The Secret Work of Hermetic Philosophy (1653) - Page 3

[Thomas Burnet]

Bingham, of Christ Church. original: "ex Æde Christi"; this is the traditional Latin designation for a member of Christ Church College, Oxford.

Always bitter. original: "Semper acerbum". This and the following line are a quotation from Virgil's Aeneid (Book V, line 49), referring to a day of mourning that is kept with both sorrow and reverence.

Always honored. M. original: "Semper honoratum".

H 35943

A pasted-on printed circular emblem. The central oval features a white pelican "in her piety"—a traditional symbol of self-sacrifice where the bird is depicted pecking its own breast to feed its young with its blood. This image was often used in both Christian iconography and alchemy to represent transformation or the "Great Work." The pelican stands atop a shield divided into four sections (quartered), each containing a red rose. Radiant golden rays shine from the top of the oval onto the scene. Around the oval, the words "HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY" original: "PHILOSOPHIA HERMETICA", referring to the mystical and alchemical tradition attributed to the legendary figure Hermes Trismegistus are printed in a stylized capital font.