Section 41

Herein following the Trefdm of all fiheere and confcientiousPWe/jW then whom, the Injured world cannot morecondemne the abufes of thefe Im«
Ppjp a pojkrs
0H*8)
pofim that difgrace the Art, in that they are continually advipng to Ihun them as fpreading InfeMion ; and fetting out £?g&ttand Vircclionf, that mayferve as To many Ltfni mar fa (if we will but take notice of them J to make us a- voyd the Roc\s of zheir Fr*j/4 and Veceipt, which will otherwise fplit U5.
Thefamous^r/of Vbyfielt is not more abufed, with ^uaciiing Mounts han\si nor that other of^/fro/sgy moreinjur'd by fome nibling Scioliftsand ignorant luglers : then this Divine Science hath fuffered by the Lcgerdtmaine of feme Trttenders. What though fome Moderne Cbemifistove beyond the Latitude of their Trofejfion, (being hurried on by a Covetous thirftj to obteyne this Arcanum e£>eii this Tbefaurus incompxrabilU',) and by operating inftrange tHatters.Sc torturing of various Bodies ; bring Z)isjaragcment upon this worthy Science; yet we ought not therefore to confound praife-wortby Arts, with the Abufcs which Iwpofters muffle into them * or for the falfeneile or corruption cf,the bad, condemne the pure and good : If So, Religion it felfe (35 well as ©ther Learning, and Pro] :ejj ions) would fcarce be exempt from the like blemi- ffoesj and wounds, if not deftroyed and buiied in fcornfull Ignorance,
This is the Mifcry, (and tis not ultra Caduceum for me tojfpeake it) ihat there are a Generation ©f Veople thatruih headlong into the acquaintance of fach Men, there's nor ftaviug them oft] much like the doting Idiotts which lo eager- ly courced Cbauctfs Cbanon, after whom
d) Chan* - — — dj £$ en rften anfc fcone Ml mmt a £®$ iz
Teom.Tale* |£ imfo? to ficfee an o^afos acquaintance,
iftot&ncSmisg of lyte faife governance.
Let Vbilofophers fay what tbev can, and wife men give never fo good Counfelf^ no warning will ferve,they muft be Couzened, nay they have a greedy ap- petite thereunto 5 but it Ins beene ever fo, and we are told of old, that
t) Odin. pag. 7 e) £$ m$ %x tifice^s W& b$m ov.er fmife,
a&ut§I;ail£ Credence to fume axoapt^cir tariff,
fo fhong and powerful! a mifleader isCovetoufnejfe. f) Ord.p4g.i7. f ) Norton defcribes thefe Cheats exactly, and give as ful an account of their Subtilties as he dare, for feare of incouraging fuch as bend their Witts that g)Chap,ofPu- way. (gj Ripley dtffe&s them to the £oac,and feourgeth them naked to the trefac viewoidtf; the like doth many other Vbilofophers: Bloomef eld gives us a Cata-
logue of the cheife of this Tribe in his time, and I may fafely tell the Reader be fhall gaine much benefit by this Wot fa if he pick but out what is faid concer- ning them, andftudy that Firft.
In fome darke Vajfages tis as greate a Curtefle to Be taught to know Bloc fa as tobedire&edwhichwayto avoyd and get beyond them, and being fee thanke Ripty for this his following Cautionary advice.
F)Chap,of Pu- b; Ufafeare lfymfo%t fo? Itjefog fafje,
^cfac ^nti ttwfctH S»tt't? nothing of greate Coll ,
J o^..atOf 1^0^ §ee, $t &f but ioft.
,
C4
As alfo Norton,
i) Ceafc 2Upme n ceafe, be not tn letobneffe ebet?, \\ Ord. i> i *
3le3»bmffe fo leabe te better late tljen neber .
I wifh I could fay this ^^ this_ Ndtt'Mt, the World, were not alured and in- fected with the Cyrtm notes of fome grand , and notable Impoftors3oz that the too too Qredulom had not met with the fame misfortune which Story tells us others have undergone, even to Ruine.Ya to thofe that have been De- coy'd into the fnare3 and would gladly for the future purfue a more hopefull Cwrfa let them heare Richard Carpenter.
%)SeeCarpent. k) 2&bpfztfce&>eHetetl>eS» begin, worke.
SHelfelptel fc^altt&oa? frpnne
And with him Chaucer,
0 3If tyat sour
aofcetytljat ^out #tnt>elac&notfcij0f%$t. Tale.
