The lives of alchemystical philosophers; with a critical catalogue of books in occult chemistry, and a selection of the most celebrated treatises. On the theory and practice of the hermetic art / [Anon].

  • Francis Barrett
Date:
1815
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The lives of alchemystical philosophers; with a critical catalogue of books in occult chemistry, and a selection of the most celebrated treatises. On the theory and practice of the hermetic art / [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Having attained this, I come now to projection; and the first time I made projection was upon Mercury, a pound and a half whereof, or thereabouts, I turned into pure silver, better than that of the mine, as I proved by assaying of it myself, and also causing others to assay it for me several times. ‘This was done in the year of Our Lord 1382, January 17, about noon, being Monday, in my own house, Perrenelle only being present. Again, following exactly the directions in my book, literally, and word by word, I made projection of the red stone, on the like quantity of Mercury, Perrenelle only being present, and in the same house; which was done in the same year of our Lord, viz. 1382, April 25, at five in the afternoon. This Mercury I truly transmuted into almost as much gold, much better, indeed than common gold, more soft also, and more pliable. I speak it in all truth, I have made it three times, with the help of Perrenelle, who understood it as well as myself, because she assisted me in my operations: And without doubt, if she would have indeed done it alone, she would have brought the work to the same, or full as great perfection as I had done. [I shad truly enough when I had once done it; but I found exceed- ing great pleasure and delight in seeing and .contemplating the admirable works of Nature within the vessels. And to shew to you that I had then done it three times, I caused to be depicted under the same arch, three furnaces, like to those which serve for the operations of this work. I was much concerned for along time, lest that Perrenelle, by reason of extreme joy, should not hide her felicity, which I measured by my own, and lest she should let fall some words among her relations, concerning the great treasure which we possessed. For an extremity of joy takes away the understand- ing, as well as an extremity of grief and sorrow: But the good- ness of the most great God had, not only given and filled me with this blessing, to give me a sober and chaste wife, but she was also a wise and prudent woman, not only capable of» reason, but also to do what was reasonable, and was more discreet and secret than crdinarily other women are. Above all, she was exceedingly religious and devout: And therefore seeing herself without hope'of children, and now well stricken in years, she made it her business, as I did, to think of God, and to give ourselves to the works of charity and mercy. : Before the time wherein I wrote this discourse, which was a the latter end of the year of Our Lord 1413, after the death _of my faithful companion, whose death I cannot but lament all 4é¢he days of my life: She and [ had already founded, and en- dowed with revenues, fourteen hospitals, three chapels, and “seven churches, in the city of Paris, all which we had new built from the ground, and enriched with great gifts and revenues, with many reparations in their church-yards. We also have done at Boulogne about as much as we haye done at Paris; not
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