Read the secret description of the blessed stone called the philosopher's stone. Magic planet. Appearances after death
At different times, some seriously studied alchemy, while others called it pseudoscience. But one French bookseller managed to prove, as some mystics believe, the truth of alchemy. He allegedly turned mercury into silver and gold, and spent the resulting wealth on charity.
Alchemy is a medieval discipline with roots that go back to the worlds of philosophy, physics and religion. The physical aspect of alchemy focuses on the transformation of elements, namely the transformation of certain materials into others, usually gold. In order to accomplish this, the alchemist needs to learn a lot of new things, and most importantly, obtain the philosopher's stone. According to descriptions in Alexandrian and Arabic texts, it gives not only the ability to create precious metal, but also to gain exceptional strength, health and immortality.
Alchemists of the past described the appearance of the philosopher's stone in different ways. It could be solid or in powder form, and its color also varied: red, blue, white, yellow, black, or even colorless. Alchemist, physicist and occultist Paracelsus introduced a “single” description of the philosopher’s stone as a hard, shiny, dark red object, like a ruby.
Among the few claims made about the discovery of the philosopher's stone, one is worth examining in more detail. We are talking about a Parisian bookseller Nicolas Flamel. He moved to Paris in 1340 and opened a bookshop. Flamel was interested in the occult, and on his shelves there were many books on alchemy.
One day a stranger came into his store and brought him an old book on alchemy. Flamel wrote that “it was made of magnificent pigskin; its lid was made of brass, and strange symbols were inscribed inside.” The author of the manuscript was stated as "Abraham the Jew - prince, priest, philosopher, Levite, astrologer and philosopher."
For more than twenty years, Flamel tried to uncover the code with which the book was written. Desperate, he copied several sheets and went to Spain, where he infiltrated the Jewish community. He found an elderly scholar who recognized the text as ancient Chaldean and asked to see the entire book. The scientist died on the way to France, but managed to translate the pages that Flamel had.
In 1382, Flamel and his wife Parrenelle were able to translate the remaining text and even performed a transmutation: using the philosopher's stone, they turned half a pound of mercury first into silver and then into gold. The process turned out to be quite simple.
But instead of accumulating wealth, Flamel began donating funds to charity. He financed the construction of several schools, seven churches, and fourteen hospitals. Flamel continued to study alchemy and wrote several books on the subject. However, Nicolas Flamel believed that it was impossible to reveal the secret of the philosopher's stone and give people free access to gold. The philanthropist and scientist died peacefully at the age of 80 in 1418 and was buried in the Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie.
Quite a lot is known about the man who received the philosopher's stone from his own books. The house where he lived still stands. Built in 1407, it is now considered the oldest building in Paris. After the death of Nicolas Flamel, it was heavily damaged by vandals looking for supposedly hidden secrets.
Also preserved is Flamel’s gravestone, the design of which was created by him. It depicts Jesus Christ, Saints Peter and Paul, alchemical symbols, and an inscription detailing the alchemist's charitable activities.
There is also a version that the philosopher's stone endowed Nicolas Flamel with not only wealth, but also immortality. They say that he visited India, and that he was seen several times in Paris in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. And they talked almost more about the untold wealth of this famous Frenchman than about his mystical appearance at the Paris Opera along with his wife and son 300 years after his death in 1417. But no documentary evidence has survived on this matter.
Anyone can also learn more about.
Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797). Alchemist in Search of the Philosopher's Stone, 1771. Derby Museum and Art Gallery
It is known when Flamel was born, when he died and whether he died at all, no one knows for certain. Basic information about him can be found in his work “Hieroglyphic Figures.”
At the beginning of the 20th century, a tombstone from the grave of Nicolas Flamel was found in a grocer's shop in Paris. It was used as a cutting board. 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 Moon. Below is the epitaph of Flamel's charitable activities, then the inscription in Latin "Lord Most High, in Your mercy I trust", an 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" . This slab is now kept in the Paris Museum of the Middle Ages.
Flamel was born in 1330 in the town of Pontoise into a poor family, but his parents still managed to teach him to read and write. At the age of 17 he went to Paris, where he became a clerk. By the age of 40, he had saved up money, received a notary license, and managed to build a tiny house. Having married the wealthy widow Perrenelle Leta, Flamel opened a bookstore where he sold books made in his workshop. By the age of fifty, the scribe Flamel had collected an excellent library on alchemy.
One day Flamel had a very strange dream: an angel appeared to him with a huge tome in an unknown language and promised that this book would reveal to him a great secret. When this book came to him some time later, Flamel, despite the curses written in Latin on the title page of the book, began to decipher it. It was a book by the Jew Abraham, a priest, alchemist and philosopher, about obtaining the philosopher's stone, which turns any metal into silver, gold and gives immortality. His wife also joined in deciphering the book. They could not turn to anyone for help, since they could end up at the stake for practicing alchemy.
Matheus van Helmont (1623-1679). Alchemist at work
And Flamel went to Spain to communicate with the main experts in the occult sciences - Arabs and Jews. There he met a Jewish doctor named Kanchez or Sanchez. He, looking at the pictures copied from the book, admitted that Flamel owned the lost book of Rabbi Abraham about the philosopher's stone, with the help of which the sages of Israel mined gold to pay tribute.
Having abandoned his book business, Flamel struggled with the solution to the symbols of Abraham for months and years.
Engraving by Philippe Galle after a drawing by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Alchemist, around 1558
Three years later, Flamel and his wife accomplished a great deed - they received an ingot of gold. The proof of this is now that Flamel unexpectedly became fabulously rich in 1382. He bought thirty houses and plots of land in Paris and Boulogne. Built twelve churches and several hospitals. He donated a large sum of money to the first shelter for the blind, Kenz-Vent, whose inhabitants, in gratitude, prayed at his grave day and night for several centuries. Paid for the restoration of the nearby Innocent Infants Cemetery. During his lifetime, Flamel made about 40 significant donations to the hospital.
Flamel left the secret of the philosopher's stone to his nephew Perrier, but he was unable to decipher it. But he preserved Flamel’s writings for posterity, which alchemists have since tried to decipher. In 1624, an English translation of his works, The Secret Description of the Blessed Stone Called the Philosopher's Stone, was published. In it, as Flamel promises in the preface, “the most important secrets of Art, hidden under the veil of Hieroglyphic figures that I encountered in the book of Abraham the Jew,” are unraveled.
Flamel's sudden enrichment is proven by documentation of his purchases and gifts in the Parisian archives. However, the former clerk Flamel continued to live very modestly, but at the same time donated large sums to the church, which protected him from accusations of witchcraft.
In 1404, Flamel buried his wife in the cemetery of the Innocent Infants, and three years later built a house richly decorated with bas-reliefs on Rue Montmorency, which is considered the oldest house in Paris (Rue de Montmorency, 51. Metro Rambuteau).
Now there is a restaurant in the house and a memorial plaque hangs, notifying that Nicolas Flamel lived here.
However, this is not so - the house where the Tavern Nicolas Flamel restaurant is now located was a homeless shelter during the alchemist’s life. The fee for staying is two prayers a day. Flamel lived and conducted experiments in another house, where it is unknown.
Very little is known about the last years of his life. He died between 1410 and 1418.
Sketch of the arch in the Cemetery of the Innocents, made by Nicolas Flamel himself
He bequeathed his fortune to the church of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie, in which he was buried. The Tower of Saint-Jacques is all that remains of this church, destroyed in 1797. One of the portraits of Nicolas Flamel, depicting an alchemist in old age, is marked by an unknown artist with the inscription: French philosopher. In his works there are indeed many wise thoughts, to understand which you do not need to have the philosopher's stone.
Then the legends began. Two centuries after his death, Flamel’s grave was opened, but no body was found in it. For centuries, Flamel was seen either at the Parisian opera, or in an Alpine cave, or in an oriental bazaar.
In the 17th century, the French traveler Paul Luc said that in the city of Bursa he met a dervish who was personally acquainted with Flamel. According to the dervish, the alchemist staged the funeral of his wife, and then went with her to India, where he settled in a community of yogis. There they had a son.
Then several versions arose. One of them was that Flamel returned to Paris in the 18th century in the form of Saint Germain, then in the form of Julien Fulcanelli, who lived until the 40s of the 20th century. Another version suggested that there was no Flamel at all, that his whole life was a chain of allegories depicting the Great Work - the search for the philosopher's stone.
However, the real existence of Flamel has been proven by many documents. His works have been preserved - however, not the originals, but rewritten copies. Even a book by Rabbi Abraham was found in the Paris Arsenal library. This is also a late copy of a work that the title page claims was written by the biblical patriarch Abraham for the son of Lamech. And one later list says that with the help of this book someone made gold for European monarchs who lived in the 15th century, i.e. after Flamel's death. What is this - a new hoax or confirmation of the afterlife of the alchemist.
In our time, another fantastic version has appeared - Nicolas Flamel was a representative of a powerful secret society that preserves ancient wisdom.
The legend of the immortality of Nicolas Flamel and his wife Perenelle is repeatedly mentioned in fiction (for example, "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown and "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" by JK Rowling).
Current page: 1 (book has 12 pages in total)
ABC-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 undoubtedly a successful alchemist, since, as a modest clerk, he acquired wealth that aroused the envy of crowned heads; undoubtedly a historical figure who left behind numerous documentary evidence of his charitable activities, real estate and even a tombstone. The story of his life, as outlined by him in the preface to Hieroglyphic Figures, has been rewritten and retold many times by an army of researchers and biographers, from the seventeenth century to the twentieth. What is his eminently plausible story?
