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(Publish text and card prepared for The Path, vol. II, no. 1 (April 1887, the first issue of Volume II), checked against the 1887 scan)
 
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  | has text = yes
  | has text = yes
  | original language = English
  | original language = English
  | publication date = April 1887
  | publication date = April, May 1887
  | publication date sortable = 1887-04
  | publication date sortable = 1887-04
  | publication place = ''The Path''
  | publication place = ''The Path''
  | publications = [[Path/Vol2/Text|''The Path'', vol. II, no. 1]], April 1887, pp. 20-25 (Part I)
  | publications = [[Path/Vol2/Text|''The Path'', vol. II, no. 1]], April 1887, pp. 20-25 (Part I); no. 2, May 1887, pp. 46-52 (Part II)
  | read links = [[Path/Vol2/Text|Electronic journal edition in Teopedia]]
  | read links = [[Path/Vol2/Text|Electronic journal edition in Teopedia]]
  | note = Signed "S. B.," identified as [[Baxter, Sylvester|Sylvester Baxter]] by the established pattern of his other signed and pseudonymous Path contributions (see his card). A review of Franz Hartmann's ''The Life of Philippus Theophrastus, Bombast of Hohenheim, known by the name of Paracelsus'' (London: George Redway, 1887). Part I; the continuation falls in a later issue of Volume II, outside the scope of this project.
  | note = Signed "S. B.," identified as [[Baxter, Sylvester|Sylvester Baxter]] by the established pattern of his other signed and pseudonymous Path contributions (see his card). A review of Franz Hartmann's ''The Life of Philippus Theophrastus, Bombast of Hohenheim, known by the name of Paracelsus'' (London: George Redway, 1887), discussing in Part II Robert Browning's poem ''Paracelsus''. The series continues in a later issue of Volume II, outside the scope of this project.
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It is a noteworthy fact in Occultism that the great Masters who in the body have worked among men have been members of the healing craft. It is the noblest, because in its true character it combines the functions of both priest and physician; healer of the soul as well as of the body. Such will be the master minds of the nobler civilization which will some day dawn upon the world, the spiritual chiefs of a people will also guard the health of their bodies as well as of their souls. Hermes, we are told, was a great physician and the head of a grand brotherhood of Adepts. Both Jesus of Nazareth and John the Baptist were members of the Essene fraternity, an order of therapeuts. Apollonius of Tyana served his novitiate in the temple of Hippocrates and became a healer of men. In the middle ages and the beginning of modern times in Europe we find the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, devoted to the attainment and application of medical, as well as spiritual knowl-
It is a noteworthy fact in Occultism that the great Masters who in the body have worked among men have been members of the healing craft. It is the noblest, because in its true character it combines the functions of both priest and physician; healer of the soul as well as of the body. Such will be the master minds of the nobler civilization which will some day dawn upon the world, the spiritual chiefs of a people will also guard the health of their bodies as well as of their souls. Hermes, we are told, was a great physician and the head of a grand brotherhood of Adepts. Both Jesus of Nazareth and John the Baptist were members of the Essene fraternity, an order of therapeuts. Apollonius of Tyana served his novitiate in the temple of Hippocrates and became a healer of men. In the middle ages and the beginning of modern times in Europe we find the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, devoted to the attainment and application of medical, as well as spiritual knowl{{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=1|p=21}}edge. Even in primitive society, among wild tribes like the red Indians we find their sacred orders composed of "medicine men," and there is good reason to believe that some of these possess valuable occult powers. To these spiritual and therapeutic esoteric brotherhoods, found throughout history, may probably be traced all the progress made by mankind, material as well as intellectual and spiritual. Through their knowledge of the secret forces of nature there have come into the world at large those beginnings of mechanical and chemical science which lay at the base of those physical achievements that constitute the power and pride of our present material civilization—little mindful of its indebtedness though the latter be. Why is it that these two great functions are combined in the Master Teachers of mankind—the care of the body as well as of the soul? Is it not to lead man, by slow degrees, up to the condition of bodily perfection that shall characterize the glorious "Coming Race"?—a race combining the godly and the human in the attributes described in ''Through the Gates of Gold'', which tells us: "The animal in man, elevated, is a thing unimaginable in its great powers of service and of strength." Thus shall we see realized a divine race with powers over Nature beside which the potency of the intricate mechanical devices of the present age, attained at the cost of the enslavement and degradation of toiling millions, shall be more puny than are the crude implements of cave-dwelling man in comparison with those of which our age so arrogantly boasts.
 
