If, instead of this remark, my father had taken the pains to
explain to me, that the principles of Agrippa had been entirely
exploded, and that a modern system of science had been
introduced, which possessed much greater powers than the
ancient, because the powers of the latter were chimerical, while
those of the former were real and practical; under such
circumstances, I should certainly have thrown Agrippa aside,
and, with my imagination warmed as it was, should probably have
applied myself to the more rational theory of chemistry which
has resulted from modern discoveries. It is even possible, that
the train of my ideas would never have received the fatal
impulse that led to my ruin. But the cursory glance my father
had taken of my volume by no means assured me that he was
acquainted with its contents; and I continued to read with the
greatest avidity.
When I returned home, my first care was to procure the whole
works of this author, and afterwards of Paracelsus and Albertus
Magnus. I read and studied the wild fancies of these writers
with delight; they appeared to me treasures known to few beside
myself; and although I have often wished to communicate these
secret stores of knowledge to my father, yet his indefinite
censure of my favourite Agrippa always withheld me. I disclosed
my discoveries to Elizabeth, therefore, under a promise of
strict secrecy; but she did not interest herself in the subject,
and I was left by her to pursue my studies alone.