Alchemy, Its Science and RomanceSociety for promoting Christian Knowledge, 1921 - 245 pages |
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Alchemy, Its Science and Romance: (annotated,illustrated) John Edward Mercer No preview available - 2023 |
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adepts Albertus Magnus alchemists alchemy Alkahest alloys ancient Arabian Arabic astrology atoms Basil Valentine belief Berthelot body Boyle calcined called century CHAPTER chemical actions chemists colour combustion compounds copper discovered discovery doctrine dyeing earth Egyptian electrum elements Elixir essence evidence example experiment fact Figuier fire formulas Geber give gold and silver Greek heat Hermes Hermetic art idea of transmutation imagination iron kind knowledge laboratory labours lead liquid magic materials matter means medicine medieval mercury mystery mystical nature notion occult operations orpiment oxygen Paracelsus passage perfect metal Philosopher's Stone philosophical phlogiston phlogiston theory plants possibility of transmutation practical principle properties qualities realise receipts regard Rhazes ROBERT BOYLE Roger Bacon Rosicrucian salt scientific scientist secret soul speculations spirit substance sulphur supposed symbol theory things tion treatises vessel virtues Zosimus
Popular passages
Page 12 - And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
Page 245 - If I stoop Into a dark tremendous sea of cloud, It is but for a time ; I press God's lamp Close to my breast — its splendour, soon or late, Will pierce the gloom : I shall emerge one day ! You understand me ? I have said enough ? Fest.
Page 55 - It gives a lustre, says he, to the sun, and water to the diamond. It irradiates every metal, and enriches lead with all the properties of gold. It heightens smoke into flame, flame into light, and light into glory.
Page 195 - Pythagoras' thigh, Pandora's tub, And all that fable of Medea's charms, The manner of our work : the bulls, our furnace, Still breathing fire ; our Argent-vive, the dragon ; The dragon's teeth, mercury sublimate, That keeps the whiteness, hardness, and the biting : And they are gather'd into Jason's helm (The alembic) and then sow'd in Mars his field, And thence sublimed so often, till they are fix'd. Both this, the Hesperian garden, Cadmus' story, Jove's shower, the boon of Midas, Argus' eyes, Boccace...
Page 159 - Kelly put of the base metal into the crucible ; and after it was set a little upon the fire, and a very small quantity of the medicine put in, and stirred with a stick of wood, it came forth in great proportion, perfect gold ; to the touch, to the hammer, to the test.' My Lord Archbishop said, ' You had need take heed what you say, Sir Edward Dyer, for here is an infidel at the board...
Page 3 - And as for the facility of credit which is yielded to arts and opinions, it is likewise of two kinds; either when too much belief is attributed to the arts themselves, or to certain authors in any art. The sciences themselves, which have had better intelligence and confederacy with the imagination of man than with his reason, are three in number j.
Page 55 - As this kind of men (I mean those of them who are not professed cheats) are overrun with enthusiasm and philosophy, it was very amusing to hear this religious adept descanting on his pretended discovery. He talked of the secret as of a spirit which lived within an emerald, and converted every thing that was near it to the highest perfection it is capable of. " It gives a lustre," says he, "to the sun, and water to the diamond.
Page 152 - Do you think I fable with you ? I assure you, He that has once the flower of the sun, The perfect ruby, which we call elixir, Not only can do that, but by its virtue, Can confer honour, love, respect, long life ; Give safety, valour, yea, and victory, To whom he will. In eight and twenty days, I'll make an old man of fourscore, a child.
Page 55 - a single ray of it dissipates pain, and care, and melancholy, from the person on whom it falls. In short,' says he, ' its presence naturally changes every place into a kind of heaven.
Page 197 - Like a philosopher: answer in the language, Name the vexations, and the martyrizations Of metals in the work. Face. Sir, putrefaction, Solution, ablution, sublimation, Cohobation, calcination, ceration, and Fixation. Sub. This is heathen Greek to you, now!