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edge. Even in primitive society, among wild tribes like the red Indians we find their sacred orders composed of "medicine men," and there is good reason to believe that some of these possess valuable occult powers. To these spiritual and therapeutic esoteric brotherhoods, found throughout history, may probably be traced all the progress made by mankind, material as well as intellectual and spiritual. Through their knowledge of the secret forces of nature there have come into the world at large those beginnings of mechanical and chemical science which lay at the base of those physical achievements that constitute the power and pride of our present material civilization—little mindful of its indebtedness though the latter be. Why is it that these two great functions are combined in the Master Teachers of mankind—the care of the body as well as of the soul? Is it not to lead man, by slow degrees, up to the condition of bodily perfection that shall characterize the glorious "Coming Race"?—a race combining the godly and the human in the attributes described in ''Through the Gates of Gold'', which tells us: "The animal in man, elevated, is a thing unimaginable in its great powers of service and of strength." Thus shall we see realized a divine race with powers over Nature beside which the potency of the intricate mechanical devices of the present age, attained at the cost of the enslavement and degradation of toiling millions, shall be more puny than are the crude implements of cave-dwelling man in comparison with those of which our age so arrogantly boasts.


Paracelsus, there is high authority for saying, was really one of the greatest Masters ever known upon the earth. In rank he may be compared with Hermes Thrice-Master. Although he was the father of modern chemistry, his name has not yet ceased to be a by-word among men, for his revolutionary methods in medicine naturally gained him the hostility of the doctors and druggists of his day, whose pretensions he ruthlessly overturned. Being the "regulars," they naturally had the ear of the public and their denunciations have therefore colored history so that, although science is now beginning to recognize its debt to him, he is still widely regarded as having been a noisy impostor.
Paracelsus, there is high authority for saying, was really one of the greatest Masters ever known upon the earth. In rank he may be compared with Hermes Thrice-Master. Although he was the father of modern chemistry, his name has not yet ceased to be a by-word among men, for his revolutionary methods in medicine naturally gained him the hostility of the doctors and druggists of his day, whose pretensions he ruthlessly overturned. Being the "regulars," they naturally had the ear of the public and their denunciations have therefore colored history so that, although science is now beginning to recognize its debt to him, he is still widely regarded as having been a noisy impostor.


The world is therefore much indebted to Dr. Hartmann's admirable book.<ref>The Life of Philippus Theophrastus, Bombast of Hohenheim, known by the name of Paracelsus; and the Substance of his Teachings concerning Cosmology, Anthropology, Pheumatology, Magic and Sorcery, Medicine, Alchemy and Astrology, Philosophy and Theosophy, extracted and translated from his rare and extensive works and from some unpublished manuscripts. By Franz Hartmann, M. D., author of "Magic," etc. London: George Redway, 1887.</ref> It is particularly appropriate that a physician should write the best popular account of the great master of medicine. Dr. Hartmann has done his work with thorough sympathy and has made it his most important contribution to Occult literature, good though his previous work has been. It is notable how great Adepts who have worked visibly among men have made their
The world is therefore much indebted to Dr. Hartmann's admirable book.<ref>The Life of Philippus Theophrastus, Bombast of Hohenheim, known by the name of Paracelsus; and the Substance of his Teachings concerning Cosmology, Anthropology, Pheumatology, Magic and Sorcery, Medicine, Alchemy and Astrology, Philosophy and Theosophy, extracted and translated from his rare and extensive works and from some unpublished manuscripts. By Franz Hartmann, M. D., author of "Magic," etc. London: George Redway, 1887.</ref> It is particularly appropriate that a physician should write the best popular account of the great master of medicine. Dr. Hartmann has done his work with thorough sympathy and has made it his most important contribution to Occult literature, good though his previous work has been. It is notable how great Adepts who have worked visibly among men have made their {{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=1|p=22}}appearance at the turning-point of a cycle. Apollonius and Jesus came when the Roman Empire was at the height of its glory and approaching its fall. Paracelsus appeared at the dawn of the modern era which is coming into bloom to-day, and his teachings laid the foundations for our present physical science. How great these teachings may be seen in the substance of his writings as given by Dr. Hartmann. The date of his birth is significant; 1493, the year after the discovery of America by Columbus. We see him, a greater Columbus, standing on the threshold of the new world —not only the enlargement of the known domain of the globe, the opening up of vast continents to the dominant race, but the expansion of wealth, of the intellect, of religion. He was the contemporary of Luther but, though the radical reform effected by the father of Protestantism was one of the main features of the change in the cycle, Paracelsus stood on a plane too high to take part in sectarian quarrels, and said: "Among all sects there is none which possesses intellectually the true religion. We must read the Bible more with our hearts than with our brains, until at some time the true religion will come into the world."
 
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appearance at the turning-point of a cycle. Apollonius and Jesus came when the Roman Empire was at the height of its glory and approaching its fall. Paracelsus appeared at the dawn of the modern era which is coming into bloom to-day, and his teachings laid the foundations for our present physical science. How great these teachings may be seen in the substance of his writings as given by Dr. Hartmann. The date of his birth is significant; 1493, the year after the discovery of America by Columbus. We see him, a greater Columbus, standing on the threshold of the new world —not only the enlargement of the known domain of the globe, the opening up of vast continents to the dominant race, but the expansion of wealth, of the intellect, of religion. He was the contemporary of Luther but, though the radical reform effected by the father of Protestantism was one of the main features of the change in the cycle, Paracelsus stood on a plane too high to take part in sectarian quarrels, and said: "Among all sects there is none which possesses intellectually the true religion. We must read the Bible more with our hearts than with our brains, until at some time the true religion will come into the world."


