Musaeum Hermeticum

Frontispiece of the Musaeum Hermeticum

Musaeum Hermeticum (En: Hermetic Museum) is a compendium of alchemical texts first published in German, in Frankfurt, 1625 by Lucas Jennis. Additional material was added for the 1678 Latin edition, which in turn was reprinted in 1749.

Its purpose was apparently to supply in a compact form a representative collection of relatively brief and less ancient alchemical writings; it could be regarded as a supplement to those large storehouses of Hermetic learning such as the Theatrum Chemicum, or Jean-Jacques Manget's "Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa". It seemed to represent a distinctive school in Alchemy, less committed to the past and less obscure than the works of older and more traditional alchemical masters.

The full Latin title is: "Musæum Hermeticum, omnes sopho-spagyricæ artis discipulos fidelissime erudiens, quo pacto summa illa veraque Medicina, qua res omne, qualemcumque defectum patientes, instaurari possunt (quæ alias Benedictus Lapis Sapientum appellatur) inveniri ac haberi queat inveniri ac haberi queat. Continens tractatus chymicos novem præatantissimos, quorum nomina et seriem versa pagella indicabit. In gratiam filiorum doctrinæ, quibus Germanicum Idioma ignotum, in Latinum conversum ac juris publici factum. Jennis"

The first edition contained:

1. The Remonstrances of Nature ascribed to Jean de Meung
2. The Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine
3. Subtle Allegory (Michael Maier)
4. Three Treatise of Philalethes
5. The Book of Alze
6. Open Entrance to the Closed Palace - Philalethes
7. A Tract of Great Price
8. The Only True Way
9. The Testament of Cremer
10. The Glory of the World
11. The Waterstone of the Wise
12. The Golden Tract concerning the Philosopher's Stone

The illustrated book contains 445 + 35 pages.

See also

• Emblem book
• 1625 in literature

External links

• Musaeum hermeticum etc. (1625 German edition)l
• Musaeum hermeticum etc. (1678 Latin edition)
• Musaeum Hermeticum etc. (English translation at "The Alchemy Website")
• The Hermetic Museum, restored and enlarged (English A. E. Waite edition, 1898)
• The Hermetic Museum, restored and enlarged Vol I (of II) (A scanned UMI copy of volume one from the Cecil H. Green Library at Stanford, published in 1893 introduction written by A.E. Waite, the translator of the original texts is anonymous)