1

[Le texte suivant est paru en deux parties dans The

Familiar astrologer, Londres, 1832 (soit l’année de
parution du livre de Cyliani), p. 490-499 et p. 632-638.
Selon Joscelyn Godwin (The Theosophical
Enlightenment, 1994, p. 147), son auteur, Zadkiel,
serait en fait un certain John Palmer (1807-1837).
Toutefois, Zadkiel est aussi le pseudonyme de
Richard James Morrison (1795-1874), un astrologue
anglais (cf. Wiki) ; mais, selon Godwin, il ne faudrait
pas confondre les deux.]

THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE!

Part the First.

At the request of the Editor, a gentleman of

perfect chemical skill, and well versed in classic
lore, as also in mathematical and philosophical
knowledge; and of no mean talents in the astrolo-
gical art, has undertaken a series of papers to il-
lustrate the possibility and truth of the Alchemical
Art, which has for itsgrand object the Transmutation
of Metals, the Elixir Vitœ, &c ; which the ancients are
said, by credible historians, to have known, and
performed wonders therewith.—The Editor of this
work trusts these singular essays will prove highly
agreeable to the readers of the Familiar Astrologer,
as they are at once rare, curious, extraordinary,
and learned ! He would also just mention, what the
writer of the disquisitions did not seem aware of:
viz. that Dr. Woolaston and Sir Humphry Davy
each pursued the Hermetical Science for a consi-
derable period; and during the pursuit thereof, hit
upon most of their invaluable chemical discoveries.
The Editor's informant was a Mr. Wagstaff, a
highly respectable bookseller ; formerly residing in
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Brown's Lane, Spitaltields, London ; who was well

known, a few years back, for having the choicest
collection of Alchemical works and MSS. of anv one
in England. He knew many persons who had
followed up the theory of the Hermetic art, as given
by the old authors : but with little success, as the
Alchemical writers above all other authors clouded
their dissertations with far-fetched enigmas, dif-
ficult to penetrate, or even guess at, except by
adepts.—He informed the Editor, that Sir Humphry
Davy, and other great chemists, were constantly
purchasing these Alchemical works of him, and
employed him to collect those publications, whether
in print or MS., whenever and wherever he could
procure them. He likewise told the Editor (of this
work) that he could prove these gentlemen believed
in Alchemy secretly, whatever were their public
opinions : and that he was credibly informed, a
series of experiments were generally carried on at
His Majesty's Mint, to ascertain the growth of gold,
and its chemical foundation, &c.

SECTION I.

AN ESSAY ON THE

SACERDOTAL SCIENCE

It may perhaps appear singular, that in these

times, when knowledge is so generally diffused,
that men believe but those things which can be
proved with almost mathematical exactness; that
the sciences generally, have attained to such a
height of perfection, and that the deep and
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mysterious studies of our forefathers, are now, by

most men, treated as idle chimeras, and children of
a sickly fancy; that a man should dare to run the
risk of being thought a fool or an impostor, by
attempting to revive again the long condemned and
long forgotten science of alchemy. But I write for
those men who read and judge for themselves ; for
those who will not allow their ideas to be enslaved
by the trammels of modern philosophy ; which were
forged by men, who, in their own self-love and
self-sufficiency, believed it to be impossible, that
sciences should exist, which their all-powerful,
all-penetrating genius could not fathom: and who,
unwilling to own their insufficiency, condemned as
futile those things which had baffled their utmost
endeavours to attain. How have they condemned
the profound science of Astrology ? How the science of
Hennetic Philosopy ? How all the other sciences that
the ancient wise men and magi followed ? I answer,
that they have condemned them from their
ignorance of their simplest laws or precepts! Let
them, if they can, bring forth their proofs of the
untruth of the mystic sciences; let those who con-
demn the ancient art of Astrology be put to the test;
and it will be found that not one of them is capable
of bringing up a direction, or even of casting a
figure. How then is it possible that these men,
possessing no knowledge of these arts, can have the
power of reasoning on them, or of showing their
defects ? it would be just as reasonable, to take as a
law the opinion of a child on the intricacies of
Algebra! But let their criticisms be what they
may, let them attempt what they will, THESE
ARTS HAVE REMAINED , AND WILL REMAIN ,
BRIGHT AND RESPLENDENT AS EVER ; even
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when the progeny of those who have condemned

them, shall have passed from the memory of man,
and their puny and ephemeral slanders and
inventions shall have been forgotten, and not one
trace of them existing* to causa the student to
smile at their ineffectual endeavours. I have taken
upon me the pleasing
4.93

task of laying before the unprejudiced reader, the

history, theory, and application of the hermetic
art ; and I shall endeavour to prove, that it is not
so impossible to attain to the knowledge thereof, as
those who have failed in the study have endea-
voured to prove.