Concerning the Adeptship of Paracelsus Dr. Hartmann remarks: "An old tradition says—and those who are supposed to know confirm the tale—that his astral body having already during physical existence become self-conscious and independent of the physical form, he is now a living Adept, residing with other Adepts of the same Order in a certain place in Asia, from whence he still—invisibly, but nevertheless effectually—influences the minds of his followers, appearing to them occasionally even in visible and tangible shape." It is considered by some students to be still more likely that, at this period, He who was once known as Paracelsus is in a body whose astral meets with others in Asia. The present being an important period of the world's history, it has been hinted that a great Teacher may be expected to appear among men. The multitude, however, will hardly be likely to fall down and worship Him when he comes; indeed, his treatment at their hands would probably be something quite different. Comparatively few would be likely to recognize Him, for only spirit can perceive spirit.
Concerning the Adeptship of Paracelsus Dr. Hartmann remarks: "An old tradition says—and those who are supposed to know confirm the tale—that his astral body having already during physical existence become self-conscious and independent of the physical form, he is now a living Adept, residing with other Adepts of the same Order in a certain place in Asia, from whence he still—invisibly, but nevertheless effectually—influences the minds of his followers, appearing to them occasionally even in visible and tangible shape." It is considered by some students to be still more likely that, at this period, He who was once known as Paracelsus is in a body whose astral meets with others in Asia. The present being an important period of the world's history, it has been hinted that a great Teacher may be expected to appear among men. The multitude, however, will hardly be likely to fall down and worship Him when he comes; indeed, his treatment at their hands would probably be something quite different. Comparatively few would be likely to recognize Him, for only spirit can perceive spirit.


There is a passage in Dr. Hartmann's work concerning the physical appearance of Paracelsus which calls for some comment. The fact that he was beardless gave rise to a tradition that he was emasculated in his infancy. This could not have been. The requirements of Adeptship necessitate a body complete in all its parts. Paracelsus was one of the Rosicrucians, and there are reasons why he could not have been a member of that fraternity, had he been thus physically defective. It is more likely that his beardlessness had another significance. It is said that the physical characteristics of the great teachers have been those of a race superior to that among which they
There is a passage in Dr. Hartmann's work concerning the physical appearance of Paracelsus which calls for some comment. The fact that he was beardless gave rise to a tradition that he was emasculated in his infancy. This could not have been. The requirements of Adeptship necessitate a body complete in all its parts. Paracelsus was one of the Rosicrucians, and there are reasons why he could not have been a member of that fraternity, had he been thus physically defective. It is more likely that his beardlessness had another significance. It is said that the physical characteristics of the great teachers have been those of a race superior to that among which they {{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=1|p=23}}worked. Gautama Buddha, for instance, established the religion for the greater part of the Mongolian race, but not only was he an Aryan; according to tradition he was light haired, and of blonde complexion, and Abbé Huc so describes the beautiful presentation of him in the magnificent temporary sculptures in the great Festival of the Flowers annually given at the lamassery of Kunbum in Thibet. The personal appearance of Jesus of Nazareth is unknown to the world, but there is reason for believing that he was not of a Jewish type and was wholly unlike the conventional representations. To those who have read Bulwer's ''Coming Race'' possibly a hint of the reason for the beardlessness of Paracelsus may occur.
 
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worked. Gautama Buddha, for instance, established the religion for the greater part of the Mongolian race, but not only was he an Aryan; according to tradition he was light haired, and of blonde complexion, and Abbé Huc so describes the beautiful presentation of him in the magnificent temporary sculptures in the great Festival of the Flowers annually given at the lamassery of Kunbum in Thibet. The personal appearance of Jesus of Nazareth is unknown to the world, but there is reason for believing that he was not of a Jewish type and was wholly unlike the conventional representations. To those who have read Bulwer's ''Coming Race'' possibly a hint of the reason for the beardlessness of Paracelsus may occur.


