History knows a lot of unlucky alchemists. And the masters of the Great Work were often turned into unlucky subjects by the envy of monks and medieval scientists who did not know how to make gold from lead. At times this envy was violent. For example, 2 great medieval minds, Heinrich Agrippa and Paracelsus, did succeed in alchemy and medicine, but ... gold did not make them happy, to put it mildly. What is surprising is not that they could turn mercury into a noble metal, but something else is surprising: that these scientists did not end their lives at the stake, in the grip of the Inquisition. Their whole short life is a frantic battle with the greed and obscurantism of churchmen and fellow workers.
But there is a pleasant exception. Nicolas Flamel, who was born in France in 1330, belongs to the cohort of lucky ones. His life is the very case when a person’s angel does not sleep, and the person himself, with the stubbornness of a maniac, is looking for his Blue Bird, to put it poetically.
But let's look at the word "alchemy" first. Where did this word come from? When we were sitting at a school desk, Soviet teachers sadly told us that the word "chemistry" came from the name of Mother-pseudoscience - alchemy. Is it so? Let's say. Well, where did the word "chemistry" come from? Did it fall from the sky? No, not from the sky. The word "chemistry" comes from the name of the country where magic was the basis of the foundations of natural science. This is the country of Hemi (or Kemi) - that is what ancient Egypt was called. Few people know that the magical science that tells about the transmutation of elements was originally called "chemistry". Yes, the original name of esotericism, which tells about the secrets of matter, is chemistry! Egyptian work. What the current chemist is unlikely to guess. But in order to emphasize the divine origin of this science, the Akkadian name of God, El, was added to the beginning of this word. (El, Elohim, Eloah - the Mighty - a well-known epithet of the Almighty in Palestine.) El-Khemi - divine Egyptian esotericism, something like this was called alchemy in the era of Cleopatra.
Indeed, if a person can transform his psyche, make it divine, then why is it impossible to transform the elements that God created? Why not first transform something that is much easier to transform than stupid human brains? And the fact that this is possible, the ancient alchemists proved not with words, but with deeds.
Artificial gold at the beginning of a new era was made in abundance. And this artificial gold once drove the emperor Diocletian into a frenzy. Gold was depreciating, it was too much for the normal functioning of the economy. Therefore, the emperor issues a special decree: all alchemical manuscripts are to be destroyed. All libraries in the Mediterranean are required to issue a manuscript to be burned immediately. In 296, all the alchemical treatises of the Library of Alexandria, which was the greatest information treasury of that time, were thrown into the fire.
For some time, the ferocious attitude of the authorities slows down the spread of alchemical papyri, but in the Middle Ages, the frantic pursuit of artificial gold gives rise to new heroes. But now there is one important nuance - making gold is extremely dangerous! For the greedy church is prowling all over the world to shove into their alchemical vaults the fortunate masters who have been fortunate in the realm of the Great Work. In such a prison, an alchemist can spend his entire life making gold for the pope or court camarilla. Alchemy becomes a mystery, not because its fruit is dangerous, but because the greed of emperors and the Roman curia knows no bounds.
Biography Nicolas Flamel
And yet the alchemists make themselves known! It is difficult to hide an awl in a bag. Nicolas Flamel, a kind-hearted man, was born into a poor family. Having trained as a scribe, he, unlike his fellow workers, did not even dream of being an expert in great science. There was no knowledge, skills and relevant skills. But fate decreed otherwise. Once Nicolas saw an angel in a dream. “Look at this book,” said the messenger of Heaven, holding out an incunabula to him, “at first you won’t understand anything in it. But over time, its secrets will be revealed. After some time, Flamel will see her in reality: in 1357, a second-hand book dealer who wants to sell an old book will come into his bookshop. Nicolas would never have bought this treatise in thick leather binding, the book was too outlandish, incomprehensible, but he remembered the sign sent from above very well.
Much later, when the secrets of the incunabula are revealed, Nicolas Flamel will say: "The clerk who acquired it had no idea about the true price of this book, as, indeed, did the one who sold it." It was a treatise on the Great Work, written by a certain Abraham, a Levite priest, an astrologer. At first it will be a solid "Chinese letter". Pretentious drawings and comments only give rise to a cascade of bewilderment for him and Perrenelle, his wife, who warmly supported the search for the philosopher's stone. But Nicolas is stubborn: the scribe consults with all people who possess at least a grain of esoteric knowledge, even makes a pilgrimage to Spain, where great experts on Kabbalah live. For more than 20 years, the pursuit of secret knowledge has been going on, and now the long-awaited day comes: in 1382, luck comes to him. The townspeople are surprised: an ordinary clerk acquires 30 Parisian houses and large plots of land. Where is the money from?
Nicolas Flamel is incredibly generous: he donates substantial sums to the beautiful temple of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie, builds chapels and hospitals, finances talents in the field of art. Paris has seen a lot of great people, but it is the first time he sees such a generous patron! One got the impression that Nicolas was just throwing away money, without any benefit for himself. What the bare facts say, for example, an inn built in 1407 for poor wandering pilgrims.
His beloved Perrenelle dies in 1402, 16 years before Flamel. No wonder, because she is as much as 20 years older than her husband! And in 1418, Nikola was also buried in the crypt of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie.
But from this moment the most interesting begins. Since the 17th century, strange rumors have been creeping around Europe: Nicolas Flamel is not dead! The alchemist is seen in different parts of the world - here and there. The baton of legends is started by a certain Paul Lucas, who meets a man in Turkey who knows Flamel well. This traveler lived in India, where he met the alchemist, his wife and son, born on Indian soil. His story is amazing: the philosopher's stone not only made Flamel rich, he gave him and his wife eternal youth. Therefore, Nicolas and Perrenelle are forced to stage their deaths. At first, the couple flee to Switzerland, and a little later they visit India, where a random European traveler meets them. This does not contradict the facts: Flamel's grave will be opened 2 centuries after his death, but it will be empty. And in 1761, a strange couple will unexpectedly appear at the Paris Opera.
