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Pyromancy
Spirits celestial influences and signs · A Chymical Dictionary
At a Glance
The word. Divination through the signs of fire.
In the book. The neighboring divinatory terms classify practices by the medium through which a sign appears.
A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 38; facsimile PDF page 366.
Historical Definition
Pyromancy is an art of foretelling by fire.
Meaning
Fire is treated here as a source of signs. The entry names a way of interpreting appearances, rather than a method for transforming a substance. Its place in a chemical dictionary shows how widely the compiler understands the vocabulary required for reading these authors.
Use in the Book
The neighboring divinatory terms classify practices by the medium through which a sign appears. Compare Sortilegium, where spirits supply the presage, and Somnia, where the stars are said to operate during sleep. These are the dictionary’s historical classifications.
Places to Read
Somnia. Dreams explained through stellar operations in the sleeper.
Sortilegium. Foretelling mediated by spirits.
Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 38; facsimile PDF page 366 — Facsimile
See also. Somnia; Sortilegium