The Chymical Wedding
of
Christian Rosenkreutz
The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz
Originally published in German in 1616. This edition derives from an English trans-
lation published in 1690. No part of this document is copyrighted or copyrightable
in any domain.
Adobe Acrobat edition prepared by Benjamin Rowe, October, 2000.
Typeset in Bembo.
The First Day
n an evening before Easter Day, I sat at a table, and having (as
my custom was) in my humble prayer sufficiently 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, undefiled 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 fly 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 terrified, 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 fly 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