In short, the legends do not in vain multiply the glory of a worthy Parisian. Flamel's altruism is very similar to the beneficence of the holy unmercenaries who labored for the sake of the Kingdom of God on earth. And this is worthy of all respect.
From the preface to his work and the details that emerge from its study, we can conclude that Flamel was the most educated European philosopher. He learned his art from baptized Jews on the road to Santiago de Compostela.
Deborah Harkness writes: "Some people believed that Flamel was the invention of seventeenth-century editors and publishers who despaired of publishing printed editions of ancient alchemical treatises that an avid reading public turned back into manuscripts." The modern claim that there are references to Flamel's work in 16th-century texts is not supported by the facts. He is said to have achieved two goals of alchemy - he invented the Philosopher's Stone, which can turn dung into gold and ordinary stones into gems, and helped his wife Perenelle achieve immortality with the Elixir of Life.
Nicolas and his wife Perenelle were Catholics. They were known for their wealth, love of people, and achievements in the field of alchemy. Having lived for more than 80 years, in 1410 Flamel created a gravestone for himself, covered with secret alchemical signs and symbols. Now the stone is stored in the Museum of the Middle Ages (Musée de Cluny) in Paris (Paris).
Records say that Flamel died in 1418. However, it is claimed that he was seen alive several times after his death. He is buried in Paris, in the Museum of the Middle Ages, at the end of the nave of the former church of Saint-Jacques-da-la-Boucherie (Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie).
The details of his life are legendary. A book on alchemy is attributed to him, published in 1613 in Paris under the title "Livre des figures hiéroglypiques" and in 1624 in London under the title "Exposition of the Hieroglyphical Figures". In the preface to the work, Flamel describes the search for the Philosopher's Stone. This search was the goal of the alchemist's whole life and came down to deciphering the text of a certain mysterious book, consisting of 21 pages. The preface says that in 1378 he made a trip to Spain (Spain) to find help in translation. Flamel says that on the way back he met a wise man who claimed that this book was a copy of the book of Abramelin (Abramelin the Mage). Upon learning of this, Flamel and his wife worked on deciphering for several years and learned enough to reveal the recipe for the Philosopher's Stone. In 1382, they created the first portion of silver, and then gold. In addition, Flamel is believed to have studied several Hebrew texts.
Flamel became a legend among alchemists by the middle of the 17th century. Isaac Newton referred to it in his journals. Interest in the personality of the alchemist revived again in the 90th century; it is mentioned in the novel "Notre Dame Cathedral" by Victor Hugo; Albert Pike mentioned it in his Morals and Dogma of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.
One of the houses in which Flamel lived is still located in Paris (Paris) on rue de Montmorency, house 51. This is the oldest stone house in the city, a restaurant is now located in the basement of the building.
In Paris, next to the Louvre, there is rue de Nicolas Flamel, which intersects with rue Perenelle, named after his wife.
Alchemists have been active in France at all times, but no one, not even the modern adept Fulcanelli, has had such a reputation as Nicholas Flamel. The parish of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie, located in a densely populated part of Paris, preserved, at least until the beginning of the 19th century, a living memory of this man, his wife Perrenelle, as well as their generous charity and great wealth.
Flamel was born around 1330 near Pontoise into a poor family, who, however, managed to teach him to read and write. It is believed that his parents died when Nicholas was still very young, and he went to Paris, where he became a public scribe. At first he lived near the cemetery of the Holy Innocents, and then, like other representatives of his craft, he moved to the gallery of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie.
Having married a woman of mature years, who managed to be widowed twice and brought modest prosperity to the family, Nikolai was able to rent two workshops: one for himself, the other for his copiers and apprentices. However, it cannot be said that he was a wealthy man. The room in which Flamel worked all his life was so small that today such a thing can only be found in remote streets - it is more an extension than a shop.
A few years later, thanks to Madame Perrenelle and saving on everything, Nikolai managed to build a small house directly opposite the workshops. Although his situation improved somewhat, he was still poor.
There is a legal act, drawn up a few years after the wedding, according to which the spouses transfer all their property into joint ownership. Judging by this document, their condition is still extremely small.
However, thanks to his marriage, Flamel came close to joining the class of small proprietors. At this time, he was not yet engaged in hermetic philosophy. Expansion of activities through the sale of books - that's what absorbs all his thoughts. The new case introduces him to the alchemical works he receives to sell or copy. Apparently they were the cause of one dream, which was the starting point in his career as an alchemist.
Later, Nicholas said that an angel appeared to him with a huge copper-bound volume, opened his title and said: “Flamel, remember this book. Now you, like many others, will not understand a word of it. But the day will come when you will learn from it something that others cannot. Then the vision disappeared, but the memory of it never left Nicholas. The dream suddenly became a reality many years later, when that same book fell into Flamel's hands. This is how he describes it in his manuscript "The Interpretation of Hieroglyphic Images":
So I, Nicholas Flamel, a clerk, after my parents, made a living by the art of writing, compiling inventories and accounts and checking the expenses of guardians. It so happened that for two florins I bought a very large and ancient book, decorated with gold embossing. It was not written on paper or parchment, like most other books, but on what seemed to me to be broad sheets of young tree bark. Its cover was made of copper and covered with a bizarre ornament consisting of curious letters and drawings. As far as I could tell, it was Greek or some other ancient language. All I knew was that I could not read these letters, and that they were certainly not Latin or Gaulish, with which I was naturally familiar.
As for the text, the pages were filled with the greatest skill with a metal pen, in clear and wonderfully colored Latin letters. The book contained three times seven pages (they were numbered in that order at the top of each page), with all the seventh pages blank, except for the border of intertwined snakes around the edges. On the second seventh page there was a cross with a crucified. On the last seventh page, a desert was drawn with many beautiful springs, from which sprawled in all directions.