SECTION II.

OF THE HISTORY OF ALCHEMY

If I were to endeavour to trace THE SCIENCE OF

NATURE to its origin, it would be vain and foolish ;
as its commencement is lost in those times which
form the infancy of the world. The patriarchs of
Jioly writ possessed it ; and it was to the influence
of it, that they owed the enjoyment of that
lengthened life that strikes us in the present day
with wonder.
Hermes, who is supposed to have been cotem-*
porary with Abraham, is the first author who has
traced its principles, and who has placed them in
order ; but being unwilling to disclose it openly to
the world, he invented hieroglyphics and symbo-
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lical characters, under the veil of which he sent it

forth to the people ; it was from his writings, that
the various schools and temples among the Egypt-
ians, the Greeks, and the Druids, were formed, and
where the Priests alone explained it to their
disciples.
The Arabians studied it with enthusiasm; and Geber
seems to have been the inventor of distillatory
apparatus, which no doubt he contrived, to aid him
in his complicated experiments, before he had
discovered the simplicity and facility of the art.
After the crusade, the study of this science became
common in Europe ; and a philosopher or learned
man, in those days, would have been very little
thought of, if he had not some smattering of the
art.
From the toils and labours of these men, from
their unremitting exertions and multiplied experi-
ments, we have gained the arts of Pharmacy and
Chemistry ; and the names, Raymond Lully, Count
Bernard of Trevisan, Sendivogius, Philalethes, will
always be remembered : Ieite these names in parti-
cular, as I am certain, that they had a perfect
knowledge of the art. The manipulation, theory,
and all the technicalities of the science, exist in
their works ; and all is explained and laid open to
the student, except the real names of the first
matters to be employed. This they have ail zealously
concealed; and the ignorance of it, has been the
stumbling-block of almost all who have
endeavoured to attain a knowledge of Alchemy.
Towards the middle of the seventeenth century, the
study of the art began to decline ; and at the
present time, a man would hardly credit you, if you

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told him, that there was existing, a single

alchemist.

SECTION III

THE THEORY OF THE ART

I now arrive at that part of my Treatise, which

must give to the reader an idea of the possibility1
of the existence of an ART; by means of which2 the
operations of nature may be performed in less time
than she takes to bring the stubborn metals to
perfection in the Earth's womb. It is evident, that
all things must have a beginning, and likewise
different stages of perfection: Man is not born at
once in force and vigour, neither does the tree bring
forth its fruit at once ripe and fit for food f We are
all positive of this, and we know that all things,
whether vegetable or animal, require time to come
to perfection: why then should we believe that
mineral productions are exempt from this law ? If
we look at a piece of gold, can we for a moment
consider it as the work of an instant ? is it possible
that it has gained its metallic splendour, its
ductility, maleability, and beauty all at once ? or is
it to be supposed that the metals were all created
at the moment when our terrestial planet was
launched from the Creators hand into immensity?

1 The engraving which accompanies this article, will illustrate the ingenious
writer's Theory on Alchemy.—ED.
2 The engraving which accompanies this article, will illustrate the ingenious
writer's Theory on Alchemy.—ED.
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This cannot be possible; as we have on record

instances of mines having been worked for a con-
siderable number of years until nearly exhausted,
and shut up for a length of time; and when
re-opened they have been found abundant in ore,
and fit for working. THIS PROVES THAT METALS
DO GROW AND INCREASE. Our next object is to
ascertain what their beginning or root is, where it
is to be found, and what is its nature. The root is a
substance which is neither metallic or mineral, but
partakes of both; and arises from [provient de] the
putrefaction and decomposition of both mineral and
vegetable bodies; it is soft and maniable, sometimes
one colour, sometimes another: the metallic germ is
frequently found in it, and it is so common that
there is not a child but what knows of it; and yet
this plentiful and well known production, is the
womb [utérus, matrice, entraille] or vehicle which
is most fit for the astral and fructifying fire of
the world ; to work its slow and secret operations
in, on the formation of metals; it may be found and
seen everywhere; it is common in fields and marshy
places; it is not necessary to dig deep in the bowels
[entrailles] of the Earth for it, as it is frequently
found at the depth of a man's leg.
This matter the philosophers called their vase
and with reason too—for it holds the astral spirit
in itself, and contains it in all its workings, until it
putrifies with it, and becomes one body with it, and
then it acquires the name of the first matter, which is
so earnestly sought after by those who devote
themselves to the study of the art of Hermes. I
must now say something of the Astral or universal
spirit—the LIFE, FIRE AND SOUL OF
PROCREATIVE NATURE; by means of which all
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things are brought forth, live, and increase; and

