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During the period of this triumph of alchymy, we have many recorded instances of credulity on the one hand, and imposture on the other, in the prosecution of its mysteries. An author who wrote in the year 1740, presents us with the following anecdote concerning an alchymical speculation, which was undertaken towards the conclusion of the seventeenth century:

"The late Duke of Buckingham, being over-persuaded by a pack of knaves who called themselves chymical operators, that they had the secret of producing the philosopher's stone, but wanted money to carry on the process his Grace engaged to assist them with money for the purpose, and performed his promise at a vast expense. A laboratory was built, utensils provided, and the family filled with the most famous artists in the transmutation of metals; adepts of a superior class, who would concern themselves only about the grand elixir; and a pack of shabby curs, to attend the fires and do other servile offices; and yet, forsooth, must be, also, called philosophers.

"This great charge continued upon the Duke for some years; for, whoever was unpaid, or whatever was neglected, money must be found to bear the charge of the laboratory, and pay the operators, till this chimæra, with other extravagances, had caused the mortgaging and selling many fine manors, lordships, towns, and good farms.

"All this time, nothing was produced by these sons of art of any value; for either the glass broke, or the man was drunk and let out the fire, or some other misfortune still attended the grand process, at the time assigned for a je ne sçai quoi to be produced, that must turn all things to gold. The Duke, at length, encountering nothing but disappointments, and the operators finding themselves slighted, and money very difficult to be had, the project fell to the ground.”*

As late as the days of Mrs. Manly, also, the authoress of the Atalantis, a most singular delusion of alchymy is related to have taken place. From the circumstances of the account,

A quotation in D'Israeli's Cur. Lit. v. i. p. 210.

it is very probable that the sage was not less deceived than his patroness.

"It appears that a lady, who was an infatuated lover of this delusive art, met with one who pretended to have the power of transmuting lead into gold. This hermetic philosopher required only the materials and time, to perform his golden operations. He was taken to the country residence of his patroness; a long laboratory was built; and that his labours. might not be impeded by any disturbance, no one was permitted to enter it. His door was contrived to turn round on a spring; so that, unseeing and unseen, his meals were conveyed to him without disturbing the sublime contemplations of the sage.

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During a residence of two years, he never condescended to speak but two or three times to his infatuated patroness. When she was admitted into the laboratory, she saw, with pleasing astonishment, stills, immense caul drons, long flues, and three or four vulcanian fires, blazing at different corners of this magical mine: nor did she behold, with less reverence, the venerable figure of the dusty philosopher.

Pale and emaciated with daily operations, and nightly vigils, he revealed to her, in unintelligible jargon, his processes; and, having some times condescended to explain the mysteries of the arcana, she beheld, or seemed to behold, streams of fluid, and heaps of solid ore, scattered round the laboratory. Sometimes he required a new still; and sometimes vast quantities of lead. Already this unfortunate lady had expended the half of her fortune, in supplying the demands of the philosopher. She began, now, to lower her imagination to the standard of reason. Two years had elapsed; vast quantities of lead had gone in, and nothing but lead had come out. She disclosed her sentiments to the philosopher. He candidly confessed, he was now himself surprised at his tardy progress, but that he would exert himself to the utmost, and that he would venture to perform a laborious operation, which he had hitherto hoped he should not be necessitated to employ. His patroness retired, and the golden visions of expectation resumed all their lustre.

it is very probable that the sage was not less deceived than his patroness.

"It appears that a lady, who was an infatuated lover of this delusive art, met with one who

pretended to have the power of transmuting lead into gold. This hermetic philosopher required only the materials and time, to perform his golden operations. He was taken to the country residence of his patroness; a long laboratory was built; and that his labours might not be impeded by any disturbance, no one was permitted to enter it. His door was contrived to turn round on a spring; so that, unseeing and unseen, his meals were conveyed to him without disturbing the sublime contemplations of the sage.

"During a residence of two years, he never condescended to speak but two or three times to his infatuated patroness. When she was admitted into the laboratory, she saw, with pleasing astonishment, stills, immense cauldrons, long flues, and three or four vulcanian fires, blazing at different corners of this magical mine: nor did she behold, with less reverence, the venerable figure of the dusty philosopher.

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