On the first page were written in gilded capital letters: JEW, ABRAAM, PRINCE, PRIEST, LEVITI, ASTROLOGIST AND PHILOSOPHER WELCOMES THOSE OF THE TRIBE OF THE JEWS WHO HAVE BEEN SCATTERED AMONG THE GAULS BY THE WRATH OF THE LORD. This was followed by the most terrible accusations and curses (and the word MARANATHA was often repeated) to those who dare to look at this book, if they are not a priest or a scribe.
By his own admission, Nicholas Flamel did not understand much from the book. The first page contained only the heading above, the second an invocation to the Israelites, and the third announced the transmutation of metals as a means of paying the tribute imposed by the Roman emperors. The text relating to the receipt of the Philosopher's Stone was relatively clear, but - as is generally the case with all Hermetic writings - contained absolutely nothing about the nature of the required primacy. What is the first thing, reported the fourth and fifth pages, which had no text, but wonderfully colored with several pictures. Flamel concluded that although these pictures undoubtedly indicate which substances should be used, only a connoisseur of Art can interpret them. He realized that he was still completely unable to see any meaning in them.
I myself carefully examined these hieroglyphic symbols, but, as in the case of other, purely allegorical art, I never understood what the author wanted to say. Even knowing what exactly this or that means, I understood that other symbols could be used for the same purpose. At the same time, one and the same could be interpreted in completely different ways.
Just like the illustrations, the text of the book will not justify our hopes, since Flamel is very cautious. He writes: “I cannot explain what is written on the remaining pages in pure and perfect Latin, for the Lord will punish me. I will commit a greater sin than a man who, according to legend, wanted all people in the world to have one head, which he could cut off with one blow. (It is likely that Nicholas left more detailed information in the "Chemical Psalter", which he bequeathed to his nephew Perrier, but the text written in the margins of his own missal is coded).
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History of Nicholas Flamel
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Alchemists have been active in France at all times, but no one, not even the modern adept Fulcanelli, has had such a reputation as Nicholas Flamel. The parish of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie, located in a densely populated part of Paris, preserved, at least until the beginning of the 19th century, a living memory of this man, his wife Perrenelle, as well as their generous charity and great wealth. Flamel was born around...
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AZBUKA-CLASSICS
FLAMEL, ALCHEMY AND THE WHEEL OF HISTORY
The French Hermetic philosopher, whom Hugo put on a par with Averroes and Guillaume of Paris, Nicolas Flamel, is certainly a successful alchemist, since, being a modest clerk, he acquired wealth that aroused the envy of crowned persons; undoubtedly a historical person who left behind numerous documentary evidence of his charitable activities, real estate and even a tombstone. The story of his life, recounted by himself in the preface to Hieroglyphic Figures*, was repeatedly rewritten and retold by a whole army of researchers and biographers, from the seventeenth century to the twentieth. What is his eminently plausible story?
In 1330, in a family of poor, but, as Flamel himself notes, very worthy and honest people, the boy Nikola was born. It happened in the town of Pontoise, twenty-five kilometers north of Paris. Despite a modest income, the Flamel family gave the child a decent education, although he did not master Latin very well, which he later complained about. By acquiring the necessary knowledge. Nicola went to neighboring Paris to earn a living as a public clerk and notary. At first, he settled with his brothers in the workshop near the Cemetery of the Innocents [Infants], and then, when the guild of scribes moved to the area of the church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, he moved there with everyone. His modest office, or rather, wooden annex, was no different from the rest; its area was about one and a half square meters, that is, just enough to accommodate a tiny table and chair. It was located on Pisarey Street: in Flamel's English translations it is often called Notary Street, and in Hugo's Russian translation of Notre Dame Cathedral it is even Pisateley Street, which is too much, because the people who worked on it are the same. were not writers - they were ^11 11 other scribes, notaries, calligraphers and copyists of books, often combining all these professions in one person. In particular, Flamel was known as a skilled "publisher": printing had not yet been invented, and making handwritten copies was the only way to reproduce. In addition, he was respected among the Parisian nobility, because some especially original nobles took lessons from him. to teach * to write your name on paper (the dimensions of ignorance at that time are hard to imagine). Flamel actually lived opposite his office, on the corner of Ekriven and Marivaux streets. 1
The name comes from 1e resh taga”, that is, “bog *. Today, this street is named after Nicolas Flamel.
; his house was known as "the house under the Royal lilies *, as a bas-relief with their image flaunted above the entrance. Flamel always had a lot of people in the daytime - his students and apprentices diligently completed the task of rewriting books and copying illustrations; there the hospitable Flamel fed them dinner.
Once, when Nicola was already forty, a pretty widow, who processed documents for property in Flamel's office, let him know that she was not at all averse to getting married again and she really liked the notary. Although Malam Pernell Leta—that was her name—was older than Nicola, she looked rather young and charming; the desire was mutual. The wedding was not long in coming, so soon a young family began to live in the house under the lilies. The new mistress, having some savings inherited from her late husband, hired a cook and a maid: not that she was lazy or avoided housework, but to feed the ever-increasing horde of apprentices who dined in the house, and clean up after them was beyond the power of one woman , and the Flamels always treated their workers with care and treated them from the dugout. The owners themselves lived modestly, wore inexpensive clothes and ate on earthenware, but the quality of the dishes was well known outside the house ... But here it should be noted that there was still one flaw in this idyll.
