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<DATE>2007-03-26</DATE>
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<NAME>Jonathan Blaney</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>proofed text and revised markup</ITEM>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE FAME AND CONFESSION OF THE FRATERNITY OF R: C: Commonly, of the Ro&s;ie Cro&s;s.</P>
<P>WITH A Praeface annexed thereto, and a &s;hort Declaration of their Phy&s;icall Work.</P>
<P>By EUGENIUS PHILALETHES.</P>
<Q><P>Jarch: apud Philo&s;trat: <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P></Q>
<Q>Veritas in Profundo.</Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>J. M.</HI> for <HI>Giles Calvert,</HI> at the black &s;pread Eagle at the We&s;t end of <HI>Pauls.</HI> 1652.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>THE Publi&s;her to the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_IT is the <HI>Ob&s;ervation</HI> of &s;uch as skill <HI>Dreams,</HI> That to <HI>travel</HI> in our &s;leep a <HI>long way,</HI> and <HI>all alone,</HI> is a <HI>&s;ign</HI> of <HI>Death.</HI> This it &s;eems the <HI>Poet</HI> knew: for when the <HI>Queen</HI> of <HI>Carthage</HI> was to <HI>dye</HI> for <HI>Love,</HI> he <HI>fits</HI> her with this Melan|choly <HI>Vi&s;ion:</HI></P>
<Q><L>&mdash;&mdash;Longam Incomitata videtur</L>
<L>Ire Viam.&mdash;&mdash;</L></Q>
<P>Now the <HI>u&s;e</HI> I make of it, is <HI>this:</HI> I would be &s;o <HI>wi&s;e,</HI> as to <HI>progno&s;ticate.</HI> I do therefore promi&s;e my <HI>pre&s;ent Work</HI> not only <HI>Life,</HI> but <HI>Acceptance:</HI> for in this my <HI>Dream</HI> (and I <HI>know</HI> you will call it <HI>&s;o</HI>) I <HI>travel</HI> not without <HI>Company.</HI> There were
<PB REF="3">
&s;ome <HI>Gentlemen</HI> be&s;ides my <HI>&s;elf,</HI> who af|fected this <HI>Fame,</HI> and thought it no <HI>Di&s;|paragement</HI> to their <HI>own:</HI> but it was their <HI>plea&s;ure</HI> it &s;hould receive <HI>light</HI> at my <HI>hands,</HI> and this made them <HI>defer</HI> their own <HI>Copies,</HI> which otherwi&s;e had pa&s;t the Pre&s;s. I have, <HI>Reader,</HI> but little more to &s;ay, unle&s;s I tell thee of my <HI>Ju&s;tice,</HI> and now thou &s;halt &s;ee how <HI>di&s;tributive</HI> it is. The <HI>Tran&s;lation</HI> of the <HI>Fama</HI> belongs to an <HI>unknown hand,</HI> but the <HI>Abilities</HI> of the <HI>Tran&s;lator</HI> I que|&s;tion not. He hath indeed mi&s;taken <HI>Da|ma&s;cus</HI> for <HI>Damcar</HI> in <HI>Arabia,</HI> and this I would not <HI>alter,</HI> for I am no <HI>Pedant</HI> to <HI>cor|rect</HI> another mans <HI>Labours.</HI> The <HI>Copy</HI> was communicated to <HI>me</HI> by a <HI>Gentleman</HI> more learned then my &s;elf, and I &s;hould <HI>name</HI> him <HI>here,</HI> but that he expects not ei|ther <HI>thy thanks</HI> or <HI>mine.</HI> As for the <HI>Pre|face,</HI> it is my <HI>own,</HI> and I wi&s;h thee the full <HI>Benefit</HI> of it, which certainly thou can&s;t not <HI>mi&s;s,</HI> if thou com'&s;t to it with <HI>clear eyes,</HI> and a <HI>purged &s;pirit.</HI> Con&s;ider that <HI>Preju|dice</HI> ob&s;tructs thy <HI>Judgment:</HI> for if thy <HI>Affections</HI> are <HI>engag'd&punc;</HI> though to an <HI>Ignis fatuus,</HI> thou do&s;t think it a <HI>Guide&punc;</HI> becau&s;e
<PB REF="3">
thou do&s;t <HI>follow</HI> it. It is not <HI>Opinion</HI> makes Things <HI>Fal&s;e</HI> or <HI>True:</HI> for <HI>men</HI> have <HI>deny'd</HI> a great <HI>part</HI> of the <HI>World,</HI> which now they <HI>inhabit:</HI> and <HI>America</HI> as well as the <HI>Philo&s;ophers Stone,</HI> was <HI>&s;ome|times</HI> in the <HI>Predicament</HI> of <HI>Impo&s;&s;ibili|ties.</HI> There is <HI>nothing</HI> more <HI>ab&s;urd,</HI> then to be of the <HI>&s;ame mind</HI> with the <HI>Generality</HI> of <HI>Men,</HI> for they have <HI>entertain'd</HI> many <HI>gro&s;s Errors,</HI> which <HI>Time</HI> and <HI>Experience</HI> have <HI>confuted.</HI> It is indeed our <HI>Sluggi&s;h|ne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Incredulity</HI> that hinder all <HI>Di&s;|coveries,</HI> for men <HI>contribute nothing</HI> to|wards <HI>them</HI> but their <HI>Contempt,</HI> or, which is wor&s;t, their <HI>Malice.</HI> I have known <HI>all this</HI> my <HI>&s;elf,</HI> and therefore I <HI>tell</HI> it <HI>thee:</HI> but what u&s;e thou wilt <HI>make</HI> of it, I know not. To make <HI>thee</HI> what <HI>Man</HI> &s;hould <HI>be,</HI> is not in my <HI>power,</HI> but it is <HI>much</HI> in thy <HI>own,</HI> if thou <HI>know'&s;t</HI> thy <HI>Duty</HI> to thy <HI>&s;elf.</HI> Think of it, and Farewell.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>E. P.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>TO THE Wi&s;e and Under&s;tanding READER.</HEAD>
<P>_WI&s;dom (&s;aith <HI>Solomon</HI>) is to a man an infinite Trea&s;ure, for &s;he is the Breath of the Power of God, and a pure Influence that floweth from the Glory of the Al|mighty; &s;he is the Brightne&s;s of Eternal Light, and an undefi|led Mirror of the Maje&s;ty of God, and an Image of his Goodne&s;s; &s;he teacheth us Soberne&s;s and Pru|dence,
<PB REF="4">
Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Strength; &s;he under&s;tands the Subtilty of words, and Solution of dark &s;en|tences; &s;he foreknoweth Signs and Wonders, and what &s;hall hap|pen in time to come; with this Trea&s;ure was our fir&s;t Father <HI>Adam</HI> fully endued: Hence it doth ap|pear, that after God had brought before him all the Creatures of the Field, and the Fowls under Hea|ven, he gave to every one of them their proper names, according to their nature.</P>
<P>Although now through the &s;or|rowful fall into &s;in this excellent Jewel <HI>Wi&s;dom</HI> hath been lo&s;t, and meer Darkne&s;s and Ignorance is come into the World, yet notwith|&s;tanding hath the Lord God &s;ome|times
<PB REF="5">
hitherto be&s;towed, and made manife&s;t the &s;ame, to &s;ome of his Friends: For the wi&s;e King <HI>Solomon</HI> doth te&s;tifie of him&s;elf, that he up|on earne&s;t prayer and de&s;ire did get and obtain &s;uch Wi&s;dom of God, that thereby he knew how the World was created, thereby he under&s;tood the Nature of the Ele|ments, al&s;o the time, beginning, middle, and end, the increa&s;e and decrea&s;e, the change of times through the whole Year, the Re|volution of the Year, and Ordi|nance of the Stars; he under&s;tood al&s;o the properties of tame and wilde Bea&s;ts, the cau&s;e of the raigning of the Winds, and minds and intents of men, all &s;orts and natures of Plants, vertues of Roots,
<PB REF="5">
and others, was not unknown to him. Now I do not think that there can be found any one who would not wi&s;h and de&s;ire with all his heart to be Partaker of this noble Trea&s;ure; but &s;eeing the &s;ame Felicity can happen to none, except God him&s;elf give Wi&s;dom, and &s;end his holy Spirit from a|bove, we have therefore &s;et forth in print this little Treati&s;e, to wit, <HI>Famam &amp; Confe&s;sionem,</HI> of the Lau|dable Fraternity of the Ro&s;ie Cro&s;s, to be read by every one, be|cau&s;e in them is clearly &s;hewn and di&s;covered, what concerning it the World hath to expect.</P>
<P>Although the&s;e things may &s;eem &s;omewhat &s;trange, and many may e&s;teem it to be but a Phil&s;o|phical
<PB REF="6">
&s;hew, and no true Hi&s;tory, which is publi&s;hed and &s;poken of the <HI>Fraternity</HI> of the <HI>Ro&s;ie Cro&s;s;</HI> it &s;hall here &s;ufficiently appear by our <HI>Confe&s;sion,</HI> that there is more <HI>in rece&s;&s;u</HI> then may be imagined; and it &s;hall be ea&s;ily under&s;tood, and ob&s;erved by every one (if he be not altogether voyd of under|&s;tanding) what now adays, and at the&s;e times, is meant thereby.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e who are true Di&s;ciples of <HI>Wi&s;dom,</HI> and true Followers of the <HI>Spherical Art,</HI> will con&s;ider better of the&s;e things, and have them in greater e&s;timation, as al&s;o judg far otherwi&s;e of them, as hath been done by &s;ome principal Per&s;ons, but e&s;pecially of <HI>Adam Ha&s;elmeyer, Notarius Publicus</HI> to the Arch Duke
<PB REF="6">
<HI>Maximilian,</HI> who likewi&s;e hath made an Extract <HI>ex &s;criptis Theo|logicis Theophrasti,</HI> and written a Treati&s;e under the Title of <HI>Je|&s;uiter,</HI> wherein he willeth, that every Chri&s;tian &s;hould be a true Je&s;uit, that is, to walk, live, be, and remain in <HI>Je&s;us:</HI> He was but ill rewarded of the Je&s;uits, becau&s;e in his An&s;wer written upon the <HI>Famam,</HI> he did name tho&s;e of the <HI>Frater|nity</HI> of the <HI>Ro&s;ie Cro&s;s, The highly illuminated men, and un|deceiving Je&s;uits;</HI> for they not able to brook this, layd hands on him, and put him into the <HI>Calleis,</HI> for which they likewi&s;e have to expect their reward.</P>
<P><PB REF="7">Ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Aurora</HI> will now henceforth begin to appear, who (after the pa&s;&s;ing away of the dark Night of <HI>Saturn</HI>) with her Brightne&s;s altogether extin|gui&s;heth the &s;hining of the Moon, or the &s;mall Sparks of Heavenly <HI>Wi&s;dom,</HI> which yet remaineth with men, and is a Forerunner of plea&s;ant <HI>Phe|bus,</HI> who with his clear and fiery gli&s;tering Beams brings forth that ble&s;&s;ed Day, long wi&s;hed for, of many true-hearted; by which Day-light then &s;hall truly be known, and &s;hall be &s;een all heavenly Trea&s;ures of godly Wi&s;|dom, as al&s;o the Secrets of all hidden and unvi&s;ible things in the World, according to the
<PB REF="7">
Doctrine of our Forefathers, and ancient Wi&s;emen.</P>
<P>This will be the right kingly <HI>Ruby,</HI> and mo&s;t excellent &s;hining <HI>Carbuncle,</HI> of the which it is &s;aid, That he doth &s;hine and give light in darkne&s;s, and to be a perfect Medicine of all imperfect Bodies, and to change them into the be&s;t Gold, and to cure all Di&s;ea&s;es of Men, ea&s;ing them of all pains and mi&s;eries.</P>
<P>Be therefore, gentle Reader, admoni&s;hed, that with me you do earne&s;tly pray to God, that it plea&s;e him to open the hearts and ears of all ill hearing people, and to grant unto them his ble&s;&s;ing, that they may be able to know him in his Omnipotency, with
<PB REF="8">
admiring contemplation of Na|ture, to his honour and prai&s;e, and to the love, help, comfort and &s;trengthening of our Neighbors, and to the re&s;toring of all the di&s;ea&s;ed.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
<PB REF="8">
<HEAD>The Preface.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_IF it were the</HI> Bu&s;ine&s;s <HI>of my Life or Learning, to procure my &s;elf that</HI> noy&s;e <HI>which men call</HI> Fame, <HI>I am not to</HI> &s;eek <HI>what might</HI> conduce <HI>to it. It is an</HI> Age <HI>affords many</HI> Advantages, <HI>and I might have the</HI> choyce <HI>of &s;everal</HI> Foundations, <HI>whereon to</HI> build <HI>my</HI> &s;elf. <HI>I can &s;ee withall, that</HI> Time <HI>and</HI> Imployment <HI>have made &s;ome per&s;ons</HI> Men, <HI>whom their fir&s;t</HI> Adven|tures <HI>did not finde</HI> &s;uch. <HI>This &s;uddain</HI> Growth <HI>might give my</HI> Imperfections <HI>al&s;o the</HI> Confidence <HI>of &s;uch another</HI> &s;tart: <HI>but as I live not by</HI> common Examples, <HI>&s;o I drive not a</HI> Common De&s;ign. <HI>I have taken a</HI> cour&s;e different <HI>from that of the</HI> World, <HI>for</HI> (Readers) <HI>I would have you</HI>
<PB REF="9">
know, <HI>that whereas you</HI> plot <HI>to</HI> &s;et <HI>your &s;elves</HI> up, <HI>I do here</HI> contrive <HI>to</HI> bring <HI>my &s;elf</HI> down. <HI>I am in the</HI> Humor <HI>to</HI> affirm <HI>the</HI> E&s;&s;ence, <HI>and</HI> Exi&s;tence <HI>of that admired</HI> Chimaera, <HI>the</HI> Fraternitie <HI>of</HI> R. C. <HI>And now</HI> Gentlemen <HI>I thank you, I have</HI> Aire <HI>and</HI> Room <HI>enough: me thinks you &s;neak and &s;teal from me, as if the</HI> Plague <HI>and this</HI> Red Cro&s;s <HI>were in&s;eparable. Take my</HI> Lord have mercy <HI>along with you, for</HI> I pitty <HI>your</HI> &s;ickly Braines, <HI>and certainly as to your</HI> pre&s;ent State <HI>the</HI> In&s;cription <HI>is not</HI> un&s;ea&s;onable. <HI>But in</HI> lieu <HI>of this, &s;ome of you may advi&s;e me to an</HI> A&s;&s;ertion <HI>of the</HI> Capreols <HI>of</HI> del Phaebo, <HI>or a</HI> Review <HI>of the</HI> Library <HI>of that di&s;creet</HI> Gentleman <HI>of the</HI> Mancha, <HI>for in your</HI> Opinion <HI>tho&s;e</HI> Knights <HI>and the&s;e</HI> Brothers <HI>are equally</HI> In|vi&s;ible. <HI>This is hard mea&s;ure, but I &s;hal not in&s;i&s;t to</HI> di&s;prove <HI>you: If there be any a|mong&s;t the</HI> Living <HI>of the &s;ame</HI> Booki&s;h &s;aith <HI>with my</HI> &s;elf, <HI>They are the</HI> Per&s;ons <HI>I would</HI> &s;peak to, <HI>and yet in this I &s;hal act</HI> mode&s;tly, <HI>I</HI> invite <HI>them</HI> not, <HI>unle&s;s they be at</HI> Lea&s;ure.</P>
<P><HI>When I con&s;ider the</HI> unju&s;t Cen&s;ure <HI>and</HI>
<PB REF="9">
<HI>indeed the</HI> Contempt, <HI>which</HI> Magic <HI>even in all Ages hath</HI> undergone, <HI>I can (in my opinion) finde no other</HI> Rea&s;ons <HI>for it, but what the</HI> Profe&s;&s;ors <HI>them&s;elves are</HI> guilty <HI>of by</HI> Mi&s;-con&s;truction, <HI>and this in</HI> Refe|rence <HI>to a</HI> double Ob&s;curity, <HI>of</HI> Life <HI>and</HI> Language. <HI>As for their</HI> nice <HI>(or to &s;peak a better truth) their</HI> Con&s;cientious Retire|ments, <HI>whereby they did</HI> &s;eparate <HI>them&s;elvs from</HI> di&s;&s;olute <HI>and</HI> bruti&s;h &s;pirits, <HI>it is that which none can</HI> &s;oberly <HI>di&s;commend; nay, it is a very</HI> purging Argument, <HI>and may &s;erve to</HI> wipe <HI>off tho&s;e contracted, envious</HI> &s;candals, <HI>which</HI> Time <HI>and</HI> Man <HI>have</HI> in|juriou&s;ly <HI>fa&s;tned on their</HI> Memory. <HI>For if we rea&s;on</HI> di&s;creetly, <HI>we may not &s;afely</HI> tru&s;t <HI>the</HI> Traditions <HI>and</HI> Judgement <HI>of the</HI> World, <HI>concerning</HI> &s;uch per&s;ons <HI>who</HI> &s;eque&s;tred <HI>them&s;elves from the</HI> World, <HI>and were no way</HI> addicted <HI>to the</HI> Affairs <HI>or</HI> Acquaintance <HI>thereof. It is true, they were</HI> lo&s;ers <HI>by this</HI> Alienation, <HI>for both their</HI> life <HI>and their</HI> Principles <HI>were</HI> cro&s;&s;e <HI>to tho&s;e of their</HI> Adver&s;aries: <HI>They lived in the</HI> &s;hade, <HI>in the</HI> calm <HI>of</HI> Con&s;cience <HI>and</HI> &s;olitude, <HI>but their</HI> Enemies <HI>moved in the</HI>
<PB REF="10">
Sun-&s;hine, <HI>in the</HI> Eye <HI>of worldly</HI> Tran&s;|actions, <HI>where they kept up their own</HI> Re|pute <HI>with a clamarous</HI> Defamation <HI>of the&s;e innocent and contented</HI> Eremits. <HI>The &s;econd</HI> Ob&s;tacle <HI>to their</HI> Fame, <HI>was partly the</HI> &s;implicity <HI>of their</HI> &s;tyle, <HI>which is</HI> Scrip|ture-like, <HI>and commonly begins like</HI> Solo|mon's Text, <HI>with</HI> Mi Fili. <HI>But that which &s;poil'd all, and made them Contemptible even to &s;ome degree of mi&s;erie, was a corrupt Delivery of the</HI> Notions <HI>and</HI> Vocabula <HI>of the</HI> Art: <HI>for</HI> Magic <HI>like the</HI> Sun, <HI>moving from the</HI> Ea&s;t, <HI>carried along with it the Ori|entall</HI> Termes, <HI>which our</HI> We&s;tern Philo|&s;ophers <HI>who skil'd not the</HI> Arabic <HI>or</HI> Chal|dee, &amp;c. <HI>did mo&s;t unhappily and corrupt|ly</HI> tran&s;cribe, <HI>and verily at this day they are &s;o &s;trangely</HI> abus'd, <HI>it is more then a</HI> Task <HI>to gue&s;s at their</HI> Original. <HI>But this is not all, for &s;ome were &s;o</HI> &s;ingular, <HI>as to</HI> in|vent <HI>certain</HI> Barbarous Termes <HI>of their own, and the&s;e conceited</HI> Riddles, <HI>together with their</HI> Magi&s;terial way <HI>of</HI> Writing (<HI>for they did not &s;o far</HI> conde&s;cend <HI>as to</HI> Rea&s;on <HI>their</HI> Po&s;itions) <HI>made the</HI> world <HI>conclude them a</HI> Fabulous Generation.