And againe,
H'tnomanbmle fri* t$te Ktoetofcctye, U&nt ije ttjat the ententton anb ^>pcee^e ^fttyefWiofon^er£tim$erflNnb saw, &nb if %t t oc \p ijQf a leStobe man.
-$ o* t^te^cpenee ant) Coming qtiob Cm; ty, m) Arnold, de
3,0 of t&c £>ecre of decree* parse. villa nova.
Let me tell them they may btcomthappier and exped a Ittefiing in what they feekej If with Jo& they can thus throughly purge themfelves and fay, If I have made § old my Hope, or fine Gold my Confidence, &c. that is, if they can fludy this Science and not purfue it for Tranfmutation of Metals fake onefy,
nj tfojCobetotuei ment^atfittbi^tiebetr 5&Pefce Black
C^oos^ ttyvUte it once anb eber, monke.
and certainly the lucre of that will fix a Curfe upon their 'Endeavours, and plunge them headlong into anunfathom'd depth of Misfortune. \ If what hath been delivered be not of force to make men watch over >their undertakings, and needfully avoid the Springs and Ginns that are ordinarily laid to intrap them into Ruine; but that on the contrary tbey carelefly Aide into* Venture upon any Tearms, lie leave them with this incouragement,
o) m%o fetfytitlvttetywtiUettyemty, > Ch
&et&mcomefo?tfcanbIeatneto^ttMpJies Vp i. ,
3nb cbet^man t\)*t fcai^ott^tm t^t0 C ofcr2 3tcom' * ale*- %tt Jtfro appeateantJ frf j&ea#Wofop$e*.
V P4> y, * Now-
(4-7
Now as Concerning Chaucer (the Author of this Tdle) he is racked amongft the Hermetic^ Fbilofopbcs, and his Maflcr in this Science was Sir f obn Gower, vvhofe familiar and. neere acquaintance began at the Inner Temple upon Chau- cer* s returne into England, for the Troubles of the Times towards the latter end viRieb: the fecond' sRaigu had caufe'd him to retire out of their Danger into Holland, Z eland, and France.
He is cited by Norton for an Autbcmiquc Author y in thefe words 5
p) Ord-p4g.4*« p) 3ta& Chaucer refceatfet^ ^ofc Cleans i# t|>e fame.
Betides he that Reads the latter part of the Chanon's Yeoman's Tale^il eafily perceive him to be a ludiciom Ubiiofopber 3 and one that fully knew the Miftery.
tAi&ztSpegbt (in that commendable Account he gives of Chaucer's life,)
is perfwaded he was borne in London, from fomething intimated in his Tcfta-
|) Bale Gene men of love. But Bale faith. He was (q)Nobililoco nam, and that neere unto
7./0/.J25. Oxford, tor ( faith he) Ltknd had ^Arguments which made him helieve he was
borne either in Oxford [hire or Bar^fhire. But what thofe Arguments were we
now know not, yet may believe them to be of considerable weight, becaufe
they were doubtlefle fuch as he gathered in his 6.yeares laborious fearch into
the Libraries of our Englijh Momfteries and Colleges, being furthered by the
liberall Encouragement and Commifiion of Hen. 8 And had it not been for his
r) See his indefatigable paints, All that was notable in this Nation (r) bad in all l\elyhooi
Newyeares 1 bcene perpetually. obfCurcd, or .at, bejhbut hgbd, remembred3as uncertaine (baddowes.
eift.to H.8. - Nevertheleffe the fruits of this famous Antiquaries labours, are no where now
intirely to be feene, unkife difper fed through the -ceor\es of fome other men,
who have moft arrogantly and unworthily made them their owne ; amongft
the reft I perceive '2 olid, Vi'gtl ftole much Tymber from this worthy Snufture,
with part whereof he bu.iL up, his Wor\e, the reft be envioufly burnt, for
thus I bndt LelandsGboji Complaining.
.$) Lelands Ghoft.
s)fttt3 fceeetb'o i ojfcotij not island spirit, Complaine Spit!) (Etyofltf of tfg«gu$ &otaxti$ » aa&om $2>olioo*e 3Utrgiil tobb'D af merit, Bereft of iframcana fscfct of ^i&G}iee, mfylt(mzttl)) \>t ral3ia>t %% ftnelseo IB 20Se=fneei;e sp^ofocber Mo it : £^o»io one borne all, to gettone fingieCreoitt.