Many years ago, long before I met Flam, I ate with Madame Leta and had a wonderful dream. An angel descended from heaven to him, holding in his hands a large old book, richly inlaid with gold. “Flamel,” said the angel, “look at this book. You won’t understand anything in it, just like all other people. But the day will come when you will see in her what no one else can see. Nikola extended his hand to the book, but the angel, along with it, began to quickly move away and eventually disappeared into a golden sliver. Flamel paid no attention to this dream until an interesting incident happened to him. It must be said that, gradually expanding his "book publishing" business, he took up the resale of rare books, so that his house partly took over the functions of a second-hand bookshop. And then one day in 1357, for the price of two florins, he purchased a beautiful old book, written not on paper or parchment, but on something very dense, resembling the bark of a young tree. Flamel often came across alchemical works, he even copied them to order, but this subject did not arouse much interest in him: and yet this book was exactly like that one. shown to him in a dream by an angel. On the first page it was written: ABRAHAM THE JEW. PRINCE. PRIEST. LEVITICUS. ASTROLOGIST AND PHILOSOPHER GREETINGS THE JEWISH PEOPLE WITH THE WRATH OF GOD DISPERSED AMONG THE GAULS. The book contained beautiful color illustrations and text in Latin, as well as words in an "unknown ancient language" that Flamel mistook for Greek, although it was most likely Hebrew. Nicola was so intrigued that he spent day and night studying this work, the essence of which was to teach the Jewish people the art of transmuting metals and obtaining alchemical gold, which the author recommended paying taxes to the Roman emperor. Despite the fact that, it would seem, Flamel had already begun to unravel the meaning of some symbolic illustrations and understand the toenz oregapeIon, he did not find anywhere a hint of what kind of matter he should initially work with; no wonder, because the adepts could never afford to openly name this substance in writing, which contains the main hermetic secret. But from whom to seek help in this matter? How to get a clue to the primal matter? Consumed by such thoughts and doubts, the young husband often retired to his room, was very absent-minded and sighed for no apparent reason, which caused Madame Flamel serious anxiety. One day, Nicola gave in and gave in to his wife’s persistent questions - He shared his secret with her, and - quite unexpectedly - the mysterious book interested Pernelle so much that the main evening pastime of both newlyweds from that moment was the joint examination of beautiful illustrations and making assumptions about their symbolic meaning.
Nicola, realizing that without outside help, she and Pernelle will continue to guess, while away the days until her death, makes the only correct - and safe - decision. Without much difficulty, since this is his profession, he copies illustrations from the book of Abraham the Jew, and the book itself is well hidden in the house. Copies he, being careful 2
Mode of action (lat.).
Begins to show people from among his clients who.
in his opinion, could help in this matter. However, most of them did not even understand what Flamel's amazing manuscript was about. When Nikola explained that this work was dedicated to the "blessed Stone of the Philosophers", his interlocutors began to smile, and some allowed themselves to frankly joke about the notary who had gone out of his mind. And yet one day he showed his pictures to the doctor of medicine. to a certain master Ansolm, who, as it seemed to Flamel, was very experienced in alchemy; he was terribly glad that a copy of such a valuable manuscript fell into his hands. He clearly and plausibly explained to Nicola the meaning of the drawings, and as a result of this excellent explanation, Flamel spent twenty-one years in the laboratory, which he equipped in the basement of his house. of course with zero result. In the end, the already elderly Flamel family concluded that they had gone the wrong way and that Mr. Ansolm's advice should be forgotten. In his sixties, Flamel is back where he started. But the alchemist did not lose heart, but decided to take a very serious step, he would go on a pilgrimage to Spain, to the city of St. James, on whose patronage he always counted, and there, among the many synagogues, he would find a Jew of a clergy who would explain to him the true meaning of the book of Abraham.
So, taking the staff and the pilgrim's cloak. Flamel is on his way. The Galician city of Santiago de Compostela, now the capital of the autonomous region of A Coruña in northwestern Spain, has been one of the most important points of pilgrimage for Catholics since the ninth century, when the remains attributed to the holy Apostle James were discovered near it. In 1128, the Cathedral of St. James was founded there, in which there was a tomb with relics, presumably belonging to the great apostle; Flamel's trip was nothing out of the ordinary; rather, it was in keeping with Flamel's reputation as a pious man. He successfully completes the pilgrimage with a prayer in the cathedral and begins the long return journey, not finding, as he was going to, a knowledgeable Jew in the synagogues of Santiago. On the way back, he stops in the Castilian city of Leon, where he meets the master of Capches. whose joy at the news that the book of Abraham the Jew has been found knows no bounds. This is exactly the person Flamel needs: satisfied with the message that the book is at Flamel's home in Paris, Mr. Canches immediately goes with him to France, explaining all the mysteries of the manuscript to Nicola listening to him along the way. From Leon they go to Oviedo, and then to Saison, where they transfer to sea transport, which brought them to the French coast, it is logical to assume that they vysalis in the city of La Rochelle, already in the XIV century known as a major commercial and military port in western France . Then they follow through Orleans towards Paris, but then the master suffers misfortune - vomiting, which was the result of seasickness, not only did not leave him, but even intensified, and Kanches. without getting out of bed in an Orleans hotel, he dies in Flamel's arms, of course having time to tell him all the secrets of the Great Work. After burying her companion and ordering a daily mass for the repose of his soul, Nicola safely reaches Paris, where he is met with open arms by the faithful Pernelle.
So the pilgrimage is over. Everything corresponds to the signs of the time, nothing violates the coherent storyline of a medieval novel - sorry, Flamel's autobiography. There are, however, a few strange moments, sometimes shining through the fabric of the narrative, like Turkish shoes that treacherously peeked out from under the prelate's cassock in the famous novel by Jan Potocki 3
Imss-tsya in mind novel ■ * Manuscript found in Saragossa *.
For example, somewhere in the middle of his journey to Galicia, Flamel stops at Montjoie, a breed whose name he writes as Moptuouye, "in France there is only one Mopfp, a Languedoc town near Perpignan. Which could not possibly be in his way, since located much closer to the Mediterranean Sea than to the Bay of Biscay.There is another city that fits this role, the Castilian city of Montejo (Mop(e]o), however, to translate its name into French as Montjoie, to put it mildly, is incorrect - if only the name this, that is, the Mountain of Joy (Moti-yye), does not play a very important role in the entire history of the pilgrimage: the Mountain of Joy of philosophers, over which the star of St. other names - and names - are of equal importance in Flamel's narrative?Fulhanelli, a par excelence adept of the 20th century, in his work "The Philosophers' Abode" explained the alchemical meaning of each symbol 4
See: Ri1sale no. 1st $ Oeteste RLP
- and they are almost all proper names - in Flamel's book “Hieroglyphic Figures *. He explained and concluded that the character bearing the surname Flamel made his long and fruitful pilgrimage to St.
