The Stone of the Philosophers: The Philosophers Stone

The Stone of the Philosophers by Edward Kelly The Philosophers Stone Books on Alchemy Sir Edward Kelley or Kelly, also known as Edward Talbot (1 August 1555 – 1 November 1597), was an ambiguous figure in English Renaissance occultism and self-declared spirit medium who worked with John Dee in his magical investigations. Besides the professed ability to summon spirits or angels in a "shew-stone" or mirror, which John Dee so valued, Kelley also claimed to possess the secret of transmuting base metals into gold, the goal of alchemy, as well as the supposed Philosopher's Stone itself. Legends began to surround Kelley shortly after his death. His flamboyant biography, his relationships with Queen Elizabeth I's royal magus Sir John Dee and the Emperor Rudolf II, his supposed ability to communicate with angels, and his possession of certain alchemical powders, have led to his relative notoriety among historians: this has made him (along with the German Faustus and Sir John Dee himself) one source for the folklorical image of the alchemist-medium-charlatan.