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THE TRIUMPHAL CHARIOTOFANTIMONY.


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THETRIUMPHAL CHARIOTOF ANTIMONY.BYBASILIUS VALENTINUS

WITH THE COMMENTARY OFTHEODORE KERCKRINGIUS,

A Doctor of Medicine.

BEING THE LATIN VERSION PUBLISHED AT AMSTERDAM IN THEYEAR 1685 TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH, WITH

A BIOGRAPHICAL PREFACE.

JAMES ELLIOTT AND CO.,TEMPLE CHAMBERS, FALCON COURT, FLEET STREET, E.C.


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CONTENTS.

122.4

PAGE.Biographical Preface ... ... ... ix.

Dedication ... i

Dedicatory Epistle .. 3To the Reader 8The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony ... nAppendix ... ... ... ... ... 181On the Triumphal Chariot of Antimony,

and the Nature of the Fire Stone ... 183

Index . ... 201


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BIOGRAPHICAL PREFACE.

SHOULD anyuninstructed per-

son who might chance uponBasil Valentine's ''Triumphal

Chariot of Antimony undertake to readthat work, he would probably be mystifiedby much of its contents, by its referencesto the Spagyric art, to the grand Magis-terium, the true and universal Medicine,the Tinctures which transmute metals,with other unknown quantities and otherdeep mysteries which make part of theSacramentum Regis. But if he wereasked what he thought of Basil Valentinein his historical and personal character,it is unlikely that he would suppose fora moment the existence of any romanticmystery encompassing the mere life ofthe man. He would regard him as apious Benedictine monk, uncommonlywell versed for his period in certain


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x. The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.

departments of experimental and medi-cal chemistry, and, perhaps, as a bizarrespeculator in the cloudy borderlands ofphysical science ; but such biographicaldata as can be gathered concerning himfrom his writings, he would naturallyaccept without question, because therewould be no ground for assuming anyreason to doubt them. Yet even assuch a person would be mistaken in hisestimate of Valentine the alchemist, asdistinguished from Valentine the inves-tigator of antimonial therapeutics, so itis just possible that he would be astrayin his estimate of the man, being misledby a veil of simplicity which skilfullyconceals the adept under the unpre-tending mask of a monastic canon. When I had emptied to the dregs thecup of human suffering, I was led to con-sider the wretchedness of this world, soValentine tells us in his preface to TheGreat Stone of the Sages, and thefearful consequences of our first parents'disobedience. Then I saw that therewas no hope of repentance for mankind,


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The Triumphal Chariot of A ntimony. xi.that they were getting worse day byday, and that for their impenitence God'severlasting punishment was hangingover them ; and I made haste to with-draw myself from the evil world, to bidfarewell to it, and to devote myself tothe service of God. * After the mannerof his age, as he goes on to inform us, hetook refuge in a monastery, where thetime that he could spare from his de-votions was made use of for the studyand investigation of those natural secretsby which God has shadowed out eternalthings. Here, in this pious retirement,there was ultimately revealed to him that great secret which God ever con-ceals from those who are wise in theirown conceits. As appears from theCurrus Triumphalis and other of hisworks, he belonged to the religious orderof S. Benedict, and he is said to havebeen canon of the priory of S. Peter in

* See Basil Valentine's treatise, entitled Practica,with the Twelve Keys and an Appendix, p. 313 of TheHermetic Museum Restored and Enlarged, Vol. I., London,4to, 1893.


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xii. The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.Erfurt. It is further stated that hisphilosophical Last Testament re-mained concealed for a number of yearsin the high altar of the church belongingto the priory. There seems, at firstsight, no reason to challenge the literalveracity of these matters ; the conven-tual institutions of the middle ages werefrequently centres of scientific research ;innumerable monks have practised al-chemy ; and works which their authorsregarded as too good for the time whenthey were written, have been entombedfor the benefit of a more deserving epochboth before and after the age of BasilValentine. There is some occasion, not-withstanding, for suspecting that here,as in everything connected with thealchemists, the most simple facts areapparently the most deceptive. Evenunto the points and pricks here are to befound great mysteries. The suspicion isnot the result of an over great subtletyon the part of modern mystical criticism,which is accused, and not always un-justly, of everywhere supposing the


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, xiii.wonderful ; it was far back in the earlyseventeenth century that the doubt wasraised originally, and such investigationsas were possible have tended rather toconfirm than dispose of it. It is ad-vanced that the monastic characterassumed by Basil Valentine was simplya veil and an evasion to conceal his realidentity, and, further, that his name wasa pseudonym which was Hermetic andallegorical in its significance. Maxi-milian Stoel, the author of a handbookof practical medicine, which is now mostreadily accessible in its fourth edition,adopted this view.* So also didBoerhaave, the celebrated physician ofLeyden, whose proposed chronologicalhistory of the alchemists has been a lossyet to be repaired.t Jacobus Tolliuscontrived to resolve the enigma of the

* See La Medicine Pratique, forming the seventhdivision of the Encyclopedie des Sciences Medicates, Paris,1834, 8vo.

t On this and other points consult Dallowe's translationof Boerhaave's Elements of Chemistry, 2 vols., 1735? 4to ;also Herman Boerhaave : His Academical Lectures onLues Venerea, translated, London, 1763, 8vo.


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xiv. The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.assumed name by a consideration of thephilosophical significance attaching tothe two words in Greek and Latin res-pectively.* According to this interpre-tation, Basil in Greek is equivalent toroyal, while Valentine is the Latinvalendo. The union of the two termsformulates the symbol of power whichgives the regulus for the penetration ofbodies. In another aspect, BasilValentine signifies the mighty king,who rules by initiation and adeptshipthe three analogical worlds of occultphilosophy. This interpretation ofitself has little but a show of ingenuityto recommend it, yet as early as theyear 1515 the identity of Basil Valentinewas involved in so much uncertaintythat the Emperor Maximilian the First,in his passion for the sciences, searchedthe Benedictine archives at Rome, andalso made many inquiries in differentmonasteries about him, but without

* Jacobus Tollius : Fortuita. In quibus prater criticanonulla,) iota fabularis historia Graca Phoenicia ^.gyptiacachemiam pertinere asseritur. Amsterdam, 1687, 8vo.


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, xv.success. Vincent Placcius, one of theearliest bibliographers and investigatorsof the secret history of anonymous andpseudonymous authors, affirms that thereal name of Valentine was Tholden.*Others state that it was John Estchen-reuter. The evidence for the statementof Placcius is not satisfactory, and asProsper Marchand calls his curious workmare magnum erratorum, it might beunwise under any circumstances to accepthim as a guide. On the other hand,the alternative statement, equally unsup-ported by reference, appears in themonographs of certain biographical dic-tionaries which are not very trustworthy,if only because they betray little or noacquaintance with the works of BasilValentine.

In order to appreciate the assertionof Vincent Placcius, it must be notedthat it was owing to the solicitude ofJohn Tholden Hessius, that is, JohannThoelde, that the works of Basil Valen-

* Theatrum Anonymorum et Pseudonymorum. In twoparts. Hamburg, 1708, Fol.


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xvi. The Triumphal Chariot of A ntimony.tine began to be issued from the press.Under his editorial auspices The Tractof the Great Stone appeared in 1602,the treatise Concerning Natural andSupernatural Things in 1603, and TheTriumphal Chariot ofAntimony in 1 604.That Placcius was aware of these factsseems doubtful, but he knew that in1603 there was published at Eissleben awork entitled Haligraphia, on the title-page of which Thoelde is indicated asthe author.* Now in 1644, under theauspices of another editor, a certain por-tion of this book was translated intoLatin, and published as a work of BasilValentine t under the slightly alteredname of Haliographia. The claim ofits editor that it is produced from the

* Haligraphia : that is, a Complete and ExhaustiveDescription of all the Mineral Salts, effectively describingthe Salt of the First Matter, the tests for Salt Waters, themeans of obtaining the Salt of the Sun through fire, byvarious methods, and the improvement of the same. ByJohann Thoelde Hesse. At the cost of Jacob Apel, book-seller, Eissleben, 1603, 8vo.

t It represents less than half the original, namely, fromp. 1 68 onwards, as far as p. 310, missing the LonclusioAutoris, and other matter at the end.


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, xvii.

manuscripts of the great alchemist seemswholly without foundation ; its attri-bution to Valentine may perhaps beaccounted for by a blunder ; but there isno reason for supposing that it was otherthan an original storehouse of Hermetictheories and experiments, compiled byThoelde himself. That so far as he isknown at all he is known chiefly as theeditor of Valentine does not precludeThoelde from having appeared indepen-dently as an author, and so early as theyear i 599 we find that he actually didso.* At the same time, it is possiblefor a mistake to have arisen through amisconception of some prefatory versesprefixed to the first Haligraphia.Sic tu Mater es autorum, quos, Tholde,

sophorum,Eruis e tenebris, dasque videre diem.

