The life and times of Dr John Dee

Note : As I had finiſhed this Action, and was come to my Study door ; Emericus was re- turned again from the Spaniſh Embaſſadour, to whom I had ſent him deſirous to know his leaſure for me : who had now ſent me word by Emericus to come to diner, & ſo he would have leaſure, &c. Whereof I was right glad ; and went thither to diner :, who into his inermoſt Study ( where he himſelf was writing of letters ) cauſed me to be brought. And after I had complained of injury and violence done unto me, by foul ſlanders, and that, at his Honours Table : ( to which his Honour, in my behalf had replied : and therefore moſt humbly, and ſincerely I did thank him ) I ſaid that the Emperous Majeſty himſelf could bear me witneſſe, that I uſed this phraſe unto him, that I came not for his riches as, Non veni ad vos O Sereniſſime Cæſar propter divitias veſtras, ut inde ego dives fierem, ſed à Deo miſſu{s}, non audeo aliter facere quam ejus ad veſtram Cæſaream Majeſtatem voluntatem declarare, &c. And therefore , How falſy they ſlandered me, it was evident : and becauſe I perceive that Doctor Curtz hath not dealt neither with due entertainment of me as of a ſtranger, or a Sudent, or a Mathematitian, or of one whom ( to my face ) he gave great praiſe unto, as of one long ſince of great fame in Germany, and ſo in his good eſtimation, &c. And leaſt of all, as of one, who offered ſo great curteſies to the Emperours Majeſty as he was made witneſſe of : I thought good to ſend unto the Emperours Majeſty this letter following, and ſo read it unto him after diner, when I ſhewed him Librum Pragenſem ſive Cæſareum ; and moreover Librum decimum, ( whoſe former title was Libri Sexti Mytici Tertiarius ) and there ſhewed him divers Actions in Latine al- ready tranſlated, becauſe now to tranſlate ſo to him of the Engliſh, did ſeem to me both te- dious, and to him not ſo readily pleaſant. All things on his part conſidered, his ſummary final concluſion was, as well of the laſt offer in this my letter, as of the great actions and di- vine purpoſes. For the firſt he declared that he was lineally deſcented out of the conſan- guinity, of one a Gentleman, but unlettred at the firſt, who left his wife, children, and family in Maiorca, and aſcended an Hill there, and in place ſolitary remained an whole year, and at the years end, he came down, but ſo learned and wiſe, that all who knew him before, wondred at it. And that the ſame man was called Raymondo Lullio : and that he made that which is called the Philoſophers Stone, as in England ( ſaid he ) I underſtand is good record of it : Therefore I ſee, quoth he, that it is a truth and poſſible : and as he hath granted the knowledtge of it to one man, ſo may he grant it to another, &c. And as for the other higher matters, I perceive that GOd intendeth ſome great matter in this world. But I am not able tol judge or determine of it: But I am of this mind, wherein I can any way further the ſervice of God, I will be rady and obedient, &c. And as for the Emperours perſon himſelf, I find him of a good na- ture, curteous, and moſt zealouſly Catholick : yea ready to ſhed his blood in the cauſe, if opportunity required. He underſtandeth the Latine well, and ſpeaketh ſufficently well : That is true ( quoth I ) for he ſpake well in Latine to me divers things. Moreover (ſaid he ) as concerning you, I ſaw him very well affectionated, making great account of your book, &c. Therefore you are not to regard theſe Dutch mens ill tongues, who hardly can brook any ſtranger, &c. Upon farther matter that I had to ſhew him, I offered my ready repair unto him at all times of his good leaſure being called or warned. And he deſirous to ſee the Stone brought to me by an Angel, willed me to come to morrow alſo, to Diner : I promiſed him, and ſo with thanks yielded to his honour, I departed toward my Lodging at Bethelem in old Prage.

