Nicholas Flammel, his exposition of the hieroglyphicall figures which he caused to bee painted vpon an arch in St. Innocents Church-yard, in Paris. Together with the secret booke of Artephius, and the epistle of Iohn Pontanus: concerning both the theoricke and the practicke of the philosophers stone. Faithfully, and (as the maiesty of the thing requireth) religiously done into English out of the French and Latine copies. By Eirenæus Orandus, qui est, vera veris enodans

The Introduction.

ALthough that I Ni∣cholas Flammel, NOTARY, and abiding in Paris, in this yeere one thousand three hundred fourescore and nineteene, and dwelling in my house in the street of Notaries, neere vnto the Chappell of S^t. Iames of the Bouchery; although, I say, that I learned but a lit∣tle Latine, because of the small meanes of my Pa∣rents, which neuerthelesse were by them that enuie me the most, accounted ho∣nest people; yet by the grace of God, and the in∣tercession of the blessed Saints in Paradise of both

sexes, and principally of Saint Iames of Gallicia, I haue not wanted the vnder∣standing of the Bookes of the Philosophers, and in them learned their so hid∣den secrets. And for this cause, there shall neuer bee any moment of my life, when I remember this high good, wherein vpon my knees (if the place will giue me leaue) or otherwise, in my heart with all my affe∣ction, I shall not render thanks to this most benigne God, which neuer suffereth the child of the Iust to beg from doore to doore, and deceiueth not them which wholly trust in his bles∣sing.

Whilest therefore, I Nicholas Flammel, Notary,

after the decease of my Pa∣rents, got my liuing in our Art of Writing, by making Inuentories, dressing ac∣counts, and summing vp the Expences of Tutors and Pupils, there fell into my hands, for the sum of two Florens, a guilded Booke, very old and large; It was not of Paper, nor Parch∣ment, as other Bookes bee, but was onely made of de∣licate Rindes (as it seemed vnto me) of tender yong trees: The couer of it was of brasse, well bound, all en∣grauen with letters, or strange figures; and for my part, I thinke they might well be Greeke Characters, or some such like ancient language: Sure I am, I could not reade them, and I

know well they were not notes nor letters of the La∣tine nor of the Gaule, for of them wee vnderstand a little. As for that which was within it, the leaues of barke or rinde, were ingra∣uen, and with admirable diligence written, with a point of Iron, in faire and neate Latine letters colou∣red. It contained thrice se∣uen leaues, for so were they counted in the top of the leaues, and alwayes euery seuenth leafe was without any writing, but in stead thereof, vpon the first se∣uenth leafe, there was pain∣ted a Virgin, and Serpents swallowing her vp; In the second seuenth, a Crosse where a Serpent was cru∣cified; and in the last se∣uenth

there were painted Desarts, or Wildernesses, in the middest whereof ran many faire fountaines, from whence there issued out a number of Serpents, which ran vp and downe here and there. Vpon the first of the leaues, was written in great Capitall Letters of gold, ABRAHAM THE IEW, PRINCE, PRIEST, LEVITE, ASTROLOGER, AND PHILOSO∣PHER, TO THE NATION OF THE IEWES, BY THE WRATH OF GOD DISPERSED A∣MONG THE GAVLES, SENDETH HEALTH. After this it was filled with great execrations and curses

(with this word MARA∣NATHA, which was often repeated there) against euery person that should cast his eyes vpon it, if hee were not Sacrificer or Scribe.

