Citations:philosopher by fire

English citations of philosopher by fire and philosophers by fire

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• 1690, John Locke, “Of the Extent of Human Knowledge”, in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Wikisource, published 2012-04-14:

  […] if others, especially the philosophers by fire, who pretend to it, had been so wary in their observations, and sincere in their reports as those who call themselves philosophers ought to have been, our acquaintance with the bodies here about us, and our insight into their powers and operations had been yet much greater.

• 1751, Richard O. Cambridge, The scribleriad : an heroic poem, Book VI, London: Printed for R. Dodsley and sold by M. Cooper, →OCLC, page 7 (of Book VI):

  Fire is the great Instrument by which the Chymists perform all their Operations. Chymists are called Philosophers by fire.

• 1765, Temple Henry CrokerThomas WilliamsSamuel Clarket al., “Fire”, in The complete dictionary of arts and sciences, volume 2, London: Printed for the authors, →OCLC, page unnumbered [104]:

  Some of the chemists also, after they had discovered its surprising operations, suspected it to be an uncreated being; and indeed the most famous of them have acknowledged it as the source of all their knowledge; and hence have professed themselves philosophers by fire, […]

• 1824, “Barometer”, in Supplement to the fourth, fifth, and sixth editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 2, Edinburgh: Printed for A. Constable, →OCLC, page 117:

  […] alchemists, styled also philosophers by fire, were the first […] moderns […] to explore new paths of science. Their projects were, […] highly chimerical, but they had the merit […] of setting the example of investigating the properties of matter by actual experiment. They […] formed associations […] for […] prosecution of such researches. Hence the origin of […] Rosicrucians, […]

• 1825, “Philosopher”, in Encyclopaedia Londinensis, volume 20, London, →OCLC, page 103:

  The sects of philosophers are very numerous, and their dogmata or tenets very contradictory. Thus, Helmont, and some of the chemists, denominate themselves "philosophers by fire."

• 1858, Ethan A. Hitchcock, Swedenborg, a Hermetic philosopher, New York: D. Appleton, →OCLC, page 100:

  The object of the Hermetic writers in […] obscure allusions and insinuations is to throw the reader off from a dependence upon mere outward teaching for a knowledge which is only acquired through, […] the […] Spirit of God, touching, as by a divine fire, the heart of man. Hence the designation of some of these writers as "Philosophers by Fire," […]

• 1868 December 23, M. Donovan, “On the dismemberment of pharmacy from medicine”, in The Medical press and circular, London, →OCLC, page 524:

  The chemists of London very soon began to open shops like apothecaries, and to prepare those articles requiring fire and peculiar apparatus, of which the apothecaries had hitherto the sole manufacture. The chemists therefore named themselves "philosophers by fire;" […]

• 1892 February 5, “[Reviewed work:] Manual of Chemical Technology, by Rudolf von Wagner”, in Chemical news and journal of industrial science, volume 65, number 1680, London, →OCLC, page 71:

  […] in the spirit of the old name given to chemists, "philosophers by fire," gives the first place to fuel, […]

• 1982, Ian C. Tipton, “The 'Philosopher by Fire' in Berkeley’s Alciphron”, in Colin M. Turbayne, editor, Berkeley : critical and interpretive essay, New edition, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, →ISBN, page 161:

  […] one of the most prominent positive influences on Siris was none other than Herman Boerhaave, the very man Jessop identifies with the philosopher by fire in Alciphron.