Paracelsus

The symbolical name adoi)te(l by the ^a-eatest Occultist of the middle ages — Philip Bombastes Aureolus Theophrastus von Hohenheim — born in the canton of Zurich in 1493. He was the cleverest physician of his age, and the most renowned for curing almost any illness by tiie power of talisnuuis prepared by himself. He never had a friend, but was surrounded by i-nemies, the most bitter of whom were the Churchmen and their {lai-ty. That lie was accused of being in league with the devil stands to reason, nor is it to be wondered at that finally he was murdered by some unknown foe, at the early age of fortyeight. He died at Salzburg, leaving a iniml)er of works behind him, which are to this day greatly valued l)y the Kabbalists and Occultists. Many of liis utterances have proved prophetic. He was a clairvoyant of great powers, one of the most Ii'mtikmI ;in«l i-rudite philos<)i>lit'rs and 232 THEUSOPHK Al, mystics, and a distiiiguislu'd Alelu'inist. I'liysirs is indebted to liiiii for tlif discovery of nitrogen gas, or Azot( .