Title page of the 1666 edition

of the ‘Chemica Vannus’.

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Today’s sharing from the Blue House of Via-HYGEIA, is another hermetic poem from the ‘Chymica Vannus‘, from its 1666 Amsterdam Johannes Janssonius (Jan Janszoon)) edition.

It surprises us that there is no English nor no French translation, up to now, of this underrated alchemical masterpiece. There is an Italian translation done in the years 1924-25, republished by Arche in Milano in 1982.

With the ‘Fortuita’, by the Dutch classicist Jacob Tollius, the multi-layered ‘Chymica Vannus’ is a gold mine for quotations & stories, rebus & enigmas by the writers of the Antiquity as reported by the anonymous author.

Often attributed to the German Johannes de Monte-Snyder (Johannes Mondschneider), some scholars also point to the Englishman Thomas Vaughan, a.k.a. Eugenius Philalethes. More to come from this living well!

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Part I

of the Philosophical Operation

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Latin Original 

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English Translation

The Phoenix’s Vigilance
That is, the First Part of the Philosophical Operation

A practical, straightforward, and manual method
For initiating and inclining
The Philosopher’s Stone.

“The noble bird rises only from the pure wave.”

Around the Circle:
The Crocodile that comes from our Nilotic shores
Is a beautiful beast,
Swimming as easily on land as in the waves.

Inside the Circle:
Helen, born from the Egg
From the beginning, you must first isolate
A suitable receptacle,
Where the vitreous nest is well protected.

And just as the tireless hen broods over her eggs,
So must you do,
Always warming it with gentle heat.

Let your soft egg decay from within
Until, beneath its white shell,
The chick emerges.

Silently growing, still featherless,
It unfolds,
And in time, a splendid winged bird soars.

But here, let the officiant of the rite,
The right hand of the midwife,
Ensure that the Artisan’s work
Keeps it from flying too soon from the nest.

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Commentary

This passage describes the initial stage of the alchemical Magnum Opus, symbolizing the incubation and emergence of the purified matter. The egg represents the prima materia (first matter), which must be carefully nurtured in a secure, hermetically sealed vessel (vitreous nest). The heat applied to it aligns with the alchemical fire, necessary for its transformation.

The chick, still featherless, is an image of the emerging, undeveloped Philosopher’s Stone, which must not be prematurely exposed to external influences. The reference to the midwife (obstetrix) underscores the delicate guidance required to properly complete the Work, preventing failure through haste or inexperience.

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Latin Notes

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English Translation Of The Notes

1. To begin, to undertake, to embark, etc.
The word auspico (or more precisely auspicor) properly refers to taking auspices from the sky, observing the flight and song of birds (physiculus), and consulting omens regarding future events. The Ancients undertook nothing without augury or auspication, and from this came the usage of auspicari to mean initiating any important business.

2. To complete, to perfect, to accomplish, etc.
The word inclinare properly means to bend, but in this context, it is used metaphorically to signify bringing something to completion or perfection.

3. From clear, pure, and snow-like waters
The part is used to refer to the whole: thus unda (wave) is used as if meaning one, since water appears as a unified, collected entity.

4. A noble, wild beast, etc.
The word belua (or, as some prefer, bellua) is used either in contrast to the adjective bellus (beautiful, good) or derived from bellum (war), as beasts are by nature engaged in mutual conflict and thus seem inherently armed.

5. At the beginning, originally, before anything else.

6. To select some secret place, to separate something
This phrase suggests choosing a secluded space or imagining a place (excogita). Here, secessus means a hidden retreat (from secreto), away from crowds and disturbances. Solus (alone) and separatus (separate) share this idea, as secret thoughts that are difficult to penetrate are often called recesses of the soul.

7. That is, in which, where, etc.

8. Closely related to matrix
Anything that preserves in any way, whether in metals, animals, or plants, is called matrix, as it conserves nature (materia conservatrix). Meanwhile, nidus (nest) has a more familiar meaning, derived perhaps from nidor (odor), since nests, as bird dwellings, often have a distinctive smell.

9. Indicating continuity
That is, constantly, always, uninterruptedly.

10. Not something entirely solid or rigid, but yielding and soft
It can be easily moved or reshaped, much like something mobile.

11. One who assists birth, obstetrix
The word obstetricius comes from obstetrix (midwife). The verb obstare means to resist, as the midwife opposes pain and prevents the fetus from falling to the ground by supporting the loosened genital barriers of the womb.

12. In this context: roles, functions, offices, etc.
See also the reference to the ‘Sortileges of the Sibyl of Eritrea‘, fourth gloss.

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Commentary of the Notes

The closing remarks emphasize the necessity of guidance in alchemical practice. The midwife is a metaphor for the experienced alchemist or spiritual guide, whose role is to ensure the process unfolds correctly. The initiate (the chick within the egg) must not emerge prematurely, lest it fail to mature properly. This is a direct warning against impatience in spiritual and alchemical work.

The mention of ‘De Pharmaco Catholico‘ in the Italian commentary below further reinforces this point: the Master alone can foresee the right moment for transition. If the initiate believes they are ready too soon, they risk falling from the nest before they can fly—a metaphor for failing to complete their transformation.

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Italian Translation

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Italian Notes

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Part II

of the Philosophical Operation

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Latin Original

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English translation

Nourishment of the Phoenix
That is, the Second Part of the Philosophical Operation
Or
A proven, living, and real practice
To complete and validate
The Philosopher’s Stone.

