Abstract
The Alchemist by Ben Jonson is a brilliant portrait of the beginning of the 17th century, a time when alchemy was still considered part of medicine and slowly emerging as the forerunner of modem chemistry. In this play, Johnson takes the magic out of alchemy and astrology: he ridicules Subtle, the alchemist who was supposed to turn lead into gold, and the Puritans who wanted to be rejuvenated by chemical medicines, like aurum potabile.
I believe that alchemy is a pretty kind of game,
somewhat like tricks o’ cards,
to cheat a man with charming.
Ben Jonson, 1572–1637
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Notes
G. E. R. Lloyd, Hippocratic Writings. Harmondsworth, 1978
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N. Culpeper, In: J. Veslingius, The Anatomy of the Body of Man. London, 1653.
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© 1992 Olav Thulesius
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Thulesius, O. (1992). Mysteries of Alchemy & Physick. In: Nicholas Culpeper. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230371538_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230371538_12
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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