<PB REF="10">
<HI>Indeed this was a</HI> &s;trange cour&s;e <HI>of Theirs, and much different from that of</HI> Tri&s;me|gi&s;tus, <HI>in who&s;e</HI> genuine works <HI>there is not one</HI> Barbarous &s;yllable, <HI>nor any</HI> point <HI>a&s;&s;er|ted, without mo&s;t pregnant and</HI> Demon|&s;trative Rea&s;ons. <HI>Certainly</HI> Hermes <HI>as to his cour&s;e of</HI> life <HI>was</HI> public <HI>and</HI> princely, <HI>in his</HI> Doctrine <HI>clear and</HI> Rational, <HI>and hence it was that not onely his</HI> own times, <HI>but even all</HI> &s;ub&s;equent Generations <HI>were mo&s;t con&s;tant</HI> Tributaries <HI>to his</HI> Honour. <HI>On the</HI> contrary (<HI>if we may conjecture by</HI> Effects) <HI>there &s;ucceeded</HI> him <HI>in his</HI> School <HI>certain</HI> Melancholy envious Spirits, <HI>who&s;e ob&s;cure in&s;crutable</HI> writings <HI>render'd their</HI> Authors Contemptible, <HI>but made way for that</HI> new noy&s;e <HI>of</HI> Ari&s;totle, <HI>which men call</HI> Philo&s;ophie. <HI>I may &s;ay then of the&s;e</HI> later Magicians <HI>what</HI> Solinus <HI>&s;ometimes &s;aid of tho&s;e contentious</HI> &s;ucce&s;&s;ors <HI>of</HI> A|lexander <HI>the</HI> Great: <HI>That they were born,</HI> Ad &s;egetem Romanae gloriae, non ad Haereditatem tanti Nominis.</P>
<P><HI>It is equally</HI> true, <HI>That &s;ome</HI> skulking Philo&s;ophers <HI>whiles they</HI> enviou&s;ly <HI>&s;up|pre&s;t the</HI> Truth, <HI>did</HI> occa&s;ionally <HI>promote</HI>
<PB REF="11">
a Lye: <HI>for they gave way to the</HI> Enemies growth, <HI>till at la&s;t the</HI> Tares <HI>po&s;&s;e&s;t the</HI> Field, <HI>and then was the</HI> true Graine <HI>ca&s;t into the</HI> Fire. <HI>Nor indeed could it be other|wi&s;e, for this</HI> Bu&s;hel <HI>being placed over the</HI> Light, <HI>the</HI> Darkne&s;s <HI>of it invited</HI> Igno|rance <HI>abroad: and now &s;teps out</HI> Ari&s;totle <HI>like a</HI> Pedler <HI>with his</HI> pack, <HI>the</HI> Triumphs <HI>of who&s;e petulant</HI> School <HI>had but two weak &s;upporters,</HI> Ob&s;curity <HI>and</HI> Envie. <HI>Both the&s;e proceeded from the</HI> Malignancie <HI>of &s;ome eminent</HI> Authors, <HI>whom</HI> God <HI>had ble&s;t with</HI> Di&s;coveries Extraordinary: <HI>The&s;e to &s;ecure</HI> them&s;elves <HI>and the</HI> Art, <HI>judged it their be&s;t cour&s;e to</HI> blot <HI>out the</HI> path, <HI>that &s;uch as were</HI> unworthy <HI>might never be able to</HI> follow <HI>them. It cannot be denyed but this</HI> My&s;tery <HI>and</HI> cloud <HI>of the</HI> letter <HI>carried with it both</HI> Di&s;cretion <HI>and</HI> Nece&s;&s;itie, <HI>but what</HI> &s;poyl'd <HI>all was the</HI> Exce&s;s <HI>of the</HI> Contrivers, <HI>for they past all</HI> Decencie <HI>both in the</HI> Mea&s;ure, <HI>and the</HI> Maner <HI>of it. I could be</HI> numerous <HI>in</HI> Ex|amples, <HI>and</HI> proofs <HI>of this</HI> kind, <HI>but that I hold it</HI> &s;uperfluous <HI>to pau&s;e at a</HI> point <HI>which is</HI> acknowledged <HI>on all</HI> Hands. To
<PB REF="11">
<HI>be &s;hort then, this</HI> Umbrage <HI>and</HI> Mi&s;t <HI>of their</HI> Text <HI>required &s;ome</HI> Comment <HI>and</HI> Clearne&s;s, <HI>but</HI> few <HI>being able to</HI> Expound, <HI>the</HI> World <HI>ran</HI> generally <HI>to the</HI> other &s;ide <HI>and the</HI> School-men <HI>have got the</HI> Day, <HI>not by</HI> Weight <HI>but by</HI> Number. <HI>This</HI> con&s;i|dered, <HI>it cannot be thought</HI> unrea&s;onable <HI>and certainly not</HI> un&s;ea&s;onable, <HI>if a</HI> So|ciety <HI>con&s;cious of the</HI> Truth, <HI>and</HI> skil'd <HI>in the</HI> ab&s;tru&s;e principles <HI>of</HI> Nature, <HI>&s;hall endeavour to</HI> rectifie <HI>the</HI> world: <HI>for hither|to we have been</HI> abu&s;ed <HI>with</HI> Greek Fables <HI>and a pretended</HI> knowledge <HI>of</HI> Cau&s;es, <HI>but without their</HI> much de&s;ired Effects. <HI>We plainly</HI> &s;ee, <HI>that if the lea&s;t</HI> Di&s;ea&s;e <HI>invades</HI> Us, <HI>the</HI> School-men <HI>have not one</HI> Notion, <HI>that is &s;o much a</HI> charm, <HI>as to</HI> cure Us: <HI>and why then &s;hould we</HI> imbrace <HI>a</HI> Philo&s;ophie <HI>of meer</HI> words, <HI>when it is</HI> evident <HI>enough, that we cannot</HI> live <HI>but by</HI> Works. <HI>Let us not for</HI> &s;hame <HI>be &s;o</HI> &s;tupid <HI>any more, for 'tis a</HI> Barbarous Ignorance <HI>to</HI> maintaine <HI>that for</HI> Truth <HI>which our own dayly</HI> Experience <HI>can</HI> a&s;&s;ure <HI>us to be</HI> Fal&s;e. <HI>But &s;ome body will reply,</HI> That the <HI>Anti|quitie of this</HI> Peripati&s;m <HI>may claim &s;ome</HI>
<PB REF="12">
Reverence; <HI>and we mu&s;t</HI> complementally <HI>invite it</HI> abroad, <HI>not</HI> churli&s;hly <HI>turn it</HI> out <HI>of Doors. This in my opinion were to</HI> dance <HI>before</HI> Dagon, as David <HI>did before the</HI> Ark: <HI>to pay that</HI> re&s;pect <HI>to a</HI> Lye, <HI>which is</HI> due <HI>onely to the</HI> Truth, <HI>and this is</HI> An&s;wer <HI>&s;ufficient. As for that</HI> Fraternity, <HI>who&s;e</HI> Hi&s;tory <HI>and</HI> Confe&s;&s;ion <HI>I have here adventured to</HI> publi&s;h, <HI>I have for my own part no</HI> Relation to them, <HI>neither do I much</HI> de&s;ire <HI>their</HI> Acquaintance: <HI>I know they are</HI> Ma&s;ters <HI>of great</HI> My&s;teries, <HI>and I know withal that</HI> nature <HI>is &s;o</HI> large, <HI>they may as wel</HI> Receive <HI>as</HI> Give. <HI>I was never yet &s;o</HI> lavi&s;h <HI>an</HI> Admirer <HI>of</HI> them, <HI>as to</HI> prefer <HI>them to all the</HI> World, <HI>for it is</HI> po&s;|&s;ible <HI>and perhaps</HI> true, <HI>that a</HI> private man <HI>may have that in his</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, <HI>wher|of they are</HI> Ignorant. <HI>It is not their</HI> title <HI>and the</HI> noy&s;e <HI>it hath</HI> occa&s;ion'd, <HI>that makes me</HI> commend <HI>them; The</HI> Ac|knowledgment <HI>I give them,</HI> was fir&s;t procured <HI>by their</HI> Books, <HI>for there I found them</HI> true Philo&s;ophers, <HI>and therefore not</HI> Chimaera's (<HI>as mo&s;t think) but</HI> Men. <HI>Their</HI> Principles <HI>are every may</HI> Corre|&s;pondent
<PB REF="12">
<HI>to the Ancient and</HI> Primitive Wi&s;dome, <HI>nay, they are</HI> con&s;onant <HI>to our very</HI> Religion, <HI>and</HI> confirm <HI>every</HI> point <HI>thereof. I que&s;tion not but mo&s;t of their</HI> Propo&s;als <HI>may &s;eem</HI> Irregular <HI>to</HI> com|mon Capacities; <HI>but</HI> where <HI>the</HI> Preroga|tive <HI>and</HI> Power <HI>of</HI> Nature <HI>is</HI> known, <HI>there will</HI> they <HI>quickly</HI> fall even, <HI>for they want not their</HI> Order <HI>and</HI> Sobriety. <HI>It will be expected perhaps, that I &s;hould &s;peak &s;ome|thing as to their</HI> Per&s;ons <HI>and</HI> Habitations, <HI>but in this my</HI> cold Acquaintance <HI>will</HI> ex|cu&s;e <HI>me; or had I any</HI> Familiarity <HI>with them, I &s;hould not</HI> doubt <HI>to</HI> u&s;e <HI>it with more</HI> Di&s;cretion. <HI>As for their</HI> Exi&s;tence, (<HI>if I may &s;peak like a</HI> School-man,) <HI>there is</HI> great rea&s;on <HI>we &s;hould</HI> believe <HI>it, neither do I &s;ee</HI> how <HI>we can</HI> deny <HI>it, unle&s;s we</HI> grant, <HI>that</HI> Nature <HI>is</HI> &s;tudied, <HI>and</HI> Books <HI>al&s;o</HI> written <HI>and</HI> publi&s;hed <HI>by &s;ome other</HI> Crea|tures <HI>then</HI> Men. <HI>It is true indeed, that their</HI> Knowledg <HI>at</HI> fir&s;t <HI>was not</HI> purcha&s;ed <HI>by their own</HI> Di&s;qui&s;itions, <HI>for they</HI> received <HI>it from the</HI> Arabians, <HI>amongst whom it re|mained as the</HI> Monument <HI>and</HI> Legacy <HI>of the</HI> Children <HI>of the</HI> Ea&s;t. <HI>Nor is this at all</HI>
<PB REF="13">
improbable, <HI>for the</HI> Ea&s;tern Countries <HI>have been always</HI> famous <HI>for</HI> Magical <HI>and</HI> Secret Societies. <HI>Now am I to &s;eek how far you will</HI> believe <HI>me in</HI> this, <HI>becau&s;e I am a</HI> Chri&s;tian; <HI>and yet I doubt not but you will</HI> believe <HI>a</HI> Heathen, <HI>becau&s;e</HI> Ari&s;totle <HI>was</HI> one.</P>
<P><HI>Take then amongst you a more acceptable</HI> Ethnic, <HI>I mean</HI> Philo&s;tratus, <HI>for thus he delivers him&s;elf in the</HI> life <HI>of</HI> Apollonius. <HI>He brings in his</HI> Tyaneus <HI>di&s;cour&s;ing with Prince</HI> Phraotes, <HI>and amongst other</HI> Que|&s;tions <HI>propo&s;ed to the</HI> Prince, Apollonius <HI>asks him,</HI> Where he had learnt his Philo|&s;ophy, and the Greek Tongue, for a|mong&s;t the Indians (<HI>&s;aid this</HI> Greek) there are no Philo&s;ophers? <HI>To this &s;imple</HI> Quaere <HI>the</HI> Prince <HI>replies, <GAP DESC="foreign">, and with a notable</HI> Sarca&s;m, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Our Forefathers (<HI>&s;aid he</HI>) did ask all tho&s;e who came hither in &s;hips, if they were not Pirates; for they conceived all the World (but them&s;elves) addicted to that vice, though a great one: But you Gre|cians ask not tho&s;e &s;trangers who come to you, if they be Philo&s;ophers. <HI>To this</HI>
<PB REF="13">
<HI>he adds a very di&s;&s;olute</HI> Opinion <HI>of the &s;ame</HI> Grecians, <HI>namely,</HI> that Philo&s;ophy, which of all Donatives is <GAP DESC="foreign">, the Divine&s;t, &s;hould be e&s;teemed among&s;t them as a thing indifferent, and proportionate to all Capacities: And this, I am &s;ure (<HI>&s;aith</HI> Phraotes <HI>to</HI> Apollonius) is a kind of Pi|racy tolerated among&s;t you: <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>which being applyed here to</HI> Philo&s;ophy, <HI>I &s;hould make bold to render it</HI> Sacriledg. <HI>But the</HI> Prince <HI>proceeds, and</HI> &s;chools <HI>his</HI> Novice, <HI>for &s;uch was</HI> Apollonius, <HI>who was never</HI> acquaint|ed <HI>with any one</HI> My&s;tery <HI>of Nature. I</HI> under&s;tand (<HI>&s;aith he</HI>) that among&s;t you Grecians there are many Intruders, that inju&s;tly apply them&s;elves to Philo&s;o|phy, as being no way conformable to it: The&s;e u&s;urp a Profe&s;&s;ion which is not their own; as if they &s;hould fir&s;t rob men of their Clothes, and then wear them, though never &s;o di&s;proportionate; and thus do you proudly &s;tradle in bor|rowed Ornaments. And certainly, as Pi|rates, who know them&s;elves liable to in|numerable tortures, do lead a &s;otti&s;h
<PB REF="14">
and a loo&s;e kind of life: Even &s;o among&s;t you, the&s;e Pirates and Plunderers of Phi|lo&s;ophy are wholly given to Lu&s;ts and Compotations; and this I &s;uppo&s;e is an Evil that proceeds from the Blindne&s;s and Improvidence of your Laws. For &s;hould any Man-&s;tealer be found a|mong&s;t you, or &s;hould any adulterate your Coyn, the&s;e were Offences Capital, and puni&s;hed with Death: But for &s;uch as counterfeit and corrupt Philo&s;ophy, your Law corrects them not, neither have you any Magi&s;trate ordained to that purpo&s;e. <HI>Thus we &s;ee in what re&s;pect the</HI> Greek Sophi&s;try <HI>was with the</HI> Indians, <HI>and that</HI> clamorous Liberty <HI>they had to</HI> di&s;tract <HI>one another; &s;ome of them being</HI> Epicures, <HI>&s;ome</HI> Cynics, <HI>&s;ome</HI> Stoics, <HI>&s;ome again</HI> Peripatetics, <HI>and &s;ome of them pre|tended</HI> Platonics. <HI>It is not to be doubted, but the</HI> &s;cuffling <HI>and</HI> &s;quabling <HI>of the&s;e</HI> Sectaries <HI>did at la&s;t produce the</HI> Sceptic, <HI>who finding</HI> nought <HI>in the</HI> Schools <HI>but</HI> Oppo&s;ition <HI>and</HI> Bitterne&s;s, <HI>re&s;olved for a new</HI> cour&s;e, <HI>and &s;ecured his</HI> Peace <HI>with his</HI> Ignorance.</P>
<P><PB REF="14">Phraotes <HI>having thus returned that</HI> Calumny, <HI>which</HI> Apollonius <HI>bestowed on the</HI> Indians, <HI>to the</HI> Bo&s;om <HI>of this conceited</HI> Greek, <HI>gives him now an</HI> Accompt <HI>of his own</HI> Colledg, <HI>I mean the</HI> Brachmans, <HI>with the Excellent and</HI> whole&s;om Severity <HI>of their</HI> Di&s;cipline. <HI>And here I cannot but ob&s;erve the</HI> In&s;olence <HI>of</HI> Tyaneus, <HI>who be|ing a meer</HI> &s;tranger <HI>in the</HI> Indies, <HI>notwith|&s;tanding runs into a</HI> po&s;itive Ab&s;urdity, <HI>and before he had</HI> conver&s;ed <HI>with the</HI> Inha|bitants, <HI>concludes them no</HI> Philo&s;ophers. <HI>The&s;e</HI> bad Manners <HI>of</HI> his <HI>I could (and per|haps not unju&s;tly)</HI> derive <HI>from the</HI> Cu&s;to|mary Arrogance <HI>of his</HI> Country-men, <HI>who&s;e</HI> kindne&s;s <HI>to their own</HI> I&s;&s;ue <HI>di&s;tin|gui&s;h'd not the</HI> Greeks <HI>and the</HI> Sages: <HI>but the</HI> re&s;t <HI>of the</HI> world <HI>they</HI> di&s;criminated <HI>with a certain</HI> Sheep-mark <HI>of their</HI> own, <HI>and</HI> branded <HI>them with the</HI> name <HI>of</HI> Bar|barians. <HI>How much an</HI> A&s;per&s;ion <HI>this is, we &s;hall quickly</HI> under&s;tand, <HI>if we attend the</HI> Prince <HI>in his</HI> Di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>for thus he in|&s;tructs</HI> Apollonius. <HI>Amongst us</HI> Indians (<HI>&s;aith he</HI>) there are but few admitted to Philo&s;ophy, and this is the manner of
<PB REF="15">
their Election. At the Age of eighteen years the per&s;on to be elected comes to the River <HI>Hypha&s;is,</HI> and there meets with tho&s;e Wi&s;e men, for who&s;e &s;ake even you al&s;o <HI>Apollonius</HI> are come into the&s;e parts. There he doth publiquely profe&s;s a very ardent de&s;ire and affection to Philo&s;o|phy; for &s;uch as are otherwi&s;e di&s;po&s;ed, are left to their own Liberty, to follow what Profe&s;&s;ion they plea&s;e. This done, the next con&s;ideration is, whether he be de&s;cended of hone&s;t parents or no; and here they look back even to three Generations, that by the Di&s;po&s;i|tion and Qualities of the Ance&s;tors, they may gue&s;s at tho&s;e of the Child. If they find them to have been men of a known Integrity, then they proceed to his Ad|mi&s;&s;ion; but fir&s;t they try him, and prove him with &s;everal Tentations. For ex|ample, Whether he be naturally mode&s;t, or rather acts a counterfeit Ba&s;hfulne&s;s for a time, being otherwi&s;e impudent and la&s;civious: Whether he be &s;otti&s;h and gluttonous, or no: Whether he be of an in&s;olent bold &s;pirit, and may prove Re|fractory,
<PB REF="15">
and di&s;obedient to his Tutors? Now tho&s;e that are appointed to exa|mine him, have the skill to read his Qua|lities in his countenance; for the Eyes di&s;cover mo&s;t of mens Manners, and in the Brows and Cheeks there are many excellent <HI>Indicia,</HI> whereby Wi&s;e men, and &s;uch as are skill'd in the My&s;teries of Nature, may di&s;cover our minds and di&s;po&s;itions, as Images are di&s;covered in a gla&s;s. And certainly &s;ince Philo&s;ophy among&s;t the <HI>Indians</HI> is had in very great Honor, it is nece&s;&s;ary that tho&s;e who would know the &s;ecrets of it, &s;hould be tempted and proved by all po&s;&s;ible Try|als, before ever they be admitted. <HI>This was then the</HI> Di&s;cipline <HI>of the</HI> Brachmans, <HI>and indeed of all the</HI> Magi <HI>in the</HI> Election <HI>and</HI> Proof <HI>of their</HI> Pupils. <HI>But all this was News to</HI> Apollonius, <HI>and therefore he asks</HI> Phraotes, <HI>if the&s;e</HI> Wi&s;e-men, <HI>menti|oned in his</HI> Di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>were of the &s;ame</HI> or|der <HI>with</HI> tho&s;e, <HI>who did &s;ometimes meet</HI> A|lexander <HI>the</HI> Great, <HI>and had &s;ome Confe|rence with him</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, concerning Heaven, <HI>for it &s;eems they were</HI> A&s;trolo|gers.
<PB REF="16">
<HI>To this the</HI> Prince <HI>an&s;wers, that the&s;e</HI> Planet-mongers <HI>were the <GAP DESC="foreign">, who were a</HI> people <HI>di&s;po&s;ed&punc; to the</HI> Wars: <GAP DESC="foreign">; <HI>And for</HI> Knowledg <HI>(&s;aith he) they make a great</HI> Profe&s;&s;ion <HI>of it, but indeed they</HI> know nothing <HI>that is</HI> Excellent. <HI>But he proceeds:</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">&punc; &amp;c. <HI>Tho&s;e</HI> Wi&s;e-men <HI>(&s;aith he) who are truly</HI> &s;uch, <HI>dwell between the River</HI> Hypha&s;is <HI>and</HI> Ganges, <HI>into which place</HI> Alexander <HI>never came, not that he dur&s;t not attempt it, <GAP DESC="foreign">&punc; but as I think (&s;aith the</HI> Prince) <HI>the</HI> Reverence <HI>due to their</HI> My&s;teries <HI>kept him</HI> off. <HI>To this he adds, that</HI> Alexander <HI>knew the River</HI> Hy|pha&s;is <HI>was</HI> pa&s;&s;able, <HI>and that he might with ea&s;e beleagure the</HI> City, <HI>wherein the&s;e</HI> Magi <HI>did dwell; <GAP DESC="foreign">, but their</HI> Tow|er <HI>(&s;aith he) had he brought with him a</HI> thou&s;and <HI>&s;uch</HI> Souldiers <HI>as</HI> Achilles <HI>was, and</HI> three thou&s;and <HI>&s;uch as</HI> Ajax, <HI>he could never have</HI> taken <HI>it. To this he gives his</HI> Rea&s;on, <HI>namely, that the</HI> Magi <HI>did not make any</HI> &s;allies <HI>to beat off their</HI> Enemies, <HI>but keeping</HI> quietly <HI>within their</HI> gates, <HI>they</HI>
<PB REF="16">
de&s;troyed <HI>them with</HI> Thunder <HI>and</HI> Ligh|tening. <HI>Here was a</HI> &s;tory <HI>might have &s;tar|tled</HI> Apollonius, <HI>who knew not the</HI> power <HI>of</HI> Gun-powder, <HI>but in the&s;e our</HI> days <HI>there is nothing more</HI> familiar <HI>and</HI> credi|ble. <HI>But notwith&s;tanding the</HI> Improve|ments <HI>of this fatal</HI> Invention <HI>are not known even to the pre&s;ent</HI> Generations, <HI>for the</HI> Pyrography <HI>of</HI> Cornelius Agrip|pa, <HI>and the</HI> Powder <HI>of</HI> Friar Bacon <HI>were never yet brought to the</HI> Field. <HI>And now let us hear the</HI> Friar <HI>him&s;elf, who di&s;cour&s;|ing of &s;everal</HI> wonderful Experiments, <HI>tells us amongst the</HI> re&s;t <HI>of a</HI> &s;ecret Com|po&s;ition, <HI>which being form'd into</HI> Pills, <HI>or little</HI> Balls, <HI>and then</HI> ca&s;t <HI>up into the</HI> Air, <HI>would break out into</HI> Thunders <HI>and</HI> Ligh|tenings, <HI>more</HI> violent <HI>and</HI> horrible <HI>then</HI> tho&s;e <HI>of</HI> Nature. Praeter vero haec (<HI>&s;aith he</HI>) &s;unt alia &s;tupenda Naturae: nam So|ni velut Tonitr&ucirc;s &amp; Coru&s;cationes po&s;|&s;unt fieri in Aere: imo majori horrore quam illa quae fiunt, per Naturam. Nam modica materia adaptata, &s;cilicet ad quantitatem unius pollicis, &s;onum facit Horribilem, &amp; Coru&s;cationem o&s;tendit
<PB REF="17">
vehementem: et hoc fit multis modis, quibus Civitas, aut Exercitus de&s;truatur. Mira &s;unt haec, &s;i quis &s;ciret uti ad ple|num in debit&acirc; quantitate &amp; materi&acirc;. <HI>Thus he. But let us return to</HI> Apollonius, <HI>for now he trots like a</HI> Novice <HI>to the River</HI> Hypha&s;is, <HI>and carries with him a</HI> Com|mendatory Letter <HI>to the</HI> Brachmans, <HI>ha|ving reque&s;ted the</HI> Prince <HI>to tell them he was a</HI> good Boy. <HI>Here the&s;e admirable</HI> Ea&s;tern Magicians <HI>pre&s;ent him with &s;uch</HI> Rarities <HI>as in very truth he was not</HI> capa|ble <HI>of. Fir&s;t of all they &s;hew him (as</HI> Philo|&s;tratus <HI>de&s;cribes it) a certain</HI> Azure, <HI>or</HI> Sky-colour'd Water, <HI>and this</HI> Tincture <HI>was extreamly</HI> predominant <HI>in it, but with much</HI> Light <HI>and</HI> Brightne&s;s. <HI>This &s;trange</HI> Liquor <HI>(the</HI> Sun <HI>&s;hining on it at</HI> Noon) <HI>attracted the</HI> Beams <HI>or</HI> Splendor <HI>to it &s;elf, and did</HI> &s;ink <HI>downwards, as if</HI> coagulated <HI>with the</HI> Heat, <HI>but reflected to the</HI> Eyes <HI>of the</HI> Beholders <HI>a mo&s;t beautiful</HI> Rain-bow. <HI>Here we have a perfect</HI> De&s;cription <HI>of the Philo&s;ophers</HI> Mercury, <HI>but there is &s;omthing more behind.</HI> Apollonius <HI>confe&s;seth how the</HI> Brachmans <HI>told him afterwards, that this</HI> Water <HI>was <GAP DESC="foreign">, a certain</HI>
<PB REF="17">
&s;ecret Water, <HI>and that there was hid</HI> under <HI>it, or</HI> within <HI>it, <GAP DESC="foreign">, a</HI> Blood-red Earth. <HI>In a word, they told him that none might</HI> drink, <HI>or</HI> ta&s;te <HI>of that</HI> Liquor, <HI>nei|ther was it</HI> drawn <HI>at all for any</HI> ordinary u&s;es. <HI>After this mo&s;t my&s;terious</HI> Water, <HI>they &s;hew him al&s;o a certain</HI> my&s;terious Fire, <HI>and</HI> here <HI>for my part I do not intend to</HI> comment. <HI>From this</HI> Fire <HI>he is brought to certain</HI> Tubs, <HI>or &s;ome &s;uch</HI> Ve&s;&s;els, <HI>whereof the</HI> one <HI>was called the</HI> Ve&s;&s;el <HI>of</HI> Rain, <HI>and the</HI> other <HI>the</HI> Ve&s;&s;el <HI>of</HI> Winds: <HI>all which are mo&s;t</HI> deep <HI>and excellent</HI> Alle|gories. <HI>But the&s;e</HI> Rarities <HI>imply no more then the</HI> Rudiments <HI>of</HI> Magic. <HI>Let us now come to the</HI> Medecine <HI>it &s;elf, and the admi|rable</HI> Effects <HI>thereof. The</HI> Brachmans <HI>(&s;aith</HI> Apollonius) <HI>anointed their</HI> Heads <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>with a</HI> gummy Medicine, <HI>and this made their</HI> Bodies <HI>to</HI> &s;team <HI>at the</HI> pores, <HI>and</HI> &s;weat <HI>in that</HI> abundance, <HI>as if (&s;aith he) they had</HI> purged <HI>them&s;elves with</HI> Fire. <HI>This is</HI> enough <HI>to prove them</HI> Philo|&s;ophers. <HI>And now let us &s;ee what</HI> kind <HI>of</HI> Habitation <HI>they had, and how much a</HI> paral|lel <HI>it is to that</HI> place <HI>or</HI> dwelling <HI>of</HI> R. C. <HI>which his</HI> Followers <HI>call</HI> Locus S. Spiritus.