Dr. Hartmann calls attention to the short and concise manner in which Paracelsus expressed his thoughts. This quality of his writings will be perceived in the extracts given, which are translated into admirable English. There is no ground for the charge that he was inflated and boastful in his style. He simply spoke with self-confidence, like all men who speak with authority. Apollonius said, when asked how the wise man should speak concerning that which he knew: "He should speak like the law-giver. For the law-giver must present to the multitude in the form of commandments that which he knows to be true." It was thus that Paracelsus taught. As Dr. Hartmann well says: "It is a daily occurring fact, that he who exposes and denounces the faults of others appears to the superficial observer as boasting of his own superiority, although no such motive may prompt him."
Dr. Hartmann calls attention to the short and concise manner in which Paracelsus expressed his thoughts. This quality of his writings will be perceived in the extracts given, which are translated into admirable English. There is no ground for the charge that he was inflated and boastful in his style. He simply spoke with self-confidence, like all men who speak with authority. Apollonius said, when asked how the wise man should speak concerning that which he knew: "He should speak like the law-giver. For the law-giver must present to the multitude in the form of commandments that which he knows to be true." It was thus that Paracelsus taught. As Dr. Hartmann well says: "It is a daily occurring fact, that he who exposes and denounces the faults of others appears to the superficial observer as boasting of his own superiority, although no such motive may prompt him."
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It is highly unlikely that the charges of drunkenness brought against Paracelsus had any foundation. He had a host of bitter enemies, and the making of such charges by them without warrant would be very natural. Ground for this accusation has been supposed to be found in a letter to some students at Zürich, in which he addressed them as ''Comibones optimi''. But it seems most likely that this referred to fellowship in drinking the "wine" of wisdom, particularly since the letter is very serious and pathetic one. As Arnold remarks in his "History of Churches and Hermetics": "A man who is a glutton and a drunkard could not have been in possesson of such divine gifts."
It is highly unlikely that the charges of drunkenness brought against Paracelsus had any foundation. He had a host of bitter enemies, and the making of such charges by them without warrant would be very natural. Ground for this accusation has been supposed to be found in a letter to some students at Zürich, in which he addressed them as ''Comibones optimi''. But it seems most likely that this referred to fellowship in drinking the "wine" of wisdom, particularly since the letter is very serious and pathetic one. As Arnold remarks in his "History of Churches and Hermetics": "A man who is a glutton and a drunkard could not have been in possesson of such divine gifts."


That Paracelsus obtained his great knowledge not by study of books is evident from the fact that he read very little. For ten years he did not read a book, and his disciples testify that he dictated his works to them without memoranda or manuscripts. His spiritual precepts are of the most exalted character, and agree thoroughly with what has recently been given out from Eastern sources. He asks: "What is a Philosophy that is not supported by spiritual revelation?" Concerning prayer, or a strong aspiration for that which is good, he said: "It is necessary that we should seek and knock, and thereby ask the Omnipotent Power within ourselves, and
That Paracelsus obtained his great knowledge not by study of books is evident from the fact that he read very little. For ten years he did not read a book, and his disciples testify that he dictated his works to them without memoranda or manuscripts. His spiritual precepts are of the most exalted character, and agree thoroughly with what has recently been given out from Eastern sources. He asks: "What is a Philosophy that is not supported by spiritual revelation?" Concerning prayer, or a strong aspiration for that which is good, he said: "It is necessary that we should seek and knock, and thereby ask the Omnipotent Power within ourselves, and {{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=1|p=24}}remind it of its promises and keep it awake, and if we do this in the proper form and with a pure and sincere heart, we shall receive that for which we ask, and find that which we seek, and the doors of the Eternal that have been closed before us will be opened, and what was hidden before our sight will come to light. The next point is Faith: not a mere belief in something that may or may not be true, but a faith that is based upon knowledge, an unwavering confidence, a faith that may move mountains and throw them into the ocean, and to which everything is possible, as Christ has Himself testified. The third point is imagination. If this power is properly kindled in our soul, we will have no difficulty to make it harmonize with our faith. A person who is sunk into deep thought, and, so to say, drowned in his own soul, is like one who has lost his senses, and the world looks upon him as a fool. But in the consciousness of the Supreme he is wise, and he is, so to say, the confidential friend of God, knowing a great deal more of God's mysteries than all those that receive their superficial learning through the avenues of the senses; because he can reach God through his soul, Christ through faith, and attract the Holy Ghost through an exalted imagination. In this way we may grow to be like the Apostles, and to fear neither death nor prison, neither suffering nor torture, nor anything else."
 
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remind it of its promises and keep it awake, and if we do this in the proper form and with a pure and sincere heart, we shall receive that for which we ask, and find that which we seek, and the doors of the Eternal that have been closed before us will be opened, and what was hidden before our sight will come to light. The next point is Faith: not a mere belief in something that may or may not be true, but a faith that is based upon knowledge, an unwavering confidence, a faith that may move mountains and throw them into the ocean, and to which everything is possible, as Christ has Himself testified. The third point is imagination. If this power is properly kindled in our soul, we will have no difficulty to make it harmonize with our faith. A person who is sunk into deep thought, and, so to say, drowned in his own soul, is like one who has lost his senses, and the world looks upon him as a fool. But in the consciousness of the Supreme he is wise, and he is, so to say, the confidential friend of God, knowing a great deal more of God's mysteries than all those that receive their superficial learning through the avenues of the senses; because he can reach God through his soul, Christ through faith, and attract the Holy Ghost through an exalted imagination. In this way we may grow to be like the Apostles, and to fear neither death nor prison, neither suffering nor torture, nor anything else."