We will return to this idea later. In the meantime, leaving the smooth flow of the plot of "Hieroglyphic Figures*", let's return to historical documents. The above concept of the life of the alchemist Nicolas Flamel, which is based on his discovery of the legendary book of Abraham the Jew and finding a teacher in the person of a Spanish Jew named Kanches - that is, the events described by him in the preface to ♦Hieroglyphic figures*-. - shared by numerous researchers of the life and work of the great French adept 5
It suffices to name a few: Po&lop Libre1. Noco!a5 P1at1. for ne, sc5
Perhaps, until recently, the only alternative version, unparalleled in depth of analysis, was only the one proposed by Fulcanelli in 1930, when the first edition of his Abodes...* was published. What other biographical facts can we learn from these books? For example, much attention has always been paid to the date of death - officially recorded - of a man named Nicola Flamel. He died nineteen and a half years after his wife Pernelle, on March 22, 1417 - sometimes 1418 is indicated, but this is an inaccuracy - leaving a well-written will (including the alleged inscription on the tombstone), dated November 1416. What is so suspicious here? The fact,
that March 22, the day of the vernal equinox, when the sun enters the sign of Aries, is the traditional day of the beginning of the Great Work - a beautiful detail in the biography of an alchemist, isn't it? Knowing that the universal remedy 6
This is often called the philosopher's stone, because it "heals * the imperfection of everything - from metals to living organisms.
Of which the Flamels had an endless supply, many times lengthens the life of the adept, it can be assumed that death 7
According to tradition, one who regularly takes the red tincture (as prescribed in Flamel's * Testament) can live as long as "as stunned by God", that is, the factor of old age is not excluded, but the factor of illness is excluded. In other words, the alchemist can live until then. until the *potential resources of the organism are exhausted”, as modern gerontologists say.
Both Flamels were a hoax, performed according to all the laws of the genre, with a tombstone and an entry in a church book. According to legend, after the memories of Flamel were buried in his native Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, he himself went to Switzerland, where a living and healthy wife was waiting for him (for twenty years?). For the next three centuries, they occupied themselves with traveling through India and the Middle East. 8
See: Saduy Jacques. Alchemists and gold. Kyiv. 1995. S. 89-90.
Moreover, faith in their welfare was so strong that in addition to
* very vague evidence of a meeting with Flalvelgan in various exotic countries at once, several respectable Parisians unanimously declared. that they saw the Flamel couple, together with their son, who was born in India, proceeding to the box of the Paris Opera one fine evening ... 1761 9
* See: Notyarg1. Akherpy. N.V.. 1990. P. 247.
Among other facts, the well-known story mentioned by Borel in his Treasury is sometimes quoted. 10
Wage! Rhegge. Trizog "1e Kescherchos er Apiciker Caylons; « Ghapdo15e5, ge*1sh1e8 en Og
: when the king began to be annoyed by rumors about the fabulous wealth of a certain Flamel, he - quite logically - sent a tax inspector, Mr. de Cramuachi, to the nouveau riche. Nicola's reaction was quite in the spirit of the times (more precisely, in the spirit of all times): however, he did not load the inspector with gold, but sprinkled him with a little powder, which, according to the memoirs of descendants, was kept for many generations in the de Cramoisy family. In the report to the king, it was indicated that ♦ Mr. Flamel lives in very cramped conditions, eats from earthenware and rumors about his wealth are very ire-increased. Despite the anecdote of the situation, one should not forget that what the royal tax inspector described was actually true. From the moment the Flamels received the red tincture, that is, the philosopher's stone, in 1382, they did not spend a single sou on themselves - the huge funds that Nikola now disposed of were invested in the construction of hospitals, churches and shelters for the poor (one of those, by the way, was preserved under number 51 on the rue Montmorency: it was founded by Flamel in 1407).
A very obvious proof of the active social activity of the Flamels, convinced propagandists of the alchemical art, are the bas-reliefs depicting hermetic symbols, or figures, which Nicola placed on almost all the buildings, the construction or repair of which financed; as an example, we can name the arch in the Cemetery of the Innocents, described in detail in the "Hieroglyphic Figures", as well as the bas-reliefs of the church
Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, which stood unharmed until 1797. Despite the fact that the church was destroyed, the tombstone buried under its rubble (sorry for the strange pun) suddenly appeared in the middle of the 19th century in an antique shop on the banks of the Seine, from where it migrated - already for good - to the Cluny Museum. A Parisian antique dealer bought the stove from a grocer who used it as a table for chopping greens for many years. Three figures are depicted in the upper part of the plate - St. Peter with a key in his hand, Christ with a scepter and St. Paul, armed with a sword. The sun is depicted between the Savior and the Apostle Peter, and the moon is depicted between the Apostle Paul and Jesus. Under the epitaph describing Flamel's charity, there is an inscription in Latin, which reads: Ootgne Geus gp 1ia tepsogsNa sregagle", and further, under the image of the deceased. - in French "I came out of the dust and return to the dust / I direct my soul to you , Jesus the Savior of Mankind, who forgives sins *. So, Flamel depicted on his tombstone all the main elements of the Great Work. The sword in the hand of St. Paul symbolizes the secret fire of philosophers, the scepter of the Savior is the primordial matter of the Work, and the key in the hands of the Apostle Peter is philosophical dissolution, which is the key to the magisterium; the deceased, depicted at the bottom of the tombstone, symbolizes not so much the dead Flamel as the most important stage of the Work, decomposition, without which one cannot advance a single step 11
a A detailed write-off of these elements of the mastery is later in the text and comments.