<PB REF="18">
<HI>The</HI> Wi&s;e-men <HI>(&s;aith</HI> Apollonius) <HI>dwelt on a little</HI> Hill, <HI>or</HI> Mount, <HI>and on the</HI> Hill <HI>there re&s;ted always a</HI> Cloud, <HI>in</HI> which <HI>the</HI> Indians hous'd <HI>them&s;elves (for &s;o the</HI> word <HI>&s;ignifies,) and here did they render them&s;elves</HI> vi&s;ible <HI>or</HI> invi&s;ible, <HI>at their own</HI> will <HI>and</HI> di&s;cretion. <HI>This Secret of</HI> Invi|&s;ibility <HI>was not known to the</HI> Dutch Boor, <HI>nor to his</HI> Plagiary, <HI>the</HI> Author <HI>of the</HI> Manna: <HI>but the</HI> Fraternity <HI>of</HI> R. C. <HI>can</HI> move <HI>in this</HI> white Mi&s;t. Ut nobi&s;cum autem convenias (<HI>&s;ay they</HI>) nece&s;&s;e e&s;t hanc lucem cernas, &s;ine enim hac luce, Impo&s;|&s;ibile e&s;t nos videre, ni&s;i quando volu|mus. <HI>But</HI> Tyaneus <HI>tells us &s;omething more; namely, that the</HI> Brachmans <HI>them|&s;elves did not</HI> know <HI>whether this</HI> Hill <HI>was compa&s;&s;ed about with</HI> Walls, <HI>or had any</HI> Gates <HI>that did</HI> lead <HI>to it, or no; for the</HI> Mi&s;t <HI>ob&s;tructed all</HI> Di&s;coveries. <HI>Con&s;ider what you</HI> read, <HI>for thus &s;ome body</HI> writes <HI>concerning the</HI> Habitation <HI>of</HI> R. C. Vidi aliquando Olympicas domos, non pro|cul &agrave; Fluviolo &amp; Civitate not&acirc;, quas S. Spiritus vocari imaginamur. Helicon e&s;t de quo loquor, aut biceps Parna&s;&s;us, in quo Equus Pega&s;us fontem aperuit pe|rennis
<PB REF="18">
aquae adhuc &s;tillantem, in quo Di|ana &s;e lavat, cui Venus ut Pedi&s;&s;equa, &amp; Saturnus ut Anteambulo, conjunguntur. Intelligenti nimium, Inexperto mini|mum hoc erit dictum. <HI>But to clear the</HI> Pro&s;pect <HI>a little more, let us hear</HI> Apollo|nius <HI>in a certain</HI> &s;peech <HI>of his to the</HI> Ae|gyptians, <HI>de&s;cribing this</HI> Ely&s;ium <HI>of the</HI> Brachmans: <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>I have &s;een (&s;aith he) the</HI> Brachmans <HI>of</HI> India <HI>dwell|ing</HI> on the Earth, <HI>and</HI> not on the Earth: <HI>they were</HI> guarded <HI>without</HI> Walls, <HI>and po&s;|&s;e&s;sing</HI> nothing, <HI>they enjoyed</HI> all things. <HI>This is</HI> plain <HI>enough, and on this</HI> Hill <HI>have I al&s;o a de&s;ire to</HI> live, <HI>if it were for no other</HI> Rea&s;on, <HI>but what the</HI> Sophi&s;t <HI>&s;ometimes</HI> applyed <HI>to the Mountains:</HI> Hos primum Sol &s;alutat, ultimo&s;que de&s;erit. Quis lo|cum non amet, dies longiores habentem? <HI>But of this</HI> place <HI>I will not &s;peak any</HI> more, <HI>le&s;t the</HI> Readers <HI>&s;hould be &s;o</HI> mad, <HI>as to en|tertain a</HI> &s;u&s;picion, <HI>that I am of the</HI> Order. <HI>I &s;hal now therfore proceed to the</HI> Theory <HI>of the</HI> Brachmans, <HI>and this only &s;o</HI> far <HI>as their</HI> Hi&s;tory <HI>will give me</HI> leave. <HI>I find</HI> Jarchas
<PB REF="19">
<HI>then &s;eated in his</HI> Thone, <HI>and about him the re&s;t of his</HI> Society, <HI>where having fir&s;t placed</HI> Apollonius <HI>in the Seat Royal of</HI> Phraotes, Jarchas <HI>welcomes him with this unconfined</HI> Liberty: <GAP DESC="foreign"> Propound <HI>(&s;aid he)</HI> what Que&s;tions thou wilt, for thou art come to Men that know all things. <HI>Here</HI> Tyaneus <HI>puts in, and very wi&s;ely asks them,</HI> What Principles the World was compounded of? <HI>To this the</HI> Brachmans <HI>reply,</HI> It was compounded of the Elements. <HI>Is it</HI> made <HI>then (&s;aith</HI> Apollonius) <HI>of the</HI> four Elements? <HI>No (&s;aid the great</HI> Jarchas) but of Five. <HI>Here the</HI> Grecian <HI>is</HI> puzzled; <HI>for be&s;ides</HI> Earth <HI>(&s;aith he) and</HI> Water, Air <HI>and</HI> Fire, I know not any thing: <HI>What then is this</HI> fifth Sub&s;tance? <HI>It is (&s;aith</HI> Jarchas) <HI>the</HI> Aether, <HI>which is the</HI> Element of Spirits: <HI>for tho&s;e</HI> Creatures <HI>which</HI> draw in <HI>the</HI> Air, <HI>are</HI> Mortal; <HI>but</HI> tho&s;e <HI>which</HI> draw in <HI>the</HI> Aether, <HI>are</HI> Immortal. <HI>And here I cannot but</HI> ob&s;erve <HI>the gro&s;s</HI> Ignorance <HI>of</HI> Apol|lonius, <HI>who being a profe&s;t</HI> Pythagorean, <HI>had never heard of the</HI> Aether, <HI>that famous</HI> Pythagorean Principle.</P>
<P><PB REF="19"><HI>But let us come to his</HI> &s;econd Que&s;tion, <HI>which of all</HI> others <HI>doth mo&s;t</HI> betray <HI>his</HI> weakne&s;s <HI>and</HI> in&s;ufficiency. <HI>He reque&s;ts</HI> Jarchas <HI>to inform him,</HI> Which of the E|lements was fir&s;t made? <HI>To this</HI> Ab&s;ur|dity <HI>the learned</HI> Brachman <HI>an&s;wers like him&s;elf:</HI> They were made <HI>(&s;aid he)</HI> all at once; <HI>and he gives this</HI> Rea&s;on <HI>for it,</HI> Becau&s;e no living Creature is generated <GAP DESC="foreign">, by peece-meals. <HI>This was a whole&s;om and a rational</HI> Tenet, <HI>for the</HI> Chaos <HI>was</HI> fir&s;t made, <HI>and in</HI> that <HI>all the</HI> Elements <HI>at</HI> one <HI>and the</HI> &s;ame In&s;tant, <HI>for the</HI> World <HI>was</HI> manife&s;ted, <HI>and</HI> brought out <HI>of the</HI> Chaos, <HI>like a</HI> Chick <HI>out of an</HI> Eg. <HI>To this</HI> Apollonius <HI>replies like a pure</HI> Sophi&s;ter: <HI>And</HI> mu&s;t I think then <HI>(&s;aith he)</HI> that the World is a living Creature? <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>(&s;aith</HI> Jarchas) <GAP DESC="foreign"> Yes verily, if you rea&s;on rightly, for it giveth Life to all things. <HI>Shall we then (&s;aith</HI> Tyaneus) <HI>call it a</HI> Male, <HI>or a</HI> Female Creature? Both, <HI>&s;aid the wi&s;e</HI> Brachman: <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>For the</HI> World <HI>being a</HI> Compound <HI>of both</HI> Faculties, <HI>&s;upplies the</HI> Office <HI>of</HI> Father <HI>and</HI> Mother
<PB REF="20">
<HI>in the</HI> Generation <HI>of tho&s;e</HI> things <HI>that have</HI> life. <HI>We are now come to</HI> Apollonius <HI>his la&s;t Philo&s;ophical</HI> Quere, <HI>and &s;orry I am that he had not the</HI> wit <HI>to propound either</HI> more <HI>or</HI> better <HI>Que&s;tions, but we mu&s;t take them as they are. He asks</HI> Jarchas, <HI>whether the</HI> Earth <HI>or the</HI> Sea <HI>did exceed in</HI> quanti|ty? <HI>To this the</HI> Indian <HI>replies, that if he only con&s;ider'd the</HI> Mediterranean, <HI>or &s;ome other particular</HI> Channel, <HI>the</HI> Earth <HI>with|out que&s;tion did</HI> exceed: <HI>but if you &s;peak (&s;aid he) <GAP DESC="foreign">, concern|ing</HI> Humidity, or Moi&s;ture in general, then verily the Earth is much le&s;&s;er then the Water, for it is the Water that bears up the Earth. <HI>This indeed is &s;ound</HI> Rea&s;on, <HI>and conformable both to</HI> Scripture <HI>and</HI> Nature: <HI>for the very</HI> Spirit <HI>that</HI> animates <HI>and</HI> &s;upports <HI>the</HI> Univer&s;e, <HI>hath his</HI> Habi|tation <HI>in the</HI> Water.</P>
<P><HI>And now I &s;uppo&s;e it is apparent to the</HI> under&s;tanding Readers <HI>(for others I would not have) that the</HI> Brachmans <HI>were not a fabulous, &s;uper&s;titious</HI> Society, <HI>but men of a</HI> &s;evere Doctrine, <HI>who&s;e</HI> Principles <HI>were an&s;werable to the very</HI> Rigour <HI>of</HI> Na|ture, <HI>and did not</HI> wanton <HI>beyond her</HI> Law.
<PB REF="20">
<HI>I could wi&s;h</HI> Apollonius <HI>had been more</HI> able <HI>to</HI> deal <HI>with them, but &s;o</HI> &s;hort <HI>was he of</HI> Philo&s;ophy, <HI>that he</HI> knew not <HI>what to</HI> ask <HI>them, and that ample</HI> Liberty <HI>which they</HI> gave <HI>him, was</HI> all <HI>of it to no</HI> purpo&s;e. <HI>This is</HI> clear <HI>to</HI> &s;uch <HI>as know</HI> any thing <HI>out of his</HI> former Queries, <HI>which we have already</HI> mentioned: <HI>but if we look on the</HI> re&s;t <HI>of his</HI> Problems, <HI>they are</HI> mo&s;t <HI>of them but &s;o many</HI> Hi&s;torical Fables, <HI>which he brought with him out of</HI> Greece, <HI>and now he begins to</HI> &s;hake <HI>his</HI> Budget. <HI>The fir&s;t thing</HI> comes out, <HI>is the <GAP DESC="foreign">, a</HI> Mon&s;ter, <HI>which</HI> Mandevil <HI>could never meet withall: and then he que&s;tions</HI> Jarchas <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>concerning a certain</HI> Water <HI>of the colour of</HI> Gold, <HI>and this indeed might</HI> &s;igni|fie &s;omething, <HI>but that he under&s;tood it</HI> li|terally, <HI>of common, ordinary</HI> Well-&s;prings: <HI>and therefore</HI> Jarchas <HI>tells him, that he ne|ver heard of his</HI> Martichora, <HI>neither was it ever</HI> known, <HI>that any</HI> Fountains <HI>of</HI> golden Waters <HI>did &s;pring in</HI> India. <HI>But this is not all: In the Rear of this &s;trange</HI> Bea&s;t <HI>march the</HI> Pygmies, <HI>the</HI> Sciapodes, <HI>and the</HI> Macrocephali: <HI>to which might be added all the</HI> Animals <HI>in</HI> Lucian's Hi&s;tory. <HI>But as</HI>
<PB REF="21">
<HI>we commonly &s;ay, that there is no</HI> Smoak <HI>without</HI> &s;ome Fire, <HI>&s;o amongst the&s;e</HI> for|reign Fables <HI>came in &s;ome</HI> Indian Allego|ries, <HI>and</HI> probably <HI>the</HI> Brachmans <HI>them|&s;elves had</HI> given them out, <HI>at once to</HI> de|clare <HI>and</HI> ob&s;cure <HI>their</HI> Knowledg. <HI>The&s;e</HI> Allegories <HI>are but</HI> two, <HI>and</HI> Jarchas in&s;i&s;ts <HI>much upon</HI> them, <HI>be&s;ides a &s;olemn</HI> Acknow|ment: <GAP DESC="foreign">, There is no rea&s;on (<HI>&s;aid he</HI>) but we &s;hould believe there are &s;uch Things. <HI>The</HI> fir&s;t <HI>of the&s;e two</HI> My&s;te|ries <HI>is the</HI> Pantarva, <HI>which</HI> Ficinus <HI>corrupt|ly tran&s;cribes</HI> Pantaura, <HI>and of this</HI> Apol|lonius <HI>de&s;ired to know the</HI> Truth; <HI>namely, if there was &s;uch a</HI> Stone at all, <HI>and whether it was enriched with &s;o</HI> &s;trange a Magne|ti&s;m, <HI>as to</HI> attract <HI>to</HI> it &s;elf <HI>all other</HI> preci|cious Stones? <HI>This</HI> Que&s;tion <HI>the</HI> Brach|man <HI>&s;atisfies</HI> experimentally, <HI>for he had this</HI> goodly Stone <HI>about him, and favour'd</HI> Apollonius <HI>with the</HI> &s;ight <HI>thereof. But for our better</HI> Information, <HI>let us hear</HI> Jarchas <HI>him&s;elf</HI> de&s;cribe it, <HI>for he doth it &s;o</HI> fully, <HI>that a very</HI> ordinary Capacity <HI>may go</HI> a|long <HI>with him. This</HI> Stone (<HI>&s;aith he</HI>) is ge|nerated in certain earthy Caverns, &s;ome four yards deep, <HI>and hath in it &s;uch</HI> abun|dance
<PB REF="21">
<HI>of</HI> Spirit, <HI>that in the</HI> place <HI>of its</HI> Conception, <HI>the</HI> Earth &s;wells up, <HI>and at la&s;t</HI> breaks <HI>with the very</HI> Tumor. <HI>But to</HI> look out <HI>this</HI> Stone, <HI>belongs not to</HI> every Body, <HI>for it</HI> vani&s;heth away, <HI>unle&s;s it be</HI> extracted <HI>with all po&s;sible</HI> Caution; <HI>only</HI> we <HI>that are</HI> Brachmans, <HI>by certain</HI> practi&s;es <HI>of our</HI> own, <HI>can</HI> find out <HI>the</HI> Pantarva. <HI>The&s;e are the words of</HI> Jarchas, <HI>where you &s;hall</HI> ob&s;erve, <HI>That he hath confounded the</HI> fir&s;t <HI>and</HI> &s;econd Generation <HI>of the</HI> Stone, <HI>it being the</HI> Cu&s;tom <HI>of the</HI> Philo&s;ophers <HI>never to</HI> expre&s;s <HI>their My&s;teries</HI> di&s;tinctly. <HI>The</HI> &s;econd Birth <HI>then he hath</HI> fully <HI>and clearly</HI> di&s;covered, <HI>for when the Philo&s;o|phers</HI> fir&s;t Earth <HI>is</HI> moi&s;tened <HI>with its own</HI> milk, <HI>it</HI> &s;wells, <HI>being</HI> impregnated <HI>with fre|quent</HI> Imbibitions, <HI>till at la&s;t it</HI> breaks, <HI>and with a &s;oft heat</HI> &s;ublimes; <HI>and then a&s;cends the</HI> Heavenly Sulphur, <HI>being</HI> freed <HI>from his</HI> Hell, <HI>for it leaves</HI> behind <HI>the</HI> Binarius, <HI>or</HI> Terra Damnata, <HI>and is no more a</HI> Pri|&s;oner <HI>to that</HI> Dro&s;s. <HI>This</HI> fir&s;t heavenly Sulphur <HI>is commonly called</HI> Petra &s;tellata, &amp; Terra Margaritarum: <HI>but</HI> Raymund Lully <HI>calls it</HI> Terram Terrae, <HI>and in a cer|tain place he</HI> de&s;cribes <HI>it thus:</HI> Haec e&s;t
<PB REF="22">
Tinctura (<HI>&s;aith he</HI>) quae a vili Terr&acirc; &s;e &s;poliat, &amp; ali&acirc; multum nobili reinduit &s;e. <HI>But el&s;ewhere pre&s;cribing &s;ome</HI> Caveats <HI>for the</HI> Rorid Work, <HI>he expre&s;ly mentions the</HI> fir&s;t <HI>and</HI> &s;econd Sulphurs, <HI>commonly called</HI> Sulphura de Sulphuribus. Hoc (<HI>&s;aith he</HI>) intelligitur de Terr&acirc;, quae non e&s;t &s;eparata a Va&s;e, de Terra Terrae. <HI>This is enough to prove the</HI> Affinity <HI>of the</HI> Pantarva, <HI>and the</HI> Philo&s;ophers Stone: <HI>Let us now re|turn to</HI> Jarchas, <HI>for he proceeds in his</HI> In|&s;tructions, <HI>and</HI> Apollonius <HI>hears him to no purpo&s;e. The</HI> Pantarva <HI>(&s;aith he) after</HI> night <HI>di&s;covers a</HI> Fire <HI>as bright as</HI> day, <HI>for it is</HI> fiery <HI>and</HI> &s;hining: <HI>but if you look on it in the</HI> day-time, <HI>it dazles the</HI> eye <HI>with cer|tain</HI> gleams <HI>or</HI> Coru&s;cations. <HI>Whence this</HI> Light <HI>came, and</HI> what <HI>it</HI> was, <HI>the</HI> Brachman <HI>was not ignorant of: <GAP DESC="foreign">. That</HI> Light (<HI>&s;aid he</HI>) which &s;hines in it, is a Spirit of admirable Power; for it attracts to it &s;elf all things that are near it. <HI>And here he tells</HI> Tyaneus, <HI>that if</HI> precious Stones were ca&s;t into the Sea, or into &s;ome River, and this too con|fu&s;edly, as being far &s;cattered and di&s;|per&s;ed one from another; yet this Magi|cal
<PB REF="22">
Stone <HI>being let down</HI> after them, <HI>would</HI> bring <HI>them again</HI> together; <HI>for they would</HI> all move towards <HI>the</HI> Pantarva, <HI>and</HI> clu&s;ter <HI>under</HI> it, <HI>like a</HI> &s;warm <HI>of</HI> Bees. <HI>This is all he tells him; but in</HI> conclu&s;ion <HI>he produceth his</HI> Pantarva, <HI>in</HI> plain terms <HI>he &s;hewed him the</HI> Philo&s;ophers Stone, <HI>and the miraculous</HI> Effects <HI>thereof. The &s;econd</HI> Secret <HI>which</HI> Apollonius <HI>&s;tumbled on, for he</HI> knew it not <HI>as a</HI> Secret, <HI>was the</HI> Gold <HI>of the</HI> Gryphons, <HI>and this al&s;o</HI> Jarchas <HI>doth</HI> acknowledg, <HI>but I &s;hall forbear to</HI> &s;peak <HI>of it, for I hold it not altogether</HI> convenient.</P>
<P><HI>It is time now to di&s;mi&s;s</HI> Apollonius, <HI>and his</HI> Brachmans, <HI>and this I will do; but I &s;hall fir&s;t prevent an</HI> Objection, <HI>though a</HI> &s;orry one, <HI>for</HI> Ignorance <HI>makes</HI> u&s;e <HI>of all</HI> Tools. <HI>It will be &s;aid perhaps, I have been too</HI> bold <HI>with</HI> Apollonius, <HI>who, in the opi|nion of</HI> many men, <HI>and</HI> &s;uch <HI>as would be thought</HI> learned, <HI>was a very great</HI> Philo&s;o|pher. <HI>To this I an&s;wer, that I</HI> que&s;tion <HI>not any mans</HI> learning: <HI>let them</HI> think <HI>of</HI> them&s;elves <HI>as they</HI> plea&s;e; <HI>and if they</HI> can, <HI>let them be</HI> an&s;werable <HI>to their thoughts: But as for</HI> Apollonius, <HI>I &s;ay, the</HI> noi&s;e <HI>of his</HI> Miracles, <HI>like tho&s;e of</HI> Xavier, <HI>may fill</HI>
<PB REF="23">
<HI>&s;ome</HI> credulous ears, <HI>and this</HI> &s;udden La|rum <HI>may procure him</HI> Entertainment: <HI>but had the&s;e</HI> Admirers <HI>peru&s;ed his</HI> Hi&s;tory, <HI>they had not betray'd &s;o much</HI> weakne&s;s, <HI>as to</HI> allow <HI>him any</HI> &s;ober Character. <HI>It is true,</HI> Philo&s;tratus <HI>attributes many &s;trange</HI> performances <HI>to him, as that he &s;hould</HI> rai&s;e <HI>the</HI> Dead, <HI>free him&s;elf from</HI> Pri&s;on, <HI>and</HI> &s;hake <HI>off his</HI> Chains, <HI>with as much</HI> Divinity <HI>as S.</HI> Peter <HI>him&s;elf: Nay, that pleading with</HI> Domitian <HI>in a full</HI> Senate, <HI>he &s;hould &s;uddenly</HI> vani&s;h <HI>away, and be</HI> tran&s;lated <HI>in a</HI> moment <HI>from</HI> Rome <HI>to</HI> Puteoli. <HI>Truly the&s;e are great</HI> effects; <HI>but if we</HI> con&s;ider only <HI>what</HI> Philo&s;tratus <HI>him&s;elf will</HI> con|fe&s;s, <HI>we &s;hall quickly</HI> find <HI>that all the&s;e</HI> things <HI>are but his</HI> Inventions. <HI>For in the Beginning of his</HI> Romance, <HI>where he would give his</HI> Readers <HI>an</HI> Accompt <HI>of his</HI> Mate|rials, <HI>and from what</HI> hands <HI>he received them, he tells us, that</HI> Damis, <HI>who was</HI> Apolloni|us <HI>his</HI> fellow-traveller, <HI>did write his</HI> Life, <HI>and all the</HI> Occurrences <HI>thereof: but the&s;e</HI> Commentaries <HI>of</HI> Damis <HI>(&s;aith he) were never</HI> publi&s;hed <HI>by</HI> Damis <HI>him&s;elf, only a</HI> friend <HI>of</HI> his, <HI>a</HI> Some-body, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>a</HI> certain familiar <HI>of</HI> Damis <HI>did communicate</HI>
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<HI>them <GAP DESC="foreign">, to</HI> Julia the Queen. <HI>And here</HI> Philo&s;tratus <HI>tells me, that this</HI> Queen <HI>commanded him to</HI> tran&s;cribe <HI>the&s;e</HI> Commentaries. <HI>It &s;eems then they were</HI> originally <HI>written in the</HI> Greek, <HI>and</HI> Phi|lo&s;tratus <HI>is a meer</HI> Tran&s;cribler, <HI>and no</HI> Author. <HI>This I cannot</HI> believe, <HI>for</HI> Damis <HI>was an</HI> A&s;&s;yrian, <HI>and, as he him&s;elf</HI> confe&s;&s;|eth, <HI>a very</HI> ignorant per&s;on, <HI>and altogether</HI> illiterate: <HI>but meeting with</HI> Apollonius, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>and conver&s;ing with the</HI> Greeks, <HI>he al&s;o was</HI> al|mo&s;t <HI>made a</HI> Grecian, <HI>but not</HI> altogether, <HI>not &s;o</HI> learned <HI>a</HI> Grecian <HI>as to write</HI> Hi&s;to|ries, <HI>and in a</HI> &s;tile <HI>like that of</HI> Philo&s;tratus. <HI>But this is not all: Our</HI> Author <HI>tells us of one</HI> Maeragenis, <HI>who had formerly</HI> written <HI>the</HI> Life <HI>of</HI> Apollonius <HI>in four</HI> Books: <HI>but this fellow (&s;aith he) was</HI> ignorant <HI>of the</HI> Performances <HI>or</HI> Miracles <HI>of</HI> Tyaneus. <HI>And what follows this</HI> Ignorance? <GAP DESC="foreign">&punc; We mu&s;t not there|fore believe Maeragenis. <HI>And why not I be&s;eech you? Becau&s;e for&s;ooth he lived</HI> near, <HI>if not</HI> in <HI>the</HI> days <HI>of</HI> Apollonius, <HI>but never</HI> heard <HI>of tho&s;e</HI> mon&s;trous fables <HI>which</HI> Phi|lo&s;tratus <HI>afterwards</HI> invented. <HI>We mu&s;t</HI>
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<HI>then believe</HI> Philo&s;tratus <HI>him&s;elf, for he is the <GAP DESC="foreign">, not the</HI> familiar friend, <HI>but the</HI> familiar &s;pirit <HI>of</HI> Apollonius: <HI>it was</HI> he <HI>indeed that</HI> wrought <HI>all the&s;e</HI> Wonders, <HI>for</HI> Apollonius <HI>him&s;elf never</HI> wrought a|ny. <HI>Now for the</HI> Learning <HI>of this</HI> Tyaneus <HI>(&s;ince it is the plea&s;ure of &s;ome men to think him</HI> learned) <HI>I mu&s;t confe&s;s for my part I cannot</HI> find <HI>it. The</HI> Philo&s;ophy <HI>that he</HI> pretended <HI>to, was that of</HI> Pythagoras, <HI>for thus he</HI> rants it <HI>to</HI> Vardanes <HI>the</HI> Babyloni|an: <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> I am a Ma&s;ter <HI>(&s;aith he)</HI> of the Wi&s;dom of Pythagoras the Samian, he taught me the true form of wor&s;hipping the gods, and who of them are vi&s;ible, who invi&s;ible, and how I may come to &s;peak with them. <HI>How</HI> true <HI>this is, we may ea&s;ily</HI> know, <HI>if we look back on his</HI> Education. <HI>His</HI> Tutor <HI>in the</HI> Pythagorean Principles <HI>was one</HI> Euxenus, <HI>a not able</HI> Sot, <HI>and a meer</HI> Igno|rant, <HI>as</HI> Philo&s;tratus <HI>tells us. He was (&s;aith our</HI> Author) <HI>an</HI> Epicure <HI>in his</HI> cour&s;e <HI>of</HI> life; <HI>and for his</HI> Learning, <HI>he could only re|peat &s;ome</HI> &s;entences <HI>of</HI> Pythagoras, <HI>but did not</HI> under&s;tand <HI>them: and therefore he com|pares</HI>
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<HI>him to certain</HI> Mimic Birds, <HI>who are taught their <GAP DESC="foreign">, and their <GAP DESC="foreign">, but know not</HI> what <HI>the words</HI> &s;ignifie. <HI>Now what</HI> In&s;tructions <HI>he was like to</HI> receive <HI>from this</HI> man, <HI>let any</HI> indifferent Reader <HI>judg. But we have &s;omething more to &s;ay: for if</HI> Apollonius <HI>when he was at</HI> Babylon, <HI>could</HI> conver&s;e <HI>with the</HI> gods, <HI>why did he afterwards</HI> de&s;ire <HI>to be</HI> taught <HI>of</HI> men? <HI>For when he comes to</HI> India, <HI>he reque&s;ts the</HI> Brachmans <HI>to</HI> teach <HI>him the</HI> Art <HI>of</HI> Divi|nation. <HI>Certainly, had he been</HI> familiar <HI>with</HI> Angels <HI>and</HI> Spirits, <HI>he had not</HI> troubled <HI>them with &s;uch a</HI> Que&s;tion. <HI>The&s;e indeed are the</HI> &s;lips <HI>of</HI> Philo&s;tratus, <HI>who had the</HI> Art <HI>of</HI> Lying, <HI>but wanted the</HI> Art <HI>of</HI> Me|mory. <HI>In another place he tells us, that</HI> Apollonius <HI>under&s;tood</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, all the Languages that men did &s;peak, <HI>and which is more miraculous,</HI> even their &s;ecret Cogitations. <HI>This is much in|deed, but &s;hortly afterwards he</HI> forgets <HI>the&s;e &s;trange</HI> perfections: <HI>for when he brings him to</HI> Phraotes, <HI>that &s;erious</HI> Ea&s;tern Prince, <HI>there doth he u&s;e an</HI> Interpreter; <HI>for</HI> Tyaneus, <HI>who</HI> formerly <HI>under&s;tood</HI> all
