CHYMICAL WEDDING OF CHRISTIAN ROSENKREUTZ 1616, Masońskie
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The Chymical Wedding
of
Christian Rosenkreutz
The First Day
ciently conversed
with my Creator, and considered many great mysteries (whereof
the Father of Lights his Majesty had shown me not a few) and
being now ready to prepare in my heart, together with my dear Paschal
Lamb, a small, unleavened, unde
n an evening before Easter Day, I sat at a table, and having (as
my custom was) in my humble prayer su
led cake; all of a sudden arose so horrible
a tempest, that I imagined no other but that through its mighty force, the
hill on which my little house was founded would
fi
y into pieces.
But inasmuch as this, and the like from the Devil (who had done me
many a spite) was no new thing to me, I took courage, and persisted in my
meditation, till somebody in an unusual manner touched me on the back;
whereupon I was so hugely terri
fl
ed, that I dared hardly look about me; yet
I showed myself as cheerful as (in such occurrences) human frailty would
permit. Now the same thing still twitching me several times by the coat, I
looked back, and behold it was a fair and glorious lady, whose garments
were all sky-coloured, and curiously (like Heaven) bespangled with golden
stars; in her right hand she bore a trumpet of beaten gold, on which a
Name was engraved which I could well read but am as yet forbidden to
reveal it. In her left hand she had a great bundle of letters of all languages,
which she (as I afterwards understood) was to carry to all countries. She
also had large and beautiful wings, full of eyes throughout, with which she
could mount aloft, and
fi
y swifter than any eagle.
I might perhaps have been able to take further notice of her, but because
she stayed so little time with me, and terror and amazement still possessed
me, I had to be content. For as soon as I turned about, she turned her let-
ters over and over, and at length drew out a small one, which with great
reverence she laid down upon the table, and without giving one word,
departed from me. But in her mounting upward, she gave so mighty a blast
on her gallant trumpet, that the whole hill echoed from it, and for a full
quarter of an hour after, I could hardly hear my own words.
In so unlooked for an adventure I was at a loss, how either to advise or to
assist my poor self, and therefore fell upon my knees and besought my Cre-
ator to permit nothing contrary to my eternal happiness to befall me.
Whereupon with fear and trembling, I went to the letter, which was now
so heavy, that had it been mere gold it could hardly have been so weighty.
Now as I was diligently viewing it, I found a little seal, on which a curious
cross with this inscription, IN HOC SIGNO VINCES, was engraved.
fl
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/
Now as soon as I espied this sign I was the more comforted, as not being
ignorant that such a seal was little acceptable, and much less useful, to the
Devil. Whereupon I tenderly opened the letter, and within it, in an azure
fi
This day, today
Is the Royal Wedding day.
For this thou wast born
And chosen of God for joy
Thou mayest go to the mountain
Whereon three temples stand,
And see there this a
ff
air.
Keep watch
Inspect thyself
And shouldst thou not bathe thoroughly
The Wedding may work thy bane.
Bane comes to him who faileth here
Let him beware who is too light.
Below was written: Sponsus and Sponsa.
As soon as I had read this letter, I was presently like to have fainted away,
all my hair stood on end, and a cold sweat tricked down my whole body.
For although I well perceived that this was the appointed wedding, of
which seven years before I was acquainted in a bodily vision, and which
now for so long a time I had with great earnestness awaited, and which
lastly, by the account and calculation of the planets, I had most diligently
observed, I found so to be, yet could I never foresee that it must happen
under such grievous perilous conditions. For whereas I before imagined,
that to be a welcome and acceptable guest, I needed only to be ready to
appear at the wedding, I was now directed to Divine Providence, of which
until this time I was never certain.
