424 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2«'dS. N074, Mat80,'67. 



Christianity," consists in the knowledge — which 

 we possess, and the Buddhists have not — of the 

 person and process of Jesus Christ, as the actual 

 Redeemer promised to Adam and Eve (and their 

 posterity) on the Fall; and of that system of 

 theology, which makes up the doctrine of Christ 

 and his Apostles, flowing entirely from the paternal 

 relationship of Christ to men, and the efficacy of 

 all the parts of his process to effectuate the entire 

 restoration of the human nature, to its original 

 glory, or perfect oneness of union with God, (v. 

 Introduction to Theosophy, book iv. pp. 407-412,, 

 &c.). To return. — About the period of the Re- 

 formation, theosophy was generally adopted by 

 the Rosicrusians as a name of their favourite 

 science, they being also deeply versed in the clair- 

 voyant and other initiations of animal magnetism, 

 as well as by Paracelsus, Van Helmont, and others. 

 Among the distinguished English theosophers 

 were the students of Jacob Bohme's writings 

 when they first appeared in English, the members 

 of the so-called Philadelphian Society, Francis 

 Lee (who edited, among numerous recondite and 

 practical religious works, a periodical called Theo- 

 sophical Transactions'), one R. Roach, and others. 

 Nor must I omit to mention P. Poiret of Holland. 

 But it was owing to the classic productions of the 

 matured and exalted mind of William Law, that 

 theosophy became accessible and acceptable to the 

 simple evangelical piety of England, being there- 

 in purified from all mere empty mystic and al- 

 chemic jargon, and so finally established in its true 

 character as the undoubted higher branch of the 

 Christian mathematics. For practical purposes of 

 common life, the first elements of arithmetic ai'e 

 indeed all that are essential; but are the sublime 

 studies of the higher portions thereof, whereby to 

 estimate the powers and forces of universal nature, 

 therefore not to be pursued by such as have mas- 

 tered the former, and feel themselves at liberty 

 and qualified for such further researches ; and is 

 not in efiect such science as essential to the refine- 

 ment and true enjoyment of life, as the vulgar art 

 of the simple combinations of numbers ? In 1847 

 was published an ingenious theosophical tract, 

 entitled The Present, Past, and Future with regard 

 to the Creation; and in the year 1850, the second 

 edition ofthe Spiritual Education, by J. P. Greaves, 

 under the title of Theosophic Essays. A valuable 

 work, entitled An Introduction to Theosophy*, was 

 published in London in ] 855, being the first of a 

 proposed large series, to embrace the entire de- 

 monstration and elucidation both of the philo- 



religion and philosophy of the entire East come, but from 

 their patriarchal ancestors? 



* This author considers theosophy as the science of the 

 " mystery of Christ " as expressed" by St. Paul, or as by 

 the sublime wisdom of the ancient philosophers, of Man, 

 as the compendium of all things, of God, Nature and 

 Creature, or the visible figure of all that ever has been, 

 can be, or shall be. 



sophy and practice of Christian truth ; which 

 volume, it appeal's, was put forth as a kind of 

 transition treatise from the popular theology into 

 the higher sphere of recondite knowledge, em- 

 bracing the nature and exalted application of the 

 science of animal magnetism. In conclusion, 

 between the years 1845 and 1855, Mr. Francis 

 Barham published several Essays on theosophy as 

 connected with initiations. The subject has since 

 been noticed in the popular periodicals of the day. 

 In the Monthly Magazine, 1840, appeared some 

 "Sketches of Theosophy," in which the author 

 speaks to this effect : — 



" Theosophy is not precisely the same as theology. 

 No, it is rather the same as tlieologic, or divine philo- 

 sophy, properly so called. It is the most inclusive, uni- 

 versal, and generic term which we can apply to the deep 

 learning comprehended in the initiations of all ages and 

 countries. As the central knowledge of things, it com- 

 prehends within the ample sphere of its clairvoyant con- 

 templation, Magic and Magnetism, Alchemy, Theurgy, 

 Oracleism, Cabalism, Mythology, Astrology, Freema- 

 sonry, Rosicrusianism, Hieroglyphics, and a varietj' of 

 other corrupted branches and doctrines of fundamental 

 science. Brucker, in his History of Philosophy, very 

 justly observes that many traces of the spirit of theosophy 

 may be found in the whole history of philosophy." 



Alist. 



Minat jiated. 



Inscriptions in Old Boohs. — It would form an 

 Interesting series, and in many instances contri- 

 bute valuable information, in all the departments 

 of biography, genealogy, and bibliography, if the 

 correspondents of " N. & Q.," possessors of old 

 books, would send copies of the Inscriptions made 

 in them by their early owners. The following 

 occur in a copy now before me of the Thesaurus 

 Linguae Romance et Britannicce, by Thomas Cooper ; 

 impressum Londini, 1573, folio. On the dedica- 

 tion page, " Gedeon Cam huius librl possessor." 

 At the foot of the dedication : — 



" Gedeo Cam. huius libri possessor, bought at London 

 by Robert Edynhtoa ( ?), S"" William Kingsmel's man, 

 for the said Gedeon Cam, and paid for the same prec' 



XXV"." 



This was probably the price of the volume at, 

 or soon after, the time of its publication. 



If I find my suggestion approved and adopted 

 by other correspondents, I engage myself to keep 

 its performance in mind. J. G. JST. 



Wafer-Bread. — The use of wafer-bread was 

 retained long after the Reformation ; Bishop 

 Cosins says, in reference to the Rubric touching 

 the quality of the bread for the Holy Commu- 

 nion, — 



" It is questioned here whether by virtue of this order 

 any church may be restrained from the custom of using 

 wafers at the Sacrament, as in tVestmiHster and many 

 other places they have always been wont to do." 



Mackekzib Walcott, M.A. 