Urn 31 tocettrfc ? 0? fceti) not Eclantyef spirit ^afee t£ne ana Cr^foj fome OiSoofee Crefare ftelt&$ 3SifIwgfy0S8e*Sic!Mtt&ra3uig $smeano Merits a&fccre&t? arc fmotljef efc a ^tnecsglben 2£ealtj), 31 learneo ©ItttteisCrafcaile, flDtts, anfc Realty-* 2111 t^efc \)t fpent to Soe l)ig Country pieafnre, 4) i) faoe l;# iparoe, t!je tt)o?lb mag feno& I,te Cmfure,
But
C+7
0
But begging Pardon for this Vigrefiion, (being on the behalf of fo deferving a Schollar) I return to Chaucer .Vttts Pofitively faies he was born in W of noble Varcnts, and that Pane bahu'u Equcftrts OrdinU VI u, his Faikr was a Knight. And this may not be unlikely it we Confider, that not onely the Nameis as A undent as (t) William the Conqueror's time, but that feme of the ^ RoiLof Bat- F thatErfw *fo i . heard the Complaint oilobn Chaucer in the Danrageof iooo 1. w) Record in And alfo, that there was in theRaigve of H. j. and Ed. 1. one E//'fltf Chancer, Tur. Lond.
of whom (wj • Edxoardm ici gratia, (?c. liberate de Thefauro nojtro Elm ^ Record in
Chaufecif decern Solid: Wich which (x)£barafters our Geffrey Chaucer is written Scacc; intht Records otEd.^.^nd Kkhahefecond. _ xJSpeghtin '
But wherefoever he was Borne, his Education was chiefly in the University e^yit.Ghaucer. Oxford in Canter -b -try -Cvlledge, (y) (fuppreffed by H. 8. and now joyned to^,) Scow. An, Chri ft church) though for fome time he ftudied at Cambridge. fol.Q^j.
s() Court of
z)0t aram&jt&se Ctarfec. — Law.C JSu/\. %
He quickly became a Witty Logitian, a fweet Rhetoritian, a pleafant Poet, a grave Vhilo/opher,z holy Vivine,a. skilful Maihcmatitian,h\s Tutors therein were ^me3loi)ti i^ remembred with honour in his Treaiife of the Aftrolabe) and moreoverfl may *' a '* 5 ' fafelyadde) an able Aftrologian, for almoft in every VVorke he inter- weaves moft found and per fed Afirologie. In Brief, he was Univerfally learned, and fo affirmes his Scholar thoX)cckv£%
h) €> vKniberfaU ;ffaoje of Science* ^ pl0iog,to
*Pius fliles him(c)P/>2W# VazifaAnlbmm+e Florens.A Man that excelled pr'j^ in >4m both olWarrt and T and a little after ,'Nam jam antequam virilem^ ^2at 47 1 atatem attigiffet3erat Poeta Elegant, Et qui Potfim Anglicam ita illuftmvit, ut } °* Anglicm Homerus mcrito baberetur : For ere he came to Mans Eftatc, he was an Elegant Poet, and one3who illuftrated Englijh Poefy, that he might have beene defervedly .accounted the ^ttgit^ isomer. Lidgate the Mov\e of Bury calls him the (J) Load ftar of our Language, and tells us that it was he,thac d) J?r ef to Bo*
chsSi
c) fljpa&cfirft to feiUtl! an& IHatite c j j0.Lid
Cf)e (0 oiD tcro t>?qpp0 of gipeecSi anfc €!o quence, de N ativ.Mar*
3Bnt« our Congue tfjroug^ J)t0 3dnt> fount) t^e #iouresf frft of iSi)etera&e, £>nr tufcefpeectyi 0: e:y to inlumine, Cfcattn our Conge was nebcr non I? mi like.
For indeed in his time all good Letters were laid afkep in moft parts of the World, zndinEngland our Towgwewas exceeding wild and rude, yet (through hisYefiningandpoliJhing)k became more fweet and pleafant, in which regard heisttiled f) Occl. de
Reg.Princ; 0 €$e 6rft fmttt of our km Dupage. cap.de Concur,
He
C470
He fpem many of his yeares in France and Flanders : fcferall Preferments he
£) Pat, Rot* had at Qwriy for he v/As(g)Armigcr Regis to Ed. 3. (a place of very good Re-
firft parte of putatim) (h) ValeSfta Hofpmi3vlz. Groomc of the Pallace, and after inR. 2.