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languages, <HI>could</HI> not under&s;tand <HI>the</HI> lan|guage <HI>of the</HI> Prince; <HI>and &s;o far was</HI> he <HI>from knowing his</HI> &s;ecret thoughts, <HI>that he did not</HI> know <HI>in how</HI> many languages <HI>he could</HI> expre&s;s <HI>tho&s;e</HI> thoughts: <HI>for when the</HI> Prince <HI>was plea&s;ed to</HI> expre&s;s <HI>him&s;elf in the</HI> Greek Tongue, Tyaneus <HI>was quite</HI> dejected, <HI>and did much</HI> wonder <HI>how he came to be a</HI> Ma&s;ter <HI>of that</HI> Dialect. <HI>Now if any man will &s;ay, that the</HI> Brachmans <HI>did impart their</HI> My&s;teries <HI>to him, it is</HI> ap|parent <HI>enough they</HI> did not. <HI>This is it which even</HI> Damis <HI>tells us: for</HI> Apol|lonius <HI>(&s;aith he) reque&s;ted nothing of the</HI> Brachmans, <HI>but certain</HI> Divi|natory Tricks, <HI>by which he might</HI> foretell <HI>things</HI> to come. <HI>And here</HI> Jar|chas <HI>takes occa&s;ion to di&s;cour&s;e with him about</HI> Revelations, <HI>for he &s;peaks not of any</HI> Progno&s;ticating Knacks, <HI>which this</HI> Greek <HI>did look after. He tells him then, that he judg'd him a mo&s;t</HI> happy man, <HI>who could obtain any</HI> Fore-knowledg <HI>at the hands of</HI> God, <HI>and</HI> preach <HI>that to the</HI> Ignorant, <HI>which he did already</HI> fore&s;ee. <HI>As for</HI> Rules <HI>to</HI> divine by, <HI>he</HI> pre&s;cribes <HI>not</HI> any, <HI>for it</HI>
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<HI>was too</HI> gro&s;s <HI>an</HI> Error <HI>for &s;uch a</HI> Philo&s;o|pher <HI>as</HI> Him&s;elf: <HI>He only tells him, That he &s;hould lead a pure life, and keep him&s;elf</HI> &s;potle&s;s <HI>from the</HI> Fle&s;h. <HI>One</HI> pa&s;&s;age <HI>in|deed there is, which I cannot omit:</HI> Jarchas <HI>informs</HI> Apollonius, <HI>that of all</HI> Gifts <HI>imparted to</HI> Man <HI>by</HI> Revelation, <GAP DESC="foreign">; The chiefe&s;t (<HI>&s;aid he</HI>) is the Gift of Healing, or Medicine. <HI>But this</HI> Heavenly, <HI>and mo&s;t</HI> Beneficial <HI>Truth,</HI> Apollonius <HI>was not</HI> &s;en&s;ible <HI>of: for he was &s;o</HI> great <HI>a</HI> &s;tranger <HI>to the</HI> Secrets <HI>of</HI> Nature, <HI>that he did not</HI> know <HI>what to</HI> ask for. <HI>For my own part, if I dur&s;t think him a</HI> Philo&s;opher, <HI>I &s;hould</HI> &s;eat <HI>him with the</HI> Stoics; <HI>for he was a great</HI> Ma&s;ter <HI>of</HI> Moral Severities, <HI>and this is all the</HI> Cha|racter <HI>I can give</HI> him. <HI>As for</HI> Philo&s;tratus, <HI>if we were not</HI> even <HI>with</HI> him, <HI>I &s;hould think he had much</HI> abu&s;ed <HI>us: for when he pen'd his</HI> Hi&s;tory, <HI>he</HI> allow'd us <HI>no</HI> Di&s;cretion, <HI>who were to</HI> come after <HI>him. I could be</HI> &s;or|ry <HI>for &s;ome</HI> Ab&s;urdities <HI>he hath fa&s;tened on</HI> Jarchas, <HI>did not the</HI> Principles <HI>of that glo|rious</HI> Brachman <HI>refute them. What they are, I &s;hall not tell you, for I am confin'd to a</HI>
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Preface, <HI>and cannot</HI> proportion <HI>my</HI> Di&s;|cour&s;e <HI>to the</HI> de&s;erts <HI>of my</HI> Subject.</P>
<P><HI>And here &s;ome</HI> Critic <HI>may drop his</HI> Di&s;|cipline, <HI>and bid me</HI> face about, <HI>for I am wide of my</HI> Text, <HI>the</HI> Society <HI>of</HI> R. C. <HI>I have indeed</HI> exceeded <HI>in my</HI> &s;ervice <HI>to the</HI> Brachmans, <HI>but in all</HI> that <HI>there was no</HI> Impertinency. <HI>I did it, to &s;hew the</HI> Con|formity <HI>of the</HI> old <HI>and</HI> new Profe&s;&s;ors: <HI>and this is &s;o</HI> far <HI>from</HI> Digre&s;&s;ion, <HI>I can think it</HI> near <HI>a</HI> Demon&s;tration. <HI>For when we have</HI> Evidence <HI>that</HI> Magicians <HI>have</HI> been, <HI>it is</HI> proof <HI>al&s;o that they</HI> may be; <HI>&s;ince it</HI> cannot <HI>be</HI> denyed, <HI>but</HI> Pre&s;idents <HI>exclude</HI> Impo&s;&s;ibility. <HI>I hold it then</HI> worth <HI>our</HI> ob&s;ervation, <HI>that even tho&s;e</HI> Magi, <HI>who came to</HI> Chri&s;t <HI>him&s;elf,</HI> came <HI>from the</HI> Ea&s;t: <HI>but as we</HI> cannot prove <HI>they</HI> were Brachmans, <HI>&s;o neither</HI> can <HI>we</HI> prove <HI>they</HI> were not. <HI>Now if any</HI> man <HI>will be &s;o</HI> cro&s;s, <HI>as to</HI> contend <HI>for the</HI> Negative, <HI>he &s;hall have my</HI> thanks <HI>for the</HI> advantage <HI>he al|lows</HI> me; <HI>for then it mu&s;t</HI> follow, <HI>that the</HI> Ea&s;t <HI>afforded more</HI> Magical Societies <HI>then</HI> one. <HI>But this</HI> point <HI>I need not</HI> in&s;i&s;t <HI>on: for the</HI> learned <HI>will not</HI> deny, <HI>but</HI>
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Wi&s;dom <HI>and</HI> Light <HI>were fir&s;t</HI> manife&s;ted <HI>in the &s;ame</HI> parts, <HI>namely, in the</HI> Ea&s;t, <HI>where the</HI> fir&s;t Man <HI>planted: and</HI> hence <HI>did the</HI> World <HI>receive not only their</HI> Religion, <HI>but their</HI> Philo&s;ophy, <HI>for</HI> Cu&s;tom <HI>hath</HI> di|&s;tingui&s;hed <HI>tho&s;e</HI> Two. <HI>From this</HI> Foun|tain <HI>al&s;o, this</HI> living, Oriental One, <HI>did the</HI> Brothers <HI>of</HI> R. C. <HI>draw their</HI> whole&s;om Waters: <HI>for their</HI> Founder <HI>received his</HI> Principles <HI>at</HI> Damcar <HI>in</HI> Arabia, <HI>as their</HI> Fama <HI>will in&s;truct you at large. It was not ami&s;s then, if I</HI> &s;pent my hour <HI>in that bright</HI> Region, <HI>and</HI> payd <HI>a weak</HI> Gratitude <HI>to tho&s;e</HI> Primitive Benefactors: <HI>for 'tis a</HI> Law <HI>with me,</HI> Qui aquam hauris, puteum corona. <HI>But that I may come at la&s;t to the</HI> Subject intended, <HI>I &s;hall</HI> confe&s;s <HI>for</HI> my part, <HI>I have no</HI> acquaintance <HI>with this</HI> Fra|ternity <HI>as to their</HI> Per&s;ons; <HI>but their</HI> Doctrine <HI>I am not &s;o</HI> much <HI>a</HI> &s;tranger <HI>to. And here, for the Readers</HI> &s;atisfaction, <HI>I &s;hall &s;peak</HI> &s;omething <HI>of it, not that I would</HI> di&s;cover <HI>or</HI> point <HI>at any</HI> particulars: <HI>for that's a</HI> kindne&s;s (<HI>as they</HI> them&s;elves <HI>pro|fe&s;s) which they</HI> have not <HI>for any man,</HI> ni&s;i ab&s;umpto Salis Modio, <HI>till they fir&s;t eat a</HI>
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Bu&s;hel <HI>of</HI> Salt <HI>with him. They tell us then, that the</HI> Fire <HI>and</HI> Spirit <HI>of</HI> God <HI>did work upon the</HI> Earth <HI>and the</HI> Water; <HI>and out of</HI> them <HI>did the</HI> Spirit <HI>extract a</HI> pure clear Sub&s;tance, <HI>which they call the</HI> Terre&s;trial Heaven: <HI>in this</HI> Heaven <HI>the</HI> Spirit <HI>(&s;ay they) &s;eated</HI> him&s;elf, <HI>impre&s;sing his</HI> Image <HI>therein: and out of this Heavenly</HI> clari|fied Extract, <HI>impregnated with the</HI> Influx <HI>and</HI> Image <HI>of the</HI> Spirit, <HI>was form'd that mo&s;t noble</HI> Creature, <HI>whom we call</HI> MAN. <HI>This</HI> fir&s;t matter <HI>of</HI> Man <HI>(as they de&s;cribe it) was a</HI> liquid tran&s;parent Salt, <HI>a certain</HI> bright Earth, <HI>purified by a</HI> &s;upernatural Agent, <HI>and</HI> temper'd <HI>with a &s;trange</HI> unctuous Humidity, <HI>enlightened with all the</HI> Tinctures <HI>of the</HI> Sun <HI>and</HI> Stars. <HI>It was and is the</HI> Minera <HI>of all</HI> Creatures; <HI>and this</HI> Society <HI>doth</HI> acknowledg <HI>it to be their very</HI> Ba&s;is, <HI>and the</HI> fir&s;t Gate <HI>that leads to all their</HI> Secrets. <HI>This</HI> Earth <HI>or</HI> Water (<HI>call it</HI> which <HI>you will, for it is</HI> both) na|turally <HI>produceth their</HI> Agent, <HI>but it</HI> comes not <HI>to their hands without</HI> Art. <HI>By their</HI> Agent <HI>I under&s;tand their</HI> Fire, <HI>commonly called</HI> Mas Aquae, Vulcanus, Sol invi&s;i|bilis,
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Filius Solis, A&s;trum inferius, Faber occultus, Intrin&s;ecus; <HI>with a</HI> thou&s;and <HI>other</HI> names. <HI>It is</HI> &s;ans <HI>all</HI> Metaphors <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>and that I may &s;peak</HI> Truth <HI>even in the</HI> phra&s;e <HI>of</HI> Ari&s;to|tle, <HI>it is <GAP DESC="foreign">. This is that</HI> Fire <HI>which</HI> Zo|roa&s;ter <HI>calls <GAP DESC="foreign">. In plain terms, it is the</HI> Tincture <HI>of the</HI> Matrix, <HI>a fiery, radiant</HI> Soul, <HI>that calls up</HI> another Soul <HI>like it</HI> &s;elf: <HI>for it awakes the</HI> Anima <HI>of the</HI> Mer|cury, <HI>which is almo&s;t</HI> drown'd <HI>in a cold and phegmatic</HI> Lethe. <HI>And here</HI> Reader, <HI>let it be thy</HI> Endeavor <HI>to under&s;tand the</HI> Philo&s;ophers: <HI>for they tell us, that</HI> God <HI>at fir&s;t</HI> created <HI>the</HI> Chaos, <HI>and afterwards</HI> divided it <HI>into</HI> three Portions. <HI>Of the</HI> fir&s;t <HI>he made the</HI> Spiritual World, <HI>of the</HI> &s;econd <HI>the</HI> Vi&s;ible Heavens, <HI>and their</HI> Lights; <HI>but the</HI> third <HI>and</HI> wor&s;t part <HI>was appointed for this</HI> Sublunary Building. <HI>Out of this</HI> cour&s;e <HI>and</HI> remaining Portion <HI>he extracted the</HI> Elemental Quinte&s;&s;ence, <HI>or</HI> fir&s;t Matter <HI>of all</HI> Earthly Things, <HI>and of this the</HI> four Elements (<HI>for there is</HI>
<PB REF="28">
<HI>&s;uch a</HI> bold Arithmetic) <HI>were</HI> made. <HI>Now Reader</HI> gue&s;s, <HI>if thou do&s;t</HI> know <HI>the</HI> Mat|ter, <HI>for it may be thou art one of</HI> tho&s;e <HI>whe conceive</HI> them&s;elves <HI>to be</HI> Some-body. <HI>I tell thee this</HI> Theory <HI>is</HI> Raymund Lul|ly'<HI>s, and if thou can&s;t make</HI> nothing <HI>of it, I can without a</HI> figure <HI>tell thee how</HI> wi&s;e <HI>thou art. There are in the World as many</HI> &s;orts <HI>of</HI> Salts, <HI>as there are</HI> Species, <HI>and the</HI> Salts <HI>differ as the</HI> Species <HI>do, namely,</HI> E&s;|&s;entially; <HI>for the</HI> Specific Forms <HI>lie in the</HI> Salt. <HI>Now learn of me, that there is no</HI> true Phy&s;ic, <HI>but what is in</HI> Salt: <HI>for</HI> Salt <HI>was never known</HI> to putrifie, <HI>nay it hinders</HI> Putrifaction <HI>and</HI> Corruption <HI>in all things, and what hinders Corruption, hin|ders all Di&s;ea&s;es. Now it is evident to all the World, that</HI> Salt <HI>hinders</HI> Corruption, <HI>and a</HI> Solution <HI>of the</HI> parts, <HI>and this not only in</HI> living Things, <HI>but even in</HI> dead Bodies: <HI>for if they be</HI> &s;ea&s;on'd <HI>with</HI> Salt, <HI>then are they</HI> pre&s;erved, <HI>and</HI> Corruption <HI>comes not as</HI> them. <HI>It is to be</HI> ob&s;erved, <HI>that</HI> Virgil <HI>in the</HI> Cure <HI>of</HI> Aeneas <HI>brings in his Mother</HI> Venus <HI>with a</HI> Panacca, <HI>or an</HI> Univer&s;al Medicine:</P>
<LG>
<PB REF="28">
<L>&mdash;occult&egrave; Medicans, &s;pargitque &s;alubres</L>
<L>Ambro&s;iae &s;uccos, &amp; odoriferam Panaceam.</L>
</LG>
<P><HI>This</HI> word <HI>is much abu&s;ed by certain</HI> Al|chimi&s;ts, <HI>as they call them&s;elves: but</HI> Ser|vius <HI>upon the</HI> Place <HI>tels us, it is</HI> Nomen mir&egrave; compo&s;itum, <HI>and he ob&s;erves out of</HI> Lucretius, <HI>that the</HI> Panacea <HI>was</HI> Salt. <HI>It is</HI> true, <HI>that if we could putrifie</HI> Salt, <HI>it would di&s;cover all the</HI> My&s;teries <HI>of</HI> Nature, <HI>for it hath all the</HI> Tinctures <HI>in it: but to</HI> de&s;troy <HI>this</HI> &s;ub&s;tance, <HI>is a hard</HI> task, <HI>for he that would do it, must do &s;omething more, then</HI> Death <HI>can do, for even her</HI> Preroga|tive <HI>comes not</HI> &s;o far. <HI>How&s;oever it cannot be denyed, but &s;ome</HI> Wi&s;e men <HI>have attain'd to the</HI> putrifaction <HI>of</HI> Salts, <HI>but this</HI> Key <HI>they received from</HI> God, <HI>and it is the</HI> great Secret <HI>of their</HI> Art. <HI>What I</HI> admire <HI>mo&s;t in it, is this: That when it is</HI> kil'd, <HI>it</HI> dyes not, <HI>but recovers to a</HI> better life, <HI>which is a very</HI> &s;trange priviledge. <HI>On the</HI> con|trary, <HI>if &s;ome</HI> Animal <HI>dyes, if an</HI> Herb <HI>withers, or if &s;ome</HI> mettal <HI>be</HI> calcin'd <HI>and the</HI> parts <HI>thereof truly</HI> &s;eparated, <HI>we can never</HI> re&s;tore <HI>them</HI> again: <HI>but this</HI> My&s;ti|cal &s;ub&s;tance, <HI>this</HI> Root <HI>of the</HI> world, <HI>if</HI>
<PB REF="29">
<HI>you bring his</HI> parts together, <HI>after they are</HI> &s;eparated, <HI>then will</HI> not <HI>he be</HI> quiet, <HI>but run from</HI> one Complexion <HI>to</HI> another, <HI>from this</HI> Colour <HI>to</HI> that: <HI>as from</HI> Green <HI>to</HI> Red, <HI>from</HI> Red <HI>to</HI> Black, <HI>from</HI> Black <HI>to a</HI> Million <HI>of</HI> Colours, <HI>and the&s;e mira|culous</HI> Alterations <HI>will not</HI> cea&s;e, <HI>till he hath</HI> work'd <HI>out his own</HI> Re&s;urrection, <HI>and hath clearly</HI> brought <HI>him&s;elf to a</HI> Su|per-natural Temperature. <HI>I &s;ay then that</HI> Salt <HI>is the</HI> true Grain, <HI>the</HI> Seed <HI>not onely of this</HI> world, <HI>but of the</HI> next, <HI>and it is the</HI> My&s;tery <HI>that</HI> God <HI>hath</HI> made. <HI>It is a</HI> living water, <HI>wherein there dwels a</HI> divine Fire, <HI>and this</HI> Fire <HI>binds the</HI> parts <HI>thereof to</HI> him&s;elf, coagulates them, <HI>and</HI> &s;tops <HI>their</HI> flux, <HI>and</HI> Salt <HI>is the</HI> water, <HI>that</HI> wets not the Hand. <HI>This</HI> Fire <HI>is the</HI> life, <HI>and therefore it hinders</HI> Death; <HI>nay it is &s;uch a</HI> pre&s;ervative <HI>again&s;t it, that the very</HI> gro&s;s Body <HI>of</HI> Salt <HI>prevents</HI> Cor|ruption, <HI>where&s;oever it</HI> comes. <HI>But if any man would fully</HI> know <HI>the</HI> power <HI>of this</HI> Fire, <HI>let him</HI> wi&s;ely <HI>and effectually</HI> di&s;lodge <HI>him, let him</HI> de&s;troy <HI>his</HI> Habita|tion, <HI>and then he &s;hall</HI> &s;ee, <HI>what</HI> cour&s;e <HI>this</HI>
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Arti&s;t <HI>will</HI> take, <HI>to repair his</HI> own Hou&s;e. <HI>Do not think now that I &s;peak of</HI> common Salts, <HI>though I confe&s;s they are</HI> great Me|dicines, <HI>if</HI> rightly <HI>prepared.</HI></P>
<P><HI>I told thee formerly, there were</HI> &s;everal &s;orts of Salts, <HI>and</HI> here <HI>I would have thee</HI> &s;tudy <HI>le&s;t thy</HI> labours <HI>&s;hould</HI> end <HI>with that</HI> Complaint <HI>of the</HI> Chimi&s;t <HI>in</HI> Sendi|vogius: Lapidem (<HI>&s;aith he</HI>) ami&s;&s;um deplorabat, &amp; maxim&egrave; condolebat, quod Saturnum non interrogaverit, quale SAL hoc fuerit, cum tot varia Genera Salium reperiantur. <HI>I &s;hall</HI> advi&s;e <HI>thee then to con&s;ider the</HI> &s;everal Divi&s;ions <HI>of the</HI> Chaos, <HI>which I have formerly</HI> men|tion'd <HI>out of</HI> Raymund Lully, <HI>for the</HI> matter <HI>as it is there</HI> de&s;crib'd, <HI>is not</HI> &s;ubject <HI>to many</HI> Complexions, <HI>and there|fore thy</HI> Mi&s;takes <HI>cannot be</HI> many. <HI>And now let us</HI> touch <HI>at the</HI> Trea&s;ures <HI>of our</HI> Salti&s;h liquor, <HI>and our</HI> liquid Salt. Ve|niamus quae&s;o (<HI>&s;aith one</HI>) ad illum &s;pi|rit&ucirc;s, &s;eu Aquae gradum, qui nobis &s;en|&s;ibilior, magi&s;que familiaris e&s;t; Natu|rae&abque; aereae ve&s;tigia diligenti Inqui&s;itione &s;crutemur, in cujus Occulto mirabilia
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delite&s;cunt: videlicet, Angeli omnium Generum, Formae rerum inferiorum E&s;&s;entificae, Humidum radicale cuju&s;&abque; Viventis, Ignis &s;pi&s;&s;i Nutrimentum, Ad|mirabiles Meteororum apparitiones, ven|torum cuju&s;que Anguli violentae Irrup|tiones, &amp; infinita alia My&s;teria. <HI>And now perhaps thou do&s;t begin to</HI> ble&s;s <HI>thy &s;elf: for is it</HI> po&s;&s;ible (<HI>&s;ay&s;t thou) that any</HI> bodily &s;ub&s;tance <HI>&s;hould inclo&s;e &s;uch</HI> My&s;teries <HI>as the&s;e? In this, my</HI> Friend, <HI>thou ha&s;t thy</HI> Li|berty: trouble <HI>not thy &s;elf</HI> about it, <HI>for thy</HI> faith <HI>will</HI> add nothing <HI>to it, and thy</HI> Incre|dulity <HI>cannot take</HI> any Thing <HI>from it.</HI> This <HI>onely thou &s;halt do, be plea&s;ed to give way to my</HI> &s;aucine&s;s: <HI>for I mu&s;t tell thee, I do not</HI> know <HI>that</HI> Thing, <HI>which I may call</HI> Im|po&s;&s;ible. <HI>I am</HI> &s;ure <HI>there are in Nature</HI> powers <HI>of all</HI> &s;orts, <HI>and</HI> an&s;werable <HI>to all</HI> De&s;ires: <HI>and even tho&s;e very</HI> powers <HI>are</HI> &s;ubject <HI>to</HI> Us. <HI>Behold, I will</HI> declare <HI>unto thee their</HI> Generation, <HI>and their &s;ecret</HI> De&s;cents <HI>even to this</HI> Earth. <HI>It is mo&s;t certain that</HI> God <HI>works by the</HI> Idea's <HI>of his own</HI> minde, <HI>and the</HI> Idea's <HI>di&s;pence their</HI> Seals, <HI>and</HI> communicate <HI>them dayly to</HI>
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<HI>the</HI> Matter. <HI>Now the</HI> Anima Mundi <HI>hath in the</HI> fixed &s;tarrs, <HI>her particular</HI> Forms, <HI>or</HI> Seminal Conceptions <HI>an&s;werable to the</HI> Idea's <HI>of the</HI> Divine minde: <HI>and here doth &s;he fir&s;t</HI> receive <HI>tho&s;e &s;piritual</HI> Powers <HI>and</HI> Influences, <HI>which</HI> originally <HI>proceed from</HI> God. <HI>From this</HI> place <HI>they are</HI> con|veyed <HI>to the</HI> Planets, <HI>e&s;pecially to the</HI> Sun <HI>and</HI> Moon; <HI>and the&s;e two</HI> great Lights <HI>im|part them to the</HI> Air, <HI>and from the</HI> Air <HI>they pa&s;s down to the</HI> Belly <HI>or</HI> Matrix <HI>of the</HI> Earth <HI>in prolific, &s;pirited</HI> Winds <HI>and</HI> Wa|ters. <HI>Seeing then that the</HI> Vi&s;ible Hea|vens <HI>receive the</HI> Brightne&s;s <HI>of the</HI> Spiritu|al World, <HI>and this</HI> Earth <HI>the</HI> Brightne&s;s <HI>of the</HI> Vi&s;ible Heavens, <HI>why may not we find</HI> &s;omething <HI>on</HI> Earth, <HI>which</HI> takes in <HI>this</HI> Brightne&s;s, <HI>and</HI> comprehends <HI>in it</HI> &s;elf <HI>the</HI> Powers <HI>of the</HI> two &s;uperior Worlds? <HI>Now if there be &s;uch a</HI> Subject <HI>to be</HI> found, <HI>I &s;uppo&s;e it will not be</HI> denyed, <HI>but the</HI> Powers <HI>of the</HI> Angelical <HI>and</HI> Ce|le&s;tial Worlds <HI>are very</HI> &s;trange Powers, <HI>and what</HI> that <HI>is which they</HI> cannot do, <HI>is hard to</HI> determine. <HI>The</HI> Subject <HI>then is the</HI> Salt <HI>I have &s;poken of formerly, it is the</HI>
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Body <HI>of the</HI> Univer&s;al Spirit, <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>It is the</HI> Sperm <HI>of</HI> Nature, <HI>which &s;he</HI> prepares <HI>for her</HI> own Light, <HI>as if we &s;hould prepare</HI> Oyl <HI>for a</HI> Lamp. <HI>A</HI> &s;trange Sub&s;tance <HI>it is, but very</HI> common, <HI>and of &s;ome</HI> Philo&s;o|phers <HI>mo&s;t</HI> properly <HI>called,</HI> Salina virens, &amp; Mirabilis. <HI>And here it will not be ami&s;s to &s;peak &s;omething of the Cabali&s;ts</HI> Linea viridis, <HI>or</HI> green Line, <HI>a</HI> My&s;tery <HI>not</HI> rightly apprehended <HI>even by &s;ome of the</HI> Mekkubalim, <HI>but certainly the</HI> Modern Rabbins <HI>know it not at all. It is the la&s;t</HI> Midah <HI>or</HI> Propriety <HI>of the</HI> Sephiroths, <HI>for it</HI> receives <HI>and</HI> includes <HI>all the</HI> Influ|ences <HI>of the</HI> Sphir&s;tical Order. <HI>It com|pa&s;&s;eth the</HI> Heavens, <HI>and in</HI> them <HI>the</HI> Earth, <HI>like a</HI> green Rain-bow, <HI>or one</HI> va&s;t Sphere <HI>of</HI> Viridity, <HI>and from this</HI> Viridity <HI>the di|vine</HI> Influences <HI>are</HI> &s;howr'd <HI>down like</HI> Rain <HI>through the</HI> Aether <HI>into the</HI> Globes <HI>of the</HI> fixed Stars: <HI>for what the</HI> Air <HI>is to the</HI> Globe <HI>of the</HI> Earth, <HI>&s;uch is the</HI> Aether <HI>to the</HI> Globes <HI>of the</HI> Stars, <HI>and here lies a</HI> Secret <HI>of the</HI> Mekkubalim, <HI>for they tell us, there is a double</HI> Venus, in duplici Aere.