whose generative power is fell to the very centre of
the Earth. All men know that they cannot live upon
food alone; and that if they were deprived of air
they would droop and die. Neither would a plant
live or thrive without it. We must not pass over the
action of light in silence: let a vegetable be planted
and kept in the dark, it will grow, because it has
sufficiency of air, but it will come forth sickly and
yellow; but let but one small ray of light fall on any
of its leaves, and it will be found that that part will
quickly assume its healthy garb of green: and if a
man be exposed to continual darkness, its effects on
his mind and spirits is quickly visible
We have now convinced ourselves that light and
air are necessary for the growth, well being, and
life of men and vegetables [mais pas des métaux ;
Schwaller : « Le minéral est la mine du métal, il est
le lieu de gestation du règne métallique qui a une
destinée évolutive qui lui est propre. Ce qui est
remarquable, c’est que le minéral joue ici, à l’instar
d’une matrice, le rôle maternel et environnemental,
tandis que pour l’évolution biologique, il joue le rôle
paternel de sel fixe, ayant pour fonction de spécifier
la forme de l’incarnation. (…) Je parle maintenant
du métal dans sa gangue minérale, du métal en
gestation dans le ventre de la terre. L’exposition à
l’air et à la lumière, et particulièrement l’extraction
hors de la matrice minérale par la fusion à de
hautes températures, interrompt le processus, et
les métaux imparfaits, tels que nous les
connaissons une fois que la mine est ouverte, sont
des phases d’arrêt d’une évolution dont la finalité
est l’argent et l’or. (…) Notez que l’environnement
de lumière et d’air, essentiel aux organes de
l’assimilation et de la reproduction du règne
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végétal, est en fait mortel pour les métaux, lesquels

vivent et n’évoluent que dans la mine, et que ces
conditions sont la cause éventuelle de leur
corrosion. » (Al-kemi, p. 184) ; Trojani : « vous
comprenez aisément que la fonte du minéral tue sa
vie, laquelle est déjà altérée dès qu'il est extrait de
son filon et qu'il subit l'influence de la lumière et
du soleil » ; ailleurs : « Par exemple, j'enveloppais
immédiatement d'une étoffe noire les minéraux
extraits, qui ainsi ne voyaient jamais le soleil. »];
and those who have read the Emerald Table of
Hermes will remember that he says the following
words: ‘’That which is above, is like that which
is beneath’’ ; so that subterranean productions
likewise require the assistance of these two agents
of nature. Now this leads us to the following
enquiry: do the invigorating principles of light and
air act, one independent of the other ? or, do they
from their union give birth to a third, which affects
alt things, whether above or below the earth, in an
equal manner ? We must naturally conclude that
this is the case, as neither light nor air in an
isolated state can penetrate the depths of the earth.
The generative essence of nature then, is a subtle
fluid, compounded of light and air, which is capable
of penetrating all things. This is what the Philoso-
phers call their astral spirit, their water of the
Sun and Moon, &c.; and this is what the hermetic
student must learn to obtain, before he can com-
mence his operations in the art; for this purpose
the philosopher’s loadstone [aimant] must be
discovered, for it has the power of attracting this
fluid, and of giving it a substantial form. I cannot
disclose openly what this is, but I can tell the
student that it frequently takes the form of the
CROSS ; and in this emblem are contained more
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mysteries than it would be right to divulge openly to all

men ; for this reason, it is called the sign of
Redemption, as by its power and assistance, the
Philosophers prepared their medicine, which had
the universal power of bringing to a perfection, for
beyond that which nature alone can do, both
animals, minerals, and vegetables; and it restores
man to his primitive state, and adds new fire and
vigour to his body and mind.
The proper time for the recolt of this fluid, begins
when the sun enters the sign of the ram, on the
20th or 21st of March, and continues till he quits the
sign of the Twins, about the 20th of June. It must
be gathered [recueilli] after sunset, when the Moon
is at or near her full; and the wind must not blow
violently at this time; the Sun's rays are reflected
by the Moon, and the air is strongly impregnated
with the astral fluid, or nitre; it is adviseable
[conseillé] to turn to the north during the time of
gathering; and if the student has been fortunate
enough to divine the attractor of this fluid, let him
seek it in A MINE O F THIRTY YEARS STANDING ,
and he will then be able to obtain the spirit in the
form of a viscous fluid: and the stone of magi,
their medicine and universal solvent, is nothing
more than this fluid, carried to its highest pitch of
concentration and fermentation; it may be
considered like condensed fire, and is brought to
this state of purity, by being frequently fermented
and putrified with the mineral matter.

THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.

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Part 2.

THE PRACTICE OF THE ART OF ALCHEMY

Nature presents us with one of the materials necessary

for the practice and perfection of this art, ready formed to
hand and fit for use, as the body, matter, or vase in which
we work, is found in the bowels of the earth, according as I
have stated in' the former part of this treatise. The astral
spirit is a liquid, fair and clear, like water, and without the
enjoyment of which, no man could live. With these two
materials we begin the work of Hermes, and for this
commencement we must take nature for our guide; for in
like manner as she softens and gives to the earth its
fructifying property, by rain and dews, so we imbibe our
solid matter with our astral spirit.
By this means our matter becomes incorporated and
combined with the generative essence of nature, contained
in our water; in this manner, by frequent imbibitions and
desinations, our matter becomes dead and putrifies, and in
putrifying it arises again to a more perfect state of
existence, according to the universal law of sublunary
things. It must not be supposed that because the matter
becomes dry, that it retains nothing of the virtue of the
former imbibitions: it merely looses the aqueous part; and I
will endeavour to prove this to those who mav not
understand the science of Chemistry, and yet be inclined to
study the art of Alchemy. I will take for example the
formation of Glauber's salt.
If you take a portion of Caustic or Carbonate of Soda, on
one part, and some Sulphuric Acid on the other, and you
imbibe the Soda with the Acid, they will mutually
neutralize one another, and you will obtain a liquid which
is neither acid nor alkaline; and an intimate and electrical
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combination will have taken place between the two bodies

from this liquid. By evaporation you may obtain crystals,
which will be composed of one part or atom of Soda, two
of Acid, and twenty of Water: if you suffer these crystals to
dry, or even if you calcine them, you will never be able to
make them loose more than the 20 parts of water; the Acid
will remain in a fixed and solid state with the calcined salt.
So we must conceive the theory of our imbibitions ; when
our matter dries, it still retains to itself the astral essence
contained in our water. Having conducted the unbiassed
[impartial, objectif] reader thus far, we will proceed to the
practice of the

IMBIBITIONS , OR PREPARATION OF THE

PHILOSOPHICAL MERCURY

For this, it will be necessary to have a small box, with a

door, about a foot high, having its top and bottom pierced
with holes, and a shelf of wire grating placed rather more
than half way up on the inside ; on this shelf you can place
an evaporating dish, of glass or Wedgewood ware, which
will contain the mineral matter, and at the bottom of the
box a common night lamp, with a small floating wick, will
cause sufficient heat for all the practice of the work, which
ought never to exceed that of the egg whilst hatching; this
may surprise some persons, but I do not write for charcoal
burners, or for those who send gold up their chimnies by
the intensity of heat they employ; this sort of work is
merely destroying nature, and cannot be called an
imitation. But to return to our subject:—the mineral matter
must be divided into small pieces about the size of peas
[petits pois], and watered with our liquid ; care must be
taken not to give too much or too little, but just as much as
it will suck up and no more; it must then be placed in the
warm air oven, and suffered to dry completely. This
process must be continued until such time as the matter
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becomes saturated and pregnant with the astral spirit; this

will sometimes after forty, at others after fifty imbibitions,
often take from two to three days drying, and frequently
upon watering it, it will make a small crackling noise; if
small, white, and brilliant spots be observed, it shows that
too much water has been added at a time; when it begins to
be saturated, it becomes clammy [humide], sends forth a
fetid smell of graves, and gradually changes colour, be-
comes blackish, as I have sometimes seen it, as if ink had
been spotted over it. This is the beginning of the
putrefaction; it proceeds on, and at last becomes brown,
black, scaly [écailleux], and crusty [croustillant], like pitch
[poix]. This the old adepts called by divers names, such as
crow's head, &c. When it has attained to this, it must no
longer be watered, but left in the gentle, oven heat, it will
again change colour, and a light colour will soon be
perceived to encircle the vessel in which it is placed. This
will extend itself through the whole matter, which will
shortly become light coloured and white all over; this is
called the first sublimation, and is in fact the philosophical
mercury, which requires to be sublimed six other times to
bring it to its perfection. These sublimations are the same
as the first; this white mercury must again be imbibed until
it putrifies, changes colour, and becomes white again; it
must thus go through the seven purifications, which is
sometimes called loosing the white doves of Diana, &c.
When you have arrived at the seventh sublimation, you
must next proceed to separate the pure from the impure,
which is done in the following manner: the white substance
proceeding from the seven sublimations, must be dissolved
in our astral spirit, and suffered to crystalize, when there
will form on the top a sort of cottony mass, very brilliant,
and floating; this is the long desired, and much sought for,
Philosophical Mercury. Underneath will be found other
salts, which may be brought to perfection by a continuation
of the work, and below all, a pulp will subside which you
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must keep carefully, as it contains the sulphur of the Magi.

