Deciphering the Hermeticae Philosophiae Medulla: Textual Cultures of Alchemical Secrecy.

This article presents the decryption, historical analysis, and alchemical interpretation of an alchemical cipher found in a shared notebook of John and Arthur Dee (British Library MS Sloane 1902). The cipher is an early example of a Bellaso/Della Porta/Vigenère type, a strong encryption method which was historically deemed indecipherable. The essay explores the medical and alchemical context for the manuscript into which the cipher was copied and provides the transcription, plaintext solution (in Latin), and English translation of the encrypted text. Further, it interprets the enciphered text through the lens of alchemical practice and provides evidence for the dissemination of this cipher as part of a larger alchemical knowledge network.

Alchemical Practice: Looking Towards the Chemical Humanities.

This special issue of Ambix is an outgrowth of the Tenth Annual Postgraduate Workshop titled "Society and the Creation of (al)Chemical Knowledge" hosted by the Embassy of the Free Mind in Amsterdam, 29-30 November 2019. This meeting of early career scholars with a shared interest in the history of alchemy and chemistry illustrated the diversity of methodological approaches that contribute to this subfield. Alchemical knowledge, created through practice, language, and material culture, has permeated society since the ancient world. Adepts and laity alike learned to navigate and appropriate the seemingly paradoxical hermetic language and images of alchemy, applying them to an array of societal needs that span time and place. The editorial essay to this special issue of Ambix considers alchemical knowledge-creation through the social lens of language and practice and proposes the inclusive concept of the "Chemical Humanities" to address variations within alchemical practice and the diverse scholarly research methodologies presented in this special issue. We examine the history of chemistry using approaches from the humanities, arts, and sciences and consider the effects of interdisciplinary research today and for the future of alchemical scholarship.