I, being an anonymous adept, a lover of learning, and a philosopher, have decreed 'to write this little treatise of medicinal, chemical, and physical arcana, in the year 1645, after the Birth of Christ, and in the 23rd year of my age, to assist in conducting my straying brethren out of the labyrinth of error, and with the further object of making myself known to other Sages, holding aloft a torch which may be visible far and wide to those who are groping in the darkness of ignorance. The contents of this Book are not fables, but real experiments which I have seen, touched, and handled, as an adept will easily conclude from these lines.

I have written more plainly about this Art than any of my predecessors sometimes I have found myself on the very verge of breaking my vow, and once or twice had to lay down my pen for a season but I could not resist the inward prompting of God, which impelled me to persevere in the most loving course, who alone knows the heart, and to whom only be glory for ever. Hence, I undoubtedly gather that in this last age of the world, many will become blessed by this arcanum, through what I have thus faithfully written, for I have not willingly left any?thing doubtful to the young beginner. I know many who with me do enjoy this secret, and am persuaded that many more will also rejoice in its possession. Let the holy Will of God perform what it pleases, though I confess myself an unworthy instrument through whom such great things should be effected.

About Author:

Eirenaeus Philalethes (the peaceful lover of truth) was a 17th century alchemist and the author of many influential works. These works were read by such luminaries as Isaac Newton, John Locke, and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Newton's extensive writings on alchemy are heavily indebted to Philalethes, although Newton incorporated significant modifications as well.

The real identity hiding behind the nom de plume of Eireneaus Philalethes has been for a long time shroud in secrets. The most popular name charged with writing his works, as supported by recent research is however George Starkey, an alchemist and the first American scientist.

Starkey (1628 - 1665) was born in Bermuda and educated at Harvard College. He became the first anglophone native of the New World to be extensively read across Europe. Starkey left for London in 1650. Here he set up a laboratory and became the informal chemistry teacher of Robert Boyle, though Boyle never acknowledged this debt.