Per te Basilius lucem squallore remote,Cernit, Basilii mater es alma tui.** Information concerning the Revolting Malady calledRed Dysentery, Diarrhea, and the extremely swift and dan-

gerous sickness of the Pestilence. By Johann TholdenHesse. Erfurt, 1599, 4to (a pamphlet of 22 pages).* From the prefatory verses of Hermannus Kircnerus.2 A


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And again :Depromis Sal, Tholde, penu mortalibus ; ergoCondimenta coquus, tumque Hygiea paretNon condus sis, Basilii monumenta recondens,Sed promus, pateat Basiliique penu.

Quo mage Basilii a doctis nunc scriptaleguntur,Tanto major erit gloria, Tholde, tua.*But the reference was not to the

Haligraphia, but to Thoelde's editoriallabours over Basil Valentine, then inprogress, and probably well known tohis friends.

While, however, there is no reasonfor fathering the Haligraphia uponValentine, with Thoelde as editor, sois there less ground for identifyingThoelde with Valentine, or Valentinewith any of his family, which is thecourse that is countenanced by Placciuson the authority of a vague reference.The claim of John Estchenreuterto have worn the mask of Basil Valen-tine, is negatively more difficult to dis-

* From the prefatory verses of M. Johannes Tanckius,who himself shortly afterwards figured as an editor ofalchemical literature.


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, xix.pose of, because nothing is known abouthim, nor, indeed, has it been possible todiscover by whom his claim has beenpreferred. At the period of Theolde'sactivity, we find Johannes Tanckiusediting a collection of alchemical tracts,among which there is a brief epistle byGallus Eschenreuter, or Schonreuter, butthere is nothing known concerning him. *Boerhaave denies that there was amonastery of S. Peter's at Erfurt, but onthis point there is no reasonable doubt.A certain Mollenbseck, whose identityis difficult to determine, while his recorddoes not seem to remain, so far, at least,as libraries in England are concerned issaid to have visited it personally, and tohave ascertained from the prior that thename of Basil Valentine did not appearon the records. What is more to thepurpose is the testimony of JoannesMauritius Gudenus, the historian of

* See the Epistle of Ga'lus Schonreuter, Doctor ofMedicine and Ordinary Physical Chemist at Galenstadt,addressed to William Gratalorum. It is the third tract inthe collection, entitled Opuscula Chemica. 1605, 8vo.


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xx. The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.Erfurt, which is conclusive as to theexistence of the convent, and testifies tothe connection of the Alchemist there-with ; though the latter point is perhapson the authority of the Alchemist, andnot on that of the records of the place. *

It is obvious, of course, that if thename of Basil Valentine was assumed,he might still have been a monk of theconvent, and he would have appeared inits archives only under his true title.

Despite the doubts that have beenraised, the preponderating feeling ofcritics inclines to the belief that a personnamed Basil Valentine really existed,and actually filled that position in thedevout life which is described in theCurrus Triumphalis. This, however,is the utmost extent of their unanimity,

* Dicitu r fuisse adeptus says Gudenus, and again Eadem estate (Scilicet, 1413), Basilius Valentinus indivi Petri monasterio lixit^ arte medico, et naturaliumindagine mirabilis. Insuper its accensetur quos in augn-en-tum spei nominant aurum conjecisse, sic aliena dementiapost secula fallit, idea minima culpabilis, quod nan tnsidecipi amantes Jacultatibus exuat. Volumen PtimumRerum Moguntiacarum, 1722. Fol. The history waspublished at Erfurt.


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, xxi.

for, on the one hand it is asserted thathe was born at Alsace, on the bordersof the Rhine, and, on the other, that hewas himself a native of Erfurt. Bysome again he is referred to the twelfthcentury,

and by others to the four-teenth ; the year 1394 has been namedas the date of his birth, and in 1415 heis supposed to have commenced hisliterary labours in Alchemy andHermetic Medicine. But these datesare unable to support any test ofexamination. A passage on page 181of the present volume is conclusive as tothe earliest period. You should knowthat Antimony is used for a good manypurposes besides those of the typo-grapher. It is perhaps difficult toassign the exact date when Antimonywas first used as an alloy for thefounding of metal types, but the close ofthe fifteenth century is likely to havebeen the earliest period. There is, how-ever, another and more important point.The reader of the Currus Triumphaliswill find numerous references therein to


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xxii. The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.the recent appearance in Germany of thevenereal scourge, which h^ calls theFrench disease -Morbus Gallicus andLues Gallica. Now it appears to becertain, from abundant historical testi-mony, that the name of Morbus Gallicuswas given to the complaint afterthe expedition of the French, underCharles VIII., to Naples, which tookplace in 1495.*

Basil Valentine is one of the fewAlchemical writers who does not, at leastin the undoubtedly genuine works, suchas the Currus Triumphalis and the

* A synopsis of the testimony is as follows : In 1497,Nicolaus Leonicenus, of Vicentia, calls it by this name,though he denies the novelty of the disease, saying : I canby no means imagine, with some, that this complaint neverappeared till now. In 1498, Natalis Montesaurus, ofVerona, remarks upon '' those dispositions commonly calledA/al Franzozo. In 1499, the Spaniard, Caspar Torellf,narrates that the disease broke out in Alvernia in the year1493, thence making its way into Spain, afterwards intoItaly, and from Italy into all Europe. Joannes de Vigo, ofGenoa, writing in 1503, says that it appeared almost all overItaly in the month of December, 1494, and he adds : TheFrench disease, when once it comes to be confirmed, seldomadmits of any other than a palliative cure. LeonardusSchmai, of Salzburg, in 1518, bears witness to the same date,and makes use of the same name. In the year following,


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, xxiii.Twelve Keys, betray the approximatedate of his treatise by citations fromslightly anterior adepts. On the whole,it is safe to place him at the end of thefifteenth and the beginning of thesixteenth centuries. He had probablypassed the prime of life when he enteredupon his labours in literature, and awhole century was destined to elapsebefore any of his works found their wayinto the hands of the printer. Thefollowing bibliographical list, while itincludes all his extant treatises, in thematter of the dates appended does not

1519, Ulrichus de Hutten, a German, discoursed upon amethod of curing the French disease by Guaiacum, fixing1493 for the date, and Naples for the place of its appearance.Joannes Baptista Montanus, 1550, affirms, on the other hand,that it was the soldiers of Columbus who imported thedisease from Antigua, and the West India Islands, to thesiege of Naples, in 1496. In 1554, Joannes Langius, ofLimburg, speaks of the French disease, maintaining thatalthough some would have it to be a new one, it is noother than a farrago of diseases known to the ancients.

Compare also Bernardinus Tomitanrus, of Padua, 1566 ;Joannes Astruc, De Morbis Venens : Adrianus Tollius ;Herman Boerhaave, etc. See further, John Armstrong's Synopsis of the HL-tory and Cure of Venereal Diseases,London, 1737, 8vo.


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xxiv. The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.necessarily determine the original periodof publication in every case.Concerning Natural and Supernatural

Things : also concerning the FirstTincture, Root, and Spirit of Metals :how they are generated, broughtforth, smelted, altered, and aug-mented. A true account, by PraterBasil Valentine, of the BenedictineOrder, printed from his own manu-script by John Tholden Hessius,cum privileoio. Leipzig, at the costof Jacob Apel, bookseller. A.D., 1603.

Prater Basil Valentine's Treatise con-cerning the Great Stone of theAncients, whereat so many thousandsof Masters have worked since thebeginning of the world. Accom-panied by his clear repetition andreiteration, wherein the true Lightof the Wise is philosophically ex-hibited. Together with an accountof the principal metals and their pro-perties. II. Of the Microcosmos,or the small world of man. III. Ofthe Great Secret of the World, and


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, xxv.of the Medicine pertaining to man :highly useful for all who desire toknow the source of wisdom. (Thistract is termed in some later editionsDe Macrocosmo.} IV. Of the know-ledge and hidden secrets of theplanets. Newly printed and pub-lished for the Sons of the Doctrine,with appropriate diagrams, by JohnTholden Hessius, at the cost ofJacob Apel, bookseller, in the year1602.The Revelation of Prater Basil Valen-tine, of the Benedictine Order,concerning the Hidden Operationsdirected towards the UniversalSubject. Also conclusions andarguments from all his writings andtreatises on Sulphur, Vitriol, theMagnet Stone, both the philoso-phical, from which the universaloriginates, and the ordinary, whichoriginates the particular. (The firsttreatise in this volume is betterknown under the Latin title, Apoca-lypsis Chemical) Printed at the


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xxvi. The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.

expense of John Birkner, booksellerin Erfurt, 1624.Prater Basilius Valentinus, of the Bene-

dictine Order : Twelve Keys, where-by the' doors are opened to theAncient Stone of our Forefathers,and wherein the inexhaustible foun-tains of all health are found.Frankfort, 1611. (A Latin transla-tion stands first in the Golden Tripodof the celebrated Michael Maier.Other editions in German appearedin 1677, r 700 > and 1717.)Azoth ; or, the secret Aureliae of thePhilosophers, faithfully and clearlyexplaining the First Matter, and thefamous Stone of the Philosophers,unto the sons of Hermes, by way ofa Philosophical Enigma, paraboliccolloquy, the Smaragdine Table ofHermes, and the Saturnian Parablesand Figures of Frater Basil Valen-tine. Interpreted by M. GeorgiusBeatus. Frankfort, 1613. (A Frenchtranslation of this work appeared atParis in 1624. It is difficult to say


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, xxvii.

how much, if any, of the original isto be attributed to Valentine.)Haliographia : concerning the Prepara-

tion, the Use, and the Virtues of allSalts, mineral, animal, and vegetable ;from the manuscripts of BasiliusValentinus, collected by And. Sal-minicius, Bononia, 1644, ^va(Doubtful.)

