THE

TWELVE KEYS

PHILOSOPHY

BROTHER BASIL VALENTINE,

MONK OF THE ORDER

Of Saint Benedict.

Basil Valentine is a legendary figure in alchemical history. While traditionally described as a 15th-century Benedictine monk, many historians believe the works attributed to him were actually written by various authors in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Treating of the True Metallic

Medicine.

In this context, "Metallic Medicine" refers to the Alchemical art of refining base metals into gold, which was often used as a metaphor for the perfection of the human soul and body.

Also the Azoth, or the means of making

the hidden Gold of the Philosophers.

The "Azoth" was considered by alchemists to be the "universal solvent" or the essential "mercury" required for the Great Work; the term is often composed of the first and last letters of the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew alphabets (A-Z, Alpha-Omega, Aleph-Tav) to signify the beginning and the end of all things.

FRENCH TRANSLATION.

A small decorative printer's ornament (fleuron) centered on the page.

AT PARIS,

At the house of PIERRE MOËT, Sworn

Bookseller, near the Saint-Michel Bridge,

at the Sign of Saint Alexis.

A "Sworn Bookseller" (Libraire Juré) was a merchant officially recognized and licensed by the University or the Crown. In 17th-century Paris, shops were identified by hanging signs like "Saint Alexis" rather than street numbers.

1660.

original: "M. DC. LX."