In 1330, a boy, Nikola, was born into a family of poor, but, as Flamel himself notes, very worthy and honest people. This happened in the town of Pontoise, twenty-five kilometers north of Paris. Despite their 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. Nikola went to neighboring Paris to earn a living as a public clerk and notary. At first, he settled with his fellow workers near the Cemetery of the Innocents [Infants], and then, when the guild of clerks moved to the area of the Church of Saint-Jacques de la Boucherie, he moved there with everyone. His modest office, or rather, the wooden outbuilding was no different from the others; its area was about one and a half square meters, that is, exactly enough to accommodate a tiny table and chair. It was located on the Street of Writers: in Flamel’s English translations it is often called the Street of Notaries, and in the Russian translation of Hugo’s “Notre Dame Cathedral” it is even called the Street of Writers, which is too much, because those who worked on it were esp-~ta gppgchni. were not writers - they were ^11 11 other clerks, notaries, calligraphers and book copyists, often combining all these professions in one person. In particular, Flamel was known as a skilled “publisher”: printing had not yet been invented, and the creation of handwritten copies was the only way to reproduce. In addition, he was respected among the Parisian nobility, because some particularly original nobles took lessons from him. to learn how to write your name on paper (the extent of ignorance at that time is difficult to imagine). Flamel lived practically opposite his office, on the corner of Ecrivin and Marivaux streets 1
The name comes from 1e resh tag,” that is, “swamp*. Today this street is named after Nicolas Flamel.
; his house was known as “the house under the Royal lilies”, since above the entrance there was a bas-relief with their image. Flamel always had a lot of people during the daytime - his students and apprentices diligently completed the task of rewriting books and copying illustrations; there the hospitable Flamel fed them lunch.
Once, when Nikola was already forty, a pretty widow, who was drawing up property documents 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 quite young and was charming; the desire turned out to be 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 feeding the ever-increasing horde of apprentices dining in the house and cleaning up after them was beyond the power of one woman , and the Flamels always treated their workers with care and treated them to good food. 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 was eating with Madame Leta, he had an amazing 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 will not understand anything in it, just like all other people. But the day will come when you will see in her something that no one else can see.” Nikola extended his hand to the book, but the angel began to quickly move away with it and eventually disappeared into a golden blur. Flamel did not attach any significance to this dream until an interesting incident happened to him. It must be said that, gradually expanding his “book publishing” business, he began resale of rare books, so that his house partially assumed the functions of a second-hand bookstore. 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, reminiscent of the bark of a young tree. Flamel often came across alchemical works, he even copied them to order, but this subject did not arouse any particular interest in him: and yet this book was exactly similar to that one. which an angel showed him in a dream. On the first page it read: ABRAHAM THE JEW. PRINCE. PRIEST. LEVITICUS. ASTROLOGER AND PHILOSOPHER WELCOMES THE JEWISH PEOPLE WITH THE WRATH OF GOD SCATTERED AMONG THE GAULS. The book contained beautiful color illustrations and text in Latin, as well as words in an “unknown ancient language” that Flamel took to be Greek, although it was most likely Hebrew. Nikola 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, with 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 toenz oregapeIon, nowhere did he find a hint of what kind of matter should initially be worked with; no wonder, because the adepts could never afford to openly name this substance, which contains the main hermetic secret, in writing. But who should we look to for help in this matter? How to get the answer to primordial 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 serious concern to Madame Flamel. One day, Nikola gave up and gave in to his wife’s persistent questioning. 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 on was jointly looking at the beautiful illustrations and making assumptions about their symbolic meaning.
Nicola, realizing that without outside help, she and Pernelle will remain at a loss, whiling away the days until their 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 hides the book itself well in the house. He makes copies, being careful 2
Course of action (lat.).
Begins to show people from among his clients who.
in his opinion, they could help in this matter. However, most of them did not even understand what Flamel’s amazing manuscript was talking 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 openly joke about the crazy notary. And yet, one day he showed his pictures to the doctor of medicine. to a certain Master Ansolme, who - as it seemed to Flamel - was very skilled in alchemy; he was terribly glad that a copy of such a valuable manuscript fell into his hands. He clearly and plausibly explained to Nikola the meaning of the drawings, and as a result of this excellent explanation, Flamel spent twenty-one years in the laboratory that he equipped in the basement of his house. of course with zero results. In the end, the already middle-aged Flamel family concluded that they had taken the wrong path and should forget about Mr. Ansolm’s advice. At over sixty years old, Flamel returned to 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 had always counted, and there, among many synagogues, he would find a Jew of spiritual rank who would explain to him the true meaning of the book of Abraham.
So, taking the staff and the pilgrim's cloak. Flamel hits the road. The Galician city of Santiago de Compostela, now the capital of the autonomous region of La Coruña in northwestern Spain, has been one of the most important destinations for Catholic pilgrimages since the 9th century, when remains attributed to St. James the Apostle were discovered nearby. In 1128, the Cathedral of St. James was founded there, in which there was a grave with relics supposedly belonging to the great apostle; Flamel's trip was not anything extraordinary; it rather corresponded to the reputation of a pious man that Flamel had acquired. He safely ends the pilgrimage with prayer in the cathedral and begins the long journey back, not finding, as he had intended, a knowledgeable Jew in the synagogues of Santiago. On the way back, he stops in the Castilian city of Leon, where he meets Master 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. Kanches immediately goes with him to France, along the way explaining all the mysteries of the manuscript to the listening Nikola. From Leon they travel to Oviedo, and then to Saison, where they transfer to sea transport, which takes them to the French coast. It is logical to assume that they disembarked in the city of La Rochelle, already known in the 14th century as a major commercial and military port in western France. . Then they follow through Orleans towards Paris, but then misfortune befalls the master - vomiting, which was a consequence of seasickness, not only did not leave him, but even worsened, and Kanches. without getting out of bed in an Orleans hotel, he dies in Flamel’s arms, of course having managed to tell him all the secrets of the Great Work. Having buried his companion and ordered a daily mass for the repose of his soul, Nikola safely reaches Paris, where he is greeted with open arms by the faithful Pernelle.
So, the pilgrimage is over. Everything corresponds to the signs of the times, nothing disrupts the harmonious storyline of the medieval novel - excuse me, Flamel's autobiography. There are, however, a few strange moments that sometimes shine through the fabric of the narrative, like the Turkish shoes that treacherously peeked out from under the prelate’s cassock in the famous novel by Jan Potocki 3
I'm referring to the novel ■*Manuscript found in Saragossa*.
For example, somewhere in the middle of his journey to Galicia, Flamel stops in Montjoie, a breed whose name he writes as Moptooue, "in France there is only one Mopfp, a Languedoc town not far from Perpignan. Which could not possibly be on 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, translating its name into French as Montjoie, to put it mildly, is incorrect - unless the name this, that is, the Mountain of Joy (Moti-uYe), does not play a very important role in the entire history of pilgrimage: the Mountain of Joy of the philosophers, above which the star of St. James of Compostela shines (Sotro-$1.e1a, star field)... Perhaps it does Are other titles—and names—equally important in Flamel's narrative? Fulhanelli, a 20th-century adept execseIense, explained the alchemical meaning of each symbol in his work The Abode of the Philosophers 4
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– 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 Saint James without leaving the laboratory in the basement of a house on the corner of Pisar and Marivaux streets.
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 the acquisition of a teacher in the person of a Spanish Jew named Canches - that is, the events described by himself in the preface to ♦Hieroglyphic Figures*-. – shared by numerous researchers of the life and work of the great French adept 5
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Perhaps the only alternative version, unparalleled in depth of analysis until recently, was the one proposed by Fulcanelli in 1930, when the first edition of his “Abodes...* was published. What other biographical facts can we glean from these books? Let's say that 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 the year 1418 is indicated, but this is inaccurate - leaving a will drawn up according to all the rules (including the supposed inscription on the gravestone), dated November 1416. What's so suspicious about this? The thing is,
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 the alchemist, isn’t it? Knowing that the universal medicine 6
This is often called the philosopher’s stone because it “heals* the imperfections of everything - from metals to living organisms.
Of which the Flamels had an endless supply, prolongs the life of the adept many times over, 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 “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 body are exhausted,” as modern gerontologists say.
Both Flamels were a hoax, performed according to all the laws of the genre, with a gravestone and an entry in the 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 his wife, alive and healthy, was waiting for him (for twenty years?). For the next three centuries they occupied themselves with travels around India and the Middle East. 8
See: Saduy Jacques. Alchemists and gold. Kyiv. 1995. pp. 89-90.
Moreover, the belief in their well-being was so strong that, in addition to
* several respectable Parisians unanimously declared that there were very vague evidence of a meeting with Flalvelgan in various exotic countries. that they saw the Flamel couple, together with their son, born in India, proceeding to the box of the Paris Opera one fine evening... 1761 9
* See: No1tuargg1. Akberpy. N.V.. 1990. R. 247.
Among other facts, a well-known story mentioned by Borel in his “Treasury” is sometimes quoted. 10
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: when the king began to be annoyed by rumors about the fabulous wealth of a certain Flamel, he - quite logically - sent a tax inspector, Monsieur de Cramuachi, to the nouveau riche. Nikola'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 poured him a little powder, which, according to the memories of descendants, was kept in the de Cramoisy family for many generations. In the report to the king it was stated that “Mr. Flamel lives in very cramped conditions, eats from earthenware, and rumors about his wealth are very widespread.” Despite the anecdotal nature of the situation, we should not forget that what was described by the royal tax inspector was in fact true. From the moment the Flamels received the red tincture, that is, the philosopher's stone, in 1382, they did not spend a single penny on themselves - the huge funds that Nikola now controlled were invested in the construction of hospitals, churches and shelters for the poor (one of these, by the way, was preserved under number 51 rue Montmorency: it was founded by Flamel in 1407).
