MDDM23: Erotick Machinery

Dave Monroe davidmmonroe at yahoo.com
Sat Mar 2 12:06:01 CST 2002


   "Vaucanson's vainglorious Intent had been to repeat
for Sex and Reproduction, the Miracles he'd already
achiev'd for Digestion and Excretion.  'Who knows?
that final superaddition of erotick Machinery may have
somehow nudg'd the Duck across some Threshold of
self-Intricacy, setting off this Explosion of Change,
from Inertia toward Independence, and Power.  Isn't it
like an old Tale?  Has an Automatick Duck, like the
Sleeping Beauty, been brought to life by the kiss
of...l'Amour?"  (M&D, Ch. 37, p. 373)

Cf. Johann Valentine Andreae, The Chymical Wedding of
Christian Rosencreutz (1616), "The Sixth Day" ...

   After we had taken our meal, we again settled down
to work, for the globe, which with toil and labour we
were to lift off the chain and set upon the floor, was
sufficiently cooled. Now the dispute was how to get
the globe in half, for we were commanded to divide it
in the middle. The conclusion was that a sharp pointed
diamond would best do it. Now when we had thus opened
the globe, there was nothing more of redness to be
seen, but a lovely great snow-white egg.... We stood
round about this egg as jocund as if we ourselves had
laid it. But the Virgin made it be carried forth, and
departed herself, too, from us again, and (as always)
locked the door. But what she did outside with the
egg, or whether it were in some way privately handled,
I do not know, neither do I believe it. Yet we were
again to wait together for a quarter of an hour, till
the third hole was opened, and we by means of our
instruments came to the fourth stone or floor. 
In this room we found a great copper vessel filled
with yellow sand, which was warmed by a gentle fire.
Afterwards the egg was raked up in it, that it might
therein come to perfect maturity. This vessel was
exactly square; upon one side stood these two verses,
written in great letters ...

[...]

   Now whether the the egg were hereby meant, I leave
to the learned to dispute; yet I do my part, and omit
nothing undeclared. Our egg being now ready was taken
out, but it needed no cracking, for the bird that was
in it soon freed himself, and showed himself very
jocund, yet he looked very bloody and unshapen. We
first set him upon the warm sand, so the Virgin
commanded that before we gave him anything to eat, we
should be sure to make him fast, otherwise he would
give us all work enough. This being done too, food was
brought him, which surely was nothing else than the
blood of the beheaded, diluted again with prepared
water; by which the bird grew so fast under our eyes,
that we saw well why the Virgin gave us such warning
about him. He bit and scratched so devilishly about
him, that could he have had his will upon any of us,
he would have despatched him. Now he was wholly black,
and wild, so other food was brought him, perhaps the
blood of another of the Royal Persons; whereupon all
his black feathers moulted again, and instead of them
there grew out snow-white feathers. He was somewhat
tamer too, and more docile. Nevertheless we did not
yet trust him. At the third feeding his feathers began
to be so curiously coloured that in all my life I
never saw such beautiful colours. He was also
exceedingly tame, and behaved himself so friendlily
with us, that (the Virgin consenting) we released him
from his captivity. 
   Our Virgin began: "Since by your diligence, and our
old man's consent, the bird has attained both his life
and the highest perfection, this is a good reason that
he should also be joyfully consecrated by us." ...

[...]