The preceding very important passage illustrates the profound thought of Paracelsus. The nature of mystic development is very clearly outlined. The relation is evident between the sentence about a person "drowned in his own soul," and the end of Rule 16, First series, in ''Light on the Path'': "And that power which the disciple shall covet is that which shall make him appear as nothing in the eyes of men." The closing chapter in ''Through the Gates of Gold'' is devoted particularly to this subject, as may be seen in the words concerning the man who has once really won the victory: "Those burning sensations which seemed to him to be the only proofs of his existence are his no longer. How, then, can he know that he lives? He knows it only by argument. And in time he does not care to argue about it. For him there is then peace; and he will find in that peace the power he has coveted. Then he will know what is that faith which will remove mountains."
The preceding very important passage illustrates the profound thought of Paracelsus. The nature of mystic development is very clearly outlined. The relation is evident between the sentence about a person "drowned in his own soul," and the end of Rule 16, First series, in ''Light on the Path'': "And that power which the disciple shall covet is that which shall make him appear as nothing in the eyes of men." The closing chapter in ''Through the Gates of Gold'' is devoted particularly to this subject, as may be seen in the words concerning the man who has once really won the victory: "Those burning sensations which seemed to him to be the only proofs of his existence are his no longer. How, then, can he know that he lives? He knows it only by argument. And in time he does not care to argue about it. For him there is then peace; and he will find in that peace the power he has coveted. Then he will know what is that faith which will remove mountains."


The wide wanderings of most occult students are a significant fact. Pythagoras journeyed to Egypt and to India. Apollonius also went thither, and spent nearly all his life in journeying over the world. Nearly all well-known students of Occultism of to-day have traveled extensively. Madam Blavatsky, for instance, has made repeated visits to nearly all quarters of the earth, and has had many strange adventures. Paracelsus was also a great traveler; he journeyed far in the East and was taken prisoner by the Tartars. It is said that he even went as far as India, and it is not unlikely that he
The wide wanderings of most occult students are a significant fact. Pythagoras journeyed to Egypt and to India. Apollonius also went thither, and spent nearly all his life in journeying over the world. Nearly all well-known students of Occultism of to-day have traveled extensively. Madam Blavatsky, for instance, has made repeated visits to nearly all quarters of the earth, and has had many strange adventures. Paracelsus was also a great traveler; he journeyed far in the East and was taken prisoner by the Tartars. It is said that he even went as far as India, and it is not unlikely that he {{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=1|p=25}}may have visited the Masters in Thibet. Of the reason for his roamings he said: "He who wants to study the book of Nature must wander with his feet over its leaves; Books are studied by looking at the letters which they contain; Nature is studied by examining the contents of her treasure-vaults in every country. Every part of the world represents a page in the book of Nature, and all the pages together form the book that contains her great revelations." This is an application of the injunction, "Learn from sensation and observe it."
 
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may have visited the Masters in Thibet. Of the reason for his roamings he said: "He who wants to study the book of Nature must wander with his feet over its leaves; Books are studied by looking at the letters which they contain; Nature is studied by examining the contents of her treasure-vaults in every country. Every part of the world represents a page in the book of Nature, and all the pages together form the book that contains her great revelations." This is an application of the injunction, "Learn from sensation and observe it."


A deep scientific perception is manifest in the works of Paracelsus, and he evidently saw far into the future. Dr. Hartmann points out that his doctrine bears a great resemblance to that of Darwin and Haeckel. The quality of mind which we call modern, but which may better be termed universal, since it is evident in the words of the greatest men of all ages, was inherent in Paracelsus. The following prophetic passage from his "Occult Philosophy" is a witness to his thoroughly enlightened spirit: "True science can accomplish a great deal; the Eternal Wisdom of the existence of all things is without a time, without a beginning, and without an end. Things that are considered now to be impossible, will be accomplished; that which is unexpected will in future prove to be true, and that which is looked upon as superstition in one century, will be the basis for the approved science of the next."
A deep scientific perception is manifest in the works of Paracelsus, and he evidently saw far into the future. Dr. Hartmann points out that his doctrine bears a great resemblance to that of Darwin and Haeckel. The quality of mind which we call modern, but which may better be termed universal, since it is evident in the words of the greatest men of all ages, was inherent in Paracelsus. The following prophetic passage from his "Occult Philosophy" is a witness to his thoroughly enlightened spirit: "True science can accomplish a great deal; the Eternal Wisdom of the existence of all things is without a time, without a beginning, and without an end. Things that are considered now to be impossible, will be accomplished; that which is unexpected will in future prove to be true, and that which is looked upon as superstition in one century, will be the basis for the approved science of the next."


