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Tremblers of the Cevennes

A Protestant caste of convulsonaires, who during the sixteenth century spread themselves from their centre in the Cevennes over almost the whole of Germany. They possessed many points of resemblance with cases of possession (q.v.), and are said to have been insensible to thrusts and blows with pointed sticks and iron bars, as well as to the oppression of great weights. They had visions, communicated with good and evil spirits, and are said to have performed many miraculous cures similar to the apostolic miracles. They made use of very peculiar modes of treatment called grandes secours or secours meurtriers, which are authenticated by the reports of eye-witnesses and by judicial documents. Although they were belaboured by the strongest men with heavy pieces of wood and bars of iron weighing at least thirty pounds, they complained of no injury, but of experiencing a sensation of pleasure. They also were covered with boards, on which as many as twenty men stood without its being painful to them. They even bore as many as 100 blows with a twenty-pounds weight, alternately applied to the breast and the stomach with such force that the room trembled, and they begged that the blows might be laid on harder, as light ones only increased their sufferings. Indeed only those who laid on the heaviest and most strenuous blows were thanked by their sick. It seemed that it was only when the power of these blows had penetrated to the most vital parts that they experienced real relief. Ennemoser explains this insensibility to pain by stating that in his experience "spasmodic convulsions maintain themselves against outward attempts, and even the greatest violence, with almost superhuman strength, without injury to the patient, as has often been observed in young girls and women, where anyone might have almost been induced to believe in supernatural influence. The tension of the muscles increases in power with the insensibility of the power, so that no outward Trevisan, Bernard force is equal to it; and when it is attempted to check the paroxysm with force, it gains in intensity, and according to some observers not less psychical than physical.... I have observed the same manifestations in children, in Catholics, Protestants and Jews, without the least variation, on which account I consider it to be nothing more than an immense abnormal and inharmonic lusus naturæ."

Trevisan, Bernard: This Italian alchemist's life was a curious and intensely pathetic one. Bent on discovering the philosopher's stone, he began at an early age to lavish huge sums of money on the pursuit; but again and again he was baffled, and it was only when old age was stealing upon him, and he had disbursed a veritable fortune, that his labours were crowned with some measure of success. Bernard Trévisan, Comte de la Marche, was born in the year 1406 at Padua, a town whose inhabitants were famous for erudition throughout many centuries in the middle ages. His father was a doctor of medicine, so it is probable that Bernard received his initial training in science at home; while ere he was out of his teens he began to devote himself seriously to alchemy, having been lured thereto by reading the works of the famous Eastern philosophers, Geber and Rhasis. Bernard's father was rich, and accordingly, whenever it was known that the young man was minded to dabble in gold-seeking, he found himself surrounded by charlatans offering counsel; and his very first experiments resulted in his spending upwards of three thousand crowns, the bulk of which sum went into the pockets of the youth's fraudulent advisers. He was not discouraged, however; and, finding new henchmen, and at the same time augmenting his learning by a close study of the writings of Sacrobosco and Rupecissa, he proceeded to make a new series of attempts. But these also proved futile, once more the alchemist did no more than enrich his assistants, and in consequence he vowed that henceforth he would prosecute his researches single-handed.

Bernard now engaged in a long course of sedulous reading, while he also began to give much time to prayer, thinking by this means to gain his desired end; and anon. he started fresh experiments, expending on these some six thousand crowns. But again his devotion and extravagance went unrewarded, year after year went by in this fashion, and betimes Bernard realised that he was past the prime of life, yet had achieved nothing whatsoever. His bitter disappointment engendered an illness, but scarcely was he restored to health ere he heard that one Henry, a German priest, had succeeded in creating the philosopher's stone; and thereupon Bernard hastened to Germany, accompanied by various other alchemists. After some difficulty they made the acquaintance of the cleric in question, who told them he would disclose all would they but furnish a certain sum of money to procure the necessary tools and materials; so they paid as desired, yet having devoted much time to watching the German at work they found themselves no nearer the goal than before.

This last piece of quackery opened Bernard's eyes, and he proclaimed his decision of eschewing hermetic philosophy altogether in the future-a decision which was warmly applauded by his relatives, for already his researches had cost a king's ransom. But it soon transpired that the alchemist was quite incapable of clinging to his resolution, and, growing more ardent than ever, he visited Spain and Great Britain, Holland and France, trying in each of these countries to enlarge his stock of learning, and to make the acquaintance of others who were searching like himself. Eventually he even penetrated to Egypt, Persia and Palestine, while subsequently he travelled in Greece, where he witnessed many alchemistic researches; yet all proved vain, and ultimately Bernard found himself impoverished, and was forced to sell his parental estates. Being thus without so much as a home, he retired to the Island of Rhodes, intending to live there quietly for the rest of his days; but even here his old passion continued to govern him, and, chancing to make the acquaintance of a priest who knew something of science, the thwarted and ruined alchemist proposed that they should start fresh experiments together. The cleric professed himself willing to give all the help in his power, so the pair borrowed a large sum of money to admit of their purchasing the necessary paraphernalia; and it was here, then, in this secluded island, and while in a literally bankrupt condition, that Bernard made the wonderful discovery with which he is traditionally credited. Doubtless the tradition has little foundation in fact, yet at least the philosopher deserved some reward for his indomitable if foolhardy perseverance, and it is pathetic to recall that his death occurred soon after the day of his triumph.

In contradistinction to the majority of his brotheralchemists, Bernard appears to have loved actual experiments much better than writing about them. It is probable however, that he was at least partly responsible for an octavo volume published in 1643, Le Bernard d'Alchmague, cum Bernard Treveso; while he is commonly credited with another work also, La Philosophic Naturelle des Metaux. Herein he insists on the necessity of much meditation on the part of the scientist who would create the philosopher's stone, and this rather trite observation is followed by a voluminous alchemistic treatise, most of it sadly obscure, and demonstrating the author no great expert.