Very obvious evidence of the active social activities of the Flamels, convinced propagandists of the alchemical art, are bas-reliefs depicting Hermetic symbols, or figures, which Nikola placed on almost all buildings, the construction or repair of which he financed; examples include the arch in the Cemetery of the Innocents, described in detail in 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, a tombstone buried under its rubble (forgive the strange pun) unexpectedly appeared in the mid-19th century in an antique shop on the banks of the Seine, from where it migrated - for good - to the Cluny Museum. A Parisian antique dealer bought the stove from a grocer, who used it for many years as a table for chopping greens. At the top of the slab there are three figures depicted - 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 between the Apostle Paul and Jesus. Under the epitaph describing Flamel’s charity, there is an inscription in Latin that reads: “Ootgpe Oeiz gp 1ia tkepsogsNa regagl,” and then, under the image of the deceased, in French, “I came from the dust and return to the dust / I direct my soul to you , Jesus the Savior of Humanity, forgiving 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 the philosophers, the scepter of the Savior - the primary matter of the Work, and the key in the hands of the Apostle Peter - 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 it is impossible to advance a single step 11
a Detailed write-off of these elements of the magisterium is further in the text and comments.
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The sun and moon, no doubt, symbolize the sun and moon of the philosophers, that is, their true gold and silver.
So, we have a lot of evidence immortalized in stone and on paper confirming that a modest clerk from Paris named Nicolas Flamel built buildings with his own money, which, with all due respect to his hard work, 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 its origin in the chest of the widow of Leth, and as it becomes clear from the text of “Hieroglyphic Figures”, 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 correspond to reality. 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 Abodes 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 to knowledge of matter and the acquisition of the philosopher's stone. As for the main character of the book ■“Hieroglyphic Figures*,” Fulcanelli points out the symbolism of his name: Nikola in Greek means “conqueror of the stone” (Zhko-Laoa); the surname Flamel comes from the Latin /1atta, that is, “flame” or “fire.”
In turn, the name of the teacher Flamel found in Spain, Master Canches, is an allegorical name for the white sulfur of philosophers, the characteristic feature of which is dryness (Io-Greek Xhukh al, °^) - A follower of the “dry path* in alchemy, Fulcanelli immediately draws attention to a strange decision that, after Nikola meets Kanches, the companions make - they decide to get to France by sea, rather than 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 where gold is located*), while Kanches, that is, gilfir. dies due to prolonged vomiting. which in alchemy is a sign of dissolution and decomposition - the same corpse depicted on F. Thamel’s tombstone under the inscription: Ootte Oeil t Gia tg&eggsopIa regat. Initially, we should have paid attention to one strange detail: Flamel got the expensive old book for only two florins, which he is sincerely surprised by in the preface to “Hieroglyphic Figures *. The fact is that these same two florins are the approximate amount required for the purchase of materials used in the Great Work - in accordance with the economic conditions of the 14th century. In the middle of the 17th century, Irinius Philalethes gives a slightly 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 in addition - which is much more important - also indicates the metallic nature of the First Matter within the framework of alchemical symbolism. What happens? Not only can Master Canches and the pilgrimage to Galicia be considered an allegory and a hoax, but Mr. Flamel himself, with his farm, home, wife and charity, turns out to be nothing more than a literary character. Isn't this too much, even with all due respect to the Fulcanelli name? 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 contrary, in the case of alchemy, the questions of the authenticity of works and the time of their writing appear to be extremely complex and often insoluble. riddles - and the more important the work, the more complex 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 Snijders, Sendivogius): 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 - Irinius Philaletus, Fulcanelli, Kamala Jnana, Lambslrink); and finally, authors who have a very plausible name, biography and environment, which 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 - Mr. public clerk Flamel. Although in the case of our hero the situation is even more complicated. If, when trying to establish the identities of Vasily Valentin and Kremer, it very easily turns out that in the Benedictine order there was never such a brother-alchemist, and in Westminster Abbey there was never an abbot of the Kremer family, then in the case of Flamel we have plenty of evidence of his existence. no, - What is the problem then? Maybe the Go-Yurvt legend 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 lived a man who donated money to poor houses and churches under the name Nicolas Flamel. But we know most of the facts of his biography from his own treatise
The second treatise in this collection is
As you can guess, the existence of this book is known only from the words of Flamel - neither it itself, nor even the excavations from it outside the context of “Hieroglyphic Figures” have ever been known to anyone. For many reasons, which require a separate book to list, modern researchers have come to the conclusion that the text of “Hieroglyphic Figures” could not have been written earlier than the 17th century and, therefore, has no relation to the notary who lived in the house under the lilies two centuries earlier . 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 on Trial” 12
Oeshchpop S1aiIe. P1ate1 zoiz 1PUe511(^io1b EsNIopz 1e 1_oir
Suggests that the "Hieroglyphic Figures" were written by the largest publisher of Hermetic books, Beroald de Verville 13
Francois Beroald de Verville. in particular, he is known as the editor and publisher of Le Thneaeau Aa Schsnea /treMyupkh (Pam, 1600. - the first French translation of Francesco Colonca's "Dream of Polyphnla"...famous for its engravings), Le Voysche Les Prinsech Rog-Nen (Pan5. 1610) and many others.
In the same year when the first edition of the Three Treatises on Natural Philosophy was published, or a little earlier; he bases his observations on the fact that most of the ideas expressed in this treatise were drawn by the author from LShs aip/ega diat sketgsat bosat agridi^ya-51/711 aisSogev, published by Peter Perna in 1572 in Basel and known in detail to Monsieur de Verville . Also, Chevalier Arnaud is a slightly corrupted anagram of the name Beroald de Verville. Claude Gagnon also managed to find a record of a librarian who served in the 18th century in the library of Saint-Geneviève: it mentions a now lost treatise entitled “The Adventures of Ali el-Mos-clan known as the Caliph Broke, translated from Arabic by a certain Rabn el-ulle de Deon *, dating from 1582. Gagnon notes that the strange name of the translator is an anagram of the name Beroald de Verville, while the name of the main character (51otna1 SaL/e) is nothing more than an exact anagram of the name Nicolas Flamel. In other words, we have before us an alchemical treatise that is typical in its “history” - a book written approximately two hundred years after the death of the alleged author and based on a work that never existed. Its real author could well have been the publisher or - who knows? - a 16th-century adept who disappeared forever under the guise of the public clerk Nicolas Flamel.
What is the situation with other works of the French master, of which we know three more? The most straightforward, and perhaps the most interesting from a literary point of view, is the work entitled A Summary of Philosophy or. quicker. Summa Philosophy, since the title clearly hints at Thomas Aquinas. This short poem, which sets forth the basic Hermetic concept of the nature of metals and the conditions of 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 Ancient 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 La PoShate. T>e 1a Tran^ogtapop te1lShtsie Cgov als1ep5 1ga1CCS2 ep gkbte Prgan^oichsz. SiIIaipyu SiShags) Rath, 1561
Interestingly, a comparison of the somewhat naive poetic style 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 have been 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 Washerwomen, until the 20th century it was known only in the form of manuscripts and was most often called the Book of the most desirable from the first lines of the narrative. Presented! The first translation in this edition is based on a manuscript from the National Library 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*11 cm, filled with calligraphic Gothic text, which ends with the words: “This
the book belongs to Nicolas Flamel from the community of Saint-Jacques de la Boucherie, and it was written in his own hand.” An excellent example of instruction in laboratory alchemy, The Washerwoman's Book is devoted to the so-called Second Work, consisting of the operations of moistening and calcination. Its title, 1^e 1,uer c1ez latheures, is literally translated from Old French as “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 masculine washerwoman; The significance of the image of a woman washing clothes in alchemy is difficult to overestimate. For example, in the third epigram of “Fleeing Atalanta”, under the motto “Follow the example of a woman washing clothes,” Mayer writes 16
See: t^ichie. Rapch. 1742. T. I. R. 219.
Let him who loves secret doctrines
He won't miss a single hint.
Do you see Zheshinna, who is busy doing the laundry And adding hot water to the vat?
Follow her example, otherwise you will experience defeat and you will not be able to wash away the dirt from a black body.
It is precisely this process of washing away alchemical dirt that the Book of Laundresses is dedicated to - and what else is alchemy if not “the separation of impurities from pure substance*? 17
See: Kikggikya MlShtsh A bekh1eop oG A1cbety. RgapkGshT, 1612. R. 20
The final work in this anthology was quite logically The Testament of Flamel. The first mention of this text is found in Freron's Yearbook for 1758, in a letter numbered XI, without a signature 18
Lenge XI, &ig Geszd "Type Yvesnge
The anonymous author of this letter, by the way, enters into a controversy over whether the historical Flamel was an alchemist or not. and as proof of his positive opinion on this issue cites Perneti’s memoirs 19
Pernety Dom Antoine-Jagef (1716–1801) - Benedictinai of the Celle-Maur Congregation: known as the librarian of Frederick II, the founder of the Avignon Hermetic Society and the author of several very important works on alchemy.
Who allegedly saw a certain alchemical manuscript belonging to the hand of Flamel and dated 1414. It was a pocket prayer book, in the margins of which an alchemical treatise was written. In it, Flamel addresses his only heir, the son of Isabelle, the sister of his dear wife; instructions uncles, of course, represent a recipe for obtaining the tincture of philosophers.In 1762, the House of Pernety itself appears in the Yearbook 20
* LeHure II // Pregon. Appee 1L.1epige, 1762. T. III. R. 24-35.
This time, citing excerpts from the Prayer Book, as we know this work in French, or the Testament, as its translations are usually titled, a tradition which this Russian translation follows. There is little 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. For many reasons, the text quoted here could not have been written earlier than the mid-18th century. In accordance with the legend created by Perneti, the original text was written by Flamel in the margins of the prayer book in the form of a cipher, the key to which he gave to his nephew. Each letter had four spellings, so the total number of characters in the code was 96. House Perneti and his friend 21
* Tsv1ashsp1 o? Lichbo1az P1ac1 (V E.Ho 1806
Mister Saint-Mars, supposed owners of the text. spent a lot of time deciphering the code, but to no avail, and Saint-Mars was already ready to abandon this idea when Perneti was able to identify the signs denoting vowels, and soon they deciphered the entire “Testament”; this happened in 1758. However, the original text (both French and encoded) was then declared lost. In 1806, an English translation of the Testament appeared, apparently based on quotes from Perneti, since the text was significantly shortened; In addition, the English version contains inaccuracies. Inaccuracies regarding what? The fact is that the 20th century brought significant clarity to this matter. Eugene Canselier, a student of Fulcanelli, an alchemist and researcher of the Hermetic tradition, was lucky enough to discover the lost text in the collection of manuscripts of the National Library in Paris in 1958 22
I have the manuscript M5 Prgan^ab" 14765. P. 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: ■*based on some of the graphic features of the ru-■HK1ISI it can be assumed that this lover of hermetic art was Antoine-Joseph Pernety himself, who sent a kind of “letter to the future” - after all, this text has been two centuries old was considered completely lost 23
See: Sapzeke1 Else. N010 Mtsha1ge hig 1e Shsyopshyge Ne ReteSu // 1shiaiop & Zsmpse /, No. 45. 1958. R. 5.