Secret Books, or Last Testament ofBasil Valentine, of the BenedictineOrder. Copied from the originalwhich was discovered in the highaltar of the Church at Erfurt, undera marble tablet. Now printed inaccordance with numerous requestson the part of the Sons of theDoctrine. Strasburg, at the cost ofCaspar Dietzel, 1645.* (Containslong treatises on mines and the* According to Glaus Borrichius, he enclosed his

writings in one of the pillars of the abbey church ; theyremained for many years in this hiding-place, but were atlength discovered by the fortunate violence of a thunder-bolt. Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers. But OlausBorrichius wrote his De Arte et Progressu Chemice in 1668,and probably derived his information from the so-calledLast Testament.


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xxviii. The Triumphal Chariot ofAntimony.

generation of metals, a commentaryon The Twelve Keys, and othermatters, but it is in all probabilityspurious.)The Fifth Part of the Last Testamentof that estimable Hermetic Philoso-pher, Prater Basil Valentine ; partof which has never been previouslyprinted, part of which is now pub-lished in completely fresh order,and differs from former exemplars.All translated literally from a secretmanuscript, printed for the publicgood, by John Hiskias Cardilucius,.Com. Pal., Phil., et Med., etc. (Ap-parently a spurious rechauffe.)In addition to these there is the

Manifestatio Artificiorum, Erfurt, 1624,8vo, which the present editor hasnot been able to trace, except in itsFrench edition, published in 1646, underthe title Revelation des Mysteres desTeintures essentielles des sept Metaux,et de leur Vertus Medicinales. Thereis also a Manuductio Medicince men-tioned by Boerhaave, and by no other


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, xxixwriter. Finally, there is the Tri-umphal Chariot of Antimony, whichis translated in the following pages ;this is by far the most important, as it isalso the most lucid and simple, of allValentine's works ; it has done morethan any other to establish his reputationas a chemist on the solid basis of plain,practical experiment. It is not, there-fore, surprising that it achieved an im-mense success, that it has passed throughmany editions, and has been translatedinto various languages, while it is still asubject of reference for the archaeologyof exoteric chemistry. Its presentationin accessible form to the modern studentof the old alchemists will, it is believed,prove of good service in redeemingthose profound investigators of Naturefrom the undeserved disdain of to-day,albeit Basil Valentine himself standsscarcely in need of vindication, for eventhe biographical dictionaries * of the

* Among his discoveries, since improved on, and stillmedical preparations in constant use, are sulphuric ether,vinegar from honey-water, sugar of lead, litharge, fuimi-


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xxx. The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.early nineteenth century did honour tothe philosopher of Erfurt. At the sametime, there will be some satisfaction inciting the panegyric of a French scien-tist, Louis Figuier. Every one, says the author ofVAlchimie et les Alchimistes, isacquainted with the remarkable dis-coveries relative to Antimony whichare contained in the celebrated work ofBasil Valentine, Currus TriumphalisAntimonii. The German Alchemist hadso thoroughly investigated the propertiesof this metal, scarcely indicated beforehim, that we find many facts stated inhis treatise which in our day have beenbrought forward as modern discoveries.In the same work Basil Valentine speci-fies many other chemical preparations ofthe first importance, such as spirit ofsalt, or our hydro-chloric acid, derivedafter our own manner from marine saltand oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid). Henating gold, many mercurial preparations, empyreumaticcarbonate of ammonia, claimed as his own by SylviusDeleboe, etc. Biographie Universelle.


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The Triumphal Chariot ofAntimony, xxxi.

gives the method of obtaining brandyby the distillation of wine and. beer,rectifying the product of the distillationon calcined tartar (carbonate of potass).He even teaches the extraction of copperfrom its pyrites (sulphur), by first of alltransforming it into vitriol of copper(sulphate of copper), with the help ofmoist air, and afterwards plunging a barof iron into the aqueous dissolution ofthis product. This operation, which BasilValentine was the first to describe, wasoften profitably made use of by Alchem-ists at a later date, but, notwithstandingthe fact of the precipitation of metalliccopper, they mistook it for a transmuta-tion of iron into copper, or at least asthe commencement of a transmutationwhich could be perfected by art. .One may regard this Alchemist ashaving been the first to obtain sul-phuric ether, which he prepared bydistilling a mixture of spirit of wineand oil of vitriol. In a word, thereare few chemical preparations knownto his period concerning which Basil


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xxxii. The Triumphal Chariot ofAntimony.Valentine has not registered some valu-able facts.

Concerning the subject matter ofthe Triumphal Chariot it will be seenby the general reader, who has anelementary acquaintance with the proper-ties of Antimony, that the account ofBasil Valentine is correct, not only as togeneral characteristics, but in manypoints of detail. As to the value of themetal as a factor in the act of transmuta-tion, the modern chemist is not in aposition to adjudicate, nor have we asyet a canon of interpretation by whichwe can distinguish the true meaningof the adept.

The method of the translation whichfollows is literal as regards all that is ofpractical importance ; for the rest, whileit is by no means, and in no sense, anabridgment, it makes for brevity bythe skilful compression of a prolixand tautological original. The trans-lation has been subjected to revision atthe hands of the editor, and the generalplan, it is believed, will commend itself


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The Triumphal Chariot ofAntimony, xxxiii.not only to the English reader, but tothose who are acquainted with theCurrus Triumphalis in either its Ger-man or Latin guise.

In conclusion, it may be added thatno particulars are forthcoming as toTheodore Kerckringius, the commen-tator, who is interesting by his aspirationsand his modesty. He does not appearto have entered a second time into thefield of Hermetic literature. In the year1670 he published, at Amsterdam, acentury of anatomical observations, underthe title Spicilegium Anatomicum, avery beautiful specimen of typography,adorned with valuable plates, but havingno connection with esoteric medicine orchemistry.

ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE.

3 A


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TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS,VENERABLE, SAINTLY, AND BLESSED

MEN,ADEPTS OF THE TRUE PHILOSOPHY,

LOVERS OF VIRTUE,LORDS OF FORTUNE,

DESPISERS OF THE WORLD,WHOSE LIFE IS HOLINESS IN HOLINESS,

KNOWLEDGE IN KNOWLEDGE,AND WHOSE WORK CONSISTS IN THERELIEVING OF THE SICK

AND POOR.

B


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DEDICATORY EPISTLE.