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<HI>But of this enough. I will now &s;peak of the Philo&s;ophers</HI> Secret, <HI>and</HI> ble&s;&s;ed Viridity, <HI>which is to be</HI> &s;een <HI>and</HI> felt <HI>here</HI> below. <HI>It is the</HI> Proteus <HI>of the old</HI> Poets; <HI>for if the</HI> Spirit <HI>of this</HI> green Gold <HI>be at</HI> Liberty, <HI>which will not be till the</HI> Body <HI>is</HI> bound, <HI>then will he di&s;cover all the</HI> E&s;&s;ences <HI>of the</HI> Univer&s;al Center.</P>
<LG>
<L>Tum variae illudent &s;pecies, at&abque; ora Ferarum:</L>
<L>Fiet enim &s;ubito &s;us horridus, atra&abque; Tigris,</L>
<L>Squamo&s;u&s;que Draco, &amp; falv&acirc; cervice Leaena:</L>
<L>Aut acrem flammis &s;onitum dabit, at&abque; ita Vinclis</L>
<L>Excidet, aut in Aquas tenues dilap&s;us abibit;</L>
<L>Omnia transformat &s;e&s;e in miracula Rerum,</L>
<L>Ignem&abque; Horribilem&abque; fera~, Fluvium&abque; liquente~.</L>
</LG>
<P><HI>But this is</HI> Poetry: <HI>let us now hear the &s;ame</HI> Scene <HI>de&s;cribed by a mo&s;t</HI> excellent, <HI>and withall a</HI> &s;evere Profe&s;&s;or <HI>of</HI> Philo&s;o|phy. Ubi vero &s;piritus (<HI>&s;aith he</HI>) exce&s;&s;it &egrave; fragilibus, per quos &s;par&s;us erat, mea|tibus, e&s;tque ab omni pror&s;um Colluvie purgatus, in infinitas &s;e&s;e attollit formas; modo in Herbam, modo in Lapidem, aut in In&s;olitum quoddam Animal: Interdum in Aequor, aut Unionem, aut Gemmam, aut Metallum: dulceque
<PB REF="32">
rubentibus jam Flammis emicans, in multas &s;tatim colorum Myriadas tran&s;it, vivitque portentorum &s;emper Effector, ac Magus, i&s;to nequaquam fati&s;cens la|bore, &s;ed vigore ac viribus indies adolo&s;|cens. <HI>Thus he: And now</HI> Reader <HI>I mu&s;t tell thee, that all the&s;e</HI> Miracles <HI>grow out of a</HI> certain Earth, <HI>a &s;oft</HI> red Clay, <HI>which is to be found</HI> every where. <HI>It may be thou art much</HI> troubled <HI>at the&s;e</HI> Appearances <HI>which I have</HI> mentioned, <HI>but what wilt thou &s;ay to</HI> Jamblichus, <HI>who tells us</HI> &s;eriou&s;|ly, <HI>that this</HI> Earth <HI>will attract</HI> Angels, <HI>I mean</HI> good Spirits? <HI>for &s;o did</HI> he. <HI>But let us hear this</HI> Auditor <HI>of</HI> Anebo, <HI>for thus he writes from</HI> Aegypt <HI>to</HI> Porphyrius. Omnium prima (<HI>&s;aith he</HI>) &amp; Antiqui&s;&s;i|ma Entia, in Ultimis quoque &s;ubrutilant, Immaterialiaque principia materialibus ad&s;unt. Nemo itaque miretur, &s;i quam materiam e&s;&s;e dicimus puram, atque Di|vinam. Nam ip&s;a quoque materia, quum ab Opifice, Patreque Omnium facta &s;it, merito perfectionem &s;ui quandam ac|qui&s;ivit, aptam ad Deos &s;u&s;cipiendos. Quinetiam quum nihil prohibet &s;upe|riora
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Lumen &s;uum ad Inferiora diffun|dere: neque igitur materiam permit|tunt expertem fore Superiorum. Qua|propter quantumcunque materiae per|fectum, &amp; purum e&s;t, atque deiforme, ad Deorum &s;u&s;ceptionem non e&s;t inep|tum. Nam quum oportuerit etiam Terrena nullo modo Divinae Commu|nionis expertia fore, ip&s;a quoque TERRA divinam quandam portio|nem &s;u&s;cepit, ad capiendos Deos &s;uf|ficientem. Non ergo fas e&s;t omnem, Materiam dete&s;tari, &s;ed &s;olam, quae Diis fuerit aliena; Propriam vero ad illos decet eligere, utpote quae con&s;en|tire po&s;&s;it: Neque enim aliter Terrenis locis, &amp; hominibus hic habitantibus, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;io, portiove ulla ex Divinis con|tingere pote&s;t, ni&s;i TALE quiddam prius factum fuerit FUNDAMEN|TUM. Arcanis itaque Sermonibus credendum e&s;t, Te&s;tantibus a DEIS per Beata Spectacula, Traidtam fui&s;&s;e MATERIAM QUAN|DAM, Haec ergo illis ip&s;is Traden|tibus cognata e&s;t. Talis ergo Materia
<PB REF="33">
Deos excitat, ut &s;e demon&s;trent, &amp;c. <HI>The&s;e are the words of</HI> Jamblichus, <HI>in that profound</HI> Di&s;cour&s;e <HI>of his, where he gives</HI> Porphyrius <HI>an</HI> Accompt <HI>of the</HI> Aegyp|tian, Caldean, <HI>and</HI> A&s;&s;yrian My&s;teries. <HI>I know the</HI> Philo&s;ophical Earth <HI>di&s;covers not tho&s;e</HI> Forms <HI>I have &s;poken of in the common, ordinary</HI> Proce&s;s, <HI>which if any man</HI> knows, <HI>I &s;hall not</HI> therefore <HI>call him a</HI> Philo&s;opher. <HI>There are</HI> &s;everal ways <HI>to u&s;e this</HI> My&s;tery, <HI>both</HI> fir&s;t <HI>and</HI> la&s;t: <HI>and</HI> &s;ome <HI>of them may be</HI> communicated, <HI>but &s;ome</HI> not. <HI>To conclude, I &s;ay, that this</HI> clarified Earth <HI>is the</HI> Stage <HI>of all</HI> Forms, <HI>for here they are</HI> manife&s;ted <HI>like</HI> Images <HI>in a</HI> Gla&s;s: <HI>and when the</HI> Time <HI>of their</HI> Manife&s;tation <HI>is</HI> fini&s;hed, <HI>they</HI> retreat <HI>into that</HI> Center, <HI>out of which at</HI> fir&s;t <HI>they</HI> came. <HI>Hence came all</HI> Vege|tables, <HI>all</HI> Minerals, <HI>and all the</HI> Animals <HI>in the</HI> World; <HI>even</HI> Man <HI>him&s;elf with all his</HI> Tumult <HI>and</HI> Principality. <HI>This</HI> Soft Clay <HI>is the</HI> Mother <HI>of them all: and what the Divine</HI> Virgil <HI>&s;ometimes &s;aid of</HI> Italy, <HI>may be very</HI> properly <HI>applyed to this our</HI> Saturnine <HI>and</HI> Soveraign Earth.</P>
<LG>
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<L>Haec dedit Argenti Rivos, Aeri&s;que Metalla</L>
<L>O&s;tendit venis, atque Auro plurima &s;luxit.</L>
<L>Haec Genus acre Vir&ucirc;m: Mar&s;os, Pubem&abque; Sabell&aacute;,</L>
<L>A&s;&s;uetum&abque; Malo Ligurem, Vol&s;co&s;&abque; verutos</L>
<L>Extulit: Haec Decios, Marios, magno&s;&abque; Camillos.</L>
<L>Salv&ecirc; magna parents frugum, Saturnia Tellus,</L>
<L>Magna Vir&ucirc;m!&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P><HI>Thus</HI> Reader <HI>have I</HI> endeavor'd <HI>to pro|duce &s;ome</HI> Rea&s;ons <HI>for tho&s;e &s;trange</HI> Ef|fects, <HI>whereof this</HI> Society <HI>hath made a public</HI> Profe&s;&s;ion. <HI>I did it not as a</HI> Kind|ne&s;s <HI>to them, for I pen no</HI> Plots, <HI>neither do I de&s;ire their</HI> Familiarity. <HI>I am indeed of the &s;ame</HI> Faith <HI>with</HI> them, <HI>and I have thus</HI> prefac'd, <HI>becau&s;e I had the</HI> Impudence <HI>to</HI> think <HI>it concern'd</HI> me <HI>as much as</HI> them. <HI>And verily it is</HI> true, <HI>that</HI> where&s;oever <HI>I meet my</HI> own Po&s;itions, <HI>there have I an</HI> Intere&s;t, <HI>and I am as much</HI> bound <HI>to the</HI> Defence <HI>of that</HI> Author, <HI>as I am to my</HI> own. <HI>Now for the</HI> Ground <HI>here</HI> layd, <HI>it is the</HI> Art of Water, <HI>the Philo&s;ophers</HI> Cla|vis humida, <HI>and this Societies</HI> Parergon. <HI>I dare not &s;peak any thing of their</HI> Meta|phy&s;ical My&s;tery, <HI>but I can tell thee it is</HI>
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<HI>not the</HI> &s;ame <HI>with the</HI> Philo&s;ophers Stone, <HI>either in</HI> Form <HI>or</HI> Matter, <HI>and let this</HI> &s;a|tisfie <HI>thee. I know &s;ome</HI> Di&s;po&s;itions <HI>are &s;o</HI> cro&s;s <HI>to the&s;e</HI> Principles, <HI>I might</HI> write again <HI>to excu&s;e what I</HI> have written, <HI>but this I am</HI> re&s;olved <HI>not to do. If thou art a</HI> malicious Reader, <HI>and do&s;t think it</HI> too much, <HI>becau&s;e it</HI> &s;uits <HI>not with thy own</HI> Gingles, <HI>I mu&s;t tell thee, thou art</HI> none <HI>of my</HI> Peers: <HI>for I have</HI> known <HI>&s;ome</HI> Sci|ences <HI>which</HI> thou <HI>ha&s;t never</HI> heard of, <HI>nor thy</HI> fathers <HI>before</HI> thee. <HI>But to make an</HI> end, <HI>I would have every man de&s;cend into</HI> him&s;elf, <HI>and rationally</HI> con&s;ider <HI>tho&s;e</HI> Ge|nerations <HI>which are obvious to our</HI> eyes. <HI>We &s;ee there is a</HI> power <HI>granted to</HI> man <HI>over tho&s;e</HI> Things, <HI>who&s;e</HI> Original <HI>he doth know:</HI> Examples <HI>and</HI> In&s;tances <HI>we have in</HI> Corn, <HI>and other</HI> Vegitables, <HI>who&s;e</HI> &s;eed <HI>being known to the</HI> Husbandman, <HI>he can by the &s;eed</HI> Multiply <HI>his</HI> Corn, <HI>and</HI> provide <HI>for</HI> him&s;elf, <HI>as he thinks</HI> fit. <HI>It is just &s;o in</HI> Minerals, <HI>there is a</HI> &s;eed <HI>out of which</HI> Nature <HI>makes</HI> them, <HI>a</HI> fir&s;t matter; <HI>and this the</HI> Magicians <HI>carefully</HI> &s;ought after, <HI>for they</HI> rea&s;oned <HI>with them|&s;elves,</HI>
<PB REF="34">
<HI>that as</HI> Nature <HI>by the</HI> Vegetable &s;eed, <HI>did multiply</HI> Vegetables, <HI>&s;o might they al&s;o by the</HI> Minerall &s;eed, <HI>multiply</HI> Minerals. <HI>When they had found out the</HI> &s;eed, <HI>they practis'd upon it</HI> &s;everal wayes: <HI>they did &s;hut it up in</HI> Gla&s;&s;es, <HI>keeping it in a mo&s;t</HI> equall temperate heat, <HI>for many</HI> moneths <HI>together, but all was to no</HI> pur|po&s;e. <HI>Then did they fancy another</HI> Cour&s;e, <HI>for they</HI> buried <HI>it in the</HI> Earth, <HI>and left it there for a</HI> long time, <HI>but without</HI> any &s;uc|ce&s;s. <HI>At la&s;t they con&s;idered,</HI> God <HI>without all que&s;tion being their</HI> Guide, <HI>that</HI> Nature <HI>had for every</HI> &s;eed <HI>a</HI> Ve&s;&s;el <HI>of her</HI> own, <HI>and that all her</HI> Ve&s;&s;els <HI>were but</HI> &s;everal &s;orts <HI>of</HI> Earth: <HI>For example, The</HI> Vege|table Seed <HI>had the</HI> Common Earth <HI>for his</HI> Ve&s;&s;el, <HI>for</HI> therein <HI>Nature did</HI> &s;ow <HI>it. The</HI> Animal Sperm <HI>had the</HI> Fle&s;h <HI>for</HI> his, <HI>and fle&s;h is but a &s;oft animated Earth, as it appears in the</HI> Di&s;&s;olution <HI>of the</HI> Body. <HI>They &s;aw plainly then, that both the&s;e</HI> Ve&s;|&s;els <HI>were not</HI> appointed <HI>for the</HI> Mineral Sperm, <HI>they were</HI> too cold <HI>for it, and</HI> com|mon fire <HI>was</HI> too hot; <HI>or if it were well</HI> regulated, <HI>yet could it not</HI> alter <HI>the</HI> Sperm,
<PB REF="35">
<HI>for it had</HI> not <HI>the</HI> Qualities <HI>of a</HI> Ma|trix. <HI>Then did they try &s;everal</HI> new Heats: <HI>they expo&s;ed their</HI> Matter <HI>to the</HI> Sun, <HI>they buried it in</HI> Dunghills <HI>and</HI> beds <HI>of</HI> Quick-lime, <HI>they placed their</HI> Gla&s;&s;es <HI>in the</HI> Moon-beams, <HI>they in|vented new</HI> Baths, <HI>they made u&s;e of</HI> &s;and, a&s;hes, <HI>and</HI> filings <HI>of</HI> Iron, <HI>they burnt</HI> Oyl, <HI>and fancied all</HI> &s;orts <HI>of</HI> Lamps, <HI>but all this was</HI> Error, <HI>and it</HI> ended <HI>in a trouble&s;om</HI> Nothing. <HI>Now all the&s;e</HI> Fal&s;ities <HI>&s;hall a man meet with in their</HI> Books; <HI>for when they had found out the</HI> Mineral Ve&s;&s;el, <HI>and e&s;pecially the</HI> &s;econd Earth, <HI>wherein they</HI> &s;ow'd <HI>their</HI> Mercury <HI>and</HI> Sulphur, <HI>then did they &s;o</HI> confound <HI>the</HI> Work, <HI>that it is almo&s;t</HI> impo&s;&s;ible <HI>to get the</HI> Preparation <HI>out of their hands. This I thought fit to</HI> touch upon, <HI>that tho&s;e</HI> Difficulties, <HI>which great and a&s;piring</HI> Wits <HI>mu&s;t</HI> &s;trive <HI>withall, may be the more</HI> apparent, <HI>and &s;urely I think I have pretty well</HI> clear'd <HI>the</HI> way. <HI>Thus</HI> Reader <HI>have I given thee my be&s;t</HI> Advi&s;e, <HI>and now it</HI> remains <HI>thou &s;houldst</HI> rail <HI>at me</HI> for it. <HI>It may be thou ha&s;t a</HI>
<PB REF="35">
free Spirit, <HI>but if this</HI> Liberality <HI>con|cerns not thy</HI> Credit, <HI>keep thy</HI> Spleen <HI>to thy</HI> &s;elf, <HI>for I would not have thee</HI> &s;pend <HI>what thou can&s;t well</HI> &s;pare.</P>
<CLOSER>Soli Deo Gloria.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="36">
<PB N="1" REF="36">
<HEAD><HI>Fama Fraternitatis,</HI> OR, A DISCOVERY OF THE Fraternity of the mo&s;t laudable Or|der of the Ro&s;y Cro&s;s.</HEAD>
<P>_SEeing the only Wi&s;e and Merciful God in the&s;e lat|ter days hath poured out &s;o richly his mercy and goodne&s;s to Mankind, wherby we do attain more and more to the perfect knowledg of his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t and <HI>Nature,</HI> that ju&s;tly we may boa&s;t of the happy time, wherein
<PB N="2" REF="37">
there is not only di&s;covered unto us the half part of the World, which was hereto|fore unknown &amp; hidden, but he hath al&s;o made manife&s;t unto us many wonderful, and never-heretofore &s;een, Works and Creatures of <HI>Nature,</HI> and moreover hath rai&s;ed men, indued with great Wi&s;dom, which might partly renew and reduce all Arts (in this our Age &s;potted and imper|fect) to perfection; &s;o that finally Man might thereby under&s;tand his own No|blene&s;s and Worth, and why he is called <HI>Microco&s;mus,</HI> and how far his knowledg extendeth in Nature.</P>
<P>Although the rude World herewith will be but little plea&s;ed, but rather &s;mile and &s;coff thereat; al&s;o the Pride and Co|vetou&s;ne&s;s of the Learned is &s;o great, it will not &s;uffer them to agree to|gether; but were they united, they might out of all tho&s;e things which in this our Age God doth &s;o richly be&s;tow upon us, collect <HI>Librum Naturae,</HI> or a perfect Me|thod of all Arts: but &s;uch is their op|po&s;ition, that they &s;till keep, and are loth to leave the old cour&s;e, e&s;teeming <HI>Por|phiry, Ari&s;totle,</HI> and <HI>Galen,</HI> yea and that
<PB N="3" REF="37">
which hath but a meer &s;hew of learning, more then the clear and manife&s;ted Light and Truth; who if they were now living, with much joy would leave their errone|ous Doctrines. But here is too great weak|ne&s;s for &s;uch a great Work: And although in <HI>Theologie, Phy&s;ic,</HI> and the <HI>Mathema|tic,</HI> the Truth doth oppo&s;e it &s;elf&punc; never|thele&s;s the old Enemy by his &s;ubtilty and craft doth &s;hew him&s;elf in hindering eve|ry good purpo&s;e by his In&s;truments and contentious wavering people. To &s;uch an intent of a general Reformation; the mo&s;t godly and highly illuminated&punc; Fa|ther, our Brother, <HI>C. R.</HI> a German, the chief and original of our Fraternity, hath much and long time laboured, who by rea&s;on of his poverty (although de&s;cen|ded of Noble Parents) in the fifth year of his age was placed in a Cloy&s;ter, where he had learned indifferently the <HI>Greek</HI> and <HI>Latin</HI> Tongues, who (upon his ear|ne&s;t de&s;ire and reque&s;t) being yet in his growing years, was a&s;&s;ociated to a Bro|ther, <HI>P. A. L.</HI> who had determined to go to the Holy Land.</P>
<P>Although this Brother dyed in <HI>Ciprus,</HI>
<PB N="4" REF="38">
and &s;o never came to <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> yet our Brother <HI>C. R.</HI> did not return, but &s;hipped him&s;elf over, and went to <HI>Dama&s;co,</HI> mind|ing from thence to go to <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> but by rea&s;on of the feeblene&s;s of his body he remained &s;till there, and by his skill in Phy&s;ick he obtained much favour with the <HI>Turks:</HI> In the mean time he became by chance acquainted with the Wi&s;e men of <HI>Dama&s;co</HI> in <HI>Arabia,</HI> and beheld what great Wonders they wrought, and how <HI>Nature</HI> was di&s;covered unto them; here|by was that high and noble Spirit of Bro|ther <HI>C. R.</HI> &s;o &s;tired up, that <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> was not &s;o much now in his mind as <HI>Dama&s;co;</HI> al&s;o he could not bridle his de&s;ires any longer, but made a bargain with the <HI>Ara|bians,</HI> that they &s;hould carry him for a certain &s;um of money to <HI>Dama&s;co;</HI> he was but of the age of &s;ixteen years when he came thither, yet of a &s;trong Dutch con&s;titution; there the Wi&s;e received him (as he him&s;elf witne&s;&s;eth) not as a &s;tran|ger, but as one whom they had long ex|pected, they called him by his name, and &s;hewed him other &s;ecrets out of his Cloy|&s;ter, whereat he could not but mightily
<PB N="5" REF="38">
wonder: He learned there better the <HI>A|rabian</HI> Tongue; &s;o that the year follow|ing he tran&s;lated the Book <HI>M.</HI> into good <HI>Latin,</HI> which he afterwards brought with him. This is the place where he did learn his Phy&s;ick, and his Mathematicks, whereof the World hath ju&s;t cau&s;e to re|joyce, if there were more Love, and le&s;s Envy. After three years he returned again with good con&s;ent, &s;hipped him&s;elf over <HI>Sinus Arabicus</HI> into <HI>Egypt,</HI> where he re|mained not long, but only took better notice there of the Plants and Creatures; he &s;ailed over the whole <HI>Mediterranean</HI> Sea for to come unto <HI>Fez,</HI> where the <HI>Arabians</HI> had directed him. And it is a great &s;hame unto us, that wi&s;e men, &s;o far remote th'one from th'other, &s;hould not only be of one opinion, hating all conten|tious Writings, but al&s;o be &s;o willing and ready under the &s;eal of &s;ecrecy to impart their &s;ecrets to others.</P>
<P>Every year the <HI>Arabians</HI> and <HI>Affricans</HI> do &s;end one to another, inquiring one of another out of their Arts, if happily they had found out &s;ome better things, or if Experience had weakened their Rea|&s;ons.