NICOLAS FLAMEL - the most famous alchemist of the Middle Ages.
Nicolas Flamel (French Nicolas Flamel or Latin Nicholas, 1330 - March 22, 1418) is a French alchemist credited with the invention of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life.
Biography
Nicholas Flamel was born in 1330 near Pontoise into a poor family. It is believed that his parents died when he was 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 becomes joint ownership.
In 1357, Flamel, being the owner of a small bookstore, acquired 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, he visits Jewish communities in Spain under the guise of a pilgrimage (at that time Jews were forbidden to live in France), after which a myth arises that Nicholas Flamel allegedly managed to reveal the secret of the philosopher's stone. The myth was strengthened due to Flamel's long life.
In 1382, Flamel became the owner of about 30 houses and plots of land within a few months. In his old age, Nicholas Flamel became a philanthropist, established several foundations, invested money in the development of art, and financed the construction of chapels and hospitals.
In 1402, Perrenelle, Nicholas's wife, dies. Flamel himself supposedly dies in 1418, having previously purchased a burial place for himself 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 arose that Flamel supposedly predicted his death and carefully prepared for it, that supposedly the funeral was actually staged, and Flamel and his wife went into hiding. 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 the Philosopher’s Stone,” was published.
The house of Nicolas Flamel, built in 1407, which is considered the oldest building in Paris, has been preserved (Rue de Montmorency, 51. Metro Rambuteau)
Until 1789, the hospital held an annual procession to Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie to pray for the soul of Nicholas Flamel. During his lifetime, Flamel made about 40 significant donations to the hospital.
Appearances after death
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 Luca spoke about a strange incident that happened to him. One day he was walking in the garden near the mosque in the city of Brussa (in what is now Turkey). During his walk he met a man who claimed to be one of the best friends of Nicholas Flamel and his wife, from whom he had separated in India not more than 3 months previously. According to this person, Nicholas Flamel and his wife faked their deaths and fled to Switzerland. If his words were true, then Flamel's age at that time was about 300 years.
In the 18th century, the old cleric Sir Morcel claimed to have seen Nicholas 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 “noticed” 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 wandered around Paris calling himself Nicholas Flamel, who 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 in the possession of a grocer. The grocer used it as a cutting board. The slab is now 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 Moon. Below is the epitaph of Flamel’s charitable activities, then the inscription in Latin “Lord Most High, in Your mercy I trust,” an image of a dead body and an 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.”
However, in 2010, at Mitkov’s last press conference, artist Dmitry Shagin said that he was now working on a series of paintings-portraits of Nicolas Flamel and that the original himself was posing for him. He said this as a joke, but Shagin’s friends claim that Nicholas Flamel is really alive and lives in Russia.
Will of Nicolas Flamel
The will was allegedly 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 in the margins of a pocket psalter. Nicolas gave the key to the cipher to his nephew. Each letter of the cipher had four spelling options, 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, together deciphered the will, spending a lot of time on it. In 1762, Perneti, 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, significantly shortened and containing some inaccuracies. However, in 1958, Eugene Canselier discovered the manuscript of the will compiled by Denis Molyneux in the National Library in Paris.
In his will, Flamel describes the stages of preparing the philosopher's stone. The will itself is addressed to Nicolas' nephew. Flamel says that he will take the recipe for making the stone to his grave and asks his nephew to do the same.
Material from Wikipedia
Flamel's will.
FROM THE TRANSLATOR
As is now commonly believed, the text of the “Testament” was not written by Nicolas Flamel; it was written much later, presumably in the second half of the 18th century. And yet, it cannot be called a falsification in the full sense of the word, since it was written, undoubtedly, by an adept who followed the path of Flamel, and hid his name behind the signature of the old Master, which is fully consistent with Tradition. As legend has it, the original text was written by Flamel in the margins of a pocket psalter 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 Antoine Joseph Pernety and Monsieur Saint-Marc, the owners of the text (or a copy of it), spent a lot of time deciphering the code, but to no avail, and Saint -Mark was already ready to abandon this idea when Perneti was able to identify the signs denoting vowels, and soon the two of them deciphered the entire “Testament”; this happened in 1758. Four years later, Perneti announced the existence of Flamel's unknown work to the general public in the Literary Yearbook. However, the original texts (both French and encoded) were declared lost. In 1806, an English translation of the “Testament” appeared in London, published by J. and E. Hodson (see http://www.levity.com/alchemy/testment.html) - apparently based on quotes from Perneti, since the text significantly reduced; In addition, the English version contains inaccuracies. What do we have today? Eugene Canselier, a student of Fulcanelli and a tireless researcher, discovered the text in 1958 in the collection of manuscripts of the National Library in Paris (MS 14765, pp. 197-220). The author of the manuscript copy, created at the end of the eighteenth century, was the Chevalier Denis Molyneux, a lover of Hermetic art, as he presented himself. The translation offered to your attention is based on this most complete version. Since the original has lexical and grammatical features characteristic of the French language of the fifteenth century (if it is a hoax, then it was carried out according to all the laws of the genre), I encountered certain difficulties in translating it, and I do not deny that it may contain inaccuracies that are not of a principled nature. I would also like to draw the reader's attention to the difference between the substances called by Flamel saturn and saturnia, mercury and mercury, moon and silver; in these differences are hidden the keys to many secrets, as well as traps for the gullible and inattentive. As for the text of the “Testament” as a whole, in the opinion of many (sometimes not agreeing on anything else) modern followers of the great Master, the value of the text of the “Testament” does not raise the slightest doubt.
Gleb Butuzov
In the name of the Lord: Amen.
The first step on the path to Wisdom is the fear of God.
NOTICE
I, Nicolas Flamel, Parisian clerk, in the year 1414, in the reign of our good Prince Charles VI, may God protect him, and after the death of my devoted wife Perenelle, in memory of her, and for your sake, dear nephew, was filled with the intention of describing the secret magisterium The Powder of Projection, or Philosophical Tincture, which God deigned to convey to his insignificant servant, and it was revealed to me in the same way as you will now discover it for yourself, following my instructions in your work. Follow the path of truth, listen to the advice of the Philosophers who wrote about this mystery, but do not take their words literally, since this will not do you any good, but believe only what is consistent with Nature. For this reason, do not forget to pray to God to grant you an understanding of the basis, truth and nature that you will seek in this book, where I have described all the secrets word by word, and page by page, exactly as I did and accomplished everything together with your dear Aunt Perenelle, for whom I mourn very deeply. I conveyed all my skills in this book so that you would not be deprived of heavenly manna, and the Lord would promote and help you; and so that you do not forget to sing his praises, and begin and end every task with prayer. This book is truly written by my hand, and is intended for the Church of Saint-Jacques and its parish, to which I also revealed the secrets of the book of Abraham the Jew, known to you, but I cannot allow this book to be sold for money, and therefore I have made very serious efforts, expounding in it the secret of alchemy with the help of symbols invented by me, the key to which I convey to you. So try to keep this secret, and do not forget the one who told it to you; remember your uncle when the veil of time hides me, because I bequeath to you this document, and the knowledge contained in it will ultimately make you a great master of philosophical alchemy; my joy, my will and my whim lie in telling you this secret. Do as I did, again and again, follow what I came to only in my declining years, and what knowledge may it be for the glory of God's Church, to help the poor, the needy, widows and orphans, like the shelters and hospitals that I founded , twenty-two houses of charity, built and decorated by me, in firm faith and piety. Therefore, read this book, and keep it in the depths of your heart, and do not deviate from the straight path of truth. Give praise to the merciful Lord, who through me explained the magisterium to you, and do not forget that everything that Perenelle and I accomplished, and what we persistently sought with her during twenty-three years of hard work and solitude, is conveyed to you in clear language and word for word, and were finally rewarded with the successful - and repeated - completion of the magisterium, which I present to you, and which I gave my word to convey before death overtakes me, in memory of my aunt and me; You must take this skill with you to the grave: it is necessary to do this so as not to cause harm to the world, and so that you and I do not blame ourselves for the fact that the order of things is irreparably disrupted, and chaos reigns here undivided. I also wouldn’t want my love for you to lead to actions that are contrary to the Lord. Therefore, keep the secret of this skill, and call on the Holy Spirit to further our intentions, strengthen us, and support us in the course of alchemical work in the way of Nature.
I began this document with the words of a sermon, so that you do not direct your thoughts to the practice of doing before understanding the word spoken here; I would like, through theory, to lead you to an understanding of alchemy as a science that allows you to impart to metallic bodies the perfection of gold and silver, and to create a true stone of life that brings health to the human body. This knowledge has no equal, and on it is based the great art of Philosophy, which makes it possible, by means of a universal medicine, to transform Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Moon and Mercury into the pure Sun, sparkling and colored like jewels, but only much better than them, and among other qualities possessing ability and power to overcome all less perfect metals, and also to help plants to ripen much earlier than their appointed time, and to transform all kinds of stones into rubies and diamonds: this is an art and skill with the help of Nature, the secret mode of heating and the right method of work, and also based on sound sense and correct understanding, little by little will come to a successful conclusion, if only you, in order not to experience disappointment and patiently follow the path of Nature in philosophical work, listen to me and have only two intentions. The first thing is to correctly hear and understand everything said here. I have worked very hard, and have trodden a straight path for you, as a person who has truly understood the foundations of nature, which are Mercury, the Sun and the Moon, as I have already mentioned in my book, which presents the figures that you see under the Arch of the Innocents. But I was greatly mistaken for twenty-three and a half years, since I worked without being able to marry the Moon, that is, quick silver, with the Sun, and separate from them seed manure, which is a deadly poison; I was ignorant of the agent or agent necessary to strengthen Mercury: but without this agent Mercury is like common water, and it is not capable of dissolving the Moon or the Sun, as the water of fixed Mercury does, like a blade sharpened by the efforts of the philosopher and his skill, which is clearly depicted on the fourth and fifth leaves of my book of Abraham.