This is now being found true by modern science concerning the teachings of Paracelsus. For instance, it is acknowledged that the germ theory of disease, generally supposed to be one of the original discoveries of recent medical investigators, was promulgated by Paracelsus himself, while Jæger, the eminent German scientist, finds his own discoveries agreeing with the theories of Paracelsus, and he pronounces certain medical proceedings recommended by the latter, which have been held to be based upon the crudest superstitions, to be really in accordance with the highest scientific teachings concerning molecular action.
This is now being found true by modern science concerning the teachings of Paracelsus. For instance, it is acknowledged that the germ theory of disease, generally supposed to be one of the original discoveries of recent medical investigators, was promulgated by Paracelsus himself, while Jæger, the eminent German scientist, finds his own discoveries agreeing with the theories of Paracelsus, and he pronounces certain medical proceedings recommended by the latter, which have been held to be based upon the crudest superstitions, to be really in accordance with the highest scientific teachings concerning molecular action.
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It is a notable fact that the life of Paracelsus formed the theme for the first important work of one of the greatest of modern poets, Robert Browning, in whom the mystical tendency forms one of the strongest characteristics of his thought. ''Paracelsus'' is a wonderful composition; almost marvelous when it is considered that it was written when the poet was but 28 years old. It exhibits a noble maturity of intellect; in the exalted spirituality of its thought it has never been surpassed by any of the poet's subsequent works. Its shows that Browning had a true appreciation of the greatness of the Master. In his note he says that he has taken very trifling liberties with his subject and that "the reader may slip the foregoing scenes between the leaves of any memoir of Paracelsus he pleases, by way of commentary."
Browning must have studied the writings of Paracelsus closely, and with his inner vision, for throughout the poem there runs a deep vein of occultism. Although he has followed the historical accounts of the Master, and therefore depicts some blemishes upon his character which could hardly have existed in reality, it seems not unlikely that a mind of the lofty spiritual quality of Browning's may, in its aspiration for true knowledge of his {{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=2|p=47}}theme, have been impressed by that of Paracelsus himself, or of the one formerly known by that name.
The poem has the form of a drama in five acts. The first act has its scene at Würzburg, where Paracelsus is studying under Tritheim, in 1512, a youth of 19 years. With him is Festus, his boyhood's friend, older than he, and Michal, the betrothed of Festus. The three are together in a garden, and Paracelsus is about to enter upon his long wanderings through the world. To these two he confides the secret of his aspirations. Festus, who has a conservative nature, endeavors to dissuade him from his enterprise, and to pursue knowledge in the ordinary channels. Paracelsus then tells something of the extraordinary nature which has distinguished him from his fellowmen. He says:
{{Style P-Poem|"From childhood I have been possessed
By a fire—by a true fire, or faint or fierce,
As from without some master, so it seemed,
Repressed or urged its current: this but ill
Expresses what I would convey—but rather
I will believe an angel ruled me thus,
Than that my soul's own workings, own high nature,
So become manifest. I knew not then
What whispered in the evening, and spoke out
At midnight. If some mortal, born too soon,
Were laid away in some great trance—the ages
Coming and going all the while—till dawned
His true time's advent, and could then record
The words they spoke who kept watch by his bed,—
Then I might tell more of the breath so light
Upon my eyelids, and the fingers warm
Among my hair. Youth is confused: yet never
So dull was I but, when that spirit passed,
I turned to him, scarce consciously, as turns
A water-snake when fairies cross his sleep."}}
These words characterize the born Adept and show that the poet really apprehended the nature of the memories of past existences.
Paracelsus confesses how the impulse was ever with him to devote himself to the good of mankind and do some great work in its behalf. In his youth, as he sat under Tritheim's teachings, he felt somehow that a mighty power was brooding, taking shape within him, and this lasted till one night, as he sat revolving it more and more, a still voice from without spoke to him, and then it was that he first discovered his aim's extent,
{{Style P-Poem|"Which sought to comprehend the works of God,
And God himself, and all God's intercourse
With the human mind."}}
The voice continued:
{{Style P-Poem|" 'There is a way—
'Tis hard for flesh to tread therein, imbued
With frailty—hopeless, if indulgence first {{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=2|p=48}}Have ripened inborn germs of sin to strength:
Wilt thou adventure for my sake and man's,
Apart from all reward?' And last it breathed—
'Be happy my good soldier; I am by thee,
Be sure, even to the end!'—I answered not,
Knowing Him. As He spoke, I was endued
With comprehension and a steadfast will;
And when He ceased, my brow was sealed His own.
If there took place no special change in me,
How comes it all things wore a different hue
Thenceforward?—pregnant with vast consequence—
So that when quailing at the mighty range
Of secret truths which yearn for birth, I haste