I also found by myself, the more I examined my self, that in my head
there was nothing but gross misunderstanding, and blindness in mysterious
things, so that I was not able to comprehend even those things which lay
under my feet, and which I daily conversed with, much less that I should be
born to the searching out and understanding of the secrets of Nature, since
in my opinion Nature might everywhere
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eld, in golden letters, found the following verses written.
nd a more virtuous disciple, to
whom to entrust her precious, though temporary and changeable, treasures.
ec-
tion was bent only to pomp and bravery, and worldly pride, and not to the
good of mankind: and I was always contriving how by this art I might in a
short time abundantly increase my pro
fl
esh manifested itself, whose a
ff
t and advantage, rear up stately pal-
aces, make myself an everlasting name in the world, and other similar carnal
designs. But the obscure words concerning the three temples particularly
a
fi
icted me, which I was not able to make out by any after-speculation, and
perhaps should not have done so yet, had they not been wonderfully
revealed to me.
Thus stuck between hope and fear, examining my self again and again,
and
nding only my own frailty and impotence, not being in any way able
to succour myself, and exceedingly amazed at the fore mentioned threaten-
ing, at length I betook myself to my usual and most secure course - after I
had
nished my earnest and most fervent prayer, I laid myself down in my
bed, so that perchance my good angel by the Divine permission might
appear, and (as it had sometimes formerly happened) instruct me in this
doubtful a
air. Which to the praise of God, my own good, and my neigh-
bours’ faithful and hearty warning and amendment, did now likewise come
about.
For I was yet scarcely fallen asleep, when I thought that I, together with
an innumerable multitude of men, lay fettered with great chains in a dark
dungeon, in which, without the least glimpse of light, we swarmed like
bees one over another, and thus rendered each other’s a
ff
iction more griev-
ous. But although neither I nor any of the rest could see one jot, yet I con-
tinually heard one heaving himself above the other, when his chains and
fetters had become ever so slightly lighter, though none of us had much
reason to shove up above the other, since we were all captive wretches.
Now when I with the rest had continued a good while in this a
iction,
and each was still reproaching the other with his blindness and captivity, at
length we heard many trumpets sounding together and kettle drums beat-
ing in such a masterly fashion, that it even revived us in our calamity and
made us rejoice.
During this noise the cover of the dungeon was lifted up from above,
and a little light let down to us. Then
rst might truly have been discerned
the bustle we kept, for all went pell-mell, and he who perchance had
heaved himself up too much, was forced down again under the others’ feet.
In brief, each one strove to be uppermost. Neither did I myself linger, but
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I found also that my bodily behaviour, and outward good conversation,
and brotherly love towards my neighbour, was not duly purged and
cleansed. Moreover the tickling of the
fi
fi
with my weighty fetters slipped up from under the rest, and then heaved
myself upon a stone, which I laid hold of; howbeit, I was caught at several
times by others, from whom yet as well as I might, I still guarded myself
with hands and feet. For we imagined no other but that we should all be set
at liberty, which yet fell out quite otherwise.
For after the nobles who looked upon us from above through the hole
had recreated themselves a while with our struggling and lamenting, a cer-
tain hoary-headed ancient man called to us to be quiet, and having scarcely
obtained this, began (as I still remember) to speak on thus:
If the poor human race
We r e n o t s o a r ro g a n t
It would have been given much good
From my mother’s heritage,
But because the human race will not take heed
It lies in such straits
And must be held in prison.
And yet my dearest mother
Will not regard their mischief,
She leaves her lovely gifts
That many a man might come to the light,
Though this may chance but seldom
That they be better prized
Nor reckoned as mere fable.
Therefore in honour of the feast
Which we shall hold today,
That her grace may be multiplied
A good work will she do:
The rope will now be lowered
Whoever may hang on to it
He shall be freed.
nished speaking when an ancient matron commanded
her servants to let down the cord seven times into the dungeon, and draw
up whosoever could hang upon it. Good God! that I could su
fi
ciently
describe the hurry and disquiet that then arose amongst us; for everyone
strove to get to the cord, and yet only hindered each other. But after seven
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He had scarcely
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