For this reason, your second intention should be to know how Mercury is strengthened by a metallic agent, without which it will never be able to penetrate into the solid wombs of the Sun and Moon, which cannot be opened without the sulfur spirit of gold and the Moon. Therefore, you should first use a metallic agent, which is the royal Saturnium, and then, by means of philosophical skill, bring Mercury into action, after which you can dissolve and turn into liquor gold and the Moon, and separate from the product of their putrefaction the seed manure. Know that there is no other way and no other way of implementing this art other than the one that I convey to you word for word; the act, if not performed exactly as I outline here, turns out to be very difficult, because the bodies of the Sun and Moon are very strong, and it is not so easy to open them; only the spirit contained in the sharp blade of Mercury, obtained through philosophical transformations, can help in this, and everything else is deception, quackery and a false path, which I have encountered, unfortunately, over the course of many years; without these transformations, mercury remains cold, earthy and crippled, and its strength is not enough to penetrate the womb of the two perfect bodies of the Sun and Moon, and the body of such mercury, which has not previously undergone heating by metallic fire, secretes water; his land is black, and unclean, and rejected, and he himself is the same vulgar mercury. So, if in this state he [true Mercury] penetrates into their entrails, astral life will enter into them, they will begin to develop and grow, and become alive as they were in the mines, and the union of the philosophical and non-vulgar Sun, Moon and Mercury will take place ; however, how can mecurium penetrate them? First of all, understand that no other water except Mercury is capable of squeezing Sulfur from the womb of metals, and for the same reason, at the beginning, and in the middle, and at the end of the work, it is impossible to achieve a positive result, because this is an active property, thanks to to whom everything is accomplished, and, like fertilized Sulphur, everything comes into motion; This is exactly what we see in the mines. The dry distillate of sulphuric vapor and the wet distillate of Mercurial vapor form all metals, because both of them love and pursue nature similar to themselves, that is, nature follows nature, and the opposite never happens in nature arbitrarily, only through the intervention of art, since every substance loves her companion as a woman loves a man, and they find joy in each other, which is very clear from the fourth figure [of the book of Abraham], where young Mercury is depicted holding in his hand a caduceus with sinister snakes that entwined a golden rod: therefore it is impossible for another to know the hermetic Mercury, consisting of the metallic Sulfur and Mercury, prepared in a philosophical manner in the course of the first work.
Listen to the advice that I wrote down for you, having sincere and good intentions, my dear and beloved nephew, so that you do not stumble on your path, follow God, bringing joy to my soul, act wisely, have fair and sincere judgments and intentions. Believe firmly that all philosophical wisdom consists in the preparation of philosophical Mercury, because in it lies everything that we are looking for, and everything that the sages of antiquity were looking for, and we, like them, are not able to create anything without the help of this Mercury prepared together with the Sun and Moon, because without these three components nothing in the whole world is capable of completing the above-mentioned philosophical and medical tincture. Thus, it is very natural to learn to separate from them the living and spiritual seed hidden deep in their entrails, for from this seed comes the matter so praised in the books of the sages, who say that the matter of the tincture, transmuting metals into gold, is unique and the only one that dissolves every substance truly and without deception, but they did not say a word about how to prepare it; concentrate on the three substances mentioned, and do not think about any other metallic bodies, which are affected by damage and decay, in contrast to these, which are pure, whole and benign. Your goal should be the Sun, Moon and Mercury, prepared in the way of the philosophers, that is, moistening not the hands, but the metal, and having in them a metallic sulfur soul, namely, kindled fire; and that you may not go astray, study the metals, for the said Sulfur is to be found in all of them, and is very similar to that contained in the Sun. It is easiest to find it in caves and depths of gold and iron, as well as copper, and in the latter there is approximately the same amount; this sulfur has the power of tincturing the wet and cold moon, which is pure silver, to the degree of pure yellow gold; but this must be done through the medium of a spiritual medicine, that is, the key that opens all metals, and this key I am going to give you. Know that among the minerals there is one who is a thief, and consumes everything except gold and the moon, which serve for the benefit of this thief; since when they are in its belly, it is convenient to prepare quick silver from it, as I told you earlier.
PRACTICE
So, do not turn away from the true path, and I will tell you further. The time has come to begin practical studies, and this responsibility is entrusted to you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Amen.
First of all, take the eldest of the firstborn children of Saturn - not the vulgar one - nine parts; then take the saber-shaped halybdis of the god of war four parts. Place them in the crucible, and when the redness of the melting appears, add there nine parts of Saturn, as I told you, and one will immediately absorb the other. Carefully remove the scale that forms on the surface of Saturnia with rock salt and cream of tartar four or five times; this operation has been done correctly if you see an astral sign resembling a star on the surface of matter.
Then a key and a blade are made, which opens and cuts all metals, but especially the Sun, Moon and Venus, which he eats, absorbs and stores in his womb, and with which you will find yourself on the right and true path, if you have acted as you should, since this Saturnian substance is the plant of royal triumph, it is the Moon and the little imperfect king, whom we, by the art of philosophy, raise to the degree of greatest glory and honor; she is also the queen, and therefore the Moon and the wife of the Sun.
She, therefore, contains both the masculine and the feminine principles, and is our hermaphrodite Mercury, who is represented on the seventh page of the book of Abraham the Hebrew in the form of two snakes entwined with a golden rod, which book I have tried to describe as best as possible, so that you can understand and master this philosophical document. Try to prepare a sufficient quantity of the said Saturnia, for a lot is needed: say, twelve or thirteen pounds, or even more, depending on whether you intend to work with a large or a small volume.
So, marry the young Mercury, which is the swift silver, with the Saturnian philosophical Mercury, which will permeate and strengthen the swift silver, seven or ten, or even eleven times, with the participation of the said agent, called the key, or the sharp steel blade, since it cuts, dissects, and penetrates into the bodies of metals, and when you complete this part of the magisterium, you should double and triple the waters, represented by the rose bush in the book of Abraham the Hebrew, growing at the foot of the oak, that is, our Saturnium, which is also the key, and strives to overthrow himself into the abyss, as the same author claims, that is, into a receiving reservoir attached to the neck of the retort, where the double Mercury will be directed under the influence of appropriate heat.
But here thorns and insurmountable difficulties are found, unless God reveals his secret, or the Master shares it. Because Mercury does not combine with royal Saturn without the help of one thing, the knowledge of which is considered an indicator of your achievements in art, and with the help of which this union and agreement is achieved between the mentioned two types of quick silver, without which you will not achieve the goal at all. I am not going to hide anything from you, my dear nephew; I tell you, therefore, that without the sun and moon this work will not bring you any benefit. So, you must force this old man, or voracious wolf, to devour gold or silver in the quantity that I will tell you about later. Therefore, listen to my words so as not to fall into error, and follow the way I carried out this work. How should we feed our old dragon with gold? Notice how this should be done correctly; Let's say, if you add a little gold to molten Saturn, then the gold will certainly open, but the fast silver will not accept it. I spent a lot of time and labor trying to help grief before I found out how it could be overcome. So, if you give him a lot of gold to eat, the gold will not open and will not be digested, but it will quickly accept silver and they will marry each other, taking the form of a paste. Follow my advice. Conceal this secret, for it contains everything, and do not trust it to paper or anything else that can be seen, otherwise it may cause great harm. I tell you this under the seal of secrecy and hope for your awareness, because I love you. Take ten parts of gold, very fine, and purified nine or ten, or even eleven times by the effect of just one voracious wolf: then take 11 parts of the royal Saturnia; melt them in a crucible, and then throw in ten ounces of pure gold; Melt this mixture and stir with a hot charcoal rod. Then your Sun will open a little and become. Pour it like melted butter onto a marble slab, grind it into dust, and mix it with 12 parts of quick silver. Let them curdle like cheese, grinding and stirring the mass: then rinse this amalgam in ordinary clean water until the water remains clear after washing, and the mass looks white and clear as the moon; This is how the conjunctio with the royal solar Saturn is accomplished. Then take this oily mass, which should be lightly rubbed with a piece of linen or other soft matter: this is our lead, and our mass of the Sun and Moon, not vulgar, but philosophical; place it in a good retort made of chemical clay, or even better, steel. Place the retort in the oven and attach a receiver to it; turn up the heat little by little. After two hours, bring the heat to such a degree that Mercury can enter the receiving tank, and this Mercury is the water of a blooming rose tree, as well as the blood of murdered babies from the book of Abraham the Jew; this is the water of the philosophical Sun and the philosophical Moon. You may suppose that this Mercury has tasted a little of the body of the King, and that he will hereafter have greater power to dissolve the remainder, which will be more covered by the body of Saturnia.