Hee that sold mee this Booke, knew not what it was worth, no more than I when I bought it; I beleeue it had beene stolne or taken from the miserable Iewes; or found hid in some part of the ancient place of their abode. Within the Booke, in the second leafe, hee com∣forted his Nation, councel∣ling them to flie vices, and aboue all, Idolatry, atten∣ding with sweete patience the comming of the Mes∣sias, which should vanquish all the Kings of the Earth,

and should raigne with his people in glory eternally. Without doubt this had beene some very wise and vnderstanding man. In the third leafe, and in all the other writings that fol∣lowed, to helpe his Captiue nation to pay their tributes vnto the Romane Empe∣rours, and to doe other things, which I will not speake of, he taught them in common words the trans∣mutation of Mettalls; hee painted the Vessels by the sides, and hee aduertised them of the colours, and of all the rest, sauing of the first Agent, of the which hee spake not a word, but onely (as hee said) in the fourth and fifth leaues entire hee painted it, and figured it

with very great cunning and workemanship: for al∣though it was well and in∣telligibly figured and pain∣ted, yet no man could euer haue beene able to vnder∣stand it, without being well skilled in their Cabala, which goeth by tradition, and without hauing well studied their bookes The fourth and fifth leafe there∣fore, was without any wri∣ting, all full of faire figures enlightened, or as it were enlightened, for the worke was very exquisite. First he painted a yong man, with wings at his anckles, ha∣uing in his hand a Caducae∣an rodde, writhen about with two Serpents, where∣with hee strooke vpon a helmet which couered his

head; he seemed to my small iudgement, to be the God Mercury of the Pagans: against him there came run∣ning and flying with open wings, a great old man, who vpon his head had an houre-glasse fastened, and in his hands a hooke (or sithe) like Death, with the which, in terrible and furious man∣ner, hee would haue cut off the feet of Mercury. On the other side of the fourth leafe, hee painted a faire flowre on the top of a very high mountaine, which was sore shaken with the North wind; it had the foot blew, the flowres white and red, the leaues shining like fine gold: And round about it the Dragons and Griffons of the North made their

nests and abode. On the fifth leafe there was a faire Rose-tree flowred in the middest of a sweet Garden, climbing vp against a hol∣low Oake; at the foot wher∣of boyled a fountaine of most white water, which ranne head-long downe in∣to the depths, notwithstan∣ding it first passed among the hands of infinite people, which digged in the Earth seeking for it; but because they were blinde, none of them knew it, except here and there one which consi∣dered the weight.

On the last side of the fift leafe, there was a King with a great Fauchion, who made to be killed in his pre∣senc•• by some Souldiers a great multitude of little In∣fants,

whose Mothers wept at the feet of the vnpittifull Souldiers: the bloud of which Infants was after∣wards by other Souldiers gathered vp, and put in a great vessell, wherein the Sunne and the Moone came to bathe themselues. And because that this History did represent the more part of that of the Innocents slaine by Herod, and that in this Booke I learned the greatest part of the Art, this was one of the causes, why I placed in their Churchyard these Hierogly∣phick Symbols of this secret science. And thus you see that which was in the first fiue leaues: I will not repre∣sent vnto you that which was written in good and in∣telligible

Latine in all the other written leaues, for God would punish me, be∣cause I should commit a greater wickednesse, then he who (as it is said) wished that all the men of the World had but one head that hee might cut it off at one blow. Hauing with me therefore this faire Booke, I did nothing else day nor night, but study vpon it, vn∣derstanding very well all the operations that it shew∣ed, but not knowing with what matter I should be∣ginne, which made me very heauy and sollitary, and caused me to fetch many a sigh. My wife Perrenelle, whom I loued as my selfe, and had lately married, was much astonished at this,

comforting mee, and ear∣nestly demanding, if shee could by any meanes deli∣uer mee from this trouble: I could not possibly hold my tongue, but told her all, and shewed her this faire Booke, whereof at the same instant that shee saw it, shee became as much enamored as my selfe, taking extreame pleasure to behold the faire couer, grauings, images, and portraicts, whereof not∣withstanding shee vnder∣stood as little as I: yet it was a great comfort to mee to talke with her, and to en∣tertaine my selfe, what wee should doe to haue the in∣terpretation of them. In the end I caused to bee painted within my Lodging, as na∣turally as I could, all the fi∣gures

