La Mayson pour Distiller des ea在El Escorial: 1556-1598年菲利普二世宫廷的炼金术和医学

M. R. Bueno
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A xv days his Majestie dyd apoynt too visit my wurches, but the physicians proceeding in theyr woonted malice, dyd diswayde his Majestie, saying the walk was too long from his chamber to the wurchhouse, and in the canicular days yt might be dangerous for hym to enter into those heates of the fyres and too smell too those strong waters, with sundry such bible babbles: too tedious too be written.1 Stanyhurst’s words speak for themselves of the true nature of his activity at the court. It seems that the Irishman had been contracted by Philip II to work in an alchemist’s laboratory installed in El Escorial complex, preparing all kinds of distilled waters and essences. The “prudent king” (el rey prudente), who was always portrayed by the black legend as an unbending counter-reformer intent on isolating his lands from any external influence that might threaten the purity of the Catholic faith, appears in the lines quoted above as being genuinely interested in the art of Hermes; challenging his personal physicians, visiting the laboratory where experiments, which were undoubtedly transmutational, were being carried out. This information, published by Albert J Loomie in 1965, did not evoke the slightest interest among historians of science; it was common in the historiography of the modern age to ignore (almost totally) scientific practice in the Spain of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Fortunately, this has changed in recent years, but it meant the exclusion from the international scene of what was, without a doubt, the first global empire and the most powerful monarchy of the period.2 The reign of Philip II is of special importance, given that he was profoundly interested in the sciences, and, thanks to his patronage, the court of Madrid became a meeting point for herbalists and doctors, astrologers and alchemists, natural philosophers and cosmographers. Immersed in the scientific culture of the Renaissance, Philip II established institutions for the advancement of knowledge, as well as financing expensive expeditions to discover the hidden natural treasures of his overseas possessions.3 There was no area of natural philosophy that he did not follow, and alchemy, inevitably, formed an important part of his interests. It was considered to be one of the major sciences of early modern times, and its practice was promoted by patrons and the powerful, who saw it as a means of gaining wealth, prolonging life, and even acquiring a higher knowledge, suitable only for a few initiates. In this sense, Philip II can be seen as a forward-thinking monarch who promoted the development of new medicines elaborated by alchemical practices and the search for the Llullian essence. Both of these tasks were carried out in laboratories installed in the royal houses. In Aranjuez, Madrid, and El Escorial he established three impressive distillation laboratories with their respective gardens attached. Native and exotic flora, distilled waters and therapeutic essences; a perfect relationship for a monarch fascinated by the collection of diverse medicinal secrets. Because Philip II did not only collect Titians and Boschs in his palaces. A legion of gardeners, distillers, apothecaries and natural philosophers were employed to satisfy the demands of this avid collector.4 However, this massive undertaking was soon to be totally forgotten. The passing of the centuries has done the rest, and today little is known of Philip’s passion. In this article, my intention is to present a synthesis of the work I have been doing in this area for the last fifteen years.5 I shall begin with the first news in the royal circle of alchemical practices connected with the transmutation of metals. These experiments have been interpreted as an attempt to find the gold necessary to cover the bankruptcies that characterized the whole of Philip’s reign. I will continue with the presentation of Philip II as an avid collector of secrets; an aspect relatively unknown in the historiography, but one that is unsurprising, framed as it is by the artistic interests of the Hapsburg dynasty in particular, and the culture of the period in general. Finally I will make a special point of the passion that Philip II demonstrated for the world of distilled waters and essences; a passion which led him to build a number of distillation laboratories, before undertaking the grandest of all, situated in the building that characterized his reign—El Escorial.6","PeriodicalId":74144,"journal":{"name":"Medical history. Supplement","volume":"1 1","pages":"26 - 39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2009-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S0025727300072380","citationCount":"5","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"La Mayson pour Distiller des Eaües at El Escorial: Alchemy and Medicine at the Court of Philip II, 1556–1598\",\"authors\":\"M. R. 