A decorative rectangular woodcut headpiece depicting several large, blooming roses and smaller floral blossoms surrounded by ornate foliage.

FIRST BOOK OF

THE LITTLE KEY Clavicule: from the Latin 'clavicula' or 'little key,' a term often used in the titles of occult or alchemical manuals to denote a work that unlocks secret knowledge OF THE

Precious Stone of the Ancient Phi-

losophers.

Composed by Brother Basil Valentine, of

the Order of St. Benedict. Basil Valentine is a legendary figure in alchemy, traditionally described as a 15th-century Benedictine monk, though the works attributed to him likely appeared in the early 1600s.

PREFACE.

The figure on the preceding page is the phoenix within a triangle, or the three principles The three principles are Salt, Sulfur, and Mercury, the building blocks of matter in alchemical theory.

In my preface (to the treatise on the generation of the Planets original: "Planettes"; in alchemy, the "Planets" refer to the seven metals: Gold (Sun), Silver (Moon), Iron (Mars), Mercury (Mercury), Tin (Jupiter), Copper (Venus), and Lead (Saturn)) I have bound myself, Friend Reader, for the benefit of those who are curious about science, and desirous of seeking out the secrets of Nature, and tea-