You have now risen one degree, or one rung, on the ladder of mastery. Take the remaining slag out of the retort, and melt it in a crucible over high heat, allowing the smoke of Saturnia to come out completely, proceed as you did the first time, but doubling the amount of Saturnia, and adding nine parts of the sun, which will increase and open in this case much more than the first time. times, since Mecurius has greater strength than before, he has more strength and agility to penetrate the gold, and absorb more of it, gradually filling his belly with it. Follow, dear nephew, Nature and common sense, rising little by little to the highest level of philosophy, which fully corresponds to Nature, and which would not have become known to you if I had not imparted this skill to you. May the Lord bless what I want to convey to you, for without this doing will only bring ruin, endless misfortunes and hardships, and sleepless nights. So, proceed as you did the first time; combine the said Mercury, which has become one step stronger, with this new mass, wash them several times until all the blackness is gone: then wipe them off, as was said before. Place everything in the retort, and proceed as you did before, applying a weak fire for two hours, and then a strong one, sufficient to sublimate Mercury, and penetrate it into the receiver; then you will receive Mercury even more acute, and you will ascend to the second rung of the philosophical ladder. Repeat the same work, adding the son of Saturn in the appropriate quantity, that is, little by little, and proceeding exactly the same as the first time, until you reach the tenth step of the philosophical ladder; then rest, for Mercury is already ignited, activated, fully enriched and full of male sulphur, and strengthened by the astral salt which is contained deep in the bowels of gold and our Saturnian dragon. Know that I am now expounding to you something that no Philosopher has ever written on paper before. This [Mercury] is the wonderful caduceus, of which the sages have spoken so much in their books, and which, in their opinion, has the power of itself to carry the philosophical work to completion, and they were right, since I did everything myself, using only this Mercury, since it is this and nothing else that is the closest matter and root of all metals, despite all the assurances of fools and imbeciles, and only he is capable of dissolving both the Sun and the moon to their true nature, and serving for the preparation in a natural and simple manner of the Philosophical Tincture, or powder that transmutes all metals into gold and silver. Some believe that they have mastered all the skill if they have prepared the celestial Mercury; but they are greatly mistaken; This is the reason why they encounter thorns before they pick the rose - because of lack of understanding. It is also true that if they understood the weight, the heating mode, and the true method, they would not have much work to do, and they could not make a mistake even if they wanted to. But this art has a very specific methodology. Learn from me and remember how to act. In the name of the Lord, you must take as much animate Mercury as you wish, say 2 or 4 parts; then put it in a glass vessel, adding two parts of golden saturnia; that is, one part sun and two parts saturnia; everything must be carefully combined into a kind of butter, washed, cleaned and dried; then you must seal your vessel with the putty of the wise. Place it in the oven on warm coals at a temperature close to that at which the chicken hatches its eggs. Let Mercury evaporate and precipitate for 40 or 50 days, until you see the formation of white or red sulfur in your vessel, called philosophic sublimate, which escapes from the bridle of the said Mercury. Collect this sulfur with a scraper: it is living gold and living silver, which Mercury gives birth to from itself.
TURN THE WHEEL
Take this white or red sulfur, grind it into powder in a glass or marble mortar, and sprinkle it with Mercury, from which it was made, in the amount of a third of the weight of the powder. Turn this mixture into a paste like butter, place it in a round glass vessel, place it in the oven over a suitable heat of coals, very moderate and arranged according to the rules of philosophical practice; heat until the described Mercury turns into sulfur, and during this cooking you will see wonderful things happening in your vessel, more precisely, all the colors existing in nature, which you will not be able to observe unless you first purify your heart and you will not open it to God in gratitude for such a great gift.
When you reach the purple-red, you must collect it, because from it further an alchemical powder is made, transmuting every metal into the purest gold, and which you can multiply by diluting it, as you did before, grinding it with fresh Mercury, and by cooking it in the same vessel, in the same oven and over the same fire, but now it will take much less time, and the properties of the powder will be ten times stronger. This is the whole magisterium, done with the help of Mercury alone, and in the possibility of which many do not believe, because they are weak-minded and deaf, and are not capable of carrying out this work.
If you want to go the other way, take good gold in the form of fine powder or very thin sheets: make a paste of it, mixing it with 7 parts of the philosophical Mercury you received, which is our moon: place them both in an oval glass vessel, okay clogged; put it in the oven; heat continuously over very high heat - such that it can melt lead; so you will understand how to control fire; and you will be able to cause your Mercury, which is the philosophical wind, to sublime and re-precipitate on the body of gold, which body it will little by little absorb and hide in its womb.
Cook until gold and Mercury cease to sublimate and settle, and remain motionless; then peace and harmony will reign between the two dragons, which are fire and water combined. Then you will see in your vessel a great blackness, like molten resin; it is the sign of the death and decay of gold, and the key to all magisterium. His resurrection and rebirth occur only after 40 days of the above-described continuous cooking, so have patience; then your matter will undergo changes, passing through many colors - black, ashen, green, white, orange, and finally red like blood or poppy petals. Your goal should be this last color, for it is true sulphur, and with it you will receive alchemical powder. I say nothing about the period, since it depends on the skill of the philosopher; but in any case, you will not fail if you act according to my instructions.
So, if you want to multiply the powder, take one part of it and dissolve it in two parts of animate Mercury; make it into a soft and smooth paste; place it in a vessel as you have already done several times, then into the same oven and over the same fire, and cook; so you will make the second turn of the philosophical wheel in much less time than the first time, and your powder will be ten times stronger than what you received at first. You can turn this wheel as much as you want, even a thousand times. You will have a priceless treasure, which has no equal in this world, and you will have nothing more to desire on earth, because if you use it correctly, you will have both wealth and health. Now you have the treasury of all the world's happiness, which I received as a miserable commoner from Pontoise, having completed the magisterium three times in Paris, in my house on the Rue des Scribes, not far from the church of Saint-Jacques de la Boucherie, and which I, Flamel, convey to you, because I love you, in the name of the Lord, His Glory, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to whom I constantly pray, that they may enlighten you and lead you along the road of truth and light towards salvation. Amen.
ABOUT THE ENZYME
When discussing the best way to make it, you should know how the philosophical paste is fermented in order to enrich it with the help of the appropriate philosophical enzyme. So, take three parts of pure gold, crushed into powder, six parts of animate Mercury, and one and a half parts of red sulfur. Combine these ingredients, grind them in a glass mortar to the consistency of butter or cheese, place this mass in a glass vessel, carefully seal it and heat it at the temperature necessary for hatching chickens. During the heating, you will not be bored, because you will see very wonderful things, inaccessible to human understanding, which are undoubtedly beautiful works of nature, and transformations, during which you will be able to see colors that are amazing in their liveliness, and their beauty for the eye has no equal among creations this world; After a very short time you will see in your vessel a life-giving powder the color of sanguine or purple. This is where the alchemical philosophical work ends, and you see before you the greatest of miracles. It will be superfluous to say how valuable this treasure is in our world, for it conquers numerous ailments, including those that no other drug, except a philosophical one, can overcome. Also, any metal melted in a crucible, for example, ordinary mercury, when added, transforms into fiery gold, the purity of which no one can deny; the same thing happens with lead and with the voracious wolf, who resists with all his might, but turns out to be weaker, and the stone transmutes into pure ruby and rock crystal.
HOW TO RECEIVE GIFTS OF SPRING IN WINTER
One more thing. You should know that if you have a desire to receive flowers and various fruits in the winter cold, take a suitable vessel and dissolve six grains of the above red powder in ten pints of warm water. Water the tree or flower you placed in your home with this water and wrap it in straw or hay. Very soon you will see the wonderful flowering and growth of this plant, which will greatly amaze you.
HOW TO USE THE MEDICINE
The time has come to tell you how to use our medicine in order to improve physical health and memory, for which you need to know what concentration of purple the contents of the bottle should have, and how to use the solution. You should melt a few grains of the substance in white wine or vodka until the wine turns golden, which is an indicator of the correct concentration, and without fear add 12-15 drops of this tincture to the patient in wine, broth or liqueur, after which the disease will be miraculously defeated . However, never talk about it, because there are malicious and envious people to whom such things should not be revealed. Finally, in order to maintain health on a daily basis, take 9 drops of this solution 4 times a year, namely on March 22, June 22, September 22 and December 22, adding them to liqueur or any other drink. By doing as I told you, you will no longer experience any illness, and you will enjoy a happy life, having plenty of health and wealth, and you will be the master of Nature, not wanting in gold, silver and precious stones, like princes and kings.
HOW PROJECTION POWDER AND ELIXIR IS MADE
This is done as follows. Melt 10 ounces of pure gold in a crucible, and place in it one ounce of red powder, then heat the mixture over very high heat for two hours, then remove the crucible from the heat and let it cool; Having split the hardened contents, you will see at the bottom red glass, which is the promised gold and the true and royal powder, turning all metals into gold, purer than what is found in the mines. However, you cannot use the royal gifts of fortune without appropriately changing your attitude towards other people. Try, dear nephew, to do as you should, making it easier to teach poor brothers in Christ, decorating the temples of our Savior, freeing people imprisoned for monetary debts; using the gift for virtuous and legal purposes will lead you to glory and eternal honor in the house of God, which I wish for you in the name of the Eternal Father, the Savior Son and the Enlightening Holy Spirit, the blessed Holy Trinity. Amen.
Grind the red glass into powder, pour it into a bottle, and hide it in a box, and when you want to get good gold from lead, tin, copper, silver or mercury, melt them in a crucible, and add the moons and Mercury, which will begin to smoke slightly; then introduce into the mixture five or six grains of wax-wrapped powder, which have undergone animation (equivalent to 30 or 40 pounds of the said Mercury), and you will immediately be amazed at the spectacle of the whole mixture being transformed into gold; meanwhile the impurities contained in the original metals will turn into slag, and the red powder will permeate the silver and color the entire mass of the transmuting metal; in other words, it will unite in marriage with Mercury, and, according to the laws of art, will give to all slags, as well as to Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, mercury, and the Moon, the desired color. Don't forget to give praise to God.
This is the entire magisterium to the last word, which I convey to you, my dear and beloved nephew, may God bless the soul of your aunt and my dear wife Perenelle. Amen.
Remember that the first fermentation of the red powder allows transmutation in the ratio of one to a hundred, the second - one to a thousand, the third - one to ten thousand, the fourth - one to one hundred thousand, and so on, each time more and more stronger; for me this remains an insoluble mystery, although I observed the described transformations with my own eyes.