$o.Ed j.5W. f. time (i) Comrouleroi the Cu§ome-bou\t London 5 With thefe he had feverali
fc)InPelfis lAnmallpenfiom during his Lz/e granted from R.z. and H. 4. His Abilities
Excitus Scacc. for F orrdigne Implements were fo farre taken notice of, that he was twice or
/J Anno 8.R.2 thrice fent abroad into other Countries> and thought fit to be one of the Em*
bafjadors into France to move a Marriage betweene Richatd the fecond (while
VrinceoiV Tales) and the Lady SMary , Daughter to the French t\ing. His fove-
kw was ioooi./w
He dyed at London x$ . 0£M. ^«?i. 1400. as appeares by the lnfcription up- on his ro???fo at Saint Pewr* in Vyeftmin^enAbby, in an I/Ie on the Smtb fide of the Churcb.
Mr. Nicholas Brigham built this «3W4r&fc Monument to his Memory, the true Vourtraifture whereof I have caufed to be exa&ly graved in Brajfe&nd placed . in page 2 1 6. There was formerly round the ledge of the Tombe thefe following Ver[es3 but now no remainder of them left.
Sirogites quis eram3forfan tefama docebit: ^ttodfifama negat, mundi quia gloria tranpt9 Htcmonumtmlege.
The Vi fan of Chaucer is now fomwhat deeay'd, but the Cjuver has reco-
ve^itifs&gjffirimipaU left to pvfteritj by his worthy Scholiar Tbo* 0cdeve3 who MlPBrrhefe Ver[es upon it.
■ ■~'
£)Occ^deRe« k) ^nBt^Ott^^ijBf!tfcbcqoeint0t^erefemb!at?n«.
gem.Princj 3D£tym&st&ittfme fofre$u;e iiffnefle,
§ap.de Concilm \%%&X to pnttt otyev men in remembiranncc
Upon the fi- £>f $f 0 perfoiie, J ^atc tjere tlje lifeneffe
gure QiQbau- 5Do make, to tlji0 cnoe tHfot^faftneffej
«r„ Ci)at ttyei i^at i^abc of l;ctn loft ft; owe ant) mpnoe, US. 2 tW ^cintoie, tna^ap^tnclimftnoc
Before Mr. Brigham built the aforefaid Monument it feemes Chaucer had a Sttwc layd over his Grave upon which was ingraved this following Epitaph. Galfridus Chaucer Vates &fama Pocfis, Materna haefacrafum tumulattcs bumo.
Pag 1 57. 2Daftttt' jaf 2Dr earn*.
1
Amperfwaded this VVor\e called by the Name otpaftin's Dreamt ; feas beene turned iiitoEnglifh Vcrfe by fome later Vbilofopber tfor in his dayes we
meete with no fuch refined Englifh, and in Latin we have his r*/fa» with which
(in eflfed) this agrees.
1) Gent. 1©. ^ne Tim he ^Iv '^ *n *s not certainely knowne 5 1 finde none that mention
P&W* * tt' ^ut tis ^e^eev^ ic was *on§ fe^c.-Oui Country.man(/}2?rffe fpeafcs of him
.... ^
(+70
- yet thro wes at him and this Science fome uncomely abufes : Nevertheiefle he calls him lAlcunujtic* artfs atate fua ptimm & inAngim CMagifler union 5 the Prime AlcbymiS of his Agc> and the only Maftcr thereof in EngUnd; A Pro- ducer and Foreteller of things which (it feemes in his apprehenfion) he could not attaine to by Nature} He made a diligent fearch into all things that might poflibly be found out in Cbemiftryi infomuch that he boldly wrote and publi~ {bed feverall Experiments.
And though (m) Pitts renders him a very Poore man, and layes the blame m)?ng.Bjtt upon his owne Artifice 5 (being fo much addicted to Akbymie,) yet queftion - lefie (if he were Majier of fuch learning as they confefle him to be, and his Poverty were not voluntary ',) he might have advanced himfelfeto riches when he pleafed. He wrote thefe following Bo^c/,
1 . Super Arte Alcumifiica. 7^4. Speculum Ubilofopborum. t . Vifiones ai hue alias . > 3. Secret* Secrewum. j£
(n) OAaierm faith he left behind him a confiderable QbemicaU Trail, which ri)$ymb^4ur. tfatut Laciniuthzth put in his Colleflions. Not unlike but this may be in Laci- Mens* pag.458, nm&sPretiofa Margarita novella de Tbefauro, acpreciofijfimo Pbilofopboru lapide j hutthe2tyofcI have not yet feene, and therefore cannot tell whether what is there publimed of Vaftin's, be any of the before mentioned Worker.
