48 Ofr THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY; 



forms, but with golden writings, on a table of 

 satadus, which is called clfcwhere emerald*. 

 Whence he had this account he does not fay ; 

 but, although this tablet is not mentioned by any 

 Greek author, yet was it known, before him, 

 unto Avicenna, the Arabian Ariilotle, the elder 

 Zadit, and to others. W. C. Kriegfman reports 

 a tradition, that, ibmc ages after the Hood, it was 

 found by a woman named Sara, in the hands of 

 the corpfe of Hermes, lying in a cave near the 

 Hebrus. This full Hermes he fuppofes to have 

 been Cain; nor is it inconiiftcnt with this opi- 

 nion, that the woman who difcovered the body 

 fhould be the wife of Abraham. The tablet 

 was written in the Phoenician character. As it 

 is but fliort, and refembles the fymbols of the 

 alchcmifls, it may not be improper to introduce 

 it here in its Latin drcfs, in which the propriety 

 of the original context is prefervcd, by the Ikill 

 and labour of Krieglman. 



DKSCRIPTION OF THE SECRETS or HERMES 

 TKISMECISTUS. 



ccrtijjimcque aio. 

 Inferior a bac cum fuperioribus i7/// t iftaque 

 cum iis viciffim vires J octant, ut producant 

 rem unam omnium mirificcntiffimam. 

 Ac quemadmodum cuxEla edufta ex uno fucre 

 verbo Dei nniusj Jlc cmnes quoque res perpe- 



tuo 



* DC fecretii chymivli. * 



