Oil of Balm was a concoction believed to have various medicinal properties in medieval and early modern Europe. It was said to be extracted from the residue of “celestial water.” Proponents claimed it could cure deafness, skin diseases, wounds, venomous bites, and even heart palpitations. Crollius, a 17th-century German alchemist and physician, highly valued this … Read more
Marsile Ficino (Marsilio Ficino), a Florentine philosopher born in 1433, engaged in notable debates concerning the immortality of the soul. A famous anecdote recounts his bet with his disciple Michel Mercati on the reality of the afterlife: Ficino departed on a white horse to convey proof of life after death, leaving Mercati astonished upon learning … Read more
Cayet (Pierre-Victor-Palma) was a renowned scholar and writer from Touraine in the 16th century. His notable works include the Chronologie novennaire and the Chronologie septennaire. Additionally, he authored YHistoire prodigiciise et lamentable du docteur Faust, a significant text on Doctor Faust, a great magician, translated from German to French in Paris, 1603. In 1607, he … Read more
Thomas Campanella, born in a town in Calabria in 1568, was an intellectual who encountered a rabbi that introduced him to the secrets of alchemy. Joining the Dominican order, Campanella opposed the prevailing Aristotelian doctrines, leading to accusations of magic and his eventual exile from Naples. His works include Du sens des choses et de … Read more