The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-12
PROJECTS FOR MAKING GOLD.
Some Schemes of Alchemists, Ancient and
Modern.

The world owes a good deal, says HOUSE,
hold Words, to the old alchemists who,
in their blind search for the secret of
trensm utiEg metals and of the elixir of
life, stumbled upon many discoveries
which helped to lay the foundations of
modern chemistry. The notion was de-
rived from the Arabs who, under the
Caliphs of Bagdau and Cordova. had
made considerable progress in chemical
science. And when. in the
of research and investigation
began to stir among the European ma
tions, the entioement to a short cut to
wealth and power set all the learned on a
pursuit that promised such marvellous
results. The pursuit of the ohimera
called the philosophers stone" was car
ried to such lengths that Pope John
XIII. issued a bill oondemning to
perpetual imprisonment those who
attempted to transform one metal into
another. This was In 1917; but the
papal prohibition had little effect in
checking the devotion to the secret art.
In 1924 King Edward III. issued an
order to bring to him at Ethan, by fair
means or foul two men who had boosted
of their art to make silver, not for pun
ishment, but that he might set them to
work for his own benefit, and towards
the close of the century, Henry Nv. ad
dressed letters patent to professors,
mobiles and priests, inciting them to
prosecute after ssthe "philosophers'
stoDe." as q means of enabling him to
pay the debts of the state.
The respect, however, which princes
had for the science did not extend to the
persons of the adopts, who were laid hold
Of without ceremony, and compelled to.
labor at the "projection. In this there
is an instance In the life Of Alexander
Seaton, who possessed an estate some
where on The coast of Scotland. In 1902,
while travelling for his pleasure in
Holland, accompanied by his wife, he
called on Dutch gentleman whom he
had treated with hospitality in his own
country; and in the course of this visit
had the impudence to exhibit his Skill
in the art OF transmutation. He pursued
his travels to Basic, and afterwards
found shirnself in Saxouy; and on his
route so frequently repeated the same In
discretion, that his reputation as living
source of treasure did not fail to reach
the duoal COURT The consequence ewas
that he was seized and put up in a tower.
The Duke Of Saxony attempted to
work upon him, first by promises, then
by threat. then by torture; but all in
vain. The unfortunate alohemist sub
mitted in silence, and his prosecutors,
after having repeatedly burned his flesh
and dislocated his limbs, at length gave
up active measures in despair, and trust
ed TO the effect of protraoted confinement.
Michael Sandovigius who resided at
Craoow, was then in Saxony, and being
himself addicted to the dangerous pur-
suitsheard with great interest of the ad
venture of Senton. He obtained admis-
sion to his prison, and formed plan for
his deliverance, which he ultimately
effected by making his guards drunk.
He carried him and his wife to Cracow,
andEthen demanded, as the price Of his
service, to bs initiated in the mystery OF
the philosophers stone"; but Saaton,
showing him his emaciated body, his
shrunk nerves, and powerless limbs, re-
piled that all these things he had en-
dured rather than disclose secret he had
won. by study and prayer. he presented
him, however. with portion Of the
precious powder, by means of whioh-so
the story goes and not by any scientific
merit of his own, Sandovigius became
famous as an alohemist. Seaton soon
after died, and Rthe persevering friend,
thinking there might be some chemical
virtue even In his widow, married her,
and by this means became possessed of
treatise which has been attributed to Ehis
own pen by the ignorance Of the learned.
DR.. Hevtius. of The Hague, in his
Golden Calf, relates chow he became
possessed of "pinoh" of powder, which
converted six dIachms of lead into gold;
but he could not obtain the Rsecret of it's
manufacture from the adept who gave
it to him. The Jesuit Father Kirchir re-
lates somewhat similar story, in which
the mysterious adept figures as the devil
himself, with whom alchemists In gen.
eral wore said to be on speaking terms,
1t was supposed that the miraculous
power, II uaed in another way would
prolonS life to an indefinite period; and
both these superstltions were derived by
the Europeans from the Arabians, al
though the Ealohemists professed that
Egypt WAS the fountain OF the occult phil
osophy, which they termed Hehrmitio,
taken from Hermus or Thoth. However
this may be the very same delusions had
been productive of much more remarka-
BILE disorders in China several centuries
before the Christian era. There the in
IatuRtlOn OF bn0 princes IN Gnelr research
after the water of Immortality and the
philosopher stone" was frequently one
of the leading causes of political ravolu-
tions and it was not only the profligate
and depraved who Ewsre addicted to this
fatal pursuit, but some of the wisest of
the Einperors. In the year 1873 b. O., one
of the mystic priests sof Taon presented
the Emperor with the Ingredients of COM
posing the miraculous draught, telling
him first to sacrifice to the spirits of the
hearth. and then to Rthrow some svermil-
lion into a goblet, which would become
gold, and this gold gave immortal life.
The Emperor brewed as he has directed
The goblet, however. was snatched from
his lips by ono Of his indignant mobiles,
who drank off the dIaught. "If I am
immortal life, !" said he, "your Majesty
cannot kill me; If l am not immortal,
you will, OF course reward me for open
ing your eyes to so contemplate delu-
sions."
Twenty years afterwards, when the
Emperor was still more in need of the
water of Immortality" and the art of
making gold, he fell as blindly Unto the
snare. An sdventurer offered to pro-
coed to the Islands of the Immortals, and