Page 13 - Charnock alchemical letter

To the most high and virtuous princess, Elizabeth2
by the grace of God Queen of England, France and Ireland,

defender of the faith,
her highness’ most humble and obedient subject
Thomas Charnock student in the most worthy sciences,
of Astronomy, physick, and natural philosophy:

wishes long to reign over us, in health,
princely wealth, royal honour and felicity.

I have been often minded most noble princess, ever since the first year of
your graces prosperous reign, over this your Imperial realm of England,
to find some means whereby I might present unto your highness in
writing, the effect of this Epistle, wherein should be contained the whole
sum of my mind, whereby your majesty might understand what I your
graces humble subject am able to do in length of time in that most
worthy science of natural philosophy, as to the true and perfect making
of the philosophers’ stone, a most precious pearl for princes, a jewel
above all jewels of this world which many thousands do daily seek, and
scarce five in fifteen kingdoms doth find.

The cause is most mighty princess that for the excellency of this science
and for the hiding of the same, the philosophers have written of two
sciences, a false and a true, the false is written as a means whereby the
true should not be found, and is named Alchemy written in liquid and
delicious words easy to be understood with recipe and accipe, which
common practisers do follow, thinking thereby to make both silver and
gold and to multiply the same in a short time to a numerable sum,
working with sulphur, arsenic, quicksilver, sal ammonia and other salts
and bodies calcified, merging them together, dissolving them, vapouring
them congealing them, and other operations manifold. But when the time
shall come that their work shall be brought to his examination what for
the more and what for the less, there will be well fixed neither good gold,
good silver, nor it good brass.

And thus a number not only in this your highness’ realm, but also
throughout all Europe do desire to put in practice this false science of
Alchemy for lucre sake, whereby they be deceived, and yearly great
riches consumed. But the true science is the making of the philosophers’
stone which they have hid under dark and misty terms, as by parables,

8