10-09-2026, 12:53 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-09-2026, 12:54 PM by Paul Ferguson.)
'The Secret Work of the Hermetic Philosophy', a seminal 17th-century alchemical text. [1, 2]
* Author: Written by the French magistrate and polymath Jean d'Espagnet (1564–1637). [1]
* Publication: First published in Latin in Paris in 1623 under the anagrammatic pseudonym Penes Nos Unda Tagi ("The treasures of the Tagus are ours"). [1, 3]
* Structure: Presented through a series of numbered aphorisms and maxims detailing alchemical theory and practice. [4]
* Core Subject: Explains the creation of the Philosopher's Stone, the purification of matter, and the unification of physical and spiritual transformation. [1]
* Legacy: Widely translated into English, French, and German, it influenced later alchemists and occultists including Elias Ashmole, Robert Boyle, and members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. [5, 6, 7]
[1] [https://books.google.com](https://books.google.com/books/about/The...r1EQAAQBAJ)
[2] [https://www.academia.edu](https://www.academia.edu/108400061/Intro..._dEspagnet)
[3] [https://www.miskatonicbooks.com](https://www.miskatonicbooks.com/product/...hardcover/)
[4] [https://www.globalgreyebooks.com](https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/hermeti...ebook.html)
[5] [https://www.biblio.com](https://www.biblio.com/book/hermetic-arc...1278704950)
[6] [https://www.academia.edu](https://www.academia.edu/108473687/Intro..._dEspagnet)
[7] [https://arcaneofferings.com](https://arcaneofferings.com/products/her...d-espagnet)
* Author: Written by the French magistrate and polymath Jean d'Espagnet (1564–1637). [1]
* Publication: First published in Latin in Paris in 1623 under the anagrammatic pseudonym Penes Nos Unda Tagi ("The treasures of the Tagus are ours"). [1, 3]
* Structure: Presented through a series of numbered aphorisms and maxims detailing alchemical theory and practice. [4]
* Core Subject: Explains the creation of the Philosopher's Stone, the purification of matter, and the unification of physical and spiritual transformation. [1]
* Legacy: Widely translated into English, French, and German, it influenced later alchemists and occultists including Elias Ashmole, Robert Boyle, and members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. [5, 6, 7]
[1] [https://books.google.com](https://books.google.com/books/about/The...r1EQAAQBAJ)
[2] [https://www.academia.edu](https://www.academia.edu/108400061/Intro..._dEspagnet)
[3] [https://www.miskatonicbooks.com](https://www.miskatonicbooks.com/product/...hardcover/)
[4] [https://www.globalgreyebooks.com](https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/hermeti...ebook.html)
[5] [https://www.biblio.com](https://www.biblio.com/book/hermetic-arc...1278704950)
[6] [https://www.academia.edu](https://www.academia.edu/108473687/Intro..._dEspagnet)
[7] [https://arcaneofferings.com](https://arcaneofferings.com/products/her...d-espagnet)