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A xv days his Majestie dyd apoynt too visit my wurches, but the physicians proceeding in theyr woonted malice, dyd diswayde his Majestie, saying the walk was too long from his chamber to the wurchhouse, and in the canicular days yt might be dangerous for hym to enter into those heates of the fyres and too smell too those strong waters, with sundry such bible babbles: too tedious too be written.1 Stanyhurst’s words speak for themselves of the true nature of his activity at the court. It seems that the Irishman had been contracted by Philip II to work in an alchemist’s laboratory installed in El Escorial complex, preparing all kinds of distilled waters and essences. The “prudent king” (el rey prudente), who was always portrayed by the black legend as an unbending counter-reformer intent on isolating his lands from any external influence that might threaten the purity of the Catholic faith, appears in the lines quoted above as being genuinely interested in the art of Hermes; challenging his personal physicians, visiting the laboratory where experiments, which were undoubtedly transmutational, were being carried out. This information, published by Albert J Loomie in 1965, did not evoke the slightest interest among historians of science; it was common in the historiography of the modern age to ignore (almost totally) scientific practice in the Spain of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Fortunately, this has changed in recent years, but it meant the exclusion from the international scene of what was, without a doubt, the first global empire and the most powerful monarchy of the period.2 The reign of Philip II is of special importance, given that he was profoundly interested in the sciences, and, thanks to his patronage, the court of Madrid became a meeting point for herbalists and doctors, astrologers and alchemists, natural philosophers and cosmographers. Immersed in the scientific culture of the Renaissance, Philip II established institutions for the advancement of knowledge, as well as financing expensive expeditions to discover the hidden natural treasures of his overseas possessions.3 There was no area of natural philosophy that he did not follow, and alchemy, inevitably, formed an important part of his interests. It was considered to be one of the major sciences of early modern times, and its practice was promoted by patrons and the powerful, who saw it as a means of gaining wealth, prolonging life, and even acquiring a higher knowledge, suitable only for a few initiates. In this sense, Philip II can be seen as a forward-thinking monarch who promoted the development of new medicines elaborated by alchemical practices and the search for the Llullian essence. Both of these tasks were carried out in laboratories installed in the royal houses. In Aranjuez, Madrid, and El Escorial he established three impressive distillation laboratories with their respective gardens attached. Native and exotic flora, distilled waters and therapeutic essences; a perfect relationship for a monarch fascinated by the collection of diverse medicinal secrets. Because Philip II did not only collect Titians and Boschs in his palaces. 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引用次数: 5

摘要

1593年,爱尔兰人理查德·斯坦赫斯特(Richard Stanyhurst)——伊丽莎白时代信件中最具争议的人物之一——从马德里附近的埃尔斯科里亚尔(El Escorial)镇写信给他的朋友弗朗西斯·恩格尔菲尔德爵士(Sir Francis Englefield),评论他在年迈的菲利普二世宫廷中的活动。这封日期为8月2日的信从各种个人事务开始,然后更详细地描述了他被要求为西班牙君主做的工作。至于我自己的事,我还没有跟陛下和他的任何官员谈过,而且我也不愿意保持沉默,直到我完成了这里要求我做的事情。有十五天,陛下决定去拜访我的教堂,但医生们怀着恶毒的心情前来,他们把陛下打发走了,说从他的房间到教堂的路程太长,而且在教堂的日子里,赞美诗进入炉火的热气里可能是危险的,太难闻那些浓烈的水,还有各种各样的圣经废话,太乏味了,不宜写斯坦尼赫斯特的话说明了他在宫廷活动的真实性质。这个爱尔兰人似乎被菲利普二世雇佣,在埃斯科里亚尔综合体的炼金术士实验室工作,准备各种蒸馏水和香精。“谨慎的国王”(el rey prudente),总是被黑人传说描绘成一个不妥协的反改革者,意图将他的土地与任何可能威胁到天主教信仰纯洁性的外部影响隔离开来,在上面引用的几句话中,他似乎对赫尔墨斯的艺术真正感兴趣;挑战他的私人医生,参观实验室,毫无疑问,这些实验正在进行。这一信息由阿尔伯特·J·卢米(Albert J Loomie)于1965年发表,并没有引起科学史家们丝毫的兴趣;在现代史学中,忽略(几乎完全)16和17世纪西班牙的科学实践是很常见的。幸运的是,近年来这种情况发生了变化,但这意味着,毫无疑问,第一个全球帝国和那个时期最强大的君主制被排除在国际舞台之外菲利普二世的统治具有特殊的重要性,因为他对科学非常感兴趣,而且由于他的赞助,马德里的宫廷成为了草药学家和医生、占星家和炼金术士、自然哲学家和宇宙学家的交汇点。沉浸在文艺复兴时期的科学文化中,菲利普二世建立了促进知识进步的机构,并资助了昂贵的探险活动,以发现他海外财产中隐藏的自然宝藏自然哲学的各个领域都是他所不追求的,炼金术不可避免地成为他兴趣的重要组成部分。它被认为是近代早期的主要科学之一,它的实践得到了赞助人和有权有势的人的推广,他们认为这是一种获得财富、延长寿命甚至获得更高知识的手段,只适合少数初学者。从这个意义上说,菲利普二世可以被看作是一位有远见的君主,他促进了炼金术实践中新药物的发展,并寻找了乌利安人的精华。这两项任务都是在王室的实验室里进行的。在阿兰胡埃斯、马德里和埃尔斯科里亚尔,他建立了三个令人印象深刻的蒸馏实验室,每个实验室都有各自的花园。本地和外来植物,蒸馏水和治疗精华;对于一个着迷于收集各种医学秘密的君主来说,这是一段完美的关系。因为菲利普二世不仅在他的宫殿里收藏提香和博希斯的作品。大量的园丁、酿酒师、药剂师和自然哲学家被雇佣来满足这位狂热的收藏家的要求然而,这项浩大的工程很快就被完全遗忘了。几个世纪过去了,剩下的事情已经完成了,今天很少有人知道菲利普的激情。在这篇文章中,我的意图是对过去15年来我在这一领域所做的工作进行综合介绍我将从与金属转化有关的炼金术实践的皇家圈子的第一个消息开始。这些实验被解释为试图找到必要的黄金来掩盖菲利普整个统治时期的破产。我将继续介绍菲利普二世作为一个狂热的秘密收藏家;这是史学中相对不为人知的方面,但这并不令人惊讶,因为它是由哈布斯堡王朝的艺术兴趣所构成的,尤其是那个时期的文化。 最后,我将特别强调菲利普二世对蒸馏水和香精世界的热情;这种激情使他建造了许多蒸馏实验室,然后才建造了最宏伟的蒸馏实验室,这座实验室坐落在他统治时期的标志性建筑埃斯科里亚尔大楼里
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
La Mayson pour Distiller des Eaües at El Escorial: Alchemy and Medicine at the Court of Philip II, 1556–1598