The strength of our Art resides entirely in this final part.

Around the Circle:
She is both the nurse and the student, who learns from herself.
She flies and brings nourishment, drawing from an eternal liquid vein.

Inside the Circle:
Helena, raised by Leda
Thus, first, he severed her snowy wings
And removed every heterogeneous and heavy shell.
Immediately, she transfers herself into another, well-purified nest,
And, bathed again in milk, she nourishes herself,
Infusing together the fomentations of her own inactive vapor.
Thus, the volatile is fixed, and the wild beast becomes tame.

For as she devours her wings, drop by drop,
Her primitive ostrich nature changes.
She becomes the Boscha bird, adorned with radiant and varied feathers,
Her entire body covered in a precious gem-like skin, protected and decorated.
Lightning and fragrances shine in her iridescent crest,
And on the summit of her head, a pink hue glows.
Upon her golden chest, a red cross is set.

Through her revived limbs, a tinging virus spreads.
Within her bones, a rich, purplish essence pulses,
Brilliant and pure.
Her vermillion tail, drenched in the Tyrian drug,
Glows with a powerful radiance.
Thus, she is fully formed,
A supple, golden bird,
Born in secrecy.

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Commentary

This passage describes a deeply symbolic alchemical process, likely the final transformation of the Philosopher’s Stone. The imagery of shedding impurities (cutting off snowy wings), absorbing nourishment (milk, vapor), and developing radiant new attributes (iridescent crest, red cross, Tyrian dye) aligns with traditional alchemical stages: purification, fixation, and perfection.

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Latin Notes

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English translation of the Notes

1. Insummandi: That is, to bring to completion, to accomplish, to perfect, etc.

2. Viva: Here it means natural, not deceitful, not counterfeit, etc.

3. Tum: Here it is used as a copulative conjunction for et, ac, etc.

4. Inspidii: That is, non-corrosive but pleasant and harmless, almost like flavor, meaning something devoid of all harshness.

5. Fomenta: That is, menstruum, nourishment, etc. Thus named from fovere (to invigorate), meaning to heat and to nourish.

6. That is, drop by drop.

7. She has changed her primitive fleeting nature: That is, her previous rough and rustic ostrich-like nature is converted. It is said this way because elsewhere it is exposed as ver, meaning spring, since the year properly begins then. This is because the ostrich is a wild and fierce bird of prey, from which derives the adjective struthius, -a, -um, since the ostrich possesses something wild and predatory. Indeed, in Latin, many terms that are substantives also function as adjectives, such as magister (master), socius (companion), famulus (servant), faber (craftsman), etc.

8. Boscha: That is, a domesticated bird that feeds in confinement, much like a domestic ox (bos), or an enclosed creature (clausus). See above in the Archetypes of the Psalterium Tiburtinum, sixth gloss.

9. This phrase aligns appropriately with the text, since pellis (skin) refers to covering, and thus pelle means to repel, or to cover the offense by protecting (tegendo).

10. Iridescent color (color of the rainbow).

11. Renidet: That is, it gleams and radiates brilliance (fulgor), from which derives the noun nidor, meaning a faint odor.

12. Sedet: This word aligns well and is fitting: indeed, it means, with elegance, something that is well-suited and very comfortable, something that rests (sedet).

13. From the supine tinctum or the noun tinctus, -us (from tinctura): In the passive form, this means that it is dyed or colored by something capable of coloring, as in lana tinctilis (dyed wool). However, in this specific context, the meaning is taken actively, denoting a tinctile virus, which, by signifying a medicine or a poison, possesses the natural power or virtue of tinging, because virus means both a healing agent and a harmful substance, depending on the context.

14. That is, endowed with great vigor, revived again, etc.

15. That is, a purplish and beautiful color.

16. That is, it glows, radiates, etc., because micare means to shine repeatedly and intermittently, like the glimmer of fine grains (mica), or as some interpret, like the way gold or silver sparkles in the sand, from which the word micare is derived.

17. That is, to shine intensely and to illuminate everything around; the verb polluere is properly linked to sacred rites, meaning to dedicate or, rather, to offer sacrifices upon the altar of Hercules (porrigere).

18. That is, a ruby-red medicinal substance, because the word venenum (venom/poison) is ambiguous in meaning, as it can refer to both a healing remedy and a harmful poison.

19. Sequax: That is, ductile, flexible, pliable, soft, malleable, etc.

20. That is, golden, shining, radiant, etc. Indeed, aurum (gold) is derived from aura, meaning radiance or brilliance.

21. That is, a bird born in secrecy. The word avis (bird) is derived from avere, meaning to long for, since birds (aves) are greatly delighted by hidden and inaccessible places.

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Commentary of the Notes

These notes clarify many of the highly symbolic alchemical references in the main text. The Phoenix’s transformation represents the transition from a crude, untamed, and impure state to a perfected and enlightened form—aligning with the ultimate goal of the Magnum Opus (Great Work). The language is steeped in alchemical and mystical terminology, making strong use of metaphors related to metallurgy, medicine, and spiritual purification.

The passage discusses the fixing of the volatile (fixatio volatilum), a key concept in alchemy, where the fleeting and incorporeal spirit (volatile) is stabilized and made permanent (fixum). This corresponds to the transmutation of base matter into the Philosopher’s Stone.

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Italian translation

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Italian translation of the Notes

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Source of the Italian translation

To further investigate

the ‘Chymica Vannus‘,

we warmly suggest this great website

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