ITis not arrogance, but reverence,saintly and blessed men, that em-boldens me to address you, whom

I do not know, but whom I admire, love,venerate, and all but worship. For,though you are strangers to me, I knowwhat sort of men you are, and what youhave attained ; so that even if you wereknown to me, I would address you ratheras Alchemists, than by your own propernames. In return for this dedication Iexpect no reward but to bask in the raysof your favour, and to be promoted inthe way you know, since you will seefrom this book that I am in the straightroad, and am mounting to the brighttemple of knowledge by the right path.Do not refuse me the kindness which Ihere publicly confer on the lovers ofAlchemy, which also, the inventor Apollo


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4 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.and lord Mercury do not forbid me toshew forth, since, in the words ofBasilius, I have already gained a placein a higher class. To speak to you inyour own phraseology, Mercury appearedto me in a dream, and brought me backfrom my devious courses to the one way. Behold me clad not in the garb of thevulgar, but in the philosopher's mantle

so he said, and straightway began toleap along the road in headlong bounds.Then, when he was tired, he sat down,and, turning to me, who had followedhim in the spirit, bade me mark that heno longer possessed that youthful vigourwith which he would at the first haveovercome every obstacle, if he had notbeen allowed a free course. Encouragedby his friendly salutation, I addressedhim in the following terms : Mercury,eloquent Scion of Atlas, and father of allAlchemists, since thou hast guided mehitherto, shew me, I pray thee, the wayto those Blessed Isles, which thou hastpromised to reveal to all thine electchildren. Dost thou remember, he


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 5replied, that when I quitted thy labora-tory, I left behind me a garment sothoroughly saturated with my own blood,that neither the wind could efface it, norall-devouring time destroy its indelibleessence ? Fetch it hither to me, that Imay not catch a chill from the state ofperspiration in which I now am ; but letme clothe myself warmly in it, and beclosely united thereto, so that I maysafely reach my bride, who is sick withlove. She has meekly borne manywrongs, being driven through water andfire, and compelled to ascend and descendtimes without number yet has she beencarried through it all by the hope ofentering with me the bridal chamber,wherein we expect to beget a sonadorned from his birth with the royalcrown which he may not share withothers. Yet may he bring his friends tothe palace, where sits enthroned theKing of Kings, who communicates hisdignity readily and liberally to all thatapproach him. I brought him the gar-ment, and it fitted him so closely, that it


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6 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.looked like an iron skin securing himagainst all the assaults of Vulcan. Letus proceed, he then said, and straight-way sped across the open field, while Iboldly strove to keep up with my guide.Thus we reached his bride, whose virtueand constancy were equal to his own.There I beheld their marvellous conjugalunion and nuptial consummation, whencewas born the son crowned with the royaldiadem. When I was about to salutehim as the King of Kings and Lord ofLords, my Genius stood by me, andwarned me not to be deceived, since thiswas only the King's forerunner, but notthe King himself whom I sought. WhenI heard the admonition, I did not knowwhether to be sad or joyful. Depart,then said Mercury, with this bridalgift, and when you come to those dis-ciples who have seen the Lord himself,shew them this sign and therewith hegave me a gold ring from his son'sfinger. They know the golden branchwhich must be consecrated to Proserpinabefore you can enter the palace of Pluto.


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. J

When he sees this ring, perhaps onewill open to you with a word the door ofthat chamber, where sits enthroned inhis magnificence the Desire of allNations, who is known only to theSages. When he had thus spoken, thevision vanished, but the bridal gift thatI still held in my hand, shewed me thatit had not been a mere dream. It wasof gold, but to me more precious thanthe most prized of all metals. Unto youI will shew it when I am permitted tosee your faces, and to converse with youfreely. Till that earnestly wished-fortime, I bid you farewell. When Ibehold you, the sight will be to me morepleasant by far than that of Mercury, ormy Genius. I, your humble servant andworshipper, shall easily recognize you byyour auroral necks and ambrosial locks,which do give forth a fragrant odour.


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To THE READER.

IWISH to deal candidly with you,gentle reader, and I therefore pre-sent to you here the work of Basil

Valentine in a Latin garb, in order that itmay be widely understood, with a Com-mentary of my own. To me he spoke inGerman, and without a commentator ; Istudied his work carefully, because I be-lieved his promises, practically carriedout all his directions, yet incurred muchuseless expense, made many mistakes,and, though I went through each oper-ation more than ten times, could notsucceed, not through the Author's, but, asI will confess honestly, through my ownfault. For Basil is the Prince of allchemists, and the most learned, upright,and lucid of all alchemistic writers. Hetells the careful student everything thatcan be known in Alchemy : of this I can


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humble finger-post, when perchance youstand perplexed by the multiplicity ofintersecting roads. Farewell If youwill take my advice, reject not myservices, and you will enjoy many ad-vantages. Again farewell


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THE TRIUMPHAL CHARIOT OF ANTIMONY,BY

BASILIUS VALENTINUS,WITHTHE COMMENTARY OF

THEODORE KERCKRINGIUS,A Doctor of Medicine.

WHEREAS I, Basil Valentine,belong to the religious orderof S. Benedict, and such alife requires a higher spirit of holinessthan that which satisfies the multitude inthis profane age, I consider it my dutyto declare at the outset that it is necessaryfor the disciple of the Spagyric Art toknow how he should lay stable founda-tions, so that his structure may not be atthe mercy of the winds, or be shakeninto ruins by every stormy gust. Indealing thus thoroughly with my subject,I am thinking not only of the present


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12 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.

age, but of future generations, when weshall be in our graves, and when of ourcontemporaries, neither king nor peasantwill be surviving. This object I pursuenot only for the honour and glory of theDivine Majesty, but also in order thatmen may render to God implicit obedi-ence in all things.

I have found that in this Meditationthere are five principal heads, which mustbe diligently considered, as much by allwho are in possession of the wisdom ofphilosophy as by all who aspire afterthat wisdom which is attained in our art.The first is the invocation of God ; thesecond, the contemplation of Nature ;the third, true preparation ; the fourth,the way of using ; the fifth, the use andprofit. He who does not carefully attendto these points will never be includedamong real Alchemists, or be numberedamong the perfect professors of theSpagyric science. Therefore we willtreat of them in their proper order aslucidly and succinctly as we can, in orderthat the careful and studious operator


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 13

may be enabled to perform our Magisteryin the right way.First, there should be the invocation

of God, flowing from the depth of a pureand sincere heart, and a conscience whichshould be free from all ambition, hypoc-risy, and vice, as also from all cognatefaults, such as arrogance, boldness,pride, luxury, worldly vanity, oppressionof the poor, and similar iniquities, whichshould all be rooted up out of the heart

that when a man appears before theThrone of Grace, to regain the healthof his body, he may come with aconscience weeded of all tares, and bechanged into a pure temple of God,cleansed of all that defiles. For Godis not mocked, as worldly men fondlysuppose ; He is not mocked, I say, butwill be called upon with reverence andfear, and acknowledged as the Creatorof all, with proper proofs of obedience.For what has man that he does not oweto God ? whether you look at his body,or at the soul which works in his body.Does he not nourish the latter with the


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14 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.word of His mercy ? and has not hepromised to it eternal life ? Does henot give to our bodies food and clothing,without which we could not even live ?All this man must obtain from theBlessed Father, who has created theearth, things visible and invisible, thefirmament, elements, vegetables, animals,and all things. Hence a wicked mancan never obtain the true Medicine,much less become partaker of theheavenly eternal bread.

Therefore, let all your hope bestayed on God, and let constant prayer,to impart to you this Blessing, be thebeginning of your work, in order thatyou may safely reach the end, for thefear of God is the beginning of wis-dom. He who would seek the greatest ofoall earthly benedictions, the knowledgeof all created good, and of the effectualvirtue which God has liberally implantedin stones, herbs, roots, seeds, animals,plants, minerals, metals, and all things,must fling away every earthly thought,


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hope only for freedom of heart, andpray to God with the greatest humility.Thus, the aspiration after freedom willsoon be realized. This truth no onewill call in question who knows that itis God who redeems Israel from allfoes, and not only Israel but all thatcall upon Him with a contrite andbroken spirit.The first head of our teaching, then,must be prayer, which we call the INVO-CATION OF GOD, and see that it comesnot forth out of feigned lips, but is thefruit of faith and confidence, like that ofthe Centurion of Capernaum ; in humilityand contrition, like that of the Canaan-itish woman ; in charity, like that of theSamaritan who took up the woundedman on the way to Jericho, pouring intohis wounds wine and oil, and paying hisexpenses at the inn, with an injunctionthat proper care should be taken of him ;in brief, let the prayer be offered up inthat spirit of Christian charity whichdesires to share what it obtains with itsneighbour ; then you will doubtless attain


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1 6 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.the

objectof your undertaking, viz.,riches and health.*

Next in order after prayer followsCONTEMPLATION, by which we apprehend

* It is not for me to criticise by praise or blame what theAuthor here says about piety, the worship of God, and theinvocation of His Name. No doubt it was natural for Basilto write as he did, and my business does not extend beyondthe task of rendering his remarks in Latin. In the mean-time, I have endeavoured to acquit myself of my task so asto give as little offence as possible to more advanced thinkers.The Scripture says that godliness is profitable to all things,and prayer is the most important exercise of godliness. Ifprayer fulfilled no other purpose, it would at least be usefulin imparting earnestness to every search, and concentratingthe mind on the object in view. It prevents all distraction,and that perfunctory treatment of our problem which is oneof the most frequent causes of failure. It often happens inthis search that what you vainly endeavoured to understandfor many days, suddenly is rendered plain to you in a singlemoment by an instantaneous flash of inspiration, which onewould be ungrateful not to attribute to Divine assistance.But if your oration, or prayer, is to be of any avail, theremust also be co-operation on your part : the solution whichyou then find, by dint of perseverance and concentrated effort,may be fitly called revelation. This would never have cometo you without oration and co-operation ; and yet, as thesolution is nowhere contained in the process by which it issought, it appears to you like a marvel, and a celestial revela-tion. Thus, if prayer be the power of concentration, we caneasily understand how it is the means of placing temporal andspiritual blessings within our reach. Hence prayer is highlycommended by Basil, and all the Sages ; for godliness isprofitable to all things, and especially to that which is thegreatest of all earthly blessings.


