The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-04-12
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Tho Monks Secrets.

Roger Bacon was an English Monk,
who taught in the University of Oxford
more than six hundred years ago. He
was a man of great learning, skill in
Latin, Greek and Hebrew, but especially
fond of chemistry. lie used to spend
many hours each day in one of the secret
cells in the convent engaged in the va.
rious experiments While thus employ.
ed he had found that sui phur, charcoal,
and salpctre, mingled together 10 GER
tain way, would make a new and strange
compound indeed so strange did this
new mixture seem, that the monk him.
self was afraid Of it and therefore told
no one Of its discovery
Among the pupils was a youth who
was so fond Of study, and so prompt to
obey his teachers. that he became ia
vorite with all, and Roger Bacon would
often ask his hep in the laboratory.-a
large room where the students were in.
| structed Ill chemistry-but he never al
lowed him to enter his private cell.
This youths name was Hubert de
Drcux.
Sometimes as Hubert sat reading or
studying or mixing medicine in this
large room, he was startled by sounds
like distant thunder coming from his
masters apartment; sometimes bright
light shonc for moment thro' the clinks
of the door, and then an unpleasant odor
would almost suffocate him All these
things excited curiosity; but whenever
he knocked or strove to enter. Roper
Bacon would sternly bid him attend to
his own affairs and never again interrupt
him. The door was always kept locked,
and every time the boy ventured to ask
the cause, he was silcnced by his teach
ers eruH words aud severe looks
Months glided away, and still he Gag
erly but vainly sought to learn tho Sc
cret. At length an opportunity offered.
Roger Bacon was widely known as a
physician and surgeon One cold Nov
ember day he was called to wait on
Walter de Loosely, rich man in the
next town, who had been dangerously
hurt. The monk gave all the necessary
orders to Hubert, and bidding him put
out the fires and lock the door when he
was done, he started on his errand of
mercy.
Hubert soon finished his task and was
just bounding up the oakcn stairway
when an evil thought came to his mind
"Roger Bacon is gone, he will not be back
for several hours; cali now find out
what keeps him SO much in that dark
damp cell" He looks anxiously around !;
no one is near, and with light step and
fast beating heart he reaches the forbid
den room. The key is not there and
there is no hope of entering; yet per-
haps he may see something through the
key hole, and kneeling be presses his
check against the heavy door. 1t opens
at his touch for Roger Bacon in his
haste had locked without closing il, and
thus the eager boy stands where be had
for months longod to be. In vain he
looks for any thing new or strange, and
with sad face is turning away, when
his eye falls upon huge book whose OPP
en- page is still wet with ink from his
teachers pen. 1t is written in Latin,
but that is as plain to him as his own
English, and in another moment he has
read the secret SO long hidden from him.
Now ho must try it for himself, to see
iftbis mixture is indeed SO wonderful.
All !" he exclaims, " this yellow powder
is the sulphur, this hard clear substance
is the saltpctre, and this black powder
must be the other Here is the very
bottle my master has used 1 will mix
it in this and sec The fire is not vet
dead in the furnace few sparks will
give heat enough, and then Hubert de
Dreux is as wise as his wisest teacher" ("
All that afternoon Roger Bacon had
been bending over the sick mans bed
he had done all he could to relieve his
sufferings and as night was coming on,
he bade him goodbye aud set out for
home. The whistled oven the bleak
hills, and the monk wrapped his cloak
closer around him and hurried his horse
towards the converts good shelter. As
he reached the top Of the last bill Ok