INTRODUCTORY.

WHEN in the period of the Renaissance The 'rebirth' of European culture and learning following the Middle Ages, roughly spanning the 14th to 17th centuries., men's minds were waking from the long sleep of mediaeval darkness, Solomon Trismosin A legendary 16th-century alchemist, famous for the vibrantly illustrated "Splendor Solis" and rumored to be the teacher of the famous physician Paracelsus., one of the less known Adepts Adept: A person who has attained the highest level of mastery in alchemy, specifically one who has discovered the Philosopher's Stone. of Alchemy, went forth in search of that secret knowledge, the possession of which leads to Alchemical Adeptship. His romantic Wanderings in Quest of the Philosopher's Stone The legendary substance capable of turning "base" metals like lead into gold and providing the Elixir of Life., he has himself described, and if he declares to have reached that Eldorado Literally "the golden one"; a mythical city of gold used here as a metaphor for the peak of hidden knowledge. of Hermetic Knowledge Refers to the ancient tradition of Hermes Trismegistus, the mythical father of alchemy and magic. wherein is found the prized Philosopher's Stone, although we may feel inclined to doubt his word, we are, nevertheless not in a position to entirely dispute his statement.

For since the discovery of radioactive substances This indicates the text was likely written in the early 1900s, shortly after the Curies' discoveries showed that atoms could naturally change their form. chemical theory has vastly changed. The very Elementality of the chemical Elements is questioned, and the alchemical idea, that Metals can be decomposed into three ultimate principles: Salt, Mercury, and Sulphur Known as the 'Tria Prima,' these were not the common substances we know today, but symbolic principles representing the body, soul, and spirit of matter., may not be so absurd after all.

Let us therefore examine the actual documents remaining of the Alchemists, especially those of reputed Adepts, that they may be studied by the Light of the most recent research of Chemical and Physical Science, and the riddle of the Hermetic Sphinx A symbol for the deep, complex mysteries of alchemical philosophy that are difficult to decode. may yet be solved.

In the book before us—provided with those wonderful