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 17the essential properties of a thing, thecircumstances by which it is conditioned,its matter, its form, its operations andtheir source, whence it is infused andimplanted, how it is generated by theStars, formed by the elements, producedand perfected by the three principles.

Again, it enables us to understandhow the body of anything can be dis-solved, i.e., resolved into its first matteror essence ; to this change I have referredin my other writings as the transmuta-tion of the last substance into the first,and of the first substance into the last*

This Contemplation, which formsthe second part of our work, is heavenly,and spiritually apprehended, for only thespiritual mind can grasp the circum-

* Here you have an epitome of all the elaborate andobscure teaching of the Sages, which is comprised in somany books. The Author had a perfect knowledge of thatspirit which permeates all creation, and is the efficient causeof all things, yet is everywhere bound up with the defile-ments and dross of matter; if freed from this dross, it returnsto the purity of its substance, in which it produces every-thing, and becomes everything in every form. To commenton it, or attempt its explanation, would be trying to con-dense the work of all the Sages into the compass of afoot-note.

C


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stances and foundation of all things.Now, this Contemplation is two-fold :one is called impossible, the otherpossible. The former consists in end-less meditations, which can have noresult because their object is intangible.Such problems are the Eternity of God,the Sin against the Holy Ghost, theinfinite nature of the Godhead. Theyare incomprehensible, and necessarilybaffle the finite enquirer.The other part of Contemplation,which is possible, is called Theoria. Itdeals with the tangible and visible whichhas a temporal form shewing how itcan be dissolved and thereby perfectedinto any given body; how every bodycan impart the good or evil, medicineor poison, which is latent in it ; howthe wholesome is separated from theunwholesome; how to set about des-truction and demolition for the purposeof really and truly severing the purefrom the impure without any sophisticguile.This separation is brought about by


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different manual operations, and invarious other ways, some of which arealready familiar to the multitude, whileothers are by no means well known.They are as follows : CALCINATION,SUBLIMATION, REVERBERATION, CIRCU-LATION, PUTREFACTION, DIGESTION, DIS-TILLATION, COHOBATION, FIXATION, andthe like. The meaning of these termsgradually comes to be understood by thepractical experimentalist. In the sameway you come to see the meaning of theterms : movable, fixed, white, red,black, blue, green, viz., by sound practi-cal experience. For the operator mayerr, and deflect from the rectilineal way,but that Nature, when rightly treated,should ever err, is impossible.

If, therefore, the substance be notperfectly dissolved, and set free from allcorporeal poison, know that you havemade a mistake. Retrace your steps,learn the theory more perfectly, and en-quire more accurately into the methodof operation, so as to find the truefoundation, and certainty in the separa-


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2O The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.tion of all things which is a matter ofthe greatest importance.

This, then, is the second founda-tion of philosophy, and follows uponInvocation. It is the most importantaspect of our Art, and is expressedin the following words : Seek first theKingdom of God, and His justiceby Invocation and all other thingsthat men need, for the support andhealth of the body, will be added untoyou. On theory, which lays bare themost intimate relations of things, followsPREPARATION, which is perfected bymanual operation, and yields a tangibleresult. Out of preparation arises know-ledge, which lays bare the foundationsof Medicine.

Manual Operation requires diligentapplication, and knowledge is foundedon experience, while the difference be-tween the two is set forth by Anatomy.Operation shews how all things springinto existence, and become visible.Knowledge points out practical methods,


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and is nothing but Confirmation ; manualoperation shewing the good, eliciting thelatent and hidden nature, and bringingit forth into the light for good ; for as inspiritual things the way of the Lordmust be prepared, so in this Art alsothe way must be opened and madestraight, in order that the goal may bereached without any false step or aber-ration.*

After preparation, and especiallyafter separation of good and bad (broughtabout by dissolution), we must proceedto the Proportions of Weight, or dosis.For you must avoid taking either toolittle or too much : this is a point towhich the physician should pay theclosest attention, if he would not makea fat churchyard. tWhen the Medicine is diffused

* In this third part, manual experiment is indispensablynecessary, since without it the student is driven about byevery passing wind like a rudderless ship. Concerning this,it is difficult to give directions in writing. One hour ofpractice teaches more than many pages of the most lucidwritten instructions.

t If you do not know the right quantity of a Medicine, itmay produce an effect directly the opposite of that which


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through the whole body, to counteractits defects we become acquainted withits USES. For it may happen that aMedicine properly prepared, and givenin proper quantity, is, nevertheless, ratherharmful than curative, in certain diseases ;and therefore we must discover the con-ditions under which alone it is likely tobe beneficial.

In answering this question, youmust observe whether the wound isinternal or external for the treatmentis widely different in the two cases.Hence you must go to the root of everydisease, and determine whether it can becured by external remedies only, orwhether it must be driven out by internalapplications. For if its centre lie hidwithin, you want a medicine which willpenetrate to the centre and restore it ;you contemplate as desirable. To discover the doctrine ofdoses by experience is very risky, and yet this is the onlymethod by which it has been found out. In this matter wemay profit by the teaching of our predecessors, and withal berather over timid than over bold. Still, when Antimony isproperly prepared, it is as harmless as cassia or manna. Butin the first stages of its preparation, where it retains much ofits poisonous crudity, you ought to be very careful.


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 23else all your healing efforts will befruitless.*An external disease, admitting ofexternal treatment, cannot be driveninward without fatal results. If, while atree is putting forth leaves and blossoms,you were to drive the sap inward ordownward, you would not only obtain nofruit, but probably blast, wither, anddestroy the entire growth.There is a great difference, then,between fresh wounds, inflicted with asword or dagger, or in some other way,and old wounds which have an internalorigin. Fresh wounds can be perfectlycured only by external remedies ; but inthe case of internal diseases the externalapplication of oils, plasters, ointments, andbalms will be of little avail. The inwardfountain of the disease, whence themorbid humours flow to the outward

*What is here said, about internal and external diseases,merits careful attention. If the Reader be wise, he willunderstand that Basilius here speaks ironically, in order tolead all scorners and ignorant persons astray. While othersyield to indignation at his method of instruction, the truestudent will gather the fruit which hangs in clus'ers amongthe thorns.


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24 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.parts, must be dried up. Then the fluxwill cease, and the evil can be cured bymeans of diet alone.

It does not require much skill toheal a common fresh wound ; any boorcan do so with a little crude lard. Butto stop all the symptoms, by dryingup the fountain of an internal wound,tests to the utmost the physician'scunning.Come hither, then, ye that claim tobe doctors of both branches of Medicine,healers of internal as well as of externaldiseases : see whether you can makeyour claim good ; ask yourselves, in thesight of God, whether you really possessthis knowledge, or whether it belongs toyou as a mere formal title of honour.For as great as is the distance betweenheaven and earth, so great is the differ-ence between the art of healing internaland external diseases. If your honour-able title be the gift of God, the sameGod will also follow it up with blessing,success, and happiness ; but if your titlebe a vain imagination of your own am-


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 25bitious heart, all your attempts will fail ;your honour will be grievously sullied,and you will prepare for yourself the fireof hell, which can no more be put outthan it can be explained in words. ForChrist says to His disciples: Ye callme Lord and Master, and ye do well.Whoever, therefore, takes to himself atitle of honour, should be careful to seewhether he does well, whether he doesnot arrogate to himself too much, morethan he knows or has learned, whichwould be an abuse of the title. Whoever calls himself a Doctor of bothbranches of Medicine must be skilledalike in internal and external pathology ;he should also know anatomy, whichteaches the constitution of the humanbody, and the part in which everydisease originates and is localized. Hemust know the remedies which areapplicable to the several varieties ofdisease, and the peculiar conditions ofexternal wounds. Good God If anexamination were held on these points,how many doctors of both branches of


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26 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.Medicine would be compelled publiclyto declare their ignorance Once upon a time Doctors ofMedicine were content to cure externalwounds, and looked upon this task aspart of their duty ; but now they leaveit to ignorant and inexperienced begin-ners, who hardly know how to drive adonkey out of a field. These personsstyle themselves masters in the art ofhealing wounds, and great Doctors ; andI am ready to admit that they have abetter claim to such title than you, illus-trious surgeon, who do most impudentlyarrogate to yourself a false title, callingyourself a Doctor of both branches ofMedicine.What more would you have, mylord Doctor ? What say you, O expertSurgeon ? If I were to put to yousome searching questions respecting thenature and cure of external wounds, Ishould find that there is in you about asmuch knowledge as there is in the brainof a cock on the title page of a child'sspelling-book.


