[15]. As I now passed several days in such solitude and pondered over the question how I could remedy my affairs, it occurred to me how Medea had revived the dead body of Aeson, and I thought to myself, “If Medea could do such a thing, why should such a thing fail me?” I began at once to bethink me how I would do it, found however no better way than that I should persist with continual warmth until the waters disappeared, and I might see again the corpses of our lovers. As I hoped to come off without danger and with great advantage and praise I went on with my warmth [pg 011] that I had begun and continued it forty whole days, as I was aware that the water kept on diminishing the longer I kept it up, and the corpses that were yet as black as coal, began again to be visible. And truly this would have occurred before if the chamber had not been all too securely locked and bolted. Which I yet did not avail to open. For I noted particularly that the water that rose and hastened to the clouds, collected above in the chamber and fell down like rain, so that nothing could come of it, until our bridegroom with his dearest bride, dead and rotten, and therefore hideously stinking, lay before my eyes.
All the while the sunshine in the moist weather caused an exceedingly beautiful rainbow to be seen, in the chamber, with surprisingly beautiful colors, which overjoyed not a little my overpowering affliction. Much more was I delighted that I saw my two lovers lying before me again. But as no joy is so great but is mixed with much sadness, so I was troubled in my joy thinking that my charges lay still dead before me, and one could trace no life in them. But because I knew that their chamber was made of such pure and thick material, also so tight-locked that their soul and spirit could not get out, but was still closely guarded within, I continued with my steady warmth day and night, to perform my delegated office, quite impressed with the fact that the two would not return to their bodies, as long as the moisture continued. For in the moist state nature keeps itself the same, as I then also found in fact and in truth. For I was aware upon careful examination that from the earth at evening through the power of the sun, many vapors arose and drew themselves up just as the sun draws water. They were condensed in the night in a lovely and very fruitful dew, which very early in the morning fell and moistened the earth and washed our dead corpses, so that from day to day, the longer such bathing and washing continued, [pg 012] the more beautiful and whiter they became. But the fairer and whiter they became, the more they lost moisture, till finally the air being bright and beautiful, and all the mist and moist weather, having passed, the spirit and soul of the bride could hold itself no longer in the bright air, but went back into the clarified and still more transfigured body of the queen, who soon experienced it [i.e. her soul and spirit] and at once lived again. This, then, as I could easily observe, not a little pleased me, especially as I saw her arise in surpassingly costly garments whose like was never seen on earth, and with a precious crown decked with bright diamonds; and also heard her speak. “Hear ye children of men and perceive ye that are born of women, that the most high power can set up kings and can remove kings. He makes rich and poor, according to his will. He kills and makes again to live.”
[16]. See in me a true and living example of all that. I was great and became small, but now after having been humbled, I am a queen elevated over many kingdoms. I have been killed and made to live. To poor me have been trusted and given over the great treasures of the sages and the mighty.
[17]. “Therefore power is also given me to make the poor rich, show kindness to the lowly, and bring health to the sick. But I am not yet like my well-beloved brother, the great and powerful king, who is still to be awakened from the dead. When he comes he will prove that my words are true.”
[18]. And when she said that the sun shone very bright, and the day was warmer than before, and the dog days were at hand. But because, a long time before, there were prepared for the lordly and great wedding of our new queen many costly robes, as of black velvet, ashen damask, gray silk, silver taffeta, snow white satin, even one studded with [pg 013] surpassingly beautiful silver pieces and with precious pearls and lordly bright-gleaming diamonds, so likewise different garments were arranged and prepared for the young king, namely of carnation, yellow Auranian colors, precious gear, and finally a red velvet garment with precious rubies and thickly incrusted with carbuncles. But the tailors that made their clothes were quite invisible, so that I also wondered as I saw one coat prepared after another and one garment after another, how these things came to pass, since I well knew that no one came into the chamber except the bridegroom with his bride. So that what I wondered at most of all was that as soon as another coat or garment was ready, the first immediately vanished before my eyes, so that I knew not whence they came or who had taken them away.
[19]. When now this precious clothing was ready, the great and mighty king appeared in great splendor and magnificence, to which nothing might be compared. And when he found himself shut in, he begged me with friendly and very gracious words, to open the door for him and permit him to go out; it would prove of great advantage to me. Although I was strictly forbidden to open the chamber, yet the grand appearance and the winning persuasiveness of the king disconcerted me so that I cheerfully let him go. And when he went out he was so friendly and so gracious and yet so meek that he proved indeed that nothing did so grace high persons as did these virtues.
[20]. But because he had passed the dog days in great heat, he was very thirsty, also faint and tired and directed me to dip up some of the swift running water under the mill wheels, and bring it, and when I did, he drank a large part with great eagerness, went back into his chamber, and bade me close the door fast behind him, so that no one might disturb him or wake him from sleep.
[21]. Here he rested for a few days and called to me to [pg 014] open the door. Methought, however, that he was much more beautiful, more ruddy and lordly, which he then also remarked and deemed it a lordly and wholesome water, drank much of it, more than before so that I was resolved to build the chamber much larger. [Evidently because the inmate increased in size.] When now the king had drunk to his satisfaction of this precious drink, which yet the unknowing regard as nothing he became so beautiful and lordly, that in my whole life I never saw a more lordly person nor more lordly demeanor. Then he led me into his kingdom, and showed me all the treasures and riches of the world, so that I must confess, that not only had the queen announced the truth, but also had omitted to describe the greater part of it as it seemed to those that know it. For there was no end of gold and noble carbuncle there; rejuvenation and restoration of natural forces, and also recovery of lost health, and removal of all diseases were a common thing in that place. The most precious of all was that the people of that land knew their creator, feared and honored him, and asked of him wisdom and understanding, and finally after this transitory glory an everlasting blessedness. To that end help us God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
The author of the preceding narrative calls it a parable. Its significance may have indeed appeared quite transparent to him, and he presupposes that the readers of his day knew what form of learning he masked in it. The story impresses us as rather a fairy story or a picturesque dream. If we compare parables that come nearer to our modern point of view and are easily understood on account of their simplicity, like those of Ruckert or those of the New Testament, the difference can be [pg 015] clearly seen. The unnamed author evidently pursues a definite aim; one does find some unity in the bizarre confusion of his ideas; but what he is aiming at and what he wishes to tell us with his images we cannot immediately conceive. The main fact for us is that the anonymous writer speaks in a language that shows decided affinity with that of dreams and myths. Therefore, however we may explain in what follows the peculiarly visionary character of the parable, we feel compelled to examine it with the help of a psychological method, which, endeavoring to get from the surface to the depths, will be able to trace analytically the formative powers of the dream life and allied phenomena, and explain their mysterious symbols.
I have still to reveal in what book and in what circumstances the parable appears. It is in the second volume of a book “Geheime Figuren der Rosenkreuzer aus dem 16ten und 17ten Jahrhundert,” published at Altona about 1785-90. Its chief contents are large plates with pictorial representations and with them a number of pages of text. According to a note on the title page, the contents are “for the first time brought to light from an old manuscript.” The parable is in the second volume of a three-volume series which bears the subtitle: Ein güldener Tractat vom philosophischen Steine. Von einem noch lebenden, doch ungenannten Philosopho, den Filiis doctrinae zur Lehre, den Fratribus Aureae Crucis aber zur Nachrichtung beschrieben. Anno, M.D.C.XXV.