Alchemy and the Hermetic writings in their prints: the chemists’ signs, Maier’s emblems and fugues, the Emerald Tablet’s versions, the Chymical Wedding’s riddles, Dee’s monad, Agrippa’s squares and sigils.
Monas Hieroglyphica
John Dee’s monad drawn as his theorems build it, each quoted whole in the Latin of 1564: the point, the Sun with the Earth at its centre, the Moon, the cross of the elements, the horns of Aries. Theorem XXIII’s construction is computed from his lengths, nine of the common measure in all, and his ornament drawn within the ranges he gives. The English summaries are Unveil’s own.
About this tool
History
John Dee’s Monas hieroglyphica was printed at Antwerp by Willem Silvius in 1564: twenty-four theorems on one sign made of the Moon, the Sun, the cross of the elements and the horns of Aries. The early theorems build it from a point, a line and a circle; Theorem XXIII gives its proportions as a geometrical construction, with Dee’s own woodcut of the lettered figure and of the finished, ornamented sign.
How it works
Seven steps follow the theorems: the point, line and circle of Theorems I–II as Dee draws them in the margin; the Sun with the Earth at its centre; the Moon; the cross; the horns of Aries; then the construction, every point found from the one before by the lengths Theorem XXIII gives, in units of the common measure AB; and last the ornament he allows. Each step quotes its theorems whole in the Latin of 1564, linked to the leaf, with a summary of Unveil’s own.
How it was checked
The tests rebuild the construction and confirm Dee’s own check, that the whole line CK is nine of AB; that the Moon’s radius equals the Sun’s, as Theorem IIII says; that the horns are two half-circles joined at C; that every length used stands in Theorem XXIII’s words; and that each quotation links the image of its leaf. The figure’s proportions were compared with the woodcut on leaf 24r.
Limits
Theorems XII–XXII and XXIV, and the arithmetic that ends Theorem XXIII, are not quoted. No English translation is in the public domain, so the summaries are Unveil’s and not translations. The long s is given as s. One word of Theorem X, blotted in the Wellcome copy, is read in the Rome copy. Dee gives the ornament as ranges; the figure takes values within them, and the side of the horns’ second arcs is read from his woodcut on leaf 25r.