The Way to Bliss : in Three Books
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Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2010 witii funding from Researcii Library, Tine Getty Researcii Institute http://www.archive.org/details/waytoblissinthreOOashm 0. ^.o/^^ .3 ELIAS A5HMOLE ' ^) I ) I II I *>^' O *y 3 THE Way toBlifs. a_^ IN THREE B O Wl K S. ^ ^-^ Made Publick, J^J By ELUS ASHMOLE Efq. Qui ejl Mercuriophilus Anglicuu >T>eus nobis h^cOtia feck. •Xy^J {^e^. ^^^^S ^tcd by John Grifmond for Nath. * Bmk^ at the jlfigel in Corn-hill, 1658. .V^IJ-?!]. ff'c'drWA READER.TO THE T is now fomew hat above five years, fince P pu— 1 blil'hed the firfi Part of my THEATRUM CHEMICUM BRITANNICUM ; immedi- ately after which, my Studies of that Natnr^ received m.oft unfortunate Imermpto'/is , from the Commencement of feveral veScatious Smts a- gainft me ; But GOD, not onely enabled m.e to endure thofe impetuous multiplied Stormes^^xxt fome few Moneths (-inct , was pleafed to fweeten m.y XoTos^-SHJferlngs with a fair and ' peaceful /j(/«f. < And becaufe my Studies in HERMETICK PHILOSO- PHY, would not bear with the aforefaid troubleiome Rttbs (iS/^tf requiring a ferene cJW/Wr, quiet Thoughts, unwearied f^^f^i/d^^r/^ indeed the whole ^/^;«,) I was with great unwil- Ii;ignefs forced to lay them afide: Yet, (that I rr.iiht not totally quit Minerva's {6c\ci^^ whohad'nurit mt up fo indulgently:.) I.betookmyfelf tofuch other '5/»^;Vf, v\lio/e NiHtuYe would better deal with Difiurhance's, andfuffer them.felves (when un- happily broken off) to be reaffumed with lefs difficulty ; and W'hzTZ Taris^y alfo might begCt romei;hing of u4ffftite aiid Delight, MX- I, To the Header, AH this; while I well hoped to meec with Om or Other ;^\\(^ ^ (inclined ro idvaace the honour of HHRMES his Family) would have dktw the pains of adding a Second VoiHrne to my laid THEATRum, in regard thofe luccelTivc Tronhhs (hang- ing To long and heavily upon me) h.id denied me the Leifun : Nor wereeirher myy;zi//V/?r/Wtoit warning;, or the free r<7«- irlbMtr/t of whatever Ihadfo painfully C^^^i?^^*/, unofFeced: to the end my Tiefign (of lecting the WwU fee, what excellent J<^i?» we had once of our own iV4//o», famous as well for that kind of PhUofophjy as any other Learnings and Mafiers of fo Secret been furthered : tranfccndent a ; ) might have Norwith- Itanding this, I hear of nothing.(hicherto) done , nothing en- ceivoured. Bucinrtead thereof, I lately met with a pretended Co^) of the following DlfcoHrfey r^idy htted for the Prefsy which ( up- on periifal) I found m.ucilated wich many Imperfeciiow, mifcfa injured by feveral incongruous Additions, and they confeft to be onely m.ade up of fome fcartered Shreds and Fragments , cGlledted from the whole w^'orit; And befides intended, thac the World tnould take it for the Child of one Eugemus Theo- dida^Mt, bein^ ( by Re-baftliuatlm) called the fvifeMa»s CrovoK, or Rofie^C'ru'clan Phyftcl^ ; under which Titles notice hath been given of it^ coming abroad , by other Books fincc PubliO-ied. All which confidered, together with die Z^^/ have for this noble Science^ and Regret to fee fo able a p7ampl~ OH thereof thus boldly, thus nefarioufly robb'd and difpoiled of bis Honour ; loth I was any longer to keep my Perfeti Cop by refolved , rather to venture it abroad me ; and thereupon (though unaccompanied,) to 'prevent- the /»/«r)' would other- wife be done our dead Amhm-, and the JVorld. (I fay unaccom- panied, for m.y paft and prefent Engagements^ in finifhing the ProdHcilo9is of fome of thofe Honres, I fnatcb'd from the in- tervals of my late Dipp^trbames , will not afford me ti'P.e to fit it with fuch Ajfoclate,', as formerly I intended^ fhould com- plete one of the later Pansy of m.y above mentioned THEA- TRUM.) However, (confidering the TV^wrff of this Piece,) it will properly enough appear by it felf, and very well feive as a large Prsfaec, to ulher forth the remaining Folumes, ( or any thing ^* f,*t$ the Reaekr, thing elfe,) that fnalLbe publii"hed of this ShB eU» As for our Amho-r^ he'Was without doubt an ENGLISH- \iAN, but hath hitherto palTed with us among the Anonymly and the Book^ (his O^-f^rlng) {hews it felf fuHicicntly Legiti- mate^ chough th^ true Father th-rcoF be as yet unknown. I have heard foxe notable Stories^ and thofe backt with peifwa- live Cli'cumflancesy to make on ealie Faith think the Providence very obiervable^ thit not onely furnillied a laborious fearcher into this mytkrious Learmnr^ with ths Original ic felf, but mo t fortunately directed hiii to three Grains of the