The Copy of the foresaid Letter to the Emperour. Multis ( O Serenissime Cæsar ) & perniagnis ( ferè omnium ) Creaturarum Dei , immò i psius Dei, & cœlestibus hand paucis my steriis, arcanisque, vestræ Cæsareæ Majestatis jussu per me ( jam, ante quatuordecim dies ) fideliter, sincere, & diligenter ( quantum sex horarum fieri poterat spacio ) declaratis, ac manifestatis: eidem, cui, eadem penes me videnda, audienda, intelligendaque esse voluistis : Inde, nunc, quæ sit vestræ Cæsareæ Ma- jestati, simplex (tanquam ab æquo rerum Æstimatore) facta relatio : vel, quod cum relatione adjunctum Judicium : vel, qualis totius processus excogitata censura : vel, qualis mecum pro- cedendi, vobis persuasa cautio; vel, quale pro Cæsarei vestri responsi forma, initum captum- que consilium, Non sum tam immodeste curiosus, ut expiscar, Neque aliter, vel alia ratione de sacræ vestræ Majestatis Cæsareæ prudenti & gratiosa (in præmissis ) Resolutione, sum sol- licitus, quam, me ( fidelem, sincerum, & devotum ) Dei omnipotentis, & ( in Deo, propter- que Deum ) vestræ sacræ Cæsareæ Majestatis servitorem deceat. Video tamen me ( dum nullum adhuc ad præmissa receperim responsum) per tam alti silentii (quasi ) stimulum, ali- quantulum impelli, ut secundò vestram Cæsaream Majestatem admoneam, Ne divinam hanc, & divinitus oblatam Misericordiam, tam inexpectatam, tam magnam, tam inauditam, tam ad- mirandam, tam multiplicem, tam statui Imperatorio, Christianæque Reipublicæ necessariam, tam certam, tam paracam, eamque ( per Dei Omnipotentis, Cæsareæque Majestatis vestræ, fi- delem servitorem ) re ipsa, vobis confirmandam, & administrandam : ( si sacra vestra Cæsa- rea Majestas voluisset ) parvi momenti negotium, vel inventum aliquod humanum, aut frau- dem Diabolicam, esse, fuisse, vel fore, ullo modo suspicemini, vel Credatis. Tali enim & tam gravi vestræ Cæsareæ Majestatis errore, Omnipotentis Dei incendi posse furorem vehementer vereor : & ne hanc Dei misericordiam respuentes, ejusdem indignantem provocetis vindictam, valde metuo. Quapropter, cum videam Cœlum ipsum , & cælestia talia mysteria , non tali tantæque curæ, vestræ sacræ Majestati Cæsareæ adhuc esse, quali, quantæque optassem equi- dem : Ego potius quam, ut, vel Deus hujus suæ ( prius inauditæ ) Misericordiæ ultroque vestræ Cæsareæ Majestati oblatæ, prorsus nullum ( penes homines ) haberet conspicuum ju- dicium, argumentum, Testimonium vel experimentum : Et potius quam mea (sæpe nominata) fidelitas, sincericas, & Devotio ( sive votum ) erga Deum & vestram Cæsaream Majestatem, omni ( apud posteros nostros ) careret fide, & veritatis manifestæ robore : In Dei Nomine, & ad ejus laudem, honorem, & gloriam : & ut vestræ serenissimæ Cæsareæ Majestatis satisfa- ciam desiderio Heroico, De lapide illo Benedicto : ( Philosophorum vocato lapide ) in infal- libiliter videndo, possidendo & utendo : Assero vestræ sacræ Cæsareæ Majestati, lapidem eun- dem me ( auxilio favoreque Divino ) conficere posse. Et propterea ; Si vestra Cæsarea Ma- jestas, me velit interim, sibi intime charum habere : Et, si, pro dignitate tanti mysterii, & Beneficii ( sibi à me liberalissime & humillime exhibendi ) gratiosè me tractare dignabitur ( Non tamen alio quidem vel altiori me insigniens Titulo quam qui vestræ Cæsareæ Majesta- tis Philosopho & Mathematico conveniat, ) Hiis literis ore & corde polliceor, sanctéque coram Deo Omnipotenti voveo : Opus illud philosophicum, Omnibus suis numeris perfecttum, in manus vestras Cæsareas, ( & sine sumptibus vestris ad illud opus perficiendum requirendis ) ac brevissimo, quo fieri poterit, tempore ( Nutu Dei ) me daturum. De aliis præterea Arcanis, ad huc mihi silendum esse video. Nunc autem sacræ Cæsareæ Majestatis vestræ gratiosam, li- beram, constantemque voluntatem, in præmissis, non aliter, misi ex vestro proprio gracioso ore vel ex vestris Cæsareis literis propriis, intelligere Cupio. Nullum enim jam nosco, dignum & aptum, qui in istis, aliísque Naturæ & Artis secretis, meus ( penes vestram Cæsaream Ma- jestatem ) fieri deberet Mercurius.