Hermes tells you "not to throw away your ashes, for
they contain the crown of your heart" The next step is

THE PREPARATION OF THE SULPHUR

The above-mentioned pulp must be imbibed with our

astral spirit, until it becomes putrescent; it will then
gradually change its colour to that of red, and is in this case
the tinging spirit [l’esprit teignant] and blood of the
pelican, spoken of with so much secrecy by all hermetic
writers. It must be gathered [recueilli] carefully, and
separated from the earth which remains, which is called the
terra damnata, is of no use, and may be thrown
away.—We have now shown bow the ancients prepared the
two first matters for their work ; and the next is, to unveil
the mystery of the philosophical marriage of Basil
Valentine, where he tells us the white man and red woman
must be joined together: to accomplish this, the hermetic
workman must proceed in the following man:—the sulphur
must be divided into two parts ; one part of which must be
put aside; the other must be placed in a glass vessel, and
must be imbibed with the mercury, dissolved in astral
water: this, as in the former case, will require forty or fifty
imbibitions ; after which it will turn colour and putrify. It is
then that the marriage is compleated, and you have
obtained the first philosophical matter; it will become black
and shining, and is then called the blacker than black,
according to the enigmatical language of the adepts, when
it has attained this state, it must be left to itself; it will soon
pass from the reign of Saturn to that of Luna, and will
become a powder of most brilliant whiteness.

THE REIGN OF LUNA

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Having succeeded that of dusky [sombre] Saturn, the

preparation has now acquired its first stage of perfection,
and has not only become a medicine of supernatural force,
for the human body; but it has likewise attained the power
of acting on metals, and converts them, in proportion to its
degrees of multiplication, to the nature of silver. Still must
the process be continued; the brilliancy will vanish, and
whiteness will subside, and a greenish colour will pervade
the whole. This is the sign of your entry to

THE REIGN OF VENUS

Care must be taken that your fire be not too strong; the
matter has already gained a high degree of subtility, and it
ought to be governed so that the mass remains at the
bottom of the vessel; by judicious and careful working, the
colour again changes; a yellowish tint ensues, then reddish,
lemon colour, and thus begins the

THE REIGN OF MARS

An igneous nature is now abundant in the matter ; it

marches on towards the red; the fire must here be
strengthened, and it is here that the portion of sulphur
which was formerly put aside, will be found necessary, and
it will be necessary to continue the work with the solar
liquid. This being done, the red colour will become deeper,
a tint of regal purple will be seen, then let the student's
heart rejoice, as this is the sign of

THE REIGN OF SUN

We have now arrived at our last labour, and the harvest
is at hand; the purple colour grows darker, and at last the
matter will remain in the vase, of a black red colour, not
unlike a freshly precipitated powder of Cassius, containing
a large portion of gold. If the student still wish to proceed
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on, and to advance as far as this part of the science will

admit he must here commence the

MULTIPLICATION

Which is merely an exact recapitulation of the foregoing

manipulations; but he must beware of proceeding beyond
the ninth multiplication; here the medicine becomes too
strong and subtle to be contained in any vessel, it passes
through glass like olive oil through paper. My limits have
not allowed me to treat of this subject in so detailed a
manner as I could have wished, or I would have pointed out
to the student its intimate relation with the mysteries and
ceremonies of religions. I would have shewn that the
mythology teaches this art in enigmas; but, however, I have
gone as far as my time and place will allow for the present,
let others do the same on this, or what subjects they have a
knowledge of, and it may be the means of mutual im-
provement to us all, in the sciences and learning of the
ancient Magi, of which there is not a more ardent and
zealous admirer than
Your well-wisher,
ZADKIEL.

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