of our knowledge is but a castle in the air or groundless fancies. I know but two ways that are ordained for the getting of wisdom, viz. the book of God, and of nature, and these also but as they are read with reason. Many look upon the former as a thing below them; upon the latter, as a ground of Atheism, and therefore neglected both. It is my judgment, that, as to search the scriptures is necessary, so without reason it is impossible. Faith without reason is but unplicate. If I cannot understand by reason how every thing is, yet I will see some reason that a thing is so, before I believe it to be so. I will ground my believing of the Scripture upon reason, I will improve my reason by philosophy. How shall we convince gainsayers of the truth of the Scriptures, but by principles of reason," &c. And yet this is the preface to a book in which the possibility of brewing the elixir, and manufacturing the philosopher's stone," is so plainly illustrated," (by the said Sandivogius,) "that let any judicious man read it over without all partiality and prejudice, but three or four times, and he shall nolens volens be convinced of the truth of it; and not only of this, but of many other mysteries as incredible as this, so that if any one should ask me, what one book did most conduce to the knowledge of God and the creature, and the mysteries thereof, I should speak contrary to my judgment, if I should not, next to the sacred writ, say Sandivogius!!" If antiquity be a recommendation, this able seconder of holy writ has wherewithal to satisfy the most longing taste for preterition, the first line of his book commencing with an assurance that " many wise and very learned men, many ages since, yea, before the flood, wrote Propug." 102. + "Translator's Epistle," 4. many things concerning the making the philosopher's stone.' Consequently, there is only "one thing wanting to us, that is, to know that which they effected."+ Nothing can be more reasonable or more beneficial than such a wish. In fact, give us a free litho-philosophical trade, and an unadulterated importation of the true genuine elixir, and what care we whether our ports are opened or closed against corn, French silks, and Bandana handkerchiefs. Hints are, indeed, thrown out, that "unless the procreation of man were so usual as it is, even the common process of continuing our species might be dispensed with, and the effect accomplished by means purely philosophical and scientific. For obvious reasons, we would rather decline entering into minute details upon this prolific subject, but Paracelsus, in the 1st. book of the nature of things, annexed to this volume, furnishes sufficient data to excite rational hopes, not only that "the barren women shall keep house," but that even Veluti, et id genus omne, may expect their fair proportion of healthy offspring. "But we must by no means forget the generation of artificial men. For there is some truth in this thing, although it hath been a long time concealed." He then proceeds to inform us, how, by sealing up the spagyrical requisites in a "gourd glass," with the highest degree of putrefaction in horse-dung, for the space of forty days, or so long until it begin to be alive, move, and stir, which may be easily seen, there will be something like a man, yet transparent and without a body. Now, after this, if it be every day warily and prudently nourished and fed with the arcanum of man's blood, and be for the space of forty weeks kept in a constant equal heat of horse-dung, it will become a true and living infant, having all the members of an infant which is born of a woman, but it will be far less. This we call homunculus, or artificial. And this is afterwards to be brought up with as great care and diligence as any other infant, until it comes to riper years of understanding. Now, this is one of the greatest secrets that God ever made known to mortal sinful man."+ Our readers will recollect Gulliver's visit to the grand academy of Lagado, in Laputa, and. the professor, who gave him a very close, though unacceptable, embrace; and, in perusing the above process, will be reminded forcibly of the investigations in which that professor was then occupied, which appear to have been familiar to the alchymical world: for, in several passages, we meet with other allusions to the "Paracelsus, of the Nature of Things," Lib. i., p. 8. |