   The fifth room was set open to us, where we went as
before, and offered our services. In this room a bath
was prepared for our bird, which was so coloured with
a fine white powder that it had the appearance of
milk. Now it was at first cool when the bird was set
into it. He was mighty well pleased with it, drinking
of it, and pleasantly sporting in it. But after it
began to heat because of the lamps that were placed
under it, we had enough to do to keep him in the bath.
We therefore clapped a cover on the vessel, and
allowed him to thrust his head out through a hole,
till he had in this way lost all his feathers in the
bath, and was as smooth as a new-born child; yet the
heat did him no further harm, at which I much
marveled, for the feathers were completely consumed in
this bath, and the bath was thereby tinged blue. At
length we gave the bird air, and he sprang out of the
vessel of his own accord, and he was so glitteringly
smooth that it was a pleasure to behold. But because
he was still somewhat wild, we had to put a collar
with a chain about his neck, and so led him up and
down the room. Meanwhile a strong fire was made under
the vessel, and the bath boiled away till it all came
down to a blue stone, which we took out, and having
first pounded it, ground it with a stone, and finally
with this colour began to paint the bird's skin all
over. Now he looked much more strange, for he was all
blue, except the head, which remained white. 
   Herewith our work on this storey was performed, and
we (after the Virgin with her blue bird was departed
from us) were called up through the hole to the sixth
storey, where we were greatly troubled. For in the
middle was placed a little altar, in every way like
that in the King's hall above described. Upon this
stood the six aforementioned particulars, and he
himself (the bird) made the seventh. First of all the
little fountain was set before him, out of which he
drunk a good draught. Afterwards he pecked the white
serpent until she bled a great deal. This blood we had
to receive into a golden cup, and pour it down the
bird's throat, who was greatly averse to it. Then we
dipped the serpent's head in the fountain, upon which
she revived again, and crept into her death's-head, so
that I saw her no more for a long time after....
Finally ... the poor bird submissively laid down his
neck upon the book of his own accord, and willingly
allowed his head to be smitten off .... However, he
yielded not a drop of blood until his breast was
opened, and then the blood spurted out so fresh and
clear as if it had been a fountain of rubies.... we
let it be ... and assisted the Virgin to burn the body
to ashes ... 

[...]

   But this was our work. We had to moisten the ashes
with our previously prepared water until they became
altogether like a very thin dough, after which we set
the matter over the fire, till it was well heated.
Then we cast it, hot like this, into two little forms
or moulds, and let it cool a little.

[...]

   We opened our little forms, and there appeared two
beautiful, bright and almost transparent little
images, the like of which man's eye never saw, a male
and a female, each of them only four inches long, and
what surprised us most greatly was that they were not
hard, but lithe and fleshy, like other human bodies,
yet they had no life; so that I most assuredly believe
that the Lady Venus's image was also made after some
such manner.
   These angelically fair babes we first laid upon two
little satin cushions, and looked at them for a good
while, till we were almost besotted by such exquisite
objects. The old lord warned us to forbear, and
continually to instil the blood of the bird (which had
been received into a little golden cup) drop after
drop into the mouths of the little images, from which
they appeared to increase; and whereas they were
before very small, they were now (according to
proportion) much more beautiful .... Now they began to
grow so big that we lifted them from the little
cushions, and had to lay them upon a long table, which
was covered with white velvet.... But to be brief,
before we had quite used up the blood in this way,
they were already in their perfect full growth. They
had golden-yellow, curly hair, and the above-mentioned
figure of Venus was nothing to them.
   But there was not yet any natural warmth or
sensibility in them. They were dead figures, yet of a
lively and natural colour....

[...]

The velvet coverings of the table were cast over them,
and immediately a birthing bed was unlocked and made
ready, into which, thus wrapped up, they were born.
And after the coverings were taken off them, they were
neatly laid by each other, and with the curtains drawn
before them, they slept a good while.
   Now it was also time for the Virgin to see how
other artists behaved themselves. They were well
pleased because, as the Virgin afterwards informed me,
they were to work in gold, which is indeed a piece of
this art, but not the most principal, most necessary,
and best. They had indeed too a part of these ashes,
so that they imagined nothing other than that the
whole bird was provided for the sake of gold, and that
life must thereby be restored to the deceased.
Meantime we sat very still, waiting for our married
couple to awake. About half an hour was spent like
this. Then the wanton Cupid presented himself again,
and after he had saluted us all, flew to them behind
the curtain, tormenting them until they awakened. This
was a cause of great amazement to them, for they
imagined that they had slept from the very hour in
which they were beheaded until now. Cupid, after he
had awakened them, and renewed their acquaintance with
one another, stepped aside a little, and allowed them
both to get themselves together a bit better, meantime
playing his tricks with us; and at length he wanted to
have the music brought in, to be somewhat merrier. 

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/chymwed6.html

Thanks, Keith.  Now if you'd care to elucidate ...?
And thanks here in adavnce, as ...





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