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The Triiimphal Chariot of Antimony. 27

Hence I would thus advise men ofall ranks, who are anxious to obtain know-ledge : Demand first of your masters trueteaching, which consists in preparationand the proportion of ingredients ; thenyou will hold your title with honour, andgive real help to your fellow-men ; youwill also have good reason to returnthanks to the Creator out of an unfeignedheart.

Letevery one seriously consider inhis own mind what he should do, what

he should leave undone, and whether histitle belongs to him of right, or not.Whoever assumes a title should knowits meaning, and whether he is justifiedin claiming it. A rational man must beable to assign a reason for everything,and when he smells a dung-heap of avery penetrating odour, he should beable to say why he calls it good dung,and also why a certain person who haspartaken of fragrant and sweet-smellingfood, gives it out in the shape of highlymalodorous excrement. The answer isto be found in the conditions of natural


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putrefaction and corruption. The samething is observable in the transmutationsof all fragrant substances. Hence theSage should enquire what an odour is,whence it derives its properties, and howthose properties can be turned to goodaccount. For the earth is nourishedwith stinking dung, and precious fruitsare produced thereby. To account forthis phenomenon there is a multiplicityof causes which it would take a wholebook to explain, if we attempted to des-cribe, even briefly, all natural mutationsand generations. But digestion andputrefaction are the Master Keys of theprocess. Fire and air produce a kindof maturity, by which a change can takeplace out of water and earth. This isthe kind of transmutation by which fra-grant balsam becomes stinking dung,and stinking dung fragrant balsam. Butyou will ask me why I quote such simpleand absurd examples. The example, Iconfess, smacks of the stables rather thanof the drawing-room ; but the carefulstudent of Nature will understand me all


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 29the better for that reason. He will seethat the highest things become thelowest, and the lowest are changed intothe highest i. e., a medicine into apoison, and a poison into a medicine ; asweet thing into a bitter, acid, and corro-sive substance ; and a common thing, onthe other hand, into something useful.

But, good God how difficult it isfor us shortlived men to explore thewhole compass of Nature. Thou hastreserved to Thyself many things inCreation which are objects of marvelrather than of knowledge. Thereforepermit me to the end of my life to keepThee in my heart, that in addition to thetemporal health and wealth, which Thougivest freely, I may also obtain the sal-vation of my soul, and spiritual riches. Ofthis I dare not doubt, for Thou hast shedthe balm and sulphur of my soul on thebitter cross a balm which to the Devilis deadly poison, but to sinners the mostpotent medicine. I strive to heal thesouls of my brethren with prayer, andtheir bodies with suitable remedies. May


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3O The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.God grant that we may all dwell togetherin His mansions on high

But to return to the science of Anti-mony. You should know that all thingscontain operative and vital spirits, whichderive their substance and nourishmentfrom their bodies ; nor are the elementsthemselves without these spirits, whethergood or evil. Men and animals havewithin them an operative and vitalizingspirit, and if it forsakes them, nothingbut a dead body is left. Herbs andtrees have spirits of health, else no Artcould turn them to medicinal uses. Inthe same way, minerals and metalspossess vitalizing spirits, which consti-tute their whole strength and goodness :for what has no spirit has no life, orvitalizing power. Know that in Anti-mony also there is a spirit which is itsstrength, which also pervades it invisibly,as the magnetic property pervades themagnet.

Now, there are different kinds ofspirits, which are partly visible, and yetcannot be touched as the natural body of


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They have an occult, operative life, andmanifest themselves by the efficacy oftheir working ; when separated frombodies by our Art they have a mostmarvellous sanative virtue.

In this way the operative spirit andvirtue of Antimony bestows its gifts, andimparts them to men, when it has beenseparated from its body so as to pene-trate other bodies with its sanativevirtue. In this process the Artist andVulcan (fire) must be of one mind. Thefire causes the separation, the Artistforms the substance. So the smith usesone fire and one material, viz., iron ; andyet produces out of them a great varietyof different instruments, a spit, spurs, anaxe, or some other tool. In the sameway Antimony can be put to a greatmany different uses, wherein the smithis the skilled Artist, while the fire is, asit were, the key which opens, and practi-cal experiment results in experience anda useful conclusion.

Alas, if men only had eyes to see,and ears to hear not merely what I say,


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 33but to understand the secret meaning,they would no longer drink those turbidand unwholesome potions, but wouldhasten hither, and receive the limpidwater of the well of life

It is my design to shew that thosegreat doctors, who think themselveswise, are very fools, while my bookmay make many foolish and unlearnedpersons the depositaries of true wisdom.

All men who are real lovers ofknowledge, and humbly seek after it byday and by night, are herewith cordiallyinvited to listen to my teaching, to poreover my book with the greatest care, andthereby to obtain the desire of theirhearts. Their gratitude will, after mydeath, raise me from the grave, andrender my name immortal. If any onebe opposed to my opinions, he will finda crushing reply in this work. Nor amI fearful that my disciples who, throughmy teaching, obtain the empire overNature, will ever suffer my name tosink into oblivion, or to be bespatteredwith vile calumnies.

D


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Know then, benevolent and sincereobserver of art, that there are twojdndsof Antimony, which differ widely fromeach other. One is beautiful, pure, and

, of a golden quality, containing a con-siderable amount of Mercury. Theother has much Sulphur, is not sofriendly to gold as the first, and is knownby its beautiful, long, brilliantly whitestreaks. Now, one Antimony is moreuseful than the other, both for Alchem-istic and Medicinal purposes. Thereare many different kinds of flesh, theflesh of fishes and the flesh of animals ;and as both are flesh, so two widelydifferent substances may be called Anti-mony.

Many have written about the inwardvirtue of Antimony, but few know eitherthe true foundation of its power, or theorigin thereof. Their knowledge isverbal erudition only ; it is devoid of asolid grounding, and bears no fruit.To write on Antimony, there isneeded profound meditation, a largemind, a wide knowledge of its prepara-


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 35tion, and of its true soul, in whichconsists all its usefulness. If you arefamiliar with these, you can truly tellwhat is good and medicinal, what is badand poisonous, in it. It is surely worthwhile to enquire into the essential andfundamental nature of Antimony, and todiscover how its venomous quality,against which so loud an outcry israised, may be removed, and itself pre-pared, changed, and transmuted into apure Medicine, containing not a singletrace of poison.

Many Anatomists have subjectedAntimony to all manner of singulartorments and excruciating processes,which it is difficult either to believe orto describe. Their studies have led tono result, because they did not seek thetrue soul of Antimony, and, therefore,did not soon find that fictitious soul ofwhich they were in search, their pathbeing obscured with black colours whichrendered invisible what they desired tosee. Antimony, like Mercury, is com-parable to a circle, without beginning or


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end, composed of all colours ; and themore is always found in it, the morediligent and prudent the search which ismade. One man's life is too short todiscover all these mysteries. It is amost potent poison ; then, again, it isfree from poison, and a most excellentMedicine, both for external and internalapplication. This is hidden from manythrough their blindness, and they judgeit to be a foolish, incredible, and vainthing. We must excuse them on accountof their ignorance, and permit them toplead their stupidity in extenuation oftheir folly. The worst of it is that theywill not be taught.

Antimony has the four first qualities ;it is frigid and humid, and yet hot anddry ; it accommodates itself to the fourseasons of the year, and is both volatileand fixed. Its volatility is poisonous,its fixed state free from all poison. HenceAntimony is one of the seven wonders ofthe world, and many have written aboutit without knowing the meaning of theirown words ; no one before me, and even


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T/te Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 37at the present time no one besides my-self, has any real acquaintance with itspotency, virtues, powers, operation, andefficacy. If any such person could befound, he would be worthy to be drawnabout in a triumphal car, like greatkings and warriors after mighty andheroic achievements in the battlefield.But I am afraid that not many of ourDoctors are in danger of being forciblyplaced in such a car.*

Men of this world, who are at thesame time students of our art, are sogiven up to the desire of gain that theycan think only of the riches which Anti-mony is to bestow upon them ; they donot realize that the medicinal virtues ofAntimony should be the first object of

* Read carefully all that our friend Basilius says in praiseof Antimony. You will find here no vain boasting or foolishexaggeration, for as yet no man has been able to soundthe wonderful depths of this marvellous Medicine. We seemany things, new things are daily discovered, and still moreremain to be found out. The resources of Antimony are asinexhaustible and infinitely varied as those of fire, which arenot diminished by taking away from them. Hence Basiliusrightly judged him who should sound the mystery ofAntimony worthy of a triumphal car.


