Bøger om År 1800 til 1850

The Road to Hell is an alternative history of a fundamentalist abolitionist freeing slaves, powerful politicians, dupes, the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth's escape.

" The following extraordinary account of the "Cause Célèbre" of Urbain Grandier, the Curé of Loudun, accused of Magic and of having caused the Nuns of the Convent of Saint Ursula to be possessed of devils, is written by an eye witness, and not only an eyewitness but an actor in the scenes he describes. It is printed at "Poitiers, chez J. Ftoreau et la veuve Ménier, Imprimeurs du Roi et de l¿Université 1634." I believe two copies only are known: my own, and the one in the National Library, Paris. The writer is Monsieur des Niau, Counsellor at la Flèche, evidently a firm believer in the absurd charges brought against Grandier.Magic appears to have had its origin on the plains of Assyria, and the worship of the stars was the creed of those pastoral tribes who, pouring down from the mountains of Kurdistan into the wide level where Babylon afterwards raised its thousand towers, founded the sacerdotal race of the Chasdim or Chaldeans. To these men were soon alloted peculiar privileges and ascribed peculiar attributes, until, under the name of Magi, they acquired a vast and permanent influence. Their temples were astronomical observatories as well as holy places; and the legendary tower of Babel, in the Book of Genesis, is probably but the mythical equivalent of a vast edifice consecrated to the study of the seven planets, or perhaps, as the Bab (court or palace) of Bel, to the brilliant star of good fortune alone. Availing themselves of the general adoration of the stars, they appear to have invented a system of astrology the apotelesmatic science by which they professed to decide upon the nature of coming events and the complexion of individual fortunes..."

" This Book is so rare and sought after in our country it has been called, by our Rabbis, the true Great Work. They were the ones who le¿ us this precious original that many charlatans uselessly wanted to counterfeit, attempting to imitate the truth that they never found, in order to swindle ingenuous individuals who have faith in initial encounters without seeking their true Source. This manuscript has been copied from various writings of the great King Solomon. This great king spent all of his days in the most difficult search and in the most obscure and unexpected secrets. In the end he succeeded in all of his endeavors and he reached his goal of penetrating the most profound dwelling of the spirits, whom he obliged to obey him by the power of his talisman, the clavicle, since who else but this powerful genius would have dared bring to light the thundering words that he made use of to constrain the rebel spirits to his will, having penetrated up to the celestial beings to learn more thoroughly the secrets and the powerful words that have the force of a terrible and respected God?..."

" The term ` occultism' is one which has been much misunderstood. In the mind of the ignorant it was, even recently, synonymous with magic, and its students were supposed to be practitioners of the black art, veiled in flowing robes of scarlet covered with cabalistic signs, sitting amidst uncanny surroundings with a black cat as a familiar, compounding unholy decoctions by the aid of satanic evocations. Even now, and among those whom education has raised above such superstition as this, there still remains a good deal of misapprehension. For them its derivation from the Latin word occultus ought to explain at once that it is the science of the hidden; but they often regard it contemptuously as nonsensical and unpractical, as connected with dreams and fortune-telling, with hysteria and necromancy, with the search for the elixir of life and the philosopher' s stone. Students, who should know better, perpetually speak as though the hidden side of things were intentionally concealed, as though knowledge with regard to it ought to be in the hands of all men, but was being deliberately withheld by the caprice or selfishness of a few; whereas the fact is that nothing is or can be hidden from us except by our own limitations, and that for every man as he evolves the world grows wider and wider, because he is able to see more and more of its grandeur and its loveliness..."

" It is the endeavour of this treatise to convey spiritual-scientific knowledge concerning the being of man. The method of representation is arranged in such a way that the reader may grow into what is depicted, so that, in the course of reading, it becomes for him a kind of self conference. If this soliloquy takes on such a form that thereby hitherto concealed forces, which can be awakened in every soul, reveal themselves, then the reading leads to a real inner work of the soul; and the latter can see itself gradually urged on to that soul journeying, which truly advances towards the beholding of the spiritual world. What has to be imparted, therefore, has been given in the form of eight Meditations, which can be actually practised. If this is done, they can be adapted for imparting to the soul, through its own inner deepening, that about which they speak. It has been my aim on the one hand, to give something to those readers who have already made themselves conversant with the literature dealing with the domain of the supersensible, as it is here understood....."