and portraicts of the fourth and fifth leafe, which I shewed to the greatest Clerkes in Paris, who vn∣derstood thereof no more then my selfe; I told them they were found in a Booke that taught the Phyloso∣phers stone, but the greatest part of them made a mocke both of me, and of that bles∣sed Stone, excepting one cal∣led Master Anselme, which was a Licentiate in Physick, and studied hard in this Science: He had a great de∣sire to haue seene my Book, and there was nothing in the world, which he would not haue done for a sight of it: but I alwayes told him, that I had it not; onely I made him a large descripti∣on of the Method. He told

mee that the first portraict represented Time, which deuoured all; and that ac∣cording to the number of the sixe written leaues, there was required the space of sixe yeeres, to perfect the stone; and then he said, wee must turne the glasse, and seeth it no more. And when I told him that this was not painted, but onely to shew and teach the first Agent, (as was said in the Booke) hee answered me, that this decoction for sixe yeeres space, was, as it were, a se∣cond Agent; and that cer∣tainely the first Agent was there painted, which was the white and heauy water, which without doubt was Argent viue, which they could not fixe, nor cut off

his feete, that is to say, take away his volatility saue by that long decoction in the purest bloud of young In∣fants; for in that, this Ar∣gent viue being ioined with gold and siluer, was first tur∣ned with them into an herb like that which was there painted, and afterwards by corruption, into Serpents; which Serpents being then wholly dried, and decocted by fire, were reduced into powder of gold, which should be the stone. This was the cause, that during the space of one and twenty yeeres, I tryed a thousand broulleryes, yet neuer with bloud, for that was wicked and villanous: for I found in my Booke, that the Phy∣losophers called Bloud, the

minerall spirit, which is in the Mettals, principally in the Sunne, Moone, and Mer∣cury, to the assembling whereof, I alwayes tended; yet these interpretations for the most part were more subtile then true. Not seeing therefore in my workes the signes, at the time written in my Booke, I was alwayes to beginne againe. In the end hauing lost all hope of euer vnderstanding those figures, for my last refuge, I made a vow to God, and S^t Iames of Gallicia, to de∣mand the interpretation of them, at some Iewish Priest, in some Synagogue of Spaine: whereupon with the consent of Perrenelle, carrying with me the Ex∣tract of the Pictures, hauing

taken the Pilgrims habit and staffe, in the same fashi∣on as you may see me, with∣out this same Arch in the Church-yard, in the which I put these hyeroglyphicall figures, where I haue also set against the wall, on the one and the other side, a Procession, in which are re∣presented by order all the colours of the stone, so as they come & goe, with this writing in French.

Moult plaist a Dieu pro∣cession, S' elle est faicte en deuo∣tion: that is, Much pleaseth God pro∣cession, If't be done in deuotion.

which is as it wete the be∣ginning of King Hercules his Book, which entreateth of the colours of the stone, entituled Iris, or the Raine∣bow, in these termes, Operis processio multùm naturae placet, that is, The processi∣on of the worke is very plea∣sant vnto Nature: the which I haue put there ex∣presly for the great Clerkes, who shall vnderstand the Allusion. In this same fa∣shion, I say, I put my selfe vpon my way; and so much I did, that I arriued at Montioy, and afterwards at Saint Iames, where with great deuotion I accompli∣shed my vow. This done, in Leon at my returne I met with a Merchant of Boloyn, which made me knowne to

a Physician, a Iew by Nati∣on, and as then a Christian, dwelling in Leon aforesaid, who was very skilfull in sublime Sciences, called Master Canches. Assoone as I had showen him the fi∣gures of my Extraict, hee being rauished with great astonishment and ioy, de∣manded of me incontinent∣ly, if I could tell him any newes of the Booke, from whence they were drawne? I answered him in Latine (wherein hee asked me the question) that I hoped to haue some good newes of the Book, if any body could decipher vnto me the Enig∣maes: All at that instant transported with great Ar∣dor and ioy, hee began to decipher vnto mee the be∣ning:

