Athenæ Oxonienses. The History of Oxford Writers. Vol. 2, p. 253

Thomas Vaughan

, who stiles himself in all or most of his writings, which he published, Eugenius Philalethes, was the Son of Tho. Vaughan of Llansomfreid, but born at Newton in the Parish of S. Bridget near Brecknock in Brecknockshire, an. 1621, educated in Grammar learning under one Matthew Herbert, entred in Jesus Coll. in Mich. term, 1638, and was put under the tuition of a noted Tutor; by whose lectures profiting much, he took one degree in Arts, was made Fellow of the said House, and afterwards taking holy Orders from Dr. Manwaring Bishop of S. David, had about that time the Rectory of S. Bridget before mentioned confer’d upon him by his kinsman Sir George Vaughan. But the unsetledness of the times hindring him a quiet possession of, he left, it, retired to Oxon, and in a sedate repose prosecuted his medicinal genie, (in a manner natural to him) and at length became eminent in the chymical part thereof at Oxon, and afterwards at London under the protection and patronage of that noted Chymist Sir Rob. Murrey or Moray Kt, Secretary of State for the Kingdom of Scotland. He the said Vaughan was a great admirer of the labours of Cornel. Agrippa, whose principles he followed in most of his works, and to whom, in matters of Philosophy, he acknowledged that next to God he owned all that he had, and therefore in his praise he did often passionately ((c))((c)) In Anthropos. Theomag. p. 53.54. break out into poetical streines, as that he was

Natures Apostle, and her choice High-priest,

Her mystical and bright Evangelist. &c.

As he was a great admirer of Agrippa, so he was no great favourer of the Aristotelian Philosophy, condemning it as altogether imperfect and false, a meer Apothecaries drugg, a mixture of inconsistent contrary Principles, which no way agree with the harmony and method of nature. The whole Encyclopaedia of which, abating the demonstrative mathematical part, he ((d))((d)) Ibid. p. 63. says is built on meer imagination without the least light of experience, and therefore he wishes that all true sons of his famous Oxford mother, would look beyond Aristotle and not confine their intellect to the narrow and cloudy horizon of his text. Our Author seems also to have had as little kindness for the Cartesian Philosophy as the former, for he says ((e))((e)) In his Man-Mouse, p. 114. that the Author of it was a whim and a wham, a Fellow that invented ridiculous Principles of his own, but hath cast them into such a method, that they have a seeming dependency, and (Scholars) mistake his knavery for his reason, &c. The truth is, our Author Vaughan was so wedded to his beloved Agrippa, that nothing could relish with him but his works, especially his Occult Philosophy, which he would defend in all discourse and writing. He was a great Chymist, a noted son of the fire, an experimental Philosopher, a zealous brother of the Rosie-Crucian fraternity, an understander of some of the Oriental Languages, and a tolerable good English and Latin Poet. He was neither Papist nor Sectary, but a true resolute Protestant in the best sense of the Church of England. His Works are these,

Anthroposophia Theomagica: or, a discourse of the nature of Man and his state after death, grounded on his Creators Proto-chimistry, and verified by a practical examination of principles in the great world. Lond. 1650. oct. Dedicated to his brethren of the Rosie-Cross.

Anima magica abscondita: or, a discourse of the universal spirit of nature, with the strange, abstruse, miraculous ascent and descent. Lond. 1650. oct. It is joyned with the former book, and they go both together. But the Reader is to know, that our Author having reflected on some of the Writings of Mr. Hen. More Fellow of Christs Coll. in Cambridge, particularly, as it seems, on his Psychodia Platonica; More thereupon came out with a book intit. Observations upon Anthroposophia Theomagica and Anima mag. abscond. under the name of Alazonomastix Philalethes—Par. alias Lond. 1650. oct. Which observations being somewhat satyrical, charging our Author to be a Magician, and withal affirming that nothing but an implacable enmity to Immorality and Foolery, and a zeal of discountenancing Vanity, moved him to write against him, (in which his Writings he stiles our Author a Mome, a Mimick, an Ape, a meer Animal, a Fool in a Play, a Jack-pudding, &c) our Author thereupon came out with an Answer in vindication of himself, intit.

The Man-mouse taken in a trap, and tortured to death for gnawing the Margins of Eug. Philalethes. Lond. 1650. oct. Written in the greatest buffoonry and scolding imaginable, out-stripping the pattern laid before him by his Adversary; and not only plays and quibbles on his name like a Novice, but falls fouly on his University in a childish manner. All which doth fully make out the fantasticalness of the title. But this also was replied upon by the said More under the name of Alaz. Philalethes in a book intit. The second Lash against Vaughans Anthropos. Camb. 1651. oct. Which answer and reply of More did afterwards so little please him, tho they tended to a good end, that he thought not fit to have them translated into Latine, with the rest of his Philosophical Works, which were printed 1679. fol. See the general Preface to the said Works concerning the occasion and stile of the aforesaid Answer and Reply. Th. Vaughan hath also written,

Magia Adamica: or, the antiquity of Magic, and the descent thereof from Adam downward, proved &c. Lond. 1650. oct.

A perfect and full discovery of the true Coelum terrae, or the Magicians heavenly Chaos and first matter of all things.—Printed with Magia Adam.