So, if you have a desire to make a lot of gold, dear nephew, although this is not advisable, since it may lead to harmful consequences, put one hundred thousand ounces of quick silver in a large iron cauldron and put it on high heat, and when the contents are so hot that begins to smoke, throw in one ounce of crimson powder, which has undergone four times fermentation and wrapped in a wax ball, after which the quick silver will immediately stop smoking: add fire, and the contents of the cauldron will transmute, dividing into a [slag] mass and a golden-yellow powder, which , when melted in a crucible, forms a bar of pure gold of the highest quality, weighing 99,710 ounces. Use it for good purposes. Thus, you, dear nephew, will become much richer than all the kings, because you will have much more treasures than they, and more than anyone in the sublunary world, but still it is better to make gold little by little, being careful and not telling anyone not a word, and also avoiding public boasting.
So, all that I have communicated to you is the knowledge of the greatest treasure in this world that I possess, and which I made with my own hands together with my dearest and beloved friend Perenelle. Take advantage of this treasure, and you will live without needing treatment, possessing riches in this world, and crowned with laurels of glory in the Kingdom of God, which is what I sincerely wish for you. Amen.
Dumbledore convinced Harry not to look for the Mirror of Erised anymore. And the next day after the conversation with the professor, Harry put the invisibility cloak in his suitcase.
He wished he could erase what he saw in the mirror with the same ease, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares. Every night he dreamed of his parents disappearing in a flash of green light accompanied by shrill, cold laughter.
“You see, Dumbledore was right when he said that this mirror could drive you crazy,” said Ron when Harry told him about his dreams.
Hermione, who had returned from vacation the day before the start of term and to whom Harry and Ron had told absolutely everything - after all, they were friends - saw things differently. She was torn between her horror at the mere thought of Harry wandering around the school for three nights in a row (“Just think what would have happened if Filch had caught you!” she kept exclaiming) and disappointment at the fact that that Harry failed to find out who Nicholas Flamel was.
They had almost lost hope of finding Flamel's name in one of the library books. Although Harry still had no doubt that he had already met this name. When the semester began, they began to run into the library again during breaks between classes and for ten minutes feverishly leafed through the first books that came to hand.
Of course, they could have gone to the library after class, but Hermione devoted all her free time to homework and extracurricular reading, and Harry had almost no free time at all, because Quidditch practice had resumed.
Wood forced his players to train to the limit. He increased the duration of training and their frequency, and even the endless rains that replaced the snow could not cool his ardor. The Weasley twins complained that Wood had become a real bigot, but Harry was on his captain's side. He knew that if they won the next match - against the Hufflepuff team - they would beat Slytherin on points. And this is the first time in the last seven years.
However, Harry supported Wood not only because he wanted to win - he found that after hard, exhausting training he had few nightmares.
During another practice - it was raining heavily that day, and the stadium turned into a muddy puddle - Wood brought bad news to the team.
Perhaps he would have kept them to himself for fear of lowering the morale of his players, but it turned out that he was terribly angry at the Weasley twins, who, having risen into the air, bombarded each other with balls and pretended that they were about to fall from their broom
Stop fooling around! - Wood suddenly shouted - Because of such nonsense, we may well lose the match! Just so you know, Snape will be the referee of the game, and he will use any excuse to add penalty points to our account!
Hearing this, George Weasley actually fell off his broom.
Will Snape be the judge? - he muttered indistinctly, rising from the ground and spitting out the dirt that had accumulated in his mouth. - I don’t remember him ever refereeing a game. Yes, you won’t have to expect fair judging from him - he understands that if we win, we will beat his favorites.
The rest of the players landed next to George and also began to be indignant.
What can I do? - Wood spread his hands - Now we simply have to play in such a way that Snape doesn’t have the slightest reason to cling to us.
Harry nodded his head silently. George and the others were right, but on top of that, Harry had his own reasons for not wanting Snape around when he played Quidditch.
After practice, the players, as usual, stayed to chat, but Harry headed to the Gryffindor Common Room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Hermione always knew everything better than others, but she sometimes lost at chess. Both Harry and Ron agreed that this was very useful for her.
Please wait, don’t distract me,” Ron asked, noticing Harry sitting down next to him, “I need to concentrate because...
Ron looked up at Harry.
What happened to you? - he asked with interest. -You look just creepy.
“You can’t play,” Hermione said straight away.
“Tell me you’re sick,” Ron suggested.
“Pretend that you broke your leg,” Hermione clarified.
“I can’t,” Harry admitted. - We don't have a backup catcher. If I don’t go on the field, then the whole team won’t go out.
At that moment Neville burst into the room - burst into the most literal sense of the word. It was unclear how he managed to get through the hole behind the portrait of the Fat Lady, because his legs were stuck to one another, as if a special spell had been cast on Neville. He must have had to jump all the way to Gryffindor Tower.
Everyone laughed in unison, except for Hermione, who jumped up to Neville and uttered the formula to remove the spell. Neville's legs spread in different directions.
What's happened? - Hermione asked, leading him towards Harry and Ron.
Go to Professor McGonagall immediately! - Hermione nudged him. - And tell me everything how it happened!
Neville shook his head.
“I’ve had enough trouble,” he muttered.
But you have to do it, Neville! - Ron was indignant. “He’s always trying to trample everyone into the mud, and you lie down in it yourself and make his job easier!”
There is no need to explain to me that I am not brave enough to be a member of Gryffindor - Neville sobbed. - Malfoy has already proven this to me.
Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate frog, the last one Hermione had sent him for Christmas. He handed the frog to Neville, who looked like he was about to cry.
“You are worth ten Malfoys,” said Harry. “And you deserve to be in Gryffindor, because the Magic Hat itself selected you to our faculty.” Well, where did this Malfoy end up? In the stinking hole called Slytherin - that's where.
Neville smiled faintly and unwrapped the frog.
“Thank you, Harry,” he said gratefully... Yes, here’s a card - you collect them, right?
After watching Neville leave, Harry looked down at the card he was holding in his hand.
“Here we go again, Dumbledore,” he said. - since he was on my very first ka...
Harry suddenly gasped with excitement. He looked at the card as if he couldn't take his eyes off it, and then raised them to Ron and Hermione.
I found him! - he whispered. - I found Flamel! I told you I've already seen this name, so it was on the train when I was coming here. Listen! “...Professor Dumbledore became famous, among other things, for defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, discovering the twelve uses of dragon blood, and working on alchemy with his partner Nicholas Flamel...” Harry read .
Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked this excited since they'd been given the grades for their very first homework, which Hermione had, of course, done with an A.
Wait here! - she ordered and rushed to the stairs leading to the girls’ bedroom
Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange intrigued glances, and Hermione was already returning to the table with a heavy ancient book in her hands
It never even occurred to me to look for it here! - she whispered excitedly. But I took it from the library a few weeks ago! Especially to take a break from textbooks for easy reading.
Light? - Ron asked. Instead of answering, Hermione advised him to remain silent until she found what she needed, and began feverishly turning the pages, muttering something under her breath.
I knew it! - she exclaimed, having found what she was looking for. I knew it!
Can we talk already? - Ron asked irritably.
Hermione pretended not to hear the question.
“Nicholas Flamel,” she whispered in a tone as if she were an actress performing a dramatic role. - Nicholas Flamel is the only known creator of the philosopher's stone!
Her words did not have the effect on Harry and Ron that she had hoped.
Creator of what? - they asked in one voice.
Well, that's too much. Don't you read books? Okay, then read at least this part...
She pushed the book towards them
“The ancient science of alchemy was engaged in the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary substance endowed with amazing powers. According to legend, the stone could turn any metal into pure gold. With its help it was also possible to prepare an elixir of life, which made the one who drinks this elixir immortal.
Over the centuries, there have been many rumors that the Philosopher's Stone had already been created, but the only stone in existence today belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, an eminent alchemist and opera fan. Mr Flannel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys peace and solitude in Devon with his wife Pernella (658).
Got it? - Hermione asked when Harry and Ron had finished reading. - The dog must be guarding Flamel's philosopher's stone! I have no doubt that he asked Dumbledore about it because they are friends and also because Flamel knew that someone was after his stone. That's why he wanted the stone taken away from Gringotts!
The stone that turns everything into gold and guarantees you immortality! - Harry exclaimed. - No wonder Snape wants to steal it. Anyone would want to have such a stone.
"It's also not surprising that we couldn't find Flamel's name in New Directions in Modern Magical Science," Ron noted. - You can’t call him modern - after all, he is six hundred and sixty-five years old.
The next morning, in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, while writing down various ways to cure werewolf bites, Harry and Ron were still discussing what they would do with the Philosopher's Stone if they got their hands on it. It was only when Ron said that he would buy himself a major league Quidditch team that Harry remembered Snape and the upcoming match.
“I will definitely play,” he said firmly after the lesson, when he, Ron and Hermione left the course. - If I don't show up on the field, everyone will think that I was scared of Snape. I'll show them all... I I'll erase smiles from their faces - if, of course, we win
Of course, unless, of course, someone has to scrape off what’s left of you from the field,” Hermione, who was very worried about Harry, remarked pessimistically.
However, despite his bold statement, Harry became more and more nervous as the game approached. And other team players were not too calm. The thought that they could overtake Slytherin in the school championship warmed everyone's soul, because no one had succeeded in this in the last seven years. But the chances that such a biased judge as Snape would allow them to do this were not very great.
Perhaps it was just Harry's imagination, or perhaps he had made it up himself, but he ran into Snape everywhere he went. Sometimes he even asked himself if Snape was watching him, trying to catch him doing something or do something bad to him? In any case, Snape's lessons turned into daily torture. Snape found fault with Harry about everything and behaved simply disgustingly. Maybe he somehow guessed that they found out about the philosopher's stone? Harry couldn't imagine how this could happen, but sometimes he had a very unpleasant feeling that Snape could read other people's thoughts.
When Ron and Hermione walked Harry to the dressing room and left to wish him luck, Harry was sure his friends were wondering if they would be able to see him alive after the match. All this, admittedly, was not very encouraging. As he pulled on his sports uniform, Harry didn't even really hear what Wood was saying.