But to be short, hee wel content to learn newes where this Book should be, and I to heare him speake; and certainly he had heard much discourse of the Booke, but (as he said) as of a thing which was beleeued to be vtterly lost, we resol∣ued of our voyage, and from Leon wee passed to O∣uiedo, and from thence to Sanson, where wee put our selues to Sea to come into France: Our voyage had beene fortunate enough, & all ready, since we were en∣tred into this Kingdome, he had most truly interpre∣ted vnto mee the greatest part of my figures, where euen vnto the very points and prickes, he found great misteries, which seemed

vnto mee wonderfull, when arriuing at Orleans, this learned man fell extreamely sicke, being afflicted with excessiue vomitings, which remained still with him of those he had suffered at Sea, and he was in such a conti∣nuall feare of my forsaking him, that hee could imagine nothing like vnto it. And although I was alwayes by his side, yet would he inces∣santly call for mee, but in summe hee dyed, at the end of the seuenth day of his sicknesse, by reason whereof I was much grieued, yet as well as I could, I caused him to be buried in the Church of the holy Crosse at Orleans, where hee yet resteth; God haue his soule, for hee dyed a good Christian: And

surely, if I be not hindered by death, I will giue vnto that Church some reuenew, to cause some Masses to bee said for his soule euery day. He that would see the man∣ner of my arriuall, and the ioy of Perenelle, let him looke vpon vs two, in this City of Paris, vpon the doore of the Chappell of S^t Iames of the Bouchery, close by the one side of my house, where wee are both painted, my selfe giuing thankes at the feet of Saint Iames of Gallicia, and Per∣renelle at the feet of S^t Iohn, whom shee had so often called vpon. So it was, that by the grace of God, and the intercession of the happy and holy Virgin, and the blessed Saints,

Iames and Iohn, I knew all that I desired, that is to say, The first Principles, yet not their first prepara∣tion, which is a thing most difficult, aboue all the things in the world: But in the end I had that also, after long errours of three yeeres, or thereabouts; du∣ring which time, I did no∣thing but study and labour, so as you may see me with∣out this Arch, where I haue placed my Processions a∣gainst the two Pillars of it, vnder the feet of S^t. Iames and S^t. Iohn, praying al∣wayes to God, with my Beades in my hand, rea∣ding attentiuely within a Booke, and poysing the words of the Philosophers: and afterwards trying and

proouing the diuerse ope∣rations, which I imagined to my selfe, by their onely words. Finally, I found that which I desired, which I also soone knew by the strong sent and odour there∣of. Hauing this, I easily ac∣complished the Mastery, for knowing the preparation of the first Agents, and after following my Booke accor∣ding to the letter, I could not haue missed it, though I would. Then the first time that I made proiection, was vpon Mercurie, whereof I turned halfe a pound, or thereabouts, into pure Sil∣uer, better than that of the Mine, as I my selfe assayed, and made others assay ma∣ny times. This was vpon a Munday, the 17. of Ianuary

about noone, in my house, Perrenelle onely being pre∣sent; in the yeere of the re∣storing of mankind, 1382. And afterwards, following alwayes my Booke, from word to word, I made pro∣iection of the Red stone vp∣on the like quantity of Mer∣curie, in the presence like∣wise of Perrenelle onely, in the same house, the fiue and twentieth day of Aprill following, the same yeere, about fiue a clocke in the Euening; which I transmu∣ted truely into almost as much pure Gold, better assuredly than common Golde, more soft, and more plyable. I may speake it with truth, I haue made it three times, with the helpe of Perrenelle, who

vnderstood it as well as I, because she helped mee in my operations, and without doubt, if shee would haue enterprised to haue done it alone, shee had attained to the end and perfection thereof. I had indeed e∣nough when I had once done it, but I found excee∣ding great pleasure and de∣light, in seeing and contem∣plating the Admirable workes of Nature, within the Vessels. To signifie vn∣to thee then, how I haue done it three times, thou shalt see in this Arch, if thou haue any skil to know them, three furnaces, like vnto them which serue for our opperations: was afraid a long time, that Perrenelle could not hide the extreme

