Section 7

10. Take one part of Tincture B. project it on one thousand parts fine Silver, and it will transmute it into fine gold.
11. Project one part of Tincture A. wrapped in paper, upon 1000 parts of pure Quicksilver, which has been heated until the fumes arise, and the Quicksilver will be changed into Tincture (C).
12. Take one part of Tincture C, wrapped in paper, project the same on 1000 parts heated Quicksilver, and it will become transmuted into fine Gold.
13. Take one part of Tincture B., project on 1000 parts Tin or Lead in fusion, and it will be transmuted into Gold.
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TRISMOSIN'S ALCHEMICAL PROCESS
14. Take one part of Tincture B, and project it on Copper in fusion, and it will be transmuted into Gold of a very red colour.
15. Project some Tincture B on red hot iron, inslert the iron again into the blaze, and it will be transmuted into brittle Gold.
16. Melt the Gold that has been transmuted of the iron, with equal gold transmuted from Quicksilver, and it will become good malleable Gold.
17. Dissolve some Tincture B. in strong alcoholic wine, and take a spoonful in the morning, it will strengthen and renew your constitution. It rejuvenates the aged and makes women prolific.
18. Tincture C. dissolved in strong wine, and a wine- glassful taken fasting in the morning will cure Leprosy or any skin diseases in a few days.
Thus far the unguaranteed directions for making the Philosophers Stone, which, if they fail to give the promised result, will at least have that virtue left : they will make those who believe in them, feel rich, until they are undeceived ; while those of us who have had no personal experience in that part of the practical Philosophy of the Ancients, un-
93
TRISMOSIN'S ALCHEMICAL PROCESS
qualified either to affirm or deny the above extraordinary statements, we can only exclaim, with the all but forgotten DOMINIE Sampson : " prodigious ! " and pass on, hoping, or doubting, that we have learned some Truth.
As concerns the Process itself, no one but a practical Chemist should attempt it, for apart from the poisonous fumes, for which eating bread, thickly spread with butter, would hardly be a safe and sufi&cient antidote, — Sublimation should be done under an open chimney with a strong upward draft — ^there is that lovely booby-trap, the Fulminating Gold, left wide open. Some process has been omitted that would shut that trap and render the fulminate harmless. Here the question arises whether in depriving the Fulminate of its FULMEN it is not also deprived of its power of Transmutation ? Which further gives rise to the crucial question : Is aurum fulminans the philosopher's stone ? This question can only be answered by the careful experiments of trained Chemists.
The Medical ef&cacy of the Tincture is afi&rmed in the book ARUM VELLUS (xoisoN d'or) not Only in general terms, but in particular instances of restoration to health, and of rejuvenation, of the aged there given.
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TRISMOSIN'S ALCHEMICAL PROCESS
The origin of the writings attributed to Trismosin is uncertain and wrapped in mystery. The " Splendor Solis ," apart from its magnificent Pictures of indubitable artistic merit, is the best of those Alchemical compositions.
I am of opinion, that if not executed by tismosin's order, and under his immediate directions, some wealthy Amateur Alchemist, possibly a Fugger, may have encouraged the Artist who produced this Manuscript, by his patronage, and all the writings attributed to that author, with the exception of " splendor sous " and his Alchemical " WANDERINGS " are either spurious, or have been tampered with.
Of TRISMOSIN, whose name Schmieder believes to have been Pfeifer, and that he was a Saxon, it is related in the Preface to the book " elucidarius chymicus, 1617 " that he lived by virtue of (or perhaps, despite) his medicine to an age of one hundred and fifty years ! so mote it be I
96
EXPLANATORY NOTES
1. Splendor, according to the Dictionary is the state or quality of being splendid, giving out or reflecting Light, brightly shining ; lustrous, glittering — exceeding brilliancy of emitted or reflected light ; as the splendour of the Sun.
2. In an 18th Century Cyclopedia (Zedler, vol. 39), Splendour is called, the brightness, or brillance of light, which a dark body incapable of giving out light has revived from a luminous body. It differs from radiance, or rays emanating from a luminous body. Splendour also means Magnificence, Excellence, Glory.
3. Sol in Alchemy, simply means Sulphur of the Philosophers, and in common Chemistry, gold.
4. The SOL or sun of the Philosophers of Mercurial Origin, is the FIXED, while the moon is the unfixed part of Matter of the great work. These are the two Dragons of Flamel.
They also call the innate Fire in Matter sol.
6. As the Unfixed and Fixed are drawn out of the same Mercurial source, the Philosophers say the sun is the Father and the moon the Mother of the Philosopher's Stone.
(PERNETY, DICTIONNAIRE MYTHO-HERMETIQUE).
