Common sense having always made me suspect that there was a great deal of Emptiness in all that which they call Secret Science, I was never tempted to lose so much time, as to turn over the leaves of those books which treat of them: but yet not finding it reasonable to condemn without knowing why, all those addicting themselves thereto, who otherwise are wise persons, very learned for the most part, and eminent both for the Gown and Sword. I took up a resolution (that I might avoid being unjust, and wearying myself with tedious reading) of feigning myself a great devotee to those sciences, amongst all those, whom I could learn were of that Gang. I had quickly better success than I could possibly hope for. Since all these gentlemen, how mysterious and how reserved soever they may seem to be, desire nothing more, than to vent their imaginations, and the new discoveries which they pretend to have made in Nature. In a few dayes I was the Confident of the most considerable amongst them, and had every day one or other of them in my study, which I had on purpose garnished with their most phantastick authors. There was never a learned Virtuoso of this kind, but I had correspondence with him. In a word, for my Zeal to this science, I quickly found that I was well approved by all. I had for my companions, Princes, Great Lords, Gown-men, Handsome Ladies, and Unhandsome too; Doctors, Prelates, Fryars, Nuns: in fine People of all Ranks and Qualities. Some of them were for converse with Angels, others with Devils, others with their Genius, others with Incubus's; some addicted themselves to the cure of diseases, some to Star-gazing, some to the secrets of Divinity, and almost all to the Philosopher's stone. They all agreed, that these grand secrets, and especially the Philosopher's stone, were hardly to be found out, and that but very few do attain to them, but they had all in particular, a very good opinion of themselves, to believe that they were of the number of the Elect. By good luck, with infinite impatiency, the most considerable of them expected at this time, the arrival of a lord, who was a great Cabalist, and whose Estate lyes upon the frontiers of Poland. He had promised by letters to the children of Philosophy in Paris to come and visit them; and so to pass from France into England. I had a Commission to write an answer to this great man: I sent him the scheme of my Nativity, that he might judge if I were capable of aspiring to the supreme wisdom. My scheme and my letter were so happy to oblige him to do me the honour of answering me; that I should be one of the first that he would see at Paris; and that, if Heaven did not oppose, there should be nothing wanting in him to introduce me into the Society of the Wise.