Alchemy - NUYSEMENT (Clovis HESTEAU de). A philosophic... Lot 45

Alchemy - NUYSEMENT (Clovis HESTEAU de). A philosophic poem on the truth of mineral physics, in which are refuted the objections that can be made by the unbelievers & enemies of this Art. In which is naively & truly depicted the true matter of the philosophers. La Haye, Théodore Maire, 1639. In-16 of 57 pp. Half marbled basane, smooth spine, gilt title throughout (19th c. binding). Worn spine. Old handwritten notes in margins. Second edition after the original of 1620, extracted from a collection of 4 alchemist texts published in 1640 by Théodore Maire in The Hague under the common title "Œuvre de la physique naturelle" and which contained the following treatises: NUISEMENT, Traittez de l'harmonie, et Constitution generale du vray sel... - NUISEMENT, Poeme Philosophic De la Vérité de la Physique Mineralle... - [SENDIVOGIUS], Cosmopolite ou Nouvelle lumiere de la phisique naturelle. - [SENDIVOGIUS]. A treatise on the soulphere, the second principle of nature. Complete in itself, as described by Caillet. Rare edition of this philosophical poem on the Philosopher's Stone, revealing the fundamental principles of the Great Work through admirable methodical, baroque verses, both enigmatic and symbolic. This important text was inspired to Nuysement by a manuscript work, attributed to a certain De L'Or, as Pierre Borel implied (Bibliotheca Chimica, 1656). It is followed by Stances, Visions hermétiques and Vœu à la Fortune. According to A. M. Schmidt ("La Poésie scientifique au XVIe siècle", p. 340 and following): "Nuysement endeavours here to defend the art to which he devoted his old age" and that, among other things, against the allegations of Du Gault against alchemy. He also calls the poem of the Hermetic Visions "a masterpiece of French alchemical poetry" (p. 377). The Hermetic Visions in this collection describe and comment on the engravings of Lambspring's "Traité de la pierre philosophale". (Caillet 8113; St. de Guaita 772.)