" One who undertakes to represent certain results of scientific spiritual research of the kind recorded in this book, must above all things be prepared to find that this kind of investigation is at the present time almost universally regarded as impossible. For things are related in the following pages about which those who are today esteemed exact thinkers, assert that they will probably remain altogether indeterminable by human intelligence. One who knows and can respect the reasons which prompt many a serious person to assert this impossibility, would fain make the attempt again and again to show what misunderstandings are really at the bottom of the belief that it is not given to human knowledge to penetrate into the superphysical worlds. For two things present themselves for consideration. First, no human being will, on deeper reflection, be able in the long run to shut his eyes to the fact that his most important questions as to the meaning and significance of life must remain unanswered, if there be no access to higher worlds. Theoretically we may delude ourselves concerning this fact and so get away from it; the depths of our soul-life, however, will not tolerate such self delusion. The person who will not listen to what comes from these depths of the soul will naturally reject any account of supersensible worlds. There are however people and their number is not small who find it impossible to remain deaf to the demands coming from the depths of the soul. They must always be knocking at the gates which, in the opinion of others, bar the way to what is¿incomprehensible..."

" The Hermetic Museum restored and enlarged was published in Latin at Frankfort, in the year 1678, and, as its title implies, it was an enlarged form of an anterior work which, appearing in 1625, is more scarce, but, intrinsically, of less value. Its design was apparently to supply in a compact form a representative collection of the more brief and less ancient alchemical writers; in this respect, it may be regarded as a supplement to those large storehouses of Hermetic learning such as the Theatrum Chemicum, and that scarcely less colossal of Mangetus, the Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa, which are largely concerned with the cream of the archaic literature, with the works of Geber and the adepts of the school of Arabia, with the writings attributed to Hermes, with those of Raymond Lully, Arnold de Villa Nova, Bernard Trevisan, and others..."

" For thousands of years the Hindu Astrologers have by their knowledge of the solar system been enabled to formulate a system of Astrology which enables them to speak with scientific authority and certainty with respect to the planetary influences upon mankind. Each person is born in or under one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac and is thus influenced more or less throughout life by the planetary conditions at time of birth. In this work I propose to state the natural tendencies of each person and in a certain way indicate what they should do and what they should not do to make their life a success. By referring to your sign, which is indicated by the date and month when you were born, you will see what your natural tendencies are, and what it is best for you to do to attract and use unseen forces and powers which are your birthright, and which will aid you to make your future bright. Each and every person is naturally endowed with peculiar and great powers which make for good, and also are born with tendencies which must be corrected in order that the higher and good powers and forces may be able to work to advantage. No matter how bad your lot may seem to you, and how difficult it is for you to get along in the world, you can readily change all darkness to the brightest sunshine if you only go about it in the right spirit..."

" Mr. Henry Morley, an eminent English scholar, in his Life of Cornelius Agrippa, makes these tributary statements: He secured the best honors attainable in art and arms; was acquainted with eight languages, being the master of six. His natural bent had been from early youth to a consideration of Divine Mysteries. To learn these and teach them to others had been at all times his chief ambition. He is distinguished among the learned for his cultivation of Occult Philosophy, upon which he has written a complete work..."

The 16th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (also known as the Greenville Regiment and the Greenville Boys) recruited its men in Greenville County. It was organized and mustered into Confederate service in December, 1861. The regiment moved to Charleston and for a time was stationed at Adams Run under General Hagood. During December, 1862, the unit was ordered to Wilmington, North Carolina and in May, 1863, to Jackson, Mississippi where it was assigned to General Gist's Brigade in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. Later the 16th Regiment joined the Army of Tennessee. On April 9, 1865 the 16th consolidated with the 24th Infantry regiment to form the Consolidated 16th and 24th Infantry Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers. This consolidated unit surrendered on April 26, 1865 with the Army of Tennessee.

" The hour is at hand when the humanity of this Earth must give more recognition to the Activity of the Great Ascended Masters and Angelic Host who are constantly pouring out their Transcendent Light and Assistance to mankind. There must come more conscious cooperation between the outer physical life of humanity and these Great Beings who are the Protectors and Teachers of the human beings in this world.There is a Special Group of these Great Ones working at the present time with America to stabilize and protect Her. Among them, the Ascended Masters Saint Germain, Jesus, Nada, Cha Ara, Lanto, Cyclopea, the Great Master from Venus, Arcturus, the Lords of the Flame from Venus, and one known as the Great Divine Director are working here very definitely by establishing Tremendous Pillars and Rays of Light in America. They are also focusing Great Outpourings of Light at certain other points on the Earth...."