In 1593 the Irishman, Richard Stanyhurst, one of the most controversial figures of Elizabethan letters, wrote to his friend Sir Francis Englefield from the town of El Escorial near Madrid, commenting on his activities at the court of the elderly Philip II. The letter, dated 2 August, begins with various personal matters before moving on to a more detailed description of the work he had been called upon to do for the Spanish monarch. Touching myne own affayres, I have not dealt as yet with his Majestie, nor with any of his officers, and doe purpose too use silence, until such tyme as I have accomplished such matters as are expected of me heere. A xv days his Majestie dyd apoynt too visit my wurches, but the physicians proceeding in theyr woonted malice, dyd diswayde his Majestie, saying the walk was too long from his chamber to the wurchhouse, and in the canicular days yt might be dangerous for hym to enter into those heates of the fyres and too smell too those strong waters, with sundry such bible babbles: too tedious too be written.1 Stanyhurst’s words speak for themselves of the true nature of his activity at the court. It seems that the Irishman had been contracted by Philip II to work in an alchemist’s laboratory installed in El Escorial complex, preparing all kinds of distilled waters and essences. The “prudent king” (el rey prudente), who was always portrayed by the black legend as an unbending counter-reformer intent on isolating his lands from any external influence that might threaten the purity of the Catholic faith, appears in the lines quoted above as being genuinely interested in the art of Hermes; challenging his personal physicians, visiting the laboratory where experiments, which were undoubtedly transmutational, were being carried out. This information, published by Albert J Loomie in 1965, did not evoke the slightest interest among historians of science; it was common in the historiography of the modern age to ignore (almost totally) scientific practice in the Spain of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Fortunately, this has changed in recent years, but it meant the exclusion from the international scene of what was, without a doubt, the first global empire and the most powerful monarchy of the period.2 The reign of Philip II is of special importance, given that he was profoundly interested in the sciences, and, thanks to his patronage, the court of Madrid became a meeting point for herbalists and doctors, astrologers and alchemists, natural philosophers and cosmographers. Immersed in the scientific culture of the Renaissance, Philip II established institutions for the advancement of knowledge, as well as financing expensive expeditions to discover the hidden natural treasures of his overseas possessions.3 There was no area of natural philosophy that he did not follow, and alchemy, inevitably, formed an important part of his interests. It was considered to be one of the major sciences of early modern times, and its practice was promoted by patrons and the powerful, who saw it as a means of gaining wealth, prolonging life, and even acquiring a higher knowledge, suitable only for a few initiates. In this sense, Philip II can be seen as a forward-thinking monarch who promoted the development of new medicines elaborated by alchemical practices and the search for the Llullian essence. Both of these tasks were carried out in laboratories installed in the royal houses. In Aranjuez, Madrid, and El Escorial he established three impressive distillation laboratories with their respective gardens attached. Native and exotic flora, distilled waters and therapeutic essences; a perfect relationship for a monarch fascinated by the collection of diverse medicinal secrets. Because Philip II did not only collect Titians and Boschs in his palaces. A legion of gardeners, distillers, apothecaries and natural philosophers were employed to satisfy the demands of this avid collector.4 However, this massive undertaking was soon to be totally forgotten. The passing of the centuries has done the rest, and today little is known of Philip’s passion. In this article, my intention is to present a synthesis of the work I have been doing in this area for the last fifteen years.5 I shall begin with the first news in the royal circle of alchemical practices connected with the transmutation of metals. These experiments have been interpreted as an attempt to find the gold necessary to cover the bankruptcies that characterized the whole of Philip’s reign. I will continue with the presentation of Philip II as an avid collector of secrets; an aspect relatively unknown in the historiography, but one that is unsurprising, framed as it is by the artistic interests of the Hapsburg dynasty in particular, and the culture of the period in general. Finally I will make a special point of the passion that Philip II demonstrated for the world of distilled waters and essences; a passion which led him to build a number of distillation laboratories, before undertaking the grandest of all, situated in the building that characterized his reign—El Escorial.6
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