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EXPLANATORY NOTES
6. The Sun is the Mystic Symbol for the Soul, as the Sun illumines the World with Life-giving Light and Energies, does the soul sustain the body with Life and Thought. Body and Mind are formed by the Soul.
7. Albertus MAGNUS (1193-1280) Dominican monk, Theologian, Philosopher and Alchemist. His collected Works are contained in 21 Folio Volumes, comprising the knowledge of his time. He was author of ten works on Alchemy.
8. Alphidius. a Latin MS. "Alphidi, philosophi,
CLAVES QUINQUE ET ALIA FRAGMENTA DE LAPIDE PHILOSOPHICO
COMPONENDO," is according to schmieder's history of ALCHEMY preserved in the Library of the escurial.
HoEFER, histoire DE LA CHiMiE, vol. 1, p. 348, Considers the name probably a Latinised corruption of al kindi, who died between 861-870, c.e., whose real name would be Abu jussuF jacub ben ishak al kenda. This author was well versed in Mathematics, Physics, Medicine, Alchemy and Astrology. Michael Casiri, in his bibliotheca ARABICO-HISPANO ESCURIALENSIS, MADRID, 1760-7, vol. i, p. 363, gives a list of his works. Al kend is not as kopp " alchemie," vol. ii, p. 339, makes out an alchemical writer of an unknown period nor can he be classified (id p. 363) as of the Twelfth Century.
97
EXPLANATORY NOTES
9. Aristotle, the Alchemist, is not identical with the Stagirite Philosopher (384-322 B.C.) but the Fourth Book, METEOROLOGicoRUM, referred to in the Preface, is of the ancient Greek Philosopher. The " letter to Alexander " is, of course, spurious.
Let not the reader be discouraged by the word " spurious." The author's name may be forged, but the contents of the work may nevertheless be of great value. The wisest Adepts, possibly, concealed their identity behind these ancient names. In times when it was dangerous to be suspected of Occult knowledge, such precautions were necessary.
10. AVICENA, or ABU ALI AL HUSSEIN BEN ABDALLA IBN
siNA, (980-1036) equally famous as Philosopher and Physician. Some of his writings are in mangeti bibliotheca CHEMicA cuRiosA and in the theatrum chemicum.
11. The Romantic story of Sultan calid, or kalid, of Eygpt, blended with the Life of the Alchemist morienus, or MARiANOS, given in lenglet du fresnoy's histoire DE LA PHiLOSOPHiE HERMETiQUE, vol. i, ch. 21, and In
WAITE'S lives of the ALCHEMISTICAL PHILOSOPHERS, pp.
53-7. See also morienis romani de compositione
ALCHEMIAE, &C., in MANGETI BIBLIOTHECA CHEMICA CURIOSA,
vol. i, No. 28, and richebourg's bibliotheque des
PHILOSOPHES CHIMIQUE, vol. ii, No. 2.
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EXPLANATORY NOTES
11. Galenus, a Physician of Asia Minor, in the second Christian Century, No alchemical works are attributed to him. He prepared drugs, later called Galenical Medicines, for treatment of disease, axid thus became the Father of Pharmacy. Paracel$us the Swiss Alchemist and Physician (1493-1541) nicknamed the other " Luther " the first teacher who ever held a chair of Physical Science, began his lectures at Basle by lighting some sulphur in a dish and burning the works of Galen and others, saying : " So yovt too, will burn in hell." See " Life Understood " by F. L. Rawson, p. 52.
12. Geber, whose true name was abu mussa jafar AL SOFI, the most famous mediaeval alchemist, flourished at Seville, about 800 c.e. His chief works are reproduced
in MANGETI BIBLIOTHECA CHEMICA CURIOSA, Vol.
i. No. 29 and 31. Foremost among them is his " sum of
PERFECTION," " SUMMA PERFECTIONIS MAGISTERI," also tO
be found in richebourg's bibliotheque des philosophes CHIMIQUES," vol. i. No. 4. 'The best text, however, of the genuine works of geber is to be found in berthelot's " la CHIMIE AU MOYEN AGE," Paris, 1893, vol. iii , pp. 126-224. "oeuvres de djaber." a vast improvement on the foregoing.
13. Hali, menaldus, miraldus, senior, &c., are names occurring in an Alchemical work " turba philosophorum,"
99
EXPLANATORY NOTES
attributed to a Latin writer named sometimes arisleus, at other times aristeus, supposed to have lived in the 12th century. The title of the book can be translated either as "Contention" or "Assembly" of "Philosophers." The author's idea was to take leading Quotations from all the writers on Alchemy he knew, and introduce them in a form of discussion on Transmutation, held by an assembly of Philosophers. Some names are fictitious, others are of writers whose works are actually quoted.
The sayings foisted upon pythagoras, socrates, &c,, though never uttered by those . ancient Greek Sages, may nevertheless convey valuable suggestions.
