A New Light of Alchymie: Taken out of the Fountaine of Nature, and Manuall Experience. Etc.Sedziwój, Michal
Religion
A New Light of Alchymie: Taken out of the Fountaine of Nature, and Manuall Experience. Etc.
Sedziwój, Michal
Alchemy -- Early works to 1800; Sulfur
What will become of thee at last, if thou spendest all thy life under
the earth, and by thy continuall labours dost also bring thy body, and
life into danger? I will get a release from my Master, and I will serve
another Master, where my life may be made sweeter, where I may have
plenty of meat, and drink, where I may wear better clothes, have little
work and much wages, where there shall bee no danger of the mountain
hanging over mee, and ready to fall upon me, &c. After this manner hee
would bee at liberty, when as otherwise hee must remaine a Mercenary
servant, and slave, pining away with much labour, and low feeding, &c.
Now you see how a wise man commands the stars, and can remove himselfe
from any malignant planet, and bring himselfe under another better,
how he can bring himselfe out of slavery into liberty, and can free
himselfe out of the prison of an ill planet.
So also an Animall man, who is the son of the Sun, of _Iupiter_,
_Venus_, and _Mercury_, may remove himself from a benigne planet, and
subject himself to _Saturne_, or _Mars_: such a man is like to a man,
who runs from a religious Colledge, and being impatient of an easy life
becomes a Souldier, or else a man of no repute, who afterwards spends
all his life in sorrow, and misery.
Such an one also is a rich man, who being given to levity, spends,
and wasts all his goods, in Dicing, Feasting, Whoring, &c. which hee
gives himselfe to so long untill all bee spent, then hee comes to want,
and being miserably afflicted with infamous want, becomes deservedly
a laughter and scorn to all men, yea even to the very boyes in the
streets, whom you may hear saying: Behold a beggerly man worth nothing,
who when hee was a Master disdained his Mastership, and had rather be a
slave, a begger, a slave to servants; seeing he can never come to his
priviledg again.
And hither doth a Malignant star, or Ascendent drive him. Unlesse he
had been a foole, and dishonest, he had not left so certain a Dominion,
which hee had over the stars, but had strove against it: And although
of himselfe hee knew not how to resist the stars; yet hee might have
bent his mind to the examples of others; thinking thus with himselfe:
See how rich that man was, but foolishly, and shamefully hath brought
himself to poverty. Also he lived gallantly, without much labour, had
so much meat, such wages, that he could not live better. Now he lives
sparingly, and sordidly, and in stead of Wine hee must drinke Water,
his labours daily increase, his wages decrease.
Now how often doth such a kind of Man talke after this manner with
himselfe. What have I done? Whither am I running headlong, so basely
spending my goods that I got, who will repaire my estate? If ever I
shall receive what hath been thus spent, I will take a far other course
of life, and will by my harms learne to bee wise, and will make amends
for my evill deeds.
[Sidenote: No man is wise by his own harmes, but by anothers.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account