BASILE VALENTIN - Azoth ou le moyen de faire l’or caché des philosophes

Azoth ou le moyen de faire l’or caché des philosophes.
De Frère Basile Valentin

À  Paris, chez Pierre Moet. 1659

Small octavo, 172x112mm, 196pp. Frontispiece, numerous headbands and initials, 14 woodcuts. 17th-century full red calf binding with five raised bands. Gilt title label and compartments, gilt border on the raised bands. Covers decorated with gilt frames and gilt fleurons. Gilt border on the edges of the covers. Blank endpapers.

“Happy three or even four times, happy is he who has acquired the complete knowledge of this art.” Basile Valentin

Written by Basile Valentin, a famous 16th-century alchemist canon, this book is a reference in philosophical alchemy. Far from folkloric esoteric books, it opens the paths to the wisdom of life. The first part consists of a dialogue between Adolphe, representing the one who believes he knows, a materialist attracted by wealth but thirsty for knowledge, and the Old Man, the philosopher, simple in appearance, whose speeches seem naive if one cannot decipher their metaphors.

“You will repel darkness, all gloom, and blindness, for it is the force of forces that overcomes all force and subtle things and penetrates hard and solid things.” B.V.

The second part reveals the secrets of mysterious alchemical concepts through the Philosopher's Stone, Azoth, Mercury, VITRIOL, or the Dragon, a set of metaphorical keys that unlock the secrets of life through the principle of transmutation (sometimes called the Universal Remedy or Panacea).

“I am a poisonous Dragon, being everywhere present and at a low price, the thing on which I rest and which rests on me, will be found in me, which will seek well and diligently my water & my destructive and composing fire [...] the philosophers call me Mercury, my husband is the philosophical gold, I am the old Dragon present throughout the earth, I am father and mother, young and old, strong & weak, hard and soft, descending to earth and ascending to heaven, very large and very small, very light and very heavy.” B.V.

The second part is structured as follows:
1 Atlas
2 The Words of Hermes to the Pimander
3 The Smaragdine Table of Hermes or the Words of the Secrets of Hermes
4 The Symbol of Brother Basil Valentine
5 The New Symbol
6 Raw Material
7 Operation of the Philosophical Mystery
8 Second Figure
9 Third Figure
10 Fourth Figure
11 Fifth Figure
12 Sixth Figure
13 The Universal Work of the Philosophers
14 Declaration and Explanation of Adolphe
15 The Symbol of Saturn

The third part is a philosophical poem on the Azoth of the philosophers.

While the text appears to have several levels of interpretation, it is, more prosaically, and despite the typos, very well written and highly poetic.

“This is true and far from any lie, that what is below is similar to what is above [...] the Sun is the Father and the Moon is the Mother, the wind carries it in its womb, the earth is its nurse, the mother of all perfection, its power is perfect if it is changed into Earth, separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the hope and gross, and prudently, with modesty and wisdom, it rises from the earth to the sky [...] by this means you will have the glory of all.” B.V.

Basil Valentinus (Basilius Valentinus) is one of the great names in alchemy, presented as a Benedictine monk who lived at the Priory of Saint Peter in Erfurt. While his existence remains enigmatic, the majority of the works attributed to him were published in the early 17th century. His works presented for the first time the major principles of alchemy or protochemistry, such as the production of ammonia, hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid, and contributed to the fame of Azoth and Vitriol.

Bassie Valentin appears to be a pseudonym for Johann Thölde.

Caillet 797;
Brunet V, 1035
Pernety 52

Condition: Binding in good condition, patinated with age. The gilt decorations are very well preserved. annotations and pencil marks are present. There is a small stain between pages 15 and 41 at the bottom of the page. There are stains on page 81. There are numerous printing errors. The book is complete. Overall, very good condition (see photos).

“So be it to Mercury, which, although it is footless, runs like water, not wetting the hands and operates entirely metallically.” B.V.