The Hermetic Museum (Vol. 1)

welcomes every elegant and copious treatise on the marvels of Nature, to the glory of Almighty God. This is a sufficiently generous reward for a philosopher. He has at his command the most effectual means of becoming rich, if he would only use them. But he is fired by the love of philosophy, and does not care for the mocking grandeur of fortune. So thought the Sages of the Saracens, Egyptians, Arabs, and Persians The author highlights the global and ancient pedigree of alchemy, tracing it through Middle Eastern and North African traditions.; for when they were oppressed by tyrants, and violently driven into exile, they protected and supported themselves by means of their Art, and, through their knowledge of the transmutation of metals transmutation: the alchemical process of changing one substance into another, specifically base metals like lead into silver or gold., they had at their command, not only sufficient to live upon, but all the comforts and pomp of life, and thus practically demonstrated that they could obtain all that gold and silver could give.

Concerning this true transmutation of metals, which is accomplished only by the Elixir Elixir: from the Arabic al-iksir, a substance believed to be capable of changing base metals into gold and, in some contexts, acting as a universal medicine. or Stone of the Philosophers Stone of the Philosophers: also known as the Philosopher's Stone, the legendary catalyst of alchemy representing the perfection of matter., we here propose to speak. This art is set forth in a series of treatises by different authors, which appeared several years ago, and, like the present volume, was entitled "A Museum of Hermes" Hermes Trismegistus is the legendary Hellenistic figure to whom the foundational texts of alchemy are attributed; a "Museum" in this context is a "repository" or "library" of his wisdom.. But many writers having discussed this subject, and treated it from various points of view (so that one writes more clearly than another, and each throws light on the other’s meaning), some of my friends, who are adepts in this Art, urged me to add to the former collection certain treatises supplementary of those already given. For though that former collection contained the most select writings on the subject, yet it was not as complete as it might have been, nor was it calculated to furnish to the reader in full measure the eagerly expected fruit of his study.

To this wish of my friends I have all the more readily submitted, because its fulfilment must redound to the advantage of the student. I have, therefore, enlarged the collection with several most select treatises, and caused it to be adorned with many engravings. I was most strongly impelled to undertake the task by this consideration, viz., that through the fraudulent machinations of greedy impostors many false, so-called chemical treatises have been put forward, in which there is not a single spark of truth, and that very many have been, and are still being deceived by them. These dupes, by reading this book, in which the Magistery of the Stone Magistery: from the Latin magisterium, referring to the mastery of the alchemical process or the "Great Work" itself. is most clearly and plainly set forth, and into which no...