" ¿Blood is a very Special Fluid¿ Each one of you will doubtless be aware that the title of this lecture is taken from Goethe¿s Faust. You all know that in this poem we are shown how Faust, the representative of the highest human effort, enters into a pact with the evil powers, who on their side are represented in the poem by Mephistopheles, the emissary of hell. You will know, too, that Faust is to strike a bargain with Mephistopheles, the deed of which must be signed with his own blood. Faust, in the first instance, looks upon it as a jest. Mephistopheles, however, at this juncture utters the sentence which Goethe without a doubt intended should be taken seriously: ¿Blood is a very special fluid. ¿ Now, with reference to this line in Goethe¿s Faust, we come to a curious trait in the so-called Goethe commentators. You are of course aware how vast is the literature dealing with Goethe¿s version of the Faust Legend. It is a literature of such stupendous dimensions that whole libraries might be stocked with it, and naturally I cannot make it my business to expatiate on the various comments made by these interpreters of Goethe concerning this particular passage..."

" How to make a magic carpet, become invisible, and find love are among the useful procedures detailed in this famous book of magic. Reputedly written by King Solomon himself, this major text of Western ritual magic contains chants, prayers, and instructions both general and specific on trafficking with the spirit world. Editor and translator S. L. MacGregor Mathers was a leader of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an influential group of magicians and mystics whose members included Arthur Machen, W. B. Yeats, and Evelyn Underhill. MacGregor Mathers based this extraordinary book on seven manuscripts from the British Museum's collections. Its formulas for conjuring up spirits and performing rituals offer a rich source of study for students of comparative religion, psychology, and the history of ideas. For working occultists, this classic provides a valuable and important guide to the execution of magical ceremonies..."

" On an evening before Easter Day, I sat at a table, and having (as simfiliiul my custom was) in my humble prayer sufficiently conversed with my Creator, and considered many great mysteries (whereof the Father of Lights his Majesty had shown me not a few) and being now ready to prepare in my heart, together with my dear Paschal Lamb, a small, unleavened, undefiled cake; all of a sudden arose so horrible a tempest, that I imagined no other but that through its mighty force, the hill on which my little house was founded would fly into pieces. But inasmuch as this, and the like from the Devil (who had done me many a spite) was no new thing to me, I took courage, and persisted in my meditation, till somebody in an unusual manner touched me on the back; whereupon I was so hugely terrified, that I dared hardly look about me; yet I showed myself as cheerful as (in such occurrences) human frailty would permit. Now the same thing still twitching me several times by the coat, I looked back, and behold it was a fair and glorious lady, whose garments were all sky coloured, and curiously (like Heaven) bespangled with golden stars; in her right hand she bore a trumpet of beaten gold, on which a Name was engraved which I could well read but am as yet forbidden to reveal it. In her le¿ hand she had a great bundle of letters of all languages, which she (as I afterwards understood) was to carry to all countries. She also had large and beautiful wings, full of eyes throughout, with which she could mount aloft, and fly swifter than any eagle..."

" ¿is book contains the record of a magical experiment relating to the invocation of an elemental, the thereafter of the Goddess or Force called BABALON, and the results thereof. An appendix contains some details of the method, published for the first time. The contents should be clear enough to those who are prepared for understanding, and a little study and effort should make it so for those who desire understanding. For the rest, each will no doubt interpret it in accord with his own predilections. A note on the underlying philosophy. The present age is under the influence of the force called, in magical terminology, Horus. This force relates to fire, Mars, and the sun, that is, to power, violence, and energy. It also relates to a child, being innocent (i.e. undifferentiated). Its manifestations may be noted in the destruction of old institutions and ideas, the discovery and liberation of new energies, and the trend towards power governments, war, homosexuality, infantilism, and schizophrenia. This force is completely blind, depending upon the men and women in whom it manifests and who guide it. Obviously, its guidance now tends towards catastrophy..."

" The art which is called Goëtic, being that of incantation, of sorcery, fascination and of the illusions and impostures connected therewith, has come somewhat arbitrarily to signify the last issue in diabolism of the more catholic and general art which is termed Practical Magic. The latter designation implies that there is a Magic on the theoretical side, or, as it may be, a philosophy of the subject, and this again is of two kinds: in modern days it has embodied various attempts to provide an explanation, a working hypothesis, for alleged phenomena of the past; of old it came forward with the accent of authority and carrying the warrants of a peculiar and secret knowledge; it taught rather than explained. Behind this, in virtue of a specific assumption, there stood the source of such authority, the school or schools that issued, so to speak, the certificates of title which the records of the expounding master are supposed to shew that he possessed. Herein resided presumably that Higher Magic which justified the original meaning of the term Magic; this was the science of wisdom, and of that wisdom which was the issue of experience and knowledge particular to sacred sanctuaries in the years of the Magic.."

