Robert Fludd

, or de Fluctibus, second, afterwards eldest, Son of Sir Tho. Fludd Knight, sometimes Treasurer of War to Q. Elizabeth in France and the Low Countries, Grandson of Dav. Fludd of Shropshire, was born at Milgate in the Parish of Bearsted in Kent, became Convictor of S. Johns coll. in 1591. aged 17. took the degrees in Arts, studied Physick, travelled into France, Spain, Italy and Germany for almost six years. In most of which Countries he became acquainted with several of the Nobility of them, some of whom he taught, and for their use made the first ruder draughts of several of his pieces now extant. After his return, he, as a Member of Ch. Ch. proceeded in the Faculty of Physick, an. 1605. About which time he practiced in London, and became Fellow of the Coll. of Physicians there. He was esteemed by many Scholars a most noted Philosopher, an eminent Physician and one strangely profound in obscure matters. He was a zealous Brother of the Order of Rosa-Crucians, and did so much dote upon the wonders of Chymistry, that he would refer all Mysteries and Miracles, even of Religion, unto it, and to that end fetch the pedigree of it from God himself in his holy word. Nay he did so much prophane and abuse the word by his ridiculous and senseless appllcations and interpretations, in which none hath exceeded more (even to the heighth of blasphemy) than he, that the learned Gassendus could not otherwise but chastise him for it, as others since have done. His books which are mostly in Latin are many and mystical: and as he wrote by clouding his high matter with dark language, which is accounted by some no better than canting, or the phrase of a Mountebank; so he spoke to his Patients, amusing them with I know not what, till by his elevated expressions he operated into them a faith-natural, which consequently contributed to the well working of Physick. They are looked upon as slight things among the English, notwithstanding by some valued, particularly by Selden, who had the author of them in high esteem. The Foreigners prize and behold them as rarities, not that they are more judicious than the English, but more inquisitive in such difficulties, which hath been the reason why some of them have been printed more than once, the titles of which, and the rest, are as follow.

Apologia compendiaria, fraternitatem de Rosâ cruce suspicionis & infamiae, maculis aspersam, abluens & abstergens. Leydae 1616. oct.

Tractatus Theologo-Philosophicus de vitâ, morte, & resurrectione, lib. 3. Openheim. 1617. qu. Dedic. to the Brethren of the Rosie-Cross, and published under the name of Rudolfi Otreb, that is anagrammatically Roberti Flud.

Vtriusque cosmi majoris scil. & minoris Metaphysica, Physica, & Technica historia. in duos tomos secundum cosmi differentiam divisa. Tomus primus de macrocosmi historiâ in duos tractatus divisus, prior tract. impr. Openh. 1617. fol.

Tractatus secundus de naturae simiâ, seu Technica macrocosmi historia in partes xi. divisa. Openheim. 1618. fol. & Francof. 1624. fol.

Tomus sec. de supernaturali, naturali, praeternaturali & contr anaturali microcosmi historiâ, in tract. tres distributa.— Openheim. 1619. fol. This is the first sect. of the first treatise.

Tomi sec. tractatûs primi sect. secunda, de Technicâ microcosmi historiâ in portiones 7. divisa. Printed with the very next book going before.

Tomi secundi tract. secundus, de praeternaturali utriusque mundi historiâ; in sect. tres divisa. Francof. 1621. fol. This is but the first section of the three there mentioned: And the whole third treatise of this second tome is wanting, which perhaps never came out.

Veritatis proscenium, in quo Aulaeum erroris tragium dimovetur, Siparium ignorantiae scenicum complicatur, ipsaque veritas à suo ministro in publicum producitur; seu demonstratio quedam Analytica, in quâ cuilibet comparationis particulae, in appendice quadam, à Johanne Keplero, nuper in fine harmoniae suae mundanae edita, factae inter harmoniam suam mundanum & illam Roberti Fludd, ipsissimis veritatis argumentis respondetur. Francof. 1621. fol.

Johan, Kepleri Mathematice, pro suo opere harmonices mundi apologia: adversus demonstrationtem analyticum Cl. V. D. Roberti de Fluctibus Medici Oxoniensis. In qua ille se dicit respondere ad appendicem dicti operis. Francof. 1622. fol.

Monochordum mundi Symphoniacum, seu replicatio &c. viri clariss. & in Mathesi peritiss. Joh. Kepleri, adversus demonstrationem suam analyticam nuperrime editam; in qua Robertus validioribus Johannis objectionibus, harmoniae suae legi repuguantibus, comiter respondere aggreditur. Francof. 1622. fol.

Anatomiae amphitheatrum Effigie triplici, more & conditione varia, designatum. Francof. 1623. fol.

