The Garden of Cyrus

Penned during a relaxation of licences for printing-presses and State censorship thus catering for the psychological uncertainties, social debate and millenarian expectations engendered during the Protectorate of Cromwell; The Garden of Cyrus is Browne’s contribution to what was a ‘boom period’ and the single-most decade of interest in esoterica England has ever witnessed. Browne’s Neoplatonic and Neopythagorean vision of the interconnection of art and nature via various symbols, primarily the number five and the quincunx pattern, along with their variants, the figure X and lattice design, caused little stir when first published, however, its slender, but highly-compressed pages of imagery, symbolism and associative thought are exemplary of a fundamental quest of alchemist and Hermetic philosopher alike, namely, proof of the wisdom of God, and demonstrable evidence of intelligent design. The Discourse also includes early recorded usage of the words ‘prototype’ and ‘archetype’ in the English language.