Claim: Georgius Hornius, who was greatly interested in alchemy, an ancient branch of natural philosophy, in his later life, was swindled out of the considerable sum of 5,000 guilders by a fraudulent alchemist in 1665.
Evidence: In his later life, Horn was also greatly interested in alchemy. Alchemy (from Arabic: al-kīmiyā) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition practiced throughout Europe, Africa, China and throughout Asia, observable in Chinese text from around 73–49 BCE and Greco-Roman Egypt in the first few centuries CE. In 1665, he was swindled out of the considerable sum of 5,000 guilders by a fraudulent alchemist.