Philosophia sacra & verè Christiana, seu meteorologia cosmica. Francof. 1626. fol. with the authors picture before it.

Sophiae cum Moriâ certamen, in quo, lapis Lydius à falso structore, Frat. Marino Marsenno, monacho, reprobatus, celeberrima voluminis sui Babylonici (in Genesin) figmenta accurat [•] examinat. Franc. 1629. fol.

Summum bonorum quod est verum

In dictarum scientiarum laudem, in insignis calumniatoris Fr. Mar. Marsenni dedecus publicatum, per Joachim. Frizium. Anno 1629. fol.—Altho this piece goes under another name, yet not only Gassendas gives (a)(a) In Opusc. Philosoph. p. 214. being the second of the Preface to his Examen Philosophia Rob. Fluddi Medici &c. many reasons to shew it to be of our authors composition (Fludd) but also Franc. Lanovius shews (b)(b) Judicium [〈◊〉] Rob. Fluddo, in the 268. pag of the said Opuscula. which Judicium is placed at the close of Gassindu’s answer to R. Fludd. others to the same purpose, and Marsennus himself, against whom it is directed, was of the like opinion. Gassendus, upon Marsennus his desiring him to give his judgment of Fludd’s two books wrote against him, drew up an answer divided into three parts, (contained in the Opuscula Philosophica above named.) The first of which sifts the principles of the whole System of his whimsical Philosophy, as they lie scattered throughout his works. The second is against Sophiae cum moria certamen, and the third answers this Summum bonum as his. Our author indeed sullied these two treatises by mixing a great deal of ill language in them, but Gassendus complains (c)(c) In Opusculis, ut supra, p. 215. that Marsennus himself had given him a too broad example in this kind, for some of those epithites which he thought fit to bestow on him, are no better than Caco-magus, Heretico-magus, faetidae & horridae magiae Doctor & Propagator. And among other exasperating expressions he threatned him with noless than damnation it self, which would in a short time seize him.

Medicina Catholica, seu Mysterium artis medicandi sacrarium; in tomos divisum duos. In quibus Metaphysica & Physica tam sanitatis tuendae, quàm morborum propulsandorum ratio pertractatur. Francof. 1629. fol. Tract. 1.

Integrum morborum mysterium: sive Medicinae Catholicae tomi primi tractatus secundus, in sectiones distributus duas. Francof. 1631. fol. with his picture before, and verses under, it.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Medicorum 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 : In quo, quasi speculo politissimo morbi presentes more demonstrativo clarissimè indicantur, & futuri ratione prognosticâ apertè cernuntur, atque prospiciuntur. Sive tomi primi, tractatus secundi, sect. secunda, de morborum signis. Francof. 1631. fol. The whole second tome mentioned above in the title to Medicina Catholica, is here wanting, if it was ever published.

Pulsus, seu nova & arcana pulsuum historia, è sacro fonte radicaliter extracta, necnon Medicorum Ethnicorum dictis & authoritate comprobata. Hoc est, portionis tertiae pars tertia de pulsuum scientia. Printed with the Catholicon Medicorum, &c. before-mentioned.

Philosophia Moysaica. In qua sapientia & scientia Creatoris & Creaturarum sacra verèque christiana (utpote cujus basis sive fundamentum est unicus ille lapis angularis Jesus Christus) ad amussim & enucleatè explicatur. Goudae 1638. fol. Printed in English at Lond. 1659. fol.

Responsum ad Hoplocrisma-spongum Mri-Fosteri Presbyteri, ab ipso, ad unguenti Armarii validit atem delendam ordinatum. Hoc est, spongiae M. Fosteri Presbyteri expressio & elisio, &c. Goud. 1638. fol. This book was printed at London in qu. in 1631. with this title, The squeezing of Parson Foster’s sponge, ordained by him for the wiping away of the Weapen-salve. See more in Will. Foster, an. 1633. Our author R. Fludd departed this mortal life in his house situate and being in the Parish of S. Katherine in Colman-street within the City of London, on the eighth day of Sept. in sixteen hundred thirty and seven; 1637 whereupon his body being afterwards attended by an Officer, or Herald of Arms, to Bearsted before-mentioned, was buried in the Chancel of the Church there, under a stone which he before had laid for himself. On which, or else on a monument, which he designed by his last Will to be made after the fashion of that of William Camden in the Abby Church of S. Peter at Westminster, and to be set in the wall near to his grave, was an Epitaph put; a copy of which being printed elsewhere (d)(d) In Hist. & Antiq. Univ. Oxon. lib. 2. p. [〈…〉] a., shall now for brevity sake be omitted.