The Alchemical Patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley

In its broadest sense alchemy sought ―states of perfection, gold in the case of
minerals, and for humans, longevity, immortality, and finally redemption‖. 2 Early modern
European alchemical philosophy drew upon a number of classical, Islamic and medieval
sources. 3 An Aristotelian understanding of nature, however, provided the basis for most
alchemical reasoning. Aristotle argued that his four elements (fire, air, water, and earth)
could be transmuted into each other. 4 His De Generatione et Corruptione, a central text in any
Renaissance education, attributed the changing nature of the world to this constant
transmutation. 5 The various form of metals resulted from differences in the purity of their
components: sulphur and mercury. 6 Eleventh century pseudo-Aristotelian texts such as the
Secreta Secretorum, in which the philosopher supposedly revealed the secrets of medicine,
astrology, alchemy and magic, furthered Aristotle‘s identification with alchemical concepts. 7
Aristotle‘s physical theories provided the basis for England‘s strong medieval
tradition of alchemical speculation. The thirteenth century English alchemist Roger Bacon
(c.1214–1292) both pioneered the teaching of Aristotle‘s natural philosophy and wrote a
number of alchemical texts, gaining wide prominence throughout Europe. 8 It is notable
that Bacon particularly emphasised the significance of Secretum Secretorum, which he
considered one of Aristotle‘s most important works. 9 Bacon compiled an influential new
version, expanded with further astrological information. 10 Bacon‘s work therefore
demonstrates the link between alchemical and astrological thought, which he applied to
2 E.J. Sheppard, Ambix 17, 1970, pp 69-84 cited in William Brock, Chemistry, New York, 1993, p. 4.
3 Eric Holmyard, Makers of Chemistry, Oxford, 1931.
4 Urszula Szulakowska, The Alchemy of Light: Geometry and Optics in Late Renaissance Alchemical Illustration, Leiden,
2000, pp. 18-19.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 Paolo Rossi, The Birth of Modern Science, Oxford, 2001, p. 18
8 George Molland, ‗Bacon , Roger (c.1214–1292?)‘, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford, 2004
[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/1008].
9 Steven J. Williams, ‗Roger Bacon and the Secret of Secrets‘ in Jeremiah Hackett (ed.), Roger Bacon & the Sciences,
Leiden, 1997, pp. 365-95.
10 Ibid.
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