Mysteries of the Rosie Cross

travagant Mysterie

ty under the title of "Count Gabalis; or the Extravagant mysteries of the Cabalists,"

the Gabalists, or, Rosy-crucians Exposed in F

rse th

kind of Death is ordinary to those who imprudently manage the Secrets of the Sages; and that since the Blessed Ramundus Lullius has pronounced the sentence in h

le, excommunicated in all ages by the wise. By good fortune I am no Prince; I have little Ambition; and by the Sequel of this discourse, it may be seen that I have a little more Chastity than a Sage needs have. I am endued with a Docible Wit; curious of knowledge, and Bold enough: I want but a little Melancholy to make all those who would blame the Count of Gabalis, confess that he needed not have concealed any thing from me, in regard I was a Subject proper enough for the Secret Sciences. It is true that without Melancholy, no great progress can

s, to beget Giants, to create New Worlds, to speak to God in his High Throne, and to oblige the Cherubin, which defends the entrance of Paradise, to let me come in, and take two or three turns in his Walks; 'tis me that they must blame more or less: they must not for this insult over the memory of this Rare Man; and say that he is dead, for having blabbed all things to me. Is it impossible that amongst th

otee 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 V

pected 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

sis. The greatness of the matter ravished him! He writ to me unheard of Wonders; and I plainly saw that I had to deal with a man of a most vigorous and most copious imagination. I was astonished one remarkable day, when I saw a man come in a most excellent Mien, who, saluting me gravely, said to me in the Fren

ized with, could permit me, Whatever you be (said I to him) whose Complement savours not of this world, you do me a great honour in making me this visit. But I beseech you, if you please, before I worship this God of the Sages, let me know of what God and what Sag

o-day. The Complement which I made you, are the words which the Sages use at first, to those to whom they purpose to open their hearts and to discover their mysteries. I had thought that being

er myself worthy of so much goodness? Is it possible that the excellentest of all

ll understand. Cardan was a coxcomb, for publishing that amongst his subtilties: he had found those memories amongst his father's papers, who was one of us, and who seeing that his son was naturally a babbler, would teach him nothing of what was most considerable; but let him puzzle his brains in Astrology, by which he was not cunning enough to prevent his sons being hanged. This ass was the cause of your doing me the injury to take me for a Sylphe. Injury (replied I!) Why, Sir, should I be so unfortunate to-I am not angry at it (interrupted he) since you are not obliged to know beforehand, that all these elementary spirits are our disciples; for they are most happy, when we will stoop so low, as to instruct them; and the least of our Sages is more knowing than all those little gentlemen. But we shall talk more at large of this, some more convenient time; it is sufficient for me to-day, that I have had the satisfaction to see you. Endeavour, my son, to make yourself worthy of receiving the Cabalistical Illuminations: the

come to my house by eight of the clock, and that if I pleased, we might go and take the air together. I waited for him; he came, and after

ll esteem it as glory to obey your desires. When you shall be enrolled amongst the children of Philosophy, and that your eyes shall be fortified by the use of our sacred medicine, you shall immediately discover that the Elements are inhabited by most perfect creatures, from the knowledge and commerce of whom, the sin of the unfortunate Adam has excluded all

lovers of the sciences, subtil, officious to the Sages, and enemies to sots and ignorants. Their wives and their daughter have a kind of mas

stify them, than that you should believe your own eyes; but receive with a meek spirit the light which God sends you by my interposition. Know that the Seas and Rivers are Inhabited, as well as the air: the ancient Sages ha

manders, the inhabitants of the region of fire, they serve the Philosophers, but they seek not for their company with any great eagerness. The wives of the Salamanders are fair, nay, rather more fair than all others, seeing they are of a purer element. You will be charmed more with the beauty of their wit than of their body, yet you cannot choose but be grieved for these poor wretches when they shall tell you that their soul is mortal, and that they have no hope of enjoying eternal happiness,

that by the same means as man, by the alliance which he contracted with God, has been made partaker of Divinity: the Sylphs, the Gnomes, the Nymphs, and the Salamanders by the alliance which they might contract with man, might be made partakers of immor

ught abundance of precious stones of which they are the natural guardians, and these authors, relying on the Book of Enoch, which they misunderstood, thought that it was the attempt which these Amorous Angels had offered to the chastity of our wives. In the beginning these children of heaven begat famous giants by making themselves beloved by the daughters of men, and the old Cabalists, Josephine and Philo (as all the Jews are ignorant) and after them all the other Authors, which I have just now named, as well as Origen and Macrebius, and hav

s and Sylphs to him, of which the historians speak so largely. There was nothing criminal in all that. They were the Sylphs, which endeavoured to become Immortal. Their innocent pursuits, far enough from being a

g beauty passes away in a short time, and is followed with horrible wrinkles and ugliness, the Philosophers enjoy beauties which never wax old, and whom they have the glory to make i

you affect these Phantasms; and that I tremble for you, and wonder that some one of these pretended Sylphides does not hurry you to Hell, in the middle of your transports and raptures; and for fear, lest so honest a man as you, should not perceive the end of your foolish Chymerick Zeal, and should not repent of so great a crime. Oh! Oh! (answered he) mischief light on thy indocible spirit. His action, I must confess, affrighted me; but it was yet worse, when I perceived, that going further from me, he drew out of his pocket a Paper which I could easily see at that distance to be full of Characters; yet I could not well discern it. He read them gravely, and spake low. I guessed th

