A horizontal decorative border consisting of seven identical floral fleurons at the top of the text block.

TO THE TRUE PHILOSOPHERS

THEORETICAL DISCOURSE

On the composition of the

Philosopher's Stone.

B Y

BROTHER MARC-ANTONIO

Crassellame the Chinese. The author's name is a pseudonym for the Italian nobleman Marchese Marcantonio Crassellame. The epithet "the Chinese" was a stylistic affectation common in 17th-century occult literature to suggest exotic, ancient wisdom.

FIRST CANTO.

The dark Chaos having emerged as a confused mass from the depths of nothingness, at the first sound of the all-powerful Word; one would have said that disorder had produced it, and that it could not be the work of a God, so formless was it. All things within it were in a profound rest, and the Elements were confounded therein, par-