To contemplate undazzled some one truth,
Its bearings and effects alone—at once
What was a speck expands into a star,
Asking a life to pass exploring thus,
Till I near craze."}}
This voice is that which speaks to all true Mystics. It is the higher Self that speaks; the voice of the Warrior, spoken of in ''Light on the Path'', "He is thyself, yet infinitely wiser and stronger than thyself." It may also be the voice of a Master, as well. For, at the stage where the bonds of the personality are loosened, and the sense of separateness has disappeared, and the higher Self of one is that of all. In this passage, the poet gives beautiful utterance to the fact of the spiritual rebirth, the moment when the lower consciousness becomes united with the higher.
Again, in the following words, the fact of reincarnation is expressed:
{{Style P-Poem|"At times I almost dream
I too have spent a life the sages' way,
And tread once more familiar paths. Perchance
I perished in an arrogant self-reliance
An age ago; and in that act, a prayer
For one more chance went up so earnest, so
Instinct with better light let in by Death,
That life was blotted out—not so completely
But scattered wrecks enough of it remain,
Dim memories; as now, when seems once more
The goal in sight again."}}
This feeling of the truth of reincarnation finds utterance throughout Browning's work. It would be difficult to account for the greatness of a person like Paracelsus except under the theory of pre-existence.
"The dim star that burns within," and the reason for its dimness, is gloriously expressed in the following words:
{{Style P-Poem|"Truth is within ourselves; it takes no rise
From outward things, whate'er you may believe:
There is an inmost center in us all,
Where truth abides in fulness; and around {{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=2|p=49}}Wall upon wall, the gross flesh hems it in,
This perfect clear perception—which is truth;
A baffling and perverting carnal mesh
Blinds it, and makes all error: and 'to know'
Rather consists in opening out a way
Whence the imprisoned splendor may escape,
Than in effecting entry for a light
Supposed to be without. Watch narrowly
The demonstration of a truth, its birth,
And you trace back the effluence to its spring
And source within us, where broods radiance vast,
To be elicited ray by ray, as chance
Shall favor."}}
This passage, which is pure mysticism, is too long to quote entire, but the reader will find that it continues in the same exalted strain, showing how the unveiling of the soul, the higher self, may, through various means, be accomplished by what seems chance, or, as it says in ''Through the Gates of Gold'', man may "tear the veil that hides him from the eternal at any point where it is easiest for him to do so; the most often this will be where he least expects to find it." The poet has seen clearly, with Paracelsus himself, how it is that matter bars in the spirit, and he asks:
{{Style P-Poem|"May not truth be lodged alike in all,
The lowest as the highest? some slight film
The interposing bar which binds it up,
And makes the idiot, just as makes the sage
Some film removed, the happy outlet whence
Truth issues proudly? See this soul of ours!
How it strives weakly in the child, is loosed
In manhood, clogged by sickness, back compelled
By age and waste, set free at last by death:
Why is it, flesh enthralls it or enthrones?
What is this flesh we have to penetrate?
Not alone when life flows still do truth
And power emerge, but also when strange chance
Ruffles its current; in unused conjuncture,
When sickness breaks the body—hunger, watching,
Excess or languor,—oftenest death's approach—
Peril, deep joy, or woe."}}
It was to give clearer hints for this setting free of the soul that ''Through the Gates of Gold'' was written. In the second act Browning shows us Paracelsus in Constantinople in the year 1521, where history tells that he was at that time, having spent something like seven years in the Orient, "among the Tartars," a term that permits a wide range for his whereabouts. The Master was accordingly then 28 years old. He is said to have received the "Philospher's stone," in reality the Great Jewel or Master Stone, described in the beautiful story called "Papyrus,"—printed in the March Path—from a German Adept, Solomon Trismosinus. Browning, however, lays the scene at {{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=2|p=50}}"the House of the Greek conjuror." This act, though very beautiful, is of slight value historically, as it was designed to carry out the motive of the poem that Paracelsus failed by seeking to attain his end through knowledge alone, leaving love out of account. In this regard Browning failed to grasp the full greatness of the Master, for Paracelsus could not have held his exalted position in the Rosicrucian brotherhood without being inspired by the most unbounded love for humanity.
To carry out this idea of the necessity of both knowledge and love, Browning introduces an Italian poet, Aprile, who has sought to attain the same end through love alone. Aprile dies in the arms of Paracelsus and thus teaches him the lesson of love. This passage may be taken as symbolic of the union of the distinctive traits of the individuals and the assimilation by him who has arrived at the stage of killing out the sense of separateness. This is shown in the words addressed by Paracelsus to Aprile:
{{Style P-Poem|"Are we not halves of one dissevered world,
Whom this strange chance unites once more? Part? never!
Till thou, the lover, know; and I, the knower,
Love—until both have saved."}}
In this act are the following glorious words spoken by the dying Aprile:
{{Style P-Poem|"God is the PERFECT POET,
