The Hermetic Museum, Vol. II — trans. A. E. Waite (1893)
The text is shown on its own: no facing layer is held for this issue.
The translator’s English as printed (A. E. Waite). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
excellent as I am? Vature : O fool, and of all men most insensate, | know and love all philosophers, and am loved of them. I take pleasure in aiding their efforts, and they help me to do that which I am unable to accomplish. But you so-called Alchemists are constantly offending me, and systematically doing despite to me ; and this is the reason why all your efforts are doomed to failure. A/cZezust: Itis not true. I, too, am a philosopher, and understand scientific methods of procedure. I have lived with several princes, and with more than one philosopher, ss my wife can testify. Moreover, I possess at this very moment a manuscript which has lain hidden for some centuries in a certain wall I know very well that I am almost at the end of my labours, and am on the point of coinposing the Philesopher's Stone ; for it was revealed to me a few days ago in a dream. I have had a great many dreams, nor do I ever dream anything untrue ; my wife knows it. /Vazure: It is with you as with a great many of your fellows : at first they know everything, but in the end their knowledge turns to ignorance. Alchemzst : If you are truly Nature, it is you who serve for the operation of the work. ZVazure "That is true ; but it is performed only by those who know me, and such do not torment my children, nor do they hinder my working. ^ Rather they clear away the impediments, that I may the sooner reach the: goal Zekemzst: That is exactly what I do. Nature: | No; you do nothing but cross me, and deal with my children against my will. Where you should revive, you kill; where you should fix, you sublime ; where you should calcine, you distil; and thus my obedient son Jlercury you torment in the most fearful manner. /cLezzst: Then I will in future deal with him gently, and subject him only to gradual coction. Z/Vazuze: That is well,if you possess understanding ; otherwise, you will ruin only yourself and your possessions. f you act in opposition to my commands, you hurt yourself more than him. 4/ckemzst: But how am I to make the Philosopher's Stone? JVature: That question does not justify your ill-treatment of my son. Know that I have many sons and daughters, and that I am swift to succour those who seek me, provided they are worthy. .4/chemzst: ^ But who is that Mercury? JVature: Know that I have only one such son ; he is one of seven, and the first among them ; and though he is now all things, he was at first only one. |n him are the four elements, yet he is not an element. He isa spirit, yet he has a body ; a man, yet he performs a woman's part ; a boy, yet he bears a man's weapons ; a beast, and yet he has the wings of a bird. He is poison. yet he cures leprosy ; life, yet he kills all things ; a King, but another occupies his throne; he flees from the fire, yet fire is taken from him ; he is water, but does not wet the hands; he is earth, and yet he is sown ; he is air, and lives by water. .A/ckezis?i: Now I see that I know nothing ; only I must not say so. For I should lose the good opinion of my neighbours, and they would no longer entrust me with money for my experiments. | must therefore go on saying that l know everything; for there are many that expect me to do great things for them. Vazure: But if you go on in that way, your neighbours will at last find you out, and demand their money back. A/chemis?t: I must amuse them with promises, aslong as I can. JVature: And what then? AZeemést: I will try different experiments ; and if they fail, I will go to some other country, and live the samelife there. /Vazure: And then? Alchemist: MHa,ha,ha! There are many countries, and many greedy persons who will suffer themselves to be gulled by my promises of mountains of gold. Thus day will follow day, and in the meantime the King or the donkey will die, or I myself. Nature: Such philosophers are only fit for the gallows. Be off, and take with you my most grievous curse. The best thing that you can do, is to give yourself up to the King's officers, who will quickly put an end to you and your philosophy !
NEW CHEMICAL LIGHT.
SIE ON D: -PXASROD:
CONCERNING SULPILTUR.
THE AUTHOR'S ANAGRAM :
Angelus Doce Mihi fus.
(Angel, Teach me Right.)
PREPBAC B.
S I am not at liberty to write more plainly than the Ancient Sages, gentle Reader, you may possibly be dissatisfied with my Book, particularly as you have so many other philosophical treatises ready to your hand.
But you may be sure that no necessity is laid upon me to write at all, and that if 1 have come forward it is only out of love to you, having no expectation of personal profit, and no desire for empty glory, for which reason I here refrain, as [I have before done, from revealing my identity to the public. I was under the impression that in the first part of this work I had already given a lucid account of our whole Art. But my friends tell me that there is one point with which I have not yet fully dealt, and vehemently urge me to write this second treatise about Sulphur. The question is, whether even this Book will convey any information to one before whom the writings of the Sages and the Open Book of Nature are exhibited in vain. For if you could incline your ear to the teaching of Nature, you would at once be able to emancipate yourself from the tutelage of printed