Abstrakt
It was characteristic feature of alchemists around Rudolf II that they were recruited from diverse strata of society. Another one of the somewhat mysterious figures was Protestant priest, alchemist, and searcher for precious stones Šimon Tadeáš Budek of Lešín and Falkenberk (? - after 1608).
The best source we have about Budek is his own manuscript on alchemy, dating to around 1604-1608 The Manuscript "Varii tractatus chemici" gives us a look inside the discipline of natural science as it flourished around the turn of the 17th century and attracted the interest of every rank of society. For us, his author is a model case by which we can see the kind of relationships that developed among the members of the remarkable intellectual circles around Rudolf II.
For his work Budek needed not only material support, but social backing as well. Thus he buttressed his conclusions by listing the names of figures who were not only "scientific" authorities, but also people who could provide the necessary social references, and through whom he obtained the sought-after material assistance without which his work could not have continued.