While Harry was changing, Ron and Hermione found empty seats in the stands and sat next to Neville. He couldn’t understand why they looked so gloomy and worried and why they brought their magic wands with them to the game. Harry did not know that, secretly from him, they practiced Debonding every day - the same spell that Malfoy cast on Neville. This wonderful idea came to their minds at the same time on the same day that Hermione broke Neville's spell. They were ready to curse Snape at the very moment when it seemed to them, even for a moment, that he wanted to harm Harry.
So, don’t forget, you must pronounce <Локомотор Мортис», - Hermione whispered as Ron hid his wand in his sleeve.
“I remember,” Ron snapped. - Do not be a bore! Meanwhile, in the locker room, Wood pulled Harry aside.
I don't want to put pressure on you, Harry, but today, more than ever, we need you to catch the Snitch as early as possible. We need to finish the game before Snape has a chance to sue us.
The whole school was there! - Fred Weasley shouted, leaning out the door. - Even... I'll be damned if it wasn't Dumbledore himself who came to the game!
Harry's heart jumped in his chest and did a double somersault.
Dumbledore? - he exhaled, rushing to the door to see for himself that it was true. But Fred wasn't joking. Harry clearly saw a silver beard in the crowd of spectators.
This was probably why Snape looked so annoyed when the teams entered the field. Even Ron noticed from the stands that Snape was beside himself.
“I’ve never seen him so angry,” Ron whispered, turning to Hermione. - Look, they're starting. Oh!
Someone hit Ron on the back of the head from behind. Of course, it turned out to be Malfoy.
Oh, Weasley, sorry, I didn't notice you.
Malfoy had a mocking grin on his face. Goyle and Crabbe standing next to him were also grinning.
I wonder how long Potter will be able to stay on the broom this time? - Malfoy asked loudly, knowing that Ron, Hermione and Neville could hear him perfectly. - Anyone want to argue? Maybe you, Weasley? Although yes, you have nothing to argue about...
Ron didn't answer, he was looking intently at the field where Snape had just given Gryffindor a penalty point for George Weasley deflecting a Bludger in his direction. Hermione, who was sitting with her hands on her knees and all her fingers crossed, did not take her eyes off Harry. He circled over the other players, looking around in search of his Ball.
“I think I understand the criteria by which Gryffindor recruits the Quidditch team,” Malfoy said loudly a few minutes later, when Snape again punished Gryffindor with penalty points, and for absolutely no reason. “Pity is what they are guided by there.” Let's take Potter - he is an orphan. Let's take the Weasley twins - they are absolutely destitute. So it’s strange that they didn’t take you on the team, Longbottom, because you have absolutely no brains.
Neville blushed deeply, but still found the strength to turn to Malfoy.
I'm worth a dozen people like you, understand? - he muttered, stammering.
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle burst into laughter. Neville looked at Ron uncertainly. Ron felt his gaze, but simply could not take his eyes off what was happening on the field.
Deal with him yourself, Neville,” he whispered.
You know, Longbottom, if your brains were made of gold, you would still be poorer than Weasley, and this is an indicator,” Malfoy did not calm down.
Ron was so worried about Harry that his nerves were strained to the limit.
“I’m warning you, Malfoy,” he growled, turning away from the field for a second. - One more word...
Ron! - Hermione suddenly exclaimed. - Look at Harry!..
Harry suddenly plummeted down into a beautiful dive that had the crowd responding with applause, screams of delight, and screams of astonishment. Hermione jumped up from her seat, not understanding what was happening, and Harry rushed to the ground like a bullet.
You're in luck, Weasley, it seems Potter spotted a small coin on the field! - Malfoy said, drawing out his words.
Ron couldn't stand it. And before Malfoy realized what was happening, Ron was already sitting on him, pinning him to the ground. Neville hesitated for a few moments, and Lot rushed to his aid.
Come on Harry! - Hermione screamed, watching Harry fly, picking up speed, straight towards Snape. She already realized that it was he himself who pointed the broom down, and nervous tension gave way to glee. She didn’t even notice that a fierce struggle was going on behind her and a ball of five bodies was rolling on the ground, from which raised fists were constantly flying out and the sounds of blows and screams were heard.
And there, in the sky above the field, Snape was just unwrapping his broom, at the last moment noticing something golden whistling past his head, and the next second Harry, flying past the professor, came out of his dive, victoriously raising his hand in which the Snitch was clutched .
The stands erupted in cheers and applause; they had never seen the Snitch caught so early in the game. It looked like Harry Potter had set a record.
Ron! Ron! Where are you?! Game over! Harry won! We won! Gryffindor came out on top! - Hermione screamed joyfully, jumping up on the seat, and then rushed to hug Parvati Patil, who was sitting in front of her.
Harry came down and jumped off his broom. He couldn't believe what had happened. He succeeded, and the game was over in less than five minutes. Harry looked behind him when he heard screams behind him: Gryffindor fans were running onto the field. And then he noticed Snape landing nearby. His face was white and his lips were tightly compressed.
Harry felt a hand fall on his shoulder and turned around to see Professor Dumbledore smiling above him.
“Great game,” Dumbledore said quietly so that only Harry could hear him. - I'm glad that you don't worry about this mirror... That you continue to live and enjoy life... Wonderful...
Snape spat on the ground in rage.
Some time later, Harry emerged from the locker room alone, intending to take his Nimbus 2000 to the special broom storage area. It seems he has never felt so happy in his life. Today he had done something he could be proud of, and no one could anymore say that Harry Potter was just a famous name.
The evening air had never smelled so sweet. Harry walked through the wet grass, replaying the events of the last hour in his head, merged into one happy moment. He saw how everyone rushed to congratulate him, how he flew into the air, thrown into the air by dozens of hands, how Hermione joyfully jumped in the distance, how Ron waved to him, whose nose was bleeding for some reason.
Harry reached the house on the hill where the brooms were kept. He had nowhere to rush, and he stood there, looking around, and then looked at the castle, the windows of which were glowing red in the rays of the setting sun.
Harry returned his thoughts to the game. So now the Gryffindor team was ahead of everyone else in the championship. He did what he had to do, he showed this Snape...
And speaking of Snape...
A dark figure quickly slipped out of the castle, its face covered with a hood. Someone who really didn't want to be seen walked quickly towards the Forbidden Forest. Thoughts about Quidditch and the recent victory flew out of Harry's mind. He recognized that limping gait. It was Snape, he was sneaking into the forest while the whole school was having dinner in the Main Hall - sneaking in for some purpose...
Harry was on his broom in one bound and took to the sky. Silently gliding over the castle, he noticed how Snape began to run at the edge of the forest and disappeared among the trees. And Harry rushed after him.
The forest was so thick that Harry couldn't see where exactly Snegt had gone. He flew over the forest in circles, gradually descending, almost touching the upper branches of the trees, when suddenly he heard voices. Harry glided towards where they were coming from and landed silently on top of the beech tree.
He carefully descended, sat down on a thick branch and, tightly gripping the broom in his hands, stared down, trying to make out Snape. And finally I saw him.
Snape stood directly below him in the dark clearing, but he was not alone. Prosressor Quirrell was with him. Harry couldn't see his expression, but he could hear that Quirrell was stuttering even more than usual, which meant he was terribly nervous. Harry strained his ears and held his breath.
I-I don’t know why you re-re-decided to meet here, S-S-Severus?
“Oh, I just thought this was a very personal conversation,” Snape said in an icy tone. - After all, no one but us should know about the philosopher’s stone - at least schoolchildren have absolutely no need to hear our conversation.
Harry bent down; he couldn't make out what Quirrell was babbling in response. But then Snape cut him off again.
Have you already found out how to get past this three-headed beast raised by Hagrid?
B-b-but, S-S-Severus...
You don’t need an enemy like me, Quirrell,” Snape said threateningly, taking a step towards the stuttering professor.
I... I don't k-understand what y-you're talking about...
You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. - There was cold irony in Snape's voice.
Suddenly, an owl hooted loudly nearby, and Harry almost fell from the branch in surprise. He struggled to stay on top of her and clearly missed part of the conversation, because when Harry regained his balance, Snape was already finishing what seemed to be a lengthy monologue.
About your tricks. I'm waiting.
B-but I d-didn’t...” Quirrell protested.
“Very good,” Snape interrupted him. - We will meet again in the near future - when you have thought everything over and finally decided whose side you are on.
Snape wrapped himself in his robe, pulled his hood over his head, turned and walked away. It was almost completely dark, but Harry could clearly see Quirrell, frozen in the middle of the clearing. The professor seemed terribly frightened.
Harry, where have you been? - screamed Hermione, who was waiting for him at the entrance to the castle with Ron
Victory! You win, we win! - Ron yelled, slapping Harry on the back. - I blacked out Malfoy's eye. And Neville single-handedly rushed at Crabbe and Goy-la, can you imagine?! True, he is now in the hospital, but Madam Pomfrey says that everything is fine with him and that he keeps saying that he will show Malfoy and his friends. All of our people are now in the tower, waiting for you to start the holiday. Fred and George snuck into the kitchen and stole several cakes and a bunch of food.
“Forget about it,” Harry whispered almost silently. - Let's find an empty room, I need to tell you something...
He led them into one of the rooms and, making sure that Peeves was not there, closed the door tightly and began his story.
So we were not mistaken in deciding that we were talking about the philosopher’s stone,” he concluded after some time. “And now Snape is trying to get Quirrell to help him get the stone.” He asked Quirrell if he knew how to get past Fluffy. And he also told Quirrell something about his tricks. I think that the stone is protected not only by Fluff, but also by a variety of spells. Perhaps Quirrell has cast several of his spells against the Dark Forces, and Snape needs to find out how to dispel these spells...
So you're saying that the stone will be safe until Quirrell breaks under Snape's pressure? - Hermione asked worriedly.
“Then the stone will disappear in a maximum of a week,” Ron concluded gloomily.