<PB N="6" REF="39">
Yearly there came &s;omething to light, whereby the <HI>Mathematica, Phy&s;ic</HI> and <HI>Magic</HI> (for in tho&s;e are they of <HI>Fez</HI> mo&s;t skilful) were amended; as there is now adays in <HI>Germany</HI> no want of learned Men, <HI>Magicians, Cabali&s;ts, Phy&s;icians,</HI> and <HI>Philo&s;ophers,</HI> were there but more love and kindne&s;s among them, or that the mo&s;t part of them would not keep their &s;ecrets clo&s;e only to them&s;elves. At <HI>Fez</HI> he did get acquaintance with tho&s;e which are commonly called the Elementary In|habitants, who revealed unto him many of their &s;ecrets: As we <HI>Germans</HI> likewi&s;e might gather together many things, if there were the like unity, and de&s;ire of &s;earching out of &s;ecrets among&s;t us.</P>
<P>Of the&s;e of <HI>Fez</HI> he often did confe&s;s, that their <HI>Magia</HI> was not altogether pure, and al&s;o that their <HI>Cabala</HI> was defiled with their Religion; but notwith&s;tanding he knew how to make good u&s;e of the &s;ame, and found &s;till more better grounds of his Faith, altogether agreeable with the Harmony of the whole World, and wonderfully impre&s;&s;ed in all Periods of times, and thence proceedeth that fair
<PB N="7" REF="39">
Concord, that as in every &s;everal kernel is contained a whole good tree or fruit, &s;o likewi&s;e is included in the little body of Man the whole great World, who&s;e Religion, policy, health, members, na|ture, language, words and works, are agreeing, &s;ympathizing, and in equal tune and melody with God, Heaven and Earth; and that which is di&s;-agreeing with them, is error, fal&s;hood, and of the Devil, who alone is the fir&s;t, middle, and la&s;t cau&s;e of &s;trife, blindne&s;s, and darkne&s;s in the World: Al&s;o, might one examine all and &s;everal per&s;ons upon the Earth, he &s;hould find that which is good and right, is al|ways agreeing with it &s;elf; but all the re&s;t is &s;potted with a thou&s;and erroneous conceits.</P>
<P>After two years Brother <HI>C. R.</HI> depart|ed the City <HI>Fez,</HI> and &s;ailed with many co&s;tly things into <HI>Spain,</HI> hoping well, he him&s;elf had &s;o well and &s;o profitably &s;pent his time in his travel, that the learn|ed in <HI>Europe</HI> would highly rejoyce with him, and begin to rule, and order all their Studies, according to tho&s;e &s;ound and &s;ure Foundations. He therefore con|ferred
<PB N="8" REF="40">
with the Learned in <HI>Spain,</HI> &s;hewing unto them the Errors of our Arts, and how they might be corrected, and from whence they &s;hould gather the true <HI>Indi|tia</HI> of the Times to come, and wherein they ought to agree with tho&s;e things that are pa&s;t; al&s;o how the faults of the Church and the whole <HI>Philo&s;opia Moralis</HI> was to be amended: He &s;hewed them new Growths, new Fruits, and Bea&s;ts, which did concord with old <HI>Philo&s;ophy,</HI> and pre&s;cribed them new <HI>Axiomata,</HI> whereby all things might fully be re&s;tored: But it was to them a laughing matter; and being a new thing unto them, they feared that their great Name &s;hould be le&s;&s;ened, if they &s;hould now again begin to learn and acknowledg their many years Errors, to which they were accu&s;tomed, and wherewith they had gained them enough: Who &s;o loveth un|quietne&s;s, let him be reformed.</P>
<P>The &s;ame Song was al&s;o &s;ang to him by other Nations, the which moved him the more (becau&s;e it happened to him contrary to his expectation,) being then ready bountifully to impart all his Arts and Secrets to the Learned, if they would
<PB N="9" REF="40">
have but undertaken to write the true and infallible <HI>Axiomata,</HI> out of all Fa|culties, Sciences and Arts, and whole <HI>Nature,</HI> as that which he knew would di|rect them, like a Globe, or Circle, to the onely middle Point, and <HI>Centrum,</HI> and (as it is u&s;ual among the <HI>Arabians</HI>) it &s;hould onely &s;erve to the wi&s;e and learn|ed for a Rule, that al&s;o there might be a Society in <HI>Europe,</HI> which might have Gold, Silver, and precious Stones, &s;uffi|cient for to be&s;tow them on Kings, for their nece&s;&s;ary u&s;es, and lawful purpo&s;es: with which &s;uch as be Governors might be brought up, for to learn all that which God hath &s;uffered Man to know, and thereby to be enabled in all times of need to give their coun&s;el unto tho&s;e that &s;eek it, like the Heathen Oracles: Verily we mu&s;t confe&s;s that the world in tho&s;e days was already big with tho&s;e great Com|motions, laboring to be delivered of them; and did bring forth painful, wor|thy men, who brake with all force through Darkne&s;s and Barbari&s;m, and left us who &s;ucceeded to follow them: and a&s;&s;uredly they have been the upper|mo&s;t
<PB N="10" REF="41">
point in <HI>Trygono igneo,</HI> who&s;e flame now &s;hould be more and more brighter, and &s;hall undoubtedly give to the World the la&s;t Light.</P>
<P>Such a one likewi&s;e hath <HI>Theophrast us</HI> been in Vocation and Callings, although he was none of our Fraternity, yet ne|verthele&s;s hath he diligently read over the Book <HI>M:</HI> whereby his &s;harp <HI>ingenium</HI> was exalted; but this man was al&s;o hindered in his cour&s;e by the multitude of the learned and wi&s;e-&s;eeming men, that he was never able peaceably to confer with others of his Knowledg and Under&s;tand|ing he had of <HI>Nature.</HI> And therefore in his writing he rather mocked the&s;e bu&s;ie bodies, and doth not &s;hew them altoge|ther what he was: yet neverthele&s;s there is found with him well grounded the a|forenamed <HI>Harmonia,</HI> which without doubt he had imparted to the Learned, if he had not found them rather worthy of &s;ubtil vexation, then to be in&s;tructed in greater Arts and Sciences; he then with a free and carele&s;s life lo&s;t his time, and left unto the World their fooli&s;h plea&s;ures.</P>
<P><PB N="11" REF="41">But that we do not forget our loving Father, Brother <HI>C. R.</HI> he after many painful Travels, and his fruitle&s;s true In|&s;tructions, returned again into <HI>Germany,</HI> the which he (by rea&s;on of the alterations which were &s;hortly to come, and of the &s;trange and dangerous contentions) hear|tily loved: There, although he could have bragged with his Art, but &s;pecially of the tran&s;mutations of Metals; yet did he e&s;teem more Heaven, and the Ci|tizens thereof, Man, then all vain glory and pomp.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;s he builded a fitting and neat habitation, in the which he rumina|ated his Voyage, and Philo&s;ophy, and reduced them together in a true Memo|rial. In this hou&s;e he &s;pent a great time in the <HI>Mathematicks,</HI> and made many fine In&s;truments, <HI>ex omnibus hujus art is parti|bus,</HI> whereof there is but little remaining to us, as hereafter you &s;hall under&s;tand. After five years came again into his mind the wi&s;hed for Reformation; and in re|gard he doubted of the ayd and help of others, although he him&s;elf was painful&punc; lu&s;ty, and unweari&s;om, he undertook&punc;
<PB N="12" REF="42">
with &s;ome few adjoyned with him, to at|tempt the &s;ame: wherefore he de&s;ired to that end, to have out of his fir&s;t Cloy&s;ter (to the which he bare a great affection) three of his Brethren, Brother <HI>G. V.</HI> Bro|ther <HI>J. A.</HI> and Brother <HI>J. O.</HI> who be&s;ides that, they had &s;ome more knowledg in the Arts, then at that time many others had, he did binde tho&s;e three unto him&s;elf, to be faithful, diligent, and &s;ecret; as al&s;o to commit carefully to writing, all that which he &s;hould direct and in&s;truct them in, to the end that tho&s;e which were to come, and through e&s;pecial Revelation &s;hould be received into this Fraternity, might not be deceived of the lea&s;t &s;illa|ble and word.</P>
<P>After this manner began the Fraterni|ty of the <HI>Ro&s;ie Cro&s;s;</HI> fir&s;t, by four per|&s;ons onely, and by them was made the Magical Language and writing, with a large Dictionary, which we yet dayly u&s;e to Gods prai&s;e and glory, and do finde great wi&s;dom therein; they made al&s;o the fir&s;t part of the Book <HI>M:</HI> but in re|&s;pect that that labor was too heavy, and the un&s;peakable concour&s;e of the &s;ick
<PB N="13" REF="42">
hindred them, and al&s;o whil&s;t his new building (called <HI>Sancti &s;piritus</HI>) was now fini&s;hed, they concluded to draw and re|ceive yet others more into their Frater|nity; to this end was cho&s;en brother <HI>R. C.</HI> his decea&s;ed fathers brothers &s;on, brother <HI>B.</HI> a skilful Painter, <HI>G.</HI> and <HI>P. D.</HI> their Secretary, all <HI>Germains</HI> except <HI>J. A.</HI> &s;o in all they were eight in number, all batchelors and of vowed virginity, by tho&s;e was collected a book or volumn of all that which man can de&s;ire, wi&s;h, or hope for.</P>
<P>Although we do now freely confe&s;s, that the World is much amended within an hundred years, yet we are a&s;&s;ured, that our <HI>Axiomata</HI> &s;hall unmovably remain unto the Worlds End, and al&s;o the world in her highe&s;t &amp; la&s;t Age &s;hall not attain to &s;ee any thing el&s;e; for our <HI>Rota</HI> takes her beginning from that day when God &s;pake <HI>Fiat,</HI> and &s;hall end when he &s;hall &s;peak <HI>Pereat;</HI> yet Gods Clock &s;tri|keth every minute, where ours &s;carce &s;triketh perfect hours. We al&s;o &s;ted|fa&s;tly beleeve, that if our Brethren and Fathers had lived in this our pre&s;ent and
<PB N="14" REF="43">
clear light, they would more roughly have handled the Pope, <HI>Mahomet,</HI> Scribes, Arti&s;ts, and Sophi&s;ters, and had &s;hewed them&s;elves more helpful, not &s;imply with &s;ighs, and wi&s;hing of their end and con|&s;ummation.</P>
<P>When now the&s;e eight Brethren had di&s;po&s;ed and ordered all things in &s;uch manner, as there was not now need of any great labour, and al&s;o that every one was &s;ufficiently in&s;tructed, and able perfectly to di&s;cour&s;e of &s;ecret and manife&s;t Phi|lo&s;ophy, they would not remain any longer together, but as in the beginning they had agreed, they &s;eparated them|&s;elves into &s;everal Countries, becau&s;e that not only their <HI>Axiomata</HI> might in &s;ecret be more profoundly examined by the learned, but that they them&s;elves, if in &s;ome Country or other they ob&s;erved any thing, or perceived &s;ome Error, they might inform one another of it.</P>
<P>Their Agreement was this; Fir&s;t, That none of them &s;hould profe&s;s any other thing, then to cure the &s;ick, and that <HI>gra|tis.</HI> 2. None of the Po&s;terity &s;hould be con&s;trained to wear one certain kind of
<PB N="15" REF="43">
habit, but therein to follow the cu&s;tom of the Country. 3. That every year up|on the day <HI>C.</HI> they &s;hould meet together at the hou&s;e <HI>S. Spiritus,</HI> or write the cau&s;e of his ab&s;ence. 4. Every Brother &s;hould look about for a worthy per&s;on, who af|ter his di&s;cea&s;e might &s;ucceed him. 5. The word <HI>C. R.</HI> &s;hould be their Seal, Mark, and Character. 6. The Fraternity &s;hould remain &s;ecret one hundred years. The&s;e &s;ix Articles they bound them&s;elves one to another to keep; and five of the Bre|thren departed, only the Brethren <HI>B.</HI> and <HI>D.</HI> remained with the Father <HI>Fra: R. C.</HI> a whole year; when the&s;e likewi&s;e de|parted, then remained by him his Cou&s;en and Brother <HI>J. O.</HI> &s;o that he hath all the days of his life with him two of his Bre|thren. And although that as yet the Church was not clean&s;ed, neverthele&s;s we know that they did think of her, and what with longing de&s;ire they looked for: Every year they a&s;sembled together with joy, and made a full re&s;olution of that which they had done; there mu&s;t certainly have been great plea&s;ure, to hear truly and without invention related
<PB N="16" REF="44">
and rehear&s;ed all the Wonders which God hath poured out here and there through the World. Every one may hold it out for certain, that &s;uch per&s;ons as were &s;ent, and joyned together by God, and the Heavens, and cho&s;en out of the wi&s;e&s;t of men, as have lived in many Ages, did live together above all others in highe&s;t Unity, greate&s;t Secrecy, and mo&s;t kindne&s;s one towards another.</P>
<P>After &s;uch a mo&s;t laudable &s;ort they did &s;pend their lives; and although they were free from all di&s;ea&s;es and pain, yet notwith&s;tanding they could not live and pa&s;s their time appointed of God. The fir&s;t of this Fraternity which dyed, and that in <HI>England,</HI> was <HI>J. O.</HI> as Brother <HI>C.</HI> long before had foretold him; he was very expert, and well learned in <HI>Cabala,</HI> as his Book called <HI>H.</HI> witne&s;&s;eth: In <HI>England</HI> he is much &s;poken of, and chief|ly becau&s;e he cured a young Earl of <HI>Nor|folk</HI> of the Lepro&s;ie. They had con|cluded, that as much as po&s;&s;ibly could be their burial place &s;hould be kept &s;ecret, as at this day it is not known unto us what is become of &s;ome of them, yet every
<PB N="17" REF="44">
ones place was &s;upplyed with a fit &s;uc|ce&s;&s;or; but this we wil confe&s;&s;e publick|ly by the&s;e pre&s;ents to the honour of God, That what &s;ecret &s;oever we have learned out of the book <HI>M.</HI> (although before our eyes we behold the image and <HI>pattern</HI> of all the world) yet are there not &s;hewn unto us our misfortunes, nor hour of death, the which only is known to God him&s;elf, who thereby would have us keep in a continual rea|dine&s;s; but hereof more in our Confe&s;&s;i|on, where we do &s;et down 37 Rea&s;ons wherefore we now do make known our Fraternity, and proffer &s;uch high My&s;te|ries freely, and without con&s;traint and re|ward: al&s;o we do promi&s;e more gold then both the Indies bring to the King of <HI>Spain;</HI> for <HI>Europe</HI> is with child and wil bring forth a &s;trong child, who &s;hall &s;tand in need of a great godfathers gift.</P>
<P>After the death of <HI>I. O.</HI> Brother <HI>R. C.</HI> re&s;ted not, but as &s;oon as he could, called the re&s;t together, (and as we &s;uppo&s;e) then his grave was made; although hi|therto we (who were the late&s;t) did not
<PB N="18" REF="45">
know when our loving father <HI>R. C.</HI> died, and had no more but the bare names of the beginners, and all their &s;ucce&s;&s;ors to us; yet there came into our memory, a &s;ecret, which through dark and hidden words, and &s;peeches of the 100 years, bro|ther <HI>A.</HI> the &s;ucce&s;&s;or of <HI>D.</HI> (who was of the la&s;t and &s;econd row and &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, and had lived among&s;t many of us,) did impart unto us of the third row and &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion; otherwi&s;e we mu&s;t confe&s;s, that after the death of the &s;aid <HI>A.</HI> none of us had in any manner known any thing of Brother <HI>R. C.</HI> and of his fir&s;t fellow-bre|thren, then that which was extant of them in our Philo&s;ophical <HI>Bibliotheca,</HI> a|mong&s;t which our <HI>Axiomata</HI> was held for the chiefe&s;t <HI>Rota Mundi,</HI> for the mo&s;t artificial, and <HI>Protheus</HI> the mo&s;t profita|ble. Likewi&s;e we do not certainly know if the&s;e of the &s;econd row have been of the like wi&s;dom as the fir&s;t, and if they were admitted to all things. It &s;hall be declared hereafter to the gentle Reader, not onely what we have heard of the bu|rial of <HI>R. C.</HI> but al&s;o made manife&s;t pub|lickly by the fore&s;ight, &s;ufferance and
<PB N="19" REF="45">
commandment of God, whom we mo&s;t faithfully obey, that if we &s;hall be an&s;wer|ed di&s;creetly and Chri&s;tian-like, we will not be afraid to &s;et forth publickly in Print, our names, and &s;irnames, our meet|ings, or any thing el&s;e that may be requi|red at our hands.</P>
<P>Now the true and fundamental relati|on of the finding out of the high illumi|nated man of God, <HI>Fra: C. R. C.</HI> is this; After that <HI>A.</HI> in <HI>Gallia Narbonen&s;i</HI> was de|cea&s;ed, then &s;ucceeded in his place, our loving Brother <HI>N. N.</HI> this man after he had repaired unto us to take the &s;olemn oath of fidelity and &s;ecrecy, he informed us <HI>bona fide,</HI> That <HI>A.</HI> had comforted him in telling him, that this Fraternity &s;hould ere long not remain &s;o hidden, but &s;hould be to all the whole <HI>German</HI> Nation help|ful, needful, and commendable; of the which he was not in any wi&s;e in his e&s;tate a&s;hamed of. The year following after he had performed his School right, and was minded now to travel, being for that pur|po&s;e &s;ufficiently provided with <HI>Fortunatus</HI> pur&s;e, he thought (he being a good <HI>Archi|tect</HI>) to alter &s;omething of his building,
<PB N="20" REF="46">
and to make it more fit: in &s;uch renewing he lighted upon the memorial Table which was ca&s;t of bra&s;&s;e, and containeth all the names of the brethren, with &s;ome few other things; this he would transfer in another more fitting vault: for where or when <HI>Fra: R. C.</HI> died, or in what country he was buried, was by our predece&s;&s;ors concealed and unknown unto us. In this Table &s;tuck a great naile &s;omewhat &s;trong, &s;o that when he was with force drawn out, he took with him an indiffer|ent big &s;tone out of the thin wall, or plai|&s;tering of the hidden door, and &s;o unlook|ed for uncovered the door; wherefore we did with joy and longing throw down the re&s;t of the wall, and cleared the door, upon which that was written in great let|ters, <HI>Po&s;t 120 annos patebo,</HI> with the year of the Lord under it: therefore we gave God thanks and let it re&s;t that &s;ame night, becau&s;e fir&s;t we would overlook our <HI>Ro|tam;</HI> but we refer our &s;elves again to the confe&s;&s;ion, for what we here publi&s;h is done for the help of tho&s;e that are wor|thy, but to the unworthy (God willing) it will be &s;mall profit: For like as our
<PB N="21" REF="46">
door was after &s;o many years wonderful|ly di&s;covered, al&s;o there &s;hall be opened a door to <HI>Europe</HI> (when the wall is re|moved) which already doth begin to ap|pear, and with great de&s;ire is expected of many.</P>
<P>In the morning following we opened the door, and there appeared to our &s;ight a Vault of &s;even &s;ides and corners, every &s;ide five foot broad, and the height of eight foot; Although the Sun never &s;hi|ned in this Vault, neverthele&s;s it was en|lightned with another &s;un, which had learned this from the Sun, and was &s;citu|ated in the upper part in the Center of the &s;ieling; in the mid&s;t, in &s;tead of a Tomb-&s;tone, was a round Altar cover|ed over with a plate of bra&s;s, and thereon this engraven:</P>
<Q>A. C. R. C. Hoc univer&s;i compendium unius mihi &s;epulchrum feci.</Q>
<P>Round about the fir&s;t Circle or Brim &s;tood,</P>
<Q>Je&s;us mihi omnia.</Q>
<P>In the middle were four figures, in|clo&s;ed in circles, who&s;e circum&s;cription was,</P>
<LIST>
<PB N="22" REF="47">
<ITEM>1. <HI>Nequaquam vacuum.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>Legis Jugum.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>Libertas Evangelij.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. <HI>Dei gloria intacta.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>This is all clear and bright, as al&s;o the &s;eventh &s;ide and the two <HI>Heptagoni:</HI> &s;o we kneeled altogether down, and gave thanks to the &s;ole wi&s;e, &s;ole mighty and &s;ole eter|nal God, who hath taught us more then all mens wit could have found out, prai|&s;ed be his holy name. This Vault we parted in three parts, the upper part or &s;iel|ing, the wall or &s;ide, the ground or floor.</P>
<P>Of the upper part you &s;hall under&s;tand no more of it at this time, but that it was divided according to the &s;even &s;ides in the triangle, which was in the bright center; but what therein is contained, you &s;hall God willing (that are de&s;irous of our &s;o|ciety) behold the &s;ame with your own eys; but every &s;ide or wall is parted into ten &s;quares, every one with their &s;everal fi|gures and &s;entences, as they are truly &s;hewed, and &s;et forth <HI>Concentratum</HI> here in our book.</P>
<P>The bottom again is parted in the triangle, but becau&s;e therein is di&s;cribed the power
<PB N="23" REF="47">
and rule of the inferior Governors, we leave to manife&s;t the &s;ame, for fear of the abu&s;e by the evil and ungodly world. But tho&s;e that are provided and &s;tored with the heavenly Antidote, they do without fear or hurt, tread on, and brui&s;e the head of the old and evil &s;erpent, which this our age is well fitted for: every &s;ide or wall had a door for a che&s;t, wherein there lay divers things, e&s;pecially all our books, which otherwi&s;e we had, be&s;ides the <HI>Voca|bular</HI> of <HI>Theoph: Par. Ho.</HI> and the&s;e which daily unfal&s;ifieth we do participate. Here|in al&s;o we found his <HI>Itinerarium,</HI> and <HI>vi|tam,</HI> whence this relation for the mo&s;t part is taken. In another che&s;t were looking|gla&s;&s;es of divers virtues, as al&s;o in other places were little bells, burning lamps, &amp; chiefly wonderful artificial Songs; ge|nerally al done to that end, that if it &s;hould happen after many hundred years, the Order or Fraternity &s;hould come to no|thing, they might by this onely Vault be re&s;tored again.</P>
<P>Now as yet we had not &s;een the dead body of our careful and wi&s;e father, we therfore removed the Altar a&s;ide, there we
<PB N="24" REF="48">
lifted up a &s;trong plate of bra&s;s, and found a fair and worthy body, whole and uncon&s;umed, as the &s;ame is here lively counterfeited, with all the Ornaments and Attires; in his hand he held a parchment book, called <HI>I.</HI> the which next unto the Bible, is our greate&s;t trea&s;ure, which ought to be delivered to the cen&s;ure of the world. At the end of this book &s;tandeth this follow|ing <HI>Elogium</HI></P>
<Q>Granum pectori Je&s;u in&s;itum.</Q>
<P><HI>C. Ro&s;. C. ex nobili at&abque; &s;plendida Ger|maniae R. C. familia oriundus, vir &s;ui &s;eculi divinis revelationibus &s;ubtili&s;simis imagi|nationibus, indefe&s;sis laboribus ad coele&s;tia, at&abque; humana my&s;teria; arcanav&egrave; admi&s;&s;us po&s;tquam &s;uam (quam Arabico, &amp; Africa|no itineribus Collegerat) plu&s;quam regiam, at&abque; imperatoriam Gazam &s;uo &s;eculo nondum convenientem, po&s;teritati eruendam cu&s;to divi&s;&s;et &amp; jam &s;uarum Artium, ut &amp; no|minis, fides acconjuncti&s;simos herides in&s;ti|tui&s;&s;et, mundum minutum omnibus motibus magno illi re&s;pondentem fabrica&s;&s;et hoc&abque; tandem preteritarum, prae&s;entium, &amp; futu|rarum, rerum compendio extracto, contena|rio</HI>
<PB N="25" REF="48">
<HI>major non morbo (quem ip&s;e nunquam corpore expertus erat, nunquam alios infe&s;|tare &s;inebat) ullo pellente &s;ed &s;piritu Dei evo|cante, illuminatam animam (inter Fratrum amplexus &amp; ultima o&s;cula) fideli&s;simo cre|atori Deo reddidi&s;set, Pater dilecti&s;simus, Fra: &s;uavi&s;simus, praeceptor fideli&s;simus amicus integerimus, a &s;uis ad 120 annos hic ab&s;con|ditus e&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Underneath they had &s;ub&s;cribed them&s;eves,</P>
<Q><LIST>
<ITEM>1 <HI>Fra: I. A. Fr. C. H. electione Fra|ternitatis caput.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2 <HI>Fr: G. V. M. P. C.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3 <HI>Fra: R. C. Iunior haeres S. &s;piritus.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4 <HI>Fra: B. M. P. A. Pictor &amp; Archi|tectus.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>5 <HI>Fr: G. G. M. P. I. Cabali&s;ta.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></Q>
