The Alchemical Patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley
The Alchemical Patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley
The Alchemical Patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley
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Thynne‘s poem A Discourse uppon the <strong>Lord</strong> <strong>Burghley</strong>ghe his creste, written to <strong>Cecil</strong> in<br />
August 1573, contains some <strong>of</strong> the most obvious attempts to appeal to <strong>Cecil</strong> using<br />
alchemical analogies. Combining Thynne‘s two great passions, the occult and heraldry, it<br />
describes a vision in a dream, in which ―the Dragon with quick-silverd face, approchd my<br />
sight with wise & pleasant grace‖ and directed Thynne to seek the man ―as worthiest in this<br />
land, under that one whiche secret wonder bredes‖. 174 <strong>The</strong> mercurial dragon described the<br />
man using a series <strong>of</strong> astrological metaphors<br />
He is the lowest, and stalld in myddle place,<br />
and by the course <strong>of</strong> heaven rules next the beste;<br />
sett next the higheste, whose flaminge shyninge face,<br />
In Ceres shape dothe by Diana reste,<br />
And azurd skye supported to his prayse,<br />
whose lyvinge fame shall blome in following dayes. 175<br />
Initially Thynne interpreted these astrological metaphors for the Moon, Sun and Jupiter as<br />
referring to their corresponding metals; silver, gold and tin. Thynne‘s mind therefore<br />
turned to the ―true and secret skill Voarchoadumye [Voarchadumia]‖. 176<br />
In his book Voarchadumia contra alchimiam: ars distincta ab archimia et sophia (1530),<br />
Johannes Augustinus Pantheus, a Venitian priest, devised Voarchadumia as a cabalistic<br />
transmutational art, in order to circumvent Venetian and Papal laws against alchemy. 177<br />
Described by Lynn Thorndike as ―a sort <strong>of</strong> cabala <strong>of</strong> metals‖, Voarchadumia drew upon<br />
the occult philosophy <strong>of</strong> Ramon Lull, just as Lull had co-opted the Jewish mystical<br />
tradition <strong>of</strong> Cabala, using letter notations corresponding to the different names or<br />
attributes <strong>of</strong> God in order to prove the truth <strong>of</strong> the Christian trinity. 178 Thynne expected<br />
<strong>Cecil</strong> to both know <strong>of</strong>, and understand, Voarchadumia and thus positioned his alchemical<br />
knowledge as part <strong>of</strong> the more general pursuit <strong>of</strong> religious and natural truth.<br />
174 Francis Thynne, ‗A Discourse uppon the <strong>Lord</strong> <strong>Burghley</strong>ghe his creste‘, 2 August 1573, reproduced in F. J.<br />
Furnival (ed.), Animaduersions uppon the Annotacions and Corresctions <strong>of</strong> Some Imperfections <strong>of</strong> Impressiones <strong>of</strong> Chaucers<br />
Workes (sett downe before tyme, and nowe) reprinted in the yere <strong>of</strong> oure lorde 1598, London, 1865, p. 104.<br />
175 Ibid.<br />
176 Ibid., p. 109.<br />
177 Yates, <strong>The</strong> Occult Philosophy, pp. 12-14.<br />
178 Ibid.; Lynn Thorndike, History <strong>of</strong> Magic and Experimental Science Part 4, New York, 1923, p. 539.<br />
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