Lives of alchemystical philosophers: To which is added a bibliography of alchemy and hermetic philosophyWaite, Arthur Edward
Philosophy
Lives of alchemystical philosophers: To which is added a bibliography of alchemy and hermetic philosophy
Waite, Arthur Edward
Alchemists -- Biography; Alchemy -- Bibliography; Alchemy -- History
As the hoary Sicilian ruminated over his lamentable past, he was
roused by a tumult of voices. The supernal being had arrived, and he
passed presently in the road, surrounded by a numerous cortege of
couriers, lacqueys, valets, &c., all in magnificent liveries. By his
side, in the open carriage, sat Lorenza or Seraphina Feliciani, his
wife, who seconded with all her ability the intrigues of her husband,
whom reasonable people regarded as a wandering member and emissary of
the masonic templars, his opulence insured by contributions from the
different lodges of the order.
A great shout rose up when Count Cagliostro passed before the inn.
Marano had recognised his man, and flying out had contrived to stop the
carriage, shouting as he did so--“Joseph Balsamo! It is Joseph! Coquin,
where are my sixty ounces of gold?”
Cagliostro scarcely deigned to glance at the furious goldsmith; but
in the middle of the profound silence which the incident occasioned
among the crowd, a voice, apparently in the clouds, uttered with
great distinctness the following words: “Remove this lunatic, who is
possessed by infernal spirits!”
Some of the spectators fell on their knees, others seized the
unfortunate goldsmith, and the brilliant cortege passed on.
Entering Strasburg in triumph, Cagliostro paused in front of a large
hall, where the equerries who had preceded him had already collected
a considerable concourse of the sick. The famous empiric entered and
cured them all, some simply by touch, others apparently by words or
by a gratuity in money, the rest by his universal panacea; but the
historian who records these things asserts that the sick persons thus
variously treated had been carefully selected, the physician preferring
to treat the more serious cases at the homes of the patients.
Cagliostro issued from the hall amidst universal acclamations, and was
accompanied by the immense crowd to the doors of the magificent lodging
which had been prepared against his arrival. The élite of Strasburg
society was invited to a sumptuous repast, which was followed by a
séance of transcendental magnetism, when he produced some extraordinary
manifestations by the mediation of clairvoyant children of either sex,
and whom he denominated his doves or pupils. The unspotted virginity
and innocence of these children were an indispensable condition
of success. They were chosen by himself, and received a mystical
consecration at his hands. Then he pronounced over a crystal vessel,
filled with water, the magical formulæ for the evocation of angelic
intelligences as they are written in the celestial rituals. Supernal
spirits became visible in the depths of the water, and responded to
questions occasionally in an intelligible voice, but more often in
characters which appeared on the surface of the water, and were visible
to the pupils alone, who interpreted them to the public.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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