1656 · Themis Aurea
Michael Maier · 1656
Themis Aurea
Michael Maier, physician, alchemist and the most learned defender of the Rosicrucians, published Themis Aurea at Frankfurt in 1618 as an exposition of the six laws said to have been given to the fraternity by its founder: to profess no art but healing, and that freely; to wear no distinctive habit; to meet once a year; to choose a successor; to use the letters R. C. as their seal; and to keep the fraternity secret for a hundred years. Around these Maier builds a defence of chemical medicine, a satire on the abuses of physicians and a denial that the brethren seek political or religious upheaval. This English version of 1656 is dedicated to Elias Ashmole and adds a Latin epistle to the brethren from correspondents in England. The text follows the EEBO-TCP transcription.
Contents
- 1.Title page78 w.
- 2.Dedication to Elias Ashmole; the preface674 w.
- 3.An epistle to the Fraternity of the R. C., in Latin2,786 w.
- 4.Themis Aurea, chapters 1–45,077 w.
- 5.Themis Aurea, chapters 5–85,547 w.
- 6.Themis Aurea, chapters 9–125,745 w.
- 7.Themis Aurea, chapters 13–175,249 w.
- 8.Themis Aurea, chapters 18–203,010 w.