Povpder^ clofed up between two Leaves thereof, with which he made PfojeUion; But I affed not to Fly-blow the Ears of my R^^- dtrs ; Onely this, I can modeflly averr, that my Copj vvas a Tranfcript of that Or;^;W/. TheWorkfeemstobewiitten about the beginning- of the lart (or end of the former) Century ; The main drift of the An- ?W being frotii weighty and feriouS' iArg<4inents and Exam- p/t'/j CO prove the Pofslbllity of fuch a thing as the PHILOSO- PHER'S STONE : whereby is largely m.anifelkd, that Nature lias exhiiylred greater Wonders to the view of the World, and as great things have been (andconfequently may be) performed by other weaker Sc lefl'er Means^ where a dnejfrlendly ,V!\di Phl- lofofhical cofi-um}lon of Art and Nature is fully underwood. And yet howbeit (becaufe fuch zit familiar unro, and ordinary am.ong us) we confider them not. Tis a Dlfcoarfe fraught with variety of excellent rational Matter, and fitted to the Learned as well as meaner (7rf;>^oV;>/ ; Nay, fuch, as I boldly penwade my felf, will fully fatisfic^(?^/>, beyond anythmgyet extant of this Natttre : and I bslievc m.any captious Argnments, hereto- fore iifcd and urged,, againft the truth of this fo Infallible a Scl- e/Ke, will here meet with fatisfailory Solutlo-ns, and henceforth find no further place in any T)lfcoHr[e favouring but of Sobriety, I muft alfo acquaint my "^^^^^/^r, that this piece was of fo high a vahie with the induftrious DoUor Sverard, as it invited him tobeftow his pains in the ^Marginal Notes ; wherein (like a skilful Phllofopher, whofe firft operation is to make Hidden things Manlfeit) he drew forth and difcovered, that which our tAmhors Magiftcrial Pen thought fit to conceal ', and having obtained ; obtained thofe }^otfs to a , (cfey being added Tra^fcrtpt of thii •Work^ and both fairlywrkten with the *DoBors hand) from a ve- ry intimate Friend (one extraordinary Learned, and a great Or- nament of our Nation) I was. willing to make them fnlfUcI^ /alfo. And now ( I confcfs) notwichftanding all this, I do not ex-. pe(St, what I here fnblijhy (liould pleafe every Palate ; in re- gard the F^f^ of i^(?;7j«^m/V7^; is very much fuitable to that of Ul'toney, which fometimes palTeth currant, and at other times is cryed down, or called in : To this I conlider, how we are not tborn with Fancies and ayiffetites, that telifli every thing alike .and that 'tis as poflible to iliape a Coat for the Moon, as to Print a Book that can pleafe every (jenim : fuch and fo various arc the generality of our /«£-//«^fzWl Befides, I have often obfer- ved,that Men, both ^//>and Learned^^^^z^z or affect notfome ^^iKSiOi Learnings and yet by z fecret willingnefs, or natural force, are carried on in Admiration and Love of other Branches th-reof ; And this I fuppofe partly growes from the negle6l of aHriviland unbyaiTed Examination of their choyce, which (if inade)would appear to proceed more from Affection thanJudg- ment. But if any whofe Ignorance in, or Difajfc^ion to this Divine and laudMe Science, lliall think no better of the Work^ then of z Spiders /^F^^, [^ lit ondy to be fwept away: ] I fhall never- thelefs confidently hope it will fall into fome other hands^ that may consider the curiohcy of the H^oofe, and efteem it worthy their Contemplation, to obferve how our Author (like that in- genious Cr^^f//^^ travel Img with* her /;?^«iTr;') hath compofed a Difcoarfe, whofe Sxcellencies will not difcover themfelves to xhzfatisfaUionoiz fuperficial Sye, but onely the intent and fe- rious IncjyAfitor ; And that fuch may reap all poflible ^Advan- utge by their Labour, is the hearty aefire of E. A S H M O L E. THE The WAY to BLISSE. THE FIRST BOOK. Ch A p. I. What Blisse and Happinesse Us V in all orderly Speeches and matters of Learning, {a) it firft of allbehovethto (a) oV. o^c^. ^'^•^* agree upon the Thing in hand, what it is, and what is the Reafonand Bounds [^or definmorr] of the fame : It feem- eth very needfull in this Difcourfe of The Way To Blisse , to fhew firft what is Blisse, becaufeit is a thing much in doubt, and in queftion among the Learned. He that ufeth to behold and view the Reafon and Nature of things^ may eafily perceive by the outward ihape, and inward gifts of Mm^ unlike and paffing all B other TheJVayto'Biifs. Lib. I. Other Wights (or living Creatures) that he was made tor fome notable end and purpofe above the reft •, and fo not for Pleafure, Honour^ Healthy or enough ot need- full outward things, which they call Riches, nor yet for any other matters^which other Wights void of Wit and ReafoD, feek and iollow.