atan, who appeared in
response to an evocation, and with whom he concluded a pact, receiving
the philosophical stone, and a guaranteed period of life extending over
thirty-three years from that date, after which he was to be transported
without dying into the eternal kingdom of Lucifer, to live with a
glorified body in the pure flames of the heaven of fire.

After this compact, he wrote the "Open Entrance," the original MS. of
which, together with its autograph Luciferian interpretation on the
broad margins, is a precious heirloom in the family. Some two years
later, in the course of his travels, he reached New England, where he
dwelt for a month among the Lenni-Lennaps, and there in an open desert,
on a clear night of summer, while the moon was shining in splendour, he
was wandering in solitary meditation when the luminary in question,
which was in the crescent phase, came down out of heaven, and proved to
be an arched bed, very luminous and wonderful, containing a vision of
sleeping female beauty. This was the nuptial couch of Thomas Vaughan and
its occupant was Venus-Astarte, surrounded by a host of flower-bearing
child-spirits, who conveniently provided a tent, and provided also
delicious meals during a period of eleven days. Several curious
particulars differentiated these Hermetic nuptials, undreamed of by
Christian Rosencreutz, from those which govern more ordinary proceedings
below the latitude of the Lenni-Lennaps. In the first place, goddess
succubus, Astarte provided the ring, which was of red gold enriched with
a diamond, and placed it on the finger of her lover; in the second
place, transcendental gestation, celestial or otherwise, fulfils the
mystery of generation with exceeding despatch, for Astarte was delivered
of an infant on the eleventh day independently of medical assistance,
whereupon she demanded the return of the nuptial ring, and vanished with
tent and sprites astride of the crescent couch. The fruit of their union
was left in the arms of Thomas, who was directed to trample on all
sentiments of paternal affection, and to deliver the child into the
charge of a tribe of fire-worshipping Indians. He does not appear to
have sued for the restitution of conjugal rights, and cheerfully
surrendered the human hybrid to a family of Lenni-Lennaps, together with
his medallion portrait drawn by an artist from devildom, so that the
daughter might recognise her father after the method which obtains among
novel