14. Hermes, the Father of Alchemy and Hermetic Philosophy, supposed to be identical with the equally unknown Egyptian toth. No certain date can be given when he is supposed to have lived, if ever. The emerald TABLE OF HERMES, is as foUows : It is true, and without falsehood ; whatever is below is like that which is above ; and that which is above is Uke that which is below : to accomplish one sole miracle.
As all things have come from one mind, so can all things be improved by adaptation to that mind.
The sun is the Father, the moon the Mother, the Wind carries it in its belly, and it is nursed by the Earth. It is
100
. EXPLANATORY NOTES the Father of all the Power in the world. Its virtue is complete when changed into Earth. Separate the Earth from the Fire, the subtle from the coarse, but carefully, and with great judgment.
" It ascends from Earth to Heaven, and descends from Heaven to Earth, and, thereby gets the Force of Above and Below. Thus the Glory of the World will be thine, and all darkness shall flee from thee. This is the force of FORCES, that overcomes all subtle things and penetrates all solid. For thus the World is created, and only by Adaptation can this wonderful thing be done.
" Hence I am called Thrice Great Hermes, having mastered the three parts of the whole world's Philosophy. What I have to say on the Solar Work is finished."
This version will be found to differ slightly from the one that appears at the end of " The Lives of the Alchemystical Philosophers, London, 1815. The Golden Treatise (Tractatus Aureus) can be found in mangeti bibliotheca
CHEMICA CURIOSA, vol. i, No. 19.
16. Hippocrates, the greatest Physician of Antiquity, bom at Cos, an island off the coast of Asia Minor, 460 B.C. The Genuine Works of Hippocrates translated fron^ the Greek, and published by the Sydenham Society, 1849, are purely medical. J 101
EXPLANATORY NOTES
16. Rhases (860-940), a famous Arabian Physician, who lived in the reign of the Khalif Al-Mansur. According to Abou Abaiah, he composed 226 books, most of which are lost. Hoefer Histoire de La Chimie, vol. i, p. 341, says : that in the book lumen luminum magnum, Rhases describes a preparation of Sulphuric Acid from Sulphate of Iron, in a way similar to the Nordhausen Process. '
According to Schmieder History of Alchemy, p. 95, the " Liber Lumen Luminum " composed in Latin Rhjmies, was written by Rhases Castrensis, or of Castres, in Languedoc, and it is an error to attribute its authorship to the Arabian, physician. The " Liber Lumen Lumtnmn " was therefore a recent work when Splendor Solis appeared.
17. RosiNUS, an Arabian Alchemist, first quoted by 14th Century writers. The artis aurifera, basil, 1610, contains three treatises by this author : (1) ad euthiciam.
(2) AD SARANTANTAM EPISCOPUM. (3) LIBER DEFINITIONUM,
giving allegorical descriptions of the Male and Female Principles, and the General properties of the Philosopher's Stone.
18. The scALA PHILOSOPHORUM, is attributed to guido montanor, a French Alchemist, of whom very little is known. He quotes Roger Bacon and Ricardus Anglus, and is quoted
102
EXPLANATORY NOTES
by Ripley and other 15th Century Artists. The book is included in mangeti bibliotheca chemica curiosa, vol. ii, No. 74.
19. " AuTOR TRIUM VERBORUM," the author of " The Book of Three Words " is kalled rachaidib, an Arabian Alchemist, who lived about 1200. His book laid the foundation to the theory of Trimaterialism, i.e., that all metals consisted of Salt, Mercury, and Sulphur. A Latin translation is given in Mangeti Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa, vol. ii. No. 79.
20. The ideas on the origin of mountains, &c., in "the FIRST PARABLE " are largely taken from avicena de CONGLUTINATIONE LAPiDis, as Can be seen by a comparison with that Treatise, in the threatrum chemicum, vol. i. No. 36.
21. Trismosin's Story of his travels also gives a reason for the Venetian Palaces and Italian landscapes that appear in his allegorical Pictures. The scenes in the margins probably depict reminiscences of his " wanderings " that he may have recounted to the artist. Assuming that he was a youth when he started on his travels, in 1473, his age when the MS. was produced would have been over a hundred. This would favour the idea that he returned wealthy from Italy and lived in retirement as an Adept. If he was not an Adept and only a fraud, why the Manuscript with its cabn sensible
103
EXPLANATORY NOTES writing, not intended for publication ? Why the artistic painting^ of undoubted merit ?
22. As I have already observed in the Introductory, the 22 Pictures of Splendor Sblis are arranged in the same order as the 22 Keys of the Tarot and have the same M3^tic meaning.
The End.
Printed by Fox, Jones A Co., High Street, Oxford, England.
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