Eirenaeus Philalethes is a pseudonym of London alchemist George Starkey (1628 - 1665). It turns out he needs one. Financially he fluctuates from owning a fortune to owing a fortune. He's imprisoned twice for debt, but until his tragic final days pursues "chymy" with passion.
The Mysterious Alchemist
Eirenaeus Philalethes (meaning Peaceful Lover of Truth) is born George Starkey in Bermuda, and sent as a youth to Boston in colonial New England. His education encompasses a range of subjects including medicine, philosophy and chemistry. It's obvious his intellect is keen.
Arising in intellectual environments, alchemy becomes an attraction when he travels to Europe and studies in Italy. The academic and alchemical environment awakens his senses to infinite possibilities.
The Alchemical Magnum Opus
His chemical treatises are widely circulated in Western Europe and influence prominent scientists such as Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton. Seeking alchemical knowledge, Starkey moves to London in 1650 at age 22, accompanied by his wife of the same year, Susannah.
His reputation precedes him and he's welcomed into esoteric and intellectual circles. It's here he begins writing under the pseudonym Eirenaeus Philalethes. Starkey, known for inventing healing drugs and philosophical mercuries aims to to safeguard his inventions and secrets.
The pseudonym "Philalethes," not only has mystique, it provides anonymity while promoting his discoveries through a series of writings. The texts suggest hidden alchemical knowledge can be accessed through him, acting as a "friend" of Philalethes and custodian of his works.
Philalethes' reputation as an alchemist and maker of "chymic" furnaces grows within the scientific community. George establishes a network of colleagues from the social reformers, utopians and natural philosophers in the circle of education reformer Samuel Hartlib.
It's suggested Philalethes' motivation for secrecy stems from a desire to present himself as the ultimate authority on hidden knowledge, with his findings believed to be divine revelations. Such actions can enhance Starkey's reputation among influential figures in the Hartlib circle.
At the heart of his work is the pursuit of the Magnum Opus, the Great Work of alchemy. Through his writings and experiments, he seeks to discover secrets of life. His treatises abound with cryptic symbols and allegorical language.
Philalethes' writings reflect his synthesis of traditional alchemical practices with a burgeoning scientific worldview. One of his best known works is The Marrow of Alchemy, in which he gives a comprehensive vision of alchemical transformation.
He's a strong advocate for the Philosopher’s Stone, writing,
" ... Lead is to be multiplied, not in lead, but only in gold; for only when it attains its maturity as gold can its seed become fruitful. It may be admitted that silver has its own seed, as there is a white (as well as a red) multiplicative Tincture. Still, the White Tincture is really contained in the Red; and the seed of silver is nothing but a modification of that of gold.
"The whiteness of silver is the first degree of perfection, the yellowness of gold is the second, or highest degree. For the mother of our Stone (the silver of the Sages) is white, and imparts its whiteness to our gold, whence the offspring of these two parents first becomes white, like its mother, and then red with the royal blood of its father."
~ Eirenaeus Philalethes, Tres tractatus de metallorum transmutatione, Amsterdam 1668
He enjoys success in his medical practice. Patients include famous figures such as Robert Boyle. Despite his achievements, Philalethes abandons his patients in 1651 to further explore the mysteries of alchemy.
The alchemy of Philalethes involves creating pharmaceuticals and attempting to transform metallic substances. For instance, his "sophic mercury" is a blend of antimony, silver and mercury. This, he claims, will dissolve gold into a compound.
When heated, the compound will generate the legendary philosopher's stone. He's right, in that mercury dissolves gold. Starkey soon faces financial woes and is twice imprisoned for debt, first in late 1653 and again in mid-1654.
He resumes his alchemy and medical pursuits upon his release in late 1654. He also authors and publishes several popular treatises. Starkey remains in England and continues his alchemical quest until his death in the Great Plague of London in 1665.
Significant works are composed under pseudonyms before his imprisonment. One of the most popular is Introitus apertus ad occlusum regis palatium (An Open Entrance to the Closed Palace of the King), published posthumously in 1667. His wife Susannah's fate is unknown.
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