<P>Secundi Circuli.</P>
<Q><LIST>
<ITEM>1 <HI>Fra: P. A. Succe&s;&s;or, Fr: I. O. Ma|thematicus.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2 <HI>Fra: A. Succe&s;&s;or Fra. P. D.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3 <HI>Fra: R. Succe&s;&s;or patris C. R. C. cum Chri&s;to triumphant.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></Q>
<P>At the end was written,</P>
<Q><HI>Ex Deo na&s;cimur, in Je&s;u morimur, per &s;piritum &s;anctum revivi&s;cimus.</HI></Q>
<P><PB N="26" REF="49">At that time was already dead Brother <HI>I. O.</HI> and <HI>Fra: D.</HI> but their burial place where is it to be found? we doubt not but our <HI>Fra: Senior</HI> hath the &s;ame, and &s;ome e&s;pecial thing layd in Earth, and perhaps likewi&s;e hidden: we al&s;o hope that this our Example will &s;tir up others more deli|gently to enquire after their names (whom we have therefore publi&s;hed) and to &s;earch for the place of their burial; for the mo&s;t part of them, by rea&s;on of their practice and phy&s;ick, are yet known, and prai&s;ed among very old folks; &s;o might perhaps our <HI>Gaza</HI> be enlarged, or at lea&s;t be better cleared.</P>
<P>Concerning <HI>Minutum Mundum,</HI> we found it kept in another little Altar, truly more finer then can be imagined by any under&s;tanding man; but we will leave him unde&s;cribed, untill we &s;hal truly be an|&s;wered upon this our true hearted <HI>Fa|mam;</HI> and &s;o we have covered it again with the plates, and &s;et the altar thereon, &s;hut the door, and made it &s;ure, with all our &s;eals; be&s;ides by in&s;truction and com|mand of our <HI>Rota,</HI> there are come to &s;ight &s;ome books, among which is contained
<PB N="27" REF="49">
<HI>M.</HI> (which were made in &s;tead of hou&s;|hold care by the prai&s;e-worthy <HI>M. P.</HI>) Fi|nally we departed the one from the other, and left the natural heirs in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of our Jewels. And &s;o we do expect the an|&s;wer and judgment of the learned, or un|learned.</P>
<P>Howbeit we know after a time there wil now be a general reformation, both of divine and humane things, according to our de&s;ire, and the expectation of others: for it's fitting, that before the ri&s;ing of the Sun, there &s;hould appear and break forth <HI>Aurora,</HI> or &s;ome clearne&s;s, or divine light in the sky; and &s;o in the mean time &s;ome few, which &s;hall give their names, may joyn together, thereby to increa&s;e the number and re&s;pect of our <HI>Fraternity,</HI> and make a happy and wi&s;hed for beginning of our <HI>Philo&s;ophical Canons,</HI> pre&s;cribed to us by our brother <HI>R. C.</HI> and be par|takers with us of our trea&s;ures (which ne|ver can fail or be wa&s;ted) in all humility, and love to be ea&s;ed of this worlds labor, and not walk &s;o blindly in the knowledge of the wonderful works of God.</P>
<P>But that al&s;o every Chri&s;tian may know
<PB N="28" REF="50">
of what Religion and belief we are, we confe&s;s to have the knowledge of Je&s;us Chri&s;t (as the &s;ame now in the&s;e la&s;t days, and chiefly in <HI>Germany,</HI> mo&s;t clear and pure is profe&s;&s;ed, and is now adays clean|&s;ed and voyd of all &s;werving people, He|reticks, and fal&s;e Prophets,) in certain and noted Countries maintained, defended and propagated: Al&s;o we u&s;e two Sacra|ments, as they are in&s;tituted with all <HI>Formes</HI> and <HI>Ceremonies</HI> of the fir&s;t re|newed Church. In <HI>Politia</HI> we acknow|ledge the <HI>Roman</HI> Empire and <HI>Quartam Monarchiam</HI> for our Chri&s;tian head; al|beit we know what alterations be at hand, and would fain impart the &s;ame with all our hearts, to other godly learned men; notwith&s;tanding our hand-writing which is in our hands, no man (except God a|lone) can make it common, nor any un|worthy per&s;on is able to bereave us of it. But we &s;hall help with &s;ecret aid this &s;o good a cau&s;e, as God &s;hal permit or hin|der us: For our God is not blinde, as the Heathens <HI>Fortuna,</HI> but is the Churches Ornament, and the honor of the Temple. Our <HI>Philo&s;ophy</HI> al&s;o is not a new Inventi|on,
<PB N="29" REF="50">
but as <HI>Adam</HI> after his <HI>fall</HI> hath re|ceived it, and as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Solomon</HI> u&s;ed it: al&s;o &s;he ought not much to be doubted of, or contradicted by other opinions, or meanings; but &s;eeing the truth is peace|able, brief, and always like her &s;elf in all things, and e&s;pecially accorded by with <HI>Je&s;us in omni parte</HI> and all members. And as he is the true Image of the Father, &s;o is &s;he his Image; It &s;hal not be &s;aid, this is true according to <HI>Philo&s;ophy,</HI> but true ac|cording to <HI>Theologie;</HI> And wherein <HI>Plato, Ari&s;totle, Pythagoras</HI> and others did hit the mark, and wherein <HI>Enoch, Abraham, Mo|&s;es, Solomon</HI> did excel; but e&s;pecially wherewith that wonderful book the <HI>Bible</HI> agreeth. All that &s;ame concurreth toge|ther, and make a Sphere or Globe, who&s;e total parts are equidi&s;tant from the Cen|ter, as hereof more at large and more plain &s;hal be &s;poken of in Chri&s;tianly Con|ference.</P>
<P>But now concerning (and chiefly in this our age) the ungodly and accur&s;ed <HI>Gold-making,</HI> which hath gotten &s;o much the upper hand, whereby under colour of it, many runagates and rogui&s;h people
<PB N="30" REF="51">
do u&s;e great villanies, and cozen and a|bu&s;e the credit which is given them: yea now adays men of di&s;cretion do hold the tran&s;mutation of Mettals to be the highe&s;t point, and <HI>fa&s;tigium</HI> in <HI>Philo&s;ophy,</HI> this is all their intent, and de&s;ire, and that God would be mo&s;t e&s;teemed by them, and honored, which could make great &s;tore of Gold, and in abundance, the which with unpremeditate prayers, they hope to attain of the alknowing God, and &s;earch|er of all hearts: we therefore do by the&s;e pre&s;ents publickly te&s;tifie, That the true <HI>Philo&s;ophers</HI> are far of another minde, e|&s;teeming little the making of Gold, which is but a <HI>parergon;</HI> for be&s;ides that they have a thou&s;and better things.</P>
<P>And we &s;ay with our loving Father <HI>R. C. C. Phy: aurum ni&s;i quantum aurum,</HI> for unto them the whole nature is detected: he doth not rejoyce, that he can make Gold, and that, as &s;aith Chri&s;t, the devils are obedient unto him; but is glad that he &s;eeth the Heavens open, and the Angels of God a&s;cending and de&s;cending, and his name written in the book of life. Al&s;o we do te&s;tifie that under the name of <HI>Chy|mia</HI>
<PB N="31" REF="51">
many books and pictures are &s;et forth in <HI>Contumeliam gloriae Dei,</HI> as we wil name them in their due &s;ea&s;on, and wil give to the pure-hearted a Catalogue, or Regi&s;ter of them: And we pray all lear|ned men to take heed of the&s;e kinde of Books; for the enemy never re&s;teth, but &s;oweth his weeds, til a &s;tronger one doth root it out. So according to the wil and meaning of <HI>Fra: C. R. C.</HI> we his brethren reque&s;t again all the learned in <HI>Europe,</HI> who &s;hal read (&s;ent forth in five Langua+ges) this our <HI>Famam</HI> and <HI>Confe&s;sionem,</HI> that it would plea&s;e them with good de|liberation to ponder this our offer, and to examine mo&s;t nearly and mo&s;t &s;harply their Arts, and behold the pre&s;ent time with all diligence, and to declare their minde, either <HI>Communicato con&s;ilio,</HI> or <HI>&s;ingulatim</HI> by Print.</P>
<P>And although at this time we make no mention either of our names, or meetings, yet neverthele&s;s every ones opinion &s;hal a&s;&s;uredly come to our hands, in what lan|guage &s;o ever it be; nor any body &s;hal fail, who &s;o gives but his name to &s;peak with &s;ome of us, either by word of mouth, or
<PB N="32" REF="52">
el&s;e if there be &s;ome lett in writing. And this we &s;ay for a truth, That who&s;oever &s;hal earne&s;tly, and from his heart, bear af|fection unto us, it &s;hal be beneficial to him in goods, body and &s;oul; but he that is fal&s;e-hearted, or onely greedy of riches, the &s;ame fir&s;t of all &s;hal not be able in any manner of wi&s;e to hurt us, but bring him|&s;elf to utter ruine and de&s;truction. Al&s;o our building (although one hundred thou|&s;and people had very near &s;een and be|held the &s;ame) &s;hal for ever remain un|touched, unde&s;troyed, and hidden to the wicked world, <HI>&s;ub umbra alarum tuarum Jehova.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<DIV2 TYPE="preface">
<HEAD>A Preface of the Confe&s;sion to the Reader who is de&s;irous of Wi&s;dom.</HEAD>
<P>HEre Gentle Reader, you &s;hal finde incorporated in our Confe&s;&s;ion thirty &s;even Rea&s;ons of our purpo&s;e, and intention, the which according to thy plea&s;ure thou may&s;t &s;eek out and com|pare them together: thou may&s;t al&s;o con|&s;ider with thy &s;elf, if they be weighty, and
<PB N="33" REF="52">
&s;ufficient enough to bring and per|&s;wade thee for to take our parts.</P>
<P>Verily it requires no &s;mal pains to confirm that which men have not yet &s;een, but when it &s;hal once com to light we doubt not, but they will then ju&s;tly be a &s;hamed of &s;uch doubts, and conjectures. And as we do now altogether &s;ecurely, freely, and with|out any hurt call the <HI>Pope</HI> of <HI>Rome</HI> An|tichri&s;t, the which heretofore was held for a deadly &s;in, and &s;uch in all Countries were put to death for it. So we know cer|tainly, that the time &s;hal likewi&s;e come, that that which we yet keep in &s;ecret, we &s;hal openly, freely, and with a loud voice publi&s;h and confe&s;s it before al the world; the which <HI>Gentle Reader</HI> wi&s;h with us with all thy heart, that it may happen with &s;peed.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="body of part">
<PB N="34" REF="53">
<HEAD>Confe&s;sio Fraternitatis, <HI>Or,</HI> The <HI>Confe&s;&s;ion</HI> of the laudable Frater|nity of the mo&s;t honorable Order of the <HI>Ro&s;ie Cro&s;s,</HI> written to the Learned of <HI>Europe.</HI></HEAD>
<P>WHat&s;oever there is publi&s;hed, and made known to every one, con|cerning our <HI>Fraternity,</HI> by the fore&s;aid <HI>Fa|ma,</HI> let no man e&s;teem lightly of it, nor hold it as an idle or invented thing, and much le&s;s receive the &s;ame, as though it were onely a meer conceit of ours. It is the Lord <HI>Jehovah</HI> (who &s;eeing the Lords Sabbath is almo&s;t at hand, and ha&s;tened again, his period or cour&s;e being fini&s;hed, to his fir&s;t beginning) doth turn about the cour&s;e of Nature; and what hereto|fore hath been &s;ought with great pains, and dayly labor, is now manife&s;ted unto tho&s;e who make &s;mall account, or &s;carce|ly once think upon it; but the&s;e which de|&s;ire it, it is in a manner forced and thru&s;t|ed
<PB N="35" REF="53">
upon them, that thereby the life of the godly may be ea&s;ed of all their toyl and labor, and be no more &s;ubject to the &s;torms of uncon&s;tant Fortune; but the wickedne&s;s of the ungodly thereby, with their due and de&s;erved puni&s;hment, be augmented and multiplied.</P>
<P>Although we cannot be by any &s;u&s;|pected of the lea&s;t Here&s;ie, or of any wicked beginning, or purpo&s;e again&s;t the worldly Government; we do condemn the Ea&s;t and the We&s;t, (meaning the <HI>Pope</HI> and <HI>Mahomet</HI>) bla&s;phemers again&s;t our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and offer and pre&s;ent with a good will to the chief head of the Romi&s;h Empire, our prayers, &s;ecrets, and great trea&s;ures of Gold.</P>
<P>Yet we have thought good, and fit for the Learned &s;akes, to add &s;omewhat more to this, and make a better explanation, if there by any thing too deep, hidden, and &s;et down over dark in the <HI>Fama,</HI> or for certain rea&s;ons were altogether omitted, and left out; hoping herewith the Learn|ed will be more addicted unto us, and be made far more fitter and willing for our purpo&s;e.</P>
<P><PB N="36" REF="54">Concerning the alteration and amend|ment of <HI>Philo&s;ophy,</HI> we have (as much as at this pre&s;ent is needful) &s;ufficiently de|clared, to wit, that the &s;ame is altogether weak and faulty; yet we doubt not, al|though the mo&s;t part fal&s;ly do all edge that &s;he (I know not how) is &s;ound and &s;trong, yet notwith&s;tanding &s;he fetches her la&s;t breath and is departing.</P>
<P>But as commonly, even in the &s;ame place or Country where there breaketh forth a new unaccu&s;tomed di&s;ea&s;e, Na|ture al&s;o there di&s;covereth a medicine a|gain&s;t the &s;ame; &s;o there doth appear for &s;o manifold infirmities of <HI>Philo&s;ophy,</HI> the right means, and unto our <HI>Patria</HI> &s;uffici|ently offered, whereby &s;he may become &s;ound again, which is now to be renewed and altogether new.</P>
<P>No other <HI>Philo&s;ophy</HI> we have, then that which is the head &amp; &s;um, the founda|tion and contents of all faculties, &s;cien|ces and arts, the which (if we will behold ourage) containeth much of <HI>Theology</HI> and medicine, but little of the wi&s;dom of Law|yers, and doth diligently &s;earch both hea|ven and earth: or, to &s;peak briefly there|of,
<PB N="37" REF="54">
which doth manife&s;t and declare &s;uf|ficiently Man; whereof then all Learned who will make them&s;elves known unto us, and come into our brotherhood, &s;hall finde more wonderful &s;ecrets by us then heretofore they did attain unto, and did know, or are able to believe or utter.</P>
<P>Wherefore, to declare briefly our mean|ing hereof, we ought to labor carefully that there be not onely a wondering at our meeting and adhortation, but that likewi&s;e every one may know, that al|though we do highly e&s;teem and regard &s;uch my&s;teries and &s;ecrets, we neverthele&s;s hold it fit, that the knowledge thereof be manife&s;ted and revealed to many.</P>
<P>For it is to be taught and believed, that this our unhoped willing offer wil rai&s;e many and divers thoughts in men, unto whom (as yet) be unknown <HI>Miranda &s;extae aetatis,</HI> or tho&s;e which by rea&s;on of the cour&s;e of the world, e&s;teem the things to come like unto the pre&s;ent, and are hin|dred through all manner of importunities of this their time, &s;o that they live no o|therwi&s;e in the world, then blinde fools, who can, in the clear Sun-&s;hine day, di&s;|cern
<PB N="38" REF="55">
and know nothing, then onely by feeling.</P>
<P>Now concerning the fir&s;t part, we hold this, that the Meditations, knowledge and inventions of our loving Chri&s;tian Father (of all that, which from the be|ginning of the world, <HI>Mans Wi&s;dom,</HI> either through Gods Revelation, or through the &s;ervice of the Angels and &s;pirits, or through&punc; the &s;harpne&s;s and deepne&s;s of un|der&s;tanding, or through long ob&s;ervation, u&s;e and experience, hath found out, invent|ed, brought forth, corrected, and till now hath been propagated &amp; tran&s;planted) are &s;o excellent worthy and great, that if all books &s;hould peri&s;h, and by Gods al|mighty &s;uffrance, all writings, &amp; all learn|ing &s;hould be lo&s;t, yet the po&s;terity will be able onely thereby to lay a new foun|dation, and bring truth to light again; the which perhaps would not be &s;o hard to do as if one &s;hould begin to pull down and de&s;troy&punc; the old ruinous building, and then begin to enlarge the fore Court, af|terwards bring the lights in the Lodgings, and then change the doors, &s;taples and other things according to our intention.</P>
<P><PB N="39" REF="55">But to whom would not this be accep|table, for to be manife&s;ted to every one rather then to have it kept and &s;pared, as an e&s;pecial ornament for the appointed time to come?</P>
<P>Wherefore &s;hould we not with all our hearts re&s;t and remain in the onely truth (which men through &s;o many erroneous and crooked ways do &s;eek) if it had onely plea&s;ed God to lighten unto us the &s;ixth <HI>Candelabrum?</HI> were it not good that we needed not to care, not to fear hunger, po|verty, &s;ickne&s;s and age?</P>
<P>Were it not a precious thing, that you could always live &s;o, as if you had liv'd from the beginning of the world, and moreover, as you &s;hould &s;til live to the end thereof? Were it not excellent, you dwel in one place, that neither the people which dwel beyond the River <HI>Ganges</HI> in the <HI>In|dies</HI> could hide any thing, nor tho&s;e which live in <HI>Peru</HI> might be able to keep &s;ecret their coun&s;els from thee?</P>
<P>Were it not a precious thing, that you could &s;o read in one onely book, and withal by reading under&s;tand, and re|member all that, which in all other books
<PB N="40" REF="56">
(which heretofore have been, and are now, and hereafter &s;hal come out) hath been, is, and &s;hal be learned, and found out of them?</P>
<P>How plea&s;ant were it, that you could &s;o &s;ing, that in &s;tead of &s;tony rocks you could draw to the pearls and precious &s;tones, in &s;tead of wilde bea&s;ts, &s;pirits, and in &s;tead of helli&s;h <HI>Pluto,</HI> move the mighty Princes of the world?</P>
<P>O ye people, Gods coun&s;el is far other|wi&s;e, who hath concluded now to en|crea&s;e and enlarge the number of our <HI>Fraternity,</HI> the which we with &s;uch joy have undertaken, as we have heretofore obtained this great trea&s;ure without our merits, yea without any our hopes, and thoughts; and purpo&s;e with the like fide|lity to put the &s;ame in practice, that nei|ther the compa&s;&s;ion nor pity of our own children (which &s;ome of us in the <HI>Fra|ternity</HI> have) &s;hal draw us from it, becau&s;e we know that the&s;e unhoped for goods cannot be inherited, nor by chance be ob|tained.</P>
<P>If there be &s;ome body now, which on the other &s;ide wil complain of our di&s;|creation,
<PB N="41" REF="56">
that we offer our Trea&s;ures &s;o freely, and without any difference to all men, and do not rather regard and re&s;pect more the godly, learned, wi&s;e, or princely per&s;ons, then the common people; tho&s;e we do not contradict, &s;eeing it is not a &s;light and ea&s;ie matter; but withall we &s;ignifie &s;o much, that our <HI>Arcana</HI> or Secrets will no ways be com|mon, and generally made known: Although the <HI>Fama</HI> be &s;et forth in five languages, and is manife&s;ted to every one, yet we do partly very well know, that the unlearned and gro&s;s wits will not receive, nor regard the &s;ame; as al&s;o the worthi|ne&s;s of tho&s;e who &s;hall be accepted into our Fraternity are not e&s;teemed and known of us by Mans Carefulne&s;s, but by the Rule of our Revelation and Mani|fe&s;tation. Wherefore if the unworthy cry and call a thou&s;and times, or if they &s;hall offer and pre&s;ent them&s;elves to us a thou&s;and times, yet God hath command|ed our ears, that they &s;hould hear none of them: yea, God hath &s;o compa&s;&s;ed us a|bout with his Clouds, that unto us his &s;er|vants no violence or force can be done or
<PB N="42" REF="57">
committed; wherefore we neither can be &s;een or known by any body, except he had the eyes of an Eagle. It hath been nece&s;&s;ary that the <HI>Fama</HI> &s;hould be &s;et forth in every ones Mother Tongue, be|cau&s;e tho&s;e &s;hould not be defrauded of the knowledg thereof, whom (although they be unlearned) God hath not exclu|ded from the happine&s;s of this Fraternity; the which &s;hall be divided and parted in|to certain degrees; as tho&s;e which dwell in the City <HI>Damear</HI> in <HI>Arabia,</HI> who have a far different politick order from the o|ther <HI>Arabians.</HI> For there do govern only wi&s;e and under&s;tanding men, who by the Kings permi&s;&s;ion make particular Laws; according unto which example al&s;o the Government &s;hall be in&s;tituted in <HI>Europe</HI> (whereof we have a de&s;cription &s;et down by our Chri&s;tianly Father) when fir&s;t is done and come to pa&s;s that which is to precede. And thenceforth our Trumpet &s;hall publiquely &s;ound with a loud &s;ound, and great noi&s;e, when namely the &s;ame (which at this pre&s;ent is &s;hewed by few, and is &s;ecretly, as a thing to come, de|clared in Figures and Pictures) &s;hall be
<PB N="43" REF="57">
free, and publiquely proclaimed, and the whole World be filled withall. Even in &s;uch manner as heretofore, many godly people have &s;ecretly and altogether de|&s;perately pu&s;ht at the Popes Tyranny, which afterwards, with great earne&s;t, and e&s;pecial zeal in <HI>Germany,</HI> was thrown from his &s;eat, and trodden under-foot, who&s;e final fall is delayed, and kept for our times, when he al&s;o &s;hall be &s;cratched in pieces with nails, and an end be made of his A&s;&s;es cry, by a new voyce: The which we know is already rea&s;onably manife&s;t and known to many learned men in <HI>Ger|many,</HI> as their Writings and &s;ecret Congra|tulations do &s;ufficiently witne&s;s the &s;ame.</P>
<P>We could here relate and declare what all the time, from the year of our Lord 1378. (in which year our Chri&s;tian Fa|ther was born) till now, hath happened, where we might rehear&s;e what alterations he hath &s;een in the World the&s;e one hun|dred &s;ix years of his life, which he hath left to our Brethren and us after his de|cea&s;e to peru&s;e: But brevity, which we do ob&s;erve, will not permit at this pre&s;ent to make rehear&s;al of it, till a more fit time:
<PB N="44" REF="58">
At this time it is enough for the&s;e which do not de&s;pi&s;e our Declaration, having therefore briefly touched it, thereby to prepare the way for their acquaintance and friend&s;hip with us.</P>
<P>Yea, to whom it is permitted, that he may &s;ee, and for his in&s;truction u&s;e tho&s;e great Letters and Characters which the Lord God hath written and imprinted in Heaven and Earths Edifice, through the alteration of Government, which hath been from time to time altered and re|newed; the &s;ame is already (although as yet unknown to him&s;elf) ours: And as we know he will not de&s;pi&s;e our inviting and calling, &s;o none &s;hall fear any deceit; for we promi&s;e, and openly &s;ay, That no mans uprightne&s;s and hopes &s;hall deceive him, who&s;oever &s;hall make him&s;elf known unto us under the Seal of Secrecy, and de|&s;ire our Fraternity.</P>
<P>But to the fal&s;e Hypocrites, and to tho&s;e that &s;eek other things then Wi&s;dom, we &s;ay and witne&s;s by the&s;e pre&s;ents publike|ly, we cannot be made known, and be be|trayed unto them; and much le&s;s they &s;hall be able to hurt us any manner of
<PB N="45" REF="58">
way without the Will of God; but they &s;hall certainly be partakers of all the pu|ni&s;hment &s;poken of in our <HI>Fama;</HI> &s;o their wicked Coun&s;els &s;hall light upon them|&s;elves, and our Trea&s;ures &s;hall remain untouched and un&s;tirred, until the Lion doth come, who will ask them for his u&s;e, and imploy them for the confirmation and e&s;tabli&s;hment of his Kingdom. We ought therefore here to ob&s;erve well, and make it known unto every one, that God hath certainly and mo&s;t a&s;&s;uredly conclu|ded to &s;end and grant to the World be|fore her end, which pre&s;ently thereupon &s;hall en&s;ue, &s;uch a Truth, Light, Life and Glory, as the fir&s;t man <HI>Adam</HI> had, which he lo&s;t in Paradi&s;e, after the which his &s;ucce&s;|&s;ors were put, and driven with him to mi|&s;ery: Wherefore there &s;hall cea&s;e all &s;er|vitude, fal&s;hood, lyes, and darkne&s;s, which by little and little, with the great Worlds Revolution, was crept into all Arts, Works and Governments of Men, and have darkened the mo&s;t part of them. For from thence are proceeded an innumer|able &s;ort of all manner of fal&s;e Opinions and Here&s;ies, that &s;carce the wi&s;e&s;t of all