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38 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.our search, in order that the name ofGod shall be glorified, and that ourfellowmen may be truly benefitted.We admit that greater riches are tobe found in Antimony than it is possibleto imagine, even for me, though I knowmuch more about this matter than youwho are so exceedingly wise in your ownconceits. But let none be afraid for thisreason, or despair of ultimately attainingto this highest felicity of human life ; forthe loving kindness of God is great inthe dispensation of His gifts. But be-cause of the ingratitude of men, He hascovered their eyes, as it were, with cob-webs, so that they cannot perceive themysteries hidden in this mineral form.

All clamour aloud : We want to berich, rich Yes, you desire wealth, andsay with Epicurus : Let us provide forour bodies, and leave our souls to takecare of themselves. Even as Midas inthe fable, you desire to change all thingsinto gold. So are there numerous per-sons who seek this coveted wealth inAntimony, but since they do not care for


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 39God, and have cast far away from themthe love of their neighbour, they willlook at the horse's teeth of Antimony forever without knowing anything about itsage or qualities. Like the wedding-guests of Cana, they may behold themiracle by which water is turned intowine ; they may know that it was water,and they may taste that now it is wine ;yet they can never learn the way inwhich the change was brought about.

Nevertheless, it is every one's dutyto investigate the mysteries and wonder-ful secrets which the Creator has infusedinto all things. We may not be able tounderstand and explain everything. Yetmany things are possible to industry andperseverance ; and though many an onemay be severely handicapped in thestruggle for wealth and health, yet,through the grace of God, he may stillattain thereto. Therefore he should notthink any labour too great which is likelyto advance his knowledge of Antimony.Whoever, then, would perfectly under-stand the Anatomy of Antimony, should,


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40 The Triumphal Chariot of A ntimony.in the first place, become acquainted withthe manner of its solution, so that hemay be able to seize it in the right place,and proceed in the right way, withoutentering into devious paths. In thesecond place, he should learn how toregulate the fire, so that it shall beneither too fierce nor too feeble. Fireis the root of the whole matter. Bymeans of fire the vitalizing spirits areextracted and dissolved for the purposesof our operation. But care must betaken not to mortify and destroy thespirit by means of too much heat.The third point for consideration isthe proportion of the substance, the dis-covery of the proper measure, as I havealready noted, when enumerating thefive points which are requisite in Al-chemy. It is necessary to enlargefurther upon this matter.

The substance is prepared by meansof dissolution ; it is perfected by meansof coction in fire. This is the axe thatkills the ox, and divides it into parts.But men cannot partake of the flesh till


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 41it has been cooked over the fire, bywhich means the red colour of the meatis removed, and a white nutritious sub-stance is substituted in its place. If aman, driven by hunger, were to eat theraw, red flesh, it would be a poison tohim rather than a medicine, because thestomach has not sufficient natural heat todigest the raw material. In the sameway, it will be so much the more danger-ous for you to use Antimony beforeseparation, preparation, and coction, asthe mineral substance is more gross andpoisonous in its raw state than thatobtained from the animal body.

Therefore Antimony must be sothoroughly deprived of its poisonousnature that it can never again return toit, just as wine which has once beenchanged into vinegar by putrefaction andcorruption, can never again produce thespirit of wine, but must always remainvinegar. But when, by means of distilla-tion, the spirit alone is removed from thewine, so that the watery part is separatedfrom the spirit, and the spirit is after-


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42 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.wards sublimed, the wine can neverthenceforth become vinegar, even thoughit were kept a hundred years, but wouldalways remain spirit of wine, just as thevinegar always remains vinegar.

This change of wine into vinegar isa wonderful thing, for thereby somethingis actually produced out of the winewhich did not before exist in its vege-table essence. In the distillation of winethe first product is a spirit ; in the distil-lation of vinegar the first product is awatery substance, and thus a spirit, as Iexplained above. Hence the spirit ofwine, being itself volatile, renders otherthings volatile, but the spirit of vinegarfixes and renders solid all medicaments, //,both mineral and vegetable, so that theyattract fixed matter and expel fixeddiseases.

Pay diligent attention to this fact,and observe it well, for here lies themaster key of our whole Art.** Do not blindly believe these and similar assertions of

Basilius, but keep your eyes wide open. Herein is the firstkey, herein the chief point of the whole Art. This will open


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 43Antimony, which contains within

itself its own vinegar, should be so pre-pared as to entirely remove its poisonousnature, in order that he who drinks itmay not swallow with it any venom, butrather drive away and cast out all poisonfrom his body.The preparation of Antimony, or theKey of Antimony, is that by which it isdissolved, opened, divided and separated.Such processes are calcination^' reverber-jlfl/vvaation, sublimation, as we have previouslydeclared. In extracting its essence, invitalizing its Mercury, the process iscontinued, and this Mercury must after-wards be precipitated in the form ofa fixed powder. By our Art it can alsobecome an oil, which is a specific againstthe new disease imported into thiscountry by French soldiers.to you the first portal and the last, leading to the chamber ofthe King. You now stand on the threshold of the work. Ifyou take a false turning at this point, or enter by a wrongdoor, the whole of your subsequent journey will be mis-directed. He who holds the right key in his hand, and hasthat strength to turn it which is supplied by Plutus (who isgod of wealth), the entrance to the inmost shrine ofAlchemy lies open before him.


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44 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.The same

process may be observed,for instance, in the brewing of beer ; bar-ley, wheat, or other grain, must undergoall these processes before it becomes apalatable beverage. It must first bemashed and dissolved in water, as I haveobserved them do in Belgium and Eng-land, when I was a young man. This isPutrefaction, or Corruption. Then thewater is poured off, and the moist grainis left in a warm place, till it germinatesand sticks together. This is Digestion.

Thereupon the grains are oncemore separated from each other, anddried, either in the sun or before the fire.This is Reverberation and Coagulation.

The prepared germ is then groundin the mill. This is vegetable Calcina-tion. It is afterwards cooked over thefire, and its nobler spirit is mingled withthe water in a way which would not havebeen possible before it was so prepared.Thus, water becomes beer, and this wemay call Distillation. If hops are addedto the beer they are its vegetable salt,which preserves it from all adverse


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46 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.After this, we may bring about

another separation by means of Vege-table Sublimation. The spirit of wine,or beer, by this process, and by Dis-tillation, is separated, and prepared inthe form of another beverage, or ardentspirits. Here the operative virtue isseparated from its body ; the spirit isextracted by means of fire, and has de-serted its inert and lifeless habitation,in which before it was domiciled.

If such ardent wine, or spirit ofwine, be rectified, you have Exaltation.When this is done, the spirit of wine isseveral times distilled, and so condensedby being purified from all phlegm andwateriness that one measure is moreeffectual than twenty measures were be-fore ; it intoxicates more rapidly, and isvolatile, and subtle in penetrating andacting upon substances. *

* Do not despise these remarks on the preparation ofbeer and wine. There may be apparent repetition here, butthere is nothing superfluous. Return often mentally to thisbeershop ; read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest all that issaid. It may be that in this turbid water, which looks sounlikely, you may after all catch your fish. If the excess of


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 47Here I exhort you, who desirethrough my teaching to secure healthand riches as the reward of your study of

Antimony, not to suppose that there isso much as a superfluous word or letterin what I have hitherto said. I tell youthere are many words sprinkled up anddown in my writings which may make itwell worth your while to turn over thepages again and again, and to pondervery frequently the meaning of sentencesin which every word is worth its weightin gold. Know that though the illus-trations which I have given have a rusticand simple appearance, they set forth agrand truth of the highest moment. Butit is neither desirable nor necessary topraise my own works : they will praisethemselves, as soon as the suggestionscontained in them are practically tried.I purposely use rude and common illus-trations. For it is my business to setforth the hidden virtues of Antimony ;light which prevails here should not enable you to see, noamount of obscure alchemistic reading will disperse yourinward darkness.


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48 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony,and as this is a

very profound andabstruse speculation, it is useful to pre-pare the way by throwing upon mysubject all the light which can be gainedfrom common and familiar things ; other-wise, you might be in danger of losingyour road at the very outset of yourjourney. Antimony is also likened to abird which is borne through the air onthe wings of the wind, and turns whitherit will. The wind, or air, here repre-sents the Artist, who can move andimpel Antimony whither it pleases him,and place it wherever he likes. He cancolour it red or yellow, white or black,according to the way in which he regu-lates the fire, since Antimony, likeMercury, contains within itself all colours.