ioy of her felicitie, which I measured by mine owne, and lest shee should let fall some word amongst her kindred, of the great trea∣sures which wee possessed: for extreme ioy takes away the vnderstanding, as well as great heauinesse; but the goodnesse of the most great God, had not onely filled mee with this blessing, to giue mee a wife chaste and sage, for she was moreouer, not onely capeable of rea∣son, but also to doe all that was reasonable, and more discreet and secret, than or∣dinarily other women are. Aboue all, shee was excee∣ding deuout, and therefore seeing her selfe without hope of children, and now well stricken in yeeres, shee

began as I did, to thinke of God, and to giue or selues to the workes of mercy. At that time when I wrote this Commentarie, in the yeere one thousand foure hundred and thirteene, in the end of the yeere, after the decease of my faithfull companion, which I shall lament all the dayes of my life: she and I had already founded, and endued with reuenewes 14. Hospitals in this Citie of Paris, wee had new built from the ground three Chappels, we had inriched with great gifts and good rents, seuen Churches, with many reparations in their Church-yards, besides that which we haue done at Bo∣loigne, which is not much lesse than that which wee

haue done heere. I will not speake of the good which both of vs haue done to particular poore folkes, principally to wid∣dowes and poore Orphans, whose names if I should tel, and how I did it, besides that my reward should be giuen mee in this World, I should likewise doe displea¦sure to those good persons, whom I pray God blesse, which I would not doe for any thing in the World. Building therefore these Churches, Churchyards, and Hospitals in this City, I re∣solued my selfe, to cause to be painted in the fourth Arch of the Church-yard of the Innocents, as you en∣ter in by the great gate in S^t. Dennis street, and taking

the way on the right hand, the most true and essentiall markes of the Arte, yet vn∣der vailes, and Hieroglyphi∣call couertures, in imitation of those which are in the gilded Booke of Abraham the Iew, which may repre∣sent two things, according to the capacity and vnder∣standing of them that be∣hold them: First, the myste∣ries of our future and vn∣doubted Resurrection, at the day of Iudgement, and comming of good Iesus, (whom may it please to haue mercy vpon vs) a Hi∣storie which is well agree∣ing to a Churchyard. And secondly, they may signifie to them, which are skilled in Naturall Philosophy, all the principall and necessary

operations of the Maistery. These Hieroglyphicke fi∣gures shall serue as two wayes to leade vnto the heauenly life: the first and most open sence, teaching the sacred Mysteries of our saluation; (as I will shew heereafter) the other teach∣ing euery man, that hath any small vnderstanding in the Stone, the lineary way of the worke; which being perfected by any one, the change of euill into good, takes away from him the roote of all sinne (which is couetousnesse) making him liberall, gentle, pious religi∣ous, and fearing God, how euill soeuer hee was before, for from thence forward, hee is continually rauished, with the great grace and

mercy which hee hath ob∣tained from God, and with the profoundnesse of his Diuine & admirable works. These are the reasons which haue mooued mee to set these formes in this fa∣shion, and in this place which is a Churchyard, to the end that if any man ob∣taine this inestimable good, to conquere this rich golden Fleece, he may thinke with himselfe (as I did) not to keepe the talent of God dig∣ged in the Earth, buying Lands and Possessions, which are the vanities of this world: but rather to worke charitably towards his brethren, remembring himselfe that hee learned this secret amongst the bones of the dead, in whose

number hee shall shortly be found; and that after this life, hee must render an ac∣count, before a iust and re∣doubtable Iudge, which will censure euen to an idle and vaine word. Let him therefore, which hauing well weighed my words, and well knowne and vn∣derstood my figures, hath first gotten elsewhere the knowledge of the first be∣ginnings and Agents, (for certainely in these Figures and Commentaries, he shall not finde any step or infor∣mation thereof) perfect to the glory of God the Mai∣stery of Hermes, remem∣bring himself of the Church Catholike, Apostolike, and Romane; and of all other Churches, Churchyards, and

Hospitals; and aboue all, of the Church of the Innocents in this Citie, (in the Churchyard whereof hee shall haue contemplated these true demonstrations) opening bounteously his purse, to them that are se∣cretly poore, honest people desolate, weake women, widdowes, and forlorne or∣phanes. So be it.