" We have formerly some thoughts of revising our Introduction to Astrology, now out of print, and to have enriched it from another edition with the choicest aphorisms, both from the writings of the ancients and our own many years¿ experience, but the laboriousness of that work, considering our age and many infirmities of body, with the discouragements we have already me with from some ungrateful persons, caused us to lay aside (at least for the present) those intentions. Yet that we might not be wholly wanting to promote anything that might tend to the advancement of Art and gratification of its painful students, and knowing how necessary the ensuing Considerations of Guido Bonatus and Aphorisms adjoined, are to be known and regarded, which many of our ingenious countrymen could not do, for they have hitherto remained in the Latin tongue with the rest of the works of these authors in large volumes, difficult to be got at and too chargeable for man to buy, we therefore recommend them to a friend to be translated by themselves, which he has judiciously performed in plain significant language, so that we judge the work may deserve the title Anima Astrologiae which we have given it, comprehending the marrow and substance of Astrology, and much excellent mäer necessary to be observed by all honest students that practice Art to discover truth and not to vapour with. We doubt not but the legitimate Sons and well-wishers of Urania will find considerable advantages from hence, directing them to a certainty in giving judgments upon all occasions, and they will for this publication have cause to thank their old friend..."

" Ths book having worth enough in itself needs not my commendation, this Author in his lifetime being an eminent physician and most able Philosopher as the discourse itself can best testify. The translator also wanted not judgment to choose what was best in his kind, nor abilities to perform, the choice being made. It is I alone that appear here as Menelaus at that feast in the Iliad, who came though not invited. I shall not endeavor to excuse myself, for I come not empty but will contribute somewhat to the collation.The Author builds on good principles, so that his theory is as true as it is plausible; and I presume he aimed at nothing more, leaving all particulars and their application to the industry of his readers. He is sometimes pleased to descend to examples, but to such only as are natural, and they indeed are good to teach but hard to imitate. We see not all that Nature does...."

" The purpose of this book is to release one particular secret, which has been kept hidden for the last 12,000 years. The Philosophers' Stone, Elixir of Life, Fountain of Youth, Ambrosia, Soma, Amrita, Nectar of Immortality. These are different names for the same thing. Throughout history this secret has been used by a very few to extend their lives hundreds of years in perfect health, with access to unlimited wealth, among many other miraculous properties. Some kept the secret because they understood that the time was not right for the secret to be free for all people, but most kept the secret out of their own jealousy, ignorance, egotism and corruption. The Stone's history and the history of the human race up until this day is a strange story full of secret societies, hooded cloaks, and mystical symbols. Such theatrics are childish and shallow. It's pointless to look for the light in the shadows...;"

" ¿e lectures here presented were delivered in New York during the past winter. The purpose of this series was to present to their auditors the testimony of science as to the relation of matter and of consciousness; to enable the hearers to observe the identical manifestation of these relations and of certain basic laws in successively higher states of being, and thus to bring to them a realization of the universality of the evolutionary process and its actuality; and to deal somewhat with the nature of the expanded states of consciousness and the enlarged life toward which all mankind is traveling. They thus were intended to serve as an introduction to the more detailed study and application of the laws of life and human enfoldment generally included in the term of "occultism." It will be observed that there is in this series a considerable amount of repetition, as each lecture briefly reviews the matters covered in the preceding addresses. As newcomers were present at each lecture in the series, it was found necessary on each occasion to present a bird's eye view of the ground covered and the reasons for the position then taken. A further advantage was found in the fixing in the minds of the hearers of certain of these basic concepts which were new to many of them, and which helped to enable them to grasp and to receive readily the further expansion of the theme. In presenting the lectures in book form it has been deemed advisable to retain the complete text of the lectures as given..."

