THOMAS NORTON 130 THOMAS DALTON 133 SIR GEORGE RIPLEY 134 PICUS DE MIRANDOLA 136 PARACELSUS 137 DENIS ZACHAIRE 140 BERIGARD OF PISA 148 THOMAS CHARNOCK 148 GIOVANNI BRACCESCO 151 LEONARDI FIORAVANTI 153 JOHN DEE 153 HENRY KHUNRATH 159 MICHAEL MAIER 160 JACOB BÖHME 161 J. B. VAN HELMONT 166 BUTLER 168 JEAN D’ESPAGNET 170 ALEXANDER SETHON 171 MICHAEL SENDIVOGIUS 175 GUSTENHOVER 181 BUSARDIER 182 ANONYMOUS ADEPT 184 ALBERT BELIN 186 EIRENÆUS PHILALETHES 187 PIERRE JEAN FABRE 200 JOHN FREDERICK HELVETIUS 201 GUISEPPE FRANCESCO BORRI 208 JOHN HEYDON 210 LASCARIS 211 DELISLE 216 JOHN HERMANN OBEREIT 219 TRAVELS, ADVENTURES, AND IMPRISONMENTS OF JOSEPH BALSAMO 220 AN ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE OF WORKS ON HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY AND ALCHEMY 274 APPENDIX 307 INDEX 313 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY ON THE TRUE PRINCIPLES AND NATURE OF THE MAGNUM OPUS, AND ON ITS RELATION TO SPIRITUAL CHEMISTRY. Those unfamiliar with modern alchemical criticism, even if they have some acquaintance with the mystical labyrinth of the _turba philosophorum_, will probably learn with astonishment that the opinions of competent judges are divided not only upon the methods of the mysterious Hermetic science, but upon the object of alchemy itself. That it is concerned with transmutation is granted, but with the transmutation of metals, or of any physical substance, into material gold, is strenuously denied by a select section of reputable students of occultism. The transcendental theory of alchemy which they expound is steadily gaining favour, though the two text-books which at present represent it are both out of print and both exceedingly scarce.