See: A1cclshca1 ^ork5: Esgepaci$ Pb|1a1e1be5 Contr11e
The sun and moon, no doubt, symbolize the sun and moon of the philosophers, that is, their true gold and silver.
So, we have at hand a lot of evidence immortalized in stone and on paper, confirming that a resident of Paris, a modest clerk named Nicolas Flamel built buildings with his own money, which, with all due respect to his diligence, could not be earned sitting in a notary's office, and decorated these buildings are symbolic, confirming his deep knowledge in the field of the so-called Royal Art, that is, alchemy. And yet this money could well have originated in the chest of the widow Lethe, and as it becomes clear from the text of the Hieroglyphic Figures, the Hermetic symbols can often be interpreted quite in the spirit of theology, and vice versa. We know the details of his biography, including the years of birth and death, and yet the last date is too symbolic to be true. Now let's try to trace where the search for other symbols in the life of this adept can lead us, for which we turn to the work of Fulcanelli mentioned above. In The Abode of the Philosophers* the author reminds us that. according to legend, Raymond Lull also made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella (exactly one hundred years before Flamel) and that most adepts at all times resorted to a similar allegorical form of depicting their path of knowing matter and gaining the philosopher's stone. As for the protagonist of the book Hieroglyphic Figures*, Fulcanelli points to the symbolism of his name: Nikola in Greek means “stone conqueror” (Zhko-Laoa); the surname Flamel comes from the Latin / atta, that is, "flame * or" fire ".
In turn, the name of the teacher found by Flamel in Spain, the master of Kanches, is an allegorical name for the white sulphur of philosophers, whose characteristic feature is dryness (io-Greek Kshukh al, ° ^) - A follower of the “dry path * in alchemy, Fulcanelli immediately draws attention to a strange decision that, after Nicola met Canches, the companions make - they decide to get to France by sea, and not by land, which symbolizes the “wet path *, which is ultimately preferred. Flamel, that is, fire, safely reaches Orleans (og-/egii5, which can be translated as “1 am there is gold *), while Kanches, that is, gilfir. dies due to prolonged vomiting. which in alchemy is a sign of dissolution and decomposition - the very corpse depicted on the F. Tamel tombstone under the inscription: Initially, we should have paid attention to one strange detail: Flamel got an expensive old book for only two florins, which he is sincerely surprised in the preface to Hieroglyphic Figures*. The fact is that these very two florins are the approximate amount necessary for the acquisition of materials used in the Great Work - in accordance with the economic conditions of the XIV century. In the middle of the 17th century, Irinius Philaletes named a somewhat different figure: “As you can see, our work costs no more than three florins ... * g, which, taking into account inflation, completely coincides with Flamel's recommendations. By the beginning of the 12th century, papyrus was completely out of use, and the fact that the book was written "on the bark of young trees *, of course, indicates the Egyptian and" ancient * origin of the book, and besides this - which is much more important - also indicates the metallic nature of the First-matter within the framework of alchemical symbolism. What happens? Not only Master Canches and the pilgrimage to Galicia can be considered an allegory and a hoax, but Mr. Flamel himself with his household, house, wife and charity turns out to be nothing more than a literary character. Isn't that too much, even with all due respect to the name Fulcanelli? No, not too much. But the presence of allegory and mystification does not at all mean the falsity or insignificance of the personality of the author and his works; quite the opposite, in the case of alchemy, the questions of the authenticity of works and the time of their writing appear to be the most difficult, and often unresolvable. riddles - and the more important the work, the more difficult the riddle.
Generally speaking, all Hermetic authors can be divided into four groups: genuine authors who do not hide their names and have a documented biography - the smallest category (Michael Mayer, Monte Snyders, Sendivogii): anonymous authors hiding under the names of great scientists, theosophists and other persons who enjoy authority and serve as a kind of "cover" and protection for tradition (pseudo-Raymond Lull, pseudo-Aristotle, pseudo-Thomas Aquinas, etc.); authors hiding under original pseudonyms (their biographies, as a rule, are fragmentary and unreliable - Iriny Filalet, Fulcanelli, Kamala Jnana, Lambslrink); and finally, the authors, who have a very plausible name, biography and environment, which in fact turn out to be pure fiction. The latter, of course, include the Benedictine monk Basil Valentine, the Westminster abbot Kremer and - most modern researchers come to this idea - the public clerk Flamel. Although in the case of our hero, the situation is even more complicated. If, when trying to establish the identity of Vasily Valentin and Kremer, it becomes very easy to find out that there was never such an alchemist brother in the Benedictine order, and there was never an abbot named Kremer in Westminster Abbey, then in the case of Flamel we have a lot of evidence of his existence. no, what's the problem then? Maybe the legend of go-yurvt is true? But the problem arises not so much because of the biography of the Parisian notary, but because of his literary heritage. Undoubtedly, in the 14th century there was a man who donated money to the shelters for the poor and the church under the name of Nicolas Flamel. But we know most of the facts of his biography from his own treatise
As the second treatise of this collection are
As you can guess, the existence of this book is known only from the words of Flamel - neither she herself, nor even dig from it outside the context of the "Hieroglyphic Figures" was also never known to anyone. According to many signs, the listing of which requires a separate book, modern researchers have come to the conclusion that the text of the Hieroglyphic Figures could not have been written earlier than the 17th century and, therefore, has nothing to do with the notary who lived in the house under the lilies two centuries before. . The most knowledgeable person in this area, who actually devoted his life to studying the "case" of Nicolas Flamel. Claude Gagnon, in his fundamental work, the title of which can be translated as "Flamel under investigation" 12
Oeschpop C1auIe. P1ate1 sous 1PUe511(^io1b EcNIopz 1e 1_oip
Suggests that the "Hieroglyphic Figures" were written by the largest publisher of Hermetic books, Beroald de Verville 13
François Beroald de Verville. in particular, he is known as the editor and publisher of Le TnYeai Aa SchsNea / mge Myuph (Pat, 1600. - the first French translation of Francesco Colonca's "Dream of Polifnla." others.