Pag.i6<>. Cafce
LUdoviw Combubm in his hte CoUeclions of fome of Ripley* s Wor\es, put this oiPearce the 'Black Minfft among them under the Title of Terra Ttrra Pbilofopbicot 5 and publiihes it as Ripley's : and withallthat Tytle [TcrraTcr- rarum] which (o) Vitts alfo gives to one of his Wor\es may feeme to infinu- 0 P*g»*77« ate this j But I conceive all arc not Ripley's which walk under his Name, for queftionleffe, many Pieces are (of hteTymcs) fathered on him which he never wrote; Bale his not this at all among the Catalogue he delivers of what was Ripley's, And I have met with it info old a Manufcript under the tytle of *Pearce the Btic\ Monfa thae the Hand (as I Judge) fpeakes it to be antienter then Ripley's Time.
Pag. 275. 5©f Citan ^agneila tafee foe clcerc itgtyt,
C^e IS etft Some Ancient Copies have it alfo thus,
£>f i£>pame mlie flje cieere Itg^t, ' ^e ISeti Eton tfjat i* fo bjtgljr.
tTTjHoto pitch upon for the Author, I was a long time ignorant of, yet
V V st length I happily met wi|h an old Manufcript (and it was the anci-
cnteft Hand-midngleyet faw this TW written in) to which was afHxt the
Q^q 2{amc
(4740
Nam of Richard Carpenter* and thereupon I hare Imitled it, Catttentet'd
p) ljT*tt*Cbrm. I finde that in^ww 1 447. SF^« Carpenter then 2//&cp of WovctfUr (p) foun-
fo.4^7. ded the Coliedge at IVefibury neere Br7Se//,(memioned (q) before to be A ug-
«|).Pag,44i. mented bv mUism Camingt : (r) by f f pulling downe the old £
t)godrvf.^67'tc the new Building inlarged it very much3compafling it about with a ftrong
"WaU, Embattaled 5 adding afaire Gate, with divers Towers, (more like un-
"to zCafile then zCoiledge,) and laftly beftowed much good Land for augmen-
_ ring the Revenue thereof. Befides this he built the Gateboufe ztHartlebo-ougbs
s) CambMrtu a Cd/fte neere and (j) belonging to the Bilhop of VVorcefcr 5 and did feverail o-
(0^74' ther VVorkesoi^iety zndCfarity.
This^ijhop Carpenter is fuppofed to be Brother, -or neere l$infman to Ri- cbard Carpenter our eyftt*&or3and accounted an Hermetiquc Pkihfopber. He was Contemporary with Norton, and Cannings', and for the moft part lived neere unto them, at the aforemencioned VVe[\bjxy\ my he had fo great AfTe&ion to tVjfcto.p.442 ^hat ^^e ^not unlike for the So««/w fake of Norton and Cannings or for *r '^ . • fome jTpecfaii Blefling be met with there; that(f) he intended to have it honou- red with a part of his Style ', and to have taken upon him the Name oiBijhop of Worcefier and VVeftbwy, which though he could not effect yet chofe ic for his Burkilpkcc where he lyes Intend.
In another old parchment Manuscript ('and that a veryfaire one) I met this VVor\e, Vrejaced with what follewes.
30fec^cof t%z Cietfcea ti&atijoioen t&e&foSrtfe^tjati* ttyt ffifatt t^at moft be fatten in tU €*tr), ant) to!;et>ere it i£ nojfl;e& fojt^ fcot 0? colt), ifsj if tt xyere m !;eate, it fctyol&e iieoer tots &itfc out celoatiBmoEftttw, HWo fef t9 !^m al!e>ai tl)ateber &ag cornea of ostium it to toiffebetefc in tfae, a^ ifaoere, ant) jg>one, an&l&olg er« is, aufeno m©* SRilfo lofee fcrijicfc tjs t^e zffatct and $® ooere of alio i^ctallcj, iFoj- if ttjoti tya&e 0$ tafee m$ 0* tycnimmtec twinge trjan %i& sfamt UtnU? tljoa lefts all ti)t fcoetfe : #0? loofce to$etm$g$e comet*?, ans in iji* qwm ^otereisbeigttojf&e^un fojt!},an$%^en *)e i$ of age n«tt& $im£o$$ xsntijtjteo&ne ^otefS m^Ik?, ant) %sf 1$im is ©3&m: # o$«# tn^i&e*