Editing Philosopher's stone (section)

==Renaissance to early modern period==
[[File:Squared circle.svg|thumb|The Squared Circle: an [[alchemical symbol]] (17th century) illustrating the interplay of the four [[Classical element|elements]] of matter symbolizing the philosopher's stone]]
The 16th-century [[Swiss people|Swiss]] alchemist [[Paracelsus]] (''Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim'') believed in the existence of [[alkahest]], which he thought to be an undiscovered element from which all other elements (earth, fire, water, air) were simply derivative forms. Paracelsus believed that this element was, in fact, the philosopher's stone.

The English philosopher Sir [[Thomas Browne]] in his spiritual testament ''[[Religio Medici]]'' (1643) identified the religious aspect of the quest for the philosopher's Stone when declaring:

{{blockquote|The smattering I have of the Philosophers stone, (which is something more than the perfect exaltation of gold) hath taught me a great deale of Divinity.|(R.M.Part 1:38)<ref>The Major Works ed C.A. Patrides Penguin 1977</ref>}}

A mystical text published in the 17th century called the ''[[Mutus Liber]]'' appears to be a symbolic instruction manual for concocting a philosopher's stone.<ref>Dujols, Pierre, alias Magophon, ''Hypotypose du Mutus Liber'', Paris, Editions Nourry, 1914.</ref><ref>Canseliet, Eugène, ''L'Alchimie et son livre muet'', Paris, Pauvert, 1967.</ref><ref>Hutin, Serge, ''Commentaires sur le Mutus Liber'', Paris, Le lien, 1967</ref> Called the "wordless book", it was a collection of 15 illustrations.