If a book be placed before anilliterate person, he does not know whatthe letters mean ; he stands staringstupidly at the characters, like a cow ata new gate. But if that person weretaught to read, were shewn the significa-tion of the letters, and instructed in themeaning of the work, he would no longer


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, 49be a prey to stupid wonder, but the whyand the wherefore of the whole thingwould be plain and familiar to him.Such a book is Antimony to those whohave not yet learned to read it : henceall such persons should pay the mostcareful attention to my preliminary in-struction, and should not be offended if Ioffer to teach them the alphabet of Anti-mony. Let them study this alphabetdiligently, in order that they may learnto read the book, and thus advance fromclass to class in this our school ofAlchemy, until they have reached thehighest grade of all.But at this point I remember thatthere is, from time to time, a greatclamour, and cry of Away with them,crucify them, crucify them raisedagainst those who prepare medicines outof poisons such as Mercury, Arsenic,and Antimony. It is averred that bymeans of such medicines many have metwith a sudden death, or are dragging ona miserable existence. This clamour ismost persistently raised by those DoctorsE


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5O The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.of Medicine (save the mark ) who donot know the difference between a poisonand a theriac, nor yet how a poison shallbe prepared in order that it may becomea salutary medicine, and exchange itsmalignancy for health-giving qualities. Iprotest against being numbered amongstthe persons who administer to their pa-tients orpiment, arsenic, and mercury,which, in their unprepared state, are,of course, deadly poisons.* But afterlegitimate preparation all venom is re-moved and expelled, and there remainsonly a Medicine which resists allinternal poisons, and radically removesthem. It is also the surest antidoteagainst every unprepared poison, and

*At the time when Basilius wrote, the ignorance ofcertain physicians was so great that they administered asmedicines many poisons in their raw and unpurified state,and ignorantly proscribed the means by which the Alchemistsrendered them truly salutary to the human system. Againstthese pseudo-doctors honest Basilius and his friends werewont to inveigh with the greatest sharpness. But in thisimperfect world truth is not necessarily victorious, andthough the Alchemists had the better cause, their opponentshad the advantage of numbers. Yet, even then, Paracelsusforesaw the dawn of better times which should be ushered inby the coming of the Artist Elias.


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changes all such into its own wholesomenature.This assertion will excite a fierce

controversy among Doctors, and manywill be ready to maintain to the lastbreath that it is utterly impossible toremove the deadly nature of mineralpoisons. I do not wonder at theirincredulity, since they are hopelesslyignorant of all similar preparations, andhave no conception of the deepermysteries of science. Yet those whoare more reasonable will be ready toadmit that it is possible considerably toimprove a vile and worthless substance.

Moreover, you Doctors yourselvesmust admit that your object is to makebetter that bad thing which causes thedisease. Must you not also acknow-ledge that the diseases of minerals, andespecially of medicinal minerals, can beso removed that a state of perfect healthmay be restored, and that the medicinesmust thereby be rendered infinitely moreefficacious. But I do not expect you toagree with me, since you are not


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52 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.familiar with the method of preparation.The unreasoning clamour of the majority : Poison, poison will doubtless carrythe day, just as the senseless clamourof the Jews, Crucify, crucify Himdoomed to death the Saviour of theworld, Whom the multitude pronounceda most deadly and injurious poison,while in reality He was the only true,noble, and effectual Medicine of oursouls, come to deliver us from eternaldeath, hell, the power of Satan, and allother evils and misfortunes. This pro-found truth those supercilious Scribesand Pharisees could and would notunderstand, yet it was the truth then,and will remain so throughout all eter-nity ; nor will the devil, or death, or thegates of hell, ever be able to prevailagainst it, or to prove it a lie.So I know that in spite of theclamorous outcry raised against it byquacks, mountebanks, and idle Doctorsresident in towns, yea, by all men whoprofess to have any knowledge of thenoble Art which they disgrace, Antimony


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 53will triumph and trample underfoot thewhole rout of its assailants, and its falseand hypocritical judges will receive thesame condemnation as the wicked Jews.What a poor figure do they cut in myeyes all these grand, conceited magnifi-coes who solemnly admonish Emperors,Kings, Princes not even to touch suchmedicines with their lips, because theyare poisonous, noxious, and most danger-ous. I will not attempt to refute them,for they speak at random without theslightest knowledge of their subject. Iwill only say this, that I offer to give toone who has swallowed the most deadlyof all poisons so powerful an antidote,that, if he be left altogether to my treat-ment, the venom will at once be totallyexpelled from his system.As to the rest, I do not care in theleast whether you, Sir Doctor, who knownothing at all about this matter, andhave never given the least thought to it,condemn my medicine, or not ; it isenough for me that I can prove itsefficacy, that I have prepared this Medi-


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54 The TriumpJial Chariot of Antimony.cine with my own hands, and admin-istered it with unvarying success to greatnumbers of people, who are ready tobear me witness under their own handand seal.

If I ever had to dispute in theschools with this quality of Doctor, whocannot prepare his own medicines (suchas they are), but must leave that work toanother, I should justly claim pre-emi-nence over him. For he does not evenknow the colour of the remedies whichhe prescribes. He has not the slightestidea whether they are white or black, redor grey, blue or yellow, or whether themedicament is hot, cold, dry, or humid.He only knows one thing that he hasfound the name of that medicine in hisbooks, and, pluming himself on theantiquity of his hoary ignorance, heclaims the right of prior possession.

Here again I am tempted to crywoe upon these foolish doctors whoseconsciences are seared with a hot iron,who do not care in the least for theirpatients, and will be called to a terrible


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 55account for their criminal folly on theday of judgment. Then they will beholdHim Whom they have pierced by neg-lecting their neighbour's welfare, whilepocketing his money, and they will seeat last that they ought to have labourednight and day, in order to acquire greaterskill in the healing of disease. Insteadof this they complacently go on trustingto chance, prescribing the first medicinethey happen to find in their books, andleaving the patient and the disease tofight it out as best they can. They donot even trouble to enquire in what waythe medicines they prescribe are pre-pared. Their laboratory, their furnace,their drugs, are at the Apothecary's, towhom they rarely or never go. Theyinscribe upon a sheet of paper, underthat magic word Recipe the namesof certain medicines, whereupon theApothecary's assistant takes his mortar,and pounds out of the wretched patientwhatever health may still be left in him.

Change these evil times, oh God Cut down these trees, lest they grow up


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 57xmen, in His goodness and mercy bringabout this consummation

Since I have undertaken to publisha set treatise on the subject of Antimony,it is fitting that I should begin with anexplanation of its name. The Arabs, towhom this metal has long been known,called it AsINAT ; the Chaldeans desig-nated it STIBIUM ; its usual name amongthe Latins is ANTIMONY. The Germanname (Spies^las) reflects one of thepeculiarities of the metal, viz., the streaksby which it is distinguished, and the easewith which it is changed into a kind ofcoloured glass.*

This variety of names teaches ustwo things : first, that Antimony wasknown to the Arabs, Chaldeans, Latins,

* Poets sometimes commence their tale in the middle, andthen work back to the beginning, in order to sustain the in-terest of their readers. Alchemists sometimes adopt thesame device in order that their meaning may be hidden fromall except the worthy. Here Basilius, in the middle of thetreatise, begins to discuss the name of his substance, withwhich an ordinary writer would have commenced, but soonhe abandons this plan, and proceeds to answer the question,already mooted, whether Antimony can be deprived of allits poison, a question which is explained by means of usefuland highly significant illustrations.


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58 The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony.and Germans, and, second, that its vir-tues were held in the highest estimationamong them ; but that afterwards hereti-cal notions crept in, the potency ofAntimony was more and more forgotten,and its glory obscured and finally ex-tinguished. That this should be so,must appear very natural to any oneacquainted with the wiles and cunning*craftiness of the great Arch-enemy of ourrace, who ever lies in wait to deceive thechildren of men, and to rob them of thelight which they possess. And especiallydoes he put forth all his power in orderto induce amongst men ignorance of thetrue medicine, and to discourage its use.He knows well that thereby the glory ofGod is obscured, and the sacrifice ofthanksgiving kept back which else wouldrise from many a human heart to theGiver of All, who has shed abroad amongcreated things the outer rays of Hisglory. However, it is comparatively oflittle use to speak about the name ofAntimony. Its great virtue and utilitycan be known only to those who are


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The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 59familiar with the method of its prepara-tion. Hence I will rather strive toimmortalize my name by throwing asmuch light as I can on this part of thesubject.

But before I attempt to declare thevirtue of Antimony, you should knowthat, although Antimony in its raw stateis a deadly poison, yet poison can attractto itself poison more effectually by farthan any other heterogeneous substance.

This assertion is proved by the factthat the body of an unicorn, which isentirely free from poison, repels everypoisonous thing. Place a live spider in-side a circle formed by a strip of the skinof an unicorn, and you will observe thatthe spider will not be able to pass. Butif the circle be composed of some en-venomed substance, the spider will haveno difficulty in crossing the line, whichis homogenous to its own nature.Any similar experiment would yieldthe same result. Hollow out a silvercoin, and let it float on the water like aboat. Then hold close to it, yet without


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making ac

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