The second wash: or, the Moore scoured once more; being a charitable Cure for the distractions of Alazonomastix. Lond. 1651. oct. The first wash was the Man-mouse This worthy person Dr. Hen. More (of whom we heard no farther as to this matter) was born of Calvinistical Parents in a Mercate Town in Lincolnshire called Grantham, and there for a while bred up under a Master of the same perswasion. At about 14 years of age he was sent to Eaton School near Windsore, where he usually spoke very slightly of the opinions of Calvin, and about three years after he was entred into Christs Coll. in Cambridge, where he became Fellow, a great Tutor, and a most noted Philosopher. He died on the third day of Apr. 1687, aged 73 years, and was buried in the Chappel of Christs Coll, as I have been informed thence.

Lumen de lumine: or, a new magical light discovered, and communicated to the world. Lond. 1651. oct.

Aphorismi Magici Eugeniani. Printed with Lum. de lum. [〈◊〉] both dedicated to the Univ. of Oxon.

Aula lucis: or, the house of Light: a discourse written in the year 1651. Lond. 1652. oct. Published not under the name of Eug. Philalethes, but under the two Letters of S. N. a modern Speculator, being the two last Letters of Thomas Vaughan.

Large Preface with a short declaration of the physical work of the Fraternity of the Rosie Cross.—Set by him before a book intit. The fame and confession of the Fraternity of R. C. commonly of the Rosie Cross. Lond. 1652. oct. Which Fame and Confession was translated into English by another hand. I have seen another book intit.—Themis aurea. The laws of the Fraternity of the Rosie Cross. Lond. 1656. oct. Written in Lat. by Count Michael Maierus, and put in English for the information of those who seek after the knowledge of that honorable and mysterious Society of wise and renowned Philosophers. This English translation is dedicated to Elias Ashmole Esq. by an Epistle subscribed by

but who he is or they are, he the said El. Ashmole hath utterly forgotten.

Euphrates. A discourse of the Waters of the East; or of that secret fountain, whose water flows from fire, and carries in it the beams of the Sun and Moon. Lond. 1655. (oct.) He hath also translated into English, The Chymists key to open and shut: or, the true doctrine of Corruption and Generation. Lond. 1655. Written by Hen. Nollius. He hath also left several Lat. Poems behind him, which are in the hands of his Brother Henry, called by some Olor Iscanus, esteemed by many fit to be published. One Eugenius Philalethes hath written, A brief natural history intermixed with variety of philosophical discourses upon the burning of Mount Aetna, with refutations, &c. Lond. 1669. oct. but by the language of it, it seems not to be written by our Eug. Phil. but another: and besides, when Olor Iscanus sent me a Cat. of his Brothers works, the title of that book was not put among them. One who calls himself Eireneus Philalethes a Citizen of the World, hath published Ripley redivivus, &c. and another who writes himself Eireneus Philoponos Philalethes, hath published The marrow of Alchemy, &c. in two parts. Lond. 1654. and 55. oct. Both which parts (the second containing two books) are written in verse, and so consequently the Author is to be numbred among the Poets. As for our Author Eug. Phil. alias Thom. Vaughan, he did accompany Sir Rob. Murrey before mention’d to Oxon, at what time the great Plague at London drove their Majesties and their respective Courts to that place, where he continued for a time. Soon after taking up his quarters in the house of Sam. Kem Rector of Albury near to Thame and Ricot in Oxfordshire, 1665/6. died there on the 27 of Febr. in sixteen hundred sixty and five, and was buried on the first of March following in the Church belonging to the said Village of Albury alias Oldbury (about 8 miles distant from Oxon,) by the care and charge of the said Sir Robert Murrey: Of whom, by the way, I must let the Reader know these things; viz. That he was born of an antient and noble family in, or near, the High-lands in Scotland, that his youth was spent in good letters, partly in the University of S. Andrew, and partly in France, where he had afterwards a military Employment in the service of Lewis 13, and was at length a Lieutenant-Colonel and an excellent Soldier. That he was General of the Ordnance in Scotland against K. Ch. 1. when the Presbyterians of that Kingdom first set up and maintained their Covenant. That at the Restauration of K. Ch. 2. he was made one of the Privy Council of the said Kingdom, and about the same time became one of the first Contrivers and Institutors of the Royal Society, of which he was made the first President. This person tho presbyterianly affected, yet he had the Kings ear as much as any other person, and was indefatigable in his undertakings. He was a single man, an abhorrer of Women, a most renowned Chymist, a great Patron of the Rosie-Crusians, and an excellent Mathematician. His several relations and matters of experiment, which are in the Philosophical Transactions, shew him to be a man well vers’d in experimental Philosophy. He died suddenly in his Pavilion in the garden at Whitehall, on the fourth day of July (some hours after he had informed my friend of the death and burial of Eugen. Philalethes) an. 1673. (25 Car. 2.) and was, at the Kings charge, buried in the Abbey Church of S. Peter in Westminster, near to the grave of Sir Will. D’avenant, sometimes Laureat Poet to the said King. I find another Rob. Moray son of a Scotchman, to be Author of a little Pamphlet intit. Composition-credit: or, a bank of credit made currant by common consent in Lond. more useful than money. Lond. 1682. in one sh. in qu. and Author of An advertisement for the more easie and speedy collecting of debts; and of other things. But this person who was born in the Strand near London, was a Milliner and of the company of Cloath-workers, afterwards Clerk to the general Commissioners for the Revenue of Ireland, then Clerk to the Commissioners of the grand Excise of England, and in the latter end of 1679 the first inventer of the Penny-Post in London, which was carried on by one .... Docwray.