In the same year that the first edition of the Three Treatises on Natural Philosophy appeared, or a little earlier; he bases his observations on the fact that most of the ideas expressed in this treatise are drawn by the author from the liss ain/era diat skethsat josat artidia-51/711 aucsogev, published by Peter Perna in 1572 in Basel and known in detail to Mr. de Verville . In addition, Chevalier Arnaud is a slightly distorted anagram of the name Beroald de Verville. Claude Gagnon was also able to find a note by a 18th-century librarian in the library of Saint-Genevieve: it mentions a now-lost treatise entitled "The Adventures of Ali el Mos clan known as Caliph Broke, translated from Arabic by a certain Rabn el ulle de Deon *, dated 1582. Gagnon notes that the interpreter's strange name is, after all, an anagram of the name Beroald de Verville, while the main character's name (51na1 CaL/e) is nothing more than an exact anagram of the name Nicolas Flamel. In other elephants, we have before us an alchemical treatise, typical in its “anamnesis”, a book written about two hundred years after the death of the alleged author and based on a work that never existed. The real author of it could well be a publisher or - who knows? - an adept of the 16th century, who disappeared forever under the guise of a public clerk, Nicolas Flamel.
What about the other works of the French master, of which we know three more? The most la->nichnaya, and, perhaps, the most interesting in the literary sense, is a work called a Summary of Philosophy or. quicker. The sum of Philosophy, since the title clearly hints at Thomas Aquinas. This short poem, which sets out the basic hermetic conception of the nature of metals and the conditions for their transmutation, was first published in 1561, that is, half a century before the Hieroglyphic Figures, as part of a small anthology On the Transmutation of Metals: Three Old Treatises in Verse** .
The historian of the Hermetic tradition, Leitlet-du-Fresnoy, suggested that the Summary of Philosophy was written by Flamel in 1409. 14
^eap dg ba PoChate. T>e 1a Tran^armanon te1ltschie Cr alc1en5 1ra1CC2 en gkte prán^ouchss. SiIIapyu Sichags) Rath, 1561
Interestingly, a comparison of the somewhat naive poetic manner of the Summary and the inscriptions left by Flamel on various monuments (in particular, on the tombstone of his wife Pernelle) shows that these texts could indeed be written by the same person. So maybe. this poem is directly related to Flamel - or the anonymous adept hiding under this pseudonym. As for the other work, the longest of all, the Book of Laundresses, until the 20th century it was known only in the form of manuscripts and was most often called the Book of the lowest of all desired by the first lines of the narrative. Presented! The first translation in this edition is based on a manuscript from the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. 15
> M5 Rgal*M5 19978.
Dating back to the 15th century.
This document is a stack of 126 sheets of parchment measuring 15 x 11 cm, filled with calligraphically written Gothic text, which ends with the words: "The real
the book belongs to Nicolas Flamel of the community of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie and is written in his own hand." An excellent example of laboratory alchemy instruction, The Laundress Book is dedicated to the so-called Second Work, consisting of the operations of moistening and calcining. Its name leis le sure cles bateurez is literally translated from Old French as "The Book of Laundry"; and indeed, each stage of work in it is called washing. However, in modern French, the word lageur means * washer." that is, in a sense, a washerwoman of the masculine gender; the significance of the image of a woman washing clothes in alchemy can hardly be overestimated. For example, in the third epigram of Atalanta Fleeing, under the motto Follow the example of a woman washing clothes, Mayer writes 16
See: t^ichie. Rapch. 1742. T. I. R. 219.
May he who loves secret doctrines
Don't miss a single hint.
Do you see the woman who is busy with the laundry And adds hot oxen to the vat?
Follow her example, otherwise you will know defeat And you will not wash off the dirt from the black body.
It is precisely this process of washing away the alchemical dirt that the Book of Laundresses is dedicated to - and what else is alchemy, if not “separation of impurities from pure substance *? 17
See: Kikggikya Mllshgsh A Behleon og Acetu. RgapkGshT, 1612. R. 20
Quite logically, Flamel's Testament became the final work in this anthology. This text is mentioned for the first time in Freron's Yearbook for 1758 gad, in a letter XI, without a signature. 18
Benge XI, &ig Geszd "Type Eveesnge
The anonymous author of this letter, by the way, enters into controversy over whether the historical Flamel was an alchemist or not. and, as proof of his positive opinion on this issue, he cites the reminiscences of Perneti 19
Pernety Dom Antoine-Jajf (1716-1801) Benedictine of the Selle-Maur congregation: known as Frederick II's librarian, founder of the Hermetic Society of Avignon and author of several very important works on alchemy.
Who, as if "you saw a certain alchemical manuscript, belonging to the hand of Flamel and dated 1414. It was a pocket prayer book, on the margins of which an alchemical treatise was written. In it, Flamel addresses his only heir, the son of Isabelle, the sister of his dearest wife; instructions uncles, of course, are a recipe for obtaining the tincture of philosophers.In 1762, Dom Pernety himself appears in the Yearbook. 20
* Leuguet II // Pregon. Appee l.lepige, 1762. Vol. III. R. 24-35.
