Nicholas Flammel : his exposition of the hieroglyphical figures which he caused to be painted upon an arch in St. Innocents church yard in Paris : concerning both the theory and practice of the philosophers stone / faithfully and religiously done into English out of the French copy, by Eirenaeus Orandus.

Nicolas Flamel

Date:: [1890]

Credit: Nicholas Flammel : his exposition of the hieroglyphical figures which he caused to be painted upon an arch in St. Innocents church yard in Paris : concerning both the theory and practice of the philosophers stone / faithfully and religiously done into English out of the French copy, by Eirenaeus Orandus. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Title Page
Preface
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it needful to interpret in a Theological sense, that vessel of Earth on the right hand of these figures, within the which there is a Pen and Inkhorn, or rather a vessel of Philosophy, if thou take away the strings, and join the Penner to the Inkhorn : nor the other two like it, which are on the two sides of the fisrures of St. Peter and St. Paul, within one of the which there is an N. which signifieth Nicholas, and within the other an F., which signifieth Flammel. For these vessels signify nothing else, but that in the like of them, I have done the Mastery three times. Moreover he that will also believe, that I have put these vessels in form of Scutcheons, to represent this Pen and Inkhorn, and the capital letters of my name, let him believe it if he will, be- cause both these interpretations are true. Neither must you interpret in a Theological sense, that writing which followeth, in these terms; ’•‘•Nicholas Flammel, and Perrenella his wife,'’ inasmuch as that signifieth nothing, but that I and my wife have given that Arch. As to the third, fourth, and fifth Tables following, by the sides whereof is written, “How the Innocents were killed by the command of King Herod. The Theological sense is well enough understood by the writing, we must only speak of the rest, which is above. The two Dragons united together, the one within the other, of colour black and blue in a field of sable, that is to say, black, whereof the one hath the wings guilded, and the other hath none at all, are the sins which naturally are interchained, for the one hath his original and birth from another. Of them some may be easily chased away, as they come easily, for they fly towards us every hour; and those which have no loings, can never be chased away, such as is the sin against the holy Ghost. The gold which is in the wings, signifieth that the greatest part of sins cometh from the unholy hunger after gold; which makes so many people diligently to hearken from whence they may have it;

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