Theatrum chemicum britannicum : containing severall poeticall pieces of our famous English philosophers, who have written the hermetique mysteries in their owne ancient language

1652·40.2 MB·English

by  Ashmole, Elias, 1617-1692

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QHEM1 CVM
THSAT'SJJM
B R T A N*r C U M-
I I
CONTAINING
.
Severall Poeticall Pieces of our Famous
Englilh Thilofophers^ who have written
the Hertnttiquc My/lerics in their owne
Ancient Language*
faithfully Collected into one Volume
x
with Annotations thereon,
*By El as Ash m ole Efq.
i ,
gui Mercuriofbilu*Anglicus.
efi
The First Par
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ififfffffffffffff^iflff
TO
All Ingenioufly Elaborate Stndents,
In the moft Divine Myfteries of
Hermetique Learning.
He Subjectof'thU enfuing Worke, h a Phifofo-
phicallaccountof that Eminent Secret treafurd
upinthe bofimeofNature^whichhathbeenfought
foro/Many, butfoundby aFew, notwithfianding,
Experienced Antiquity hath afforded faithfulT
(thoughnot frequent) Difcoveries thereof, Pafi
AgeshavelikeRivers conveieddowneto us, (upon the float<?,) the
more light, and Sophifticali pieces of Learning • but Vohzt were
ProfoundandMifterious,thewei£ht and folidity thereof* funke to
the Bottome ; Whence everyoneioho attemptsto dive, cannot eajtly
fetchthemup: So,thatwhat ourSaviour[aidto hU Difciples, may
(Ihopewithmtoffence) bejpoken totheEletledSonsofPut ; Unto
youitisgiventoknowtheMyfteriesoftheKingdome of God;
buttoothersinParables,thatfeeingthey mightnotfee,andhea-
ringtheymightnotunderftand,
OurEngiifh Phiiofophersgenerally, (/#*Prophets^ have re-
reived littlehonour (unleffe whathathbeene privately paid them)
intheirowneCountrey5 norhavetheydoneanymighty Workes
imongftus,exceptincovertlyadmimftringtheirMedicineto a few
Sick,Whealingthem. (ForgreaterExperimentsthenWhatitper-
formesinVhybckjheyneverpnblikfly made$ewof.) ThusdidI.O.
(oneofthefirftfoureFdlowesofthe FratresR. C.) in curing the
youngEarleo/Norfolke,oftheLeprofie• andDoctorB.in carry-
ingoffthe virulency oftheSmall-pox,Wice,fromQtJeenElizabeth;
infomnchthat theyneverappeared. Butin Parts abroad they have
foundmorenobleReception,andthe worldgreedyofobteyning their
Workes;nayfatherthenwant thefightthereof) contentedtoview
A
i - them
xhtm througha Trarfhtitfn, though never fo imperfeft* Witneffe
what Maietus, Hermannus, Combachius,Faber, andmany others
have done; the firft of Which came out ofGermanic, tolivein
England\purpofely thathemightfounderftandourEnglifhTongue,
'astoTranflateNorton'sOrdinal!/a/a Lrtmverfe, Which moftju-
dicioujly and learnedlyhedid; Tet (toour fhame be it spoken) hii
Entertainement Was tootoo courfeforfodeferving a Scholler.
Howgreat ablemifhisitthentom.thatrefufetoreadefoFamous
Authors inourNaturallLanguage,*^?///?Strangersartneceffitated
%
foReadethemi»Oars, tounderftandthem in theirOwn, Yetthinly
thedignityofthe-Subject,muchmoredeferving^ then theirPaines.
IfthisWedobutingenioufiy(fonftder Wefhalljudgeitmore<?/Reafon
%
thatWelookfbackjspon^thennegletlfuchpiecesof Learning asare
Natives ofour owneCounttey, and by this Inquifition, finde «io'
NationhathWrittenmore^ or better^ although at prefent (as weH
throughourowneSupinenefte, as theDecrees o/Fa^e/) few oftheir
Workescanbefound. JohnLeland tdoke very much paines, even
at theyeildingupofthe Ghoft,'oj[ourEnghfhLearning, topreferve
itshtzR(butweakeft,'^/*almoft(pent)Breath;andfromhimJohn
Bil^withJohnVltts(whoindeedisbut Bale'sPlagiary) bathleft us
aCatalogueofthe Writers ofthisNation,andthat'smereall. Yet
Fofterityfor this udeeply obliged, What puni&mentthendidtheir
peftAilent Malicedeferve,Whorob'dusoftheirwholeWorkes?
^ JuditiousAuthorjpeakingoftheDiflblutionof our Monafte-
rks,faith thus: ManyManufcripts,guilty ofnoother fuperftiti.
onthen Red lettersintheFront,were condemned to the Fire;
and here aprincipallKeyofAntiquitywas lofttothe great pre-
judiceofVo&cnty.Indeed(fuch WasLearningsmisfortune, atthat
great<Devaftationofour EnglifhLibraries,that)wherea Redlet-
ter> a Mathematical! Diagramappeared^ theyWere fufficientto
intitle the Booke tobe Popifti or Diabolical'!.
OurEnghfh Nation hath ever beene happy for Learning and
Learned men, andtoilluftratsthis, Ihope it will not prove diftaft-
full.
Asfirjl,theDiuydxW(thefamous andmyfterious Druyfe) that
werePnefb,Diviners, Wifemen ; andtooktheirOriginal! and
NSaipmiccfnrcuomm&DrAuuysguSraurrmonDyoudsotrh,e;fowuhrothdKyeidngAromfotheMuCenldtis.,2(0f6l9y.led
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