that you should be but ill read in Physicks, that cannot be persuaded of the existence of these people? I know not (answered I) but I cannot imagine that these can be anything else but friends disguised. Do you still (said he) rather believe your own Wh

e Sages have been able to defend themselves from their Charms, but it has been observed that some reserving themselves wholly and entirely for great things (as you will know in time), would never do this honour to the Nymphs. I will be then of this number (said I), but yet neither can I resolve to lose time about the ceremonies which I have heard a Pr

in all her most marvellous operations! And in this simplicity, a Harmony and Agreement so great, so just, and so necessary that it will make you return back in despite of yourself from your weak imaginations. That which I am now about to tell you, we teac

the Sphere of Fire, conglobated and organized by the action of the universal fire (concerning which,

on of these four sorts of people, and was their natural King. But since the time that his sin precipitated him into the excrements of the elements (as you shall see hereafter) the Harmony was disordered, and there was no more proportion, he being become impure and dull in respect of the substances so pure and so subtil. What remedy for this evil? How sha

r elements, and being prepared according to art, becomes in a very little time, sovereignly proper to exalt the fire which is in us, and make us become (according to our phrase) of a fiery nature. From that time the inhabitants of the sphere of fire become our inferiors, and ravished to see our mutual harmony re-established, and that we once more approach to them. They have all the kindness for us which they have for their own species, all the respect which they owe to the image and to the lieutenant

f these purified elements have to attract the Nymphs, Sylphs, and Gnomes. In taking but never so little every day, for about a month together, one shall see in the air the volant republique of the Sylphs; the Nymphs come in shoals up the rivers, and the guardians of treasures, presenting you with their riches. Thus, without characters, without ceremonies, without barbarous words you become absolute master over all these pe

ou on the contrary, from being troubled about that: I told you already, that the Sages shew not these things, but to those whom they will not admit into their society. You shall have all these advantages, and others

and we see them die. How (said I) can you see them die, and yet your commerce renders them immortal? That would be well (pursued he) if the number of the Sages equalled the number of these people: besides that, there are many amongst them, who rather choose to die, than hazard by becoming immortal, the being so unhappy as they see the devils

as Porphyrius reports? And, what think you, was the meaning of that voice which was heard on all the coast of Italy, and struck so great a terror into all those who were upon

uade the elementary hosts to shew themselves to men, and make men erect temples to them; and by the natural dominion which every one has over the element which he inhabits, they trouble the air, and the sea, set the earth in combustion, and dispense the fire of heaven, according to their humour: insomuch that they had no great trouble to be taken for Deities, so long as the sovereign being dispensed the salvation of the world. But the devil never received all the

part of philosophy, which concerns the elements, and which will take away (if you have but never so little love for yourself), this repugnance to philosophy, which you have witnessed to me this day! Know then, my son; and go not about to divulge this great Arcanum to any unworthy igno

se sad immortality is nothing but an eternal misfortune; the unhappy children, whom the Sovereign Father has neglected, have also this recourse, that they may become mortal, by contracting alliance with these elementary people. So that you see, the Sages hazard nothing for Eternity. If they are predestinated, they have the pleasure to carry with them to heaven (in quitting the prison of this body) the Sylphide or Nymph, which they hav

s too; and that, if they could discover who those were that escaped the devil by this means (as ignorance is very unjust), they would engage in the devil's interest, against these fugitives and make a strong party for him. Yes, it is for that (pursued the Count) that I have so strictly commanded you; to keep religiously this secret. Your judges are strange persons. They condemn a most innocent action as a dismal crime. What a barbarity was it, to burn those two priests w

ure. You are abused (said the Count). How long think you, that our Sages can subsist without eating? How can I tell? (answered I), Moses and Elias, you know, fasted forty days: you Sages, I make no doubt, may do it, some days less. What a great piece of business would that be (replied he), the most wise men that ever was, the Divine, the almost adorable Paracelsus, affirms, that he has seen many of the Sages fast twenty years, without eating anything whatsoever. He himself, before he attained to the monarc

s, to which nature makes the ignorant subject; we eat not, but when it pleases us; and all the superfluity o

erstand and reject their kindness. A poor Sylph hardly dares to shew himself lest he should be mistaken for an imp of evil; an Undine cannot endeavour to acquire an immortal soul, by loving a man, without running the risk of being considered a vile, impure phantom; and a Salamander, if he shews himself in his glory, is taken for a devil, and the pure light which surrounds him considered the fire of hell. It is in vain that, to dispel these unworthy suspicions, they make the sign of the cross when they appear, and bend their knees when the Divine name is uttered. All their efforts are useless. Obstinate man persists in considering them enemies of that God whom they

es that syllab

hores, and dese

countries had given to the Sylphs. Vulcan, Bacchus, and Pan, though the Greeks did not know it, were Gnomes; Neptune and Venus, and all the Naiads and Nereids, were but the Undines of the Rosicr