BOEHMEN, JACOB, called the Teutonic philosopher, was a noted visionary of the 17th century, born in a village of Germany near Gorlitz, in 1575. He was bred a shoemaker: and marrying, supported a large family by this occupation; until, after amusing himself with chemistry, a visionary turn of mind, heated by sermons and German divinity, got the better of his common sense, and produced raptures and notions of divine illumination. These he first gave vent to in 1612, by a treatise entitled Aurora, or the Rising of the Sun; being a mixture of astrology, philosophy, chemistry, and divinity, written in a quaint obscure style. This being censured by the magistrates of Gorlitz, he remained silent for seven years; but improving that interval by pursuing the flights of his imagination, he resumed his pen; and resolving to redeem the time he had lost, in the remaining five years of his life, he published above 20 books, which greatly needed what he concluded with, A Table of his Principles, or a Key to his Writings; though this has not proved sufficient to render them intelligible to common apprehensions. The key above mentioned appeared in 1624, and he did not long survive it. For early in the morning of the 18th of November that year, he called one of his sons, and asked him "if he also heard that excellent music?" to which being answered in the negative, he ordered the door to be set open, that the music might be the better heard. He asked afterwards what o'clock it was? and being told it had struck two, he said "It is not yet my time; my time is three hours hence." In the interim he was heard to speak these words:
Bochmen "O thou strong God of hosts, deliver me according
to thy will! O thou crucified Lord Jesus, have mercy
upon me, and receive me into thy kingdom!" When
it was near six o'clock, he took his leave of his wife
and sons, and blessed them, and said, "Now I go
hence into paradise;" then bidding his son turn him,
he immediately expired his last breath in a deep sigh.
A great number of persons have been misled by the
visions of this fanatic, notwithstanding his talents in in-
volving the plainest things in mystery and enigmatical
jargon. Among others, the famous Quirinus Kahl-
man may be reckoned the principal of his followers in
Germany: who says, he had learned more being alone
in his study, from Bochmen, than he could have learn-
ed from all the wise men of that age together; and,
that we may not be in the dark as to what sort of
knowledge this was, he acquaints us, that amidst an
infinite number of visions it happened, that, being
snatched out of his study, he saw thousands of thou-
sands of lights rising round about him. Nor has he
been without admirers, and those in no small number,
in England: among the foremost of whom stands the
famous Mr William Law, author of Christian Per-
fection, &c. who has favoured his countrymen with
an English edition of Jacob Bochmen's works in 2 vols.
4to.