" All true chymists and philosophers write that common corporeal gold is of not much use in man's body if it is only ingested as such, for no metallic body can be of use if it is not previously dissolved and reduced to the prima materia. We have an example in corals. The virtue of corals is not in the stone or the body but in their red color. If the corals are to release their power, a separation must first occur through a dissolution, and the redness must be separated from the body. Tincture the body is a shell which is le¿ behind quite white, but the essence of the corals, which is quite red, afterwards perfectly accomplishes its effect in man's body because the obstruction has been separated from it (that is, from the stone and the body). Thus you should also deal with gold, silver, iron, lead, and other metals. If they are to bear fruit, they must likewise be separated from their bodies, that is, from their inner earth or slime, to allow their radical moisture to operate quite unhindered in man's body. Before, its power could not accomplish it, as the bodies were still held by their metallic slime and earth. Consequently, whoever wants to do something useful in medicine must see to it that he first dissolve and open his metallic body, then extract its soul and essence, and the work will then not result in no fruit..."

" The original 'International Man of Mystery,' the Count St. Germain, was an 18th century European aristocrat of unknown origin. He had no visible means of support, but no lack of resources, and moved in high social circles. He was a renowned conversationalist and a skilled musician. He dropped hints that he was centuries old and could grow diamonds. He never ate in public, was ambidextrous, and as far as anyone could tell, totally celibate. He served as a backchannel diplomat between England and France, and may have played some role in Freemasonry. He hobnobbed with Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, Voltaire, Rousseau, Mesmer, and Casanova. He dabbled in materials and textile technology as well as alchemy, as did many intellectuals of the time (e.g., Newton). These are established historical facts, documented by the extensive collection of contemporary accounts in this book. Modern Theosophists consider St. Germain to be an adept or mahatma (a "great soul") one who had a specific mission to fulfill in Europe during the 18th century. Much has been written about him, including much that is unsubstantiated. The present book will provide, as much as is possible, a detailed account of what is known, and a few hints as to things that are not known for certain about this enigmatic character..."

" Sir ! It is my ambition to let the world know upon what score it is that I do especially honor men. It is not, Sir!, as they are highborn heirs of the great potentates, for which most honor them (and upon which account I also shall not deny them their due) but as they excell in honesty and are friends to art. That poor philosophers should take no delight in riches, and rich men should take delight in philosophy, is to me an argument, that there is more delight, honor, and satisfaction in the one than in the enjoyment of the other. I once read of a nobleman's porter who let in all that were richly apparelled, but excluded a poor philosopher. But I should, if I had been in his place, have rather let in the philosopher, without the gay clothes, than the gay clothes without the philosopher. As long as I have sense or reason, I shall improve them to the honor of the art, especially that of alchemy. In the perfection thereof there are riches, honor, health and length of days. By it, Artefius lived 1000 years, Flamel built 28 hospitals with large revenues to them, besides churches for it, both they and diverse more were accounted philosophers, and wise men, which sounds with more honor in my ears than all the rattling and empty titles of honor whatsoever besides...."

" Life is short, Art long, Experience not easily obtained, Judgement difficult, and therefore it is necessary, that a Student not only exercise himself in considering several Figures, but also that he diligently read the writings of others who have treated rationally of this Science, and make it his business to find out the true natural causes of things by experiments, to know the certain places and processions of tee Planets and Fixed Stars, Constellations, etc., but above all to be a passionate lover of truth...."

" In A New Model of the Universe, written in 1914 and now published for the first time in French, P.D. Ouspensky describes his own quest for a form of truth concerning questions as fundamental as the place of man in the universe, the unknown, the invisible world, starting from the idea, always, that true civilization only exists in esotericism, and that modern Western civilization suffers from a profound barbarism due to the absence of esoteric thought. Calling on Christianity, Judaism, Eastern philosophies, the symbolism of the Tarot, experimental mysticism, the study of dreams, hypnotism, yoga, but also the sciences and in particular ancient physics and modern, the author attempts to answer the following questions: what form does the world have? Is the world a chaos or a system? Does the universe exist by accident or was it created according to a plan? A new model of the Universe responds to a growing need in late 20th century man to question his origins and the meaning of his existence by having recourse to ancient beliefs and traditions...."

" The Aurora of the Philosophers is, to this day, one of the most in depth texts ever written on the subject of alchemy. Crafted by the famed Paracelsus, it combines theory with action and allows the reader, if they possess the intellect necessary, to fully understand the basic corpus of alchemical work. Containing as well a lengthy segment on the historical roots of occult power from the Hebrews, Egyptians, Persians, and Chaldaeans, the Aurora both cautions against charlatans and defends the protochemistry of the Renaissance era..."