This time, citing excerpts from the Prayer Book, as we know this work in French, or Testaments, as it is customary to title its translations, which tradition follows this Russian translation. There can hardly be any doubt that the anonymous author of the first letter was someone else; undoubtedly, Antoine-Joseph wrote it, as well as - as many researchers believe - the Testament itself. According to many signs, the text quoted by them could not have been written earlier than the middle of the 18th century. In accordance with the legend created by Pernety, the original text was written by Flamel in the margins of a prayer book in the form of a cipher, the key to which he gave to his nephew. Each letter had four spellings, so that the total number of characters that made up the code was 96. Dom Perneti and his friend 21
* Tsv1ashsp1 about? Lichlo1as Platc1 (V E. No 1806
Monsieur Saint-Mar, alleged owners of the text. they spent a lot of time deciphering the code, but to no avail, and Saint-Mar was already ready to abandon this undertaking when Pernety managed to identify the signs for vowels, and soon they deciphered the whole “Testament * -; it happened in 1758. However, the original text (and the French. n encoded) were then declared lost. In 1806, an English translation of the "Will" appeared, apparently created on the basis of quotes from Pernety, since the text is significantly reduced; in addition, the English version contains inaccuracies. Inaccuracies about what? The fact is that the 20th century brought considerable clarity to this matter. Eugène Canselier, a student of Fulcanelli, an alchemist and researcher of the Hermetic tradition, was lucky enough to discover a lost text in 1958 in the manuscript collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. 22
There is an ailu manuscript M5 Prn^aL "14765. S. 197 -
The author of this manuscript copy, created at the end of the 18th century, was the Chevalier Denis Molyneux, a lover of Hermetic art, as he presented himself. By the way, Canselier expressed a very interesting idea: ■ *and on the basis of some graphic features of ru-■XK1ISI, it can be assumed that Antoine-Joseph Pernety himself was this lover of hermetic art, who sent a kind of "letter to budu-vk* - after all, for two centuries this text was considered irretrievably lost 23
See: Саnzeke1 Eshch "epe. N010 Mtsha1ge hig 1e Shsoyopshyge Ne ReteSu // 1shiaiop & Zsmpse /, No. 45. 1958. P. 5.
Nicolas Flamel was born in 1330 in the vicinity of Pontoise into a poor family. It is believed that his parents died when he was too young, after their death Nicholas moves to Paris and becomes a public clerk.
After marrying Perrenelle, a woman of mature years and twice a widow, Flamel rents two workshops, one for himself, the other for his apprentices and copyists. All property of the spouses shall be jointly owned.
The house (1407) of Nicolas Flamel has survived to this day and is recognized as the oldest house in Paris
In 1357, Flamel, being the owner of a small bookshop, acquires for her a papyrus known as the Book of the Jew of Abraham. For 20 years he has been trying to unravel the "secret meaning" of the book, part of which was written in Aramaic. To translate this part of the book, under the guise of a pilgrimage, he visits the Jewish communities of Spain (at that time Jews were forbidden to live in France), after which the myth arises that Nicholas Flamel allegedly managed to uncover the secret of the philosopher's stone. The myth was strengthened in connection with the long life of Flamel.
In 1382, Flamel became the owner of about 30 houses and plots of land within a few months. In his old age, Nicholas Flamel is engaged in patronage, establishes several funds, invests in the development of art, finances the construction of chapels and hospitals.
In 1402, Perrenelle, Nicholas's wife, dies. Flamel himself dies presumably in 1418, having previously bought himself a place for burial in the church of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie. Since he had no children, he bequeathed almost all his property to this church. After their death, a legend arises that supposedly Flamel predicted his death and carefully prepared for it, that supposedly the funeral was actually staged, and Flamel and his wife disappeared. The legend continues and more and more often Flamel and his wife are “seen” after death, for example, in 1761 at a performance at the Paris Opera.
In 1624, an English translation of his works "The Secret Description of the Blessed Stone, Called Philosophical" was published.
The house of Nicholas Flamel, built in 1407, which is considered the oldest building in Paris, has been preserved (Rue de Montmorency, 51. Rambuteau metro)
Until 1789, the hospital held an annual procession to Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie to pray for the soul of Nicolas Flamel. During his lifetime, Flamel made about 40 significant donations to the hospital.
Appearances after death
Tombstone of Nicolas Flamel
Two centuries after his death, the grave of Nicholas Flamel was opened, but his body was not found in it.
The 17th century traveler Paul Lucas spoke of a strange incident that happened to him. Once he was walking in the garden near the mosque in the city of Broussa (the territory of present-day Turkey). During his walk, he met a man who claimed to be one of the best friends of Nicholas Flamel and his wife, whom he had parted with in India no more than 3 months before. According to this man, Nicholas Flamel and his wife faked death and fled to Switzerland. If his words were true, then Flamel's age at that time would be about 300 years.
In the 18th century, the old clergyman Sir Morcel claimed to have seen Nicolas Flamel at work in an underground laboratory in the center of Paris. According to him, the laboratory was separated from the outside world by seven doors.
In 1761, Flamel and his wife were "spotted" at the Paris Opera. This time they were accompanied by a son, who, according to rumors, was born by them in India.
In 1818, a man who called himself Nicolas Flamel wandered around Paris and offered to reveal all his secrets for 300,000 francs.
It is noteworthy that in the middle of the 19th century, a tombstone of Nicholas Flamel was found at a grocer. The grocer used it as a cutting board. Now the plate is in the Cluny Museum. At the top of the slab are depicted Peter with a key, Paul with a sword and Christ. Between them are the figures of the Sun and the Moon. Below is the epitaph of Flamel's charitable work, then the inscription in Latin "God Most High I trust in Your mercy", the image of a dead body and the inscription in French "I came from the dust and return to the dust. I direct my soul to you, Jesus, the Savior of mankind, who forgives sins.
Testament of Nicolas Flamel
The will was probably written in the second half of the 18th century by a secret follower of Nicolas Flamel. According to legend, the first version of the will was written down by Flamel in the form of a cipher on the margins of a pocket psalter. Nicolas gave the key to the cipher to his nephew. Each letter of the cipher had four spellings, and the total number of characters in the code was 96. In 1758, the owners of copies of the text, Antoine Joseph Pernety and Saint-Marc, deciphered the will together, spending a lot of time on it. In 1762, Pernety, in the Literary Yearbook, reported the existence of an unknown work by Flamel. But the original text of the will was lost. In 1806, an English translation of the will appeared, greatly abridged and containing some inaccuracies. However, in 1958, Eugène Canselier discovered a manuscript of the will drawn up by Denis Molyneux in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.
