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by Giovanni Sergio (Author)
The Latin treatise, "Reconditorium ac reclusorium ... CHYMICA VANNUS ...", for three quarters of anonymous Author (probably Thomas Vaughan, Grand Master of the Rose+Cross Order in the 17th century), published in 1666, is a milestone in the history of hermetic research of the Lapis Philosophorum, which captivates for the profound spirituality of the Rosicrucian teaching, the wealth of mythological quotes and historical references, and because of complexity of prose-poetic style. The last quarter of this work is a purely alchemic treatise: "Commentatio de Pharmaco Catholico", written in German language by Johan de Monte-Snyder and translated into Latin by the same author of "...Chymica vannus..." here the "dance" of the "metals" emerges, metals which must be transmuted into "gold", through the seven hermetic operations and the three colored stages of the Opera, which lead to the completion of the "Great Opera". This translation from the Italian version into English language (supplemented by an Analytical Index with 323 mentions and by 872 explicative and critical personal comments as footnotes) could be of some interest for lovers of hermetic issues, also because it is enriched by reproductions of 15 engravings drawn by the Latin text.