<PB N="46" REF="59">
was able to know who&s;e Doctrine and Opinion he &s;hould follow and embrace, and could not well and ea&s;ily be di&s;cern|ed; &s;eeing on the one part they were de|tained, hindered, and brought into Errors through the re&s;pect of the Philo&s;ophers and learned men, and on the other part through true experience. All the which, when it &s;hall once be aboli&s;hed and re|moved, and in &s;tead thereof a right and true Rule in&s;tituted, then there will re|main thanks unto them which have taken pains therein; but the Work it &s;elf &s;hall be attributed to the Ble&s;&s;edne&s;s of our Age.</P>
<P>As we now willingly confe&s;s, that ma|ny principal men by their Writings will be a great furtherance unto this Reform|ation which is to come; &s;o we de&s;ire not to have this honour a&s;cribed to us, as if &s;uch Work were only commanded and impo&s;ed upon us; but we confe&s;s, and witne&s;s openly with the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that it &s;hall fir&s;t happen that the &s;tones &s;hall ari&s;e, and offer their &s;ervice, before there &s;hall be any want of Execu|tors and Accompli&s;hers of Gods Coun|&s;el:
<PB N="47" REF="59">
yea, the Lord God hath already &s;ent before certain Me&s;&s;engers, which &s;hould te&s;tifie his Will, to wit, &s;ome new Stars, which do appear and are &s;een in the Fir|mament in <HI>Serpentario</HI> and <HI>Cygno,</HI> which &s;ignifie and give them&s;elves known to e|very one, that they are powerful <HI>Signacula</HI> of great weighty matters. So then, the &s;ecret hid Writings and Characters are mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary for all &s;uch things which are found out by Men: Although that great Book of <HI>Nature</HI> &s;tand open to all Men, yet there are but few that can read and under&s;tand the &s;ame. For as there is given to Man two in&s;truments to hear, likewi&s;e two to &s;ee, and two to &s;mell, but only one to &s;peak, and it were but vain to expect &s;peech from the ears, or hearing from the eyes: So there hath been Ages or Times which have &s;een, there have al|&s;o been Ages that have heard, &s;melt, and ta&s;ted: now there remains yet that which in &s;hort time, honour &s;hall be likewi&s;e given to the Tongue, and by the &s;ame; what before times hath been &s;een, heard, and &s;melt, now finally &s;hall be &s;poken and uttered forth, <HI>viz.</HI> when the World &s;hall
<PB N="48" REF="60">
awake out of her heavy and drow&s;ie &s;leep, and with an open heart, bare-head and bare-foot, &s;hall merrily and joyfully meet the now ari&s;ing Sun.</P>
<P>The&s;e Characters and Letters, as God hath here and there incorporated them in the holy Scripture the <HI>Bible,</HI> &s;o hath he imprinted them mo&s;t apparently into the wonderful Creation of Heaven and Earth, yea in all Bea&s;ts. So that like as the <HI>Mathematician</HI> or <HI>A&s;tronomer</HI> can long before &s;ee and know the Eclip&s;es which are to come, &s;o we may verily fore-know and fore-&s;ee the darkne&s;s of Ob&s;curations of the Church, and how long they &s;hall la&s;t: From the which Characters or Let|ters we have borrowed our <HI>Magick</HI> wri|ting, and have found out, and made a new Language for our &s;elves, in the which withall is expre&s;&s;ed and declared the Na|ture of all Things: So that it is no won|der that we are not &s;o eloquent in other Languages, the which we know that they are altogether di&s;agreeing to the Langua|ges of our forefathers, <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Enoch,</HI> and were through the Babylonical Con|fu&s;ion wholly hidden.</P>
<P><PB N="49" REF="60">But we mu&s;t al&s;o let you under&s;tand, that there are yet &s;ome <HI>Eagles Feathers</HI> in our way, the which do hinder our pur|po&s;e. Wherefore we do admoni&s;h every one for to read diligently and continual|ly the holy <HI>Bible;</HI> for he that taketh all his plea&s;ures therein, he &s;hall know that he prepared for him&s;elf an excellent way to come in to our <HI>Fraternity:</HI> For as this is the whole &s;um and content of our Rule, That every Letter or Character which is in the World ought to be learn|ed and regarded well; &s;o tho&s;e are like unto us, and are very near allyed unto us, who do make the holy <HI>Bible</HI> a Rule of their life, and an aim and end of all their &s;tudies; yea to let it be a <HI>Compendium</HI> and Content of the whole World: And not only to have it continually in the mouth, but to know how to apply and direct the true under&s;tanding of it to all times and Ages of the World. Al&s;o, it is not our Cu&s;tom to pro&s;titute and make &s;o common the holy <HI>Scriptures;</HI> for there are innumerable Expounders of the &s;ame; &s;ome alledging and wre&s;ting it to &s;erve for their Opinion, &s;ome to
<PB N="50" REF="61">
&s;candal it, and mo&s;t wickedly do liken it to a No&s;e of Wax, which alike &s;hould &s;erve the <HI>Divines, Philo&s;ophers, Phy&s;icians</HI> and <HI>Mathematicians,</HI> again&s;t all the which we do openly witne&s;s and acknowledg, That from the beginning of the World there hath not been given unto Men a more worthy, a more excellent, and more admirable and whole&s;om Book then the holy <HI>Bible;</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed is he that hath the &s;ame, yea more ble&s;&s;ed is he who reads it diligently, but mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed of all is he that truly under&s;tandeth the &s;ame, for he is mo&s;t like to God, and doth come mo&s;t near to him. But what|&s;oever hath been &s;aid in the <HI>Fama</HI> con|cerning the Deceivers again&s;t the Tran&s;|mutation of <HI>Mettals,</HI> and the highe&s;t <HI>Me|dicine</HI> in the World, the &s;ame is thus to be under&s;tood, that this &s;o great gift of God we do in no manner &s;et at naught, or de&s;pi&s;e it. But becau&s;e &s;he bringeth not with her always the knowledg of <HI>Nature,</HI> but this bringeth forth not only <HI>Medicine,</HI> but al&s;o maketh manife&s;t and open unto us innumerable <HI>Secrets</HI> and <HI>Wonders;</HI> Therefore it is requi&s;ite, that
<PB N="51" REF="61">
we be earne&s;t to attain to the under|&s;tanding and knowledg of <HI>Philo&s;ophy.</HI> And moreover, excellent Wits ought not to be drawn to the Tincture of <HI>Met|tals,</HI> before they be exerci&s;ed well in the knowledg of <HI>Nature.</HI> He mu&s;t needs be an un&s;atiable Creature, who is come &s;o far, that neither Poverty nor Sickne&s;s can hurt him; yea, who is exalted above all other men, and hath Rule over that, the which doth angui&s;h, trouble and pain others, yet will give him&s;elf again to idle things, as to build hou&s;es, make Wars, and u&s;e all manner of Pride, be|cau&s;e he hath of Gold and Silver infinite &s;tore.</P>
<P>God is far otherwi&s;e plea&s;ed, for he exalteth the <HI>lowly,</HI> and pulleth down the <HI>proud</HI> with di&s;dain; to tho&s;e which are of <HI>few words</HI> he &s;endeth his holy Angel to &s;peak with them, but the <HI>unclean Bab|lers</HI> he driveth in the Wilderne&s;s and &s;olitary places: The which is the right Reward of the <HI>Romi&s;h Seducers,</HI> who have vomitted forth their <HI>Bla&s;phemies</HI> again&s;t <HI>Christ,</HI> and as yet do not ab&s;tain from their Lyes in this clear &s;hining
<PB N="52" REF="62">
Light: In <HI>Germany</HI> all their Abomina|tions and dete&s;table Tricks have been di&s;clo&s;ed, that thereby he may fully ful|fill the mea&s;ure of &s;in, and draw near to the end of his puni&s;hment. Therefore one day it will come to pa&s;s, that the Mouth of tho&s;e Vipers will be &s;topped, and the three double Horn will be brought to nought, as thereof at our Meeting &s;hall more plain and at large be di&s;cour&s;ed.</P>
<P>For Conclu&s;ion of our <HI>Confe&s;sion,</HI> we mu&s;t earne&s;tly admoni&s;h you, that you put away, if not all, yet the mo&s;t Books written by fal&s;e <HI>Alchimi&s;ts,</HI> who do think it but a Je&s;t, or a Pa&s;time, when they either mi&s;u&s;e the holy <HI>Trinity,</HI> when they do apply it to vain things, or de|ceive the people with mo&s;t &s;trange Fi|gures, and dark Sentences and Speeches, and cozen the &s;imple of their money; as there are now adays too many &s;uch Books &s;et forth, which the Enemy of Mans Welfare doth dayly, and will to the end, mingle among the good Seed, thereby to make the Truth more diffi|cult to be beleeved, which in her &s;elf is
<PB N="53" REF="62">
&s;imple, ea&s;ie, and naked; but contrarily Fal&s;hood is proud, haughty, and co|loured with a kind of Lu&s;tre of &s;eeming godly and of humane Wi&s;dom. Ye that are wi&s;e e&s;chew &s;uch Books, and turn unto us, who &s;eek not your moneys, but offer unto you mo&s;t willingly our great <HI>Trea&s;ures:</HI> We hunt not after your Goods with invented lying <HI>Tinc|tures,</HI> but de&s;ire to make you Partakers of our Goods: We &s;peak unto you by <HI>Parables,</HI> but would willingly bring you to the right, &s;imple, ea&s;ie, and ingenuous Expo&s;ition, Under&s;tanding, Declara|tion and Knowledg of all <HI>Secrets.</HI> We de&s;ire not to be received of you, but in|vite you unto our more then Kingly Hou&s;es and Palaces, and that verily not by our own proper motion, but (that you likewi&s;e may know it) as forced un|to it, by the In&s;tigation of the Spirit of God, by his Admonition, and by the Oc|cation of this pre&s;ent time.</P>
<P>What think you, loving people, and how &s;eem you affected, &s;eeing that you now under&s;tand and know, That we ac|knowledg our &s;elves truly and &s;incerely
<PB N="54" REF="63">
top rofe&s;s <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> condemn the <HI>Pope,</HI> ad|dict our &s;elves to the <HI>true Philo&s;ophy,</HI> lead a <HI>Chri&s;tian life,</HI> and dayly call, in|treat and invite many more unto our <HI>Fraternity,</HI> unto whom the &s;ame Light of God likewi&s;e appeareth? Con&s;ider you not at length how you might begin with us, not only by pondering the Gifts which are in you, and by experience which you have in the Word of God, be&s;ide the careful Con&s;ideration of the Imperfection of all <HI>Arts,</HI> and many o|ther unfitting things, to &s;eek for an a|mendment therein; to appea&s;e God, and to accommodate you for the time wherein you live. Certainly if you will perform the &s;ame, this profit will follow, That all tho&s;e Goods which <HI>Nature</HI> hath in all parts of the World wonderfully di&s;per&s;ed, &s;hall at one time altogether be given unto you, and &s;hall ea&s;ily disburden you of all that which ob&s;cureth the Under&s;tanding of Man, and hindereth the working thereof, like unto the vain <HI>Epicides,</HI> and Excen|trick <HI>A&s;tronomical Circles.</HI></P>
<P>But tho&s;e Pragmatical and bu&s;ie|headed
<PB N="55" REF="63">
men, who either are blinded with the gli&s;tering of Gold, or (to &s;ay more truly) who are now hone&s;t, but by thinking &s;uch great Riches &s;hould never fail, might ea&s;ily be corrupted, and brought to Idlene&s;s, and to riotons proud living: Tho&s;e we do de&s;ire that they would not trouble us with their idle and vain crying. But let them think, that although there be a <HI>Medicine</HI> to be had which might fully cure all Di&s;ea&s;es, neverthele&s;s tho&s;e whom God hath de|&s;tinated to plague with Di&s;ea&s;es, and to keep them under the Rod of Correcti|on, &s;uch &s;hall never obtain any &s;uch <HI>Medicine.</HI></P>
<P>Even in &s;uch manner, although we might inrich the whole World, and en|due them with Learning, and might re|lea&s;e it from Innumerable Mi&s;eries, yet &s;hall we never be manife&s;ted and made known unto any man, without the e&s;pe|cial plea&s;ure of God; yea, it &s;hall be &s;o far from him who&s;oever thinks to get the benefit, and be Partaker of our Riches and Knowledg, without and again&s;t the Will of God, that he
<PB N="56" REF="64">
&s;hall &s;ooner lo&s;e his life in &s;eeking and &s;earching for us, then to find us, and attain to come to the wi&s;hed Happine&s;s of the <HI>Fraternity</HI> of the <HI>Ro&s;ie Cro&s;s.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="notice">
<PB N="57" REF="64">
<HEAD>A SHORT ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER.</HEAD>
<P>This <HI>Adverti&s;ement,</HI> Reader, <HI>invites</HI> thee not to my <HI>Lodging,</HI> for I would give thee no &s;uch <HI>Directions,</HI> my <HI>Nature</HI> being more <HI>Melancholy,</HI> then <HI>Sociable.</HI> I would onely tell thee how <HI>Charitable</HI> I am, for having purpo&s;ely omitted &s;ome <HI>Nece&s;&s;aries</HI> in my former <HI>Di&s;cour&s;e</HI> I have upon <HI>&s;econd Thoughts</HI> re&s;olved again&s;t that &s;ilence.</P>
<P>There is abroad a <HI>bold</HI> ignorance, for <HI>Philo&s;ophie</HI> hath her <HI>Confidents,</HI> but in a <HI>&s;en&s;e</HI> different from the <HI>Madams.</HI> This <HI>Generation</HI> I have &s;ometimes <HI>met</HI> withall, and lea&s;t they &s;hould <HI>ride,</HI> and <HI>repent,</HI> I thought it not <HI>ami&s;s</HI> to &s;hew them the <HI>Praecipieces.</HI> The <HI>&s;econd Philo&s;ophicall</HI>
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<HI>work</HI> is commonly cal'd the <HI>gro&s;s work,</HI> but 'tis <HI>one</HI> of the greate&s;t <HI>Subtilties</HI> in all the <HI>Art. Cornelius Agrippa</HI> knew the <HI>fir&s;t Praeparation,</HI> and hath clearly <HI>di&s;co|vered</HI> it, but the <HI>Difficulty</HI> of the <HI>&s;econd</HI> made him almo&s;t an enemy to his own <HI>Profe&s;sion.</HI> By the <HI>&s;econd work,</HI> I under|&s;tand not <HI>Coagulation,</HI> but the <HI>Solution</HI> of the <HI>Philo&s;ophical Salt,</HI> a <HI>&s;ecret</HI> which <HI>Agrippa</HI> did not <HI>rightly</HI> know, as it ap|pears by his <HI>practi&s;e</HI> at <HI>Malines,</HI> nor would <HI>Natalius</HI> teach him, for all his <HI>frequent,</HI> and <HI>&s;erious intreaties.</HI> This was it, that made his <HI>nece&s;sities</HI> &s;o <HI>vigo|rous,</HI> and his <HI>pur&s;e</HI> &s;o <HI>weak,</HI> that I can &s;eldome finde him in a <HI>full fortune.</HI> But in this, he is not alone: <HI>Raymund Lully</HI> the be&s;t <HI>Christian Arti&s;t</HI> that ever was, received not this <HI>My&s;terie</HI> from <HI>Arnoldus</HI> for in his <HI>first Practi&s;es</HI> he followed the tedious <HI>common proce&s;s,</HI> which after all is &s;carce <HI>profitable.</HI> Here he met with a <HI>Drudgerie</HI> almo&s;t <HI>invincible,</HI> and if we add the <HI>Task</HI> to the <HI>Time,</HI> it is enough to make a <HI>Man old. Norton</HI> was &s;o &s;trange an <HI>Ignoramus</HI> in this <HI>Point,</HI> that if the <HI>Solution</HI> and <HI>Purgation</HI> were performed
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in <HI>three years,</HI> he thought it a <HI>happy work. George Ripley</HI> labour'd for <HI>new Inventions,</HI> to <HI>putrifie</HI> this <HI>red Salt,</HI> which he enviou&s;ly cals <HI>his gold:</HI> and his <HI>knack</HI> is, to expo&s;e it to <HI>alternat fits</HI> of <HI>cold</HI> and <HI>heat,</HI> but in this he is <HI>&s;ingular,</HI> and <HI>Faber</HI> is &s;o wi&s;e he will not under&s;tand him. And now that I have mention'd <HI>Faber,</HI> I mu&s;t needs &s;ay that <HI>Tubal-Cain</HI> him&s;elf is <HI>&s;hort</HI> of the <HI>right Solution,</HI> for the <HI>Pro|ce&s;s</HI> he <HI>de&s;cribes</HI> hath not any thing of <HI>Na|ture</HI> in it. Let us return then to <HI>Raymund Lullie,</HI> for he was &s;o great a <HI>Ma&s;ter,</HI> that he <HI>perform'd</HI> the <HI>Solution, intra novem Dies,</HI> and this <HI>Secret</HI> he had from <HI>God him&s;elf;</HI> for this is his <HI>Confe&s;sion. Nos</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>de prima ill&aacute; nigredine &agrave; paucis cognit&acirc;, benignum Spiritum extrabere af|fectantes, pugnam ignis vincentem, &amp; non victum, licet &s;en&s;ibus corporis multories palpavimus, &amp; oculis propriis illum vidi|mus, Extractionis tamen ip&s;ius notitiam non habuimus quacunque Scientiarum, vel arte: ideoque &s;entie bamus nos adhuc aliqua ru&s;ticitate excaecatos, quia nullo modo eam comprehendere valuimus, donec alius Spi|ritus prophetiae, &s;pirans a patre Luminum</HI>
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<HI>de&s;cendit, tanquam &s;uos nullatenus de&s;e|rens, aut a &s;e Po&s;tulantibus deficiens, Qui in &s;omniis tantam claritatem mentis no&s;trae oculis inful&s;it, ut Illam intus &amp; extra, re|mota omni figura, gratis revelare dignatus est, in&s;atiabili bonitate nos reficiendo, de|mon&s;trans ut ad eam implendam di&s;ponere|mus corpus ad unam naturalem decoctionem &s;ecretam, qu&acirc; penitus ordine retrogrado cum pungenti lancea, tota ejus natura in meram Nigredinem vi&s;ibiliter di&s;&s;olvere|tur.</HI> Here lyes the <HI>knot,</HI> and who is he that will <HI>untye</HI> it? for &s;aith the &s;ame <HI>Lully,</HI> it was never put to <HI>Paper,</HI> and he gives this <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> for it. <HI>Quia Solius dei est ea revelare, &amp; homo divinae Maje&s;tati &s;ubtrahere nititur, cum &s;oli Deo pertinentia vulgat &s;piritu prolationis humanae, aut lite|rarum &s;erie. Propterea operationem illam habere non poteris, quousque &s;piritualiter pruis fueris Divinitatis meritis comproba|tus. Quia hoc &s;ecretum a nemine mortali Revelandum e&s;t, praeterquam ab Almo &s;pi|ritu, qui ubi vult, &s;pirat.</HI> It &s;eems then the <HI>greate&s;t Difficulty</HI> is not in the <HI>Coagu|lation</HI> or <HI>production</HI> of the <HI>Philo&s;ophicall Salt,</HI> but in the <HI>Putrefaction</HI> of it, when
<PB N="61" REF="66">
it is <HI>produced.</HI> Indeed this agrees <HI>best</HI> with the <HI>&s;ence</HI> of the <HI>Philo&s;ophers,</HI> for <HI>one</HI> of tho&s;e <HI>Praecitians</HI> tels us, <HI>Qui&s;cit</HI> SA|LEM, <HI>&amp; ejus</HI> SOLUTIONEM, <HI>&s;cit</HI> SECRETUM OCCUL|TUM <HI>antiquorum Philo&s;ophorum.</HI> Alas then! what &s;hall we do? whence comes our next <HI>Intelligence?</HI> I am afraid here is a &s;ad Truth for &s;ome body. Shall we run now to <HI>Lucas Rodargirus,</HI> or have we any <HI>du&s;ty Manu&s;cripts,</HI> that can in|&s;truct us? Well <HI>Reader,</HI> thou &s;ee&s;t how <HI>free</HI> I am grown, and now I could di&s;|cover &s;omething el&s;e, but here is enough at once. I could indeed tell thee of the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> and <HI>&s;econd &s;ublimation,</HI> of a <HI>double</HI> Nativity, <HI>Vi&s;ible</HI> and <HI>Invi&s;ible,</HI> without which the <HI>matter</HI> is not <HI>alterable,</HI> as to our <HI>purpo&s;e.</HI> I could tell thee al&s;o of <HI>Sul|phurs &s;imple,</HI> and <HI>compounded,</HI> of <HI>three Argents Vive,</HI> and as <HI>many Salts,</HI> and all this would be <HI>new news</HI> (as the <HI>Book-men</HI> phra&s;e it) even to the <HI>be&s;t Learned</HI> in <HI>Eng|land.</HI> But I have done, and I <HI>hope</HI> this <HI>Di&s;cour&s;e</HI> hath not <HI>demoli&s;hed</HI> any man's <HI>Ca&s;tles,</HI> for why &s;hould they <HI>de&s;pair,</HI> when I <HI>contribute</HI> to their <HI>Building?</HI>
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I am a hearty <HI>Di&s;pen&s;ero,</HI> and if they have got any thing by me, much good may it do them. It is my onely <HI>fear,</HI> they will <HI>mi&s;take</HI> when they <HI>read,</HI> for were I to <HI>live long,</HI> which I am confident I &s;hall not, I would make no other <HI>wi&s;h,</HI> but that my <HI>years</HI> might be as many as their <HI>Errors.</HI> I &s;peak not this out of any <HI>con|tempt,</HI> for I <HI>undervalue</HI> no <HI>man;</HI> It is my <HI>Experience</HI> in this kind of <HI>learning,</HI> which I ever made my <HI>Bu&s;ine&s;s,</HI> that gives me the <HI>boldne&s;s</HI> to &s;u&s;pect a <HI>po&s;sibility</HI> of the &s;ame <HI>faylings</HI> in <HI>others,</HI> which I have <HI>found</HI> in my <HI>&s;elf.</HI> To conclude, I would have <HI>my Reader</HI> know, that the Philo&s;o|phers <HI>finding</HI> this <HI>life</HI> &s;ubjected to <HI>Nece&s;|&s;itie,</HI> and that <HI>Nece&s;sity</HI> was <HI>incon&s;i&s;tant</HI> with the <HI>Nature</HI> of the <HI>Soul,</HI> they did therefore look upon <HI>Man,</HI> as a Creature <HI>originally ordained</HI> for &s;ome <HI>better State</HI> then the pre&s;ent, for <HI>this</HI> was not agree|able with his <HI>&s;pirit.</HI> This <HI>thought</HI> made them &s;eek the <HI>Ground</HI> of his <HI>Creation,</HI> that if po&s;&s;ible, they might take hold of <HI>Libertie,</HI> and tran&s;cend the <HI>Di&s;pen&s;ations</HI> of that <HI>Circle,</HI> which they <HI>My&s;teriou&s;ly</HI> cal'd <HI>Fate.</HI> Now what this <HI>really &s;ignifies</HI>
<PB N="63" REF="67">
not <HI>one</HI> in <HI>ten thou&s;and</HI> knows, and yet <HI>we</HI> are <HI>all Philo&s;ophers.</HI></P>
<P>But to come to my <HI>purpo&s;e,</HI> I &s;ay, the <HI>true Philo&s;ophers</HI> did find in every <HI>Com|pound</HI> a double Complexion, <HI>Circumfe|rential,</HI> and <HI>Central.</HI> The <HI>Circumferential</HI> was <HI>corrupt</HI> in <HI>all things,</HI> but in <HI>&s;ome things</HI> altogether <HI>venomous:</HI> The <HI>Central</HI> not <HI>&s;o,</HI> for in the <HI>Center</HI> of every <HI>thing</HI> there was a <HI>perfect Unity,</HI> a miraculous indi&s;&s;o|luble <HI>Concord</HI> of <HI>Fire</HI> and <HI>Water.</HI> The&s;e <HI>two Complexions</HI> are the <HI>Manife&s;tum</HI> and the <HI>Occultum</HI> of the <HI>Arabians,</HI> and they <HI>re&s;i&s;t</HI> one another, for they are <HI>Contraries.</HI> In the <HI>Center</HI> it &s;elf they found no <HI>Di&s;|cords</HI> at all, for the <HI>Difference</HI> of <HI>Spirits</HI> con&s;i&s;ted not in <HI>Qualities,</HI> but in <HI>Degrees</HI> of <HI>E&s;&s;ence</HI> and <HI>Tran&s;cendency.</HI> As for the <HI>Water,</HI> it was of <HI>kin</HI> with the <HI>Fire,</HI> for it was not <HI>common,</HI> but <HI>athereal.</HI> In all <HI>Cen|ters</HI> this <HI>Fire</HI> was not the <HI>&s;ame,</HI> for in <HI>&s;ome</HI> it was only a <HI>Solar Spirit,</HI> and &s;uch a <HI>Cen|ter</HI> was called, <HI>Aqua Solis, Aqua Coele&s;tis, Aqua Auri, &amp; Argenti:</HI> In <HI>&s;ome</HI> again the <HI>Spirit</HI> was <HI>more</HI> then <HI>Solar,</HI> for it was <HI>super-coele&s;tial,</HI> and <HI>Metaphy&s;ical:</HI> This <HI>Spirit</HI> purged the very <HI>rational Soul,</HI> and
<PB N="64" REF="68">
<HI>awakened</HI> her <HI>Root</HI> that was <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> and therefore <HI>&s;uch</HI> a <HI>Center</HI> was called, <HI>Aqua Igne tincta, Aqua Serenans, Candelas ac|cendens, &amp; Domum illuminans.</HI> Of both the&s;e <HI>Waters</HI> have I di&s;cour&s;ed in tho&s;e <HI>&s;mall Tractates</HI> I have publi&s;hed; and though I have had &s;ome <HI>Dirt</HI> ca&s;t at me for my <HI>pains,</HI> yet this is &s;o <HI>ordinary</HI> I mind it <HI>not,</HI> for whiles we <HI>live here</HI> we <HI>ride</HI> in a <HI>High-way.</HI> I cannot think him <HI>wi&s;e</HI> who re&s;ents his <HI>Injuries,</HI> for he &s;ets a <HI>rate</HI> upon <HI>things</HI> that are <HI>worthle&s;s,</HI> and makes u&s;e of his <HI>Spleen</HI> where his <HI>Scorn</HI> becomes him. This is the <HI>Entertainment</HI> I provide for my <HI>Adver&s;aries,</HI> and if they think it <HI>too coar&s;e,</HI> let them <HI>judg</HI> where they <HI>under&s;tand,</HI> and they may <HI>fare bet|ter.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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</TEXT>
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