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adammclean Member 
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There is a rather interesting 18th century book written by Sabine Stuart de Chevalier. Discours philosophique sur les trois principes, Animal, Végétal et Minéral. Ou la clef du sanctuaire philosophique. Par Sabine Stuart de Chevalier. Cette Clef introduit celui qui la possede dans le sanctuaire de la Nature; elle en découvre les mystères; elle sert en même temps à dévoiler les Ecrits du célèbre Basile Valentin, & à le défroquer de l'Ordre respectable des Bénédictins, en donnant la véritable explication des douze Clefs de ce Philosophe ingénieux. Paris, 1781. 'Sabine' is female, as is confirmed by the entry in the Privilege du Roi, where it states "La Dame Sabine Stuart de Chevalier", so perhaps the word 'Chevalier' here refers to a place, region or town. Also in the text the author is referred to as "Sabine Stuart de Chevalier, née en Ecosse", which further suggests the author was Scottish. So I am a bit perplexed. I have been unable to find out anything about this alchemical writer. |
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Jean-Yves Artero Guest
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Here is a bit more: Sabine was linked to Claude, who possibly was her husband: http://upr_76.vjf.cnrs.fr/Membres/Matton/Matton.html 37. « Un médecin alchimiste au siècle des Lumières : Claude Chevalier », Postface à la rééd. anastatique de : Sabine Stuart de Chevalier, Discours philosophique sur les trois principes, animal, végétal et minéral, ou La Clef du sanctuaire philosophique (1781), Paris : Gutenberg Reprint, 1982 (14 pp. n. ch.). |
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Paul Ferguson Member 
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Pseudonymous? Alternatively... 'Sabine' is surely a German first name, not a Scottish or French one. 'Stuart' is presumably her maiden-name and 'de Chevalier' implies nobility. Given the cross-border philandering antics of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the alleged Hermetic interests of the Jacobites, could she have been one of Charlie's illegitimate offspring?  |
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Neil J Mann Member
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In Spanish practice a woman keeps her maiden name and if her husband's name is included is separated by a "de". There are a variety of possible combinations, depending upon the preferred fullness or brevity but the more formal: Señora [mother's name] [father's name], or Señora [father's name] de [husband's name]. I've come across similar looking things in French before but have never investigated them, so this is just a vague suggestion. |
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Alexander Guthrie Stewart Member
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If Charlie was that productive I'm sure the various people who mangle history would have produced some more illegitimate offspring by now. Next time I'm in at the Stewart society, if I remember, I'll ask about a Sabine Stuart in the 18th century. |
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Paul Ferguson Member
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This book is now available on the Internet in various digitisations. Here (1784) the author is shown as Claude Chevalier, who was Sabine's husband. He says in the Dedicatory Epistle that she was a descendant of the Royal House of Stuart: http://books.google.com/books?id=-GI6AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=fr&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false This is an excellent digitisation of both volumes in one file by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology's e-rara project, but there the author is shown as Sabine herself (1781), though she credits her husband as the source of her ideas: http://www.e-rara.ch/zut/collections/content/titleinfo/3290498 I also believe that Claude Chevalier was the author of this defence of the Philosopher's Stone published in 1765: http://books.google.com/books?id=RnalGY4qNAgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22L'existence+de+la+pierre+merveilleuse+des+philosophes.%22&hl=fr&sa=X&ei=nICnULHmJKSZ0QWc8oGAAg&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA |
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Paul Ferguson Member
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Sadly, I get the impression that Sabine died shortly after completing the second volume. I think she left the second volume in an unrevised manuscript and that her husband did his best with it and published it under his own name. See here, half a dozen lines from the end: http://www.e-rara.ch/zut/collections/content/pageview/3290819 |
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Paul Ferguson Member
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adammclean wrote:
An attractive copy for sale on e-bay at what seems to me to be a very reasonable price: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALCHIMIE-DISCOURS-PHILOSOPHIQUE-SUR-LES-3-PRINCIPES-STUART-CHEVALIER-/231028194992?pt=FR_GW_Livres_BD_Revues_Livres&hash=item35ca5a7eb0 |
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Carl Lavoie Member
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. This is why : "Éditions Gutenberg (J.-C. Bailly), Paris, 1982." . |
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Paul Ferguson Member
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Carl Lavoie wrote:. Good grief, I was only going by the photo! Actually they are about 30-40 euros on publication: http://www.eklectic-librairie.com/editeur-gutenberg-reprints-j-c-bailly-ed-.html If that is the actual binding then well worth collecting, just like a certain other series  |
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