“In this room was nothing but windows, and between two windows there was a door, which was covered with nothing other than a great polished looking glass. And these windows and these looking-glasses were optically opposed to one another, so that although the sun (which was now shining exceedingly brightly) beat only upon one door, yet (after the windows towards the sun were opened, and the doors before the looking-glasses drawn aside) in all quarters of the room there were nothing but suns, which by artificial refractions beat upon the whole golden globe standing in the midst; and because (besides all this brightness) it was polished, it gave such a lustre, that

none of us could open our eyes, but were forced to look out of the windows till the globe was well heated, and brought to the desired effect.

Here I may well avow that in these mirrors I have seen the most wonderful spectacle that ever Nature brought to light, for there were suns in all places, and the globe in the middle shined still brighter, so that we could no more endure it than the sun itself, except for one twinkling of an eye.”

(The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, 1616)