" After a lapse of 205 years since the first publication in 1647, of Lilly's Introduction to Astrology, there would be no necessity for an apology for its re-appearance, were it not for the prevailing fashion of the day, which is to rail at and vituperate that science, and all who dare to say a word, not in its favor, but in favor of examining into its merits, with a view to ascertain what were the grounds on which our honest ancestors believed, and strictly followed, that which we conceive only fit for ridicule. As I have long outlived the days when I, like many others, thought myself at liberty to laugh at, and condemn, what I did not understand; the world will forgive me if I be bold enough to advise those who value truth, to spend a few days (and but a few days will be necessary) in examining the principles laid down in this work, and applying them to their own individual cases, before they join the herd of learned and unlearned in pledging their words to a false assertion, viz. that Astrology is an unfounded science. If any man will take the trouble to examine for himself, and should find that the prejudices of his education against the science of foreseeing the future, and many other matters which it teaches, are in reality well-founded, and that it has no claims to truth, then will he have the proud satisfaction of knowing, that his opinions on a matter of some consequence are based on experiment, and are the result of his own conviction, not of another person's assertion. On the other hand, if he find truth flash with lightning force upon his mind, and convince him that Astrology, notwithstanding prejudice and abuse, is founded in nature, and is indeed a noble science, given by a benevolent Creator to enlighten man in his wanderings, and enable him to shun the vice and folly which his passions throw in his path; then will he, if a spark of piety exist within his breast, offer thanks to that Creator for the blessing he has discovered. In either case, he must admit that I do him a service in putting forth this plain and simply means of discovering the truth..."

" ¿e Hermetic Tracts comprised in this volume are printed from a quarto manuscript (itself a transcript from an older but now untraceable work) belonging to the celebrated collection of the late Mr. Frederick Hockley, who was well known among modern students of the secret sciences, not only for the resources of his Hermetic library, but for his practical acquaintance with many branches of esoteric lore, and for his real or reputed connection with the numerous but unavowed associations which now, as at anterior periods, are supposed to dispense initiation into occult knowledge. While practically the reprint is verbatim, it would have been a needless source of confusion, in a subject which is already sufficiently confused, to have reproduced the obsolete orthography, the superfluous capitals, the perplexing parentheses, the unnecessary italics, and the chaotic punctuation of the original. These, therefore, have been abandoned in favour of a simpler method. But the flavour of antiquity is sometimes valued for its age rather than its excellence; and partly in deference to this prejudice, there has been no attempt to reconstruct the style of these old writings. Moreover, though somewhat barbarous and entangled, it does not present sufficient difficulties to justify a drastic purgation...."

" Concerning The Blessed Mystery of the Philosopher¿s Stone, Containing the Revelation of the Most Illuminated Egyptian King and Philosopher, Hermes Trismegistus, Translated by our German Hermes, the Noble Beloved Monarch and Philosopher Trismegistus, A. Ph. Theophrastus Paracelsica, With an Excellent Explanation by the Noble and Learned Philosopher, Alexander von Suchten, M.D.; Together with Certain hitherto Unpublished Treatises, By this Author, And Also Other Corollaries of the Same Matter, As Specified in the Preface. Now Published for the Use and benefit of all Sons of the Doctrine of Hermes, By Benedictus Figulus, of Utenhofen..."

" I, being an anonymous adept, a lover of learning, and a philosopher, have decreed 'to write this little treatise of medicinal, chemical, and physical arcana, in the year 1645, after the Birth of Christ, and in the 23rd year of my age, to assist in conducting my straying brethren out of the labyrinth of error, and with the further object of making myself known to other Sages, holding a lot a torch which may be visible far and wide to those who are groping in the darkness of ignorance. The contents of this Book are not fables, but real experiments which I have seen, touched, and handled, as an adept will easily conclude from these lines. I have written more plainly about this Art than any of my predecessors; sometimes I have found myself on the very verge of breaking my vow, and once or twice had to lay down my pen for a season; but I could not resist the inward prompting of God, which impelled me to persevere in the most loving course, who alone knows the heart, and to whom only be glory for ever. Hence, I undoubtedly gather that in this last age of the world, many will become blessed by this arcanum, through what I have thus faithfully written, for I have not willingly le¿ any-thing doubtful to the young beginner. I know many who with me do enjoy this secret, and am persuaded that many more will also rejoice in its possession. Let the holy Will of God perform what it pleases, though I confess myself an unworthy instrument through whom such great things should be effected...."