Cosimo De Medici, a Florentine nobleman, sends emissaries around the world to track down ancient manuscripts on the Hermetic (or alchemical) arts. A monk appears, claiming to be in possession of a work written by none other than Hermes Trismegistus himself, dating back to the time of the ancient Egyptians. In reality, the manuscript, “Corpum Hermeticum,” is no older than the 3rd century AD. This document, however, will inspire generations of medieval alchemists.