Who in creation acts his own conceptions.
Shall man be set to ought less than God?
Man's weakness is his glory— for the strength
Which raises him to heaven and near God's self,
Came spite of it: God's strength his glory is,
For thence came with our weakness sympathy
Which brought God down to earth, a man like us."}}
We will pass over the next two acts as comparatively unimportant to our purpose. In the last act we find Paracelsus, in the year 1541, at the age of 48, dying at Salzburg, alone with his faithful friend Festus. He tells Festus of the sensations of his dying moments in a passage in which occur inspired words, depicting the soul in the state of Eternity, where time and space are as naught. He tells Festus "You are here to be instructed. I will tell God's message," and he describes his experiences on the threshold of the Eternal as containing his entire past life:
{{Style P-Poem|"If I select
Some special epoch from the crowd, 'tis but
To will and straight the rest dissolve away,
And only that particular state is present,
With all its long-forgotten circumstance,
Distinct and vivid as at first—myself
A careless looker-on, and nothing more!
Indifferent and amused, but nothing more!
And this is death: I understand it all.
New being waits me; new perceptions must
Be born in me before I plunge therein; {{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=2|p=51}}Which last is Death's affair, and while I speak,
Minute by minute he is filling me
With power; and while my foot is on the threshold
Of boundless life—the doors unopened yet,
All preparations not complete within—
I turn new knowledge upon old events,
And the effect is—But I must not tell;
It is not lawful."}}
What follows may be taken, perhaps, in a sense, for a mystic initiation. Mustering superhuman strength Paracelsus stands upon his couch, dons his scarlet cloak lined with fur, puts his chain around his neck, his signet ring is on his finger, and last he takes his good sword, his trusty Azoth, in his grasp for the last time, and says:
{{Style P-Poem|"This couch shall be my throne: I bid these walls
Be consecrate; this wretched cell become
A shrine; for here God speaks to men through me:"}}
Then he tells the story of his birth to power, and of the wisdom he has attained. He tells how
{{Style P-Poem|"I stood at first where all aspire at last
To stand: the secret of the world was mine.
I knew, I felt, (perception unexpressed,
Uncomprehended by our narrow thought,
But somehow felt and known in every shift
And change in the spirit,—nay, in every pore
Of the body, even,)—what God is, what we are,
What life is—how God tastes an infinite joy
In infinite ways—one everlasting bliss,
From whom all being emanates, all power
Proceeds; in whom is life forevermore,
Yet whom existence in its lowest form
Includes."}}
It is a long address, and so full of the most spiritual thought that it seems a pity space will not allow it to be quoted entire. There is one passage which corresponds very closely to a passage in Hartmann's work, from one of Paracelsus's writings, describing the union in man of the attributes of this sphere of life which had, here and there
{{Style P-Poem|"Been scattered o'er the visible world before,
Asking to be combined—dim fragments meant
To be united in some wondrous whole—
Imperfect qualities throughout creation,
Suggesting some one creature yet to make—
Some point where all those scattered rays should meet
Convergent in the faculties of man."}}
{{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=2|p=52}}
This point of convergence is spoken of in ''Through the Gates of Gold'' as "that primeval place which is the only throne of God,—that place whence forms of life emerge and to which they return. That place is the central point of existence, where there is a permanent spot of life as there is in the midst of the heart of man."
Again we see the same subject treated in the closing part of the ''Gates of Gold'', the mighty results to be attained through the subjugation of the animal nature in man to the godly nature, looked forward to by Paracelsus, as Browning makes him speak, with prophetic vision, in the following words:
{{Style P-Poem|"But when full roused, each giant limb awake,
Each sinew strung, the great heart pulsing fast,
He shall start up, and stand on his own earth,
And so begin his long triumphant march,
And date his being thence,—thus wholly roused,
What he achieves shall be set down to him!
When all the race is perfected alike
As Man, that is: all tended to mankind,
And, man produced, all has its end thus far;
But in completed man begins anew
A tendency to God."}}
And it is given significantly, as a trait of completed man, that such
{{Style P-Poem|"Outgrow all
The narrow creeds of right and wrong, which fade
Before the unmeasured thirst for good; while peace
Rises within them ever more and more.
Such men are even now upon the earth,
Serene amid the half-formed creatures round,
Who should be saved by them and joined with them."}}
These words of Paracelsus are almost the last in the poem:
{{Style P-Poem|"As yet men cannot do without contempt—
'Tis for their good, and therefore fit awhile
That they reject the weak, and scorn the false,
Rather than praise the strong and true, in me.
But after, they will know me! Just one cloud
If I stoop into a dark tremendous sea of cloud,
It is but for a time; I press God's lamp
Close to my breast—its splendor, soon or late,
Will pierce the gloom: I shall emerge one day!"}}
We believe that the time is not far distant when he will be understood, will be known, and shall emerge.


{{Style P-Signature|S. B.}}
{{Style P-Signature|S. B.}}


{{Footnotes}}
{{Footnotes}}
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